Chapter 13: Dawn of Battle
Sometime Later
“And there he goes.” I said calmly as I watched Usopp sprint back toward the village in a panic.
After explaining to Zoro what had occurred in the mansion and just how suspicious that shitty butler really was, we had discreetly followed the weird guy from town, Jango, back to the island's opposite shore. After waiting for some time, he finally met up with Kuro.
We remained hidden and watched in silence, with Usopp and Nami paling in horror as Kuro’s true identity was revealed as the two calmly discussed their plan to throw the village into chaos. Jango would hypnotize Kaya into signing over her fortune to Kuro before they killed her once everything was settled.
Usopp had almost shouted at them the moment he heard the plan, which would have given all of us away, but I quickly pulled him back and clamped a hand over his mouth before he could make a sound.
Only after the two pirates had parted ways, confirming that their plan would begin at dawn the following day, did I finally let the struggling Usopp go once I was certain they were far enough away.
The long-nosed teen had immediately rounded on me, demanding to know why I had stopped him, before taking off exactly as he had just now without giving me a chance to explain.
“Shouldn’t we go after him and warn the villagers?” Nami asked worriedly as she turned toward me, while Tiche and Zoro also shifted their attention my way.
“I’m afraid it won’t do much good, even if we do.” I replied with a small sigh, causing Nami to blink in confusion.
“What do you mean?” she demanded, a hint of anger creeping into her voice. “Are you saying we should just stay quiet and let the villagers suffer?”
“Of course not, Nami.” I answered immediately, meeting her gaze calmly without reacting to her frustration.
She blinked before visibly calming down.
Seeing my chance, I turned toward Tiche, earning another confused look from Nami.
“Tiche, let me ask you something. Since arriving in this village, and based on everything we've seen from Usopp so far, how likely do you think the villagers are to believe him?”
“None.” Tiche answered without the slightest hesitation, surprising Nami.
“Would you mind explaining?” I asked. “Nami's still confused.”
“Of course, Luffy-sama.” Tiche nodded before turning toward the orange-haired girl.
“To put it simply, I believe Usopp-san's situation greatly resembles the story of the boy who cried wolf.”
That caught my attention for a brief moment.
'It’s interesting that story actually exists here too. Guess liars are everywhere no matter the world.'
I pushed the thought aside as Tiche continued after noticing the puzzled expressions on both Nami and Zoro.
“The servants at the mansion weren't the only ones who looked down on him. While we were eating at the restaurant and later walking through the village, most of the townspeople treated Usopp-san as little more than a nuisance.”
“Even his own group of young friends openly described him as a habitual liar.”
She paused briefly before reaching her conclusion.
“I believe Usopp-san has spent so much time telling tall tales that the villagers would dismiss any warning of a pirate attack as just another one of his lies. The chances of them believing him are close to zero.”
With that, Tiche quietly fell silent once more, leaving both Nami and Zoro looking surprised by her reasoning.
“…You noticed all that? Your observational skills are incredible, Tiche-chan!” Nami exclaimed after snapping out of her shock, looking at the silent blonde with wide eyes.
“Thank you.” Tiche replied simply with a nod.
“Well, his introduction was pretty ridiculous.” Zoro said with a small shrug.
“Add to that the fact that we’re complete strangers and pirates ourselves, and I don’t see anyone believing a word we have to say either.” I added, returning the focus to myself.
“So we do nothing?” Nami asked, calmer now but still sounding frustrated.
“Shishishi, of course not.” I grinned. “It just means we beat those weaklings when they arrive and solve the problem ourselves.”
My answer earned a small smirk from Zoro, a nod from Tiche, and a blink from Nami before her expression finally softened.
“Now you're speaking my language.” Zoro grunted with a grin.
“Besides,” I continued with a smile as I started walking back toward the village at a leisurely pace, “we still haven't received our ship yet.”
“Now come on. Let's go find Usopp. I have a feeling that idiot did something stupid and needs our help.”
Almost immediately, Tiche caught up to me, while Zoro and Nami quickly followed behind.
“Oh!” Nami suddenly exclaimed as realization dawned on her. “More pirates means more treasure!”
A greedy grin immediately spread across her face.
“Hihihi~ That means those guys must have brought plenty of treasure with them.”
“Tch, greedy witch.” Zoro muttered under his breath with a click of his tongue.
“Did you say something, Zoro?” Nami shot back with a dangerous glare. “I'll remember that the next time you ask to borrow some Berry.”
That immediately caused the swordsman to sweat.
I simply shook my head with an amused smile as my thoughts drifted toward tomorrow's attack.
'Hmm... I should probably keep an eye on everyone at Kaya's mansion. With all the changes I've already made, there's no telling what the butterfly effect might cause or who could end up dying because of it.'
=====
As we'd expected, nobody had believed Usopp.
To make matters worse, Merry had even shot him in the shoulder.
Apparently, after Kaya refused to believe his warning, Usopp had grown desperate and tried to drag her away by force. That had frightened the poor girl, prompting Merry to intervene after misunderstanding what he had walked in on.
We eventually found Usopp near the opposite shore, clutching his bleeding shoulder as we walked past his three young friends. They had become angry with him for lying again and refused to believe his warning as well.
Using Healing Light, much to Usopp's astonishment, I quickly treated his shoulder while he recounted everything that had happened.
We listened in silence until he finally finished.
“This wouldn't have happened if you weren't such a liar, you know?” Nami sighed, gently reprimanding him.
The words immediately made the boy break down into bitter tears, causing even Nami to wince slightly.
Once I finished healing him, I stepped back and let the golden light fade before looking at him seriously.
“What are you planning to do now, Usopp?” I asked calmly, my face completely expressionless. “Are you going to run away?”
Nami and Zoro both turned toward me in surprise at the question but remained silent, shifting their attention back to Usopp as they waited for his answer.
To their surprise, and my hidden satisfaction, instead of doing exactly that like any normal teenager with no special powers or training would, the long-nosed boy straightened his back. Though he was still shaking like a leaf, a determined expression slowly replaced the fear on his face.
“O-Of course not! This is my home, and I’ll defend it with everything I have, even if I have to give my life for it.” Usopp declared in a firm voice before immediately shrinking a little. “Though... I’d really rather not die. What kind of brave warrior of the sea would I be if I couldn’t even do that?”
While his words would normally inspire confidence, they lost a little of their impact thanks to his violently shaking knees and the sweat pouring down his face.
Even so, I finally allowed myself a pleased smile.
This was the Usopp I knew and, despite all his flaws, respected.
Despite being the weakest member of the original crew, he somehow always found the courage to stand against overwhelming odds and enemies far stronger than himself. Sure, he usually ran away first or spent the entire time terrified out of his mind, but in the end, he always came back.
‘How did that saying go again?’ I wondered with a smile. ‘Right. Bravery isn’t about being fearless. It’s acknowledging the danger, feeling fear, and choosing to move forward anyway.’
And Usopp had that in spades.
“Shishishi, well said.” I laughed before giving him a friendly slap on the back that nearly sent him face-first into the ground.
“Hey! Watch it!” Usopp yelped as he stumbled forward.
“Yosh! I’ve decided!” I suddenly declared, startling everyone. Even Usopp jumped and let out a small yell as I pointed at him with a grin.
“Usopp, once all of this is over, join my crew as our sniper.”
The declaration earned surprised blinks from everyone and small groans from Nami and Zoro, though neither of them voiced any real objection, which already said enough.
“H-Huh?” Usopp asked blankly as he pointed at himself. “You want me to join your crew?”
“Yep~” I nodded. “As our nakama, you can count on us to help you protect your home village.”
“Welcome to the crew, Usopp-san.” Tiche said immediately afterward, giving the stunned teen a polite nod.
“There’s no helping it with this idiot, huh?” Nami groaned as she dragged a hand down her face.
“He is the captain.” Zoro replied with a small shrug, sounding completely unbothered by the decision.
Usopp finally seemed to process what I had said as his eyes began to water.
“You guys... will really help?”
“Shishishi, I thought that was already established.” I replied with a thumbs-up.
“Heh. I’d like to test myself against that Kuro guy. He seems a little strong.” Zoro said with a grin tinged with excitement, making Usopp pale slightly.
“Sure, Usopp~” Nami chimed in with a sweet smile. “Just remember that all of their treasure belongs to me as payment for helping.”
Tiche simply nodded in agreement.
Usopp quickly wiped away his tears before breaking into a wide grin.
“Alright! Then once this is over, I’ll be a real Captain!” he declared triumphantly while pumping a fist into the air.
Only to be immediately shot down.
“Sorry. Not happening.” I said flatly.
“Forget it.” Zoro added, instantly losing interest.
“He can stay here then.” Nami deadpanned.
“I only serve one captain.” Tiche stated, a dangerous glint flashing through her eyes.
“At least think about it, damn it!” Usopp shouted in fake outrage.
His casual dismissal of the subject did nothing to erase the slight frown on my face. He still wasn't taking it seriously.
‘Tsk. I’m going to need to have a proper talk with him before we leave so he understands, without a shadow of a doubt, that I’m the captain.’ I thought firmly.
=====
Following Day — Dawn
To prepare for the arrival of the Black Cat Pirates, we helped Usopp set up a number of traps along the shore leading toward the village.
We had also hidden the treasure from our boat just in case the pirates got any bright ideas and tried stealing it, something that would undoubtedly earn them Nami's wrath.
At one point, I excused myself under the pretense of using the restroom before quickly making my way toward Kaya's mansion. Making full use of my Adept Spycraft skill and Observation Haki, I remained completely undetected as I slipped inside after confirming that Kuro's presence was nowhere to be found.
Once inside, I found a severely wounded Merry bleeding out on the floor and immediately rushed over, using Healing Light to stabilize his injuries.
Judging by the condition he had been in, I knew that if I had arrived even a few minutes later, Merry would have bled to death, further proving my suspicion that I couldn't rely too heavily on canon events anymore.
Unlike in canon where Oda was deathly averse to character deaths, it wasn’t guaranteed here at all.
Once I was certain he would survive, I quietly left the mansion and returned to the others. Although they all gave me curious looks, nobody questioned where I had been.
After eating a light dinner, we remained awake throughout the night in light conversation around a small campfire until dawn finally arrived.
Standing atop the hill overlooking the shore, I glanced at everyone beside me.
Zoro and Tiche looked as relaxed as ever, not seeming concerned in the slightest, with the former even appearing eager for the upcoming fight. Nami and Usopp, on the other hand, looked understandably nervous, especially the long-nosed teen, whose anxiety only worsened once a pirate ship appeared on the horizon.
“T-They're really here...” Usopp stammered as he peered into the distance through his goggles, spotting the gray cat Jolly Roger fluttering above the mast.
“T-That's a big ship...” Nami muttered nervously as she stared at the dark-colored vessel.
“Alright, get ready, Nami. Usopp.” I said with a grin.
Both of them swallowed nervously, with Nami tightening her grip on her staff before turning toward me.
“D-Do I really have to fight again, Luffy?” she asked hopefully, looking at me with pleading eyes.
For this battle, I had decided that Nami and Usopp would be taking center stage, with Tiche and me only stepping in if either of them was in genuine danger. As for Zoro, he would be facing Kuro himself, something he had happily agreed to.
“This is the perfect opportunity to test yourselves against opponents like these before we start facing truly dangerous enemies.” I said calmly as I rested a reassuring hand on her trembling shoulder.
“Just like before, we'll step in if you're ever in real danger. Believe in yourself, Nami. You're much stronger than you were a few weeks ago. You just haven't realized it yet.” I added quietly so only she could hear before giving her shoulder one last gentle squeeze.
Nami took a shaky breath before looking at me in silence.
“Y-You'll protect me if something happens... right?” she asked in a small voice.
Smiling confidently, I nodded without hesitation.
“That's a given. You're our precious navigator, after all.”
She swallowed once more before taking another deep breath.
“...Okay.”
Our little moment, however, was interrupted by a panicking Usopp.
“Hey! Don't just reassure her, you bastard! I'm here too!” Usopp shouted with shark teeth and tears of panic in his eyes as the pirate ship docked and dozens of pirates began pouring onto the shore.
“I still can't believe you three aren't helping us and expect me and Nami to fight all of them! Are you some kind of sadist!?” he rambled while desperately gripping his slingshot.
“You're a man, aren't you?” I asked with a raised eyebrow, earning an amused snort from Zoro and a small smile from Tiche. “Then don't expect me to hold your hand through everything. Where's all that confidence from yesterday about protecting the village by yourself?”
“That was yesterday and this is today!” Usopp immediately shot back.
Even so, my words seemed to keep him from complaining any further as the pirates finally finished disembarking.
“A pair of kids?” we heard Jango remark from below as he looked up at us, dozens of grinning pirates gathered behind him.
“Well, whatever.” He waved a hand dismissively. “Kill them, boys!”
A roar of approval answered him as the pirates charged up the hill.
“Alright, Usopp, Nami.” I said cheerfully as I gave each of them an encouraging slap on the back before retreating with Zoro and Tiche.
“This is your time to shine~”