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Usopp was ten, ten years old and already used to life without his mother by his side.
She was dead, two years buried and he missed her every second of every day.
In the mornings before school he would wake at whatever villagers house he was staying at that week and miss his mom. Then he did what he did every morning, he ran about the village screaming about pirates coming. (Maybe his mother’s grave would hear his voice, and she would be relieved Usopp’s father had come home.) After the first month of this routine the people knew he was lying and would complain. Then he would go to school for the day - a small education centre set up for the village children - and finally he would screw around for a while after school before going back to whoever's house he was staying at.
The villagers weren’t comfortable with leaving a child alone in his home, to take care of himself and the like, so they would take care of him themselves. Shuffled and moved home from home Usopp was moved through the villagers' houses routinely. Always staying for a week in a spare room or a pull-out couch before going to the next home - by now he had his things spread about twenty different houses and he had forgotten what the feeling of ‘home’ felt like.
He was grateful that the villagers cared enough to take care of him, none of them mean and all genuinely caring for him and his well being, but he also hated it. Shuffled from home to home, never not on the move, he felt like a piece of furniture being passed around or a lucky stone everyone took turns with. It was tiring, exhausting, and he just wanted to go home. He wanted to go back to his house with his bedroom and his bed. He wanted to go home.
But he was ten and alone and he couldn’t take care of himself (that’s what the adults said at least).
The final school bell rang and Usopp waved goodbye to Mx. Barriss on his way out. Deciding to head up to what he was calling his Super Secret Hideout Usopp became very confused when he noticed the Mayor standing almost nervously out front of the school.
“Hello, Usopp.” Mayor Fox said, smiling small and a bit nerve racked, “You’ll be with me tonight, alright?”
Usopp nodded, it wasn’t Monday - when he normally switched homes - but the baker’s son had missed school today because of a possible cold. Maybe Mr. Baker decided it would be better for Usopp to switch homes a bit early so he didn’t catch a cold as well.
(Wouldn’t be the first time.)
Following the Mayor home he didn’t question Mayor Fox telling him to stay in the house all day and night, the Mayor always had his kids doing all their homework on time and handing in assignments days earlier then they were due. Merely nodding in acquiesce to the rule he spent the rest of his day and night catching up on homework and assignments he may or may not have been ignoring.
The next morning Usopp woke and Mayor Fox’s wife - honestly the best cookie baker in the world - gathered her kids and Usopp to do their hair. Her fingers were longer than his mother’s, slimmer too - piano hands where his mother’s had been gardeners hands - and Usopp patiently let her twist and braid his hair and trim it a bit. He tried (and failed) not to miss the way his mom used to do his hair, feeling Ms.Fox’s slim fingers and hands where his mothers thick and callused ones should have been made him miss his mom with more ache than what he was used to by now.
By now Usopp was used to this dull ache in his chest, like a hole where his mother's smile and love and life had been. He was used to the ache, having had it for two years made him more than good at ignoring the feeling. But whenever Ms.Fox did his hair - or anyone else - he couldn't help but be reminded of his mother who would tell stories and sing whenever she did his hair.
Not questioning the way Ms.Fox fussed over his clothes and appearance , he let her dress him up in new clothes.
Then, with warm hands cupping his cheeks, skin darker than his and eyes staring into his own, Ms.Fox said, “You’re a good boy, Usopp. Kind, sweet, and charming. If you don’t feel comfortable or wish to come back here don’t even think, sweetheart. You’re welcome here, forever okay?”
Huh?
“Are you okay, Ms.Fox?” He asked, more than confused as to why she was telling him this.
Ms.Fox only patted his cheeks softly, “Perfectly fine, daring. I’m actually very happy… I just…” She gave a nervous smile, “I’m also just nervous. Pirates aren’t… aren’t pleasantly thought of for a reason.”
Now very confused, Usopp only nodded a little before Mayor Fox was giving his wife a look and Usopp was being led from the house.
It wasn’t until he was in front of his own home - his home - and he overheard voices inside did he realise what exactly was going on.
The window leading to the living room was open -which was odd, Usopp knew they were always locked closed - and he heard voices inside as Mayor Fox was nervously walking away. As if both in a rush to leave and yet very nervous to leave Usopp alone.
The voice he heard was like the one he remembered his father speaking with, this warmth and charm and humour carried in every word.
“I wasn’t there , Tak! Usopp… Usopp’s probably better off without such a shitty father. Which I am. A shitty father.”
There was an annoyed sigh, clearly from another person and this other person said, exasperated and annoyed and fed up, “Then be one. If you’re a shit father man up and be his godsdamn dad, Yasopp. You-”
Usopp’s heart stopped, hand coming up to clutch at the clothes over his chest because if he thought what was happening was that his father was inside- that his father was home - then…then…
“-weren’t there. You can’t change that and if your kid hates you, he hates you - But you have to try because if you don’t he will hate you. You’re responsible for him, which means you don’t matter anymore. Your kid’s all that matters and Usopp needs you. He’s ten and alone and he needs a dad. His dad.”
Usopp… Usopp didn’t knock - like Mayor Fox had mentioned he should - and instead put his hand on his home’s doorhandle and whipped the door open, bursting into his house to look into the living room and see his father.
See a man with large bags under his eyes, who was covered in bandages and another man who wasn’t in a much better shape turn and stare at him. He burst into his living room and stared at the tall man with skin exactly like Usopp’s and dreadlocks dyed blond just like Mom said they would be and knowing that was his dad. Knowing the man in his living room was his father because he looked exactly like the picture his mom had kept at her bedside, exactly like the really, really hazy memories of him were like. He was older, covered in bandages, and had certainly not won whatever fight he had come out of, but it was Usopp’s father.
And- and-
And he didn’t feel fear or anger or hurt because this was his dad and his dad was home and Usopp was kind, so kind it was almost disgusting. Because Usopp was a good person and so when he saw his father he smiled wide and ran at him screaming, “ Daddy!”
And Yasopp caught him. Without even a moment's hesitation Yasopp instinctively caught Usopp and knelt to the ground to tuck his son close, to bury Usopp into his chest and shoulder and hold him tight and hard but with excruciating care. To gently run his hand over his head and apologise, to blabber apology after apology as Usopp raved about his father being home.
The other man - who Usopp would later come to know as (Uncle) Takashi - left the room and into the kitchen where some more men were staying while Yasopp gathered his son to his chest and cried.
As Usopp felt - for the first time since his mother died - warm and safe and home.
...
The first few days after his father returned were awkward, were moments of figuring out how to operate around each other and from then on Usopp&Yasopp were inseparable.
He walked Usopp to school everyday, putting him on his shoulders even as his bandages ripped or bled red. He cooked and sang when he did so, and Usopp would sit at the table getting help with his homework from members of his fathers pirate crew. Takashi helped make his English grade jump almost ten percent and Usopp found a family.
He found a family and he was home.
But… but some of his family had to go.
Takashi and Usopp’s other Uncles had a crew to get back to and Usopp knew his father did as well.
Except… except his dad was staying and quitting.
The discussion came a while after his dad had been home and was healed up more than well. Usopp, ten and young and a big boy now stared his father in the eyes and said,
“Go.”
Yasopp stared at him and said, “I’m never leaving you again.”
And Usopp’s heart soared but he also wanted a Father who wouldn't abandon his dream and kill himself in spirit to stay with his son who he loved.
Usopp… Usopp wanted to go to sea but… but he also wanted to finish school. He wanted to stay for Kaya - who needed him now that her parents were gone (just like his mom). He wanted to finish school and then go out to sea on his own . He wanted to go to sea and meet his father on the high swashbuckling water of the New World and make himself a pirate in his own right.
He wanted to be Usopp, successful pirate, sniper, and then son of Yasopp. Not Usopp, the son of Yasopp, successful pirate and sniper.
So when his dad told him he was quitting the crew, staying behind to be with him, Usopp said no . Usopp said no, no, no and they argued and Usopp stormed out - ten and young and yet alone for two years. They spent a whole week arguing back and forth before finally Takashi knocked the stubborn, obstinate father and son up their heads and demanded they come to a conclusion.
It took a week of arguing, but they came to a compromise. Usopp proud of himself for standing his ground and not giving up and Yasopp proud of Usopp for the very same reason.
Sixteen. Yasopp would stay until Usopp was sixteen and then he would go back to his crew and the seas.
A compromise Usopp was okay with and a compromise Yasopp reluctantly accepted.
Usopp didn’t cry when Takashi and the men set out, back to the New World and their Captain with Yasopp’s later in hand. Instead he smiled and waved and promised to meet them at sea.
Usopp spent the next six years of his life learning everything he could about guns and being a pirate. His dad taught him to shoot and fight - though not rigorously, still wanting to give his son a childhood unlike his nephews he knew were currently dealing with four colorful children and marines on their backs. Usopp was trained and taught and while he never got the hand of Haki before his Dad set sail when he was sixteen, and sometimes he forgot some steps when cleaning his guns, he was a damn right amazing shooter and a good damn fighter.
He was ready for the seas and so when he was seventeen and carrying stories under his belt from his father’s time at sea, Usopp was ready .
So when the Demon of the East, Monkey D. Luffy, rolled up to his island with a big smile and hoping wonder for a cousin. Usopp greeted him as his cousin and rolled his eyes because wow Dad was right… Luffy really couldn’t lie.
So he set sail with the Strawhats and made sure his dumbass cousin Luffy didn’t spill the beans too early and got them all killed.
And so he became a pirate.
A Strawhat.
(And eventually a God.)