Here's chapter 2! Yup, this is definitely a multichapter one. I'm not gonna make each chapter too long though, because I want to spread things out a bit.
Please enjoy and review!
Previously...
...Zoro was so concentrated on his work and his thoughts, that he didn't notice the hatch door open, and someone climb into the crow's nest...
The hatch door clanged open as someone climbed up and into the crow's nest.
Startled, Zoro jolted and spun around, hands instinctively reaching for his katana. He had been too engrossed in his previous thoughts to sense anyone coming up. This just shows that I still need more training with myhaki. I can become stronger,he thought as he prepared to cut down whoever had just entered.
Seeing who it was, he breathed a sigh of relief, his stance visibly relaxing.
"Oh, it's just you, Brook. Do you need something?"
Said person timidly stood up and replied, "Um...Sanji-san told me to tell you it's time for lunch. He said if you didn't come down, you could just 'eat the moss on your head'."
Zoro sighed and slowly got up. "Hmph, that shitty-cook." Grumbling under his breath, he followed Brook down the ladder and sauntered across the deck towards the kitchen.
Brook had gone to inform the others, so Zoro decided to go in first. He headed towards the door, and had his hand on the doorknob when he heard a far-off yell, getting closer and louder by the second.
"Gomu-gomu noooooooooo~~"
Stiffening at the familiar phrase, Zoro instantly braced for impact, knowing he couldn't avoid what was about to happen.
"ROCKET!"
Zoro had just enough time to turn his head and see the insane grin plastered on Luffy's face hurtling towards him like a meteor, before it smashed into him and knocked them both flying into the kitchen.
They crashed onto the dining table in the middle of the room, ruining all the food that had been carefully prepared by Sanji.
Plates, bowls, drinking glasses, all were pushed off the table. Sanji was too far away to catch them, and they hit the floor with an ear-splitting crash of shattering glass.
Heaps of steaming hot food flew through the air and landed onto the entire unsuspecting crew seated around the table.
When the ruckus had finally ended, the entire kitchen was in disarray.
Chopper ran around, arms flailing and frantically screaming, "Cola in my eyes, COLA IN MY EYES! We need a doctor!….…oh wait THAT'S ME! AHHHHH!"
Robin repeated soothing words and steadily guided him towards the sink so that he could rinse his eyes.
Usopp was calming a distraught Brook, who had sticky food stuck in his hair.
"Stop complaining, this isn't even a big deal Brook! It's just food, it'll wash right out."
"But Usopp-san, this food is sticky. Look, it won't come out!"
"Then I guess we'll just have to cut it—"
"NO. My afro must NEVER be cut, Usopp-san! If I do, how will Laboon recognise me?!"
Franky stood with his arms crossed, looking for his cola. After a while, he just shrugged. "Oh whatever." He opened the compartment in his stomach and took out another chilled bottle.
Luffy got up from the table where he and Zoro had landed, and picked off the food and broken glass from his clothes.
"Shishishishi~ Sorry, sorry, you guys. I was excited about tasting Sanji's food for the first time in two years."
Suddenly, the air turned cold and Luffy turned around to see Sanji and Nami towering over him. A dark aura engulfed them, and their faces were twisted with rage.
"LUFFYYYYYY…."
Luffy gulped and backed up against the wall like a cornered animal as the pair slowly advanced. Nami cracked her knuckles and Sanji readied his foot.
"G-guys..I'm r-really sorry, ok? Guys..?"
For the next five minutes, the screaming could be heard all the way to the edges of the grand-line.
"Yoshhh! Thanks for helping clean up the mess, guys. Most of the food is ruined, but some of the dishes were saved. Just give me thirty minutes. I'll cook some more food because I know one shitty bastard will keep begging for more anyways," Sanji said while he glared accusingly at Luffy.
"Swowwy Swanji, Nawi." Luffy's words were muffled because of his swollen face from the beating earlier.
"Yeah, yeah. Now everyone, out of my kitchen!"
Zoro was last to leave the kitchen, following the others out. All other crew members had run off to change their dirty clothes, do their own thing, and wait for lunch (again). As he stepped out into the pool of sunshine on the deck, he squinted and stretched.
Relaxing again, he sighed. "So…what should I do now?" he said to himself.
He had been occupied with helping clean up the mess in the kitchen, but now he suddenly recalled the moment he had shared with Luffy.
*Flashback
After crashing through the door and into the kitchen, they finally stopped from the cushion of the plates.
Zoro was splayed out in the middle of the dining table, amid the mess of food, with his head turned sideways. He felt a weight pressing on him, but he found it wasn't too heavy. Zoro slowly looked up to see Luffy spread on top of him, their faces inches away from each other. He was surprised to see Luffy gazing at his face— actually, at the scar on his eye. Zoro was frozen, unable to think or react properly. He had never seen Luffy's eyes so deep and intense as they probed at his own. Although in reality it lasted for just a brief moment, it was as if time had stopped. They were either in a trance, or a staring contest, and all of it ended when Luffy finally blinked.
Zoro's brain started functioning again, and he let out a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding. Suddenly realising how awkward this must have looked, he looked away and quickly pushed Luffy off of him with a grunt. As he stood up, Luffy's expression changed, and he shook with laughter, seeming to forget what he had just been doing. He cleaned up some of the food and broken glass on his clothes.
"Shishishishi~ Sorry, sorry, you guys. I was excited about tasting Sanji's food for the first time in two years."
Zoro, however, was still lying on the table, trying to comprehend if what had just happened was real.
*End of Flashback
Shaking his head as if to clear the memory, Zoro walked into the men's cabin to get changed. Opening the door, he saw Usopp and Luffy look up at him in the middle of changing, and he quickly averted his eyes.
"Oh, heyyy Zoro! Me, Luffy, Franky, and Robin are going to go play cards later. Wanna join?" Usopp asked.
"No, that's fine. Before lunch, I'm going to try to work in some training time."
Usopp pouted. "Ok, suit yourself. See you!"
Luffy didn't say a word or even make eye contact as he dashed out of the room, with Usopp following closely behind.
Zoro narrowed his eyes. And now he's avoiding me. Even if it's been a while since I've last seen him, I know Luffy would definitely have dragged me to go play cards with him. What the hell is going on?
Chapter 2 finished!
Guys, that flashback scene took forever to write, because I was debating whether there should be implied romance or something. Still deciding, but I'm actually leaning towards non-romantic. Who knows, it could change in future chapters…
Btw, I'm being a complete hypocrite, because I personally hate cliffhangers, but I keep ending my writing with them. I don't know, it just feels right.
Anyways, as mentioned in the beginning, please review and follow for more! Thanks for reading