Chapter 29: Lies Plus Determination and Effort Equal Dreams!
On the deck of the Black Cat Pirates, the scent of blood mingled with the salty tang of sea breeze, permeating the stagnant air.
Zoro stared intently at the uniquely structured, gleaming Cat Claws on Kuro's hands.
"Ten blades... I suppose these count as blades too!"
For someone determined to become the world's greatest swordsman, any formidable opponent wielding "blades" was an obstacle he must overcome—he absolutely could not lose!
Hearing this, Kuro pushed up his glasses with the heel of his palm and let out a contemptuous sneer. "The world's greatest swordsman? Hah, what a childish and unrealistic dream! Guys like you are as common as fish in the sea, all eventually turning into bleached bones at the bottom of the ocean."
Zoro didn't bother refuting him. His dreams never required anyone else's validation. For opponents standing in his way, his only response was the blades in his hands!
"Three Sword Style..." Zoro lowered his stance slightly, crossing three swords before him as his aura surged abruptly like a tiger poised to strike.
"...!"
Before the words fully faded, his figure shot forth like an arrow released from its bow, three blades carving sharp arcs as he lunged straight at Kuro! This strike concentrated all his current strength, spirit, and focus!
Yet, facing this ferocious assault, Kuro's figure merely swayed slightly like an apparition.
"Swish-swish-swish——!"
A series of grating metal screeches erupted densely!
The two figures clashed and separated in an instant.
Kuro stood composedly in place, adjusting his glasses with the heel of his palm, a few drops of crimson blood dripping from his Cat Claws.
Meanwhile, Zoro's forward momentum halted abruptly. Frozen in place, ten crisscrossing vicious gashes suddenly split open across his body.
Despite such severe wounds, Zoro didn't utter a sound, but all three blades slipped from his grasp as he collapsed heavily onto the deck.
Instant defeat!
Another unquestionable instant defeat!
Kuro's overwhelming power, like a frigid abyss, once again devoured the will to resist of everyone in the Black Cat Pirates.
Kuro was satisfied with this outcome. His icy gaze swept over the terrified, silent crew.
"Who else? Anyone else unwilling to execute my plan?!"
Including Jango, no one dared meet his eyes, let alone voice the slightest objection.
"Throw these two useless brutes and that green-haired seaweed overboard!" Kuro pointed with his Cat Claws at the unconscious Meowban brothers and Zoro lying in pools of blood. "The rest of you, set sail immediately—destination: Syrup Village!"
Since the Black Cat Pirates could no longer be trusted internally, he decided to advance the plan entirely, personally overseeing the operation to crush all unstable factors with absolute force!
He scanned the crew, his voice carrying an undeniable threat:
"Listen well: if I fail to become a wealthy magnate, even if you flee to the ends of the earth, I will hunt down every last one of you Black Cat Pirates and kill you with my own hands! But if I succeed and happen to be in a good mood... I might just let you live."
This blatant threat and the faint, illusory hope of survival left the remaining Black Cat Pirates members too terrified to disobey. They didn't know whether Kuro's promise was genuine, but it was the only straw they could grasp in their despair.
The crew immediately sprang into action, hastily lifting the unconscious Zoro and the Meowban brothers before dumping them into the frigid sea like garbage. Then the ship...
Adjusting the sails only, they sailed at full speed toward Syrup Village.
At that moment, a thoroughly terrified pirate scrambled on hands and knees to Kuro, trembling as he reported, "M-Master Klahadore! Th-there's... one more thing! Along with that green-haired guy, there's also a woman on the ship! Besides, two people who know your true identity followed Captain Jango's boat into the village earlier!"
Kuro showed no concern about the informants entering the village, coldly stating, "It doesn't matter..."
Kuro had always intended to handle things personally. None of those who knew the truth on the island would be allowed to live.
He paused briefly before adding, "As for the woman on the ship, find her and kill her."
However, a crew member immediately rushed over in panic to report: "M-Master! That orange-haired woman... she's disappeared!"
...
While the situation at sea was taking a dramatic turn, Usopp in Syrup Village was experiencing another kind of "defeat."
Rewinding to a few minutes earlier, after hearing Usopp's words, Kaya completely refused to believe such an outrageous lie.
"Kaya! Listen to me, I'm really not lying this time!" Usopp waved his arms anxiously, trying to explain.
"Because what you're saying is too unbelievable!"
Kaya's voice trembled slightly, "When you made up those sea adventure stories before, I knew you were doing it to cheer me up, and I appreciated that. But this time... you're actually accusing Klahadore of being a pirate? Just because he always asks you to leave when he sees you, so I can rest without disturbance?"
"I'm not making false accusations! I have evidence!" Usopp suddenly turned and pointed at Luffy and Ralph behind him, "They! They can prove it!"
When mentioned, Luffy immediately nodded vigorously, her small face tense with seriousness as she said earnestly, "That's right! I can prove it! That guy called Kuro is a very, very bad pirate!"
Kaya's gaze fell upon Luffy and Ralph, "You... who are you?"
Luffy puffed out her chest and answered without hesitation: "We're pirates!"
Hearing this, Kaya covered her mouth with both hands in shock. Her eyes involuntarily shifted from the innocent-looking Luffy to the tall, handsome man behind her—Ralph, who wore swords and guns at his waist and carried a faintly dangerous aura.
To be fair, compared to Luffy who appeared completely harmless, Ralph's standard dangerous appearance indeed made the pirate identity more convincing.
Kaya's heart was torn by intense conflict and confusion.
She had always been reluctant to think the worst of others.
But the Straw Hat Girl's tone didn't sound false, and the man behind her had an overwhelmingly intimidating presence.
They were most likely real pirates!
The education and understanding she had received since childhood would never allow her to easily believe what pirates said!
Usopp was an exception.
Although he constantly talked about "pirates" and "eight thousand subordinates," he was a child who grew up in the village, kind-hearted and never did anything bad.
His "lies" were essentially meant to bring joy to those around him, especially to her.
But real pirates? Burning, killing, and plundering—capable of any evil! Who could guarantee they didn't have ulterior motives? Moreover, they were now trying to accuse...
The butler Klahadore, who had been faithfully and meticulously caring for her day and night for three years, was a pirate!
How could she possibly believe this?
Kaya took a deep breath, trying hard to calm herself down. She turned to Usopp and retorted, "Usopp, this news about Butler Klahadore being a pirate—you heard it from these two people, didn't you? How can you be sure... they aren't deceiving you?"
Usopp froze. From his brief interaction with Luffy, he sensed no trace of deceit whatsoever.
This girl was simple and straightforward, easily believing his flimsy lies, her eyes sparkling with unprecedented clarity and sincerity.
"I... I believe her!" Usopp pointed at Luffy, his tone resolute. "I believe what she says!"
For some reason, seeing Usopp place such unreserved trust in this Straw Hat Girl he'd just met, Kaya felt an inexplicable surge of sour bitterness and discomfort in her heart.
"Why should you believe her?" Kaya's voice unconsciously rose a few notes. "You've only just met, haven't you?"
"Even if it's our first meeting, I still believe her!" Usopp stubbornly insisted, even invoking his "professional" judgment. "Because I'm the Great Liar! So I'm the best at telling when someone is lying! She... she isn't lying!"
However, this attempt to bolster credibility sounded like pure boasting to Kaya.
The discomfort in Kaya's heart instantly transformed into disappointment and anger. She exclaimed loudly, "Fine! You believe them, do you? Then I choose to believe Butler Klahadore! I believe in the person who has diligently cared for and protected me these past three years! Not some group of shady... pirates!"
Nearby, Ralph watched this dramatic scene unfold, utterly speechless inside.
What kind of bizarre development was this now?
With Zoro, Luffy triggered the "white moonlight" substitute effect due to her grand ambitions as a girl.
Here with Usopp, she's become the "heaven-sent" character defeating childhood friend Kaya.
Just changing the protagonist's gender has drastically altered the storyline!
Just then, their arguing attracted the attention of the mansion's front gate guards.
Two burly guards hurried over upon hearing the noise. Seeing the young lady seemingly being harassed, they immediately glared in anger.
They didn't recognize Luffy and Ralph, but they immediately spotted Usopp.
"It's you again causing trouble!" Without another word, the two guards grabbed Usopp, one on each side.
"Let me go! Kaya! Run quickly! Kuro is about to bring pirates to kill you!" Usopp struggled desperately, his voice choked with tears.
Seeing the long-nosed boy who trusted her so completely being roughly handled, Luffy's willow-leaf eyebrows shot up in anger.
She didn't understand anything about being polite—stepping forward, she delivered two sharp "thwacks" to the backs of the guards' necks. The two guards collapsed softly to the ground without even a grunt.
"You... you actually... used violence!" Kaya turned pale with anger seeing them knock out the guards right in front of her. "This is too much!"
Another elderly butler named Merry, hearing the commotion, rushed over hurriedly. Seeing the guards lying on the ground, he immediately pulled out the pistol he carried with him, trembling as he aimed it.
"Stop right there! You... you thugs! Leave this place immediately! Or I'll shoot!"
Facing the barrel of that gun named distrust, Usopp's already strained nerves finally snapped, and he chose to flee in panic.
His trust in Luffy wavered slightly at this moment. Could it be... was he really wrong?
"Usopp!" Luffy exclaimed, exchanging a glance with Ralph before immediately giving chase.
Seeing this, Usopp's three followers also panicked and ran after them, but couldn't keep up due to their slow pace.
Eventually, only Luffy and Ralph found the despondent Usopp in a grassy field at the village outskirts.
He sat collapsed on the ground, head buried in his hands, body trembling slightly, muttering to himself incessantly as if questioning fate or confessing his sins:
"Why... why doesn't anyone believe me?"
"Is this the punishment for telling too many lies?"
"Could it be... that a pirate's son... is truly... unworthy of trust?"
Luffy approached him, watching his pained and confused profile, when she suddenly remembered the bold sniper from the Red Hair Pirates.
"Yasopp..." Luffy spoke softly, "He's your father, isn't he?"
Usopp jerked his head up, staring at her in shock.
Luffy showed a reminiscent smile: "You two look so much alike! I saw him on Shanks' ship—he's an incredibly skilled and remarkable sharpshooter!"
"Sh-Shanks?! Red Hair Shanks?!" Usopp's eyes widened like copper bells under the successive shocks of information, "My dad... is on Red Hair's ship? You... you know Shanks? My father... he's really that amazing?"
This unforeseen connection became like a warm bridge, instantly closing the distance between Luffy and Usopp. The way Usopp looked at Luffy now carried newfound familiarity and a sense of destiny.
Ralph felt this was the moment he needed to deliver some meaningful wisdom.
"Lying is indeed easy. But building trust requires tremendous effort and sacrifice. Your father's title of 'Sharpshooter Yasopp' was definitely not earned through empty boasts. It must have been built through thousands of tedious practice sessions, countless life-or-death battles, and solid achievements that gradually established his reputation!"
He paused, looking intently at Usopp: "A lie, when coupled with the determination and action to 'make it reality,' ceases to be a lie. We call that—a dream!"
The power of his father's example, combined with Ralph's perfectly timed "inspirational speech," rekindled a flame in Usopp's dim eyes.
He felt a surge of warmth in his chest—he wanted to do something, he had to prove himself!
Not to gain Kaya's trust, but rather... to live up to his father's name, and to honor that ignited dream in his heart named "Brave Warrior of the Sea!"
Just then, Usopp's three followers finally found them, panting heavily, with Ninjin shouting from afar:
"Boss! Trouble! We saw people fighting by the shore!"
Piiman added: "There are two groups of people!"
Tamanegi finally shouted: "One of them is really powerful! He... he seems to be using three swords at the same time!"
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