บท 11: Chapter 011
Nami rounded on him with her fists raised. "I've never seen him do that before!" she said defensively. "I assumed that you were just superhumans or something! The Devil Fruits are supposed to be a legend! Don't tell me you ate one too!"
"No, not me," Zoro said. "Buggy ate one, though." Nami's eyes widened in realization. Come to think of it, he had shot his hand off of his arm! How had she not questioned that event further? Was hanging around these guys numbing her reactions to things like this? Would she soon be taking it in stride every time her conceptions of reality were skewed? The thought dismayed her.
"Hey! What the hell are you guys doing here?" Nami turned to the familiar voice. She hadn't noticed Usopp up in the tree until now. He was on a branch level with an open window that a young girl was leaning out of. Nami opened her mouth to respond, but paused. What were they doing here?
Luffy grinned widely and pointed at Usopp. "We're here to recruit you!" Usopp's eyes widened to epic proportions. Recruit him? Weren't they pirates? Excitement welled up inside him but we quickly composed himself. He pointed to himself confidently.
"Finally, someone recognizes my talent. Tell you what. Let me be the captain and I'll join you," he said with his arms crossed and a confident smirk on his face.
"No way!" Luffy shouted, still smiling. This caused Usopp to lose his balance and almost fall out of the tree. "You can be the sniper, though. I'll bet you have really good marksmanship," he added.
This caught Usopp's attention and he almost forgot about being captain. "You bet I do! You won't find a better sniper in all of East Blue!" They all looked at the bold statement with mixed reactions. Nami was wondering what kind of sniper used a slingshot, Zoro was wondering how he could know that when he'd never left his island, and Luffy was thinking that despite Usopp's nature for blatant lies, his statement might actually be true.
The girl leaning out the window, who had been silent up until now, spoke up, "Are these friends of yours, Usopp?" Usopp looked at her and waved his hand dismissively.
"Oh, them? They're just fans of mine. They wanted to join my awesome pirate crew." Nami felt embarrassed for the guy. Did he have no humility? Luffy had just invited him. Come to think of it, he hadn't really given an answer yet, but Luffy seemed complacent as if he had already said yes.
"Hey, you delinquents! What do you think you're doing?" Everyone, minus Luffy and Zoro, turned to the new voice. It was a tall man with slick black hair and round glasses. He wore a formal suit and tie and walked with rigidity. Usopp and Kaya stilled upon seeing him. He stopped in front of the tree and looked at everyone other than Kaya with distaste. "You are all trespassing on private property. I suggest you leave now."
"Klahadore! It's OK…we were just talking. You don't need to kick them out," Kaya said pleadingly. The caretaker looked at Kaya and shook his head.
"I cannot allow this, Miss Kaya. Your condition is bad enough without that ruffian's influence. I will not allow him to poison your mind with his ridiculous fabrications."
Usopp was trying his best to take the not so subtle insults in stride, but everyone could tell he was having trouble. Kaya looked angry but held her tongue. Nami was confused. Kaya did look pale, but not letting her have visitors wouldn't help at all. If anything, Usopp's visits should aid her mental wellbeing. What she needed was social interaction, not isolation from her peers. Didn't this Klahadore realize that he could very well be making her condition worse by insisting on her seclusion?
She looked at Luffy and Zoro to see their reactions.
They were staring at each other intensely as if they were having a conversation…minus the conversation. Nami grew annoyed as Zoro nodded at Luffy and they both turned back to observe the scene before them. How did they do that anyway? How did that even work?
Usopp, although disgruntled, decided to ignore the insult and try to reason with the caretaker. "Listen, I'm sorry I trespassed, and I don't want any trouble or anything. I just thought Kaya could use the company. She never sees anyone and…"
"And?" Klahadore interrupted. "Do you presume to insinuate that you know what would best aid in Miss Kaya's recovery better than her own caretaker? What could a person of your upbringing possibly know about her needs?" Usopp was really having a hard time composing himself now. Upbringing? What did he mean by that? Kaya was looking at her caretaker in horror.
Either Klahadore didn't notice that he had offended or didn't care. He continued, "Of course, I suppose I shouldn't set such high standards from the son of a filthy pirate. Breaking and entering must be a second nature to you, but I'm afraid I must ask that you not come back…"
He was forcefully interrupted as Usopp's fist collided with his face. He fell back onto the ground and glared up at him in annoyance. "Don't worry," Usopp said quietly. "I was just leaving." He turned around and stomped out of the compound, the infuriated scowl never leaving his face. Kaya had covered her mouth and was watching him leave with regret.
The veggie trio shouted insults at Klahadore for good measure before running off after their captain. Luffy motioned for Zoro and Nami to follow him as he too turned to leave. Nami took one sad look at Kaya before following. She felt bad for her, but wasn't really in a position to help in any way. When they got back to the restaurant, Luffy told Zoro and Nami to hang out while he went to look for Usopp. Zoro nodded. Nami wondered what he was planning to say.
Luffy found Usopp sitting under a tree at the edge of a cliff. He walked over and sat down next to him. Usopp noticed but didn't look at him. He was lost in his own thoughts. After a while, Luffy spoke, "It's not her fault, you know." Usopp still didn't turn to look at him.
"No, it's not," he said.
"And your visits are helping her," Luffy added. Usopp looked up at the clouds and sighed.
"Yeah, I know," he said. Luffy nodded. That was that, then. They sat in silence for a minute before Luffy nudged Usopp, who looked up at him in question. Luffy put one finger to his lips and then pointed down at the beach. Usopp followed his finger and stiffened as he spotted Klahadore walking towards an eccentrically dressed man with heart shaped sunglasses that he had never seen before.
Already suspicious, Usopp got down on his stomach and looked over the ledge, and Luffy followed suit. As they listened in on the conversation that was being held below them, Usopp's eyes gradually widened in shock and then narrowed in outrage. Luffy kept a consistent focused glare on his face until the two men below them parted and walked in opposite directions. Usopp waited a few seconds to take in everything he had just heard, and then got up and abruptly started running in the direction of the village. Luffy quickly caught up and grabbed him by the arm, stopping him in his tracks.
"Let go! I have to warn them!" he shouted now that they were out of earshot.
"Will they believe you? Can they even help anything if they do?" Luffy asked quietly. Usopp's eyes widened as he realized the obvious answer to both questions. His expression turned troubled and he looked at the ground.
"Then what can I do? This is the village I grew up in, I can't just abandon them to their fate!" Luffy nodded in acknowledgement and, having been prompted for advice, started brainstorming a plan out loud. Usopp kept a focused expression and nodded every now and then, as well as throwing in his own suggestions. By the time they met up with Zoro and Nami, the veggie trio was nowhere in sight. Luffy and Usopp filled them in on what happened. Nami looked mildly disturbed but kept calm, while Zoro's expression conveyed nothing of his thoughts.
With the plan decided on, the four started making preparations for the following morning. Usopp walked towards the beach with a stern expression, contemplating what was about to go down. He always lied to the townspeople, claiming that pirates were coming.
He would ensure that it remained a lie.
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