Chapter Seven
Luffy managed to remain quiet for almost four hours. He swung the staff around and was getting rather proud of some of the tricks he could do with it—though he had almost hit Zoro a few of those times. But now he was getting tired and the staff was starting to get used more for what it was initially intended: a walking stick.
Luffy peered again around him, the staff adding a muffled thump to his footsteps. It was hot! Really, really hot, even with the weird clothes he had to wear. He kept trying to find some shadows and water, but he didn't see any. After another eight minutes of silence, Luffy suddenly said plaintively, "Zoro? When can we eat?"
The swordsman stopped and regarded his prince with half open eyes. His face was glistening with sweat, even though the sun hadn't even reached its high-noon position yet. "Now, I guess," he said, shrugging lightly.
Immediately, Luffy perked up. He straightened, his eyes shining, and he almost dropped the staff when he jumped up and down. "Really? Now?" This was better than he was hoping for!
"We can't eat all of our rations in one day, though," he warned.
Luffy stopped in mid air-punch, turning to stare at Zoro with huge puppy-dog eyes. "But—but I'm hungry! How much is a ration? Is it this much?" He held his hands out in an approximation of the amount of food that an extremely well stocked seven-course meal may offer.
"Ah." Zoro stared at him warily. "No."
Luffy looked like he had just been kicked violently in the stomach. He stared at Zoro pleadingly. "Is it less?" then, before Zoro could answer, he added softer, pathetically, "A lot less...?"
The green-haired man gave a solemn nod. "A lot less."
Luffy's lip trembled. "...How much is it then?" He was staring at Zoro with the most pleading, hopeful expression.
He held out his hands, a small bowl's width.
Luffy stared at Zoro's hands. ...And stared, and leaned forward and peered even closer at the very, very, very tiny size of a ration. Luffy suddenly dropped onto his back, his arms spread out and his stomach growling loudly. "I'm gonna DIE!"
"No, you're not," stated Zoro, matter-of-fact.
"Yes, I am!" Luffy protested, staring up at his last look at the sky. It was so pretty. He wished he could see the sky again, but he knew that if he had to subsist on such a small amount of food, he would not make it through the night.
Lying on his back, his stomach growling massively, he felt the ground trembling slightly and pouted. His stomach was growling so much, it was making the desert move!
Zoro's eyes widened lightly as he looked down at the ground. "...what?"
"See?" Luffy said, gesturing down to his stomach weakly. "Can't we please have lots of rations today? I may make an earthquake if my stomach keeps growling like this!" The wind was beginning to pick up, trailing sand across his face as he tried to talk. He spit it out, deciding that the desert was mean right now.
Lying on the ground, he didn't notice the darkening of the horizon, though he did notice the increase in the shaking.
Suddenly looking towards the horizon, the swordsman's teeth clenched in apprehension. "What the-?" Something was coming. But what?
Luffy idly looked up at Zoro but was largely oblivious to his surroundings as he mumbled again and again, "Hungryyy... I'm so hungry..." to the tune of his growling stomach.
In the distance, two figures could now be seen. A gigantic banded gecko was running full tilt across the desert, in a direction that was disturbingly on line with Zoro and Luffy. Behind the banded gecko, a gill monster was running far faster than its heavy body usually would. Though usually opting for defenseless prey, the venomous gill monster had apparently decided on the banded gecko today. Behind the gill monster, however, was perhaps the largest worry for the two travelers: a sandstorm, a large one, and moving swiftly in a path parallel to but behind the running gecko and gill monster.
Zoro couldn't help but gawk at the sight, cursing his horrible luck. A curse tore from his throat, and his eyes bulged. Grabbing Luffy's hand - he was taking extra lengths to make sure he didn't lose him - he began to make a break for it. "Run!" He knew they couldn't escape the sandstorm, but he figured getting out of the banded gecko's way (not to mention the gill monster's) was more important.
Luffy was yanked to his feet with a yelped protest, stumbling into a run and just barely able to keep the walking stick. His head gear shifted and fell off at the abrupt movement, leaving his treasured hat free; it flew off his head, but was caught by the string around his neck. Stumbling behind Zoro, he started to ask what was going on when he thought to glance behind himself. Immediately upon seeing the running lizards, and somehow ignoring the sandstorm, Luffy realized the answer to all his prayers was right there in front of him!
"MEAT!" Luffy yelled, drooling already with eyes the size of saucers. He switched direction in mid-stride, attempting to sprint in the exact opposite direction Zoro was going, right toward the heart of danger.
The tense bodyguard only continued running, yanking Luffy off of his feet long enough to sling him over his shoulder. "Don't you even dare!" he hissed, puffing for breath. "You wanna die or something?"
Luffy cried out when he found himself unable to run toward that blessed meal dancing right in front of him. He stretched his arms as far as they would go in the direction of the lizards, crying out pathetically, "Meeeeat!"
The gecko, meanwhile, was definitely not having what he would refer to as a 'good day.' Food had been incredibly scarce the last month or so, and he was starving. So starving, in fact, he found himself staying awake into the morning despite his nocturnal nature, just so he could get some extra food before he died in his sleep. While searching for food, he discovered that the wind was nice that day—it kept snatching hiding insects out and flinging them into the air where he could devour them. In fact, the air was relatively full of insects. At first, the banded gecko was pleased. But soon, it became apparent that this was actually very, very bad. Looking up, he found himself the rather unhappy recipient of a face-full of whipping sand. Along with this face-full came the realization that he was about to be part of a sandstorm. A large, violent sandstorm.
Spooked, the gecko had begun running. And it was at this point that the gill monster appeared, seeing food running by and deciding that he too was far too hungry to pass this up. Of course, once the gill monster was in his slow pursuit of the delicious morsel, he discovered to his dismay that a sandstorm appeared to be chasing him. So he ran for his life, and he ran for his food. The gecko ran mostly for his life, and secondly for the chance to get food another day.
This was before he noticed the small morsels of food running away from the sandstorm, himself, and the gill monster. Two small creatures, or maybe one strangely deformed one, were sprinting far ahead of him. Licking his lips, the gecko only increased his pace, this time aiming for the food too.
Zoro was having a worse day than the gecko. Being chased by two gigantic wild animals and a sand storm was a much worse plight than anyone could have thought of. The large supply bag that rested upon his back was severely weighing him down and was putting his injured back through some serious, serious jabbing pain. Having to carry his prince over his shoulder for fear of losing him to the gecko, the gill monster or the sandstorm, was not helping. He knew he was going to have to ditch something if this kept up. And seeing that the idea of tossing Luffy was out of the question, he began to face the grim reality of having to drop their supplies.
Luffy, oblivious to Zoro's plight, leaned even harder toward the reptiles. "Zoro! Can't we stop and eat them? Please?"
The gecko sprinted even faster, ready to make a huge, running pounce on his morsels. Behind him, the gill monster, noticing how the sandstorm was far quicker than he initially thought, ran even faster. His poor legs could hardly handle it—he was not cut out for this sprinting stuff! But on the plus side, it was bringing him closer to his victim. He burst out more energy, his tongue flicking madly as he noted the gecko getting closer and closer. Jumping, he landed heavily on gecko's tail, already biting deep into the flesh with his venomous fangs. Poison seeped immediately out of the grooved teeth, causing the gecko to slow to a startled stagger. The two reptiles, preoccupied, did not notice the sandstorm veering slightly and bypassing them just far enough away that, while whipped violently with sand like burning glass, left them relatively untouched.
The veering pattern, however, brought it even closer to the prince and his running bodyguard. Though the reptiles were momentarily out of the picture, the sandstorm was definitely not.
Gritting his teeth, Zoro increased his speed, determined to get them to safety. He could see the sandstorm approaching from the corner of his eye if he threw his head back a certain angle, and it didn't take him too long to deduce that he had enough time to make it to the outskirts of the raging storm. His grip on Luffy tightened, and he narrowed his eyes. Not long now.
A few, heart-pounding moments passed before Zoro knew it was time to hit the sand. Throwing Luffy onto the ground in front of him, he swiftly shrugged off their bulging supply pack and threw himself atop the prince in order to act as a shield.
Luffy hit the ground, an "Oof!" of surprise escaping just before Zoro threw himself on top of him. He started to try to crane his neck to see around Zoro's shoulder, but the wind increased and even if he could have seen through the sand flying around him, he would not have wanted to try. The sand, even this far from the storm, hurt as it came in contact. It was like someone was throwing little granules of glass at them at a high speed.
The main part of the sandstorm bypassed them, but the wind still tugged violently at their clothing and sand still pelted Zoro. His legs and back got the brunt of it, though his left side also shared the pain from the direction of the twirling winds. The sandstorm was past quickly, however, and most of the sand had not penetrated Zoro's civilian robes and boots; more than anything, the aftermath of the sand wounds was stinging and a dull ache from the heat of the air.
The swordsman's breathing was vaguely labored through the duration of the sandstorm, and he had gently pressed himself further against Luffy in an attempt to shield him. As the noise from the violent winds began to distance itself, the bodyguard's heavy breathing could be felt and heard against the prince's ear. He held back a wince from the beating his unbandaged wounds had received, but he was glad that he had clothes to save him from some of the sand. Although the main part of the storm passed, Zoro wasn't sure if he trusted the peculiar ways of the desert enough to ease himself off of Luffy.
Luffy remained lying on the ground, feeling the burning heat of the desert sand warming his back through his civilian clothes. Zoro was sort of heavy, but not so much that Luffy felt crushed. It was more like the heavy, comforting weight of Zoro's hand on his head than anything. After he was sure he didn't feel any wind, Luffy peeked one eye and then the other open. He had closed them to avoid getting stung by the sand, but he wished he hadn't. He could have seen a sandstorm up close! He had only heard of those so far! They didn't often reach the outskirts of the desert near Anchor, where it was dustier than anything and slowly full vegetation began to appear again until by the sea it was full of flowers and trees and bugs zipping around all hours of the day.
He could feel Zoro breathing above him, stomach to stomach, and could hear his ragged breath puffing his hair ticklingly around his ear. He looked around as best he could without moving his head much, but he couldn't see anything from his position other than the startlingly blue sky. Maybe there was still something coming after them. Must be, if Zoro wasn't getting them ready to run again. So Luffy lay still, relaxed between the warm sand and the shelter of his bodyguard, and waited for whatever next adventure would come his way. He was happy with waiting there. He liked it, and it amused him to feel his own breathing patterns in contrast to Zoro's, which was really easy with Zoro lying on top of him like this.
"Are you all right?" asked Zoro after a moment, his voice hoarse now. He had half expected Luffy to burst out with an exclamation about how interesting their recent plight had been, but the swordsman found himself unnerved at the still silence.
"Yep!" Luffy said cheerfully as soon as he was asked, tilting his head slightly to stare at the sky. "I really like how blue the sky is out here. Doesn't it look like the sea? Will we be on the sea anytime, Zoro? Are you okay too?"
"Yes, we'll be on the sea soon," stated Zoro. "And, yes, I'm fine." Except his back had an unpleasant combination of stinging and aching. But he chose not to mention that.
"Oh, great!" Luffy said with a huge grin, mostly referring to the sea. He was very glad Zoro was fine, but he was beginning to suspect that Zoro was always fine. He seemed to be able to live through anything.
After a moment's pause, Luffy tilted his head to the side so it could rest gently against Zoro's face, where he remained puffing for breath. Luffy smiled softly, closing his eyes contentedly. "I like it here, Zoro," he said, less cheerfully but just as sincere as he stated a fact of life, "You're warm and just the right kind of heavy."
Zoro felt himself choke at the blunt comment. When he had said "I like it here," he had assumed the prince meant the desert. But that last statement almost brought a rosy color to his cheek. "Wh-what?" he sputtered, vaguely taken aback, although his face remained where it was upon feeling Luffy's head lean against it.
Luffy decided Zoro probably got some sand in his ears, so he said a little louder, "I like it here. You're warm and just the right kind of heavy." There. He was close to his ear. He should hear it that time.
"You...like me being on top of you?" asked Zoro, a tad perplexed.
Luffy laughed merrily. "What are you, an idiot?" he asked happily, no venom in his words, "'Course I do! I just said it twice. But maybe you didn't hear the first time. Did you get sand in your ears? I didn't..." He paused, contemplative. "That must feel weird, huh?"
"No, I don't have sand in my ears!" stated Zoro swiftly, trying to erase all traces of misunderstandings that were in their conversation. He was just now beginning to realize how warm Luffy's body really was, and it was making him a tad uncomfortable. What was his prince getting at?
Luffy, though, was getting at nothing beyond what he had said. It was the truth, very much the truth, so he said it. It didn't occur to him that it may be an odd thing to say, or that it could make anyone uncomfortable. To him, it was on the same wavelength as mentioning how that clear blue sky made him think of the sea.
"Oh," Luffy said, in response to Zoro's lack of sand in his ears. "Good, 'cause I think that would feel weird." He made no move to get out from under Zoro, or to move his head from resting against the side of his face. To Luffy, this was as comfortable as being in his big bouncy bed back home, and he never liked getting out of that either.
Zoro's heart was still pounding, but he really wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because he'd never had to share space like this with someone before. Sharing a bed with Luffy had been a first, but at least he had been by the prince's side instead of...well, on top of him. "A-ah..."
Luffy yawned, then abruptly stretched as best he could in his position. If he stayed like that much longer, he would probably fall asleep, and then he wouldn't get any food! "Zoro?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.
"Yeah?" he managed after a moment.
Luffy dropped his head back, leaning it lightly against the side of Zoro's face while he asked softly, plaintively into his ear, "When do we get to eat?"
"When...would you like to eat?" he asked, startled to find his now soft, baritone voice husky with emotion.
Luffy either didn't notice the emotion or ignored it. "Soon, 'cause if we don't I'm gonna die," he said, not realizing how dramatic that sounded. He brought his arms out from under his bodyguard's weight, reaching around and lightly pulling on Zoro's lower back so their stomachs were pressed together even more. He was very careful, however, not to put too much pressure where Zoro was probably still really hurt. "Can't you feel my stomach rumbling?" There was no accusation in his voice, more curiosity than anything.
He had been startled to find that the prince had wrapped his arms around him. "Y-yes..." Then, he inwardly added, All too well. He wondered if Luffy could feel how hard his heart was beating, and the swordsman felt that he was going to die from embarrassment.
Luffy remained oblivious, though. "Oh," he said in a vaguely cheerful voice, his suspicions confirmed. Zoro could, indeed, feel his stomach rumbling. So he knew how hungry he was. He let his arms rest where they were on Zoro's lower back, careful to be gentle about the pressure, while he waited for Zoro to roll off him so they could go get food. Or maybe they would take a nap first! But Luffy really wanted food, so he waited. Maybe there was still a danger somewhere. Luffy usually didn't realize the danger was there until after Zoro was already ready to protect or attack. It was probably like one of those times again right now. Besides, judging by how hard his heart was still pounding, Zoro was still trying to recover from running so much before.
Deciding it was better to just forget about the whole thing, Zoro eased himself up from the prince. As he did so, his arm reached out to feel around them for their supply pack.
The supply pack had rocked around in the sandstorm but had only tipped onto its side with nothing falling out. The contents had probably shifted greatly, but then, that likely already happened in the dash and mad dive to the ground.
As soon as Zoro's weight was off him, Luffy jumped up and stretched happily to the sky, his arms reaching out as far as they could go. He looked back the way they had come and noted the disheveled sand trench left over from the sandstorm. It was already largely filling up, but Luffy could get a vague idea of how wide the storm really had been. "Wow!" he said, impressed. He turned to Zoro and grinned happily. "You're really fast!"
"Hah!" Zoro grinned, sitting up and pulling the bag closer to him. "I could've gone twice as fast if I hadn't been weighed down."
Luffy's eyes widened, and he looked back at the trench, then back at Zoro again. His eyes had widened even more, and now they shined as well. "REALLY?" he asked, even more impressed now.
"At least," he added, knowing he was telling the truth.
Luffy gasped, enthralled like a child hearing about a fairytale creature for the first time. "Amazing! Can we have a race sometime?" he asked eagerly, dropping onto his knees and leaning toward Zoro hopefully. "I'm fast too but I bet you're way faster!"
Zoro smiled as he pulled out a couple of small boxes of food. "Sure," he said.
"WOOHOO!" Luffy yelled loudly, excited. He punched the air happily for good measure. "Zoro, you're the best! No one ever is as great as you!"
He appreciated the compliment as he presented the boxes to his prince. "Maybe," he said, his eyes falling upon the distant horizon. "But there's one other who's greater than me."
"Really?" Luffy asked, taking the boxes happily from Zoro. He looked at him wide-eyed. "Who? Do I know them?"
"Hawk Eyes Mihawk," he stated softly, his face taking on a grim appearance.
Luffy considered this as he ripped open his box of food and began digging voraciously in. "'awkai meeawk?" he asked through a mouthful of food, considering this even more seriously as he shoved more food into his mouth. He eyed Zoro as he ate, then swallowed his mouthful in one huge gulp. It was amazing he didn't choke. "How come he gets to be greater than you?" he asked curiously, confused.
Zoro paused, regarding Luffy sincerely for a moment. "He's the greatest swordsman in the world," he replied. "No one has ever been able to defeat him."
Luffy watched Zoro intently for a moment, not even taking another bite of his food despite the fact he still had some. He smiled abruptly, brilliantly, the expression far different than his usual cheerfully hyper grin. "Shanks told me once about him. I remember." His eyes got a slightly far-off look as he glanced to the side, the smile turning softer as he continued. "He also told me about the greatest pirate that ever lived. He lived on the sea... they called him the Pirate King, Gold Roger. He's dead now, but when he was alive..." Luffy's voice trailed off, reverence in his body language and voice.
He tilted his head to look at Zoro again, his eyes shining brighter than before. "I wanted to be a Pirate King like him," he said, softly, urgently, "and I told my parents I would be. I said I'd sail the seas until I was the King of the Oceans, and I could be just like Gold Roger was. But they told me it was a fairy tale, that Gold Roger never existed, and anyway, I had to be a King back here, on land."
His expression fell a little, but remained largely hopeful. "But I knew they were lying, and I knew someday I would get to be on the seas, and I could be just like Gold Roger. Even if I have to wait forever, I'll do it. I can be King here first if I have to, but after that, I'll be the Pirate King, not Anchor's king."
He stopped, considering. "...Gold Roger is really great, but he wasn't the only one who can be like he was. I bet Mihawk is the same. He may be great, Zoro, but you can be greater." There was no doubt in his voice whatsoever; nothing but belief, truth and conviction.
Zoro watched Luffy with mild interest as the prince excitedly told him of that legendary myth that even the bodyguard had been familiar with since childhood. He grinned lightly, finding himself not the least bit surprised that someone such as Luffy would want to aim for such a lofty goal. "You can be whatever you want to be," he responded, although he found it incredibly noble that the younger fellow was willing to take care of family obligations for the time being. "You could use your time here as a way to prepare yourself for the future." He paused, smiling softly at Luffy. "And don't worry about me. I intend to become greater than Mihawk someday."
Luffy tilted his head at Zoro, dark eyes intent. Suddenly, he dropped the box of food in his lap and slammed one fist into the palm of his other hand. "Alright! You be the greatest swordsman in the world, and I'll be the Pirate King, and we can have all sorts of adventures together!" He grinned widely, excited, one hand slipping up to hold down his treasured Adventure Hat.
"All right!" Zoro grinned, his eyes glistening in the sunlight. "You've got yourself a deal."
"Great!" Luffy replied, holding his fist forward while his other hand still held his hat down. "If you bang your fist against mine, we know the promise is sealed."
Zoro blinked. "Bang my fist...?" But he had learned not to question Luffy's odd ways, and he silently complied, curled fist abruptly pressing into Luffy's. Zoro had never admired pirates as a child, but he figured his prince wouldn't be such an evil pirate. Live and let live, I guess.
Luffy grinned excitedly at Zoro, then pulled his arms down to his lap and dug back into his box of food. "GREAT!" he managed while eating voraciously again, "Now that we'll be the greatest in the world—" He held his now empty box out to Zoro and said with his typical huge grin, so wide that his eyes closed and his scar mirrored his happiness, "—Can I have seconds?"
Zoro sighed and nudged the second box towards him. He had been expecting that. "Sure, whatever," he answered. "But don't think you can have seconds every time." The swordsman just didn't want to have to put up with the prince's whining all day, that's all.
Luffy's grin actually managed to increase as he laughed like he had before, sounding like 'hee hee hee!' "Okay, Zoro!" he agreed cheerfully, snagging the second box and practically demolishingit as he ripped it apart to get at the food. "Do I get seconds most of the time?"
Zoro's eyebrow twitched. He didn't like having to give up his rations just so he could satisfy his prince's oversized belly. Even so, he gave a wary, "Maybe."
Luffy continued to grin widely. "Can I have even more if we kill that monster behind you?" He pointed over Zoro's shoulder to where, a ways away, the gill monster was just finishing eating the gecko (who had just experienced the worst, as well as the last, day of his life) and was settling down to digest the food in peace.
Zoro turned to look, giving an uninterested shrug. "I don't think those are really much for eating."
"Oh," Luffy sighed, disappointed. The gill monster, oblivious, let out a satisfied rumble as he settled down for awhile.
"I gave you a second box," Zoro stated. "What else do you want?"
"I'm just hungry," Luffy said pathetically, slouching. He looked down at his empty box, then frowned and eyed Zoro curiously. "I didn't see you eat yet," he observed, confused.
"I'm not hungry," he lied, folding his arms over his chest.
Luffy looked shocked. Not. Hungry? Was that even humanly possible? "Wow!" Luffy said after a moment, unable to get his brain to process anything other than the fact that someone in front of him was Not. Hungry, even after going as long without food—or longer, maybe!—than he had.
Zoro lightly averted his eyes under his prince's intense stare. "Mm."
"...Wow!" Luffy said again after a moment, looking shocked and impressed as he continued to stare at Zoro. "You're amazing! I could never go without food that long! Are you sure you don't want food first?" He continued to watch Zoro as if he were an alien life form visiting the planet to watch the grass grow.
"You've already eaten both rations, haven't you?"
Luffy shrugged. "Then get out another one," he said simply, because life was like that. Simple.
Zoro shook his head. "We don't have enough supplies for that."
Luffy frowned, tilting his head. "Then lets get more!" he answered optimistically, smiling.
"We can't until we get to the next town."
"Then let's get to the next town or eat that big monster thing!" Another optimistic grin.
Zoro sighed, subtly stretching his back and wincing. "I'm different from you," he said simply. "I could go a month without eating if I had to."
At that, Luffy almost fell over from the almost physical shock. His jaw dropped and he stared at Zoro like he was some sort of strange creature. "A... a... a MONTH?" he spluttered, caught between being impressed and being too shocked to feel any emotions, "How?"
Zoro shrugged. "Don't eat?"
To Luffy, that concept was beyond his understanding. He had always had plenty of food provided for him at the palace, and even more food available out in Windmill at the marketplace. The idea of not eating for so long—it was impossible!
Luffy was completely dumbfounded, and realized he had no idea what to say to that.
So he said nothing, and just continued to stare incredulously at his bodyguard.
Shaking his head, Zoro gave an amused smile before looking back up towards the horizon. "We should probably continue soon."
"Okay," Luffy answered after a moment, but he may as well have been talking about something completely different. He still could not get over this concept of not eating...
The day proceeded as a normal hike would, and Zoro was glad to find that they weren't confronted by another sandstorm. Even so, the day seemed to last twice as long as it should have, and Zoro had to pay extra attention to make sure his mind didn't wander about what had transpired between himself and his prince. But he was oddly relieved when evening began to fall. As the somber colors of a dying day began to paint the sky, Zoro came to an abrupt halt.
"Let's set up camp."
Luffy, who had been looking around for other monsters to eat half of the time and was trying to create more tricks with his walking stick and bandaged hands the other half, looked over, a little startled by the abruptness. He almost ran into Zoro, in fact, but managed to stop just behind him. "Okay!" he agreed, seeing no reason not to. He looked around as if expecting a camp to pop up around them.
Silently, the swordsman placed their supply bag onto the ground. He opened it up, and began to withdraw the means needed to set up a tent.
Luffy watched, swinging his walking staff back and forth, baaack and foorth. "What're ya doin', Zoro?" he asked curiously.
"What's it look like?" he asked, setting to work. "I'm getting our shelter put up for the night."
"Oh," Luffy said. He dropped to the ground and leaned forward eagerly. "So this means we get to eat now, right?"
"Yeah," Zoro replied, driving in some stakes into the ground.
"Great!" Luffy exclaimed happily, and waited impatiently for the food to appear.
"The boxes are in the outside pouch of that pack." The bodyguard jerked a thumb towards it.
"Okay!" Luffy said happily, grinning, and reached immediately for the pack, digging into the designated pouch and pulling out four boxes. He set them on the ground carefully, then turned to beam at Zoro. "We get seconds this time!" he declared, though he expected Zoro to contradict him.
"All those boxes for you?" he asked, eyebrow twitching as soon as he saw the innocent-looking rations before Luffy.
Luffy blinked, perplexed. "No," he said, splitting the boxes into two groups. "This one's for me," he pointed to one pile, "and this one's for you." He pointed to the second. He looked back up at Zoro, confused that he had assumed anything differently.
"We're only supposed to eat one box per meal," stated Zoro simply, arms folding over his chest.
Luffy looked back down at the piles, then back up at Zoro with the most pleading, pathetic expression he knew. "...Are you sure?" he asked, soft and sad.
"You had two earlier. Don't tell me you want two again."
"But I'm hungry!" Luffy declared, though he sulkily put two boxes back in the pack and shoved the stupid thing away from him. He crossed his arms and looked away, pouting in the direction of the horizon. Stupid rules!
Zoro sighed and turned towards their half-made tent, completing it within a few minutes.
Luffy soon uncrossed his arms, though he continued to stare at the desert instead of their camp or his bodyguard. He leaned back on his arms, noticing as he placed his hands against the sand against him that they still hurt. They had, really, been hurting all day, but he ignored it until just now. He should have continued to ignore it, but he felt bored and focusing on the stinging kept his mind off the food he wanted so much that Zoro was not letting him eat in that stupid pack.
"You know," said Zoro, "if you eat the food all at once you'll just starve later." He stepped back from the now completed tent, inwardly satisfied with his handiwork.
It was a pale color, although it was relatively small. Even so, it held up even as it billowed against the desert wind. Zoro hoped another sandstorm wouldn't visit them anytime soon, however.
Luffy shrugged, watching the horizon. "We can always eat one of the monsters," he answered, as if that was obvious.
Zoro sighed. "Whatever."
Luffy remained quiet, still a little irritated that Zoro kept being so obsessed with the rules. Luffy was not very fond of rules—he liked breaking them more than he liked following them. So, watching the pretty red sun as it was in the last stages of its life for the day, he rocked his feet back and forth and idly noted that it was a lot colder with the sun going down like that.
Zoro himself usually wasn't a stickler when it came to rules, but even the most basic common sense usually dictated that eating all of your rations on the first day was a bad idea. Snorting softly, he reached over for the bag and hauled it into their tent, disappearing behind the billowing flaps.
While Luffy stared at the horizon, he thought he saw something far in the distance, glinting against the last rays of the sun. Frowning in concentration, he narrowed his wide eyes, trying to get a better view. He couldn't see what it was, but something tugged in his mind and heart... like a part of him was telling him to go over there, to check it out.
He unconsciously leaned in that direction, and was just about to push himself to his feet and run to check it out when Zoro, moving within the tent, made a soft sound. It was enough to remind Luffy that he was not alone, and he was with someone who would probably get really pissed if he wandered off. Reluctantly pulling his gaze away from the place—for he was sure it was a place that he could visit and have fun at!—he turned to stare intently at the tent.
It was at that point that he found himself making a decision.
Despite his recent determination to not keep getting his bodyguard hurt and mad, he knew without a doubt that that night, he would be sneaking off to research this on his own. There was something about it that he had to see, and he knew he had to see it alone. He didn't feel any fear when he looked in that direction—it was like homecoming, if anything. And that, more than anything, sealed his desire to see it, and see it alone. He just had to somehow get away from Zoro in the dead of the night for a few minutes, just long enough to investigate...
And to do this, he had to make sure Zoro didn't suspect anything. So, when he realized he had been silent for awhile, he called out plaintively, "Zoro! Are we eating yet?"
"You can eat whenever," Zoro grunted from within the tent.
"Okay!" Luffy called back, reaching for the box and opening it eagerly. He eyed the tent, confused. "What're you doing in there?"
"Nothing." A pause. "Come in here if you want. This is your tent too."
Luffy began eating, looking again at the horizon. He couldn't see the shining place again, but he wasn't worried. He knew he would find it again at night. "Why?" he called out to Zoro between mouthfuls. "Isn't it boring in there?"
"Doesn't have to be."
"But you're not doing anything," Luffy protested, confused. Zoro was so weird sometimes! Finished with the box already, he pushed it to the side and crawled toward the tent, reaching for the flap and pulling it aside.
The large pack was propped away in the corner of the tent, and Zoro could be seen in the darkness, resting his head against the pack. He cracked open an eye, and regarded the younger fellow quietly. "You'll be able to eat all you want when we get to Shanks."
"Yep!" Luffy agreed, for lack of anything better to do. He wasn't really tired—he really wanted to go look at that place! But he wasn't sure how to get Zoro to sleep other than to go to sleep himself. So he looked around the tent, then laid down to the side of the flap, far enough away that he did not look like he was intending to sneak out or anything. He put one arm under his head and stared at the shadows, which were growing darker with the lack of light within the tent.
Zoro was vaguely surprised that Luffy hadn't curled up beside him. Figuring that he had made him angry somehow, he silently turned away from the boy and closed his eyes.
Luffy closed his eyes, letting his body wind down as his breathing started to even. He was becoming very relaxed, but was not asleep. He just really hoped Zoro didn't realize this—he tried his best to appear to fall asleep.
Silence seemed to reign in the tent, the sides flapping. Soft snores soon emitted from Zoro, strangely soothing in the night air.
Cautious, Luffy waited several more long moments to be sure Zoro was really asleep, peeking one eye partially open to peer at him as best he could in the darkness. He was sure to keep his breathing even and slow, just like he was still asleep.
But Zoro continued to snore, his strong arms propped against the back of his head.
Satisfied, Luffy very quietly rolled onto his side and, waiting a few more minutes, stood and as silently as he could, exited the tent. He was careful to listen intently for signs of Zoro awaking, watching him out of the corner of his eye as he spent the rest of his energy and concentration on being as completely silent and casual as he could.
The tent was very still even as Luffy exited, and the wind ruffled his hair as if to tell him he was free.
Feeling intensely relieved and strangely alive, Luffy grinned with abandon to himself once he was out in the cold night air. The extreme coldness of the night was as intense as the heat of the day, but it only served to make Luffy feel even happier. Ever since arriving in camp, he had felt restless, the feeling only intensifying when he saw that place in the distance. Now he knew that even if Zoro awoke, even if he came running after him and refused to be his bodyguard for the rest of his life—somehow, Luffy knew he would still refuse to give up on this distant place. It was as if he had no choice, but even more importantly, he didn't want one. Something was there, something he needed, and it was like an addiction. Having never felt this way before about anything, Luffy was defenseless. Something was calling to him, and he had to have it!
He padded silently away from the tent, waiting to go any faster until he was far enough away that running would not (hopefully) be detected by Zoro's keen ears. Soon he was jogging, and then he was running, and he felt free, absolutely FREE.
The wind blew chaotically through his hair, the brilliant stars twinkled just for him, the sand parted in short bursts beneath his feet, and his breath coming quickly in and out of his lungs was the only sound he could hear beside his pounding heart. He found himself laughing, not loud enough to echo but definitely above a whisper. He ran even faster, and faster still, until he was sprinting as far and fast as he could, until he was no longer the Crown Prince, or even Luffy—until he just existed and he was alive and no one was telling him what to do, what was best for him, telling him about responsibilities and belittling his dreams and stifling him in the name of his 'safety.' And through it all, he knew he was going in the right direction. His heart beat just for this moment, for this run, and for the destination he would find.
He didn't know how long he ran, how long he laughed freely and closed his eyes, how long he threw his arms to the sky and felt like he was racing across the world, ready to take off in a jump to fall up into the sky, to circle around the stars and stumble onto the moon. He just knew that it was forever, and it was the most alive he had ever felt, the freest and by far the most like himself, the himself he knew was deep inside.
And Luffy was running, and he was laughing, and suddenly he was stopping and dropping to the ground and rolling around and feeling... feeling... vibrant. Jubilant. Happy. As completely, honestly happy as he had ever been.
After awhile, he opened his eyes and blinked at the sky. It was so dark and beautiful—so far away and yet so close. He held his hand up, staring at the way his fingers splayed against that rich background. He felt like he could touch it, if only he reached far enough, if only he stretched his fingers just a little more...
But, he amended as he pushed himself up, the sky was too far away right now. Not impossible to reach, not to Luffy. To him, anything was possible. It just depended on how much you wanted to believe as to how soon it would happen.
He looked around finally, and though he knew he was in the right place, at first he saw nothing in that deep black desert night. He stood, turning in circles, and just before he started to confusedly wander around in search for the elusive Place He Had Seen, he noticed a small glint in the pale moonlight.
Walking over toward it, he knelt down, surprised and yet somehow expecting to be confronted with a single small tree growing in the middle of the desert. At the end of the sapling, weighing it down considerably, hung a strange fruit. A perfectly round fruit, with weird little swirls around the sides. It had a small curly branch off its stem, and seemed to be a pale dark color as far as Luffy could tell.
He didn't see what had been glinting all those times, but he paid no heed to it. His eyes were caught on the fruit, and suddenly his stomach was rumbling viciously. He was hungry! And here was food for him! It seemed the perfect answer, and Luffy did not think to question the strangeness of the circumstances. He didn't think of traps, or worry about anything inconsequential as poison. He was hungry, and he had food. It was simple as that.
Reaching out to pluck the fruit, Luffy immediately devoured it. It didn't taste as good as he hoped it would, which was rather disappointing, but it filled him up a surprising amount. He dropped back onto the ground, grinning to himself as he put his arms around his stomach and patted it happily. It made sense to him that he had been so caught by what was food—after all, he had always had a sixth sense when it came to places food could be. Once, he found the secret stash the head cook had back in Anchor! He had eaten it all and fell asleep in the pantry, and when the kitchen staff found them they were caught between exasperation and amusement. Luffy decided it was just another one of those times.
But now he was full and if he stayed here, Zoro would know he wandered away. Luffy wasn't in the mood to have Zoro get mad again—it already seemed weird, like Zoro was being especially quiet for no reason. He didn't get why, but he didn't really know what to do about it so he just ignored it for now.
He stood back up, pulling his hat up from where it must have fallen back on the string during his sprint, and placed one hand firmly on top of his head. Smiling to himself, incredibly satisfied, Luffy turned back toward the tent he could see in the far distance and began running back. He slowed as he came closer, and switched to creeping around when he came right up on the tent. Pausing outside, he turned to squint through the night back where he had just been, but he could see nothing now. Maybe it was the fruit that was glinting all along?
Luffy lifted the flap and crept back inside, ready to curl back up where he had been when Zoro had first gone to sleep. Outside the tent, the wind blew a little stronger, shifting the sand and erasing the traces of his footsteps and, in the process, any evidence of his secret excursion.
It was hard to see Zoro's open eyes in the darkness, although it was downright impossible to notice with his back turned towards Luffy. Which meant that his scowl was just as hidden, and the angry glint in his face was masked. But he didn't say anything, nor did he stir. Zoro was tired of it, of Luffy running off every chance he got, of being used to clean up the messes the prince made. So he didn't waste his breath.
Luffy, oblivious, laid down and fell almost immediately asleep, feeling far more content than he had in a long while.