One Piece: Trainer of Kings

"Ah... ah?"

Usopp's expression froze completely, his usual animated demeanor vanishing as if someone had pressed a pause button on his entire existence.

Faced with Luffy's sudden invitation, he blinked rapidly, his mind struggling to process what he'd just heard.

"You... you're not joking, are you?"

"Of course not!" Luffy's answer came immediately, his voice carrying that familiar tone of absolute certainty. "Akira said you were an incredible sniper, and my crew just happens to need that!"

"Akira... you mean this Vice Captain?" Usopp turned his head to the red-haired young man who had been quietly observing their exchange.

From their brief conversation, he'd already grasped the basic structure of the Straw Hat Pirates' crew hierarchy. But the reality of the situation still felt surreal, a pirate captain with a bounty of fifty million berries personally inviting him to join their adventure.

This is just like what Father used to tell me about!

However, after a long moment of internal struggle, Usopp's face settled into an awkward but determined smile. "Although I'm incredibly grateful for your invitation, Luffy, I am the great Captain Usopp, commander of eighty million brave followers!"

He puffed out his chest with exaggerated pride. "Sorry, but my personality simply does not allow me to serve under someone else's command."

The restaurant fell into complete silence, as if a sudden arctic wind had swept through the establishment. The air itself seemed to thicken with an uncomfortable tension.

Slap!

Nami smacked her forehead with an audible groan, her expression a perfect picture of exasperated disbelief.

It was becoming increasingly clear that each new crew member Akira recommended brought their own unique brand of... eccentricity.

"Ah..." Luffy's face showed no sign of disappointment despite the rejection. He was already preparing to extend another invitation when Akira suddenly raised a hand to stop him.

"Wait a minute, Luffy."

Akira stood gracefully and moved to sit directly across from Usopp, his movements carrying an almost predatory fluidity that made the young sharpshooter's instincts tingle with unease.

"Uh, what... what's going on?"

Something about looking directly into Akira's calm, calculating eyes made Usopp feel completely exposed, as if every secret he'd ever kept was laid bare before this stranger. It was the most unsettling feeling he'd ever experienced.

Then Akira spoke, and Usopp's worst fears were confirmed.

"Miss Kaya..." Akira's smile was pleasant and conversational. "How is she these days?"

"!!!"

Usopp's heart almost stopped. "You... you know Miss Kaya?"

If there was one person in all of Syrup Village who really mattered to Usopp, it was Kaya. Her delicate beauty had certainly caught his attention at first, but what had really drawn him to her was something far more precious: she was the only person in the entire village who actually listened to his stories and believed in him.

Akira slowly shook his head. "No, I don't know Miss Kaya personally."

"But I've heard some disturbing rumors about a certain pirate crew that's out to get her."

"Apparently, they're planning to steal her family's entire fortune."

"What did you say?!"

Usopp shot up so quickly that his chair scraped the floor with a loud thud. His pupils narrowed to pinpoints, and his worry was clearly written on every line of his face.

"What's going on?!" he demanded, his voice cracking with panic. "Tell me everything!"

The depth of Usopp's concern for Kaya exceeded even Akira's expectations. But instead of answering immediately, he simply gestured for the excited young man to calm down.

Something shifted in those sharp, calculating eyes, and when Akira spoke again, his tone was perfectly measured.

"Do you remember the Black Cat Pirates who supposedly disappeared three years ago?"

Usopp nodded frantically. "A large pirate crew with a combined bounty of over thirty million berries! Their captain, Kuro, was supposedly killed by the Navy three years ago, and the entire crew disappeared from the East Blue."

His eyes widened in sudden understanding. "Are you saying that the survivors of the Black Cat Pirates are after Kaya?!"

"Not just survivors," Akira corrected with a slight smile. "The whole crew is still intact."

He reached into his jacket and pulled out a weathered bounty poster of the 153rd Marine Branch, carefully spreading it out on the table in front of Usopp.

"The infamous Captain Kuro is not really dead. He's hiding in plain sight, working as Miss Kaya's trusted butler."

"Take a look at this abandoned bounty notice. Does the face look familiar?"

"This... this can't be real!"

Usopp slammed both hands down on the table with such force that their dishes rattled. When he saw the face on the bounty poster, his whole world seemed to tilt sideways.

There was absolutely no mistake, the man depicted was definitely Klahadore, Kaya's faithful butler!

What in the world is going on here?

Usopp's mind went completely blank. The thought of a ruthless pirate captain living so close to Kaya, with such easy access to harm her, made his blood run cold.

His survival instincts kicked in immediately. "Sorry everyone, but I just remembered something extremely urgent! I have to leave right now!"

He turned towards the exit of the restaurant, but Akira's voice stopped him before he could take a single step.

"Wait, Usopp."

"Your reputation in this village isn't exactly stellar, is it?"

"Do you really think that anyone, including Kaya, would take your word seriously without proof?"

"And even if you somehow managed to expose Kuro's true identity, what's to stop him from simply killing you and Kaya to silence you forever?"

Usopp's legs turned to lead. He stood frozen, cold sweat beginning to form on his forehead and dripping onto the wooden floor.

Akira leaned back in his chair, one hand resting casually on the table while his fingers drummed a slow, hypnotic rhythm against the wood.

"How about we make a deal, Usopp?"

"Gulp" Usopp swallowed hard, his throat suddenly bone dry. When he turned back to Akira, those dark, penetrating eyes seemed to see right into his soul. For a terrifying moment, he felt like a puppet whose strings were being manipulated by forces beyond his understanding.

"What... what deal?" he managed to ask.

Akira just smiled and put a friendly hand on Luffy's shoulder.

"It's quite simple, really. Help us fulfill our captain's wish..."

"Join our pirate crew and we'll solve all your problems as your new crewmates and partners."

"That..."

Usopp hesitated, but not because he wanted to refuse the offer. His confusion came from a much deeper source, he really couldn't understand why Luffy and Akira, the captain and vice captain of a crew worth fifty million berries, would want someone like him.

Is it because of my father's connection to the Akira Hair Pirates?

Despite all his boastful lies and grandiose claims, Usopp understood his own limitations better than anyone. The psychological torture of being extremely arrogant on the surface while feeling completely worthless on the inside had been eating away at him for years.

After several agonizing seconds, he nodded with sudden determination. "I don't understand what you see in me, but if you can save Kaya from these pirates, I will join your crew."

"No, no, no..." Akira shook his head with a gentle correction. "I think you've got it backwards, Usopp."

"We're not offering to solve your pirate problem and then have you join us..."

"You join us first, and then we'll solve the problem together!"

"After all, helping our crewmates is what we do naturally, isn't it?"

"That's right! Hehe!" Luffy beamed and extended his hand to Usopp. "You're the amazing sharpshooter that Akira recommended! I must make you my Nakama!"

"You..." Usopp was momentarily speechless, overwhelmed by emotions he couldn't quite name. "What a bizarre crew."

But soon his characteristic self-confident grin spread across his face. "But since you need the great Captain Usopp so badly, I suppose I can grace you with my presence!"

He stretched out his hand and shook Luffy's hand firmly.

Somehow, even though Akira had only rearranged the order of a few sentences without changing the end result, Usopp felt something he'd never experienced before, true appreciation for his abilities.

Maybe I'm not as worthless as I always thought.

Besides, wasn't becoming a brave warrior of the sea his deepest, most secret dream? The dream he had never pursued because his cowardice and fear had always held him back? Now that opportunity was being handed to him on a silver platter.

"So, shall we go to the villa on the hill next?"

Zoro, who had watched the whole exchange in silence, finally spoke up. He looked at Luffy and Akira with anticipation in his eyes.

"By the way, can I handle that guy when we get there? I want to test everything I've learned in the last few days of training.