One day, Usopp recalled his past life.   It happened suddenly as he was eating peanuts during lunch break at school, and he nearly choked on one. Luckily, one of his new classmates knew unblocking manoeuvres and saved him. Usopp had still panicked, of course, so he only remembered a few flashes at first. However, day after day, he started visualising in his mind larger pieces of a bigger picture—a vivid canvas depicting waves, ships, treasures…   —Was that really my past life?   Usopp couldn’t believe it yet. He had been a pirate.   A pirate!   And a brave one at that.   Ridiculous.   And for a twist of fate, his name had been the same.   I am not brave. I never was brave.   Usopp sweated. He remembered things that would give him nightmares for months. Painful fights, countless near-death experiences.   And incredible adventures.   A pang of sadness crept into Usopp’s chest.   Have I lost my mind at last?   Usopp wasn’t sure all of that had been real, but he also remembered having fun like he never had in his current life… A boring, normal student life in an equally boring world without supernatural powers or the other incredible things he saw in his memories.   I had friends there… No, they were more than friends—they were family.   As a pirate, Usopp had felt frightened more times than he thought his current self could survive, but he had also felt joyful. He had sailed across the seas, unbound to anything if not his crew.   My family.   Some of those feelings seeped into his current self, and Usopp smiled as he walked to school, his steps livelier than usual.   Usopp was a high school student. A regular, plain first-year student, to be exact. Just a bit nerdy, probably. He liked listening to music—but not any kind of music. He had highly-specific tastes and only listened to female idols, but only pink-haired ones. And if they had their pink hair tied up into two cute ponytails, all the better.   Usopp put his headphones on and started humming his favourite song:      “Cotton-Candy Ghosts!      Cotton-Candy Ghosts!      I’m your cotton-candy ghost      scaring you in your dreams      (kissing you in the morning)      pink lips, pink cheeks,      pink clouds in the sky      kiss me like cotton-candy      Cotton-Candy Ghosts!”   Usopp didn’t care about the silly lyrics much—he liked that song since its upbeat music put him in a good mood.      “Cotton-Candy Ghosts!      Cotton-Candy Ghosts!”   Usopp didn’t have any particular skill or abilities other than remembering what his favourite idols liked. Sometimes he liked drawing portraits of them, but he was too shy to show his drawings to someone.      “Cotton-Candy Ghosts!      Cotton-Candy Ghosts!” Usopp was still humming the silly refrain of the song when it happened.   That girl…!   As he leisurely crossed the gate of the school, a pink blur dashed past him.   —She looks like one of the people in my previous life!   A new student like him? No, she looked older. She probably was a third-year. Usopp didn’t mind older girls, though, especially when they looked like one of his beloved idols.   I wonder if it was this resemblance that made my old memories resurface…   Usopp hadn’t been able to see the girl closely since she had run past him in a moment—why was she running like that?—but he hadn’t missed her long pink hair tied into two ponytails and the ribbon adorning her school uniform, a slightly richer shade of pink.   Part of Usopp thought she was his favourite idol, while another part saw in her Perona the Ghost Princess, a girl he met in his past life.   This is absurd.   Usopp pinched his arm with all his strength and yelped. No, he wasn’t dreaming. He was fully awake, his throbbing arm proving it.   Why am I accepting it as real already?!   Usopp needed to sit down and did it on the spot without giving a damn about the dirty looks the other students turned on him. He had never been popular anyway; in middle school, to try to enhance his image, he invented stories; in the end, though, everyone saw through him and started calling him a liar…   Uh.   Usopp blinked.   I was a liar in my past life, too?   He felt sick. Was he fated to be mocked forever?   No, in my past life I made my lies turn true. I can do that in my new life, too.   Despite his lies and fears, the Usopp had become a “brave warrior of the sea”—in his memories, at least. He had helped his captain become King of the Pirates—whatever that meant. Usopp’s past life was still blurry, but he also remembered that he had become the world’s best sniper.   Was that this same world but in the past, or a whole different one?   “Urghh!!!” Usopp screamed in frustration, his forehead pressed against his knees. He started swinging back and forth on his heels, hugging himself. He was confused and frightened.   Who am I?   As more memories flooded his mind, Usopp collapsed. --- “Are you feeling better?”   A voice.   A familiar voice. Usopp was scared to open his eyes, but he eventually did and...   —!!!   The school nurse looking down at him with worried eyes was a younger version of Kureha, another person Usopp had met in his past life.   “Yeah…” he muttered, too confused to give a proper answer.   No, I’m not feeling better! What is happening to me?!   He wanted to scream again, but another voice caught his attention.   Oh.   The pink-haired girl, Perona, was in the infirmary too. Usopp glanced at her. Now that he looked at her closer, Usopp noticed she looked different from his favourite idol, but she still was a carbon copy of the ghost girl in his memories.   “I told you countless times to not challenge him!”   Was she scolding another student?   Wait.   Usopp recognised the green hair of the boy on the cot just next to his. There was a divider between them, but it didn’t cover the other student fully.   Zoro?!   One of Usopp’s crewmates in his past pirate life and also his classmate in his current life—same name and all.   Convenient.   “Mihawk is too strong for you!” Perona kept yelling at Zoro. “Kendo isn’t something you can master overnight!”   Waitwaitwaitwait!   That was way too convenient even as far as coincidences and fate went. He hadn’t bonded with his classmates much yet since school had just started, so this was the first time Usopp heard about Zoro’s kendo training.   He was a swordsman—the strongest swordsman—in my memory of him in our past life.   And of course, Mihawk had been his mentor.   Yeah, decisively too convenient to be real.   Usopp evaluated the new info he got, but no matter how much he racked his brains he couldn’t dispel the doubts about the reality of it all.   I got a brain injury, maybe?   He could have invented his past life after an incident he forgot, to create a version of himself he aspired to become.   Do people with head trauma know when they’re hallucinating?   Usopp was more confused than ever. And yet, the bruise on his arm told him that he was not dreaming.   Am I the only one remembering the past, though?   While Usopp was pondering about that, Perona glanced in his direction. For a brief moment, their eyes met, but he immediately averted his eyes.  Dontblushdontblushdontblush…!   Too late. He already felt his face burning.   “It looks like you’re all right!” the Kureha-nurse slammed his back, laughing.   I’m not!   “Are you his classmate?” Perona addressed him with an indifferent tone.   Usopp felt sad. For a moment, he had hoped she would remember him, but her voice didn’t hint at anything like that.   Maybe everything I’m remembering is just in my head. I’ve told lies for so long that my brain is starting to believe them.   “Here, take a candy,” Perona told him next. “You look pallid—you probably need sugar.”   “T-thanks,” Usopp replied, his hand shaking slightly as he accepted the gift.   In his past life, he had first met Perona as an enemy, but then she had become an ally.   …I think.   Usopp’s memories of that part of his past life were still muddled. Anyway, what was Perona to him, now?   Just a fellow student, maybe.   Usopp risked spiralling into depressing thoughts again, but when he remembered the pirate he had been he lifted his chin. He wouldn’t keep living like this. He would change.   I will become more confident.   Perona looked at him with an unreadable expression and then said, “That idiot of your classmate had challenged Mihawk even though he’s a third-year like me. Please explain to him that it’s way too early for him to win against an upperclassman."   So, Perona and Mihawk are close in this life, too.   Usopp felt a pang of jealousy as he nodded at her.   No, I must stay positive. She was an enemy and thinking she’s cute is dangerous, but I still have a chance!   Just half-aware of his messy trail of thought (and priorities), Usopp felt his face flaring up.   Luckily, Perona has already left the infirmary.   “Ah, young love…” the Kureha-nurse chuckled next to him. She was watching Usopp with knowing eyes.   He wanted to tell her to mind her own business, but when he remembered how strong and fierce Kureha was in his memories he just chuckled along nervously. Feeling miserable, Usopp looked down; he still had a long way to go to become a “brave warrior of the sea.”   What am I saying?!   A brave student.   I swear I’ll become a brave student—whatever that means.   It didn’t feel like a huge goal or anything, but he had to start with something. --- Over time, more and more memories resurfaced in Usopp’s mind.   He was at a point where he recognised almost everyone in his school, which made his days entertaining but also stressful. He was happy that he could make friends with some of them again, but certain students terrified him. To say it all, it wasn’t really the students who terrified him, but his memories of them. Some of those boys and girls had been ruthless criminals in the past pirate life Usopp remembered, but in the current time, they were regular students like him.   Well, not exactly.   Some of them had brought over some traits of their old personality and mannerisms which genuinely frightened Usopp. However, they weren’t evil masterminds or anything.   Not that I know of, at least.   Usopp had started worrying about everything. He was even afraid of just walking through the corridors of the school alone, especially in the late afternoon when fewer students were around, the majority of them already returned to their homes after finishing their club activities for that day.   Talking about clubs…   In the end, Usopp had mustered his courage—he must have found it in his previous self since he definitely didn’t have it in his current one—and had founded a do-it-yourself club. He liked drawing, after all, and even if he didn’t feel particularly skilled he had decided that he couldn’t keep his illustrations hidden in a drawer forever.   If I want to conquer the girl I like, I must show her my best sides!   Usopp wasn’t sure Perona would consider him drawing other girls’ portraits one of his best sides, though, so he had started drawing something different: ships. More exactly, sailing ships. His memories of his past life helped him with that, and he was genuinely developing an interest in anything sailing-related. Some of his classmates seemed enthusiastic about that, too, so they joined his club.   Of course, you are! You were pirates as well in your past lives!   Not being able to talk with them about that was frustrating, but Usopp couldn’t risk sounding crazy. Besides, he had more important things to worry about: unexpectedly, Perona had also joined his DIY club. She had been in an occult club before, but she wanted to try something different in her last year in high school. Usopp was happy about her presence in the club, but also nervous.   I just need to act normally.   However, even if he repeated that to himself while cleaning up the room of his DIY club, he knew it wouldn’t be so easy. Each time Perona was next to him his heart pounded faster, and her sweet perfume made him melt…   I probably look like a fool to her—she is older than me, after all.   “Stop with the self-pity!” Usopp yelled, throwing a box full of scraps outside the room.   “Ouch!”   Usopp froze.   “Hey, what do you think you are doing?!”   “I-I’m sorry…” Usopp stuttered.   I’m done for.   He had recognised that voice: it was another third-year student, Moria.   I’m utterly done for.   Usopp’s legs trembled when he thought back to the pirate version of him.   I’m sooo dead…!   “It’s ok, things happen.”   What?   Usopp raised his head at that unexpected friendly tone.   “I’m looking for Perona, is she here?” Moria asked, the accident of before already forgotten.   “N-no, she left already.” Usopp couldn’t believe the present-time Moria was so friendly.   “Too bad…” Moria sounded disappointed. “I had the perfect idea for a collaboration between your DIY and our occult club, but I wanted to talk it over with her first.”   Now, Usopp was curious. He forced his voice not to tremble as he asked, “I would like to know more about it if you don’t mind.”   “Well, it’s something we could do for the upcoming summer festival—nothing complex. Just a haunted house.” Moria chuckled. “You were expecting more, weren’t you?”   I was definitely expecting more, but not in the sense you’re meaning here.   Usopp shuddered, but it was just a moment. Then, he smiled at the third-year student. “It sounds like a great idea. I’ll tell Perona myself if that’s ok with you.”   What am I saying?!?!   Usopp was screaming inside. He had always loathed haunted houses and tests of courage. In middle school, he had even gotten lost in the woods once, during a summer festival, and his teachers had found him trembling and crying on a tree. He had been so ashamed that he refused to go to school for a week after that.   “Thanks!” Moria smiled back at him.   —Wow, he’s really friendly.   Usopp could not help thinking that he had only known a side of Moria in his past life. Or, maybe, once reincarnated, they had all changed… A part of Usopp’s mind wondered if he could really become the brave man of his memories, but he immediately drove that thought away; at the very least, delusional or not, he would try.   Do I only know one of Perona’s sides, too?   Usopp’s heart filled with a sensation he was still too scared to call love, and he smiled by himself.   I want to know everything about you, my sweet cotton-candy ghost. --- “I think it’s a great idea!”   Perona’s smile told Usopp that she was sincere, and he smiled back. “Let’s do it, then,” he replied. That was the first time Perona had smiled at him like that, and Usopp was sure his heart had turned into a sugar cube.   Or more probably, a heart-shaped one. Or ghost-shaped…   Usopp felt stupid.   But love makes people stupid, doesn’t it?   Usopp started humming his favourite song, “Cotton-Candy Ghosts.”   Yes, it is love.   Usopp finally admitted that to himself. He glanced at Perona as she went back to sewing one of her amigurumi. They were all shaped like ghosts or monsters, but they still looked cute. Making sure not to be seen by her, Usopp studied her features. She looked like her old self from his memories, but she was younger of course. Her expression was gentler, too. She still looked mature in her own way, but her round eyes gave her a jaunty air.   I want to date you. I want to kiss you. I would even go to a haunted house with you!   Usopp couldn’t recognise himself anymore. Since when was he so daring? He wouldn’t be surprised to awaken his Haki next.   No, that’s impossible.   In his past life, Usopp had been able to see people’s auras with a power called “Observation Haki”.   Something like that would be too out of place in this world. What’s next, Perona summoning ghosts from thin air?   Suddenly, Usopp wasn’t sure anymore that going through a test of courage together with her was a good idea.   “When we’re done building the haunted house for the festival,” Perona told him at that very moment, “we could test it together—I must make sure it will be scary enough.” She giggled.   I’m screwed.   Usopp was glad Perona’s eyes were glued on her crocheted plush since he could feel the terrified expression on his own face.   I’m still a long way from becoming a... Brave Student of the School.   Usopp rolled his eyes at the underwhelming epithet. --- The daunting day had finally come.   The cicadas chirped in the clammy air, happy voices filled the streets, and colourful lights illuminated the night.   It was a perfect day for the summer festival.   Usopp looked proudly at the haunted house his DIY club had built. It was a really good job, considering they were still a new club and everything. Sure, Moria’s occult club had helped, but the bulk of the work had been done by Usopp and his friends.   Usopp’s proud smile soured when he realised the design of the haunted house was based on his memories of Thriller Bark, the ghostly ship Moria’s past self had turned into his lair. Usopp’s eye twitched.   At least, our zombies and skeletons and ghosts are just puppets.   Usopp wasn’t still sure about the ghosts, though. While working on the haunted house, sometimes he had seen strange lights moving out of sight—especially when Perona was present.   IamnotscaredIamnotscaredIamnotscared…   Usopp repeated that as a mantra, but his legs wouldn’t stop shaking.   “Are you ready?”   Perona’s voice made him jump. Usopp turned his head slowly, forcing a grin on his face, and said, “I’m always ready!”   What a stupid, cliché line!   Usopp wanted to kick himself for uttering it, but Perona had already taken him by an arm and was dragging him into Thrill—the haunted house.   I’m utterly screwed.   At least, Perona wouldn’t be able to see his terrified face in the dark. --- “It was perfect!”   Perona looked so happy that Usopp managed to smile, too. His heart was still pounding fast, but at least he had managed not to faint.   I’m sure I saw a real ghost inside there.   “You know, I think I like you a bit,” Perona said with a finger on her pink lips.   —What?!   Usopp didn’t even try not to blush this time.   “You’ve turned red like Mihawk’s favourite tomato juice.” Perona giggled.   Wait, are you sure you didn’t mean “blood” instead of juice?   The Mihawk in Usopp’s memories did look a bit like a vampire, now that he thought about it. And the current one wasn’t much different in that regard.   “Why don’t we go out on a date, one of these days?”   You’re going too fast!   Usopp was at a loss for words. He just stared at Perona, hoping his expression didn’t look too stupid. Still, the idea of going out with a past enemy turned into an ally—someone who looked similar to his favourite idol on top of that—thrilled him.   “You look so silly!” Perona giggled. “But I also like that about you…” she whispered, getting closer to him. “Do you mind if—” With her eyes closed, Perona tilted her head and parted her lips.   —Wait…   When Perona’s soft lips touched Usopp’s, all his worries melted away.   You taste like cotton candy.   Usopp closed his eyes too and kissed Perona. It was an awkward but sweet kiss, and for the first time in his current life, he felt he did something brave.   Love is scary, but I don’t mind risking everything for you.