Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or anything affiliated with it. I'm just a fan exploring my abilities and trying desperately to distract my mind from work!
Author's Note: Thank you to the couple of you who posted reviews on the last chapter and those who added the story to their favourites. It hasn't gone un-noticed and is appreciated.
To get a bit more inspiration for my writing I thought I would try typing while listening to some music…so I borrowed some music from my partner who has an extensive repertoire, including heavy metal…and that is how I am now enjoying 'Zombie'…
Broken
Chapter 10
The sound of wood hitting wood reverberated through the crow's nest several times as Nami raised her training staff just in time to defend herself from the onslaught of attacks that Zoro suddenly sent her way. "Not bad" he commented with a grin as she blocked the swing that landed in a downward strike with such speed and surprise it threw her off balance and caused her to stumble a couple of steps backward.
Nami's head shot up and the glare she gave him made it look like she was ready to kill. "What the hell was that for?!" she spat, clearly angry at being taken by surprise like that but at the same time trying to steady herself and prepare for whatever else he chose to throw her way, ignoring the hint of dizziness that briefly waved over her.
"What did you expect?" he replied with a shrug, "Do you think your enemy will always make their presence known or wait for you to be ready before they make their move?" he asked, watching her bite her bottom lip in irritation, reluctantly acknowledging he was right yet showing her frustration.
"Fine" she snapped, giving into his point, "but at least let me take my shoes off, I can't move in these heels properly" she stated. Zoro nodded in understanding and waited for her as she took a couple of steps forward and approached the bench to his left hand side. She placed her staff down for a second as she bent to remove her foot wear, placing them gently on the bench below. Zoro found himself watching her carefully and noticed she was wearing a long sleeved shirt which hung loosely with a thin vest like top underneath the material. It covered her well but the bruising on her neck and arms were still rather prominent, even though they had begun to change to a yellow brown shade. The memory of her naked, battered and drowned figure clawed at his mind suddenly and he had to shake his head and divert his gaze to prevent himself from being distracted. He had been thinking about her constantly these days and it was proving difficult to ignore.
Nami's eyes glanced sideways at the weapon she had been given before reaching out to pick it up. It had felt like a lifetime ago since she last had something in her hands. It was good to feel an element of control, even if just a little bit, yet the negative part of her kept thinking about how all this training would come to nothing if the weapon was removed from her. The moment she had nothing in her hands the enemy would have the advantage and she would just become another piece of livestock. Several faces flashed before her mind and the screams and pleas of women and children alike echoed through her ears. She closed her eyes for a second and took in a deep breath. No, she told herself, never again, I swear I won't let that happen again! With a new found sense of willpower she gripped the weapon at her side and immediately spun on her feet, swiping at an unexpected Zoro who blocked the attack to his side by a hair's width and jumped back. He looked at her stunned and irritated for a moment, clearly too lost in his own thoughts to have responded quicker than he did. That small move in itself gave Nami a little more confidence to keep on trying.
"What's the matter?" she stated with a small hint of a cruel grin on her face, "the enemy won't always be making it easy" she reiterated his words.
Zoro scoffed and took a step towards her. She shifted to the right of him reading the movement of his feet and where she believed his attack would come from. Zoro however changed his footing at the last second and spun around to hit her from the opposite direction. Nami managed to block the attack but felt the weight of his hit reverberate through her arms and into her body, taking her by surprise for a second and making her feel physically sick. He was strong and although he said he wouldn't hold back for some reason she felt he probably was. The Zoro she knew would most likely have broken the staff in her hands in half and sent her flying by now, but the fact her feet were on the ground made her feel a combination of emotions. She felt irritation at being treated too kindly and being shown again the difference between them and relief in response to the pain in her body that told her that she should be a little grateful he was being gentle for her sake. Dazed she barely became aware of his next movement and he made a vocal sound as if to give her warning. She looked up and ducked in time from a swing that came near her head. She tried to swipe her own staff across the floor to trip him but Zoro managed to jump out of the way and paused momentarily, appraising her. His gaze felt confusing.
"Not bad" he stated with a grin as he repositioned his hands on the staff and held it like he would a sword. Nami was well rehearsed in using a staff and was showing some agility. He knew that in her best health she would probably do an even better job at it. He adopted a stance and paused before making several swings at her. Nami used all her strength to avoid his movements, dancing around him and blocking where she could but the difference in power was too much and she stumbled and fell over. She barely had time to breathe when Zoro's large stature appeared over head and he sent an attack down on top of her. She blocked it with her staff but the power of his movement pushed down on her and the staff rested on her chest. The compression caused her a great deal of discomfort and she gritted her teeth as her heart pounded and her lungs struggled to take in air. Zoro watched Nami's face contort slightly and started to relieve the pressure and discomfort and started to back off her with the intention of helping her up but before he could an intense pain met his groin.
Zoro grasped the throbbing area and fell to one knee as Nami scrambled up onto her elbows and shuffled out of his way. He looked at her with a death like glare. "Th..at…wa..s….low…" he complained, grinding his teeth and breathing in as his body adjusted and blood rushed to help aid the injury. He managed to recover reasonably quickly and was ready to yell at her when he noticed her turning away from him and coughing into her hand.
"You alright?" he asked, frowning. He was cautious of approaching her in case she was showing one of her trickery moments, but when the coughing intensified momentarily he realised that it was a stupid question. He approached her side and looked down at her curled figure just in time to see her wipe a stream of blood from her mouth with her hand. "Hey" Zoro's voice sounded worried and Nami tried to turn away from him some more, wiping her hand as if to hide something. He lowered his weapon to the ground and placed his spare hand on her shoulder, followed by his second hand and forced her to look his way.
"I'm alright," Nami lied trying to push him away. Zoro reached a hand out to her chin and lifted her head to look at him but she averted her eyes quickly. The avoidance sent a feeling of sickness to his stomach. The Nami he knew would stare at him defiantly but this Nami was frail and submissive. She had dark circles forming around her eyes, pale skin and blood on her lips.
Zoro's eyebrows furrowed, "Maybe this was a bad idea after all" he commented, "your body still hasn't fully healed yet" he pointed out, noting how one of her hands grasped onto her chest where her damaged rib was. Scanning her now he identified that on closer inspection her body was not in good shape at all and felt guilty and stupid for pushing her to the limits.
Nami shook her head, a hint of stubbornness taking over, "If we don't do this now then it may be too late" she replied, wanting to be as prepared as she could be for when they met their next enemy. If she got in a situation like that again she wouldn't be able to live with herself for doing nothing about it. She refused to be seen as being incapable. She moved her hands onto her staff and steadied herself enough to push her weight on it and stand to her feet. Zoro followed her and frowned, Chopper will kill me if I make her continue like this, he thought.
"We will spa when you are feeling in better shape" he commented.
"No, I am fine" Nami protested. Zoro stood up and bent to pick up his own staff before glaring at her.
"You have to take better care of yourself" he ordered. Her body had been through so much already and it only took just now for him to be reminded yet again at how frail she really was.
"You are not my captain" Nami retorted, growing upset for being seen to be weak and being scolded like a child.
"No, but I know Luffy would say the same thing" Zoro replied, looking her way with a very serious expression on his face, "and he would kill me if I did anything to hurt you" he added for emphasis. Nami gritted her teeth. She knew he was right but she didn't like it one bit.
"I need to get stronger" she mumbled in protest. Zoro nodded in understanding. He knew that feeling all too well. Glancing at her he could see the desperation and frustration in her face and came to terms with himself that he couldn't just let her walk away. He shook his head in defeat, "For now we will focus on something else" he stated, placing his staff down to rest against the wall.
"I can continue…I want to fight" Nami retorted, defiantly.
"Nami you…" Zoro started to argue back with her and was surprised to find a staff swinging in the direction of his face. He dodged it by a hair's breadth and scowled at her. When Nami rotated the long pole in her hands in a windmill fashion above her head he momentarily paused in all thought to admire her control of the weapon before realising it was his biggest mistake. Nami stepped around to his right and sent the staff in his direction. He blocked it with his arm and fixed the end of the long object in his hands. Her swing was weak but the move in itself wasn't bad at all.
Nami tried to pull the staff free but Zoro kept a firm hold on it and gently pushed her back a couple of steps before kicking at his own staff on the ground and letting go of hers long enough to catch his as it swung up to meet him. He realised that like him she could be extremely stubborn and sometimes the only way to fight that was to give into it.
"Hmph" Nami breathed, a little irritated and feeling like he was toying with her. If Zoro wished to defeat her he could easily do so and she knew it. She ignored the heat and pain in her body, becoming emotionally numb to it and welcoming it at the same time. The pain made her stick to reality and forced her to try that little bit harder. It made her feel alive. She adjusted her hand position on the weapon and stood watching him for a moment, his defence is too good, she realised, if I want to get a hit in I will have to get behind him, she thought, or distract him, she realised. The latter thought was shaken off as soon as it entered her mind. The only forms of distraction she knew was through talking and flirting and neither of these she knew would work on this man. Besides, it was these methods that got her in this mess in the first place. She thought for a few seconds and looked around the room and up at the ceiling. With an idea of how to challenge her friend she made a half circle like motion with one of her feet and pointed her weapon towards the ground. There is just enough head height, she decided and with that she ran as if to charge him. The moment Zoro readied his defence she lodged the pole into the ground and pivoted herself upwards.
Zoro's gaze widened in surprise as Nami's feet headed towards his face. He stepped to avoid the kick that he expected to come and lowered his stance, kicking Nami's staff from underneath her and causing her to fall short and land on him with force.
Nami tried to lift herself off Zoro and looked down at his stunned expression, becoming self conscious of the fact his head was in between her legs. She jumped back in surprise and looked away from him, horror struck. Zoro sat up and rubbed the back of his head to ease the bump he just received from the ground…he had underestimated her.
"What sort of attack was that?!" he snapped, a little flushed and irritated.
"I was meant to go over your head and kick you from behind" she confessed. Zoro stared at her wondering what made her think of such a plan.
Nami could feel the force of her body's injuries with every little movement that she made and it was now making her feel light headed. The swordsman studied her for a second and noticed how pale she looked. "We should take a break" he pointed out. They had only been going at it for a few minutes but he could see how exhausted she looked.
Nami shook her head, "This is embarrassing" she remarked, "I never realised how pathetic I have become". She was physically and mentally exhausted.
Zoro studied her for a moment, "your body has been through a lot" he stated the facts, "you can't expect it to heal over night". Nami lowered her head in defeat and swallowed the lump that came to her throat. She felt unbelievably pathetic and yet she refused to allow herself to be that way. Anger at her own inability forced her forward.
Zoro watched as Nami reached out for her weapon and got up on her feet with some difficulty as her body started to give in on her. She pointed her staff towards his stomach, "I need to practice…so get up" she ordered. Zoro knew she wasn't going to give in easily and would most likely fight until she passed out, just like she had when she was infected by that illness back then; an illness that nearly killed her. The thought of Nami dying before him was something he refused to think about yet he knew if she kept pushing herself like this it could result in problems. He reached for his weapon and went to stand to meet her but instead swung the staff out by her feet to take her off balance. Nami struggled to step back to miss the attempt and landed against the main mast that ran through the centre of the room. She winced at the pain that shot through her system.
Zoro made a slow and calculated sweep upwards and Nami tried to kick it away but in doing so landed awkwardly on the ground. She could taste a combination of blood and bile in her mouth and reluctantly swallowed it down as she leant forward and tried to focus. Her eyesight was a little hazy and she had to shake her head to reject the drowsiness that threatened to consume her. As she looked up Zoro had changed his stance and she could tell he was readying himself to run at her. This time he seemed serious and she could tell he was now testing her and probably in his own way trying to prove a point. She held her staff up in defence but the sight of his strong stance made her hesitate for a slight second, he is going to use full force, she realised, panic stricken. His muscles tensed and his eye glistened as they reflected his powerful and dangerous aura. For that split second fear kicked in and Nami knew she was going to lose. She gritted her teeth and forced her mind to acknowledge that this was just Zoro and there was no reason to be scared but the trembling in her legs still took her by surprise.
Zoro could see Nami shaking and the colour drain from her features. As he ran at her she half heartedly raised her staff to block, closed her eyes and turned her head away from him. Her cowered demeanour bothered him a little. He hated for her to see him as a monster but he needed her to stop this foolishness and it was the fastest method he knew to ensure that happened.
The sound of wood splitting rang through Nami's ear drum and the vibrations of the mast behind her shook through her body as her weapon was forced from her hands and hit her back support, forcing the Sunny to take the full impact of his attack. She could feel the heat of her predator's body close to her and hesitated to open her eyes. Zoro's closeness sent all the fibres in her being on end. When she managed to look up she saw broken pieces of wood next to her head and followed them up to see a bleeding hand and muscular arm almost pinning her in place. Her eyes slowly followed the veins in his arms up to his neck and his forehead. Zoro was staring at the damage he had caused and when his eye momentarily looked at her she felt her heart jump out of her chest and into her throat. She deflected his gaze as soon as she could.
"Don't drop your guard" he warned, snapping her out of her thoughts. She suddenly became aware of a small hint of disappointment as he took a step back and moved away from her.
"Sorry" she whispered. She didn't want to tell him all the mixture of emotions and memories that had flashed through her mind and body in that moment.
"Why are you apologising?" he asked with a shrug, "it's normal for people to feel fear". Nami's eyes shot up to look at him, fear, she repeated in her mind, realising slowly that he was right. She was scared. Scared of a lot of things but of him... she couldn't understand why. Zoro was a friend and was only trying to help her out. A man who had tried to help her on so many occasions. A man who…she stopped her line of thought…a man she realised. Zoro was a man. Taller than her, stronger than her, faster than her and everything she wasn't. She envied and admired him but also feared him. She was scared he would hurt her. Scared he would leave her. Scared he would…
"Hey" Zoro waved a hand in front of her face, "you're spacing out again" he pointed out. She looked up at him and frowned, "what?" he asked, getting the picture from her facial expression she was irritated about something.
"What is the point of this?" she asked suddenly, visibly upset, confused and angry.
"To make you stronger" he remarked with a shrug as if he were stating the obvious.
"No matter how strong I become men will always be able to over power me" Nami replied, growing more flustered with every syllable. Zoro watched her carefully for a second and sighed. Her change in moods made her a real handful but he could see where her line of thought was taking her and he didn't like it one bit.
"Nami…even men have their weak points" he pointed out, "the same with giants…" he added randomly, "the bigger they are the harder they fall" he remarked. Nami looked at him a little puzzled, wondering when he had become a wise man. "Look at how you floored me with a single kick" he pointed out.
"I was lucky your guard was down" Nami remarked, feeling a little bit guilty for it. Zoro refrained from biting back and instead tried to focus on the positives.
"You have your own strengths" he remarked, "power isn't all about physical attributes, you know that" he finished. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow, says the man that spends his life exercising, she thought. Yet she knew he had a point. She and Usopp had not trained as long as they had for nothing.Zoro continued; "You are light and fast on your feet. Not to mention you have an impressive long jump and quite a brain".
"Are you trying to flatter me?" Nami replied, feeling a little better for the effort he was making to cheer her up despite the sick feeling in her gut.
Zoro ignored her response and reached out to take her hand in his. She looked at him cautiously and felt her muscles twinge and heart race faster in her body. Zoro proceeded to place her hand on his neck and pressed his fingers down on top of hers, "feel that?" he asked. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to be feeling but nodded nevertheless, "hit that spot hard enough and even I would have trouble" he confirmed. He guided her hand to a point in his bicep, "hit here and my arm will go numb, stopping blood flow for a while" he continued. He moved her hand to his chest and she could feel the beating of his heart, "Hit me here and I would struggle to breathe…you see Nami, even the strongest of men have the same weaknesses…we are all human".
Nami understood what he was trying to say to her. Humans had vital points and pressure points that could give even the weakest opponent an advantage if they fully understood the body and how it worked. The difficulty though with a devil fruit user was you needed to prevent them using their powers first and sea stone was hard to come by. Not to mention the more talented a person was at fighting and the more muscle they had then the harder it was to reach those vital points, assuming you could fight them long enough to get them to drop their guard to reach that point in the first place. To do that successfully she would need to be close to her enemy. She felt Zoro let go of her hand and pull away. She felt like his stare was reading her like a book and seeing the doubts in her mind.
"I was serious about your speed" he remarked, "You could out run many men…especially the larger ones". Nami guessed he was right but she didn't exactly feel like she could do a marathon right now. She could barely run from one end of the ship to the other without feeling her body would explode right now.
"It didn't do me a lot of good then" she pointed out, reminding him again of recent events. "You just saw how I responded…one miscalculation and it's all over." Zoro knew where she was coming from and realised that positive thinking wasn't going to work on this occasion. Sure Nami had strengths but that wasn't enough to save her. She needed more than that and he had to find a way to give it to her. He walked across the room to pick up another staff and reached it out in front of him. "What are you doing?" she asked, sceptical.
"We will start with self defence and how to disarm your opponent" he stated, opening and closing his hands for emphasis, "the thumb is the weakest part of any hold, so whatever you do you need to take them by surprise and force the weapon out of their hold in one rotation" he handed her the weapon, "here hold this", she did as she was told. He placed his hands either side of hers but in an opposite motion and then rotated the staff out of her hands with ease, span it around his head and held it like he would a sword balanced on his shoulders.
"Show off" she muttered, she had tried to hold it relatively tightly on purpose but completely failed.
"Your turn" he replied, holding out the staff in front of him. Nami looked at him and then the weapon and back again. Somehow she highly doubted this would work so easily. She stepped closer to him and reached up for the weapon.
"Don't forget your footwork" he warned, "get balanced". She adjusted her feet and bent her knees then copied his action. The weapon moved slightly but he managed to keep a firm grip on it. "Your hands are in the wrong position" he stated. He let go of the staff with one hand and used it to change her hand around on the pole. The small action made her wonder when she had gotten so used to him touching her so casually until now. "Right, now keep your weight into the ground and elbows in close, as you step you rotate at the same time" Nami followed his instruction and successfully positioned the staff, getting it out of one of his hands and needing to use a bit more force to get it out of the other.
"Good" he praised, "now try it this way" he took the staff from her and then stepped around her, lifting it up and over her head. Nami froze as she felt the closeness of his body against her back. The staff was pressed lightly against her chest and his arms were wrapped around her. "Right, now try the same again, but this time…" Nami missed what he said as her mind whirled on the fact she could feel his breathe on her neck. "Hey are you listening?" he asked, trying to lean forward to look at her face. Shocked out of her thoughts Nami slowly lifted her hands up to the staff and tried to move it free. She pushed forward and down but Zoro's grip was firm. "Don't push forward" he offered, "Go in this direction" he motioned, moving his arms to show her. Nami could feel her arms shaking slightly and swallowed to clear her now dry throat. She could feel her body temperature rising but decided that she wouldn't show any weakness and instead tried to put all her energy into getting free, but when she was only able to get the staff half way and ended up slightly entangled with the swordsman a flash of a memory hit her and she started to panic.
Zoro stumbled forward as Nami's foot made contact with his ankle, "Nami what the…" he asked but barely had time to respond. The close proximity back kick caused him to lose his balance and as she pushed down on the staff to try to break free the pair of them fell forwards, landing on the ground on all fours. "That was foul play!" Zoro spat, slightly taken aback by her sudden attack but as he looked at the back of the woman beneath him he could see her holding onto her arms and realised slowly that Nami's body was trembling.
"Please…get…off…me" she pleaded and it dawned on him the position they were now in and how his weight pushed her down. Disgust filled his being and he immediately jumped off her, ignoring the way his knee clicked back into place as an aftermath of her kick.
"Sorry" he apologised even though it wasn't his entire fault and even though he knew that it wouldn't stop the thoughts in her mind or erase the memories of her past. He said it just because he didn't know what else to say.
"No, I'm sorry" Nami's voice wavered but the volume suggested she found a little more back bone. Her trembling stopped after a few moments and she picked herself up off the ground and turned to face him. There was a dark and sad look in her eyes that was almost dangerous.
"Nami" Zoro spoke her name and she lifted her head, a sense of determination filling her to overcome whatever it was she was being forced to face. He kicked the staff by his feet in her direction. "Come at me as if I were one of them" he ordered, understanding what she was thinking and feeling in that moment. Nami looked at the weapon by her feet and hesitated. "I told you right, I will take all of your pain and suffering" he reminded her. Her eyes widened in surprise and then hardened. She knew she could trust him and she knew he was more than capable of protecting himself but she needed to let off some steam and he wasn't about to stop her. No one will force me to my knees again.
Without any more words the navigator of the straw hat crew adopted a stronger stance and positioned the staff to her side as if it were a lance. The swordsman prepared himself for the attack and watched as the red head allowed her mind to take over her body and lose itself in hell.
…..
"What is going on up there?" Franky asked, hearing the sound of what seemed like a fight taking place in the crow's nest.
"I don't know" Chopper remarked, pausing his movements and listening out for the thudding noises that echoed and shook the ship. "Zoro has been training extra hard lately" he noted out loud.
"He takes on too much" Franky replied. Zoro was the second strongest in their crew and had over come many odds, proving his strength with no need for hidden powers or adaptations to his body. Yet at the same time he faced death on a daily basis and pushed himself to limits beyond the realm of that which was humanly possible. Defying all odds could be seen as remarkable but also dangerous. All of his fitness training could back fire on him in time and his body could give up on him through muscle damage and deterioration…if he even lived long enough to get that far.
"Zoro-san is with Nami-san" Brook pitched in as he turned to hand Franky a pair of crutches.
"Sounds like she has lost her temper" Franky commented as he took the crutches and placed them one at a time underneath his arm pits. The objects helped him to maintain a balance while standing but the pain that shot through his arm joints wasn't something he could easily ignore. He made it across the room a few steps and collapsed into Chopper's high chair.
"Are you alright?" Chopper asked, worried.
"Yeah…it looks like my arms need more strengthening before I can walk properly" Franky realised. It was something he already knew but he had hoped if he could push himself beyond all limits that somehow he might be able to manage more but Chopper was running low on supplies for his medicines and he knew there was only so much pain he could take. Trying to think about anything but himself in that moment he placed a hand on the desk next to him and turned in his chair slightly to get a better look at Usopp. "Hey, how are you holding up?" he asked.
Usopp blinked a couple of times and managed to turn his head slightly to look at the man that sat next to him, "I have been better" he replied honestly. His negative personality was something that had never changed and if anything only got worse as the situations in his life kept knocking back all confidence and belief that he had once had in himself.
"Can you feel anything yet?" Franky asked, conscious of Chopper and Brook approaching their side and purposely trying to focus on something positive. Usopp shook his head a little and remained silent for a moment, the awkwardness in the room could be cut with a knife.
"Would any of you like a cup of tea?" Brook asked out of the blue, trying to ease the mood, "I find it always helps to calm the stomach" he added. It took a while for people to respond to him and the silence felt uncomfortable.
"That sounds good" Franky was the first to speak, "Chopper why don't you get a break and help Brook in the kitchen" he offered, hinting for the pair to leave so he and Usopp could have some privacy. Brook looked over at him and nodded in understanding, placing a hand on Chopper's shoulder and helping to encourage him out of the room, closing the door softly behind him. Franky sighed and turned his attention back to the sharpshooter, "you have to stop blaming yourself" he warned.
Usopp's face contorted and he bit his lip, trying desperately to stop the tears from flowing again but failing miserably. "I can't get any of it out of my head" he admitted. Out of everything they had been through there was one thing above everything else that he regretted the most and that was freezing up when Nami was treated in such a violent manner. He had been too weak to stop them and too pathetic to do or say anything to help her. She had reassured him and sought his emotional support while the worst nightmare possible happened to her and yet all he could do was turn away and close his eyes in prayer that it would end. The feeling made his stomach churn and he felt a surge of stomach acid rise into the back of his throat and drop again.
Franky stared up at the ceiling and then back to the window that looked out onto the deck. "You know, Nami-sis is fighting back in her own way…her coming to see us like that is proof enough that she is trying. Even now as we speak I am certain she is with bro-san…we have to fight back too" he stated, admitting a slight waver to his own voice at the knowledge that the path wouldn't be easy.
"I want to" Usopp spoke up, "but how can I?" he asked, knowing full well his body was struggling. If they were hit by enemy opponents now he would be killed in an instant…that or worse, he would be made to watch as all of his friends be beaten, mutilated, tortured before being killed slowly. It was something he didn't want to experience again. He was willing to give his life for his friends and liked to think he would be good at that when push came to shove. But his fear was over riding everything else. He feared death and often ran from it but he also knew from recent events that he feared loneliness more.
A beeping sound broke their concentration and Usopp turned his head to watch as Franky looked around the room for where it was coming from, "isn't that the GPS device for the submarine?" he asked the older man.
Franky nodded and stretched as much as his body would allow to grab the item in his fingers before turning it around to look at it, "looks like the submarine is on the move" he remarked. Usopp sighed with relief at the realisation their friends were okay. Franky took a closer look at the object in his hands and his eyes widened in surprise. "There is another dot on here" he noted. Usopp's heart jumped in his chest and the pain that surged through his body was a sign of mass panic and tension.
"You don't mean..?" he asked, unable to finish his sentence.
Franky's own panic started to surge through him and he desperately tried to shuffle his crutches and make his way towards the door. He stumbled and fell into the wall but managed to keep himself upright and use his body to force the door open. He had to check it out for himself and clambered his way out onto the deck leaving a confused and frightened Usopp behind him.
…..
Nami stopped in her tracks and collapsed onto her knees in defeat. He body wouldn't move anymore no matter how much her mind urged it to. She was sweating profusely and panting and with every intake of air into her lungs she felt like her chest would explode.
"That's enough for today" Zoro spoke up, "you need to rest" Nami nodded in acceptance. This time she had to admit he was right and she actually welcomed the break. She had spent what seemed like an eternity over the last hour putting all of her energy into trying to fight Zoro and barely laying a single scratch on him. She had allowed blinded hate and anger to flow through her body uncontrollably but he was able to take everything she had to give and more which only helped add fuel to the fire.
Nami scrambled to the edge of the room and rested against the wall, finding relief in the partly cold surface against her hot body. Zoro reached for some water and handed her a mug full which she willingly accepted before sitting down next to her. She gulped the fluid down and coughed heavily, resulting in Zoro patting her on the back. "Ow!" she protested and he withdrew his hand immediately.
"Sorry…for a moment then I forgot" he admitted. She had several nasty scars that were still trying to heal and he could now see a spot of blood on her top from the bandages underneath. It looked like their workout had run a number on her after all. "Shit, you really should see Chopper" he ordered, worried he had allowed it to go on for too long and she was in worse shape now than when they had started.
"No" she replied, "I will be fine" she lied.
"You are pushing yourself too much" he warned.
"You are one to talk" she retorted through panted breath. She leant back again and rested her head against the wall, wincing and coughing some more.
"Nami I am going to call Chopper up here" Zoro decided and went to stand up but was stopped by a slender hand gripping hold of his trousers and pulling him back down again.
"Just stay here with me" she ordered. Zoro watched in surprise as Nami moved into him and rested her head onto his chest. Part of him wanted to protest and ask her what she was doing and yet the other part of him, the part that wanted nothing more than to hold her close for as long as possible gave into her and allowed her to settle in the nook of his arm. "I don't know why but I feel safest when I am like this" she whispered, yawning and closing her eyes. Zoro hesitated before lowering his arm and allowing it to gently place itself on the base of her back. "Zoro" she spoke his name as if it were a question.
"Yeah" he replied.
"Thank you for today" she offered. He applied a little pressure on her as he squeezed her gently in response.
"No problem" he replied.
"ZORO!" the bellowing of Franky's voice shook through the swordsman and jerked the pair out of their peaceful moment. "ZORO-BRO WE HAVE A PROBLEM!" the panic in his voice was evident. Nami sat up and looked at Zoro with a worried expression. Her face was ghost like as all the adrenaline and blood rushed out of her body.
"No…don't tell me they are here?" she asked, her body beginning to tremble again.
Zoro jumped up and looked out of the window but couldn't see any danger, he opened the hatch and partly made his way down the ladder. Chopper and Brook ran out of the kitchen and onto the deck in response to the man's voice. "What's the problem?" Zoro called out down to the trio below.
"The submarine…it's moving!" Chopper announced with a pleased expression as he took the device off the cyborg, just to double check.
"That's not the only thing that's moving" Franky called back, pointing to something on the machine and looking back to the swordsman that now joined their sides. Zoro looked at what was causing the stress and saw a large dot moving at the edge of the screen.
"What is it?" he asked, unsure of what to make of this but knowing it was probably not a good thing.
"Another ship…" Franky offered.
"Is it them?" Brook asked, worry evident in his bones.
Franky shook his head, "I don't know, but I sure as hell don't want to find out…" he turned to look at Zoro, "we need to get the submarine and get out of here fast".
Zoro nodded in understanding and noticed the smaller dot that was closer to the base of the screen…it was near their location and heading towards a stationary one which he suspected was them.
"It looks like they are on the other side of the island" the voice of Nami surprised them and Zoro turned to see her clinging to his side and looking down at the object in his hands.
"If that's the case then we have a chance" he replied. He turned to Chopper and Brook, "prepare to set sail" he ordered. He then looked at Franky, "do you think you can man the engine room?" he asked.
Franky nodded, "I am not at full power but I will give it my best" he promised, turning to try to make his way to the door. The surge of adrenaline through his body in that moment helped to numb the pain he was feeling and forced him to strive forward.
Zoro turned to look at Nami and she gave him a forced fake smile and he could tell she was scared. "Nami…" he started to say something but could see water filling her eyes. She swallowed and forced them back. He gripped onto her shoulders and forced her to look at him.
"No matter what happens you stick to my side" he ordered.
"I will only slow you down" she defended.
"Nami" he spoke her name firmly, "I won't lose you again" he practically made a promise to her and she was reassured by his words and the firm hold he now had on her.
…
"Wow is this it?" Kazuo asked, looking up at the large vessel in surprise. Robin nodded as she got out of the submarine.
"Robin!" Chopper's relieved voice called out to her and she turned to greet the little doctor with a smile.
"How is everyone?" she asked. Chopper stopped in his tracks and looked worried but forced a smile out.
"They are okay" he replied.
"Is that a raccoon?" Kazuo asked, surprised at seeing a talking animal. Chopper immediately turned to look at the kid and shouted, "I am not a raccoon I am a reindeer…and who the hell are you?"
"Chopper this is a friend of ours, he helped me escape the island" she offered. Chopper's defence lowered and he nodded his head in acceptance of the child before looking around the area.
"Where are Luffy and Sanji?" he asked. It was Robin's turn to look a little set back. She straightened herself up and saw Zoro and Nami approaching them. Somehow the red head looked worse than she had before and it worried her.
"You alone?" Zoro asked, noticing the lack of the others. Robin nodded.
"They are still out there" she admitted. Chopper's enthusiasm immediately left his body. "We waited for as long as we could but I decided that it was best to get what I could back to the ship so we could prepare ourselves" she confessed. Zoro nodded in understanding and then looked at the child that stood next to them for a moment. Kazuo half expected the man to ask who he was and what he was doing there or treat him like some kind of enemy but it surprised him when the man ignored him and shrugged in acceptance of his presence before making his way to the small vessel and dragging out the sacks of items from within.
"Chopper, take these barrels to Franky" he ordered. Chopper increased his size and did as he was requested. The cola would definitely come in handy.
"What shall I do?" Kazuo asked.
"Go help Franky man the engine room" Zoro replied, noticing the strength of the lad.
"I will show you where it is" Robin offered, leading the boy away from the area. She stopped momentarily to look at Nami but the girl barely acknowledged her presence and instead focussed all of her attention onto a device that sat in her hands. Nami looked like she was reliving a nightmare all over again.
…
A/N: It has taken a while for me to get this out. Sorry for the delay. I hope you enjoyed a little more ZoNa time…even if it didn't last very long!
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