"Luffy!" Nami yelled up to her captain who was running around the giant galleon. "Get down here!"

Luffy looked over the edge of the ship he was checking out, and saw that Usopp and Nami were standing by Ice-pops and… Usopp?

He shrugged and yelled back, "Okay!" and headed down. If there were two Usopps, then that must mean the young guy that talked like he was really old was back after looking at the Merry. And now they'd find out how much the shipwrights wanted in exchange for fixing her.

Maybe Usopp will get to watch them work, and he can see who's the best so they can join the crew! he thought happily. We'll have to tell them all the upgrades we want too!

Luffy jumped down several levels, and landed nearby his friends. He frowned as he landed, wondering why Kia wasn't there.

"Kia's not back yet?" he asked the other two.

"Usopp just asked that too," Nami replied.

"She was with me just over there, but wandered off when I was looking at cannons," he said as he pointed. He gave a yelp and ran over, Nami and Luffy following.

"What is it?" Nami asked, a little breathless once they stopped. She pushed the two of them aside, and looked down at the ground as they were, and saw the two cases that matched the one she had.

"What happened?" Luffy wondered.

"What happened?!" Nami growled. "She was supposed to watching one!" she turned to Usopp. "and you! Why didn't you have yours?!"

"Kia took it, so I could look at the cannons," he said, practically in a whisper, his hand covering his mouth. "This is all my fault…"

"Well, it's not too bad," Luffy gave him a slap on the back. "We've got the money, so now we just need to find Kia. She probably just saw something she wanted to check out."

Usopp looked back at where Iceberg and his people were waiting for them. "I'll find her," he told Luffy. "You guys go get the news about Merry," he told them.

"Okay!" Luffy said with a grin. "Are you sure?"

"Leave it to me," Usopp said, his face grim. I'll start asking those guys near where I last saw her… he thought. I'll get her back no matter what.

"You guys need to hide! Those are government officials!" Paulie hissed. Luffy and Nami looked at each other, then moved around a large stack of lumber so they wouldn't be seen.

"What are we going to do Luffy?" Nami asked quietly. "I mean, we have enough money for a new ship, but… I don't know. It just wouldn't be the same without the Merry."

"I know what you mean," Luffy pouted. "She's one of us. We can't just leave her behind."

"It's not just that…" Nami continued, looking out at the boatyard. "She is a ship, so if she can't be repaired then… well… it's just hard to hear I suppose."

"Yeah…"

They lapsed into silence as they heard the men on the other side of the lumber pile move away. "I guess we need to find the others and let them all know," Nami said, though she wasn't looking forward to it. Especially Usopp… she thought.

"Yeah," Luffy agreed, standing up. He grabbed a suitcase in each hand, then stopped and looked at Nami in confusion.

"What is it?" she asked as she grabbed the third. "I didn't think you'd be nervous about carrying them."

"It's… not that," he said, feeling a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. "They're just… really… light."

Nami shook her head. "No, you're just a monster, that's all," she countered. "They can't be light because of all the berri…"

She stopped as both of them realized the possibilities. Neither wanted to look, as Luffy snapped the case open, and eventually they both peeked through one eye, and saw the completely empty case.

"AAAAHHHH!"

Nami just stared at her battered friend, uncertain of what she could possibly say. She and Usopp had always had an understanding… they were the weak ones. They were the ones that needed protecting, and they were always more than happy to let Luffy, Zoro or Sanji take care of anyone that might try to hurt them.

Then came Kia and Chopper… true, Chopper could sometime handle himself, and they were both a wonderful addition- with Chopper's ability to heal them, and Kia's knowledge about sailing, and how she was able to keep so calm in the face of danger. Plus the fact that they kept everyone so happy all the time. It made their journey so much easier in that regard.

However, Kia was weaker than even she or Usopp, and they both found themselves in the position of not being able to run or hide all the time. They had talked about it before, when no one else could hear them, about what would happen when the time came that they weren't strong enough. And what Luffy, Zoro and Sanji would do.

Usopp convinced her that she would be fine. She was the navigator after all, and she served an essential role as part of the crew. She had tried to convince him that the same went for him… but she knew he didn't believe her. He had told her that he would just go as far as he could, and he'd be happy with that.

But now… as he lay on the street, bleeding and beaten, she couldn't help but feel for him. Her heart clenched as the tears ran down his face.

"How can I face the others?" he croaked to her. "They took her, and I couldn't stop them. I failed to save my friend." He gulped a few times, trying to make it easier to talk. "Without the money, we can't save the Merry either."

She tried to smile, but couldn't. She tried to play off the money, but he wouldn't listen. All she could do was promise that she'd go for help, and together they would get their money and their friend back. Just as they always told each other… they could accomplish anything as long as their monster friends stood in front of them.

So that was exactly what they'd do.

"Stay here Usopp," she told him, as she helped him over to sit against the wall. "I'm going to get the others, and Chopper will fix you up, no problem." She stood up, looking down at him, her heart clenching again. "With everyone together, there's nothing we can't do." She ran towards her boat, yelling for the crowd around them to leave him alone.

"I'll be right back!" she called as she jumped into the boat. "Go, yagara!"

"What's with the little girl?"

Kia rolled her eyes. Even though Franky was older than she was, that didn't make her little. But whatever, she'd let it go for now, because she needed to get on his good side.

"She insisted bro!" one of the men that brought her there shouted.

Why were all of them shouting? she wondered. They were probably all deaf because they didn't wear ear protection when working or something.

She stared up at Franky as he sat on a crate on top of a small stage. It wasn't a throne, but it definitely had that feeling, with the two sisters standing on either side of him, and the men crowded around each other in a group several feet away from the stage.

The boss, and his underlings,she decided. The part they play in front of others.

"She wouldn't let go of the money, either," another guy grumbled, raising the case, which raised her arm with it. She was honestly surprised that it had worked. She had figured that she'd get robbed and she'd have to chase after them like Usopp had in the story.

"Money huh?" Franky asked, his voice slightly muffled behind his mask. "How much we talkin' 'bout?"

"200 million!" the men around her cheered.

"200 million? WA-OW!" he snapped after they had quieted. He looked down at her again. "Isn't that a bit much for a little girl to be carryin' around?"

"Not when we have to replace our ship," she replied easily. "A ship that can survive the Grand Line isn't cheap."

"WA-OW!" Franky yelled again, and Kia had to keep herself from smiling. "The Grand Line?! Like you little pirates could even survive here!"

"We've gone this far," she said with a shrug. "So, how about we make a deal?"

He laughed then, and she glared a bit. "A deal? What could you possibly offer me?" he asked snidely.

"Oh, I don't know, how about 200 million berri?" she answered back, her voice tinged with sarcasm. She told herself to reel it back, so as not to aggravate them.

"I think you're mistaken," he replied as he looked her up and down. He gave a nod, and the cases were ripped from her hands in one smooth move. She rubbed the palms of her hands to ease the stinging. "It doesn't look like you have any money."

"Look," she said, trying to stay calm. "How about you just earn it legally, instead of stealing it?" she countered. "You build us a ship, and you keep the money. Win, win."

The room was silent as Franky stared at her, and then suddenly he began to laugh, the men eventually joining in. But before they could say anything, an explosion sounded from the far side of the room, and dust swarmed over them.

About half of the men fell from the blast, and several more were fanning away the smoke. "What kind of idiot would attack the Franky Family?!" someone shouted. "Show yourself!"

Kia turned as well, having not expected anyone as yet. She was surprised to see Usopp standing in the doorway, looking bloody.

"Usopp?" she asked, moving towards him, but being held back. She twisted and squirmed, but was held fast. "What happened to you?!" she yelled in concern.

"HUH?" one underling shouted. "It's that weakling that was following us earlier!"

"Give me back my friend, and our money," Usopp demanded quietly.

Kia's eyes went wide as she realized that the story had still progressed with the Franky Family hurting Usopp, and he had come after them alone. Crap! Now what?! she thought, panicked.

"You can have the little girl, we didn't want her anyway," Franky said with a laugh. "But there's no money here for you."

"That money is to fix the Merry!" Usopp shouted even as he ran forwards taking a leap towards the case. Franky lifted it out of his way, and Usopp went crashing into the ground.

"Usopp!" Kia called, pulling out of the hold and getting grabbed again before she could rush to her friend. She could hear them laughing behind her, and her temper spiked. It's not working…she thought in despair.

"Who're the real criminals here?" she demanded, furious that she had been unable to keep Usopp from getting hurt. She kept talking, even as she searched for the man who had taken her escrima sticks. "We earned that money fair and square, and you're stealing it."

"You're obviously part of the Straw Hat crew, which means you're pirates," Franky replied. "So you probably stole it in the first place. In this world, it's not stealing to take from pirates," he laughed cruelly.

"That's to heal the Merry's wounds! You CAN'T HAVE IT!" Usopp screamed from the floor.

"Sounds like you love your ship," Franky said, amused as he stood above Usopp. "No matter. Whatever condition she's in, this is our money now."

Kia went slowly towards her destination, moving so as not to attract attention.

"Poor Straw Hat Luffy," Franky continued. "Having worthless cronies guarding his money, such a shame."

"No, don't!" Kia yelled, even as Franky kicked Usopp in the face, and he went sprawling. She grabbed her sticks from the fat man that held them, and ran over to position herself in front of Usopp with her weapons out.

"I don't have time for you, little girl," Franky said with a roll of his eyes. "Boys! Show these two the hospitality of the Franky Family, while I go shopping!"

They made to grab her, and she fended them off, striking their hands as they reached for her.

"Special attack! Exploding star!"

Hearing the yell and the explosion behind her, Kia turned, only to see Franky with his hand out, having stopped the attack bare handed. Usopp gaped, and she cringed, knowing they had lost.

"Remember my name, long nosed boy- it's Franky. If you want to leave this city alive, you won't cross me." The men around them grabbed onto them, hitting their weapons to the ground.

"Thanks again little girl, but no deal," Franky said as he walked out. Usopp didn't have time to think on that, as he watched one of the men hit Kia in the stomach.

"Leave her alone!" he yelled, not caring what happened to him. The money was gone, but he could still do something for Kia. "She has nothing to do with this!" He panted, ignoring the blows he was taking. "STOP IT!"

"Okay Luffy, the joke has gone on long enough," Usopp said, trying to wave off the feeling of dread. "Jeez Captain, you… you shouldn't treat your crew like this, because some of them look like they don't know you're joking."

"Usopp, please, you need to stay still so you can heal," Chopper told him, reaching out to hold him back.

Usopp looked from Chopper, to Nami, to Zoro and Sanji, and back to Luffy. "We can't afford the repairs, can we?" he asked, getting choked up. "Because we lost the money, and now you're talking about getting a new ship."

"No, that's not it at all," Luffy disagreed, looking from Usopp to Kia, who had her face in her hands. He wondered if she was still in pain. "Besides, it wasn't your fault."

"Shut up!" Usopp stood, vibrating in fury at the pity on Luffy's face before the captain reeled back in shock. That's better… anything but that pitying look… he thought.

"Hey, c'mon now," Sanji tried to interject, but they all stopped talking as Kia stood and moved over to face Usopp. They could see the bruises on her face starting to show, and even though her swollen lip was a little better, it was still obvious.

"I'm… I'm sorry, Usopp," she told him, looking him in the eye, even as he gave her a confused look.

"Why are you sorry Kia?" he asked. "This is my fault, not yours."

"Oh really?" she asked, determined to not let him blame himself. "Who was the one watching the money?" she asked.

"Well, yeah, but I should have been," he argued. "I shouldn't have left my case with you, and went off. But even still, you held on to the money even when they took you!"

Kia closed her eyes for a moment, then turned to Luffy. "Captain," she said, looking at him with dread. He frowned, not liking it when she wasn't smiling. "This is my fault, not Usopp's," she said.

She held up a hand as the others started arguing, and it fell silent once again.

"They came for the money, and I didn't yell or call for help," she admitted. "I had heard that that Franky guy is a shipwright, a really good one too, so I decided that maybe we could pay him instead, and then he'd stop trying to steal the money." She shook her head. "But he just took the money anyway."

"That's what he meant when he said no deal?!" Usopp demanded. "You just… handed the money over to him?!"

"Yeah," she agreed, and he gaped at her, as she turned back to Luffy. "It wasn't my decision to make, but I did it anyway, because those shipwrights seemed… a little sketchy to me," she admitted. She wanted to tell them why, but it would require way too many explanations.

"It doesn't matter now," Luffy said with a sigh. "I already decided that we're getting a new ship."

There was a pause, before Usopp exploded.

"WHAAAAAT?!" he yelled. "How can you SAY THAT?!"

"Look! It's wasn't an easy decision!" Luffy yelled back.

"Oh, I feel really sorry for you!" Usopp snarled, slapping the ship brochure out of Luffy's hands.

"You tryin' to pick a fight with me?" Luffy asked, as he grit his teeth.

"Look it's my fault, so be mad at me, not each other!" Kia yelled over them.

"Will everyone just calm down?!" Zoro hollered, and they all turned to him. "Fighting isn't going to help anything!"

"I don't see what I'm doing wrong!" Usopp continued, his temper up too high to calm down now. "If the money isn't important, then why talk about getting a new ship?! Kia just hands our money over to a thug and everything is okay?!"

"This has nothing to do with Kia," Luffy glared, seeing his sister looking at Usopp as if he had slapped her. "It doesn't matter the amount of money because no matter how much we have, the Merry can't be fixed."

Usopp stopped, telling himself that he knew it was coming… yet he kept talking, as if he could make it untrue if he could just explain it well enough. "This ship?" he asked snidely, as he slapped the deck below him. "This ship we're on right now?"

"The shipwrights looked at it, and said she won't make it to the next island."

"Usopp, you need to calm down," Chopper begged. "Getting this worked up isn't good for you."

"I'm sorry, but no, not until we've settled this," Usopp replied without turning away from Luffy. "Even Kia said she didn't trust those shipwrights, so why are you?" he demanded. "The Luffy I know wouldn't just give up on a friend because some stranger said to. He'd believe in the strength of his ship, and the strength of his crew!"

"Luffy felt that way at first too," Nami tried to say, as Usopp reached over and grabbed Luffy's vest in his fist.

"Stay out of this, Nami," Luffy put a hand up to keep it between the two of them. He didn't want any of them taking sides. "It was my call, and I stand by it, and nothing you say will change that."

Usopp grit his teeth, telling himself to back down, but he just couldn't. "I won't allow you to leave her behind!" he shouted, even as his insides twisted. He already failed Kia, he couldn't fail the Merry too. What would he have left if he did?

"I see the Merry as a friend, and I won't leave friends behind when they're hurt!"

"Don't be stupid! Even if she is a friend, that doesn't make her a person!"

"Stop being so selfish and think about your crew! She has the inner strength to keep going!"

"Would you listen to yourself?!"

Sanji was always helpless to a lady's pain, and he could see how all of this was affecting both Kia and Nami. "Alright, that's enough you two!" he said, moving forward to pull them apart, as Luffy tackled Usopp back down to the ground.

"Don't act like you're the only one torn up about this!" Luffy yelled as he tried to shake some sense into Usopp. Couldn't he see everyone else's pain? It's practically drowning me, so he has to feel it. "We all feel the same way!"

"If that were true, you wouldn't be abandoning her! You've just been pretending to care about the Merry!"

"All right, FINE!" Luffy couldn't take any more, he felt the worst he had ever felt in his life, and he had to make it stop somehow. "If you don't like the way your captain does things, then just-"

He was cut off, as Sanji kicked him across the room.

"Sanji…" Chopper said in shock.

"This has gone way too far," Sanji said as he panted, his anger getting out of hand. "If you don't watch it, you're going to say something you can't take back."

Luffy pulled himself up, rubbing his head. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." He didn't blame Sanji, in fact he was glad he had kicked him. He didn't know what he would have done if he had finished what he was saying.

"No, it's all right," Usopp said as he rolled over to sit up, grimacing in pain as he did. "Don't apologize for finally saying what you really feel."

"That's not true!" Luffy protested.

"Just get rid of your dead weight, before they slow you down," Usopp continued, as he stood awkwardly.

Kia helped him up, grabbing his shoulders as she looked into his face. "It's not true, because we're friends," she told him. "You know better than anyone that Luffy cares."

He looked away from her, not willing to meet her eyes. "I guess even though you're weak, you're safe since he claimed you as family, but who knows?" he muttered.

Nami and Chopper gasped, as Kia's face turned stony. "I'm sorry that you're hurting," she told him evenly. "But you're taking this way too far." She moved in closer, until he was forced to meet her gaze. "Don't throw us away for your pride," she whispered to him, then turned away.

It's far too late for that… he thought, his back going up. My pride is all I have left. Better to leave now, then to fail again and get someone killed. I'd never forgive myself…

"If you're going to throw away the Merry, then might as well throw me away too," he said, letting the feelings of inadequacy swallow him. He'd never be able to leave if he didn't sever all ties.

"I know you're angry, but don't say stupid crap like that," Sanji snapped. He looked over to where Kia had moved to stand near Zoro. He was a little surprised that the swordsman just stood there, and didn't try to defuse the situation.

"No, I'm serious," Usopp said, trying to be logical now. "I just can't keep up with you guys anymore, and I think we can all see it. I've always thought it, but now it's real. I only cause trouble, I can't be trusted to do my part. I'm only here because you guys pitied me." He nodded, as if agreeing with himself. He looked up at Luffy.

"I still believe you'll be King of the Pirates, but… I have no such ambitions. So it's better to just leave now." Usopp looked around at them, then turned to walk out the door.

"Usopp, where are you going?" Chopper called after him.

"I can't stay with you anymore," they heard him reply. "I'm… I'm quitting the crew!"

Kia watched as Nami, Chopper and Sanji went chasing after him. She didn't bother to follow Luffy and Zoro out of the kitchen, not wanting to hear Usopp challenge Luffy for the Merry.

She moved to the bench, and sat slowly, wishing it didn't hurt so much. She had tried to fix things, and she had not only failed, but she couldn't help feeling like she made it worse.

She waited there, just staring at nothing. She could hear Nami and Luffy arguing, as well as Sanji and Zoro. When Chopper returned in tears from trying to help Usopp, she had to hold herself back from apologizing for not being able to stop it all from happening.

Kia looked up at the stars, wondering yet again how everything went sideways. She walked over to Luffy and spoke quietly. "I'll follow whatever decision you make," she said. "But is there a way to just give him the Merry? Without fighting?"

Luffy grasped her shoulder gently. "This isn't about a fight, not really," he told her, and she nodded. "I have to do this, for him. Stay with Zoro," he said, and then walked to the railing, jumping over the side.

"He has to do this," Zoro said quietly from behind her. "Usopp's pride demands it."

"I know," she replied.

"But do we really have to watch?" Nami asked as she stepped closer, tears in her voice.

"Even though he left us, as his friend, we owe it to him," Kia replied, reaching out and grabbing her hand, as they watched their two friends squaring off, knowing that in this fight, they would all lose.

"This is wrong!" Chopper appealed to Zoro. "Usopp is seriously injured!"

"If you can't bear to watch, just go to your room," Zoro replied, not taking his eyes off his captain. There is so much at stake… he thought. Is Luffy up to it?

"I have 8000 henchmen!" they heard Usopp cry. "If you want to live, then surrender now!"

"8000 men?!" Chopper screamed in shock.

"Just go to your room," Zoro told him.

"You don't have any men, Usopp!" Luffy shouted back, getting annoyed that he wasn't taking a duel seriously.

"Usopp… VOODOO!" Usopp screeched in reply. "A razor blade running between each of your teeth!"

"GYAA!" Chopped clapped his hooves over his mouth, grimacing at the imagery.

"Seriously Chopper," Zoro said, rolling his eyes.

Kia stood stoic, watching as Usopp attacked over and over, controlling Luffy's reactions and keeping his strength at bay. Sanji would comment, Chopper would yell out their names, and Nami gasped at the onslaught.

Finally, the torture was over, and Luffy was able to get a punch in, only to discover that Usopp had taken it with an impact dial. He turned the force back to his former captain, laying him out flat on the ground, but the toll it took had him falling to his knees in pain.

Kia watched. She couldn't seem to let the tears fall as Nami and Chopper did. She couldn't even grit her teeth like Zoro and Sanji did. She just watched, almost dispassionately, as Luffy stood and reared back, giving Usopp a solid bullet punch to his stomach.

Usopp fell without a sound, and Luffy stood over him, his hands in fists at his side. She could hear him yell, the pain in his voice. "There was no way you could beat me!"

He moved then, gathering his hat, and putting it back on his head. She couldn't hear him clearly, but she knew what he was saying. That he had to keep moving forward.

"Luffy…" Kia mumbled as he neared them, and she saw the tears on his cheeks.

"That's the burden of being a captain," Zoro said, speaking to her, but loud enough that Luffy could hear him. "He can't doubt himself, or who would we have faith in?"

"Doing the right thing doesn't mean it won't hurt," Kia replied, wanting to jump down from the ship and run to hug him, but knowing she'd just hurt herself if she tried.

She turned to her friends, knowing that they needed to get going. "We're leaving the Merry to Usopp anyway," she declared, and she could see them nod back at her. "Let's get our things," she directed. "Chopper?" she asked, seeing that he was still trying to get out of Sanji's hold.

The chef had prevented the doctor from rushing to Usopp's side after the fight, knowing that it would only hurt Usopp's pride.

"Yeah?" Chopper asked, still tearful.

"We won't treat him, but that doesn't mean we can't leave the things that he will need, right?" she asked.

"Yeah!" Chopper declared, nodding rapidly.

"Okay, can you bring him up here? I'd rather not leave him out cold on the ground," Kia said, looking at Zoro, to see if he would argue.

He said nothing, just moved away to start hauling items off of the ship. By the time they were done, the ship was empty except for a small bag of Usopp's belongings, a stash of medicinal supplies, and an unconscious boy laying on the deck.

What was left of the straw hat crew stopped and looked back one more time at the home that they had known while together. They didn't want to go, but they each knew that they had to follow their captain's example if they wanted to pursue their dreams. They had to move forward, even when that meant leaving the Merry… and Usopp… behind.