On the streets of Syrup Village.
A curly-haired boy with a remarkably long nose ran through the entire town, gasping for air as he screamed at the top of his lungs:
"THE PIRATES... THEY'RE COOOOMING!!" "EVERYONE RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!"
Despite his frantic pace and desperate cries, the expected panic never arrived. Windows along the street remained tightly shut, though an occasional weary sigh drifted from behind them.
Seeing this, the boy skidded to a halt. A triumphant smirk crossed his face, and he placed his hands on his hips, laughing toward the sky:
"The pirates thing... was a lie! Wahahaha!"
CLANG!
The words had barely left his mouth when a frying pan, seemingly possessing a mind of its own, flew out of a nearby window and struck the boy squarely on the back of his head.
"OW! You jerk... that hurts!" Usopp clutched his head, tears stinging his eyes.
"You liar!! I'll give you something to cry about!" "Usopp! You brat, not this again!" "I'm going to teach you a lesson today!"
As if the scream were a wake-up call, angry residents pushed open their doors, brandishing brooms and rolling pins, shouting their condemnations at Usopp. Faced with the mob, Usopp didn't look afraid. Instead, he made a face and laughed:
"Come on! Come on! Catch me if you can!" "Don't let him get away! Get him!"
The angry crowd surged forward, but Usopp was well-prepared. Like a nimble monkey, he darted left and right, utilizing his intimate knowledge of the terrain and his unmatched "running away skills" to successfully lose his pursuers.
A short while later, on a large tree at the edge of town.
Usopp lay comfortably on a thick branch, laughing victoriously as he watched the grumbling villagers retreat in the distance. "Heh, catching the Great Captain Usopp? Impossible."
"Ah! Captain Usopp!" Two high-pitched voices called from below. "Usopp Pirates, reporting for duty!"
Usopp sat up and looked down to see two little kids wearing bandanas, looking at him with pure worship. "Ah, Pepper, Carrot. You're here."
Usopp hopped down from the branch, striking a "cool" pose. He glanced left and right, looking confused. "Huh? Why is it just the two of you? Where's Onion?"
As if on cue, a frantic yelling echoed from the end of the winding dirt road.
"Ah, it's Onion!" Pepper pointed at the tiny figure sprinting toward them. "What is he shouting about?" Carrot strained to listen.
"WAAAAAH! WAAAAAH! WAAAAAAH!!"
As the distance closed, they finally heard him.
"This is bad! This is bad! PIRATES! THEY'RE REALLY HERE!!" Onion skidded to a halt in front of them, drenched in sweat and pale as a ghost. He pointed behind him. "C-Captain Usopp! Pirates! A ship with a skull flag... it's right there at the North Shore!!"
"You're lying, right, Onion?" Usopp blinked, then patted Onion's shoulder with an approving nod. "Not bad. Even I almost fell for it. That kind of acting deserves an award!"
"IT'S TRUE! IT'S REALLY TRUE!!" Onion looked ready to cry, waving his arms frantically. "I saw it with my own eyes! A real pirate ship!"
Looking at Onion's terrified expression, the smile on Usopp's face froze. "R-Really?"
His face went white. His legs began to shake uncontrollably, and his body instinctively started backing away. "Ah... well, I just remembered I forgot to feed my pet turtle!"
With that, Usopp turned and bolted, his speed truly astonishing. "I have an emergency! I'm going home first!!"
"WHAT?! HE RAN AWAY!!" The three kids stared at their captain's retreating back in disbelief. Onion screamed at the top of his lungs, "CAPTAIN USOPP!! THERE ARE ONLY FOUR OF THEM!! DIDN'T YOU ALWAYS SAY YOU WANTED TO BE A BRAVE PIRATE?!"
SCREECH—
At the mention of "four people" and "brave pirate," Usopp's feet skidded to a stop, his soles kicking up a cloud of dust. He turned around stiffly, forcing a confident grin. "Ahaha... that was just a warm-up. The North Shore, right? I accidentally started walking in the wrong direction."
Usopp wiped away his cold sweat and gave a grand wave. "In that case, let's go see! Follow me! Usopp Pirates, move out!"
"YES SIR!!" The three kids' eyes widened with excitement as they followed him.
Meanwhile, at the North Shore.
The sun was nearing the horizon, painting the sea in shades of burning orange and shimmering gold.
Crunch. A sailing ship flying a skull flag with a straw hat pulled up onto the sand. Four figures climbed down the ladder. Viktor stepped onto the soft beach, inhaling the scent of earth and salt, letting out a long breath of relief.
"Phew... land feels so much better."
"Yes, especially since someone can't even swim," Nami teased from behind him.
"Three hundred and ten million Berries."
"You bastard!"
Victor claimed the victory for today's exchange.
"We haven't been on land in forever!!" Luffy and Zoro stretched on the sand, their joints popping like firecrackers.
"Nami, there's a village up there, right?" Luffy asked. "Yeah, the map says it's a small place called Syrup Village," Nami confirmed.
"Awesome!" At the mention of a village, Luffy's eyes turned into the shape of meat. He sprinted toward the slope. "MEAT! MEAT! I WANT MEAT!!"
"Luffy! Wait!"
Zoro suddenly looked toward the bushes on the cliff ahead, his brow furrowed as his hand moved to his sword hilt. Luffy slammed on the brakes and looked back. "Zoro? What is it?"
"Danger," Zoro said grimly, his gaze sharp.
"AH?!" At the word "danger," Nami shrieked reflexively and dove behind Viktor, clutching his clothes and peeking out with half her head. "Danger? Where?"
"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT PASSING THROUGH HERE!!" A loud shout echoed from above.
Whiz-whiz-whiz! A shower of small pebbles rained down toward Luffy.
"Whoa, whoa!" Luffy darted left and right. "What is that?! Bullets?"
Zoro frowned, reaching out to catch one. He opened his palm. "Pebbles?"
As they looked on in confusion, a rustling sound came from the bushes. Suddenly, skull flag after skull flag rose from the thickets—dozens of them—making it look as though a massive army was lying in wait.
"WHOA!!" Luffy wasn't scared; his eyes widened with wonder. He waved his arms, shouting excitedly, "So cool! Look at all those flags!"
"Hey, Luffy, is this the time to be impressed?" Nami grumbled from behind Viktor. Then she noticed Viktor's shoulders were shaking slightly. she looked up in annoyance. "And what are you laughing at now?"
Viktor pointed up with a smirk. "Nothing, I just think this scene is... quite cute."
"Ahem!" The voice from the cliff spoke again, trying to sound majestic. "Listen up, pirates! This is the territory of the Great Pirate Captain—USOPP!!"
A long-nosed figure stood amongst the flags, arms crossed, looking down at them. "For the sake of your lives, I suggest you leave immediately! Or else..."
"SO COOL!!" Luffy was still in his own world, stars in his eyes.
Nami, however, had noticed something. She stepped out from behind Viktor, squinting her eyes until her gaze landed precisely on "Captain Usopp's" lower half.
His legs were shaking like a leaf in a hurricane.
Nami's lips curled into a devilish smile. "You're lying, aren't you?"
That whisper shattered the entire atmosphere on the cliff.
"AH!! I WAS FOUND OUT?! SINCE WHEN?!" Usopp shrieked in panic, clutching his head in frustration.
Nami crossed her arms. "See? He admitted it himself."
"Ah! It just slipped out! Dammit!" Usopp clapped a hand over his mouth.
"What?! It was a lie?" Luffy screamed in shock, looking as though he'd been deeply betrayed.
"You're just realizing that now?! You idiot!" Nami yelled at him.
Seeing his lie exposed, Usopp grit his teeth and refused to lose. He struck a fierce pose again and pointed down. "Don't get cocky!! I... I have EIGHTY MILLION MEN under my command!!"
"One word from me, and you'll be torn to pieces!"
Nami raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Eighty million men?" She looked past the flags at the tiny heads peeking out. "You mean those three kids?"
"AAAAAAH!!! DISCOVERED AGAIN!!" Onion, Pepper, and Carrot shrieked in terror. "Run for it! That woman is a witch!"
The three little figures dropped their flags and bolted toward the village, disappearing in a cloud of dust.
"Hey! Don't run away! Where's your loyalty?!" Usopp watched his "crew" abandon him, his legs shaking even harder.
Nami glanced at Viktor, who was still just watching the show, then reached down to pick up one of the pebbles that had been shot at them.
She tossed it in her hand. "After all, I've never heard of a pirate whose weapon of choice is a slingshot," Nami said with a laugh.
At that moment, the silent Viktor finally stepped forward. He looked up at Usopp on the cliff with an incredibly serious expression.
"No, Nami, don't be careless," Viktor said in a deep voice.
Nami blinked, looking at him in confusion. "What?"
Viktor pointed at Usopp with a completely straight face. "What if... he really does have eighty million men?"
Silence froze the air for one second.
"GO TO HELL!!! THIS ISLAND COULDN'T EVEN FIT EIGHTY THOUSAND PEOPLE!!"
Nami's enraged roar echoed across the coast, followed immediately by a pebble that flew through the air and struck Viktor squarely on the back of his head.
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