Well here we are with chapter 4, I'm glad everyone is enjoying it so far!
Zoro wasn't sure where he was.
Pitch black surrounded him save for the five foot long circle lit around him by a mysterious source. The swordsman rose to his feet from where he had been laid on his back, his knees threatening to buckle as they gave a worrying shake. Heavy pants heaved his chest up and down, as an exhausted green eye scanned the area.
"He-Hello?" Zoro's voice was hoarse cracking halfway through as he turned every which way "Luffy? Sanji? Chopper? An-Anyone?"
The moss headed man doubled over as a coughing fit overwhelmed him and a muscular hand massaged his throat "Where am I?" he rasped.
"Well see, that's a difficult question,"
Zoro whirled towards the source of the voice, one hand flying to his hip only for his one eye to widen at the realization that his swords were not present. Looking back towards the direction of the speaker the man grit his teeth in aggravation "Who are you?" he snarled.
"Heh," a different voice hissed from the opposite side "the proper question would be 'who are we?'"
"Huh?"
The first voice sighed with an audible growl, and the man could almost see a large paw being dragged down a large muzzle "He's a real genius, this one."
"Oh come now Tora," the second voice chuckled "this is the first time that two Devil Fruit have ever coincided in the same user. That must at the very least make him special, right?"
"True," Tora replied with a wry grin that glinted in the dark "most Devil Fruit destroy each other upon impact, I wonder why this time is different, eh Kaze?"
Kaze's barely visible shoulders gave a careless shrug "Who knows, maybe we both happen to be tired of living alone and unacknowledged by our users. You have to admit, this is the first time any of my users actually heard my voice."
"Indeed," Tora rumbled with a pleased purr "so many books concerning Devil Fruit and not even the smallest article concerning the Spirits that live within."
"You're the spirits of the Devil Fruit?" Zoro queried growing tired of the conversation.
"Yes, or more precisely…your Devil Fruit." Kaze released a blast of air that knocked Zoro off his already wobbly feet.
Zoro rolled from the force of the wind to the edge of the lit circle only to jump back with a yelp when razor sharp tiger claws swiped at him from the shadows accompanied by a roar. The swordsman crab walked backwards until he reached the center of his small area, but his eyes were calculating, showing not fear but only strategic caution. Regaining his footing, the swordsman cast a determined gaze on the darkness surrounding him.
"So what now," he growled "you both tag team and attempt to kill me?"
"No, not yet at least," Kaze replied.
"Not yet?" Zoro scoffed "What does that mean?"
"Have you ever heard of 'awakened Devil Fruit'?" Tora queried waiting until Zoro had shaken his head "Awakened Devil Fruit are rare users who have come in contact with the spirits of their Devil Fruit, dueling them in a space similar to this. If they come out victorious, then they gain more abilities making them even stronger than when they had first eaten the fruit. In essence they become a completely new user with upgraded power."
"And if they lose?"
Tora gave a toothy grin "Then they die,"
Zoro shook his head as the words sunk in "So where is this place anyway?"
"We are in a dimension between life and the afterlife," Kaze answered "it is almost like the headspace that you achieve when meditating. You could even say that you are on the outskirts of the spirit world."
The swordsman nodded slowly as he crossed his arms across the well-toned chest "So why are awakened Devil Fruit so rare, and why aren't I dead yet?"
"You want to take this one Kaze?" Tora gave a yawn his long pink tongue curling inside a fang lined maw "I'm tired and in need of a nap,"
Kaze chuckled "Like we said, few people know that the spirits exist. They think that the power lies within the fruit itself, and only some talk about the devils that live inside, but many are not even aware that a separate consciousness resides within. It takes a very special kind of warrior to be capable of accessing his inner sanctum and essentially meet the spirit of their fruit."
Zoro nodded casting a bemused glance at Tora who was now snoring loudly "That makes sense, but as for my second question, why aren't I dead?"
The Devil Fruit spirit shrugged "I have no idea, I have never had a user capable of awakening much less was stupid enough to eat two fruit, and as far as I know neither has Tora. However based on the common knowledge concerning our kind, most Devil Fruit spirits tear each other apart fighting over territory destroying the user in the process."
"We on the other hand are rather lazy spirits. Tora is strong, intelligent and capable of giving his user immeasurable power…provided that he gets his daily naps plus snacks. I am wild and free, as I am wind incarnate and capable of providing my user with the kind abilities that some could only dream of, but only if I have enough food afterwards to make up for all the calories burned."
"So I'm not dead because," Zoro paused before a laughing grin adorned his mouth "you like your naps and snacks."
"Well that," Kaze smirked "and like I said, we're somewhat lazy. I've been around for years, so has Tora. We are more than usually alone in our user's headspace watching their experiences and fighting boredom, do you have any idea how lonely that is? I don't feel like fighting the first bit of company that I've had in hundreds of years, and Tora just wants to be free to take his naps. Honestly, you're lucky you got two lazy spirits, anyone else and you'd be dead."
Zoro pouted glaring at the spirit "If you aren't fighting over territory then why is my body still being torn apart?"
"Ah, yeah, about that," Kaze scratched his chin thoughtfully "unfortunately Devil Fruit powers change you down to your DNA. Tora is a Zoan, mixing the physical DNA of one animal with the DNA of a human. I am wind and my abilities allow you to turn into wind as well as control it, but I do not have physical DNA like you or Tora, it is like oil mixing with water, it's going to hurt but if you're strong enough maybe we'll eventually reach a happy place."
"Ok," The swordsman sighed, taking a seat on the floor and massaging his temples with two fingers "I think I understand, but what about the abilities? Since I came in contact with you now, you should be able to tell me how to use them, right?"
"Heh," a snort came from Tora who raise his head off mighty paws to chuff at the man with amused topaz eyes "actually this is an accident, you have only met us due to the fact that your body is currently in a deep coma and the trauma of the transformation allowed us enough leeway to speak to you directly. However we lack the ability to meet you face to face and are forced to stay in the shadows. This is a one-time thing, you alone must seek the power to find us again and the only time that will happen is when you are strong enough for the duel to awaken your fruit."
"When I awaken my powers," Zoro stated noting how a pleased purr resonated within Tora's throat at the man's confidence "will I be able to speak to you then?"
"It is only logical," Kaze cut in "however from here on out you will be on your own and will have to learn your new abilities and reconcile the different sides of both fruit by yourself. It will be a difficult road, and you will experience more pain, frustration and emotional turmoil than you ever have before. Be prepared for the battle ahead, because every second of every day will be one giant war to survive and live life in some version of normality."
"Also you need to know that your pain will be double that of normal users," Tora added, his feline gaze serious "the sea will not just weaken you, it will attempt to kill you. Sea stone will not just sap your strength, it will burn your skin. The agony suffered by other users will be pittance compared to the torment you will be forced to endure."
Zoro deflated at their words but shook his head in defiance, he was the future World's Greatest Swordsman, he could handle this "Fine, but what about-?"
"I'm sorry, but your time is up," Kaze suddenly howled as a bright light shone overhead.
The swordsman grimaced, shielding his eyes as the light began to grow brighter still with every minute that passed "Wait, I need to ask-!"
"No, it is time you leave," Tora roared his tail lashing behind him "depend on your crew, and do not lose your determination."
….
Zoro awoke with a jerk and a startled cry, his chest heaving as a wild green eye took in his environment. A snort accompanied by a bang sounded on his right making the swordsman whirl around to see Sanji sitting up and rubbing his head. Zoro smirked, his brain putting two and two together that the cook must have fallen asleep on the desk bracing his face with one hand and awoken when the head fell off and smacked onto the desk.
"You ok, dartboard?" Zoro noticed that his voice was soft and gravelly from disuse and probably all the screaming he had been doing and a couple coughs came through as his throat was irritated from the effort of talking.
Sanji jumped with a yelp and shocked baby blue eyes slowly looked up to see an awake swordsman smiling in supreme amusement "Z-Zoro…you're…awake?"
"Jeez nosebleed, you hit your head harder than I thought?" the man chuckled before clearing his throat "Got any water over there?"
The chef nodded scrambling for a glass and the pitcher of water standing by "Sorry, it's just…you've been out for almost two weeks," Sanji stammered shaking hands pouring the liquid "we didn't expect you to wake up since your fever only just broke last night."
"Two weeks?!" Zoro shook his head struggling to pull himself into a sitting position only to stop when the cook bent over to help "I've been out that long?"
Sanji nodded, piling pillows behind his rival before handing him his glass.
The cook couldn't believe it, he wanted to pinch Zoro just to check if he was real, but decided not to on the chance that the man take out his revenge. The past fourteen days had honestly been a hellish blur. Between the entire crew taking turns sitting with the moss head, the innumerable amount of ice baths they had to give him to bring the raging fever down and how many times Chopper had to resuscitate Zoro after his heart inexplicably stopped the cook was, in a word, exhausted. Both emotionally and physically. However when his fever broke last night, they crew celebrated with a well-deserved night of rest. Chopper was even convinced to go to sleep, providing that Sanji promise to get him should anything change.
Zoro glanced at his friend, his brow furrowing in worry "Is everyone alright?"
Sanji released a bark of laughter before shaking an aggravated head at the man "Of course you would be worrying about everyone else." He growled though his eyes held no real anger "Here you are practically on your deathbed and the first question you ask is about the crew's safety. Do you have any idea what we've been through just keeping you alive? We lost you almost a dozen times, and Chopper had to restart your heart at least once a day."
"I repeat," Zoro's eye was dead serious and his frown conveyed the worry plaguing his heart "is everyone alright?"
Sanji released a sigh before giving a hesitant nod "We're ok. I mean nothing has been the same, and with the threat of you dying from eating two Devil Fruit hanging over our heads every second, I'm sure you know it hasn't exactly been a party, but we're surviving."
Zoro nodded before a mischievous smirk quirked one side of his mouth "Come on dartboard, help me go outside,"
Baby blue eyes shot up and the fear that Zoro had seen lurking in their depths from the moment he woke up came back to the forefront "But what if you relapse?! Chopper would never forgive me if I let you out of the infirmary so quickly after you just woke up and something happened."
"Sanji," Zoro whined already feeling claustrophobic from the small room before giving what he hoped was a consoling grin at the cook "what better way to return things to normal than me making a jail break?"
Sanji blinked, pausing a moment before a snort exploded from his lips turning into full-fledged laughter "You know," he guffawed "you're right."
Zoro scoffed "Of course I'm right, now get me out of here already!"
Sanji shook his head fondly at the all too familiar demand and with a few obligatory grumbles eventually had Zoro back on his feet with one muscular arm wrapped around thin shoulders "Ready to go?"
The swordsman replied with a firm nod "Ready as I'll ever be."
The duo shuffled their way out of the infirmary and through the galley which was amazingly vacant. Zoro breathed in the familiar air of the meeting place where so many games and dinners had taken place, suddenly filled with nostalgia as if he had been absent for much longer than two weeks. He could smell everything in here, the scents of the ingredients Sanji used while cooking, odors of his crew mates and even the smells of past objects brought in and eventually moved out. Suddenly the swordsman paused, his nose twitched and a snuffle followed by a sneeze rocked his frame.
"You ok?" Sanji asked, his body tense and ready to drag Zoro back to the infirmary if need be.
"Yeah," Zoro replied shaking his head "it's just this place smells way too strong of the spices you like."
Sanji's brow furrowed opening his mouth to reply that he didn't smell a thing, when he decided with a shrug to just roll with it "If you say so, marimo,"
The two continued their slow walk to the galley door, Zoro stomach rumbling softly when he suddenly caught the scent of salmon "Hey cook, you gonna grill salmon tonight?"
This time Sanji stopped to cast an incredulous gaze on his rival "Yea," he said slowly "how did you know?"
"Good," the swordsman nodded "you better cook it, because it positively reeks. Don't want it to go bad, you know."
Sanji raised an eyebrow this time speaking his mind "Zoro, I don't smell anything. The fish is fresh, caught just this morning by Luffy and Usopp."
"What is your sense of smell gone with half your brains, how can you not smell it?!" Zoro snapped back.
Sanji growled before pulling him forward "Let's just get you outside where everyone can watch you and I can get back to important stuff that matters."
"Oh you mean like ogling the girls?"
"SHUT IT, MARIMO!"
So I'm going to leave it right here, let me know what you think, and I'm looking forward to reading your reviews!
