*Spins round like a moron until flopping to the floor, my eyes rolling up into my head, blood pooling under me*
The sniper that shot me: UPDATE, YOU (A word that isn't suitable for the A.N.)
"Me: *Jumps up and bristles defensively* Why should I?
Sniper: Because you love me
Me: ...WHAT THE FRICK NO!
Luffy: What about me? Would you update for me?
Me: I'm on it *Types furiously since I didn't even start a chapter until just now*
Sniper: You misspelled half of it
Me: I don't care. It's an update, is it not? Besides, nobody cares about my suckish spelling anyways. My writing is too amazing to care *Flips hair fabulously*
Sniper: *Sweatdrop* Um, no
Me: *Hair falls into my eyes* I knew it...
=AND NOW FOR THE ACTUAL CHAPTER=
The man was swinging his legs, sitting on the dock, looking up at the sky. It could've been the perfect picture of tranquility, except the three swords laying next to him and the reindeer on his lap slightly ruined the image.
"Do you think we'll be able to find him?" Chopper sniffed, rubbing his bright blue nose. Zoro shrugged, absently petting the reindeer's head.
"I'm pretty sure we can. There's nothing we can't do," he said half-heartedly. To most, that was only true when they had their impossibly upbeat captain with them. But now, the crew just seemed like a group of broken outcasts, only staying together for fear of the loneliness that could consume them.
"B-but we haven't gotten a single lead..." Chopper sniffled again, reaching up to pull his light blue hat further over his face. Zoro looked down, not surprised to see the doctor curling up into himself, as if trying to disappear.
"Does that even matter? We'll find him anyways. Or he'll find us," he said, reaching up to brush his hand over the straw hat he now wore. The whole crew unanimously decided he should be the one to keep it, since he was the first one to join. He protected it just as fiercely as Luffy had, if not more.
Many people had recognised the hat, but they also recognised the man that held it as Zoro, not Luffy. It made them wonder just what had happened to Straw Hat Luffy to make him leave his symbolic hat with a directionless idiot.
"He could," Chopper agreed sulkily, dropping his head to his knees. "But he also couldn't."
"Since when were you the depressing one? That was Robin's job," Zoro teased, though his voice was just as dark as Chopper's.
"Hey, shitheads. Lunch," Sanji called, though he didn't add any heat to his words. Zoro grunted and stood up, Chopper hopping off of his lap. The two climbed up the ladder, neither having the energy to protest at being called 'shitheads'.
"Um, isn't this a little too much?" Usopp asked, eyeing the giant table overflowing with this island's native foods. Sanji shrugged, then shivered and pulled his coat even tighter around him.
"I'm used to making too much food," he said blandly, daring to reach up and flick some ashes off of his cigarette. "Now hurry and eat it before the snow gets it." As if in answer, the wind changed direction, bringing a clump of snow directly to Zoro's head. He spluttered briefly before brushing it off, bringing only tiny smiles to the faces of the watchers.
"Is there any coffee?" Robin asked, and it was then Zoro noticed the dark bruises under her eyes, indicating that the archaeologist was doing more than just a little late-night reading. Sanji, miraculously, handed over the coffee without any extra flair. Robin took it with a grateful nod, then took a long drink.
"I hope Luffy-san didn't fall into the water and drown," she said morosely. Brook, having just come down from the crow's nest, gave a shudder.
"That gives me goosebumps on my skin! Ah, but I don't have any skin! Yohohohoho..." Even his always-cheerful laugh was flat and depressing. It was as if someone came and just unplugged them from the outlet known as 'life'.
"This is so not super..." Franky mumbled. "Everyone's being too sad. Would Luffy-bro like that?" Everyone turned to stare at the cyborg.
"No...?" Chopper said hesitantly.
"Exactly!" Franky exclaimed, making the poor reindeer jump in fear. "Luffy-bro would hate that we're being so negative! We need to cheer up!" He slammed a fist into his open palm. "Now, does anyone have any ideas?"
Thank you to my friend, who doesn't want to be named, for writing this chapter for me. I'm glad you decided to help me out here. Please maybe review, and I'll write more about Luffy on the next chapter. I couldn't bring myself to write any more after this.