I've got no bars on me today...
So, spit your own fax and whatever shit you people like, here<--------
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Attendance Please:
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NORTHWEST SIDE, 10 A.M. —
The morning sun hung lazy and pale over the shoreline, casting long shadows that stretched like reaching fingers across the sand. Salt spray rose from the waves, and somewhere inland, a crow called out twice before falling silent.
Luffy, Yuji, Zoro, Nami, and Usopp arrived at the northwest shore. Their boots crunched on gravel and broken shells. Yuji and Zoro each carried two gallons of oil, the thick liquid sloshing with every step.
"Here we are!" Usopp said, hands on his hips, back straight. "This is the only beach around here with a shortcut to the village." He pointed to the path they had just walked, a hard-packed dirt trail lined with thorny brush. "And this is the only path in and out."
Yuji and Zoro set down the oil jugs with dull, heavy thuds. They dusted off their hands, and Zoro flexed his fingers once, then twice.
Then Usopp pointed at Yuji and Zoro. His finger remained steady, even though his lip trembled slightly. "You two, pour that oil on this slope. It'll make it slippery and harder for those bastards to climb up. They'll keep slipping, and I can pick them off from afar with my slingshot!" He held up his green slingshot like a scepter. "I did some experiments in my free time and made a bunch of explosive pellets a while ago! I never had a reason to use them—until now!"
He untied a brown pouch from his waistband and shook it gently.
Zoro made a low sound in his chest. "That's fine and all, but do you really think that's enough?" He raised an eyebrow. "I've run into a lot of stupid-looking pirates and bandits when I was a bounty hunter. And let me tell you, no matter how brain-dead they look; they still have enough sense to think and not die right away in a fight." He pointed toward the side cliffs, where the rock face was jagged and worn, with tough bushes and narrow ledges. "Who says they can't just climb the cliffs to get to us? Remember, there are way more of them than us, five against five hundred. So, we can't mess this up. Innocent villagers, and your girlfriend are counting on us."
Hearing that, Usopp nodded seriously. "Yeah, you're right—WAIT… what girlfriend!? I don't have a girlfriend!"
"Huh!? Isn't that girl Kaya your girlfriend or something?" Zoro asked, raising an eyebrow with a teasing edge in his voice.
Usopp began to stutter, his face turning red. "I-I-I… s-she is n-not m-my girlfriend!" The words came out tight and squeaky. "W-we're just friends… yeah, just friends!"
Zoro gave him a look that clearly conveyed his disbelief. The silence that followed was louder than any laugh.
Usopp looked away, embarrassed, staring at a pebble by his foot as if it held all the answers. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Ahem…" He rubbed his nose and glanced back at them, his eyes darting everywhere except Zoro's face. "S-so, what are we going to do now?"
Seeing Usopp flustered, Yuji stepped in to help. "Like Zoro said, we can't rely on just one trick. Here's what I'm thinking… Usopp," he said, pointing at the sniper, "you stay at the top of the slope and take down the pirates from afar with your explosive pellets. Luffy, Zoro, and I will handle them from downhill." Then he pointed at Nami. "Nami, your job is to loot them completely while we clear a path for you."
Nami and Usopp nodded, but then Luffy interrupted with a single firm word.
"No."
"Huh?" Everyone looked at him, confused.
Luffy crossed his arms and gave Yuji a rare, serious look. "I mean, we'll follow Yuji's plan, but with one change—" He pointed at Yuji. "—Yuji won't fight this time."
Yuji blinked, caught off guard. "Huh? Something wrong, Captain?"
Luffy closed his eyes and nodded slowly. "Yes, yes—" He opened his eyes. "—you see, ever since you joined my crew, I've noticed something. I've been relying on you too much. It's like being around Ace all the time. 'Do this, do that!'" He paused. "Don't get me wrong, Yuji. You're my first mate and vice-captain. It's your job to look after the crew. You can give advice, make decisions, all that—but I'm the captain. I'll always listen to your advice, no matter what. But the final say is mine as the captain."
Yuji and Zoro stared at Luffy in surprise. Nami and Usopp's mouths dropped open. A gull cried out overhead, as if even the sky were shocked.
Seeing their faces, Luffy wiped the sweat from his brow and let out a nervous breath. "Phew… that was really hard!!" Then he gave his usual cheerful grin, and just like that, the seriousness vanished. "Shishishishishi… you don't know how hard it was to say that. I really had to strain my brain." He looked back at Yuji, still smiling, but his next words carried no joke. "But seriously, Yuji. You've been helping us too much. You've made plans, warned us about the Grand Line, trained us… and thank you for all that. But this time, we want to fight without you stepping in."
Something clicked in Zoro. His eyes widened slightly, then narrowed. "Ahh… I see… I get it now." He nodded slowly, then looked at Yuji. "Yeah, I think Luffy's right, Yuji. You've been babysitting us too much. In just a few days, I've found myself relying on you even for small things. That's never happened to me before, and it feels strange to depend on someone this much. So this time, we'll fight this battle on our own. You stay with Nami and Usopp and watch us."
"Yeah!!" Luffy added with a smile.
Nami and Usopp were still stunned.
"Y-you idiots!" Nami stammered, her hands clenched into fists. A vein bulged on her temple. "This isn't the time for self-reflection! We need to listen to Yuji—he's the only responsible one here!"
"Y-y-yeah… what Nami said!" Usopp muttered.
But Yuji raised his hand to stop them.
He looked into Luffy's and Zoro's eyes for a few seconds. Then, he let out a long, slow sigh, as if releasing some heavy weight.
"Hehehehehe…" he chuckled lightly and shook his head. "You guys…" he muttered, then smiled softly at Luffy and Zoro. "Truth is, I didn't even realize I was doing that—making you rely on me like that. It's just that, to me, you're all still teens. And since I'm an adult, it just came naturally to look after you like little siblings."
"Hey! I'm not little anymore… I'm big now!" Luffy said with a pout. But underneath, there was relief.
"Tch… yeah! We're only a few years apart, so stop sounding like an old man, you freak!" Zoro said with a smirk.
Yuji kept smiling and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, guilty as charged." He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. When he spoke again, his voice was lighter. "But I'll listen to you and won't interfere with your fight. Do whatever you want." Then his expression turned serious, and the atmosphere seemed to chill. "But know this—if I see something I don't like, I'm stepping in, no matter what. You can complain about it later. Got it?"
Both Luffy and Zoro nodded without hesitation.
Yuji nodded, satisfied. "Good. Now, let's get to work."
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KAYA'S MANSION—
The mansion stood silent. Its windows were dark mirrors, reflecting only the cloudy sky. Somewhere inside, a clock ticked like a predator lying in wait.
"Where's Miss Kaya?" Kuro asked Merry, lying on his bed and pretending to be weak. His voice was rough, but his eyes darted like a lizard's, watching every shift in Merry's weight and every step he took.
"Hmmm… she's reading a medical book, trying to distract herself from all the chaos of yesterday," Merry said as he set new bandages on the table. He hummed an old sea shanty, completely unaware.
Kuro looked at Merry's back, his gaze fixed on the space between the butler's shoulders. "Is it dressing time already? So soon?"
Merry sighed gently, almost like a father. "Yes, Klahadore, your injuries are severe. That Straw Hat kid really did a number on your face."
Kuro kept staring at Merry's back and answered in his raspy voice, "That he did."
Merry nodded and turned toward Kuro, bringing the medical tray to the bed. He put on a medical glove with a sharp snap of latex and slowly began unwrapping the bandage around Kuro's face. As the dirty bandage came off, Merry flinched slightly at the sight of Kuro's injuries.
"How is it?" asked Kuro quietly.
"It is… something," Merry replied, swallowing hard. His hands trembled slightly as he reached for the antiseptic.
Kuro's face was covered with cuts and bruises, with large gashes scattered across it. His left eye was swollen and purple, his nose crooked, and his lower jaw bent to the right.
In short, Kuro was now entirely unrecognizable.
Merry applied the antiseptic, and Kuro hissed from the sting. But it was an act, a sound meant to make Merry feel sorry for him.
"It's okay, Klahadore, it'll sting a little," Merry muttered as he covered Kuro's face with fresh cotton and bandages. "There."
He took off the medical gloves, threw them into a bag with the dirty bandages, and walked back to the table. He grabbed a neatly wrapped box and brought it to Kuro. "Here, Klahadore. This is from Madam Kaya."
Kuro made a small sound and looked at the box. "What is it?"
Merry smiled. "It's a gift for you from Madam. After yesterday's… event, your glasses broke, so Madam asked me to buy you a new pair. Why don't you take a look for yourself?"
Kuro unwrapped the box and opened it. Inside were new glasses with a black frame, expensive and thoughtful. "It's nice." he muttered quietly.
Merry chuckled and turned away, walking back to the table to arrange the supplies. "Madam will be happy to know you liked it."
The clock ticked.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Kuro hummed softly as he slowly rose from the bed without making a sound. His feet touched the floor as gently as falling snow. He reached under the bed and pulled out what looked like black gloves, each fingertip fitted with a long blade—resembling a cat's claws. He carefully slipped on the gloves while fixating on Merry's back.
"You know…" he spoke up, his voice smooth yet sharp. "…What else would I like the most?"
Merry turned toward Kuro with a confused look.
And then Kuro was right in front of him.
No footsteps, no warning and no time to scream.
The blades sank into Merry's stomach with a wet, tearing sound, like ripping cloth. The force knocked Merry back into the table, sending instruments clattering to the floor.
Merry's eyes went wide as blood spilled from his mouth, hot and metallic. "Kla—ha—do—r—."
Kuro leaned close to Merry's right ear, his breath cold against the new bandage. Slowly and carefully, he answered his own question: "Her entire inheritance."
And with that, he twisted the blades, a quarter turn to the right, then a quarter turn to the left, the steel grinding against bone inside Merry's stomach. Then he pulled them out with a long, wet sound.
Merry fell to the floor, his body hitting the wood with a heavy thud. Blood poured from his mouth and the wound in his stomach, spreading darkly between the floorboards. His fingers twitched once, twice. His eyes remained open, still seeing.
He tried to grab Kuro's leg in defiance, his hand weakly scratching at the fabric.
Kuro just kicked him in the face. The sharp, final crack of bone echoed through the air.
Merry remained still.
Kuro flicked his blades casually, spraying drops of blood against the wall in an arc like a dark rainbow. He studied the pattern for a moment, tilting his head thoughtfully.
"The time has come."
He stepped out of his room without a sound, his footsteps as light as a cat's.
Behind him, on the floor, Merry's hand moved one last time.
Upstairs, in her study, Kaya turned a page in her medical book and heard nothing.
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