*Returning readers please read*
First of all I'd like to thank all of you for putting up with my garbage writing. How you all did it, I have no idea but I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your positive feedback and words of encouragement, even though my own writing makes me cringe, you ease my pain. Second; I'd like to thank everyone who left a review on this ancient story, even if they were reviews with criticism. Trust me. I know. I've known.
THIS IS A REWORK.
It's not really an update, but it is slightly extended. I cannot make any promises but I am going to try to pick this back up, especially now that I actually have an idea worked out for this. Very sorry for the delay and disappointment. Please forgive.
It was hard coming back and reading what I had written, especially after reading reviews about what was not liked about it, but that is an unavoidable factor in writing. There is always someone who is not going to like something about your work and you have to be okay with that, otherwise you'll never finish anything. I discouraged myself for no reason because I was always worried about whether or not something was too OOC or something that just didn't mesh with the theme of One Piece, but then I had to step back and remind myself that I'm not writing to make anybody else happy. I don't have to stick to the script. I shouldn't stress over whether or not I made the chars too OOC, because I am not Oda. In the end, I am writing to make me happy and that's all that should matter to me.
So to all you other writers out there just remember this; you don't have to write to please anybody but yourself. Write what makes you happy!
Guess I should throw in this warning; OOCNESS AHEAD. TAKE A DEEP BREATH, LADS.
Sanji was still trying to comprehend if this was really happening as Chopper turned the faucet on and made his leave. The previous conversation that brought him to this point was still echoing in his mind...
/"Sanji-kun!" Nami flashed him a smile. "I think Chopper could really use a break. Be a dear and help him out with just this one task, please."
"Don't worry, it's nothing super complicated, Sanji. You just have to watch him, simple enough, right? Well, he needs a wash too-"
"I thought you said it wasn't super complicated."
"-Here, I'll even help you take him up there and get the bath ready. I have to start on mixing another dose for him so I'll be back to check on you in about 10 minutes."/
Sanji couldn't help but wonder if he was going to live to regret signing himself up for this. The swordsman hadn't seemed all that lively during the journey to the bathroom, Sanji almost didn't catch everything Chopper was telling him through the haunting thought of having to give a sponge bath to Zoro, of all people.
With a heavy sigh and a soft curse, he turned to check on the swordsman, whom, last Sanji recalled, had been placed in the tub by Chopper before his departure. So it was only mildly alarming to find the man standing a few feet away in nothing but his underwear and a shirt. The swordsman didn't say anything or make an attempt to get closer, he just stood there with his face buried in one hand.
"Oi-" but before he could follow it with 'Do you need me to get Chopper?', he felt his voice catch in his throat as Zoro lifted his gaze. The moment the green-haired man's eyes met his, an unpleasant feeling suddenly crept up his spine, and yet he found himself unable to avert his gaze. It was that look, it caused Sanji's instincts to scream at him but he was barely able to react as Zoro dashed forward and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. With the same momentum he slammed the cook into the door behind him.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"What the hell are you doing?" Zoro demanded.
Sanji began to question whether or not Zoro needed anyone to watch over him during his hygiene routine since the man seemed so actively against it. In the end he had to remind himself that it wasn't up to him, and he wasn't looking to cross either the doctor or the navigator on this.
"What do you mean 'what am I doing?'?" Sanji asked, slightly annoyed by the close proximity between the two of them. "It was requested of me to help you clean yourself, idiot. Do you not remember-?"
"Clean-? Are you sure I'm the idiot here?" The swordsman scoffed. "Why would you waste your precious time with that? Don't tell me you're into this kind of thing."
"Are. . . Are you insane?!" Sanji's brow twitched as his cigarette was coming dangerously close to being chewed up out of sheer anger. "No, you're right, there's a definite possibility you're not the only idiot present, because for some reason I am still here. Tolerating. . . This. Now let me go."
Zoro didn't appear to be paying any attention as his hand went to his side, his brow twitched slightly as he began to scan the room.
"What?" Sanji could feel himself growing ever more agitated by the second. "Don't tell me you need your swords to take a bath-"
"Where have you taken them, Helmeppo?"
The longer Zoro held on to his shirt, the more Sanji felt what little grip he had left on his patience begin to slip and he had a feeling this new nickname would prove to be a severe threat to his self-control.
"Oi..." He growled. "What did you just call me?"
Again the swordsman ignored him, "Where have you put my swords?"
Zoro's sudden hostility was as puzzling as it was irritating, he never knew the man to get this irate over being separated from his swords. Maybe it was just the fever...?
"Look, I don't have your swords, marimo," Sanji sighed, tapping into the depths of his willpower to remain calm. "They're down in the men's quarters where you left them. Okay? Safe and sound-"
"The "men's quarters"? What is this nonsense you're talking about?"
"What "nonsense" are you talking about?"
"You haven't told a single truth since I met you!" Zoro pointed at him with a scowl. "Everything you say is nonsense!"
"That does it! I am done with whatever this-" Sanji gestured vehemently towards the swordsman. "-is! We're just wasting water at this point, so I'm just going to call Chopper back up here."
Nami-san is going to be so disappointed in me…
The thought alone was almost enough to make him take back his decision, until a hand suddenly gripped his shoulder way too tight for comfort.
"What-" Sanji growled as his brow began to twitch in annoyance. "What are you-Augh!"
The swordsman's grip suddenly got painfully tight, the blond tried to squirm away, but Zoro's fingers only dug in deeper.
"Ngh-Oi, oi!" Sanji gritted his teeth and tried to glare at the other man. "What the hell... do you think you're doing?"
"I'm getting my swords back."
The way the swordsman said that in his ear sent a chill up his spine, before he felt himself getting thrown back onto the hard stone floor. Dark spots suddenly obscured his vision as his head hit the ground from a blow to the jaw, and just as they began to fade Zoro was hoisting him back up by his hair.
"Just where do you think you're going, Helmeppo?" A cold voice asked.
"S... Screw you." He knew he probably should not have said anything at all, but it had just slipped out, and he only slightly regretted it even after his head met the floor once more, which Sanji felt unnecessary since he was still dazed by Zoro's first blow.
"I was going to spare you, since you know where my swords are-"
The unmistakable sensation of fear coursed through Sanji as he felt Zoro's hand seize a chunk of his hair and began dragging him towards the bathtub.
"But obviously I'm not getting anywhere with you, so just die quietly."
Next thing he knew, his airway was being threatened as Zoro's fingers latched around his throat. Sanji struggled as the swordsman held him over the water, but the other man showed no sign that he even noticed the cook scratching at his arm.
"Shit..."
Then, finally, someone knocked on the door.
"Sanji?"
As much as he was hoping the soft voice had come from Zoro, it hadn't.
"Say goodbye, Helmeppo."
"I'm not-!"
Without a second thought, he was plunged into the water and found himself being held there regardless of how much thrashing he did.
Nightmares like this use to plague him when he was young. It looked exactly as it did in his worst and most vivid ones; the rippling water, the bursts of bubbles, and the eyes. Unfeeling eyes that stared down with a cold gaze. It wasn't nearly as frightening in his nightmares as it was in real life, but it almost gave him a sense of de ja vu. This fear and panic. The only difference was that the one holding him down was a friend.
Sanji found his footing against the side of the tub, giving him the leverage to push off the wall and drag the swordsman in with him. In the midst of confusion, he felt the swordsman release his throat, allowing him to resurface.
"USOPP!"
As soon as the word left his lips, he felt something cold dig into his neck before his airway was once again obstructed. Desperate to get Zoro to release him, he scratched at whatever he could make contact with; Zoro's hands, arms, even scraped up his own throat in his efforts to pry the calloused fingers away. The smooth surface of the tub made it difficult get the right leverage to kick Zoro away and his vision was growing dim. He felt his control over his limbs slipping away with his energy and his chest tighten uncomfortably. The horrifying realization that he couldn't even breathe in water that surrounded him sent him into a full on panic...
Usopp entered the bathhouse a little cross. He wasn't happy that Nami had ordered him to check on the two in the middle of an experiment. She had complained about a loud racket and wanting them to keep it down. Usopp didn't give a damn what they were doing, as long as they quit bugging Nami so she would quit bugging him then everyone would be satisfied.
As he approached the door, it only just occurred to him that water was flowing from beneath it. Strange, had Sanji accidentally overfilled the tub? Where they having some kind of water fight in there? Did he really want to know? No. All he did know was that Franky and Nami weren't going to be too happy about that.
Usopp decided it was probably best to forgo knocking and just peek in real quick to make sure the room was at least still intact, but upon testing the handle he discovered it to be stuck. For a brief moment, Usopp strongly considered just running the hell out of there and telling Nami that everything was just fine, but the muffled voices he heard from the other side made him rethink it. There was a flurry of sounds coming from the other side of the door, followed by the distinct sound of stone cracking. Franky definitely wasn't going to be pleased.
Usopp leaned against the wood to hear inside, hoping to get a better clue as to what was happening beyond the door, while also hoping he didn't accidentally hear something he didn't want to. He could hear indistinct sounds and an inaudible voice. "Sanji?" he called. The job was supposed to be an easy one. All Sanji had to do was take Zoro up to the bath house and be the lifeguard. "Zoro?" he knocked again.
He heard Zoro's voice say something inaudible and then Sanji's voice, loud and clear. "I'm not-!"
The sound of something hitting water cut him off, followed by the sounds of... splashing? Maybe they were having one of their little escapades again. If they damaged anything, Usopp knocked harder this time, thinking how Nami would probably have them pay out their-
"USOPP!" a voice cried desperately.
The sudden shout made Usopp jump and briefly shook up his wits, barely recognizing the voice.
"Sanji!?" he called as he knocked again.
The door behind him flew open.
"What's going on, Usopp?" He heard Nami ask him, but he didn't respond as he began ramming the door with his shoulder.
"This… it's stuck." Usopp grunted as he threw himself against it. "It won't-"
The door flew open with a loud BANG but the sight that greeted them was not one that Usopp would ever be ready for. At first, the only person Usopp could see was Zoro, hunched over in the tub, but before either of them could call say the swordsman's name someone came rising out of the water with such force it threw Zoro back onto the shower floor. Sanji now stood where Zoro had been looking an absolute mess, Nami was demanding to know what was going on but she received no answer other than the shallow breathing between bouts of coughing up water. As Sanji dragged himself out of the tub and crumpled to the floor in a heap, Usopp rushed to aid him but stopped short when he caught a glimpse of the murderous look in the other man's eyes. He could hear Nami shouting his name as Sanji was suddenly on his feet and reaching for him.
For a fleeting moment, Usopp was certain that this was where he was going to die as he found himself incapable of moving all of a sudden, but instead of death, he was shoved to the side with such force that it sent him toppling to the floor. Zoro went rushing past him immediately after and was upon the cook once more. With one swift movement his hand slammed into the blonde's chest, in an attempt to throw the him back into the water, but it only caused Sanji to lose his footing and slip backwards. An agonized scream that made the hair on the back of Usopp's neck stand on end filled the bathroom as the cook's lower back connected solidly with the edge of the tub. The marksmen felt rooted where he sat, unable to take his eyes off what was happening and yet unable to believe it as well. It was all so surreal... Their movements- the way they were fighting... something about it all seemed so-
Usopp watched in horror as a dark hand latched firmly onto a white limb, the pleas begging him to let go were responded with only a cold stare as the hand gave a quick jerk.
So animalistic.
The cook barely uttered a sound as an audible pop could be heard, and with a shudder Sanji went limp, leaving Zoro free to submerge him once more.
"ZORO!" Usopp heard himself scream in a voice that wasn't quite his own as he tackled the swordsman. "Zoro, what are you doing? Stop it! Damn it, Zoro, I said STOP IT!"
Usopp did not know how long he stood there throwing his best punches at the back of the swordsman's head, hoping it would at least draw his attention, but it had no effect, no matter how hard he hit.
Nami, had even seized the stool at some point and brought it down on the swordsman's head with all her might, only to have it shatter without causing even a flinch. When that failed she her nails into Zoro's hands to try to pry them from the cook's throat, begging him to let go as a single pale hand gripped the swordsman's shirt and pulled until the fabric slowly began to rip.
"Nami, pull the drain plug!"
As Nami made a beeline for the chain, Usopp could hear Chopper's voice behind him screaming at them to get out of the way, he came flying in and in the blink of an eye jabbed a syringe in the side of Zoro's neck. It's contents took hold of the swordsman almost instantly as he collapsed in Usopp's arms. Nami's struggle through her rising panic to keep Sanji upright was short lived as Chopper scooped him out of the water and gently set him on the floor. By the time the doctor began administering CPR on the lifeless form of the cook, the rest of the crew had gathered quietly in the doorway. Usopp did not realize he was still holding Zoro until Franky was hoisting the man into his arms upon Chopper's orders to have him taken to the men's quarters, with the weight gone, he only felt cold and numb. This had to be a dream, because there was no way Luffy was being silent right now.
Usopp turned to look at his captain and found a heart stopping sight. Luffy was now standing in the doorway as rigid as a board, his hands were clenched tightly into fists and his mouth formed a thin line. He made no attempt to speak but his eyes were screaming for answers as he watched the water spill forth from his cook's mouth with each chest compression from Chopper. With a sputtering gasp the cook began to breathe once more, Nami immediately fled the bathroom with Robin in close pursuit. With a now breathing Sanji in his arms, Chopper rushed to the infirmary with his last request being shouted over his shoulder. "Do not disturb me unless it's an absolute emergency!"
As the doctor disappeared, Usopp was struck with the realization that it was just him, Brooke, and-
Luffy was suddenly standing next to him, looking at him with mild concern. For a moment, the boy said nothing, and then, "Usopp, your knuckles are bruised."
His words made Usopp wince more than the sight of his swollen hands.
"Luffy..." His voice cracked as he tried to put his thoughts into words. "They... It was like... like they were trying to kill each other."
Usopp could feel his brow furrow as it all played in his mind again and again. "For a minute there, I really thought they were going to... Especially-" The burning sensation starting in his eyes caused him to turn away, clenching his hands in frustration, "And I couldn't stop it..."
Zoro slept soundly in the men's quarters under the watchful eye of Brook while Chopper locked himself away with Sanji in the infirmary leaving the others to wait quietly. It took a few hours for Nami to collect herself, Robin assisted with cleaning the traces of blood from her hands off before they joined the others in the galley where Usopp was just finishing up telling the others what he saw.
"No way! That-" Luffy was understandably upset. "That can't be right...!"
"He had a pretty bad fever, maybe that messed with his head-"
"But Zoro would never do that!"
"Luffy." Usopp said flatly as he held his hands up. "This happened because I was repeatedly hitting him in the back of the head. I'm not saying what he did was intentional, but regardless of what you think; it still happened."
The captain's gaze fell upon their navigator, "Nami, what did you see?"
"I saw..." Nami stared solemnly at her captain and took a moment to think before responding in a hallow voice, "I saw myself completely fail to save someone in every way."
As the two of them hung their heads mumbling as if they had been effected by Negative Ghosts, Franky tried to console them the best he could while Robin set to making a pot of tea. Luffy didn't press further and remained silent up until Chopper finally emerged from the infirmary.
"Chopper!" Luffy leapt to his feet and grabbed the little reindeer by his shoulders and took a deep breath. "Is... Is Sanji going to be well enough to cook dinner tonight?"
The others were almost floored by Luffy's attempt to play it cool, while Nami rose to demonstrate that she was still capable of punching somebody in the back of the head hard enough to plant them into the floor. Chopper looked down at their captain with a startled look.
"I highly doubt that, Luffy. There may be a concussion. His throat is pretty swollen, luckily I was able to intubate before it got too bad, but there appears to be a minor hyoid fracture and..." Chopper trailed off and looked down for a moment before meeting everybody's eyes again. "His shoulder was dislocated. I reset it without any issues but it's going to take some time before he'll have full use of his arm again."
Luffy gave the doctor a blank stare. "So... he's not awake?"
Chopper sighed and shook his head. "No, Luffy, he's not awake right now."
As Robin handed out the tea, the crew each exchanged uneasy glances before Nami finally spoke up.
"So we just... wait?"
"I suppose we don't have much of a choice, do we?" Usopp mused. "I mean, can we even do anything right now?"
"If there's one thing we can do it's be there for our friends when they need it." Robin said as she calmly sipped her tea. "Until that time comes, we can only be patient."
Zoro's fever began to recede and was showing signs of finally overcoming his illness. Sanji, however, remained unconscious while Chopper observed him through the night to make sure he didn't succumb to secondary drowning or complications from the fracture.
Zoro woke the following day and the first things he noticed were two empty bunks; the doctor's and the cook's. He figured Chopper probably had the last watch and Sanji was probably already set on breakfast. He thought it a bit odd that the others were still asleep as he pushed himself out of bed, but an intense stinging sensation brought his attention to his arms where he was shocked to find both his appendages wrapped, shoulder to fingertip, in thin white bandages. Before he could debate unwrapping one just a bit to take a peek, his stomach let him know just how badly it needed to be filled. The past few days were all a hazy blur in his mind, he probably missed quite a few meals. Had it been days? How long had he been sick? Did he truly care about how many days he missed? Not really. His mind was growing ever more fixed on finding food.
Not bothering to change his clothes, Zoro headed to the galley of the Thousand Sunny. It was highly unlikely that Sanji would allow him early access to the kitchen, but maybe with some convincing from Chopper he could possibly get an amazing breakfast from the cook. The idea died before it could be implemented as Zoro entered the galley and found it to be completely empty. If Sanji wasn't in the galley making breakfast by now then where-?
A sudden sinking feeling hit Zoro like a brick as his gaze fell on the sick bay door. The curtain was drawn so he could not see inside. Strange, the curtain was only ever down when Chopper had a patient. Concern grew into alarm when he couldn't hear any sounds of conversation from the other side, and before he could even approach the door, it opened and out stepped Chopper with a dreary look on his face.
"Chopper-"
"Zoro!" Chopper's eyes widened as he stared at the man in shock. "Y-You're awake! I was just coming to check on you-!"
"What happened? Where's-" Zoro took another look around the kitchen, "Where's the cook at?"
The reindeer seemed to fidget under his gaze as he avoided eye contact for a moment. Zoro stared at the reindeer in confusion until he finally met his eyes again.
"Don't worry about that right now." Chopper said in such a way that it almost gave Zoro the chills. "How are you feeling? Do you still feel sick at all?"
"N-no. I feel fine now. What about the cook? Did he get sick-?"
The galley door flew open at that moment, the swordsman and doctor turned to see Luffy standing in the doorway with a look that immediately made Zoro's stomach go quiet.
Breakfast came and went in a tense yet awkward fashion as minimal conversation was had. The others carried on like nothing was amiss, nobody even mentioned how the food was deplorable compared to what Sanji could make, and that did not sit well with Zoro.
Chopper, the only other member that was not amongst them, had only appeared to quickly scarf down his food before receding to the infirmary. He had submerged himself in his books and keeping a close watch on the cook.
The doctor sighed. "Brooke, as nice as it is to have you in here watching Sanji, I think I can handle it."
The skeleton shifted his ever watchful gaze from the blonde's still form and looked at Chopper. "Huh? You sure?"
Chopper frowned slightly, meeting Brooke's nonexistent eyes. It was hard to tell the emotion the musician was portraying. Was he hurt by the doctor's words or was he just apathetic?
"I'm sure, besides, you probably have better things to do then sit in here all day, it's pretty boring."
"Ah, it's not a problem," the skeleton rose to leave anyway. "Watching out for a friend is never a problem. I just wish that Sanji-san would wake up soon and cook one of his delicious meals like he usually does and maybe make one of his fabulous desserts."
The reindeer began to picture what sort of sweet concoction the cook would come up with. It made him drool with delight.
Chopper glanced to the cook. "I bet he'd be blushing at your compliment right now, Brooke, if he was awake. If not the blush I'm certain he would be deeply grateful that you love his food so."
A blushing Sanji made Brooke chuckle for some odd reason. "Blushing? It doesn't suit him, but it's quite an amusing thought. Oh, just listen to me, making fun of him when he's lying here, bedridden. He'd have my head."
"But at least he would kick your head with love and care." Chopper giggled. "Tell you what, Brooke, if you want to wait here so badly, you could come back when it's night time."
"Ah, and then you would be able to get some shut eye." Brooke clapped his bony hands together. "What a perfect idea! I'll be back then!"
Brooke left, shutting door softly behind him and headed for the Aquarium Bar.
The deck of the Sunny seemed empty, except for Luffy who sat in the swing. It was a given that he was thinking about something that weighed heavily on his mind since he wasn't swinging and jumping off to see how far he could fly.
"Luffy-san, what's got you down?"
Luffy pouted. "It's Zoro."
"Oh?"
"He won't talk until someone tells him what happened to Sanji. It's like he has no idea what happened."
As down as the captain seemed to be, that surely wasn't the only thing on his mind.
"You're debating whether or not you should tell him?"
Luffy was quiet for a good while before uttering a small. "Yeah."
Brooke looked to the blue sky above him. "It is your decision to make, Luffy-san. You are the captain, you must do what you think is best for the crew."
"What's best for the crew... but I don't want to tell Zoro what I was told... I know there's no way he did it on purpose. Without a doubt! It's just..." Luffy's jaw clamped shut, as if he feared to go on, "I don't want to have to tell Zoro what he did. Zoro's the kind of idiot that will start blaming himself. Sanji too. They're both dumb like that."
He looked up to Brooke and was surprised to find the musician chuckling at him for insulting his first mate and cook.
"What?" Luffy pouted. "What's so funny? They are! And now I'm hearing that Zoro might not remember anything for a while. What if Sanji doesn't either?!"
"Or they both may never remember at all!" As Luffy gave him a horrified look and muttered something about how he sounded like Robin, Brooke chuckled and placed a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder and continued. "Luffy-san, I don't think you have anything to worry about. We're talking about Sanji-san and Zoro-san here. I strongly believe it will work out in the end. Just give it some time and you will see."
Luffy blinked as a broad smile broke his sad expression. "You think so?"
"I do."
Zoro was cursing himself into a hole at this point. Normally he preferred the quiet, but this was almost deafening, and every time he tried to recall what he did the past few days, nothing would come up. Had there been some sort of Marine attack while he was out? Another pirate ship maybe? It could not have been that bad since there was no visible damage to the ship, but if it hadn't been a rough one then why was the cook out of commission? And what was this cold air he was getting from the others?
His irritation only made him pump weights more furiously. Chopper probably wouldn't approve of him straining himself like this after just recovering from his sicknesses, but it had only been minor, and he had some thoughts he needed to work through. He felt the need to see Sanji at least once, just to see if he was still in one piece, but the memory of Chopper's short response on the matter and then the conversation he had with Luffy kept him from walking through the infirmary door.
/"Do you remember what happened yesterday?"/
Luffy had questioned him with a face void of all emotion, it was unnerving for the boy to be so serious and quiet too. Normally he had a lot more to say, but it was almost like he was holding back now...
An annoying pang of guilt brought the Kuma incident to mind. Now there was a touchy subject that was danced about and rarely mentioned. Sanji knew about that, he knew what Zoro had done for their captain, while Luffy remained clueless. Now, it was Luffy who knew something that Zoro did not.
While staring at his bandaged hands, an awful feeling began gnawing away at his gut, it was an ugly reminder of the fact that he may not like the answers to the questions he had. With a heavy sigh, Zoro set his weights down and settled in to meditate to ease his racing mind. As he sat in his usual position and tried to clear his head, his eyes traveled back down to his arms. The bandages were rather clean compared to the bloodstains that were usually present, they were actually rather spotless-.
A ghostly hand suddenly gripped his wrist, sending chills running up his spine. His body did not respond to his brain yelling at him to pull away as the grip tightened and a sudden burning sensation flared up beneath the bandages, like someone was clawing at him.
Zoro's eyes snapped open as his mind snapped back to reality, with a shake of his head he tried once more to focus on clearing his thoughts, but the respite was short lived as he felt a sudden and unwelcome surge of adrenaline course through him. The sound of water slapping a hard surface and splashing forced him to open his eyes.
Not a single drop of liquid in sight.
Nettled, he attempted to resume his meditating, but found his mind far too muddled to relax. He threw himself on the bench out of frustration, his hand grazing his katana briefly before coming to a rest next to them. It was strange to think that at one point he almost lost his most treasure possession to that freak way back when he first met Luffy. What was his name?
Zoro mused on the fact that he wouldn't even be where he was now if it hadn't been for Luffy. He probably would've lost his life and the promise he made to Kuina would have been broken. All because of one dumb blonde prick. What was his name again?
The swordsman could recall when they had a surprising reunion with Koby on Water 7 and the same blonde prick was there standing next to him.
His name. What was his name?
Out on the deck below him, he spotted Luffy, swaying lifelessly on the swing. He had a look on his face that was foreign compared to his usual demeanor, and it disturbed Zoro.
To add to it all, the captain was also ex-animate. Luffy was never idle, only when he was asleep was he ever this peaceful. This just didn't make much sense at all.
As if the boy could sense his gaze, he looked up and met Zoro's eyes. Seeing that he wouldn't break eye contact any time soon, Zoro looked away, feeling slightly uneasy in the line of Luffy's vision.
The lack of food preparation was also becoming an increasing problem for Zoro. That was Sanji's job, but since he couldn't do the job at the moment, that meant the rest of them had to fend for themselves, and Zoro was left to think about why there was no food. Thinking about why there was no food made him think about Sanji, which was a problem that Zoro wanted to avoid for a moment, at least until he had something to eat.
The sound of water splashing came to his ears again. This time it was accompanied by flashes of things that seemed all too familiar to him...
Zoro took a deep breath.
He remembered being confined to the infirmary bed during the time he had been afflicted, slept most of the time and ate and took his medicine when told to. His clothes had started to feel rather unpleasant and sticky with sweat from the fever, which Chopper had decided to combat with a bath using someone's assistance, someone who could handle the swordsman's weight. That ruled out the girls and Brooke. Luffy wasn't the ideal nanny and he couldn't imagine what it would have taken to convince Franky or Usopp-
/"Oh, Sanji-kun-!"/
That's right. After Sanji helped Chopper drag him to the bathroom everything started to blur...
It was Zoro's turn to catch Luffy staring up at him from below, still displaying that same pathetic look on his face. It was a look that Zoro could not quite read. Why? Why wasn't he running around playing with Usopp and Chopper like he usually did? Why wasn't he sitting on the Sunny's head and demanding an island to show itself? And why was he not smiling?
Usopp groaned as he observed the mess that was now the kitchen. "How did it end up like this? Oh yeah, I'm not a cook! What have I done? If Sanji doesn't perish from his injuries, he surely will pass when he sees his kitchen-"
"Too soon, Usopp. Besides, you'll clean up and put everything back just the way it was, so there's nothing to worry about!" Nami said in a cheery voice. "Now quit whining and add a little salt to it."
"Neh, do you think you could, you know, make it good this time?"
"Just because we get spoiled with Sanji's cooking, does not mean my cooking tastes bad!"
"Hey..."
The two turned to Nami, who had a solemn expression. "What do you think is going to happen when Sanji-kun wakes up?"
Usopp's eyes met Franky's for a thoughtful minute. "Well...I dunno, I mean, that's uh, kind of a, uh... That's a heavy question."
"There's a chance he could have complete amnesia and not remember even us."
"Robin-"
"Say he doesn't remember when he wakes. Obviously he's going to want to know what the hell happened to him and he's going to look to us for answers. What are we supposed to do then? Lie to him?" Nami stirred the pot of Usopp's Soup Special in frustration. "How do you even tell someone their friend tried to throttle them in the bathroom?"
"I'll tell him."
Everybody's gaze snapped to their captain, who was now standing in the door way of the galley.
"And just what do you plan on telling him?" Nami inquired.
Luffy crossed his arms and closed his eyes, looking extremely thoughtful for a moment. "Hm. Hmmm. Uh...? Hmmmmmm-"
"And that is why we are having this discussion." Nami sighed. "Besides, are you sure you're the one who should be handling-"
"I'm going to tell him Zoro tried to strangle him-"
"EHH?"
Nami almost chucked a bowl at Luffy's head but she knew Sanji would be upset if something happened to it, so she gritted her teeth and refrained. "And if he asks you why?"
"I'll have to tell him I don't know."
"Captain-san, are you sure that's how you want to approach this?"
"Yes." Luffy replied almost immediately. "I'm not going to lie to him and I don't think Sanji would want it any other way."
It was sound reasoning and in the end, there was a 99.9 percent chance he was correct about that, Sanji probably would have felt insulted if he found out they bent any truths just to try and soften the blow. Who would they be really trying to save then? Him? Or just themselves?
"Well, and this is just a suggestion, Luffy, but we could, oh I dunno," Usopp shrugged. "maybe we don't tell him that until we absolutely have to? We really should try to avoid causing any unnecessary stress, right?"
"He has a point, Captain-san." Robin sighed. "As much as I agree with the need to be direct, I'm not that worried about how Cook-san may react to what you tell him, I'm more concerned with how he'll feel when you can't tell him why it happened."
"I'm kind of afraid of a violent reaction." Franky said as he scratched his head. "Don't think he'll be too happy about being choked. Unless he's into that kind of thing-OUCH!"
"Too soon, Franky!" Nami said as she punched the back of the shipwright's head.
At that moment, their musician popped in and with a tip of his hat said, "That's why people have safe words."
"TOO SOON!" Nami bellowed as she slapped Brooke into the stratosphere.