One Piece: I will become stronger by checking in

"Huh? What are those two doing?" Luffy asked, blinking in confusion at the sight of Kai and Zoro clashing in front of him.

Why were Kai Vane and Zoro fighting again just as he woke up?

"What else would they be doing? Just a friendly sparring match!" Nami explained calmly from the sidelines, then turned to Luffy.

"By the way, why were you sleeping here?"

"Oh, that," Luffy said, still groggy.

"Usopp and I saw that butler from before talking to another shady character here."

"They were saying something about wiping out the village tomorrow, and then..."

"I was spotted and ended up falling asleep!" Luffy explained.

"Asleep?" Nami's eyes suddenly lit up with realization.

"Did this shady character have an iron ring?"

"Yes, exactly! I fell asleep right after seeing that ring!" Luffy confirmed.

"That makes sense!" Nami said, tapping her chin. "That person must be a Hypnosis Master. You fell asleep because of his powers!"

"Wow, so i got hypnotized!" Luffy exclaimed, his usual cheerful demeanor returning.

Nami said, "In that case, we should head back to the village and check things out!"

She turned to Kai and Zoro, who were still engaged in their sparring match, and shouted, "Let's go, you two!"

"Coming!" Kai replied, quickly closing the distance to Nami with a few quick shaves. Zoro was still more than a hundred meters away, gritting his teeth and retracting his sword.

"What a pain!" Zoro muttered under his breath.

...

After a while~

As the group was heading back to the village, they ran into Usopp, who was looking defeated.

Everyone glanced at Usopp in confusion, except for Kai .

"Captain, over here!" Onion called out to Usopp.

Usopp put on a brave face and waved, "Hey, it's you guys!"

When he saw Luffy, his shock was palpable. He rushed over and asked, "Aren't you supposed to be dead?"

"Huh? Luffy was confused but then remembered. "Oh, I just woke up!"

Before Usopp could say more, Carrot Head interrupted, "Stop with the small talk. We already heard about it from Luffy. Tell the village about the pirates!"

"Tell... the villagers?" Usopp hesitated, then chuckled nervously. "Oh, it's just the usual pirate nonsense. I made that up because that annoying butler got on my nerves!"

"Ah, ha ha ha..." The others laughed it off.

"Yeah, how could there be pirates?" they said as they walked away.

Usopp sensed something was off and asked, "What's going on with you guys?"

"We're disappointed in the captain!" Carrot Head admitted.

"Me too!" said another.

"Our former captain would never make up lies about pirates, no matter how annoying the butler was!"

"Hey, it's boring. Let's go home and eat!" The three continued chatting as they walked back.

Usopp watched them leave, contemplating their words. He didn't say anything but the determination in his eyes grew stronger.

That night, under a starlit sky, Kai , the others, and Usopp sat around a bonfire by the sea.

Usopp stared into the flames, deep in thought.

Kai broke the silence, "Is the pirate threat real?"

"It must be," Usopp said firmly. "They'll definitely land on the island tomorrow!"

"They're coming in from here?" Kai asked, puzzled. "Isn't there another spot on the island where they could land?"

"There's a similar place to the north! They could land there too!" Usopp explained.

"In that case, let's split up. I'll head north alone, and you guys stay here," Kai said calmly.

"You're going alone?" Usopp asked, surprised.

"Of course," Luffy said matter-of-factly. "We're here to protect the island with you!"

Seeing the sincere expressions on their faces, Usopp's tears flowed freely.

"Thank you so much!"

"Hey, no need for thanks. We're helping because you showed real determination. If you weren't brave yourself, we wouldn't get involved," Kai said lightly.

"Exactly!" Zoro agreed. "I'll head north. You guys stay here!"

"Huh?" Kai looked at Zoro skeptically. "You think you can handle it?"

"Don't underestimate me. I can handle it!" Zoro retorted.

"Your swordsmanship isn't quite up to scratch," Kai Vane said dismissively. "And your wanderlust? You might get lost heading north!"

"Clang!"

Zoro drew his sword, but Kai didn't even glance his way.

A third-rate swordsman wasn't worth his time.

"Zoro, let's just do what Kai suggested. We'll stay here, and he'll go north," Nami persuaded.

"Yeah, Zoro. It's better this way," Luffy agreed.

While Zoro wasn't happy, he was convinced by their reasoning.

"Alright, it's settled!" Kai declared. "The Syrup Village Protection Plan is officially on!"

...

The next morning, Nami was amazed by the oil Usopp had found. She hadn't expected to discover such a thing.

"Of course, you're talking to the great Captain Usopp!" he boasted.

"But the pirates are running late. Why haven't they shown up yet?" Usopp wondered, looking at the blazing sun.

"Are they messing with us?" he thought, but quickly dismissed the idea. The butler didn't seem like the type to joke around.

Realizing they might have landed elsewhere, Usopp ran back and said, "They must have landed in the north. We need to help Kai Vane now!"

Just as he finished, Luffy and Usopp dashed off, leaving Zoro about to follow when he felt a hand grab him from behind.

"Nami, let me go!" Zoro yelled as he was pinned to the oil-slicked ground.

Nami ignored him, smiling instead.

"Thanks!" she said, stepping on Zoro's back and climbing up, leaving him fuming.

"That woman, I'm going to get her!" Zoro swore.

...

Meanwhile, on the northern slope...