On the Grand Line, when it rains it rains hard. Usopp never admits it, but the thunderstorms of the Grand Line terrify him. Every crash makes his knees shake and he can swear that with every crash, the Going Merry will split in half.
Sanji blows smoke rings nonchalantly against the galley ceiling. Catching a jump out of the corner of his eye, he turns to see Usopp nervously rub the back of his neck before returning to his sketch.
"What was that?"
Usopp looks up quickly from his drawing. Sanji still stares at the ceiling, continues to blow his smoke into the air, still as casual as ever. Usopp frowns, did he imagine that?
"Well?" Sanji turns his attention to the sniper now, raising his eyebrow in query, "What's gotten you so nervous?"
"W-what are you talking about?" Usopp curses himself inwardly for stuttering, "I'm not nervous."
"Ah, okay." Sanji's voice is dripping with disbelief. He looks at Usopp out of the corner of his eye, waiting for a delayed reply.
"Wait. There is...There's one thing..." Usopp's voice is low, and he hopes that maybe Sanji doesn't hear it. Then he could just play it off as a mumble, that he was talking to himself.
He has no such luck.
"Oh?" Sanji is sitting up this time, interested, Sanji always did lend an ear when Usopp seemed to need it most, it's one of the things the sniper appreciates.
"I'm afraid of thunderstorms." He admits timidly, same low tone, same hopes of his confession going unheard.
"Afraid? That's a shock." Sanji grins to himself, finding the comment incredibly witty, but he lets the smile fall quickly when he sees the frustrated look on the other boy's face. "Well the Grand Line can be pretty intimidating." Sanji offers, getting up to sit beside Usopp on the floor.
"But a few thunder claps never hurt anyone." Sanji continues with a reassuring smile, "It's just sound. Like cannon fire. You're not afraid of noise."
"N-no...I'm not." Usopp says with a slow nod, "You're right."
"So what's a few claps of thunder?" He smiles and eyes Usopp knowingly, "Someone once told me that thunder was the spirit of giants, still fighting after all the years on the blue seas."
Usopp's eyes brighten when he hears the story, "I think my mother told me that once."
Sanji's smile calms Usopp down slightly, and he gets up and walks towards the door. "I'll go help the others."
"There's that warrior's spirit."
Usopp blinks, unsure of whether or not he actually heard the words from Sanji's mouth. He frowns quickly in thought before disappearing out the door, dismissing it as something he heard in the rain.