Kuro believed that if Alex dodged and counterattacked, he'd have enough time to react.

But this time, Alex didn't dodge at all. He spun swiftly, stepped forward with his left leg, let Kuro's cat claw slash open his arm—and slammed a brutal punch straight into Kuro's face.

Blood sprayed from Alex's arms, and Kuro was sent flying, crashing straight into the ground. His already bruised and flattened nose burst with fresh blood again.

"He sent that bad guy flying with one punch! He's amazing!"

"I want to become strong like him—and be able to brag like our captain!"

"His hand's bleeding... Doesn't it hurt?"

Onion, Pepper, and Carrot had seen Alex punch Kuro at close range. They exchanged excited glances, their faces lighting up with admiration.

"Big brother, beat up that bad guy!"

The three kids cheered him on from behind, totally unaware of the danger they were in.

"You three! Get out of here while you still can—do you want to die?!"

Alex's face darkened as he turned and shouted at the kids. These brats had no sense of danger at all. Was it because they joined the Usopp Pirate Crew?

This big brother is as scary as that tiger-lady sister. Our captain is way better.

The same thought crossed the three kids' minds at once as they quickly shut their mouths.

Alex then looked down at Kuro, now lying among his scattered pirates at the bottom of the slope.

"Ever since you got tired of being chased by the Marines and gave up being a pirate three years ago to play butler in this village, you've been far beneath Usopp."

"You're a coward who ran from the sea—what right do you have to be compared to Usopp, who may be weaker than you but still had the courage to stand and fight?!"

"In terms of courage, you're nothing compared to him. You're the real coward here!"

Alex's words infuriated Kuro. He leapt to his feet, kicked away the crew members around him, and growled, veins bulging on his forehead:

"You're saying I, Captain Kuro of a Hundred Plans, am inferior to a lying brat who plays pirate games with kids?!"

"No," Alex replied calmly. "You're the one playing pirate games."

"You had fame, power, and drew the Marines' attention. That's normal for a pirate. But you got tired of being hunted—so you ran. That's no different than a kid quitting a game because he lost."

"A real pirate knows they may die at sea. That's the most basic truth. And someone who doesn't even understand that dares insult Usopp's father?"

"You've played pirate for a few years, but you'll never understand what it really means. No matter how you dress it up, you're still just a coward."

Kuro finally snapped.

"I'm going to kill you!!"

"You? You who fear the sea so much you're not even a real pirate? You think you can kill me?"

Alex beckoned with a finger. "Come on. Try it. The one getting smashed in the end will be you. My journey is just beginning—I won't lose to someone as weak and scared as you."

Kuro didn't respond. His expression turned pitch black. The pirates around him felt the shift and fell deathly silent.

"Um… can someone help Usopp?" Kaya, her face pale, checked Usopp's injuries and called out to Alex. "His ribs are broken, and he may have a punctured lung. If we don't treat him soon, he'll die."

Kaya had seen Kuro stomp on Usopp's chest and back repeatedly—and then slice him with the cat claws. It was a miracle Usopp was still alive.

"I can still fight…" Usopp gritted through the pain, lying in a pool of his own blood.

"You've done enough, Usopp. Just rest," Alex said sincerely. If Usopp hadn't grabbed Kuro's leg earlier, he wouldn't have been able to save Kaya.

But now Usopp's wounds were festering. If left untreated, he was in serious danger. Alex turned and called out:

"Zoro! Take Usopp back—he's on the verge of death!"

"What?! The captain's dying?!"

Onion, Pepper, and Carrot ran around screaming in panic.

"Is this… the end for me, a brave warrior of the sea…?" Usopp muttered dramatically, almost weeping.

"If only our real captain were awake… You'll be okay on your own, right?" Zoro slung Usopp over his shoulder and asked Alex, noticing his strange glowing eyes.

"Let him nap a bit longer. Once I deal with this guy, I'll wake him myself."

Alex then asked, "Where's Nami?"

"No clue. She probably snuck onto their ship to steal stuff."

Alex sweat-dropped. Even now, she was looting treasure?

"I'm so useless… If it weren't for me, you two could've taken them down easily…" Usopp said weakly, face bloody and torn.

"You've got it wrong. He wouldn't have let me interfere, even without you. He's more than enough," Zoro replied as he carried Usopp away. Kaya and the kids followed closely.

Alex overheard Zoro say something to Usopp, and Usopp answered:

"I want to be a brave warrior of the sea. Crying while bleeding... that's just too embarrassing."

Back below, Kuro whispered to Jango:

"Go catch up with them. Make Kaya write the will as planned—then kill her. If I finish this fight and you haven't done it, you'll die too."

Jango turned pale. Kuro stepped forward and said coldly to Alex:

"You won't live much longer."

"Captain Kuro… is he going to use that technique?"

"The one that wiped out that Marine warship?"

"No! If he uses it, we'll all die too!"

The pirates saw Kuro drop his arms and start swinging them slowly back and forth. Their faces changed instantly.

"What are you waiting for, Jango? Or are you planning to disobey me?"

Kuro's cold voice made Jango flinch.

"I'm standing here. No one's getting past me. Try whatever tricks you've got."

Alex already knew from Kuro's memories that he had a technique even faster than Silent Step. He just didn't know how fast—until now.

Jango, unwilling but pressured, reluctantly started climbing the slope to chase Zoro and the others.

But with Zoro there—and Alex standing guard—it was a suicide mission.

Swoosh!

As Kuro's arms swung and his shoulders rocked forward, he vanished from Alex's sight.

So fast!

Alex was startled. Kuro's new speed was several times faster than Silent Step—so fast he couldn't even track him.

With Silent Step, Alex's reflexes were fast enough to keep up. But now, it was too much.

CLANG! CLANG!

In mere seconds, dozens of deep gashes appeared in the cliff walls and ground around Alex—left by Kuro's razor-sharp cat claws slicing through rock as he moved.

"You insolent brat… You dare insult me again and again?! I'll cut you into pieces and make you die in agony!!"

Kuro's voice echoed from all directions—it was impossible to tell where he was coming from.

SLASH! SLASH!

Within moments, several deep wounds appeared on Alex's body, blood soaking the bandages around him.

"You idiot! Why are you just standing there—fight back!" Nami shouted from the ship's deck, having just finished robbing the Black Cat Pirates' treasure. She saw Alex standing alone mid-slope, blood suddenly appearing all over his body.

"You noisy woman—stop screaming over every little thing. I'm still standing, aren't I?" Alex grumbled, eyes narrowing.

"Guess I have no choice… I was hoping to save this weapon for later, but looks like I've got to use it now."

"That guy's faster than I expected."

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