Usopp looked on in total confusion at the Marine who was bowing to him in gratitude. Instinctively, he leaned forward to return the gesture.
"Oh, you're too kind! It was nothing!"
Then it clicked. "Wait, you mentioned a brother... Are you the Ace that Luffy was talking about?"
"Ah, he mentioned me?"
'Good grief,' Usopp thought. 'This guy is Roger's son? And he actually joined the Marine? What in the world is happening to this world?'
"Hey, Ace!!"
At that moment, Luffy scrambled to his feet. Because of his Devil Fruit, he didn't feel pain from ordinary physical attacks, and since Ace hadn't learned Armament Haki yet, Luffy hadn't actually suffered any real injuries, despite looking like a wreck.
Luffy had spent the last few minutes wondering who was beating him up, but the moment he saw it was Ace, he was overjoyed and sprinted over.
"Right, Ace! Let me introduce you! This is my first crewmate, Usopp. His father is Yasopp! I knew his nose looked familiar, shishishishi!"
Beside them, Usopp stood there, completely stunned. 'This idiot! I just tried to distance myself from him, and this guy just spills everything! He even told him who my father is! What a useless teammate!'
He stole a glance at Ace. Seeing that the Marine didn't have an extreme reaction, Usopp finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Ace, what are you doing here?"
"Because of you, obviously."
"What did I do?"
"You went out to sea to become a pirate! I mean, what else? Anyway, Sean gave me orders to bring you back!"
"What? You're here to catch me?" Luffy looked surprised for a split second before spinning on his heel and bolting away.
Ace stood his ground, making no move to give chase.
"Uh... aren't you going to follow him?" Usopp asked.
"Why would I? He can't escape. Besides, I didn't actually expect to run into him here. I came to Syrup Village for something else." Ace shook his head.
He wasn't lying. The mission Sean had given him, besides capturing Luffy, was to track down a few specific people. Coming to Syrup Village was solely for that purpose; encountering Luffy was a complete coincidence.
"You're Usopp, right?"
"Y-yes!"
"You're good with a slingshot?"
"I've... studied it a bit. I wouldn't say I'm an expert!"
"Hm. Then you're the one. Come back to the 16th Branch with me; Sean wants to see you."
"What? You didn't come all this way just to find me, did you?"
"I did, but there are others besides you. Do you know where a girl named Kaya lives?"
Usopp nodded. Ace then added that according to the list Sean had provided, there was someone named Kaya in Syrup Village in addition to Usopp.
In truth, at this point in time, Usopp and Kaya didn't have much of a relationship. According to the original timeline, it was over a year before the start of the story, after Kaya's parents had passed away, that Usopp began visiting her daily to tell stories. However, everyone knew who Kaya was and where she lived—she belonged to the wealthiest family in the village.
"I do know where she lives, but could you tell me why Rear Admiral Sean wants to see me?"
"I don't know the specifics, but I heard Sean wants to build a sniper unit. He mentioned your shooting talent is very high, so it's likely for that."
"So... you want me to join the Marine?"
"Yes. Unless you'd rather join my stupid brother in becoming a pirate?"
"No! Absolutely not! Please believe me!!!" Usopp shook his head violently.
He was joking. Everyone in the East Blue knew how Sean dealt with pirates. To claim he wanted to be a pirate right in front of one of Sean's subordinates was practically a death wish. He didn't have a legendary Marine hero for a grandfather to protect him... so he absolutely could not admit to it!
"Shall I take you there now?"
"Wait a second!"
"Wait for what?"
"Look, aren't they coming this way?"
Usopp turned around and froze.
A dozen Marines were approaching, two of them dragging someone along by the ankles.
'Holy crap, is that Luffy?'
Usopp had always assumed Luffy was incredibly strong, yet here he was, beaten into a pulp by a group of ordinary Marines and being dragged along like a dog.
'No wonder Ace said he couldn't escape! Damn, are all Marines monsters?'
Usopp was shocked, unaware that this was the 16th Branch. If these had been elite Marines from Headquarters, a similar number would have been easily wiped out by Luffy.
"Lieutenant! Monkey D. Luffy is under control!"
"Good. Put Seastone handcuffs on him and take him back to the warship for detention. I have other business to attend to."
"Yes, Lieutenant!"
With that, the Marines dragged Luffy away.
"Let's go. To Kaya's house."
'''
In the center of Syrup Village, in front of a three-story western-style house.
"May I ask..."
At the door, Merry looked at the two visitors. She recognized Usopp, as Syrup Village was small and Usopp was quite famous—though not for the right reasons. However, the young man beside him in the Marine uniform was clearly an outsider. She immediately became alert.
"I am Lieutenant Ace of the Marine's 16th Branch. May I see Kaya and her parents?"
"The 16th Branch? Rear Admiral Sean's unit?"
"Yes. Rear Admiral Sean ordered me to pay a visit."
"Please wait a moment. I will inform my master."
"No problem," Ace nodded.
Ace wasn't used to speaking so politely, but Sean had repeatedly cautioned him before his departure: 'When visiting Kaya's family, be polite. Don't embarrass me!'
About two minutes later, Merry, the housekeeper, returned to the door and welcomed Ace and Usopp inside.
In the living room, Kaya's father, Chavris, and his wife were waiting.
"I am Chavris. Merry tells me that Rear Admiral Sean of the East Blue sent you to deliver a message?"
"Yes. Sean asked me to tell you that he knows about Kaya's illness."
"What? You've been investigating us? What exactly is the goal here?"
Hearing this, Chavris immediately lost his composure. In his eyes, an unsolicited investigation into his family could only mean ill intent. While the people of the East Blue praised Sean, Chavris was no ordinary citizen; he had seen too many people who appeared polished on the surface but were filthy beneath.
Moreover, Sean came from a noble background, which made Chavris even more wary.
"Mr. Chavris, please calm down. I haven't finished speaking."
"Hmph. Then continue. I want to see exactly what Sean Campbell is trying to achieve!" Chavris snapped, dropping the title of Rear Admiral and addressing him directly as Sean Campbell.
"Sean says he can cure Kaya's illness—and I mean a complete cure!"
"That's impossible!"
Kaya had been sickly and frail since birth. Because of this, Chavis had consulted countless doctors, but none could provide a permanent cure; at best, they could only keep her stable with medication. According to the physicians, it was a congenital issue. Consequently, Kaya had to take a massive amount of medicine every day just to sustain herself. Even so, she remained profoundly weak.
"You're free to disbelieve it, but I don't think Sean would lie to you. After all, you don't have anything he would find worth lying for."
Ace continued, "Anyway, I've delivered Sean's message. The warship will be docked at Syrup Village for three days. If you still don't believe us by then, I'll be leaving!"
"Sean always says that opportunity only knocks once. Once you miss it, it's gone forever. Think it over!"
With that, Ace turned to leave. But just then...
"Wait... please wait!!"
A voice drifted down from upstairs. The first thing one noticed about it was how fragile it sounded—utterly frail. It was the kind of voice that instinctively triggered a desire in others to protect the speaker.
"Kaya! Didn't I tell you not to come down?"
Seeing Kaya gripping the handrail and struggling to descend the stairs, Chavis rushed over to support her.
"Father, please... let me speak with the Marine," she pleaded.
"But..."
"I'm begging you!!"
"Alright..."
Chavis carefully carried Kaya down and placed her on the sofa. Simply walking that short distance had already left her breathless.
Ace walked back and sat opposite the family of three. Although he had heard from Sean that Kaya was very weak, he hadn't expected it to be this severe. The poor girl truly was pitiful.
"Mr. Marine," Kaya whispered, "is it true that Rear Admiral Sean can cure my illness?"
"Yes. I can guarantee that," Ace replied.
"But every doctor has told us that Kaya's condition cannot be cured!" Chavis interjected.
"I don't know exactly how Sean plans to do it," Ace said, "but like I said, you have nothing he'd want to scam you for, right? Do you really think Sean would lure you out just to kill you and steal your estate? Honestly, while your family's wealth might seem immense to ordinary people, it's practically nothing to someone like Sean."
Ace was growing slightly annoyed by Chavis's repeated skepticism. Chavis opened his mouth to argue but found himself speechless. The logic was sound; while they were wealthy by civilian standards, they were nothing compared to a man like Sean, who commanded billions of Belly.
"I still don't understand... why is Rear Admiral Sean investigating our family?"
"Sean mentioned this to me. About half a year ago, he wiped out a crew called the Black Cat Pirates. Their captain was Kuro—I assume you've heard of him?"
"Yes, Kuro is infamous in the East Blue. I've heard he is extremely cruel."
"Right. According to Sean..."
Ace spent some time recounting the story Sean had told him. It was a summary of the events regarding Kaya, based on Sean's knowledge of the original plot. Although these events hadn't happened yet, Sean claimed that after capturing Kuro, he had tortured the truth out of him regarding his future plans.
The story was logically airtight and left no room for doubt. As they listened, cold sweat broke out on the foreheads of Chavis and his wife. If all of this were true... then Sean was actually their family's savior.
"Any more questions? If so, ask now," Ace prompted.
"One last thing," Chavis asked. "If Commodore Sean treats Kaya, what will we have to pay in return?"
"I can answer that. According to Sean, he knows Kaya possesses an extraordinary talent for medicine—a talent that could rank among the best in the world. Therefore, he hopes that once her treatment is complete, Kaya will join the 16th Branch as a Marine to run the branch hospital."
"What?! Make Kaya a Marine? No, I cannot agree to that!"
"Don't jump to conclusions," Ace countered. "Sean also said that if Kaya doesn't want to be a Marine, that's fine. The offer to treat her won't be withdrawn because of it. That's why I said he 'hopes' she joins—it's not a requirement."
Hearing this, Chavis's expression softened. But in the next moment, Kaya spoke up.
"If Rear Admiral Sean can cure my illness, then I am willing to become a Marine!"
"Kaya, you..." Chavis looked at his daughter in shock.
"Father, my body has been failing me since I was a child. Because of that, I understand the suffering of patients better than anyone," Kaya said, her eyes filling with determination. "I've thought about this for a long time. If the day ever came when I was cured, I knew exactly what I wanted to do when I grew up."
"The answer is... I want to become an excellent doctor and help others who are suffering from illness just as I was! That is my dream!"
At that moment, Kaya's gaze was unwavering. Chavis opened his mouth to speak, but in the end, he found he had nothing left to say.