“...Well, um, thank you.”

Usopp looked up and expressed his gratitude to Reiner and Nami beside him.

He thought he was doomed; after all, the other party was a pirate worth 16 million Berries.

Though he often talked big, he was well aware of his own capabilities.

He didn’t expect that these people—Luffy, Reiner, and the others—whom he had just met on the first day, would be willing to offend the notorious Kuro for their sake.

“You’re mistaken.”

Reiner pulled the gun bolt and glanced at Usopp, who was sitting on the ground.

“First, our business with Kuro has nothing to do with you. Secondly, there’s a ship here.”

After a pause, he added, “Let’s call it a deal; after we defeat Kuro, the ship will be ours.”

Kaya looked at the man in front of her, his lazy and indifferent expression making it hard for her to tell if he was genuinely trying to help or just after her family's ship.

However, as long as they could get through the current crisis, it didn’t matter if the other party had ulterior motives.

After all, they had just saved her and Usopp's lives, so at least the outcome was good.

“I understand. Thank you again for coming to our rescue.”

Kaya was much more perceptive than Usopp, realizing that even if the other party had ill intentions, she had no choice in the matter.

Reiner grinned, “Hey, Luffy! Our ship is sorted too!”

“Hehe, then we should definitely give this guy a good beating.”

Luffy giggled as he stared at Kuro, rubbing his hands together in excitement.

Zoro followed closely behind, and Reiner showed no hesitation, controlling his two demons to charge forward.

The sounds of clashing blades echoed, and sparks occasionally flew through the air.

“These guys are outrageous.”

Kuro was nearly grinding his teeth, feeling the power coming from the ‘Ten Blades’ in his hands, secretly alarmed:

“These four, each one of them is as strong as I am individually. How come I’ve never heard of such a powerful pirate crew before?”

It wasn’t Kuro's fault; today was only their second day at sea.

After causing a ruckus at Branch 153 yesterday, they arrived at Syrup Village early this morning.

Even with Kuro's intelligence, it wasn’t so exaggerated.

The two sides exchanged blows for just a few rounds before Kuro was firmly suppressed.

Suddenly, caught off guard, Luffy landed a heavy punch to his abdomen.

Kuro clutched his stomach, only to be struck from behind by the chainsaw devil, who opened a deep gash in his back.

“Ah!”

A sharp pain surged through him, and Kuro gritted his teeth, enduring the agony as he exerted force with his legs, using Silent Step to create distance.

Cold sweat dripped from his forehead, sliding down his face, and a shadow flickered in Kuro's eyes.

“...I can only use that move now.”

Shaku-shi, Kuro's strongest technique, an advancement of Silent Step.

Due to its incredible speed, he couldn't even see what he would hit; once activated, it would be a fight to the finish, stopping only when he exhausted all his strength.

Kuro raised his hand to adjust his glasses, crossed his arms, and the Ten Blades flashed with a chilling light.

“Shaku-shi!”

In the next moment, Kuro's figure vanished from his spot, and a gale swept across the lawn, bringing with it a deadly wind sharp as a blade!

“So fast!”

“I can't see his figure at all!” Luffy and Zoro were astonished by the other's speed.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The ground was suddenly cut with several deep gashes, followed by the walls and tree trunks.

There was no warning, no pattern to follow.

“Hey, let’s get out of this area!” Reiner frowned, his expression becoming serious.

With one arm around his neck and the other guarding his chest, he retreated to protect his vital points.

Usopp was pulling Kaya to escape.

Nami had long since hidden away, having witnessed the fighting power of these people; if they couldn't win, she would only be a hindrance.

“Clang—”

Suddenly, sparks flew from the knife in the hands of the sword devil, and Kuro’s legs were inexplicably slashed several times.

“Luffy! You guys fall back and let them hold the line!”

Reiner shouted to the two in the arena. Shaku-shi could match the speed of Soru.

Currently, they had not captured Kuro's abilities; they could only gamble!

Gamble that Kuro would exhaust his stamina first or take the opportunity to grab him when he was hit. It all depended on whether this cut would hit the vital points.

However, with Reiner's two undead creatures around, things became much simpler.

They could just let them take the hits!

The undead had no concept of life; if they broke, they could be repaired, which was merely a matter of consuming some stamina.

“Got it!”

Luffy and Zoro decisively retreated; this wasn't a formal duel, and they wouldn’t be foolish enough to wait to be cut.

On the battlefield, the sword devil and chainsaw devil faced each other directly, raising their hands.

They stood still, allowing blows to land on their backs.

Until the next moment, several cuts suddenly appeared on the chest of the chainsaw devil, and the two 'beings' instantly reacted, swinging their weapons down hard.

“Ah!!!”

A scream pierced the air, and a spray of blood burst forth as the sword devil managed to land a cut.

Kuro, moving at high speed, stumbled and crashed heavily to the ground, rolling over several times.

“My hand!!!”

Kuro gritted his teeth as he looked at his empty right arm, the intense pain making him shudder.

The sword devil and chainsaw devil's figures swayed, their weapons held horizontally across their chests, flying out towards the ground.

Seeing the two figures rushing towards him, Kuro instead breathed a sigh of relief; he knew his life was coming to an end.

“...Is it going to end?”

Kuro’s expression was dim; he no longer had the strength to dodge.

“...This is why I hate this life.”

“Every day, I’m either worried about some powerful foe coming after me or being constantly harassed by a bunch of ants.”

“...It’s really annoying.”

“If only I had known.”

“I might as well just keep living like this.”

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Blood sprayed out.

Kuro's vision gradually blurred, and his body, unable to hold itself up any longer, leaned forward, collapsing on the crimson lawn.

As for Kuro’s death, Reiner felt no waves in his heart.

There are many ways to live a stable life; even hiding in Kaya's house for a lifetime wouldn’t be bad. After all, he was still greedy.

Every choice has a cost, and Kuro simply failed. That was all.

“Is he dead?”

“Yeah, dead as a doornail.”

Reiner answered Usopp and walked forward to collect Kuro's physical information.

The other party's leg had explosive power, and his fragile skin could be compensated for with his abilities.

His strength was somewhat lacking, but if he used weapons, his attack power in the early stages would still be sufficient.

Reiner had high expectations for him.

Soon, Kaya's guards came out to clean up, and the group was invited into the mansion as guests.

Led by the butler Merry, they walked through the door, down the hallway, and into the reception room.

The reception room was incredibly spacious, with a large round coffee table in the center, luxurious leather sofas surrounding it, a beautiful crystal chandelier above, and the floor covered with patterned tiles.

Reiner leaned back on the sofa, surveying the entire room, which was filled with valuable artworks—there were no less than ten paintings hanging on the walls alone.

No wonder Kuro had his eyes on it; just the total value of everything in this reception room was enough for several bounties.

“I knew her family was rich, but I didn’t expect it to be this extravagant.”

Reiner pondered, realizing he needed to extort a bit more; they must have a lot of good wine and tobacco hidden away.

For Kaya's health, he had to help her take as much of this stuff as possible.

What? You say I’m shameless?

Yes, that’s me, no doubt about it!

At that moment, Nami was quietly shedding tears, staring at all the valuable treasures before her that she couldn’t take away.

“Why not just steal a few pieces? Just a few.”

“No way, I said I would only go after pirates.”

“No, no, no, after all, we saved a life, taking a few pieces isn’t too much.”

“No, Nami, how is that any different from being a pirate?”

“But I am a pirate!”

Nami was having a dialogue with herself, which made Reiner want to laugh.

“Everyone stay for dinner today.”

Kaya walked in from outside, revealing a gentle smile. “Later, I’ll take you to see the ship. It was designed by Merry himself.”

“This trip has really been fruitful,” Reiner said contentedly as he leaned back on the sofa.