[One Piece: The Legend of the Star Sea] Chapter 33 (Patreon)

Syrup Village, outside the iron gate of a luxurious mansion.

"Hello, please lend me a ship," Luffy called out from outside the iron gate.

Eden quietly asked Nami beside him, "You're not planning to steal money from here, are you?"

"What nonsense! I'm a thief with dignity and principles," Nami punched Eden lightly on his left cheek and continued, "Although the owner of this mansion is wealthy, her parents have passed away, leaving her all alone. No matter how much money she has, living a luxurious life without family is the most unfortunate thing. That money was left to her by her parents, I wouldn't steal it."

"I see," Eden replied, noticing a subtle sadness in Nami's tone that was different from her usual demeanor.

Hey, what's that?

Eden noticed an inconspicuous gap in the plants along the mansion's perimeter, just big enough for a person to pass through.

"Hey, Luffy, look over there," Eden pointed to the gap in the plants and tugged Luffy's arm.

But Luffy had already extended his arm, grabbing the top of the iron gate, and squatted down, shouting, "Rubber band attack!"

"Stop it!"

"Don't be reckless!"

Zoro and Nami rushed over to pull Luffy back.

By the time Eden realized what was happening, it was too late. They were all holding onto Luffy, and the next moment they were flung into the air.

Onion, Pepper, and Carrot watched in stunned silence as Eden and the others disappeared into the sky, their mouths wide open in shock, unable to utter a word.

"Luffy, you idiot!"

"Why are you always so reckless?"

"I swear I'll cut you someday!"

As they plummeted from the sky, Eden, Nami, and Zoro yelled at Luffy, who was laughing happily as he fell.

Just before hitting the ground, Eden noticed a large tree to his side. On the tree sat someone chatting with a girl leaning out of a window, both laughing heartily.

Eden kicked hard against the sturdy trunk, flipping three times in the air.

The tree shook violently from Eden's kick, causing Usopp, who was sitting on it, to fall off.

As Eden was about to land safely, he heard Luffy's voice: "Gomu Gomu no Fusen!"

Luffy inhaled deeply, and his belly swelled like a balloon just before hitting the ground.

Eden and Zoro, who were about to land, were suddenly bounced away by Luffy's inflated belly.

Eden, about to land, was flung towards Nami, who hadn't yet hit the ground.

Nami hadn't realized what was happening when Eden, bounced by Luffy, crashed into her, embracing her tightly.

Due to Eden changing direction mid-air by kicking the tree, he ended up flying sideways into Nami, landing with a thud.

Eden didn't even have time to react before he accidentally kissed Nami's smooth, white cheek as they tumbled.

Nami's face turned bright red.

Oh no, why does this keep happening?

Both Eden and Nami had the same thought, relieved it wasn't on the lips.

As they hit the ground, Eden rolled over, with Nami ending up straddling him. Her face was still red, and she was breathing heavily. They exchanged a glance before Nami closed her eyes and lay down beside him, deciding to forget everything for a moment.

Phew, luckily she didn't explode in anger. I better forget about this too.

Eden lay beside Nami, closing his eyes, not wanting to move.

"Who is it that made me fall from the tree?"

Usopp touched his long nose. He had fallen headfirst, and his long nose had bent upon impact.

Before Usopp could inspect his nose, Zoro, who had been bounced by Luffy, came crashing into him.

"No!"

Usopp's eyes widened in fear as Zoro collided with him, sending them both crashing into the stone wall, which cracked under the impact.

Zoro and Usopp slid down the wall, unable to get up for a while.

"Everything went perfectly!" Luffy laughed happily, the only one who landed safely. Seeing Eden, Nami, Zoro, and Usopp lying on the ground, unable to get up, he asked, "What are you doing lying there, putting on a show?"

"How can you say that!" Eden and the others, angered by Luffy's carefree attitude, stood up and beat him up.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have made fun of you," Luffy apologized, lying on the ground with a swollen face, still not fully understanding his mistake.

"Are you all okay?" Kaya leaned out the window, worriedly asking Luffy and the others.

"We're fine, Kaya. These people came here to join the new Usopp Pirates after hearing about my legendary deeds," Usopp pointed at Luffy and the others, boasting to Kaya.

"No, that's not true," Luffy immediately refuted Usopp's claim, dusting off his clothes.

"He looks badly injured. Is he really okay?" Kaya asked, noticing Eden covered in bandages.

"Oh, he's the challenger I defeated from afar. He admires me greatly and insists on calling me the invincible Captain Usopp," Usopp put an arm around Eden's shoulder, ignoring Eden's embarrassment, and continued to boast to Kaya, "It was a spectacular duel, fighting with honor. I accidentally injured him, but don't worry, this injury is nothing to him."

Eden was about to expose Usopp's lie when he heard a voice demanding, "Who allowed you to trespass on private property!"

Turning around, Eden saw a man in glasses and a suit approaching.

"Who's that?" Eden asked Usopp beside him.

"Klahadore, the butler here," Usopp replied, clearly not fond of the butler.

"Klahadore, they are..." Kaya began, but Klahadore waved her off, "No need to explain now."

"Please leave immediately, or state your business," Klahadore demanded.

"We want a ship," Luffy bluntly stated, only for Klahadore to refuse without hesitation, "No."

Luffy looked dejected, lowering his head. Zoro patted his shoulder in consolation.

"You're Usopp, right?" Klahadore addressed Usopp, "I've heard about you, especially the villagers' opinions."

"Thank you. You can call me Captain Usopp; that's what the villagers call me," Usopp boasted, pointing at himself with his thumb.

"How good you are at self-praise. I've even heard about your father," Klahadore sneered, "You're just the son of a lowly pirate. I wouldn't be surprised by anything you do. But stay away from my lady."

"You call my father lowly?" Usopp's face darkened, gritting his teeth.

Eden, recalling Usopp's pride and admiration when speaking about his father at the restaurant, understood why Usopp was so angry. Being insulted like this would infuriate anyone.

"You and the lady are from different worlds. You approach her for money, right? How much do you want?" Klahadore said, pushing his glasses up with his palm in an odd manner, spreading his fingers apart.

Eden frowned at Klahadore's strange gesture, finding it increasingly irritating.

Kaya's face turned pale hearing Klahadore's words, "Klahadore, you're being too harsh. Apologize to Usopp!"

"No need to apologize to this barbarian. I'm just stating facts," Klahadore continued, "I sympathize with you, abandoned by your treasure-hunting fool of a father. You must hate him, right?"

"Shut up, Klahadore!" Kaya's voice rose, clearly furious.

This delicate-looking woman can shout pretty loudly, Eden thought, glancing at the pale-faced, golden-haired Kaya.

How could Klahadore, as a butler, ignore his lady's orders, giving off a domineering vibe, making Eden even more suspicious.

Luffy and the others stood aside, not intervening in this private matter.

"Don't insult my father anymore!" Usopp's fists clenched tightly, blood dripping from his palms.

"What's there to be angry about? You should use your lying skills. Tell them your father is a merchant or deny any relation," Klahadore mocked, pushing his glasses up again.

"Shut up!" Usopp couldn't hold back his anger, punching Klahadore to the ground.

"Ah!" Kaya gasped, covering her mouth.

But neither Luffy nor the others looked surprised by Usopp's punch.

"See, always resorting to violence. Like father, like son," Klahadore wiped the blood from his mouth, taunting Usopp further.

"You know nothing! I'm proud my father is a pirate! He's a brave sea warrior!" Usopp shouted, "You're right, I'm a liar, but I'm proud of my pirate heritage! That's undeniable!"

"I'm a pirate's son!" Usopp shouted with all his strength, his voice echoing clearly.

"Pirates are brave sea warriors? That's nonsense," Klahadore stood up, pushing his glasses up, "But you indeed have barbaric blood, always lying, using violence, just to get close to the lady for money."

Klahadore mentioned money again. It couldn't be a coincidence, Eden thought, suspecting Klahadore's fixation on Usopp might be money-related.

"Come here," Eden pulled Nami aside, "You're a professional thief, right?"

"My navigation and thieving skills are both professional," Nami replied confidently.

Despite their earlier awkwardness, they were now interacting normally, accustomed to each other.

"With your thief's eye, do you think Klahadore is a fellow thief?"

"If he were, would he be a butler here? Would you hire a thief as a butler?" Nami knocked Eden's head, questioning him.

"I think if he's not a thief, he might be my colleague," Eden said seriously, stroking his chin.

"Huh?" Nami was dumbfounded, "You think he's a pirate? Are you stupid? No one would hire a pirate as a butler. Have you ever seen a pirate working as a butler?"

Eden was about to explain his suspicion when Klahadore shouted, "Regardless of your reasons, just because your father is a pirate, I forbid you from seeing the lady."

Klahadore's words insulted Usopp's respected father and discriminated against all pirates.

"See? He despises pirates. How could he be one?" Nami's words confused Eden. Could Klahadore's antagonism towards Usopp really just be about protecting Kaya?

"Usopp, stop using violence. Klahadore isn't a bad person. He's just overly protective," Kaya cried, holding her face, tears streaming through her pale fingers.

Hearing Kaya's words, Usopp, still angry, lowered his fists.

"Please leave. This is no place for barbarians like you," Klahadore pushed Usopp's hand away, shouting, "You're not welcome here anymore!"

"I know my place. I would have left even without you telling me," Usopp said, his face dark, looking at Kaya before walking away without looking back.

"You're wrong, Captain isn't like that!" Onion, Pepper, and Carrot, having watched from the side, jumped out, angrily yelling at Klahadore.

"Yeah, he's not like you said!"

"Big idiot!"

The three children left these words and ignored Usopp, walking away on their own.

Usopp, silent, watched the children he cherished leave.

That night, under a crescent moon.

On the coast of Syrup Village, Luffy, Eden, Nami, Zoro, and Usopp sat together.

"Because I'm a liar, no one believes me," Usopp said, sitting on a rock, his voice tinged with sadness.

"You're telling the truth," Zoro said, looking at Usopp, "Pirates are really coming to attack the village."

"Yes, they'll come, but everyone thinks I'm lying! The villagers think tomorrow will be a peaceful day as usual," Usopp said, pausing before standing up, determinedly saying, "So I'll face the pirates here and stop them from entering the village, making this a real lie! That's my duty as a liar!"

Luffy and the others listened silently as Usopp continued, "My hand is shot, the villagers chased me with brooms, but this is my village, and I love it. I want to protect everyone!"

Usopp, covering his face, cried again, his right arm, red with blood, looked glaringly under the moonlight, "I don't want everyone to be killed by pirates!"

Watching Usopp sit alone on the rock, crying but showing his determination to protect the village, Luffy and the others remained silent for a moment.

"You're quite the good guy, trying to fight alone after your crew abandoned you," Zoro sighed, looking at Usopp.

"Alright, we'll help you!" Luffy said, full of energy.

"But I get all the treasure from those pirates," Nami said, making Eden wince. This woman only thought about money.

"Well, that four-eyed butler annoys me, and I got some benefits, so I'll help," Eden said, rubbing his chin.

"What benefits?" Nami asked immediately, grabbing Eden's neck, "What benefits did you get? From whom? Tell me!"

Usopp, grateful to Luffy and the others, was moved but couldn't say a word, seeing Eden being strangled by Nami.

Ten minutes later.

"Alright, let's discuss our battle plan," Usopp said, his legs trembling, "Damn...damn it!"

Usopp hit his legs to stop them from shaking, but they only shook more.

Everyone saw his trembling legs, and Usopp yelled, "What's so funny? Captain Kuro's pirates are terrifying. Of course, I'm scared! So what! I don't want your pity. Get lost!"

"We're not laughing at you. We think you're great, so we decided to help," Zoro said, looking at Usopp.

"We wouldn't risk our lives out of pity," Luffy said seriously.

"You're the idiot. Fear and cowardice are different. If you were a coward, I'd have beaten you up and wouldn't waste my time here," Eden said honestly.

"You're the idiot, lecturing others like this," Nami said, making Eden angry. If not for Zoro holding him back, he might have fought with Nami.

"You guys..." Usopp cried again, moved by their willingness to risk their lives for him.

"First, tell me what you're best at. Then I'll make a detailed plan," Usopp said, composing himself.

"Cutting!"

"Stretching!"

"Stealing!"

"Fishing!"

Zoro, Luffy, Nami, and Eden each stated their strengths.

"Hey, does that mean you two are useless in battle?" Usopp said honestly to Eden and Nami.

Bam! Bam!

"Dumbass!" Eden and Nami, in unison, knocked Usopp down.