All the fruits generally have a family-like relationship, but at the same time, they could care less about each other when it counted. They don't care about having to fight each other, and delight in destroying the misbehaving ones.

"Thinner than water, thicker than blood," Gomu tells him, and Usopp has to spend a few nights pondering upon that statement.

-

"So Logias are generally adults, and Paramecias are generally children."

When Usopp lays out that observation, Gomu makes offended noises.

Usopp ignores him in favour of Hana's response.

"That is true for most of us, but there are exceptions. Mera is in the form of a human child, is she not?" Hana giggles, "and although Hito is an adult, his feline cousins are all children as well. It is more a matter of maturity than anything. Aside from the Zoans. The Zoans like child forms."

Usopp pauses.

"So are you tiny because you're immature or-- OW!" Usopp shoots away when Hana smacks him with her fan. "Alright, I'm sorry!"

-

So in hindsight, it's not just a matter of maturity.

Hito is a few centuries older than the others, and fruits like Bara are teenagers because their first users were teenagers, so they assumed those forms like hatchlings imitating their mothers.

Mera has been friends with Gomu for ages, so she took on the form of a child to have a comfortable brotherhood with him. The same thing for their older siblings, apparently.

And then there's Goro, who's only a child to spite Gomu.

Huh? Maybe it does have to do with maturity.

-

Okay, it definitely doesn't represent maturity. Let's redact the previous two paragraphs and pretend this chapter started from here.

Usopp is seriously going to start randomly crying one day and then Chopper is going to hopelessly ask, "who bullied you," to which Usopp will have to respond, "the freaky ghost child on the ship that no one else can see."

Or rather, the freaky child thing that their enemies sometimes have. It's very oftenly freakier than the enemy itself.

"So you are the rumoured human."

Hie is shorter than Usopp, but his presence is an enraged beast and so much more. Usopp can't remember the last time a teenager stared up at him like trash under his feet.

White hair. A scarf. And long-sleeved Japanese clothes. And a scowl, of course. Hana is draped all over his arm. She obviously looks up to him.

The child himself is scowling. Like a permanent scowling face-- ah, he's like an angrier and tinier Zoro.

"It's been so long, Hie-sama!"

"Hie-sama," Usopp repeats, "he gets a 'sama'?"

Everyone's busy getting freaked out by Aokiji. Usopp is busy trying to figure out who, why, and how there are rumours of him within the devil fruit community. Does he want to know them? Probably not.

"There aren't many humans that can sense us, much less see us, especially in Paradise," Hie muses, looking over the boy and trying to figure him out-- "in fact, I am quite surprised. You have the power, but you've never quite put it to use or training just yet."

Usopp pauses at that. "Paradise?" he asks first, power-- what power?

Hie has his attention elsewhere. On Sanji, specifically. "That one there seems to be stronger, yet, you are the one that can see us. How peculiar indeed."

Usopp's hands are locked to the ground by ice. Everyone's freaking out. Luffy is shouting. Usopp is absolutely intimidated by this not-child before him.

Hie stands an inch from his face, and he scoffs.

"You are unique," Hie praises him. "Even Kuzan can't see me."

Usopp's eyes widen, suddenly understanding something.

"There are other people that can see you," he realizes, dread filling him. He's not that special except for the fact that he's from East Blue. "There are other people."

Hie smiles, and this time, it curls with the poison of a witch.

"I have great expectations for you, Usopp," Hie says, "what a shame."

-

"Who else," Usopp closes the door behind him, coming face to face with Gomu and Hana on the kitchen table. "Who else can see you?"

Sanji swirls around where he is, takes in Usopp's ragged appearance, and realizes he's not the one being talked to.

"What's the criteria? Why can I see you? Why am I unique?" he raises his voice ever so slightly with each question, the fear overtaking him and for the first time, ever-- he's realizing just how dire it is, just how... how crazy it is.

Hana inspects her nails. "Who knows? Some people develop it later on. You're the only one I've known that could always see from the start."

"Come to think of it, the Hawk-Eyes guy was looking at me funny at the Baratie," Gomu hums, "don't think he can see, though. Just sense us a bit."

Hito points upward.

And Gomu reacts, "yeah! Goro's user could kinda sense us too!"

"Why didn't you guys tell me?!" Usopp snaps, and Sanji shoots back, ready to quell whatever quarrel was going on if it started attracting attention from outside.

But what Usopp said next stopped him.

"Mihawk, of all people? And Enel?" Usopp says, "those guys have all been the scariest few we've met thus far! Where does that leave me, anyways?"

Gomu pouts, "you didn't ask!" he snaps, "and they can't see us. Can't touch us, either. They just vaguely know we're there. Kinda like how you're so paranoid of ghosts. You're sensitive to them, but that's it. You can't see."

Usopp sits down on the table. "Ghosts exist? GHOSTS EXIST?!" now he's having an existential crisis, "I'm not just being paranoid?!"

Hana sighs. "There aren't any that can see as well as you," she pokes the boy in the eyes, "they're not anything to worry about. You'll only meet more in the second half of the Grand Line, anyways."

That doesn't reassure him at all.

"But Hie had a point, you know?" Gomu says, turning to Sanji.

Usopp follows his gaze, and Sanji now looks very confused and strangely uncomfortable.

"He said something about Sanji." Usopp considers that, turning to Gomu, "I mean, there was a time he almost kicked you. Does that mean he can sense you?"

"Not necessarily," Gomu says, walking up to Sanji and snapping his fingers right before the blond's face. Sanji doesn't even flinch at the approach. "See?"

Hana opens her fan and turns away.

"I suppose something is obstructing his abilities," Hana says. She glances at the boy, and for a moment, Usopp thinks the undertone is pity. "...something biological, perhaps."

Usopp doesn't really understand it.

-

Honestly? Usopp wants to cry a little.

After what happened with Hie, he just needs a little off-time with the saner spirits.

"Gomu-chan! It's been so long! Awh, you've grown since we last met!"

Gomu right about blanches in disgust at the sight. Usopp has the pleasure of seeing a tiny little girl with cat ears bounce right up to him, twinkling with the eagerness and hidden maturity of a legal loli.

"We don't grow, you kitten grandma," Gomu growls at her.

The Neko-Neko no Mi, Model: Leopard is absolutely adorable. Small like Mane, just as bright, but much more mature. Like a mom or a very sweet older sister that's smaller than you. She kinda reminds Usopp of Kaya.

Now if only Gomu would be a little less spicy about everything...

"I heard you're with Hana-chan and Hito-chan," she says, impressively unaffected by Gomu's foul language. Usopp double takes at the 'chan's. "Have they been doing well?"

"Stalker," Gomu hisses.

"It's rather lively with you guys, eh?" she reminisces, going off into wonderland in her head, "I have Urufu-chan and Zou-chan with me, but it gets boring because we're never together."

"It's all animals over there," Gomu raises an eyebrow. "I saw Hie a while back. Mera and Mogu, too. It's all Logia out there... have you guys been hoarding the Zoan fruits?"

"Of course not!" the girl laughs it off despite the insinuation, "whoever knows what the human government is thinking? They know that if they unleash us, all they get are casualties on the block."

Usopp listens to them with half an ear as the money-stealing and ship inspecting goes on. Gomu will probably be fine over there. They now sound like aunties trying to catch up.

"Oh, Usopp, let me introduce you," Gomu turns to the boy, and Usopp turns around to tell him this isn't the time. Gomu ignores him. "This is everyone's mother and yours too, or so we like to say. You can call her Reo. Or Mamareo if you want."

"I'm Mamareo, unfortunately not an oreo. Nice to meet you!"

"That was absolutely NOT funny!" Usopp snaps. Then a second later, "wait! This isn't the time! Can't you see we have a crisis on our hands?! I'm going after the cash!"

-

-

-

Usopp is having a shitty day.

A very shitty day.

He'd rather not elaborate.

-

He puts his hand on Merry's hull, laying his head against the wood. The worn, rough wood of the ship he loved with all his heart.

"Y'know, when I met Gomu for the first time, I really wanted to know what else I could see."

He thinks back to the days they just fooled around, making a mess of the ship, when they first got the ship and it started becoming theirs.

The days that just won't ever be the same again.

"If fruits had spirits, then I just knew... It makes sense that you could have one too."

He stifles a sob. He fails.

"You were always there with us, but no one could see you. Not even me. But I could sense you. I knew you were there, Merry, I just-- they don't understand."

He punches the wood in frustration.

"So y'know, when I saw you on Sky Island-- I was so happy. I was so happy, I thought you finally showed yourself to me. I thought I was finally good enough to see you. But you were never there again and-- and..."

He swears.

He's so pathetic.

"I don't want to give up on you, Merry. Please."

-

He's not the asshole. Luffy's not the asshole. Franky isn't the asshole either, it's only his own fault for flaunting that much cash around. He wants dearly to say otherwise, but Galley-la were only doing their jobs. They're not the assholes, either.

Everything just sucked.

Everything just sucked and no one's at fault. No one is to blame. That's just how the situation is-- shitty and hopeless.

Usopp spends most of his time patching up whatever he can of the Merry and screwing his fists so tight on the hammer they're cramped and aching.

"You're pretty gutsy."

Usopp's hammer shatters the whole frame. He leaps back and screams. Hito stands beside him with an unamused eyebrow lifted.

"You can talk?!" Usopp yells at him. "And wait, what are you doing here?" He looks around frantically. Gomu said they had to stay within the vicinity of their users. If Hito was here... Usopp instinctively shushed himself. "Is Chopper here?"

Hito smiles warmly at him.

Hito's never spoken before. Not to the other spirits, not even when prompted. He just made gestures and nodded where necessary, acted where he should.

Usopp isn't in the greatest mental state right now. So when Usopp hears his voice, for the first time-- he feels the burn of tears in his eyes. He wipes it away and continues his work, grumbling something about how he has to start over now.

Someone, at least, is still on his side.

Hito doesn't speak further, but Usopp manages to smile when Chopper and Sanji pretend to loudly not warn him about Aqua Laguna's coming.

Now, if only he wasn't such a coward.

-

Gomu comes to find him one day. Apparently, Luffy's looking out to the horizon, so this little corner stall in the side of the far town is 'within vicinity'.

"You're an idiot, you know that, right?" Gomu says.

He had only watched the conflict, an unreadable expression in his eyes. Hito had looked away, and Hana wasn't there. She was gone with Robin.

Gomu had watched him with understanding, but so much judgement.

"I do not care for the wars of humans," he says, "but I care for any war Luffy involves himself in. And I care for yours, too."

Usopp doesn't know what to say. He stands by his own opinion. He doesn't want to let go of Merry. But Gomu is here... saying he cares? That's crazy talk.

"Why do you love the Merry so much?" Gomu asks.

And Usopp's answer is still the same. From the moment he'd met Merry and even now, his answer has never and will never change.

"Because she's a comrade, and I love her."

Gomu smiles a little.

"I'm sure she loves you too."

It takes a moment for those words to sink in. And by then, Gomu is gone and Usopp feels the tears run down his cheek again.

-

When Usopp loses the Merry to the Aqua Laguna, when Usopp sees the crack in the keel, when Usopp is knocked back into his senses by Franky-- he loses it.

He knows already.

He's known from the start of this whole train wreck of a situation. He's known since Arabasta, since Sky Island, that Merry... Merry wasn't capable of sailing them to the harsher seas.

She was born in East Blue, after all. The weakest sea.

But Merry's alive. She's alive, as much as Gomu, Hito, and all of their friends are. They're alive. Just because she's weak doesn't mean she's any less something with emotions and a heart and a personality and love.

(Maybe it's because Usopp can see the spirits, that he felt so much more convinced that Merry was alive, too.)

The ship is his treasure. Just like how Wado Ichimonji is Zoro's. They're all friends on the same ship, though invisible to a few oblivious ones. They're all comrades no one wants to leave behind.

(But Merry's dying.)

(And nothing can change that.)

He takes up the Sogeking mask, and if a fake personality is what he needs to be a brave warrior of the seas-- then that is what he'll do.

It's embarrassing, but everything hurts less now.

-

-

"He's mine," Hana hisses, "keep your filthy paws away from him."

Sogeking doesn't know what to do with this situation.

There's enough tension in reality, but Hana and Reo look like hate at first sight. Or second sight, or third, whatever.

Hana stands before Usopp, her fan in her hand, her glare set firm and piercing. Reo has a claw out, her eyes in golden slits, and whiskers at her cheeks.

"You've sure gotten cheeky, little Hana," she says, and all the cutesy demeanor she had with Gomu is gone. "I thought I taught you better."

Sogeking doesn't know how to feel about this.

"I'm sorry. I should've just stayed in the corner. I'm sorry."

Blueno is a little hard to fight. Mainly because his spirit is a little teenage-looking boy that can't stop curling into the seats and praying the world wouldn't converge on him.

He was pretty meek and quiet when they were confronted with the Merry, but once Hana showed up, he curled into himself and started crying.

Usopp almost wanted to just sit down there and sob too. Because I know, buddy! I totally get you! But because he's Sogeking right now, he'll pretend he doesn't see. Sogeking is not uncool enough to talk to invisible spirits in front of sane people.

Hana scoffs at the smaller one.

"You are cowardly as always," and there's Hana's incredibly snide remarks, as usual, "stand up straight!"

The boy squeaks, "I'm sorry!" He digs himself into the wall.

"Stop apologizing already!"

"I'm sorry!!"

Usopp sighs.

"Could you stop bullying him already?! You're so uncute," Reo scolds Hana. "This is why you'll never get a boyfriend!"

"Be quiet, furball!" Hana blushes, and Usopp needs a moment. Spirits can have boyfriends?!? "Besides, your Nikyu is a boring man!"

"You take that back! You're just jealous because Hie rejected you!"

"He did NOT--"

Doa then clambers over to Usopp (while apologizing) and uses him as a shield (while also apologizing.) He ends up in the center of a squeaking baby, an angry mother, and Hana's yelling. It's not very pleasant.

What even are they fighting about? Boyfriend Trouble? Seriously?

It's even less pleasant when Blueno escapes, leaving them with nothing but absolute failure in their wake.

Usopp thinks it's utterly frustrating how cheerful the animal fruit spirits are-- but he doesn't let himself lose control.

Sogeking doesn't let something like betrayal break him.

-

"Huh? Hito, look closer! That's not Usopp!"

Hito stares at the boy. Sogeking clears his throat, dripping with cold sweat. "I am the King of the Snipers, Sogeking!"

"See? He's Sogeking!"

Usopp honestly feels like he'll disappoint Gomu, so he doesn't correct him.

"He can't see us!" Gomu declares, and Usopp immediately turns away to pretend he isn't staring at them. He's still dripping with cold sweat.

Hito sighs.

"This is so cool! I'm gonna ask Usopp to introduce us later!" Gomu sparkles.

This is painful to watch.

-

"Inu'uru, also known as Inu Wolf!" she poses like a cheerful net idol. She's about as short as Reo, just with wolf ears and black hair instead. "You can call me Urufu!"

What is this miniature idol character?

"But it might get confusing for the readers, so let's just call me Wolf!"

"Don't break the fourth wall!" Usopp retorts immediately.

Usopp wonders what the CP9 would do if they ever find out how adorable their fruit spirits are. Especially Kaku. He looks like he hates his power.

"And this is Ushijira!" the wolfgirl points at the Chopper-sized thing beside her. It was tiny, wearing a long, giraffe-eared hoodie with sleeves that look like hooves.

Ushijira is too cool a name for a baby. Gira's fine, right?

"So a wolf and a giraffe, huh... which one of them has Robin's key?" Usopp asks.

"That one!" Gira points cheerfully at his user.

Usopp stares at the scene for a second. Then he reached for the guy beside him, "uhm, Zoro-kun, Zoro-kun, I might have a very important piece of information..."

-

"You shitty cyborg piece of--"

"OW!" Franky yells. He turns to his left. "WHO HIT ME?!"

Gomu's standing there beside him, but he can't see the kid. Sogeking gives Gomu a disapproving glance. Gomu makes faces at Franky.

"Hey, Hana! Don't just watch!" Gomu says, "this asshole made a whole mess of things, y'know! He stole all our money and Usopp got really sad."

"What?!" Hana responds explosively. She reaches for Franky's cheek and pinches it, "this ridiculous pervert? How dare--"

Franky yelps again. Everyone stares at Franky like he's grown another head. Sogeking looks away, slightly apologetic.

Sanji sends him a skeptical look.

Hito has his face in his palms.

-

"Sogepp, Sogepp, do you have candy?"

Sogeking barely survives a fall from the top of the tower (Sanji and Zoro magnificently did not save him, the assholes) and finds himself in the company of a little whining child.

"Why the hell are you still alive?!" Sanji squawks at him.

"Save me, dammit!" Sogeking snaps back, then turns to the kid beside him, "and no! I don't have candy!"

Gira looks teary-eyed at the tone.

Sanji blinks at him, turning to Kaku, then lets out an acknowledging hum. Zoro stares incredulously. "Who're you talking to, Sogeking?"

Sogeking flusters, "no one! I'm uh! Communicating with the lost spirits of the tower and leading them home to their--"

He's cut off by another explosion. The Navy ships are firing again, and they panic.

"We need to get out of here!" Sanji says, "get up, Hanaking!"

"Wait, I can't--!!"

"What a pain in the ass," Sanji swears, "hey Marimo! Is there anything we can use as a stretcher?!"

And they fumble around for any large-enough cloth in the rubble to improvise with.

"Where are you going?" Gira asks, sucking on his thumb.

"Oh uh, do you know how to get to that side?" Sogeking turns to the infant, pointing towards the Gate of Justice.

To his surprise, Gira nods. "Blue-bunny and weird fish hair girl drew some arrows!" he says, gesticulating largely. Sogeking takes a moment to interpret that.

Weird fish-hair girl aside, blue bunny was probably Gonbe, right? So Chimney and Gonbe... probably Grandma Kokoro too.

"They left us some directions?" he says, surprised. He doesn't notice Zoro and Sanji look over at his call. "Awesome! Where is it?"

Gira grins wide and toothy, "over here!" then he starts walking.

"Ah, wait!" Sogeking tries to get up, but crumbles. Then he snaps to the two monsters, "hey, Sanji-kun, Zoro-kun! I know the way, hurry up!"

-

"Huh? Usopp? When did you get here?"

"Oh, uh... just now."

It's impressive just how dumb yet smart Gomu is. He doesn't connect the dots at all.

-

When they leap into the sea and onto their beloved Merry, he's not the only one that can hear her.

"I came to get you guys!"

He talks to Sanji about it. But nothing-- there's no one on the ship, and no one wants to show themself to him.

Gomu and Hana and Hito won't tell him anything, but their steely expressions spell anything but good news.

And it's proven true when the boat splits in half, and Luffy's heart-crushing decision is made. They have to say goodbye-- and this time, it's for real.

Usopp-- no, Sogeking stands on the boat, watching the flames take her away. The tears don't stop. He wants to break down, like Nami. But he can't. He has to stand strong for Merry. There's no one hurting more than Merry right now.

The water moves.

Like footsteps, a small trail of water ripples lead in from the boat, coming closer, closer, closer.

Usopp sees it, and his heart sinks.

There-- standing on the water, a little before Luffy-- is a child in a sailor's raincoat. She doesn't have a face, but she's little and blue, and her smile is unmistakable.

Usopp's fist tightens. He swallows, and it's thick. It's painful. His tears are making his voice sound grainy.

"Are you going?" he asks, and he notices how everyone stiffens just a little.

The spot Merry is standing on has water ripples that shouldn't be there naturally--, and it catches attention from the other straw hats around. Their eyes widen-- but no one says anything. They don't know what to say.

Merry smiles. "I love you too," she says.

And Usopp cries harder.

"Goodnight."

She vanishes, wisping away into the sea.

"Yeah," Usopp barely manages to choke up the words that follow. "Sweet dreams, Merry."

-

There are a lot of beautiful ships in Galley-la, but he never sees something like that again. It was a feverish glimpse, and a feverish glimpse never becomes something more, no matter how much he wishes.

He stops walking.

"Hi, Usopp-san," the little blue-haired girl says, "did you happen to see a mosshead with no brain cells walk by here?"

It's a feverish glimpse. It's just my imagination. I'm not seeing this. I'm not seeing this.

"Whatever then. You might want to go make up with your captain soon. Zoro's pretty angry about it," she warns him, "Zoro's all about honour and loyalty. You can't half-ass your way through this one, okay?"

And she vanishes. Oh thank god.

Usopp did not just see a manifestation of Zoro's sword. He did not, okay? He's imagining it. He is dreaming right now.

She's wearing white. So is she Ichimonji? But she's got blue hair, so maybe it's Yubashiri... didn't Yubashiri get broken, though?

"No, you're not imagining things."

He screams. When did Hana get here?!?

Hana huffs. Her hair is down, and her kimono is disheveled. "You insolent fool. With you gone, who is going to do my hair? Who is going to tie my obi? How dare you leave without my permission!?"

She whacks him with a fan, and Usopp curls up, "wait, Hana! I can explain!" Come to think of it, she wasn't there to see the quarrel he had with Luffy. "I'm sorry! I'll do your hair now, okay? Let's go find a chair and a comb. Stop hitting me!"

Wait.

"What do you mean, I didn't imagine it?" Usopp asks, "I mean, I did always feel something on his sword-- but even Zoro can feel something on his Kitetsu."

"That was Ichimonji. Kitetsu is an asshole and you don't want to meet him, trust me." Hana tells him, begrudgingly sitting down on the beach steps and handing the man a comb. "As for why you saw her, hell if I know."

Ichimonji? The little girl?

"She kinda looks like that Marine swordslady we met in Loguetown," Usopp mentions. "Much younger, though. Do swords take any form like you guys, or is there a reason?"

"Swords are different," Hana says, "they tend to take the form of the Master they liked the most. Except Kitetsu, he hates everyone."

Usopp pales a little. Does that mean the sword belonged to that Marine? Or is it just a coincidence? Why is it the child form, though?

(And Kitetsu's his cursed sword, right? Oh man, I don't want to meet him.)

"I want that braided bun you promised last time!" Hana suddenly jerks away from Usopp excitedly, making requests. "And flowers! You said I could!"

Usopp sighs fondly, putting his hands on her shoulders so she would stay still.

"Yes, yes..."

Usopp doesn't see Ichimonji again after that. Maybe it really was just a feverish dream, and there was some strange reason he could see it just that one time.

But that was beside the point.

She was right. Usopp had to fix things. For the first time in his entire life, he needed the courage, he needed the bravery.

He needed the humility to bow down and ask for forgiveness with all of his bare-faced sincerity... and Usopp didn't have the balls to do that.

-

Anyways, it all worked out.

-

With a new ship and a full set of nakama, the Strawhats set out from Water 7, back onto the sea of adventures.

When Usopp closes his eyes during his night watch, he shivers.

He can feel them. Presences that aren't supposed to be there, walking about, adventuring. He just knows something is there, something he can't see... and they're a whole community of friends invisible to the naked eye.

Gomu and Hito are still toasting to Usopp's return, and Hana is enjoying her booze with just a little more grace.

Maybe in another part of the ship, another party just like that is happening. Usopp just can't see it, can't hear it.

But he can feel it, and he's not too sure if he should be scared by it.

He wonders if Zoro's little Ichimonji is drinking too, accompanied by the soul of the Sunny and the spirit that weighs down Luffy's precious straw hat.

-

Franky loves the ship, but god forbid, he really thinks it's haunted.

He works in his workshop, undisturbed, and somehow, a whole box of bolts empties itself over his head. It was beside his hand, last he'd seen it.

Then his empty cola barrels all topple over his head. It brings a mallet with it, and if it wasn't Franky that was down there, they'd be dead. Just as he thinks it's over, a pipe uproots from under the scrap pile and sics him right in the face.

Oh, he's had enough.

He joins Sanji for an early morning's broody breakfast.

"What happened to you?" Sanji asks when the shipwright shows up in the galley black and blue and full of bumps.

"I don't know, but I think there's a ghost at the bottom deck and they hate me," Franky says, not at all thinking Sanji would believe him.

Sanji blows out a cloud of smoke, considering that.

Then, "yeah, that ought to happen," he says, "I'll deal with it."

"Huh?"

"You bullied their favourite boy, so of course they're pissed," Sanji shrugs. "I guess it's your just desserts, but they sure know how to hold a long grudge. I'll try and tell them to stop, not sure if it'll work though."

Franky just looks more confused. "Do you guys know something I don't?"

Beside him, Robin chuckles, nursing her coffee. "Yes, we do."

-

Usopp is sewing a tear in Gomu's sleeve when Nami walks in.

"Usopp, I just wanted to ask about the Clima Tact..." she trails off.

It must've looked weird, with string floating in the air, Usopp holding needle and thread (he was a craftsman, Nami was the seamstress) and looping around nothingness.

Usopp freezes, and for a horrifying moment, he's not sure what Nami makes of the situation.

Then Nami groans. She puts down her Clima Tact, closes the door behind her, and picks up a piece of scrap cloth from the ground, along with a needle and thread.

"You don't know how to sew, do you?" Nami accuses, and Usopp prepares to launch into story number fifteen of how he once sewed the seas shut-- but Nami brushes it off easily. "C'mon, I'll show you. I can't do it for you, but just follow what I do, okay?"

Maybe Nami can see just enough to know Usopp's sloppy thread chaos on Gomu's sleeve. But it's still floating in the air, so sure enough, it's weird, right? Right??

Usopp wants to cry. Who else in this ship knows about the spirits?

Gomu smiles patiently, a look of almost adorable pride as Usopp quickly cuts away the messy thread, starting over with Nami's slow instructions on how to mend it properly.

-

Chopper is scampering around the deck.

"What's wrong, Chopper?" Usopp asks him.

"Oh, Usopp!" Chopper stops to address him, "I misplaced my scissors somewhere... must have been when Luffy dragged me around to explore yesterday. Now I can't find them!" he says. "Have you seen it around?"

Usopp hums. Chopper's medical supplies are very important to him.

"No, I haven't seen it around," he says, and Chopper deflates further. "But gimme a second, okay?"

Usopp looks around the deck. Robin is on the lawn, sunbathing. Zoro is sleeping out back. Nami is watering the plants...

"Ah, Hito!" he hollers toward the galley, where the spirit was standing near the galley door. Chopper swirls around, looking around frantically for what Usopp was talking to. "Do you know where it is?"

Hito leans on the ledge, looking to the side a little, like he's thinking.

Then the spirit straightens, and hops down to the first floor, entering the library. Usopp beckons Chopper to follow him, and they enter the room.

Hito finds it placed in a very inconveniently hidden spot between some books, and Usopp promptly returns it to the little reindeer.

"There it is. Here you go, Chopper, don't lose it again, okay?" Usopp pats the reindeer on the hat, then waves thankfully at Hito as the spirit excuses himself back to seawatching.

Chopper stares at it, awestruck.

"Usopp, are you magical?!"

Usopp lifts his chin a little. "Of course I am! Have I told you the story of the time I split the sky in half to save my friend that was captured by a UFO?"

-

Usopp is no longer hiding anything from his crewmates. He never had the need to, now that he thinks it through.

They're past the point of suspicions, and through the point of secrets.

Everyone on this ship sees the view in their own way. Usopp's is just a little more crowded than theirs, and that's nothing to be alarmed about.