Syrup Village was as peaceful as ever. Villagers strolled along the roadside, chatting and greeting one another. As the sun sank in the west, another day was soon coming to an end.
A figure in a gray cloak avoided the crowds, walking along a deserted road with their head lowered as they studied a strange spiral-patterned fruit in their hands. They muttered, "That greedy colonel hid this fruit in his secret vault... It must be an extraordinary treasure! Maybe if I bury it in the ground, it'll grow into gold coins. That's it, that must be it!"
She carefully examined the fruit in her hands, then looked up ahead. Before she knew it, she had arrived at a lavish mansion. She sniffed hard. "Did this scent lead me here...?"
After glancing around to make sure no one was nearby, she leaped high over the mansion's fence.
In the backyard, she buried the strange fruit in a patch of soft, fertile earth that looked like a medicinal herb garden. Then she covered it with plenty of soil and dusted off her hands. "All hidden. I'll come back tomorrow morning and check. Maybe, just maybe, it really will grow into gold coins."
As she spoke, her stomach growled. The delicious aroma of a hot meal coming from the kitchen set her senses ablaze. "I'll fill my stomach first..."
Following the scent, she opened a kitchen window and quietly shut it behind her. Seeing no one around, she shamelessly stuffed handfuls of cheese, toast, and pumpkin pies from the table into her mouth. Speaking indistinctly, she said, "A thief's job is to steal, of course. Stealing food is my specialty!"
Suddenly, her ears twitched. She darted aside, grabbed a plate of food, and hurried behind a cupboard in the corner. As she chewed on the soft pastries, she listened to the sounds outside.
Pots and pans clattered in the kitchen as an anxious voice urged someone on.
"Move faster! The young lady's had another attack. Hurry and prepare her medicinal meal..."
"Hey, this medicine looks strange, and it smells awful... Never mind, good medicine tastes bitter. The doctor can't be wrong. Hurry up!"
After a while, once the footsteps had faded away, the cloaked figure peered out and set her empty plate on the table. "These people are so stupid. They didn't even notice the food was missing..."
She hadn't finished speaking when her eyes widened at the fruit peel on the table. "Wait, isn't this the strange fruit I just buried?!"
She immediately climbed out the window and ran back to where she had buried the fruit, only to find that it and all the herbs growing nearby had been dug up.
Just as she thought... The fruit in the kitchen was the one she had buried here!
She covered her eyes, at a loss for words. Suddenly, her nose twitched as she caught a scent like the one from the kitchen. Curiosity about what would happen to that fruit made her look up.
After a moment's thought, she ran to a nearby tree and darted up it like an agile cat, crouching halfway up its thick trunk.
Through a gap in the curtains that hadn't been fully drawn across the mansion's window, she could just make out a frail, golden-haired girl lying in bed. Nearby, a man who looked like a butler carefully scooped up some medicine with a spoon. He blew on it twice, then guided it into the girl's mouth.
After a while, the frail girl slowly opened her eyes and gazed up at the ceiling, her face still pale and weak.
"Miss, you're awake. The doctor's prescription and the specially prepared medicine seem to be working very well." The butler breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sorry for the trouble, Merry..." Kaya looked around in a daze. "Where's Klahadore?"
"He went out to buy food. He hasn't returned yet." Merry helped Kaya sit up, then slowly brought the medicine in the bowl to her lips. "Careful, miss. It's hot."
"It smells awful..." Kaya covered her mouth. The medicine was so difficult to swallow that she turned her head away in distress.
"Miss, good medicine tastes bitter. You have to finish it so you can get better sooner..."
Kaya paid no attention to Merry's words. Her gaze landed on the window, full of joy, and she called out without thinking, "Usopp!"
Merry set down the bowl, walked over, and flung open the curtains. There was no one outside.
"How could that be... He didn't come today..." The joy in Kaya's eyes instantly turned to disappointment.
"Miss, you shouldn't spend any more time with that country bumpkin and liar. Mr. Klahadore often tells me the same thing: he's no good, and he's only getting close to us for some other reason..."
"Even though I've only known him for a few months, I don't think Usopp is a bad person. Anyway, let's not talk about this anymore..." Kaya didn't want to dwell on the subject. "Lately, I've been reading the medical book written by the highly acclaimed Crocus. Merry, do you think I have a talent for medicine?"
"Of course, miss! If you study hard, you're sure to become a famous doctor someday!"
Kaya smiled, her eyes curving like crescents. "All right, Merry. Bring me that adventure book and the medical book."
Merry took the thick Ivan's Adventure Stories and Crocus's Medical Observations from the bookshelf and placed them on the table beside the bed. "Miss, don't read for too long. Get some rest soon. I'll be downstairs."
Kaya picked up the book beside her bed and rested it on her raised knees. She opened to the page marked by a bookmark, and a smile from deep within her heart spread across her pale face.
On the eastern coast of Syrup Village.
A band of pirates danced merrily around a bonfire. Thanks to Usopp's remarkable social skills—or rather, his gift for boasting—he had quickly hit it off with them, and they had coaxed him into drinking quite a lot.
He gazed blearily at the pirates before him. "I, Usopp, have eighty million followers! They call me 'Usopp the Proud.' I once took my followers to a mysterious island. You know, that island was made of the poop of a giant goldfish, and it was this big..."
As he spoke, he gestured to show them.
Shuma had become a devoted listener, his ears pricked high as he stared at Usopp. "Wow, that's amazing!"
"That doesn't exist. An island like that couldn't possibly exist," Mohji whispered into Shuma's ear, only to receive a disdainful look from him.
"He doesn't believe me..." Mohji crumpled to the ground in despair.
"Why are you the one getting so upset?" Cabaji remarked from the side.
Watching the pirates having such a good time, Buggy took a swig of liquor. "You sure are taking it easy, Usopp..."
"Hahaha! What can I do for you, Captain Buggy?"
Buggy handed him a wanted poster and asked casually, "Do you know this man?"
"A pirate? Other than you and Shanks, I don't know any others..." Usopp took the poster from Buggy. His pupils suddenly shrank. "H-He's..."
"More than two years ago, a pirate known as 'Kuro the Thousand Plans' was captured by the Marines and publicly executed. But... the man who was executed was only a double. Kuro himself didn't die. He survived..."
Buggy watched Usopp, who was utterly stunned, and continued slowly, "The Marines destroyed Kuro's wanted posters three years ago, but as a fellow pirate, I made sure to keep a copy."
Usopp's expression turned grave. He crumpled the wanted poster and clenched his fists in anger, then hurried toward the village. "Kaya..."
Cabaji asked in confusion, "Captain Buggy, why did that kid suddenly leave?"
"To uncover the truth." Buggy watched Usopp's retreating figure.
"I wonder what'll happen if I move the plot forward... Hahaha, I really am a wickedly mischievous guy."
Before you continue