Outside the iron gate of a very luxurious villa in Syrup Village.
"Hello, please lend me a ship," Luffy called out, standing outside the iron gate.
Tom quietly asked Nami beside him, "You're not planning to steal money here, are you?"
"What nonsense. I'm a thief with dignity and principles," Nami said, punching Tom in the left cheek with her fist. She continued, "Although the owner of this villa is very rich, her parents are gone, leaving her all alone. No matter how much money she has or how she chooses to spend it, nothing is more unfortunate than that. That money was left to her by her parents. I wouldn't steal it."
"I see," Tom said, noticing Nami's tone was different from usual, carrying a trace of sadness.
Huh? What's that?
Tom accidentally spotted a not-very-conspicuous gap in the plants growing along the villa's outer fence, just big enough for one person to pass through.
"Hey, Luffy, look over there," Tom said, looking at the gap in the fence plants, and tugged on Luffy's arm.
But at that moment, Luffy had already stretched his arm out, grabbed the top of the iron gate, crouched down, and shouted, "Gum-Gum... Intrusion!"
"Stop!"
"Don't act recklessly!"
Zoro and Nami, seeing Luffy trying to enter the villa without permission, rushed over to grab him.
By the time Tom reacted, it was already too late. They were still holding onto Luffy's body when they were all launched into the sky along with him.
Onionhead, Pepperhead, and Carrothcad stared dumbfounded at the spot in the sky where Tom and the others had disappeared, their mouths hanging open, too scared to utter a word.
"Luffy, you bastard!"
"Why do you always act so recklessly?"
"I'm going to cut you down sooner or later!"
Tom, Nami, and Zoro, plummeting from high altitude, cursed at Luffy, who was laughing joyfully as he fell.
Just before hitting the ground, Tom saw a large tree to his side. Sitting in that tree was a person chatting with a girl leaning out of a window. Judging by the girl's occasional fits of laughter, the two were having a great time.
Tom kicked hard against the thick trunk of the large tree, flipping three times in the air.
Because Tom kicked the tree, it shook violently, causing Usopp, who had been sitting in the tree bragging to Kaya, to tumble down.
Just as Tom was about to land safely, he heard Luffy's voice: "Check this out! Gum-Gum Balloon!"
Luffy, about to hit the ground, sucked in a huge breath. His belly immediately swelled up like a giant balloon.
Tom and Zoro were just about to make contact with the ground when Luffy's belly suddenly expanded, instantly bouncing them both away.
Tom's feet were about to touch down when Luffy's Gum-Gum Balloon hit him, sending him flying toward Nami, who was still in the air ahead of him.
Before Nami could process what was happening, Tom, who had been sent flying by Luffy, crashed squarely into her, and they ended up in a tight embrace.
Furthermore, because Tom had changed his landing direction by using the tree, when Luffy's balloon bounced him, he flew toward Nami from the side.
Smack!
Tom had no time to react. As he crashed into Nami and they flew sideways, he tragically and firmly kissed the smooth, snow-white skin of Nami's cheek.
Nami's face flushed bright red instantly.
It's over. Why does this keep happening?
That thought popped into both Tom and Nami's minds at that moment. At least he/she didn't kiss my mouth!
Seeing they were about to hit the ground, Tom hugged Nami and twisted in mid-air. The two of them landed on the ground, leaving a clear skid mark several meters long.
Nami was sitting astride Tom, her face still terribly red, breathing rapidly. She met Tom's gaze, then closed her eyes and lay down beside him, deciding not to think about anything for now.
Damn, good thing she didn't freak out. I'd better forget this too.
Tom lay beside Nami, closed his eyes, and decided not to move for a moment.
"Who is it? You made me fall out of the tree!" Usopp said, touching his long nose. He had landed head-first, his long nose unfortunately colliding with the ground and becoming crooked.
Before Usopp could check his nose, he saw Zoro, who had been bounced by Luffy, speeding toward him for a collision.
"No!" Usopp's eyes nearly bulged out in terror. Then Zoro crashed into him, and the two of them slammed into a stone wall behind them, cracking it.
Thud!
Zoro and Usopp slid down the wall and lay on the ground, unable to get up for a while.
"Hahahaha, everything went smoothly!" Luffy laughed happily. He was the only one who landed safely. Seeing Tom, Nami, Zoro, and Usopp all lying on the ground unable to get up, he asked, puzzled, "What are you all doing lying on the ground? Putting on a show together?"
"How can you even say that?!" The four of them were completely infuriated by Luffy's thoughtless words. They stood up, walked over to him, and gave him a thorough beating.
Thwack! Thud! Wham!
"Sorry, I shouldn't have made fun of you for putting on a show," Luffy, now lying on the ground with a face swollen like a pig's, struggled to raise a hand and finally apologized, though he hadn't realized what he'd actually done wrong.
"Are you all okay?" Kaya leaned out of the window and asked the group below. Seeing them fall from such a height and witnessing certain accidents, she was a bit worried.
"We're fine, Kaya. Don't worry. These people heard about my legends and traveled all the way here to become new members of the Usopp Pirates," Usopp said, pointing at Luffy and the others.
"No, we're not what you said," Luffy said, brushing dust off himself and immediately denying Usopp's claim.
"That person seems badly injured. Is he really alright?" Kaya asked Usopp, seeing Tom covered in bandages.
"Oh, he's the one I told you about who came from afar to challenge me and was defeated by me. He now admires me greatly and insists on calling me the incredibly strong Captain Usopp," Usopp said, putting an arm around Tom's shoulder, completely ignoring Tom's obvious presence and continuing unabashedly bragging to Kaya. "It was a spectacular duel! I, staking my honor, fought him somewhat seriously. We fought so hard even a huge cape lost a big chunk, and I accidentally injured him. His injuries are from our duel, but don't worry, these injuries are nothing to him."
Just as Tom was about to expose Usopp's lies, he heard a sharp question: "Who gave you permission to trespass?!"
Turning around, Tom saw a man wearing glasses and a suit walking over.
"Who's that?" Tom asked Usopp beside him.
"Klahadore. He's the butler here," Usopp said, turning his head away, clearly not fond of this butler.
"Klahadore, they are..." Kaya started from the second-floor window, but before she could finish, Klahadore gestured for her to stop. "No need to explain. You can tell me the reason later."
"Please leave quickly. Or do you have some business here?" Klahadore walked toward Tom and the others.
"We want a ship," Luffy stated his purpose very directly. Klahadore refused without thinking. "No!"
A dejected Luffy weakly hung his head. Zoro patted his shoulder in sympathy.
"You're Usopp, right?" Klahadore said, spotting the person hiding behind Tom. "I've heard about you. Especially the villagers' opinion of you."
"Oh, thank you. You can respectfully call me Captain Usopp. That's what everyone in the village calls me," Usopp said, pointing his thumb at himself and starting to brag again.
"Hmph, you really know how to boast. I've even heard about your father," Klahadore said, a trace of a sneer on his lips. He continued to Usopp, "You're just the son of a low-life pirate. Nothing you do surprises me! But please don't approach our young mistress."
"You call my father a low-life?" A shadow fell over Usopp's face. He gritted his teeth as he spoke to Klahadore.
Seeing Usopp's angry expression, Tom recalled how Usopp's face had shown genuine admiration and pride when talking about his father in the restaurant, without any pretense. His father, whom he was so proud of, being insulted by this so-called butler would make anyone angry.
"You and the young mistress are from different worlds. Your purpose in approaching her is money, right? Tell me, how much do you want?" Klahadore put one hand in his trouser pocket and used his palm to push up his glasses, which were sliding down his nose.
Normally, people use their fingers to adjust glasses, but Klahadore used his palm, with all five fingers spread apart and pointing straight up.
Tom frowned, finding this way of adjusting glasses incredibly odd and increasingly grating to look at.
Kaya, standing at the second-floor window, turned pale upon hearing Klahadore's words. "Klahadore, that's going too far. Apologize to Usopp immediately!"
"No need to apologize to this savage. I'm just stating facts," Klahadore ignored Kaya and turned back to Usopp. "Actually, I pity you. Leaving the village, abandoning his family—that foolish father of yours only thinks about treasure. You must hate him, right?"
"Stop it, Klahadore!" Kaya's voice was several decibels louder than before, clearly truly angry.
This woman looks weak, but she can shout pretty loud.
Tom glanced at Kaya by the window. She was pale, with golden hair. She would have been quite pretty if not for her sickly appearance.
But Klahadore, as a butler, could actually disregard the young mistress's words and seemed to be taking charge, which made Tom even more suspicious of him.
Luffy and the others stood to the side; this was a private matter, and they couldn't easily interfere.
"I won't allow you to insult my father any longer!" Usopp's fists were clenched so tightly his fingernails dug deep into his palms, leaving trickles of bright red blood from between his fingers.
"What's there to be so angry about? You're too stupid. Actually, you should showcase your expert lying skills now," Klahadore adjusted his glasses again, his face full of mockery as he addressed Usopp. "You could brag, say my father is a merchant, or that I'm not related to him by blood..."
"Shut up!" Usopp, unable to contain his anger any longer upon hearing Klahadore's words, rushed over and punched Klahadore in the face, knocking him to the ground.
"Ah!" Kaya at the window covered her mouth in shock at Usopp's action.
However, after Usopp punched Klahadore, none of those present—Luffy and the others—looked surprised.
"See? Resorting to violence so easily. Like father, like son," Klahadore said, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with his hand, continuing in a mocking tone.
"What do you know?! I'm proud my father is a pirate! I'm proud he's a brave warrior of the sea!" Usopp roared angrily at Klahadore. "You're right, I am a liar. But I'm proud to be a pirate's descendant! That is beyond doubt!"
"I am a pirate's son!" Usopp shouted these words as if using all his strength, clearly reaching everyone's ears.
"Pirates are brave warriors of the sea? What kind of twisted logic is that?" Klahadore slowly stood up, pushing his glasses with his palm. He continued, "But you do indeed have savage blood. All you do is brag all day, resort to violence when angry, and in the end, you're only approaching the young mistress for her wealth."
This four-eyed butler is bringing up money again. He's said twice now that Usopp is only approaching their young mistress for money. Is that a coincidence?
Tom had a growing feeling that Klahadore's targeting of Usopp was most likely related to money.
"Come here," Tom pulled Nami aside. "You're a professional thief, right?"
"My navigation skills and thieving skills are both professional," Nami said confidently.
The two of them had had an awkward moment earlier but were now interacting normally again. It seemed habit made things natural.
"From your professional thief's perspective, that Klahadore guy... is he a colleague of yours?" Tom asked Nami.
"If he were a thief, could he be working here as a butler? Would you be so stupid as to hire a thief as a butler?" Nami knocked Tom on the head and asked two rhetorical questions.
"I think if he's not a thief, then he's probably the same as me—a colleague," Tom said, stroking his chin very seriously.
"Huh?" Nami was stunned. "You're saying that butler is a pirate? You're an idiot! No one is stupid enough to hire a pirate as a butler. Besides, have you ever seen a pirate come to work as a butler?"
Tom was about to explain his suspicions to Nami when he heard Klahadore shout loudly at Usopp: "No matter your reasons, the fact that your father is a pirate alone means I absolutely forbid you from seeing the young mistress again."
Klahadore's words not only insulted the father Usopp deeply respected but also discriminated against all pirates.
"See? He looks down on pirates. How could he possibly be one?" Nami's words left Tom puzzled. How could this be? Was I wrong? Is that four-eyed butler really just protecting the young mistress and that's why he keeps targeting Usopp?
"Usopp, don't use violence anymore. Actually, Klahadore... he's not a bad person. He's just looking out for me, so his words were a bit excessive," Kaya said, covering her face. A stream of tears slid from between her pale fingers. With a strong sob in her voice, she spoke to Usopp, who had grabbed Klahadore by the collar and was about to hit him again.
Hearing Kaya's words, Usopp's face still showed anger, but his fist ultimately didn't swing down and dropped powerlessly.
"Please leave. This is no place for a savage like you," Klahadore said, slapping Usopp's hand away and shouting, "From now on, you are not to come near here again!"
"I know my place. I would have left even without you saying so. I won't come here anymore," Usopp said with a dark face. He glanced at Kaya, who stood crying blankly by the second-floor window, then turned and walked away without looking back.
"Stinky guy! The Captain is not the kind of person you say he is!"
"Yeah, you jerk!"
"Big dummy!"
Pepperhead, Carrothcad, and Onionhead, who had been hiding and watching, now seeing Usopp driven away in anger, felt sad for him. Without thinking, they jumped out and began yelling at Klahadore.
"Right! You're a dummy!" Luffy joined the three kids in yelling at Klahadore. He got angrier as he yelled and, just like the kids, wanted to charge forward and fight him. "Come on! You want to fight? I'm not afraid of you!"
Zoro, seeing Luffy so agitated, quickly held him back. "Why are you joining in yelling at him?"
"All of you, get out of here!" Klahadore, provoked by Luffy, had veins bulging on his hands.
"Hey, the injuries on my body were caused by your good friend Usopp. You should at least treat my wounds," Tom said to Kaya, who was still crying by the second-floor window. He completely ignored Klahadore's words.
"Your injuries weren't..." Luffy looked at Tom curiously and started to speak, but Tom kicked him away. "You, get lost!"
Then Luffy went to find Usopp and didn't return.
"Huh? Okay. I'll have Merry take a look at you," Kaya said upon hearing Tom's words. After hesitating, she asked the other butler, Merry, to bring Tom into the villa to treat his wounds.
Tom did this for two reasons. First, he genuinely wanted his injuries to heal faster. He figured a wealthy family like this would have better medicine, and Usopp's earlier lie gave him a convenient excuse. Second, Tom still felt this Klahadore was suspicious and wanted a chance to inquire about this four-eyed butler.
"No, young mistress. How can you casually let an outsider into the villa?" Klahadore immediately objected.
"You're right. If I go inside and accidentally say a few words to your young mistress, you'll definitely say I'm deliberately approaching her for money again. That wouldn't be good," Tom sighed, looking as if he had given up.
"In that case, you should..." Klahadore, thinking Tom had changed his mind, was about to tell him to leave more politely when Tom interrupted him halfway. "Butler Merry, please take me to get treated."
"You...!" Klahadore was furious inside but controlled his emotions well, showing no major abnormal behavior. This time, he didn't object again.
"Wait for me outside. It shouldn't take too long," Tom said to Zoro and the others.
"Fine. I'll take a nap by the roadside," Zoro said with a yawn, leaving briskly.
"What exactly are you trying to do? If you dare do anything bad in someone else's house, I'll flatten you!" Nami warned Tom very seriously. Then she left with Onionhead and the other two kids.
Tom watched Nami's slender back as she left, slapped his butt, turned around, and completely forgot what she had just said.
Some time later, Tom learned from the butler Merry—who had a head shaped like a sheep—that Klahadore had worked on a ship three years ago, was thrown off for making a mistake, and eventually came to this village.
Penniless and on the verge of starving in the streets, Klahadore was later taken in by Kaya's father and became a butler here.
Merry also told Tom that over the past three years, Klahadore's care for Kaya could be described as meticulous. Regarding the incident with Usopp, while he also thought Klahadore had been somewhat excessive, he didn't find it abnormal.
Tom also asked about Kaya. He was curious why such a wealthy young girl had some knowledge of medicine, as Merry had needed to consult Kaya when changing Tom's bandages.
Merry explained that nine months ago, Kaya suddenly wanted to study medicine. After studying during this period, she had indeed gained a certain level of medical knowledge.
She started studying medicine nine months ago? That was after she met Usopp, wasn't it?
Just as Tom was thinking this, he heard Usopp's voice: "Kaya, run! Or you'll be killed!"
When Tom and Merry ran to Kaya's room on the second floor, Usopp had climbed the tree by the window and was speaking anxiously to Kaya. "You've been deceived! That butler is a pirate!"
"I heard him meeting with his comrades on the coast! That Klahadore is a pirate who infiltrated here to get this family's wealth! For three years, he's been pretending to be a butler, trying to get your property!"
Usopp's words stunned Kaya. Seeing her disbelief, he urgently said, "Klahadore also said that tomorrow at dawn, many pirates will come here to kill you!"
"He's a terrible villain! Run, Kaya, quickly!" Seeing Kaya frozen, Usopp made a final effort. He was telling the truth. Earlier, he and Luffy had coincidentally discovered Klahadore meeting a man with heart-shaped glasses and overheard their plot.
"I misjudged you, Usopp!" Kaya stopped Usopp from continuing, saying sadly, "Don't use this kind of lying, deceptive method to get back at Klahadore! I already told him he went too far, and I still think so."
"But now you're using such lies to retaliate against him. I always thought you weren't that kind of person!" Kaya stood by the window, pursing her lips as she spoke to Usopp. "Your lies are always full of dreams and very interesting, so they make me happy."
"I really like the lies you tell! But why are you telling such malicious, hurtful lies? You've gone too far." Kaya cried out to Usopp in the tree by the window. "You've gone too far! I always believed you were a man who could make lies come true! How could you..."
Seeing that Kaya absolutely refused to believe him, Usopp grew desperate and actually reached out and grabbed Kaya by the window. "Just come with me and escape first! I would never lie to you. Believe me! By tomorrow, you'll know the whole truth. Listen to me!"
"What's wrong with you? This isn't like you at all!" Kaya, seeing Usopp trying to forcefully take her away—completely unlike his usual self—felt heartbroken and slapped Usopp.
Slap!
Bang!
Just as Kaya slapped Usopp, Merry, who had hurried to her room, saw Kaya seemingly being taken hostage by Usopp and fired a shot at Usopp.
It could be said that at the moment Usopp was slapped by Kaya, he was also shot in the right arm.
In that instant, only he knew clearly what hurt more: his face, the gunshot wound on his arm, or his heart.
"What are you doing? Who told you to shoot?!" Tom, seeing Usopp fall from the tree, crushed the pistol in Merry's hand until it was deformed.
Earlier, when coming to Kaya's room with Merry, Tom had accidentally seen something good and lingered for a short while. By the time he arrived in the room, he just happened to see Merry's gun aimed at Usopp.
"Intruder! Someone, come quickly!" Tom heard a commotion in the villa courtyard below. Knowing Usopp had been discovered by the villa's security, he dashed to the window. He glanced at Kaya; her face was completely devoid of color, her eyes losing focus, as if greatly traumatized.
"Watch her!" Tom unceremoniously pushed Kaya toward Merry and jumped down from the second floor.
"Get lost, all of you!" Tom, with a few punches and kicks, swiftly defeated the villa's guards, then fled with the gunshot-wounded Usopp.
"Let's make it tomorrow at dawn, Jango. Attack the village as soon as it's light," Usopp recalled the words he had overheard Klahadore saying on the coast. He looked back at his beloved hometown, remembering how he had desperately run back, shouting over and over to the villagers that pirates would attack tomorrow.
But no one believed Usopp. Because he had often shouted similar things in the village before, the villagers were used to it and didn't take him seriously.
Instead, many villagers came out with brooms and pots to chase Usopp away, telling him to stop lying.
This made Usopp so sad he actually started crying softly.
"No need to cry," Tom said, not expecting Usopp to really cry so easily.
"Shut up! This is the most real thing a man like me sheds!" Usopp quickly wiped his tears and said to Tom.
"Ah, your crew is here," Tom said, spotting Onionhead and the other kids jogging toward them from a distance.
"You're still alive?!" Usopp said, looking at Luffy, who was walking over with the three kids, with an expression as if he'd seen a ghost.
After all, Usopp had personally seen Luffy fall headfirst from a high cliff earlier. A normal person really wouldn't have survived.
"Alive?" Luffy completely didn't understand what Usopp was saying. After falling from the cliff, he had fallen asleep and was later awakened by Zoro, who found him.
"By the way, Captain, we heard! We need to quickly tell everyone about the pirates attacking the village tomorrow!" Pepperhead said, having heard about the pirates from Luffy. However, upon hearing this, Usopp remembered what Kaya had said to him earlier: "You're the terrible villain, Usopp! How could you sink to this level?"
Tom watched as Usopp hid his gunshot-wounded right arm, which was still bleeding, behind his back so the three kids wouldn't see it. Then Usopp burst out laughing. "Of course that was all a lie! I just don't like that butler, so I wanted people to think he's a pirate."
Hearing Usopp's words, Luffy, Tom, and the others silently watched this guy lying again.
This guy isn't completely worthless. He's got guts when it counts.
Tom thought it was truly not easy for Usopp to have to hide his inner sadness, endure the pain from the gunshot wound in his right arm, and nonchalantly lie like he usually did.
Pepperhead and the other two kids immediately believed Usopp's latest lie.
But because of this, these three children, who had always admired Usopp, were truly disappointed in him.
"I look down on the Captain now."
"Me too."
"Even though that butler is hateful, we always thought you wouldn't do something that deliberately hurts others."
After saying these words, the three kids ignored Usopp and walked away on their own.
Usopp fell into silence upon hearing the children's words, watching as they happily returned to the village.
That night, a crescent moon hung high in the sky.
On the coast of Syrup Village, Luffy, Tom, Nami, Zoro, and Usopp were together.
"Because I'm a liar, no one believes what I say," Usopp said, sitting on the edge of a rock, his tone carrying a hint of dejection.
"What you said is the truth," Zoro said, looking at Usopp. "Pirates really will attack the village."
"Right, those pirates will definitely come! But everyone thinks I'm lying! The villagers also think tomorrow will be a peaceful day like any other." Usopp paused here, then stood up abruptly and said very firmly to Tom and the others, "So I will meet those pirates on this coast, stop them from entering the village, and make this incident a real lie! That's the principle this liar must abide by!"
Tom and the others remained silent as Usopp continued, "Even though my hand was shot, the villagers chased me with brooms... this is the village where I grew up, and I love this village very much. I want to protect everyone!"
Usopp covered his face with his hands. He was crying again. His right arm, because of the gunshot wound, was stained bright red with blood, looking very glaring under the moonlight. "I don't want everyone to be killed by pirates in this messy situation!"
Watching Usopp sitting alone on the rock, covering his face and crying, yet unabashedly displaying his determination to protect the village, Luffy and the others, after a brief silence, finally someone spoke.
"You're a really good guy. Your crew abandoned you, and yet you still want to act tough alone," Zoro said with a light sigh to Usopp.
"Okay! We'll help you!" Luffy said, swinging his arms, full of enthusiasm.
"Let's get this straight first: all the treasure we take from those pirates belongs to me," Nami said, making Tom feel exasperated. Does this woman only think about money?
"How should I put it... that four-eyed butler really pisses me off. And I did receive a little benefit, so putting in some effort is fine," Tom said, stroking his chin as he addressed Usopp.
"What?!" Nami, upon hearing Tom's words, immediately grabbed Tom by the neck and started shaking him vigorously. "What benefit? Whose benefit did you receive? Spit it out!"
Usopp had been quite touched upon hearing Luffy and the others were willing to help, but before he could even express his gratitude, he saw Tom being choked until his face turned blue by Nami. For a moment, a thousand words stuck in his throat, and he couldn't say anything.
Ten minutes later.
"Okay, let's hold a strategy meeting," Usopp said, his legs trembling extremely violently. Everyone saw it.
"Dammit... Dammit!" Usopp punched his own thighs several times, trying to stop his legs from shaking, but to no avail. They shook even more.
Seeing Tom and the others looking at him, Usopp, with trembling legs, yelled at them, "What's so funny? The opponent is Captain Kuro's pirate crew! Of course I'm scared! So what?! I don't want your pity! Get lost and go back!"
"We're not laughing at you. We decided to help because we think you're remarkable," Zoro said, glancing at Usopp, whose body was shaking with fear.
"We wouldn't stake our lives out of pity for you," Luffy said to Usopp with a serious face.
"You're an idiot. Fear and cowardice are different. If you were a coward, I would have beaten you up long ago. I wouldn't waste time here with you," Tom said very honestly to Usopp.
"You're the idiot yourself. Is it okay for you to lecture others so casually?" Nami's words made Tom angry. If Zoro hadn't held him back, he and Nami might have really started fighting.
"Sniff... You guys..." Usopp cried once more. He had only met Luffy and the others today, yet they were willing to risk their lives for him. It was truly deeply moving.
"First, tell me what you're each best at. Then I'll make a detailed battle plan," Usopp quickly adjusted his state and said to Luffy and the others.
"Cutting!"
"Stretching!"
"Stealing!"
"Fishing!"
Zoro, Luffy, Nami, and Tom stated their respective strengths in order.
"Hey, in that case, you two are completely useless in a fight, aren't you?" Usopp said very honestly to Tom and Nami.
Thwack! Thwack!
"You saying that is really too rude!" This time, Tom and Nami in unison knocked Usopp flat.
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T/N :
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