There was something wrong with the picture.

As they walked, Brynlee couldn't shake off the feeling that something was completely out of place.

Now, whenever she visited a new place or met new people, that kind of nagging intuition was always there to put her on edge but, today, it was particularly bad. The distant landscape seemed too faded, and her surroundings kept on blurring in the corner of her eyes, as if her [STAGE] couldn't quite settle on the proper narrative.

Well, I suppose system errors were bound to become more obvious now that I've officially begun the real story, so to speak…

But then they reached Kaya's mansion, and Usopp began leading them right up to the front door.

Wait, aren't we supposed to sneak in or something?

Usopp rang the bell, still chatting to Luffy about one prowess or the other, and Brynlee still felt like everything was very, very wrong. And then the door opened, and none other than an all-too-familiar butler stepped out, and he—

"Oh, hello, Usopp! Lady Kaya has been expecting you!"

—and the wolf in sheep's clothing smiled, seeming genuinely happy to welcome Usopp and his new friends inside without a second thought. Ice bloomed in Brynlee's guts as she eyed the butler, trying to understand just what exactly was going on.

Klahadore was meant to hate Usopp. He was meant to try his utmost best to drive him away from the mansion, away from Kaya, so as to better isolate her and manipulate her. He was supposed to be a vicious killer, a cunning viper hiding in the grass in order to claim Kaya's fortune and establish a peaceful life away from piracy—

"Guys, this is Klahadore, Lady Kaya's Head Butler! Klahadore, these guys are here to discuss buying one of her ships!" introduced cheerfully Usopp.

"Of course. Lady Kaya is currently indisposed, but I can arrange a meeting over the course of dinner, if you'd like?"

What the ever-loving actual fuck.

"Sure thing! Thanks, Klahadore, you're the best!"

"I'm honored to hear it. I'll show them to the guest rooms so they can ready themselves for dinner, then. If our esteemed guests would follow me…?"

They all started moving, though Brynlee stayed rooted in place, eyes slightly wide. Nami nudged her side, somewhat worried.

"Bryn? What's wrong? You said something about the butler yesterday—"

"Just- just keep an eye on him."

"Okay?"

As Nami went to take a shower, Brynlee sat by the window, gazing outside, deep in thoughts as she tightly held a paper in her hands – a wanted poster for one Kuro of the Thousand Plans. While he was alleged dead, the butler they'd met earlier looked just like in the picture, so it was definitely the same man.

But Usopp was considered an esteemed guest, rather than a nuisance.

Usopp seemed to genuinely like Klahadore – and vice-versa.

And if Usopp liked Klahadore, then he definitely wouldn't believe her if she said the butler meant to harm Kaya.

Though, with everything that's changed… is that really what he wants, still? Or did his goals change as well?

It was difficult to say. Never had her memories of Before been this scrambled. Never had a system error actively interfered with what she Knew. Was Klahadore still the villain of this story arc, or had the threat somehow been nullified?

Well… I suppose there's only one way to find out.

As they sat together for dinner, the first thing that Brynlee noticed was how healthy Kaya seemed to be. No paleness, no cold sweat, no hunched shoulders – she looked every bit like the noble lady she'd been raised as.

Wasn't Kaya's sickness one of the key elements of Kuro's plan?

If she wasn't sick, she wouldn't have a reason to leave him everything in her will, and Kuro would have a harder time making people believe she'd died of natural causes, and not foul play. And he—

"Did you have a good time in town, Lady Kaya?"

"Quite! Thank you for organizing the tea party, Klahadore. You were right – I should spend more time with my friends, rather than overworking myself."

Klahadore smiled. "Glad to hear it."

So he actively encourages her to go outside and establish proper relationships, too? What is wrong with this killer butler!?

"So, you are friends of Usopp, right? And you wished to discuss buying a ship?"

"Actually, before we get to business, I have one question." Let's hope this is the right move. Brynlee pulled out Kuro's wanted poster and laid it on the table. "Why's a notorious pirate Captain allegedly killed by Marine Captain Axe-Hand Morgan acting as a noble lady's butler?"

…

…

…

Kaya smiled, though any warmth in her expression was gone. "My staff's history is their own. You can rest assured that Klahadore, no matter his past, is well capable of handling his duties. I trust this won't be an issue?"

"W- wait! Klahadore's a pirate? A Captain!? A pirate Captain!?" gasped Usopp, jumping to his feet. "And you knew? And you never told me!?"

"Sorry, Usopp. It's Klahadore's story, not mine."

"Ahem." Klahadore pushed up his glasses. "I never hid my past from Kaya or her late parents. They were generous enough to hire me in spite of it, in fact. But you can rest assured that I am no longer involved in anything even remotely related to piracy. Kuro of the Thousand Plans is, in fact, dead – has been for three years. I am now Klahadore, Head Butler of this mansion, and I would appreciate if you could treat me as such."

"… what the fuck."

Nami kicked Brynlee's leg, shooting her a glare. "Stop stirring trouble!"

Brynlee cleared her throat. "Sorry. Seeing you here just caught me off guard. Please carry on with our business. Captain, you wanted to ask her something, right?"

"Right! I don't really get what's going on, but here's the deal!"

As Luffy began ranting about the 'call of the sea' and their absolute need for a ship, Brynlee shot another glance Klahadore's way. Even when she'd outed him, he'd only seemed vaguely surprised – and the fact that Kaya hadn't even flinched, obviously aware, made one thing very clear: the Kuro from Before was completely different from the Klahadore she was meeting today.

But if Kuro is no longer the antagonist who'll ultimately lead Usopp to join our crew… and if we can't save Kaya and thus convince her to give us the ship…

Are we going to leave without both…?

Well, I did promise some system errors, didn't I? xD