Even though the butler's identity as Captain Kuro was all but confirmed, Kaya was still a mess.
After all, the man had been taking care of her for a year, ever since her parents died.
She desperately clung to a sliver of hope.
"Even if Klahadore is Captain Kuro… what if he's changed? What if he was just defending himself earlier?" Kaya sobbed.
Usopp understood.
To suddenly find out that the person you've trusted for a year is a vicious pirate… that's not something you can just accept.
Seeing how distressed she was, an idea suddenly struck him.
He turned to Ray.
"You said he'd be back to kill us," Usopp said. "That means you know why he's here, right?"
Ray glanced at them.
They might as well know the truth, he thought. It'll save me a lot of explaining later.
He turned to the giant dog.
"Chouchou, take Usopp and Kaya and follow that butler. Make sure you're not seen. Zoro, you go with them. Keep them safe."
Ray could have just made up a story about hearing Kuro's plan from some other pirate, but he didn't feel like wasting the energy.
It was better to let them see the truth for themselves.
Just then, Luffy, who couldn't stand being still, piped up.
"I wanna go too!"
"You stay here. Don't cause trouble."
"No way, I'm going!"
"There's meat if you stay."
"Okay, I'll stay."
Ray knew that if Luffy went, their chances of being spotted would skyrocket to 100%.
The guy would definitely jump out and start a fight on the spot.
If that happened, they'd lose their chance to wipe out the entire Black Cat Pirates at once.
He needed to lure them all in and end this for good.
Suddenly, another thought occurred to him.
He called out to Zoro, who was already a good distance away.
"Zoro! Stick close to Chouchou. Don't get lost."
From the distance, Zoro yelled back, his voice full of annoyance.
"Got it!"
…
As it turned out, Captain Kuro never left Chouchou's sight.
Thanks to Ray's blood, the dog's sense of smell was now so powerful it could track a scent from ten kilometers away.
Right now, Chouchou was leading Usopp and Kaya, hiding them on a seaside cliff.
Down below, Captain Kuro and his first mate, the hypnotist Jango, were openly discussing their entire plan.
Kaya and Usopp heard every horrifying word.
At dawn, the Black Cat Pirates would land, kill some villagers to cause a panic, and force Kaya to sign a will leaving her fortune to "Klahadore."
Then, they would kill her too.
The entire village would become a slaughterhouse.
"What do we do, what do we do?" Usopp muttered, pacing back and forth in a panic.
Kaya, after a moment of grief, wiped away her tears.
She forced herself to be calm and think. Just as they were at a complete loss, Chouchou—who had shrunk back to his small dog form—tugged on her skirt.
She immediately understood, grabbed Usopp's hand, and they hurried back to find the others.
On the way, Usopp was still confused.
"Wait, where did that green-haired swordsman go?"
Kaya suddenly realized it too.
"Where is Mr. Zoro?"
Chouchou, who was trotting ahead of them, just sighed with a look that could only be described as a helpless dog face.
…
That evening, inside Kaya's mansion.
Another butler, Merry, was pouring drinks for Ray and the others as Usopp explained everything he and Kaya had heard.
Upon hearing the plan, Luffy was furious.
"I'm gonna beat that Kuro guy to a pulp tomorrow!" he swore.
Usopp looked at him, puzzled. "Why are you guys helping us so much?"
Luffy just grinned.
"Because you treated us to a meal!"
Usopp, Kaya, and even Nami were stunned silent for a moment.
They had never met pirates like these before.
For Nami, it was especially complicated.
She hadn't officially joined the crew yet and still hated pirates.
But Luffy's simple, honest words chipped away at that hatred.
These guys, she thought, are more like adventurers who just happen to be flying a pirate flag.
She found herself smiling.
~
After they finished eating, the group finalized their battle plan.
They would set traps on the two slopes leading up from the coast where the pirates might land.
"Okay, here's the plan," Nami said, taking charge. "Step one, we all work together to set the traps. Step two, we split up. Luffy and Usopp, you guard the north. Zoro and Chouchou, you guard the south. Ray, you'll be our backup."
"As for me and Miss Kaya," she added with a wink, "we'll stay with Ray. It's definitely the safest spot."
Usopp immediately protested, insisting he should be the one to protect Kaya, but he was quickly overruled.
With the plan set, everyone prepared to get a little rest before the big fight.
Suddenly, Nami asked, "Hey, where's Zoro?"
Luffy's eyes went wide as if he just had an epiphany.
"Whoa, Zoro's missing!"
Everyone just stared at him.
…
Dawn broke.
Zoro, as it turned out, had already been carried by the giant Chouchou to the southern slope.
He currently had a very dark look on his face, most likely because he'd missed out on all the free drinks last night.
To the north, Luffy and Usopp looked down at the slope they had covered in cooking oil and nails, then gazed out at the sea.
Luffy was confident in his own strength. Usopp was confident in Luffy's strength.
Before long, a ship with a black cat figurehead appeared on the horizon.
Usopp immediately fired a signal flare into the sky.
Seeing it, Zoro and Chouchou took off toward the north.
Zoro, of course, was still being carried.
Chouchou wasn't taking any chances.
The battle was about to begin.