Chapter 12: The Butler
Minutes Later
Thankfully, Merry let us in, and now we found ourselves inside the mansion discussing the ship we wanted to buy, one that he had designed himself.
Me, Tiche, and Usopp mostly stayed back and talked amongst ourselves while letting Nami handle the negotiations since she seemed far better at that sort of thing than any of us.
Poor Merry was practically sweating bullets as Nami mercilessly haggled him down on the price.
Thankfully, after several minutes, things finally reached a conclusion, with Nami looking extremely satisfied and Merry looking relieved to be done talking to her, which I had to admit was a little funny.
I didn’t actually know what the original asking price had been since I hadn’t really been paying attention if I was being honest, but Nami had managed to get it down to nine million Berry in the end.
That left us with about six million Berry left over, so I certainly wasn’t complaining.
Merry assured us that everything would be ready in about two days once he discussed it with Kaya, who was technically the owner of the ship. He also said he didn’t see any reason why she would refuse.
We had no problem waiting.
Eventually, the conversation shifted toward my supposed skills as a doctor.
Another person who seemed relieved that the negotiations were over was Usopp. He didn’t look particularly comfortable being here and kept fidgeting in his seat every few seconds.
“Ahem, now then, Luffy-san.” Merry cleared his throat as we sipped tea together, the atmosphere much more relaxed now that business had been settled.
“You mentioned that you were a doctor of sorts?”
“Correct.” I nodded before draining the rest of my tea in a single gulp.
“Though it would be more accurate to say that my abilities do most of the heavy lifting.”
“Your abilities?” Merry asked in confusion, tilting his head.
“Correct.” I nodded calmly. “Have you ever heard of Devil Fruits?” I asked instead of answering immediately.
“Those are actually real!?” Merry exclaimed in astonishment before blinking several times.
A moment later, he shook his head and continued.
“Wait, are you saying that you ate a Devil Fruit and it gave you those abilities?”
“You could think of it that way.” I replied a little evasively.
There was no way I was ever going to reveal the existence of the Chaos Gacha to him when I hadn’t even told my own crew.
This way, however, he would come to his own conclusions.
Conclusions that I would neither confirm nor deny.
“I think an example would serve as better proof.” I continued before a good idea appeared in my head. “Do you have some kind of sharp object or, better yet, a knife, Merry-san?”
Looking confused by my request for a moment, Merry thankfully didn’t question me. A moment later, he handed me a silver letter opener that looked reasonably sharp.
Nodding my thanks, I took the letter opener in one hand and raised my other hand palm up.
Nami, Usopp, and Merry’s eyes immediately widened as they realized what I was about to do.
“Luffy! You’re not seriously—”
Nami didn’t get to finish her sentence as I quite literally stabbed the letter opener into my palm.
“…Of course you are.” She groaned, slapping her forehead.
“This guy is crazy,” Usopp muttered under his breath.
He immediately shut his mouth when Tiche, who was sitting closest to him, shot him a narrowed-eyed glare.
Ignoring their little interaction, I set the letter opener down before bringing my other hand over the wound.
A second later, a golden glow emanated from my palm.
“Whoa! Your hand is glowing!” Usopp exclaimed in both shock and excitement.
Which was expected from him.
He probably thought it was cool.
Which it totally was.
Merry, on the other hand, watched in open wonder as the wound visibly closed before his eyes. In only a few seconds, the cut completely vanished before the light faded away.
“And done.” I smiled before taking a rag from Tiche and wiping the blood from my hand.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Luffy-sama.”
“As you can see,” I continued while holding up my now perfectly healed hand, “this is why I only call myself somewhat of a doctor. My ability does most of the heavy lifting.”
“I see.” Merry nodded slowly, a hopeful smile appearing on his face.
“It is still a marvelous ability, if I may say so. Would you mind taking a look at Kaya-sama, Luffy-san? You will, of course, be properly compensated for your efforts.”
I smiled internally as everything came together exactly as planned and was about to agree when Nami suddenly leaned forward.
Her eyes had transformed into Berry symbols and a huge smile stretched across her face.
“He would love to~” she said sweetly.
Then she stepped directly into Merry’s personal space.
“Now, about this compensation. How much are we talking about?”
Merry immediately looked nervous.
And a little afraid.
By now, he was all too familiar with Nami’s relentless love of money and terrifying bargaining skills.
I could only laugh in amusement as the poor butler found himself being pressured once again while leading us toward Kaya’s room.
=====
Moments later, we found ourselves outside Kaya’s room before Merry turned to us.
“Now, would you please wait here while I inform Miss Kaya about you and see if she is willing to receive visitors?” Merry asked politely.
“Sure, no problem.” I shrugged while the others also nodded in agreement, with Usopp being the only one who looked nervous.
“Then if you’ll excuse me for a moment.” Merry bowed his head slightly before entering the room after receiving permission, leaving us alone in the hallway.
Seeing Usopp become increasingly unsettled, a teasing grin grew on my face.
“Seems to me that you know the mistress of this house a lot better than you let on,” I said while wiggling my eyebrows suggestively.
Immediately catching on to what I was implying, Nami joined in.
“Hmm~ He does seem pretty nervous about seeing her.” She covered her mouth to hide a grin. “Could it be that you have a crush on her, Usopp?”
“S-Shut up, you idiots!” Usopp whisper-yelled, a noticeable blush spreading across his face. “What if she hears you!?”
That only made me and Nami chuckle harder.
“Yep, he likes her.” I nodded sagely.
“Definitely~” Nami agreed while placing her hands on her hips. “Now the only question is whether she likes him back.”
An evil smirk appeared on her face a moment later, causing poor Usopp to pale.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how one looked at it, our fun was interrupted by a rough and irritated voice from further down the hallway.
“What are you all doing here!? Who let you in!?”
Me and Nami blinked in confusion while Usopp’s embarrassment instantly disappeared, replaced by a sour expression.
Turning toward the source of the voice, we found another butler standing at the far end of the hallway.
Unlike Merry, this one was tall and lean with slicked-back hair, dark eyes, and a pair of round glasses.
‘So he finally shows himself,’ I thought while keeping a calm expression on the outside.
“K-Klahadore,” Usopp muttered, sounding both nervous and annoyed.
“Usopp-san.” Klahadore—or Kuro, as I knew him—looked at him mockingly. “How exactly did you and your friends get past the guards?”
His gaze only briefly swept over the rest of us before returning to Usopp as though we weren’t worth his attention.
“We didn—”
Usopp didn’t get the chance to answer.
“It doesn’t matter,” Kuro interrupted dismissively. “Now, I will not repeat myself. Leave this building at once and do not return.”
He sneered.
“We wouldn’t want Kaya-sama associating with the filthy son of a pirate. Or with the sort of people he chooses to call friends.”
As he spoke, he raised his palm and adjusted his glasses in that peculiar cat-like manner of his.
Seeing Usopp’s temper rapidly rising, and rightfully so, I decided to step in.
Moving forward, I crossed my arms and gave the man a blank smile.
“I’m afraid that’s not your call to make, butler.”
I made sure to put extra emphasis on the last word and watched with silent amusement as a muscle twitched in his jaw.
“We are here on official business with Miss Kaya and are currently waiting for Merry to return,” I continued calmly. “Since you’re not the owner of this property, you have no authority to tell us what to do.”
My smile widened slightly.
“Now, why don’t you be a good butler and bring us some tea while we wait, Klahadore?”
For the first time since he arrived, Kuro’s composure visibly cracked.
He was glaring absolute murder at me now.
“…Why you!”
The opening of the door interrupted the tense atmosphere that had formed around us.
Nami and Tiche were still looking at Kuro with irritated expressions while Usopp looked seconds away from bursting out laughing at what I had said to him.
“Miss Kaya will see you and your friends now, Luffy-san.”
Merry stepped out with a welcoming smile before blinking as he noticed Kuro standing at the end of the hallway.
“Oh, Klahadore. Nice to see you back. Did you get everything you needed done?” Merry asked jovially, completely oblivious to the tension.
Kuro immediately smoothed over his expression and adjusted his glasses once more.
“I did, thank you.” He nodded politely before glancing at us. “Now, is it true that these... gentlemen are here on business with Miss Kaya, Merry?”
His tone remained polite, though the cold look he sent our way said otherwise.
“That’s right.” Merry nodded with a smile. “I just finished discussing the sale of the ship I designed with them, and Miss Kaya has already agreed.”
Merry’s smile widened.
“Additionally, Luffy-san has kindly agreed to examine Miss Kaya and see if his abilities can help heal her.”
“…Heal her?” Kuro repeated skeptically.
His eyes swept over our group before settling on me.
“I fail to see how a simple doctor could discover something that the many doctors before him have not.”
“That’s just it, Klahadore.” Merry’s excitement visibly grew. “Luffy-san is not like the other doctors who have treated Miss Kaya in the past. He possesses a Devil Fruit ability that allows him to heal injuries.”
“A Devil Fruit, you say?”
For the first time, Kuro seemed genuinely interested.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied me more carefully.
“That’s correct.” Merry nodded before turning toward me. “Now then, Luffy-san, if you would. Miss Kaya is waiting inside.”
“Of course, Merry.” I nodded pleasantly. “Lead the way.”
Ignoring Kuro entirely, I followed Merry into the room with the others close behind.
Kuro chose to accompany us, but I paid him little attention as I looked around the lavishly decorated bedroom.
It didn’t take long to find its sole occupant.
Sitting by the window was the mistress of the mansion herself.
Kaya was a slim, pale-skinned girl with blonde hair and soft brown eyes. Even at a glance, she looked much frailer than someone her age should.
She seemed restless, almost as though she had been waiting for someone.
As soon as we entered, Kaya turned toward the door.
Her curious gaze moved over our group before suddenly lighting up when it landed on a nervous-looking Usopp standing near the back.
“Usopp-san!” she exclaimed happily.
The simple sight of him seemed to brighten her mood immediately.
“What are you doing here? Are these your friends?”
Usopp froze for a moment before a boastful expression appeared on his face.
Unfortunately for him, Merry answered before he could begin one of his usual tall tales.
“Kaya-sama, this is the gentleman I was telling you about.”
Usopp immediately deflated.
“This is Luffy-san. With your permission, he will be examining you today.”
Stepping forward, I offered the sickly girl a friendly smile and a respectful nod.
“Hello there. Nice to meet you~”
Kaya visibly relaxed at my easygoing demeanor.
“And yes, we are friends of Usopp’s, even if we only met recently.”
“I see.” Kaya smiled softly. “Then it’s nice to meet you as well, Luffy-san. I’ll be under your care.”
Her gaze then shifted toward the two girls standing beside me.
Seeing her curiosity, Nami and Tiche introduced themselves as well.
“I’m Nami, nice to meet you.” Nami said with a friendly smile and a wave.
“Tiche. Pleasure.” Tiche said simply but respectfully.
“With introductions done, let me work my magic and see what’s wrong with you.” I said with a smile as I stepped calmly to her side under her curious gaze.
“Don’t worry, this won’t hurt a bit. I just need you to stand still for a moment.” I assured her with a calm smile, and she nodded slightly.
Raising my hand toward her, a familiar golden glow appeared around it once more, causing her eyes to widen in surprise.
I concentrated for several minutes while everyone else thankfully remained silent.
As the healing energy flowed into her, I noticed some color slowly returning to her cheeks. Beyond that, however, there wasn't much improvement.
Which was exactly what I had expected.
After a few more moments, I let the light fade away with a small sigh.
“So that was the power of a Devil Fruit.” Kaya murmured as she looked down at her hands with wonder in her eyes while feeling the slight change. “I do feel a little better.”
“S-So it worked?” Merry jumped into the conversation as he looked at me hopefully, causing me to frown slightly and worry him a bit before I waved my hand in a so-so gesture.
“Kind of.”
That answer immediately earned several confused looks.
“The problem is that, from what I could tell, Kaya isn’t really sick. At least, not physically.” I shook my head.
“All my healing really did was take care of the slight malnourishment she had from not eating properly.”
“What do you mean, Luffy-san?” Kaya asked with a tilt of her head.
“I mean that what you really need isn't medicine or a doctor, Kaya.” I smiled gently. “You need to go outside every now and then, get some sunlight, and spend time around other people.”
I thought about it for a moment before adding.
“Maybe get yourself a pet too.”
Kaya blinked.
“That’s it?” Merry asked in surprise.
A moment later, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“Well... I suppose she has been cooped up in this mansion for quite a long time.”
Kaya remained silent as she looked down at her healthier-looking skin.
After several moments of thought, she looked back up at me with a bright smile.
“Thank you, Luffy-san.”
I waved off her gratitude.
“Even if you say you didn’t really do much, there’s no denying that I feel much better after what you did.”
“As for your recommendation...” Kaya smiled warmly. “I think that sounds like a wonderful idea.”
I didn't miss the way her eyes briefly drifted toward Usopp before returning to me.
The long-nosed teen immediately looked away.
The atmosphere in the room quickly became much lighter and more pleasant.
Not everyone, however, seemed pleased with the direction the conversation had taken.
“I've remained silent long enough!”
Kuro finally stepped forward.
He leveled me with a glare that was about as intimidating as a stray cat, which, all things considered, was pretty fitting and almost made me crack up with a laugh.
“I cannot allow this farce to continue any longer.”
“Klahadore.” Kaya frowned. “You're being rude to our guests.”
She was completely ignored.
Which was a rather strange thing for a mere butler to do.
“That’s right, Klahadore.” Merry nodded in agreement. “You're going too far.”
Unfortunately, he was ignored as well.
“If you’re quite done with your charade, I will ask you to leave at once! It’s clear to me that you’re only here for Miss Kaya’s money, so if you’re done playing witch doctor, please leave.” Kuro said firmly as he adjusted his glasses.
Immediately, Nami, Tiche, and Usopp bristled at the accusation and glared back at the rude butler while I merely raised an eyebrow.
“Witch doctor, huh?” I asked in amusement since it sounded kind of funny, like something straight out of Pirates of the Caribbean.
Shaking my head, I pushed the thought aside since this wasn’t the right time to confront the disguised pirate with so many innocent people around. Not that they would believe us in the first place either.
“Fine, think what you want. I’ve said my piece, so we’ll leave it at that.” I said with a shrug, confusing everyone with my passive response before turning to Merry, who was giving me an apologetic look.
“I hope our deal regarding the ship is still on the table, Merry?” I asked pleasantly, silently letting him know that there were no hard feelings.
Before Merry could answer, Kaya spoke first.
“Of course it is. I’m sorry once again for Klahadore being so rude to all of you. I’ll make sure to reprimand him later.” Kaya said firmly, catching Kuro slightly off guard before he quickly schooled his expression.
“Excellent. Then we’ll take our leave. It was nice meeting you, Kaya.” I said with a nod before turning and heading for the door.
The others quickly offered their own goodbyes while sending Kuro one last glare before following after me.
Merry escorted us out personally, apologizing several more times along the way.
I waved away his concerns and, noticing the increasingly curious looks Nami kept sending my way, silently signaled for her to save her questions until later.
Once we were finally outside the mansion grounds, Nami immediately rounded on me with her arms crossed and a deep frown on her face.
“Okay, what was that about?” she demanded. “There was no reason for us to leave. That stupid butler was the one being rude. Tsk, what kind of butler talks to guests like that right in front of his mistress?” she ranted with an annoyed pout.
“Klahadore has always been like that.” Usopp muttered with a frown of his own, still clearly irritated by the encounter.
“Luffy-sama made the correct decision by retreating for now. That man was dangerous.” Tiche said calmly.
Her statement immediately snapped Nami and Usopp out of their anger and replaced it with confusion.
Seeing that Tiche had no intention of elaborating any further, Nami turned to me with an even more puzzled expression.
“What does she mean, Luffy?”
“She means there’s more to that butler than meets the eye.” I explained calmly as we spotted Zoro in the distance, still fast asleep in the exact same spot we had left him.
“That bastard slipped up for a moment and released some genuine killing intent before catching himself.”
Both Nami and Usopp looked even more confused now, with a hint of worry beginning to creep onto their faces.
“Let’s grab Zoro first. I’d rather not have to explain everything twice.” I said with a shrug.
The two reluctantly agreed, bringing the conversation to a temporary halt.
As we made our way over to my sleeping first mate, I silently reflected on something else.
‘Seems we arrived just in time.’ I thought as I recalled the presence I had sensed while we were inside the mansion. ‘A fairly strong voice compared to everyone here arrived on the island while we were talking with Kaya, which can only mean one thing.’
Jango was here.
The hypnotist and current captain of the Black Cat Pirates had finally arrived.
A cold smile tugged at my lips.
‘Let’s see that shitty butler smirk when I break a few of his teeth and ruin all of his plans.’