Syrup Village

Lott and his two companions sat on the deck.

"Zoro, since you're our new crewmate and the only swordsman aboard, these two swords are yours. So are these 1,000 Senzu Beans." Lott laid the Supreme Grade Great Grade Sword rewarded by the system and the one he had stolen from the Celestial Dragons' ship before Zoro.

Zoro looked at the two swords before him. As a swordsman, he could clearly feel the intimidating presence they exuded.

"Lott, these..."

Lott stood and patted Zoro on the shoulder. "As you've seen, I don't know how to use swords. One person's strength is limited, so I need your help. Only when all of us grow stronger will we have a chance of achieving our dreams!"

Zoro, who had still been hesitating, thought it over carefully and nodded firmly.

"Both of these are Supreme Grade Great Grade Swords. This one's called Flowing Light, and this one's called Silence. Nurture them properly with Haki. Not only can you turn them into Black Blades unique to you, but you can also refine your own Haki."

"What?!! Supreme Grade Great Grade Swords? Th-this..."

Zoro couldn't help being shocked. Every swordsman knew the value of Supreme Grade Great Grade Swords. They were the finest swords in the entire world, and just how many were there in total?

But since Lott could identify them as Supreme Grade Great Grade Swords, Zoro believed he must also know how precious these two blades were.

Since Lott was handing such precious swords to him, it was the ultimate expression of trust, and he would not betray that trust.

Seeing the resolve in Zoro's eyes, Lott nodded, quite satisfied. As expected of someone who could awaken Conqueror's Haki.

Besides, there was no telling how many times stronger this Zoro was than the Zoro at the same point in the story from his previous life. That resilient heart had never changed.

Earlier, Lott had placed the few Devil Fruits he had on him before Zoro, but Zoro had shaken his head and said, "I believe I can become the world's best through my own strength. Besides, it'd be dangerous if everyone were a Devil Fruit User."

Lott felt somewhat fortunate that he had tricked Zoro into joining the ship. With Zoro's personality, he would absolutely put the crew first.

He could also awaken Conqueror's Haki, so his future achievements would at least put him at Admiral level.

Ling'er listened from the side too, clenching both hands, her eyes also filled with determination.

"Lott, Moss Head, what do you want to eat? I'll go make it for you."

"Hey, hey, hey! Who are you calling Moss Head?! Damn it, today I'm going to see whether these two Supreme Grade Great Grade Swords can cut through flames!"

Zoro's composed demeanor instantly shattered, and he chased after Ling'er with both swords in hand.

Lott watched the two chasing and fighting aboard the ship. The atmosphere was very relaxed.

The corners of his mouth curved upward. This felt like being with family. It seemed he had never felt this way in his previous life.

He leaned against the mast and reached out to grasp the sunlight. He swore he would protect all of this.

Just then, a News Coo happened to fly overhead, calling out.

"What? Lott, you've got a bounty! Two hundred million Beli, at that! Moss Head's got a fifteen-million bounty too! What about me?"

A newspaper and two wanted posters lay spread across the lawn on the deck.

Lott.

Dead only.

200000000

Roronoa Zoro.

Dead or alive.

15000000

After glancing at the newspaper's contents, Lott smiled faintly. "As expected, they only wrote that the Celestial Dragons were attacked, not that they were killed."

Instead, it devoted a great deal of space to describing just how evil Lott and his companions were and how sinister their intentions were.

It was clearly a deliberate smear by the Navy, meant to turn people against them while polishing its own image.

Yet everything was within Lott's expectations. Having read the manga, how could he not know how the World Government operated?

The World Government merely wanted to maintain an image of absolute supremacy and invincibility before the public.

Of course it wouldn't publish news that Celestial Dragons had been killed under the Navy's protection. That certainly fit its style.

Presumably, the world outside was now full of voices condemning Lott's crew. Public opinion was a powerful force.

He also knew why his bounty was only two hundred million. The aim was probably to get bounty hunters and pirates to fight them.

If Lott lacked the strength and was killed, that would suit them perfectly, eliminating a pirate who had killed Celestial Dragons.

Conversely, they would kill plenty of pirates, indirectly easing the pressure on the Navy's various branches.

No matter how it played out, the World Government wouldn't lose.

Lott could only say that they had worked out a very clever scheme.

"Everyone, we're in trouble! Pirates are coming!"

"We're in trouble! Pirates are coming!"

Early in the morning, a long-nosed kid ran along, shouting.

Bang!

Bang!

Clink!

Clang!

"Hahahaha, you missed! You missed!"

The kid dodged the villagers' assorted greetings and darted into the bushes.

That kid was none other than Usopp.

"Hehehe, I've given the villagers another lively morning!" As he spoke, Usopp didn't forget to wipe his nose.

"Mission accomplished. Time to go see Kaya." Usopp looked over the village with some satisfaction, then started walking toward the hilltop.

"Hey, young man! Sorry to trouble you, but is this Syrup Village?"

A voice sounded behind Usopp.

"Who's there?" Startled by the sudden voice, Usopp shuddered and turned to see two men and a woman standing before him.

The three were, of course, Lott, Zoro, and Ling'er.

After the three of them landed on the island, Lott put the Skybreaker into System Space.

He didn't know when the Navy from a nearby branch might discover it. That would be troublesome.

They had happened to encounter Usopp just as they made their way onto the island.

Although Lott had read the manga and knew where Kaya's large mansion was, he still had to play his part properly.

"Who are you? What are you doing in this village?" Although young Usopp's legs were shaking like a sieve, his words were anything but polite.

"Hello, we're here on vacation. We just wanted to experience the local customs and way of life," Ling'er hurriedly explained with a cute expression.

"Hahahaha! Ling'er, are you stupid? We're pirates." Zoro looked at Ling'er, somewhat speechless.

Ling'er turned to look at Zoro as though he were an idiot. Her expression seemed to say, You dumbass, don't you know telling him we're pirates will scare him?

Yet when Usopp heard that the three before him were pirates, a glimmer flashed in his eyes. Then he feigned resolve and said, "Pirates? What are you here for? Do you want to kill everyone on the island?"

Hearing Usopp say that, Lott instantly felt playful. He lowered his head slightly, the shadow cast by his hair obscuring his expression.

Only his voice came through. "We're pirates, after all. We're here to plunder. If you don't obey, we really will kill every last one of you."

Ling'er looked at Lott in disbelief, not knowing why her captain would say that.

Zoro glanced up at Lott and immediately caught on. "That's right. Hurry up and hand over all your treasure. We're no ordinary bandits."

"Y-you'd better not try anything! I'm a pirate too, and I'm the great Captain Usopp, with eight thousand men under my command. If you know what's good for you, leave this village right now." Usopp's lips trembled as he spoke, and his legs shook violently.

Seeing this, Zoro and Lott exchanged a glance. With his left thumb, Zoro pushed Flowing Light slightly out of its sheath. Sunlight fell on the blade and reflected directly into Usopp's eyes.

In an instant, Usopp collapsed into a sitting position, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead, his eyes vacant. He was still muttering, "Real pirates really do have a different presence."