The port was a hovering island, encased in its own gravity field, out in the middle of space between a gaseous planet and its ringed neighbor. Both planets provided a stunning view while not interfering with the travels of the folk that passed them. The port itself was packed with all sorts. Tall and gilled Shimons leered from a long bar, drinking excessively and without consequence, while a grossly lanky Rumbari watched with passive interest and nursed a cup of tea. Further down, occupying several round tables just to themselves, was a crew of what could only be pirates by the way they kicked their feet up on the tables and sloshed their booze around. Despite being Syrupians like himself, Usopp had no intention of joining them. While he had bluffed his way onto a ship, earning a free ride to this port and promptly being left behind, just so he could search for a crew of his own, he didn't want any of the riffraff currently blundering about the port pub.

He turned back to his meal, prodding at the overcooked meat with disinterest. His fork hit the plate without coming in contact with the tough hunk, causing Usopp to look down in confusion. The sadly wilted salad was the only thing left. Looking up, he took notice of the human youth sitting opposite him, chewing on what was clearly Usopp's steak with no regard for who had originally purchased it.

"I hate to ask," began Usopp, frowning at the boy, "But why are you eating my meat?"

The human barely chewed before swallowing, licking his lips and his fingertips before answering. "You didn't look like you were enjoying it, so I took it instead."

It was very simple and to the point. "But I paid for it."

"I'm a pirate."

"So…?"

"I wanted it."

Usopp squinted hard at the boy, who, unperturbed, reached out with a long arm and snatched an equally overcooked steak from the next table over. That in itself would have been an interesting sight, except now Usopp was ogling the abnormality that was the human's – was he even human? – arm. It was long, yes, but longer than it should ever have been while keeping it's overall shape. It stretched.

"W-w-w-what is that?" blubbered Usopp, pointing with his shaking fork at the arm.

It shrank back, delivering the meat to the boy's grinning mouth. "My arm, obviously."

"I see that, but how is that possible?"

"Funny story. There was this cosmic ray reactor thing and –"

"Enough said. I've gotten the gist of it." Usopp dropped the fork to the table, lowering his head into his hands. This was beyond him, well and truly. It was best to distance himself now before the kid got himself into trouble. Nobody with a rubber body was ever good news.

As if to prove him right, a roar of anger rose from the next table over. Lifting his head quickly, Usopp was fast enough to see the kid, who had at some point gotten up, receive a steel-reinforced fist to the face. The blow sent him flying over several other tables, cleaning the last with his body before coming to a rest on the floor. Usopp knew an invitation to get the hell out when he saw one. He turned as he stood, but the riffraff Syrupians were getting up as well, forming a wall of bodies that he could not pass without arbitrarily offending at least half of them. Resigned, Usopp turned to watch the bar fight as if he too was a part of their pirate crew.

It was, without a doubt, a no holds barred beatdown. In three seconds flat, Usopp's jaw was hanging wide, perfectly mirroring the expressions of the pirates around him. With an air of satisfaction, the rubber human left his attacker bent double in the broken remains of a table, opting to leave the establishment while swiping chunks of meat from other unguarded plates. The crumpled pirate released a groan, and his fellows took on menacing expressions. None of them seemed concerned by who was among them, allowing Usopp to tag along on their tail as they practically stampeded out of the pub.

"Luffy, what have you done this time?"

The voice didn't have the fear or nervousness that Usopp expected when one was surrounded by thick-necked and heavily muscled vagrants. Instead, the voice's owner radiated exasperation that – for what reason – seemed oddly fond. Usopp hopped on the spot, trying to get a good look, but there was no point when his head couldn't clear the shoulders of the fellows in front of him. Instead, he moved back to sit on some empty crates and wait for the results.

This time as well he was unable to keep his jaw from dropping. The human swung out a fist, his arm extended out, and suddenly half the pirates had been clotheslined and subsequently floored. However he was no longer alone. A minty-haired Shimon was flourishing twin energy swords beside him, a third remaining strapped to his hip. The blades' edges were obviously dulled, but that did nothing to withhold the punch the swordsman's well-trained swipe provided. Both the Shimon and the human wore expressions that told Usopp they were very obviously enjoying themselves.

"Weird, right?"

With a start, Usopp turned to look at the woman beside him. Human was his first assumption, but when she smiled at him, chin in a languid hand, the edges of her hair lit up like fire.

"C-C-C-Cocoyasi!" spluttered Usopp, immediately turning red in the face and looking away.

"Yep," she laughed, "Don't worry, I don't bite. Not like those weirdoes." With a lazy hand wave, she indicated the rubber human and the Shimon swordsman. "We probably could have avoided this but Zoro got lost and of course I had to go fetch him. It's a wonder they ever made that tin can fly."

"W-what?"

"I'm Nami. You are?"

"Usopp." Wait, why was he responding so readily? "Uh – sorry but, why are you…?"

"Talking to you?" She laughed again, and sparks spun out of her hair. "You're obviously not a pirate, or at least not one involved with these guys. I thought we could be friends. You know, two sane travellers amidst the chaos."

Her smile was bewitching, and her words equally so, but Usopp was no stranger to bluffs and stretched truths.

"What're you looking for?" he asked as he stood, "It's not a friend, I know that much."

She shrugged. "Conversation to pass the time. Ah, it looks like they're done."

An energetic voice made Usopp turn around in time to see the rubber human drop a pirate by his collar. "Nami. I'm hungry."

"You just ate, Luffy," she replied easily. Usopp recognized the same fondness from before.

"It wasn't enough."

"We don't have money, you know that, right?"

"There's all that treas–"

"That is not your food money!" she snapped, then sighed, "If the two of you work in the back kitchen for a day, maybe they'll give us a meal."

The swordsman scowled as he retracted his swords. "The two of us? What about you?"

"My skin doesn't take too well to scrubbing."

"Then what about the money in that guy's wallet?"

The swordsman – Zoro, was it? – pointed a finger at Usopp, causing the Syrupian to automatically lean away despite being nowhere near his blades.

"I–I haven't got money for you guys!" he squeaked, then cleared his throat. "I mean, I have nothing to share with you hooligans. I'll have you know I'm a captain of my own ship, with eight thousand crewmates loyal to me! So you better not mess with me!"

The human, Luffy, gasped in awe, then burst out laughing, while Zoro looked skeptical. From beside Usopp, Nami snorted.

"Only a hundred beri? I was expecting at least triple this, to be honest."

Usopp looked and paled when he saw his wallet open in her hands and being rifled through.

"That's mine!" he squawked, lunging for the wallet and snatching it from her hands.

She grinned, waving the extracted money and promptly tucking it down her shirt. Usopp could only make furious indignant sounds, his hands not bold enough to retrieve the last of his money. This only made Luffy guffaw harder, pulling a grin from even the swordsman. Pursing his lips, Usopp stuffed his wallet back into the safety(?) of his pocket.

"Can I have my money back?" he asked.

"Not a chance," replied Nami, "We're dirt poor. We need it."

"Except for that treasure–"

"Shut up, Luffy. That isn't food money."

The human pouted. Nami smiled.

"So, Usopp, know any cheap places where a few hungry pirates can get a lot of food?"

Usopp had no idea how it had come to this, but at some point he had agreed to take a tour of Luffy's pirate ship. He had long before decided to suspend his disbelief that of the three pirates to be captain– well, not Nami since she was adamant she wasn't actually a part of the crew – it was the rambunctious youth that had somehow fallen into a cosmic ray reactor and gotten his body turned to rubber. Then again, it made a lot of sense when both Zoro and Nami briefly explained how they had ended up on the ship in the first place.

"He found me floating in space, told me I was his first mate, and we trashed a Marine ship together. Yeah, I was a bounty hunter. What's your point?"

"He landed his ship in the warehouse I was tied up in, and the two of them demolished the entire gang inside before realizing I was there. When I tried to steal their ship, they'd already gotten back on. No, I'm not his navigator. I'm tagging along until I find a better ship that's been left unguarded."

Usopp was sure that had it been anyone else, neither of these equally eccentric people would have bothered getting themselves involved with them. But it was Luffy, and Usopp found himself getting further caught up in the captain's pace by the minute.

It was a black hole of friendship that he was dealing with, and he wasn't so sure it was terribly unwanted.

"This is where I keep my meat," announced Luffy as he gestured grandly at his captain's chair, "But there's none right now. Nami –"

"Earn some cash then, you brat!"

"What about Usopp's –"

"You ate more than what we had budgeted for."

"You have tr–"

"Don't say it."

Luffy spun away from Nami's glower with a pout to lead Usopp down the port side hall. "This is where Nami keeps her treasure, and that's the bathroom. That's it!"

–––––

Usopp wasn't sure what he was expecting when he'd been told he was going to get a tour of a pirate ship. Certainly a little more space than a shuttle, with no guns to its name and only two proper rooms. Neither the captain nor the swordsman complained about it, and the only true grievance Nami had with the arrangements was that she was forced to sleep with the other two. It wouldn't be such a big deal, she confided in Usopp, if not for Luffy's tendency to sprawl, drape and cuddle.

Standing where he could get the best view of the port from within the shuttle, Usopp felt peculiar. A little bit wistful, maybe, and a lot of apprehension, the latter not a result of his needless tour. There was something else he had to do, and regardless of how much she had tried to convince him otherwise, Kaya didn't have much time left.

So with a heavy heart, Usopp turned from the controls to face his fast friends. "This was great and all, but I remembered something I have to do. Sorry, I need to go."

Luffy's immediate reaction was to slump over the captain's chair and lose all muscle mass. "Whyyy?"

"I need to find a crew–"

"But you have eight thousand."

"– and a ship to sail."

"Join my crew!"

Usopp shook his head. "Impossible. I need a big crew – besides, I'm the one that'll be captain when I find them."

Luffy pouted, and Nami interjected. "You're not going to find a crew to captain, or a ship, at this port. There's really no point."

"I have to try," said Usopp, "This is the closest port to Syrup. I need to find a crew here."

"What for?"

"That's… not important."

"It sort of sounds like it is."

"Well it's not!"

Nami cocked an eyebrow. Usopp sighed.

"Sorry," he said, "There's somebody that needs my help, and I need a big crew."

"Big, or do you mean strong?" The swordsman rose from where he had been sitting. "There's an important difference."

Usopp opened his mouth to respond, then closed it. Zoro was right.

"Strong, I meant strong." The Syrupian grit his teeth briefly. "I have a friend on Syrup that needs my help. There's a pirate – or not a pirate but he used to be. He's been threatening her, blackmailing her for her inheritance, and the trust of the city she runs. But she's weak – sick. She can't – she isn't –"

He stopped to regain his composure, breathing deeply through his nose before continuing.

"Kaya can't do anything without that man hurting other people, so before he does something that can't be undone, I need to bring in a crew that can get rid of him. It's not a matter of money, there's plenty of that being thrown around, but Kaya doesn't want to involve outside help. She's more afraid of them getting hurt. You can already tell, can't you? She's too kind. She doesn't realize – it's what needs to be done – it has to be worth the risk."

Stopping again, Usopp looked down at his clenched fists. Nobody said a word for what felt like minutes rather than seconds. Even to his own ears it had sounded like he was trying to convince them, a measly crew of three, to be the ones to come to his – to Kaya's – aid. No one would do that for someone they'd just met.

"We'll help you," declared Luffy suddenly, "In return, you have to join my crew. That's it."

Usopp looked up, eyes wide, and immediately felt something heavy lift from his chest. His initial feeling had to have been correct. This human, with his weird body and his even more bizarre sense of conviction, would keep his word no matter how idly spoken. There was a familiar heat pressing against his eyes. Swallowing what would have been nothing but wordless garble, Usopp nodded his head furiously. Nami was saying "But I'll take the money too", Zoro was grinning, and Luffy was looking pleased, and standing before them with hope tracing salty tracks down his cheeks, Usopp felt accepted.

–––––

A/N: I don't know how I managed to pop that out this fast, but considering I have a paper due tonight and I haven't started that, it was probably not a good idea. HAHAHA OH WELL….