Queen of the Pirates

Luffy VS Usopp

The silence that takes hold sends a shiver down my spine. It is the calm before the worst of the storm. I've been in this situation more times than I could ever count. That moment when someone says a truth that another person doesn't want to hear, and then they fully break. And then someone gets hurt.

Luffy is completely out of his seat, and the look on Usopp's face is one of absolute disbelief. I've thought that these two boys, probably because of being the same age, have grown to become best friends. This isn't easy for either of them.

"No one can fix her no matter what," Luffy adjust his straw hat as Sanji pulls his hand away from his shoulder. "I would have never made that decision otherwise."

"But this ship, she got us all the way here, didn't she?" Usopp slaps the wood beneath him.

"Yes, but it is only a matter of time before she sinks!"

I blink, letting the tears that have pooled in my ears flow down my cheeks.

Usopp's face hardens as he looks away in anger. "What are you talking about, Luffy?"

"I'm not kidding. It's the truth! The shipwright guy said we won't get to the next island with this hip no matter what!"

"Ah, he said you can't get to the next island." Usopp is frighteningly calm. "Do you always listen to strangers and trust everything they say?"

"What?"

"Just because a few shipwrights say she can't be saved, she's going to die!?" Usopp's calm is gone as he explodes. "She came all this way with us, be it giant waves or deadly sea battle. This ship is a friend that came through it all with us! You're going to leave her here to die!" His jaw is clenched as he waits for a response, but it doesn't come. "This ship is just a tool to you, isn't she!? Luffy!" He leans forward, coughing so violently that some blood sprays out.

"Usopp, stop! You need to rest!" Chopper rushes forward.

I slowly place my feet back down on the floor, but my arms just circle my stomach in the only way I know to protect myself from words.

"What would you know!?" Luffy snaps, taking a seat on the table. His presence not necessarily calming my nerves. "There is not a shipwright on this ship. That is why we need them to take a look for us!"

"Big deal!" Usopp struggles back into a sitting position. "We don't need them! I'll fix her like I always have!"

"Stop it, Usopp!" Sanji scolds.

"It's decided then. Everyone, give me a hand! First, we'll buy wood from the shipyard. Time to get busy!"

"You're not a shipwright, Usopp!" Luffy screams.

"Hey, Luffy!" Nami distraughtly screams.

"Yeah, but so what!?" Usopp is struggling to his feet. "And so what if they are!? It's not their ship! They don't give a damn! They're just bullshitting us. I don't believe them! We'll fix our own ship! I'll never turn my back on this ship! Are you all idiots!? Do you listen to those shipwrights like dogs!?"

"You're not the only one who loves Going Merry!" I scream, wiping away the tears that streak my cheeks. "Those shipwrights, even though I hate it, I have to trust them! Going Merry is broken where it is impossible to fix her, and it's not easy to accept! I know that, Usopp." I feel a tremor rush over my body as too many emotions are mixing together. "We've all lived in this ship for months...this is our home. Just because it has a deeper connection for you, to those three sweet little boys and that lovely girl, doesn't mean you're the only one who loves her! This isn't easy for any of us!"