"Usopp, I want to ask a favor of you," said the potential crewmate, stepping up to the busy man. Usopp's eyes flicked upwards for only an instant to acknowledge the individual, and he continued to work on an indeterminate gadget.

Between the words the inventor was murmuring to himself as he worked, he said, "What do you need?"

"Your crew gets in a lot of kerfuffles with the Marines, I've heard..."

There was a nod, and the man continued.

"In that case, I need some form of disguise. I don't want my identity revealed."

The sniper yawned, and quit fiddling with the contraption on which he'd been so diligently focused. "That's right," he said, "You had family in the Marines, didn't you?"

The visitor nodded. "My uncles, both. Catching rides with the Marines was the reason I was able to get so far into the Grand Line without getting killed, since I don't have any strengths of my own."

Usopp considered the man's request. It wasn't that it wasn't in his power to make a disguise for the individual- he'd created disguises for himself in the past- but he wasn't yet very familiar with the visitor, and didn't know whether he wanted to take the time to help him, when he was so busy with his own projects. Solis realized the man's hesitation, and was quick to speak up.

"I can make it myself, if you can tell me where I can find materials that would work well," he offered. "I've made things for myself in the past."

"Very well," said Usopp, smiling slightly. "I'll show you what I have."

Usopp allowed the stranger to construct his disguise in his workroom. He figured it would benefit him to become familiar with the man, as they might yet be crewmates. Much of the time was spent in silence, however, punctuated occasionally by remarks about the projects each respective man toiled over.

Night rolled around without warning. A yawn filled the empty space with sound, and Usopp stretched. "I'm tuckered out," he said. "I really worked a long time today..."

The stranger nodded. "You've been down here since breakfast, right? You deserve a rest."

"Oh? Aren't you coming to bed, too?" questioned the inventor.

"I'd like to keep working, if possible." Solis hadn't even looked up from his project at the individual before him. His eyes were wide as he stared fixedly at where the needle met the cloth in his hand. His severe concentration on the items struck Usopp as unnatural, almost maniacal.

"Well... goodnight, then," said Usopp reluctantly. He felt awkward leaving the man alone in his workroom, but wasn't about to force him out.

"See you later," replied the newcomer, and the inventor left him to his undertakings.

...

The next morning, at breakfast, Usopp felt as if something was missing. He was halfway through his meal when it dawned on him: Solis was absent. Thinking back, he couldn't recall seeing the strange individual in the men's sleeping quarters.

"Luffy, isn't someone missing?" he said, a concerned expression gracing his features.

"Oh? Oooh, you mean the new guy! Don't worry about him," grinned the captain.

Usopp sighed in relief. "So you know where he is, then?"

"Nope! I just don't think he's the kind to get into trouble!"

This news set Usopp's teeth on edge. What if the man was roaming the ship, waiting for the chance to attack, or was stealing from them, or hailing his Marine buddies...

"Don't look so anxious," said Zoro, placing a hand on his crewmate's shoulder. "That guy's pretty weak. I doubt he could do anything to any of us. Besides," he said, lifting his chin, "Our captain's a pretty good judge of character."

Although Usopp had to agree with this, he couldn't help feeling uncomfortable not knowing where the individual was. And if the guy was on their side, what if his lack of appearance was due to his having come across some sort of trouble? He could have fallen off the edge of the ship in the middle of the night, for all they knew!

He descended into the belly of the ship, mulling over the disturbing thoughts that had come upon him. He opened the door to his workroom as a reflex, without looking in front of him.

It was an utter shock to the inventor when he finally lifted his eyes to see the figure there, still crouched on the ground, absorbed in his creation. It lifted its face, a tired smile spreading unhurriedly below partially closed eyes. "Hey," said Solis gently, "G'morning. It's morning, isn't it?"

Usopp lowered one eyebrow and raised the other. "The sun rose a few hours ago. Have you been down here all night?"

"Mostly. Had to eat at one point," he laughed quietly, "Can't stay up with an empty stomach." The man stretched, and then stood shakily, taking his creation in his hand. "I just finished it," he said proudly, "Do you want to see?"

"Oh, I suppose."

"I wanted it to look okay... it was hard to get it to fit correctly over my head." said Solis, handing the fabric entity to Usopp. "I didn't want to go to sleep until I completed it. I'd probably put off finishing it indefinitely if I set it down."

The hood itself was a rather simple article, constructed of a plush and stretchy white material. Fabric had been sewn to the front to hide the face, and holes for the eyes and mouth had been neatly cut and finished. The fabric continued partway down the front and back to form a half-cape, which was edged simply in a continuous strip of fur.

"The handiwork is fine," said Usopp, approving of the man's work. "Good job."

"It just pulls on, see?"

The man donned the garment. "Probably looks pretty silly, but I suppose that won't matter if I'm fighting..."

"No, but what might matter is the fact that it's white," laughed Usopp.

"Well, you'll get to see where I'm bleeding from, then," said the man, his mouth twisting uncomfortably at the thought. "Uh, I'd better go to sleep. The room's moving back and forth... g'night, ah, well, good morning..." he said, taking his new garment beneath his arm and departing.

Usopp wasn't sure what he felt towards the potential crewmember. What a curious person, he thought to himself, and turned his concentration once more on the project he'd abandoned the previous night.