The Going Merry rocked gently on the water, the sun glinting off its worn rails.
Zoro sat silently on the deck, staring at the ship that had carried them through so many storms and battles.
Beside him, the shipwright with the long, square nose—who looked suspiciously like Usopp—spoke with regret in his voice.
"What a pity. This ship is already…"
Zoro didn't respond immediately. A faint breeze passed, stirring the loose bandages around his torso, carrying with it the scent of salt and sun-dried wood. Even without words, even without turning, the heaviness in his shoulders said everything—loss, respect, frustration, and acceptance all settling together like dust in the quiet air.
Zoro said nothing. He simply looked at the Going Merry, his one good eye filled with quiet respect.
He didn't need to say anything. The silence spoke for him.
A seagull shrieked overhead. The lonely sound echoed across the harbor, as if even the sky lamented the state of the ship that had become their home. For a single moment, the swordsman closed his eye, remembering long nights of laughter, battles fought side by side, and the stubborn courage of their little vessel that always pushed forward, no matter how bleak the journey.
---
"Damn it! Someone's trying to steal our money!"
Usopp clutched two large boxes of Berries, his eyes darting nervously as he hurried behind the shipwright who claimed to be sent by Iceberg-sama.
"Hey, little brother, can you walk a bit slower?" Usopp panted.
"Slower? I'm already crawling here!" the man snapped, irritation clear in his tone. "You think I've got time to waste? Move it! I've got work waiting!"
"Ah—right, sorry, sorry!" Usopp gave a sheepish grin and stumbled forward, trying to keep up.
His breath came short and quick as he struggled to balance the boxes. Sweat trickled down the side of his cheek—not from exertion, but from the looming suspicion growing louder in his gut. Something about the man's tone, his impatience, the strange way he kept glancing over his shoulder… It all hammered at Usopp's nerves like warning drums. But the thought of the Merry being saved kept him moving. They needed this money. He had to do this right.
But as soon as they turned a corner, his heart sank. The narrow alley ahead was filled with thugs wearing strange goggles, each of them staring at him like hungry wolves.
"Heh heh… We've been waiting for you, kid," one of them sneered.
The shipwright who had led him there put on a pair of matching glasses and smirked. "I knew it. Out of all of you, this one's the easiest to trick!"
For a split second, Usopp felt the world tilt. The betrayal hit him harder than any club. But he steadied himself, forcing a shaky breath as he shifted his stance. Even cornered, even terrified, he reminded himself: He was a sniper of the Straw Hats. He was not allowed to break.
"Kid, where are your friends? You've pissed off the Franky Family's underlings! Better take your beating quietly!"
"Damn it, I've been tricked!" Usopp cursed and turned to flee—only to find the way behind him blocked by another group of armed thugs, their faces twisted into cruel grins.
"It's over… I'm surrounded!"
The thugs closed in like a tightening noose. Their shadows stretched across the walls, swallowing what little hope lingered in the alley. Still, Usopp's fingers didn't shake as much as before. He squared his shoulders. If fear was going to take him, then it would have to fight for it.
His hands trembled slightly, but his eyes hardened. He dropped the boxes, pulled out his slingshot, and shouted,
"Sure-Kill: Multiple Smoke Stars!"
A cloud of thick white smoke filled the alley instantly.
"Cough! Cough! The brat's trying to run! Get him!"
"I got him!"
"You idiot! That's me! Let go!"
The chaos echoed like a battlefield, yet Usopp's heart hammered even louder. With every step through the smoke, he prayed the Merry would forgive him if he failed. He prayed his crew wouldn't see him as dead weight. He prayed… he prayed he wasn't the liability he feared he was.
Taking advantage of the moment, Usopp slipped through the smoke—
Only to be struck from behind.
A heavy blow from Zambai's iron club crashed against his head, and Usopp dropped to the ground, unconscious. The boxes flew from his hands and clattered across the cobblestones.
"Damn it…" he muttered weakly, the world spinning. "If Shirogai, Luffy, or Zoro were here…"
The last thing he saw was the gang closing in around him.
"I'm too weak," he whispered. "If it were them, these guys wouldn't stand a chance…"
He felt a warm trickle down the back of his neck—blood, maybe. Or maybe just shame. In that blurry moment, the faces of his crewmates flashed like fading lantern lights. Strength he could never reach. Courage he could never match. But when his fingers brushed the device in his pouch, something sparked inside him. Even weak men could choose not to give up.
Forcing his hand to move, he pulled a small device from his pouch and hurled it toward the money boxes.
"Usopp Shirogai's Sure-Kill: Memory Metal Shield! Protect our money!"
Bang!
A shimmering dome of transparent metal expanded, encasing the boxes completely.
The shield's glow illuminated Usopp's fallen form. Even beaten, even broken, he still protected what mattered. The Franky Family didn't notice it—but in that moment, he had taken a step forward as a warrior. Even if he failed, he fought in his own way.
---
Time passed.
A yellow dog wandered by and lifted its leg.
"Shhh…"
The warm splash hit Usopp's face.
"…"
He snapped awake with a scream, startling the dog so badly it yelped and bolted.
"Where—where are the money boxes?!"
Frantic, he searched the alley, but the boxes were gone. Completely gone.
Shame weighed on him like soaked concrete. The alley felt colder, the shadows wider. He imagined the Merry drifting farther away from salvation with every heartbeat. If he closed his eyes, he could almost hear her creaking—pleading. And he had failed her. He alone had failed her.
When the truth sank in, his knees gave way. He sat heavily on the ground, eyes blank, staring up at the sky.
"I'm… useless. That was the money to fix the Going Merry…"
A breeze fluttered through the alley, carrying laughter from some distant street. It sounded careless—mocking. Usopp clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms as a hot sting filled his eyes. The world didn't stop for his failure. The world didn't care. But he cared. And that made the pain threaten to tear him apart.
A mocking voice drifted from the alley's mouth.
"Heh heh… Heard the Franky Family scored big today. Bet that's what you're crying about, huh?"
Three short thugs stood there, twirling butterfly knives in their hands and grinning like hyenas.
"Come on, kid, hand over the rest of your valuables."
"Oh?" Usopp's head tilted slightly. "So you know where they went?"
Something in his eyes changed—a quiet shift, like a cold wind sliding into a warm room. The thugs stiffened. This wasn't the trembling coward they expected. This was someone who had already been broken—and decided breaking wasn't enough to stop him.
"W-what do you think you're doing?!" one stammered.
Usopp's lips twisted into a grin.
"Sure-Kill: Gunpowder Star!"
BOOM!
"Sure-Kill: Stink Egg!"
"Sure-Kill: Incendiary Bomb!"
"Usopp Hammer Attack!!!"
The thugs hit the ground in a heap, smoke rising from their singed clothes. Usopp towered over them like a man possessed, hair wild, breath sharp, eyes blazing.
"Do you know those bastards? Where are they? Take me to them!!!"
His shout echoed down the alley, raw with fury and fear—and something fiercer than both.
A true man fixes the trouble he causes himself.
He doesn't crawl back to his crew, begging for help.
That's the resolve of a man sailing under the Straw Hat flag.
And with trembling legs but unyielding eyes, Usopp stood. He wasn't strong. He wasn't fearless. But he refused to stay broken.