One Piece : Captain, We’ve Arrived at Laugh Tale

Luffy adjusted his straw hat and grinned. "Usopp, good job! Leave the rest to us. You focus on protecting this young lady—we'll take care of this guy. Hehehe, let's work together!"

"Alright, I'm counting on you!"

Hearing this, Usopp quickly put away his slingshot and took cover under the window, shielding Kaya.

Kuro smirked. "Defeat me? Do you really have the strength for that?"

Luffy didn't seem to care. "Hey, Carl, Zoro—who wants to take this guy on? He's weak and spineless, a pirate who ran away from the sea. He even abandoned his own name. Honestly, I can't be bothered to fight him."

Carl shrugged. "In that case, go ahead, Zoro. You could use the exercise."

Zoro didn't hesitate. He silently drew his swords and stepped forward to face Kuro. Among the Straw Hats, aside from Nami, Zoro was the least experienced in battle. So if there was a chance to sharpen his skills, he wasn't going to waste it.

Tying his green bandana around his head, he gripped Wado Ichimonji in his mouth.

With a sword in each hand, he assumed his signature Tiger Hunt stance.

Since he had already fought the Nyaban Brothers, he figured their former captain had to be even stronger. That's why he decided to go all out from the start.

"Shakushi!"

Kuro vanished in an instant, moving at a speed too fast for the eye to follow.

Zoro simply raised an eyebrow before swinging his sword forward, blocking Kuro's claw strike. But in the blink of an eye, Kuro disappeared again, attacking from behind. Without even turning around, Zoro countered with a backhand slash, once again stopping the attack.

Kuro's speed was impressive—but it was nowhere near Luffy's.

Zoro had already fought Luffy before. He knew firsthand just how insanely fast Luffy could be.

If he couldn't keep up with Luffy, did Kuro really think he could overwhelm him?

After blocking over a dozen claw strikes in quick succession, Zoro had already adjusted to Kuro's speed. He parried effortlessly, even launching a few counterattacks of his own. For now, he wasn't planning on using any advanced techniques—he was waiting for the right opening.

"Hey, Kuro, is that all? You call this speed?" Zoro taunted.

Kuro scowled at the mockery.

Gritting his teeth, he increased his speed, attacking even faster.

But by now, Zoro had already adapted.

He not only deflected each strike with ease but also unleashed a series of relentless sword attacks—switching seamlessly between the One-Sword, Two-Sword, and Three-Sword styles.

The overwhelming combination of techniques left Kuro struggling to keep up.

Frustrated, Kuro suddenly shifted his attention. He glanced at Usopp, who was hiding under the window, and then at Kaya on the second floor.

"If you won't die, then I'll just kill Miss Kaya and Usopp first!"

"Not good!"

Zoro immediately shifted from defense to offense, rushing toward Usopp—but he was a step too slow.

Usopp watched as Kuro charged at him, his whole body trembling. His first instinct was to run. But when he glanced back at Kaya, he gritted his teeth, planted his feet, and fired his slingshot repeatedly.

"Even if I die, I won't let you hurt Kaya! I'll protect her no matter what!"

Usopp roared, but when he saw that his slingshot attacks had no effect, something inside him snapped. He didn't know where the courage came from, but he charged straight at Kuro.

Everyone was shocked—even Carl was caught off guard.

At this moment, Usopp was truly risking his life, something no one had expected. Even Kuro hesitated for a second. In his mind, Usopp was just a coward and a liar—someone who would surely turn tail and run when faced with real danger.

But when it really mattered, Usopp didn't back down.

Luffy couldn't help but grin. "Hey, teach, don't let him die."

"Got it, Captain!"

Carl responded instantly, appearing beside Usopp in a flash. With a light tap of his Finger Pistol, he struck Kuro's head—not enough to do real damage, but just enough to make him dizzy.

That brief moment of dizziness was all Usopp needed. He tackled Kuro to the ground and, with all his might, started punching his face.

Yes, his punches were weak.

But at that moment, Usopp's heart was stronger than ever.

"Usopp…" Kaya's eyes were filled with tears, unable to find the words.

Even Nami, who had been mostly watching from the sidelines, was stunned. In her mind, the long-nosed boy who used to play make-believe on the beach had been replaced by someone truly brave—a warrior standing up to a pirate captain.

Usopp, you're incredible.

"Have you had enough?"

Kuro, furious after snapping out of his daze, realized that he had just been beaten by a weakling. Enraged, he lunged at Usopp, ready to tear him apart.

But before he could, Carl swiftly pulled Usopp out of harm's way. When Kuro tried to chase after him, he hesitated—he was wary of Carl.

Kuro hadn't forgotten that his dizziness just now was caused by this guy!

Carl smiled at Usopp. "Alright, Usopp, you did it. You protected Kaya. You know that, right?"

Usopp blinked in confusion before finally realizing what had just happened. He had actually stood up to Kuro.

"Usopp, thank you." Kaya wiped her tears and smiled.

"Hehe, that's what I'm supposed to do!" Usopp scratched his head, embarrassed.

Meanwhile, Zoro stepped toward Kuro with an irritated expression.

If Kuro hadn't changed targets, Zoro would have already taken him down. But more than that, the fact that Kuro had nearly killed Usopp made him furious.

Carl chuckled. "Zoro, you're so slow."

Luffy smirked. "Yeah, Zoro, hurry up and beat him already!"

Zoro sighed, feeling completely speechless. He wasn't a monster like these two—he was still growing! How did they expect him to finish so fast?

But he wasn't the type to make excuses. "Fine! I'll end this right now!"

With that, he once again took his Three-Sword Style stance.

Kuro, now more irritated than ever, glared at them. These people acted like they had already won—it pissed him off.

Fine. If that's how they saw him, then he would just kill them all!

"Spoon!"

With a blur, Kuro vanished.

All around, claw marks slashed across the ground, leaving deep, jagged scars.

Zoro's eyes narrowed. This technique was fast—almost like Soru, one of the Marine's Six Powers. But there was something off about it.

It was fast, yes… but out of control.

And an uncontrolled technique didn't scare him.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Multiple wounds appeared on Zoro's body, blood splattering across the ground.

But Zoro didn't flinch. He focused, listening carefully. Sensing Kuro's movements, he waited for the perfect moment—

Then he struck.

"Three-Sword Style! Toro Nagashi!"

With a sharp slash, Kuro's figure suddenly reappeared—three deep cuts gushing blood across his chest.

Zoro, now behind him, calmly sheathed his swords.

Carl, standing to the side, silently put away a camera. He had captured the beauty of that sword strike perfectly.

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