Who Would Dare Trust a Man Like That with Their Back?

The third floor.

Luffy and his two companions kept low as they hurried up the stairs.

Zoro led the way, all three swords already drawn and held ready.

His steps were light and soundless, his muscles taut, ready for any attack that might come.

Nami followed close behind, breathing hard but doing her best to stay calm.

Her eyes constantly swept their surroundings, watching for every possible danger.

Luffy... Luffy was still yawning.

"Hey, could you take this seriously?" Zoro growled under his breath.

"But I'm really sleepy..."

"Shh!"

Nami abruptly raised a hand for silence.

They had reached the third-floor hallway.

The furnishings here were even finer than those on the second floor. A thick carpet covered the entire corridor, and expensive oil paintings hung along the walls.

In daylight, it must have been bright and elegant.

But now, shrouded in the shadows of the night, it had an indescribably sinister air.

At the end of the hallway stood an ornate door, a faint light seeping through the gap.

That had to be the master bedroom.

Zoro was about to step forward when a stern voice suddenly rang out behind him.

"What are you doing here?"

All three spun around.

Usopp stood at the top of the stairs, holding a night lamp. Its dim yellow flame cast flickering light across his face.

Behind him, Kuro stood quietly, his silver-rimmed glasses reflecting a cold glint. His expression was as deferential as ever, but something inscrutable lurked deep in his eyes.

"We heard something downstairs, so we came up to check."

Zoro answered calmly, his gaze fixed on Kuro.

At the same time, his nostrils twitched slightly.

A faint smell of blood crept into his nose.

It was so faint that an ordinary person would never have noticed.

But to someone