Chapter 29- Syrup Village
We ignored him completely, which made Usopp blink in confusion. Then, out of nowhere, Lily shouted, "Wow! What a long nose…"
I suddenly remembered something and cast an evil glare at him.
"You do know that as a pirate, if you aim a gun at us, you're basically staking your life on line. So… are you ready?"
I let my aura intensify, giving off a menacing presence. Nami and Kuina caught on immediately and began to smirk wickedly, but Lily seemed completely oblivious to it all.
Usopp trembled in fear, while the three kids who had been hiding behind the trees bolted without a second thought, leaving him utterly alone.
Originally, Usopp had spotted the Jolly Roger flying on Lily's ship and thought pirates were attacking Syrup Village. After conferring with his little followers, he had planned to scare them off with his slingshot. But somehow, after firing a few shots, he ended up at the base of the cliff, directly in front of our crew.
Still dazed, Usopp puffed up his chest and tried to sound brave. "What did you do to me?! I'm warning you, pirates — I have eight thousand subordinates! If you don't leave, I'll order them to attack!"
Lily stepped forward, grinning mischievously. "Your name's Usopp, right? Your dad's Yasopp, isn't he?"
Usopp froze. "Huh? How do you know my father? Yeah… his name's Yasopp!"
Lily laughed. "I knew him when I was a kid. He's on Shanks's ship! The moment I saw you, I knew you were his son. You look exactly like him!"
Usopp's eyes widened in awe. "Really? My dad's on the Red-Haired Shanks's ship? That's amazing! Is he still sailing with him?"
Lily nodded. "I haven't seen him in years, but… yeah, he's probably still there."
"Hahaha! Then since you know my dad, that makes us friends!" Usopp said cheerfully. "Come on, I'll treat all of you to a meal!"
Lily's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Really? You're such a great guy, Usopp!"
I couldn't help but laugh too. Then we followed Usopp as he led us toward the town's restaurant.
…
…
[Scene Change]
Usopp led us to a small restaurant in the village. The place was cozy, with wooden tables and the aroma of freshly cooked meals filling the air. We enjoyed a hearty meal while chatting about the sea, pirates, and brave warriors.
After a while, I leaned forward.
"Usopp, since Lily knows your dad… maybe you know a doctor around here? We need someone knowledgeable in medicine for our ship."
Usopp shook his head. "Sorry, this is a tiny village. There aren't really any qualified doctors, and most of the ones here are too old to set sail."
I smiled at him, then, as if a thought had struck me, I added, "Wait!! I heard there's a young lady here who's a doctor. She's pretty rich and lives in a mansion."
Usopp flinched, his eyes widening. "A doctor living in a mansion? No way… Uh, I just remembered—something urgent came up! You guys eat up, my treat!"
Before anyone could respond, he bolted out of the restaurant, leaving us blinking in surprise.
Nami groaned. "Unbelievable…"
Meanwhile, Lily and Kuina continued devouring their food like little monsters. Nami rubbed her temples in frustration.
"Do we really need a doctor? I heard the best ones are on Drum Island. Maybe we should search there. They must be more qualified than anyone in this little village."
I waved a hand reassuringly. "Don't worry, Nami. The doctor I'm talking about is definitely qualified! But first—HEY, Lily! That's my chicken leg!"
Kuina shot Lily a sharp glare. "Lily, you bitch, get your own drink!"
Nami slammed her palm on her forehead. "I'm surrounded by idiots…"
"Mmm… so full…" Lily mumbled, leaning back with a satisfied grin.
As we rested, the three kids from earlier burst into the restaurant. One of them, braver than the rest, shouted, "What did you do to our Captain Usopp?!"
Apparently, guilt had gotten the better of them after running away earlier, and now they'd come back to save him. But when they saw Lily's stuffed belly, they froze in horror.
"You—you didn't… eat Usopp, did you?!"
I smirked darkly. "That's right. Your Captain Usopp was delicious, hehehe…"
"AAAAAAHH! MONSTERS!!"
The kids screamed and bolted for their lives.
"Ah, you're so noisy!"
Nami finally snapped as her patience was gone. She yelled at the three terrified kids who were still shrieking nonstop. But when they saw her furious expression, they froze and huddled together in fear.
"Ah! A demoness!"
"Hahaha!" I laughed, waving my hands. "Relax! Your Captain Usopp was just eating with us earlier. Something came up, so he left!"
The one with the onion-shaped head asked cautiously, "Really?"
Then one of the kids suddenly remembered something. "I know! Usopp must've gone to tell stories to Miss Kaya!"
Lily tilted his head, incredulous.
"What? So Usopp abandons his friends the moment he sees a pretty face, huh?"
Another immediately protested. "That's not true! Miss Kaya hasn't recovered from her parents' deaths and has been sick ever since. Usopp tells her stories every day — he's the reason she started smiling again!"
The last kid nodded fiercely and chimed in. "Yeah! You're not allowed to talk bad about our Captain Usopp!"
Lily gasped in surprise. "So Usopp's actually a good guy!"
I patted Lily on the shoulder. "Lily, your ability to believe anything is terrifying. You're such a gullible pirate."
Nami quickly stepped in. "This Miss Kaya you mentioned — is she a doctor?"
The kids nodded eagerly.
I smiled slyly while making an innocent face. "Can you take us to find Usopp?"
"Of course!" they replied in unison.
Lily clapped his hands excitedly. "Alright, let's go find Usopp!"
…
…
[Scene Change]
At Kaya's Villa
Perched atop the hill, in her large, elegant villa, Kaya stood by the window, listening to Usopp as he balanced on a tree branch. He was weaving yet another one of his dramatic stories.
"Kaya, do you know?" Usopp said proudly, puffing out his chest. "There's a giant goldfish as big as an island! When I was fighting giants, I got hungry and ate it for dinner. It was the most delicious goldfish I had ever tasted. Its meat was like gold, and after eating it, my body became as hard as gold too! It was… absolutely awesome!"
Kaya nodded eagerly while her eyes were sparkling. "Mm-hmm, mm-hmm!"
Usopp wiped sweat from his forehead dramatically and continued patting his chest as he recounted his so-called brave feats.
Kaya gasped softly. "Wow, Usopp… you are so brave."
At that exact moment, our crew arrived. Usopp was mid-story. He was boasting about his "legendary brave tales."
I couldn't help but think, 'Damn… knowing Usopp's luck, all his lies might actually come true one day.'
Meanwhile, Lily and the kids were completely star struck by his stories. Their eyes were shining brighter than headlights and they clearly believed his lies.
"Wow!!" Lily shouted. "He is really brave!"
Kuina crossed her arms, She was unimpressed. "Heh. What a liar."
Kaya spotted our group below and called softly, "Who are you?"
I smiled warmly at her while looking as friendly as I could.
"We're friends of Usopp! We came to ask if you know any doctors. Our ship really needs one!"