Hearing Adrian's words, Kaya's face turned paper-white. Fear rose in her chest — after all, she was a delicate girl raised in peace, and this was her first time facing something like this.
But seeing that there was no one left she could rely on…
She forced herself to support her weak body with her hands, steadied her voice, and tried her best to appear calm.
"I'm willing to speak with you properly, sir… If you only want money, then we can sit down and negotiate. I only ask that you please don't harm innocent people."
Her voice trembled, but her eyes held a fragile determination.
After hearing Usopp's warning, she more or less understood what had happened to her butler.
She had no one left.
That meant the only person who could protect her now…
was herself.
And from the way Adrian behaved — not rampaging, not killing without reason — she could see hope. He was not like the cruel, bloodthirsty pirates from stories.
There was still a chance to live.
"Sure," Adrian nodded.
He had no intention of mindlessly killing. He had slaughtered the Marines at the 16th Branch only because they stood in his way. If people decided to stop him, he would respond simply — eliminate them.
He had strength, but even strong people could slip and fall.
Why risk leaving trouble behind?
But here, at Kaya's mansion, the situation was different.
Her side had no real fighters.
Kuro was out cold.
No one here could resist him.
There was no need to use more violence than necessary.
"Boss, everyone's secured."
Lucci returned, dragging ropes.
"Good. Tie them all up," Adrian said, before pointing to the long-nosed boy collapsed nearby. "And that one as well."
"Yes."
Lucci immediately went to work.
To Adrian, only people with value interested him — especially those whose existence could influence his system rewards.
Like before:
When he forcibly recruited Nami and Nojiko, the system rated it A-Rank. Why?
Because Nami was destined to be a main character.
Her joining him would drastically alter the future storyline — the impact alone shot the rating up.
That lesson burned itself deeply into Adrian's mind.
It also explained why he spared Hachi from Arlong's crew.
There was only one reason:
Hachi once saved Silvers Rayleigh — the right hand of the Pirate King.
That title — "savior of Rayleigh" — was worth more than gold.
If he leveraged that to blackmail Rayleigh, wouldn't that be a valid bandit operation?
Just Rayleigh's strength alone was enough to boost the rating.
If the news spread across the seas?
Impact: enormous.
Fame: massive.
With a target like Rayleigh, an S-Rank bandit event was completely realistic — even a full-score S-Rank.
And with enough influence, maybe… just maybe…
SS-Rank wasn't impossible.
A single successful operation could bring Adrian 100,000 reputation points at minimum.
That was why Hachi's life was spared.
And Usopp?
Usopp's value might be even higher.
After all — his father was Yasopp of the Red Hair Pirates, one of Shanks's core officers.
If Adrian kidnapped Usopp…
The impact across the seas would be explosive.
Shanks would never ignore his brother-in-arms' son being kidnapped.
And on top of that?
Usopp himself was also a future Straw Hat — another main character.
From the system's perspective, this kid's worth was at least as great as Hachi's, if not higher.
…
Back to the present.
Lucci found sturdy ropes in Kaya's mansion and tied up Kuro and Usopp together.
As for Merry and the two guards outside?
Not worth the trouble.
…
Inside the mansion.
Adrian and Kaya sat across from each other, separated by a small table.
"Mr. Adrian," Kaya spoke quietly but clearly, "may I ask why you came here? Was it truly just for money?"
"Money?" Adrian chuckled.
"Honestly, I'm not that interested in money."
He raised a finger toward Kuro's bound body.
"I'm here because of your butler."
Then he added casually:
"And since I'm already here, taking the son of a Yonko crew member isn't a bad deal either."
He smiled.
He had no intention of acting mysterious or cryptic.
Riddlers have no place in One Piece.
He was a bandit — why bother hiding his intentions?
A bandit who tip-toed around things wasn't doing his job properly.
"Mr. Klahadore…?"
Kaya glanced at the tied-up Kuro, confused.
Why would someone attack her home because of her butler?
Did he somehow offend these people outside?
"If Klahadore has done something to anger you, Mr. Adrian," she said nervously, "then I am willing to apologize in his place. I can also offer a large sum of money if it will settle this matter peacefully."
Before the truth was revealed, Kaya still fully believed in Klahadore.
To her, he was like family.
"Klahadore?"
Adrian sneered.
"Kuro. Stop pretending. With how long Lucci's been beating you, you should've woken up long ago."
He lifted his cup and casually splashed the remaining coffee onto Kuro's head.
"It seems this young lady was really fooled by you," Adrian continued leisurely.
"Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates — disguising yourself as a butler for years, waiting to steal this mansion… all for money, right?"
Kaya froze.
Her eyes widened.
Her lips trembled.
Kuro…?
A pirate…?
And her butler?
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