On the way out, Smoker suddenly said, "Keep an eye on that butler named Klahadore. He doesn't feel like an ordinary person to me, he has a feeling of hiding something."
Tashigi nodded slightly. "Yeah, I think he looks a bit familiar too."
But not because of his face, but because of that movement.
Smoker seemed to recall something and asked, "Are all the arrangements made?"
Tashigi said, "Most of the personnel are scattered near the coastline where ships can dock, they'll report as soon as a vessel appears. However, as for the port..."
"I'll handle that. Marines will be disguised as workers to conduct inspections. Since the Hiroto Pirates like to disguise themselves as civilians, we'll take this chance to set an ambush."
The two continued to discuss the details as they walked away.
Meanwhile, Kaya's home fell into chaos as Merry prepared to move Kaya out.
However, for Kuro, this wasn't good news. He began to try and interfere. After all, if Kaya left, a link in his plan would be missing.
If he didn't act now, it would become troublesome once the female Marine returned.
And so, when Tashigi returned after changing into casual clothes, she found the old butler of Kaya's household, Merry, unconscious. Kaya had fainted from the shock and excessive worry.
Only Klahadore was left, frantically handling the affairs of the household.
At the same time, Binmock's ship arrived at the port of Syrup Village.
The Marines disguised as workers inspected the cargo ship according to their orders but found no one of note.
It seemed as if nothing had happened and Hiroto had not yet arrived.
Rewinding to the time before Smoker made his ambush arrangements.
The purple-grade [Incoming Chaos] entry was extremely powerful in its crisis-foreseeing effect.
Just before arriving at Syrup Village, Hiroto proactively triggered [Incoming Chaos], and as a result, he saw Smoker and Kuro appearing in the vision.
'I didn't expect the Marines to get ahead of me, but then again, it makes sense.'
'A warship's speed is definitely faster than my ordinary sloop. That bastard Ryder really didn't want to spend a single cent.'
Having foreseen the crisis, Hiroto raised an eyebrow slightly, but he had no intention of avoiding it.
Kuro was his next prey, and the Going Merry could replace the ordinary sailing ship beneath his feet.
Based on its performance in the original story, going to the first half of the Grand Line wouldn't be a problem.
Most importantly, taking the Going Merry would inevitably bring about a drastic change to the plot. This was something that could not be underestimated.
As for Smoker... should I avoid his edge?
The difficulty of a Logia type lies in the inability to hit them without Armament Haki, but with the boost from [Effort King], Hiroto would have at least some power to land a blow.
Besides, Smoker had his own weakness. The Sea Stone on his jitte was the best counter.
With a plan against someone caught off guard, Hiroto didn't think he would lose.
'Smoker is quite a good whetstone.'
Hiroto got up to see Binmock and began to arrange the next steps.
At this moment, in Kaya's mansion, a crowd of servants retreated into the corner in extreme terror.
"Tashigi-san, what is the meaning of this? Are you saying that you Marines aren't actually here to catch pirates, but to rob us civilians instead?" 'Klahadore's' expression was grim.
Tashigi, who had originally come to act as a bodyguard, was now pointing her blade at him with a cold expression.
"I remember you now, Captain Kuro with a bounty of 15,000,000 berries."
Tashigi's gloved hand tightened around the hilt of Shigure, her gaze sharp. "The fainting of the old butler and Kaya-san was your doing, wasn't it?"
"What are you talking about..."
'Klahadore' hadn't finished speaking when Tashigi suddenly lunged forward, swinging Shigure down at his head.
The moment the blade struck, 'Klahadore' vanished, replaced by Kuro, who had distanced himself with a dark expression. Only then did he realize that Tashigi's strike hadn't actually come down.
"It really is you."
Tashigi's eyes were filled with surprise. "Your death was a fake?"
"?"
Kuro paused for a moment, only then realizing he had been tricked.
He blamed the constant changes in the situation lately for causing him to lose his composure.
He had originally intended to use Merry to stall Kara and buy time, but he didn't expect to be exposed before the plan was complete.
Forget it, whatever, he was tired of this role-playing game. Since he was exposed, he would just kill everyone and start over.
Kuro made a reckless decision.
Then, ignoring the dazed servants, he said coldly, "A dead man, why do you still remember him?"
Tashigi answered evasively, "Cat Claws is a very unique weapon, so I remember it clearly."
"I've always been curious if wearing a weapon like that would feel inconvenient. So during that time, I would occasionally put myself in your shoes, which is why seeing that movement of yours made me think of Captain Kuro."
"It just so happens that you look exactly like Kuro, so I wanted to test it out."
At this point, she looked at Kuro with burning eyes. "It seems it was worth it. I didn't expect to add another Famous Sword to my collection."
That's right, Tashigi's hobby was collecting Famous Swords.
Kuro's Cat Claws was once a collection piece she longed for.
"How confident."
Kuro's expression turned cold, and he then rushed straight to the second floor.
"Everyone, don't come near! Evacuate outside!"
Tashigi evacuated the servants of the mansion while chasing after him.
If she remembered correctly, the young lady named Kaya was also on the second floor.
Curiously, despite her evacuation orders, many servants grabbed clubs and followed anyway.
The young lady was still on the second floor!
"Protect the young lady!"
"Don't get in the Marine's way! Klahadore isn't the same as before!"
The chase between the two and the shouts of the servants caused quite a commotion on the second floor.
Kaya, who had fainted, was startled awake. She dizzily stepped out of her room and felt a gust of wind rush past her.
"Klahadore, why is it so noisy? How is Merry?"
Once she was a bit more awake, Kaya remembered the most important thing.
Then she froze because the hallway before her was a mess, and the Klahadore she knew was walking out of a room. He was carrying a large box and looking at her with a sinister expression... no, not at her.
She turned her head and saw a strange woman holding a sword, along with her servants armed with clubs.
"Kaya-san, please go back to your room."
Tashigi stepped forward quickly, shielding Kaya behind her, and said seriously, "This man is not the Klahadore you know. He is Captain Kuro, with a bounty as high as 15,000,000 berries."
"I don't know how you met or what your story is. But you must return to your room now, or I can't guarantee I'll be able to protect you."
"What are you talking about?" Kaya's mind was in a daze.
She instinctively looked at Klahadore, only to see her familiar butler opening the box. A pair of furry gloves resembling bear paws was revealed, but where claws should have been, long blades were attached, looking incredibly strange.
This was definitely a Klahadore she had never seen before.