Author's Note: Hi everyone! This update came much quicker than the last two have. And I have all of you to thank. I got so many appreciative and loving comments that I was just so inspired to get writing. I'm still updating from and typing on my phone, so please ignore any errors. But, feel free to point them out if you see them! I'm always happy to go back in and fix things if I know where they are. A special shoutout to matheMagical for sharing this beautiful artwork with me. Seriously guys, I cried. A lot. Please, please, check this out and then go check out all of their other amazing art on tumblr. They deserve so much love. Also, the text that they attatched to this piece of artwork kind of broke me but also just gave me the most amazing spark of inspiration for my final chapter. Seriously, a solid portion of my drive for the last 2 chapters go out to matheMagical. Get to tumblr and give them love! Any link I try to post doesn't work but you can find them under the mathemayjicks right on tumblr.
I did get a review pointing out what seems to be a plothole with Sanji appearing as a spirit as well that I promise I did think through and will be explained in the next chapter! I hope you all enjoy!
Chapter Twenty-Six: Vivi
"Luffy, please don't leave me behind!"
Vivi puts a hand over her mouth to stifle her tearfilled gasp. Nami's hand tightens on her bicep, fingers trembling as they watch Zoro collapse to his knees, head resting against his arms as he sobs, and the spirit of his dead captain moves to rest a hand on Zoro's head.
"Zoro." Heartbroken affection fills Luffy's voice. "Never."
The sob that leaves Zoro sounds like the dying cry of a wounded animal. Vivi's breath catches as the spirit looks up, eyes locking with hers. Tears burn through her, tickling down her cheeks as she stares at him, mind spinning in circles. After a long moment, he gives her a soft smile.
"Vivi did such a good job taking care of Zoro," Luffy tells her. "But, now, it's time for our nakama to take care of you, okay? They're strong. No more doing stuff alone. Captain's orders."
Vivi's jaw trembles and she bites hard on her bottom lip to hold in sobs. Nami's hand tightens. Sanji moves a bit closer to them.
"Zoro and Vivi have been so brave. And done so good. But, I don't want you to hurt anymore. Let our nakama take care of you. They love you. Just like me."
A shuddering whimper escapes Vivi's lips. Zoro's harsh sobs continue.
The captain looks up, eyes finding Sabo. "Thanks, Sabo. For everything. But, can you take care of Zoro one more time? Please?"
A sad but fond smile fills Sabo's lips. "Anything for you, Lu."
"You and Ace got to see each other again! I'm so happy." The spirit's smile fades with sadness, gaze moving to Zoro once again. "I gotta go now. But I'm not leaving Zoro behind. I'd never leave Zoro behind. I love you too much. But right now, you all gotta get out of Marineford. We're here, kay? Even if you can't see us, we're all here."
Zoro doesn't seem to be able to manage anything other than strangled noises of grief and pain. Adjusting the hat on his head, Luffy looks up to meet his younger self's gaze. For a pause, the world falls still as the spirit smiles widely, one hand still resting in Zoro's hair. Then, Vivi blinks and he's gone.
Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, Vivi forces the tears down. Now isn't the time. Now, they need to get onto a ship and get out of here. The rubble around Akainu shifts and Vivi's positive Kizaru won't stay busy with the Whitebeard Pirates for long.
Sabo seems to have a similar thought, bolting to Zoro's side and tugging at his arm. Nami forehead presses against Vivi's shoulder, barely stifled sobs leaving the navigator's lips, and Sanji takes a gentle but firm hold on Vivi's arm, pulling her back.
Vivi refuses to move until Sabo stands again, Zoro on his back. Even from a distance, Vivi can hear the awful wheezing whines coming from the swordsman. Her heart stutters at the noise.
Most of the path remains clear for them, the Marines - and pirates - still unconscious from the rage of Luffy's spirit. All of the Strawhats are on their feet however, waiting near the whale ship. Usopp stands on the rail, firing at any Marines that dare come to close while Franky and his weapons' left ward off any Marines following them.
"Chopper's hurt," Usopp tells them as Ace ushers the crew onto the decks of the Moby Dick.
The words don't seem to surprise anyone. There isn't a member of the crew that isn't soaked through with blood. Sanji clutches his injured hand close to his chest, lips pulled in a grimace. Nami leans heavily on her clima tact, left leg dripping red. Chopper lays beside Robin, unconscious but breathing.
Various members of his crew run around the deck, helping others onto the safety of the ship. In the distance, the Marines begin to rise. The Whitebeard Commanders seem to be losing ground, most of them moving quickly to save their scattered crew. Vivi's heart tightens, watching the Marines begin to shake themselves loose from the shock of seeing ghosts on the battlefield.
Sabo lets out a string of curses, carefully lowering Zoro to the deck and pulling off his jacket to cover the shivering swordsman. Ace places Luffy down beside him, allowing the Strawhat captain to crawl over to his first mate's side, and shoots off to look for a doctor.
"How are we going to get out of here?" Nami asks, her voice shaking.
The water around them has frozen solid. Vivi's heart hammers in her chest as she looks around as well, desperately searching for a way out. Nami's right. Short of a miracle, Vivi doesn't know how they're going to get out of this.
"He's going into shock," Sabo mutters, drawing Vivi's attention back to Zoro. "On top of everything else, that attack wasn't good. We need a doctor, now."
"Zoro," Luffy whines. "Don't die. Please, don't die."
Zoro lets out a weak cough, blood speckling across his lips and cheeks.
"Ace!" Sabo calls.
"She must be out on the field." Ace shakes his head. "He's not the only one who got hurt out there."
"Help Zoro!" Luffy shouts.
Vivi's teeth sink into her lower lips and she turns in a circle again, eyes scanning around them desperately. There has to be something they can do. Someone that can help. But, will they? Ace is right. Zoro is far from the only critically wounded person in this war. And any available doctor will surely tend to their own crew first.
From the corner of her eye, Vivi spots the pink haired Marine friend of Luffy and Zoro pleading with Akainu. Shouting that the war needs to stop. Vivi can't help but agree. This stopped being a war long ago. Now, it's nothing but needless slaughter.
"Ace, no!" Sabo cries.
"Let me go!" Ace's angry shouts raise up but Vivi can't spare him the time to look. "That bastard! He did this! I'll kill him."
"I'm not losing you again, Ace. Stop it!"
Yellow in the water catches Vivi's eye, barely visible behind the rest of the ships lined up along the island but just visible enough. And, the black Jolly Roger on the vessel's side is clear. Her breath catches. Trafalgar Law hadn't been on the battlefield, nor had any of his crew, as far as Vivi could tell. Which means he has no one to tend to.
Her mind works slowly, plans and deal forming as she stares out at the sea. But can she make the deal? Vivi has no authority on the crew. Their help isn't hers to offer. But, it's the only bargaining chip they have.
"Luffy-san." Vivi turns to look down at her captain, ignoring his brothers as they wrestle each other on the ground not far from her. "Do you trust me?"
After all I've kept from you, will you trust me to make a decision for you?
Luffy stares at her, eyes searching, question settling in his tear filled eyes. But, he nods.
"Yosh. I'll be right back."
Vivi leaps onto the neighboring ship without waiting for a reply. Some of the crew call out behind her, but she ignores them. She needs to think of exactly what to say. She needs Luffy's permission to fully do this, but getting him to Zoro is the first step.
Luffy would never go after a Shichibukai or a Yonko on his own. It had to have been someone else's idea. An ally's idea. Trafalgar Law's idea. Which means that he wanted to bring them down. Even now, he's probably thinking about it. Lure him in with that. Bring him to Luffy. Ask her captain for a full okay. Make a deal. Save Zoro's life.
Law and the bear - Bepo, Vivi thinks his name is - are the only ones still on the submarine's deck, already heading below. Vivi throws her foot out, catching the door before it can close fully, and pulls the door open again. Law's wide eyes blink at her.
Everything she had planned to say flees her mind in numb panic. Only one thought rushes through her mind.
Save Zoro. Save Zoro. Save Zoro.
"Trafalgar Law." Vivi's hand fists in the front of his shirt. Any hope of elegant words flee her as she hears Luffy scream Zoro's name. "I need you to come with me."
Vivi pulls. The deck of the Moby Dick slams into their feet. Vivi releases Law's shirt, allowing him to stumble away from her as Bepo's shout of "captain!" echoes around them. From the corner of her eye, Vivi can see Usopp at the rail of the Moby Dick, staring around the sea with a slack jaw while Sabo continues to wrestle Ace into submission with the help of Jinbe before he can get himself killed.
After a split second, Trafalgar Law recovers. "Room." A blue bubble grows around them.
Luffy crouches defensively over Zoro as Sanji lunges to stand between Vivi and Law, Nami placing herself in front of Luffy and Zoro. Brook and Franky flank their captain and first mate while Robin carefully moves Chopper closer to her. Usopp has yet to turn around, but Vivi can't waste time calling the sniper's attention.
"I want to make a deal!" Vivi rushes to say, pulling Sanji back before Trafalgar Law can do anymore.
He doesn't relax but doesn't attack. Vivi takes it as an okay to continue, her gaze moving to Luffy. Not for the first time, Vivi wishes she had the same psychic connection that Zoro and her captain share.
I need to promise him our help. An alliance. We need to save Zoro.
She hopes Luffy will understand what she's asking without words. Permission to make this deal. Give Trafalgar Law the word of their entire crew. It feels like hours pass before Luffy gives her a small incline of his head.
"I'm guessing you need a doctor," Trafalgar says, his gaze moving to Zoro's wheezing form.
Luffy shifts a little more, eyes screaming a challenge.
"Hai," Vivi says evenly.
"I'm not in the habit of handing out charity."
"Not charity," Vivi replies firmly. "A deal."
One of his dark eyebrows raises.
"Save Zoro's life and we'll help you defeat Doflamingo and Kaido."
Any trace of bemusement vanishes from Trafalgar's face. His dark eyes glare at her with suspicion and distrust. Sanji inches closer to her again, ready to strike should the doctor make any sudden moves. The rest of her crew remain still and silent, looking between the two of them with unease.
"How do you-" Trafalgar starts.
"Does it matter?" Vivi interrupts. "You can help us and we can help you. Will you take the deal or not?"
Please, please, please, take it. This is their only option. Only hope of saving Zoro's life. Not that Trafalgar needs to know that.
"You expect me to believe that you'll fight a Shichibukai and a Yonko in exchange for the life of one man?"
"We declared war on the World Government for one woman. Came to Marineford to fight a war for one man. A Shichibukai and a Yonko are nothing to us. You should never underestimate what this crew will do for it's nakama."
Trafalgar stares back at her for a pause before his gaze flickers to Luffy and Zoro. "I need to move him to my ship. I"ll do what I can."
Vivi's fists clench. "You will save him," she tells him firmly. "That's the deal. You save Zoro's life and we help you."
Trafalgar levels his gaze to her again. Vivi lifts her chin and glares back. The life of her nakama is the one thing that Vivi will never back down from.
"I need to move him to my ship," Trafalgar repeats.
Deal, Vivi hears.
Keeping Sanji away from Boa Hancock and her crew proves to be far easier than Vivi expects. Especially once the crew is left alone on the far side of the island. Her infatuation with Luffy seems to set Robin on edge, a firm glare settling on Boa every time she becomes too friendly with Luffy. Not that Luffy notices anything outside of the Heart Pirates sub.
Trafalgar has been firm and sturdy about his order that the crew stay out of his way, lest they cause him to make a mistake on Zoro's surgery. Once they'd landed on Amazon Lily, Luffy sat himself on the island to stare at the sub with unblinking eyes. The rest of the crew follow his example, apart from Ace and Sabo, who disappear to have their reunion - which Vivi assumes will consist of the two beating the absolute hell out of each other based on their angry faces.
A cold presence lingers around Vivi back and she leans her head against Nami's shoulder, allowing the sign of her Luffy to comfort her as she waits.
"Zoro's gonna be alright," Luffy says suddenly, breaking the worried silence. "I decided. He's gonna be fine." Standing, he adjusts his hat and glances toward Sanji. "Sanji! Meat. We gotta have a party. Cause Ace n' Sabo are both alive. N' Zoro's gonna be fine. Jinbe, are you gonna party with us?"
The large fishman blinks at Luffy in surprise. Vivi thinks she hears Nami's teeth grinding as she slips an arm around the navigator in support. After all Nami's been through, her hesitance is understandable. But, the thought of Zoro waking up to all of his nakama makes her heart so light.
"Luffy-kun."
"Come on, Jinbe! It's gonna be the best party ever!" Luffy turns to Vivi. "Oi, Vivi. Convince Jinbe to stay."
Vivi blinks at him owlishly. "Me?"
Luffy nods enthusiastically. "Like you convinced Toroa to save Zoro. You're our crew's Convincer now. I decided."
"Convincer?" Vivi echoes.
"Yup! You're gonna convince people to do stuff with us. Like with Torao."
"What the hell is he talking about?" Usopp mutters.
Robin giggles furiously, smile pulling at the bandage on her cheek. "I believe our captain wants you to deal with alliances, Vivi. I believe the term is envoy, Sencho."
"On-voy," Luffy echoes. "Hai. Hai! Vivi's our on-voy!"
It takes two days for them to actually start their party, once Zoro is stable and everyone's gotten sleep. Somehow, Luffy manages to drag the entire crew of the Heart Pirates into partying with them - Trafalgar Law included. If Trafalgar glaring from a tree with a mug of booze in his hand can be considered partying. Vivi can't help but think that he and Zoro must get along wonderfully. Not unlike Trafalgar, Ace doesn't seem in the partying mood. Though, his mood does improve once Marco the Phoenix arrives with plans for their crew.
The two spend most of their time sitting with Sabo and several other members of the Heart Pirates and Strawhats to tell stories of Whitebeard and the New World. Despite their grief, Ace and Marco seem determined to keep only fond memories of their captain alive.
"But Ace," Luffy whines, clinging to his brother tightly as Ace tries to board the Moby Dick in the middle of Luffy's planned two night party. "I don't want you to go yet!"
"We talked about this Lu," Ace says with surprising patience. "I've got to go look after my crew. I'll meet back up with you soon."
"Sabo!" Luffy wails. "Tell Ace he's gotta stay."
"When has Ace ever listened to me?" Sabo asks with a fond smile, helping to detangle Luffy from Ace's torso. "Come on, Lu. Don't be such a crybaby. You'll see him again."
Luffy sniffles, but allows himself to be wrestled into Sabo's side instead.
"Yeah, you cry baby." Ace ruffles Luffy's hair. "We'll meet up soon."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"Oi, get back here, you idiot!" Trafalgar's angry voice carries out the door of his submarine. "Do you know how hard I worked to save your life? Don't go screwing it up like this."
"Fuck off, Law. I'm not in the mood." Zoro's voice is hoarse but strong as he moves onto the deck.
His chest has several layers of bandages wrapped tightly around it, more bandages wrapped around his head to cover his ruined left eye, and he walks with a slight limp. But, he's up. Alive. And eager to not be in an infirmary. Vivi's heart soars at the sight of him. The fear that's been bubbling under her skin for days finally bleeds out and she breathes as Zoro's feet touch the island.
The lightness in her chest vanishes as a chill slithers down her spine. It isn't comforting. Not the cold of Luffy's spirit but something else. Something worrying and fear inducing. The rest of the crew seem to sense it too, all tensing and taking an involuntary step back. It takes Vivi a moment to find the source of her discomfort.
"So, when Zoro's safe and he feels better, I'm gonna yell at you." The warning Luffy had given Zoro on Marineford pokes at the back of Vivi's brain.
Luffy glares at Zoro with a look Vivi can only compare to Water 7. She hunkers her own shoulders, stepping closer to Nami, unsure of what to do. Zoro had seemed okay with the idea of Luffy expressing his displeasure in the moment. But now, days later, after everything that's happened, will he truly be alright with his captain yelling at him?
"Fine," Trafalgar snarls from the door. "Tear your chest open and bleed to death. See if I care."
Zoro waves a dismissive hand. "I'm fine, Law. Save your bitching for someone who will listen."
Grumbling, the Heart Pirate captain turns back to stalk into the submarine. A small smirk fills Zoro's face as he turns away from Trafalgar, though it fades almost immediately once his gaze finds Luffy. They stare at each other in silence for a moment before Zoro pulls in a long breath. Nami wraps an arm around Vivi's shoulder.
"Go on," Zoro says. "You said you were going to yell. Yell."
He's too calm. Too relaxed. Vivi presses herself into Nami's side, trying to keep herself from fleeing. This isn't what she wants to watch. Another fight like Luffy and Usopp's will break her. Could break the crew.
"You made your nakama hurt," Luffy growls. "We worried about you for months. And you didn't say anything, Zoro! You told Vivi not to say anything. You didn't let her help either. We hurt cause of you, Zoro. When we coulda help. Coulda made things better. That's not fair!"
The fury in his voice sends shivers down Vivi's spine. Nami's arm tightens around her shoulder. Zoro lifts his chin, staring back at his captain with a trembling jaw. Emotions flash through his eyes, hundreds all at once. And then, his nose scrunched, anger and betrayal written on the swordsman's face.
"You made me hurt too," Zoro says, voice low, trembling. "I've been selfish and I know that. But you were selfish too. I was supposed to die on that island, Luffy. Me. Kizaru was supposed to kill me. But you. You got in the way. You made me live without you." Tears spill over his cheeks. "I was supposed to die, Luffy. I was. But you wouldn't let me. How. How am I ever supposed to live without you?"
Vivi squeezes her eyes closed, her jaw trembling.
"You left me," Zoro says. The dam seems to shatter. Zoro lets out a sob. "You-you. He left me. I was supposed to die. I was. But he. They died and they left me behind! Why? Why didn't he let me die?"
Vivi pulls herself away from Nami, heart shattering in her chest as Zoro's voice loses to sobs. Every instinct in her body screams for her to hug the swordsman and hide him away from the world. But she can't. Her feet freeze as Luffy lunges forward, pulling Zoro into him.
Their captain cries too, water cascading down both cheeks. Zoro collapses against him, legs failing him and pulling them both to the ground as his trembling hands search for a hold on Luffy's vest.
"Zoro," Luffy whispers. "I'm sorry. I will never leave Zoro. Never. I promise. I'm sorry."
The words don't lessen Zoro's tears. If anything, he cries harder.
"I failed them. I'm s-sorry. I'm sorry. I-I." The rest of his words cut off in gasping sobs.
"It's not your fault." Luffy runs his hand through Zoro's hair, cradling him close and rocking him. "It's not your fault."
"They died," Zoro chokes on his words and his sobs. "They died. They died."
They. Not you. They.
Acceptance, Vivi realizes. For the first time since that island, Zoro has accepted that his nakama are gone. That this isn't the crew that left him behind.
Her legs give out, ground slamming into her knees and her hand over her mouth. Tears blur her vision as she watches Luffy hold a grieving Zoro. Hands touch her as Sanji and Nami hurry to comfort her. Vivi can't find the strength to pay them any attention.
It shouldn't make her happy. Watching Zoro break down in Luffy's arms, grieving the loss of his family. But, it does. Because he's letting Luffy help. He's accepting that his nakama are gone. And it shouldn't make her happy. It shouldn't give her hope.
But it does.
Trafalgar Law and his crew depart with an agreement to meet on Sabaody in two years time. It hadn't taken nearly as much effort as Vivi believed it would to convince the man that, while the Strawhats fully intend to keep up their end of the bargain, none of them are strong enough to fight Doflamigo or Kaido at this point. Of course, Zoro's descent into grief seems to help Trafalgar's decision to move along. After a particularly violent bout of panic had put a dent in the steel wall of his infirmary, the captain of the Heart Pirates seemed eager to take his leave of them.
Boa Hancock's crew made their second appearance once Trafalgar had left, bringing tents for a makeshift camp along with tables, chairs, and beds. Apparently, Boa couldn't have her precious Luffy sleeping on the cold hard ground. Luckily, the pirate empress didn't make an appearance herself. Otherwise, Vivi has the sinking suspicion that Sanji would be a stone statue. Not to mention that Robin and Nami have made it perfectly clear how they feel about Boa's unhealthy obsession with Luffy. Not that Vivi can disagree with them. But, Boa is the least of their worries.
Zoro's grief - not unlike the rest of the swordsman - turns out to be a twister of violence and uncertainty that rocks the entire crew to it's very core. Once denial leaves the swordsman's mind, it seems like he only has room for anger that not even their captain is immune from. He snaps and snarls at anyone who dares come too close and even brings Chopper to tears when the young doctor tries to replace the bandages that he tore off. The whole disaster ends in a three way shouting match between Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy. It then leads to Sanji and Luffy pinning down a panicked Zoro's limbs so that Chopper can sedate him once Zoro turns his anger on himself instead.
After a cup of hot chocolate and some homemade cotton candy calm him down, Chopper calmly explains the five stages of grief to the crew. "No one goes through them the same way or even in the same order," Chopper whispers softly. "But everyone goes through them. Denial."
"Check," Sanji mutters. "I think that idiot's been in denial since Alabasta."
"Anger."
"I hope that's what this is," Usopp says. "If Zoro's anger gets worse than this, I might develop I-Can't-Sail-With-a-Crazy-Murderer-itis."
"Bargaining."
"Bargaining?" Franky raises an eyebrow. "What's there left to bargain for?"
"Well, it's hard to say for Zoro," Chopper says softly. "Most of the time, it means praying to God to change what happened. But, Zoro doesn't believe in God. It can also mean asking what if. He'll want us to offer him confirmation. He'll ask things like 'what if I was faster' and grief wants us to tell him that if he was faster, he could have changed things."
"But he couldn't have," Nami protests.
"Probably not, no. But, it's a form of bargaining. Just make sure to assure him he didn't do anything wrong. Bargaining also comes in the form of telling the story of what happened. Sometimes it leads into 'what ifs'. But, mostly it's a way of getting everything out of your head and into the open."
"What comes after that?" Luffy asks.
"Depression. With everything that's happened, it'll be the hardest stage for Zoro."
Vivi furrows her brow, concern swirling through her. "Why's that Tony-kun?"
"Well, Torao and I talked a lot while he was still here. I didn't tell him everything, but I gave him a vague idea of what had happened to Zoro. I wanted a second opinion."
"On what?" Luffy asks tightly.
Chopper lets out a long breath, his ears pressed against his head. "On Zoro's mental state. After everything he's been through. Watching us die." Chopper trails off for a moment. "I spent a lot of time going through how Zoro's been acting for the past couple of months. The way he froze in battle and all of his panic attacks. The way he seemed really distant. It's not uncommon after experiencing a trauma like that. Torao and I think that Zoro's showing signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder."
Robin hums softly. "That would make sense. It explains the mood swings and his distance."
Chopper nods.
"Wh-what is it?" Usopp asks.
"It's a mental health condition that's triggered by a traumatic event," Chopper says. "It can cause flashbacks, nightmares, and severe anxiety. All of which Zoro seems to have developed. I'm working on a treatment plan and some possible medication that might help. Torao's going to help too. He left me some of his notes on it and some treatments he's found helpful. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and depression often coexist. And, now that he's finally facing the trauma that caused all of this to begin with, I'm worried the depression he goes through will be heightened by the severe anxiety he's developed."
"Should we be worried about him being a danger to himself?" Robin asks.
"Given his history, I think so, yes."
Heavy silence settles over the crew. A suffocating fear and uncertainty on how to deal with the horrifying future that lays ahead of them. Vivi pulls her knees up to her chest, guilt bubbling in her stomach. Cold arm settles around her shoulders, desperate to give her comfort she doesn't deserve.
"What's the last one?" Luffy speaks first, his unnervingly calm eyes moving to Chopper.
"Acceptance. It's always the final stage."
"But, isn't that what started all of this?" Usopp asks. "Him accepting that we-we died?"
"I don't believe Chopper-san means acceptance of death, Usopp-san." Brook says, looking up from his tea. "I believe he means that Zoro-san will accept that he isn't to blame and begin to move on."
"Exactly." Chopper nods. "Once Zoro accepts that this wasn't his fault and starts to try to get better he'll be in the final stage."
Nami straightens. "How long will it take?"
"It's impossible to tell." Chopper shrugs. "Everyone takes their own time with grief. Zoro will definitely take longer than Vivi has."
Vivi blinks, looking up at him. "Me?"
"Mhmm. You went through anger and bargaining almost simultaneously. But, I think you're starting to settle into acceptance already. Which is good. I wish you would have said something sooner, though. Grief is hard to go through alone."
"But, Tony-kun, I didn't go through all of these."
"Of course you did. Everyone does, Vivi. Looking back on them, it's easy to tell. I'm assuming your denial was early on, but it probably happened so quickly you didn't even notice it. Your depression hit about the time Robin joined the crew. Which was probably part of the reason that you took so long to get along with her. That's when you started being kind distant from everybody but Zoro. I think both you and Zoro compartmentalized while we were in Water 7, which put you both at a bit of a stand still with the grieving process. But, your anger and bargaining both come out around Thriller Bark. It's why you were so angry at Luffy and Zoro while we were there. And, bargaining was you telling us all what happened." Chopper gives her a soft smile. "You still seem kind of guilty when we bring it up, which means that you haven't fully accepted that you didn't do anything wrong. But that's okay. We'll remind you."
Tears prickle at Vivi's eyes but she wipes them away quickly. They're supposed to be worrying about Zoro right now. Worrying about her can come after they've calmed the swordsman down. Once she knows that Zoro will be okay.
"Don't do that," Luffy orders from the head of the table.
Vivi glances at him, finding her captain glaring at her firmly. "Luffy-san."
"Vivi gets to feel sad too. Don't hide how you feel. Zoro isn't more important than you are. If you feel sad, let us know. We'll help you, just like we're gonna help Zoro."
Arms wrap around Vivi, pulling her into Robin's side as more tears tumble down her cheeks. Robin brushes back Vivi's hair and Vivi bites hard on her bottom lip. They're supposed to be talking about how to help Zoro. This can wait until later. She can sob like a child later. She's supposed to be in acceptance, right? Doesn't that mean not being said.
Luffy lets out a long suffering sigh, his chair scraping against the floor and his sandals slapping against wood. He hops onto the table, settling himself in front of Vivi and stretching himself to look at her. Across the room, Sanji lets out a few grumbled protests.
"I get what the problem is now," Luffy tells her. "You and Zoro are too much alike. You worry too much about each other and not enough about yourself.'
Pressure builds in Vivi's chest, Luffy's face blurred from behind tears. This is stupid. So unbelievably stupid. She can't think of a single good reason for her to crying at the moment. All Chopper did was mention that she went through the stages of grief.
Luffy sighs again. "I'm your captain, Vivi," he tells her patiently. "So, you gotta listen to me, okay? N' I say you're not allowed to feel guilty anymore n' you get to cry. Captain's orders."
Vivi isn't allowed to feel guilty. Her captain doesn't want her to feel guilty. Even though he knows exactly what happened, that she didn't follow him the first time around, that she didn't come to him for help with Zoro, that she didn't do enough to change things. Luffy knows everything. And Luffy doesn't want her to feel guilty.
"Luffy, you idiot!" Nami snarls. "You can't just order-"
The pressure in her chest shoves up her throat and bursts past her lips in a sob. Tears spill down her cheeks with alarming speed, her chest heaving and her throat burning with each cry. Luffy doesn't want her to feel guilty. Doesn't think she did anything wrong.
Robin's arms tighten around her, humming softly.
Luffy smiles softly. "Vivi's so dumb, thinking we'd be mad at her for silly stuff like this. Nakama are all important. Nobody's more important than anybody else. Got it?"
Not trusting herself to speak, Vivi nods.
"Good. You and Zoro are so dumb. No more being dumb. That's captain's orders for everybody!"
Alright, Chapter 26 comes to a close! Vivi is officially the Strawhat Pirates' envoy. For those who don't know, an envoy is like an ambassador. They're a messenger or representative that are typically sent out on diplomatic missions. In this case, Vivi is going to be the one who handles the Strawhats' alliances. Meanwhile, Zoro is starting to go through the five stages of grief, currently in the anger stage, and Chopper officially diagnosis Zoro with PTSD. And, yup, it exists in this world... Because I decided and I am the captain of this fic!
I did not forget about Shanks, Blackbeard, and the end of the war. Did you catch the small nods to them in the early parts of the chapter? Sabo is 100% holding Ace back from going after Teach and Usopp is staring in shock as his father arrives at Marineford. But, since Vivi's primary concern is Zoro dying, I felt like it would be really convoluted to try and cram all of that in. So, I gave them a subtle nod, one of which we'll get to dive into next chapter!
Next chapter, we're back to Zoro and we're going to be wrapping things up. Find out how the timeskip may or may not go down. Zoro has some meaningful conversations with Sanji, Brook, and Usopp. And, our swordsman finally finds the courage to say goodbye.
Until next time you amazing people. Remember to stay healthy, stay sane, and stay safe out there!