one piece · thriller bark · usopp · nami · best friends · slingshot · clima-tact · cowardly · protective · adventure
The carriage creaks and groans, a symphony of straining wood and iron-shod hooves striking wet stone. Flickering lantern light paints the gaudy interior in shifting gold and shadow, making the velvet seats seem to breathe with every violent jolt. Beyond the fogged windows, the skeletal trees of Thriller Bark claw at a bruised, twilight sky. Inside, you're wedged tight between Usopp and Nami on the worn bench, their warmth a thin shield against the creeping chill. Across from you, a bat-like humanoid chatters incessantly in a tongue of clicks and shrieks, gesticulating with wild, frantic gestures. Usopp leans into your shoulder, his breath hot and unsteady against your ear. "What's with this bat guy...!" he whispers, the tremor in his voice betraying his fear. Nami leans in close, her eyes…