I began reading One Piece a couple of days ago, and I simply couldn't stand seeing how tragically heartless Klahadore/Kuro was about Miss Kaya! Thankfully, a good fanfiction author can take what's already there and twist it into something else to fit his/her own fantasies!

A special thanks to my friend (you know who you are), who let me borrow the manga for a while!

I give you a "what if?" arc for this early piece of the story! What if Captain Kuro wasn't a totally heartless, horrible villain with psychopathic tendencies? What if…he actually cared about the sickly girl who loved him so much?!

I do not own One Piece (because I'm not nearly so random, nor can I draw so much manga by hand)!

As the inimitable Klahadore strolls back toward Miss Kaya's estate, he contemplates the plans he discussed with his first mate, Django. At dawn of the next day, the Black Cat pirates are to strike the peaceful village. Kaya will die in a terrible "accident", leaving her vast fortune to her faithful servant, Klahadore. All of this is perfectly clear to his entire crew…except for one detail.

As soon as Kaya is dead and his fortune secure, he needs one thing: peace of mind. In order for his past as a pirate to fully end, he must dispose of his entire crew. They'll be willing to keep his secret—out of fear, if nothing else—however, if even one of them should let it slip that Captain Kuro is alive, his plans for the future would fail miserably. He cannot permit his final plan to go astray, even if it means slaughtering everyone he ever met!

"Evening, Mr. Klahadore!" one of the villagers greets him cheerfully as he passes by. Sparing a return greeting, he is about to continue on his way when the villager says something important. "You might want to check on Miss Kaya: that Usopp tried to kidnap her earlier today! Can you believe it?"

"Miss Kaya? I must go see to her immediately, then! Thank you for telling me." Bowing in thanks, Klahadore hustles past him, the perfect image of a concerned butler. Warning a disbelieving village is one thing…but trying to kidnap his keystone pawn is another! No matter, Klahadore tells himself, he's only alienated himself further. Now I have full reason to increase security around Miss Kaya's estate. The plan continues unimpeded.

Upon entering the estate, he is greeted by Merry, one of Kaya's other trusted servants. The goat-horned man tells Klahadore everything about the day's ordeal.

"To think he would stoop to such animalistic violence! Miss Kaya is devastated at how far he's fallen." Merry concludes his narrative. "And to think, even after all that, she still cared about his safety. She really is a kind lady" he wipes his eyes with a handkerchief, overcome with emotion over the heiress' overwhelming charity.

"Indeed, she is." Klahadore agrees. "Her parents would certainly be proud; however, we cannot leave security so loose anymore. From now on, we must contribute all our security to protecting Miss Kaya from that pirate-born scum."

"Of course, Klahadore. He has proven far too dangerous to be anywhere near the estate."

"Speaking of which," Klahadore changes the subject, "where's Miss Kaya?"

"She's already gone to bed" Merry explains. "Today's excitement exhausted her."

"To think all of that happened while I was over in the next town!" Klahadore straightens his tie. Why do I feel like something's strangling me? "That Usopp is a trouble-maker."

"He even accused you of being a pirate" Merry laughs as though the very idea is preposterous. "What a story-teller!" his fingers float over a nearby table as if he might have to support himself from the force of laughing. Klahadore turns away from him and heads to a window.

"Heh heh…" he fakes his own chuckle. These three years have made me soft. Klahadore berates himself for not even looking him in the eye. This should be hilarious! After all, he doesn't even suspect the possibility of my being a pirate, let alone a fugitive captain! Instead of a bold-faced lie, or even commenting on Usopp being no laughing matter anymore, all Kuro says is "Yes." Something catches his eye near the windowsill. It's a package wrapped in a lovely ribbon. Picking it up, he inspects it. "What's this?"

"Oh, yes!" Merry snaps to attention again, his mood brighter than it might have been all day. He certainly lives up to his name. "That's a gift for you from Miss Kaya. Tomorrow will be exactly three years since you came to this estate" he explains while Klahadore simply stares at the present. Something about this gift gives the latter an inkling of emotion. "An anniversary, of sorts." Curious, Klahadore pushes his glasses up with the heel of his hand and opens the present. The wrappings rustle under his touch as he gently pushes them away and finds a carefully made replica of his spectacles.

"Anniversary, eh?" For some reason, the idea surprises him a little. Nobody ever celebrated an anniversary on his ship: he was always too busy sketching out his next plan, escaping the navy, battling rivals, or simply belittling his crew and bemoaning his life. The only days of note were crescent moons. They remind him of a cat's claw in the sky. It says a lot about the progress of his plan that Kaya finds the day she met him worth celebrating.

"Your glasses are always slipping…" Merry dabs at his eyes, once again turning emotional at how sweet their mistress is, "so Miss Kaya had these specially made for you." Unexpectedly, Klahadore's heart clenches at the thought of her going through the trouble of coordinating this little, personalized surprise without his knowing it. She has to have taken his schedule, his location, his connections into account. She needed to get his measurements just right and hire the right people to get the job done.

It was like she made her own little plans…It reminds him of something he might have done, once upon a time.

"She's such a generous, thoughtful person" Merry could not see Klahadore's eyes. Tomorrow, dear Miss Kaya will die. That is the plan, and that is what's necessary for his security—financially and mentally.

"Yes, she is…" Klahadore says truthfully, "tomorrow will be a special day indeed."

"Huh?" Merry catches on to his dark meaning. The former pirate captain has to act before his resolve can waver. The past three years have made him soft. Klahadore looks out the window at the moon.

"There's a crescent moon out tonight" It's now or never. Either Klahadore backs down, or he lays his decision down in blood. Such a contract cannot be broken. He drops the special glasses—the fruits of Kaya's careful planning—and knows exactly how to squash any remorse. "Nights like this do something to me. They bring out the beast in me." Crunch! His plan trumps Kaya's any day.

"No!" Merry exclaims in horror. He doesn't know horror…yet. "K-Klahadore!? Why did you destroy Miss Kaya's gift!?"

"Oh, I'll accept a gift from her…" Klahadore's voice drops an octave, a sinister smile playing across his thin lips, "but not some paltry trinket. I'd prefer her entire estate!" he turns his face to Merry so he can see the true beast within—the side of himself he succeeded in hiding for so long!

"But…what…" Merry is the picture of pure shock. It's too late for Klahadore to play it off like a joke. He'd destroyed Kaya's present for him and shown his true colors.

"There's no need for me to continue this charade" he stalks towards Merry, pushing his glasses up the same way as before. For now, this is still him. For just a few more hours, he'll be Kuro, the cold-blooded killer whose only respect is taken through fear. "In a few hours the—ahem—accident will happen." As Merry's face morphs into a mask of horror, Kuro extends his long cat claws. His voice lowers into a bloodthirsty purr. "Three years is a long time to wait."

"Miss Kaya! You must run-!" Kuro strikes Merry down before the tears have a chance to roll down the goat-man's face. Thankfully, they're far enough away from her room so Kaya never hears Merry's futile warning. If she finds the body, Kuro can simply say he was attacked by a pirate. That's close enough to the truth, at any rate.

The rest of that night, Kuro spends his time by making the room look like there was a struggle. Sitting beneath the sunlight the next morning, he pushes up his glasses again.

"They're late." The village should be a pile of dust by now! "Curse those swabs…" Irked beyond measure, Klahadore remembers how he left Merry where he fell, in a pool of blood. The sentimental goat-man is dead. It'd be difficult to brush that off without the excuse of a pirate invasion. "They know the penalty for ruining my plans" he only lost a few unfortunate members that way before they caught on. "They're dilly-dallying!" Kuro stands up. Is three years enough for them to forget so easily? "But if they need a reminder…" he exits the front gate and heads for the north beach, his face a scowl of doom, "I'll put them all to death!"

He brings his duffel bag, just in case he needs a cover-up. If anyone asks, he's off to get Miss Kaya's lovely gift for him fixed.