Descendants of the Cat God

Night fell over the hilltop of Syrup Village.

Usopp stood on a large locust tree beside the villa window. He wrapped one arm around the main trunk while gently tapping on the glass with his other hand, whispering, "Kaya, Kaya..."

The lights flickered on inside, and a delicate figure pushed the window open.

"It's you, Usopp!" Kaya, dressed in pale yellow pajamas, possessed a sickly beauty. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips, revealing two shallow dimples. "You finally came!"

"Sorry for disturbing your sleep." A flash of guilt crossed Usopp's face, but he quickly masked it. "This isn't the time for that. Kaya, I have to tell you something. Klahadore is a pirate—a major pirate with a 16-million-berry bounty. You have to get away from him! He's going to kill you!"

The smile on Kaya's face froze. "Usopp, you smell strongly of alcohol. Have you been drinking too much?"

"No... Kaya, I'm not lying to you!"

Kaya looked at Usopp as if he were a complete stranger, and in that instant, the bond between them seemed to fracture.

"Usopp, I... I loved the stories you used to weave, but... why would you say something like this?"

"No, that's not it. I'm not doing this to get back at him... Wait, I have his bounty poster!" Usopp frantically rummaged through the brown satchel he carried, his anxiety growing. "Where is it... I must have left it at the shore!"

"Kaya, you have to believe me." He leaped down to the base of the tree. "I'm going to find the proof right now. I'll prove it to you!"

With that, he darted out of the courtyard through a pre-arranged hole in the bushes.

"Usopp..."

Kaya watched Usopp's figure fade into the distance before finally closing the windows. Her frail body, which looked as though it might collapse at any moment, leaned against the sill for support as her thoughts swirled.

"Klahadore is a pirate? How could that be... You must be lying to me. I'll wait here for you. I want to know if what you said is really true..."

Only a moment later, the sound of tapping returned. Kaya swayed as she opened the window, pressing a hand to her feverish, drooping forehead. "Usopp, are you back?"

A man with a cunning expression leaned against the tree trunk, his hands behind his head. "He didn't come back."

Kaya looked up, gasped in fright, and quickly covered her mouth, stumbling back two steps.

"Don't be so loud. I suppose you could call me a 'friend' of Usopp's." Buggy cast a sidelong glance at her. Her appearance was much like the original—a sickly, fragile girl. Buggy even doubted a gust of wind could knock her over.

"Did... Usopp send you?" Kaya asked softly.

"No... I'm a pirate," Buggy said nonchalantly, crossing his legs.

"But..." Kaya's gaze fell on Buggy's empty lower legs, a flicker of pity and compassion in her eyes. "It must hurt... your feet are gone..."

"..." Buggy rubbed the bridge of his nose in silence. He pulled a bounty poster from his person, detached his right hand from his body, and placed the paper on the windowsill. "Usopp left this with me, so I'm just doing him a small favor by bringing it back."

Kaya stared at the disembodied hand resting on the sill. Her pupils dilated, and she let out a piercing scream: "Ah!!!"

Footsteps thundered down the villa hallway. The man in the suit and round glasses pushed the door open. Seeing the window blown wide and Kaya collapsed on the floor in a state of shock, he scanned the area with a guarded look before rushing to her side in a panic. "Miss Kaya, are you alright!"

Kaya lowered her eyes, clutching the crumpled bounty poster in her right hand and hiding it in the gap between her thigh and the floor. She forced a smile onto her pale face. "I'm fine... Klahadore, please go out for a moment. I feel uncomfortable with people around."

"..." Klahadore adjusted his round glasses with his wrist, looking up at the large tree outside the window. A cold, sinister glint flashed in his eyes.

Buggy had already reattached his floating body to his feet. He picked at his ear with his pinky finger and turned to look at the illuminated room.

"I can't stand women's screaming. As expected of the East Blue countryside—they haven't even seen a Devil Fruit."

He took two steps and peered into the shadows of the nearby thicket. "You haven't seen one either, have you?"

There was no movement from the bushes.

"How should I put this? I saw you in the trees of that estate earlier, but you sure hide fast, Cat Burglar Nami." Buggy strolled over. "I actually didn't know you had a hobby of climbing trees."

Leaves rustled as a figure darted out from the shadows, striking like a bolt of lightning.

Buggy swayed, dodging two palms that looked fuzzy but were clearly dangerous. As they passed, he used his detached hand to snatch the cloak right off the figure.

Under the moonlight, the person's appearance was revealed.

Beneath white, fluffy fur, a pair of pointed ears poked out, topped with a gray knit painter's cap. A pair of blinking, emerald-like eyes held a dazed expression, and the figure wore a gray-white short-sleeved shirt and hot pants...

Why does she look so cute... No, wait, why is she a cat!!!

Buggy stared blankly at the creature, completely caught off guard. "You... are Nami?!"

"Give the cloak back to Cat, you jerk pirate!"

"No, answer my question first. What is your name?"

"I won't let a pirate know that my name is Mikuru!"

She froze, then scrambled to cover her mouth.

So... did I chase the wrong person?

Thinking about it, even with the butterfly effect I caused, it's impossible for Nami to change this much and start stealing from the Navy on her own.

"Did you eat a Devil Fruit?"

Buggy looked at her strange face. She wasn't as terrifying as Usopp had described; in fact, she was unexpectedly adorable.

Mikuru bared her claws. "What kind of nonsense is that? I'm a descendant of the Cat God, you idiot pirate!"

Not a Devil Fruit user?

Buggy's peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a bulging cloth bag tucked into the shadows of the thick trunk. He shifted his gaze and said, "Fine, then just give me back the fruit—the thing I left on the Navy ship earlier—and we'll call it even."

As he spoke, he placed one hand behind his back, secretly detaching it. It circled around a distance before flying toward the cloth bag hanging in the tree.

Mikuru's two furry cat ears kept twitching incessantly. "I don't know anything about any fruit! Tell me quickly, do you know Nami? Are you her friend or her enemy? Did she steal treasure from your ship, and that's why you're hunting her? Hey, use your dirty, filthy, despicable, shameless, mean, and tricky mouth to speak up!"

"Actually..." Buggy slowed his tone, his left hand rapidly approaching the bulging parcel.

The moment his left hand gripped the opening of the bag, Mikuru turned her head with sharp alertness. Her palms erupted with dense blue electrical sparks, and she suddenly transformed into a blur, darting toward the thick tree trunk where the parcel rested.

Buggy's left hand hovered in the air, clutching the bag. He cursed inwardly as the palm crackling with blue electricity was about to seize his hand.

The detached left hand spun in mid-air, instantly altering its flight trajectory.

A faint blue light flashed, and with a "rip," the top of the large bag was torn open. At the same time, the heavy weight caused the cloth strap on the other side to give way, tearing it apart as well.

The fully opened bag fell to the ground, spilling a pile of glittering gold and silver jewelry.

"Mink Tribe..." Buggy quickly retracted his hand, flexing his left index finger which had gone numb after being grazed by his opponent. He scanned the ground, frowning. "Why isn't there a Devil Fruit?"

"If you mean that thing, a girl ate it." Mikuru stood guard in front of the bag, her voice turning cold. Her two eerie eyes locked onto Buggy. "Now it's your turn to answer my questions, pirate."

"A girl ate it? What kind of foolish thing has this cat done..." Buggy muttered to himself. He looked up at Mikuru, who was fully prepared for battle, and shrugged.

"Fine, I'll tell you the truth. Actually, I am Nami's childhood sweetheart and fiancé. But it seems I've never heard Nami mention you, nor do I know why you are so obsessed with my fiancée."

"Hey, how is that possible! Nami is my savior and my best friend. How could she have never mentioned my name? You must not have been listening carefully!" Mikuru explained, sounding somewhat anxious.

"..."

Buggy rubbed his chin. "Is that so? It seems my arrival has stirred up some changes after all..."

Mikuru froze, seemingly realizing something, and shouted angrily, "Liar! Pirate! Nami doesn't have any childhood sweetheart fiancé! You actually deceived the feelings of an ignorant young cat; you are nothing but a devil!"

Buggy shrugged, threw his cloak onto the ground, turned around, and walked away, waving his hand. "Sorry, sorry, I bothered you, but you aren't my target."

"Hey, wait!" Mikuru pointed her index finger at Buggy's retreating back. "Are you just going to run away like a coward? Do you have no dignity as a man? Your soul will go to hell sooner or later, and endless darkness that devours the void awaits you!"

"What a chatterbox..." Buggy said nonchalantly, ignoring her and continuing to walk forward.

Mikuru scrambled to gather the scattered treasure on the ground, shouting indignantly at Buggy's back, "I am not a chatterbox, you bastard red-nose! I am a great noble, I am a descendant of Cat God! You stop right there!"