Syrup Village

Syrup Village—

"Pirates are coming, pirates are coming!"

"A pirate ship has docked off the west coast!"

"Several thousand pirates got off that pirate ship!"

Usopp, dressed in brown, wearing a netted cap, and sporting a nose like Pinocchio's, ran swiftly into the village, shouting as he went.

"Everyone, hide! Pirates are coming!!!"

Hearing Usopp, the villagers ignored him and instead looked at him with disgust.

A middle-aged man said coldly, "Usopp, you're lying again!"

"Nothing but lies from that guy!"

"Seriously, doesn't Usopp ever get bored?"

"What an annoying guy."

Some villagers who had had enough picked up stones from the ground and hurled them at Usopp, but he nimbly dodged them.

Usopp made a face at them. "Bleh bleh bleh~ You missed, you missed!"

Furious, the villager grabbed a wooden stick and chased after Usopp.

Seeing that, Usopp took off running.

"If you've got what it takes, come chase Lord Usopp!"

The villagers behind him were beside themselves with rage.

Usopp taunted the villagers as he ran. Just as they were about to catch him, he sped up again and pulled away.

After looking back several times, he saw that the villagers behind him were gone.

Usopp gradually slowed to a stop. He looked back several times in a row, but no one was chasing him anymore.

"They're not chasing me anymore? How boring!"

Arriving at the west coast, Usopp sat beside a cliffside rock, glancing back from time to time and hoping someone would come after him.

"A... a pirate ship?"

Just as Usopp picked up a stone and tossed it into the sea, he suddenly saw a pirate ship appear on the ocean.

"No way!"

It was Usopp's first time seeing a real pirate ship. The enormous vessel, its pirate flag bearing a dark skeletal angel, and its dazzling golden hull left him stunned.

Rubbing his eyes, Usopp confirmed that he had not seen wrong.

And that pirate ship was heading toward Syrup Village.

"I'm dead, I'm dead! Pirates really are coming!"

Usopp's first reaction was to go back and tell the villagers.

As he watched the pirate ship draw closer and closer, cold sweat covered his forehead.

"I have to tell the villagers!"

Usopp broke into a run toward the way he had come, shouting as he ran, "Pirates are coming! Pirates really are coming! You have to believe me!"

"What a huge pirate ship!"

Usopp shouted desperately, but the villagers only glared coldly at him, some even glaring at him in anger. A few simply shut their doors, preferring not to see or hear him.

"Will you stop already?!"

"You big liar!"

"You're so annoying!"

No one around him believed what he said. For the first time, Usopp felt despair.

"How... can no one believe me even when I'm telling the truth? This time... pirates really came!"

"We've arrived at Syrup Village. Mark, does this place really have that miraculous footwork you mentioned?" Daisy looked curiously at the ordinary village before her.

Mark answered with certainty, "It does, but I don't know whether he'll be willing to cooperate."

So Mark doesn't actually know him, Daisy thought.

He was talking about Kuro's Silent Step.

Kuro was a character who had appeared early on among the pirates, and his Silent Step was an excellent ability.

Its most obvious trait was that it made no sound when used, while also creating an effect similar to invisibility. This was not invisibility in the true sense; it was merely an illusion caused by moving at a sufficiently high speed.

Mark currently needed to fill the gaps in his hand-to-hand combat.

Silent Step, the Marine Six Styles, and even Lao G's Di Weng Fist were all things he needed.

Silent Step could make his attacks stronger. The Marine Six Styles could comprehensively strengthen his hand-to-hand combat, especially Geppo. Once he learned it, he could run through the sky. As a Devil Fruit user, he had a great need for Geppo.

Lao G's Di Weng Fist and similar techniques could be used to strengthen his hand-to-hand combat.

It was not just Lao G's Di Weng Fist. He also wanted to learn Dragon's Dragon Claw, Iron Fist, and other such combat techniques.

As long as it could make him stronger, he wanted to learn it.

Mark and Daisy headed into Syrup Village, while Chiu Chiu chose to remain behind and guard the pirate ship.

Syrup Village was not very populous, but everyone in the village lived comfortably. The wealthiest household was Kaya's family.

That was also Mark's target.

"Hello, excuse me. Could you tell me how to get to Kaya's house?" Mark asked after finding an elderly man.

The old man was watering flowers outside his home. Hearing Mark's question, he looked him over from head to toe. When he saw the huge axe on Mark's back, he froze for a moment before speaking.

"Kaya? You mean the young lady from the Lohrel family?"

Lohrel? A trace of confusion flashed through Mark's eyes.

"Is Lohrel the family that owns the largest mansion in the village?"

"Yes! They're the richest family in our village. I even saw Lohrel this morning..."

Mark suddenly understood. Lohrel must have been Kaya's father.

That meant Kaya's parents were still alive.

"Does the Lohrel family have a butler who often wears glasses and looks rather refined?" Mark asked.

If Kaya's parents were still alive, then perhaps Kuro had not yet come to Syrup Village. Mark did not know Kuro's alias, so he could only describe his appearance to the old man.

"You mean Klahadore? You seem quite familiar with the Lohrel family. Are you a friend?"

"We've met before," Mark replied.

"I see. Their house is..." The old man gave him directions.

"Thank you, sir!" Mark said gratefully.

As he left, he seemed to hear the old man mutter under his breath, "Young people these days, always pretending to be pirates... That child Usopp is the same, and so is this one... Sigh!"

Mark smiled to himself. The old man had probably seen the weapon on his back and assumed he was like Usopp, never realizing that he truly was a pirate.

Now that he knew where Kaya lived, Mark headed straight there.

"Mark, is the person you mentioned that Klahadore?" Daisy asked.

"That's right. It's him," Mark answered. "But that isn't his real identity."

"Not his real identity?"

"His true identity is that of a pirate named Kuro. You should have heard that name before, right?"

"The Black Cat Pirates!" Daisy exclaimed.

Mark nodded. "That's right. It's him."

"Wasn't he killed by the Marines two years ago?"

"Fake! That was only his double!"

Daisy sighed. "No wonder Silent Step sounded so familiar. It turns out it was his technique!"

There were only a handful of pirates in the East Blue. The Black Cat Pirates had been at the height of their power back then, but rumors suddenly spread that Black Cat Kuro had been killed by the Marines. After that, the Black Cat Pirates' reputation plummeted.

Who would have thought that Kuro had hidden his identity and become a butler for a wealthy family?