Chapter 22 Here Comes Usopp!

Author: Xiao Yifeng

Translator: PapaSmurf0700

"Aw, what a pity! He didn't want to hop on board with us."

Out on the sea, a pirate ship — once the pride and joy of Alvida — sailed steady.

Luffy stood at the prow, a little cloud of gloom hanging over his head.

"That guy's lost his courage to sail!" Zoro, busy pumping iron with a colossal barbell, remarked offhandedly.

"Imagine chasing a treasure for 20 years, only to find... nothing. Zero. Empty. That's gotta hurt," Nami mused, feeling a twinge of sympathy.

Just a day earlier, their journey brought them to a deserted island. Here, they stumbled upon a guy who'd been cooped up in an empty treasure chest for two whole decades! His eyes were set on the treasure supposedly perched atop the island's rock. But, poor fella, he couldn't get up there.

The Straw Hat crew lent a hand, pulling him up the rock, only to find an empty chest. The man was thoroughly disheartened. Even Luffy's invite to join their crew met with a big no.

"But hey, Luffy, he did give us some good info, right?" Bai Ye chimed in, trying to lift Luffy's spirits.

As they waved him goodbye, the chest guy told them about the Grand Line — a sea like no other. Whether you're in the first half, the 'Paradise,' or the latter half, the 'New World,' it's not just the fierce pirates that make your heart pound. But it's the hard weather! Everything's unpredictable there, from geomagnetism to celestial phenomena, from swirling waters to gusty winds. And your regular old compass? Pfft, useless. Each island's got its own magnetic field, so you need a fancy compass called a 'Log Pose.'

And to ride these wild waves? A pirate ship that's not just for show but a real sturdy vessel.

"Syrup Village?" Luffy quirked a brow at Bai Ye's words, "That's where we find our shipwright?"

"Exactly, Luffy. Plus," Bai Ye flashed a knowing grin, "if my sources are solid, there also might be an unexpected surprise waiting for us there."

"Huh? A surprise?! What kind of surprise???" Luffy's eyes practically jumping from excitement.

"Now, now, if I told you now, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?" Bai Ye, ever so cool, played it coy.

"But first, let's chat about situation with this village."

-----

"Trouble's brewing! Pirates are coming!"

In the cozy little Syrup Village, an urgent voice broke the morning calm: "Pirates! We've got pirates on the horizon!!"

"The village is under siege! Run for the hills, everyone!!" With these frantic warnings, the good folks of Syrup Village knew their day was officially underway. Some villagers, peeking through their windows at the ruckus outside, could only chuckle and shake their heads:

"That boy who cries 'pirate' is at it again. What an imagination!"

Another villager greeted from their doorway, waving at the breathless town crier: "Morning, Usopp! you guys got up really early today, huh?"

And, of course, there were a few not-so-morning people, grumbling as they stormed out: "You little rascal, stop with the false alarms! Just you wait, I'll get my hands on you, and then you'll learn!"

But, through thick and thin, nobody actually bought into the whole "pirates are coming" empty talk.

Our town crier, Usopp, was a kid with wild curly locks, a nifty brown bandana, and brown overalls. But his standout feature? A super-duper long nose, courtesy of his mom's genes. Papa Usopp was a pirate, who sailed off into the big blue sea right after learning he was going to be a dad, declaring, "The pirate's life is calling me!" Despite the tough times and her eventual sickness that followed, Mama Usopp never held a grudge.

As she was ill, little Usopp spun tales of pirates storming the village to keep her spirits up. And that's how the daily "Pirates are coming!" alarm began. Inspired by his mom's courage, Usopp dreamt big – he wanted to be a valiant warrior of the sea.

So, this day as usual, he went to the grandest house in Syrup Village, dodging the villager here and there.He scoped out the scene, shimmied over the wall, and climbed up the biggest tree in the yard.

"Kaya! Guess who?"

Up in the window of the fancy villa, a figure waved back. "Usopp! You made it!"

That was Kaya, the villa's owner, who had her share of hardships. After losing her parents and falling ill, she was pretty much homebound. Usopp, knowing what it's like when life gives you lemons, visited her everyday to tell her wild tales.

"So there I was, leading my 8,000-strong pirate crew, and what do we find? A goldfish the size of an island!" Usopp concluded with a flourish from his perch on the tree.

"Wow, really? Such things exist?" Kaya clapped, her eyes wide with wonder, her heart out there with the big, wide world she longed to see.

And that's how these two youngsters forged an incredible bond, one fantastical story at a time.

Why didn't Usopp just knock on the front door? Well, that'd be because of Klahadore, the villa's stern butler. He had a strict "No Visitors" policy, especially not for the village's notorious lie-teller.

Klahadore, in his flashy black butler get-up and hair slicked back like a movie star, strolled into the room with a polite little bow. "Miss Kaya," he started, a familiar tune to his words, "How many times do we have to chat about this? Meeting with outsiders isn't the best idea."

He headed straight for the window, adding, "And these windows need to stay shut. Can't have you catching a chill from the draft." He didn't even pause for Kaya to explain anything.

Pointing a stern finger, he addressed the uninvited guest: "And you, young sir, make another unscheduled visit to our yard, and I'm marching you right off to the village chief."

Adjusting his glasses like a professor, he announced, "Kaya, I'm leaving soon, but I'll catch you tomorrow."

Usopp gave Kaya a cheeky salute and made his grand exit down the tree.

"Klahadore, please ease up on Usopp, would you?" Kaya sighed, a bit deflated.

"Miss, I'm baffled. I don't really understand why you are so nice to this big liar?" Klahadore quizzed, snapping the window shut.

"Usopp's got a heart of gold," Kaya insisted, her gaze drifting off, perhaps to a world where everyone saw the good she saw.

"Can't see it," Klahadore muttered, shaking his head. He fetched a bowl and presented it to Kaya. "Miss, medicine time."

"Thank you, Klahadore. You've been my rock, looking after me all these years," Kaya responded, her smile a mix of gratitude and warmth.

Klahadore watched her sip the medicine, a silent sentinel. He retrieved the bowl, declaring, "Everything I do, Miss Kaya, is for you."

And in the quiet of his thoughts, he concluded, "For you to leave this world quietly."