Cotton-white clouds drifted lazily across the clear blue sky. A faintly fragrant breeze swayed the shadows of the trees, dispelling the sultry heat from the air.
Golden sunlight filtered through the gaps between green leaves, scattering dappled spots across the ground. Father and son sat beneath the shade, making idle conversation.
Sometimes they laughed and talked loudly; sometimes they fell silent.
"Dad, have you heard anything about Mom?"
"Yeah. I heard."
Yasopp's expression was complicated. Leaning back against the trunk, he silently gazed at the moss-covered broken walls and ruins before him.
Not long after he left the village, his wife fell seriously ill and became bedridden. Before long, she passed away from her illness.
From then on, the young Usopp began living alone. During the day, he ran through the forest, and at night, he returned by himself to that lonely little cabin.
That was what he heard while out at sea.
Later, they returned to the East Blue once.
Usopp had still been too young then. Taking him out to sea would have been far too dangerous.
But if Usopp had not been living well in the village, then even if he had to beg Shanks, he would have taken Usopp with him—or left the pirate crew and stayed behind to look after him.
That was what he thought, so he went alone to Syrup Village.
There, he learned that Usopp had begun running around the village with three other children every day, causing all sorts of mischief. It seemed he had made friends and begun a new life.
Once he knew Usopp was doing fine, he quietly left without stepping forward to acknowledge him.
He could barely remember how he felt at the time. Thinking back now, perhaps his younger self had felt too ashamed to appear