"USSOPPPPPPPPPPP—!"
Monkey D. Luffy, Pirate Captain and walking manifestation of chaos, was hot on Usopp's heels.
"I just wanna see it!" he whined, hopping step to step like an oversized toddler. "You built a whole ship! That's so cool! C'monnnnn, show meeee!"
"No."
"But—"
"No."
"But wh—"
"Still no."
Usopp walked faster, jaw tight, hoping that if he ignored the menace long enough, maybe he'd get bored and punch a bird or something.
He didn't.
"C'mon, man! I promise I won't touch anything—wait, no—I'll touch everything! But gently!"
"No."
"Pleasepleaseplease—"
"I said—"
Luffy jumped in front of him, walking backward with the kind of annoying grin that made Usopp's eyebrow twitch. "What if I bribe you with… meat?"
"I have meat."
"...More meat?"
"Still no!"
"Is it big? How many sails does it have? Is there a figurehead? I bet there's a cannon! Oh, is there a barrel room?!"
Usopp didn't answer. He just kept moving through the village, boots crunching on packed dirt, hands stuffed into his pockets like they were holding back curses.
Behind them, a few paces off, Zoro and Nami followed at a much more relaxed pace. Zoro had his arms behind his head, lazily watching the circus play out in front of him.
"Why is your captain like this again?" Nami asked.
Zoro sighed. "At this point, I think it's genetic, although in this case, he really wants that ship"
"More like he really wants Usopp," Nami replied, amused. "I think he already decided the guy's joining."
Zoro snorted. "He'd be a useful one to have around."
As they passed the main square, laughter and snickers followed in their wake. A few villagers on the sides of the path were howling with laughter, holding their sides while watching their island's proud handyman get absolutely harassed by an idiot.
From the bakery window, a group of girls giggled and waved at Usopp.
"Go easy on him, Usopp!" one of them called out. "He's so cute!"
"Is he your friend~?" another teased.
Usopp's face turned red. "I DON'T KNOW HIM!"
"USOPP-SAN! LOOK OVER HERE! Is he your new rival?!"
"NOT. HELPING!"
Finally, with a growl of sheer frustration, Usopp stopped, grabbed Luffy by the back of the collar and the top of his hat, and yanked him into a tight, one-armed headlock.
"Alright pal! You wanna talk about the ship? Let's talk! Somewhere with less… witnesses."
Luffy didn't resist. He just laughed, muffled under Usopp's arm.
The four of them turned off the main path, past familiar stone fences, ducked behind a sloping hill, and made their way to the outskirts of the village, where the breeze smelled like sea salt and the cicadas had started up their evening chorus.
Once they were alone, Usopp let Luffy go with a sigh.
"Okay. Here's the truth."
He turned to face them, hands on his hips, eyes steady.
"That ship isn't even mine."
Luffy blinked. "...Huh?"
Usopp folded his arms. "It's a project. Or rather, it wasn't mine to begin with. It was built with Merry, the butler of one of my closest friends here. Kaya. She's... she's not well. And Merry's been like a second father to her. Anyway he's the one who started it. And I helped him."
Luffy's face lit up. "He's a shipwright too?!"
"Not a pro," Usopp corrected. "He's just good with tools. Same as me. He taught me a lot. But between the two of us, we're not even half a real shipwright by Grand Line standards."
Zoro nodded. "Smart to admit it. A weak ship in dangerous seas is suicide. No use pretending."
"Exactly." Usopp gave him a look of appreciation. "Which brings me to why I lied."
He held up one finger. "Reason one: You."
Luffy tilted his head. "Me?"
"You're exactly the kind of guy who would hear 'there's a ship nearby,' sprint to it at full speed, climb on board, and sail it out to sea without asking whose ship it is."
Luffy opened his mouth to deny it, thought about it, then slowly closed his mouth.
"...Okay yeah, that's fair."
Nami snorted.
Usopp continued. "Reason two: It's not mine to give. Merry's an old man now, and building that ship was his dream. A ship that would one day really sail the seas. I didn't even have a dream back then. Not one I thought I could afford to chase. But Merry? He gave me something to work toward. A purpose. And maybe... hope."
He glanced down at his fingers, calloused from years of carving, fixing, cutting rope and sanding planks.
"I built his dream because I couldn't dream for myself."
The words hung heavy.
Zoro's face was unreadable. Nami looked thoughtful.
Luffy, for once, stayed quiet.
"Now," Usopp said, lifting a third finger. "Reason three. That ship… it's my house."
There was a beat.
"…Wait, what?" Nami asked.
"I live in it," Usopp said. "Merry let me. Been staying there for years now. I fix it up. Take care of it. It's my place. It's got all my stuff, my hammock, my tools, my herbs. It's not just a ship—it's home."
He looked at Luffy with something sharp and serious in his eyes.
"I'm not giving it up. Not for free. Not for pity. And definitely not because some weirdo with a stretchy face asked nicely."
A silence followed.
Then—
"WOAHHHHHH, THAT'S SO COOL!!" Luffy exploded, eyes starry again. "A ship you live in?! I wanna see it even more now!"
Usopp groaned and facepalmed. "You're not listening!"
Zoro let out a chuckle under his breath. "You're stubborn. I like that."
"You got guts," Nami added, more gently. "And honestly... I get it. Home's not just walls. It's memories."
For a moment, Usopp looked touched. And then Luffy struck.
"Well, then—why not join my crew?! That way you keep your house, and we get a ship! Win-win!"
Usopp's reaction was immediate.
"WHAT?!!"
His eyes nearly popped out of his skull. "ARE YOU CRAZY?! NO! No no no—absolutely not! I'm not joining any pirate crew! Who the hell do you think you are?!"
Luffy grinned. "The guy with the offer."
Zoro leaned against a nearby tree, arms crossed.
"You care about this island," he said. "That's obvious. But don't pretend you didn't dream about leaving one day."
Usopp's glare wavered.
"You don't help an old man build a ship just because you like the smell of sawdust," Zoro continued, voice low. "You had a reason. Even if you didn't admit it to yourself at the time."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Usopp stared at the ground.
Then he whispered, almost too quiet to hear.
"…I did think about it."
They waited.
"When I was a kid. I wondered why my dad left. I thought... maybe if I followed the same road, I'd get it. That maybe the sea could explain it better than words ever could."
He breathed in.
"But that was then. I got people now. A whole village that counts on me. I can't just leave them behind. I can't... I can't leave them like my dad left my mo—"
The words stopped, cracked mid-sentence like something inside him snapped.
His jaw clenched. His hands curled into fists.
The three Straw Hats were quiet.
And then—without a hint of mockery, without pity—Luffy said:
"…You really are amazing."
Usopp looked up, startled.
"You help people. You take care of them. You fix everything that's broken. Even when you're the one who's cracked."
Usopp blinked.
Zoro gave a nod. "Takes more guts than most so-called warriors I've met."
Nami smiled softly. "You're already the kind of man your mom would be proud of."
Usopp looked away, blinking too quickly, brushing his nose with the back of his hand.
"Shut up," he muttered.
Luffy beamed. "So what do you say? Wanna join us?"
Usopp groaned. "You're like a barnacle, y'know that?"
"I'll take that as a maybe!"