Sanji trekked through the forest. Each breath he took appeared as a puff in the air. Zoro was slumped over his back, wearing both of their coats. Fortunately, he was radiating enough heat to keep the both of them warm. Unfortunately, this meant that his fever was even worse than ever. In one hand, Sanji gripped the food bags and in the other, Zoro. The damn mosshead was shivering despite the two coats he was wearing and the damn fever.
"Oi! Sanji!" Sanji whipped his head around at the voice and saw Chopper sprinting towards him in his walk point.
"Chopper!" Sanji dropped the bags on the floor. "Chopper, Z-Zoro's really sick..."
"Wh-what? Lay him down," Chopper said, shrinking back into his usual form. He examined Zoro's body, moving a stethoscope around his chest and stomach.
"He said his stomach hurt pretty bad." Sanji knelt beside the doctor, gazing down at Zoro. Removing the stethoscope, Chopper grew into his heavy point and scooped up the unconscious man.
"We need to get him to the Sunny. Hurry!" With a nod, Sanji hauled up the two hunting bags and ran after Chopper, brushing past spiky twigs and branches as he sprinted across the snow. Each step he took crunched in the snow and pine needles on the ground. Eventually, the forest ended and the Sunny was in sight. Chopper leaped onto the ship and dashed into the infirmary, Sanji following close by. He dropped the food bags on the deck as he ran towards the infirmary door, followed by Luffy, Nami and Usopp.
"What's wrong with Zoro?!" Luffy's widened eyes were glued to his first mate. Chopper had laid him down on the infirmary bed and was now removing his shirt.
"Luffy, Usopp, get some cold water and a towel from the kitchen. Nami, pass me that tray over there and give Sanji a blanket. He's freezing," Chopper said, not taking his eyes off his patient. He took the tray off Nami and set it down on the bedside table. He poked a needle into the crook of Zoro's arm and attached it to an IV tube. He then prodded Zoro's stomach, paying particular attention to his right side.
"What's wrong with him?" Nami asked, frowning.
"Appendicitis. It's ruptured and I need to remove it as soon as possible."
"Will he be okay?" Sanji asked as Chopper strapped an oxygen mask over Zoro's mouth and nose.
"As long as I get it removed as soon as possible." He grabbed a few syringes and began to stick them into Zoro's arm.
"Chopper! We got the water," Luffy shouted as he and Usopp ran into the infirmary.
"Thank you. Leave it over by there, please." He injected the last syringe and turned around with his hands behind his back. "Uh, I'm sorry but could you all leave me alone for this part? I'll call you back when I'm done..."
An hour had gone by, but the infirmary door was still tightly closed. Sanji stared at the dirty plates in the sink . He closed his eyes as he took in a deep drag from his cigarette. I wonder how the mosshead is doing...
His eyes snapped open when he heard the kitchen door shut. "Ah, Sanji-san. Is it okay if I have a glass of milk and sit down?"
"Go ahead, Brook." Sanji continued to scrub the plates as his visitor opened the fridge, reached for a bottle of milk, and sat down at the dinner table.
"Zoro-san and Chopper-san are still in the infirmary. I wonder if he'll be okay," Brook said as he took a sip from the bottle.
"He's tough. He should be fine," Sanji muttered, setting a plate in the drying rack.
"Are you alright, Sanji-San?"
"I'm fine. It's Zoro we need to worry about," Sanji replied.
"You care about him a lot, don't you, Sanji-san?"
"...Y-yeah..." Water splashed onto Sanji's clothes as he dropped the plate into the sink. He dried off his hands and shuffled over to the table, pulling up a chair next to Brook. "That damn mosshead works too hard. He never admits when he's sick or injured. It pisses me off."
"He doesn't want us to worry about him."
"Yeah, but it gets him into a messes like this one. He could've died."
"If you don't mind me asking, what happened when you and Zoro-san were gone?" Brook took another sip from his milk.
Sanji explained what had happened and slammed his fist on the table. "Goddammit, if only that idiot had said something sooner! He wouldn't be in this mess!"
"What did Chopper-san say was wrong with him?" Asked Brook.
"Appendicitis, but his appendix burst."
"Ah, I see. If he'd said something sooner, it wouldn't have burst..."
"Exactly. He could've got himself killed because of his stupid pride."
"Sanji-san, may I suggest that you talk to Zoro-san about this after he wakes up?" Sanji sighed in response.
"Fine, but he won't listen, you know." Sanji stood up and coughed awkwardly. "Uh, thanks... For listening. I'm gonna walk outside for a bit."
Sanji sauntered across the ship's deck. The ship was covered in a blanket of snow, which Luffy and Usopp were building a snowman in. Both spoke in hushed voices and occasionally glanced toward the infirmary door, their faces filled with concern. Robin stood by the door, peering into the window. Nami sat beside her, head in her hands. "Robin-chan, is he okay?" She asked. The infirmary door swung open before Robin had the chance to reply. Face streamed with tears, Chopper stepped out of the room.
"H-He's okay!"
Author's note: I suck at keeping people in character, so sorry if anyone was really out of character or something. I hope you enjoyed this chapter anyway and I'm sorry for torturing Zoro XD. If there are any mistakes in this, let me know. I have tried to edit it but I might've missed some.