Bravery, In Place of Fear

Summary: Courage, to resist fear, the mastery of fear, not the absence of fear. Usopp wants to be a brave warrior of the sea. What he didn't realize was that he already was. And Zoro saw. nakamaship w/ Zoro/Usopp

One of the most upsetting moments in One Piece, outside of the death of Ace-nii and Pops, is when the Strawhats got their reality check from Kizaru and Kuma. It was sad and scary, and I really thought one of them would die… One Piece is my family… So this is a story btw Usopp and Zoro, taking place after the reunion, on the way to Fishman Island.

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"Ooh~!" Luffy beamed, stars in his eyes as he watched the fish swim by.

After two longs years, the Strawhats were together again, having just escaped from Sabaody Archipelago. Now, they were aboard the Sunny, on their way to Fishman Island. Nami was leading them, Sanji by her side, Brook was playing his violin, Franky was showing off, and Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp, were taking turns ogling the cyborg or the ocean life. Zoro was sitting against the mast, observing them all.

"They've gotten stronger," Zoro thought proudly, smirking and crossing his arms.

That day, Zoro frowned, that week really, so long ago and yet not, was the worst day he'd ever experienced. The sheer terror he felt, the worthlessness. If Rayleigh hadn't come in when he did, he would of died. If Kuma had wanted to, they all would of died. Just like that, Zoro's greatest friends and family, his nakama, would of died; would of been all gone.

"Zoro let's play tag!" Chopper caled, Usopp behind him.

Zoro 'tch' "No thanks," he groused.

Chopper pouted but, undeterred, Usopp pushed the reindeer, exclaiming 'you're it!'. With a shriek of joy, they, plus Luffy, were running around Sunny playing and Zoro took a moment to take him in. Usopp.

Usopp didn't like to fight, not because he was a pacifist but because he was a coward; his stuttering and knocking knees could attest to that, and yet-. When Kizaru had attacked him, Usopp had stayed, he had taken aim, and he had fired. Usopp had defended him, even if it had done nothing, it wasn't meaningless.

Usopp may have thought he was a coward, to himself, and not yet a brave warrior of the sea, but Zoro knew otherwise. Zoro knew the secrets of the universe when it came to fighting.

Just as there was no strength in vengeance or anger, but in protecting those precious to you,

There was no courage, or bravery, without fear. Courage is the resistance of fear, the mastery of it, no the absence of fear.

"Got your swords!" Usopp teased, running off with Wado Ichimoji.

Zoro jolted. "Oi!" he barked, jumping off to get his swords back.

"Zoro's it! Zoro's it!" Chopper and Luffy cheered.

"No I'm not!" Zoro shouted back and roared when his sword was tossed into the air.

With a fiery vengeance, Zoro chased the Strawhat 'kids', trying to get his swords back. "Bravery or cowardness has nothing on this."

Zoro couldn't stop the smiling etching onto his face. "Usopp is my family. They're all my family."

End.

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That last sentence makes me think of writing a story about Zoro finding a family in the strawhats. I like it. Any ideas to go with it? Please, share.

Til next time,

Ja ne~!