Reader Reviews – Chapter 10/Recent

KiaCoral: Thanks for reviewing multiple times; that always makes me feel happy! ^0^ I'm really excited that you've liked it so far! Haha, I try and make my character interactions believable, so I'm glad they were enjoyable!

TheSilverCircle: Thanks a ton! :D I'm really glad to hear you say that! So very sorry for the horrendously late update, but I hope you can forgive me and keep reading! My readers mean a lot to me!

Red teh Dragon: Awesome! ^^ Makes me feel good to know you like this story enough to not skip stuff! Thank you muchly… Ugh. I don't know if the horrid Block will EVER be truly gone… And thank you for reviewing multiple times! :D I appreciate it! Hope you enjoy this segment too!

TARIGARMA12: Aww, sorry to disappoint ya. XP But I'm really glad you like it! Heck no! I may take a while to update, but I can safely say this is not a dead fic! Hope you enjoy reading this chapter too!

helloitme (ann.): Oh jeez, then I'm gonna be getting barraged by these messages. XD

kallakkala: Heey, don't I know you from a review response earlier? (XD) Woohoo! I have a fan! That's very exciting! Thank you very much for your compliment; means a lot!

Silverchild of the winds: Thanks! Glad you thought it was well-depicted! I always worry about how I do with that. Hope you like this chapter as well! :3

Velkyn Karma: Wow, thanks for the long review! I'm really glad that you like the whole idea of my story. Well, if you don't like yaoi, then this is definitely a story for you. I'm not a fan of it, myself. Nakamaship, pure and simple. A time bomb poison does have quite a lot of possibilities! (Which is why I like it XP) Yeah, you know, I actually thought about that a lot. But, the way I have it written, Chopper didn't notice any major changes in Zoro's health, and knew he wouldn't be exerting himself too hard while on the ship. Plus, I think Zoro wouldn't care too much to be locked up in the Med. Ward, no matter what Chopper said. And yes indeedy, the poison IS getting worse. Thanks! I'm glad you thought the character interactions worked well! Oh, alright! That makes a lot of sense, actually… Thank you for the constructive criticism! :D Thanks again! Loved your long review! Hope you keep reading!

ArabianNinja: Thanks a lot! Yeah! Ain't NO one insulting Luffy when Zoro's 'round! XD Haha, thanks. Luffy's a goof even in serious situations, and I wanted to show that. You kidding? That sentence makes perfect sense! (At least to me it does!) Thanks for your review again; hope you enjoy this installment!

Sora Tayuya: Yaay~! ^^ I'm happy you liked it, Sora-chan! Yeah, poor Zoro's got it purty darn bad. Ah, that's okay! No need to be self-conscience! Wow… O.o School was finishing up the last time I posted… That seems like a VERY long time ago. Dang. I need to be quicker! Hope you like this one! Your thoughts always make me smile! Thanks for always taking the time to leave such upbeat reviews!

DP-shrine-in-closet-girl: First of all, I LOVE long reviews. And this one really made my day! Thank you so much for the compliments! I'm glad you think I nailed Luffy! Sometimes he's a little hard to write for, so it's good to hear from a reader that what I have works. Yeah! Sanji said that during his fight with Wanze! (The ramen kenpo guy; it was on the train that was going to Enies Lobby) He said he didn't like to use knives for fighting, only for cooking. Hmm… I don't recall ever hearing him say anything about swords though… But thanks anyway! I knew right from the get go that I wanted him to have a sword. It would just be too ironic! ^^ But glad you think him actually being pretty good with the sword was fitting. I decided to put this story in the 'Pre Franky and Brook' timeframe only because it would mean extra bodies if I didn't. XP And I'm not quite sure I'd know what to do with Franky and Brook! (They definitely couldn't blend in inside a Marine base. XD) Oh goodness, never feel bad for leaving long reviews! I love 'em! And I'm very flattered at all of the wonderful compliments you've given me! Thank you so much! I hope you keep on reading!

Happy Life: Oh, how I wish I could update in two hours…. XD That'd be awesome. Thanks! Yeah, I was hoping to make the Marines seem pretty unlikeable. ;) Hahaha, that's okay! So hooray! Now you're officially on my 'Reader Review' page! :D Hope you like this chapter!

cb (ann.): That's right, Zoro! XD I don't think Chopper would even LET him disobey the orders at this point. Hope you enjoy this chapter too!

Tony WildRiver: I live! ^0^ It's very exciting news ideed! Ah, s'okay! None of us are that prompt with our updates! Thanks a bunch! Glad you liked the pan back to the Merry! Hope you're still excited to read this chapter! :3

PleasantlyStrange: Hahaha, first of all! I like your username! XD It makes me smile! Thanks! ^^ Glad you liked the argument! I had a lot of fun writing it! Oh jeez. In that case I hope you got some sleep… I've done a few all-nighters myself, and they aren't easy! Sadly, in my case, when I pull an all-nighter, I can't get to sleep until the night after that! -.-' But thanks! Glad you liked it! I hope you'll like this chapter too!

ZeldaAddict42: Ahh, Zelda-chan… I do love reading your reviews. I know; totally my intention there! I can't help it. Angsty Zoro (or Sanji!) is pretty much my favorite thing in the world to write. I get really into it. XP And trust me, it'll get sadder! *laughs evilly* Hehe… Glad you liked that bit. Zoro dishing out justice to Marines just seemed right. Glad you caught that! No one else really commented on the pride thing. But I'm happy you of all people got it! :D Thanks! I was kind of nervous bringing out Luffy's more serious side, just because I thought some people might think he was being TOO serious. I'm happy you didn't think so! Of course Chopper wouldn't lie! Silly Zelda-chan! *shifty eyes* Yeah, I'm going to have her inform Chopper about it. Don't you worry! Thank you muchly again! I always appreciate your thoughts very much!

-Arashi-Storm-Guardian: Yay! I'm glad you laughed! ^^ Even though they're going through some tough times, the StrawHats remain silly! :P I really hope you like this update!

Pom Rania: I guess we'll have to see how poor Zoro-kun fares… If he makes it or not… *evil grin* But a hug is definitely visible in the future, so I'll dedicate whatever Zoro-hug that happens to you! ^0^

Taryn Steambattle: Thankies! Glad you think Zoro taking the needle was in character! Haha, yes they will! Zoro's pretty much already made them eat their words anyway… XD He definitely did not act like a dying man. No problem at all! It was a really good idea that I hadn't thought of! :D

PaperBagGhost: Aww, thank you! Glad it was worth it! I always feel so guilty about making you guys wait so ridiculously long… . Sorry about the sadness! Sadly (no pun intended) it's my forte, so there's definitely going to be more in the future! I this chapter was worth the wait as well!

verunder: Thanks a bunch! Oh, I'm happy you made that comparison! Lets me know that I have ol' Zoro in somewhat good character! :3 Hope you keep reading, and enjoy this chapter!

umino-gaara: Gaah, I'm sorry for that…. -.-' I always take my sweet time when updating because of the horrid Writer's Block… Well, I still hope you'll read this chapter and like it! I'll try and be better about updating sooner!

…...

Sanji shuddered awake with a gasp.

Sweat trickled down his cheek as the cook's eyes darted frantically around the room. The sound of light snoring coming from all the other recruits and the rows of bunks were somehow reassuring to him, and he exhaled quietly, closing and opening his eyes again.

"Damn it… A nightmare?" Sanji rolled to his side, "Che… Haven't had one of those in… Ages…" His gaze narrowed at a particularly interesting plank on the floor as images of what he had just seen floated back into his mind.

He was sinking…

Somehow Sanji had ended up in the ocean, and he was gazing down into the darkness below him questioningly, almost as if he was looking for something. Or someone. Light shined in from the sunlight above, but still didn't allow the cook much sight. Finally his eye caught something of color down in the darkness.

Green.

Zoro. He was sinking.

Immediately alarmed, Sanji began to swim down as fast as he could, intent on bringing his crewmate back up to the surface with him. As he got closer and closer, however, Sanji noticed several pairs of what almost looked like long black arms wrapping themselves around Zoro. The swordsman was struggling fiercely, trying to break free of the arms' hold, but nothing seemed to be working.

Sanji began to swim faster, noticing the struggle, his gaze narrowing on his target. Suddenly, Zoro's head lifted up so that his face could be seen, and Sanji almost completely froze where he was.

The swordsman looked scared. He looked genuinely afraid. And that horrified Sanji.

Zoro stretched his arm out as far as it would go, the black arms already beginning to weave around it. The look of desperation in his face made the cook's stomach twist. Sanji kicked his legs as fast as he could, reaching his own arm out to grab Zoro's hand. However, something felt wrong to him…

No matter how hard he kicked his legs or no matter how far his arm and fingers stretched out, he wasn't getting any closer to Zoro. The green-haired man just kept on being pulled farther and farther away. And the farther away Zoro was dragged, the more desperate his face became.

Suddenly the fact that he was underwater was painfully clear to Sanji. His lungs started to burn as he felt himself loosing air that he didn't have. He closed his eyes in pain and then when he opened them again… Zoro was gone.

And Sanji couldn't hold his breath anymore.

The cook frowned. He didn't have many nightmares. In fact, he hadn't had one since he was working on the Baratie… The day before Don Krieg and his pirate fleet came and threatened to kill everyone. A queasy feeling knotted its way into the man's intestines. His nightmares were few and far between, and they usually held some kind of deeper meaning. Some kind of sign for the near future.

several pairs of what looked like long black arms wrapping themselves around Zoro.

The swordsman looked scared. He looked genuinely afraid…

he wasn't getting any closer to Zoro.

Zoro was gone.

Sanji clenched his teeth and let some air out in a hiss. He rolled over to his stomach, burying his face in his pillow. He didn't know if it was the nightmare, or the fact that he hadn't had a single cigarette in three days that made him feel like he was going to puke.

The cook wiped his sweaty palms on the sheets of his bed before closing his eyes and trying to get the world to slow down. Tomorrow they would arrive at Red Fetter…

He only hoped that there was a swordsman to save by the time they got there.

"Hello Kappei-kun," Nami greeted cordially as Usopp sat down across from her, returning her hello with a polite nod of his head.

"Okamura-san," He replied, still using his lower 'Marine voice', as he'd grown to call it. He set his tray down in front of him softly, getting situated and beginning to poke at the food with his fork.

Nami took a quick glance around, "… No Hiroaki-kun?"

Usopp stopped toying around with his food, "Nope… I haven't seen him all day."

Nami frowned, looking down at her tray. She didn't like this. Something about the way Sanji had been acting for the past few days worried her. It was almost like he was closing himself off from them. Even here in the mess hall- which they discovered was another very convenient place to talk –he seemed withdrawn. Like he didn't want his own nakama to see him…

The clattering of a tray next to Usopp made the both of them snap out of their subdued thoughts.

"Hiroaki-kun!" Nami said in a shocked tone, trying to keep her voice down as much as she possibly could.

"There you are! God, we've been worried about you!" Usopp whispered to the man now sitting next to him, talking in more of his normal voice.

"Sorry…" Sanji mumbled. He pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers.

Nami and Usopp shared apprehensive glances before turning their attention to the blond Marine in disguise that didn't look like he was in too great of shape. Nami was the first to speak up:

"Hiroaki-kun… Is something bothering you?" She ventured, "You've been pretty distant for the past couple days. We've been worried about you," Usopp nodded in affirmation.

"No, it's nothing. Sorry to worry you, Akemi-san…" They couldn't help but notice the slight irritated edge to Sanji's voice as he spoke and were about to pry further, when he lifted his head up to face them.

Usopp's eyes bulged almost out of his head, and Nami's brow furrowed with worry. Her voice lowered to a mere whisper:

"Oh my God… You look horrible…"

"What happened to you?"

The cook's eyes were both incredibly sunk in and bloodshot, and his face was lined with a fine layer of sweat. And Nami and Usopp both noticed how his hands seemed to shake on the table.

Sanji let out a frustrated breath of air, "I told you, it's nothing..." He averted their worried gazes as much as he could.

"That's not nothing!" Nami insisted, still keeping her voice down, "Have you seen yourself?"

Sanji sighed again, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. His defenses were crumbling fast. Being stubborn was way too hard in the condition he was in. He gave a weak chuckle, "I probably look like shit, huh?" He muttered. Usopp and Nami didn't look like they were too sure how to answer that question, "Well… That's definitely how I feel…"

"What happened to you?" Usopp repeated, this time more succinctly.

"Just going through a slight withdrawal, nothing much…" The cook muttered, saying the 'w' word as quietly as he could.

It took Nami a beat to realize what he was talking about, but when she did, worry flashed through her eyes. She didn't even think about that… "Oh jeez…. Hiroaki-kun, I'm sorry."

Usopp frowned, "Yeah… How long's it been?"

"Three days," Sanji replied tiredly. He was definitely counting.

Nami and Usopp looked at each other awkwardly, having a short but silent conversation about how to go about helping Sanji. Finally Usopp gave a shrug and Nami sighed. Sadly, in situations like these there wasn't much they could do for their friend. Neither of them had ever dealt with something like this before, and they certainly didn't know how to remedy Sanji's pain.

"I kinda wish we brought Chopper along now…" Usopp thought anxiously, "'Cuz MAN, does he look like hell."

"I know what you're thinking," Sanji closed his eyes shortly. He still sounded irritated, "Just don't worry about it. I told you it's nothing. I can get over it."

"Not to be a pessimist, but how will you do that?" Usopp asked, "It seems like a pretty hard thing to overcome easily."

"… Done it before…" Sanji mumbled, almost inaudibly.

Nami looked surprised, "You mean you've… Been through a withdrawal before?"

The cook tapped his fingers on the table agitatedly. The food on his tray hadn't even been touched, "Yeah," He admitted hesitantly. It wasn't something he was really comfortable sharing openly. He didn't want them to worry about him more.

"When?" Nami asked. When she saw the almost pained look on Sanji's face, she quickly waved a hand in dismissal, "Not to pry or anything! You don't have to tell us if you don't want to."

"No, it's fine…" The cook sighed. His defenses were really at an all time low anyway, so he figured there was no use trying to fight it. He would just try and be as vague as possible, "It was on the Baratie. I think I was sixteen."

"So… What happened?" Usopp asked.

"I tried to quit smoking."

…...

"Commander! Commander Gorgon, sir!"

"What is it, Corporal?" Gorgon looked up from the paperwork that he had been gazing down at, a not too pleased expression covering his face.

The corporal saluted as he entered the dimly lit room, "Red Fetter is in sight, sir."

"… Good…" Gorgon nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing in discomfort.

"Is… Something wrong, sir?" The corporal asked, eying his commanding officer curiously. Shouldn't that news have made him happier?

"Corporal…"

"Yes, sir?"

"Have you noticed that we haven't encountered the StrawHat pirates once since the attacking four days ago?"

"Yes sir, I have. It's certainly a relief, isn't it? If the whole crew attacked, who knows how many more of the crew could've been injured or killed? After all, the Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro is also a part of their crew. And his bounty isn't that much smaller than StrawHat's!"

Gorgon's eyes slightly twitched at the mention of Zoro's name, "Yes… That would've been unfortunate…"

"Though, I have to admit… It is quite odd that they haven't even shown up once."

"… You're dismissed, Corporal. Go alert the other recruits."

The corporal saluted, "Right away, sir!"

As soon as the door slammed behind the lesser Marine, Gorgon's eyes took on a dark glint. Yes, it was quite odd that the StrawHats hadn't even shown up once for the past few days.

Quite odd…

…...

"There it is…" Luffy said in anticipation, gripping the railing of the Going Merry eagerly. Red Fetter grew steadily closer and closer.

Zoro unconsciously gripped Wadou's hilt, "Finally…" He thought anxiously, "I can finally get rid of this damned poison."

"Captain-san," Robin piped up from behind. Luffy looked back curiously, "It would be wise for us to search for a pace to hide the ship before we're spotted. It would be a pretty pointless journey if we were all caught."

"Oh yeah…" Luffy scratched his head, "Forgot about that…"

"Of course he did," Zoro thought wearily. A sudden familiar lurch in his stomach made the swordsman wince, "Oh crap, not another-" He put a hand up to his mouth just seconds before a horrible coughing fit rattled his insides. The two crewmates on deck immediately went to him.

"Zoro?" Luffy raised his voice in worry.

"I'll go get Doctor-san," Robin threw over her shoulder as she ran up the Merry's stairs.

"Zoro, just hang on. Robin's going to get Chopper," Luffy offered, putting a hand on his First Mate's shoulder in an attempt to steady the man like he had seen Chopper do days before. He frowned deeply. The boy was no Doctor, but even he could tell that Zoro was seriously getting worse. In just one day, his face had become gaunt and his entire body looked like it was losing muscle mass. In addition to that, he was two shades paler than normal. And right now he was even whiter…

Zoro managed to get a weak nod in between all the hacking and coughing so that his Captain could be sure he was heard. Suddenly the swordsman felt a warm coppery substance shoot up his throat with every cough and his brain started to run around in frustrated circles.

"Oh no…" He thought, the worst possible thing popping up in his mind. He was getting worse. A lot worse.

The sound of hurried hooves soon clattered to the deck and over to Luffy and Zoro. Luffy quickly stepped back and allowed Chopper to get to his patient. The reindeer morphed into Heavy Point and put his hands on Zoro's shoulders like he had done before.

He bit his lip. Chopper wished there was some way he could actually alleviate his friend's terrible coughing, but there really was nothing he could do. All the options that ran through his head couldn't stop something this severe.

Thankfully, Zoro's coughs started to slow down to nothing shortly after the Doctor arrived. However, when he was hesitant to take his hand down from his mouth, Chopper's stomach did a somersault.

"Zoro…?" He questioned quietly.

Zoro sighed silently in defeat. There was no way of hiding his fears from Chopper… Or from himself. He slowly took his hand down from his mouth and confirmed his silent trepidation. Chopper swallowed hard. Zoro swore.

Blood.

It covered Zoro's hand. Lined his mouth. Made Chopper bite his lip so hard you would think red liquid would start coming out of him too.

Luffy looked confused and concerned, "What… What does that mean?"

Chopper looked absolutely defeated for a moment before he gently nudged Zoro, "… Zoro? Come on; I need to… Get rid of that blood for you… And do one last check-up before we arrive at the base."

Zoro nodded somewhat reluctantly, knowing that this was necessary if he were to actually survive this whole ordeal. Plus, much to his disdain, he felt his obstinate ways slowly disintegrating. The swordsman simply didn't have the energy to argue with the young Doctor.

Meanwhile, Luffy stood solemn-faced, frustrated with the lack of an answer to his question. He watched as Zoro and Chopper walked hurriedly up to the Medical Bay, leaving the Captain alone on the deck.

And for some reason, he did feel quite lonely…

Luffy looked back to the horizon again, watching as Red Fetter grew closer and closer. His brow furrowed. An odd anger welled up inside of his chest as he thought of all the violent attacks that Zoro had been having for the past few days. All of the pain he'd try to hide. And how that pain seemed to have gotten worse and worse…. And now this blood…

Though the straw hat-clad boy never got a verbal answer to his question, he knew that the fact Zoro was coughing up blood was not good. Chopper's strained body language was enough to confirm that.

Luffy's anger about the whole situated had escalated with every slip downward his First Mate made. He hadn't had much to take it out on, but seeing the Marine Base that held the poison responsible for his Nakama'suffering…

That was enough to make his blood boil in his veins.

Zoro came back outside in a few minutes, leaning on the railing next to his Captain. He had a perplexed look about him. Luffy blinked, "Fast."

The swordsman grunted, "I wiped the blood up myself… And Chopper's examination was shorter than usual today."

"Why?"

"Because things are moving along fast. He just wanted a blood sample; said it'd be able to tell him a lot."

"Oh."

"It's been almost seven whole days, Luffy…" The Captain couldn't help but notice how Zoro's voice had taken on a hoarse edge. He sounded… Tired, "Chopper says the poison's progressed faster than he expected. I…" The swordsman sighed and clenched his fists. He looked down at his pale hands, "I don't want to lose to this Luffy. I can't lose to this," At the lack of response, Zoro scoffed, "Dunno why I'm spilling my guts out like this though. Not like I'm telling you anything you don't already know."

"Zoro."

His brow furrowed. Luffy's voice was extremely stern. A tone he usually only reserved for when he was about to threaten an enemy.

"I hate them, Zoro."

"Hm?" The swordsman's brow raised. That wasn't exactly what he expected.

Luffy looked out into the sea, "I hate them for what they've done to you. All of the suffering they've made you go through."

Zoro was shocked, to say the least. He knew Luffy felt that way, but the boy was never one for upright telling someone something like that, "Luffy, I-"

"I know what you're really going through, Zoro. I can see it. You try to hide it; you're good at that. But I can see it. The lack of fire in your eyes, how you shudder when you take in a deep breath, how you can't eat an actual meal without slipping off to the bathroom afterwards to throw it back up, the way you can't sleep at night even when Chopper gives you medication, how you pace around on the deck for hours at a time, trying to hold back horrible coughs so you won't wake anyone up," Luffy looked at his First Mate with a liable look, "Earlier… That wasn't the first time you've coughed up blood, was it Zoro?"

Zoro looked away ashamedly, clenching his hands together tighter. The whole reason he hid all of those things was so his Captain and crewmates wouldn't worry about him. But obviously it hadn't worked too well. Luffy… Knew everything. He was always oddly observant in his own way… Zoro cursed to himself. Should have taken that into account.

Luffy turned back to the sea, "I hate those people for causing this to happen to you… But I also hate that you've been trying to hide your pain from us. It makes me angry that this had to happen to you in the first place, but it makes me even angrier to know that you're trying to hide from your Nakama."

For some reason, those words made Zoro feel like a knife had just taken a stab at his heart.

"We want to help you, Zoro. Me, Chopper, Robin, Sanji, Nami, and Usopp. All of us. But we can't do that if you won't let us."

Another stab at the swordsman's heart. He fiddled around nervously with his hands. Suddenly there was a warm hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Luffy grinning victoriously.

"You won't lose to this thing, Zoro. You're going to win, just like you always do. And we're going to be helping you all the way!"

A slow smile spread across Zoro's face, and he suddenly looked even more tired than he had been. Like he'd given up trying to hide it, "… Thanks, Captain."

A small tan-colored ear disappeared from the Merry's deck in a dance of flowers.

…...

Robin smiled contentedly as she went back to reading her book. She was glad the boys had settled everything. She had been wondering when Luffy was going to confront Zoro about that…

A shuffle of feet brought her attention back to where she was and the three Marine soldiers sitting tied up in front of her, "Oh, that's right…" She mumbled. Robin set the book down, "It seems that we're getting rather close to Red Fetter."

"Yes, we've heard…" Kappei responded rather snappishly.

"Why would you remind us of that, woman?" Akemi growled, "You gonna let us go?" She added sarcastically, with a touch of fake desperation.

Robin giggled, "Oh, heavens no," She crossed her arms in an x across her chest, "Tres Fleur," The Marines watched in a mix of disgust and horror as three hands grew out of their shoulders. They could only begin to comprehend what was happening as the hands struck down hard on their necks and sent them all to the ground, unconscious. Robin uncrossed her arms, picked up her books, and stood up, "The term is hostages, if I remember correctly."

…...

Chopper let out a sigh of despair and put his head on his hooves.

As he thought, by examining Zoro's blood, he found out the man was much sicker than the Doctor had thought… But how was this going to work? They needed to hurry and find a place to hide out…

"Doctor-san? May I come in?" Robin's smooth voice was heard outside the door.

"Oh, y-yes. Come in," Chopper had to shake himself out of his reverie.

Robin walked in softly, closing the door behind her, "There's something I need to talk to you about."

Chopper was somewhat surprised by her forwardness, "… Oh?"

She nodded, holding up the book she'd been holding, "It's about something I learned about the Seastone poison."

The reindeer's heart skipped a few beats, "W-What'd you find out?"

…...

"Attention all hands! Attention all hands!" The call rang out loud and clear across the Mess Hall of Flagship 12.

Sanji, Nami, and Usopp looked up in interest to see the resident Corporal standing atop a balcony that overlooked the dining area; megaphone in his hands, "We are now in proximity of Red Fetter! Estimated arrival in half an hour or less! All hands prepare for docking!"

The small StrawHat group looked at each other anxiously as people began to shuffle out of the Mess Hall. This was it. They were almost there. Nami leaned in to whisper to the two boys:

"Okay, you guys. This is it. Now we have to remember why we came here. And that was to get the antidote," She said antidote as quietly as she could. Sanji and Usopp nodded, "We need to keep up our appearances at all cost, or else this whole mission will be a complete waste of time. Got it?" The two nodded again.

"We probably won't be able to really meet up again until after we dock…" Sanji mumbled, "Where should we meet up Akemi-san?"

Nami thought hard for a moment, "Umm… The less time we waste, the better, so…"

"How about right at the docks themselves?" Usopp asked, "It'll probably be kinda hectic with people unloading equipment and stuff, but that could give us a chance to talk without being heard."

"Good idea," Nami nodded, "Right at the docks then."

The three split off after that, going their separate ways to get ready with the other Marines in their units. Sanji spent his time nervously dodging questions from others about why he looked like something the cat dragged in, chewed up, and spit out.

"Zoro, you moss-headed ass…" He thought angrily amidst all the hustle and bustle, "You owe me ten packs of cigarettes after this is all over…"

…...

Chopper bit his lip hard again after Robin told him what she'd found. This was bad… Really bad… Based on what she told him, Zoro's vital organs could give out at any second; even before his time was supposed to be up. That information coupled with what he had just learned from studying the man's blood…

"Oh no…" He muttered hoarsely. Tears prickled up in his throat, "Oh no, no, no… What are we going to do, Robin?" His voice hitched.

"What do you mean, Doctor-san?" She gave him an apprehensive glance.

"I mean what are we going to do about Zoro? A-After studying his blood sample, I found out something… Something terrible…" The reindeer looked at Robin desperately as tears finally began to show the choke in his voice:

"My first diagnosis was somehow wrong! Zoro only has one day left!"

Author's Note:

.

.

.

It has been… Officially… Three months… Since I last updated this story… Wow. Do I feel like the biggest jerk ever. -.-' But-!

I LIIIIIIVE! Yosh! It is true! After months of what some of you must've assumed was FanFiction death, I've come back to life with more energy than ever! Whew!

I can safely say that I have had the absolute worst Writer's Block in the history of Writer's Block… I know I say that like every time I update (XP), but this time was definitely the worst. (I mean, come on, I didn't update for three months!) I spent many a night awake, going: "HOW DO I DO IT?"

Fortunately, somehow, I forced myself to get into the One Piece writing mood by reading old reviews for this story. (They always make me happy ^^) And here we are! It isn't the longest thing I've ever written, but hey! It's a chapter!

His nightmares were few and far between, and they usually held some kind of deeper meaning.

Sanji seems, to me at least, the kind of guy who'd have very few nightmares; those that he did have being the worst things ever. (Or maybe it's just some sick twisted urge I have to torture the poor fellow…)

The cook's eyes were both incredibly sunk in and bloodshot, and his face was lined with a fine layer of sweat. And Nami and Usopp both noticed how his hands seemed to shake on the table.

I actually did my research for this! I went online and looked up a whole bunch of different articles on cigarette withdrawals and what kind of symptoms there were. I'm not a smoker myself, so I wouldn't know anything about it… And I'm not sure if four days is enough time for a withdrawal to be happening, but I figure that Sanji's been smoking since he was twelve, so he's probably pretty addicted to it.

"I tried to quit smoking."

Don't you worry, people! I have a whole segment planned out for the end where Sanji explains this! :D

Chopper wished there was some way he could actually alleviate his friend's terrible coughing, but there really was nothing he could do.

I did my research on this too! I searched online for different treatments for coughing, but none of them were an immediate fix. (They were all things like drinking hot tea or taking a spoon full of honey, etc. None were things that Chopper could've done then and there for Zoro) So, meh!

"Dunno why I'm spilling my guts out like this though. Not like I'm telling you anything you don't already know."

As you all probably know, I simply adore the brotherly relationship between Zoro and Luffy! ^0^ It seems to me that if Zoro were to really vent or spill his guts out to anybody, it'd be Luffy.

A small tan-colored ear disappeared from the Merry's deck in a dance of flowers.

Robin knows everything. This is why.

They could only begin to comprehend what was happening as the hands struck down hard on their necks and sent them all to the ground, unconscious

Robin is also very practical. Pressure points. Gets 'em every time.

"My first diagnosis was somehow wrong! Zoro only has one day left!"

Aha! Bet ya didn't see that one coming!

The next chapter is probably going to be a lengthy one, since it'll be the actual invasion of Red Fetter. And lemme tell ya, there are a lot of surprises waiting for the StrawHats in my twisted little mind! :D So keep reading and reviewing! You know I love to hear your thoughts!

Oh! One more thing! Just as a little side note!

This is a little bit odd for me to be asking you guys, but I'm really anxious to hear what you'd all think…

Would any one of you be interested in making a 'fan-cover' for this story? I know it's kind of a random request, and pretty weird, but I'd really like to see what my readers would come up with in terms of art!

So, I suppose I'm actually asking for fanart. (Which is pretty sad, I've got to admit.) But it's been on my mind for a while now! I contemplated drawing something myself, but I thought it'd be more fun to see if any of you would be willing to do it. ^^

It's not something you HAVE to do. By all means, totally blow me off and go: "Dang, she crazy!" I know that you're busy people that have actual lives to attend to, but I'm just curious!

I would love to hear back from any of you on this! :] Thanks!

Take care, y'all!