After infuriating Kuro in the mansion, Bai Yun began waiting for dawn. Since he had told Kuro he wouldn't act before the battle began at midnight, he wouldn't act. He was a man of his word.
To ensure the plan went smoothly, Kuro immediately rushed out to meet and discuss with Jango.
Although Jango had just hypnotized himself while trying to hypnotize Zoro, Nami, and the three children, leaving him lying in the middle of the road...
Luckily, it didn't delay their meeting. However, this timing allowed Usopp and Luffy, who were on the cliff, to overhear their entire plan... Usopp sat on the edge of the cliff, nursing his sorrow, when suddenly, Luffy swung down from the tree above, hanging upside down.
"Hey!"
"Ah!"
Luffy startled Usopp greatly. Before Usopp could recover, Luffy said something that shocked him even more.
"Your dad is Yasopp, right?"
"How did you know?!"
Usopp quickly pressed for an answer.
Luffy dropped down from the tree, flipped over, and sat cross-legged next to Usopp.
"Bai Yun and I met him when we were kids. You look exactly like him. No wonder I felt a sense of familiarity—I just remembered it now."
Luffy grinned, showing a row of teeth. His childhood was the happiest time of his life. The days spent with Shanks' crew, the Dadan family, Ace, Bai Yun, and Sabo were all cherished memories.
"Where is he now, then?" Usopp pressed.
"Hmm... I don't know."
"But he's definitely still on the Red-Haired Pirates' ship."
"He's one of my favorite pirate crew members."
"He's also considered half a master to Bai Yun. Hmm... it seems like everyone else in the Red-Haired Pirates, aside from Benn Beckman, who is his actual master, is half a master to Bai Yun."
"Really?"
"So he's on Shanks' ship! The Red-Haired one..."
Usopp exclaimed emotionally, but as he spoke, he suddenly realized something was wrong!!
"SHANKS!!!!"
When the realization hit him, Usopp's eyes nearly popped out onto Luffy's face.
"My dad is on the ship of someone that amazing! That's a legendary pirate!"
"Speaking of amazing, Yasopp's best skill is his marksmanship."
"Bai Yun even said that if they only compare marksmanship, even his master, Benn Beckman, can't beat Yasopp."
Luffy recalled.
"Hahaha, is that right?"
Usopp was naturally happy to hear someone praise his dad, but then another question came up.
"Who is Bai Yun?"
"Bai Yun is my crewmate! We went to the mansion to look for a ship and to look for..."
Clearly, Luffy had forgotten about looking for Bai Yun.
"Ah! I completely forgot! Hahaha."
Bai Yun: ... Afterward, Luffy told Usopp about Bai Yun being rescued by Merry... "I see. Well, why don't you just go back? You didn't swear never to go there again like I did."
Usopp replied.
"Yeah, but that butler is really annoying."
"I agree. My dad living bravely on the sea makes me proud, but that guy dared to say those things..."
"Exactly, that butler is just despicable."
Luffy pointed down at Kuro by the shore below the cliff.
"Yes, that's the butler. I hate the sight of him," Usopp said, following Luffy's finger. As he spoke, he suddenly realized the situation and jumped in shock.
"Why is that butler here?!"
...And just like that, Kuro's supposedly foolproof plan was now known by two more people besides Bai Yun.
But who was Luffy? He never played mind games. He was the protagonist; he could do whatever he wanted.
He jumped up immediately and shouted down at the two people below.
"Hey!! You guys aren't allowed to hurt the young lady!!"
He was then hypnotized by Jango and fell straight off the cliff... Kuro, upon seeing that only Usopp remained, felt relieved. He knew that no one in the village would believe Usopp's words... It was the story of the boy who cried wolf.
No matter what Usopp said, the villagers didn't believe his warning that the Black Cat Pirates would attack at dawn.
Instead, they grabbed brooms and other items, intending to hit Usopp.
Usopp had no chance to explain. He could only rush toward Kaya's mansion. Since Kuro's target was Kaya, he had to take her away first.
What he received in return, however, was a slap from Kaya.
"You disappoint me greatly, Usopp."
There was nothing he could do. Without seeing it with her own eyes, Kaya couldn't believe that the person who had diligently cared for her was a pirate who wanted to kill her.
Putting himself in her shoes, Bai Yun thought that if he were asked to suspect someone who had cared for him for three years, he wouldn't be able to do it either.
Therefore, Bai Yun, watching from the background, didn't speak up to explain for Usopp. Mere words couldn't prove anything.
Since that was the case, Bai Yun decided he would make Kaya see it with her own eyes.
After Usopp fled the mansion,
Bai Yun went to Kaya's room.
Kaya was already in tears, unable to understand why Usopp had acted that way.
Even when she saw Bai Yun and tried to compose herself out of politeness, her tears just wouldn't stop flowing.
...
A/N: The journey continues! If you're eager to read far ahead and support this story, consider joining the Eternal Phoenix community. You can find me on Patreon by searching for "Eternal_Phoenix".
Get access to 50+ advanced chapters.
Membership starts at just $6.
Your support makes a world of difference and helps me write more!
Thank you for reading!