"Luffy, Zoro and Robin are still out in this rain?" Franky asked. "What are they thinking!?"
Sadly Nami looked at the returning crew members.
"Nami-san?" Sanji asked. "Are you all-right?"
Also Chopper was silent, as he sat on a chair, looking down.
They were inside of the galley, Nami had been given a cup of tea by Chopper to warm herself with, her shoulder had been wrapped in bandages from where she had been bitten hard enough to draw blood.. And now the remaining three straw-hats had come.. those whom weren't out looking.
"Chopper-san?" Brook asked. "What happened."
Hopelessly they both looked up, then Nami sighed as she stood up, she reached over the table and grabbed the green Kabuto laying there, then she walked up to Sanji, and reached forward the Kabuto.
Stunned Sanji accepted the Kabuto, and looked at it. "Nami.." he hesitated. "Why am I holding Usopp's kabuto?" he asked. "Why isn't Usopp taking care of his own stuff."
And slowly, Chopper looked up. "Usopp isn't here." He told.
Sanji blinked.
"Is he sleeping?" Franky asked confused.
Nami shrugged. "I don't know, he isn't onboard this boat." She whispered silently.
"Then what the hell is the Kabuto doing here?" Sanji asked. "Did that idiot really forget it?" he asked.
"Sanji-san." Brook looked at the cook.
And Sanji swallowed, as he looked at Nami. "What's going on?" he finally asked.
Nami looked at the Kabuto in Sanjis hands, then pulled the yellow satchel up on the table.
And Sanji stumbled backwards. "Usopp never goes any-where without his Kabuto.." he whispered. "And certainly not his satchel.. where."
And as Namis tear-filled eyes looked up, and icing went down Sanjis spine, and the other two stood back.
Namis eyes, the way Chopper behaved, it told the entire story for them.
Sanjis hands clutched the green Kabuto as he held it tight. "How?" he asked. "Usopp is stronger than that, he wouldn't be taken down by those animals, not without a fight."
"It's all my fault." Nami then cried. "Blame me!"
Then slowly Sanji stepped forward, and embraced the crying navigator. "How could it possible be your fault?" he asked. "You would die yourself before you would watch another person die in front of you."
And then Nami let go, crying into Sanjis shoulder, as Franky and Brook, confused stood a bit closer together.
"He is not.. is he?" Franky asked.
Chopper shook his head. "We don't know." He finally admitted. "We can't find him."
"He'll be here in the morning." Brook then stated. "If any-one can find him, then it's Luffy! You know the Captain, he will find him."
And Chopper nodded. "Yeah." He stated. "In the morning."
Sanji how-ever, frowned as he held the green Kabuto in his hands.
Slowly Brooks empty eye sockets turned to him. "Sanji-san?" he asked.
"I thought it was weird.. I mean, how would it even get there?" Sanji swallowed.
"What?" Nami asked looking at him.
Then Sanji reached into his pocket, and out he took a blue and white striped wrist-band, that looked pretty messed up and torned.
Every-bodies eyes widened, there was no question about it, it was Usopp's wrist-band.
"Where did you find that?" Chopper asked with open mouth.
"Remember when we were attacked by that big pig thing?" Sanji asked Franky and Brook.
"You mean the armadillo?" Franky asked.
"With the wolf features." Brook added.
"That's where I found it, after it had run away." Sanji told. "On the ground, I've figured Usopp had just lost it and that was all."
"But he would never take it off!" Nami pointed out. "He even sleeps with the damn thing, and it's not like it could just slip off his wrist as easily as he could drop his Kabuto!" she pointed out. Then she blinked. "Wait, did you say a pig, armadillo with wolf features?" she asked.
And the three nodded.
"with a big black bushy tail, claws and a really long snout?" Nami asked.
Again the three nodded. "How did you know that?" Franky asked.
And then Nami pressed a hand against her mouth as new tears found their way to her eyes. "I'm going to be sick." She told. "It's the creature that attacked Usopp while I was gone." She whispered.
"You're sure?" Sanji asked.
"It must have been!" Nami stated. "It came from the spot where I had left Usopp and he was gone, it brought his wrist-band all the way over to you guys. Oh god.." she gulped.. she didn't even dare to think how such a big clumsy creature could get the wrist-band off Usopp's wrist..
"Dammit." Franky hissed as he clutched his fist. "Why didn't we kill that beast?" he asked.
And Sanji darkly bit his lip. "We'll get it the next time." He stated in a dark voice. "It wont stand a chance."
And as Luffy, Zoro and Robin returned in the morning, exhausted from a fruitless search, hearing what the rest of the crew had to tell.. they all agreed.
Luffy slammed his fist into the palm of his hand as he hissed. "Beast or man, you mess with one of the crew-members of the straw-hat pirates, you mess with all of us." He hissed.
He had placed Usopp's goggles on top of his straw-hat, almost as if it was a symbol for his new agenda.
And they all nodded.
Zoro looked particularly sadistic as he pushed out his sword, just a little bit, to have the blade shine clear. Franky cracked his knuckles.
"But Luffy." Robin then softly interrupted. "How would killing a mindless beast help you bring Usopp back?" she asked resting her eyes on him. "What is the point."
"One, Usopp is not dead! I am going to find him." Luffy stated surely. "Two, it'll make me feel a hell of a lot better." He snarled.
Nami looked at Luffy, whisking away a tear. "You.. you really think Usopp is okay?" she asked.
"oh come on Nami, I thought you knew all of us better." Luffy rolled his eyes. "Usopp is stronger than what people take him for, he is even stronger then he himself thinks, of cause he is all-right, he is not going to die before he is a brave warrior of the sea." He stated in a roll of his eyes.. as if that statement alone was the most obvious thing in the entire world.
Yet some-how, Luffys big confidence did make the rest of the straw-hat feel better. "Okay." Nami nodded. "Lets go hunt a beast, maybe Usopp isn't to far away from it."
