The Marines go marching one by one, the little one stops to suck his thumb, and they all go marching down to the ground to get out of the rain.
Enjoy~
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Chapter 17
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Loud crashes and earth shaking rumbling were heard as the storms along the coast began growing more intense. The horizon was almost black to the east of the island. Ominous clouds churned and boiled as it seemed to be creeping its way slowly inland. The lightning crackled and lashed out savagely. It seemed as if the bolts struck out increasingly frequent. Barely a second passed without more deafening thunder roaring through the air.
Sounds of marching orders being called out amongst the ranks of the countless marines around the river persisted. Keep heading inland. Place as much distance as possible between the storm and themselves.
However the more they kept marching...
The rougher the terrain became.
Trees toppled over, some split right in two. Large crevasses that split the ground. Entire rocky hills broken apart. Unstable earth that for some reason gave way around the edge of the river banks. It was like a storm had already blown through the area and devastated everything in sight.
Their progress along the river slowed to an inching crawl the further they tried to move. It was tiring the men out quickly, and proving increasingly dangerous. After some of the men were injured trying to find a secure way across an unstable ledge along another deep split in the earth, it couldn't be helped. They had to make camp for the night.
The sight couldn't have been sweeter for one sniper. "They've stopped!" Usopp called down from his perch atop a tall tree. He had been keeping a close eye on the advancing marines, giving signals to Zoro on the ground below him and to Luffy and Chopper causing their own havoc across the river.
Stopping in his motions from where he had been slashing the thick trees left and right, Zoro looked up to the marksman. "Are they sending out scouts?" he asked before kicking over a boulder he had cut in two earlier. It landed with a loud and satisfying rumble. He would have preferred fighting an actual enemy, but it had been good for him to let out a bit of the bottled up stress he had been holding back.
Plus he got to fuck up shit and not get yelled at. That was always a good day in Zoro's book.
"It doesn't look like it.. I think they're making camp for the night!" Usopp informed the swordsman as he began searching through his bag.
"Then it worked." Zoro sheathed his swords and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.
They had been fabricating their own natural disaster for roughly an hour now. It was something they had to make gradual so it would tire out the marines, preventing them from pressing further. They couldn't make it look too deliberate. It had to look convincing to stop any suspicion and buy them more time.
After looking over their work for a moment, Zoro focused back on Usopp. "Give the signal to Chopper and Luffy on the other side. We can start heading back."
"Yosh!" Usopp shifted on his perch on the branch and held up his slingshot. He fired off one of his tabasco stars and struck a tree near where the captain and the doctor were causing mass chaos.
It wasn't long before Chopper stopped when he caught the scent of the tabasco sauce in the air.
"Luffy! Usopp's calling us back!" Chopper called out as he popped from his heavypoint to brainpoint.
"Yosh! Come on!"
Moments later the little doctor was clutching tight to Luffy as the rubber man shot them across the river.
Chopper, being the smart little doctor he was, hopped off his captain just in time to avoid slamming face first against a tree.
On seeing that, Zoro raised a brow and looked at the little reindeer approaching him. "That's something I need to try..." he mused as he watched Luffy struggling to pull his head free from the tree.
Chopper readily nodded. "It would make my job easier if you all did. So have they stopped?"
"According to Usopp they're breaking for camp. We should head back and see if Nami's found us a way out." Zoro headed over to where Usopp was now trying to help Luffy pry his head free from a knothole in the tree. Grabbing the back of his captain's neck, Zoro gave a sharp tug.
For some reason the sound that came from the raven head pulling free was a strange cork popping noise. Zoro held up his captain by the back of his shirt and fixed a bland stare on him. When Luffy replied with a wide snickering grin to his first mate, Zoro rolled his eyes and sat the rubber idiot on the ground. "Let's get going."
"Zoro, the ship's the other way..."
"...I know that..."
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"Sanji-kun, please sit down. You're making me nervous."
"Ah.." Sanji paused in his pacing and fiddled absently with the buttons of his blue floral print shirt. "I'm sorry, Nami-san... I'm.. Just getting a bad feeling..." Sanji muttered as he forced himself to sit down at the dining table where the navigator was working.
The reply had Nami looking up from the course she was plotting to look at the faintly fidgeting cook seated across from her. Her brown eyes narrowed slightly as something suddenly occurred to her. ".. You're sensitive to the weather changes too..."
Sanji suddenly grew still on the statement and glanced up at the firm look that was fixed on him. "Yes... I've spent almost my entire life at sea... You sort of develop a sixth sense for its changes."
Nami smiled and nodded. "That's why I know I can count on you, Sanji-kun. You're the one that has the most experience at sea. I'm guessing you're feeling the air pressure changing."
The blond nodded as he leaned against the table. "The temperature is shifting too... Does that mean the storm is going to start heading inland?"
"It's seeming that way. We need to head further. Secure Merry and head for higher ground again. It's just too dangerous around the water right now." Nami adjusted her glasses and returned her attention to the map. "I think I've found a better place for us a bit further up the river. I think we'll be able to anchor Merry there safely while we head for the higher ground. It's looking like there may be caves in that area, so we'll have potential shelter."
Sanji looked at the map curiously. "Should I prepare rations if we have to hold up in those caves for a while?"
The redhead nodded. "That'd be smart to have ready. We could very well be stuck for a day or two. The storm systems seem to be building up force with each one."
"So it will get worse before it gets better..." Sanji frowned deeply before getting up. He headed towards the fridge to begin taking of stock of how much he could use for quick rations. "How much longer will the storms be going?"
"From what we've heard from the locals, they last a couple of weeks. One week has gone by, so we've got another ahead of us."
"Another week... Damn... Luffy's not gonna be happy. I'm going to have to cut back on his intake." Sanji mumbled while he went about gathering up everything he would need to start cooking. Chopper may nag him, but there was no getting around this. They had to be prepared.
"He'll live. Just promise him a party once you're better and he'll attempt to act like he has some self control." Nami answered while marking out their route in red.
Sanji couldn't help the laugh that left him on hearing that. He glanced back over his shoulder and smiled at the navigator. "Nami-swan is so cute when she's unrealistically optimistic~" he cooed out.
A slight pout formed over Nami's face at the teasing, and she responded by sticking her tongue out at the cook. When the blond flashed a beaming smile, she rolled her brown eyes sarcastically in a weak attempt to hide the smile tugging at her own lips.
Things were getting back to normal.
"Naaamiiii!!"
Luffy's voice broke the pair in the galley from their work, and soon they both were moving out to watch their nakama returning to the ship.
"Did it work?" Nami asked as she took hold of the railing in front of the galley door.
"Just like Sanji predicted!" Usopp answered as he and the others jumped back on deck. "All the Marines have stopped to make camp. We should be able to head up the river without being seen."
"Have you found where we can go, Nami?" Chopper asked hopefully as he made his way up the steps to the pair in front of the galley.
The redhead easily nodded. "I have. There are some caves on higher ground we can hide out in to wait out the storms. We just have to secure Merry further up river and we'll be set. Everyone should pack what they can to last us a few days. Sanji's going to prepare rations for all of us."
"Yosh! Pirate bento~!" Luffy immediately cheered.
Chopper was giving the cook a pouting scowl and pointed at him when he reached the top of the stairs. "You're supposed to be resting, dammit!"
Sanji gave a lopsided grin and offered a light shrug. "Sorry, Chopper. I'll pack another candied apple in your bento."
Though he wanted to argue, the promise of another candied apple weakened Chopper's resolve. "Grr... Fine! But I want to change your bandages and check over your back before you do. No arguing!" he stated as menacingly as his squeaky voice would allow.
Hands raised in surrender, the cook chuckled and followed when Chopper began pulling the leg of his cargo shorts back into the galley. "Okay, Okay.. No arguing."
The scene had Nami smiling as she glanced over to the silent swordsman. When he looked in her direction she smirked and gave him a sly wink while motioning for him to go into the galley.
Zoro quirked up a brow high at the gesture. The rest of their nakama was taking this development between him and the cook very... Interestingly.
He never thought there would be an issue, but he also didn't expect them to be so interested in it. It was weird. Really weird.
Scratching lightly at the back of his head, Zoro found himself climbing up the stairs to face the navigator. "That's not exactly the most subtle thing I've ever seen you do." he commented dryly as he drew closer.
Nami gave an amused little hum and shrugged. "Sanji always said subtle wasn't your strong suit. Now go in there and keep him company while Chopper nags him."
A bland expression formed over Zoro's tan features at the somewhat order. "I'm not going to hold his hand."
"Why not?" Nami asked with a little pout.
"Because he doesn't need me to." was Zoro's simple answer.
The woman huffed a bit and folded her arms over her ample chest. "But it would be all cute and couple-y."
That earned an expression that silently questioned the woman's sanity. "Couple-y...?" the swordsman repeated slowly.
For some reason Nami nodded eagerly. "Yeah! I've decided that the two of you make a cute couple. You should act more like it."
Zoro just stared at her for a moment.
A long moment.
Eventually Zoro moved to the still open door to the galley and looked at the blond on the futon getting his bandages carefully taken off. "Oi, Cook. We a couple?"
Sanji looked away from what Chopper was doing and stared blankly at the swordsman. "Eh...?"
Zoro gestured to the woman behind him. "Nami said we're a cute couple."
A strange, yet comical look of disbelief fell over Sanji's face as his visible eye twitched hard. "If you start getting sappy on me I'll kick your fuckin ass, Marimo."
"Sanji! Stay still!" Chopper growled, jabbing the cook in the side.
"Ow! That hurt!"
"Then stop moving, asshole!"
A snort of amusement left Zoro at the glaring match between the doctor and the cook before glancing back at the navigator. "Oh yeah, he's smitten."
"I'll smite you, fucker! Ow! Fuckin hell, Chopper!"
"Don't make me sedate you, bastard!"
At that Nami gave another little pout. "But you're supposed to be nicer to each other now! You know, all romantic and stuff."
"Nami-saaan! You're killing meee! How am I supposed to woo a moss ball?" Sanji whined while trying to hold still to avoid more doctor abuse.
"Like I'd tolerate all that fluffy shit anyway." Zoro answered dryly. He pointed at the blond and gave a flat stare. "First floaty heart I see, I'm chucking you overboard."
"Pfft. Like I'd waste my breath trying to pamper you. Moss is supposed to be fluffy, but you're more like a cactus than moss. All prickly." Sanji shot back, sticking out his tongue at the swordsman.
Though they were shooting off their mouths to one another, if anyone bothered to look there was a mirth and amusement poorly hidden behind their expressions and tones. This was part of their relationship. The fights and insults. The digs and complaints.
It felt good to have that part back again.
Another step towards fixing the rift between them.
Still pouting, Nami tilted her head in confusion. "So.. You're not a couple..?"
"... Couple of morons..." Chopper mumbled quietly under his breath as he tended to Sanji's back. It was starting to look better as the bruising around the large wound was gradually healing. Which was a wonder in itself with the way Sanji just refused to stay still. Sometimes he wondered why he was the doctor of a crew that kept ignoring doctor's orders.
For some reason Nami's question made Sanji chuckle. "Does it really matter, Nami-san?"
When the simple question was posed, Nami glanced over to Zoro. There the swordsman only offered a careless shrug. This only annoyed her further. "Gah! You two are frustrating even when you agree!" She then swatted at Zoro's arm hard. "Go raise the damn anchor!"
Shooting a glare at the woman as she stormed off grumbling something about not getting a good show, Zoro rolled his eyes and pushed away from the door frame. He glanced back at Sanji and raised a brow when the cook smirked at him before playfully sticking out his tongue again. A soft smirk of his own tugged at his lips as he turned away to head for the anchor.
"Ow! What the fuck did I do that time?!"
"You looked too happy."
"That's not a good reason!"
Zoro couldn't stop the laughter that immediately followed.
He was happy too.
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TBC
As long as there is happiness, little else matters.
Later~