Chapter contains blood (as in wound blood), so be warned.
The next few days were better. Luffy mostly stayed asleep, besides using the bathroom, eating, and bathing in warm water. Her fever had left, and her cramps were lessening in severity, though they were still very painful. Zoro finally left the girl's room to go and shower himself. No one had said anything about it, but he didn't exactly smell wonderful.
Zoro and Sanji didn't talk to each other for the days following their argument. Nami and Robin made sure to pay much attention to Sanji. They had a feeling that however long Zoro was going to stay with his sick partner in the girl's room, Sanji would be a little down. Nami's talk the night of the bad day had helped some.
Nami and Robin knew that, since Luffy's cramps were weakening, and she had lost her splitting headache, her period was getting closer to ending. They couldn't wait for her to come back onto deck, full of energy again. They had all noticed how much louder the ship was with Luffy around, which was strange since she could make no noises.
Zoro was also nicer when she was there, and lately, he'd been snappy with the others. They didn't think he did it to be mean, he was just stressed about the nightmare of a week.
The last night Chopper predicted was the last day of Luffy's period, Zoro spent the night in her bed again. Luffy had been sleeping when he came to the bed, and didn't wake up when he laid down behind her. She did wake up from an intense dream she soon forgot, and felt Zoro behind her. She knew this was probably the last night they'd both sleep on this bed. She slowly crawled out of her thick blankets and sat on top of the bed with him, arranging herself so they were chest to chest. She wondered if he was awake when he wrapped his arms around her like a hug. She slept peacefully again.
-x-
Luffy created a pen and board as she sat on the bed across from Zoro, feeling zero pain. The period week had lasted six days, less than she said was usual, but she didn't complain. She was glad it was over and was back to being chased by Zoro, or hiding in hide-and-go-seek with Usopp and Chopper.
She was also hanging onto him more, or surprising him by jumping onto his back and knocking both of them down. Zoro had surprised her by being more forward after sleeping those nights together, as he worried about her wellbeing. He kissed her around the others more, though they weren't heated. They hadn't kissed like that night in the galley once, because they would rather just spend time snuggling or playing.
Sanji also was acting a little better since Zoro was no longer sleeping with Luffy, even though the couple had liked it a lot. Zoro was back to sleeping on the couch in the men's room. Surprisingly, he hated the smell in the room. It smelled like sweat, while the girl's room smelled like flowers. It had been hard to get used to, but he liked it more than the smell in the room he usually slept in. Oh well. He'd get used to it soon.
Luffy's bed felt lonely, and too big for her now. She knew she'd adjust back to what it's been. She'd adjusted to Zoro sleeping with her fairly quickly. Well, very quickly.
Zoro and Luffy had taken residence in the anchor room where they could kiss in any way they wanted to. Sitting down close to each other, Luffy pinned to the wall or the floor. It varied and they were happy they had a secluded space, comfortable from the futon Luffy had made to stay on the floor. No one bothered them while they were in there. There was really no point because they rarely went in that room while sailing. Robin peeked on them sometimes, but other than that they were left alone.
In the now two months that Luffy had been part of the crew, she'd skipped going on four islands. They were all especially populated with humans. She wanted to be around humans gradually. Work her way up to a busy city.
Zoro had stayed with her on the ship, though she'd wanted him to leave and have fun and not have to stay with her. She told him he should go to a bar and get some good booze, but Zoro's reply was he didn't feel like it. He just wanted to nap. They both knew that was BS.
Luffy had mostly let go of missing Ace so badly it hurt. Now she was happy thinking of him. She enjoyed telling Zoro about her and Ace's troublemaking almost every day. How they also played around the ship and swung on the hammocks when the two visited the Merry the first time. And how in some way, the minute she stepped on the ship, she thought that it would make a nice home. Zoro smiled at this.
"How come all of the men only wear one outfit?" she asked, laying beside Zoro.
"It's not like we enjoy shopping for clothes. Besides, you should know. You wore the same style and colored dress for a long time. Was that a uniform or something?" he asked. He'd wondered this for a while, but had forgotten from the stress of Luffy's nightmare week.
I don't know. It's just what's done. No one minds it, though. Maybe it makes us feel closer to each other, since we all look similar even without dressing the same. You should let me try your shirt on, Luffy said simply. Zoro flushed. That would be so hot if it fit her. It'd probably be way too big for her, and that would mostly make it cute.
"Sure. Let's do it now," Zoro offered. Luffy nodded and followed him out of the anchor room and to the men's room hatch. She hadn't been in here for a long time. She climbed down the ladder first, Zoro following. He walked to his closet/dresser and pulled out his tightest white shirt and gave it to her.
She didn't take off her dress, just put the shirt over her head. It didn't fit her at all. The sleeves reached her elbow, and it was almost too big that it dragged on the floor. "Well that didn't work," Zoro said simply, slightly disappointed.
Now it's your turn to try mine on, Luffy wrote with a smirk.
"Yeah… that's not gonna happen," Zoro replied simply, his face stony. Luffy gave him the puppy dog eyes and pout. She used that expression mercilessly because Zoro had a hard time resisting. But this time, he stood his ground. "Nope. That's not gonna work this time."
Meanie. Then she began to create something. "What are you making?" Zoro asked. Luffy turned so he couldn't see what she was doing. It was only a few moments and soon she had a smaller version of his clothes and dressed in them, even having little boots.
I'm mini Zoro! Zoro broke into laughter. She looked ridiculous. Then Luffy ran to the ladder.
"Hell no, you are not going out in that!" he chased after her, able to grab her small foot, but wiggled her foot until the boot came off and she ran off. God, he hoped no one was on deck. But when he climbed out of the hatch, everyone was outside.
"Luffy get back here!" he shouted, chasing after her. She wasn't as quiet with the boots on than her slippers or barefoot. He tackled her to the ground and ripped the shirt and pants off, since she was still wearing her dress under it. However, those that followed them did not see the right perspective and it looked like he was undressing her out on deck.
"Zoro!" Nami screamed, and Sanji ran forward and yanked him off.
"What the hell?!" Zoro asked angrily. Luffy was laying on the deck, completely clothed and laughing at everyone's faces. Then it clicked with Zoro. "I wouldn't just undress her in front of everyone!"
Everyone took his words in the wrong way, and they all looked slightly horrified. Luffy was smiling at Zoro's cute awkwardness.
"Wait, I didn't mean it like that!" He said, exasperated. "You guys all have your minds in the gutter." He sighed. "Luffy, dissolve these clothes." They were embarrassing and he didn't want to risk the crew seeing her in it again, though it was pretty funny. She shook her head no. Zoro yanked them away from her and threw them overboard. She pouted.
Oh well, she can remake them anytime she wants.
"Luffy, you should do a fashion show with all of our outfits. I think it'd be cute," Nami said with a grin. "Or does Zoro want it to be a thing for only him and you?" she teased.
I'll just wear his real shirt around, though it fits like a baggy dress, she wrote innocently.
"You had her try on your clothes?!" Sanji demanded.
"OVER HER DRESS! God, everyone stop freaking out. Besides, it was her idea." Luffy smiled.
Luffy started by doing the clothes in the men's room, besides Chopper's because she didn't want to be shirtless in front of anyone, even the girls. Out of Sanji and Usopp's clothes, Luffy looked cuter in the overalls. They were all impressed with the way she had perfectly replicated the outfits.
Once she got to the girl's room to try on some of the girl's clothes, she sifted through their wardrobes, searching for a less revealing outfit. Robin had worn pants before, and had a couple pairs and a regular shirt, so she created those. Nami's, however, wasn't as easy to find. She wore mostly skirts, and short ones.
Once she finally found a pair of blue short-shorts (as short and tight as her underwear) she also chose a plain t-shirt.
When she came out, the way Nami wore her clothes was completely different. Luffy wasn't curvy, and she had no chest. It was flat, like a guy's. The clothes looked… wrong on her. Sanji had wondered what Luffy would have looked like in tighter and skimpier clothes. He sighed, somewhat relieved Luffy definitely didn't have the body type Sanji liked.
Zoro clearly didn't like Luffy wearing Nami's outfit, and Robin's pants looked strange on her skinny legs. To all of them, Luffy looked best in simple dresses. But Nami vowed that Luffy would go shopping with her at the next island that wasn't super crowded.
I like wearing Zoro's clothes most out of everyone, Luffy wrote, bringing a blush to Zoro's cheeks. She grinned at him. Then she went to dispose of all of the outfits she'd made.
"No! Don't get rid of them. Just put them in your closet, which has a lot of space. You can recreate Zoro's clothes. Oh! And then you guys could battle while both wearing his clothes," Nami giggled. Zoro scowled at her and looked away. Luffy laughed silently and went over to Zoro and wrote Sorry on her board, only for Zoro to see.
"Yeah, sure you are," he replied, though not sounding angry. She grinned.
Love you, though.
"Me too," he said. He was always feeling awkward when he would have to say he loved her, too. But she took pity on him and he didn't have to reply by saying the words themselves. Everyone knew what he meant when he said that, but they took pity on him as well and said nothing of it.
-x-
The next day, they landed on an island that wasn't too big, and the towns were on the smaller side. Luffy agreed to go on this island. She hadn't stepped foot off the ship in two months. When she hopped off the ship and landed quietly on the dock, she was happy. The ship and dock were both made of wood, but this one felt different. She hurried up the small port to the tree line. It was strange, but everything seemed somewhat similar to her home island. But there was no peak overlooking the port. It was that the trees looked very familiar.
She ran over to Nami. This island looks like mine, she wrote with a confused face.
"Oh, that might be because your home island and this one are both spring islands. The herbs and the trees at your island flourish in spring. So that's why they look similar." Luffy grinned and ran off and into the trees to explore. "Wait, Luffy! We have to make groups!" she called. But Luffy didn't come back. "Damnit."
"Where'd she go?" Usopp asked. Zoro perked up, not seeing her either.
"She ran off, to explore I bet. I can't trust Zoro to find her, so Chopper, go with him to catch up to Luffy." Both went off running in the direction Luffy had gone.
"Luffy!" Chopper called. He heard nothing. So he called her name again. Nothing. Zoro sighed.
But they didn't know Luffy was right above them. She barely breathed and didn't move until she was right above them and slightly to their fronts. She leapt down putting her arms out, obviously saying without words "Boo!" Chopper leapt in surprise and made a small yelp. Luffy smiled and laughed.
"Real clever," Zoro said, not startled at all. Luffy pouted at him and started walking forward. Soon, the three were walking in a random direction, following Luffy to who-knows-where. It was a nice and quiet walk. Sometimes, being around Luffy was so relaxing because she couldn't start a conversation or make noise. Many of the other members in the crew liked to talk and laugh and shout, but Luffy just couldn't do all that. Plus, she was a great listener.
"Hey, Chopper," Luffy said. "Do you smell other people?" Chopper sniffed deeper than he had been breathing.
"Yeah, I do. And a lot, too," Chopper replied.
"Did you two just now realize that there were a shit-ton of other humans around?" Zoro asked, sounding slightly bored. Luffy scowled, but then got a demonic look on her face.
"Think they're bad guys?" Luffy was itching for a fight.
"I don't know. I can't tell from here. Why?" Chopper wondered.
"You want a fight, Luffy?" Zoro asked with a scary grin. Now both Zoro and Luffy were scaring Chopper. "I mean, they're probably doing something bad. And even if they aren't… we can make something up. Right, Chopper?" Zoro asked, still wearing a malicious smile.
"I- I guess…" Chopper said. He followed the two pirates lusting for some battle. They came across a large camp. There were easily 20 plus humans. Luffy frowned. It wouldn't be much fun to fight with such a little group. She'd never really fought more than one human at a time, but she felt like a large group would be fun. But she didn't want Chopper to be vulnerable so she picked him up and shoved him up a tree. He got the idea and climbed up the tree quietly.
Luffy and Zoro walked out in the middle of the camp, looking somewhat crazy.
"What you want, runt? And what, are you her brother or something?" a guy smoking a cigar asked, sounding bored as the others took stances against the two. They could tell that these two were not an easy fight to win. A few of the group ran away, not impressing Luffy and Zoro. They both frowned. A bunch of weaklings.
It was as if some of this group could read the two pirates' thoughts, and some brought out swords and an axe. One, surprisingly, but interestingly as well, brought out a bow and arrow.
"Bring it," a burly man growled. This was all the two needed to hear to begin to violently battle with the others. Luffy was unstoppable with the morphing of her limbs to whatever weapon she needed at that moment. She even brought out a crossbow and shot the archer's bow, breaking it in two.
Luffy was irritated when the group seemed to think she was just some little girl. She had the feeling of aggression and malice radiating off of her. She was irritated that she was so easily able to beat and knock the group out. Bandits, she guessed. She was out of enemies, and Zoro was running pretty low too.
The nymph turned her hands and arms back to normal and watched in entertainment as Zoro went all out on the five he was fighting. It really didn't take him long to take out two of the five, and soon it was a three-on-one battle. These ones were strong. They were taking up all of his attention, and he was grinning. Luffy was glad he wasn't smiling as happily as he did when she and him fought.
Then another man came up behind him. Luffy hadn't noticed this one. And he was going straight behind Zoro, who's swords were taken up with the opponents in front of him.
"Zoro! Behind you!" Luffy shouted on instinct, and then ran after the man. She just wanted him away from Zoro, and he was low to attack someone's back like that.
But Zoro seemed to have noticed the one behind him. Coward. Attacking his back. Like Zoro'd let that happen. In one slash he finally brought all three of them down, and stabbed behind him where the man's chest would be. It'd be a cool way to finish a fight. Maybe Luffy would think he's hot.
He turned around to see the man who came up behind him had disappeared. Like he'd never been there. Instead of that man, impaled and lifted up, Luffy was run through with Zoro's sword. She just stared at him in shock for a moment, before he screamed her name and took her into his arms.
"Luffy!" Zoro screamed. "Chopper, come help!" he cried. Chopper had already left his hiding spot in the tree when he saw Luffy going after the man behind Zoro's back. Luffy had touched the man, and he blinked out. It was as if he'd never been there. Chopper knew she'd banished him. Made him go someplace else in the world. And instead of that man, she was now impaled all the way through by Sandai Kitetsu.
Zoro pulled out the blade, a gush of blood pouring out. "L- Luffy! You gotta heal yourself!" She was shaking. She'd never fixed something like this. What if she couldn't? It'd be Zoro's own sword that killed the woman he loved.
"Luffy, you need to stay awake and try to heal it." Chopper moved Zoro away. "She needs no distractions," the doctor explained, though he was pulling at his hat in worry. Luffy was losing a lot of blood. That brought the question of whether Luffy could do something about the blood loss. Not only were they miles away from the Merry, but Chopper had no emergency blood bags in Luffy's type. Plus, she might not even have blood similar to humans.
Luffy fell backwards onto the ground as she held her hands tightly over the entrance wound. The exit wound was losing blood, but she could only focus on one part for then. She just had to have faith that the blood cell division and reproduction sped up under extreme distress.
So, she was focusing on not sleeping, healing one end of the wound, and trying to make it so she could produce the blood she was losing, like an endless loop. But that's what she needed at the moment.
She laid there, healing the devastating wound. She felt cold, but angry at the same time. This was stupid. She should have known Zoro wasn't gonna just let anyone sneak up on him. She couldn't focus on what Zoro was doing as she tried reversing the wound.
Zoro had fallen apart and was on his knees a few yards away from Luffy. His cursed blade was thrown a couple yards away from him, forgotten in this terror and guilt. He'd stabbed Luffy. But what had she been doing there? He was sure there had been someone bigger… Unless… Luffy tried to save him by banishing the man sneaking up on him.
Chopper, Luffy and Zoro stayed in the camp, waiting for Luffy to heal herself - or die. Either one was a real possibility.
Luffy had stopped bleeding and was feeling a tiny bit better. She wasn't losing blood anymore, so that was good. But it was taking an excruciating long time to fix this stab that ran all the way through her gut.
Finally, after three and a half hours, Luffy took a deep breath and, soaked in blood, stood up. Her entire dress had turned into a dark red. She was a bit dizzy but was able to stumble up to Zoro and collapse against him. He wrapped his arms around her and cried, his face in the crook of her shoulder and neck.
He began to sob out apologies. Luffy rubbed his back with one hand. It was all her fault that this had happened.
"Luffy says that you don't need to apologize. She's the one who underestimated your skills," Chopper said sadly as he walked over to Luffy. He pulled her ripped dress up so he could see where the sword had ripped through, but there wasn't even a mark left. Chopper wished he had the ability to do what Luffy could.
"I love you. I never want you to leave me," Zoro mumbled through his tears. Luffy nodded her head against his shoulder. Chopper sat a little ways away, waiting for them to compose themselves. It was lucky the humans they'd defeated were so beat that they stayed out cold for the three and a half hours. But then again, Luffy had knocked Zoro out that one day for a while.
Zoro was getting blood on his shirt. Luffy's blood. He felt like he was going to be sick. Chopper interrupted Zoro's cries.
"We should get back to the ship. I'm sure everyone is worried about us. I want you to carry Luffy, Zoro," Chopper said as Zoro stood up, Luffy held up by one arm while his other retrieved the blood stained sword he'd almost killed her with. When Zoro supported Luffy with two hands, she was out like a light. He held her like you'd hold a kid. Face and chest against his front while he had one hand holding her up from her bottom and the other wrapped around her upper back.
She slept quietly as Zoro and Chopper walked quickly, completely alert to any threats in the area since Luffy couldn't fight and would be very vulnerable. But the walk was uneventful, besides Chopper asking a deer where the harbor was. Luffy stirred a bit once they were out of the forest and into the sunlight again.
The rest of the crew were on the ship, and Usopp started shouting that he could see the three. Then, as they got closer to the ship, Usopp started freaking out about all the blood, which brought the others to come to the railing and see Luffy covered in blood and unconscious.
Zoro gently handed Luffy to Robin's ladder of arms while he and Chopper climbed the rope ladder and up onto the ship. She still didn't wake up. Reversing her injury for three hours made her exhausted. Her body just wanted her to sleep on a nice bed and not be bothered. Her mind didn't complain about that.
"What the hell happened to her?!" Usopp asked. Zoro couldn't bring himself to answer. So Chopper did for him.
"We got in a fight with a bunch of bandits and one of them stabbed Luffy. All the way through. She spent over three hours healing herself. But she's okay now, I think. She just needs bed rest and time for her blood to replace how much she'd lost," Chopped explained (and lied). Zoro was immensely grateful for that, and gave him a tiny, relieved smile and nod.
"That's a lot of blood, Chopper. Is she going to be okay?" Nami asked nervously. Robin was still holding the sleeping teen. Dry blood covered her hands and arms, along with her upper legs.
"As of now, she is stable. I need to change her clothes and wipe the blood off. Does she have any clothes in your room? Or does she just make one a day and then dissolve that?" Chopper asked.
"She has a nightgown, so that should be fine. I do think she makes and disposes clothes since her wardrobe is very empty. I'll go get it for you," Nami said as Robin was told to take Luffy to the infirmary. Zoro trailed after them, looking upset. Usopp and Sanji wondered why. Maybe because he couldn't protect her?
Then Sanji noticed something. While Chopper had been speaking, Zoro had set down one of his swords and left it there while he walked away. Sanji knew this blade was the supposedly "cursed" one, so he wasn't going to touch it, but he saw it was covered in blood by the way the scabbard looked at the top. He grew suspicious, but kept it to himself.
Everyone but Chopper left the infirmary so he could change her clothes and clean her up. It was much easier to undress her than some of the guys when they were severely injured, mostly Zoro. All he had to do was sit her up and slide the dress over her head.
He sponge bathed her torso, arms and legs and then dried her off, scrubbing some of the crustier blood off, and then put her in her cute PJs. They were polka dotted and sleeveless, going down to her knees, a little lower than her usual dresses. He put a soft blanket over her and left the room, confident she would be fine. He opened the door to Zoro, who rushed in, almost knocking Chopper into the doorway in his hurry.
Luffy looked completely fine, just sleeping. She did stir, but that was only when she turned onto her side. Zoro fixed the blanket for her.
He still felt like he was going to be sick. He'd run her through with a sword. And he couldn't bear to look or touch that sword anytime soon. When he thought Luffy was for sure going to die, he felt broken, and he realized how much he loved her. He'd follow her anywhere. She now meant more to him than the entire crew altogether. He felt a bit guilty about that, but he couldn't help it. He'd found his partner, and he couldn't think of being able to find anyone as amazing, cool abilities or not.
When Luffy woke up a couple hours later, she felt perfectly fine. Phew, she was scared when the reversing had taken so long and was so hard. Poor Zoro, who was leaning against the wall, sleeping. She wished he could spend some time for himself. He was with her or near her almost all day, every day. She was happy he did it willingly, but she felt like a handful sometimes.
She really wasn't complaining on her part. She loved being around Zoro, too. The nymph jumped down from the bed and to her partner. She tapped his shoulder to wake him up. He always seemed to respond to her waking him up more than the others.
When he saw her smiling face, he hugged her tightly. "I'm so sorry…" he said against her hair. She shook her head, pulling her face away. Luffy smiled at him warmly, obviously forgiving him. She'd never blamed him in the first place. She made her writing board.
I'm sorry I underestimated you. I banished the one behind you. I wanted to protect you like you've protected me. And I'm sorry you had to see me like that. I was a mess wasn't I? Zoro nodded with a frown. I know you never want anyone to scar your back. I wasn't gonna let that happen.
He grinned at her, finally losing that self-hating expression. Then he kissed her deeply, trying to express how much he loved her other than with words. She ran her fingers through his short hair, enjoying the kiss as well. She got the message easily.
Chopper entered during their kiss and blushed, seeing that Luffy was obviously feeling better. He quietly closed the door behind him, his furry cheeks able to be red somehow. But he could see why they'd want to be intimate after what happened a couple hours ago. Zoro had almost ended up killing her, intentional or not.
Chopper had gone into doctor mode once she was stabbed. It kept him from falling apart like Zoro had. When Luffy had stood up, covered in all that blood, he felt a giant weight lift from his chest. He really liked Luffy. He was very glad she came with them, since she was a lot of fun and really nice. And strong, too!
It was at the dinner table that everyone was questioning what had happened. Chopper answered while Zoro and Luffy stayed silent, eating with blank faces, like they couldn't hear what was going on. Luffy did answer that she felt fine and no one should worry about it now.
"Where is your third sword, marimo?" Sanji asked, narrowing his eyes at the swordsman.
"Outside. Took it off the belt since it was covered in bandit blood and Luffy mattered more than cleaning a sword," Zoro said, trying to reinforce to the others that it hadn't been Zoro who ran Luffy through the gut. Chopper changed the subject for him.
"I saw Luffy banish someone. It was like they just blinked out. There was no sound or anything, either. It was really cool! But scary, too," he added.
"Why don't you use that more?" Usopp asked, taking a sip of his water. Luffy formed her writing materials and wrote It's no fun.
Zoro snickered and even Sanji gave a small smile. They both knew the feeling. A cheap way out wasn't fun or really fair. Well, Luffy didn't seem to have any code of right or wrong with fighting, except not wanting to kill anyone.
And it really wasn't ever fair that she could heal her wounds and just continue to fight, not like Zoro who'd lose half of the amount of blood during a hard fight. It annoyed the others, besides Luffy, who was able to just heal him if he got too injured. Now, she knew she would be able to reverse time for big injuries immediately as well. But she would not do that again unless someone was dying from it.
Doing it had made her feel like crap, and she wouldn't be able to do things like complicated surgeries. That was for doctors, not her.
Zoro looks hot when he fights she wrote on the table, not really thinking about the other people at the table.
Zoro blushed awkwardly but was also flattered; Nami and Robin giggled; Usopp and Sanji looked cringy; Chopper didn't really get it.
"You're pretty hot, too, when you fight," Zoro commented absentmindedly, somewhat amused by the others' reactions to Luffy's words.
"You mean to say, you both think each other are hot while you look demonic and are usually bleeding," Usopp stated more than asked. The couple nodded simply, and Usopp frowned. "Gross."
You're just biased cause you can't fight and be sexy at the same time. She took another bite of her food. And then I get to run my hands on him to heal his wounds.
"Okay Luffy, that's enough," Zoro said uncomfortably. Luffy silently giggled.
Okay.
Nami and Robin thought that little interaction was really cute. Sanji frowned slightly. It was like Robin said. They just clicked. And we're both battle-obsessed monsters. Well, he was a monster, too. The monster trio or something. Does he look sexy when he fights? Well, no one can really see his toned muscles because he always wore a suit. Damn.
By bedtime, Zoro found himself not wanting to leave Luffy. Not after what happened earlier. So Luffy and Zoro stayed in the anchor room and set up some nice furniture and blankets. By the time Luffy was done, it looked like a nice, little bedroom. She'd made canvases to put over the walls and in front of all of the material they'd pushed into a corner.
The only bad thing about staying in there was that it was super cold. They ended up having three comforters, and Luffy let Zoro sleep under the covers with her, knowing that he wouldn't do anything she didn't give him permission to do.
Everyone had already gone to bed before they'd set their little space up, so everyone thought they were in the correct sleeping quarters. At least this way Sanji wouldn't bite Zoro's head off for staying in the girl's room.
Luffy wasn't exactly the most comfortable person to sleep with. It wasn't that she snored or anything, she just moved around a lot. Very different from how she'd been in her period. Zoro woke up very early with her hand on top of his chest, and found that she took up most of the queen sized bed, despite her small size. Her limbs made her look similar to a starfish. He didn't really mind since he only woke up twice and was able to sleep through however she managed to take up the space and then get tangled in her side of the blankets.
Zoro just chuckled as he looked at her. She looked very deeply asleep, so he wasn't going to wake her. He slowly got out of the bed, and she immediately took advantage of the space and spread her arms and legs further. It wasn't so cold out anymore, so he brought his weights outside their little room with the door open while she slept.
He couldn't help but keep looking at her and thinking how lucky their meeting was. Though it wasn't exactly the best. The first time he saw her was when she was looking at his swords hungrily. He had glared at her. Not exactly love at first sight. At least their relationship wasn't cliche or sappy, like dart-brow would want.
He looked over just before she fell off the side of the low bed. And still didn't wake. It was getting kind of ridiculous. So he set his dumbbell down and walked over to Luffy to pick her up and put her back on the bed, untangling the blankets and setting them gently on top of her. Then he went back to lifting his weights, now by his teeth.
Sanji woke up later than Zoro had for once. And he wasn't in there! Was he back in the girl's room?! He climbed the ladder and stormed to the girl's room, but then stopped. He couldn't go in there even if Zoro was. He sighed, frustrated. When he left the storage room, he heard the clinking noise of Zoro lifting his absurdly large weights and followed that to the other side of the ship, where they didn't go too much since they never used the anchor room.
But there mosshead was, sitting in front of the open door. He glared at Sanji when he came into view, and let his dumbbell down to close the door quietly. He didn't want Sanji seeing Luffy like that and he didn't want her to wake up if Sanji started shouting.
"I didn't go to the girl's room, so don't bite my fucking head off," Zoro snapped. Sanji huffed. Then he asked something that had been nagging him in the back of his head.
"So, what really happened yesterday? When you carried Luffy here covered in blood."
Zoro's face automatically hardened. "Chopper already told you, dumbass."
"If your sword really was covered in blood from anyone but Luffy, then why is it still sitting out here, forgotten? You'd have cleaned it off and set it back with the others if it was just an enemy's blood." Sanji sneered at him, "And you told me you'd never hurt her."
Before Sanji could react, Zoro stood up and punched him in the face. Hard enough to knock him down. "You will NEVER accuse me of hurting her again." Zoro sounded like he would break Sanji's neck if he said the wrong thing. His reaction convinced Sanji even more that he was right.
"Intentional or not, you almost killed her… didn't you?" But Sanji's face was completely devoid of emotion. When Zoro began to shake and looked at the ground, like he was trapped in some horrible nightmare, Sanji knew he'd crossed the line. He said nothing else and walked away and to the galley. His face hurt where moss-head had punched him. Sanji never knew Zoro even could fight with fists.
Whatever happened yesterday, it was bad. Luffy didn't act angry at all, and Chopper had a straight face when he told them what was probably a lie. So they clearly didn't blame him for whatever happened. He was very curious. But even though he hated Zoro's guts, he wouldn't bring it up again. Even he had honor sometimes when it came to dealing with Zoro. Then it hit him…
He'd been sleeping with Luffy! That's why he wasn't in the women's or men's rooms, and closed the door gently before they had an altercation! What did he do to -?! But then he stopped. He had to finally accept that Zoro would never do something that would harm Luffy (except for whatever happened yesterday that Zoro looked sick over). At least nothing intentional.
Besides, they probably were just sleeping.
Nami woke up and turned her head to the side to see Luffy was missing from her bed. She didn't usually get up this early, and her bed was sorta made, which she had done the night before last. It looked like she hadn't even been there. Nami was extremely curious about where she'd slept because there was no way anyone would let her sleep in the men's room.
She got dressed and made her face presentable and then left the room. Robin was still asleep since she had watched last night. Nami wandered around the ship, peeking her head through doors and looking down the hatch into the men's room. No Luffy and no Zoro. She smiled and went to the only room left, where she started to hear the muffled clinks that came with Zoro's excessive weight lifting.
She turned the corner to see him sitting in front of the open door to the anchor room. He scowled at her. He was going to be teased today. He didn't say anything to stop her walking up to him and looking to the left, at the room that had somehow turned into a small bedroom. It actually looked nice. Luffy went all out on her designing and decorating. They didn't know she had subconsciously modeled it similar to her bedroom at her previous home.
Luffy was sleeping very unladylike on the big bed, taking up as much space as possible for her size. Nami smirked and then turned to Zoro, who looked bothered.
"What do you want?" he asked shortly.
"I was looking for Luffy. How did it go last night? She doesn't exactly wake up in the position she went to bed in," she told him, smiling.
"She woke me up twice by sticking her hand in my mouth and then rolling completely on top of me, dragging the blankets with her. Other than that, it was fine," Zoro said casually. "It was pretty cold, though," he added.
"Did you snuggle to warm up?" she asked in a teasing way. Zoro sighed.
"That's what the three comforters were for. And I can't exactly cuddle or anything when she moves around every ten minutes," he replied, but sounded a bit fond at the same time. Nami watched the way Zoro's whole face softened when he spoke about Luffy.
"Did you ever think that this would happen?" Nami asked out of the blue.
"Huh? What would happen?" Zoro replied.
"Loving someone like this. Having just one special person who makes you happy. Did you ever see that in the life you'd predicted?" she asked curiously.
"No," was Zoro's simple answer. He didn't elaborate and then they heard a sneeze from the room. Luffy had woken up, and was a bit confused as to where she was for a moment. She looked around and smiled. She and Zoro slept in a bed together by themselves!
"Morning," Zoro said. "Sleep well?" Luffy nodded. "Don't see how, considering you fell off the bed and tangled yourself into the blankets." But he didn't sound mean. She pouted at him and closed the door to make and change into her day clothes. A simple dress, like always. This time it was dark blue.
Luffy walked out of the room barefooted and sat down next to Zoro. When is food? she wrote.
"I don't know. Dart-brow came over while you were still asleep, hounding me about what happened yesterday…" Zoro said, visibly deflating as he once again remembered what happened the day before. Luffy just patted his leg with a smile. Nami wondered what that interaction was about. Was it because Zoro didn't help Luffy when they got in that fight? She was curious, but was not going to ask.
"Let's go wait for Sanji-kun's food in the galley," Nami offered, Luffy standing up and following her. Zoro wasn't really fond of the idea of going into a small room with curly-brow. Especially because of how he'd talked to Zoro not long ago.
Zoro had to change clothes and went to the men's room to do so. He didn't know Luffy was about to pull a prank on him.
Nami and Luffy had run to the girl's room so Luffy could quickly change and would be able to get Zoro's back once he climbed up the pegged ladder. They quickly replicated everything Zoro wore, and made three wooden "blades". She wrote camera! On the wall and left, hiding behind the mast. Robin had woken up and wondered what Nami was giggling about, so she sat up and laughed as well as she was what Luffy was doing.
Zoro came out of the hatch for the men's room with his back to the two story cabin. As he walked forward, something hit his back repeatedly, though softly. He turned around to see Luffy dressed in mini versions of his clothes, bandana included, with three wooden swords. She seemed to have been having trouble keeping the third in her mouth. She walked forward and hit at Zoro again with the wooden swords. Then she bounced back a little, the sword falling from her mouth.
Zoro smiled at her ridiculousness. Then he laughed as she dropped the sword in her mouth again, the other two falling out of her hands as well. She narrowed her eyes in irritation.
"Not easy, is it?" Zoro asked smugly with his arms crossed. Her eyes narrowed in playful determination. She brought the wooden one to her mouth, and bit it down with mental fangs. Then she picked up each sword and dug metal fingers into the wood. She smiled around the prize stuck in her mouth.
Zoro kept his swords in his sheath because he knew this wasn't a fight for real, it was just goofing off. Plus, it would be unfair for Luffy, who was having a lot of trouble staying on balance with the third sword. It was frustrating. She couldn't see how he could do it so well. And when did he ever think to fight with a sword in his mouth?
Zoro brought down his sword in Luffy's mouth. Her jaw's grip was amazing, for instead of the whole thing coming out, it snapped in half, leaving half of it in the nymph's mouth.
Zoro was brutal against her and for once, actually won. Luffy complained about splinters in her mouth but was able to just get rid of them with a sweep of her small hand.
"For once, I win. And I demand a prize for it," Zoro said, his head high and staring down at Luffy, who was smiling. "You have to give me a good kiss. If you don't I'll eat all of your breakfast before you can."
Luffy grinned in amusement and jumped high, wrapping around Zoro's upper body and giving him a heated kiss.
Nami had still been around them, and blushed as they kissed. She could see Robin on her lawn chair watching the two with amusement. Nami headed over to her. Robin looked away from the couple and to the girl approaching her. "Do you still peep on them?" she asked, reclining on the lawn chair that was next to Robin's.
"Yes, sometimes. It's refreshing," Robin replied.
"...Have you ever seen them doing the dirty?" Nami asked with a wicked smile.
"Not yet," Robin said with a chuckle. "But, even if I do, I won't watch. Actually, I might guard them from Sanji banging on the door whenever they do it," she added. They both knew Sanji would be livid if Zoro had sex with Luffy. But when was a better word for it. They already made their own bedroom to sleep in. The two wondered how that would go. It was hard for them to remember that Luffy and Zoro were not the same species.
Sanji walked out of the galley to see who was awake when he saw the girls watching Zoro and Luffy "fight" each other while Luffy wore Zoro's clothes. He'd missed the heated but short make out session they just had.
Chopper and Usopp came out a few minutes before Sanji did, so everyone was in ear shot when Sanji yelled breakfast was ready. Luffy climbed up Zoro and hung off of his back as he walked up the stairs into the galley. Luffy dropped off his back and sat next to him at the table. She was hungry, and was happy when she was served first with the other girls. It was pancakes with eggs and bacon.
As usual, the serving looked too big for someone as small as Luffy to eat, but she was able to have seconds.
"How are you not fat from how much you eat?" Usopp asked as she finished her second serving. She just shrugged and then started eating Zoro's food next to her. He did nothing about it but speed up so Luffy didn't get all of it. Luffy was about to snatch the last piece of bacon, but Zoro grabbed it first and stuck it in his mouth. She pouted.
"Whipped," Nami whispered to Robin, who chuckled.
"Luffy, you don't need to steal moss-head's food. I'll give you as many servings as you want," Sanji said nicely.
It's fun stealing from him, but thanks, she wrote on the table with a smile. Sanji smiled in return.
No one had gone back on the island since Luffy, Chopper and Zoro came back, and Chopper hadn't gotten any of the medication he needed nor thought about it again after what had happened with Luffy and Zoro. But he did need those medications and ingredients. Plus, Sanji needed some food. Food supply was going faster than before since Luffy ate quite a lot, not that he could deny a lady food, even when it was quite excessive.
Luffy and Zoro were to stay on the ship while the others went shopping. Neither Luffy or Zoro wanted to leave the ship, or each other. Surprisingly, Robin declined shopping with Nami. She just wanted to relax and read. (And spy on Luffy and Zoro to find out what really happened the day before.)
After everyone but the three staying were off the ship, Zoro and Luffy went to their new room. It was cold in there again, so Luffy did her best to close the cannon hole with wood, taking away the opening for the cannon they rarely used.
By the time she was done decorating, while Zoro napped on the bed out of her way, there was a carpet and the walls were no longer wooden. Now they were a nice gray color thanks to the canvases Luffy had stuck around the room like wallpaper. She'd also created a lock for the room from the inside, though it wasn't very good work. She wasn't smart enough to change something like that. So there was a chain lock connecting the door and the wall.
She flopped down next to Zoro, staring at the light above the bed. She might change that later. Zoro wasn't asleep, and hadn't been. He was obsessive about making sure Luffy was safe. Even on their ship. Luffy didn't mind, but she wished he wouldn't be so stressed.
She created her writing tools, and tapped his shoulder.
You should go to sleep. I know you've been faking. Zoro ticked his tongue and frowned.
"Fine," he said, yanking her down until she was laying next to him on the soft bed. "Then you sleep with me." As Luffy laid next to him closely, she noticed the slight circles under his eyes. Meaning he hadn't slept well last night. She rubbed her thumbs across the bags.
Go to sleep, she wrote with a smile. I won't leave the room. He looked hesitant, and she gave a warm smile and brought his eyelids down with her fingers gently. He took a deep breath and relaxed, falling to sleep easily.
Luffy ran her fingers through his hair gently. She had a feeling he'd wake up from a nightmare, so she'd stay awake for him.
Zoro awoke not long after he was asleep, from a graphic dream about Luffy's bleeding out. His eyes shot open but she was there before he could even move and cupped his face, trying to give him a feeling of "I'm right here. I'm safe."
His face looked slightly pained. He still felt immense guilt about almost killing her. "I know you don't blame me," he said suddenly. "And that makes it worse." He gathered her in his arms and pressed her close to his chest. Luffy didn't know what she could say to make him feel better about this. But, it did only happen yesterday. She'd have to give him some time to get over it. After all, he'd stabbed the woman he loved, his sword drenched in her blood. That had to do something to you.
She just kissed him where she could reach, which was his chest. She reached down and pulled one of the blankets over them both. She had a feeling the only way she'd be able to get him to go to sleep would be to sleep with him as well. So she closed her eyes and drifted off.
Zoro didn't fall asleep, though. He just looked at Luffy as she did. He hated seeing her covered in blood, in his mind she kept looking like that. He wanted it to go away, and though he felt guilty about what he'd done, he'd still never let her go.
-x-
Robin's ear left the couple's room. Based on what Zoro had said, he most likely was the one that stabbed Luffy. But, why? And he felt guilty about it, so it had to have been an accident. Poor Zoro.
-x-
Luffy woke up in Zoro's arms, and his breathing was making it obvious he wasn't asleep. She sighed. What could she do to fix this? She pushed his chest away gently, startling him. She scooched away, far enough where she could write on her wooden board.
Did you sleep at all?
"Yeah."
Liar.
Zoro sighed.
Let's go play or something. I don't think you should be locked in here, Luffy offered. Zoro looked skeptical.
"Like what?" he asked, somewhat curious as to what Luffy's idea of playing was.
Pranks! I have a few in mind.
So Zoro followed Luffy to the men's room, still down. But once he saw what her prank was, he couldn't help but have his mood lifted.
She recreated all of Sanji and Usopp's outfits to her size. Then she carried all of their real clothes to the girls room, under her bed. Then, she began her second prank. This one took some time, since she had to recreate a refrigerator the same size as the one in the kitchen, and hook it up to an outlet in their new room. Then she and Zoro moved all of the food into the other fridge, while Luffy recreated all of the items they'd stolen.
They had completely forgotten Robin was still on the ship, and she watched them put the pranks together, impressed that Luffy was able to lift Zoro's mood in such a simple way. She definitely was a good fit for him.
When Luffy saw Zoro's eyelids droop a little bit, she pushed him towards their room. He didn't resist. She closed the door behind them as she gently took his swords from his loop and set them next to the door. She also pulled his boots off.
Time to sleep, she commanded. He scowled at her for a moment before he patted the bed next to him. She sat in the bed and laid down next to him. She watched as he fell asleep, and didn't wake up until Robin knocked on the door a few hours later, telling them that everyone was back.
Zoro was glad he didn't have any nightmares. Then he and Luffy looked at each other and Luffy bolted out of the room as Zoro hurriedly put his shoes and swords back on and followed her. They both stopped at the galley's door and watched as Sanji began to put things away, only to look at all the food in the refrigerator, which were all moldy. It had only been a few hours after all.
"What the hell?!" he shouted. Then he saw Zoro chuckle from outside as Luffy was sticking her head in the watch with a mischievous smile. "Where is the food, Luffy?" Sanji asked, knowing that she must have been the one to do it. But Luffy ran away. Sanji chased after her.
"Where is the food?!" Luffy just ran away faster, laughing. She looped around to the mast and climbed up to the crow's nest. Sanji sighed, irritated. The food he'd bought needed to be in the fridge.
"Your real food will go bad if it isn't refrigerated soon." This got her to immediately point where she and Zoro had stolen all the real food. Sanji hurried to Zoro and Luffy's new room, and was surprised when he walked in. It looked nothing like the cannon room it had been. He looked behind canvases and found a duplicate of the fridge in the kitchen. Luffy's powers were something else.
Luffy walked in, barefoot, and took some of the food into her arms and scurried back to the kitchen. She did this multiple times, getting in Sanji's way a few times. She was really concerned about the food.
It only took maybe ten minutes to put everything back where it belonged. Luffy disintegrated all of the fake food and then ran out the galley to do something, probably with Zoro. Sanji sighed. He wondered what the two did when no one else was on the ship. It made him glower. He knew it was childish, but he didn't want that idiot blockhead to have sex before him. Maybe, when he didn't need to go shopping, he'd stay on the ship.
When Sanji walked outside, he didn't see Luffy or Zoro. He walked around the ship, wondering where they were and what they were doing. Then he saw them sitting at the railing at the back of the ship. Luffy was staring at the ocean, her legs swinging off the ship between the bars as she sat at the railing, holding the bars as she watched the sea. Zoro was just sitting next to her, back against the railings, seeming to be lost in thought. They both sat in comfortable silence, not doing anything or conversing in any way. Sanji left them there, neither of them noticing he'd been watching them.
"What the hell?!" everyone heard Usopp shout through the open hatch. Luffy jumped to her feet and ran down the stairs to the main deck. Usopp came out angrily. "Luffy! Where did you put my clothes?" he asked.
"And mine," Sanji said, exasperated. This better not become a thing. Luffy shrugged and ran away, again. Usopp was the one to chase this time, but he couldn't keep up with Luffy, even though she was much smaller than him. She jumped into Nami's orange grove and hid in there, fitting herself into one of the bushes. Only Zoro and Robin, who had been on her lounge chair, saw where she went. They snickered as Usopp searched for her. Luffy stayed completely still, and Usopp couldn't find her.
Once Usopp was down on the deck below and in front of her, Luffy slowly exited the bush and jumped down onto him. Unlike Zoro, who could handle her sudden weight, Usopp fell with her sitting on top of him.
"What the hell, Luffy?!" he shouted. She jumped off him and wrote an apology on her board. She expected him to be able to catch her. He sighed, obviously forgiving her. "Can I have my clothes back now, please?"
Luffy nodded with a pout and then darted off to the girl's room to carry all of Usopp's clothes out into her small arms. It looked like she'd fall or drop them at any moment, but she didn't and was able to hand the pile of clothing to its owner. She got a look from Sanji, too, so she did the same for him.
The whole time, Chopper and the girls had thought it was funny, even if Sanji and Usopp didn't. I was almost lunch time, and Luffy was hungry. She constantly peeked her head into the galley to see if Sanji was done cooking.
He knew she must be very hungry or just want food, so he made a quicker meal. Sandwiches for everyone. He made three for Luffy, while most of the others have two. She really did eat a lot of food. It was ridiculous.
The moment sat the food on plates, Luffy sat in her usual spot and began to eat. Usually, Sanji would want her to wait to eat until the other ladies were in there, but it was a moot point. Luffy was very unladylike when she ate, but he'd grown used to it.
Dinner was hectic as always, but everyone noticed that Zoro held Luffy's hand through the whole meal, causing her to eat clumsily with her left hand as Zoro held her right. Nami and Usopp were the only ones to not have an idea of why they were holding hands at an inconvenient time. Chopper and Robin felt sympathetic for him, as he had slight circles under his eyes, while Sanji felt pity and anger that he'd almost killed Luffy.