Summary: During the fight between Luffy and Usopp, a slight miscalculation causes more damage than anyone would have expected. This time around maybe things won't be fixed so easily.

Characters: Luffy, Usopp, Strawhats

A/N: Look at that... I have nothing to say. Oh! Well, one thing. Check the bottom note for it, though. Thanks :)

BURNING TREASURES

None of them could believe it. This just couldn't be happening. The best of friends, who always goofed around on the ship, cared for each other and supported one another even when it was hard or scary… they were now facing off in a duel. A cruel, merciless duel. It wasn't a joke, it wasn't a game. It was a fight between mean where the stakes were too high and the implications unbearable. Usopp had actually challenged his own captain to a duel and effectively left the crew. What the hell were they thinking?

The fight was quite one-sided but surprisingly enough it was Usopp's side that was controlling it. Hitting Luffy with simple, unconventional yet extremely effective attacks, he never gave him a chance to fight back. Even so, he knew how stubborn and how strong the young captain was and for once he didn't let his apparent success get into his head. He kept calm, deadly serious and when he saw that Luffy had found an opening to hit him, he prepared his next attack.

His aim however, was a bit off.

"Flame Star!"

That is not to say he did not hit Luffy.

"NO!"

He just hit something he really really shouldn't have.

"Oh… my God."

Nami had known from the beginning that this was going to end bad. She could have never imagined this. Usopp… How could you?

Chopper was bawling next to her and to be fair, the two usually stoic men of the crew seemed unnerved as well. Zoro was slightly shaking, whether from anger or from shock nobody knew.

Luffy was frantic, eyes wide with panic and surprise, desperately trying to put out the fire. This can't be happening, his mind was yelling at him. THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING. No. STOP.

And Usopp, the reason for all this, was staring at what he had done, guilty and appalled, stubbornly refusing to believe any of it. It didn't matter how mad he had been at Luffy, he would never… "Luffy…" It was an accident. "Luffy, I didn't mean to…" What have I done? "I'm so sorry."

The raven-haired man fell to his knees in defeat, his obsidian eyes taking in the sight in front of him. His whole frame was shaking, but he refused to cry. Not yet.

On the ground in front of him was his very own straw hat. The one Shanks had given him. Only now… a large part of it was black and charred. Another was just gone.

"Not even Nami can fix this," Luffy whispered brokenly, the first of his tears lonely sliding down his cheek.

His nakama, no, his opponent, was by now terrified. Terrified of what he had done, of how much he had broken the boy and just how mad he was going to be at him. No one got away with damaging that straw hat and Usopp had… practically destroyed it.

Despite everything, when Luffy looked up, his eyes weren't screaming rage. They were filled with a deep, heart-breaking understanding that made Usopp's stomach twist with guilt.

"Usopp… I'm sorry," he said, his lips forming a shaky smile.

"What in the world are you sorry for?" Usopp muttered incredulously.

A bitter laugh left the young captain's mouth. It hurt to hear. It sounded wrong. So painfully wrong. "I get it now. I do. Merry… she's your treasure. And I… I decided by myself what to do with her. I had no right to do that. Thanks for reminding me what that's like, I guess…"

He stood up slowly and picked his charred treasure from the ground, flinching when a part of it fell off. "Shit…" he muttered, his teeth tearing at his lower lip to halt the tears.

"Luffy, I didn't do it on purpose!" Usopp yelled, his eyes wide with shock. How could he even think that? He would never, he would never do this to Luffy. No matter what.

"Take the Merry. I was planning on giving it to you anyway, whatever the outcome. Just wait until we pack our things."

"Luffy!" He tried again, but was once more ignored.

The man, who looked so much like a boy right at that moment, kept walking towards the ship, back turned to him, the fight all but forgotten. Even from the distance that was now between them, Usopp could see how much Luffy was trembling, the tears most likely now flowing freely. Nami was saying something he couldn't hear, probably an attempt to comfort the grieving captain. She looked shell-shocked herself, desperately trying to keep her composure. And when he looked over to the Merry, he could've sworn he saw her crying.

She wouldn't have wanted this.

Usopp loved the ship. He loved Merry so much. He was the one who fixed her every time she broke, who yelled at the rest when they damaged her, who was willing to defy the person he owed everything to for her. Yet seeing what he had done to his nakama, to Luffy, he wondered if it was all truly worth this.

She wouldn't have wanted this.

How had Usopp been foolish enough to believe that she would have?

A/N: I'm a jerk. I'm such a jerk. Anyway, I need to tell you I won't be updating for a while so, check out my profile for the details!
Please leave a review before you go (this story has been steadily losing reviewers... )!