4
"Pirates! Pirates are coming! Pirates!" A young man ran with all his strength. His voice could be heard around the entire village. He ran and screamed with all his might. He didn't stop until he reached the ending of the small village. Then he turned and winked.
"It was a lie" he said cheekily.
"Come here liar!" "I'm going to catch you brat!" "Usopp!" The citizens of Syrup Village emerged from their homes holding brooms and pans and bats, trying to catch the liar. The curly haired boy just grinned and kept running to the forest.
Every day for the past eight years, Usopp would wake up, have breakfast and then run towards the village screaming that pirates were coming. Ever since his mother was on her deathbed. Back then he had invented the lie to cheer her up, to give her strength to hold on, to not leave him alone. But it didn't work. His mother still died and his father was still at the sea. And he was alone. No family, just a few friends and dreams filling his head.
Usopp managed to evade the villagers and giggled to himself when they gave up and returned back to their homes. There were not many things to do on a small island like the one he lived on. So pestering his neighbors everyday with his harmless pranks was one of his few ways of entertainment.
"Captain!" "Captain, down here!" two children called him. Usopp grinned at his underlings. Ninjin and Peaman were members of the self called Usopp Pirates, a small group that never left the island and just played pranks together on the villagers.
Usopp climbed down from the tree where he had hid and greeted his underlings.
"Hey guys. Eh? Where is Tamanegi?" "I don´t know, maybe he is still sleeping" "What a lazy bum"
"PIRATES! PIRATES ARE COMING!" The three self-called pirates turned and saw Tamanegi running desperately towards them. Unlike Usopp, Tamanegi sounded desperate and afraid.
"I already did the pirate prank, Tamanegi," Usopp informed the younger boy.
"It's not a prank, Captain. I just saw a pirate ship!" "Liar," the other three said.
"IT'S NOT A LIE! I saw a ship with Buggy´s insign.
"Really!?" Usopp screamed, afraid. Even on a small island like their own, the name Buggy the Clown Pirate was well known.
"Yes, we are all in danger," Tamanegi insisted.
"I suffer the disease that I will die if I fight." "LIAR!"
"Captain, what kind of pirate will you be if you don't defend your home!?" "Yeah! You are always saying that pirates are brave warriors from the sea. This is your chance to prove that you´re one." "Besides, they are just a bunch of people."
"Eh? Just a bunch?" "Yes, there were three boats; the biggest had Buggy´s Jolly Roger on the sail. They didn't look really big."
Usopp made some mental calculations using that information. Small boats most likely meant a survey party. Which means a small group of people. He didn't necessarily need to fight, just to scare them off. If he tells a good enough lie, they might leave and never return.
"Very well! Usopp Pirates! It's time to protect our home!" "Yeah!"
The Usopp Pirates went to the shore, where Tamanagi saw the boats approach. They found four people disembarking—two girls and two boys. None of them looked too frightening. The oldest boy had three swords hanging from his belt; the other wore a straw hat and flip-flops. One girl had a baseball cap covering her black hair and some type of yellow mouse hanging on her shoulder. The last girl was an orangette with a map on her hands. They could barely hear what they were saying.
"Ahh, there really was an island here," the boy with the straw hat stared, amazed.
"Of course, it was on the map," said the orangette. "If it shows on a map, it usually is there."
"Wow, Nami, you are really good at sailing," the black-haired girl praised her. "Pika Pika," the yellow mouse gave her a thumbs up. Nami smirked and puffed her chest, proud of her abilities.
"I´m hungry. Is there a town nearby?" The black-haired boy asked Nami.
"Yes, a small one over here," she said, pointing at a spot on her map.
"Captain, they don´t look scary. Are they really pirates?" Peaman whispered.
"Of course they are. They have Buggy´s sign." Tamanagi pointed at the biggest boat. Usopp didn't say anything. These guys looked nothing like what he imagined a pirate would be. Especially members of Buggy's crew.
"Hmmm, it´s been a while since we touched land," the swordsman said, stretching his limbs.
"That´s because you sleep a lot," the other boy laughed.
"Oy, who are those guys?" The swordsman pointed at Usopp and the kids.
"They found us!" Usopp was terrified. Behind him, the kids ran away. "Cowards! Don´t leave me alone!"
He was alone. It was time for him to use his most powerful weapon.
"STOP RIGHT THERE! THIS ISLAND BELONGS TO THE USOPP PIRATES! LEAVE RIGHT NOW OR I WILL UNLEASH MY ARMY OF 80 MILLION MEN!"
"Really?!" "Liar"
"You found me out!" "Of course, it was an obvious lie."
"Ahhh, I overdid too much. And that girl is too smart."
"Shishishi! You are really funny," the boy with the straw hat laughed.
"Oy, I may not have a big army, but I'm the best liar in the world. I won't accept anyone laughing at my lies."
"Heh, I like that," the boy smiled at him. Usopp was really confused. Were these people really pirates?
"Are you guys really pirates?" he asked them suspiciously.
"Of course we are! I´m Luffy; I´m going to be Pirate King." Luffy grinned wildly.
"Whaaaat!? B-bu-butt, that means you are going to the Grand Line! You can't go there with just a couple of boats. You will never make it! Besides, wouldn't Buggy be the Pirate King?"
"Eh? Why would that clown matter?" the black-haired girl asked, confused.
"You´re part of his crew, right? You are sailing under his veil," he pointed at it.
"Ahh, that thing. Nop, Nami stole it from some of his crewmates, and then she joined us," Luffy explained.
"So, you´re rival pirates," Usopp deduced.
"Yep, I´m Ashley Ketchum; this one here is my partner, Pikachu." "Pika." "Luffy is our captain, Zoro is our first mate, and Nami is our navigator. We are trying to find a bigger ship to go to the Grand Line."
"And more nakamas! Is there a musician anywhere?" "A medic or a cook are much more important than a musician!" Nami yelled at their captain´s weird priorities.
GRUMBLE
A sound from Luffy's stomach interrupted them.
"Is there food somewhere? I'm starving!" "And booze. I haven't had a drink since we left Shells Town," both Luffy and Zoro complained.
Usopp led them to the town. The group may be pirates, but they were good guys. Like his dad.
After a while, Luffy was happy stuffing his face with all kinds of meat, while Zoro single-handedly drank bottle after bottle of alcohol. Even Ashley showed a big appetite, but she still had manners, unlike her captain.
"So, you´re looking for a ship big enough to sail to the Grand Line?" Usopp confirmed.
"Yeah, the last town didn't have a pier or anything like it. Is there a ship here?" Luffy asked their guide.
"Not really; it is a small village. Most of the ships that come are merchants and to collect taxes. Sometimes the marines make a quick visit, but only once every few years. Your best chance is to ask at the mansion."
"The mansion?" Nami asked, intrigued.
"There is only one person here who is rich. A girl who is always sick, so she never leaves her manor. Her parents died last year, and she inherited everything. But she is always sad. I guess money doesn't bring happiness."
Nami gripped the tablecloth tighter, and her eyes took a faraway look. Pikachu mumbled something, and she rubbed him between his ears. Zoro and Luffy just kept drinking and eating.
"I guess we will have to find a ship somewhere else," Nami declared.
"Ok, as soon as these two bottomless pits finish, we will look for supplies and leave," Ashley pointed at their captain and first mate. Both boys just grunted.
"Well, I have to go. I have a very important business to conduct. Good luck finding a ship." Usopp left them, happy knowing that they weren't going to sack the town or hurt the people.
Luffy's crew was enjoying a moment of peace before leaving. Nami and Ashley pointed to possible islands where they could find someone willing to sell them a ship. Pikachu was draining what was left out of a bottle of ketchup. Zoro was resting placidly, and Luffy was still picking at the leftovers. The rubber pirate was a bottomless pit at the same level as Ashley´s Snorlax.
It was at that point that the other three members of the Usopp's Pirates rushed in.
"Where is our Captain?!" "Release him now!"
"Eh? Who are they?" "No clue. Who are you?"
"Tch. We are proud members of the Usopp Pirates!" "Yeah!" "Where is Captain Usopp?!"
"That meat was delicious!" Luffy exclaimed happily. He always enjoyed tasty meat.
The kids stared horrified at the rubber man.
"Meat!" "Savages! What did you do to our captain?!"
Nami gave a coy smile while Ashley and Zoro exchanged looks. She gave a look towards Pikachu, who had ketchup dripping from his face.
"Captain Usopp was extremely tasty," Zoro grinned malevously, and Pikachu smiled with his ketchup-stained mouth.
"AHHHHHH! MONSTERS!" they pointed at Nami and Ashley.
"The hell you're pointing at me!" Nami yelled back angrily, "Stop laughing, you two idiots!" Zoro and Ashley were laughing like hyenas, glad that their little prank worked out so well.
"Sorry sorry. Usopp is fine; he left a few minutes ago. Said he had something to do." Ashley wiped Pikachu's mouth and showed the kids the ketchup bottle so they would understand that it was all a joke.
"He probably went to the mansion; it's that time of the day after all," Peaman said.
"You mean the rich girl´s mansion?" "Yes." "Why would he go there? Is she his girlfriend?" Ashley asked, grinning.
"The captain probably wishes that." "He and Miss Kaya are just friends." "He lies to her."
"I don't think lying is what friends do to each other." "Pika"
"Miss Kaya is always sick, so she never leaves her home. She is always sad." "He lies to her to make her smile, telling her of his adventures." "We all know that they are lies, even Miss Kaya, but it makes her happy to hear them."
"I like him; he is a nice guy," Luffy decided. His crewmates nodded and smiled. It seems that Usopp was more than just a liar.
The afforented liar was at that moment regaling Kaya with a fantastic tale of how he had supposedly defeated a giant golden fish in the South Blue when he had been five years old. Kaya laughed at his elaborate tale, enjoying those few moments where she wasn´t treated like a sick child when her only real friend talked with her.
The heiress didn't interact with many people. Merry knew her since she was born; he treated her like a little sister most of the time. And Kurahadol was so concerned with her health that he barely let her leave her room. Usopp´s visits were the highlight of her day.
"So, what happened at the end?" Kaya asked him.
"I gave the meat to a city of dwarves that had been unable to defeat it in the past. They were so glad that they started to call me..." "Captain." "Yes, Captain."
"Eh?" Usopp turned and saw that both Luffy's crew and his friends were there.
"What are you guys doing here?" he asked, confused.
"Ah, you are the girl. Can you give us a ship?" Luffy asked unabashedly.
"Oy, Luffy, you can't ask things that way," Ashley admonished him. "You have to say please and introduce yourself." Nami facepalmed alongside Pikachu while Zoro laughed.
"Really? Ok. My name is Luffy; can you please give us a ship?" He smiled at the confused girl.
"Who are all of you?" a man asked. Usopp tried to hide his face when he saw that it was Kurahadol, Kaya´s overprotective butler, who despised him.
"Kurahadol-" Kaya tried to explain quickly. "I´m not in the mood to hear excuses, Miss Kaya." The butler glared at the group of pirates. "This is private property; all of you leave right now."
"My name is Luffy; can you give us a ship, please?" "No" "Aw"
"Usopp," the boy flinched. "I heard about you. A good-for-nothing liar that survives by feeding on the scraps of others. The son of a filthy pirate who has done nothing productive in his life. Leave now. I will not allow you to pester Miss Kaya again. What are your plans with her? To steal her money?"
Kaya paled at her butler´s harsh words.
"STOP IT NOW, KURAHADOL! APOLOGIZE TO USOPP IN THIS INSTANCE!"
"I won´t. He is trash and doesn´t belong here. He and his good-for-nothing father didn't even have the decency to bury his lover. She probably wasn't even the only one."
"Shut up." Usopp was trembling in rage. Every word that Kurahadol spoke just made him angrier. Only the thought of not scaring Kaya kept him from beating that smug bastard.
"Or what? You will punch me? Show Miss Kaya what a wild animal you really are? Just like your deadbeat father, who preferred to waste his time searching for treasures instead of manning up."
"SHUT UP, YOU BASTARD!" Usopp couldn't contain himself any longer and punched Kurahadol right in the face. The butler fell to the ground, blood pouring from his nose.
"See? He is just an animal like his father." "Shut up already!"
"Insult me all you want. I don´t give a crap about that. But don't you dare badmouth my father. My father is a brave warrior of the sea. I´m proud of being his son. And I'm proud that he is a pirate!"
Kurahadol snorted derisively. "Proud of being the son of a pirate? You really are a fool. Go ahead and admit it; you just want Miss Kaya´s money!"
"Like hell, I do!" "The son of a pirate is scum, just like his father! His words have no value!" "Bastard!" Usopp lifted his fist, ready to strike him again, when Kaya interrupted them.
"Stop both of you! Please just stop." Kaya started to cry.
"Leave Usopp. And don´t you dare come back again!" Kurahadol ordered.
"Like you need to tell me. Like hell I will come back." Usopp left angrily. Kaya stared at him, sad.
"Idiot, our captain is a great pirate!" "Yeah, he is none of the things you said." "Stupid!" Tamanegi, Peaman, and Nijiki insulted the butler.
"Stupid!" "Mega Stupid!" "Pi Pika!" Luffy, Ashley, and Pikachu joined in, all three angry about the way Kurahadol treated Usopp.
"Oy, you three, don´t get involved in this," Zoro admonished his friends.
"LEAVE RIGHT NOW!" Kurahadol once again yelled.
On the other side of the island, on a hill that gave a beautiful view of the coast and ocean, Usopp rested. The curly-haired boy was still pissed at Kurahadol's words. But he was more angry at his own actions.
He liked Kaya. He really did. She was so kind and smart. Most of the villagers didn't really like him. Not because of his lies. But because of his blood. He was the son of a pirate; a criminal. As a small village that didn't have much contact with the rest of the world, when they thought of a pirate, all they imagined was a blood-lusting monster that killed children and raped for fun. Yes, there were pirates who only caused death, destruction, and pain. But his father wasn't that type. His father was an adventurer, a man who wanted to see the world but refused to bow to the government. That's why he was a pirate.
Kaya never screamed at him. She didn't say anything about his lies. She never insulted him. Never treated him like trash.
"There you are!" Luffy's head appeared right in front of him. The rubber pirate was hanging upside down from the tree that Usopp was reclining on.
"Luffy?! What are you doing here?"
Luffy jumped down effortlessly.
"You're Yasopp's son, right?"
"Wait, how do you know that?" "You look just like him! I met him when I was a kid; he always spoke of you."
"He did?" "Yeah, whenever Shanks docked back in my home, Yasopp would speak about you with me."
"He speaks about me."
"Wait, you said Shanks? Akagami Shanks?! My father is part of his crew?!"
"Yes, he is a sniper in Shanks crew. He is really good, by the way."
"He is?" "Yeah, one of the best pirates I know."
"I'm glad. My dad is a brave man who braved the seas. I'm proud of being his son. That's why I'm so angry with that jackass butler. What would he know about being a pirate? Of facing danger at every corner?"
"Yes, he is an idiot!" "A super idiot!" Both boys shared satisfied grins at their conclusion.
"Are you going to see that girl again?" "Only if that stupid butler apologizes." "That stupid butler?" "Yes, that one. What is he doing here!?"
Luffy was pointing at the beach below them. Kurahadol was talking with some strange man dressed in a suit with a fedora hat and heart-shaped glasses.
Usopp was confused. In the past three years that the butler had lived there, he had barely left the mansion. And he had never gone to the beach.
"Who is that guy?" "Don't know; he has never been in town. Must be a stranger."
Fortunately, they were able to listen to Kurahadol's conversation.
"Jango, I told you to stay low, and you choose to sleep in the middle of the road?" Kurahadol asked the stranger.
"I blend in easily; nobody said anything," the stranger defended himself.
"Everything goes according to the plan?" the butler asked Jango.
"Yes, that rich girl will die tomorrow," Jango confirmed.
'What?' Usopp and Luffy thought at the same time. 'Kaya will die? What the hell is going on?'
"Well, repeat it then." "We go to the town and kill everyone, then to the mansion and kill the girl. Once the girl is dead, you inherit all her fortune."
"Idiot, you forgot the most important part. Before killing her, make sure to hypnotize her and sign a will leaving all her possessions to her butler, Kurahadol. That way, I can legally inherit everything. I have been living in this useless town for three years. They all know me and how much I care for Miss Kaya. Nobody would suspect if she puts my name in her will."
"If I were you, I would have just grabbed everything in that mansion and ran away."
"And that would bring the marines after my trail. I would spend the rest of my life running away, like when I was a pirate. I don't want that. I want to live a quiet life with my fortune without looking over my shoulder every day," Kurahadol grinned malevously at his plan.
"Very well, just send the signal, and the boys will take care of everything. They are getting restless, Captain Kuro," Jango informed his former captain.
'Shit' Usopp thought. 'Captain Kuro' That name belonged to one of the most sadistic and ruthless pirates that once sailed over the East Blue. But Captain Kuro had been allegedly captured and hanged for his crimes. How had he escaped from the marines?
"Hmm, what's happening?" Luffy asked nonchalantly.
"Haven't you been paying attention!?" Usopp whispered, "The butler is actually a pirate, a dangerous one. He wants to kill Kaya just to take her money. Hell, he wants to kill everyone in town to make sure everybody thinks it is just a random pirate attack!"
Luffy got up. Usopp tried to drag him down, but the rubber boy refused.
"Usopp? So you heard everything then?" Kurahadol didn't seem perturbed at being found by both teens.
"What!? No, we didn't hear anything! Absolutely nothing!" Usopp lied uselessly.
"We heard everything." Luffy didn't lie at all.
"Why?!"
"Jango, take care of them." "Ok."
The pirate grabbed a ring held by a string and started to move it like a pendulum.
"What's that?" "Most likely a weapon, duck!"
"When I say one, two, Jango, you will fall asleep."
"One, two, Jango!"
The effect was immediate. Both Jango and Luffy fell asleep. Jango was awoken quickly by his boss, while Luffy fell headfirst into the coast below him. Usopp avoided the hypnotism by ducking and covering his face. He saw how Luffy fell from the cliff and didn't move again.
"Ah, he is definitely dead. What do we do about the other one?" The hypnotist asked his boss. Usopp stared at them in fear, ready to run at any point.
"It doesn't matter. No matter what he says, nobody will ever believe him. Jango, strike tomorrow at morning. Make sure to just kill a few of the villagers, not the children, that will draw too much attention. The rest just maim them. Kill Kaya quickly after she signs the new will."
Usopp didn´t wait any longer; he ran as fast as he could. He had to warn everyone. He had to protect them!
Jango stared at Usopp's running form. He frowned.
"Are you sure about this, boss?"
"That boy is nothing more than a liar. I have to give him credit; if it weren't for his lies, this plan wouldn't be possible." "Eh?" Jango was confused by Kuro's confidence. The former pirate just chuckled.
"Since his mother died when he was a child, Usopp has spent day after day screaming that pirates are coming. He lies and invents fantastic tales. Nobody believes in him. And they will never believe that Kurahadol, the man who owes a great debt to Miss Kaya's family, will kill her for her money. Not with the reputation that I have cultivated for the past three years."
Captain Kuro smirked, satisfied. Tomorrow, after three years of careful planning, his plan will come to fruition. And nobody would be able to stop him.
Happy New Year! I´m glad that people are enjoying this story. I don´t have a shedule of updates because I don´t like to make promises I won´t be able to keep. All I can promise is to never abandon any of my stories and that they will be updated. I won´t write every scence from the manga, the ones that aren´t touched simply remain the same as canon, unless I make some type of reference. Well, hope everybody likes this chapter, next one should be uploaded by next week, maybe the weekend, depends on how much time I take to write. Byeeeee