A/N: I love Captain Kuro. He should've gotten more screen time. Kuro of A Thousand Plans should've been able to prepare something to take on the Strawhats, right? Right.

BAM!

"There! Set him down!" squeaked Chopper as he rushed into the kitchen behind Sanji.

Sanji complied, heart stuck in his throat as he carefully set Usopp down on the table where he normally prepared meals. Sanji grabbed his apron, balled it up, and shoved it solidly into the bleeding sharpshooter's side. It was a guess; there were so many injuries that Chopper had to address that Sanji basically just picked one to deal with.

He steadfastly didn't look at Usopp's arm. He didn't want to acknowledge it. Because it would be fine .

"Oy! Usopp!" Sanji slapped Usopp's face, eliciting a moan, as Chopper pulled out sutures and bandages from who-knew-where and set to work on the gaping wound that Sanji was pushing on. Chopper urged Sanji's hand away as Sanji worked to keep Usopp awake. "Usopp!"

"D-don't worry…" Usopp sputtered, blood spilling from his mouth. "This isn't…" His eyes lolled back into his head.

"OY!" Sanji shook Usopp, not minding Chopper as he should have. "USOPP!" He ran to the cupboard and pulled out one of his secret weapons for if Luffy tried to raid the cabinets. Propping the bottle in the crook of his arm, he forced Usopp's limp lips open before he poured some of the contents in.

Usopp didn't react how Sanji had hoped. Instead of his over-the-top reactions, screaming and grabbing at his mouth, he merely whimpered with watery eyes looking up at Sanji. The blond's heart was beating out-of-control as he tried to steady his breathing through his panic.

"Usopp, you said you knew this bastard?!" Sanji growled, hoping to get Usopp's mind working and so he knew who to beat the ever-loving shit out of if he heard their name when he went back out there.

"K...Ku…" A gurgling sound deep from Usopp's chest cut him off as he twitched hard. Something in his hazy eyes hardened as he looked straight at Sanji. "Sanji, I...lo...ve…"

"Sanji, please hold his arm!" Chopper rushed as he seemed to finish with the side wound. "I need to do a quick procedure to try and staunch the bleeding!"

Sanji swallowed as he held the arm he knew Chopper meant. He tried not to look at the gore. The arm was sliced neatly from the fingers up to his elbow. How Usopp wasn't completely insensate Sanji wasn't sure. It was important that he didn't completely pass out, even as badly as he wished Usopp couldn't feel the pain.

Sanji tried not to. He really tried. But he couldn't stop the tears from flowing, or stop them from falling onto Usopp's too-pale skin.

"You…" Sanji shook his head several times. "How could you take that?! It was for me! I could've handled it!" Even as he said the words he knew he was wrong. He had completely missed the blur of whoever-it-was that had sliced Usopp clean through. Still, he protested, "Usopp, you careless bastard...I won't forgive you if you die!"

"Sanji…" Chopper sounded regretful as he murmured, "You need to get back out there. We don't know what else they might have! I can handle this."

"Tch!" Sanji bit his lip. He absolutely, one hundred percent didn't want to leave Usopp's side. How could he look Usopp in the eye after this?

His heart felt like it was bleeding as cleanly as the wounds that littered Usopp's body. He knew that being a pirate was a life-or-death game. That they were all aiming for their dreams in an impossible world. But to see Usopp was the one that took the hit? That he might-

"Okay," Sanji heard himself say as he got up. He couldn't feel his body, though he knew what he had to do. His hands automatically grabbed a cigarette and lit it. Taking a slow breath to try and steady himself. Then he released it, like the calm before a storm. This time, he was in control as he said, "I'm going to show that shithead Captain Ku who the hell he's messed with."

And he did.

Sanji's gut roiled as he stood outside Chopper's medical office. It felt like he was intruding on something that had nothing to do with him. Like he didn't belong.

His heart complained; it was Usopp . Sanji didn't know why he hurt so much.

Maybe it was because Usopp had never been hurt this badly.

Maybe it was because he never considered Usopp could be hurt this badly.

Maybe because he-

Sanji took the cigarette out of his mouth and silently put it out. He tucked it back into his pocket as he finally took the step to knock on the door.

It took a minute before Chopper answered. For some reason, Chopper was surprised.

"Sanji! I was expecting Franky," Chopper seemed to explain.

"Franky?" Sanji felt...not jealous . He couldn't be jealous .

"We need to do a consult." Chopper tapped his hoof against the door. "I can't tell you why. Doctor/patient confidentiality."

Sanji started to protest when a different voice cut him off.

"It's fine, Chopper. Gotta face it some time!"

Chopper paused, seeming to weigh something mentally. He then nodded. "Alright." Chopper stood to the side to allow Sanji entrance. "I think while you talk I'm going to go find Franky. I bet he got distracted with the schematics we got from those pirates!"

Sanji didn't pay attention to Chopper leaving. He didn't pay much attention when the door closed. All he could hear was the clock on the wall ticking, the time slowly slipping away.

He couldn't move towards the curtain that hid Usopp.

He was... afraid .

Even though he had just put it out, he reached for his cigarette again. His hands wouldn't stop shaking. It took several tries, the cigarette threatening to dance right out of his mouth, before he was even able to light it. It felt good to draw from it. It gave him something to drown the muck going through his brain in.

"Tch." Sanji swallowed whatever was wrong with him and walked over to the curtain. Again, he stopped. It was like some kind of horrible truth was behind the curtain. Like it would ruin every day from then on.

"You're certainly taking your sweet time!" Usopp chuckled from behind the curtain. But Sanji knew him, and he could tell there was something catching in his throat.

Sanji steeled himself before taking a giant breath and pulling the curtain back.

He hoped his face didn't portray his emotions as he took in the horrible picture in front of him.

Usopp was covered in bandages. That wasn't the horrible sight. Usopp tended to end up covered in bandages whenever there was a clash. He could see even from where he was that there was a bundle of gauze and wrappings around Usopp's side.

The horrible sight was the lack of a presence of Usopp's arm. There was the beginnings of his arm under the sheets, but otherwise it trailed off far too early.

Sanji resisted covering his face with his hands even with his hand halfway there. Instead, he made like he was blowing out some smoke.

"That bad, huh?" Usopp choked out.

What else could Sanji say? "You look like shit."

"No kidding!" Usopp laughed, one of his fake laughs that he used to make Luffy and Chopper happy.

Sanji took the stool that sat next to Usopp's bed and heavily sat in it. The cigarette in his mouth helped to keep him grounded. Helped to keep his mind from sinking into all the future struggles that Usopp would have.

He almost slapped himself. Thinking like that was almost self-pitying and definitely defeatist. Usopp didn't need that. Especially not now.

Usopp never gave up. And Sanji was certain that this wouldn't even slow him down.

Then, it clicked. "Franky is coming because of your arm."

"What, this little thing?" Usopp waved his injured arm under the blanket. Sanji didn't miss that he kept it there. "It'll be fine! The Great Usopp has withstood lesser injuries! What's a small one like this?"

Sanji couldn't help but to frown now. "Usopp…"

Usopp continued, "I mean, Zoro and Luffy have had worse! You've had worse! What's this little injury compared to-"

"USOPP!" Sanji couldn't help his outburst. The petrified false mirth on Usopp's face tore at him for reasons beyond him. Calmer, he said, "You don't have to have a brave face, not in front of me." Sanji leaned forward and, again for reasons he didn't understand, he reached out and wiped at Usopp's wet eyes. "Go ahead and cry."

Usopp's chest hitched but he again said, "This is nothing that I can't handle." His face started screwing up, his lips twitching as he mumbled, "I-I'm f-f-fine! Really!"

Sanji reached over and took Usopp's other hand into his own. He nearly pulled away as Usopp flinched, the wound on his upper arm apparently acting up. Sanji repeated, "Go ahead. I'll be here."

Usopp wasn't able to hold it in anymore. He began to openly weep, his good arm breaking free from Sanji and moving up to cover his face. Sanji winced as he realized Usopp's arm was bleeding again, staining the bandages with fresh blood. Usopp shook as he seemed to try and maintain some of his composure.

"W-why my arm? Sanji? Why my arm ?!" Usopp cried, gasping for air between his shudders.

Sanji couldn't help himself again. He stood up and leaned to pull Usopp into a hug. The blood and the tears were staining his clothes; that didn't matter compared to what Usopp was going through. It was the least Sanji could do.

His heart tore with each hiccup of grief. It ate at him worse than any injury, than any heartbreak. This was the worst pain Sanji had ever been in.

Usopp was hurt, was hurting , and the only thing Sanji could do was be moral support.