Well, this was originally meant to be a small, little, one shot, but instead turned into an 8 page story. Hope you don't get bored halfway through and quit reading. XD Anyway,
Disclaimer: I don't own One piece. It's as simple as that. But I do own a One piece dvd and roronoa zolo action figure. I feel special. XD
Wanna play?
The Merry Go was sailing peacefully in the deep blue ocean, it's sails billowing gently in the almost non-existent breeze.
"Food!" a voice cried. Obviously the captain, whose very life revolved around his desire for food, becoming king of the pirates, one piece, and… food.
"Down ya hyper bastard!" another voice returned. This voice belonged to the cook, who was the greatest chef in the east blue. Currently, Luffy, the captain, was making a desperate grab at the food on the plate that the chef, Sanji, was holding as high above his head as he could as he used one of his steely strong legs to shove Luffy backwards.
"But Sanjiiii!" Luffy whined.
"No!"
"Please?"
"No! These are for the lovely Nami." and the cook momentarily became enthralled in his fantasies. This gave Luffy the opportunity to use his rubber powers and his long arms stretched up to grab the sandwiches off the server and then Luffy was gone faster than a bullet.
"LUFFY!" Sanji yelled, the tray clattering as it hit the deck and the chef took chase. Luffy ran past the mast and tripped over one of the swordsman's legs, making him sprawl on the deck.
He jumped up again, looking around wildly and blithely unaware of Zolo's creative, if vulgar, swearing. He looked around, grin on his face as he pounced and landed on Zolo, legs going either side of the swordsman's chest.
"What are you doing?" Zolo asked as Luffy pulled at one of his swords. Admittedly, having Luffy on his chest was just a tad uncomfortable, and the fact that Luffy was pulling at his hip was also something he wasn't used to.
"Trying to fight Sanji." Luffy replied.
"Not using one of my swords you aren't." the swordsman replied and slapped Luffy's hand away. Luffy paused. He knew how important those swords were to Zolo, so he let the matter drop.
"Fine." Luffy muttered and then grabbed his hat as Sanji approached, so angry it was a wonder his hair didn't burst into flame.
"You little bastard!" Sanji yelled. Luffy turned, still sitting astride Zolo's chest, and grinned. The swordsman looked around at the chef, and smiled slightly.
It was always funny to see that man get pissed but, it looked as though he may end up bearing the full brunt of the attack, so he made a split second decision to avert this possible fight. He didn't feel like kicking the bastards ass today anyway.
"Nami doesn't like sandwiches." he muttered as he shoved Luffy off of his chest, feeling his face grow a little hot. Sanji paused.
"I'll make her a delicious desert then!" and then he fluttered off. Luffy's mouth twisted and then he looked down at his hand.
"Hey, where'd my sandwich go?" he asked. Zolo sighed as he sat up, moving into a more comfortable position against the mast.
"You ate it while you were running from Sanji." he replied.
"How do you know, you were asleep!"
"How can I sleep when all I can hear is your pathetic whining?" Zolo asked as he crossed his arms casually behind his head.
"My whining is not pathetic." Luffy pouted, crossing his arms over his chest like a little kid. Then there was a moment or two of silence.
Three… two… one Zolo counted silently in his head.
"Wanna play?" Luffy asked.
Knew it. he thought and then closed his eyes.
"No, wanna sleep." he replied. Luffy tilted his head.
"You can sleep any old time." he said waving a hand in the air.
"Now's any old time." Zolo responded. Luffy sighed.
"Fine. But next time you wanna play, don't expect me to." he said, as though it were a threat and then he skittered off to find Usopp. Zolo snorted. Since when was that likely to happen?
Nami looked up from her map, quill pausing over a line leading to the next island, and gasped.
"Storm." she muttered and then got up to go out to the deck.
"Storm!" she yelled. Her skills as a weather predictor must have been a little off today, for as soon as she got outside, massive black clouds rolled over the sunny sky and thunder began to rumble. Nami ran down the steps to help Usopp pull in the sails while Luffy, Zolo, Chopper and Sanji ran around securing all the untied ropes and loose objects.
Drip by drip, rain began to fall, first in a soft sheet, and then harder as the wind whipped the waves into a frenzy and sent them colliding against the side of the ship. Merry reeled to the side, and the crew members grabbed onto whatever was closest to them to try and stop themselves from falling to the other side of the ship and most likely overboard.
Luffy wrapped his arms around the mast, big Chopper grabbed onto the kitchen door and grabbed Sanji's hand to stop him from falling. The chef gave the reindeer a smile and Chopper returned it.
Usopp grabbed onto the guard rail and Nami did as well and Zolo hung onto the rail that separated the deck from the figurehead. The rain was falling heavily now, and was almost horizontal from the force of the wind.
Luffy looked around, soaked hair flopping into his eyes as he held hat tight to his head. His eyes widened when he saw the solid wall of water heading for them.
"Zolo! Wave!" Luffy called as the water came crashing down towards him. He hoped Zolo would get to him in time. Zolo had never failed him before.
Zolo turned at Luffy's shout, just in time to see the captain get swept away by the gigantic wave. His heart beat like thunder as he stumbled to the side of the ship.
"LUFFY!" he yelled over the crack of thunder above him. Taking a deep breath, he dived into the water. The undertow from the wave tried to pull him down, but he swam against it and managed to right himself.
Eyes searched frantically in the dark water for any sign of his helpless captain. A bright flash of red sent him diving, hands reaching out blindly, hoping what he had seen was not an illusion. Relief so strong that he almost let out his breath, flooded through him when fingers brushed cloth and he pulled at it, bringing it close to his chest.
Turning, Zolo forced his legs through the water as hard as he could, trying to get to the surface before the unthinkable happened. Wind whistled in his ears as he broke the surface and brought Luffy up beside him.
He looked down at the inert figure in his arms and then searched frantically for the ship. The was the sound of water being seemingly sucked into a tube and Zolo looked around to see a twister forming in the water nearby. His face became stricken and he tried to swim away but it was too late. The monster bore down on them.
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Zolo groaned, light flooding through his eyelids to war against his painfully protesting eyes. Where was he? How had he got here? Slowly his mind came online, and he remembered.
Despite the pain, he snapped his eyes open and looked over to see Luffy lying beside him, chest moving gently. Zolo sighed. At least he was alive. Sitting up, he let Luffy's vest go and looked down at his own palm, surprised to see the cuts in his skin where his own fingernails had dug in to try and hang onto Luffy.
The image of a twister filled his mind and he shook his head. That had been scary. Looking around, Zolo noticed the sky was sunny, and the beach they were lying on was warm, but there was no sign of the ship. Anywhere.
But, how could they? They probably didn't even know where the hell they were for Christ's sake! And neither did he for that matter. Zolo stood up and brushed the sand from his pants before checking to make sure everything was there.
Swords?
Check.
Bandana?
Check.
Luffy? Asleep, so check.
Hat?
… No hat.
Uh oh.
Zolo looked around, hoping it had washed up on the beach somewhere. He took a few steps towards the sea-line, but couldn't see anything in that direction.
"Nnn." Luffy groaned and Zolo turned, hurrying back to his captain and kneeling down by the boy's side.
"Hey, Luffy?" he asked softly. Luffy's eyelids fluttered and then opened, eyes searching the sky for a moment before coming to rest on Zolo's face. He smiled.
"Hey Zolo." he said. Zolo sighed.
"Hey kid. You okay?" he asked. Luffy paused and then nodded.
"Yep!" and he sat up, sand still sticking to the back of his head. He looked a bit groggy, but otherwise okay. He gave his hair a scruff and then paused, hand slowly coming up over his head. Zolo winced, this wouldn't be good.
"HAT!" Luffy cried and began looking around frantically before jumping up and running along the beach, swaying slightly at first before regaining his footing. Zolo hurried after the wayward captain, hoping Luffy wouldn't do anything stupid like try and dive in the water.
His foot got stuck in the sand and he looked down for a moment to free it and then looked up again. Luffy was gone.
"Luffy?" he said. No answer. "Luffy?"
"Hat!" came a happy reply. Zolo sighed. He must have just been over the dune. He walked up the side of it and looked down to see Luffy sitting on the sand, hugging the tattered straw hat to his chest. Really, what where the chances that the stupid thing would wash up on shore?
Seriously.
But, Luffy seemed to have that sort of luck, and Zolo had learnt not to question good fortune. Luffy looked up and grinned before placing the hat on his head. Zolo sighed and looked over Luffy's head out towards the beach.
It seemingly went on forever. Luffy looked in the direction Zolo was looking and then looked up at his swordsman with a questioning look on his face before hopping up and walking back up the dune again.
"Whatcha lookin' at?" Luffy asked. Zolo looked at his captain and then looked back towards the horizon again.
"Nothing." Zolo replied before sighing and walking down the dune towards the horizon he had just been looking at. Luffy tilted his head, shrugged and then followed.
"I'm hungry." Luffy announced. Zolo rolled his eyes.
"You're always hungry." he responded as they walked. Luffy grinned.
"Sure am!" he replied and Zolo smirked.
"No denying it eh?"
"No. Why would I?"
"Never mind. Why don't you get a coconut or something?" Zolo asked, but he knew almost instantly what the response would be and his theory was proved when Luffy announced that he didn't want a coconut, he wanted meat.
"Well, there is no meat around here, so, deal with it." Zolo replied. He could see the pout Luffy was giving him in his mind's eye as they walked.
"What about fish?" Luffy asked and looked out towards the sea. Zolo paused. He hadn't thought of that. Trust Luffy to find any way of getting food.
"Fine. But you're gonna have to go and find some wood so I can light a fire to cook it." Zolo replied as he turned towards the sea line. Luffy squeaked and ran off. Zolo watched the captain go, and had a momentary pang of nervousness.
Luffy, alone in the woods, getting wood… Maybe that was a bad idea. Oh well, nothing to be done about it now. He sighed and walked towards the sea.
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The fire roaring in front of them, looked rather weak and small in the sunlight but it was good enough to cook the four fish Zolo had caught. They weren't small either. Luffy stared at them hungrily as Zolo turned the stick on the apparatus he had constructed.
"Done." he said giving the makeshift spit one final turn. Luffy dived forward but Zolo stuck an arm out, catching the captain around the chest and holding him back. Luffy blinked at him.
"Two each." he instructed. Luffy looked at the fish, sizing up which two were the biggest and Zolo let him go. Luffy grabbed the two end fish and pulled them off the spit before biting into the first, bones, eyes, and all.
Zolo watched with a look of disgust before pulling a fish off for himself and biting into it. By the time he had finished his first fish, Luffy had finished both of his own and was hungrily eyeing Zolo's second fish. The swordsman sighed and pulled the fish into two parts and handed one half to Luffy, who beamed and took it.
"Thanks Zolo!" he cried and shoved the fish into his mouth. Zolo was always so nice to him when it came to food. When it came to anything really. He had seen how Zolo reacted to anyone other than himself when they woke him up, and it wasn't pretty.
Usopp usually got chased into the crow's nest, Sanji ended up fighting with the swordsman and Nami got a string of curses. However, when Luffy woke him up, Zolo just sighed and asked what he wanted. That made Luffy feel special.
"Yeah, yeah." Zolo mumbled in return. They finished their meal, which was not very filling but at least it was something and Luffy seemed pretty satiated. They began walking again.
It was approaching dusk when they finally found something other than beach and/or jungle. Dark clouds had been threatening to rain on them overhead for about three hours now and they must have finally decided to let their rain go. Zolo looked up as a spot of water landed on his cheek.
"Hey Zo, I think it's gonna rain." Luffy said. Zolo nodded. He could have made a sarcastic comment, but, he felt it better not to. Not that Luffy got sarcasm anyway. What they found were some ruins. It looked like an old brick house, but the walls had collapsed in and the rest of it looked as though it was ready to crumble at any second.
The two walked over to it and Luffy went up the stairs that looked as though they had once led to the front door. Zolo walked around to the front of it, the rain beginning to get heavier as he did so. He found a small open area under the stairs. It looked pretty secure and he ducked into it.
"Zolo?" a voice called. Zolo peeked out and Luffy, who had been leaning out over the edge of the stairs, looked down and grinned, the rain dripping off his hair.
"Isn't the rain nice Zolo?" he asked as he looked up at the sky. Zolo tilted his head a little and then shook it.
"No." he replied softly, but Luffy didn't hear him. The rubber boy jumped down and splashed in a puddle, making muddy water go all over the swordsman, who frowned. Luffy paused and then laughed, mud dripping down the side of Zolo's face.
He could feel the slimy stuff settling in his hair and groaned. Luffy jumped in another puddle, sending another wave of muddy water over his first mate. Zolo growled.
"Luffy, you wanna stop that?" he asked dangerously. Luffy shook his head and jumped in another puddle. Zolo was well and truly covered in mud by the next wave and he thought, that's it. He pulled his swords off and laid them against the inside of the covered area before walking out into the rain.
Dipping his hand into a puddle, and wearing a rather evil looking sneer, he grabbed Luffy, knocked the kid's hat off and smeared the mud in Luffy's face. The captain paused as Zolo laughed.
"Payback." the swordsman said before turning away. There was a dull splat and Zolo felt the mud sliding down the back of his neck. He turned back slowly to see Luffy raise an eyebrow and give him a short tilt of the head as if to say 'ha ha'.
"Oh, this is war." he said and then grabbed a handful of mud and threw it. Luffy dodged and grabbed a handful of mud of his own and threw it at Zolo. Apparently Luffy had good aim, for the mud hit Zolo right in the middle of his sash. The swordsman gasped and his jaw dropped open.
"You little…" and then he scooped both hands into the puddle, bringing up a gigantic handful of mud. Luffy's eyes widened and he ran back towards the forest, laughing as he did so. Zolo took chase, holding the mud in his hands.
"Get back here!" he yelled, half laughing and half annoyed.
"No!" Luffy replied, running through the bushes and grass. Zolo dodged around a tree and saw Luffy ahead of him. Damn that kid could move. Drawing his hands back, he had a clear shot at the back of Luffy's head and he threw the mud as hard as he could.
It flew through the air and hit Luffy's lower back with a dull splat. A little off target, but at least it hit. Luffy stopped and twisted his head so he could see his back and then he looked up and grinned evilly.
"My turn." and then he ran forward, fists raised. So, Luffy wanted to fight? That was alright with Zolo. The swordsman ducked as Luffy's fist flew towards him. He twisted out of the way and Luffy kicked out.
"No rubber powers!" Zolo yelled as he dodged.
"Why? 'Fraid you're gonna get beat if I use them?" Luffy returned as he swung around, meaning to hit Zolo in the stomach, but missing as Zolo dodged and managed to throw a punch of his own. Luffy ducked and came up, driving his shoulder into Zolo's chest and throwing him backwards.
Zolo gritted his teeth and stopped himself from falling over before bringing his knee up and just missing Luffy's side as the boy twisted away.
"No. Fine, use them if you have to cheat." Zolo replied, a sly smile coming to his face. Luffy jabbed his elbow backwards but Zolo ducked under it.
"Rubber powers aren't a cheat." Luffy replied as he spun around to bring his leg up and around, missing the top of Zolo's head by inches. Zolo found an opening and jabbed his arm out, connecting with Luffy's stomach and throwing him back.
"Yes they are." Zolo replied, laughing. Luffy grinned.
"Are not!" he replied before aiming a head butt and connecting, hitting Zolo's head with a dull crunch and making the swordsman stumble back, holding a hand to his forehead.
"Are so!" and Zolo dived forward, tackling Luffy to the ground. Luffy grunted and twisted quickly, so instead of Zolo being on top and in control, now Luffy was and he drove Zolo down into the mud with his knee and leaned in close, making the swordsman move a little uncomfortably.
"Are not!" he said. Zolo grabbed Luffy around his waist and threw him to the side. Luffy yelped, not expecting it and then he grunted as his face was rubbed into the mud. Luffy brought his own hand around and knocked Zolo's face into the mud as well.
Then there was silence as the two gasped, breathing heavily as they held each other's faces down in the mud and watched the other. Their eyes were locked for a few minutes until Zolo felt Luffy shivering under his hand and realised the younger boy was cold. They were both soaked through, but Zolo could stand the cold.
Luffy was a little different. The captain didn't like extreme cold, or extreme heat, he liked moderate temperatures. Zolo let Luffy go and rolled onto his back before getting up. Luffy did the same.
"We should get out of the rain." Zolo said. Luffy pouted.
"W-why?" Luffy asked, his teeth beginning to chatter and then he sneezed.
"That's why. You're gonna get sick." Zolo replied. Luffy shook his head.
"I don't get sick." he said. Zolo rolled his eyes, but it was actually true. Luffy didn't get sick very often. They walked back the way they had come, following the muddy footprints they had left. Luffy grabbed his hat up off the ground and whined. It was all muddy.
"Hold it out in the rain for a bit. It'll wash off." Zolo said as he walked past, mud already beginning to drip off of his body in the increased rain. Luffy did so, holding the hat out in the rain as he followed. Zolo sat down in the covered area.
It was going to be a cold night. Luffy settled himself beside the swordsman, wiping the last of the mud off of the hat. He placed it back on his head and looked at Zolo, who gave it a short inspection before smiling and nodding.
Luffy grinned and then looked back out into the still falling rain, the last of the sunlight finally giving up it's futile attempts to try and light the area and going down. Luffy was now shivering though and Zolo could feel the smaller boy's body shaking beside him.
"Are you okay?" he asked, not feeling cold at all. Well, maybe a little. Luffy turned to him, mud still clinging to his cheek.
"Yeah, I'm ok-k-kay." he replied and closed his eyes, drawing his knees up to his chest to go to sleep. Zolo watched him, noticing the slight rise and fall of the boy's chest become deeper as he fell asleep. The swordsman smiled a little sadly. He hoped Luffy would be alright.
He leaned back against the wall of the cover and let his eyes close. It would be a little hard to explain if he was holding Luffy when they woke up. Not that anyone would be around to know, but still.
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The next morning, Zolo was awoken rather rudely. He had fallen sideways and hit his head on the ground. He sat up again and looked around. Luffy was gone. Hang on? How had he fallen sideways? He must have been leaning on Luffy while he slept. Oh well.
"Luffy?" he asked. Zolo stood and stretched, sticking his chest out as he stretched his arms up as high and as far back as they would go.
"Luffy?" he asked again and still received no response. Where had that little runt of a captain gone? Tying his swords back around his waist, he heard a weird sound. It was a cat meowing.
"Aw, little kitty." he heard Luffy say as he walked out. Luffy was sitting on the stairs, a grey cat sitting on his lap. Luffy was petting it, and the cat was meowing happily. Zolo sighed and smiled.
"Morning Zolo." Luffy said as he looked up. Zolo grunted in return before walking up the stairs and sitting down beside his captain. The cat gave Zolo a pleading look and the swordsman reached out to rub his hand over the top of the cat's head gently before looking around.
"We should go down to the beach again. The crew is probably looking for us." Zolo said. Luffy nodded.
"Cute isn't he?" Luffy asked, rubbing behind the cat's ears. Zolo nodded, not really paying attention. "He came up to me this morning. Don't know why. Wonder what he's doing here all by himself."
"Dunno. Maybe someone dumped him." Zolo replied absently before standing. Luffy looked up.
"Can I bring the cat down with us?" he asked. Zolo looked down.
"Why?"
"Cos, he looks lonely." Luffy replied pouting. Zolo sighed. No one, and that was no one, could resist Luffy's pout.
"Fine. I don't care. Let's just get down there." he said walking down the stairs. Luffy followed, the cat secure in his arms. When they reached the beach, there was nothing on the horizon and Zolo saw Luffy's face fall slightly out of the corner of his eye.
"They probably won't come until midday anyway." Zolo said, trying to sound offhand. Luffy nodded. "You want some breakfast?" Luffy brightened instantly and grinned.
"Yeah!" he cried, the cat jumping slightly with the sudden outcry. Luffy gave it a short pat to calm it and then looked up again. "I'll go and get some more wood!" and he ran off. Zolo sighed. At least the prospect of food had cheered Luffy up.
As to whether the crew would get there by midday, he didn't know. What if Nami had directed the ship towards the wrong island, or they had gone around the other side, or something had happened.
"Think like that, and you'll never get back to the ship." Zolo muttered to himself before walking down towards the ocean again.
This time, he wasn't so lucky. Instead of four fish, he only caught two, and they were only small as well. The cat was sitting on the sand beside Luffy, obviously having taken a liking to the young pirate. It was sniffing at the cooking fish and Zolo was watching it, hoping it didn't decide to leap up and grab the still cooking seafood.
Luffy was also watching and Zolo knew Luffy would dive forward any second to grab the food. Lucky it was cooked and he pulled off a fish and handed it to Luffy, who, surprisingly, pulled off at least a quarter of the fish and held it out for the cat. Zolo watched and then smiled. Luffy really was a compassionate person, but Zolo's smile quickly faded as Luffy began to eat.
"What do we do now?" Luffy asked when they had finished their food. Zolo sighed as he kicked sand onto the fire.
"Stay put probably. We're in an open spot, so, they should see us pretty easily when they come over the horizon." Zolo replied before sitting back down again and leaning back, lying down on the sand, arms locked behind his head.
Luffy nodded and absently stroked a hand over the cat. Zolo's eyes closed of their own accord, and he was just drifting off to sleep when Luffy gave a short squeak.
"Ow." the boy said. Zolo looked over to see Luffy holding his hand which had three deep gashes down between the thumb and forefinger.
"What happened?" Zolo asked sitting up. Luffy looked up at him.
"The cat scratched me." he replied. Zolo frowned.
"What the hell for?" he asked, a little annoyed. Luffy had given that animal food for goodness sake, and then it goes and scratches him.
"I don't know. I was just patting him and looking at the sea, when he scratched me and ran off." the captain replied before bringing his hand to his mouth and sucking on it. Zolo sighed.
"Doing that isn't going to help." he muttered and stood. Pulling off his bandana, he walked down to the ocean and dipped the green material into the salty water before walking back up to where Luffy was watching him with a confused look on his face.
Zolo took Luffy's wrist and pulled it over so he could dab at the cuts with the wet cloth. The salt must have stung, but Luffy didn't say anything or wince. Luffy was determined to prove he was strong.
Zolo's hands are so warm. Luffy thought as he watched Zolo dab at the cuts.
His hands are so... rubber like. Almost like I could just pull and they would stretch so easily. Wonder if the water is affecting him. Zolo thought as he rubbed the cloth over the scratches.
"You feeling any weaker? You know, from the water." Zolo asked as he cleaned the cuts. He hoped those teeth of the cat's weren't too dirty. He would have to make sure that Luffy showed them to Chopper as soon as they got back. Luffy shook his head.
"No. My hand just feels heavy is all." he replied. Zolo nodded and then finished cleaning the cuts. They were pretty deep. Zolo wrapped his bandana around the wounds and then tied it tight while Luffy gave him a strange look.
"Why did you do that?" Luffy asked when he had finished. Zolo shrugged.
"Don't want to get them infected." he replied. Luffy tilted his head and smiled.
"Of course not." he said brightly before standing up.
"Where are you going?" Zolo asked, already having leaned back in the sand for a nice sunbake.
"Nowhere. I'm just bored." the boy replied before giving the sand a kick. Zolo sighed, falling asleep.
"Okay, just don't wander off." and then there were light snores as sleep finally put him under it's spell.
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The next thing he heard, was Luffy's light giggles as he did something that was obviously very amusing. Zolo cracked an eye open to see Luffy balancing on the balls of his feet as he squatted down. That was the first thing he saw. The second thing, was the fact that he was covered in sand. Luffy giggled again and Zolo sighed.
"Why am I covered in sand?" Zolo asked, not actually sure he wanted to know the answer. Luffy burst into laughter.
"Because I was bored and it was fun to cover you in sand!" he replied. Zolo sighed and sat up, knocking the sand off of him. "Awwwwww." Luffy whined, pouting. Zolo rolled his eyes.
"If you must play in the sand, use that over there and make a sand castle." the swordsman said as he brushed sand out of his shirt.
"Come and play with me." Luffy replied. Zolo looked over, and was immediately sorry he did. Luffy was pouting as hard as he could. The swordsman gave a frustrated groan and then stood, brushing the last of the sand off of his legs.
Luffy gave a loud cry of happiness and jumped up, obviously happy that he wasn't going to be bored anymore. Luffy hurried over to the wet sand at the edge of the sea and sat down, apparently not caring that he was going to get sand all over his butt. Zolo rubbed a hand over his face as he sat down as well.
"What shall we make?" Luffy asked. Zolo shrugged.
"I don't care." he replied. Luffy's mouth twisted as he thought.
"Maybe… no, umm, I know, we'll make a fort!" Luffy cried. How original. Zolo nodded, going along with whatever Luffy wanted. Luffy began building up the sand, making a large mound, Zolo every now and again contributing, but the swordsman mainly just watched.
After all, building something as childish as a sandcastle would surely not look very manly. But then, as Zolo watched Luffy smile happily as he built something that didn't even remotely resemble a fort, he thought perhaps that it wasn't so bad.
"There." Luffy said, and looked proudly at his masterpiece. Zolo raised an eyebrow. It just looked like a giant wall.
"Uh, it is a fort, right?" Zolo asked brushing the sand off of his hands as he looked at it. Luffy pouted.
"It doesn't look like one?" he asked. Zolo shrugged.
"Well, you need spikes on top." he suggested. Luffy paused and then a smile spread across his face.
"Hey, yeah!" he said before getting some more sand and trying to make some spikes on the top of the wall. Zolo smiled and looked out to sea. Still no sign of the Merry. He hoped they would find them.
"Look Zolo! Is that right?" Luffy asked cheerfully, pointing at a spike on the top of the wall. Zolo frowned. It looked more like a just a lump of sand to him.
"Hmm," he said before standing and turning to walk back up the beach towards their little makeshift camp site.
"Hey, where you going?" Luffy called. Zolo smiled over his shoulder at the boy.
"You'll see." he replied before kneeling down at the fire. Luffy waited, wondering what his first mate could possibly be up to. Of course it had occurred to him that midday had in fact come and gone, and there was still no sign of their friends, but Luffy was having fun, so, he didn't mind so much.
As long as they found him eventually, he didn't care. Unless they ran out of meat. Then he would care. Zolo came back, some sticks clutched in his hand. He sat down and then reaching over, he stuck the sticks into the top of the castle so they looked like spikes. Luffy tilted his head and then grinned.
"Cool!" he cried happily. Zolo smiled.
"Yep. Very cool." he replied.
Zolo is so nice to me. No wonder I picked him to be my first mate. Luffy thought as he watched Zolo smile at him. Something went off inside him then, and he began to feel a little weird. Like, maybe he was sick or something. Once he looked away from Zolo though, it stopped.
"Luf? You okay?" Zolo asked suddenly. Luffy paused.
"Y-yeah. I'm fine." Luffy replied and then grinned.
How many times have I asked that now? Zolo thought, He must think I'm a pain in the butt. Zolo was also feeling weird. Maybe it was the fish they had eaten. He put a hand to his stomach.
"Are you okay?" Luffy asked this time. Zolo nodded and stood.
"Yeah. I'm alright." he replied. Somehow, he didn't want to tell Luffy he felt sick. It just didn't seem like it was the right thing to do. Darkness began to settle over the beach and the two lit another fire, preparing to spend the night on the beach this time.
The cold on the beach turned out to be much worse than it had been in the little shelter, and in the rain no less. But, at least rain wasn't a problem that night. Zolo sat by the fire, one leg outstretched and the other knee drawn up to his chest. Luffy sat beside him. Both were silent, as if something was on their minds.
Why am I finding it harder to talk to him all of a sudden? Zolo thought. Maybe he was finally beginning to get sick of his childlike captain. But no, it seemed more as if, he wanted to be a little closer. He had the weird sick feeling before, back when they were on the ship and were playing a game or something, but it was never this strong.
Why won't he talk to me? Did I do something wrong? Luffy thought and then bit his lip. What could he have done? He glanced at Zolo at the same time the swordsman glanced at him. Both paused, looking at each other for a second then looking away.
My heart is going a million miles an hour, simply because he looked at me. What the hell is wrong? Zolo thought, thoroughly annoyed with the feeling. They needed Chopper.
Zolo looked at me. Why do I feel so happy about that? Who cares if Zolo looked at me, he used to stare at me on the ship all the time. So? Why does it feel different now? Luffy thought and then watched as a little soldier crab scuttled across the sand. Zolo was watching the same crab.
I…think I know what's wrong- Zolo thought.
…because I only feel this when I look at him and- Luffy thought.
…I remember someone explaining this feeling to me-
…a long time ago.
What did they call it?
Love.
Love. And the two looked at each other, having thought the same thought at the same time. Both smiled.
"I love you." they said at the same time. Zolo blinked and Luffy grinned.
"We love each other!" Luffy said happily before giving the swordsman a large hug. Zolo blushed and then relaxed into the rubber boy's hold. When Luffy leaned away, he gently caught Luffy's face with his hand and turned his captain towards him.
"Yeah. We love each other." he said softly and then leaning forward he pressed his lips to Luffy's in a small, soft, meaningful kiss. Their first kiss.
It may not have been obvious to them at the beginning, when they had first met each other, and it may not have been obvious when they first landed on the island, but it was plain as day now. And both were more than willing to accept it.
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The sun rose the next day to see the two pirates lying together, the smaller wrapped in the arms of the larger. Both were sound asleep.
"Wake up morons!" a voice called and Zolo's eyes snapped open.
"Awwwwww." came another voice, this time a female one. Luffy's eyes snapped open.
"I, the great captain-"
"SHUTUP! You were the one who nearly got us lost, so don't you say anything about the great captain Usopp!" both the female and the first voice yelled.
"How was I to know they were on this island?" Usopp asked. There was a sigh and Zolo looked around to see Sanji behind him, hands in his pockets, Nami standing across from him and Usopp behind her. All three were giving them sly smiles. Chopper must have stayed behind to watch the ship.
"Zolo, I'm still tired. Going back to sleep." Luffy announced and then pulled himself closer, hands clutching at the soft fabric of Zolo's shirt. Zolo blushed for a moment and then smiled and ran a hand through Luffy's hair.
"Sure kid." he said.
"Ha! Always knew you were gay marimo!" Sanji cried.
"Shutup Sanji." Nami said and the chef's smile fell.
"Of course Nami." he replied but still continued to smirk down at the two lying in the sand.
"Zolo. You'll have to carry him if we're going to get to the next island on time." Nami said. She didn't seem at all phased by Luffy clinging to Zolo like a bizarre monkey. Sanji seemed to be the only one who was going to say anything about it. Usopp was just watching, and even he didn't look surprised.
"Whatever." Zolo replied gruffly before scooping Luffy into his arms and standing. Sanji snorted. "Oh shutup magic eyebrow. You're just jealous because I got Luffy first." Zolo quipped before walking towards where the ship was visibly docked.
Sanji's jaw nearly hit the ground. Usopp snickered and then ran for the ship when Sanji looked about ready to commit murder. Nami walked beside Zolo.
"So, are you two like, in love?" she asked, although she seemed to already know the answer. Zolo looked down at Luffy in his arms, the boy's hand still clasped firmly around a fold of his shirt and he smiled.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that." he replied. Luffy smiled in his sleep.
End
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So, didja get bored? I hope not. I tried to put as much action into it as I could. He he, trust Sanji to find them the next morning. Reviews would be very much appreciated.