Yasopp's eyes widened sharply. Moments later, his vision blurred, and the whites of his eyes were swallowed by darkness, as though a layer of black mist had consumed them.
In the next instant, he found himself standing in a dim, desolate space. Black mist drifted endlessly around him, and above, a blood-red full moon cast a chilling crimson glow over everything.
Yasopp swallowed dryly. He lowered his head and saw that his body had returned to normal. His voice came out low and uncertain.
"Where am I?"
A mournful cry suddenly echoed through the darkness.
"Father!"
Yasopp flinched, his entire body tensing as he shouted,
"Who is it?!"
As his voice faded, the mist in front of him parted, revealing a shadowy figure.
The figure stood with its head lowered and arms hanging loosely, its presence devoid of life.
Yasopp frowned deeply. His hand instinctively moved to the pistol at his waist.
Then, the figure began to move, stepping forward slowly.
The oppressive atmosphere tightened around him. Yasopp raised his gun without hesitation, aiming directly at the approaching silhouette.
"Who are you?!"
The figure did not answer. It continued forward at an unhurried pace. As it drew closer, Yasopp caught a glimpse of its face under the faint moonlight.
Those familiar freckles.
Yasopp's expression changed instantly.
"You… you are Ace?!"
The figure finally reacted. It lifted its head slightly, revealing the face of Portgas D. Ace. His skin was deathly pale, completely devoid of vitality.
Black mist coiled around his neck like something alive.
A twisted smile stretched across Ace's face, almost reaching his ears.
"Hello."
Yasopp's disbelief was obvious.
"That's impossible… weren't you killed?!"
Ace tilted his head at an unnatural angle. A cracking sound echoed, as if his neck had snapped.
"Killed… oh right. I'm already dead… hahaha! Dead!!"
His laughter was hollow and chilling. The black mist around him surged violently.
Yasopp tightened his grip on his gun, his eyes locked onto Ace.
Suddenly, Ace stopped laughing. His body trembled, and the mist around him dispersed.
Inside his chest cavity, a human head was embedded.
The face turned toward Yasopp.
"Father…"
Yasopp froze for a split second before his eyes nearly burst open.
"Usopp! My son!!"
It was Usopp.
He had not recognized the voice at first. After all, Yasopp had left to follow the pirate flag when Usopp was still a child. He had never truly known what his son's voice sounded like as he grew.
Usopp stared at him with empty eyes.
"Father… I died miserably…"
A flicker of annoyance crossed Ace's face. He reached into his chest, grabbed Usopp's head by the nose, and pulled it out.
There was no blood. No flesh. Only a hollow void remained in his chest.
Ace glanced at the head in his hand with disdain.
"You keep whining. If you want your Father, then go."
With that, he threw Usopp's head forward.
Yasopp dropped his gun without a second thought and lunged ahead, catching it.
Usopp's mouth kept repeating the same word.
"Miserable… miserable…"
Yasopp's hands trembled violently as he held his son's head. His mind teetered on the edge of collapse.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
He muttered endlessly, as though possessed.
He didn't even notice when someone appeared behind him.
A woman stood there, her gaze cold and piercing.
It was Banchina.
"You don't deserve to be a husband. And you certainly don't deserve to be a father."
Yasopp's body shook. He slowly lifted his head, his eyes filled with confusion and despair.
Then more figures appeared.
Villagers from Syrup Village surrounded him.
Their voices overlapped, filled with accusation and contempt.
"You abandoned your family!"
"You couldn't even protect your own son!"
"You're nothing but a coward!"
The crimson light of the blood moon intensified, bathing everything in a suffocating red glow.
Something inside Yasopp snapped.
A violent surge of emotion overwhelmed him. His eyes turned completely red, like a beast driven mad.
With a sudden motion, he threw Usopp's head aside, grabbed his gun, and began firing wildly at the surrounding villagers.
Gunshots rang out relentlessly, blending with screams of terror.
Even in his frenzy, his aim remained flawless. Every shot struck true.
Time lost all meaning.
Eventually, the gunfire stopped.
Silence fell.
Yasopp stood in a pool of blood, his gaze empty as he looked at the corpses scattered around him.
Among them was Banchina.
Clang.
The gun slipped from his hand and hit the ground.
His knees gave out, and he collapsed into the blood-soaked ground.
"I'm in hell…"
Ace appeared again in front of him, as though he had never left.
He leaned forward slightly. Through the hollow cavity in his chest, Yasopp's broken face could be seen from the other side.
Under the blood moon, Ace brought his lips close to Yasopp's ear.
"Do you want to be free from here?"
Yasopp's face was pale, lifeless, almost identical to Ace's.
He nodded slowly.
Ace's smile deepened.
"It's simple. Think about it. If you never had a son like Usopp, none of this would have happened. No guilt. No thoughts of revenge. No fear of ridicule…"
His voice was smooth, almost hypnotic.
At that moment, his expression bore an uncanny resemblance to Lloyd.
But Yasopp did not notice.
He staggered to his feet, his voice hollow.
"I… don't have a son…"
…
Inside a quiet room, Yasopp's eyes slowly opened.
A voice filled with relief rang out.
"Yasopp! You're finally awake!"
Yasopp blinked, his thoughts sluggish as he sat up and rubbed his aching temples.
"Roux… why are you here?"
The man in front of him was Lucky Roux.
"Yasopp, you've been asleep for a week. It's my turn to look after you today."
Yasopp paused.
"A week…?"
"Yeah. If it wasn't for the Celestial Dragons saying… uh…"
Roux suddenly stopped himself, quickly covering his mouth.
Yasopp waved his hand dismissively and gave a faint smile.
"It's fine. Losing to a monster like that isn't embarrassing."
His eyes flickered slightly.
"As expected of the boss's brother."
Roux blinked, a strange feeling rising in his chest.
Something about Yasopp felt… off.