User blog:Fliu/Luffy and Hancock's child episode 5: the coward turned warrior

Monkey D. Flora, traveling Kuja warrior and daughter of Monkey D. Luffy and Boa Hancock, is traveling the world outside Amazon Lily. She has just recently met the swordsman, Roronoa Zoro, and is traveling to Syrup Village at Gecko Island to meet the sharpshooter.

After looting a couple of pirate ships along the way, she decides to wear another dress that she bought at Foosha Village, which is yellow. She soon reaches Gecko Island and docks her ship on the north coast.

Upon arrival, Flora hops off her ship and walks straight to Syrup Village. Once she arrives, she spots a group of bandits robbing villagers. Before she can act, some carnivorous plants suddenly appear and ensnare the bandits. The crowd cheers for a certain man with a sling shot.

Villagers: (cheering) Usopp! Usopp! Usopp! Usopp!

As the bandits are rounded up and locked up, Flora follows the man to his home. When Flora reaches his house, she finds him in the front yard, making sculptures out of clay.

Flora: excuse me. Are you the sharpshooter of the Straw Hat Pirates?

Usopp: huh? Yeah, that’s me. I am Usopp. And who are you, are you a visitor?

Flora: yes. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Monkey D. Flora. And you were in my dad’s crew.

Usopp: Woahhh! You’re Luffy’s daughter, aren’t you?!

Flora: yep, that’s right.

She then tells Usopp that she met her father before and also explains her reasons for adventuring and her purpose for visiting Syrup Village.

Flora: I have recently met the swordsman.

Usopp: you’ve seen Zoro! How is he?

Flora: he’s fine. And I can say that he’s really strong. I tried my luck with him in a sword duel, but that did not end so well for me.

Usopp: so you can use a sword. And I suppose that you’re a Kuja warrior since you’re also carrying a snake.

Flora: yes, that right. This snake is my companion. Anyway, I already listened to the swordsman’s side of the story. May I hear your side of the story?

Usopp: ha ha ha ha! Your father should have mentioned that I was his right hand man since day one! Many enemies tremble at the sight of us fighting side by side! None of our foes stood a chance because of these two hands! Thanks to me, they all cried and begged for mercy! (Usopp goes on acting like he is the main reason that Luffy became Pirate King.)

Flora: are you sure that you’re not exaggerating?

Usopp: what do you mean?

Flora: sorry, but I am not that gullible. I have Kenbunshoku Haki so I can hear the voice in your heart and that voice is saying that you’re lying. So let’s try this again and this time, speak more truthfully. Just tell me what was your life like before and after you joined my dad’s crew. Can you start with your childhood? Besides, since you’re one of my dad’s best friends, I want to get to know you better.

Usopp: Ok then. My habit of lying all started when I was very young. When I was a little boy, my father left home to go to the seas. It was my dad’s dream so my mother pushed him to follow it. My father then joined the Red-Hair Pirates, whose captain just happened to be your father’s childhood idol, Shanks. Sometime after my father left, my mother got ill. Every day, I lied that pirates were coming and that father was coming back all just to keep my mother’s spirits up. But my mother eventually succumbed to her illness. Before she died, she told me that she was happy that my father followed his dream. Even though after she died, I continued to say the same lie over and over again and it became a hobby, but that was how I coped with the pain of being alone. During my teens, I formed a pretend-pirate crew and dubbed it the Usopp Pirates. I also made friends with Kaya. She lives in that mansion over there. After her parents died in an accident, she became sickly. From time to time, I secretly visit her in her mansion to tell her tales to make her laugh and feel better. I dreamt of becoming a real pirate and going on real adventures and the biggest turning point of my life was the day I met Luffy.

Usopp talks about his first meeting with Luffy.

Usopp: The Straw Hat Pirates, which consisted of Luffy, Zoro, and Nami at the time, came to my village in search of a ship. I befriended Luffy after learning that he met my father when the Red Hair Pirates visited his village. Later, Luffy and I discovered something terrible. (Usopp explains about Kuro and his plot.) I tried to warn the village but no one believed me, not even Kaya. The only people I can turn to was Luffy, Zoro, and Nami. When Kuro’s crew attacked, I had my first battle with real pirates.

Flora: so how did you feel during your first fight with real pirates?

Usopp: I was completely nervous, so nervous that I wanted to hide instead, but that was a fight that I cannot back out since the fate of Kaya and the village was on the line. Since I wasn’t very strong during that time, I didn’t stand a chance on my own and Luffy and Zoro’s help were completely invaluable. With the assistance from Zoro and the Usopp Pirates, I stopped the hypnotist from killing Kaya and Luffy defeated Kuro. Even though Kaya learned the truth, we decided to keep our fight with the Black Cat Pirates a secret. After our conflict with Kuro was settled, Kaya’s servant, Merry, provided our first pirate ship, the Going Merry. I disbanded the Usopp Pirates, joined Luffy’s crew and painted the Straw Hats’ Jolly Roger. Once I started adventuring with your father, my transformation from a weakling coward to a warrior of the sea began.

Usopp then talks about the most important points in his journey with the Straw Hats starting with his battle with Chew of the Arlong Pirates.

Usopp: After what Arlong put Nami through, Luffy resolved to put an end to his tyranny. He, Zoro, Sanji, and I marched to Arlong Park and Luffy wasted no time making the first strike. I accidently angered one of Arlong’s officers and he said that he was going to kill me.

Flora: what did you do next; did you show him your sharpshooting skills?

Usopp: I ran away, far away as fast as I can, but that fishman chased after me without giving me a moment’s peace. He then took a shot at me with his squirt gun. He missed and I saved myself by covering myself with ketchup and pretend to be dead. I fooled him and he was just leaving. I was going to lie to Luffy and the others about how I supposedly fought my opponent, but then after some thinking, I realized on what a pathetic coward I was. I mustered up my courage and yelled at the fishman to turn back. I said to myself that if I don’t give it all I got then I don’t deserve to be in the same ship with Luffy. The thought of dying was scary and being manly was no fun and games at all. (Usopp explains how he beat Chew.) For the first time in my life, I felt like a pirate. And then I went back to Arlong Park just in time to see Luffy beat the crap out of Arlong and toppling Arlong Park.

Usopp talks about his time in Little Garden.

Usopp: On Little Garden, I met two great giants, Brogy and Dorry. They fought each other for over a hundred years for reasons they even forgot about. But regardless, they fought in a never-ending battle of pride and honor and I called it “a battle of men”. Meeting these giants made me aspire to be a great warrior of the sea even more.

Flora: Dad told me that they’re amazing, but then something terrible happened.

Usopp: yeah, it did. (Usopp talks about the encounter with Mr. 3, Miss Goldenweek, Mr. 5, and Miss Valentine.) Since your dad was easily manipulated by Miss Goldenweek’s paints and Sanji was nowhere to be seen, the crew needs me for the very first time. Fortunately, I freed Luffy from Miss Goldenweek’s control and found a way to free Zoro, Nami, and Vivi from Mr. 3’s giant candle set. It was a close call for me, but we all made it through okay, but I had a long way to go.

Usopp talks about his and Chopper’s fight with Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas. Since Luffy never met these two personally, Usopp explains to Flora that Mr. 4 can wield a 4-ton bat and has a gun that “ate” the Inu Inu no Mi: Model Dachshund and Miss Merry Christmas ate the Mogu Mogu no Mi.

Usopp: That battle was also scary. I was going to throw in the towel, but that no. 4 batter and mole-woman started mocking Luffy’s dreams. I decided that there is a time when a man can’t run from a fight no matter who is it against and that’s when your friend’s dreams are laughed at. (Usopp explains how he and Chopper outwitted and defeated the two Baroque Works agents.)

Flora: Since you were able to survive your ordeals even though you were not very strong, you must be really lucky.

Usopp: There were some tough times and hard climbs, but we got through them together and we got some gold during our adventures in Skypiea. And I believed that there’s no one whom your dad can’t handle, but then we met a Marine admiral known as Aokiji. That guy was a foe unlike any other and I couldn’t believe that not even Luffy stood a chance against him. But luckily, Aokiji willingly let us loose. I started questioning my own worth to the crew. I am not one of those super-human freaks like Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji.

Usopp talks about his time at Water 7.

Usopp: We later arrive at Water 7 to get the Going Merry fully repaired since she sustained some heavy damage during the journey. Even though I could patch up the ship, it wasn’t adequate. We exchanged the gold we acquired for belis and we got 300,000,000. Before we put the money to good use, this happened: the first worst time of my life. (Usopp explains how he was mugged by the Franky Family.) Before that moment, I never felt so ashamed at myself. I tried to get the stolen 200,000,000 myself, but I got beaten badly. When I woke up, I was in the Going Merry. Luffy declared that we were going to part ways with Merry and the reason wasn’t because we were unable to retrieve the money. The reason was that the ship was beyond repair since Merry’s keel was broken. Even though it wasn’t an easy decision, Luffy and the others decided to get a new ship. Luffy and I then had an argument because I was angry at his decision to leave Merry. I repaired that ship so many times, I treasured it, and I considered it as part of the crew. With our disagreement, I decided to leave the crew. I challenged Luffy to a battle over the ownership of the Going Merry. Even though I lost, they let me keep the ship and then it was just me and Merry. Sometime later, while I was trying to repair Merry, I got kidnapped by Franky, the boss of the gang who mugged me. He planned on getting his revenge on Luffy for blowing up his house so he took me and Merry to his hideout. Despite our earlier quarrel, we kind of bonded. I told him the story and he was actually moved by it. I also told him about the mysterious figure I saw back at Skypiea. Franky then told me about the Klabautermann.

Flora: What’s a Klabautermann?

Usopp: A Klabautermann is a manifestation of a ship's soul brought about when it has been loved and cared enough. I have no doubt that the one who repaired the Going Merry was the ship itself. It told me that it was going to take us a little further.

Flora: I had no idea that such a spirit exists. Dad did tell me that the ship had a voice. I asked mom, my aunts, and Granny Nyon if there are ships that can talk, but they said that there are no such things.

Usopp: Here’s what I heard, the Klabautermann only appears to the crew of a doomed ship, which in this case, Going Merry. After learning about the Klabautermann, Franky and I were then captured by some World Government agents called CP9.

Usopp then talks about Sogeking’s first appearance.

Usopp: Even though I left the Straw Hats, I couldn’t abandon them, so I put on a mask and rejoined them under the alias, Sogeking.

Flora: Hold on, dad told me that Sogeking is a friend of yours. And the voice in your heart says that you’re telling the truth.

Usopp: well obviously, your dad hasn’t figured out that Sogeking and I are one and the same. Anyway, after reunited with the crew, it’s on to Enies Lobby to save Robin. (Usopp explains how they fought their way to the Tower of Justice and how he convinced Oimo and Kashi to turn against the Marines. Then he talks about his short fight with Jabra.) I thought I was done for, but Sanji came in the nick of time. Sanji then said to me, “I'll do whatever you cannot do. And you do whatever I cannot do”. (Usopp explains the part where he delayed Spandam by sniping him and the Marines with him.) I later witnessed Luffy’s fight with the strongest CP9 member. Luffy was on the brink of defeat, but I managed to get him back on his feet with a few encouraging words.

Flora: when your enemies cornered you and your crew on that Bridge of Hesitation, you and the rest of the crew really heard Merry’s voice and the ship really appeared out of nowhere to rescue you.

Usopp: that’s right. Do you think I’m lying?

Flora: I told my family at Amazon Lily about what dad told me, but they always say that the idea of a ship being alive is preposterous so then I thought that dad was joking. But that was before I mastered Kenbunshoku Haki and I can tell that you’re being honest about it.

Usopp: oh well, we narrowly escaped Enies Lobby. We managed to save a comrade, but we also lost one. The Going Merry finally broke apart and we gave it a proper funeral. After the battle at Enies Lobby had been put behind us, I decided to rejoin the crew as Usopp again. Franky build the Thousand Sunny and became our crew’s shipwright. As they were having a hasty departure because of the Marines, I got on my knees, apologized, and begged the crew to take me back and Luffy accepted. Even though the Going Merry was lost, its spirit lives on in the Sunny.

Usopp talks about his ordeals at Thriller Bark: his fight with Perona and the crew’s battle against Oars and Gekko Moriah.

Usopp: The zombies sure were a pain in the ass, but you can beat them using salt. There was only one enemy that I only stood a chance against and that was a ghost girl who ate the Horo Horo no Mi. Since her Negative Hollows had no effect on me since I was already negative, I took it upon myself to battle her. I thought it was my moment to shine, but I soon learned the hard way that defeating her was no walk in the park. Surely, I got thrashed and pummeled again and again, but as usual, I managed to pull through thanks to my alter-ego. (Usopp explains Perona’s ability and how he found her weakness and how he concluded the battle with glue, plastic cockroaches, and the giant balloon hammer.) Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! That was one of the best moments of my life! You should have seen the look on her face and the way she cried and begged for mercy! Oh well, and then me and the crew had to deal with Oars and the Shichibukai. Oars’ size alone made him a formidable opponent, but what’s worse was that Moriah reanimated the giant with Luffy’s shadow. And defeating a mega-sized giant with your dad’s will-power was definitively our biggest challenge yet. And that’s not all; Moriah was also in the fight and thanks to his Kage Kage no Mi ability, he can make Oars stretch by manipulating his shadow.

Flora: dad already told me about the battle. He used up all of his strength to take down both the giant and the Shichibukai.

Usopp: yes, and while we were catching our breath, I was starting to worry about how our journey will turn out. I mean, we’re bound to be facing many tough opponents in the future and we barely survived that ordeal. However, our victory was cut short. (Usopp explains about the encounter with Kuma.) Your dad was completely incapacitated and we were all worn out so we didn’t stand a chance. The last thing I remembered from that encounter was Kuma creating a giant shock wave and everything blacked out. When I woke up, I was relieved to see that he was gone and that everyone was still alive. However, we would be seeing Kuma again.

Usopp then talks about his experience on Sabaody Archipelago and his adventure on the Boin Archipelago.

Usopp: It took a lot of our power just to take down one pacifista. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any time to rest. A strong axe guy and another pacifista arrive at the scene. And things quickly turned from bad to worse by the arrival of Admiral Kizaru. Even though Rayleigh held Kizaru back, we still had the axe guy and the pacifista to contend with. All we could do was flee. And then Kuma showed up and scattered us with his paws. And this was the second worst time of my life, getting sent flying far far away from the rest of the crew.

Flora: so where did you landed on?

Usopp: I landed on an island in the Boin Archipelago. There, I encountered various giant bugs and man-eating plants. Luckily, I wasn’t alone and I made a friend named Heracles. The island has a forest called Greenstone, also known as the Forest of Gluttony. The food I found in that forest was so delicious that I couldn’t help myself and I kept eating and eating. Then I learned that the island I was on is actually a giant carnivorous plant and when it opens its mouth, you better hold on to something or you’re going to get swallowed.

Flora: that island seems like a dangerous place to be in. (Flora pictures what the island looks like in her head.)

Usopp: even so, the food I ate was sure enjoyable. A few weeks later, I received a newspaper from a news coo. I read about the War of the Summit and the death of Ace. I desperately tried to get off the island many times, but the giant bugs and man-eating plants kept getting in my way. Even though Heracles told me that leaving the island was impossible, I kept trying since I knew how much pain Luffy was suffering and I had to be there for him. Otherwise, I couldn’t call myself a member of his crew. Later, I read another newspaper with Luffy’s message on it. Since we wouldn’t be meeting again for a while, I decided to stay on the island and get stronger. On that moment, I realized something important. Before, I thought that I could just watch your dad become Pirate King. But there were foes that not even he can deal with alone. So then I realized that he needed my full support. I asked Heracles to train me and he introduced me to Pop Greens. (Usopp then shows Flora the Pop Greens and demonstrates.)

Flora: wow, dad told me you used weapons involving plants, but seeing them with my own eyes is truly exhilarating. The world sure is full of interesting things.

Usopp: so true, and two years later, these Pop Greens became useful assets to me and the crew when we journeyed through the New World. Once I’m done working out in the Boin Archipelago, Heracles and I escaped the island and I finally graduated from “weakling”.

Usopp talks about the journey in the New World.

Usopp: the New World was truly our greatest challenge. The weather conditions there are even more erratic than in the first half of the Grand Line and we found many things beyond your wildest imagination. Furthermore, we came face to face with the strongest and most feared pirates in the world, the Yonko and Blackbeard. However, I also had the happiest moment of my life. We eventually ran into the Red Hair Pirates and I saw my father again for the first time in years. I was truly overjoyed when he said that he’s proud of what I become.

Usopp finishes talking about his story and tells Flora about what he thinks about the other Straw Hats.

Usopp: let’s start with Luffy. First of all, he likes to have fun like me. [(Luffy impersonation): Come on! Let’s Party!] And also, he has a habit of doing dangerous things such as taming a Kraken. And when he wants to fight someone, he really means it. [(Luffy impersonation): I’m going to kick your ass!] And then there’s Chopper. He believes everything I say. [(Chopper impersonation): Wow! Usopp! You’re so cool!] When you try to compliment him, here’s how he reacts [(Chopper impersonation): Shut up! Saying that won’t make happy!]. Next up is Nami. She’s easily irritated when Luffy and I goof off and when she’s angry, she’s truly scary. [(Nami impersonation): Get serious, you idiots!] And about Zoro, he’s truly hardcore and he’s not someone that you want to mess with. [(Zoro impersonation): I’ll cut anything down to size.] Oh wait, you already met him. For Sanji, he has a thing for the ladies. [(Sanji impersonation): Wooah! You’re so beautiful!] And also, [(Sanji impersonation): I won’t let any harm come to a lady.] Now about Robin, she usually likes to sit down and read and when there’s a poneglyph around, she would immediately go to it and decipher it. She’s usually very calm even in dangerous situation. And she has a habit of pointing out gross or morbid facts. For example, imagine a little girl wandering in a haunted house and then she suddenly screams. [(Robin impersonation): It seems that she has seen a ghost.] Here’s another one, image a person enters a forest and never comes out. [(Robin impersonation): Perhaps he got eaten by wolves.] For Franky, he likes to act cool. [(Franky impersonation): Arrrrgh!! SUUUUPEEER!!!] And his cyborg upgrades he got after our two-year separation are awesome! And finally Brook, he loves music. [(Brook impersonation): Yohohohohoho! Let’s sing a song!] He also has his skull jokes. [(Brook impersonation): I felt like my heart is racing. Oh wait! I’m all bones! I have no heart!]

Flora: (giggles) that’s very interesting. I can’t wait to meet the others.

Usopp: oh, and when you meet Brook, be prepared when he asks a certain question.

Flora: what is it?

Usopp: it’s no fun telling you, you’ll see.

Usopp talks about what he does after the journey in the Grand Line ended.

Usopp: After the crew disbanded, I came back home. I told Merry about what happened to Going Merry. He was sad, but he’s happy that the ship took us as far as it did. After reuniting with Kaya and the former Usopp Pirates, I tell them stories about my adventures with the Straw Hats. They were thrilled to hear it. I occasionally leave the village once every few years to go on my own adventures. And I once visited Elbaf and get reacquainted with Oimo and Kashi. Things haven’t been the same without Luffy and the others, but I already became a warrior and I can look after myself. I just returned to this village two years ago right after a long voyage. Then I found a hobby in painting and sculpturing. (Usopp then shows Flora his collection of paintings and sculptures in his house.) These are paintings of my memories. This is the Going Merry entering Reverse Mountain. This here is my meeting with Dorry and Brogy. And this here is our raid on Enies Lobby. And this is me and Heracles in the Boin Archipelago. These sculptures here are the people I met during my adventures. This here is Kuro. That one is Arlong. These are Oimo and Kashi. And these are the people from Skypiea. And these are sculptures of the Going Merry and the Thousand Sunny. This here is my Sogeking mask. And finally, here are sculptures of us during our journey in the first half of the Grand Line and these are us after our two-year training.

Flora: these are amazing. You have great artistic talent. Usopp: I guess there are others things I’m good at other than lying and sniping. By the way, I’m going to have dinner with some friends at my house. Would you like to join us? I want you to meet them.

Flora: will there be meat?

Usopp: (laughing) Sure.

Evening came and Kaya, Merry, Ninjin, Tamanegi, and Piiman arrive. Usopp introduces Flora to them and they are surprised that Luffy’s daughter came to visit. Kaya comments on how cute Flora is. Flora then gets acquainted with Usopp’s friends. During dinner, they talk about a lot of things. Ninjin, Tamanegi, and Piiman talk about what they did as Usopp Pirates and what they did after Usopp joined Luffy. Kaya, now a full-fledged doctor, talks about her years as a medical student. Flora talks about her family and friends at Amazon Lily.

After dinner, Flora bids farewell to Usopp and returns to her ship. The next day, she commands her Yuda to take her to her next destination.

Next episode: Flora meets Nami.

Note: I apologize for the delay. I have been pre-occupied during the past few weeks and now I have free time again. I hope you enjoyed this episode.