#AND USOPPS GOING TO ACCEPT AND SEE HIMSELF FOR THE BRAVE WARRIOR OF THE SEA THAY HE IS AND SANJIS GOING TO FIND THE ALL BLUE AND COOK ALL | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

viiiiiiiiiin · 4 months

Text

How they confess their feelings to you !! (PT. 1)

Includes: Luffy , Zoro , Usopp , Sanji , Nami , Robin , Franky , Brook , Jinbe.

Pt. 1 (Here) , Pt. 2 , Pt. 3

Masterlist

Strawhat: Monkey D. Luffy

He didn't understand that he was in love with you. He thought he just really liked you as a best friend.

He's never been in a relationship. He hasn't thought of being in one once. He's focused on making his dreams come true , along with his crewmates. And you , of course.

He brought this up to Robin and asked for some advice. When she told gim that he was , indeed , in love with you , he didn't know how to continue.

Did he want a relationship ? Did he want to risk your life ? Did you even want to be in a relationship with you ?

He ended up accidently avoiding you while pondering his decision. He didn't realize how much it hurt you until you confronted him.

He finally nonchalantly asked you to be his significant other while eating , shocking the entire crew (and you).

While everyone stopped eating , screamed in shock , or stared at you (or him) , you just stared.

Eventually , you smiled and accepted his confession.

Pirate Hunter: Roronoa Zoro

Like his captain , he didn't understand that he was in love with you. He didn't understand why he wanted to share sake with you , workout with you , and sit next to you everytime you guys ate. He didn't understand why his heart fluttered when he was around you.

He assumed it was because he found you to be better company than the rest of the crew.

But he got worried once his heart started skipping beats and he'd get red around you. He brought his concern up to Chopper , who laughed and explained that he was in love with you.

He was shocked. He didn't even think he could love , honestly.

He started avoiding you in hopes that his feelings would drift away.

But they didn't.

In fact , he became more infatuated and it infuriated him.

He finally confronted you about it when you came to visit him while he was working out. He told you everything he had been feeling , angrily at that , and felt flustered afterwards. He didn't mean to share all of that.

You laughed and told you felt the same way. That was the day you two agreed to be in a relationship.

God: Usopp

Absolute train wreck. He realized he caught feelings for you pretty quick. He's conflicted because of his past relationship with Kaya.

He thinks you won't like a coward like him , so he tries to wait it out.

He tells Nami about it and asks her for some advice. (He pays her to keep it a secret).

She gives him advice. She tells him to try for you , that you don't see him as a coward. You'd love him either way. He didn't believe her , obviously. Why would someone as strong and as stunning as you go for a wimp like him ?

But , he remembered. He's gonna be a brave warrior of the sea one day , like the Giants. Confessing his love to you , in his eyes , got him a step closer to being braver.

Eventually , he picks some flowers from the garden to make a bouquet. He hands it to you while sputtering about how he loves you and wants you to be his significant other (his face is COMPLETELY) red.

When you say yes , his face lights up. He didn't realize how much anxiety this had given him until you relieved him.

He immediately squeezed you and laughed.

Blackleg: Vinsmoke Sanji

He didn't understand why he wanted to make you smile more than Robin or Nami. Male , female , nonbinary , whatever. He found himself drifting over to you no matter the circumstance.

He'd always find a way to have you in the kitchen with him , or just around him. He'd always volunteer to go with you on islands , take you shopping , etc.

Nami and Robin noticed how he paid more attention to you compared to them.

They decided to play wingwomen.

They started "accidently" leaving you two alone together. They would also talk to each of you about the other to see how you two felt about one another.

Then they would go to each other and tell the other what they found out.

Eventually , they took everyone's dinner out of the kitchen and left your plate and Sanji's plate.

Sanji sat there with you , flustered and quiet. Eventually , he blurted out that he loved you and wanted to be with you. Once he realized what he said , he was embarrassed.

But to his surprise , you told him you felt the same !

Devil's Child: Nico Robin

She realized immediately and wasn't shy about expressing how she felt about you.

She watched you from afar , observing stuff that you enjoy to do and stuff you like.

When she figured that she gathered enough knowledge , she put her plan to work.

She asked Sanji to set up your dinner and her dinner in a seperate room with a candle and a rose.

He complied without question.

She led you into the room and ate dinner with you.

When the 'date' was ended , she confessed her love for you bluntly.

It made you red , but you told her you felt the same (to her amusement).

Cyborg: Franky

He also immediately realized he was in love with you. Instead of telling you , he began showing acts of "kindness".

He would give you little trinkets , always show you his inventions first , make you new weapons , and so much more.

Robin noticed. She brought it up to him and turned him SUPERRR red.

She laughed and told him to just tell you.

He did. He listened to her. While showing you a new invention , he confessed his love for you.

When you accepted , he was surprised but laughed. He patted your back and embraced you.

He has your anniversary date engraved in General Franky . . .

Soul King: Brook

Like Robin , he realized immediately and wasn't shy at all. In fact , you didn't even realize.

Even if you were biologically male , he would still ask to see your undergarments. Even if you said no , he would laugh and play you a tune.

He would always being his new songs to you first. He even accidently wrote a love song while thinking of you.

He still showed it to you. He thought you wouldn't notice it was about you , but you did.

You asked him , and he stared at you in shock. Ashamed , he confessed that it was about you.

To his surprise , you told him you felt the same. You found his advances adorable !

He was ecstatic ! He even asked to see your underwear right after lol.

First Son of the Sea: Jinbe

He denied his feelings at first but soon came to accept them.

He was extremely nervous about it. He would always turn pink around you and stumble over his words.

He's a man of honor , so he confessed to you anyways.

It happened whenever you guys docked st an island. He found a fancy restaurant and booked a reservation for the both of you. He asked you to accompany him and you agreed.

He brought flowers and dressed in his best outfit for you. When you came , he handed you the flowers and brought you to the table.

After dinner , he confessed his love for you. He couldn't make eye contact with you. He was just terrified about you saying no because he's a Fishman.

But you didn't. You said you felt the same way. His heart soared and he smiled widely.

691 notes · View notes

beanghostprincess · 3 months

Text

I talk quite a lot about Sanji going on a journey during the story and having to discover himself first to accept his feelings for Usopp, but I don't talk enough about the importance of Usopp becoming a brave warrior of the sea first and foremost before seeing himself capable of confessing his feelings to Sanji. He has already accepted he is in love with him. He just needs... To be braver. Stronger. For him to actually do something about it.

So I imagine this happening by the end of Elbaf. Do not ask me what happens during this arc in this concept, because I do not know. What I do know, though, is that Usopp becomes stronger. Not in the physical sense, but emotionally. He learns to see his qualities and begins to stop running away from every danger. Perhaps it happens right after a catastrophe, the whole crew getting hurt and him being the only one capable of saving them. Maybe he acquires Conqueror's Haki, but that's just self-indulgence because I really, really like the whole concept of Usopp saving everybody with it. It is not the point-

Everyone is safe now. He has his big brave warrior moment. Maybe he even breaks the Sogeking mask at some point when he was trying to hide himself. It's a whole deal. And he is supposed to feel like he has accomplished his dream or, at least, that he is close enough to do so. But Usopp realizes that this is only the beginning of a journey and his dream is something he can only achieve by accepting the title for himself (I love this bit of his character so much you don't even know). And there is one thing left.

The whole crew is still recovering from whatever the hell happened, but at least now they can freely enjoy their time in Elbaf. So it is that type of moment at the end of an arc where everybody is chill and you know nothing can go wrong because the music is cute and everybody is eating and drinking like they've been starving for ages.

Sanji is probably learning about their cooking methods, and I really wanna see him fascinated by the giants' cuisine. Imagine the biggest of pots and this little guy literally skywalking to cook because he can't reach the thing on his own. Adorable. I adore him. Everybody is having the time of their lives.

And you know... Usopp knows Sanji knows. Sanji knows Usopp knows. It's that kind of "I love you and I know you love me and we love each other but we need some time first" relationship and they haven't had any time to talk about it. This has been going on for, like, forever. Since Skypiea type of forever. So Usopp is dying. He wants to reach out to him. He wants to go ahead and kiss him without hesitation and finally become the man he wants to be next to Sanji. He is shaking with fear.

The thing is, he is afraid. He is still scared. And Usopp doesn't think he will ever stop being scared when it comes to stuff like that. When it comes to love. But as long as he keeps pushing forward and being brave, then, it will be alright with him.

So he approaches the huge kitchen they have going on outside in the party (because of course they're having a party) and he sees Sanji skywalking to cook. Again, it looks silly, but Usopp is extremely fond of seeing Sanji cooking with the people he admires so much and learning stuff about the culture Usopp loves. He knows Sanji is not doing it for him, but it makes his heart do a funny twist anyway.

And I imagine that this could be funny-- Sanji looking down at Usopp from up there while he cooks and kind of losing balance (because who wouldn't lose their balance when looking at Usopp? He is definitely wearing Elbaf's attires too, and he looks... Good. Saying good is an understatement. Extremely fucking hot slounds better) and falling right into Usopp's arms.

Usopp catches him, of course. He always does. And Sanji is having this moment™ where he is feeling dizzy and out of balance and safe in Usopp's arms. I am going for a superhero type of comic looking pose here, btw. And Usopp is still scared. And anxious. And Sanji is looking extremely handsome in his clothes too. And Usopp just really, really, wants to kiss him.

For him to do so, Sanji only needs to bring his hands to Usopp's neck and joke, saying "Oh!! My hero!!" or something like that. He isn't expecting Usopp to do anything, really. They have been flirting that way for ages and he was just messing with him, bringing his face closer and calling him hero and brave warrior and my savior. But it makes Usopp's head spin with confidence, and he kisses Sanji.

Imagine fireworks behind them and dramatic music because that is exactly how Sanji sees all of this. Usopp just feels sweaty and nervous and extremely happy. Except that now Usopp has the confidence to, when he moves away from Sanji's lips (still close enough to kiss him again and again and again), say: "Sorry it took so long."

"Was it the outfit?" Sanji pinches one of Usopp's cheeks, raising an eyebrow at him. He can't help but smirk. "Do I look handsome enough for our brave warrior of the sea to want to kiss me finally?"

Usopp frowns at him, but Sanji's smile is contagious. "You always look good, idiot."

The cook hums teasingly. "Mm. It did take you long to kiss me, though."

"I was figuring some stuff out."

"Still scared?"

Usopp takes a deep breath. "Always. But now I feel..." He wants to drown in Sanji's blue eyes and grin. He feels safe. "Braver."

It makes Sanji laugh. Beautiful. "News flash, you have always been brave and you are the last one to notice."

Usopp chuckles. "I guess so."

"Well..." Sanji sighs dramatically, getting ready to light up one of his cigarettes. "Was this just a one time victory kiss thing or is the brave warrior of the sea going to kiss me again?"

Usopp doesn't need to think twice for this. He doesn't think he ever will.

#i've been thinking about elbaf lately and i decided to make it sanuso bc i can #i just love the whole thing about them achieving their dreams and finally confessing their love #like it's so important for their characters to grow first #and idk it just makes sense to me that usopp wants to believe in himself as a brave warrior before he can actually let himself fall in love #also they're so superhero/comic coded i am losing it #one piece #black leg sanji #usopp #sanuso

22 notes · View notes

fyrecatpickles · 3 years

Text

So I'm re-watching Water 7 and this idea has been rattling in my brain for a long time, and after freshly watching the Usopp vs Luffy fight it really hits home just how different each crew member views their journey up to this point, and even further along. Not everyone wanted to be a pirate in the beginning except for Luffy. He recruited people for their skills, not their innate desire to be exclusively pirates. Their dreams are achievable by being one, sure, but it was never their first choice, except, again, for Luffy. Luffy, since a child, was always serious about wanting to be a pirate. He knows what he wants, as well as the danger and reality, of what a pirate actually is. Seeing Shank's crew kill a man in front of him to save him was just as much as a reality check as Shanks saving him from the sea and even Sabo 'dying'. Luffy knows the danger of what being a pirate entails. This was never a game for him. He wants to be the King of the fucking Pirates. He was, and is always serious, albeit is an idiot a lot about his dream and what he wants to be.

But what about the rest of the crew? I'm only gonna go over the East Blue crew otherwise this is gonna get WAY too long.

Zoro doesn't care about titles of pirate or pirate hunter. His end goal was, and is, to be the Greatest Swordsman. However he gets there doesn't matter, at least that is what we were led to believe. He admits he didn't care about being labeled a pirate hunter in canon. That it was something that just stuck with him and he never bothered to change people's mind. What he does care about is respect that is earned.

Luffy earned his respect. Zoro saw Luffy was someone he could follow that will help him obtain his dream, and very quickly adapted his path to align along with Luffy's own. I would argue since at least the Baratie arc Zoro was dead serious about staying with Luffy as an actual pirate. Full stops this is his fucking job now, and he takes it seriously very early on. He is First Mate to the future King of Pirates and he damn well earned that spot. Not because he was the first recruited, but honestly was the first to take Luffy's path just as serious as Luffy himself. There are hints scattered all through Zoro's musings that he takes his role in the crew seriously. That this isn't just a fun adventure they are all going on, but the real fucking deal. Not everyone took the journey seriously, but Zoro did from the very beginning.

Sanji on the other hand takes his job as a cook seriously, but it's different. While Zoro takes his role as First Mate for Luffy sincerly, Sanji takes his role as just a Cook seriously. He doesn't really intergrate himself fully until way later. What he knows as reality is the danger of the seas and what it means to starve. It takes Sanji longer to accept he wants to stay and follow Luffy, and Only be Luffy's Cook. It's a slower acceptance riddled with trauma I could go on for hours about, but Sanji does understand the impotance of roles on a ship and what those roles entail. This was never a game for him, but an actual job just like Zoro.

Nami is a bit complicated. She knows the danger of the seas like Sanji, but she has been working by herself/for Arlong for so long that being labelled as a pirate with Luffy is still surreal for her. Luffy is so carefree that it doesn't feel like they are a real priate crew. Nami always tries to dissuade Luffy from going all out because it's dangerous. She knows the danger there, but Luffy knows it too, but he wants to face it head on.

Usopp however thought it was a game until Water 7. It was more of an adventure as a crew of friends playing pirates. Usopp wanted to be a brave warrior of the sea. You can do that just by sailing. He constanly would try to overstep Luffy as Captain, and there were times Luffy was annoyed but he let it slide. It took loosing to Luffy and loosing Merry to understand Luffy isn't playing pirates, he is an actual fucking pirate. This is Luffy's life and he wants Usopp to follow him, but he has to respect that Luffy is an actual fucking leader.

#one piece #long post #luffy #roronoa zoro #sanji #nami #usopp #one piece analysis #I love this series so much #fyre rants #I have such mad respect for Luffy as a captain

273 notes · View notes

recentanimenews · 3 years

Text

FEATURE: How Usopp the Liar Became a True Hero in One Piece

Hello everyone, and welcome to Why It Works. Over the past couple months, I’ve been powering through One Piece at breakneck speed, journeying from the early crew recruitment through the end of Enies’ Lobby. After my earlier attempts at breaking into the series sputtered out, I’m finally learning what so many fans already know: One Piece improves at an absurd rate over its first several arcs, polishing and expanding in basically every way a narrative can. Nowhere is that evolution more clear than in the journey of the Straw Hats’ most unlikely crewmate: Usopp the Liar.

When Usopp first entered the crew, I frankly found him pretty obnoxious. He appeared to be an icon of the kind of loud, slapstick comedy you frequently find in battle anime, which doesn’t have much appeal to me. Additionally, it was clear from the start that he couldn’t measure up to titans like Luffy or Zoro in terms of physical strength, and given his clownish disposition, I feared he was destined to be relegated to the peanut gallery — one of those characters who can only stand on the sidelines, cheering for the actual heroes to succeed.

As it turns out, while Usopp is a bit of a clown, he ultimately proved to more often play the opposite role. While Luffy, Zoro, or Sanji might happily engage in some ludicrous, death-defying shenanigans, Usopp could generally be found on Nami’s side, playing the straight man to their ridiculous ideas. The reason for that would neatly resolve my second concern — both One Piece and Usopp himself are perfectly aware of his own fragility. While many of the Straw Hats are superhumans enjoying a superhuman adventure, Usopp is a normal human on a superhuman adventure, with all the incessant peril that would involve.

The wildly uneven strengths of the Straw Hats is actually one of the more interesting things about One Piece. Not all of the Straw Hats are fighters; they’re first and foremost a ship’s crew, with several members more suited to maintenance or navigation than combat. Because of this, the non-combat-oriented crew members frequently have to find ways to contribute that avoid direct fighting. Over the first several arcs, Usopp offers sharpshooting, basic engineering, misdirection, and a profound talent for making friends with strange, dangerous creatures.

Rather than being a dramatic drawback, this uneven power distribution actually becomes one of One Piece’s signature strengths. With this need for dramatic flexibility baked into the very fundamentals of its cast dynamics, One Piece is essentially required to come up with conflicts more complicated than “all of our guys fight all of their guys,” offering far more narrative creativity and complexity than your average action property. At the same time, this imbalance also helps emphasize the scale of a world like One Piece, wherein a character like Usopp will perpetually be staring up at giants he could never hope to face.

Eventually, Usopp’s persistent efforts to prove his worth as a crewmate fall short, and he begins to internalize the futility of his situation. By the time the Straw Hats reach Water 7, their journeys have long since lost their original playfulness and even mightier monsters are looming on the horizon. His journey echoes that of the Going Merry itself; beaten and bruised, he no longer has the strength to match up with their challenges or the hope of ever being a “great warrior” like them. His ultimate goal is the point they’re starting from, as they gaze toward challenges he could never even imagine. And thus, when Luffy makes his well-intended but deeply misguided speech about abandoning the Merry, Usopp explodes.

Usopp clearly loves the Merry, even more so than any other member of the Straw Hats. They essentially “joined the crew” at the same time, and the ship had been not just his friend, but also perhaps his most essential role within the crew. Though Usopp was not a shipwright, he took maintaining the ship as a clear point of pride, something that was usually all too rare on their journeys.

But more than his feelings about the Merry itself, Usopp personally relates to the Merry. He sees himself in their ship — a creaky, amusing companion who’s journeyed with them this far, but simply doesn’t possess the strength to help them any longer. Luffy’s dismissal of the Merry feels like a dismissal of him, and the anger of his own response reflects his understanding that Luffy is right. Usopp isn’t really strong enough for this journey anymore and doesn’t really have any skills they could not replace. He’s not an indispensable member of the Straw Hats, he’s just Usopp — and he suspects, if Luffy were willing to be as pragmatic about his crewmates as his ship, Luffy would likely toss him off too.

It’s a hard thing to come face to face with your own limitations like that, and harder still when the verdict comes from the person you respect the most. Usopp does not accept this situation with dignity; he rages against it, blaming Luffy for his callousness, and literally fighting his captain to prove he can measure up in this world. Given his admitted understanding of both his and the Going Merry’s limits, you could perhaps consider this his way of saying goodbye — of giving the crew an excuse to leave him by leaving first and thus taking the blame upon himself. So certain of his inadequacy, perhaps this is the only way he thinks he can still help the Straw Hats.

But ultimately, fate intervenes. Captured first by Franky’s family, and then by the World Government, Usopp finds himself taking part in the Straw Hats’ next adventure in spite of himself. Though he truly believes he is not strong or brave enough to be a Straw Hat anymore, he no longer has the choice to abandon their adventure. And so, Usopp defends himself the only way he can, by employing a power he’s been cultivating since his very first episode.

Usopp lies. He has always been a teller of tall tales, bragging of the foes he’s bested and giants he’s befriended — but now, surging across the tempestuous seas of the grand line, he is in a world of true giants. In order to believe he belongs here, he lies — both to his crewmates and to himself. He puts on a pointed mask and dons the mantle of Sniper King, the hero of countless battles, whose brave feats on Sniper Island and legions of followers mark him as a clear equal of the Straw Hats.

Usopp might not be strong enough to be a Straw Hat, but Sniper King can be. After all, Sniper King is as strong as Usopp says he is. Usopp uses his signature talent to ultimately fool himself, proclaiming himself strong and brave, and through doing so forcing himself to embody those qualities. If his conflict is a crisis of faith, then he just needs a new symbol to believe in. Usopp might not truly be on par with the other Straw Hats, but if he can force himself to believe he is, then perhaps the difference is negligible.

Having given himself permission to believe he is Straw Hat material, Sniper King goes on to prove that he really is Straw Hat material. Not with his combat strengths — among the Straw Hats, he alone doesn’t defeat a member of CP9. Instead, he chips in with all the strengths he’s been cultivating so far, the various oddball strengths that nonetheless add up to an essential teammate. His upgrades to Nami’s weapon allow her to win multiple battles. His kind and courageous heart win him the friendship of the Lobby’s own giant protectors. His genuinely formidable sniping abilities keep Robin safe. In the end, his passionate faith in his captain and ability to boast of greatness even in the face of certain death gives Luffy the last, vital push to secure victory.

Usopp demonstrates that whatever our natural talents, we are as indispensable as we choose to be. Through his journey, he not only expands One Piece’s dramatic horizons but also illustrates something essential about the nature of bravery and how we construct our self-image. I could easily relate to that sharp terror of not measuring up to my peers and the ways that optimistic lies can help us through impossible circumstances. Usopp embodies the difficulty of believing in yourself, and his journey feels all the more meaningful for just how difficult it was and how great the distance between him and his friends. He’s a remarkably compelling hero and my favorite Straw Hat so far.

Nick Creamer has been writing about cartoons for too many years now and is always ready to cry about Madoka. You can find more of his work at his blog Wrong Every Time, or follow him on Twitter.

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: Nick Creamer

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

4 notes · View notes

anubislover · 4 years

Text

Flash Fic #1 “Lunch: Usopp x Kaya”

Usopp’s stomach growled. He’d gone foraging for wild mushrooms in the woods on the outskirts of Syrup Village, but he knew he should save them for dinner; living on his own, rationing food was vital.

Coming to the edge of the woods, he found his feet had carried him into the backyard of the local mansion.

Common sense told him he should run away before the guards caught him, but his heart urged him to stay; everyone knew the owners had recently died, leaving their daughter orphaned. Sure, she lived a life of luxury, but he knew the pain of losing a parent. If anything, he felt like she had it worse—after all, his father was still alive.

So, taking a deep breath and quelling the instinctive shaking of his legs, he snuck over to the open window, planning to just peek in, only to find a pretty but frail-looking young lady staring back at him.

In sync, both of them jumped in surprise, though Usopp’s was significantly higher.

“Who are you?” she asked, suspicious of the odd young man who’d shown up at her window.

Catching his breath, he thought, Get a hold of yourself, man! It’s just a girl! Nothing to be afraid of!

Besides, if he didn’t say something soon, she’d definitely call the guards. So, he did what he always did—lie.

Straightening up, he pointed at himself confidently. “Why, you don’t know who I am? I’m the great Captain Usopp! Brave and gallant pirate!”

Ah. Kaya did know that name. The servants liked to gossip about the liar boy in the village who woke everyone up with claims that the pirates were coming. She should send him away.

But…he seemed friendly enough.

He noticed the lunch tray on her lap. “You should eat that,” he said, pointing at the untouched sandwich and fruit. “If you’re sick, eating a good meal is important! A wise medicine man told me that after I saved his village from horse-sized bees! I ended up taming the queen, so now they serve as mounts for the villagers! They’re the West Blue’s top producers of honey now!”

The wild image that sprung into her head made her let out a surprised laugh. Well, that was quite the ridiculous tale, wasn’t it? “I’m sure he did, but rarely hungry lately. I know Klahadore and Merry make me delicious meals, but my stomach just never wants anything.”

At that moment, Usopp’s stomach growled, catching her attention. Embarrassed, he punched his gut and laughed. “Oh! That’s the sound of the…the ferocious tiger that I ate last night!”

Her eyes widened and she immediately offered the sandwich to him. “Please, you’re clearly hungry.”

That was true, but looking at the heiress’ thin face, he found it hard to accept. That and his pride. He was a coward, but not a beggar.

“I’ll tell you what,” he said, looking between her and the tray, “I’ll eat half, but only if you eat the other half. A great pirate like me doesn’t need charity, but there’s nothing wrong with friends sharing a meal, right?”

Her eyes teared up a little at being called his friend. She’d never really had friends, at least not her own age. Certainly never boys, as her father was quite strict. “Ok. That sounds good.”

Taking the larger half of the sandwich, Usopp gleefully bit into it, moaning a little at the taste.

“Delicious! Even better than that feast I shared with the princess of Alabasta!” he proclaimed around a hearty mouthful. He suddenly remembered the manners his mother taught him and quickly finished chewing and swallowing before saying, “Sorry. That was rude of me.”

Kaya gave him a small smile, swallowing the tiny bite of ham she’d eaten. She was surprised when it didn’t feel like a stone had dropped into her stomach. Perhaps the earlier laughter had loosened the perpetual knot of grief that seemed to twist it. “It’s fine; with all the traveling you do, you must encounter different customs. I’m sure there are a few places where it’s considered polite to talk with your mouth full,” she said kindly.

“Absolutely!” he grinned, pleased with the excuse she gave him. He’d have to remember that.

“Tell me about the princess,” she encouraged, taking another mouse-like bite. She doubted he’d really met any royalty, but she was curious, and it was nice to have company that wasn’t the servants. It was especially nice to have someone who didn’t look at her with pity or remind her of her parents.

Settling against the side of the window, Usopp whipped up a tale about saving the country from a giant alligator made of sand and preventing a civil war.

By the time he was done, the food was completely gone. The heiress, so entertained by his story, had unconsciously begun taking larger bites, eating faster at the particularly exciting bits. Before she knew it, she’d finished off her share of the fruit and dessert.

Hopping off her windowsill, Usopp decided it was probably time to go. He was sure a servant would check in on her soon, and he didn’t want to push his luck. “Well, thank you for the meal, Miss Kaya, but I’ve got important business to attend to,” he said with a grateful bow.

The heiress was sad to see him go, but she knew if Klahadore caught him, he’d be banned from the premises. And she definitely wanted to see this clever, funny boy again. “Captain Usopp,” she said, feeling a little shy as she twiddled her thumbs, “will you…come back again and tell me more of your adventures? Maybe over lunch tomorrow?”

He grinned, blushing a little at the fact that a nice, pretty girl actually wanted to see him again. His stomach was full, someone besides the little kids wanted to listen to his stories, and her smile was beautiful, second only to his mother’s. “Of course! I’ll come back anytime you want! I’ve got hundreds of stories to tell! I’m the great Captain Usopp, after all! Brave warrior of the sea!”

(Thank you to the anon that requested this! It was so precious to write!)

@vannahfanfics

#writing challenge #usopp x kaya #god usopp #one piece usopp #Usopp #kaya #one piece kaya #op kaya #syrup village #flash fic #op shipping #fanfiction #fanfic #op fanfiction #op fanfic #requested by anon

45 notes · View notes

midniterepublic · 6 years

Text

Promises

Part 2.

I didn’t just spent all day getting this written instead of writing the next chapter of First Mate at all. Had to remind myself of where I had set this a couple of times while I was working on it in order not to add things I was really tempted to from events afterward.

Warnings: Sanji, mentions of various backstory elements for all three.

Usopp was a liar and often didn’t realise that anything he said, or did, was a promise. He didn’t even realise that his actions themselves could even be seen as a promise. When he did knowingly make a promise, it was too often something he knew in the back of his head that he couldn’t back up. Exaggerating his capabilities to try and make himself sound more of the brave warrior of the seas, more powerful. To make himself feel like all of this was true, to make him feel a little better about himself.

So, he lied, he made the promise to the village that pirates were coming, to try and make his mother feel better, to hold on longer. Then when she was gone, he continued again and again until the village no longer believed any promise from him, even when it was true.

He promised them again and again that he would be a brave warrior of the sea, that he would head out and maybe even come across his father on the waves. They didn’t really believe he would do it, and he wondered about their reactions when they realised that he had gone.

(He promised Kaya that one day she would get better. That the grief and illness that had overcome her at her parents’ deaths would not feel as heavy someday. This was one promise, of all the ones he had made on that island, he hoped had been believed.)

When he boarded the Going Merry, he made two promises. One, very loudly worded to Kaya, that he would take care of her gift to them. This was something that he didn’t even the realise at the time that the seas and adventures would force him to break. But the realisation that he had lead him to break the other he had made that same moment.

The other promise was a silent, action-based one that took a while and him obliterating it to even realise he had made. To serve the Captain as a member of his crew. The crew were not just his friends that he was adventuring with, he was not the captain as he like to pretend he was. He was just a crew member and even on their weird crew there was still a hierarchy of command, even if they didn’t often act on it. Usopp wasn’t even close to the top of it.

So, on exchange for his return to the crew, he bowed his head and promised to never again forget his place on the crew. He was the sniper and had promised to be the best on he could be.

Usopp had promised to regroup with the crew, taking the time between then and now to get strong enough to at least not slow them down as they all moved forward together. He would not walk away from the crew again, would be there to help with a story, or a lie, or a projectile when his Captain need him again.

(He vaguely remembered warm hugs, smelling of gunpowder and medicine and the whispered promises in a deep voice that he was loved and they would see him again, that his mum would be there for him. But his mum lost her fight with her illness and despite what he always believed, Luffy had told him that his dad had at least been in the East Blue ten years ago had hadn’t visited their island.

But that didn’t matter because his crew had promised to meet up again, and they would be there. This was a promise that none of them would break. He wouldn’t be left behind alone.)

***

Sanji was a cook and he also loved all ladies. But all the real meaningful promises he had made had been made to some version of family.

Not that he would say his promises to the many lovely ladies he had met hadn’t been meaningful, but they hadn’t changed his life too dramatically, not like the ones that had taken over his conscious one at a time over the years.

He had promised Judge that he would leave the Vinsmoke name behind and never claim any kind of affiliation with her Germa nation. This he had done gladly, he had no desire to have anything to do with the bastards. His only brief thoughts of attachment as he grew were for Reijuu, his sister, who he could now clearly see had no way out like he had, trapped in the hell that was their genetic legacy.

He had promised the Shitty Geezer, the man who had become his true father over the years, that he would be the one to find the All Blue. But that same promise had so long been buried under another, that promise that he would make up for the loss of the old man’s dream in order to save him.

He had also shared a promise with the same man, that they would feed anyone who was hungry, no matter who they were.

He had also promised his Captain, by virtue of accepting the position of cook on the crew, that he would do his job properly. That everyone on the crew would be properly fed, even if that meant he had to trap the kitchen against said Captain to ensure they still had food to last them.

He had also silently promised that same crew, upon realising he was one of the main fighters, that he would help to protect weaker members of the crew, even if they weren’t the lovely ladies.

He had promised that he would survive the hell he had found himself in, get stronger and return to the crew. Because whatever hell he was in, his Captain had gone through worse while they could do nothing.

(His mother had promised that she was feeling better, that his mess of a bento gave him was nice. Even if that wasn’t true it gave him the drive to continue cooking.

The Shitty Geezer had implied that the promise that the food he had been given on that shitty rock had only been a small piece of the food available. He had promised that the Baratie would be his home, but he had to push him out onto the sea in order to try for both their dreams.)

***

Chopper hadn’t had many people to make promises to for a very long time. But those people he had he was happy to make promises to.

He had promised to cure Doctor Hurlik, but he hadn’t had the knowledge to do so properly and when he realised what had happened, he promised Doctorine that he would be the Miracle Cure.

He promised that he would do the best he could for all his patients, and very rarely was he unable to help in some way.

He promised to be the best ship doctor he could be, to be useful in helping his friends though there many wounds and few illnesses.

He had promised his Captain and crew that he would stand beside them in protection of their ship and crew, but sometimes the enemy was too much for him to handle and he had to rely on help from others. In response he promised to get stronger braver, so he wouldn’t have to do so and distract the others while in their own fights.

He promised, upon seeing his Captain’s pain at a wound he didn’t yet know how to heal, that he wouldn’t allow himself to be so far from another member of the crew when they needed him again. On seeing the promise that their Captain made to meet in two years, he had made a corresponding promise himself, that he would go back, much stronger and more knowledgeable than he had been when they were separated.

(Doctor had promised him, on drinking the medicine he had made for him, that he felt better. Then had blown himself up to keep Chopper being the one to kill him.)

#one piece #20yearsatsea #usopp #sanji #chopper #Promises #My writing

4 notes · View notes

creative-type · 7 years

Text

Why Tony Tony Chopper is my Least Favorite Straw Hat

I feel conflicted when I see people list characters from greatest to least favorite. Cut and dry lists in general - whether featuring power levels, most attractive, saddest backstory, etc - tend to elicit this reaction, because they’re so subjective and I think if an author has done a good job then the audience shouldn’t be able to make the list at all.

Which wouldn’t stop people from trying, but still.

Using One Piece as an example, there are certain characters that resonate with me personally, the chief of whom is Nico Robin. I’m a total sucker for the misunderstood badass bookworm - Raven from the original Teen Titans cartoon, Tris Chandler from Tamora Pierce’s works, Roald Dahl’s Matilda, and Thistle from Daughter of the Lilies are just a few examples of this in other media.

But apart from Best Girl Robin, my feelings about the cast of One Piece tends to vary depending on how you define “favorite”. I love Luffy as a main character, but would hate to meet him in real life. I appreciate Zoro’s place in the crew, but find him boring and long wistfully for the days when he was allowed to be a goofball. Nami, Usopp, and Vivi grew on me over time, and if I could graph my feelings on Sanji over the course of the series it would look like I have ventricular tachycardia

And then there’s Chopper.

Just as I’ve liked Robin since her first appearance, I have never liked Chopper. I know typing it is akin to blasphemy amongst the One Piece fandom, but I was left unmoved by his backstory, and he’s never grown on me in the hundreds of chapters since then. The first thing I thought when I first saw his unused concept art was “what a wasted opportunity”.

A lot of this is subjective. I work in health care, so the quack doctor Hiliruk rubs me the wrong way on a purely professional level, which in turn makes it really hard for me to care when he dies. I dislike Chopper’s “mascot” status and how it’s affected his character design. I wish he would do more onscreen doctoring. I find his naivete annoying. I think his post-timeskip transformations look dumb. And so on and so forth, ad nauseum.

At the same time, Nami is never shown drawing maps and I regularly have her in my top 3-4 Straw Hats. Usopp and Luffy are just as stupid, but their antics don’t bother me half as much as Chopper’s do. When I decided to sit down and write about Chopper, I had to figure out what made me less tolerant about him specifically when there are plenty of others who share his same flaws. This is what I came up with.

Want vs Need and Forgotten Development

In his book The Anatomy of Story, John Truby describes the difference between a character’s want versus their need. While written with writing screenplays in mind, many of Truby’s techniques can be used regardless of medium. It’s an excellent tool for would-be writers, and I highly recommend it.

When looking at Chopper through the lens of want and need, it’s pretty easy to see what Oda had in mind.

Chopper wants to become a doctor who can heal any illness, but he needs to reconcile his human and reindeer natures and see himself as a complete person. Ironically, in doing so he willingly becomes the “monster” he was so afraid of.

Since this transformation is for the sake of and with the support of his friends, it’s coded as positive when before it was negative. Chopper is no longer isolated and lonely, but an accepted and important member of an infamous pirate crew. Compare the above to his fight on Fishman Island

So Chopper does have a complete character arc through the first half of the series, and it’s a good one - simultaneously unique to him while bolstering the themes of One Pieces as a whole. Good job, Oda.

At the same time, I think there’s a secondary need that’s overlooked by the narrative, and by this point I doubt will be relevant to the story, and that’s the fact that Chopper needs to grow the fuck up.

To be fair, Chopper is only 15 at the start of the series, had spent the first years of his life as a reindeer and the rest isolated from the world for his own safety. It is understandable that he’d be naive. Dr. Kureha points this out for herself when he first joins the Straw Hat Pirates

What sets Chopper’s immaturity apart from, say, Luffy’s is that it is presented as something that he needs to overcome. This is especially true during the Skyepiea arc.

Remember that early on in the arc Chopper is left alone to guard the Going Merry. Chopper fails, losing quite badly to the Priest with all the strings whose name I can’t remember. Even with Gan Fall’s intervention it was plot armor sheer luck that kept the both of them from being killed.

This loss nicely sets up Chopper’s battle with Gedatsu, which ended with Chopper’s first solo victory of the series.

Chopper screams to the heavens that he’s a “real” pirate, which in context refers to reliable, brave, and strong. Note that this ties into his main need of self-actualization as the chapter before Chopper calls himself a monster just before hitting Gedatsu with his finisher.

In doing so, Oda is effectively saying that Chopper needs to mature before he can become a complete character. In this way Chopper is like Usopp, whose desire to become a brave warrior the sea necessitates that he face his problems head on instead of run from them.

Later during the Davy Fight Back, Chopper is temporarily lost to the Foxy Pirates. He is understandably upset, but he goes overboard with his hysterics, causing Zoro to call him out.

Zoro in essence tells Chopper to man up. Now, masculinity as defined by One Piece is a pretty broad topic, and this isn’t the only time Chopper is told how to act “manly” by other members of the Straw Hat crew, one of the best examples I can think of being Sanji telling Chopper that “a man doesn’t believe a woman’s lies” when Robin tries to leave the crew. In this instance, however, I think “being a man” is interchangeable with “acting like an adult”, specifically in the area of taking responsibility for one’s actions.

So we have the problem of Chopper’s naivete brought up by Kureha, the first steps of maturity seen during Skypiea, and the exposure that Chopper still has a long way to go during the Davy Fight Back. There’s even a moment during Thriller Bark when he has to deal with the realization that one of his idols is an evil dirtbag of Spandam-like proportion - a loss of idealism that most go through as a normal part of growing up.

The development isn’t fast nor especially profound. It’s never the main focus of Chopper’s arc because it’s not his primary need, and in a gag-happy series like One Piece I think Chopper’s childishness would always be the brunt of some sort of joke. But there is a sense of steadily marching forward toward a goal, and if things had kept trending in that direction I think it would have been enough to elevate Chopper from his dubious position as my least favorite Straw Hat.

But immediately after the timeskip we have this abomination of a scene

Words cannot express how much I hate this scene. Every other Straw Hat gets an awesome reintroduction. Nami and Usopp, who along with Chopper make up the so-called “weak trio”, even get to beat the crap out of some of the Fake Hat Pirates.

Chopper mistakes creepy cucumber lady for Robin and runs away crying, undoing hundreds of chapters of development in one fell swoop. It’s stupid on so many levels I can’t even articulate enough to type them all out. The gag falls flat and makes it impossible for me to take him seriously going forward. I will admit that I’ve not done a lot of rereading of recent chapters to double check, but where Usopp and Luffy get plenty of moments post-timeskip to display a new-found maturity while maintaining their fun-loving nature, Chopper does not. He’s the same old Chopper.

I don’t have any way to confirm this, but I think part of this stagnation of character is due to Chopper’s status of cute mascot. To disrupt this status quo is to lessen his marketability. There is a reason why Chopper’s so damn cute when Oda originally wanted him to be kind of ugly. I mean, say what you want about Oda’s use of realistic body proportions, but there was a time when Chopper’s head wasn’t bigger than his torso.

Whether I’m right or not, I don’t think that it can be disputed that Chopper has gone through what I call “forgotten character development”. He’s just as immature (and in some places more so) as he was early in the series, and personally I can’t stand that kind of character.

And again this is a highly subjective thing, but I don’t even think he’s that cute anymore. It’s a serious problem when your mascot ceases to be adorable and has no development to fall back on.

In the larger picture of One Piece, the loss of Chopper’s secondary development is a small thing, but it’s enough for me to not care about him at all. Sanji, for all his polarizing actions, at least makes me feel something. These days Chopper is just...there.

I will admit that I might have let my initial distaste cloud my objectivity, so let me know what you think about Chopper’s development, or if there’s any other character that everyone else seems to like but you can’t stand. I’ll commiserate with the burden of having an unpopular opinion.

#One Piece #Writing #Analysis #Manga #Eiichiro Oda #Chopper #Tony Tony Chopper #Character analysis #Straw Hat Pirates #creative-type analyzes

54 notes · View notes