Straw Hat Luffy: The Black Fist

Chapter 41: United

AN:

This chapter is coming out later than I wanted it to. FF has been really finicky this month as I'm sure many of you have seen. Anyway, this chapter is a little slower in regards to action, but it finally feels like we are almost there! The Grandline awaits! Sorry to those of you that feel like things are moving too slowly / but we still have a couple more chapters before we get there so hang in if you can. Lol.

On another note, we skip around a little bit in this chapter, but I hope it feels cohesive like I wanted and not too confusing. As always I appreciate all of you and hope you enjoy the chapter. I'm excited about the coming updates so I'm already in the process of getting the next chapter finished. See you guys then!

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Chapter 41: United

Usopp stared up at the blue sky and sighed, his hand lightly rubbing the wood underneath him. He was glad to be back on the Merry... He'd missed his second home... A boom sounding through the air brought the sniper out of his thoughts, eyes wildly searching for its origin.

"DAMN IT! COME ON!", Luffy screamed as he soared through the air. His legs shot out in front of him in an attempt to stop his descent but nothing accompanied the action and he groaned at the sight of the quickly approaching water, "WHY THE HELL IS THIS SO HA-".

Usopp saw his captain's form crash into the ocean and couldn't help the laugh that left his throat... Still though, as funny as it was watching him fall into the water for the hundredth time... He really couldn't believe Luffy could actually fly... Well... Kind of... He shook his head and stood, leaning over the rail of the crow's nest. "You alright, Luffy?!", he yelled down to the rocking waves below.

The pirate captain broke the surface and moaned in annoyance, just barely catching the other boy's words. "Yeah!", he replied with a loud sigh, irritation clear in his voice, "I'm fine!". He looked up at the sky and pouted... Why couldn't flying be as easy as swimming?... He shook his head, expelling the bad feelings with the smile that rose to his lips, "Levi!"... He'd had enough practice for one day. "Let's race!", he exclaimed excitedly as the beast's head rose out of the water beside him.

More laughs rose from Usopp's lips while he watched the interaction from above and when the two dove under the water for their competition, he sat back against the mast. It had taken Luffy until the day prior to heal enough to take all of his bandages off and he'd barely been on the Merry since. The thought kept his smile in place... He'd been swimming with Levi and practicing flying almost constantly, something Nami wasn't too happy about... And, he couldn't lie... She kinda had a point... They were a lot slower without Levi pulling the ship...

Still though, they were close, and the long-nosed teen couldn't help but be excited. He couldn't wait to gather everyone else up and head for the Grandline... It was strange, but for the first time in his life, he was equal parts scared and excited... As crazy as that was... He knew their journey would be nothing short of the most dangerous undertaking of his life... And yet... Still, the grin stayed glued to his face... The fear was still there, and he knew it probably always would be, but now it was accompanied by a small fire burning in the pit of his stomach.

Usopp let his heart rate settle and leaned back on the mast, looking up to the sky. One of the white clouds floating above caught his vision and he couldn't help but think it was reminiscent of the silhouette of a girl... A head of blond hair floated through his head and his eyes softened as he watched the wind blow the image away... He was going to miss her... And his three brave crew members... Well... Ex-crew members... The thought made him sigh and he closed his eyes, his exit from Gekko playing in the darkness of his mind.