Giving Can Be Almost as Rewarding as Receiving
Luffy's attitude towards the cook was exceptionally cold for the rest of the evening. Long intense stares, no silly verbal comments like usual; only the visibly cold shoulder. Zoro supposed something dramatic would happen between them, but not this. Sanji was highly aware of the captain's angered atmosphere, and was cautious enough not to press on the matter.
Half of the day flew by before anyone could blink. Usopp and Chopper preoccupied themselves with various things regarding the Merry below deck to keep away from the chilling aura of the captain. Nami had noticed the fury in the air as well, taking up quiet sunbathing by the sheep figurehead. Robin read/hid in the mikan bushes with a thick stack of hardcover books; no doubt they would keep her thoroughly busy for the rest of the day.
Sanji hurriedly retreated to the galley once he handed everyone their afternoon snacks (he had to hand over Luffy's on a broomstick for the fear of getting his hand bit off). Zoro watched as the cook practically slammed the door behind him, panting from the persistent jog. "Cook?"
"God, marimo, I can't do it anymore. It doesn't look like Luffy will ever forgive me at this rate. How's it even possible for a human being to growl like a damn caged beast?"
"He'll forgive you. Just give it time," Zoro assured, standing from his place on the bench. Sanji was beyond nervous; it was plain to see. The blonde buried his fingers in his matted, sweaty hair, scratching his scalp roughly. Zoro irritably swatted his hand away before the other ended up breaking skin. He hadn't realized how stressed this was making Sanji; the cook didn't appear to be breathing properly. The hyper captain's love and affection meant this much to him? The tragic sight pained Zoro more than watching Sanji be tossed overboard probably ever could. There had to be something he could do to reattach their bond, right?
"Cook, wait here," Zoro suddenly stated, making Sanji mumble a stout "gladly." The swordsman left the room and rushed out onto the deck, knowing exactly where the rubber boy would be. Whenever something deeply troubled the captain, Luffy tended to isolate himself in the crow's nest. Low and behold, Zoro spotted a straw hat waving in the breeze lazily above the rigging. Without hesitation, he started climbing, though it was nearly impossible to lift his body weight.
Luffy glanced over the edge briefly once he heard several grunts and insistent huffs of air. Zoro leaned his forehead on the mast, sweating, and breathing heavily, so the captain couldn't have helped but to take pity on the other. "What is it, Zoro?" Luffy sulked; his tone completely emotionless. The swordsman's eyes widened slightly. He'd...never heard Luffy sound so inevitably defeated. There had to be more to this situation than it seemed. Catching his fleeting breath, Zoro patiently waited for the captain to climb down for him. Gazing into Luffy's forlorn stare made his heart twitch; Luffy never thought hard about trivial things. "Oi, what's the matter?" Zoro asked quietly.
Luffy slowly met his eyes as he fiddled with his vest buttons. "I'm not smart like Robin or Nami," he muttered, "but when I have a good feeling about someone, I just...know that they can be trustworthy nakama. I had that feeling with Sanji, Zoro. It wasn't only because he's the best cook in the world. Now, that good feeling I normally get when I look at you guys, th-there's just betrayal with him. And I...I get so angry at him, Zoro. I haven't kicked his ass yet for your sake. It's taken a lot out of me. My instincts are so confused." The rubber boy fell backward onto the deck, ignoring the minor sting of his backside, and stared at the fading clouds overhead. It's a shame that he felt so utterly hollow on such a beautiful day. The warm breeze played with his hair, the blue sky above adorned fluffy, white clouds, the waters were surprisingly calm today (perfect for fishing), and there were no marine battleships in sight or hot on their trail for once. But still, today was undoubtedly ruined for the captain.
"What if my feelings were...wrong? About Sanji? About...all of you? Am I just a bad leader?" Luffy's voice shattered as tears began to form behind his eyes. "What kind of captain can't protect his nakama from something that's happening under his own nose, Zoro? I'm sorry I let you down..."
"Luffy."
The swordsman lies beside him, watching the sky as well. As he spoke, he kept his focus on a specific cloud, and let his mouth run on its own. He wasn't good with cheering anything but children and animals up with words. "It's true that you might not be book smart, but I can honestly say that you're unique as a person. I've never met anyone that could see the good in every single person we've come to face. Actually, I've never met a person that could see the good in me, a "demon." And Nami, a cruel con-artist, Usopp, a compulsive liar, Sanji, a foul-mouthed, temperamental sailor, a shy, antisocial reindeer-man, and I'm sure you surprised us all by letting Robin join the crew and accepting her so easily. The thing we all had in common was an unreachable dream; a dream that we mostly likely wouldn't have had the chance to achieve if we hadn't given in to your idiotically persistent ways. Your instincts weren't wrong, Luffy; I doubt they ever are. After all, we've made it this far, together, right? We're only human. We're bound to make stupid decisions or mistakes along the journey, but that doesn't mean we won't look out for one other while making those stupid decisions. I guess what I'm trying to say is...you're a great leader, Captain." Zoro placed his hand atop of Luffy's gently, causing the boy to face him. "You persevere in the deadliest of situations when we're all down for the count, and even then, when you're beaten and bloody, we still have complete faith in you." Zoro chuckled lightly, "Hell, none of us would be here right now if you weren't so reliable. As far as I'm concerned, you're the best of the best, Luffy. Never doubt your instincts again."
"But Zoro—"
"How can you become the Pirate King if you don't trust in yourself?" Zoro stated with a sudden death glare, scowling at an unfortunate cloud, "If you don't trust in your nakama? How are we supposed to be a functioning crew if there's no Goddamn trust in anybody on board?!"
The captain sat up quickly, whipping his head towards his seething first mate. With impossibly wide eyes, Luffy gasped, dramatically throwing his arms around Zoro's frame in a tight embrace. Zoro continuously struggled to inhale for what felt like an eternity. "Zoro~!" the boy gaped in awe, "You're right! You're so smart~! A Pirate King makes mistakes sometimes, too, right?"
"Y-Yeah, Luffy, everyone d-does…!" Zoro wheezed, gripping the boy's forearm.
The rubber captain retracted his arms reluctantly, letting Zoro's lungs unclench. Luffy's smile practically brighten the day even more that it already was as he gently placed his hand on the other's shoulder, though he was still coughing. "Thanks, Zoro," he grinned, standing to his feet. Zoro watched him stroll to the stern, gaining Nami's cat-like attention immediately; she swallowed audibly. He probably still wanted to "chat" about her moody name-calling earlier. But…he seemed perfectly happy and content like he was days ago, like the whole Sanji situation never happened or came into existence. Her eyes shot over to the first mate, who grinned smugly. Nami could hardly believe it. Did Roronoa Zoro just give a pep talk…that actually worked?
Nevertheless, Zoro continued to smile, a bit more coyly this time, extremely proud of his accomplishment. Once on his feet, he stretched, cracking a few bones in the process. Luffy called his name, forcing him to turn his head. What he saw was far more frightening than Death at his door. Luffy was smirking at him with a hand limply on his outward hip. This automatically told the swordsman something he did not want to hear would soon be said anyway. Similar to an "I told you so," but in Luffy's form of words: obvious, silent guilt. "Yeah?" he replied cautiously.
Luffy shook his head like he wasn't sending Zoro subliminal messages at all, "Nothing…just tell San-chan to make extra meat tonight! Yum!"
A genuine smile soon appeared on Zoro's lips. He noticed that he seemed to be smiling a lot lately, and, in general, happy. He nodded, climbing up the steps to give the cook good news of the day, and, probably, the best news of his life.
:~:
Chopper played with Usopp's large can of brown paint, stirring it around with the paintbrush and occasionally splashing some of it on his fur. He'd need a full bath considering it blended in so well with his coat. Usopp put the finishing touches on his latest masterpiece, molding and sculpting the grey clay with his fingertips for the final time. "Ta-da!" he announced, stepping to the side so the tiny doctor could see. Chopper tilted his head slightly, confused at its weird form. "What…is it?"
Usopp looked offended, "It's obviously a replica of the great Captain Usopp! I really captured myself, huh?"
"Your nose is longer."
"Oh, really? Then I guess I could push the clay in a little—"
"No, your real nose," Chopper clarified, "You made the sculpture's nose too short."
"WHAT!? What do you mean "too short"? IT'S GIGANTIC!"
"Well…I guess it needs to be gigantic-er."
Usopp frowned, folding his arms crossly and pouting. Noticing Chopper's own irritated demeanor, the marksman figured he was being mean towards him for other reasons unrelated to his appearance. He patted the other's hat softly and comforting, "What's wrong, buddy?"
Chopper sighed, and then furrowed his eyebrows, angrily pushing the paint can away from him. "I'm mad at Sanji and Zoro! Keeping such important information away from their doctor! I mean, I know Zoro's never been…eager for his check-ups, but he should know by now that he needs to tell me things that are physically wrong with him! You wouldn't keep something like that from me, right? Who doesn't like feeling better?!"
"To be fair," Usopp interrupted his ranting, "there was nothing you could have done to make him feel better in this instance. But you do have a point."
Chopper blinked. He thought he was just spewing nonsense like the crew claimed he usually did. "I do?"
"Yeah," the sharpshooter went on, "and you have to remember that Zoro's always kind of did stuff on his own his whole life. I don't think he's ever had his very own doctor before, 24/7. Plus, have you noticed he's a…" Usopp cupped his hand around his mouth, though no one else was in the room to hear, "ego-maniac?"
"I'm sorry…I didn't think of it that way. I guess it would take a while to get used to," Chopper concluded, but his annoyance didn't fade as quickly as he hoped it would. He glared at the sculpture, its pose proud and confident, and grumbled something under his breath. Usopp raised an eyebrow, "What was that?"
"It still doesn't look like you, big-nose."
"WHY ARE YOU BEING MEAN TO ME, DAMMIT?"
:~:
Once the blonde chef heard what Zoro had to tell him, his first reaction was to deny it. To deny any possibility of the impossible actually happening. It wasn't until said rubber captain yelled extremely loud wails of several "I'm hungry," Sanji's name, and ramblings of "meat." Zoro grinned at the cook's astounded expression, feeling even more proud of himself. He knew he was getting big-headed, but he could care less at this point.
"You?" Sanji gaped in amazement, "You actually fixed something instead of causing it for once?"
"Hardy har har, shitty-brow. You're just mad I accomplished something other than pissing my pants in the presence of Luffy."
Sanji's temper should have been spiked, but surprisingly, he just smiled at him, which threw Zoro completely off track. "You know what, marimo? You're right. You deserve to be proud of yourself. Sure as hell got more things done today then I did. And…thanks," he ruffled the swordsman's hair lovingly, "Thanks for, you know, helping me with something I clearly didn't deserve at all."
Zoro grinned, "You're welcome, curly." He turned towards the door, but his chest became incredibly warm as he heard the other's quiet voice. It was said with such certainty, yet it sounded hurt. As if Sanji didn't think he had the very right to say it.
"…I love you, too…"
Zoro smiled warmly. "I know, Sanji," was all he said, and all he needed to say.
