Nothing but the Truth
Well this was just peachy.
Nami thumped her staff in sand, leaning on it as she debated on whether to go back to the ship. She'd been up and down the beach at least a dozen times and there was no sign of Usopp. She didn't even know where anyone else was since Luffy had slingshotted Sanji into the stratosphere, that idiot, and who could tell where Zoro had ultimately ended up. At least the forest didn't look too dangerous. Nami peered through the slanting shadows of the trees. There had been a scream but that had been a while ago, and far off besides. Anyway, if anything dangerous burst out of the forest she would just run like hell to the Going Merry…and hope whatever it was wasn't too good at swimming. If they were, well, she'd worry about that when the time came.
This decided she began to walk along the shore, dividing her attention between looking for signs of Usopp and checking the forest, just in case. After a while she began to relax. The breeze was nice and the weather was perfect. The coast curved around to the east here and Nami glanced back at the ship to judge how far she had come. The Going Merry was still in running distance; much further and it would have to be the I'm-going-to-die-sprint. Nami debated and had decided to turn back when she heard a muffled squeaking sound coming from the direction of the forest.
She cocked her head toward the sound. It faded out and came again. It sounded—it sounded almost like someone crying and trying to hide it. Curiosity got the better of her and Nami followed the sound, hesitating briefly at the cool entrance of the forest before pressing on. It didn't take her long to see a small figure, a child really, tucked up against the roots of a tree, head resting on his knees and shoulders shaking as he squeaked miserably. What was a kid doing here? And…why did he look so familiar?
She came a little closer, freezing as a dry stick snapped under her weight. The kid was immediately on his feet, a rubber band hooked between his fingers and aimed in her direction. Even though the forest was dim, there was no mistaking his features. Those eyes, that hair, that nose. Her eyes widened.
"Usopp?"
"Oh," Usopp (right? Wasn't he?) blinked and lowered the rubber band. "Sorry I thought you were…um…someone else." He stuffed the rubber band into his pocket and looked up at her and smiled. This couldn't be happening. It had to be a dream. But he looked real. She grabbed his nose, getting a squwak from him. He felt real. But…but why was he child sized?
"Usopp, what happened to you?" Nami said, clinging to her staff mostly so she wouldn't fall over. Had he eaten something? Was it because of this island? Oh no! Did that mean that San…Sanji and Zoro and Lu…Luffy would become kids, too? She could just see it now, herself, surrounded by pint sized crew mates, fighting, causing trouble, breaking things, wanting to be tucked in… Well it wasn't too much different from normal but then she'd be the responsible one and it…it just….
"Hey!" Usopp said. "Hey, lady. Are you okay?" A cool if slightly grubby hand brushed her forehead and Nami absently realized she'd sunk into a crouch. "You're not sick or anything, are you? We don't have a doctor yet."
"We?" Nami echoed. If he was talking about their crew, why had he called her lady? Usopp blinked and paled then smiled in that wide way he used when he was going to lie his brains out. But suddenly the expression dropped from his face and he folded his hands behind him and bowed his head and kicked at an acorn with a sandaled foot.
"Never mind, it's nothing." He looked up at her again. "Are you really okay? I know some plants that are good for healing stuff, like fevers and headaches. Poison-neesan gets them all the time. She always says 'Go away, you little brat. My head hurts'." Usopp said, his pitching his voice to a squeak. Poison-neesan? Nami had completely lost him.
"No, I'm fine," Nami said, standing. She sounded a little dazed to her own ears and forced a smile when Usopp gave her a concerned look. "I really am," she said brightly. "I was just surprised, that's all."
"Oh," he said. "Are you Us—I mean, are you my friend?"
"I'm Nami," she said, hoping this would trigger some sort of memory. She was still waiting for things to make any kind of sense. Judging by Usopp's blank look it wasn't going to be happening any time soon.
"I'm your friend," she said, finally. Usopp smiled, looking relieved and adorable. Then he looked around, twisting his head one way, then the other, scanning the tops of trees and even turning in a full circle before giving her a solemn look and gesturing her downward. Nami bent and tried not to be annoyed as Usopp's nose poked her in the temple while he whispered in her ear:
"Can you take me home?"
"Home?" Nami blinked. "Back to Syrup Island?"
Usopp nodded vigorously. He seemed antsy suddenly, shifting from foot to foot and looking over his shoulder. He was making her nervous.
"I can try," she said with a smile, feeling somehow that she shouldn't outright lie to him—not at least until she knew what was going on. Usopp slipped his hand in hers. It was…so very weird. Well for right now she would just have to deal with it. Nami squeezed Usopp's hand, trying to be reassuring. Together they left the cool forest for the warm sunlight and the crash of the sea. Usopp sighed, his small shoulders rising and falling. It occurred to Nami that he wasn't wearing the clothes he went overboard in. He had a white shirt and jean shorts and sandles. Even his headscarf was different, dark blue with paler blue marks on it that looked familiar but were too sunfaded to really pick it out. In fact all of his clothes looked worn, frayed and patched here and there but decent. Strangely enough, the brown bag at his side was still the same, though on a much smaller scale and looked to be badly handmade but the design was similar. She had no idea what was going on.
"I've been on the sea for three years," Usopp said distantly. "I'm tired of it. Aren't you, Nami-san?"
"Not yet," she said lightly. There was definitely something odd here. Age differences aside this kid was Usopp but not Usopp. Nami couldn't figure it out.
"My Mom loved the sea," Usopp said. "She used to talk about how, when she was younger she used to sail on it all the time and get in lots of adventures."
It stung a little to hear about Usopp's mother. It made her remember her own. She could do so fondly now. It was less of a bitter memory and more bittersweet.
"I bet you want to sail just like she did."
"I did but Mom's a liar, you know. She only ever left Syrup Island once in her life." Usopp shook his head as if he was greatly disappointed. Nami looked down at him at loss for words. This was going to get very sad if she let it go on and things were strange enough without that. She had to find a way to bring up the mood.
"So how are your eight-thousand followers?" she asked with a slight laugh. The line of Usopp's shoulders tensed and his fingers twitched in her hand. She had the feeling she had just said something wrong.
"I don't have eight-thousand followers," Usopp said, clenching his free hand into a fist. "I don't even have one. I'm not a great captain or brave or anything. I'm Usopp. Just Usopp and I don't lie." He stomped his foot into the sand to emphasize his point.
"Really?" Nami said, once more thrown off her groove. "I'm sorry."
"No, it's not your fault." His shoulders dropped again. "They do it all the time. I used to, too. But it doesn't help. If everyone is always lying no one knows how they really feel anymore."
This Usopp was definitely not theirs. She could see bits of him in the kid's stance, in the way he spoke and even some of the things he said. Usopp at his most serious and most brave. This kid, though, seemed more world weary somehow. As if he'd already been through so much and didn't want to go through anymore.
"Who are 'they'?" Nami asked. At first she thought he might have meant other Usopps running around but she sincerely hoped not. This was weird enough with just the two of them. Usopp didn't answer. He was all tense again and he pulled his hand away, backing up a step or two. Nami didn't see anything dangerous. The only thing moving was the Going Merry, bobbing up and down with the waves, flag carried high by the wind.
"Is that your ship?" Usopp asked, his voice tight. Was he afraid because of the pirate flag? She wasn't sure.
"Yep!" Nami said, once again trying to sound cheerful, to make him feel safe. Usopp didn't say anything. Nami glanced at him, expecting fear and backed up, startled. He was angry. More than that. Furious. She didn't think she'd ever seen that expression on Usopp's face before. It frightened her just a little even though this Usopp was a kid and she could probably crack the pole over his head before he could do anything.
"You're a pirate aren't you?" he spat, reaching into his bag. Nami readied her staff. Was he as good a shot as their Usopp? She didn't want to turn her back on him to run as she probably couldn't run fast enough but it shouldn't be too bad. He'd likely just flick a few stones or something at her and if Nami could bat them away she might get close enough to smack him upside the head.
Usopp pulled out a pistol that looked much to big for him. Nami's insides turn to ice. His face was serious and that pistol looked real. She didn't want to risk it if it wasn't. Should she run or try to talk him out of it?
"Usopp, I'm a nice pirate. I wouldn't hurt anyone."
"Liar!" Usopp snapped. "There are no nice pirates! There are only evil pirates!" Tears were streaking down his face. "I'm sorry, Nami-san. You seem really nice but I promised to kill every pirate I saw so I'm sorry, I'm sorry," He pulled back the hammer. "I'll make you a nice grave, I promise."
Nami felt each and every breath as it moved through her lungs. She could taste the salt of the sea on her tongue and feel the grain of the staff clutched between her fingers. As soon as he pulled that trigger she was dead. Nami had faced death before, more times than she wanted to count. But getting killed by a nine-year-old Usopp had not even entered her wildest imagination. He had started crying, silently, his hands shaking; like he didn't want to do this after all. Something sparked inside her. Maybe she still had a chance!
She bit the inside of her lip and darted forward, raising her staff high. Usopp shrieked and dropped the pistol. It went off, Nami yelped and startled, dancing away from it. Usopp was reaching for the pistol again, small fingers splayed wide. Nami hooked the pistol with her staff and slung it away, watching it rise in a glittering arc before landing in the ocean. She turned back to Usopp then, hoisting her staff in case he had another pistol. Usopp was crouched down, both hands clapped over his head and shivering. He made a faint squeaking sound and Nami realized he was trying not to cry again. She felt bad, somehow. Even if it was her life that was threatened… He was just…he was just a little kid. A scared little kid. She knelt down and whacked him on the head.
"Don't point that thing at people, you could have killed me!" she snapped, popping him on the head. He flinched then looked up at her, tears and snot streaming down his face and she felt bad. Geeze. She sighed and knelt to his level.
"I know pirates can be nasty and cruel," she said. "But we're not like those pirates. We're…different."
"N…no. That ca…can't be right," he said, looking down, but he seemed uncertain. If only Luffy were here. If anyone could convince anyone of anything it was Luffy. And anyway there was no way, (unless you were a blind Marine thickhead) that anyone could mistake Luffy for bad. An idiot, yes. Careless sometimes. But not bad. The most Nami could do was say:
"I didn't hurt you, did I?"
"N…no…" He wiped his eyes and took out a handkerchief with a cat on it and blew his nose. "But…but why? E…even if you are a nice pirate I tried…I was gonna kill you."
"Because we're friends," she said with a smile. Usopp blinked at her, then suddenly looked up. Nami did too but saw only a strange dark smudge drifting from the mountain.
"Oh no!" Usopp said, bolting to his feet. "Na…Nami-san, p…please I need you to trust me." He sounded urgent in that 'something really bad is coming' way. She didn't see anything but at his wide-eyed expression decided to risk it. Nami nodded. Usopp took something out of his bag and mashed his hand against her forehead. Something cool and sticky burst against her skin. It smelled like ketchup. Usopp then pulled another pistol out of his bag and pointed it at her head.
"Pl…play dead," he said, glancing nervously upward. She did, flopping back on the sand and was glad her hair had dried enough so that she wouldn't look like sandcastle when coming up. She opened her eyes just a little, enough to see through the slant in her lashes. Usopp was still standing over her but looking nervous. It seemed as if a person was watching them from the trees, darker than he should be, almost like a shadow. He or it or whatever it was seemed to watch for a moment then zipped back up the mountain. Usopp glanced up cautiously, then his shoulders relaxed and he let the pistol droop.
"You can get up now," he said. Nami sat up, putting her fingers to her forehead and lifting them away to find them coated with ketchup. Well she should have expected it.
"Sorry about that," Usopp said, stepping forward. He produced another handkerchief, this one with bears, and dabbed at her forehead. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Nami said, watching him stuff the handkerchief back into his pockets.
"That's good. Look, you have to go." He shoved at her shoulder a little. "You're a nice pirate. I believe you are, I guess, but you have to get out of here. I don't know who that nasty spy will send to fetch me but if it's Cook or Blue he'll really try to kill you."
She had no idea what he was talking about but he looked worried and kept glancing back at the mountain. Usopp picked up her staff and held it out to her.
"Please, please get going. Go far away from here."
"I can't, not without my crew." It surprised herself to say it with such conviction. Of course if things really got bad she would cut the anchor and haul herself at least to the deep water so they couldn't swim out to her but as for leaving them completely…
"Well at least go hide somewhere. Go to your ship. They won't go there, at least not without Captain." He was tugging on her arm, trying to get her to stand. She still didn't know what was going on but the fear in his voice was palpable. Nami stood, grabbing her staff.
"What about you?"
"They won't hurt me. Go." Usopp shoved her a little harder and kept throwing glances back at the forest. She was starting to see shapes between the trees herself but wasn't sure if it was because they were there or because Usopp was making her paranoid.
"Go!" he said, sounding frantic. Would they really not hurt him? She couldn't be sure. Why would he want to escape so badly? She didn't feel right just leaving him.
"Let's go together then," she said, holding out her hand.
"Wh…what?" he blinked.
"Come on, you knucklehead. Don't give up that easily. I'm your friend and I'm going to help so just come with me!"
He hesitantly reached for her hand. She grabbed his and started running, as fast as she could toward the Going Merry. Usopp stumbled initially but caught up with her, even going a little faster in pure Usopp brand terror.
Fortunately they got to the ship fast enough and even when they were on deck, panting and dripping with salt water, nothing had emerged from the trees. Usopp did look a little uncomfortable on deck, as if expecting a pirate to jump out of nowhere and cut him up. There had to be something that could calm him down.
"Hey," she said. "Do you want a mikan?" And hopped up onto the quarter deck, determined to give him a mikan whether he wanted one or not.
"Mikan?" he turned to look at her finally. "Wow! How did you get trees to grow on the ship!"
"Talent!" Nami said, sticking out her tongue a little. She plucked one from the lower branches and tossed it at him. He caught it easily and turned once more to look at the coastline. She looked, too. Did she see the branches moving? Ok she wasn't going to panic here. They just had to get out of sight was all, but she didn't want to scare Usopp either.
"Come on, I'll show you around," Nami said. Usopp blinked and nodded.
"Oh…ok."
She showed him the galley where he marveled at the giant mousetrap, and her room where they looked at maps together and she explained the islands to him while he propped his chin on his fist and looked absorbed in her telling. She wondered what stories were forming in his head.
A little while later, partly out of curiosity, she showed him the boy's room. It was messy though less than usual and Nami had to only step over one red vest and nudge a pair of half unraveled sandas out of the way before plunking herself on the couch.
"Oh, wow. This must be Usopp's side," Usopp said, darting unerringly to where Usopp's bag lay. She watched him open it and go through it and wondered if she should stop him. But since he was Usopp or… they were both Usopp (or something) it was okay, wasn't it? Anyway Usopp had never been much of a thief.
"Wow this is some pretty nice stuff," Usopp said, pulling out a slingshot and testing it. "This slingshot looks handmade but it's got an awesome pull! Pretty sturdy, too." He turned to grin at her. "Your Usopp is a pretty great craftsman!"
"My Usopp?" she said. "What do you mean? What's going on?"
Usopp gave her a long look and then slid his gaze away as if he was trying to think of what to say. After a moment he dropped his head in a long sigh and turned to crawl up on Usopp's hammock. Nami watched as he settled on the netting, kicking his feet absently as he swayed with the motion of the ship.
"Okay, listen," he said. "I don't lie, okay? But this is going to sound like the biggest piece of crap you ever heard."
His un-Usopp-like candor surprised a giggle out of her and she was immediately charmed. This kid was going to be dangerous when he grew up. Usopp gripped the edges of the hammock absently and looked at her.
"The sneaky bastard spy always used to tell me this: Your entire life is full of decisions." Usopp flared his hands in a wide arch. "You can only make one and you have to give up the other one. So you go with your decision and maybe in the weirdness of the universe another you separates and goes the other way."
"So you're the decision that Usopp didn't make?" Nami asked. It did sound like a lot of crap and weird and philosophical. She knew that the Grand Line was stranger than most places but this seemed stranger than strange. Usopp shook his head.
"I dunno. Maybe. Anyway that's just sneaky bastard's theory. The story goes something like this…" He hesitated. "You…you know what happened to Syrup Village, right?"
Nami nodded, though the wording was odd. What happened to? More like what happened in—but she didn't press and just let him speak.
"Ok, so it all starts with the Captain. He was heart broken, you know, completely after everything and for a while he just sort of drifted around. Then he got mad and started hunting pirates and stuff out of revenge and he got really good at it. He became the most feared hunter on the East Blue."
"Usopp?" Nami said, trying not to laugh. She almost couldn't believe it. Usopp…Little Usopp nodded at her, his face serious. Her humor was gone. She almost wanted him to be lying. The thought of Usopp...any Usopp…hunting anyone sat uneasily in her stomach.
"He really was. He was—well is merciless. So after a while of pirate hunting, one day he, came to the Grand Line and ended up here," Usopp said, pointing in the direction of the island. "And he was lost and really hungry and his ship was battered. He hadn't eaten in a week or more and so he crawled on the island and the first thing he saw was this big black and purple spiky fruit and he ate it one gulp." Usopp mimed eating the fruit. "And then he went about repairing his ship and such and then on the new moon there was this really big weird storm with red lightning and stuff and when it was done, nothing looked different but he sailed around a bit and encountered a pirate ship and fought everyone on board until he found another Usopp. This one is sneaky bastard spy."
"Are you sure it wasn't just a look alike?" Nami said, finding it almost impossible to believe. How could that sort of thing even happen? Except the storm Usopp described had been the same one as earlier. Was it just a coincidence?
"Maybe, but his name was Usopp, too, and he was from Syrup Village and terrible things had happened… Anyway in that time he convinced sneaky bastard spy to join him and tried to figure out what was going on and finally discovered he'd eaten a devil's fruit. He calls it the doko-doko fruit—and every new moon it lets him go to different… different… choice places. You know where there are different Usopps and Captain made it his mission to gather all the Usopps together into his crew and destroy all the pirates in all the choice places so small villages like ours wouldn't have to suffer." He sighed deeply. "Only…only I'm really tired of fighting pirates, Nami-san."
"That's incredible." It really was. She felt like she believed him because she couldn't think up any other explanation unless this was the biggest prank she'd ever seen. Oh geez, that probably meant there were more Sanjis and Zoros and Luffys. (and more of her, too. but she didn't like to think of that) It was a good thing they weren't all here or the world just might explode. Then she recalled his words. Wait a second. If this captain was dedicated to eradicating pirates then…
"There's just three of you, right? Three Usopps I mean."
"Nope." Usopp began counting on his fingers. "There's Captain and sneaky bastard spy, Poison-neesan, Blue-nii, Yellow-nii, Cook the bastard, Patient-nii, Fingers-nii and Lost-kun. So," he counted off. "Nine of us including me."
"And they all hate pirates?"
"Wouldn't you?" He cocked his head at her and she blinked, not knowing what to say. She guessed, due to all circumstances, she should but… "Well I guess not," Usopp said, lying back on the hammock, hands behind his head, one leg dangling. "Since you're nice. Not all pirates are nice you know, Nami-san."
"No, I know," she murmured, looking out the porthole. Nine Usopps. Well, eight since Little Usopp wasn't there. Still it wasn't as if Usopp himself was that strong. He was clever and he could do really amazing things when pressed but surely it wouldn't be a problem for any of the guys.
"It's funny, though," Usopp said distantly. "Every time we cross we always end up at this island and then we go searching but I don't ever remember an Usopp coming to us like this one did. I wonder why that is?"
"I don't know…" She looked at him. He seemed so small and frail hanging there. Taking him home would mean going to Syrup Village and leaving the Grand Line. Luffy probably would, knowing Luffy and everyone else would be okay with it, she bet. Usopp would probably feel good going home again for a visit… But… "Ne, Usopp-chan," she said softly. "If what you say is true the Syrup Village here won't be anything like your home."
"I know…I can't really go home anyway. Captain can only go to one place once. But…any home is better than no home at all."
"That's true," she folded her arms and leaned against the couch. She felt sorry for him but strangely, he didn't sound sorry for himself. It was weirdly brave of him…but everything was weird.
"Well we'll take you home," she said, cheerfully. And they would no matter whose heads she had to slap. "I bet Luffy and you will get along great and you haven't tasted cooking until you've tasted Sanji-kun's."
"Sanji!" Usopp sat up so violently the hammock swung and he fell off landing hard on the floor. Nami winced but he popped right back up as if that didn't bother him at all. "No way. Sanji's here?"
"You know him?" Nami said, though not really wanting to think about an alternate dimension Sanji. One swooning blond master chef was good but two….
"I met him once in fourth dimension! We were on the Baratie and I was trying to run away through the back kitchens and he caught me. I thought he was going to kill me or something but he was really nice and even made me something! That was the best food I've tasted ever."
"Do you know if he ever found the All Blue?" she asked since she'd started the topic anyway. Usopp gave her a pained look and sat cross-legged where he was, resting his hands on his knees.
"No…I don't…I don't know what that is but…on that day a pirate crew attacked the Baratie. Don something or other. There were only four of us then and Captain didn't want to risk it but everyone on the restaurant was killed. He…he fought really hard, Sanji, I saw him but…but he couldn't do it alone and they…they gutted him and hung him like a fish." His fingers clenched into the fabric of his pants and Nami felt faintly sick. Usopp looked up, eyes suspiciously glassy.
"But he's alive here, right, Nami-san? So it's okay. I want to meet him even if he doesn't know me. He told me…he said to never give up to just do your best and…and something really weird about ladies but I didn't get it. Are he and this Usopp friends?"
"Yeah," said Nami, caught between sadness and fondness of the cook who seemed to be the same no matter what dimension.
"Wow… Friends with you and Sanji…" Usopp sighed and rested his chin on his hands. "This is the best choice place ever. Your Usopp is really really lucky."
Nami smiled but she didn't really know what to say. There was so much to process and thinking about Sanji like that…or trying not to… She closed her eyes then opened them and looked out the window again. The guys would be alright. Nothing bad would happen—right?
Don't own OP, obvs
Much thanks to Liashi FNA Sora for being awesome.
