A/N: And here, let us dip our toes into the penultimate East Blue arc. *Bows*
I do not own One Piece. Though if I could own any part of Oda's creation, it would be this portion.
Usopp hated stitches. He hated getting them, having them, looking at them, and, he discovered, he hated applying them most of all. By necessity- he still remembered those weeks before they found Chopper- he got Kaya to coach him through a few things. At the end, he still wouldn't be mistaken for the 'acting doctor', though he knew how to clean, suture and bandage a wound at least passably.
If Usopp ever mixed anything, it'd be for a new weapon, not something to relieve a fever.
The first time, Usopp had been too much of a coward, and too squeamish, to help Zoro or do any stitching. He could hardly stand to watch Yosaku do it. Really, given how stressed the three of them were at the time, Zoro's insane constitution and luck did more for his survival than they did.
Neither Johnny nor Yosaku had begrudged him for not doing more. If anything, they'd seemed glad to be useful for the santoryuu practitioner.
Usopp insisted on stitching Zoro's wound this round. His hands were the most steady of the three of them. Years of compartmentalizing insanity and seeing his nakama repeatedly hanging by a thread had its advantages. The massive, gaping wound didn't render him insensate or useless. It helped that the danger (Mihawk) had passed.
Not to say the procedure was easy for him. Zoro had never been a cooperative patient, and being mostly unconscious didn't seem to mitigate that tendency one mite. The swordsman twitched every time the needle punctured his skin, grimaced each time Usopp pulled the thread tight to close the wound. The marksman, constantly reminded that he was sewing his nakama shut so he wouldn't bleed out, barely kept his sparse breakfast down through to the end.
Usopp ran out to douse his hands in the water once he finished. He shakily washed the dried blood from his fingers and shuffled back into the boat's small cabin. He chuckled, a dry, self-deprecating sound without any humor as he slumped against the wall. Johnny and Yosaku diligently wrapped the wound tightly in bandages.
"You two," Usopp said. Six days of near non-stop work on Nami's Climatact caught up to him, to say nothing of the adrenaline rush which had mostly been leftover steam in an empty engine. Slowly, he slid down until he sat. "Keep an eye on him, 'n if he gets up, don't let him steer, 'kay? I… am going to pass out now."
And lo, was it so.
Zoro grimaced, pulled out of his carefully constructed meditation. A simple shift of his shoulder brought fresh waves of pain and nausea radiating from his scar. The negligible grog Johnny and Yosaku kept aboard only dulled the pain for a few minutes. Once the shock from the initial injury passed, it turned out that being almost bisected impeded his ability to take a nap quite a bit.
Speaking of…
Zoro cracked an eye open. The novelty of seeing Usopp actually asleep still hadn't worn off.
Zoro tipped his head back against the cabin wall. Rest wasn't an option, and even after Yosaku had jumped ship (something about getting Luffy. Zoro had only been listening with one ear) there wasn't enough floor space for proper katas.
Hence, meditation, which the swordsman might have chosen anyway after his duel. On waking fully, Zoro's first inclination had been to resume training immediately, and he would have woken the sniper for further work on his Haki development.
A moment's thought had him reconsider.
Zoro's goal of attaining Haki mastery hadn't changed by any means. Rather, he realized that simply supplementing his own training methods with Usopp's instruction wasn't nearly adequate. Just stacking more hours on top of those he already put in, believing that to be enough to close the gap, would be the height of arrogance. Zoro needed to rework his entire regimen from the ground up, tear down everything he'd been doing and rebuild from the very basics.
Excelling didn't cut it. He had to demand mastery from himself, if not more than that.
Zoro closed his eyes again, found his center and measured his breathing. He fell back into a meditative state, distancing himself from the pain without forgetting it. He cast aside all unnecessary 'noise' in his mind and conjured an image of himself, Wado in hand.
'Breathe. Advance and strike. Breathe. Regroup and react.'
Zeff watched the craft carrying his eggplant shrink on the horizon. The brat couldn't even take his leave without raising a ruckus.
"Can't believe that punk went and grew up on us." Patty said. The cheap cook shrugged off his injuries from Sanji's parting blows as readily as usual.
Zeff couldn't be fooled. Patty and Carne's claims of pent-up resentment were a poor disguise for what amounted to a final 'field test'. As if Sanji had been anything other than ready for broader horizons for years.
"He's gonna be okay ri- I mean, that twerp better not get himself done in." Carne huffed and amended, like he hadn't just swiped at his eyes under his shades.
For crooks and crap-cooks, Zeff's staff had a lot of damn saps.
"You saw what that kid did to Krieg!" Somebody else said. "Sanji'll be fine! Right, chef?"
Zeff didn't answer right away. He reflected on the last conversation he had with Sanji's new captain.
("Hey, Straw Hat brat."
"Oh, mustache chef! What's up?")
Zeff put years into raising and teaching his eggplant. He'd provide him every advantage he could give, assuming the thick-headed brat would let him.
("Krieg didn't have the right stuff. If the day for nostalgia comes when I'm an old man, though, I've got memories. My log book is yours if you want it."
"Mm. No thanks! That'd feel like cheating. I'm gonna have my own adventure!")
Zeff hadn't really expected any different. He'd gotten a good laugh out of it, anyway.
("Good answer, brat. That the same thing you tell your Pinocchio sniper?"
"Huh? Usopp? What do you mean?")
Zeff couldn't say whether he made his decision based on the brat's conviction to make his voyage his own or on a passing whim.
("Never mind. Now scram. I gotta restaurant to fix. And your friend's still looking a bit peaky. Shouldn't be prancing around like that after almost getting eaten."
"Hm? Oh, Yosaku! Yeah, okay, thanks mustache chef!")
Pirate crews were as numerous and varied as the oceans were vast, each with their own set of rules, ideas and personalities. Despite that, a couple things held more or less consistent throughout. No pirate captain wanted to be told their business by anybody. Hell, any pirate worth their salt set out on the oceans precisely because they hated being told their business. And a captain's crew defined 'their business' pretty damn well.
Thus, even though the brat had asked, Zeff justified his choice with the rationalization that a captain shouldn't need outside sources for something like that. A captain ought to be able to learn whatever he needed about his crew on his own merit.
'Bah,' he scoffed, turning his back on the fading boat. 'What's done is done, and I'm not old enough to space out and reminisce yet.'
"Chef Zeff?" The same cook prompted him again.
Instead of an answer, Zeff barked at his sentimental staff to quit gawking and get back to work. He'd already taken his first and only break in more than ten years to say his goodbyes.
Thirty minutes was long enough. He had a restaurant to run.
"I'm home."
Nami's tone came off as wry, almost cynical to Merry's ears, leaving the young caravel yet more puzzled by her navigator's mood. Only an hour ago, Nami had been simply radiant, exhibiting as close to untempered, almost childlike excitement Merry had seen from her. Small wonder, given that her navigator had been throwing the elements around with Usopp's new weapon. On a very small scale, perhaps, though no less wondrous or amazing for that.
She'd summoned lightning for Kami's sake.
Indeed, as Nami undertook vigorous study of her Climatact's applications, her joy had been so potent that Merry found herself caught up in it simply by proxy. The caravel had actually forgotten her initial mission to provide Usopp and her captain the chance to catch up to them.
Hence Merry's confusion over the drastic shift. From a giddiness that actually caused Nami to lose track of time and even sleep to a somber, thicker sort of weariness as they dropped anchor slightly East of a small village. The cartographer sighed and banished all visible traces of her conflicting feelings with a cool countenance, even though she had no one around to fool. Merry still felt her navigator's turmoil regardless, and she worried over it.
'Please find us soon.'
"Z-Zoro-aniki! Usopp-aniki!" Johnny called in a hushed yell. "Th-there it is! That's Arlong's mark!"
"So," Zoro drawled. He drew himself up, standard scowl on his face as he scrutinized the structure. "The woman's in there?"
Usopp frowned at the black flag that flapped high at the peak of Arlong Park. The red symbol emblazoned across it represented the source of eight years anguish for Nami. Everything from the shark nose roof decoration to the stone archway over the channel of water leading in looked the same as the first time.
Usopp couldn't wait to watch Luffy tear it all down.
'First things first,' he thought, curbing his desire to rain fire down over the fortress and pick apart whatever remained. 'No skipping to the final boss.'
The sniper loosed a pulse of Haki and clocked Nami in a fair distance away from the mansion.
"I doubt it," he said, pointing up the coastline to the East. "The Going Merry's over there."
Johnny pulled out a telescope to confirm his claim while Zoro simply nodded.
"All right," he said, thumbing Wado's guard. "We'll just hack our way inside and wait her out."
Johnny sputtered and almost dropped the telescope into the water in his frantic protests.
"Aniki! Wh-why is that our first strategy?!"
"Nah," Usopp replied casually, shifting their course toward Cocoyashi and away from Arlong Park. "We'll retrieve the Merry first. We can track her down later."
"Forget that."
Usopp glanced back to find himself on the business end of a glaring Zoro. He'd have to act quick, or else the swordsman might escalate to looming.
"Zoro," Usopp said, tone neutral, though he didn't move away from the rudder or give the swordsman any opening to change their heading. "We don't have the full story here yet."
"Never mind all that tedious crap." Zoro countered, unyielding.
Usopp pursed his lips. At least Zoro was still replying and conversing rather than barreling forward. In the 'first round', he and Johnny had panicked because they knew they couldn't really sway him from his decision unless they took him by surprise. Simply by virtue of being a little stronger, the odds weren't quite as skewed in Zoro's favor, though it'd get messy if things devolved to a fight.
"Luffy told me to bring Nami back," Zoro said firmly with an air of finality. "That's what I'm gonna do. Doesn't matter if the bastard in the way's a fishman or a monster."
Usopp sighed inwardly. So much for not shutting down. Thankfully, he had a counterargument prepared.
Unfortunately, he hated using it.
"Well, that's a problem, Zoro," Usopp said, matching the swordsman tone for tone. "Because I made a promise to get you proper medical attention first chance we got."
Not entirely untrue- the sniper had fully intended for his nakama to at least be seen before they went to battle for Nami. That was the easy part of his plan, or at least, the bit that didn't leave a stone in his gut.
Zoro scoffed, and just rolled his shoulders like he meant to dive into the water and swim for Arlong's fortress if Usopp refused to turn them around.
"You never made any"
"Oh," Usopp interrupted sharply, injecting every ounce of bite he could into his tone. "So it's not equivalent? Why not, Zoro? Because I didn't say it out loud? Or is my word just worth less than yours?"
Zoro's jaw snapped shut so hard and so fast that his teeth clacked. He went still, and his scowl darkened significantly.
Off to the side, Usopp heard Johnny gulp.
The sniper held his ground. He'd attacked a sensitive point, he knew, and it made him nauseas, twisting Zoro's unique code of honor and the weight the swordsman assigned to his promises. The manipulation left him feeling dirty, and yet he couldn't relent. Zoro only ever responded to force, and if Usopp hedged before he'd been persuaded, he'd forfeit any progress he made.
For Nami's sake, the sniper couldn't let that happen.
Finally, Zoro broke the tense silence.
"You already patched me up," he said, hackles mercifully falling, if only a little. "I don't need"
"Proper means an actual doctor, Zoro." Usopp rejoined, just shy of rolling his eyes.
"Doctors don't just help out pirates."
"Yeah, and pirates don't just retire and open restaurants."
Usopp raised an eyebrow, as if prompting his crew mate to give up whatever other protests he had. Zoro huffed and crossed his arms, though his gaze didn't hold the same steel it had a minute ago.
"Look," Usopp said after a beat. "I'm not hesitating because you're injured and down two swords, or even because of the fishmen."
The sniper ignored Johnny's incredulous look at that last point.
"Then why are we hesitating at all?" Zoro asked. "You really need to know all the details about that woman being here before we do anything?"
'I'm being cautious because I know the full story.'
"I don't doubt your instincts, Zoro," Usopp said, allowing the concession since the swordsman had stopped talking as though he intended to act on his own. "In fact, I think you're probably right. We're two pirate crews on the same island, after all, chances are we're going to fight."
"Then what's the point of putting it off?" Zoro asked, more pointedly.
"What's your plan if we go in there to take names," Usopp said. "And, assuming we come out victorious, Nami's not happy to see us?"
"She stole the damn ship," Zoro muttered. "It'd be weird if she was happy we chased after her." The swordsman shrugged. "Doesn't matter anyway. We'll just kidnap her if it comes down to it."
Johnny gasped.
"Aniki!"
At that, Usopp did roll his eyes.
"Yeah, I'm sure Luffy would be stoked to hear that story."
Zoro grunted. With a harsh exhale, he stepped off the lip of the boat and propped himself against the wall of the cabin.
"Fine."
Usopp let out a breath of his own.
"Thank you."
Zoro didn't respond. Usopp readjusted their heading, electing to pull up beside the Merry rather than bother with the docks near the village.
As last time, three Arlong pirates spotted them as they passed.
"Usopp-aniki!" Johnny gave a hushed yell, shaking the sniper's arm in a frenzy. "They've seen us!"
"Leggo." Usopp groused. He snatched his arm back from the bounty hunter, no more than miffed even as three fins came speeding after their boat.
"Hey!" A voice called out of the water.
"They're coming to greet us." Zoro noted dryly.
"If by 'greet' you mean 'sink'," Usopp said. He tapped a finger to his chin, as if in thought. "Or demand a toll, I guess. Anyway, you wanna get that?"
…
No response forthcoming, the sniper glanced toward his crew mate, and almost snorted.
"Are- are you sulking?"
"No, I am not!" Zoro snapped.
The three pirates clambered aboard- Johnny, who'd found himself unheard between Usopp and Zoro, sequestered himself in the cabin with impressive swiftness.
"Hey, I can do it," Usopp said, still smirking. "I just figured you'd wanna cut loose a bit."
"Don't recognize you people," one fishman said. "Means you"
"Doctor?" Zoro grunted, somehow injecting sarcasm into a single word.
"Hey, you"
"There are three of them," Usopp deadpanned. "Go nuts."
"You humans gotta"
The world would never know what the nameless pirate would have demanded from them. Zoro rendered all three unconscious and heavily bruised with just his scabbard before they could even manage one line of dialogue.
"Better?" Usopp asked, only half-joking.
Zoro, a mite calmer, shrugged.
"Eh."
"I'm sure you'll get a more thorough workout soon." Usopp said earnestly.
Zoro made to toss the intruding pirates overboard, but the sniper stopped him.
"Let's just move them over to the Going Merry," he said as they drew up beside the caravel. "Don't want 'em making problems for us."
Usopp wasn't about to leave such an obvious loose end that might come back to bite him. Arlong didn't need to know they were on the island just yet. Zoro didn't argue, though he gave Usopp an odd look.
"What kind of pirate are you?" Johnny asked, poking his head out of the cabin.
"The sneaky kind."
"Shahahaha!"
Chabo took a choking gasp, fingers clutching at his stomach. He could barely see through his furious tears. All four fishmen were laughing at him, and he couldn't stand it! He'd charged into the compound for Arlong and someone tripped him, then he got kicked across the pavement. He hadn't even gotten close to the shark!
"Knives aren't toys, you know. Chu!"
The one with lips held Chabo's weapon under his foot. He couldn't even stand up to get it back.
"Nyu, why's he so upset?"
'Like you care, you damn octopus!'
Chabo tried to yell at them, but his sucking, gasping sobs took up all his air.
"Shahaha! What a spiteful face!"
"Shut up!" Chabo managed, sitting up. "You killed my father! You killed all the men in my village!"
"Hmph. So you're one of the whelps from Gosa. Of course the humans can't control their own spawn."
"Such a sad story! But you see, little human, they didn't have to die! They couldn't pay tribute, after all, taking your village was just a business transaction!"
"Liar!" Chabo spat. He struggled to his feet, legs shaking.
"Arlong-sama doesn't have time for your prattle, brat. Chu!"
Chabo glared at them. The ray fish sneered at him, Arlong wouldn't stop laughing, and the octopus watched him with a weird look.
"Shahahaha! Let's keep him a while for some entertainment!"
"I'll-! I'll kill y"
A blur of brown flashed across Chabo's vision.
SWAK!