[Mansion Gates - Noon]
"So let me get this straight," Ban said as they stood before the ornate gates of the Kaya mansion. "Your plan is to just... walk up and knock?"
"Why not?" Luffy asked, already reaching for the gate.
"Because normal people don't just barge into rich people's houses!" Nami hissed. "There's etiquette, protocol-"
"I do it all the time!" Usopp interjected. "Well, usually I climb the wall because Klahadore has the guards chase me off, but Kaya likes when I visit!"
"You climb the wall?" Zoro smirked. "That's one way to do it."
Before they could debate further, the gates opened. A stern-looking man in a butler's uniform stood there, adjusting his distinctive round glasses with the heel of his palm. Everything about him screamed "proper servant"-immaculate clothing, perfect posture, refined bearing.
"Usopp," Klahadore said coldly. "I've told you repeatedly that you are not welcome on these grounds. Your presence disturbs Miss Kaya's recovery."
"I'm her friend!" Usopp protested. "She likes my visits!"
"Miss Kaya is too kind to tell you the truth—that your ridiculous lies and lowborn manner are exhausting to someone in her delicate condition." Klahadore's eyes moved to the others. "And you've brought... companions. Pirates, if the rumors from the village are accurate."
"We're just visiting," Luffy said cheerfully, completely missing the hostility. "Usopp's our friend!"
"Friend?" Usopp whispered, looking surprised.
"Yeah! Friends help each other, right?" Luffy grinned. "So we're friends!"
Klahadore's expression didn't change, but Ban caught the minute tightening around his eyes. This butler was assessing them, calculating. Not the reaction of a simple servant confronted with pirates.
"I must ask you all to leave," Klahadore said firmly. "This is private property, and Miss Kaya cannot receive uninvited guests in her condition."
"Klahadore!"
Everyone turned to see a pale, frail-looking girl leaning out of an upper window. She had blonde hair and wore a white nightgown despite it being midday. This had to be Kaya.
"It's alright," Kaya called down, her voice weak but carrying. "I'd... I'd like to meet Usopp's friends."
Klahadore's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "Miss Kaya, you should be resting-"
"I'm tired of resting," Kaya said, with more strength than Ban expected from someone who looked so ill. "Please, Klahadore. Just for a little while?"
The butler was silent for a long moment. Finally, Klahadore stepped aside.
"As you wish, Miss Kaya. But I must insist on supervising the visit. For your safety."
"Of course," Kaya said, smiling weakly before disappearing from the window.
As they walked through the gates, Ban hung back slightly, studying Klahadore. The butler's movements were too precise, too controlled. And the way his hand rested near his waist, that was where a weapon would be.
"Zoro," Ban said quietly. "That butler."
"I noticed," Zoro replied just as quietly. "He moves like a fighter. A good one."
"Yeah. Keep your eyes open."
[Mansion Garden - Twenty Minutes Later]
Kaya had insisted on receiving them in the garden rather than inside, saying the fresh air would do her good. She sat in a cushioned chair with a blanket over her lap, looking fragile but genuinely happy to have visitors.
Usopp was in the middle of one of his tales, gesturing wildly. "And that's when I single-handedly defeated the enormous sea king with nothing but my slingshot! It was at least three hundred feet long-"
"Three hundred?" Kaya giggled. "Last time you told that story it was two hundred feet!"
"It grew since then!" Usopp said without missing a beat. "Sea kings do that!"
"They absolutely do not," Nami muttered, but even she was smiling slightly.
Luffy was completely engrossed in the story, nodding along enthusiastically. "Wow! You fought a sea king? That's so cool!"
"He didn't actually fight a sea king," Zoro said.
"I TOTALLY DID!" Usopp protested.
Ban watched the scene with amusement, but his attention kept drifting to Klahadore, who stood at the edge of the garden, watching everything with that cold, calculating expression. The butler's eyes lingered on Kaya with an intensity that made Ban's skin crawl.
"Ban?"
He turned to find Kaya looking at him curiously. "Sorry, what?"
"I asked what you do," Kaya said. "Usopp says you're all pirates, but you don't seem very... pirate-like? Except for the swords," she added, glancing at Zoro.
"We're new pirates," Luffy explained. "We're building a crew to find the One Piece!"
"The One Piece?" Kaya's eyes widened. "That's... that's quite an ambitious goal."
"Luffy's going to be King of the Pirates!" Usopp declared. "And I, Captain Usopp, will be his brave warrior!"
"You're joining us?" Luffy asked excitedly.
"What? No! I was just... I was making an example!" Usopp backpedaled quickly.
Ban chuckled, then looked at Kaya seriously. "Can I ask you something? Your butler-Klahadore. How long has he worked for your family?"
Kaya blinked at the sudden change in topic. "About three years now. He came to us after my parents' ship captain retired. He's been... very dedicated. Especially after my parents passed away." Her voice grew sad. "I don't know what I would have done without him."
"He seems very protective," Ban said carefully. "Almost possessive."
"Ban," Nami warned quietly. "Don't."
But Kaya was frowning now, thinking. "Possessive? I... I suppose he can be a bit overbearing sometimes. But he's just concerned for my health."
"Miss Kaya," Klahadore's voice cut in smoothly as he approached. "Perhaps you've had enough excitement for one day. You're looking tired."
"I'm fine, Klahadore-"
"I must insist." There was steel in his voice now. "Your health is my primary concern. These... visitors have overstayed their welcome."
"We just got here," Luffy protested.
Klahadore's eyes fixed on Luffy with cold disdain. "Nevertheless. Miss Kaya requires rest. I'll escort you to the gate."
"It's alright," Kaya said, though she did look exhausted. "Thank you for visiting, everyone. Usopp, come back tomorrow?"
"Of course!" Usopp said, standing. "I'll tell you about the time I fought off an entire pirate crew single-handed!"
"You did not fight off an entire pirate crew," Zoro said flatly.
As they were herded toward the gate by Klahadore, Ban glanced back at Kaya. The girl was watching them leave with a wistful expression, like she wished they could stay longer.
[Village Outskirts - Dusk]
They'd found an inn and were settling in for the evening. Nami was already counting their remaining Berries, Luffy was complaining about being hungry, and Zoro was checking his swords.
Ban stood at the window, watching the mansion on the hill.
"You really think something's wrong?" Usopp asked nervously. He'd followed them to the inn, his three young crew members having gone home for dinner.
"I know something's wrong," Ban said. "That butler-there's something off about him. The way he moves, the way he looks at Kaya. That's not a loyal servant."
"But what can we do?" Usopp asked. "I've been suspicious for months, but I have no proof! And even if I did, who'd believe me? I'm the boy who cried pirate, remember?"
"Then we get proof," Luffy said simply. "If that butler guy is bad, we'll stop him!"
"It's not that simple—" Usopp started.
"Sure it is," Luffy interrupted. "Bad guys hurt people. We stop bad guys. Simple!"
Ban turned from the window, an idea forming. "Usopp. You said you usually climb the wall to visit Kaya, right? You know the mansion layout?"
"Yeah, pretty well. Why?"
"Because tonight, we're going to do some investigating." Ban's grin was predatory. "If this Klahadore is planning something, he'll have evidence somewhere. Documents, correspondence, something. We just need to find it."
"You want to break into the mansion?" Nami asked incredulously. "That's insane!"
"I'm a thief," Ban reminded her. "Breaking into places is kind of my specialty. And I'm really, really good at it."
"I'll go too," Zoro said. "If that butler is dangerous, you'll want backup."
"This is crazy," Usopp muttered, but there was determination in his eyes. "But... if it means protecting Kaya... I'll do it. I'll help you break in."
"Great!" Luffy said enthusiastically. "A nighttime adventure!"
"You're not coming," Nami said firmly. "You'll make too much noise."
"What? But I want to help!"
"You'll help by staying here and not alerting everyone in the mansion with your stomping around," Ban said. "Trust me, Luffy. Stealth requires finesse, and you have the subtlety of a charging bull."
Luffy pouted but didn't argue further.
As night fell over Syrup Village, Ban, Zoro, and Usopp prepared for their infiltration. Nami had reluctantly agreed to stay with Luffy and keep him from doing anything reckless.
"If you get caught," Nami said, "don't expect me to bail you out."
"We won't get caught," Ban assured her. Then, with a wicked grin, "And if we do, we'll fight our way out. Either way, should be fun."
[POV: Kuro/Klahadore - Midnight]
Kuro sat in his private quarters, adjusting his glasses as he reviewed the plan one final time. Tomorrow at dawn, the Black Cat Pirates would arrive at the north shore. Jango would hypnotize the guards. The crew would attack the mansion. In the chaos, Kaya would unfortunately be killed, and her will—already forged—would leave everything to him.
Three years of playing servant would finally pay off.
He heard a noise outside, subtle, but his trained senses caught it. Someone was in the mansion who shouldn't be.
Kuro's lips curled into a cold smile. Those pirates from earlier? Or perhaps just Usopp, that irritating fool who kept sniffing around where he didn't belong?
It didn't matter. If they'd come to investigate, they'd find nothing useful. He'd been far too careful for that.
And if they proved to be a threat to tomorrow's plan...
Well, accidents happened. Especially to people who wandered mansions in the dark.
Kuro stood, moving silently toward the door. Time to see what these intruders thought they were doing.
[Meanwhile - Mansion Hallway]
Ban moved through the darkness like a ghost, his centuries of experience making him nearly invisible. Behind him, Zoro followed with surprising stealth for someone carrying three swords, and Usopp brought up the rear, trembling but determined.
They'd entered through a second-story window, Usopp's usual route, and were now searching the mansion systematically. So far, they'd found nothing unusual. Just a normal, if wealthy, household.
"This is taking too long," Zoro whispered. "If that butler is planning something, where would he keep evidence?"
"His personal quarters," Ban replied. "Private documents, correspondence with his crew if he has one, maybe weapons he's hidden. That's where we'll find what we need."
"But we don't know where his quarters are!" Usopp hissed.
"Then we'll search every room until—"
Ban stopped abruptly. His hand shot out, stopping the others.
Footsteps. Coming down the hallway. Precise, measured footsteps.
"Hide," Ban whispered urgently.
They pressed into alcoves and shadows just as Klahadore rounded the corner, carrying a small lamp. The butler moved slowly, methodically checking doors and windows.
He was hunting them.
Ban's hand moved to his side, ready to fight if necessary. This was about to get interesting.
Very interesting.
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