The release of KH3 made me want to do another update of this story~ It is so good, and at the same time a tad bit confusing. Okay, maybe a lot confusing near the end. So many questions to ask! But, I will hold them off just a little longer, as it is still the release week, and I highly doubt everyone even finished all the worlds before the big save. Those of you who did, you know what I mean by that. I know that you know.

So, that said, let's start this long, heartbreaking chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or Kingdom Hearts. I do not own Guthrie and I kind of own Allen.

*OPENING*

(Lala intro)
(Xion & Guthrie come down sliding panels one at a time, followed by Nami next to Xion & Ussop next to Guthrie. Nami shows the Log Pose to Xion, telling her where to go, while Ussop looks pompous while Guthrie shrugs his demeanor. Nami & Ussop are replaced by Zoro & Sanji respectively, and glare daggers at one another as Xion & Guthrie push them away from another. The two are replaced by Chopper and Robin respectively. Chopper dives into Xion's arms as she does a spin hug with him, while Guthrie observes the book Robin is reading with interest. The two are replaced by Allen & Chirithy, with Allen patting Xion's back, grinning at her as she blushes a bit, while Chirithy stands on a barrel, both he and Guthrie causing sparks to shoot at each other from their eyes. The two disappear, and Luffy appears between Xion and Guthrie, grabbing their shoulders and pulling them in as he grins. The two look at one another, and grin, as the background scene shifts to them being on the Going Merry, with the rest of the crew behind them.)

Hello, goodbye to repetition
We cannot be stop
Time to go around to our
Happy days, happy days
(The scene shifts to the sky, with the title of the story appearing)

Hello, goodbye, it cannot be stopped
Because there is desire
(Scene shifts to the Straw Hats on the ship, with Luffy & Ussop fishing, Nami looking at the Log Pose, Zoro sleeping on the crow's nest, Xion helping Chopper with medicine while Chirithy watched, Robin reading her book, Allen practicing his dancing, and Sanji cooking with help from Guthrie.)

It's a journey that does not end
Keeps going, going!
(Xion steps back, wiping her forehead, then looking ahead to the endless sea beyond, wondering what lies ahead.)

You, are
Being shaken by your ragged feet
(Panning through a screenshot of Kokoro, Chimney and Gonbe and Yokozuna, to the Galley-La crew, to the members of the Franky Family, with Franky in front of them, to the masked members of CP9.)

Still, still
No one has much of anything!
(Nico Robin turns and walks away to the tower in Eniss Lobby, with Jabra, Kumadori and Fukuro silhouetted above, followed by Spandam, then Xaldin and Saïx. This shifts to the angered faces of Guthrie, Luffy and Xion.)

I feel like I can fly
I can fly anywhere
Whenever I'm with you
(The trio run through the town of Eniss Lobby, striking numerous marines in their way, while the screen circles around the trio, ending with them standing in the middle of their Straw Hat crew (and Sniper King) on top of the building, facing Robin, Franky and CP9.)

No matter where we are
I feel like I am
Shivering everywhere
(The two Keyblade wielders thrust their Keyblades up at the villains, only to be interfered by the two Organization XIII members. They leap towards them, with Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hats following in pursuit. CP9, led by Saïx, Xaldin & Leopard Lucci, leap at them, ready to clash.)

Together when I am with you
If you clench strongly
(Through all the battles of the Straw Hats, Second Gear Luffy starts fighting Leopard Lucci, with Xion fighting Saïx as hard as she could.)

No matter what happens
I'm moving forward
(Guthrie fights and parries off Xaldin, calling out to Robin with a free hand raised to her, as she stands there in the pitch black darkness.)

Together when I am with you
If you clench strongly
(Robin looks back at him, then closes her eyes as she recalls the memories of Ohara. A tear falls from her eyes, hitting a ground, which turns the darkness into the open sea and sky. More teardrops fall, forming white birds that represent each Straw Hat as they soar in the sky together.)

No, no
No matter where we are
I feel like I can fly
(The birds fly over the Going Merry, as it sails into the sun, with silhouettes of the Straw Hats smiling and grouped together as they prepared for their adventure.)

Last time:

"Chirithy? What's wrong?" Xion asked.

"I-It's Usopp!" the talking Dream Eater spoke. "Usopp's in trouble!"

"Usopp?"

"Just come on!" He rushed to one direction, prompting the other two to follow.

After exiting the shopping district, they found themselves at an empty part of the city.

"What?! Usopp was right here!" Chirithy exclaimed. "I saw him here and beaten!"

"Hey! Look at this!" The Shandian rushed to what he saw, with the Keyblade wielder and the Dream Eater following him.

"Is that...?" Xion spoke, not wanting to finish that question.

"You don't think... he moved himself to that direction, do you?" Allen asked.

Their long-nose friend was covered in blood, bruises, and shoe marks.

Looking at him in his condition, something in Xion slowly snapped. Her fist slowly clenched, her eyes glaring, and her teeth gritting.

Once they got to the door, Xion gave the door a good knocking. Seconds later, the guy that tossed Usopp out answered the door.

"Huh? Who the hell are-?" the guy stopped himself when he saw who were at the door.

The female Keyblade wielder called upon Fire of Shandora, and smacked the guy away to the other side of the building... hard.

"W-Wait a second here!" Zambai spoke to Xion. "The money, right?! You want the money back, right?! The 200 million Bellies that worthless guy had, right? Unfortunately, the money is no longer here. Our boss, Franky, took that money and went shopping. Since he's buying something on the black market, we don't know where he went. In short, no matter how much you go on a rampage here, that 200 million Bellies won't-"

"Brutal Blast!" She got to the guy's face and unleashed a shockwave that caused him to be knocked into the air and performed a spinning attack, sending him flying to a wall.

"Ahh! Zambai!" one of the henchmen cried out in worry.

The battle lasted for quite a while, but in the end, Xion, Allen, and the Dream Eaters emerged victorious. Around them was the rubble of the destroyed Franky House and the defeated and unconscious Franky Family. Xion's Dream Eaters had already been returned to their cards.

"Xion! Allen!" a familiar voice came.

Allen turned and saw Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Guthrie, and Chopper rushing to their direction.

"... About the ship..." the captain spoke, grabbing their attention and confusion. "... I've decided. Let's say goodbye... to the Going Merry here."

'Where... Where am I...? What... happened to me...?' Those were the first thoughts in Xion's mind.

The female Keyblade wielder felt herself floating off in the middle of space. No, not space. She couldn't feel, she couldn't see, she couldn't hear, she couldn't even move a finger. All she knew was that she was somewhere... in nothingness.

"...next day...go to the..." She faintly heard a voice speak. However, the voice was so faint, she could barely make out any words from it.

"...She's not an..." Another voice was heard. But like the first, she couldn't hear it all that well.

"...cannot afford...on you...mistake we never..."

"...Take some time...who needs..."

"...you return...you will disa-..."

She heard many voices, all that sounded so faint, she couldn't make out what they were saying exactly... All except one.

"If only things could stay like this forever..." That was her voice, and it sounded so sad.

"You weren't meant to exist," she then heard. The girl then felt herself getting pulled down. Slowly opening her eyes, Xion found herself getting pulled towards what seemed like a swarm of what seemed like Heartless and called upon her Keyblade.

When she attempted to do so, however, it didn't appear in her hand. The female Keyblade wielder widened her eyes in shock, as she felt the group of odd, shadowy Heartless jump on her, grabbing her, and pulling her down towards them. Xion tried to break free from their hold, but felt weaker by the second. Then, looking down below, she saw a pair of what seemed like glowing red eyes and a wicked, toothy smile, with the teeth being sharp. The mouth then opened up, revealing a large set of rotating teeth. This frightened her, as she struggled to get the Heartless off her. Unfortunately, she was slowly still being dragged over to the mouth, and soon enough, it clamped down on her.

It was then, Xion shot up in fright, letting out a small scream from her nightmare.

"Xion! Are you okay?!" came Allen's voice.

Xion turned and saw the Shandian sitting on a chair by her bedside.

"Allen... What-?" She looked around and found herself in the med bay of Going Merry. "How did I end up back here?"

"You kind of passed out at Franky House. My guess is you haven't really fully recovered from your fight against Larxene back at Skypiea."

"I see..." Xion looked down at the explanation.

'All the more reason to keep training,' she thought to herself.

"But that was quite a scream you let out," Allen added. "Did you have a nightmare? You seem kind of pale."

"Do I?" Xion asked, despite knowing what he meant. "Yeah, I guess I had a bad dream."

Allen sat by her side. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Xion stayed silent, wondering if she should tell him of her dream. How real it felt, the fear she experienced, how she felt like she was about to die. Wait. Speaking of dying...

"What happened to Usopp?" she asked.

"Chopper patched him up. He'll be fine," Allen answered.

"I see. And what about Going Merry? Did Luffy, Nami and Usopp find someone who can fix her before Usopp got like that? And did the gold give us enough money for the repairs?"

The dancer of a pirate went silent at the question, which worried the vice captain.

"The money and the repairs are why Usopp is like that," he spoke at last. "The gold made up 300,000,000 belli, two-thirds of it that got stolen by those guys we fought earlier."

Hearing that surprised Xion, before she mentally pieced together what that Zambai guy said. "So that was what he meant by the 200,000,000 money."

"Yeah... Not like it matters, even if we do get it back." The female Keyblade wielder looked to her friend in confusion. "Luffy decided... to let her go here." The confusion changed into shock.

"Let Merry go? Is the repair that expensive?!" she asked.

Allen shook his head in response. "I don't know much about ship, but Nami and Luffy both said that the shipwright that came to take a look at our ship said something about the keel being damaged. Because of that, even if they do repair Merry, she won't make it to the next island."

Xion understood the explanation. After all the adventure they had, especially to and from Skypiea, the vice suspected that the adventure was getting too much for their beloved ship. But still, to think that the damage was this bad? Although, she was surprised Luffy made a logical choice. He and Usopp were quite fond of Merry; she didn't think he would be okay with making that decision. Speaking of fondness, though...

"How is Usopp taking this?" she asked.

"He hasn't woken up yet," Allen answered. "But, it's captain orders. He has to accept it, right?"

"... I hope so..."

"Everyone's at the meeting room, if you're feeling up to meeting them all that is."

"Yeah, I do. Besides, if we're going to get a new ship, we all should have a say as to which one we should go with. None will replace Merry, but at the very least, we should make a decision as a crew as to who will take her place, to respect her."

Allen nodded in understanding and agreement, as the two made their way to the meeting room. On their way there, they were hearing what sounded like an argument.

*MEANWHILE*

Usopp, who woke up just seconds ago with the memory of the missing money, woke up crying, apologizing to everyone about how he lost the money.

"That money was so crucial to us and yet, I let it... I let it...!" he sobbed, hugging Guthrie's legs.

"Okay, we get it! Now calm down and let go!" the male Keyblade wielder told him.

"But... the huge amount of money we got, after all we went through..."

"Usopp, you should still be in bed," Chopper warned.

"Hey, listen to Chopper," Chirithy told the sniper.

After separating Usopp from Guthrie, the long-nosed pirate took a while to calm down, as the others explained to him what happened with the Franky Family.

"Then, as I was afraid, the money won't come back?" Usopp asked.

"Well, we won't know for sure until this Franky guy comes back," Luffy casually added.

Hearing that didn't make the sniper feel any better at all. "I see... I'm sorry..."

"Well, even if we don't get it back, we still have 100,000,000 Belli. So that's okay, don't worry about it." Luffy let out a laugh, as if to try and brighten the mood some.

"It's not okay about the money!" Nami, ever so greedy about the money, shouted.

This caused everyone else to stare at her.

"Nami, read the mood," Chirithy said in disappointment.

"I thought you were better than this, princess," Guthrie said, also in disappointment.

Realizing her mistake, the navigator quickly apologized.

"No, that's okay," Usopp told her. "But, Luffy, what about the ship? What about Merry? Can we somehow have her repaired with that remaining 100,000,000? We're lucky that we can have her repaired in such a first-class shipyard. In order for her to be able to travel in the seas ahead, I'd like her to be stronger. I want her to be repaired perfectly. Say, does it look like those guys will repay her if we pay 100,000,000 bellis? Does it, Luffy?"

As he asked those questions, everyone couldn't help but feel bad for him. If anything, it made it even harder for any of them, even Luffy, to tell him about the decision the captain made. And they knew for sure that the sniper will have a more difficult time to accept the choice that was made.

"Well... Usopp, about the ship..." the captain began. "I decided to get a new ship."

Usopp was shocked to hear those words. "What?"

"I'm sorry I made this decision without consulting you. But I've already made up my mind. The Going Merry took good care of us, but our journey with her ends here."

The sight of his speechless face was too much for some members, who avoided eye contact with the poor long-nosed pirate. The more braver, tougher souls kept eye contact with him, wondering how he was going to react.

"And you know, I took a look at the catalogue Ice pops gave us," Luffy added on, holding a book in his hands, flipping through the pages. "While checking the ships in it, I noticed that there're quite a few kinds. If we get a used one, 100,000,000 will allow us to buy a bigger ship than Merry-"

"Wait," Usopp interrupted. "Wait... Wait just a second. You're taking the joke too far. That's ridiculous. Right? Look, Chopper is taking it seriously. Seriously, what will we do with our captain? Say something to him, Nami. You too, Guthrie." Usopp looked around and saw everyone looking at him with either a sad or a serious expression on their faces. One look at each of them, minus Xion and Allen who weren't in the room, was all it took for him to know... They were all serious about it. "Wait, does that mean that we don't have enough money for the repair? Because I got that 200,000,000 stolen by them, w-we're now short on money, right? Hey, that's what's going on, right, Luffy? The cost of a first-class shipyard would also be first-class, so-"

"No! That's not it!" Luffy told him, not wanting the guy to blame himself for the money problem again.

"Then why?! Spit it out! Are you trying to be considerate to me?!"

"I'm not! It has nothing to do with the money being stolen!" came Luffy's voice.

"Then why are you saying stupid stuff like we're gonna get a new ship?!" demanded Usopp.

"Knock it off! Both of you!" Zoro shouted.

"Zoro's right! Calm down and talk about it! This isn't something to fight over!" Guthrie said.

"How can I stay calm when he starts saying stupid stuff?!" Usopp questioned.

"Don't get so worked up! This is important!" came Nami's voice.

"Usopp, you need to rest or you won't get better!" Chopper told the sniper.

"Who cares?! How can I be quiet when our captain casually says we'll be getting a new ship?!" Usopp shouted.

"It's not casual! I made the decision after agonizing over it!" Luffy corrected.

"What and how did you agonize over to make this kind of decision?!"

"Usopp, Luffy! Calm down! Especially you, Usopp!" Chirithy told the two of them, as Usopp snatched the book out of Luffy's hand.

"Then how about someone tell our captain how dare he talk about replacing Merry while waving this stupid thing?!" the sniper shouted, slamming the book on the floor.

Each second that passed with Usopp's behavior was starting to get to Luffy in more ways than one. "What'd you do that for?!"

"It's an eyesore! Hey, Luffy. If the problem isn't the money, when what?! Luffy, why don't you say it?! Hey! Why are you keeping quiet?! If you're not being considerate to me, then don't hold back! Say it! I won't accept it unless I hear a good reason! Hey!"

Seeing that their captain was having trouble keeping a poker face and lessening the impact of the truth, Guthrie tried to calm Usopp down, especially when he was still heavily injured like so. Before he can say a word, though, Luffy already spoke the reason.

"The Merry can no longer be fixed!"

Just when he practically shouted it out, Xion opened the door and entered with Allen by her side. However, everyone was focused on the truth of Merry to notice, specifically Usopp, who was shocked beyond belief.

"What... did you just say?" he breathed out.

"Don't make me repeat it," Luffy told him. "The Merry can no longer be repaired. No matter what we do, she can't be fixed." Usopp dropped to his knees at the news. "Otherwise, I wouldn't say something like that."

"This ship? Are you talking about this ship that we're on board right now?!" Usopp demanded.

"That's right. This ship will sink soon."

"What are you talking about, Luffy?"

"It's the truth. They told us at the shipyard. They said that she can't even reach the next island."

"Oh really? She can't, huh? So you were persuaded by strangers you just met today and gave up just like that?"

"What'd you say?"

If Xion wanted to, she'd interfere. But she knew that this was something the two of them had to deal with, not just as friends, but as captain to a crew member.

"Just because first-class shipwrights told you that this is it, you gave up just like that?!" Usopp demanded once more. "We've traveled together all this time! We made it through all sorts of waves and battles together! She's our dear friend! You're just gonna abandon her in a place like this?! Is that how little our ship means to you, Luffy?!" Usopp coughed, overexerting himself from all that yelling.

"You shouldn't shout like that, Usopp," Chopper said, concerned for his health.

"Sorry, but step aside," Usopp told him, much to the reindeer Devil Fruit user's confusion. "I'm not done talking to him."

It was silent, as no one knew what to do or say that can make things any better in any way.

"Then can you make an accurate assessment?!" Luffy questioned. "We don't have a shipwright on our ship. That's why we asked them to check her!"

Usopp couldn't believe what his friend was saying, as he looked to the side and noticed Xion and Allen by the door. "Hey Xion! Say something to our captain! You're vice, aren't you?!"

At his question, everyone's attention turned to her.

"... As you say, I'm just a vice captain. As such, if our captain made a reasonable decision, one that is for the best of everyone, then as his vice, and as a member of his crew, I will follow through his decision," she said. "Besides, you, Luffy, and Nami all went to the shipyard and asked a pro to check our ship, didn't you? I highly doubt we'd be having this conversation otherwise. Especially not when they gave a clear explanation as to why repairing Merry would be useless."

Usopp gritted his teeth in disbelief. Even the vice-captain was all for replacing their precious ship. "Fine! We don't have to ask those guys to fix her! I'll repair her as I always have! That's how we've continued to travel in the first place. Okay, let's start now. Help me out, guys!"

"Hey, wait, Usopp," Sanji spoke, seeing the sniper attempting to stand back up to repair Merry.

"Oh yeah, we don't have enough lumber. I'll go buy some at the shipyard," Usopp said. "We're really getting busy."

"Usopp..." Chirithy sighed, feeling bad for the guy.

"You're not a shipwright, are you, Usopp?!" Luffy shouted, not having any more of this topic.

This shocked some of his crew, as it added insult to injury for one of their members.

"Hey, Luffy!" Nami gasped out.

"Yeah, you're right. So what?!" Usopp questioned. "But I don't trust irresponsible shipwrights who easily give up on a ship just because it belongs to someone else by taking advantage of their position as craftsmen."

"Usopp..." Guthrie breathed out, feeling even more bad for the guy by the minute.

"This must be a lesson that we should protect our own ship by ourselves. I'll never... ever give up on this ship! Are you guys stupid or what?! You probably got fooled by the shipwrights' convincing argument, didn't you?! The Luffy I know would've believed in the strength of Merry first rather than buying those guys' sales talk! Such a clear-cut answer that sounds like one made by an old man that understands everything... How can you make a decision like that, suddenly acting all captain-like?! I misjudged you, Luffy!"

"Usopp, wait a second!" Allen spoke out.

"Luffy, you too! Don't do something you'll both regret!" Guthrie exclaimed.

"Stay out of this, guys!" the captain shouted. "This is something I decided! I won't change my opinion. No matter what you say now, we're gonna get a new ship! We're saying goodbye to Merry here!"

"Don't be ridiculous! I won't allow that!" Usopp argued. "Listen, Luffy! It's not like everyone can live looking ahead like you do! I can't just leave our wounded friend here and move on to the seas ahead!"

"Don't be ridiculous! Even if she is our friend, ships and humans are different!"

"They're the same! Merry has the strength to live left in her! Considering how you are, aren't you excited thinking about the new ship while pretending to be concerned about Merry?!"

"Hey, knock it off!" Guthrie called, walking towards them. "You can't have a conversation getting all worked up like this!"

"SHUT UP!" Luffy snapped, pushing Usopp down, much to everyone's increasing shock and worry. "Don't think you're the only one who's in pain from this! Everyone feels the same way!"

"If so, there's no way you'd decide to get a new ship!" Usopp continued to relent.

"Fine! If you dislike what I decide that much, then get off-!" Before Luffy could finish that sentence, Xion called Fire of Shandora and knocked him off of Usopp, breaking down a table in the process.

Everyone was speechless at what had occurred.

"Luffy... Watch what you were going to say," she said, trying so hard not to be mad at what he was suggesting. "Both you and Usopp need to calm down and talk about this! From captain to a crew member! Usopp, too! Stay calm!"

No one was willing to say a word; they were still processing over what had occurred before them.

Slowly, Luffy sat back up and placed his fallen, signature straw hat back on his head. "Sorry," he apologized. "I just..."

"That's okay, Luffy. That's how you really feel, isn't it?" Usopp more stated rather than questioned.

"What'd you say?!" Luffy couldn't believe that Usopp took his mistook wording that seriously.

"Go ahead and cut off useless friends one after another and move on," the boy continued, getting back up himself. "If you're gonna abandon the Merry, why don't you do that to me, too?!"

"Hey, Usopp! Don't say stupid stuff like that," Sanji scolded.

"No, I'm serious. I've been thinking about this for a while." Everyone was confused when he said that. "To be honest, I've been thinking that I can't keep up with your monstrous strength. Like today... I can't even watch over money." They didn't like where he was going with this. "I'll just keep causing you guys trouble."

"But Usopp..." Allen spoke, trying to think of something to say otherwise. Unfortunately, nothing came to mind for him.

"You don't need weak friends, right?" Usopp continued. "Luffy... You're the man who'll be the king of the pirates. But I don't have to go that high up. Thinking back, when I was about to sail out, you guys asked me to join you. We don't have to travel together when we have a difference of opinion!" Usopp head out the room.

"Hey! Where are you going, Usopp?!" Guthrie asked.

"Where I'm going is my own business. It has nothing to do with you guys anymore. I'm... leaving this crew."

Majority of the crew were shocked at those words, as they went to stop Usopp, convince him to stay instead of leave, as the now ex-pirate closed the door behind him.

"Usopp..." Chopper spoke, tears forming in his eyes.

"No way..." Chirithy followed.

Nami turned to Luffy. "Hey! What are you doing, Luffy?! Is it okay to let him go like this?! Come on! Go after him! Stop him now!" No matter what she said, however, the captain refused to move. "We've come this far together. Is it okay to part like this? Usopp is our precious friend. So stop him!" Luffy remains unresponsive. "You're the captain, aren't you? Luffy?"

"He is. That's why he's letting Usopp go," Xion answered, grabbing everyone's attention.

Allen turned to Xion. "You're not really just going to let him go, are you? I thought we're all friends here!" he said.

"Being a friend and being a pirate of a crew are two different things," Xion sadly told him. "Normally a pirate who disrespects their captain... would no longer be a part of the crew. Not only that, but there are times when a captain has to do what a captain has to do. For the sake of his crew."

"But that's..." Allen looked down, not believing that his friend was saying such things, as did everyone else.

"If you want to leave too, you can. You just became a pirate, and you just now know what it truly means to be one. If you don't want to be here any longer, then as the vice-captain, I give you permission to leave." The whole crew couldn't believe what she suggested to their newest member.

"Hey, Xion!" Guthrie shouted in disbelief.

"What are you saying?!" Allen questioned, bringing all attention to him. "I'd never leave you, no matter what! You or this crew! I told you back before we left Skypiea, didn't I? Leaving is the last thing I'll ever do!"

Xion had a small smile form at those words, not believing herself how she got such a loyal friend in Allen.

"So you're not going to stop Usopp either, Xion-nee?" Chopper asked.

"He made his choice," Xion said, back to a neutral expression. "And Luffy knows it too."

"I can't believe this!" Nami exclaimed, as she, Sanji, Chopper and Guthrie rushed out the door to the rails, where Usopp was already at a distance away from the ship. "Wait! It shouldn't be like this!" she called out to the walking injured. "Hey! Turn around!"

"Hey! Come back!" Sanji called.

"Stop walking away and come back!" Guthrie shouted.

"Don't go! Usopp!" Chopper cried out, eyes forming more tears, as he cried for their friend to return to them. "Come back!"

At this point, Luffy, Zoro, Xion, Allen, and Chirithy joined the others.

As Usopp walked, Luffy thought back to all the good and fun times they had together since he joined the crew. From the battle they had together back on Little Garden, making some snowmen in the Sakura Kingdom, the whole East Blue portion of the Straw Hats making a vow on a barrel when they left Loguetown, all of it. Was he saddened? Of course he was. Was he going to stop him? ... No...

It was then, Usopp stopped walking. "Luffy! I can't go along with you anymore," he spoke. "Sorry to cause you trouble to the very end." Luffy gritted his teeth at how low Usopp thought himself to be. "It's true that the ship belongs to you, the captain. So fight me, Monkey D. Luffy! FIGHT A DUEL WITH ME!"

Everyone was shocked to hear those words of declaration, as the sniper turned to face his former crew.

"What? What? Er, what are you saying?" Nami asked.

"At 10 o' clock tonight, I'll come back here! Then we'll have a duel for the Merry! I'll defeat you and take her," Usopp continued. "And then, the bond between you guys and me will end there." At that declaration, he continued to walk away.

Everyone was plain speechless at his wit or foolishness. Though they knew how mad Usopp was at Luffy, for it to turn out this way... This was not something they wanted to happen.

Just as they slowly made their way back to the meeting room, Chopper noticed something different. "Hey, where's Guthrie?" he asked, looking about.

The rest of the crew suddenly noticed that he wasn't among them.

"Out there!" Allen noticed, seeing him walking along the shoreline back to the town of Water 7. Everyone raced towards the side of the boat and saw him.

"Guthrie!" Chirithy called out.
"Hey, where are you going?!" Xion questioned. "If you're going after Ussop, then don't try to-."

"I'm not going after him." he answered, silencing her, "I'm… I'm taking a temporary leave of absence from the crew."

The words shocked the crew, hearing something that should be the last thing to be heard at this state.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Nami demanded. "You can't just leave us at a time like this!"

"Yeah, she's right!" Allen agreed. "Look, I know Robin has suddenly vanished and Ussop left us, but that's no reason for you to leave, too!"

"It's more than just that," he answered, looking at the team. "Look at me. Look at all the accomplishments I had failed to achieve. My battles with Larxene and Aokiji prove how useless I am as a guardian. My failed attempts to keep Ussop with us and keeping Xion's anger in check prove how hopeless I am as a counselor. I am pretty much not strong as a Keyblade wielder, as Xion has proven over and over again how much better she is than me. As I am, right now, I am no good to anyone."

Xion was startled to hear him like this. He was starting to smile and enjoy being part of the crew until Aokiji. Suddenly, he found himself broken from the string of events since then. Not only that, but how was keeping her anger in check his fault?

"That's so not true!" Allen barked back at him. "You fought hard back in Upper Yard! And you held your own against someone who's suppose to be one of the most powerful forces in the Marines!"

"I only survived that fight because he decided to let me and the rest of the crew live!" Guthrie pointed out. "I am not as strong as you think! I am not strong enough to protect anyone, physically or mentally, whether it be Xion or anyone in this crew! I don't what my role is in this crew, so until I do, I am taking a leave of absence! I need to find my purpose until then!"

He looked up at Xion, ignoring Chirithy next to her, and asked, "Permission for a leave of absence until then? You are the vice-captain."

Everyone looked to Xion, who looked back at him calmly. Finally, she answered, "Permission granted." The crew was stunned at her answer, especially those who vouched for Guthrie at this point. "If you don't return by the time we decide to leave Water 7, then that'll be a sign that you choose not to join back with us. Are you okay with that condition?"

Guthrie turned away from her, his eyes covered in shadows as he answered, "Yes. I understand." He walked away from the crew, despite Nami, Chopper, Allen, and even Sanji's calls out to him to come back. Zoro remained silent, only looking at Luffy, who was too deep in thought about his soon fight with Ussop to speak up. Xion looked at Chirithy, who looked down for a second, then turned and hopped off the railing, walking back into the cabin. Unbeknownst to anyone, if there was someone who was hurting the worst from Guthrie leaving, it was him.

That night, Luffy was in the boys' bedroom, mentally preparing himself for the duel. Nami was with him, convincing him to both not have the duel and to bring Usopp back to the crew.

"What's with you?! Stop this nonsense!" the navigator scolded. "Why do you have to fight a duel with your friend?! If you give it a little time, you both will cool down, right?! Usopp, too. He just got flared up because things were moving too quickly."

"Now that we've come this far, we can't go back," Luffy told her.

"That's not true! You can apologize to him and talk it over again!"

"Like I said... it's no longer possible."

"Why not?"

"Usopp isn't stupid enough to risk his life under the influence of anger. Besides, it talking it over would change his opinion, this wouldn't have happened. If you get it, leave me alone."

Nami couldn't believe she was hearing those words from her cheery, carefree friend and captain. The guy was actually giving up on Usopp, and for a good, logical reason at that. But that didn't mean she was going to give up.

"Fine! If you won't do something, then Xion will! She's always the more reliable one anyway!" Nami told him, going to leave the room.

"Xion and I already talked about this before you," Luffy called, causing her to stop in her tracks.

"You and Xion did?" she asked.

*FLASHBACK*

It was about an hour before Nami came to speak to Luffy about the duel and Usopp. Xion was in the room, leaning against a wall, while the guy was resting on the hammock.

"You did the right thing. You know that, right?" Xion asked.

"..." Luffy stayed silent at her words.

"Luffy. I know you and Usopp are friends. But there are times when you have to do what a captain does. Even if you do feel guilty about how things ended up, even if you want Usopp back, you can't just ask for things to return to normal."

"... I know," he said. "Usopp made his decision to leave anyway. We all love the Merry, and you guys still agreed with the idea, no matter how painful it was. I'll do my job as captain, so don't worry about Usopp."

Xion nodded at his words, and started to take her leave. "Sanji should be done with dinner. Want me to bring your portion?"

"... Leave it."

*END OF FLASHBACK*

Nami had her eyes widen in shock, listening to Luffy, as he had told her of his short conversation with their vice captain. If he was lying, she wouldn't believe him, but Luffy was a terrible liar "But... That's..." she stuttered out.

"You understand now, right? Now leave," he told her.

Reluctantly, Nami took her leave.

At the same time, in the meeting room, there was another conflict going on.

"I'm saying, the Franky Family came here this afternoon, right?!" Sanji demanded Zoro, who kept watch of the ship earlier when everyone else went out.

"Huh? So what?" the swordsman simply answered.

"Why didn't you beat them all up beyond recovery then?! If you had, Usopp wouldn't have been attacked and felt guilty!"

"Then instead of going shopping, you should've stayed and fought!"

"I went to get necessary food as your chef!"

"Guys, please calm down!" Chirithy told them, not wanting another fight to break out in the crew. "Getting another fight is the last thing we need!"

"Stay out of this!" Sanji and Zoro told them.

"QUIT FIGHTING AT A TIME LIKE THIS!" Nami shouted, entering the room and silencing the boys. "There's been enough fighting. Don't fight over what's done."

"Nami-san! But this idiot-!" Sanji tried to reason.

Before he could continue his complaint, the door opened again, this time with Chopper, Xion, and Allen entering the room. The pair of non-Devil Fruit users went to pick up Allen's clothes from the tailor, all that are placed in bags in their hands, while the man-reindeer went to check up on Usopp as a doctor.

"How'd it go?" Chirithy asked, for the group knew where the trio went.

The three were silent at the question.

"... I wanted to continue treating his wounds, but he turned me away," Chopper spoke, flopping down to a sitting position. "He got a place to stay in town. And he said... He said, 'You and I are no longer friends, so go back to the ship!'"

Seeing her brother-figure trying to hold back tears, Xion went to comfort him, placing him on her lap, and hugging the poor boy.

"All that fun time up until this morning seems a lot like a dream," Nami said. "If something happens to Robin on top of this... I feel like... the gang is falling apart."

No one could say anything in response to this, especially when things really do seem tense right now. Allen could only look at Xion, thinking back to their conversation earlier when they went to pick up his clothes.

*FLASHBACK*

They just picked up the clothes and were going to pick up Chopper from the inn Usopp was staying in. As they made their way to their destination, Allen asked her, "Why didn't you stop Guthrie?"

"What do you mean?" she asked back.

"Exactly what I mean. You're vice captain, aren't you? You know how the situation is, and yet you still..."

Xion stopped walking when he brought that up, prompting him to also cease walking.

"... I know it sounded unreasonable, but it's for the best," she began.

"In what way?" he asked.

"Think of it this way when you were back with your tribe, when your cousin was your leader. If someone close to him wanted some time off for themselves, and for good reasons at that, would he let them leave? He may be tough, but he's still a nice guy in his own way, isn't he?"

Allen thought about what Xion said, and couldn't help but feel that to be true. There were times when Laki requested some time away from the group just to spend time with Aisa, as the two were like sisters, especially during times when Aisa got sick or hurt. Wyper knew that and granted the request, even during the really important meetings.

"I know more split-ups is the last thing the crew needs, but Guthrie needs time to think. Besides... I think I know where he's coming from, to have such conflicting thoughts," Xion added.

*END OF FLASHBACK*

Allen couldn't help but wonder what she meant by that. Did she remember why she left him or did she just remember the feeling? With how her memories were, it was hard to say exactly. But he knew Xion was not a liar. And he also knew better than to doubt her. Plus, as she said, maybe some time alone was what Guthrie needed... And Usopp.

The clock struck ten, the promised time of the duel. Luffy stood on the rocky cape, while everyone else, under his order, stayed on the ship.

"You guys! Stay on the ship! Got it?!" Luffy called, making sure that we really do stay and not to anything to interrupt the battle. No one answered in response, not that he needed them to at this very moment.

Not long after, Usopp had finally arrived.

"There he is!" Nami exclaimed.

"Usopp!" Chopper cried out, still worried for their former crew member.

As everyone else looked at him, they couldn't help but remember the good times they had when Usopp was still a part of their crew. The battles they fought together, the fun they had, even the smallest conversation they had with him. They remembered all of it, and all wished that this hadn't come to be. Sadly... It is what it is.

"So you didn't get cold feet, huh?" Luffy spoke. "You'd better be sure you're not going to regret this, no matter what happens. This is the duel you wanted."

"Of course. You'd better fight seriously," Usopp confirmed. "I'll turn the tables on you. I've already figured out how to defeat you."

Everyone was silent. None dared move from their spot to stop the upcoming fight.

"Can't we stop them? Usopp is wounded quite badly," Chopper asked.

"If you can't bear to watch this, go inside," Xion told him.

The rest of the crew was silent, as if agreeing with the swordsman's words.

Worried he may be for his friend, Chopper steeled his will to watch the duel that was to be.

"Don't lump me in with your past enemies who didn't know your skills," Usopp warned Luffy. "Luffy... We've known each other for a long time. I know about your powers very well. Don't be surprised when you hear this, Luffy. I have 8,000 men under me! If you don't want to die, surrender now!"

Many people knew that was a lie, as usual. Well, all except one.

"What?! 8,000?! That many?!" Chopper gasped out in shock.

"I'm pretty sure that's a lie," Allen corrected.

"You go inside," Zoro advised the small pirate.

"You don't have any subordinates! I know that much!" Luffy shouted, not at all falling for such a lie.

"Usopp Spell!" Luffy flinched slightly, preparing himself for what his opponent was going to do. "You've got razors stuck between all your teeth!"

This time, it was Chirithy who responded to the liar, as he let out a small scream. "It hurts just to imagine that!" he cried out.

"Maybe you should poof away," Xion told the Dream Eater.

"You've got cactus spines inside your fingernails!" Usopp continued.

Not falling for even a word of his 'spell', Luffy charged in with his fist reeled back. "Gomu Gomu no... Pistol!" Before he initiated the punch, though, Usopp coughed out something red and fell to his knees, causing him to stop.

"Usopp?!" Nami gasped out in worry.

"Hey, is he okay?!" Allen asked, just as worried.

"See?! His body is already-!"

"No, wait!" Xion interrupted Chopper. "Look closely."

Upon clearer and closer inspection, the red liquid Usopp coughed out was not really blood.

"Hissatsu: Ketchup Star," he muttered out.

Luffy heard his muttering and realized he was tricked.

"What? Are you sympathizing with your enemy? What confidence...!" Just as the Straw Hat pirate was going to continue his punch, Usopp took out a certain shell from his pouch. "Flash Dial!" A bright light came from it, blinding the Devil Fruit user. Usopp took this chance to distance himself from his opponent. "Hissatsu: Egg Star!" He fired an egg at him. "Star! Star! Star!" Each time he said that, he fired more eggs at Luffy.

"That stinks! They're rotten!" Luffy complained, not liking the smell on him. "Damn it! You jerk! Get serious!"

"Is this silly? I'm very serious, Luffy!" Usopp claimed. "This is my way of fighting! Hey, if you have your mouth that big, you'll have a burn!" He fired a pellet right at Luffy. The rubberman didn't anticipate that move, as it went into his mouth and down his throat. Once it did, he felt something burning inside. "Hissatsu: Tabasco Star!"

"That's hooooooot!" Luffy breathed out some flames from the spiciness of the sauce in the pellet.

"Watch out when you wriggle! Beneath your feet, it's already Caltrop Hell!" Just as Usopp said that, Luffy, surrounded by the caltrops Usopp set up, most likely during the distraction of the Flash Dial, tumbled over and fell on some of the pointed objects behind him. The Straw Hat captain yelped out in pain, while some of his crew were just shocked and amazed at how the battle was going.

"Usopp is in control of the fight!" Chopper gasped.

"No way!" Chirithy followed, knowing full well of the power difference between the two fighters.

"Listen, Luffy! I'll defeat you without fail and take the Merry! No matter what it takes!" Usopp declared.

It was at this point, everyone knew how serious Usopp was about this duel. True, they knew how much he treasured Merry, but they also knew he was one who wouldn't risk his life so much to the point of death. For him to practically say that he'd even risk his life to win...

"Hissatsu: Pepper Star!" The guy fired another pellet at Luffy.

The one hit, a small gas of pepper was released, causing the guy to be in a sneezing mess, as well as constantly falling on Usopp's trap.

"I told you. I won't use attacks that don't work on you," Usopp reminded, taking out another pellet from his pouch.

Luffy managed to hold himself up, ceasing his constant fall. He slowly took in some deep and clean breaths. "Damn it... It stinks... My mouth is burning... And it hurts!"

"I won't give you even the slightest chance to attack! Hissatsu: Shuriken Shooting Star!" Rather than pellets, he took out a chain of ninja stars and shot them at Luffy.

Luffy was quick to react, as he moved away to avoid the stars while at the same time carefully trying to avoid landing on top of any caltrop. Unfortunately for him, as Usopp promised, he wasn't giving him time to recover and fired more ninja stars at him. On the bright side, all that dodging got him out of Caltrop Hell. Both fighters stared each other down, catching their breaths. As they did so, smoke was starting to form around the Devil Fruit user, in which he noticed.

"Smoke?" Luffy looked around and saw a dial emitting smoke from its hole.

"I'm using a Breath Dial," Usopp said. "You didn't notice the smell because of the eggs, did you? The smell of the gas that's filling the area around you...!"

Everyone's eyes widened when they heard what kind of smoke he was using.

"Did he say gas?!" Xion asked.

"What? What's so special about gas in this fight?" Allen asked, not familiar with that sort of smoke.

As if to answer his question, Usopp took out another pellet. "Sorry! Take this! Flame Star!" He fired the pellet. Once it made contact with Luffy, because of the gas, a huge explosion occurred. It was powerful enough to cause the sea to jump, as waves came and rocked Merry a bit away from the cape. Everyone grabbed on to the rails or somehow managed to keep their footing, preventing themselves from falling overboard.

"What an explosion!" Zoro said, impressed with the setup Usopp had for this duel.

"Luffy! Usopp!" Nami called out in worry.

"Hey! Are they okay?!" Allen asked, just as concerned.

Though the light had died down, the smoke from the explosion hadn't yet. Everyone either held their breath in anticipation or stood there, simply looking on to see the result of the duel, if any.

What many of them didn't know, however... was one of them was crying. It wasn't amongst them pirates, though it was one of them. They shed tears, but no sound came from them. Even if they do want to cry out for Luffy and Usopp to stop fighting, it would be pointless, as neither could hear them in the first place. How they longed to do something even before they reached the island, how they longed to do something to prevent things to get to this. If only they could do something. If only... Merry could speak to them.

"I can't stand this," Nami spoke.

"Luffy! Usopp!" Chopper cried out to the smoke.

Back on the land, Usopp, who got blown back from the explosion, stood back up to his feet. "I know..." he muttered out. "I know an attack like that wouldn't take you out. I know Luffy, that you fight every battle with all your strength." From the smoke, he could see the shadow of his foe approaching him. "I know every detail of your skills!" He prepared to shoot another pellet. Once he saw the shadow break to a run, he made his move. "Hissatsu..."

"Gomu Gomu no Gatling!" Luffy shouted, coming in with a barrage of punches.

"Bursting Cactus Star!" Usopp shot his pellet.

Once it hit Luffy's fist, the ball exploded, and cactus spines were released from it, striking the Devil Fruit user at point blank and forcing him back. "Ouch!" he cried out.

Usopp's assault didn't stop there. "Triple Exploding Star!"

Luffy saw the attack coming and quickly ran to avoid the bullets. Usopp didn't relent and continued to fire his attack.

Once Luffy saw an opening, he drew back a fist. "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"

Usopp didn't expect him to be able to attack still while dodging his Exploding Star and was hit straight in the face. Once he was down and Luffy's arm retracted back, the latter rushed in an attempt to end the duel. "Gomu Gomu no... Bazooka!" Unleashing his most powerful attack, he brought his arms back and thrusted them forward.

Unfortunately, Usopp anticipated he would use that move eventually, as he brought a hand to his torso and somehow blocked the attack easily. No... It wasn't just blocked. Luffy could feel the impact from his own move leaving him, as though it was getting sucked into something.

"I have a dial here," Usopp said, holding an Impact Dial in the hand that blocked Luffy's Bazooka attack. "I got it... Your impact!" While the pirate was airborne, the ex-pirate closed the distance between them. "Impact!" He slammed the dial at Luffy's face, activating it, and causing the guy to be hit by the force of his own attack.

"An Impact Dial?!" Allen gasped, shocked that the guy has such a dangerous dial, second to the Reject Dial. And this is especially when Usopp didn't have any sort of training to endure the recoil from the usage. As a result, though the dial did its works on Luffy, it also placed a strain on Usopp's arm.

"How'd you like that?! Dammit!" the sniper cried out, trying to endure the pain.

Luffy, on the other hand, managed to land on his feet. The guy panted hard, trying to recover from the force he took, while staring down at his now weakened opponent, as well as once again thinking back to when he met and recruited him. With a grunt and a battlecry, he stretched out his arm again. "Gomu Gomu no... Bullet!" Snapping his arm back in place, he landed a powerful blow on Usopp directly in the gut. This time, the guy coughed out blood from the hit, and was taken down and out.

"Usopp!" Chopper cried out in worry, while majority of the crew looked on with hard, neutral looks in their eyes, and the rest were just heartbroken by the duel and the outcome of it.

"Game over," Zoro muttered out.

Luffy went to his knees, panting for breath, while still looked down at his defeated opponent. "You idiot," he began. "There's no way that you could beat me, is there?!" Silence met his words, as he got up and returned to Merry.

"I can't stand this..." Nami breathed out, covering her mouth with her hands and shedding tears at the scene before her.

Xion understood her feeling, but as much as she wanted to do something to help, what could she do in this situation? This wasn't one of those situations where she could just help someone in need and call it a day. This wasn't something that she could just get herself involved in. No... This situation, was between two prideful men.

Luffy picked up his straw hat that was blown off his head during the fight and placed it back on his head. "Do what you want with the Going Merry," he told Usopp, knowing that he could still hear him. "We'll get a new ship and move on to the seas ahead!" He continued on back to the rest of the crew. "Well, bye, Usopp. It's been fun."

Chopper couldn't take it anymore, as he went to get his backpack.

"Chopper-kun, don't go!" Xion ordered, grabbing the man-reindeer by the arm.

"Why not?!" he asked. "He was already wounded so badly to begin with, and now he got beat up worse!" The young pirate shook her arm off and proceeded to attempt to jump off the ship.

"Stop." That one word, that one spell, Xion stopped Chopper's time. With her brother figure now frozen, she went and gave him a light hug. "I know how you feel, Chopper. Believe me, I do. I'd go and heal him up too, but this was Usopp's decision. Not only did he fight a duel he knew he couldn't win, he even got pitied for it. Imagine how he's feeling right now. And imagine what would happen if you just carelessly treated him after all of this."

His time may have stopped, but that didn't mean he couldn't hear what was going on around him. Once Chopper's time resumed, the boy stayed in his sister-figure's arms and silently cried.

When Luffy was by the ship, everyone turned to him.

"... This is tough..." he muttered out.

"But that's... what it means to be a captain... right?" Allen asked.

"Don't lose yourself," Zoro advised the victor. "If you waver, who can we trust?"

"Let's vacate the ship," Xion suggested, as Chopper jumped out of her arms and ran to Usopp. Unlike before, Xion didn't do anything to stop him. Unlike his previous intention, the small pirate was only leaving some medicine and bandages by the sniper's side to use when he wake. "We can no longer... return to this ship."