After leaving Kaya's mansion, Usopp was on his way home when two little boys suddenly blocked his path.
"Usopp Pirate Crew, assemble!"
"Captain Usopp! Good morning!"
One wore a skull-marked hat; the other, a skull-print shirt. Both saluted enthusiastically, brandishing their tiny wooden swords.
"Excellent spirit, Green Pepper-Head! Carrot-Top!"
Hands on his hips, Usopp nodded approvingly.
They were the few kids in Syrup Village who actually believed in his dream of becoming a pirate and willingly followed him as his loyal subordinates.
Green Pepper-Head dreamed of being a great shipwright one day.
Carrot-Top, quieter and more mature, wanted to run his own tavern when he grew up.
Besides them, the Usopp Pirate Crew had one more member.
"Huh? Where's Onion-Head?" Usopp asked.
"No idea!" said one.
"Maybe I'm still asleep at home!" said the other.
Before Usopp could reply, a frantic voice shouted from afar—
"Captain!!! Everyone!!! Bad news!!!"
It was Onion-Head, sprinting toward them, eyes wide behind his glasses, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Pirates!!! Real pirates!!! I saw a pirate ship!!!"
"What?!"
For once, Usopp was the most shocked of all.
"You're kidding, right?!"
"It's true!" Onion-Head panted. "It's a huge ship! I saw it clearly—it looks exactly like the one from the papers! The Buggy Pirates' ship!"
"Buggy the Clown?!"
Usopp nearly jumped out of his shoes.
"You mean the pirate worth sixteen million Berries?!"
"That's the one!" Onion-Head nodded furiously.
"Ah… right… I just remembered!" Usopp said, his tone suddenly grave. "It's about time for afternoon tea. I'll be heading home now."
He turned to bolt.
"Don't run away, Captain!!!"
"It's not even noon yet!"
"And you don't drink tea!!!"
The three boys all screamed at once.
"Caught me, huh?" Usopp stopped mid-stride, turned back solemnly, and declared,
"To tell you the truth… I suffer from a rare disease. If I don't go home right now, I'll die."
The boys stared blankly.
"Enough, Captain!"
"There's no such disease!"
"Yeah! You're a brave warrior of the sea! You can't be scared of just four pirates!"
"Wait—four?" Usopp blinked. "You're sure about that?"
"Positive." Onion-Head pushed up his glasses. "I thought it was strange, so I waited until the ship came closer and counted again. Definitely only four people."
"Only four, huh?"
At once, Usopp's confidence returned in full force. He puffed up his chest, pointed dramatically toward the shore, and shouted,
"Then let's show them the might of the great Usopp Pirate Crew!"
"Yeah!!!" the three boys cheered.
Meanwhile, on the former Buggy Pirates' ship—
"So that's the story, huh?" Nami said after hearing Bai Ye's explanation. "A liar and a sick young heiress, trapped in a twisted little fairytale of their own?"
"Twisted? That's your takeaway?" Bai Ye sighed. "You've got a unique way of looking at things, Nami."
"A man who dreams of becoming a brave warrior of the sea, huh?"
Luffy grinned, already intrigued.
"Let's go meet him! If he's a good guy, I'll make him my crewmate!"
"Don't decide things so fast!" Zoro groaned. "Didn't Bai Ye just say he's a liar?"
"Relax," Bai Ye chuckled, patting Zoro's shoulder. "Luffy decided the same way when he asked you to join."
Zoro: …
So this isn't even new behavior. Great.
"Ah! There it is!"
Before Zoro could retort, Luffy's excited shout rang out.
The island was coming into view, and his face lit up like a child's.
"Gomu Gomu no… Pistol!!!"
With a laugh, Luffy stretched his arm, catapulting himself straight toward the island.
A column of dust rose where he landed.
"That idiot," Nami muttered, exasperated. "Can't he wait for five minutes?"
Zoro folded his arms. "What do we do? At this rate, he'll cause chaos before we even dock."
"Remove the at this rate," Bai Ye said dryly. "With Luffy, chaos is guaranteed. Let's go after him."
"Go after him? The ship can't move any faster," Nami said, frowning.
"Who said anything about using the ship?"
Bai Ye arched an eyebrow, rolling his shoulders loose.
Zoro's eyes narrowed. "Oh boy. Here we go again. It's either another magic pill or some talisman, right?"
After spending enough time with him, Zoro had learned the signs. When Bai Ye started flexing his wrists, it meant something miraculous—or terrifying—was about to happen.
Nami, equally curious, crossed her arms. "Alright, let's see it. What's the trick this time?"
"You two staring at me like that is a lot of pressure," Bai Ye said with a laugh. "But this time, I'm not pulling anything out."
He bent his knees slightly and pressed his hands together in a strange mudra.
[Xun Hexagram — Wind-Walking Art!]
At once, the air around the deck shifted. The breeze thickened, swirling, then roared into a spinning current that centered on Bai Ye.
In the next instant, the deck itself seemed to lift.
"Whoa, whoa, WHOA!!!" Zoro's composure broke as his boots left the floor. He flailed for balance, his hair whipping in the wind.
"I-I'm flying!!!" Nami screamed, her voice half panic, half wonder, arms flailing as she floated upward, her skirt fluttering dangerously in the gale.
"Alright then," Bai Ye said cheerfully, ignoring both their protests. "Let's not keep our captain waiting."
The wind howled louder—
And in a blur, the three shot across the sky, riding the roaring currents straight toward the island where Luffy had landed.
Their destination: the beginning of chaos.
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