After walking for a while, we arrived at a mansion with a large iron gate. Luffy said hello to the gate and then just hopped over it.
"Guess we're following him," Zoro said as we all started to climb the fence.
The mansion was a nice place. It had a big house, a large yard with a green lawn, and flourishing trees. The place was fancy; the girl who lived there must have been really rich.
We followed the kids around the outside of the house until we found Usopp sitting by a tree, talking to a girl in a window. Usopp wasn't too happy to see us. When the young lady in the window asked who we were, Usopp told her that we had come to join his pirate crew.
"That's not even close. We're here because we have a request," I interrupted.
Luffy told the girl we were looking for a ship and asked if she could help us. Before she could answer, a man wearing a pair of glasses and a fancy suit came up and started yelling at us to get out. Usopp and the young girl referred to the man as Kuro. When the girl in the window tried to explain, he told her to be quiet.
"We want a ship," Luffy's request was swiftly denied by the butler.
Kuro turned his attention to Usopp, who attempted to lie his way out of the situation. "I'm not surprised you lied," the butler started. "You are the son of a filthy pirate. I'm not surprised you act this way. Stay away from Miss Kaya."
"Luffy, his dad's a pirate. Didn't Yassop say he had a son named Usopp?" I said out loud.
"Yeah, he used to tell that story about how he had a son like a hundred times," Luffy responded.
Kuro began picking a fight with Usopp, telling him to stay away from Kaya and asking him if he wanted money. Kaya demanded that her butler apologize, but he said he had done nothing wrong. "You must be ashamed of your father since he deserted you."
Kaya told him to be quiet, but the man kept talking.
Usopp was getting angry. I was worried he was going to do something he might regret, and I was about to step in when Kuro said, "You should have just made up a story about how you're not really related."
That was the last straw, and Usopp punched the butler in the face. Most were shocked, but I wasn't. I would have done the same thing in his situation; insulting someone's family isn't something you should do lightly.
"See? Resorting to violence, just like a pirate thug," he scoffed.
"SHUT UP!" Usopp interrupted the man. "I'm proud of my dad. He's a brave warrior of the sea. I'm the son of a pirate, and I'll never be ashamed of that."
Kuro began to kick Usopp out just for being the son of a pirate, saying he was only after Kaya's money. Usopp was going to hit the man again when Kaya stopped him, defending her butler and saying he was just doing his job and looking out for her.
"All you savages, get out of here," the butler told us.
Usopp left in a huff, saying he wouldn't be back. The kids started to defend their "captain," and Luffy joined in with them.
"I'll kill him!" Luffy yelled.
I grabbed his shirt and pulled him along. "Come on, we have something else to take care of."
I dragged Luffy out of town and to a cliff where we found Usopp sitting, staring out at the sea. Luffy dropped in, spooking the unsuspecting boy.
"Your dad's Yassop, right?" I said, walking up from behind him.
Usopp was stunned when I said that. "How'd you know?" he asked, a look of joy and confusion on his face.
"You look like him. I've known your dad for as long as I can remember," I told him, taking a seat. Dad had been friends with Yassop for a while; as far back as I could remember, he was always hanging around with Dad and his crew.
Usopp asked if I knew where his dad was. I gave him the same answer anyone who asked me that gets. "Don't really know, somewhere on the Grand Line with my dad, Shanks."
"Yassop was always one of my favorite members," Luffy added.
The look of joy on Usopp's face was indescribable. He was so happy his dad was on the ship of a great pirate. "So you know what it's like to have a pirate for a parent, too?" he asked me.
"Yeah, both my parents are pirates," I explained. "So I sympathize with the way that butler treated you. Your dad is a great pirate. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise."
"Really? My dad is a great pirate sailing with Red-Haired Shanks? It's almost unbelievable," Usopp said.
"Why, your dad is a great sharpshooter, maybe even the best. He can hit anything."
Flashback
It was a sunny day. Dad and his crew were partying as usual. "Come on, Mister Yassop, do that thing where you shoot an apple from really far away," I begged. I wanted to see the trick so badly.
"Oh yeah, do it!" Rose joined me in begging to see it.
"I don't know, kids, you've seen that trick a million times. How about we change it up?" Yassop threw me an apple. "Steve, you put this on your head and go stand over there, and I'll shoot it off."
"No, you won't!" Mom yelled, her green hair flowing in the breeze. "You won't be harming a single hair on my precious baby's head."
Mom pulled me into an overprotective hug and squeezed the life out of me.
"Let go," I wheezed.
"Please, Miss Lilly, let him do it. It'll be so cool," Luffy added.
"No way. What if he misses? He could kill my little Stevie!"
Mom was being her usual overprotective self. Yassop kept assuring her he wouldn't miss and there was nothing to worry about. "Let him take the shot," Dad said. "He won't miss. Steve will be fine."
Mom didn't bother to argue with Dad, but she said if I got hurt, he would be in big trouble. I ran to the spot I was told and put the apple on my head. I wasn't nervous. I knew he wouldn't miss. Yassop never misses.
BANG!
Just like that, I felt the weight leave my head, and the apple fell to the ground with a perfect hole right in the center. Everyone cheered, and we went back to the party where Yassop told that boring story about his son, Usopp, for like the thousandth time.
Present Time
"Wow, you let my dad shoot something off your head?"
"Yassop was always really popular," Luffy laughed.
"Even though he left me here, I've always been proud of my dad, and I won't ever let anyone look down on him, especially not that damn butler."
"So are you giving up on seeing that girl?" I asked.
"Maybe if that butler apologizes."
Luffy asked which butler we were referring to and pointed to the beach where Kuro was talking to a man. The two started discussing their plans to assassinate the lady of the house. A man I didn't recognize but was easily noticed with his blue jacket and heart glasses referred to Kuro as Captain Kuro.
Usopp said he remembered the name from stories of a pirate who carefully planned his attacks but had been executed a few years ago by the Marines. The two men on the beach talked about how they would dispose of Kaya and steal her fortune through a doctored will.
Luffy was completely lost on the conversation and didn't really understand any of what was happening, which was no surprise to me. Usopp, on the other hand, was in a panic because the only people he cared about were in danger. After I explained to Luffy what was happening, he stood up and yelled to Kuro and his friend not to harm Kaya.
That drew their attention to the three of us on the cliff. They asked if we heard anything.
Usopp told them no, but I confirmed the truth. "Yes, we heard everything. You disgust me."
The men on the beach mumbled something to themselves, and then the peculiar-looking one started swinging a disc and told us to look at it. "On my count, you will fall asleep."
Is this hypnotism? It's not like that stuff really works.
"One… Two… Jango!"
I suddenly felt like I needed a nap. Then, everything went dark.