Sanji swam around lazily, having decided that he wanted to explore the waters closer to shore. He knew he wasn't supposed to go near the humans, but he couldn't care less. He wasn't really one to follow the rules, and this wasn't an exception. He looked around as he swam, pausing when he saw something strange. It was a wall of pure rock, but a bit further down, there was an opening.

"Wonder where that leads…" the blond mumbled to himself, deciding that exploring it would be the best option.

With that in mind, he made his way over to the tiny opening, noting with interest that it was just wide enough for him to fit through without squeezing too much. He peeked into the hole to try and see where it would lead, but he found nothing. Sanji grunted and rolled his eyes. Of course, nothing was that easy. He looked behind him and to both sides before determining that nothing was going to come out of nowhere and surprise him. Then he cautiously slipped his head into the opening, slowly easing his way through. It wasn't that bad at first, but it became a bit of a tight fit after a few seconds. He pushed his way through, regardless of the consequences he might have to face.

After about a minute or two of shimmying through the tight fitting areas he'd come across, he popped through to the other side. It didn't seem all that special to him, and he started wondering if he'd wasted his time with that. Deciding to give it the benefit of the doubt, he swam further into the unknown area and discovered something really strange. There were these strange straight protrusions sticking out of the ocean floor and all the way up to the surface. Even given it wasn't too deep, it was still strange.

Curious as to what they were, Sanji swam up to them and touched one gently, furrowing his brow at the odd texture. It was hard, and he'd recognized it from the multiple shipwrecks he'd seen before. But this was different, it didn't look the same, nor were the edges jagged. He swam up, choosing to investigate more. He followed the poles all the way to the surface and popped his head up and out of the water. The poles ended in a thick, long and straight plank like object. He had no idea what it was, but he got more curious as to what it was for.

Sanji looked around the area and gasped when he spotted a strange-looking creature heading his way. He ducked back under the water and swam under the strange thing he'd discovered, peeking out to watch the strange being.

The man had a long nose, unruly black hair and was of average height. He had strange appendages that looked almost like arms coming out from where his tail should be, and how was he upright like that? How was that supposed to work? Maybe they were the creature's equivalent of a tail? Sanji had so many questions, and didn't know what to think of the strange guy, but he didn't get a bad vibe off of him. He debated on showing himself to the man, but decided against it for now. He would just watch him for a bit longer until he got more comfortable with the area before he tried anything that could put him in danger.

He turned away and swam deeper, exploring the area on the ocean floor for a bit. It wasn't very big, and there wasn't that much room, but there were plenty of fish that must have gotten there from the same place he did. He looked at the tall rocks that rose out of the water. It must be a small cove that he was in, given the size of the area.

Suddenly he heard a loud splash, so he whipped around and spotted the strange man in the water now. Sanji panicked and darted to the small hole he came from, squeezing in it as fast as he could. He scratched himself in multiple places, but he paid no mind to that. He wasn't ready to take the chance of meeting the guy yet, though he regretted not sticking around just a little longer to see what the guy was doing and how he was supposed to swim. But not now, he needed to go home. He decided that he would come back every day to explore the area, and possibly meet the man he was now very interested in.

A week went by, and Sanji was now ready to talk to the long nosed man. He was tired of lurking under the water and wanted to show his face. He knew it was risky, but he didn't want to be careful anymore it had been long enough. So with that in mind, he headed to the little cove he found himself in more often than not. He wiggled through the tight space and popped out the other side. He looked up to see if he could spot the long nosed young man, and sure enough, there he was, looking into the water.

Sanji took a deep breath to prepare himself and swam up. He went closer and popped his head out of the water right by the man's feet. "Hi," he said with a cheeky grin.

"AAAAHHHHHH!" The long nosed man sprung backwards, eyes wide. He fell to the ground and covered his face.

Sanji fell back and stared at the guy with wide eyes. That wasn't what he'd been expecting at all. "Um… Are you okay?" he asked.

The long nosed man panted, gripping at his shirt over his heart. "S-stay back! I-I-I have eight thousand followers at my disposal!" he cried, trying and failing to sound confident in his words.

Sanji raised an eyebrow and looked around. "Oh, really? Where are they then?" He asked.

The man straightened up and coughed into his fist, removing his hand from his shirt. "Under the water of course."

Sanji gave the guy a blank stare, not believing a word he said. "What are they? Fish?"

The guy didn't know what to say to that, opening and closing his mouth a few times as he tried to think of what to say. Soon, he gave up and his shoulders slumped. "You got me… They're inside."

Sanji snorted at that one, shaking his head. "Look, I'm not here to hurt you. I just came to say 'hi'."

"Oh, really?" the man asked, perking up.

"Yeah. I've never met a human before. I saw you the other day and thought you might be interesting to talk to." Sanji said and grinned.

"Huh, well in that case, it's nice to meet you! I'm the great captain Usopp! But you can call me Usopp for short if you'd like," Usopp said with a wide grin.

"Right," Sanji said, unconvinced of his new friend's title. "Well, I'm Sanji." He said.
"Sanji, huh? Cool!" Usopp laughed then stopped suddenly, eyes going wide. "Wait, you said you've never met a human before. W-what are you!?"

Sanji stared at him for a few seconds then shook his head, chuckling softly. Usopp was a little slow it seemed. "I'm a merman," he said and lifted his tail out of the water.

Usopp stared at him, not sure if what he was seeing was real. Mermaids were supposed to be a myth! Yet, there was one now right in front of him. He realized that he must have been staring too long because Sanji was starting to look concerned and the blond was now backing up slightly and ready to flee.

"Sorry," Usopp said and shook his head, swallowing the lump in his throat, "I've never seen a merman before. I didn't even know they existed. This is all very new and strange to me." He said.

A look of understanding crossed over Sanji's face. Of course Usopp has never seen a merman before. They always hid from humans, choosing to stay out of sight to save their own lives in case the humans decided to hunt them again.

"Okay, I can understand that," Sanji said and looked Usopp over once more. He had so much he wanted to ask the guy.

Usopp dangled his feet into the water and looked at Sanji, grinning. "So what's it like to live in the water?" he asked.

Sanji lied on his back in the water and floated there, looking up at Usopp. "Probably the same as it is to live on land," he said.

Usopp smiled sheepishly at that. What a conversation killer that was. "Uh… Right…" he said and got up, "I'll be right back."

Sanji furrowed his brow, not sure if he should trust that. "Okay…" he said, diving under the water.

Usopp ran off, and returned with his sketch pad, pencils, and paints. He started to set up his area, planning on sketching the little cove once more. The lighting was different today, and it was absolutely beautiful. Maybe Sanji would even allow him to draw him as well, though he wasn't too confident about that. Still he could hope.

Sanji peeked his head out of the water and watched Usopp, curious as to what the man was doing. He swam closer to the dock and hoisted himself up so he was holding himself up on his elbows on the deck. "Hey, what're you doing?" He asked.

Usopp looked up at Sanji, in the middle of setting up his little area. He grinned and flipped through his sketch pad to one of his favorite drawings of the cove. He flipped it around to face Sanji.

"I'm drawing the cove," he said, smiling proudly.

Sanji couldn't believe how realistic the drawing was, eyes going wide in amazement. He wasn't a stranger to art, for he used to draw images in the sand of the palace, his family, and even what he thought the world above looked like. He wasn't ever very good at it, but he still tried. There was also art everywhere in the mermaid culture though usually he would just see extravagant sculptures of his ancestors littered around the underwater city.

"Wow… That's pretty good, Usopp," he said and leaned in as discretely as he could to get a better look at it.

Usopp felt his face heat up and he looked down, trying to hide the pink staining his cheeks. But it wasn't enough, since the tips of his ears took on the same shade. He nibbled his lip and fiddled with his book.

"Aaaww, are you blushing?" Sanji teased, smirking.

Usopp's head shot up, cheeks heating up more from getting caught. "What!? N-no! It's just… Uh… Hot. That's right! It's so hot out my face is going red, haha!" He laughed nervously, trying to get himself out of it.

"Sure, sure. Say what you want, you and I both know that's a lie," Sanji chuckled, shaking his head. "Anyways, what do you plan on drawing this time, the cove again?"

Usopp was glad for the switch of subject, and he looked around. "Well, I want to draw the cove, but I also want to draw something more beautiful than that."

"Hm…" Sanji looked around and sighed softly. "I think it's going to be hard to do that. I mean, this place is spectacular."

"I know something far more beautiful," Usopp said softly, staring back down at the paper.

"You do?" Sanji asked, interest piqued. "Mind telling me?" he asked, tilting his head in curiosity.

"Yeah," Usopp mumbled and fiddled with his book, blushing more. "Hey Sanji? C-can I draw you?" he asked timidly, looking up at Sanji shyly.

It took Sanji a few moments to process that before his whole face lit up bright red. Usopp had just indirectly called him beautiful, and he had no idea what to do or say. He stumbled for the right words to say, but nothing came to his mind. He let out a few quiet sounds then covered his mouth lightly and looked down.

Usopp didn't know what he did to make Sanji look like that. He thought back on his words, and his eyes went wide. He covered his face with his hands and let out a low groan. "I'm so sorry," he said and shook his head.

Sanji shook his head. "No… It's okay." He took a deep breath and calmed down. "If you want to draw me, sure. As long as you let me see it when you're done and no one else sees it."

Usopp couldn't believe that Sanji actually said yes to that. "Really?"

"No, I'm just messing with you." Sanji said blankly and watched as Usopp's face fell. "Yes, you can draw me."

Usopp's face split into a wide, happy grin. "Thanks!" He cheered, continuing to set his supplies up.

Sanji watched Usopp, flicking his tail around in the water for lack of something better to do. He watched Usopp's every movement, noting how confident the usually timid man was acting. Usopp was in his element, and it seemed that nothing was going to get him out of it. That was a trait that Sanji could respect.

"So, can you come up here and lay on the deck?" Usopp asked, peeking up at Sanji for a moment.

"Uh, sure?" Sanji asked with uncertainty and pulled himself up, not really sure on how he should lie down.

"Woah…" Usopp said, giving Sanji his full attention once more.

"What? What's wrong?" Sanji asked, frowning at Usopp. That wasn't something he really wanted to hear.

"No, nothing's wrong. Sanji, your tail is the most incredible shade of blue I've ever seen!" Usopp exclaimed, eyes lighting up in excitement.

Sanji felt his cheeks heating up slightly, and he looked away, glaring to the side. "Don't say stupid shit like that you shitty long nose." He grumbled.

"Hey! Don't call me long nose!" Usopp yelled, pouting angrily at Sanji.

The blond looked back at Usopp with a small smirk. "Oh, hit a soft spot there eh?" he asked, taking note of that for future reference.

"No! Just don't call me that," Usopp said and crossed his arms, continuing to pout.

"Anyways, how do you want me to position myself, and don't fucking tell me to be cute, so help me I will rip that long nose off," Sanji warned, pointing right at Usopp's nose.

Usopp gulped, staring at the tip of Sanji's finger, which was just a millimetre from his nose. "No, no cute! I wasn't g-going to ask you to do that anyways…" Usopp said and looked at Sanji nervously. "M-maybe just lay on your side in whatever way is most comfortable for you… I just want to see your face and a clear view of your t-tail…" he said.

Sanji nodded and shifted around, working to get comfortable. He settled for lying on his side and using his arms as a pillow, lying one on top of the other, since he figured he'd be like that for a while. He looked up at Usopp, tilting his head up more. He raised an eyebrow.

"Is this good enough?" Sanji asked, shifted a little more to get in a more comfortable spot.

Usopp looked Sanji over, making sure that he could see every part of Sanji that he wanted to capture in his drawing. He smiled when he was done and nodded. "That's perfect!" he said and got comfortable. "Now try to stay still. If you move a little once in a while, it won't be too big a deal, but I'd prefer if you could stay as still as you could."

Sanji relaxed his muscles as much as he could and nodded just slightly. "Alright, I'll try. Not promising anything though," he said and watched Usopp's movements.

Usopp didn't seem to be listening anymore, already starting out the base of the sketch, seemingly in a trance. Minutes passed by, with Usopp sketching away and peeking up at Sanji quite often. He kept at it for a while, talking to himself a few times.

Sanji was getting restless, but he stayed as still as he could regardless. He watched Usopp, trying to ignore the itching curiosity to see how it was so far.

"So, I got the main drawing done, so now it's on to the colouring. Please bear with me for just a little while longer, this shouldn't take too long." Usopp said, not sparing a glance at Sanji as he sorted through his supplies to get out all the colours he might need.

"Okay." Sanji said, frowning in confusion at some of the colours that Usopp got out, which he didn't equate with himself. He figured that Usopp wouldn't take them out if he didn't need them though, so he decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Usopp started on the colours, continuing to look up at Sanji. He noticed that Sanji's tail was filled with so many different shades of blue, and it was spectacular. He couldn't remember ever seeing anything like it before. Before he knew it, he was finally done the drawing, and he was more than pleased with it.

"I'm done!" he said and leaned back, grinning. "You did great, thanks so much!"

Sanji groaned and rolled onto his back, wincing at his aching joints from lack of movement. "I'll kill you if you ever try to ask me to do this shit ever again," he said, glaring at Usopp heatedly. "Understand?"

Usopp nodded eagerly, not giving the threat any thought. "So, wanna see it?" he asked, tapping the sketch pad nervously. He really hoped that Sanji liked it.

"Yeah, please," Sanji said, turning his head to the left to look at Usopp. He refused to move at the moment, wanting to get used to a different position before he tried to move his stiff joints anymore.

Usopp got up and went closer to Sanji and settled down beside him. He held up the picture so Sanji could see it from his position. "Here you go, how does it look?"

Sanji looked at it, eyes widening slightly. It was truly amazing, and so well done. "Do I really look like that?" he asked quietly.

"Hm… A little. I couldn't capture every single colour, and it's a drawing of course, but generally, yes. You really look like that," usopp said.

Sanji looked at Usopp. "You did a good job on that," he said.

Usopp grinned sheepishly. "Thanks!"

Sanji smiled softly and looked up at the sun. He pushed himself up. "I have to go now, the old man is probably pissed that I'm not back yet. See ya, Usopp," he said and dove into the water.

Usopp blinked and nodded. "Yeah, see ya." He said.

Sanji waved at him once more and left, shimmying through the little hole. He headed back with a soft smile on his face.

Sanji came back daily, and Usopp would teach him new things about being a human. One of the things that he found the most interesting was fire. He stupidly touched it, and it hurt a lot, but he still really liked it regardless. It was a pretty cool thing to him, because it was so dangerous, yet it was still so useful to humans and used so much in their everyday lives. He wondered why they didn't have it in the water until Usopp told him that water kills the fire. He didn't ask too much about it, not really wanting to get too much into it.

Usopp kept teaching him new things, so one day he asked if there was anything Usopp wanted to learn. Usopp seemed interested in what life was like for him, so he explained it the best he could. After a bit, he finally convinced Usopp to come under the water with him, and to let Sanji show him some really cool shells and the hole. Usopp didn't want to try and go through it at all, even though he was skinnier than Sanji. He wasn't nearly as flexible, and he couldn't breathe under water, so he didn't want to risk getting stuck.

Sanji wasn't offended by that one bit. Not too long after that, he started teaching Usopp some minor self defense skills that would apply to both of them. Sanji didn't really know how a human body worked below the waist, but he did his best to teach him the basics. Usopp caught on pretty fast and that impressed Sanji. They steadily started to become better friends, meeting every day for at least an hour. Some days were shorter than others, but every minute meant the world to the two friends.

Not too long after Sanji started to teach Usopp self defense, they decided to venture out of the cove. Sanji met Usopp on the other side, Usopp being safely nestled in his little boat. Sanji swam alongside the tiny thing, leading Usopp to some of his most favorite places to be when he was alone. He convinced Usopp to dive down with him and see all the different things. Sanji was pleased that Usopp was amazed at the different sights.

Soon, Usopp took Sanji closer to shore and pointed out his favorite places, and they even risked getting closer to the beach. They didn't venture too close though, not wanting to get Sanji caught. The days went on like that, either having fun in the cove playing games and learning new things, or venturing out into the ocean to explore. Sanji really cherished Usopp's company, and was glad that he'd allowed his curiosity to get the best of him.

Sanji never once told Zeff about what he was doing away from home, and he never planned to tell the older merman. If he did, he knew that he'd be in deep shit. He wasn't going to that.

Usopp sat patiently in his boat, keeping his net close to him as he fished for some spoils to sell for some new art supplies. He was running low, having overused some of his colours and having to replenish them. He'd warned Sanji the day before about what he was going to do, so he didn't have to be back at the cove until late afternoon, early evening. Whenever he was done selling his catch. There were a few boats around him, but he paid them no mind. He was a little nervous about the slightly bigger one that was not very far from his, but he didn't say or do anything about it.

"Hey, you! Long nose! Hey!" Usopp looked up, turning his head to the gruff looking fisherman near him.

"Y-yeah?" Usopp asked nervously, shivering slightly.

"Tell me something. Have you ever seen a mermaid?" the guy asked, scratching his dirty beard.

Usopp shook his head on instinct. "No, sir. They don't actually exist right?" he asked, playing dumb.

The man laughed, coughing half way through. He spit into the water and looked at Usopp with a cruel grin. "Nah, they're alive I tell ya. They kill us humans every chance they get."

Usopp furrowed his brow, not really appreciating the indirect insult to his friend. "I-I don't think so, sir. E-even if they were real, it would be us killing them, n-not the other way around."

The man laughed again, a look of pure amusement gracing his ugly face. "If you really believe that, you're a pushover, kid," he said and shook his head. "If I ever see even one, I WILL catch it and torture it to death. They're monsters, I tell you. Just pure disgusting monsters."

Usopp felt rage building up past his boiling point. He glared heatedly at the guy and stood up with clenched fists, throwing caution to the wind.

"YOU SHUT UP! YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THEM! I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT THEY'RE AMAZING PEOPLE AND THEY WOULD NEVER HURT A DECENT HUMAN NO MATTER WHAT! SO YOU SHUT YOUR UGLY FUCKING MOUTH YOU ASSHOLE!" Usopp yelled, panting hard. No one was going to ever get away with insulting his friend.

The man gave Usopp a dark look. "You listen here boy, I'm not afraid to beat you bloody senseless if you so much as try to defend those hideous beasts."

"THEN BEAT ME, YOU UGLY COW!" Usopp yelled, not caring anymore. "I WILL NOT PUT UP WITH YOU INSULTING MY FRIEND! NOT NOW, NOT EVER!"

"That can be arranged, my friend," the man hissed and inched his boat closer. When he was within arm's reach, he stood up faster than Usopp thought he ever could, and swung his fist, punching Usopp hard and making him fly back into the water.

Usopp yelped in surprise and pain, choking on the water since he wasn't prepared. He surfaced and coughed, gasping for breath. He had screwed up, and he knew it, and his instincts were screaming at him to leave. But as he was preparing to, the man grabbed him by the hair and dragged him from the water. He cried out and clawed at the man's hand, trying to get away from the painful grip, but it was futile. He coughed, losing his breath when the man got him right under the ribs. He struggled feebly, but it was no use. He got another hit to the face and fell back into the water.

Usopp debated on playing dead and seeing how long he could hold his breath, but he didn't have time to make that choice. The man didn't seem to be done with him, seeing as he was once again dragged from the water and hit in the ribs this time. Usopp tried to get his breath back, but it was getting harder to do so. His movements were becoming weak, and his vision was blurring. The pain was too much for him right now, but he had to get away. He wasn't going to let the brute think he won just yet. So with that in mind, Usopp summoned what little strength he had left and kicked the guy right in his fat gut. He took advantage of the guy's surprise and got him with the best right hook that he could muster. It wasn't much, but he managed to get away from the guy long enough to get into his little boat and paddle away.

Usopp paddled as fast and hard as he could, knowing that if he didn't get away, he would be in some serious trouble, and he might not get away. So he kept going, ignoring his pain. He didn't catch anything but that was the least of his worries. When he finally got to shore, he docked his little boat and got out, limping home. He wasn't going to risk going to the doctor's, just in case the brute decided to finish what he started.

He got inside and treated his split lip, and applied ice to his sore body parts. He took some pain killers and settled down for a nap, wondering how the hell he was going to hide this from Sanji.

Sanji shimmied through the little hole and swam over to the dock, curious as to what he and Usopp would be doing today. He didn't have the best feeling in the world, but he set it aside, thinking that Usopp was just rubbing off on him and that he was starting to get paranoid. But once he saw Usopp, he knew that he'd been right to have a bad feeling.

"What the fuck happened to you, Usopp!?" Sanji exclaimed, rage building up.

"Nothing happened! I… I fell down the stairs!" Usopp said, grinning as much as his split lip would allow, and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Bullshit! You know just as well as I do that that's a shitty excuse for a lie, even from you! How the hell do you get a split lip and a black fucking eye from falling down the bloody stairs!?" Sanji yelled, slamming his hands down on the dock.

Usopp jumped at that and fiddled with his shirt. "A lot of skill?" he offered half-heartedly.

"Don't give me that shit Usopp! Tell me what the fuck happened NOW!" Sanji growled, giving Usopp the most heated stare he could muster.

Usopp gulped nervously and looked down, shuffling his feet in the sand. "I got beat up." he said quietly.

"By who!? Why the fuck did beat you up!?" Sanji asked, beyond pissed off.

"Um… Some fisherman… I said some things, and he got mad…" Usopp mumbled, not daring to look up at Sanji. He felt like a child being scolded by his parents.

"What the hell did you say to get him angry enough to beat you up!? Usopp, what the fuck were you thinking!?" Sanji ran his hand through his wet hair, not sure what to think of the situation. Usopp never got himself into these situations, so it must have been very important to him to put himself on the line like that.

"He was insulting mer-people! He was saying that they kill humans and that he would torture one painfully if he ever found one! I was just so angry Sanji! What if he found you!? What would I do then!?" Usopp yelled, tears forming in his eyes. "You're my best friend! I don't want to lose you!"

Sanji was taken aback by Usopp's sudden outburst. "Wait… You… You were defending me…?" he asked.

"Well… Yeah… Not directly though… I just couldn't sit by and listen to him going on about that crap…" Usopp sighed.

"… Please tell me you at least got one good hit in," Sanji said, trying to fight the smile that was forming on his lips. Usopp was truly a great friend.

"How about two?" Usopp asked, grinning happily at Sanji as he held his fingers up to indicate the number 2.

Sanji laughed, grinning. "That's even better! I taught you well!"

Usopp laughed happily at that, grateful that this didn't change anything for the worse. "So, aside from that, what do you want to do today?"

"I think I should teach you some more fighting skills," Sanji said, grinning more.

"Okay!" Usopp shouted, jumping into the air in glee.

Sanji laughed and shook his head, diving back under the water. They continued to train for the rest of the night, crawling back up onto the dock and falling asleep together under the stars. Somewhere in the night, Usopp took Sanji's hand into his own and curled up closer to him to get some more body heat. Needless to say, he had a very painful wakeup call.

About two weeks passed since Usopp's nasty encounter with the fisherman, and he found himself back out on the ocean with Sanji, exploring some more places with his friend. They never noticed the boat that trailed behind them, watching them as they went.

Sanji floated around on his back, taking a break from all the swimming he'd done with Usopp. He looked at the man and smiled lazily. "It's such a good day out; I'm glad we came out here."

Usopp nodded and grinned as he got back into his boat to relax and not work to keep himself afloat. "I totally need to come back out here and draw some of the scenery. You really know some beautiful places, Sanji," he said and grinned, looking around the small reef they were close to.

"I know, I spend a lot of time around here." Sanji laughed. "Just don't ask me to pose again. I don't think I could stay still in the water like I did on the dock, I'd sink." He said with a soft chuckle.

"Nah, I won't ask you to do that again. It was fun while it lasted though," Usopp said and smiled. He had something he really wanted to tell Sanji, but he didn't know if he should.

Sanji looked at Usopp and laughed. "I dunno, maybe if you're good, I'll let you draw me again," he said with a wink.

Usopp blushed a little at that and crossed his arms with a pout. "I'm not a dog Sanji!" he said and stuck his tongue out.

"Dog?" Sanji asked, furrowing his brows. "What the fuck is a dog?"

"Oh yeah, you've never seen a dog before, have you?" Usopp asked, leaning back in his little boat.

Sanji shook his head and went to the boat and held onto the side to stay upright. "Nope, you never told me about them before," he said.

"Hm… I'll try and show you one sometime. They're an animal, and they're very cool." Usopp said, giving a half-assed explanation.

"I see…" Sanji said, raising an eyebrow. "Okay then…"

Usopp chuckled, sitting up. "Hey, Sanji… I have to tell you something."

"Hm?" Sanji looked at Usopp. "Yeah, what is it?" he asked the man.

Usopp fiddled with his fingers and took a deep breath. But before he could form the words, a shiver went up his spine and he felt as if he was being watched. He looked around quickly, almost missing it. He stopped and turned his head a little back to the right and his eyes went wide at what he saw. There, in the same boat as before, was that ugly fisherman. But this time, he was aiming a harpoon straight at Sanji.

Usopp couldn't form any verbal warnings, frozen in fear at what he was seeing. But he soon snapped out of it when he saw the man fire it. He acted before he could think. He lunged at Sanji, pushing him back hard.

"SANJI!"

Sanji heard Usopp's terrified voice one last time before his world became shrouded in darkness.

Please don't kill me!

Hey guys! So it's been a while since I posted anything, and I'm so sorry about that. I was hit with a serious case of writer's block, so I figured that signing up for a few fun fic writing events would help. And it sure did! So this is my part for "Share the love month." It's a really cool event, and I think you should all look into it!

So for any of you that are mad at me about the ending, fear not. If enough of you like it, I will totally write a second chapter. I have it all planned out already, I just don't know if I should write it. So I'm going to see if ya'll like it first.

Please, please, PLEASE review and tell me how you feel about this fic. And please leave me some constructive criticism. I really want to grow in my writing skills for everyone to enjoy my writing more. So please, do so.

And thank you so, so, SO SO much to lunashores for beta'ing this for me. You're absolutely amazing and you deserve a freaking metal for putting up with me! Gosh I can't thank you enough!

I really hope everyone liked this fic, even just a little~