"Are we seriously fighting here? I hope we don't end up buried under all this rubble!" Rokuro muttered to himself as Luffy sent Kuro plummeting from his perch.
Kuro crashed down hard on the hillside, his body rolling like a ragdoll before coming to a halt. Rokuro, along with Zoro and Usopp, scattered to avoid being caught in the impending chaos.
Luffy's rubber fists swung through the air like a violent storm, pounding the earth with each strike. Rocks and debris exploded in every direction as the terrain began to shift. A cloud of smoke and dust billowed from the impacts, shrouding the area in chaos.
"If this keeps up, Kuro will definitely get back up. He's not out yet," Rokuro thought to himself, eyes scanning the wreckage. Kuro was a dangerous opponent with his cunning intellect, and Rokuro knew better than to underestimate him.
"Damn idiot Luffy! Run, get away!" Rokuro shouted.
"I'll leave this to you, Zoro! I need to recharge!" Rokuro quickly grabbed a bucket and started running toward the treeline.
Without chakra, Rokuro was in no shape to continue battling if Kuro unleashed one of his infamous "shaving" or "spoon" techniques. Kuro's speed and skill far outclassed even someone like Skinny Sam, and without his Sharingan to track Kuro's movements, Rokuro knew he'd be in serious trouble.
"You're too short-lived!" Zoro shouted over his shoulder, not even looking back as he prepared for his own fight. "Leave it to me, I've got this!"
Rokuro glanced at Usopp, who was still recovering from the earlier scuffle. "I'll leave it to you, Zoro! Captain Usopp, go prepare something!"
Usopp hesitated, his feet digging into the ground as he looked uncertainly at the battle. But Zoro waved him off impatiently, "Hurry up and get going! We'll handle this!"
With a last look at Rokuro, Usopp turned, running as dust billowed around him. Rokuro's eyes followed his retreating figure for a moment before he sighed.
Meanwhile, the secret base of the Usopp Pirates was far from quiet. Rokuro appeared in a flash, diving into the treehole, his hands quickly moving through the familiar hand seals to extract chakra.
From above, Nami called down anxiously, "Rokuro! How's the battle going?"
"It's under control," Rokuro answered, eyes still focused on his chakra recovery. "Kuro's badly injured, the Black Cat Pirates are nearly wiped out. Zoro and Luffy are finishing the last of them off."
He looked around, realizing that one person was missing. "Oh, right! Where's Usopp? Shouldn't he be faster than me?"
"I'm here! I'm here!" Usopp's voice echoed from outside, sounding strained. He emerged from the shadows, bruised and covered in dust.
Rokuro stifled a laugh at the sight of him. "Onionhead, you guys set a trap for me without even telling me?"
Usopp, clearly exhausted and hurt, raised a hand in protest. "It's for Miss Kaya, and Miss Nami too! Don't blame me!"
Nami looked over Usopp with a frown, "Are you okay?" She quickly examined his injuries and began bandaging him with a sense of urgency.
Rokuro leaned back, watching as Nami tended to Usopp. The dynamic between the two was…oddly domestic, but it felt strangely reassuring. Meanwhile, the rest of the group could hear the distant sounds of battle, a reminder of the chaos still unfolding.
"Do you really think Luffy can defeat Kuro?" Nami's voice wavered with doubt.
"Of course he can!" Rokuro replied with a smile. "Luffy wants to be the Pirate King! He won't stop here."
Nami narrowed her eyes at him, clearly irritated. "You really believe in him, don't you? I don't know where you get this faith, but you're all hopeless."
Rokuro wisely decided not to reply, his instincts telling him that it wasn't worth arguing. It was one of those days, and he knew better than to engage.
But before Rokuro could continue thinking, he felt a strange shift in the air.
"Huh? Are Luffy and Zoro idiots?" Rokuro murmured, suddenly alert. His perception ninjutsu flared.
"Shh! Quiet!" Rokuro hissed, signaling to Nami and Usopp. The two quickly covered their mouths, instinctively following his lead.
Outside, Zangao and his remaining trusted subordinates were methodically searching the area.
"Where are you, little darlings?" Zangao's voice echoed through the trees. His mood was growing darker by the second. "I know you're here!"
He kicked one of his subordinates, frustration mounting. "Mondog, are you sure they're here?"
Mondog—one of Zangao's subordinates—acted strangely, eyes darting around as his tongue lolled from his mouth. "Wang wang wang!" he barked, looking around like a dog.
Zangao raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with you, Mondog? Did the hypnosis mess with your head?"
Suddenly, Mondog stood at attention, his eyes wide as if realizing something. "Captain Zangao! Woof! I smell her! The young lady… she must be here!"
Zangao, confused but not willing to take chances, gestured for his men to spread out. "Search the area and make noise if you find anything!"
Rokuro, hidden in the shadows, was disturbed by Mondog's behavior. This guy's hypnosis is insane. Could he be the user of a "Hypnosis Fruit"?
The thought unnerved Rokuro. Was he truly dealing with someone who had the power to turn people into animals, just like that?
Nami, sensing Rokuro's rising tension, signaled to him with a worried look. She mouthed, What should we do?
Rokuro's chakra had now returned to about a third of its total capacity. He gave a reassuring nod. "I've got this. No hypnosis is getting through me today."
As Mondog sniffed a stone with heightened senses, a sudden tremor shook the ground. He froze. His eyes widened.
"Woof! Why is there… a strange scent here?" he muttered, sniffing around. "Weird… woof…"
Before Mondog could continue, the stone trembled again—this time violently. He jumped back.
Bang!
A puff of smoke erupted from the stone, and in an instant, a gleaming blade flashed. Mondog's head rolled from his shoulders, his body crumpling lifelessly to the ground.
Elsewhere, another pirate turned to his comrade. "Finch, what's wrong?"
"Faron, look at this tree hole. Should we check it out?"
Faron bent over, peering into the small hole. "Are you—wait…!"
Before he could finish, Finch's hand shot out, covering his mouth. A chilling realization spread across Faron's face as he locked eyes with Finch—his face slowly contorting into something unrecognizable.
The last thing he saw was Finch's gleaming, crimson eyes.
"Where is everyone?" Zangao called out, his voice cracking in the eerie silence of the forest.
The woods, once filled with the hustle of his men, now felt empty. He called out again. "Mondog! Faron! Finch…"
A cold dread filled the air as Zangao's sense of unease grew. The once-thriving search party had gone quiet.
"Something's wrong," he muttered.
Just as he called out to his final confidant, Bedi, the silence broke.
"Bedi!" Zangao cried, his eyes scanning the trees.
Bedi appeared, a nervous sweat dripping from his brow. "Captain Zangao! What's going on?"
Zangao breathed a sigh of relief, but the suspicion in his heart didn't dissipate. "What about the rest of the crew?"
"They… they've all scattered," Bedi stammered. "I don't know where they are…"
Zangao clenched his fists. Something was off—too off.
A chill ran down his spine. He spun around, sensing something approaching.
"Sneak attack!" Bedi shouted.
Too late.
Rokuro appeared behind Zangao in a blur, his blade raised.
Zangao quickly spun, deflecting the strike with his skillful use of flywheels. One hit Rokuro's scimitar, while another deflected, narrowly missing Rokuro's neck.
"Dumb! Dumb!"
Rokuro instantly turned into a dark crow, his body vanishing in a puff of smoke. Zangao, trembling, wiped his brow.
"This is bad…" Zangao muttered, sweat dripping down his face.
"Sorry, that was a clone," a cold voice came from behind.
Zangao turned around just as Bedi, now revealed as a transformed Rokuro, stood there, grinning.