Proud
Drabble#1: Zoro's eye was a nuisance, so he had it removed. Having an empty socket was weird, so he told Usopp to make him something. Something to be proud of.
Glass Eye: a false eye with no given abilities other than to hide the fact one is missing an eye. (Maybe to hide disadvantage, so no one goes for your blindspot?)
~?~?~?~
It was another bright, sunshiney day on the Romance Dawn of the Strawhats adventure. The Strawhats were scattered around the ship going about their business. Usopp and Luffy were playing cards with Franky; Nami and Robin were sunbathing, Sanji was serving them, and Brook was playing his violin. More particularly, Chopper was seated on the second level, grinding powders with his grindstone, and Zoro was doing crunches on the railing.
"Dammit," Zoro grumbled, flipping down.
Chopper looked up curiously. "What is it?" he asked worriedly.
Zoro rubbed his scar over his left eye; grumbling, and Chopper frowned. "Don't rub your eye like that; you might wound it," Chopper advised.
Zoro growled, forcing his hand away. "Are you okay?" Chopper asked.
Zoro frowned. "My eye hurts," he said simply, and it was proven by the way his eyelid twitched.
Chopper stood up; his forehead pinched in worry. "From 0 to 1," he said, using his special chart for the swordsman.
Zoro frowned, palming his eye again. "A one," he replied.
Chopper's eyes widened. "To my office," he ordered.
Zoro didn't complain, showing how annoying the pain was. The two walked into the cabin and downstairs towards Chopper's med-bay. Zoro sat down on the bed and Chopper transformed into his heavy point and sat down in his chair, rolling over to Zoro.
"Can you open it?" Chopper asked gently, pulling gloves on.
Zoro shrugged. "Can't remember," he said simply, before focusing on the unused muscles.
When Zoro winced, Chopper stopped the swordsman, and he gently pried the scarred eye open. Chopper barely concealed his gasp of shock at what he saw. Zoro's eye was dead, there was no argument there, it was a milky, green color of its former self. What shocked Chopper the most though were the blood vessels there; Zoro's eye was red, slowly filling with blood, and now that it was open, the blood was running down Zoro's cheek like demonic tears.
"What is it?" Zoro asked, then frowned as he felt the blood.
Before Zoro could wipe it away, Chopper was gently dabbing with an antiseptic cotton ball. "Your eye is decomposing inside your socket," Chopper explained, observing the eye. "I need to remove it or the decay will cause infection."
"Remove it?" Zoro asked quietly.
Chopper nodded. "Sorry Zoro," he said, "But don't worry, it won't hurt anymore once it's gone, and it won't hinder you either."
Zoro sighed, scratching the back of his head. "How are you going to do it?" he asked, subdued for the moment. His eye hurt like shit so he'd take it; for now.
Chopper pulled away from the swordsman. "I'll put you to sleep," he said, "I don't want you to panic while I'm removing it. Once I'm finished, you'll wake up with your eyes closed. You'll be temporarily blind, as your eyes work in unison. If I leave one open, then you'll strain the muscles in the other."
Zoro sighed. "I guess I don't have much choice in the matter," he replied, then looked at Chopper. "Take care of me."
Chopper nodded. "I will," he swore.
~Two Hours Later~
Everyone was outside of Chopper's office, informed by Chopper that Zoro and himself were going into surgery, anxiously waiting for the verdict. No one was worried about Chopper's ability, they trusted the reindeer, but more worried about Zoro. Despite having already lost the eye and having a high pain tolerance, the crew couldn't help but worry about him. Suddenly, the door opened, and Chopper walked out, pulling his face mask down.
Chopper grinned. "It was a success," he said, and everyone sighed or smiled in relief. "Zoro's eye is out. He's got bandages over his face though so he'll be 'blind' for a few days."
"Can we see him?" Luffy asked curiously.
Chopper nodded. "Be quiet, though, he's still groggy from the anesthetic I used," he said.
Chopper led them in, and everyone momentarily paused to take in their swordsman. Zoro looked so vulnerable; lying on the bed with the blanket drawn to his chin; his eyes covered up and the man mumbling in his sleep. Luffy approached first; not touching the man like he wanted to.
"Zoro?" Luffy asked, surprisingly quiet.
Zoro's breath stuttered. "...Luffy…?" the man asked.
Luffy grinned. "Shishishi," he said, "Hi."
Zoro grinned, and everyone knew, he was okay.
~Two Days Later~
"Usopp!" Zoro called, resting against the mast so he wouldn't cause trouble.
Instantly, Zoro heard loud footsteps nearing him and felt the aura of prey. "Yea?" the sharpshooter asked, breathlessly.
Zoro motioned for him to sit next to him. "I need you to make something for me," he said.
~Five Days Later~
"You get those off today, right?" Sanji asked, feeding the blind swordsman a spoonful of yogurt.
Zoro nodded, chewing on what tasted like a prune, which Sanji had cleverly hidden inside the yogurt. "Today or tomorrow," he replied, swallowing.
Now, you may be wondering why Zoro was being so compliant. At first, Zoro had tried to take care of himself. Whenever anyone tried to help him, he would argue that he needed no one but the crew beat that out of him real quick. Now, Robin read to him, so he wasn't bored, Luffy 'played' with him, Franky watched him with he lifted weights, and, forcibly, Sanji took upon himself to ensure the swordsman ate without making a mess or wasting food. Everyone found it quite comical when, strangely enough, Zoro didn't get lost nearly as much with his eyes covered.
Sanji heaved a sigh. "Finally," he said, teasingly. "It's annoying to take care of you shitty-swordsman."
Zoro snorted, accepting a slice of something that was tangy and sweet. "Whatever shit-cook," he replied, then paused. "Is that an orange? You know I hate those."
Sanji rolled his eyes. "I'm rolling my eyes," he told Zoro, then replied, "And yes, Chopper said you need Vitamins A and C, an orange has both. Now stop complaining."
Zoro sighed and begrudgingly accepted another slice of orange. "Oi Zoro!"
Zoro tilted his head towards the voice, "What's up Usopp?" he asked, spitting a seed; he smirked in amusement when Sanji protested, assuming it had hit the cook.
Usopp smiled. "Chopper wants you in his office," he said and offered his arm.
Zoro sighed before heaving himself up, reluctantly grasping the sharpshooters elbow. Usopp began to lead the man towards Chopper's med-bay, talking animatedly about something Luffy did. When Zoro didn't feel the sun on his back anymore, Zoro squeezed Usopp's elbow, and the other man paused.
"You finish my project?" Zoro asked quietly.
Usopp nodded, then said it verbally as he remembered Zoro couldn't see. "Ah," he replied, "With Chopper's help I was able to finish it yesterday. I just need to grab it."
Zoro nodded. "Zoro," Chopper said, and took the man's hand.
Zoro turned towards Usopp. "Get it, and tell the crew to meet me here," he said, then walked inside. "Let's do this Chopper."
~15 minutes later~
"Why does swordsman-san want us here?" Robin wondered, the Strawhats waiting outside the closed door.
"And why is Usopp-bro in there?" Franky added.
Luffy frowned. "Zoro~!" he whined. He was ready to have this first mate back to his normal self.
The door opened, and everyone looked over. Zoro, Usopp, and Chopper walked out. Zoro's skin where the bandages were slightly lighter, and damp from the sweat that had collected from under it, but his eye was open, and he was smirking. Usopp and Chopper were behind him as well, Usopp was smirking proudly while Chopper had a look of awe in his face.
"Zoro!" Luffy beamed and hugged the swordsman. "What's it look like? Does it hurt? Does it look weird?"
Zoro chuckled. "Give me a minute," he said, rolling his eye in amusement.
Nami grumbled. "If it looks gross I'm raising your debt," she threatened.
Zoro ignored her and opened his scarred eye; everyone, save Usopp and Chopper, gasped in shock. In the empty socket of Zoro's was a white orb; carved from marble, smoothed to reveal white and brown. That wasn't what surprised everyone the most, though. In the center of the orb, easily seen by all, was a small, beautifully, painted picture. A picture of the Strawhats Jolly Roger, grinning at everyone.
Zoro smirked at Luffy. "What do ya think?" he asked.
"Amazing!" Luffy beamed, leaning closer to see. "It's my hat!"
Zoro rolled his eyes, and everyone was momentarily surprised to see they both moved. "It's not just your hat," he snorted. "This is our symbol; the mark of our bond as nakama."
Zoro looked at them all. "Now everyone knows where I belong," he said, smirking.
End.
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First drabble: Done~! As always, any ideas? Send 'em my way, names, with translations, powers, and what anime/manga it is from. You can even bullshit it if you like. I'll be sure to name you if you contribute.
Til next time,
Ja ne~!
