Chapter 53: I'm Just a Navy
Chapter 53: I’m Just a Navy
“Cardy Framm.”
Lucci turned around, his voice as calm as ever. “Managed to escape, did you? Looks like everyone in those few carriages was defeated by your group.”
“I’ll kill you, Iron-skinned guy!” Nero spat.
Nero struggled to his feet, glaring at Lucci. “Heh, sorry I didn’t get to greet you properly before showing such an embarrassing scene. Let me kill these two first, then I’ll introduce myself properly.”
“Who’s this?” Lucci asked, looking down at him.
“Some newbie called Nero,” Kalifa said with a glance. “Newbie? You’ve got the wrong idea. Our mission is to safely return Nico Robin and Cardy Framm. You idiot, letting emotions cloud your judgment! You can’t even tell which matters more—our mission or your tantrums! You’re not even as good as those three Navy over there.”
“Huh?”
Kuro, puffing on his cigar, looked up. What does this have to do with them?
“Meh, whatever. Three seconds.”
“Wait! Wait just—!”
Nero realized Lucci’s intent and activated his Shave ability to flee, but Lucci was faster. In a flash, Lucci closed the distance, pierced Nero’s back with a Fishman Karate strike, then kicked him out the window into the sea.
“Kalifa, report to HQ. Say the newbie was too weak to be useful,” Lucci said, retracting his bloodied fingers.
“Understood,” Kalifa nodded.
“Smoke Bomb!”
Usopp hurled another smoke grenade. Thick smoke engulfed the entire carriage.
Covering Robin, Usopp dashed through the seated Kuro and his crew.
“Nice!”
Sanji and Franky gave him thumbs-up.
“What a move…”
Klah covered his nose and mouth, irritated. “So annoying!”
One trick, done right, takes you all the way.
Annoying or not, if it works, it works.
When the smoke cleared, Usopp and the others had vanished from the First Carriage. Lucci and his crew gave chase.
Back in First Carriage, only Kuro’s group remained.
“Aren’t we doing anything?” Klah asked.
Kuro shook his head. “Our job’s done. Don’t get involved. Once we reach Enies Lobby, it’s nothing to do with us.”
Why bother? It wasn’t even their mission.
Besides, Blueno’s ability ensured they wouldn’t escape.
Sure enough, Blueno soon returned with Franky and Robin in custody.
……
“World Government, Navy—I’ll never forgive you! Never!”
Franky still raged inside the carriage.
“Hey, if you want to curse World Government, that’s fine, but why drag us Navy into it? We didn’t even arrest you!” Kuro said, puffing his cigar.
“Shut up, you little Navy punk!” Franky roared, throwing a punch at Kuro.
“Franky, no!” Robin cried.
There was still the Greatest Swordsman watching—this was a terrible idea!
Clang!
Ten Blades blocked Franky’s fist. Klah appeared in front of Kuro, intercepting the punch but skidding backward, stunned. “Iron?!”
“I’m a cyborg. Of course it’s iron!” Franky bellowed, his other arm slamming down.
“Stop this noise.”
Lida appeared before Franky, her hand touching him. But the next instant, she flinched, shifted into her girl form, and shoved him away. Franky crashed into the opposite wall.
“It doesn’t work?” Lida stared at her hand, bewildered.
“She’s a cyborg. Except for his head, he’s not alive anymore. Your ability won’t work,” Kuro said calmly.
Robin gritted her teeth, crossing her arms. Dozens of arms sprouted from Kuro’s body, pinning his vital points.
“Get out! You don’t belong here! Or I’ll make your comrades suffer!”
The air turned silent.
Lida and Klah instinctively stepped aside, clearing a path.
Not out of fear of Robin’s threat—absolutely not. But because she’d wrapped herself in something far more terrifying.
“What’s going on?”
Robin sensed it immediately. Twenty years of hiding had sharpened her instincts.
The man she’d thought was the Greatest Swordsman—Klah—watched her like he was saying, You’ve got guts.
And the obvious Devil Fruit user—Lida—gave her a thumbs-up.
Wait… Klah had no swords.
The swords were on that other man.
“Eye Sword.”
Kuro glanced at Robin. She grunted, clutching herself as she staggered backward, crouching low.
The arms holding Kuro dissolved into petals.
“You!”
Franky rose, both arms raised like a hammer. He slammed them down.
“Too many openings.”
Crash!
Kuro casually punched, his fist caving into Franky’s chest. The cyborg coughed, clutching his chest as he collapsed.
Even cyborgs feel pain, huh?
Kuro side-eyed him, then kicked Franky down.
Robin looked up, panting. “So you’re the one Hawk-Eye praised as the Greatest Swordsman. You’ve hidden it for so long without seeking fame. What’s your goal?”
Kuro plopped onto Franky’s back, pulling out another cigar and lighting it. “Stop assuming everyone’s got dark motives, Nico Robin. I’ll say it again—I’m just a Navy. No ambitions, no agenda. To be honest, I don’t even want to deal with your mess. So feel free to pretend you don’t know me, and we’ll head to Enies Lobby peacefully. After all, what real grudge do we Navy have with you? You’re a pirate, I’m a Navy. Isn’t it natural I guard you?”
“I understand. Please let go of Franky.”
With this man here, any scheme was pointless. Robin had already given up resisting, but Kuro’s presence made surrender easier.
“There we go. I won’t interrupt your little chat about how evil World Government is. After all, I’m just a Navy. Your lofty ideals are way above my humble station.”
Kuro stood. “Lida, let’s go.”
Lida resumed her child form, obediently following Kuro out. The group left First Carriage.
Originally, he’d meant to go to Second Carriage, but noticing Third Carriage hadn’t detached while Fourth’s Logistics Carriage had, he simply moved to Third.
“That woman’s pitiful.”
After sitting a while, seeing Kuro’s demeanor calm, even joking with Klah, Lida finally asked.
Lida, eight years old and already sailing, had seen much. The only difference from Robin was never being branded a criminal.
“She’s innocent—just caught in the crossfire. But the path she walked afterward made certain things her mission…”
Kuro ruffled Lida’s hair, gazing out the window. “But good and evil, right and wrong, justice and villainy—no one in this world has the answers. Navy, pirate, government… everyone thinks they’re right. So where does that leave the wrongdoers? Order, freedom, dreams, ambition, life, death… who can say?”
“Too deep. Don’t get it,” Lida patted her own head.
Kuro sighed. “Let the era evolve on its own. All we can do is protect ourselves.”
“Speak human, please,” Lida rolled her eyes.
“Don’t cause trouble,” Kuro enunciated slowly.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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