Chapter Text
“Pirates are coming, Mom! I think Dad is with them.” The lie slipped from Usopp’s lips like a mantra, something he repeated to keep her distracted. Even if she never truly believed it, she would still pull him into a warm embrace and listen carefully to every story he told, every little lie that tried to fill the hollow space in her chest. It was never enough.
Banchina died while looking straight into her son’s eyes, and the nightmare always ended there.
After that, the boy clung to a single, stubborn resolve: he would become a Brave Warrior of the Sea. No matter the cost, no matter how long it took, he would protect his island. He would be a fearless alpha.
…Until the day a pirate wearing a straw hat appeared, accompanied by two others.
𓊝
To begin with, I never wanted to be an omega. Omegas are not pirates, and when they are, their price is usually manipulated to absurd levels just to sell them through a disgusting, bureaucratic system that still somehow follows its own rules. Second, I was supposed to become a Brave Warrior of the Sea and fight for it, not stand here constantly trembling and anxious while trying to blend in with the suppressants Vivi gave me before she left and the oils I apply to my glands.
I should have been strong. I should have fought against the Franky Family, instead of waiting until my companions went there and defended me. I cried like a coward in Nami’s arms, and I fought against my own captain over the Going Merry, which was now burning right in front of me while I hid behind that ridiculous mask. A man called Sogeking, a sniper who set fire to the flag and declared war at Enies Lobby. It is almost ironic.
After the farewell, I started to slip away quietly. Nami’s gaze weighed on my back the whole time, as if she wanted to make sure she was watching me leave.
My pack, now with Robin officially among them and Franky loudly thrilled to be there, calling everything SUPER while striking some ridiculous pose. They would have made plans. Did I think about my pack? My former pack. I need to get used to that.
I wish them the best. Zoro will become a great swordsman. Nami will draw her world map. Sanji will find the All Blue. Chopper will become a renowned doctor and find answers for every disease. Robin will be free and uncover the mysteries of the seas. Franky will build incredible machines and a ship even better than the one he made with Kaya’s help.
Luffy will become the Pirate King. I know it because he made me believe it. I just hope that by then, he, Zoro, and Sanji will have found their destined omega, just like they somehow found each other in that confusing bond of theirs. Maybe an empress, or a strong princess who fights with swords, unbelievably beautiful and with an endless supply of meat.
…Are these tears still about Merry?
My chest tightened as everything started to go dark.
My hands hit the ground as I fell, still trying to hold on to something, anything that could keep me anchored to reality. Everything inside me was colliding. My omega was crying in a humiliating, broken way in my chest, and everyone around me looked shocked, startled.
The suppressants. I need to find them.
I reached into my pocket and was met with a harsh truth.
They burned with the Merry. All of them.
They cost Vivi so much, and I lost them through carelessness. The mask was heating my face, and I tore it off roughly. At least my instincts were still hesitating between whining and hiding. I still had my legs. I could walk. I could leave. I could pretend nothing was happening until it passed. The side effects would probably last two or three hours. It is just a hormonal surge. A brave warrior goes through worse things.
I managed to stand, barely. My breathing felt wrong.
“You are an idiot.”
I turned slowly, as if I were facing my final moment.
Zoro stood there, green hair, three swords, his voice irritated and his gaze sharp with judgment. Out of everyone, he was probably the one most indifferent to my leaving, the one least likely to want me back. The problem was that instead of feeling pathetic, I wanted him to hold me, and the legs I had forced to stay steady started to give in.
The real problem was his scent filling my lungs, and the certainty that he knew my shameful secret.
But who cares?
I do. I wish he cared.
I shook my head and raised my hand to hit myself, but before I could, he stopped me.
“I will take care of it,” I said, the words stumbling out. He is not your crewmate anymore. Wake up, Usopp. He does not want to hear this. Just leave.
I tried to stand again, but hands grabbed me and suddenly I was lifted off the ground.
“Hey, hey, Zoro.”
I started hitting him, which had absolutely no effect as he carried me away. Since when could he walk in a straight line like this? We were definitely going to get lost. I kept struggling, which clearly annoyed him, and then I felt a sharp slap on my backside. My face burned.
“You pervert, put me down right now, you brainless brute,” I snapped, still protesting as he carried me somewhere. I doubted even he knew where he was going.
Then I recognized familiar faces, and I stopped trying to fight him. There was no point. I needed to think about my situation. I definitely smelled like an omega. My heart reacted whenever I was close to him, and the thought forming in my mind was one I refused to accept.
Even worse, the scent of other alphas around us made me dizzy, but it was all being overpowered by Zoro’s smell, something like iron and blood, grounding and overwhelming at the same time, stirring feelings I would rather not have.
Wait. That ship. Those faces.
When I realized where he was taking me, I started struggling again.
“Put me down. Now. NOW.”
I knew I sounded like a child throwing a tantrum, but I did not care. I did not want my former crewmates to see me like this. To know the truth.
Maybe that was exactly what Zoro wanted. To expose me. To end it in front of everyone. An omega, their former crewmate. Because I could never be anything else. Just a lie.
“Stop moving, Usopp.” His voice was quiet, cutting, controlled. “Are Sanji and Luffy calmer?”
He turned his head slightly, and I saw the others. Everyone except those two. He set me down, and there was no turning back. I did not want there to be.
Chopper threw himself at me immediately, crying. Nami followed right after, wrapping me in a hug that smelled like something warm and familiar, like orange juice on a summer day. Chopper had no scent at all.
“Why did you never tell us anything, you idiot? Especially me. Am I not your best friend?” Nami scolded, and I could not tell if I felt nostalgic or just relieved to hear it. “And what is wrong with your scent? It is not bad, but you are practically shouting that you are here.”
“My suppressants,” I managed to say, my thoughts still tangled and slow. “Vivi warned me about the side effects, but… why the kidnapping?”
They all went quiet. Even Nami stopped, probably because I mentioned Vivi. The tension in the air shifted, and I tugged slightly at my collar. I could smell Sanji and Luffy somewhere on the ship, and that only made things worse. It felt like they were right next to me, their presence heavy, almost suffocating.
Not suffocating in a bad way.
Just… too much.
“When they sensed your scent, their already exhausted bodies simply shut down,” Robin explained calmly. “Zoro was the first to wake up. Then he went after you. Or rather, in his words, their omega. The other two should wake up soon.”
Hearing that so directly hurt. I almost wished the Franky Family would beat me up again, just so I could compare which pain was worse.
Chopper was still clinging to me. Nami’s scent surrounded me. Explosions echoed in the distance as the crew moved quickly, raising the sails and leaving in what felt like a strangely triumphant escape.
Was I a Straw Hat again?
Could I even consider myself part of the crew?
The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.
I needed to rest. My body had been begging for it since I nearly collapsed earlier. No one stopped me as I made my way to the shared room instead of theirs. That separation had always existed, meant to help the pack adjust to their bond, but I was too exhausted to think about it now.
I lay down, and the silence finally covered me.