Hey, guys! Sorry, I have been gone for so long, I got busy with my other stories...and I may have forgotten to post the new chapter...whoops...anyway, I don't own anything, except for my OCs.
NOW LET'S GET ON WITH THE STORY!
{Bombs Away!-Season 1, Episode 2: Meeting a Liar/Trouble Brewing in Syrup Village}
"There's no way we can get to the Grand Line in our current condition," Nami says to the boys, who are relaxing on the boat as Luffy nods and spits out the apple core that he is eating.
"Hmmm, you're right. All we have to eat are fruits...yuck." Luffy says with a disgusted look on his face as Asher turns to give him an offended look.
"Hey! Old Gaimon gave us enough barrel of fruits to sustain us until we get to the next island, so be grateful!" Asher angrily yells as Luffy brushes off his anger and picks his nose.
"That's nice and all, but I prefer if he packed more meat than fruits," Luffy says while tossing the apple core in his hands away.
"I have you know that fruits are way more delicious than meat," Asher says while taking a bite out of his banana as Luffy went stiff, and slowly turned to him.
"...What did you say?" Luffy emotionlessly asked.
"I said that meat tastes awful-Ah!" Asher before yelping as Luffy pounced on him and they started wrestling on the ground.
"Meat is better! Admit it, you little brat!" Luffy yelled, strangling Asher a bit, as the young pirate retaliated by kicking him away.
"Never!" Asher screams as he jumps on top of Luffy, and slams his captain's head on the floor. Not really hurting him thanks to his rubber powers, but Asher didn't really want to hurt him since it was just a playful fight.
"This fight will be more entraining with some sake, right, rat?" Zoro says while yawning as he talks to Cottontail, who is sleeping next to him as the young animal glares at him.
"I'm not a rat, you grass-haired brute," Cottontail says, although all Zoro could hear was squeaking noises coming from the animal's mouth.
"WILL YOU BOY'S KNOCK IT OFF!" Nami yelled, annoyed with the boy's behavior as she bonked them on their heads, and effectively stopped Luffy and Asher's fight. The boys groaned in pain from Nami's punch, including Luffy, even though he's made of rubber, as Nami huffed.
"I'm not talking about the food supplies! I'm saying that the Grand Line is the most dangerous place in the world! There will be lots of pirates there looking for the One Piece, and they will definitely have powerful ships, so the first thing we should do is to get a better ship!" Nami says before pacing around as the boys watch her. "We're also short on crew members, and this ship doesn't have enough equipment. No matter what you think, we can't possibly think we be safe!" Nami says as Luffy listens to her carefully, actually acting serious for once as he realizes how ill-prepared they are.
"What do we then?" Luffy asked as Nami brought out a map.
"We have to prepare first, and plan for the journeys ahead. There's a village due north. We should go there first and get a better ship!" Nami says as Luffy nods.
"Right! Time to get some meat!"
"And more fruits!" Asher screams.
"No! We only stock up our fridge with meat and only meat!" Luffy yelled as the boys growled at each other with electricity bouncing in between them.
"And, don't forget about getting some sake," Zoro says.
"You guys! Weren't you listening to what I've been saying!" Nami screamed, before sitting down exasperatedly as Cottontail jumped into her lap, and she stared at him. "Why is it that the only normal one in the ship is a rat?" Nami asked herself as Cottontail glared up to her.
"Hey, I'm trying to make you feel better, and this is what I get? Ungrateful brat." Cottontail grumbles before purring as Nami starts petting him.
{Bombs Away-Season 1 Theme Song!}
Wealth, fame, power
Gold Roger, the King of the Pirates,
Attained this and everything else the world had to offer,
And his dying words drove countless souls to the seas
At Loguetown, we see the King of Pirates himself, Captain Gold Roger, currently wearing shackles and kneeling down in a large stadium with two Marines standing beside him with a couple of swords in their arms as a huge crowd of people could be seen standing in front of them and were screaming at Roger to reveal where he had hidden all of the treasure and wealth that he had accumulated over the years as the King of Pirates heard this and, even though he was going to get executed soon, couldn't help but grin widely with excitement and glee.
"Oh, you all want my treasure?! You can have it! I left everything I gathered together in one place! Now you just have to find it~!" Captain Gold Roger exclaimed with a loud, joyful laugh.
These words lured men to the Grand Line
In pursuit of dreams greater than they've ever dared to imagine
This is the time known as 'The Great Pirate Era!'
Once the King of Pirates was executed, hundreds of Pirates immediately boarded their ships and set their sails as they all quickly sailed off into the dangerous ocean and began making their way to the Grand Line to find the Legendary One Piece as this officially issued, 'The Great Pirate Era!'.
Come aboard and bring along
All your hopes and dreams
Together, we will find everything
That we're looking for!
ONE PIECE!
Sharing an excited and determined grin, Luffy and Asher can be seen running up a hill as the Bombman then kneeled down and allowed the Rubberman to leap up to land on his back as Asher created a huge explosion underneath his legs, and it propelled them up high into the air as the Boys cheered loudly and numerous visions of all of the current members of the Straw Pirates appeared in front of them as a glaring and malnourished Zoro can be seen tied up against a post in Shells Town, a panting and panicking Nami can be seen running away from Three of Buggy's Henchmen in Orange Town, and a purring Cottontail eating a couple of mushrooms in Island of Rare Animals.
A smirking Usopp crossed his arms as he stood on top of a tall cliff in Syrup Village with Kaya standing beside him and wrapped her arms around him as the wind blew their hair away, a stoic Sanji walked through the Baratie while smoking a cigarette and carrying around a dish filled with food as he could be seen serving the food to Jack and a glaring Gin can be seen standing in the background as the Krief Pirates Flag can be seen waving behind him, Akira can be seen sitting on the chair and was being served food by a smiling Nojiko in Cocoyasi Village, and a giggling Apis flew through the air while being morphed into the form of a Dragon as she soared through Warship Island.
After the visions were done, the Future Pirate King and the Future Strongest Man In The World then perked up as they spotted the Going Merry sailing through the seas, and a laughing Luffy grabbed onto Asher's body as he then stretched his free arm to wrap over to latch onto the Straw Hat Pirates Flag and they propelled themselves forwards with the Duo laughing joyfully as they crashed right into the Going Merry's Deck.
Compass left behind
It'll only slow us down
Your heart will be your guide
Raise the sails and take the helm
The Going Merry can be seen sailing through the treacherous ocean of the East Blue with numerous Sea Kings swimming past it as huge waves of water rang out, and the Straw Hat Pirates can be seen either staring at them in awe, cheering loudly, or panicking as they continued sailing through the ocean.
That legendary place
That the end of the map reveals
Is only legendary
'Till someone proves it real
Zooming into the Going Merry, we see Nami drawing maps inside of her room, a glaring Zoro and Gin sparring with each other on the main deck, Jack sailing the Going Merry, Usopp fixing up the damages done to the ship, a blushing and heart-eyed Sanji serving some food that he had cooked to a smiling and bashful Kaya, Akira washing the deck with the help of some mop and soap, a grinning Luffy residing on his usual seat (The Going Merry's Sheep Figurehead) to enjoying the beautiful day, and a smirking Asher could be seen riding around on the masthead with Apis riding around on his shoulders, and the Duo went starry-eyed at the sight of the amazing journey laid before them as Cottontail can be seen flying ahead of them.
Through it all, through all the troubled times
Through the heartache and through the pain
Know that I will be there to stand by you
Just like I know you'll stand by me
Narrowing his eyes furiously, Zoro gripped his three swords tightly and swung them around as he was able to slash away a group of charging Pirates, a glaring Gin twirled his tonfa around and spun around elegantly as he was able to whack away various Pirates, a calm and collected Sanji smoke his cigarette as a horde of Pirates surrounded him and aimed their swords at him as he swiftly got down in a handstand and twirled around as the blonde-haired simp was able to kick them all away, Jack opened up his mouth and fired a hot torrent of hot flames at a group of charging Pirates and sets them on fire as Cottontail flew by and hardened himself as he proceeds to trip every single one of the burned and flaming Pirates out of the Going Merry.
Crouching down, a grunting Akira then jumped up into the air and began slashing and punching every Pirates that he saw, a gleeful Kaya can be seen running around at high speeds to knock away every single Pirates that was in her sight before she began running around in a circle and created a huge gust of wind that blew them out of the Going Merry and splashed down into the ocean, a giggling Apis dodged and weaved to avoid all of the incoming sword slashes as she then jumped up into the air and ran her hands across a nearby flying Cottontail as she was able to absorb his DNA and morphed herself into a Winged Cotton Lemur as Apis hardened herself and twirled around as she fire multiple white spikes that pieces through the Pirates body.
Standing back to back, a nervous yet determined Usopp fired various of his specially made explosive balls at all of the nearby Pirates as a scowling Nami used her staff to whack every Pirates she saw, and we see the Last Remaining Straw Hat Pirates standing near the end of the Going Merry and spotted the Enemy Pirates Ship floating beside them. Getting an idea, Asher then crouched down and jumped up high into the air as a smirking Luffy stretched up his arm and grabbed onto his leg as the Rubberman grunted and proceeded to swing the Bomberman down at the Pirates Ship with said person creating a huge explosion that blew apart the ship as the rest of the Straw Hat Pirate cheered loudly at what they did.
So come aboard and bring along
All your hopes and dreams
Together, we will find everything
That we're looking for
Multiple vast images of all of the Incoming Arc Villains appeared as we see Iron Mace Alvida, Axe-Hand Morgan, Buggy the Star Clown, Kuro of a Hundred Plans, Eldoraggo, Foul-Play Krieg, Arlong the Saw, Garp the Fist, Smoker the White Hunter, Bear King, and Eric the Whirlwind as all of the Straw Hat Pirates Villains posed menacingly and scowled stoically.
There's always room for you
If you wanna be my friend
We are, we are, on the cruise
WE ARE!
After arriving near the Grand Line, Luffy can be seen sitting at his usual favorite seat in the Going Merry with Asher standing behind him as Nami wraps her arms around him and places her hand on his shoulder as an annoyed Zoro stands near them on their right with Cottontail residing on top of his head as Gin can be seen resting on the edge of the boat lazily, Usopp stood beside the Lovebird on their left, and Sanji stands beside him as he smoked a cigarette and sighed heavily with Jack smiling widely and enjoying the sea breeze as Kaya stood behind them and smiled warmly while holding onto Apis and Akira in her arms as the logo of the story appeared in front of the readers.
{Bombs Away-Season 1 Theme Song Over!}
"Ah, my first time on a different island." Asher says with a smirk as, a few hours later, we see him and the others arriving on a small island as they jump out of their boats and land on the ground as the Gang stretches their legs. "I can't wait to explore the place!" Asher says with a big grin as Cottontail flew on his shoulder.
"Ah, the air here smells fresher here than back at Gaimon's island," Cottontail says, enjoying the breeze.
"Wow! There really is an island here!" Luffy says, surprised as Nami gives him a dumbfounded look.
"Yeah, what did you expect? We followed the map, so of course, it couldn't be wrong!"
"Oh...so, the village is further down that way," Luffy says while pointing at the giant slope leading to a village as Nami nods and checks the map.
Uh-huh! Although it's just a small village." Nami says, rather disappointedly as Luffy suddenly looks excited and rushes up to her.
"Oh, then that means there meat there, right?" Luff asked with drool running down his mouth as a tick mark appeared on Nami's head.
"Can you not think with your stomach for once?" Nami asked as Asher laughed at their antics, but then suddenly grew tense as his enhanced hearing picked up the sounds of footsteps nearby.
"Guys, do you hear that?" Asher asked as Nami and Luffy stared at him confusedly.
"Yeah, I did," Cottontail says as Zoro stepped up.
"Careful, guys. We're being watched." Zoro says while looking around cautiously as he grips his swords tightly.
"Really!? Where? Where?" Luffy excitedly asked while looking around as Asher's eyes widened and quickly jumped towards his Captain.
"Luffy! Look out!" Asher yelled, tackling Luffy to the ground just as small pachinkos rained down on the spot Luffy was standing.
"Whoa, that was close! Thanks for the save, Asher." Luffy says as Asher smiles.
"You're welcome, Captain," Asher says just as several pirate flags pop out of the bushes in a group of three as they cover the entire coastline.
"What's happening?" Asher asked as Luffy looked around with stars in his eyes.
"So cool!"
"This isn't the time to be in awe!" Nami yelled just as a teen suddenly appeared as he stood on a large cliff, facing the pirates as he crossed his arms smugly. The teenager is a 5'9-feet-tall, 17-year-old Man with black eyes, medium-length black woolly hair, a long nose, prominent lips, a sharp chin, Tan Skin, a tall slim build, and his outfit consists of an olive plaid bandanna, olive sniper goggles, a blue/white striped armband on his left arm, brown overalls with a white sash, and no shirt underneath as he also carries around a yellow satchel. His name is Usopp.
"I am the leader of the great pirate crew that conquered this village, Usopp! Everyone praises me and address me as Captain Usopp! If you're thinking of attacking this village, you should just save your strength. Otherwise, my 80 million men will crush you all like bugs!"
"Awesome!" Luffy exclaimed as Asher turned to his Captain worriedly.
"Captain, we're screwed! There's 80 million of them and only 5 of us!" Asher says as Luffy's eyes harden and he takes a battle stance.
"Well, if we're going to down, then at least we're going down fighting! Come on, Asher! Let's kick their butts!" Luffy shouted as Asher stared at his Captain with stars in his eyes, inspired by Luffy's bravery.
"On it! I got your back captain!" Asher says with a smirk as he adopts a fighting stance as well. Zoro and Nami stared at them like they were idiots...which they were as Cottontail's eyes narrowed in suspicion and flew over to the pirate flags as he glided into the bushes.
"Aaah! A rat! Captain, help us!" Three young voices were heard as Cottontail flew out of the bush with three scared kids hanging by his tail as he threw them on the floor.
"Huh? Why are there kids here?" Asher asked, confused as Nami smirked.
"Just what I thought. Good job, Cottontail." Nami complimented Cottontail, who flew onto her shoulder as Nami looked up to a nervous Usopp. "It was all a lie, wasn't it?" She asked Usopp, who was visibly shaking as he realized his lie was exposed. "There weren't any 80 million men, it was just a couple of kids holding up a couple of pirate flags."
"Aaah! She knows! Runaway!" The kids yelled as they ran off, leaving Usopp behind.
"Hey, you guys! Don't run!" Usopp screamed before freezing up as he realized he was left alone with the pirates.
"A pirate that uses pachinko? I've never heard of such a thing." Nami says while inspecting the pachinko's on the ground as Luffy laughs.
"Hey, you're an interesting fellow!" Luffy says as Asher nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, you're really funny!' Asher says as Usopp growls, not liking that the pirates aren't taking him seriously as he pulls out a slingshot from his satchel.
"Hey, you!" He yelled, gaining the attention of the pirates as he aimed at Luffy's chest. "Don't laugh at me! I'm a man of great pride! Because of my pride, everybody calls me...Usopp the Proud! I can rival anyone with a gun with my trusty slingshot." Usopp says as Luffy suddenly grows serious, and his hat shadows his eyes.
"...Would you risk your life?" Luffy asked, surprising Usopp, Nami, and Cottontail with his words. "Now that you've drawn your weapon...are you willing to use it?" Luffy asked as Usopp gasped, and his grip on his slingshot trembled. "Guns and slingshots aren't for threats, they're are for actions." Asher and Zoro glanced at each other and smirked as they caught on to their Captain's plan, and decided to play along.
"Hey! You better think carefully about what you do next." Zoro says while gripping his sword tightly as Asher crackles his knuckles.
"Yeah, you're messing with real pirates. And, if you lay one finger on our Captain, then you're in for a world of hurt," Asher says as Luffy stared up at Usopp with an emotionless look on his face, waiting to see what he would do. Usopp struggled to keep a grip on his slingshot as he wondered whether or not to shoot Luffy, but one look from the Straw Hat-Wearing Teenager caused him to freeze as he let go of his slingshot and fell on his knees.
"Oh, man. Real pirates actually have a lot more punch behind their words because they can actually back it up, so cool." Usopp says as Luffy, Asher, and Zoro stare at each other before laughing as Usopp stares at them, puzzled.
"I stole that!" Luffy yelled as Usopp blinked confusedly.
"What's that?"
"I stole those words from Red-Haired Shanks!" Luffy says as Usopp flinches.
W-What!? S-Shanks, you say!? You mean the famous pirate Shanks!?" Usopp says while leaning down on the cliff as Luffy nods. "No way...you must be lying! Do you really know him?"
"Yep! And, I know, your dad too! His name is Yasopp, right?" Luffy asked as Usopp gasped before beaming happily as he accidentally slipped, and fell off the cliff as he landed right in front of the pirates. Grunting, Usopp sat up from the ground and gave Luffy a hopeful look.
"Y-Yeah, it's true! My father's name is Yasopp...but how do you know him?" He asked as Luffy was about to respond, but his stomach grumbled.
"How about we talk this over lunch?" Cottontail suggested as Luffy nodded.
"Good idea, Cottontail!" He says, confusing Usopp as Luffy grinned at the long-nosed boy. "Let's get some lunch first, and then I will tell you everything you want to know!" Luffy says as Usopp smiles and nods.
A few minutes later, we see Luffy and his crew eating with Usopp in a small tavern in the village as they enjoy their meals.
"Pretty good, right?" Usopp asked as everyone nodded.
"Yep," Luffy says, his voice slightly muffled as he eats a chicken leg. "The meat is so good...much better than this disgusting...tasteless...fruit," Luffy says while staring at Asher dead in the eye as the young teen stood up with a fork in his hand.
"You want to go, rubber boy?" Asher threatens, challenging Luffy to another fight as the older teen grinned, and stood up.
"Bring it on, you bomb brat!"
"I'm only a year younger than you!" Asher yelled, annoyed as they were about to fight, but Nami quickly intercepted them and bonked them on their heads.
"Not while we're eating!" Nami scolded the boys, who pouted.
"But Nami-"
"Sit down!" Nami commanded as they sat down obediently, and continued eating as Usopp stared at the scene with a sweatdrop.
"Anyway...my old man really knows Shanks?" Usopp asked Luffy, who nodded as he took another bite of his food.
"He doesn't just know him, he's part of their crew!" Luffy says as Usopp gasps in amazement.
"I can't believe it! My old man, sailing the high seas with famous pirates." Usopp says, sitting back on his chair with a proud look on his face as Luffy smiles.
"I haven't seen him for a while, but I'm pretty sure he's still with Shanks," Luffy says before taking a bite out of his meat. "He was a heck of a sharpshooter, I'll keep him on my crew. You know, Usopp, I heard enough stories about you that I thought my ears would fall off. Yasopp is a great pirate." Luffy says as Usopp beamed.
"That's what I thought exactly! I'm so proud of my dad, he left on a pirates life on the endless sea, and chose the life of real adventure."
"Hey, since you live in here and all, maybe you can help us?" Nami says, gaining Usopp's attention. "Do you know someone who could provide us with a decent ship?" Nami says as Asher nods eagerly.
"Yeah, a huge ship with lots of space to train!" Asher says as Cottontail yawns while resting on Asher's lap.
"And, lots of places to nap," Cottontail says, although Usopp doesn't understand him as the long-nosed boy shakes his head.
"Well, it's a pretty small village. Sorry, but I don't think we could help you." Usopp apologetically says as Nami sighs disappointedly.
"What about that mansion over there?" Zoro says, speaking up for the first time since the conversation started as he pointed outside of the window, showing a large white mansion lying on top of a hill as Usopp flinches.
"Hey, do you know them, Usopp? With all that money, surely they could help us get out boat." Nami says as Usopp grows angry, and slams his hand on the table.
"NO WAY! YOU STAY AWAY FROM THERE, YOU HERE ME!?" Usopp yells as everyone blinks at his sudden outburst and said person slowly blinks as he realizes what he said, and sweats nervously. "Uh, I mean, I just remembered that I have something to attend to," Usopp says, sitting up as he grabs his satchel. "Everyone knows me at this place, so stay and eat as much as you want. Bye!" Usopp says, zooming off as everyone stares at him suspiciously.
"I wondered why he ran off in such a hurry," Nami says as Asher shrugs.
"Maybe it has to do with that mansion. Should we check it out?" Asher asked as Luffy.
"Yes...after we eat more meat!" Luffy says while taking another bite out of his chicken leg as everyone shrugs and continues eating. After a few minutes of eating, three kids stormed into the restaurant as they ran up to the gang's booth and aimed their wooden swords at them threateningly.
One of the kids is a 3'3-feet-tall, 10-year-old freckled boy with short spiky white hair that covered his eyes, a face that ended in a pointed chin with these features making his head resemble a carrot as his outfit consisted of a black sweater, a reddish-brown sash, light yellow pants, an orange hat with a frill at the top, and the Usopp Pirates Jolly Roger on the front, and dark brown shoes. His name is Ninjin, although people usually call him Carrot.
The second boy is a 3-feet-tall, 10-year-old boy as he has straight brown hair with a tuft sticking up at the top, making his head reminiscent of an onion, and tiny eyes as he wears square glasses, a yellow shirt with a blue vest jacket over it, a dark yellow sash, dark brown pants, and black shoes. His name is Tamanegi, although people usually call him Onion.
The third boy is a 3'2-feet-tall, 10-year-old boy with dark green hair in the shape of a pepper, black eyes, and wears a light green short-sleeved shirt with Usopp Pirates Jolly Roger on the front, a blue sash, dark blue pants, and black shoes. His name is Piiman, although people usually call him Pepper.
"The Usopp pirates have arrived!" They yelled as the Gang stared at them, confused.
"Who are those kids?" Nami asked as Zoro looked at them closely and finally recognized them.
"Wait, weren't those brats with Usoop earlier?" Zoro asked as Luffy didn't say anything since he was still busy eating his food.
"Aw, they're pretending to be pirates. That's so adorable! I remember when I did that as a kid." Asher says with a nostalgic look on his face as Pepper stepped up.
"Alright, you filthy pirates! What have you done with our Captain Usopp? Tell us now!"
"Yeah, tell us now!" Carrot and Onion added in as Luffy belched.
"Man, that meat sure was good!" Luffy says while patting his swollen stomach as the kids blanched.
"What meat!?" Carrot asked as he and Onion hid behind their leader while trembling in fear.
"Those pirates are cannibals!" Onion yells as Nami giggles under her breath, and Cottontail snickered quietly.
"What have you done, you savages!?" Pepper asked as Zoro slowly turned to him and gave him a malicious look.
"If your looking for your captain...we ate him!" Zoro says as Asher decides to play along and grabs a chicken bone.
"All that is left of him is this," Asher says while grinning sinisterly as the kids panicked.
"AAAAHHHH! CANNIBALS!" The little veggies screamed while looking directly at Nami as she grew angry.
"WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME!?" Nami screamed with white eyes and shark teeth as the little veggies fainted, and the teens laughed.
"Oh, you really had us going there," Carrot says as he and the others walk towards the gates of the mansion as Nami explains to them that it was all just a prank.
"Whoa, that's the biggest house I've ever seen!" Asher exclaimed as Cottontail gave him a blank look.
"That's the only house you've seen."
"Oh, yeah, you're right," Asher says as Cottontail facepalmed.
"And, if our Captain ran off at this hour, then this the place he's going to be." Onion says as Luffy stares at him, confused.
"Oh, why in the world would Usopp come here for?"
"Oh, he comes to lie." Carrot nonchalantly says as Nami gasps.
"To lie? That's terrible!"
"He's not a bad guy!" Pepper says, coming to his captain's defense as Onion nods in agreement.
"Yeah, he's awesome!"
"How is a liar awesome?" Zoro asked as Onion decided to explain.
"Well, Kaya, the girl who lives there, has been suffering a terrible depression that has kept her weak and in bed since her parents got sick and died a year ago. She's rich, but all that money couldn't help her recover from her sadness."
"So our Captain tells her funny made up stories to make her laugh and cheer up," Pepper says.
"Yeah, our Captain is the best in coming up with lies," Carrot added in as the group smiled.
"Oh, that's nice of him," Luffy says as the little veggies nod.
"Yeah, the best part about him is his mischievous side. He's always up to something." Carrot says.
"I like him because he's not afraid to be silly," Pepper says.
"And, I like the Captain's crazy lies." Onion says.
"So, the girl is feeling better because of Usopp?" Asher asked as they nodded.
"Yep. Lot's better." They said as Luffy grinned and raised his fist in excitement.
"Great, I think we should ask her for a ship after all!" Luffy says with a big grin as everyone sweatdropped.
"We're not the ones making her feel better that's Usopp," Zoro says as Asher nods.
"She doesn't know us at all, so why would she willingly give us a boat?" Asher asked, being smart for once as Cottontail flew in and landed on Luffy's shoulder.
"Quite frankly, I think this whole plan is stupid. This Kaya girl has no obligation to help us." He says as Luffy waves off his concern.
"Oh, what do you know? Your just a dumb rat." Luffy absentmindedly says as a tick mark appears on Cottontail's head.
"I'm not a rat! Why does everyone keep calling me that!?" Cottontail yelled as Asher picked him up from Luffy's shoulder, and petted him to calm him down.
"There, there, it's okay, no one really thinks you're a rat, they're just playing with you," Asher says as Cottontail stares at him, deadpanned.
"Did you just 'there there' me? Don't do that, that's demeaning."
"Oops, sorry about that, buddy," Asher says.
"Why is he talking to his pet as if he can understand him?" Pepper asked as he and the other veggies sweatdropped.
"It's better to just ignore him, and let him be," Nami says before noticing that Luffy was gone. "Hey, guys? Where's Luffy?" She asked as they looked around and saw Luffy jumping over the fence. "YOU CAN'T JUST INVADE SOMEONE'S HOME LIKE THAT!" Nami yelled with shark teeth as Zoro sighed.
"Forget it, Nami. You know how Luffy is, and since he's already in, we might as well follow." Zoro says as Nami sighs, but nods as everyone follows after Luffy.
"Ha, ha, ha! So, what happened to the goldfish?" A teenage girl asked Usopp, who was sitting on a large tree as he was telling her about one of his grand adventures.
The teenager is a 5'8-feet-tall, 17-year-old beautiful woman with brown eyes, shoulder-length pale glossy blonde hair, thin brown eyebrows, a small nose, a sharp chin, Pale Skin, E-Cup Breasts, an hourglass slim build, a heart-shaped perky ass, and her outfit consists of a sleevless long plain blue dress and a pair of black flats. Her name is Kaya, a young woman who lives in the largest mansion in Syrup Village, and a close friend of Usopp as she has a crush on him.
"Well, then I sliced it up into little pieces and sent them to the country of the Dwarves. And up to his day, they still haven't been able to finish eating it. Then, because of my great powers, they all called me-"
"Captain!"
"Yes, Captain...wait, what!?" Usopp says, looking down as he sees his friends and the pirates standing below them. "Why are you all here!?" Usopp screamed with wide eyes as Kaya leaned in to get a better look at the intruders.
"Who are these people?" Kaya asked as Luffy smiled.
"Hi, you must be the sick girl, Kaya, right?" Luffy asked as she nodded.
"Yeah, that's me."
"Uh, don't mind them, Kaya. These guys heard of my reputation and traveled far to see me here. They are the new members of the Usopp Pirates!" Usopp says as Luffy nods.
"Yeah, that's true-wait a minute!" Luffy says, before screaming in annoyance as he realizes what Usopp is talking about as Kaya giggles. Knowing that Usopp was lying, but she doesn't seem to mind as she found it hilarious.
"I think what our Captain is trying to say is that he needs a favor," Asher says as Kaya looks down at the admittedly cute boy in surprise.
"A favor from me?" Kaya asked as he nodded.
"Yep. We need to get a-"
"What are you doing here?!" A loud commanding voice rang out as everyone turned around and saw a tall man walking towards them as he glared at the group.
The man is a 6'9-feet-tall, 33-years-old Man with black eyes, slicked black hair, thin black eyebrows, a small nose, a sharp chin, Light Skin, a tall muscularly toned slim build, and his outfit consists of a black suit with two golden markings on it over, a white shirt with a curious collar and spiral-like protrusions on the edges, a standard black tie, and a pair of sports striped shoes. His name is Klahadore AKA Kuro of a Hundred Plans, the Former Captain of the Black Cat Pirates, and Kaya's Servant and Caretaker.
"Klahadore!" Kaya says, surprised to see her butler suddenly appear as Klahadore pushes up his glasses with the bare palm of his hand.
"You can't barge into a mansion like this!" Klahadore says as Asher's body grew tense. Something feels...off about this guy, but Asher couldn't help but wonder why. His pet shared the same unease as Cottontail hissed at Klahadore.
"Who's he?" Luffy bluntly asked as Usopp panicked.
"Oh, no, it's Kaya's butler," Usopp says, knowing that he will get in a lot of trouble if he gets spotted as he tries to hide.
"Uh, actually Klahadore these people are-"
"Not now, Miss Kaya," Klahadore says, interrupting Kaya as he pushes up his glasses. "You can tell me all about this riffraff after they left. Now get out all of you! Leave now unless you have some business with me." He says as Luffy smiles.
"Alright, do you think you can help us get a ship?"
"No way." Kuro bluntly says as Luffy sulks, and Zoro comforts him. "You there, you're Usopp, right?" Klahadore asked, spotting Usopp as the teen flinched. "I've heard rumors about you. You are very well known in the village."
"He, he, sure am," Usopp says, revealing himself since there was no point in hiding.
"I heard you've been on many adventures, quite an accomplishment for someone your age." Klahadore says, snickering a bit as he knows that Usopp's 'adventures' were all just make-believe.
"Usually, people who admire me so much call me Captain, so it's Captain Usopp to you!" Usopp says as Klahadore smirks.
"Captain, huh? That's cute. Anyway, the guards said that they've caught you lurking around here. What is your business with this establishment?"
"Errr...I heard that there is a huge mole inside the mansion, so I went to check it out!" Usopp says while nervously sweating as Klahadore laughs.
"I see that you can certainly lie so well!" He says, catching Usopp off guard as he pushes up his glasses. "I heard about your father too, you're the son of a filthy pirate!" Klahadore says as both Usopp and Asher gasps at his words. "I'm not surprised that you turned out this way, but you better stay away from Miss Kaya."
"Did he just said..."Asher says but gets interrupted by Usopp as he uses a grappling hook to get down from a tree and lands in front of Luffy and his crew.
"Did you just call my father a filthy pirate?!" Usopp yelled in outrage as Klahadore smirked down at him.
"You and Miss Kaya are from completely different worlds, and you know it! Is it money you are after? How much do you want?" He asked as Kaya gasped in disbelief, before seething in anger as she leans out the window.
"That's enough, Klahadore! Apologize to Usopp at once!" Kaya yelled as Klahadore looked up to her.
"There is no need for me to apologize to this uncivilized person! I'm just stating facts." He says before turning to Usopp. "You know, I sympathize with your situation, Usopp. You must hate your great idiot of a father for abandoning his family, and his village because of his mindless lust for treasure."
"Klahadore, stop!" Kaya yelled as Usopp glared at Klahadore furiously.
"Don't you dare insult my father ever again!" Usopp yelled as Klahadore grinned at him smugly.
"Why have you gotten so worked up, Usopp? It's times like this that you should do what you do best, and lie. Tell me about how your father is really a traveling merchant...or, that you and him aren't really blood-related."
BAM!
Klahadore couldn't react in time as Usopp slugged him across his face, and sent him falling to the ground. Everyone, except Luffy and Asher, gasped in surprise over his action. Luffy remained silent while Asher smiled proudly at Usopp's actions.
"Ugh...case in point, he resorts to violence, I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the-"
"SHUT UP!" Usopp furiously yelled, surprising Klahadore as Usopp lifted him up from the ground by his shirt. "MY FATHER LISTENED TO HIS HEART, AND CHOOSE THE LIFE OF RISK AND ADVENTURE! I'M PROUD THAT MY FATHER IS A BRAVE PIRATE, A BRAVE WARRIOR OF THE SEA!"
"You tell him, Usopp!" Asher cheered as Usopp took a few deep breaths and calmed down as he let go of Klahadore.
"You're right that I like to lie, but I will never lie about who my father is! I refuse to be ashamed of my heritage! I'm the son of a pirate!" Usopp yelled into the heavens as Klahadore started laughing.
"Pirates are the brave warriors of the sea, are they? That's quite a twisted way of putting things." Klahadore says as he stands up and dusts himself off. "You don't seem to understand that you're living proof of his savage blood. You ran around spitting out lies, and used violence when you didn't get your way. To top it off, you cozy up to the lady of the house to steal her fortune."
"You're wrong! I only-"
"YOU'RE FATHER IS A FILTHY, NO GOOD PIRATE! TREASURY IS IN YOUR BLOOD! OF COURSE, YOU WOULD'VE SUCH AN EVIL SCHEME!"
"That does it!" Usopp screamed as he ran towards Klahadore, and grabbed him by his collar as he then slammed him against the wall. "Let me teach a lesson for insulting my father!"
"No, Usopp! Don't do it, no more violence!" Kaya screamed as Usopp looked up at Kaya, who looked like she was about to burst into tears. "Please...no more. Klahadore is not a bad person. He just wants to protect me, but he goes too far sometimes."
"Kaya..." Usopp says, his anger depleting as Klahadore slaps his hand away.
"...Get out of here. This is no place for a barbarian like you! Remember this! Don't you ever dare come near this house again!" Klahadore yells as Usopp glares at him and scoffs.
"Yeah, I get it. You don't need to tell me twice. This is the last you ever see of me." Usopp says before running off.
"Usopp…" Kaya says with a sad look on her face as she watches her friend go for possibly the last time.
"Hey, you butler jerk our captain's not that kind of guy!" Carrot shouted, angry at the butler for insulting his captain as his friends nodded.
"Yeah, jerk face!"
"Jerk face!"
"Jerk face!" Luffy and Asher yelled as Zoro and Nami bopped them on their heads.
"Hey! It's none of your business, so calm down!" Zoro says, holding Luffy back as Nami does the same with Asher.
"And, that goes for you too, Asher!" Nami says, struggling to hold him down as Asher growled at the butler.
"You're ass is mine, Klahadore! Come here and fight me!" Asher screamed as Nami, and the others, walked off while dragging the snarling boys. After walking for a few minutes, the gang decided to relax on the side of the road as Nami looked down and blinked in surprise as she noticed that the boys had disappeared.
"Huh!? Where did Luffy and Asher go?" Nami asked Zoro in surprise as the swordsman shrugged.
"Who knows, maybe they went to find Usopp?" Zoro says as Pepper turns to Carrot.
"I bet Captain is in his secret spot," Pepper says as Carrot nods.
"Yeah, over by the shore. He always goes there when he wants to think something over." Carrot says as Pepper turns to the Nami and Zoro. "Should we go see?"
"Huh? Oh, no, they will be fine." Zoro says as Nami reluctantly nods.
"Yeah, the boys can take care of themselves, but where's your other friend?" She asked as the kids shrugged.
"Onion has a tendency of disappearing a lot."
"But he usually comes back overacting about something trivial."
"Terrible news, guys!" Onion screamed as he suddenly appeared while running towards them as Carrot gave Nami a look.
"See?" Carrot says as Onion arrives.
"Listen to me, some weird guy is on his way here, and he's walking backward's!"
"You liar." Pepper and Carrot say in unison as Onion shakes his head.
"It's the truth! Look!" Onion says while pointing behind him as they peered over, and were surprised to see a man heading towards them while walking backward. The man is 27-years-old with a skinny build, gray hair, heart-shaped eyes, and matching eyebrows. He wears a simple sleeveless white shirt with a blue bandana, a blue wide-brimmed hat, heart-shaped glasses, olive-green trousers, and black shoes. His name is Jango.
"Hey, who told you, brats, I'm weird? I'm just a normal guy." Jango says as Nami stares at him with a sweatdropped.
"You look pretty strange to me," Nami says as Jango shakes his head.
"Don't be silly. I'm just your run in the mill hypnotist." He says as the kids stare at him curiously.
"A hypnotist? Really? That sounds awesome!" Onion says.
"Show us something!" Pepper says as Carrot nods.
"Yeah, do something!" Carrot says as Jango glares at them in disbelief.
"What? You fools, what makes you think that I'm going to reveal my masterful hypnosis techniques to a bunch of snot-nosed brats." Jango says as the kids look upset.
"Oh, well, then sorry to bother you, sir-,"
"Okay, you convinced me. Now watch the ring closely." Jango interrupted while pulling out a metal ring that was dangled by a string as Zoro sweatdropped.
"What a tool." Zoro thought to himself as Jango dangled the ring in front of the kids.
"So by the count of Jango, you will into a deep sleep. Alright, are you ready?" Jango asked as the kids watched the ring move back and forth. "One...two...three...Jango!" The hypnotist says as the kids fell asleep...and he went asleep as well.
"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU ASLEEP AS WELL!?" Zoro screamed with a tick mark appearing on his head as he wondered who the hell was that freaky weirdo.
Usopp sat on top of a hill that overlooked the sea as he leaned against a tree and sighed heavily. Wondering if it was really a good idea to leave Kaya. Sure her butler was a jerk, but Usopp couldn't lie and say that he liked the girl's company, plus she was the only one that he really liked his stories even if he made them up. Usopp's train of thought was interrupted by Luffy, who appeared hanging by the tree as he grinned at him.
"Hi!" Luffy says, scaring the heck out of Usopp as Asher appears behind them with Cottontail flying close behind him.
"Don't scare me like that! What's wrong with you?!" Usopp yelled.
"Sorry." Luffy bluntly says as Asher sighs.
"I tried to warn him not to do that, but he wouldn't listen to me," Asher says as Luffy looks at Usopp curiously.
"What are you doing here?" Luffy asked as Usopp glared at him.
"I came here to be alone, but I guess that's not happening. Did you guys follow me? What do you guys want?" Usopp asked as Asher sat next to him, and Cottontail sat on his lap.
"We came here to see if you were okay," Asher says as Usopp blinked, surprised that they were worried over someone they just met.
"Really? Well, I'm still pissed about that butler. Insulting my old man like that." Usopp says as the boys nod.
"Yeah, I hate that guy too," Luffy says while leaping out of the tree as he lands in between the boys.
"It took everything for me not to blast that guy out of the island," Asher admitted as Cottontail looked up at him curiously.
"I'm surprised that you seemed to be angry about this. I mean, yeah, that guy was way out of line, but this seems to be personal to you."
"Well, it kind of was," Asher says, confusing Usopp as Asher turns to him. "My father is a pirate too, so I know how you feel," Asher says as Usopp stares at him in shock.
"Wait. You're the son of a pirate as well?"
"Well, I'm his adopted son, but yeah pretty much," Asher says as lays down on the ground, and stares into the sky. "Every word that butler jackass said made me feel like he was insulting my father. Who is he to call us barbarians just because we like to sail the sea, and have fun? I may not know Yasopp as much as Luffy, but if you're anything like your father, then I'm sure that he is a great pirate." Asher says as Usopp smiles.
"Yeah, he is. I've always looked up to my old man for living every day with his life on the line. He made a brave choice, and I admire him for that." Usopp says before frowning as he tightens his fist in anger. "And, then that stupid snooty butler stomped all over my pride. He's gonna pay for this."
"Hey, wait. Do you know if you're ever going to see that girl again?" Luffy asked.
"Yeah, your girlfriend seemed really upset when you left," Asher says, not noticing Cottontail sitting up suddenly as he sniffed the air and growled.
"I don't know," Usopp admitted as he sighed. "I'll consider it if that butler apologizes to me for the things he said," Usopp said, before realizing what Asher said. "Wait! She's not my girlfriend!" Usopp comically yelled as Asher tilted his head confusedly.
"But you seemed really close to that girl when we showed up. I figured you two were a thing." Asher innocently says as Usopp blushes heavily, and shakes his head rapidly.
"No, no, no! You got it all wrong! We're just friends!" Usopp defensively says as Cottontail hisses and leaps out of Asher's lap.
"Huh? What is it, boy?" Asher asked, sitting up from the ground as Cottontail pointed down below.
"You might want to see this," Cottontail says as Asher looks down, and raises an eyebrow.
"Hey, what's the butler doing here?" Asher asked to himself as Usopp heard him, and grew confused.
"The butler, what are you talking about?" Usopp says as he looks down at the hill, and his eyes widen in shock as he sees Klahadore talking with Jango. "What in the world is he doing down here!?" Usopp yelled as he dropped down to the ground to not be seen.
"Huh? What's going on?" Luff says as he looks down at the hill, and his eyes widen in recognition. "Oh, hey, it's the guy from before. What is he doing here?"
"Get down!" Usopp harshly whispered as he pulled the boys down. "We need to eavesdrop on their conversation, so we need to be quiet and stay low, so they don't see us, got it?" Usopp asked as the boys nodded and peered over the edge of the hill to eavesdrop on the adult's conversation.
"Hey, Jango. I specifically ordered you to not attract the attention of the villagers, so why were you sleeping in the middle of the road?" Klahadore asked, annoyed.
"Relax, man. I perfected the skills of the chameleon, I blend in." Jango says.
"There's someone else with him, and man is he weird," Luffy says.
"Is he anyone you know, Usopp?" Asher asked as the long-nosed boy shook his head.
"Nope, I've never seen him before. Who is he?" Usopp asked as Cottontail turned to them with an annoyed look on his face.
"Maybe if you guys shut up and pay attention, we can find out," Cottontail says as Luffy and Asher laugh nervously.
"Sorry about that." Luffy and Asher apologized as everyone went back to eavesdropping.
"So, have all the necessary preparations have been made?" Klahadore asked while pushing up his glasses as Jango nodded.
"But of course. We can start anytime on the rich girl's murder plan!" Jango yelled as the boys gasped in horror.
"Rich girl murder plan?!" Usopp, Asher, and Cottontail said in shock as Luffy remained silent.
"Don't call it murder, Jango. I don't like the sound of it." Klahadore says as Jango snickered.
"Oh, right. Accident, it's an accident...that you planned!" Jango says, before laughing as Klahadore sighs.
"We can't simply kill her. It's critical to our plan that Miss Kaya perishes in an unfortunate accident. So, don't screw that up." Klahadore says while turning around as he is about to walk away, but Jango keeps talking.
"So, basically on your signal, the men and I stormed the village and manage to 'accidentally' kill the little rich girl. Then you get her inheritance, and we get paid, right?"
"You moron! Your ignorance is astounding! " Klahadore shouted as he stopped walking and gave Jango an annoyed look. "We're not related, so how will I inherit anything from her?" Klahadore asked, before sighing as Klahadore walked towards him. "Listen to me, Jango. This is the most crucial part of our plan. Before you kill her, you will use your hypnosis to make Kaya write her will. And it will say, 'I leave my entire fortune to my butler, Klahadore.'. Then, and only then will I have undisputed control over her enormous fortune. And, no one will suspect a thing. I have spent 3 long years gaining the trust of everyone around me so that it will be unsurprising for her to leave the entirety of her inheritance to me." Klahadore says while pushing up his glasses as he grinned sinisterly.
"That bastard. Killing an innocent girl like that." Asher says while gritting his teeth in anger as his hand makes small explosions. "He's going to pay for this." He says as Usopp trembles in fear.
"3 years as a butler for this, huh?" Jango says as he stares out into the ocean, and grins. "You sure had us scared back then, Captain Kuro," Jango says as Kuro sneers at the name. "3 years ago, you said that you were suddenly giving up the life of a pirate. In no time at all, you set up someone to be your double, then you let the world see Captain Kuro get executed. Only now do I understand that it was just the beginning of this plan. You are the man of a thousand plans, Captain Kuro."
"Never call me that again!" Kuro yelled, causing Jango to flinch as his captain pushed up his glasses. "I've abandoned that name years ago, Jango. I now wish to obtain my wealth without attracting the attention of the World Government. In other words, I'm a pacifist." Kuro says with a smile as Jango laughs...hard.
"Uhyahahya! Some pacifist you are! Murdering an entire family doesn't exactly scream peacefulness!"
"Now hold on, I haven't murdered an entire family. The father's death wasn't planned." Kuro says, defending himself as Jango shrugs.
"Whatever you say, it doesn't make a difference to me. If it's all the same with you, hurry up and give the word. The crew's getting bored, we've been waiting near here for over a week, and the men are growing more anxious by the minute."
"This is horrible! This is really horrible!" Usopp thought to himself as Luffy turned to him.
"What are they talking about? Is it bad guy stuff?" Luffy asked, not paying attention at all to the conversation as Usopp and Cottontail stared at him in disbelief.
"What!? Weren't you listening to any of that!?" Usopp yelled as Cottontail nodded.
"Yeah, those guys are not just bad, they're worse than that!" Cottontail screams as Asher decides to explain what they heard to his captain.
"Captain, Kuro has been impersonating as a butler to kill Kaya so he can get her inheritance," Asher says, before turning to Usopp. "But who is Captain Kuro anyway?" He asked as Usopp stared at him in shock.
"How do you not know about Captain Kuro? Were you living under a rock or something?" He rhetorically asked as Asher shook his head.
"No. I have been living on a deserted island that is filled with monsters. But seriously, who is he?" Asher asked as Usopp shivered, and looked down at Kuro.
"Captain Kuro is the captain of the Black Cat Pirates, and is known for not only for his intelligence but for his brutality as well! Word had it that the marines caught, and executed him 3 years ago, but Captain Kuro is alive and well. And, he's planning to get kaya's fortune! First, he will attack the village, then he will kill Kaya! This is bad!" Usopp panicked as Asher turned to Luffy, and gave him a serious look.
"This is horrible, captain. We can't let them get away with this, we need to stop him before he and his crew set foot on the village." Asher says as Luffy nods.
"You're right. Let's stop this." Luffy says with his hat covering his eyes as Cottontail nods.
"I agree, but we can't approach this without a plan. I will fly in and alert the rest of our crew so that we can-" Cottontail says, before getting interrupted by Luffy as he stood up, and glared at the pirates down below.
"Hey, bad guys! You better stay away from that rich girl!" Luffy screamed as Usopp froze and fell down as he cried comically.
"Yeah! Leave that girl alone, or else I will shove this up in your ass!" Asher threatens while pulling out one of his shurikens.
"...Or you guys do whatever you want, and I still alert our crew members. Just keep them busy long enough for me to get back up." Cottontail says as Asher nods.
"We will." He says as Cottontail flies off.
"Who are you?" Jango says as he and Kuro look up at them in surprise.
"You idiots! They spotted us! Hurry up and hide before they kill us!" Usopp says while grabbing their arms as he tries to tug them down, but the boys nonchalantly escape from his weak grip as they stare down at the pirates with angry looks on their faces.
"Well, now if it isn't, Usopp," Kuro said as Usopp paled.
"GAAAHH! I WAS SPOTTED TOO!" Usopp screamed as Kuro glared at the boys.
"Did you hear...anything interesting?" Kuro asked as Usopp rapidly shook his head.
"I-Interesting?! Of course not! We didn't hear a thing! We just got here, so we didn't hear anything interesting at all!"
"We heard the whole thing." Luffy bluntly says as Asher nods.
"Yeah, we know your plans about killing Kaya, and we won't let that happen!"
"Why would you tell them that?! Are you trying to get us killed?!" Usopp hysterically cried as Kuro pushed up his glasses, and gave Jango a look.
"Well, if you say so," Jango says, understanding his hidden message as he pulls out his ring, and Kuro covers his eyes. "Pay attention, boys, and watch this ring closely!" Jango says while waving his ring around.
"Hmmm, okay," Luffy says as Asher stares at the ring curiously.
"Huh? What is he going to do with that? Throw it at us or something?" Asher asked as Usopp whimpered and hid behind the Bomb Man.
"He probably will, we need to hide!" Usopp says while ducking down, but the idiotic boys stay put.
"On the count of Jango, you will fall into a deep sleep-"
"But I'm not tired." Asher interrupted as Jango stared at him, confused.
"Huh?"
"I said I'm not tired, I already took my nap. Besides, how is a ring supposed to make me fall asleep?"
"Yeah, that sounds dumb," Luffy says as Jango stares at the boys with a deadpanned look.
"...One, two, three, Jango!" Jango says as the boys instantly went asleep...including the hypnotist...again.
"Jango, you idiot! Even after all this time, you still haven't fixed that annoying problem of yours." Kuro says while helping Jango stand up.
"Hey! Be careful, you guys! You're going to fall!" Usopp says, noticing Luffy and Asher swaying back and forth. Before he could grab them, the boys fell off the cliff and landed harshly on the ground below.
"Poor kids. They just had to go and fall off a cliff. A pity though, I didn't mean to kill them, but there is no way they will survive." Jango says, waking up as he walked over to their limp bodies, and noticed that Asher actually landed his head on a rock, and cracked it. "Especially this one," Jango says as Usopp trembles in horror.
"T-This can't be happening! They killed them! They're really dead!" Usopp mumbles as Jango looks up at him.
"What about the long-nosed one? Should I take care of him?" Jango asked as Kuro shook his head.
"There's no need, everything he will say will sound like lies. Jango tomorrow at daybreak, the men are too attack the village. Tell them to ruff up the houses and kill a few of them, but above all else, make sure that Miss Kaya's death looks like an accident."
"T-Tomorrow?!" Usopp says as Kuro looks up at him, and grins as he pushes up his glasses.
"Just accept it, Usopp! There is nothing you can say or warn the villagers of this impending tragedy!" He says as Usopp screams in fear, and runs off to warn the village.
"Are you sure about that one?" Jango asked, not wanting the plan to be ruined as Kuro nodded.
"Of course, my plans are flawless," Kuro says as he and Jango walk off.
"I can't believe this! This is terrible! I got to do something! Everyone I grew up in the village is in danger!" Usopp yelled as flashes of the little veggies, and the people of the village appeared on his mind. "I can't let that happen to the people I love!" Usopp says as an image of Kaya appeared on his mind. "No!" Usopp screamed as he ran with all of his might to the village.
"Where are you taking us, you dumb rat?" Zoro says, annoyed with Cottontail as the small animal was pulling him by the ear towards the boy's location as the others followed. Amused by the sight of a grown man being pulled by a small animal. Earlier that day, while they were relaxing on the side of the road, Cottontail showed up looking frantic as he gestured for them to follow him. When they didn't, Cottontail resorted to pulling on Zoro's ear with his teeth and forcing him and the others to follow him.
"He's probably taking us to where the boys are, and judging by how insistent he is on us following him, something bad must be happening to the boys." Nami deduced.
"It looks like Cottontail is taking us to where the captain tends to go to blow off steam," Carrot says as he points at the big cliff that they are walking towards. After a few minutes of walking, the group blinked in surprise as they saw Usopp running towards them, and the kids beamed.
"Captain!" The kids yelled as Zoro, Cottontail, and Nami looked confused.
"Wait, I thought Luffy and Asher were supposed to be with him?" Zoro asked as Cottontail lay on his shoulder.
"Captain!" The kids yelled again as they were about to greet their captain, but Usopp ran past them.
"Hey, do you know where the boys are-" Nami says before trailing off as Usopp runs past her without saying a word as he heads towards the village. "Wow, he looks upset, but why? Is he still mad at the butler?" Nami asked.
"No, he didn't look angry. If anything, he looks traumatized. Like if something horrible just happened." Cottontail says before shutting up as his eyes widen in realization. "Something must've happened to the boys! Come on, we got to go!" Cottontail says as he flies off of Zoro's shoulder and bites his ear.
"Ow! Will you quit that!?" Zoro says as Cottontail pulls him closer to the shore, and the others follow as, after a few minutes of walking and Zoro threatening to cut the big-eared animal, the Gang finally makes it to the cliff as they search for the boys.
"The rocks sure are loose," Nami says while looking over the edge of the cliff as small pebbles fall off below her.
"Nami, be careful," Zoro said as she nodded.
"I will," Nami says as she looks down the cliff, and sees the boys lying across the terrain. "Hey! Look down there!" Nami yelled as the others peered over the edge, and their eyes widened in shock.
"Luffy/Asher/Straw Hat guy/One eye guy!" Zoro, Cottontail, and the little veggies all but screamed as they quickly ran down the cliff and rushed over to the boys.
"Luffy! Asher! No! How did this happen!?" Nami screamed in horror with tears streaming down her face as the boys lay down on the ground, not moving whatsoever.
"They must've fallen over the edge!" Carrot screamed.
"So, that's why the captain looks so upset!" Pepper shouted.
"T-They're dead! They're really dead!" Onion yelled as he and the other veggies started panicking, and Nami tried to calm them down. In the middle of their panicking, Cottontail flew over his owner and stared at him emotionless for a few seconds before kicking his head.
"Wake up, you idiot!" Cottontail screamed as Asher shot up instantly, startling everyone as he yawned.
"Man, was that a good nap," Asher says before blinking. "Wait, where am I?" Asher asked as everyone stared at him in surprise just as Luffy woke up as he yawns.
"Good morning, guys." Luffy nonchalantly says as Nami and the little veggies stare at them in shock.
"HOW ARE YOU TWO ALIVE!?" They screamed as the boys blinked in confusion.
"What do you mean?" They asked.
"You two fell off the cliff and crashed landed against the shore. It makes sense why Luffy's alive since he's made of rubber, but what about you, Asher? Nobody could survive that kind of fall without suffering some kind of injury." Zoro says, slightly impressed with the boy's durability as Asher grins.
"Oh, that's because I'm strong," Asher says as everyone sweatdropped at his simplistic explanation.
"That doesn't exactly explain anything." They all thought to themselves.
"Oh, if you guys wanted to know, pirates are going to storm the village tomorrow and kill Kaya." Luffy bluntly says as everyone's eyes widen in surprise.
"WHAT!?"
"Let me explain, we overheard Klahadore talking to some weird guy named Jango about storming the village tomorrow with pirates. And, that's not all because apparently, Klahadore is not who he says he is because he is actually Captain Kuro in disguise. He had this master plan to masquerade as a butler for Kaya for several years before killing her and stealing her fortune." Asher says.
"But they're not related, so how would he receive her fortune?" Nami asked.
"That's where that weird guy comes in. Jango is going to hypnotize Kaya into leaving all of her money to Klahadore. And, then, once Kaya writes him into her will, Kuro is going to order his men to kill her in cold blood." Asher says as the little veggies panicked.
"So, what made you two think that it was a good time to take a nap?" Zoro asked as Luffy grinned.
"That's the thing I don't remember falling asleep or getting down here at all."
"Yeah, me neither. It was all a big blur." Asher says before his eyes widen as memories of what happened appear in his mind. "Wait, now I remembered! Jango used that ring to hypnotize us into falling asleep, and fell down here!" Asher says as Cottontail facepalmed.
"Only you will be dumb enough to fall for that trick easily." He says as the little veggies huddled up.
"This proves it! Klahadore is a bad guy!" Carrot says
"Usopp saw right through it!" Pepper says.
"I bet he's on his way to warn the villagers, so they will have time to run away!" Onion says.
"Well, that's perfect! Those stupid pirates won't hurt anyone because the town will be abandoned by the time they show up." Nami says.
"Yeah, that's right! We better run away too if we want to live!" Carrot says
"Alright, let's pack our treasure, and run like the wind!" Onion says as the kids turn around, and run away screaming.
"Oh, no!" Luffy gasped as everyone turned to him.
"What's up?" Zoro asked as Luffy panicked.
"We got to hurry up and buy some meat before the butcher leaves!" Luffy screamed as everyone faceplanted.
"That's not important, you idiot!" Zoro chastised as he bonked Luffy on the head with the blunt end of his sword.
"Captain, I think we should be more worried about the villagers then food right now," Asher says with a sweatdrop as Cottontail shakes his head.
"He really needs to get his priorities straight."
"How about we go and find Usopp, so we can help him evacuate the village?" Nami suggested as everyone nodded, and walked off. After walking for a few minutes and catching up with the little veggies. The gang had met up with Usopp, and the teens were shocked to see that Usopp's body was covered with bruises, his nose was broken, and his left arm was bleeding from a bullet wound.
"Captain!" The little veggies yelled as Usopp stiffened, and turned to them with a fake smile.
"Hey, how's going, guys?" Usopp says before freezing up as he sees Luffy and Asher standing behind his friends, alive and well. "What the!? How are you two alive?!" Usopp yelled while running towards them as Luffy stared at him, confused
"Alive? What do you mean? All I did was take a nap." Luffy says as Usopp stares at him in disbelief.
"I will tell you about it later," Asher promised Usopp as the little veggies ran up to their captain.
"Captain, we heard all about the pirates and their evil plan," Carrot says.
"We better warn the village so that they will have time to get away." Onion says as Usopp goes silent, confusing the kids as his body begins trembling. "Captain?" Onion asked as Usopp slowly looked down at them before grinning as he laughed.
"Well, obviously, I'm lying like usual!" Usopp yelled, surprising the kids as Asher and others stared at him, unconvinced. Knowing that he was lying but didn't say anything as Usopp rubs his neck sheepishly. "That butler made me so mad with what he said that I thought I get him back by saying that he was a pirate!" Usopp yelled as he and the kids started laughing.
"But-" Asher says, about to call him out on his lie as Zoro held out his hand, and motioned him to be quiet. The Bomb Man tilted his head confusedly at the swordsman before nodding as he kept his mouth shut.
"Oh, I get it! You put the Straw Hat guy and the one eye guy on it too!" Onion says as the little kids continue laughing and walk away.
"Hey, where are you going?" Usopp asked as the kids turned around and glared at him.
"Honestly, you really disappointed me," Carrot says.
"Yeah, even though that butler guy is a jerk, I thought you were better than to lie to hurt someone, and I admire you for your being such a kindhearted person." Onion says.
"And to think we respected you this whole time," Pepper says as Usopp winced, and grew sad at the harsh words his friends were giving him as they walked away. A few minutes later, we see the gang standing by the shore as Nami is treating Usopp's wounds.
"Hold still," Nami says to a whimpering Usopp as he squirmed in his seat, and she finished wrapping up his arm. "There you go," Nami says as Usopp muttered a thank you, and stared at the ground with an unreadable look on his face.
"So, why did you lied to them?" Luffy asked as Usopp sighed.
"Because all I do is lie," Usopp answered. "There's no way anybody was going to believe, why should they?"
"Because what you were telling them was the honest truth," Zoro says.
"They're coming, and they're going to level this town," Nami says.
"Slaughter the villagers," Cottontail says.
"And, they're going to kill Kaya so that Captain Kuro can steal her money," Asher says as Usopp sighs.
"What am I supposed to do? They'll think I'm lying if I try to warn them. Everyone is going to think that tomorrow is going to be a normal boring day." Usopp says as he gritted his teeth in anger and stood up. "They think I'm lying, and that's all they need to think because I'm going to stop the pirates tomorrow at the beach myself!" Usopp exclaimed as everyone stared at him in surprise for his bold claim. "This is all my fault for being such a liar. I don't care anymore if they drive me away with pitchforks or shoot me in the arm because this is my village, it's my home, and I love everyone in it! I have to protect them!" Usopp says with tears streaming down his face as Asher grins and smacks his hands together as he produces mini-explosions.
"Okay, Usopp, you convinced me. Me and my friends will stay here, and help you protect your village." Asher says as Usopp stares at him, surprised.
"You've got a noble heart, Usopp. Sending your cronies away, so that you can fight those pirates on your own." Zoro says as he tightens his grip on his swords.
"That takes guts, kid. I'm in." Cottontail says.
"Just for you can know I got dibs on all the pirate treasure, you got it," Nami says as Cottontail sweatdropped.
"Looks like Luffy is not the only one that should learn to get their priority straight."
"So, you want a little help or what?" Luffy asked while stretching his limbs as Usopp stared at them with his jaw dropped. Not believing that these strangers are so willing to protect a village that they have no obligation to help as he teared up again.
"...Y-You're really gonna help me? I don't understand."
"Well, you said that there's a whole bunch of bad guys, right?" Luffy asked.
"And you looked scared out of your mind." Zoro pointed out.
"S-Scared? D-Don't be ridiculous! I'm the brave Captain Usopp! I got nerves of steel, so I don't care if I'm horribly outnumbered!" Usopp says as Asher raises an eyebrow.
"Usopp, stop lying. Your legs are shaking." Asher says while pointing at his shaking legs as Usopp curses.
"Crap, not now," Usopp says as he slaps his knees before sighing in defeat as he glared at the group. "Okay, fine! I'm scared, but what do you expect?! I'm going up against Captain Kuro and his men! Those guys mean business! If you guys are only helping me because you feel sorry for me, then beat it! I don't need your pity!" Usopp shouted as Zoro scoffed.
"Who the hell said we pitied you? We're helping you because you are an honorable man, Usopp." Zoro says.
"You really think we risk our lives out of pity?" Luffy asked as Asher looked down at Usopp, and gave him a soft look.
"We want to help you because we are impressed by your bravery, and we also don't want to see innocent people die tomorrow. So, shut up and accept our help, because quite frankly, you're not in the condition to fight anyone." Asher says as Usopp sobbed, and teared up.
"...You guys...!" Usopp whimpered, feeling sincerely grateful for their help as Asher grinned.
"Well, we better come up with a plan and rest up because tomorrow is time to blow those pirates to kingdom come!" Asher says, feeling excited for his first real fight against pirates as he tightened his fist, and mini-explosions popped out.
And done! I hope you guys the chapter.
Anyway, as always, I will catch you all later.