Naruto walked through the village streets, hands behind his head, lost in thought. His chat with Kaya had been fun, and she even promised to talk to Merry about the ship. That was good news, but something about Klahadore still bugged him. That butler didn't sit right with him.
As he approached the fence where Nami and Zoro were waiting, he gave a casual wave.
"Oh, you're back," Nami said. "Find anything interesting?"
"Nah, just had a little chat," Naruto replied with a grin, but before he could say more, Usopp came running toward them—panic all over his face.
"Pirates! The pirates are coming! Khaladore—he's—!" Usopp didn't even slow down, rushing straight past them toward the village.
Zoro raised a brow. "What's with him?"
"Did he say pirates?" Nami asked, suddenly on alert.
The three of them exchanged glances before
decided to search for luffy.
Usopp sprinted into the village square, waving his arms frantically. "Everyone, listen to me! Pirates are coming! Khaladore is a pirate! He's planning an attack on the village!"
Instead of reacting with fear, the villagers scowled.
"Oh, not this again…" one man groaned.
"Usopp, enough with the lies!" a woman snapped.
A group of angry villagers began advancing on him.
"No, this time it's real! You have to believe me!" Usopp pleaded, but his words only made them more furious.
"Get lost, Usopp!" someone shouted as they started chasing him.
Usopp had no choice but to turn and run, his heart sinking.
Panting, Usopp finally made it to Kaya's mansion. He climbed over the gate and rushed to the front door, banging on it.
"Kaya! Kaya, open up! It's an emergency!"
The door opened, and Kaya stood there, surprised. "Usopp? What's wrong?"
"Khaladore—your butler—he's a pirate! He's been lying to you all this time! You have to run away with me before it's too late!"
Kaya's eyes widened, but then she frowned. "Usopp… this joke isn't funny."
"I'm not joking! He's planning to attack the village!" Usopp grabbed her wrist. "Please, you have to believe me!"
"Stop it!" Kaya pulled her arm free and slapped him across the face.
Usopp froze, stunned.
"I don't know what kind of story you're making up, but Klahadore has been taking care of me for years! He would never do something like that," Kaya said, her voice trembling.
Before Usopp could respond, a gunshot rang out.
The bullet grazed his arm, making him stumble back.
Merry, the estate's caretaker, stood behind Kaya, holding a smoking pistol. "Leave, Usopp. You've gone too far this time."
Clutching his bleeding arm, Usopp gritted his teeth. "Damn it… You'll regret this…" He turned and ran, feeling more defeated than ever.
Meanwhile, back at cliff, Naruto, Nami, and Zoro were searching for Luffy.
"He was just here… Where the hell did he go?" Nami muttered.
They heard a faint snoring sound.
Looking down over the cliff, they saw Luffy lying flat on his back, fast asleep.
Zoro's eye twitched. "Are you serious?"
Naruto hopped down first, landing beside him. "Oi, Luffy! Wake up!" He shook Luffy, but the captain just mumbled and rolled over.
Annoyed, Naruto formed a hand sign. "Fine, you asked for it—Thousa.."
Before he could use his painful Jutsu, Zoro grabbed Luffy by the collar and shook him violently. "Wake up, dumbass!"
Luffy's eyes snapped open. "Huh? Oh! Morning, guys!"
"Why the hell are you sleeping here?" Nami shouted.
Luffy scratched his head. "Oh yeah… I fell."
"…That's it?" Zoro asked, incredulous.
"Oh yeah! That butler guy is planning to attack the village with pirates," Luffy added casually.
Nami, Zoro, and Naruto all facepalmed.
"Maybe lead with that next time," Naruto groaned.
Just then, Usopp returned, holding his wounded arm. His face was downcast, his usual energetic demeanor completely gone.
"…They didn't believe me," he muttered. "Nobody did."
But when he looked up, his eyes widened in shock. "Luffy?! You're alive?!"
Luffy grinned. "Of course! I just fell asleep."
Usopp felt like crying. "You fell—!? Forget it…"
Just then, the three kids from Usopp's gang ran up to them.
"Captain! We believe you! We're ready to fight!"
Usopp looked at their determined faces. He clenched his fists, then forced a smile. "I was lying. There's no attack."
The kids' faces fell. "But—"
"No buts. It was just another one of my stories." Usopp turned away from them. "Go home."
With heavy hearts, the kids walked away, leaving Usopp with the crew.
Naruto watched him, fists clenched. "Usopp…"
Now, only they remained.
And the pirates were coming.
Usopp stood there, gripping his injured arm, staring at the ground with a hollow look in his eyes. "Nobody believed me…" he murmured, voice trembling. "Not the villagers, not even Kaya... Even Merry shot me. No matter how much I shouted, nobody listened."
His fists clenched, frustration and heartbreak swirling inside him. His whole body trembled—not just from exhaustion, but from the weight of being ignored.
"But still," Usopp took a shaky breath, forcing himself to stand tall, "even if they call me a liar… even if they don't believe me... I can't just let them be attacked. I love this village. I want to protect it, no matter what."
Silence hung in the air for a moment. Then—
"We'll fight with you," Luffy said, a wide grin spreading across his face.
Usopp blinked. "Huh?"
Naruto smirked. "Yeah. No way we're letting a bunch of pirates run wild here."
Zoro crossed his arms. "Besides, we owe Kuro some payback."
Even Nami sighed, placing a hand on her hip. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but yeah. We'll fight too."
Usopp's mouth opened and closed. He looked at each of them, baffled. "W-Wait… why? Why would you guys fight for me?"
That's when Luffy, Naruto, Zoro, and Nami all burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
Usopp's jaw dropped. "H-Hey! Why are you laughing?!"
Naruto wiped a fake tear from his eye, grinning. "Because you've got 'terrified' written all over your face!"
Luffy stretched his arms behind his head. "Yeah, your legs are shaking so much they might run off without you!"
Usopp glanced down—sure enough, his knees were wobbling like crazy. He quickly straightened up, coughing. "T-That's just my special battle stance!"
Zoro smirked. "Oh? So, your 'special stance' just happens to look like someone about to pass out?"
"Shut up! It's a tactical technique!" Usopp huffed.
Nami shook her head. "Honestly, I don't know what's scarier—the pirates or how big of an idiot you guys are."
Luffy suddenly grinned and placed a hand on Usopp's shoulder. "But we're gonna fight anyway."
Usopp blinked, startled. "H-Huh?"
Naruto nodded, cracking his knuckles. "Yep. Can't let you have all the fun, Captain Usopp."
Zoro smirked. "If you're fighting, we're fighting too."
Usopp looked at their faces—Luffy's fearless grin, Zoro's unwavering confidence, Naruto's easygoing smirk, and even Nami, who sighed but didn't object.
His heart swelled. For the first time, he wasn't alone.
He straightened his back, puffing out his chest. "W-Well, of course! I am Captain Usopp, after all! Naturally, you all would want to follow my lead!"
Luffy beamed. "Yeah! Let's go kick some pirate butt!"
Usopp's lips trembled, but this time, it wasn't from fear. With a deep breath, he raised his fist in the air.
"Alright! Let's do this together!.
"Alright, since we're fighting, we need a solid plan," Usopp declared, rubbing his chin. "First, we should figure out each other's strengths. So, what are you guys good at?"
Luffy grinned. "Stretching!"
Zoro smirked. "Cutting."
Nami crossed her arms. "Stealing."
Naruto tilted his head, thinking. "Multiplying?"
Usopp blinked. "Wait, what?"
"Yeah, I can make a bunch of copies of myself!" Naruto grinned. "It's kinda my thing!"
Usopp stared at him like he had just sprouted a second head but quickly shook his head. "Alright, whatever. As for me—I'm good at hiding."
The entire crew turned to him with deadpan expressions.
"HIDING?!" they all shouted.
"You have to fight too!" Nami scolded.
"Yeah, no running away this time!" Zoro added.
Usopp flinched but quickly straightened up, puffing his chest out. "I-I was just joking! Of course, I'll fight!"
With that settled, they scouted the coastline to set up traps.
"Leave the traps to me!" Naruto declared confidently. "I'm a ninja, and I know how to set up the best pranks—I mean, traps!"
"Alright, show us what you got," Zoro said, crossing his arms.
Naruto immediately got to work, moving faster than any of them expected. He dug shallow pits and covered them with leaves, set up tripwires that would send attackers tumbling, and even prepared oil patches and hidden snares around the battlefield.
Usopp and Nami watched, impressed.
"Damn, you're good at this," Usopp admitted.
Naruto grinned. "Heh, back in my village, people fell for my pranks all the time!"
With the defenses set, the crew regrouped, satisfied with their work. But just as they were about to finalize their positions, Naruto's eyes widened in realization.
"Kaya!" he blurted out.
Everyone froze.
"She's still alone in the mansion… with that fake butler."
The atmosphere grew tense.
"Damn it!" Usopp clenched his fists. "If Kuro's plan is in motion, then she's in danger!"
Naruto stepped forward. "I'll go."
Everyone turned to him.
"What?" Nami frowned. "Alone? That's too dangerous!"
Naruto didn't back down. "If pirates attack from here, you guys will need all the strength you can get. But someone needs to be there in case something happens. If Kuro tries anything, I'll protect her."
"Protect her?" Usopp repeated, eyeing Naruto with uncertainty. "Can you even fight?"
Naruto grinned, but instead of answering, he simply said, "Trust me."
Usopp hesitated. But before he could protest, Luffy stepped forward.
He locked eyes with Naruto, reading something in him that no one else could. Then, he grinned.
"I'll leave it to you."
Zoro smirked as well. "You've got guts, I'll give you that."
Even though she was still worried, Nami saw the determination in Naruto's face. With a reluctant sigh, she crossed her arms. "You better not die, got it?"
Naruto gave a thumbs-up. "I'll be fine!"
Then, without hesitation, he formed a hand seal.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
POOF!
A thick cloud of smoke spread across the area, and when it cleared, a hundred Narutos stood there, ready for battle.
Usopp's mouth dropped so wide it practically hit the ground.
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
Nami and Zoro were completely stunned, unable to believe what they were seeing.
Luffy, on the other hand, had stars in his eyes. "SO COOL!" he shouted, mimicking Naruto's hand signs. "Nin-nin!"
Naruto smirked at their reactions. "These clones will help you guys hold off the pirates. I'm counting on you!"
And with that, he dashed off toward the mansion, leaving behind a hundred clones to assist his new crew in the upcoming battle.
With the original Naruto already gone, the beach was left with the rest of the crew… and a literal army of Naruto clones.
Usopp, still frozen in shock, turned to Nami with his mouth practically touching the ground. "H-He… he really can multiply."
Nami, who had been watching in stunned silence, finally snapped out of it. She rubbed her forehead, already feeling a headache coming on. "Just what kind of monster did we bring with us?" she groaned.
Zoro, though outwardly composed, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Damn… I knew he could make clones, but this many?"
Meanwhile, Luffy was absolutely ecstatic. He darted between the clones, poking them, shaking their hands, and laughing like a kid in a candy store. "See, see?! He's our ninja! This is so cool!" He even started imitating Naruto, crouching with his fingers in a ninja sign. "Nin-nin!"
Meanwhile, the Naruto clones… well, they were being Naruto clones—chattering nonstop and hyping themselves up.
"Alright, bring it on, pirates! We'll kick your butts!"
"Let's show them what Naruto Uzumaki can do!"
"Hehe, maybe after this, we can find some ramen!"
"Tch, wish I was the original. He gets to be the hero at the mansion!"
"Oi, oi, don't slack off! We have a job to do!"
"Dattebayo"
Zoro pinched the bridge of his nose. "They sure are noisy."
Luffy, still completely fascinated, grinned even wider. "I like them! This is gonna be fun!"
Usopp, still trying to process everything, muttered, "Fun is not the word I'd use…"
As the night grew darker and the sounds of waves crashing filled the air, the crew stood amidst their traps and Naruto's chaotic clone army, waiting for the inevitable battle.
Nami rubbed her forehead. "This is going to be a long night..."
And with that, the stage was set for the clash to come.