Clover Benson was already prepared. As the attacker lunged at him, Clover bent down to avoid the strike, then landed a powerful blow to the stomach that knocked his opponent down.
"Nani! Buchi!" Sham's eyes widened in shock as he saw how easily Clover's punch had defeated his ally. He couldn't comprehend the strength it took to land such a hit, and Clover still looked completely calm.
Jango, too, was frozen in fear, stunned by Clover's power.
Clover moved swiftly, knocking Sham off balance with a well-placed kick, sending him tumbling down the hillside. His opponent was powerless against him.
"I can't take him on! You saw that, right?!" Sham, trembling, pointed at Clover as he struggled to sit up.
"Yeah... I saw it," Jango nodded, equally terrified. "I didn't expect there'd be someone this strong here..."
"Let's just run! Forget about Captain Kuro!" Sham yelled in panic.
"This guy is unstoppable..."
Nami, watching from nearby, covered her mouth in disbelief.
Clover had always seemed so calm and composed, but now his power was on full display.
From the start of the fight, Clover had taken down over fifty pirates in just a few minutes, leaving only a handful still standing.
Most of the others were unable to move, knocked unconscious or incapacitated.
"I'm coming! Don't worry, Clover! I'll take care of the rest!" At that moment, Luffy's voice rang out from behind Clover and Nami. He ran out of the woods, unaware of the situation until he reached Nami's side.
"Eh!?" Luffy's eyes widened as he took in the scene, then glanced at Clover's fists, still clenched.
"Hey, you're late. I've already handled most of them," Clover said with a smile, greeting Luffy.
"You really don't hold back!" Luffy grinned at Clover, impressed.
"I heard shouting and thought the pirates were attacking! I figured Clover and Nami must've been in trouble! But now... Eh!?" Usopp came running in with Zoro, intending to make a heroic entrance, but was left dumbfounded by the sight before him.
'This guy's really strong,' Zoro thought to himself, observing Clover's work.
"But you're too sneaky! You said you'd leave that butler for me, but you took care of everyone else!" Luffy said, cracking his knuckles as he walked towards Jango and the remaining pirates.
"And me," Zoro added, drawing his two swords and following after Luffy.
"Alright," Clover nodded, watching them walk past him.
The remaining pirates, already shaken by Clover's earlier assault, were quickly subdued by Luffy and Zoro. Jango and Sham were easily tied up by the duo.
As they made their way down the slope, Nami immediately rushed to the pirate ship to search for treasure.
"Oh no!" Usopp suddenly shouted, "Kaya!" He bolted toward Kaya's house, but before he could reach it, Captain Kuro appeared at the top of the slope.
Clover and the others turned their attention toward Kuro, who stood there holding a bag, glaring down at them.
"What's going on here?" Kuro asked, looking toward Jango.
"Captain Kuro! Help us!" Sham cried out, but before he could say more, Clover swiftly kicked him, silencing him.
"Leave this to me," Clover said, stepping forward and walking up the slope toward Kuro.
Kuro stared at Clover, sizing him up. As Clover approached, Kuro calmly took out two pairs of gloves with sharpened claws from his bag. After slipping on the gloves, he adjusted his glasses with his elbows. In Kuro's eyes, Clover was still just a nuisance—how strong could he possibly be?
In an instant, the two rushed at each other. Kuro slashed with his bladed glove in a wide arc.
But Clover didn't even try to dodge.
"I told you... stop underestimating me!" Clover roared as he landed a punch directly on Kuro's face. The speed of the punch seemed slow, but Kuro couldn't avoid it. The impact sent Kuro flying backward.
His glasses shattered as he tumbled through the air, and the claws that had been aimed at Clover were broken on impact.
"So strong!" Usopp gasped, his mouth hanging open. The speed at which Kuro had attacked was incredible, yet Clover had countered it effortlessly.
"I told you to stop looking down on me!" Clover yelled, following Kuro to the ground and pinning him before delivering a series of punches to his face.
Clover made sure to control his strength so as not to cause lasting harm.
"I told you not to mock me."
"I told you not to threaten this village."
"I told you..."
With each word, Clover punctuated it with a punch, until Kuro was left stunned and unable to move.
"How ruthless..." Usopp said, still in shock.
Luffy and Zoro both nodded in agreement. Clover wasn't holding back.
"Jackpot! Jackpot!" Nami exclaimed, hopping down from the ship with a large bag of treasure. The haul was impressive, and Nami looked excited by the discovery.
In terms of power, Buggy's crew would still have been tougher to handle, but this treasure was nothing to scoff at.
"Huh..." Clover let out a breath, standing up from where Kuro lay defeated. The battle was over.
Less than twenty minutes had passed since the Black Cat Pirates arrived at the shore, and they had all been subdued. The villagers were completely unaware, as if nothing had happened.
As Clover and the others finished up, Kaya arrived at the shore, led by three children. After Kuro attacked her other butler Merry the night before, Kaya finally realized Usopp had been telling the truth and rushed to the coast.
Seeing Kuro's defeated form left her speechless.