Chapter 25: The Breeding of Evil Thoughts!
Fear, like an invisible hand, gripped the throats of every member aboard the Black Cat Pirate ship.
No one dared to voice an objection, for deep down, everyone knew—this was exactly the kind of ruthless, meticulously calculated scheme that the cold-hearted "Hundred Plans" Kuro was capable of, perhaps even more brutal than what Ralph had described!
Leveraging his foreknowledge from another world, Ralph successfully gained the trust of the Black Cat Pirates.
Not only did he deduce Kuro's entire plan, but he also established himself in the minds of these desperadoes as a "Tactician" of near-supernatural intellect, one who never miscalculated.
Thus, the next question loomed before the Black Cat Pirates:
What were they to do, knowing full well that their former captain intended to silence every last one of them?
After a brief, deathly silence, a trembling voice rose from the crowd: "Sh-should we... run? Since Captain Kuro... no, that bastard Kuro doesn't want to be a pirate anymore and just wants a peaceful life, why don't we ignore his plan, flee far away? He can't possibly hunt us down across the entire ocean, right?"
This cowardly yet utterly pragmatic idea immediately garnered support from many pirates.
"Yeah! Let's run!"
"If we can't fight him, can't we at least hide?"
"As long as we escape far enough..."
For a moment, "escape" became the prevailing sentiment.
Ralph watched from the side, shaking his head inwardly. Kuro's deep-seated intimidation had left these pirates unable to even entertain the thought of resistance; their first instinct was to flee like stray dogs.
However, just as this atmosphere of cowardice permeated the air, a sudden change occurred!
"Ah—!" A piercing scream cut through the air as the pirate who had suggested fleeing was sent flying backward like a ragged sack, crashing heavily onto the deck, his face now marked with five bloody claw wounds!
The crowd parted, and two figures—one fat, one thin—slowly stepped forward.
Like the other pirates, they wore black cat-ear accessories, but their aura was distinctly different, radiating a fierce brutality.
Most striking were the weapons on their hands: gloves fitted with sharp, gleaming claws at the fingertips. The thin one's gloves were still stained with fresh blood.
Ralph found the pair somewhat familiar but couldn't recall their names. From the hushed, reverent whispers of the surrounding pirates, he learned their identities—the Meowban brothers, officers tasked with guarding the ship. The thin one was Sham, the fat one Buchi.
"To be schemed against like this, and all you can think of is running? Do you even deserve to call yourselves pirates?!"
Sham's voice was sharp and filled with malice as he flicked the blood droplets from his gloves. "Even the tamest cat will bare its claws and fight for its life when cornered and facing death!"
He ignored his cowardly comrades and turned to the still-dazed Jango: "Captain Jango, weren't you supposed to meet with Kuro... that bastard, soon to confirm the final plan?"
Jango nodded groggily.
A ruthless glint flashed in Sham's eyes:
"Let's turn his scheme against him! You go and sound him out. If he still has any intention of returning to the life, of leading us to roam the seas, then he hasn't forgotten his roots, and we're still brothers on the same ship. But if... he truly wants to be nothing more than a domesticated house cat, as this young man says, and plans to cut all ties with us completely—"
"..."
He paused, his voice icy as frost:
"Then we strike first! Before he moves to eliminate us, we'll send him and his damned 'new life' straight to hell!"
"Kill Captain Kuro?"
"This... can we really do it?"
"But Captain Kuro, he..."
The Meowban brothers' bloodthirsty proposal was like a massive rock thrown into a calm lake.
Some pirates were stirred to ferocity, their eyes burning with vengeful flames; but more still wore expressions filled with deep fear of Kuro's power.
The decision once again fell to Jango.
Though usually appearing muddle-headed, he retained a trace of a captain's clarity at critical moments.
He shook his head and looked at Sham, his voice hesitant: "Turning against Kuro... Sham, Buchi, are you confident? Don't forget... three years ago..."
"Hmph!" Sham snorted coldly, cutting off Jango,
"Captain Jango, have you forgotten? That guy Kuro has been playing the obedient butler in a wealthy merchant's house for three whole years! Living the pampered life of a 'house cat'! His claws have probably been worn down long ago! And us?"
He scanned the surrounding pirates, raising his voice: "How many battles have we fought at sea these past three years? How many pirate crews daring to challenge us have we wiped out? Our strength has been constantly honed in blood and fire! While Kuro has been wallowing in his false peaceful life—he'd be lucky if his skills haven't deteriorated!"
He added the most crucial point: "Moreover, with his arrogant nature, he'd never expect us to see through his plan, much less that we'd dare move against him! With us prepared and him unaware, our chances of success... are great!"
Just then, a voice interjected—it was Ralph.
"If you don't mind, we can help too."
Ralph spoke up at the right moment, drawing everyone's attention to himself. He pointed at Luffy sleeping soundly on the ground,
"As you can see, this rubber girl is my captain Luffy. Her strength should be evident to all of you from earlier. The reason Captain Jango subdued her was purely... well, type disadvantage, not lack of ability. As for me..."
He smiled without elaborating, but the memory of his incredible speed remained vivid.
Jango's dazed eyes focused on Ralph, examining him:
"Help us? Why would you help us? You exposing Kuro's plan earlier was already enough for us to let you go. Why involve yourselves in this dangerous fight?"
The reason?
Ralph had already prepared his answer.
"Why? Because someone like Kuro betrays the spirit of being a pirate! A pirate can be greedy, can be cruel, but should never betray their origins. Not only is he ashamed of being a pirate, but he'd raise his blade against former comrades for that reason! Such behavior makes him unworthy of being a pirate, even unworthy of being human!"
His gaze swept over everyone, finally resting on Luffy's peaceful sleeping face, his tone filled with absolute conviction:
"Don't let my captain being a girl who's currently asleep fool you. Once she wakes up and hears about Kuro's actions, given her personality, she'd definitely..."
Without hesitation, he threw a punch, sending that bastard flying! "What we pursue is freedom and comrades, not this kind of dirty, backstabbing business!"
These words sounded lofty and resounding.
Though they were clearly a group of pirates who pillaged and plundered, Ralph had now elevated them to the moral high ground of "upholding the pirate spirit" and "punishing traitors." A strange, never-before-felt sense of "justice" and "passion" surged within them, and their gazes toward Ralph were filled with approval, even a hint of gratitude.
[Ding! Jango is moved by the host's wisdom and impassioned speech, establishing a [Friend] relationship with the host. Reward obtained: [Hypnosis (Beginner)].]
[Ding! Sham is moved by the host's wisdom and courage to stand up to authority, establishing a [Friend] relationship with the host. Reward obtained: [Cat Poop (Beginner)].]
[Ding! Buchi is moved by the host's wisdom and formidable strength (acknowledged), establishing a [Friend] relationship with the host. Reward obtained: [Cat-Killer Leap Strike (Beginner)].]
Immediately after, a series of system notifications exploded like popping beans in Ralph's mind. The other members of the Black Cat Pirates were also won over by Ralph's "charisma," establishing preliminary friend relationships with him. A variety of beginner-level skills flooded into Ralph's perception:
[Swordsmanship (Beginner)] (Already owned, slight proficiency increase)]
[Ship Repair (Beginner)] (Already owned, slight proficiency increase)]
[Cooking (Beginner)] (Already owned, slight proficiency increase)]
[Fishing (Beginner)] (Already owned, slight proficiency increase)]
[Cleaning (Beginner)]
[Shooting (Beginner)]
[Swimming (Intermediate)]
Especially the acquisition of [Intermediate Swimming] and [Beginner Shooting], which filled the last two gaps in Ralph's capabilities as a pirate. Combined with the various life skills he had acquired earlier, he had now theoretically become an "all-around qualified sailor."
However, Ralph's focus remained on the three powerful skills provided by Jango and the cat brothers.
[Cat-Killer Leap Strike (Beginner)] came from Buchi—a typical strength-based attack involving a high leap to deliver a devastating stomp using body weight and kinetic energy. Though Ralph lacked weight advantage, his [Advanced] speed and explosive power could compensate. This finally solved his lack of strong offensive methods!
The skill from Sham was called [Cat Poop (Beginner)], which left Ralph quite puzzled.
In reality, it was a metaphor—comparing a cat burying its waste with sand to covering up misdeeds. The skill manifested as the ability to instantly steal items from others.
This made Ralph feel awkward. Even though he didn't have the habit of shouting skill names, and even though only he could see the skill names, it still felt uncomfortable.
Since it's my skill now, can't I change the name?
Unexpectedly, as soon as the thought crossed his mind, the skill name in the system changed accordingly.
[Cat-Killer Leap Strike was shortened to Leap Stomp.]
[Cat Poop was directly changed to Steal.]
Was the system really this user-friendly?
If names could be changed, could it become "The Hand of God"?
Ralph's thoughts stirred once more, but the system remained unchanged this time.
Hmm, it seemed he was asking for too much.
Finally, his gaze settled on the skill that had stirred his mind—[Hypnosis (Beginner)].
Ralph's eyes involuntarily drifted to Luffy's defenseless profile, rendered exceptionally serene and adorable in deep slumber.
Recalling how she repeatedly ignored warnings and recklessly plunged into danger driven by passion and intuition, a twisted notion—mingled with worry, helplessness, and... a certain dark desire for control—began to sprout and entwine like creeping vines deep within his heart.
'If... if I could use this... to make her just a little more... obedient...' Once this thought emerged, it became nearly impossible to suppress.
----------
For advance chapters join my Patreon.
[email protected]/Aarvan