Author's Note: Hey everyone! Long time no see. So, so, so sorry for the delay in updating this story as well as Saiyan in Mahora. Everything in my life has been super crazy lately and super busy as well. New promotion at work as well as married life has taken a lot of my time. I also had a little bit of writer's block on both this story and in Saiyan in Mahora but I'm almost finished with the Saiyan in Mahora story. I wanted to update this quickly since it was almost finished to start with. I hope you guys can forgive me.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 for details.

Log 6: "A long-nosed, a no-nosed, and a turtle hermit?! Meet Captain Usopp, First Mate Kuririn, and Muten Roshi!"

The five-person Straw Hat Pirate Crew continued sailing onward in their two little boats. "You're all too reckless," Nami scolded the crew, breaking the silence. "We need to plan things more!"

"What do you mean, Nami?" Goku asked as he was taking a break from cloud watching and was in the bottom of one of the boats looking at the Yi Xing Qiu, the One Star Dragon Ball, that he got from Buggy and his crew.

"Well, are we going to sail to the Grand Line like this?!" pointed out Nami.

"You're right," agreed Luffy, who was sitting up on the bowsprit eating an apple. He liked to see where they were going. "That shrub-man gave us a lot of fruit, but we need meat to keep our strength up." Apparently Luffy didn't quite understand what Nami was talking about.

"I'm not talking about food!" snapped Nami.

"She's right, we need some grog too," said Zoro.

"I'm not talking about booze either!" yelled Nami, as neither of them understood.

"I think we need a martial artist as well," commented Goku. Nami let out a sigh as the spikey-haired pirate was even worse.

"We're heading for the Grand Line," Nami explained to Luffy, Goku, Piccolo and Zoro, "The most dangerous sea route in the world! We'll need more than beer and meat to survive there. Don't forget, the most successful pirates are after One Piece and the Dragon Balls too. Their ships are way better than this."

"And we don't have a crew," added Luffy.

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

"Yup," agreed Luffy, "we'll need a cook or maybe a musician to keep us entertained."

"A musician?" repeated Zoro. "Heh heh!"

"And another martial artist as well," Goku pointed out... again.

"Why am I sailing with these idiots?" Nami asked herself.

"So where should we head to then, Navigator?" Piccolo asked as he eyed at Nami. "I'm sure you must have some idea of what we have to do next especially when you are talking about the state of our boats and crew." For some reason, Piccolo couldn't quite trust the orange-haired thief as her motives seemed a bit suspicious. But he let it slide as he also agreed with Nami's assessment of the situation.

Nami let out a smile. At least, someone was thinking the same thing. She then pulled out a sea chart and had the crew take a look at it. "A little bit south from here is an island with some settlements on it. And it looks like we might be able to get our ship and some of the supplies we need there."

"FRESH MEAT AT LAST!" cheered Luffy.

"And lot's of booze as well," added Zoro.

"And maybe a martial artist as well," mentioned Goku.

"IS THAT ALL OF YOU THREE THINK ABOUT?!" demanded Nami.

Meanwhile...

A little while away on a nearby island, a boy of seventeen was standing on the outskirts of Syrup Village and was looking out at the sea. This boy's name was Usopp and he was known by all of the villagers. He had tanned skin, a long Pinocchio-style nose, and curly black hair that made him look like an armadillo. He had greenish bandana tied on his head over his black hair and was wearing brown overalls, brown shoes, had a white sash around his waist, and also had a bag with a lot of supplies stuffed in it. "Ah a new day," Usopp said to himself, "The sun shines bright on a cheerful sea."

Usopp took a deep breath then started screaming at the top of his lungs and sprinted towards Syrup village, "WE'RE DOOMED! PIRATES ARE COMING!" yelled Usopp. "THEY'RE ATTACKING THE VILLAGE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" Usopp ran passed the small houses of the townspeople. Some of the responses made it seem like this was a routine thing.

"What? Pirates!"

"There's Usopp's morning commotion. I'd better get to work."

"He's at it again."

But just as suddenly as he'd started, Usopp stopped screaming and stood still in the middle of the road… before he burst out laughing, "AHAHAHA! JUST KIDDING!" He certainly earned his long nose with all his false tales about pirates.

WONK! Usopp's laughter stopped when a pan hit him in the back of the head. "You lying brat!" shouted a villager, "I'm going to teach you a lesson!"

"Here they come," Usopp said to himself, before turning around and running away from the mob of villagers that was coming after him.

"Come back here you liar!" shouted someone in the mob.

"Catch me if you can!" Usopp called over his shoulder as he picked up speed and kept on running. Usopp kept running until he eventually lost the villagers.

"Darn he got away!

"That yahoo is always causing trouble!"

"Where'd he go?"

Meanwhile, resting on a tree branch overhead, Usopp was having a good laugh over the commotion he'd caused in the quiet little town. "Ahaha, I did it again," Usopp congratulated himself, "Just another jolt of excitement to liven up this boring little town."

"Up to it again eh Usopp?" a voice came. Usopp almost fell of the branch when he looked down. Below him was a below average height boy of seventeen years old. He was wearing a yellow training gi with a dark blue sash around the waist with red gi pants. He was also bald with six incense burns on his forehead and the inside part of his eyes matched the color of his skin. But the most interesting characteristic was that he had no nose!

"Oh Kuririn it's just you!" Usopp said. "I thought it was a villager. You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Hmph one of these days real pirates are gonna attack and when you try to warn everyone no one will believe you. It's just like that old tale, you're the Guy Who Cried Pirates," Kuririn said coldly.

Usopp just laughed and jumped down next to him. "Aw c'mon buddy, don't be like that. After all I saved your life!"

"Since when?" Kuririn asked beading his eyes at the long nose teen.

"Don't you remember? I remember it like it was yesterday," Usopp sighed going into flashback mode.

*Usopp's Flashback*

It was evening and the great Captain Usopp was walking proudly along the shoreline. It was a magnificent sight until something caught Usopp's attention. A body was floating near by as it was surrounded by sharks. Immediately the brave youth took action and used kung fu to defeat each of the giant man eating sharks. Usopp dragged the body to shore and none of less it was the unconscious body of Kuririn.

Kuririn opened his eyes and saw Usopp and meekly asked, "W-where am I?"

Usopp replied, "You're alive is what you are. I saved your life!"

"W-who are you?"

"Who am I? Who am I? I am the great Captain Usopp! I command over eight million men; I am a brave pirate of the seas!" Usopp said proudly.

Kuririn got on his knees and bowed, "Oh how can I repay you o great one?"

Usopp smirked, "I like you. How about I make you my first mate?!"

"Oh yes please I-"*Flashback interrupted* "Hold it! That's not how it happened!" Kuririn shouted ripping up the flashback. "I can't believe you lie in your own flashbacks!"

"Oi you can't do that!" Usopp screeched. "You can't do that to my flashback!"

"Oh yes I can! I remember the real day we first met!" Kuririn retorted sharply.

The real flashback...

Just like in the fake flashback, Usopp was walking along the shoreline and this time it was during the day. He was walking, minding his own business when he spotted a small dingy out at sea. He almost thought it was pirates but quickly recovered when he saw no Jolly Roger on its sail. He looked closely at the dingy and saw Kuririn sailing on it.

Usopp then saw Kuririn jump from the boat with a few somersaults in between before landing face first into the sand as he got his entire head stuck. Usopp then pulled the bald headed boy out of the sand as Kuririn grasped for air. Kuririn then looked at his saviour and asked, "Who are you?"

"Who am I? Who am I? You don't know the most feared pirate of these seas? I'm the great Captain Usopp!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Kuririn said as he ignored the long-nosed boy while he looked around the shore. "This is the island that the Turtle Hermit lives, right?"

"Yeah, of course!" Usopp proudly said as Kuririn didn't seem to be a threat, much less hurt anybody. "I like you. How about you become my first mate of my pirate crew?"

Kuririn let out a small sigh of annoyance. "Sure, whatever," he said. "If it helps me find the Turtle Hermit, then I'll join your 'crew'."

"Yes!" shouted Usopp as the two became 'friends' that day.

*End of Flashback*

"And that's what happened dumbass," Kuririn said folding his arms in an inherited sort of way. Usopp was about to make a comeback before he was interrupted by a new voice.

"Captain Usopp, First mate Kuririn sirs!" a green haired boy with a head that looked like a pepper called up to Usopp and Kuririn. This boy's name fitted his head, it was Pepper, he wore a blue shorts, a blue sash, and a green t-shirt depicting an open-mouthed Jolly Roger, the symbol of the Usopp Pirate Crew.

"Good morning sirs," chimed in the other boy, his violet hair was covered with an orange bandana which also depicted the mark of the Usopp Pirate Crew. He wore a black sweatshirt, orange pants, and a brown sash. His head was in the shape of a carrot and that's why the others all called him Carrot, "Your pirate crew is reporting for duty."

"Pepper, Carrot," Usopp greeted the two boys, "just the two of you, where's Onion?"

"Still sleeping I guess," answered Carrot uncertainly.

"Yeah that's probably it," agreed Pepper.

"That boy," Usopp sighed to himself, but suddenly the four of them heard screams. They turned around and saw a small round-headed boy, with glasses and blond hair running their way screaming at the top of his lungs. His name was Onion and he wore a blue vest with a yellow t-shirt on underneath, brown shorts, and a yellow sash around his waist like the other members of the Usopp Pirate Crew.

"WE'RE DOOMED!" shouted Onion, "THE PIRATES ARE COMING!"

"Hey! Get your own material!" complained Usopp.

"But… it's… true," panted Onion once he had calmed down a little, "I saw them with my own eyes. A ship flying a skull and cross bones is sailing in front the North."

"YOU LIAR!" snapped Usopp, Kuririn, Carrot, and Pepper. They weren't amused, Usopp had already done the same thing.

"It's true!" protested Onion, "Its sail has the sign of the Clown Pirates!"

"You're not lying?" questioned Kuririn in disbelief.

"It's true, we're all in danger!" warned Onion.

"It's time for my snack!" Usopp suddenly exclaimed before he turned around and prepared to run away.

"Don't run away!" shouted the three vegetable themed pirates as well as did Kuririn.

"I have a medical condition," lied Usopp, "if I don't eat my snack on time I'll croak!"

"LIAR!" all four of them shouted together.

"Captain, don't you want to become a real pirate?" questioned Carrot.

"A real pirate wouldn't be scared of other pirates," pointed out Pepper.

"Yeah and there's only five of them!" added Onion.

"Only five?" Usopp repeated in relief, "Then it's not a big ship?"

"No, just two little ones," answered Onion

"Alright Usopp's Pirate Crew!" exclaimed Usopp, he spun around and appeared a lot braver now that he'd found out there were only five pirates. "Prepare for action! We'll defend our village! Follow me!"

Usopp then headed off towards the shore, his three pirates stood in shock for a few seconds, wondering where his confidence had come from, and then followed after him. Kuririn, meanwhile, let out a small sigh as he was not looking forward to this at all. Like Usopp, he was a little bit scared of facing against pirates as well, even though he tried put up a brave front. "This will not go well."

Back at the shore...

On the shore, two small ships pulled up and four pirates climbed out. "Aaahhh," sighed Luffy as he and the rest of the crew stretched after being confined to their small boats for so long.

"It feels good to be on dry land again," commented Zoro as he stretched his arms up above his head.

"There's a village around here somewhere, right Nami?" Goku asked.

"Yeah," answered the navigator, "it looks like a small one though." There were no houses or buildings in sight. The Straw Hats were facing a pass that cut through some steep cliffs. If there was a town nearby, it was a lot further inland.

"Oh! Oh! Then there's meat, right?" asked Luffy as he ran over to Nami, sounding excited. "There has to be a place to eat meat if there's a village!"

"Just forget about meat for a minute would ya?" scolded Nami as she glared at the captain.

Only Piccolo seemed to notice the bushes rustling up on top of the cliffs. "Hey guys, heads up," Piccolo warned them, "We're being watched."

"Huh? By who?" questioned Luffy, "Where are they? They got meat?"

The sound of something rattling got Zoro into serious mode. "LOOK OUT!" yelled out Zoro.

A split second later a series of bullets came flying out from the rustling bush, causing Luffy to dance to avoid them. Goku dodged to the side, while Nami ran back to the boat for cover, Zoro held up one of his swords while Piccolo stood still, letting the small bullets pass by him as he was trying to find their attacker. He later spotted something and quickly dashed to the side.

Suddenly three pirate flags popped up out of a bunch of bushes up on the cliffs.

Another trio of flags appeared.

Then another…

And another…

Before they knew it, pirate flags were flying all around the top of the cliffs, with the exception of the water and the beach behind them it looked like the Straw Hats were surrounded.

"WHOA! THAT'S SO COOL!" exclaimed Luffy, forgetting that he had just been shot at.

"Are we supposed to be impressed?" wondered Nami, who was still by the boat in order to defend herself from more flying bullets.

"AHAHAHAHAHA!" came a loud laugh. "I AM THE NOTORIOUS CAPTAIN USOPP! FEARED PIRATE AND RULER OF THIS VILLAGE! YOU STAND BEFORE A LIVING LEGEND! THE MOST REVERED PIRATE WHO EVER LIVED! I AM THE GREAT CAPTAIN USOPP!"

"INCREDIBLE!" exclaimed both Goku and Luffy in amazement, causing Nami, Piccolo and Zoro to sweat-drop at their gullible Captain and First Mate.

"You'd better think twice before you invade!" Usopp warned them. "It would mean certain death! My army of 80,000,000 super mean, pirate soldiers would squash you like bugs!" Usopp raised his arms up and motioned up at all of the pirate flags up on the cliffs above him. Usopp was currently standing on a lower part of the cliff with a tree behind him, but he seemed confident that all his men were behind him.

"AAAWWWEEEESSSOOOOMMMEEEE!" cheered Luffy.

Zoro stared at him while Nami sighed, "You expect us to believe that?" she asked.

"AH! She knows!" gasped Usopp.

"Yup, well I do now," replied Nami with a grin.

"How could I have been so dumb!?" groaned Usopp in exasperation, "I practically told her I was lying!"

"What? He was lying!?" questioned Goku while Luffy was upset that he'd been tricked. Not that it was very difficult.

"CURSE YOU, YOU CRAFTY TACTICIAN!" Usopp yelled at Nami. "Eighty million might have been an exaggeration but I have a great many men under my control!"

Up on the cliff, six of the flags were waving up and down as Carrot, Pepper, and Onion hid in a bush waving flags with both hands.

"My guess is three," said Nami as she calmly leaned back against the boat.

"AAAAHHH! SHE DOES KNOW!" screamed the Veggie Pirates as they turned around and ran away.

"HEY! WHERE'RE YOU GUYS GOING! COME BACK!" Usopp yelled after them. "Damn. It looks like I have to pull out my secret weapon. Go First Mate Kuririn!"

Kuririn then appeared out of the bushes and got himself in a fighting position. "Just to let you know that I have been trained in the Orin style and Kamesen'nin style of martial arts so prepare yourselves," Kuririn stated, his legs shaking a bit. He was hoping that the pirates would get a little scared by the fighting styles that he knew so far. However, they provided a different reaction.

"Hey," Goku said, "did you know your head is shaped like a pachinko ball?"

Kuririn's mouth was gaping while Luffy was laughing at Goku's comment. Embarrassed and blushing slightly, Kuririn retorted back, "What did you say?! Those who pursue mastery in martial arts shave their heads to embrace their inner spirits! The great Turtle Hermit shaved his head as well."

"Actually, I think he is bald Kuririn," Usopp muttered.

"You're not helping!"

Nami reached down and picked up one of the 'bullets' Usopp had shot at them, but it wasn't a bullet at all, it was a small lead marble that was now covered in sand, "A pirate using a slingshot, huh? Well now I've seen it all."

"Hahahahaha!" Luffy laughed at both using a slingshot and the argument that Kuririn and Usopp were having. "You guys are funny! Hahahahaha!"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH OR I'LL SHUT IT FOR YOU!" threatened Usopp and Kuririn.

Usopp then reached into his supply bag and pulled out a green slingshot. "I'm a proud man and I won't stand for it! This is your last warning, because you're about to see why they call me Proud Captain Usopp!" Luffy tilted his hat down so it hid his eyes from view, Zoro, Goku and Nami just stared up at Usopp. "You've already seen just how good I am with this thing," Usopp continued as he loaded his slingshot and pulled back the marble he had place in it, he was ready to let it go at a second's notice. "So you know I can rival anyone carrying a pistol!"

"You're putting your life on the line by pointing that at me," Luffy warned Usopp as he continued to hold his straw hat. He was referencing what his hero had said to a bandit ten years ago.

"Huh, what are you talking about?" questioned Usopp.

"What we are saying is that it's not safe to point guns," Goku warned him. "Now that you've drawn your weapon, are you willing to use it?"

"Heh heh," chuckled Zoro as he noticed the branches of the tree behind Usopp shifting. "I can assure you, we're real pirates. Consider your next move very carefully."

"…" Usopp stared at Luffy who still had a blank expression on his face. Zoro gripped one of his swords and showed that he was ready to fight.

"Put it down, Long Nose," came a voice from behind Usopp. "You'll be dead before you can hit him." Usopp glanced down and saw an interesting looking scabbard at his neck. He then looked up to see Piccolo holding the scabbard.

Usopp dropped the marble and then dropped his slingshot before dropping to his knees. "Next time, make your story sound more believable," lectured Piccolo as he lowered his sword and put it behind him. "This is a small island, I doubt there are even eighty thousand people on it. If you had simply said a hundred, then we might've been inclined to believe you."

"And he would know all about that," muttered Nami.

Meanwhile Luffy was laughing at Usopp's revelation. "Hahaha, I like you, you're funny."

Suddenly Goku's stomach started to growl as he was getting hungry. "So Nagappana, do you know anywhere we could get something to eat?" he asked.

"Of course!" exclaimed Usopp as he popped back up. "I know everything about this island and everyone knows me!" That was actually true for the most part. Everyone on the island knew of him, but they didn't exactly hold him in a high regard.

A few minutes later...

Usopp and the five Straw Hat Pirates were sitting at a table in an inn in Syrup Village where they having a nice meal with Goku and Luffy eating a ton of food as usual. Zoro was drinking his alcohol while Piccolo was drinking water. Luffy and Usopp really seemed to hit it off, and Usopp seemed really interested in Luffy's real pirate crew.

"Really you're looking for a crew?" Usopp asked Luffy, "Crewmen and a bigger ship?"

"That's right," answered Luffy, as he sank his teeth into a large leg of meat.

"What a great adventure," Usopp said in amazement.

"Well, you won't find any ships here in town," Kuririn said. "But there is a place you can go. Usopp, what about her?"

"Who? What are you talking about?" asked Nami.

"There is a huge mansion that sticks out like a sore thumb," answered Usopp. "The owner of that mansion is a young girl. But she's sick and doesn't do anything but sleep since she's so weak."

"How did she become the owner of the mansion?" asked Nami.

"More meat please!" Luffy and Goku both suddenly interrupted.

"And more grog," added Zoro.

"More water as well," Piccolo finished as he drank his water.

"Are you guys even listening to my story!?" snapped Usopp.

"Anyways," Usopp continued and was about to say more about the girl of the mansion before the door to the restaurant was suddenly opened. All five Straw Hats and Usopp and Kuririn turned their attention to the door to see an old man lying on the floor. This man was bald with a thick white fu manchu mustache and beard wearing a particular kind of sunglasses. He was wearing beach clothes and a big purple turtle shell on his back.

"Help, please?" the old man said weakly while looking straight at Nami. Usopp and Kuririn were about to say something and give a warning about this man but it was a little too late as Nami quickly rushed to the old man's aid.

"Hey, are you all right?" she asked as she brought the old man up a little bit from the floor.

"It's already too late," the old man said. "But... I might survive if you let me give a little puff-puff." Suddenly, a little bit of blood trickled down from his nose while his hand was moving towards Nami's chest, indicating one thing and one thing only. This old man was a big pervert!

Nami grew angry as a few tick marks appeared on her face. "LIKE HELL!" she yelled as she kicked old man really hard, making him fly and crash against the roof and then the floor.

Luffy and Goku laughed really hard at the spectacle while Kuririn rushed to the old man. "Are you okay?!" He asked.

"WHY ARE YOU HELPING THAT PERVERT?!" Nami angrily asked.

"Who is that pervert?" Zoro asked.

Usopp let out a sigh while Kuririn stood up in front of the old man's body. "How dare you call him a pervert and hit him like that? Do you not know respect?! This is the great Kamesen'nin, Muten Roshi!" Kuririn said as he was looking at Nami.

"Kamesen'nin?" The Straw Hat pirates asked.

"Who is that?" Luffy asked bluntly causing Kuririn to face fault.

"He is just a martial artist that came to our island a few years ago and set up a home here," Usopp stated.

"He isn't just any martial artist, he is one of the greatest!" Kuririn said. "I heard that he could break a mountain in half with just one finger!" Goku's eyes widened a bit when he heard that statement, getting a little bit excited at his supposed strength as well as having the prospect of maybe fighting him.

"Oh Kuririn, you exaggerate me too much." Everyone turned their heads to see Roshi getting up from Nami's beating.

"Muten Roshi! Are you all right?" Kuririn asked.

"I'm fine," Roshi said. "It will take a lot more than that to kill me. But man, this generation's women do sure have some nice looking bodies."

Roshi then looked at the rest of the table and noticed Luffy with his straw hat. The hat looked awfully familiar to him and as he was about to ask Luffy, he was stopped by Goku as he pushed everyone to the side so he could talk directly to the old man. "Hey, ossan! Are you strong?" he asked. "Because if you are, I want to fight you!"

"Hohoho!" the old man chuckled. "You want to fight me do ya? Well, sorry boy, my answer is no. It would take a lot of convincing to make me fight you."

"And by convincing he means 'give me a lot of dirty magazines'," Usopp muttered before getting bonked on the head with Roshi's walking stick.

"You didn't need to tell them that!" Roshi said. "Anyway, Usopp, isn't it time for you to go?"

Usopp then looked at clock. "Oh yeah it is 'that time'!" Usopp stated, getting confused looks from the Straw Hat crew. "By the way," piped up Usopp as he started to pack his things, "You said you were looking for crewmen right?"

"That's right," answered Luffy.

"Then I'm your man!" exclaimed Usopp, "I can be the Captain!"

"NO THANKS!" chorused Luffy, Nami, Goku, Piccolo and Zoro all at the same time.

"Don't you even want to think it over!?" asked Usopp in indignation.

"Listen Long Nose," said Piccolo, "The one with the straw hat is the Captain."

"Really? Then what about First Mate?" Usopp asked. Piccolo then pointed to Goku as the spikey-haired pirate continued to eat after being turned down by Muten Roshi and gobbled down his 20th plate. "On second thought, nevermind," Usopp said as he noticed that Goku was quite strong and he would have to fight him for the position. "Well gotta go. See you!"

"What is his deal? He didn't even get to finish the story," Nami said.

"You mean about the girl of the mansion?" Roshi questioned. Nami was about to ask how he knew but Roshi continued, "I heard you talking about her when I was about to enter the restaurant. Anyway, I knew the family closely as well."

"Probably so you could touch her," Nami muttered.

"I am not that big of a pervert," Roshi stated proudly. "Going back to the story, about a year ago both of her parents got sick and died. They left that girl a huge inheritance, a lot of money, and a dozen servants. She's rich and lives in luxury but her money isn't enough to cure her sadness."

Nami had been listening to the story the whole time, and once Usopp was done she suddenly slammed her fist down on the table. "Forget it," said Nami, "We're not going to find a ship here, let's go to another town."

"Okay," agreed Luffy, "We can spare the time and at least I've eaten some meat. Let's get some supplies and go. But before that...Goku, let's eat some more!"

"Ossu!"

"How can you guys eat more?!" Nami barked.

Meanwhile...

Some distance off, in the mansion that 'stuck out like a sore thumb' a girl had woken up and called for her butler. "Klahadore…"

"Yes Kaya Ojou-sama?" came the reply.

"I want to see Usopp-san," said the girl. Her name was Kaya, she had shoulder length pale blonde hair and a pale complexion, she was very sick, but due to the death of her parents, she owned the entire estate. Unfortunately, due to her illness, she spent most of her time confined to her bed, thus why all she was wearing was a light green nightgown.

Back in town...

Three vegetable-themed boys snuck up to the inn. "Onion are you sure those pirates are in here?" asked Pepper.

"I saw 'em!" answered Onion, "They took the Captain and the First Mate in here! We've gotta save them!"

"But real pirates are savages!" pointed out Carrot, "They'll eat us!"

"Pirates don't eat people, stupid," said Pepper. "Hags do! Now be brave, this will be the greatest battle that the Usopp's pirates have ever fought!"

After a few deep breaths, the three kids kicked the door opened and stormed in, startling the five pirates sitting at a table as well as Roshi and Kuririn. "USOPP'S PIRATES ARE HERE!" yelled the boys in unison.

"Who are they?" Nami asked out loud.

"I don't know," answered Luffy.

"I can explain that," Kuririn said.

But before he could introduce the three boys, Carrot stepped forward. "HEY YOU PIRATES! HOW DARE YOU HOLD OUR FIRST MATE HOSTAGE!" shouted Carrot, sounding braver than he felt.

"WHERE'S OUR CAPTAIN!?" demanded Pepper.

"GIVE HIM BACK TO US!" finished Onion.

"That meat was delicious!" Luffy said out loud; his belly had expanded and was showing that he had eaten a lot.

"The Captain? He couldn't have!?" exclaimed Carrot staring at Luffy's plate and his swollen belly.

"Your Captain's the one with the long nose right?" asked Goku as he picked his teeth with one of the bones from the meat that he had eaten.

"R-right," stuttered Pepper, "W-what did you do to him?"

"Well if you're looking for your Captain…" said Zoro with an evil grin, "WE ATE HIM!"

The three kids screamed in terror, then looked at Nami, "THEY'RE HAGS!"

"WHAT'D YOU CALL ME!?" demanded Nami as the three Veggie-Pirates fainted.

"Hahahahaha!" Luffy, Goku and Zoro laughed loudly. Even Piccolo found it amusing as he found himself chuckling softly.

"It's not funny!" scolded Nami. She didn't like being called a hag by people she didn't know.

"So, Roshi what did Long Nose mean by 'it is time'?" Piccolo asked.

"It was probably time for him to go to that mansion,"Pepper answered for the old man.

"The one where the sick girl lives?" asked Nami.

"Why would he go there?" questioned Luffy.

"To tell lies," Kuririn answered this time.

"That's not very nice," said Goku.

"No, it's very nice," replied Pepper. "Right?"

"Yeah it's great!" added Onion.

"Huh?" questioned Luffy.

"He goes to a mansion to tell lies," Goku restated, "And for some reason that's great?"

Roshi began to speak. "Let me explain. About the same time every day, Usopp goes to that young girl's mansion to tell her a tall tale. These tall tales are harmless, and they involve that goofball going on some big adventure. Though she knows he's lying, the stories always cheer her up. You know the old saying…laughter is the best medicine."

Luffy stood up. "Well, let's go see her. Besides, we need a ship."

"Do you really think it would be polite to ask for a ship in her condition?" But it was unheard as Luffy, Goku and the boys were out the door. Nami sighed and followed.

"Why do you even bother?" Piccolo snorted.

"Too true…" Nami mumbled.

Back at the mansion...

"You want to see Usopp?" repeated Klahadore the Butler. He had short and neatly combed black hair, was wearing a fancy black suit with gold trim, and a pair of gray and black striped shoes. He was also wearing a pair of glasses that didn't seem to fit him properly, causing him to have to push them back up with his palm on a regular basis. "Impossible!"

"Why? I just want to talk to him," pleaded Kaya, the sick girl who owned the mansion.

"Must I explain?" questioned Klahadore, "it is not appropriate for a lady to associate with the biggest liar in the village. He's a bad influence. My job is to protect you. Your body is weak; Usopp's nonsensical stories is too much stimulus for you."

"But I like them."

"Please try to understand," said Klahadore, "Your late parents trusted me with your care, and I will watch out for you. That's why I hired guards and took all manners of precautions. I've done everything for you."

"Yes, I know."

"I'm glad you understand," replied Klahadore, as he placed a tray on a table near Kaya's bed, "I'll leave your medicine here, see that you take it."

"Killjoy," muttered Kaya as Klahadore headed for the door.

"If that's what keeps you safe, I'm glad to be a killjoy."

Meanwhile...

Usopp peered around a corner at the two guards that were standing by the entrance, he was pretty sure they didn't see him, but was also sure they wouldn't let him in. Usopp slipped away from the corner and ran along the wall of the estate before stopping about halfway along it. Usopp checked that no one was looking then reached out and pulled out a square of bush, leaving a hole in the bush that was big enough for him to crawl through.

"Sorry to intrude," mumbled Usopp as he quickly scurried through the hole and onto the grounds.

A pair of rocks hit Kaya's bedroom window to get her attention. Kaya threw the window opened and her face lit up when she saw who was there. "Usopp-san! Where's Kuririn-san?" Kaya asked.

"Hi, Kaya. Kuririn couldn't make it today as we've met some new friends. Why do you look so unhappy?" asked Usopp who was sitting on a tree branch near the window.

"I wanted to welcome you as a proper guest," explained Kaya, "But Klahadore won't allow it. He's not really a bad person though."

"Don't worry," said Usopp in an attempt to cheer Kaya up, "I'd rather sit out here in the garden. I wouldn't feel comfortable in a fancy mansion. That's because I'm a fearless pirate."

"Well what's today's adventure?" asked Kaya.

"Today, I'll tell you about the time I fought that giant Goldfish when I was five years old."

"A goldfish?" repeated Kaya in disbelief.

"Yeah!" continued Usopp, "You should have seen the size of its poop! It was the size of an island!"

"Ahahahahaha!" Kaya and Usopp both laughed at the absurd story.

A few minutes later...

The Straw Hat Crew and the Veggie-Pirates were standing at the gates of the mansion. "Hey you!" yelled Goku and Luffy. "Give us a ship!"

When they received no response, Luffy turned to the rest of his crew, "Let's go in!"

"Ever heard of knocking?" asked Kuririn. He then turned to the others and asked, "Are they always like this?"

The Straw Hat crew nodded. "You get used to it after a while especially when there's no stopping them," Nami commented.

"Don't worry, I've got an idea," Goku assured them. He then whispered in Luffy's ear about something, causing the straw hat pirate to nod in agreement. Luffy then reached up and grabbed onto the top of the fence then moved backwards stretching his arms as he went.

"MONSTER!" shrieked the Veggie Pirates.

"Grab on," instructed Luffy.

But inside the mansion one of the other butlers had just told Klahadore about a band of intruders that had just snuck onto the property.

"What, intruders? Where are the guards?" demanded Klahadore.

"They're on their lunch break," answered the other butler.

Back at Kaya's window, Usopp was just about finished with his story. "Then we threw a huge pachinko down from the sky, scaring them all away, and that's how we won!"

Suddenly Kaya noticed something up in the sky, "What's that?" wondered Kaya as she pointed the incoming specks out to Usopp.

"YAHOOO!" cheered Luffy as he plummeted down from the sky.

KRASH! When the dust from Luffy's crash cleared Luffy was on the ground with Nami, Piccolo, Kuririn, Goku and Zoro next to him. The three Veggie-Pirates had landed in a bush. "Successful entry," commented Luffy.

"NO IT WASN'T!" snapped Nami, Kuririn, Zoro and Piccolo.

"Seriously, that was the worst idea, 'Monkey King'," added Piccolo, looking at the spikey haired pirate who was laughing softly.

"Are you okay?" asked Kaya with concern.

"They'll be fine," Goku said as he dusted himself off, ignoring the glares from the rest of the crew on his idea.

As Kaya inspected each new guest, she spotted one familiar bald-headed boy. "Kuririn-san!"

"Hi Kaya!" Kuririn waved excitedly at Kaya as she waved back at him.

"It is good to see you again. How is your training going? And who're these people with you?" asked Kaya.

"These pirates heard how great I am and wanted to join the Usopp Pirate crew," lied Usopp.

"Yeah," agreed Luffy who wasn't listening, "WAIT A MINUTE!"

"Wow!" exclaimed Kaya. "So you five are really pirates?"

"Yup," answered Goku with his trademark grin. "But we actually came here to ask you something."

"Me? What is it?" asked Kaya.

"Yeah, do you think you could help us get a big sturdy ship?" explained Luffy.

"What is the meaning of this?" came a voice. Kaya, Usopp, his pirate crew, and the five Straw Hat pirates turned to see Klahadore striding towards them.

"You do realize you're trespassing?" questioned Klahadore as he made his way over to the eight intruders.

"The butler!" exclaimed Usopp, while Kaya shouted, "Klahadore!"

"You see these people here, they're…" Kaya started to explain.

"Not now Kaya ojou-sama, you can tell me about this riffraff once they've left," interrupted Klahadore, before turning to the intruders, "You all must go, or do you have business here?"

"Can you help us get a ship?" asked Luffy.

"Certainly not," the butler answered quickly. Zoro whacked Luffy on the back of the head. Subtle he was not.

But then Klahadore noticed Usopp attempting to sneak around the tree and out of sight.

"Usopp!" called out Klahadore, causing the liar to peek around the tree in surprise. "I've heard rumors about you. You're pretty famous in the village, aren't you?"

"Uh… sure am," answered Usopp proudly.

"So, you have faced all kinds of danger before," commented Klahadore, "That's really something at such a young age."

"Uh… thanks," replied Usopp, "You can call me, Captain Usopp. But really there's no need for flattery."

"And you," Klahadore said, ignoring Usopp's comment as he looked at Kuririn now. "I've heard about you as well. You're the one who is always defending that old pervert."

"Hey, Muten Roshi may be a pervert but he is a great martial artist!" Kuririn defended.

"The guards," continued Klahadore, "They've seen you two lurking around the estate; do you both have business here?"

"Well… yes I do," lied Usopp, "I saw a legendary MOLE MONSTER enter here, I'm trying to capture it."

"You're a bad liar," commented Klahadore, "But that's to be expected from the son of a filthy pirate. I wouldn't put anything passed you. I must ask that you and your kind leave the premises at once."

"A filthy pirate?" repeated Usopp as he glared at the butler.

"You and Kaya ojou-sama are from completely different worlds. Is it money you're after? How much do you want?"

"THAT'S ENOUGH KLAHADORE!" Kaya yelled. "APOLOGIZE TO HIM AND TO KURIRIN-SAN!"

"Kaya ojou-sama, why should I apologize to this trash? I'm only speaking the truth. And speaking of the truth," Klahadore then turned to Kuririn, "Didn't you say to the entire village that you would become the greatest martial artist in the world who would learn all the different styles in the world? How can you be when you ran away from the Orin Temple for being a weak coward? I thought that the greatest martial artist would be unafraid of things like pirates and such. You are nothing but a coward."

Kuririn clenched his fists and teeth in rage at the insults that Klahadore was throwing at him but the butler wasn't finished. "I actually feel sorry for you two. Usopp's treasure-crazed father abandoned him and his mother while you ran away like a coward."

"Klahadore!" Kaya yelled.

"You bastard, don't you dare insult my father or my First Mate Kuririn ever again!" growled Usopp. He then quickly used a grappling hook to lower himself down from the tree. Once he was on the ground, he gave the rope a tug and the hook retracted back into the bag at his side. Kuririn meanwhile looked sternly at the butler and gave a quick glance at Usopp, wondering why was he getting mad about the insults that the butler was throwing towards the bald headed boy.

"What are you getting so worked up about especially when he joined your so called crew not of his free will but rather was forced to? I heard that in order to get close to that disgusting old pervert, you made him join your crew, isn't that right?" asked Klahadore. "And about your father, why don't you lie and say that he isn't your real father? Or say that he's really a merchant, or how you aren't really related to him…"

Usopp lashed out his fist and connected with the side of Klahadore's face, knocking him down to the ground.

Everyone with the exception of Luffy and Goku stared in shock. "Usopp," Kuririn muttered while Luffy was just staring at Usopp and Klahadore as if he was trying really hard to remember something.

"Case and point," stated Klahadore from the ground as he held the spot on his face where Usopp had hit him. "I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree does it."

"SHUT UP!" shouted Usopp, "No one makes fun of Kuririn and gets away. Sure, he might be a little cowardly but he is the best person I know and an amazing First Mate to the Usopp Pirates so don't go saying stuff that he is a coward and think that you can get away with it. I know that he will become a great martial artist. As for my father...my father listened to his heart and chose a life of risk and adventure! I'm proud that my father's a Brave Warrior of the Sea! You're right, I have been known to make up stories, but I will never lie about who my father is! I refuse to be ashamed of my heritage! I'M THE SON OF A PIRATE!"

"Usopp's father is a pirate…" repeated Luffy, "Wait a minute… now I remember!"

Somewhere else on the same island the Straw Hat Pirates were on, a strange man dressed in a blue coat and a matching hat was moon-walking down a path. "Who's there!?" demanded the man as he whirled around trying to locate the source of the noise. It was a sheep. "Hmph," grunted the strange man as he glared at the sheep through the red lenses of his heart-shaped sunglasses then continued to walk backwards along the path.

Meanwhile...

"Usopp" said Kuririn, who was still shocked by Usopp's sudden outburst as well as his defense towards the bald headed boy especially when he didn't take his First Mate 'duties' as he should have.

"'Brave Warrior of the Sea'? 'Great martial artist'?" repeated Klahadore as he fixed his glasses with his palm and got back up and dusted himself off. "That's a deceitful way to twist the truth. You don't seem to understand that you're living proof of his savage blood. You run around spouting lies and resorting to violence when you don't get your way. Now you're trying to get close to Kaya ojou-sama so you can steal her fortune."

"You're wrong! I only …"

"YOUR FATHER IS A FILTHY NO-GOOD PIRATE, TREACHERY IS IN YOUR BLOOD! OF COURSE YOU WOULD HATCH SUCH AN EVIL SCHEME!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" shouted Usopp. He darted forward to hit the butler again.

Usopp was stopped when Piccolo grabbed him by the overalls and held him back. "Calm down," he instructed as he held the struggling liar, "He's not worth it. He doesn't know what he's talking about."

"USOPP-SAN! PLEASE DON'T HURT HIM!" cried Kaya from the window. "Klahadore is not a bad person. He's just trying to do what he thinks is best for me and sometimes he goes too far…"

"Get out of here," ordered Klahadore as he glared at Usopp, who was still being restrained by Piccolo but was no longer fighting. "NEVER COME NEAR THIS ESTATE AGAIN!"

"Fine, I get it," conceded Usopp; Piccolo reluctantly released him. "This is the last you'll ever see of me." Usopp walked passed Klahadore and left the estate. Kuririn did the same as he took one last look at Kaya and walk a little bit behind the long nosed pirate.

"Usopp-san, Kuririn-san…" sighed Kaya, her eyes were tearing up after everything that had happened with her friends.

The Veggie Pirates saw the need to defend their captain and their first mate and rushed forward.

"You stupid smelly BUTT-ler, the Captain's a great guy!" yelled Carrot.

"Yeah, so is our First Mate, you jerk-face!" exclaimed Pepper.

"Jerk-face!" echoed Onion.

"JERK-FACE!" Luffy and Goku shouted along with them.

"Shut up," Zoro scolded them as he hit them on the head. "You two don't have a bone to pick with him."

Klahadore glared at the Veggie-Pirates, prompting the three of them to run and hide behind Nami.

"What're you doing? Don't hide behind me!" protested Nami while Zoro struggled to hold Luffy and Goku back next to her.

"All you pirates are the same," snapped the Butler. "Get off of this property at once!" ordered Klahadore.

A few minutes later...

Once they were all gone, Kaya was in her bed crying. The door opened and Klahadore entered, pushing a cart with a tray on it in front of him. "Kaya ojou-sama , you're meal is ready.

"I don't want it," sobbed Kaya.

"You'll upset the cook if you say such things," said Klahadore, "He works hard day and night to make delicious meals that suit your needs."

Kaya sat up, still hugging a pillow to her chest, "Why were you so cruel to them? I know I was wrong to talk to Usopp-san behind your back, but the situation did not warrant that kind of harsh treatment."

"May I sit?"

"Yes," answered Kaya, prompting the butler to sit down on the end of bed.

"Three years ago, I came to this estate. I'll never forget that day. Before that I had worked aboard a ship. I made one small mistake and they marooned me here. I was forsaken, alone, and eventually I wandered into this village. I was penniless, homeless, and helpless, I would have died without your father's help. I owe my life to your parents. And now that they're gone, I owe my life to you."

"I know it wasn't my place to interfere in your friendships, I wouldn't have taken such a bold step unless I thought it absolutely necessary. But Usopp isn't known for his upstanding character. And having Kuririn who is with that old pervert Roshi makes it worse. If anything were to happen to you it would be my fault for not seeing to your safety and I would never be able to ask forgiveness from your parents. No doubt you hate me for my childish behavior earlier today…"

"No, of course I don't," said the kind-hearted Kaya. "I'm thankful to have you around but I stand by my opinion. Usopp-san is one of the nicest people I know and so is Kuririn-san."

"We'll see about that," said Klahadore as stood up and got off the bed. "But Usopp and Kuririn are still not welcome here."

"Klahadore, you bone-head! You just don't understand!"

"You're right, I don't understand," admitted Klahadore as he left the room.

The strange man from before was still moon-walking around the island. He had long gray hair and a beard that looked like a mushroom stalk. He seemed be eccentric at the very least, walking backwards through a forest for no reason isn't exactly normal behavior.

But little did he know a small boy wearing glasses had seen him before he turned around and ran off screaming.

Meanwhile...

Nami, Zoro, Piccolo, Carrot, and Pepper were sitting by a fence in the middle of town.

"I wonder where Goku and Luffy went," Nami asked out loud.

"Maybe they went after the Captain," suggested Pepper.

"We know where the Captain went," commented Carrot.

"The beach," Pepper continued for him. "The Captain always goes there when he's upset. first mate Kuririn probably went there as well."

"Do you want to go?"

"No," answered Zoro

"Aren't you missing someone?" Nami asked remembering that there had been three Veggie-Pirates before.

"Yeah Onion," answered Pepper. "He always disappears."

"Then comes running back screaming," continued Carrot.

As if on cue Onion came running back screaming, "IT'S HORRIBLE, WE'RE ALL IN DANGER! A BACKWARDS MAN! There's a strange man heading this way, and he's walking backwards!"

"Liar!" snapped Pepper and Carrot together when Onion finally reached them.

"It's true!" protested Onion, as he pointed down the road, "LOOK!"

Even Nami, Piccolo and Zoro chanced a glance at where Onion was pointing, and it turned out he was right, because moon-walking towards them was a strange man.

The man was wearing a blue coat and a blue hat and had a beard that looked like a mushroom stalk. He was also wearing a pair of heart-shaped pink sunglasses. He was 'One-Two' Jango, a traveling hypnotist.

"Who called me strange?" demanded the Hypnotist once he reached them, "I'm not strange!"

"You're right, you look insane," said Piccolo.

"Don't be silly," argued the Hypnotist, "I'm just a Traveling Hypnotist."

"Wow, a Hypnotist!" exclaimed Onion.

"Show us a trick!" requested Pepper.

"Yeah! Show us!" agreed Carrot.

"What?" questioned Jango the Hypnotist as he glared at the kids, "What makes you think I'll demonstrate my wonderful hypnotic powers to a bunch of road-side strangers?"

"Okay, you convinced me," Jango suddenly agreed as he pulled out a metal ring on a string. "Now watch the ring closely."

"So you are going to perform?" questioned Piccolo as he eyed the hypnotist with a sweat drop mark on his head.

"When I say, 'one, two, Jango,' you'll fall asleep," explained Jango as he swung his hypno-ring back and forth in front of the Veggie-Pirates and himself. "Ready? One… two… JANGO!"

Zzzzzzz… Once he said 'Jango', the hypnotist and the three young boys were fast asleep right there in the middle of the road.

"Why the hell are you sleeping!?" Piccolo yelled at the hypnotist.

"Now that was strange," commented Nami.

By the beach Usopp was sitting under a tree on a cliff overlooking the ocean. "Hey!" Luffy greeted him as he suddenly dropped down from a tree. Usopp looked up in shock and noticed Luffy hanging from a tree branch by his feet, scaring Usopp half to death in the process.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" snapped Usopp.

"Yeah Luffy," added Goku, who Usopp only just noticed sitting next to him, causing him to once again be scared out of his mind.

"GAAAHHH!"

"Yasopp, he's your father right?" questioned Luffy.

"Huh, how do you know my father?" asked Usopp.

"We used to know him," answered Luffy.

"When we were kids, Luffy and I used to spend time in a Tavern in our village and your father and his pirate crew were there a lot," explained Goku. "He talked about you a lot too."

"Really, you guys met my father!?" asked Usopp.

"Yup," replied Luffy, "And you look just like him."

"Except for the nose," Goku commented quietly.

"Do you know where my father is now?" asked Usopp.

"Nope," Luffy answered simply.

"He's most-likely in the Grand Line with 'Red-Haired' Shanks," said Goku.

"Yasopp is a crewman on our favorite pirate ship," continued Luffy.

"Huh? Really?" questioned Usopp who couldn't believe his ears. "He's with 'Red-Haired' Shanks." A few seconds passed, "HE'S WITH RED-HAIRED SHANKS!?"

"I take it you've heard of him?" questioned Goku.

"Of course I have," answered Usopp. "He's a great pirate! My father's with a famous pirate crew?"

"Speaking of great, I remember Yasopp was a great shot," commented Luffy. "I don't remember ever seeing him miss."

"Yasopp was a great pirate," said Goku.

"A great pirate," repeated Usopp happily.

Usopp stood up and stared out at the ocean in front of him, "I've always looked up to my father for living every day with his life on the line, out on the open ocean. He made a brave choice and I admire him for that. And then that stupid snotty butler stomped all over my pride."

"I hate that guy too," said Luffy.

"That makes three of us," said Goku as he sat on the edge of the cliff and stared out at the ocean and the clouds.

"Make it four." Everyone turned around to Kuririn standing next a tree that was close to them.

"Kuririn, what are you doing here?" asked Usopp.

"I came here to talk with you," said the bald headed boy, looking at Usopp. "Usopp, thank you for standing for me with that butler. I never knew that you felt that way, especially when I have treated you and the others coldly. I always thought you were always being silly. I was shocked on how you reacted to that stupid butler. Thank you again."

"It's not a problem Kuririn," Usopp replied. "I've always counted you as one of my crew from the beginning. Don't let what Klahadore say bother you."

"Then, are you ever going to see that girl again?" Luffy eventually asked.

"I don't know," answered Usopp, "If that butler apologizes to me for the things he said, maybe I'll consider it."

"You mean that butler right there?" asked Goku as he pointed at two figures down on the beach below them.

"Yeah, that's him," Usopp agreed, but then he realized what he was agreeing to. "WHAT'S HE DOING THERE!?"

"If you all be quiet, and keep down low, we can find out," suggested Kuririn with a shake of his head.

"Right," Luffy agreed as he sat down behind Goku, Kuririn and Usopp while they peered down at the butler and the – hypnotist – on the beach.

"Jango, I instructed you to keep a low profile," Klahadore said to the strange hypnotist that was with him. "What were you doing sleeping in the middle of the village?"

"Don't be silly," argued Jango. "I'm not standing out. It's not strange at all."

"Who's that strange guy with him?" wondered Goku up on the cliff.

"I've never seen him before," admitted Usopp.

"Have the preparations been made?" asked Klahadore as he adjusted his glasses with his palm.

"Of course," answered Jango, "Operation Murder Miss Kaya is ready to go at any time."

The two down below had no idea what effect that last statement had on their observers, Usopp and Kuririn turned and stared at each other. Both of them looked shocked. Luffy sat by the tree and didn't say anything.

"Don't say 'murder'," corrected Klahadore, "It sounds so sinister."

"Oh right," remembered Jango, "It's 'accident'. An accident… that you planned, right Captain Kuro?"

"Quiet fool!" snapped Klahadore, "I discarded that name years ago. Don't ever call me that. Besides, you're the Captain now."

"To tell you the truth," admitted Jango as he sat down on a rock, "At first, I wasn't too sure about this plan. It was crazy! All of a sudden you quit pirating and teach all of us to work without you, and we helped spread the rumor that you'd been killed. You came to this village, now we're back, three years later, just like you ordered. You've never steered us wrong before, so I've obeyed your orders. But my share of the spoils had better be worth it."

"Don't worry," replied Kuro. "If my plan succeeds you'll get what you deserve."

"Well if it's murder, I'm your man," said Jango.

"Just remember," Kuro reminded him. "You can't do anything crude like slit her throat. Her death must appear to have been an unfortunate accident. It seems that you don't fully grasp my plan."

"I understand it perfectly," replied Jango, "We wait for your signal then we attack the village and manage to accidentally kill the little rich girl. Then you get her inheritance and we all get paid, right?"

"You fool," snapped Kuro. "How would a person outside of the family inherit anything?"

"Then how are you going to get the treasure?"

"Listen you idiot. This is the most important part. Before you kill her, you use your hypnosis to make Kaya write her will. And it will say 'I leave my entire fortune to my butler Klahadore." Usopp's, Kuririn's and Goku's eyes shot opened in shock, but Luffy couldn't hear what was going on and didn't react.

"Then and only then will I have control of her immense fortune," Kuro said in a dark voice. "And no one will expect anything. I've spent three long years gaining the trust of everyone around me so it would be unsurprising for her to leave the entirety of her inheritance to me." Usopp looked terrified.

"Three years as a butler for this, huh?" questioned Jango as he stood up. "Wouldn't it have been easier to just bust in there and take them all at gunpoint?"

"That's the crude thinking of a pirate," replied Kuro, "you get the money, but you still have to live like a fugitive. What good are riches if you've always got the marines chasing you? I wish to obtain my wealth without attracting the attention of the government. I'm a pacifist now."

"Aheehee! Some pacifist you are. Murdering an entire family doesn't exactly qualify as peaceful."

"I haven't murdered an entire family," Kuro corrected him. "The father's death was… an unfortunate accident."

"Whatever you say," agreed Jango in a tone that said he was humoring the former captain, "Just hurry up and give us the signal. We've been anchored off shore for a week now. Those cut-throats are ready to cut each-other's throats by now."

"So that's what he's up too!" realized Kuririn. "He's going to get the Hypnotist to make Kaya leave him her fortune and then he's gonna kill her."

"That's horrible," said Goku when he heard the plan.

"This is bad," whined Usopp, "this is seriously bad. First they'll attack the village, and then they'll kill Kaya."

"What do we do?" Kuririn asked.

"Hmm…" said Luffy as he adjusted his hat and started to stand up. Goku looked up and noticed the look on the straw hat's face and knew what was going to happen.

"You idiot, they'll see us!" snapped Usopp.

"HEY BAD GUYS!" Luffy yelled down at the 'butt-ler' and his 'friend', "DON'T KILL THAT GIRL!"

"Who're you?" asked Jango.

"You idiot, now they've seen you!" scolded Usopp.

"We've gotta run away and hide, or they'll murder us!" Kuririn added.

"Well, well if it isn't Usopp, the mischievous town liar and his partner, Kuririn, cowardly martial artist," observed Klaha – Kuro.

"Aaaaah!" screamed Kuririn. "Now they've seen us too!"

"Did you… hear anything?" asked Kuro in a cold voice.

"N-nope! I didn't hear anything at all! We just got here, we didn't hear anything about anything!"

"We heard it all," Goku answered honestly as he stood up as well. "We won't let you get away with this."

"Hmmhmm," chuckled Kuro, he caught Jango's eye and motioned to the four people on the cliff, then quickly turned around.

"If you say so," agreed Jango as he pulled out his hypno-ring, "Pay attention boys! And watch this ring closely!"

"Hmm… okay," said Luffy as he stared intently at the ring.

"It's a weapon!" exclaimed Usopp, "He's gonna kill us!"

"When I say, 'one, two, Jango' you will fall into a deep sleep," instructed Jango as he swung his hypno-ring, back and forth in front of him.

"One… two…" counted Jango.

"Get down!" Kuririn shouted as he too thought it was a weapon. Both him and Usopp turned away while Goku and Luffy stared intensely at the ring.

"JANGO!" shouted Jango.

Zzzzzzzzzzzz… Luffy, Goku and Jango fell asleep.

"Blast it Jango," complained Kuro as the hypnotist leaned against him fast asleep, "I thought you fixed your old problem!"

Luffy's head slumped forward, then he tipped over and fell head-first off of the cliff and slammed down to the beach below. KRASH! Goku meanwhile, head slumped forward and then backward until he fell back first on the ground, sleeping.

Usopp stared off the edge of the cliff in shock, "L-Luffy!"

Jango was woken up by the sound of Luffy falling off the cliff and hitting the ground head-first. "He had to go and fall off the end of a cliff," sighed Jango, "a pity really, I didn't mean to kill him. But there's no way he could've survived."

"He – it can't be!" exclaimed Usopp. "They killed him! He's really dead!"

"What should we do with the other three?" Jango asked Kuro as he glanced up at Usopp and Kuririn. "Shall I take care of them?"

"There's no need, anything he could say would sound like… lies. Jango, at daybreak the men are to attack the village. Rough up some villagers and damage their homes for good measure, and above all, make sure Miss. Kaya's death looks accidental."

"T-tomorrow…" stammered Usopp.

"It's as I said Usopp," replied Kuro as he turned to Usopp, "There's nothing you can say or do to warn the villagers of this impending tragedy."

"Damn it!" cursed Usopp as he quickly turned around and ran away screaming. "AAAAHHHH! PIRATES!"

"You sure it's okay?" asked Jango.

"Of course," commented Kuro, "My plan can't fail!" With that the two of them headed off.

Once they were gone, Goku peeked over the edge of the cliff down at Luffy. He wasn't moving. Goku calmly stood up and put his hands in his pockets, and then walked off in the direction Usopp had ran in.

"Kuro was probably right," Realized Kuririn. "Due to his reputation as the town liar, no one will believe Usopp. But I know a couple pirates who will believe me."

"Pirates, they'll all be killed!" Usopp thought to himself as he ran as fast as he could towards the village, "They'll kill everyone in the village I grew up in. They're all in danger. And Kaya's gonna be killed! I CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN TO THE PEOPLE I LOVE!"

-Short Flashback-

"Who're you?" asked Kaya as she stared out the window at Usopp.

"I'm Usopp, a Brave Warrior of the Sea! Ahahahah! I've heard you've been feeling a little down lately, so I thought I'd tell you a story to cheer you up."

"You would do well to mind your own business!" scolded Kaya, her parents had only just died recently, and she didn't need someone bothering her. "Please leave or I'll call someone who'll make you leave!"

But before she realized it, Kaya was laughing and looking forward to Usopp's visits and stories. "Heehee! What happened then?" she asked.

"I fought of course," answered Usopp proudly, "and bravely at that. Versus a giant cat I used what else, a giant cat-tail plant."

-End Flashback-

Usopp ran as fast as his body would go, he couldn't let the people he cared about get killed. "NOOOOOO!"

"Whoa, what's that!?" asked Onion as he spotted something rapidly approaching them.

"Captain!" exclaimed Pepper and Carrot when they noticed that the thing running towards them was Usopp.

"I thought Luffy and Goku would be with him," commented Zoro.

"Is he still upset about what the butler said about his father?" wondered Nami.

"Who knows," replied Zoro.

In a flash Usopp ran passed them, the Veggie-Pirates almost got whiplash from how fast they had to move their heads to follow him.

"Did you see the look on his face?" asked Carrot.

"Something must have happened on the beach," commented Pepper.

"He was as pale as a sheet," pointed out Onion.

"How do I get to the beach?" Zoro asked the Veggie-Pirates.

"I smell trouble," said Carrot.

"That hypnotist was headed that way too!" added Pepper.

"It's time for Usopp's Pirates to take action!" announced Onion.

"Show us the way to this beach," said Nami as she got up off of the fence. "Maybe Goku and Luffy are still there." The three veggie-pirates led Zoro and Nami off to the beach.

Meanwhile Usopp made it to the village and started shouting at the top of his lungs, "IT'S HORRIBLE! EVERYBODY LISTEN UP!" screamed Usopp, "PIRATES ARE GOING TO ATTACK US! TOMORROW MORNING PIRSTES ARE GOING TO ATTACK THE VILLAGE! HEAD FOR THE HILLS!"

"That lying brat is at it again!"

"That's twice today!"

"Forget it, just ignore his fool tales."

"Again during lunch!?"

"He's really overdoing it lately!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH USOPP! THAT'S ENOUGH FOR TODAY!"

"NO! This time it's for real!" exclaimed Usopp.

"That's what you always say!" snapped a villager as he picked up a pitchfork.

"Maybe it's time we teach you a lesson," suggested another.

"I'm always joking around!" protested Usopp, "this time it's true, you've got to believe me!"

"If you were trustworthy like Mr. Klahadore, maybe we'd believe you!" replied a woman.

Usopp couldn't believe it. The villagers thought that the guy that was planning on having them all killed was trustworthy. But they all thought he was a liar, even though he was telling the truth this time. "Damn," Usopp cursed in his mind, "They didn't pay attention to me because they knew no one would believe me!"

"YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE ME!" shouted Usopp, he couldn't believe the villagers weren't listening, "WE'VE GOT TO ESCAPE! EVERYONE'S REALLY GOING TO BE KILLED!"

Off shore Captain Kuro had just boarded his former pirate ship, "It's been three years since we last saw each other," said Kuro as he addressed his former crew, "If this plan succeeds you'll all get more than your fair share. TOMORROW AT DAWN, DESTROY THE VILLAGE!"

The Black Cat Pirates cheered loudly. Finally they'd get to kill someone. They just had to wait one more night.

"Zzzzzzz…" the 'dead' pirate on the beach snored with his straw hat lying in the sand next to him.

Back in the mansion Kaya had just come out of her room, "Have you seen Klahadore?" Kaya asked a butler in a black suit and had white hair that looked like a sheep.

"He had business in town," answered the sheep-like butler, his name was Merry.

"Really?" replied Kaya. Not knowing that come tomorrow morning, all hell was going to break loose.

"Kaya-ojou-sama, I've received the special glasses you ordered from the store in the next town," announced Merry the butler as he handed a small box to Kaya. "Are these satisfactory?"

"Perfect! Thank you Merry!" Kaya said as she looked over the glasses. "I'm sorry you had to go so far."

"It's my pleasure to serve you, Kaya-ojou-sama," replied Merry the butler, "It's a gift isn't it? Klahadore will be so pleased!"

"I hope so," said Kaya, "Tomorrow will be exactly three years since Klahadore came to this estate. He's been such a great help." Unfortunately neither Kaya nor Merry knew of the evil plan Klahadore had in store for them. If all went as planned, they'd both be dead before noon tomorrow.

"Everyone! Listen to me!" shouted Usopp, "Pirates are going to attack our village tomorrow at dawn!"

"If we believed you every time you cried 'pirates' we'd be running for the hills everyday!" snapped an angry villager.

"BUT THIS TIME IT'S REALLY TRUE!" argued Usopp.

"And this time, we're really gonna clobber you!"

"Yipe!" exclaimed Usopp as he quickly turned and ran as fast as he could, with the large mob of villagers chasing after him.

"What could have gotten the Captain so worked up?" wondered Pepper as he, Carrot, and Onion ran towards the beach with Nami and Zoro following behind them.

"I can answer that for you," came a voice as Kuririn came running out from between some trees, panting for air as he had tried to chase down Usopp but wasn't able to stop him. "I was with them down by the beach. While we were there we overheard a plot that the butler and some strange hypnotist called Jango have cooked up."

"Hypnotist!?" repeated all five of them. They encountered a strange hypnotist earlier.

"Let's get back to the beach!" suggested Kuririn. "Straw Hat fell off a cliff and his friend fell asleep and I can't seem to wake him up. I can fill you all in on the way."

"Wait… WHAT!?" snapped Nami.

Kuririn filled the others in on the way to the beach where they eventually revived Luffy and Goku. "That's weird," commented Luffy once he woke up, "I thought I was on top of the cliff."

"Wait so that butt-ler really is a bad guy!" Carrot exclaimed to Pepper and Onion.

"I never liked him anyway," Pepper told them.

"And that hypnotist is in on it too," realized Onion.

"So that's what Usopp was doing," commented Nami, "That's why he was running toward the village like his pants were on fire. The villagers should have plenty of warning, they can just hide out in the hills. Pirates are generally pretty dumb."

"Hey, maybe we should run and hide too," suggested Carrot.

"Yeah we'd better take our valuables," added Pepper.

"Piggy bank… snacks… model ship…" listed Onion, "what else?" The three kids quickly ran off to their house.

"OH NO!" Luffy suddenly shouted.

"What's wrong?" asked Zoro.

"I've got to go buy some meat before the butcher leaves town!" exclaimed Luffy.

Meanwhile the villagers had chased Usopp out of the town, but Usopp managed to escape and had made it to Kaya's mansion.

"Usopp-san!" Kaya greeted him when she opened her window. "I'm so glad to see you! I was afraid you'd never come back."

"You've got to get out of here!" exclaimed Usopp as he stepped off of the tree branch and onto Kaya's windowsill. "Your life is in danger!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Kaya.

"YOU'VE BEEN TRICKED!" Usopp warned her. "YOUR BUTLER IS REALLY A PIRATE!"

"What!?" questioned Kaya in disbelief, "Klahadore a pirate, is this a joke?"

"It's no joke Kaya," replied Usopp. "I heard him with my own ears! He was at the beach going over his plans with his henchman! He said he tricked his way into your service to get his hands on your fortune! He's a pirate captain! He's been posing as a butler for three years just to rob you!"

"Usopp-san what are you saying?" asked Kaya.

"His crew is going to attack tomorrow at dawn!" explained Usopp. "HE SAID THEY'RE GOING TO KILL YOU! He's a dastardly villain! You've got to get out of here fast!"

"Please stop this!" interrupted Kaya. "You disappoint me Usopp-san."

"Hey do you hear voices in the courtyard?" one of the guards asked the other.

"Hey! It's that liar!" exclaimed the other when he saw Usopp through the bars of the gate, "He's snuck onto the estate again."

"You'd actually use me to get back at Klahadore like this?" asked Kaya. "What he said about your father and Kuririn-kun… Klahadore admitted that he went too far. He should have never said those things. But I won't listen to you tell lies about him! I never believed you would sink this low!"

Usopp stared at Kaya in shock, he was telling the truth! "Your stories were always filled with exciting and unbelievable things, but they were so much fun! I loved your lies! Why did you have to tell a lie like this? It's despicable Usopp-san!"

"Kaya, no!" Usopp tried to interrupt as Kaya's eyes filled with tears.

"How could you!?" Kaya sobbed.

"Kaya, wait!" Usopp protested. "I'm not trying to get back at anyone."

SLAM! Kaya's bedroom door banged open, and Merry rushed into the room, "Kaya-ojou-sama has he harmed you!?"

"Kaya, I'm telling the truth," said Usopp as he reached out and grabbed her arm. "You've got to trust me." Usopp quickly lifted Kaya up into his arms and stepped back onto the tree branch, then jumped down off of the tree and landed on his feet with Kaya in his arms.

"Get him!" came the voice of one of the guards, three of them came running to get rid of Usopp.

Usopp left Kaya near the tree and drew his slingshot. "Usopp-san stop!" pleaded Kaya.

THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! Usopp fired three times, and all three guards went down. Usopp quickly turned back to Kaya, "When tomorrow comes you'll believe me, but for now you've got to get out of here! Please listen to me!"

SWACK! Kaya suddenly slapped Usopp across the face, then quickly pulled herself free. "It's you, Usopp!" cried Kaya, "You're the dastardly villain!

Usopp stepped back in shock, even Kaya wouldn't believe him!

"RUFFIAN, GET AWAY FROM KAYA-OJOU-SAMA!" shouted Merry as he rushed over with a pistol and pointed it at Usopp. Usopp quickly turned and started running, but Merry kept his gun aimed at him.

"DON'T!" screamed Kaya.

"Huh?" BANG! Merry fired the gun without meaning to and the bullet hit Usopp's arm. Usopp struggled and managed to get back up, then took off running again.

"Usopp's escaping!" yelled one of the villagers as the mob rushed passed the house. "We'll get you, you little brat!"

"THERE HE IS! GET HIM!" shouted Merry as he pointed after Usopp, "HE'S A VIOLENT CRIMINAL!"

"Why won't anyone believe me?" Usopp wondered to himself. He jumped over the bushes and ran off as fast as he could with the mob of villagers chasing after him.

Suddenly, Kaya fainted against Merry, all the excitement had gotten to her, and in her sick condition, she couldn't help passing out and falling against Merry. "Kaya-ojou-sama, hang on!" exclaimed the butler in alarm.

Usopp eventually managed to give the villagers the slip. Captain Kuro's words echoed in his head, "Tomorrow, attack the village at dawn…"

Usopp walked passed the outskirts of the village, with tears freely fall from his eyes. The pirates were going to attack the village and kill everyone, and the worst part was, that even though Usopp had tried to warn them, they didn't listen, and now they were all doomed, and there was nothing he could do about it!

Usopp wiped his tears away and suddenly heard a voice, "CAPTAIN!" Usopp turned to see Carrot, Pepper, and Onion rushing towards him, followed by the Straw Hat pirates.

"Hey you guys," said Usopp, who suddenly noticed Luffy, "YOU! YOU'RE ALIVE!?"

"Alive?" repeated Luffy, "Yeah, I must have dozed off."

"Captain, we heard what's going on!" exclaimed Pepper. "We've got to hurry and warn everyone about the pirates!"

"Warn… everyone…" repeated Usopp, he had already tried that, and he ended up getting shot in the arm for his troubles.

"Ahahahahaha! I just made it all up," lied Usopp, causing Goku and Luffy to look at him suspiciously, "I got so mad at that butler so I made up a lie about him being a pirate."

"What? It's a lie!?" repeated Pepper in disbelief.

"I thought something exciting was going to happen," muttered Carrot.

"But First Mate Kuririn said so!" pointed out Onion, causing everyone to turn and face Goku.

"Uh…" Kuririn stalled as he glanced at Usopp, maybe he'd see where this was going. "I bet no one believed him when he warned them about the pirates. Now he must want those three out of the way. They're just kids." "That's right," Kuririn eventually lied, "We just met the hypnotist down at the beach, and he put Luffy and himself to sleep."

"Then why did you bring us all over there? And make up that whole story?" asked Pepper.

"I can't believe you guys would lie like that," commented Carrot.

"Yeah me, neither," agreed Pepper.

"Or me," added Onion. "I don't like that Butler either, but lying to hurt someone? That's just mean!"

The three Veggie-Pirates, slowly left and headed off, "Let's go home," suggested Carrot.

"Yeah," agreed Pepper, "it's almost time for dinner."

"Wonder what we're having," Onion said out loud as he and the other two walked off.

Night had fallen and Usopp had explained to the Straw Hat Crew what had happened, "It's because I'm a liar," admitted Usopp. "No one believes me, I should have known."

"But the facts are still the facts," said Nami, "The pirate really are coming, aren't they?"

"They're coming alright," Usopp answered, "And no one will believe me. They think tomorrow will be just another day." Usopp realized that if anyone was going to stop the pirates, it was going to be him, the only person who actually knew they were coming. "IT'S UP TO ME TO MEET THOSE PIRATES AND FIGHT THEM OFF! THEN I'LL HAVE A REAL TALE TO TELL! I MAY BE A LIAR… BUT THIS TIME MY TALE WILL COME TRUE!"

Luffy, Goku, Zoro, Piccolo, Kuririn and Nami turned to look at Usopp, "They can shoot me in the arm, they can chase me with brooms and pitchforks… but this village is my home. I LOVE THIS VILLAGE! I'VE GOT TO PROTECT MY NEIGHBORS!"

"There's not much time to plan," said Usopp as he sat back down and placed his head in his hands. "But I refuse to let everyone be murdered."

"Sounds like as good a reason as any for me to stand and fight," commented Kuririn. "He's scared to death, but…"

"No I'm not!" argued Usopp. "I'm Captain Usopp! In my veins flows the blood of a courageous warrior!"

"Then why are your legs shaking?" asked Goku. Luffy, Nami, Zoro, and even Usopp glanced down at his own legs and saw that they were indeed shaking, signifying how scared he really was.

"SO WHAT IF I'M SCARED! THEY'RE THE KURO PIRATES!" argued Usopp. "YOU'RE SHAKING TOO!" he said, pointing Kuririn's legs which were indeed shaking as well.

"Well...it's because of the cold weather…?" Kuririn lied. No one seemed convinced as they all gave him a strange look. "Ok, ok...I'm scared so what? I don't need any of your sympathy. This island has become a home for me. And because of Usopp, I'm going to try to protect the village as well."

Goku, Luffy, Zoro and Piccolo all smiled. "It seems like Usopp and Kuririn are willing to go up against the Black Cat Pirates, on their own to defend the village," said a voice. All of them looked up and saw Roshi standing on top of a tree branch that was sprouting from the cliff.

"Muten Roshi!" Kuririn and Usopp shouted.

The old man jumped down from the branch and landed safely on the ground. "What are you pirates going to do?"

"They ain't gonna do this alone. We're going to help them of course," Goku quickly responded, shocking both Kuririn and Usopp.

"That's right," Luffy said as he pounded his fists together and did a few shoulder stretches. "We will help too. Let's do it."

Piccolo and Zoro simply nodded in agreement while Nami said, "But I have to tell you first, all the treasure must be mine."

Roshi smiled at the Straw Hat Pirates response. "That settles it then. Count me in as well."

Usopp and Kuririn stared at the pirates and the old man in disbelief. They were actually offering to help. But why? "You guys," Kuririn spoke up, "are willing to fight with us? Why?"

"Because the enemies outnumber you two," Roshi responded.

"Besides we are not doing out of sympathy but we're commending you two for having courage," Piccolo said.

"Why else would we risk our own lives?" Luffy added.

At the sound of those words Usopp began to tear in gratitude. "You...you guys…" he said. "Thank you." The crew couldn't help but smile while the spikey-haired pirate, Goku, looked up at the crescent moon thinking on how tomorrow was going to be an exciting day.

Author's Note: Hey everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I thought it would be funny if the two characters that have weird noises would be paired together since Usopp has a long nose and Kuririn has no nose. Also, they are voiced by the same person in the English Dub.

Hopefully my next chapter won't take so long. I'll update Saiyan in Mahora soon.

Peace!