Chapter 4: Tutor
Kaya received them in the living room.
Apollo sipped his tea, discreetly observing her.
The sixteen-year-old girl, in the prime of her youth, wore a light blue dress with a yellow jacket, her golden, shoulder-length hair framing a dignified, gentle, and lovely face. However, her beautiful features were devoid of color, and she was enveloped in profound sorrow and pain, like a frost-bitten white rose, evoking a sense of pity.
This was not surprising.
Not long ago, both her parents had passed away, a devastating blow for someone so young.
Apollo also knew that due to her excessive grief, she would fall ill and remain so until Luffy's arrival.
At the same time, Apollo was secretly observing Usopp, noticing that apart from a look of sympathy, he showed no other particular reaction.
"It seems they don't know each other yet."
He mused, "That's right, one is an orphan without parents, and the other is a young lady from a wealthy family. Under normal circumstances, their lives wouldn't intersect.
It must be because Kaya's parents passed away, and Usopp, feeling a shared sense of misfortune and out of sympathy, often came to tell her tall tales and stories, which is how they became familiar."
Thinking of this, Apollo shook his head inwardly.
Actually, Kaya wasn't truly ill; she was just overwhelmed with grief, which accumulated into sickness. Without proper treatment, she would remain unwell.
A naive and innocent girl, suffering the immense change of losing her parents, with no relatives, no friends, no entertainment, and confined to her house—it would be strange if she didn't get sick!
In the original timeline, if Usopp hadn't been there to make her laugh occasionally, Kaya might have truly met an untimely end, fading away prematurely.
"If you can give me a job, I'll help you and spare you from the suffering of illness."
Apollo muttered to himself, then suddenly froze, looking at Usopp strangely.
If he interfered, there probably wouldn't be a place for Usopp.
He scratched his cheek and silently thought, "Usopp, you can go on happily with Luffy; I'll take care of your childhood sweetheart."
Usopp, unaware of what was happening, was casually admiring the luxurious decorations in the villa.
While Apollo was observing Kaya, the young girl was also secretly observing him.
Her first impression was very good.
Because Apollo was very handsome, tall and well-built, with a subtle scholarly air about him, his demeanor was completely different from the people around her.
Girls at this age are in a phase of active imagination.
At her most helpless and sorrowful moment, such a Prince Charming figure suddenly appeared. Kaya naturally connected him to some novels she had read.
"Mr. Apollo," Kaya's voice, with its girlish innocence, was very pleasant, "I would like to hire you as my private tutor to help me with grammar. Would you be willing?"
Reading was Kaya's only hobby.
After hearing that Apollo was a novelist, she had conceived this idea, and upon meeting him in person, she immediately made up her mind.
"Of course, thank you for your recognition, beautiful lady."
Having resolved a troubling matter, Apollo found Kaya even more agreeable.
A private tutor, even better than he had imagined.
In terms of salary, status, and freedom, it was much better than being an ordinary servant.
A blush spread across Kaya's pale face.
In her fifteen years of life, she had rarely received such direct praise, especially from a handsome and charming young man.
Just as she was flustered and unsure how to respond, Merry took over the conversation and began to discuss the details with Apollo.
Both parties were very sincere and quickly reached an agreement.
He would tutor Kaya five times a week, two hours each time, with a salary of 50,000 Berries per week.
This was a very high income locally, and with short working hours and high freedom,
It would definitely make others envious.
Because Kaya was not feeling well, she soon went back to rest. After receiving a week's salary in advance, Apollo also bid farewell and left.
On his way out, he encountered Kuro again. They exchanged no words, merely nodded, and passed each other.
A significant reason for his decision to stay was that Apollo felt he didn't need to fear Kuro.
He had eaten a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, which was even rarer than a Logia type!
The other Mythical Zoan users were:
Marco, the First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates!
Kaido, the Strongest Creature on Land, Sea, and Air, one of the Four Emperors!
Sengoku, the Fleet Admiral of the Marines!
All were individuals standing at the pinnacle of the world.
As their peer, if Apollo still had to fear a small fry with a bounty of less than twenty million, that would be too embarrassing!
Even though he had just eaten the Devil Fruit and hadn't undergone any training, he felt he could easily smash Kuro to death.
It was just that he hadn't experienced any actual combat, so his confidence wasn't completely solid yet.
Moreover, there was still a full year until Kuro's plot would be put into motion, and during this time, Kuro wouldn't act rashly.
Furthermore, he could serve as a tool to test his strength.
If he could easily crush Kuro, it would essentially mean Apollo could roam freely in the East Blue.
Leaving the villa, and with Usopp's introduction, Apollo rented a small courtyard for a year.
Merry had invited him to stay in the villa, but Apollo declined.
He still needed to develop his Devil Fruit abilities, and if he were under Kuro's nose all the time, with Kuro's intelligence, he would eventually notice something amiss.
"Come visit often."
Bidding farewell to Usopp, Apollo closed the main gate and quietly left through the back door.
The courtyard was somewhat secluded, on the outskirts of Syrup Village, with a small mountain connected to the backyard.
This was precisely what he had found appealing.
Just one courtyard was truly not enough for his endeavors.
Although it was past noon, the sun was still scorching, hanging high in the sky, freely radiating light and heat.
Apollo walked up halfway to the mountain, found an open space, and stopped.
"Devil Fruits are indeed good things," he exclaimed.
Climbing half a mountain under the blazing sun, yet not turning red or out of breath, not even breaking a single sweat—this was simply incredible.
"Thanks, Monkey King."
After a quick praise, Apollo began to move.
His purpose was to familiarize himself with his new power.
Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated.
In his opinion, knowing oneself was more important than knowing the enemy.
"Let's start with the simplest things."
Apollo's mind stirred, and he transformed into a ferocious, ten-meter-tall giant ape, summoning his Ruyi Jingu Bang. He began...
The result startled even himself.
Although his body was massive, he remained incredibly agile, and even more astonishingly, his strength was terrifying!
In his hands, whether it was trees or rocks, they were as fragile as tissue paper, easily torn to shreds.
One stomp made the earth shake and mountains crack. One punch caused a sonic boom, sweeping all before it. When he wielded the Ruyi Jingu Bang, it stirred up howling winds, and even the wind blades could injure someone.
"Is this the power of a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit?"
Apollo gasped, "I really think I could swat Kuro to death with one palm."
He soon realized that he had been surprised too early; what he had discovered so far was merely the tip of the iceberg of the Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit's power.