THE CRESCENT MOON

A black-and-white title page illustration shows the crew relaxing in a wooden cart pulled by a cow. Zoro is asleep in the back of the cart, leaning against a pile of giant vegetables. Nami sits on the edge, smiling and reaching out. Luffy sits near the front, laughing and holding up a large eggplant. Floating around them are three large vegetables with the faces of Usopp's young crewmates: a green pepper, an onion, and a carrot. A person wearing a straw hat and a shirt that reads "MARVELOUS NOON" rides the cow. A wooden signpost nearby reads "VILLAGE" with a drawing of a coffee cup. The chapter title text reads "CHAPTER 28 'THE CRESCENT MOON'", with the Japanese chapter title printed over the lower right of the illustration.

Usopp stands with his back to the others, his legs shaking violently with "gaku gaku" sound effects. "Ah..." he mutters. He suddenly starts punching his own legs, yelling, "Stop shaking! Stop it!!" He turns back to Nami, Zoro, and Luffy, tears streaming down his face, and shouts defensively, "What are you guys looking at!? They're Captain Kuro's fleet! Of course I'm scared! I don't need your sympathy! Go away! Now!" Zoro looks at him calmly and replies, "We're not sympathizing for you! But rather we're commending you for having courage." Luffy smiles broadly and adds, "Why else would we risk our own lives?" Hearing this, Usopp is deeply moved. Tears pour from his eyes as he stammers, "You... you guys... I'm so touched!"

The group stands at the bottom of a long, narrow dirt slope flanked by high rocky cliffs. Usopp explains the terrain: "They're going to attack from this shore. Because, this is the only way into the village. There's only one slope. The rest is just cliffs!" Nami realizes the tactical advantage, saying, "This means, as long as we guard this slope with our lives, the village won't be harmed!" Luffy grins, "Sounds easy!" Zoro, looking more serious, replies, "Easier said than done... What are you guys good at?" Luffy confidently declares, "Stretching!" Zoro says, "Cutting!" Nami adds, "Stealing!" Usopp proudly states, "Hiding!" Zoro immediately turns and yells angrily at Usopp, "You have to fight too!!" Usopp sweats nervously under Zoro's glare.

Inside the mansion, Merry walks into a room and asks, "Where is Ojou-sama?" Kuro, standing by a bookshelf, replies, "She's already asleep. She looked very tired..." A panel shows Kaya's bed, though she is covered by blankets. Merry sighs, "I cannot believe all this happened when I was away... That Usopp kid is quite a trouble maker." Kuro adjusts his glasses with the palm of his hand and agrees, "Yes, I know. I can't believe that he would even claim that you are a pirate... It's not even a good lie..." He rests his face in his hand, looking exasperated. "Yes... Only an idiot would believe a thing he says..."

Merry holds out a small wrapped box to Kuro. "Hm? What's this?" Kuro asks. Merry smiles warmly, "Oh... that... That's a present from Ojou-sama. She said it's because tomorrow will be exactly three years since you first came to work at this mansion. She says it's an anniversary." Kuro looks at the box in his hand. Merry continues, "Because your glasses often slip... So Ojou-sama went to the next town personally and ordered this special pair of glasses! She is so nice and caring..." Kuro pulls the new glasses out of the box. "Anniversary..." he mutters. He turns to look out the large window at the night sky. "She calls it an anniversary... Indeed... tomorrow really is a special day... Tonight's moon, it's crescent... On a night like this, every cell in my body becomes excited..."

A loud "CRASH!!" rings out as Kuro drops the new glasses onto the floor, shattering them. Merry recoils in shock, yelling, "What!!?" He looks down at the broken pieces in disbelief. "Clahador-san, why did you break the present?! Ojou-sama went through so much trouble to get it for you!!" Kuro calmly steps his striped shoe directly onto the broken lenses, crushing them further. He looks back over his shoulder with a sinister expression. "I will ask her for my own presents. But it won't be a small present like this... I want... everything in this house..."

Merry stammers in confusion, "Wha...!? What...!?" Kuro turns fully toward him, his demeanor completely changed. "There's no need to continue this act... Because in just a couple of hours, this village will be over-taken by pirates." Merry's eyes widen in horror as he realizes the truth. "Three years... is way too long..." Kuro says menacingly. Merry turns and desperately tries to run, shouting, ".......!! Ojou-sama! Run......" Suddenly, a massive slashing motion tears across the panel. Kuro strikes Merry in the back. Merry falls forward onto the floor with a thud, severely injured.

Outside, a pirate ship with a black cat figurehead is docked. A pirate knocks loudly on a door with a "KNOCK KNOCK" sound effect. "Captain Jango! It's morning already... Time to wake up!" The door opens, and Jango steps out, immediately doing a moonwalk backward. "You idiots! It's not morning yet! Don't say 'Good morning'! The moon is still out, it's still midnight!" he scolds them. The pirates sweatdrop and apologize, "Yes sir! Sorry!" Jango continues to moonwalk smoothly across the deck with "STEP STEP" sound effects. Another pirate greets him, "Ah, Captain, good morning." Jango casually replies, "Good morning."

Jango strikes a dramatic pose, tipping his hat. "Mornin' my men..." he says, accompanied by a loud "DO--N!" sound effect. A text box introduces him: "CURRENT CAPTAIN OF KURO NEKO PIRATE FLEET 1.2 JANGO". A small note adds, "KURO NEKO MEANS BLACK CAT". The pirate crew, many wearing cat-ear headbands, look at him. Jango points forward and shouts, "Let's gooo men!!" The entire crew raises their weapons and cheers enthusiastically, "YEAAA!!"

Back at the slope, Usopp stands proudly with his hands on his hips. "Okay! We're done! We've sprayed a massive amount of oil here! Now those bastards won't be able to get up this slope." The ground of the narrow pass is visibly slick with oil. Usopp points a finger confidently, "This is the most effective way to battle them! No matter what, we must guard this slope with our lives." Nami, standing nearby with Zoro and Luffy, warns him, "Just don't fall down there yourself! Or else you're screwed!" Luffy, sitting on the ground, and Zoro agree, saying, "Yepp!"

Usopp puffs out his chest, declaring, "Don't worry! I have a lot of confidence in myself!" with a "DO--N!!" sound effect. The scene shifts to show the sun rising over the ocean horizon. Luffy points out, "The sun is up!" The four of them stand at the top of the slope, looking out toward the sea. Usopp notes, "The pirates are going to come soon..." The bottom row cuts between Jango smiling menacingly behind his heart-shaped glasses, Kaya asleep in bed, and Kuro watching with a cold expression.

The Black Cat pirate ship arrives at a rocky shore, its large black cat figurehead looming over the beach. A pirate announces, "We've reached the shore!" Jango stands before his crew, raising his arms. "Let's go, everybody!! Our plan is to destroy the village!" The pirates cheer wildly, raising their swords and shouting, "OOOO-OOOO-OOOO-OH...!!" One pirate points off-screen and warns, "Captain! There are two strange looking ships over there!" Jango dismisses it, "Don't mind them, they wouldn't have treasure anyways."

At the oiled slope, the crew waits in silence. The wind blows with a "SWOOSH..." sound. Nami looks around, "Where are they... It's already morning..." Usopp wonders, "You don't suppose they slept in?" Suddenly, Nami cups her ear, listening closely. "Am I just overly sensitive? I can hear 'GO!' coming from the north direction..." Usopp's eyes bug out in shock. "The north!?" Nami confirms, "I'm positive! What's going on?" Usopp panics, grabbing his head. "There's another entrance into the village in the north... but... Don't tell me you got it wrong!" Meanwhile, a panel shows the Black Cat pirates charging forward, yelling "GOOO-OOOO-OOOO-OOOO...!!"

Luffy urgently asks, "Hurry! Which way are they going to attack the village from?" Usopp explains, sweating, "They talked about the plan here... so I thought they'd attack from this side! The landscape on that side is basically the same as this one! All we have to do is prevent them from coming on top of the slope!" Nami screams in horror, "Oh no! That's where we docked our ships!! My treasure is going to be robbed!" Luffy says, "I only need 20 seconds to get there!" Usopp calculates, "Going in that direction it'll only take 3 minutes! Damn! Then our oil trap and preparations are useless!" Nami turns to run but immediately slips on the oiled ground. "Damn it! Aah! Help! I'm slipping!" Zoro yells, "Nami! What are you doing!?"

As Nami slips down the oiled slope, she desperately grabs onto Zoro's scabbards to stop herself. "Waah!!" she cries. Zoro is pulled off balance. "Ah!? Let go! Idiot!" he yells. They both slide rapidly down the slick hill. At the bottom, Nami manages to stand up, dusting herself off. "I got up... Thanks!" she says. Zoro is left face-down in the dirt. "Sorry!" Nami calls out as she sprints away. "But my treasure is in danger!" Zoro tries to push himself up, but his hands slip on the oil. "Waah..! Eh..." he grunts, unable to gain traction.

Zoro struggles at the bottom of the oily slope, furious. "Nami! I'm going to kill you!" he roars. Above him, Usopp sprints past Luffy at top speed. "You find your own way up! Run north! I won't let them get to the village..." Usopp yells. Luffy watches him go, amazed. "That guy runs so fast, I lost sight of him already!" Nami is also shown running hard, determined. "If they dare touch my treasure, I will never forgive them! Run north!" Meanwhile, the Black Cat pirates are shown charging up a slope, laughing maniacally. "Gooo oooo ooo! Aha hha ha ha!! Don't let anyone live!"

Usopp arrives at the top of the north slope, panting heavily. He stands his ground, aiming his slingshot down at the approaching pirates. "I'm Captain Usopp! I've been waiting here for you guys! I've made all preparations! If you don't want to die, then retreat at once!" The pirates halt in surprise. "Wah! There's someone... up on the slope!" one yells. Jango looks up, adjusting his glasses. "You are..." Back at the south slope, Zoro is still slipping on the oil, frustrated. "Damn! I can't get up there!" Elsewhere, Luffy stands in the middle of the peaceful village, looking completely lost. "Eh!? I reached the village? I thought I was running to the north shore?"

No description for this page.