One Piece: Trainer of Kings

"Ah?... Ah!"

Usopp jerked awake with a startled gasp, the newspaper and bounty poster falling from his loose grip as consciousness returned to him like a cold wave. His face had turned ashen, drained of all color as the full implications of what he'd seen finally sank in.

Despite his obvious horror, he managed to force a shaky laugh, though it sounded more like a death rattle than genuine amusement.

"Heh... Young people love to show off these days!" he said with hollow bravado, his voice cracking with every word.

But behind his weak facade, Usopp's mind raced through calculations that made his blood run cold. How could he have missed something so obvious, something that even his three young followers had grasped immediately?

And unlike the boys, who had focused only on the immediate danger, Usopp's strategic mind was already several steps ahead, analyzing patterns and possibilities that filled him with dread.

The newspaper report mentioned sightings of this pirate crew in Orange Town within the Organ Islands. He knew those waters, they were practically next door to the Moonlight Islands, where Syrup Village was located. The distance wasn't just manageable, it was inevitable.

This isn't just close, this is a direct path to us.

Following the natural shipping routes from Shells Town, where Marine Base 153 was located, through the Organ Islands... the next logical stop would be Syrup Village itself. The geography was undeniable, the timeline frighteningly clear.

Based on typical sailing speeds and weather patterns, they would arrive within days, maybe even hours if the winds were favorable.

Unless these pirates suddenly decided to abandon their current course and head for entirely different waters, Syrup Village was directly in their collision path. And pirates with a bounty of fifty million berries weren't going to change course for anything less than the Grand Line itself.

"Something catastrophic is about to happen!" he whispered in growing horror.

The full scope of the disaster crystallized in his mind with brutal clarity. Usopp frantically stuffed the newspaper into his overalls, his hands shaking so badly he could barely manage the simple task.

"Today's plans have changed completely!" he announced to his three confused followers, trying to put authority into his voice despite the fear that threatened to choke him. "We have something much more important to do!"

He jabbed his finger at the crumpled newspaper with desperate urgency. "This pirate crew is going to pass right through Syrup Village! We must warn everyone immediately and help them prepare for what is coming!"

"Huh?"

The three boys exchanged puzzled glances, clearly unable to grasp the strategic implications that seemed so obvious to their captain. But they had long since learned to trust Usopp's judgment in matters of real importance, even if they didn't fully understand the reasoning.

"Roger, Captain Usopp!" they chanted with military precision.

The four of them immediately sprang into action, urgency guiding their every step as they made their way back to the village. But before they were halfway back, a cheerful voice from behind them stopped them in their tracks.

"Hey! Are you from this village?"

"Could you direct us to a good restaurant? We're absolutely starving!"

"Listen, I'm dealing with a major crisis right now and I don't have time for this," Usopp snapped as he whirled around, his patience completely exhausted by the stress of their dire situation.

But the moment his eyes fell on the four figures approaching from the coastal path below, every word died in his throat.

Walking up the slope with casual confidence were a stunningly beautiful girl with bright orange hair, an intimidating man carrying three swords across his back, a young man in a distinctive red baseball cap...

And bringing up the rear, grinning with infectious enthusiasm, was the exact face he'd just seen on the bounty poster, Monkey D. Luffy, the Straw Hat Pirate with a fifty million berry bounty on his head.

"It's... it's him! The Straw Hat Pirate! A real fifty million berry criminal!"

Usopp's legs gave out completely, and he could barely keep himself upright as terror overwhelmed every rational thought in his head.

The cheerful voice that had called out to them belonged to Luffy himself, who continued to speak with the same casual friendliness as if he were discussing the weather instead of casually terrifying the local villagers.

"As long as you can take us somewhere with good food, I'll pay you for your help!"

"Luffy, the allowance I gave you is not for frivolous spending!" Nami scolded from beside him, obviously annoyed by her captain's financial priorities.

But Luffy just laughed off her concerns with his typical carefree attitude. "What's the big deal? Money is supposed to be spent, right?"

"That attitude is exactly why I don't want to give you any allowance in the first place!" she shot back with growing irritation.

"Come on, don't be like that! Just give me back my allowance and I'll decide how to spend it properly!"

But Nami would have none of it, and the two crewmembers launched into what was clearly a well-rehearsed argument about proper financial management and personal responsibility.

Meanwhile, Usopp had finally managed to process what he had witnessed. With trembling hands, he held up the bounty poster and compared it to the living person standing only twenty feet away from him. Between the unmistakable straw hat, the distinctive scar under Luffy's left eye and Nami's casual use of his name...

There could be no doubt. These were the real deal, the most dangerous pirates currently active in the East Blue.

"Pirates... real pirates are here!" he shouted in absolute panic, his voice cracking with fear.

His outburst immediately caught the attention of everyone present, creating an awkward moment of silence as both groups stared at each other across the mountain path.

Usopp realized with growing horror that he had just announced the presence of wanted criminals... directly to the wanted criminals themselves.

Brilliant strategy, genius. Why don't you tell them exactly how scared you are while you're at it?

But then his eyes fell on the three boys standing behind him, their faces pale with recognition as they, too, recognized the pirates from the bounty poster. Whatever happened to him didn't matter, he had to protect these children who looked up to him as their captain.

"You three need to run!" he commanded in the strongest voice he could muster despite his trembling legs. "Go back to the village and warn everyone to evacuate immediately! I'll hold them here!"

"Captain Usopp!" all three boys cried in alarm, recognizing the suicidal nature of what their leader was proposing.

But Usopp had already made up his mind. Pulling himself up to his full height despite the fear that threatened to paralyze him completely, he pointed an accusing finger at Luffy and his crew.

"You pirates! This village is under my protection!"

His voice grew stronger as he fell back into the familiar rhythm of his daily boasts, though this time the stakes were devastatingly real.

"I am the legendary Captain Usopp, commanding over eighty million loyal subordinates!"

"You'd better get out of here if you know what's good for you!"

With practiced efficiency, Usopp pulled out his slingshot, loaded one of his specially made lead pellets, and aimed it directly at the most dangerous person present, the fifty million berry captain himself.

I'm going to die. I'm definitely going to die.

Why did I have to go and provoke them like that?

Tears welled in his eyes as his imagination conjured up vivid images of his own imminent demise, followed by the three boys sobbing over his battered corpse while the village burned in the background.

But what happened next defied every expectation he'd built up about bloodthirsty pirates with astronomical bounties.

Instead of drawing weapons or making threats, all four crew members simply stared at him with expressions of utter bewilderment.

"Usopp?" Zoro shouted in surprise, turning to point directly at Akira. "Akira, the person you told us about... could it really be him?"

During their previous conversations in the dimensional chat, Akira had shared detailed information about the crew members they would eventually recruit. Everyone already knew that they were looking for a skilled marksman named Usopp, a talented cook named Sanji, and the perfect ship for their adventures.

They had come to Syrup Village specifically to invite this legendary marksman to join their crew and claim the destiny ship that Akira had described in his future knowledge.

But neither Zoro nor Nami had expected their prophesied crewmate to be a skinny teenager in overalls wielding what looked like a child's toy slingshot.

Based on Akira's stories, they had imagined someone much more... imposing.

However, Akira took one look at Usopp's distinctly elongated nose and broke into a knowing grin.

"Unless there's another long-nosed teenager named Usopp running around the East Blue... this is definitely our guy!"

Suddenly, Luffy's eyes widened in recognition as a memory from his childhood surfaced.

"Wait a minute! Usopp... I know I've heard that name before!"

His face lit up with sudden realization as the pieces clicked into place. "That's right! Is your father Yassop?"

"What?"

The question hit Usopp like a physical blow, completely derailing his defensive posture as confusion replaced terror. He blinked quickly, trying to process this unexpected turn in the conversation.

"Yassop... that is my father's name," he admitted slowly, lowering his slingshot slightly. "But how could you know that?"

Since his mother's death years ago, Usopp had never heard his father's name spoken. The man had become more legend than reality in his mind, a distant figure who had chosen the sea over his family.

"It really is you!" Luffy exclaimed with genuine excitement, his entire demeanor brightening as fond memories surfaced. "Yassop used to talk about you all the time when I was younger!"

The rubber-powered captain's expression grew nostalgic as he continued: "He would tell stories about his amazing son back home, and sometimes he would do these incredible tricks that he said he learned from you!"

For a moment, Luffy's face darkened slightly as he remembered some of the more elaborate pranks that had left him dangling from trees or covered in various substances.

"Although I have to admit that some of those pranks were pretty annoying at the time," he added with a rueful laugh.

Before Usopp could fully process this information, Akira stepped forward with a practical suggestion.

"Well, we shouldn't be standing in the middle of the road like this," he said with a light smile. "Why don't we find a comfortable place to sit down and talk?"

"There should be a decent restaurant in the village where we can get some food and have a real conversation."

Luffy immediately perked up at the mention of food, his eyes practically sparkling with anticipation.

"That sounds perfect! I'm starving!"

Before Usopp could voice any objections or even fully comprehend what was happening, the four pirates had essentially surrounded him and began to escort him back to Syrup Village in a friendly but undeniably insistent manner.

The three boys were left standing alone on the mountain trail, watching their captain disappear in the company of East Blue's most wanted criminals.

"Did you see that?" Onion whispered in amazement. "Captain Usopp really knows such famous pirates!"

"And they seemed to respect him as well!" Pepper added with growing excitement.

"Maybe..." Carrot said slowly, his voice filled with dawning wonder, "maybe all those stories Captain Usopp tells us about his adventures... maybe some of them are actually true?"

For the first time in their young lives, the three boys began to seriously consider whether their beloved Captain might be more than just a masterful storyteller.

An hour later, after eating enough food to feed a family of six for a week, Luffy and Usopp had exhausted every story either of them could remember about Yassop.

Usopp had listened with growing pride as he learned of his father's current status as a core member of the Akira-Haired Pirates, one of the Four Emperors' most trusted crew members. Knowing that Yassop had achieved such legendary status filled him with complicated emotions of pride, abandonment, and desperate longing.

Watching this emotional reunion, Akira could only shake his head in puzzled resignation. Even after more than two years in this world, he still struggled to understand the strange logic that governed certain characters' decision-making processes.

The fact that Yassop had spent an entire year in Windmill Village, yet never once considered visiting his own wife and child, remained a psychological puzzle that Akira couldn't solve. Perhaps the sharpshooter was afraid that seeing his family would destroy his resolve to pursue his dreams on the Grand Line.

It was the only explanation that made sense, although it still seemed incredibly callous from an outside perspective.

Seeing that both Luffy and Usopp had finished sharing their memories, Akira decided it was time to address their actual purpose for visiting Syrup Village.

"All right, Luffy, we should probably get to the point before it gets too late," he said, giving his captain a meaningful look. "Don't forget why we came here in the first place."

"Oh, right!" Luffy slapped his palm against his forehead with characteristic enthusiasm. "I was almost completely distracted by all those stories!"

Then he turned to face Usopp directly, his expression changing to the serious determination that marked all of his most important decisions.

"Usopp, I want you to join my crew and go to sea with me!"