"HAHA LUFFY!" Usopp yelled as he ran around with his Captain on the beach, Chopper laughing following in their food-steps.
"You cannot catch me, you cannot catch me!" Luffy stated as he blew a raspberry.
Zoro snorted as he rolled his eyes, Sanji shook his head, Robin smiled amused, Franky their newest crew-member, was entirely un-impressed, and at last Nami just stepped in and beat the teens over the head. "ENOUGH!" Nami yelled.
"Namiiiiii." Both boys complained while rubbing their heads, while Chopper looked very very frightened.
Perhaps Nami shouldn't have been so hard on the boys, the thing was, they had been stuck on Thousand in almost for-ever! Every since Water seven, and they had yet to make it to the ghostly triangle.
And every-body had started to get cabin fever, so the moment that an island was in sight every-body had happily jumped to land, and immediately the boys had gone crazy fooling around on land.
Nami sighed as she rolled her eyes. "Couldn't you go some-where else and play?" she finally asked.
"That's a great idea!" usopp grinned. "There's an entire forest right there! We should go in there!" he laughed.
"OF CAUSE!" Luffy laughed. "We can play pirates in there."
"Luffy… we all-ready are pirates." Usopp pointed out.
"I know, but it's also funny to play it ones in a while! Shishishi!" Luffy laughed.
"I'M A PIRATE!" Chopper laughed jumping up and down.
"Well then, I am the mightiest pirates there is." Usopp snorted crossing both arms. "I can take both of you down!"
"Hah! Just try!" Luffy grinned.
"All-right." Usopp nodded.. then turned around and ran straight for the forest.
"HEY THAT'S CHEATING!" Luffy yelled, but Usopp was all-ready gone.
"Bweh, if you want to defeat me you have to get to me first!" Usopp exclaimed and he was gone from sight.
"USOPP!" Luffy yelled and ran straight after him with Chopper in his tail.
"USOPP!" Luffy yelled loudly. "USOPP WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" he exclaimed. "COME OUT WHERE I CAN SEE YOU!"
Usopp how-ever.. was snickering, he was sitting high above in a tree tightening a knot.. by god this was going to be so easy! Luffy didn't know it yet, but Luffy was right where Usopp wanted him!
All Usopp needed to do now.. was to spring his trap. "Hehehe." Usopp grinned.
"Oh, what a great head you got there." A female voice whispered.
"Huh?" Usopp turned around wide-eyed looking left and right. "Who's there?" he asked.. the voice had seemed so close, and yet no one seemed to be there. Usopp swallowed as he turned back to Luffy, preparing to trap the Captain for good and claim the price for best pirate.
"Yes I like that ingenuity." The voice spoke again. "I think I'll take it!"
"What!?" Usopp turned around. "Who.. What's going on?" he asked.
"USOPP!" Luffy yelled. "USOPP ARE YOU THERE!?"
"ARGGHHHHH!"
Both Luffy and Chopper froze, they recognised that sound, frightened they looked at each other. "Usopp!" they both yelled simultaneously, and then ran for the voice.. but nothing was there. "Usopp?" the both yelled. "USOPP!" but he was gone without a trace.
As it started to become dark, the entire crew had gotten out to look for Usopp as no one had seen a sign of him any-where.
"USOPP!" Zoro yelled as he held forward a torch. "USOPP ANSWER US!" he demanded.
"USOPP!" Both Luffy and Chopper yelled as they followed each other.
"Maybe some exotic creature ate him." Robin commented casually to Nami.
Nami hissed annoyed. "Don't say scary stuff like that. Usopp is stronger than that when it finally comes down to it! He's fine! She stated. "You see, he'll ARGH!" Nami almost dropped the torch in shock as a new person had stepped out right in front of her.. the very person whom had been the objective of their search. "USOPP!" Nami exclaimed. "What the hell, don't scare me like that!"
Usopp frowned as he looked at Nami, then shrugged. "Sorry." He simply said, without sounding like a person whom actually meant it.
"Where the hell have you been Usopp?" Nami hissed annoyed. "You had the entire crew worked up, you idiot!" she hissed.
Again Usopp merely shrugged. "Fell down from a tree and hit my head, just woke up now." He told. "I suppose we should get back to Sunny." He at last sighed, and walked right past the two women.
Surprised the women looked after Usopp then at each other. "I guess he is a little tired." Nami finally stated.
Robin nodded thoughtfully. "Hai, that could be an explanation."
Back at Sunny every-thing seemed fine as the rest of the crew found their way back, Sanji and Zoro was of cause pissed about the interruption.
Luffy, Chopper and Franky how-ever, were just happy that Usopp was alive, and Usopp as well laughed with them. Explaining himself with the head injury story ones again.. some-thing seemed very off by that explanation to Nami.
Usually.. Usopp would at least have told a story about how he battled a giant monster and there-for had become belated. Nami was wondering deeply why Usopp had just gone with a rational explanation this time around, what gave?
Soon though Usopp discovered her look and actually walked over to her as he looked at her. "You're okay Nami?" he asked.
Nami sighed. "I'm fine Usopp." She told. "Honestly." She promised looking at him.
"Well erh Nami, I'm sorry if I came off as a little rude before." Usopp laughed nervously. "It's just, it was quite a shock to wake up on the ground, and every-thing was suddenly dark and all." He told. "My head also hurt a lot, so I'm probably not in the best of moods."
"Oh." Nami blinked. "That's okay Usopp, I can see how that can be a shock." She smiled weakly. "Maybe you should let Chopper look at your head."
"Ah, you're right!" Usopp grinned. "I'll do that right away!" he told. "You should probably go to bed soon, you have the second watch don't you?" he asked.
Nami nodded. "Yeah, you're right." She told in a exhale. "Night Usopp." She muttered as she stood up.
"Night Nami!" Usopp waved after her, with a smile grin on his lips. That didn't look entirely right.
Nami had become unsettled, and that feeling didn't leave her at all doing the night, she still had it in the morning as she observed Usopp.
But he was acting very normally, laughing with Chopper and Luffy, eating his food.. if any-thing he maybe came across as just a little bit more well mannered than usual.
For the duration of the day, even though Nami kept an extra eye on Usopp, nothing seemed out of place at all.
He worked a bit with Franky, as usual, build some bullets for himself, as usual, played a prank on Luffy, as usual. And even took a little time off to draw, which wasn't always some-thing he did, but it was not compleately unusual.
At last as it became evening again, Nami had resigned to the fact that it was all in her head, and nothing was wrong.
Maybe Usopp had hurt his head a little bit the other day, but it seemed that it had become settled again.
"Hey Luffy!" Usopp laughed the next morning again. "I just remembered, we never settled whom was the better pirate, I ended up falling off a stupid tree instead." He laughed. "Want to come out with, and find out for real this time?" he asked.
"That sure sounds like fun!" Luffy exclaimed jumping up and down.
"Maybe Chopper can be on my team this time." Usopp laughed. "Make sure I wont fall of any branches again or any-thing."
"Sure!" Luffy grinned. "Oi Nami! Zoro! Sanji! The three of us are going a shore!" he proclaimed. "Keep an eye on the ship in the meantime."
"Yay!" Chopper laughed as he jumped up and down.
"So what do you say Chopper, wanna be on the great Captain Usopp's team?" Usopp asked in a grin.
"Sure!" Chopper nodded, and let himself be picked up and then placed on Usopp's shoulders. "Then lets head for the forest!" Usopp proclaimed. "LETS GO!"
"Ohhh!" Chopper looked wide-eyed at Usopp's work. Ones again he was up in a tree, ones again he was setting up a trap. The exact same trap as before, though with an added bonus for the great finale. "Usopp you are so smart!" he grinned.
"Hehe." Usopp grinned poking at his nose. "Just you wait, you havn't seen half of it yet!"
"USOPP!" Luffy yelled now coming walking. "COME OUT! COME OUT!"
Usopp smirked. "Show-time." He whispered. "Come on Chopper." He grinned as he jumped down, Chopper following him. "Oi Luffy!" Usopp waved at the pirate captain.
"Ah! THERE YOU ARE USOPP!" Luffy laughed and ran straight for the sniper.. which was of cause exactly what Usopp wanted him to do, because in the next moment, Luffy was caught in a snare and soon dangled upside down from the tree. "HAHAHAHA!" Luffy laughed from where he hang up-side down. "Good one Usopp!" he laughed holding his stomach.
"Oh but we are not done." Usopp smirked as he pulled out his Kabuto and a water balloon, which he loaded into the Kabuto.
"Oooooh, I see where you are going with this." Luffy laughed. "Well, you can go ahead, but remember I'll revenge myself!" he stated in a grin.
Usopp smirked as he nodded. "I'm sure you will if you get the chance." He told and then fired the water balloon, which splashed all over Luffy's face.
"Huh?" Luffy blinked as he suddenly hung limp in the rope. "I feel so weak all of a sudden. Usopp what?"
Usopp smirked as he pulled up another water balloon, and threw it a bit up and down in his hand. "Really Captain, I realise you are dense, that's how it could be this easy to get you." He smirked. "But you should recognise the feeling of having all the energy instantly drained from you."
Luffy blinked as he suddenly realised. "Sea-sea-water." He realised. "Usopp, that is low! That's not like you to pull a prank like this." He told annoyed. "Let me down now!"
"In a moment." Usopp smirked. "To think it didn't take any-more to hopelessly trapped you, if you try to make you ankle smaller the rope will just tighten, so don't do that you'll stop your own blood circulation. And as long as I keep you soaked, you don't have the strength to rip the rope open." He laughed.
Luffy blinked. "Usopp?" he asked. "What the hell do you think you're doing!? GET ME DOWN NOW!" he demanded.
Then Usopp's eyes turned to Chopper by his feet's, his eyes that normally looked so warm and always twinkled with humour, some-how looked glased, and his pupils dilated way over the normal.
Choppers eyes widened. "Usopp isn't himself." He suddenly realised, then reached to his pocket for a rumble ball, only to open his eyes wide.
"Looking for these?" Usopp asked in a smirk lifting three rumble balls from his own pocket.
Chopper gaped by the realisation... the ride on Usopp's shoulder, that's when Usopp had taken them!
"CHOPPER!" Luffy screamed. "RUN! WARN THE OTHERS!"
Chopper nodded and then turned around to turn into his walk-point form, and made a jump for it.
"Oh I think not." Usopp told lifting his Kabuto ones again, and fired the second waterbaloon right at the reindeer, and hit him square on the mark, making Chopper fall down. "And just to make sure you are finished." He smirked pulling a second bullet. "FIRE-STAR!" he yelled, sending a huge fire-burst right at Chopper making the reindeer scream before he fell down.
"And that was two." Usopp smirked as he stood up.
"Well done my pupil, what an excellent candidate you turned out to be." A womans voice whispered. "I'll take over from here, and you can all become my pupils together."
Usopp sneered at the voice. "You mean you'll allow them clear mind as well?" he asked annoyed. "Then what happens to me?" he asked.
"Oh none of them have your ingenuity dear Usopp, their minds aren't as valuable as yours, you'll be the one ruling them now of cause, just as you wanted." The woman spoke.
Usopp smiled. "That's what I like to hear." He grinned.
"U-Usopp.." Luffy tried to say as he hopelessly looked at his trusted friend and Sniper. "What have you done?" he asked. "What kind of traps did you set for the others? TELL ME!" he demanded.
"Shut up you shitty Captain." Usopp hissed throwing another waterballoon in Luffy's face, and then hit Luffy over the head with a hammer just for good measure, doing the job of beating Luffy unconscious.
At the Sunny… no one was the wiser, Sanji was boiling his soup, Robin reading her book, Nami working on a map and Franky tinkering in the workshop, nothing was out of the ordinary.
That was until Sanji tasted on his soup which he had started to boil the night before, and his eyes widened.
Soon he slammed the door to the galley open and stumbled out, holding his throat. "Nami-Swan!" he tried to yelled patheticly. "Robin-Chwan.. FOR GOD'S SAKE ZORO!" he yelled at the swordsman whom was nearest to him, taking a nap.
Zoro's eyes snapped open and he looked at Sanji, just in time for Sanji to collaps.
"WHAT THE HELL!?" Zoro yelled as he leaped forward and managed to grab Sanji before he fell all the way down on the deck. "OI! WHERE'S CHOPPER!" he yelled.
"He's out with Luffy and Usopp!" Nami reminded Zoro coming running from where she had been sitting, up above the galley where she hadn't been able to see a thing. "What happened?" she asked.
"I think Ero-cook has been poisoned!" Zoro exclaimed shaking Sanji. "Oi! Dart-brow! HALLO!"
Weakly Sanji looked up at Zoro. "The.. The soup." He told. "Spiked."
Zoro hissed annoyed. "Who the hell could have done this?" he asked in a angry tone.
"Sanji-kun!" Nami exclaimed as she came running down, Robin soon following.
The cook now though, was out cold.
"OIII!" A new voice yelled from shore as a certain Sniper came running. "OIII! I NEED HELP!" he yelled.
Nami hissed annoyed as she stood up and walked to the railing to look down. "NOT NOW USOPP! WE ARE IN A CRISIS!" she yelled back.
"AND I'M NOT!?" Usopp asked "THEY TOOK THEM! AND NOW THEY ARE AFTER ME! YOU GOTTA COME HELP ME RESCUE THEM!"
"WHO!?" Nami asked annoyed.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHO!?" Usopp asked. "LUFFY AND CHOPPER OF CAUSE! THERE WAS THIS BUNCH OF STRANGE PEOPLE! THEY TOOK THEM!"
Namis eyes widened, then turned to Zoro and Robin. "You think those are the same people who." She glanced at Sanji.
Soon Franky came bursting through the door. "Oi, what's happening?" he asked annoyed.
Nami bit her lip. "Sanji got poisoned, and Luffy and Chopper has apparently been taken prisoner." She told.
Franky blinked as he looked stunned at them, then exclaimed. "I was only gone for ten minutes!"
"What's happening?" Usopp now asked as he had climbed un-board.
"Sanji has gotten poisoned." Nami told in a deep sigh.
"Oh no!" Usopp exclaimed looking worried on the cook. "You think it's those people whom took Luffy and Chopper, they tried to poison all of us?" he asked deeply concerned. "Is Sanji going to be okay?" he asked.
"Well, he is breathing." Nami sighed looking at Sanji. "Just out cold."
Usopp nodded. "Then we got to hurry, we got to get to Chopper and luffy before they are to long gone!" he stated. "Especially Chopper so he can take a look at Sanji!"
"We can't just leave Sanji undefended." Nami pointed out.
"What if I just take Zoro, then you three stay with Sanji." Usopp suggested.
Nami didn't even think twice, her instincts were controlling her compleately. "Good idea!" she told. "Get going!"
"YOSH!" Usopp exclaimed as he dragged Zoro with him. "Come on, we got no time to waste, and you got tons of people to slash!" and under his breath, he just managed to whisper. "Three." so no one else could hear him.
As Usopp and Zoro ran through the forest, it just seemed like that no matter how long they ran, they would still have longer to go.
"How much further!?" Zoro asked annoyed.
"Almost there!" Usopp gaped for air, just as they ran out into an empty field and Usopp looked around. "It's.. some-where around here." He hesitated. "Wait here for a second." He asked walking forward.
Zoro snorted as he crossed his arms. "Oi, don't go to far." He demanded as Usopp walked further and further away to the other end.
"Hai." Usopp nodded as he kept on walking.. they were in a pretty good distance, as suddenly Usopp turned around, and pulled out his Kabuto to aim it straight for Zoro as he smirked. "Got you." He told in a smirk.
Zoro blinked. "What?" he asked deeply confused.
Usopp smirked. "Zoro, this is a fight, pull your weapon." He asked.
Zoro snorted. "Fight? We don't have time for this Usopp. Wasn't Luffy and Chopper in danger."
"They'll be fine." Usopp told. "Like you, they walked directly into my trap."
"Wait a minute, Your trap!?" Zoro asked. "Usopp, what the hell is going on?" he asked.
"What is going on that we are going to fight now!" Usopp hissed. "I'll show you ones and for all what I am truly made off, I can take out the entire straw-hat crew, and best of all! It's easy!"
Zoro squinted his eyes. "What have you done to Luffy and Chopper?" he asked. "For that matter, who the hell are you?" he asked.
"I'm Usopp." Usopp smirked loading his Kabuto. "Win this duel, and I'll have to tell where Luffy and Chopper is."
"Duel from that distance!?" Zoro asked.
"Well of cause." Usopp nodded in a grin.
"That is cheating!" Zoro esclaimed.
"How?" Usopp asked as he stood from his spot.
"YOU ARE TO FAR AWAY!" Zoro exclaimed.
"So?" Usopp asked. "We both have our personal weapon at choice at hand, we both stand on a flat terrain in a equal long distance."
"Yeah! But how am I supposed to fight long distance!?" Zoro exclaimed.
"I just liked for you to gain a bit of a better understanding for how things works, you should thank me really." Usopp smirked. "Usually, the situation is reversed." He stated as he strengthened his kabuto. "See, I excel at my own thing, long distance shooting, and yet you put me at the front. Put any of you in the situations I am good at, and you would be doomed." He pointed out. "So how does it feel? Being out on shaky ground?" he asked.
"You bastard!" Zoro hissed holding a sword in both hands. "JUST WAIT TILL I GET OVER THERE AND KICK YOUR ASS!" he yelled running.
Usopp how-ever smirked. "To late." He told and fired.
Zoro smirked as he raised his swords, this was to easy, all he had to do was to cut the bullet! And he did, though immediately the insides of the bullet gave into a big puff that hurt Zoro's eyes. "Pepper!" he exclaimed as his eyes watered. "Cheater!" he stated hopelessly tried to wipe his eyes, only to scream in pain. "Are you kidding me! Pepper and Chilli powder!? How low are you willing to go Usopp?" he asked.
"Tell me Zoro." Usopp asked as he casually walked up to the inactivated swords man, wearing his own goggles to protect him from the pepper and chilli powder. "How on earth is using ordinary kitchen supplies cheating?" he asked.
"It's not fair combat!" Zoro exclaimed. Swinging his swords without even being able to see, which Usopp very simply dodged by bowing down and then raising up again.
"I'll tell you what isn't fair combat, me up against a fisherman pirate or a ghost girl or a marine, but still I won, I wonder how." Usopp wondered out loud. "Oh now I remember, it's called fighting with smarts." He smirked pointing at his own head. "Night Zoro." Was his last words as he beat Zoro over the head with his small hammer, making Zoro fall to the ground.
And left Usopp standing grinning. "Four." he simply stated.
And the Sunny was in trouble as well, Nami tried to fight but. "WHY ISN'T IT WORKING!" Nami exclaimed waving her clima-tact. "WORK DAMMIT! WORK!" she hissed.
The ship had been compleately over-run by men wearing white body-suits, there seemed to be around thirty of them, which would have been easy as pie for the straw-hats, if it hadn't been for their individual handicaps. "FRANKY COVER ME!" Nami yelled desperately trying to make her clima-tacts respond.
"I can't!" Franky exclaimed. "Some-body has been tinkering with my cola! I got no energy!" he told.
"ROBIN!" Nami called, but Robin as well looked drowsy.
"I think." Robin blinked. "That some-one put a sedations draught in my coffee." She told. "I can't.. can't.." she true enough seemed to wobble on her legs.
"ROBIN!" Nami yelled, supporting the older woman. "Shit." Nami hissed. "who could have done this?" she asked. "Who on earth both have the know-how to temper with my clima-tact, and sabotage Frankys cola and have knowledge enough of sleeping draughts to spike you and Sanji, for that matter even being smart enough to… oh shit." Nami suddenly realised.
"What navigator-san?" Robin asked weakly leaning up against Nami.
"I knew it." Nami hissed. "I knew there was some-thing wrong with Usopp when he turned up yesterday!"
Robins eyes widened. "Longnose-san?" she asked.
"Aw come on Nami!" Franky exclaimed punching one of the white suited figures away with his bare fists. "Longnose-bro would never betray this crew! He loves you, I've seen it!"
"Clearly he isn't himself." Nami hissed. "Some-thing happened to him. But still, this is bad, this is really really bad!" she swallowed.
Robin glanced at Nami.
"It was childs-play for him just to do this!" Nami pointed out. "Imagine an Usopp without his usual moral values, without his self doubt and without his compassion!"
Robin blinked. "That does sound quite bad." She acknowledged.
"If I am right, it's some-thing like that we are up against." Nami hissed.
Franky grimaced. "The real Longnose-bro would never stoop this low, he would at least face the people that he are fighting!" he hissed.
"This Usopp how-ever, seems to be aware that what he lacks in physical strength, he got in ingenuity." Robin softly pointed out. And that was it, no more talking, they all three stood back to back and were surrounded, holding up their hands to show how harmless they were.
Nami frowned annoyed. "If just Zoro, Sanji or Luffy had been here! All of these people would have been toast!" she murmured annoyed.
"Or if I had my cola powers." Franky muttered.
"Or I my full strength, but I guess that was longnose's plan." Robin pointed out.
"Well this is just typical." Nami muttered sourly. "Remind me to beat up Usopp real good when I see him again!"
AN; Just an idea that popped into my head.
Usopp sure has a lot of troubles, I think his self doubt is what is keeping him back to most. And well, am I the only one thinking Usopp could be a freaking dangerous enemy to have with his enourmus skill set?
True, he is not that good in close combat, but if he gets the time to actually plan ahead... at least I get that sense. Again, I think what is really keeping him back the most is his own sense of self doubt, he is doing some selfsabbotage unfortunately. But fortunately, he also overcomes that selfsabotage when it really matters, and that always keeps on being equally cool to me :)
and yes, Usopp is not himself here, of cause he is being mind controlled. Real Usopp would never do any-thing like that, not even to his enemies.