Then Usopp and his gang rushed toward the three strangers. Almost instantly, Usopp and Luffy became friends, chatting like they'd known each other forever. To celebrate their sudden friendship, Usopp decided to treat them to a simple feast—something Luffy agreed to without hesitation.
They ate at a restaurant Usopp recommended. Between bites, Usopp asked why they had come to Syrup Village.
"We're looking for a new ship," Nami said. "Something we can buy."
"A ship?" Usopp replied. "Well, you came to the wrong place. Our village doesn't sell ships."
Nami glanced toward the large mansion visible through one of the restaurant's windows. "Well… why don't we ask there? Maybe they have one."
Usopp stiffened. "Oh—uh, I just remembered something!" he said hurriedly. He looked back at them and forced a smile. "Enjoy your meal. I've got something important to take care of. Just put the bill on my tab—say it's under the great Usopp's name!"
Without waiting for an answer, Usopp rushed out.
His gang stayed behind and told them about a sickly girl named Kaya, and how Usopp did his best every day to cheer her up. Hearing the story made them realize what kind of person Usopp really was.
♤
Not far from the village, near the shore where the merchant ship was docked, the bandage man lay on the deck, his face turned toward the wooden floor.
Then he heard that familiar sound echoing inside his head.
He pushed himself up with his hands, like doing a slow push-up, and stood.
"O-okay," he muttered.
---
Back in Syrup Village, Usopp was being followed by Nami, Zoro, and Luffy as he argued with the mansion's butler. The confrontation escalated, until even Kaya herself became angry at Usopp. Defeated, he retreated, with the three pirates trailing behind him—Luffy awkwardly tagging along in the middle of the tense exchange.
---
Later that afternoon, Usopp sat low-spirited on the branch of a tree where he usually kept watch. As he rested there, he heard footsteps below. Peering down, he saw the butler—Klahadore—speaking to someone hidden in the shadows.
Usopp listened.
It was Kuro… and Jango.
They were discussing their plan to murder Kaya and steal her wealth.
The words struck Usopp straight in the heart. He didn't wait to hear the conversation end. He bolted toward the mansion, toward Kaya.
Kuro and Jango noticed him, but Kuro only scoffed. "No need to worry. Who would believe that stupid long-nosed ant?"
Usopp didn't stop running.
He had to warn her. He needed to. He refused to think about what would happen if he didn't. He just ran.
♤
Usopp tried to warn Kaya, but she refused to believe him, thinking it was just another one of his lies.
She slapped him.
"Stop it! That's a lie!"
"You've gone too far with your jokes this time!"
"Klahadore is a kind person… he's looked after me for three years since my parents died!"
"I thought you were someone who used lies to make people happy… I didn't think you were such a horrible man!"
"Please leave… don't ever show your face here again!"
After saying those words, she weakly turned away.
Usopp clenched his fists, teeth grinding together.
There was no hatred in him. No resentment.
Only pure conviction—and courage.
He turned around.
♤
Kaya wasn't feeling well after their conversation. She called for her butler, but no one replied. Worried, she walked toward the servants' quarters. Her steps were slow and unsteady.
Then she saw it.
Blood stained the floor.
She gasped. Her already weak body felt even heavier, her knees threatening to give out, but she forced herself forward. There—Merry lay on the ground, his body cut and bleeding. Kaya dropped to her knees beside him.
"M-Merry… w-what ha-happened here…?" she cried. "Merry, wake up… Merry…!"
She shook him gently, desperate.
Merry stirred, barely conscious. With what little strength he had left, he whispered, "Kaya-sama… y-you n-need t-to r-run… Klahadore i-is a p-pirate… h-he w-was p-planning t-to k-kill you… p-please… r-run a-away…"
After those words, Merry passed out.
Kaya froze.
Her mind couldn't process it. Usopp had been telling her the truth all along. And what had she done? She had said words cruel enough to destroy their friendship. She had even slapped him. And now Merry—her kind butler—was lying there, bleeding out.
She didn't know what to do.
Tears streamed down her face as her body finally gave in. Numbness spread through her limbs, a crushing sense of helplessness consuming her. What could a weak body like hers do?
Then—
Creaaaak.
The door creaked open.
Slow footsteps followed. A tapping sound, drawing closer from behind her.
Kaya didn't turn around. She stared down at Merry's unmoving body, then at her own trembling hands. She couldn't do anything.
With a voice filled with defiance and anger, she spoke.
"…Are you going to kill me now?"
No answer.
"If you kill me… will you spare the people in this village?" she asked again.
Silence.
"So even in death… you won't answer me…"
Tears fell freely. "Mother… Father…" she whispered, sobbing. "I'm sorry…"
The footsteps stopped. Kaya could feel someone standing right behind her.
"S-sorry… t-this i-is a m-mission…" a voice said softly behind her. "A-and i-if y-you w-want a-answers… a-and f-forgiveness… t-then a-ask t-them y-yourself…"
Kaya had never heard this voice before.
Suddenly, she felt a sharp sensation on her exposed white neck—two fangs piercing her skin.
But her blood wasn't being drained.
Instead, warmth liquid flooded her body. Energy surged through her veins, revitalizing her. Strength filled her limbs. The weakness she had lived with for so long vanished. Her pale, sickly state was replaced by vibrant life.
She felt alive.
Slowly, Kaya turned her head toward her neck. She caught sight of white fabric—bandages—covering the man's face.
The biting stopped.
Kaya turned fully around. It wasn't Klahadore.
Standing before her was a tall man, his entire face wrapped in bandages, only his mouth visible.
She stared at him, unable to speak. Too much had happened. Her thoughts were scattered, her mind overwhelmed.
Then he spoke again.
"I-i k-know y-you h-have a l-lot o-of q-questions… b-but i-if y-you w-want a-answers… t-then g-go. T-they a-are a-all a-at t-the s-shore."
Kaya said nothing. She slowly turned her gaze back to Merry's body.
The bandage man seemed to understand. "D-don't w-worry… I-I'll s-save h-him."
Kaya looked back at him. She stood up—steady, strong, no longer weak. It felt like she was in a completely new body.
"Please… take care of him," she said. "Thank you. After this, I promise I'll do whatever you want."
"N-no n-need t-to w-worry a-about s-simple t-things," the man replied.
But Kaya didn't listen. "Thank you," she said again, before rushing to her room. She grabbed her gun and ran toward the shore. She didn't question her sudden strength. She only wanted answers.
Behind her, the bandage man knelt beside Merry. He took Merry's wrist and bit down gently.
Merry's condition began to improve. His color returned. His breathing steadied.
He was saved.
The bandage man carried Merry and laid him on a bed nearby. Then, his body dissolved into black smoke, vanishing from the scene entirely.