By the time Robin finished her detailed explanation of essential knowledge for sailing the Grand Line, the food on the table had long gone cold.
Several butlers quietly stepped forward, swiftly clearing the dishes, and in moments, the grand dining room had transformed into a full-fledged conference hall.
"Usopp, your… your father, your uncle, they were that powerful!?"
Kaya gasped in disbelief.
Looking at the usually unimpressive Usopp, it was hard to imagine that someone so ordinary was actually connected to such world-renowned figures.
After listening to Robin's introduction, Usopp's eyes gleamed with wonder. His fists clenched tightly, and his whole body trembled as he muttered in a barely audible voice:
"So my father… was that incredible…"
All this time, Usopp had believed his father was either rotting in some prison or had died somewhere out at sea.
After all, the East Blue was considered one of the safest seas.
The Marine was active here, and most pirates in East Blue rarely met good ends.
Thanks to Gol D. Roger's execution, East Blue had the strictest anti-pirate policies. Few pirates could ever make a name for themselves.
At most, once every few years, a pirate crew or two might be lucky enough to set sail toward the Grand Line, only to be chewed up and spat out by that cruel and unforgiving world, never to be heard from again.
─────────🏴☠️─────────
Nightfall.
The night sky over Syrup Village felt strangely narrow.
For some reason, even when you looked up, all you could see was a tiny patch of stars.
People who had grown used to a peaceful life rarely developed the ambition to roam the world.
Whether that was good or bad… was hard to say.
Still, it seemed fate hadn't completely forgotten this quiet village.
From this humble place… extraordinary people had begun to emerge.
─────────🏴☠️─────────
"System, open Usopp's stats panel."
As darkness fell, the group continued chatting well into the night.
Some were curious about the Starry Sky Pirates.
Some fantasized about the wonders of the world.
Some were simply reluctant to see Usopp go.
It was the liveliest night this mansion had seen in years.
Luffy and the others had already settled into the guest rooms for the night.
Zzzzzzt,
As soon as Luffy finished speaking, a flash of light surged across his vision, and Usopp's status panel materialized before him.
─────────🏴☠️────────
Name: Usopp
Potential: SS（+）（+）（+）（+）（+）
Stamina: 92
Strength: 38
Agility: 85
Mental Power: 499
─────────🏴☠️─────────
"Huh, wha–!? HUH!?"
"System! Don't tell me you're bugged!?"
Luffy's dark eyes shimmered with disbelief and cautious excitement.
You couldn't blame him for losing his cool, Usopp's stats were insane.
A Mental Power stat of 499? That was borderline king-level.
And those five golden plus signs? They made Usopp's name glow like it belonged to some divine figure.
[Response: The system is functioning normally.]
The system's cold voice echoed in Luffy's mind, but instead of calming him, it only added fuel to the fire, his excitement spiked even higher.
"Wait a second… Are you telling me Usopp has five unique talents?"
He still couldn't believe it.
[Response: Correct.]
"…Unbelievable…"
Driven by curiosity, Luffy mentally selected the first of Usopp's special talents:
[Sniping]
Just two simple characters.
But it wasn't surprising. Usopp's sniping skills were world-class.
What intrigued Luffy more… were the other talents.
He tapped the second one.
[Inferiority Complex]
"Pffffft!"
Luffy nearly choked.
But the more he thought about it… it kind of made sense.
In the original timeline, Usopp had used his intense negativity and insecurity to counter Perona's Negative Ghosts, making him the only one immune.
That kind of inferiority complex? Luffy had to admit, top tier.
Still, after seeing those two, Luffy's expectations dropped. He figured the rest were probably things like cowardice or lying, talents that weren't exactly… heroic.
So without much hope, he mentally selected the last three talents all at once.
Just wanted to get it over with and move on to drawing Usopp's exclusive item.
The screen lit up with the following:
[Sixth Sense]
[Unshakable Will]
[Favored by the Heavens]
─────────🏴☠️─────────
"Huh?"
Luffy perked up instantly.
Now those sounded promising.
Even just reading the names gave off a sense of mystique and power.
Luffy quickly said in his mind:
"System, explain these three talents in detail."
[Acknowledged.]
A stream of glowing text appeared before Luffy's eyes:
[Sixth Sense] – An ultra-intuitive perception.
This talent allows the user to receive information beyond normal sensory input, even glimpsing future events before they happen.
[Unshakable Will] – A will that never falters.
Once the user sets their sights on something, they will pursue it without ever straying, until they succeed, no matter the odds.
[Favored by the Heavens] – One blessed by fate.
No matter the danger, no matter the crisis, some mysterious force will always help the user survive and overcome.
─────────🏴☠️────────
"Wait a minute…"
Luffy thought back to how Usopp had behaved in the original timeline.
And suddenly, he noticed something… chilling.
Usopp told a lot of lies.
Everyone called him the King of Lies.
But… what if those lies weren't lies at all?
Think about it, Sky Island, the giant goldfish, the whale, and so many other things…
They all came true.
What if… those "lies" were actually glimpses of the future?
Could it be… Usopp's Sixth Sense had been at work all along?
Combine that with his ridiculous luck as the Favored by the Heavens,
And what you get is… God Usopp.
A true Main Character, no explanations needed.
The only thing Luffy still didn't quite understand… was [Unshakable Will].
"System, don't lots of people have strong wills? Why is this one considered a top-tier special talent for Usopp?"
[Response: Please note, this is a special talent, not merely a trait.]
[Others with strong willpower will persist in pursuing feasible goals.]
[But Usopp, with this unique talent, will pursue any goal he believes in, no matter how impossible, and never give up. Ever.]
[And because he's also "Favored by the Heavens," he has the greatest chance to turn the impossible into possible.]
"Holy crap, it's confirmed!"
Luffy slapped his palm in his other hand, utterly floored.
Right now, all he wanted was a bag of salt to toss dramatically onto the floor to express his inner turmoil.
These talents were beyond busted.
So it was Usopp all along, the real Pay-to-Win player of the original Straw Hat crew!
In that moment, Luffy finally understood:
Why was it that despite Zoro and Sanji defeating so many powerful enemies, it was Usopp who kept getting more and more recognition?
Maybe in the original timeline, Luffy eventually became the Second Pirate King, retired in peace, his tale slowly fading with time.
Maybe Zoro became the world's greatest swordsman, opened a dojo, taught kids, and was eventually surpassed and forgotten like all those before him.
But Usopp?
Usopp would be remembered forever.
His name would live on in myths and legends across the seas.
Just the thought was terrifying.
Better not think about it too much.
Luffy shook his head. Fortunately, his own goals were no longer so shallow.
His future wouldn't be so easily surpassed.
"System, draw Usopp's exclusive item!"
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