Strength (One Piece fanfiction)

Ch 43

Chopper and Sanji returned to the ship soon after. I had stopped crying, but still sat silently next to Zoro as he explained to them what was said.

"Merry is broken...Robin is missing...this afternoon is filled with trouble," Sanji said.

When they reported that Robin was missing, my heart had dropped. I knew how she felt since seeing Aokiji, and I had worried that she would leave. But we didn't know for sure of anything yet, so I didn't take any actions.

"Everyone!" We heard Nami shout. I stood up to see her.

"Why is she alone? Did something happen to Luffy and Usopp?! Nami! Did something happen?!" Sanji called out to her.

She ran onto the ship and explained that the 200 million beris were stolen, and Usopp was beaten by the perpetrators.

Nami told the boys Usopp's location and they left the ship with Chopper. I stayed back with Nami, just incase Robin came back.

I saw Nami standing over her suitcase full of money while pointing a gun around on high alert. She also had guns laying at her feet, and a barrel of miscellaneous weapons in a barrel behind her. "Nami, want me to hold it?"

She immediately relaxed and rubbed her neck, laughing, "I forgot you could do that."

I laughed and brought it into my realm. We sat on lawn chairs to wait. "What did you guys decide to do? About Merry."

"Luffy hasn't decided yet," Nami sighed.

"That's a really hard decision to make," I mumbled. "I'm glad I'm not a captain."

"But we've been sailing so well...Merry doesn't feel broken at all," she said.

"You're wrong..." I sighed. "She's tired."

"Eh? What do you mean? It's a ship," she said.

"I don't know either," I leaned back. "Just a feeling I guess."

It was silent for awhile before Nami spoke up. "Usopp feels responsible for losing the money. He's being extra hard on himself because we were going to use it to fix Merry...he still doesn't know."

"He's going to be crushed..." I mumbled. "They're back."

We stood up to see them carrying an injured Usopp. I helped them get him on the ship and onto a bed.

"Did you guys send them flying?" Usopp may not be my partner, but he is my nakama. And seeing him in this state made my vision taint red.

"Right before we brought down their whole factory," Sanji said after he exhaled his smoke.

The anger subsided, and anxiety took over. I wish we didn't have to give him such bad news when he woke up. He's in this state because he believed the money would go to Merry's repairs.

How are we supposed to tell him?

....

"Usopp woke up!" Chopper shouted.

We exclaimed in joy and crowded back into the room. Usopp immediately latched onto Zoro's leg, "I'm so sorry for losing the money!" he cried.

"Oi, calm down!" Zoro tried shaking him off.

"We worked so hard to get that money and I just gave it away like that!"

"We still have 100 million, don't worry about it!" Luffy grinned.

"You're lucky that your alive," Sanji pointed out.

"Can we still fix Merry with 100 million?!" Usopp asked. "We came all this way...we need to make her even stronger to sail beyond."