It was time to get to work! Usopp could not just spend all his time being a willing slave and then feel pity for himself. He had to find a way to get Nami and then get out of here.

He needed a weapon, obviously. Lucky for him there was plenty of rocks and wood around him. Sadly though… He had yet to find a rubber band. Not even a single one.

A slingshot seemed to be a no go for now, how-ever. Usopp were able to create a sling, and a small pouch for stones he could hang in his trousers. He had to be careful though and needed to hide in the evening hours when they weren't working as he worked on his projects.

Next up would be something for Nami… A staff. A staff though would be much tougher to hide and elected to create several smaller pieces of woods which could be put together into one long staff.

Man… This sure was a downgrade from all the clima tacts he had made. He had spend such a long time perfecting Nami's weapons with his own new knowledge and now with the lack of materials… he was kind of back to square one.

It was okay though, Usopp suddenly remembered how he had managed to take all the new items he had discovered on their journey and turned them into new and better weapons for both himself and Nami, he had done it many times. He could do it again! What-ever he happened to find in this hole, he would be able to turn into something useful. For now all he had was stone, wood and cloth. But that was enough, at least for now. He even found a metal wire, it could be used as a lock pick!

All he needed was for Nami to tell him which kind of lock pick he needed to make with the precious piece of metal so she could free the both of them.

Things were looking up for sure! And Usopp turned towards the massive palace above him… Nami…

He could not afford to go in there aimlessly, he needed to find out which direction to go but… There had to be a way to get this information! Somehow!

Little did Usopp know, the answer would come to him. Because his partner, his Nakama was not out of tricks herself.

And suddenly a young boy, seemingly a teenager wearing servants clothes suddenly stood beside Usopp looking at him with squinted eyes.

Usopp blinked as he looked at the teen. "Can I help you?" he asked.

"You have a very long nose." The teen commented. "And black curly hair. You're Usopp?"

Usopp blinked. "Yeah. And who are you?"

"This is from Nami!" The teen exclaimed handing him a folded piece of paper.

Usopp's eyes widened. "Nami?" he asked. "You talked to Nami?" he asked taking the piece of paper and the teen grinned.

"Of course I have! She's my girlfriend!" The teen grinned.

That made Usopp look up at the teen. "Are you sure about that?" he asked.

"Of course she is. The way she holds me, and those… Those boobs. So soft." The teen swallowed with hearts in his eyes. "She said, I was the only one she could trust with this. She trusts me!" the teen stated loudly. "And we are going to run away together!"

Usopp couldn't help but smirk. He didn't even know if he had the heart to tell this boy that he had clearly been played.
Nami rubbing her entire body up against some poor man to get what she wanted… It was kind of what she did. And it worked, obviously. Then play the victim making her voice all high pitched to play the people around her. Well, it was nice to see she hadn't lost her spirit either and Usopp opened the paper to read the note.

"Hey Usopp! Alibert better give you this note!
They told me all the male slaves are being kept in the mines, those whom don't work as servants in the palace itself.
I any case I hope this notes finds you and that you are well. I myself share quarters with a number of other female slaves. We are on the fourth floor in the east wing.
I figured it would be to risky to try to leave right now as we are guarded at all times and I don't even know what direction to go. Or how to go get you.
I also send a package of cigarettes with Alibert I managed to swipe from the grand hall. You should be able to use the cigarettes as currency among servants and slaves. I'm sure you would be able to put that to good use somehow.

Remember, we are going to leave together!

xxx Nami."

Astounded Usopp looked at the note, then he smiled. Fourth floor east wing! Now he knew, then he glanced at the teen, apparently named Alibert. "Where's the cigarettes?" he asked.

"What?" Alibert asked and Usopp cleared his throat as he laid out a hand. Alibert pouted but finally handed the package over and Usopp put them into his own pouch.

"Do you have paper so I can send back a reply?" he asked.

"Pff, I don't work for you!" Alibert.

"That's a shame." Usopp commented. "You know what this letter says? Oh Usopp." he started to fake read out loud in a fake voice. "I am so in love! Alibert is so nobel, you must help us escape! I love him Usopp!"

"She… She really wrote that?" Alibert asked in a gaping voice. "HEY LET ME SEE!" he shouted jumping up only for Usopp to hold up the letter.

"Please help us get out!" Usopp continued in his fake voice holding up the letter. "Tell me what to do! I can't live another day separated from my love!"

And Aliberts eyes widened.

"I can help you two escape." Usopp grinned a devilish grin. "But you have to send a message back!"

"FINE!" Alibert shouted as he dug into his pocket and found pen and paper. "HERE!" he shouted handing it to Usopp.

Usopp grinned as he laid down on the ground to write.

"Message recieved. And Cigarettes too! Thank you!
I'm so glad you're okay Nami! Yes I am in the mines, don't worry though i'll come to you we'll leave together just stay put!

We'll be back with the others in no time. Luffy will be so excited and so will the rest.

I'll see you real soon. Straw hat honor! Usopp."

Satisfied Usopp folded the piece of paper together and handed it back to Alibert. "Now remember not to peak."

Alibert pouted. "I can do what I want."

"What?! What would Nami think?!" Usopp gaped. "Do you trust her so little? You would hurt her feelings like that?" he asked.

"What? NO!" Alibert exclaimed. "She's an angel!"

Boy if this kid only knew… Well, he was a kid.

"Just get the note back to her. She might even give you a kiss for it." Usopp grinned and Alibert lightened up as he put the note into his pocket and ran as long, as fast as he possible could.

In the evening Usopp was sitting by the shed he slept in, looking fondly at the note. At Namis neat hand writing.
The note filled him with so much happiness. It reminded him they weren't so far apart from each other after all. And together, they could do anything.

Suddenly Usopp felt the incoming assault and he just managed to jump aside as a certain brute by the name Brutus had decided to get their daily dose of dumb exercise.

Usopp groaned annoyed. "Really? When are you going to stop with that shit?" he asked.

"When that defiant light in your eye has gone out." Brutus stated. "I can't stand that look."

"How the heck is that my problem?" Usopp asked as he was forced to jump aside again to avoid another fist.

Usopp groaned annoyed, this had nearly become routine now. The reasoning was of course simply. There was a pecking order in here and Usopp had disturbed it by refusing to submit to these bullies.

"Hey Brutus!" Another slave exclaimed. "He got a note!"

At that Usopp's eyes widened.

"Oh, what's that you got there." Brutus asked.

"Nothing!" Usopp stated trying to hide the note behind his back.

"Well why don't I be the judge of that!" Brutus shouted launching again for Usopp. It turned out to an all out brawl as all of the brutal slaves tried to get to the note and finally Brutus had just manhandled Usopp as Usopp held the note as far away as he could in a stretched arm.

"Now give it here!" Brutus demanded.

"NO!" Usopp shouted.

Just as Usopp's only friend in the hole entered the scene. Eustace. "Again?" he asked in a tired voice making Brutus turn his head.

That was all Usopp needed to give Brutus an elbow in the side forcing Eustace to let go as Usopp darted up a cliff now sitting on a rock above the rest.

"YOU LITTLE RAT!" Brutus shouted.

Usopp just blew a rasp berry at them from his perch.

"Some day. Some day I am going to get you!" Brutus exclaimed. "You can't keep secrets from me! Who is that letter from?" he asked. "I will beat the answer out of you!"

"Oh so you want to know who this letter is from?" Usopp asked as he stood up on his rock above the crowd. "I'll tell you then. It's from a ghost!" he stated making all of them blink. "A horrible witch whom committed a sin so grave that the gods punished her! Tied her soul to this world so she is now unable to escape into the next one! For-ever stuck here, forced to bear witness to her own evil deeds over and over. Always reminded how her greed let her to this eternal torment!"

There was… Absolutely stunned silence as everyone was looking at Usopp, trying to comprehend his words then Brutus frowned. "You're full of shit pipsqueeck. There are no such things as ghosts."

"Oh but there is! I've seen them." Usopp stated in a grin. "I've seen more than that too. singing skeletons, spirits and of course." at that he turned around, his face suddenly looking evil. "Zombies!"

And suddenly a whole group of people screamed with their arms up in the air. "ARGHH! ZOMBIES!"

"Hey shut up!" Brutus shouted at them. "The pipsqueeck is to weak to fight, so he is just bullshitting you."

Eustace how-ever was lifting an eyebrow, seemingly actually intrigued by this.

"Am not." Usopp stated as he sat down with crossed legs. "I was there, I saw it with my own two eyes." he stated pointing at his eyes. "At an island, covered in mist so any ship unfortunate enough to get close would get lost. It was impossible to navigate in that fog. The first thing you see as you sail in there is shipwrecks… Many many shipwrecks. You could almost hear the cries of all the dead crew members yelling in agony, starving to death, begging for a way out." he stated. "Pirate or marine, celestial dragon or ordinary citizen. When you are lost and have no food it is all the same. Starvation is the same for everybody." he commented.

And now, there was silence, even Brutus couldn't stop himself from listening intensly to the story.

"That may sound bad, but worse if if you actually manage to get to the middle of the fog, to the island itself." Usopp stated. "Where a mad scientist lived. He would pick up the corpses of all the dead sailors, then pull them apart and sew them back together before he would wake them back up, creating his army of zombies!"

"ARRGHHH THAT'S SO SCARY!" Nearly all the slaves now screamed.

Usopp nodded. "Oh yeah, the thing about fighting a corpse. They can't even die! You chop a head off and the body just keeps walking." he stated. "And there were THOUSANDS of the damn things!" he exclaimed holding up both hands. "Ten thousands! AT LEAST FIFTY THOUSAND!" he exclaimed.

"EHHHHHHH!" Everybody screamed then grabbed their heads. "That's so scary! ZOMBIIIIESSS!"

"Hey hold on!" Brutus shouted. "If that is true and you were there, how the HELL can you be here now?!" he asked. "How would you survive fifty thousand zombies AND escape that kind of fog huh?" he asked.

"A hundred thousand zombies actually." Usopp stated crossing his arms. "Hihiii! So you wanna know?" he asked. "How the great Captain Usopp got out of that mess?"

"SINCE WHEN WERE YOU A CAPTAIN!" Brutus shouted.

Usopp pouted. "Stop asking so many questions do you want to know or not?"

"I don't need to know the ending of your bullshit story!" Brutus exclaimed though, then he halted. "How would you get out of that though?" he finally asked almost embarrased, trying to hide the fact he actually wanted to hear the answer.

"I'm so glad you asked!" Usopp grinned. "I'll tell you then! How I the great Captain Usopp had to fight my way through the Island to get to the source! The mad scientist himself! I wouldn't take a genius to figure out that to get rid of the zombies you would need to get rid of him first! Though to get to him. Man, there were so many zombies and monsters to go through first." he sighed deeply. "The first thing I saw when I came on shore was this HUGE dog! Build by several different dogs and it had three heads!"

"ARGGHHHHH!" The screams predictable sounded.

"He was the seize of three buildings, at least!" Usopp informed.

It was funny really, as Usopp told his insane tale… Everyone just got quiet. They were basically spell bound as they listened even Brutus. As if… They just wanted to know how this insane story would go as Usopp explained about Zombies hidden in pictures and the tragedy of the now dead actress, trapped as a zombie servant to aid the mad scientist.

His crowd gasped in shock, chuckled amused and even cried and then as he finished his story… There was absolute quiet.

And then suddenly… Someone started to clap, and then others joined.

"That was amazing!" one cried. "I haven't had so much fun in years!"

"That hundred meter high Zombie!" one gaped. "I thought he said ten meters first, but a hundred?! WOW!"

Usopp grinned and finally decided it was safe enough to climb down, everyone was far to occupied to discuss the story they had just heart. Chatting eagerly among themselves as children talking about their favorite comic book then a man stood in front of Usopp and Usopp looked up to see the face of his friend, Eustace.

Eustace smirked. "You sure are full of surprises Usopp." he stated.

Usopp grinned. "I'm a straw hat I already told you!" he stated. "We are not ordinary people!"

Eustace smirked, then he frowned.

"What?" Usopp asked.

Eustace looked critically at him. "My better judgement tells me you are lying." he stated. "How-ever… There's just something about what you told." he admitted. "It's a bit confusing."

Usopp smirked amused. "You have good instincts." he stated. "Let's just say… The truth may have been bended a bit in favor of narrative." he blinked.

That made Eustace blink and Usopp looked at him.

"Eustace…. You've been here for quite a while haven't you?" Usopp asked. "I mean… At least two years right? Perhaps to say at least three would be more accurate." he frowned holding his chin.

Eustace sighed. "It has been way longer than that." he admitted.

"Ah, I see." Usopp nodded. "So you wouldn't know what was happening out there in the world."

Eustace lifted an eyebrow. "And what is that supposed to mean? Is your crew famous perhaps?" he asked.

At that Usopp couldn't help but grin as he looked away. "Well I wouldn't say famous I mean." he snickered then looked up in a large grin. "Yes we are!" he stated proudly. "In just two years! We managed to make headlines! Several of them!" he laughed out loud. "Especially when we knocked down some war lord."

"Now I know you're shitting me." Eustace rolled his eyes. "You're telling me your crew fought against a war lord and won?" he asked.

"Yes." Usopp stated. "Several of them actually. The first one was Crocodile in Alabasta."

"You… You sound serious." Eustace blinked stunned. "But.. Why would you do that?!" he asked. "Have you any idea what that would do to your crew?! Sending the entire marine on your tail! And other war lords! Why would a bunch of upstarts do that?"

"Because he hurt Vivi. Vivi is our friend." Usopp stated. "That's Luffy for you, if his friend is in trouble he'll come running to the ends of the world. He heee!" he grinned.

Astounded Eustace looked at the teen. "You know what the most insane thing is about this?" he asked.

"No what?" Usopp asked.

"I… I'm starting to believe you." Eustace admitted.

That made Usopp smile. "Straw hats has that affect on people. Well, i'm beat. I'm going for some shut eye, I got stuff to do tomorrow!" he yawned deeply as he walked to their shared shed. Something told him Brutus wouldn't be bothering him any more that night.