**Chapter 12: The Liar and the Sniper's Promise**
The air in Syrup Village was calm and sweet, carrying the scent of salt and blooming flowers—a stark contrast to the recent violence on the high seas. Their small cutter, now feeling even more cramped with Nami's massive haul of Berries, was secured at the modest dock. Luffy, Zoro, and Nami stepped onto the quiet pier, their presence an anomaly in the peaceful town.
"Let's get our bearings first," Luffy announced, his hands tucked behind his head as he casually surveyed the winding paths and cozy houses. "There's a family here known for their shipbuilding. And we're here to find the sniper our crew needs." A confident grin spread across his face. "Hehe. This place feels promising."
After acquiring some fresh supplies, their path took them up a grassy hillside overlooking the village and the sea beyond. It was there they heard a voice, brimming with theatrical bravado.
"—and that's how I, the great Captain Usopp, and my army of eight thousand valiant warriors, drove the sea king back into the depths with nothing but our fierce battle cries!"
Before him, three young children listened with wide, awe-filled eyes. Nami and Zoro stared, utterly unimpressed by the lanky, long-nosed boy's obvious tall tale. Luffy, however, watched with keen interest, a spark of recognition in his eyes.
Noticing his new audience, the boy—Usopp—struck a pose, leaning against a tree with forced nonchalance. "Hoh! And who might you be? Pirates, I assume? I am the magnificent Captain Usopp, leader of the mighty Usopp Pirates who rule this village! My name inspires both fear and admiration! Now, state your business!"
Luffy's signature grin didn't waver. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy. I'm the captain of the Straw Hat Adventure Group. The sea's full of interesting people, huh?"
Usopp puffed out his chest, though a flicker of nervousness crossed his eyes. "Right! I take great pride in my father! He braved the seas to become a pirate! It's a dangerous era, and surviving out there is a feat in itself! One day, I'll be a brave warrior of the sea, just like him!" He narrowed his eyes. "But… 'Adventure Group'? What's that? If you're not pirates, what are you?"
"We're not *just* pirates," Luffy clarified, his tone light but his words deliberate. "Think of us as… righteous voyagers. We fight against bullies, defend what's right, and go on adventures. The line is a bit blurry."
"Wooow!" Usopp's bravado returned, masking his confusion. "No problem! Well then! How about a contest? A test of skill between captains!"
"Shishi, sure! What's the challenge?" Luffy laughed, easily playing along.
What followed was a series of absurd and one-sided competitions—from rock-skipping to holding one's breath. Luffy participated with casual ease, while Usopp ended up red-faced, panting, and thoroughly defeated.
"Huff… huff… I see! So these are the skills of true seafarers! Amazing!" Usopp wheezed, collapsing dramatically onto the grass.
"I told you, we're adventurers!" Luffy chuckled. He then tilted his head. "Your name's Usopp… is your father Yasopp?"
Usopp shot upright, his exhaustion forgotten. "You know him?! Do you know the great Red-Haired Shanks?!"
"Is your father Yasopp?" Luffy repeated, his smile knowing.
The confirmation sent Usopp into a frenzy of excitement. He grabbed Luffy's hands, firing off questions a mile a minute. "You've met him?! Is he well? Is he famous?"
Luffy's mind drifted back to a memory from years ago on a sun-drenched shore in Windmill Village. A sharp-eyed, cheerful sniper with Red-Haired Shanks's crew, showing off for a wide-eyed young Luffy.
Yasopp had balanced an apple on a distant rock. "Watch this, kid!" A single shot from his pistol, and the apple exploded. Luffy had been impressed.
"That's nothing!" Yasopp had laughed, ruffling Luffy's hair. "Why, I could shoot the antenna off an ant from a hundred paces without tickling it!" Later, sharing a drink, the sniper's boastful tone had softened. "Let me tell you, Luffy, I've got a son about your age. Name's Usopp. Though, heh, you're already much tougher than he is." It became a routine. Yasopp would seek out the intense young boy, regaling him with exaggerated, loving stories about Usopp's "exploits," always ending with the same sad, proud justification: "It breaks my heart to leave him, believe me. But a man's got to answer the call of the pirate flag. There's no other way."
From Luffy's pragmatic perspective, it seemed like a flimsy excuse for abandoning one's family. He couldn't personally respect the choice, but he understood the powerful draw of the sea and one's crew—a bond he was now forging himself. It wasn't his place to judge another man's dream, only to observe its consequences.
"He's incredibly proud of you, you know," Luffy said, pulling himself from the memory. His voice was uncharacteristically gentle. "He talks about you all the time. He expects you to become the greatest sniper on the sea—to even surpass him. Shishi."
Usopp's eyes shone with a mixture of pride and longing. "Really…?" He shook his head, refocusing. "So! What brings you all the way to Syrup Village?"
"We need a shipwright," Luffy explained. "A wealthy family that can build a ship strong enough to handle anything the Grand Line can throw at it. I heard it's a family named… Kaya?"
"Kaya?!" Usopp exclaimed. "She's my friend! I've known her since we were kids! I can take you to her manor! But!" he added, striking another pose. "I have one condition! When you set sail, I must join you! As the captain, of course!"
Luffy just laughed and followed the strutting Usopp toward a large, elegant estate overlooking the sea.
Their audience with the young lady Kaya was polite but initially disappointing. She received them in a sunlit parlor, but her demeanor was frail, her smile weak. "A ship that can survive extreme weather? I am sorry, but our shipyard is currently… understaffed. I don't believe we can undertake such a complex project."
Luffy offered a short, respectful bow, a gesture that seemed oddly formal from him. "The price isn't an issue. We can wait here as long as it takes for the ship to be ready."
"Then, please, allow us to arrange accommodations for you in the village," Kaya said kindly.
"Oh, Kaya, don't trouble yourself! These are my esteemed subordinates!" Usopp declared, puffing out his chest.
Kaya's gentle expression tightened slightly with fond exasperation. "Usopp, please. Not these stories again. You're always playing pirate games, frightening the children with tales of invaders. The villagers find it troubling."
"It's not a game! I will become a great warrior!" Usopp insisted, then immediately contradicted himself. "The greatest sniper on the sea!"
Kaya gave a soft, dismissive laugh, covering her mouth. "First a warrior, now a sniper? You must keep your stories straight, Usopp. But do come by tomorrow; I'd love to hear another one of your magnificent tales." Her words were kind, but they clearly stung, dismissing his dreams as mere childish entertainment.
Usopp flushed, stammering, his confidence deflating under her polite disbelief.
It was then a new figure entered the room. A man with slicked-back hair and round glasses, dressed in the impeccable black suit of a butler. He moved with a silent, smooth grace. "My lady, you look fatigued. You must rest." His voice was a soft, oily murmur. He turned to the guests, offering a shallow, perfectly calculated bow. "Please, allow the young master and his… friends… to take their leave. I am certain the village inn can accommodate you." His eyes, hidden behind the glare of his lenses, swept over them, lingering for a fraction of a second too long on Nami's bag of treasure.
Nami, picking up on the dismissive tone, quickly shepherded Luffy and Zoro out to find the inn.
Once outside, Zoro's hand drifted toward his swords. His brow was furrowed. "Luffy," he said, his voice a low growl. "That butler."
"Hm?" Luffy mumbled, already scanning the street for a restaurant. "I need meat."
"His presence," Zoro insisted. "When we walked in, I felt it. A flicker of something… malicious. It was sharp, then gone. Like a blade being sheathed. My Observation Haki isn't as good as yours, but I know what I felt. Is it directed at us? Or…?" He left the question hanging, his single eye sharp.
Luffy finally stopped his search for food and looked at his first mate. A knowing, almost lazy smile played on his lips. "Shishi. Don't worry about it. That's just Klahadore. He's not a threat to us."
Zoro studied his captain's face. He saw the absolute certainty there. Luffy wasn't being careless; he was operating on a different level of information entirely. "Tch. Fine. As long as you know what you're doing."
"He can't make any waves we can't handle," Luffy said, his tone final. His gaze, however, drifted back toward the manor, where a kind, sickly girl was left in the care of a man whose intentions were as dark as his suit. The game in Syrup Village had just begun, and Captain Usopp was at the very center of it.