I'd like to thank everyone who've been reviewing :) And now, some plot.
Zoro was relieved when they finally found their next island. He'd been itching for land for long before his starvation streak. They'd been out of booze for a week and he knew from Sanji's various complaints that he had run out of several spices for a dish he wanted to make. The arrangement they had wasn't so bad, even if he did have to scrub dishes most of the time. It wasn't unlike getting to taste one of Sanji's special deserts and Sanji's resistance to kissing diminished quickly since their first. Half the time, Zoro really didn't need to help the lust spike. He could just wait while he finished the chore in the sink and Sanji would get himself into some sort of day dream. The lust would rise up suddenly, as though taking Sanji by surprise and he'd try to distract himself with a cigarette. That was primarily when Zoro struck and leeched from the cook. The system worked out well enough and it gained a fluidity as they continued it for the past few weeks
The island had a natural rock line that made a good harbor for Merry to be anchored at. Most of the crew wanted to jump to shore at once, though Usopp was volunteered by length of straws to stay until they gathered information on the island. A strong gust buffeted them from the island of rock and trees and, oddly enough, a powerful, flowery scent caused Zoro to sneeze.
Ever attuned to the crew's health, Chopper asked him as they hopped the rocks to the area that looked like it was human inhabited, "You alright, Zoro?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Zoro rubbed his nose, ignoring his eyes stinging with the force of it.
"It's not like you to catch a cold," Chopper kept an eye on him and by the time they reached solid land, it happened again.
"Shit," Zoro grumbled. He'd never been sick before and he certainly didn't want to start when they'd just gotten to an island.
"Maybe being at sea too long is too much for the little marimo." Sanji said with a mean smirk. They walked up an embankment, having lost sight of Luffy already because of the captain's excitement but Nami and Robin were walking more with Chopper's speed, which of course kept the cook in range.
"Shut up, swirly brow," Zoro snapped. Sanji could still be a pain in the ass when he was in the mood. And apparently today was one of those moods. As they climbed up, more floral scenery came into view, including several strange plants. In abundance down the path was bushes of purple flowers that hung down like bells along delicate branches.
"Oh, look at these," Chopper picked a branch as they walked and swayed the branch to and fro to see them move. They didn't chime, but they certainly moved as though silently ringing. "There seem to be lots of new plants here. Maybe Zoro has some nasal allergies to some of the new pollen."
"Then maybe waving around that branch next to Zoro isn't helping," Nami suggested helpfully. Chopper ceased his waving of the branched and gave Zoro an apologetic look.
"Sorry, Zoro," he said shyly. Zoro was holding his nose for if that was indeed the case and he was more annoyed with the sensation cotton being stuffed in his head rather than Chopper's childlike fascination with new plants.
"It's fine," Zoro said. He'd suffer through it and hope that the log post set quickly so they could leave. He could survive a day or two so long as it was a quiet place… though that was slim chances considering every island they'd been to previously. Actually, zero chances the more he thought about it.
"I can make you some medicine that would help," Chopper offered. "I just need some things. Maybe they grow on the island."
"Thanks." Zoro rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hand because they itched like crazy and Chopper tapped his leg.
"Don't rub, you'll make it worse," Chopper scolded.
Sanji chuckled. "A demon with allergies. This is priceless."
They entered the town, nestled in a shallowly wooded area but that new purple plant was in abundance, outlining the every corner. It was in front of every house and in the center of the square was a huge tree of it, drooping like a weeping willow and raining a small sea of petals under it like sakura blossoms. Stranger yet, they were greeted by several of the village women, welcomed civilly -even though they were pirates-, and a ring of purple flowers were placed around their necks; two were draped over Chopper's antlers.
"Welcome to Libertine Island. This is the town of Piety," the women greeted them. Of course Sanji was happy about being greeted by a small flock of women but Zoro's nose just burned with the flowers around his neck and he took them off immediately when no one was looking.
Nami inquired about the log post and they were informed that it took two weeks for it to set to the next island. Zoro grumbled and really did hope Chopper had some sort of medication for the allergy thing. He had never experienced the amount of discomfort that he had in his head; the mild sensation that his brain could explode with a moment's notice. They also found Luffy had acquired several flower necklaces and was making flower peddle angels in the sea under the tree.
"Chastity bell," an elderly woman informed them when Chopper asked what the string of flowers were. "They're a sacred plant here. One of purity and a long history of keeping this town in order."
"Of course you'd be allergic to something that's for purity," Sanji quipped to Zoro and, having enough of Sanji's comments, butted heads with him.
"Do you want to fight, cook? Because I'm not in the mood for your face right now," Zoro threatened and Sanji butted his head back, glaring.
"What's that about my face, marimo?" Sanji snapped and Nami hit them both with her staff.
"We JUST got here. Can't you too get along for 5 minutes?" she asked and Zoro rubbed the bump on his head, which mildly distracted him from punching Sanji in his pretty face. He wasn't in a good mood and Sanji wasn't helping. Something was off but with his head stuffed up he couldn't pin point what it was.
Once Zoro took the medication Chopper offered him his head cleared, he stopped sneezing, and his eyes stopped itching; confirming Chopper's earlier diagnosis. When he got a quiet moment he realized what was so instinctively off for him. There was no lust in the town.
He'd never felt such a thing and the realization unnerved him.
The town was picturesque perfect. The kind of town most tried to be but never succeeded. He'd seen no brothels and no prostitutes when the night fell. Everyone wore modest clothing for the breezy weather. Apparently no one's mind was on sex, not even the couple of teenagers he'd seen on his exploration with Chopper when the reindeer needed to go shopping. It was bizarre. Also, he couldn't remember seeing any kids, but then, it made sense. No lust made no drive to make kids. But it was a little disheartening to see such passionless people. Peaceful, but also boring.
Even the crew seemed effected by it and Zoro laid uneasily in his hammock instead of ashore with the rest of them. He'd just taken his share of Sanji's lust the previous night and by the time he'd returned to the ship that day he couldn't feel the normal waves of lust from him.
An ominous cloud hovered over Zoro's mind and he numbly wondered how he was going to feed during the next 2 weeks. At least when Sanji first cut him off he'd had the rest of his nakama to feed from.
Zoro slept and searched as far as his mind would allow. Traveling in dreams was always easy for him. He didn't even walk; he more or less floated there, weightless but propelled with his thoughts. He could just turn in any direction in his given space and he would be where he wanted; much faster than physically walking anywhere. Every time he expected to do it in the real world, it didn't quite work the same; but he did always wind up where he needed to be eventually.
In Piety, he searched for anyone he could feed from. He guessed from the hazy outline between the dreams that -from the ship- he easily reached the majority of the town. Each one felt the same as he approached it, lustless and instead filled with the mundane cycling through the day's madness. Well, they seemed as mundane as dreams could be in any case. But there was nothing for him. Nothing to sustain a cambion. He didn't bother entering any of them. Even the crew slept easily in their hotel rooms. Theirs felt familiar and by comparison, the same as when he himself had drained them. But he had not in days. It unnerved him enough to wake up from dream land and then he heard the clopping of feet on the deck from the one nakama who had not been sleeping on shore.
"Chopper," Zoro greeted as he found the doctor in his office. Chopper squeaked and jumped as he was reaching for one of his books. Chopper caught himself and Zoro yawned just before a sharp sneeze wracked his body. Chopper was holding a branch of the chastity bell.
"Z-Zoro!" Chopper breathed a sigh of relief when he steadied himself, both book and plant in his cloven hooves. "Sorry, I know you're allergic, but I feel like I've seen this in one of my books before." Zoro held his nose, glaring at the plant and Chopper helpfully tossed him a bottle with his home remedy rattling inside. Zoro caught it and begrudgingly took one.
"Notice anything weird about the town?" Zoro asked and tucked the bottle into his haramaki.
"Mm…" Chopper flipped through his plant book at his desk. "It is much more mellow than expected. Especially after Bazooka Island. I mean, we've been here the whole day and no one seems to care that you or Luffy have a bounty on your head. So it's not bad."
"But it's not good." Zoro shrugged. "I think I saw one kid there under the age of ten." Chopper looked up at him and tapped his hoof to his chin, nodding.
"Now that I think about it, you're right. That's strange." He glanced at the flowers that he'd set on the table, the little bells sitting so innocently. "These plants are everywhere in town. The people cultivate them specially and it could have some side effect. They may have some anaphrodisiac properties."
"I can confirm that it's not an aphrodisiac," Zoro said firmly.
"Um… Oh, not an aphrodisiac. An anaphrodisiac is the opposite. It reduces sex drive and blunts the libido." Chopper paused. "You can confirm it's not an aphrodisiac?"
"No one in town as any drive for sex," Zoro said bitterly.
"Oh, right. You visited the dreams?" Chopper tapped his hoof to his mouth and then blinked. "You need to feed on sexual energy, so you just can't from the towns people."
"The thing is, everyone from the ship lost theirs too." It felt a little more real saying it and Zoro could have done without that realization.
"Everyone?" Chopper inspected the chastity bell on the desk, frowning at it. "Well if this plant is causing that then it's properly named." He looked at Zoro. "Are you going to be okay? There's a two week wait for the log post."
"Well, I won't 'starve' to death," Zoro said and Chopper let out a sigh of relief before Zoro mentioned the bad news. "I'll just turn into a demon."
"A-a demon?" Chopper squawked fearfully. "Like a big blood thirsty beast that will eat your soul?!" He dropped to the floor and hid himself backwards at his desk leg. Zoro rubbed the back of his neck. He didn't mean to startle Chopper, but at least someone should know the details if he really couldn't find lust for the next two weeks.
"I don't know, actually. I never went two weeks without feeding before." Zoro leaned in the door way, thinking far back in his memories. "I just know my body changes and my head gets really fuzzy. I don't feel like myself. I don't think like myself. I don't know what will happen."
Chopper came out from his 'hiding' spot and his hoof scratched his chin. "I don't have any books on demons. Maybe they'll have information here on the island. Or maybe even Robin will have something in her history books."
"You can check tomorrow," Zoro assured him. "I think I have a few days before I start changing." He wasn't hungry yet, but knowing there wasn't any energy put him on edge.
"Well… I'm sure we'll figure something out," Chopper said hopefully. "We haven't explored the whole island yet so maybe there are other towns without chastity bell."
"Maybe," Zoro said. "Chopper, let's keep this on the down low for now, alright? No sense explaining the situation to everyone if it doesn't happen."
"Alright, Zoro." Chopper smiled happily. "I'll keep researching and keep you updated." Zoro nodded and with a short farewell he headed back to the bunker in hopes to avoid the gusts of pollen that blew from the land to the cove of their ship.
