The Village Liar and a Shifty Butler

It was a more eventful few days at sea thanks to their new travel buddy navigating and ranting; Zoro was trying to nap and ignore the still ongoing argument between Nami and his captain…Their argument about Morgan leaving a bag of money behind back in Orange town as reparations was still a sore spot for Nami but this time it was about his insistence about getting to the Grand Line.

"I still can't believe that you even think that you can cross into the Grand Line on this flimsy boat…I'm not sure if you're stupid, crazy or suicidal!" Nami snapped at him as she rolled open a map of the current sea; "You DO realise what kind of danger it is to get to a place like that, it's called a ship graveyard for a reason, Ford!"

"Yeah, but I'm looking to get a ship that's bigger and more….long term then a dinghy." Morgan retorted; "Besides, there's gonna be someone who's able to let us take a ship off their hands."

"Yeah…I'm going with stupid, like someone's gonna be THAT thankful…Plus don't you have any clue on how exactly you're going to get to there?" Nami pointedly asked him; "There's a stretch of sea known as the Calm Belt and that alone is a borderline death sentence in this kind of boat, there's no wind flowing so we can't sail and rowing will attract the Sea Kings living there."

"Why don't we just check on the next island to see about where we can get another ship?" Zoro would ask as he saw Morgan shiver at the mention of the Sea Kings; "You may be right about getting in trouble with this but Morgan does have a point…we can either trade for a ship or we can buy one…you have enough money in those bags to get something decent." he mentioned with Nami rolling her eyes at him

Said money loving navigator was about to make a comment but she caught a glance of the next island coming into distance, before reaching into one of the bags of food and narrowing her eyes when she felt nothing but cloth; "Can you guys seriously not ration properly? we need to be careful about food…especially if it's just us." she grumbled as she managed to pull out a tangerine from one of the other bags.

"It's no problem, we can restock at this island….And find out if someone's got a ship." Morgan mentioned optimistically as they turned towards an island.

However on land; one such individual noticed that a boat was coming in to dock and considering that they didn't look like traders or Marines, he had narrowed it down to one possibility as he set up his performance and whispered to his own crew. "Now remember, just like we practiced…" the long nosed boy said in a hushed whisper to three smaller children clutching on flags.

Morgan climbed out of the boat and onto the beach, thankful that he was on solid land and planting his still holey hat on his head; "Y'know, despite our track record with crooked Marines and pirates, it's nice to see that not every landmass ha-"

Morgan was quickly interrupted by a loud PLINK! as a rock bounced off of their boat and landed in the sand, earning Morgan a sigh from Nami; "You really had to go and say something like that, didn't you?"

"STOP RIGHT THERE, YOU NO GOOD PIRATES! YOU ARE TRESPASSING ON THE TERRITORY OF THE GREAT AND POWERFUL CAPTAIN USOPP OF THE USOPP PIRATES!" A very loud voice came up as a boy who looked to be the same age as Morgan was bearing down on them with goggles over his eyes and an array of flags waving behind him.

Needless to say that the reception from Morgan, Zoro and Nami was a little underwhelming as they merely stared up at him like he was a weirdo…which he kind of was.

"Roll it back, buddy…we're not here for a fight or for dealing with more pirates so just let us into town and we'll be out before you know it." Zoro yelled up at Usopp as he was currently standing on a cliffside before pulling back his slingshot.

"You think you can fool me with a lie like that?! I've got 10,000 Pirate minions on standby waiting for my command!" Usopp yelled back at them as he tried pulling the numbers card on them.

"10,000? Is that guy serious?" Nami would ask, both skeptical about this proclamation but equally as concerned with the off chance that he wasn't kidding.

"Give it a sec." Zoro would say and gestured to Morgan who had his eyes closed in concentration.

Morgan opened up his Observation Haki in an attempt to read how many presences were around him; considering that he could pick out Usopp and to a lesser degree: the three other boys hiding in the bushes, Morgan wasn't going to take chances if there were people here who could hide their presence. "I can tell it's just you and three other kids up there, so stop messing around and let us through!" Morgan said to call Usopp's bluff.

"T-That's not a joke, I do have a ton of guys just waiting in the wings to take you on!" Usopp yelled out in a shaky voice, he was surprised that someone could easily see through him but he kept it going to see how much it'd take.

"IF that really is the case then I guess we should be polite and meet these 10,000 minions of your's." Morgan would say with a smirk before cracking his knuckles.

Nami was starting to get a little worried as she wasn't sure who was bluffing anymore but she had seen Morgan and Zoro beat the snot out of more dangerous pirates and it could spell trouble if Usopp was just a kid trying to act tough. "H-Hey Ford, there's no need to…." Nami would try to calm Morgan down but Zoro lightly elbowed her to keep things between them.

"So bring them out, Usopp…Because we've dealt with bigger and badder pirates, so put that toy down and fight us like a pirate would because I'm not gonna mess around." Morgan would say and gave him a menacing glare that could be felt from the beach.

Usopp could feel his knees shaking as his legs turn to jelly under Morgan's threat; with one last attempt at bravado, the slingshot holder pulled out a shiny pellet and took a step forward to take aim…but the ground under him started to give way and Usopp came tumbling down the cliffside before landing face first into the sand at the trio's feet…There was a time to hold them and a time to fold them, right now it was folding time. "O-OKAY! OKAY! I'M SORRY! I DON'T REALLY HAVE THAT MANY MINIONS! IT'S JUST ME AND MY FRIENDS SO PLEASE DON'T HURT US, MR PIRATE!" Usopp pleaded as his lie and his flags fell flat in front of them.

The air was tense but hearing him confess to it made Morgan breathe a sigh of relief; "Oh, good…because I was worried I was going to have to beat you up." Morgan would remark as Zoro started laughing and Nami sighed in resignation.

"W-Wait…You're not pirates?" Usopp would ask in confusion as he got to his feet; "But then why did you say all that threatening stuff to me?" 

"Well, pirates are tough people and say tough things." Morgan chuckled; "Plus we are pirates, we're just not here to pillage or raid…we actually want to get a bigger ship."

  —-A few Minutes later at Syrup Village's Restaurant— 

Usopp listened to Morgan explain about their trip to the Grand Line and their need for a bigger ship; "So that's why you guys stopped here? I gotta admit, Syrup Village isn't exactly a stop for ship building or for tourists…but I think Kaya can help you guys out…speaking of which, I'm gonna go see her now; so eat your fill and I'll see you at that mansion on the hill!" Usopp would say as he ran out the door while Morgan was chowing down on Syrup Village's Seafood chilli and Nami was holding on to a needle and the straw hat.

"You know he just left us with the bill right?" Zoro pointed out as he drained his mug; leaving Nami with a grimace on her face as she then begrudgingly tossed a small bag of money on the table and then cut a strand from the holes she was sewing up on the hat from Buggy's knife marks.

"Here, I know this hat means….something to you so I patched it up." Nami remarked as she handed Morgan the hat back; "Why do you consider that ratty old thing treasure anyway? You could probably get that same one from any sea port." Nami would ask as Morgan looked happy with her stitch work.

"Not all treasure has to be gold or gemstones….Zoro treasures his swords and I with this hat, but this hat is a symbol of a promise I made back when I was a kid…" Morgan explained as he began to explain the meaning behind the hat.

  —11 Years Prior— 

Red Haired Shanks was waiting for his crew to gear up as they were getting ready to ship out, though he did look rather concerned since Luffy or the others were normally around with the usual tirade of asking to come on the ship with him. This time however no one was around; but since it was around the time that Shanks lost his arm to a Sea King, he chalked it down to Luffy feeling guilty about the whole thing, he was taken out of his thoughts when he saw a young Morgan walking up towards the dock with a rather anxious look on his face. "Morgan? You're right on time…me and the crew are about to head…wait…Luffy didn't come with you?" he asked curiously but raised his eyebrow when he saw Morgan holding the Straw Hat out to him.

"I…I wanted to give this back on Luffy's behalf…He said he wanted to become a Marine like Old Man Garp and threw the hat away." Morgan said sadly; "He thinks the Marines are stronger but I don't think so…so I'm gonna wait before asking to join your crew." Morgan proclaimed as Shanks took the hat in his hands.

"That right? Because I never offered to take you two brats with me." Shanks would say with that same goofy smile that Luffy and Morgan were used to whenever they bugged him to take them with him. "Don't forget, Luffy's got those powers now and you can barely throw a punch straight…So how're you gonna stand out if you can't do squat."

That was when Morgan got mad in a way only a kid would when told No; "I'll do it! I'm gonna train extra hard and learn how to fight better! Then I can get a ship and a crew that can outdo you guys!" Morgan yelled as the other pirates chuckled in amusement; "I'm gonna become the first Martial artist in the world to become Pirate King and kick Luffy's butt when he's a high enough Marine!"

"Even when they're fighting, those two still strive to be the best at what they want." Shanks thought as he saw the determined look on the young boy's face; "Alright kiddo…but until then…YOU can hold on to this." he would say before placing the straw hat on Morgan's head; "Make sure you take good care of it, it's an important treasure of mine…but you're gonna give it back to me once you become an amazing pirate, right?" He asked as he saw Morgan start to tear up from what Shanks was saying; "Hey, come on…there's no need to cry…you're a man, remember? Get stronger, stand proud and become the best that you can be."

The Red-Haired Pirates' flag unfurled as Shanks started to sail off; watching everyone seeing him leave and Morgan clutching onto the hat; "I'll be waiting for you at the top, Morgan…When you become a great pirate."

  —Back in Present Time at Kaya's Mansion— 

"So this is the place? it's pretty swanky." Morgan mentioned as he saw the large manor stretch wide; "If anyone's gonna know anything about getting a ship, they can!"

"It doesn't mean it's guaranteed just because they're rich, Ford." Nami rolled her eyes but she seemed to have her own thoughts; "Though I do have to admit, I could probably swipe some stuff from here and sell it for a pretty belli or two."

Zoro would lightly bonk their heads as he took his role as the level headed one between a stubborn captain and their money loving companion; "Focus, we're here to try getting a ship together…not bug them OR rob them…now where did that slingshot guy run off to? he said he'd meet us here…."

"Right up there." Morgan pointed up in the tree as Usopp looked like he was talking to a girl who was sat in a bed; "We should go talk to him."

"H-Hey, don't just butt into them talking…what if we get caught?" Nami would say, trying to grab Morgan to stop him from climbing the tree.

"Well, what if he gets caught too? those guards at the gates don't look like the welcoming type." Zoro pointed out as Morgan slipped past and climbed up the tree like a monkey while Zoro and Nami argued about how to approach this.

"Yo! Usopp, we've been waiting for you….is this that lady you were telling us about?" Morgan asked; unintentionally confusing Kaya and scaring Usopp to the point that the branch under them broke and sent them into the grounds below under her window.

"What are you doing here?! I thought you were going to let me talk." Usopp yelled at Morgan in a hushed whisper.

"Nah, all you said was you had to go somewhere and said to meet you here!" Morgan whispered back to him, "Those guards weren't so happy looking and we saw you up in th-"

"I should have expected to see you here…"

Both Morgan and Usopp looked up to see a disdainful looking man in a suit with glasses glaring down at them before using the edge of his palm to push up his glasses; "You've been warned before not to come back here but I hadn't anticipated that you would be bringing friends here." 

"It's none of your beeswax Klahadore! I'm here to visit Kaya and I'm gonna keep doing it, regardless of how many times you catch me." Usopp said to the butler as he dusted himself off; "Besides I have something important to do that needs Kaya's attention, not that it's your business anyway."

"Usopp, please don't start a fight." Kaya would try to reason with Usopp from the window as she saw her butler Klahadore show up in another attempt to usher him and this strange new boy out of the grounds.

"You see? All you do is cause problems for young Miss Kaya and lie through your teeth…about your "Adventures" and that filth of a pirate that you call a father." Klahadore sneered as he glowered at Usopp and Morgan like they were dirt.

"K-Klahadore, that's going too far!" Kaya would protest as she could see Usopp starting to get more and more angry.

"Don't talk about my dad like that! he's a brave warrior of the sea and I'm proud of him being a pirate!" Usopp yelled back at the snooty butler; "He's infinitely more of a man then you could be."

"Oh really? If he's so much of a man, then why did he leave you behind here? he's embarrassed by you perhaps? Or maybe he's got some other little bastard children that he'd rather look out for then to deal with a glorified liar like yourse-" Klahadore was letting loose his insults with glee but got cut off when Usopp finally had enough and punched him in the face, making a bruise swell up on his cheek.

"That's enough you two! Please no more fighting!" Kaya was getting more upset at the sight before being overcome with a coughing fit.

"If you'll excuse me…I have something important to take care of…and as far as you and your friends should be concerned; not one of you are permitted to enter these grounds or even get close to this fence ever again." Klahadore snarled before heading back inside the manor; leaving a seething Usopp to head off with Luffy and Kaya watching him leave.

"I-uh…I'm sorry to cause trouble, we'll get out of your way." Morgan would apologise to Kaya as he climbed back over the fence and followed after Usopp with Kaya giving him a confused yet half hearted wave. 

"That jerkass butler! What does he know about my dad?! he's a pirate and a real good one too…" Usopp thought to himself as he was sat on a rock that overlooked the cliffside towards the south beach.

"So this is where you run off to?" Morgan would make himself known as he pushed through the bushes and joined Usopp as he vented; "Though to be fair, I don't blame you for acting that way."

"That jerk thinks he's so superior just because he's Kaya's butler…I swear he does this crap out of spite because I can make Kaya happy and he can't!" Usopp snapped as he threw another pebble over the cliff and towards the great expanse of sea underneath.

"Maybe he's just a little overprotective of her, she did seem a little sickly…why doesn't she talk to her parents and get that guy to leave her alone a little." Morgan suggested though he quickly realised why when he saw Usopp frown.

"That's the thing…Kaya's from a rich family but her parents died from a sickness a while back, I go down to see her any chance I get and try to cheer her up…it seems to help I think." Usopp explained.

"Y'know...You're a pretty good person for a liar, Usopp." Morgan joked a little as he threw a pebble towards the sea; "So what was that about your dad being a pirate?" he asked.

"Oh, that…Well, my dad's part of a crew for a pirate named Red-Haired Shanks, they're both really cool and once I can get a ship of my own, I can sail out to fulfil my dream…" Usopp explained while Morgan was starting to put pieces together.

"Wait…your dad wouldn't happen to be Yasopp, would it?" Morgan asked which made Usopp nod; "I've met your dad when Shanks stopped by our village sometimes, he's an amazing shot and he would talk about you non stop."

"So even at sea, he still thinks about me…you know with all the pirates out there, I'm just proud that my old man's one of them…too bad that butler jerk doesn't see it that way." Usopp grumbled as he stared up at the clouds.

"You got a bad feeling about him too, huh?" Morgan asked, bringing Usopp back to his attention.

"Right? I don't know what it is but he's just too proud to admit that I'm doing something good just because I tell one or two lies." Usopp was starting to get suspicious; partly because Morgan was agreeing with him and partly because their most recent spat.

"I can read people and from what I could tell, it's not just his words that are slimy and rotten." Morgan explained; "Thank you Observation Haki and your one time that you decide to work on an elitist butler yet not on anyone else…"

"I figured as much but….wait…what's he doing down there?" Usopp would trail off once he saw the butler's silhouette shuffle along the beach near the bottom of the cliff to meet with a backwards walking man.

  —Down at the Beach— 

"Jango…I thought I told you not to make yourself stand out, yet here I find you passed out in the middle of the road." Klahadore would reprimand the man with a more rough and coarse voice.

"I keep telling you, I'm not weird and I certainly don't stand out." the man known as Jango would say before striking an odd pose, his heart shaped glasses now fixed on the butler.

"Who's that guy with the glasses?" Morgan asked; "You know him at all, Usopp?"

Usopp shook his head as he tried to peer over the edge without them getting caught; all that time using a slingshot made it easier to watch them from afar.

"So you remember the plan and what to do?" Klahadore would ask as he adjusted his glasses; "Because by the time this is through, these three long years of work will finally be paying off."

"Right, you're going to set up a signal for me and the crew to storm into the village and kill that girl, should be simple enough." Jango said to the butler with a smirk but that quickly vanished when Klahadore returned with a furrowed brow and a harsher glare.

"No, you idiot! If that brat gets killed without signing a will then her mansion, her fortune and everything she inherits will be split among her relatives." Klahadore snapped at Jango who visibly flinched at the physically less intimidating butler. 

"The plan I have for YOU is that while the village is attacked and everyone is focused on the pirates, you will use your hypnosis on the girl and make her write this: "For his long and dutiful service to my family, I leave my fortune to my faithful butler Klahadore."…With the kind of trust I built with the fools in this village, it would hardly be surprising to hear." Klahadore remarked with a proud smirk on his face as Jango chuckled.

"Truly you are the Captain I remember... Kuro of a Thousand Plans." Jango quipped which managed to bring a sour look on Klahadore/Kuro's face.

"I abandoned that name when I "died" remember? Just stick to the plan, to. the. letter…and this fortune shall be ripe for the taking with no questions or debate how." Kuro would smirk; "This time tomorrow, we'll be all the richer."

  —Back at the beached boat— 

With some urging from Morgan, he and Usopp snuck away before they got caught by the hypnotist or by the butler; After an unsuccessful attempt from Usopp to convince Kaya that her butler was secretly a pirate hellbent on her fortune…all it earned him was her reprimand and getting shot by her other servant Merry. After some more convincing from Morgan and the threat of a growing mob, the two met back up with Zoro and Nami at their beached boat before explaining to them about the whole situation.

"He…He can't be serious, can he?" Usopp whispered in horror as he watched Morgan finish explaining while Nami bandaged up Usopp's arm; "All these times he looked down on me for being the son of a pirate yet that lying snake was a pirate himself?!"

"It still doesn't make sense, why would a pirate disguise himself as a butler for this long a time?" Nami would ask as she was trying to make sense of it.

"He mentioned about him "dying"…He could've faked his death, maybe he wanted to get the Marines off his back…or a rival pirate…" Morgan mused to himself while running a finger along his cheek scar.

"Why he did it doesn't matter right now! We know he's after Kaya and he's going to kill her to steal her money!" Usopp snapped out of it as he tapped his foot impatiently; "We need to keep trying to warn people about him and his plan, if he gets his way then the village AND Kaya are in danger!" 

"I hate to be the negative one here but you really think that they're gonna believe any of us?" Zoro pointed out with the question that seemed to be on the three's mind.

"But he's evil! there's no way that everyone in the village can think he's a good guy." Usopp complained with a grimace as he tried to come up with an alternative. 

"He does have a point….Usopp, the three of us are outsiders who have been hanging around with someone who's been outed as a habitual liar for most of the day…" Nami agreed with a small frown; "If they don't distrust us already, it's going to be hard to prove both us and you against someone who's taken the time to deliberate and throw off suspicion for three whole years."

"I KNOW! I know I've been a liar for all this time….but I love this Village and regardless of that, I want to be a pirate worthy of being called a brave warrior of the sea!" Usopp admitted out loud before turning to the three. "Please…I know I lied about being a real pirate but I need your help…to protect Kaya and the village from whatever plans that Klaha….I mean Kuro has got cooked up." Usopp begged with a genuine look of worry on his face.

"You've spent most of your time here at the village lying about pirates and stuff…then maybe we should keep that streak going!" Morgan said with a wide grin on his face, confusing not just Usopp but Nami and Zoro too.

"What are you talking about?" Usopp asked in confusion as he stood up; "Even when I said that pirates were coming and meant it, no one in the entire village would believe me at all…Not even Kaya."

"Exactly!" Morgan remarked with a confident look on his face, Zoro was just as confused while Nami sighed and decided to try explaining.

"I think what Ford is TRYING to say is that if we stuck around to help, then we can stop the pirate invasion from happening….thus making it another peaceful day." Nami elaborated before turning to Morgan; "Honestly, you really need to elaborate on your plans sometimes." The redhead grumbled as she poked Morgan's chest, though she seemed to get a little flustered when she noticed how firm his chest felt under her finger.

"In any case, you set up that whole show when we first landed on the beach, right?" Zoro asked Usopp to broke the tension and get a plan going; "So…We set it up again but this time we sit and wait, once the pirates land on shore…we can jump out and attack them." Zoro suggested, Morgan seemed to be mostly on board with the idea but Nami seemed to be the one to debunk that plan.

"Right, sit in the bushes and spring out on a bunch of pirates who have had however long a time to prepare and plan to attack an entire village in a single morning…I know you and Ford are strong but this isn't like what happened with Buggy, this guy clearly put together a whole plan and who knows what he'll account for…" Nami pointed out to both him and Morgan.

"Unless we can set some traps….there's two beaches where they could attack from, if we booby trap the one that they'll land on then that can give you more of a chance." Usopp chimed in.

This spin on the plan placated Nami for just a little but that still didn't answer all of Morgan's questions; "You said it'll give more of a chance for us…does that mean you're not going to join in?"

Usopp realised the wording and started to sweat a little; "O-Oh, that! Well…I have a case of "Pirates are way too bad for me-osis" it's a really terminal condition and I don't think I ca-" Usopp was starting to ramble but Morgan started to get up in his face.

"Don't give me that kind of excuse, you claimed to be a pirate but just pretended to be one…that I can let go, you stick up for your dad as a pirate's pride which is something I can respect from you…but are you honestly going to tell me that your fear of this butler and his goons are so burrowed deep that the village you grew up in, the people around you and the girl that you run up to every day and tell stories to is something that you can throw away as easily as a dish rag?" Morgan snapped at Usopp with a disappointed glare on him.

"Being a liar is one thing but can you really be proud of running away as a "Brave warrior of the sea"? You think that image is something that your pops would be proud of?" Zoro added to Morgan's words; "If you want to run away, then do it….But just think about whether you can live with yourself if you do."

Usopp felt his body run cold as he realised this with their glares squared on him; "A-Are they insane?! They talk about fighting a notorious pirate and his entire crew like it's nothing, but they expect me to do the same?! I'm just…I…I'm scared…but leaving everyone to die when I could've done something is more scary to imagine…" Usopp swallowed hard; "I…I know I sounded like a coward….but please…let me help protect them…I can't do it all on my own." Usopp finally decided to try standing up for himself.

The disappointment from Morgan quickly turned to a smirk of satisfaction; "Well, we can do our best and make sure that the village wakes up to a lazy day." Morgan said and lightly pat Usopp's back who looked like he was about to keel over from a small breeze.

"If I die…bury me at sea…" He would mumble as he stood tall but his bandy legs seemed to be shaking harder then anything else.

"Trust me, by the time this is through…you'll be proud of yourself….shaking knees and all." Zoro said as he watched Usopp trying to stop himself from shaking like a leaf.

"B-Baby steps, okay?! So…I can help with setting traps and using my slingshot…so what about you guys? what can you do?" Usopp asked the trio as he steadied himself.

"I cut."

"I steal."

"I punch."

Usopp was surprised that they were so upfront but that didn't matter right now; "Okay, then we can get ready…they attack tomorrow morning so we should be ready for when they do."