Shin'ya looked at the villagers still whispering and discussing. He thought to himself, It's truly the same in every world. The old women at the village entrance always have endless gossip.
"All right, we're going to defeat Kuro. If you're interested, you can come and watch. If not, go home and get back to work," Shin'ya told everyone, waving them off. What's the point of always gathering here?
As the villagers slowly left, Shin'ya looked at Usopp. "Want to come and watch?"
Usopp nodded eagerly. "Yes! I have to go—Kaya is my best friend."
"Then lead the way. After we beat Kuro, maybe we can even mooch a meal off Miss Kaya."
---
Soon, a large group arrived at the entrance of Kaya's mansion.
Merry spotted the group and, seeing Usopp among them, quickly pulled him aside to ask what was going on.
After Usopp explained the situation, Merry let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, they were here to help. If they had come to rob the place, it really would have been over.
Without hesitation, Merry asked for Kuro's letter and his bounty poster, then rushed to Kaya's room to explain everything. He then escorted Kaya out of the mansion to a safe location, planning to watch how this group would take down Kuro.
Merry also learned they wanted to defeat Kuro in exchange for a ship. He agreed readily. As long as the danger could be dealt with, a ship was a small price to pay.
---
On Luffy's side.
After Merry took Kaya away, a Jango clone stepped forward and shouted, "Kuro, you big idiot! Why aren't you coming out to greet your vice-captain?"
The Nyaban Brothers clones followed up, "That's right, Kuro! You big idiot! We can't stand your evil deeds anymore. We're here to take you down in the name of the Marines! Come out already!"
Kuro, who was upstairs thinking about the inheritance, heard the noise. Opening the window, he saw his crew gathered outside, clearly unhappy with him.
He quickly put on his Cat Claws and stormed downstairs. Didn't we agree to wait for the signal tomorrow? What are they doing here today—so boldly, at that?
"What are you doing? Planning a mutiny? How dare you speak to me like that! Have you forgotten who I am?" Kuro shouted, stepping outside.
Nyaban clone: "What's wrong, not convinced? We've been fed up with you for a long time. You gave up your name and identity over a trivial inheritance. You're unfit to lead. Today, we defeat you. Tomorrow, we join the Marines."
Kuro's forehead twitched as rage overtook him. "Heh heh… Seems three years of inactivity have made you forget my terror. Fine then. I'll make sure you remember."
Before he could strike, a Nyaban clone stepped forward and slapped him so hard he spun through the air, crashing to the ground, nose bleeding and teeth knocked loose.
The clone stepped on his face. "Still acting tough? You think you can scare us now? There's over a hundred of us. Any one of us could end you. You want to talk about fear?"
At that moment, a Jango clone helped him up.
"Oh dear, Captain Kuro. How could you fall like this? Seems like being a butler made you soft. Don't worry—we'll help you remember how to fight."
Then the Ship Doctor clone stepped in. "Wait. I don't like ganging up on people. Let's at least heal him first so it's a fair fight."
A wood clone nodded and used "Wood Release: Emergency Field Ward."
A small wooden medical shack popped up nearby, a sign reading "Sunny Breeze Clinic".
Everyone knew what was about to happen and turned their heads.
The doctor clone said, "Two of you, bring the captain inside. Someone else, fetch the tools. I need to prep for a special kind of surgery."
As soon as Kuro heard "surgery" and "castration," he began thrashing wildly in terror. He shook so hard it looked like he might break apart, but the clones held him fast.
One slapped him. "Settle down. This is a therapeutic procedure—our doctor's newest technique: The Castration Recovery Method."
The clones carried Kuro into the shack and strapped him to the operating table. Wooden restraints locked his arms, legs, head, and waist down tight.
Outside, Luffy, Zoro, Merry, and the other men trembled. The women, meanwhile, laughed heartily.
Zoro and Luffy exchanged glances. We can't mess with Shin'ya. If we get caught and castrated… we might as well die.
Then they heard Kuro's desperate screams:
"No... No! Don't castrate me! Please, let me go!"
Inside, the doctor clone chuckled. "No need to panic. I'm not a real doctor, and there's no anesthetic. Just bear with it—it'll all be over soon, hehe~"
"Enough talking," another clone said. "I'll heal him as you go. He won't die."
"Let's begin. I'll use pliers to hold it. And his own claw blades as the scalpel," said the doctor clone.
Rustling sounds followed.
Then a loud scream:
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH—!!"
Healing clone: "Whoa, what the hell?! You used too much force! It exploded!"
Doctor clone: "Sorry, sorry! My grip slipped. I'll try again. Heal him."
Kuro: "AHHHHHH—!! It hurts!!"
Pirate grunt clone: "What now?! You were supposed to castrate him, not slice off everything! He might die from the pain!"
Doctor clone: "My bad! I was nervous! Should I reattach it and try again?"
Healing clone: "Can we even do that?"
[Moments later.]
Healing clone: "Holy crap—it works! It reattached!"
Doctor clone: "Let's just cut the whole thing. You two keep him alive."
Rustling sounds resumed.
Outside, everyone clamped their legs shut and backed away.
Pirate clone: "Just get it over with. He's almost brain-dead."
Doctor clone: "Fine, fine. I'll leave a bit."
Snip. Snip. Screams echoed again.
Doctor clone: "Okay, surgery complete. Congratulations, Captain Kuro—you're now the Eunuch King of the Seas. No one will challenge your throne."
At that moment, Shin'ya dismissed the clones and the clinic.
Everyone stared at the miserable figure lying on the ground.
Luffy and Zoro: "Damn… brutal."
Usopp and Merry: "Too cruel."
Nami and Kaya covered their faces—but peeked through their fingers.
Then Kuro regained consciousness. He looked at the crowd, his hand forming a delicate orchid pose. His voice was high-pitched and whiny:
"You hateful bunch~ Hmph~ How could this concubine let you off~ Boohoo~"
---
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