This kind of person hasn't done anything seriously wrong, and their initial ideals and intentions are good.

As for dragging people into an illusion and immersing them in virtual happiness, Kuro says he's used to it.

When he first came here, his hometown was already seeing all sorts of 'meta-universe' stuff coming out, and all kinds of entertainment were based on the same principle.

The people back home only think about making money, while this guy is thinking about bringing happiness to people. Kuro said he could understand, and didn't think it was some kind of utopianism.

People who are starving will find their own way out; they won't drown there.

Kuro heard the song she sang to Lida when he arrived in the sky on his way. He sensed the woman's life story and understood it even better.

He's never done anything, and he's not a pirate, so handing him over to the World Government like this... I feel a little bad about it.

but...

Kuro raised an eyebrow and saw two people suddenly appear on the balcony railing of the main hall where he was.

One wore a black and white mask, and the other wore a wide cloak; they stood on the railing, swaying in the wind like hanged ghosts.

"Golden Lion..."

The black and white mask and the wide cloak fell from the railing and landed on the balcony in front of him, saying, "You've caught Red, haven't you? Hurry up and take her back. You've already failed the mission to capture Nico Robin. This mission can't fail again."

Kuro silently exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "Lida."

Whoosh!

Lida flashed and appeared between the two men in an instant. Before they could react, she grabbed their wrists and flung them backward. With two loud bangs, the two men crashed into the jade pillars of the hall, creating two dents in the pillars.

“Have some manners, you bastard!” Lida yelled.

"cough!"

The man in black and white mask coughed from the force of the impact, fell off the pillar, and staggered to regain his balance. "Kuro! What are you trying to do?!"

Kuro raised an index finger and said to him, "First, it's not about what I want to do, but what you want to do. Nico Robin isn't my mission, is she? I don't even know what you're doing in Wano Country. Do you want me to explain? Hmm? Such a shameful thing. You've come to Wano Country without a middleman, so you're not letting anyone make a profit? You can't even handle things properly. I'm ashamed for your CP."

"Secondly, Nico Robin's escape has nothing to do with me. I didn't receive this mission. My superior isn't even Sakazuki; my superior is one of the Five Elders. I didn't receive their orders, so it has nothing to do with me. That's your problem. Don't try to shift the blame."

Kuro's superior is not Sakazuki, or rather, Sakazuki is only "half a level" above him. In fact, the levels are the same. The Fleet Admiral is the Fleet Admiral, and the Admiral is the "Governor-General". They all belong to the World Government and are directly under the jurisdiction of the Five Elders. It's just that the Five Elders only consult Sakazuki on many matters. Within the Navy system, Sakazuki is the leader.

"third..."

Kuro, with a cigar in his mouth, exhaled a puff of smoke. The smoke didn't dissipate but condensed into a ball and flew towards them, splitting into two in the air and swirling around their heads. The smoke seeped into their eyes, ears, nose, and mouth through the holes in their masks; every hole on their faces was filled with smoke.

At the same time, the air around them suddenly contracted, all converging towards Kuro, causing the two to hunch over and cough violently.

"Cough, cough, cough! I can't breathe, I can't breathe..."

The black and white mask pressed against its own neck, making a difficult, hoarse cry.

Kuro simply watched them, and after a few minutes, when the two were almost hunched over on the ground, he loosened his grip, and smoke drifted out of the masks, returning the air to their surroundings.

The sudden relaxation caused their bodies to go from tense to completely limp, and they lay on the ground, panting heavily from behind their masks.

Kuro then raised his head slightly and said arrogantly:

"Know your place. Who are you? And who am I? Even your boss, Lucci, wouldn't dare talk to me like that. Where do you get your confidence? I don't understand. Has Sakazuki given you too much face, causing you to misjudge the situation? Hmm??"

The marshal's job is not as easy as the general's. Although both are directly under the Five Elders, the general is basically not bothered by the Five Elders, while the marshal is usually the one who gets things done.

As for any missions, the Five Elders would relay them to the Fleet Admiral through the CP organization, or the Celestial Dragons would relay them through the CP organization.

Sakazuki would definitely agree, since he is the Fleet Admiral.

Perhaps this long-standing attitude has led these people to make some kind of misjudgment?

This has been the case since the Warring States period, no, perhaps even earlier, but this approach doesn't work on Kuro.

You think you're as awesome as me?

Sakazuki was given face because he was a marshal, but Kuro wasn't, so he didn't need to give him that face, nor did he want to.

“If you replaced him with Lucci, no, that idiot Lucci wouldn’t talk to me like that, because I’d really beat him up. Look how smart that little leopard is, and look at you guys…”

Kuro stood up and looked down at the two people lying on the ground. "Get your bearings before you talk to me. Sometimes I just can't understand how you government officials have managed to survive this long."

The man in black and white masks raised his head from the ground and said with difficulty, "You... no matter what, this is your mission, Kuro. It was said that you were tasked with finding out where Red is and capturing her."

"Didn't I say I wouldn't arrest them? They were arrested anyway."

Kuro said, "My mission is to guard Wano Country, you know what that means? You can't be unaware of what guarding means, can you? If this ideal village can break into Wano Country, what about other forces? Today we destroyed one ideal village, and who knows what other ideal towns, ideal cities, ideal countries and all sorts of other nonsense will come up. If I don't guard it, who will? If Wano Country is lost, you'll be responsible for taking it back for me?"

This is why Kuro is conflicted, because he knows that the CP organization never left.

Otherwise, he would just pretend he didn't see the woman named Hong and kill the old man, and that would be the end of it.

“I’ll send you there, but not now. My men seem to have gone out. When they return, you can hand them over and take those prisoners from Wano Country with you.”

Kuro sneered, "But I have to remind you, the ocean is very dangerous, especially in the current situation. Be careful not to get robbed, or encounter some giant sea king, or have tsunamis, hailstorms, volcanic eruptions, meteorite falls or something."

"you..."

"Lida, throw them out."

Before the black and white mask could say anything more, Kuro interrupted, and Lida flashed past again, grabbing one of their ankles with one hand and sucking them in, causing the two to go limp like mud, too weak to even speak.

"This place, this place is... the fifth floor," the black-and-white mask murmured with its last strength.

"Throw him out!"

“Okay,” Lida replied.