Hello again! This is the fourth chapter this fanfiction. This will wrap up the Syrup Village arc and transition into the next one. Hopefully, you guys enjoy this next chapter and will read until the end. Thank you again for your support!

Disclaimer: I do not own one piece. Unlike my cat, who apparently owns everything including me.

Chapter 4: Triumph through pain and heartache

After releasing his pent-up emotions, Luffy calms down enough to gather himself. They continue eating in relative silence before the doors of the restaurant slam open, revealing three kids heading their direction.

"We're members of the Usopp pirates! We're looking for our captain" one of the kids asks.

"Oh, that was a nice meal, don't you agree, captain?" Nami says while patting Luffy's somewhat engorged stomach, trying to lighten up the mood.

Zoro looks at the kids. "Don't pat it down too much, Nami. Our captain ate a huge meal"

This sends a shiver down their spine as they grow more scared at the Strawhats.

"T-They ate Captain Usopp!" The three children shouted.

These sent the Strawhats into various levels of laughter before Nami tries to pacify the kids. "We're kidding, we're kidding. Your captain went to a mansion somewhere on the island"

"Oh, Captain Usopp went to Kaya? But It's not yet time for his daily visits"

"We asked if he knows where we can buy a ship and he told us that his friend in the mansion has one" Luffy answers.

"Yeah, I guess we can wait for Captain to get back here"

They conversed with the kids for half an hour or so when one of them notices that Usopp's been gone for a while. One of the kids suggested that they all go to see if Usopp's in trouble. After paying for their meals, the group heads to the mansion. They arrive in front of the gate moments later. Luffy grabs all of them before jumping over the gate, which surprised the three children.

"Wow, what was that? That was cool!" one of the kids asked once they landed inside.

"I'm a rubber man" Luffy simply says while stretching his mouth as a demonstration. "Oh wait, isn't that Usopp?" he points out. The group approaches Usopp, who's talking with a girl that's leaning on the window.

"Usopp, are these your friends?" the woman who introduces herself as Kaya asks.

"They're my followers. They traveled to this island to ask for the great Captain Usopp's services"

"Hello there, Lady! Usopp said that you have a big ship. We want to ask you if we can buy it" Luffy says.

"Oh we do! But I'll have to ask Merry if-" They were interrupted, however, when a butler walks to them.

"What are you intruders doing here?!"

"K-Klahadore! You don't have to throw them out! They were simply-"

"Miss Kaya, we talked about this. Usopp is a terrible influence for you and your health" The butler then turns his attention to Usopp. "As for you. I should've expected this. A criminal's son trespassing inside Lady Kaya's mansion courtyard should not be a surprise to me." He then looks over Usopp to glare at their group. "And you even brought your friends here"

"I was simply talking to Kaya! There's nothing wrong with that. And she's the one who let me stay here for a while"

"Name your price" Klahadore says out of nowhere, which confused Usopp.

"How much will it take for you to leave Miss Kaya alone? Would fifty thousand Beri suffice? Or for a filthy pirate's son whose father abandoned him, you might need more. How about a hund-"

Klahadore wasn't able to finish his offer as Usopp punches him square on the jaw. The attack sends him down to his back, which shocks everyone except the Strawhats.

"I'm a proud son of a pirate! Don't ever badmouth my dad again!" Usopp shouts at the downed butler.

"Usopp..." Kaya mumbles. A few butlers arrive to the sight of the commotion as they see Klahadore lying down before helping him back up. Some of them try to escort Usopp and his friends out of the area.

"Don't worry, I was just about to leave." Usopp walks out of the mansion grounds through the gate, followed by the three children, who were shouting back at Klahadore as they left. The Strawhats had different reactions, ranging from concealed fury to barely controlled rage through clenched fists. Luffy glances at Kaya sadly before telling Nami and Zoro to leave with him. As they walk away enough so that no one can hear them, Luffy breaks the silence.

"You know what's gonna happen, right? I'll talk to Usopp, you two head back to the town"

Nami and Zoro simply nods before they split up. Luffy walks around trying to look for Usopp when he spots him under a tree near a cliff overlooking the shore. Usopp looks back to see Luffy, before turning to the ocean again.

"Sorry about that. That butler just pisses me off"

"Nah, it's fine. I'd punch him too if I were you" Luffy reassures him.

"It's just...It's just really frustrating! To see him talk badly about my dad when he doesn't know anything about him. About us?!"

"I told you I know Yassop. He's a good guy, don't let anyone else tell you that"

Usopp and Luffy talked about Yassop for some time. Luffy hearing about some things that he didn't even know from the previous timeline, and Usopp hearing tales about Yassop's crew. He was amazed at the kind of man Shanks was. Learning about his father's captain made Usopp happy. He was glad that his dad wasn't under someone who's evil.

It was right before sunset when Luffy spots something before pointing it out to Usopp. They see Klahadore talking with a weird man with weirder glasses. Usopp leans forward to try to hear what they're talking about.

"Is the crew ready?"

"Yes, Captain Kuro. They're just waiting for your signal."

"Good. I've been waiting for this for years. Now I can finally execute my plan and assassinate Kaya."

Upon hearing this, Usopp starts sweating heavily. This butler who insulted him was apparently a pirate and infiltrated Kaya's mansion to take all her money and kill her. Usopp went from mild shock to an expression filled with rage in a split second. Without thinking, he immediately starts running towards Kaya's mansion. A hand grabbing his shoulder stopped him in his tracks.

"Where are you going?" Luffy asked.

"I need to warn the village that pirates are attacking! They can contact the marines and call for help!"

"But are they going to believe you though?"

This stopped Usopp dead in his tracks. In his head, he already knew the answer. But he'll be damned if he doesn't do anything about it.

"I don't care what they say! I just have to warn Kaya instead so she can convince them. Besides, she's my friend. She'll definitely believe me"

Seeing the resolve in Usopp's eyes, Luffy lets go of his shoulder. Usopp ran as fast as he could. He knows that the village wouldn't trust him. Maybe if he can convince Kaya, she can offer her support and confidence so he can sway the villagers to believe his story. Once he arrives at the gate, he does not waste any time sneaking in to the mansion grounds to rush for Kaya's window. Once he gets there, he quickly knocks on it.

"Usopp! What are you doing here?" Despite her shock, she manages to talk as quietly as possible as to not get the attention of her butlers.

"Kaya! You have to run! Klahadore's going to attack you!"

"Wha-?"

"He's a pirate! He wants to kill you and take all your treasure. He says he'll also attack the village with his crew and he'll do it in midnight!"

Usopp did not notice that Kaya remained silent as her expression darkens due to the panicked state he's in. "Maybe you can warn the villagers for me-"

Her slap echoes throughout the garden, stunning Usopp.

"K-Kaya..."

"I finally see what Klahadore meant. I know it was wrong for him to talk badly about your dad, but for you to resort to lying just to take revenge?"

"No, it's not! It's real this time!" He says as he tries his hardest to convince her.

"This is not the Usopp I know. Or maybe I never knew who the real Usopp was. Klahadore may be mean, but he took care of me from when I was a child. He wouldn't do anything like that."

Usopp tries to reach out to her, only for his hand to be slapped away.

"Get out of here before you cause any more trouble"

Usopp stares at her for a while, feeling her glare and anger. Swallowing the lump in his throat and the pain in his heart, he slowly trudges out of the mansion grounds. As he's walking back to the village, painful thoughts are ravaging his mind.

'What should I do? Even Kaya doesn't believe me...'

He continues his journey back before he sees the three people from earlier.

"You saw that...Whatever. What do you want? Are you here to laugh and mock me?" Usopp says bitterly while clenching his teeth.

"What are you going to do? That's the most important part" Zoro asked.

Usopp glares at Luffy. "You told them?" He asked, to which the straw-hatted boy simply nods.

"I'm going to defend this village. Alone if I have to. I may be a liar and a coward, but this village is my home. I'm not gonna let them take it without a fight"

Luffy looks at him for a while before flashing a smile. "Don't worry, we're going to help you"

Usopp was stunned at Luffy's conviction. There were no traces of mockery in his face. He was a stranger; this was the first time they had met. And yet, he'll risk his life to save a town that he's just visited for the first time?

"You'll help me?"

"Of course. If this town gets destroyed, you and your friends will be sad. And I don't want that to happen."

This was enough to bring Usopp to tears. He rubs his eyes gently before smiling and nodding at the three. "Alright! Operation save Syrup Village is under way!" he says eagerly.

Usopp was about to go running to the shore, where he spotted Klahadore conversing with the strange man when Nami points out that there is another coastline on the northern side of the island which larger ships can dock on. And if there's going to be an attack from a large pirate crew, that'll most likely be the spot. With that information, the group heads to the northern coast to prepare for an attack.

An hour or two after midnight, they spot the massive galleon sailing towards the island. Usopp's legs wobble in anticipation and nervousness. Meanwhile, Zoro pulls out two of his swords and points it at the ship from afar.

"Do you want me to cut it?"

"No, you Idiot. You need to keep their ship afloat, so we'll have a place to put them once they're dealt with and get them far away from this island." Nami replies.

"W-Wait, you're saying you can cut a ship that size?" Usopp's eyes widen at the thought.

"Oh Zoro's a really good swordsman. But what about you, Usopp. Do you have a weapon with you?"

Usopp shows his slingshot at the group.

"Well, you better stay far behind and snipe them from a distance, then." Zoro suggested, which Usopp wholeheartedly agrees with.

Once the ship docks, several pirates land on the shores below them. Like a hoard of animals, their numbers grew slowly. Usopp is visibly trembling at this point, religiously following Zoro's suggestion and staying on a cliff area that pirates would struggle climbing without being funneled through to the slope. A slope which is heavily guarded by those three.

"A-Are you sure we can do this? That's a lot of pirates..." Usopp asks nervously.

Meanwhile, from the bottom of the slope, the pirates were surprised that there were people in this area. They expected this job to be a simple attack on an unsuspecting village.

"Captain Jango. I thought that this was a sneak attack? Who are those guys?"

"Bah, they're only three people and there are hundreds of us. We'll just kill them all and continue with Captain Kuro's plan. Attack them, we have no time to waste."

The men charge up the slope to attack the Strawhats. Zoro was about to swing both his sword, aiming to send multiple flying slashes towards the group of enemies, when Usopp fires what seems be a sizable pouch from his slingshot. The pouch opens up as it's tumbling through the air, spreading the contents out into the open, which appeared to be spike traps. This caught the pirates by surprise. Usopp's trap incapacitated the first wave of attackers upon stepping on the spikes.

"Nice job Usopp!" Zoro cheers Usopp, who flashes him a thumbs-up in response.

Rather than be intimidated, this infuriated most of the pirates. Those who were not caught in the trap began charging up the slopes faster and with a greater drive to avenge their comrades. It was Luffy's turn to attack this time, who jumps up high in the air before winding up his punch.

"Gomu Gomu no...Gatling Gun!"

The massive barrage of rubber fists drops a large part of the attacking force. The remaining pirates, who were still standing up, pointed their guns at Luffy before shooting. Usopp shouts a warning for Luffy to dodge before remembering that he's a rubber man. The pirates were surprised when their bullets ricocheted back to them.

"C-Captain Jango, our bullets are not hurting him...H-He must've eaten a devil fruit." One of the pirates called out.

"Then shoot those at the top, you idiots! If we don't do this quickly, Captain Kuro will kill us!"

As instructed, they all point their guns at the group at the top of the slope. Usopp hides on a large rock so we wouldn't be hit before peeking to see if Nami and Zoro hid. He was surprised when they didn't move and instead, the swordsman forms an "X" with his two swords. The pirates then start shooting everything they have on the swordsman, who in response begins swinging his swords faster than they can see. The pirates exhaust all their ammo without damaging any of their enemies.

"This is getting out of hand... Black Cat Pirates: Look here!" Jango pulls out a pendulum from his pocket and orders the pirates to focus on it. "When I say Jango, you will not feel pain and instead feel a surge of energy and strength. 1...2...3...Jango!"

Whatever that hypnotist did seem to have worked. Those who have yet to attack feel like their strength was multiplied. Meanwhile, those who were on the verge of unconsciousness suddenly feel as if they've been given a second wind. With renewed vigor, the pirates simultaneously attack with more ferocity.

"Oi Nami, want to practice your armaments here?"

"And here I was hoping to just sit and watch and let you two deal with everyone..." From where Usopp is at, he sees the woman suddenly disappear from his view.

The pirates are now charging towards Luffy. He winds up his fists to attack the incoming pirates one more time. He was surprised, however, to see Nami appear above him, preparing for an attack with her staff. The two share a wide mischievous grin before turning to their enemies.

"Gomu Gomu no..."

"Calm Tempo..."

"Bazooka!"

"Windmill! "

"Cyclone Cannon!" They shouted at the same time. Their combo attack sends all the pirates flying backward, knocking out most of them.

"So cool..." Usopp mumbles to himself, amazed at seeing their power in display.

As Nami lands beside Luffy, she stares at her hand for a few seconds before glancing his way while shaking her head. "Nope, that wasn't an armaments imbued attack"

"It's fine, you'll get the hang of it in time"

Jango is now desperate at this point. The remaining pirates that are still on their feet were too afraid to even attack. He calls on his last trump card to finish the job.

"Sham, Buchi! Get the Hell out here!"

"Captain's done it. He's gonna send the Nyaban Brothers!" one of the pirates said.

"What's up, captain?" the larger man asks.

"We can't get through this damn slope. If we don't execute the plan, then Captain Kuro will execute us!"

"B-But they look so strong! Right Buchi?"

"Then both of you look at me. When I say Jango, you will have the strength and courage of a hundred men. 1...2...3...Jango!" The change in their demeanor was instantaneous. The cowardly pair starts shouting with ferocious intensity as they charge up the slope with their muscles bulging up. Zoro walks up to Luffy and Nami, passing between the two.

"You guys were having fun all night while I've been relegated to stopping all the bullets." The swordsman then puts the third sword in his mouth as he prepares his stance. The Nyaban brothers continue their charge up, filled with confidence and strength given by Jango's hypnotism. They failed to realize, however, the somewhat oppressive feeling emanating from Zoro.

"Santoryu: Tori Gari!"

With a quick dash forward, Zoro slices Sham and Buchi which gives them deep "X" shaped slashes on their chests. Zoro removes the sword from his mouth before returning all three back to their scabbards. The Black Cat pirates are paralyzed with fear, and even Jango was nervous after seeing the quick defeat of the Nyaban Brothers. He was about to attack the three teenagers when he spots something on the top of the slope.

"What is the meaning of this?!"

Everybody turns their attention to the source of the voice. Seeing Captain Kuro wearing his infamous cat claws was the last straw for some of the pirates as they fell down to their knees.

"C-Captain Kuro, I can explain. These kids were-"

"Jango. I told you to meet me at the mansion. That was the plan we agreed to, right? I was... worried that something might've stalled you on the way here. And when I got here, what did I see? The Black Cat Pirates being stopped by a couple of children!" Kuro is barely containing his rage at this point. The sorry state that this crew became during his absence annoyed him to no end. Useless lot, he thought. The only person you can trust to execute your plans is yourself, it seems.

"Klahadore!"

Kuro was about to move when he hears Kaya shout behind him. She appears to be exhausted and crying all her way here, seemingly taxed from the sudden physical strain she wasn't used to. She's probably seen what he's done to Merry. No matter, she'll be dead soon enough.

"Miss Kaya, what are you doing here?"

"Please leave this village! I'll give you my wealth! Just please, don't hurt anyone!" Kaya pleaded.

"Kaya! Stay away from him, he's going to kill you!"

She looks to her side to see Usopp near a large rock. She smiles sadly at him. "Usopp. I'm so sorry for not trusting you..." She then turns back to Kuro. "I-I promise to give you what you want, just please leave"

Kuro begins chuckling darkly. "Miss Kaya. I was a pirate. I've had wealth, fame, and power before. But what I crave for was peace of mind. Killing marines and bounty hunters was annoying and tiresome." He slowly walks up to Kaya before brandishing his claws. "And once you sign that damn will, I'll have my peace of mind. And for that to happen, you have to die"

Despite his panic and nerves, Usopp manages to fire a pellet at Kuro's face, which erupts into a huge smoke cloud. He uses this opportunity to pull Kaya away from Kuro before dragging her out of the smoke cloud. He barely registers a claw reaching out to them when he pushes Kaya away. Sadly, he wasn't quick enough to dodge.

"Usopp!" the woman shouted. She immediately runs to where Usopp is lying down, bleeding from the wound on his chest.

Luffy barely resists the desire to block that attack. Despite the scene triggering something inside of him, he knows that Usopp needed this moment to grow and find his inner strength. He told Zoro and Nami not to interfere and the two understood despite their internal protests.

"Tch. You think that toy would work on me?" Kuro begins walking toward Usopp and Kaya.

"I don't care, stupid butler! You're going to hurt my friend!"

"Klahadore, please stop! I beg you!" Kaya says as she desperately uses her handkerchief to stop the bleeding.

"Friend? Heh, what's so important about your friendship?"

"Our friendship is my treasure! I won't let you take it away!" Usopp shouts with a new sense of courage that he didn't have earlier.

Kuro was about to reply when he felt something grabbing his collar and pull him away faster than he can perceive. The next this he feels is a punch to his gut that sends him to the ground. He opens his eyes before being greeted by the sight of being looked down on by the boy with the straw hat.

Meanwhile, Kaya continues on putting pressure on Usopp's wounds and is doing a pretty decent job despite her vision being clouded by tears.

"Usopp, I'm so sorry for not believing you and for getting you hurt."

He reaches up over her head to pat it, in hopes of calming the girl down. "I-It's alright, Kaya. I can't let him hurt you like that." He says despite struggling to speak.

"You know, that's pretty admirable"

The two of them looked at where the voice came from, only to see their swordsman friend sitting on top of the rock formation.

"That's pretty brave from both of you. Willing to sacrifice your lives"

"N-No, it's my fault. Usopp tried to save me and instead he got hurt..."

"Eh? But didn't you say that you'll sacrifice yourself to save this village? The same way he sacrificed himself to protect you? That's got to count for something" The swordsman simply says before jumping down to help Usopp.

Meanwhile, Kuro slowly stands up while maintaining his glare directed at the boy.

"So you're a devil fruit eater, huh? Tell me, why are you so intent on helping these strangers?"

Luffy glares back at him. "They're my friends."

This made Kuro laugh for a bit. "Friends huh? What, are you going to say they're your treasures as well? Or maybe you'll say that it's your dreams that is your treasure." He says mockingly, before switching into a weird stance. "I'll show you how what true pirate is. Shakushi!"

The pirates with them started screaming in fear, begging their Captain to stop this attack. Meanwhile, for Luffy and Nami, he wasn't at all threatening. He looks like a cat that was stuck inside a bag running aimlessly, he can't even see where he's going much less see where he's aiming at. As they notice Kuro heading straight towards them, Nami extends her staff forward, which trips Kuro as he tumbles to the ground. He quickly stands up with hints of frustration showing in his face. This simple act surprised the rest of the pirates.

"You know, you're weak and you're a crap pirate." Luffy says as he extends his fist to the right. If someone were to look closer, you can see steam coming from his body. "My crew is stronger than yours. Even Usopp is stronger than you."

"Him? That pretend pirate?! I've killed and stolen from people more powerful than him! He's nothing! You're nothing!"

"Oh, you wanna try that out then? To test which captain is stronger between the two of us."

Kuro grits his teeth. "I'll make you eat those words... This time, I'll kill you." The butler then starts swaying back and forth like last time.

"Gomu Gomu no..."

"Shakushi!"

"Jet Pistol!"

Before Kuro can take as much as a single step, Luffy's gear second attack hits Kuro square in the jaw. The force and the direction sends him flying towards the Black Cat pirates. They glance to where Kuro landed before looking back at Luffy.

"Get lost!" Luffy shouts at them with a very small layer of The King's Will added to intimidate them further. The pirates scramble to pick everyone up before sailing away from the island. It wasn't until sunrise when the ship fades into the horizon before they regroup and towards the mansion. Kaya was generous enough to offer the Strawhats a room as thanks for saving the village. She also insisted for Usopp to stay in a room in the mansion so he can recover under the careful watch of Kaya's butlers. They stayed there for a day and a half and during their stay, Luffy offered Usopp a place in his crew, which he eagerly accepted. All throughout this entire ordeal, the village was unaware that they came very close to being overrun by a group of pirates, only to be saved by their brave village liar.

The day of their departure arrived. Kaya and Merry led the trio to a cape just behind the mansion.

"This is the Going Merry! A ship that was designed and built by me, with the aid of some butlers and the local smiths. This caravel will lead you to where you want to go to."

The three of them looked at their new ship with a mixture of fondness and excitement. Everyone was saddened in the previous timeline when it came to the Going Merry's farewell. This time however, the crew will protect her as much as they can.

Merry talked with Nami for some instructions on how to maneuver the ship. Meanwhile, Zoro quickly jumps to the deck to take a nap on his favorite sleeping spot. It didn't take long as they see Usopp accompanied by his three friends. They're carrying what seems to be multiple bags.

"Yosh. Captain Usopp, reporting for duty!"

"Hey! I'm the captain, alright?" Luffy shouts back.

"Oh Usopp, are you letting those three kids join?" Nami asks, interrupting her conversation with Merry for a bit.

"No. I talked to the members of the Usopp Pirates and chose to disband our group. However, they decided to reform the group but call themselves as Kaya's Personal Security." This made everyone laugh.

"Yeah, We'll definitely protect you for Captain Usopp, miss Kaya!"

Everyone continues to what they were doing earlier and Luffy even began talking with the kids, teaching them some of his moves to the delight of the former Usopp Pirates members. Meanwhile, Kaya approaches Usopp.

"So, you're really heading out to sea."

Usopp nods. "Yeah. You're not going to try and stop me, are you?"

"No, I won't. I know it's your dream ever since you were a child"

He stares at Kaya's face for a while before he sighs. "Kaya, you know I'm a liar right? I know when someone's lying, especially if they're bad at it."

Kaya continues to look at Usopp with a smile on her face before she slowly crumbles, sending her to tears. "I know I can't stop you...But I'm going to miss you and your daily visits." The two remained still for a while before Usopp grabs Kaya's hands gently to her surprise.

"I promise you. I'll come back to this village when I become a strong and brave warrior of the sea." Usopp says with conviction. Their conversation has taken the interest of anyone close enough to listen in.

"Then I'll promise to you too that when you come back, I'll become a great doctor."

The two shake their hands to seal their vows. They remained like that for a while before Usopp hearing Zoro call out to him.

"Oi Usopp. We're ready to go."

"I'm going I'm going, sheesh." He turns back to Kaya. "I guess I'm going now. Take care."

"Take care on your journey too."

The ship soon departs a few minutes later. Kaya, Merry, and the kids wave their hands to say their farewells and to wish the crew a safe journey. From a distance, they can hear them shout to come back soon.

As the ship soon fades out of view, Merry turns to Kaya to ask her. "Miss Kaya, is it true that you're going to study being a doctor?"

Kaya nods. "I made a promise to Usopp. And I know he's a liar, but he will never break his promise to me. We're friends." To which Merry simply nods.

AN: Good to see you again here at the bottom! And once again, I'd like to thank you for reading until the end. I tried mixing some combat and some emotional scenes and I really hope it works. Also, if you notice, I've decided to use more paragraphs rather than multiple text and line breaks. Someone suggested that I should try it more to condense the spacing. And it's more pleasing to the eyes.

What do you guys think? I would really love to hear your thoughts about this fic, especially if they're suggestions and comments. I want to hear what you think and hopefully improve this story some more in the future.

Anyways, I'll see you again in the next chapter. Take care!