"Usopp~"
Luffy had been asleep for about five hours when a lively female voice came from outside the door. Usopp's eyes lit up, and he immediately ran to open it.
"Kaya, why are you here?!"
Outside the door was a girl with shoulder-length blonde hair and a pair of big brown eyes. She was wearing a pale yellow long dress, brown boots, and her exposed skin was fair. She looked very happy.
"My father just told me my distant cousin is coming to visit. He's a successful merchant who travels overseas! I thought he might have news about your father. Would you like to come to my house to see?"
Kaya, who was originally the wealthy young lady targeted by Kuro the Cat, would have had her parents murdered by Kuro after he infiltrated her home. Then, he would have had his subordinate, Jango, hypnotize Kaya so he could legally inherit her family's fortune.
This really makes you scratch your head. Since his subordinate Jango knows hypnosis, why didn't he just hypnotize her and her parents? Why did he have to lurk around for years, assassinate people, and pretend to be a butler to gain trust...
But at least Kaya's family hasn't let a wolf in the door. Shortly after Kuro went to sea, Gato found him and took him into his company. Not long ago, Zoro cut him down with a sword, and he will never be able to do evil again.
So Kaya's parents are still alive, and Kaya isn't dejected and weak. On the contrary, she's very healthy in this world. The only thing that hasn't changed is probably that she's still good friends with Usopp.
"Huh...! You have another cousin, Kaya? How come I've never heard you mention it before?" Usopp brought Kaya into his house and asked with some confusion.
"Because my cousin travels a lot, and I rarely see him during the year. Also, he has some kind of skin condition from birth and can't be exposed to sunlight for too long. So, I only see him occasionally at night."
"I see," Usopp said, finally understanding. If it were before, he might have wanted to meet Kaya's cousin. But now that he had heard news of his father from Luffy, it would be inappropriate to meddle in other people's family affairs.
He said to Kaya, "Although I'd like to meet your cousin, I also have a guest at my house. He fell asleep due to exhaustion from traveling, and I can't just leave him, can I?"
He decided to use Luffy as a shield and pointed at Luffy, who was sound asleep in the room.
Kaya only then noticed the sleeping man in the room and exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, what a shame. My cousin is a very good person."
"Y-yes!" Usopp rubbed the back of his head, feeling a little embarrassed.
It was still a rejection, but using Luffy as an excuse made it much easier to take. After all, it's always awkward to directly refuse someone's invitation.
Kaya left, looking disappointed. Usopp watched her go, feeling a little wistful.
"Is that your friend?"
Usopp was startled by the voice next to his ear and took two steps back. He then saw Luffy, looking curious. He couldn't help but exclaim loudly, "You'll scare people to death! And..."
"You woke up way too suddenly!"
Luffy had been fast asleep in bed just moments ago, and now in just two seconds, he was awake? And he had suddenly jumped next to him?
Usopp couldn't help but say, "Now you can leave here and go look for those clues, right?"
Luffy seemed not to hear what Usopp said. He patted his stomach and said directly, "I'm hungry."
"Ahem..." Usopp choked. "You're really a pirate!"
He's occupying his house and wants to mooch off his food. A pirate can't be any worse than this!
Usopp thought with some grief and indignation, but he couldn't fight him. Plus, he had brought him news of his father. Usopp could only sigh and say, "I'll go see if there's anything to eat at home."
"Okay."
Luffy echoed Usopp, "Is that cute girl your friend?"
"Her name is Kaya, and she's the daughter of a rich merchant!" Usopp said as he walked. "We used to play together a lot when we were kids."
Just as Luffy was about to say something, the door was knocked on again.
"Who is it?!"
Usopp said irritably. It definitely wasn't Kaya knocking this time, because the knock was very forceful. A girl like Kaya wouldn't have that much strength.
"Is that straw-hat guy here?" a man's voice came from outside.
Before Usopp could speak, Luffy said happily, "Zoro! You're here too!"
Then the door was pushed open. Zoro, with green hair, stood outside holding a large black bag with a disgruntled expression. "You guy... didn't you say you were going to look for clues? It's been so long, you haven't been sleeping here, have you?!"
"I'm hungry." Luffy's stomach let out a loud rumble at the perfect moment.
Zoro threw the big black bag inside, and a bewildered expression appeared on his head. "You guy, I've been working hard outside searching for clues! And you, who left first, are here eating and drinking!"
Zoro had initially been sleeping in bed. However, after about three or four hours of sleep, he woke up. He had planned to wait for Luffy to bring back some news, but after waiting for a long time with no reply from Luffy, he got off the ship.
He also brought Nami along. Since Nami was afraid of the sun, Zoro put her in a black bag.
Nami had been fast asleep, but she woke up when Zoro dragged her along in the big black bag. After waking up, she had another fit of rage, but she finally quieted down when she realized they were outside in the sunlight.
He wandered around the village with Nami for about an hour but couldn't find Luffy. Finally, he asked at a fruit stand and learned that Luffy had gone home with someone that morning and hadn't been seen since.
Zoro knew Luffy could be unreliable, so he went straight to his house.
"Hee hee..." Luffy rubbed the back of his head with a silly grin. Zoro could only sigh. "Forget it. I didn't find anything worth noting anyway. Is this a new friend you made?"
He finally said this, looking at the long-nosed Usopp.
"Ah, his name is Usopp, and he's going to be our ship's next sniper!"
"I never said I was going to join you!" Usopp said nervously. Luffy looks silly, but this man with a sword looks fierce and unapproachable. He must be the captain, he must be the pirate!
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