Italics indicate thinking

Bold is for attacks

Steve's POV

We had been back on the Merry for a while now. It was strange being on a ship that we'd be getting rid of soon, and to add to my troubles Robin still hadn't returned yet.

If she doesn't get back soon I'm going to go from worry to sheer panic.

"Hey everybody Usopp's awake!" Chopper yelled.

We headed into the dining room where Usopp was.

"I'm sorry! I lost the money!"

"Usopp you need rest. Please calm down."

We explained what happened at the Franky House.

"So we still don't have it."

"Who knows we'll have to wait for Franky to come back." Wyper told him.

"Yeah and even if he doesn't have it we'll still have 100 million left over."

"What the hell were you thinking Usopp; you're lucky to be alive. Going in alone like that, I thought you were smarter than that." Rose told him "I'm just glad you're okay."

"I'm sorry. I know we only have 100 million left but can we still fix the Merry? We came all this way."

Time for the hard truth.

I gave Luffy a look and he told Usopp the truth.

"No Usopp. We've decided to get a new ship. The Going Merry has helped us a lot but her sailing days are ending here."

There were a few moments of silence before Luffy pulled out the ship catalog and started looking through it.

"Wait, don't joke around like that. Do we not have enough money? Is this cause I lost the 200 million? Since we went to a high class shipyard they charge high class prices."

"That's not it Usopp." Luffy tried to explain.

"Then tell me, don't hold back! What's the problem?!"

"This has nothing to do with the money!" Luffy yelled.

"Then don't say crap like changing ships!"

"Hey calm down!" I told them.

"How can I be calm when he's spouting crap about changing to a new ship?!" Usopp yelled at me.

"That was the decision, there is no other choice." Luffy explained.

The room was getting heated. Luffy and Usopp were at each other's throats. Chopper was trying to calm Usopp down because he needed rest and it was taking most of my strength to keep Luffy calm.

"MERRY IS GOING TO DIE!" Luffy yelled.

That statement got Usopp's attention and he calmed down.

"They can't fix her. I wouldn't have made this decision otherwise." Luffy told him.

"This ship took us all the way here!" Usopp said defending his point.

"Yeah but it's only so long till it sinks." Luffy told him.

"What are you talking about?" Usopp said.

"The shipwrights said so. They said no matter what we won't make it to the next island on this ship." I explained.

"Do you always listen to everything strangers say; I thought you were supposed to be the smart one. Just because a few carpenters say that she can't be fixed you believe them! This ship is our friend; she came all this way with us! And you just want to leave her to die!"

We started each other down for a few seconds. Luffy and I weren't budging from our stance and neither was Usopp.

"IS THIS SHIP JUST A TOOL TO YOU?!" Usopp yelled and then coughed up blood.

"Usopp please, you need rest." Chopper told him.

"What'd you know?" Luffy told him.

"Hey watch it." I said giving him and eye.

"There's no carpenter on this ship, that's why we need them to look at it."

"We don't need them. I'll fix it like always." Usopp said trying to stand.

"Usopp just stop." Sanji told him.

"First I have to get some wood and screws too."

"USOPP!" Luffy yelled "You're not a shipwright!"

"So what! This isn't their ship either. They're just giving you a sales pitch, and you believed them. We can fix our own ship. The Strawhats I know wouldn't fall for some cheap advertisement. They'd believe in the strength of the Going Merry. Don't go around saying 'I've decided' like you're some kind of real captain."

Watch what you say.

"I misjudged you." Usopp said.

"Please stop." Nami pleaded.

"Shut up Nami!" Luffy yelled "I made my decision! You won't change my mind! We're saying goodbye to the Merry and getting a new ship."

"I won't let you!" Usopp challenged.

"Both of you knock it off!" I told them.

"Unlike you two I'm not ruthless; I can't leave my friends behind!" Usopp yelled.

"Ships and people are two different things!"

"They're the same. Merry is alive. You probably wanted a new ship from the beginning!" Usopp said "You're just so stupid and carefree you'd leave the Merry behind!"

"Watch your mouth Usopp." I said giving him a glare.

Luffy tackled Usopp to the ground "What the hell do you know! You're not the only one who cares about the Merry."

"If you cared you wouldn't change ships!"

"If you don't like my decision just leave!" Luffy yelled.

I grabbed his collar and threw Luffy across the room "Watch your mouth! Think before you speak you idiot!"

"Sorry…I didn't mean…"

"No, I get it. If that's how you two really feel." Usopp said.

"What was that?" I asked him pushing my hair out of my eyes.

"Leaving crewmembers behind so you can keep moving forward." Usopp responded "If you want to leave the ship behind leave me with it."

"Usopp you can't be serious." Rose said.

"No I've been thinking about this for a while. I can't keep up with all of you. Today proved I'm nothing more than a bag boy who can't hold some cash. You don't need me; Wyper can do everything I do and more."

"Hey! I didn't come here to be your replacement." Wyper told him "There are a ton of things you can do I can't."

"In the future I'll just be in the way. You two want to be Kings of the Pirates, but I don't want to go that far. Think back to when I joined. The fate that brought us together that day was only so strong. We don't have the same goal so we should go our separate ways." Usopp said getting up and walking out.

"Usopp where are you going!" Nami yelled as we followed him out onto the deck.

"Wherever I want…I quit."

Stop you moron!

"Usopp Stop!" "Please wait!" "You don't have to do this!"

"I can't go with you anymore. I won't hold you two back." Usopp said "But a ship belongs to its captain, so fight me. If I win I get the Going Merry. So Monkey D. Luffy, Steve! I challenge you to a duel! I'll be back at ten o'clock. We duel for the right to keep the Going Merry. After that everything between us will be over." And with that Usopp walked off.

Ten o'clock is just a few hours away.

Luffy and I headed inside to the men's bunk to get some rest before Usopp came back in a few hours.

If this is what you want this is what you'll get you ungrateful punk. First Robin disappeared and now Usopp quit, what the hell happened to us. Robin is a big girl she can take care of herself. I need to deal with the problem here first. Besides she's been avoiding me like the plague maybe it's for the best if we have some time apart. I hope she's okay though. I can't shake this sick feeling.

"What the hell is wrong with you two?!" Nami said barging into our room "Nothing good can possibly come from this, you guys are friends. You all need to calm down. Usopp only said those things because he was upset."

I saw Luffy look over at the navigator "What's done is done."

I could tell from his voice he didn't want to talk right now; he wasn't happy.

"Just go apologize and talk this out. You're supposed to be the levelheaded one!" Nami yelled at me "Why didn't you stop them!"

"Be quiet Nami, we're grown men capable of making our own decisions. Stop complaining, we can't go back now. Usopp isn't an idiot. He made his choice. If there had been another way I wouldn't have let it end like this. If you understand go away." I told her.

"But Steve…"

"I told you to leave Nami…"

Wyper's POV

"Will you two shut up this isn't anyone's fault." Rose pleaded.

"If this idiot had finished them off this morning none of this would have happened!" Sanji said.

"Look at you!" Zoro countered "You and Wyper went shopping and left us to here to watch the ship!"

"I was doing my job!"

"Well you didn't need him with you!" Zoro said.

"Will you all be quiet?" I mumbled "The attack earlier had nothing to do with Usopp's decision, he chose a material object over us and that's it. The attack by the Franky Family made no difference."

"You really think this is all about Merry?" Rose asked.

"A man who'd choose an object over his friends is no real man if you ask me." I told her.

"What'd do you know you just met him." Zoro told me.

"I'm not happy about this either." I told him "How the hell do you think it feels to be called a replacement. I never met to make him feel that way. I thought he and I really got along. I didn't know I made him feel threatened. It sucks you know, I've only been here a few days and I feel like I'm the reason you all got torn apart."

"Shut it your three we don't need any more arguments." Nami said entering the room "Sanji this is not Zoro and Rose's fault, and Wyper you're not a replacement. Everybody just calm down."

The reindeer came in not to long after.

"Chopper didn't you go after Usopp?" Zoro asked.

"I wanted to finishes treating him…He pushed me away and went to the city…He said 'we're finished go back to the ship' and left."

Poor guy was pretty upset. Rose gave him a hug but that doesn't do wonders to heal pain like that.

"What happened? This morning we were all so happy." Nami observed "Now Robin's missing…It feels like we're falling apart."

Steve's POV

"It's five to ten Luffy. Usopp will be here soon, let's go."

Luffy and I made our way out onto the rocky shore without a word to the others.

"It's ten o'clock."

"None of you are to come down here understand!" I yelled back "NO MATTER WHAT!"

I looked back and saw Usopp walking up to us.

"You look determined" Luffy said "I hope you don't regret your decision."

"Stop pretending. I'm prepared so come get me. I will beat the two of you. I'm not like your past opponents I've been with you a while I know you inside and out. Don't be surprised, but I have 8,000 followers waiting for my command to attack. Surrender now if you don't want to die!"

"I'm pretty sure you're lying Usopp." Luffy said.

"What'd you mean pretty sure?! I'm confident he's lying." I growled.

"Eat this Usopp Spell! There are 10,000 razor blades beneath your fingers."

"Gum-Gum…!" Luffy ran at Usopp but stopped short when he spit up some blood.

"Don't fall for that Luffy!"

"Flash Dial!"

A bright light appeared and blinded Luffy and Usopp hit Luffy with an egg right after.

"Will you get serious?!" Luffy told him.

"This is the way I fight!"

"Then I'll end you, you piece of crap! Whip Lash!"

Something is in my foot.

"OWWW!"

"You need to look where you go you stepped into Caltrop Hell. I will get the Going Merry no matter what."

"Bastard." I groaned pulling the spike out of my foot.

"Shuriken Shower!" Luffy and I were forced to dodge a barrage of blades being thrown at us.

"Hey those are mine!" Rose yelled.

What's that smell?

*sniff* "Luffy do you smell that?"

"I can't smell anything over this nasty egg, it's all rotten."

"I've surrounded you with gas."

Oh shit!

"Flame Star!"

There was a huge explosion that shook even the ocean and knocked waves onto the shore. Luffy and I both got knocked to the ground by the shockwave.

"Crap that was close." I mumbled "Can we wrap this up please."

Luffy stood up and charged through the smoke "Gum-Gum Gatling!"

Luffy hit one of Usopp's bullets midair and sent a hail if thorns at the two of us.

"Be careful dammit!" I slid around him.

Usopp shot another hail of bullets at us but I swept them away "Go Luffy!"

Luffy punched Usopp in the face and then shifted into another attack "Gum-Gum Bazooka!"

The attack collided with Usopp's chest and I jumped up to finish him off with my whips.

"That was an Impact Dial. Thank you for the contribution Luffy, I'm sure Steve will love to feel what it be like to have you hit him."

I was falling towards the ground when Usopp palm was placed in front of me.

This is gonna hurt.

"Impact!'

I got hit and I felt like my body exploded from the inside. I coughed up some blood and fell to the ground.

"STEVE!"

I struggled but managed to get up "Relax Luffy I'm fine. You maggot, make Luffy hit me. I'LL END YOU!"

I saw Luffy throw his hand back and I followed suit with my whip.

"GUM-GUM BULLET!" "Whip Storm Front!

That ended it. Our attacks hit and Usopp fell to the ground in a lump.

"Why…" I whispered.

"YOU KNEW YOU COULDN'T BEAT US!"

Luffy and I got up off the ground "Do whatever you want with the Merry. We will get a new ship and press on. It was fun while it lasted Usopp."

We walked back to the ship to get our things. I tried…I tried so damn hard but I couldn't stop it…No matter what I did the tears wouldn't stop pouring out of my eyes.

"That's what it is to be a captain." Zoro told us "If you two can't make tough calls then who can we put our trust in. Gather your things, we can never return to this ship."

I can't focus…I…no I can't not now I can't give in and make things worse.

We got all our stuff and made our way to a hotel in the city. Along the way Luffy managed to calm down for a while. The walk was taken in silence, no one really sure what to say. Nami got us some rooms and we all moved our stuff in. I didn't waste any time getting to bed. I had barely sat down when there was a knock on my door. I opened it up to find Luffy there.

"Come on in pal."

I sat down on the bed and he sat with me. He spent most of the night on my bed crying his eyes out. I wanted to cry to but right now I needed to be strong.

Zoro was right; if I can't be strong no one can trust me. First thing in the morning we we're getting the new ship and I'm going to look for Robin. I'm sick of being weak. I need to prove I'm strong so the others won't have to worry and feel weak like Usopp. I need to protect them. I'll show Robin I'm strong. I'll show her she doesn't have to fear men like Aokiji.

I looked over and saw that a few hours had passed while I was lost in thought. It was late and Luffy had fallen asleep on my bed. I grabbed a blanket and threw it over him.

"I need to get stronger to protect you too. I promised to never let you feel like that again. I need to be ready for anything."

I climbed into bed and pulled the comforter over myself leaving a layer between Luffy and I.

"Good night Luffy."

I will get stronger. I won't let something like this happen again.

AN

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Till Next Time!