Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece but if I did there would definitely be more Zoro and Nami!

Author's Note: Thank you for your feedback on chapter 11. I am sorry if I confused anyone. As you can see it was not the end, although I hope to draw it to a close soon. I forgot to put a comment at the end of the last chapter, which may have left you wondering what was happening, sorry.

Apologies as well for the error of writing 'skypiea' and not 'weatheria' in the last chapter…just goes to show no matter how many times you proof read you can still miss things. That is why it is best to get someone else to read it first…but as I do not share my work with anyone I know and like to keep myself anonymous, it becomes a little difficult.

Body Swap

Chapter 12

"Hold still!" Nami scolded their captain who kept wriggling every time she tried to put bandages on him. Chopper was held up with helping Usopp and Law with their injuries while Robin helped to look after Kinemon and Franky and Nami supervised the two worst patients on the ship.

Luffy was fast asleep with a bubble of water coming out of his nose and mouth. Yet as he slept to regain his energy he was clearly dreaming about hunting or something because he moaned in his sleep about all the meat he desired. This however also meant that he was moving around a lot to, as much to her annoyance.

Eventually managing to pin her captain down and tying him to the bed to stop him from moving, she turned to attend to the swordsman. He lay on the bed next to his captain. Between the two men's loud snoring she was surprised they had not woken each other up. Nami sat on the bed next to him and reached for the bowl of warm water. She squeezed out the cloth and lifted it over Zoro's head. She gently lowered it and wiped away the blood and dirt from his face. The action barely made him stir and he shook his head, groaning in his sleep.

Nami was surprised at how much blood had been on him. When they had all finally met up after their presence on Dressrosa she was just grateful that they had all survived. Although if it was not for their new allies; the little gnomes, the puppets, soldiers and gladiators alike, she doubted they would have been so lucky. Doflamingo had been one of the toughest opponents so far and she knew it would not be the last they saw of him either.

"Is Usoland going to be okay?" Leo asked from across the room. He was sat on Chopper's shoulder and jumped down to sit on Usopp's head.

"He will pull through. Usopp is stronger than he looks" Chopper reassured their little friend. Nami smiled at the thought of Usopp being so popular. She would have to ask him when he woke up why they called him by that name. Although part of her wondered if it was because he was the size of a giant compared to them…

"I have brought you some fresh water and bandages"

Nami looked up when she heard the female voice. She stood and took the bowl from Rebecca's hands, "Thank you" she said as she turned to replace the water on the night stand between her two patients.

Rebecca hovered around and stood awkwardly looking at Luffy's sleeping form. Nami noticed the girl's hesitance and smiled, "Don't worry about Luffy. He may act like a fool at times and run into trouble at every opportunity, but he is strong and has pulled through from a lot worse." Nami knew her words may not be a great comfort. After all, their captain looked like a mummy. Even she knew that his body was worse for wear. If he kept up like this he could seriously do himself some harm, or worse…just like the other idiot lying on the bed next to her, she realised.

Nami positioned herself to the other side of Zoro and picked up a bandage. Sitting on the edge of his bed, she leant forward and gently placed a hand under his head, lifting it forwards, towards her chest. Zoro grunted in his sleep and moved his head, accidentally nuzzling her. Nami looked down at him with a disapproving glare and forced down the temptation of hitting him awake. Instead she held in a deep breath and placed the bandage behind his head, slowing wrapping it around and tying it, before resting his head down on the pillow again.

"Do they always fight like that?" Rebecca asked, having watched Nami slowly care for her friend. She sat on a chair next to Luffy's bedside and looked from him to the green haired man.

Nami nodded, "Yes they are both morons" she said. Despite the wording, Rebecca caught the tone of the red haired girl's voice and understood that she meant this affectionately.

"Luffy is an interesting man" Rebecca stated softly, looking over at him affectionately. Nami did not miss the look of the younger girl.

"He is one of a kind. I will give him that" she replied.

"You are all very interesting people" Rebecca pointed out, "I have never met a pirate crew like you. We are all so grateful for your help"

Nami caught the blue eyes of the gladiator and smiled, "don't let them hear that. They won't accept your gratitude" she explained. Rebecca looked a little surprised and confused. "They do not see themselves as heroes…they seem to think that a hero has to share things, and well, they aren't the type to share." Nami was not sure if her explanation meant anything to the girl, but when she nodded her head and smiled, Nami assumed she understood. She looked down at Zoro and thought to herself how he was also one of a kind.

"Will they both be okay?" Rebecca asked, having seen the thoughtful and concerned expression of the woman before her.

Nami lifted her head to look at the girl again and then sat back a little, sighing and saying, "They are both pig headed and stubborn. They are the type who make the impossible possible"

Rebecca smiled again, "yes" she said with a nod of agreement.

"Is everything alright over here?" Chopper asked as he came to check on the pair. He waddled over and jumped up on Luffy's bed.

"Wah why is Luffy strapped to the bed?" Chopper asked, slightly concerned. Rebecca and the doctor both looked over to Nami.

Nami pointed her nose in the air and crossed her arms, "he wouldn't keep still. I couldn't treat him properly"

Rebecca smiled and laughed a little. Chopper sighed and decided to leave Luffy as he was. Instead he focussed his attention on the swordsman. He checked his eye and scanned over his body.

"I haven't finished dressing Zoro's wounds yet…he is harder to move" Nami explained.

Chopper nodded and morphed into his larger self to help Nami sit Zoro upright so she could wrap the bandages around his torso. The moment her fingers went to touch him the swordsman stirred awake. He grunted and winced in pain, his eyes squinting at the light as he yawned and blinked a few times to focus his vision.

"You're awake!" Chopper squealed in relief.

"What happened?" Zoro asked, looking from the doctor to the red head who continued to wrap her arms around his body as she passed the bandage between her hands. Zoro turned his attention to her and noticed that she avoided his gaze and focussed on what she was doing, "you fell asleep…it's over" Nami said.

"and Doflamingo?" Zoro asked. Nami did not look at him. He knew by how she lowered her gaze that it was not good news. Looking at their doctor he saw Chopper look to his right. Zoro followed and saw his captain lying on the bed next to him. At least he assumed it was Luffy. There were so many bandages on the guy it was hard to tell. He noticed the blond girl sitting next to them and raised an eyebrow, "who the hell are you?" he asked. His question resulted in a small shot of pain running through him as a certain red head tightened the dressings around his midriff.

"Hey!" he complained, turning to look at the culprit and gaining an annoyed, warning glare instead.

"This is Rebecca" Chopper answered his question, "she fought in the arena with Luffy and helped us against Doflamingo's men." Zoro immediately gained some respect for the woman. Anyone who helped his friends was a good person in his books.

The rattling sound of a trolley being pulled gained their attention. Sanji entered the room with some of the gnomes who helped bring in a variety of meals. Zoro knew that Sanji was always the type who hated to feel useless and in some ways his cooking was a way of providing comfort to others and help them to get better quicker. The aroma of the food caused a certain rubber nose to sniff the air a few times, trying to pull an unconscious mummified body along.

"Hey, Luffy stop, you will make your injuries worse!" Rebecca protested.

"It's useless, he won't hear you" Zoro pointed out, "just let him do what he wants"

Nami tightened the bandages again and he winced in pain. She ignored his complaints and focussed her attention on the gladiator and doctor who were trying to keep Luffy in his bed.

"Rebecca, why don't you bring the food over to him?" Nami asked, it seemed like the simplest and most obvious solution. The gladiator looked over to Chopper who nodded and she went to get an array of food. When she came back she held out some meat in her hand and an unconscious head stretched up and snatched it in its mouth. Rebecca learnt to move her hand quickly before having her fingers bitten off to. She was amazed how Luffy immediately seemed to settle down a bit and let out a sigh of relief.

Nami watched the spectacle and sighed. She saw the keen eyes of their doctor look at the trolley and smiled, "Chopper you must be exhausted. Go and have something to eat. I've got this" she reassured him.

"But…" Chopper looked from Nami to the swordsman. His stomach growled. Zoro nodded at the little guy and added, "You are no good to us tired and weak from hunger" Chopper nodded and jumped off the bed and joined the others in replenishing his energy.

"You should eat to" Zoro said, turning to look at Nami as she leant into him once more to wrap the last of the bandage around him.

"I am not hungry" Nami replied, focussing her attention on her own hands. She was surprised when a larger rough hand placed itself on top of hers as she tried to tie a knot in the end of the dressing.

"Don't lie to me Nami" he replied in an aggravated tone. Nami did not look at him. "I can feel you shaking" he continued.

Damn him, she thought to herself. Why did the moron have to be so perceptive at that moment? Most of the time he would not notice something like that. She had been doing her best to keep in control and hold back her tears. Yet now the idiot went and said something it was hard to stop them.

Zoro was not sure what he was expecting at that point in time, but tears were not something he had planned to respond to. He was the one injured and in need of help, yet there he was now in a position where he was needed on an emotional level as a friend and suddenly unsure on how to help her. He did all he could at that point and remained motionless and quiet, but that was all she needed.

Zoro ignored how wet his hand was from her tears and let her hands hold onto his one hand and squeeze tightly. She leant into him and rested her cheek on the back of his right shoulder, trying to hide her face from him and the rest of the people in the room. Her sobs were quieter than her usual outbursts and whining. He knew she was genuinely upset about something but knew better than to ask questions. He looked up and across the room, catching the cook looking back at him. Sanji's facial expression was a combination of sad, angry and thoughtful. Zoro interpreted the glare and realised that it was the same look Sanji gave him when having to swear secrecy about what Kuma did to Zoro and what Zoro almost sacrificed for the crew. Whatever Sanji was thinking at that moment, Zoro knew he would likely voice it at a later time when they were both alone. Sometimes the blonde's lectures could be worse than Nami's. Zoro knew he would not live this down.

…..

"Zoro stop, you need to rest!" Chopper shouted, catching everyone's attention. It had been a couple of days since they had all fought and the festivities were about to begin as everyone started to recover from their fights.

"I feel fine Chopper" Zoro argued back, ignoring his doctor's command and bending down to pick up a weight.

"You haven't fully healed yet!" Chopper protested, morphing into his human form and trying to fight Zoro for the weight. He was surprised how heavy it was and was unable to lift it.

"What's going on?" Nami asked as she approached the pair with her arms crossed.

"Zoro won't listen to me again. He is insisting on training" Chopper moaned, giving up the fight and turning to speak to his female friend.

Nami raised an eyebrow and looked behind the doctor and over to the swordsman. He had removed some of his bandages.

"Ah! Don't take them off!" Chopper shouted, concerned for his friends well being.

"They are restricting my movements." Zoro shrugged, bending to lift the weight again. He grimaced as his muscles went into spasm, but he pushed through it. Blood started to seep through his dressings.

"Zoro, you're bleeding!" Chopper shouted in worry.

Nami watched him and was immediately drawn back to her memory of the first time she met him. He had been stabbed by Buggy the Clown while trying to protect her. In a desperate attempt to escape he had lifted up the cage of concrete and metal that contained Luffy and took them to safety, despite his injury. Later on he even fought off one of Buggy's right hand men, before collapsing in a heap.

"That's enough!" she ordered. Chopper stopped in his attempts to stop Zoro and looked at her. Seeing the dark red aura coming from their navigator he stepped to one side.

"I don't take orders from you" Zoro stated as he lifted the weight again as she approached him. That last fight had been close. He had not felt that for a while. He had to get stronger.

"I said that is enough!" Nami shouted, gaining the attention of some of the others who were nearby. A loud vibration could be felt around the area as the ground shook in response to the punch Nami aimed at Zoro's face, forcing him back and causing the large weight he held to land hard on the ground.

"What the hell?!" he protested, rubbing his face and staring up at her with his own demonic green aura shining through.

Nami bent down and grabbed him by the ear. Chopper watched in horror as Nami dragged the swordsman kicking and screaming like some child into the infirmary, slamming the door behind her.

"Get off me you witch!" Chopper could hear Zoro shout from the other side of the door.

"You should learn to take better care of yourself!" Nami scolded.

"I am fine!" Zoro argued back.

"No your not! You are bleeding. Chopper was worried!" She snapped.

"I know the limits of my own body" he argued.

Chopper heard a sound and winced, he knew Nami had just slapped the man hard.

"Zoro I have been in your body…you are not invincible!" Nami reminded him.

Suddenly there was silence.

"What's all the commotion about?" Robin asked as she approached the little doctor. Robin could tell he appeared a little shaken.

"Why can't I get through to him?" Chopper's statement was almost a whisper.

Robin instinctively understood Chopper's concern. It must be hard for him. To have finally found somewhere he belongs with friends he loves, to watch them suffer in pain and feel out of control when they make irrational decisions. After all, there was only so much a doctor could do. If the patient did not follow their orders then it was not their fault. But Chopper was not like other doctors. He grew attached to his patients. They had become his family.

"Ow, hey watch what you are doing witch!" Zoro shouted from the other side of the door. Robin looked up and placed a hand on Chopper's shoulder.

"It serves you right!" Nami spat, "Who the hell do you think you are!"

"We should leave it to Nami-san for now" Robin reassured her little friend, "besides, you have other people who need you to" she pointed out.

Chopper sniffed and wiped the tears that had formed in his eyes. He nodded and turned to head to the other rooms. Robin looked back at the door her friends were behind and sighed, then turned to follow him.

….

"Oi watch what you are doing!" Zoro complained again as Nami ripped the dressings off his body one by one, causing him to grimace in pain.

Nami did not reply. She merely gave him a look which said, Don't test me! He turned his head away and tried to grim and bare it. Nami was a better navigator than she was a nurse.

The silence was awkward.

"Why do you do it?" Nami asked him out of the blue.

"Huh?" he did not get what she had just said.

"Push so hard" Nami muttered as she placed a damp cloth on the wound to his right hand side. He was surprised how gentle she had been. He barely felt anything and in fact her touch made him feel more relaxed.

"You know the answer Nami…it's the same reason for all of us…we fight to achieve our dream." He replied.

"No matter what the cost?" she asked.

He looked at her and raised an eyebrow. She was starring right back at him.

"Nami…" he started to say something but stopped in his tracks. He had wanted to ask her what she was getting at, but thought better of it.

"Zoro, if you keep pushing yourself like this you will die before you even reach your dream" Nami pointed this factor out as she removed the cloth and placed a dressing on the injury, taking his hand to make him hold it in place. She reached for a bandage and stopped when one of Zoro's hands pulled her back.

"Nami…you need to understand something about me" he said seriously. She looked at his hand on her arm and then raised her head to look at him. She was biting her bottom lip and holding back her tongue. He could tell she knew what he was going to say and didn't want to hear it, but he needed her to. Out of everyone in their crew, she was the only one. "I set out from my home town with a purpose. I made a promise to a friend and to myself that I would become the world's greatest swordsman, no matter the cost. If I die in the process then at least I am dying for what I believe in. If I didn't push myself I would never reach that dream. I wouldn't be true to myself and I wouldn't be able to face her..."

Nami's eyes widened and she blinked. She took a step back and moved out of his reach, "I see" was all she could say. She felt like she had been hit by a rock. She turned away so as not to look at him at that moment. She could feel him watching her and she had to compose her self carefully. She had half the mind of leaving the room there and then so as to maintain her dignity, but she could not bring herself to move her feet. She started shaking with anger and hurt. Moron! She screamed in her head as she formed fists with her hands.

"Nami?" his voice spoke from behind and she heard him move on the bed. A hand reached out to touch her and she pulled away from him.

"I guess I misunderstood" she said, turning to face him with a forced smile. She avoided his eye contact and got on with placing the bandage around his waist and over the dressing. Zoro did not move. Her expression was fake and he knew it. Something was wrong.

When she had finished she collected all of the bloody materials and put them into a bowl, picking it up and turning to leave the room. "I will get Chopper to check on you after dinner" She said. He watched as she approached the door and opened it.

"Nami…until I met Luffy I only had one reason to fight. Helping him and you guys reach your dreams is just as important to me" Zoro tried to explain.

Nami went to step through the doorway and paused. He could tell she was gripping the door handle with force. "I guess I will never be able to understand…but I can't help but feel that nothing is worth dying for. If I had a choice, I would sacrifice my dream if it meant my friends would live" and with that she slammed the door behind her, leaving a confused swordsman to dwell on what she had said.

….

Curos sat watching the young members of the straw hat crew dancing, singing and laughing with the people of Dressrosa. He was amazed at how much energy their captain had after a good meal, yet also in awe of how much he could eat. Luffy and his friends had helped his daughter smile for the first time in many years and he owed them his life for that.

"Are they always so energetic?" He asked their musician once the man managed to sit down and have a break from performing.

"Yes" Brook replied, accepting a bottle of sake.

"Youth is a fine thing" the gladiator commented.

"That it is" Brook agreed.

"I don't know how we can ever repay you all for your help" Curos sighed.

Brook looked at the man for a moment. He had clearly been drinking and was now red in the cheeks.

"Your friendship is enough…Luffy is not the kind who expects anything in return. He fights for what he believes in and that is it."

Curos looked up at the skeleton and back at the scene in front of them. Luffy, Usopp and Chopper had managed to get many of the gnomes and soldiers engaged in what looked like some kind of chop stick dance. He could not help but smile.

Brook felt something hit the back of his head. He blinked for a second and turned around but did not see anything.

"What's wrong?" the gladiator asked.

"I feel like I am being watched" Brook explained.

"Hey! Over here" a voice whispered.

Brook would have raised an eye brow if he had any. He recognised the voice, "Zoro-san?" he asked.

"Shhh not too loud!" Zoro complained from within the shadows.

"Why are you hiding?" Brook whispered.

"Where is Nami?" Zoro asked.

Brook looked at the gladiator and the two older men shared a small smile.

"Dancing with Sanji and the others" Brook replied.

Zoro popped his head out from behind a barrel and sat himself down between the two taller men. Curos offered the swordsman a bottle of Sake and he took it with gratitude. Gulping down some of the contents Zoro leant back on one hand and closed his eye, breathing out any anxiety he had a moment ago. There was nothing like a good drink.

"So why are you hiding from Nami-san?" Brook asked.

Zoro shivered on hearing the statement, "I am not hiding" he defended himself.

"Is that so?" Curos replied, he turned to look to his right and lifted a hand, "over hear!" he called out.

Zoro's back shot up as he stiffened. Sweat began to pour from his brow.

A lady in a pink dress walked over carrying a tray of delicacies. She lowered the dish and the gladiator and musician helped themselves to something to eat.

Curos laughed out loud when he caught the gaze of the skeleton as they saw Zoro's expression change to one of embarrassment as he realised he had just been caught out. Curos hit the man on the back and made him cough out some of the drink he had just tried to swallow.

"I understand, sometimes a man needs to be on his own"

"Yohoho! I think I have thought of lyrics for another song" Brook pitched in, "Would you like to hear it? I think I will call it 'Young love'"

"You have got it all wrong! She is just on my back about resting easy. That's all!" Zoro defended himself, a huge bead of sweat dropping from his brow as the two men burst into laughter at his reaction.

"You keep telling yourself that lad" Curos said as he placed a hand on Zoro's shoulder.

"May I join you?"

The three men looked up to find the tall samurai towering over them. Curos tapped a space on the ground and the man grabbed a drink before placing his weapon on the ground before him and sitting down.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, trying to make conversation.

"Oh nothing much, just how this young man is, what do they call it these days?" he asked the skeleton.

"I believe the term is 'whipped'" Brook explained.

Kinemon raised an eyebrow and looked at Zoro whose face was one of thunder. He remained silent on the matter and chose to instead drink more.

"Has he finally admitted his feelings then?" Kinemon asked. This comment caused Zoro to spit out another gulp of his drink. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and glared at the man.

"I have to admit she is quite the catch. I don't blame the lad" Curos cut in. The men followed his gaze as he watched the crowd of people ahead of them dancing and knocking glasses together.

Zoro grunted and took a swig of his drink. He looked ahead along with the others and caught a glimpse of a flash of red. There she was, standing out from the crowd, her hair reflecting the light shining down on her. She was laughing and dancing with the others. Like always she had gained a crowd. Zoro took another swig of his drink. He could not describe the feeling that went through him at that moment, but he suspected it to be jealousy and irritation. He had been careful with every move he made because she had been on at him about not over doing it. Yet while he thought she might chase him or scold him, instead she was having the time of her life. He had been pondering over what she had said to him earlier that day. Every time their eyes met she would give him a scowl and storm off. Yet whenever he went to do something he could feel eyes burning into the back of his skull. It was tiresome.

"Um Zoro-san?" Brook's voice cut in through Zoro's thoughts. "Do you want another drink?" he asked.

Zoro looked down at his hand and realised that the bottle he had been holding was now smashed into pieces on the ground by his feet. His hand was bleeding slightly but he did not feel the pain. He took the new drink from his comrade.

"Why don't you go join them?" Curos asked.

"I don't dance" Zoro replied.

"Where we come from the women perform a fan dance" Kinemon added, thoughtfully.

"Fan dance?" Brook and Curos asked at the same time.

"There are many different kinds and some styles are for men to, but there is nothing like watching a woman perform." Kinemon explained, gaining a nod from Brook and a grunt from Zoro…these guys found anything a woman did interesting. "They wear a kimono and their hair and make up are done to make them appear like a ghost or deity of some kind. They then perform a mesmerizing dance" The samurai continued.

"Sounds beautiful" Brook pitched in, "I wonder if Robin-san and Nami-san would do that when we take you back home."

Zoro did not take part in this conversation and left the older men to their own perverted thoughts, yet at the same time he could not get the image of Nami in a Kimono out of his head. He took another gulp of his drink.

"When we reach Wado I hope you will indulge me swordsman in a fair fight?" Kinemon changed the subject slightly and gained Zoro's attention.

"What's the catch?" Zoro asked with a small grin, grateful for the change of topic.

"Your sword, Wado Ichimongi…I want to make sure it's owner is worth it" Kinemon stated.

Zoro looked at the blade the man spoke of. He had laid all three of his swords on the ground next to him. He remembered his childhood friend Kuina and his promise… "This sword is something I cannot bargain with" he stated seriously.

Kinemon knew that the man cherished his blade and looked after it well, "I do not want your sword. I just want to see your skills for myself" he replied.

Zoro looked at the man and nodded, he turned to look out at the crowd in front of him again, "Alright, your on" he said with a grin.

….

"Yoooo Zoroooo! Come join us!"

The shout from their captain caught all four men's attention. Luffy was waving to them and hailing them over. Zoro grimaced, their captain just caused the red head to turn around and look in his direction. Stupid idiot, why can't he learn to keep his mouth shut? Zoro thought to himself. Yet it was the sad expression she gave him that cut a hole in his heart.

….

Author's Note: Wow…I could have easily continued but best to break it up. I do aim on ending this soon, maybe a couple more chapters. I have something planned for their next trip.

Thank you for reading, please keep the reviews coming…and don't worry, I haven't forgotten that Zoro wanted to talk to Nami about something…it's just that life can get in the way at times and circumstances can impact on the 'there and then'. It will come in time.

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