"So tell me, how do you know my dad?" asked Usopp, staring at Luffy with an eager expression. And who could blame him? This was the first piece of news he's heard about his old man in years.

The six of them found themselves in a quaint little restaurant, with a veritable mountain of food placed before them. Usopp claimed it was the best restaurant in town, and judging by the smell, Nick could believe it.

They were seated in a booth, with Nami, Luffy and Zoro on one side, and Nick, Usopp and Akisu on the other. Nick tried to sit next to the ginger haired beauty, but that little rubber bastard beat him to it.

Luffy stared at his food with a literal river of drool cascading out of his mouth. Poor Nami and Zoro were getting drenched, gazing at him with disgust and annoyance.

Not being able to hold back anymore, Luffy grabbed a big piece of meat and took a massive bite, ripping off a chunk with the zeal of a starving wolf. Which at this point, wasn't far from the truth. The rest of them dug in at a more sedate pace, with Nami enjoying some kind of noodle dish, Zoro having his fish and sake, and Nick having some kind of meat with mashed potatoes.

He wasn't sure what it was exactly, but damn did it taste good!

"Hey, are you listening!?" Usopp shouted. Here he was, practically vibrating on the spot, waiting to hear about his dad, and the glutton in front of him could only think about food! The nerve of some people.

"Give it up. We haven't eaten in about a day, so you won't get anything out of him until he's at least half full," said Nick, placing a piece of food in his mouth. He also made sure to watch Luffy carefully, just in case he tried to steal his food.

"He's right, just enjoy your meal for now," said Nami, savoring the sweet taste of her dish.

Usopp let out a long suffering sigh, "Fine, what's a few more minutes?" He went to place some food in his mouth, only to realize his fork was completely empty. Looking confused, Usopp shifted his gaze to his plate, only to find it empty.

"What the… Where did it go? I could have sworn…"

But that's when he realized there was a trail of sauce drippings leading straight to none other than Luffy. Who just so happened to be staring at him with his cheeks stuffed so full he could make a squirrel jealous.

"What the hell's your problem!?" he shouted, painting an accusing finger towards Luffy.

"Huh? What's the problem, you weren't eating it," Luffy complained, as he swallowed Usopp's food.

"I was about to you jerk!"

"That's what you get for being too slow," said Zoro, who slapped Luffy's hand away as he tried to steal some of the swordsman's food.

"He's right. It's a dog eat dog world out there," commented Nick, who also slapped one of Luffy's hands away.

"Should have known better," said Nami. But when Luffy went to try and steal her food, she was a bit more violent about dissuading him. She stabbed his hand with a fork.

"Ah! Nami that hurt!" he screamed.

"Then keep your hands to yourself!"

Usopp could only stare at the group as Nami yelled at Luffy, and the other two laughed at the rubber man's misery. "So this is what being a pirate is like. So cool!" he thought.

Akisu had a different opinion on the matter, staring at the pirates with suspicion. After the battle, Usopp commanded him and the others to take their secret weapon back to their secret base.

But Akisu had chosen to stay with their Captain, to try and make sure he didn't do anything stupid. That was his official job as Usopp's younger brother after all. The others complained, of course, but after promising to make them some of his special lemon bars, they relented.

So here he was, watching them with the eyes of a hawk, intent on catching them doing something nefarious. However, there was something else he should have been watching instead.

"Hey kid, you should probably eat something before it's all gone," said a voice to his right. Looking up, he saw the tall, muscular guy they called Nick. What a weird name. But what was he saying about eating his food? He still had a full plate, so it couldn't be…

"Gone!" he shouted, looking at his very empty plate. But where did it go? How did it go? Akisu didn't understand what had happened. He was watching them all so closely, it shouldn't have been possible. But here he was, bereft of pancakes. Those were his favorite too…

Looking up at the one he figured was responsible, he glared at the straw hat wearing pirate, whose face was covered in syrup.

Syrup from his pancakes.

"Wasn't me," Luffy said, noticing his gaze, eyes shifting towards Nami. But like always, he was a terrible liar. Even worse than Usopp, and that was something Akisu never thought he'd see.

"Don't you try and blame me!" Nami shouted, having been watching the exchange. She pulled on Luffy's cheek, causing him to cry out in pain, "Ow, ow, ow! Nami, stop it, that hurts!"

"It's supposed to!"

Akisu and Usopp stared at the exchange in bewilderment. "Are they really pirates?" was both of their thoughts. And after Usopp thought they were so cool too.

Nami sighed as she released his cheek, watching it bounce back into places, Luffy's head rattling as it did so. He rubbed his cheek in pain for a moment, before getting distracted by food once again, happily shoveling it into his face.

Nami turned to face Akisu, giving him a kind smile "Sorry about him. Don't worry, I'll get you some more." The poor young boy couldn't help but blush at her smiling face. She may have been even prettier than Kaya, as hard as that was for him to believe.

"U-uh, thank you…" he mumbled with a blush on his cheeks. Nami giggled at his embarrassment. He was just too cute.

"Looks like you have some competition," Zoro said to Nick with a smirk, taking a swig of booze. The alcohol was really helping ease the pain in his balls, but he still wasn't happy about it.

Rather than be offended at the light hearted gibe, Nick played along, "You know, you might be right. I'll have to up my game."

Akisu's face seemed to get even redder from the commentary. Nick chuckled at his response, even though he couldn't for the life of him figure out who he was. He didn't recognize him at all, and according to Usopp, Akisu was his brother, something he never had in the anime.

Guess that was just another change he could chalk up to his presence.

"Come on you two, leave him alone," Nami warned. Zoro rolled his eyes at her threatening tone, not intimidated in the least, while Nick just chuckled.

"Hey, what about me? My food was stolen too you know," Usopp complained, completely ruining the moment.

Nami gave him the side eye, "What about you? You're an adult, get your own food."

"What!?"

"You know, you shouldn't complain. It's already a miracle she's paying for his meal," said Nick. Nami redirected her glare to him, "And what's that supposed to mean, huh? Do I have to increase your debt again?"

"Case and point," Nick said.

The meal continued like that for several more minutes until Luffy was finally ready to answer Usopp's question. Telling him about how he met his dad, Yasopp, when he was little, and how he was the best sniper he'd ever seen, never missing a shot.

Usopp listened to the whole thing, shaking with excitement. His eyes lit up in wonder as Luffy told him what he knew about his dad. He looked like a little kid on Christmas morning, ready to tear the shit out of some presents.

"Wow, I can't believe my dad knows such a famous pirate," Usopp said with wonder. He looked so proud about that fact too.

"He doesn't just know him, he's part of his crew," said Luffy, chucking a whole damn apple into his mouth and chewing.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. I haven't seen him in a while, but I bet they're still together. Your dad and Shanks were good friends."

The other four listened to the story with interest. Zoro because he wanted to learn about powerful people, and even he's heard of Red Haired Shanks long before Luffy told him about him.

Nick wanted to know if there were any differences from the anime. It didn't sound like it, but then again, he couldn't remember the story exactly either. It sounded right, but who knows?

Akisu was also mesmerized by the story. It also explained how Usopp was so good at sharpshooting. It was in his blood!

And Nami, well she just couldn't believe there were pirates like that. It eschewed everything she's ever experienced. All the pirates she's met, until Luffy that is, were complete monsters. And now she's supposed to believe there are good pirates out there? She found that hard to believe.

"Man, that's so cool," Usopp said, looking like he was caught up in a daydream. Nick knew that feeling, but he somehow doubted it was for the same reasons. He sneakily gave Nami a look.

"But hang on, how did you know I'm his son?" questioned Usopp, looking at Luffy with confusion. The rubber man gave him a look, somewhere between exasperated and amused.

"When your dad got drunk, he couldn't shut up about you. He'd show your picture to everyone in sight, bragging about his son. It was really annoying," stated Luffy, before taking a big swig of juice.

"Really, my dad… Talked about me? He didn't… forget?" Usopp questioned, in a small voice. That was one of his biggest fears, that his dad left and forgot about him completely. But now this guy was telling him he not only remembered, but he actively bragged about him.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Could it really be true?

Luffy gave Usopp a soft smile, as the others looked on, feeling pity for the young man. It must have been hard, growing up and wondering if you were abandoned. They couldn't imagine that.

Especially Nami, who's own adopted mother gave her life to save her and Nojiko. She would always regret that argument she had with her, the day she died. But she never thought, never questioned, in all this time, whether or not her mother loved her.

Nick thought back to his own dad, and his notion of 'tough love'. His words were always harsh, and he was a stern man who showed little emotion, but even then, Nick never thought the man would abandon him. Even if he wished he would sometimes.

"Nope, he didn't forget about you. Not for a single day. He's spoken about you so much, I feel like I already know you," said Luffy.

Usopp looked ready to cry at any moment, but he did his best to hold it in. He didn't want to appear weak in front of them.

"Hey, Usopp?" Nick said, looking at the long nosed liar. He was very similar to his anime counterpart, with the same nose, tan skin, durag, and overalls. But one thing that was different, was he seemed way more muscular than before. Nick remembered he looked like a string bean in the show, but here, dude looked like he hit the gym.

"Uh, yeah? What is it?" he responded, turning toward Nick. He was still fairly emotional about the whole reveal about his dad, but at the same time was relieved for the distraction.

"I was just wondering, where is everybody?" he asked. It was something he noticed as they walked through town. There was hardly anyone out and about. It was almost like a ghost town. Not as bad as Orange Town, but it was still noticeable.

It was like the whole town was on edge.

"W-what do you mean?" Usopp responded. There was more than a little sweat coming down his face, as he nervously looked around. He was definitely hiding something.

"I mean, as we were walking through town, there was hardly anyone outside. Is something going on here? Does it have something to do with the piles of scrap wood on the beach?" Nick questioned further.

He knew in the anime the butler was planning on stealing Kaya's inheritance or something, but no one in town should know anything about that. So there had to be something else going on.

"You know, I was wondering the same thing," said Nami. The others looked curious as well, staring at Usopp waiting for answers. The poor man looked even more jumpy at the mention of the wood.

Akisu next to him was looking similarly nervous, as he ate his fresh pancakes. Something was definitely going on.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about, everything is fine," Usopp tried to lie again. But it seems even Luffy didn't believe this one.

Come to think of it, did they ever tell him Usopp was lying before? Nick wasn't sure. It's entirely possible he still believes that Usopp has a million men under his control.

"You don't seem too sure about that," said Nami, resting her head in her hand. Usopp's twitchy energy transformed into anger as he gave them an irritable glare.

"I'm telling you it's nothing. So just drop it!"

"Methinks thou doth protest too much," thought Nick, staring at the angry young man. At this rate, he wouldn't reveal anything. If Nick had to guess, it was coming from a place of pride. No one wants to admit when they can't do something on their own.

"Anyway, I'm more curious about you. What's a bunch of Buggy pirates doing here in the first place, huh? And what about that weird power of yours? Don't think I forgot," Usopp accused, his last question directed squarely at Luffy.

Even Akisu was looking at them with suspicion once again, though the glare he leveled was somewhat diminished by the syrup on his face.

Luffy and Zoro shared a look, "What are you talking about, we're not with that clown," said Luffy, confused. Zoro looked affronted by the accusation.

"Don't lie! I saw the symbol on your boat. I know who that belongs to," Usopp said. And he did it with such confidence too, Nick almost felt bad about popping his bubble.

"Oh that? Nami and I stole that from some of his crew," he told him.

"Ugh, don't remind me," Nami said with a shudder. She could still feel those creeps staring at her with those lustful gazes. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence either, everywhere she goes she receives those kinds of looks. Just another thing the beautiful had to deal with.

"Huh?" Usopp questioned, deflating. "So, you guys aren't pirates after all?" And he was so sure they were too, after that speech he was given earlier. Was he wrong? Were they just pretending, like he was?

"I didn't say that," responded Nick.

"Will you make up your mind already!?" shouted Usopp. Were they just making fun of him?

"Listen, we are pirates, we just aren't with Buggy. Got it?" Zoro told him with a glare. All the shouting was making it hard to enjoy his booze.

"But that still doesn't explain why you're here or your powers," said Usopp. Even if they weren't with the clown, something he was sure Onion could be happy about at the very least, they had to be here for a reason.

"Oh that. I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit, see?" started Luffy, who proceeded to stretch his face as far as it would go. Usopp and Akisu watched with morbid fascination, expecting his cheek to rip off at any moment.

"And now, I'm a rubber man," he finished, allowing his cheek to snap back into place. He gave them a massive grin, as they stared in slack jawed disbelief.

"Hang on a second… Are you saying Devil Fruits are real!?" yelled Usopp, as Akisu's eyes widened at the realization. Sure, they've heard of them before, as the sailor's who come by brought wild stories with them. And a few of their shipwrights were actually from the Grand Line, and the stories they told were even wilder than the sailors.

But they've never actually seen one before, or somebody who's eaten one. This was nuts! No wonder he couldn't hurt him with a pachinko ball.

"And as for why we're here, we're actually looking for a ship," said Nami. That caught Usopp's attention, as he gave her a surprised look. "A ship, huh?" he said.

"But not just any ship," said Luffy, with a mouth full of food, fantasizing about his future vessel. "One that's big, but not too big, with lots of cannons."

"Don't forget the fire breathing figurehead," commented Nick.

"Oh yeah, and that!"

Usopp stared at the happily daydreaming boy with a look of disbelief. "You're not serious about that last part are you?" he questioned. Didn't he know what a fire hazard that was? Did eating a Devil Fruit make one completely insane?

When Luffy didn't answer and just kept on daydreaming, he turned to face the others, "He's not serious is he?"

"Unfortunately he is," said Nami with a sigh. Usopp could only stare in shock. As someone who worked on the ships, he could very easily confirm that what he wanted was impossible. Or at the very least, impossible for them.

He's heard about the shipwrights from a place called Water 7, as one of their workers was actually from there, and they could probably do what he wanted. Usopp wasn't sure he believed the man when he said how good they were, but that would be their best bet.

"So anyway, do you think you can show us where they sell the ships?" asked Nami, which broke Luffy from his daydream. He turned to look at the long nosed man, eagerly waiting for his answer.

"No, I'm sorry. You'll have to look elsewhere," he answered, face covered in shadows. The rest of the crew gave each other a look of confusion, and Akisu appeared conflicted.

"But this is where they make the best ships in the East Blue. Come on, can't you take us? Pretty please," Nami asked, fluttering her eyes at him. But unlike Nick, who felt his heart skip a beat, it had no effect on Usopp.

"I said no, so just drop it ok!" he shouted. The room became covered in awkward silence, as nobody knew what to say. He really knew how to kill the mood.

"H-hey, big bro? Maybe we should-" Akisu started to say, but was interrupted by Usopp.

"No! We don't need to involve them," he practically hissed. Akisu shrank back at the reprimand, with tears in his eyes.

"Hey, you don't have to be so mean to him. What's your problem?" said Nami angrily. The others stared at him with similar looks of disappointment and anger. Even Zoro, who was still sore about the whole busted testicle thing, looked peeved.

Usopp stared at the teary eyed youth, before letting out a sigh, "You're right. Sorry Akisu."

The kid used his sleeve to wipe the tears from his eyes before looking back at him, "It's alright."

Usopp gave him a smile, before his face hardened again as he looked at the rest of them, "Look, I'll pay for your food. But once you're finished, I want you to leave. Got it?"

"Just who do you think you are?" asked Nami, her face set in a scowl. She was starting to get fed up with this guy's attitude, and hell hath no fury like a Nami scorned.

Without giving an answer, Usopp stood up, "Look, I have someplace I need to be. Thanks for telling me about my dad, but I still want you out of here."

Nick didn't remember Usopp being this insufferable. Sure he was a whiny, annoying coward at the best of times, but right now, he just wanted to punch the guy in the face.

Without waiting for an answer, Usopp turned around and left, with Akisu chasing after him. The rest of them sat in silence, staring in the direction he left.

"Well, that was fun," stated Nick sarcastically, taking a swig of the good stuff. He didn't particularly like the taste of beer, but for some reason, the stuff sure hit the spot. Maybe it was just because it was an anime world? Who knows.

"Argh, can you believe that guy!? What a jerk!" Nami growled, before she too downed the hatch. But unlike Nick, she chugged the whole damn pint. It was probably a good thing she had such high alcohol tolerance, otherwise they might have had to carry her out of there.

Come to think of it, wasn't she like, 18? Nick was pretty sure that was the case, so was it even legal for her to drink? Not that it mattered much, considering they were criminals, but he still had to wonder if there was a legal drinking age.

"So, what's the call Luffy?" asked Zoro. He didn't really care one way or the other, but he would be slightly upset if he had to go through the pain and humiliation he did, only to end up with nothing to show for it.

"You can't be thinking of leaving, can you?" questioned Nami. She needed to show that little twerp who the boss is.

Luffy just continued to stare after Usopp, a blank look adorning his face. After several seconds, he finally responded, "We're staying. We came here for a ship, and we're not leaving without one.'

The others smirked at that, happy with that decision. Especially Nick, who didn't want to leave the island without the Going Merry. Just the thought of getting to sail on that ship was giving him goosebumps.

"Alright, if we plan to stay, then we'll need to do a bit of investigating," said Nick, as the others turned their attention to him. "Somethings going on here, and we should find out what. It may provide us an opportunity to get a ship."

They looked a bit contemplative at that, mulling the idea over in their head. Zoro gave a snort of amusement, "A pirate playing detective now? What's next, joining the Marines?"

"Naw, Luffy doesn't like the coat, remember? Besides, I doubt he would do well following their orders," Nick said with a grin of his own.

"You have a point there," Zoro responded with a chuckle.

"That's great and all, and I hate to break up this touching male bonding moment, truly I do, but if we're going to investigate, where exactly are we supposed to start?" asked Nami. She was just as eager to figure out what was going on, even if her motivation at the moment was getting back at Usopp.

"You know, we wouldn't have to investigate anything if you were any good at seducing people. Well, except for that moron," Zoro said, gesturing to Nick. The brown haired man just shrugged his shoulders in response. He could refute the claim, but they'd all know it was a lie. He was most definitely seduced.

"What did you say? I can seduce anyone I want. I happen to be an extremely beautiful woman you know," she growled at the green haired swordsman.

"Sure you want to say that in front of your boyfriend?" Zoro said with a smirk. Nami's face took on a red hue at the accusation.

"He is not my boyfriend! He's my servant until such a time as his debt is repaid," she denied.

"Love you too Nami," Nick said with a roll of his eyes.

"You shut it!"

*Line Break*

Usopp glared ahead as he walked down the dirt road, angrily kicking a can out of the way. He stopped as it went skidding ahead, letting out a frustrated sigh.

Why did he do that? Why did he not tell them they needed help? Why did he have to be so damn stubborn? Oh well, it was too late now. He'd just have to make sure to take care of it before it got any worse.

"Hey! Wait up!" shouted a voice behind him. Usopp turned to see who was shouting, only to be surprised when it turned out to be Akisu. His young ward ran up to him before stopping, huffing and puffing.

"Aksu, what are you doing here?" Usopp asked. He figured he'd still be eating or going off to spend time with his friends.

When Akisu finally managed to get his breathing under control, he pointed angrily at his big brother, "What was that about!? Why didn't you ask those guys for help!?"

It was Usopp's turn to be angry, "You just don't get it! There are some things a man can and can't do, and asking someone to solve your problems for you is something a man can't do."

"What? That's stupid. When I need help, I ask for it. I think you're just being stubborn."

The two continued to glare at each other, before Usopp relented with a sigh. He really didn't like to fight with his little brother.

"Well, you might be right," he conceded, "But it's too late now. We'll just have to handle it on our own."

"Uh huh, sure. That would be more convincing if your knees weren't shaking," Akisu pointed out.

"That's just from excitement! They can't wait to take on those dastardly pirates," Usopp defended.

"You're such a liar," Akisu said with exasperated fondness. "Speaking of lying, you're going to see Kaya, aren't you?"

"You don't have to put it that way you know," he stated with a blank look. "But I am. You want to come with?"

"Sure!" Akisu said excitedly. It's been awhile since he's seen her, and he was worried about her condition. He doubted she's gotten any better with everything going on too.

"So what story do you think we should tell her today?" asked Usopp, picking up Akisu and placing him on his shoulders. He seemed to think about it for a moment, before his eyes lit up, "Ooh, I know! How about the one with the giant goldfish?"

"You mean the one with the super humongous poop?" Usopp asked, looking up at his little brother. The young boy grinned down at him, and nodded, "Yeah!"

"Sounds good to me. Girls like stories about poop, right?" asked Usopp, as the two of them made their way towards the giant mansion on a hill.

"I don't see why not," Akisu responded.