Today in Loguetown, there was an execution, a gale, a storm, chaos — and another execution.
What's the deal with pirates executing pirates?
Only when the Navy executes pirates can it be called a real execution.
All the pirates who took advantage of the chaos to loot were completely wiped out by Kuro — without exception.
"Ittōryū: Banshin."
On another street, a group of panicked pirates barely had time to flee before a figure flashed past them and appeared directly in front.
Kuro didn't even glance at the head flying into the air behind him. With a single sweep of his blade, he sliced through a door — blood sprayed out immediately.
He flicked his saber clean, letting the rain wash away the blood, then turned his gaze to a green-haired figure trembling in a nearby alley.
The man was curled up behind a trash can, clutching his head, muttering, "You can't see me… You can't see me…"
Sensing a presence in front of him, he looked up, screamed, and scrambled backward several meters.
"I'm not a pirate! I'm not!!"
He had a tall green pompadour, bull-like eyes with black markings trailing from the corners down to his temples, and a wide mouth full of sharp teeth—he looked like he might have fishman blood.
This was Bartolomeo, the gang boss ruling over a territory of 150 streets.
Seeing Kuro glance his way, Bartolomeo waved frantically, nearly in tears. "I really ain't a pirate! Don't kill me!"
Bartolomeo was having a rough day. What he'd witnessed in Loguetown would stay with him for life—nothing would ever top it. He hadn't even fully processed it when the pirate riot broke out.
Fine, let them riot—as long as they didn't mess with his businesses. A lot of those pirates had even been under his command.
But news traveled fast—pirates were dying in the streets, especially in his territory. Most were found with their heads cleanly severed.
Unacceptable! Let them fight elsewhere, not on his turf—and not his men!
Furious, Bartolomeo went to check things out—and then he gained another unforgettable memory.
You've gotta be kidding.
He didn't even see the attacker clearly. Just a flash of a black coat, one step forward, a swing of a sword—and everyone's head was gone. It made his own neck feel cold.
There was no fighting someone like that.
Even his proud barrier probably wouldn't hold up.
"Then stop being a pirate. Stick to the gang life—it's got a future," Kuro said, giving him a glance before walking away.
Only after Kuro's footsteps had faded did Bartolomeo dare to peek out. He let out a deep breath and collapsed, drenched in cold sweat.
After a while, he sat up and looked around at the headless corpses littering the alley. Clenching his teeth, he muttered with a shudder, "Monster…"
---
"I'm starving!"
Lida punched a fleeing pirate into the ground and swallowed her saliva. Her stomach was growling desperately for food.
But she didn't dare eat just yet.
She had never seen Kuro like that before. Along the way, she had passed countless headless pirate corpses. If she slacked off now, things could get bad.
She'd been maintaining this form for a while. Even if it wasn't full power, the energy consumption was massive.
She was a Devil Fruit user. Absorbing essence made her fight harder—but that didn't mean she didn't get hungry.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have spent years starving.
"Hey, move faster!"
She kicked aside a pirate running past and shouted to Klahadore in the distance.
"Soru!"
Klahadore flashed before a pirate, claw blades slashing five deep, bone-revealing gashes across the man's chest.
Most pirates hadn't even gotten the chance to take hostages. The Marines were handling them swiftly. Technically, they were supposed to take them alive—but after seeing his boss's icy expression, Klahadore didn't dare. Killing was faster.
He looked up just in time to see Smoker flying overhead in a cloud of smoke.
"Tch. Devil Fruit powers sure are convenient," Clow muttered before continuing his spree.
From above, Smoker had a clearer view.
One street.
Two streets.
Three streets…
He counted at least seven, all littered with headless corpses.
"This kid's really pissed… Is he the kind who actually cares about civilians?"
Spotting a group of pirates, Smoker dove down.
'When it comes to catching pirates, I won't lose to you!' he swore internally.
Below, Kuro left another trail of corpses in his wake.
He wore a relaxed smile. With his Haki, there were no more pirates using hostages.
The rest was the Marines' job.
Kuro glanced at his saber. Without Haki reinforcement, the blade had reached its limit—cracks covered its surface after cutting down so many.
"Only famous swords can keep up with me… Ordinary blades just don't cut right."
He casually tossed the saber aside, pulled a cigar from his pocket, lit it, and took a long drag.
"Ah… that's better."
A smoke after battle—better than being a Celestial Dragon.
With the hostage crisis over, the Navy could now fight without holding back. With a few powerhouses assisting, rounding up the remaining pirates was a breeze.
The riot was quickly quelled.
In the aftermath, Smoker stood in the ruins, puffing on his cigar as Marines escorted pirates away.
Tashigi stood nearby, arms crossed, face grim.
Klahadore sat on a boulder, his glasses reflecting light, hiding his expression.
Lida, back in her young girl form, kicked every pirate that passed by.
"You're the reason I couldn't eat properly!"
The mood was heavy.
"Hey hey hey, what's with the long faces? We caught a ton of pirates—shouldn't you be celebrating? Smoker, you stopped a huge riot."
Kuro strolled over with a cigar in his mouth, smiling.
"Kuro!"
Lida's eyes lit up at the sight of his smile. She ran over in her child form.
"Hey, are you okay now?"
"Tch! What do you mean 'okay now'? I was fine the whole time!"
Kuro flicked her forehead.
Lida didn't mind. Instead, she grinned and happily started munching on some chips.
"Kuro…"
Smoker looked at him with a complicated expression. "You killed so many people… Are you finally going to reveal yourself to the world?"
"Huh? What? Who killed a bunch of people? I didn't kill anyone. Got any proof? I didn't do a thing."
Kuro acted completely innocent. "You stopped the riot. As the captain of Loguetown, that's your job. What's it got to do with me?"
Unless the dead could come back and point him out by name, Kuro wasn't admitting to anything.
He had survived this long by following one principle: Stay safe.
"'Safe' justice, huh… whatever. How you uphold your justice is your business. Personally, I think you're an outstanding Marine. I look forward to working with you."
Smoker shook his head, then asked suddenly:
"What do you think about the Revolutionary Army?"
"The Revolutionary Army?"
Kuro paused to think. 'I'll just stand and watch.'
That was how most Marines felt—and Kuro was no different.
Smoker narrowed his eyes. "Dragon was here… and then he vanished. No one knows why he came. Just to free the Straw Hats? Doesn't feel like that was the only reason."
Loguetown didn't belong to any kingdom, and there hadn't been any reports of nearby revolutions either.
"Why bother thinking about that stuff? That's the government's problem, not ours. Our job is to fight pirates. The rest? Not our concern."
Kuro laughed heartily.
Of course, he knew why Dragon came. And while he understood the reason behind that man's actions, he didn't agree with it.
The tensions in Loguetown had been simmering for a long time. If it hadn't been Dragon, someone else would've lit the spark. Once Smoker left, the town was bound to erupt eventually.
That much, Kuro understood.
What he couldn't agree with was the world itself—because in this world, no one truly aligned with his ideals.
Kuro looked at Smoker and suddenly asked, "I've heard there's something called the Sea Train on the Grand Line, but it only runs around Water 7. If it's such a convenient means of transportation, why isn't it built across the whole world?"
Smoker responded firmly, "The Sea Train isn't owned by the World Government. It's just a cooperative project, and building it everywhere would cost too much. Why are you asking this?"
"Hypothetically, if the Revolutionary Army overthrew the World Government, do you think they'd build Sea Trains across the entire world?"
Smoker thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"Exactly. That's why we just stand and watch," Kuro said with a grin.
Smoker frowned, not quite understanding what Kuro was getting at—what did the World Government, the Revolutionary Army, and the Sea Train have to do with each other?
Kuro smiled up at the sky.
Smoker didn't get it, and no one in this world ever would.
If there were a country where, even for a tiny village of just a hundred people in some remote borderland, they'd still ensure roads, electricity, and water—just to make life easier for the locals...
That would be the spirit and responsibility of a true nation.
How could anyone in this world understand that? How could Kuro possibly agree with any of it?
Here, having a king who "loves the people" was already considered a blessing.
The Revolutionary Army might overthrow tyrannical regimes, only to replace them with another "benevolent" king. That was the limit of their so-called revolution.
And they called that a revolution?
As someone who, in his previous life, had studied political science thoroughly—Kuro had no respect for that kind of rebellion.
If he ever truly rose in revolt, the world would tremble.
That's why neither the World Government nor the Revolutionary Army mattered to him. He was a Marine—a Marine who just wanted to live a safe life.
Whoever wanted to rule the world, let them. No matter who was in charge, in this vast oceanic world full of islands, the Navy would always be needed.
Especially in the Grand Line, where magnetic fields were chaotic and islands barely had contact with one another.
The Navy was the frontline against chaos and evil—and also the safest organization.
"Being in the Navy is great—good food, good salary, relaxing job where I can read the paper and clip my nails, maybe sneak a few cigars. I love it here."
As he spoke, Kuro snatched another cigar from Smoker.
"You bastard!" Smoker's veins bulged. "Why not get promoted and buy your own?!"
"Sure, it's good when you buy it—but it's even better when it's free," Kuro said with a cheeky grin.
Smoker's eye twitched in irritation. He exhaled a puff of smoke and said:
"Straw Hat got away. I'm heading to the Grand Line—I'm going to catch him. Come with me."
"Huh? I have to go to HQ for training. No time to play with you," Kuro waved him off, clearly uninterested.
He just wanted to lie low at HQ for a while, and hopefully find a way to drift back to East Blue and live out his days in peace.
Smoker ignored him and told a nearby Marine, "Contact HQ. I'm heading to the Grand Line. And tell them Warrant Officer Luciru Kuro, Seaman Third Class Flora Lida, and Klahadore will accompany me for training."
"Hey! That's an abuse of authority!" Kuro snapped.
"If you don't want me reporting to HQ that you took out all the pirates in Loguetown—and revealing your true strength…"
Smoker stared him down. "Besides, I've been abusing authority for a while now. If you don't want to be under my command, then go get promoted, you bastard!"
"You want to spar with me, Smoker?" Kuro cracked his knuckles.
"No, listen—if you come with me to the Grand Line, you won't have to do anything when we run into pirates. You can stick to your 'safe justice.'"
Smoker spoke quickly. "And as a Headquarters Captain, I can pull some strings and help you get promoted—and sent to a nice quiet place. Isn't that what you want?"
Fight him? Smoker wasn't dumb—he wasn't looking to get wrecked.
Kuro paused. That… actually sounded doable.
"Klahadore?" Kuro glanced at him instinctively.
"I think it's a good idea," Klahadore nodded.
He had previously advised Kuro to join a faction.
Kuro also knew Smoker had good ties with Aokiji. With his help, maybe Kuro could one day return to East Blue and live in peace.
"What about getting back to East Blue?" Kuro asked.
"Can't guarantee it, but I'll make sure it's somewhere safe—very safe."
"Deal. I'll tag along for now," Kuro said. Then double-checked, "You promise, right? Super safe place, preferably no pirates nearby."
"Don't worry. That place is absolutely pirate-free!" Smoker said confidently.
.
..
...
"…"
"The Calm Belt, huh. So the Navy can just pass straight through to the Grand Line? That's cheating."
On the warship, Klahadore looked out at the eerily still ocean stretching to the horizon and muttered to himself.
As a pirate, he had only ever heard of one route into the Grand Line—Reverse Mountain, an extremely dangerous passage. He hadn't known the Navy could sail straight through the Calm Belt.
"It's because of the Seastone embedded beneath the ship," Tashigi explained nearby. "It emits the same energy as the sea, so Sea Kings don't detect us."
"But this technology is rare. Only a few ships have it, and it's limited to HQ use."
When Smoker said "let's go," they went. From Loguetown, they cut straight through the Calm Belt, heading for the Grand Line.
On the third deck of the warship, two beach chairs lay side by side. Kuro and Smoker lounged on them, smoking cigars. Lida sat nearby, happily devouring the food on the table.
This kind of relaxed and safe lifestyle was exactly what Kuro wanted. Just lying here made all his resentment toward Smoker disappear.
"If only life could always be like this…" Kuro sighed.
"I just don't get it," Smoker said beside him. "You're so strong. Why choose to live like this?"
"If you really want peace, just catch more pirates."
"You ever heard this line?" Kuro asked.
"What line?"
"A man's dream… will never end!"
Kuro sat up, poured a glass of red wine, and downed it in one go.
"That's why… pirates will never run out."
(*****)
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