The tavern in Syrup Village was quiet, tucked just off the main square near the old windmill. The walls were wood-paneled, warm with the glow of hanging lanterns, and the air smelled like grilled fish, baked bread, and spiced cider.
It wasn't a big place—three rows of tables, one sleepy bartender, and an old lady in the back stirring a pot of stew. Quiet village. Simple life.
And then they walked in.
"FOOD!!!" Luffy shouted the moment the door swung open.
By the time the four of them sat down at a long table in the corner, half the tavern's regulars had already decided to leave early. Can't blame them.
Plates clattered to the table one after the other—fish, rice, loaves of bread, vegetables, dumplings, grilled skewers of something that used to run—and the pirate feeding frenzy began.
Luffy and Zoro tore into the food like they hadn't eaten in days (which wasn't technically wrong). Their plates emptied almost as soon as they arrived. Second helpings vanished. Then thirds.
Nami chewed a piece of fish delicately, elbow on the table, fingers massaging her temple.
"Can you two not eat like starved wolves? This is a village, not a warzone."
"Mmmmmph—s'good!" Luffy replied through a mouthful of food.
"Don't talk with your mouth full," she shot back, stabbing her fork toward him.
Zoro reached for another skewer. "Food's food. We eat."
"You're gonna bankrupt this whole tavern."
Usopp sat across from them, watching it all with a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
He hadn't touched much of his plate yet. Just picked absently at the rice. His eyes flicked from Luffy to Zoro to Nami. This was... different. Not what he expected when a trio of pirates showed up on the island.
"So," he said finally, leaning slightly toward Luffy, "how do you know about my dad?"
Luffy swallowed—this time actually before speaking—and grinned.
"He's on Shanks' crew."
Usopp's eyes twitched. "Red-Haired Shanks?"
Luffy nodded, excited now. "Yep! When I was a kid, they stayed in my village for a while. Yasopp used to talk about you all the time."
That made Usopp pause. "...Huh?"
"He bragged a lot," Luffy continued, scooping more rice. "Said you were already crazy good with a slingshot. Said you could nail a bird out of the sky at age seven. Told everyone you were gonna be better than him one day."
Nami glanced sideways at Usopp, remembering the way he'd thrown that knife earlier—clean, fast, accurate. No kidding, she thought.
It wasn't the throw that impressed her, it was just the smoothness of it. There are many that could throw knives and hit their mark but she saw nobody do it the way Usopp did. Like it was a natural part of him.
Usopp leaned back slightly, arms folding over his chest, gaze dropping to the table.
"…Oh."
The word was quiet. Not dismissive. Just… unsure.
Zoro noticed the shift. The swordsman narrowed his eyes slightly, never one to ignore emotional undercurrents.
"You don't seem all that impressed."
Usopp let out a low chuckle. "Guess I'm not."
He leaned back in his chair, staring up at the wooden ceiling like the answers might be carved in the beams.
"Don't get me wrong," he said after a pause. "That's good to hear. Means he didn't forget I exist. And I do appreciate you telling me."
He sat forward again, resting his elbows on the table. The sharpness from before—the soldier in the woods, the trapmaster—was still there, but it had softened. It wasn't a wall anymore. Just part of him.
"But it's not… important," he said, tapping his fingers against the table. "Not really."
Luffy tilted his head. "Why not?"
Usopp tilted his head toward him, thoughtful but relaxed.
"You ever try remembering someone by the sound of their voice and realize you can't?"
Luffy tilted his head. Nami frowned while Zoro just waited.
Usopp gave a half-smile. Not sad. Just real.
"Words are cheap," Usopp said plainly. "Talking about me? That's easy. Real easy, when you're a world away on a fancy pirate ship with adventure and gold and fame."
The table quieted.
"Don't get me wrong," he added. "I get it. I do. He wanted to chase his dream. Wanted to live free. Wanted to see the world. And that's fine. That's the kind of man he is. I've got no beef with that."
He looked around the tavern, eyes drifting to the window.
"It's just…" he sighed. "He left a family behind. And he never once sent a letter. Not to me. Not even to my mom. Never got a message. Not even one."
His voice wasn't angry. Just tired. Honest.
"She waited for him," Usopp said, quieter now. "For a long time. Even when her body started giving up. I kept lying to her every day—'He'll be back any day now,' I'd say. 'He's probably on his way right now.' Made her smile. Gave her hope."
He gave a bitter laugh.
"But hope doesn't keep you alive. And by the time I was old enough to know the truth, she was already gone. She didn't even get to see his handwriting before her—" He cut himself off. Then he cleared his throat.
"That's his sin to carry."
Nami's fork paused.
Zoro's brow knit, ever so slightly.
Luffy just stared at Usopp, jaw slack.
"I'm not mad," Usopp said. "Really, I'm not. I've lived with it long enough. I understand who he is. And I'm glad he's doing alright. Glad he's proud of me. But that silence? That absence? That was his choice."
He glanced at Luffy again.
"I appreciate you telling me. I really do. Thank you."
A long silence settled over the table before Luffy gave a slow, almost solemn nod.
"Okay…You're a good guy," Luffy said with a smile, shoveling more food into his mouth. "I like you."
Usopp blinked again, then broke into a real laugh—short, but genuine. "What kind of idiot just says that to someone after they pour their guts out?"
Luffy's answer was just a big, stupid grin.
That grin was still hanging on his face when the tavern doors flew open with a dramatic slam that nearly knocked the hinges loose.
"USOPPPP-SAAAAAAAN!!!"