"How did you know that butler was trying to get Usopp to hit him?" Nami asked.

I sighed and looked down at my feet. I was standing, leaning against the fence next to where she was sitting on it. Zoro and two of those kids were sitting on the ground next to it. I looked up and stared out at the sky, watching the clouds move slowly in the distance.

"I've dealt with it enough to know when someone's pulling crap like that," I said, "People say stuff like that 'politely' and so when someone who isn't used to it witnesses it, they take the side of the person doing the goading. I've had some good friends who've been hurt badly by that sort of thing because they only realized it afterward, and I'm sure that guy was trying to do the same to Usopp and that girl."

I turned my head to look at Nami and gave a weak smile, "Kinda sad, huh? That I can spot things like that."

"Not really," Zoro said, "We've all got parts of our pasts that we wish wouldn't be so depressing."

"Yeah," I said, "I guess."

"AAAAAAAHHH!"

My head snapped up to see the third kid running toward us, yelling, "We're in trouble now! There's a weird guy who walks backwards!"

I looked farther down the road and lo and behold, he was right. There was someone doing the moonwalk, moving toward us. We watched until he neared and stopped in front of us and then said, "Who said I was weird? I'm not weird!"

"But you look really strange," one of this kids said.

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm just a regular hypnotist. Jango the hypnotist!" he said.

"Really? Cool!"

"Show us a trick!'

"Don't be stupid," Jango said, "A good hypnotist never shows his tricks right away….now look at this ring!"

"Why didn't you just say that in the first place?" Zoro asked.

I frowned as I looked at the ring he was holding, and then turned my attention to him again as he spoke to the kids, telling them they would fall asleep when he said 'Jango.' It worked on all three of them….as well as him.

I groaned and shook my head, "Why is everyone here a complete idiot?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Zoro said.

I walked over to where he was laying and grabbed the ring, looking it over before tossing it back down. The thing wasn't just a ring, the whole edge of it was a blade. This guy wasn't just a hypnotist….

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I told the others I was going for a walk to do some thinking. In actuality I was heading back to that mansion. As I approached it, looking left and right, I saw the butler from earlier just before he disappeared behind a rise. Lucky me. It was pretty easy to get over the fence again, and I walked up to the window from before. The girl was in there, sitting on her bed, hugging a pillow to her chest. I knocked on the window and her head snapped to me. She looked a bit unsure before sliding over to the window and opening it.

"You're from earlier, aren't you?" She asked.

I nodded, "Yeah. I was hoping I could talk with you a bit, if that's alright?"

She bit her lip and seemed to think about it a little before replying, "Alright, but it will have to be quick. I don't want Clahador getting upset again."

"You mean that butler, right?" I asked, "I just saw him a few minutes ago. He was walking toward the coast."

"He was?" she asked, seemingly genuinely surprised before shaking her head. "What did you want to ask?"

I took a breath and looked at her with a small frown, "It's Kaya, right?" She nodded. "I'm Dante," I said, holding out my hand. She was hesitant a bit before she reached out and shook my hand. Her grip was weak, and her hands felt small and frail.

"I heard from those little kids that Usopp's been coming here for the past year to tell you stories." I said.

She smiled and nodded, "Yes, he has. They're really funny."

"You're the owner of this mansion, right? Why not have him come inside to tell you stories?"

She looked down at that, "Clahador doesn't allow it. As you could tell, he's not too fond of Usopp."

I frowned at her, "If you're the owner, then you're the one in charge. You could just tell him to let Usopp in."

She shook her head, "Even if I did he wouldn't allow it. He's just worried about my safety, is all."

"Is that why he baited Usopp?" I asked.

She looked at me in confusion, "Baited?"

I sighed. It figured. She believed that Clahador was really only worried for her safety and was kind. Even if he was worried about her, I knew that any kindness from him was an act. That's how those people worked. "The things he was saying to Usopp, insulting his father, all that. He was saying them in order to get a rise out of Usopp. He wanted Usopp to hit him, to try and prove a point to you that he was a bad person. He baited Usopp with those insults," I explained.

Kaya blinked, and I could see a shadow of despair flit across her eyes as she started shaking her head, "Clahador isn't the type of-"

"Kaya," I said, cutting her off, "I know you don't know me, and have no real reason to believe me, but I'll say this anyway. Throughout my life, I've come across a lot of people like Clahador. They always act polite and proper around others. When they insult people, they do so calmly and in a polite voice. It's hard for a lot of people to notice the condescending tone of voice used when they do that. They do that so that, even when they are being cruel to others, people take their side because they can't see it."

Kaya stared at me, her brow creasing and a sad frown forming on her face.

I hated seeing people look like this, look sad when something like this was brought to their attention. I sighed and spoke, "I'm sorry, Kaya, I'm aware you're already under a lot of stress, and this is only adding more..."

"No, it's alright," she said as she shook her head and quickly rubbed at her eyes. I gave her a sad smile. She was a kind girl, the type who liked others to feel comfortable and not worry. It reminded me a lot of myself.

"I'll leave you be, then," I said, bowing my head slightly. "It was a pleasure to meet you Kaya."

She seemed to genuinely smile and nodded her head, "It was nice to meet you too, Dante."

I smiled and nodded to her before turning away. I got a few steps before deciding to turn around. I figured she could pry use something to lift her spirits at least a little. I was lucky the window was still open. "By the way, I have to tell you, you have a beautiful voice. You speak very gently."

She blinked and I noticed her cheeks redden slightly as she stammered, "Th-thank you..."

I smiled and gave another nod before turning around again and leaving.

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For anyone who has watched the English dub(Funimation), they should get why I added that last bit in there. I love Kaya's voice in those. Anyway, please R&R!