The girl waited for the opportune moment, and just as she was in the right position, Nami stepped back instead of forward, her foot landing squarely on the taller man's groin. Khlahadore groaned as she watched her foot crush his family jewels, and she immediately recoiled, stumbling out of the man's grasp and curling into a ball. She dropped all her weight to the ground and rolled out of the butler's reach, springing to her feet and running forward without looking back.
She had to find a way to reach Luffy or Zoro. The redhead looked around desperately, but she could barely see anything through the torrential rain. Nami slid down until she stopped, reaching the back of the house, desperately searching for an escape route, without success. She didn't like the idea of climbing the wall with the amount of rain coming down.
"Yes, yes, very clever," Khlahadore said in the rain. Thunder and lightning rumbled, illuminating his figure as he prowled the clearing like a predator stalking its cornered prey.
"Why are you doing this?!" Nami shouted, her back against the slippery wall.
The man smiled maliciously: "You've seen too much. It's that simple."
"What did I see?! I saw you sharpening your claws!" Nami shouted at the man. "Was I going to die for being too curious?"
"And yet, it was enough to justify your death," the tall man stated, stopping a short distance from the orange-haired girl. "This can be easy," he said, a flash illuminating his glasses, "or it can be difficult." He extended his claws to the side, as rain dripped from the slippery leaves.
"The people I came with will know it was you! If you kill me, they'll hunt you down!" Nami shouted in the rain.
The man pondered his words: "I think it will suffice to tell them that you left early. None of them seemed very bright. It shouldn't be too difficult to kill them after they've gone looking for you."
The redhead couldn't argue. She wasn't sure the three boys didn't believe her. But Kaya... "What about Kaya?! She'll realize something's up!" the girl shouted. They'd been talking all night! The blonde would definitely think it was strange that she hadn't said goodbye!
"I've been taking care of her for two years. I don't think it will be difficult to convince her," the butler replied with an air of superiority.
She hated to admit it, but he was right again. "At least tell me why!" Nami shouted. Maybe if she could get him to keep talking, she might find something. She looked desperately around, hoping to find something that would increase her chances of survival.
The man seemed to pause and think before answering, "Since you're a child, I suppose you deserve to know why you're going to die."
The girl was inwardly pleased by the success of her plan; she hadn't really been sure it would work. Fear of the situation overwhelmed that feeling when she heard Khlahadore speak.
"My name is Kuro, not Khlahadore," the man said in the pouring rain. "I'll spare you the details, but I was a pirate until about two years ago, when I faked my own death and created the persona you see before you," he concluded, bowing like an actor after a performance.
As soon as she heard the word pirate, Nami froze, "Why?"
"Like I said, I'll spare you the details, but I'm going to kill little Kaya and steal her inheritance." The man's smile widened at the anger on Nami's face. Perhaps he would force her to submit before killing her. It had been far too long since he'd let Kuro play.
The redhead's heart pounded in her chest as her face flushed with anger. In her mind, another face had replaced Kuro's. A blue face, with a long, sharp, pointed nose. Her heart rate began to accelerate, her face burning with heat. Kaya was being subjected to a pirate just like her, even though the other girl didn't know it. Nami gritted her teeth; all she wanted was to hurt the man in front of her. However, she was too scared to move.
Kuro looked up at the sky. "The rain will wash away the blood that will soon cover this land," he said, more to himself than to the girl in front of him. She shook her head and smiled maliciously; it was time to let Kuro play. "Enough talk," the ex-pirate said, slashing through the rain with his claws. "It's time for you to die."
He lunged forward and the orange-haired girl screamed, ducking and rolling to the side.
Nami felt a blade slice through her arm and screamed as she fell to the ground, rolling. Blood gushed from the wound, staining the white of her shirt a dull red. The redhead sprang to her feet, only to fall back onto the sodden grass as a pair of claws slashed overhead. It was fast... much faster than she was. She raced to the edge of the wall and slammed into it, her eyes wide.
Kuro leaped at her, slashing across her head, and Nami ducked just in time. The ex-pirate's claws dug into the rock that was now above her. She ducked and ran across the clearing toward a clump of small trees. Her breathing was ragged, and the rain made running difficult. She turned only to fall backward onto the ground, just in time to dodge a claw aimed straight for her face. The girl groaned, gasping, but rolled forward and got to her feet as fast as her legs would carry her.
Kuro appeared in front of her as she stood up. "Persistent," he muttered to himself. The tall man lunged forward, throwing a horizontal punch inward in an attempt to decapitate the orange.
Nami ducked, and as soon as the claws passed over her head, she saw an opening. From her crouched position, the orange-haired girl kicked the man's groin a second time. Kuro groaned in pain again, and she didn't waste the opportunity. She ran desperately toward the path leading to the house's entrance, but Kuro's figure stopped her, blocking her path.
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Hi everyone, what do you think of the story so far? The book has over 300 chapters. If you'd like to download the complete book, it's available on my Ko-fi page. Here's the link: 👉 🤩 ko-fi.com/winterstar01 🤩