The room was dim, lit only by flickering candlelight and the faint sun slipping through the windowpanes. Usopp stood in front of his chaotic wall of notes, red string running like veins across the parchment and photographs pinned like nerve endings in a web of plans, whispers, and betrayals.
Luffy leaned forward with eager eyes. Nami stood with her arms crossed, calculating. Zoro, ever the statue, simply waited, watching Usopp with cautious interest.
"Well," Usopp began, hands on his hips, "this is where things get complicated."
He stepped forward, tapping a smaller board that hung off to the side of the main one. The parchment was littered with crude sketches of pirates, names scribbled beside each one, tiny notes about habits, speech patterns, and movements.
"This is the crew. Kuro's crew. The ones still loyal to him—some of them anyway."
Nami raised an eyebrow. "You got all this... yourself?"
Usopp smirked faintly. "Yeah. Wasn't easy, but... let's just say I've got protocols."
"Protocols?" Zoro echoed with a frown.
"Yeah." Usopp crouched by a dusty trunk, flinging it open. Inside were scraps of black cloth, wigs, broken pieces of armor, old marine badges, half-finished masks, a bottle labeled rum (definitely not poison), and a dozen crumpled notebooks.
"Disguises. Maps. Fake IDs. Passcodes. I've been sneaking into their meetups, hiding in supply crates, blending in during coastal trades."
Nami blinked. "Wait. You mean you've done this multiple times?"
Usopp simply nodded.
She stared. "Okay... I get the bush scene now. But how the hell do you impersonate different pirates, over and over, without messing up?"
Usopp turned to her with a sudden, mischievous glint in his eyes. He inhaled lightly, cleared his throat—
And said, in her exact voice:
"Usopp, if you keep screwing around like this, I'm going to strangle you with my hair tie!"
Nami reeled back in horror. "WHAT?!"
Even Zoro blinked. "Okay, that was disturbing."
Luffy, meanwhile, was starry-eyed and vibrating with excitement. "WHOA!! How did you do that?! That was so cool!!"
"Lots of practice," Usopp said casually, dropping his voice back to normal. "My vocal cords are just like any other muscle. Train it right, and you can learn all kinds of tricks."
Nami stomped a foot. "Don't ever do my voice again. That was unnerving!"
Usopp threw up his hands. "Okay, okay! Noted!"
Luffy laughed. Zoro just shook his head. But now, they were all listening intently.
Usopp gestured to the far side of the board, where dozens of names were scribbled. Each had a small, roughly drawn face beside it, and under many of them were simple traits: grunts, dull, drunk often, scared of spiders.
"These guys?" Usopp said, tapping the wall. "They're not strong. Not by a long shot. Kuro's crew—the Black Cat Pirates—they rely on numbers and fear, not skill. Most of them are textbook grunts. They don't fight with discipline, and they don't have technique. Just axes, swords, low quality guns, and group intimidation."
Zoro scoffed. "That's barely worth calling a crew."
Usopp nodded. "Exactly. The average guy on this list is just there to man the sails or swing a club. But that doesn't mean the crew doesn't have teeth."
He tapped another section of the board—this time, three portraits, much more detailed.
"These are the top threats. And they're not just random pirates. They're the core of Kuro's operations. First up—"
He pointed to a photo of two men. Tall, lean figures, both with wild hair and matching clawed gloves. One had a fanged grin, the other a sleepy, half-lidded stare.
"—The Nyaban Brothers. Sham and Buchi."
Zoro narrowed his eyes. "Ship guards?"
"Exactly," Usopp said. "Their job is to protect the Bezan Black—Kuro's pirate ship. They stay behind whenever the crew raids a town, guarding the loot and the ship while the others are out causing chaos. Seven million Belli bounty each, and they fight together."
"They coordinate?" Nami asked.
"Perfectly," Usopp said. "They're not strong on their own, but together? Yeah, they'll trip you up. Clawed gloves, synchronized attacks, cat-like reflexes. They act scared at first, fake cowardice, then go for the throat once you drop your guard."
He paused, then turned to Zoro. "That said, you could take them."
Zoro raised an eyebrow. "...Yeah?"
Usopp nodded, serious now. "I scanned your frame. Compact muscle, explosive build. You've probably been training since you were a kid."
Zoro didn't respond, but the subtle clench of his jaw said yes.
"Good genetics help," Usopp continued. "You've probably got Grand Line blood. Your body's designed for stress tolerance, power bursts, injury recovery. You're not just strong—you're wired to be strong."
"...You read that just from looking at me?"
"I study," Usopp said simply. "Some people are born built to handle more. Grand Line bodies are different. Stronger, faster, tougher. Not that training can't beat genetics—but having both makes a monster."
Luffy, still confused, tilted his head. "What's a... jenetic?"
Nami just rolled her eyes. Usopp gave a small laugh. "Let's just say Zoro's built like a beast. Now you, you're a mystery."
He pointed at Luffy.
"You're strong too. Can't read your build though. You're all... stretchy."
Luffy grinned. "Oh yeah! Watch this!"
He grabbed his cheek and stretched it five feet like tafy.
Usopp recoiled like he saw a ghost. "WHAT THE FU—?!"
Nami laughed aloud, covering her mouth. Zoro just smirked and crossed his arms.
Luffy let go, face snapping back into shape. "I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit. I'm a rubber man!"
Usopp stared at him in silence. Then slowly nodded.
"Devil Fruits… of course they're real." He muttered. "I always believed the stories were exaggerated, but they had to be based in truth. Everything is."
He took a deep breath and turned back to the board.
"Anyway. Nyaban Brothers? Strong coordination. Act timid at first—weak, scared, unsure. They play into your confidence, then strike hard and fast. They're vicious. Claw-style fighters with cat-like agility."
Zoro snorted. "You'd use a trick like that?"
Usopp raised an eyebrow. "Me? Nah. I'd trap someone first. Knee to the groin, then trip a snare to knock 'em out. Each coward's got his own style."
Nami shook her head and sighed. "This idiot still calls himself a coward…"
"Now," Usopp said, his expression suddenly serious, "this guy is the real danger."
He pointed to a man in a crescent-shaped hat, with sunglasses and a goofy grin: Jango.
"This is Kuro's secret weapon. More dangerous than the brothers. Possibly more dangerous than Kuro himself."
Zoro raised an eyebrow. "That clown?"
"He's not a clown. He's a hypnotist."
The room tensed.
"Jango's hypnosis is the real deal. He uses a pendulum and a command phrase—'One, two, Jango'. He can put people to sleep instantly. Or worse…"
Usopp pointed to another note.
"He can enhance people. Hypnotizes them into believing they're stronger... and it works. They become stronger. That's how Kuro's crew can pillage whole towns—they get buffed by Jango and tear through the defenses."
Nami frowned. "That could be a problem…"
Zoro looked more thoughtful now.
"He also has a weakness," Usopp continued. "You have to be watching the pendulum for it to work. So, close your eyes or look away, and you're safe."
"Sounds manageable," Zoro said.
"And," Usopp smirked, "he's hypnotized himself on accident. More than once. You can trick him into doing it again."
A small wave of relief passed through the crew.
"That's the layout of his forces," Usopp concluded. "But there's one more thing…"
Luffy leaned in, eyes scanning the board. "What's this?" He pointed at a photo—crossed out in thick red ink.
Usopp blinked. "Oh. Him."
He pulled the photo down and held it up. "That's Nugire Yainu. He used to be Kuro's shipwright. He was smart, clever, kind of like Kuro... which is exactly why Kuro set him up."
Zoro narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
"When Kuro made his deal with Morgan and Nezumi, he needed a body. Someone the Marines could kill and call 'Kuro.'"
Nami's mouth tightened. "Let me guess… they executed Yainu."
Usopp nodded grimly. "Morgan gets his glory. Nezumi gets the treasure. Kuro vanishes... and Yainu dies. Betrayed by his own captain."
Luffy was silent for a moment.
Then his voice dropped low.
"…You don't betray your crew."
Everyone turned to look at him.
Luffy's fists were clenched, knuckles white.
"You don't betray your crew. Ever."
Usopp met his gaze—and for the first time, saw the full seriousness of Luffy. No jokes. No lightness.
Just wrath.
"He's going to regret ever crossing Kaya," Luffy said quietly. "And he's going to pay for betraying that man."
Usopp nodded once.
"Good. Because if you guys are serious about helping me… we've got a snake to cut out of the house."