Random oneshot I wrote recently. It has no real plot, it's just centered about Usopp. Thank you to AllHerosWearHats, my epic beta-reader~ Please enjoy!
Courage
Usopp was probably the most cowardly person the straw hat crew had ever met.
They had dragged him along in all of their adventures. They had made him face villains, ghosts, zombies, sea kings, marines, the sea's fury and what not else. They had seen him cower and shiver while knocking his knees together, sweat, cry, scream and faint. He had tried to escape so many times, tried to convince them so many times not to go in dangerous places, tried to scare the enemies off only to take a run himself. And more than once, they thought he'd die of a heart attack, thought they'd lose him, noticed that his voice was missing in their ears whenever he was in the infirmary or not around them because of his injuries.
Yet, he was still there, laughing, breathing, eating, sleeping and fighting along side with the others. He was enjoying life to the fullest, creating as many things as his heart allowed him to, joking around with the captain and the on board doctor, talking with the cyborg of the ship, drawing stars on the swordsman of the crew, annoying the cook with his play mates and of course getting hit by the navigator and cartographer of the group.
The black-haired teenager had fought along side with the others, proving his worth as sharpshooter, liar, strategist, inventor and partner. He had stood firm in front of stronger opponents than himself, had taken down people who would have never thought being brought down by the likes of him, had showed how strong his will and spirit was and had proven how useful he could be with just tabasco filled balls and his slingshot.
Even though he was scared of everything and anything that crossed their paths, he was still there.
"...Maybe he is the most courageous between all of us after all." thought Sanji out loud while lighting a cigarette.
Zoro looked up to the blond cook and shrugged.
"What are you talking about?"
"Nothing, Marimo. Go back to sleep."
The green haired swordsman grumbled something and went back napping. At the same time, Luffy came out of nowhere, covered in a white tablecloth, playing ghosts.
After hearing Usopp's scream and seeing him climb the mast faster than ever, Sanji decided to forget what he just thought.
A coward is a coward after all, even if his friends were some of the many monsters of the sea.