Cherreads

Chapter 42 - The Man Who Guards the Village!

Note: Don't Forget to join my Patreon.com/flokixy to get access to +40 Advance Chapters I have to stop if there is no support

Nami: "Huh? So that Buggy guy is coming along with us now?"

Trafalgar Law: "Not necessarily, Navigator Nami. That version of you might not even end up on Captain Straw Hat's ship yet..."

Scratchmen Apoo: "Buggy replacing Nami as the navigator for the Straw Hat Pirates... Ahahaha! I think it could work!"

Nami: "No way... Hey, hey, hey, Red Luffy over there, don't let me down, okay?"

Nico Robin: "Don't worry, Nami. That won't happen. What that Luffy said was to have Buggy act as a guide, not as a crewmate. You'll definitely join the crew."

Usopp: "That's right! None of us will be left behind!"

Shanks: "Haha, Buggy and Luffy setting sail together—this should be interesting!"

Buggy: "Watch what you say, Shanks! The only reason that version of me decided to escort Straw Hat to the Grand Line is because of Captain Roger's hat."

Gol D. Roger: "Wow! Little Buggy, I'm so moved!"

At this moment, the white-framed screen lit up...

[Luffy, Zoro, and Nami arrive at Rare Beast Island in two small boats, meet Kaman, and then leave the island.]

[Several days later, the trio arrives at Syrup Village.]

[Usopp makes his entrance!]

[They uncover Kuro's sinister plot, and Usopp runs into the village to warn everyone.]

["Listen to me, everyone! The pirates are really going to attack the village tomorrow morning!!!"]

["Please believe me just this once! Everyone needs to evacuate the village immediately!!!"]

["I'm serious this time! It's true... Why doesn't anyone believe me..."]

[Usopp runs around trying to save the villagers...]

[But...]

["If we believed you every time, we'd have fled hundreds of times already!"]

["Enough, Usopp! We're sick and tired of your lies!"]

["Damn it, don't run away! This time, we're really going to teach you a lesson!"]

[The villagers chase after Usopp with brooms, ladles, and dustpans...]

[They stop chasing him once he runs out of the village.]

Tony Tony Chopper: "Ah, poor Usopp..."

Eustass Kid: "He's barely holding onto his own life and still worrying about others. What a waste of effort!"

Marshall D. Teach: "Hehehe!! These villagers... Let them die, it's their own fault!"

Usopp: "It's not entirely their fault. I've been lying to them all the time, telling them pirates were coming. That's why they don't believe me anymore."

Roronoa Zoro: "Hmm, you can't blame the villagers completely."

Having experienced this situation firsthand, Zoro understood the villagers' behavior.

Nami: "So this teaches us not to lie too much, right? Hehe~"

Trafalgar Law: "So, did Usopp storm off with the Straw Hats after being treated like that?"

Scratchmen Apoo: "Isn't that obvious? He tries to save them, but instead of being grateful, they beat him up and chased him away... Anyone would be furious!"

Killer: "Those villagers deserve what's coming to them."

Monkey D. Luffy: "Hey! You guys are underestimating Usopp too much!"

[Usopp escapes to the village entrance, shedding lonely tears...]

[At this moment, the Straw Hat Pirates appear behind him.]

[Usopp collapses onto the ground, staring blankly at the distant sea: "I was such a fool! I should've known... Because I lie so much, the villagers don't trust me at all."]

[Seeing Usopp completely fall into despair, the three members of the Straw Hat crew quietly watch him.]

[At this point, Nami asks: "Never mind all that—what matters is, the pirates really are coming tomorrow, right?"]

[Usopp wipes his face and sighs: "Yeah, they're definitely coming. But no one believes me. They think tomorrow will be just another peaceful day."]

["So what are you planning to do?" Zoro asks calmly.]

[At this point, they're nothing more than strangers who've exchanged a few words...]

[Hearing this, Usopp's eyes fill with confusion...]

[He looks helplessly toward the sea...]

[Yeah... What am I supposed to do?]

[What can I do?]

[Even if I want to do something, does that mean I can actually pull it off?]

[But...]

[The villagers have helped me so much throughout my life...]

[Memories of Usopp's upbringing flood his mind...]

[When he was very young, his father ran off with a red-haired man after hearing "The Pirate Flag is Calling"...]

[Not long after, his mother passed away...]

[Usopp grew up thanks to the villagers' help...]

[No!!!]

[I can't just stand by and watch them get killed by pirates!!!]

["What's your plan..."]

["You ask me what my plan is..."]

[Usopp mutters these words repeatedly, his eyes growing clearer and clearer!]

[Suddenly, he leaps to his feet, clenching his right hand tightly!!!]

["My plan is... TO FIGHT THE PIRATES HERE!!!"]

["I'll turn this truth into a lie!!!"]

["This is the only path left for someone like me—a liar!!!"]

["Even if they chase me away with brooms... This is the village where I grew up!!!"]

["I love this village, and I want to protect everyone!!!"]

[Though not particularly muscular, his figure now stands tall. Usopp gazes at the sea—the direction from which the pirate crew will come tomorrow.]

[Behind him lies the village he wants to protect...]

[A crescent moon hangs low on the horizon, casting faint moonlight over the small village...]

[The tranquil village is now lit with thousands of lights. Unbeknownst to them, a man has already taken it upon himself to guard their peace...]

More Chapters