Zoro, Usopp and Robin don't return as expected from a foray into an island forest. After setting out to locate them, the rest of the crew finds their comrades each missing significant portions of their whole lives.
A One Piece fanfic by Tonko, 'Til You Feel it All Around You
hits three of the Straw Hats with a Fountain of Youth and shows how their True Companions deal with their sudden Promotion To Parents.
Tropes:
This One Piece Fan Fiction contains examples of:- Bittersweet Ending: The trio gets cured, and they're able to lay the spirit to rest, but it takes time for everyone to adjust to suddenly 'losing' the children.
- Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick: When shifting through Zoro's locker to find his sword care equipment, Sanji does a mental backspace after realizing he just looked over a ball of green wool and knitting needles.
- Broken Bird: Robin, already.
- Broken Smile: When Sanji offers the children a false smile to try and reassure them, Usopp actually shows him how to fix it.
- Brutal Honesty: Zoro, even moreso as a child.
- Chill of Undeath: According to Chopper, the empty bodies feel colder than the ambient temperature.
- Cigarette of Anxiety: Sanji restrains himself from smoking around the kids, stepping out for a couple of these after stressful moments.
- Constantly Curious: Usopp has plenty of questions for everyone when he's not terrified. Robin's much the same way when emerging from her shell.
- Creepy Child: All three when possessed by 'this one'.
- Death by Falling Over: Though Brook acknowledges that this may not have been the result if he hadn't reacted quickly to Usopp slipping, well, why take the chance? Witnessing this brings back bad memories for Zoro, as well...
- Deconstruction: While it has several sweet, cutesy moments as is par for the course with de-aging fics, the 'older' Straw Hats are painfully aware of how dangerous it is to suddenly have three children traveling the Grand Line with them.
- Does Not Know His Own Strength: Zoro runs into this problem.
- Double Take: Zoro gives one of these to Brook, once he stops raging over nearly losing Wadou in the water to actually register that he's there.
- Empty Eyes: When 'this one' possesses the children.
- "Eureka!" Moment: Nami and Chopper both have one after Luffy points out that their three regressed friends don't have their normal stuff.
- False Reassurance: When Zoro demands to know if he's the best yet, Sanji tells him "You haven't lost since the day I met you." He also silently notes that he isn't counting losses to opponents who weren't swordsmen.
- Fear Leads To Anger: Several times, with Zoro providing a standout example after seeing Usopp nearly crack his head open by falling.
- After 'this one' possesses the kids, Sanji silently notes that carrying Usopp back doesn't produce 'warm and fuzzy feelings' like normal; more 'incandescent protective fury'.
- Fountain of Youth
- Ghost Amnesia: 'This one' only has the vaguest understanding that they're lost and need to be found.
- Go Mad from the Isolation
- Heroic BSoD: Luffy has a brief one upon discovering the bodies of their lost friends.
- Late to the Punchline: Zoro has a varient of this when he finally realizes why he has dim memories of somebody snapping 'cabbage'.
- Meaningful Echo:Usopp: Pirates are coming. Pirates are coming, Mama... Pirates are here.
- One of the Kids: Nami briefly muses on how well Luffy gets along with their newly-younger crewmembers.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Nami's disinterested response to Luffy mentioning they might have found treasure along with their comrade's bodies is specifically pointed out as a sign of how serious the situation is.
- Oral Fixation: When trying not to smoke around the kids, Sanji absently bites his thumb. He doesn't even realize he's doing this until Franky points it out to him.
- Our Souls Are Different
- Papa Wolf: Sanji swiftly grows into the most prominent example of this, leading Franky to tell him he'll probably make a great father someday.
- Parental Substitute: Usopp explictedly compares Sanji to his own Mama at times, acknowledging that while she can't be there for him, Sanji's good, too.
- Protectorate: All of the younger members automatically become this to their older friends; in particular, Usopp becomes this for Sanji.
- Shrinking Violet: Robin, but only whenever she decides to join the conversation. She's fine as long as she's not doing anything that might draw attention directly to her.
- Stepford Smiler: Little Usopp shows signs of being a budding Type A in the vein of Sad Clown.
- Stripperiffic: Referenced when Nami can't lend any of her clothes to the younger Robin because it's all tailored to emphasize her cleveage.
- Sympathy for the Devil: Brook immediately empathizes with 'this one' due to his own experiences.
- Team Dad: Franky continues to act as this for all the Straw Hats, including Papa Wolf Sanji, who directly compares the cyborg to Zeff.
- Team Mom: Nami, who wonders if there's something wrong with her due to her inability to stop worrying for even a few moments after discovering their crewmates' plight.
- Tears of Joy: Chopper gets these near the end, upon recognizing that Zoro, Usopp and Robin's scents have been restored and they're breathing again.
- Time-Travel Tense Trouble: Trying to explain things that have/'will' happen to the deaged crewmates falls under this, and Sanji stumbles badly at one point:Sanji: Hell if I know. Maybe Robin does. Did. Would... Will? Damn.
- Toilet Humor: As Usopp discovers very quickly, even the very serious Zoro can't help but laugh at this.
- Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: All three de-aged true companions, due to the traumas they're already carrying at their young age.
- True Companions
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Luffy doesn't act particularly fazed by three of his friends suddenly turning up as little kids. Brook's usual status as this is Lampshaded when the rest of the crew realizes just a little too late that while they're used to him, the 'kids' aren't anymore.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Child or not, Sanji still calls Zoro out after he shoved Usopp for seemingly no reason.
- Wistful Amnesia:
- As children, Zoro, Usopp and Robin can't remember anything about their lives past that point, as they haven't lived those events. However, despite not recognizing their friends, they feel safe around them for reasons they can't quite figure out. Once they're back to normal, they gradually regain some memories from their 'second childhood'.
- Usopp, when lying about his adventures as 'Great Captain Usopp', repeatedly refers to actual adventures the Straw Hats have had.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Sanji's reaction when Kid!Zoro starts climbing up the rigging at full speed.
