Chapter Text
"Is Sunny alright?" Usopp asked nervously as Franky inspected the back of the ship with a serious expression.
Franky paused in his own peerings, to look at Usopp, before he offered the Sniper a sincere smile, "Ah, Usopp-bro! Don't worry. It's just like I told Luffy. The rudder is cracked, but I can have it fixed soon. This island here, has a great setup for shipwrights, this will take no time... I just also want to check on the Mast Step, and the rest of the Hull while I'm at it. Can't ever be too careful! That storm was rough... and the marines rougher!" Franky laughed as if he'd told some extreme joke, and wiped a tear from his eye. Still grinning, he reached out and clapped Usopp on the shoulder, "Go on into town. Have a little fun. Later I'll show you some shipwright stuff, okay bro?"
Usopp nodded and let out an anxious sigh. He forced a smile, and rocked from the heels of his feet to the tips of his toes, "Okay... okay. I'll bring you back something cool!"
"More cola would be good!" Franky suggested, before turning back to his examination of Sunny.
Usopp nodded, and finally tore himself away from the ship and cyborg, forcing his feet to turn towards the town of the bustling summer island the crew had found themselves docked on.
The warmth was welcoming, and the people of the island friendly. Especially, to pirates it seemed.
Luffy had been elated when they docked, and received a rather casual and warm welcome, despite their Jolly roger waving. The Straw Hats didn't always receive such a warm welcome, but these islanders seemed more than friendly enough. Some snooping around town had let the Pirates know they'd discovered a kind of tourist stop.
The island was popular to all sorts of visitors and the pirates were welcomed as if they were any other regular visitor.
It was a nice little treat to be able to dock their ship, and not have to worry about nervous townspeople, or marines being summoned to chase them off.
The stop had been a bit urgent, due to Sunny taking a nonstop beating for days from weather and pursuers alike. Franky had declared he felt it in his bones, that Sunny needed to be looked at, and Nami immediately pulled out her maps and found them this lovely spot. The island had some name, something interesting that had caught Robin's interest, but Usopp couldn't remember it now.
He was having just a bit of trouble focusing on anything, but Sunny at the moment.
While the island looked to be lovely, Usopp really couldn't help but worry about Sunny. It was like having a sick crewmate. If Sunny wasn't well, Usopp was just going to worry. Franky had said he'd heard Sunny make an abnormal sound after a big wave hit against them. This was like...
Usopp thought of a little ship swallowed up by fire. A mournful but happy voice murmuring, I wish I could have carried you further...
'No, no, no! let's get busy! Let's not think about that! Let's go into town... You wanted to make some more smoke bombs anyway so.... so that's what you're going to do!' Usopp told himself, pressing the hands to the side of his face as he willed their lost Nakama from his mind. The Sunny had Franky this time. It would not be like Merry.
It was different now.
Marching into town, Usopp tried not to feel stupid. It felt silly to still be upset about a ship, years later. Mustering as much bravado as he could, Usopp forced a grin and scanned the town, trying to take in all the shops. With as much gusto as he could pull forth, he began to look for a store that might have all the supplies he needed.
It turned out, shopping for his smoke bomb supplies was the right distraction.
An hour later, and three shops later, Usopp had been pointed in the direction of a firework's stand.
"Try Mr. Agate, hun," A rather pretty woman who ran a grocery store had suggested, "He's a bit..." She made an uncertain face squinting as she tried to find the words. She sighed eventually and waved her hand, "I don't know. He's... glum I suppose, and haggles a lot, so watch out! You're new... he might try to overcharge ya! But he should have all the supplies you're looking for. I'm afraid we've only got the sugar and baking powder."
He had thanked her and headed off for the small stand. It was a little troubling if someone in town was warning him about a shop. But Usopp was good at haggling and seeing through lies. You can't kid a kidder, as they say...
Mr. Agate turned out to be an older man; thin and with a sallow complexion. His hair was black and pulled in a tight greasy ponytail, and he seemed the type who one might describe as a sleaze. Bags were under his dark eyes, and Usopp could understand why this man had been described as glum. He was... a little off-putting to be sure. But Usopp kept that to himself and began to list off the items he needed, "...And Potassium Chlorate, and maybe some powdered dye if you have it."
Mr. Agate frowned, "Kid, if you're looking for ingredients for smoke bombs, why not just buy my smoke bombs. I got plenty!"
"Just the ingredients are fine, I prefer to make my own," Usopp said with a smile. A cursory peak had made Usopp wary of the quality. The stand truly didn't have much, and Usopp didn't like seeing some of the loosely bundled fireworks. It made him a little nervous about how the care for his items was being kept.
Mr. Agate frowned, seeming a little insulted by Usopp's dismissal.
Trying to smooth things over, Usopp muttered, "Besides, you know me and my pals are pirates. I'd hate for any sort of authority to trace what I use back to hear. For you see, I'm known as "God Usopp," and my tricks are so legendary... well it's landed me a following of over 8,000 men. It's best if I make my own stuff, so no one gets involved in my crimes." Usopp reached over, and pat Mr. Agate's chest, and looked him in the eye, "I'd hate to put an innocent shopkeep, like yourself, in any danger with the law..."
Mr. Agate's brow smoothed out, and he scanned Usopp up and down with a quick eye.
Finally, Mr. Agate sniffed, and turned up his nose, but went into the back of his shop, "What kinda dye you need? The color?"
"Organic powdered kind. Bright colors, and black too, if you got it," Usopp answered rocking on his feet again.
Mr. Agate turned around with several jars, and placed them in front of the Sniper, "We've got Red, and Blue in terms of color. I'm out of most else. There was a big festival last week and a lot was used up. If you come back in a few days, if you're still on the island, I'll have Yellow, Green, and Pink. I've got Black, although I must admit, it's not as dark as I would like."
Usopp grinned appreciating his honesty. This guy wasn't so bad, maybe just a little rough looking, and maybe a touch grumpy. But Usopp had certainly met worse.
Mr. Agate opened the jars, and Usopp peaked in, taking a glance at the product. The Potassium was not as white as Usopp was as accustomed to seeing. Perhaps not as refined as he would expect, but it could be fixed.
"Is there something wrong with this?" Usopp asked, trying to keep his voice light. He didn't need the store owner to start pulling back or shoo Usopp away.
Mr. Agate frowned, "Well... the quality isn't as good as I'm used to, I admit. When the shipment came in, I found it took about a third more than usual to make my standard level of smoke bombs. It's been a chore to work with. But look, you take it off my hands, and I'll cut you a deal. I can't order more unless I use it all up!"
Usopp smiled. The deal wasn't bad. And he could make this stuff work, even if the quality was low. He'd done that before too.
The pair haggled for a bit longer, but Usopp walked away with his bag full, and his coin purse not even half empty. He'd purchased enough to keep himself busy for at least several weeks. A pretty good haul if he asked him. It struck him, that maybe he should brag to Nami.
...But then again, she might try to outdo him if he bragged, and then would put interest on his debt for not doing as good as she could. Nami was good at pinching a man's wallet and especially good at keeping her own crewmates in debt! It was truly deplorable.
'Ah, think of the miser, and there she appears!' Usopp thought with a wry grin, as he spotted Nami and Sanji outside a restaurant. It looked like Sanji was trying to convince her to go inside and eat with him.
"Hey, you two!" Usopp called out, jogging forward with a grin, "Having lunch?"
"Thinking about it," Nami said with a swish of her long hair, its motion having Sanji swooning. It was a fight to resist an eye roll, but Usopp didn't need Sanji kicking him, or Nami thinking he was rolling his eyes at her.
Namie smiled at Usopp, looking a little irritated, "Be prepared to bunker down for a bit Usopp. It'll be a month before we're off this island."
"Why is that?" Usopp asked, a cold touch of dread tickling his belly.
"Franky needs at least a weak to work on Sunny," Sanji supplied, folding his arms over each other and against his chest, "And Nami says the Log Pose is unstable."
Usopp's stomach unclenched. So Sunny needed a bit of repair. That wasn't too bad.
"So, what about the Log Pose?" Usopp asked, trying not to let on how uncomfortable he was with Sunny's state.
"It seems the magnetic fields of the other islands are problematic," Nami said with a bit of tut, "If we left within the next few days I think we would be fine and I'd be able to navigate us on, but since we're stuck here, all three poses are spinning all over the place. The magnetic fields are just..." Nami brought a hand to her forehead, and rubbed it, sighing with annoyance, "If we're here for repairs, I'm going to have to let the Log Pose reset. I'm estimating it'll take a month."
Usopp snickered, "Bet Luffy doesn't like that!"
Nami smiled, "Ah well, I told him to think of it as a vacation, and he got all excited about camping, and bug hunting, and God only knows what else!"
Sanji grinned, "I also promised to figure out something new to cook for him, which is why Nami-Swan and I are using this place as research!" He gave Usopp a look, and Usopp knew it was his cue to leave. Usopp, while he'd normally love to see Nami reject Sanji, also wasn't about to get in between the chef and the navigator, when the former was in one of his "moods," to try and woo.
"Well, you two have fun!" Usopp laughed taking a step back.
"Why not eat with us?" Nami suggested with a warm, yet sly smile, "It's on Sanji's dime."
Usopp winced internally, pitying Sanji already.
"Oh, no!" Usopp practically sang back, "I've got all sorts of new supplies to make more of my smoke bombs, and other ammo, and I'm just too busy! You both enjoy!"
Sanji shot Usopp a thumbs up, his eyes promising to reward Usopp later, and the sniper beat a hasty retreat.
Perhaps, he would get Sanji to make him a special treat. And Usopp was truthfully not up to a meal, even if it was on someone else's dime. Besides the work Usopp was dying to do, he honestly wasn't that hungry. He hadn't really had a good appetite these last few days, and his head hurt mildly. He'd mentioned it to Chopper the day before, who thought it might be allergies due to the sudden climate change in the Grand Line, as it was one to do when they went from island to island.
"Allergies maybe... but keep an eye on how you're feeling Usopp, okay?" Chopper had chided with a friendly smile.
Usopp had placed a hand over his heart, and swore on his life, and all his followers' lives. And while Usopp wasn't feeling worse, he hadn't actually been feeling that better.
Pushing his thoughts aside, Usopp hefted his bag, eager to start his project.
He could deal with his allergies, or whatever, if it actually became a problem.
It was late, when Jinbe came to get Usopp.
"Oi, Usopp!" Jinbe called, lifting an arm as he approached.
Usopp waved at him, and then fanned some of the some away from a little test burn he had been doing.
Usopp had settled himself onshore, with a portable work table. His newly purchase chemicals and powdered dyes seemed a little different than what he was used to. A little more flammable, and smokey. Potassium chlorate, was of course already extremely flammable, but this mixture was proving to be a bit of a temperamental mess.
It smoked a little too much for his liking, and Usopp worried about it bothering his crew. With that thought in mind, he'd taken a portable workbench Franky had crafted him some time ago, and settled himself outside. This way, no one would come bark at him about his experiments stinking up the place.
He didn't mind working on the island shore, instead of his workshop. It was, on occasion, fun to work outdoors when the opportunity presented itself. But still... it was annoying to work with shoddy supplies.
"Working off ship today, Usopp?" Jinbe asked, holding both his large hands out in a friendly manner.
"Yup, yup," Usopp grunted, standing up stiffly. He placed his hands in the small of his back and stretched, his bones creaking audibly, "Just having a change of pace."
"Well, dinner is soon. Sanji is trying his hand at a local dish he thinks we will all like. He asked for me to come out here and get you," Jinbe explained. He pointed at Usopp's items, "May I help you pick this all up?"
Usopp began packing away the more delicate items into their cases and jars, and then nodded at Jinbe, "Yeah, I would appreciate that!"
"A bit of a chemist, are we?" Jinbe asked, looking curious and amused.
"Oh, yeah. Best on my island you know! I once created a pesticide that not only wiped out the caterpillars munching the island's precious tomato plants, but as a side effect, the pesticide worked as a great... uh fertilizer! Yeah, that's it... And it grew the tomatoes to be the size of great large beach balls!" Usopp boasted. He put all his delicate items in his bag, and then winked at Jinbe, "They were extra tasty, too!"
Jinbe gave Usopp an indulgent smile, and crowed, "Oh, my goodness Usopp! That is very impressive!"
Usopp rubbed under his nose, and placed the other hand on his hip, "I'll stick with my Pop Greens, of course, but there's nothing like-"
The ground beneath his feet, felt like it was moving.
Usopp had just enough time to open his eyes before he was caught in one of the Fish-Man's arms.
Jinbe was looking down at Usopp in surprise, while Usopp could only blink up in confusion.
Had he... fallen?
"Usopp are you alright?"
"Uhm... what happened?" Usopp sputtered, allowing Jinbe to put him back on his feet.
"I was hoping you would tell me," JInbe said, a sturdy hand on Usopp's back, "You stilled and just... pitched over."
Usopp blinked, and rubbed a hand to the back of his neck. The rubbing motion caused spots to dance before his eyes, and made his vision blur. He stilled his hand, and closed his eyes taking in a slow breath.
"Usopp?" Jinbe rumbled, his voice low and edged with an authoritative concern.
"Sorry, Jinbe. I wasn't feeling well earlier... I guess I just got real dizzy for a second," Usopp finally answered.
"Does Chopper know about how you're feeling?" Jinbe asked, keeping a stern but concerned eye on his younger crewmate.
Usopp waved a hand at him, "No. Yes. I mean, Yeah. He knows. We thought the pressure change from entering into this summer island was messing with my allergies." Usopp tapped his nose very gently, "She's a beaut, but she's delicate."
Jinbe arched a brow, "Why did you say no, at first?"
"Well... Chopper knows about me having a headache, but being dizzy is new," Usopp admitted, not really ready to make something up to his newest crewmember. Usopp held up both his hands, "I did talk to him about how I was feeling earlier, I swear."
There was a stretch of silence, and finally, the corner of Jinbe's mouth quirked up, "Well... perhaps you should tell Chopper about this little dizzy spell as well, hmm?"
Usopp waved a hand, "Yes, yes... but I'm probably just hungry! I skipped lunch. I get like that when I get absorbed in my work!" Usopp reached for his workbench, but Jinbe stopped him.
Jinbe folded the portable table up with an easy snap, and then placed a free hand on Usopp's back, "Oh, no my friend. I got this. Let's get you inside and fed... and then you'll tell Chopper about your little stumble, yes?"
Usopp grinned, and rolled his eyes, "Yes, I'll tell Chopper. But it's nothing! I'm probably just hungry! I'll have you know, I've never been sick a day in my life! " He pressed a thumb into his chest, all smiles, and began marching with Jinbe back to the Sunny, "We'll tell Chopper, but really. I'm fine. Just fine."