"I miss them so much!" Buggy cried, squashing his face and body against the bars. "D'ya think they remember me? Huh, do ya?"

Usopp mumbled something incomprehensible. "Yhehyhe they cooool…"

"They ARE! The're just-,, just so so cool, and I just," a sob escaped Buggy's throat, "I just left them! Why did I ever do that? I love them bastards and I just gave 'em the shaft and said buh-bye!" His stony shackles clacked against an empty bottle of gin which rolled away.

Usopp blinked slowly. "Well um, uh, uhhh, like, see, um, didn't, I… like, capture you? Like that's… that's why you're away from your friends?"

It was a good point. Buggy scratched his stubbled cheek. "-Hey, you did! Man, that was mean!"

Usopp broke down into subs. "I'm um, I'm soweeeyyyyy!"

Buggy reached through the bars, placing his hand on Usopp's caped shoulder. "There there buddy. I forgive you. Probably."

"R-, really?..."

"Probably yeah I mean I dunno how I'll feel tomorrow but yeah we're cool."

Although Usopp had no idea what Buggy said, it did make him feel a bit better. "Oh, um, arrite, I'm gunna go to sleep now, bye byeeeeee-"

"COMMODORE USOPP!" someone cried, bursting open the door with violent force that instantly awoke Usopp.

He sprang to his feet, eyes wide awake and hand raised in an instinctive salute at the sudden intrusion. "Y-, Yessir! NosirIdidn'tstealthealcoholpleasesirIhaveawifeand-," suddenly, his salute faltered. "Hey, waitaminute… I'm not a Commodore! Yet!"

Onion stared at the two drinking-buddies, appalled. "S-, sir, you don't understand, that isn't-,"

KABOOM!

A violent explosion rocked the Merry, sending both bottles and pirate captain tumbling with the force of it. The single gaslamp in the room swayed from side to side. Usopp's eyes, previously dim under the effect of one-glass-too-many now lit up in realization. "W-, we're being attacked!?"

"Yessir, we need you on deck, it's an emerge-,"

"Who are they?" Buggy croaked, gloved hands gripping the bars desperately. "What crew is attacking?" Any possible bravado Buggy had kept up until now was shed. "Is it-,"

"It isn't the Buggy pirates," Onion said. "It's the Bellamy pirates. We need to act quickly, Sir!"

Usopp nodded, his head as heavy as an unfired cannonball. Oh, yeah.

"Buggy, watch this," Usopp slurred, a grin manifesting on his flushed face. Buggy had told him it was cool when Garp the Hero threw cannonballs, hadn't he? Well, as stupid as it was, Usopp sort of really wanted to show off a little. Show Buggy he wasn't weak at all. Show him he could protect him if he needed.

"Wh-," Buggy couldn't respond before Usopp left with Onion in tow. What the hell had he meant by that?

A whistling sound rang out like a boiling tea-kettle before another crash exploded into the water, rocking the boat once more and sending Buggy reeling. He cursed and threw himself at the window, staring out at the situation as best as he could. The night was black and tumultuous, dark blue clouds swirling about like unhappy ghasts, heavy drops of rain smattering against all ships present like whips.

Buggy could see a ship out there. Eccentric with pink details, sporting an oddly spherical figurehead like that of a round skull. He didn't recognize it in the least, but going by the size of it, it was no small-timer crew. Bellamy pirates… The name didn't ring a single bell.

Suddenly, two large warships appeared from the sides of the Merry, shielding the smaller vessel with their heavy girth.

It was hard to see from so far away, but Buggy would have recognized that white coat and tuft of black hair standing atop one of the warships anyday.

It was Usopp.

Beside him, he carried a large bag of somethings. Buggy had absolutely no idea to make of him. Despite the winds ripping into him and the rain crashing into him from all sides, when Usopp turned his head towards Buggy, he easily gave him a thumbs-up and an assured grin. As if they weren't being attacked by pirates.

...Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to get the strongest guy on all these three ships black-out drunk. Seemed like a self-goal right there, what with the invading pirates and all.

While Buggy grumbled over what a stupid idiot fool he'd been, Usopp reached into the bag and grabbed a cannonball. He weighed it in his hand, feeling the weight of it. Then, he leaned back, took aim, grinned, and threw it.

If Buggy hadn't seen it happen, he would've assumed that the whistling and the way it crashed into the pirate ship would be the result of a cannon firing. Not a youngster throwing it.

Usopp pumped his fist in the air, turned around, and gave Buggy a peace sign while the pirate ship behind him caught on fire.

The rain might have put it out, had Usopp not grabbed another ball of lead and thrown it at much the same speeds. It hit the mast squarely, wood and metal groaning as the main mast collapsed into the deck, the crow's nest splashing into the sea as the unfurled sail draped over parts of the sea and boat, wet fabric making contact with soaked pirates.

Usopp cackled and threw another one. And another one. And another.

He was a machine-gun of activity, pelting the burning pirate ship with overwhelming physical force. Buggy could do nothing but stare. His awe slowly but surely turned to fear. Liking him to Garp the Fist had been all too right. This man, if he tried, was a damn force of nature. The Bellamy pirates hadn't even stood a chance.

Maybe Buggy was lucky he wasn't on Usopp's bad side. Maybe he was lucky his own crew hadn't tried to invade yet. Maybe he was damn lucky only he was going to Impel Down, and not in a coffin either.

He'd really befriended a little monster.

Said little monster was currently waving and yahooing as the burning pirate ship sunk behind them. Buggy hesitantly returned the wave.

"Who are you waving to, Commodore?" the borrowed G-5 soldier grinned teasingly, "your girlfriend?"

Usopp sputtered. "I-, am NOT! And-, and if you keep spouting such lies, I'll, uhhh, I'll have you thrown overboard! Or something!" Despite his harsh words and dangerous threats, the marine in question didn't seem frightened in the least.

"Oohhh, scary~" he said, floating off into the crowd of happily shouting marines. Usopp growled in his wake, but found himself unable to muster any sort of anger.

Even if he felt more emberassed than before, his face didn't show it, mostly because the alcohol had already reddened it to such an extent that no amount of childish teasing could worsen it. Girlfriend. Heh. Like Buggy was his girlfriend. No way, no way. Nai wa. They were rivals, locked in an eternal battle! Men having a go at each other, fighting when the situation presented itself!

No way he'd actually want to be romantically involved with Buggy of all people.

His heart skipped a beat.

Did… did he?

Usopp clutched his chest, trying to still his quickening heart. Stop it from doing such a damn accelerando. Hold the den-den mushi, Usopp. Quell any such thoughts! That just-, it wasn't… No. He couldn't push these thoughts away. He'd done so too many times before. He had to accept the facts of the matter.

There was something about Buggy. Something about him that made his heart beat faster and made his mind turn pink and made him want to follow him to the ends of the earth.

Maybe it wasn't rivalry.

Maybe it was love.

When Usopp returned a few minutes after the Bellamy pirates had been sunk, he seemed… somewhat absent. And it wasn't just the alcohol getting to him, either.

"Uh, everything alright there, sport?" Buggy asked, finally removing himself from the window to take his seat by the bars. Usopp followed along as well, pushing away an empty bottle before sitting down, head hung heavy in his hand. "You seem kinda, what's the word… distant?"

Buggy barely caught the glance Usopp threw to him. It was of that fleeting sort, just a quick look. Barely anything at all. "I dunno, Buggy."

"So, uh," Buggy gave a short snort, "you think Onion's gonna report ya to the guys up top? Get your licence revoked? Or something?"

Usopp shook his head, smiling a little. "Nah, if we wanted to report each other, I could report him for being in a pirate-, wait… hold on, how'd you know his name?" For a moment, Usopp actually met Buggy's gaze. But the second he did, his cheeks blossomed another kind of blush and he turned away, anxiously gnawing at his lip.

"...Are you sure you're alright there, greenhorn?"

Usopp waved his hands. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," his eyes turned soft, and the final part came out as a mumble more than anything, "t-, thanks for caring…"

Buggy didn't really get it. "No worries. And I knew his name cuz… he kinda looks like an onion? I didn't think he'd actually be called that, though! BWAHAHAHAH!"

Hearing Buggy laugh made Usopp feel better. Somehow.

Here in the same room, sitting right next to him, Usopp couldn't possibly deny it anymore. He felt something for Buggy, and it sure wasn't of the hateful sort. It was like a cloud of strawberries and candyfloss, puffy and sweet and wonderful and he hated that it had to be Buggy of all people. A clown. A pirate. A pirate clown.

A pirate clown he was bringing to Impel Down himself.

Was this how his second love would play out? Fall in love with some evil pirate warlord, and then bring him to the execution block himself? He just couldn't catch a break, could he?

Then again, at least… at least it was Buggy. Buggy was a pretty nice guy. Apart from the killing and robbing and pirating and all that. Actually, as a matter of fact, Buggy was a pretty terrible person and maybe he should be happy he wouldn't live much longer.

...Not even Usopp, the greatest liar he knew could bring himself to believe such a falsehood.

He couldn't possibly be happy about any of this. If he was able to, he'd rather like to just hand Buggy over to his own crew and let them loose. God only knew how many would suffer at his hands, but… Maybe that was a consequence Usopp was willing to face? If it meant Buggy could live another day…

N-, no!

Usopp fervently shook his head, his need to protect civilians and his own love clashing like pink and green. "I-, I've gotta go," Usopp grumbled. He couldn't bear to think about it.

"Huh? You sure you're alright, you seem-,"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Goodnight."

Buggy watched as Usopp stumbled up the stairs hurriedly. Maybe he had work to get to? Then again, he was already at work, so…

Oh well. "Sleep tight, greenhorn."