19 Pancake Town!

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"You... Cough... How?" Kuro wanted to ask how he knew so much. Kuro wanted to ask who he was to know so much about him.

"I'm Monkey D Luffy. The man whose gonna become Pirate King. While you, a sorry excuse of a pirate, are going to be handed to the Navy so I can take your bounty." Luffy introduced himself with his signature smile. But he stayed alert. Kuro was said to be a very intelligent guy, a schemer. He must be planning to escape by doing something more nefarious as they were talking.

"No

Kachak!

Merry, Kaya's other butler, entered through the door to see what had caused a commotion to shake even the mansion.

Kuro moved immediately. He ran to take Merry hostage. Kaya was out of his reach, and he doubted Luffy would let him take her so easily. But Merry was near him; he could make him a hostage and have Kaya willingly come to him.

'My plan is still viable. Nothing is lost as of now...!' Kuro moved fast, but something else was much faster than him.

A fist came flying yet again and impacted Kuro's face creating a sickening crunch sound before his body flew through the wall into another room. He didn't move this time.

Merry looked shocked, and so did Kaya, Ussop, and the kids. They never believed that Klahadore would suddenly become so violent and go after Merry.

They all believed Luffy now and explained to the confused Merry about everything that had happened there.

Zoro sheathed his swords back, and Nami also relaxed.

"Next time, let me do something. Don't hog every fight for yourself." Zoro complained.

"Shishishi, I will let you in on the next fight," Luffy laughed before he walked up to Kuro's lifeless body lying on the floor in the room next to Kaya's.

Luffy checked Kuro's pulse, and he didn't find any. It seems that his punch had cracked upon Kuro's skull, damaging the pirate's brains directly.

Still, Luffy grabbed Kuro's neck and twisted it to the side. Making sure he wasn't acting to be dead. Who knows what this guy has up his sleeve? Luffy would never drop his guard around villains like him.

Kaya didn't see what Luffy did as she had her head resting on Ussop's chest. But Ussop and the others saw how Luffy had ruthlessly broken Klahadore's neck without showing an inch of hesitation.

"Now, Miss, I know it's not the right time to make a request. Therefore, I will come back tomorrow when you had rested enough. In the meantime, I will hand this guy to the marines stationed in Pancake Town. Merry, could help us in identifying him to the marine. They would need evidence. Oh, you should take a look in his room; he might have hidden something there."

Merry nodded and went to Klahadore's former room. He came back with a big black box and a few parchments. Luffy grinned when he examined them. His work has become easier. Still, Merry would be needed to accompany them.

Therefore, he said, "Ussop, take care of your love. we will be back by evening,"

Luffy walked away with Merry. He was dragging Kuro's lifeless body by his leg on the ground.

'Just who is he?' thought Ussop as he saw Luffy's receding back. When he looked down at Kaya's face, he found her red, seemingly embarrassed about something.

'Right, Luffy said something about love... Chottomatte!' Ussop wanted to deny it, but his words stuck in his mouth when he felt Kaya hug him tightly.

. . .

Pancake town was situated on an adjacent island near the one where Syrup village was located. Their islands and few in the surrounding together made up the archipelago known as Gecko Islands.

A marine base was located in Pancake town. That was where Luffy cashed his bounty after they confirmed that Klahadore was indeed the former Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates. Merry was a great help as he stood witness to the events that transpired in the Syrup village. Everything matched with records, Kuro's cat claws, and the parchment in which Kuro had written his plans to inherit Kaya's assets by making her sign a forged will and then kill her disguising it as an attack from pirates, his former crew.

It was a big scandal for the marines. Morgan was promoted after he had caught Captain Kuro. He would be put on trial for lying to them. Thankfully, the captain of the marine base knew about Morgan being put behind the cell so there was no question of any embarrassment of trying to suppress the matter to save the marine's face.

Also, he didn't like the arrogant guy; therefore, he readily helped fast process everything and readily took Kuro's body with all the evidence and gave Luffy his money.

The Marines did, however, tried to learn more about Luffy. Thankfully, he did not boast of himself being a pirate and just told them his name and his companion, Roronoa Zoro.

The news about Pirate Hunter turning Pirate has not reached far because the Marines of the Shell town had held back that information for a few days before reporting.

The marines of Pancake Island also sent a hundred men squad to secure Syrup Village's safety after learning that Kuro's crew was about to launch an attack on it in the coming days.

Luffy went back to the tavern where Zoro and Nami were already waiting for him. He was surprised to find that they held a guy down on the ground with pink glasses on his face. He was tied up and beaten black and blue, but his glasses had somehow not been damaged or scratched.

"Who is this guy?" Luffy asked as he handed the money-filled suitcase to Nami.

"His name is Jango, a subordinate of Kuro. The guards at the mansion found him lurking near it; Ussop knocked him out with his slingshot. He is a terrific shooter; I have to say." Zoro explained in brief.

"Luffy, Kuro's crewmates are hiding on a deserted island nearby. They are waiting for a signal from their captain so that they can come here and attack the village." Nami gave another important intel that they were able to get out from Jango.

Luffy nodded and said, "Let's hand him to the marines then. They would be coming to the village shortly. They can deal with problems. We are pirates, after all. We should get out of this place before words get to the marine about our identity. "

"How about we live in Kaya's mansion? She had invited us to stay there until we sailed off. Marines would surely not find us there." Nami suggested.

"Hm... alright then. I thought it was better to give Ussop some alone time with Kaya. Anyway, her mansion is huge. We could leave in a faraway room so that those two lovebirds can mingle." Luffy said with a smile.

"I don't think they will move so quickly. Kaya seemed to be ill and weak, and Ussop well Ussop is Ussop." Zoro quipped as he drank his glass of ale.

"Hm, oh well, they can confess to each other on my ship." Luffy declared before he took Jango and went out of the tavern. Nami and Zoro looked at each other in shock. They had not thought Luffy would invite Kaya and Ussop to join his crew. Well, Ussop might have joined, but Kaya seemed out of the question. She was a young mistress of a large estate. Why would anyone leave such wealth behind and become a pirate?

"Let's just see what Luffy plans to do. I don't think we could reason him out once he chooses a person to become his crewmate." Zoro said with experience, to which Nami agreed.

After handing Jango to the Marines, the trio went back to the mansion and met with Merry again. He was a funny guy; at least Luffy thought so after looking at his hairstyle and manner which greatly resembled a goat. Merry took them to their room and told them that Kaya had prepared a feast for the night.