Kaya's mansion was situated on a highland in Syrup Village, surrounded by vast, verdant lawns.
The main gate of the courtyard was a magnificent black iron fence, intricately carved with delicate patterns, and on either side of the gate stood two neatly trimmed oak trees, their shade casting dappled light.
The main path, paved with fine gravel, stretched towards the mansion's front door, flanked by colorful flowerbeds.
Kuro, dressed in a well-tailored black tailcoat, a dark red cravat, and gleaming polished leather shoes.
His gold-rimmed glasses always rested low on his nose, giving him a deceptive air of humility and elegance.
But when his disguise was torn away, his appearance instantly became chilling. The moment he removed his glasses, his gaze shifted from calm to sharp, as incisive as a blade.
His hands were adorned with specialized "cat claws"—ten gleaming, sharp blades that resembled a beast's deadly talons, inspiring dread.
Kuro's face appeared cold and ruthless, the sneer on his lips carrying a self-assured confidence of being in control.
His black hair was neatly combed back, but a few strands fell loose, adding a touch of sinister elegance.
Whether in his elegant disguise as a butler or his murderous true form, Kuro's presence was impossible to ignore.
He was like a leopard lurking in the darkness, always ready to pounce on its prey, to toy with enemies through silent schemes.
"But before I kill you all, let me ask you a question!" Kuro took a few steps forward, speaking unhurriedly:
"As outsiders, why are you interfering in the affairs of this village?"
"Because, I received a commission," Kai said, his expression unchanged, looking at Kuro. "By dealing with you, I will obtain the resources I desire!"
"Resources to improve my Haki!"
Kai's eyes sharpened. Just now, some images of Kuro's past flashed through his mind.
As before, by defeating him, Kai's Conqueror's Haki would be enhanced.
Kai also wanted to test if every heinous pirate he encountered would trigger this mechanism.
Or if there was some other reason, Kai needed to summarize it carefully.
"Boastful!" Kuro was too impatient to listen to Kai's incomprehensible words and moved with a peculiar gait.
In an instant, he appeared before Kai, intending to finish him off with a single claw strike.
"Clang!"
The crisp sound of blades clashing echoed in the courtyard.
The moment Kuro attacked, Zoro used his sword to block Kuro's cat claws.
After several days of training with the Body Tempering Technique, combined with his already solid foundation, Zoro's physical fitness had doubled compared to before practicing the technique.
This was due to Zoro's practical foundation and the powerful efficacy of practicing the Body Tempering Technique for the first time.
With his strength greatly increased, Zoro gave Kuro a cold look and, with a powerful push of his arms, sent Kuro flying against the courtyard wall.
With a "boom," a large hole was smashed into the courtyard wall, and Kuro was buried under bricks. It took him a while to crawl out of the rubble.
He was severely injured, his clothes tattered, a stark contrast to his earlier arrogant demeanor.
"Cough, cough..." Kuro stumbled a few steps, his eyes filled with malice.
"I didn't expect there to be an expert!"
After a brief exchange, Kuro realized that his strength was far inferior to that green-haired swordsman.
That swordsman was an expert; at least in the East Blue, few possessed such strength.
"Next, I will kill all of you!"
Although he had encountered an expert, Kuro remained confident in his ultimate move.
Kuro bent slightly, his body lowered into an extremely aggressive posture, his knees bent, ready to spring.
His hands hung naturally, swaying slightly, but the sharp "cat claw" blades were slightly spread, reflecting a cold glint.
In an instant, Kuro vanished from everyone's sight.
"Huh, where is he? He disappeared!" Nami exclaimed, seeing this scene, puzzled.
"No, it's a fast movement technique. His speed is too great for the naked eye to perceive him!"
Luffy frowned, carefully sensing Kuro's movements.
After several days of practicing the Body Tempering Technique, Luffy's strength had also soared.
Even with Kuro using his ultimate move "Shatter," Luffy could still track his movements.
"Swish!!!"
"Swish!!!"
"Swish!!!"
As Kuro unleashed his ultimate move, the facilities in the courtyard suffered devastating damage.
The competing beauty of roses, lilies, and hyacinths fell victim to Kuro's attack, turning into withered flowers.
In the corner of the courtyard, a white marble fountain was also completely destroyed.
Claw marks appeared on the walls and stone pillars in an instant.
Nami and Usopp were so terrified their legs trembled, fearing Kuro's indiscriminate attack might strike them.
"Got you!"
Just as Kuro approached Usopp, his sharp cat claws about to strike Usopp's thigh—
Luffy's arms instantly stretched out, grabbing Kuro's arms.
He stopped the cat claws just before they could land on Usopp's thigh.
Usopp, seeing Kuro so close, let out a scream, almost fainting from fright.
"Kaya!" A clear female voice echoed in the courtyard.
It was Kaya, who had learned the truth from Merry, realizing she had wrongly accused Usopp.
Hearing the commotion outside, Kaya saw Kuro attacking Usopp and screamed in alarm.
"Kaya! It's great that you're safe!" Usopp, seeing Kaya unharmed, forgot his recent dangerous situation and became happy.
"Luffy, grab Kuro! I want to test my hypothesis!"
Kai called out to Luffy, wanting to see if his spiritual will would improve if someone else made the move.
"Oh! Alright!" Luffy responded, and with a pull of his arms, he dragged Kuro over, making him sprawl before them.
At this moment, Kuro tried to get up and counterattack.
Kai's eyes narrowed, and Kuro was instantly pinned to the ground by Kai's precisely controlled Conqueror's Haki.
Through Kai's training, his Conqueror's Haki could precisely control its release range, concentrating the Haki on specific targets.
He could lock onto a single person with powerful willpower, leaving others unaffected.
When Conqueror's Haki was concentrated on one target, its oppressive force would greatly increase.
It would pose a greater threat to the target's mind and body, directly crushing their will.
If Kai unleashed his full power, he could interfere with reality, directly destroying the target.
"This is Conqueror's Haki!" Kuro felt a despair he had never experienced before.
He lowered his head, his eyes looking up at Kai, as if seeing a monster.
He didn't understand why such a strong person would appear in the weakest sea, the East Blue. Shouldn't these monsters be in the Grand Line?
"Conqueror's Haki?" Kai glanced at Kuro, who was sprawled on the ground like a stray dog, and raised an eyebrow.
"So this spiritual will is called Conqueror's Haki!"
"I didn't expect a great figure with Conqueror's Haki to appear in this small East Blue!"
Under the oppression of Conqueror's Haki, Kuro had already lost the will to resist.
Seeing Kuro unable to resist, Kai decided not to waste any more time.
"Zoro, cut off his head!"
Kai instructed Zoro, who was standing nearby.
"Understood!" Zoro replied. "Too bad we can't collect a bounty!"
In the Marines' records, Kuro had died three years ago, so there was no bounty for him.
With Kaya covering her eyes, shielded by Usopp, and Nami screaming, Kuro's neck was severed by Zoro's blade.
Kuro was dead!
As Kuro died, several images flashed through Kai's consciousness, and Kai found that his Conqueror's Haki had grown slightly.
The experiment showed that as long as he participated in the process, his Conqueror's Haki would improve.
Kai was full of anticipation for his future journey.