Sailing: I was falsely accused of watching Nami bathe, but I'm blind.

The atmosphere at the scene became extremely oppressive, like the deathly silence before a storm.

The crew members looked at each other, most of them with disappointment and anger towards Kai, clearly more inclined to believe Luffy's judgment and Nami and Sanji's statements.

Kai's explanation of "perception" sounded like a fantasy to them, a lie fabricated out of despair.

However, not everyone was completely blinded by anger.

Chopper, his small body huddled behind Robin, tilted his head back, and whispered in a voice so soft that only he and Robin could hear, "Robin... Kai... he really doesn't seem like someone who would lie... and when he said he was blind just now, I felt... I felt that he was telling the truth..." Although Chopper was young and simple-minded, he had an animal-like intuition and could keenly sense the authenticity of other people's emotions.

The despair and exhaustion in Kai's words just now filled Chopper with an indescribable sadness.

Robin glanced down at Chopper, then looked back at Kai.

She silently observed the entire unfolding of the event and Kai's reactions.

She witnessed Kai's journey from initial denial to vehement attempts to prove her innocence, and finally to this almost deathly calm.

This calmness doesn't resemble the behavior of someone who is guilty and desperately trying to justify themselves. Instead, it's more like the despair of someone who has exhausted all their strength after suffering immense injustice and unfairness and finally chooses to give up the struggle.

Robin frowned slightly, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

She understood Kai. Although they hadn't known each other for the longest time, she could sense Kai's unusual keenness and a kind of integrity hidden beneath her silence.

This matter may not be as simple as it seems on the surface.

However, she didn't say anything immediately.

In the current climate of public outrage, especially given that Captain Luffy has already made his decision, any questioning she raises may be ineffective and could even backfire.

She chose to continue observing.

On the other hand, Zoro's attitude was even clearer.

He looked at Kai with a cold gaze.

As a swordsman, he revered strength and integrity.

In his view, regardless of whether Kai actually peeked, his subsequent lying (which Zoro considered a lie) and his attempt to deceive his companions with the insulting excuse of being "blind" was unforgivable.

"Hmph," Zoro snorted coldly. Although he did not directly accuse him, his attitude was clear: since the evidence (what everyone saw and heard) all pointed to you, and you are still trying to deny it, then you do not deserve sympathy, let alone be a partner.

Usopp, on the other hand, was completely immersed in the pain of being deceived.

He had always regarded Kai as a reliable, powerful, and even somewhat mysterious partner, and he was full of admiration for his "magical" abilities.

But now, it all seems to be built on a huge lie.

Kai not only did despicable things, but also deceived everyone's feelings.

“Kai…I really misjudged you…” Usopp lowered his head, his voice filled with disappointment and hurt.

The scales of trust, fueled by anger, misunderstanding, prejudice, and so-called "testimonies," have tilted severely and irreversibly toward Kai.

Only a very few faint doubts and sympathies were drowned out by the surging tide of condemnation, appearing so insignificant.

As Kai felt the angry, cold, disappointed, and suspicious gazes and auras of his companions around him, the last bit of hope in his heart to evoke understanding gradually faded away.

But he couldn't help it. In an almost hoarse voice, he looked at Luffy, trying to grasp at the last straw—the friendship of the past.

“Luffy…” he whispered, calling his captain’s name. “Have you forgotten? From the moment we met, all those battles, all those adventures we went through together… the Alabasta desert, the adventure on Skypiea, and the recent attack by the Black Shark Pirates… When have I ever betrayed you in the slightest? When have I ever done anything to hurt my crewmates?”

Chapter 15 An "Outlier" Like Him!!!

He hoped that these shared experiences and memories of fighting side by side would help Luffy calm down a bit, remind him of everything he had done for the crew, and make him believe in his own character.

However, Luffy's reaction shattered his illusions once again.

"It's because we're comrades!" Luffy's answer was simple and direct, yet it cut Kai's heart like a dull knife. "It's because we consider you a comrade that it's even more unforgivable for you to peek at Nami! Did you see how heartbroken Nami was?!" Luffy's emotional logic was very clear: hurting comrades is far more serious and unforgivable than hurting enemies.

Immediately afterwards, Luffy was completely unable to understand or accept Kai's claim of "blindness," which he saw as a deception far worse than the act of spying itself.

"And what's more!" Luffy's voice rose again, filled with the anger of being fooled, "You even told such an easily exposed lie! You said you were blind?!"

Luffy cannot understand, and refuses to understand, what Kai means by "perception".

In his world, to do those things, one must "see".

Kai's statement completely contradicted his basic understanding of the world, which he saw as a blatant insult to the intelligence of everyone, including himself! This insult angered him even more than the act of voyeurism itself.

"Do you think we're all fools, Kai!" Luffy roared, his anger infecting those around him and making the already tense atmosphere even more volatile.

In order to prove that Kai was "lying" and that he "wasn't blind," Luffy excitedly began to recount Kai's past "achievements" one by one. But at this moment, these performances that had once amazed everyone turned from achievements into irrefutable evidence accusing Kai of lying.

"You're saying you're blind?!" Luffy pointed at Kai and shouted, each question like a heavy punch. "Then how did you 'see' the storm coming half an hour in advance after Loguetown, and accurately predict the wind direction and wave height?!"

"How did you manage to be the first to 'see' the Krieg Pirates' ship in the distance, near the sea restaurant?!"

"When we were fighting the Black Shark Pirates, how did you 'see' those enemies hiding in the smoke and underwater? And how did you warn us to dodge so many cannonballs and arrows! If a blind person could do that, what's the point of having eyes?!"

"And another thing! When Nami draws sea charts, sometimes she doesn't even notice small mistakes or unclear markings, how did you 'see' them and remind her to correct them?!" (Luffy clearly equated the anomalies Kai discovered through touch and perception with visual observation.)

"Speak up, Kai! Explain yourself! Do you think a blind man could do all this?! Who are you trying to fool?! What do you take us for?!"

Luffy became more and more excited as he spoke, and every single thing he listed was a true reflection of Kai's contributions to the crew.

However, given the premise that "Kay is a voyeur and a liar," these achievements are no longer proof of his abilities, but rather become powerful evidence of his carefully disguised and deceptive behavior towards his partners.

Every question was like a new wound being torn open in Kai's heart.

Kai was unable to refute it.

He knew that no matter how he explained his "perception" ability or tried to distinguish between "perception" and "sight," to Luffy and his furious crewmates, it would only sound like sophistry, a fabrication of more complex lies to cover up his initial mistake.

His uniqueness, the ability he relied on for survival, at this moment became the incriminating evidence that nailed him to the pillar of shame, irrefutable and indelible.

He tried to deny it, tried to explain it, tried to prove himself in the most extreme way, and even tried to rekindle past friendships, but all of it failed.

In return, all I received was deeper misunderstanding, more intense accusations, and the cold, piercing gazes of my companions.

Kai remained silent.

He no longer tries to provide any physical proof, because that would only invite more ridicule and criticism of his "poor acting skills."

He no longer tried to explain that "perception" that no one could understand, because it would only be considered an even more absurd lie.

He no longer tries to rekindle that long-broken friendship, because that would only be interpreted as a hypocritical performance.

He slowly "raised his head," and although there was still eternal darkness before him, he tried his best to project his senses onto everyone around him.

He looked around at his comrades who had fought alongside him, sharing laughter and tears.

He sensed the undeniable rage and determination emanating from Luffy, like a volcanic eruption.

He sensed the cold disappointment in Nami, a mixture of sadness, shame, and betrayal.

He sensed the pain and alienation in Usopp from being deceived.

He sensed the cold scrutiny and disdain emanating from Zoro.

He sensed the guilty conscience and a hint of barely perceptible smugness hidden beneath Sanji's righteous indignation (because he had successfully shifted the focus).

He sensed a faint sense of confusion, sympathy, and helplessness in Chopper.

He sensed Robin's cautious, hesitant, but ultimately silent observation.

These familiar scents, however, now formed a huge, cold net, trapping him firmly in the center.

The warmth and trust of the past have long since vanished, replaced by suspicion, anger, disappointment, and estrangement.

Kai's heart sank into a bottomless abyss, completely swallowed by coldness and darkness.

He finally understood that in this world where "seeing is believing" is the basic principle, "outliers" like him, once misunderstood and labeled negatively, have no chance to turn things around.

His uniqueness destined him to be incomprehensible to ordinary people, and it also destined him to fall into an abyss of no return once he lost trust.

A deep, piercing sense of despair gripped him.

It was as if the whole world was collapsing and shattering in his perception, leaving only boundless darkness and loneliness.

His lips trembled slightly, but he could no longer utter a sound.

All words and all explanations have lost their meaning in the face of the collapse of trust.

Kai's silence, in the eyes of his indignant companions, was undoubtedly an admission of guilt, a silent confrontation, and a stubborn refusal to admit wrongdoing.

Especially for Nami, the "victim" who was most emotionally agitated and at the most critical moment, Kai's silence made her feel a sense of being slighted and ignored, which made her angry.

Seeing Kaina with her head down, silent (which, in Nami's eyes, meant she showed no remorse), Nami's tears welled up uncontrollably once again.

Chapter 16 "Kai!"!!

This time, the tears contained not only grievances, shame, and the pain of betrayal, but also a deep sense of fear.

She sobbed, her voice trembling as she spoke to Luffy:

"Luffy... Waaah... I don't care... I don't care if he's blind or not! That doesn't matter at all!" Her voice was choked with sobs, yet unusually resolute. "He was definitely there just now! I felt it! That feeling was terrifying... I'm so scared..."

She raised her tear-filled eyes, looked around at her companions, and said in a tone that was both pleading and resolute, "We...we can't let someone like that stay on the ship! Someone who peeps at us while we're showering and then lies to us afterwards...it's too dangerous! How can I stay on the ship with peace of mind after this? Waaah..."

Nami's words, especially her tearful, fearful, and helpless appearance, struck the hearts of every Straw Hat crew member present like a heavy hammer.

For this group of people who value their comrades above all else, Nami's tears and fear are undoubtedly the most lethal weapons and a crucial factor in the final judgment.

Those who might have had a sliver of doubt or a slight suspicion about Kai's explanation instantly lost all wavering upon seeing Nami's heartbroken and frightened state.

Protecting Nami and putting her mind at ease became the overriding priority at this moment.