"Kaoru, are you really fifty years old?"
Luffy circled around Kaoru Tsubasa with wide-eyed curiosity, his voice full of disbelief.
"Really? Are you actually in your fifties?" Usopp asked, his jaw dropping. He half-suspected Kaoru was just another liar like him.
"Oh, it's true," Kaoru replied calmly, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
The others stared at him, trying to decide if he was joking or serious.
After a while of joking around, Usopp suddenly remembered something and excused himself.
"Ah! I've got something to do! Anyway, if you tell the restaurant owner that Captain Usopp sent you, your meal's on the house!"
Kaoru chuckled under his breath. That guy's lying again… no way that trick will work.
But to his surprise, when Luffy actually told the boss that Usopp was paying, the owner waved it off and said, "Oh, Usopp's guests? Don't worry about it!"
The meal really was free.
"Let's find a ship next!" Luffy said, his stomach full and grin wide.
After eating and drinking their fill, Zoro leaned back with his arms crossed. "We need a real pirate ship, not another dinghy."
Of course, the "discussion" was completely one-sided — Luffy wasn't listening at all.
Zoro sighed. He already knew better than to expect logic from his captain.
"There's a big mansion over there," Kaoru said, pointing toward a large white house on a hill. "A rich person must live there. Maybe we can find a ship."
He already knew whose house it was — Kaya's estate, the home of the wealthy young lady of Syrup Village. Usopp had probably gone there just moments ago.
"Really!? Then let's go!" Luffy shouted, his excitement instant.
Before Kaoru or Zoro could stop him, Luffy sprinted toward the mansion like a cannonball.
The two men exchanged a knowing look, then hurried after him. If they didn't keep up, there was no telling what kind of trouble Luffy would cause.
Sure enough, by the time Kaoru and Zoro arrived at Kaya's manor, they saw Luffy catapulting himself over the gate like a human rocket.
The crash was loud.
"Ahhh—!" Boom!
Luffy lay on the ground in a crater, grinning. "Smooth landing!"
"Smooth landing?" Zoro muttered. "That was a complete failure."
Kaoru sighed. "For Luffy, that probably counts as smooth. He is made of rubber, after all."
"Are you… are you okay?"
Kaya, the gentle young lady of the house, stepped forward nervously. She was frail and pale, but her concern was genuine.
"Ah, it's fine, it's fine," Luffy said, bouncing to his feet.
"They came all the way here because they heard of my greatness!" Usopp blurted out suddenly, trying to cover the chaos with another tall tale.
"No, I didn't!" Luffy interrupted immediately. "I came to ask for something!"
Kaoru, realizing Luffy was unharmed, grabbed Zoro by the collar and pulled him through the gate.
"Unbelievable," Kaoru muttered. "Everywhere we go turns into a circus."
"Hehehe, sorry, sorry!" Luffy scratched his head sheepishly.
Kaoru shook his head. If it were anyone else, he might've drawn his sword by now. But with Luffy, it was pointless to stay mad.
"You need something from me?" Kaya asked curiously.
Before Luffy could reply, a man in a sharp black suit stepped out from behind her. He had neatly combed hair, a polite smile, and glasses that glinted coldly as he adjusted them.
It was Klahadore — or rather, Kuro of the Hundred Plans, former captain of the Black Cat Pirates.
Now, under the false identity of "Klahadore," he served as Kaya's butler, secretly plotting to murder her and inherit her fortune. He had already killed her parents years ago.
"Klahadore," Kaya greeted softly, unaware of his true identity.
"It's terribly rude to intrude upon someone's home like this," Kuro said smoothly, his tone polite but venomous.
"Who's that guy?" Luffy asked bluntly.
Kaya turned to explain, but Kuro cut her off. "No need to say more, Miss Kaya. I'll handle this."
"Please, leave at once," he ordered curtly, completely disregarding Kaya's authority.
"I said, we want a ship," Luffy replied, ignoring him entirely.
"No," Kuro said flatly. "Nothing from this estate belongs to you."
His tone left no room for discussion.
Then his gaze shifted toward the trees. "Usopp. You've been hiding long enough."
Usopp froze, then awkwardly crawled out from behind the tree, laughing nervously.
Kuro's polite smile didn't waver. "You're quite famous in this village. I've heard so many stories about your grand adventures."
Usopp straightened up proudly. "Heh… you've heard of me, huh? That's right, I'm amazing!"
"I even heard you've traveled the seas already," Kuro continued smoothly. "How impressive… for someone so young."
Kaya's face paled. She already knew where this was heading.
"That's right!" Usopp interrupted proudly. "You can call me Captain Usopp!"
Zoro frowned, and Kaoru's eyes narrowed slightly. They both knew Kuro's flattery was a setup.
Kaoru didn't intervene. His Observation Haki told him something else — a Marine warship had docked nearby. One of the auras felt very familiar.
Garp, he realized instantly. He's come chasing Luffy again.
"Captain, huh?" Kuro repeated softly, pushing his glasses up with a finger. "That word brings back memories."
Then his polite tone shifted, cold and cutting.
"I've also heard about your father," he said.
Usopp's smile faltered. "W-what?"
"Klahadore, that's enough!" Kaya tried to stop him, but Kuro ignored her completely.
"You're nothing but the son of a filthy pirate," Kuro sneered. "It doesn't surprise me that you'd associate with their kind."
Luffy's face hardened, a rare flicker of anger in his eyes.
"But please," Kuro continued coldly, "don't get too close to my young mistress."
"You… you said my father was dirty?" Usopp's voice trembled with fury.
Kuro smirked. "You and Miss Kaya come from two entirely different worlds. If money is what you're after, name your price."
Even Kaya couldn't stand it anymore. "You've gone too far, Klahadore! Apologize to Usopp!"
"Why should I apologize to such a barbarian?" Kuro said, his tone dripping with disdain. "I'm simply stating the truth. I pity you, Miss Kaya. To think you'd waste your kindness on the son of a thief."
"You bastard!" Usopp shouted, trembling with rage. "Don't you dare insult my father!"
Kuro adjusted his glasses again, calm as ever. "Ah, you should use your talent for lying, Usopp. Tell everyone your father's just a traveling merchant — no relation to you at all."
Usopp's fist clenched.
"Enough!" he roared.
He leapt forward and punched Kuro square in the face.
The butler stumbled back, his glasses cracking as he fell.
"Usopp!" Kaya gasped, covering her mouth in shock.
Luffy and Zoro exchanged satisfied grins.
"About time someone hit him," Zoro muttered.
"Nice punch," Kaoru said, clapping his hands. "Well done, Usopp."
"Kaoru…" Usopp stammered, both embarrassed and proud.
Kuro straightened, pretending to be injured, his expression twisting into mock outrage.
"Heh… so what? He is the son of a filthy pirate," he spat.
Kaoru stepped forward, his smile fading. "And you? What gives you the right to say that, former captain of the Black Cat Pirates — Kuro of the Hundred Plans?"
"Nani!?"
Everyone froze.
Kaya's eyes widened in disbelief, while Luffy and Zoro both tensed, their hands drifting toward their weapons.
Kuro's polite smile twitched, but he quickly regained composure. "Accusing me without evidence? That's a lowly tactic — fitting for someone associated with Usopp."
Kaoru smirked. "I figured you wouldn't admit it. Luckily, someone else just arrived who can handle this kind of thing."
He stepped back, pulling Usopp with him.
"What do you mean?" Usopp asked — but before Kaoru could answer, a deafening boom shook the ground.
A massive shadow fell from the sky, landing hard enough to send dust flying everywhere.
Kaoru sighed. "Still as dramatic as ever…"
When the dust cleared, an old man stood in a white Marine coat, the word Justice emblazoned across the back.
"G-Grandpa…" Luffy's face turned pale, his voice cracking.
"Luffy," Garp said in a booming voice, "you've got some explaining to do, boy!"
"Grandpa?!" Usopp shouted in shock. "This guy's your grandpa!?"
Even Zoro blinked.
Kaoru crossed his arms, smiling faintly. "Long time no see, old man Garp."
Garp turned his head and grinned. "Oh, it's you, brat."
"Wait—Garp? The Garp?" Zoro muttered, realization dawning. "The Navy hero who captured the Pirate King?"
"I don't know anything about that," Luffy mumbled, sweating.
"Yes," Kaoru confirmed, smirking. "That's Iron Fist Garp."
Zoro's jaw dropped.
"It's just a small title, nothing worth bragging about," Garp said with a lazy wave, digging in his nose.
Kuro froze where he stood, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
The Navy hero… here!?
He suddenly understood the gravity of the situation — the Straw Hat boy was the grandson of the Navy's most feared man, and the purple-haired swordsman beside him spoke to that same man as an equal.
The longer Kuro thought about it, the more his body trembled.
Kaoru caught the faint smirk forming on Kuro's lips — a mask of false composure. He knew the man was terrified.
And things were about to get much worse.