"Usopp, stop it! We've been over this before."

It was a blond cook smoking a cigarette, scolding a slightly younger man who stood before him. "Sheesh, Usopp, you remind me of the time we had to give up Merry, didn't you learn anything back then?" he asked, dropping his cigarette and then stomping on it as he looked grimly at the other man.

"When it's over, it's over, and you can't do anything about it, no matter how much you want to. So accept it! Go home, Usopp. You are wasting your time out here."

Wide-eyed, Chopper, Robin and Zoro viewed the confrontation as they stood not too far from them on a rocky island.

"So that's it, then?" Usopp asked, with tears coming out of his eyes, "We are just going to give up and go home to our old islands?" he asked. "After everything? We are still the Straw Hats; we can't just stop being that at the snap of a finger!"

"Usopp." Zoro now spoke as he took a step forward, looking darkly at the darker-skinned man. "How can we be the Straw Hat Pirates, when we lack a Straw Hat captain?" he asked.

Usopp had to bite his lip as he looked down, squinting his eyes.

"The person I swore my allegiance to was Luffy, and he's not here." Zoro stated. "I don't care what you do, but I'm leaving." he stated, turning around.

"For the sake of sea kings!" Usopp hissed, "Of all times, now is the time you two choose to agree!?"

"USOPP!" Sanji exclaimed, grabbing Usopp's shoulder. "Think of all the things we've already lost! Think of..." then he silenced and looked down, trying to keep back his tears.

"Sanji..." Usopp whispered.

Then Sanji looked up. "The marines are stronger than ever, if we stay together they will corner us, like they did to every single other pirate out there that they considered a threat."

"But how can we just go back?" Usopp asked, "After everything... Sanji, we are wanted people, even if I wanted to, which I don't, how can there be a going back?"

"If we split up and hide…" Sanji hesitated, "we just might manage." He sighed turning away from Usopp. "Get it into your head; the age of pirates is over. To keep following this path would be suicide."

"But what about Robin? She doesn't even have an island to go back to!" Usopp desperately tried.

"I will manage," Robin told. "I have done so before."

"Dammit" Usopp cried as he covered his face with his hand. He saw a little hoof lightly touch his leg. Usopp looked down to see Chopper. "Are you also okay with this?" he asked.

"I really want to believe that he is alive." Chopper told honestly. "That..." he swallowed, "that Luffy will come back someday, but it's been pretty long now, and we... we've lost so much." He choked. "Usopp, I don't want to lose anymore!" he cried as he grabbed Usopp's yellow trousers and started to cry into them. "I tried! I really did! But I just can't do this anymore! I want to think that Luffy is really alive and will come back for us, but he hasn't come. He hasn't even given a word! At least back when we got separated, he managed to give us all a message, now there is nothing! And then all those horrible things happened." he sniffed, holding onto Usopp's leg.

"So, it's decided then." Sanji commented, turning back to the group. "From this moment on, there is no longer a Straw Hat crew. It's over."

"WOOHOOO!" Luffy laughed out loud as his proud ship, The Thousand Sunny, rode the big waves of the New World.

"LUFFY!" A voice yelled from beneath the lion Luffy was sitting on.

"COME DOWN AND HELP US WITH THE SAILS!"

"Oi, Usopp!" Luffy rolled his eyes as he turned around. "What's the rush? I'm just having a bit of fun."

"Fun? FUN!?" Usopp exclaimed, "We are about to hit the rocks! BANG!"

"We'll be fine." Luffy commented.

"You, maybe. I'll actually get hurt." Usopp sighed deeply, lowering his shoulders and making Luffy laugh.

"Luffy!" Nami now stated as she stepped up beside Usopp. "Stop it and come down and help, our ship might get damaged."

"DAMN RIGHT!" Franky hissed from the helm. "You'd better protect my ship, Captain, OR ELSE!" he warned, as he shook his massive robotic hand.

Laughing, Luffy jumped down and landed right in front of them. "Right, what am I supposed to do?" he asked.

"Help us with the sails." Usopp murmured as he was already climbing the mast.

"Oi, what about Nami? Shouldn't she work, too?" Luffy asked.

"She's navigating!" Usopp hissed. "Honestly Captain, sometimes, just sometimes..." He rolled his eyes as a big wave washed over them, effectively making both Usopp and Luffy soaked.

"Ohhhh" Luffy groggily waved, "I feel weak..." he murmured, almost falling down, only for an arm to reach down and pull him back into place.

"Oi, Captain," Zoro muttered as he slapped Luffy on the cheek "don't pass out now."

Only for another figure to fall down from the mast, and fall right on top of Usopp.

"ARGHHH!" Usopp screamed. He almost ended up letting go after he noticed that a skull seemed to be starring right at him.

"Hmm..." Brook's voice sounded groggy. "OHH, Usopp!" Brook exclaimed, "Fancy seeing you here!"

"GET OFF ME!" Usopp exclaimed.

"What's happening down there?" Sanji now asked, looking down from his position higher up on the mast.

"GUYS, JUST HURRY AND TIE UP THE SAILS!" Nami yelled from far beneath them.

"YOU ONLY HAVE AROUND THIRTY-SECONDS BEFORE A MASSIVE WIND WILL HIT FROM THE NORTH. THE SAILS WON'T BE ABLE TO TAKE THAT!"

Amazingly quick, all the men crawling around on the mast worked as a team without much bickering. Just in time, by working together, they managed to tie up the sails just a second before a big push of wind hit them from the side and literately pushed the ship out from underneath them.

"ARGHH!" Usopp yelled, clinging to the mast. "I'm going to die!"

"Shut up." Zoro murmured beside him.

"Stupid Marimo." Sanji murmured.

"HEY, YOU WANNA FIGHT!?" Zoro asked, lifting a fist in warning.

"How can you be fighting when the ship is out of control?" Usopp asked, "We could all die!"

"No worries for me, then!" Brook commented, "I'm already dead! YOHOHOHO!"

"SHUT UP!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Nami-san." Robin softly spoke to Nami. "Are we really out of control?"

"Afraid so" Nami told, "there is nothing that I can do to control the ship; we just have to ride this one out."

"Scary." Chopper swallowed as he held on to Nami's leg.

"Don't worry," Franky grinned, "my sweet Sunny can take it! She's strong."

"Question is..." Nami exhaled as she looked up, "where will this storm take us?"

Luffy, however, didn't look like he could care less as he gladly yelled from high above, with both his arms in the air, and a big grin on his face: "YAHOOOO!"