Chapter 82: The Fall of Krov (Second Update)

However, Klo quickly shook off those chaotic thoughts from his mind.
“There’s no other way. I’ll have to fight my way out, starting with you.”
Klo turned his gaze to Merry, the other butler with the goat-like hairstyle, who lay in a pool of blood.
“I’m sorry, sir, madam, I failed to protect the young lady.”
“I’m sorry to you as well, Miss Kaya. Three years, and I never saw through this man’s true nature.”
Merry smiled bitterly. In this situation, he was doomed to die, and so was Miss Kaya. Yet, there was nothing he could do. Klo the Hundred Plans, Captain of the Black Cat Pirates, with a bounty of sixteen million—he was just an ordinary butler. What could he possibly do? Even his one chance to fire a shot had been dodged by that man.
Slowly, Klo donned his glove fitted with five sharp blades, lifted his glasses with a palm, and walked toward Merry in silence.
“Stop! I’ll give you all my family’s fortune, everything I have!”
Somewhere within Kaya, a sudden burst of strength erupted. She struggled to sit up from the bed but immediately collapsed to the floor.
But she didn’t care about that. Even as her forehead bled, she crawled desperately toward Klo, trying to stop him.
“Kaya, watch out! Special attack—Smoke Star!”
Usopp appeared unexpectedly, smashing through the window and instantly slinging a smoke bomb into the room.
As smoke filled the chamber, Usopp rushed to Kaya and Merry’s side, laboriously helping them up and attempting to escape.
But Usopp’s stamina was hardly enough—carrying one person was already a struggle; with two, he could barely move.
“Leave me, Mr. Usopp. Take Miss Kaya away, you must get her out of here.”
Merry smiled, struggling free from Usopp’s grasp and returning alone to the room.
“No, Merry! Usopp, go back, hurry back! We can’t just abandon Merry!”
Kaya screamed in anguish.
“I’m sorry, Kaya, Merry—he’s doing this so you can live.”
Usopp hefted Kaya onto his back, using all his strength to flee.
In that moment, regret welled up in Usopp’s heart. Why, after all these years, had he never thought to train himself properly? If he were strong enough now, perhaps no one would have to die.
“How much time do you think you can buy against someone like him?”
Almost the moment Merry dashed into the room, Klo emerged holding the half-dead Merry and flung him at Usopp’s feet.
“Damn it—”
Usopp’s face was pale, his body trembling, but he did not retreat in front of Kaya.
“Kaya, you run! Just get out, leave this to me.”
He gently placed Kaya on the ground, stood before her, slingshot in hand.
“Usopp?”
Kaya looked at him, the boy who had always been a coward since childhood, still terrified now—why?
“Run, now—!”

Usopp roared, pulling his slingshot taut and shouting, “Special attack—Explosive Star!”
A pitch-black package of explosives shot toward Klo, and as flames erupted, Kaya wiped her tears and bolted for the door.
She had no idea how long Usopp could hold out, but this was the time Merry and Usopp had bought for her. She could not squander it.
“A kid playing with a slingshot—do you really think you can stop me?”
Klo had never liked Usopp. The son of a failed pirate, a notorious liar, someone who knew nothing.
“Even if it’s just child’s play, I’ll make you regret it! Special attack—Rotten Egg Star!”
Usopp stepped back, widening the gap, and a foul egg soared through the air.
He knew well: for a ‘gentleman’ like this, an assault of rotten eggs was far more devastating than any physical blow.
Sure enough, as the egg burst, Klo let out a shrill roar.
“Damn you! I’ll see you dead!”
Klo charged out of the stench-filled smoke, his gleaming cat-claw glove stabbing directly at Usopp.
“Special attack—Rotten Egg Barrage!”
Perhaps accepting his fate, Usopp didn’t even bother to dodge. A storm of rotten eggs flew, leaving the ‘gentleman’ Klo covered in filth, reeking from head to toe.
Even his glasses were coated in foul yolk.
After finishing, Usopp closed his eyes, awaiting death.
At that moment, all he could think of was Kaya, his childhood friend.
Bang—
The clash of metal rang out. Roland arrived just in time, forcing Klo away from Usopp.
“Well done, long-nosed kid.”
Roland stood before Usopp, surprised by his actions.
In the original story, he was a complete coward, only stepping up during the Devil’s Ship and Dressrosa incidents. Most of the time, he cowered behind the front lines.
But today, Usopp stood tall before the woman he loved.
To protect Kaya, he was even unafraid of death.
“You… who are you?”
Seeing this man who had suddenly appeared and seemed to be on his side, Usopp slumped to the ground, finally breathing a sigh of relief.
“Navy Lieutenant, Roland.”
Klo glared at Roland, his hatred unrestrained.
“Navy… Navy?”
Usopp’s expression changed; he had always dreamed of being a pirate like his father, so the sight of a Navy officer naturally frightened him.
“So, you know me, Klo the Hundred Plans, Captain of the Black Cat Pirates.”
Roland chuckled.

“Know you? I hate you to the bone! My plan, my scheme, three years of planning—all ruined because of you!”
Klo gritted his teeth.
“Well, I’m truly sorry for that. But as a Navy officer, protecting civilians and stamping out evil is my duty.”
Roland replied.
“I have no patience for your nonsense. But I do want to see if you’re truly as strong as they say—the man who defeated Krieg and Arlong.”
Klo adjusted his glasses with his wrist and charged straight at Roland.
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
Roland easily blocked Klo’s attack, then drew his short sword with his left hand and thrust with full force.
Klo’s reflexes weren’t slow either; in his panic, he managed to dodge Roland’s tricky strike.
“Spoon—”
Standing still, Klo lowered his head and began swaying side to side.
Seeing Klo’s movements, Roland knew he was about to unleash his ‘Spoon’ technique, so he activated Observation Haki immediately.
If he were alone, he wouldn’t need to do this. But with Usopp here, Roland couldn’t trust Klo to play fair.
Under the blanket of Observation Haki, Klo’s technique lost its advantage. Wherever he went, Roland could instantly track him.
Haki in the East Blue was a dimensional leap—Roland could only call it overwhelming.
In the East Blue, there were barely any Devil Fruit users; who could possibly face someone with Haki?
“So, you really are the sort who doesn’t play by the rules.”
As scratches appeared on the walls, Roland precisely tracked Klo’s movements—his target wasn’t Roland, but Usopp behind him.
Maybe Roland’s speed didn’t match the ‘Spoon’ technique, but sometimes, speed isn’t everything.
Once you exceed the limits of your own control, disaster is inevitable.
Roland stepped in front of Usopp, his short sword appearing squarely in Klo’s path, its tip aimed at Klo’s heart.
Klo saw Roland’s move, but at that speed, he couldn’t stop or change course—he could only watch helplessly as he crashed into Roland’s blade, which pierced his heart.
“You… damn you…”
Staring ahead, Klo gazed in disbelief at the blade lodged in his chest, his eyes filled with resentment.
“Hate all you like—it’s your fate as a pirate.”
Roland withdrew his short sword and kicked Klo to the ground with a calm voice.
Thus fell Klo the Hundred Plans, Captain of the Black Cat Pirates, a great pirate with a sixteen million bounty.