An Unexpected Bountiful Harvest!

Knowing full well how unreliable Luffy was, Rayson made his choice the moment they took off.

Besides, Zoro possessed a Demon Physique (deep purple). This level of impact was nothing more than an extra round of tempering for his muscles.

"Rayson... thank you." Nami slipped free from Rayson's arms, her pretty face slightly flushed as she lowered her head and thanked him awkwardly.

This did not seem to be the first time Rayson had stood in front of her during a crisis.

The words Rayson had spoken in Orange Town once again stirred ripples across Nami's heart.

"If you two want to get cozy, find somewhere else! I'm still pinned underneath you!" Zoro grumbled irritably, especially displeased by their double standard.

"Ah!" Nami's face reddened as she hurriedly stepped back several paces.

"Zoro, my dear brother." Rayson patted Zoro on the shoulder and gave him an exceptionally gentle smile.

"Next time, let's find somewhere private and have a proper spar."

Hearing Rayson's seemingly considerate words, Zoro inexplicably felt a chill run down his spine and could not help shuddering.

"You all aren't hurt, are you?" The blonde girl looked at these unexpected visitors from the window with some concern.

"It's fine, it's fine! They're actually all my loyal admirers! They're new recruits of the Usopp Pirates!" Usopp hurriedly slid down from the tree, wiping away cold sweat as he tried to smooth things over.

These people were genuine pirates! Although Rayson and the others did not seem like bad people, revealing their identities in front of the villagers would still cause unnecessary panic.

"I'm not! Actually, we came here to ask for something." Luffy adjusted his straw hat and looked directly at the blonde girl.

"You need something from me?" she asked in surprise.

"Yeah! We want a big ship!" Luffy got straight to the point.

"Hey! You vulgar lot!"

Just then, an arrogant, icy voice suddenly rang out behind them.

Rayson and the others turned toward the sound to see a butler in a black suit and round glasses walking slowly toward them with exceptionally measured steps.

"Kuro?" Rayson's heart stirred slightly.

Inspect traits.

> Kuro's traits: Cat Claws (light purple), Silent Step (light purple), Secret Technique: Shakushi (deep purple).

> Cat Claws (light purple): Exceptionally powerful finger strength paired with the Ten-Bladed Cat Claws weapon, capable of unleashing considerable tearing damage.

> Silent Step (light purple): An assassination movement technique that uses the movement patterns of feline beasts to achieve high-speed mobility.

> Secret Technique: Shakushi (deep purple): Kuro's strongest ultimate technique. An indiscriminate slaughtering assault unleashed on the foundation of Silent Step (light purple). It uses astonishing speed together with the Ten-Bladed Cat Claws (light purple) to launch slashes. Its flash-strike speed can even rival Shave among the Navy Six Powers. Its flaw is that while in its burst state, the user loses the ability to distinguish targets.

"An ultimate technique trait?"

This was the first time Rayson had seen such a specialized category in the system's detection interface.

After carefully reading the additional description of ultimate technique traits, he understood.

Only when multiple abilities worked together and caused the user's overall combat power to undergo a transformative leap would a unique "ultimate technique trait" form on the control panel.

Kuro's Silent Step and Cat Claws, for example, were originally both light-purple rank. But when he combined them into "Shakushi," the destructive power of that ultimate move was enough to briefly reach the deep-purple rating.

As for why Luffy and Zoro's famous signature techniques had not yet appeared as independent traits on the current detection panel—

The reason was simple. Luffy had not yet developed Second Gear or Third Gear, while Zoro had not comprehended the "Swordmaster" realm of cutting steel. He had not even truly stepped through the doors of becoming a transcendent swordsman.

At this stage, Luffy and Zoro's so-called finishing moves were merely brute-force methods of unleashing one hundred percent of their strength. They had not caused a leap in combat power through the form of their attacks.

However, if Rayson chose to plunder Kuro's traits, then once he took the deep-purple Secret Technique: Shakushi, the Silent Step and Cat Claws traits on Kuro's panel would permanently fail as well.

That was because the deep-purple ultimate technique had originally developed from those two foundational light-purple abilities.

That meant the only substantial immediate combat power Rayson could obtain from Kuro's body was this single deep-purple combat trait.

Even so, it was still an enormous haul! The value of a deep-purple trait was in no way comparable to that of a light-purple one.

This outcome had already exceeded Rayson's previous expectations.

"Who is this guy?" Luffy tilted his head, sizing up the suited man who was pushing up his glasses with his palm.

"Klahadore, Miss Kaya's butler." Kuro introduced himself calmly, though a flicker of cold light quietly vanished from the depths of his eyes.

"Could I ask you all to leave? Or is there anything else you would like to explain?" Kuro spoke as he slowly walked toward Rayson and the others.

"Oh, right! We need a big ship!" Luffy grinned and cheered.

"Impossible." Kuro rejected him without hesitation.

"Usopp, I often hear rumors about you from the villagers. In this village, you're quite the famous figure." As he spoke, Kuro turned his head toward the tree Usopp had rapidly climbed the instant he appeared.

"Really? I'm that famous?" With his hiding place exposed, Usopp awkwardly poked his head out from behind the trunk.

"I heard you spend all day yearning for some so-called sailing adventure? In this mediocre village, that truly makes you a rather eye-catching exception." Kuro's mockery was filled with undisguised contempt.

"You may call me Captain Usopp, Mr. Butler." Usopp raised his chin and forced himself to retort.

"Captain?" Hearing that title, Kuro once again pushed up his glasses with his palm.

"I've also heard quite a few rumors about your father."

Kuro's words made Usopp's expression turn especially gloomy.

"Enough, Klahadore." The blonde girl interrupted him. She knew Usopp's family circumstances well and desperately wanted to stop Kuro from reopening his wounds.

"You are nothing more than the descendant of a crude pirate! No matter what absurd things you do, I would not find them surprising, but stay away from our young lady!" Kuro ignored her warning, his tone sharp and cutting.

The smile on Luffy's face gradually faded away.

"You... you insulted him..." Usopp trembled all over, his face turning pale with fury.

"Pfft... Hahahaha!"

Yet just as the atmosphere reached its breaking point, a burst of utterly ill-timed laughter suddenly rang out.