The small boat slowly drifted ashore. Ronan was the first to leap down, his boots sinking into the warm, soft sand at the water's edge.
He took a deep breath of the fresh air. The sea breeze carried the scent of grass, trees, and earth—pure and refreshing in a way the steel-and-concrete forests of his former world could never compare to.
Wherever he looked, there were lush green hills and dense woodland.
Ronan's heart stirred as a thought crossed his mind.
This layout… backed by mountains, facing the sea… Could this be the village where Usopp first appeared?
Nearby, Nami unfolded the navigation chart and compared it carefully before nodding.
"Yeah. There's a small village marked on this island."
"Village?!"
The instant he heard that word, Luffy's eyes lit up. He grabbed Nami by the shoulders, trembling with excitement.
"Then that means there's meat, right?! This village has to have a restaurant!!"
As he spoke, saliva was already dripping uncontrollably from his mouth, earning him a look of pure disgust from Nami.
"Can you think about anything else first?!" she snapped, shoving him away with all her strength.
Zoro, meanwhile, had already locked his gaze onto a hillside not far away. His senses picked up subtle movement within the trees.
"Stay alert," he said quietly. His right thumb nudged the hilt of his sword, sliding the sheath open just a fraction and revealing a sliver of chilling steel. "There's someone there."
"Huh?" Luffy immediately forgot about meat and started looking around curiously. "Where? Where?"
At that moment, from the forest on the hillside, one crude pirate flag after another suddenly popped up.
Instead of getting tense, Luffy grew even more excited.
"Whoa! That's awesome!"
Nami groaned. "Is now really the time to admire that?!"
Ronan, seeing this, understood immediately.
He knew the Straw Hat crew's sniper—Usopp—was about to make his debut.
Sure enough, beneath a large tree on the hill stood a long-nosed boy with his arms crossed, striking what he clearly believed to be an imposing pose as he looked down at the four on the beach.
He cleared his throat and shouted loudly,
"Listen up! I am the great pirate Usopp, captain of the mighty pirate crew that rules this village! People praise me far and wide, calling me—'Captain Usopp'!"
Then he pointed fiercely downhill, trying to intimidate the unexpected visitors.
"If you're thinking of attacking this village, you'd better give up now! My eighty million subordinates will show you no mercy!"
Ronan glanced sideways at Luffy, who wore an expression of genuine awe and was shouting, "So amazing—!" without a hint of doubt.
The corner of Ronan's mouth twitched.
This kind of lie is full of holes… Anyone could see through it. Well—anyone except Luffy.
Beside him, Nami spread her hands helplessly. She shot Luffy a look usually reserved for idiots, then lazily called out to the hill.
"You're lying, right?"
That single shout made Usopp instantly switch from "fearsome captain" to full-blown panic.
"W-Was I… found out?!"
Nami immediately turned back to Luffy and Ronan, her expression sly.
"See? He said it himself—'found out.'"
On the hill, Usopp twisted back and forth anxiously, trying to recover.
"Oh no! I accidentally said 'found out'!"
Watching this almost scene-for-scene reenactment of a classic moment, Ronan couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
…This really is just like the anime.
Only then did Luffy finally react. He turned back in shock, staring at Nami.
"What?! It was a lie?!"
"Ahem!" Usopp still refused to give up. He puffed out his chest again, forcing himself to look dignified.
"Alright, eighty million might be an exaggeration… but I still have outstanding subordinates!"
As he spoke, he gestured toward a patch of bushes. The pirate flags there began bouncing up and down wildly, as if an entire army were lurking behind them.
Nami didn't even bother looking. Calmly, she dug at her ear.
"Three of them, right?"
The moment she finished speaking, three children burst out of the bushes.
Their faces were pale with terror as they screamed in unison,
"We—We've been seen through—!!"
They dropped their pirate flags, spun around, and bolted.
"R-Run away—!!"
They vanished in an instant.
"Hey! You guys, don't run!" Usopp shouted desperately from the tree, cold sweat pouring down his face as he watched them disappear.
Nami had completely lost her patience. She pointed straight at the only "weapon" in Usopp's hands and delivered the final blow.
"I've never heard of a pirate who fights with a slingshot."
Ronan glanced at Nami, silently impressed.
Being able to piece together the truth from such a chaotic situation—she really was the sharpest mind in the crew.
After going through the full process of shock → confusion → realization, Luffy finally pointed at Usopp and burst into laughter.
"You're really funny, man!"
"Don't look down on me, kid!"
Usopp snapped, his pride wounded. He forced himself to stand tall, though his legs were shaking badly.
"I'm a man with a very strong sense of pride!"
With his intimidation failing and laughter raining down on him, Usopp's pride took a heavy hit.
He suddenly pulled back his slingshot. The rubber band stretched taut as he aimed straight at Luffy, who was laughing the loudest.
"Stop laughing!"
He shouted, trying to sound brave.
"My pride is so strong that people call me 'Proud Usopp'! And my slingshot skills are way better than an ordinary gun!"
But the instant Usopp took aim—
Luffy's laughter stopped cold.
The atmosphere froze.
Luffy slowly raised one hand and pressed it down on the brim of his straw hat.
The shadow cast by the hat concealed his eyes, making his expression impossible to read.
When he spoke, his voice was low and serious, without a trace of humor.
"If you pull a weapon…"
"…then you'd better be prepared to risk your life."
The weight of those words crashed down like a mountain. Usopp's whole body shuddered, his hands trembling violently around the slingshot.
Luffy continued, his tone icy.
"I mean it. That thing isn't a toy for scaring people."
As his words fell, Zoro gave a cold snort. His thumb moved again.
Shing—
The sheath of his sword slid open just a little more, and a sharp, bone-chilling killing intent instantly locked onto Usopp.
In that moment, Roronoa Zoro's presence turned razor-sharp.
Standing there, Ronan felt it clearly.
This wasn't play anymore.
This was the world of pirates—
And once weapons were drawn, it was a matter of life and death.