Syrup Village

The sea. Nothing but water!

Rubick had his eyes closed as he went through the motions, rowing steadily without paying any attention to where he was headed. He relied on instinct to tell himself he hadn't strayed off course.

He was bored and wanted to slack off, but Rubick convinced himself this was necessary practice for his Observation Haki.

"The island ahead is..."

Rubick opened his eyes blearily and saw an island not far away. He unfolded his map and studied it for ages, but still couldn't tell where he was.

"According to the map, if I haven't gone off course, this should be Syrup Village."

The island wasn't large. When Rubick came ashore, there wasn't even a dock. Clearly, this wasn't a place suited to maritime trade. Without a dock, passing ships had no reason to stop.

Worse, the place where he landed led straight to a slope more than thirty meters long, pitched at nearly thirty degrees.

If someone hauled a shipment all the way here, they'd be dumbfounded the moment they stepped off the boat. How were they supposed to get cargo up that slope?

"Come to think of it, could this be Usopp's hometown?"

With that suspicion in mind, Rubick soon climbed the slope. There was no food left on his boat. If he didn't eat something here, he might starve before he reached the Baratie.

"Hey, who are you?"

A man in a headscarf, bare-chested beneath brown overalls with the legs rolled up, blocked Rubick's path. He wore thick-soled brown leather boots, and three timid little boys stood behind him.

Rubick looked the man up and down. That long nose was hard to forget. If he wasn't Kaku, he had to be Usopp.

Rubick introduced himself. "I'm a traveler. Do you know if there are any merchant ships here headed for the Baratie?"

"Uh, there's a wealthy family here with ships that carry goods. Why don't you ask them?"

Usopp offered the suggestion eagerly, pointing toward the west side of the island. "Their estate is over there. Once you see the wall around it, you've found the place."

Rubick nodded and thanked him, then asked, "I appreciate it. What's your name?"

Usopp pointed a thumb at himself. "Listen up! I'm Usopp, captain of the Usopp Pirates! I've got eight thousand men, and this island is my territory, so you'd better behave yourself."

Rubick played along. "Oh? So you're the captain of a pirate crew with eight thousand men? I never would've guessed."

Usopp bristled at once. "Hmph! My men are resting all over the island. Give the order, and they'll be here in minutes."

Rubick shook out his arms. "Then you'd better pray they get here before I capture you."

Rubick pushed off the ground and lunged at Usopp, his fingers curved like claws.

Usopp nearly jumped out of his skin. He hadn't expected Rubick to attack without another word.

Rubick slapped a hand onto Usopp's shoulder and asked curiously, "Your name's Usopp, right? How much is your bounty? With eight thousand men, it must be at least thirty million."

Usopp's legs shook like rubber bands. He swallowed and stammered, "Mister, I was just joking! I'm not a pirate, and I'm not a captain."

The moment Usopp finished speaking, the three children behind him scattered, shouting things that made his vision go dark.

"Oh no! Captain Usopp's been caught!"

"Help! A bounty hunter's here!"

"Run! A pirate's come ashore!"

Rubick smiled. "Usopp, what are those kids shouting about?"

"Heh, they're joking. Hehehe."

Usopp forced himself to calm down and put on a smile. "Everyone on this island knows we love to brag and tell lies. We're just playing around."

Rubick patted Usopp's shoulder. "Tell you what. I haven't eaten all day. Got anything at your place?"

"Yes! Of course I do! Definitely!"

Usopp said, "Mister, how about coming to my house for a bite? We can talk things over."

Rubick had no objection. He'd planned to scrounge a meal from that wealthy family or buy something to eat. But if he could eat and drink for free at Usopp's place, why hesitate?

Usopp's home was very clean. So clean it barely had any proper furniture. The wooden house was less than forty square meters, divided into a bedroom and a kitchen, and felt terribly cramped.

There was a small round table in the kitchen, along with three stools.

"Usopp, you're really not doing well for yourself."

Usopp looked ready to cry. "Mister, don't rub it in. It's not like I want to live this way."

After inviting Rubick to sit, Usopp brought out some vegetables and dried-out fruit. There was certainly no meat.

Rubick pointed at the plate. "I understand eating carrots raw, but what's with the onion and the green pepper?"

Usopp picked up a green pepper and took a bite without hesitation, then spread his hands. "You can eat them raw. They taste great. Mister, you should be grateful. These are precious ingredients I only bring out for honored guests."

Rubick picked up a carrot and crunched into it twice. It was a little sweet. Not bad, actually.

"This is rough. You don't have a scrap of fat in your diet."

Usopp had grown immune to Rubick's remarks. "Mister, are you really a bounty hunter? Could you tell me some exciting stories about adventures at sea?"

Rubick asked in return, "You like adventure? Then why don't you go to sea yourself?"

"Mister, you know me. I'm the captain of the Usopp Pirates—"

When he saw Rubick's expression turn fierce, Usopp immediately changed his answer. "Actually... it's just... no one's invited me!"

Usopp gave up pretending and said miserably, "I'm too weak. No Pirate ship will take me in. It's hard..."

"What about your parents?"

"Ah, my mother passed away. But my father's a free pirate. I'm sure he's a brave warrior of the sea, so I want to become one too! Mister, take me with you as a bounty hunter."

"Sorry, I don't take children."

"Come on! I'm already sixteen!"

Rubick thought for a moment. "How about this: do you have any special skills? If you impress me, I can write you a letter of recommendation."

"I'm a great shot, just like my dad. But..."

Usopp looked Rubick up and down. "Mister, your boat isn't much to look at. What kind of recommendation could you write?"

Usopp's meaning was obvious: You can barely afford to eat, and you're offering to write me a letter of recommendation?