[ There's important information to slot away here, if Usopp takes it all on good faith. Luffy is here. He hasn't found a way to punch everyone to freedom yet (fair enough, a man can't do everything himself). Sanji was, but he isn't now. Ace is looking and sounding particularly not-dead.
Could it be some kind of trick? He acknowledges the suspicion in some corner of his mind, can't help doing it. Everything in his weird initiation, Usopp took with a grain of salt on principle, but he gives them credit for the fact that they did mention time stuff and anybody being able to turn up. It wouldn't do much to try to lull him into a false sense of security with Luffy's brother, though, and that's what manages to keep him from veering into outright accusatory.
He'll have it figured out once he sees Luffy, anyway. Because no place, no matter how weird and impossible, could convincingly fake a Luffy to his crew. And there's no way they could fake Luffy's brother to Luffy. Even a brother he lost.
(Luffy's not like him, like that. He hasn't spent most of his life trying to make himself believe in lies that sounded better than a hard truth.
In the meantime-- well, in the meantime, he can worry about this on his own schedule. Which is to say, constantly. If he lives in low-grade panic over what he would even do if Luffy turns out to be a fake and this is a hellish emotional trap, that's on him.) ]
If you thank us for that every time you meet us, we're gonna start getting big heads, you know! [ He scratches the back of his head and laughs, loud.
Him getting praise outweighs the social comfort of strangers trying to get to where they're going, obviously. ] Not that I'm complaining! Luffy's as much of a handful now as he ever was!
no subject
Could it be some kind of trick? He acknowledges the suspicion in some corner of his mind, can't help doing it. Everything in his weird initiation, Usopp took with a grain of salt on principle, but he gives them credit for the fact that they did mention time stuff and anybody being able to turn up. It wouldn't do much to try to lull him into a false sense of security with Luffy's brother, though, and that's what manages to keep him from veering into outright accusatory.
He'll have it figured out once he sees Luffy, anyway. Because no place, no matter how weird and impossible, could convincingly fake a Luffy to his crew. And there's no way they could fake Luffy's brother to Luffy. Even a brother he lost.
(Luffy's not like him, like that. He hasn't spent most of his life trying to make himself believe in lies that sounded better than a hard truth.
In the meantime-- well, in the meantime, he can worry about this on his own schedule. Which is to say, constantly. If he lives in low-grade panic over what he would even do if Luffy turns out to be a fake and this is a hellish emotional trap, that's on him.) ]
If you thank us for that every time you meet us, we're gonna start getting big heads, you know! [ He scratches the back of his head and laughs, loud.
Him getting praise outweighs the social comfort of strangers trying to get to where they're going, obviously. ] Not that I'm complaining! Luffy's as much of a handful now as he ever was!