Luffy walked down the road humming to himself.
The village stayed quiet behind him. Too quiet. Houses gave way to fences, fences to trees, and soon the road narrowed into a simple dirt path lined with hedges and wooden posts. Birds chirped somewhere overhead. The breeze carried the same sweet smell as before, faint but constant.
"They're really bad at hiding," Luffy laughed to himself.
The grass rustled and Luffy stopped walking, he slowly turned.
Four figures stood behind a low fence, crouched so awkwardly it almost hurt to look at. One wore a pair of oversized goggles pushed up on his forehead. Another clutched a slingshot. A third puffed out his chest, arms crossed dramatically, as if that somehow made him invisible, while the fourth peeked out from behind him, trying, and failing, to stay hidden.
"…Huh?" Luffy said.
They all flinched. "CAPTAIN!" the one with goggles whispered urgently.
"I told you not to move!" the slingshot kid hissed.
The third straightened fully. "Relax! Everything is under control!"
Luffy tilted his head. "You guys following me?"
Silence. Then...
"RETREAT!" They bolted.
Luffy's grin stretched wide. "Oh, that looks fun."
He stretched his arm down the road, the rubbery limb snapping forward.
Luffy reeled his arm back and a long nosed boy flailed helplessly at the end of it.
The boy hit the ground on his feet, spun around wildly, and jabbed a finger at Luffy. "Y-you're pirates! I know exactly why you're here!"
Luffy blinked. "You do?"
"Of course!" the boy shouted. "I'm Captain Usopp! Leader of the fearsome Usopp Pirates!"
The three kids popped up behind him like props on cue.
"That's right!" one yelled.
"We were just testing you!" another added.
"We're super scary!" the third insisted.
Usopp puffed out his chest. "And I command an army of one million men!"
Luffy's eyes sparkled. "A million?!"
Usopp smirked nervously. "Y-yeah! They're hidden all over the village! One signal from me and—!"
"Awesome!" Luffy laughed. "That sounds really fun!"
Usopp's confidence wavered. "….Huh?"
Suddenly, footsteps approached from behind.
"Found him," Zoro said casually.
Orion stepped up beside Luffy, hands in his pockets, eyes scanning over the boys.
Sanji lingered a few steps back, cigarette between his fingers, unimpressed.
Usopp's face drained of color.
"O-oh no…" one of the kids whispered.
Zoro cracked his neck, a smirk forming on face. "A million men, huh? Guess we'll start with you."
Usopp stumbled backward. "W-wait! There's no need for violence!"
Orion smiled faintly. "You're the one who threatened us."
"…I-I was bluffing!" Usopp shouted.
The kids gasped.
"CAPTAIN?!"
"You can't say that!"
"That ruins everything!"
Usopp turned to them. "RUN!"
They screamed and scattered in different directions. Usopp spun and bolted after them.
*THWIP.*
Luffy's arm snapped out again, wrapping around Usopp and yanking him off the ground.
"Nope," Luffy said cheerfully. "You're showing us around."
Usopp flailed uselessly as Luffy carried him back toward the others.
Zoro looked him up and down. "You're the captain?"
Sanji exhaled smoke. "This kid's a joke."
Usopp bristled. "I'll have you know I'm a legendary pirate!"
Luffy set him down. "So, Captain Usopp. Show us around."
Usopp looked between them, then laughed nervously. "S-sure, the great Captain Usopp will show you around! Totally! Just… don't wander off!"
They followed him through the village streets, Usopp launched into wild stories about sea kings, cannons, and heroic battles he'd definitely fought. Luffy listened with rapt attention. Zoro didn't. Sanji rolled his eyes. Orion watched Usopp instead of listening.
"And over here," he announced grandly, sweeping an arm toward a small pond, "is where I defeated the Sea Serpent of Syrup Village!"
Luffy immediately leaned forward. "There was a sea serpent here?!"
Zoro glanced at the pond. It was barely deep enough to drown in.
Sanji scoffed. "Looks like it could barely hold a goldfish."
Usopp waved dismissively. "It was much bigger before! Massive waves! The whole village was shaking! I stood right there-" he pointed to a crooked wooden dock, "-and fought it for three days straight!"
Luffy gasped. "Three days?!"
"Without food or water," Usopp added dramatically.
Orion finally spoke. "Then, why are there scratch marks on the dock shaped like rake teeth?"
Usopp froze.
Zoro raised an eyebrow.
Usopp coughed loudly. "Ah! Yes! That was… the serpent's tail spikes!"
Orion stared at him a second longer, then gave a small, knowing smile. Though, he didn't press further and they continued.
A small bakery came into view. The warm smell of fresh bread drifted through the air.
Usopp puffed his chest again. "This bakery survives solely because I protect it from bandits."
The elderly baker stepped out with a tray. "Usopp," she said flatly, "you still owe me for the bread from last week."
Usopp sputtered. "T-that was tactical rations for patrol duty!"
Luffy laughed. "You're awesome!"
As they passed a narrow alley, Usopp lowered his voice dramatically. "This is where the Black Cat Assassins tried to ambush me."
Zoro's eyes sharpened slightly. "Black Cat assassins? The hell is that supposed to be?" He muttered to himself.
Usopp's voice grew louder. "But I sensed their killing intent from meters away! With my supreme observation skills!"
Orion glanced toward the distant hill at the edge of the village. There was a large mansion up there. White walls, curtained windows, isolated. A lonely place, he filed it away in his mind quietly.
"Then what happened?" Luffy asked eagerly.
"I defeated them, obviously! They fled screaming!"
Zoro muttered, "Sure."
Sanji flicked ash aside. "You're terrible at lying."
Usopp whirled around. "I am not!" He spun dramatically and kept walking.
Luffy leaned toward Orion. "He's fun."
They reached a small clearing near the outskirts. From here, the hill was clearly visible. The mansion sat quietly above the village like it was watching.
Usopp slowed slightly. "And up there," he said, voice softer now, "is… uh… the rich lady's house."
Luffy looked up. "Whoa! That's huge!"
Sanji's attention sharpened immediately. "A rich lady?"
Usopp straightened again. "Y-yes! Very sickly! Frail! Always waiting for news from the sea!"
He swallowed. "I visit her every day."
Zoro glanced at him. "To tell her lies too?"
Usopp's jaw tightened. "They're not lies," he said quietly.
Luffy grinned. "Can we go see her?"
Usopp panicked instantly. "NO!"
They all stared at him.
"I mean—" he stammered, "she's resting! Very important resting! Extremely delicate resting!"
Sanji exhaled smoke slowly.
Zoro folded his arms. "So what's really going on?"
Usopp's hands clenched at his sides. For a moment, the wind picked up. The mansion windows reflected the sun.
Usopp forced a grin back onto his face. "Anyway! That's the end of the tour!" He hurriedly ran toward the mansion, leaving the Straw Hats.
Luffy beamed. "That was awesome! But, now I'm hungry! Let's go eat some food!"
Zoro sighed, Sanji flicked his cigarette away, and Orion kept looking at the mansion.
To Be Continued.....