CHAPTER 4 - SYRUP VILLAGE: THE BUTLER'S BETRAYAL
The journey to Syrup Village was punctuated by Nami's increasingly frantic searches for her hidden stashes, each discovery of a slightly lighter pile of Beri or a few charred notes leading to a fresh wave of indignant fury directed squarely at Adam. He, in turn, maintained an air of bewildered innocence, occasionally offering her a system-generated, pristine Beri note with a sympathetic sigh.
"I swear, Adam, if you touch my money one more time, I will personally throw you overboard!" Nami shrieked, clutching a small bag of coins.
"My dear Nami," Adam replied, adjusting his jacket, "I wouldn't dream of it. Besides, I'm pretty sure your money is developing a complex. It keeps trying to escape. Perhaps it longs for freedom? Or maybe it just doesn't like being hoarded in dark, damp places. Have you considered a savings account? With, you know, a bank? They have vaults. Less prone to spontaneous combustion."
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: NAMI][LIKE METER: 5%][HATE METER: 30%][ACQUIRABLE SKILLS: BASIC NAVIGATION, CARTOGRAPHY (PRACTICAL APPLICATION)]
"Thirty percent hate. Excellent. We're building a solid foundation of mutual exasperation. 'Practical application' of cartography? So she's actually learning. My pranks are clearly a form of advanced, albeit unconventional, education."
Luffy, oblivious to the simmering tension, was busy trying to catch a seagull with his tongue. Zoro was, predictably, asleep, leaning against the mast in a position that defied gravity and common sense.
They finally arrived at Syrup Village, a quiet, seemingly idyllic place. Adam knew better. This was where the insidious Captain Kuro, disguised as the gentle butler Klahadore, planned to inherit a fortune by murdering a kind, naive heiress named Kaya.
"Alright, team," Adam announced, stepping onto the sandy beach. "New village, new problems. And I have a feeling this one involves a particularly nasty butler and a lot of very sharp claws."
They soon stumbled upon a young man with a long nose, prone to exaggerated lies, shouting about pirates. Usopp. The future sniper.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: USOPP][LIKE METER: 0%][HATE METER: 0%][ACQUIRABLE SKILLS: NONE]
"Zero percent. Another blank slate. This is going to be fun. Usopp, the master of lies, meeting Adam, the master of sarcastic truth. It's like a philosophical debate, but with more slingshots and less actual philosophy."
"Pirates! Pirates are coming!" Usopp screamed, pointing wildly. "They're going to destroy the village! They have giant sea monsters and cannons that shoot rainbows of doom!"
Adam raised an eyebrow. "Rainbows of doom? That's a new one. Are they, by any chance, sparkly rainbows of doom? Because if so, I might have to reconsider my career path. I've always wanted to incorporate more glitter into my pranks."
Usopp stared at him, momentarily flustered. "Who are you?!"
"Adam," he replied, a charming smile on his face. "And you, my friend, are clearly a man of vivid imagination. Or a pathological liar. Either way, I'm intrigued."
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: USOPP][LIKE METER: 10%][HATE METER: 0%][ACQUIRABLE SKILLS: SLINGSHOT ACCURACY (BASIC)]
"Ten percent like. So, he appreciates a good verbal jab. Good to know. 'Slingshot accuracy (basic)'? I can probably hit a tin can from ten feet away. Excellent. My prank arsenal just got an upgrade."
Luffy, meanwhile, was already trying to befriend Usopp, completely buying into his tall tales. Zoro was still asleep. Nami was eyeing the village, probably calculating the potential Beri she could acquire.
They eventually made their way to Kaya's mansion, where they met the seemingly kind butler, Klahadore. Adam watched him with a keen eye, noting the subtle tells: the way his hands twitched, the unnatural stillness in his eyes.
"So, Mr. Klahadore," Adam began, his voice deceptively casual, "I hear you're quite the devoted butler. Always serving, always polite. It's almost... too perfect. Like a villain in a bad play trying to hide his true intentions. You know, the kind who strokes a white cat and monologues about world domination."
Klahadore's smile tightened. "I assure you, sir, I am merely a humble servant."
"Of course, of course," Adam said, nodding sagely. "And I'm merely a humble observer of human nature. And your human nature, Mr. Klahadore, is screaming 'I'm secretly plotting something nefarious and probably have a really sharp weapon hidden somewhere.' Just a hunch, of course."
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: KURO][LIKE METER: 0%][HATE METER: 10%][ACQUIRABLE SKILLS: CAT CLAW ATTACK (UNSTABLE)]
"Ten percent hate. And 'Cat Claw Attack (unstable)'? So I can probably extend my fingernails a bit, but they might just fall off. Not exactly ideal for opening a can of tuna, let alone fighting. Still, good to know I'm getting under his skin."
Usopp, who had been trying to warn them about Klahadore, looked at Adam with wide eyes. "You... you believe me?"
"Well, not the rainbow cannons part," Adam clarified. "But the 'evil butler' part? Absolutely. It's a classic trope. Besides, anyone who wears those ridiculous glasses indoors is clearly hiding something. Probably his terrible fashion sense."
Later, as Kuro's plan began to unfold, with his pirate crew, the Black Cat Pirates, descending on the village, Usopp was terrified. He wanted to run, but his loyalty to Kaya and the village kept him rooted.
"This is it, Usopp," Adam said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Your moment of truth. Are you going to be the guy who tells tall tales, or the guy who actually does something heroic? I'm rooting for the latter, mostly because 'guy who ran away' doesn't make for a very good story."
Usopp gulped. "But... but they're real pirates!"
"And we're real pirates too, technically," Adam pointed out. "Just, you know, the good kind. The kind that doesn't murder innocent heiresses for their money. We prefer to just annoy them until they give us their money willingly. Or, in Nami's case, accidentally set it on fire."
As Kuro's crew advanced, Adam surveyed the battlefield. He noticed a series of strategically placed ropes and pulleys, remnants of some village festival. An idea sparked.
"Hey, Usopp!" Adam called out. "See those ropes? And those trees? If you were, say, a master strategist with a knack for traps, what would you do?"
Usopp, surprisingly, started to think, his fear momentarily forgotten. "Well... if I tied those ropes to those trees, and then pulled them at the right moment, the pirates would trip!"
"Exactly!" Adam beamed. "Now, add a few strategically placed buckets of very, very sticky molasses, and what do you get?"
Usopp's eyes widened. "A sticky trap!"
"Precisely!" Adam clapped him on the back. "Now, go! Be the hero of your own story! And try not to get too much molasses on your nose. It's surprisingly hard to get out."
While Luffy and Zoro engaged Kuro's main forces, Adam worked with Usopp, guiding him, giving him confidence, and occasionally "accidentally" tripping a few pirates into Usopp's traps. He used his "Gum-Gum Pistol (unstable)" to stretch his arm and knock over a few strategically placed barrels, creating more obstacles.
"You're actually pretty good at this, Usopp!" Adam exclaimed as a group of pirates tumbled into a molasses-filled ditch.
Usopp, emboldened, grinned. "I am, aren't I?!"
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: USOPP][LIKE METER: 25%][HATE METER: 0%][ACQUIRABLE SKILLS: SLINGSHOT ACCURACY (IMPROVED), KABUTO SNIPING (BASIC)]
"Twenty-five percent like. And 'Kabuto Sniping (basic)'? So I can probably hit something small from a distance. Excellent. My prank arsenal is becoming truly formidable. Imagine, a slingshot that shoots glitter bombs! The possibilities are endless!"
Nami, meanwhile, was trying to find a safe place to hide her increasingly dwindling stash of Beri. Adam, seeing her frantic movements, decided it was time for another lesson.
He approached her, a look of mock seriousness on his face. "Nami, my dear, I've been thinking. All this obsession with money. It's quite unhealthy. It's like trying to fill a bucket with a hole in it. Eventually, it's all going to leak out. Especially if I'm around."
Nami glared at him. "Are you implying you're going to steal more of my money?"
"Perish the thought!" Adam exclaimed, placing a hand over his heart. "I'm merely suggesting that perhaps, just perhaps, there are more important things in life than a pile of shiny coins. Like, say, not getting murdered by a crazy butler. Or, you know, friendship. Though I admit, friendship doesn't pay the bills. Unless you count emotional dividends, which I do. They're priceless."
He then "accidentally" dropped a small, heavy bag near her feet. It clinked with the sound of Beri. Nami's eyes widened. She quickly snatched it up. It was full of high-denomination notes, far more than she had lost.
"What is this?" she asked, suspicious.
"Oh, that?" Adam waved a dismissive hand. "Just some spare change I found. Probably fell out of a pirate's pocket. You know, pirates. Always so careless with their ill-gotten gains. Consider it a... a karmic refund. For all the emotional distress I've caused you. You're welcome."
He walked away, leaving Nami staring at the bag of money, a confused expression on her face.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: NAMI][LIKE METER: 10%][HATE METER: 25%][ACQUIRABLE SKILLS: BASIC NAVIGATION, CARTOGRAPHY (ADVANCED THEORY)]
"Ten percent like, twenty-five percent hate. The balance is shifting! And 'Advanced Theory' for cartography? She's practically a walking map now. My work here is almost done. Almost."
The battle raged, but with Usopp's newfound courage and Adam's strategic interventions, the Black Cat Pirates were slowly but surely being defeated. Kuro, furious, finally revealed his true speed, moving like a blur.
"This is it, Usopp," Adam said, his voice serious for once. "He's fast. Faster than you can imagine. But he has a weakness. He can't see where he's going. Use your head. Use your traps. And for once, don't lie. Just hit him."
Usopp nodded, a determined look on his face. Adam knew he'd be fine. The seeds of heroism had been planted. And now, it was time for the grand finale.