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━━━━━━━ ❛ prologue ❜
Little ten-year-old Cassidy opened the door of her small cabin heavily, it was approximately seven in the morning and the loud ringing of the bell had interrupted her deep sleep.
When she focused her gaze on the streets that were being illuminated by the dawn sun, she let out a yawn.
"The pirates are coming! The pirates are coming!" a dark-skinned boy ran quickly, knocking on each door loudly, warning about the arrival of the pirates.
"Pirates?!" the villagers exclaimed with fear and some in disbelief.
A wide smile took over Cassidy's lips the instant she heard the mention of pirates. After hearing the story about Gol D. Roger thousands of times, being a pirate became her dream. But the harsh reality hit her and it was that no pirate had approached the island. The freckled girl went back into her cabin with a face of disappointment.
And so it happened for months and years, that unknown child walked through the streets day after day, announcing a false arrival of false pirates, ones who never set foot on the island.
Cassidy sat on a rock, waiting to hear the bell ring and for the boy to once again shout from the rooftops that the pirates were coming.
"The pirates. . . !" the little liar stumbled the moment Cassidy pretended to accidentally put her foot in the boy's ankle. He let out a small laugh as he fell face first into the sand.
"Oops, sorry. I didn't see you," Cassidy apologized with false innocence, crossing her arms behind her head.
The dark-haired man immediately stood up and wiped the traces of wet sand from his clothes and face, releasing a sigh.
"It doesn't matter," he didn't even turn to look at her, he instantly returned to his old business.
"The pirates, the pirates are coming!" he warned and Cassidy smiled widely.
"Which pirates?" she asked mockingly, following his pace quickly.
"Pirates, you know, those who go through the sea with a ship and a flag with a skull symbol that. . ."
"I know what pirates are, but I've never really seen one around here," she shrugged, staring at him.
"Why are you lying, fool?" she asked confused.
"Because I know that one day they will come and so will my dad with them. I don't want my mom to lose hope about that," he responded simply, letting out a sneeze due to the sand that got embedded in his nostrils.
Cassidy lowered her arms, letting them fall to the sides of her little body. Her mocking smile vanished in moments.
"Is your dad a pirate?" she asked confused.
"Yes, one of the best, although I don't know him, I know he is," he smiled genuinely.
Cassidy smiled again, "My dad is also a pirate, but he left when I was just a baby, so when I heard you say that the pirates were coming, I had a glimmer of hope that he would return," the kid with the hazel hair confessed.
The boy sighed, "I'm sorry, I didn't want to─"
"My name is Cassidy," the girl interrupted, extending her hand toward the liar.
The brunette looked at his somewhat confused face, but his confused expression was replaced by a wide smile.
"I'm the great Captain Usopp, it's a pleasure, Cassidy," he gave the little girl's delicate hand a light squeeze.
Cassidy laughed, "Usopp is a weird name, I'll tell you Soppi, it sounds like soup, my favorite food," she walked in front of him.
"Huh?" she frowned in confusion. "Aren't you coming? We must warn that the pirates are coming," she smiled warmly.
Usopp reciprocated his smile instantly and they both began to shout loudly about the false arrival of the pirates.