The sky had begun its slow descent into evening. Lavender clouds stretched lazily across the horizon, and the chirping of birds gave way to the rhythmic rasp of crickets. A stillness had crept into Syrup Village, fragile and uneasy.
In the underbrush beyond Kaya's estate, three figures moved.
Nami took the lead, her steps light and decisive. Her eyes darted ahead, assessing shadows, listening for movement. Every motion was calculated, precise. She was a thief, a navigator, and in moments like these, a ghost among walls.
Trailing behind her was Zoro, crouched halfway like a man who didn't believe in crouching, doing it only out of sheer necessity. His hand never left the hilt of his sword. He moved like a wolf just barely kept on a leash.
And then there was Luffy — the miracle of stealth in motion.
He bent low behind hedges, peeked around fence posts with wide eyes, tiptoed with exaggerated care — all while humming softly to himself. It did not make him stealthy. But it did make him Luffy. And Nami supposed that was close enough.
They reached the rear gate of the estate's garden — a tall iron thing, rusted in places, padlocked.
"Want me to break it?" Luffy asked, perking up, already flexing his arm with glee.
"NO." Nami hissed.
She was already kneeling, hair brushing her cheek, fingers flying across the lock. A hairpin twisted, clicked. Another twist. Then—
Click.
The gate creaked open.
Luffy slumped. "Aw…"
They slipped through into the garden.
Roses lined the cobbled path in pale reds and deep whites, hedges sculpted into neat rows that boxed the estate like a secret. Hydrangeas bloomed quietly along the walkway, their petals shimmering faintly beneath the rising moonlight. The air smelled clean. Too clean.
It was too quiet.
Zoro muttered under his breath. "Shame. A place this peaceful... would look real tragic in flames."
Nami gave him a sideways look, her eyes narrowed. "Do not burn anything."
They reached the back door — a servant's entrance, locked like the rest of the place. But Nami had scouted this mansion once before. She knew the layout, the routes, the windows that didn't squeak.
She got to work again. Another lock, another whisper.
Click.
They were in.
The manor was silent, dark save for a few candlelit sconces left burning on the walls. Their footsteps were muffled against thick carpeting. Every second stretched long. Every doorframe was a potential trap.
Nami gestured upward.
Second floor. Far left. Kaya's room.
They moved.
Zoro's grip remained steady. Luffy followed without a word, a quiet intensity settled across his face like mist on morning grass.
And then—footsteps tapped faintly along the marble floors ahead. Nami held up a fist. The crew froze, backs to the wall, pressed between a coat rack and a hallway mirror.
Two maids walked into view, carrying folded linens and towels. They passed without seeing them, the Straw Hats pressed flat behind curtains and tall vases like children hiding from punishment.
The maids walked by, chattering softly about dinner, about how strange Klahadore had been acting lately. They didn't see the intruders.
Once the coast was clear, the Straw Hats moved again.
At the end of the hall, Nami reached a pale white door with gold trim. She gave it a gentle knock, then slowly turned the handle and stepped inside.
Kaya sat upright in bed, reading a worn leather book by the soft flicker of candlelight. Her pale, tired eyes widened as she saw them enter.
"U-Usopp?!"
"Not quite," Nami whispered. "But he sent us."
Kaya blinked. Her voice caught in her throat. "W-Why? What's going on?"
Zoro stepped in. "No time. We'll explain later. You need to get out. Now."
Before Kaya could respond, the door behind them opened again.
Merry appeared, startled, holding a tray with a porcelain teacup trembling in his hands.
He took one look at them, then dropped the tray with a crash.
"W-WHAT?! Who are you—?!"
Luffy stepped forward, serious as stone.
"We're kidnapping you."
The words hung in the air like a sword.
Merry stammered. "K-Kidnap—?!"
"We're rescuing you," Nami corrected quickly, glaring at Luffy. "Don't listen to him."
Kaya's brow furrowed. Her hands gripped the edge of her blankets. "But—why? What's happening?"
"Klahadore's a pirate," Zoro said bluntly. "He's not who you think he is. He's planning something. Something bad. We're here to stop it."
Merry's mouth moved like a fish gasping for air. "That's ridiculous! Klahadore has served this family for—"
"Years, we know," Nami said, softer this time. "Please. We don't have time. We're not here to hurt anyone. We're here to help."
There was something in her voice that Kaya couldn't ignore. Something honest.
"Okay…" Kaya said finally. "I'll come."
They moved quickly.
They packed what little they could quickly. Nami helped Kaya into a coat and scarf, guiding her gently down the hall. Zoro practically carried Merry when the man's knees gave out halfway down the stairs. Luffy opened every door and checked every hallway like a curious cat with a mission.
The halls were still clear. Nobody. Specifically no Klahadore.
They slipped out the same garden gate they entered through and vanished back into the tree line, with only the moon as witness.
Back at the cove, a ship rocked lazily in the shallows — the Black Cat Pirates' vessel, now in disarray.
At the bow stood Usopp, cloaked in Jango's eccentric suit, hands clasped behind his back like a general in command of confused chaos.
The Black Cat Pirates scurried about, confused. The ship's heading was off. Jango had told them to prep the sails, but he'd also told them to wait. Why? They didn't know. But you didn't argue with Jango when he was in dance-mode.
The crew shouted back and forth across the deck, ropes tangled, sails twisted. They didn't know what they were doing — and that was the point.
"Vice-Captain said to anchor west—"
"No, he said inland!"
"He said wait for the signal, didn't he?!"
"Do the ropes go this way?" one pirate asked.
"Why is the anchor halfway raised?" asked another.
Usopp smirked under the round glasses. Everything was proceeding perfectly. He snapped his fingers and struck a pose. "Because destiny flows like rhythm — unpredictable!"
"…What?"
He spun. "Quiet! Now dance, fools! I must commune with the tides!"
Somehow, it worked. Somehow, they believed him.
Kuro's crew had no clue they'd already been outwitted. Their landing approach was delayed. Their movements were chaotic. Their leader? Missing. Their hypnotist? Replaced by a long-nosed actor with a flair for the dramatic.
And on a cliffside beyond the trees, Kuro stood, silent, his sharp glasses reflecting moonlight. His eyes narrowed on the ship as he watched the commotion unfold.
His jaw tightened.
"…Something's wrong," he muttered.
Then he turned. And then he ran — no, strode — back through the trees, his steps fast and light, silent as a cat. He cut through branches, down slopes, over fences. Then walked toward the manor with lethal purpose.
The mansion stood still as he arrived, the garden undisturbed. He stepped through the back, silent as death. The doors creaked.
No servants.
No noise.
His eyes narrowed.
He moved through the halls, faster now. Maids? Gone. Lights? Off. He rounded a corner—empty. Another—nothing.
Where were they?
He turned toward Kaya's wing.
And then—
"GUM-GUM…!"
Kuro spun around.
A blur of movement — a boy — that same boy who dared to speak of dreams and pirate kings — was right in front of him.
"…You…" Kuro hissed.
"PISTOL!"
Kuro's eyes widened as Luffy's fist, stretched and monstrous, slammed straight into Kuro's jaw with the force of a battering ram. The impact felt like thunder.
CRASH!
The house trembled as knuckles buried themselves in Kuro's cheek, and for a moment the world tilted. The air exploded with kinetic force as Kuro was lifted clean off his feet and sent flying down the hallway, crashing into a wall with a violent, splintering thud.
The butler of a thousand plans flew back, through the wall, wood splintering around him as he left a long dent in the wallpaper and a cracked hole in the plaster.
Zoro appeared behind Luffy.
"I've been waiting to do that," Luffy said, grinning wide.
Kuro's body stirred. Blood dripped from his lip. His glasses were cracked. He didn't stand yet. But his fingers flexed. And his silence was louder than a scream.