"SHITTY MARIMO STAND STILL SO I CAN KICK YOU!" Sanji yelled as he jumped up and aimed a flaming kick at the swords man.
Zoro though exhaled, even smirked as under his breath came one single world. "Finally." and then he drew his swords, and parried Sanjis kick. Then pushed the kick away, and thus Sanji.
"IS THAT ALL YOU CAN DO SHIT-COOK!?" Zoro yelled. "I knew you were weak but this is surprising!"
"NANI!?" Sanji exclaimed.
"You want to hear again what I called you before?" Zoro asked. "Queer! That's what I am going to call you now, Queer-cook!"
"I TOLD YOU NEVER TO SAY THAT WORD IN MY PRESENCE AGAIN!" Sanji roared as he ran backwards, as if to take a prober sprint.
"That's right." Zoro whispered under his breath. "Come and get me big guy, come on." He smirked, getting his swords ready.
And then Sanji came running, faster and faster, before he leaped up, and forced a kick down towards Zoro, and Zoro brought out his swords, two of them.
"FUCKING MOSS-BRAIN!?" Sanji roared as he kicked.
"Is that really all you can ever come up with?" Zoro asked. "Marimo and Moss-head is pretty old by now." He pointed out. "I got green hair, haha, how original, dart-brow." He mocked.
"ONE-EYED FREAK!" Sanji then yelled, kicking ones again.
"Hmm." Zoro merely murmured, parrying Sanjis kick.
"UGLY GOLEM! SCAR-FACE! DRUNK-HEAD!" Sanji yelled, kicking more and more fiercely with each word.
"You are getting sloppy in your aim." Zoro pointed out, merely turning his head to avoid a kick. "What is it really you want to say huh?" he asked with squinted eyes. "Or are you to chicken?" he asked.
And suddenly, Sanji roared as he kicked down. "ARGHHHHH!"
Zoro blinked, suddenly surprised as he had to dodge quickly, and then quickly had to raise his swords to parry the flaming kicks, then he found himself surprised as he was driven more and more backwards, and Sanji red-faced and angry, kept raining kicks down on him.
And Suddenly, Zoro couldn't get any further as he was pressed up against the wall, and Sanji made an extra spinning kick.
Zoro raised his swords to parry ones again, realising he soon maybe wouldn't have any choice but to actually attack, though that hadn't been the plan, and then suddenly, his swords were kicked out of his hands, and Sanji grabbed the front of Zoro's robe, pressing the swords-man against the wall.
"YOU FUCKING COLD PIECE OF SHIT!" Sanji roared.
Zoro merely looked coldly at Sanji, not winching the tiniest bit, just looked straight back at Sanji with a straight face.
"Our Nakama is DYING in the next room! And how do you take it!?" Sanji asked. "Just walk around doing your shit, as if NOTHING is wrong!" he exclaimed. "How do you keep on sleeping all day!? WHAT ARE YOU FUCKING MADE OFF!?" he asked.
Still Zoro didn't answer, just looked at Sanji, with those stern eyes of his.
Then suddenly, the tears started to escape Sanjis eyes, and he sniffed. "Fuck." He hissed jerking his head away. "SHIT!" he then exclaimed, wiping his eyes, but there was no helping it, the tears wouldn't stop! They just kept on coming.
"Don't get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing fair about this." Zoro stated. "But no matter what happens, we need to go on, we are a wanted ship in the new world, and there are more people here we need to keep safe." He stated. "I cannot allow this to break us."
Sanji hissed. "Usopp could die!" he spat out.
"Then he'll die, and there is nothing more we could do about it." Zoro stated. "We are doing all that we can, every single last little bit. And he is to, Usopp is not weak, he is a brave warrior of the sea, he would not want to go out being surrounded by pity." He told, placing a firm hand on Sanjis shoulder. And surprised Sanji noticed, that Zoro's grip was tight, and his hand lightly shaking, his fingers were burring into Sanjis shoulder, making Sanji gasp slightly from the pain.
Then Sanji met Zoro's eye, which made him swallow a little scared, Zoro's eye seemed to be burning with a inner angry flame.. the swords-man was furious, and very emotional. But behind it all, was an iron will, an iron will that would go on, and do what he had to do to protect this crew, even if it was from themselves.
Then Sanji, felt all of the energy leave him, as he exhaled deeply and lowered his head.
Zoro's hand as well grew limp, and he removed his hand, as Sanji sniffed, trying to wipe his eyes from the tears that wouldn't stop.
Zoro didn't say any-thing, no mocking words, no nothing, he just stood there as he let the cook cry.
For quite some time, then finally, Sanji raised his head, and wiped away the last bit of tears. "Fuck you moss-brain." He then stated. "I'm late now, I'm supposed to cook dinner." He muttered. "Always assuming I got the time to spare, well we don't all have the time to lay around sleeping all day, baka." He stated turning his back to Zoro as he walked away.
Zoro merely looked after the cook, noticing that Sanji weren't even headed for the galley, but rather he seemed to be aiming for the mens quarters, as he was pulling out a new cigarette, a place where it would be less likely for people to come looking for him.
Then Zoro exhaled deeply, before he aimed towards his own sanctuary, his training room in the crows-nest, and started to climb the tall mast.
As Robin tried to take a short glance inside of the infirmary, it was a huge cyborg sitting by the snipers side, replacing the bag of ice on Usopp's chest, before he looked up and met Robins eyes. "Evening." He greeted, before he went back to work.
Robin took that as a sign that she was welcome and stepped in to slowly close the door behind her.
In spite of now having ice placed all around him, and was being put in a tub of lukewarm to cold water every-day, Usopp were still soaked in sweat, and hat that burning redness over him.
There was now several small braids in Usopp's hair, made by Nami, and it was all collected in a tight horse-tail.
As Usopp hoarsely breathed in and out.
"You're very protective of Usopp-san." Robin softly pointed out to Franky.
"And you're not?" Franky asked with a slightly lifted eye-brow looking at Robin.
Robin smiled lightly, and took the other chair in front of Franky. "I don't want to see any of my children get hurt." She told. "They can be very irresponsible you know."
Franky smiled amused. "I guess, most of this crew actually are pretty young. It's easy to forget some-time." He pointed out. "How old is Usopp any-way now?" he asked looking at the sniper. "Early twenties?" he asked.
"Nineteen." Robin informed in a deep sigh.
"That young?" Franky blinked. "He really is a child.." then he sighed. "Well, that's just makes it seem even more unfair doesn't it?"
"Things in life are rarely fair." Robin pointed out, then slowly she stood up, only to lift Usopp's head with both her hands, take place in the bed, and let Usopp rest in her lap, where she could hold him, closing her eyes. "Baka." She mumbled.
Franky looked at Robin, then at Usopp, then he sighed deeply looking away, a little embarrassed over this situation.
"You two certainly has become very close very quickly." Robin then pointed out, fingering with Usopp's black locks. "He adores you."
"Well, he has a big heart that longnose." Franky smirked. "I'm grateful he would give me that chance, I guess.. I never stopped feeling a little responsible for him."
"You accidently hurt him didn't you?" Robin asked. "I never exactly found out what happened at water-seven, the crew doesn't seem like they want to talk about it."
"Well.. I wouldn't call it an accident exactly." Franky blushed deeply. "I erhm.. heh. I used to make my money by robbing pirates, and wrecking their ships to sell what-ever was left as scrap in my junk-yard, and well.. erh.." very embarrassed Franky poked together two fingers.
Suddenly this group of overconfident youngsters came along, carrying around huge stacks of money, we just waited for one of them to get separated from the rest, and then well.. hehe." He laughed nervously. "Then he showed up a few hours after at my work-shop, all alone, challenging my entire family to get the money back for his beloved ship." Franky sighed deeply leaning his head in his hand. "I wonder what he was thinking, he knew that saving Merry was a battle he all-ready lost, he knew going to the Franky-house and challenging all of us was a battle he couldn't win.. next time I saw him he had fought Luffy, another battle he would never have been able to win. But he gave it his all any-way.. each and every single time."
"Rather fight than submit, even of the odds are impossible." Robin nodded slightly. "It makes sense.. thank goodness." She sighed.
Franky lifted an eye-brow.
"If I weren't sure before, I am now." Robin told. "He is fighting for us." She told looking down at Usopp's face, that retrieved into a grimace. "And for himself."
"Yeah." Franky admitted in a smile sigh and a little smile. "And then he went straight after you on top of every-thing. He must have been mad!" he stated. "He's a special kid, I'm so glad I got to know him, what-ever happens. Are you allowed to be proud of some-one, even though you met by beating him up and taking his money?"
Robin glanced at Franky. "I think.." she hesitated. "That you have all the right to be proud of your nakama." She told.
And Franky nodded, solemnly, offering Robin a little smile, which Robin returned, in their little shared moment of understanding.
In the evening, the tall, living Skeleton, decided to come and look a little over the sniper, from out-side, he laid his hand on the door handle, and carefully opened, only to stand back in awe.
A most peculiar sight met him inside, some-one was in there with Usopp, but not any-one Brook knew!
It looked like a none-corporal being, completely made out of light, sort of like a human, with head, arms, hands and legs, wearing a heavy coat with a hood, also made out of light, that covered the beings face.
It was holding Usopp close, I an embrace, leaning its head over Usopp as small sniffles sounded, and small tears, made out of light, fell down the beings cheek and chin, down on Usopp's face, where they slowly faded away, as they were made out of light and not water.
Brook had absolutely no idea what to say or do, he had no idea what it was he was seeing.
But.. some-how, the spirit looked very genuine, and very friendly..
Brook swallowed, as he slowly backed out, and silently closed the door after him.
Then looked at the closed door in front of him.
Maybe one of the other straw-hats knew.. what sort of spirit, could be so attached to Usopp that it would appear and mourn over him, holding him like that.
Brook had the sense he had just witnessed some-thing very rare, very unique and very special. "I wonder.." Brook hesitated, then shrugged as he walked towards the railing, looked at the vast dark waves, and pulled up his violin, to play a soft tune, the thing he knew how to do best.
