Chapter Two

Banchina crouched behind several large barrels and pressed Usopp's face into her chest, shushing him when he started to sob. "Baby, you have to be quiet." She whispered in his ear, hugging him closer to her body and covering him with her cloak.

Waves rammed into the ship and Banchina could see through the porthole that the ship had ridden into a rough storm. However, that was the least of her problems. The main problem was the ship seemed to have come in contact with another one, likely a pirate ship if the sounds of fighting and canon fire above head were any indication. She itched to help them but stayed put, knowing that she had to keep Usopp safe.

"I want Daddy," Usopp hiccuped, twisting his small shaking hands into her travel shirt. He whimpered as a cannonball hit just outside the ship, causing the ship to tilt precariously back and forth. The door at the top of the stairs they were hiding under opened, and the sound of men fighting on the deck floated through.

"Shh," Banchina pressed her lips to his head and hugged him tightly. "I don't want them to hear us." The next cannonball hit the ship, causing her and Usopp to topple onto the floor. She hit her head, moving just in time to avoid Usopp hitting his.

"I'm scared," Usopp coughed out through his tears. He zipped up his onesie further and pulled the dinosaur's face over his head, slapping his mother in the face with the mouth of it.

"I know, my love." Banchina dug in her bag for her noise-canceling headphones."Try to sleep. We will be with Daddy in a couple of hours." She found them at the bottom of her bag, and opened them, pushing them onto Usopp's head, flattening his curls against his ears and forehead.

She double-checked, making sure his ears were covered and settled down against the wall, allowing her body to move with the rocking of the ship. She ran her fingers through his hair and leaned her head back, closing her eyes. She breathed slowly and deeply, hoping that Usopp would follow her lead.

Usopp closed his eyes tightly, tears running down his cheeks. He bit his lip and snuggled his face into her shoulder, whimpering when the ship moved too roughly from the waves and cannon fire. He was almost asleep when a cannonball came rushing through the wall several feet from where Banchina and Usopp were. Cursing, Banchina pulled Usopp closer to her and curled around him, pressing her face into his neck.

She stayed frozen for several long minutes before relaxing back against the wall, the fighting and cannon fire had finally stopped and it was quiet save for the patter of feet above their heads. The new hole the ship was sporting allowed in the rain, rogue waves and fierce wind which knocked over barrels, causing them to roll across the floor, almost hitting her and Usopp several times, one of them getting her painfully in the side. It would have crushed Usopp's fingers had she not moved him at the last second.

Banchina shifted, moving so her side was pressed to a standing study barrel and leaned her head against the wall. Satisfied that they likely would not get hit with rolling barrels or cannonballs, Banchina closed her eyes to rest a bit. It felt like only a few minutes later that the ship began to vibrate, signalling a stop. "What fresh hell is this?" Banchina muttered to herself as she sat up and looked through the hole the cannonball had made. From what little she could make out through the darkness outside it looked like they had finally docked in Foosha.

She pulled on her book bag and gathered Usopp in her arms. He moaned, hugging her neck tightly as she positioned him and stood. She shifted her hold, hoisting him higher on her hips. Slowly, she made her way upstairs. Concentrating, she used her Haki to hide their presence from those on the ship and kept to the shadows.

She was able to quickly make it to the railing and jump down to the dock without being seen. Although, it came close. There had been a drop in her haki, her concentration breaking when Usopp moved causing her to lose her grip just as a group of men were passing their spot, but thankfully, the shadows kept them well hidden. Banchina landed messily, tripping over the tail from Usopp's onesie and her own two feet, barely catching herself from falling.

Banchina hurried off the dock and away from the ship. In the distance, she was able to spot the Red Force, docked across the pier. She paused, wondering where she should go. She remembered her husband mentioning a bar that they frequented, Shanks having become infatuated with both the bartender and the little boy that tended to hang around.

She glanced at her watch and then at the ship. It was nearing midnight, which meant that they likely were still at the bar, based on old patterns. Most of the men, her husband included, didn't start back home until close to 2 or 3 in the morning most nights when they were docked.

Banchina rolled her shoulders and began the trek towards the crowd of lights she saw in the distance. Thankful that the rain did not seem to hit Foosha yet, she was able to move quickly without worrying about slipping on wet rocks and soggy soil.

It wasn't too long before Banchina stopped in front of Party's Bar, slumping in relief when she heard the familiar rowdiness of the Red Hair Pirates. She shouldered her way through the batwing doors, breathing deeply as a strong wave of dizziness overcame her.

Banchina felt herself falling, grateful for whoever caught her and Usopp before they hit the floor. She leaned against the strong chest of the man holding her, wincing as Usopp's high-pitched startled cries filled the bar. "Shh, baby, we are okay." She patted his back while he sobbed into her shoulder.

"I'm tired and I don't feel well," Usopp sniffled, snuggling his face into her jacket. "I want Daddy."

"Someone get Yasopp here!" The man Banchina was leaning against called out, stumbling when Banchina lost her balance again.

She recognized the voice as Shanks' and leaned back to look up at him, "Shanks."

He frowned down at her and pushed back her hood, meeting her dazed gaze, her pupils so large they covered the green of her eyes. He led her over to a chair and forced her to sit down, kneeling down in front of her after he pulled Usopp off her lap and put him on a chair close by.

Usopp curled up crying, his small hands grabbing and pulling at the bottom of his onesie as he looked around with wide teary eyes. "Where's daddy?"

Makino kneeled in front of him, cooing and rubbing his arms. "They're calling your father now, sweetie. Can you wait for him like a big boy?"

Usopp bit his lip to keep it from quivering, nodding tightly before hiding his face in his knees. He reached up and started to twist his fingers in his hair and pull at the strands in distress. Makino looked up at Hongo in alarm when he came to kneel beside her.

"It's triggered by anxiety, Yasopp does the same thing at times." He took Usopp's hands in his and squeezed them tightly, rubbing his thumbs against Usopp's until his grip loosened and Hongo was able to pull his hands out of his hair and down into his lap. "I need you to Take five deep breaths and I'll let your hands go…. IN, two, three four, OUT, two three four… IN, two, three four, OUT, two three four." He murmured the words several more times until he watched Usopp's shoulders relax, the boy leaning back in his seat. Slowly, he patted Usopp's hands before letting them go. "Excellent work, such a good boy you are."

Usopp nodded and sniffled, turning his head to where his mother was with Shanks and Benn. "Is mommy okay?"

"I'm not sure. I need to go check on her, would that be okay?"

Usopp nodded and watched as Hongo moved so that he was kneeling where Shanks had been, with the captain taking a seat beside Banchina. Hongo cupped her chin and frowned, eyeing the dried cut by her temple, not liking the purplish colour it had taken on. "Can you tell me what happened? I thought you weren't supposed to be here until Friday."

"Is Usopp ok—ay?" Banchina pitched to the side, only staying on the chair because Shanks had caught her.

"He's fine," Hongo said softly. "A bit tired, he'll be okay after a good night's rest."

Banchina nodded and leaned her head against Shanks' shoulder, unable to keep her head up. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, nausea and dizziness coming in waves. "Yasopp?"

"Lucky went to get him, he's back at the ship. He's been trying to cut back on drinking and starting to go to bed earlier since he knew Usopp was coming."

"Looks like you have a concussion," Hongo said with a sigh. He knew from experience that she would be a horrible patient, and had hoped that a concussion wasn't the case. He accepted the glass of water Makino handed him and pressed it into Banchina's hand. "Drink some water."

She took small sips as he dug in his bag, pulling out supplies to help clean her head wound. "Thank you," she said softly, looking over at Usopp and smiling softly. "I'm okay, sweetheart. Don't worry about me, okay?"

Usopp scowled at her and stuck out his tongue. "I'm not worried."

She snickered, wincing as pain shot through her head. "Fuck."

Hongo handed her two small pills and allowed her to down them before working on the laceration by her temple. He made quick work of it, making sure to carefully clean it out and check for splinters. "I can't stitch it here, but the wound is small enough that I can use the medical clips instead." Hongo frowned at the position of the wound on her face. "It will likely scar though."

"It's fine."

He got to work, putting on the medical clips, working quickly and efficiently. "I would still like you to take it easy for the next couple of days." He stated, pulling off his gloves and shoving them into the small bag he kept in his bag so that he could properly dispose of them back on the ship.

Banchina scoffed, wincing when the clips pulled at her eyebrow. "I'm needed on the mission on Friday."

"Then you are to relax until then," Hongo said firmly. "If not, I am calling Dragon myself to tell him you aren't cleared."

"Jerk," Banchina pouted. She threw back her head to drain the rest of the water and handed the cup to Shanks to put on the table behind them.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Hongo asked, pushing off her cloak to check her arms, ignoring the jab she gave to his ribs with her foot.

"Mostly just sore. We got thrown around, and I held him for our entire journey."

He nodded, pushing her forward slightly to check her back.

"Trying to see me naked?" Banchina asked cheekily.

"We were all at that Christmas party," Hongo deadpanned, brushing his fingers across a faint bruise on her lower back. "Does this hurt?"

Banchina rose and rolled her shoulders, twisting slightly to test her mobility. "No more than usual."

He nodded, pulling down her shirt. "I want to do a full checkup of both of you, but it can wait until the morning."

A strong force pushed him to the side, causing him to scowl. "Yasopp!" He hissed, shoving the man back before standing and moving out of the way. "A simple 'excuse me' would have sufficed."

Yasopp ignored him, already wrapping his arms tightly around Banchina's waist and pressing his face into her stomach. "Banchina."

Banchina stroked his face and leaned down to press a kiss to the crown of his head. "Yasopp."

He pulled away to press a kiss to her forehead and leaned back to look over her, worry evident on his face. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, smiling. "Yeah. We are okay."

"DADDY!" Usopp had launched himself out of the chair, causing it to fall and slide into the legs of the table. He slid into his father's lap and hugged him tightly around the neck. Yasopp winced as the large bulbous head of the dinosaur onesie bonked him straight on the nose. "I was so scared!"

"Hey, now," Yasopp took the hood off Usopp's head and hugged him tightly, pressing multiple kisses to Usopp's tear-soaked cheeks. "No need to cry, Daddy is here."

Usopp forced himself to take deep breaths, calming his cries again to sniffles before pressing his face into his father's neck. Yasopp stood up with him, holding him tightly in his arms. He frowned down at the boy in his arms when Usopp pulled tiredly at his hair and struggled to take the headphones off his neck.

"Hongo, can you take the headphones off him?" Banchina asked, reaching up to accept them from the doctor and putting them back in her bag. "Thank you."

Yasopp shifted Usopp onto his hip and rocked his body back and forth. Usopp groaned, his face scrunching up as he gripped his father's shoulder, his fingers twisting into the ends of Yasopp's blonde hair. Yasopp leaned his cheek against the top of Usopp's head and looked down at his wife. "What happened?" He asked softly.

"It was about midnight and I was checking our bags to make sure we had everything. I heard a noise in my laboratory. At first, I didn't think anything of it— it was late and I was tired, but then I heard whispering." She laughed darkly. "I honestly thought Usopp had snuck out of the house again and met up with Kaya to play in the lab. He does that sometimes, but when I looked in his room he was in his bed.

"I left the house to check and looked through the window. I didn't recognize them, but thinking back they were likely agents of WG. They had guns, and I didn't confront them because Usopp's bedroom is adjacent to the lab and I didn't want to risk him getting hurt. So I went back inside, grabbed our bags and Usopp and left.

"There was a Foosha-bound merchant ship docked, so I snuck on and took us below deck. Everything was fine, but we rode into that storm the papers have been talking about and then the ship got into a battle with another one." Banchina shrugged. "Now we are here."

She frowned. "I'll have to go back to Syrup before I leave for the mission to check out my lab. I'm not sure what they might have taken."

"Just ask Jon and Abigail to check it out," Yasopp said. "Hasn't Abigail been assisting you?"

Banchina shook her head. "Yeah, but there are things she won't know to look for. I need to do it myself." She held up her hand to stop Yasopp's protests. "I'll stay here for a couple of days to rest and head out on Thursday morning."

Yasopp breathed heavily through his nose and turned his head to press his lips to Usopp's forehead. "Let's discuss it in the morning. It's late. We should get you two to bed."

"Why don't you leave Usopp here for the night?" Makino offered. "Luffy is asleep upstairs, he can stay with him. I'll make him breakfast and send him over in the morning. It'll give you two an evening to yourselves."

Yasopp looked down at Banchina and she nodded tiredly before turning to Makino and giving her his own, weary, smile. "We would appreciate that. Thank you, Makino."

When Yasopp put Usopp onto the bed beside Luffy, Luffy immediately attached himself to him. Legs and arms wrapping around Usopp, like an octopus trapping its prey. Yasopp leaned down to kiss Usopp's cheek and reached over to pat Luffy's head, making sure to pull the blanket up to cover the both of them.

He stood in the doorway, a small smile on his face, unable to believe how lucky he was to have a second chance with Usopp. "Sleep well, son."

o0o

Luffy groaned, scrunching up his face as he moved his face against his pillow. "Why's my pillow moving?" He grumbled, reaching out to hit it a few times. "Stop moving, stupid thing!"

"Ow! Stop hitting me, you jerk!"

Luffy winched as a foot slammed into his side. "What the hell!?" He opened his eyes, readying his fist to punch who kicked him when he stopped, eyes widening at the dinosaur in front of him. "Woah! Where did you come from, Dinosaur!?"

"I am not a dinosaur, I am a human!" Usopp snapped, wondering how someone could be so stupid.

Luffy leaned back, frowning, "But you look like a dinosaur."

Usopp gave a long-suffering sigh and pulled back his hood, "See? I'm human."

"Oh!" Luffy said, a huge grin forming on his face. "You're Yasopp's kid!"

Usopp nodded, "Yep. Usopp is my name."

"I'm Luffy! I thought you weren't coming until Friday?" Luffy jumped out of the bed and stretched, pushing his sandals onto his feet. He cocked his head to the side to watch Usopp. "I'm hungry, let's go downstairs for breakfast."

Usopp jumped off the bed and began to make it, smoothing out the sheets and comforter. "We had to leave in a hurry, I don't know why." He patted the pillows, putting them back at the top of the bed. "So, this is Foosha? Whose house is this?"

"Ah, that sucks, but I am happy you are here! Now I have someone to play with!" Luffy said with a grin.

Usopp eyed him warily, "Uh huh." Finished with the bed, he followed Luffy downstairs. "It's a… bar?"

"It's Makino's bar! She runs it and helps take care of me when Gramps isn't here." Luffy explained. He disappeared for a minute and came back with his arms ladened with eggs, bacon and cheese, throwing the items down onto the counter. He frowned and turned to look at Usopp, "Er, do you know how to cook?"

Usopp sighed heavily, "Yeah, yeah." He shoved Luffy to the side and moved to stand behind the bar. "Is there a griddle or something?"

"Huh?"

Usopp turned around and grimaced when he caught Luffy with a finger up his nose. "Ew, gross! Get your finger out of your nose!" he bonked Luffy over the head and muttered to himself as he began to rummage behind the bar. Eventually, in the far right cabinet, he found a griddle.

"Help me with this?" He asked Luffy, struggling to get the griddle onto the counter of the bar.

Luffy grabbed the other side, and the two of them were able to push up and onto the counter, but Usopp then noticed another problem. "Can you get me a stool?" He asked, before turning and rummaging through the cabinets for a spatula.

He jumped up onto the stool and turned on the griddle, having Luffy plug it in at the outlet below him. He hummed to himself as he opened the bacon, making sure that there would be enough for the two of them and Makino. "Can you get a couple of potatoes and cheese?" Usopp asked as he placed the pieces of meat on the griddle.

Luffy disappeared and returned, bringing with him a knife.

"Do you know how to use a knife to cut up potatoes? I just have a small one, I don't know how to use one like that."

"Gramps taught me," Luffy muttered. Luffy jumped up onto a stool on the other side of the counter and placed the potatoes on the cutting board Usopp handed them. A bit carelessly, he started cutting them into small pieces. "Like this?"

"Yes, but be careful! You'll cut your fingers if you aren't paying atten— ow!" Usopp stuck his finger into his mouth.

"Like that?" Luffy asked, sticking out his tongue.

"Shut up," Usopp snapped, reaching over the griddle to flip the bacon over.

Luffy looked over at Usopp, peering at him through his bangs. "Can you shoot the antennae off an ant from 100 feet away?"

Usopp narrowed his eyes at him, looking up from the griddle. "What?"

"Your dad can," Luffy said. "So, you probably can too."

"Don't be stupid. I am just a little kid," Usopp scoffed, putting the bacon on a napkin-covered plate and starting on the eggs.

"Can you cut the cheese too?" Usopp scrunched up his nose when Luffy farted. "THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT, IDIOT!"

"Hehehe," Luffy giggled, grabbing the cheese and cutting it into small pieces.

He cracked several, throwing them into a bowl. He added milk and whisked it, before adding in the small pieces of potato and cheese that Luffy cut up. Adding butter to the griddle, he poured the eggs on and lowered the heat sighing heavily.

"I can shoot a leaf off a tree without harming the stem," Usopp said quietly.

"Really!? That's so cool!" Luffy gasped. "Can you show me!?"

Usopp shook his head, "Mama confiscated my slingshot after my last sniper tournament. Said it was too dangerous for me."

A frown pulled at Luffy's lips, "That's dumb. Why did she do that?"

"It doesn't matter," Usopp muttered. Turning off the grill he began to plate the food and handed Luffy his so he could begin eating while Usopp cleaned up.

Usopp put the bowls and utensils into the sink behind him, dumping the eggshells in the garbage and putting away the ingredients they used back into the fridge.

"This is really good!" Luffy praised, shoving another spoonful in his mouth.

Usopp smiled at him over his shoulder, "Thanks!" He quickly did the dishes, frowning when he didn't know where to put them to dry. "Hey, where—"

"I'll take it from here, sweetie." Usopp started, his arms whirlwinding as he tumbled off of the stool. He sighed in relief when two arms wrapped around him, saving him from hitting his face against the counter. "Are you okay?"

Usopp looked up, his cheeks heating up when he met the kind eyes of the woman holding him. He wriggled out of her hold and took several steps back, bowing slightly. "Thank you for helping me."

"You're welcome, Usopp!" She patted his head and pushed him gently out from behind the bar. "Go sit and eat, I'll finish the rest of the cleaning."

"But—" Usopp began to protest, stopping only when she shook her head.

"You made this lovely breakfast, enjoy it before it gets cold. Adult's orders."

Usopp puffed up his cheeks a bit but did what he was told, sitting down beside Luffy and taking a bite of his eggs.

Makino leaned against the counter, drying the dishes Usopp cleaned with a rag. "My name is—"

"Makino, I know." Usopp said, his voice monotone. He shifted, folding his legs under him, sighing heavily. "When can I go see my mom and dad?"

"I told them I would send you to the Red Force after you finished your breakfast. Luffy can take you."

"Yeah!" Luffy said enthusiastically. "You are so lucky, Shanks won't let me stay on the ship!" he turned to pout at Makino. "He lets Makino stay overnight!"

Makino giggled behind her hand, a light blush covering her cheeks. "He might if you didn't keep trying to stow away."

Luffy stuck out his tongue, "Not fair."

Usopp shovelled the last bites of food into his mouth and jumped off his stool with his dirty plate and utensils in hand. "I'm ready," he stated after walking behind the bar and putting his things in the sink.

"Wad fohh ee!" Luffy cried through a mouthful of food.

Usopp sighed and folded his arms, "Do I really have to? It's a small island, I can find the dock myself. I'm not an idiot."

"There are bandits that travel in the forest by the path leading to the docks. I would feel safer if you went with someone."

"B-bandits?" Usopp said, looking over his shoulder as if a bandit would suddenly pop up. He quickly climbed back up on the stool and folded his hands into his lap. "On second thought, I think I'll wait for Luffy."

Makino shot him a small smile and reached for her own plate of food. She took a delicate bite, her eyes lighting up. "You did such a good job on these! You are quite the little cook." She praised.

Usopp shrugged, his cheeks reddening. "Mama says my cooking is passable." He took his zipper in hand and ran it up and down the track, zipping it down and bringing it back up to his neck. He repeated the motion several times, muttering a 'Finally!' when Luffy finished the last piece of bacon on his plate. "Can we go now?"

Luffy nodded, jumping down off his stool. Usopp followed suit, "Bye!" He said to Makino before rushing off after Luffy.

"Does your mom work as a Marine like my Gramps?"

Usopp scoffed, jumping over a rock on the ground. "She's an enemy of the Marines, but I guess she gets along well enough with Garp. He's trying to get me into the boarding school the Government runs."

"That's Gramps!" Luffy said, turning around to look at Usopp with wide eyes.

"Well, he's scary."

"Yeah, no kidding," Luffy muttered darkly. "He's left me in ravines and jungles before, stupid Gramps."

"What!?" Usopp's eyes widened. He slowed down as they entered the pier. "Why would he do that?"

"He wants me to be a strong marine," Luffy said with a scoff and roll of his eyes. He led him through the pier towards the Red Force. "I just want to be a pirate like… SHANKS!" Luffy waved wildly and shot forward, up the ramp and into Shanks' arms, talking to the man a mile a minute, hands waving erratically.

Usopp slowly went up the ramp, looking around curiously as he stopped at the top. He frowned, unable to see either of his parents.

"Come on, I'll take you to your parents. They're in the galley."

Usopp looked to his left, blinking at the blond–haired man smiling down at him. He nodded stiffly, allowing the man to help him down and followed him quietly to the galley.

"Have you met my new best friend!?" Luffy asked Shanks excitedly, causing the man to laugh. "He cooked such a good breakfast!"

Usopp rolled his eyes, stopping when Hongo pushed open the door to the galley. His eyes scanned the room, but he was too small to see with all the people crowding the tables.

"Come on, they're right over here." Hongo gently pushed him so that he was walking in front, and sure enough, when Usopp turned his head to the right he caught sight of them.

"Mama! Daddy!" Usopp ran up to the table and jumped into his father's open arms, hugging him tightly.

"Morning, Usopp!" Yasopp said happily, pressing a kiss to his cheek. He moved, putting Usopp down on the bench between himself and Banchina.

Usopp turned and kissed his mother's cheek, "How are you feeling, Mama?"

Banchina gave him a side hug, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Much better, sweetheart. Did you sleep well?"

Usopp nodded, then grumbled. "Fine, but then stupid Luffy hit me." He reached up and stole a piece of toast from his father's plate, nibbling on the end.

"Usopp, don't steal food from people's plates," Banchina scolded. "Didn't you eat breakfast?"

Usopp pouted and put the toast back on Yasopp's plate, "Yeah. I made some bacon and eggs."

Yasopp squeezed his shoulder and rubbed his back, handing the piece of toast back to him. "You can have it. I'm done eating."

"Thank you, Daddy," Usopp said, sending a smirk his mother's way causing her to glower at her husband.

"Yasopp! You have a package here!" Lucky called, dropping several large boxes at his feet.

"Oh! It's all of Usopp's school things and his clothes. I didn't think it would get here this quickly." Banchina pulled the top box towards her and opened it, pulling out the top binder. "Are you busy? Now might be a good time to go over everything."

Usopp rolled his eyes and leaned into his father's side, closing his eyes and breathing heavily through his nose. Yasopp shifted, pulling him closer and wrapping an arm around him as he looked down at the binder. "I hope you aren't expecting me to teach him Chemistry." He said with a frown.

Banchina shook her head, laughing. "No, I remember how bad you were at it. This is mostly an independent study and Buggy is available for him to call if he is confused with anything." She flipped to the index, pointing down the list. "It's just a basic chemistry curriculum pulled from the World Government, with a few additions to make it more well-rounded. Everything for his experiments and labs should be in the smaller box labelled 'Chemistry Supplies'."

Yasopp nodded, "Simple enough. What is he on for math?"

"Algebra and Geometry. He's following the upper school curriculum for that as well. In the box marked 'Maths' I've added some games to help him review. He's on grade level for History. You're great at story-telling so I am hoping maybe you can help make him more interested in the subject."

She bent down to dig through the box, and pulled out a large red binder, making Usopp groan. "Oh, not that again!"

"Hush you." Banchina admonished, she sighed heavily. "I anticipate a lot of fighting with his reading and writing curriculum. He scored well above level in reading comprehension, but he struggles with writing and his work is considered well-below level. He won't add details or explain his arguments on paper, despite being able to do so verbally. I want him to aim to write a paragraph a day, at least seven sentences. He should get reminders to use proper punctuation and grammar as well."

"It's so stupid. Writing is hard and I shouldn't have to do it if I can explain it. I obviously understand the readings, why do I have to write it when I can just say it!?"

"It's what is expected, darling," Banchina said tiredly. It was obvious that she had had the same argument with him many times before.

"Well, it's dumb and I won't do it!"

"I can't have this fight again," Banchina muttered, rubbing her head. "The kid can draw for hours, but refuses to write a few simple sentences."

"I told you, it's hard." Usopp breathed heavily through his nose and bit his lip. He pressed his fingers into his arm, fingernails biting into the flesh.

Yasopp frowned at him, moving his hands to rub at Usopp's. When Usopp let go, he held his hand in his, squeezing it tightly and rubbing his thumb across the top.

Banchina rubbed her head, flipped the binder, pulled out a card with times on it, and handed it over to Yasopp. "As much as you can, try and keep him to his schedule. Throwing him off, more than we already have, will not be pleasant. He usually has breakfast between 7:30-8, washes up and then draws until 9. From 9-10, he does Science and 10-11 Math. Then he goes outside from 11-12:30— No, I am not giving you back your slingshot."

"But, Daddy is here to watch me!" Usopp cried, tears forming in his eyes. "Who better to make sure I am safe with it than him?"

"No means no, Usopp. Not after what happened at the tournament."

"But that wasn't my fault!"

"I said no."

"That's not fair!" Usopp cried. "I blew up a lab and you didn't take my Chemistry sets away, but some stupid thing happened at a tournament and now I can't shoot things!?"

"Life's unfair. I told you it was too unsafe."

Usopp closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, leaning further into his father's side as he began to shake. "I am very cross with you."

"That is fine. He can have lunch with the crew but should do his Read and Writing from 2-3 and then his History from 3-330. Reading and writing alternate days so as to not overwhelm him." She bulldozed through, ignoring her son's continued tantrum. "He should have breaks when needed, usually they are movement or drawing breaks. He might ask for a 10-minute quiet break, that is also fine."

Yasopp hugged Usopp closer and frowned at the schedule. "All of this for a little kid? Isn't this over-doing it?"

"He doesn't need to do as much Science as he does, but since it's an interest for him I like to foster it. If he finishes his work in under an hour, it's fine and he can have extra time for himself. The 'classes' are made an hour to give him breaks and mimic the transitions they do at the schools. The work shouldn't take him more than 35 minutes per class, writing is the only one that tends to take a full hour."

"Hmm," Yasopp sighed. "Anything else?"

"One more thing. He also has a health curriculum WG makes him follow. 30 minutes, once a week. It covers basics like consent and such. Those pages need to go to WGDOE weekly."

Yasopp flipped through the health book before handing it to Hongo who held his hand out for it. "Basic sex ed, already?"

"Better start early and have open conversations, especially since he is already asking questions. Then hopefully he won't end up in the position we did with some poor unsuspecting soul."

"Tell me more." A darkly amused voice said in her ear as a strong arm wrapped tightly around her shoulder. Banchina giggled, leaning into Shanks' side before pulling away and smacking his shoulder. "You haven't changed a bit."

"Why change perfection?" Shanks said mock coyishly

Banchina let out a put-upon sigh. "It's a good thing you're cute."

"Usopp! Come play with me!" Luffy cried, pulling on the sleeve of his onesie. "We can explore the ship."

Yasopp picked Usopp up and placed him on his feet next to the bench. "Go, explore! You'll be staying here for a while so it would be could learn where everything is."

"Fine," Usopp said, voice resigned. He blew his bangs from his eyes and allowed the hyperactive boy to drag him out of the galley.

Shanks quickly slipped into the opposite bench. "I demand you tell me the story."

"Well, it was our first time." Banchina began, voice dropping. "We were seventeen, and it was late at night. A storm had just come through, and we got caught in one of my neighbours' barns."

"If you love me, you will shut up," Yasopp begged, dumping the binders into the box and pocketing the schedule. He threw an arm around her shoulder and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, letting her know that he wasn't really upset and it was okay to tell the story.

Banchina leaned into him and smiled sweetly. "So, we had been dating for a few months at this point. This was, of course, after hating him for a good two years."

"Obviously, you didn't actually hate me," Yasopp said smugly.

"Oh, I definitely hated you. Ask Dragon and Vista," Banchina said smoothly, hiding her smirk behind a sip of tea at Yasopp's scowl.

"How did you two get together?" Lucky asked, sliding in next to Shanks. He glanced to the side to make sure his helpers were cleaning the dishes and turned his attention back. "I can't imagine hating someone and then getting together with them."

Banchina pressed a kiss to Yasopp's cheek. "He grew up." She shrugged, "Well, kind of."

"Oi!"

"Anyway, we had been together a while and were in my bed. I told him I was ready and he was eighteen, so the agreement was easy enough," She joked. "We were both virgins, so we fumbled quite a bit, and there was a lot of fumbling."

"You were so small!" Yasopp defended. "I had figured it would be difficult, but it was harder to find than the damned One Piece— oh, shut up!" Yasopp snapped at Shanks, Lucky and Hongo as they snickered. "Like you losers were any better your first time."

"At least I was able to find the hole." Shanks quipped.

"But you came in less than two thrusts." Lucky reminded him, always one to instigate and poke.

"I told you that in confidence!" Shanks squawked.

"Oops."

"So, he never even penetrated me and I, with my anxiety disorder, got all stressed out and started to hysterically cry. I was never comfortable with my body and, as you may guess, this definitely hadn't helped."

"To make it worse, her father who was running the shop downstairs had come up for something and was stomping through the apartment, and we heard him approaching her room."

"Yasopp freaks out and tries to get the condom off—"

"WHY WOULDN'T YOU JUST PUT YOUR PANTS ON, MAN!?" Shanks and Lucky cried.

"Thank you! But that isn't even the best part…"

"Oh, God…" Yasopp pulls away from Banchina and hides his face in his arms. He made a wounded animal noise and pulled his head up. "Let me tell it, so I can defend myself here."

Banchina giggled, biting her lip and shaking her head. "Go ahead," She waved her hand.

"So, I was an eighteen-year-old virgin, coupled with the fact that the girl that had been blue balling me for three years was naked beneath me—"

"Did I hating you turn you on that much?"

"There's something wrong with me," Yasopp dismissed. "Anyway, the simple motion of taking off the condom was enough for me to finish."

"NO!" Hongo slapped his hand on the table, eyes wide in disbelief.

Shanks started to hyperventilate, unable to breathe he was laughing so hard.

"It gets better," Banchina said.

"HOW COULD IT!?"

"Her dad opens the door to tell her dinner was ready and sees me on my knees in her bed, staring at my prematurely ejaculating penis with fear and frustration. My penis was going for a new record that night, because it managed to launch the cum about 4 feet, right onto her crying face."

Lucky and Shanks fell out of their seats, slapping the floor in their laughter. Hongo was hiding his face in his hands, shoulders shaking.

"I-I mean, you used a condom. Waited until you were ready, I think Usopp could learn a lot from the experience." Hongo coughed out a laugh. "He might benefit from some female and male anatomy lessons though…"

"I knew where it was!" Yasopp growled.

"Obviously, you made Usopp," Lucky said soothingly, sliding back into his seat.

"Unless the rumours that he's Vista's are true." Shanks snipped. His eyes widened as Yasopp launched himself over the table towards him. He stood and began to run from the Galley, "It was a joke! Don't shoot me!" He cried, running past Benn as the man was entering, Yasopp hot on his heels.

"I'm going to kick your ass!" Yasopp growled, speeding up as they rounded a corner.

"I'm so sorry!"