Hi! Thanks for all the support on the last chapter! Reviews encourage me to post (instead of nitpicking my work forever), so thanks to those who took the time! And as always, it's great when new people find my work, so thanks for the follows & favourites!

Quick note to guest Julia: Thanks for reviewing! Your idea of immortality as a punishment is interesting. Honestly, I was seeing an overprotective parent behind it. Can't wait to see what Oda does with the canon!

Usopp looked at the children. They stared back, fidgeting and moments away from some new diabolical plot. He'd always believed that he was good with children, but these? These were monsters. If he'd tied three of them up, well, no one would be able to blame him. Somewhere between picking up new supplies and returning to the Sunny, he'd ended up saddled with seven children. Seven. He'd only been with them twenty minutes, and the little monsters had nearly burned the house down; trying to make a fire in the living room was not cool, no matter what their friend said. In a desperate attempt to avoid finding out how they might manage to flood or otherwise destroy the house, Usopp latched onto his fallback.

"Would you like me to tell you a story?" Eyes brightened, and the terrifying gleam in their eyes lightened slightly. "It's a story about the Great Captain Usopp!"

"Isn't your name Usopp?" One child interrupted.

"You don't look that great," another added, pulling the youngest onto their lap.

"Oi!"

"I'm pretty sure you're not a captain," one of the older devils pointed out. He was shifting around, and Usopp felt himself sweat at the possibility that the brat might escape his knots.

"Yeah, who would follow you?"

"Oi!" Usopp protested. These kids were merciless.

"How about you tell us a story about someone more interesting?" The ringleader insisted. Usopp forced himself to breathe through his nose and remind himself that these were not marines and no, he was not allowed to attack. But telling stories was still his best bet, so…

"Alright, I'll tell you a story about the Great Captain Monkey!" And when the kids opened their mouths to protest, he raised a hand and watched them settle, because even if he wasn't using his moniker, even if they were children, no one insulted his captain in front of him. "Captain Monkey loves his friends," he began, because of all the things that could be said about his captain, this was the one that stuck out most, to Usopp.

He told a story of a boy trying to be brave, of a girl trying to protect a village, of another boy trying to pay back a debt that could never really be paid back. He talked about cold mountains and hot desserts, of love, and laughter, and tears. He spoke of golden bell, and a flag burning, and a defiant scream that the heavens themselves must have heard. He spoke of regret and forgiveness and and hand reached out a second time. He spoke of fog and ghosts and promises waiting to be kept. He spoke, in hushed tones, of defeat and shame, and the knowledge of the captain's grief. His voice broke when he spoke of pain and loyalty, so entwined for a period there was no difference. He spoke of a command and a will undimmed by the world, and a story continued with fishermen and candy islands and swords. When the last words settled, the ringleader asked softly.

"What happened next?"

"I don't know," Usopp admitted, because the children and the story had stripped his defences until there was nothing left but truth.

"But," a child complained, "isn't it your story? Shouldn't you know?"

"Shut up, stupid," one of the monsters - who yes, had gotten out of his ropes - scolded.

"It's true," the eldest told the others. "He can't know the end if it's not over yet."

"I know the end," Usopp said, drawing their attention back to him, "because one day Captain Monkey will find the One Piece and become the pirate king."

"Oi, Usopp!" Luffy shouted, bounding into the room from nowhere.

"I found him looking for you on the streets," the mother commented, following the rubber boy in.

"Who are you?" One of the brats asked.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy! The man that's going to become pirate king." And for a minute, the children simply stared at this boy - even with the scar covering his chest and fresh bandages wrapping his body it was difficult to call him a man - who so boldly stated his dream.

"I see," one said softly.

"Come on, Usopp, we're going to be late for dinner!" At his captain's summons, Usopp rose to his feet, not having noticed the steady march of the sun across the sky.

"Wait!" One of the eldest protested, getting to his feet, ropes pooling at his feet. "He told us a great story and we have to say goodbye!" Usopp tried not to gape at the words. Had someone replaced the kids while he was focused on his story?

"Isn't Usopp awesome?!" Luffy exclaimed happily. "His stories are as cool as Shanks' and he makes them up!"

"Who's Shanks?" One kid asked, but the others must have known because they were shushed and they simply watched Luffy head out, since somehow, his captain always understood.

"But he didn't make this one up," the eldest murmured before turning to face Usopp. Usopp couldn't really think of anything else to say, because he had already said everything, and apparently the kids felt the same because while the youngest kids hugged him, the eldest only stood in a sort of silent vigil.

"Thank you for looking after them," their mother said, walking him to the door. "I don't always have the time to give them the attention they deserve."

"It was nothing," Usopp protested, because it hadn't been, really. She shook her head and they stopped in the doorway. He looked at her and could see the bags under her eyes, and the way her hair fell limply around her face. He saw more years than her age, and wondered, for the first time, where the children's father was. But he didn't ask, because she didn't say, and in the end, he understood. She was their mother.

He found Luffy at the corner, waiting impatiently for meat, and fell into step with his captain as they returned home to the Thousand Sunny. He missed his own mother and wondered about his father, so when the crew was piling around the table, and a newspaper clipping fell to the ground, it almost felt like fate.

"What's this doing here?" Zoro asked, examining the newspaper clipping.

"Ah!" Nami exclaimed, glancing over. "I thought Luffy might want to keep it since it has a photo of his brother and father. I'll put it with our travel log," she added, reaching out for the paper.

"That sure is an unusual trio of brothers," Jinbei commented, "and Luffy's father and grandfather are quite the figures, too. Luffy, what's your mother like?" Everyone fell quiet at the question.

"Who?" Luffy asked, tilting his head, puzzled. "Do you mean Dadan? Or Makino?"

"Who's Dadan?" Chopper asked curiously.

"Oh!" Luffy said, looking enlightened, "she's a bandit! She didn't kill us!" Everyone stared at him, because coming from kind, forgiving Luffy, that was a terrible introduction.

"What do you mean, Luffy?" Robin asked calmly. Usopp might someday become a brave warrior of the sea, but he knew he was never going to have that kind of composure.

"Well, after I met Shanks, Gramps decided I couldn't stay in Windmill Village, so he sent me to live with some bandits in the mountains. Dadan is the leader. She's a really manly old hag," he praised. Usopp saw Nami wince at the description.

"You can't talk about a lady like that!" Sanji scolded.

"Why not?"

"It's rude, Luffy," Nami told him firmly.

"But Ace told me that she was a man among hags and he was right!" The crew members who had met Ace - polite, lovely Ace - stared at Luffy trying to wrap their head around that. Usopp secretly thought that maybe anyone who raised two D.s had to be pretty crazy.

"Why would she kill you?" He questioned, trying to move the conversation along.

"She didn't," Luffy replied, clearly confused.

"So why did you bring it up?" Usopp asked, now equally confused.

"Dadan said it was a parent's job to not kill their kid and as long as they left home alive, the parents had done alright."

"WHAT?!" Several people screeched.

"That's not right at all!" Nami scolded. "What kind of woman was she? A mother makes sacrifices for her children, and loves them, even when they don't deserve it…" Her voice faltered.

"Is kind and gentle," Sanji murmured.

"A mother teaches you," Robin added softly.

"A mother is important," Usopp whispered, his eyes glassy. He thought of mothers: his own mother, dying slowly: the mother he'd met today, aging too quickly, but not saying a word about the weight of raising seven children.

"So… more like Makino?" Luffy asked, tilting his head curiously.

"Who's Makino?" Chopper asked, almost warily.

"She ran the bar in Windmill Village where I met Shanks! She's super nice!"

"That sounds closer…" Nami said doubtfully.

"Luffy," Sanji cut in carefully, "do you know who your mother is? Biologically?" Luffy frowned at him.

"Biologically?" Luffy parroted, visibly confused.

"Who gave birth to you?"

"I don't have a mother," he answered, making his friends flinch.

"Did she die?" Nami asked, clearly remembering her own loss.

"No," Luffy answered. "I just don't have one."

"Everyone has mother, Luffy," Robin explained, because she served as much as World-to Luffy translator as Zoro served as Luffy-to-World translator.

"Eh?!" He recoiled, genuinely shocked. "Really?!" This was clearly a revelation to the rubber boy. Usopp sighed.