SLAP!
The bounty poster hit the center of the wall with a sharp thwack, loud and final. Kuro's cold, calculating face stared out from the parchment, framed by heavy inked lines connecting every clue, every trap, every name.
"Everything starts and ends with him," Usopp said.
"Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates. The man who died... and never really did."
He stepped back, arms crossed, staring up at the poster like it was a war map.
"He's not just a pirate. He's a tactician. A ghost. A genius."
The others listened quietly now, no more jokes, no more interruptions.
"Kuro isn't some loud brute or flashy fighter. He plans. Every move. Every step. He was pulling strings before we were even born. The average bounty in the East Blue? Three million belli. Kuro's was over sixteen. You don't get a number like that without brains and muscle."
Usopp tapped the bottom of the bounty with a fingertip.
"Speed. That's his main edge. He's fast—unbelievably fast. His arms and fingers are strong and flexible enough to wield ten blades at once."
Nami blinked. "Ten?"
Zoro raised a brow. "Sounds like overkill."
"He makes it work," Usopp said. "His crew says he'd fly across the battlefield, weaving through fifty enemies, slicing through each one before they even knew he'd moved."
"That's… not possible," Nami muttered.
"I believed it after I saw the ground he trains on. It looked like someone used it to sharpen a tornado."
Usopp exhaled, walked over to the wall, and pointed to a section circled in red ink with shaky handwriting.
"And this… this is his technique. His special move. The thing that makes him almost untouchable."
He looked over his shoulder dramatically.
"It's called… the Stealth Foot."
Luffy blinked. "Ooh, sounds cool!"
Usopp winced slightly, and continued. "Also known by its other name…"
He hesitated.
"…The Pussyfoot Maneuver."
There was a moment of silence.
Then Usopp snorted.
Zoro made a low noise in his throat, trying very hard not to laugh, then gave up and started chuckling. Nami pinched the bridge of her nose, doing everything in her power not to laugh. She failed.
"Goddammit."
"Wh—why is it called that?!" Zoro asked between low laughs.
"It's not my name, okay?!" Usopp half-shouted, wheezing a bit. "I had to bite my tongue when they told me that—pfft—I almost gave myself away!"
Luffy tilted his head. "Huh? What's so funny? Sounds normal."
That only made it worse. Nami doubled over, hiding her mouth. Zoro was now openly grinning.
Usopp coughed and forced himself upright, trying to suppress the grin stretching his face.
"Alright—alright—serious faces!" he said, wiping a tear before pointing again.
"Stealth Foot. A technique that uses burst speed to vanish and reappear across the battlefield. Not teleportation—movement. But it's so fast your eyes can't track it. And while doing that, he's attacking. Aggressively. Relentlessly. With those."
He pulled out a masterful sketch—black gloves with long, silver blades attached to each finger. The image alone was eerie.
"Cat Claws. Special weapons. Full-length katana blades fused to reinforced gloves. Each finger becomes a sword. He's not just slashing—he's shredding."
Luffy stepped closer, staring at the sketch. "He killed Marines with these?"
Usopp nodded. "Not a Marine ship. An entire fleet. Cut through the hulls. Through people. Ripped 'em to ribbons."
No one said anything for a beat.
Even Luffy, now standing unusually still, had a faint shadow over his face.
"He's not a brawler," Usopp went on. "He doesn't fight for show. He fights to end it. Quick. Clean. Clinical."
Usopp looked each of them in the eye.
"Don't underestimate him. He planned his own death. Fooled the Navy. Fooled the World Government. Retired into a mansion. And now… he's planning something."
He jabbed a thumb toward the board behind him.
"And that something? Is what we're here to stop."
Nami swallowed, her arms crossing.
Zoro let out a low whistle. "You did all this yourself?"
Usopp gave a tired, lopsided smile. "Someone had to."
Luffy cracked his knuckles and grinned, his usual gleam returning.
"So... when do we get to punch him?"
Usopp paused, eyes drifting toward the bounty poster of Kuro that hung at the center of the web. His jaw clenched. "I… don't know yet."
That made all three Straw Hats blink.
"He's not the kind of enemy you rush," Usopp added, voice low now. Serious. "Kuro's an unstable directive. Every move, every second matters. One wrong push and—" he mimed a neck slicing gesture. "Kaya dies."
Nami inhaled sharply.
Usopp turned to them. "This isn't just about beating him. It is, but… for me? Kaya's the goal. Keeping her safe. Her and Merry. They're everything that matters here. And as long as that bastard's prowling around them like a panther in the tall grass… I can't breathe easy."
He started pacing, hands behind his back like a general in mid-strategy.
"So I rigged the island. Tripwires, alarms, hidden chokepoints. Kuro's almost ready to execute the final stage of his plan. That means we execute ours."
Zoro's brow lifted, one arm crossing his chest. "You planned to take on him and his entire crew… by yourself?"
Usopp shrugged. "I'm not a warrior of the sea. I'm a coward. A liar. But I'm also this island's only protector. No one else would do it. So yeah… I'd do it. Even if it meant dying."
A heavy silence lingered in the room.
Then Luffy grinned. "You've got us now."
Usopp's mouth twitched upward in a grateful smile, but he didn't stop moving. There was still more to say.
"Kuro's playing the long game. His key? Jango. That creepy moonwalking freak is gonna sneak into Kaya's manor and hypnotize her. Make her rewrite her will. Everything gets handed over to Kuro. Then she dies from her 'disease' the next morning."
Nami went pale. "That's murder."
"That's Kuro," Usopp said grimly. "So I keep track of everyone who enters and leaves the island. Every delivery. Every servant. Every shadow. That's how I know he hasn't done it yet. But he will. Soon."
He pointed to another section of the conspiracy board, where string connected Kuro's identity to Kaya's schedule, to the mansion blueprints.
"The worst part?" Usopp muttered. "She trusts him. Klahadore's been with her since she lost her parents. He was there for her birthdays. For her crying fits. For her shopping sprees. He's part of her life. Just like he planned it."
Usopp's voice cracked for a second, and he turned away.
"I could never tell her. Not like that. I mean, look at me." He gestured to himself. "I'm the liar. I tell her stories. Tales. She knows I make stuff up. If I come to her saying her butler's a bloodthirsty pirate captain? I'd only drive her closer to him."
He took a breath.
"So instead… I'll make him slip up. That's the plan."
All eyes locked on him now. Nami leaned in, intrigued. Zoro crossed his arms with interest. Luffy blinked, actually focused.
"I sneak in. Find proof. Letters. Medicine vials. Anything to use against him. Maybe even plant something. Trigger alarms. Make Kuro think someone's onto him. Force him to show his fangs. And when he snaps—" Usopp clenched his fist, "—Kaya sees it for herself."
Zoro gave a low whistle. "That's… actually a solid plan."
Usopp smirked, then walked over to a locked box. He popped it open and pulled out a thick stack of papers. "Got the proof right here. I've been collecting it for weeks. All we need now… is a push."
Nami nodded slowly. "Smart. If we do this right, we don't just expose Kuro—we break his control."
"Exactly," Usopp said.
Zoro cracked his neck. "Can't wait to fight this guy."
Luffy was still smiling, but now it was different. Not mischief, not excitement. It was warmth. Purpose.
"You know," Luffy said casually, "we're gonna help you, Usopp."
Usopp blinked, nodding slowly. "Right… yeah, you said that."
"But…" Luffy added, smile widening. "After that, you're joining my crew."
"…Huh?"
Usopp's jaw dropped.
Zoro laughed—really laughed, tilting his head back like someone had just told the world's best joke. "You too, huh? Classic Luffy."
Even Nami looked at the captain like he'd grown a second head. "You're blackmailing him?"
"I'm not joining!" Usopp shouted, eyes bulging. "I told you that already!"
"Shishishishishi," Luffy giggled, tilting his straw hat. "You'll change your mind."
"I WILL NOT—!"
Zoro just slapped his thigh and howled again. "Oh man, I remember this part!"
Nami muttered under her breath, "Menaces, all of you."
Author's note:
"The Wolf's Trap" Title Explained
In this context, the "Wolf" refers metaphorically to Usopp.
While Usopp might see himself as the "liar" or the "coward," this chapter cements his evolution into something sharper. He isn't just reacting to Kuro's plan — he's laying a trap of his own. A calculated, precise, and deeply personal trap. That's not the work of prey — that's the work of a hunter.
- The "trap" is the multi-layered plan Usopp designed:
- Rigging the island with traps and surveillance
- Gathering proof silently while pretending to be weak
- Studying Kuro and his crew's weaknesses
- Preparing psychological warfare to expose Kuro in front of Kaya
- Using the Straw Hats at a crucial turning point
Usopp isn't a lion or a tiger. He's a wolf — a cunning predator that stalks from the shadows, protects his pack (his village, Kaya, and Merry), and strikes when the moment is right.
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* Deeper Symbolism
Kuro hides in the skin of a sheep — a "loyal butler".Usopp hides in the skin of a clown — the "boy who cried wolf."But in truth, Kuro is the snake. And Usopp? He's the wolf in sheep's clothing, the one who no one takes seriously — until his fangs show.
This chapter is about revealing the fangs of the wolf, and laying the snare to catch the predator who's been lurking in plain sight.