Chapter 3: Merry, Chloe
This was a strange man in a suit, with wool-like hair and a pair of horns on his head.
Apollo was overjoyed, walked over and put his arm around the man's shoulder, laughing heartily, "Thanks, buddy, you've really helped me out a lot. I'll pay you back as soon as possible. Oh, by the way, my name is Apollo."
The man was a bit uncomfortable with Apollo's familiarity and awkwardly shrugged his shoulders, but his smile remained gentle. "My name is Merry. You don't need to pay me back. This meal is on me."
"Merry?"
A flash of lightning crossed Apollo's mind, and the man in front of him gradually merged with the image in his memory.
It must be said that there's a big difference between two-dimensional and three-dimensional characters. Unless it's a character with very distinct features like Usopp, or someone extremely familiar, you might not recognize others in person.
Just like the man in front of him.
Merry, a minor character in One Piece, the butler of Kaya, Usopp's childhood friend.
The first pirate ship of the Straw Hat Pirates was designed by him, and the name "Going Merry" also came from him.
He was already a character with relatively distinct features, but Apollo still didn't recognize him immediately.
From this, his thoughts began to diverge.
"There's a huge gap between the two-dimensional and real world. I can't blindly trust information from anime and manga."
"There are already some subtle differences between the One Piece anime and manga, and I don't know which one this world leans towards."
"In fact, the vastness of the world and the complexity of human nature are far beyond what a single manga can fully describe."
"I must be more cautious!"
By the time Apollo came to his senses, Merry had already left.
He didn't mind; they were in the same village, so they would meet again.
Turning to look at Usopp beside him, Apollo said, "Usopp, I want to stay in the village for a while. Do you know where I can find a job?"
"A job?" Usopp crossed his arms, propped his chin, and frowned in thought. "That might be difficult."
Syrup Village was just a small village. Businesses were limited to small restaurants, taverns, and general stores. Most were mom-and-pop shops or family-run businesses, and they rarely hired staff.
Apollo had a headache. In his previous world, he worried about finding a job, and even after transmigrating, he still had to worry about it.
But without a job, there was no money, and without money, he couldn't survive in the world of One Piece.
"Perhaps I could go to a larger town? No, no, that won't do! After eating the Devil Fruit, I've become a 'landlubber.' Before I master my powers, I absolutely cannot go out to sea casually."
Usopp slapped his palm. "The only place where you might find a job is there, but..."
Apollo was startled. "But what?"
...Usopp led Apollo to a villa.
The villa was very luxurious, with people constantly moving inside, each with a touch of sadness on their faces.
"This is the home of a wealthy family. Only here might they be hiring, but... recently, their family suffered an accident. Both the master and mistress have passed away, leaving only a poor little girl."
"This must be Kaya's house."
Apollo pondered, having only seen this one mansion on his way here. The only wealthy family in Syrup Village was Kaya's.
"Then doesn't that mean Kuro is also inside?"
His eyes flickered as he carefully considered the pros and cons.
Kuro was a dangerous man.
He was once the captain of the Black Cat Pirates. His bounty was unclear, but he remembered it being close to twenty million.
To seize Kaya's fortune, he infiltrated her side as a servant for three years, maintaining a flawless disguise. When it was time to act, he was ruthless and showed no mercy.
Powerful, patient, ruthless, and exceptionally intelligent, Kuro was definitely one of the most dangerous individuals in the East Blue!
Just then, Merry, who had just parted ways with them, walked out of the villa.
Seeing the two, he paused slightly and asked in confusion, "You two are...?"
Apollo already had an answer in his heart. He walked towards Merry and said with a smile, "Merry, I plan to stay in the village for a while. I came here to see if you needed anyone and if I could find a job."
"The villa doesn't need any extra hands for now."
Merry looked a little troubled, then chuckled, "How about this, I'll ask the young lady for you. Does Mr. Apollo have any special skills?"
"Does being able to transform into a monkey count?"
Apollo clicked his tongue but didn't voice that answer. He thought seriously for a moment and replied, "I'm a novelist, I've received higher education, and I'm quite strong. I can handle most types of work."
These words were largely true.
Apollo was twenty-two years old this year, fresh out of university, where he studied Language and Literature, with mastery in four to five languages.
His writing was good. During his studies, he had published several essays and short stories. Although he was far from being a "novelist," in this world, with his skill level and knowledge of famous works from his previous world, it wouldn't be a problem to pass himself off as one.
"So you are a scholar."
Merry's attitude immediately became much more respectful.
He had already felt that Apollo had an extraordinary demeanor, which was why he had helped him earlier, but he still hadn't expected that Apollo was a highly educated scholar—although he didn't know what higher education was, he assumed that anything with the word "higher" in it must be extraordinary.
Usopp's gaze towards Apollo also changed somewhat.
Merry gestured, "Please follow me. I'll take you to see the young lady."
He changed his plan, intending to take Apollo directly to Kaya, out of respect for a scholar.
Apollo had no objections, but he felt a little strange.
Transmigrating to the world of One Piece and obtaining a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, he had originally thought he would embark on a path of punching Emperors and kicking Admirals. He never expected that the first thing he'd do was look for a job, and rely on skills he'd honed in his previous world.
Following Merry, Apollo and Usopp entered the villa together.
The atmosphere inside was a bit heavy, filled with a sense of sadness.
Usopp was completely uninhibited, constantly looking around with eyes full of curiosity.
Apollo was more relaxed and composed, calmly following behind Merry.
At the doorway, a man approached them. He was wearing a black suit, meticulously groomed, with a slicked-back hairstyle and round glasses. A smile played on his lips, making him appear very kind.
"Kuro!"
Apollo paused, his eyes narrowing slightly.
If he hadn't known the truth, he would never have guessed that this man, with his gentle smile and eyes hinting at sadness, was a ruthless pirate.
A true acting master!
Kuro was also subtly scrutinizing Apollo, but his expression remained impassive. He said gently, "Merry, who are these two?"
Merry smiled and said, "This is Usopp, a young man from the village, and this is Mr. Apollo, a scholar. I'm taking them to see the young lady."
"So he is a scholar." Kuro showed a respectful expression and bowed slightly to Apollo.
"This acting, he's definitely an award-winning actor!"
Apollo responded while marveling internally.
At close range, he still couldn't find any flaws. All he felt from Kuro was sincerity and friendliness.
No wonder Kaya's family had been completely fooled by him.
After a brief greeting, Merry continued to lead the two to see Kaya, while Kuro continued to play his role as a butler.