Luffy was pinned under the bow of the Black Cat ship, mostly due to being hypnotized.
Zoro, with only one sword, was being restrained by the Cat Brothers.
Nami, holding a knife, had been scratched on her left shoulder by Zangao.
Usopp was on the verge of despair, but at that moment, he saw Zangao suddenly change his expression, going from a smug smile after preventing Nami from wielding her knife to a look of sheer panic.
"Ah!! Th-this... this is all for a reason!!"
Usopp followed Zangao's gaze, and saw Kaito Sakamoto and Crocodile standing at the top of the slope, one on each side.
Usopp knew Crocodile well—not only knew him, but he almost wanted to punch him in the face.
As for Kaito, Usopp was seeing him for the first time, but as soon as Nami shouted his name, it was as if they were already acquainted.
"Kaito!"
"You're here! That's great!"
Nami knew Kaito's strength. After all, he was the one who took on the entire Buggy Pirate Crew alone.
But then, Kaito shook his head, and Nami froze, her expression instantly confused.
"What do you mean by shaking your head?!"
Crocodile couldn't hold his temper anymore, pushing his glasses with the palm of his hand before shouting:
"No wonder the plan wasn't carried out at dawn!"
"To think we were stopped by a bunch of little brats!!"
"The Black Cat Pirates are really embarrassing."
Although he said that, who was it that spent the whole night in the mansion with Kaito?
"Pathetic."
Zangao trembled in fear, but the Cat Brothers were bold enough to challenge him. They couldn't stand being called "pathetic."
"Pathetic? You call us pathetic?"
"Yes, you were strong in the past, Captain Crocodile, but now, it's been three years. You've been living in luxury in the village while we've snatched countless treasures and fought many battles."
"You think you can defeat us after three years of idleness?"
With that, the Cat Brothers attacked Crocodile without hesitation.
Kaito shifted slightly to the right, unable to suppress a chuckle.
Crocodile knew that Kaito was mocking him, and his face reddened with embarrassment.
In the blink of an eye, Crocodile appeared behind the Cat Brothers, already wearing his clawed gloves. His hands were locked around their necks.
The oppressive presence that had been sealed for three years resurfaced, and the two brothers were so scared they almost cried.
"Don't be foolish, Cat Brothers. Even on land, after three years, Captain Crocodile still maintains the habit of pushing his glasses with the palm of his hand. That's to make sure his weapon, the cat claws, doesn't hurt him."
"Three years, and this habit hasn't changed. It shows that Captain Crocodile, even on land, hasn't forgotten how to fight."
Crocodile raised his thumb, the knife blades on his finger-caps pointing at the Cat Brothers' necks.
Were they moved? The two brothers didn't dare move at all.
"After three years of rest, it seems my temper has improved a lot."
As Crocodile threatened the Cat Brothers, Kaito exchanged a look with Nami.
He glanced at her, then at the knife on the ground. Nami immediately understood, nodding slightly.
"Five minutes."
"I'll give you five minutes to clean up this mess, otherwise..."
"I'll kill all of you."
Crocodile spoke coldly, then released the Cat Brothers. This was still after his temper had improved.
Zangao and the Cat Brothers were still delusional, thinking they could reach the village by killing Zoro and climbing the slope.
But the next moment, Nami quickly stepped forward and kicked Zoro's two swords over to him.
"Zoro!"
"Catch the swords!"
"Damn it! Nami, how dare you kick my swords!"
Zoro squinted and said, but after catching the swords, he added a grateful "thanks," with a bit of pride in his voice.
At the same time, Kaito's bracelet transformed into a gong and a mallet.
Seeing that Zoro had retrieved his swords, the Cat Brothers remained disdainful. They had restrained him earlier, and now they thought they could still win!
"So what if you have your swords? Just die like a good little brat!"
With those words, the two brothers immediately launched their attack.
Zoro didn't respond, his eyes locking onto them.
He bit down on one of his swords and struck a pose, holding the two swords as if they were strapped to his back. As the Cat Brothers closed in, Zoro's eyes widened slightly, and his figure flashed!
"Three-Sword Style—Tiger Hunt!"
In the next instant, Zoro appeared behind the two brothers, his blades already in mid-slash.
The Cat Brothers were already on the ground, blood seeping from their chests.
At the same time, as Zoro made his move, Kaito slammed the mallet against the gong, the sound echoing along the entire slope and coastline. The gong's sound wave shattered the bubble of snot on Luffy's nose, who had been sleeping soundly under the ship's bow.
Luffy slowly opened his eyes.
Kaito had promised Crocodile that he wouldn't make a move until the battle between Zangao, the Cat Brothers, and Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Usopp was settled. But he never said he couldn't play some "music," right?
Is it wrong for me to love playing the gong?
Luffy woke up and casually pushed the ship's bow off of him.
"That was a great sleep!"
"Hmm? The bad butler's here too?"
As everyone's attention turned to Luffy, Nami quickly distanced herself from Zangao.
"Luffy! We have to win this battle!"
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