After realizing he was in Kaya's mansion, Kaito Sakamoto chose not to rejoin Luffy and the others. Instead, he decided to relax and enjoy some time alone.
After finishing lunch, Kaito went to visit Kaya. Once he received permission, he opened the door and stepped inside.
Inside, the room only had Kaya and a young man dressed in a suit, meticulously neat and wearing glasses.
Kaito immediately recognized him as Kuro.
Kuro remained silent, with tears at the corners of his eyes. His acting was impressive—if it weren't for the timing of the plan, he could have convinced anyone he was nothing more than the butler Kuro Hatel, not the pirate mastermind known as Kuro.
Kaito was about to leave but stopped when he realized the newcomer was Kaito. Kuro stayed behind, seemingly observing him.
Kaito sensed Kuro's gaze and met his eyes without a flicker of emotion, almost as if Kuro were just another stranger.
Kuro really was a stranger to him.
Even though Kaito now knew Kuro's true identity, he still had to maintain appearances. He forced a smile and said, "You're the butler, Kuro Hatel, right? Mr. Merry mentioned you."
"I'm Kaito Sakamoto," he continued. "I came to thank Miss Kaya for taking me in and for having a doctor treat my wounds."
Kaito turned his gaze to Kaya, smiling as he gave a slight bow in appreciation.
Kaya blinked, then waved her hand dismissively. "It's no problem," she said quickly. "I'm just glad you woke up, Kaito."
"Uh…"
Kaito choked slightly. "I'm a guy, Miss Kaya."
"Ah?"
Kaya was surprised, then quickly apologized. "I'm so sorry! I misunderstood! Kaito, you're just so good-looking!"
"You flatter me," Kaito replied with a smile, thinking to himself, No matter how good-looking I am, it doesn't compare to how Usopp looks in your eyes.
...
After chatting with Kaya for a while, Kaito could almost be considered a "social terrorist."
It had been a long time since Kaya had talked to anyone outside of the mansion and Usopp. She enjoyed the conversation and, at this point, they had become friends.
However, Kaito couldn't shake the feeling that Kaya was treating him more like a sister than a friend, especially since she let him sit on her bed and chat…
"I should get going. Thank you for letting me stay a little longer," Kaito said, standing up. His purpose had been achieved.
"Alright, Kaito, rest well," Kaya said, feeling a little disappointed. After living in the mansion for so many years, she was still an inexperienced girl.
"You too," Kaito replied, smiling as he glanced at Kuro, who stood quietly in the corner like a statue, having listened to the entire conversation.
"Mr. Butler, could you walk me out?" Kaito asked. "This mansion is so large, I'm afraid I'll get lost."
Kuro stared at him for a moment, then smiled professionally. "Of course, this way."
...
Clack, clack, clack.
The sound of Kuro's polished shoes echoed in the long hallway.
Kuro led the way, and Kaito followed behind, watching the man's stiff back, his hand holding a white cloth. Kuro had truly convinced himself he was just a butler.
Kaito chuckled. "Kuro, you really are like a refrigerator with an elephant inside."
The sound of Kuro's shoes stopped abruptly at the comment.
Kuro turned around, still smiling. "My name is Kuro Hatel. Also, what do you mean by 'a refrigerator with an elephant inside'?"
Kaito smiled back. "It means, you really know how to pretend!"
Kuro's smile faltered, and his expression darkened. "What do you mean by that?"
"Stop pretending, Kuro. I'm also a pirate," Kaito said directly, revealing Kuro's true identity.
Kuro's eyes widened slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.
"I didn't think anyone would recognize me," Kuro said, his voice steady. "Yes, I was once a pirate, but three years ago, Miss Kaya's parents saved me. In gratitude, I became their butler and left the pirate life behind."
Kaito smiled. Still pretending, huh?
"It's been three years. Maybe you've even fooled yourself by now."
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
"Rumor has it that Kuro is extremely clever, using his intelligence to acquire great treasure," Kaito continued. "But he's also a paranoid person, unwilling to let even the smallest flaw in his plans slide. If something goes wrong, he won't hesitate to eliminate anyone, even his own men."
Kaito paused for a moment, then added with a smirk, "How fortunate. I enjoy watching plans that took so long to make get ruined."
"I won't do anything before your plan starts," Kaito said. "You don't believe me? You can try attacking me now, though... I'm pretty sure that's not part of your plan."
With that, Kaito casually walked past Kuro. The whole "getting lost" excuse was just a way to get Kuro to accompany him, so Kaito could vent his frustrations with a few well-placed lies.
The camera zoomed in on Kuro's face. His expression twisted into a snarl, his teeth nearly grinding together as he fought to suppress his fury.
He couldn't understand where this kid had come from or how he knew about his plans.
"It's been three years… my plans cannot fail!" Kuro muttered to himself. "Fine, then, it will be tomorrow at dawn."
"I'll make sure you die painfully."
With those words, Kuro turned and left the mansion.