10: 10.
Letters of Gambled Hope 10: 10.
Letters of Gambled Hope = Usopp’s POV = Some problems were like weeds.
You could ignore them for a while, pretend they weren’t there, maybe even convince yourself they’d die on their own.
But they never did.
They just waited, and then they strangled everything.
Kuro was that kind of problem.
A silent, patient snake hiding in tall grass, waiting for the perfect moment to bite.
But right now?
Arlong was a tsunami.
And I wasn’t stupid enough to focus on a snake while a tidal wave was already on its way.
“…Yeah.
Priorities, Usopp.
You genius.
You absolutely unmatched, incredibly intelligent—” I paused, tapping my chin.
“…terrified genius.” That was the truth.
I wasn’t brave.
I was just very good at acting like I was.
And right now, I had no idea if what I was about to do would work… or get me killed in ways I couldn’t even imagine.
Still, there was only one thing I could do.
Asking for help.
Not from villagers.
Not from some random Marine patrol who’d get wiped out in five minutes.
No.
If I wanted to stop Arlong Pirates, I needed monsters.
I only had two options on East Blue.
Garp and the Revolutionary Army.
I stared up at the sky, squinting like the answer might be written in the clouds.
“…Right.
So basically, one is a legendary Marine who throws cannonballs like baseballs… and the other is a secret organization so hidden even the Marines can’t find them.” I crossed my arms.
“Yeah, easy choice.
I’ll just go knock on Dragon’s door and….
I don’t know where it is.” So that left Garp.
Reaching him wasn’t impossible like Dragon.
Not easy—but not impossible.
Through Makino’s bar in Foosha Village, I could send letters.
When Garp showed up—and he would show up eventually—Makino would pass them along.
Simple, and might fail.
I had to convince one of the strongest Marines in the world that a random anonymous letter he received wasn’t written by a lunatic, after all.
“…No pressure.” I rubbed my face.
“Okay, think, Usopp.
You’re a liar.
A storyteller.
A master manipulator of truth and nonsense alike.” I pointed at myself dramatically.
“This is literally your specialty!” Which meant I didn’t need to prove everything.
I just needed to make him curious.
Curiosity was dangerous.
Curiosity made people act.
I had to make Garp very curious.
So I started writing.
Carefully.
Every word had to matter to pick his curiosity.
The first thing I wrote about… was Fisher Tiger’s death.
In detail.
Detailed enough so that when it happened, there would be no way to dismiss it as coincidence.
Then I moved forward to Arlong.
His rage, revenge, defeat, and capture.
Then came the turning point.
Jinbe becoming a Warlord of the Sea.
And the request that would follow.
The one that would set everything into motion.
Arlong’s release, the split of the Sun Pirates, and finally, his coming to East Blue, to Conomi Islands that fell into his hands because the Marines did nothing, or maybe they actually wanted to destroy it, like Ohara.
“…If this doesn’t get his attention, I’ll eat my slingshot.” Which I absolutely would not.
I liked my teeth.
But facts alone weren’t enough.
Facts made people think.
I needed something that would make Garp move, so I added something else.
Something sharp.
Something personal.
Something incredibly stupid.
“…Ah, this is where I die.” I grinned anyway, and wrote it.
I mentioned his grandson, Luffy.
I wrote that Luffy made the right choice becoming a pirate, because what kind of “great Marine” couldn’t even protect a peaceful sea like East Blue?
What kind of hero let villains from the Grand Line stroll in their home and take it over?
I even added a line about how maybe pirates were more reliable than Marines.
I stared at it.
“…Yeah.
I’m definitely getting punched for this one.” Assuming I survived long enough to be punched.
But that wasn’t all.
If I was going to gamble, I might as well go all in, so I added another piece.
Captain Kuro.
I wrote that when the Marines eventually caught him… it would be a fake.
That the real Kuro would still be out there.
Once Garp confirmed everything about Arlong… he’d have no choice but to consider the rest.
That was the plan.
A brilliant, flawless plan created by the great Captain Usopp himself.
“…Which means there’s at least a 90% chance it blows up in my face.” Still, I kept going, because I wasn’t done yet.
If curiosity didn’t push him… then maybe fear would.
I wrote something I absolutely, definitely should not have written.
I subtly mentioned Dragon.
I wrote that if Garp refused to act, then I would simply ask his son’s army for help.
And that if that happened… people might start believing in the Revolutionary Army more than the Marines.
I stared at that sentence for a long time.
“Hmm, what if it’s leaked?” The world still didn’t know, that Dragon was Garp’s son.
So by showing that I knew, Garp would know that I wasn’t just some random idiot writing nonsense.
I knew deeply hidden information.
And if that wasn’t enough, I added one final threat.
The one thing I hesitated on the most.
Ace.
I didn’t write his name.
I only wrote, “The child of a forbidden bloodline you protected.” That was all.
Garp wasn’t a complete idiot.
He’d understand.
I leaned back, staring at the finished letter.
“…I just blackmailed a Marine hero, insulted his parenting, threatened to leak government-level secrets, and challenged his pride.” I nodded slowly.
“Yep.
This is a genius way to gamble my life.” The letter was thick.
Packed with enough information to either save lives…or get me hunted across the sea before I even learned how to swim properly.
I folded it carefully and sealed it.
I held it for a moment longer than necessary.
“…Don’t get lost.” If this didn’t reach him, then everything I just risked would be meaningless.
There was no post office in the village, so I had to go to the nearby town, with my precious, terrifying, possibly life-ending letter tucked safely inside my clothes.
Every step felt heavier.
Every person I passed felt suspicious.
“…If anyone asks, this is just a love letter.” I muttered under my breath.
“…A very long, very threatening love letter.” I reached the post office and bought the stamp.
It was not just any stamp, but the expensive one.
The kind that screamed: “PLEASE DELIVER THIS OR I WILL PERSONALLY HAUNT YOU.” Which also meant, “…Goodbye, allowance.” One letter a month, that was all I could afford,.but that was enough.
Garp didn’t visit Foosha Village often.
He might ignore 1 letter.
But if a letter was sent every month, then he wouldn’t ignore them, right?
I dropped the letter into the box.
And just like that, it was out of my hands.
“…Well.” I stretched.
“Time to panic.” If Garp didn’t move, then nothing would change.
Even if I got stronger, I knew I still couldn’t defeat Arlong in just 2 or 3 years.
The best chance would still be when I already had joined Luffy, so I really hoped Garp would move.
The chance is slim, but there was a chance anyway.
After all, not everything could be changed, like Kuina’s death.
I frowned.
That one bothered me because it wasn’t a grand event.
No villains.
No conspiracies.
Just… an accident.
A stupid, meaningless accident, and those were the hardest to stop.
I couldn’t exactly write: “Hey, don’t use your stairs.
It will kill you.” Even if I warned her father, would it change anything?
Would they believe me?
Or would I just make things worse?
I sighed, “…I’ll try anyway.” The chance to change that might not be zero.
Still, none of those things were my priorities.
My priorities were still my mom and myself.
If I couldn’t protect the people closest to me… Then what was the point of saving strangers?
So I trained every day.
No excuses.
No shortcuts.
No matter what would happen, I had to prepare for my future, preparing myself to face the dangerous world.
And I wasn’t training alone.
My village friends started to train seriously as well.
They found dreams to chase.
Bucky and Ghimli wanted to become Marines.
They were hesitant to tell me at first.
Probably because my dad was a pirate.
But I didn’t care.
Why would I?
Dreams weren’t something you judged.
They were something you chased.
So when they finally told me, I told them mine.
“I’m going to be a pirate.” They frowned immediately.
Of course they did.
“Then… will you rob villages too?” I snorted.
“Please.
If I tried that, my mom would cross the sea just to beat me.” They blinked.
“…Fair point.” “I’ll rob pirates.
Maybe some Marines too.” I grinned.
“The rich ones.” “Marines aren’t supposed to be rich.” “Then I’ll find the ones who are doing something shady.” I crossed my arms proudly.
“I’m a righteous criminal.” They stared at me.
“…That’s not a thing.” “It is now.” They sighed.
But then Bucky smirked.
“Guess I’ll have to catch you someday.” I smirked right back.
“More like you’ll be chasing my shadow.” And just like that, we were back to normal.
Arguing, laughing, training, getting stronger together.
Plats and Sven didn’t have dreams yet..But they trained anyway.
I looked out toward the quiet and peaceful sea.
“…Enjoy it while it lasts.” Because storms were coming.
Big ones.
I wouldn’t be the kind of person who would just sit and wait for heroes to arrive.
I wouldn’t going to stand behind Luffy and cheer.
I wouldn’t going to hide and hope everything worked out.
No!
If danger came to my home, then I’d face it.
Even if I was scared.
Even if I was weak.
Even if I had to lie, cheat, and bluff my way through it.
Because that’s what I did.
That’s who I was.
Usopp.
The liar.
The coward.
The future brave warrior of the sea.
I clenched my slingshot.
“This time—” My grin was sharp.
“—I’m not waiting for someone else to save the day.”