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I am once again reading One Piece and I just finished Skypiea and theres one panel that I haven’t seen people bring up that I want to talk about. Spoilers for Jaya/Skypiea, Water 7/Enies Lobby, and Dressrosa ahead

In chapter 298, “Love Song”, we get the climax of Skypiea. The whole chapter is the final push for Luffy to ring The Light of Shandora, fulfilling the promise he made to Cricket while also moving Nola the giant snake to tears of joy, accomplishing the dreams of the Shandians, bringing peace between the Skypieans and Shandians after 400 years of conflict, and proving to the world that there is an island in the sky. The ringing of the bell is one of the most beautiful moments in One Piece, uniting many people across great distance and time, a love song so powerful that it stops the tyranny of Enel (for the most part, ofc he makes it to endless varse but the people are safe). While I have a lot to praise about how that one moment resolves so much that has been built across the Skypiea saga, I’d like to focus on this panel a couple pages before the big spread of the bell ringing.

That’s right this is an Usopp appreciation post!!!

The first thing I love about this moment is the love between the Strawhats. Moments like these is what makes One Piece such a powerful story, one friend cheering on another to accomplish the impossible in the face of overwhelming odds. The next thing that comes to mind is what else ringing the bell accomplishes, signaling to Cricket that El Dorado is real. That song proves to the world that Noland isn’t a liar and that all of his supposed tall tales are actually true stories of adventure. This of course affects Usopp deeply, feeling a special kinship with Noland and Cricket. Furthermore that romanticization of adventure is also core to the Strawhats and the series, earlier in the arc Robin says as much when explaining that Luffy is a romantic who will do what he sets his mind to. But then, what’s up with Sanji’s reaction? He loves Luffy, believes he will achieve whatever he sets his mind to, and he’s incredibly familiar with Noland’s tale, so why his dismissive reaction? This is where I’d like to draw your attention to Noland’s introduction in chapter 287 “Kami Killing”.

Here we have Noland acting in a way that feels off to his crew because he is focusing his attention on the sound of the ringing bell, just like Usopp. I would go so far as to say that this might be showing us that both Noland and Usopp have the powers of Mantra (later revealed to be another name for observation haki). This connection between Noland and Usopp is seen plenty of times before and after this moment too. Usopp IS a liar, but he IS also a brave adventurer who has done seemingly impossible things. The connection is outright shown when we first hear the story with Nami looking to Usopp when finishing the tale. And this is all before the events of Dressrosa where we learn Noland helped the Tontattas (also brilliantly foreshadowed by Oda during Noland’s flashback), and Usopp tells them that he is a descendant. And while that is a lie, Usopp proves himself later on by taking down Sugar and helping the Tontattas. My point being, that this is another deliberate parallel between Usopp and Noland. This again shows how despite his cowardly demeanor, Usopp is in reality a brave adventurer and warrior, akin to the likes of great men like Mont Blanc Noland. It’s such a small moment for Usopp, but with the full context it reveals so much about what makes him so compelling as a character.