It's been nearly three years since that day, the family three were still together. Not much has happened since Julia's death—well besides the usopp pirates being formed.
Y/n was now eleven while usopp was twelve, somehow usopp got three little four year old boys to start almost idolizing him and their names were carrot, onion, and pepper.
Y/n looked at onion in annoyance as he cried about falling down with the other three boys. She was the one bandaging him up since Thando was at work and the other boys parents couldn't possibly help them because they were all in the forest right now, running away from them after usopp kept yelling about pirates coming.
"You crybaby, I told you multiple times to look where you're running, now we lost the others and you're injured" y/n said as she finally placed a band-aid on his knee. She sighed and stood up. Onion sniffled and avoided the older girls eyes.
She frowned and kneeled down, he looked up at her confused. "Come on, hop on already." She said and he was surprised. Onion quickly nodded and got on her back. She stood up and began to carry the younger boy on her back.
"Do you know where the village is..?" Onion asked curiously as Y/n froze suddenly realizing, she's only been in the forest two times and both times she's barely focused on her surroundings as she tried to get away from her brothers mess, aka making the villagers mad.
She sighed and tried to look around some more for anything really that could indicate that she was going the right way. Then she saw smoke. Smoke could mean another person nearby, she began to walk in the direction of the smoke while carrying onion on her back.
When she got there she saw a single house, smoke coming outside its chimney. She raised an eyebrow never knowing someone lived this far away from the village.
"What are you two doing here."
She jumped in surprise and quickly turned around, there stood a middle aged man, maybe around his late 60's.
He furrowed his eyebrows at y/n and onion. "I said what are you both doing here." Onion practically hides behind y/n's back as she kept giving him a piggy back ride.
Y/n looked at the man with slight caution. "We got lost and I saw your smoke coming out of your chimney. Can you help us find our way back to the village—" usopp, carrot, and pepper ran out of the forest screaming and crash into him.
.
.
.
Carrot, onion, and pepper were all playing outside with usopp: the man was inside with y/n as she was giving him Meshi's snail number so we can reach Thando. She was looking around the place, she usually doesn't do that since it could be considered rude but this man seemed to have a unique collection of weapons.
She stared at one weapon in particular, a green halberd next to a green slingshot. "Your father should be here soon" the man said as he hanged up. "Thats a relief.." she said and the man looked at her. "You have a fascination for weapons or rather that halberd" she looked away from the halberd and towards the man.
"Sorry—I didn't mean to stare" the man doesn't say anything and then flickered his gaze from her to the weapon. "Have you ever picked up a halberd" she blinked in surprise at the question "I'm eleven, of course I haven't!" She quickly said and he laughed "so, I've been in battle long before I could read" she blinked in surprise.
"Woah—really old man" usopp poked his head from inside "tell us your stories!" Onion said happily and the man grinned as they all surrounded him. The old man went to his kitchen and opened a cabinet. He grabbed this old book and went to them again.
"Well if you insist.." usopp grabbed Y/n's arm and dragged her to sit down next to them as the man began to tell them his stories in the meantime as they wait for Thando to pick them up.
Apparently he was a pirate in his younger days and sailed the seas as his ship's chronicler, he kept all their adventures in his book. Luckily for him he was never caught and slowly him and his crew disbanded and tried to blend in with society again to avoid marines.
.
.
.
"Thank you again sir..sorry it took me so long to get here" Thando said apologetically as he held peppers hand, onion held onto his leg, and carrot was being held in Thandos arms. Y/n was on onions side and usopp was on peppers side.
The man laughed heartily "no problem, your kids are welcomed back whenever they like." Thando looked skeptical for a moment and the old man smiled trying to reassure the younger man. "I don't remember the last time I enjoyed having company over. Maybe it's being able to tell my stories again or these little brats."
Thando was still on edge but looked at the kids who seem excited to visit the old man. He sighed. "Okay..I guess you can spend more time with them but only when I'm around."
.
.
.
Over the past few years the old man—name Amin— would constantly visit Thandos home whenever Thando arranged a story telling for the kids. People on the village were surprised at first with the old man as they have never seen him before but they eventually got used to his presence even if he never stayed for too long after his story telling and went straight home.
.
.
.
"Whatttttt!!" Usopp, carrot, pepper, and onion exclaim as Amin told them he will be leaving. "Why are you leaving?" Y/n asked slightly upset. She liked his stories, it was because of him she became so interested in history. His stories were the most interesting thing she's ever heard in her whole.
Amin grinned. "Well—I never stay in one place for too long, maybe it's the pirate in me." Usopps eyes have stars in them as his tears go down his face. "So cool!"
Thando wiped Usopps tears away but he didn't know whether to comfort the boy since he was smiling so much while continuously crying."But I'll tell you what, I'll leave some of my weapons for you kids" Amin smiled and Thando immediately felt like fainting at the older man's causal words.
"No—no, please don't.." he quickly said and the kids all looked at Thando with a frown, "I wouldn't feel comfortable having them play with such dangerous weapons or any weapons!"
Amin hummed in understanding, he crossed his arms. "Okay." Thando sighed in relief. "Two weapons!" Amin said happily and Thando immediately yelled "no, no weapons!"
.
.
.
