Chapter 6: The Liar
Buggy's Island, East Blue
Luffy wriggled into the makeshift throne at the front of the forecastle of Buggy's ship and he idly fiddled with the knobs at the end of the arm rests. Behind him he heard various mutters and the telltale sounds of discourse, but rather than pay it any mind he continued to make himself comfortable. A few feet behind him Zoro thumbed the pommel of one of the blades he stole and stared blankly at his new comrades.
'Luffy works faster than I'd have guessed. I thought he'd be more selective because of how picky he is, but I guess it makes no difference to him if they don't travel with us' Zoro's eyes moved from the back of Luffy's new chair and onto the faces of his new 'crewmates' and he landed on one in particular.
At the edge of one group was a nondescript man with no swords on his belt despite the obvious signs of a novice swordsman. Zoro's eyes moved from his fingers—covered in cuts— to his belt— which was looser than a regular belt ought to be around the hips, and then he remembered. He had stolen the swords he was currently using from that novice, and the novice looked to be upset about it. Zoro deliberately caught the other man's eyes and smirked, and in response the novice flinched and glared back. Zoro tensed his muscles and prepared to move forward, but stopped when he felt something on his back. He stopped mid-movement and turned his head to see Luffy's eyes bearing into his. Zoro sighed inwardly but just nodded. There would be no more fights today.
Luffy turned his head to look down at the main deck and jumped back up to his feet. "HEY! Why aren't we moving yet?! I just said SET SAIL! So let's get to it!" Luffy turned to look at each person on the boat, but it was Mohji who stepped forward. Luffy stared at him.
"Um— Hello Lu—uh Captain Luffy-sama, My name is Mohji, and I am… I was the first mate of the Buggy pirates" Mohji looked uncomfortable, but no one moved to say or do anything to help him. "The thing is Captain-sama, we uh no longer have enough food supplies for a voyage to the Grand Line" Mohji bowed low and flinched when Luffy took a step forwards.
"Oh? Is that it? We can just get some more food Lion-guy! There are plenty of islands around, right Nami?" Luffy turned to Nami who was staring lovingly at a pile of gold, She nodded without even turning her head away. "See! Also just call me Luffy or 'Captain', we don't need any of those fancy titles, pirates are free to say and do whatever they wanna!" Luffy walked down the steps of the forecastle deck and onto the main deck where he clapped a hand onto the stunned Mohji's shoulder. He proceeded to pat Richie's head. The former Buggy Pirates looked shocked, but remained where they were standing. Luffy huffed and then his eyes caught Zoro's.
Zoro understood what he was trying to convey immediately. "All right everyone! You heard the captain, get ready to set sail!" Zoro stood up from his leaning position and all around him the men broke from their stupor and began to run about getting ready to leave the island. Zoro stretched and began to walk over to the starboard rail. "You guys down there! How close are you to being done?" Zoro looked down over the rails at the group of men who had been ordered— by Nami— to load any and all treasure not on the Big Top into the cargo hold immediately. They had been working for some time.
"We are almost finished Zoro-sama! This is the last load" A man holding a chest full of gold nodded behind him where a dozen or so other men were carrying similar loads. Zoro nodded once.
"When you're done get on board, we're leaving soon!" Zoro turned away from the railing and looked at the men milling about. His eyes caught Nami standing at the helm and speaking with a man who was evidently the navigator. On the main deck was Mohji and his lion, and Cabaji, and both of them were staring at him as though he'd grown two heads and six arms. He gave them a glance and they began to move around as well. The only people not moving were Buggy and Luffy who were mid-conversation on top of the forecastle.
"—I'm telling you, I'm not going to put a Straw Hat on top of my flashily beautiful Jolly Roger!" Buggy was right in Luffy's face and glared at him. "It'd be flashily acceptable to put your Jolly Roger up, but I will not modify mine!" Luffy jerked his head angrily, and huffed.
"Alright, fine! But when I have mine made it goes up there and yours comes down! I am the Captain of this crew, and I won't have my crew sail under the authority of the wrong flag!" Luffy glared at Buggy, and then turned and stared at the highest post atop the main mast with something akin to a calculating look. Zoro didn't even get a chance to speak before his captain's arm stretched upwards and the man followed after it. Zoro turned and he couldn't believe it, but Luffy was standing above the highest jolly roger of the Buggy Pirates. Zoro gaped.
"I will never sail under someone else's Jolly Roger as the captain! " His loud cry was met by astonished silence as everyone on board stared up at him. "I am the highest authority on this boat, and I won't accept anyone saying otherwise!" He stared down at the main deck and turned to the helm where an annoyed Nami stood flanked by several men who were staring up at Luffy in admiration. "Nami take us to the nearest inhabited island, please!" With his last order in place, Luffy turned on one foot and continued to balance on top of the pole, but now he faced forwards.
Zoro couldn't help but smirk. His captain may be weird and dumb, but he knew what it meant to be the captain. Also, if the faces of the people on board were any indication, he had just gained much admiration.
Meanwhile, Buggy just stared blankly at Luffy. He had not been expecting his new captain to exert dominance over him so easily. Now Buggy was left in a strange position where he admired the man for his brash and commanding ways, and was also annoyed that he had undermined his well built authority so easily. In the end, he shrugged, 'If my new captain is flashy then so be it! Captain Roger was too and he became the Pirate King, so it can't be that bad' Buggy watched as the last of the men filed onto the ship.
The anchor was pulled up and the sails dropped, and the new navigator began to plot their course. The new members of the Straw Hat Pirates cheered at the start of their voyage, but were quickly back at work without so much as a yell. Zoro was an effective first mate, and it showed.
Down on the deck, Nami peered down at a map stretched over a barrel. She had located on the map exactly where they were, and was now figuring out which inhabited island was closest. She took one more glance at the paper and tuned to the helmsman.
"Alright we are headed to the Gecko Islands, but more specifically to Syrup Village. It's the closest inhabited island that has enough trade and supplies for us to stock up" She pointed to it on the map. "You know how to get here right? Good, I've got something to do" With that she jumped down from the helm and ran towards the entrance to the cargo hold. No one stopped her, and the boat began to move forward as the wind caught the sails.
Zoro smiled up at his captain, and the Straw Hats set off for the next island.
-SotF -SotF -SotF -
Days Later...
Syrup Village, Gecko Islands
"—The mansions old floorboards creaked as a set of feet moved through the house. The Hero wasn't being as silent as he should be, but he had no worries. Even if he got found out the Princess would just scold him for sneaking in, and then would ask him to stay for snacks. The Hero smiled to himself, and began to hum a simple tune as he passed the servants rooms. He stopped dead however at the sight that greeted him when he peered into the open door. There laying in a pool of his own blood was none other than the meddling head servant of the mansion!" Usopp's hands flew wildly in front of him throughout his story, and once he reached the climax his audience of one gasped loudly in shock. He soldiered through however.
"The Hero checked for a pulse, and to his satisfaction the man who lay before him still lived! But, the Hero knew that someone evil had been in the mansion recently, and could only have one target, the Princess!" Usopp pointed to the side and away from Kaya. "He rushed quickly to her room to find that she was at the point of the Villain's sword, but remained strong and stout! Rather than buckle in fear, she stared up in defiance and when the Hero burst in, er, heroically, she called out in joy!" Usopp coughed and looked absolutely enamored with a random tree branch. Kaya giggled.
"Oh great Hero! You came to save me! Now smite down this evil Villain and let's live happily ever after!" His voiced had raised nearly two octaves, so his throat now hurt, but Usopp grimaced and carried on.
"The Hero of course agreed and pointed his trusty slingshot at the evil Villain and shot only once! The Villain was hit directly in the head by the pellet, and passed out in fear! The Hero saved the Princess and they put the Villain in the dungeon forever! The end" Usopp bowed theatrically while Kaya clapped and laughed. He smiled back and took a peak at the clock in her room.
"Ah sorry Kaya-san, but I've gotta go, the others are waiting for me again and I can't be late! I'll come by soon!" Usopp shimmied his way down the tree and began to run off, all the while waving behind him at Kaya. She smiled and waved back.
'Usopp is kind to come and visit me even though I'm always sick. Hopefully Klahadore's medicine works soon!' Kaya sent a small prayer forward, and turned back to her room and her studies. She had work to do as well!
Usopp finished running over the hill that led down Kaya's property and then keeled over and began to wheeze. Everytime he left he put on a show of athleticism, but he was not cut out for running anywhere! Slowly, Usopp caught his breath and then he looked down the treeline and began to walk down to the Usopp Pirate meeting spot. He would teach his crew even more pirate spotting techniques today!
The moment Usopp got within a hundred yards of their secret base he heard yelling coming from one of his subordinates. Ninjin was evidently raising a ruckus now that his captain had returned, and Usopp continued to move forward with a doctored sense of leadership. The shouts became clearer once he reached the edge of the small clearing.
"This is REALLY BAD! For once there really are pirates coming, and the Captain isn't here! What'll we do?" Ninjin ran around like a chicken with no head, and promptly ran into a stump and tripped. The other two members of the Usopp pirates looked at him only to see Usopp's form a ways past him. They clammored towards Usopp.
Ninjin stood up quickly. However, when he realized neither of his 'crewmates' were looking at him he knew something was up.
"Now now Ninjin-kun, did you really think such a simple tactic would work on the great Captain Usopp-sama? I'll have you know I created the 'pretend you don't know they're there' tactic, and put it to great use many years ago! You really must work on your technique Ninjin-kun!" Usopp stared down at the boy with a severe look, and the two other boys paled.
"No! I wasn't tryna fool you Captain, I know not to use your own techniques against you! This is for real, I did see a pirate flag over the ocean!" Ninjin pointed over his shoulder towards the ocean. Usopp looked unimpressed. "Ask Piiman and Tamanegi, they saw it too!" He pointed at the other two boys and Usopp turned to them.
"Ah, so this is an advanced tactic is it? Well you should know not to use the powerful moves so soon after a weak attack, you need to build up to your more powerful moves to create suspense, it's just common sense!" Usopp huffed and looked down at the other two boys. "Piiman, Tamanegi, surely you see there is no use in trying to convince me? I know all of your moves before you use them, so it is impossible to defeat me!" Usopp put his hand on his hips and laughed.
"Captain Usopp, He's telling the truth, we really did see a ship on the water!" Piiman quickly turned to Tamanegi "Tell him Tamanegi! You saw it too right?" He was nearly begging, and Usopp got a sinking feeling in his stomach.
"I did see it Captain Usopp! A pirate ship with a Jolly Roger that looked like a clown! It was coming this way!" Usopp's eyes bugged out and he ran past the kids a second later. He clamored up a ladder attached to a tree and pulled out a small telescope. With a small clicking noise the telescope extended to full size, and Usopp put the looking device up to his eye. He felt his heart stop.
Already nearing the shore was a pirate ship bearing the mark of Buggy the Clown, and on the top of the tallest mast was a man who seemed to be making eye contact with him through the telescope. Usopp's heart began beating again, but this time it threatened to pound out of his chest. A real pirate was coming here, and he had nothing he could do about it.
"Captain, what are we gonna do? The villagers never believe us anymore when we tell them a pirate is coming!" Ninjin looked up at Usopp in obvious fear, and was joined on either side by the other two boys. Usopp's teeth chattered, his hands shook, and his skin crawled, but he knew there was only one thing he could do right now.
"We have to ready a defense! We cannot allow pirates to attack our town or the people who live in it! People like Kaya-san could never muster up the strength to defeat a pirate, so we will have to do it for them!" Usopp made his grand speech while atop a boulder, and his crew sat below him cheering. In truth the words were easy for him to say, but the hard part was actually following through on it. "Listen up boys, we have one shot at this, and we have to make it count! Do everything exactly as I tell you, got it?" The three boys nodded their assent and Usopp pushed away his encroaching fear. "All right, first Ninjin I need you to—"
-SotF -SotF -SotF -
The Beach, Gecko Islands
The Big Top pushed through any and all waves it came across with ease. Nami had to admit it was a nice enough ship, for a pirate ship anyways. It handled everything it came across, and when the newly dubbed Straw Hat crew came across a light storm it had weathered everything with ease and grace. In truth, Nami had little interest in the ship now that it wasn't something that could be sold. The treasure in the cargo hold on the other was something she was very keen to watch over for hours.
Unfortunately, her preferred leisure activity was not available to her because the Straw Hat crew was full of lack-witted imbeciles who couldn't tell a cirrus from a cumulus! Therefore, as per the terms of her temporary alliance, she had to be on deck almost the whole time watching over the idiotic pirates and ensuring they didn't steer their own ship into a giant sea storm.
On the plus side the ignorant pirates now understood the vital importance of a competent navigator, and they knew their future voyages would be fulfilling in the future. At least, until Nami betrayed them that is. Nami laughed softly to herself, and reveled in the sheer amount of money she'd be making soon.
Moments later a loud yell tore its way across the deck of the Big Top.
"ALL RIGHT MEN! LAND HO! PREPARE TO DISEMBARK!" The loud noise came from the very top of the ship. The same spot that the captain occupied and had occupied for the entire trip to the Gecko Islands. The very same man who Nami had been thinking about off and on for days. Him and his First Mate, the Pirate Hunter Zoro.
Nami had no idea what to make of Monkey D Luffy.
He was a kind man, but had a sharp tongue for those who disobeyed. He was strong too, stronger than anyone Nami had seen outside of maybe Arlong, but he never ever raised his hand on a comrade. And strangely, he was wise. Not smart, but wise in a way that showed he had seen the dark underbelly of society, but had decided he didn't want it to affect him forever. Nami stared up at Luffy.
He then jumped down from the mast and landed with a satisfying Boing! noise, and Nami was again flabbergasted. He was also taller than anyone she'd ever seen, and had a presence that was unmissable as well!
Luffy then fell on his side when the aftershocks of his jump passed through his body.
And yet he was so dumb! He was kind and strong and fair. But he was an absolute imbecile! He was a walking talking contradiction of nature! Nami had only ever known two kinds of people: the evil ones who were strong and could do whatever they liked, and the weak ones who struggled and fought and fought but always lost.
Yet! Here was a man who was strong and kind. He was good, and everyone on the boat agreed. Everyone agreed, and they had been beaten soundly and easily by him. Everywhere he walked people wanted to speak with him and be his friend. Not to mention he had earned the loyalty of a man who had been called a demon!
Nami clenched her fists. Why? Why did she get stuck with a pirate like Arlong when a pirate like Luffy existed? If only it had been Luffy who had taken over her town, she knew he wouldn't have killed Bellemere if he had decided to come and—
"Oi, Nami. You alright? You're looking a little scary there" Luffy put his head right into her view. Nami nearly screamed.
"I'm fine Luffy, I was just thinking" Nami unclenched her fists, and hoped Luffy didn't notice the blood marks on her palms, but judging by the way he looked at her, it seemed he had. She clenched her jaw in preparation for the belligerent remarks.
They never came.
"Alright, if you say you're fine then I'll believe you. Just—" Luffy stared at Nami with that look, and she nearly screamed at his overworked empathy. "Just tell me what I can do to help and I will, okay? That's what friends are for, right?" He took one long look at her, and she nodded. His hat fell down his head somewhat, and rested just above his eyes.
"Luffy, we're preparing to land" Zoro had walked over to them at some point, and Nami almost screamed again. Luffy just looked at him from the side and nodded. Zoro walked off, and Luffy took one more glance at Nami and walked away as well. Nami breathed out a ragged breath.
'I can't get attached! This is probably just some elaborate ploy to get into my pants or take my money! He isn't any different from any other pirate!' Nami shook her head back and forth, and continued to chant negative things in her mind. She then walked over to the side of the boat where Luffy and Zoro were standing mid-conversation with Buggy.
"— and I'm telling you that to flashily bring everyone onto the island would get the Navy called in a minute! Only a few of us should go, and the rest should stay here!" Buggy poked Luffy in his chest by floating his hand the majority of the distance. Luffy huffed, but nodded in agreement. "—and I can't go because I am a flashily wanted man! Also! Bring the sensible one so you don't get sidetracked! I'll find a better spot to flashily moor the ship and send Cabaji to flashily tell you where it is, okay?" Buggy pointed to his own chest and then out at Nami when he said 'sensible', and Nami got a sinking feeling in her stomach.
"All right, then I'll bring Zoro and Nami with me! Buggy, you are in charge until I get back!" Luffy pumped a hand in the air and another landed on Zoro's shoulder who merely smirked. Luffy Jumped over the ledge without a care and was quickly followed by Zoro. Nami frowned, but began to descend down the ropes along the side of the ship.
The moment they touched ground the Big Top lurched with movement. Luffy took several large strides forward, but then stopped midstep.
"There's someone in the trees" Luffy looked straight forward, and Zoro put a hand on his blade and Nami set one on her collapseable staff. Zoro moved to Luffy's side, but Nami stayed put.
"I can't see anyone, are you sure they're there Luffy?" Zoro had moved in front of Luffy and now had his hand all the way around his sword's handle. He may not see the enemy, but he trusted that Luffy wouldn't lie.
"Yeah, one man and three kids" Luffy pointed right into the copse of trees on top of the hill, and suddenly a myriad of flags appeared right where he pointed.
"Tremble and fear wicked pirates! For I am the great and powerful Captain Usopp-sama of the Usopp Pirates! I command over 8000 men, and we have taken over this island as our own!" The flags jerked around as if they were being pulled back and forth on a set of pulleys. "Now run in fear and never return to the Gecko Islands again!" The voice carried well over the empty beach, but the audience of three was unmoved.
"There's no way you have 8000 men under you! I can only feel four of you guys, and no one can hide from me!" Luffy yelled right at the trees, and the flags stopped moving. The sound of scurrying and twigs being smushed was heard, and then the whole area went quiet.
"So, you've seen through my trick? No matter, I am the legendary Captain Usopp-sama, and I can even kill the legendary giants of Elbaf!" A pellet flew out of a bush at Luffy's face, but he sidestepped it and it instead landed in the water.
"A pirate, huh? Don't you realize what a fool you're being?" Zoro's eyes looked right up at Usopp despite the bushes obscuring him. "This" He pointed at Luffy, "Is a real pirate. His punches can crack stone and he's even defeated a Marine Captain" Usopp took a stuttered step back, but rallied and moved forward out of the bush. Zoro remained staring up at him, and Usopp pulled back the string on his slingshot and pointed it at Luffy.
"Now that you've drawn your weapon, are you prepared to put your life on the line?" Usopp paled and stared down at Luffy in fear. Nami chanced a glance and saw that Luffy had a deadly serious look on his face. She took a step back as well.
"Hu—huh?! What do you mean, put my life on the line?" Usopp's voice cracked.
"That thing in your hands isn't a toy!" Luffy glared up at Usopp who fell on his back. "To draw your weapon in the face of a pirate is a direct challenge! If you aren't prepared to fight and die then don't pretend to be bigger than you are! A weapon isn't used for threats, but for battle!" Luffy's voice pierced the air, and suddenly all was quiet. Not a single animal made noise. Usopp realized he was staring at a real pirate now.
"So— will you put your life on the line, or will you put away your weapon?" Luffy's hat fell over his eyes and shadowed them so all Usopp saw was the drawn line of his mouth.
He put his slingshot down.
Luffy broke into a grin. "Shishishi! Sorry to get so serious, I just wanted to try out the line Shanks said once!" Usopp looked on aghast, and Nami sighed in relief. Zoro's smirk told any who dared look that he'd known this might happen. "You said your name was Usopp? Is your dad Yasopp by any chance?" Luffy looked up at Usopp.
Usopp quickly recovered from his shock. "Yes, that is my dad's name! Do you know him?" Usopp took a step forward off the boulder, and then fell and rolled down the hill like a rock until he landed at Luffy's feet.
"Yup! He's a pirate I met once!" Luffy crouched down, and Usopp then realized how far down he had crouched. He had thought the two on his side were short, but it was the one in the middle who was unnaturally tall! Usopp swallowed thickly and returned to reality.
"A pirate?! He is? I always said so, but no one ever believed me!" Usopp leaned forward into a sitting position and looked up at Luffy. "Is he famous? Or— is he strong— no wait, what's he like?" Usopp asked Luffy.
Luffy wasn't even looking at Usopp though.
"Ah! How nostalgic! Yasopp is a member of Shanks' crew!" Luffy looked down at Usopp as if that answered all his questions. In truth it really did.
"Shanks? As in the Yonko?!" Both Nami and Usopp looked surprised.
"Shishishi! Yup, he's a member of Shanks' crew, so he's super famous and strong!" Luffy smiled at Usopp. "Though, I haven't seen them for ten years, so I don't know how he is, but when I did see him he talked about you all the time!" Luffy leaned down and continued to smile at Usopp.
"Really?! So he's a brave warrior of the sea, and on a super famous crew?! Awesome!" Usopp looked starstruck for a moment. "Alright! I've gotta set sail and go and meet up with my dad!" Usopp took one confident step past Luffy, but Nami grabbed his shirt.
"Wait! If you don't mind could you show us the way to the town? We have some stuff we need to do there" Nami let go of Usopp when he turned around. He calculated her for a moment and then turned to Luffy and Zoro.
"Okay! I can help out the guys who told me about my dad. It'd be bad manners if I didn't treat you guys to some food too! My mom always taught me how to properly thank people!" Usopp held up a fist and pointed his finger in a seemingly random direction. "Alrighty then! Follow me to Syrup Village!" With a confident step Usopp moved forward. Zoro, Luffy and Nami followed behind.
-SotF-SotF-SotF-
Syrup Village
"Help! There are pirates coming! They're gonna kill Captain Usopp!" Ninjin yelled out as he ran down the town's main road. A few townsfolk peered out their windows, but none of them moved past that. The three boys slumped on the side of the road.
"Ninjin, Piiman, we'll never get them to believe us! We've gotta seek out Kaya-san and have her ask for help instead!" Tamanegi loudly proclaimed. The three boys nodded once at each other, and began to move towards the manor.
"Ah! Guys, we aren't allowed to enter the Manor! How will we let Kaya-san know if we can't get in?!" Piiman yelled at his two comrades who both stopped moving. Ninjin and Tamanegi looked to be in thought for a moment, and then both seemed to have a light bulb go off over their heads.
"We should just run around and look for the Captain then!" Tamanegi stepped forward with his proclamation.
"Yeah, yeah! He's super strong, so he probably got away from the pirates easy peasy and is already evacuating the villagers!" Ninjin took a step forward as well and stood side by side with Tamanegi. Piiman nodded as well.
"Yeah! Let's go look for him now!" All three ran off to look for their captain and began to yell out his name rather than yelling about pirates.
A few moments after they took off, Usopp and the Straw Hat Pirates walked over the hill and took in the sight of the town.
"It's small" Zoro took one look at the town and seemed to be bored with it. Usopp turned to yell at him, but was stopped.
"Hey Usopp, are there any restaurants that serve good meat? I've only had crappy meat lately so I want some good stuff!" Luffy poked Usopp's ear.
"OI! Don't poke someone in the ear! Do you know how rude that is?!" Usopp started to jab his finger up at Luffy, but Luffy just laughed. "Tch! To answer your question, they do serve meat at the restaurant, and it is pretty good" Usopp grumbled to himself, and Nami felt as though she had met a kindred spirit. "Let's go, the restaurant is just over that hill" He walked forward, and the pirates followed.
She wouldn't say it out loud, but Nami agreed with Zoro. The village was small. Within ten minutes they had passed through the entire place. The villagers had glared and grumbled at Usopp, and most had said something regarding 'corrupting the kids', but Nami expertly pretended to ignore it.
True to form, the restaurant was small as well. The waiter arrived after what seemed like an hour but was closer to ten minutes. He was short and fat and ugly. In short, he was a pig.
"What'll ya be havin then?" He spoke down at them with a gruff tone, and seemed to ignore the boys in favor of ogling Nami. Luffy took exception to this.
"Give me meat! And a lot of it!" Luffy leaned forward with his yell, and impressed his height on the short and fat waiter. The man seemed to understand the subtle threat, and more importantly the difference in power, and then turned his gaze to Zoro.
"Booze. The good kind" Zoro didn't even glance at the waiter, and instead focused on his Wado. The waiter felt some sweat bead on his neck, but turned to Usopp next. He frowned, but gestured at him regardless.
"Whatta bout you trouble maker?" He glared at Usopp, but it seemed to pass right through him.
"Nothing for me, just treating my new friends" Usopp gestured at the Straw Hats, and Luffy and Zoro smiled at him.
The waiter grumbled, but didn't write anything down, and turned his gaze at Nami again. This time though he felt the cold hand of death on his neck, and only looked at the ground next to her. Nami was touched by the threats from her temporary crewmates.
"Just a small dessert please, whatever the chef recommends" Nami thumbed a piece of hair and watch as the pigman scurried away with the glares on his back. Nami sighed. "You guys didn't have to do that, but thanks anyways" She put her chin on her palm. "You'll never believe how many men think that they can just stare at me as they please! As if I'd let them get a show for free!" Nami huffed and crossed her arms.
"I hate guys like that!" Luffy crossed his arms and glared at the door. Nami was somewhat surprised. She knew Luffy would protect his friends, but she thought that so long as it didn't affect someone he liked then he'd be mostly okay with anything.
"Why?" she asked, but Luffy just looked at her with confusion. "I mean I agree of course, but why do you hate men like that?" Nami studied Luffy carefully.
"Anyone who sees another person as nothing more than an object they want to have is worse than scum!" Luffy's glare intensified, and now all three other table members were looking at him.
Nami was surprised at many things. Firstly, she hadn't thought Luffy felt that strongly about anything as heavy and real as that. The fact that he did meant something in the past had happened. Secondly, the fact that even Zoro was surprised meant it was something private. She had gathered that they had been together only a short while, but they knew each other really well. That meant they had bonded and shared a lot about themselves. Thirdly, and perhaps the most important, was the fact that this inversely correlated to the way Arlong ran things. He treated his crew as game pieces, and Nami wasn't any better. However, Luffy was disgusted by this line of thinking. He was Arlong's opposite. Nami felt some shred of hope break through her walls as she looked on at Luffy's angry glare.
Zoro took one look at Nami's pensive stare and quickly changed the subject to fighting techniques.
'He isn't lying is he? He actually thinks like this! Does that mean he really is nice? Is he actually a good pirate?' Nami stared at Luffy who was now gesturing with his fists to demonstrate his punch. 'Would he helped me if I asked? Is he strong enough to fight a fishman who is ten times stronger than a normal man?' Nami's mind raced, and she stared emptily at Luffy's chest for several moments.
Then the food arrived. She was knocked from her stupor and brought back to the real world as a small cake was placed in front of her. The waiter didn't wait and scurried away once more. Everyone at the table began to eat. The food was pretty good, and everyone was busy enjoying their food or drink except Usopp who had three conversations at once going.
Then he abruptly stood up, and tossed some money down on the table. "Sorry guys, but I should probably go tell my er— my friends that I'm gonna be leaving the island. Hopefully we can see each other again soon!" He turned and ran out the door quickly, and mere moments later three boys ran into the restaurant.
"Ah! Pirates, what did you do to our Captain?!" Ninjin yelled at them, and Luffy used the bone from his meat to pick his teeth.
"Ah~ that was some good food you guys!" He smiled at Zoro and Nami who smirked back and stared down at the kids.
The three boys then remembered something Usopp had once told them.
"Be careful with pirates guys! Some of them eat their enemies when they're done beating them up! They drink their blood too!"
All three boys stared up at Luffy in his unnaturally tall height and shivered.
"Don't tell me you—you—" Zoro stopped drinking his booze and wiped some of it from his mouth and proceeded to join Luffy in staring down at them.
"About your captain—" The three boys leaned in despite their fear. "We ate him! Hahahaha!" Zoro grabbed his stomach and broke out laughing. The boys cowered in fear and turned to run, but bumped into Nami instead.
"Where are you guys running off to?" Her grin had turned lethal, and the boys screamed at promptly passed out. The Straw Hats stood still for a moment, and then broke out in laughter.
"Shishishi! Who knew they'd really think we ate Usopp?" Luffy set his arm on the wall, and Zoro chuckled as well.
"We should probably head into town to see where the supplies are" Nami gestured behind her with a small smile still on her face.
"Okay! Let's take these guys with us so we know where Usopp ran off to. We can say goodbye before we leave that way!" Luffy's arm stretched and grabbed two of the boys in a small coil, and Zoro picked up the other. All three of them walked out the doors
"Sounds good to me. If we go to the center of town then the Fake Swordsman should meet up with us soon to tell us where the ship is" Zoro walked out of the tent and turned away from the town center.
"Where are you going?" Nami called over to him, still at the entrance of the restaurant.
"I'm headed for the town square" Zoro pointed at what was clearly a cliff face in the distance.
"Are you an idiot?" Nami stared at Zoro who looked to be getting angry. "The town square is this way! Not over a cliff!" She stomped ahead and began to move towards the center of the village, and Zoro followed after her despite his anger. Luffy took up the rear.
"Man, you may be strong but you sure are dumb Zoro! Shishishi!" Luffy laughed from behind Zoro. Zoro turned around with some anger in his eyes.
"You're the last person I want to hear call me dumb!" Zoro glared at Luffy who just kept on laughing. And the three Straw Hats kept moving right along towards the center of the town.
They didn't realize that something interesting was happening on the coast that Buggy had chosen to moor the Big Top at. They walked forward trading jokes and barbs, and the world tilted just a little on its axis.
AN: I had planned for the whole Usopp saga to be one chapter, but got carried away while writing and ended up making it too long. The climax comes next chapter which will be posted on Wednesday the 13th I think. Thanks for reading!