To be honest, just standing there for a moment had caused Alex's sprained right foot to swell significantly. The pain was excruciating, and his body had sustained multiple new injuries. The only reason he could still stand firm, expression unwavering, was thanks to his extraordinary willpower.

"You've given up already? If you had done that from the start, I might've let you die a little more quickly. But no—you had to keep provoking me. Now, I don't plan to let you die easy."

Captain Kuro was still moving at high speed. Seeing Alex only defending without any attempt to counterattack, he assumed Alex had surrendered.

"Given up?"

Alex curled his lips into a smirk. His blood-moon-red eyes gleamed even brighter. "You said Usopp and I are pathetic and laughable?"

As he said this, Alex gripped his fishing rod tightly. The moment he saw deep gouge marks appear on the ground ten meters away, he lifted the rod high above his head and began spinning it rapidly.

The dark-golden fishhook tied to the line began to whirl, producing a sharp buzzing noise.

The swirling air kicked up clouds of dust around them. In an instant, a six-meter radius around Alex became a vortex of dust and wind, centered on him. Around the edge of the circle, flashes of dark-gold shimmered—that was the fishhook.

"AHHHHH!"

Kuro let out a cry of pain. The moment he stepped within six meters of Alex, the spinning hook caught him—plunging deep into his left hand.

"You're the one who constantly talks about wanting a peaceful life, yet for three years you've clung to your old pirate habits—and still look down on pirates? That's the real joke!"

With a firm tug of the rod, Alex yanked Kuro's entire body forward, caught him by the collar, and slammed him into the ground with a shoulder throw.

BAM!

Alex followed up with a brutal punch to Kuro's face, smashing his glasses to bits and cracking the ground beneath him.

"My plan was perfect. After today, I would finally get the life I've always wanted. There's no way someone like you can stop me!"

Kuro's head sank slightly into the dirt from the force of the blow, but he still managed to kick Alex off him. Alex tumbled forward, rolling once before regaining his balance.

Nami, having just opened her eyes, saw Alex get kicked away and rushed over in a panic. But before she could speak, Alex barked, "You, woman—stay behind me!"

Even as he spoke, he forced himself to ignore the searing pain in his right foot. Just as Kuro was about to rise from the ground, Alex used his fishing rod to reel him in again.

"You think some half-baked plan gives you the right to say goodbye to your past self? You can't even face who you really are—what makes you think you can sacrifice others in pursuit of your so-called future?!"

Seeing Kuro rushing at him, claws extended, Alex could only swing the rod with all his might and fling him away.

BOOM!

Kuro's body smashed into a rocky cliff on the slope, blood spurting from his mouth. Before he could even hit the ground, Alex hooked him again and flung him into the cliff on the opposite side.

BAM! BOOM!

Again and again, Alex used the rod to slam Kuro between both sides of the ravine—over a dozen times. The cliffs were starting to crack and collapse under the force. Kuro was barely clinging to consciousness.

The pirates below watched in stunned horror as Captain Kuro was beaten so savagely. None dared make a sound—they were terrified down to their bones.

"Someone like you—who can so easily discard his past self—I'll never lose to you!"

With a final yank of the rod, Alex pulled Kuro's nearly lifeless body toward him. He stuck the rod in the ground with his left hand, clenched his right into a fist, and stepped forward with his left foot. The moment his weight shifted, searing pain shot through his injured right foot.

But he didn't care.

Standing at the top of the slope, blood dripping from his hand, Alex unleashed one final punch straight into Kuro's chest—sending him flying like a rocket in a clean downward arc.

"Oh no! Captain Kuro just got launched!"

"Everyone move! He's coming this way!"

The pirates at the bottom scattered as Kuro's body crashed down like a meteor.

"Hah… hah…"

Alex dropped his right hand, gasping for breath as he collapsed to the ground. His crimson eyes gradually faded back to normal. A tidal wave of fatigue washed over him, making him dizzy and weak. His entire body ached from the open wounds.

At that moment, all he wanted to do was lie down and rest. He was completely exhausted.

"You okay? It's over."

As Alex stared up at the blue sky and white clouds, Nami appeared above him, leaning down with concern in her eyes. Their gazes locked.

"If nothing unexpected happens… I should be fine," he muttered after a brief silence, clearly uncomfortable under Nami's oddly intense stare.

As Nami began dressing his wounds, a familiar voice rang out:

"Ow! Who attacked me while I was sleeping?!"

It turned out that after Alex's final punch sent Kuro flying, the pirate captain had crashed into the massive black cat figurehead—right where Luffy had been pinned down.

The force of the punch had shattered the massive figurehead, and Kuro's claw blades accidentally sliced Luffy as he fell.

The sharp pain startled Luffy awake from his nap beneath the wreckage.

About damn time you woke up, glutton.

Alex was thrilled. He forced himself into a sitting position, just about to greet Luffy when—

"Hahahahaha! I'll kill you all! I'll kill every last one of you! I don't lose! I never lose!"

The deranged voice exploded in his ears.

"Hey… aren't you that evil butler?" Luffy asked, noticing the tattered and bloodied figure nearby—Kuro, eyes rolled back, laughing maniacally like nothing had happened, ranting about slaughtering everyone.

What the hell? That bastard Kuro… Did Jango hypnotize him again?

The thought had barely crossed Alex's mind when Kuro suddenly vanished from sight.

He didn't even need to lower his arms and swing them anymore?

Alex was left speechless. As he stood in stunned silence, several members of the Black Cat Pirates were already collapsing one by one—carved down by Kuro's deadly claws…

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