Initial Phase: Five Days Later

Usopp sighed, the sound carrying his vexation across the dining area, but none of his crew mates noticed. His long thin fingers tapped absentmindedly against the green cloth adoring the table as he looked down at his drawing in his lap, eyebrows knitted together in concentration. He frowned and tilted his head to the side as he glared at the drawing of his mother. It showed her, as she was, right before she got ill, and he had been working on it for the better part of the day. To the naked eye, it looked finished, but to Usopp, he knew something was missing from the piece. Slowly, his eyes roved down the page, but no matter where he looked, or how critically, he could not pinpoint the problem. A surge of anger ran though him, and he let a harsh breath out, slapping the pads cover shut and carelessly slipping his pencil into his hair.

He pulled his googles off his head, placed them beside his dinner plate, and leaned back tiredly while shaking his head. If the picture was missing something and Usopp could not find it, that meant he forgot something about his mother and that did not bode well with him. He breathed heavily through his nostrils and leaned forward to rest his chin on his hand. Leant to the side, he was able to catch sight of clouds happily floating in the sky through the kitchen window. He gave himself a moment to study them, but even the whimsical shapes did nothing to improve his mood.

He was startled from his reverie by the sound of his fork scraping against his plate and falling to the floor. He huffed and turned in his chair to glare at Luffy. The Straw-Hat Captain was eyeing Usopp's last potato as if it were a juicy steak, the remnants of Usopp's chicken hanging from his mouth. His long rubber arm was stretched, slowly inching towards its goal. "Hey!" Luffy exclaimed, his black eyes glaring into Usopp's own when the Sniper suddenly rose from his position, sketchbook in hand and shoved the rest of the potato into his mouth. Usopp's reflexes have become infinitely better since joining the Straw Hats'. Had they not, he would not eat. Well... he would not eat a lot at any rate.

Usopp left his sketch pad beside his goggles on the island and began to gather the dishes and cups from the other members, placing them in a basin at the foot of the table. In the background, he could hear Sanji giving Luffy a resounding 'I said 'no', Shit-Captain!' when asked for more food. Chopper was sat beside Nami happily finishing off the rest of his meal, away from the prying hands of Luffy. Bits of potato, corn and carrot stuck to his fur along with some of the gravy that accompanied their meat, but he was smiling as if he had just been given the world's biggest supply of cotton candy.

Usopp patted the young reindeer's hat as he passed by, shoving a bread-stick in his mouth as he went for more of the dirty dishes. "Guys, why don't we go look for those Nargles I told you about last week? A few of my markers went missing and I suspect that they are behind it." He could not help but chuckle and Luffy and Chopper's elation. Sometimes it was just too easy to keep them entertained.

"Hey, Usopp, do you think that the Nargles could've been responsible for the lotion I've misplaced?" Chopper asked innocently, before taking a tentative lick at his hooves.

Out of the corner of his eye, Usopp caught Sanji's reaction. While he reached for Brooke's plate, he watched suspiciously as the Cook's cheeks began to take on a fevered appearance. The Sniper raised an eyebrow in a way that said, 'are you serious?' before he snorted and shook his head, placing the last pieces of dinnerware in the bucket to be washed.

"Yeah, Chopper, I am sure the Nargles are the ones responsible for that." His voice was layered with sarcasm, which earned him a glare from the guilty party, but Chopper did not seem to notice. He merely nodded his head as he began to think about where the Nargles could have taken his lotion to.

Usopp shook his head and took the bucket in his hands past the serving island and into the dimly lit kitchen. He hung a right and placed the bucket beside the sink, and slid over, reaching across to turn on the tap.

Over the dish drying rack hung several dish towels, partially stiff. He took the closest one to him, running it under the tap. Turning the tap off, he rung out the rag and grabbed the crumb shovel from its place under the sink and walked back over to the dining area. Everyone else had already stepped outside, but he knew that Sanji would be back in after he had his afternoon smoke.

Usopp allowed his thoughts to wander while he wiped off the table, careful to get the crumbs into the shovel. When finished, he gave the chairs the same treatment. As he was working on the last chair, the door to the kitchen opened, and Sanji walked through. The Cook stopped short when he noticed that Usopp was there as well. "You didn't have to clean up," he said. Despite those words, he looked very appreciative.

The younger boy shrugged, and slowly made his way back to the kitchen. He passed the sink and dropped the rag there on the way to the trashcan. "It's fine. I like to clean when I have something to think about."

Sanji took his place by the sink and turned on the tap, rinsing off the rag and replacing it on its hook. "Want to talk about it?" He plugged up the drain and began to run water in the sink and swirling soap in so that suds would appear.

Usopp tapped the crumb sweeper over the trash and allowed the crumbs to fall in before kicking the can back under the counter and placing the crumb shovel back on the hook. He hip-checked the door and leaned back against the counter, blowing bangs out of his face, and crossed his arms over his chest. "I think I am beginning to forget, and I don't like it."

Sanji frowned, reaching over to turn off the tap. He pushed his bangs out of his eyes and turned his attention to Usopp, leaning his hip against the counter. "What are you talking about?"

"My mother."

"Oh," Sanji let out a breath and nodded to himself, "it happens."

"Well, I don't like it. All I have left of my mother are memories, once I forget, well, then she really will be gone, wouldn't she?"

Sanji breathed through his nose and turned back towards the sink. He reached over and took a couple dishes from the bin and placed them in the soapy water. "Come here and help me with the dishes while I tell you a story." Usopp pushed himself off the counter and walked over to where Sanji was, taking a dry dish towel in hand.

"I come from a family with 5 children. There is my older sister Reiju, and then came me and my brothers, quadruplets, with me third in line to be King of Germa Kingdom. My father, wanting his own little personal army, gave us genetic enhancements, in the hope that we would develop superhuman abilities. He forced my mother to undergo surgery to make the enhancements happen invitro, it was extremely painful for her. My mother, because she loved all of us dearly and thought that we should grow up to be normal humans, with normal emotions, did everything she could to stop the enhancements effects on us. She even went as far as to take a drug to counteract the surgery my father had forced her through, putting herself through even more pain."

Sanji handed him the dish he had been washing, and reached into the water for another one, "in the end, however, the drug only affected me, and it weakened my mother to the point where it eventually took her life. For the longest time before she died, she had been bedridden in our medical ward. Reiju, and I would visit her from time to time. To cheer her up, I once brought her a meal that I prepared. At that time, I was horrible at cooking, but she ate it so happily, and said it was delicious. That was one of the last times I saw her. She had died not too long after. In many ways, she is the reason I became a cook, I wanted to become a great chef for her."

Sanji fell silent for a moment, his visible eye shining with unshed tears. He cleared his throat before continuing. "Unfortunately, right after my mother died is when my father began to train my brothers and myself. They excelled in their training and they evolved, I did not. Due to the drug my mother took, I stayed human and could not do the extraordinary feats my brothers could. It made me a target and they bullied me relentlessly. Father never stopped it, he hated that I was so weak."

Usopp scowled, "that's ridiculous, you aren't weak at all!" He took the next dish from Sanji and dried it angrily, keeping his eyes on the plate.

Sanji smiled sadly, "to him, I was. One day, he caught me feeding a rat in my room, he had become somewhat of a pet of mine. He yelled at me and told me that I needed to stop cooking and start training harder if I wanted to catch up with my brothers. He threw my food and rat out of my bedroom window. However, I tried my best, I trained hard- it was never enough. It would never have been enough. My only reprieve was Reiju, who would often tend to my injuries after.

"My father, one he realized that I would never be able to live up to what he wanted, decided to erase my existence completely. He shoved an iron mask on me and threw me in the dungeon." Sanji gave a harsh laugh, "even threw a funeral for me, and said I died in a tragic accident."

Usopp sucked in a breath and worried his lip, taking another dish from Sanji and drying it quickly before placing it on the rack with the others. They stayed quiet for what seemed like an eternity for Usopp, washing and drying the dishes. It was only after the last dish was washed and Sanji moved on to the cups and Usopp had moved to place the dishes back in their respective cabinet that Sanji continued his story.

"I have no clue how long I was stuck in that dungeon, all I knew was that the mask would come off for me to eat, and then it would come back on. Thankfully, I was able to get some books while I was down there, and that was how I learned about the All Blue. It was my one reprieve from it all.

"Somehow my brothers found out about me, they must have heard the guards talking or something, and they came down to 'practice' on me every chance they got. Reiju, she came down and helped me when I was hurt, but she made it clear she was not on my side. I don't blame her, self-preservation on her part was a smart move. She still needed to live in the castle and was under my father's command.

Eventually, around the sixth month of me being down there, the Kingdom traveled from the Red Sea into the East Blue. When I found out, I told my sister that I wanted to escape and become a chef. My sister, kind in many ways but hid it so well, broke me free and allowed me to escape." Sanji let out a harsh laugh, "and would you know it. I ran into my father as I was escaping."

"You were okay though, you are here." Usopp said quietly, his heart squeezing in his chest. "You got away."

"He let me get away."

"After all he went through to make believe you were dead?"

"All he wanted was that I never mention the family I came from, fair enough." Sanji snorted. "I escaped onto a ship known as the 'Orbit' and wound up working on there for two years before the Old Geezer and his crew attacked the ship. Both ships wind up going under in an intense storm, and the rest, well, is history I suppose." Sanji's hands had stopped washing the cups and were merely lying in the soapy water as he spoke. He looked so sad and vulnerable in that moment that Usopp could not help but want to give him some form of comfort.

Usopp put down the dish rag and reached into the water to take Sanji's hand but felt awkward and merely laid his hand beside Sanji's. It did seem to have the desired effect since Sanji smiled, much to Usopp's immense relief.

"Anyway, the point of the story is that my mother died when I was very young. At times I would just sit down and write down what I remember about her. I have so much trouble remembering- a mixture of time and trauma, I think." Sanji took a deep breath and rubbed his hand over Usopp's quickly before picking up the cup he dropped and going back to cleaning. Usopp took his hand from the water and dried it on the rag before accepting the cup.

"I found a technique recently that seems to help. I have trouble remembering details when I try to force myself to remember. Try to remember her face off hand, her voice - it is near impossible. However, I have photographs of her up in my locker and sometimes during night watch, I take them out and look at them. When I am relaxed and just stare at the photos for a bit I can remember almost everything. The sound of her voice, her smell- it is as if I never left."

"Do you think that would work for me?" Usopp asked hopefully, taking the last cup from Sanji and grabbing the others to place them on the cup holder near where Sanji made coffee and tea. "I have been working on a picture of my mother, but something is missing- I can't put my finger on it and it's bothering me so much. I've never had this much trouble before."

"Why don't you come spend night watch with me tomorrow and we can try it?" Sanji suggested while dumping the eating utensils into the soapy water.

"I'd like that," Usopp said brightly, smiling widely at the older boy.

Sanji grabbed the rag before Usopp could pick it up again and began to shoo him away from the kitchen. "Now go find those Nargles with Luffy and Chopper. I have stuff to finish in here and you are only in the way!"

"Hey!" Usopp pouted, causing Sanji to smile brightly.

"Go! Have fun, I am almost done anyway and then I will be out with an afternoon snack for you guys."

"Okay, fine, I'm going." Usopp raised his hands in the air and turned, making his way out of the kitchen. He paused only when he got to the door to look back at his friend, studying the blonde, who had gone back to doing the rest of the dishes. Sanji's fringe hung in front of his eyes and he whistled a soft tune to himself as he worked, bobbing his head slightly. "Oi, Sanji."

Sanji's head whipped up, not realizing that the younger boy was still with him in the galley. "Yeah, Usopp?"

"Thank you." Usopp pushed the door the rest of the way and walked through, leaving a chuckling Sanji alone.

Sanji placed the last of the utensils in the dish rack before rubbing his hands on his apron. He took off the apron, placing it on its hook. When he went for his inventory book he noticed that 9t was not in its normal place. Frowning, he scanned the kitchen looking for his book. He finally spotted it on the island next to Usopp's abandoned sketchpad and goggles. He hummed to himself before walking over to the island to grab his book. He paused, his eyes catching Usopp's sketchbook. Sanji knew it was wrong to peek without the Sniper's permission- that would be like reading his journal, but after their conversation, Sanji was curious about Usopp's mother.

Sanji quickly looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was entering. Gently, he touched his fingers to the cover of the pad and slid them down to the dog-eared page on the left, flipping the pad open to the middle. The page he landed on was blank, so he moved a couple of pages back until he landed on the one of Usopp's mother.

Sanji gasped in awe. The sketch was so life like, it was almost as if you could hear her laughing. Usopp had drawn her so that her head was leaning to the side as she listened intently to whomever was speaking, hair falling in her face in her mirth. Her mouth was stretched into a grin that was undeniably Usopp's and her eyes sparkled in a way that Sanji had only seen a few times in Usopp's own eyes. He could not stop the giggle that bubbled from his lips when he noticed that she shared Usopp's nose.

To Sanji, an objective party, the sketch looked perfect- better than most photographs even. It had been done mostly in charcoal, save for her eyes and hair, which held an emerald-green hue. Sanji stared at it for a moment longer before closing the pad. Tapping the cover lightly with the pads of his fingers, he mulled over his conversation with Usopp and the picture he had just seen. Perhaps, it is not about what is missing from the picture, but what is missing from Usopp himself.

o0o

Usopp did not have to look far to find the others. Peering over the railing he could see Nami, Robin, Franky and Brooke surrounding several bags of gold that they had procured several days ago. Nami was carefully spilling the gold out onto a checkered blanket while the others stared on. Luffy stood on one of the swings with Chopper on his shoulder, their mouths were hung open wide in awe at all the treasure spread out before them. Zoro was sleeping against the mast, not a care in the world for all the gold spread out on deck.

"Sorry I was taking so long, I was helping Sanji in the kitchen," Usopp announced himself, forearms against the rail as he glared down at them. "Are you guys ready to go look for those Nargles?" The others paid him no mind, too caught up in the treasure. He sighed, long sufferingly, and began his descent to the first floor. He stopped at the bottom step and squinted; a blinding light was reflecting off the treasure causing him to be momentarily stunned. He blinked heavily and looked to the ground. When he did so, he noticed a tiny object laying innocently beside his feet. He bent down and picked it up, rolling it in the palm of his hand. He frowned, staring at it, feeling entranced by the tiny jewel. It was no bigger than the tip of his pinky and held the emerald green color like his mother's eyes. He smiled, remembering his mother's face, and how her eyes used to light up when he told her one of his many tales.

A sudden flash of hot white pain bloomed in his head, causing his vision to blur and the jewel to drop to the floor. He stepped off the bottom step and kneeled with his hands pressed firmly against his eyes to dispel the sudden disabling migraine and dizziness that overcame him. He took a deep breath through his mouth, held it, and then let it out slowly before repeating the action. The pain slowly began to ebb away with each breath he took, and soon enough, it became a manageable throb.

Taking one last breath, he slowly opened his eyes, blinking them against the blinding afternoon sun. The voices of his crew seemed distorted despite how close he was to them, but they seem to be blissfully unaware of his predicament, which was just fine by him. Their eyes still trained on the treasure in front of them. He shook his head and picked up the emerald he dropped from where it was stuck between two of the floorboards at his feet. He stared at the jewel for a moment longer before shoving it into his back pocket. They wouldn't miss it.

He stood, ignoring the sudden aching pain of his legs as he did so. "Guys, ready to look for those Nargles?" he tried again, to no avail.

Usopp tutted, estimating that he had a good fifteen to twenty minutes before Nami got sick of them staring at and touching all her treasure. He nodded to himself, and slowly made his way back up the stairs to the washroom above the Library. He walked into the Library and slowed down by the bay windows to watch the dust particles dance in the basking light of the sun before he began to climb the ladder to the washroom. The climb up took him longer than usual and by the time he finally entered the room where the sink and toilet were, he was slightly out of breath and just a bit sweaty.

The room was dark and a bit chilly causing him to shiver. Not even the sun beating down on the ceiling had warmed the tiled room. Shakily, Usopp reached into his pocket and procured a pack of matches. He lit one and used it to light the candle beside the toilet door. The flame cast a soft orange glow, the light relaxing.

He walked into the bathing area and pushed the shower's curtain aside and turned the showerhead on. The water took a while to heat up and he hated showering in cold water. Slowly, walking back out to the toilet, he pulled off his shirt, and undid his pants before toeing off his shoes and socks. On his way to the sink, he deposited the lot on the toilet.

Stopping in front of the sink, he smiled a bit at his reflection. Usopp had grown a lot in the last two years, they all had. It was almost unbelievable, to some degree, how much they grew. He watched as the candle flickered, casting distorted shadows over his face. The play of light and shadow made it seem as if there were things present in the mirror that weren't there. It reminded him of the old games he used to play with his friends at school.

"Light a candle and say, 'Bloody Mary in the Mirror' she will show up and rip your face from your skull." He snorted at the silliness of his childhood games, shaking his head, because really, it was silly. "That didn't stop me from being too scared to try it though." He mused, "Perhaps now...?" He stared intently at the mirror, the shadows and light dancing across the glass giving the moment a more haunted ambiance. A face appeared above his shoulder, all hollowed eyes and stringy shoulder length green hair, and he slammed his eyes shut- "just my imagination playing tricks on me! I-I did not even say anything, so no one is there! When one stares at something long enough their brain starts making imagines because... well, things are ever-changing! Why would it register the same thing if it already knows it's there... hahaha?"

He quickly turned his back to the mirror and bent down to grab his pants, rooting in his pocket for more matches. He lit another match and held the flame to the candles on either side of the sink and rushed into the washroom to light the ones adorning the walls. He sighed, feeling relieved and threw the used match into the toilet; it was much brighter in the room now. No one would come and rip his face off as he washed.

Wearily, he looked over his shoulder back at the mirror, his image stared back at him nervously. "Perhaps playing that game isn't the best idea. We are in the Grand Line after all. Here, there may very well be someone in the mirror waiting to rip my face off."

A shiver ran down his spine and he ran into the shower room, slamming the door shut that lead to the toilet and sink to protect himself from any monsters hiding in the dark shadows. He quickly jumped under the shower and gripped the knobs to the water tightly as he felt himself begin to slip. He straightened himself, taking a deep breath, began to chastise himself, "I'm just freaking myself out, I always do that."

The Sniper took a deep breath and walked into the shower, letting out a sigh of content when the water began to cascade down his back. A heavy wave of fatigue began to sink deeply into his bones, almost as if the water was casting a sleeping spell over him. He closed his eyes tilting his chin against his collar-bone, allowing the water to wash over him.

Feeling his legs about to give out, Usopp allowed himself to slowly slide down the wall until he was firmly sitting, the water now pounding over his head and shoulders. The pain from earlier was beginning once again, and a wave of nausea hit him, the room span violently. He pressed his face into his knees and closed his eyes tightly.

He briefly contemplated the fact that him freaking out over some non-existent thing ripping his face off was probably the reason he was in his current state, as he has never truly been ill before. The sudden influx of adrenaline had to be the explanation for what was going on.

As soon as it had arrived, the pain vanished. With his head no longer spinning, Usopp blinked owlishly around the washroom. He stayed firmly on the ground, as he did not yet trust himself to move, but straightened out his legs. He closed his eyes, and took calming breaths, clearing his mind of everything.

Normally, when he felt stressed, clearing his mind helped him feel better. However, he could still feel the cling of nausea in his weary body, and it was distracting him.

He tutted and opened his eyes, clearing his mind wouldn't work today. He would just need to- "Ugh!" With a sudden burst, the once warm water turned cold, causing him to cry out in shock. Reaching up, he gripped the knobs above him and pulled himself shakily to his feet.

He slipped, turning the cold-water on full force. "Son of a-!" The water hit him directly in the face and he stood there in the stunning cold, before cursing and turning off the cold water completely. His legs shook, and he needed to lean against the wall to hold himself upright under the now semi-tolerable water. He rubbed his head, "what is going on?" he muttered to himself, mussing his hair before he reached over to move the showerhead, so the water would cover him more thoroughly. He obviously could not trust himself to stand on his own.

Usopp stood against the wall, staring at the floor and unmoving as the water fell upon him, until there was a knock on the door alerting him that the afternoon snack was being served. He let out a long breath, before telling Chopper that he would be out in a couple of minutes.

Grabbing the soap, he pushed himself off the wall and quickly ran the bar over his body, and through his thick hair. He rinsed before shutting off the water completely. Usopp shook his soaked hair out and walked over to the towel rack on the other side of the room. He grabbed his towel from beside Luffy's and wrapped it tightly around himself. He was still shivering from the cold, and felt even more tired and weak than before, but he could stand to get a snack with his crew. He took his time drying himself off, and merely left the towel around his neck to catch the water dripping from his hair when he finished. Walking over to the toilet, he grabbed his underwear and pants, pulling them on.

After taking time to put on his socks and shoes, he allowed himself another cursory glance in the mirror. Although, he could not have been in the shower more than forty minutes, he looked as if he had aged a few years. There were bags under his eyes, his cheek were hallowed, and he could hear, now that the water wasn't running, a wheezing to his normally healthy breathing.

He shook his head, now realizing that it is not just an adrenaline rush causing him to feel the way he was. He very rarely had headaches (that Luffy didn't cause!) or felt nausea or lost strength in his body. In fact, that was something that did not happen at all unless he was in a battle and had been seriously injured. However, he had not been seriously injured- not since their last major battle over two months ago.

Truthfully, if he still felt ill tomorrow he would have to go see Chopper, and they would have to notify the crew. He could have caught something from one of the recent islands they were on. He groaned, the last thing he wanted was everyone worried about him- they would never leave him alone then!

"Usopp! Are you okay?" Usopp jumped at the voice and pushed himself away from the sink. He looked down to see Chopper standing at the foot of the ladder. He roughly ran the towel over his hair and threw it into the used towel basket to be washed.

"Fine! I just lost track of time, I'll be right down!" He hollered, he checked himself one last time in the mirror before throwing on his shirt and sliding down the latter to greet a curious and worried Chopper.

"Are you sure?" Chopper gave Usopp a curious sniff, "you smell a bit funny."

"Well, that is just rude." Usopp scoffed, chuckling and picking up the reindeer. "I'm positive! Now, let's go get some snacks before Luffy eats them all." He smiled warmly and marched out of the Library and down the stairs with Chopper in his arms.

Discretely, Chopper sniffed Usopp and frowned, but Usopp pretended that he hadn't noticed. He could keep this to himself for now. No need to bother the crew needlessly, it was snack time after all.

o0o

It turned out to be a beautiful evening. A crescent moon hung mischievously in the cloudless, star filled sky, resembling a Cheshire Cat smile against the rippling sea water. The air was warm and welcoming, drawing the Straw Hats from their various rooms of activities to spend time in the unique peacefulness that was their evening. Sanji had even gone as far as to get Franky and Zoro to bring the Galley table outside so that the crew may enjoy dinner on the lawn.

After dinner, Usopp happily played with Luffy and Chopper on deck. Climbing up the walls and ropes, searching under crates, digging holes and jumping out of various hiding places to scare each other.

By the time night fell completely upon them he had all but forgotten his short bout of illness earlier that day. He felt happily exhausted now and only wanted to crawl into his bunk and sleep for eternity. However, Chopper had watch that evening so Usopp crawled up to the crow's nest instead of into his bunk to hang out with the small reindeer. He always stayed with him and told him stories or played games to help pass the time.

When it was finally time for Robin's watch, around two in the morning, Usopp carried a sleepy Chopper to their room. Luffy was snoring contently in the hammock above his own, and both Sanji and Zoro somehow ended up on the floor again. Based on the twisted sheets on the top bunk, it looks as if Sanji had a bad dream and fell into Zoro's bunk which resulted on them both falling on the floor. They looked comfortable enough, however, so Usopp let them be.

Franky was nowhere to be found, but that was hardly a surprise. He was either upstairs with Robin or snoozing in the factory downstairs. Brooke was sitting in the corner of the room in a soft chair that Usopp could not remember being there before. He was not asleep, unusual for the skeleton considering the late hour.

Usopp sighed, and pulled down the blanket in his bunk before slipping in. He hugged Chopper to his chest as he laid his head against his pillow. He pulled the blanket over them and snuggled into its comforting warmth. As soon as he settled in, he felt what little energy he had leave his body. He was asleep in mere minutes.

Unfortunately, he was not asleep for long. He awoke violently, and the stabbing pain in his head returned with a vengeance. He shifted in his bunk, transferring Chopper to legs so that he could lie more comfortably on his back. Usopp gasped, pain shooting across all the muscles in his body. He sat up, one hand reaching out to make sure Chopper didn't fall, the other pressing against his head.

"Usopp, you okay?" Luffy mumbled sleepily, his head popping up over the side of his own bunk to look down at his best friend. Brooke had shifted in his seat to lean forward in case something was wrong and Usopp needed help.

Usopp screwed his eyes shut and breathed heavily through his nose before answering. "I'm fine, just a bad dream. Go back to sleep."

"M'kay, night." In seconds, the straw-hat captain was snoring again, not a care in the world.

Chopper cracked open one of his eyes and stared at Usopp. "Are you okay?" he asked sleepily. "Just a bad dream," he reiterated before throwing himself back against his pillow and pulling Chopper more against him to keep him from falling out of the bunk. His head still pounded, but slowly sleep overtook him, and he decided not to worry too much about it. If he was ill, it was probably just some stupid little bug he caught. He would be better in the morning.

Hello, Everyone!

I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter. If you did, Favorite, Alert and/or Leave a Review!

Remember: keep it classy, make good choices and I hope to see you soon.

Best,

Chandlure

PS: Am I the only one slightly confused as to why the washroom is above the Library? Seems like a dangerous place for one if you ask me.