3: 3.
Captain Usopp’s First Legendary Hunt (Feat.
One Very Unlucky Rabbit) 3: 3.
Captain Usopp’s First Legendary Hunt (Feat.
One Very Unlucky Rabbit) = Usopp’s POV = That same dream haunted me every night since then.
Every night, I walked through the forest.
I knew exactly where to step, where the ground dipped, where the roots tried to trip me like sneaky assassins.
I knew where the berry bushes grew, which ones were sweet and which ones would probably make you see your ancestors early.
I knew where the rabbits ran.
And every morning, when I woke up… I remembered everything.
During the day, I spent all my time with my mom.
“Mom!
Let’s play pirates!” “I’m already fighting a battle with these weeds, Captain.” “Let’s play!
This is Captain’s order!” “A Captain won’t let his crew fight alone, right?
So save me, Captain.” “…This is a scam.” She didn’t follow me playing though, so I followed her instead—which meant working.
Behind our house, we had a small patch of land.
Not big enough to brag about, not small enough to ignore.
It was filled with plants that looked like potatoes, but honestly, I wasn’t entirely sure.
They could have been legendary underground sea treasures.
Or just potatoes.
Probably potatoes.
It wasn’t harvest time yet, so most of our work was pulling weeds, watering the plants, and me pretending I was bravely battling evil grass monsters.
“Take this, vile Weed King!” I slashed at a particularly stubborn clump.
“That’s a carrot leaf, Usopp.” “Don’t be fooled, mom!
The vile Weed King is a Devil Fruit user who can transform into weeds.
He has a really high bounty.” “That carrot is priced 20 Berries each.” “….
Even cheaper than Chopper.” But even as I joked, even as I exaggerated every tiny thing into a grand adventure like the great Captain Usopp always would… …I noticed things.
Things I didn’t notice before.
My mom worked too much.
She moved slower than I remembered.
Her breathing was quieter, but heavier.
Sometimes she paused—not because she was tired, she’d never admit that—but because her body forced her to.
She ate less.
Way less.
And somehow… I ate well.
That realization hit me harder than any imaginary Weed King ever could.
In my dreams, I hunted rabbits.
I gathered herbs, berries, mushrooms—stuff I didn’t even know existed before.
I cooked them into warm, rich meals that filled my stomach and made my body feel strong.
There was even meat.
Real meat.
Juicy, tender, glorious meat.
(Okay, maybe I got a little emotional about the meat.) And yet, in reality… We barely had any.
Which meant one thing.
My mom was giving me most of the food.
Of course she was.
Ever since my father left, she had been doing everything alone.
Back then, things were different.
My father would come back with fish, sometimes even birds.
There was always something extra on the table.
Now… Now there was just us.
And I wasn’t strong enough.
Not yet.
The old me—the kid without these strange, intrusive, overly-detailed dream memories—wouldn’t know what to do.
But I did.
Or at least… I might.
That dream… It wasn’t normal.
No normal dream repeats every single night, perfectly, like it’s trying to drill something into your skull.
No normal dream lets you remember paths, locations, smells—.Details.
So maybe… Just maybe… It wasn’t just a dream.
Maybe it was a gift.
From who?
I had no idea.
A mysterious entity?
A future version of me?
A legendary forest spirit impressed by my incredible bravery and handsome nose?
(Okay, that last one felt annoyingly right.) Either way, I wasn’t going to ignore it.
“Mom!” I grabbed something from the corner of the house.
My slingshot.
“I’m going to hunt rabbits.” She blinked.
“Rabbits?
You mean Mr.
Veil’s rabbits?” “No!” I puffed my chest.
“Wild rabbits.
The fierce kind.
The ones that fight back.
Probably.” “…And the basket?” “I will catch a lot of them.” She laughed softly.
“Alright.
Just don’t go too deep into the forest, okay?
And come back by lunch, rabbits or no rabbits.” “Okay!” She said it so easily.
Letting a kid go into the forest alone.
But… that was normal here.
The forest wasn’t dangerous.
Not really.
Kids played near the outskirts all the time.
Still… I wasn’t just any kid.
I was Captain Usopp.
Future brave warrior of the sea.
Master sniper.
Hunter of legendary beasts.
…Current status: slightly nervous child holding a basket.
But still, I followed the path from my dreams.
Step by step.
Turn by turn.
And then— There it was.
A red berry bush.
Exactly where I remembered it.
I froze.
“…No way.” I approached slowly, like it might disappear if I blinked too fast.
It didn’t.
The berries were real.
Bright red.
Small.
Perfect.
“…HAHAHAHA!” I wasn’t crazy!
Or—okay, I might still be crazy, but I was also right!
“The dream is true.
It’s a prophecy!
The forest itself speaks to me!” I quickly collected the berries, wrapping them in a large leaf and placing them in my basket.
Then I moved, following the path in my dream.
Everything was there.
Wild vegetables.
Herbs.
Mushrooms.
Bird eggs hidden in branches like little treasures waiting for the great Captain Usopp to claim them.
Each discovery made my heart beat faster.
Each confirmation made the dream feel more real.
By the time I stopped, my basket was nearly full.
I looked up.
The sun was high.
“…Lunch time.” Right.
The rabbit.
In my dream, the burrow was nearby.
If it wasn’t there, I’d go home.
I already had enough.
But… It was there.
Of course it was.
Now came the hard part.
I hid behind a bush, gripping my slingshot.
“…Okay, Usopp.
You’ve got this.
You are a legendary sniper.
You once shot down a flying dragon from a mile away.” (That may or may not have happened.
Details are flexible.) Time passed.
I waited patiently for my target to show up.
Then, it appeared.
A rabbit.
It was plump.
Perfect.
I loaded a pebble and took aim.
My hands trembled.
“…Captain Usopp never misses.” I fired.
THWACK!
Direct hit.
The rabbit dropped instantly.
“…I did it.” I actually did it.
I approached slowly.
It wasn’t dead yet.
Just unconscious.
I hesitated for a moment before using the small knife I brought to quickly kill it.
“…Thank you.” My voice was quiet.
“Thank you for your sacrifice.
I swear… we’ll eat you well.” I picked it up, letting the blood drain.
It felt heavier than I expected, my first kill.
There was no turning back now.
I walked home.
The villagers noticed immediately.
Hard not to, when a kid walks around holding a rabbit like he just conquered the forest.
“Brat,” an old man called out.
“That’s not Mr.
Veil’s rabbit, is it?” “No way!” I shot back.
“His are white!
This one is clearly… uh… forest gray deluxe edition.” “…That’s not a thing.” “It is now.” He squinted at me.
“…You really hunted it?” I puffed my chest.
“Of course.
I am the great Captain Usopp.” “WAHAHAHA!” That laugh echoed through the street.
“Good!
Good!
Then eat well.
Tell your mother to cook it properly.” “Actually,” I said smugly, “I’ll cook it myself.” “…No.” “…What?” “No.” “…Hey!” I slapped the air.
“Fire is dangerous, brat.” “…I’ll consider your wise words, old man.” Grandpa Vince just shook his head, still smiling.
Everyone was kind.
I knew that.
Even in those memories, they actually didn’t hate me for my lies.
They even played along with my lies because they knew, I was just a lonely boy.
“…I’ll make it count,” I muttered.
Then I ran home.
“Mom!” She turned, saw the rabbit, and froze.
“…Usopp.” “I did it!” “…Did you go deep into the forest?” “No!
Just the outskirts!
I was super careful!
Like a cautious, intelligent, extremely handsome hunter!” She sighed in relief.
Then pulled me into a hug.
“…Good.” Her voice was soft.
“Don’t go deeper.
Promise me.” “I promise.” “…Good.” I grinned.
“Now—can we cook everything?” “Everything?” She looked at my basket.
“…This could last us days.” “I want soup.” “…Soup?” “Yeah.
Big one.
With everything.
So every bite tastes like meat.” She laughed again.
“Alright.
Go wash up first.” I watched her cook after washing myself.
“Don’t forget that one!” “I won’t.” “And that one!” “I see it.” “And that weird mushroom that looks suspiciously like it might kill us!” “…Usopp.” “Just saying!” She divided everything evenly and cooked it perfectly.
And somehow, it looked exactly like the one in my dreams.
That night, we ate together.
She took a small portion.
Of course she did.
I immediately scooped more into her bowl.
“Eat more.” “Usopp—” “We have a lot.
I’ll hunt more tomorrow.” “No.
We have enough.” “Meat is good.” She smiled.
“You really are like your father.” “Hah!
I’ll eat more than him!” “…We’ll see.” She ate more than usual.
A lot more.
We ate the soup.
Warmth spreading through my body.
I also felt energized.
This soup was really great.
It was doing more than just filling my stomach.
I looked at her.
She looked… better.
Just a little, but that’s enough.
“…It’s really working like in that dream.” I don’t know how long it will take and how much soup she had to eat.
But I do know one thing.
As long as that dream continues, I’ll follow it.
I’ll gather everything.
I’ll hunt.
I’ll cook.
I’ll lie, brag, exaggerate— “I, Captain Usopp, will fill our stomachs with my legendary cooking and hunting skills!” “…You didn’t cook.” “Details don’t matter!” She laughed.
And for now… That was enough.