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"Ah?... Ah!"
Usopp, snapping back to reality, hastily put down the newspaper and bounty poster in his hands, his face pale with fear.
His expression was twisted with unease, but he still forced out a stubborn laugh.
"Haha... haha! Kids these days sure love making a name for themselves!"
But inside, his mind was racing.
How could he, Usopp, not know something that even Ninjin figured out?
And unlike Ninjin, Usopp thought deeper—he analyzed more!
One particular detail from the newspaper caught his attention: someone had spotted traces of this pirate crew in Orange Town, located in the Organ Islands.
The Organ Islands…
That was right next to the Moonlight Islands—where Syrup Village was!?!
Not only was that close—it was way too close!!
Think about it…
Following the sea route past the Organ Islands—where Marine Branch 153 was stationed—the next logical destination could be Syrup Village!!!
And considering the time frame… it would be in just a few days!!
Unless these pirates suddenly changed course, Syrup Village was in serious danger of a pirate attack!
"Something big is going to happen!!!"
Panic shot through Usopp as he quickly folded up the newspaper, then turned to the three kids beside him.
"Change of plans! We have something more important to do!"
He pointed at the newspaper.
"There's a good chance these pirates will pass through Syrup Village. We have to warn everyone and make preparations right away!"
"Huh?"
The three kids didn't have Usopp's sense of foresight, but they were used to following his lead. Without hesitation, they nodded.
"Got it, Captain Usopp!"
They immediately sprang into action, dashing toward the village.
But before they could get far, a voice called out from behind them.
"Hey!!! Are you from this village?"
"Can you take us to a good restaurant? We're hungry!"
"Ah?! I don't have time for this—I have important matters to deal with right now—" Usopp snapped, turning around impatiently.
He was ready to refuse outright, but the moment he laid eyes on the people behind him… his expression froze.
Four figures were walking up from the shore.
A beautiful girl with orange hair.
A man with three swords hanging from his waist.
A boy in a red baseball cap…
And the one he had just seen on the bounty poster—Straw Hat!!!
"I-It's… It's Straw Hat Luffy!!! The terrifying pirate with a bounty of 50,000,000 Berries!!!"
Usopp's legs nearly gave out beneath him. He almost fainted.
Meanwhile, Luffy grinned and stepped forward, unfazed.
"If you take us to a good restaurant, I'll pay you!"
"Hey, Luffy! The money I gave you isn't for you to waste like that!" Nami scolded in frustration.
But Luffy just laughed carefreely.
"Who cares? Money is meant to be spent!"
"You see, this is exactly why I don't want to give you any more pocket money!!!"
"No! If you give me money, I get to decide how to use it!"
Nami immediately regretted bringing it up, but Luffy refused to back down. The two quickly got caught up in a heated argument about pocket money.
At that moment, Usopp finally snapped out of his initial shock.
His eyes darted between the bounty poster in his hands and the faces of the newcomers.
He even heard Nami call the straw hat boy "Luffy" just now…
There was no mistake.
They were that crew—the dangerous, vicious pirates from the newspaper!!!
"Pi... PIRATES!!!"
Overwhelmed with panic, Usopp threw his hands up in the air and shouted at the top of his lungs.
Everyone turned to look at him.
"..."
A long silence followed.
Usopp instantly realized…
He had just done something incredibly stupid.
His brain scrambled to recover. He thought about the three kids behind him.
Without hesitation, he shoved them behind him protectively, his legs trembling.
"Y-You guys… RUN!!!"
"Go warn the villagers—tell them to evacuate! I'll handle this!"
"Captain Usopp!!!"
The three kids, who had also recognized Luffy's identity, cried out in distress.
But even though Usopp was scared out of his mind, he was still determined at this moment.
"Go!!!" he shouted at the three little ones, urging them to run.
Then, turning back to face the pirates, he mustered all his courage and threatened them.
"Hey! You pirates! This village is my territory!"
"I am the famous Captain Usopp, and I have 80 million subordinates!"
"You'd better behave and get out of here!"
With shaky hands, Usopp pulled out his slingshot and aimed his homemade buckshot at Luffy and the others.
'I'm dead! I'm dead!'
'Why did I have to provoke them?!'
Tears welled up in his eyes.
Daring to challenge a big-name pirate with a bounty of 50,000,000 Berries—right now, Usopp could already imagine the three little ones wailing over his lifeless body.
However, what he didn't expect was that after his bold declaration, the pirates before him all looked... shocked?
"Usopp!?"
Zoro turned to Red in surprise, pointing at Usopp.
"Red!? The guy you were talking about... could it be him?"
During their travels, Red had already shared some information about their future crewmates.
They knew they would meet a talented sniper named Usopp, a flirtatious cook named Sanji, and that they would find an incredible ship here in the East Blue.
They had come to Syrup Village precisely to recruit this sniper and claim their destined ship.
But neither Zoro nor Nami had expected…
The sniper they were looking for was just a kid in overalls holding a slingshot.
It was hard to associate him with the word sniper.
But Red, eyeing Usopp's ridiculously long nose, grinned.
"If nothing else, I'd say… this is the guy we're looking for!"
And then, Luffy suddenly blurted out:
"Wait a minute! Usopp… I think I've heard that name somewhere before!"
He paused, staring at Usopp with wide eyes before exclaiming,
"Ah! That's right! Is your dad Yasopp?!"
"Ah?"
Usopp, who had been completely on edge, froze.
He blinked in confusion.
"Yasopp... Yeah, that's my father's name."
"But how do you know him?"
Ever since his mother passed away, Usopp had rarely heard his father's name mentioned.
"It really is you!" Luffy's eyes lit up, his voice carrying rare excitement.
"Yasopp used to talk about you all the time!"
Memories of Yasopp's stories—and the countless pranks he had played on Luffy as a kid—flooded Luffy's mind.
Despite the lingering annoyance, he couldn't help feeling nostalgic.
At that moment, Red clapped his hands and smiled.
"Alright, let's not just stand around. Let's find a restaurant and talk over a meal."
Red's suggestion immediately won Luffy's full support.
Before Usopp could even process what was happening, they had already dragged him along toward the village.
The three kids, left behind in a daze, could only stare.
"Hey! Did you see that?! Captain Usopp actually knows a famous pirate!"
"Could it be… that Captain Usopp is actually super strong?!"
For the first time, the three little ones began doubting whether their pirate games with Usopp had been just pretend after all.
After a feast of food and drinks…
Luffy and Usopp had talked for a long time about Yasopp.
Learning that his father was part of Red-Haired Shanks' crew, one of the Four Emperors, filled Usopp with pride.
Seeing this, Red could only shake his head helplessly.
Even after more than two years in this world, he still couldn't fully understand the way some people thought.
Just like how he could never understand…
Why did Yasopp stay in Foosha Village for an entire year but never once return home to visit his wife and child?
Perhaps it was because he was afraid…
Afraid that if he went back, he'd lose the courage to set sail again.
That was the only explanation Red could think of.
Once everyone had eaten their fill, Red decided it was time to move things along.
"Alright, Luffy," he interrupted. "It's getting late. Don't forget why we came here."
"Oh, that's right~!" Luffy suddenly smacked his hands together.
"If you hadn't reminded me, I would've forgotten!"
He turned to Usopp with a wide grin.
"Usopp, come be my partner and sail the seas with me!!!"