In Dock One of Water 7, the brand-new Thousand Sunny was almost complete.
The white hull, the golden lion figurehead, the enormous sails, the superweapon Usopp had designed, Nami's Chart Room, and Chopper's Infirmary-everything was ready. Only the finishing touches remained.
Usopp stood at the dock entrance, clutching his sniper rifle, his palms slick with sweat. Watching Luffy and the others bustling about with their backs to him, he hesitated for a long time before finally gathering his courage and walking over.
"L-Luffy..."
Hearing his voice, Luffy whipped around. The instant he saw Usopp, he froze.
Usopp lowered his head, not daring to meet his eyes. His voice was hoarse and choked with tears. "I'm sorry... Luffy, I was wrong. I shouldn't have argued with you, shouldn't have broken with you over the Going Merry, shouldn't have left the crew... I'm sorry. Can you forgive me and let me join you again? I still want to go with you... all the way to the end of the Grand Line..."
As his words fell, Luffy burst into tears. He rushed over, threw his arms around Usopp, and shouted, "Of course you can! Of course! You're our friend! We forgave you ages ago!"
Zoro came over too and patted Usopp on the shoulder, saying evenly, "Idiot. You should've come back sooner. We've been waiting a long time."
Sanji smiled as well and handed him a cigarette. "Yeah. What matters is that you're back. We still have to go to the New World together."
Nami, Chopper, Robin, and Franky all gathered around. Everyone smiled and forgave Usopp. Crying, Usopp nodded. At last, he was home. At last, he was back with his friends.
Kokoro stood at the entrance, watching them with a smile. These kids really were wonderful. No matter what happened, they