*Chapter 45: The Return of Captain Kuro*

"Ha! I'm the great captain of tens of thousands of pirates!"

From a distance, Usopp's boasting voice could be heard.

Looking at the long-nosed man, Ryūna's gaze showed a bit of curiosity. It was rare to see someone who could brag to such an extent.

What an interesting character.

After a brief glance, she turned her attention away, unaware that the long-nosed man in front of her could trigger another hidden quest.

"What a pity," Kiba sighed inwardly, feeling as though a pile of rewards had just slipped away.

But there was nothing he could do. Time was limited, and he could only choose the tasks that suited him best.

Having found Captain Kuro, the next step was to head to the harbor where the admiral's ship was docked. There was no time to mess around with Usopp.

Soon, the three of them arrived halfway up the hill in Coco Village and saw the butler Kuro directing people to repair the lawn.

The moment Kuro saw them, the kind expression on his face vanished, replaced by the cold, ruthless look of a pirate.

The workers around suddenly shivered and looked up at the sky, silently buttoning up their clothes.

After giving a few orders to the others, Kuro headed alone to a corner of the manor, and the trio hurriedly followed.

As they rounded the corner, out of sight of everyone else, Captain Kuro silently appeared behind them.

Holding an exquisite pen, he pressed its sharp tip against the throat of the Onmyoji lady, his voice cold as he asked, "If I remember correctly, I said I didn't want anyone else to know of my existence. It seems you've forgotten what I said?"

Feeling her life threatened, Ryūna instinctively clutched a talisman, realizing the true power of Kuro's Silent Steps.

If he had taken the path of assassination instead of facing people head-on, Kuro's threat level could have risen several notches.

As a summoner, Ryūna was most afraid of assassins like Kuro. So even though she was currently restrained, she didn't dare to show any temper.

Noticing Ryūna's gaze, Kiba signaled her to stay calm and then briefly explained the situation.

"That's how it is. Our two pirate crews have merged, and we currently have several hundred million in funds. If the captain wishes, you can allocate them as you see fit."

After a brief silence, Kuro finally lowered the pen.

There was no doubt that his feelings were complicated at that moment. He hadn't expected that right after he left, the others would strike such a big deal.

He had worked hard as a butler for a wealthy man just for a few hundred million in assets, and now he was being told that all he had to do was return to immediately possess it?

Although he should have felt happy, Kuro couldn't help but feel a bit bitter.

After a long silence, he suddenly turned to the Onmyoji lady and asked, "I'm curious, what gives you the confidence to challenge Krieg?"

This was clearly a test. To make someone who had failed once fight an enemy again, they needed to see a chance of winning.

The other two were old subordinates, so he decided to test the new woman.

Standing up with tears in her eyes, Ryūna knew this was a necessary condition to enter the revenge storyline. Only by passing Kuro's test could she receive the hidden quest Jason had mentioned.

But this meant she would have to summon her aunt again. Thinking about the 60 storyline points that were about to slip away from her, the Onmyoji lady felt as if her heart was bleeding.

As it turned out, relying solely on talismans was useless against Captain Kuro, who was incredibly fast. Realizing the growing impatience in Kuro's eyes, she gritted her teeth and used her Shikigami Summoning.

When the Tengu appeared, its sword pointed directly at her, Kuro finally took the situation seriously.

"Now that's more like it," he said, and then his figure suddenly disappeared.

Seeing this, the Tengu, also skilled in speed, immediately followed. The two became entangled in a series of afterimages, and all that could be heard were crisp, pleasant clashes, with their figures nowhere to be seen.

Watching this, Kiba couldn't help but ask himself how he would deal with an opponent who specialized in speed.

With his current shooting skills, it would be almost impossible to hit a fast-moving enemy. The Three Giant Brothers were also far too clumsy, completely outmatched by such an opponent.

After thinking carefully, he realized he didn't have a particularly effective countermeasure.

Ignoring the Onmyoji lady's side-eye, Kiba voiced his doubts, wanting to see how this experienced summoner would handle the situation.

Sighing helplessly, Ryūna responded, "No matter what path you take, you will encounter enemies that counter you. For a summoner, the greatest threat is an agile assassin."

"As for how to deal with it, there are probably two feasible methods."

"First, find a summoned beast that can counter agility types."

"Second, reserve a skill slot for a technique that can effectively repel assassins."

For example, learning a defensive skill—an assassin's worst nightmare is a turtle shell that they can't penetrate no matter how hard they try.

Hearing this, Kiba seemed to grasp something.

For most reincarnators, it's impossible to prepare for every threat. Instead of wasting time worrying, it's better to maximize your strengths.

Those two methods were indeed feasible, but Kiba realized there might be a third option for him.

That was to turn himself into someone who specialized in agility. If he could match his enemies in speed and agility, he wouldn't have to fear assassins.

"Very good, very reasonable."

Feeling relieved, Kiba continued to watch the battle between the two agile experts.

With his perception ability, he could easily observe the two, and overall, Kuro held a slight advantage.

"Tch, just wait until my aunt completes her awakening. Then I'll let you have one leg," Ryūna muttered under her breath.

When the ten-minute limit was up, the Bakeneko transformed into a blue light and disappeared.

Seeing this, Kuro silently stopped in his tracks and took out a handkerchief to wipe the bloodstains off his clothes.

"Not bad," he gave a simple assessment.

As soon as he finished speaking, a notification rang almost simultaneously in the minds of the two Reincarnators.

[Mission #14552 triggered: The Overlord of the East Blue.]

[Mission Overview: You successfully convinced Captain Kuro, and the Black Cat Pirates have decided to declare war on the Krieg Pirates.]

[Mission Objective: Defeat the Krieg Pirates and become the Overlord of the East Blue.]

[Hint: You might find your target in River Bay Town.]

Kuro, who had completely shed his disguise, reverted to being the captain of the Black Cat Pirates. Zangao and Jason became his lieutenants, with Kiba being assigned as the captain of a small squad aboard the Invincible.

With Kuro's approval, Kiba was now considered a pirate captain.

[Achievement conditions met. You have earned the title of "Pirate Captain."]

Pirate Captain: Significantly increases the value of "plundered" items, accelerates the accumulation of reputation among pirate factions, and boosts the rate at which bounty increases.

In no time, Kiba achieved a rapid rise in titles, going from an unknown grunt to a pirate captain.

Unfortunately, he was still under the Black Cat Pirates and didn't yet have the ability to rename the crew.

To advance further, he would need to break away from the current organization, just as Red-Haired Shanks left the Roger Pirates to establish his own crew.

Only then would he truly be accepted by the sea, with the potential to compete with top-tier pirates.

Of course, the risks would also increase, and it would be up to him to choose his path wisely.

[Pirate IV Achievement Unlocked: Become a great pirate with a hundred subordinates.]

The next stage of the title seemed achievable, as long as he had the money. However, Captain Kuro wouldn't give him the chance to expand his power.

Aside from adventure and freedom, the word "pirate" is often associated with betrayal.

Kuro was cunning and wouldn't allow his subordinates to exceed his control.

As expected, Kiba might not be able to complete this storyline.

Standing at the bow of the Invincible, Kiba gazed into the distance, with the cyborg Jack on his left and Paul, who was polishing his cursed blade, on his right.

Although his power was still weak, it didn't matter. His pirate crew already had the foundation to rise.

Before leaving, he would make sure to arrange suitable positions for his two subordinates. The next time he entered the pirate world, their strength would have significantly improved.

Watching the confident man, Ryūna's eyes darted around, unsure of what she was struggling with internally.

She admitted it was the first time she had encountered a Reincarnator like Jason, who could see through the storyline and uncover many hidden missions.

It was a rare talent, not something recorded in the system’s data, and with it, sooner or later, Jason would stand at the pinnacle of the Reincarnation World.

Provided he didn't fall along the way, or his talent would be worthless.

So Ryūna wondered, could she recruit him into her team?

She wasn’t alone. She had joined a team back in the Onmyoji World, but her merit points had only recently accumulated enough, and the others were busy completing the team creation mission.

Impatient to wait, Ryūna had chosen to enter the storyline world early, only to encounter this violent Jason.

A simple storyline mission suddenly became exciting and led to the acquisition of two rare hidden missions.

If her teammates found out, they would probably shed tears of envy and eagerly welcome Jason into the team.

As for her earlier claim of not needing men, that was complete nonsense when faced with tangible benefits.

Now, her only worry was that Jason might not want to join, given that it was just a small, insignificant team, and with his abilities, he could easily join the top factions.

"No, I need to think of another way."

In the end, Ryūna came up with a rather unreliable plan: using seduction.

She figured she was wasting her time, but it didn’t matter. Their team had a super beauty who could even charm women.

If she made a move, wouldn’t Jason obediently apply to join?

While she indulged in her fantasies, the fleet arrived at a small island next to River Bay Town.

(End of Chapter)