Robin and Yasopp, not having Nami's weather foresight, found themselves caught in the midst of a treacherous storm. Rain pelted them, and the fierce wind made it difficult for them to see or move the Mini Merry. Violent waves emerged, rising taller and mightier with each passing moment, leaving them at the sea's mercy. The waves crashed over the sides, drenching everything in their path and tossing the vessel around as if it were a mere toy.
Yasopp grabbed onto Robin, winding a strong arm around her waist and pulling her to him to keep her from falling into the water. The howling winds roared past their ears like fearsome beasts, tearing at their clothes and causing Mini Merry to almost topple with the impact of the colossal waves.
Despite the onslaught, Mini Merry proved itself to be a fighter, just like its predecessor. Between Yasopp and Robin, they were able to move through the tumultuous waters, steering it away from the most dangerous crests and troughs, only slightly veering off course.
They were exhausted, panting and shivering, as the storm began to lose intensity after several hours, and the rain lessened to a drizzle. Several miles ahead, they could see the Thousand Sunny and Red Force bobbing in the middle of the ocean, lurching forward and pulling back with the stormy waves.
Yasopp urged the Mini Merry on towards the ships, eager to reunite with their crews and present the flower to them.
However, no cheers met their arrival—only dead silence.
The Thousand Sunny was enveloped in sorry and uncertainty as Chopper, Law, and Hongo delivered the grim news to the crews gathered on the rain-logged deck of the Sunny to hear the update on Usopp's health.
"I…" Chopper took a deep breath. "Usopp's condition has significantly worsened. We fear that Usopp may only have a few hours left."
Nami held a shaky hand to her mouth, shaking her head. Her trembling lips emitted silent sobs as the weight of the news bore down on her heart, breaking at the news of her friend's prognosis.
Zoro and Sanji closed their eyes tightly, each taking several deep breaths to keep themselves from lashing out. Luffy's expression shuttered, and he shook his head. He closed his eyes tightly, fists and teeth clenching as tears welled up in his eyes.
Franky's devastated cries echoed through the deck, and Penguin and Shachi had turned their backs on the group, quickly leaving the ship and running into the Polar Tang, the latch of the submarine slamming shut behind them.
"We have the flower," Yasopp said desperately. "It'll work. It has to work." he pleaded, his voice trembling from the impact of his emotions.
"We will try," Chopper said.
"However, it would not go remiss if you began saying your goodbyes. All of you," Law said as he walked up to Yasopp and took the waterlogged flower from his shaking hands. He motioned with his head towards the Red Force, "Hongo, we will do this in your Medical Bay." Chopper and Hongo followed Law onto the ship, leaving the three crews to stand in silence on the deck.
An hour later, the three doctors emerged from Hongo's office and slowly made their way onto the Thousand Sunny, despite the fact that all three of the crews had been mingling on the decks of the Red Force and Sunny, picking at the food the cooks of the crews had put together, it was silent.
With a knock, the doctors entered the Sick Bay. They were greeted by the sight of Luffy sitting in the bed with Usopp, his back against the wall and his face still blank of any expression. Yasopp was sitting in a chair beside the bed, looking exhausted.
Chopper switched out IV he had Usopp on with the medicine they created and stepped back with a sigh.
"What do we do now, Chopper?" Luffy asked quietly, his eyes never leaving Usopp's face.
"We wait."
And wait, they had. Time seemed to stand still, every second feeling like an eternity. An hour tolled, and hope began to fade as Usopp's condition showed no improvement, the beeping of the machines becoming farther and fewer between.
It had happened so slowly at first that no one had noticed, but slowly Usopp's breathing had steadied, and his vitals began stabilising.
"It's working!" Chopper exclaimed, gaining the attention of those loitering by the doors. "He's responding."
Luffy giggled, wiping the tears in his eyes with the heel of his hand, "I knew you could do it!"
Yasopp's own eyes welled up with tears as he watched Usopp slowly begin to regain consciousness. "Usopp," he whispered.
Usopp's eyes fluttered open, and he weakly smiled at his father, "Dad… you made it…"
~o0o~
Several hours later saw Usopp sitting on the edge of the bed in the Sick Bay, a pained expression on his face as he faced Sanji and Luffy. Luffy hadn't left his side since Usopp woke, instead sending every other person out of the room when it was time for someone else to visit. When asked, he would merely shrug and say 'I'm the Captain." No one argued except for Yasopp, but he was soon dragged away to change his still-damp clothes and for each dinner.
He eyed the bandages on Luffy's neck and turned to Sanji. Although he didn't know where exactly he had hurt Sanji, he knew that he had. "I'm so sorry." His voice trembled, flush with guilt. "Please forgive me."
Tears welled in his eyes as he continued to watch them. He couldn't believe that he had hurt them, especially when they had always been there to protect him.
"You were sick. There's nothing to forgive," Sanji said.
"Aw, Usopp, don't cry!" Luffy said, cocking his head. "We aren't as badly injured as we look, and we know you didn't mean it."
Sanji nudged Usopp's leg, "We've been through much worse and are still standing, yeah? No shitty spoon is going to end us."
"I attacked you with a spoon!?" Usopp asked incredulously, wiping the tears on his cheeks away.
"You were vicious. Quite an interesting sight," Zoro said with a smirk. "You almost took out my other eye."
"I did not!" Usopp said, scandalised.
"It's true," Sanji said, leaning back and pulling up his slack leg to show Usopp his calf. "It's how I got stabbed here."
"Oh, God," Usopp groaned, throwing himself back against his pillow and hiding his face in the crook of his arm. "Next, you'll tell me I almost threw Nami off the ship."
"Well, not Nami…" Sanji said, amusement in his voice.
"Not Chopper, surely?"
"Nope."
"Brook? I know his music pisses me off sometimes."
The Monster Trio burst into laughter, the three shaking their heads. "No, you tried to jump ship, but Luffy caught you."
Usopp took a deep breath and closed his eyes, "I think I remember that. Or… some of it? I remember seeing Luffy…"
"And then you stabbed me in the neck!"
Usopp flopped over and hid his face in his pillow, wanting nothing more but to hide away and gather his thoughts. "Go away!" he mumbled, his voice muffled by the cushion.
Luffy paid no heed to Usopp's request and plopped on him, causing the other to grunt in discomfort. "Awesome, nap time. I'm exhausted." He laid his head on Usopp's back and waved his hand dismissively at the others. "Nap time," he proclaimed again.
Zoro and Sanji exchanged amused glances. They couldn't help but smile at each other and roll their eyes in mock exasperation. Recognising what Luffy wanted, they decided to leave them for bonding time.
In the serene silence that followed, Usopp found himself torn between annoyance and gratitude. He was irritated at Luffy's continuous lack of disregard for personal space, but he couldn't deny the comfort of having his friend close. He sighed heavily and shifted into a more comfortable position before relaxing, allowing himself to fall asleep.
~o0o~
Two days later saw Yasopp and Usopp sitting in the Sick Bay. Yasopp held Usopp's hand as they talked about Banchina and caught up on what each of them had been doing since Yasopp's fateful departure from Syrup.
They had been sitting in comfortable silence for about ten minutes when there was a knock on the Sick Bay door. "Come in," Usopp called. Not surprised when Shanks entered the room.
Usopp eyed him wearily as the Captain approached them, a warm smile on his face.
"Yasopp, it's time to go," he said, his voice gentle but firm.
Yasopp looked at Shanks, torn between his duty as a member of Shanks' crew and his love for his son. "I... I don't want to leave Usopp," he admitted, his voice filled with emotion.
Shanks placed a reassuring hand on Yasopp's shoulder. "I understand, Yasopp. But your place is with us. Adventures still await you."
"It's okay, Dad. I'll be fine. I've my crew."
"Of course… just… take care of yourself, Usopp," Yasopp said, his voice betraying the depth of his emotions. He reached out, trembling slightly and gently cupping Usopp's cheek as if trying to convey a lifetime of love and pride in that single touch.
Despite the storm of emotions that swirled within him, Usopp tried to maintain a brave face. His eyes met Yasopp's, and a flicker of understanding passed between them. He knew they were not having a 'farewell' that was much too permanent. They were merely beginning a new chapter in both of their lives. They would see each other again.
"I will, Dad," he replied after a moment, his voice steady, determined to stand tall in the face of their impending second separation. "Let's make sure we don't go so long between goodbyes again, yeah?"
He wanted to ask if he could send his father letters to stay in touch. He had so much he could learn from Yasopp, so many things he wanted to hear about his adventures. But he held his tongue, not wanting to seem like a nuisance.
Usopp wrapped his arms around his father's neck, pulling him into a hug. Yasopp, choking back tears, returned the hug with equal fervour. He held onto Usopp, savouring the last moments of their embrace. "I am so proud of you," Yasopp whispered, pressing a kiss to Usopp's temple. "I can't wait to see what you do next."
Usopp choked back a sob and nodded, "You too. I can't wait to see what you do as well."
Standing, he led Yasopp and Shanks to the deck where everyone else was gathered, unable to stand being in the room much longer. He stood on the deck, nestled between Luffy and Nami, as they watched the Red Force begin to depart as Shanks and Yasopp boarded.
"Oi, Shanks!" Luffy called, "I'll see you on the other side!"
Shanks laughed, "You might be getting stronger, Anchor, but you are still no match for me!"
"I could beat you now! I'm just giving you a chance to get to Laugh Tale before me!" Luffy called after him, voice full of conviction, his grin widening.
"Not on your life, Anchor!"
Luffy merely grinned and waved goodbye, Usopp following his motion and waving goodbye to his father.
"Keep in touch, Usopp! Weekly!"
Usopp beamed at his father's request. "Weekly!" he agreed readily.
Yasopp chuckled, his smile slipping off his face as he suddenly stumbled, reaching out to grab Shanks' shoulder for support.
"Yasopp, what's wrong?" Shanks asked, turning his head to see what was wrong with his friend.
"I… I can't see."
And... that's all she wrote.
It was been NINE years since I started this project (I deleted it originally in 2016 and started it back up in 2018). There were a lot of highs and lows. I had to go on hiatus due to extreme depression.
A lot of you have been here with me since the very beginning. Thank you SO MUCH for all of the support. Words cannot explain how much gratitude I have for your support.
Happy (belated) Birthday, Yasopp
I wish you all the best.
Chandlure