He's in One Piece, but he's also part of the Phantom Troupe.

Chapter 10 The Man Holding the Rope

slap... slap...

In the spacious but slightly dim stairwell, clear and rhythmic footsteps echoed.

Kuroro's all-black coat swayed slightly as he walked, steadily descending the steps leading to the deeper levels of the Black Whale.

Behind them, the members of the Phantom Troupe followed silently.

"Hey, leader, everyone." The lively swordsman put his hands behind his head, his tone filled with the excitement of discovering a new continent.

"I just took a close look and noticed that the inhabitants of this dark continent all have flags representing their own power flying on the masts of their ships!"

It's very iconic; I think we should make one too.

"That's right~" Paknoda smiled in agreement.

"Since we've decided to leave our mark on this new continent and let the fame of 'The Spider' resound far and wide, hanging our flag seems like an essential step."

Even the usually aloof Machi seemed quite interested in this matter, and spoke up:

"They call themselves the Corrupted Monk Pirates, and they even seem to have named the ship they're on."

Her words were like a floodgate opening, and everyone started discussing it animatedly.

"A flag? Sounds good!" Finks cracked his wrists, the joints making a soft clicking sound.

"It has to be scary enough!" Uvogin said with a grin.

"Of course we should use our name!" Nobunaga tapped the hilt of his sword rhythmically.

"A pirate crew...hey, that sounds more exciting than any A-class criminal gang!" Peeling Ripper agreed.

Listening to the group members' discussion, Kuroro, who was walking at the front, slowly stopped and turned around.

His deep gaze calmly swept over every face, and the somewhat noisy discussion immediately subsided, with everyone turning their attention to their leader.

It's time to share some basic "intelligence" about this world with the team members.

Of course, in a way that they can understand and readily accept…

Thinking of this, Kuroro spoke in a deep voice:

"Members..." His voice seemed to possess a magical power.

"The journey to the island world has ended. Here comes... a brand new challenge—the Dark Continent."

"As you have already seen, both the people and the beasts here are far more powerful than those on the island in the middle of the lake."

"The ability users here are even more vicious. They will form ships on the sea, burning, killing, and looting to obtain treasures. Their ultimate goal is also the location of the five wonders, the ultimate treasure - One Piece."

Kuroro calmly surveyed the crowd.

"What should we do if others covet our treasure?"

"Of course... kill them!" Uvogin, Phinks, Nobunaga, and the other combat members answered in unison, their faces revealing ferocious smiles.

Although the others remained silent, their excited expressions said it all.

"That's right." Kuroro nodded.

"If you want something, take it."

"This is precisely our creed."

"We are... spiders."

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Kuroro took out a flag he had prepared beforehand and slowly unfurled it.

The pattern was instantly recognizable to everyone; it was the iconic spider tattoo representing the Phantom Troupe, now adorning one of the twelve-legged black spiders in some corner of each of their bodies.

Upon seeing this scene, the corners of everyone's mouths either widened or slowly turned up, realizing that their leader had already prepared everything.

"This is the flag of our pirate crew."

Kuroro's voice was calm, yet carried a declarative force.

"Once we have hunted many fruits, this new continent will remember this flag as firmly as the island in the lake."

"The World Government, the Navy, pirates... they will instinctively feel fear and their legs will tremble when they face this flag."

Kuroro's calm demeanor seemed to be a reiteration of what had already happened:

"The Phantom Troupe Pirates, that is our name."

"The ship beneath our feet is the vessel on which we set sail."

"The Phantom Troupe will become the most vicious pirate group on the Dark Continent."

"We will be like spiders, patiently weaving a giant web to cover the seas we reach, waiting for our prey to walk into our trap."

Then they would capture them all, hunt them down, and extract every last bit of value from them—whether it be their lives, wealth, or abilities.

His voice rose, and his eyes seemed to blaze with fire.

"Our fire...will set the world ablaze—"

Finally, Kuroro's expression turned solemn, almost a declaration, as he recited the oath sworn at the founding of the Phantom Troupe:

"We have inherited the oath to pay for blood debts with blood."

We will not refuse anything.

So don't even think about taking a single thing from us.

When the whole world begins to fear spiders,

The Phantom Troupe... was born.

...........

Chrollo Lucifer stood motionless at the boundary of shadows, the hem of his pure black coat remaining perfectly still.

Feeling the excited, trusting, or admiring gazes of the members of the Phantom Troupe below, Kuroro sighed inwardly.

Such periodic PUA brainwashing is a necessary tactic.

He admitted that he did not possess the innate strength and charisma of Kuroro's original self, which was enough to make these villains follow him wholeheartedly.

Fortunately, he is a fan of anime and manga, so he is familiar enough with the "plot" and the thought patterns and inner gaps of his companions.

He was like a top-notch actor, perfectly imitating Kuroro Lucilfer's ruthlessness, rationality, leadership qualities, and pursuit of absolute freedom, and even... surpassing his master in some aspects.

The members of the tour group had very different personalities.

Among them are lawless thugs who believe only in fists, thrill-seeking fanatics addicted to fighting, cunning but equally dangerous strategists, and eccentrics who act on their whims.

They are wild and untamed, but they also possess a side of friendship and their own beliefs.

They would mercilessly slaughter an entire tribe of innocent people, and they would also donate large sums of money to organizations that protect impoverished children around the world every year.

They are a collection of contradictions.

If you know their background, you'll understand.

The Phantom Troupe members are survivors who fought their way out of the garbage dump of Meteor City; their goodness had long been extinguished in the process.

Their only remaining humanity is in Kuroro's hands.

In other words... Kuroro is the one holding the rope.

He is the hand holding the reins, controlling a pack of ferocious beasts that could go out of control and destroy everything at any moment.

Without Kuroro, they would have completely turned into disorganized thugs who were solely focused on destroying the world.

Therefore, Chrollo must maintain absolute control over the Phantom Troupe... as its leader.

It's just that once you wear the mask for a long time, it becomes difficult to take it off.

Sometimes he couldn't tell... whether what lay beneath this exterior was truly himself, or a being embodying both absolute rationality and extreme evil...

The real commander.