Maybe if she stared at him long enough, he would magically turn into gold himself. Nami was desperate and one could dream of a miracle.

The teddy bear's black, soulless beady eyes stared back. Perhaps he also dreamed of miracles, but he did not reveal this.

Nami rested her head on one hand and reached out to the stuffed animal with the other, poking his nose with her index finger.

The head gave slightly, but it didn't move. He just continued to stare at the young pirate. She poked his nose again, only this time a little harder, causing him to rock back and forth slightly, but not fall over.

"You've been staring at that bear for an hour," Usopp spoke up, sitting at the other end of the table eating his soup. "I'm starting to get worried."

"There's nothing to worry about here," Nami assured him, nudging the teddy bear again. "Mister Treasure and I are just forming a bond."

"Mister Treasure?"

"We found him in a treasure chest, so I named him Mister Treasure."

Usopp didn't know what to say to that. The name was cute and suited the plush toy, but Nami's behavior was a bit strange.

The navigator got up from her chair, picked up the teddy bear, and placed it in front of the sniper.

"Maybe you should spend some time with Mister Treasure too. After all, he's part of the crew now."

Nami left the kitchen leaving a very confused Usopp.

He looked at the bear for a moment and decided to turn him over so that the black soulless eyes couldn't watch him eat.

As soon as Usopp had finished eating, he put his plate away and made his way to the deck to do some small repairs. The ship had survived the storm well, but there was some minor damage here and there, which wasn't particularly serious in itself but could potentially become dangerous if they were caught in a storm again. They couldn't afford to lose the ship before they reached the Grand Line.

After his work was done, Usopp decided to take a little nap until dinner was finally served, but before that, he made a short stop in the kitchen to get a small snack.

As soon as he entered the kitchen, he noticed Mister Treasure still sitting on the dining table. Just like Usopp had left him.

He took out one of the cookies he had hidden from Luffy yesterday and sat back down on the chair where he had eaten his soup a few hours ago.

The sniper bit into the cookie and turned the teddy bear so that they could face each other.

The bear was cute with his huge pink bow and the little pink heart on his chest, but the eyes. Those black, soulless beady eyes made the hairs on the back of Usopp's neck stand up.

He leaned forward so that he was at eye level with the bear and stared deeply into its eyes.

"I fought a hundred monsters!" Usopp announced proudly. "I'm not afraid of a stuffed animal!"

Usopp knew that Mister Treasure didn't believe him. The beady eyes hide so many secrets, but they don't reveal any. The bear hadn't moved the entire time, but Usopp swore he could hear it laughing. Maybe it was just the seagulls outside.

"I am the son of a pirate! I'm not afraid of anything!"

Mister Treasure believed the first part. Usopp had difficulty making the second part believable. He took a deep breath, and puffed out his chest.

"I am a pirate!"

The sniper tried to give himself more courage. He wouldn't lose to a bundle of cloth and wool.

"I'm making my dad proud!"

He swallowed nervously. He felt a pressure building in his chest. As if an elephant were standing on it.

The air around him was heavy and he felt like someone was watching him from the shadows.

"I...I...wish I could see him again..."

Usopp himself was shocked at the words that left his mouth. "I wish he would see what I've become."

He took a deep breath. He could swear someone was standing behind him.

"I wish I could tell him what happened to Mom. Asking him why he never came back. If he preferred hanging out with Luffy instead of hanging out with his own son."

The words poured out of his mouth like a waterfall and the more he said, the faster his heart raced and the pressure in his chest became unbearable.

This was definitely not the direction he wanted to take in this one-sided conversation, but he didn't know how to stop.

"I don't want to disappoint Kaya. I would never be able to look her in the eye again if I failed."

The image of his sweet Kaya flooded his mind. How she stood there on the dock waving after him. His heart shattered every time he thought of her. Not knowing when or if he would ever see her again was torture enough, but disappointing her would kill him.

Usopp felt a tear running down his cheek. "If I fail, Dad will definitely not want to have anything to do with me. Who wants a loser as a son!"

His breathing was getting faster and faster and he knew he was moments away from having a total nervous breakdown. Nothing could stop him from filling lakes with his tears.

And all under the judging gaze of the cursed teddy bear!

Usopp forced himself to look at the bear one last time, hoping that he could somehow gain the upper hand again.

But instead of the soulless blackness, he saw gentle warmth. Like a mother's gaze.

The sniper took a deep breath and felt the pressure in his chest disappear. He could smell the air filling with the scent of sandalwood. The atmosphere was peaceful and gentle.

"Thank you," Usopp managed, a slight smile forming on his lips. "Thank you for listening."

The sniper's worries could not be extinguished, but they no longer burned as much as before.