While Peter and the others were waiting in the living room…
Upstairs, in Kaya's bedroom, the young lady was quickly packing her clothes, one piece after another.
After hesitating for a long while, Merry finally spoke in a voice so low that Kaya could barely hear it:
"My lady, have you really decided? The outside world is far too dangerous, and if anything were to happen to you, how would I ever explain it to the madam?"
Kaya's hands stopped mid-motion. The moment she remembered her late parents, the sparkle in her eyes dimmed.
But she quickly composed herself and turned around with a bright smile.
**"It's fine. I believe that if my father and mother were still alive, they would support my decision as well.
When my father was here, he would always tell me that this world is vast, and that if I ever had the chance, I should go out, travel, and see it for myself."**
But the master never said to go with a pirate!
Merry screamed in his heart, but he didn't dare say it aloud — if the man downstairs heard, it wouldn't just be his life at risk, but the whole village's.
Still, Merry wasn't ready to give up. He pulled out a newspaper from somewhere, pointing to an article about Peter, warning Kaya:
"My lady, the paper says that except for him, his entire crew consists of beautiful women. His invitation to you must have another motive… something like… your beauty."
Kaya's face instantly turned red. She quickly shoved the paper back into Merry's hands and lowered her head, pretending to continue packing as she replied shyly:
"Of course I would refuse something like that, Merry! I'm not a child anymore!"
"That's not something you can just refuse so easily!"
Merry didn't know whether to laugh or cry at her response.
He realized that the late master and madam had sheltered Kaya far too much over the years.
Everyone — the guards, the servants, even himself — had kept the troubles of the outside world away from her, except for the incident with Kuro.
And after recently meeting people like Luffy and his friends, who didn't seem like pirates at all, her view had become completely skewed. She had no idea what kind of lawless people pirates truly were.
If Peter had known what Merry was thinking, he would have protested immediately.
He had never admitted to being a pirate — he had merely offended the World Government and ended up with an undeserved bounty.
Merry tried several more times to persuade Kaya, but the good impression Peter had left on her was far too strong.
No matter what he said, directly or indirectly, Kaya had already made up her mind to set sail with him.
In the end, Merry gave in and helped her finish packing her daily essentials and medical books she planned to study on the ship, then went downstairs.
In the living room, when Peter saw Kaya ready with her bag and eyes full of excitement, he straightened up with a smile:
"Are you ready? Don't forget anything, because once we set sail, you won't be able to come back for a long time."
Kaya replied with a bright, energetic smile: "Don't worry, Captain, I'm ready anytime!"
"Good, that's the spirit!"
Peter praised her, then stood with Nami.
"Alright… let's go."
"Mm!"
Peter proudly took the lead, followed by Nami and Kaya chatting happily, while Merry trailed behind with a grim face. The four of them left the villa under the surprised gazes of the guards and servants.
On the road from the hilltop villa toward the village, the former "Usopp Pirates," now calling themselves the "Usopp Self-Defense Force," were gathered as usual.
Carrot, with purple hair covering his eyes and a face full of freckles, sat on a wall swinging his legs and speaking mysteriously to the other two:
"You know what? Today, several beautiful women we've never seen before came to the village."
Onion, the brown-haired boy with thick eyebrows and glasses, scoffed:
"Heh, old news. One of the villagers saw a huge ship at the coast flying an unknown flag. I bet they came on that."
"Idiot, of course they came on that. What's there to guess?"
Green Pepper, with dark green hair and tanned skin, interjected:
"Forget that. What if they're pirates? If that's the case, and with Captain Usopp gone, we're the only ones left to protect the village!"
"That… can't be true, right?" Onion said nervously.
"Don't scare me, Green Pepper! Those beautiful women can't possibly be pirates, no way!"
"Fool! You can't judge by appearance. Didn't Luffy and his crew look nothing like pirates at all?!"
Then Green Pepper turned to Carrot:
"What do you think?"
"I think we should be cautious. With the captain gone, we're the last line of defense. We can't relax!"
"Alright, since no one objects — Usopp Self-Defense Force, move out!"
The three of them raised their wooden swords and shouted with passion, ready to investigate.
But before they could act, Onion spotted something. He adjusted his glasses and shouted:
"Wait! Green Pepper, Carrot! Isn't that Miss Kaya? What's she doing outside? And she's with Nami and a man I don't know!"
"What?!"
The two turned, and sure enough, they saw Kaya, Nami, and Peter approaching, with Merry dragging a bag behind them.
When Kaya realized she hadn't said goodbye to them yet, she waved happily:
"Carrot, Onion, Green Pepper! Perfect timing — I was sad I didn't get to say goodbye."
The three froze when they heard the word goodbye.
But Kaya continued with a smile:
"This is Mr. Peter. He's invited me to be the doctor on his ship, so I've decided to set sail. From now on, I'll leave the village's protection to you. And if I meet Usopp at sea, I'll tell him about you."
Her words hit them like a bomb.
They had been planning to protect her for the captain's sake, and now she was leaving with someone else?!
"W-wait, that's way too sudden! Why do you want to go to sea, Miss Kaya?!"
While Green Pepper was still processing it, Onion had already stepped forward, pointing his wooden sword at Peter:
"Did you tell her something? Who are you? And why should Miss Kaya go on your ship?!"
Carrot, on the other hand, turned to Nami, eyes full of hope:
"Nami, is Miss Kaya joining Captain Usopp's crew? Aren't you their navigator?"
Nami answered first:
"Sorry, but I already left Luffy's crew. I'm working with Peter now."
"Hah?!" the three shouted in unison.
Kaya gently lowered Carrot's wooden sword and said:
"Don't be like that. Mr. Peter is a very reliable person, and he's the only one willing to take in someone as weak as me."
Remembering her frail health, the boys hesitated — worried, yet also surprised that anyone had invited her to sail.
"Are you a pirate? Do you have a bounty? If you're weak, we won't let Miss Kaya go with you!" Green Pepper asked.
Peter scratched his head in annoyance:
"Is this some sort of family approval test? You're not even family…"
But after Kaya nodded with a smile, Peter bent down slightly and grinned slyly:
"I'm not exactly a pirate, but I'm a little famous with the Marines. As for my bounty… you're better off not knowing — it might keep you up at night."
"You're bluffing! I bet you don't even have one. Show us if you do!" Onion challenged.
"Oh? You said it yourself. Don't blame me if you cry."
Peter slowly pulled a bounty poster from his pocket and unfolded it before them.
The three leaned in, first noticing his undeniably handsome face.
Then, his fearsome title: "God of Destruction."
Their hearts skipped a beat.
And when their eyes landed on the number — 1,390,000,000 — they felt dizzy.
"O-o-o… One billion, three hundred and ninety million?!" they screamed together.
Peter patted the pale-faced Carrot with a smile:
"Kid, this is the peak of your life. You're the first to point a sword at me and live."
Then he turned to Nami and Kaya:
"I actually like their names. If only they were Saiyans."
Nami tilted her head: "Because they're vegetables?"
"Exactly. Most Saiyan names come from vegetables."
The two girls glanced at the tail wrapped around Peter's waist and nodded knowingly.
Meanwhile, the three boys had already fled far away.
Once they confirmed Peter wasn't chasing them, they stopped and waved from a distance:
"Miss Kaya! Take care of yourself!"
"Goodbye, Miss Kaya! Goodbye, Nami!"
"Please pretend we don't exist!"
With tears in their eyes, they turned and vanished.
Kaya waved at them helplessly, then turned to Peter with a smile:
"They were really terrified. But honestly, who wouldn't be after seeing your bounty poster?"
"Hmph, of course. Now they can brag about talking to me for the rest of their lives."
Kaya found herself thinking that this dangerous wanted man… was actually kind of nice.
With that little episode over, they continued on their way.
Along the road, Kaya greeted villagers and told them she was leaving.
Most were surprised, then wished her well.
Some even recognized Peter, and when they learned he was the one who had invited Kaya personally, they were so shocked their eyes nearly popped out.
"No wonder she's Miss Kaya… to catch the attention of a man like that."
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Power STOOOONES let's gooo!