USOPP PIRATE GROUP

The aftermath of Luffy's final headbutt fills the page. Kuro's body is flipped and driven into the rocky ground, his limbs splayed from the impact. A close-up shows Kuro bloodied and unconscious, while the Black Cat Pirates stare in stunned silence and disbelief. There are no new dialogue lines on this page beyond the visual shock and sound effects.

Luffy's powerful stomp drives Kuro face-first into the rocky ground, shattering the earth beneath him and sending debris flying. The impact lands with a heavy "THUD THUD...". The Black Cat Pirates watch from a distance, completely dumbfounded by the sight of their captain being crushed. They mutter in disbelief, "HE DID IT, CAPTAIN KURO WAS..." "HE..." "EVEN A SHIP OF MARINES WEREN'T ABLE TO DEFEAT THE '100 PLANS KURO'" "HE REALLY...". A close-up shows Kuro lying motionless on the cracked ground, his glasses askew and his face buried in the dirt. The pirates exclaim, "HE REALLY BEAT HIM!" and then shout at Luffy, "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!!!?".

Standing over Kuro's defeated body, Luffy answers the pirates' question. "MONKEY D. LUFFY!!!" he declares. "THERE'S NO WAY I'D LOSE TO A PIRATE WHO GIVES UP HIS NAME AND RUNS FROM THE SEA". The Black Cat Pirates look on in confusion; one stammers, "LU... LUFFY...? I'VE NEVER HEARD OF HIM". Another pirate adds, "THE ONLY TIME A PIRATE SHOULD GIVE UP HIS NAME IS WHEN HE DIES!!". A close-up shows Luffy's foot still resting near Kuro's head as Luffy says, "YOU BETTER TRY TO REMEMBER MY NAME...". In a large final panel, Luffy flashes a wide, confident grin and proclaims, "I'M THE ONE WHO'S GOING TO BECOME... THE PIRATE KING!!!".

The Black Cat Pirates stare at Luffy, sweating, and one asks, "IS THIS GUY.... CRAZY?". Without warning, Luffy grabs the unconscious Kuro by the collar and hurls him through the air directly at the Black Cat Pirates. "TAKE HIM BACK!" Luffy shouts. Kuro's body crashes into the group of pirates, sending them tumbling as they scream, "AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!". Luffy glares at them and yells, "...AND DON'T EVER COME BACK!!!". After the exertion, Luffy stands panting heavily, "HUF HUF... PUTA PUTA...". Suddenly, his eyes roll back, and he collapses forward, completely exhausted.

As Luffy falls forward, Kaya rushes in and catches him, holding him gently. "YOU FOUGHT HARD..." she says softly. In the background, the Black Cat Pirates flee in terror towards their ship, screaming as they retreat. Kaya looks down at Luffy and asks, "WHY DID YOU GET SO MAD EARLIER?". Luffy replies, "I DON'T LIKE THEM. THEY'RE WRONG...!!". Kaya looks confused, "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT...?". Luffy, lying on the ground with Kaya sitting beside him, simply states, "IT'S OBVIOUSLY BECAUSE THEY'RE PIRATES. I WANT MEAT". Kaya looks at him, slightly exasperated, and murmurs, "...YOU...".

In a silent sequence, Zoro is shown dealing with his injuries. He sheathes his sword with a sharp sound effect, looking exhausted. He then takes his dark bandana and ties it tightly around his wounded arm to staunch the bleeding. With his makeshift bandage in place, Zoro turns and walks away down a path through the dense forest. In the final panel, Jango is shown lying flat on his back in the dirt, completely unconscious, his heart-shaped glasses still on his face.

Usopp gathers his crew and Kaya in the forest. Looking serious, he asks, "CAN YOU GUYS KEEP EVERYTHING... THAT HAS HAPPENED HERE AS A SECRET?". The Usopp Pirates--Ninjin, Piiman, and Tamanegi--are shocked. "WHAT!? A SECRET?! BUT WHY WOULD WE DO THAT?!" they protest. "THAT'S RIGHT!! WE FOUGHT FOR THE VILLAGE!!" "EVERYONE WILL CHANGE THEIR OPINION OF YOU, CAPTAIN!!" "YOU COULD BE THE TOWN'S HERO!!". Kaya looks at Usopp with concern, "USOPP-SAN, WE HAVE TO FIX THE MISUNDERSTANDING ABOUT YOU...". Usopp smiles gently and replies, "THERE'S NO MISUNDERSTANDING, PEOPLE WOULD JUST SAY I'M A LIAR LIKE I'VE ALWAYS BEEN. IT'S OVER NOW AND I DON'T WANT TO CAUSE UNNECESSARY FRIGHT".

Usopp continues to explain his reasoning to the group. "BESIDES WHAT HAS HAPPENED TODAY... I THINK PIRATES WOULDN'T BE INTERESTED IN A SMALL VILLAGE LIKE THIS... AND THE VILLAGERS WOULD BE ABLE TO CONTINUE LIVING THEIR LIVES PEACEFULLY. SO, LET'S JUST SAY NOTHING HAPPENED". Kaya looks at him with admiration, murmuring, "NOTHING HAPPENED, IT WAS ALL A LIE. USOPP-SAN...". Usopp sits on a tree stump and says, "I WON'T FORCE IT ON YOU GUYS, BUT...". The three young boys, tears streaming down their faces, agree to his plan. Piiman cries, "NO, I CAN DO THAT!! IF THAT'S WHAT'S BEST FOR THIS VILLAGE!!". Ninjin adds, "SAME HERE!!", and Tamanegi agrees, "ME TOO!!". Piiman promises, "I WON'T TELL A SOUL!!".

Usopp looks at Kaya and asks, "KAYA, IS IT GOING TO BE HARD FOR YOU...?". Kaya smiles warmly and replies, "NO!". The scene transitions to a peaceful morning in Syrup Village, with birds chirping happily on a branch. Inside a house, a man suddenly realizes the time. "HEY!! IT'S ALREADY 7 O'CLOCK!!" he shouts. His wife replies, "MY GOSH, YOU'RE RIGHT!". The man looks out the window, confused. "I OVERSLEPT!! THAT'S STRANGE, USOPP-KUN DIDN'T COME TODAY". In another house, a man reading the newspaper mutters, "I WONDER WHAT HAPPENED TO USOPP-KUN. FEELS WEIRD... THROWS MY WHOLE SCHEDULE OFF".

The villagers continue their morning routines, noticing Usopp's absence. A woman sweeping outside tells her husband, "DEAR, IT'S TIME FOR WORK". He replies, "REALLY? USOPP HASN'T COME RUNNING THROUGH YET". A little girl asks her mother, "MOMMY, IS THE BIG LIAR NOT COMING TODAY?". A man brushing his teeth grumbles, "IS THAT LYING BRAT NOT HERE YET!? WERE WE A LITTLE TOO HARSH ON HIM YESTERDAY...?". His wife reassures him, "OH, I'M SURE HE'LL COME TOMORROW". Meanwhile, the Usopp Pirates are getting scolded by their mothers. Piiman's mom yells, "PIIMAN! HOW COULD YOU GET YOUR CLOTHES DIRTY SO EARLY IN THE MORNING?! GO WASH UP!!". Ninjin holds the frying pan while his mom asks, "NINJIN, HAVE YOU SEEN THE FRYING PAN? I CAN'T MAKE SCRAMBLED EGGS WITHOUT IT..." and he awkwardly admits he left the eggs uncooked. Tamanegi apologizes to his mom, "I'M SO SORRY, MOM!", after she asks if he broke his glasses again. The page ends with a close-up of Usopp smiling brightly, saying, "THANK YOU! IT'S ALL THANKS TO YOU!".

Back on the rocky path where the battle took place, Usopp addresses Luffy, Zoro, and Nami. "IF IT WEREN'T FOR YOU GUYS... THE VILLAGE COULDN'T HAVE BEEN PROTECTED," he says gratefully. Zoro smirks and replies, "WHAT ARE YOU SAYING? IF YOU HADN'T DONE ANYTHING, I WOULDN'T HAVE EITHER". Luffy grins and agrees, "SAME HERE". Nami, holding a large sack of treasure, chimes in, "THAT DOESN'T MATTER, I WAS ABLE TO GET THE TREASURE". Usopp then stands up, looking resolute. "IN LIGHT OF THIS... THERE'S A DECISION I'VE MADE..." he announces. Luffy looks at him curiously, "HUH?".

The scene shifts to Kaya's large mansion. Inside, Merry is shocked by the news. "WHAT... DID YOU JUST SAY?" he asks. "AFTER SUCH A DISASTER, WE ARE TO ACT AS THOUGH NOTHING HAS HAPPENED?". Merry looks at Kaya, who is sitting calmly in a chair. "WOULD YOU RATHER NOT? HOW GOOD-NATURED THIS YOUNG MAN IS... HE SAYS IT'S BEST FOR THE VILLAGERS? ARE YOU ALRIGHT WITH THAT, OJOUSAMA?". Kaya smiles gently and replies, "IF USOPP-SAN SAYS IT IS THE BEST, THEN I WILL DO SO....I SEE, YES, I WILL GO ALONG WITH YOUR STORY". She then looks at Merry with a determined expression. "AND MERI, THERE'S A FAVOR I'D LIKE TO ASK OF YOU".

Usopp stands in the forest, facing his three young crew members. Piiman asks, "CAPTAIN USOPP, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANTED TO TALK TO US ABOUT?". Usopp replies, "OH, YES, YOU'RE ALL HERE". He places his hands on his hips and speaks proudly, "YOU GUYS FOUGHT BRAVELY AGAINST THOSE KURO NEKO PIRATES! IT WAS A BATTLE WORTHY OF THE USOPP PIRATE GROUP. I'M VERY PROUD AS THE CAPTAIN!". He looks back fondly, "5 YEARS AGO... WE FORMED THE USOPP PIRATE GROUP WHEN YOU GUYS WERE FOUR. THIS WAS THE GREATEST AND MOST MAGNIFICENT BATTLE WE HAVE EXPERIENCED IN THOSE 5 YEARS". Then, with a wide laugh, he drops a bombshell. "AND NOW, IT'S SUDDEN BUT I HAVE DECIDED TO GO TO THE SEA BY MYSELF. I'M GOING TO BECOME A REAL PIRATE".

The three boys stare at Usopp in stunned silence. Piiman stammers, "WHAT...?", and Ninjin asks, "CAPTAIN?". Usopp smiles, looking off into the distance. "AFTER SEEING THEM, I DECIDED. I'M GOING TO LEAVE THIS VILLAGE". He points a thumb at himself enthusiastically, "THERE IS ONLY ONE REASON! BECAUSE THE PIRATE FLAG IS CALLING ME!". The boys immediately panic. Tamanegi yells, "CAPTAIN, THAT'S A LIE! THAT'S ALSO A LIE, RIGHT!?". Piiman cries out, "THAT'S SO SUDDEN! BESIDES, DON'T YOU LOVE THIS VILLAGE, CAPTAIN?". Ninjin asks frantically, "WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO USOPP PIRATE GROUP!?!".

Usopp looks back at the boys with a soft smile. "THANKS FOR EVERYTHING, GUYS. I DON'T PLAN ON TELLING THE FOLKS IN THE VILLAGE, SAY BYE TO THEM FOR ME". The boys are in tears. Piiman cries, "NO...", Ninjin yells, "NO, I DON'T WANT TO SAY THAT!!!", and Tamanegi pleads, "DON'T GO, CAPTAIN". Usopp looks down, reminiscing. "DO YOU REMEMBER THIS PLACE? THIS IS WHERE WE FIRST MET". The lower panels shift into a flashback of their first meeting: the boys call out, "HEY, LIAR!" and tease him, "BUT YOU'RE FAMOUS FOR YOUR LIES" and "YEAH, YOU'RE FAMOUS." Flashback Usopp protests, "I DON'T WANNA HEAR THAT STORY!" and then declares, "OKAY, YOU CAN CALL ME CAPTAIN USOPP FROM NOW ON. YOU GUYS ARE USOPP PIRATE GROUP!".

A series of flashbacks show the boys' adventures with Usopp. They are seen running from a dog as Usopp yells, "IT'S A CERBERUS, GET RID OF HIM!". In another memory, they chase a lizard while Usopp commands, "IT'S A DRAGON, CAPTURE IT!". The boys praise his slingshot skills, "WOW, CAPTAIN! YOUR AIM'S PERFECT!", to which he replies, "OF COURSE, I'M A BRAVE WARRIOR OF THE SEA!". They are also shown running from an angry store owner yelling, "STOP, YOU APPLE THIEVES!!", with Usopp shouting, "RUN, IT'S THE ALIEN STORE-OWNER GUY!". Back in the present, Usopp asks them seriously, "WHAT ARE YOUR LIFE AMBITIONS?". Piiman answers, "TO OWN A BAR!". Ninjin says, "TO BECOME A MASTER CARPENTER!". Tamanegi declares, "TO BECOME A WRITER!". Usopp looks at them with determination. "WHILE NOT LOSING SIGHT OF OUR AMBITIONS... SWEAR THAT YOU WILL GO ON THE ROAD YOU HAVE CHOSEN!".

The emotional climax of the scene unfolds. On the right side of the page, close-up panels show Piiman, Ninjin, and Tamanegi, their faces completely covered in tears and snot as they cry uncontrollably. In the center, a wide shot shows Usopp standing in the grassy field, facing the three boys under a cloudy sky. Speech bubbles read, "STARTING TODAY... THE USOPP PIRATE GROUP...". On the left side, a massive close-up shows Usopp's face. He is also crying heavily, tears streaming down his cheeks as he shouts with all his might, "IS DISBANDED!!!!".

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