-Dominoes-

A fanfic by Digitaldreamer

Chapter Three: Useless

Ahhh, I'm sorry this chapter is late everyone! I got really depressed last week and couldn't seem to draw or write ANYTHING! Even posted the new Tangled Web chapter didn't make me happy! It was very depressing.

Then there was the fact that this chapter was just really hard to write. It was just…hard, for some reason. Hopefully after this chapter I'll be able to write better since things are going to start speeding up.

Sooo, here we are, chapter three of Dominoes. Yay and what not.

In random news I've gained a rather unhealthy obsession for an American cartoon! Can you believe it? It's called Danny Phantom and it rocks my socks. It's on Nickelodeon be sure to try watching it sometime because for an American cartoon it's really spiffy!

Anyhoo, in other news, I swear to God this fanfic actually has a plot, we just have to get to it first.

I apologize profusely for the general suckiness of this chapter!

---

Three days.

Three days with a sick Luffy. Three days of watching his temperature slowly rise, three days of watching him shudder and moan and in his sleep. Three days of trying to keep the rubber pirate from scratching at the marks on his back, three days of trying to keep him as comfortable as possible. Three days, and there was little anyone could really do.

No one ever said the life of a pirate was all glamour.

It was around midday and Sanji stood in the galley, chopping carrots to make some sort of soup. It was a grey, overcast day, the kind of day that just feels kind of sad. It's as if the clouds block out the sunshine and colorful feelings of joy and happiness, leaving a dull, gloomy grey air around everything. There was a bit of light peaking through the window into the galley, but the lanterns hanging from the ceiling provided most of the light as always.

Sanji hummed to himself as he picked up the cutting board and held it over the large, bubbling pot. He scraped the pile of chopped carrots into the simmering soup, then set the board down and grabbed an onion from the pile of vegetables he had set on the counter. He began to chop this, the rhythmic sound of the knife hitting the board accompanying Sanji's slow hum.

It was so oddly quiet. On a regular day there'd be some kind of chaos going on outside, perhaps Luffy playing some kind of game or Usopp telling Chopper some wild tale, or perhaps that idiot swordsman swinging his weights around. Usually Sanji would enjoy times like this, when it was just him doing what he did best, with no sounds to distract him. And he couldn't say he minded the quiet.

But it felt somewhat strange. The quiet made the cook feel a bit uneasy. Maybe he had just gotten to the point where he sort of enjoyed the daily chaos those morons created?

Of course not. He was just used to the insanity and kind of missed it.

The sound of the door swinging open broke the relative silence, followed by the sounds of heavy brown boots thunking against the floorboards. There was a small skidding noise as someone sat down at the table, pushing back one of the long benches.

Sanji stole a quick glance over his shoulder to see who it was before speaking. "Finally got Chopper to get some rest, then?"

Usopp nodded as he leaned on his elbows. "He keep insisting that he needed to stay up, that maybe there was something he could still do. I told him that he wouldn't be able to heal anyone if he didn't get any sleep himself and Robin kept insisting that she knew how to take his temperature and everything was fine, but he still took forever to finally convince to get some rest."

The cook shook his head, saying nothing.

The long-nosed sharpshooter stared up at the spinning fan upon the ceiling, face blank. "There really isn't anything he can do, but he keeps on insisting that he can do something."

"But there isn't anything anyone can do right now." Sanji reminded him as he dumped the onions into the pot and started a few more, ignoring how his eyes were starting to burn.

"Yeah…" Usopp went silent for a few moments, the only sound in the kitchen once again being the sound of Sanji chopping the onions.

"I…wish I could be like that. I can't do anything right now. I know no one can, but I feel…so useless. Even believing I could do something when I can't would be better then simply sitting here, waiting and just hoping things will go back to normal because I know I can't do anything." The sharpshooter mumbled, twiddling his thumbs.

"Everything just feels so weird right now.. So restless. It's like we're all just waiting for something, and there's nothing anyone can do. " Usopp sighed. You brag and brag about all these great things that you can do, Great Captain Usopp. But then when something happens, you never can do anything. You're useless.

"…Yeah." Sanji commented thoughtfully. "I know what you mean. But there is something we can do. We could all just try and get through it. Do what we can, and hope for the best."

Usopp jumped as a knife was suddenly placed in front of him, along with several large mushrooms and a plate.

"But if you really feel so useless, the least you could do is try and help by cutting these for me." The cook said as he took a long drag of his cigarette.

The sharpshooter stared blankly at the mushrooms for a moment before making a face. "That's so cruel of you."

"Hey, we do what we can." Sanji said with a shrug as he went back to chopping onions.

Usopp glared down at the mushrooms for a moment before sighing and beginning to chop up the mushrooms.

Right…we do what we can. As long as I don't have to eat any of them.

---

"Navigator-san?"

Nami glanced up from Buggy's map of the Grand Line, blinking. Robin stood at the foot of the stairs in the girl's cabin, gazing at her with calm blue eyes.

"Hmm, Robin? Aren't you watching Luffy?" The navigator asked, turning in her chair so she could lean against her desk and face the older woman comfortably.

"Swordsman-san just started his turn." Robin explained as she crossed the room to the bookshelf, then began skimming through the various titles of the books on the shelves. "I came to get a book to read before I went up to start my watch, as it is growing dark. How does our course look?"

"Looks good. There's an island coming up, looks like it's one of those very late autumn islands." Nami stated, brushing a strand of orange behind her ear. "We should reach it by midday tomorrow, judging by how the weathers been. Once we get there we can pick up supplies, maybe we'll find something to help Luffy."

Robin gave a small smile. "That's good. I'm sure Captain-san would be excited, if he were awake."

Nami gave a chuckle at that. "He probably would be."

They remained in comfortable silence for a moment as Robin continued to search for a book and Nami thought for a moment.

"Robin…how do Devil Fruit users get this virus? Is it contagious or something?" The navigator asked, leaning on her elbows.

Robin nodded. "Yes, it is a bit contagious. It can be transmitted through just about anything, from food to liquid to simply the air. You don't have to be near anyone who has it for the virus to happen though. It travels through regular people as well, though it doesn't affect them. The most they'll get is a cold, and then the virus will move on to another person, until it finally finds a devil fruit user suitable for it to attack."

Nami frowned. "So he could have gotten it from anywhere, huh?"

The archeologist nodded again.

"Ah…I thought it was kind of weird that he would just get sick out of nowhere like that, but it makes sense now." The younger girl murmured, twirling a lock of hair around her finger absently.

Once again there was silence.

"Robin...when you had Hikemia, what was it like?" Nami suddenly inquired, curious.

"When I had it?" Robin repeated, blue eyes darkening to a shade of midnight blue as she paused in her motion of pulling a book from the shelf. She frowned thoughtfully.

"It was as though I was completely and utterly powerless. I couldn't lift a finger. Everything was impossibly warm, and those marks would occasionally flare as if they were on fire. And I had those dreams…"

Nami leaned forward, sounding interested. "What dreams?"

Robin glanced back at Nami and gave a small smile. "Dreams of the things I most yearned for, of the things I missed. Hikemia is no ordinary sickness. It gives you all sorts of hallucinations and dreams about the things that you treasure most. I speculate this is the virus's attempt to weaken the mind so it will have an easier time attacking the body while it can."

The navigator frowned thoughtfully at this. Of the things you treasure most, huh? "Interesting…"

Robin closed her eyes and gave a small, mysterious smile. "It was. It really was."

---

Zoro sighed as he dunked the damp, pure white cloth into the bowl of cool water on the floor. He squeezed at the cloth and wrung it out, trying to get most of the liquid out before folding it and placing it on his captain's forehead.

So far, that was pretty much all he had done when it came to the job of taking care of Luffy. Just try and keep his fever down, take his temperature now and then, and make sure he was still breathing. Just do those things, and hope.

The swordsman gazed down intently at Luffy's face, which was flushed and covered in sweat. His dark hair was plastered to his forehead and even messier than usual without the straw hat to cover it, strands of black hair sticking up here and there. His entire body was covered in sweat for the most part, making his abnormally pale skin shine in the light as the boy took in deep, wheezing breaths. There were a few sheets piled hastily over the boy, which were harshly gripped in Luffy's fists even has he slept.

This sight certainly wasn't the bright, cheerful, laughing boy whom usually drove everyone on the ship completely insane. Now he was the exact opposite of that, and he seemed to be driving everyone even crazier than he had before.

Zoro felt the pain of the pitiful sight almost as a physical blow to see the boy in such a state. This was different than the time after the fight with Crocodile, this time there wasn't even a huge battle to blame it on. It was rather unsettling, really. After seeing Luffy do so much, it was a bit hard to grasp that something like a virus could leave him like this.

Sure, he believed that his captain would get better. Chopper had said he would, after all. But that didn't mean he didn't feel worried, on the contrary it had been the only thing on his mind in the past few days.

Even if he trusted that Luffy would make it through, there was always a tiny part of him that was going to worry. He wasn't worried that his captain wouldn't pull through, Luffy always did. He was concerned for the boy's well-being, that was all.

How could someone be so strong one day, and then suddenly be made weak by something so simple?

But that wasn't the quite right mentality, was it? Luffy was fighting the sickness, after all.

He just seemed so vulnerable right now. So innocent. Actually, Luffy seemed like that so much of the time, it just made the swordsman want to be just a bit protective of him. It was his job as first mate to protect his captain, to always be at his side, wasn't it?

Well, he'd just have to do that now.

As Zoro sat there, gazing down at the boy, he found himself mainly focusing on his face. When he wasn't drooling in his sleep, Luffy really did look a bit angelic. Not that Zoro would know or anything. But that usual expression was gone, replaced by one filled with hurt.

The swordsman's arm reached out almost on its own accord to brush a few strands of hair from the boys face, feeling the heat radiating off of it even from there. His hand remained, fingers slowly caressing the boy's cheek.

"Please…get better soon." Zoro murmured.

Luffy's face relaxed for a moment and Zoro gave a small smile.

Then the boy's brows suddenly knit together and he gave a small groan. The swordsman's smile became a frown as he pulled away his hand. Was there something more that was wrong, or was Luffy actually waking up?

Apparently he was waking up, as the dark-haired youth's eyes slowly opened. Luffy gave another groan and shut his eyes against the bright light before opening them again and blinking up at Zoro with a glazed look. Zoro met his gaze, looking a bit concerned.

"…Shanks?" Luffy mumbled, voice a bit slurred.

Zoro's brow furrowed in confusion. "Shanks?" He repeated. As in the great pirate, Red-Haired Shanks? Why would Luffy think that he was Shanks? He could distantly recall the boy mentioning Shanks a few times, but the history between the two had never been explained, and Zoro hadn't wanted to press the matter. He didn't need to know his captain's history, if the boy ever wanted to tell him then he would.

The boy's eyes suddenly lit up and his face become a wide smile. "It really is you!" He cried, sounding excited. He tried to get up but found he didn't quite have the strength, and after a few moments of trying to sit up he fell back against the couch again, groaning. "I'm sorry…I finally got to see you again, and now I can't even get up. Doesn't really seem like I kept my promise to get stronger, does it?" The boy mumbled, a sad look coming to his glazed eyes.

"No, no, you're doing fine," Zoro soothed, reaching out gently ruffle Luffy's hair. He assumed that perhaps his captain was hallucinating, but he seemed so happy to be able to meet this 'Shanks' person, that the swordsman didn't have it in his heart to tell him who he really was. "I'm sure you've gotten a lot stronger, huh?"

"Yeah!" Luffy's face spread into an excited grin again. "I'm really, really strong now! My punch really is as strong as a pistol shot! I can do all kinds of things! I even have a bounty now, did you hear? One hundred million belli! Isn't that great?"

Zoro couldn't help but chuckle as he recalled the memory of when he and Luffy had discovered their new bounties, remembering how excited they had both been, even if he did still feel his was too low. "Yeah…it's great. I'm really proud of you."

Luffy continued to smile. "Thanks…but it's not just me! My crew is really great too, didn't you know? They're all the greatest."

The swordsman smiled. "The greatest, huh?"

The rubber pirate nodded. "Yeah….they're all the best. I have a swordsman and a navigator and a sharpshooter and a cook and a doctor and even an archeologist! We all have the best adventures! I don't know what I'd do without them. They're the greatest nakama that I could ask for."

Zoro nodded, taking the now luke-warm cloth off of Luffy's head so he could redunk it. "Oh?" He said, sounding interested. "Why don't you tell me about them?"

"Sure! See, first there's my sharpshooter, Usopp! He's really funny, he tells all these great stories and he's amazing when it comes to shooting things! Chopper and I really love his stories…oh, Chopper's our doctor! He's a reindeer man and he's so cool! He's all soft and furry and he can transform from a reindeer to a human and back, isn't that neat? And then there's Nami, our navigator! She's really smart, she can tell what the weathers going to be just by looking at the clouds, and she's the best navigator ever! She loves money and she kind of yells at me a lot. I really don't know why."

Zoro chuckled as he listened to the boy describe their rather odd crew. He had to admit, Luffy's descriptions were pretty much spot-on.

"There's also Sanji, our cook! He makes the yummiest food in the world, especially meat! He kicks me whenever I get into the food though, which just means I have to try harder at being sneaky! He smokes all the time, and he really loves girls for some reason. He drools over Nami and Robin a lot…speaking of Robin; she's the newest member of our crew! She's really smart too and she's really quiet, all she ever seems to do is read books. I think she likes being here though, so that's good. Zoro still doesn't trust her though…speaking of Zoro, he's the best!"

Zoro paused in the wringing out of the cloth at the mention of his name, frowning. What would Luffy say about him?

"He's a swordsman, and he's really strong! He uses three swords, isn't that cool? He trains every day so he can get stronger and stronger…it's pretty neat to see. He was the first member of my crew, so I guess that makes him my first mate. He's the best first mate anyone could ask for…I know he'll always be there right behind me if I ever need him, and I'll always be there for him, you know?"

The swordsman swallowed and nodded, placing the newly wet cloth on the boys head. "Of course. He'll always be there for you."

Luffy smiled. "Yeah…" His eyes seemed to be getting a bit heavy, as if he had worn himself out talking.

"Yeah…those are my nakama. Sometimes they fight and sometimes they can be kind of mean…but I know no matter what happens they'll always be there for me. And I'll always be there for them, even if I have to die to protect them." The boy continued on, face growing serious.

Zoro frowned. "But you know, as your crew, it's their jobs to lay their lives down for you, you know."

Luffy glanced up at Zoro, and for a moment his eyes darkened. "I know. But…I don't want them to die for me. I want to always be there for them, and I don't want them to have to die for me." His brow furrowed a bit and he winced, as if in pain. "I want us all to be together forever…I don't want my nakama to leave. So I'll get stronger, for them."

"But…they may have to leave eventually." Zoro pointed out, biting his lip. He couldn't necessarily promise that he'd stay forever, he knew that. Someday everyone's goals may take them to different places, and if that was the case…then that would be that.

"I know." Luffy repeated, biting his lip as if in pain. "I know…" He let out a shuddering gasp as his eyes squeezed shut, a few tears escaping as he gripped at the sheets covered his body with shaking hands. "It hurts…"

Zoro's face became one of concern. "What hurts?"

"My back…" Luffy mumbled, teeth clenching. He rolled over, as if no longer laying on his back may help to ease the pain. It didn't seem to be helping however, as a small whimper escaped his lips. "..hurts…make it stop…" He made as if to reach up and try and scratch at the marks on his back.

The swordsman reached out to grasp Luffy's hands in his own, eyes narrowing. Chopper had warned them this would start happening eventually.

As Zoro watched his captain's face contort in pain, he felt a wave of sympathy come over him. Even so, he wasn't entirely sure what to do. What was he supposed to do? Comfort the boy? Zoro wasn't quite sure how one went about doing that.

He swallowed as he heard another whimper escape the boy's lips. He clasped his large, calloused hands tighter over Luffy's smaller ones, moving a bit closer to him.

"Shh…it's going to be alright…shhh…" He whispered a bit awkwardly. Luffy's face seemed to calm a bit at this, his vice grip loosening just a tiny bit. Zoro took this as a good thing and continued this, releasing one hand so he could reach up to stroke the boy's face soothingly.

After a few minutes the attack seemed to have finished and Luffy lay silent against the couch, his hand still clenched in Zoro's, whom was gazing intently at him. He seemed to be falling asleep again, but didn't seem to quite want to just yet.

"…I'm sorry…" Luffy finally spoke.

"It's alright. It's not your fault." Zoro said calmly.

"I finally…I finally get to see you again, and here I am…sick." The boy took a shuddering breath. "And I haven't even completed my promise yet…I still haven't become Pirate King…do you still want your hat back?"

The swordsman rose an eyebrow at this. So the hat was Shanks, then? Well, that would explain a few things. "No no…you keep it. You still have that promise to keep, don't you? What would 'Straw Hat; Luffy be without his straw hat?"

Luffy gave a small laugh. "I guess…you're right…" His eyes were once again falling closed, he didn't seem to have the strength to keep them open anymore. "Thank you, Shanks. I promise…next time I see you, I'll be able to give it back." With that, the rubber pirate drifted into a dreamless sleep once again.

Zoro watched his captain's calm face for a moment before sighing and rubbing his face. This week really was turning out to be stressful…

Distantly he noted that his hand was still clamped around Luffy's. The boy's grip was rather strong even while he was sleeping, so it didn't appear Zoro would be regaining the use of that hand anytime soon. And interestingly enough, he didn't really want to.

---

"So you're saying the spores were delivered, yes?"

The voice was calm and quiet, though it carried an air of command to it as it echoed off of the walls in the large warehouse. Shadows were cast by various boxes of all sizes and shapes, the dim light within only coming from a few flickering lamps handing overhead.

The warehouse was seemingly empty, save for a tall man dressed in black standing at the center of it. A pair of black and white, striped shoes tapped on the concrete floor as their owner waited for a reply from the miniature den den mushi held in his hand.

"Yes sir. The Straw Hat should have come down with the virus around three days ago, and they should be arriving at Vendetta Island some time tomorrow." A voice crackled over the other end.

"Perfect. All according to plan, then. Good job." The man's voice rang through the warehouse, vibrating off the walls.

"Thank you sir." With that, the person on the other end of the line hung up.

The man placed the small snail into his pocket before reached up to adjust his glasses with the palm of his hand, causing the light to reflect off of them for a moment. "Well then, Monkey D. Luffy…you'll soon see what happens to those who disrupt my plans. You'll pay."

---

To Be Continued…

Dun dun dun! Oh noes! This fic actually has a plot! Shocker!

and of course, you've all probably already figured out who our main antagonist is, and most of the plot. X3 Horray, I suck at foreshadowing! Or maybe you haven't gotten it all figured out, and I'll turn around and surprise you. You never know.

Anyway, thank you all for your reviews! I feel that I don't deserve all the praise since this fic is kind of turning out to be a bit of a dud, but hopefully as this fic progresses I'll become worthy of it all!

Please review to assure me that I haven't killed you all with my suckiness!

Next Chapter: An attack on the ship with only Zoro and a sick Luffy to defend it? This cannot turn out well. And what is it that they want with Luffy, anyway?