I do not own One Piece
It is owned by Oda
I just own my OC's
Enjoy!
One Piece: All Scope Adventure Pt.7
It was a surprisingly quiet day on the ocean as two boats sailed side-by-side together. The first occupied by Luffy, Jou, and Zoro. The second boat had Buggy the Clown's mark on it was used by Nami, the newly acquired Navigator for Luffy's crew.
"There's absolutely no way we'll make it to the Grand Line in this condition," Nami voiced her opinion.
"Hmm?" hummed Luffy and Zoro. Jou sitting on the mast, looked in her direction, taking his telescope off his eye.
"You're right," Luffy agreed with a mouth full of apple. "We're gonna need a whole lot more meat. Eating fruit every day is for the birds," he commented tossing the core in his mouth.
"We'll also need some booze," Zoro added but soon took an apple to the face.
"Booze?" Jou repeated. "I wouldn't mind a good drink myself." Jou saw an apple tossed his way as he effortlessly caught in his hand. "You can't be throwing food like that, Nami. We have to make that last, you know?" Jou then had another apple thrown at him this time actually hitting him in the head. "Ow! Seriously, what's your problem!?" he exclaimed nursing his head.
"My problem is the Grand Line is a dangerous place!" Nami said. "We'll need more than beer and meat to survive there. Not to mention the place is crawling with Pirates who are also in search of the One Piece and they all have ships that are way better than this!"
"And we don't have a crew," Luffy affirmed while eating the apple that was thrown at Zoro.
"True," Jou harmonized. "A Pirate crew of 4 isn't really much a crew, to begin with. Plus, we don't have much for supplies to last us in the Grand Line either."
"That's another thing!" Nami expressed. "We don't have a crew! We don't any equipment or even a real ship for that matter! There is no way we'll ever make it like this!"
"Yep!" Luffy smiled. "We'll need a cook! And maybe a musician to keep us entertained!"
"A musician?" Zoro repeated with a chuckle.
"It makes sense," Jou stated as he clambered down the mast and folded his arms. "Pirates love to sing and dance. It helps when you want to unwind a little after a tense fight or if you just want party."
"Yeah, yeah!" Luffy quickly agreed.
Nami could only frown at the three boys. Jou and Zoro also seemed to not be taking their situation seriously just like how Luffy is. She turned her attention back to the map in her hands.
"A little to the south of here is an island with some settlements on it," Nami informed. "And it looks like we might even get our ship and some of the supplies we need there."
"FRESH MEAT AT LAST!" Luffy cheered.
"Lots of booze as well!" Zoro smirked.
"Is that all you think about!?" Nami asked them angrily. "Are they like this all the time!?" she said to Jou.
"Guess so," Jou shrugged with a grin. "Getting something to eat and a good drink would be welcome right now. If you said there's a settlement, then there's got to be a restaurant on the island."
"You have got to be kidding me!?" Nami glared at him.
"No, I never kid when it comes to getting a meal," Jou said. "Calm down, Nami. You know getting a ship won't be easy, right?" Jou smiled knowingly. "Unless you can possibly buy one with that 5,000,000 berri's you got over there."
"Oh no," Nami shook her head. "This 5,000,000 is mine! It's especially mine since you thought it was a good idea to leave the other half of it!"
"Give me a break, you're still on that?" Jou remarked. "Every bit of gold is yours, huh?"
"That's right!" Nami declared. "I'm gonna make sure you never lay one finger on my money ever again!"
"That's just fine by me!" Jou professed. "But wow! I didn't know that being generous to other people was a bad thing! If I had known that, I guess you'd have 10,000,000 berri's instead of 5,000,000! Is that right?"
"And whose fault is that!" Nami retorted.
"Gee, I don't know," Jou shrugged. "Who's?"
Luffy and Zoro continued watching Jou and Nami continue their back and forth to each other. Zoro looked at Luffy with a grin.
"They're doing it again," Zoro commented.
"Hahahaha!" Luffy only laughed in response as Jou and Nami kept up their 'discussion'.
"Talking with you gives me a headache!" Nami groaned.
"Well, talking to you gives me a migraine!" Jou opined.
-X-
The four docked the boats on the islands' beach. Luffy was the first one to step foot on the sand. Jou, Nami, and Zoro disembarked after the Straw hat. Luffy chuckled excitedly as he looked around. Zoro stretched as soon as he got off the boat.
"Feels good to be on dry land again," Zoro commented.
"There's a village around here somewhere, right?" Luffy wondered.
"Yeah," Nami answered. "It looks like a small one though."
"Small or big, I don't really care," Jou said shrugging. "I honestly wouldn't mind getting something to eat."
"Is that all you guys think about?" Nami asked staring down at her map. "All of you, just thinking with your stomachs."
"All I said is that I wouldn't mind eating," Jou stated. "There must be a restaurant if there's a town. Preferably with meat, right Captain?" Jou passed a knowing smirk at Luffy.
"Yeah, that's right!" Luffy smiled. "There's gotta be meat! C'mon, Nami! Tell me where the meet is! There has to be a place to eat meat in this village!" Luffy impatiently got in the Navigator's space, his mouth watering just thinking about all the meat he's going to eat.
"Just forget about meat for a minute, would ya!" Nami muttered and then turned her glare at Jou. "You just had to bring up meat, didn't you?"
Jou only gave Nami a smirk as he adjusted his beanie over his head. Zoro, who was still yawning had been eyeing some bushes up on a cliff and thumbed up one of his katana's.
"Careful," Zoro warned the other three. "We're being watched."
"Huh?" Luffy mouthed in confusion but soon grinned. "By who? Who are they? They got meat?"
"You're right on that," Jou agreed with Zoro. "Up there." Jou nodded toward the bushes on the cliff. His hand reached for one of his knives, picking one from the holster. "Looks like someone has come to welcome us."
"Welcome and give us meat, right?" Luffy asked cheerily.
"Look out!" Zoro shouted in warning as multiple small pellets of some kind were shot Luffy's feet. The Straw hat bounced around to avoid the ammunition. Nami had quickly run for cover behind the boats to avoid being hit. In the bushes on the cliff before the four, several black flags with a skull and crossbones protruded from the bushes.
"That's so cool!" Luffy cheered waving his arms.
"Is this supposed to be when we're impressed?" Nami remarked.
"Hahahaha!" laughed a young boy with his arms folded across his chest. He had black, curly hair with a green bandana on his head, brown overalls, a white sash around his waist, beige-colored back that hung across his body. The most noticeable thing about him was his long nose.
"I am Usopp!" the boy introduced proudly. "Leader of the invincible nation of Pirates who reign over this island!" Usopp announced. "You stand before a living legend, the most revered Pirate who ever lived! I am the great Captain Usopp! Surely you know that plotting an attack on this island would mean certain death! My army of 80 million, super mean Pirate soldiers would squash you like bugs!"
"AWESOME!" Luffy screamed excitedly. It was no surprise that Luffy would believe an obvious lie. Zoro himself couldn't help but sweat-drop at the Straw hat for easily being fooled.
"You expect us to believe that?" Nami asked Usopp.
"Ah!" Usopp screamed fearing that he had been found out in his deception. "She knows!"
"Yep," Nami smiled knowingly. "Well, now I know."
"How could I have been so dumb!?" Usopp berated himself. "I practically told her I was lying! I am such an idiot! I'm stupid!"
"What!?" Luffy shouted. "He was lying!"
"Curse you, you crafty tactician!" Usopp declared. "80 million may have been an exaggeration but I have a great many men under my control-"
"My guess is 3," Nami stated. As soon as she said that, three little kids screamed and dropped the flags they held.
"SHE DOES KNOW!" the kids yelled and ran out from the bushes they were hidden behind.
"Hey, where you guys going!?" Usopp called to his 'men' who just ignored his pleas. "Come back!" he was now completely left alone with the four Pirates.
"A Pirate using a slingshot, huh?" Nami said picking up one of the silver projectiles Usopp shot at Luffy. "Well, now I've seen it all," she commented blowing the sand off of it.
"Hahahaha!" Luffy chuckled. "That's pretty cool!"
"Shut your mouth!" Usopp snapped. "Or I'll shut it for you!" he pulled his slingshot from his bag and aimed it at Luffy. "I'm a proud man and I won't stand for it! This is your last warning or you'll get to see why they call me 'Proud Usopp' and not 'Pushover Usopp'. Is that clear?" Luffy had put his head down, placing his hand on his straw hat.
"You've already seen first-hand how good I am with this thing!" Usopp said still pulling back his slingshot. "You know I can rival anyone carrying a pistol!"
"Now that you've drawn your pistol, are you willing..." Luffy smiled bringing his gaze at Usopp. "...to use it." Usopp's mouth opened up in surprise but kept aiming as Luffy continued to talk.
"Guns aren't for threats, they're for actions," Luffy stated. "Are you willing to risk your life?"
Jou and Zoro both smirked at their Captain. They decided to join in on the fun as well. Zoro pushed up one of his katana's as he stared at Usopp.
"I can assure you, we're real Pirates," Zoro voiced. "Consider your next move very carefully." Jou flicked his wrist and took hold of his red chain, flipping it over his shoulder.
"If you think you can take us, go ahead take the shot," Jou smirked as he held up one of Usopp's projectiles. "If you got the 'balls' to do it, that is."
At this point, Usopp was sweating as he was trying to unleash his shot but wasn't able to. After a while, it was just everyone standing in the same spot until Usopp had finally given up and eventually let go of the sling of his weapon, even dropping his ammo in the grass and fell to knees.
"Real Pirates definitely have a lot more punch behind their words because they can actually back 'em up," Usopp commented with tears in his eyes. "That's so cool."
Luffy, Jou, and Zoro all smirked at each other and all broke into a fit of laughter. Luffy smiled up at Usopp.
"I stole that," Luffy mentioned.
"Huh?" Usopp wondered as he didn't know what Luffy meant.
"I stole those words from 'Red-Haired' Shanks," Luffy said. "A Pirate I know."
"You know 'Red-Haired' Shanks!?" Usopp asked in surprise. "You really are a real Pirate! You gotta be lying! Do you really know him?"
"Yep," Luffy said simply. "I know your Dad, too. His names Yasopp, right?"
Usopp laughed excitedly as he leaned over the side of the cliff he was on and soon found himself tumbling off of it. He bounced a few times off the side until finally falling on his head and then landing on his back. Usopp leaned back up seemingly okay from the fall.
"You're right," Usopp replied to Luffy. "My old man's name is Yasopp. But how... how in the world do you know him?"
-X-
Usopp took the four to a small restaurant just inside his village. Usopp was generous enough to order food for them. Zoro was having a mug of booze with his food, Luffy was biting out of a piece of meat, and Jou and Nami ate their food in a more civilized manner.
"This is good, huh?" Usopp commented.
"It's delicious," Jou smiled. "Thanks for bringing us here."
"Yeah, no problem," Usopp replied.
"So, I met your Dad when I was just a little kid," Luffy spoke to Usopp with his mouth full.
"Hold on..." Usopp said. "Does my old man really know Shanks?"
"When I met your Dad, he was on Shanks' crew," Luffy mentioned. "So they're probably pretty good friends."
"I can't believe it!" Usopp exclaimed happily. "My old man sailing the high sea's with famous Pirates." Usopp hearing about his father made him obtain an excited smile across his face.
"I haven't heard from him in a while but I bet he's still with them," Luffy stated grabbing an apple. "He was a heck of a sharp-shooter. I'd keep him on my crew. He used to go on-and-on about his son. I think I've heard enough about you to make my ears bleed. And let me tell you, he was a great Pirate."
As Luffy continued talking to Usopp, Jou saw Zoro chugging down the booze that was in his mug which made him frown.
"Geez, Zoro," Jou said. "Pace yourself. Don't choke yourself with your own drink. It's not like it's going anywhere."
Zoro just ignored Jou's advice even though he spoke from experience. Jou worked at a bar, so it was a common thing for a patron to gag on their booze.
"I sure am proud of my old man," Usopp said proudly. "He left into a Pirates life on the endless sea. And chose a life of real adventure."
Jou, who finished taking a drink from his own mug stared at Usopp with an admirable smile. It was nice that he still view's his Father in a prideful manner and isn't bitter at all for sailing on the seas. For Jou, it was different. Jou's mother was a Pirate but she gave that all up so she could raise him. But now, here he is on a Pirate crew, pretty much following in her footsteps trying to find the All Scope in a Grand Line.
'The world works in mysterious ways,' Jou thought as he took a drink out of his mug.
"Maybe you can help us," Nami spoke to Usopp. "Do you know someone who can provide us with a decent ship or even anyone who knows how to sail for that matter?"
"Well..." Usopp sighed. "It's a pretty small village. Sorry, but I just don't think we'll be able to help you."
"What about that huge mansion?" Zoro asked staring out the window. "The one on top of that hill over there?"
"Hey, do you know them, Usopp?" Nami questioned with a hopeful smile, her hands clasped together. "With all that money, surely they can help us get our boat!"
"I'm sorry, but what the hell is wrong with you guys!?" Jou asked sighing. "You guys sound crazy! Don't get me wrong, I'm all for getting a bigger boat but you can't just go waltzing on someone's property and saying 'Hey there, can you get us a ship?"
"You stay away from there!" Usopp noted sternly toward the four. They all stared at him in surprise from his outburst. Even Usopp himself was in shock from his sudden blowup at a four he had just met not too long ago and stared out the window.
"I just remembered something that I really gotta do!" Usopp mentioned. "Everybody knows me at this place! So, stay and eat as much as you want! Well, uh, gotta go!" with that, he grabbed his bag and dashed out the restaurant's double doors.
"Why was he in such a hurry to get outta here?" Nami wondered as she watched Usopp leave.
"Beats me," Jou shrugged as he took another sip out of his mug. Jou began to wonder that Usopp must have some sort of connection with the people who live in that mansion since he became defensive about it.
Moments after Usopp left them, the doors to the restaurant burst open to reveal the three kids that were with Usopp earlier.
"The Usopp Pirates have arrived!" the trio of kids announced as they rose their wooden toy swords in the air.
"Who are these kids?" Nami wondered.
"Fess up, you filthy Pirates!" the lead kid yelled as he approached the table. "What have you done with our beloved Captain! Tell us now!"
"Yeah, tell us now!" the other two kids repeated as they ran up to the table as well. Luffy set down his mug as he let out a sigh of content, his belly bloated from all the food he ate.
"That meat sure was good," Luffy smiled patting his big stomach.
"W-What meat!?" one of the kids questioned.
"These Pirates are cannibals!?" said the one with glasses. Nami could only giggle in amusement at the frightened children.
"W-What have you done!?" the one in the green hat scaredly asked. "You s-savages!"
"If you're looking for your captain..." Zoro spoke as a sick grin spread across his face. "We ate him."
"Sadly..." Jou smirked as he held up a bone. "This is all that's left of him," Jou mentioned as he bit the small bit of meat that was left on the bone.
"CANNIBAAAAAAL!" the three kids screamed in horror but their eyes were pointed directly at Nami.
"WHAT'RE YOU PUNKS LOOKING AT ME FOR!?" Nami exclaimed with shark teeth at the kids. The three of Luffy, Jou, and Zoro couldn't help but bust out in laughter. "You just had to say something stupid, didn't you!?" she yelled at her three crewmates who just kept laughing. The trio of Usopp Pirates were all laying on the floor, breathing heavily.
-X-
After some quick explanations and introductions, the Usopp Pirates, Piiman, Tamanegi, and Ninjin led the crew to where Usopp could be since Luffy wanted to know. The kids brought them to the mansion toward the gate that was surrounding the large house.
"Woah!" Luffy exclaimed. "This place is huge!"
"I know," Jou agreed. "There weren't any places that were this big back in my village."
"And if our Captain ran off at this hour; then this is the place he's gonna be," Tamanegi mentioned.
"What in the world does Usopp come here for?" Luffy asked.
"He comes to lie," Ninjin chimed.
"To lie!?" Nami reiterated with her hands on her hips.
"He's not a bad guy, he's great!" Piiman claimed. "Isn't he?"
"Yeah, he's awesome," Tamenegi smiled.
"How is a liar awesome?" Zoro questioned.
"Well, Kaya," Pepper said.
"A girl, huh?" Jou commented putting a hand on his hip. "Does Usopp have some sort of relationship with this Kaya?"
"Kaya has been in a terrible depression that's kept her weak and in bed since her parents got sick and then died a year ago," Piiman explained. "She's very rich but all money couldn't help her recover from her sadness."
"So, our Captain comes up with special made-up stories to make her cheer up," Tamenegi added.
"Captain Usopp is the best at telling lies," Ninjin stated.
"Wow, that really is pretty nice of him," Luffy commented.
"He must be a pretty awesome guy then, huh?" Jou said with a smile
"Yeah!" the three kids exclaimed.
"The best thing about him is his mischievous side," mentioned Ninjin. "He's always up to something."
"I like him because he's not afraid to be silly," Piiman said.
"And I like the Captain's crazy lies," Tamenegi said.
"So when he tells her those stories..." Nami spoke. "He makes her feel better?"
"Yep!" Ninjin replied. "Lot's better!"
"Great!" Luffy grinned raising a fist. "I think we should ask her for a ship after all!"
"We're not the one's who make her feel better," Zoro voiced with his arms crossed. "Usopp is."
"As I mentioned..." Jou stated. "You can't go onto someone else's property and asking for something and plus..." Jou pointed at the two guards standing in front of the gate.
"Getting in is impossible," Tamenegi mentioned. "Those guards at the gate don't let anyone through."
Everyone started looking around since a certain Straw-hat had gone missing. Luffy was climbing up the gate without the group seeing him.
"I'll go ask her!" Luffy announced as everyone had become alerted when they saw him on the fence.
"Luffy!" Jou shouted. "What're you-"
"Gum-Gum...!" Luffy's arms stretched as he was holding onto the fence as his back touched the ground. Piiman, Tamenegi, and Ninjin all screamed as seeing someone's arms stretch like how Luffy's can is a frightening sight compared to people who have seen it already.
"His arms all stretchy!?" Tamenegi screamed.
"He's some kind of monster!" Ninjin yelled.
"Pardon the intrusion...!" immediately, Jou, Nami, Zoro along with Pepper, Onion, and Carrot run in to stop Luffy. It's however too late as everybody found themselves being flung into the air by the straw hat. "ROCKET!" everyone went soaring high into the sky screaming for dear life except for Luffy who was cheering.
-X-
Usopp was regaling Kaya with one of his many 'tales' of adventure. Kaya is a pretty young girl with a pale complexion and brown eyes. She had a happy smile on her face as Usopp continued his story but what caught her attention were 7 small bright lights in the sky which seemed to be falling closer to them.
"So after that terrifying and dramatic little incident..." Usopp said. "We escaped into the sky riding on a giant slingshot ball!"
"What's that?" Kaya pointed up at the sky. Usopp looked up where his friend was pointing and saw what was coming down.
"YAHOOOOOO!" Luffy cheered as he the others who tried to stop him all hit the ground making a dust cloud in their collision. It all cleared to reveal that everyone had fallen down in a different way. Luffy and Zoro had crashed in the ground, leaving small craters and Piiman, Tamenegi, and Ninjin had landed in some bushes.
"That worked well," Luffy stated.
"Yeah, real well!" Nami yelled with shark teeth.
"My back..." Jou muffled with his face in the ground. Nami had somehow landed on Jou's back which managed to cushion her fall.
"Are you alright, Jou?" Nami wondered as Jou leaned his head up.
"Get off, dammit!" Jou shouted. "You're crushing me!"
"What!?" Nami shouted back. "You better not be saying I'm heavy or I swear I'm gonna make you pay, Jou!" she crossed her arms over chest letting out an irritated huff.
"I didn't say anything like that!" Jou stated. "Now, could you kindly please..." Nami sighed and quickly got off Jou's back allowing him to get up and dust himself off.
"My goodness, are you okay?" Kaya concernedly asked the group that fell from the sky.
"Don't mind them, Kaya," Usopp assured raising his arms. "This happens to me all the time, that's just the price of being a famous adventurer! They're just new recruits who heard about me and came to join the Usopp Pirates!"
"Nope, not me," Luffy said as he stood back up. "I came here to see you," he spoke to Kaya. "I wanted to ask you a favor?"
"A favor?" Kaya questioned. "From me?"
"I was wondering if there was any way you can help us get a boat?" Luffy asked.
"You there!"
Everyone turned their heads toward the direction of the voice. It belonged to a man with slicked-back black hair and wearing a black butler suit and on his eyes he wore a pair of round glasses.
"What do you think you're doing?" the man asked sternly.
"Klahadore..." Kaya said as the man had approached the group.
"Get out," Klahadore said as he pushed up his glasses with the palm of his hand. "I"ll have you know that this is criminal trespassing."
"Hey, guys...?" Luffy wondered as he stared at Klahadore. "Who's he?" Klahadore stopped in front of the group, keeping the serious look he had on the group.
"Uh, actually Klahadore..." Kaya said trying to reassure her caretaker. "These people are-"
"Not now, Kaya," Klahadore spoke pushing up his glasses once more. "You can tell me all about this riffraff after they've left." He stepped forward. "Now get out! All of you! Leave now unless you have some business with me!"
"Alright!" Luffy exclaimed smiling. "Do you think you can help us get a ship?"
"Certainly not!" Klahadore quickly refused. Luffy groaned putting his head down as Zoro put a comforting hand on his Captain's shoulder.
"I tried to warn you, Captain," Jou said crossing his arms.
"Usopp!" Klahadore called looking up at the tree.
"Crap!" Usopp cursed trying to keep quiet while hanging from the tree.
"You have quite the reputation," Klahadore said to Usopp. "You're very well-known in the village."
"Heh, sure am," Usopp replied climbed back onto the branch with a nervous laugh.
"I hear you've been on many adventures," Klahadore mentioned. "Quite impressive for someone so young as you."
"Usually people who admire me so much call me Captain," Usopp claimed as he stood on the branch and leaned against the tree. "So it's Captain Usopp to you!"
"Captain, huh?" Klahadore inquired pushing up his glasses. "Your father also had something of a reputation."
"What?" Usopp questioned.
"Klahadore, please just stop!" Kaya exclaimed leaning out the window.
"You'll be nothing more than the son of a filthy pirate!" Klahadore said glaring up at Usopp.
'Who gave this guy the right to talk crap about his father like that?' Jou thought arms still crossed.
Jou happened to really dislike the way this butler was bad-mouthing Usopp's father. Jou may not know Usopp's dad, but Jou couldn't help but glare when he called the guy's father a 'filthy pirate'. Mostly due to the fact that Jou's mother was once a Pirate. Did that make Jou the son of a 'filthy pirate'? No, It didn't. But that didn't give this guy the right talk bad about someone's father that way.
"Who knows what kind of trouble you're up to now!" Klahadore exclaimed. "All I ask is that you and your kind leave this respectable young lady alone!"
"A filthy pirate!?" Usopp repeated the words with venom in his voice and glaring daggers at Klahadore.
"You and she are two completely different worlds and you know it!" Klahadore stated. "Is it money your after? How much do you want?"
"CEASE THIS AT ONCE KLAHADORE!" Kaya yelled. "APOLOGIZE TO HIM!"
"Hey, calm down Kaya," Usopp said trying to calm his friend down.
"I don't believe there is any reason for this savage young man, my lady," Klahadore added pushing up his glasses again. "My goal isn't to slander. I am merely stating the truth. I sympathize with your situation. You must hate your great idiot of a father for abandoning his family and his village because of his mindless lust for treasure."
"Don't you dare insult my father ever again!" Usopp growled as he had enough of hearing Klahadore's insults about his father as he leaped from the branch.
"Usopp!" Kaya yelled.
Usopp had latched a hook on the branch and repelled down with a rope. He landed on the ground as his grabbling hook shot back into his bag. Usopp had kept his glare, his teeth gritted and his body shaking in anger at Klahadore.
"Why have you gotten so worked up, Usopp?" Klahadore questioned pushing his glasses again. "It's times like these when you should do what you do best and lie. Tell me about how your father is really a traveling salesman or about how you aren't really related by blood..." That was it for Usopp as he dashed up to Klahadore.
"ENOUGH!" Usopp yelled as he slammed his fist into Klahadore's face knocking the caretaker down. Kaya, Piiman, Tamenegi, and Ninjin gasped while Luffy, Zoro, Jou, and Nami just stare.
"CAPTAIN!" shouted the three Usopp Pirates. Klahadore leaned himself up as he held his bruised cheek.
"Case in point," Klahadore remarked. "He resorts to violence, I guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, does it?"
"SHUT UP!" Usopp shouted at Klahadore who looked like he was backing down. "My father followed his heart and chose a life of risk and adventure! I am proud to say that my old man is a brave warrior of the sea! You're right, I have been known to exaggerate from time to time but I will never lie about who my father is! I refuse to be ashamed of my heritage! I AM THE SON OF A PIRATE!"
"Captain..." Ninjin uttered softly.
"Pirates are 'Brave Warriors of the Sea', are they?" Klahadore said laughing hysterically. "That's quite a twisted way of putting things. You don't seem to understand that you're living proof of his savage blood. You run around spouting lies and use violence when you don't get your way. To top it off, you cozy up to the lady of the house to steal her fortune."
"You're wrong!" Usopp stated. "I only-"
"YOU'RE FATHER IS FILTHY NO GOOD PIRATE!" Klahadore yelled. "TREACHERY IS IN YOUR BLOOD! OF COURSE, YOU WOULD HAVE SUCH AN EVIL SCHEME!"
Usopp grabbed Klahadore by the shirt, reeling back his fist. "You won't let up, will you!?"
"Stop it, Usopp! Please!" Kaya pleaded. "No more violence, I can't take it! Klahadore isn't a bad person! He just trying to do what he thinks is best for me and sometimes too far!"Usopp calmed down and released his grip from Klahadore, the butler slapping his hand away.
"Leave this place," Klahadore ordered. "YOU ARE NEVER TO COME HERE AGAIN!"
"Yeah, I get it," Usopp said. "You don't have to tell me twice, buddy." Usopp walked away with his hands in his pockets. "This is the last you'll ever see of me," Usopp said as he left.
"Usopp..." Kaya muttered sadly. Piiman, Tamenegi, and Ninjin ran up to Klahadore, the trio of kids angry.
"Hey, you butler jerk!" screamed Ninjin. "Our captain is not that kind of guy!"
"Stupid jerkface!" yelled Piiman and Tamenegi.
"JERKFACE!" Luffy shouted shortly after the two boys. Zoro had punched Luffy on the top of the head.
"Shut up, you don't have a bone to pick with him," Zoro stated. Luffy tried to charge at Klahadore but was stopped by both Jou and Zoro.
"Hey, easy, Captain!" Jou yelled struggling with Zoro to hold Luffy. "The guy did nothing to you!"
Jou may have said that but he felt the same way Luffy with the way this butler was insulting Usopp's father. If it was someone speaking ill of his mother, he would likely want to beat the hell out of them, too.
Klahadore glared down at Piiman, Tamenegi, and Ninjin. The boys quickly became frightened by the butler and all ran to hide behind Nami.
"YOU WILL ALL LEAVE IMMEDIATELY!" Klahadore ordered.
-X-
Shortly after as everyone was told to leave the mansion grounds by Klahadore, Jou left the group to see if he can find Usopp and talk to him. It took a while but he was able to spot Usopp on the same hill he and the other's had met him earlier today. Jou made his way over but Usopp didn't even hear him approach until Jou cleared his throat.
"Hey," Jou waved. "You probably don't want me to, but do you mind if I sit?"
Usopp had turned his head around, his face showing he was still upset over the scene that happened moments ago.
"I just want to be alone," he said.
"Oh, okay," Jou nodded and turned around to walk away. "Sorry if I bothered you."
"Wait," Usopp voiced as Jou had halted and turned back at him. "Come on over and sit down if you want." he offered with a sigh as Jou sat by him, his legs crisscrossed.
"You're thinking about what happened back at the mansion, huh?" Jou asked.
"Yeah," Usopp answered again with a groan, his shoulders slumping down.
"Don't listen to what that butler said about your father," Jou stated. "He didn't know him, so who the hell gives him the right?" Jou crossed his arms over his chest. "Your father is sailing with one of the most powerful Pirates around right now. And hey, your lucky you actually know about your father. I never knew my Dad."
"You don't even know who your Dad is?" Usopp wondered. Usopp had spent his whole life knowing who his father is, especially as someone he can be proud of. He almost couldn't imagine what it must be like to have no clue who your Dad is.
"Nope," Jou quickly stated with a shake of his head. "I never asked my mom so it never came to mind. She would mention him sometimes. Saying that I 'look' like him. But other than that, I don't know. He could be alive somewhere or at the very least he could be dead." Jou shrugged his shoulders. "But enough about me and my non-existent 'daddy issues', that was quite the punch you landed on that butler. He might feel that in the morning." Jou mentioned with a short chuckle.
"That was nothing," Usopp said. "Besides he wasn't even ready for it and now Kaya probably doesn't want to see me again."
"No, that's not true," Jou said. "She looked sad watching you leave. Look, don't be too upset about what that jackass butler said. Just ignore that. People can say whatever they want, it doesn't matter." Jou smirked as he looked toward the ocean. "Someone said that to me not too long ago."
Before Usopp could reply, a certain boy with straw hat dangled from a nearby tree surprising Usopp who became a little startled at the sudden appearance.
"Hey, Luffy," Jou smiled.
"Hi, Jou," Luffy grinned himself and fell down from the tree on his back. He leaned up so he can join the other two sitting on the ground.
"I can't believe that butler," Usopp said as the events from earlier were still in his mind. "Insulting my old man like that."
"Yeah, I hate that guy, too," Luffy agreed. "No matter what anyone said, Yasopp was a great Pirate."
"Yeah, really!" Usopp remarked happily. "I always looked up to my old man for living every day of his life on the line! Out on the ocean! He made a brave choice and I admire him for that! And then that stupid, snotty butler stomped all over my pride. He's gonna pay for this."
"Are you ever gonna see that girl again?" Luffy wondered.
"Yeah, you should go talk to her again," Jou suggested. "You two seem rather close and... you never know but might have a thing for you."
Usopp couldn't help but develop a blush on his cheeks. "Uh, I-I-It's nothing like that at all." Usopp stammered. "Kaya's my friend."
"You don't say?" Jou smirked noticing the obvious red tint on the young man's face. "Oh, well," Jou remarked with a shrug. "Your friend is quite a looker, If you don't hurry someone will just come up and take her away from you. Like me."
"Huh!?" Usopp uttered out.
"Hmm?" Jou, a smirk still etched across his face as he looked at Usopp. "Oh, sorry. Not me. Correction: Drunk me." Jou chuckled and folded his arms over his chest. "Drunk Jou is no fun. He's an awful ass and I believe he's coming by for dinner tonight."
At this point, Luffy let out a big hearty laugh. Usopp was however glaring at Jou; the chain-wielder was chucking himself until he paused it and smiled.
"I'm just joking, I wouldn't do that," Jou said. "You can relax. Your friend only has eyes for you. Plus, she looks a little too meek for my taste. Personally, I'd like a girl who can challenge me in some way. Anyway, Luffy's right. You really should go back and talk to Kaya again."
"I don't know, I'll consider it if that butler apologizes for the things he said," Usopp said.
"That butler right there?" Luffy asked pointing and true enough, Klahadore the butler was talking to an oddly-dressed man wearing a blue wide-brimmed hat and a blue coat to match, heart-shaped sun-glasses, olive green pants, and black shoe with tall white socks.
"Yeah, that's the one," Usopp answered. "If he-" he finally looked over and saw Klahadore speaking to the other man.
SMASH!
Usopp in surprise had leaned over and smashed Luffy's face into the ground. "WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HE DOING DOWN HERE!?" Usopp screamed.
"What's the big idea?" Luffy muffled into the ground. Jou took this time to lean in close as well.
"Let's quiet down," Jou ordered. "I wanna hear what they're saying." The trio stopped talking so they can listen to what Klahadore is saying to his suspicious-looking 'friend'.
"Hey, Jango," Klahadore said. "I specifically ordered you to keep yourself inconspicuous. That doesn't mean sleeping on the road." he scolded the man known as Jango.
"Relax, man," Jango replied with a post. "I perfected the skills of a chameleon, I blend in." The three of Luffy, Jou, and Usopp on the hill were still listening to Klahadore and Jango's conversation.
"There's someone else with him and man is he weird," Luffy said.
"Weird is definitely the word I'd use to describe him," Jou mentioned. "I don't even know what he was even thinking of going around dressed like that. Hey, Usopp? You go to the mansion to see Kaya regularly, don't you? Have you seen that guy before?"
"I think I'd remember seeing someone like him," Usopp answered. "But I've never seen him before. Who is he?"
"No clue," Jou said. "Though, the way they're talking they seem to be familiar with each other."
"So..." Klahadore said pushing up his glasses. "Have all the necessary preparations been made?"
"But of course, we can start anytime," Jango responded. "On the 'Rich Girl Murder Plan'!"
"Murder!?" Usopp uttered with a worried expression. Jou's eyes also widened in surprise at hearing Jango's proclamation. Luffy just kept his usual blank face.
"Don't call it murder, Jango," Klahadore quickly corrected. "I don't like the sound of it."
"Oh, right," Jango said. "'Accident'. It's an accident that you planned."
"What're those guys talking about?" Luffy asked as he was obviously clueless to what Klahadore and Jango were talking about.
"Just be quiet," Usopp shushed. "Maybe if we listen in a little closer we can find out."
"Bad idea," Jou dismissed. "They'll probably spot us if we went any closer, we can listen from this spot so just quiet so we can hear."
"We can't simply kill her," Klahadore insisted. "It is critical to our plan that Miss Kaya perishes in an unfortunate accident. So don't screw that up."
"So, basically..." Jango replied sitting down. "The men and I storm the village and manage to accidentally kill the little rich girl, then you get her inheritance, then we all get paid, right!"
"You moron!" Klahadore growled. "Your ignorance is astounding! We're not related so how can I inherit anything from her!"
"You'll work very hard, too," Jango commented.
"No Jango, I won't," replied the 'butler'. Now listen to me, this is the most important part: Before you kill her, you'll use your hypnosis to make Kaya write her will and it will say: "I leave my entire fortune to my butler, Klahadore"."
Usopp had ground his teeth in worry. Klahadore was planning to indirectly kill Kaya using a Pirate Raid on the village.
"This jackass," Jou muttered in anger under his breath.
"Then and only then I will have undisputed control of her enormous fortune," Klahadore declared with a sick grin etched on his face. "And no one will suspect a thing. I have spent 3 long years gaining the trust of everyone around me so that it would be unsurprising for her to leave the entirety of her inheritance to me."
"3 years as a butler for this, huh?" Jango asked. "You sure had us scared back then, Captain Kuro. 3 years ago, you suddenly said you were giving up life as a Pirate. In no time at all, you set someone to be your double and then the world see's the Captain get executed. Only now do I understand that was just the beginning of this plan. You are 'The Man of 1,000 Plans'."
"Never call me that again," Kuro glared. "I abandoned that name years ago, I now wish to attain my wealth without attracting the attention of the Government. In other words, I'm a pacifist."
"Some pacifist you are!" Jango guffawed. "Murdering an entire family doesn't exactly qualify as peaceful."
"Hold on, I haven't murdered an entire family." Kuro disclosed. "The father's death wasn't planned."
"Whatever you say, it makes no difference," Jango stated. "If it's all the same to you, hurry up and give the word. The crew is getting bored, we've been waiting in the water's near here for over a week and the men are growing more anxious by the minute."
Jou, Usopp, and Luffy were still on the hilltop listening to the whole entire conversation. Jou and Usopp had intently listened to the whole thing, but Luffy, of course, was having trouble even following along.
'This is horrible,' Usopp thought his body visibly shaking. 'This is really horrible.'
"What're they talking about?" Luffy asked. "Is it bad guy stuff?" he wasn't completely wrong.
"Well, at least you have the basic gist of it, huh Luffy?" Jou remarked.
"Those guys aren't just bad," Usopp said. "They're evil."
"Well, what do you know?" Jou smirked. "Who knew THE Captain Kuro was still alive? I heard about him. Captain Kuro. Also known by his nickname given to him by the Marines, 'Kuro of 1,000 Plans' was known for his devious schemes and ideas, the guy is no idiot. He's smart but he's also a natural killer. I read in the news that the Marines eventually caught him and executed him 3 years ago."
"Yeah, I read about that, too," Usopp added. "But Captain Kuro is alive and posing as Klahadore the Butler and he's had his diabolical sights set on Kaya's fortune for the last 3 years. First, they'll attack the village and then they'll kill Kaya!" Usopp gripped both sides of his head anxiously. "This is bad! This is really bad!"
"I'm with you there," Jou agreed. "He was only using your friend for his own selfish gain. Honestly, I hate jackasses like him." Klahadore and Jango had no idea that the three on the hill were there until Luffy had stood up.
"Hey, get down!" Usopp warned. "They'll see you!"
"Luffy, wait-" Jou said trying to halt his Captain from giving them away.
"HEY, BAD GUYS!" Luffy yelled. "YOU BETTER STAY AWAY FROM THAT GIRL!"
'Dammit...' Jou cursed in thought. 'Too late now.'
"Who're you!?" Jango asked the three on top of the cliff.
"You idiot, they spotted you!" Usopp said pulling on Luffy's arm. "C'mon, hurry up and hide before they decide you need a long, slow death."
"Well now," Kuro spoke as he looked up at the trio or more specifically Usopp. "If it isn't Usopp, the mischievous town liar."
"Oh no!" Usopp shouted out loud. "I've been spotted, too."
"Did you... hear anything?" Kuro wondered with a glare.
"Nope! Nothing at all! Not a peep! Nothing at all! We just got here! We didn't hear anything!" Usopp professed all the while waving his hands.
"We heard it all," Luffy stated.
"Shut up!" Usopp said with a quick slap to Luffy's chest. Jou stood up, over-looking the cliff and staring down Kuro and Jango. He made himself known to them and realized there was no sense in hiding anymore.
"There's no more denying it," Jou remarked. "We did hear everything. Every damn word. It's quite remarkable how Kuro of 1,000 Plans is still alive. I'd be interested in hearing the story of how that came to be."
"No, we don't!" Usopp tried to quiet down Jou next. "Shut up!" Kuro only let out a short chuckle and motioned Jango to deal with the 3.
"Well, if you say so," Jango responded walking forward. "Pay attention, boys! And Watch this ring closely!" Jango held up a string that held up a ring with sharpened edges. When looking at it, it resembled a Chakram. "By the count of Jango, you will be in a deep sleep! Are you ready? 1... 2..."
"Run for cover!" Usopp warned fearfully. "He's gonna kill us!" he quickly dove to the ground for cover. But Jou and Luffy just kept standing at the edge of the cliff. Jou slowly reached from the holster from his right hip.
"JAN-" before Jango could even finish uttering the final syllable of his name. A fast-moving object cut through the thin thread that held his Chakram and whizzed right past him. Both Kuro and Jango turned their heads and saw a single throwing knife impaled into the ground behind them.
"Uh oh..." Jango muttered sadly. Kuro glared directly at Jou, who had his arm outstretched toward them.
"Woah, nice throw," Luffy noted sounding impressed.
"Hypnotism, right?" Jou asked. "You think we'd be dumb enough to fall for such a stupid trick? You're not gonna lay a hand on Usopp's friend." Jou glared with his beanie shadowing his eyes. "We'll stop you."
"What do we do now?" Jango asked Kuro. "Should we just speed this up and just kill all three of them?" he began to pull out two more Chakrams from his coat.
"There's no need," Kuro mentioned. "Everything Usopp would say will sound like lies. And they wouldn't believe a couple of children that just arrived at the village. Jango, tomorrow at daybreak the men are to attack the village. Rough up the villagers some and tear up some homes for good measure and above all... make sure Miss Kaya's death looks accidental."
"Tomorrow!?" Usopp repeated his body shaking fearfully.
"Just accept it, Usopp," Kuro replied. "There is nothing you can say or do to warn the villagers of this impending tragedy." Usopp taking one last look at Kuro turned to run away.
"Hey, where are you going?" Luffy asked him.
"I have to try and warn Kaya!" Usopp declared. "She has to know about this!" Usopp quickly darted away from the cliff.
"Luffy, come on," Jou said. "We better get going, too. We need to let Zoro and Nami know about this."
"We're not gonna stay and kick this guy's ass?" Luffy questioned pointing at Kuro.
"Not yet," Jou shook his head. "We have to find the others. Don't worry, I'm sure he'll get what's coming to him." Jou smirked at his Captain. "I can promise you that. Let's go, Captain."
Jou dashed off as Luffy took a look at Kuro and Jango, more specifically Kuro and ran off after Jou.
-X-
Jou and Luffy found Zoro and Nami along with Piiman, Tamenegi, and Ninjin all making their way toward them down the path between the island fields.
"Yo!" Jou waved at them.
"Hey, there you guys are," Nami said to Jou and Luffy.
"We were about to head off to find you two," Zoro added.
"Have you seen our Captain?" Piiman asked.
"Yeah," Jou nodded. "Last I saw him we were talking at that spot that gives a good view of the ocean and the beach."
"That's the Captain's spot," Ninjin mentioned. "He's always going there to be alone."
"You guys gotta listen to this," Jou stated.
"What's wrong?" Nami wondered.
"Pirates are gonna attack this village tomorrow at daybreak," Jou announced. "Not only that, they're gonna kill that Kaya girl."
"What!" Piiman, Tamenegi, and Ninjin yelled, their eyes widened in surprise. "Pirates are gonna attack the village and they're gonna kill Kaya!?"
"Yep, that's what they said," Luffy confirmed with a nod while adjusting his straw hat. "No question about it."
"Apparently that butler..." Jou mentioned. "Ya know the one that takes care of Usopp's friend. He's not Klahadore the butler, he's actually Captain Kuro."
"Really?" Nami asked. "You mean the same one that was executed 3 years ago by the Marines."
"I see," Zoro said folding his arms. "The guy must've faked his own death. This is certainly interesting."
"If I'm being honest, it certainly is," Jou remarked. "He was talking to some weird guy, too. He was apparently a hypnotist."
"Huh, hypnotist?" Zoro questioned.
"Yeah," Jou nodded. "He tried to use one of his tricks on us. Luckily, I stopped it before he can even his name. This whole situation right now sounds bad." Piiman, Tamenegi, and Ninjin were all huddled together as they discussed their plan.
"Alright, let's pack up our treasure and run like the wind!" the three kids chorused together as they quickly darted off in the opposite direction.
"Oh no!" Luffy suddenly shouted as if he just realized something important.
"What's up?" Zoro wondered.
"We need to stock up before the meat shop guy leaves!" Luffy panicked as Zoro had smacked Luffy on the head with his sheathed sword, knocking Luffy over in the process.
"Luffy, this isn't the time to be worrying about your stomach!" Jou said.
-X-
The Usopp Pirates met back up with Luffy, Zoro, Jou, and Nami. By the time the sun was setting, the sky taking on an orange hue as they all saw Usopp walking over to them.
"Captain!" the Usopp Pirates called to Usopp as he stopped in front of the group. Jou noticed that Usopp was holding his arm. He assumed Usopp was hiding something and saw a trickle of blood running down his hand.
"Captain, we heard all about those Pirates and their evil plan," Ninjin stated.
"We better hurry in time to get to the village so that we can warn the people to get away," Tamenegi added.
"Warn the people?" Usopp repeated.
The young man thought about everything that had happened just recently. He tried to warn the villagers about the Pirates and even went to warn Kaya about Klahadore being Captain Kuro, but she didn't believe him either. Usopp started to laugh hysterically, his crewmen staring at him in surprise.
"Well, obviously I'm lying as usual!" Usopp chuckled. "I'd thought I'd get him back and say he was a Pirate!" the Usopp Pirates joined their Captain in his laughter. But the kids suddenly stopped chuckling altogether and began walking away.
"Hey, where are you going?" Usopp asked them as the kids stopped in their tracks, their backs turned away from Usopp.
"Honestly, you've really disappointed me," Ninjin announced.
"Yeah," Piiman agreed.
"Even though that butler guy is a jerk, I thought you were better than lying to hurt someone and I admired you for being such a kind-hearted person," Tamenegi commented.
"And to think we respected you all this entire time," Piiman said. The kids all went back to their homes back in the village. Usopp was surprised by the kids' sudden change of heart which only left him speechless.
-X-
The crew and Usopp were at the cliff near the ocean where they first met him. Nami was trying to convince Usopp to let her tend to where he got shot in the arm.
"I need to dress your wound," Nami declared.
"No, it's fine," Usopp quickly dismissed.
"You won't be so tough once you get an infection," Jou added. "Just let her do it already."
Nami gathered a little cotton ball and dabbed a tiny bit of alcohol on it. She began to slowly rub it along Usopp's bullet wound. Usopp made quiet yelps of pain as the cotton ball made contact. Earlier, Merry, Kaya's second caretaker fired a gun at him in order to protect Kaya, luckily it only grazed his arm. Nami got some bandages and wrapped it around the wound to cover it.
"There," Nami said. "All done."
"So, how come you lied to them?" Luffy wondered.
"Because all I do is lie," Usopp answered. "There's no way anybody was gonna believe what I had to say. Why should they?"
"Because what you were telling them was the honest truth," Zoro commented.
"They are coming and they are gonna level this whole town," Nami added.
"You just thinking of giving up just like that?" Jou questioned.
"Yeah, but what I am supposed to do?" Usopp asked. "They'll think I'm lying if I try to warn them. Everyone in the village think that tomorrow is just gonna be another normal day." Usopp mentioned as he put his head down but quickly brought it back up. "They think I'm lying and that's all they need to think! I'm gonna stop those Pirates at the beach tomorrow myself! This is all my fault for being such a liar! I don't care anymore if they drive me away with brooms or shoot me in the arm!" Usopp claimed with tears in his eyes. "This is my village, it's my home and I love everyone in it! I have to protect them!"
The way Usopp spoke showed that he genuinely cared about his village. Even if the other villagers didn't believe him, he was going into a fight by himself against those Pirates. Luckily for him, Usopp was going to have back up.
"You're a hell of a good guy," Zoro said. "Sending your cronies away and going into battle alone."
"You may be called a town liar, but you're actually a very honest guy," Jou grinned. "I respect that."
"Just so you know, I have dibs on all the Pirates treasure, you got it?" Nami declared
"So, you want a little help or what?" Luffy asked.
"You guys...?" Usopp uttered out with wide tearful eyes. "You're gonna help me fight all these Pirates? I don't get it."
"Well, you said there's a bunch of bad guys, right?" Luffy noted
"And you look scared out of your mind," Zoro added.
"For your information, I have nerves of steel!" Usopp claimed with his legs shaking. "After all, you're looking at the legendary Captain Usopp, Brave Warrior of the Sea!"
"I see," Jou stated with a smirk. "So, you're saying that your legs are shaking with excitement?"
"Okay fine!" Usopp finally admitted. "I'm scared! Why shouldn't I be? They're Captain Kuro's men! These guys mean business! I don't need pity! If you guys are sticking around to pity me then just leave! I don't need you laughing at me!"
"Relax," Jou said. "None of us are laughing at you."
"We're helping you because you are honorable," Zoro mentioned.
"You really think we'd risk our lives out of pity?" Luffy questioned.
"So, don't worry," Jou nodded. "You're not alone. We got your back."
Usopp was surprised that a group of people he had met just today were willing to help protect his home. He couldn't help but be thankful that he doesn't have to go through it alone and cried tears of joy.
"We'll help you defend your village," Jou said to Usopp. "Got any way you would like to do this?"
"I... I have an idea," Usopp answered. "Follow me."
The four Pirates followed Usopp so they can prepare for their upcoming fight against Captain Kuro's Pirate crew.
Okay! First, I am a god awful person for making people wait this long. This chapter is just set up for things to come, I hope it turned alright for you guys.
Though, I hope everyone had a great Christmas and Happy New Year!
Jou: I apologize in advance for my authors' lack of updates.
I get busy and not too mention, a bit lazy hehe...
Jou: Emphasis on the last part...
You leave if you're just going to keep sassing me! I got reviews to answer.
Reviews...
Samcal: Thank you. Glad you like it and sorry I took so long.
Guest:
Jou: Guess we should be lucky no one knows your address, huh author?
Yeah. Though, I hope you liked the chapter and its at least nice to show that I'm still alive.
Guest: For me, I improve little-by-little when it comes to my writing. Maybe I feel I also matured a bit more. Glad you like the story.
Rosethorn:
Jou: Kept you waiting, huh?
Who do you think you are? Punished Snake? But thank you for waiting.
Firebrand: That's what I'm hopefully going for. Make Jou's adventure with the Straw Hats more compelling. Yeah, Jou will go up against mostly OC's in this story. As for Ringo, he'll appear whenever Buggy makes an appearance.
Yeah, I know. When it comes to OC stories, a lot of people look for changes in Canon. For this story, I would definitely like to experiment with changes since Jou's in the story. I make no promises but I'll definitely make sure I think of some ideas to make Canon changes.
I can agree with you there. Jou's attacks were pretty uninspired. This time, similar to Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, he'll have an inspiration for his attack names, as well as a different way of how they work rather than just simply hitting his opponent with his chain.
I hope that answered your concerns. I hope you continue reading in the future.
Jou: Yep! We got a lot more coming up!
searge: He did leave her gold on the island, so he had it coming. Plus, Jou's a freak. He liked it.
Jou: *sarcasm* Yes, because being strangled by a tiny orange-haired Navigator thief is a guilty pleasure of mine...
To each their own, Jou. To each their own.
Jou: Damn you, author.
Lightwave: I guess it couldn't hurt for other female characters to show interest in Jou.
Jou: Cause I'm so devastatingly charming, right? Right?
Yeah sure, pal. You go ahead and believe that. Yeah, I'm gonna try to update those. I'm trying to redo and edit the chapters from the Snow Hero.
Drakedragon297: Jou hopefully has a lot of epic fights coming up that'll likely up that last one.
Jou: Well Drake, then I guess the only thing you can do is take your weapon and strike me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the Dark side we'll be complete!
We're making these references now...
johannvanguard: There were some new interactions between them. Hope they were good.
XFangHeartX: Got a few ideas about how the rest of this arc plays ;)
deant33: Thanks. Hm, I don't think adding Johnny and Yosaku to the crew would really do much for me. Plus, I don't want the crew to end up being too big.
ShadowUzumaki55: Seemed like the most reasonable way to get her to join up with them.
Chance Green G King: Thanks, dude! Yeah, I checked out your Persona 5 story. It's good so far. Keep it up ;)
Darkmaster1000000: Well, they'll have to search my cold, dead body because I have hidden them in a secret place where even Jou can't find them. Ha! Beat that!
Jou: True, I don't know where they are... *smirks as he secretly pulls out glasses from his pocket and winks at Darkmaster*
Okay, that should be it for now. I suppose this is one way to begin the new year. Been thinking to make chapters longer. Probably about 13,000 to 14,000 words long. What do you guys think? It might take longer for the chapter to come out though.
We'll see.
I'll see you guys next time and Jou will binge The Mandalorian again.
Jou: Baby Yoda gives me life... This is the way.
Later, guys.