lew: this is posted late bc. busy. i meant to post this earlier but i did not have any free time. anyway shout out to my friend jess for editing (probs instead of doing work for her fancy internship. love her procrastination). also, again, this is written w tumblr/twitter user baratiepromise (maddie), who i love
The hospital is the worst place in the world for Luffy. He can't move, only sit and stare. With nothing to occupy himself, all he can do is think and remember. He avoids the memory of the fire, but it still comes back to him. The moment he remembers most clearly now is the moment he's since realized was his brothers' last: when the ceiling fell after they'd been separated. Sabo had said they were getting help, and… technically, he wasn't lying. Zoro is help, but he'd rather have his family. He feels like they're watching over him, but just watching him isn't enough. He wants them back. He's so lonely without them, even if Zoro is here, because Zoro is… well… awkward.
Luffy mostly just tolerates his presence. Having the God he once revered with him after losing everything to said God isn't comfortable, though it's better than being by himself. Marginally. Zoro's also out of practice interacting with others, and generally just allows him some space. Luffy and Zoro really only coexist as Luffy recovers.
Zoro spends time both in town and back in Afterlife, keeping tabs on his varied duties between visits to Luffy. Townspeople think Zoro strange, usually ignoring him. Those who associate with death's priests are best avoided. Zoro tries blending in anyway, dressing more casually and keeping out of sight of the villagers. When he isn't in the hospital silently keeping Luffy company, he tries preparing for the journey. Luffy needs all new clothes with his having burned, as well as other supplies Luffy requests. He also attempts gathering food for Luffy, but he's not really sure what to bring or how much. He doesn't know how much humans eat given that he doesn't have to, and never bothered to learn how to cook as Sanji would probably curse all his food to taste terrible.
After a week, Zoro stops by Luffy's hospital bed again. He's sitting with his legs hanging off the edge, eyes gazing out the window in the direction of his former temple. Zoro is pretty sure leaving will be good for Luffy, since he won't have to see that empty spot on the horizon.
"Ready to go?" Zoro says. It's not actually a question. He's carrying a backpack, which he drops at Luffy's feet.
"We're leaving now?" Luffy looks down at the backpack, picking it up off the floor. He considers it for a moment, considers the factors that go into leaving home, then tightens his grip at the thought of his brothers, floating around in the Afterlife. "...Yeah. Let's get going."
Zoro nods once, then turns to lead Luffy.
"We'll stop at a few towns along the way," Zoro says, "Humans aren't able to handle such a long walk."
"Why can't you just fly us to the temple?" Luffy grouches, slinging the backpack onto his shoulders and following after Zoro. He's dressed in shorts and a vest, which is open to let the air cool him off. Even though he's trying to cool down, he still wears the cloak around his shoulders. "Gods can fly."
"I don't like to," Zoro says, "I never fly. I haven't since... the Earth was created, honestly. I doubt I even remember how."
"Oh." Luffy frowns, "Can you make a portal?"
"I don't know that a living human can pass through a portal," Zoro admits, "And if you die because human bodies aren't meant to handle bending through space, I won't ever hear the end of it from your brothers."
"My brothers?" Luffy quickly catches up with Zoro, running in front of him to walk backwards, "You've talked to them?"
"Yeah, of course," Zoro says, "I'm able to speak to all the dead. Especially when the dead wait for me in my throne room to interrogate me about their little brother as soon as I return from saving his ass."
"So you're keeping them safe?" Luffy asks, looking a bit more happy now. "How are they?"
"Worried about you," Zoro says, honest, "They don't think you should be risking yourself like this with your still-healing injuries."
"I don't care what they think!" Luffy snorts, turning his nose up at their opinion. "I'm getting them back. I can walk, so it's fine."
"If you say so," Zoro says, "At least I've got an excuse to be out of the house. My temple was starting to get a little cramped."
"Why don't you just visit Earth more often?" Luffy asks, picking a stick off the ground to wave it as they walk. "It's not like it hurts."
"Earth doesn't like me much," Zoro says. He steps off the gravel path a moment and stands in the grass. Luffy watches as, just from Zoro's presence, the flowers and grass begin to wilt and die. He steps back onto the gravel, the patch he was just in spreading out to the ground around it, killing a whole chunk of land. Luffy blinks.
"Hey, if you touch me, will I die?" Luffy asks.
"When I carried you out of the temple, did you die? What about when I caught your fist when you tried to hit me?" Zoro says, "Though I could kill you the same way as I killed the grass, just being near me or touching me won't kill you."
"Oh, right!" Luffy laughs, "That makes things easier. So, do you poop?"
"What?" Zoro asks. To have so little tact as to ask such a question of a God is… about what Zoro expects from Luffy, honestly. "...If I eat."
"Really?!" Luffy exclaims, "Wow, I guess you Gods aren't that different from us after all!"
"Don't sound so excited," Zoro grumbles, folding his arms.
"It's interesting." Luffy hums, waving the stick some more as he kicks up the loose gravel, pieces lodging into his sandals. "What else can I ask… Oh yeah, do you send bad people to a different afterlife?"
"Afterlife is one place, but different people are handled differently," Zoro says "Those who are evil end up punished, and those who are kind end up rewarded. Priests like yourself and your brothers get a bit of special treatment, too. Like me intervening to save your life, and your brothers spending Afterlife in my temple."
"That's nice, but they won't have to!" Luffy grins, hopping. "Cuz they're gonna live a long, long time after this!"
"Whatever you say," Zoro says. He's honestly amused, watching Luffy flail and hop around. At least he knows Luffy is feeling somewhat better, both physically and emotionally, if he's got the energy to be doing all this.
"Is Chopper nice?" Luffy prods, continuing to talk as he walks ahead of Zoro, hitting a nearby tree with his stick.
"He is. He and I were always close, funnily enough," Zoro says.
"Really?" Luffy grins, hesitating to let Zoro catch up so he could listen to the story, "I knew the Gods accepted you! Nobody ever believed me about that."
"Accepted me?" Zoro says. He wouldn't really go that far... "They... It's not really that simple, Luffy."
"But you just said you and Chopper were close!" Luffy says.
"Yeah. We were. Back when Earth was new, and I had no titles," Zoro says, "Back before everything."
"Oh." Luffy frowns, shoulders slumping at being proven wrong. "So, will he still let you revive my brothers?"
"He will," Zoro says, "I told you, he's kind. They all are. If I asked any of them for help with anything, they'd likely help me. Even something like this."
"...If they're all kind, why don't you like being friends with them?" Luffy asks.
"It's complicated," Zoro says. His voice is heavier now than it was before, laced with frustration, "They threw me out without hesitation. Just because they feel bad about it now doesn't mean I've forgotten the decades where none of them wanted anything to do with me."
"That was because you killed Merry, right?" Luffy says.
"Don't," Zoro snaps. His irritability turns to fury in an instant, and it surprises Luffy enough to make him stop walking. Zoro catches up to him, then stops beside him. "Don't say that name."
"Sorry!" Luffy protests, "Just… I dunno what to talk to Zoro about."
"Then let's not talk," Zoro says. He passes Luffy, pointedly ignoring him.
Luffy complies, walking in silence, not liking how this was playing out. He wanted his brothers back, but now he has to put up with Zoro being like this…
Zoro is reminded why he dislikes dealing with humans. Though he has no problems with Luffy, Luffy is still just as human as everyone else, and for all humans Zoro's interaction with Merry defines his entire existence. He doesn't want to talk about it. It's all humans care about.
Zoro continues ignoring Luffy for the next two days, resolving to do so until they reach the next town. While this isn't a long time for him, it is for Luffy. Zoro could walk for weeks without getting tired or needing breaks, but forgets Luffy can't. Luffy's slept poorly since the temple burned down, and he's injured. Zoro refusing to answer him or look back to see how he's doing, combined with his own stubborn determination to see Ace and Sabo again, means they don't sleep when it gets dark and they don't stop so Luffy can find food, eat what he has, or take breaks. The most he can do is snack on things which are edible along the way, like berries off of bushes, but it's not enough. After 48 straight hours like this, Luffy reaches his limit.
Exhausted and starving, Luffy abruptly passes out on the side of the path.
Zoro hears the thump behind him of Luffy's body collapsing, continuing to walk forwards, figuring he just tripped on a rock or something. Humans are clumsy like that. Minutes pass and Zoro hears no footsteps behind him. He senses some angry glares from two priests stuck in his temple. Did he do something wrong...?
Zoro turns around, ready to scold Luffy for being slow, and freezes when he sees Luffy on the ground, not moving.
"Shit."
Zoro rushes immediately to Luffy's side. He's out cold, and when Zoro shakes him, he doesn't wake up. Luckily for Luffy, they're only a few minutes from the next town, so Zoro picks Luffy up.
"Come on," Zoro mumbles. He stands with Luffy in his arms and hurries to the next town's temple. Zoro can almost hear Luffy's brothers cursing him out as he rushes.
"Give me a break!" He says into the air, "I thought he'd be fine!"
Zoro can see very clearly how wrong he was, though. Luffy is only human, and he can't make the same journeys Zoro can. If Zoro wants this quest to succeed, he has to pay attention to Luffy's needs. He has to do better.
When Zoro reaches the town, he finds the place overrun with plant life. The town's paths are all dirt paved, wildflowers hugging the sides. Vines crawl up the sides of most buildings, and everything is bursting with growth, from flower pot to field. Zoro finds the source of this town's agricultural success when he reaches its temple: a stunning monument to Usopp. It's more impressive than Luffy's temple was, but fairly standard for such a blessed farming town. The temple is clean and populated, and exactly where Zoro wants to go. He can find someone to help Luffy here. The temple, Usopp's statue, and the railings all share similar a fate to the town around them, flowers blooming where they usually wouldn't. In any other situation, he's sure he'd be slightly impressed at the following Usopp has gathered for himself, but there's no time for that.
"Hey!" He calls into the temple, "Someone get out here and help me!"
No one answers, and Zoro frowns. If he goes inside, Usopp is going to know he's there. Gods are often able to tell when other Gods enter their temples, and Zoro really doesn't want to deal with that…
Zoro looks down at Luffy in his arms, then sighs. He steps inside, looking for whoever runs it. He ignores the wilting of flowers woven around the railings of the temple as soon as he steps in, trying to supress the power he naturally emits. He wanders a moment, coming to find a blonde woman dressed in a white dress kneeling at an altar. She looks up hearing Zoro walk in, almost shocked.
"Hello. My name is Kaya, I lead this temple," She says, standing. "Forgive me, I didn't know we had a patient! What's happened?"
"My friend passed out," Zoro says, "We've been walking for the past two days, and we haven't really slept or eaten. I guess it got to him."
"Of course it got to him!" Kaya looks shocked, walking up to Zoro and Luffy. "Come, we have some beds."
She leads them to the back of the temple, opening an unused room for visitors. A bed sits, clovers bursting through the wood.
"We haven't cleaned up much here, but it should be alright," She says. Zoro nods. He could easily get rid of the clovers in the bed, but he doesn't think Kaya would appreciate it. He lies Luffy down in the bed, then sits on the ground beside him.
"He'll be fine?" Zoro says, looking to Kaya.
"Well, he needs rest and food," Kaya says, checking over Luffy, "I'll start getting something for him to eat. He's got some pretty nasty burns, too..."
"He was caught in a fire recently," Zoro says, "Is there any issue with those?"
"No, no issue, but you should probably be changing these bandages more." Kaya says, "I'll go start on getting some food for him, okay?"
"Got it," Zoro says. He watches her leave, then stands and turns to look at Luffy. He doesn't look happy as he sleeps. Since Zoro arrived, Luffy has slept with a heavy frown on his face. Zoro can imagine what he must being dreaming of. They probably should have waited longer to leave, and Zoro shouldn't have been such an ass... Luffy has nothing. He's looking to Zoro to watch out for him right now, and Zoro couldn't make it to a single town without letting him down. No wonder Zoro has no priests left. Zoro leans forward, holding his head in his hands. Dammit. Humans are so fucking difficult to interact with-why did he agree to this?!
"You having some trouble there, bud?" A male voice teases, making Zoro turn toward him. "It's been a while."
"Usopp," Zoro says. It was only a matter of time before Usopp noticed he was here. "Sure has. Nice place you've got."
"I know. They take care of the temple well." Usopp plucks a flower from his hair, handing it to Zoro. "...It's been hundreds of years."
"It has," Zoro says, taking it. He twists it between his fingers, and it's dead before it's made a full turn. "Sorry. Flowers aren't really my thing."
"...Yeah, you haven't changed." Usopp observes as the flower falls out of Zoro's hand, landing lifeless on the floor. "So, what's going on? You've got this human with you."
"This is Luffy. He's my priest," Zoro says, leaning against Luffy's bed, "He wanted me to take him somewhere, and since I owe him a favor, I agreed. Except I forgot humans need things like food and rest and he ended up fainting from exhaustion."
"How do you forget that?" Usopp laughs loudly, "Don't you get humans who die of starvation all the time?"
"Yeah, yeah. I just forgot it happened so damn fast," Zoro says. Many of the clovers near him on Luffy's bed start to die, minus those touching Luffy.
"You should be more careful with humans. They already hate you a lot, you know." Usopp points out.
"Thanks for reminding me," Zoro says, "And who's fault was that again, that they don't like me?"
"Hey, don't blame me!" Usopp raises his hands, sitting on Luffy's bed and making more clovers bloom as he sits.
"But it was you. You and the other Gods, because you didn't want to believe me," Zoro says, "You convinced the first humans to hate me over something that wasn't true."
"I didn't… I was..." Usopp looks down, "I was closest to Merry."
"I remember," Zoro says. He stares ahead of him, at the wall. He couldn't name even a single of the many flowers growing out of the stone, a testament to just how out of touch he is with the other Gods and their work. "I was close to her, too."
"But not like-not like… Nevermind." Usopp sighs, rubbing his hands together. "So, the deal with the human?"
"Luffy is just resting right now," Zoro says. He doesn't think he should tell Usopp that they're going to be bringing Ace and Sabo back from the dead. "When he wakes up I'll get him something to eat. We'll be out of here before you know it."
"I'm not asking you to leave." Usopp says, "It's just… I've missed you, Zoro. We all have."
Zoro's silent a moment. He'd be lying if he said he didn't miss the others right back, but he'd sooner cut his tongue than admit it. After centuries on his own, Zoro doesn't really do emotional vulnerability.
"I—" Zoro starts, but behind him, Luffy groans. Immediately Zoro turns his attention to Luffy, looking for a way to avoid the conversation he really should be having. Usopp turns as well, watching the human stir and open his eyes.
"Zoro?" Luffy questions, cracking his eyes open, "Ugh, I'm hungry..."
"I guessed as much, what with you passing out back there and all," Zoro says, "Sorry for not noticing sooner."
"I passed out?" Luffy rubs his eye as Zoro comes into focus, and then a stranger. "Zoro made a friend!?"
"This is Usopp," Zoro says. Luffy sits up, and when he does, Zoro flicks his forehead, "And don't sound so surprised!"
"I'm shocked!" Luffy grins, turning a bit to look at Usopp. "Hi, Usopp! Um… Usopp like the God, or Usopp named after the God?"
"Usopp the God," Zoro fills in, before Usopp can.
"But if anyone in the temple asks, call me Sogeking," Usopp stage whispers to the both of them. It's not uncommon for other the Gods to visit their followers posing as normal mortals, after all.
"Sogeking..." Luffy repeats, "Okay! I'm Luffy, I'm gonna go revive my brothers. Is this your temple?"
Zoro sighs. So much for not telling.
"Yeah, it's— Wait, you're going to do what?" Usopp asks.
"I'm gonna go revive my brothers! We're gonna go see Chopper and revive them," Luffy fills in happily.
"Zoro, you're bringing back the dead?" Usopp demands, turning to Zoro.
"I'm not bringing back the dead," Zoro says, looking away from Usopp, "Chopper is."
"That's not any better," Usopp says.
"I owe it to him to try." Zoro shrugs a shoulder, like raising the dead isn't a big deal. "They were my priests, and their temple lit on fire. The other two died as sacrifices."
"Sacrifices? To what?" Usopp asks, before realizing, "...Oh."
"Yeah." Zoro scoffs, "Sacrifices to me. They wanted to save Luffy, and now Luffy wants to save them."
"I'm going to save them!" Luffy says.
"We might save them," Zoro corrects, "There's no guarantee this will work."
"You shouldn't be trying." Usopp frowns.
"...I owe it to him," Zoro says again, "He's my last priest."
"I am?" Luffy asks, turning to face Zoro. Usopp looks surprised, too. "Since when?"
"You didn't know?" Zoro faces Luffy. "Your temple was my last active one."
"I didn't! What's going to happen now that Zoro doesn't have any active temples?" Luffy asks.
"He's going to lose control over his powers," Usopp says. As he talks, Zoro gets up and walks over to the other side of the small room. In front of him is a wall absolutely covered in clovers. He regards it absently. A few of the clovers die as he stares at them for too long. "A lot of our power comes from human worshippers. Though we can survive without them, not having them is..."
"Everything dies easier now, is all." Zoro brushes it off. He places his hand on the wall, and all the clovers growing through it die immediately. Luffy looks over to the wall, visibly distraught. It doesn't make Zoro feel any better.
"What about your temple in the Afterlife?" Usopp asks, referring to Zoro's home. Though the rest of them live on temples on Skypiea, Zoro built his own elsewhere. Even if Zoro's temple isn't with the others, however, all of their temples' upkeep reflects what their real temples look like. If Zoro has no orderly temples and only one priest, then…
"Small." Zoro answers, watching clover pieces fall to the floor. "Crumbling. That's what happens when the human population curses your name."
He takes his hand off the wall, the wood starting to rot where he left it there for too long. After all, death is followed quickly by decay. He shakes his hand like it was burnt, then goes to sit back down.
"Zoro..." Usopp mumbles.
"It's okay, though!" Luffy says, surprising Zoro. "When I get my brothers back, we'll build a new temple, and we'll tell everyone we met Zoro, and how nice he is, and then Zoro will get lots of new priests. I'm not your last."
Zoro regards Luffy with a sympathetic yet doubtful look at the optimism Luffy expresses. It's true he may regain the two priests' lives, but that doesn't mean he'll actually gain their devotion back. They might hate him after this, all things considered. Luffy, however, has made up his mind on this. New goal decided, he continues.
"We'll find an empty temple and use that. Since everyone thinks Ace and Sabo died, we can't go back there anyway. It can be near a big town. Then the three of us will get Zoro lots of new people," Luffy says, "And I know they'll want to help, too, cuz I know they're watching over me for this journey. They'll see everything Zoro did for them and for me."
"Luffy, breaking the laws of nature isn't exactly something I'm supposed to do." Zoro points out, "That's why Usopp keeps freaking the fuck out. I shouldn't be doing this-and neither should Chopper. We're all going to be in big ass trouble."
"I don't care. I'm bringing them back," Luffy says, "Besides, Zoro'll be in trouble if he doesn't do it, too, cuz I'm his only priest. And I think the Gods owe HIM one, too."
Usopp frowns at the accusation, crossing his arms but not replying.
"The Gods don't owe me shit." Zoro waves a hand, grumbling at the topic even being brought up. He hates talking about this.
"Sure they do. Zoro said he was upset they threw him out, and..." Luffy trails off. He doesn't really want to go down that route again, given the last time he did, Zoro ignored him for two full days. Zoro crosses his arms, then looks to Usopp. Luffy bringing this up reminds him, he has something important to say.
"...Hey," Zoro says, "Go find that blonde girl. Luffy still hasn't eaten."
"What?" Usopp says. Zoro gives him a pointed look, and Usopp decides when the flowers in his hair start to wilt it would be best if he listened. He leaves the room, and once alone, Zoro looks to the ground.
"I'm... sorry for being such an ass back there. I shouldn't have completely ignored you like that," Zoro says.
"Yeah, that was pretty shitty of you." Luffy smiles at him. He looks tired, but his smile is genuine, "But at least you turned around!"
"Well, yeah. I realized you weren't following me anymore," Zoro says, "I shouldn't have let it get to that point, though."
"That's ok." Luffy forgives Zoro easily, reaching forward to pat his knee. Zoro is all he has now, after all, and Luffy has always been forgiving of friends. "Just gimme some food and we'll call it even."
"Alright," Zoro says, "But let me know when you're tired from now on. We're not going to make it to Chopper like this."
"Zoro has to remember we eat and stuff! Five meals a day!" Luffy shoves Zoro lightly, but immediately lets his arms drop when the raised voice and movement make his head pound. He whines, holding his forehead. Back in the temple, life was sort of cushy and taken care of, so he'd never really had to deal with lack of food headaches.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll be better," Zoro says, "What're you whining for?"
"My head hurts," Luffy complains, "Do some God magic that makes me not hungry."
"The only thing I could do to help would be to kill you, in which case you'd never be hungry ever again," Zoro says.
"That doesn't sound fun." Luffy frowns at him, moving forward in the bed to put his chin on Zoro's shoulder, "Don't you get hungry?"
"Not really," Zoro says, "I mean, I crave stuff sometimes, but I don't generally think of food at all."
"I would hate being a God, then," Luffy hums, "Not eating is horrible."
"I can eat, I just don't get any offerings to eat," Zoro says. He laughs a bit, "I doubt you'd have that same issue, though."
"Ah..." Luffy looks a bit guilty when Zoro brings up offerings, "About those..."
"Don't think I didn't notice that you were eating all of them," Zoro says.
"I'm sorry!" Luffy squirms, "They tasted so good, I always left at least one!"
"I don't mind," Zoro laughs, "You need it more than me, clearly. Think of those as a retroactive apology for me nearly letting you die."
Luffy smiles, liking the sound of his laugh. The God of death can have a good attitude after all. There's a knock at the open door, Kaya holding a tray and Usopp behind her.
"How're you feeling?" She asks, setting the tray down between Luffy and Zoro, "I brought food for the both of you, since I figured you're both starving."
"You're lucky you came here. Kaya's a fantastic doctor!" Usopp says, beaming. Luffy looks excited at the food, picking up the bowl and immediately digging in greedily. Zoro smirks as Usopp gushes about Kaya, obviously proud of the head of his temple.
"I'm sure she is," Zoro absentmindedly picks an apple slice she had on the tray, popping it into his mouth. "A bit surprising to have a doctor leading Usopp's temple, though. Thought it'd be some old man farmer or something."
"Recently some temples have been mixing Gods a bit, since most towns only have one temple for the patron God. This is a temple for Usopp, but after a terrible sickness hit the area a few years ago, we dedicated an altar to Chopper," Kaya says, "Since all the Gods but Zoro are so close, they don't seem to mind. It's becoming fairly common."
"All the Gods but Zoro, huh?" Zoro snorts, "Yeah, nobody wants to hang out with that guy."
"I guess not," Kaya says, as Usopp seems to take interest in the clovers blooming on the wall beside him. Luffy snickers a bit.
"Usopp and Chopper are close friends, though," Zoro continues, "I'm sure he enjoys the fact that you've got them sharing a temple."
"I think he does. Everything has been growing well for years," Kaya says, "And the town ended up recovering from their illness, so I think Chopper liked it, too."
"I'm sure he did," Zoro smiles a bit to himself, "Chopper loves to help."
Luffy watches Zoro's expression as he talks. He looks a thousand miles away for a moment, or maybe a thousand years. Luffy wonders if Zoro misses his family as much as Luffy does. If Zoro does, he probably wants to see Chopper again, right? Especially if they were really close! Luffy looks to Kaya, mind made up.
"We're gonna head out once I'm done eating," Luffy decides.
"Are you sure?" Kaya asks, "You should probably rest more! Collapsing from exhaustion like that..."
"You can stay longer..." Usopp says.
"I'm tough!" Luffy says, "We'll be fine. We've got a long way to go still, and there'll be a lot of temples to stop at on the way."
Zoro turns to Luffy, frowning, assuming Luffy just wants to leave to see Ace and Sabo.
"I don't want you collapsing again," He says.
"Then... I'll eat, take a nap, and then we'll head out," Luffy says, "I usually recover from stuff pretty quickly."
"...I'd feel a little better about that, I guess," Zoro says, "Sleep after you eat, then we can leave."
Luffy nods. He's pretty close to being done with his food, anyway, plus he's been stealing food off of Zoro.
"And... Go visit Chopper's altar once I go to bed," Luffy says.
"...No promises," Zoro says, "Continue eating."
Luffy figures that's about as good as he's going to get and diverts his attention entirely to his food, in a fairly good mood with all things considered. Zoro allows Luffy to finish eating, brushing some of the dead clovers off the blankets when Luffy is done. He stands so Luffy can lie down, walking past Usopp and Kaya and out the room.
"Give him privacy." Zoro says, "He needs to sleep."
The three of them leave. Kaya heads down the hall to the main temple, and Zoro watches her go. Exiting the room, Usopp grabs onto Zoro's shoulder.
"...Are you actually going to Chopper's altar?" Usopp asks.
"No. I'll see him soon enough anyway," Zoro says. Honestly, he's been avoiding Chopper for centuries. While he's seen most of the others numerous times since being cast off, and despite how close they used to be, he's gone out of his way to see Chopper as little as possible. Creating Merry was Chopper's idea, after all. Humanity is Chopper's proudest creation, and Zoro's only purpose is to destroy it one by one. It's precisely how close they used to be that makes Zoro unwilling to be in Chopper's company again. He doesn't want to know what Chopper thinks of him now.
"Are you sure? I could call him here-it would be fine! I'm sure he'd love to see you again!" He pushes, and when Zoro starts to walk away, he slumps his shoulders a bit. "Franky keeps asking about you, you know."
"Does he? Give him my regards, then. Give all of them my regards," Zoro says, though he stops walking away. Some familiar humor sneaks back into his head and he adds, "But not the cook, he's still an ass."
"I'll make sure he gets the message." He grins. Even though it hasn't gone as planned, he's glad to see Zoro again. Hundreds of years of radio silence from someone he considered like a brother is almost scary, even if he knew nothing happened to him since people and plants continue to die.
"I appreciate it," Zoro says. He folds his arms, leaning back against the wall and staring ahead of him, through the doorway where he can see the main room of the temple. In the center is a statue, meant to look like Usopp. Its likeness is closer than any of Zoro's statues were, but still far enough off that Usopp is not recognizable. Surrounding the statue are dozens of offerings, which Usopp has earned through helping the food grow around the town. Kaya's in there, currently talking to three boys sitting at the statue's base. It's not the sort of thing Zoro ever sees at any of his temples. Why would he? Zoro sighs.
"I can always count on you, huh? Delivering a message for me."
"Yeah. You can count on me, Zoro," Usopp stresses, "I WANT you to count on me. Count on us."
Zoro is silent. Usopp is and always has been the God of three things: agriculture, bravery, and telling stories. It's for this reason that people also consider him to be the God of lying. Maybe that's why the olive branch Usopp extends feels unreal to Zoro, even if he wants to accept it. He can't afford to be double crossed by his family again, like he was back when Merry died.
"I would like that," Zoro says, "But I've found I just don't know that I believe it."
Usopp regards Zoro with a bit of worry. Usopp can feel the way Zoro doesn't trust him, doesn't trust his family. Usopp wants to tell him something to cheer him up, tell him that they've forgiven him, talked this over hundreds of times over hundreds of years.
"Zoro, if this… if this fails, you'll have nobody."
"So, nothing new," Zoro says. His tone goes from bittersweet to just bitter, as it's always been easier to be angry than sad. He's the God of violence, after all.
Zoro watches the activity of the temple down the hall to avoid looking at Usopp. His family members have all thrived just fine without him, all the while he's been gradually losing his power. All these years wasting away, and did any of them ever notice? No, they've been just as hesitant to reach out to him as he has to them. Besides, even when he had priests, he never connected to them like the other Gods did. He had no gifts to give, and no idea how to go out and interact with them. So what if he fails? He's got nothing to lose but a few feet off his temple in the Afterlife and some control on his power. He's never on Earth anyway, what does it matter if everything around him dies?
"You aren't the God of Loneliness, you know," Usopp points out, trying to reason with him, convince him to come home, "There-I'm sorry, that you can't get what we have. It's just hard to...romanticize death and violence."
"I know, but I'm sure it would be easier to find followers if the rest of you didn't fucking lie about me," Zoro snaps. All the plants within arm's reach of him immediately die from his anger. "If humans didn't have a fucked up idea of who I am, maybe they'd... they'd care more."
"We realized we were wrong! It's just hard to… change a thousands years old story. It's practically the first story any human hears!" Usopp defends, but his arguments are weak, seeing Zoro hurt like this. Of course it'd hurt, having been hated for so many years. "We shouldn't have kicked you out for those years, but once Robin figured out what happened, we asked for you to come back and you said no!"
"Sorry I wasn't ready to just... walk back in and pretend nothing was wrong like the rest of you. All of you had changed, and I'd missed all of it because because none of you believed me about what happened to Merry and decided instead to just throw me out! But you know, I was mourning her, too. I was mourning her and you and everything else all at once," Zoro says. He looks at Usopp, finally, "And maybe it's a centuries old story, but you're the God of stories. You have power."
"Then what do you want me to do?" Usopp crosses his arms, "Do you want me to present myself to the humans and tell them the story was wrong? That doesn't guarantee that they'd believe me!"
Zoro looks back down the hallway at the temple, leaning his head against the wall. He closes his eyes and sighs, taking a moment to pause.
Zoro has spent centuries on his own. Cast out by his own family, he's spent his time taking thousands of lives. The dead are easy to deal with. They're a face he doesn't know which he'll see once and never again. However, surrounded by all these people, he's been terribly lonely. He doesn't admit it, refuses to even think it to himself, but every time he hears some spirit call out for their family, it hurts him. Zoro carries hundreds of years of injuries on his heart, and for his own protection, he's had to shut it all out. Whenever he's faced with his family wanting to welcome him back, he's... afraid. What if they've changed so much in the time he's been gone that he doesn't know them anymore? What if he goes back and they decide they were better off without him? Zoro doesn't think he could handle being tossed aside again. Having Luffy around—someone who cares to be by his side, even if it's just for his own selfish reason, and even if they're just sort of barely on speaking terms—reminds Zoro how much he misses his family. The dull ache he's carried sheltered in his heart has been brought back in full force, and standing in front of Usopp, he finds himself unable to risk returning, no matter how badly he wants to. He needs some kind of guarantee they won't leave him again. He wants proof they care.
Usopp is the one who spread the lie about Zoro. Zoro knows he didn't do it out of malice—he was mourning Merry, and Usopp comforts himself through stories. All of the Gods wanted someone to blame, and Zoro made a good scapegoat. He doesn't hate them for it. He isn't even sure he's angry. Merry was the first and worst heartbreak they had ever experienced, after all. But Zoro's still hurting from it. He could forgive them if only they'd give him reason to, other than that they miss him. Before he truly puts himself on the line again, to put himself out there at their mercy, he needs reason to believe they won't hurt him again. His family must put themselves on the line, too. If they can give him that, then… Zoro misses them, too. More than he'll ever admit, to himself and especially to his family.
"I don't care what you do," Zoro says, despite everything. He needs this to be Usopp's decision, so he knows it's legitimate. "It's up to you. I'll be gone in a few hours anyway. Then you don't have to worry about me for another century."
Zoro pushes off the wall and walks to return to the back room Luffy is staying in, though he stops in the doorway.
"In case I don't see you on the way out, it was... nice seeing you again, Usopp," Zoro says as he closes the door. "Like I said, give the others my regards. I'm counting on you."
Usopp doesn't respond, not knowing how to get the last word in a situation like this. He sighs, turning away from Zoro to open a portal and leave the temple, leaving a patch of grass where he was standing. If Zoro won't visit the others, he'd just tell them where he is. Tell Chopper that Zoro's on his way.
Luffy wakes up a few hours later. He can tell Zoro is upset by the fact he's killed most of the plants in the room by pacing around it, but Zoro seems eager to leave so he doesn't get to ask why. Usopp is gone, and Zoro rushes through goodbyes to Kaya. Zoro all but throws Luffy out of the temple when Luffy asks if he visited Chopper's altar.
The walk to the next town almost immediately becomes shrouded in awkward silence, which Luffy decides he needs to break. Luffy wracks his brain for things to talk about. Zoro is still pensive, irritated, so he should tread lightly… Luffy frowns in thought, then turns to Zoro.
"What kinda powers does Zoro get?" Luffy asks, "Besides killing things?"
"Besides killing things? You've basically seen them all..." Zoro says, "I can see exactly how and when a creature will die, but I don't like to do it."
"Really?" Luffy grins, "When am I gonna die?"
"I'm not checking," Zoro says, "Every human who asks me that ends up trying to avoid their death and accidentally causes it."
"Zoro should check that more often." Luffy says, "What else can he do?"
"I don't really have any other outstanding powers," Zoro says, "I can grant the gift of brute strength and victory in a fight, though given how peaceful this place is, it isn't really needed."
"You can?!" Luffy runs in front of Zoro, stopping him and grabbing his wrists, "Give me super strength! I wanna lift a tree."
"Why should I?" Zoro says, teasing.
"Because I want to be even stronger!" Luffy grins, "Just for a little?"
Zoro shrugs. He might as well. What could do wrong?
"Sure, fine. But it isn't really super strength, it's more like... knowing how to throw a punch. It's skill in violence," Zoro says. He puts his hand on Luffy's forehead a moment, and then pulls it away. "Feel any different?"
"Not really," Luffy observes, looking at his hands. He looks at Zoro, then socks Zoro in the jaw.
Zoro stares, shocked, into the distance as luffy had hit him hard enough to turn his head. He processes for a moment what just happened before looking back to Luffy.
"Hey, Luffy?" Zoro says, polite, "What the fuck?"
"Hey, it worked!" Luffy beams, shaking his hand out a bit. "I haven't punched that hard in a while! That felt pretty good."
"I'm glad you've enjoyed it, because I'm taking it away now," Zoro says, reaching out and smacking Luffy's forehead.
"Ow! Hey, Give it back!" Luffy whines, grappling for Zoro's hands. "I still wanted that!"
"I'm not going to let you have it if you're going to hit me!" Zoro says, holding his hands up in the air because he knows Luffy isn't tall enough to reach him. Luffy jumps, trying to reach his hands.
"I'm not gonna hit you, this time I'll hit a tree!"
"You've already lost your chance," Zoro says. He snickers, "You know, I never noticed how short you were till now."
"My body just isn't that big." Luffy crosses his arms and stops jumping, obviously put off by the comment, mumbling. "I can't help it that everyone's taller than me."
"Touchy subject?" Zoro asks, "You'll have to speak up, I can't hear you down there."
"I can still punch Zoro, with or without his help." Luffy frowns.
"Guess I won't bring it up again," Zoro says. He lowers his hands again, then looks around, realizing suddenly he… isn't actually sure where they are. Luffy sees Zoro looking around, so he does the same.
"What's wrong?" He asks, "You see something?"
"Uh..." Zoro says. He picks a certain direction and starts heading off. "No, I don't see anything. Come on."
"Oookay..." Luffy blinks, following him on the path. "...Zoro? Can I ask something again?"
"If it's 'will you give me super strength again?' the answer is no," Zoro says.
"No!" Luffy says, "Are we lost?"
"We aren't lost," Zoro says, "I just haven't been to Earth in a while."
"Oh, okay." Luffy thinks it's fine, following Zoro, "...So, tell me about the other gods!"
"Well, you met Usopp," Zoro says, "And... the others... I don't know. What would you like to know?"
"What do they do?" Luffy asks, "I know some of it, but I mostly learned about you, since I was working as a priest for you. I didn't really pay attention for the others."
"That's a pretty vague question," Zoro says, "They've all got jobs across the Earth, mostly helping humans. All the Gods but me have three things they're the God of, two that are good and one that's bad. I just have two shit ones."
"Tell me about..." Luffy hums, thinking, "Tell me about Brook! He was the first, after all."
"Brook's got music, love, and decay," Zoro says, "He's one of the other Gods I'm more in touch with, since decay follows death pretty closely. I still don't see him all that much, though."
"Music? I love musicians!" Luffy says happily, "Decay sucks, though. Isn't he a skeleton?"
"He is. He's usually got to wear a mask when he visits Earth, otherwise everyone knows who he is," Zoro says.
"He can't disguise himself or anything?" Luffy asks, "Can't grow flesh?"
"Can't grow flesh," Zoro says, "We can't really change what we look like. The only one who can is Chopper."
"That would be useful. Good thing none of the statues really match you guys, huh?" Luffy grins.
"Definitely. Yours was way off, by the way. I'm clearly much more handsome in person," Zoro says.
"We didn't make it!" Luffy defends, "When we got to the temple it was already there."
"Well, whoever made it was wrong," Zoro says. He elbows Luffy a bit, "Though I notice you didn't disagree with me."
"About Zoro being handsome?" Luffy blinks, looking at Zoro for a moment like he's assessing Zoro. "He's okay, I guess."
"Hey!" Zoro says, "I'm more than okay. Humans all over are just dying to get with me."
"Did… Zoro just make a joke about people dying?" Luffy asks, pointing at him.
"Yeah, I mean. That's sort of my thing," Zoro says.
"Joking about people dying...?" Luffy tilts his head.
"No, death is," Zoro says, "It's kind of what I'm known for, remember? I might as well joke about it."
"Zoro's got a weird sense of humor," Luffy mutters.
"It's not that weird," Zoro says, "Or maybe I'm just desensitized."
"I think you might just be desensitized," Luffy says, "My brothers just died."
"...Ah," Zoro says. Probably not his best move. They walk in silence for a bit after that, unsure of what to say. Luffy kicks a rock absently, then looks up.
"Tell me about Robin and Franky?"
"They're like my parents," Zoro hums, "Franky's the God of invention, family, and destruction. Robin's of knowledge, the sky, and fear. I don't really see them that much."
"Were Zoro and the other Gods kids at one point?" Luffy asks, "Or did they all get made looking like that?"
"We were never kids. Not physically, at least," Zoro says, "We all just sort of happened."
"Just kind of… appeared out of thin air?" Luffy asks.
"Yup," Zoro says, "Much easier than how humans do it."
"It's not like we asked to be made like that." Luffy points out, "You guys are in charge of that stuff, not us. So, Zoro's just looked like that his whole life?"
"Mostly. I have a lot more scars than I started with, though," Zoro says.
"I didn't know Gods could scar." Luffy hums, stopping to see if he could notice any on Zoro's body. Zoro stops as well, offering his arms to Luffy. He's covered in faint scars, hard to see until one looks for them, where they'll suddenly appear in the thousands. Luffy couldn't imagine what they'd all be from, or why someone would attack a God.
"A few of these are from when I used to visit the dying, back when there were very few humans. I thought it might help them if they had a guide," Zoro says, "Creatures don't like to face their deaths. They'll try to kick and scream and claw their way out. But even worse are their loved ones, who would tear death himself apart to get another hour with those they loved. It always... amazed me, how dedicated humans are to their loved ones."
Luffy touches one of Zoro's arms lightly, his fingertips skimming over his skin, over the raised marks of old scars. It's a surprising show of gentleness, Luffy treating his movements carefully and softly as he moves up Zoro's arm, stopping when he gets to the sleeve of his white shirt.
"So this is why Zoro never comes down to us anymore."
"Part of it," Zoro says. He wants Luffy to do whatever he just did again, unused to such care but immediately missing it once it's over. He'll never ask, though. "There also became too many humans. Besides, I was running too often into other Gods who still didn't want to see me."
Luffy slides his hand up to Zoro's shoulder.
"Isn't Zoro busy all the time with how many people there are on the Earth?"
"No. If I were, I couldn't help you," Zoro says, "I don't personally kill every person or need to escort them all around the Afterlife. These things will happen in their own. I just... What else am I going to do? I don't see the others and I don't go to Earth. I may as well be there to guide the dead."
"Oh, so Zoro being alive just kind of ensures that things die." Luffy pushes the collar of Zoro's shirt a bit, spying more scars on his shoulder and neck, "He's just being nice by leading people."
"Yes, that's it," Zoro says, "Honestly, I don't know if it's my life that ensures people die. They might keep dying even if I'm not here. Though I can't die, so I guess it doesn't matter."
"Well, you made dying a thing." Luffy says, "That was your contribution. If we lost you, we'd all live forever."
Zoro is silent a moment. He can't imagine a more celebrated death.
"I guess so," He says.
"And we can't live forever," Luffy continues, "That'd be sad and painful."
"How so?" Zoro asks, a bit surprised Luffy would think immortality a bad thing. Luffy starts walking again with Zoro, heading down a sloping path.
"Well...if we got hurt, we'd just keep feeling that pain. If me and my brothers were immortal, we'd have burnt alive but kept living. It'd be so much that we'd wanna die, don't you think?" Luffy asks, "Ace always said he never wanted to live forever, that living the day he had was just fine."
Zoro watches Luffy carefully as Luffy talks, his expression fairly unreadable. He's silent a few seconds, then looks forwards. Whatever he's thinking is gone in an instant, though, as the dirt on their path gives away suddenly to sand. In the distance, Zoro can hear the crashing of waves.
"Uh, Zoro?" Luffy says "Are we really not lost?"
Zoro looks at the sand, blinking.
"Fuck," He mutters, "Why'd you go down this way?! Now we're lost!"
"What!? Zoro led us down this way!" Luffy says, but his annoyance at being accused quickly disappears as he continues, "But since we're here, can we go to the beach?"
"I suppose," Zoro grumbles, "You're fine with taking a detour?"
"I'm fine with it! I've always liked the ocean," Luffy says, "We rarely had the funds to go visit."
"Not to mention nobody wanted to take care of my temple while you were away." Zoro points out dryly, following Luffy onto the sand.
"That too," Luffy says. He kicks off his shoes and picks them up, carrying them in one hand. The sand is warm beneath them, and Luffy enjoys the feeling. "But now there's no temple to watch, and— Hey, can Zoro swim?"
"I can," Zoro answers, "I haven't in a long time, but we all learned."
"Good, cuz I can't," Luffy says.
"Don't go off and drown," Zoro says, watching Luffy walk toward the water.
"I won't," Luffy says. He drops his sandals in the sand, then takes off his cloak and his bag. Once his hands are free, he grabs Zoro's hands. "Because Zoro's coming with me."
"What?" Zoro looks confused, "What-No. I'll kill fish."
"What, does Zoro want me to drown?" Luffy asks, "He's coming too."
"Just don't swim!" Zoro complains. He doesn't want to go in there, because the MINUTE he does, he's going to have a whale shark demanding where he's been for the last thousand years.
"Come on!" Luffy whines, walking backwards so he can pull Zoro in with him. "If Zoro goes with me we can go where it's really deep, and then Zoro can make sure I don't drown. Plus all the crabs will die so I won't step on any!"
"You shouldn't be excited about killing crabs." Zoro grumbles as he's pulled, "They're good for the ecosystem-wait, I'm not going in fully dressed! Give me a second to take off my boots at least."
Luffy drops Zoro's hands to let him take off his shoes, then his swords and his bag. As soon as they're in the sand alongside Luffy's things, Luffy grabs Zoro's hands again, grinning at him while backing towards the ocean.
"I can't believe this," Zoro grumbles. He'd have to get new clothes after this, but he makes no effort to pull his hands from Luffy's as they back into the water. It's freezing, and it stings where it touches Luffy's wounds, but Luffy doesn't care. "Don't worry about drowning. I'm not seeing anything on you."
"Seeing anything...?" Luffy asks.
"I mentioned earlier I know when all humans are going to die when looking at them," Zoro says, "I don't see any omens on you, so you won't die here."
"Oh," Luffy says, "Well, of course not. Zoro's here. He wouldn't let me die."
"No, your brothers would kill me," Zoro mutters, watching Luffy carefully as he wades further into the water, still holding Zoro's hands.
"That too," Luffy says, "But Zoro wouldn't let me die even if they weren't there. We're friends, after all."
"We're friends?" Zoro repeats, "Since when?"
"I don't know. I've always considered Zoro my friend, even before I met him," Luffy says, "I thought, if I'm spending all my time helping Zoro out, that makes us friends."
Zoro seems like he doesn't know how to respond, clutching Luffy's hands. He opens his mouth to say something, but is stopped by a wave crashing into the back of Luffy's head, and subsequently his face.
Luffy immediately stumbles closer to Zoro, which only works against Zoro when Luffy tries shaking the water out of his hair. He drops Zoro's hands to wipe the salt water out of his eyes, coughing.
"Zoro has to warn me next time there's a wave coming," Luffy whines.
"I wasn't thinking!" Zoro grouches, wiping his eyes as well, pushing back his hair. He then mutters, mostly to himself, "God-stupid ocean. Fuck you Jinbe."
Luffy giggles, taking Zoro's hands again. He stays near, enjoying the excuse for close contact.
"Now Zoro really has to be careful about waves," Luffy says.
"Maybe I'll just let you get hit." Zoro says.
"Hey!" Luffy says, "I'm not the one who cursed out Jinbe, Zoro is! Why should I get hit?"
"You're the one who wanted to go into the ocean!" Zoro points out, "That bastard is probably preparing a tsunami to hit us."
"Zoro needs to stop talking. Just cuz he can't drown doesn't mean I won't," Luffy says.
"What, you scared?" Zoro snorts. "Scared of the ocean?"
"No! I just don't like drowning," Luffy says.
"You won't drown!" Zoro says, "I told you already, there's no marks on you."
"Yeah, but when I'm underwater and I've got a bunch of water in my lungs, it still hurts," Luffy says, "It's terrible, feeling like you can't breathe."
"How would you know what that feels like?" Zoro asks, "You've never almost drowned before."
"I have, though," Luffy says, "I didn't always work at Zoro's temple. I lived by the ocean for a little bit before that, until my grandad dropped me off with Ace and Sabo."
"And you almost drowned then?" Zoro thinks back, trying to remember a child drowning. It happens more times than he'd like, so it's hard to pinpoint Luffy in his memory.
"Yeah. I was really scared, but my friend saved me," Luffy says.
"Your friend? I hope you thanked them. We'd be meeting much earlier if they hadn't." Zoro says.
"I did!" Luffy says, "I haven't really seen him since, though."
"You could always look for him once you get your brothers back." Zoro offers.
"But I'll be busy then. Zoro needs more followers so he doesn't lose all his power," Luffy says.
As Luffy talks, Zoro notices another wave coming up behind him. Zoro drops Luffy's hands, instead holding onto his waist so he can lift Luffy when the wave gets closer. Luffy notices the different grip, abruptly lifted up by Zoro in a second as the wave hits them.
"You don't have to focus on me so much." Zoro says, "I lasted this long just fine with only three members of my temple."
"Maybe," Luffy says, as Zoro sets him back down. "But I want to. That's what friends do."
"This is a strange friendship." Zoro mutters. He doesn't move his hands off of Luffy's waist.
"Really?" Luffy asks, "I like it, though."
"It's… not bad," Zoro admits, "But still strange. I'm a God, after all."
"So? Gods need friends, too," Luffy says, "Nobody should be alone."
Zoro feels the water kicking up around them, starting to have a stronger pull. Zoro frowns, holding Luffy a bit tighter.
"We should get out," He says, abruptly changing the subject.
"What? Why?" Luffy asks, "We just got in!"
"Because. He knows we're here, so we should-" Zoro pulls Luffy back when he sees an approaching wave, too small to be natural.
"Is Zoro afraid of the ocean now?" Luffy asks, teasing Zoro to get back at him for earlier, completely ignoring Zoro's attempts to get out of the water. With his back to the wave, he still hasn't noticed it.
"I'm not afraid of the ocean, just- dammit." Zoro mutters when he sees the top of Jinbe's head poking out of the water, staring at them. "You don't have to approach us like that, just come out if you're going to be this way."
Luffy finally turns around, looking back at the God approaching them. Unlike Zoro, who's dreading having to talk to yet another family member, Luffy seems excited.
"Get out of the water." Zoro says, dragging Luffy backward toward the sand. "He's just going to follow us anyway."
Luffy, like Zoro before, makes no real effort to help Zoro move him and just lets himself be pulled along. As soon as they step out of the water Luffy finds himself shivering, especially when Zoro takes his hands off Luffy's waist. Zoro seems completely unbothered, though, only watching Jinbe's approach.
Jinbe is an impressive God to behold in person. He's twice Luffy's height and his skin is blue. From a distance, he almost seems to blend into the very ocean that he rules over. He looks far less human than Zoro, and he looks powerful. Luffy knows from stories, though, that he's very friendly with the humans he meets.
"...Hello, Jinbe," Zoro says when the God steps out of the water, "I didn't want to go in. I probably killed an entire species of fish in there."
"The fish have faced worse creatures than you. They'll be alright," Jinbe says. He dries once he's on the sand, which Luffy is sort of jealous of given how cold he is now. "To what do I owe the honor of a visit? It's been a very long time since I've seen you by the ocean."
"This one." Zoro points at Luffy. "Got lost and wanted to go see the ocean. So we did."
"And who is this?" Jinbe asks, "I've never known you to spend time with humans."
"Someone I'm helping out," Zoro says, "One of the priests at my temple."
Jinbe nods. He looks to Luffy.
"And what's your name?" Jinbe asks.
"I'm Luffy!" Luffy says happily, waving at Jinbe. "I'm gonna go revive my brothers!"
"You need to stop telling everyone that," Zoro mutters.
"Revive? You're bringing back the dead?" Jinbe asks, looking to Zoro.
"Here we go again," Zoro sighs, "Yes. I'm bringing back the dead. This is a special case, they were sacrifices for me, and this is my last living priest. Moving on."
"You've clearly been busy since I've last seen you," Jinbe mutters, "Zoro, special case or not, this is your job. The dead are meant to die."
"Yeah, I'm fully aware how the dead are meant to die. I'm reminded it with every step, actually," Zoro scoffs, crossing his arms, "...Two revivals won't kill the world order."
"But if you're willing to make this exception, what about others?" Jinbe asks.
"It's not like this is being published," Zoro says, "He's my last living priest."
"How did that happen?" Jinbe says. The other Gods all have dozens, the fact that Zoro would be down to just one…
"They either all died or they denounced me," Zoro says, slapping Luffy on the back heartily. "So this is my only one left."
"Why isn't he at his temple, then?" Jinbe asks. Zoro looks to Luffy, who's now frowning. That's still a fresh wound...
"It burnt down," Luffy explains, "My brothers died."
"I'm... sorry to hear that," Jinbe says, "But disaster happens. You can't change that."
"Disaster..." Zoro sighs, "Yeah. Ok. I know I can't change that, but I will for him."
"Why? There will be more priests, Zoro," Jinbe says.
"No, there won't, Jinbe." Zoro says, "Nobody wants to even visit my temples."
"Ours burnt down with us inside," Luffy adds.
"That was my last active temple." Zoro says, "It's impossible for me to get more priests after this. Nobody even visited Luffy's temple, and then someone burnt it down."
"Zoro, can I talk to you alone?" Jinbe asks. He doesn't think Zoro really wants to talk about his job with Luffy right there.
Zoro hesitates, then looks to Luffy.
"We're gonna be gone for a little bit. Don't… don't die on your own. It won't take long," He says. Luffy laughs.
"I'm not gonna— Zoro?" Luffy says, because as Luffy is talking, Zoro seems to vanish. While the Gods aren't capable of changing forms, they are able to disappear so they're only visible to other Gods.
"Zoro?" Luffy looks around, waving a hand where Zoro just was.
"Let's… make this quick. I think he gets antsy when he's alone." Zoro crosses his arms. "I don't need to be scolded."
Jinbe watches Luffy frown at Zoro, waving his arms through Zoro's body. It's the first time Jinbe has seen Zoro become close to a human since Merry. After her death, all the Gods became wary about associating with humans due to how short-lived they are. However, every other God but Zoro eventually overcame that hurtle, who is of course most aware of their inevitable death. The others could focus on other things, different attributes of humans, but Zoro is surrounded constantly with their expiration. This, combined with them spreading a lie about him and rejecting him, made Zoro the only God who truly lives and works all alone.. It makes Jinbe happy to see he's finally found a human he gives a damn about, especially with how the rest of them have let him down. If he's willing to approach humans again after the last one had to die at his hand—knowing this one will one day befall a similar fate—Zoro might even be willing to return to the other Gods. However...
"Zoro, you have a responsibility to death," Jinbe says, "Humans must die and stay dead. He's mourning, and mourning takes time. Even if you care for him, you have to accept your job. Even if you have no priests, and even if humans don't like it, death is a part of life. There's a reason you and Chopper were always so close."
Zoro stares at the sand, looking like a child being scolded for a minor misbehavior, not a God potentially upsetting the world's order.
"I'm losing control, Jinbe." Zoro says after a minute of silence, looking at his hands. "Without priests, without people believing in us, we lose parts of ourselves. I'm losing control. I'm doing this for him, and for myself."
Jinbe looks to Zoro, watching as a bug flying in the air dies after getting near him. Jinbe can even tell how Luffy and Zoro got onto the beach by the path of dead and wilting plants leading to the sand. If Luffy dies, will more than just plants and bugs die from being near him? He remembers back after Zoro first developed his powers, after Merry died but before the next humans were created and people existed to build temples, animals that approached Zoro died in his presence. Would humans suffer the same fate? He can't even imagine how lonely it must feel to be Zoro. He must be scared, if he loses Luffy he might just lose the chance to have anyone close to him again. Zoro already knows what it's like to have no one believe in him after they cast him out. He's not talking about hypotheticals, he's reliving the past.
Jinbe is a man who believes strongly in responsibilities, but he knows that he had a responsibility to Zoro that he failed a long time ago. Zoro's family was the first to stop believing in Zoro, and for that, they failed him. Zoro has a responsibility to death, sure, but they have a responsibility to Zoro. Who would they be if they let the world stop believing in him again?
"Do you know for sure that you can revive his brothers?" Jinbe asks.
Zoro shuffles, burying the bug that had just died under the sand. He's relieved that Jinbe drops the scolding tone, taking on that much more caring persona that he knows he has.
"I don't know." Zoro admits, "I think Chopper can bring them back, since I can locate their souls easily, as they don't get punished or sent along like the others since they're my priests. I'd like to think it could work, if me and Chopper both do it together."
"And if it doesn't?" Jinbe asks, "I'd hate for you to lose your last remaining priest to heartbreak."
"Then..." Zoro sighs, "At least they'll be together. Then I'll just deal with it. I'll stay in my temple so I don't accidentally kill anyone."
Jinbe doesn't seem happy with that answer, but he doesn't say it.
"There's always our temples, too. No matter how little control over your power you have, or how close you get to us, we can't die," Jinbe says, "We weren't there for you once, when you needed us to be there for you the most. We won't make that mistake again."
"It's not like I blame you for that." Zoro says. "...I don't need your temples. I have my own, even if its small."
"It's not the temples I want you to visit," Jinbe says, "Come visit us, Zoro. Even if it's just for a little while. None of us want to see you suffering."
"You sure about that?" Zoro scoffs, a couple of leaves falling off the trees nearby as he does, "...I'm fine in my little temple, like I said."
Jinbe nods. He opens his mouth to say something, but Luffy cuts him off.
"Zoro!" Luffy says. He's clearly getting impatient with their disappearance. He sits down in the sand, making a whiny noise. Jinbe doesn't really know what exactly Zoro likes about Luffy, but maybe it's Luffy's pushiness and dislike of being by himself that Zoro needs right now. Perhaps Luffy can wear him down enough that he finally opens up again, close the distance between Zoro and the world that pushed him away.
"I'll let you get back to him. Sorry for interrupting you," Jinbe says, "You don't have to visit, but the door is open. You can consider it. And… thank you for visiting me today."
"You don't have to apologize." Zoro rubs his arm awkwardly, "...I appreciate the offer, Jinbe. Thanks." He turns to look away, quickly letting himself be revealed to Luffy so Jinbe wouldn't reply.
"Geez, do you ever shut up?" Zoro groans at Luffy, crossing his arms. "I told you I'd just be a few minutes!"
Luffy doesn't reply, instead throwing himself at Zoro in a hug. He wraps his arm right around Zoro's torso, leaning his head against Zoro's chest. Zoro stumbles backward at Luffy's weight. He's by no means heavy or anything past scrawny, but he's certainly very solid, bony elbows digging into his sides with this hug. It's the first time he had been held like this in hundreds of years, so in a quick movement he shoves Luffy away.
"The hell are you doin'?!" Zoro demands, flustered, "I was just gone a few minutes!"
"So?" Luffy says, "I can still hug Zoro when he gets back."
"You don't need to hug me—why are you even hugging me?" Zoro demands.
"I didn't think Zoro would get so defensive about a hug," Luffy says.
"I'm not being defensive, it's just...I don't hug, got it?" Zoro points at him, "I don't do that."
"But Zoro could," Luffy says.
"But I don't." Zoro says. Luffy frowns. "No."
"Is this because Zoro actually doesn't like hugs, or is it because he thinks he's too cool for them?" Luffy says, "Cuz he's not cool. At all."
"I'm really cool," Zoro mutters, "I just haven't been hugged in hundreds of years. Practically since my birth."
"That's exactly why I should hug Zoro, though," Luffy says.
"No, it's not." Zoro says, seeing Luffy raise his arms for another one. "Are you always this touchy?"
"Yes," Luffy says.
"At least you're honest." Zoro steps back as Luffy steps forward, holding a hand out, "No. We aren't hugging again."
"One more time?" Luffy says, "Please?"
"No." Zoro backs up again, "I don't want to. It feels fuckin' weird."
"Aw," Luffy says, but he drops his arms, "...Is there any chance that weird feeling Zoro doesn't know is happiness?"
Zoro feels a bit bad when Luffy looks rejected, but doesn't let it hinder him.
"...No. That's impossible. I definitely know what happiness feels like," He says.
"Is Zoro sure?" Luffy says, "Cuz he just seems grumpy all the time."
"I'm not!" Zoro says, "I'm just serious."
"If Zoro says so," Luffy says. He decides to drop the conversation, looking back to their stuff in a pile further up on the sand. "My clothes are gross now. I'm gonna change."
"I'll join you." Zoro follows him, glancing back at jinbe, who was watching the whole thing. He frowns, waving him off to send him back into the ocean, then turns back to Luffy. "Oh, fuck—I didn't even—is the salt hurting your wounds, Luffy?"
"Kind of," Luffy admits, opening his bag. "But I'm pretty good at ignoring that stuff. My pain tolerance is pretty high."
"You should tell me when you're in pain," Zoro says, but he has no idea what to do with the information.
"If I do, will Zoro hug me?" Luffy asks, looking over his shoulder at Zoro with a cheeky grin.
"No. That'd irritate your wounds more," Zoro grouches, opening a portal to something and reaching inside to pull out dry clothes. "What the—godammit." He gripes, sticking his head through and seeing his sleeping quarters an absolute mess. Why did he leave those two up here alone?
"What's Zoro cursing about now?" Luffy asks, watching Zoro pulls his clothes back through the portal so he can close it.
"Your brothers went through my shit." Zoro grumbles, taking off his shirt and tossing it aside.
"They did?" Luffy asks. His mission to change clothes completely forgotten, Luffy turns all his attention to Zoro, sitting down in the sand beside his bag. "How're they doing? Are they okay? What have they been up to?"
"Uh..." Zoro looks down at him, continuing to change into dry clothes, shoving his haramaki off. "They're fine. Mostly just raiding my temple for things to do—they've lead a few wandering spirits on the right path, but… that's about all I know."
Luffy nods. He's used to being around Ace and Sabo all the time. Hearing about them second-hand is strange.
"Zoro's sure he's not leaving anything out?" Luffy asks. He misses his brothers a lot, but hearing about what they're up to from Zoro makes him feel like they're just at home and not gone.
"They're weirded out that they don't get hungry anymore." Zoro says. "...I'm pretty sure they're watching us right now, so let me just do this."
He leans down, flicking Luffy's forehead.
"Hey!" Luffy cries, swatting at Zoro before he can pull back. "Why!?"
"For fucking up my room." Zoro says, "It'll piss them off."
"Asshole," Luffy says, "They're gonna make Zoro's room worse now."
"I'll just keep being mean to you if they do." Zoro shrugs on a shirt of similar style, just black with the sleeves rolled now, and hesitates when he goes to fasten the cloak around his shoulders.
"Zoro can have his cloak back. I don't mind," Luffy says. He changes clothes as Zoro does, swapping his wet shirt and shorts for a new set.
"No, you should wear it." Zoro decides, placing it on Luffy's shoulders. "Protection."
Luffy giggles, pulling it right around himself. He likes the cloak, honestly, and he's happy that Zoro keeps giving it to him. It's heavy, but it never feels too hot, even when he has it wrapped around him on a warm day like today. To Luffy, the cloak just feels like a hug.
"Should we keep going?" Luffy asks.
"Yes," Zoro answers, "But we can stop and rest tonight. Make sure you eat."
Luffy nods, already hungry at the mention of dinner. He slings his bag over his shoulder and waits for Zoro to collect up his things. Once Zoro is ready, Luffy turns and walks towards the path where they entered the beach. He hums a tune to himself as they walk.
Zoro looks back at the beach one last time before he's called by Luffy, thinking of the offer Jinbe has given him. That's twice now he's been asked to come back, and the more he's offered...
No. He can't go back. Not yet. Not without a proper apology.
Travel to the next town takes longer, given Luffy and Zoro are stopping to take more breaks to eat, rest, and change bandages (though bandaging wounds is quickly abandoned). Despite the longer time, the two of them are in much better moods. Zoro doesn't need to sleep, so he keeps watch while Luffy dozes. It gives him time to think about the encounters he's been having.
In the dead of night, Zoro can admit to himself that he wishes things could go back to the way they were before Merry's death. He would like to forgive them and go home. However, he knows better than to just walk back in and hope for the best. The fact that he's down to just one priest reminds him he's still feeling the pain of their betrayal hundreds of years later.
Speaking of, Zoro looks to Luffy. He's curled up in Zoro's cloak on the ground, using his backpack as a pillow and snoring loudly. Seeing Luffy like that makes Zoro smile fondly. Luffy called him friend and missed him when he was gone, even just for a moment. When was the last time anyone did something like that? Zoro forgot what it felt like to be wanted. Now that he remembers, and his family wants him, he doesn't want to let go of the feeling. If this fails and Luffy leaves him...
Zoro reaches out his hand and places it in Luffy's hair. He's not really one for affection, but with the cover of the lonely night, Zoro thinks he can make an exception for just a moment. He appreciates what Luffy has done for him, both in these past few days and at Zoro's temple the past few years. Maybe Zoro can consider Luffy his friend, too. The first friend he's had since Merry.
Up until just a few minutes before Luffy wakes, Zoro plays with his hair. He doesn't mention it when Luffy wakes up, or when Luffy says he slept really well, or when they start walking again.
The three days spent walking until they reach the next town are some of the most comfortable Zoro's had in a long time.
lew: fun fact! this au is actually a few months old! maddie and i have been doing zolu rps for just over 2 years, and this is one for one of the old ones. i did a lot of the worldbuilding, since i rlly enjoy doing it. this is probably one of our aus w the Deepest Lore n stuff (tho we have a lot of elaborate aus). im p proud of it! (and really happy we got to share it!)