## One Piece Chapter 31: THE TRUTH - Chapter: 31 - Pages: 0-18 - Characters: Roronoa Zoro, Monkey D. Luffy, Nami, Usopp, Kaya, angry villagers, Merry, Piiman, Ninjin, Tamanegi, Jango, Buchi, Sham ### Summary Page 0: The title page displays "CHAPTER 31" and "THE TRUTH". The illustration shows Roronoa Zoro, Monkey D. Luffy, and Nami relaxing on fluffy clouds. Zoro is lying back, sleeping with his arms behind his head and a barrel resting near him. Luffy sits up, looking through a telescope. Nami lies comfortably on her back, smiling with her hands behind her head. Page 1: Usopp stands aggressively before a group of angry villagers armed with brooms and sticks. He glares at them and shouts, "HOW DARE YOU HIT ME... DON'T FORGET, IN MY VEINS IS THE BLOOD OF A PIRATE! YOU UNDERESTIMATE ME! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU ALL..." Kaya watches this scene, her face filled with distress, and cries out, "USOPP-SAN! DON'T DO THIS!" Usopp raises his arm menacingly, yelling "DIE!" as a villager screams "KYAAH!" Suddenly, Kaya jolts awake, gasping "AAAH!!" with wide, terrified eyes. She is covered in sweat, revealing that the violent confrontation was only a nightmare. Page 2: Kaya sits up in her bed, bathed in moonlight from the window, panting heavily with a "HUFF............!!" She clutches her chest, trying to catch her breath as her heart races with a "SFX: HUFF HUFF...". Still sitting on the edge of her bed, she coughs twice and thinks to herself, "I DON'T UNDERSTAND... WHY WOULD USOPP-SAN SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT..." Seeking answers, she gets out of bed, opens her bedroom door, and walks down the dark hallway. She calls out, "CLAHADOR?" She stops at a door, knocks on it, and asks, "ARE YOU THERE, CLAHADOR?" Page 3: Kaya opens the door, and a massive "!!!?" bubble bursts from her as she stares in shock at the room's interior. Lying face down on the floor is a man with curly, sheep-like hair, wearing a dark suit. He is motionless, and a pool of blood spreads out from beneath him. Kaya covers her mouth in horror, trembling and sweating as she stares at the gruesome sight. The injured man weakly groans, "ME..." Kaya's eyes widen in absolute terror as she screams his name, "MERI!!" Page 4: Kaya kneels beside the severely injured Merry, who lies face down in a pool of blood. She cries out in panic, "MERI! WAKE UP!! YOU CAN'T DIE!" Merry weakly coughs, "UGH..." and Kaya asks, "WHAT HAPPENED!!?" In the next panel, Merry continues to cough heavily as Kaya watches in distress, calling his name, "MERI!!" Merry manages to push himself up slightly off the floor. A door slams shut with a "BATAN" sound. Panting heavily with "HU...!" and "HU...!", Merry says, "OJOU-SAMA... GOOD... YOU'RE SAFE..." Kaya looks confused and frightened, asking, "I'M SAFE...? WHAT... WHAT ARE YOU SAYING..." A close-up shows Merry's battered face as he reveals the attacker's name with a shout: "CLAHADOR!!!" Page 5: A large close-up shows Merry's face, bruised and sweating, as he struggles to speak. He reveals, "HE... HE TRIED TO KILL ME..." Kaya covers her mouth in absolute shock, stammering, "WHA...?! HE..." Merry clutches his head in anguish, saying, "IF... IF ANYTHING HAPPENED TO YOU... I WOULD FEEL LIKE I HAD BETRAYED YOUR PARENTS!" A close-up of Kaya's wide, tear-filled eye shows her disbelief as she thinks, "HOW... THIS COULDN'T BE REAL!!" The bottom panel shows a wide view of the room with Kaya kneeling beside the wounded Merry on the floor. Merry delivers a shocking revelation: "HE'S A PIRATE!" Page 6: Kaya's face is filled with horror and tears as the realization hits her. She asks, "THEN YESTERDAY... ALL THAT STUFF USOPP-SAN SAID WAS TRUE...!!?" Merry, still lying on the floor, confirms, "YES... THINKING BACK... HE ALONE KNEW THE TRUTH, AND TRIED EVERYTHING TO WARN US... BUT WE..." Kaya looks down, crying silently, and admits, "NONE OF US, BELIEVED ANYTHING HE SAID!" A close-up of Merry shows his intense expression as he recalls Usopp's words: "AFTER TOMORROW, YOU WILL KNOW THE TRUTH!" Merry urges Kaya, "JUST... TAKE THIS CHANCE TO RUN! PLEASE LISTEN TO ME! WE'VE MISUNDERSTOOD THAT MAN'S GOOD INTENTIONS..." Merry continues to praise Usopp, calling him "THAT BRAVE YOUNG MAN," while Kaya covers her face, weeping bitterly. Merry finishes, "HE TRIED SO HARD TO SAVE THIS VILLAGE BUT WAS INSTEAD CHASED AWAY!" Page 7: Tears stream down Kaya's face, falling with soft "POM POM" sound effects. Overwhelmed with guilt, she says, "AND I... WHAT HAVE I EVER DONE FOR HIM..." Merry interrupts her thoughts with more coughing. Kaya turns to him in concern, "MERI!?" She quickly stands up and runs toward the door, shouting, "SOMEONE PLEASE HELP...!! MERI'S..." but Merry stops her, explaining, "IT'S NO USE... EVERYONE WENT ON VACATION STARTING YESTERDAY!" Kaya turns back, offering, "THEN... I'LL GET SOME HELP..." but Merry, struggling to sit up, refuses: "I'M YOUR SERVANT, HOW CAN I LET YOU DO MY DUTIES FOR ME?" A close-up shows Merry looking determined despite his severe...