One Piece : Glory To The Fleet Admiral

Chapter 481 481: Yasopp's Choice, Gambling on Usopp's Future!

The Den Den Mushi clicked off.

Orion casually tossed it back to Morgan, his gaze briefly lingering on the father and son reunited after long separation.

Upon the ruins, after the initial emotional outburst, Yasopp and Usopp's reunion settled into an awkward silence.

Yasopp stared at this son who felt both familiar and strange, lips trembling slightly.

A thousand words clogged his throat, yet not one could escape.

He wanted to say "I'm sorry," wanted to ask "Son, did you miss your old man?"—but how could a few phrases ever compensate for all those years of absent fatherly love!

Seeing his father remain silent for so long, Usopp mistakenly thought his earlier boasts hadn't been impressive enough.

He sniffed, forcing back tears, and puffed out his chest again. "Father! You've got to believe me! I'm really strong now! Fleet Admiral himself honored me as 'God of Clutch,' saying I always turn the tide at critical moments! And the ten thousand subordinates under me—each one an elite who obeys my every command!"

"Wow! Ten thousand subordinates!" Luffy mumbled through a mouthful of roasted meat Lucky Roux had handed him.

"So cool, Usopp! you're way stronger than me!"

Ace and Sabo exchanged glances, amusement sparkling in both their eyes, but neither exposed their brother's lie.

Hearing his son's exaggerated claims, watching his flushed face straining to earn some dignity before him, Yasopp could no longer maintain his composure.

He—this failure of a father—had abandoned wife and child for so-called freedom and dreams, journeying until now.

When Shanks ascended as one of the Four Emperors, he'd foolishly believed they had the whole world, naively thinking Laugh Tale lay at their feet!

But in the end, when the captain he followed was sent flying by a single sword slash, when the pirate crew he took pride in lay utterly defeated, he realized he could do nothing!

All his former ambition amounted to nothing but a joke before Orion, the Marine Fleet Admiral!

And his son—instead of resenting him—still saw this runaway father as a hero, striving to grow stronger to follow in his footsteps, even weaving such transparent lies.

Yasopp slowly raised a trembling hand and rested it on Usopp's head, gently ruffling his hair.

Usopp's body went rigid instantly, all his boasts stuck in his throat.

This was the first time he could remember feeling his father's hand upon him.

"Usopp..." Yasopp's eyes reddened, voice turning hoarse. "I'm sorry."

"You... you're a good kid."

"Far better than your old man."

Having spoken, he withdrew his hand, then took a deep breath as if making some monumental decision.

He turned away from Usopp without another glance and walked with heavy steps toward Ben Beckman.

"Yasopp?" Beckman frowned slightly as he approached.Yasopp didn't speak, merely walking before Beckman, Lucky Roux, and the other officers.

Then, under everyone's astonished gazes, he gently placed his treasured rifle—which he valued as much as his own life—on the ground.

"Everyone," Yasopp scanned the familiar faces around him, his expression resolute.

"I've decided. I'm turning myself in at Marine Headquarters."

"What did you say?!" Lucky Roux choked on a mouthful of meat, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Yasopp! Have you gone mad?!"

"The captain isn't dead! He was just sent flying! Even if you want to surrender, you should at least wait for Shanks to return!"

"That's right! If we surrender now and the captain comes back, he'll be deeply disappointed in us!"

"Yasopp, what are you thinking? It's just one defeat! At worst, we'd be captured by the Fleet Admiral and sent to Impel Down! But turning ourselves in? All the reputation we've built over the years would be completely ruined!"

The other officers grew restless, unable to comprehend Yasopp's decision.

Only Beckman remained silent, watching Yasopp calmly as he slowly exhaled a smoke ring.

"Have you thought this through?"

"Yes." Yasopp nodded, his expression displaying unprecedented calm and determination.

He glanced at his companions—some angry, some confused—then turned to look at Usopp standing in the distance, who wore the same stunned expression.

His voice carried a sense of liberation.

"All these years, we've followed Shanks to build our reputation and status in the New World. We prided ourselves on being the freest pirates, but what has it amounted to?"

"The truth is, we still can't control our own destinies."

"Fleet Admiral Orion's appearance made me realize something."

"The times are truly changing."

"Whether in the New World or the first half of the Grand Line, under this Fleet Admiral's iron-fisted rule, order is being restored at a pace we never imagined possible. The era of pirates plundering and killing is becoming a thing of the past."

"If we remain stubborn and continue living as pirates, we'll only become sinners of this era! Scum despised by everyone!"

His words left everyone present in silence.

They couldn't refute him.

Because what Orion had brought them wasn't just overwhelming power, but a complete subversion of their beliefs.

"It seems you've thought this through thoroughly, Yasopp," Beckman's voice was heavy as he made one final attempt at persuasion.

"Once you choose this path, you might spend the rest of your life in the great prison of Impel Down."

Yasopp's gaze returned to Usopp, his eyes softening with profound tenderness.

"If my surrender can contribute one brick to this new era, if it can secure a future where my son no longer has to hang his head because his father is a pirate... then spending the rest of my life in prison is nothing."

"Even if Fleet Admiral Orion sends me to the execution platform, I, Yasopp, won't utter a single word of complaint!"

"Back then, Shanks bet an arm on the new era."

"Now, I want to make a bet too."

"I'm going to wager the freedom I've pursued my entire life to secure a bright future for Usopp!"

Having said this, Yasopp spoke no more, as if having unburdened himself of a heavy weight. He turned and strode proudly toward Orion.

No one expected Yasopp to make such a choice at this moment. Both Beckman and Lucky Roo, who were present, seemed to hesitate, their words caught in their throats.

They wanted to persuade him, but found themselves unable to speak.

Because Yasopp's demeanor was not merely about making a choice—it was a sudden awakening!

As Yasopp had said, the times had changed!

No matter how they struggled now, they could no longer resist the unstoppable tide of the new era.

The current situation in the Grand Line was almost entirely under the Navy's control.

With the Navy's unprecedentedly powerful lineup, even if all Four Emperors were to gather now—let alone the fact that only their crew and the Whitebeard Pirates remained in the New World—there was no longer any possibility of restoring a balance of power.

Because the only force capable of balancing the world's power was, and could only be, the Navy.

Or rather, the balance of the world's power rested solely on the whim of the most powerful and authoritative Fleet Admiral in naval history.