On the shore.
Kaya stood her ground, pointing the gun at him as her hands trembled.
"Leave this village immediately!" she demanded.
She tried to negotiate, her voice shaking. "If it's my inheritance you want, I'll give you all of it. Just… please don't hurt anyone else."
Her pain spilled out as she spoke again. "I can't believe the person I trusted for three years was planning something so horrible."
Kuro mocked her, cold and cruel, saying he hated every second of serving her. The words hit harder than any blade. Kaya froze, too shocked to pull the trigger.
At last, her strength failed her. The gun slipped from her hand and fell to the ground as tears streamed down her face. The "Klahadore" she loved—someone kind, gentle, dependable—had never truly existed.
Usopp stepped in front of her despite his injuries, shielding her with his own body.
Seeing and hearing everything, Luffy became furious—furious at Kuro's heartless cruelty toward Kaya and the way he treated his own crew.
"Leave him to me," Luffy said, his voice burning with anger. "I want to fly him."
Usopp shouted for Kaya to retreat. Nami was already there—she grabbed Kaya by the shoulder and pulled her back, the two of them running toward a safe place.
While Luffy faced Kuro, Zoro took on Kuro's strongest officers: the Nyaban Brothers, Siam and Butchie.
Zoro was immediately put at a disadvantage when the brothers stole two of his swords, forcing him to fight with only one. They used a cowardly fighting style, pretending to be terrified to lure Zoro in before attacking with their sharp claws.
As Nami escorted Kaya back, she spotted Zoro struggling. Seizing the moment, she managed to kick Zoro's swords back to him.
With all three swords returned, Zoro regained his full strength. He unleashed his technique—Tora Gari (Tiger Hunt)—slashing both brothers across the chest at the same time.
Siam fell instantly. Butchie, later hypnotized by Jango to become even stronger, tried to continue the fight—but Zoro defeated him again with ease.
On Luffy's side, Kuro used his Shakushi (Whack-a-mole) technique, moving at invisible speeds and attacking everyone around him—friend and foe alike.
Luffy finally caught Kuro mid-movement and slammed him into the ground with Gomu Gomu no Bell, defeating him for good.
The Black Cat Pirates retreated, carrying their unconscious captain with them. The village remained completely unaware that a battle had taken place.
Usopp, Zoro, and Luffy each won their own fights—ending the Black Cat Pirates' long-planned scheme and protecting Syrup Village at last.
♤
After the long battle, Kaya slowly regained her composure back at the mansion. She saw that Merry was already awake—and judging by how he looked, he was about to rush out toward the shore. The sight filled her with relief. She knew that without their help, everything could have gone terribly wrong. Not just the village, but everyone in it might have faced death—or something far worse.
She invited everyone to rest at her mansion. Luffy, Zoro, and Nami came, of course, but Usopp did not. Kaya understood why. Because of her words. Because of what she had done. They needed time for things to cool down.
From Luffy, she learned that they had come to the village looking for a ship. That alone made her thankful—and inspired by their spirit. She promised to give them one.
"Merry," Kaya said, "are you okay with that?"
"Yes, Miss Kaya," Merry replied. "And I hope they will treat it as a true partner."
While the others celebrated their victory, Usopp was elsewhere, packing his large bag. Luffy had asked him if he wanted to become a pirate with him. At first, Usopp had refused—but then he changed his mind. It wasn't about finding his father anymore. It was about telling real stories. Stories that could truly make people happy, not just lies. For that, he needed real adventures of his own.
That was why he was preparing.
Back at the mansion, Kaya and Merry spoke again.
"If you want, I can show it to you," Merry said.
The truth was, Merry had designed and planned the ship himself. It was meant to be a ship for Miss Kaya—but she had grown fond of their group. As thanks, she wanted them to have it.
"Yossshhh! We have a ship! Come on, let's go!" Luffy shouted enthusiastically.
Zoro calmly sipped his sake, while Nami savored her food.
"Please, Merry-san, lead the way," Kaya said.
Now that her mind was clearer, Kaya noticed something strange—her body felt different. Alive. Full of energy. Even her small gestures had changed, and Merry, who had always taken care of her, noticed immediately.
"Miss Kaya… did something happen to you? You feel different."
"Oh, you noticed too, Merry-san?" she said softly. "I got help from an odd-looking person. Didn't you see anyone when you woke up?"
"Well, now that you mention it, Miss Kaya… I feel completely healthy," Merry replied. "But I didn't see anyone. I was just sleeping in my bed."
"So… where did he go?" Kaya murmured to herself.
That afternoon, Luffy, Zoro, and Nami finally saw the ship Kaya was giving them.
"Wooooow! This is our new ship!" Luffy shouted, stretching his arms wide and hugging the hull. "Welcome, new partner!"
"What's its name?" Luffy asked.
"I called it the Going Merry," Merry said.
"Going Merry…" Zoro, Nami, and Luffy repeated.
"Shishishishi! Count on you from now on, Going Merry!" Luffy laughed.
Watching their reactions, Kaya felt certain she had made the right choice.
Then a shout came from behind.
"Wait for me! I'm going too!"
Everyone turned to see Usopp, carrying his big brown bag. He tried to rush forward, but tripped, rolling downhill like a rock straight toward the ship.
Luffy and Zoro lifted their feet and stomped on his face, stopping him just in time.
"Hey! Watch it! You'll hurt Merry!" Luffy said.
"Ah—sorry, sorry! I tripped!"
"So, you're in?" Luffy asked.
"Yes! You need to hear my greatness!" Usopp declared.
He looked back at Kaya. "I'm going with them. And when I come back, I'll tell you even more exciting—real—stories."
Kaya smiled. "I doubted you before… but this time, I can only give you my good luck." She nodded firmly. "You have my full support—and my permission—to leave. Go pursue your dream. And when you return, I'll be an excellent doctor and heal all your injuries."
Usopp cried and nodded. "Then you better prepare yourself for true stories this time!"
He picked up his massive bag and walked toward the Merry.
Hearing Kaya talk about becoming a doctor, Merry smiled. "Then I'll support you too, Miss Kaya."
"Thank you, Merry," she replied.
The four crew members boarded the Going Merry—but they didn't set sail yet.
"Um… what about the gold man?" Nami asked.
"Gold man?" Luffy repeated, bewildered.
"The bandage guy," Zoro said.
"Oh! We forgot about him," Luffy said.
"How could you forget him when his job was guarding our ship?" Zoro replied.
Usopp tilted his head. "Who are you talking about?"
"It's the magic guy," Luffy said. "He guards our ship."
"The ship you came with? That dilapidated one?" Usopp asked.
"The merchant ship is docked on the other side," Nami said. "Should we sail around the island to meet it?"
"Okay! Let's do that!" Luffy said, not fully understanding.
Then he shouted, "Hey, ship and rich girl! Come aboard! We're going around the island!"
No one understood what he meant—until Luffy yelled, "Gomu Gomu no—Grab!"
He stretched his arms, grabbed Kaya and Merry by the waist, and pulled them aboard.
"Shishishi—!"
BAAANG.
Nami smacked him on the head. "Don't do something that dangerous!"
Kaya and Merry were now safely on board.
"We're sailing around the island," Nami explained. "Our old ship is docked there. We're meeting someone who guards it."
"Oh, that sounds nice," Kaya said. "I wanted to try sailing at least once."