Syrup Island Arc- Part I

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As we enter the Syrup Island arc, we start to see a shift in tone from the more insular “adventure based” chapters, to opening the world up a little more in terms of character and situation. In other words, though there is plenty of action in this arc, it exists to serve as a character study of nearly everyone who is involved, though primarily, of course, Usopp and Kuro. It is also the arc that really slams home and cements the foundation of what nakama aren’t. Also this arc begins to explore what a captain is, what is coded as being a good captain and what is coded as being a bad one.

As an aside, this is also the arc where I first read One Piece when it came out in the American version of Shonen Jump. I clearly remember it was right in the middle as Zoro carried Usopp through the forest—and I couldn’t help but wonder how you could take anyone with a nose like that seriously. I’d like to say that I got into One Piece then, but I mostly said it aside, reading only with passing interest when I saw it and thinking that it probably wouldn’t go anywhere. (ha)

At any rate, before we begin the analysis, we’re going to take a different tack with how we approach this. The Syrup Island Arc is the first arc in which we are introduced to a character in the context of his home and his world. Unlike Luffy, Coby, Zoro and Nami’s introductions where it was bang out of nowhere, we’re coming into Usopp’s world, seeing what it is, how he exists in it, how he relates to it, and how it relates to him. In other words, as this arc functions largely as a character study, we’re going to analyze it in those terms, looking at the subtext of what’s going on in the panels given the knowledge we have of Usopp already. Of course, when discussing subtext you may have a wildly different interpretation than I do, and if that’s the case, feel free to speak up.


But moving on and moving in:

We start, as we always do, with Luffy and his companions floating around and framing the arc.



Planning with a DON!
Luffy and Zoro, are of course, concerned with the more immediate problems:




Firstly, the first shot we see of Luffy sitting in his special seat. Hee. Also Zoro just chillaxing in a good mood.


But again, we can see Nami’s function on the beginning crew. It’s more than just navigating. Luffy and Zoro, having a vague idea of what they want, can only focus on the needs right in front of them. Nami is the one who takes in the current situation, building on what they’ve been told—Gaimon telling them about the Grand Line being the dangerous place, and seeing that, realistically, if they want to make a better go of it, they need a better ship, and, as she goes on to say, they are short a lot of crew.



Rather than brushing off Nami’s concerns, he asks her what to do, trusting not only her skill but her desire to help. Nami, of course, proves her competency as far more than a thief once again. Since she has the ability to recognize the problem, analyze it, and come up with a solution. Essentially, Nami’s function on the crew is making it so what the captain (and by extension herself at this point) wants can actually happen without ending in disaster or being much harder than it should be.

Also, very interesting and subtle to note. Gaimon gave them fruits and veggies, but no meat. He’s very serious about protecting his animal friends. :3

At any rate, we’re introduced to the titular character of the chapter: The Great Captaiiin Usopp!



Note, though, despite the fact the title is called “Captain Usopp Enters” the caption box calls him simply a village youngster. (though I would have gone with ‘youth’ personally) This, of course, places him immediately in the context of his own village and tells us the overall tone of the chapter and the arc. The translator of this particular arc put in some interesting cultural details which is the deal with words you see in the left corner—basically saying Usopp comes from “Uso” which is the Japanese word for a lie. But it can also be in the context of “no way!” So it’s not just regular lies, but lies that make you say: “No way. Nuh uh. Get out.” The translator also goes on to wonder if it’s perhaps related to Aesop who is known, of course, as the Greek guy who wrote the morality stories. It’s an interesting theory, and it’s easy to relate him to the ‘boy who cried wolf’, and really, the difference is in nuance, which is something we’re going to explore.



Also the peaceful village setting right next to him sets up what kind of world this was before all the shit went down. Birds are chirping, it’s scenic, somewhat pastoral and a quaint little town with the imposing house in the distance, watching over everything.
Of course the peace is soon shattered by Usopp running through the village crying warnings.



Now, this seems simple, following the allegory of the boy who cried wolf. But as we find out later that, (according to Merry), Usopp started this particular lie: “the pirates are coming” in hopes that his father actually would return and collect him. But if that’s the case, and if it was only the case, why is he saying they’re in danger?

Firstly, it’s a tic in the Usopp is freaking psychic box.

But for the reasons why, we’ll come to that, for now, just keep this peculiarity in mind.



And since we’re looking at Usopp in the context of the village, let’s look at the villagers who exist in his world.
Old guy on the far right is hilarious because we know that Usopp does this every day. We can tell because of the middle panel that he functions as sort of an alarm clock. So either this old guy:
A) Just moved into town that night.
B) Is fooled every morning.
C) Just woke up and is taken by surprise every morning

As this is One Piece, take your pick.

For the most part, the villagers seem fond of his shenanigans or at least excepting. The guy with the cigarette especially seems to be laughing about it and the woman is smiling.
Usopp then says he was just joking, laughing loudly.



Ouch. Though despite the pot smacking him the head, it’s not a huge thing because of the rule of funny. Usopp isn’t even bleeding from it. Also I sort of love the guy who is coming out of the window on the right. As we’ll find out later he gets aggravated every morning, waiting for Usopp to start his shit—and is mad when he doesn’t start his sht. The fact that it happens every morning and he gets angry every morning makes me think he’s either genuinely freaked out each morning, or just really wants to get his tsun on and is fond of Usopp in his own gruff semi-murderous way.



This, setting up seems like it could be a bad situation.



Nope, Usopp is having the time of his life running from them. He’s laughing and doesn’t look terrified at all as the villagers boil after him in a mad rage.



Now, interesting thing…as we’ve seen, what seems like it could be, isn’t always what it is. No matter how the villagers grouse about getting him next time—Usopp is obviously not afraid of them in the least. If he was, he wouldn’t do it. Besides which, if the villagers were really so hardcore against him, they’d just get him next time he came in the village—Which as we see is not the case. Additionally, if he’s really been careening around the village every morning shouting about pirates since his mother died, and he looked about eight then, that’s almost 9 years of him doing this. Nine years is a lot of time not to catch someone, which leads me to believe that, whenever this tradition began of them chasing him, they don’t try too hard to catch him.

Also, gosh, Usopp, so adorable.




Now as we’ve just discussed, Merry said that he lied like this because of his father. Here we see what he is saying, that he added some excitement to this boring village—and he looks super pleased about it. Of course, of all people, Usopp lies to himself the most, though I think that the truth about the lie regarding pirates is a subconscious urge at best. In other words, he isn’t actively aware he has father issues. Though I can see him lying in tribute to his father, I also think that he does it for the attention. I mean, think about it, he appears to have lived most of his life alone, so tearing through the village crying out is a way to get adults to pay attention to him as he doesn’t know how otherwise to relate to them. In that way it’s sort of a mutual affection. Usopp likes them enough to seek their attention, the villagers care about him enough to give chase and not just ignore it because, again, it’s implied it’s more or less been going on continuously for some time. They can always choose to ignore him, which they obviously don’t.

Also, gosh, Usopp. So adorable. X3

From down below someone calls: Oh, there he is!




First, look at Usopp’s face light up as he sees them.
Secondly, let’s keep in mind that they call him captain and see if Usopp really is captain material.

Finally—we’ve talked before about negative space storytelling. That is, using clues of implication to get a better sense of the world. In this case, we look at what is lacking to better understand what is.

The only other people that are named in narrative boxes in relation to Usopp are Onion (or Tamanegi) and Kaya. No adults are. In other words, there are no adults important enough or involved enough in Usopp’s life to warrant a narrative box. As we can see they don’t hate him, certainly, and he’s definitely a fixture in the village, but none of the adults have a close emotional bond with Usopp. Also important, his “pirates” are a lot younger than he is. Aside from Kaya who is roughly his own age, he has no peers. No teenagers are mentioned or even shown. It’s possible to say that they’re there but just not relevant to the story and not shown, but that’s the point. Usopp has no one his own age to relate to.


At any rate, Usopp asks them where Onion is and they say he’s still sleeping, but soon enough, Onion comes running up freaking out because the pirates are coming! The others accuse Onion of lying.



Firstly, Onion has said “it’s true” about three times already (not shown) and the fact that he has to keep saying it means he’s not often believed. But I think it’s more of a reflection of Usopp’s own lying rather than Onion’s reliability.

Secondly, regardless of Buggy not having a bounty big enough to warrant Zoro’s attention, he’s certainly got other villages freaked out.


And Usopp bolts, we also see one of his first use of his strange diseases. So, yeah, it’s pretty easy to take this in stride. Real pirates are coming, Usopp runs. Duh, he’s a coward and we all know it. But he’s no different from the villagers in Boodle’s town who ran to a refugee camp to hide from Buggy who devastated the hell out of their town and nearly killed their mayor. Pirates are a real damn threat here. Who wouldn’t be scared out of their mind? Even Onion says they’re dead.




But is crew is looking out for him and keeping him honest, in a sense. But here, note what they are saying. They’re pushing Usopp to take the step toward what he wants to do: I.e. being a real pirate. They’re not yelling at him because he’s running away from a scary situation, but more because he’s running from something that will help him see his own ambition.
Usopp stops at Onion’s words and asks him isn’t it a big ship? To which onion replies it’s only two boats.




Because it’s so small, he has no problem confronting them! Woohoo! Again, on the outset, it seems like the coward’s way. But it reflects something deeper about Usopp. If he thinks he can handle it, he’ll be all about handling it, trying to prove himself and his own ambition. You can see that while his crew sweatdrop at him, the expressions on their faces on the bottom left show that they are proud of him. So much so that they call him captain. Also note, his first words are about protecting the village. He doesn’t just want to be a brave pirate, he wants to be a hero. Plus it just sounds good.



Gosh,I just love establishing shots. Also LOL Luffy. He can’t conceive of someone being actually so able to follow a map they get to where they are supposed to be going. He’s such a dork. Plus his pose. Plus Zoro’s pose. There’s so much character in them, Luffy’s stance is strong and open yet ground and Zoro has a definite weight to him even as he rests the oar against his shoulder like a sword. Nami affirms that there is a small village here according to the map and we cut to Usopp and his pirates, peering at them while hiding behind a log with Pepper commenting that they don’t look scary.



You can almost see Usopp’s train of thought as he watches them. He is all the unsure of just who these guys are because they really don’t look like any kind of pirates and certainly not any kind of dangerous pirates. But still they’re pirates so they have to be dangerous, right?
In either case, interesting character moments. Zoro revealing that he was more of a land based guy than a sailor as he comments about firm ground. And Luffy just saying he sleeps all the time. Which is interesting when you mix in the recent SBS where Odacchi said that Zoro slept about three hours a night, plus naps. Naps definitely help supplement his scant sleep schedule. Plus, remember he was sleeping because he was still recovering from a wound. But on the other hand, Zoro spends the majority of the East Blue recovering from a wound.



Also Zoro is pretty observant. He noticed them a moment ago, which says to me at least that he saw them but didn’t see them as threatening, so takes his time in revealing it until after he’s had a good stretch.




This. Keep this in mind. Suffice to say they are just as much scared as he is and just as inclined to bolt.



I just love how they’re watching him first of all.
Nami’s just sort of dismissive curiosity. He’s obviously just a village kid and spying on them but not particularly threatening.

Luffy has a closed fist stance, though it’s more out of interest than anything. Who is this guy? Is he interesting? Why was he hiding.

Zoro’s hand on the hip and eyebrow cocked as if sort of waiting for an explanation, or at least what Usopp will do, but not too concerned, just mild curiosity.

Usopp’s expression is, of course, ridic wonderful. He’s like. Shit. Caught. What the heck do I do now? Caught between fight or flight.




Lying with a ZUDON! Essentially, he’s decided he can probably handle it and the best way to do this is to intimidate them, if not into leaving the island, at least he can intimidate them into not causing trouble. And of course calling himself Captain is one of the lies he says because he wants it to be true—But also it’s not entirely false. His pirates do call him captain. Further he tells them that it’s best that they not attack this village because his 80,000 men will not forgive them.



Nami’s bullshit radar is well attuned. Not that it was a lie that anyone over the age of twelve could see through. Usopp is not used to being disbelieved so suddenly and acutely and is shocked into freaking out. Also, as I mentioned, I don’t think he’s accustomed to dealing with people his age. Not adults who he sort of expects to disbelieve his lies by nature of them being adults, and not kids who will believe him regardless.



Luffy, of course, thinks he’s funny as balls. He is so entertained by Usopp I love it. Of course Usopp takes insult at being laughed at and this, this lie, is super important:

He says that he is a man with high self esteem and that people regard him as honorable, because it’s something he hopes for himself to be true. We know how rock bottom his self esteem is. But, interestingly, regardless of whether or not people call him honorable, he is a super honorable guy. But you can take this in two ways. Firstly, “honorable” can be in the sense of “worthy to be honored”. In other words, that people look up to him. This, I think, is what he means, since it falls in line with his high self esteem bit. But honorable can also mean “someone who does something honorable.” Something just, right, etc. Which, as we see, he does.
At any rate, they wind up at a restaurant:



First of all, this goes to show that Usopp, despite being chased every morning, is quite welcomed in the village. No one is glaring at him or trying to kick him out.

Secondly, hell, I just like everyone sitting around and eating and just acting casual. One of the best parts of OP, I don’t even care. I enjoy Luffy’s grin as he pulls at the meat and Zoro just chilling, drinking sake and chewing on something. What the heck are you even chewing on, Zoro. It’s not a straw I don’t think. Is it a fry? A potato crisp? What? Inquiring minds who think to much need to know. Also Nami’s listening pose. We can see her becoming gradually more casual as time goes on.

Usopp reveals that the only ship belongs to the owner of a mansion who lives near the edge of the village.



Now it’s interesting because we know that Usopp is close with Kaya and goes to talk to her. But here, the dramatic angle and the word choice, seems like he’s distancing himself from her and the situation—But no, he’s telling a story. Look at how narrative his words are and how he is creating Kaya as a character in his story. It’s true but he’s also creating atmosphere and tension and taking this seriously.




But Nami’s the only one paying attention to this. Or seeming to. Though while Luffy and Zoro may be listening, I think Usopp’s more pissed that they weren’t taking the narrative of his story seriously and listening with deep intent and rather asking for more meat and sake. Also gosh, Luffy, so cute. I love his bulgy cheeks.

Usopp goes on to say that the girl’s parents died of sickness a year ago and so she inherited the family fortune.



Probably the truest thing Usopp has said, and you can tell by his posture. When he’s telling them the start of a grandiose, serious story, he’s leaning forward, gesturing with his hands, making eye contact. Here he is leaning back, puffing a breath and looking toward the ceiling. This is something he knows and believes to be true. It’s his own observation and thoughts on the matter. Nami knows this. Hoo boy does she know it. Though her situation isn’t at all similar… and I think here, she also sees more to Usopp than he’s aware he’s revealing.



But also, firstly, patting her hand on the table is sort of symbolic of making a decision about this. She’s not going to ask someone who lost their family for a ship and despite the fact that Kaya is wealthy, Nami is not about to interrupt her life to ask for something and intrude on her life in that way. Also the sense that Nami was sad but stopped that train of thought in its tracks and collected herself by giving herself a new problem to focus on.



This just for cute Luffy but also an example of the lazy rambling tone of the East Blue. They’re in no hurry. Get a ship whenever. Luffy just wants to enjoy himself and meat. Yes meat is essential.

Usopp brings back up the fact that they are looking for companions:




Wow, Usopp. That takes balls. It really does. But there’s also the sense that he really doesn’t understand the seriousness of being a pirate, or even being a captain. He doesn’t know them. He didn’t go through the work of gathering them. While Carrot, Onion and Pepper may follow him, they do so right now because they are kids and it’s a game, albeit a fun game. They also have some faith in Usopp, I believe, merely because he’s older than they are and functions as an adult.

But to dial back here a bit, let’s think about why he may want to be captain in the first place. What is a captain anyway? Well so far, the captain is the one who makes the decisions and the one that people look up to and follow. Though I wouldn’t say that he wants a Buggy style of respect, another aspect of being looked up to and followed is being acknowledged—and also vital to the crew. You can’t have a pirate crew without a captain and if he were in that position, no one would be able to push him to the side—and of course he gets to create all the adventures.
In any case, it doesn’t turn out quite how he’d hoped.



They are really not interested. Like, at all. And of course Usopp is like just reject my idea out of hand why don’t you! Which sort of suggests that he doesn’t really think of this much more than a more elaborate game than he’d been playing. Which seems childish, but other than understanding the threat of the Buggy Pirates, Usopp doesn’t really have a concept of what a real pirate’s life is like. Despite the loneliness of living in his village, he hasn’t had a terribly hard life in it or really experienced much in the way of legitimate danger.
Kaya appears next on the page, but let’s hold off on her a little and take a look at the title page of chapter 24.



Things that you can’t lie about. Hmm. And look at this really strong image of Nami which really hints at her true nature.

Her expression is hidden by her hair but it’s obvious she is in control, ready to whack the fuck out of the snake again, but right now showing she’s got this by eating an apple.

The snake is huge and peering hungrily at the baby birds who watch it back, obviously not in any sort of distress, but keeping their sights on the danger. .. because the danger is still there.

In other words, Nami is not strong enough to move a huge snake on her own, but what she can do is keep it at bay to keep innocents from getting hurt, and acting far more confident than she really is. Which, is a great counterpoint to Usopp, but we’ll touch on later.
Moving on, the chapter opens with Usopp’s pirates looking for Usopp.



Once again, questioning Onion’s honesty.

But here, remember how we talked about a crew reflecting their captain? Well what does this reflect? They ran away from the ‘evil pirates’ initially, but out of concern for their captain, someone they care about in other words, they are coming back to fight for them. Even willing to die. But of course, there’s still a sense that a large part of it is just a game. I think if they were really freaked out, they would have told their parents about it. But no, they are going into the great battle themselves! They burst in, declaring themselves the Usopp Pirates. Also note Carrot assuming pirates eat people, but Pepper correcting him that it’s the onibaba that eats people. (literally: demon hag)

They burst into the restaurant, proclaiming the Usopp Pirates are here!



Hee, Luffy sippin’ his tea. He’s so cute. I don’t know why but one of the weirdest parts about Luffy somehow is that he drinks tea like this. Or it doesn’t have to be tea. It could also be coffee. God forbid. Gave myself a cold chill there.

ANYWAY, the important part of this is that the mistake that Carrot made now becomes the assumption that Usopp was indeed eaten and they demand their captain’s safe return!



Luffy doesn’t really help in this situation, of course. Also I love his expression. Meal is done and he’s happy ant satisfied. And look at the far left. Nami is amused and smiling at this. She’s even giggling a little. Considering how tense she was through the entirety of the Buggy arc, she’s relaxing even more here.



Also, it’s not often touched on, but Zoro is a freaking troll. Look at this shit. He’s doing this on purpose to rile them up. And it’s not the only time he does something like this either. He more or less continuously riles Sanji up, deliberately, though of course we’ll get into that dynamic when we come to it—but suffice to say Roronoa Zoro is kind of a jerk, though he means well.



Of course, Nami takes the brunt of this but look how damned amused Zoro is. Despite his serious manner, he’s got a good sense of humor, which we’re seeing more of in the timeskip as it goes on. Though eventually they do tell the kids’ the truth, Zoro apparently telling them that Usopp said it was “that time” before he left the restaurant. The kids say he goes to the mansion where the sick girl lives and Luffy asks why.



Mostly this for the kids really know Usopp for who he is, which is, a good guy. And Luffy’s confused expression. It’s not often he gets to “eyebrow?” like that but it’s adorable and I like looking at it because Lu is as cute as hell. Moving on.
Let’s get back to Kaya, shall we?



First, the first shot we see of this mansion is, it’s imposing and it’s gated. We see Kaya inside and then outside, most of what we see is the imposing wall. Remember how we were talking about the “boxed daughter”? Kaya pretty much fulfills these qualifications, though in such a way that she doesn’t even know it.

To refresh, the qualifications for a Boxed Daughter:

The first box was almost literally a box, which kept them in their room with little to no knowledge of the outside world.
The second box was a box of obedience, daughters were shown little to no affection and expected to obey without question.
The third box was one of ancient knowledge and wisdom, passed down through the centuries, giving their daughters an appreciation for learning.

The first is pretty self explanatory. She’s kept in a room, yes because she’s sickly—but as for little to no knowledge of the outside world?



Usopp represents very much the outside world and definitely outside influence.
Also it leads into the second concept of obedience without question.
Now, of course, Khaladore can’t force this on her. She is the mistress and he the servant. She even calls his attitude petty and he accepts this and says she can call him whatever she wants. Furthermore:



He seems like he’s just concerned for her safety, but it’s so insidious because we know he’s manipulating her. Having Usopp as a friend means that she can rely and relate to someone else. No, Kuro needs her to relate to and rely on only him. He does this by manipulating her. Saying he’s doing it for her own good and reminding her that this was her parents instructions to him. It’s something guaranteed to get right at the core of her, because, in sharp contrast to Usopp’s lies, this is a perfectly honest statement. There is nothing dishonest about what he says.

He says it’s for her own good and she says she knows and he leaves some medicine for her and then leaves the room.

Essentially, obedience without question for her own good.

But in comes Usopp anyway. Or at least taking a place outside her window.



How many romances have had a window scene? Hm? /chinhands/ Though whether or not you ship, there’s no mistaking Kaya’s smile or that Usopp saw how sad she was.



What bugs Kaya the most is her not allowing to bring him in doesn’t show him the respect she feels he deserves as her friend, someone who helps come and cheer her up. Usopp says that he doesn’t mind, because of course he does. While I think it’s partly a lie and he’s just saying so she won’t worry, for the most part, his chief goal is to make her happy so being allowed inside doesn’t matter. Also look at his expression as he tells her he’s a brave warrior of the sea.

Aww, Usopp. So cute. He believes this about himself and is sort of saying this to anchor himself to this concept. This is what I am so it doesn’t bother me. He’s also trying to impress Kaya that he’s awesome and he’s not just some village kid but actually important. Not that she needs any encouraging to believe that.

It’s also, thematically, the opening to a story. Usopp is coming there, but he’s not coming as Usopp. He’s setting himself up as the Great Warrior of the Sea narrator.


Kaya asks what adventure Usopp will tell her today and Usopp tells her about the time he fought a southern giant goldfish when he was five.



Another tic in Usopp is freaking psychic. We’ll meet that goldfish just outside of Little Garden since, as the giant’s mention, his poop has been mistaken for islands. We’ll get back to that, of course, when the time comes but it’s also a remind that Oda. Never. Forgets.

Also look how happy Kaya is about this. She’s dying. Even though you know she knows that Usopp is /ahem/ full of shit.
/ducks flying bricks/

Moving on, cut back to Luffy who says that Usopp is a great guy! Since the kids reveal to them that he tells Kaya stories in order to lift her spirits. They also say what they really like about Usopp. Carrot likes his noisness, Pepper his cowardice and Onion his lies. Zoro is kind of sweatdroppy about this since they’re not exactly virtues. But it’s sort of an indicator that they like Usopp just because he’s Usopp. He’s enough just as he is.



Aww, all thanks to the Captain. They are super proud of him, you guys. Also in terms of ‘captain’. The crew respect and admire who they are and what they do. Also, Luffy hears that the woman is all better now and so:



Luffy has enough sense and compassion not to intrude on someone who is mourning to ask for a ship. But since she’s all better and not sick, why not? Nami is still against it, of course, because for one thing, I think she doubts that just lifting Kaya’s spirits is enough to just go asking for a ship.

They go to the mansion and Luffy stands outside the gate and asks to be lent a ship, but no one is there and so no one answers and he climbs over it anyway.



Not the first time Nami will facepalm at something Luffy does. I also love how pragmatic Zoro is. This is also what captaincy is. If we can’t stop him, we’ll have to follow him. Back to Usopp who is still telling his story outside of Kaya’s window.



Country of Dwarves huh. B| Country of DWARVES. B| Tontatta anyone? Another tic for Usopp is freaking psychic.
In any case, Luffy and co as well as the kids show up. Usopp is surprised to see them, but then uses the situation to his advantage.



Zoro in the background. Either looking around and keeping guard but also being a bit like, don’t include us in your weird story. But yeah, Usopp, just deciding something is so like that doesn’t necessarily make it so—especially since it’s just for the sake of the story and making Usopp look better. As well as to include himself, I believe, since I don’t think that he thinks that they’ll be the ones to ask him or let him in—so he has to make the first move.




Kaya is so intrigued by this notion of a request. Much like Usopp she’s likely existed in isolation for quite a while, so being approached like this is interesting. Also by someone with that expression. He’s just like yeah we need a big ship. What kind of person just asks that? Luffy does. Will I ever get tired of Luffy expressions? No, dear reader, no I will not.
In any case, Khaladore comes approaches them and says they can’t be here, Usopp has an ‘oh shit’ face because he knows he’s in trouble.



Despite the fact that he’s a butler, he just cuts her the hell off, behaving more like a father at least in the controlling sense than anything. There is no doubt here who is in control of the situation. He isn’t even particularly polite about it, just raises his hand to stop her and says they’ll discuss it later.

Khaladore asks what they are doing there and if they want something.



Just, Luffy in the background. Immediately sadfacing about such a blunt rejection and Zoro patting his back like, there, there, Captain. Also, aside from Luffy picking Zoro up and hauling him out of Boodle’s town, it’s the first time we’ve seen (at least an implied) touch between them.

At any rate, Khaladore spots the ‘Sopp.





And they both knooow that Usopp is in trouble. You can tell that Kaya feels bad about it but is unsure of what she can do to stop it because she feels like it’s her fault. This is classic victim behavior in an abusive relationship. Usopp is just like urk. Oooh shit. Oda’s expressions, man.




This seems to be a case of Usopp believing in his own lies and living in his own story. Of course they call him Captain Usopp because he is a loved and respected member of the village, so Khaladore may also call him that. Also the villagers must talk really well of them considering just what a great guy he is!

Khaladore isn’t buying it and asks what Usopp is doing here:



First, Usopp is tense now since Khaladore is not going along with the story and makes up a lie off the cuff. But let’s look at the lie.
A mole inside the mansion. B|
A mole.
From the Wikipedia page: In espionage jargon, a mole (also called a penetration agent,[1] deep cover agent, or sleeper agent) is a long-term spy (espionage agent) who is recruited before he has access to secret intelligence, and subsequently works his way into the target organization.

Usopp is freaking psychic number four.

Khaladore says he can lie well, certainly, and has heard about his father:



Damn, that’s cold. I don’t think that Kuro believes for one hot second that Usopp is a threat physically to Kaya in any way, but he does know how to manipulate the situation to his liking. Also note what he says. The son of a filthy pirate. Who else was the son of a pirate and paid for it?



Luffy, Zoro and Nami’s reactions are just interesting. While obviously Zoro recognizes it’s an insult, he’s got no vested reason t be involved so he’s just hanging around to see what happens. Nami seems angry, though I’d venture it’s due to the implied insult rather than Usopp’s relations, and Luffy is openly curious.

And Usopp is pissed. This is one of the rare times we see him truly angry. Khaladore continues to insult Usopp:



and....



Kaya won’t stand for it either and we can see how courageous she is. Despite the fact that she cares for Khaladore and respects him as a person, she’s not afraid to tell him to knock it the hell off when he’s wrong.

Khaladore says that it’s just the truth and goes on to say that he feels sorry for Usopp. That Usopp obviously hates his father because his father was a dumb treasure hunter who abandoned his family and his village.




And here is where the title comes into play. This is one thing Usopp won’t lie about and the more Khaladore speaks, the more pissed Usopp gets.

Because really, Usopp is all about words and the impact they have and he knows just what Khaladore is implying by this. You can also see with that little smirk that the evil butler knows just what he’s doing and that it is all going according to plan.



Even Usopp, who is not really a fighter, can only take so much before he snaps. As a parallel to Luffy, he’s not angry that Khaladore insulted him, but that he insulted his father. And like Luffy he reacts violently, punching him right in the face. You can say, well Khaladore doesn’t seem much of a threat so… And yes, that’s true, but also remember that what galvanized the win in the fight with Miss Merry Christmas and Mr. Four, was her insulting Luffy’s dream and, by extension, Luffy.



Kaya is obviously freaked out by the violence and even maybe thinking it’s her fault since she allowed Usopp in, making Khaladore speak against him, hurting them both.

Luffy is annoyed Khaladore but this is also a sort of watching aggravation. It’s not his fight but Usopp’s, so he has no reason to interfere. Khaladore says that he’s so violent and like father like son. Which is also something we’ll see later and more than once.

Of course his own crew is concerned about him, which just shows how good a guy Usopp really is. I mean they’re kids and there is nothing about their natures that suggest they want fame or power. They’re just playing games, but they know Usopp well enough to be his friend and to be mad at his mistreatment.

But, for now, we’ll end on Usopp’s pride.



Of course we know that Usopp’s ambition is being a brave warrior of the sea, and this is why. Because he’s proud of his father. He’s proud of his bloodline and he’s proud of his father’s ambition. So he wants to be a man just like him and maybe even worthy of his approval? The last is hard to say exactly, but the fact of the matter is that you can say that, bundling it all up, his pride is his treasure. Pride in his father, of having this bloodline. His pride in the people that he cares about could be seen to be something he treasures. He certainly defends it. Though as for the rest of what Usopp may treasure, that remains to be seen.


Themes

As the introductory chapters are more character building, the themes aren’t particularly strong as of yet. There are the very foundations of captaincy, mostly shown in how much Usopp’s pirates care for him, but also you get the sense that Usopp, at least at the moment, is not fully aware of what a Captain is/does except for lead the charge/make up adventures.
One theme very specific to Usopp’s chapters and touched on here is:

Words are Power At the very beginning we have the juxtaposition that you wouldn’t normally expect.

Lies can heal, truth can harm.

Usopp lies all the time. It’s in his name, after all. Some of it is making up stories, true, but some of it is flat out bold faced lying. For whatever the reason, he’s definitely not telling the whole truth. But his lies are almost always about himself or the benefit of others. The time he tried to stretch the truth and say that Luffy and co were part of his pirate crew he was shut down and doesn’t attempt that lie again. Lies, though, can also heal, in terms of Kaya. His intent is good and to amuse her and she knows they are lies but is entertained.

For a scheming asshole, Khaladore is a consummate truth-teller. There is nothing he said that was a lie, and therefore, nothing he can get caught in. Even the words about Usopp’s father—while they may not be the truth, they are certainly easy perceptions of someone who has a strong anti-pirate bias.

Though conversely, it’s all tied up in intent. Usopp is a liar, but he’s an honest liar. He says he likes to lie. His intent is never to harm. Khaladore speaks the truth in order to have his way, to get Kaya to trust him yes, but also to rouse Usopp’s anger and get Usopp to hit him.
Remember it’s not what people say, but what they do.


Characters

Usopp: Leaving aside my guesses at the more subtle implications of his character for now. Let’s look at what is present. Usopp is a good-natured yet impulsive liar who, while self-aggrandizing at times, cares for others. He sneaks in at risk to himself to tell her stories after all, and if we look at how other characters react to him, namely his kid crew, we can see that they like him enough to come to his rescue, even if they probably knew (even subconsciously) there wasn’t too much real danger—but they don’t like seeing him get hurt or mad either—which just goes to cement the fact that he really is a good hearted person. They take care of him the best way they know how. Other than that, Usopp is a story teller by nature, who loves the attention of others, and while probably naïve about what a pirate life entails, understands the sadness of life very well. Also, though an easy going guy, insult someone who cares about and he will straight up punch you in the face. I don’t imagine this is the first time it’s happened either.

Kaya: A kind-hearted person who could do with cheering up. Though there is no doubt that she loves Khaladore dearly (in the platonic sense) and undoubtedly feels gratitude, she is also held in place by honoring Khaladore’s gratitude and sense of duty. She’s kind-hearted and so doesn’t want to hurt him in denying him what he feels is his duty—but at the same time won’t hesitate to step up and order him to stop if she feels as if he’s crossing over the line. Though she’s a fairly lonely girl, still coming out of mourning her parents, she has a strong heart and will.

Usopp Pirates: Though Carrot, Onion and Pepper are very much individuals, what is important here is how they relate to Usopp – and they are staunch supporters but great friends. They call him out on his bullshit when he tries to escape his ambition, come to his rescue, and follow his lead as loyally as they can. In some ways, regarding these three, Usopp may be more of a captain than he realizes.

Khaladore: Seeming like a grateful concerned person on the outside, his actions and expressions show that he’s really kind of an asshole and thinks he’s superior. From what we’ve seen this chapter, despite being her butler, he cuts Kaya off, making decisions for her like a parent and keeping her in her box—and moreover he enjoyed destroying Usopp like that.

Comments

[rainsometimes]

Ahhh YESSS now we're really getting somewhere! :D

Love how carefully you point out body language in various panels. I am also rather fond of the way Zoro's sitting with the oar in that one panel, the weight of his body.
And the trio looking up silently at Usopp a couple moments later.

Also the sense that Nami was sad but stopped that train of thought in its tracks and collected herself by giving herself a new problem to focus on.

That's a neat point, I hadn't thought of that!
I also really like the point that she probably sees more of Usopp than he realises he's revealing.

I hadn't realised before that Kuro-as-Klahadore keeps telling the truth - and making nasty accusations/insinuations, but he's not claiming those as facts, so you can't call that lying, just being nasty - but in a manipulative and malicious way, while Usopp keeps lying, but in a beneficial and honest manner.

One theme very specific to Usopp’s chapters and touched on here is:

Words are Power

This!! Very perceptive and true.