A/N I am running a convention on Zoro's birthday this year. That really, deeply upsets me. So I am doing a short one shot this year in hopes it makes it online near his birthday! (Today is the 10th… look at my procrastination go!)
Red. All he saw was red around him, circling and enveloping him like the oceans waves. He couldn't see what else was around him. He only saw the blinding red, and wondered silently if this was his own blood.
He heard the crashing of the waves against the ship as he fell to the deck. The screams of his crew, however, fell on deaf ears. He didn't hear the worldly matters around him- just the natural ones. Birds chirping high in the sky, the waves crashing against the sides of the well-worn ship, and of course, the gently whisper of the salty sea air. He wondered for a moment if the red around him was something other than his blood. Was this what the afterlife looked like? Was this his sign to go?
He pondered for a moment on why he even had to go. He never reached his dream, after all. That lay far down the road for him- it was far outside of his grasp. He remembered promising the girl of his past, the very one who gave him this ambition. He felt his chest ache, and not just from the wounds inflicted onto him.
His body fell a few inches toward the deck.
He felt his gaze go up to the sky, his vision dyed a bloody-red hue. The birds moved at such a slow speed, the man grew worried. Was his world slowing down so he could think over death? He hoped not. He had a crew to protect now, he thought. He had a family, a goal and purpose. And he would be dammed if he would give it up.
But this was his dream he was fighting for. He knew that he was willing to die from the start, even if that meant he wouldn't become the world's greatest. He knew that truly, all that mattered was that he faced his opponent, and that not a single coward mark lay upon his back.
"DON'T GIVE UP YOUR LIFE FOR YOUR DREAM!" a certain blonde man yelled. His voice carried across the red surrounding the green haired man stranded on the deck, but Zoro hardly took the time to listen to those words. He thought, unable to bring his weakened body to smile, if the cook himself even believed those words.
He continued to fall toward the deck.
Suddenly, the birds began moving at their normal speed once more, as his world turned from the vibrant red hue into a pitch black darkness.
He opened his eyes to a blinding, white light. He squinted his eyes, keeping focused on the small figure of darkness far beyond his reach. He outstretched his hand, unable to will his legs to move. Within an instant, the figure was in front of him. Navy blue hair neatly framed her pale face, as she looked at Zoro with the upmost horror and disappointment.
"It's too soon, Zoro"
He nodded his head numbly in agreement, wondering what it was he wanted to do. Seeing her look of disappointment at his failure to succeed made him that much more determined.
Kuina, the girl of his dreams and past, smiled. "You have a long and proud life ahead of you. You have to finish our goal, after all."
Zoro felt his lips curl into an ever-so-small smile, and suddenly, he opened his eyes to a vibrant blue.
Birds were flying above him, as the cook's words still echoed in Zoro's ears. He called to Luffy with every ounce of his being, screaming. He would become the greatest, no matter the cost. He swore at that moment, he could hear Kuina's reassuring voice in his ear, telling him that he could continue on. He WOULD become the greatest, and nothing would stop him.
Not even the blinding red.