4. Luffy: Tyrant... Overlord!

The Straw Hat crew arrived in Syrup Village for a very simple reason.

Their ship was broken.

According to the original course of events, they would gain their fourth companion here—Usopp.

They would also acquire an iconic vessel, the Going Merry.

While Usopp stood in confrontation with Luffy and the others, a man with a small case in hand and a pair of glasses pushed up on his nose waited in silence for the arrival of the Black Cat Pirates.

"After today, both Tyrant and Kaya will die. Only then will I truly be able to live a peaceful life!"

The Black Cat Pirates had a hypnotist named Jango, who could place Kaya under hypnosis and compel her to write a suicide note.

After that, he would order the Cat Brothers to kill Tyrant, and Captain Kuro would reap the rewards.

He had plotted in silence for three long years, all for this very moment.

Kaya remained unaware of the danger.

She was still in her study, quietly researching medicine.

As for Tyrant, he had arrived without restraint at the beach by the shore.

He had left Kaya with a defensive treasure he had won in a lottery.

If Kaya ever suffered a fatal wound, the treasure’s protection would activate and instantly transfer her to his side.

In this way, Kuro’s scheme would be foiled, and Kaya would be well protected.

"So this is the Straw Hat crew? They really are all fired-up young men!"

Usopp trembled as he aimed his slingshot at Luffy and the others.

Mimicking Shanks’s tone, Luffy said, "If you’ve decided to pull the trigger, then you’d better be ready to gamble your life!"

With one hand over his face, Zoro gave a dark little smile. "That’s right, Captain Usopp. If you truly mean to go to war with the Straw Hat crew, then you’d better be ready to gamble your life!"

Nami shook her head helplessly, muttering to herself, "Those two idiots are at it again. I just hope they don’t scare him too badly. After all, we still need to resupply in this village."

Usopp’s legs shook like he was sieving grain, yet even so, he did not take a single step back.

That surprised Tyrant a little.

Perhaps this was the charm of the world of pirates.

Even the smallest nobody had something worth risking everything to protect.

"Usopp, you look terrified."

"Tyrant? Why are you here? No, wait—go now! Tell Miss Kaya to leave the island with the villagers. The farther away, the better!"

Usopp was truly afraid of death, and his voice trembled with tears.

At the sight of Tyrant, the expressions of the three Straw Hat members shifted in different ways.

"Tyrant? What an imposing name!"

Luffy clearly meant to say Tyrant’s name, but when it came out, he stumbled awkwardly over the first syllable.

His good buddy Zoro slapped him on the shoulder, nearly laughing himself sick.

"Luffy, did you just call him Dad? His name is clearly Tyrant, all right?"

"Huh? What’s going on? Why would I know his name—and even say it wrong?"

The clever Nami could not help but feel a chill. Her woman’s intuition told her that this name was very strange.

The moment she saw Tyrant, she nearly lost control and blurted out "Tyrant" herself.

Had she not always remained cautious as a thief, she might well have spoken the name without any defense at all.

Nami was not the sort of girl who let others get the better of her.

Suppressing the urge to utter that name, she said with a grave expression, "Luffy! Zoro! Don’t let your guard down. This guy is strange. Be careful not to suffer a defeat from nowhere."

Luffy strode forward carelessly, extended his hand toward Tyrant, and said his signature words:

"I’m Monkey D. Luffy. I’m the man who will become King of the Pirates.

I sincerely invite you to join my crew, Tyrant. Will you become my shipmate?"

"Huh? I said your name wrong again?"

Luffy scratched his head awkwardly.

Nami: "..."

It seemed my warning went in one ear and out the other for this idiot.

Tyrant rubbed his chin. As expected, these hot-blooded shonen protagonists really were all ironclad straight men.

No wonder the guy over in the ninja world already had a son, while Luffy was still a lone bachelor.

Faced with Luffy’s invitation, Tyrant neither refused outright nor accepted immediately.

"Your ship should be broken, right? If you want a new vessel, I can kindly provide one."

"Really? That would be amazing!" The eyes of the three of them lit up.

"However, I have one condition. I want two people added to that ship."

Since he had nothing better to do anyway, he might as well take Kaya along for a trip to the New World.

That would be quite an interesting thing, wouldn’t it?

Of course.

Tyrant would never admit it.

He simply had a wicked little taste in mischief: he wanted the strongest people in the world to call him Dad.