Chapter 31

Within the mansion, Kaya jolts awake from a nightmare in which Usopp turns on her after she mocks his pirate lineage. Wandering the halls in search of Klahadore, she instead comes upon her servant Merry slumped on the floor. Weak and unable to rise, Merry still gathers enough strength to tell her that Klahadore assaulted him, that the butler is genuinely a pirate, and that every warning Usopp gave had been accurate. Kaya breaks down, understanding that the lone person who saw through the danger was chased away while trying to shield the village. Merry, noting that the rest of the household is away on vacation, calms her and advises simply handing over the treasure Klahadore is after so that both her life and the village remain safe.

Beyond the village, the Usopp Pirates mutter that their captain likely lied about lying, then catch sight of Miss Kaya slipping out of town. At the shoreline, Zoro stands ready for whatever the Black Cat Pirates throw at him next. Forward step the Nyaban Brothers, Buchi and Sham, both apparently too scared to engage. Sham bolts at Zoro in a cowardly manner, only to shed the pretense at the final moment, and Zoro turns to see the man behind him with two of his swords clipped to his back.

Inside Kuro's chamber Kaya comes across the fallen Merry, and through him the whole truth about Klahadore finally reaches her. Sham and Buchi, the Nyaban Brothers, make their first appearance and open their fight against Zoro, beginning the clash by pretending to be cowards afraid of battle. Over the course of the encounter, Sham snatches two blades right off Zoro.

The cover shows the Straw Hats molding their hearts' desires out of a cloudbank: Luffy forms a ship, Zoro shapes blades along with a cask of ale, and Nami piles up treasure. Luffy stays knocked out throughout the events here, while Kuro turns up only in flashback. The chapter is part of the Syrup Village Arc.