Slowly Usopp gained conscious, he was laying up against some-thing.. slowly Usopp opened his eyes and saw a fire burning in front of him. It had become night-time on the island as the fire was the only thing lightening up inside of the forest, Usopp squinted his eyes as he tried to gain a little more clearance.
A man was bowing over the fire, poking to it with a stick. He was middle aged, around Usopp's own height and build, had tanned skin, fish lips and blond dreadlocks.. who?
Then suddenly Usopp's memories were all returned and every-thing became clear as Usopp starred at the man. Even had to admit, that man looked an awful lot like him. They had the same skin tone, the same head-shape, eyes, mouth. Usopp could only guess what the mans hair would look like naturally, but judging from his darker skin tone and his eye-brows, he was probably naturally black haired.
Could this really be? Was that even possible? Was Usopp looking at his own father in the flesh? Suddenly Usopp's stomach started complaining loudly making Usopp his at it and Yasopp turn his head.
"Oh so you are awake boy." Yasopp noted.
"I told you, I'm an adult, so please stop calling me that." Usopp mumbled annoyed covering his stomach with his arms as to try and hide his own gnarling hunger.
"Pff, does adults need looking after?" Yasopp asked as he rolled his eyes.
"Pff, I Havn't needed to be looked after since I was seven." Usopp returned both mocking Yasopp's tone and making the sentence even more dry than Yasopp's, as he leaned back against the tree looking around. "Does this island have any eats?" he tried to ask as casually as possible.
Yasopp rolled his eye. "If I hadn't you to drag I would have been home on my ship having a feast." He snorted "Take a biscuit if you are that desperate." He muttered throwing a biscuit at Usopp, whom grabbed it in midair.
Any-one whom whom had sailed on the sea for just a little bit knew that the sea biscuit was just the worst! You always had them onboard because they would be eatable for an infinite amount of time, and if all other food had become spoiled or rotten, at least the crew wouldn't have to starve as long as there were biscuits.. the biscuits that tasted of absolutely nothing, were so hard that teethes had been known to fall out when people tried to bite in them, and had a tendency to stick in the throat thus being impossible to swallow.
But Usopp didn't care about that at all, he was incredible hungry and without a second thought he started to lick the biscuit trying to soften it a little bit before he started to bite in it.
Yasopp lifted an eye. "You must be hungry boy."
Usopp hissed as he was called a boy again and glared at Yasopp. "Of cause I am, I was swimming to this island, and it took me all day! Without any food or water!"
"Swimming?" Yasopp asked. "Why would you do that? you can't be that stupid."
Usopp rolled his eyes as he nippled on his biscuit. "I was thrown over-board doing a storm." He mumbled.
Only to make Yasopp laugh loudly as he held his stomach and fell back. "Thrown over-board!?" he asked in a laugh. "What kind of a sea-man gets thrown over-board!? You must be the lousiest pirate out there!"
Usopp hissed as he stood up glaring at Yasopp. "It wouldn't have happened if I hadn't had to safe my nakamas life!" He exclaimed angrily, then sat down with crossed arms and a pout. "our doctor whom is a devil fruit user was falling over-board, so I had to safe him and as a result ended up in the sea instead of him." He told in a roll of his eyes. "Now I just need to find a way to get to citrus island fast as possible." He mumbled.
"Citrus island?" Yasopp asked.
"That's where we were setting course for." Usopp exclaimed. "They should have arrived there all-ready today, I just have to get there before they leave again!"
"So you keep insising that you are a real pirate huh?" Yasopp asked amused laying down on his side resting his head on his hand looking at Usopp.
"I am a real pirate!" Usopp hissed.
"And insiting being a part of the strawhats as well, nothing less could do it huh?" Yasopp asked making Usopp hiss again. Yasopp sighed as he rolled to his back looking up in the sky. "You know, we under shanks have been following up on that crew as good as we could. I guess we always felt a weird sort of connection to them. Did you know that we all met the captain, Luffy, back when he was nothing but a little sqirt?"
"Yeah.. I know." Usopp told in a deep exhale. "Luffy loves telling about it, he even calls the hat Shanks gave him his most precious treasure."
"Does he now?" Yasopp asked in a yawn. "So you're supposed to be what is behind the mask of the sogeking." He muttered. "How disappointing, but I guess the imagination will never be able to life up to reality."
Usopp pouted deeply annoyed. "Of cause I am sogeking, isn't it obvious? Who else has such a nose?" he asked tapping at his own nose.
"Pff, a long nose is not that unique." Yasopp stated in a shrug. "I've known plenty of people with bigger, longer and prettier noses than you." He told.
"Oh yeah, like your wife perhaps?" Usopp asked grimly… and then immediately regretted it.. it had just come out.
Yasopp as well blinked stunned and looked at Usopp. "What?" he asked.
"AERH.. Nothing! Nothing!" Usopp exclaimed waving his arms in front of him. "It was nothing! Just a dumb saying. Hahaha! Like a wife, we joke like that all of the time among us straw hats!" he exclaimed.
"That's a weird joke." Yasopp mumbled. "don't ever use it on me again." He mumbled in a way so it sounded like an order and then turned around his face away from Usopp.
Usopp sighed deeply as he looked at the man with his back to him, what was wrong with him today? Maybe it all was just a dream, but even so this was his chance to… to finally try and talk to his father at last. Why then did he feel so little? Usopp was sure that if this had been two years ago he would have been static, showering a confused Yasopp with questions all-ready.
But some-how things were different now.. Usopp were different, he realised as he leaned back against his tree finishing his biscuit and licked his fingers.
Two years ago, Usopp had been a boy, a hopeless teen just wanting to one day become a man and meet his father. But now Usopp was a man, and he didn't need to meet his father that bad at all. He had a new family, a family more real to him than his father had ever been. His family whom had lectured him when he did mistakes, praised him when he did things right, fought with him, laughed with him, he had worked with them and learned so much from them. No.. Usopp in reality didn't even need this so much any-longer, he had out-grown his own dream. He was a young man now.
Still though, this was a rather unique opportunity and Usopp would hate himself forever if he didn't at least try, and so Usopp sighed deeply. "Thanks for helping me out." He at last muttered silently.
"Well." Yasopp snorted not turning around so his face was away from Usopp. "We spend a little time together so I feel responsible for you boy." He shrugged. "Remember to drink some water." He mumbled throwing a bottle back at Usopp whom grabbed it in a blink. "And get some sleep boy, we are going to my ship as soon as the sun is up, and I aint carrying you, so get some sleep and be well rested for tomorrow." He demanded.
"-mm, not a boy." Usopp managed to mutter annoyed between gulps of water that he was drinking.
"Sure you aren't." Yasopp smirked rolling around. "What's that tiny thing on your chin? I bet you can't even grow a real beard." He smirked.
"What!?" Usopp gaped. "I can totally grow I beard, this is just a fashion-statement! A manly fashion statement! It's manly!" he defended.
"And I suppose that's what the pony-tail is for as well, looking manly." Yasopp commented in a lifted eye-brow.
"Hmpf." Usopp crossed his arms as he snorted. "Well at least I am not the one bleaching my hair! What's that about!?" he asked.
Yasopp squinted his eyes at Usopp in a challenging manner, then suddenly his mouth broke into a smile as he laughed, genuinely laughed. "Good come-back." He admitted in a laugh.
And the tip of Usopp's mouth just wouldn't stay down either as Yasopp laughed, and he as well ended up snickering, then laughed, laughed together with Yasopp.
"Ah hell, I can't put my finger on it, but you remind me of some-one boy." Yasopp commented as he laid back on his back, using his arms as a pillow of his head. "Just can't but my finger on it right now." He mumbled.
"Not a boy." Usopp mumbled laying down himself on his stomach, resting his head in his arms.
"pff, when you reach my age, all you young adventures seems like kids." Yasopp mumbled. "Beside I refuse to call you Sogeking, it's me whom is the king of snipers, you got that?" he asked. "Don't you have a name boy?" he asked.
"Of cause I do." Usopp murmered in a comfortable blur, half-way back to sleep. "If any-thing, Sogeking was more of an accident than any-thing else. It wont be long now, and people will know of my real name. Just you wait and see." He mumbled.
Yasopp rolled his eyes. "Kids, so filled with big idea." He mumbled rolling over so his face was away from Usopp's again.
"Captain Usopp." Usopp mumbled half in his sleep, but so silently and so blurred that no one heard him at all, and especially not Yasopp whom laid face away to Usopp, yawning deeply that very moment as he tried to get some sleep himself.
"THE PIRATES ARE COMING, THE PIRATES ARE COMING!" Usopp yelled as he ran through time. He was just seven years old, a lanky, almost down-right scrawny young boy.
People around the village were all rolling their eyes at him as Usopp ran through town.
"MOOOM!" Usopp yelled. "The pirates are coming! DAD IS COMING!" he laughed as he reached his own little house and opened the door wide in one swing.
Only to be faced with a dusty house that was completely empty and silent.. oh yeah.. that was right. Mom died, Usopp was alone.
Usopp sank down on his scrawny legs as he looked at the small empty house. "But.. dad was supposed to come." He muttered. "And then every-thing would be great." He muttered burring his head in his knees. "Mom.. one day I'll go to sea and become a real man, just like dad. And I will find him, and then the pirates will be coming back to Syrup village." He whispered.
"YUHUUUU!" a loud laugh sounded beside Usopp. "Don't wait up for it, COME ON! LETS GO!"
Usopp turned around, and saw a young boy with black hair, a red vest and a straw-hat on top of his head as he smiled widely. "Didn't you hear me Usopp, LETS GO!" Luffy laughed in a big grin.
Usopp looked up at the young pirate captain whom sported that big dumb grin of his, Luffy's smile was just so infectious that it was impossible not to be affected by it, and as Usopp reached for Luffys welcoming hand, that was real and was there. Luffy grinned and pulled Usopp up on his legs.
Up where Usopp stood on the deck of the sunny, with the wind in his hair, his kabuto by his side, and a grin on his face as he stood proud on the deck of the sunny.
Chopper was laughing as he jumped Usopp and now held on to the young mans shoulder, Franky as well gave Usopps other shoulder a friendly dash as Brook laughed, Sanji rolled his eyes, Zoro snored away, Robin very simply gave a little smile, Nami looked amused. And then there was the captain, Luffy, whom wrapped an arm around Usopp's shoulder and Usopp returned the favour, wrapping a arm around Luffy's shoulder.
Then they all looked at each other and smirked, before they all faced forward towards their next destination, and all of them yelled together as loudly as they all possible could. "THE PIRATES ARE COOOOMIIIIIIING!"