"Finally, we're here."

From near the top of a mountain they had to traverse, Usopp and Maria at last were able to see the City of Mistral in the distance. The city rested on two mountains with buildings both on and in between the peaks, and Haven Academy was at the top. It was a natural fortress that was even further protected by the surrounding mountain range, making it one of the few places on Remnant where such a large city could develop.

"Sense anything, Usopp?"

"No, I can see it but the city's still about six or seven hours away. At the very least, it doesn't seem like there's been an attack yet."

Casually, Maria took a swipe at Usopp with one of her scythes, but he ducked without looking in her direction. Maria grinned in response. "Still having any doubts?"

"No… Not anymore. At this point, even I feel ready... Thank you for training me and keeping me company during this long journey."

"You can thank me after this is all over… So, let's go kick some ass as soon as possible, alright!"

"Of course!"

That being said, things could never be so simple. Even after getting closer to the city, Usopp did not sense Cinder, Emerald, or Mercury anywhere. Once they finally reached the base of the mountain city, Usopp still sensed none of his enemies, and that was the point where he frowned.

"Did… did we beat Cinder here?"

"You still don't sense her?"

"Nope… As a matter of fact, this city seems pretty defenseless, as the only somewhat strong person I can sense is up in the Academy, and even that Academy is empty except for him. Are all of the Huntsmen and Huntresses out on missions?"

"...Beacon did fall… I'm sure the kingdom's negativity as a whole would have risen because of that, and with Mistral's vast territory, they must be stretched thin. If Cinder isn't here yet, then we should head to the Academy if only to see what the situation is and what we can do to help. Though..."

Maria looked around at the people they were passing. It seemed that they recognized Usopp. After all, the video of him fighting and almost dying against the Grimm Wyvern was broadcasted to the world before the CCT fell. There was the surprise factor that Usopp was alive, but also a glimmer of hope in their eyes. Hope, as it turned out that not even the terrifying power of the Grimm Wyvern could take Usopp down for good, and hope as that same Huntsman was now in their kingdom.

While not as prevalent, Maria could also hear whispers about a certain Grimm Reaper, which was not a surprise as she was currently wearing a skull mask reminiscent of the one she wore as a Huntress. This was very purposeful.

A legend from the past and a legend currently in the making. It's only natural that they could bring hope.

"...just being here is sure to help too."

Pietro Polendina shook slightly as it was finally time to resurrect her daughter. In terms of appearance, she hadn't changed much, but he couldn't be more thankful to Franosuke for all of the upgrades he helped him with.

"Well bro, are you gonna do it or not?" said cyborg asked.

"Of course..." After only a few more moments, he channeled even more of his life force into Penny. The effort greatly drained him, but seeing Penny's eyes open once more made everything worth it.

"...Penny..."

"...Dad?"

Pietro hugged her, crying, and Penny hugged back after a few moments of confusion. "It's so good to have you back!"

Franky, meanwhile, was bawling even harder than Pietro for some reason. "Waaaahh! The bond between father and daughter, between creator and creation… It's SUUUPEER!"

"Dad, who is that crying man over there?" Penny asked.

"I'M NOT CRYING, YOU'RE CRYING! IDIOT!"

"Sir, I believe you are mistaken-"

"I'M NOT!"

Pietro sighed at Franky's antics. "Penny, this man is Franosuke. He helped me rebuild you as well as give you several upgrades. He is no doubt very weird-"

"Thanks for the compliment!"

"-but he has helped not only me, but Atlas and Mantle as well."

Penny nodded and then stood up. "Salutations, Franosuke! Thank you for helping Dad out!"

"No problem, miss, but feel free to just call me Franky! It's what my friends call me."

"Alright then, Uncle Franky!"

"U-Uncle!" Franky clutched his heart, "T-That's right, it's me, your SUUPEER UNCLE FRANKY!"

Penny laughed seeing him do his full super pose, and Pietro held back any words he planned to say to Franky as seeing his daughter happy again was all that mattered.

"I want to see a movie!" Penny exclaimed, and everyone agreed.

Leaving the Impact Wolves that were being used as pack mules outside the Academy, Maria and Usopp entered the nearly empty building and headed straight towards the Headmaster's Office where the only man he could sense was at. It didn't take long for them to arrive, and Usopp politely knocked on the door.

"Ah, just a second!"

After a minute or so, the door opened to reveal Professor Lionheart who looked at Usopp and Maria with surprise. "Ah, Usopp! So you survived… That's good to hear, Ozpin talked much about how capable you are! And the woman with you is..."

"Maria Calavera… Are you the headmaster?"

"Oh yes," he said nervously, "I am Professor Lionheart..."

Usopp couldn't help but notice that both his Aura and general demeanor were not as impressive as Ozpin's or even Ironwood's. This wasn't someone that he could exactly trust to have his back during a fight. The thought of him being the only backup this kingdom could muster against Cinder and her gang was a bit worrying.

Maria seemed to have similar thoughts. "So even someone like this can be a headmaster nowadays..."

So blunt! Don't talk like he's not right here in front of you!

"I'm sorry, but I have gotten quite old. I'm no longer the fighter I used to be, but there's no one else qualified for my position either… Many of this country's Huntsmen and Huntresses have died in recent times I'm afraid."

"Is this country going to be alright?" Usopp asked.

"I… I don't know. We're on the lookout for Cinder and her followers, but we haven't seen a thing. But there is an even more pressing issue… I'd hate to bother you about it after your long journey, but…"

"If it's that urgent, then go ahead."

Lionheart pulled out a scroll and showed Usopp several images that made him sweat. "Those are..."

"These strange Grimm have been wreaking havoc all over this kingdom, and an unfortunate number of Huntsmen and Huntresses have lost their lives to them."

On Lionheart's scroll were images of five Grimm with burning villages in the background. One of them was a Deathstalker with a dark Impact Wolf head instead of a stinger, and Devil plants for pincers. The second was a massive Nevermore with bamboo spikes poking out from it's shuriken shaped feathers. The third was an Ursa Major with a massive Rafflesia flower on its back. The fourth was a humanoid looking Grimm that Usopp had never seen before with Humandrakes growing out of its body. And the fifth was one he recognized as the Beowolf Chimera he fought a while ago.

"I… I fought one on the way here… Regular Huntsmen wouldn't stand a chance! Do you know where they were last seen?!"

"You're willing to help? Thank goodness… I have the coordinates for their last sightings right here-"

"Wait a second," Maria said, "Sending Usopp away when Cinder and her gang could attack at any moment is extremely foolish-"

"It's alright-" Usopp tried to say before Maria covered his mouth.

"It's not alright, this kingdom is already vulnerable enough as it is. And is it even legal to send someone without a professional license on this dangerous of a mission?"

"Ozpin talked about it before Beacon fell, but after his first year of Beacon it was always planned to give him a full professional Huntsman's License… After surviving against that Wyvern I doubt anyone would object to it. As for the threat of Cinder… No doubt is it a grave concern, but we still have time. Local communications are still up, so should we see any sign of Cinder, we can call him back."

Maria frowned, but after a few seconds, she took her hand off of Usopp's mouth.

"This issue that's destroying villages left and right is my fault, so the one who needs to deal with it is me. I still want to deal with Cinder too, but I can't ignore this either. There's also the fact that if Ruby and my other friends are following me, then they could encounter these monsters while I'm holed up safely here."

"...Fine then… First sign of Cinder and I'll call you. Just don't do anything reckless."

"I'll be fine, these stupid Grimm will be finished in a flash!"

"In that case, let me send the coordinates to your scroll now," Lionheart said, "And of course, I'll prepare proper lodging for you Miss Calavera."

The two nodded and left, and it wasn't until quite some time had passed that Lionheart let himself breath properly again. I'm so sorry Usopp…

Outside the Academy, Usopp made his final preparations. He and Maria both understood that Cinder could sneak into the city easily if he wasn't present to monitor the place with his long range haki, but that was where a certain application of his Semblance came in.

Taking out a Humandrake seed, Usopp poured more Aura than what was normally required, and once he was drained 8%, he stopped and fired it into the ground. For reference, normally a single Humandrake would require less than 1% of his Aura to function with his Semblance, but when Usopp experimented more with his Semblance, he found that if he put in ten times the default amount of Aura into a plant, the resulting creation was intelligent enough to use whatever haki Usopp himself was capable of. The amount of Aura required made it not practical or even possible for many of his Pop Greens with Usopp's current level of Aura control, but in this case it was particularly handy.

The Humandrake Usopp just infused his Aura into could even use a scroll. He wasn't linked to it telepathically or anything, nor could it speak, but it could notify Usopp that something was wrong just through the action of calling him.

Besides the Humandrake, Usopp also left the two Impact Wolves they used for the journey with Maria. The first was the one that survived the fight with Arlong, infused with Ice and Stone Dust. The second wasn't infused with any Dust at first, but Usopp gave it Wind Dust to act as an emergency fast transport.

"These Impact Wolves only take 17% of my Aura now, so with these two, the Humandrake, and the other things I prepared in advance, I'll have 50% free to spare… No wait, I'll need another Sky Wolf for myself, so make that 33%."

"Remember to keep a few Humandrakes in reserve for first aid in case you're knocked out, so practically that'd be more like 30%."

"Yeah yeah-"

"And of course, you do remember how to read a map, right? And which mushrooms are edible? Do you have your compass?"

"Yes yes and yes!"

"It's already quite late, shouldn't you stay the night? We just got here!"

"The sun hasn't even set yet. Sure, I'd like to stay the night, but I'd rather deal with this as soon as possible so we can focus on Cinder and end this whole thing."

Maria clenched her fists. "If only I had my eyes," she muttered, "then none of this would even be a problem."

"Even if you could see them clearly, these special Grimm are no joke."

Maria shook her head. "No, that's not it..."

"?"

"...Back when I was known as the Grimm Reaper," she started in a quiet voice, "my eyes did more than just let me see. They also could let out a light that would vaporize or petrify those creatures of darkness, though it was harmless against anything else. For some reason though, people with those powers were hunted down and killed, and that fate almost happened to me. I was lucky to only lose my eyes, but if I still had them then even these powerful Grimm would be affected by it. After I was trained by the Kuja, I never imagined that I'd need my silver eyes again, but here we are..."

Usopp did not fail to notice exactly what color of eyes she mentioned, but before asking about it he put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it too much. Like I said earlier, this is my problem to solve, so even if you could defeat them, I'd still want to do this myself. My pride won't allow it!"

"So it's fine because you're an idiot," Maria said with a smile.

"I'm not an idiot, it's called having warrior's pride! Though… Can everyone with silver eyes use those powers you described?"

"Hmm? I'd imagine so, though it's not like we're born with the knowledge of how to use them or anything. Not even my father knew much about us silver-eyed warriors… Do you by chance know someone with silver eyes?"

Usopp nodded. "Ruby has them. I don't know how much she knows about them, but now that I think about it, the Wyvern at Beacon was frozen at some point. I guess she must have done that."

"I knew your friends were more capable than you gave them credit for… If Ruby arrives here when you're away I'll be sure to tell her all I know."

"Thank you. I don't know how much time I can waste anymore, so I'll be off."

Combining Wind Dust and an Impact Wolf seed, Usopp prepared his ride that would let him travel at breakneck speeds. "Warrior Star: Sky Wolf!"

The Impact Wolf that grew from the seed seemed normal, but it had a coat of 'wind' that could be felt but not seen. Usopp mounted the wolf, but then he looked towards a window on the second floor of the Academy in confusion. Was someone watching us from there? But I don't sense anyone with my haki on the second floor.

"Usopp?"

"Ah, it's nothing. See ya soon!"

"Farewell and stay as safe as you can."

Nodding, Usopp fired a Trampolia seed into the ground and had the wolf jump on top of it. Usopp and the wolf flew into the air much higher than they normally might have, and instead of falling normally, they managed to glide using the wolf's air properties.

Maria frowned as Usopp left, not quite able to shake the feeling that they were missing something.

Lionheart was wracked with guilt, but there was nothing he could do. Or rather, nothing he was brave enough to do.

Ozpin, I'm sorry… Your best student is going to be killed!

A voice from outside his office suddenly said, "Don't react to me, you are allowed to talk back but physically act like I am not here."

Lionheart gulped, and the door opened revealing Arthur Watts with a metallic bracelet around his wrist. "That Long Nose showing up here so soon is rather surprising. The four Pop Grimm we have specifically selected to take him out haven't arrived yet, but I trust you handled the matter like instructed regardless..."

"...Of course."

A/N: It's been a while, but we're finally at Haven! Yay! Still behind the Volume 5 timeline but whatever.

Latest One Piece chapter(1011) does have me rubbing my hands together though, heh heh heh... SHOW ME MORE USOPP! MOOORE!