"Kuro, this old man..."

Lida swallowed the small cake in her hand in one gulp, stared at it with a rather serious expression, and smiled, "You're very strong."

Yi Xiao's ears twitched, and she asked them in surprise, "Oh? Do you gentlemen know me?"

The direction he was staring at was Kuro.

The reason she smiled and sheathed her sword without making a move was because of the man she sensed.

Of all those present, only one person is noteworthy.

"Kro, you maintain order."

Kuro exhaled a puff of smoke, walked over to Issho, and stopped in front of him.

A navy man and a ronin, one with an ossuary at his waist and the other holding a sword, stood facing each other without saying a word.

The atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

Let's fight! Let's fight!

The woman with orange hair and a hat clenched her fists and prayed silently.

The momentum of both sides continued to rise, making it increasingly difficult for those around them to breathe.

Inside the casino, there was complete silence.

a long time.

Kuro suddenly reached out, startling the woman watching the fight.

Is this... finally going to be the first move?

"Hey bro, wanna play cards?"

Kuro scratched his head and asked with a smile.

A smile appeared on his face as well. "I have no hobbies in my life except gambling. It's so lively here, I'm really itching to gamble."

"Oh, playing cards is good, a little gambling is fun, but be careful not to get cheated, brother, your eyesight isn't very good."

Kuro looked at the blind man who was smiling.

"Thank you for your concern, young man. There are too many filthy people in the world. I've encountered them before, and usually, the solution is to send them to hell!"

boom!

The group of people who had been slashed earlier suddenly collapsed to the ground, as if they were being crushed by something heavy, and they couldn't get up no matter what.

Click click...

The floor began to crack, and a clear circular crack appeared in the area where the gamblers had been standing.

Seeing this, Kuro narrowed his eyes slightly, drew the Autumn Water sword, and touched the floor with the tip of the black blade.

Bang!

Those people crashed through the floor and sank into the rocky ground beneath.

The floor, however, showed no signs of collapsing again.

With a smile, he slowly drew his sword, revealing a section of the blade, and said in a deep voice, "Young man, are you here to protect these despicable people?"

"No, no, no, brother, you've misunderstood. I'm from the Navy, here to maintain order. This kind of thing isn't suitable for you to handle. Wouldn't it be better if I, a Navy officer, took over?"

Kuro sheathed Shusui and rested his left hand on the hilt.

Yi Xiao paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "My identity is indeed not suitable for making a fuss in this country. You are very considerate, young man. I was presumptuous. Thank you very much."

"You're too kind, brother. The navy and the people should work together." Kuro glanced at those who had broken through the floor and were deeply embedded in the rock.

Floating and gravity, for now, are evenly matched.

Kuro's ability couldn't deal with living people. He only managed to release Issho's gravity suppression by having the blade contact the floor, but he had no effect on living people, allowing Issho to succeed.

Although it seemed like a 50/50 match, Kuro intuitively felt that the blind man's abilities were stronger than his own.

After all, he didn't have much time, and Yixiao's development of the fruit was much better than his.

Kuro only developed his ability to transmit power using a knife to a certain extent during Marineford, while Issho had known it for a long time.

A monster is a monster, it's... ridiculously strong.

"What right do you have to arrest me? I came here to participate in the martial arts tournament. How dare the Navy arrest people in the Land of Insects!"

Suddenly, shouts rang out from inside the casino.

A group of sailors surrounded a tall man, holding knives and guns to him, but the man was not afraid at all, and punched one of the sailors with his huge fist.

"This is?"

Upon hearing the voice, Yi Xiao asked, "Are you on a mission, young man? I've heard that the Insect Kingdom doesn't restrict identities."

"Ah... I guess it's a mission. I'm just worried that some criminals might try to sneak in because the martial arts tournament is so big. We're searching right now."

Kuro smiled at Ichiro, "Brother, do as you please, I'll take care of it."

Whoosh!

As soon as he finished speaking, he vanished. The next instant, he appeared above the man's head, pressed his palm against the back of the man's head, and slammed the massive body down with his own body.

Bang!!

Wood chips flew everywhere as the giant man's head sank into the floorboards, smashing a hole in them.

Kuro plopped down on him, spat out the cigar butt, took out another one, then pulled out a lighter and lit it with a 'snap'.

boom!

At the same time, a strong killing intent erupted from him, causing nearly half of the people in the casino to faint.

"Those of you standing, get out and line up in your respective teams. Someone outside will show you how to do it," Kuro shouted, exhaling a puff of smoke.

"Brother, you don't need to. You're obviously not here to compete. Just do what you're supposed to do. Or how about I play a couple of rounds with you? I've got some experience when it comes to gambling."

Kuro turned his head and smiled.

It's just a competition of using Observation Haki, but only on a small scale for gambling, and you can't really figure it out.

"No need, I won't disturb you while you're on your mission."

He smiled, shook his head, tapped his cane on the ground repeatedly, and slowly walked towards the door.

"Hey, sir, wait for me!"

The woman with orange hair rolled her eyes and followed behind the older man.

"Young lady, you must be one of those being investigated, right? That navy officer didn't let you go. But you kindly told me the truth earlier."

Yixiao paused for a moment, then turned to Kuro and said, "Young man from the Navy, could you please make an exception for me?"

Kuro glanced at the girl, his eyes narrowing slightly.

I feel like I've seen this girl before.

Hmm? Does this look familiar?

"Hurry up and leave, hurry up and leave."

Kuro waved his hand, looking as if he were sending away a plague god.

The person he recognizes, could he be a normal person?

They're definitely a nuisance; what can they do here?

Besides, this big shot has already vouched for him, so there's no need for him to offend him.

"grateful."

He smiled, bowed slightly, and said, "You're a very understanding navy officer, young man."

“That’s right, brother. I’m not bragging. Back in the East Blue, I was known as the reasonable Little Kuro, and I never made enemies.” Kuro’s voice boomed.

Kro, who was standing next to him, adjusted his glasses, agreeing with what he said.

There really isn't anyone who has a grudge against Kuro; those who do usually die long ago.

What kind of person is a dead person?

"See you again sometime, Navy buddy."

Yixiao leaned on his cane and walked forward step by step, while the orange-haired girl next to him hooked her arm around his and walked forward with him.

"Kuro, who is that? You seem to know him."

Lida walked over and asked quietly.

"That one..."

Kuro watched his retreating figure and said, "A monster with ridiculously strong abilities."