Author's Note: Warning! This chapter contains: panic attacks, self harm, thoughts of death. Please read responsibly! For a detailed explanation of where these triggers will occur, please read the end notes! Hi everyone! We're officially into Thriller Bark. Everyone is getting suspicious of our sweet marimo now and they aren't afraid to let him know it. Despite the sadness, I am loving rewatching Thriller Bark. Brook is so good and I missed him so much! Hope you all enjoy!
Chapter Fifteen: Zoro
Nami's scream echoes from the island. In the thick fog, it's nearly impossible to tell which direction the noise came from. The cook lets out a shout, calling for her and Vivi as he leans against the railing, searching for them in the fog.
Robin lets out a thoughtful hum. "Perhaps they fell victim to a curse from that ghost."
"Oi!" Franky shouts. "Don't say stuff like that!"
"It also could have been another form of the undead, I suppose."
Zoro sighs. "Robin, stop it."
The anchor drops in the sea with a splash. The cook and Franky immediately begin to panic as the thick presence of the damn cat slinks across the deck. The hatch flies open, cutting off the cook's demands for Franky to fix all these glitches. Silence falls as they wall turn toward it. Zoro drops his arms, fingers playing with Wadou's hilt as he waits for the catman to move for his swords.
Thick fog continues to float around them, making it all the more difficult to see. The cat moves by him, toward Luffy as the captain begins muttering about ghosts. Luffy's lips begin stretching in opposite directions, as though being pulled on by a force that can't be seen.
Damn cat.
"Oi, will you stop messing around?" the cook shouts. "Take things seriously, you shit captain."
"Wait, wait." Luffy throws his hands up to try and calm the angry blonde. "It's not me. I'm not doing this!"
His lips snap back and Luffy drops to the ground with a yelp. The cat moves on to him. Zoro's eyes follow the presence, glaring as he slips Wadou loose and slashes out. A loud growl fills the air around them as the cat moves to the edge of the ship, as though trying to size them all up. Luffy scrambles to his feet.
"Zoro?" Luffy asks.
"There's someone on Sunny," Zoro growls.
The cat remains at the railing, its presence thick and uncomfortable in the air. Briefly, he wonders if the invisible man is weighing his options. Last time the pervert had gone after Robin. Now, he seems to be unsure if he should move. Wondering if Zoro can see him.
Not with his eyes.
"What?" Franky asks, glancing over at him. "You think there's a ghost on board?"
Zoro shakes his head. "Devil Fruit."
The cook moves to the railing. "Then, you deal with the Devil Fruit user, marimo. I'll get Nami-san and Vivi-chan. Take care of Robin-chan."
The cat lunges, catching the cook's ankle as he jumps. He flails for a moment before hitting the side of Sunny. Then, the cat pulls him up again and it almost looks as though the cook is flying.
"Suge!" Luffy shouts. "Sanji can fly."
Not yet.
"He can't fly," Franky says. "Can he?"
The cat spins the cook by the leg before throwing him at Zoro. Zoro steps out of the way, fighting his smirk as the cook lands hard on his front.
"Having trouble, shit cook?"
"This isn't funny, you bastard!" The cook leaps to his feet. "You saw what happened!"
Weight moves towards Robin and Zoro moves as well, slashing Wadou out again. The cat growls, more frustration and rage this time, though he manages to dodge out of Wadou's distance. Robin takes half a step back, eyes wide as Zoro stops in front of her, eyes following the presence of the invisible man as he danes away.
"What the hell is going on?" the cook demands.
Sunny rocks hard, everyone stumbles. Robin's hand snatching the back of Zoro's shirt to steady herself. The cook lands hard on his ass while Luffy stumbles back with Franky. A variety of curses rise from the cyborg as he grabs Sunny's rail and looks out at the water.
"I don't know what's going on," Franky calls. "But we've got waves inside the wall. We're being pushed away from the island."
Well, shit.
"Zoro?" Luffy calls.
"Cook, I'm going to raise the anchor. Get to the wheel." Zoro bolts for the anchor, fighting to keep himself steady as the Sunny tilts in the waves. "Franky, don't let Luffy or Robin fall overboard."
"You got it, Zoro-bro!"
It's a waste of time, Zoro knows. These waves will throw them right into that shitty spiderweb and they'll be stranded. But, it will keep the crew a little more at ease if they at least try to do something.
"This isn't working!" the cook shouts. "The wheel's stuck."
"Wow, what is that thing?" Luffy points ahead of them, straight at the spiderweb.
"It looks like a spider's web," Robin says.
"Zoro! The damn wheel is stuck!" the cook shouts again.
"I heard you the first damn time, curlybrow," Zoro snaps back. "What the hell do you want me to do about it?"
Another wave slams into Sunny. Everyone stumbles, Robin and Luffy both hitting the deck, hard. Zoro barely manages to grab the railing in time to keep himself on his feet. At the wheel, the cook swears wildly.
"Zoro, what the hell are we supposed to do?" the cook demands.
"Why are you asking me?" Zoro snarls.
A wave flies up, crashing down on Zoro and Franky.
"We assumed you knew what was going on here, sword-bro," Franky says.
"And why the fuck would I know what's going on?"
"Because Zoro always-"
"Luffy, away from the edge you moron." Zoro lunges as the ship tilts, snatching the front of Luffy's vest when he's almost thrown off the ship.
"Marimo!"
"We're going to get stuck in the damn spiderweb, there's no helping it. Now quit your bitching!"
"I believe swordsman-san is correct," Robin calls. "At this point, it may be safer to allow ourselves to be pushed into the web rather than attempt to steer Sunny away and cause damage."
The cook growls unders his breath but puts up no further arguments. Waves slam against Sunny as they're thrown toward Thriller Bark. Zoro keeps a firm grip on his captain, trying to keep the damn idiot from falling off again. The web catches them, as expected, without much issue, waves calming once they reach the island.
Luffy wriggles away from Zoro's grip, shouting about how cool the spider web is and demanding pirate lunches. His captain grabs onto the cook's arm, dragging him toward the kitchen even as the bastard glares back at Zoro. As though Zoro put the giant spider web here.
Robin's calculating eyes find Zoro again as he leans out to squint through the fog. "Do you think we should expect trouble, swordsman-san?"
At least she's trying to be subtle. "Well, we've got four missing nakama and someone stealing shadows. So, yeah, I'd assume we should expect some trouble."
Robin's eyebrow raises with patient amusement. "And what kind of trouble should we expect?"
"How the hell should I know that?"
"You really do intend to keep up the charade then."
Zoro's heart slams against his chest. A shiver runs down his spine and he keeps his gaze locked on the fog in front of him. "What charade is that?"
Robin lets out a hum.
At least it's only Robin. Honestly, Zoro expected this anyway. Robin knows everything and she figures everything out with ease. But, she rarely shares that information with anyone. And, even if she has suspicions, who's to say they're correct. She and Luffy are similar in that way. They both have suspicions on what's going on, but neither of them know what the truth is.
Zoro intends to keep it that way.
"Yosh!" Luffy's cheer rings out as he bounds back out of the kitchen with a bag and a bug net. "Sanji's got our pirate lunches, let's go."
Brown eyes zero in on Zoro, alight with mischief. Zoro stares back at him, watching the gears in his captain's mind begin to turn.
"No. No, Luffy, don-"
Luffy's rubbery body slams into him. Within seconds, Zoro's back hits the deck and Luffy laughs hysterically in his ear. Zoro shoves his captain back and sits himself up. How many times is this? It feels like the millionth in just the pass week. Seems like everytime Zoro turns around, Luffy is throwing him somewhere.
"Damn it, Luffy, what the hell has gotten into you?"
Luffy laughs, bouncing to his feet.
"Look! It's a dog!" Luffy cheers. "I wonder what it tastes like."
The three headed monstrosity whines and scampers backward, all three sets of ears pressed down. Zoro shakes his head at the beast. For such a large, fearsome creature, Cerberus is the biggest wimp he's ever seen.
"Look at that, it's Cerberus. We are literally on the path to Hell," the cook sighs.
The cook has no clue how right he is.
"I think he's cute," Robin says around a giggle.
"Think they're a threat?" Franky asks.
No. Not in the slightest. One good punch will tame the little bastard with ease. Luffy lunges at the dog, barking like a madman. Zoro bites down on his lower lip to hold back a smile. Luffy had never completely lost this fun loving energy, but it has been years since Zoro's seen him this wild and free.
Cerberus growls, all three heads baring their sharp teeth at Zoro's insane captain.
"Looks like he wants to fight now, Luffy," Zoro says.
"Must think it's cornered," the cook says, stretching out his leg. "Here, let me."
Luffy's arm shoots out to freeze the cook. "No. Wait. I wanna tame it!"
"Tame it?" the cook echoes. "That monster?"
"He's a dog," Luffy replies as he walks slowly toward the dog. "There, there, there. Sit."
Zoro sighs as all three mouths clamp down around Luffy's body.
"Just to be clear." Smoke drifts around the cook as he exhales. "We all saw this coming, right?"
Robin giggles. "He does have a way with animals."
"That's because he is an animal," Zoro mumbles as Luffy coaxes the beast into releasing him.
A rubber fist slams into the monster's side. "Lay down!"
Zoro presses his lips together and looks away, trying to hide his smile. Beside him, the cook shakes his head. Luffy beams at them.
"Look, now he's trained!"
Zoro laughs.
It takes Luffy only a few moments to get Cerberus on his feet again and the captain leaps up onto the beast's back with a cheer. Zoro falls into step beside the monster, the rest of the group following his example. The island feels familiar and strange all at once. It's been years since Zoro has had to set foot on this goddamned ship. Or is it an island?
He shakes his head, searching for signs of Vivi and her group. If he remembers correctly, they'll meet up on the ship again. After they get their shadows stolen. Shit. He forgot about that one too. How, he isn't sure. Seeing as Luffy's shadow ends up in Oars.
Zoro really needs to stop forgetting things.
They lose the cook first, in the castle. Then, the damn spider gets him. It's probably worth stopping that. Actually, it's probably worth keeping Luffy's shadow out of Oars too, if he can make that happen. It certainly would give them a little more strength against Moria.
And Kuma.
Shit. He forgot about Kuma.
He shakes the Shichibukai from his mind. Whatever happens, he'll deal with it when it comes. Everyone else makes it out of here unharmed. That's the important part. Everyone else is safe. And Zoro will find a way to handle Kuma when he comes.
"Poor Cerberus seems down," Robin says, lip pouting.
"Don't pity him, Robin," Zoro tells her, glancing around the beast's middle head. "It'll just make him feel worse."
"Nami-swan!" The cook shouts. "Vivi-chan!"
His shouts don't die down, even after ten minutes of no response. Zoro rolls his eyes. The moron never learns.
"Nevermind the weird layout of this place, the fog just makes it impossible to see," Franky mutters.
"I do get the feeling that we may be walking in circles," Robin says.
"We're not," Zoro says before he can stop himself.
God, he needs to get a filter for his stupid fucking mouth. All eyes turn to him again, Robin's eyebrow raised high. Shit. Shit. He needs something. Anything. His eyes search, looking for any defining landmark, until they find the empty dirt ground beneath his feet.
Zoro clears his throat and nods to the ground. "There'd be footprints if we'd already walked through this way."
"Oh." Luffy nods very seriously. "He's right. No footprints!"
Franky and the cook return to their own business, searching the thick fog around them while Luffy laughs about all the cool stuff on the island. Robin, however, continues to watch him with that eyebrow raised high.
Zoro refuses to look at her, turning his gaze to the thick trees hidden within the fog.
"We would've had better luck if we left the marimo back on the ship," the cook growls.
Somehow, the bastard ends up behind him, yelling for Nami and Vivi.
"How is this my fault?" Zoro demands.
Ahead of him, Luffy lets out a shout of glee and surprise. Ahead of him, a unicorn and a tree with a big nose freeze, staring at Luffy with wide eyes. The rest of the group freeze as well. Then, Luffy lunges from Cerberus. The tree and unicorn make a break for the trees. Franky shoots off after Luffy, both of them grinning like maniacs.
Zoro sighs, rubbing his temples.
"How did I wind up with the dumbest people on the crew?" the cook moans.
"Just dumb luck," Zoro replies.
Luffy wrangles the tree, grinning madly.
"Luffy," the cook sighs, watching Franky sit on the unicorn. "What do you even plan on doing with these things?"
Luffy's eyes sparkle.
"No," Zoro says firmly. "Absolutely not."
"But Zo-Ro!" Luffy whines.
"No."
"Zoro, you're so mean."
"Let it go, Luffy."
Pouting, Luffy releases the tree man.
"You too, Franky," Zoro says.
"Not cool, sword-bro."
The unicorn sprints off after the tree. Pout still firmly in place, Luffy jumps back onto Cerberus and Franky jumps up behind him.
"But why not, Zoro?" Luffy whines, slumping against the beast's middle head.
"I let you have the skeleton," Zoro replies, kicking Cerberus's back leg to prompt him forward. "That's all you're getting, Sencho."
"Zoro."
"No."
"But it woulda been so cool! Just think. We'd have the coolest crew in the whole Grand Line if we had them with us. And we coulda rode the unicorn."
"Mugiwara-bro is suuuper right!"
"He's suuuuper not," Zoro mocks back.
"Not cool, swords-bro!"
"The tree talked, Zoro. He talked."
"I heard, Luffy."
"And the unicorn talked too!"
"For the last time, Luffy," the cook cuts in. "The marimo letting you have the skeleton was bad enough. We don't need talking trees and unicorns on the crew. You already have a racoon dog and a robot. That's messed up enough."
"Oi!" Franky shouts. "I'm not a robot, I'm a cyborg, moron."
"Oh, big difference. You're not human. That's the point."
"I'm human at heart!"
"You're a pervert at heart!"
"Oh, so you do get it."
"That's not a compliment."
"What kind of cool stuff are we gonna see next?" Luffy sings from Cerberus's head. "This is so much fun."
"You know," Robin hums thoughtfully, petting the monster's head. "That tree and unicorn from earlier had one thing in common with Cerberus here."
"Oh?" The cook scrambles ahead to look at Robin. "What's that, Robin-chan?"
"Bandages, stitches, and numbers engraved in their bodies."
"Oh?" The cook looks at the number 82 on Cerberus's side. "You're right, Robin-chan. Do you think someone is controlling them?" A finger pokes into Zoro's shoulder. "Oi, marimo."
"If you want to keep that finger," Zoro growls. "Quit poking me with it."
"Well, you are scary, marimo. But, answer the question."
"Why the hell would I know that?"
"Because-"
"Do you guys hear that?" Luffy calls.
Thankfully, the cook looks away from him and up to the captain. A haunting call of "neg-a-tive. Neg-a-tive. Neg-a-tive" drifts out from the thick fog. Perona. Unease boils in his stomach. Zoro's hand falls to his leg, thumb carefully digging into his wound to keep his mind on track.
Perona is here. But, she isn't his Perona. This isn't his friend of years. This is Moria's underling.
Cerberus whines slightly and stops in the middle of the forest. A white ghost floats out from between the trees, chanting in its disturbingly sing-song voice.
"There it is! The ghost!" Luffy shouts.
The ghost multiplies, two more appear to dance around. Their creepy song of "negative" rings louder and more annoying.
"Suge! They dance!" Luffy cheers.
"I don't think I like that chant," the cook mumbles.
Luffy leaps from Cerberus, swatting his net at the closest ghost. "I want him as a pet!"
Moaning, the cook rubs his temples. "I hate our captain."
"Oi!" Franky calls. "Let me try!"
Fire erupts from the cyborg's lips as he tries to burn the ghosts. As if the fire won't go through them, the same as Luffy's shitty net had.
"I hate our shipwright," Zoro tells the cook.
"We're surrounded by idiots."
Robin giggles from the other side of Cerberus.
"Damn," Franky hisses. "I guess that didn't work."
One of the ghosts flies out of the fire and straight through Franky's chest. The shipwright is on the ground in seconds.
"I'm useless," Franky whines. "Everything I did this week is useless. Whatever I do is useless. I've got no confidence in living anymore."
"Oi!" The cook shouts. "Why are you getting so emotional?"
Because Perona's a bitch. Luffy leaps at another one of the ghosts, trying to wrap his arms around it. It slips through the captain's body and Luffy hits the ground beside Franky, head hung low.
"If I get reborn, I wanna be a clam. I can't cut it as a human. Just leave me here to die!"
"What the hell is wrong with you two? Why are you so emotional?" The cook's voice reaches Nami levels of screeching.
One ghost. Two ghosts. Zoro's eyes scan the sky, searching for the third ghost. It has to be somewhere. It has to be.
"It appears that when you're touched by these ghosts," Robin says. "You become very depressed."
"Oh?" The cook glances over at Robin. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."
Freezing cold spreads through Zoro's chest, spreading down his torso and to the tips of his fingers. His stomach churns and a small voice begins to rise up from the back of his mind.
Failure.
Worthless.
Zoro swallows hard, squeezing his eyes closed and breathes. His knees don't weaken, even as the voice in his head throws awful words around. No lies spill from his mouth. Maybe because all of the truth is already in his head.
"Oi." The cook pokes him hard in the shoulder. "Why didn't it work on you?"
"I'm a swordsman. I'm full of proper discipline," Zoro replies with an eye roll. "Oi, Luffy, Franky. Get your asses up."
"Hello!" Luffy calls, knocking lightly on the door. "Look, nobody's home. I'm going in."
"Don't just barge in, shithead," the cook orders.
Luffy pulls at the door but it doesn't budge. "Aw, it's locked."
Robin hums behind them, looking around the tunnel closely. Zoro takes a moment to do the same. He can feel the shadows moving around their new hosts from within the walls. Somewhere above them, the giant spiderling moves around. He needs to keep an eye on that damn thing. One wrong turn and he'll end up with his shadow sitting in some dead guy. The cook will too. If he can keep Luffy's out of Oars, it'll make Thriller Bark ten times easier. Taking down Moria without worrying about Oars would be nice.
So, so nice.
But would it make them weaker? They'd all worked hard to take down Oars. Come together in coherent sync and that had been good for them. So good for the crew.
The spider crawls around the ceiling. The rest of the shadows spread out, their plan already in place.
Shit. Shit.
Zoro needs to figure this out.
Shit.
Make a decision. Make the right decision.
Let Luffy's shadow be taken? Make sure everyone knows how to work together? Save them all the trouble and make it easier to fight Moria?
Zoro's breath sticks to his chest. His thumb digs into his leg, letting the sting of pain force the breath out. Behind him, wood shatters as Luffy punches through the door to unlock it.
"Oh, look." Luffy laughs. "Now, it's open."
"It's open because you broke the lock," the cook mutters.
The rest of the crew file into the mansion behind their captain. Forcing his brain to work, Zoro follows behind them. His hand tightens around the hilt of Wadou, eyes searching each part of the mansion as Luffy shouts for the Shichibukai to come out so he can kick Moria's ass.
Enemy presences crash into him like storm waves. Zoro's fingers tremble. How long until the cook goes missing? It's in this room, right? Or not. It could be a different room. The others mumble around him, Luffy's shouts drown by the uneven beat of Zoro's heart. He has to make this decision now.
Soon, they'll start dropping off one by one.
Up on the wall, the pig's head begins to laugh at them, amused by Luffy's boldness, as their opponents often are. The "hiding" monsters pop to life, though Zoro can't force himself to do much more than blink at the giant, whtie bear rug that's picked itself up in front of him.
He can't feel it. The presence of the bear. The presence of the spider crawling around somewhere. Almost as though every bit of his Observation Haki has just shut down. As if Zoro stands in this room by himself.
Can't feel the crew.
Can't feel his captain.
Flicking Yubashiri up, Zoro digs his thumb into the blade. Red spills across the ruined blade, but it's not deep enough that anyone will notice. Not noticeable enough that the cook will lose his shit. Hopefully.
It's not big, but the short, sharp pain brings his mind back where it belongs.
The cook moves first, slamming his foot into the nearest painting and growling something about Nami and Vivi. Several of the beings around them scream out as the others begin to pummel them. Zoro draws Wadou and Kitetsu, swiping them sharply at the small group rushing him.
"Nigiri."
They collapse to the ground. The sound of Luffy running and laughing as he runs away from the bear. He has to turn to look for Luffy, to look for any of the crew. Pressing his index finger into his bleeding thumb again, Zoro hopes to ground himself again. Hopes it will help his Observation Haki find his captain again.
Shit. Shit.
Warm blood spills from his thumb, pain drumming dully.
Something thick and sticking wraps around his arms, pinning them to his chest. A spiderweb. More webbing sticks around his mouth before he can speak and he's jerked up. Something hard cracks across his skull and Zoro barely has the chance to see Luffy laugh as he punches the bear rug into the ground before the world goes dark.
Sweat pours down his body when consciousness returns. Darkness refuses to leave, even though Zoro knows his eyes are open. He can feel the walls of the coffin, too close for comfort. His heart slams into his chest, breath coming in sharp pants as he struggles against the webbing still wrapped around him.
Shit.
How did he let this happen?
Zoro is supposed to be better. Stronger. He knew exactly what was going to happen. How in the hell did he manage to fuck this up?
Failure.
He knew what would happen to Yubashiri too. Now, the broken blade sits on his hip. Zoro can't do anything right. He can't change anything. He'll never change anything.
His crew is going to die.
They're going to die and leave him alone again.
The walls of the coffin close in around him. Zoro pushes his arms against the webbing, desperate to break it even if he knows it won't do him any good. The air turns too thick. Red hot sweat burns his skin as it tumbles down him. His lungs burn as he tries to make them work, fully aware that he's on the edge of hyperventilating.
He needs to breathe. Needs cool, fresh air.
Both his legs are free and Zoro slams his boot into the coffin's top. Everything around him shakes. Zoro can't tell if it's the coffin moving or his body trying to shake the panic out of him. Either way, nothing cool touches him.
He kicks the coffin again, wishing for the first time that the cook was here. One well placed fire kick and they'd be out of the webbing and the coffin.
Shit. Shit.
Focus.
Moria has him. But, is Moria out there? How long is he going to be stuck in this damn thing? Can he get this fucking coffin open in time to escape?
Failure.
This is exactly what happened last time.
Nothing will ever change.
He can't change anything.
No matter what he does. Zoro will always be a failure. Zoro will always lose his crew.
Because they're a crew he never deserved in the first place. And losing them is a punishment for everything he's ever done. For every promise he's failed to keep.
Failure.
Failure.
Failure.
He slams both feet into the coffin's lid. Shit, he needs to breath. Needs cool, fresh air to fill his lungs and stop him from dying. Because he can't reach his swords, which means he can't find any more pain. Can't find a way to ground himself.
The lid shudders again, but it doesn't open.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Zoro slams his head back in frustration. The ache is dull, but it's there. Pain is there. He slams his head back again. Needs that pain. Needs to be grounded. Needs to breathe.
Breathe.
Breathe.
Breathe.
A sharp, stabbing pain slams into the back of his skull each time he slams his head into the wood. Warm wet starts to seep through his hair, trickling down his neck. Zoro manages to suck in a deep breath. Every ounce of adrenaline begins to drain out of him as he pants, chest heaving.
The air stays thick but he manages to suck it down.
Stop panicking.
"Brook," he whispers. "Brook."
Because Brook needs him. His whole crew needs him. They need him in his right mind. Need him to protect them. So, he needs to keep himself focused. Just one step at a time.
"Brook."
He closes his eyes, ignoring the drumming in his head and pulls in a few more breaths.
Everyone makes it out of this. The crew make it out of this unharmed and okay. And, he isn't going to think about what happens next. He's going to worry about making sure everything goes the way it needs to so that he can meet up with Kuma again.
So that his crew is unconscious when the Shichibukai comes.
And, if he has to take Luffy's pain again, who cares? He's walked away with Luffy's pain before. He can do it again. Zoro will take the pain from every member of his crew if he needs to.
If he has to let Moria take Luffy's shadow again, fine.
If he has to face Oars again, fine.
As long as all roads lead to Kuma.
Because roads that lead to Kuma, lead to changes. The right changes. Changes that he needs to make. Changes that will save his crew.
So, as long as Zoro can get the Shichibukai alone again. As long as he can convince Kuma to send him to Marineford, then Zoro can start making the right changes. Zoro can save Ace and that will change everything.
Get to Kuma. Get to Sabo. And save Ace.
The three most important steps to this plan.
And, if saving Ace costs Zoro his life, all the better. At least then, he can be with his nakama. He can stop failing at everything. He can finally sleep.
Ace means an opportunity for an alliance with the Whitebeard Pirates. It means more people to back them up when things start to go to hell. Ace means two overprotective big brothers to look out for Zoro's idiot of a captain.
Besides, if Zoro isn't there for Luffy to save in two years, then maybe his captain won't die. If Zoro takes Ace's place, saves his captain, and dies in Marineford then everything will change. Everything will change for the better.
He just needs to remember to tell Vivi everything. Maybe he should write it all down, just in case. Then, she'll know what to do when they get the invitation for that damned party on that god forsaken island. So, that way, if Zoro can't stand up to Akainu in Marineford, someone will know what's coming next.
If he survives it, great.
If he doesn't, oh well. At least he'll get to sleep.
Because sleep sounds good. Sleep sounds absolutely amazing. Just a long darkness with no panic, no guilt, no loneliness.
Just sleep. Sleep.
"Brook," he mutters to himself as his eyelids grow heavy.
That's what he needs to concentrate on right now. Moria will cut his shadow off. He, Luffy, and the Cook will wake up back on Sunny, and then he'll need to fight Ryuma. Free Brook's shadow. Free Brook.
That's it.
That is priority number one. The only thing that he is allowed to think about from now on is freeing Brook. Once that's out of the way, he can worry about everything else.
Right now, all that matters is Brook.
Light blinds him as the coffin lid is pulled off and Moria's giant hand reaches for him. The Shichibukai smiles down at him as the web is suspended in the middle of the room. Zoro does his best to snarl up at the large man, despite the dull drum of pain in his head and the light blinding him after so long in the dark.
God, he forgot how fucking ugly Moria is.
Another light flickers into life. Zoro squeezes his eyes closed to help ward off the assaulting bright. Moria lets out a slight chuckle as Zoro peeks an eye open to sneer at him again.
"Brook," he whispers the name, grounding himself as Moria tears his shadow up from the floor with a dark laugh, holding his scissors up. "Brook."
Warning! This chapter contains:
Panic Attacks
Self Harm
Thoughts of Death
Please read responsibly! There are multiple scenes containing both panic attacks and self harm. The thoughts of death comes into play in the second scene of panic attacks and self harm.
(Scene One:) As they try to break into Moria's house, Zoro begins to panic over what choices he has to make. The panic makes it difficult for him to concentrate and makes it difficult for him to use his Observation Haki which, naturally causes more panic. He uses Yubashiri to cut into his thumb, hoping it will help. Unable to concentrate, Zoro ends up captured by Moria's henchmen.
(Scene Two:) Waking up in the coffin, knowing he's about to have his shadow stolen, Zoro descends into massive panic. He throws himself around, trying to get loose, feels like he's suffocating and ends up bashing his head against the coffin until he starts to bleed. The shock is enough to bring him out of the panic. From there, he thinks about saving his nakama and decides that he needs to speak to Kuma, so Kuma can send him to Marineford instead of Mihawk. Going down this line of thought, Zoro decides that he will take Ace's place, saving Luffy's life so that Ace can live, and if he dies doing it, it might be a relief.
Scene One (panic attack & self harm) begins with:
"The spider crawls around the ceiling..."
Scene One ends with:
"Something thick and sticking wraps around his arms..."
Scene Two (panic attack, self harm, & thoughts of death) begins with:
"Sweat pours down his body when consciousness returns..."
Scene Two ends with:
"That's what he needs to concentrate on right now. Moria will..."
And thus chapter fifteen is complete! Zoro is way too willing to put himself in the line for his crew, but that's what makes him great. Next chapter, Vivi is back in action. She gets to fight an invisible man and save her favorite navigator for the grips of a pervert. And Nami starts asking some big questions. Hope to see you guys in the next chapter. Remember to stay healthy, stay sane, and stay safe out there!