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Usopp was sitting on the coast. Waves were splatting, breaking on the shore. Usopp’s pants were wet but he didn’t pay attention. Since he was a kid Usopp came to the sea to think. Sometimes, he dreamed of sailing the sea on his own ship with a brave, strong, and loyal crew. He dreamed of exploring the unknown islands. He dreamed of danger and adventures. He made up incredible animals: they were big and scary but Usopp always could defeat or tame them.
Since he was a kid Usopp was a great storyteller. Every tale he told was unique and unrepeatable. He remembered well every story, every lie he ever told. But more precisely he remembered the truth. When he came to the sea, Usopp thought about real life, about the future that can actually happen and the past.
Usopp never lied to himself, he knew his dreams will never come true.
It’s just… He had a crew. He had a ship. He had a life: dangerous but full. Real. He had a family.
Dreams will never come true if you’ll not fight for them. And they will slip away the moment you stumble and make a mistake.
Deeply in his thoughts, Usopp didn’t notice the quiet steps approaching him. The stranger announced himself with a loud salute, and Usopp jumped two feet in the air and screamed out of surprise.
“Ex...excuse me?” he asked taking a good look at the stranger who wasn’t a stranger at all: Monkey D. Garp, the vice-admiral of marine, the hero, and Luffy’s grandfather. Usopp had a good look at him a couple of hours ago when he was keeping eye on his ex-crew. He wasn’t spying if anyone ask. Usopp didn’t know a lot about Garp, but he knew enough to respect, scare and admire him.
“The weather is good,” Garp said. He was smiling under his dog hat. Usopp nodded a little bit nervously. He didn’t think Garp would attack or arrest a simple pirate like himself, since he doesn’t have a bounty, but it’s never hurt to be cautious.
It’s never hurt to be cautious around anyone from Monkey family or anyone connected to them, to be honest. Usopp knew Luffy long enough to know he will get you in trouble by trying to help more than it should be possible.
“You are with Luffy. In his crew,” said Garp.
“No,” Usopp said, he didn’t want any misunderstandings, but Garp didn’t listen to him. Seriously, it’s run in the family, Usopp thought.
“He is such a dummy! He never listens to anyone, doing whatever he wants without any thoughts and it’s up to us to get him out of trouble,” Garp laugh, and Usopp smiled.
Garp sat near him on the ground (but not too close, Usopp made sure of it). “He got in a lot of trouble when he was a kid… I guess nothing changed.”
“Yeah…” Usopp nodded. Usually, he always knew what to say, he could talk for hours, and most of the time people had a hard time making him stop talking. But he couldn’t imagine what he can possibly say to his ex-captain’s (ex-friend’s) grandfather.
Somehow he felt guilty.
They sat in silence for a while. Usopp heard the crinkling and a second later there was a bag of cookies under his nose.
“Wanna cookie?”
“Th... Thank you…”
Usopp ate the cookie and watched the sea. It always made him feel better, but right now it made him feel sadder than ever.
It made him feel like he was six years old again, sitting on the coast while his mother was sick at home, and waiting for his father. Even at six years, Usopp knew this won't ever happen. His father will never come home, his mother will die, and he will be all alone in the whole world.
Just like he is now.
“Don’t worry about Luffy,” Usopp said. “His friends will take care of him. They’ll never leave him and even if they fight and go separate ways they’ll help him. Even if they act like they are no longer friends. They will come to help. Even if he won't ask”.
“Yes. I know this, kiddo” Garp’s voice was soft and kind. He was watching him, but Usopp was watching the sea. “Luffy always could see the truth in people. I know I can trust his judgments. What was your name?”
“Usopp”.
“Usopp, yeah! The sniper who burned down the Government flag! That was something!”
This made Usopp look up.
“Hey! Sogeking did it, not me!”
Garp ruffled his hair and laugh.
“Take care of Luffy, kiddo,” Garp said, his hand still on Usopp’s head. “I know you already are but… don’t leave him. He can’t take it when someone leaves. Well… no one can”.
I can, Usopp almost lied the same as he lied to his mother when he tried to make her feel better. The same as he lied to the villagers every day for the next ten years. The same as he lied to himself by refusing to cry at the lonely nights in the empty house.
Usopp knew how it feels when someone you care about leaves you, and he was too scared to feel that way again. So scared that he has hurt someone before someone could hurt him.
In the end, he was hurt anyway so what was the point, he thought.
“You are a good friend, I can tell,” Garp said. “Here, eat some cookies”.
I’m really not, Usopp thought. He was holding the bag of cookies now. Garp was going away, and one crazy thought came to Usopp. He was standing before he could change his mind.
“Mr. Garp!” he screamed and got up to follow the marine. “I have a… personal question”.
Taking about this felt weird. After his mom died he refused to talk about his father. He would laugh and change the subject every time someone would try to talk to him. He would pretend that it didn’t matter. He was a lier after all.
The only time when he talked to someone other than himself was a lifetime ago, at the cost of the different sea, with Luffy.
“My father is a pirate,” Usopp said. Usually, when he said that people would be disgust, but Garp’s face was as calm as ever. “He… left and I don’t know where he is or if he’s still alive… Luffy said ten years ago he was with the Redhead pirates. His name is Yasopp and he is a sniper. I just want to know that he’s well”.
“I never met him in person but I heard a lot. He would be impressed by your action on Enies Lobby”.
“I don’t want to impress him. And I didn’t do anything that I did back then to impress anyone. I did it to save my friends”.
“And this is the most impressive. With all of you.”
Usopp was a good liar, so he knew if people were lying to him. Garp was as honest as Luffy, and so is kind. Usopp felt warm and safe when Garp smiled at him. He was Luffy’s family after all. And Luffy will always be Usopp’s family too.
“Redhead is alive and well, curse him Sea King. He and your daddy are somewhere there, over the Red Line. If you want to see how’s your old man doing, you need to go there yourself”.
“Thank you. This means a lot to me”.
“You welcome,” Garp said. He turned around to walk away. “Oh, and kiddo? What’s that nonsense with the ‘mister’? Ha! Just call me Grandpa!”