The ship slowly docked, and Kai stood at the bow, his gaze sweeping over the tranquil scene of Syrup Village.
The village nestled against the mountains and sea, lush with greenery, dotted with a few simple wooden houses.
In the distance, a white mansion gleamed in the sunlight, strikingly out of place amidst the village's simplicity.
"We're finally here." Zoro loosened the sword tied to his waist. "This village seems even quieter than I imagined."
"Quiet is good, otherwise resupplying will be a hassle." Nami looked around, tapping her chin. "We need to quickly find some fresh water and food, and a ship capable of long-distance travel."
"Ah ha ha ha! I want a big ship! A big ship that can hold lots of meat!" Luffy grinned, his eyes fixed on the distant village.
As the four of them stepped onto the shore, Kai suddenly stopped. A faint rustling sound came from deep within the woods, as if someone was spying on them.
"Who's there?" Kai's voice was low yet full of authority. He quickly turned, his gaze sharply directed towards the source of the sound.
A moment later, a tall, thin young man darted out from the bushes.
The youth's messy dark brown curly hair fell over his shoulders, and his face had a somewhat comical air.
Most noticeable was his long nose. He wore a simple yellow sleeveless vest and green cargo pants.
A brown leather belt was tied around his waist, and he wore goggles on his forehead.
He held a slingshot, pointing it at Kai and the others, his expression tense and angry.
"Stop right there! Who are you people? Why have you come to our village?" the youth shouted, his voice trembling slightly.
"Huh? You're really weird." Luffy tilted his head, taking a step forward. "We're here to find a ship and supplies."
"Pirates?" The youth's eyes narrowed, and he aimed his slingshot at Luffy. "As expected, you're with Kuro! You won't succeed!"
Kai raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "Who is Kuro?"
"Don't play dumb! You're definitely pirates allied with him!" The youth gritted his teeth, clearly disbelieving.
Nami frowned, trying to explain, "You've misunderstood. We have nothing to do with this Kuro you're talking about."
The youth remained wary, taking a few steps back before shouting, "Leave our village at once! Otherwise, I won't hold back!"
Kai calmly watched the youth, then suddenly reached out and grabbed his slingshot. With a gentle squeeze, the slingshot instantly shattered.
The youth gasped and took a large step back, his eyes filled with shock and fear.
Kai stood there, looking at the youth coldly. His 1.86-meter tall figure appeared exceptionally tall and straight, like a pine tree, exuding an undeniable presence.
After intense physical training, Kai was no longer the scrawny, weak youth who had suffered a shipwreck.
Moreover, under the effects of the body-tempering method, both his physical strength and height had been rapidly increasing.
His features were chiseled, his stern face as exquisite as a sculpture, and his deep eyes concealed an elusive expression.
It made one involuntarily want to discover its secrets. A gentle breeze rustled his slightly long black hair, adding a touch of ethereal elegance.
His every move carried the unique arrogance of youth, but his stern expression created a sense of distance.
His tall and handsome appearance was as striking as a deity, making it difficult to look away.
"Calm down and explain what's going on," Kai said, his voice deep but brooking no refusal.
The youth gritted his teeth, seeing no hostility in the other party's expression, and finally sighed, "Alright, I'll tell you... but don't try any tricks!"
The youth's name was Usopp. He was the only one in Syrup Village who constantly shouted, "Pirates are coming!"
Because of this, the villagers considered him a troublesome liar. But just yesterday, he overheard a conversation between the village mansion's butler, Kuro, and a mysterious man named Jango, and learned a shocking secret.
"That Kuro, he's not a good person at all!" Usopp said angrily. "He's actually a notorious pirate named Captain Kuro! He plans to have the Black Cat Pirates attack the village this morning, kill the villagers, and he even wants to hypnotize Miss Kaya into writing a will to give him all her property!"
"What?" Nami's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"
"Of course, it's true! Even though everyone usually doesn't believe me, I'm not lying this time!" Usopp was agitated. "I tried to persuade Miss Kaya to leave, but she wouldn't believe me!"
"So what are you going to do?" Zoro asked, his tone somewhat inquisitive.
"I... I've already spread oil on the slope at the village entrance, preparing to ambush the Black Cat Pirates."
Usopp muttered, lowering his head, his voice full of helplessness and self-reproach. "But can I really do it alone?"
Kai listened quietly, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes. "Although your plan has flaws, your courage is admirable."
"Hmph, courage alone is useless." Nami crossed her arms, her tone calm. "We need to first confirm whether this is true."
"Eh? The Black Cat Pirates? It seems the ones we just defeated were the Black Cat Pirates!"
Nami suddenly remembered the pirate crew they had just eliminated; they seemed to be called the Black Cat Pirates.
The bounty heads from their ship were still on the small boat.
"So the pirates we eliminated were planning to attack this village?" Kai pondered for a moment. "It seems encountering that pirate crew wasn't a coincidence; our destinations are the same!"
"What?" Usopp couldn't believe his ears. "You've already defeated the Black Cat Pirates?"
"Yeah, that pirate crew wasn't very strong, it didn't take much effort." Luffy said indignantly, "They were planning to attack the village, they really are a bunch of bad pirates!"
"Hey, your dad is Yasopp, right!" Luffy asked Usopp with certainty.
"How did you know?!" Usopp looked at Luffy in shock.
"I saw him on Shanks's ship when I was a kid. You look exactly like him!"
"Really? I didn't expect my dad to be so amazing!" Usopp said excitedly. "But now isn't the time to talk about this. Kaya is in danger, I have to save her!"
"Since we've already run into it, we might as well deal with it." Luffy said with a laugh. "This kind of thing sounds fun!"
Usopp was stunned, a hint of emotion in his eyes. "You... will you really help me?"
"Of course." Kai nodded. "Let's go, let's meet this Kuro."
Led by Usopp, the group headed towards the mansion.
Usopp pointed inside the house and whispered, "Miss Kaya is in there."
"Then let's go in." Kai's gaze darkened, and he strode towards the door.
Luffy excitedly followed behind, Zoro drew his sword, Nami clutched her staff, and Usopp cautiously trailed at the very end.
Upon entering the mansion, Kai and the others quickly spotted Kuro, who was sitting at the living room entrance.
At this moment, Kuro was waiting for the Black Cat Pirates to storm into the village to execute his plan.
But the sun was already rising, and his patience had worn thin. He was about to go to the coast to check on the situation.
"Who allowed you to enter?" Kuro saw Kai's group appear in the yard and asked coldly, a cold glint in his eyes.
"Kuro, your disguise ends here!" Usopp mustered his courage and shouted, pointing at him, "We already know your plan!"
The smile on Kuro's face gradually vanished, revealing his ruthless true colors.
He slowly took off his glasses and pulled out his weapons from his backpack: two pairs of astonishingly long clawed gloves.
"Since I've been discovered, I can only send you all to your deaths."