Night quietly descended over Syrup Village.
Because of Marcus' words, Usopp had now rushed to the gates of Kaya's mansion.
The mansion at night was especially quiet, almost eerily so. But when he arrived at the gate, he hesitated.
The words Kaya had used to drive him away during the day still echoed in his mind, making it difficult for him to push forward. And besides, this was the first time he'd ever come to see her so late at night, he couldn't help overthinking it. What if she really didn't want to see him? What if she misunderstood his intentions and thought he was some kind of stalker?
Scratching his head nervously, he still found himself skillfully pushing aside the camouflaging leaves that concealed his usual secret entrance. Then he slipped inside.
But the moment he set foot on the mansion's property, he heard a scream of agony followed by the sharp sound of shattering glass.
The sudden noise startled him badly, making him jump and nearly lose his footing. He turned toward the source of the sound, it was definitely a man's voice, and it sounded slightly familiar.
"No way... Marcus was actually right about this," Usopp whispered to himself.
He quickly moved toward the sound. He cautiously leaned his head around the corner to peek inside.
In the room, the butler, Merry, lay motionless on the ground, blood spreading across the floor.
"What the hell?!" he gasped, barely managing to keep his voice down.
Even though he'd been mentally prepared, seeing violence was a completely different shock. The sight of so much blood made him feel sick and lightheaded.
He found himself breathing heavily.
"This is bad! Kaya's in danger!" He immediately rushed to the large tree he'd climbed countless times before. He scrambled up to a sturdy branch.
The window was tightly shut, but the curtains hadn't been drawn, and through the glass he could see Kaya sleeping peacefully in her bed.
She clearly hadn't been woken at all by Merry's scream, which was troubling. Even the heaviest sleeper would have been roused by such a horrible sound.
Something was definitely very wrong.
But before Usopp could figure out his next move, he saw Kaya's bedroom door slowly open.
It was Klahadore.
On one hand he wore a black glove, from which extended silver-white blades like claws, attached to the glove. Fresh blood still dripped onto the floor.
Every detail of the scene told Usopp exactly what had happened: Merry lying in the hallway had been brutally cut down by this man.
He immediately pressed himself flat against the tree branch, not wanting to make the slightest movement that might give away his position.
His naturally timid nature left him paralyzed, his mind going completely blank. He'd never been in a situation like this before.
But when he thought about what might happen to Kaya if he didn't act, something shifted inside him. He quietly reached for the slingshot he always carried.
The sound of blade scraping against blade echoed through the window into his ears.
"No way! I won't let anything happen to Kaya!"
He raised his head above the branch and carefully aimed his slingshot at the figure standing beside Kaya's bed.
Klahadore, well, Kuro clearly hadn't expected anyone to suddenly appear at the window, especially not the cowardly village storyteller.
The iron ball shot through the glass, but just before hitting Kuro, it was deflected by his cat-claw blades.
Taking advantage of the distraction he'd created, Usopp immediately leaped through the broken window into the room, his slingshot firing shot after shot during the jump.
Kuro was forced to defend himself instinctively.
"Klahadore!"
In an instant, the entire room filled with thick, choking smoke that made it impossible to see more than a few inches in any direction.
But Usopp wasn't done, through the smoke, more projectiles flew precisely toward Kuro, giving him no opportunity to counterattack.
When the smoke finally began to clear, revealing the destroyed bedroom with its broken furniture and scattered glass, Kuro found himself alone.
Usopp was already gone, carrying the unconscious Kaya in his arms as he fled.
Kuro slowly raised his hand to touch the fresh cut on his cheek, feeling the warm blood trickling down his face.
Veins bulged on his forehead.
He had seriously underestimated that pathetic village liar.
Three years of peaceful, comfortable life as a butler had made him soft. Although he'd never completely stopped his training, his vigilance and combat instincts had indeed deteriorated significantly, allowing him to be caught completely off guard.
Fortunately, his maintained physical condition had allowed him to react quickly enough to block the iron projectiles.
But when that smoke bomb had exploded, he hadn't been able to defend against everything. And because he'd been afraid of taking projectiles from an unknown position, he hadn't given chase.
"Usopp, huh... I never expected that pathetic liar to have this kind of skill. This complicates things considerably."
---
Meanwhile, on the other side of the mansion grounds, Usopp was running as fast as his legs could carry him with Kaya on his back, yet even so, she still hadn't woken up.
If it weren't for the fact that he could clearly feel her warm body temperature and steady breathing while carrying her, he might have feared she was already dead.
Fortunately, his years of running around the village telling tales had given him considerable stamina and speed. But he hadn't made it far from the mansion when he spotted a group of people approaching.
It was naturally Luffy's crew.
When Usopp had first left the ship earlier, Marcus had suggested they follow along to watch the excitement, after all, if Usopp ended up getting mistaken for a burglar or intruder, they could quickly step in to explain the situation and prevent any misunderstandings.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa... so you actually kidnapped Kaya straight out of her bedroom?" Alvida called out with a grin.
But Usopp was in no mood for jokes or teasing. His face was pale with shock and adrenaline, and his hands were still shaking slightly.
"Klahadore is dangerous! He killed Merry! And he was about to attack Kaya, luckily I got there just in time to stop him." Usopp gave them a brief account.
Nami's eyes went wide, and she immediately rushed to Kaya's side. Her first instinct was to check for vital signs, she pressed her ear close and was relieved to detect steady breathing. But this unnaturally deep sleep was definitely not normal.
"Kaya! Wake up! Can you hear me?"
No matter how Usopp shook her or how loudly he called her name, Kaya was still not waking up.
"This looks like the effects of a very large dose of sleeping medication," Nami said.
That triggered a memory for Usopp. "Come to think of it, she hasn't been able to sleep well since her parents died. That's what gradually weakened her body and made her so frail."
"But she definitely shouldn't be taking such a heavy dose," Nami said with a frown. "This is enough to keep someone unconscious for hours, maybe even days. But it's strange, if Klahadore really wanted to kill her, why bother with all this?"
Her question was answered almost immediately, but not by Usopp, nor by anyone from Marcus' group.
The response came from a cold, familiar voice from the shadows.
"The reason is quite simple," Kuro said as he stepped into view. "She must remain alive, at least until she finishes writing her will."
Luffy and Zoro both turned to face the newcomer.
Kuro was dressed in a black suit that would have made him look like a distinguished gentleman, if you could ignore the terrifying cat-claw blades still attached to his hands.
Those deadly weapons, still dripping with Butler Merry's blood, gave him an aura of barely contained violence that made the night air feel thick with danger.
Marcus, watching this turn in the story, found the situation fascinating.
In the original events, Luffy and Zoro had confronted Kuro much later and under different circumstances, after a long buildup involving the Black Cat Pirates and a beach battle. But now, Luffy and Zoro were facing Kuro directly from the very beginning.
He couldn't help but wonder how many seconds the notorious pirate would last under these circumstances, facing two of the Straw Hat crew's strongest fighters when they were fresh and ready for battle.
"But now, since the plan's been exposed, whether she lives or dies is no longer important."
Kuro reached up and adjusted his glasses with the palm of his hand.
In the moonlight, his figure suddenly vanished from sight.
When he reappeared, he was already directly in front of Zoro, his clawed hand slashing toward the swordsman's throat. But Zoro's twin swords were already drawn and crossed, blocking Kuro's charge.
"So you're the famous pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro," Kuro spoke as he pulled back from the clash. "Your reputation in the East Blue has grown over the past two years. You do indeed possess some skill."
"Damn, he's fast..." Zoro muttered, his eyes focused on his opponent.
From the very beginning, he'd sensed an overwhelming killing intent emanating from this man, that's why he'd instinctively drawn his swords and prepared for battle.
If he'd been even a split second slower to react, those claws might have found their mark.
Luffy's expression had also turned serious.
Kuro's burst of speed was impressive.
Marcus found himself rubbing his eyes. He honestly hadn't been able to follow the movement at all, Kuro had moved so fast that when the sound of clashing metal rang out, he only then realized they were already fighting.
Under the moonlight, the blades reflected faint glimmers.