Spirits Unseen (One Piece Fanfic)

The Things only He Sees.

Inspired by "The Devils in the Fruits" by OneHellofaGrell, and "Sight" by cywscross (ao3)

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People call Usopp a coward, but really, really, and really, it's not unfounded.

He's always been a sensitive child. Maybe it had something to do with his mom spoiling him when he was younger, or from the fact he was a pampered boy in the weakest sea with too-big dreams.

Anyways.

"What're you doing, Usopp?" Zoro asks, and Usopp gives the most undignified squawk the swordsman has ever heard. Usopp flips around, arms poised to battle, and Zoro raises an eyebrow. "Interesting reaction," Zoro muses, "so what's with you?"

Day two on the Merry, and Usopp is still fidgety as hell.

"Uh," Usopp swallows then straightens. He leans over and whispers, very unsubtle. His gaze is a very sharp side glance at Luffy, who's lounging at Merry's figurehead.

"Look Zoro, serious-- do you see anyone there? Like, on the deck?"

Zoro stares.

"Yeah, Luffy. Why?"

"No, no, not him, there's a kid," Usopp insists, throwing his hands down absolutely frustrated, "he's shorter than Luffy, he's wearing a pierrot costume in this godforsaken heat, and--" He points, turns-- then shrieks, flinching away.

He ducks behind Zoro, using the very confused green-haired as a shield.

Despite Zoro's increasingly incredulous looks, Usopp panics. "He saw me! Oh no. He's smiling at me. He's going to kill me in my sleep and I just KNOW it! Look, he's filing his nails with a dagger of all things, that brat's an absolute psychopath!"

After five seconds of Usopp's incoherent babble, Zoro decides to just walk away.

Usopp starts crying, but that's nothing new.

-

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"You may refer to me as Gomu," the child speaks with the exuberant confidence of a child that brought the coolest thing to show-and-tell.

His arms are folded. His little hat is feathered and fancy, there are a myriad of carnival shapes on his skin, like tattoos. He's like a clown in a circus, minus the makeup and much more child assistant of the troupe.

The child-- Gomu-- scoffs at Usopp.

"It's been centuries since anyone could see us," he muses, a mocking scoff as his eyes narrow just slightly, "you're very unique, human."

It sounds like a compliment, so why did it feel like an insult?

And if there's anything Usopp knows, it's that Gomu is nothing like this owner. They're both prideful, they're both headstrong-- but Gomu is all that and he actually has brains to think. Which makes him some kind of overpowered evil mastermind if he tried.

Never has Usopp felt more relieved that Luffy was an idiot.

-

"Usopp! Get me that apple up there!"

Usopp sighs. Automatically picking up a pebble that looked about the right size, he strapped it into his slingshot and-- aim, release.