Pirates: Martial Arts Masters on the Straw Hat Ship

This brief standoff seemed to have sucked all the air out of the entire backyard of the manor.

The sun was still shining brightly, bathing Kaya's meticulously manicured garden, where the blooming roses and lilies remained as vibrant as ever.

But a nauseating stench of blood filled the air—

It emanated from the corner of Kro's mouth and from the dust that had sprung up when he kicked Usopp earlier.

Kro's gloves, adorned with "cat paws," hung at his sides, the ten sharp blades reflecting a cold, shimmering light in the sunlight.

The refinement and patience on his face had completely vanished, replaced by a morbid, impending madness.

A cunning glint flashed in his eyes; he could already see the men lying in pools of blood before him.

"Just a little bit more... just a little bit more and my plan would be perfect..."

He murmured to himself, as if proclaiming his "genius" to the world:

"Since you're so eager to know, I'll tell you."

After I kill you all, tomorrow, as planned, my loyal subordinates from the 'Black Cat Pirates' will 'attack' this village.

His voice rose, carrying a morbid excitement:

"And I, as a loyal butler, will fight to the death and finally kill all the pirates in a tragic way!"

In this way, I can prove my innocence; I am the hero of this village, a poor soul who has lost his beloved young lady!

He spread his arms wide, his ten sharp claws pointing straight to the sky, as if embracing his distorted future:

"And I will naturally inherit all of this! I don't want anyone in this world to know that I'm still 'alive'!"

Ronan swung the pitiful half of his stick, the tip of which drew a feeble arc in the air.

He interrupted Chloe's reverie: "Oh? It seems you're determined to kill us all."

However, the people standing in front of you are not people you can easily deal with.

His composure, in Kro's eyes, was utterly ridiculous and ignorant.

Ronan ignored Kroo's disdainful gaze. He turned his head and spoke to Nami behind him and Usopp, who had just struggled to his feet and was covered in blood:

"Nami, Usopp, go upstairs and check on Kaya. We'll take care of things here."

"Okay!" Nami replied without hesitation.

She knew very well that the murderous aura emanating from the great pirate in front of her, with a bounty of sixteen million Berries, was almost suffocating her; this was not something she could handle.

When Usopp heard the name "Kaya," he immediately thought of Kaya, who had just fainted.

His anger toward Kro was overwhelmed by his concern for Kaya. He gritted his teeth and ran into the villa with Nami.

Zoro watched Nami and Usopp disappear through the doorway and grinned, "This isn't a battle they can participate in."

He turned his head, his sharp gaze sweeping over Ronan and the ridiculous weapon in Ronan's hand, which was even less than a fire poker:

"Hey, Ronan, are you really going to stay here without a proper weapon?"

This is a swordsman's final confirmation of his companion's strength.

Ronan smiled upon hearing this.

He glanced at the wooden stick that had been with him for several days and casually tossed it onto the lawn at his feet.

"Clatter".

The sound was slight, yet it was like the switch to open a ritual.

Ronan flexed his wrist, and his knuckles cracked with a crisp sound.

He met Zoro's gaze and smiled faintly: "I'm not just good with guns. You'll regret it if you underestimate me."

At this moment, the composure and restraint of a martial arts practitioner emanating from him stood like a mountain in the courtyard.

"Then who should go?"

Luffy was already eager to try. He ignored Kuro's terror and jumped around excitedly, as if what was in front of him was not a deadly battle, but a fun game.

"Feed, feed..."

Kro's face was extremely gloomy.

The three brats he thought he had them firmly under control were now completely disregarding him, even discussing the insulting question of "who goes first."

A fury even stronger than the disruption of his plans rose from the depths of his heart.

"There's a limit to how much you can look down on people, you brat!!" Kroh let out a sharp roar.

His gaze was fixed on Ronan, who had been the first to reveal his identity.

"You can go first!!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Chloe moved.

No, he didn't "move". He "disappeared".

"Whoosh—!"

Kro's figure blurred into a fleeting afterimage before vanishing completely.

There was no running motion, no acceleration; he seemed to have been wiped away by the air.

This is the signature move that made Kro famous – the "Silent Step"!

He attacked Ronan at a speed completely imperceptible to the naked eye!

The air in the courtyard seemed to freeze.

Luffy's smile vanished instantly, replaced by utter astonishment: "Huh? Where did he go?"

Zoro's pupils shrank to pinpoints!

As a swordsman, his perception of speed far surpasses that of ordinary people, but in his vision, Kro only left a faint, almost negligible afterimage.

He simply couldn't pinpoint Kro's true form!

He only felt a deadly killing intent, like a venomous snake pouncing on Ronan!

"Ronan, watch out!!"

Zoro issued the most urgent warning, his hand already gripping the Wado Ichimonji, but his body had no time to make any protective movement.

"Ronan!!" Luffy realized the danger and shouted in terror.

However, no sooner said than done.

The moment Luffy and Zoro uttered their words, Kuro's figure appeared as if by teleportation, rushing to Ronan's right side!

He appeared!

Kro leaned forward slightly, a cruel, triumphant grin on his face.

The five sharp cat-claw daggers in his hands drew ten silver death trails in the air, like a net of hell, and swung down fiercely towards Ronan's neck and ribs!

He poured all his strength into this strike! He wanted to tear this kid, who was the first to expose him and the first to dare to underestimate him, to shreds in an instant!

He could even picture the gruesome scene of blood splattering and Ronan's body being cut open!

However, Ronan was prepared.

He knew all about Kro from the very beginning.

He knew that with his current speed attribute of 12 points, competing with Kro's "Silent Step" in speed was tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock.

Therefore, he didn't even try to capture it with his eyes.

The moment Kro disappeared, Ronan's eyes closed slightly, and his mind sank into a state of perfect tranquility.

All his senses were focused on his own body.

The instant that Krok appeared to his right was a fraction of a second, Ronan's sixth sense instantly erupted with a piercing warning!

The pores on his entire right side were contracting frantically! A bone-chilling coldness shot up his spine straight to the top of his head!

—Here it comes!

Just as Krona's eyes were filled with a sinister light, certain that he was about to succeed and kill Ronan on the spot—

Ronan moved.

He did not retreat, nor did he dodge.

He used his right foot as a pivot and suddenly exerted force with his waist!

This is the most basic and powerful "Bengquan" stance in Xingyiquan!

His right fist, which had been prepared and had been gathering power for a long time, was without any fancy moves. Like a cannonball, it carried all the strength of his body and slammed into Kro!

This was an extremely accurate prediction!

Kro was moving too fast, so fast that he himself couldn't precisely change direction halfway through.

His only option was to plunge those ten sharp claws into Ronan's body.

Ronan's choice was to blast him away before he could stab him!

"boom--!!"

A dull, explosive sound erupted in the garden!