Enter the King of Snipers: Usopp...

Chapter 14 - Enter the King of Snipers: Usopp...

"Ok, can someone tell me how we got back out here?" Franky asked, now annoyed at how they were suddenly back in the creepy forest they left. "And where did the sun go?"

"Do you think we have any more ideas to what's going on than you do?" Nami snapped at him as Robin used her powers to see around the island and get their bearings straight.

"We're in a different part of the forest," she told them all. "Not that far from the ruins. Apparently, we've been running around here while watching everything."

"But…?" Usopp began before he went stumbling around, staring at the sinister-looking trees and up at the scattered stars. "We were in Orange Town in the middle of the day a few seconds ago!"

"The memories are mixed with the island," Robin answered him, "If we continue to search for the creature that's loose out here, then we will be following it through these memories as well." She looked to Zoro and asked, "Didn't you say that the monster hasn't taken on a form yet?"

Zoro nodded, "That's just what I heard. Apparently it doesn't have a mind of its own yet. But it's now lurking somewhere, trying to find a new shape. At least that's what I think is happening."

"So… we just keep going through memories until we find it?" Nami asked cautiously, "And… when we do find it… what next?"

"Lure it back to the ruins and kill it I guess," Sanji muttered, looking around and deciding to head in one random direction. But the moment he went too far from the group, the dark island faded again so that they were out on the sea and the bright sun was overhead.

"Thank goodness, I like being in the sun so much better than the dark, Yohohoho," Brook said happily, being in that forest reminded him too much of Thriller Bark for his liking. He felt much better looking at the blue sky and warm sunshine, even if it was all an illusion.

And it didn't take long for them to spot the two boats, sailing side by side, and coming towards them. "I remember," Nami said smiling as she watched them come closer. She had sailed around with these two for only a few weeks and the time she spent with them had already been more fun than the last eight years of being a thief.

When they came closer they could hear some of the things that they were saying as well as get a good look at them. Luffy was, once again, sitting up on the bow of the ship and enjoying an apple as Zoro was dozing behind him. Nami was rolling her eyes at something Luffy had said and was telling them off for something or other again.

"There's absolutely no way we're gonna make it to the Grand Line in this condition!" Nami said to them in a deeply annoyed voice.

The other two looked back at her, wondering what she was going on about this time. The apple that Luffy had been eating had been reduced to nothing but a core, and he looked at it as he said, "You're right, we're gonna need a whole lot more meat."

"I should've known he'd say that," Sanji sighed.

Luffy finished swallowing the apple core and finished, "Eating fruit everyday is for the birds."

"You can't survive on apples alone," Brook said happily.

"I happen to like fruit," Nami told him darkly.

"We'll also need some booze too," memory Zoro added before Nami lost her temper and threw one of the apples at him.

"Shut up you bone-heads!" she yelled at him as Luffy stretched out to grab the apple she threw and went to eating that one. "That's not what I mean!" she went on, before explaining, "The Grand Line's a dangerous place! We'll need more than beer and meat to survive there! Not to mention that place is crawling with pirates who are also in search of the One Piece! And they all have ships that are way better than this!"

"Yes, two little boats wouldn't have stood a chance in such rough waters for long," Robin agreed.

"And we don't have a crew," Luffy admitted with a mouthful of apple.

"We don't have a crew, we don't have any equipment, or even a real ship for that matter!" Nami yelled, "There is no way we'll ever make it like this!"

"Glad that one of us had a brain here," Nami sighed as she watched herself.

"Yep, we'll need a cook and maybe a musician to keep us entertained!" Luffy said happily. Sanji smirked, wondering if he would get to see his big entrance as well. Brook looked ready to sing at the mention of the musician.

"A musician?" Zoro questioned before he laughed.

"What's so funny, Zoro-san?" Brook asked at once, wondering just why he was laughing at the idea of having a musician around.

"It just seemed so random," Zoro answered with a shrug.

"So stupid," memory Nami muttered to herself.

"I agree with you there," Nami nodded, agreeing with her past. But she was enjoying herself as she watched her past self went back to looking at some maps. Once she realized where they were, she said, "A little to the south of here is a small island with some settlements on it. And it looks like we might be able to get a ship and some of the supplies we need there."

"Yeah," Nami nodded in agreement, already realizing where they were heading to next. And they did… they got a ship, supplies… she gave Usopp a sideways glance and smiled. And another crewmate.

"Fresh meat at last!" Luffy cheered happily.

"And lots of booze there as well," Zoro said with a wide smile.

"Is that all you think about?!" memory Nami yelled at them in annoyance. "What am I gonna do with you two?"

"I still wonder," Nami sighed sympathetically.

Robin chuckled to herself, "You three are fighting like brothers and a sister."

"You think?" Nami asked as she watched them, hands on her hips.

"Sure," Robin answered, "I noticed it awhile ago. Our whole crew is close with each other, but you three seem to be a little closer than even that."

"So touching," Franky sniffed, a giant hand over his heart.

"I never really thought about it," Nami laughed. "We did spend a lot of time together before we met up with Usopp and Sanji."

"And our little family of misfits have grown into an even bigger family of misfits," Zoro smirked.

"Too true," Usopp agreed. Their ranks have members so vastly different from one another that it almost seems random if you thought it through. They have a doctor who is a shape-shifting reindeer monster, a cyborg who wears nothing but shirts and speedos for a shipwright, and an undead perverted skeleton for a musician. Not to mention the rest of the crew for that matter…?

Yeah, he didn't think that there was another crew out there whose members were this strange.

"Wow, having a navigator's great," Luffy said once he had finished eating and looked over at past Nami.

"It is isn't it?" Sanji swooned as he looked at Nami fondly.

"What island is it anyway?" past Zoro asked her.

Memory Nami looked down at the map and said, "I think we'll be at the north side of a place called Gecko Island."

Usopp's eyes widened. "You mean…?"

Nami and Zoro smiled at him, knowing that this was going to make him happy to see his old village again.

"Something wrong, Usopp?" Chopper asked, noticing the happy tears in Usopp's eyes. "You know it?"

"Know it?" he repeated, smiling widely. "I was born on Gecko Island! So this is where we meet up! We're gonna see Syrup Village again!"

"Sounds like a sweet place," Chopper said, hungry all of a sudden.

"I am looking forward to seeing your home, Usopp-san," Brook muttered as they walked alongside the boats. "What's it like?"

"Well… boring actually," Usopp laughed. "I remember how I used to run through the village and try to lighten things up. It was great. OH! WE'LL GET TO SEE KAYA AND MY OLD CREW!"

"Your old crew?" Sanji repeated in confusion.

"You mean you were in a pirate crew before you joined us, Usopp?" Chopper asked, "That's amazing!"

"And who's Kaya?" Robin asked curiously.

But before Usopp could answer them, Zoro gave him a hard poke in the back of the head. "Relax, everyone will get their answers if we watch. But keep your eyes out for the monster."

"But we don't even know what this thing'll look like," Franky complained loudly.

"Well, I'm sure we'll know it when we see it," he snapped, "As much fun as it is walking down memory lane, we still have to find Luffy remember?"

They all blinked before looking down a little ashamed. The thought of seeing these old memories had just erased from their minds about helping Luffy. Zoro was right, they had to pay more attention. Ace was counting on them. And if they wanted their Captain back, they'd have to start searching for the monster…

They didn't say much else as they continued walking alongside the boats, listening to the three talk or argue… much like how a girl would fight with her brothers for being lazy. Present-day Nami couldn't help but smiled widely at that. But soon, they spotted an island with high cliffs directly in front of them.

Luffy spotted them first and cried out excitedly, "LAND HO!"

At his cry, Usopp turned and smiled so widely that his face hurt. He couldn't believe it! After over two years at sea, he was finally going to see home again! He ran on ahead, his thoughts on Kaya and the Usopp Pirates, and he felt like his heart would burst with joy at the thought of seeing them again. He was the first one to reach the shore and stared around happily. The high cliffs and rocky shoreline that led up a steep hill that would surly lead them to the village.

He couldn't stop beaming, and he had to fight every urge to go to the village himself. But he reminded himself that he had a job to do… this wasn't even his real home… just some kind of figment of his imagination. But he just couldn't help the feelings of seeing it all. He shook his head hard. Someday he'd return home to see his friends again, but for now he had to pay attention! He was doing this for Luffy after all!

"Usopp!" Chopper's voice sounded behind him and the little reindeer came running up, gasping for breath. "Don't do that!"

"Yeah, man," Franky said, frowning heavily, "We get that you're happy and everything, but let's try not to get separated in this place."

Usopp didn't look at them however until he heard the two boats come ashore and their passengers get out to look around and stretch. "I know," he said slowly, wiping away the stray tear. "It's just… I suddenly felt homesick."

Robin gently put a hand on his shoulder and he felt a little better. He smiled back at them all before he heard memory Zoro groan out, "It feels good to be on dry land again."

"So there's a village around here somewhere right?" Luffy asked Nami, as she was pouring over the map.

She nodded at the question and answered, "Yeah, it looks like a small one though."

"Tiny," Usopp grinned. "It's so out of the way that pirates don't bother coming here."

"It sounds very peaceful, Usopp-san," Brook said.

"Yeah," he confessed with his arms behind his head. "But still… I'll take life on the high seas any day. While it'd be great to see home again someday, I don't think I could ever really be happy there like out here."

"Well said," Sanji said, knowing the feeling.

Luffy suddenly started drooling as he ran to look at the map himself, "Ooooo! Then that means meat! There's meat! There has to be a place to eat meat in this village?"

"Just forget about meat for a moment would ya?" Nami snapped, pushing him away irritably. Zoro just yawned and looked around as the two argued… but suddenly they heard leaves up on the cliff rustle and memory Zoro went to his swords.

"Careful," he told the other two, "We're being watched."

Luffy started to look around eagerly, as if someone would pop up at any second. "By who?" he asked excitedly, "Where are they? They got meat?"

"Someone's up there," Sanji said suddenly, looking to the cliff to see several bullets go flying at Luffy. Zoro obviously saw them too because he called a warning to Luffy. But instead of hitting him, they were aimed at his feet and Luffy was forced to do a stupid kind of dance to avoid them, with Nami running and hiding behind one of the boats.

"What's going on?" Brook called wildly, trying to detect where the shots were fired from.

"Relax," Zoro told them all, "Nothing to worry about.

Almost as soon as the ammo was out, at least a dozen pirate flags rose up from the bushes and trees around the upper cliff. They were all identical with the skull and crossbones, except for the mouth was making an 'O' shape, as if surprised.

Luffy was waving his arms excitedly as soon as he saw them. "THAT'S SO COOL!"

"Is this where we're supposed to be impressed?!" memory Nami yelled in frustration.

"Sometimes I wish he would be a little more serious instead of impressed," Nami sighed as she watched Luffy act like a little kid who was promised to see a cool trick. They heard a familiar laugh coming from above them, and when they looked up, they couldn't stop the smiles on their faces when they saw him. Usopp looked almost identical to how he was two years ago.

"I am Usopp!" memory Usopp declared loudly, as if for all the world to hear, "leader of the invincible nation of pirates who rein over this island! You stand before a living legend! The most revered pirated who ever lived! I am the great Captain Usopp!"

"Awesome Usopp!" Chopper cried, eyes twinkling as Usopp grinned up at himself. "I can't believe it! Why didn't you tell me all that?"

"Well, it never came up," Usopp told him smugly as the rest of the crew all shook their heads fondly at his antics. Chopper was just too naïve sometimes; even more so than Luffy was if you could believe that.

"But seriously," Usopp whispered in amazement, "Was that really me?"

"That's exactly how I remember you," Zoro agreed with Nami nodding.

"Yohohoho, so you liked to tell stories even then, Usopp-san?" Brook asked.

"Hey, look at Luffy," Robin said suddenly and they looked in time to see that the excited grin had been replaced with mild surprise, and perhaps… recognition?

"That's right," Franky said quickly, "He met your old man didn't he? Man, what are the odds?"

"Slim," Nami answered him.

"Surely you would know that plotting an attack on this island would mean certain death!" Usopp went on, "my army of eighty-million super mean pirate soldiers would squash you like bugs!"

"Awesome!" Luffy and Chopper both screamed in wonder as the rest of them stared at them in disbelief. In fact, memory Zoro and Nami both looked like they wanted to slap Luffy upside the head. But since the present-day Straw Hats knew Usopp, they found this more funny than stupid.

"You expect us to believe that?" Nami in the memory called up to him.

Usopp completely lost any confidence he had as he gasp, "She knows!"

"Yep," she smiled wickedly, "Well… now I know."

"How could I be so dumb?" Usopp cried out, now looking freaked out, not knowing what to do, "I practically told her I was lying! I'm such an idiot! So stupid!"

Past Nami stared at him, as if thinking that he was some kind of weirdo.

"I really didn't think that you would give in that easily," Nami told him as Luffy looked horrified that it had been a lie.

"Usopp why did you lie?" Chopper demanded, looking angry.

"Well," he said jerkily, rubbing the back of his head, "At the time I thought that they were evil pirates who were going to attack the village and I wanted to… try and scare them away. I didn't really have a back-up plan."

"But you think that you could've used a more reasonable number, Usopp," Robin said giggling. She was suddenly reminded of a story she heard of a long time about Pinocchio. A wooden puppet whose nose grew longer every time he told a lie…

"Curse you, you crafty pirate!" past Usopp cried out as he tried to regain control, "Eighty-million may have been an exaggeration," and he stretched his arms out wide and proclaimed, "but I have a great many men under my control!"

The Straw Hats all looked, and just through the bushes, they could see several kids there waving the flags nervously. Nami obviously saw them as well as she gave him a smug look and asked, "My guess is three?"

At that, the three suddenly jumped out, looking petrified as they screamed out in terror. "She does know!" all three of them screamed before they ran for their lives, dropping the flags and took off, almost crying.

"Chickens…" Franky burst out laughing.

"Yohohoho, I guess that they're your old crew?" Brook asked them as memory Usopp yelled for them to come back.

"Yeah, well… we were just a bunch of kids playing pirate," Usopp confessed. "I had no idea just what the world was really like there. But those days we spent together were fun times…" And unlike everyone else here, he supposed that he was the only one who had a normal sounding childhood.

Memory Nami felt that it was safe to come from her hiding place and was now examining something on the beach. "A pirate using a slingshot, huh?" she asked, picking up one of the pieces of lead that Usopp had fired at Luffy's feet, and blew the sand off, "Well, now I've seen it all."

Luffy laughed good-naturedly at that and called up, "That's pretty cool!"

"Shut your mouth! Or I'll shut it for you!" Usopp yelled, suddenly looking angry, as he pulled out his slingshot. "I'm a proud man and I won't stand for it!" He held his weapon up after loading it, "This is your last warning! Or you'll get to see why they call me Proud Usopp and not Pushover Usopp! Is that clear?"

"You weren't gonna give them a chance to explain?" Sanji asked, suddenly starting to feel annoyed. If he hit Nami…?

"I didn't fire it," Usopp admitted, looking up and watching Luffy pull his hat over his eyes carefully.

"You've already seen for yourself just how good I am with this thing," past Usopp went on, "so you know I can rival anyone carrying a pistol!"

"True… but that won't work against a Rubberman," Robin reminded him gently.

"Now that you've drawn your weapon, are you willing to use it?" Luffy dared in a low voice and Usopp looked distressed by the question.

"Guns aren't for threats, they're for action," Luffy went on in as his voice became cool and calm… not like his usual voice. They could only see part of one of his eyes under the hat's rim… casting the rest of his face in shadows. He looked quite unlike himself… like someone… sinister. "Are you willing to risk your life?"

"That's what Shanks said!" Chopper cried out, recognizing the words.

Zoro laughed, "Yeah, he wanted to scare Usopp."

He glanced at his past self who also realized this as he looked at Luffy for a moment before he began to grin, chuckling darkly in his throat. He loosened one of his swords just enough so that Usopp couldn't mistaken the glint of his blade. "I can assure you we're real pirates! Consider your next move very carefully."

"Why are you trying to scare him?" Chopper asked them, not understanding.

"For fun," Zoro grinned down at him. "We weren't gonna hurt him… he lied to us, so we lied right back."

Past Usopp was looking more and more nervous with every word spoke. His hand was shaking so much that there was little chance that he could hit them even if he launched the ball. But they didn't need to worry.

Like he said before, he lost his nerve and he let the lead ball fall to the ground just as he let go of the slingshot. He fell to his knees as he gazed down at them fearfully, but also with a hint of reverence.

"Just what were you going to do if they were there to attack the village?" Sanji asked him.

"I didn't think about it," Usopp confessed, "But I'd probably would've run away."

"Real pirates definitely have a lot more punch behind their words 'cause they can actually back them up," memory Usopp muttered, even from this distance they could hear his words. "That's so cool."

"And I know that they can back up their threats," Usopp confessed, "If you guys had chose to attack us, then we wouldn't have stood a chance."

"Hey," Zoro said to him as Luffy was lifting his hat up to get a better look at Usopp. "Give us some credit."

"I know that now," he muttered as memory Luffy and Zoro both burst out laughing. The Straw Hats, even Usopp, were laughing with them as well. This was just so heart-warming that they couldn't' stop themselves.

"You looked like you're about to wet yourself," Franky laughed.

"Well, it did sound intimidating," he admitted, knowing that Luffy had scared him. Who knew…? You could scare someone without doing a thing. They do say that words are the most dangerous weapons you can have…

Luffy was done laughing and he called up, looking more like himself, "I stole that!"

Usopp blinked down at him, startled at that.

"I stole those words Red-Hair Shanks!" Luffy explained, "A pirate I know!"

Past Usopp eyes widened, unable to believe what he was saying, "What? You know Red-Hair Shanks! You really are a real pirate! Wait, you gotta be lying? Do you really know him?"

"Yep," Luffy told him, and what he said next really got memory Usopp's attention. "I know your dad too! His name's Yasopp, right?"

Usopp's eyes bulged out at those words, in fact, he was so eager to hear about his father that he leaned too far over the edge and fell. Rolling down the side, and landing with a crash on his back…

"That looked like it hurt," Brook said kindly.

"Not really," Usopp laughed awkwardly, "I was so excited to finally hear news about my old man that I didn't feel anything."

It seemed like he was right, past Usopp was now staring at Luffy. "You're right… my old man's name is Yasopp," he croaked out, getting up into a sitting position. "But how… how in the world do you know him?"

"I met him a long time ago!" Luffy told him happily. "But first… do you know any good places to have some meat?"

At that question, the Straw Hats laughed again. That was so typical of something for Luffy to say… if you want answers, then feed him first. Looking keen to hear more about his father, Usopp led them up the path and to a small village.

"Wow, it looks like such a pleasant place to live," Brook said cheerfully. Usopp stared around him, feeling at home as they headed to a small restaurant. As soon as they entered, Usopp waved to the owner behind the counter and asked for food. And in the end, they watched the group of four at the table and began to eat.

"Man, I'm starving," Usopp said, his hand on his stomach as he watched his past self enjoy the meal.

"I agree," Brook moaned, his hands over the place where his stomach would normally be. "If I don't eat soon, I fear I will be nothing but bones. Ah! But I already am! Yohohoho!"

"So how do you know my old man?" Usopp asked Luffy as they all enjoyed their meal

"I met your dad when I was just a little kid," Luffy said through a large mouthful of meat.

"Hold on, does my old man really know Shanks?" Usopp asked in excitement.

"Know him? When I met your dad he was part of Shanks' crew," Luffy answered him cheerfully, "so they were probably pretty good friends."

Past Usopp looked ecstatic at the news and present-day Usopp remembered why. This was the first time he heard about his father since he left home. "I can't believe it!" he said in hushed tones, "My old man, sailing the high seas with famous pirates!"

"I haven't heard from them in a while, but I bet he's still with him," Luffy went on, "He was a heck of a sharpshooter." He picked up an apple and smiled at it as if he was remembering something as he said, "I'd keep him on my crew."

And then, Luffy went on to tell him about how he met Shanks and his dad and how he would often watch Yasopp demonstrate his incredible shooting skills with a pistol… like shooting the core from an apple or how he could shoot an antennae off of an ant at one hundred feet away without harming the rest of it. Luffy also stated that he had never seen him miss a shot.

Usopp was listening in to everything Luffy had to say, his eyes were bright as he dreamt about the man his father was. It was such a cute scene.

"You'd think you two were old pals instead of just meeting just now," Sanji said smiling, pulling his cigarette out of his mouth.

Usopp grinned as he watched. "It was great… it was like we were best friends. I can't tell you how amazing it was to meet someone who actually met my old man."

"From what I gather, it was two years after your father left home did he meet with Luffy," Robin informed him.

"And that was around fourteen years ago," Usopp nodded. But he was lost in thoughts about his dad. He hoped that they'd find their Luffy soon… thanks to him, he was able to really see some moments of his father and he wanted to thank Luffy for that. Hearing about his father out on the seas and sailing with great pirates was a big inspiration, and one of the main reasons why he decided to leave home. If Luffy hadn't come to shore that day, not only would he have never found the courage to leave and go out with them, but he and Kaya would both probably be dead thanks to that evil Captain Kuro.

He longed for the day when he would meet up with his father. He remembered back when his mother got sick and died when he was still just a child… how he used to lie about pirates coming… hoping that it was his father's ship and would come to take him away. He started lying for his mother… he created so many lies to try and keep her spirits up and help her feel better. That dad had come back for them and they would all be family again. Even when she had died, he couldn't bring himself to stop telling that lie. Maybe that was why he grew so close to Kaya… when she lost her parents. He wanted to do what he could to cheer her up and want her to live.

"But really, even if Yasopp spent a year at Luffy's home village, he must have told him a lot about you if he was able to recognize you," Brook pointed out, "He never met you before, but he knew who you were on sight."

"Well, you do look a lot like your old man now that I think of it," Franky said and Usopp beamed proudly.

"He used to go on, and on, and on about his son," Luffy said, with an amused smile. "I think I heard enough about you to make my ears bleed. And let me tell you that he was a great pirate."

"Yeah? Really?!" memory Usopp exclaimed excitedly, as if wishing Luffy could tell him more. "I sure am proud of my old man. He went to live a pirate's life on the endless sea. He chose a life of real adventure." He looked up at picture of a pirate ship on rough waves, grinning the whole time.

Present-day Usopp now knew that Luffy was waiting for the day that he would meet up with Shanks… he too was looking forward to that. And when they do face Shanks's crew, he would be the one to take on his father! "Thanks for tell me more about him, Luffy," he added softly, wishing that he could've said that to him at the time.

"Maybe you can help us," past Nami said, causing Usopp to look at her. "Do you know someone who could provide us with a decent ship? Or, even someone who knows how to sail for that matter?"

Usopp gave a small sigh. "Well, it's a pretty small village. Sorry, but I just don't think we'll be able to help you."

"Did you really have to lie to us?" Nami whispered to him and he blushed.

"Yeah, but it's not my money that we were talking about here," he pointed out. And the last thing that he wanted to do was make it look like he was taking advantage of Kaya. "And my home village isn't known for sailors. We get a few fishermen, but that's about it."

"But there was a mansion up on that hill wasn't there?" Robin suddenly asked, "I believe I saw one as we walked to the village."

"Yeah, but it's not like I live there," he said quickly as memory Zoro suddenly asked the same question.

"Hey, do you know them, Usopp?" Nami asked him hopefully. "With all that money, surely they can help us get our boat."

Usopp's face turned deadly serious as he stood up and said loudly, "You stay away from there!"

Everyone, both in the memory and out, were taken aback by Usopp's sudden hostility.

"Jeez bro, what's gotten into you?" Franky asked.

"It's nothing," Usopp said quickly as his past self suddenly looked very uncomfortable as well and stuttered out, "I… just remembered something that I really have to go do." He grabbed hold of his bag of tricks and went straight to the door without another look back, "Everyone knows me in this place, so… stay and eat as much as you want."

"I think those are words you soon come to regret after meeting Luffy," Sanji said to him.

"Well… got to go!" memory Usopp called back before he went running out the door. Robin, out of habit, kept her eyes on him the whole way until he was out of sight. She blinked in surprise, "You were going to the mansion?"

"Because I had to meet up with a very important friend," he said at once. "I went there almost every day… though I've never actually been inside the mansion before."

"How come?" Chopper asked curiously, "And who's this friend?"

But memory Nami had suddenly asked the boys where they thought he was going, which they shrugged naturally and went back to eating their meal in peace. It didn't take long for them to finish their meals in peace and were just getting ready to decide what to do next when the door suddenly banged open.

"The Usopp Pirates have arrived!"

Everyone turned to see who had spoken.

"I believe it's those three who ran away screaming," Brook said good-naturedly.

"The Usopp Pirates," Usopp said proudly.

"But who are they?" Sanji asked.

Usopp grinned, "It was seven years ago when I met them," he said fondly. "We had all kinds of adventures together."

"I see, you must be close," Brook said softly.

"Yeah," Usopp said watching them. "That's Pepper," he said pointing to the boy with dark green hair that was in the shape of a green pepper. "And there's Carrot," he pointed to the freckled boy with short, spiky purple hair that covered his eyes and covered with a red hat, "And Onion…" he finished to the last boy with straight brown hair with a tuft sticking up at the top, and tiny eyes behind square glasses.

"Sounds delicious," Sanji said with a smirk, "Maybe you should've called yourselves the Veggie Pirates or something."

"Wow, so you guys were like Luffy and his brothers?" Chopper asked him excitedly.

Usopp thought it over. "Yeah, I guess," he admitted, "We went around and caused trouble in the village and acted like pirates… but we weren't as close as Luffy had been with Ace and Sabo."

"Yeah, you were known as the village troublemaker," Nami agreed and Usopp's happy demeanor disappeared at once. The three kids, meanwhile, were staring at the three pirates at the table with scared expressions.

"Captain Usopp is gone," whispered Carrot to the other two.

"Did they…?" Onion whispered before they all gulped. But they rushed at the table with their little wooden swords and looked ready for a fight.

"That is so cute," Robin giggled.

"Speak up, you filthy pirates! What have you done with our beloved Captain!?" Pepper demanded, "Tell us now!"

"Yeah tell us now!" the other two yelled with him.

"I'm curious to know just what they thought you guys did to you Usopp," Sanji muttered as Luffy patted his stomach, chirping at how good that meat was. At his words, the three turned ghostly white and huddled together fearfully.

"What meat!?" Carrot gasped.

"These pirates are cannibals…?" Onion added, sounding close to freaking out.

"Oh, they didn't think that pirates eat people did they?" Franky burst out laughing.

"Yeah, I doubt that Usopp here would taste good anyway," Sanji teased.

"Why is everyone picking on me?" Usopp demanded.

"Well, Luffy's not here so you'll have to do," Zoro smirked as the three Straw Hats in the memory all began to chuckle at the kid's expressions. Nami alone was having a hard time keeping her giggles in.

"What have you done, you savages!?" Pepper demanded in a scared voice as the other two hid behind him.

Something very strange happened then. Zoro casually leaned forward onto the arm and gave them all a dark and sinister look; though the Straw Hats knew him enough by now to know that this wasn't one of his 'I'm gonna kill you' smirks…

"If you're looking for your Captain…" Zoro said slowly before he gave them a twisted and psychotic smile that would make anyone else run for their lives, "We ate him."

"You didn't…?" Robin said, smiling widely.

"AHHHHH, CANNIBALS!" the kids screamed in collected terror, though for some reason they were looking at Nami.

"Why are you punks looking at me for!?" she yelled as they all fainted, staring up at the ceiling with horrified expressions.

"That's great!" Franky roared with laughter as the rest of Straw Hats and memory Zoro and Luffy joined him. They were laughing so hard that tears were building in the edge of their eyes.

"You just had to say something stupid didn't you?" Nami scolded them both but even she was smiling as the boys twitched horribly on the floor.

"That was mean, Zoro," Chopper said to him, jumping up on his shoulder as he laughed.

"But it was funny," he grinned back. "It's not my fault that they believed me."

"Relax," memory Nami said, looking down at them, "Usopp's just fine."

"B-B-B-B-But you j-j-just s-s-said," Pepper stuttered horribly, pointing a shaking hand at Zoro who went into another round of laughter with Luffy.

"Can't you take a joke when you hear one?" she asked them irritability, "Usopp was here until about ten minutes ago. He said that he had someplace he needed to be and he took off. That's it."

"Right, why should we believe you?" Carrot demanded.

"You rather believe that we ate him?" Zoro asked, still grinning evilly and they shut up.

"Why were you so determined to scare them?" Usopp asked. Zoro just smirked back in a 'because I could' way.

"Zoro," past Nami snapped at him before she looked up to the owner behind the bar and asked, "Hey, didn't Usopp leave here a minute ago?"

"Huh?" he asked in mild surprise, "Ah, yeah…" he went back to his paper, "Your meal will be going on his tab by the way."

"Hey, thanks!" Luffy called happily.

"You did pay your tab before you left home didn't you?" Nami asked Usopp who blushed.

"Ah… ha ha… I think I'll do what Luffy did and put it on my treasure tab," he said awkwardly, hoping that they change the subject quickly.

"Really?" the boys asked, sitting up and looking at them cautiously.

"Yep," Luffy said happily, "And I wanted to talk to him a little more. Do you know where we can find him?"

So the three boys lead the three of them out of the restaurant and through the sleepy village. The boys were talking to each other in loud whispered about keeping their guard up, that these were dangerous pirates… but after a few rounds of laughter with Luffy they quickly warmed up to him and were now laughing at how they thought that they ate Usopp.

"The Captain sure is a social butterfly isn't he?" Robin asked cheerfully.

"It's hard not to enjoy yourself with Luffy around," Nami admitted, "When he isn't breaking something that is."

"Ha, you really had us going there," Pepper said as they walked around to the side of the manor. Surrounded by a tall gate on all sides was a beautiful two-story manor that looked to be about the same size as the Sunny, maybe even bigger. Wide windows and elaborate trimming all over and a tall tree on one side that stretched over to one of the side windows.

"Woah, this place is huge!" Luffy said staring at it.

"It's a beautiful house," Brook said in wonder.

"OW! Whoever lives here must be SUPER rich!" Franky called, striking his signature pose.

"Yeah!" Chopper said happily, looking at it. "But why would you be here Usopp?"

"Ah…" Usopp said nervously just as Onion answered, "And if our Captain ran off at this hour, then this is the place he's gonna be."

"Oh," Luffy said in surprise, "And what does he come here for?"

"He comes to lie," Carrot told him causally.

"He could've worded that better," Usopp sighed, "He's making it sound like it was a bad thing."

"Why would you be lying about at a place like this?" Sanji asked.

"To lie?" past Nami repeated with a frown, "That's terrible!"

"He's not a bad guy!" Pepper said. "He's great! Isn't he?" he added looking at his two friends.

"Yeah," Onion agreed.

"How is a liar awesome?" Zoro asked in confusion.

The boys looked up and it was Pepper who explained. "Well, Kaya… the girl who lives here has been in a terrible depression that's kept her weak and in bed after her parents got sick and died a year ago. She's very rich, but all that money couldn't help her recover from her sadness."

"Oh, the poor girl," Brook said sympathetically. Chopper was suddenly wishing he could get a good look at this girl and see if there was something he could do about it.

"Can a depressed person really become that sick?" Franky asked in surprise.

"Yes," Chopper said softly, "Depression can be serious. You lose energy and become very weak… in serious occasions, it can even cause death!"

"So the Captain comes to tell his special made-up stories to make her laugh and cheer her up," Onion went on happily.

"Captain Usopp is the best at telling lies!" Carrot added.

"Aw, you guys," Usopp said softly, missing his old crew more than ever. He wondered what they were doing right now…?

"Wow, that really is pretty nice of him," Luffy said thinking it over.

"That really is, Usopp-san," Brook said softly. "I'm guessing that this Kaya-san must be someone very special to you."

"H-hey, wait a minute!" Usopp said quickly, waving his hands firmly in front of him, "We're just friends that's all! I hardly knew her until after I heard about her parents and I came by to tell the stories to take her mind of things."

"That is something special to do for a lady though," Sanji said with increased respect. "And here I thought your lies were all just pointless stories."

"Watch it!" he said darkly just as the three boys all began talking about what they each liked best about Usopp. Usopp smiled at them, deeply touched by everything they said. In truth, he shared a deep fondness for Kaya due to her losing her parents and he wanted to keep her spirits up so that she could recover… he wasn't able to help his own mother and he didn't want to see anyone else go because of some stupid sickness. It was a great relief to see that she recovered a lot by the time that he left home.

"You mean she's not your girlfriend?" Zoro asked teasingly.

"NO!" he yelled, his face a little red.

"So when he tells her those stories he makes her feel better?" past Nami asked curiously.

"Yeah, lot's better," Pepper admitted.

Chopper frowned as he thought about how the story the Doctor had told him… how he had once been a master thief who was diagnosed with a fatal illness. When the rest of the world gave up on him, he wandered the countryside, searching for a place to die until he saw the serene vision of a grove of cherry blossom trees. By seeing those beautiful flowers, they inspired him to live and gave him hope. And he claimed that it been what saved him…

Chopper always strived to believe that as well. Here was another case of it… Usopp telling his crazy stories and making Kaya laugh must've taken her mind off being sick and helped her to get better. He smiled… who knew lying can be good for you?

That was all Luffy needed to hear to ask her for a ship, and then he stretched his arms out to attach to the bars of the fence, causing the three boys to scream in terror. They all knew what he was planning at once, even before Zoro, Nami, and the Usopp Pirates grabbed him. Luffy let go and they were all launched high into the sky.

"That landing is gonna hurt," Robin muttered, shielding her eyes as she watched them go flying.

"I'm gonna kill Luffy when we find him," Nami muttered to herself, a hand to her forehead as if she had a headache. "I don't know what he was thinking of.

Chopper suddenly picked up a smell with his nose and said, "Hey! Usopp's in there!" he said, pointing through the gate and at the thick tree.

"That's right," Usopp said grinning, "I used to sneak in through a hole in the hedge."

And without waiting, he walked confidently through the gate and gazed up at the tree. There she was… his past self was in a tree talking to a fairly tall, thin, and pale girl with blonde hair. Kaya… he felt his heart warm at the sight of seeing her again—even if she was still sick—it was good to see her face.

"WOW!" Sanji gasped, eyes turning back to hearts at the sight of her. "SHE'S SO DAMN BEAUTIFUL!"

"So that's your friend Usopp?" Chopper asked happily, but he was frowning a little when he saw her pale complexion. "But she really does look sick."

"Yeah," Usopp said a hint of sadness, "For about a year she's been like that."

But at that moment they could hear the echoing sounds above them and Kaya was pointing above Usopp's head. That was when the six people fell out of the sky and landed, rather painfully, in the lawn.

"Well that worked out well," Luffy said happily, he and Zoro leaving the sidewalk cracked from where they landed

"Yeah, real well!" Nami yelled both sarcastic and furious with him.

"Nami-swan, I hope that these two idiots didn't hurt you!" Sanji cried out at once.

"No," she said, rubbing her backside at the memory. "I've had a lot worse days than that."

"My goodness!" Kaya called, looking at them, "Are you okay?"

"Don't mind them, Kaya," Usopp said quickly and a little nervous, "This happens to me all the time! That's just the price of being a famous adventurer! They're just new recruits who heard about me and came to join the Usopp pirates."

"In what crazy, mixed up world?" Franky asked, knowing that he wouldn't be joining the Usopp Pirates anytime soon.

"Yeah, if I had to call you Captain, I'd know we'd be screwed," Zoro said.

Usopp sighed, hoping that they find Luffy soon so that they could stop making fun of him.

"Nope," Luffy said, getting up, "Not me, I came to see you." He looked to Kaya and asked, "I wanted to ask you a favor?"

"A favor? From me?" she asked in surprise. Luffy nodded and tried to ask her for a ship when someone interrupted them. They looked up in time to see a slim man with glasses and slicked black hair with slightly green tinge to it.

"Who is that?" Franky asked as he lifted up his sunglasses.

Usopp glared at him, his knuckles curling into fists, having forgotten about the fact he'd be forced to see him again. "Kuro…"

"Who?" Chopper asked, noticing the tense expressions on Usopp, Zoro, and Nami's faces.

"He was Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates," Usopp hissed, feeling anger roar up inside.

"I've heard of him," Robin said in surprise, "Kuro of a Thousand Plans. Now I thought I recognized Ax-Hand Morgan's name… they say that he was the one who captured Kuro."

"Wait, that ugly bastard caught him?" Zoro asked her.

"It's what I heard," she said frowning, as she tried to remember. "Apparently, out of all the Marines who were sent to capture him, Morgan was the only survivor and brought Kuro back alive. And was later promoted for his bravery."

"Well that's not what happened," Nami said, glaring as Kuro came forward towards them. "Apparently Kuro set someone else up to make the rest of the world think that he had been killed. But he'd actually been hiding out in this village for three years as a butler so that he could steal Kaya's fortune. He'd been planning on killing her since he came here."

Chopper gasped as Brook said in outrage, "HOW DARE HE? HE PLANNED ON KILLING A YOUNG GIRL FOR ALL THAT TIME?"

"Oh, if I ever get my hands on him, there's not going to be anything left!" Sanji growled, glancing up at the girl and felt his anger grow. A sick girl like that? He truly didn't have a soul…

"Don't worry," Zoro said, still a little surprised that Kuro's plan made them have to deal with Morgan as well as this mess, "We took care of him."

"Klahadore," Kaya said.

"Get out," Kuro snapped, moving his glasses up with the palm of his hand as he stood in front of them, "I'll have you know that this is criminal trespassing."

"Yeah, he definitely has a stick up his ass," Franky muttered.

"Ah, actually, Klahadore," Kaya called, "These people are…"

"Not now, Kaya," he interrupted coldly, "You can tell me all about this riffraff after they've left."

"Riffraff?" Brook repeated angrily, "What does that make you?"

"Why does she call him Klahadore?" Chopper asked.

"Well if Kuro is dead, it's not like he can go around calling himself that," Robin reminded him.

Kuro walked forward, still messing with his glasses, "Now get out! All of you! Leave now unless you all have some business with me!"

"Alright," Luffy said agreeably, "Do you think you could help us get a ship?"

"Certainly not!" he yelled.

"Damn," Luffy whined in disappointment as Zoro clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"He takes rejection a lot better than when I met him," Sanji muttered impressed.

But then Klahadore looked up and spotted Usopp hiding in the tree, "USOPP!" he yelled. And then he began to put Usopp down because his father is a pirate. When he asked what he wants from Kaya, money or otherwise, Kaya got upset.

"Stop this at once, Klahadore!" she yelled at him, hanging dangerously out the window, "Apologize to him!"

"It's even worse hearing it all a second time," Nami said, looking at Usopp and said, "Don't listen to a word he says."

"I know," he said determinedly. "But I still don't like it."

"Hey, calm down Kaya," Usopp said worriedly, glancing at her.

"I don't believe there is any reason to apologize to this savage young man, Miss Kaya," Kuro went on silkily, "My goal isn't to slander…"

"Sounds like it to me," Zoro muttered.

"I am merely stating the truth," he went on before looking back up at Usopp, "I sympathize with your situation. You must hate your great idiot of a father for abandoning his family and his village because of his mindless lust for treasure!"

Usopp, both in the memory and out, looked furious.

"You jerk!" Chopper yelled.

"That's going too far," Brook said at once, "You shouldn't judge someone based on who their parents are!"

"Unfortunately the world isn't like that," Robin said softly as Kaya screamed for Kuro to stop.

Usopp looked furious as he glared down at him. "Don't you dare insult my father again!" he growled as he jumped, using a hook from his bag of tricks to get down. After drawing it back in, he continued to glower at Kuro, shaking in anger.

Klahadore laughed, "Why have you gotten so worked up, Usopp? It's times like this that you should do what you do best and lie. Tell me about how your father is really a travelling salesman. Or about how you aren't really related by blood?"

But he had gone too far. Usopp snapped and slugged him right in the face. The Straw Hats, other than Zoro and Nami, stared at Usopp. They had never seen him this angry…

"Wow…" Sanji said, "That's a first… I don't think I've ever seen you use your fist in a fight before."

"I was just so angry that I didn't care anymore," Usopp said, holding his head high. "I didn't know who Klahadore really was here, but I wasn't going to let him get away with what he said about my old man."

"CAPTAIN!" the Usopp Pirates cried out as Usopp stood above Kuro their shaking. Sitting up, Kuro tried to claim he was a savage who resorted to violence and insulted his father again.

"SHUT UP!" Usopp screamed out, taking Kuro by surprise, "MY FATHER LISTENED TO HIS HEART AND CHOSE A LIFE OF RISK AND ADVENTURE!" Usopp proclaimed, "I AM PROUD TO SAY THAT MY OLD MAN IS A BRAVE WARRIOR OF THE SEA! YOU'RE RIGHT, I HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO EXAGGERATE FROM TIME TO TIME, BUT I WILL NEVER LIE ABOUT WHO MY FATHER IS! I REFUSE TO BE ASHAMED OF MY HERITIAGE! I AM THE SON OF A PIRATE!"

Silence fell upon them all as Robin smiled at him. Not just anyone would say something like that about their father if they knew he was a criminal.

"WOW! You're amazing, Usopp!" Chopper said, eyes bright.

"And I meant every word," Usopp said firmly, "It's true, I wished that I could've spent a little more time with him before he went out sea, but I'm glad that he did. When you go after your dream, you have to be willing to risk your life!"

But rather than be impressed, Kuro continued to laugh darkly, for a moment they could see the pirate in him. "Pirates are brave warriors of the sea are they?"

"Yeah!" Chopper said proudly as Brook held his sword high in agreement.

"I think it all depends on what kind of pirate you're dealing with," Nami said as she watched them.

"That's quite a twisted way of putting things," Kuro said getting back up and brush himself off. "You don't seem to understand that you are living proof of his savage blood."

Present-day Usopp's eyes narrowed.

"You run around sprouting lies and resort to violence when you don't get your way," Kuro went on, "To top it off, you cozy up to the lady of the house to steal her fortune."

"He only hit you because you deserved it!" Franky yelled out, wishing that they could hear him.

"Yes, and Usopp hasn't asked anything from Kaya," Zoro said, sharing a look at Usopp, "Right?"

"Of course not!" he said angrily. "I really only ever wanted to tell her stories and help to cheer her up! It couldn't have been any fun being stuck in bed all day!"

"You're wrong!" memory Usopp said at once, "I only…"

"YOUR FATHER IS A FILTHY, NO GOOD PIRATE!" Kuro bellowed out, "TREACHERY IS IN YOUR BLOOD! OF COURSE YOU HAD SUCH AN EVIL SCHEME!"

"And what does that make you, you lousy piece of shit?" Sanji demanded, still steaming at the thought of him plotting to kill a lady.

"You won't let up will you?" Usopp screamed, grabbing hold of the front of his coat and held up a fist. Finally Kaya begged Usopp to stop when he tried to him again, and he listened to her. He let Kuro go before he was given another warning about coming back to the mansion, which Usopp replies is fine with him as he marched away with his hands in his pockets.

"Funny that this shows you care more about her feelings than he does," Brook said softly, "Kuro didn't stop even when she told him to."

"I didn't want to make her more upset," Usopp confessed, "That wasn't good for her."

"Did you mean that?" Zoro asked him suddenly, "Not coming back?"

Usopp didn't say anything as he glanced up at her hurt expression. "No… I was just angry." He knew that he would've kept coming back until he was sure that Kaya was on the road to recovery.

"That's really sweet of you, Usopp," Nami told him gently. Meanwhile, the Usopp's Pirates insult Kuro for that, which Luffy agrees with—looking like he was ready to fight. But as Kuro warned them all to leave, Zoro had to hold Luffy back as the kids hid behind Nami in fear. With no other choice, the six trooped out of the grounds and Luffy went off to find Usopp.

"What a jerk," Franky muttered darkly. "How could anyone listen to that guy?"

"He was a very good actor to have fooled everyone in the village for three years," Nami admitted, "But that's all it's ever been. An act… he only pretended to care about Kaya so that he could take steal her fortune but he also wanted to make it look like an accident."

"But why would he want that?" Robin asked, "He could've stolen that fortune whenever he wanted."

"I'm sure we'll find out," Zoro said as they went following after Luffy, who was staring around, trying to track down where Usopp went. They walked on for a little while before he finally spotted Usopp sitting up on a high cliff that overlooked the sea.

"What's this place?" Sanji asked.

"I used to come here a lot to think things over," Usopp said as he walked around to look at his own past self's angry and hurt expression. He remembered exactly the feeling… the rage and helplessness that he couldn't really make that stupid butler pay for the things he said about his dad. Yes, there were time he had been angry at his old man for leaving, but at the end of the day, he was still proud to call himself his father's son.

And he looked forward to the day that he'd meet up with him to show him just how far he's come.

He watched Luffy gracefully jump to the tree branch above him and then hung upside down so that he popped right in front of Usopp's face. Usopp jumped and told him off for doing that, saying that he wanted to be alone.

Usopp smirked at that. The truth was he was glad that Luffy had come there after him… he remembered everything that he said about his father and it meant a lot that he had wanted to come talk to him, to agree that butler was an idiot. The two talked for awhile, about Usopp's father and how Luffy claimed he was a great man which cheered past Usopp up greatly as he told Luffy that he always looked up to his father and wanted to be just like him.

"Funny that you're telling all this to someone you just met," Robin said to him softly.

"He's easy to talk to," Usopp shrugged smiling. "For some reason you have a hard time not spilling your guts out to him… not that he always listens…?"

"That's true," Nami sighed, "I don't think he really cares about listening to someone's past."

"He doesn't," Zoro agreed, "He knows who we are… our pasts are all just extra. We're all a crew and that's what he cares about."

But when Luffy asked Usopp if he was going to see Kaya, Usopp stated he didn't know—that having that stupid butler there was always a pain. That was when Luffy pointed out Kuro down the cliff at the shoreline with a man wearing strange clothes and red-lensed heart-shaped glasses.

"He looks familiar," Sanji said, looking over the edge, "Wasn't he one of those stupid Marines who tried to attack us when we left Alabasta?"

"Yeah," Nami agreed, "I just didn't understand how a pirate could ever become a Marine."

"Hey Jango," Kuro snarled, "I specifically ordered you to remain inconspicuous. That doesn't mean sleeping in the road."

"I remember that," Nami said to Usopp as Zoro nodded. "We ran into him when Luffy went to look for you, Usopp. He looked insane."

"Why was he sleeping in the road?" Brook asked curiously.

"He's a hypnotist," Zoro explained, "And when he tried to hypnotize the Usopp Pirates he hypnotized himself too."

They let that sink in before Sanji muttered, "What an idiot."

"I couldn't agree with you more," Nami sighed.

"Relax man, I perfected the skills of a chameleon," Jango said, striking a weird pose. "I blend in."

"Like a zebra in a desert," Robin said as the crew all sweatdropped at the image of it.

"There's someone else with him and man is he weird," Luffy said watching them as Usopp forced his head down so that they wouldn't be seen.

"I've never seen him before," past Usopp whispered to him, "Who is he?"

"I'm sorry I found out," Usopp muttered. They all listened, and Jango confirms that the plan to murder the mansion owner is ready.

"Murder?" Chopper whispered with a gulp.

Kuro asked Jango to not mention the word "murder" and to stop calling him Captain Kuro. Jango laughed loudly at that as he told the story of how it was believed that Kuro was executed by the marines three years ago, but he managed to fake his own death and somehow found his way into Kaya's family, eventually becoming the ill girl's most trusted servant who was also beloved by the village. And now he was having the Black Cat Pirates attack the village and kill everyone…

Jango also found it amusing his former Captain declared he was bored with a pirate's life, faked his death, and secretly settled in the village, but he understood now that it had been planning this for all that time. According to Kuro, all Jango has to do is hypnotize Kaya to sign a will so he rightfully owns the mansion because 'Klahadore' is not a member of the family and therefore cannot inherit her fortune otherwise. Once the task is done he must then kill her so that everyone thought she will killed during the pirate attack. Jango mocked his former Captain, stating that if it was him, he would just invade the mansion and takes the riches without the trouble. However Kuro reminded him that would make him a pirate again. Jango mocked him once again for asking for a peaceful life when he plans to kill everyone to get Kaya's money, but Kuro states he did not expect some things like Kaya's parents death as they died unexpectedly in an accident.

"Why do I seriously doubt that?" Nami demanded, having not heard it herself, but feeling angry. "He lived with them for three years and he doesn't care about any of them?!"

"This guy is seriously evil," Franky growled, smashing his fists together, once again wishing he could deal with Kuro in his own way. Sanji and Brook were almost beside themselves at the idea that someone would want to kill Kaya like that.

"Damn," Sanji hissed, "I hope Luffy kicked his ass. If not, then I'll do it! I don't care about this being a stupid memory or not! I am going to kill him!"

Memory Usopp was staring in shock at what he was hearing but Luffy didn't have a clue.

"What are they talking about?" Luffy asked, clipping his sandals together, "Is it bad guy stuff?"

"How could he not understand that?" Nami demanded hotly. "You really are an idiot Luffy!"

Past Usopp agreed with her. "What?" he hissed at him, "Weren't you listening to any of that? Those guys aren't just bad they're evil!" He then told him what he knew about Kuro…

When Luffy finally understood, he did the stupidest thing he could have done. He stood up and shouted down at them, "HEY BAD GUYS YOU BETTER STAY AWAY FROM THAT GIRL!"

"YOU IDIOT!" most of the Straw Hats yelled, though they were all silently agreeing—having wished that they could've said the same thing. While Usopp was horrified at what Luffy did and tried to pull him down before he was seen, it was already too late. Kuro and Jango spotted the pair up on the cliff.

All of a sudden, Jango held up his ring. "Pay attention boys!" he called, "And watch this ring closely," he began to swing it back and forth as Usopp turned and hid, thinking it was some kind of dangerous weapon… but Luffy was staring at it transfixed.

"Luffy don't look at it!" Nami yelled, "He's trying to hypnotize you!"

Chopper screamed in terror and quickly hid his eyes at that as Jango finished speaking, "By the count of Jango… you'll be in a deep sleep! One… Two… JANGO!"

And then suddenly everything went dark and they were back in the forest in the middle of the night.

"What happened?" Sanji asked quickly staring around.

"He fell asleep and fell from the cliff," Usopp explained, and went into details about how he was sure that Luffy had died when he fell and how he went to try and warn the villagers.

"Interesting," Robin said softly, "It's rare to find people with such abilities in the world. Hypnosis is something that only a handful of people are ever able to do. And because our Captain sees the world in a straightforward and simple manner, it wouldn't take much to put him under such a spell."

"You got that right," Zoro agreed. It still amazed him how someone with such a strong will can be so easily manipulated.

"But you just left Luffy-san there?" Brook asked Usopp.

"I thought he was dead," Usopp tried to explain, "And I had to try and warn the villagers! Everyone I grew up with was there! All the people I knew were in danger! Kaya was in danger! I had to do something!" But he trailed off, "But I might've just not done anything for all the good it did…"

He understood why the villagers didn't listen to him. Why should they? He'd been lying for years about pirates coming to attack so why should they have any reason to listen now? But still, that didn't mean that he couldn't try.

"But why?" Chopper asked quickly, "You were telling them the truth!"

But before he could explain himself, the forest faded again and they were back at the cliff with Luffy sitting up, yawning as he looked around. Zoro, Nami, and the Usopp Pirates were all there when he saw them, the three boys were looking freaked out that he was alright. "Good morning guys," Luffy said brightly.

"I guess you finally found him?" Franky asked knowingly.

"We saw Usopp go running by, looking freaked out and we went to find Luffy," Nami explained with a smile. "We found him sleeping on the ground."

"What were you doing down here?" past Nami asked.

"I wanted to talk to Usopp," he replied brightly before he blinked, "Oh right… the village is gonna be attacked by pirates tomorrow."

"Well that's a blunt way to find out about your home is gonna be attacked," Sanji muttered darkly as Luffy explained everything that he and Usopp overheard.

"WHAT?" the three yelled, "PIRATES ARE GONNA ATTACK THE VILLAGE? AND THEY'RE GONNA KILL KAYA?"

"Yep," Luffy answered coolly, putting his hat back on, "That's what they said, no question about it."

"He sure doesn't seem concerned about it," Robin said.

"Well, it wasn't our problem at the time," Zoro said, "And now that we knew, we could've warned the villagers and the entire village could've been empty by dawn."

The three boys continued to look horrified as Zoro asked what made Luffy sleep down here. Luffy looked up and laughed, "That's the thing! I don't remember going to sleep or getting down here at all!"

As the boys talked about Usopp going to warn the villagers, Nami sighed in relief, stating that the pirates won't be able to hurt anyone because they'll be long gone by tomorrow.

"Not quite," present-day Usopp sighed and they listened to them all talk to each other before they all headed back to the village just as the sun was going down, casting everything in a warm, golden glow.

By the time they finally found Usopp, his back was to them and he was holding his arm as if in pain. The kids called at him, and he turned to look back at them with a happy expression—but for anyone who really knew him could tell that this smile was forced and looked painful. But as soon as he saw Luffy, he flipped out and ran over at him.

"Wait!" he gasped, "you're alive again?"

"Alive?" Luffy repeated in confusion, "Yeah, and I had a pretty good nap."

"I knew right then and there that he wasn't normal," Usopp sighed, "I mean, who survives a fall from a cliff like that?"

"He was sleeping the whole time," Pepper explained to him.

"Captain we heard all about the pirates and their evil plan!" Carrot added, but as they talked about warning the village, Usopp laughed said that he lied.

"Wait, that wasn't a lie!" Chopper said quickly, staring up at Usopp. "We all heard!"

"Yes, Usopp-san, why would you tell them that?" Brook asked, not believing what he was hearing. "I don't believe my own ears! Not that I have ears! But why?"

Usopp didn't answer as he watched. It was hard to watch the boys walk away, proclaiming how disappointed they were in him for that. But there was something strange… the four of them standing there in the setting sun together, completely left alone.

"Usopp?" Luffy asked before he had a sharp intake of breath, "Your arm!"

They looked, and that was when they realized that the blue and white sleeve he had was now stained with blood. Chopper screamed, "That's from a bullet!"

"You mean to tell me that someone shot you?" Franky asked at once.

Usopp nodded as he watched Nami examine the wound and told him to come with her so that they could get it treated. In the end, they followed them all the way down to the same shore that they had spied on Kuro and Jango. Nami had treated Usopp's would and bandaged it up.

"Not bad," Chopper said as he watched her dab it gently with a salve. "That's really the best that can be done… fortunately it was only a graze."

"But why would your own village shoot you?" Brook asked him but Usopp shook his head.

"Because they didn't believe me," Usopp confessed. Before they could really make sense of that, memory Nami declared that he was good to go.

"So, how come you lied to them?" Luffy asked him seriously.

"Because all I do is lie," Usopp said after a few seconds of silence as he stared at the bandage. They also watched Usopp tearfully tell them that no one in his village believed him since he was a known lair who couldn't touch Kuro's clean reputation. Apparently, Usopp had told lies about pirates invading every day for the last several years.

"And why would you do that?" Chopper asked.

"It started off as a way to help someone really close to me," Usopp told him softly, "But I kept telling it… and now… they didn't have any reason to believe me."

Past Usopp sighed as he finished telling them how he went to Kaya and tried to tell her, but she refused to listen and it was another one of her other butlers shot him and finished by saying, "There's no way that anybody was gonna believe what I had to say. Why should they?"

Memory Zoro stepped forward, "Because what you were telling them was the honest truth!"

"This is the problem with telling lies," Robin told him softly. "Sooner or later, they're gonna come back to haunt you."

"You think you'd learn your lesson after this," Sanji agreed.

"I know," Usopp said nodding, "But I don't need to lie so much anymore! I can actually do stuff now!"

"They are coming," past Nami said softly, "And they're gonna level this whole town."

"Yeah," Usopp said, "But what am I supposed to do? They'll think I'm lying if I try to warn them! Everyone in the village thinks tomorrow is gonna be another normal day."

But he gritted his teeth and stood up, a new resolve burning in his eyes. "They think I'm lying and that's all they need to think! I'm gonna stop those pirates at the beach tomorrow myself! This is all my fault for being such a liar!" he was shaking as he gripped his arm and said in a choked voice, "I don't care anymore if they drive me away with brooms or shoot me in the arm!"

That was when the Straw Hats all realized that Usopp was crying. He was scared to death, but he was willing to put his life on the line to try and protect the same people who hurt him. Franky and Brook were all sobbing as Chopper hugged their Usopp's leg tightly. The rest of them were smiling at Usopp who blushed a little but feeling a sense of pride of himself as he watched his past resolve.

"This is my village! It's my home!" he went on, trying to hold in the tears, "and I love everyone in it! I have to protect them!"

He said this part so quietly that they almost missed it.

"I can't take it! I love ya, man!" Franky cried as he pulled Usopp into a hug as he cried, "Willing to risk yourself like that!"

"Yeah," Usopp said softly. "Thinking back, I didn't know what I was going to do… if you three didn't come when you did then I know I'd be dead."

"That takes a lot of courage though Usopp," Robin told him, "Already, you were showing signs of courage."

And it was because of this that the three in the memory also smiled and looked ready to fight. Past Zoro gripped his swords tightly. "You're a hell of a good guy," he said grinning evilly at the idea of fighting, "Sending your cronies away and going into battle alone."

"Oh, so that's why you sent them away!" Chopper cried happily.

"Just so you know," memory Nami claimed, "I have dibs on all the pirate treasure you got it?"

"So you want a little help or what?" Luffy asked, holding up his fist for him to see.

Usopp was crying as he stared at them, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You guys…?" he gasped, drying the tears, "You're gonna help me fight all these pirates? I don't get it."

"You guys didn't know me but you wanted to help anyway," Usopp said softly.

"Seeing how determined you were to fight made us want to fight too," Zoro explained softly as Luffy flexed his fingers.

"Well, you said that there's a whole bunch of bad guys right?" he asked.

"And you look scared out of your mind," past Zoro added, looking at him. Usopp stood up and jerked his thumb at himself as he proclaimed, "For your information I have nerves of steel! I'm perfectly ok with tons of bad guys! After all you're looking at the legendary Captain Usopp! Brave warrior of the sea!"

His words lost their effect when they saw his legs shaking. Usopp noticed it as well as he hit his knees angrily to get them to stop. "Damn it…" he looked at them and snarled, "Alright fine, I'm scared! Why shouldn't I be? They're Captain Kuro's men! These guys mean business! I don't need pity! If you guys are sticking around cause you pity me, just leave! I don't need you laughing at me!"

"Why would you do that?" Brook asked, "You must've known that you couldn't do it alone. Even if it was pity, why not swallow your pride and ask if it meant saving your village?"

Usopp lowered his head as he gulped. "I know… it's just…" It's just that he was so used to living on his own… to be the son of a great man gave him a lot of pride. To lower his head and show humility was a hard thing for him to do. To admit when he was wrong was what almost ended up costing him his crew after all.

"We're not laughing at you," past Zoro said firmly, "we're helping because you are honorable."

"And that means a lot coming from you," Usopp said to him gratefully and Zoro smiled back.

"I meant it, if only you show that side more often," he teased.

"You really think we'd risk our lives out of pity?" Luffy asked, half his face darkened.

Past Usopp had more tears in his eyes at their determination. He rubbed at his eyes as he said, "I don't know how to thank you… but we have to hurry! We still have time before the sun rises! And we've got to set up some traps! They'll be here at daybreak!"

The forest came back and they were all staring ahead of them silently.

"Like what happened with ChouChou… if you're willing to fight, then he'll help you," Sanji said a bit of pride in him as he puffed his cigarette. "If you hadn't done anything, I doubt that they would've helped."

"No," Zoro confessed.

"I would've tried to at least warn them," Nami said softly, "But like Zoro said, it really wasn't our business. I am glad that it all worked out though."

"Me too," Usopp agreed softly. "I owe you three so much for your help. I… I wouldn't have been able to do it without you. Me and Kaya—and who knows how many other people could've been killed by that fake butler."

"Yohohoho, it's all so touching!" Brook declared loudly as Franky sobbed openly at that, pulling out his handkerchief to dab his eyes. And like that, the forest disappeared but they were all still in the dark. Looking up, they spotted the four of them watching the sea as the sky was slowly growing lighter with each second. Dawn was approaching…

"Ok," Usopp said as he marched up the hill with the others behind him, "At day break, the pirates will be landing at this shore to begin their attack."

Zoro and Nami both glanced at each other, knowing that was far from true…

"But the only way they'll be able to get to the village will be up this slope," Usopp went on, "The rest of the shoreline is sheer cliff so they have to come through here. If we can funnel them in that narrow path their numbers won't mean anything and the village will be protected."

"Alright," Luffy said, "Sounds pretty easy."

"Everything does in theory," present-day Nami sighed, running her hand through her long hair.

"Why do I get the feeling that something happened?" Robin asked in amusement.

"Because it did," Zoro said grumpily.

"Talking about it is," past Usopp said looking at them, "But victory depends on our strength. What is it you guys can do?"

"I slice," Zoro said darkly.

"I stretch," Luffy stated with a fist held high.

"I steal," Nami finished folding her arms.

"I hide," past Usopp said softly before the three got him in a headlock.

"WELL THIS TIME YOU BETTER FIGHT!" they screamed as Usopp tried to tell them that he was only joking.

"Do you really think now was a good time to make a joke Usopp?" Chopper asked him. "I mean…"

"It's always good to have a laugh before a battle," Usopp told him a little nervously. The truth was he meant what he said but Chopper seemed to buy it as he thought it over with a determined look in his eyes.

"Fighting was the least you could've done you shitty idiot," Sanji said, "If my little Nami got hurt here, I'll gut you!"

"Hey now, we all made it out alive," Usopp said quickly as the memory selves rolled out several large barrels of oil and poured it down the slope.

"I get it," Robin said watching it, "It's rather clever…"

"Not a bad idea," Franky said, "In a battle, it's always best to stay higher ground."

"Let's just hope none of us slip on that oil and end down there with them," past Nami said as Luffy cautiously touched the oil with his foot, "Because that would be like sliding into a meat grinder!"

"Your sense of humor is almost as bad as Robin's, Nami," Chopper gulped at the idea as Robin giggled next to him.

Luffy looked up at Usopp and said, "Usopp I gotta hand it to you. You're pretty good at fighting dirty!"

Usopp looked outraged. "Of course I am! There isn't anyone alive who can best me with a slingshot or beat me at the art of fighting dirty!"

"You say that like you're proud of it," Zoro told him.

"Hey, I'm a sniper and a trickster!" Usopp snapped back, "I'm not some monster like the rest of you! This is how I fight!"

The four smiled as Zoro looked out to the sea. He whispered softly, "It's almost daybreak… they're coming…"