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2024-03-31
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1/1
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Equivalent Exchange

Summary:

Usopp hears the news about the Merry. Instead of getting angry, he gets quiet. It doesn’t get better

Notes:

Have a Water 7 AU for Usopp's birthday <3

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

“The Going Merry can’t be repaired any further.”

Time slows down.

Usopp feels himself breathe in slow motion (one-two-one-two) as the crew turn as one in his direction, waiting to see how he reacts. He sits with the feeling, letting it grow and fester, sensing the tension and fear ratchet up amongst the rest of them. Sees Luffy’s face, pulled taut and as serious as he’s ever seen it.

The anger grows.

But-

You’re lying, he shouts, struggling against the large hands holding him. You’re lying! You gave up!

That won’t work. He needs to save Merry. He needs to find something that works. And he’s not going to be able to do that if he gives in to the anger. It’s not what she needs.

We did everything we could. Sometimes, there’s nothing you can do.

“Okay,” Usopp says, tone as flat as he can make it. “Okay. How can we be sure? Who told you this? Can we trust their opinion?”

Nami’s face screws up. “Usopp…” She says softly.

He doesn’t look her way.

“Experts,” Luffy responds. He’s giving him a look Usopp has never seen on Luffy before: a mix of weary and nervous. “Guys who know what they’re talking about. There’s too much damage.”

“Have you gotten a second opinion?” Usopp asks. “That’s what people do, you know. They get second opinions, when it’s something this serious. Have we done that?”

Luffy’s eyes tighten. Ooops. That was probably too bitter.

Whatever. They want him to be okay with getting rid of Merry? They’ll survive a little bitterness.

“Usopp,” Sanji steps in now. “They gave us an explanation. They said that she’s too damaged, end of story. She can’t continue, she’ll literally break apart.”

“Okay,” Usopp says. “I heard that part. What specifically, though? What exactly is wrong with the Merry and why can’t they fix it?”

He sees Sanji throw a glance back at Nami, who takes a careful step forward herself. Luffy stays where he is, pinning Usopp with a hard, staring look. “Usopp,” Nami says, voice stuttering out in uncertainty. “It’s to do with the keel. It’s broken, which means the ship is unfixable. It’s done.”

Usopp breathes in, then out again. He looks down at his knees. “The keel,” He repeats, head spinning.

It’s in her blood…there’s nothing we can do now.

He grits his teeth. “Did we ask someone else?” He asks. “I get…I get these are experts. But we need that second opinion I mentioned, right? Right?”

Usopp lifts his head up and almost flinches back: Luffy had moved, unheard, in the time that he hadn’t been looking, and is now standing almost right in front of him. His arms are crossed, and his stare is just as piercing, but less sharp. “I made the choice,” Luffy says firmly, but not sternly. “She can’t keep going. And we can’t hurt her, or ourselves, by making her do it.”

You know…she’s at peace now. It’s alright.

Usopp feels the heat of angry determination crawl up his neck and settle on his cheeks. No, he says, past and present. No.

How does he fight against this final decision? Luffy won’t budge, he knows that, and nobody else seems like they’re going to help…

It’s your turn, Usopp realizes. You need to make the sacrifice. That’s the only way this is going to work.

Usopp shifts, uncrossing his legs, rising up to his knees. “I understand,” He says, steeling himself. It’s not about you. “But-”

And, before he can talk himself out of it, he leans forward, head touching the ground. The wood is cool, but it burns across his forehead.

He feels rather than hears the chorus of gasps, of sharp inhales, that echo through the crew. “Please,” He says, cursing the wobble at his voice at the word. “Give me some time. I’ll find a second opinion, I’ll give the Merry a second chance. You won’t have to do a thing, I’ll take care of all of it myself. Just. Give me time. Let me try this. Please.”

The silence is the loudest thing he’s ever heard. Faint tremors run up his arms, through his aching knees. The wood below his forehead burns hotter.

It’s his last play. Please, he echoes, inside this time. Please.

“Okay.”

Usopp’s head jerks off the floor, gaze immediately landing on his captain. Luffy’s face has changed entirely: eyes wide, head cocked to the side, voice soft. “Okay, Usopp. But I can’t give you a lot. We need to get out there, keep going. So. Two days. And then, come and tell me, okay? If you’ve succeeded or not.”

Usopp leaps up to his feet so quickly that stars dance against his vision. “Thank you!” He gasps out, and turns to run out the room. He doesn’t have much time. “I’ll be back soon.”

He doesn’t look at anyone else’s faces. He doesn’t want to know how they’re looking back at him.

Usopp runs into the night.

He doesn’t have a destination, at first—he just goes, blood pumping, lungs burning, gasping out for breath. He doesn’t know how long it takes before he can’t go any longer, and stumbles to a stop, leaning against a wall so he doesn’t collapse to the ground. His body hurts so badly.

He puts his face in his hands. What am I gonna do?

He’s the Merry’s last chance. He can’t afford to stand here, doing nothing. He has to make this work.

Usopp pushes himself off the wall, looking around to try to get his bearings. “Plan,” He mutters to himself. “Plan, I need a plan…”

Okay. Step one: get a second opinion. Should be easy, right? In this city of shipbuilders, surely someone will be able to help him figure this out, even at this time of night? All he has to do is approach a shopfront and—

Oh. No money.

Usopp looks at the bustling city, deep in thought. He doesn’t have any money, so he’s not going to be able to hire anybody to take a look at the Merry. That’s…that’s a problem. A big problem.

And whose fault is that? Echoes in his head. Who’s the idiot who lost the money?

Usopp shakes the thought away. No money, so he’s going to have to get some. And to get some…he knows some tricks, some street magic, but that’s not going to get more than a few berry and not nearly enough to afford a shipbuilding consult, let alone a repair team…

He doesn’t know the city well enough to know where else to go to make some quick cash. So, solutions. What else? What else can he do?

She needs medicine, and you need to give her the right foods, but it’s going to cost you…

Usopp feels his heart start racing again, so he just moves, hoping the walk will give him some balance. If not money, he’s gonna have to see if he can get someone who can help him for free. But who would do that, and why? They don’t know anyone here, and nobody owes them anything—

At this, Usopp stutters to a complete stop, eyes widening. Oh.

Well. That isn’t quite true, is it?

He looks around. What was once a foreign place is starting to look familiar, store fronts and docks look recognizable, and he realizes he’s been here before. His body had naturally led him to a direction he’d already been, giving him a plan before he’d even realized it.

This is stupid, he thinks, vaguely hysterical, as the plan solidifies in his head. This is so so stupid. I’m gonna get myself killed.

It’s for Merry. It’s for a crewmate. At this scale? It’s going to take a sacrifice to make sure she gets better, and he’s the only one who’s willing to do it. And, well. He’s responsible too, and he needs to make sure he fixes his mistakes.

Soul for a soul, he thinks, looking out at the crowd, past the people, out into the distance. Equivalent exchange.

And, only shaking a little bit, he goes forward.

Usopp hits his first roadblock rather quickly.

Where there used to be a large building, constructed haphazardly but solidly, is now a pile of debris. The place has been razed to the ground, bits and pieces scattered everywhere, unrecognizable. There’s a crowd standing around, but it’s starting to thin, the novelty of the sight clearly starting to wear off. It’s a recent enough event to draw onlookers, but not new enough to keep them.

Usopp just stares. This…this is…

Why didn’t they tell him? Why…?

Well. They didn’t really have time to bring it up, but still.

Because there’s only one reason that the Franky family’s hideout has been reduced to rubble in the matter of a few hours. There’s only one group of people that could’ve done that and would’ve had a reason to do that between then and now.

He feels tears prick at his eyes. For me?

So they get it. They have to, having done this. So why couldn’t they wait for Merry? Why, when given the option, would they fight for him but not for her? He isn’t even the one that carries them all day, every day!

He shakes his head. He doesn’t have time for this. And, while grateful that his crew would go to these lengths for him, it’s going to make everything a lot more complicated.

Usopp doesn’t have another choice, though. And so he goes forward, pushing through the crowd, looking for a familiar face, until-

Ah.

A large man with an unbuttoned red shirt and blue hair is standing despondently at the edges of the debris. He stares at the mess, arms at his sides, shoulders and head bowed.

Not the best time, but well. He doesn’t have a choice.

Gritting his teeth, Usopp makes his final push, stumbling out the edge of the almost-dispersed crowd into the debris proper. He makes his approach, darting his eyes left and right to check if anyone else from the group is still there, but there are no familiar faces.

“Hey,” He says, voice emerging more quietly than he’d anticipated. The man doesn’t turn.

Usopp clears his throat. “Hey!” He says, louder now.

This time, the man whirls around, coming face to face with Usopp. He looks up (and up and up) at the man, nerves rising at his sheer size.

The man frowns over his sunglasses. “Who’re you?” He asks, staring at Usopp. “You look familiar, have we-?”

He looks toward Usopp’s body, taking in the bandages and the swelling and the injuries, and then back up to settle on his face. The man’s eyes go wide. “You?”

Usopp crosses his arms. “Me,” He says. “Look, before you say anything…”

“What are you doing here?” The man says, seemingly baffled. “Isn’t it enough that your friends did…this?” And here, he gestures to the ruins around him. “Why are you back here? And alone? Are you stupid?”

This is very much not where Usopp expected this conversation to go. “No!” He says, slightly offended. “Just listen, okay? I’m here to—”

“If it’s the money you want, it’s gone,” The man interrupts him. “There’s nothing here for you now. Look, there’s nothing I want more right now than to get revenge for what happened here but frankly I don’t have the energy to start a war with your crazy friends at the moment. Just leave, and I’ll forget you ever came.”

“No,” Usopp says, feeling the opportunity start to slip from his fingertips. “No, it’s nothing like that. Just listen to me, okay? Please.”

The man almost seems to do a double take. “What?” He asks. “What do you want?”

He’s listening, Usopp thinks, almost awed. “Are you a shipwright?” He asks. “And are you any good?”

“Am I—” The man’s eyebrows shoot up into his blue hair. “Of course I am! And am I good?” He puffs his chest out, strangely silly for his general demeanor. “I’m the best.”

That’s exactly what Usopp had wanted to hear. “Excellent,” He says. “Okay. I want to hire you, then. For a shipwright job.”

The man stares at him for a beat, then another. Usopp’s nerves rise, but before he can open his mouth again, the man throws back his head and laughs.

“You want to what?” The man asks, bellowing laughter echoing across the debris. “What, you’re gonna give me the rest of your money? After everything that happened here?”

“Well,” Usopp says, trying not to fidget anxiously. “Not really. You’ve already been paid. That money you took? Advance payment for this job. You do this, we’re all good.”

The man’s laughing cut off abruptly. “Oh?” He asks, amusement slowly fading out of his voice. “You don’t think that this,” He gestures at the ruins around him. “was revenge enough for that money? I’d say we got paid back for that, and in spades.”

“No,” Usopp says, crossing his arms and wincing as they press into his wounds. “Your house was payback for this,” and he gestures towards his injured body. “The money was for a job. You guys broke me so you got something broken back. You got money? You owe me a job for that. Just a job. And then you’ll be good to go.”

“I owe you?” And here the man’s voice turns dangerous, and Usopp swears internally. He’s losing him. “Look around you and tell me if I owe you. In fact, tell me why I don’t owe you another beat down right now, and I might let you go this time.”

Shit. Well, he’s in it now, so he might as well go for it. Merry, he thinks, and that’s enough to keep him from running.

“Look,” Usopp says. “Let’s look at this logically, okay? It makes sense. Hurt for hurt, right? You hurt me, they hurt you. We paid you, you pay us in work. It just makes sense. And, you’re right, I get it. Is this the smartest thing to do? Probably not. And the fact that I could only think to come here for help means that I really need it.”

The man backs down, but still looks confused. “Yeah,” he says. “What could possibly have led you back here like this? What’s the job?”

“Our ship,” Usopp says, barely holding back from pleading. “She’s a great ship. Carried my crew and I a long way, and really well too. She’s protected us for so long, and she needs some protecting back. Someone told us she was unfixable, and I need to make sure we try everything. That’s the job. Will you take a look?”

The man scratches his head. “Well,” He says. “Sounds like a super ship, but I have to be honest with you here. All of this damage? It costs way more than what I took from you. In so many ways. It’s not gonna cover a look at your ship. If you want that, too? It’s gonna cost you an arm and a leg, at the very least.”

Usopp’s head spins. “Look,” He says, “I don’t have—”

“Then we’re done,” The man says, crossing his arms. “I’ll let you leave, but I don’t want to see you around here again.”

No. This is his only shot, he can’t do anything else…

An arm and a leg, huh?

Usopp takes a breath, then another. Sacrifice, he thinks. The sacrifice has to match the outcome. Equivalent exchange.

He said he’d do anything, right?

“Okay,” Usopp says. “Fine.”

“Fine what?” The man asks, frowning. “You leaving?”

“No,” Usopp says. He carefully orients himself, then lowers himself to sit on the ground, amongst the rubble. “Arm and a leg, right? Okay. Let’s do it. You want both? I said okay.”

The man actually takes a step back. “What?” He asks, disbelief in his voice. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t have money,” Usopp says, and his body is shaking now. “But I have an arm and a leg. If you want that, go ahead. You can take them right now. But you have to look at my ship after that. And I mean right after. I don’t have time. You’re my only shot, or we have to leave her behind. I was only given two days to make this happen.”

“You’re crazy,” the man says, shaking his head. “What do you mean? You want me to saw off your limbs for this ship? Are you serious?”

“I’m serious,” Usopp says. He holds out a trembling arm. “Come on. You have an axe or whatever? You gonna do this here?”

“No,” the man says, stepping back. “You’re serious. I’m not taking those, kid! It’s a figure of speech. I’m not cutting you into pieces, why would I do that? No way!”

Usopp shrugs. “I know,” He says. “But this is what I have. And if that’s going to convince you—”

He cuts himself off as the man wraps a large hand around his raised arm. “No!” He says, and pulls Usopp to his feet. “Stand up, kid. Holy shit. Fine, you’ve convinced me. I get it. Just…okay, fine. Take me to this ship, okay? I want to see what could’ve caused you to do this.”

Usopp blinks up at him. “Really?”

“Yes,” the man says almost exasperated. He pushes Usopp forward. “Come on, let’s go. Before I change my mind.”

Usopp’s mind spins. He feels vaguely nauseated. “Thank you,” Is all he can think to say, stumbling forward. “Thank you.”

“Don’t…well. Don’t mention it seems crazy for this situation.” The man says, following after him. “But, what the hell. I like crazy. I’m Franky, by the way. Nice to…meet you? Again?”

Usopp can’t help but let out a crazed giggle. “Franky,” He repeats. “Hi. I’m Usopp.”

The walk back to the Merry is…strange.

Usopp is riding the high of a successful plan, and the adrenaline of almost losing a couple of limbs (oh my god why did I do that oh my god I might have just saved Merry) and so finds that the first part of their journey passes in a blur of repeating street corners and crowds. As the adrenaline fades, though, and the aching in his body returns tenfold, his fear grows. What if this Franky decides to ditch halfway through the trip back? He can’t have that.

He slows down a little to make sure he’s level with the shipwright. “Hey,” He says, trying to ignore the pain in his body. “So. The Merry’s main problem is the keel, just so you know. It’s damaged.”

Franky frowns. “I see,” He says. “That’s a rough one, but I won’t be able to give you an answer til I see it. The keel, huh? Your Merry’s been through some things, I can tell.”

Usopp can’t help the wobbly smile that crosses his face. “She has,” He says. “You won’t believe everything she’s been through, it’s amazing.”

“Yeah?” Franky says. “Like what?”

And once Usopp starts, he doesn’t stop. He ends up monopolizing the rest of the walk back, tripping over his words, explaining every step of their journey with the Merry thus far in every detail she deserves. He doesn’t feel the rest of the time pass until he blinks and realizes he’s looking at the ship herself, and the familiar, comforting sight of her figurehead.

“That’s her,” Usopp says, pointing in her direction. His voice is raspy from all the talking. “That’s the Merry.”

He looks anxiously to the side, suddenly worried if he’s scared off the ship’s last hope. But Franky is still there, and he doesn’t look annoyed or irritated. Just…ready.

“Huh,” And here, Franky, lifts the sunglasses from his face, meeting the figurehead’s gaze directly. “Nice to meet you, Merry. Let’s see what we can get done here.”

Usopp takes a shallow breath. The aches in his body hit him all at once, and all he wants to do is sit down. But he can’t. “Okay,” He says. “Follow me, I’ll show you where the damage is.”

He leads Franky around the side, noting the quiet darkness of the ship. The rest of the crew are either wandering the city, or are asleep inside the ship. Either way, it shouldn’t be a bother for them if they—

He stops abruptly.

There, reclining on the mast’s base, arms behind his head and legs crossed, is Zoro. He’s usually napping like this, but he isn’t now. Instead, his eyes are open, glinting in the city light. His stare is locked unblinkingly on the two of them, Usopp and Franky, and he stays completely still.

Strangely, illogically, Usopp feels a chill of fear run up his spine.

“Zoro,” He stutters. “Hi. I, um, I just brought,” He points behind him, finger shaking. “He’s going to give us a second opinion on the ship.”

He doesn’t think Zoro recognizes who Franky is (and he won’t say his name, just in case), but he still holds his breath. The fear only grows as Zoro uncrosses his legs and sits up in one fluid motion.

Zoro’s eyes dart from Usopp to the man behind him and stay there. “Hm,” He says. “You sure found someone quick.”

Usopp’s laughter sounds nervous even to his own ears. “Yeah,” He says, scratching the back of his head. “Well, you know. We’re in shipwright territory, so. That worked out for us.”

He tries not to quail back as Zoro’s eyes leave Franky to rest back on him. His eyes narrow as he frowns, examining him further. “Everything good?” He asks.

“Yes!” Usopp answers too abruptly, too quickly. “Yeah. We’ll just. We’ll just take a look now, okay? Be back in a bit.”

He takes off, rounding the corner and around the dock area to the ship’s other side. The adrenaline has kicked back in, the pain in his body a forgotten memory.

He breathes out as he leaves Zoro’s sight, Franky close behind him. “What was that?” Franky asks, soon as they’re out of earshot. “What’s going on there?”

Usopp tries to slow his breathing. “Nothing,” He snaps. “That’s my crewmate. He doesn’t know who you are so we better keep it that way. To keep the peace.”

“Fair enough,” Franky says. “But was that all? You seemed…I don’t know. I saw the shit get beaten out of you and you were less scared than you were just then.”

Usopp does not want to talk about this. He can barely even begin to explain it himself. “No I wasn’t,” He says, then points to the ship. “Anyway. Here we go. What do you think? What can be done?”

Franky fixes him a look, but doesn’t comment. “Alright,” He says, taking off his sunglasses and placing them on the ground. “Keel, you said?”

“Yeah,” Usopp replies, as Franky sheds his open shirt next to the glasses. “It should be near the—”

He’s interrupted by a splash as Franky jumps right into the water, droplets landing on his face and clothing as the man sinks below the surface. “Showoff,” He mutters, carefully gathering himself before dropping to the ground, cross legged.

Waiting is always the worst part, so he tries not the think about it, tapping his fingers against his knee, trying to establish a rhythm…

How long? Well, you’re going to have to wait a little longer. You know how these things go. We can’t give you a clear answer on her condition until-

Usopp shakes his head, trying to force all thoughts from his head. He counts backward from a 1000 in threes, 1000, 997, 994, 991…

His concentration is disrupted when a a splash sounds from below, Franky bursting out the water in a single movement. He’s silent, swimming up to haul himself back to the dock, which causes Usopp’s skin to break out goosebumps. Not good…

Franky plants himself next to Usopp. “There’s no easy way to say this,” He begins.

There’s no easy way to say this,

“…but she’s dead.”

But she’s dying.

Usopp freezes. “What do you mean?” He asks, heart pounding.

“Just that,” Franky says grimly, wiping the water off his torso with his wet hand. “Whoever you got to look at the ship before was right. It’s a miracle she got you this far, honestly. There’s damage, and then there’s this. I’m sorry to tell you this, but she’s gone. Even I can’t fix her, and I’m the best there is.”

Usopp screws his eyes shut, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers. Pull yourself together. He chants. Pull yourself together.

“Okay,” Usopp rasps, wobbling back up to his feet. “Fine. Thanks for coming to take a look. I’ll just…do you know anyone else I can ask? Just, for, you know. A second opinion?”

“Thought that was me,” Franky says, standing up with him. He tugs his shirt back on.

“Third opinion, then,” Usopp says, turning to make his way back. “Til I find someone who can help. I don’t have much time, so sorry I can’t say a proper bye or anything, I’ll just—”

“Didn’t you hear me?” Franky blocks his path, then slides his sunglasses back into place. “Nobody’s going to be able to fix this, she’s gone. Best you can do is give her a graceful exit.”

End of life care is all you have available right now…

Usopp grits his teeth. “I have two days,” He says. “I’m going to do everything I can in those two days. I’m not giving up on her.”

“This isn’t helping her,” Franky says, unmoving. “You said she carried you all the way here, right? It’s your turn to carry her out. If you don’t, she will break and take you with her. How do you think she’ll feel if that happens? Let her go.”

“Who says?” Usopp says, and, oh, there’s the anger again. “You? Them? We don’t know for sure, not til we try, not til I do everything I can to-”

“Sometimes, that isn’t enough,” Franky says, still unmoving. “You think she wants this?”

“YES!” Usopp shouts, then gulps down air. Calm down. Calm down. “She…she spoke to me, I heard her. Her spirit spoke to me. She fixed herself. She wants to live! How can I-how can I not help her live?”

Franky cocks his head. “Her spirit? Like her Klabautermann? She showed herself to you?”

Usopp laughs without humor. “I guess. And yes, she did. She said she wanted to carry us further, and-”

“Oh,” Franky says softly, and are those tears in his voice? “Oh, she really does love you. But, listen. I don’t know you from the next guy, but I know about ships. And look, she’s—”

Usopp can’t do this anymore. “Thank you for your help,” He sidesteps around Franky, sets off back towards the front of the ship. “But as long as I have the ability and the time, I’m going to do everything I can. It’s the least I can do. I won’t leave her behind just ‘cause she’s not useful anymore.”

He’s said too much, but he can’t help it. There’s no time, anyway. He’s wasted too much already.

He hears a small “hey” behind him but he just hurries forward, hoping it’ll take him in front of Zoro’s sight again. If needed, he can mention Franky’s name in front of him, that oughta get Franky out of there real quick…

He slows down as he approaches the side of the ship, seeing a new light source on the deck. Zoro’s still there, but Sanji is now too, lighting up a cigarette. It seems like there’s a tail end of quiet conversation between them, which in itself shocks him so much that he almost stops in his tracks.

“…and he’s looking at it now,” Zoro says, tone quiet.

“At least he’s back,” Sanji says, grim around his cigarette. “Robin-Chan is still-”

Sanji lifts his head and makes eye contact with Usopp, causing him to stop mid-sentence. “Oi,” He says. “Usopp. Any news on the ship?”

Usopp shakes his head as the conversation registers. “Robin?” He asks, heart racing. “What about Robin? What happened?”

Sanji’s exchanges a quick glance with Zoro before looking back at him. “Robin-Chan’s—” He cuts himself off, eyes narrowing. “Who’s that?”

Usopp looks back to see Franky approach close behind him. “Oh he’s…he’s a shipwright who was looking at the Merry for us. What about Robin?”

“She’s missing,” Sanji says, breathing out cigarette smoke. “We’ll look for her again in the morning, but for now, we don’t know where she is. It’s been…a rough day, I can tell you that much.”

Usopp’s head spins. “Why wait?” He asks, rocking on the balls of his feet. “If she’s missing, let’s go find her.”

“We will,” Sanji says. “But we need to be ready to go get her a full strength, so everyone’s asleep right now.” He casts a critical eye at Usopp. “You should too. We have a long day tomorrow.”

“No,” Usopp says, shaking his head. “There’s still…I need to go look for a shipwright. I’ll look tonight and go with you guys to look for Robin tomorrow.”

Sanji frowns. “What,” He says, inclining his head towards Franky. “This guy wasn’t good enough?”

“Hey!” Franky snaps, and Usopp practically feels him puff up in indignant anger. “I’m the best around! The ship, though, is unfortunately—”

“He can’t fix it,” Usopp interrupts. His vision’s turning a little spotty, so he rubs at his eyes. “So I’ll keep looking til I find someone who can.”

“Oi, Usopp,” He hears Zoro’s voice as he blinks his sight back. “You’ve been out for hours, you should probably—”

“I only have two days,” Usopp glares at his crewmates. “And if we need to help Robin too, I need to use all the time I have to fix the Merry.”

Zoro’s eyes tighten. “You won’t help Merry if you pass out,” He says.

“Luffy gave me two days,” Usopp repeats. “And I’m going to use them. If I pass out I’ll wake up again and keep going.”

Zoro sighs, but doesn’t move further. “Your choice,” He says. “But when the two days end, I’m dragging you back. No arguments.”

“What kind of crew are you guys?” Franky says, amazed, behind him. Usopp sees Zoro and Sanji tense as one, ready to fight back.

That’s not good. “Hey,” Usopp says, raising his arms, “Wait…”

A loud scream in the distance interrupts him, and he almost jumps out of his skin. “What’s—”

He jumps again as more shouting and screaming joins the fray, chaos seemingly spreading across the city. An alarm sounds in the distance.

Zoro and Sanji are both up on their feet, tense and ready to fight. “What the hell is that?” Sanji asks, bewildered.

Franky looks similarly ready to go. “City emergency alarm,” He responds. “Something’s happening…something bad.”

Nami stumbles out on the deck, still in sleep clothes, followed closely by Chopper and Luffy. “What’s going on?” She asks, frantic.

Groups of people are now starting to run in a panic around the docks, shouting various phrases, getting their things together. Shortly, a word gets repeated, shared across the docks, reaching the Merry…

Franky stares at them, eyes wide. “Are they saying Iceburg?”

“We’re getting Robin back,” Luffy proclaims.

He says it like how he says everything: like he means it, deep in his bones. It’s not a plan, it’s a promise.

Usopp nods, glancing around at the rest of the crew, all of whom sport identical grim expressions. Even Franky is there, tagging along through his connection to current events. Sanji, however, is still out doing some mysterious errand, with no word on when he’ll come back.

Usopp grips tightly at his newly constructed weapon. It’s a hell of a time for a test drive. “We storming the building?” He asks. “To get Robin?”

Luffy nods. “Yeah,” He says. “If we can’t find her, someone there will know where she is.”

Usopp looks to the side. “Franky,” He says. “You sure you’re okay with coming?”

He knows the instant he’s said it that he’s made a mistake. In all the chaos and running and worry, Franky’s name had never been said. Until now.

Everyone explodes into motion right away.

“Franky?” Chopper cries, shocked, and Usopp feels a strong arm grip his bicep and pull him back. He sees Nami, on Franky’s other side, get yanked back with him.

He stumbles back, and looks up to be greeted with the sight of a straw hatted head, placed firmly in front of him. “Franky?” And it’s Luffy now, quietly dangerous. “This is Franky? The same guy from earlier? That Franky?”

Oh, this is bad. This is bad.

“Wait,” Usopp says, struggling against Zoro’s grip on his arm. “Hey, wait. Don’t…”

He leans to the side, around Luffy, to see Franky back up slowly, arms raised. “Whoa, bro, hang on…”

Luffy raises an arm. “Hey, you,” He says, drawing it back. “You hurt my crew member?”

Usopp yanks again, but Zoro is unmoved. Oh no oh no oh no…

The situation is slowly leaving his control and Usopp can’t take it, he needs to do something, he needs to-

“Luffy, STOP!” Usopp yells, much louder than he ever expected. “STOP IT!”

Luffy freezes in place. Slowly, his head turns around, a perfect 180 degrees that will never stop being unnerving, to look at Usopp. “Huh?” He asks, bewildered. “Is this not the same guy?”

“Lemme go, Zoro,” Usopp hisses in response, and at Luffy’s nod he suddenly finds himself free. He ducks around Luffy to stand between him and Franky, arms out, shielding. “It is,” He says. “It’s the same guy. But, he’s—”

“Then lemme beat him up!” Luffy says, putting his hands on his hips. “He beat you up, right?”

“Yeah,” Usopp says, exasperated. “But he’s cool! He wanted to help fix Merry when I asked. And he’s coming with us to help Robin! Plus you already burned down his house so I think we should just forget the whole thing and-”

“Wait,” And that’s Nami, horror dawning across her face. “Fix Merry? Usopp…Usopp, did you deliberately look for this guy to fix Merry? Like…you went to him on purpose? Alone?”

Usopp grits his teeth. “It doesn’t matter,” He says. “Look. We still have Robin to save, and Merry. Let’s just do that and then we can talk about this even though it’s stupid.”

“We should go save Robin,” Luffy says, frowning, “And if you say he’s cool then I guess he is, but…”

“But what?” Usopp says. “Let’s just go! We don’t have time.”

Nami shakes her head. “Of all the reckless, stupid things to do…”

“Hey!” And that’s Franky now, behind him. “It may have been reckless, but he was really brave! He really loves your ship, was willing to literally let me lop off an arm and a leg to save her.”

Usopp winces at the silence that follows that pronouncement. “You what?” Chopper yelps. “You were going to…in your condition?”

“Usopp…” Luffy says, and there’s a look on his face Usopp has never seen before. He feels so, so guilty at being the one to put it there. “Why would you…I know she’s part of the crew but you can’t just…”

“You idiot.”

The absolute venom in the statement is enough to stop everyone in their tracks. Zoro is glaring at him like he’s a total stranger. “You know what? I don’t understand you. You’re cautious and smart most of the time and then other times it’s like you haven’t changed from when we met you. You only decide to be ridiculously fucking stubborn when you know you can’t win and you don’t even care. What the fuck is your problem?”

Usopp feels like he’s been punched in the gut. The anger is just there at the base of his throat, and it’s fighting against the sadness and the hurt and the shame to get out. “But…you did the same thing!” He says, trying to find his balance in the conversation. “In Little Garden! You were going to cut off your legs!”

“How was that the same?” Zoro says, indignant. “That was a last ditch effort to get out to save people who could be saved! With you…” he cuts himself off, shaking his head. “You, what, you don’t trust us? The people you should trust? The Captain you should believe in? We’re all right here, right in front of you, and you’re still…like this! You go to the guy who almost killed you for help instead of us. And you’re hurting yourself for a ship that’s already dead.”

The anger wins.

“You’re the ones that were okay with leaving Merry behind!” Usopp yells right back, right at the edge of explosion. “You’re the ones who weren’t even willing to try anything! You weren’t even going to try? How am I supposed to trust you if you don’t even put in any effort at all? If you just shrug your shoulders and give up?”

No no no no. His brain chants. No no. It’ll be you next. No no.

“Winning requires sacrifice,” Usopp says, waving away the voice in his head. “Help requires work. I’m willing to do what it takes, especially since nobody else was going to do it!”

“Like I said,” Zoro says again, and his voice is icy now, which sets off Usopp’s rage even further. “The ship is dead. None of us did anything because we’re living in reality. Where do you think this goes from here, huh? You get yourself cut up and the ship is still dead? What does that do for us? What does that do for you? You need to grow up and know which battles to fight and which to trust to us, and to your Captain!”

Usopp feels himself shake not in fear, but in anger. “And so what if she’s already dead?” He says, voice shaking alongside his body. “Does that mean we stop trying? Does that mean we just accept it and give up? I would never give up on any of you. And that includes Merry. Because that’s what crewmates do! And if that means getting hurt along the way, then, well—”

“Stop.”

Usopp literally freezes in place. The authority in Luffy’s voice is like a physical thing: solid, regal, powerful. It washes over Usopp’s skin, touching his heart with both awe and fear.

Luffy’s not just going to be King of the Pirates. God, he already is one.

“This isn’t helping,” Luffy says, pinning them both with a stern look. “There’s a lot happening right now, and both of you have good points. But, listen. Right now, Robin needs us. And at the end of the day, we’re a crew. No matter what, we care about each other and we’re in this together. When this is over, we’ll get back to this, but…” He crosses his arms again. “For now, we have someone to save. And she needs us all.”

Usopp squeezes in a breath. “Okay,” He says, a numbness falling over his body.

He hears Zoro grunt “Yes Captain.”

“Okay,” Luffy turns back to Franky. “Usopp vouched for you, and that’s enough for me. You can come with us.”

Franky hands, still up, cautiously come down near his sides. “Thank you?” He says.

Without a word, Luffy marches forward, followed closely by Zoro. Nami hesitates for a moment, shoots him a sad look, then follows. Chopper gestures towards him, whispers, “Come on Usopp,” And beckons him forward.

A sniff beside him catches his attention.

Usopp turns to see Franky, tears running down his cheeks. “You’re a good guy, Usopp,” Franky murmurs, refusing to wipe away the tears. “It would be an honor to be on the same crew as you.”

The numbness almost fades back, but it doesn’t make it there.

“Thank you,” Usopp whispers back, then follows his crew.

And then.

When they needed her, she came.

When they needed her, she saved them.

Usopp can barely believe it. Everyone had told him she was gone, that it was impossible to save her, that she would fall apart in no time…

And yet. And yet.

“Merry,” He sobs, watching as the fire devours her, hearing her final words echo in his head. “I’m sorry I doubted you. I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry.”

He should’ve known better. He should’ve known better than anyone. He should’ve known that he couldn’t count anybody out til they were gone, should’ve believed in his convictions to keep her going…

He should’ve known. But he didn’t.

I’m sorry. And the memories that had dogged him this whole time solidify, echoing in his head alongside his current thoughts, tumbling together into one. I should’ve done more. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.

Mom.

He cries as the flames consume the ship, until she’s nothing but burning debris that sinks into the water. He cries as the sun sets on her final moments. He cries as he walks back with his remaining crew, lightheaded and weak but unable to stop.

He can’t stop.

A hand tugs at his wrist, and he turns his blurry eyes to see shocks of orange and blue against the sky.

“I’m sorry,” Nami whispers, laying a head on his shoulder as they walk. Her words join the cacophony in his brain.

Usopp wants to say it’s okay. He wants to smile, reassure her, tell her everything’s fine. He wants to walk alongside them all, cool and sure, knowing he did everything he could. He wants to tell her that he knows it was time, that there was nothing they could do, that their friend went out like a hero.

He wants to tell her that he knows that the next time, when it’s him up there instead, that it will have been just as heroic, and everyone will have fought just as hard.

But for the first time in his life, he’s unable to do what he does best. For the first time in his life, he can’t lie.

He cries all the way back to the city.

“We need to talk,” Luffy says, strangely somber.

Usopp looks up from the new weapon in his lap. It still doesn’t quite feel like it fits in his hands. “Hm?”

His stomach drops as he meets Luffy’s gaze: focused, piercing, and overwhelming. Being the focus of Luffy’s attention is almost too much at the best of times, but now? It’s like looking directly into the sun.

He glances around the room. Everyone else is sprawled out throughout the ground in the room that they’re in, fast asleep. Usopp knows that he’s going to have to make a lot of noise to wake anybody else up now.

Except, well. Except…

Zoro is leaning against the wall closest by the door. His eyes had shot open at Luffy’s words, and he’s now looking in their direction expectantly.

Usopp drops his gaze back to his lap. “You want to talk about…about before?”

“Yeah,” Luffy says, and Usopp hears him get closer. “Everything’s over now, so we just need to fix this, okay? C’mon.”

Luffy tugs at his arm, pulling him up in one swift movement. Usopp almost drops Kabuto, and quickly scrambles to keep in his his arms.

He’s pulled to the door quickly, and scrambles to keep his balance. As they exit, he sees Zoro stand up in one fluid motion and follow them out, quietly shutting the door behind them.

The morning sun feels bright on his face, and Usopp squints as Luffy leads him to the side of the building, stopping to the left of the window and facing Usopp to his right. Zoro follows, taking the spot at Usopp’s left, leaning against the side and keeping his face aimed at the ground.

Usopp’s hand start to sweat, turning the Kabuto slippery. He feels boxed in, trapped.

They’re going to tell me to leave, He thinks, blinking furiously. It’s over.

Luffy takes a breath. “Usopp,” He says, serious, concerned. “Are you okay?”

“Am I—” Usopp trips over his words. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Luffy says. “The whole time we’ve been here…you’ve been acting weird. I get wanting to save Merry, I really do. She was family, and you tried your best to fight for her. But…you were going to make us lose you too. And that’s not okay.”

Usopp closes his eyes. They still don’t get it.

“I didn’t want to,” He says, keeping his eyes shut. “I just…look. If you want to save someone, you have to give something in return. That’s just how it works. If you fight hard enough, sometimes you get something in return, you know? So I wanted…I wanted to give her that fighting chance.”

“You said that before too,” Luffy says, and Usopp feels him lean his shoulder into Usopp’s. His eyes crack back open. “About…about sacrifice. You did, though. You gave it everything you got.”

Usopp shakes his head. “I didn’t,” He says, and it settles in his stomach, uncomfortable. “I could’ve done more.”

Zoro makes a disbelieving noise. Usopp flinches.

“Huh?” Luffy’s eyes are wide. “What? How?”

Usopp shrugs. “I didn’t take the two days,” He mutters, trying not to fidget. “It was for Robin and that’s important, but…I didn’t use the two days that I had. And…and I didn’t actually do anything with the time I did use. And—”

“That’s not true!” Luffy interrupts, gripping a Usopp’s forearm. “You did everything you could! You helped save Robin. And you got a second opinion for Merry! But…that’s not how it works, did you know that? Sometimes, no matter what you give, you don’t get it back.”

Usopp shakes his head. “Yeah,” He says. “But you don’t know until you try.”

“The trying is the problem, Usopp,” And that’s Zoro, and Usopp’s gaze lands back on him. Zoro is still leaning against the wall, still not looking in his direction. “That’s why I got mad, you know. You keep bringing it back to the Merry, but this isn’t what we’re talking about. We’re talking about you.”

“Yeah!” Luffy says, throwing an arm around Usopp’s shoulders. “You know how you were fighting for Merry? We’re fighting for you! Against…you, I guess, cause you’re the one hurting you. Get it?”

“What?” Usopp says, shaking his head. “No!”

Zoro sighs. “That was terrible, Luffy.”

“Shut uppp,” Luffy whines, then looks at Usopp again. “You’re the Merry for us right now. You’re the one that’s hurt and we want to make sure you don’t break! And if you decide to put yourself in harm’s way and get hurt, then we have to come save you, right? So, we’re saving you!”

“You need to think about the risks you take,” Zoro cuts in. “Weigh them up and see if they’re worth it. Sometimes, stubborn courage is good. Other times, it’ll only hurt you, which hurts us as a crew. Get it?”

Usopp feels wrapped in his uselessness, hugging at his skin like a familiar, old coat. “So…” He says, voice small even to his own ears. “When…when there’s no way to…to help someone. I just…let it go? I let them go? If someone…if someone becomes useless, and can’t continue, then…”

Luffy tugs Usopp closer to him again. “You come to us,” He responds. “And then we’ll try to help together. And then if we can’t, then we handle it together too, okay? Deal?”

Usopp knows, logically speaking, that he can’t have control over every aspect of his life. That’s just how life goes. But…he’d like to be able to have his choices have some impact, at least. If not for him, for the people who matter to him.

That they won’t is a bitter pill to swallow.

Usopp looks at Zoro, who now pins him with a clear gaze. He looks at Luffy, who pins him with a huge, sunny smile.

Awe bubbles in his throat, shock and love and disbelief mixing into a heady cocktail that he wants to submit to. But there’s still that anger, just on the surface on his thoughts, banging to be let back in.

You’re lying! You gave up!

He pushes back. And back and back and back. “Okay,” He tells Luffy, giving him a smile. It still feels like a lie. “Okay, Luffy. Deal.”

Luffy cheers, and the anger in his head softens at the sight.

It’s the most important lie he’ll ever tell.

Notes:

I think about Water 7 a lot, and I think it's like Sabaody in the way that it was really rough, but it had to happen. I think Usopp had to hit his breaking point in order to move forward, and not doing that would just delay the problem rather than solve it. Which is what happens here: he doesn't explode, doesn't fight the crew, but the myriad of issues that led to his explosion are still simmering under the surface. Water 7 is all about miscommunication, which is what I try to explore here: every time Usopp and another crew member speak, they're essentially two different conversations, because they don't really know where the other person is coming from. They needed for things to break down in order to actually confront this. Also, since Usopp doesn't actually challenge Luffy here, it's Zoro who he quasi-fights with instead. I think Zoro, seeing something is going on with Usopp here, would try to tough-love him like he does with Chopper in Long Ring Long Land, and he's probably also quite frustrated with what's going on. I hope you enjoyed the story!