Last time, Luffy boards the Red Force to ask former-Celestial Dragon turned Pirate Emperor Shanks the route to intercept Marco's transit ship to Mariejois. As they argue, Luffy's lung gives out and he collapses, and only through Shanks' promise to help does he allow himself to be examined.
Once the Red Hair Pirates' Doctor has finished treating Luffy, Shanks and Usopp are kicked out of the infirmary to let the young revolutionary rest. It takes one glance towards his father's captain for Usopp to swallow, dread curling up around his throat in a familiar feeling. Shanks seems like a cool enough guy, but Usopp knows the expression of someone who wants to know.
"Zoro," Chopper's hesitant voice stirs the swordsman out of his slumber, "Usopp called." As he wakes up, Zoro's face tastes like salt, resulting from sleeping outside for several hours. Reflexively, he pops his shoulders, letting out a low sigh at the immediate relief.
"Chopper," he greets, covering his mouth to hide his yawn, "did they find Red Hair?"
"Luffy's collapsed in their infirmary." The information sinks into Zoro, hurrying his mind awake. When it fully processes, he voices the first coherent thing to cross his mind.
"Ah, shit."
Zoro remembers clearly the day he met Monkey D. Luffy. The young man had barely managed to arrive at Whiskey Peaks, mostly because of the help of a pink-haired teen named Coby.
He's my friend, Luffy had screamed delighted.
I'm his nanny, Coby corrected, in a well-suffered tone.
Zoro, who hated the duty of receiving the visitors at Whiskey Peak, shared a look with Nami, sunbathing ways away. Her posture was relaxed, eyes hidden behind bright green, cat-eye sunglasses, but he can feel her gaze on them. Zoro doesn't need anyone to tell him though, for all that he looked like an idiot, this man was strong.
"You're 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro," Coby commented, eyeing Zoro's swords. "Luffy, he could..."
"So, we're secret government agents," the raven informed, interrupting his companion with wide eyes, "would you like to help us?"
Zoro thought Coby was going to have an aneurysm. Those two had an interesting dynamic at first. A naive, weak-willed Coby constantly subjugated to the unpredictable whims of Luffy. Zoro felt a little sorry for him. Their partnership was very different from Zoro and Nami's, born in deceit and ironed in necessity and a will to live.
"You're not supposed to say that to people!" the younger man exclaimed, and it wouldn't be the first time Zoro contemplated how Coby's guts were frustrated into existence. A hilarious thought if there ever were any.
Luffy had been reckless then as he is reckless now, but he remains the only man to have bested Zoro in battle, and the swordsman is nothing but a man of his word. Until the day Luffy interposes himself in Zoro's dream... Which now means forever seeing as Zoro is number one.
At least he keeps things interesting.
"What's happening to him?" No matter what Luffy thinks, it has been no secret in the crew that he's been getting worst. His episodes increasing in frequency, nowadays sometimes unprompted. He'd almost scared Zoro half to death the last time they bathed.
He's eating less.
Sleeping more.
Spending time on the phone.
Zoro frowns deeply, keeping a headache at bay, trying to convince himself he's not a useless spectator to the slow death of his best friend.
"I don't know yet," the doctor whines, and as he throws himself and cries all over Zoro's kimono, the swordsman places one hand on his back. It covers most of the reindeer as it sinks soothingly unto thick fur. Zoro looks towards the sky, thinking. The day was just as bright and cloudless when Luffy landed Zoro smack on his back too. "Red Hair had to extort him in letting me examine him."
"Why is he suddenly worse? I thought after the lung thing, he just had to take it easy." Zoro knows he said the wrong thing because Chopper pauses his crying to give him an incredulous look.
"And when exactly has he been taking it easy?!" Zoro hides a wince, unused to the doctor's harsh tone. (He also feels a little silly, maybe, because he's fallen into that stupid trap of thinking Luffy to be invincible too. He really should know better.)
"Chopper," Zoro's single eye pins down their doctor, "Luffy is strong, okay? You do your best and trust him to do so too."
"Zoro, he wants to go rescue Marco solo," the doctor cries, "his body cannot take another Enies Lobby, forget it, I don't think there's much more his body can take at all."
"I thought you needed to examine him."
"I do, but he's been coughing up blood for over a week, possibly more because he never tells me anything!" "Zoro," Chopper cries, "Zoro...? What are we going to do if Luffy dies?"
It's a good fucking question.
"He won't," Zoro dismisses, "too stubborn."
Zoro wishes he wasn't familiar with the thought of Luffy's death, but in the end, it was Zoro who carried him off Enies Lobby. He looks down at the hand still comforting Chopper's back, the backs of it mismatched and stitched together from where the magma splattered off Luffy's chest.
"That's not...!" Chopper begins.
"Chopper, we have to trust Luffy knows what he's doing. I know it's easy to forget, but he usually does, okay?"
The nod is meek, but Zoro has no doubt it's the best he'll get for now. He cannot even begin to understand the burden upon Chopper's shoulders, trying to contain a man like Luffy.
I have a feeling.
Fucking little shit.
"Now, what happened with the Red Hair pirates?"
"Luffy's going to do what?!" Sabo screams into the phone. He holds off from putting another dent on his desk because he just finished rearranging the tiny war pieces on his map, and there is no way the blonde man is doing that again, but gods does he want to. His older brother is going to put him on an early grave, no question about it,
"That's what Zoro said," comes the shaky voice through the den-den mushi's speaker.
"And they didn't think of calling me?" It's useless, he knows, Luffy's squad has always been a bit off for the Revolutionary Army. Considering their general demographic includes all races, war fugitives, and drag queens, it's somewhat telling. In fact, were it not for his direct relationship with Dragon, Luffy would probably be quietly distrusted in Baterilla. Besides, it's not the agent's fault that Sabo's brother has no concern for protocol anyways.
Zoro, thankfully, seemed aware enough to send Sabo a message, if not man enough to get an earful for it.
"I think they're going for it's better to ask for forgiveness than for permission," the voice replies, amused, "that's always been his... style."
"I'm going to kill him."
"I'll help," the man agrees good-naturedly, losing the mirth as he continues, "what do you want me to do?" Sabo considers his possibilities, he'll have to run it through the boss, but he sincerely doubts they're going to leave Luffy to his own devices, weird fascination with Marco the Phoenix or not.
"I imagine you will be nowhere near that boat?"
"Heading for Mariejois? No chance."
"Any idea what route the ship is taking?" The Chief of Staff knows the answer before it comes, but it never hurts to ask.
"There is one specific route for high-stakes slaves and nobles, but only the Admirals have a Log Pose for that."
"The back entrance to Mariejois, huh?" A mythical magnetic pull that leads around all-natural disasters present between regular waters and those surrounding the visitor-shy port of Mariejois. The Revolutionary Army has worked tirelessly to find it. "Damn it," Sabo curses, "so Luffy's on his own."
"Well, he is going to have some help."
"I'm not going to like it, am I?" The man chuckles, and Sabo rubs at his temples and wonders if it's too early to find the Sake bottle Koala got him for his birthday. She'd brought it to him at his office, and it's just never left the premises. The blonde man isn't one for drinking but now doesn't seem like a horrible time to indulge.
"Not at all," the agent promises.
Lovely.
Thanks for all the lovely reviews and support, as things get a little more complex, your excitement has become more meaningful and motivating than ever. Thank you for sticking with me in Marco and Luffy's adventure.
