"Jango, step forward!"
Hearing Roya call his name, Jango's heart leaped into his throat.
The unprecedented tension left his face considerably paler.
"H-here! M-my lord, how did you know my name?"
Hearing Jango's words, Roya thought to himself, Do I really have to tell you I'm a transmigrator?
At that thought, the aura around Roya suddenly burst outward.
The terrifying aura was like that of a ferocious beast, as if it had landed directly on their hearts.
They were so frightened that they dropped to their knees on the ship.
The gentleness vanished from Roya's face. Expressionless, he asked Jango, "Where is Kuro of a Hundred Plans?"
Facing Roya, the White Dove Admiral, Jango didn't dare deceive him. Without hesitation, he sold out Kuro.
"My lord, he's currently in Syrup Village. I'm willing to take you to him. I only hope you'll spare our lives."
Roya said nothing more and merely replied, "Lead the way."
Soon, Roya and Jango arrived at Syrup Village.
The system's electronic voice rang out in Roya's mind.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, on completing the sign-in mission. Reward obtained: Peak Medical Arts. Peak Medical Arts allows the host to directly surpass the Pirate King's personal ship doctor, Crocus. As long as the other person still has a breath left, there is a very high chance of saving them. It is the medical art closest to a miracle!]
Roya was extremely satisfied with this reward from the system.
That was because Peak Medical Arts was simply too practical.
It could be said to be an absolute life-saving skill!
However, while Roya was delighted, Jango was extremely nervous.
Walking beside Roya, Jango felt as if an elephant were rampaging inside his chest.
There was simply no way for him to calm down.
"Do you know Kuro's exact location?"
"My lord, I do. The captain and I—no, I mean Kuro and I—went there before. His target is the wealthy household in the middle of the island."
"Lead the way."
"Yes."
On the other side, Captain Kuro had disguised himself as a petty crewman who had been thrown off a ship for making a minor mistake.
His entire body was covered in dust, making him look utterly pitiful.
Thus, he had won Kaya's parents' trust and been allowed to stay at the estate as its butler.
Looking at everything in the room, Captain Kuro's eyes gleamed with a hint of heat.
"Three years. Once I've completely blended into life on this island, it will be the day you die."
A cruel smile appeared at the corners of his mouth, but in the blink of an eye, he had completely concealed it.
Suddenly, he saw a figure flickering outside the window.
The figure went behind a tree, then easily climbed it and knocked on the second-floor window.
The window opened. Kaya furrowed her lovely brows and looked at the long-nosed man before her with obvious resistance.
"I told you not to bother me anymore. I don't like listening to you brag."
Hearing Kaya's words, Usopp quickly waved his hands and said, "No, no, today's matter is really important. And I promise, I'm definitely not bragging!"
"Do you think I'll believe you? Usopp, the biggest liar in the village!"
Hearing Kaya's words, Usopp suddenly clenched both hands over his chest and said to her unwillingly, "Kaya, I've contracted a disease where I'll die if I don't finish telling a story."
Kaya was very gentle. Although she knew Usopp was only pretending to be in pain, she still nodded and said, "One last time."
"Great! The story I'm telling today is a rumor I heard while I was out at sea!"
Kaya knew that when Usopp spoke of going out to sea, he really meant playing house with the other children.
But she was as gentle as water and couldn't bear to expose him.
"Today, while I was out at sea, I heard about a great pirate who seemed to have grown tired of life. He killed himself and prepared to begin a new life, and then..."
"Usopp, you're lying again. How could he begin a new life after killing himself?"
Kaya voiced her doubt.
Usopp's eyes shifted as he suddenly thought of a wonderful explanation.
"It's simple. For example, say I'm a pirate. I have someone hypnotize a Marine, then find someone else to impersonate me. Wouldn't I be free then?"
Kaya didn't believe Usopp's words, but her good upbringing still made her intend to hear out this unreasonable story.
However, Usopp didn't know that Kuro was concealed beside the tree.
His icy eyes stared at Usopp in the tree.
Usopp only felt a cool breeze pass by, but he was busy making up a story for Kaya and paid no attention to this inexplicable chill.
"Then this pirate came to an island and pretended to be a petty crewman. He gained other people's trust and became a butler, but no one knew that his ultimate goal was to seize their wealth. Fortunately, all of this was discovered by a prince, and in the end, the prince's appearance saved everyone!"
Hearing Usopp finish the story, Kaya was already furious.
"Enough, Usopp! I never thought you were this kind of person. Did you know that my family got a butler today, so you deliberately made up this disgusting story to tell me? Usopp! I'll never give you another chance!"
With that, Kaya shut the window and stopped paying attention to Usopp.
Usopp was stunned. He still hadn't figured out what was happening.
"What butler? I was only bragging! I really didn't mean anything else!"
But the tightly closed window did not open again.
Usopp sighed and climbed down from the tree.
He had really only come to find Kaya and talk to her.
As long as he could talk to Kaya, he was already very happy.
"Seriously, what did I say wrong?"
Usopp casually kicked a stone, only to find a man in a black tailcoat smiling at him.
Usopp didn't know this man. In fact, he had never even seen him on the island before.
"Who are you?"
Kuro looked at Usopp, pushed up the glasses on the bridge of his nose, and said, "I thought I'd hidden myself perfectly, but I never expected you to see through me. So, to ensure my plan goes smoothly, I'll ask you to die first!"
As his voice fell, Kuro had already put on his ten blades, the Cat Claws. Their glinting edges reflected in Usopp's pupils.
He finally understood where that cold breeze had come from...