Chapter 81: Xiluobu Village (First Update)

Under Garp’s satisfied gaze, Buggy and Luffy quickly changed into their navy uniforms. Although Luffy looked rather odd wearing his straw hat with the uniform, he stood upright nonetheless. However, this scene did not last long; Luffy, looking uncomfortable, soon broke it by tugging at his collar.

“Grandpa, this is just too uncomfortable,” he complained.

“Luffy, you’re a marine now. Do as you’re told,” Garp replied, showing no sign of indulging him. The tears he’d shed from being moved just moments ago vanished instantly as his massive, iron-like fist crashed down on Luffy’s forehead.

“But I just want to be a pirate,” Luffy said, rubbing the large bump on his head, aggrieved.

Garp ignored his grandson’s complaints and turned his gaze to Roland. “That’s settled, then. The matter is resolved, and we’ll head back to Windmill Village for now. Next time you come to Marine Headquarters, we’ll meet again.”

“Then I look forward to our next meeting, Vice Admiral Garp,” Roland replied, saluting.

Just as Roland was about to leave, Buggy squeezed in front of him, looking conflicted. “Roland, now that I’ve joined the navy, I think there’s something you should know.”

“What is it?” Roland asked, curious.

“The news about you capturing Django and the others has already been reported in the newspapers, so Kuro knows his plan has gone awry. He contacted me—maybe other pirates too, but that’s not the key point.”

“The key is that Kuro’s plan didn’t change because of Django; instead, he secretly contacted other pirates. You understand what I mean?” Buggy explained.

“I see,” Roland mused. He hadn’t considered that, but given Kuro’s personality, it made sense. From what he remembered, after this job, Kuro intended to become a merchant and plunder wealth legally, rather than live as a pirate in constant fear. So with Django captured, Kuro would contact other pirates and offer them rewards—something entirely in character for him.

He was, however, surprised that Kuro would reach out to someone like Buggy, a pirate of similar infamy. Was he not worried Buggy would double-cross him once the deed was done? After all, among pirates as ruthless as they, trust was a rare commodity.

In any case, time was of the essence. If they didn’t act quickly, by the time they reached Syrup Village, it could already be reduced to ashes.

“All right, I understand. If what you’ve said is true, I’ll make sure your contribution is reported,” Roland said, patting Buggy on the shoulder with a smile.

With that, Roland returned to his warship, ordering his marines to continue sailing toward Syrup Village. According to the map, Orange Town was not far from Syrup Village; if they set sail at full speed, they would arrive by the following morning.

Soon after Roland’s departure, Garp and his crew set off at a leisurely pace toward Windmill Village aboard their dog-headed warship.

“Hey, Luffy, when we get back to Windmill Village, don’t try sneaking away,” Garp called from his deck chair, eyeing his sulking grandson.

“Vice Admiral Garp…” Bogart began, wanting to say something, but Garp waved him off.

Luffy, oblivious to the underlying meaning, muttered, “I wouldn’t, stupid grandpa…”

The next morning, in the waters near Syrup Village, a massive warship lay anchored at a distance.

“Colonel Roland, I don’t understand. Why don’t we just go in and arrest Kuro directly?” Pengeles asked, puzzled.

They had arrived over half an hour ago, but Roland had ordered them to drop anchor and stay put. Pengeles couldn’t fathom the reason.

“Because we’re marines, capturing Kuro is easy enough. But what about the other pirates?” Roland shook his head. “We can’t be sure Buggy’s information is accurate, but we’ll take it as truth for now. We’ll wait here for three days. If no other pirates appear, we’ll land and arrest Kuro.”

“Yes, Colonel Roland,” Pengeles replied, recalling Buggy’s conversation with Roland the previous day. He hadn’t believed it then—how could a pirate forced into the navy be so quick to help the marines?

“All right, you stay here. I’ll change into civilian clothes and scout the island. If anything unexpected happens, I can adapt on the spot.” With that, Roland returned to his quarters, changed clothes, and, under everyone’s watchful gaze, transformed into Eudian before running across the water toward the island.

“What… what is that?” Nami asked, astonished. Even after traveling with Roland, she had never seen him like this. Zoro, too, was curious.

“It’s a Devil Fruit power. But I’ve never seen Colonel Roland’s form before. If I’m not mistaken, it’s probably a Zoan-type Mythical Beast Fruit,” Pengeles explained, surprised but more knowledgeable than the others.

In his Eudian form, the distance was trivial. Before long, Roland landed unnoticed, reverted to his original appearance in a secluded corner, and headed toward the village center.

He had expected Usopp to jump out and try to scare him, but the village was eerily silent. According to the story, Usopp should have been telling his usual “wolf is coming” tale to the villagers. Yet now, there wasn’t a soul in sight.

“Could something have happened?”

A ludicrous thought crept into Roland’s mind, making him uneasy. It was unlikely, but what if it were true? Normally, he wouldn’t be concerned. But if anything did happen here, it would be directly connected to him—after all, it was due to his capture of Django that the story had changed.

With this in mind, Roland took out his Den Den Mushi and ordered the marines to land, then used his Observation Haki as he hurried toward Kaya’s mansion. If anything had happened, that would certainly be the epicenter.

As Roland neared the estate, he saw a crowd—villagers, judging by their attire—gathered outside.

“Hey, damn you, Kuro! Let Miss Kaya go!”

“How could you deceive us for so long? Kaya’s parents died suddenly a year ago—was that your doing too?”

“Damn you, Kuro…”

Inside the mansion, Kuro’s face was dark as he glanced at Kaya, pale and lying in bed, then looked out the window at the angry villagers.

Lately, many things had not gone according to plan. First, Django was captured, forcing him to adjust his scheme and reach out to Buggy for help. Then the navy reissued his wanted poster and put it in the newspapers, causing his entire plot to unravel.

Kuro cared little for the villagers—they could be killed, and it would mean nothing to him. The problem was, he didn’t want to resort to murder. He needed a legitimate reason to inherit Kaya’s fortune and become a merchant, plundering wealth legally.

But now, it seemed he had no choice; the villagers had recognized him, and if he wanted to continue hiding, he would have to kill them all.

“Damn it… Damn it… Damn it…” Kuro’s anger boiled over at the failure of his plan. He, Captain Kuro, who had roamed the seas for years, had never had a scheme go awry before.

“It’s all because of that man… that man…” The figure from the newspaper—the one who had triggered Morgan’s fall and Django’s arrest—kept flashing through his mind, the very man who had brought his plan to ruin.