Kuro

Captain Kuro, also known as Kurahadol, (and Klahadore in the english versions) is a fictional character in the anime and manga series One Piece.

Personality and relationships
Kuro follows the role of the evil mastermind and continues One Piece's tradition of noticably cruel villains. His life as a pirate led him to become irritated at the idea that he was forever chased by the Marines, as well as those seeking his bounty. He then began to yearn for a peaceful life, without such bothers. He also came to the conclusion his crew were nothing but puppets; that pirates were barbarians that stole from people out of greed and nothing more, and that they were buffoons who were nothing without his guidance and direction.

As Kurahadol he was forced into acting kind natured, to make himself out as Miss Kaya's trustworthy family butler and caretaker. He later admits how much he hated acting out this role for 3 years, and in the process betrays Kaya's feelings. At one point, he relives seemingly happy memories with her, breaking her heart as he states that he "endured it", and voiced his utter contempt for her. He mocks Usopp when he calls himself a pirate, calling his act a "Childish game", and sees him as equal to an insect.

In general, Kuro is a genius of the highest calibur (having the second highest IQ in East Blue, behind Ben Beckman), whose plans have never failed in the past. He is a master strategist and an accomplished fighter, but he was severely hampered by the fact that he simply didn't have the fortitude to deal with a pirate's life. He held himself in very high regard, having a standard for people no one seemed able to live up to but himself. He felt nothing for the lives of others, willingly sacrificing anyone he needed to achieve his goals.

History
The dreaded former Captain of the Black Cat Pirates. He is also known as Kuro of the Thousand Plans for his elaborate plans that virtually never fail. However, this proved to have a huge setback; as time passed, he grew tired of setting up schemes for his crewmates and of constantly being hunted down by the Marines. That was when he decided to have an impostor take his place as Captain Kuro and be executed in his stead by Morgan so that the hunt for him would be ceased. Soon after, Captain Kuro set up an elaborate scheme in a small village he came to live in, in order to live free from pursuit with great wealth. He took the name Kurahadol and, for two years, lived as the butler of the wealthy parents of Kaya, who he is believed by many to have killed (this is not known to be true yet, as he denied it when Django accused him of it, saying that their deaths weren't part of his original plan). He then became the sickly Kaya's caretaker. When three years passed, he contacted his old first mate, the hypnotist Django, and arranged for the Black Cat pirates to lay siege to the village, force Kaya to write and sign a will leaving all her wealth to Kuro, and then kill Kaya.

His plan goes awry when he is overheard by Monkey D. Luffy and Usopp when he speaks to Django about his plans. Luffy, Usopp, Roronoa Zoro, and Nami fight togther against the Black Cat Pirates. Usopp saves Kaya from Django's pursuit in the nick of time, Zoro defeats the Nyaban Brothers (Meowban Brothers) (Sham and Buchi), and Luffy defeats Captain Kuro, using Gomu Gomu no Kane/Gum Gum Bell (A stretched headbutt). He is last seen for a brief moment staring out a window as a pirate captain again (in the anime only), when Luffy got his first bounty of 30,000,000 berries. It is unknown whether he will appear as a returning villain, like Buggy the Clown.

Abilities
Captain Kuro uses weapons called "Cat Claws", furred gloves with a full-length katana blades at the end of each finger. He has incredible speed and stealth and was the scourge of the seas until he vanished three years ago by staging his own death during a sea battle with the Marines; this also is what led Axe Hand Morgan to his promotion.

In addition, Captain Kuro has super-human speed with which to deliver his attacks. His skill is such that at full speed he is only able to be seen as a vague blurr or by the damage his attacks cause (primarily the latter; the former may only be dramatic effect). He is able to run 100 meters in between 4 and 5 seconds.

He primarily uses a special attack called Shakushi (Death Scoop/Death Ladle), that allows him to sweep a large area, killing anything his claws connect with at random, including his own crew. Oda confirmed Kuro's Shakushi and CP9's "Soru" ability travel at roughly the same speed. The difference is when Kuro uses that technique, he cannot tell what he is attacking, whereas CP9 have mastered this ability and therefore can.

Captain Kuro often pushes his glasses up on his nose with the palm of his hand, a technique he has used since his days as a pirate -- straightening them with the fingers would be impossible when the Cat Claws are worn. According to Jango, this proves that even after three years of peaceful life Captain Kuro has not yet forgotten how to kill.

Attack List

 * Nuki Ashi (抜き足, Stealth Foot) / (Stealth Walk): An ability in which Kuro move to a certain location (usually behind an opponent) extremely quick, almost looking like he teleported. He initiates this move by performing several quick foot movements to propel himself to another location, much like CP9's Soru, except that his feet's movements are more noticeable, suggesting that this ability is a rudimentary form of Soru


 * (Creeping Cat): Like the Nuki Ashi, except he has more control and move about freely while appearing invisible. This is a technique name that comes from the English dub, as this is simply another use of the Stealth Foot in the Japanese version of the series.


 * Shakushi (杓死, Death Scoop) / (Cat Out of the Bag Attack): A fearsome attack that allows him to sweep a large area, killing anything his claws connect with at random, including his own crew. His attacks are so random they range from mediocre scratches to fatal eviscerations. He moves so fast even he doesn't know what he's attacking, and only stops when tired out. He initiates this move by swaying back and forth sideways in a partially lame manner--this is necessary in order to enter the "trance" needed to perform the move. The move also has a side=effect of generating purple clouds of smoke to rise from the ground as Kuro moves at his topmost speed

Trivia

 * Captain Kuro does not follow the tradition of laughter, making him the first villian that doesn't follow this tradition
 * His name translates to "Captain Black".
 * When he was in his butler attire, there were strange symbols on his vest. Oda jokingly explained that these symbols are poop, to signify that he is lying. This directly resembles the American slang term "Bull Shit", meaning lie. Although the answer was obviously a joke (as Oda is known to give joke answers to questions he can't seriously answer), this could be a play on the slang term "full of crap".
 * In an SBS in the manga, Oda stated that the most intelligent person in all of East Blue is Ben Beckman, followed by Captain Kuro in second and Nami in third.
 * Due to his odd alias, Kuro's "butler name" has been translated in a wide variety of ways. The English adaptations use the name Klahadore, possibly a "claw" pun. The pronunciation of "Klahadore" could be compared to "claw-a-door" in English. Most fans of the original version, however, use the term Kurahadol; as it resembles his real name, and due to its pronunciation in the Japanese version of the anime (emphasis on the "ku-ra", a light roll of the "ru" at the end, signifying a Japanese attempt at an L sound).
 * In a recent Japanese Fan Poll, Kuro is currently ranked the 24th most popular character in One Piece.