Luffy VS Usopp

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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!"

"Well, it does seem like I'm the only one who loves her! The Straw-Hats I know wouldn't give in to a marketing scheme! They would believe in Going Merry's strength and fortitude!" He aggressively wabbles forward and snatches the front of Luffy's vest. "Stop bluffing, damn brat! Don't say 'I've Decided' like you're a real captain! I've misjudged you, Luffy!"

"Stop, Usopp!" Nami takes a step forward. "Luffy, don't!"

"Shut up, Nami!" Luffy holds his arm out to stop the girl as he stands up.

My body freezes at those simple words being screamed. No matter how much I tell myself that they aren't directed at me, that I'm not the one being told to shut up. That they aren't coming from the person that my brain thinks they are. I don't have to run away, or scream back, or defend myself from some object being hurled at my face. This is just Luffy, and he has reason has good reason to be angry.

"I have made my decision! I won't change it no matter what you say! We're changing ships. We're going to say goodbye to Going Merry right here!"

"Bullshit!" Usopp screams. "I won't allow that!"

"Calm down!" Sanji demands. "Stop yelling at each other!"

"Listen Luffy! Not everyone can ruthlessly move forward in cold blood like you! I can't leave behind a wounded comrade, and I won't!"

"That's stupid!" Luffy snaps. "Ships and people are two different things!"

"They're the same! Going Merry is alive! You probably wanted a new ship from the start! You're just too careless about leaving Going Merry!"

"Don't talk like you know everything, punk!" Luffy shoves Usopp down into the deck.

"Luffy!" Nami screams.

"Stop it!" I scramble up onto the table, trying to distance myself.

"You're not the only one who cares about Merry!" Luffy exclaims. "Didn't you hear a word that Akari said!?"

"If you care, you wouldn't want to change ship!" Usopp cries out.

"Fine! If you don't like my decision and way of doing things, then just leave-"

Sanji swiftly kicks Luffy across the face to not only shut him up, but also to get him off Usopp. "Idiot!"

Nami screams as Luffy flies past her to crash into the wall.

I've gone into shock as my breathing turns erratic, my body is uncontrollably shaking, and my eyes blur with tears.

"Sanji!" Chopper blurts out.

"Luffy, what are you thinking!?" Sanji scolds. "Calm down! Watch what you say!"

Luffy sucks in a few deep breaths. "Sorry, I didn't mean..."

"No," Usopp grunts, still lying on his back. "That's fine, Luffy! Since that's how you really feel!"

"What did you say!?" There is pure anger burning in Luffy's eyes.

"Leaving behind the crewmates that are useless to you one by one, so you can keep moving forward! If you want to leave this ship behind, then leave me behind too!"

"Usopp! You're not serious!" Luffy places his hat back on his head.

"No, I am," he pushes himself into a sitting position. "I've thought about it. I knew...that I would never be able to catch up to any of you! As of today, I am nothing more than a bad baggage boy who can't hold onto cash. In the future, I will probably get you into even more troubles. There's no doubt that you don't want a useless crewmember like me." He's struggled to his feet. His hands clenched into fists at his sides. "Luffy, your goal is to become the pirate king, but I don't necessarily want to go that far. If you think back to when I joined, I only went because you invited me. The fate that brought us together is only so strong. Since we don't have the same goals, we should go our separate ways!" He storms out of the kitchen.

Nami, Chopper, and Sanji quickly follow him, Luffy dusts himself off as he stands up, but I don't think I can even more.

"Come on Akari," Zoro steps up to me.

I barely shake my head. My body still trembling.

"They're done fighting, so you don't have to be all freaked out anymore."

I open my mouth to speak, but the words fail me. All it takes is a screaming match to turn me into a weak little girl again. I hate it.

"It's more than that," Luffy still has a twinge of anger in his voice. "She's reliving her past because of us." His fist slams into the doorway as he walks through it.

"Your reaction makes more sense if its caused by past trauma," Zoro sadly smiles. "Certain things never truly leave us."

"Why?" I choke out.

He shrugs, "Wish I knew. Now, I'll carry you out there, because sitting in her all alone isn't going to help." He turns around, crouching a bit for easier access for me to climb onto his back for a piggyback ride.

"Thanks, Zoro," I sigh once I'm settled. "I never thought it would get...that bad."

"Until it happens, you can't really know. Now that we do, we'll figure out better ways to pull you back to reality. Damn," he starts heading for the door. "You're really shaking."

My brain is drained, so I just slump against Zoro as we head out to where everyone else is looking at the shore.

"Hey, Usopp! Where are you going!?" Chopper calls after him.

"I go where I want to go," Usopp replies, not even turning around to look at us. "I quit."

"Let's talk about this!" Nami cries out.

"Hey, come back!" Sanji shouts.

"Don't leave us!" Chopper whines. "Usopp!"

I look over at Luffy. The turmoil that is swirling within him, I can't even begin to imagine.

"I can't go with you anymore," Usopp says. "I won't cause you trouble anymore. But the ship belongs to the captain, so fight me. If I win, I'm taking Going Merry! Monkey D. Luffy!" He turns around, glaring right at the boy he's targeted. "I challenge you to a duel! Tonight, at ten! I'll come back here! We will duel for the right to have Going Merry! After the fight, everything is over between us!" With that, he turns and walks towards the city.

"Hey Chopper," Zoro breaks the silence. "Can you check out Akari really quick?"

"What's wrong?" Chopper and Nami blurt out.

"She got a little worked up, and I want to make sure everything is okay. It could be that she's just tired, but you're the doctor."

"Yes, I am," Chopper nods. "Okay, we'll go into the kitchen, and I'll check her out."

+~*~*~*~*~*~+

I'm lying in Nami's bed wide awake even though Chopper told me a nap would help my nerves. Every time I've closed my eyes, that evil sorry excuse for a man haunts the darkness. The only rest I can expect to get all alone in this room is without sleep.

I've heard Nami yelling at Luffy about the whole ordeal, but I can't hear what he replies. I know he's upset, and that nothing is going to change his mind about all of this. He's going to hole himself away in the boys' room until the duel. It's probably for the best.

While Chopper was examining me before sending me to bed, Luffy could barely look at me. All I wanted was for him to look at me, hold my hand, and tell me it was all okay now. That even though they were angry, I'm always going to be safe with him. The few glances I caught of him looking at me only made it worse.

Zoro and Sanji's yelling has picked up again. It isn't surprising that they are blaming each other for what has gone down. Life hasn't been easy on the Grand Line, but all at once, it feels like everything is falling apart.

I take a deep breath, willing some kind of peace to flow through my body. Besides Luffy, Nami is the only one I've confided in with parts of my past. I've always thought that if I just forgot about it, then it couldn't have a hold on me anymore. Clearly, that is far from the case. If anything, trying to forget made it even worse. Chopper said he hasn't read much about verbal trauma and how it effects the brain, but he's willing to gather material about it to try and learn. For now, I can only hope that it doesn't freeze me up when I'm needed the most.

The door slowly creaks open, but I don't look to see who has come to visit me.

"Hey, Akari," Luffy's voice shocks me into sitting up. "It's almost ten, so I came to let you know."

I quickly turn to place my feet on the floor, but heart clenching when I'm not met with Luffy's kind eyes and soft smile. Not that I expected to see it after what happened just a couple hours ago. "Oh, thanks."

"I'll see you out there," he nods, turning to head back out.

"Wait, Luffy," I try not to sound too desperate. My fists clenching in my lap. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

He turns back around, "Always."

I take a deep breath. "I want you to know that I'm not mad at you...or Usopp, for that matter. No matter how much I kept telling myself that your anger has justified, that you weren't yelling at me, that I wasn't in harm's way, a tiny part of my brain refused to let me believe that. That tiny part was pure fear that has imbedded itself into my since I saw the man who raised me get drunk for the first time. It was screaming at me to run, hide, do anything to protect myself. Even though I knew it was you, the absolute love of my life. It didn't matter, my entire body froze up, all because of him."

Luffy's gaze hasn't left mine, but his expression hasn't changed either. Since he's not interrupting, I decide to carry on.

"When we promised each other we were going to head out to sea together, I was always looking forward to that day. It wasn't until the abuse started that I realized how much I longed to being sailing the seas. To sail as far away from that place that had trapped me for years. To sail around the world with my best friend in the world. I thought if I could run away, put as much distance between him and I, then I could forget all the hell I went through. Yet, no matter how far and fast I run, he's always at the back of my mind. Even if I don't realize it. The scars he left on me, they still hurt at times, and I fear they always will. No matter how far I run, he's affected me more than I ever could have realized." My head drops as I stare at my hands. The last part on my mind being more difficult than I wanted. "All that is to say, I'm sorry. I am sorry that I can't let those scars fade away. I'm sorry that you have to see fear in me because of something you're doing. I'm sorry if you ever thought that I was afraid of you."

A gasp escapes me when Luffy rushes to be on his knees right in front of me. He settles between my legs, wrapping his arms around my stomach, and resting his cheek against shoulder as his straw hat falls off.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," his rough voice has a sort of tenderness to it that instantly relaxes me. "That man, that piece of shit, he is the only one that should ever have to apologize. He hurt you, over and over again. No matter what he was dealing with, that never should have been his outlet. I know I saved you from physical harm, but I didn't realize how I should have saved you from the verbal attacks as well. That's why I want to keep you close, so I can know that you aren't in any kind of harm's way. I'm going to make sure that the rest of your life is the best that I can give you, so that one day you can truly move on."

"I love you, so much, Luffy," I whisper, wrapping my arms around him as I nuzzle my face into his hair.

"I love you, Akari, more than words could every portray." He takes a deep breath. "Being captain is hard."

"I know, but no matter how hard it gets, I'm always going to be right here. Even if the others don't agree with your decisions, I'm always going to put my faith in you." I lift my head up, giving him the chance to do the same.

"Every group has a rough patch, but I can only hope this makes us stronger."

"Why'd you come to get me? Honestly, Luff."

"I just needed to see you," he whispers, tapping his forehead against mine. "Your whole body was uncontrollably shaking at one point. Were you able to sleep?"

"Without you? Impossible with the images that kept plaguing me. Later, curled up into your arms, I'm sure I'll sleep really well."

He stands up, pulling me with him. "This fight isn't going to be like when you would watch Ace and I go at it."

"I know," I sigh. "None of us are perfect. We all make mistakes."

Luffy releases me from his hold, and then leads us out of the room without another word. The others are waiting on the deck with a mixture of tension and anxiety hanging in the air.

Before Luffy disembarks to wait on land for Usopp, I grab his hand and give it a squeeze. It feels wrong to give him a kiss before what he is about to do, so I just softly smile. Then he's off the ship, waiting with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Good to see you've stopped shaking," Zoro steps up to me, slinging his arm over my shoulders. "Have a good talk with your boyfriend?"

"I feel better after it, that's for sure," I nod. "Thanks for taking care of me."

He shrugs, "It was nothing."

"It's ten!" Luffy declares. "Usopp is coming! Don't come down, any of you!"

Out of the darkness, Usopp steps into view. He's still heavily bandaged, but it doesn't look like Chopper was able to do anything more for him after the doctor looked over me.

"He's here!" Nami shockingly shouts.

"Usopp!" Chopper cries.

For a moment, the two boys on land are just staring at each other. Sure, there's been fights among the crew before this, but this is nothing like those times.

"You look determined, but I hope you don't regret your decision later!" Luffy breaks the silence. "You chose this fight!"

"This is what you want!" Usopp shouts back. "Stop pretending and just come get me! I came prepared! I'll beat you! Don't think that I am the same as your previous opponents who know nothing about you, Luffy! I've been with you for a long time, and I know you inside out!"

"Can't we stop them?" Chopper looks over at Zoro and me. "Usopp is hurt really bad!"

I shake my head, "Sorry Chopper, but this is between them."

"Go inside if you can't watch," Zoro firmly states.

"Don't be too surprised when I tell you this Luffy, but I have eight-thousand follower waiting for my signal!" Usopp declares. "Surrender now if you don't want to die!"

"Oh my god!" Chopper panickily exclaims. "Eight-thousand people!"

"You should go inside," Zoro annoyingly sighs.

"I'm pretty sure you're just lying, Usopp!" Luffy snaps.

"Then eat Usopp Spell!" Usopp screams. "Gigantic razor blades between each and every tooth in your mouth!"

Chopper collapses with a scream of pain.

"Go inside already!" Zoro grunts.

"Chopper, sweetie, it isn't worth the anguish for you to watch," I run my fingers over his antler.

"Gum-Gum!" Luffy rushes forward, but then he's holding back when Usopp chokes, spitting up blood as he falls to his knees.

"Usopp!" Nami screams.

I grimace,

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