Summary: After being turned into a doll by Sugar, you don't know that all of your friends, and your dear boyfriend, have been forced to forget you exist.
Author’s Note: Happy Day 6 of Whumpay! Rescued too late! How tragic for our brave warrior of the sea to forget about us and fail to save us
Masterlist here!
Word Count: 0.7k
Likes and comments are much appreciated! Do not repost anywhere! Works will be posted from my ao3 account soon.
Usopp is running through the streets of Dressrosa. His ankles are screaming at him, his side is cramping up, but none of the pain matters. He has to find you, he has to keep you safe. Your name leaves his mouth as he frantically looks everywhere to find you. Someone grabbed you earlier and now he doesn’t know where you are. He doesn’t know… why he’s running right now?
He slows to a stop and his hands land on his knees. Why is he running from his friends? He turns in almost a full circle, trying to determine which way he came from and picks a direction before jogging back to the fight.
-%-%-%-%-%-%-%-%-%-
Sugar lets you go almost instantly and you run out into town, desparate to find your friends again. To find Usopp.
You see him enter the plaza you’re in and you start running towards him. Your name leaves his mouth but he doesn’t see you. His head is turning everywhere but not looking low enough and you can’t get to him fast enough. You watch as he slows, stops running, and confusion lines his features. His hands land on his knees and he looks away with confusion instead of panic.
What is he doing? “USOPP!!” You yell as loud as you can but you can’t be heard over the noise of the crowds. You watch him turn and run the other direction. The direction you know the rest of the group is in.
He gave up. He gave up on looking for you. He gave up on you. Or he saw you and decided he didn’t want to save you. You don’t know which is worst. Both options hurt too much.
Running after him, you hope to find your friends. Someone who can help you. Hopefully no one else has given up on you. Hopefully there’s still someone on the crew who cares.
After what feels like hours of running, you spot Nami. She still cares. She’ll help you.
As you approach your friend, she spots you and you know she knows you’re there. But she looks through you; she sends you away.
What did you do so wrong that no one cares anymore?
Slumping yourself against a wall, you watch, sadness building up in your chest, but you can’t cry. It’s not physically possible anymore.
You sit there for a few hours. Every so often watching a friend run past, not concerned in the least that you are missing. No one cares. No one’s looking.
Someone screams that Sugar’s been taken out as you feel yourself turn back into a human.
Everyone around you runs to find their people, to reunite with their loved ones, but you stay. You watched your friends not care to look for you or help you. You watched Usopp give up on you. You watched him give up his search and go off somewhere else.
-%-%-%-%-%-%-%-%-%-
Usopp turns yet another corner and spots you. He can’t believe he forgot about you. He doesn’t understand what happened - he didn’t even know you existed for the past few hours. How could he forget about the love of his life. And now he sees you curled up in a ball, hands covering your head that’s buried in your knees, shaking with sobs. He swears he can hear his heart snap in half as he lands on his knees next to you. His arms wrap around you and you’re pulled into his chest while he says your name over and over again, laced with worry, fear, and guilt.
Usopp stays there - against a random wall in the middle of Dressrosa, in the middle of a collapsing birdcage, in the middle of the final battle against Doflamingo - holding you, running one hand along your back while the other is bracing your shoulders to his chest. He’s whispering that he’s so sorry, that Sugar’s powers made them all forget you, that he’ll never let anything happen to you again, that he’ll do anything to make this up to you. As your sobs slow to hiccups, his tears soak his cheeks. He’ll never forgive himself for letting this happen. For letting you be forgotten and left alone.
Your arms wrap around him, your face burying into his chest and his into the crook of your neck. The pair of you stays there, holding each other closely, as the battle for Dressrosa rages on around you.
Why now? I've done so much these 18 months, why now?
It's over? Was I too greedy to begin with? A sniper who can't hear? What will the others think? Should I tell them? (of course not!) What will Luffy think? Will they realize it's not worth it and kick me out? Finally I can't hide the fact that I'm useless now, maybe even before!
Usopp'n! Liste- Look at me!
Hera- I can't even hear my voice (the stories... why why)
YOU'RE GONNA OVERCOME THIS USOPP'N -takes out some weird headphones and put them on Usopp-
Huh?
THERE, YOU NEED TREATMENT IMMEDIATELY, LET'S GO...
I think my bottle of angst broke (thanks to a fic someone has bookmarked)
Prompt I did on the spur of the moment for @usopp-weekly-prompts
300 words. sfw, mdni. just a teeny, tiny fic for usopp post-water 7! just a tiny bit of angst, nothing major. probably 💛
note: if u see spelling and/or grammar mistakes, no u didn't bestie~
one, two, three—
with a strong wind under his wings (courage) and a stomach of steel (nerves), usopp has officially decided to rejoin the straw hat pirates. he practices his speech with gusto in front of a broken mirror on scrap island; the fractures in the glass feature distorted versions of himself.
the irony does not go unnoticed, but for the sake of keep his sanity, usopp bravely ignores it.
for now, at least.
“perfect,” he says out loud, the various heaps of scrap metal near him serve as his makeshift audience. “now, all i need to do is find the perfect moment.” pride swelling and confidence soaring, both have him marching across the stone bridge and back into the heart of water 7.
smiling and greeting various residents during his walk through the streets, usopp has a newfound view on life, friendship, and what it truly means to be a brave warrior of the sea.
chuckling to himself, even going so far as to place a hand over his mouth to keep his mirth at bay, he imagines the crew’s reaction to his heroic return; naturally, they will embrace him lovingly.
because he’s the glue, right? he keeps the crew together, he’s important — he truly knows that now.
but, despite his gallant effort to repent, usopp is met with silence. a closed door and closed windows all around. desperation sets in, but despite his efforts he’s unable to infiltrate the residence.
heart in his throat, it begins a free fall towards his stomach, landing with a loud thud. as he doubles over, panic settles underneath his skin; taut, unyielding.
an angry, watery warmth that spills down his cheeks —
tears full of salt, of regret, and of misery.
shed for himself, his future, and his place with the straw hats.
summary: while you vent to Nami about your feelings of Usopp, the devil himself intrudes in overhearing everything you’ve just talked about.
takes place in alabasta arc ig
contains: angst to fluff, sfw, not proofread, also ik Kaya ain’t like this I love her just gotta do it for the story babes
masterlist
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“I just don’t know what else to do Nami.” You sighed to her, you were both sitting in the kitchen drinking whatever new cocktail Sanji had made up for the both of you. “I don’t think he likes me that way, I mean I’m pretty sure he’s hooked on Kaya the way they kissed before he joined us.” You said, mentally cringing at the memory.
“Come on y/n! That was like what, a year ago? I’m pretty sure they don’t even talk.” Nami exclaimed as she rubbed your arm as a way of letting you know she was there for you. You know they still talk though, you’ve seen him hunched over his desk (if he has one in his room..?), writing letters to her. Your heart broke even more seeing the excited look on his face when he got a letter back from her.
You and Usopp were fairly close, spending the day together from sunrise to sunset daily. You’d give feedback on his newest creations and he’d give advice on your fighting skills, or your drawings you’d draw of the new islands you visited or just your crew. You’d never admit it but your sketchbook was mostly full of him, some he knew about and happily posed for while other ones you’d do in your free time as everyone was chilling together on the Going Merry. Shortly after he joined the crew you noticed your development in feelings for him and tried to ignore them, but ultimately gave in.
“Y/N!” Nami exclaimed, realizing you had zoned out while you two were talking. “God, you’re actually day-dreaming of him?” She shivered dramatically while you rolled your eyes at her. Nami looked at you and sighed as you laid your head against her shoulder, finishing your drink. “I just- I like him so much Nami and I don’t want to ruin our friendship by telling him while he’s got his eyes on another woman.. I’ve been somewhat distancing myself from him to try to loose those feelings but it’s just making me abt him more.” You sniffled, feeling your emotions getting the best of you.
“Oh y/n..” Nami gasped slightly, taking you into her arms as you felt tears invading your lashline. “Look, if he doesn’t realize how stupid he is to have you it’s his loss! I’m sure he-“ Nami ranted before getting cut off by a familiar someone falling face first through the kitchen door. You gasped as you saw Usopp groan as he got up. “Uh.. hi?” He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Did you.. hear everything?” You asked, standing up now from your seat. “I- maybe? But it’s okay! I actually, wait y/n!” Usopp yelled after you as you speed walked out of the kitchen, running towards you and Nami’s shared room past everybody else as quickly as you could. Your heart was beating fast as you locked the door behind you, sliding down it as you finally let everything out.
“You idiot!” Nami yelled at Usopp, hitting behind his head as he groaned rubbing it.
————————————————————————
It was now hours later, you were curled up in your bed refusing to come out of your room no matter who knocked or begged for you to come out. It was now a bit past dinner time, you sighed and sat up on your bed. You then got up and decided you could go up to the deck for some fresh air as everyone would be retreating to their rooms for the night. You quickly walked up the stairs and leaned against the railing, letting out a big sigh.
“y/n?” You heard a familiar voice ask, growing the ache in your heart bigger. It was Usopp, you didn’t say anything or move but he did. He stood beside you leaning on the rail aswell, glancing at you awkwardly.
“I- god I don’t know how to do this stuff.. y/n I-“ Usopp stuttered out before you cut him off. “It’s okay, Usopp. I know you and Kaya love each other. Please don’t let what you heard in the kitchen ruin our friendship. I just-“ you sighed out before it was Usopp turn to cut you off with a kiss, your eyes wide with shock before closing them and melting into the kiss. You wrapped your arms around his neck and he wrapped his around your waist, pulling you closer before pulling away for a breather.
“y/n, I love you. Kaya and me aren’t a thing, it was just one kiss honestly. We tried to make it work with writing letter back and forth but one day she told me she fell in love with another kid from our village, and I was okay with that honestly. Because I want you. You make me feel so nervous and happy and- just everything. I like you so much y/n, I want you as my girlfriend, not her. I’m not very good at this yet but I promise I’ll try for you and protect you, as the great captain Usopp!” He told you, smiling.
You looked back at him in shock, processing everything before giving him another quick peck on the lips.
“Of course, God Usopp.”
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Thank you so much for reading! Also sorry it’s kinda short.. please give me any advice and I’m looking for mutuals, so please ask if you’d like to be! I’ll also take any requests.
This is a belated birthday gift to my dear friend, @usopps-devotee. Happy birthday Kush, I'm sorry this took so long to get out! I hope you like it!
Summary: You just wish Usopp would let you sleep.
Warning: angst, major character death, platonic!brook x reader, immortal!reader, sad, tragic!romantic!usopp x reader, survivor's guilt, death wish, clairvoyant!reader
The ship rocked feebly as the waves controlled its hull, the dingy, cartoonish lion figurehead cutting through the thick mist. You leaned against the rail, looking out to the bleak sea with somber eyes, searching for any ray of sunshine, only to find drab clouds staring back. "Come back from the railing, my dear," a calm and pitying voice called from a good distance behind. "You'll catch cold in this weather."
"I wish," you retorted coldly. "Maybe I'd get sick enough to-"
"(Y/N), please,"
You sighed, pushing away from the railing and turning to face the only companion you had. "I'm sorry, Brook. I'm just..." you trailed off, unsure what you'd intended to say.
"Lonely, I know." he soothed, pulling you into his slender and uncomforting arms. "Immortality is the loneliest privilege one can have."
"I'm not lonely," you corrected, glancing up into his void sockets. "I'm surrounded by people, but I still miss them."
His bones shifted as if to convey surprise as he withdrew slightly. "You're seeing things again?"
Your eyes widened as you violently pushed away from him, fists clenched with sudden anger. "Brook! I already told you, I'm not seeing shit! They're there!"
The man stepped back a bit, taken by your short fuse as he raised his hands defensively to disarm you. "Now, now, I didn't mean to offend you, my dear. Let's just have a cup of tea and-"
"No, Brook!" you shouted, seething, feeling unseen eyes trained on you. "Why can't you see them too, why don't you believe me?!" Hot tears streamed down your cheeks as you stared at the musician desperately, eyes occasionally darting around the ship to your other crew mates.
"I-I'm sorry, I-I-" he sputtered, hurt and unnerved by your outburst, which had begun to become a more frequent occurrence. "I wish I could see what you see-"
Unable to stand another second of Brook's excuses, you stormed off, sprinting down the rickety stairs and disappearing into the lower decks. Crossing over the threshold into the dining room, you froze in place, seeing a tall blonde man with his back to you, cigarette smoke lazily floating in the air. There was a light glow around him that you desperately tried to ignore. The chef, seemed to take notice of you as he turned around to get something, giving you a gentle smile. "(Y/N), hi."
Tears welled in your eyes as you whispered his name, crumpling as you ran to him, needing a hug now more than ever. "S-Sanji!"
"Woah there!" he laughed, smoke billowing over his luminescent teeth. "You look pale, how 'bout I fix you something to eat?"
"Yes, please! Just stay here with me!" you sobbed, stuck to his chest like a wet shirt. "Please don't go away..." You could feel his fingers ghosting over the back of your head, as he shushed you, thinking up what snack to prepare you. You become so soothed by his comfort that you hardly even noticed that he'd stopped petting your hair.
Glancing up, you found yourself totally alone, dumbfounded, and glancing around for any sign that your interaction with Sanji had been real. It had to have been; smoke still hung in the air, and the kitchen smelled distinctly of tobacco, garlic, and expensive French cologne.
"Come back, godddamnit!" you screamed, folding to the floorboards, weeping in an ugly way. Your fist hit the wood as you spilt your woes to an empty ship, only silenced by cloven footsteps.
You didn't even see him, at first, but you could hear him getting closer, feel the frigidness in the kitchen giving way to a hospitable warmth. Suddenly, the presence spoke.
"You better get up off the floor, (Y/N)," the voice was echoey and childlike, and filled with true concern. "You're gonna get all dirty and covered with germs!"
You couldn't even force your vocal cords to make a sound, but you still silently called out to him with arms outstretched. "Oh, Chopper..." you cried, pulling the plush boy close, tears wetting his furry shoulder. "I miss you so much..."
"Miss me?" he asked, befuddled. "I'm right here! We've been out to sea for weeks, I couldn't have possibly gone anywhere!" His cheery tone did nothing for you, only reminded you of the aching truth, and what you had to do to hide it from him.
"I'm sorry, Chopper, I misspoke. I just mean that I've been feeling down and in need of a hug from you. I haven't seen you since breakfast, and I was starting-" you bit back a sob before finishing. "To miss you."
"Oh," the doctor responded, a bit confused by your sudden clinginess. "Well, if that's all-!" The reindeer leaned forward, giving you what should have been a very warm hug, and a peck on the cheek. "I'll give you a kiss too, to speed up your healing! I hope your day gets better!"
Silently, you stood, having no more tears left to shed, and walked past the silver figure. "Thank you, Chopper, you truly were-" you paused for a moment, not even daring to look back to see if he was even still present. "Are- the best doctor on the Grand Line."
-----
Aimlessly, you wandered through the Sunny, passing many crewmates on the way to your room. You passed Zoro, napping on the floor with his back against a wall, and Robin sharing her thoughts on the novel she'd been reading with Frankie in the lounge. They both smiled and waved at you, but you ignored them, spying on them from around the corner. You admired how they both had smiles that lit up a room, and the way that they looked at one another when the other laughed. You used to look at Usopp that way. Now you only wished he'd go away.
Rounding the corner to the dormitories, you ran into Nami, nose buried in a map and ranting to Luffy that he'd steered the ship in the wrong direction. You stood there, stunned as you stared at them.
"(Y/N), look at this, tell him we're going the wrong way, because he won't listen to me!" the ginger raved, shoving a glowing piece of parchment into your face.
"Now listen, it's not about the destination, it's the journey!" the captain argued optimistically. "It'll be fine, (Y/N), tell her!" You simply kept quiet, tearing up with lip trembling. "Hey, what's with you?"
Finally breaking back down, you blew past them, knocking them to the side as you darted to your bedroom. The one you'd shared with your boyfriend. With Usopp.
The moment you crossed the threshold, you winced, recognizing that familiar bite of cold that came with being in a confined space with one of your nakama. In the corner was a small, cluttered desk you'd never been able to bring yourself to clear. It was illuminated by the amber glow of an oil lamp that you'd desperately kept fed, lest the flame extinguish. None of those things bothered you as much as the man sitting at the desk, though.
Once lovely ochre skin had now a tinge of translucent blue, and soft puffs of onyx coils were now little than plumes of white smoke that lacked the substance to even hold together the ends. The worst, however, were his eyes, still shiny and dark and sparkling at the sight of you. Gazing into his eyes, the only original part of him left sent chills up your spine as he turned away from his work to greet you.
"Hey, cutie, headin' to bed already?" he smiled warmly. "It's only six thirty-five." Glancing at the clock confirmed your suspicions. Usopp was wrong, it was nearly four in the morning.
"Just tired." you mumbled halfheartedly. "Mind going to your workshop 'til you get tired? I'd like to be alone to sleep."
"Nonsense, baby!" he dismissed cheerily. "I've been missing you lately, how about I snuggle up with you and we can watch a movie or somethin'?" Without a second thought, he stood, kicking out of his shoes and sliding one of his overall straps down.
"N-no," you protested weakly, tears beginning to prick your eyes. "I-I really just want to be alone, Usopp." You rolled over, back to him and huffed.
"Well..." he began. "Did I do something to make you mad? I'm sorry, whatever it is, just tell me and we can-"
"Usopp, just go away!" you sobbed, the dam finally breaking and unable to contain your grief any longer. "You're dead, don't you get that?! I need you to go, I can't handle seeing you like this!" You continued to berate him, weeping and tugging at your hair for any feeling of control. "And it's not six thirty, and it's not May 12th. It's three fifty-seven in the morning on November 17th. It's been over six months, please just-!"
Throwing yourself back towards him, you opened your glossy and aching eyes to find yourself without company and in the dark. The desk was still messy, sure, and the chair pulled out, but the oil lamp was snuffed out, a light billow of smoke floating above it before disappearing entirely. You'd gotten your wish. Usopp was gone.
But at what cost?
"You're gone, gone, gone away. I watched you disappear. All that's left is the ghost of you. Now we're torn, torn, torn apart, there's nothing we can do. Just let me go, we'll meet again soon."
Either gender neutral or she/her pronouns. (This is Usopp angst Anon)
This is super long and I didn’t mean for it to be but here we are
Pronouns: She/Her
Word Count: 2725
Shaky Hands
His hand was shaking as heard the familiar click of the den den mushi. Usopp dropped the receiver and let out an audible whimper. Panic was welling up in his chest. Bile was rising in his throat. Sanji grabbed his shoulder.
“Snap out of it!” the cook barked, his cigarette falling from his lips to the floor. Sanji stamped it out quickly before dragging his friend down the hall.
Usopp followed with an ever paling expression. For all his big talk Usopp was at a loss for words in one moment. He could barely hear what Sanji was saying to him or the others. The sniper felt as if he couldn’t breathe, everything was spiralling to a halt.
The Thousand Sunny had docked on a simple looking island. It was a summer island, largely made of forest and but had a seaside town near the ports. The crew had stopped because they needed supplies. Usopp had drawn the short straw and was forced to keep watch over the ship while the others picked up supplies. He’d written down a shopping list for (Name) so she could pick up what he needed.
That had been hours ago and his list was less than a page long. He’d been worried about her before, but his anxiety grew as crew members came back one by one without her. Usopp had just bit his lip and held his tongue because (Name) was a strong woman and she’d be okay. That was until the den den mushi started ringing.
It was Nami on the other hand, out of breath and frantic. In an exhausted voice she informed the crew members that (Name) had been ambushed by slave traders who were hiding out on the island. Nami spit out some coordinates the traders may have been at before hanging up.
A hard slap to the face jerked him out of his panic attack. Starled, he looked up to see the icy gaze of Robin staring back at him. He’d known her long enough to recognize the fear behind her steely unmoving expression.
“Pull yourself together long-nose,” Robin commanded in a strong yet grave tone, “We’ve got to go get her.”
Robin looked away from Usopp, and glanced at the other Straw Hats watching her anxiously. The woman let out a frustrated sigh before taking a moment to think over the crews options.
“Does anyone know where Zoro or Luffy are?” she asked, and to her disappointment she was greeted by a wave of muttered ‘no’s.
“Alright,” Robin grabbed Usopp’s wrist, “Franky, go find Luffy and Zoro, fill them in on what’s happening. Get Nami too. Brook, stay here and protect the ship. We may need to make a quick escape.” Using her devil fruit, Robin grabbed the wrists of Sanji, Jimbe and Chopper, “The rest of us will go hunt down (Name).”
When Robin let go, Usopp rubbed his face and swore at his hands for still trembling. He shook his head and grabbed his oversized sling shot. Usopp turned to Chopper who was already filling his tiny backpack with medical supplies. “She’s gonna be fine, right?” Usopp’s voice caught in his throat, as he filled his own satchel with various ammo.
With a grim expression Chopper didn’t reply right away. He stuffed gauze into his backpack. “Camie was fine, when she was captured, but…” the reindeer trailed off, his face tightened into a more serious expression. One that Usopp didn’t think was possible for the reindeer to pull off.
Usopp wrang his hands together for a moment before biting back another cowardly comment. He could only imagine what (Name) would say if she saw him in such a miserable state, and she’d seen him in some pretty bad situations.
“I gotta put on a brave face for her,” he grunted to himself as he hurried off the ship alongside Chopper.
The group darted off towards the coordinates Nami had guessed. Brook who had been pacing, waved them goodbye, before camping out by the den den mushi on board. His mournful violin playing could be heard from the deck.
Franky had already left so Usopp prayed it wouldn’t be long before Luffy and Zoro appeared to save the day. One could only hope for such luck, but everyone knew the Straw Hats had a knack for getting into trouble.
When the crew got towards the center of town, loud music and an announcer's voice in the distance.
“Is that it?” Chopper asked, straining to listen and sniffing the air.
Robin and Jimbe shared glances with one another and nodded. The two experienced more than enough of the darkness in the world to know it must be right building.
“Most likely,” Jimbe said, “We have to go see.”
Taking in a deep breath and swallowing his fears, Usopp took off into a dead sprint towards the sound of the music. If his (Name) was being held there he’d go through hell and high water to get to her.
He could hear the click of Chopper’s hooves as he appeared beside Usopp in Walk Point, with Robin on his back. Jimbe and Sanji weren’t far behind him either.
The crew must’ve hit some kind of luck, as they neared the building. It was clear by the well dressed crowd meandering outside that it was in fact an auction house.
Robin used her power to once again grab the men and stop them from running straight into the building.
“We can’t just burst in there,” Robin scolded in a hushed tone, “It doesn’t sound like it’s started just yet. We can slip and slip out with (Name) without being noticed.”
“Let’s get going then. No one lays a finger on (Name) -swan and gets away with it,” Sanji growled before lighting a cigarette and saunter around to the back of the building. Usopp was hot on Sanji’s heels. He wouldn’t admit it but he was jealous of Sanji’s confidence or all the times he had made (Name) blush, but it wasn’t the time or place to dwell on such things.
The security behind the building was almost laughable, for people such as the Straw Hats. A handful of guards stood outside the back door, whom were eliminated rather quickly and quietly. The door had simple lock, but not to worry, Sanji kicked in the door with within a few moments.
It was easy to hear an announcer once inside the building, and it was clear that the event had begun by the time the crew got inside. Jimbe shuddered at the sight of all kinds of people, including fish-men were lined in small cages.
Usopp’s eyes darted frantically around the room looking for his darling (Name). The sound of shouting caught his attention. It was (Name) swearing up a storm and sounding an awful lot like Nami in the moment.
Dozens of men in black uniforms surrounded a cage with guns as a few manhandled (Name) out of the cage. She was dragged out by the sea stone handcuffs on her wrists and was spitting venom on her way out.
“Uncuff me, you cowards!” she hissed at the man trying to get her to her feet, “Fight me like men, you pigs!”
The crew was quick to react seeing that she was alive and had enough energy left to put up a struggle. They quickly took out a handful of guards before the had been noticed. Sanji, Jimbe, and Chopper took on the brunt of the attacks, while Robin and Usopp covered them.
“Just get her out on the stage!” snapped one of the men in uniform, “Someone else let the boss know what’s happening!”
As a jailer darted from the group, Usopp was able to shoot him down before he even touched a door.
“Feeling a little better?” Robin offered him a gentle smile.
Usopp could only nod, he still couldn’t quite breathe, but seeing (Name) alive and relatively unharmed grounded him in a sense.
Whilst the crew was lost in the fight, (Name) had been dragged to her feet and had a dagger pressed against her throat.
“Enough!” the man holding the dagger, shouted above the crowd, “Take another step and she dies.”
Everyone, including the slavers, froze in their place and all eyes directed toward (Name). The mans’ lips tugged up into a sneer and looked down at the woman in his grasp, “I could just kill her here and now, and take that sweet bounty for myself. But such a pretty dame like this,” his raw tongue up her jaw, “Would make a perfect consort for a Celestial Dragon. And the Dragons’ have funds to burn.”
(Name)’s eyes widened and her body went rigid in his arms. (Name) looked at the crew and whimpered, “Usopp, help me.”
The sniper felt his mouth go dry and it was becoming difficult to swallow. He stared at (Name) and tried to cover up his expression of anxiety. He clucked his tongue twice, and quickly loaded his slingshot.
“What did I say?” the man pressed the blade in her neck, “Don’t move.”
In a flash Robin used her extra limbs to distract the man and Usopp fired a Yabusame Devil. A barrage of ammunition rained down on the guards, and plants grew from the ground causing havoc. As the goons tried to fight off the sudden plant life, shrieks could be heard from the front. From the sound of it, Franky had found the others.
A thick atmosphere consisting of hate and rage surrounded the room like a fog as Luffy stepped inside the back room. The slavers were practically frozen in fear and Usopp took his chance to find (Name). He ducked in around plant life, who largely ignored their master.
He spotted her standing near where she originally was with the dagger the man once held in her hands. She wiped her lip and looked up when Usopp called to her.
“(Name)!” he panted as he got closer to her. Without thinking of anything else, Usopp grabbed her and held her tight. He buried his face in her hair and tried to pull her closer to his trembling body. “God, I was scared I was going to lose you,” he murmured into her locks and squeezed tighter.
(Name) gasped loudly and dropped the dagger, it clattered on the cement floors. Usopp let go while stammering out sorry’s while inspecting her body. He’d been so scared that she’d die that her had to hold her before she slipped away from him.
(Name) smiled sweetly up at Usopp. “Sorry, I got a little banged up in there,” she rubbed his arm comfortingly, “But I’m just fine.”
“Let’s get you to Chopper, he should check you just incase,” Usopp took her hand tightly in his and guided her out of the mass of plants.
Once they got out of the tiny forest created by Usopp, they found the rest of the crew on the other side. They let out a breath of relief and as the sniper smiled at them. She was alive.
“We were able to help the other prisoners escape,” Jimbe smiled. As he and Franky filled Usopp in, Chopper fluttered around (Name). The little reindeer was clearly anxious.
“It’s just a few bruises, Chopper,” (Name) dismissed him gently, “You should tend to the folks who’ve been trapped in this hell hole longer than me.”
The doctor tried to protest but begrudgingly agreed, “Fine… but I’m not done with you.”
After Chopper tended to his patients, and the slavers sufficiently dealt with the crew prepared to return to the Sunny, and Usopp wrapped his arm around (Name) feeling, anxiously. She tried to assure him that she was more than just fine. However the sniper insisted on keeping her close at least until they got off this shitty island.
The sun had dipped under the horizon by then making everyone sleepy. Thus Usopp thought nothing of it, when (Name) initially leaned into him. It caught his attention however when her breath started getting heavier and her movements became sluggish.
“Are you okay, honey?” he asked her softly, hoping she’d just say she was feeling exhausted or hungry. Instead he was met with a sunken in expression, and foggy eyes. Not believing what he’d seen he let her go for a moment. In that moment, she dropped like a rag doll onto the ground.
“(Name)!” Usopp yelped, catching her before her head with the ground. The Straw Hats felt horrified at the scene before them. Chopper was immediately on his way over to them.
Usopp positioned her so her head was in his lap, in the process he pulled his hand away from her back. He gasped, even in the darkness of night, Usopp could tell his palm was slick with blood. “(Name),” he stammered softly, “What did you do?”
Chopper pulled up her shirt to show a large gash on her lower back. “I knew I smelled blood,” he whimpered, wrinkling his nose, “Roll her on her side.”
The sniper did as he was told and rotated (Name) with gash facing Chopper. The reindeer wrinkled is nose more, “She’s been stabbed… it’s been a few hours.”
“She... she said it was a few bruises,” Usopp started shaking, “(Name), why did you lie me?”
At the sound of her name she stirred awake and blinked into focus. “Sorry, Usopp,” (Name) murmured into his leg, “I didn’t want to scare anyone.”
“A lot of good that did you,” Zoro commented from afar, “You’re scaring the hell out of us now.”
Sanji glared at Zoro but bit his tongue, for (Name). It was clear the Usopp was trembling, but Sanji only realized he himself was shaking as he went to light a cigarette.
“Chopper,” (Name) murmured, as Chopper began applying a salve, “Save your supplies. You and I both know it’s a waste.”
The reindeer had been weeping silently, because he knew they’d need a miracle to keep her alive and the Straw Hats had used up so many of their miracles already.
Usopp directed a sharp expression towards Chopper and looked down at his girlfriend. “We will use every berry we have, to save you (Name). Nothing is ever a waste!” he said in a tone much harsher than he had meant.
(Name) turned to look up at Usopp, a weak smile on her face. “It’s okay, dear,” she reached up and stroked his cheek, “I’ll be fine.”
“But.. but, what about me?” Usopp laced his fingers with hers, tears were streaming down his face, “I can’t do this without you.”
She feebly shooed Chopper away as he was trying to bandage her up, only to have blood seep through the bandages. The reindeer pulled away as she rolled onto her back so she could see Usopp. “Finish the journey for me, be the warrior the giants of Elbaf will celebrate and be proud of,” she grinned and let her own tears slipped down her cheeks.
Usopp was openingly sobbing over (Name), he was trying to force the tears away. He needed to memorize everything about her face and he couldn’t do that while crying.
“But,” she continued in a frail voice, “Even if the giants aren’t proud of you, just know that I’ve always been proud of you.”
Usopp scooped her up in his arms and cradled her close to her chest. “(Name),” his voice was strained, “You can’t go! I love you! You’re supposed to be there when we get to Raftel.”
She wrapped her arm around his shoulder, and murmured, “Don’t worry, dearsest, I’ll be there when you do.” She held on a few moments longer, then she was gone.
Usopp squeezed her tighter, as if was trying to hold her soul inside her body. “Damn it, you can’t leave me!” he wailed and choked on his own sob.
And there he stayed on his knees holding her close, praying to any god that may listen to bring her back to him.
First it was Chopper, then Sanji and Luffy, slowly but surely the crew gathered around Usopp and (Name). Usopp wasn’t sure how long it took for the tears to run dry, but when they finally did he moved for the first time and brush a piece of hair out of her face with trembling fingers.
Currently thinking about Yasopp taking care of Uta, like putting her to bed with a story and saying "Ya know, I've got a son about your age. Maybe you can meet him one day." And then after she's asleep he kind of fantasizes about how Usopp and his mom are doing. How she's probably got a great job in her dream field and Usopp's probably this super sweet, smart kid.
Meanwhile, in Syrup Village, Usopp is hiding in an alleyway, a homeless orphan, hated by his community and wondering when his dad's gonna come take him away to the sea.
