After the chaos and the fighting, a strange sense of peace settled over Syrup Village. At the local restaurant, the three members of the Straw Hat Pirates were doing what they did best: eating. Plates were stacked high, mugs of ale were drained, and for the first time in days, the only battle being waged was Luffy's war against a giant platter of roasted pork.
The quiet clinking of cutlery was interrupted by the gentle opening of the restaurant door. It was Kaya, looking pale but with a new, quiet strength in her eyes. Merry stood faithfully by her side.
"Excuse me," she said softly. "May I have a word with you all?"
Across the village, in a small, cluttered house, a different kind of preparation was underway. Usopp was packing. His room was a mess of strange gadgets, bottles of mysterious powders, and various tools. He was trying to stuff everything he owned into a single, enormous canvas bag.
"Alright," he said to himself, a look of grim determination on his face. "It's time. Time to leave home and begin my life as a brave warrior of the sea!"
He finished packing, the bag now bulging and twice his own size. He hoisted it onto his back, took a deep breath, and strode confidently towards his front door.
He did not fit.
He tried turning sideways. He tried pushing. He tried wriggling. The bag was hopelessly stuck.
"D-dammit!" he grunted, pushing with all his might. With a final, desperate heave, the door frame splintered and broke. Usopp, still attached to his giant bag, went tumbling out of his own house, rolling down the small hill in a chaotic, lumpy ball of belongings.
He came to a stop at the bottom, dizzy and covered in dirt. He sat up, a wide, proud grin spreading across his face as he looked back at his broken door. "Heh. Nothing can stop the great Captain Usopp from heading out to sea!"
He cheerfully began to collect his scattered things.
Merry and Kaya led the Straw Hat Pirates to a secluded cove on the other side of the island. It was the same cove where they had first landed, where Nami's boats were still moored.
"We wanted to thank you properly for everything you've done," Kaya said.
"As a small token of our village's gratitude," Merry added, gesturing dramatically towards the center of the cove. "Please accept this."
There, floating serenely on the turquoise water, was a ship. It was beautiful. It was a caravel-class vessel, sleek and well-proportioned, with a distinctive sheep figurehead that had a gentle, smiling expression. Its sails were furled, but it radiated a feeling of readiness, of eagerness for adventure.
"WHOA!" Luffy's eyes turned into stars. "A REAL PIRATE SHIP!"
Nami was already assessing it with a professional eye. "A lateen-rigged caravel… with a central stern rudder. This is a fine ship."
Merry beamed with pride. "I designed her myself! She's my masterpiece! The rudder system is specially designed for maneuverability in tight spaces, which is perfect for navigating the treacherous waters of the…"
"I get it," Nami interrupted, already climbing aboard and examining the helm. "The triangular sails will let her catch the wind from almost any direction. She's fast and agile." She looked at Merry, a look of genuine respect in her eyes. "You did good work."
Kaya smiled. "And we've taken the liberty of stocking her galley with enough food and supplies to last for a very long voyage."
"MEAT?!" Luffy was already halfway up the rope ladder. "Thank you, rich lady! You're the best!"
Zoro, who had been quietly admiring the ship, smacked Luffy on the back of the head. "That's no way to thank someone who's giving you a pirate ship, you moron! Show some proper gratitude!"
Their attention was suddenly drawn to a rumbling sound coming from the top of the slope leading down to the cove. It was Usopp, once again a giant, rolling ball of belongings, hurtling down the hill straight towards their new ship.
"LOOK OUT!"
Luffy and Zoro didn't even flinch. They simply stuck their feet out.
THUD.
The rolling ball came to an abrupt, comical halt. Usopp slowly untangled himself, his head spinning. He looked at the Straw Hats, at the magnificent new ship, and tears began to well up in his eyes.
He stood up, striking a dramatic pose. "Luffy! Zoro! Nami!" he declared, his voice thick with emotion. "I have also decided to become a pirate! I will set sail on my own! I promise that we will meet again someday out on the seas!"
Luffy and Zoro just looked at him with blank expressions.
"What are you talking about?" Luffy asked.
"Just shut up and get on board," Zoro added, pointing a thumb at the ship. "We're already crewmates, aren't we?"
Usopp froze, his dramatic farewell speech dying in his throat. "…Huh?"
"Come on! We're setting sail!" Luffy cheered. "I'm the captain!"
"I never said you could be captain!" Usopp shot back, his tears of sadness instantly turning into tears of joyous indignation as he scrambled aboard.
From the clifftop, the three small figures of the former Usopp Pirates watched.
"He's going…" Piiman said softly.
"Yeah," Ninjin added, a proud smile on his face. "The Captain was always alone. But now… he's surrounded by strong people."
"Hey," Tamanegi said, a brilliant idea dawning on him. "I know what we can do…"
Also watching from the cliff were Kaya and Merry.
"He's really gone," Kaya whispered.
"Yes," Merry said. "He is finally chasing his own dream, just like his father." He then looked at Kaya, a gentle expression on his face. "Do you know why he started that lie, Miss Kaya? About the pirates coming?"
And he told her the whole story.
Years ago. A much younger Usopp stood at the docks, watching his father, Yasopp, sail away on a pirate ship, a brave but sad smile on his face. He was proud, but he was lonely.
His mother, Banchina, soon fell gravely ill. She grew weaker each day, and Usopp's heart was filled with a desperate, childish helplessness.
The day before she passed away, as she lay weak in her bed, an idea, a desperate lie, was born. Usopp ran through the village for the very first time, his small voice filled with a conviction born of love and fear.
"THE PIRATES ARE COMING! DAD'S SHIP IS COMING BACK! HE'S COMING TO TAKE US AWAY TO SEA!"
Later, at her bedside, she smiled weakly at him. "I heard you, Usopp. The pirates… are they here?"
He nodded, tears streaming down his face. "Yeah! Dad's coming!"
She reached out a thin hand and stroked his cheek. "You're a terrible liar, my son… but thank you." She looked towards the window, towards the sea. "I was proud to marry him. I'm happy he chose to follow his dream. I know… that one day… you will be a brave warrior of the sea, just like him."
"Don't talk like that!" Usopp cried, trying to stop her. "Don't talk like you're about to die!"
After his mother's death, Usopp was truly alone. But he continued the lie. Every morning, he would run through the village, shouting about pirates. It was no longer for his mother. It was for himself. It was a prayer, a ritual, a way to keep the memory of both his parents—the brave pirate and the kind woman who loved him—alive in his heart.
"He saved you, Miss Kaya, because he couldn't bear to see someone else suffer like he did," Merry finished, his own eyes misty. "You must get well. You must live a full life and chase your own dream. That is the greatest repayment you can offer him."
Kaya nodded, her resolve hardening.
As the new ship, now christened the "Going Merry" in honor of its designer, sailed away from the island, the new four-person crew of the Straw Hat Pirates celebrated on its deck, a new member and a new home all in one day.
And back in Syrup Village, the next morning, the villagers braced themselves for the familiar, annoying shout.
But it came from three small, high-pitched voices instead.
"THE PIRATES ARE COMING! THE USOPP PIRATES ARE HERE TO PROTECT THE VILLAGE!"
The lie would live on, not as a cry of loneliness, but as a symbol of courage and a cherished town tradition.
In her mansion, Kaya looked up from a thick, medical textbook she was reading. She smiled at Merry.
"I've decided," she said, her voice clear and strong. "I'm going to become a doctor."