Step, step, step, step...
A calm, steady rhythm of footsteps echoed behind Kaya.
For reasons she couldn't explain, the sound brought her an inexplicable sense of peace, like everything was suddenly back to normal, even in the midst of chaos. It was a strange, comforting feeling.
Step, step, step, step...
The footsteps didn't pause. They moved past Kaya and the three children, continuing steadily forward.
Down the slope, Luffy and his crew walked calmly, step by step, until they stood before Captain Kuro.
"So this is the guy you were looking for, Luffy?" Zoro asked. He grinned as he looked down at Usopp, unconscious, yet still gripping Kuro's ankle with all his might.
Zoro's expression turned admiring as he muttered:
"Not bad at all…"
Usopp's scrawny body was covered in five deep, bloody wounds that gaped open, still oozing.
"Koby," Luffy said softly.
"Yes, Luffy-san!" Koby snapped to attention.
Relieved they had arrived in time, Luffy quickly pulled a vial of life potion from his pack and handed it to Koby.
"Give this to him. Quickly."
"Understood, Luffy-san."
Koby, no longer the timid boy he once was, now moved with purpose and confidence, sharpened by the relentless training he'd undergone. The weakling was gone, replaced by a poised and capable young man.
Taking the potion, Koby ignored Kuro, who still stood nearby with blades raised.
He knelt beside Usopp, gently cradling his battered head, and began carefully pouring the potion into his mouth.
"You... who are you people?" Kuro asked, warily stepping back the moment Usopp's hand loosened its grip.
A strange unease twisted in his gut.
His voice was low and cautious, but no one answered.
Not one of them looked at him.
It was as if he were invisible, completely ignored by all.
"Hey!!"
Kuro's shout erupted with rage.
He was Captain Kuro, one of the most feared pirates in the East Blue!
When his name was whispered, people shivered in fear, praying he wouldn't come for them.
And yet... these people treated him like he didn't even exist!
"Damn it…!"
Three years of careful planning, all ruined in a single day.
Everything had spiraled out of control, and now, a group of unpredictable and clearly dangerous strangers had appeared out of nowhere.
Kuro's mind reeled.
His control was unraveling.
He clutched his glasses with both hands, red veins creeping into his eyes as he muttered, almost deliriously:
"Why... why..."
"Why do people always ruin my plans..."
"Why!? Why!?"
To a man obsessed with order, having his plans repeatedly shattered was maddening, like locking someone with extreme OCD in a filthy room and forbidding them to clean.
Rage and frustration churned in his chest, burning his mind with fury.
The pressure built and built...
Until finally,
"Damn it! Damn it all! DIE, ALL OF YOU!!"
With bloodshot eyes, Kuro lunged forward, slashing his gleaming clawed blades straight toward Koby, who was still tending to Usopp.
CLANG!
A metallic shock rang out.
The sound of blades snapping echoed across the hill.
Five broken claws, shattered by the impact, flew through the air and embedded themselves in the dirt nearby.
"Ugh!"
Kuro staggered backward, stunned. His eyes locked onto the bizarre object now floating before him, a mop.
A strange, floating mop had snapped his blades.
Meanwhile, as the potion flowed into Usopp's body, an overwhelming force of life surged through him, flowing into every wound, every cell.
The injuries vanished, deep cuts, bruises, internal damage, erased in an instant.
It was as if time itself had reversed.
Usopp's body returned to how it was before the battle, unharmed, whole again.
Only his favorite curry-colored scarf had been lost in the struggle.
"You... who are you...?"
Usopp slowly opened his eyes, vision still hazy. The first thing he saw was a pink-haired figure gently holding his head.
The scent surrounding the figure was oddly familiar, clean, warm...
Like the laundry detergent Usopp always used.
"You're awake, sir," said a firm but kind voice in his ear.
It was Koby.
The words hit Usopp like a thunderclap.
He shot upright in panic, leaping from Koby's arms as if electrocuted.
That burst of energy alone proved just how potent the life potion really was.
"Uh…"
Koby tilted his head in confusion, scratching the back of his own with a sheepish smile.
"Um... sir, are you okay?"
"Huh!?"
Snapping back to reality, Usopp opened his mouth to reply, then froze.
His body didn't hurt.
Not at all.
The complete lack of pain sent a chill down his spine.
In his memories, he was supposed to be on the brink of death.
But now?
He felt perfectly fine.
Could he be… dead?
No... this all felt too real.
He was alive.
But the torn clothes and dried blood stains proved he hadn't imagined his injuries.
Bewildered, Usopp mimicked Koby's earlier gesture, scratching his head, wide-eyed, and muttered:
"What... is going on?"
For a moment, silence fell over the hill.
Kuro was being ignored again.
But now, realizing these people were anything but ordinary, he didn't dare make a move.
Head lowered, he said nothing.
"Usopp!"
"Captain Usopp!"
"Captain Usopp!"
"Captain Usopp!"
Kaya sprinted toward him, tears in her eyes.
Close behind were Usopp's three loyal lieutenants.
The four of them crowded around Usopp, inspecting him as if he were a miracle.
Kaya reached out and gently touched his skin through his shredded shirt.
"Ah! H-Hey, Kaya, what are you doing?!"
Flustered by her sudden closeness, Usopp stumbled back two steps, a fierce blush blooming across his tan face.
─────────🏴☠️─────────
Elsewhere, Kuro once again found himself completely forgotten.
But this time, he didn't erupt in rage.
Instead, while everyone's attention was fixed on Usopp, he began slowly inching away, slipping quietly toward the pirate ship near the shore.
This isn't right…
Something's not right with them!
Kuro had just now realized something truly disturbing.
Among the group… was a living skeleton.
Even as a mid-tier pirate in the East Blue, he'd heard whispers, legends of higher forces, Devil Fruits, powers beyond understanding.
A walking skeleton, a miracle drug that healed mortal wounds, a mop that broke his prized blades…
Kuro's instincts screamed at him.
Run. Get out of here. Now.
But fate had other plans.
Just as he was about to make a break for it, Nami lazily pointed a finger in his direction and called out:
"Hey Koby~ If you're not paying attention, your target's about to get away~"
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