21: 21.
The Day Usopp’s Brain Finally Did Something Useful (And Everyone Else Regretted It) 21: 21.
The Day Usopp’s Brain Finally Did Something Useful (And Everyone Else Regretted It) = 3rd Person’s POV = Usopp ignored the jealous gazes of his friends with the dignity of a man who had absolutely no dignity left to protect, and he continued sailing at the very front of the small fleet as if he were leading a grand expedition instead of a bunch of bored kids on mismatched boats.
He deliberately kept the speed slow and steady, carefully adjusting the rudder so that the girl in the front could properly observe their destination without the annoyance of waves splashing into her notebook.
On the front of the small boat, Nami stood with intense focus.
Her sharp eyes scanning every contour of the island as if she were trying to memorize it down to the last grain of sand.
Her hands moved quickly and precisely, sketching lines, marking elevations, and writing notes in a small notebook that already looked half-destroyed from overuse.
Every now and then, she would pause, tilt her head, and measure angles using her fingers, muttering calculations under her breath.
To the others, however, this entire process lost its charm within minutes.
At first, they watched with curiosity, whispering among themselves about what she was doing and why it looked so complicated.
Then their curiosity turned into mild confusion.
Then into boredom.
And finally, into complete disinterest.
“Is she… drawing the island?” one of the boys asked.
“No,” another replied confidently, “she’s clearly summoning a sea demon.” Within ten minutes, they had collectively decided that whatever Nami was doing, it was far less interesting than fish.
So they fished.
Even Nojiko and Kaya, who initially tried to keep watching Nami out of politeness, eventually gave up and joined the others.
Using bait that the boys proudly claimed was “scientifically engineered” but was actually just shrimps, worms, and a horrifying mixture of leftover food scraps and questionable imagination, they cast their lines into the sea.
The result was surprisingly effective.
By the time the sun climbed high enough to remind everyone that humans required food to continue existing, the group had caught enough fish to turn their small boats into floating seafood markets.
Lunch preparation began immediately.
Small stoves made from scrap iron plates were set up on the boats, each filled with glowing charcoal that crackled under the heat.
The boys handled the cooking with the confidence of people who had absolutely no idea what they were doing but had succeeded often enough to believe they were experts.
There were no seasonings, no sauces, no creativity.
Just fish.
Grilled.
Yet, no one complained.
Fresh fish had a way of making people forgive culinary crimes.
For the next few days, this routine continued.
Usopp accompanied Nami as she sailed around the Gecko Islands, helping her navigate while she focused entirely on her mapping.
The others joined occasionally, but more often than not, they were busy with their own lives, leaving the two of them alone on the sea.
Well, not entirely alone.
The three kids who had unofficially declared themselves Usopp’s pirate crew members—whether he liked it or not—always came along.
They watched everything with wide eyes, occasionally asking questions that ranged from surprisingly insightful to completely absurd.
Through them, Nami learned something unexpected.
Usopp wanted to become a pirate.
The moment she heard that, her expression shifted into a mix of disbelief and displeasure, as if someone had just told her that they dreamed of becoming a professional disaster.
“Why do you want to be a pirate of all things?” she asked one afternoon, her tone carrying the weight of someone who had seen exactly what pirates were capable of.
Usopp did not hesitate.
“Because pirates are free,” he replied, as if that alone explained everything.
Nami frowned, clearly unsatisfied with such a simple answer.
Usopp continued, gesturing toward her notebook.
“Let’s take your dream as an example.
You want to draw maps of the world, right?
Can you go anywhere you like and draw any island you want if you join the Marines?” Nami opened her mouth to answer, but no words came out.
She already knew the answer.
No.
“You can be an explorer,” she said instead, trying to find an alternative.
“It has limitations,” Usopp replied immediately.
“What limitations?” “You can’t be famous, and you have to follow the law.” Usopp grinned.
Nami stared at him for a moment.
“…So you want to be famous.” “Of course,” Usopp said without even a hint of shame.
“Wealth, fame, power—those are all important.
I mean, I’m mainly interested in the adventure, but I wouldn’t say no to the other things, especially wealth and power.” Nami’s eye twitched slightly.
“If I become a Marine,” Usopp continued, “any treasure I find belongs to the organization.
If I become an explorer, I have to pay taxes.
Pirates are the only ones who can take everything for themselves.” He paused, then added casually, “Of course, I’d have rules.
I wouldn’t hurt innocent people, and I’d only join a crew that follows the same principle.” “What if there’s no such crew?” Nami asked.
“Then I’ll make my own.” “Then why don’t you just do that from the start?” Usopp leaned back, looking unusually serious for a moment.
“Because I don’t want responsibility, and I don’t want to be the most famous one.” Nami blinked.
“That… might be the strangest reason I’ve ever heard.” Usopp nodded solemnly, as if he had just delivered a profound truth.
“If I’m the captain, all the enemies will target me first.
When your village was attacked, the Marine hero went straight for the captain, right?
Captains are always blamed for everything.
I’d rather let someone else deal with that while I enjoy the adventure.” Nami stared at him, her expression slowly collapsing into disbelief.
“…You’re unbelievable.” “Thank you,” Usopp replied proudly.
Despite annoyance, Nami found her thoughts shifting.
She still hated pirates.
That would not change easily.
But Usopp’s perspective planted a small, inconvenient question in her mind.
Were all pirates truly the same?
She did not answer that question.
The mapping of the Gecko Islands took nearly a month.
Nami approached it with a level of dedication that bordered on obsession, refining every detail, correcting every mistake, and rechecking every measurement until she was satisfied.
Usopp helped where he could, though his contributions mostly consisted of steering the boat and occasionally pointing out things that were either helpful or completely wrong.
When he eventually asked her why she had followed Belle-mère to this place, Nami answered without hesitation.
“I wanted to draw this island.” Usopp nodded as if that made perfect sense, which it somehow did.
Meanwhile, Nojiko focused on something entirely different.
She spent her time learning about the village’s agricultural system, studying the medicinal plants and how they were cultivated.
The knowledge would be useful for their orange farm back home, and she approached it with quiet determination.
Of course, both sisters also kept an eye on their mother’s new job, making sure that everything was safe.
Fortunately, nothing dangerous happened during their stay.
For nearly three months, life remained peaceful, and then they left.
After their departure, Syrupp Village returned to its usual rhythm.
Belle-mère walked around the village occasionally, sometimes to pick up Kaya for her studies, sometimes to deliver messages about medical herbs, and sometimes simply to walk with Kaya’s mother, who had grown significantly healthier thanks to the very herbs the village now cultivated.
The change in the village was undeniable.
Prosperity spread steadily.
Fields expanded.
Trade routes strengthened.
And with it came something inevitable.
Attention.
Greedy eyes began to turn toward Syrupp Village.
The medicinal herbs were valuable, rare, and increasingly in demand.
Kaya’s father handled the situation with intelligence, forming contracts with nearby countries and even Marine branches, using their flags as protection during shipments.
For a time, it worked.
But not everyone cared about such things.
Pirates, especially those with growing reputations in the East Blue, saw opportunity where others saw risk.
To counter this, Kaya’s family hired professional escorts, ensuring that their shipments remained safe.
For years, this system held.
Until the moment it didn’t.
Nearly two years later, Usopp had a dream.
He had received many of these prophetic dreams before.
Dreams that taught him skills, knowledge, and techniques that he could apply in the real world.
He had come to think of them as enlightenment dreams.
But this one was different.
It was a nightmare.
Syrupp Village was in ruins.
Buildings burned.
The ground was torn apart.
And at the center of it all stood a man.
Kuro.
He stood over Kaya’s father’s lifeless body, his expression hidden but his presence unmistakable.
Then the dream ended.
No explanation.
No details.
Just a warning.
Usopp woke up with a sharp breath, his head throbbing as if the dream itself had left a physical mark.
“So no spoilers this time,” he muttered, rubbing his temples.
There was no date, no method, no clear path to prevent it.
Only the knowledge that something would happen.
“For now… I’ll just have to see what that old man is planning.” Armed with his newly modified slingshot, Usopp headed toward Kaya’s mansion.
The weapon looked simple at first glance, but its personally modified reinforced rubber bands had made to increase tension, allowing for far more powerful shots.
It was harder to use, but significantly more effective.
He also carried a metal stick and a hammer.
Just in case.
Because if there was one thing his dreams had taught him, it was that staying at a distance did not guarantee safety.
He had to know close combat skills as well.
When he arrived, everything looked normal.
Too normal.
Workers moved about, carrying crates and preparing shipments.
Conversations flowed naturally.
Nothing seemed out of place.
And yet, Usopp’s unease only grew stronger.
Then he saw it, a suspicious man among the workers.
Gray hair, a long, strange beard, and most notably— Heart-shaped sunglasses.
Usopp’s eyes narrowed instantly.
He recognized him.
Jango!
—————————————————————- Thank you for your support.
CHAPTER 79.
Usopp’s Real One on One Battle CHAPTER 80.
HolyRicekun