Took part in the @opreversebang with @vannahfanfics to make some wholesome SaNami content! Go check out her amazing fanfic to see how Sanji and Nami celebrate their first anniversary together! 🍊💛 (click for better quality)
makino and shanks best parents!! ToT two pieces for the @opreversebang in collaboration with the lovely @lerya-fanfic! thank you Lerya for writing such a warm and touching fic about ASL and co. taking care of makino! <3 the amount of character references they were able to add amazes me! i really enjoyed reading it!
read the fic here!
check out more of Lerya’s amazing works here!! they have an insane library of one piece fanfics!
“He starred back, fierce and unbroken. Angry and disorientated. It took him a moment, he blinked once, twice. Recognition.”
My second contribution for the One Piece Reverse Bang 2022 @opreversebang! I worked with the awesome @generaldevi and I was really happy to share my obsession with cyberpunk with her ^^
Be sure to read her story “Art of Engineering” on her AO3!! I am sooo excited to read it! 0.0
Art by @marsuro
This was for our project for @opreversebang
Zoro and Usopp
G - No shipping
Mild horror themes
Word Count: 4,139
Being separated from the rest of the crew was anxiety-inducing, he couldn’t stop the panic crawling through every inch of his body, gripping his heart tightly. He felt his breath come out uneasy as he stepped over another puddle, so many littered the ground inside the cave.
They’d been chased by a large creature, he was sure it was a dinosaur, he’d freaked out and grabbed the nearest person which happened to be a less than impressed swordsman. Zoro grumbled as he glanced over his shoulder, watching Usopp stare back at the way they had just been trudging from.
The exit to the cave had crumbled trapping them inside, the thought of being trapped made a fresh wave of panic whirl inside Usopp’s gut, twisting and poking at the already nauseous feeling. Zoro paused and stared into the darkness, blinking his eyes, trying to get them adjusted to the darkness that had swallowed them.
Usopp screeched when he ran into the back of Zoro, gripping his arms, pushing his face against Zoro’s back, burying his face, and closing his eyes despite how pointless a gesture that was in the darkness of the cave.
Zoro sighed and ran a hand through his hair, this was going to take forever if every few steps the sniper had a panic attack. He didn’t shrug the other off, he could feel his entire body shaking, trembling as fingers dug into his arms tighter.
“I can’t believe we got into this mess.” Usopp whimpered, his legs shaking from his fear as well as the cold that rattled through his lean frame.
The wet mossy stones caught every drip, drip, drip of water that slid down the pointed rocks that formed from the ceiling. He took a breath, shaky like the rest of his body. Zoro reached over his shoulder, a large hand feeling for the fingers of his crew member.
“It’s your fault.”
“Listen, I don’t need reminding okay, I was panicked alright?” Usopp yelled and withdrew his hand from Zoro’s. To think the swordsman was trying to be comforting, Usopp inwardly scoffed at his situation.
Zoro grunted and pulled away from Usopp. He started walking through the wet patch of the cave splashing as he did so, water bouncing off his boots as he walked. It got much deeper than previously anticipated. Zoro was trying his best to keep calm himself as the water started to rise against his body. Usopp watched the water part for Zoro, still glaring at the glassy dark surface.
The darkness, the shifting surface of the water, his active imagination started to twist and turn what his eyes were feeding his brain. There was something deep and sinister about the water, something that felt if he were to step into the pool, he would be swallowed up to never be seen again. Each ripple seemed like a tantalising invention to his death.
He was torn between the fear that the dark water caused him to feel and the panic in his heart as he couldn’t even make out the outline of Zoro’s white shirt any longer. He tried to tear his line of sight away from the water, he couldn’t bear the eyes he envisioned staring back at him.
“Z-ZORO?” He called loudly, despite the volume there was no confidence, only the mounting panic.
“ZORO?” Usopp yelled again, the echo mocking him. He rushed to the side of the puddle, feeling the cold slippery rocks with his hands, running his palms over the slick moss, grimacing at the feeling as he used their shapes to help him find the easy way through the water where it was shallow and didn’t rise as high as it had appeared on his companion.
“Please answer me!” He begged, pleaded as he was desperate to step out of the ice-cold water, had it swallowed the swordsman? His breathing quickened; he could tell he was on the verge of a panic attack.
His fingers skimmed the rocks, he was forcing his feet to carry on moving, telling himself, promising himself that the other side was just a footstep away. His fingertips brushed against something warm, something that moved, he screamed, his mind telling him everything that it was and wasn’t, a scatter of worse case scenarios flittered through his head.
“Calm down, it’s me.” Zoro hissed and grabbed the other pirate’s wrist and heaved him out of the water.
“In my defence, I know a lot of people who wouldn’t find that very reassuring.” Usopp sighed, trying to use humour to calm the paranoia. He felt like the water was following him, what a ridiculous notion he scolded himself although that didn’t stop the overwhelming desire to jump away from the edge of the pool.
“Can you do anything to get rid of the dark?” Usopp asked as he rubbed his hands up and down his arms, an attempt to keep himself sane, bring warmth to his limbs.
“Like what?” Zoro asked with a snort and carried on, the footsteps of his boots rang out in the cave, something to break up the monotonous dripping.
“You have booze on you, don’t you?” Usopp asked seeing Zoro stop in his tracks. “I have a spare bandanna, if we soak it in booze, find something to hold it up.. we have a makeshift torch!” He grinned in the darkness, pleased with his idea.
“I’m not wasting good booze.” Came the swordsman’s short and sharp reply.
“Zoro! We won’t ever get out if we can’t see.” Usopp protested and once again latched onto his arm, shaking him, the whine in his voice making Zoro furrow his brows.
Usopp did have a point, however. “Fine, help me find something then.” Another grunt, a reluctant admittance of defeat.
Usopp clapped his hands together, he was sure he would feel better with a spark of light in all this smothering darkness. He needed something to cling to, something to put his hopes on. Light meant there wasn’t just darkness, they could see where they were going, could find a way out of this eternal night.
Maybe the light would wash away the feeling of someone always three steps behind him. Would rid the oppressing density of the unknowing that gripped Usopp’s shoulders like an enemy pretending to be a friend. The tickle on the back of his neck tricked his mind into thinking someone was breathing down his neck.
Oh, how he longed for the light.
The two split up, not far from one another, feet skimming the rocks, kicking them along the floor. There was a hollow clunk as Zoro kicked something, he reached down, grasping at the air a few times before his fingers found purchase on the item in question.
“Got something.” He declared and held it out for Usopp.
“Ah! Good! Pass me the rum!”
Usopp wrapped the bandanna around the top of it the stick, making sure to cover its bulbous ends, he sighed it wasn’t enough, he placed his hand on his hip, tapping his boot, focusing on the dripping in the background, the gears in his head turning before he realised, he had what they needed.
Untying the sash around his waist, adding it around the long stick he had been given.
“Zoro, rum, please!” Usopp heard the cap unscrew, saw the faint flicker of light from the silver flask and heard a gulp “ZORO!”
“Fuck, alright, alright.” He handed him the flask, Usopp grasped it, feeling the cold metal in his palm.
He doused the fabric in rum, hearing the world’s smallest and saddest sigh from his companion at the loss of his drink. He dug around in his bag, feeling his slingshot, some pellets and finally a small box of matches, glad he’d not taken them out last time he cleaned the chaos that was his bag.
“Hold this.” Usopp thrust the makeshift torch into Zoro’s hand, ignoring the grunt of indignation as he focused his efforts on the little matchbox, pulling one out, flicking it across the side panel.
His heart leapt at the sound of fire being made, his eyes widened at the smallest flame, with it carried all his hope. He was gentle, cradling the flame as if his life depended on it, making sure it ignited the torch, there was a roar as the fabric was caught ablaze, fire wrapped around the fabric, and it looked like a large match in its own right.
Both pirates were illuminated by its forgiving flame, Zoro smirked in triumph as Usopp’s grin grew, relief flooded his veins as he grabbed for the torch, he wanted to be the one connected to the lifeline, sadly Zoro snatched it back and held it higher.
“You’ll drop it.”
“I will not!”
“One thing will make you shit yourself and you’ll drop it on the wet floor.” Zoro reasoned as he started to walk ahead.
Usopp hated to admit it, but he was more than likely right, he narrowed his eyes at Zoro, nonetheless not wanting to lose face, he followed Zoro. The fire chased the darkness away with every footstep forward, the sides of the cave shimmered, damp moss that lined the rocks, the walls, the ceilings. Drops of water clung onto green looking like thousands of jewels in this light.
The sniper had hoped the fire would be his saviour, something to set his mind at ease, it did, for the most part. The flames that swayed in the chilly breeze that inhabited the cave cast so many shadows across the surface, making Usopp catch things in the corner of his eye.
Lurching shadows, grasping, grabbing hands made of darkness, always in his perifocal view, too scared to turn his head to prove himself wrong just in case the mischievous shapes weren’t just the things of nightmares but tangible, dangerous and very, very real.
“Alright,” Usopp sniffed as he kept in step with Zoro “But, my sense of direction is better.” he corrected his nakama, who narrowed his eyes, brows furrowing.
“It’s a straight fuckin’ line, how am I going to mess that up?” Zoro demanded but saw the one quirked brow of the sniper, his jaw in a firm line as he gripped the torch harder.
“Just follow the direction of the flame and you can’t mess it up.” He pointed to the flame “The breeze must be coming from the way out, so as long as we follow the flame, we should find our way out.” he explained to Zoro who stared between him and the fire, shrugging, that made sense.
As they started to walk Usopp got that same feeling, that awful heavy feeling that draped itself over his shoulders and across his heart. He didn’t look back, he refused to look back, he didn’t need to see what was creeping upon them.
The putrid feeling of the unknown wanting to squeeze Usopp tightly and never let him go. Gnarled vines of uncertainty twisted around his heart, wanting to plunge him into a panic attack.
Zoro would have noticed something by now, would have slain it with his swords, Usopp had to keep telling himself his crewmate was more observant than he was giving him credit for. The feeling of eyes on his back, the faint sounds of slap, slap, slap were a cruel illusion of a boy with a fanciful imagination.
He tried to rationalise it all, he wished his mind would tell his knees everything was alright, feeling them knocking together as he carried on being only one step behind Zoro. He wished the feeling of dread would lift. He kept his eyes on the flame, only the flame, watching the direction of the guiding light, paying attention to its delicate dance to ensure they were still on the right path.
The cave opened into an even bigger cave, a path to the left and one to the right, Usopp could have slapped himself in the face in a comical way, how typical at least Zoro had the sense not to suggest ‘splitting up’ he watched Zoro stare at the ceiling, not paying any attention to the pathways that were presented before them.
Usopp glanced up, he saw nothing other than a ceiling of pointed, sharp, glittering crystals. They shimmered in the light, Usopp found himself gawking at them, how brilliant they looked. He might have found them beautiful if their sharp tips didn’t spell an unfortunate end if they were to come loose.
There was a snapping sound, like walking across ice. Zoro’s expression changed, he shoved the torch into Usopp’s hand and unsheathed his sword, one of the large formations started to fall from above, he leapt onto the wall, bouncing from one slippery surface to another, slashing the crystal. It shattered and Usopp cowered, covering his face as the millions of tiny shards rained down on him, some cutting into his skin, feeling like thousands of paper cuts.
He winced and felt Zoro land next to him, he peered through his now cut and bloody arms, one eye open and watched as Zoro stared above them, seeing his eyes dart around, he could see something that Usopp couldn’t, was it more unsettled spikes? Usopp squawked when Zoro yanked him forward.
The spikes rained down from above, herding them towards one side of the cave, Zoro quickly jumped to the opposite side pulling the sniper with him just in time. Usopp’s breathing was ragged, he was relieved when Zoro took the flame back from him.
He put his palms on his thighs and stared at the floor, his sweat rolling off his brow and hitting the already damp floor. Zoro said nothing, simply sheathing his sword once more, glaring over his shoulder at the now blocked path.
“What was that?” Usopp managed between his breaths.
“Cave collapse.” was Zoro’s simple reply as he jerked his head in the direction of the tunnel.
Usopp sighed, and now he had a moment to breathe and became lucid once more, not overtaken by the sudden adrenaline of the situation of impending doom all he could focus on was the millions of tiny cuts across his skin. They ached in the cold passageway. He spared a glance at the torch; the flame was still showing the way.
Well, that was something.
The two straw hat pirates walked in silence, only the sounds of their boots and the dripping could be heard, each sound however echoed down the tunnel, making everything seem almost deepening. Zoro stopped when he was confronted with another deep pool of water, he outstretched his arm and stopped Usopp from stepping forward. He sniffed, nose wrinkling as he examined the area.
“What? We can just go through it, look.” Usopp pointed at the steppingstones, only slightly rounded with moss on the top. They seemed big enough to support them if they skipped across one at a time.
Zoro ignored him, moving to the side, and lighting up the way, a row of jagged rocks that jutted from the wall, looking sharp, slanted, dangerous. He nodded for Usopp to follow him across the row of what looked like the cave’s teeth.
Usopp looked at the steppingstones, clearly the preferred option, he was about to protest, fight the other pirate on his choice. Zoro may have been the second in command but in this situation, he was being foolish. Zoro grabbed the strap of his overalls and tugged him towards the wall.
“We have no idea how deep that water is, if either of us slipped off those rocks we might suffer from hydrocution,” Zoro stated like it was obvious.
He didn’t enjoy the open-mouthed stare he was getting from Usopp, he rolled his eyes and pulled Usopp closer, he offered Usopp his hand, trying to get him to step up, walk along the jagged rocks to cross the water “It means, if your body hits water that’s colder then you are used to, you go into shock, it could drown you.”
“O..oh”
Zoro shook his head, at least glad that Usopp was listening to him now, stepping onto the rocks, Zoro tried to reach forward to light up Usopp’s path, making sure the sniper was keeping his balance, a surprisingly gentle yet firm hand on Usopp’s waist, always making sure he didn’t lose his balance as they crossed.
Usopp hopped over the other side and felt accomplished, he winked at Zoro and gave him a thumbs up in triumph, Zoro offered him a small smirk in return, looking back at the water, Usopp stared over the dark surface and noticed something with a sigh “They didn’t even go across the entire way huh” how had Zoro not missed that, but he had?
He was learning more and more to trust the swordsman’s survival instincts as their journey progressed. Zoro simply shrugged his shoulders, pushing on ahead once more. The flame was wobbling more, it could sense the fresh air, the way out and Usopp felt giddy.
They were getting closer and closer to the exit; they’d be free in no time. It put a spring in his step, the fear was taking a back seat, the success that had been granted to them each time Zoro saved them had managed to ease the tensions in his heart, push the fears to the back of his head.
Reliance on Zoro was keeping him sane, sometimes the other pirate’s expression changed, unreadable, brows furrowed as he paused ever so slightly with each new stretch of tunnel. He always turned his head slightly, as if listening.
All that ever greeted him was drip, drip, drip, sometimes the occasional creak of crystals falling somewhere in the tunnels that ran alongside their chosen trail. Usopp sighed when Zoro simply picked up his feet once more, lighting the tunnel piece by piece.
The mossy stones with the water droplet gems still popped up now and then, often in puddles of water, always avoided by the swordsman. Usopp’s panic and worry was replaced with the mild annoyance of each time he had to clamber and climb over less than pleasant surfaces.
Usopp could feel each cut throb in pain when he moved his arms to scale the walls, climb up dips, helped the entire time by Zoro. His frayed nerves of the unknown had been replaced with indifference, desperation to get out and be free of the physical exhaustion he was facing.
Zoro took it all in his stride, it was simply another workout to him. He wished he had been with someone like Luffy or Sanji, other capable people that could at least hold a conversation. Zoro would always spin around and place his pointer finger over his lips, hissing out a shhh, eyes narrowed in warning.
And each time Usopp would raise his hands in defence, making a gesture across his lips to signify he was going to shut up. Even if that didn’t last for long and the mossy haired pirate had to give him the same look.
The flame started to wave and sway faster, both pirates stared at the portable fire, it couldn’t be far, right? Usopp wanted to run ahead but Zoro once again reached out and grabbed him. The cave started to taper off, the roof getting lower as they went. Usopp felt the dread reach down his throat and squeeze his heart once more, gripping tightly as panic surged through him.
He felt sick as the flame started to dwindle, it was only a matter of time before the makeshift torch would come to its bitter end. Usopp whispered no no no no no over and over as he brought his hands to his mouth, eyes wide in fear as the flame started to die.
It had given its all and now in its final moments Usopp had never felt so scared, Zoro and Usopp exchanged glances in the dying orange of their fading lifeline. Usopp took a breath, holding it as the light vanished.
“Usopp, I need you to light a bunch of matches” Zoro’s’ voice did little to make Usopp feel better, not when he had to readjust to the dark once more, the blackest black swallowing him up, making all his other senses double, he could pick up sounds he’d missed when given the blessing of sight.
“What? Why? We don’t have anything left!”
“I had an extra flask on me.” Usopp rolled his eyes at Zoro’s comment, annoyed his reaction wouldn’t be seen in the darkness.
“Okay….”
“As soon as you light them, I need you to toss them on where I spread the rum, alright?” “Yeah…”
He wasn’t sure where Zoro was going with this, he did as he was told regardless, Usopp fumbled in his bag, finding the box, his shaky hands almost dropping the previous tiny sticks of wood and firelighter. He scraped them across the side desperately, panicked, he prayed to the Gods at least one caught in his feverish desperation and would ignite the rest of them.
The God of the sea must have been listening to the long-nosed pirate who hailed from a little nowhere island. Blessed with something that would go right for him, he thanked every deity that could be listening as they all sparked and lit. His eyes flicked up and watched as Zoro threw the booze on a big mossy rock, confused and pausing almost too long.
“NOW, USOPP!” Zoro shouted and snapped the teen out of his confused daze.
Throwing the ball of fire towards the rock watching as the rum caught alight, the fire chased the alcohol along the floor, all over the rock. Screaming, terrible screams of pain, a creature shrieking for all it was worth, it flailed and moved from where it was slumped.
Light, brilliant, wonderful light burst from behind its silhouette, Usopp blinked, mouth hanging open, Zoro grabbed him, yanking him through the narrow exit, pushing Usopp out before climbing out himself, getting stuck, broader than the other pirate.
“I got you!” Usopp saw Zoro throw his swords out first, outstretching his arms, rough calloused hands grabbing for Usopp’s smaller ones. Usopp gripped his hands, pulling with all his might, boots digging into the dirt to give him more leverage.
They grunted in pain, the rough rocks from the cave digging into Zoro through his shirt, cutting up his shoulders, blood seeping into the white fabric, Usopp’s heart was beating faster and faster, his palms becoming slick from sweat. He opened his eyes making contact with Zoro, seeing the swordsman with the look of fear in his eyes.
Usopp gasped, he knew then it was all up to him, he’d never seen fear like this in the swordsman. He tugged with all his might, he focused all his panic, fear, every emotion that tried to take the front seat of his mind. He dug his feet in even harder as he gave the final tug.
Zoro hissed as he painfully slid free and landed on top of Usopp, he stared at him, he laughed loudly, awkwardly as the situation unfurled. It was Zoro’s turn to roll his eyes at Usopp, he pushed himself up from the ground, getting to his feet, gathering up his swords, getting into a battle pose.
Swords at the ready as he stared at the hole in the cave, the sounds of an animal in pain still loud and clear, the fire lighting up the small passage they had just slid from. The creature that had been on fire fell to the floor, no sounds, no movements, the flames just rising from its body.
Behind it, closing in on its lifeless form stood other creatures. Each one looked like a large rock, their heads covered in moss, beady eyes stared out at the two pirates. Usopp’s heart threatened to beat out his chest. Those creatures.
“Th….the stepping stones…”
“And the collapse in the main part of the cave,” Zoro said with a nod, looking over at Usopp as he fell back, landing on his ass, shuffling away from the cave, terrified of what his eyes saw.
“They’ve been following us the entire time, ever since we got into the cave… just a few steps behind us.” Zoro explained and sighed, rubbing his head as he watched the creatures hiss and try to step around the fire.
“Why didn’t you say anything sooner?” Usopp asked, he could tell Zoro’s heart was beating as fast as his own.
“I didn’t want you to panic.”
They stood both watched as the fire dissipated… the cave went quiet, none of the mossy rock creatures dared to leave the cave. Zoro leaned down and helped Usopp to his feet. In the distance, they heard their names being called out in different voices.
gothfam for the @opreversebang done in collaboration with the awesome Siojo!! they totally nailed the prompt and wrote a really cute gen fic of my favorite family!! their characterizations are everything i could have asked for, big thanks to Siojo!! <333
you can read the fic here and you can read more of Siojo’s lovely works over here!
