Usopp was everyone's friend.
During a battle, Zoro didn't hesitate to step into place in front of the strongest opponent, right at the front of the line. Even if it meant all eyes were on him, he wouldn't think twice about it. But anywhere else, Zoro had always been the type to stay out of the way.
Small talk and loud conversations. Drunken revelry and celebrations. He'd sit along the sidelines with a tankard in hand, and he'd probably have a good time, too. But he wouldn't try to get any deeper than that. He was content in that position.
Usopp, on the other hand—he'd always been the first to run away at the first sign of trouble. If there was an enemy, he'd run in the other direction. Or even if he gathered all his courage and stood his ground, his knees would be shaking. Yet when it came to crowds—big groups of strangers he'd never seen before—Usopp didn't bat an eye. He never hesitated to be the center of attention.
No matter where they were, no matter who he talked to, Usopp could always find a point of interest. Always make a friend.
Zoro neither disliked nor admired it. Usopp was who he was, and that didn't have a whole lot to do with him.
Except sometimes, before Zoro would even realize what was happening, he'd get sucked into Usopp's antics. Goofing around and doing silly things he'd never do on his own.
Like just the other day. He'd found himself in a drinking contest with Usopp and Nami. And even though Zoro was about ready to slip away when Usopp was having a hard time holding his own head up, Usopp wouldn't let him. Kept Zoro right in the thick of it. Didn't let him escape to the background—right up until the point he passed out, anyway.
Zoro often found himself drawn into that weird, awkward charisma of Usopp's. Like before he'd realize it, he and Usopp would be walking arm-in-arm, drinks clutched in free hands, and he'd get caught up in amusing banter. Well, Usopp was the amusing one.
His words would pull Zoro in like a magnet. Lead him into exactly the lines that Usopp wanted him to say. Like he could make Zoro unwillingly set up a joke for him. And then Usopp would deliver his punchline and everyone around them would erupt in laughter.
It was foreign to have that kind of attention drawn to him when he didn't have a sword in his hands.
Usopp was friends with everyone. And... he was always up for playing around with Luffy. In those quiet days at sea, when they had nothing to do but watch the waves passing by, they'd find all kinds of ways to amuse themselves.
They'd laugh and hang off of each other. Play games. Run around like a couple of goddamn kids. And look they they were having the time of their lives. Just good, light-hearted fun. And when Zoro saw them like that, it make his chest feel heavy.
It wasn't like Zoro doubted his own friendship with Luffy. Really, there was no one he was closer to. There had been so many nights, when everyone else had gone to bed, and it was just the two of them left. And they'd talked in a way that made Zoro realize he'd seen a side of Luffy people had seldom gotten to see.
They'd opened up to each other—which was something Zoro seldom did, too—and Zoro had gotten to know a lot about Luffy's past that the rest of the crew would probably never know.
It made him respect Luffy all the more. No, maybe respect wasn't really the right word. But, no matter what nameless emotions it sparked in him, the point was he didn't doubt the bond they had.
But when Zoro would watch Luffy and Usopp together... Well. There was no way Zoro could ever make Luffy laugh like that.
Sometimes Zoro seemed more like a god than a man.
Well, maybe that analogy was a little silly—but even when Zoro was relaxing, Usopp could feel something predatory about him.
He was strength and fearlessness personified. Usopp had never once seen him turn away from danger. Whether he was facing pain or death, Zoro stood up against it, sometimes with a smile on his face.
Usopp could bullshit his way through a situation—but he reeked of cowardice. He knew it. Just like he knew that when the situation was dire, people could just smell it on him. Even when he actually gathered his courage a little bit and stood his ground against a dangerous situation, he never felt sure of himself. There was always that nagging doubt somewhere in the back of his head, telling him that he wasn't good enough, that he'd fail no matter how hard he tried.
Sometimes when he felt afraid, he'd look around until he found Zoro. And somehow, just seeing him there, armed with pure confidence, without even the faintest glimmer of doubt anywhere on his face—it was enough to make Usopp keep moving forward.
He might've been trembling, but he'd keep moving forward.
Usopp was pretty sure he'd never really be a brave warrior of the sea. It was almost laughable, when just a few strong looking guys were enough to make him want to buckle over from nerves.
He wasn't made out of the same stuff as Zoro. There was no way he could do what Zoro could do. Still, he couldn't help but watch him. He was the model of everything Usopp wanted to be, and maybe if he watched Zoro long enough, he'd at least learn how to mimic him, like the liar he was.