Chapter 11: Black Cat Pirates
"Miss, Mr. Apollo, you're back."
As soon as the two returned, Kuro came forward to greet them: "I heard there was a conflict inside, and I was very worried."
Apollo pointed at him: "Klahadore, you truly are very loyal!"
"Mr. Apollo, I know you've always misunderstood me."
Kuro's voice was humble and respectful: "The young lady's parents took me in and gave me a job. This kindness is like a second chance at life; I absolutely have no ulterior motives towards the young lady!"
"Perhaps."
Apollo remained noncommittal, turning to lie down on a lounge chair.
Kaya felt a little helpless.
She also didn't know why her teacher had always disliked Klahadore. She had tried to persuade him, but her teacher only told her that she would understand in the future.
After a few attempts that proved fruitless, she gave up.
"If it really doesn't work, I'll just let Klahadore go," Kaya thought.
Their relationship wasn't as good as it was in the original story when Luffy and the others arrived.
The reason Kuro was able to completely gain Kaya's trust and reliance was because after the girl lost her parents, she was in a state of panic and helplessness.
At that time, he took advantage of her vulnerability and was seen as family by Kaya.
Now with Apollo interfering, there was naturally no room for Kuro.
Behind them, Kuro adjusted his glasses with a hand, and although his expression didn't change, the murderous intent in his eyes was almost uncontrollable.
Ever since Apollo arrived, nothing had gone right for him.
Especially after their conflict spread, it dealt a blow to the good reputation he had painstakingly cultivated.
After all, Apollo also had a good reputation in Syrup Village—gentle, remarkably knowledgeable, humble, and low-key. In terms of his persona, he naturally commanded more respect than Kuro.
Most importantly, Apollo might even become Kaya's husband!
A butler who has a conflict with his future master, regardless of the reason, is a fatal stain on his record.
What was worse, Kuro keenly sensed that Apollo's distrust of him seemed to have a more certain basis.
This made him wonder if his true identity had been exposed.
Although it had been two years ago, and he had faked his death to escape, the Black Cat Pirates had been quite infamous in the East Blue. It was possible Apollo had seen his wanted poster.
It could be said that Apollo's existence had greatly threatened the implementation of his plan!
"Since you're looking for death, don't blame me!"
Staring at Apollo's neck for a few seconds, Kuro turned and left.
He didn't notice that after he turned and left, Apollo looked back at him, his eyes full of amusement.
"Can't hold it in anymore? It seems something interesting will happen on the way. Haha, well, it's time to get rid of him. Let the tool play out his last bit of usefulness!"
Time slowly passed, the sun sank into the far west of the sea, and the next day, it rose again from the eastern horizon.
A vast expanse of white mist lay on the sea, making it feel as if one was walking among the clouds.
The Golden Snail sliced through the waves, tearing through the white mist, moving slowly.
Jorgina was bored, standing guard on the crow's nest.
"What's the point of being on alert with such heavy fog?"
She grumbled softly: "I can't even see the deck from here."
Everyone else was either sleeping or resting in their rooms; only she was working.
"With such heavy fog, even pirates wouldn't go out, would they?"
Jorgina was just wondering whether to sneak a moment of laziness when she suddenly spotted a dark shadow ahead.
Before she could react, there was a loud crash, and the Golden Snail shuddered violently, coming to a halt.
"Oh no! We crashed!"
Jorgina scrambled down, shouting: "It's bad, we crashed! It's bad, we crashed! It's bad…"
She first ran towards the bow, wanting to see how serious the collision was, but stopped halfway, her eyes wide, her body trembling slightly, her face filled with fear.
The ship they had collided with was slightly smaller than the Golden Snail. Its deck was now crowded with people, most of them holding swords and looking ferocious. Behind them hung a pirate flag with crossed bones and a cat's head.
Jorgina was so startled she almost collapsed, scrambling back on all fours, screaming hysterically: "Pirates!"
The others heard the commotion and all came out, startled.
"Pirates? What pirates?"
"Didn't we just crash? Where did pirates come from?"
"We crashed into a pirate ship!" Jorgina's voice was tinged with tears.
The Golden Snail had weapons; if they were far away, they could try to block with cannons, but now they had directly boarded a pirate ship. What should they do?
Together, the master and servants were only six people!
Kaya's face was pale, but she still forced herself to remain calm: "Pirates are after money, right? We'll give them all our valuables and see if they'll leave."
Kuro adjusted his glasses, calmly saying: "Regardless, Miss, please find a place to hide quickly. Leave the pirates to us!"
"No need, I will protect Kaya."
Apollo stretched, having trained hard for half a year. Finally, he could test his strength.
Being low-key was good, but it was like hiding gold in the dark—it always left one feeling a little unfulfilled.
"Do you know what you're saying!" Kuro glared at Apollo: "Those are pirates! They kill without batting an eye, and the young lady is very dangerous staying here! You protect? What ability do you have to protect the young lady?"
As he spoke, he reached to pull Kaya, but Apollo blocked him with a wave of his hand.
"You'll soon know what ability I have."
Apollo had a calm smile on his face: "It's you, however, who is quite suspicious."
"Mr. Apollo, I know you have an issue with me, but now is not the time for this!"
Kuro took a deep breath, as if he was greatly angered: "The most important thing now is to resist the pirates and ensure the young lady's safety!"
The others' gazes towards Apollo also changed slightly.
Comparing the two, Kuro was constantly thinking of Kaya, while Apollo seemed to be making a fuss.
"Excellent! Excellent!" Apollo clapped his hands in admiration: "Truly excellent acting! It's a pity you don't go into movies."
"Haha, they seem to be fighting amongst themselves!"
"How interesting!"
A group of people emerged from the white mist onto the deck.
Leading them was a strange man in a blue suit, wearing red heart-shaped glasses, and walking backward. Closely following him were two figures, one fat and one thin, who had just made the mocking remarks.
Kuro's face completely darkened, but his displeasure was not due to the arriving pirates.
The other three servants were trembling with fear, their eyes darting around, seemingly looking for an escape route.
Kaya tightly gripped Apollo's hand. Although she was afraid, she still maintained her basic composure.
Only Apollo remained unfazed, even showing a hint of amusement.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen, I promise!"
After comforting Kaya for a moment, Apollo turned to look at the pirates, a smile playing on his lips: "The Black Cat Pirates, are they?"
"Were we recognized? Hahaha." Jango grinned: "I have to say, your luck is really bad to actually crash into a pirate ship."