At the same time, as Shano and his companions were enthusiastically touring the interior of the ship.
Northeast of Sherly Island, in a relatively remote inn.
A tall figure cloaked in black sat with an indifferent face on the balcony, gazing at the distant sunset slowly sinking below the sea.
"What a boring life..."
The man named "Hundred Strategies" Kuro muttered to himself.
He had been roaming this sea for some years now, and as he entered middle age, the passionate excitement of his youth had faded, and he started to tire of such a life.
Especially in recent years.
Among all the Great Pirates in the East Sea with bounties over ten million, except for Buggy who escaped back to the Grand Line, almost all had perished at the hands of this man named Shano.
Leaving only him as the lone survivor.
Standing out like a crane among chickens, he became the target of attention, those Navy dogs and greedy Bounty Hunters relentlessly pursued him, causing him to engage in fierce battles from time to time.
This stop at Sherly Island was due to a naval battle he was forced to take a few days ago.
The ship's hull was severely damaged, and they had to come here to find a professional shipbuilding company for repairs.
Perhaps, it was time for him to devise a plan to escape from this predicament.
Then he could find a beautiful countryside estate and enjoy a few peaceful years of retirement like a wealthy old man.
As he pondered, Kuro suddenly heard urgent footsteps coming from the stairway.
"Why are you back so soon?"
Kuro didn't need to look to know who it was and frowned, "Didn't I tell you two to visit a few more shipyards to compare prices?"
If it didn't cost too much, he could accept it.
If the price was unsatisfactory, he could always put a gun to the shipbuilders' heads, seeing if they dared ask for exorbitant prices.
"Boss! We've found a fat prey, a fat prey!"
Sam and Buji couldn't hide their excitement, shaking the photos in their hands, "Look, these are close-up shots I secretly took from outside just in case!"
"A named sword?"
Kuro's eyes were immediately drawn to the Wado Ichimonji, revealing his surprise, "It should be a Skillful Grade Blade? It could also be a Great Grade Blade, probably worth a hundred million Belly..."
Suddenly, something seemed to catch his attention, and his expression suddenly changed.
Before Sam and Buji could react, their captain disappeared without a trace, and in the next moment, cold sharp claws were tightly pressed against their throats.
"I say..."
An eerie cold voice came from behind, "You two wouldn't have secretly sought out a new captain or are planning to start your own gang, preparing to betray me?"
"Blood! We're going to see blood, boss!"
Sam screamed in horror, his face contorted with fear, "Wha... what are you talking about? We're loyal to you, how could we betray you?!"
"Y-yeah." Buji also swallowed his saliva, nervously turning his head with a compensating smile, "You know us, where would we get the courage for that..."
"It's because I know you wouldn't dare! Otherwise, I would have killed you both long ago!"
Kuro snorted coldly, suddenly pointing to the photo, "I say, are you two blind? Can't you see who that man is?"
That man?
Sam and Buji looked blankly at the photo.
Because the camera had focused on the sword, the figures of the nearby people were somewhat blurry, but one man's facial outline did look somewhat familiar, like they had seen it somewhere...
"It's Shano! The renowned strongest Sword Master in the East Sea, Shano! You blind fools!"
Shano?
Upon hearing this familiar name, Sam and Buji gasped, finally waking up.
"The Shano who killed the entire Ah Long Pirates a few years ago?"
"And Click's Pirates! They were also wiped out by him recently!"
The more they thought about it, the more frightened they became, sweating profusely, feeling as if they had just escaped death.
Fortunately, they didn't rush into action at Giant Whale Company earlier; otherwise, they might not even have seen Captain Kuro's face and would have just become bodies on the street, wouldn't they?
"Now do you realize the fear?"
Kuro's cat claws suddenly crossed in front of them, ten cold gleams instantly shredding the photo into fragments, "What are you still standing there for! Go tell Jango, gather all the brothers, and set sail immediately! We can't stay on Sherly Island; we need to find another place to repair the ship!"
"Eh? But we just got here not long ago."
Buji pouted, showing reluctance, "Isn't it fine if we don't provoke that guy? We haven't docked for almost a month, and I wanted to go to Red Light Street tonight..."
"Shut up, idiot!"
Seeing Kuro's expression grow increasingly grim, Sam quickly covered his mouth, "Better safe than sorry, you know the risks, right? What if that man noticed us, do you want our Black Cat Pirates to be wiped out too? Come on, let's go call the others!"
That's more like it.
Watching the two figures hastily disappear outside the door, Kuro snorted coldly, the murderous intent in his eyes gradually fading away.
These subordinates, who only dragged him down, were each more foolish than the last; spending too much time with them, he felt like his own intelligence was decreasing.
"The strongest Sword Master, Shano..."
Staring at the shredded photo pieces on the ground, Kuro felt a vague sense of unease and trepidation, suspecting that something particularly bad would happen today.
This man is really too dangerous; he must get away as soon as possible, the further the better!
As for foolishly provoking him like that idiot Click did, hoping to increase one's bounty and fame?
Ridiculous.
Considering the disparity in strength between the two sides, the success rate was too low. He was, after all, "Hundred Strategies" Kuro, renowned for his cunning, surviving with caution and intelligence. He would never do something so foolish.
......
Half an hour later.
The Black Cat Pirates' ship hurriedly set out to sea, Kuro leaned against the railing, his gaze fixed on the distant neon sign of the Giant Whale Company.
Only when the sign had become a small, almost invisible dot in his vision, without any ship following, did he finally withdraw his gaze, feigning calmness as he slowly lay back on the deck chair.
"Boss Kuro, your red wine."
Deputy Captain Jango brought a wine glass, Kuro acknowledged with a hum, taking it absentmindedly but not in the mood to drink, setting it aside for now.
"Boss, in my opinion, you've just been pursued too closely these days, and your nerves are a bit too tense." Jango chuckled, "How about I hypnotize you to relax a bit?"
"No need."
Kuro frowned slightly, directly rejecting the offer.
Jango was the only one under his command he could trust, and his hypnotic abilities were indeed very practical, but Kuro just didn't like the feeling of losing control.
"Captain!" The lookout suddenly shouted, "At ten o'clock, a small boat is heading toward us!"
A small boat?
Kuro's pupils shrank, his spine tensed abruptly as he stood up, barking, "Look closely! How many people are on it, is Shano among them?"
"Only one person!"
The lookout replied, "This guy looks unfamiliar, not Shano, nor the Bounty Hunters who pursued us before, waving at us like he wants help. Tsk, this boat is too small, like a coffin, barely enough space for one person..."
Not Shano?
Kuro immediately breathed a sigh of relief, followed by an inexplicable surge of shame and anger—an unknown nobody daring to ask for help and giving him a fright?
"No sense of sight, foolish lackey..."
He couldn't be bothered to deal with it, sneering as he issued a command, "Approach it! Grind that guy and his boat to pieces!"
"Yes, captain!!!"
Thunderous responses echoed from the pirates on the deck.
...
On the nearby sea surface.
Watching the pirate ship inexplicably speeding toward him for a collision, Hawkeye was slightly stunned, then gently sighed, reaching his right hand toward the Black Blade on his back.
He merely wanted to ask a local for directions since he was unsure of Cocoyashi Village's location.
Why must these guys do such things...