"So, Zoro," Usopp began, "What were you up to, uh, while I was up there taking out bad guys and, uh, Franky was detonating EMP blasts?"

"Doesn't matter right now."

Usopp clicked his tongue, his eyes rolling, "Oh, I think it does…"

"Yeah," Franky murmured in agreement, turning down his radio. "I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I was just fucking shot! And, I assure you brother, it fucking hurt…"

"Well, if you must know," Zoro replied tersely. "I was being a fuckin' Mario brother…"

"Huh?" Franky rasped in surprise.

"You'd be Luigi," Robin teased with a smile. "Since you're green."

"I don't get it," Usopp admitted, looking around at the others.

"You didn't!" Franky shouted suddenly, turning to look at Robin.

Robin grinned, "Oh, we did."

"Did what?!" Usopp demanded.

"Shawshank Redemption," Franky groaned, kicking the floor of his truck. "You're a bad bitch, Robin Nico."

"That's twice now, Francis," Robin warned.

Franky shrugged, "Sor-ry… B-word bad…"

"Mind telling those of us without telepathy what you're talking about?" Sanji suggested, his eyes closed.

"We escaped through the toilet," Chopper explained. "We threw hot grease all over the place to set a trap but then the power went out. We knew we had to escape. So Zoro removed the toilet and…"

"Enough," Nami interjected, her face turned down in a pout. "I can't take it."

"You Shawshanked."

"We Shawshanked."

"Can't wait to tell Luffy," Sanji breathed out, his eyes still closed. "He'll love it."

"He'll just think we flushed ourselves," Zoro replied. "He won't get it."

Sanji laughed softly, "Yeah. You're probably right."

"Hey, Chopper, brother," Franky called out, nodding toward the horde, "They're not moving. What now?"

"Park." Zoro instructed, standing up in the bed of the truck.

"They're just standing there…" Nami whispered, peering cautiously out the window.

"He's hiding," Zoro replied, jumping from the stacked truck.

"Where?" Usopp asked, shaking his head.

"Under the breezeway," Zoro guessed. "He could easily climb up there. When he's like this, his first instinct is to hide…"

"But how are you going to get through the zombies?!" Usopp demanded, shaking his head. "Get back in here… we can drive around…"

"We can't waste the time. People could show up any minute," Zoro said simply. "And if we leave, we chance him running away…"

"But you can't just go charging through them like that… Zoro… Zoro!"

Sanji swallowed slowly, "Let him get eaten."

"Do you have a plan?" Nami called after him.

Zoro shrugged, "Nah, not yet."

"Fine," Chopper grumbled, removing his backpack before hopping down from the truck. "I'll help your dumb ass."

"Tony," Robin chastised halfheartedly. "Language."

Zoro turned, ready to send Chopper back to the truck. But Chopper wasn't human anymore. He was on the ground, on all fours, his skin sprouting thick tufts of dark brown fur. His bones cracked and shifted, elongating into a terrifying and enormous reindeer. He screeched loudly, bowing his head threateningly.

"Oh, shit," Zoro gasped, stepping to the side as Chopper charged past him. He tossed his head from side to side, smacking zombies and throwing them several yards.

The horde of zombies didn't seem to pay Chopper any attention. He cut through them, stomping on them and plowing them over. They ignored their fallen comrades, bustling back and forth under the bridge. The injured zombies screeched angrily, ungainly as they climbed back to their feet.

Zoro ran up the grassy median, fast for propulsion. He hooked his hand over the guardrail and hung there, his eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness under the bridge. At first he saw nothing, but eventually he saw the glimmer of Luffy's beady eyes.

"L-" Zoro started to call out to him but changed his mind.

Zoro swung himself completely free of the median and used the guardrail like monkey bars. He swung gently, his arms bulging from the effort. His hands were sweaty and he nearly lost his grip. He cursed loudly, his shoe grazing the top of the zombies' outreached fingers. He was about fifty yards from Luffy when the other man began to hiss. Zoro groaned, pausing, "Don't be like that. It's me…"

Luffy rolled onto his stomach and inched along the rafter. He moved further from Zoro, his eyes locked on him in fright. Zoro sighed, his arms burning. He licked his lips and looked back toward the truck. "Run their asses over, Franky."

"What, brother?" Franky called, gesturing to his ear.

"RUN. THEIR. ASSES. OVER. FRANKY!" Zoro shouted.

Franky looked surprised, but then he smiled, "Okay… if you say so…"

"Come on back, Chopper," Usopp instructed. "We're moving."

"Buckle up, ladies," Franky murmured, shifting his truck into reverse. "Gentlemen, protect your nuts."

"What?" Sanji murmured, looking to Franky with revulsion.

Franky threw the car into drive and floored it. The tires squealed, the engine roared, black smoke burst from the exhaust pipes. And then they were speeding back toward the horde of zombies. They hit one, and then another. The truck bounced and jostled, squeaking like a mouse. The truck practically climbed over bodies until Franky parked it beneath Zoro.

Franky honked, "Don't ding my truck."

Zoro dropped down into the truck bed. The truck bounced up and down, shaking everyone. Zoro nodded, "Yeah. Yeah."

"Did this work out how you imagined?" Usopp asked, smacking the zombie fingers that curled around the top of the truck bed with the butt of his rifle.

"Shut up."

"Hold on," Franky barked, reversing over countless corpses. He swerved to the left and then pulled forward, just ahead of Luffy. "Alright, someone grab 'im."

"I'm going," Zoro grunted, stepping up onto the roof of the truck.

"What're you a god damn animal?!" Franky snarled. "You don't just step all over a man's car… Hey! You hear me? Ya ain't tiny!"

"Don't shout, Franky," Robin scolded gently. "When you do blood kinda spurts out of your neck…"

Franky and Nami laughed until Robin didn't. Franky reached up, feeling the stream of hot, wet blood. He stared down at his scarlet stained fingers and groaned, "What the fuck?"

"You're gonna die, dude," Nami warned, shaking her head and closing her eyes. "Holy shit."

"I feel fine," Franky murmured, reaching over and grabbing a stack of napkins from his glove compartment. He stuffed the napkins into the wound on his neck and smiled. "Really."

"Maybe I should drive," Nami offered.

Franky shook his head in refusal, "Nah. I got it, girlie…"

There was a thud on the roof and Franky tensed. "Fuckin' watch it!" He turned to Robin and leaned onto her shoulder, play crying onto it, "Robin, Robin, he's terrible…"

"Luffy, don't be like that…" Usopp groaned, watching him coiling back and hissing at Zoro.

"It's okay," Zoro murmured, more than a little put off himself. "It's okay…"

Zoro reached up, nearly close enough for his fingers to graze against Luffy. He moved slowly, a tight smile etched into his features. He gestured for Luffy to come closer, "Luf, come here… We need to go…"

"He's not gonna come to us," Sanji murmured, sinking lower against the side of the truck bed. "Just grab him."

"I've gotta earn his trust," Zoro refused, smiling tightly at Luffy.

"Well, earn it, uh, a little bit faster," Usopp pleaded, smacking a zombie in the head. "They're using their fallen buddies as stepstools over here…"

"Meat," Zoro realized, turning around. "Sanji, get me some meat outta his bag."

Sanji finally opened his eyes. He glowered up at Zoro, his cigarette dangling between his lips, "I'm trying to die in peace over here."

"Later," Zoro murmured, kneeling on the roof of the truck. "Hand me some food. Quick."

Sanji cursed grabbing one of the packs. He unzipped it with his twisted hands, pulling out everything on top. He grabbed a bag of spicy green chili jerky and tossed it up to Zoro, "Catch."

Zoro caught the jerky and ripped the plastic edge off. He opened up the pack hurriedly, lifting a thick piece of dried meat into the air, "Hey, lookie what I've got, Luffy…"

Luffy shrieked, reaching out for the meat. He snatched it from Zoro's fingers and swallowed it whole. Zoro clicked his tongue appreciatively, "Alright, you like that? Okay… How about another?" Luffy took the next one offered instantly. Zoro sat down on the roof of the car and grabbed another piece, "How hungry are ya?"

It took three minutes and another bag of jerky before Luffy dropped down to the roof of the truck. He crouched in front of Zoro, taking the bag of jerky from his lap. He dumped the remaining contents into his mouth and tossed the bag away. Zoro thought he might actually climb back onto the rafter when suddenly he touched Zoro's face.

Luffy stroked Zoro's face with a bent hand, his fingers curled into his palm. He rubbed his skin against Zoro affectionately, as if showing his appreciation. And then he was in the bed of the truck, sniffing Sanji. He placed his face against Sanji's head, nearly inhaling his golden hair. Sanji reached out slowly, patting Luffy's head with his wounded hand, "Remember me now?"

Luffy started going through the open pack and tearing into the food supplies. He ate like he hadn't eaten for weeks. He tipped his head back and swallowed, hissing angrily as Usopp moved slightly.

"Shit, I wish I knew what he was thinking," Zoro murmured, slapping the window. "Drive."

"Well, I'm no expert," Usopp drawled, holding on as the truck bounced over zombie bodies. "But it appears the young male is searching for food." Luffy looked at Usopp when he spoke. He chewed on a Slim Jim, the end sticking out of his mouth like a cigarillo. "And now the young male has spotted another young male and may feel a challenge…"

"You'll lose," Sanji warned, staring at his purpling fingernails.

"Fearless leader is incapacitated," Nami called through the window, "So, second-in-command, where are we headed?"

"The country," both Zoro and Sanji replied at once. Sanji clicked his tongue in irritation and Zoro laughed humorlessly. "Yeah," Zoro breathed, "Like you'd be second in command…"

"I was your boss," Sanji snapped, "Remember?"

"Nope…" Zoro lied, looking the other way, "Can't say that I do."

"You should grab hold of him," Chopper warned. "He's gonna try to jump out."

"I don't think he'd jump from a moving vehic-" but as Zoro leapt after Luffy, he realized he was very, very wrong. He wrapped his arms around Luffy's slender waist and nearly fell face first out of the truck. Usopp grabbed his legs and pulled them both back inside.

"No! Bad, Luffy!" Zoro shouted, rolling on top of Luffy. He pinned the slighter man down for his own safety. Luffy screamed, thrashing against the restraint.

Robin climbed through the narrow truck window and into the bed. She opened the toolbox and pulled out a large, black tarp. She draped the stiff cloth between Zoro and Luffy, placing it over Luffy's head. She tucked it down around his body and Zoro immediately felt the younger man relax.

"I think it's working," Zoro murmured, releasing his hold on Luffy's wrists.

Robin nodded, "Of course it is."

"He feels better now," Chopper murmured, sitting next to Luffy's covered torso. He patted the tarp gently. "Thank you."

"Cho- er, Tony," Robin corrected with a guilty smile, "Can you understand him?"

"Not everything, but yeah, for the most part, we can understand each other."

"That's amazing," Robin complimented, kneeling down so she wouldn't fall.

Chopper twisted and fidgeted excitedly, "Aww, that's… just… I… it's nothing…"

"You can understand him?" Zoro asked gruffly, his brows furrowed.

"Like I just told Robin," Chopper began again.

Zoro shook his head, "What's he thinking? Does he know who he is? Who we are?"

"Well…" Chopper hesitated, "You could say he's down to pretty much the bare animal instincts. Shelter, food, water, m… pretty much… yeah…"

"Should I get up or no?" Zoro questioned, pushing up slightly off of Luffy.

"I'd stay there," Robin instructed, "Like a weighted blanket. It might be more comforting."

"He doesn't mind," Chopper insisted. "He's comfortable."

"Oh, good," Zoro murmured, lying back down. "I guess, I'll just stay here then…"

"Hold yourself up, fat ass. You'll crush him," Sanji teased, pushing his foot against Zoro's bulging arm.

"I thought you were trying to die," Zoro snapped. "So go on and die. We're tired of waiting…"

"Where am I going?" Franky demanded impatiently. "Do you have any idea how much it costs to fill this… wait a minute… Never mind. We're good. Money isn't a system anymore…"

"Luffy doesn't want to go too far," Zoro answered. "We're still looking for someone."

"We need a doctor," Nami insisted. "At least half of us…"

"No hospitals."

"Think we can find another vet?" Chopper asked, sniffling slightly.

"Wait," Franky groaned, slowing down. "What's this?"

"A barricade," Usopp realized.

"Go around it," Zoro shouted, "We can't let anyone see Luffy like this."

"I don't think you understand," Franky murmured, parking. "It's not just something we can drive around."

"I can't see anything!" Zoro barked, still lying on top of Luffy. "What is it?"

"It looks like a dystopian novel," Sanji replied, extinguishing his cigarette. "More so than the rest of the shit we've dealt with."

"There's a giant wall of shipping containers," Usopp explained, speaking low. "Looks like King Kong could live on the other side…" Usopp shook his head, "Or a couple thousand cannibals."

"It's a quarantine zone," Nami realized. "Survivors."

"Hungry, scared survivors with nothing to live for," Sanji clarified. "It's a shelter. And it's dangerous."

"Important thing is," Usopp decided, "Humanity lives on… we're not the last people around…"

"Thank God," Robin breathed out, "I was so worried that Nami would be captured and have to become a breeder…"

"Oh, hell no," Nami protested in disgust. "Smash me with a rock if it comes to that…" Nami thought a moment before adding, "And why 'Nami'?! You'd be right there with me…"

Robin shook her head, "I'd be decoration only," she looked out her window, "I can't have children."

"Oh, sorry," Nami murmured guiltily.

"Alright then," Franky rumbled, "If anyone wants to ditch the group, go now or forever hold your peace…" He gestured toward the compound, "This is probably as good as it gets." He waited a moment before nodding, "Alright then… let's find someplace to sew my neck back together…"

"It really is grotesque, dear," Robin sighed, pressing her hand to his injury.

"Ah, but don't poke it…"

"I'm not poking it…"

"You are… you're little fingertips touched it… it hurt… I know…"

"I'm holding it together. It hurts because you have a hole in your freaking neck…"

"I don't like being face down out in the open," Zoro protested loudly. "Can we please get somewhere?"

"Yeah, sure," Franky complained. "I'll just leave the handy-dandy interstate and get lost in some damn yuppie suburbs as I search for this elusive 'country' you both asked for…"

"Doesn't 'country' mean more guns and rednecks and-" Usopp began to panic.

Sanji shook his head, "In this fucking truck with Franky driving, we could drive up on a Klan member and we'd be fine…"

Franky made a face, looking at the back of Sanji's head in the rearview, "I'm not sure what that means, brother, but I don't like it."

"I'm just saying, you're white. I'm white. The ladies are white. The black guy is in an Army uniform. And we're in a big, loud truck. We're a Texan's wet dream," Sanji explained, pulling out another cigarette. "Light me, would you, Robin, dear?"

"This is actually one of the most ethnically diverse areas in America," Nami argued. "You just happened to have a bad experience…" Nami tossed her hair over her shoulder, "I promise. Before the whole zombie thing, this was a great place…"

"I still don't know where I'm going…" Franky rumbled impatiently.

"Find a doctor's office. Stop," Nami instructed. "I'm sure we can figure out how to do stitches together…"

"I can do stitches," Robin offered.

Franky shook his head vehemently, "I'd rather a 90 year old man with Parkinson's do my stitches than you, Robbie…"

"I was mad at you when I did it last time," Robin admitted. "It won't be like that this time…"

Usopp and Nami exchanged astonished looks. Nami shook her head, "They're both crazy."

Usopp nodded, "Yes, ma'am. They're not right."

"What situation would you be in, that you'd need to do his stitches last time?" Sanji questioned, his eyes narrowed.

Franky shrugged, "I don't kiss and tell."

Sanji scoffed, meeting Zoro's gaze. Zoro shook his head, dropping more of his weight to Luffy in exhaustion, "Normal people would've run away already. We can't expect normal from anyone that helps us at this point."

Sanji nodded in agreement, "Touché."

It took a while to drive around the massive compound, but eventually they were back to the interstate and then they easily found a doctor's office. Usopp was forced to go in first, being that he was unwounded and not weighing down Luffy. He returned a few minutes later, sweaty and pale but giving an all clear.

They shut Luffy in one of the examination rooms and rigged the door. They argued about whom was the most qualified to nurse the injured and then when Robin won Franky went into mourning.

"You're such a baby," Robin teased, kissing him on the forehead when he was finished. "Your arm is chopped off. You're shot. But you whine about me coming at you with a needle…"

"You're a very beautiful woman and I love you," Franky said, swallowing in relief it was over. "But you're scary."

"Good," she murmured, placing a glow in the dark pink Band-Aid on his chin. "And I love you too." She turned around to Sanji and smiled, "Next!"

"I'm fine."

Robin and Nami both scoffed, "Yeah, sure. You're practically wilting. Get over here."

"Where're you going?" Usopp asked as Zoro walked away.

Zoro nodded down the hall, "I'm just gonna go sit outside his room."

"Don't you think that'll scare him?" Usopp questioned.

Zoro shrugged, hesitating until Chopper spoke up, "He knows your scent. He knows we're in here. I don't see…" Chopper paused before continuing, "I don't see how he'd mind too much if you sat outside the door…"

"Can you tell him something or does it not work like that?" Zoro asked, walking slowly as Chopper followed him down the hall.

"I… I can try…"

"Okay," Zoro breathed, kneeling outside Luffy's containment room. "Can you tell him not to be scared? That I'll take care of him?" Zoro leaned against the door, "Tell him I'll protect him. No matter what."

Chopper looked at Zoro and then at the door. And then Chopper nodded, looking back at Zoro with a smile. "Okay, Zoro! He knows!"