Chapter 7 - Chapter 7

Our beliefs are something we fight for, and occasionally die for, every day. We would give up everything if only to have our beliefs fulfilled.
But if no one believes us, we lose our heart. We find no solace in our beliefs and, slowly, fall apart...
We’ll give our lives to see the world change, in our eyes, for the better. But, sometimes, precious lives are wasted in the name of our beliefs...

That evening, Kuro/Klahadore returned to the estate to find Kaya asleep in her room.
“Today’s excitement has worn her out,” Merry said sadly. “That boy, Usopp, breaking in here again and trying to take her away!”
Kuro pushed up his glasses. “And to think all this occurred while I was in the next town.”
Merry gave a deep sigh, as if trying to conceal a laugh. “That boy even accused you of being a pirate!”
Kuro turned away and pushed up his glasses; he’d been right; Usopp’s gift for deception gave him a protection. His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed a small wrapped package on the table. “What’s this?”
“Oh!” Merry exclaimed. “That’s a present for you from Miss Kaya. After all, tomorrow it will be three years since you came to this estate.” Kuro unwrapped the gift to find a new pair of glasses. “Your glasses are always slipping, so she had that pair custom-made.” Merry began to cry with joy as he thought about the gift. Kuro, meanwhile, stared out the window at the crescent moon. “Nights like these,” Kuro muttered as he dropped Kaya’s present, “bring out the beast in me.” He crushed the gift with his foot while Merry shrieked behind him.
“Klahadore!” Merry cried. “Why did you-!”
“Oh, I’ll receive a gift from her,” Kuro sneered. “But I’d prefer her entire estate!”
“What are you-!” Merry was completely lost for words.
“There’s no need to continue this charade,” Kuro said lightly. “In a few hours, the accident will happen.” He drew his gloves. “Three years is a long time to wait.” He didn’t hear Merry scream as he slashed him, letting him fall in a bloody heap. He left the mansion and sat upon the steps, waiting and pushing his glasses as the sun began to rise over the dark seas and hills.
---
After a few hours, Kuro’s patience was beginning to run thin.
“They’re late,” he said to air. “They know the penalty for ruining my plans.” He stood up with the black bag and started his trek to the beach. “But,” he sneered, “if they need a reminder...I’ll put them all to death.”
---
Kuro couldn’t have imagined the scene that was taking place as he arrived at the beach. His ship had been scuttled; his men were still at the bottom of the slope; the Meowban Brothers were fighting the man with the swords he’d seen in the grounds.
“C-captain!” Django stuttered. “We, uh, hit a few snags!” Kuro ignored his bumbling and the fear that had washed over the rest of the pirates. “Kuro...” Both Nagasaki and Nagase, her 15-year-old daughter who was at her mother’s side, murmured in unison.
“It’s long past dawn,” Kuro began, “but you seem to be having trouble following my plan. What is going on here?!” He paused for a moment to take in the scene. “Are you trying to tell me that these children have been holding you up?”
“B-but, sir,” Django shivered, “you said it didn’t matter if we let the kid go.”
Kuro nodded. “Yes, I said that...and I was right! Anyone would have expected that he would try to stop us; I didn’t expect your defenses to be so feeble!”
“Feeble?” Siam hissed. “Maybe you were strong once.” He flexed his hands. “But three years is a long time to wait!”
“While you were living the fancy life,” Butchie spat, “we were plundering villages and sinking ships!” He and Siam began to rush Kuro.
“You’ve grown soft!” Siam screeched.
“Do you really think you can beat us?” Butchie hissed. They made a slash at him...only to find that he was gone. Behind them, they heard a sinister voice. “Who,” Kuro said in an undertone, his cat claws drawn, “are you going to kill?” The Meowban Brothers tried to follow his movement; but, all of a sudden, they found him hanging on his shoulders. “You’re right; I have gotten soft.” He lifted his claws to point them at Siam and Butchie’s throats. “I’m not your captain anymore...but I hired you to do a job; and the penalty for failure is death!”
He pushed the points of the blades in deeper and drew blood, ignoring their screams. “You have five minutes,” he hissed. “If this isn’t sorted out by then...”
“I’ll kill you all with my own hands.” He released the brothers and waited. But, in only a few moments, the sword boy had slashed down the brothers.
“Don’t worry,” he said through the sword held in his mouth. “It won’t take me five minutes to trash you all!”
Kuro pushed up his glasses and stared down at him “Try it.” He watched as Butchie rose to his wobbly feet. “But, it looks like your claws need sharpening.” He waited and watched again as the sword boy and Butchie faced off again, until he heard a familiar yell at the end of the beach. It was the straw-hat boy.”
‘I thought that lad died when he fell off the cliff,’ Kuro thought to himself. He looked down at his watch. “Three minutes before I massacre everyone.” From behind him, despite the noise, he heard footsteps.
“Klahadore!” Kaya yelled. “Stop!”
“What a lovely surprise, Miss Kaya,” Kuro said as he pushed up his glasses. “What brings you here?”
“Merry told me everything,” Kaya said angrily. Kuro hid the surprise from his face.
“I thought,” he said slowly, “I’d killed him.” Kaya turned away from him, horrified, and spoke to Usopp; it was irrelevant to Kuro.
“Klahadore,” Kaya shouted, “I’ll give you my fortune, but leave the village alone!”
“That’s not good enough, Miss Kaya,” Kuro said, pushing up his glasses. “You see, I also want peace of mind. I’ve been able to relax here. Only when I have that peace of mind and your wealth will my plan be fulfilled.” He paused for a moment. “So, the attack on the village and your accidental demise are both quite essential.” Kaya didn’t move for a moment; then, from the coat she was wearing, drew a gun and pointed it at Kuro.
“Hm,” Kuro said thoughtfully. “You’ve really grown up these past three years. And, I’ve been at your side for all of it, haven’t I? Even before your parents passed on and you fell ill, you and I spent a lot of time together.” He paused as he saw Kaya, slowly thinking about what he was saying. “I suffered with you; I laughed with you. I humored you, Miss Kaya, in all your silly dreams...and I endured it...all for today, that day that I could kill you!” He could see Kaya beginning to cry. “I, who was once the dread Captain Kuro, bowed and scraped to a spoiled little girl.” He watched as the gun toppled from her hands. “Can you fathom my humiliation?”
“KURO!!!!” Nagase shouted as she charged toward him and unsheathed one of her two katana. She continued, “YOU COLD-HEARTED, RUTHLESS BASTARD!!!!!” But, as she reached the spot, Kuro vanished and reappeared behind her. “Nagase!” Nagasaki, Kaya, Nami, Zoro, Luffy, and Usopp warned, but it was too late; as soon as his blades impaled through her chest, her sword slipped out from her hands and clanged on the ground as blood seeped out of her mouth, letting the blood drip on the blade of her katana. Kuro chuckled inwardly as a smile formed on his face and said coldly, “To insult a former pirate..., is a fool’s mistake, you pathetic, worthless girl.” He detached the blades from her corps, letting it fall on the ground.
“Kuro!” Usopp shouted as he lunged forward, pulling back a punch. But, as he reached the spot, Kuro had vanished and reappeared behind him.
“That reminds me,” he said coldly. “I owe you for hitting me.” But, out of nowhere, a fist launched at Kuro and knocked him to the ground, cracking his glasses. Behind him, he heard a holler from the children as they raced forward and began to beat him on the face with various objects.
Kuro stood up and pushed up his glasses, watching the lenses fall in tiny pieces; but, he couldn’t think about that now. He walked past the children and kicked Usopp, who was lying on the ground in front of him.
“An unusual ability, boy,” Kuro said to the straw-hat kid. “You must have the power of the Devil Fruit!”
“That’s right!” the kid said, flexing his arm. “I’m a Gum-Gum man!”
Kuro stepped forward a few more paces. “Django!”
“Y-yes?” Django shivered.
“I’ll kill the Gum-Gum man!” Kuro said, arching his claws. “You deal with Miss Kaya. Force her to write the will...then kill her!” He watched as they began to quarrel again and saw the children run off into the forest with Miss Kaya. “Follow them!” He waited until they were gone before speaking to the rubber man and the sword boy.
“It’s useless,” Kuro said coldly. “They won’t outrun Django. Run for help if you wish...,” he paused to push up his glasses, “but you’ll have to get up this slope.”
Usopp looked incredulously at Kuro. “Don’t you have an ounce of feeling for her!”
“No,” Kuro replied. “She was merely a pawn.” He watched as Usopp tried to get up, only fall again on his face. Kuro laughed mirthlessly at him. “You’re safer on the ground that way...Django would only kill you.”
He turned his attention to the sword boy, who was carrying Usopp up the hill. “Who gave you permission to climb this slope?”
“I did!” the straw-hat kid said and threw another punch at Kuro; he dodged it and disappeared then slashed at the boy; who threw a kick at him; Kuro vanished again.
“Before we fight seriously,” Kuro said as he reappeared behind the straw-hat, “I have one question...why are you sticking your neck out for this village?”
“There’s someone here I don’t want you to kill!” the straw-hat said. Kuro laughed.
“Ah, that simple...,” Kuro mused as he stretched his arms, prepared to dash at the boy. “Die.”
After a few moments of fighting, Kuro could hear the crew cheering him on: “Captain Kuro!”
Kuro stopped at looked at them. “Never call me by that name!” he shouted at the men. “My plan was to do away with Captain Kuro! I was tired of crafting plans for men with only plunder on their minds...and what did it earn me? The entire Navy on my heels!” The men shook horribly as they listened to him. “So, I decided, three years ago, that Captain Kuro had to die!” A few of the men murmured amongst themselves; most remained stiff with fear.
“And,” he continued, “with the success of this plan, I’m free to pursue my two goals; wealth and peace of mind.” He turned his gaze to the straw-hat boy. “Can you understand? There’s no room for error in my plan!” He lunged after the boy again. “My plans never go off course!”
But, his claws did not tear into skin; the boy had pulled up a rock to block the attack.
“So...stretching isn’t your only talent,” Kuro said amusingly.
“Nope! I’ve been training!” the straw-hat kid said as he whipped the rock around, breaking the five claws on Kuro’s right glove, and knocked Kuro over the head with the rock. “Now you only have five claws!”
Kuro stood up again, ignoring the blood falling down his face and the cheers from the men behind him.
“I’ll deal with you dogs later,” Kuro hissed, “and Django as well.” The men started to scream in protest.
“What about your plan?” one of them yelled.
“Don’t worry about my plan,” Kuro said as he turned to them. “I never intended to let any of you live. Even three years ago, when I was still Captain Kuro, I planned to kill every last one of you!”
The straw-hat kid turned to Kuro. “Are you stupid? What a dumb bunch of pirates!”
“Of course they’re dumb,” Kuro sneered, returning his gaze to the boy. “Pirates are the outcasts of society. Without a leader, they’re helpless. They should have shut up and followed my plan, no matter what awaited them! They should have died following my plan!” His rage grew as he said these words. “That’s the way of the pirate! You should keep your large mouth shut!”
“Still,” the boy said, “you could never beat Usopp.”
This took Kuro by surprise; nonetheless, he laughed mirthlessly. “How amusing, boy! But don’t get cocky just because you broke my claws!” He vanished again “But tell me why I’d lose to him!”
“It’s your style!” the boy said, swinging an arm behind him and whacking Kuro on the shoulder. “You don’t even look like a real pirate!” Kuro slammed into the cliff and fell to the ground. But, after only a moment, he stood up again, pushing up his glasses and ignoring the blood flowing more freely down the side of his head. “Hm...if you want to talk real pirates,” Kuro said softly, “I’ll show you the ferocity...” he slouched over and began to sway, “of a pirate that has faced a thousand deaths!” The men at the bottom of the slope began to beg for their lives, but Kuro had enough; even if he wasn’t their captain, he was still tied to them. He knew that they all had to die.
“Out-of-the-Bag!”
As it had been those many years ago, complete carnage ensued as Kuro raced around at lightning speed, slashing everything that came in contact with his claws. He ignored the screeches and groans from his men; he slashed over and over until he felt a hand grab his jacket and fling him to the ground.
“Curse you, boy,” Kuro said as he got up again, pushing up his glasses. “But, look at what you’ve done. Thanks to you, my pawns will suffer agonizing deaths.”
“Heh,” the straw-hat kid laughed, “I’ll never become a pirate like you!”
Kuro laughed again. “Don’t worry...you’ll never become a pirate like...because I’m about to kill you.” He slouched over again, but felt a heavy weight as the boy flung himself on top of Kuro and wrapped his rubbery arms and legs around Kuro.
“Let go of me, boy!” Kuro shouted. “My plan cannot fail!” But, he was silenced as the rubber boy stretched his head back and whacked Kuro unconscious, where he fell to the ground, covered in blood.
---
When Kuro awoke, he found himself strewn amongst the bodies of his dead men at the bottom of the slope. He pulled himself up, aching all over.
“No,” he whispered, looking around at the dead bodies. “I...I’ve failed.” Far away, he noticed a flash of moonlight on an object farther up the slope. He made his way up there to find his glasses, his mother’s last gift to him so many years ago, bent and broken horribly. He fell to his knees and cried silently, staring at the glasses.
“Everything...everything I’ve ever loved, ever wanted, has been taken from me,” he said through his tears. His mother and father...his only love...his plans...everything had been destroyed.
He climbed aboard the abandoned ship and salvaged what he could from it. Once he did, he stumbled into town to find an unused boat; he didn’t have to look far, though it was hard work to drag it down to the water in his condition. He loaded the boat with his items and set sail into the night, determined to get away from this island, no matter where he ended up.
---
By the next afternoon, Kuro had spotted a large island off to the left. It didn’t look familiar to him; he hadn’t explored this area much as a pirate.
“You’re not a pirate anymore,” Kuro said to himself. “Your crew is dead. Your ship is gone.”
But, are you the same man you were before becoming a pirate? the voice in the back of his head said. Or, have the deaths you’ve caused left a scar on your heart?
He ignored the voice and docked the small ship. This shore was only a short walk to the town; he stumbled up there until he collapsed in the street, exhausted from blood loss.
---
“I think he’s coming around,” someone said. Kuro groaned and felt a wet cloth over his head. “He must have had a run-in with pirates; he’s covered in blood.” He winced from the pain on the side of his head; the cloth disappeared from his forehead.
“Please don’t die,” the voice said softly. Something about the voice seemed familiar to Kuro, but he wasn’t sure what. Still, there was no point in trying to feign sleep; he opened his eyes to see a woman with long, blonde hair standing over him.
“Ah, thank goodness, you’re alive,” the woman said. “You must’ve been through quite an ordeal.” Kuro sat up in the bed, touching the spot where his head ached horribly. He winced again and looked at the girl.
“How...how did I get here?” Kuro asked.
“My servant and I found you in the middle of the street,” the girl replied. “What happened to you?”
Kuro paused for a moment, trying to think of something to say. “I was attacked by pirates,” he said after a moment. “I escaped just in time in a small boat.”
The girl smiled and placed the cloth over his head again. “Well, we can take care of you until you’re better,” she said promptly.
“Thanks, miss, but I really couldn’t,” Kuro said, trying to get out of bed.
“Nonsense!” she replied, pushing him back into the bed. “You’re in no condition to go anywhere. But, tell me, what’s your name?”
Kuro paused for a long time; he knew that the name Klahadore was no longer safe; but, perhaps...perhaps that, now, his old name carried no danger.
“Kuro,” he said.
“Captain Kuro!” one of the servants gasped. Kuro shook his head, though it made him dizzy.
“No, just Kuro,” he reassured the servant. His hand moved as if to push up his glasses; but, they weren’t there. Somehow, without those glasses, he felt terribly vulnerable.
---
Over the next few days, the lady of the manor and her servants tended to Kuro, though they tried endlessly to keep him in bed. But, all Kuro wanted was to get his glasses; he felt alone without them.
On the fifth day after Kuro’s arrival at the mansion, the woman allowed Kuro to leave and have his glasses repaired; Kuro had taken the broken pair with him, unable to part with the treasure that his mother had given him.
But, he also wanted his cat claws repaired.
So, he returned to the ship and retrieved the glasses and the broken glove; he left the other one there, in case it gave him away. He took the glasses to a repair shop first; then, after locating a metal shop, prepared to confront whatever would happen.
“Excuse me, sir,” Kuro said as he walked into the shop, “do you repair blades?”
“Aye, that I do,” said the man behind the counter. “What do you need repaired?” Kuro pulled the glove out and set it on the counter.
“It belongs to a friend of mine,” Kuro explained as the man looked it over. “He uses it for sword practice against multiple targets.”
The man behind the counter looked up at Kuro. “Well, whatever took these blades off must have been powerful,” he commented, “but it’s easy to fix.” Kuro heaved a sigh; he was out of danger. “It’ll be ready in a day or two; come back then.” Kuro obliged and left to retrieve his glasses.
---
“Are you sure you can’t stay?” begged the woman. Kuro had returned to the manor, his glasses repaired and sitting on his face again.
“I’m sure, miss,” he replied, pushing up his glasses. “I’m only staying to have one other thing fixed; then I’m leaving.” He grinned sadly at her. “I don’t want to become a burden.”
“But you’re not!” she lied, tackling him in an embrace. “Please, don’t leave!” Kuro looked down at her; then, he did something he hadn’t done in a long time; he returned the hug until she let go.
“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “But, maybe I’ll come back one day. This island is beautiful.” From their spot outside, they had a good glimpse of the ocean.
“Well,” the woman said, “if you’re sure...but, at least let me provide you with a better boat!”
She was true to her word. The next day, Kuro claimed his fixed cat glove and hid it on the small boat; it appeared that no one had touched it. The woman decided to give Kuro one of her smaller boats, but it was still rather large; he loaded everything from the smaller boat onto the new one and stood on the deck as he waved farewell to the woman.
“Don’t forget, you promised to come back!” she called from the beach.
“I won’t forget!” he called back, waving. When the woman and her servants were out of sight, Kuro retired to the cabin inside the ship.
‘Well, that’s that,’ he thought to himself as fell onto the bed. He quickly dozed off as his boat sailed north with the wind to guide it.
---
For two months, Kuro sailed aimlessly, lost in his thoughts about the past...and that last battle. What he’d said to Usopp...he realized, angrily, that Usopp and he were similar. Usopp’s father had left him; so had Kuro’s. But, he knew that there was one difference.
Kuro’s father had never loved him; his mother had told him that. But, as he thought more about his mother, the darker and more alone he felt. He’d promised never to become a pirate, never to become the thing that had broken his mother’s heart...and killed her. But, he’d broken that promise for revenge.
He’d gone against everything he’d ever said, just so he could see those men scream in agony as he slashed them to ribbons with his own hands.
But, something else entered his mind almost a month after he’d set sail. One night, while the wind howled outside the cabin, a piece of old paper fluttered in through the small gap at the bottom of the door.
He looked over at it and reached down to pick it up.
“Hm...Monkey D. Luffy, 30 million Berries,” he read aloud to himself from the wanted poster. “So...that straw-hat kid’s got the Navy after him now.” He grinned darkly and tossed the paper to the ground. Perhaps Luffy would understand what his life had been like, now that the Navy was chasing him. With that, he gazed out the window and pushed up his glasses, smiling to himself as he did.
But, after two months at sea, something occurred that changed everything.
---
Kuro stood on the deck of the ship, appreciating the breeze that blew across the water and his ship. In his mind, it was a perfect day. But, as he looked out over the ocean, a small...something was flying towards him.
As it got closer, Kuro could see that it was a bird; one of the messenger birds that inhabited the Grand Line. The small bird fell to the deck of Kuro’s ship, completely exhausted.
“You must’ve had a long flight,” Kuro said to the bird as he bent down to scoop it up. He pulled the letter from its grasp. “But...who’d be writing to me?”
He set the bird down on a box to open the letter and pulled out the piece of paper inside; as his eyes scanned the text, his mind raced.
The letter was from the woman that had given him the ship; or, at least it was about her. Of all the writing on the letter, only one part of it stood out.
“She says that she wants to see you; that you know what to do. You see, she is slightly addled in the brain; she lost her parents at the same time as her sibling and believes she sees them returning to her. But, now she’s also seeing you. She’s been saying that you have to save her.
You have to save her from Captain Kuro.”
Kuro sailed as quickly as he could back to the island, those last few words filling his mind at every given moment.
Save her from Captain Kuro.

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