Work Text:
---
It was a rather calm day for the Strawhat pirates. Everybody was doing their own thing, with nobody else to disturb their peace and quiet, luckily.
Zoro was chilling on the bench around the foremast, while Chopper was playing at the swing.
The moss-haired swordsman looked at Chopper. He blinked, feeling a little tired again, thinking about whether or not he should tell the little reindeer the thing he was thinking right now. Or keep his thought to himself and not bother the little guy.
Ah, screw it. Zoro decided to go for it anyway, after seeing that Chopper had looked at him.
"Hey, Chopper," Zoro said sleepily, "you remember that "hero" guy that you've got an autograph from?"
Chopper tilted his head curiously, till his eyes lit, remembering who Zoro was talking about.
"Oh, Sogeking, yes!!" his childish voice raised in joy. "I do remember him! But it kind of sucks that i haven't seen or heard of him since we left Water Seven.. He was an awesome guy." The talking reindeer sighed. "Why are you asking, Zoro?"
At first Zoro glanced to the side, hesitant to say something, but once a bullet had been fired, it could not go back, so the swordsman spoke.
"You do know that it was Usopp's doing all along, right?"
For a second it went silent at the dock. Before Zoro breaking it of course.
"Yeah, behind that sun-shaped mask and red cape, it was him alright. You should've been able to recognise him by the voice at least.."
"But Sogeking's voice was slightly different from Usopp's.." Chopper thought out loud. "..at least that's how i remember it?"
"Then how about his long nose, Chopper?" Zoro yawned as he asked. "I thought that that'd be another giveaway."
"I'm sure that many people besides Usopp have long noses, Zoro." Chopper smiled. "I doubt that Usopp is the only one with such an attribute!"
"What about the overalls he was wearing at the time? Or the bandages all over his body? Or... the shoes he wore?" unintentionally distracting himself from sleeping, Zoro leaned forward, continuing to ask questions. It all left Chopper more confused than everything. Sighing, Zoro kept talking, "and what about Kabuto, huh?"
"Eh?" Chopper's brows furrowed in confusion at Zoro's last question.
"Think about it. Usopp had Kabuto after our business at Enies Lobby was done, with no explanation being provided. Why else do you think he'll just have it?"
Chopper blinked slowly without responding. He looked away from Zoro, his brain beginning to connect the dots between the two persons. Their clothes worn at the time, sound of voices and attitudes, additional details and such..
..in all actuality, it really did make sense.
"EEEHHHH!!??" Chopper exclaimed at the bottom of his lungs, his hat almost jumping off of his head.
"Yep. The whole time when you thought Usopp was away, he was actually with us the entire time." Zoro leaned against the foremast again, closing his eyes and allowing himself to doze off to sleep.
"..Are you kidding me?" Chopper couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe himself. That at this moment, after two years and few months, he finally learned the true identity of this "amazing mysterious hero".
But despite learning this so late, the reindeer wasn't mad at Usopp for that. Just the opposite actually. He was in great awe, as he remembered just how great Usopp could be.
---