"… That's the last of my medicines…" Chopper said sadly and nervously as he finished applying the final drops of his antibiotic to the long gunshot wound Usopp had across his forehead. He then covered it quickly with the last of his bandages and sighed. He knew that what he had now for equipment would not suffice if he was to help Usopp's body to recover from the severe blood loss as well as the immense pain the sniper would feel without anesthesia. I was able to stop the bleeding for now… and the shot on his side luckily lodged into his rib so it didn't hit anything vital… But in turn the rib broke. It's going to take a while for him to recover… and without medicines… he could get infections or his condition could worsen in plenty of other ways…Chopper searched through the room's drawers again but found nothing except for an old band-aid wrapper and an empty bag. The doctor swallowed worriedly but then realized once again that he wasn't alone in the room. He turned and saw Yasopp sitting near the corner of the room, his eyes fixated on Usopp in obvious thought. The doctor then noticed that Yasopp was bleeding from his own injury that scaled down his arm. "Y-Yasopp-san! You're hurt!"

Yasopp snapped out of his deep train of thought and looked at his bleeding arm with little worry. He briskly wiped away some of the blood with the palm of his hand. "Don't worry. It's nothing." Yasopp said. "And by the way… you don't have to call me Yasopp-san. Yasopp's just fine." For the first time Yasopp grinned slightly at the reindeer and then Chopper realized it… He and Yasopp were a lot alike. Like father like son. They both had the same look, their voices barely differed, and even their attitudes were identical. Chopper smiled a little and nodded.

"O-okay. Uso-… I mean… Yasopp." Chopper's voice trailed off after almost calling the man by his nakama's name and once again the sadness and feelings of guilt rose in the doctor. He turned and rubbed his watery eyes as Yasopp rubbed his neck.

It's not the Chopper's fault… and yet he feels just as guilty as I do… the same as that blond kid… Sanji, right? Yasopp sighed sadly and then stood up from his chair and walked up behind Chopper, who was sitting on the tall stool next to Usopp's still form in the bed. Yasopp didn't know what to do… He never comforted people. If it was somebody on his crew he would probably just tell them to buck up and move on… but this was different. It was his son's best friend who felt like there was nothing else he could do to help Usopp. Yasopp slowly reached out his hand before patting the doctor on his pink hat. At first he felt the reindeer flinch but soon the doctor's shoulders were shaking like he was about to break out into sobs.

"O-oi… It's okay… We'll find somebody with more medicines and then you can make sure Usopp will be okay… it's all going to be alright-!" Before Yasopp could react Chopper spun around and jumped into the sniper's chest before crying into his shirt, trying to keep his sobs quiet so he wouldn't disturb Usopp.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry!" Chopper cried, repeating the words over and over. Yasopp was now holding the tiny reindeer in his arms and rubbing the back of the doctor's fuzzy head. The strong, muscular, rarely emotional Yasopp… felt like he was melting from deep inside. He could have started crying right with Chopper but stayed strong and continued to try to calm down the hysterical reindeer in his arms.

"You don't have to apologize for anything… It's okay…" Yasopp whispered softly. "It's all gonna work out…" Suddenly the two heard a ruckus out near the side of the ship.

"WHERE IS HE?" One person yelled, angry and distressed.

"HEY! EASE UP LUFFY! You can't just barge in! You screaming your head off isn't going to help him any!" This time Yasopp recognized Sanji's voice.

"But I've gotta see him! I've gotta see my nakama!" The other screamed again.

"What the hell happened cook-bro? You still haven't explained anything!"

"Please wait captain-san and calm down."

"Was Usopp-san attacked?"

"I told you I should have gone… damn marines… I'll kill 'em…"

"Sanji-kun! At least answer us!" Chopper knew each voice immediately and rubbed his eyes.

"Th-that's the guys!" The doctor sniffled. Yasopp swallowed hard and then nodded.

"Luffy too, huh? It's been a long time…" Yasopp said under his breath. Chopper was hesitant about getting down to the floor, for some reason that Yasopp couldn't understand. The doctor thought about all the times he had grabbed onto Usopp and the sniper never once didn't allow him to ride on his shoulders… The doctor was about to drop down from Yasopp's arms until the older sniper lifted him onto his broad right shoulder.

"… You want to get down? Or is this what Usopp usually does?" Yasopp asked with a grin. Chopper was surprised but then nodded and hugged Yasopp's head, which was covered with dreadlocks.

"I'm going to save him… I promise Yasopp." The doctor said with determination.

"I know you will." Yasopp returned with a nod. "You seem like one hell of a doctor."

"You-you can't make me happy ass-hole!" Chopper said with more tears filling his eyes before hugging the man's head again. The sniper then walked forward and opened the door… The very first thing he saw was a boy flinging towards him at a great rate of speed before WHAM! They both plummeted onto the floor with a crash.


My back slammed onto the floorboards of the ship and I heard Chopper yelp as he went flying from my shoulder. At first I just laid there after my head thumped down and I groaned from the slight throb along my spine. "L-Luffy! Get off of Yasopp!" Chopper cried as he quickly closed the door to the infirmary.

"YASOPP?" A lot of voices screamed at once with shock as the boy who was now sitting on me shifted and looked at me curiously. He had a straw hat over his black hair, his eyes were wide and inquisitive, and I could still see him stabbing himself below the eye to create the scar that resided below his left eye. I chuckled as the kid's face turned into a full out grin.

"Wow, you've grown anchor." Luffy immediately laughed and got off of my body excitedly with a slight bounce in his steps.

"Yasopp! It's great to see you again!" He held out a hand to help me up but I smacked it away with a laugh.

"I might be older but I've still been a pirate that doesn't need help longer than you. Haha! I see you still have the captain's hat too."

"Yep! I never let it go!" Luffy chimed proudly. "You've really changed Yasopp!" I stood up and brushed off the side of my tattered pants before looking up and noticing all of the people looking at me like they were seeing a ghost. "Oh! Yeah! You haven't met my crew!" Luffy laughed and bounced over to the group. "This is my first mate Zoro! My navigator Nami, our cook Sanji, you already know our doctor Chopper, my archeologist Robin, our shipwright Franky, and my musician Brook!"

"It's nice to meet you all in person. Trust me, I know quite a bit about you all. My captain has been keeping tabs on you and your crew ever since you popped up in the pirate world." Luffy seemed proud of this as he smiled, but suddenly his smile faded and he looked around in a sort of panic.

"Yasopp, Chopper! Where's… where's Usopp? Is he okay?" Luffy asked.

"He's resting right now." Chopper started explaining.

"What happened to him?" The orange haired girl, Nami, asked nervously.

"… I can explain that." I said, the guilt never once leaving my chest. "You might all want to sit down somewhere."


"And that was it… Once I got him back to the guild that's when I found Chopper and Sanji. Sanji went to find you and Chopper and I brought Usopp back here so that he could be treated." Luffy was obviously furious about what had happened to Usopp as his fists got so tight that I thought even his rubber fingers could break off. I rubbed my forehead and sighed, trying to stay calm. How could this happen?… You promised you idiot! You PROMISED me nothing like this would happen to you! I straightened and looked back at Yasopp who was exhausted more emotionally than physically and holding his rifle tightly.

"So… what happened to the person who shot him? You said it wasn't any of the marines you took out." I asked brushing a strand of my hair out of my face. Yasopp shook his head.

"I never even saw the guy. He was a sniper no doubt about that, but no matter how many times I tried to trace back the shots the forest just disrupted the sound waves. The whole place was like a dome with echoes, and the thunder and rain didn't make anything easy. I have a feeling Usopp shot back a couple times, but the guy was moving fast… who knows if there was any impact." I could tell how good of a sniper Yasopp was just by the way he talked about it. His fists were taught and he looked down at the grass at his feet. "I can't believe I let him get away… once I find him…" He growled quietly, mostly to himself before Zoro stood up suddenly and pushed one of his katana from its sheath with his thumb.

"I'm not going to just sit here if that bastard's still out there. We should go and take him out now." Zoro growled without thinking a single thing through. Usually I would beat him over the head for thinking so recklessly… but we were all thinking the same thing, as crazy as it all sounded. Luffy was the first to jump to his feet and agree.

"I'll show him what happens to anyone who hurts my nakama." Luffy growled, his anger practically overflowing and ready to explode. Yasopp shook his head again and stood up, walking over to Zoro and Luffy. He was even taller than Zoro, which surprised me as the sniper looked down at the two of them.

"Trust me, all I want is to find the one who did this… but now isn't the time. I heard a lot about what's been going on around this place and now I know that the marines have found the guild."

"How do you know that?" Franky asked.

"I heard the marines talking about the guild over a transponder snail. They said that one marine has been coming in and out as he pleases and finding all of the weaknesses here, ready to throw all of the people here into a war. If we just go out there on a killing spree just to find one person we'll only give them more reason to attack sooner, when no one will be prepared." Robin seemed impressed by his logic and nodded.

"He is right captain-san, swordsman-san. If the marines are planning a war then we must warn Tomodo-san of what is coming so that the entire guild can prepare for battle." Robin explained with a serious tone. Sanji-kun looked at the un-submitting looks on Zoro and Luffy's faces and sighed with smoke trailing out from his mouth.

"You know Robin-chan's right, so you might as well give up your plan to tear the island apart for now." Sanji-kun said before Zoro reluctantly pushed his sword back into its sheath and sat back on the turf. Luffy remained standing, looking at the ground with his hat pushed down over his eyes. Once again we all realized how Yasopp was so much like Usopp when he patted Luffy on the top of his hat and told him not to worry.

"You and I can just kick some marine ass later." Luffy seemed to loosen the tension in his fists a little more then and nodded. I sighed and put my climatact on the ground so that I would stop fiddling with the tacts out of stress. Then we all heard the door to the infirmary open as our heads snapped to look. Chopper came out with a sigh and Brook, who was nearest to Chopper, could tell that things weren't going as smoothly as we all had hoped.

"How is he… Chopper-san?" Brook asked. I could tell Yasopp and Luffy were the most eager to hear the report, good or bad… either way would determine their moods. Chopper walked down onto the deck with Sanji-kun and Brook following before sitting on the turf.

"… He's in a lot of pain. The pain medication I gave him wasn't enough to even last an hour and I don't have any left. He's still unconscious because of the concussion he sustained from getting shot across the head but his body is going through a stage of convulsions, not only from the blood loss and the wounds itself, but from the damage the bullets did to the bone. I found one bullet that was still lodged in his leg…" Chopper said pulling a cloth from his pocket and unfolding it, revealing a long thin silver bullet with evidence of blood dried around it. I could see Yasopp's face getting grimmer and grimmer as Chopper had explained Usopp's condition… and now it turned to a covered rage.

"Can I… see that?" Yasopp asked Chopper before he handed it over to the sniper. Yasopp turned it over and looked at all of the parts of it as Luffy looked curiously in the man's hands at the bullet. "… I knew it… that damn bastard…" Yasopp gripped the bullet tightly, his eyes showing the unrelenting anger he was holding back. I felt nervous just by the aura he seemed to be giving off… "It's Noriya…"

"Who's Noriya?" I asked anxiously, standing up to see the bullet myself. Yasopp handed the bullet to me and turned away from all of us, looking out towards the water.

"Noriya… is a marine sniper that's world renowned for his unparalleled sniping abilities and for his own cruel treatment and torture of pirates. He uses weapons that can kill with one shot… but luckily this isn't one of them. This is from a rifle used to take out a target from up to a mile away, and if you shoot it right it won't kill immediately. If the victim isn't tended to without much of a delay after being shot he would either die slowly or stay alive just long enough to get information. He's killed way too many people to count and I fought him once…" Yasopp rubbed a scar on the right side of his chest and sighed. "Neither of us won. Before we could finish it he tried to shoot a civilian just to distract me and shot me from behind. The weapon had so much power that it blew me into the ocean and I almost drowned before my nakama Ben found me and got me back onto land… the damn cheat was gone but he left me a note saying that we would have our rematch some other time…" All of us were amazed by what Yasopp was telling us and the sniper's shoulders were visibly shaking. "I'm not letting him get away this time… when I find him… I'm going to TAKE HIM OUT for what he's done."

We could all tell he meant it… and we wanted the same thing. I looked at the bullet one more time and then closed my eyes, trying to get the pictures of Usopp being shot by such a weapon out of my mind. "Then we can't just sit here." Luffy suddenly said as we all looked up at him. For once I agreed with our captain's impatience, as well as the rest of the crew.

"Before we set up a plan for a battle we should get Chopper-san the medicines needed to keep Usopp-san's condition stable." Brook suggested as he stood up and grabbed his cane from the turf. Chopper nodded and turned to us.

"Brook's right. I need to have some people come with me to ask around for medicines from other ships and crews."

"I'll go with Chopper." Sanji-kun said as he threw his used cigarette over the side of the ship. Franky, Robin, and Brook offered their help as well and then Zoro said that he would stay at the ship. I needed to do something…

"I'll watch Usopp." Most of the crew, especially Sanji-kun, looked at me with surprise. I put my hands on my hips and huffed, ready to come up with an excuse. "Well, if Chopper is gone along with everyone else do you want Luffy watching him and trying to take care of Usopp?" The crew looked at Luffy and then started to see my point as they came up with their own worst-case scenarios. "And Yasopp is going to have to talk to Tomodo if he's going to listen to our plans for an attack." The crew agreed on both accounts and quickly Chopper, Brook, Franky, and Robin hurried from the ship, dragging Sanji-kun behind them as the cook sulked about me staying behind.

"Yasopp…" Luffy suddenly spoke up and Yasopp turned to look at him. Luffy had an almost blank expression, but I could tell from his eyes that something was wrong…

"Hm? What's wrong Luffy?" Yasopp asked.

"Before you go to talk to the ojii-san (Tomodo)… I have something I have to tell you." Zoro could tell something was up too but he walked away, his hands clenching his katana as he passed the infirmary. He was worried… but Zoro never wants to admit that kind of thing. "But we can't talk here. Can you come with me?" Luffy asked as Yasopp hesitated and looked up at the infirmary door. I could see the worry… the pain… the guilt… all in just that one look from Usopp's dad.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure to take good care of him." I reassured Yasopp as he seemed to calm down a little.

"Alright. I know I can trust all of you." Yasopp then nodded to Luffy and they left the ship. I saw the captain and sniper talking to each other before they disappeared around a corner and I was standing alone on the deck. I hurried up the stairs and slipped into the infirmary, quietly closing the door behind me. Usopp was lying in bed, completely unconscious, and his hands were twitching from the pain. I walked to the side of the bed and sat on the stool before sighing and putting my face in my hands. Usopp moaned in his sleep, obviously in pain, before settling down again. I carefully put my hand over his and stroked the back of his palm. Hang on Usopp… We're here… and your dad is too… I rubbed my eyes and sniffed, trying to keep myself from crying. Just wake up quick so I can lecture you about breaking your promise!


"I'm sorry about everything Yasopp." Luffy told me sadly once we had stopped. We were near the main exit, the most secluded spot in the guild and I could tell Luffy was taking everything hard.

"You don't have anything to apologize for. I said the same thing to your other nakama too. The only people who need to regret this is the marines and Noriya." I explained, my mind racing through everything that had happened in just one day. I found my son after all this time, I watched the marines beat him, I saw the wounds… I met his crew, and now all I could do was wait to know if he would be alright… but that was one of the hardest things to live with, except for when I first found Usopp bleeding on the ground. I turned my attention back on Luffy as I sat on a large boulder, trying to relieve some of the frustration and nerves that wouldn't leave me alone. I looked over at Luffy… who seemed to be thinking of more than just Usopp…

"What's wrong?" I asked, trying to analyze his thoughtful expression.

"… I have to tell you something…" Luffy said, kind of in a whisper. "It's been a long time since I've seen you. And it's great to talk to you again, but… there's something that you have to know." I didn't understand where he was going with this but I listened. "I… I know today's been hard… and you're worried about Usopp… but this entire time Usopp's been having these things happen to him that none of us can explain… but he told my navigator something that I know is killing him inside… something that I don't want him to have to be tortured by anymore." Luffy looked at me… with a cold saddened look that made my heart beat a little bit faster. "… So I'm going to tell you for him." Luffy pushed his hat farther down over his eyes and then looked down at the ground.

"… What is it Luffy?" I didn't want to know but I had to. "If what you're going to tell me… would really do that much damage to my son… then I will let you tell me…" There was a silence between us…

"Yasopp… Banchina is… dead."

"…Wh-what?" I stood up and stumbled backwards… I was dizzy… I felt sick… The whole world seemed to close in with those four words… "It's a lie… it can't be…" Tears ran down my face… "Banchina… she can't be… SHE CAN'T BE!"

What… have I done?…


… There you have it. Luffy is a true nakama to tell Yasopp the saddest fact. This chapter was long, sad in parts, but I'm actually very happy with the result. Switching point of views was fun and having Chopper bond with Yasopp even just a little made me happy. The same with the small amount of Usopp-Nami fluff for a moment. :3 I really hope you like it!

And what will happen next? A battle is imminent… but what is Yasopp going to do after being virtually ripped into pieces? AND WHAT ABOUT USOPP? … All will be revealed. I hope you like the chapter!

(PLEASE REVIEW!)

if you want to.