"Ahem. Neferpet, right?"
Kaito Arisawa recovered from the strange contrast between her lifeless eyes and the soft "meow" at the end of her sentence. He cleared his throat and forced his expression back into seriousness.
Fixing his gaze on her, he said calmly, "You can probably tell that we're pirates as well. Under the current circumstances, that makes you part of our spoils of war."
He paused slightly before continuing.
"However, since you're a Devil Fruit user, I have no intention of selling you as a slave like the pirates before us. Instead, I plan to recruit you as a member of our pirate crew. So—what do you say? Are you willing?"
He did not spell out the consequences of refusal.
He didn't need to.
Anyone with basic judgment would understand that refusing a pirate captain in this situation would not end well.
To his surprise, Neferpet did not remain silent this time.
Her expression stayed blank, but she spoke without hesitation.
"Yes, meow. I'm willing to join you. But I have one request."
Her voice sharpened slightly.
"I want you to help me kill every single one of the pirates who captured me."
She paused briefly, as if worried Kaito might refuse. Then she added emphatically:
"I'm not the ordinary Cat-Cat Fruit user those bastards claimed. I'm the user of the Mythical Zoan: Nine-Lives Cat Demon, meow!"
"Mythical Zoan—Nine-Lives Cat Demon?!"
Kaito had already begun adjusting to her verbal tic, but the moment he heard "Mythical Zoan," both he and Robin reacted with visible surprise.
When the captured pirates had explained the situation earlier, they had only mentioned that they had seized a Zoan-type ability user. The description had been vague—something about a cat-type fruit.
Robin had naturally assumed it was an ordinary Zoan.
But now—
If Neferpet was telling the truth, then not only had the pirates misidentified her fruit, but they had stumbled upon something far rarer.
Among the three Devil Fruit categories, Logia types were widely regarded as the rarest and most powerful.
However, those who truly understood Devil Fruits knew there existed an even rarer subtype—
The Mythical Zoan.
Mythical Zoans were rarer than Logias, and their abilities were often no less formidable.
The moment Neferpet declared her fruit to be a Mythical Zoan, Kaito's gaze sharpened.
Without hesitation, he adjusted his talent panel and entered a state of concentrated Observation Haki.
Compared to verbal testimony, memory-reading was far more reliable.
He activated the mind-reading ability granted by his concentrated Observation Haki and directly accessed Neferpet's memories.
Scenes unfolded within his perception like a silent film.
Through her memories, he quickly pieced together her past.
Her pale, delicate skin and refined demeanor were no accident.
She had once been a pampered noble daughter.
Like many Devil Fruit users, she had consumed her fruit by accident. When her parents discovered what had happened, they used their connections to acquire a Devil Fruit encyclopedia.
That was when they learned the truth—
Their daughter had eaten a Mythical Zoan fruit rarer than even Logia.
They had felt both pride and fear.
Pride, because their daughter possessed extraordinary potential.
Fear, because in the current era, such power made her a target.
Slavery was rampant.
Not only ordinary civilians, but rare races and Devil Fruit users were considered premium commodities in the slave market.
Neferpet's family were nobles, but only minor nobles—not powerful enough to protect a Mythical Zoan user from predatory high-ranking aristocrats.
Out of caution, they concealed her ability.
She was strictly warned never to reveal it.
Neferpet had been obedient.
She listened to her parents and never developed or trained her abilities.
Perhaps it was fate's cruel irony.
Half a month ago, while traveling with her parents, their ship was attacked by pirates.
The guards were slaughtered.
Her parents were shot while trying to shield her.
She had witnessed their deaths with her own eyes.
The trauma shattered her composure.
Driven by grief and rage, she unleashed her powers against the attackers.
But even a Mythical Zoan meant little without training.
And among the pirates was someone carrying seastone shackles.
After killing several enemies in her uncontrolled rampage, her lack of combat experience became fatal. She was restrained with seastone and captured alive.
The memory ended there.
Kaito withdrew his Observation Haki.
"So aside from being a Mythical Zoan user, everything else aligns with what I suspected," he thought.
"But I never expected that a random engagement would lead me to a Mythical Zoan."
And not only that—
He had the opportunity to recruit her.
When he looked at Neferpet again, there was unmistakable heat in his eyes.
Her identity was genuine.
Her background had been verified.
There was no deception.
"I accept your request," Kaito said firmly.
He then noticed the seastone shackles still binding her wrists and turned to Robin.
"Did you find the key?"
Robin nodded. "Yes."
She retrieved the key and handed it to him.
The reason they had not removed the shackles earlier was simple—they had not yet decided whether she could be trusted.
But now things were different.
A Mythical Zoan user was worth the risk.
And with Kaito present—
There was nothing to fear.
He took the key and stepped toward Neferpet.
-------------------------
For advanced chapters, visit patreon.com/Varnok