Author's Note: Warning! This chapter contains: panic attack and self harm. Please read responsibly! For an in depth explanation of where these triggers will occur, please see the end notes. Hi everyone! We're getting into the changes now. Vivi is here to shake some things up, but we haven't gotten too far from the canon. Please, again, remember that no one has taken this boy away from me so nothing that happens in this chapter is my fault. Well, not all my fault. Thank you all for the comments and love for this fic. I'm plotting as I go, and I have some exciting things to come from here on out! Hope you all enjoy!
Chapter Sixteen: Vivi
Vivi frowns at Doctor Hogback as he saunters out of the doorway. The mud drying against her legs and arms itch. The new top Robin had picked for her before they left Water 7 is ruined after the first time she wears it. Though, she really should think things through before wearing a white top on an adventure.
The doctor begins scolding his servant for throwing plates at Usopp as Vivi and Nami pull the sniper to his feet. Chopper dances on the tip of his hooves, mouth open with awe struck delight. Even without Zoro's warning in the back of her mind, Vivi suspects that Doctor Hogback will cause them trouble. The old doctor gives her the chills as soon as he walks out the door, his strange purple feather cape hugging his disproportionate body like something out of a horror novel. The strange, cool presence returns. Vivi shifts uncomfortably, hunching her shoulders to fight off another shiver.
They follow the doctor's servant into the dining room, settling at the large table. Nami recounts their tale to the doctor as the rest of them sip the water Cindry brought them. Vivi's finger finds Luffy's ribbon, hanging too loose in her hair, and she tugs it out, letting her hair tumble down around her shoulders. Their tumble into the mote and tussle with the zombies has left her long locks a tangled, frizzy mess and she runs her fingers through her hair with care, trying to tame it.
"I've prepared a bath for you," Cindry announces. "Since you're all so filthy, you should take one before you go to bed."
"Oh, I forgot to ask you," Usopp says, turning to Hogback. "There's someone else who came to this island just before us. This sounds strange, but have you seen a skeleton roaming around today."
"A skeleton?" Hogback repeats.
Vivi's fingers freeze and she swallows hard. The strange tone in his voice weighs in the back of her mind with Zoro's warning.
"Yeah. He has an afro and he was in a really good mood for a dead guy. Of course, even for this place, I suspect it'd be a little odd to see a walking, talking skeleton. Are you sure he hasn't come by."
Sweat begins to form on the doctor's forehead. His voice seems hesitant, as though he's tripping over his own tongue. Brook has been in this mansion. Though, it's impossible to tell exactly when he'd been here.
"Well, if you do end up seeing him, would you let us know? We kind of need to find him."
"Alright, let's go!" Nami announces, bouncing to her feet. "Usopp, Chopper, Vivi and I are going to take a bath. You guys can bring us up."
"What? Why?" Usopp says. "You're big girls."
Nami's hand slaps across the back of his head. "Come on, you idiots."
Vivi keeps her eyes sharp as they walk through the hallways, searching for any signs of danger. The dim light from Nami's candle does little to help with the ominous energy around them. Shadows seem to stalk them down the corridor. Vivi's fingers stray to the ribbon, searching for comfort, fair more than she's proud to admit.
"Okay, you two," Nami says, pulling Vivi into the bathroom. "You wait out here and guard the door. Vivi and I are going to clean up."
Steam fills the room as they strip in moderate quiet and Nami starts the spray for them to rise off in.
"I have a bad feeling about this place, Nami-san," Vivi says.
"Don't worry too much, Vivi," Nami says, hands scrubbing the dirt from her hair. "As soon as night time hits, we're out of here."
The door opens, Usopp screeching in shock. "What? This place is scary enough in the daytime!"
"Usopp-san!" Vivi yelps, moving to cover herself.
Nami picks up a nearby bucket and throws it as hard as she can. It hits Usopp in the forehead and the sniper falls backward, the doors falling shut behind him.
"Keep your pervert ass out there, Usopp!" Nami growls.
Vivi sighs, slipping into the warm tub. It's just big enough for her and Nami to squeeze in side by side.
"We finally found a place where no one is trying to eat us and you want us to go outside, where we'll be the main course on a Strawhats menu," Usopp whines.
Shaking her head, Nami slips into the water beside Vivi. Vivi smiles back at her, listening to Usopp continue his terrified ramblings.
"We aren't any safer inside than we are out there," Nami tells them, tucking an arm behind her head. "You did look around this mansion, didn't you?"
Thank god, Vivi isn't the only one who noticed.
"No?" Chopper and Usopp whimper on the other side of the door. "What do you mean?"
"Well, if my assumptions about this place are correct, we are right in the middle of spook central. It's probably crawling with zombies in here."
The others scream out in fear.
Nami's eyes linger on Vivi. "Who I'm worried about is Doctor Hogback. What do you think Vivi?"
"I don't think we can trust him," Vivi replies smoothly. "He's been lying to us since we walked into the door. There's no reason all of those creatures would leave his home alone when they went out of their way to terrorize us. And, I think he was lying about seeing Brook."
Nami raises a single eyebrow, encouraging her to go on.
"He stuttered a bit. Repeated himself and Usopp. And he started sweating as soon as you described Brook. He was definitely here."
The boys begin mumbling on the other side of the door. Nami shifts in the bath, sitting up so she can lean a little closer to Vivi.
"Did Zoro mention anything to you before we left?"
Vivi's spine snaps straighter, blinking up at Nami. "Zoro?" she echoes.
Nami nods. "Yeah. It's like he's developed this weird sixth sense about things. If something really bad was coming, he would know, right?"
"Oh, um." Vivi's mind scrambles to come up with a proper response. "Well, maybe. He didn't seem too worried about us going off."
Nami nods. "Well, that's good I suppose." Outside, the boys fall silent. "With all of these strange things that we've been spotting around here, we should make our escape while we still can. When Vivi and I are finished, we make a break for the coast."
The plan sounds perfect to Vivi. The faster they get out of this awful building with that creepy man, the better.
A low growl fills the air. Vivi gasps, her eyes shooting to Nami as the other girl shoots up, looking around the room closely.
"You," a deep voice says. "Are very observant women."
Nami shoots to her feet and Vivi sits up, searching the misty room of any signs of movement.
"Usopp, Chopper?" Nami calls. "What was that?"
"Huh? We didn't say anything, Nami."
Vivi's heart hammers in her chest. Each breath leaves her lips with a tremble. The voice seems disembodied. Ghostly. But, Zoro said there were no ghosts.
"There's no ghosts. An invisible guy. Some zombie. Perona. But, no actual ghosts."
An invisible guy.
Oh no.
"Nami-san, we need to-"
Nami lets out a cry, both arms moving up as she's pulled from the tub.
"Nami-san!" Vivi cries, scrambling out after her.
An arm connects with her cheek before she can do much with just enough strength to knock her away as Nami's pinned against the wall. Another low growl sounds out.
"What the hell is going on?" Nami demands, struggling against the hands.
Ignoring the ache that will no doubt turn into a bruised cheek, Vivi shoves herself up to grab at the pile of clothes she left sitting nearby. Even in the mist around them, her slashers glint in the candle light.
"Fear looks good on you," the voice tells Nami.
"Who said that?" Nami asks. "Us-" Her cry is cut off before she can scream to the boys for help.
"Hush, my darling. Or should I say, my bride."
Vivi throws her slasher forward. Blood erupts from empty air and the invisible man cries out in pain and surprise. The low, animalistic growl returns, the man's presence marked by the red spilling from his back. Nami falls to the ground as she's released.
"What was that?" Usopp calls. "Nami? Vivi?"
The window flies open just as the door does, Usopp and Chopper spilling into the room.
"What's going on?" Usopp asks.
"There's someone in here!" Nami shouts.
"She's right," Chopper says. "I can smell-"
"They're getting out the window, you morons!" Nami screams, pointing to the red streak vanishing out into the dark. "Do something!"
Vivi hurries to grab towels as Usopp raises his weapon. Fire erupts through the window, knocking out the bricks around it. The castle rattles around them.
"Should I keep shooting?" Usopp asks.
"No. I don't smell them anymore," Chopper replies. "Whoever they were, they're gone now."
Vivi drops to the ground beside Nami, holding out the second towel. "Nami-san, are you alright?"
Nami works quickly to cover herself with the towel. "Yeah, thank you."
Vivi rests a hand on her shoulder, looking up at the boy as they turn around. "We need to leave. Now."
"Does this thing seem familiar?" Vivi asks, watching the strange penguin dog shout about protecting women.
Beside her, Nami nods. "He's spouting a bunch of nonsense. But he sounds just like Sanji-kun."
"You're right!" Usopp cups his hands around his mouth. "Oi, Dogguin. Do you know Sanji? We're his best buds. Do you think you could lend us-?"
The creature turns to them, lunging to start kicking Usopp and Chopper. "Shut up, you damn, dirty pirates!"
Nami drags Vivi back a few steps, both of them staring at the monster as it attacks the boys. They scramble away from the penguin dog in crab walks, staring at it with wide eyes. Vivi sticks out an arm, trying to put herself between the unpredictable monster and Nami.
"Scary!" Chopper cries.
"So, I guess he isn't really on our side," Usopp says.
Both of them stare at the strange creatures with wide, nervous eyes. Vivi takes a step back, pressing Nami with her. The navigator's fingernails dig into her arms. The rest of the zombies remain in their half circle, staring at the dog creature as well. Weighing her options, Vivi looks around carefully.
She won't be able to get them all out in one go. Using her Devil Fruit power with one person is tiring enough. Dropping Nami off somewhere in the forest to hide and then coming back for the boys might work, but there's no guarantee that she can move fast enough to get all three of them away - one by one - before they have to run away and get separated.
In the distance, wood snaps. Dirt rises in the air like a thick cloud of smoke as trees seem to tumble in the forest. Nami's hand tightens around Vivi's arm.
"Something's headed this way," Chopper says.
Two figures begin to appear from within the thick haze of dust, making their way out of the woods. Vivi takes another step back, heart speeding up a bit.
"What now?" Usopp mutters.
"Start with getting up, you idiots!" Nami yells.
"Is that a boar?" the boys ask.
A large boar, dressed in a wedding dress and veil sprints toward them with a large cat man on her tail, screaming for her to stop.
"What is going on in this place?" Vivi mutters as the boar turns to attack the cat man desperately trying to kiss him.
"We should go," Nami says, pulling Vivi's arm. "While they're distracted."
"Right. Tony-kun, Usopp-san-"
The creature lungs away from the cat man, landing in front of Vivi and Nami with a resounding thud. Dirt flies up around them and Vivi throws an arm up, squeezing her eyes closed to protect her face from debri. Behind her, Nami lets out a cry of surprise.
"I found you, wretched Cat Burglar!" the boar yells.
The wedding boar towers over them. Nami begins to back away, pulling Vivi along with her.
"What? Me?" Nami says, grip tight. "Wait, just one second! Burglar? I haven't stolen anything yet."
The boar raises a giant axe, posed to strike. "Save it! I won't let you take Absalom!"
"Nami! Vivi!" Usopp shouts.
Reaching back to grab a handful of Nami's shirt, Vivi shoves herself backwards. Ground disappears, wind swirling around them for a moment before they both slam into the ground, yards from the crazed beast as she wings her axe down on the spot where she and Nami had been standing.
The penguin dog lunges forward, driving a kick into the axe to shatter it, putting itself between them and the boar as she turns to them. "Don't lay a hand on those ladies!"
A single slap sends the smaller zombie flying. Vivi turns to grab Nami's arm, pulling her to her face.
"Come on, Nami-san. We have to go."
"Right," Nami breathes.
She allows Vivi to pull her to her feet, locking their hands as Vivi pulls her away from the scene, back toward the forest. Whatever this creature thinks Nami has stolen, she clearly deems worth killing Nami for.
A large hand wraps around Vivi's arm, tearing her hand from Nami and she's thrown to the ground. Nami screams as Vivi pushes herself to her feet. The navigator seems to float in midarm, thrown over the shoulder of the invisible man.
"Nami can fly?" Chopper cries.
"I'm being abducted, you idiots!" Nami screams as the beast carries her away.
Gritting her teeth, Vivi throws herself forward, letting the ground disappear. She manages to keep her feet when she lands and throws out a leg, roughly where the man's stomach should be. Her sudden appearance seems to surprise him enough that he doesn't dodge, running straight into her boot and dropping Nami in the process.
"Vivi!"
"Up," Vivi says, grabbing her arm to pull her up.
The man growls, his invisibility vanishing as he reappears. Zoro had been correct, the invisible man is half cat. The mouth and nose of a large cat twist, revealing a set of sharp teeth.
"You won't take my bride," the cat man growls, lunging forward.
Before Vivi can free her peacock slasher, Nami pulls her back, thrusting out part of her clima tact. "I haven't been babying my skin every day for some perverted beast!" Nami snarls. "Thunder charge!
The resulting blast of electricity knocks them all backwards. Nami slams into Vivi, sending them both to the ground. Vivi moans as the hard soil slams into her and Nami's arms dig into her still healing ribs.
"Sorry, Vivi," Nami says, scrambling off of her.
"No worries, Nami-san. Are you alright?"
"Yeah. You?"
"Nami! Vivi!" Usopp shouts as he and Chopper sprint toward them. "Great job. Now, keep running. Don't stop! We're getting out of this forest."
Nami nods, pulling Vivi up and they take off. Ground pounds beneath their feet. Nami glances back over her shoulder, surprise and a bit of fear lighting up her eyes. Vivi looks back as well. The cat man is still standing, despite the smoke rolling off of him.
"He didn't black out?" Nami says.
The realization sends shivers through her spine. Whoever this guy is, taking him down won't be easy. Not for them. They need to find the others.
"Going by the looks of it, he's no small fry," Usopp says. "Hurry."
At least he isn't chasing them. Vivi doesn't dare voice the thought out loud. She doesn't often believe in jinxing things, but right now, she can't take that chance. They have to find their way back to the ship. Back to the others.
Shouts erupt behind them. Vivi pushes her legs harder. Someone is following them, not that she should be surprised. The enemy won't let them go that easily. How far is Sunny? Have the others even docked yet? What are the chances of Vivi actually getting any of them onto Sunny? At most, she's managed a few miles. And that was by herself. There's no way of knowing how far they are from the entrance or how far they are from Sunny.
Usopp lets out a scream of fear and Vivi glances back. The boar gains on them, screaming for Nami to wait and wielding two large swords.
"Nami! What did you do to her?" Usopp demands.
"I didn't do anything!" Nami screams.
"I have an idea," Usopp tells them around pants. "We should split up."
What an awful idea. Vivi turns to tell him that just as Nami reaches over to slap him across the back of the head.
"I am not a decoy, you heartless brute!"
Nami speeds up, grabbing Vivi's hand to pull her along and leaving the boys behind.
"Nami-san!" Vivi protests.
"They can take care of themselves," Nami replies.
"I won't forgive you!" the boar screams.
Vivi glances back. The monster leaps over Usopp and Chopper, leaving them behind as she rushes toward them.
"Nami-san!"
"Oh no!" Nami screams, her grip tightening around Vivi's hand as the boar catches up.
"Give Absalom back!" the boar shouts.
Nami releases Vivi's hand, assembling her clima tact to block the boar's swing. "What is your problem?"
"Nami! Vivi!" Usopp and Chopper leap onto the boar, trying to pull her to a stop. "Run for it!"
Vivi grabs Nami's hand again, sprinting into the forest. Her legs burn. Behind them, the boys and the boar shout at each other. Sweat from Nami's palm mixes with her own, their fingers clasped together to pull each other along.
"What does she want with us?" Nami whines.
With you, Vivi doesn't correct. She should have made Zoro tell her more. From now on, she will. No more being left in the dark. Whether this ends well or not, no detail is too small.
Nami falls, ripping Vivi to the ground as well. Her arm stings, rocks cutting into her skin. Nami pulls her hand from Vivi, letting out a cry of surprise.
"Wait! Wait!" Nami shouts.
Vivi sits up to look at the monster just inches from Nami, swords drawn. She bolts forward, hoping she can make it in time to pull Nami away from the monster. Even if it leaves the boys behind, the boar isn't after them.
"Wait! I'm actually a man!"
The boar falters. Vivi does as well.
"Eeeeh!" The boar stops, lowering her weapons and staring at Nami opened mouthed. "Is that so?"
"Y-yes!" Nami stutters. "Yes. This is kind of a hobby, no joke!"
The boar blinks, then her gaze finds Vivi instead. The surprise is replaced with anger. "Then, is it you who will steal my Absalom from me?"
Nami throws both her hands up in a calming gesture. "No! No, Vivi isn't stealing anyone."
"How do you know?"
"Because Vivi's my wife!" Nami blurts out.
"Eeeeh! Really?"
"Yes. Yes. Vivi's my wife. And, we think you and that Absolam guy look so good together! We more than support the both of you."
"Really?"
"Really!"
Both the swords land on the ground. Vivi lets out a long breath, relief weakening her limbs as tears begin to fill the boar's eyes.
"All this time," she says. "No one has ever supported me. To say such nice words, you are the first one to do so."
Nami stands up, with a smile on her face. "Raise your head up. I am Namizo. But, please, call me Nami. We are friends, after all."
"Friends?" the boar echoes.
"I can't believe she bought that," Usopp says.
Vivi kicks him the shin. "Shh, Usopp-san!"
Nami and the boar, Lola, take a seat at the table so Nami can give her relationship advice. Vivi sits on the ground nearby, watching them. A smile crosses Vivi's lips as she watches. The kindness of the Strawhat navigator will never stop surprising her.
The air around them turns cold. Nami presses a little closer to her and Vivi moves her elbow to ensure she doesn't accidentally drive the limb into Nami's ribs by accident. Each step the toy takes moves them, sending them knocking lightly against each other.
"Where are these guys going?" Usopp asks.
"I have no idea," Nami whispers. "But they did say something about a Special Refrigerator, didn't they?"
The group continues to talk around them, still unaware of their presence. Moria laughs, only swearing a handful of times as Luffy's shadow struggles against him. Then, the bear stops moving, Moria lets out an awful laugh. Usopp moves first, unzipping the bear and they all stick their heads out, one by one.
Vivi barely bites back of gasp at the sheer size of the creature in front of them, frozen solid. She can hear the others struggling to hold in their whimpers as well. So, this must be Oars. The beast that gets Luffy's shadow.
Her heart hammers loudly enough that she worries the enemy can hear it. Nami's hand finds hers again, squeezing in fear.
"Don't make a sound, Chopper," Nami whispers.
Luffy's shadow struggles in a vain attempt to free itself as Moria shouts orders at it. Then, Moria lowers the shadow into the beast. Ice begins to fall as the body shifts. Nami's hand tightens around hers. Oars's eyes open.
The others scream. Nami pitches forward, pulling her out of the boy bear and they land on a heap on the frozen ground. The group slowly turns to them. Vivi's breath catches in her throat.
"C-c-crap," Usopp whines. "They found us!"
"A demon woke up!" Chopper screams.
"Get up!" Vivi orders, trying to shove them all to their feet. "We have to go. Get up!"
Absalom and the pink haired girl stalk toward them. Vivi pushes herself to her feet, pressing the button to release her peacock slasher. Fear trembles through her body.
The room trembles. All attention is pulled to Oars as he moves, shattering chains in his wake. A whimper pulls from Vivi's lips as the one eyed demon looks down at them all, terror freezing her.
"Meat!" The monster screams.
Just the wind caused by his loud shout is enough to knock Vivi to her butt, room trembling and blowing them all backwards.
"I'm hungry!"
By some miracle, the wind blows them straight out the door, slamming them into the wall.
"Up!" Usopp says. "Everyone, get up and run!"
They take off in a sprint again. Heels clacking against the hard floors.
"What was that?" Usopp cries. "What did we just see?"
"The corpse started moving when he put Luffy's shadow in it," Chopper says.
"That must be how they reanimated all these zombies," Vivi says, eyes searching around the hallway.
"This is how Doctor Hogback brings people back to life," Chopper mutters.
"That thing, it acted just like Luffy-san," Vivi tells them. "And then, the dog we ran into earlier, maybe that was Sanji-san's shadow."
"And the swordsman that attacked us earlier," Nami continues. "That was Brook's."
"This is insane!" Usopp shouts. "Why does Luffy always get us into these messes!"
"Quick, down the steps," Nami orders. "They took Luffy's body that way! And, if what that pervert said is true, anyone who had their shadow taken is on the ship."
Fire erupts from either side of them. Usopp and Chopper fall. Vivi stumbles to a halt, Nami running into her as the boys fall the rest of the way down the stairs.
"Usopp! Chopper!" Nami screams.
The boys whimper, unmoving but alive. Nami's hand grabs Vivi's. From behind them, she hears feet on the stairs, trying to be stealthy, but still there. The cat. Yanking Nami in behind of her, Vivi swings her slasher back, hearing the man growl.
"Vivi," Usopp calls, pushing himself to his feet. "Get Nami out of here!"
She glances back at the boys. Chopper scrambles up as well. Usopp grabs his weapon, loading in ammo.
"We'll meet you on the ship! Special attack, Smoke Star"
The stairs vanish beneath her feet. She hears Nami scream but can still feel the other girl's hand wrapped tightly in hers. Cold air slaps into Vivi's face as they land on the forest floor. Gasping for breath, Nami collapses against her, shivering.
"Vivi," she whispers.
"We're okay," Vivi tells her, glancing around them.
The graveyard is empty. Not too far from the ship. Thank god. She leans into Nami's side and lets out a long breath.
"We're okay."
"Where are we?"
"Back in that graveyard, not too far from Sunny." Vivi pushes herself up, taking Nami's hand. "Come on, we have to get going. Before more zombies find us."
"Do you think Chopper and Usopp are okay?" Nami asks, stumbling up.
"I'm sure they are. They're stronger than we think, Nami-san."
Nami bites her lower lip, looking back toward the castle. "Alright. Let's get back to Sunny."
Sunny has been obviously ransacked from the moment they get there. Things lay across the deck, tipped over and destroyed. Vivi's eyes search every inch of the deck, looking for any chance of a threat.
"Where is everyone?" Nami whispers.
"They must be somewhere. That's what they said, right? They'd bring them back to the ship." Vivi tugs at her hand. "Come one, let's look."
They start in the men's quarters and move onto the women's. None of their rooms, lockers, or drawers have gone untouched. Anything of value is gone by now, though Vivi isn't sure what these people consider valuable. The aquarium has been destroyed as well, table overturned and chairs on the ground. Vivi isn't sure she wants to see the kitchen. Sanji would be furious if they'd destroyed his space.
"Nami!" Usopp's voice calls. "Vivi!"
Letting out a breath of relief, Vivi throws the door open to find the boys clambering onto deck, with Robin and Franky in tow.
"Robin!" Nami throws herself into the other woman's arm.
"Oh, thank goodness you're all alright," Vivi says.
"Suuuper to see you too, little sis," Franky says with a grin.
Their reunion lasts mere seconds. Franky and Robin tell them of their meeting with Brook and the salt that the skeleton had given them. The brush off the information that Oars now has Luffy's shadow, already informed by Usopp and Chopper on their way there.
"Have you seen Luffy and the others?" Chopper asks hesitantly.
"We were looking for them when you guys got here," Nami says, gesturing to the second level. "We haven't made it upstairs yet. But we haven't seen them anywhere else."
Usopp bolts toward the kitchen.
"They'll want to keep them away from any traces of sunlight," Robin says, heading toward the stairs. "Most likely, they're in one of these rooms. Leaving them out in the open is a hazard."
"Found them!" Usopp shouts. "I found them!"
Vivi stares at the three men, sitting in three of the chairs and still unconscious. The zombies have clearly had fun, using pins, rope, and chopsticks to stretch their faces and hair in ridiculous directions.
"Luffy!" Usopp shouts, rushing forward to shake their captain. "Why are you messing around? Luffy! Oi!"
Franky cracks his knuckles, a mischievous smile on his face as he steps forward. "Leave it to me."
Wincing, Vivi turns away as he brings his fists down on each of the boys' heads. Nami lets out a small groan beside her, rubbing her own head in sympathy. The attack does nothing, except move their position, leaving all three of them face down on the ground. The chairs sit in rubble around them. Sanji will be furious.
Nami moans, pressing her forehead against Vivi's shoulder. "They are unbelievable."
Vivi nods her agreement.
Usopp sighs. "There's only one thing to do in this situation." He pulls in a deep breath. "A beautiful lady sword master is here to bring us meat!"
The three men stir, slowly pushing themselves to their hands and knees. Vivi doesn't miss the flash of red on the back of Zoro's neck and shirt as he sits himself up, head in his hands.
"Beautiful lady?" Sanji mutters.
"Meat?" Luffy moans.
"Shit," Zoro whispers.
"You three are hopeless!" Chopper cries.
Zoro's slightly hazed gray eyes find Vivi, Nami's hand still wrapped tightly in hers. The color begins to drain from his face and his blinks hard, as though desperate to see something else. Vivi releases Nami's hand, heart dropping into her stomach as his teeth begin to chatter. Usopp continues to shout about how utterly ridiculous they all are for only being woken up for swords, meat, and women while Sanji pulls the remaining chopstick from his nose.
"Bastard!" Luffy shoots forward. "Gimme back my shadow!"
Franky catches their captain by his face. "Calm down, you idiot. Look at where you are."
"Zoro?" Vivi whispers, crouching down in front of the trembling swordsman.
"This. This isn't right," he tells her, voice shaking. "It's not. N-not supposed to be."
Something has changed. His eyes lock on to Nami again and Vivi realizes that last time the navigator probably wasn't here. Because last time, Vivi wasn't here.
"It's okay," Vivi says, trying to keep her voice low and soothing as the rest of their crew shout at each other. "It's okay."
"N-no. No, it changed. It changed and now, now I don't." Zoro's breath hitches.
The haze grows, enveloping both pupils. Panic takes over. Both of Zoro's hands move to his left thigh, squeezing hard. Red begins to creep through his fingers, blood soaking through his pants. Vivi can't bite back her gasp of surprise and worry, reaching to pry his hands from whatever wound he's been hiding.
"Don't." Zoro's voice rises to near hysteria and he throws himself back, away from her. Fear and confusion fill him. "Don't touch me. Don't!"
Vivi's heart skids to a painful halt. The rest of the crew fall silent behind her, suddenly all too aware of the face that their swordsman has lost himself. Zoro's entire body heaves, eyes slightly crazed as he begins to pound at his leg again, hyperventilating.
"He's having a panic attack," Chopper says, hooves clacking for a step.
Blood stains Zoro's fist as he raises it again. Tears sting Vivi's eyes, frozen in horror. She should have told Luffy. Should have known this would never work.
"Shit, Luffy, he hurt himself," Sanji snarls.
Luffy bolts into action, shoving Chopper back. He wraps himself around Zoro to hold the swordsman in place, freezing Zoro's arms before he can do more damage. More panic takes Zoro's face, his eyes completely glazed and his mind gone.
"N-no. No. I-it's not right. Not right. Not," Zoro says around awful, terrified gasps for breath. "Not. Sorry. I-I-I'm sorry. I'm s-sorry. It's not."
"Luffy, he's hyperventilating," Chopper cries. "He has to breathe."
Hands wrap around Vivi's arms, pulling her up and away from the flailing swordsman, still desperately trying to hurt himself in a fit of panic. Sanji pulls her tight against him and Vivi finally lets a terrified whine bubble into a sob.
"'S okay, Zoro," Luffy whispers. "'S okay, I'm here. I got you."
Sanji's arms tighten around her, chin resting on her head as she fists her hands in his suit coat and sobs. "It's alright, Vivi-chan," Sanji whispers. "Luffy's got him."
Zoro terrified breathes and chants - "I-it's not right. It's w-wrong. I'm s-s-orry. I'm sorry" - fill the air, along with Luffy's soft assurances. Everyone else sits silently around them. Vivi only manages to steady herself enough to pull away from Sanji when Zoro's breathing calms. Luffy has tucked the swordsman into his chest, holding Zoro like he can hide him from the world. Each shuddering breath is still accompanied with an apology, but at least his breathing is under control now.
"Everybody out," Luffy says, glancing up at the crew with sobering eyes.
"L-Luffy," Chopper protests with a squeak. "Zoro's hurt."
"Out," Luffy repeats, firmly, eyes finding Vivi. "Everybody. Now."
Vivi's knees weaken for a moment as the demand crashes into her. Sanji's arms steady her and she hears the others stumble as well. Zoro lets out a small whimper around his erratic breaths and Luffy's arms tighten, still trying to hide Zoro away.
Sanji pulls Vivi backwards. Angry brown eyes lock on her as Sanji pulls her out the kitchen door. Tears blur her vision. Luffy is furious. Furious that she let this happen, that she let Zoro hurt for so long by himself.
The kitchen door swings shut.
Sanji leads her down the Sunny's steps, to the grass where the rest of their nakama stand in silent shock. Nami sits near the mast, both hands over her mouth, and Chopper collapsed beside her. Franky sniffles over in the corner, head hung low, beside Robin, who stares at the island with a deep frown. Usopp stands in the middle of the deck, staring up at the infirmary door.
"Wh-what just happened?" Usopp stutters out.
A shudder makes its way through Vivi's body and she wraps both arms around herself in a vain effort to ward off the chill. Second later, Sanji's suit coat draps around her shoulder.
"Zoro had a panic attack," Chopper whispers, eyes full of tears and ears pressed against his head.
"But, but, Zoro doesn't panic! It's Zoro. He's supposed to be fearless-"
"Usopp, keep your shitty trap shut," Sanji snarls.
Vivi winces at the rage in their chef's voice. Usopp whimpers, dodging behind the mast. All eyes move to Vivi and Sanji, the latter pulling out a cigarette and lighting it with shaking hands.
"Vivi." Nami's voice trembles around her name. "What is going on?"
Teeth sinking into her bottom lip, Vivi looks away. Her crewmate's gazes bore into her, their concern and anger swirling through the air.
"I," Vivi whispers. "I can't."
"No!" Nami says, springing to her feet. "We've let this go on long enough, Vivi! Zoro is hurting. How are we supposed to help if you won't tell us what's going on!"
"Nami-san," Sanji protests, voice far more gentle than it had been with Usopp. "That's enough."
"Sanji-kun-"
"Nami-san." Sanji's voice turns firm.
"I believe cook-san if correct," Robin says evenly. "Zoro's business is his own. Luffy will handle it from here."
"How is he supposed to handle it if he doesn't know what's going on?" Nami demands.
Vivi's fingers find her ribbon again, rubbing it between her thumb and forefinger. A few tears leak from her eyes and she wipes them away with a trembling breath.
"Luffy knows enough," Sanji says. "And that's all-"
The cook stiffens suddenly, eyes searching around the ship. Vivi's hand falls, eyebrows furrowing as she glances around as well. Unease creeps up through her.
"Uh, Sanji?" Usopp prodes softly.
A low growl splits the air. Vivi nearly jumps out of her skin, spinning to search for the noise. Absalom has returned. Chopper, Usopp, and Nami all yelp, jumping into a pile as they search for the lion man as well.
"Well." Sanji taps his toe against the deck. "Sounds like someone came back for that ass beating I owe him."
"It's that crazy invisible guy," Usopp whines, clinging tightly to Nami and Chopper.
Absalom snarls again, still not visible. "I've come for my-"
Sanji lunges onto his hands, leg shooting out. The air moves as something flies backwards, right into the gateway. Rocks crumble down and the man flickers into view.
"So." Sanji pulls the cigarette from his lips, releasing a long stream of smoke. "Just who in the shitty Four Blues are you?"
Usopp screeches, Chopper and Nami diving behind the mast. Vivi backs away as well, feeling Franky and Robin tense up behind her.
"Th-that's him!" Usopp's knees shake as he points at the man. "That's the guy that tried to kidnap Nami!"
"Huh?" Sanji's voice growls out hard and furious.
Usopp's hand wraps around Vivi's shoulder to pull her back. "You don't want to get in the way of this Vivi. Sanji's going to tear this guy apart."
"You," Sanji growls. "You tried to touch Nami-san?"
The cook shoots off the boat without another word.
"He snuck in to look at Vivi and Nami when they were bathing too!" Usopp shouts.
Flames erupt from Sanji's leg with an infuriated battle cry. "How dare you!"
"Usopp, what are you doing?" Nami shouts.
"The angrier he is, the better he'll fight," Usopp replies. "And he needs to fight well, Nami, this guy is. Oh, holy shit."
The lion man vanishes from sight, though it does nothing to keep Sanji from slamming his fire laced leg into him with a shout of "Diable Jambe!". Vivi blinks, watching Sanji hit Absalom with each kick without needing to see him. Almost as though, Sanji can see what they can't.
"How?" Usopp peeks out from behind Vivi's shoulder. "How is he doing that? He can't even see him!"
"Not only did you peep on my beautiful Nami-san and Vivi-chan, but you also stole something from me," Sanji growls as the invisible man slams into another wall.
Absalom turns visible again, blood streaming down his face. Sanji stalks toward him, fire growing up around him as he moves. Vivi takes a step back, daring a glance at the rest of her nakama.
"Does Sanji-san know this man?" she asks.
With the rage wafting from the cook, Sanji must have known this man at some point in his life. But, why hadn't he said something? Never before had Sanji mentioned knowing someone like this.
"Stole something?" Absalom echoes.
"Damn right," Sanji snarls. "You stole my dream."
Vivi glances around the crew, relieved to see the same confusion on their faces.
"You have me confused with someone else," the invisible man growls. "We've never even met before. But, if you want to pick a fight with me, we'll start with my hands of the dead!"
Another steady stream of smoke leaves Sanji's lips. "Take those bazookas off your wrists. I'm only going to say this once. If any of the ladies on my ship get hurt in the crossfire, I will make sure you are twice as dead as your shitty zombies."
"But, how did you know?"
"Please, I know all about your power. You can turn invisible and anything you touch can turn invisible as well. But that's the extent of your powers. And you'll need a lot more than that to beat me. I know everything there is to know about the Suke Suke no Mi."
"Why does Sanji know so much about this guy's Devil Fruit?" Usopp mutters.
"The Devil Fruit Encyclopedia that I read as a kid sounded so fake. Most of those fruits didn't sound like they were worth the curse to begin with. But, there was just one fruit that spoke to my soul. And I made the decision that if I ever had the luck of finding that fruit, I would bear the curse with pride. But there is only one of each Devil Fruit in the world. I knew that if I ever met someone with that Devil Fruit power, my dream would be over. Do you see what you've done? I wanted to experience invisibility for myself. But you ate the Suke Suke no Mi and destroyed my dream!"
"He's joking, right?" Vivi breathes, glancing at Nami for support.
The navigator puts a hand to her forehead. "I don't think so."
"I saw that dream so clearly," Sanji continues. "I was going to do so much good with it. I wanted to use it to - GIRL'S BATH!"
Nami whines. Usopp collapses backwards with an exasperated gasp. Robin giggles furiously.
"No. I meant to, I asked myself - GIRL'S BATH!"
Franky bursts into laughter. "That's the spirit, cook-bro!"
"Oi, I wanted to use it to benefit humanity - GIRL'S BATH!"
Vivi hides her face in her hands with a whine. Just when she thought Thriller Bark couldn't get any worse. Her eyes wander back to the kitchen door, waiting to see if either Luffy or Zoro emerge. A soft breeze rustles the ribbon in her hair.
Her hand moves to the ribbon, rubbing her thumb along its worn fabric. An uncomfortable pressure settles against the bottom of her spine, tears filling her eyes. Behind her, Sanji continues to attack the invisible man with screams of rage. Thankfully, the rest of the crew keep their eyes on the fight.
Vivi isn't sure she can stomach the betrayal in their gazes. She has to tell them. Before things get worse. Before Zoro gets worse. She has to tell them.
Warning! This chapter contains:
Panic Attack
Self Harm
Please read responsibly! Both of these triggers occur within the same scene. Upon seeing Nami on Sunny after their shadows have been taken and realizing that Vivi has changed something drastically, Zoro descends into a panic attack and hits his leg in an attempt to cause pain and calm him down. Overwhelmed by panic, he doesn't recognize that he's doing this in front of everyone. Luffy quickly tries to hold him still and calms him down before kicking everyone out of the room.
This scene begins with:
"Something has changed. His eyes lock onto Nami..."
This scene ends with:
"Vivi's knees weaken for a moment as the demand crashes into her..."
And there you have chapter sixteen! Oof, this chapter was a little rougher than I thought it would be when I started it. But, hey, Vivi finally understands how detrimental Zoro's actions have been to his mental health and she's finally ready to ignore the swordsman's request and ask for help. But is it too late for that? Next chapter, Luffy is running out of patience with his swordsman, Usopp saves the day, and Zoro is reunited with an old blade.. See you guys next time! Remember to stay healthy, stay sane, and stay safe out there!