AN: I neglect Zoro in this series so here's a Zoro focus. I hope you appreciate it because he is *not* my strong suit!

Also, this one's dedicated to my sister who A. stopped watching at Skypeia, B. learned allll about Water 7 today, and C. got distracted while helping me format this because she wanted to read a scene I didn't go over with her. Love ya darling~ Enjoy this chap that focuses on ur fav!

Every Mortal Wound

Exactly four-hundred-thousand beri are exchanged between Nami's hand and the clerk's at the Inn's main desk.

The extra two hundred that she accidentally left in the wad and would have paid if she'd not triple counted are clutched in her fist, held behind her back.

She takes the key to the room and offers the man a wan smile which he returns gingerly after a moment's hesitation. The guys are all waiting outside, stacks of trunks and bundled bags sitting beside them. Luffy has a huge sack looped over his shoulder and he stands, resolute, away from the rest. He takes every effort to avoid their gazes.

It hurts.

She waves the keys at them and Sanji starts hefting the load, Chopper shifts into heavy point and Zoro picks up two of her trees- one for each shoulder. The clerk at the desk gives them all wide eyed looks as they pass through the lobby, a motley group of five (too many for the room she ordered, she won't pay for that many beds) with everything they own on their back. The stairs are a challenge, the door to the room even more so, but they manage- as they always have.

Once everything is settled Sanji darts out the door with a mumbled excuse that Nami doesn't bother to catch. Chopper devolves once more into sniffles as he digs through his depleted medical supplies and takes stock. Luffy sits on one of the beds with his head down and Zoro leans against the wall by the door.

"L-Luffy," Chopper starts, pulling out a box of bandaids and a jar of burn ointment but before he can finish the thought Luffy is on his feet, striding past and out the door, Zoro just half a step behind him with a warning glance over his shoulder.

"B-But…" Chopper sniffles again and Nami's heart fumbles for a cure (to herself or to Chopper or to all of this mess she can't even tell). "He's, Uso- Luffy got hurt."

"He doesn't need help right away." Nami soothes. "We'd both rather he got it but you know how Luffy can be… like that."

"I know!" Chopper wails. "But I couldn't treat Usopp either and now… and now I just want to help him!"

"Chopper..." She steps forward and he meets her halfway, launching into her arms and burying his face in her chest. If Robin were here she wouldn't feel so alone but as it is all of them are being stone-faced guys and she's left as the woman in charge and Chopper who's always trying to be a man but isn't quite there yet. "We should let Zoro take care of him first. I think Luffy needs a little time off from being captain."

Chopper looks down at the items in his hooves, bandaids and burn ointment, then up at Nami blinking tears out of his eyes. Nami sighs and runs a hand through her hair.

"Here," She picks up his bag and finds a tube of antiseptic cream and then plucks the bandaids from Chopper's hooves. "I'll run these up to Zoro, maybe he can convince Luffy to disinfect at least the small things, yeah?"

She waits and when he doesn't reply she shakes the box teasingly until he snickers and nods, whispering a soft "okay."

They are four flights away from the roof and with every step Nami tries to convince herself to stay up there once she reaches it. Zoro is Zoro but maybe she could help. She was there at the start too. Maybe Luffy would really appreciate…

She reaches the door to the roof, takes a deep breath and eases it open. Luffy is hunched over himself, legs dangling over the side of the roof. Zoro stands right beside him, arms crossed, knee just brushing the boy's shoulder. There are weeping scrapes along his arms and neck, his hat is a little singed, the whole rooftop smells like rotten eggs. She can hear his breathing from here, jagged and uneven, but his shoulders don't shake. Still, his arm comes up, hand swiping across his face in a vain attempt to dispel any evidence of doubt or weakness.

Zoro shifts his weight to the other leg, bending his knee just an inch or two more, and it tips the brim of luffy's hat forward over his eyes.

Nami leaves the cream and the tin of bandaids by the door and flees. She'll let Zoro handle it.

Sanji dropped back down to the deck after returning two cannon balls to their senders. There were too many cannon balls from too many battleships. His legs hurt. Still, they'd make do.

"I wanna heeeeeelllllp," Luffy whined, his voice weaker than usual but none of them dared to point it out.

"You can't even move right, Luffy!" Usopp, still without his mask, called over- which Sanji thought was a little rich. Still, the message itself was one their captain needed to hear.

"Yeah, Luffy." He gave his foot an anxious tap against the deck. "Just leave the rest of this to us." You've done enough, was unspoken but Luffy screwed up his face like he wasn't ready to hear it.

"Yeah, you can take your time and rest." Zoro grit out as he set a phoenix flying, seventy-two caliber probably judging by the distance it flew. Sanji cast him a disapproving glare as Luffy's wordless whine peals up from where he's face planted, complaining to the deck boards. He might have actually listened before, (key word being might) but that was as good as a taunt! 'Take your time and rest'? True as it may be Luffy was going to take that as a direct challenge of his capability and try to fight even harder.

Bad move. He thought at Zoro, expression fierce as Luffy started up again.

"Who's in charge here? I'm the captain, I wanna fight too!"

The battleships let off a concentrated barrage, almost fifteen cannonballs coming at them at once. Luffy wormed around their feet using his chin to pull himself forward (leaving a blood trail) and Zoro snapped a quick "Get inside, Luffy," which went ignored. He sent Sanji an answering grin that seemed to scream Wanna bet?

"I'm Luffy! I'm the captain- ah- oi?"

Sanji's eyes widened as Zoro sheathed his swords and bent down to seize Luffy's ankles. Sanji copied his move with the rubber man's arms, numb with the instantaneous revelation as to what they were going to do.

"Hey, hey!" Usopp gasped behind them but Sanji just tightened his grip on Luffy's wrists (which were really thin darn it, when had that happened? Was this what bone tired really was?). The more seconds he had to think of it the better he realized the plan was.

The cannon balls flew toward them and he and Zoro stretched Luffy out like a blanket, preparing to use him to catch all their force and send it right back at the marines. It wasn't that different from the usual Balloon tactic, except it was carried out by them instead of Luffy who couldn't move well enough to do his balloon.

As they crashed into his stomach, Luffy sputtered and gagged. His hands turned to fists where before they'd been scrabbling at Sanji's grip. Now his fingers grasped tightly back around Sanji's wrists, holding himself tight as he got over the surprise and grit his teeth. It hadn't been what he'd had in mind but Luffy was technically helping and he was determined not to give out halfway through his job. All his injuries were getting pulled this way- a fact that Chopper, (actually, everyone) wouldn't be happy about- which would effectively take Luffy out of the rest of the fight. The worst thing Sanji could imagine was some marine aiming arrows down here or maybe Luffy getting enough strength to try and shoot someone down from the deck with his pistol and knock himself off the ship in the recoil- or maybe he would get enough strength to do his balloon but wouldn't be able to hold it and he'd release all his air and just blow away.

"One," He started.

"Two," Zoro offered the approaching bombardment a feral grin.

"Three!"

With a great heave Zoro and Sanji slung the cannon balls back at the ships they'd been fired from, a smattering of explosions peppering the decks and gunwales. Luffy snapped back into shape as he and Zoro brought him down to lie on the deck.

"Thanks for the help, captain!" Zoro patted Luffy's side and Sanji outright laughed.

"Yeah, as expected of our great captain!"

"What are you, monsters?" Usopp shouted at them angrily and yeah, Sanji did feel a little horrible about Luffy's increased shaking and glazed eyes and seemingly permanently grit teeth but at least he'd be happier now. And he'd stop trying to help by putting himself in the line of fire. Of all the ways he could have helped that had been the only situation they would've been in control of- unlike most things Luffy was involved in.

Good plan, idiot marimo, he grinned over at Zoro as they both showed Usopp what they thought of the accusation with cheeky peace signs (and Luffy was approving their actions too, huh), who scoffed in return with his own smile, no duh, curly-brow.

"I can't make it up that." Luffy said without hesitation as he gripped the ladder with both hands and stared up the long path to the top of the ship.

"What." Nami asked and Usopp tripped forward over his own two feet- but there was no time to say or do anything more because Zoro had stepped forward, seized Luffy around the waist and hauled him up to let him cling to his chest. Luffy was dutiful in wrapping his arms around Zoro's neck and hunkering down as the swordsman began to climb up the ladder.

The whole exchange took less than thirty seconds and Usopp was left with the desire to whip his mask up just so he could make sure he was seeing clearly. He wanted to clean out his ears- had Luffy really admitted that he couldn't do something as simple as climbing a ladder?

"I'm not sure if I should be happy that he's accepting help," Nami whispered suddenly and Usopp leaned in to hear- like they were exchanging political secrets that held the importance of peace between two countries. "Or worried that even he admits he needs it."

Usopp could relate.

Halfway up the ladder Zoro paused and used one arm to hold Luffy in place while the captain rearranged himself so his legs were wrapped tighter around Zoro's midsection and his neck was caught firmly on Zoro's shoulder. Then they continued upward and the pair were over the edge, safely on deck.

He exchanged glances with Nami, who'd also been left to stand flabbergasted at the bottom, but she shook her head helplessly and after a moment turned away with pursed lips.

Right. Deserter Usopp, back where he shouldn't be.

Nami stared up after them, mouthing the words 'I can't' as if she couldn't believe, any easier than Usopp, that they had come from Luffy of all people. And then Zoro being the first one to accept that and… fix it.

Well, maybe the latter wasn't so surprising.

Usopp pretended that he didn't mind being left at the bottom as Nami began to climb, that he deserved it and so it was okay. Zoro and Luffy had gone up together- that was the best way to do anything.

He realized that only when he didn't have anyone to 'together' with.

This wasn't the first time he'd noticed it. He'd never really understand his Captain or his first mate- whether he stayed with them or not, that's what they were- the way they understood each other. He'd never understood it, but he'd always accepted it.

They've already forgotten and Luffy has forgiven but Zoro most certainly has not.

"Are you going to let him just walk right back onto the crew? No apologies, no compensation, no nothing?" Zoro clenches his fists around the sheathes of his swords and tries to keep the snarl out of his voice.

It's just. Luffy looks like he could be blown over by little more than a breath of wind. His skin is several shades paler than usual, he's still got dark smudges underneath his eyes and bruising peeks out from the rounds and rounds of bandages. Some are speckled with red. It's been three days of rest, treatment, and recuperation, but Luffy (who may be soft as rubber but usually stands as immovable as something stronger than a mountain) is still looking like he could drift off for another nap at any time. The smile Zoro has grown accustomed to lighting the world every day is dimmer and slow to switch on.

Usopp did this. Not all of it, but he was the start. He compounded the damage. Zoro is typically content to let the more nurturing members of the crew handle this sort of thing, but this grievance that Luffy has acquired is different. And he's taking responsibility to heal it right and not let it fester.

"Zoro, don't talk like that!" Nami scolds but Zoro isn't going to sit there and take this.

"I'm saying it cause it needs to be said. Usopp hurt the foundations of this crew by leaving, but he'll do a lot more damage by coming back without doing things right." He draws Wado in its sheath from his waistband and sets the blunt tip on the ground. Luffy's eyes follow it, even as Chopper sets off on a small rant about how important to the crew Usopp had always been. "Listen! This isn't a game and we can't treat it like one. There's something that brought us all together from day one and that's kept us together through almost half the grand line!" He raises Wado and prods Luffy in the chest with it. "Our Captain is our leader. We respect him and follow him and his wellbeing is important to us. It was important to Usopp."

"Zoro-" Luffy starts but Zoro plows onward.

"Usopp decided to leave us behind, and he has to face the consequences of that decision." He frowns and lowers his sword back to his side. "It's not a matter of wisdom, power, or ability- It's about the wellbeing of our crew. Usopp broke us apart and made us weak for the sake of his own pride." Zoro clips Wado back into place and crosses his arms. "He proved that he doesn't deserve to stand beside us. Until he learns to respect the man we swore to follow, I won't call him a straw hat."

Silence falls over the room. Sanji puffs his cigarette like enough smoke clouds will make the right words and Chopper taps his hooves together while darting glances between them all.

"Usopp is my friend." Luffy says, all steel and severity.

"He was also your crew member." Zoro replies with just as much firmness. "And crew members listen to their captains or else people get hurt." He holds Luffy's gaze for a moment more. "I refuse to let this hurt you anymore than it already has."

Luffy's jaw works like he doesn't like that reasoning but he doesn't argue either.

Nami looks like she's starting to understand, and Robin is nodding in the corner, like he finally explained it right. Zoro thinks it's funny in a way. Luffy only understands taking care of his crew, and his crew only understands taking care of him.

"I'm not excusing what he did." Sanji announces, "But he belongs with us. He has a place here, no matter what he does. You know that, mosshead." Zoro tilts his head in acquiescence and the rest of the crew shift to something more comfortable than where the energy had been. Sanji continues, emboldened by the silent support. "But he can be our friend without being our crewmember. And if his choices bring us there, then that's the right path to take. The ball is in his court now."

"But what about Robin!" Chopper piped up, fretting. "She didn't want to sail with us either! She said so!" He sniffed. "Wouldn't we have gone after Usopp too? If Cipher poll had taken him away on the sea train?"

"Of course we would have." Nami said, sure and solid in her own way. "But he wasn't. He sat right there in the lounge and said it all on his own. No threats that he didn't make for himself. Robin only said she was leaving because people made her."

"Thank you, Chopper." Robin nods down at him with that easy smile that has started sliding into place more recently. "While I am considerably grateful that you all chose to come collect me when I decided to leave the crew, I will admit that the two are distinctly different circumstances." She looks to Luffy who blinks. "And I think that Luffy knows us all, including Usopp, well enough to make the right choice."

Zoro steps back, knowing without asking that all those who are going to comment have done so and that it's Luffy's turn to weigh final judgment. He hopes that for once in his life he chooses something for himself- even if it's only for their sakes.

It takes a few minutes, as Luffy's thoughts do, but when it comes, Zoro smiles.

"I want Usopp back!" He announces, sure as he is of anything else in the world. "But I want what's best for all of us. And if that means he doesn't sail with us, then fine." He tilts his head in Zoro's direction. "He's still my friend, and I'll take him on the new ship anywhere he wants to go- but I won't have a crew member that doesn't want me for a captain." He looks around at all of them and smiles, the bandaids making his skin stretch in different places than usual. "I won't turn him away if he comes to us, but I won't ask him to come back where he won't follow me." He lifts his chin. "You all deserve better than that."

"No, you doofus," Nami mutters with a sigh. "I mean yes, Usopp owes me a lot of money for what he put us all through, but it's you who deserves better."

Luffy laughs at that, like something has shaken loose in his chest and come fluttering out in search of sunlight. They're not back where they were, but they're not backtracking and burying things like they could've been.

And in two or three days, when Usopp finally works up the nerve to come back on the terms he needs to- as Zoro knows he will- then he'll have really finished his job.

What a pain. Next time he'll let the others handle this healing stuff, he's no good at it anyway.

AN: The speeches at the end took me *forever* Water 7 is so complicated and nuanced and I was trying a different focus than it got in canon.

I just. If Vivi noticing and helping take care of Luffy way back when is what made her an official unofficial straw hat than does disregarding Luffy's wellbeing nullify his status as one? Zoro thinks so, in some ways. Let me know what you think!