Everyone just blinked a few times at Usopp's declaration.

Weiss facepalms. "Come on, Usopp, I just said that pirates don't exist in real life. Do you really expect any of us to believe such an obvious lie?"

Oh, it was a lie, Ruby silently thought.

Weiss had expected Usopp to suddenly double down on his lie, or just laugh at the moments of silence he caused.

However, he did none of that. Rather, Usopp just raised his eyebrows.

"I don't think he's lying this time," Blake said somewhat warily.

It wasn't a lie after all! Ruby thought.

"So… you're a sea-bandit?" Ruby asked.

Usopp sighed. "No, of course not. I am a pirate, not a sea-bandit."

"And what exactly would the difference be?" Weiss asked, "Because as far as any of us know, you just admitted to being a murderer who goes around raiding villages."

"Usopp isn't the type who would do that," Ruby countered.

"I know Ruby, but he should really explain."

"Alright," Usopp said, "To be honest, I'm not sure what was written about pirates in whatever fictional books you've read, so I don't know what to correct. For a start though, I don't go around raiding villages, and I am not a murderer. I can't say that for every pirate, though. As for what me and my crewmates did, it was mostly adventuring and getting ourselves into trouble. We fought a lot of people, although when we did fight, it was either because they attacked us, or they had it coming. Anyways, long story short, I'm not a bad guy. Do you have any questions?"

Usopp was hardly prepared for everyone asking something at once, and he quickly held his hands up. "One at a time, Weiss first."

Weiss took in a breath. "First, you said that there are some pirates who are murderers like I would expect, so how many of those pirates are there compared to what you are? Second, you seem to talk about pirates like they are common, so why hasn't anyone heard about them?"

"Hmm, for the first one, I guess the vast majority of pirates that my crewmates and I encountered were total scum, with some very notable exceptions. As for the second, I don't know. It's probably the same reason why I've never heard of Dust or Aura or anything. None of the people I encountered used or knew anything about that either, I guess we are just in an isolated island chain of the world."

Weiss looked like she wanted to ask more questions, but Usopp moved on to Blake.

"What drove you to quit?"

Usopp faltered for a moment. "What? Quit! I… I'm still a pirate. I hung up my crew's flag on my door after all."

"Then, why did you leave?" Blake asked, ignoring the fact that it was supposed to be Ruby's turn. Everyone let it slide as Blake was rewording her question more than asking an entirely new one. Also, Weiss had already more or less broke the unwritten rules by asking two questions back to back.

"I left… because..."

Usopp had already thought of a few possible lies to tell, like being caught up in a freak storm, but his mind froze for a few moments every time he thought about the subject. Thoughts about how his crew was faring that he had pushed to the back of his mind resurfaced, and now he was wondering if they thought he disappeared, or if they thought that he simply left and ran away, abandoning the crew in what was probably going to be their most difficult fight yet. The thought made him unconsciously frown, as he couldn't really blame anyone for thinking that way.

Ruby, noticing his discomfort, decided to ask her own question. "I was wondering, why did you decide to become a Huntsman?"

I never did specify that the questions had to be related to the fact that I'm a pirate, did I?.

"Ah, that's simple enough. Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to follow my Dad's footsteps and become a brave warrior of the sea. Although, while being at sea is important, the core of that dream is becoming brave. When I heard somewhere that Huntsmen and Huntresses were the brave warriors who protected the country, I decided to take the entrance exam here. I'm still a pirate, but I guess my adventures at sea are on a bit of a hiatus. And, for Blake's question earlier… I don't feel like talking about it."

"But Usopp," Ruby said, "you're already pretty brave."

Usopp just laughed. "I don't think you've been paying much attention. If I feel that the odds are against me, I pretty much always end up running away. Remember Torchwick and his mech? I was running away and I got hospitalized for it. If I was really a brave warrior, I would have stayed behind to act as a rearguard so Sun and Blake could escape unhindered. Anyways, I think it's Yangs turn?"

"So, you said yourself that there are plenty of murderous pirates out there. What makes those pirates any different from bandits?"

"Hmm… Admittedly, some of the people that I've come across on the sea should certainly be called sea-bandits. They call themselves pirates because no self-respecting person would ever refer to themselves as a sea-bandit, and other pirates would certainly look down on them. Although none if this is really set in stone or even properly defined, I feel that what separates a pirate from a common bandit is their ambition and determination. A Pirate Flag is a symbol of their unwavering determination to fulfill their ambition against all odds. Compared to that, bandits and some 'pirates' are more hollow."

Now, being Jaune's turn, he asked, "So… have you ever gotten seasick before?"

"Huh?"

Usopp was honestly taken off guard by the mundane question. Compared to everything that came before, it felt almost underwhelming.

Yang laughed. "What, did you want to feel better about yourself Vomit Boy?"

"Hey! That nickname is almost two semesters old at this point! And also… well, all of the good questions were taken so I couldn't think of anything better, ok?!"

Usopp composed himself and decided to answer the question. "I can't say that I have, and I would never talk about it if I did get it."

"Oh..." Jaune mumbled dejectedly. "Wait, you could be lying!"

"I am not."

"Still… there's a chance that you actually have gotten seasick."

"Alright… Well, moving on to Ren..."

Ren looked thoughtful for a few moments before replying, "I believe that I will need some time to think about this. If I come up with any questions later, I will be sure to ask you then."

"That's cheating!" Jaune complained, "Come on Usopp, make him ask something!"

"What? You're the leader of JNPR, order him yourself!"

"Oh right! Ren… Even if it's something simple- no, actually the simpler the better, could you..."

Ren sighed, but he decided to listen to his friend. "How long have you been a pirate?"

"For a little while more than two years."

"So, you started when you were 15 years old?"

"15? No, I was 17 when I became a pirate. I'm 19 now."

"19?!" Ruby and a few others exclaimed.

"That's right. I guess I never mentioned that before, did I? Anyways, Nora?"

"Can you tell me about your craziest tales from your pirate adventures?"

"Sure… But later. That would take a lot of time, but don't worry, I'll be sure to tell you about all of the mighty foes I've vanquished at some point. Alright, as the only person left, it's Pyrrha's turn."

"Alright then. I was just wondering how strong you are compared to the rest of your crew."

"I'm dead last."

"...Um… try to at least give yourself some credit."

"Alright, that may have been a bit of an exaggeration. I guess I can compromise and say that I'm tied for the dead last spot."

"What?"

"Fine, fine, taking Aura and Dust into account, I could, very reluctantly, take eighth place… out of nine crewmembers."

"...You're serious."

"If I was lying, then I would say that I was tied for first place, with possibly my impressive Aura letting me take the lead once and for all. But no, my crewmates are strong, and some of them impossibly so. But even so, each of us has something they can do that no one else on the crew is good at, like navigating through impossibly rough storms, or somehow keeping the crew alive after all the injures we get. For me, I'm the sniper. I make shots that no one else can, and take out foes before they even know there is an enemy. At least, that's how it works in theory. In practice, I usually just get my bones broken by enemies I have no business fighting. I've only really been able to show off my sniping skills on a few but notably important situations, such as when I unlocked my weird non-semblance aura sensing super power."

Which was also known as Observation Haki, but Usopp was not aware that his power was haki. At least not yet…

"But anyways, I think that's enough questions. Unless anyone has anything urgent to ask."

"Well," Ruby started, "I have plenty of things I'd like to ask... but it's not urgent."

"Wait," Weiss said, "I do have something important! How much of what you've told us was a lie?"

"It was mostly the truth. If I told you what I lied about, you'd probably think that I was lying. But for now, there's something else I want to show to everyone. I think you all might be surprised."

Everyone waited as Usopp went back into his room and exited with two carts full of… merchandise. There were t-shirts, hoodies, socks, cups, hand-sized flags, baseball caps, and other various things all with either RWBY's or JNPR's team symbol on them.

"If you ever wondered why it took me so long just to paint a couple of flags, this is why. I plan on selling this during the upcoming Vytal Festival, so I hope you guys do well and earn plenty of fans. I want to earn enough Lien so I don't have to clean bathrooms anymore."

"So, then you're not participating in the tournament?" Pyrrha asked.

"Yeah, Usopp, what gives? You could totally show off and probably win the whole thing," Yang said.

"I don't know about you guys, but I don't like fighting. A tournament just doesn't appeal to me at all. I have some other reasons too, but I'll be sure to root for all of you."

I definitely do not want to show the entire world how effective Pop Greens are. It would basically be an invitation for anyone who ever desired power to steal from me.

"It's his decision, guys, so we should just respect that," Ruby said.

The rest of RWBY and JNPR nodded their heads.

"Thanks everyone, but that wasn't the primary reason why I was showing you this. First of all, if you want to change your team symbol Ruby, now would be the time to speak up. I assumed that you already knew what a Jolly Roger was, but I still should have asked if you were sure before I made a bunch of merchandise with the symbol on it."

Ruby only though for a moment before saying, "Nah, I'll keep it. A Jolly Roger is basically a symbol for never giving up on your dreams, right? I like that, I don't want to ever give up on protecting those who can protect themselves, and making the world a better place. That's why I want to become a Huntress after all."

"That kind of ambition is admirable. Anyways, my second reason isn't as important, but I just wanted to make sure all of you were alright with me making money off of your battle performance."

No one raised any objections.

The next day, Usopp was watching Pyrrha easily deal with the entirety of Team CRDL by herself. Considering that she was fighting four people at once, it wasn't too one sided, but Pyrrha was definitely winning.

Soon enough, Team CRDL was on the floor with Pyrrha being declared the winner.

Usopp had other things on his mind though, like deciding on whether he could get away with doing research on his scroll in class. Although, in the end, he decided against it. If he had any breakthrough but was then yelled at by the teacher, he may lose his train of thought.

Usopp's senses could be extremely selective at times, so when he saw Mercury pointing at him for his choice in a sparring opponent, Usopp instantly reacted. Popping a ketchup star in his mouth, slumping back into his seat, and letting out some fake pained groans, he fell into an act that he practiced since coming back from the hospital.

"Ugh… my life-threatening-pre-duel-post-hospital visit chronic back pain and internal bleeding syndrome is acting up again… Ah… I'm dying… my lungs are punctured… by my spine..."

Usopp could hear some giggles from his classmates.

Mercury had his eyebrows raised. "Really?"

"Usopp..." Glynda started tiredly, "You've already been cleared from any spars for the next week, there is no need to put on a show for the class. Despite how much some of your classmates are enjoying this."

Any giggling from other students stopped.

Usopp's posture straitened immediately, and he started wiping off the ketchup that had run down his face. "Oh, really? Awesome, but you heard her Mercury, pick someone else!"

"Fine. In that case… I'll pick her."

Usopp and Team RWBY had already made it a far ways away from class when they heard a voice from someone behind them. Looking back, they saw Emerald with a notebook in her hands, and she was waving it in the air.

"Ruby! I think you dropped this in class!"

Ruby recognized the notebook and gasped. It was the notebook that had descriptions and drawings of all of the Pop Greens that Usopp told her about a while ago. It had more pages left, so she even wrote down ideas for potential team attacks utilizing Pop Greens.

"Oh, thanks Emerald! I can't believe I was so careless..."

"It's no problem. It seemed important, and it had your name on it."

After handing the notebook back, Emerald waved them farewell and walked away in the opposite direction. Around a corner, she reunited with Mercury.

"Aw, you're such a great friend!"

"Shut up."

"How about no? But seriously, you did get pictures, right?"

"What do you think?"

"Any good info?"

Emerald smirked. "From what I skimmed, absolutely. There was even something that will help our job this afternoon go smoother."

"Oh really?"

"Yes. Usopp apparently has some form of extrasensory perception that lets him see the Auras of people, even from a long distance. It was mentioned as something that would help in certain team attacks."

"That could've been bad."

"No kidding… But now that I know about it, I will be able to handle it. I'll read through more thoroughly, and then we should go."

Usopp plopped down on his bed, taking a short break before heading to the library. He just spent some time finishing up his homework for the day, so he was free for the rest of the day. Or, as free as he ever could be when his crewmates were undoubtedly facing many adversities without him.

Just one more minute… Don't worry guys, I'll be back before you know it, ha ha ha… oh, who am I kidding?! How many decades will it be before I'm even given hope on some obscure lead to get home? Will I even be going back to my crew, or will I just see their graves? No no no, I have to believe… I have to believe that no matter how many years pass, the crew will still have adventures left to go on. I just hope they'll believe me when I say why I was gone. Bah, there's so much to hope for, and so little to reinforce that hope. I hope that I can make it home. I hope that everyone is alright. I hope they didn't think that I just ran away. I hope-

Usopp was jolted out of his thoughts by knocking on the door. Did Nora come for stories already?

He activated his sensory ability and noticed that it was in fact Mercury and Emerald who were outside the door.

I wonder what they want.

Rubbing his eyes and yawning, he got out of bed and opened the door. "Hello, do you need something?"

Emerald said, "Well, actually, Mercury and I were doing a school project that was assigned to us back where we're from. We kind of… procrastinated this for a while, but our project involves studying dorm conditions, so we would like a few minutes just to check out your dorm."

"A project on dorm conditions? Is that really something you'd have to do at a Huntsmen academy?"

"Ugh, tell me about it. It's not the dumbest thing our teachers have had us done, but I'd like to just get it over with. We won't take too much of your time."

"Alright then, go on ahead."

Usopp led the two into his room, and then promptly fell on the bed facedown. "Don't mind me, I'm just getting a little rest while I can."

Although Usopp was making snoring noises, he was actually awake and checking on Emerald and Mercury's auras with his haki. He was a bit suspicious of them, so if they were going to try and do anything, it would be when he was seemingly not paying any attention.

There was a large curtain that divided the room in two. One one side had his living area, his bathroom, his artistic workbench, and all of his beds. The other was entirely dedicated to growing and taking care of his Pop Greens. If any of the two were to head over to that side, Usopp would get up and tell them that it was off limits.

Over the next few minutes, Usopp was surprised that neither of the two ever wandered behind the curtain, and he wasn't even asked what was even behind it. The two only seemed interested in his living side, and only took a few pictures. A few minutes in, he got up from his bed and decided to watch them directly while checking out the news on his scroll. Even so, they did nothing suspicious. The next time he was talked to was when they said that they were done. He sensed them checking out a few other dorms after his as well

Huh, maybe I was just a bit paranoid.

Emerald smirked as the two left for the guest dorm building.

"That went smoothly," Mercury said.

"What can I say," Emerald said as she held a handful of Pop Green seeds in her pocket, "I'm a master thief."