A/N: This is, for some reason, my favorite chapter. I dunno why, but I think I really did this one right. I hope yu all enjoy it as much as I do!

Please stay safe and calm out there amidst the madness! My well-wishes go out to all of you~

Collecting the Pieces

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Usopp's eyes flutter open at the persistent plop of rain dripping onto his forehead from the edge of the roof hovering over him. He's already drenched because the water has obviously been soaking into his bandages for at least an hour and now he feels soggy and icky and he's not sure he has the range of motion to sit up or roll over or do anything. He turns his head slightly, trying to see his surroundings and winces when the drop starts hitting his cheek like a young child who wants attention. Around him are some blurry shapes, some under and some out from under the shadow he thinks is an awning and after a little more squinting and blinking he can make out who the shapes are and-

He bolts upright, heart stammering as he takes in the situation and dissolves into a mixture of panic and relief.

Relief, that it's his crewmates that are surrounding him, panic, that they're all right beside him unconscious and in the street.

Vivi, he mentally seethes, I know we said that we'd meet you at the castle but did you really believe that lie?

Apparently she did, because they're all still lying in an alley a few blocks from the main square, completely defenseless and also sopping wet.

"Ahh, Nami, Nami!" He whisper shouts, but the navigator doesn't even twitch. There's a crusty swathe of dried blood along her calf and the top of her foot. "Ergh, Sanji! Sa… Sanji?" the cook had seemed fine before but now Usopp isn't so sure. He's sprawled out far from cover, wide open and being continuously drenched. Sanji is usually pretty good at taking care of himself and Usopp knows that if he could he wouldn't let himself be out in the rain like he is. "Uhhh, Chopper?" Finally there is a response. Chopper's little blue nose twitches at Usopp's call and the sniper raises his voice and chants the doctor's name like a prayer. "Chopper, Chopper, Chopper, Dr. Chopper, paging Dr. Chopper! Chopper, Chopper-man, Chopper, wake up, Chopper! Chopp-"

"Whaaaaaaaaaat?" the reindeer groans and raises his head, gazing blearily at Usopp. "...Usopp? What is it?"

"What is it?" he hisses but doesn't really blame Chopper for not noticing. "We're all too injured to move and lying in the rain in the aftermath of a war!" Chopper blinks and Usopp sighs. "We're pirates, Chopper. Luffy has a bounty? Do you know how many people would kill to get their hands on-" He and Chopper stare at each other for a charged moment before Usopp throws all his strength and energy into turning himself over to see if Luffy is even still there-

And he is. Unbelievably, but at the same time of course he is. He's leant against the wall of the building they're all partially settled beneath, bent unnaturally near the shoulders because he has slid downward. Zoro is over there too, his chest a matted mixture of torn flesh and fabric and Usopp finds himself glad he didn't call for the swordsman. He probably would've woken up and killed himself trying to move.

"Alright, we're all here, Luffy's over here, we're good."

"Ahh…" Chopper sighs in relief. Then, "You scared me Usopp!"

"I scared myself too! What're we gonna do?"

"Umm, uhh…" Chopper trails off and the both lie in place for a moment, staring up at the sky and the edge of the roof respectively. "...I guess we gotta get up."

"I don't know about you, Chopper, but I can hardly move. Walking isn't an option over here."

"Well, if someone helped load him on I think I can carry Luffy. He's pretty light and the rain cooled me off a lot so walk point won't be as bad… Zoro's still there right?"

"Yeah. Bloody mess though."

"I know, I can smell him from over here- and that's with the rain interfering! Do you think I should try to treat him here…?"

"Ahahaa… no." Usopp admits. "Zoro is… sturdy. He pulls these ridiculous stunts and gets into trouble but he's always okay.. If you start trying to take care of him he might wake up and try to carry people somewhere."

"For real?!"

"You saw him with Nami over his shoulders before, right?"

"Urgh, is he always like that?"

"…Yeah, pretty much."

They lie in silence for a moment and Usopp releases a long sigh.

"This isn't going to be easy."

"-ji, Sanji! Sanji, Chef Sanji! Mr. Prince…? Sanji, Sanji, Sanji! Alright on the count of three- ich, ni SANji!"

"Oh, that one was cool! Usopp!"

"Haha, you think?"

"No," Sanji groans and feels around for something steady to push his weight against so he can sit up. "I don't think so at all. What're you calling me for."

"Sanji!" Chopper breaks in, relieved. "I'm so glad you're alright. I was getting worried because I hadn't seen anything too troubling when I looked you over before so it was quite likely something internal which I really should have checked for so I'm sorry about that but-"

"Don't worry about it, Chopper." He finally figures out that nothing is gonna seem steady because he's lightheaded with exhaustion and just braces himself against the ground as it jiggles merrily. Or maybe that's his arms… "Why did you wake me up?"

"No one came to get us." Usopp explains and Sanji can hear the blame coming. "You told Vivi we'd meet her at the castle and now we've got to figure out how to get there with at least two crewmates who can't walk and definitely all of us who shouldn't walk because she didn't send anyone to pick us up!"

Sanji blinks at that and after registering that there's rain coming down on his head starts crawling toward the voices, hoping that they have shelter. "You can't blame Vivi-chan for believing her Prince when he says he's strong enough to walk somewhere!"

"I'm not blaming Vivi, I'm blaming you for telling her that in the first place!"

"Yeah!" Chopper butts in, sounding affronted. "We might be indoors right now if you hadn't said that! Everyone getting bandaged by the castle staff, resting, like you all should be!" He sniffs lightly and mumbles to himself "It's my first time treating everyone and I'm not even well enough to do it myself…"

"Ah, sorry, guys." And he is, he never meant to make Chopper feel that way nor to put any of them in danger. He crawls a few paces more and suddenly he can see them and the rain lays off in its relentless pounding (through his headache doesn't). "I just didn't want her to have to worry…"

"And that's fine- except now we have to worry about it!"

And Sanji can admit, they don't look good. Chopper is in brain point lying beside Usopp, and he looks like he may have stumbled over there after getting up. Sanji himself crawled but Usopp certainly hasn't moved anything major since they last set him down. Luffy is still unconscious behind them, Zoro is snoozing like a lazy jerk beside him and Nami-

"Can you carry Nami-san, Chopper?"

"Nami is probably one of the only ones who doesn't need carrying!" Usopp argues immediately.

"She has a leg injury!" Sanji protests, "You can't expect her to walk on that foot?"

"I expect her to limp on that foot with a human crutch." Usopp returns and Chopper whimpers at the idea but nods in agreement. "If you can walk semi properly then I think you can support Nami and I. Nami can do it on one leg, I'm sure. And I… If you catch me when I start falling I might make it back to the castle. Chopper is gonna carry Luffy."

"Alright…" Sanji crawls a little further, finds a wall, and starts levering himself up. "Let's get going."

"What about Zoro?" Chopper asks incredulously and Sanji shrugs.

"That ape can take care of himself."

"WHAT? NO."

"There's no way any of us can carry him, and I don't really want him to walk anymore…" Usopp shudders but stares up at Sanji pitifully while the doctor looks between them like they're talking about murdering the mosshead or something. "I think we might have to leave him and send soldiers back to pick him up."

"WE CAN'T DO THAT!" Chopper shrieks.

"Why not?" Sanji tests his balance and wobbles but with a counterweight on both sides he'll probably make it… "He doesn't have a bounty so no one will take him. He's not going anywhere like that." ("I wouldn't bet on it," Usopp mutters) "And he wouldn't want to hold us all back anyway. As it is none of us get medical attention and if something isn't done it'll stay that way until Vivi-chan is done with her princessly duties and notices that we aren't around."

"And that could take all night." Comes a tired voice and Sanji almost falls over in joy because-

"Nami-swan! You're alright!"

"Relatively speaking," she groans and sits up, somehow, holding her head as it pounds. "What are we all yelling about?"

"How to get to the castle." Usopp fills her in. "Vivi forgot to send someone to pick up our unconscious butts."

"Shut up," she smacks him lightly and ignores his whimper of pain. "I meant Zoro, why're we talking about Zoro?"

"Cause we figured out how to get everyone else to the castle- if you can limp, anyway- but Zoro can't, er, shouldn't walk like that and none of us can carry him so we're thinking we're gonna have to make two trips."

"But I don't think we should leave him!" Chopper pipes up. "What if something happens?"

"What are we supposed to do about it if something does?" Sanji argues and Nami nods in understanding.

"I have to agree with Sanji here," ("Ah, thank you, I'm so honored, mellorine!") "The musclehead will be fine out in the rain for another hour… but I don't like the idea of leaving him alone either."

"I'm not staying to watch over that houseplant." Sanji denies instantly.

"Chopper's gonna carry Luffy and Sanji is supposed to support both of us." Usopp starts listing. "Who can stay behind? I won't do much good and you-"

"Can at least hop around on one leg."

"... come again?"

Nami rolls her eyes.

"I said , Usopp that I , unlike you, have some mobility remaining. I can limp, you're right, and I have more medical experience than you and therefore I can actually do something if circumstances change - be it a fight or a medical situation. Not much." she shrugs. "But a little."

"... that actually makes a lot of sense."

"Thank you."

"But Nami- San…"

"Hush, Sanji. You're in the best shape so when you get to the castle you can lead the guards back here. Besides," and she smiles cheekily even though none of them can see it from the way she's leaning. "That way I get carried~"

There's a collective sigh and Usopp mutters to himself.

"...of course."

Shifting into walk point is the hard part. Once he's there he doesn't actually have many problems with standing up. Animal resilience, he guesses, coupled with zoan healing. Sanji and Nami work together to get Luffy secured on his back. Their captain is lighter than he remembers and limp in their hands, like a cooked noodle. He mumbles at them a little and whines when they lay him in his stomach- and then when they set him on his back. Eventually Nami rips off his shirt to find what the problem is - only for them all to be faced with a torso caked in dirty bandages and one specific spot with blood seeping through in the front and the back.

Nami folds the shirt up and sets it between the bloody spot and Chopper to function as some semblance of padding.

Luffy's arms dangle down by his hooves, Sanji places his hand on his neck for support and Usopp leans all his weight over to them because his own body can't handle it right. Together they're a shambling train of injuries and aches and pains but at least they're moving.

Zoro and Nami, not so much.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Chopper asks again, just before they set out for the castle. Nami winks at him like 'yeah, totally, we're awesome and we'll be A-okay until Sanji comes to pick us up!' and then says "Dare I say we can't be much worse off. We'll get back to you in about the same shape we are now."

Oh. Alright.

"I'll be back soon my dear." Sanji promises over his shoulder as they start moving, all three with hesitant, wobbling, misplaced steps. "If anything happens make that mosshead take care of you!"

"Good luck, Nami!" Usopp adds and she waves weakly as they disappear around the corner, the castle's walls and golden domes visible over the rooftops.

"Good luck to you too," She says quietly but Chopper doesn't mention it.

Nami's talking to him as he comes around, drawn from sleep by the insistent buzz in his mostly empty veins that he should probably do something to fix that.

"-thinking about it since Vivi mentioned it that first time and I still don't quite understand the mechanics of it but it's glaringly obvious that Dance Powder can't just make water out of nothing. It had to have been taking water from somewhere." She scoffs and shakes her head at the sky. Zoro notes that her injured leg is extended in front of her while the other is hugged to her chest, orange fringe dripping with water and sand sticking to every part of her. "Should've been banned before it was invented, honestly." She holds a hand out and catches some water dripping off the roof awning. "I must admit, the size of these raindrops are impressive. They've had a whole lot of moisture stewing just on the horizon for who knows how long. Judging by the south-easterly wind, that's that way, by the way, I know you can't tell your directions, Zor-ahh! Zoro!"

He winces subtly at her shriek and grits out a grin, biting back burning questions because she'll take care of explanations without his asking.

"Do you aways ovex analysse the weater when you're an'chous?" He closes his eyes at the intensity of his slur, willing mobility back into his lips.

"No," She sticks out her tongue but there's not even a spark of heat to her tone. "Sometimes I just hit idiots who cause my anxiety over the head but I figured you'd appreciate the alternative this time. Not that you won't have to pay for my benevolence later~"

"'S not benemol-whate'er if I ha'e to pay. " He grumbles for the sake of grumbling and she laughs, a bright sound compared to her strained, light-toned musings of before.

They sit in silence for another moment, rain drenching everything around but the two of them held in a pocket of dry. No native in the country could be inside right now, they would all be out, relishing in the sight of places bone-dry for years suddenly drenched and dripping rivulets down into the sand.

"'S Luffy?" He asks finally. Nami seems to have forgotten he was awake and startles before nodding in understanding.

"He's with Chopper; Sanji and Usopp are trying to get them to the castle."

"And you?"

"Wasn't about to leave you alone in the rain." She replies simply.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Zoro shuts his eyes and warns his nerves to chill out because with Nami here the curly cook is guaranteed to be back to get them very soon. Then Chopper or some palace doctor can feed him electrolytes till his body has enough blood that maybe he can safely lose a little more next time. That'd be helpful, if he could just have a backup reservoir or something…

"You didn't really have to carry me before."

He opens his eyes.

"I mean, I could've kept walking. If you supported me or something, I was just…"

"'S fine." He excuses. "Can you walk now?"

"Sort of. But you-"

"Wouldn't be able to now with or witout carr'ing you. At leas one o' us can sti' get somewhere."

She blinks at him before shutting her eyes and shaking her head with a soft laugh.

"Thanks, but we won't be needing me to walk anywhere I don't think. By my estimate it takes fifteen minutes, running, to get to the castle from here, they left forty-five minutes ago, we'll have an escort any minute now. Luffy, Usopp and Chopper have probably been dry for almost twenty minutes."

He shuts his eyes again, relishing the relief at the idea. They're all gonna be okay, the war's over, their Alabastan adventure, so long as they all come out alive, can be listed among their successes.

Zoro is exhausted, dizzy, dehydrated, sore almost everywhere, stinging everywhere else, and numb in a good few places in between. The only thing he can feel when there's a heavy tromp of soldier's boots rounding a corner and the cook's irritating croon of "Nami-swaaan!" is a flood of all-encompassing relief.

A/N: Please let me know what you think! I love to chat : )