Her swordsman
There he is.
The world's best swordsman.
His chest raising heavily covered in new scratches and possible growing scars. Old ones open again. The blood dripping down his fingers that move his swords back in their sheath.
His Yukata shredded hanging over his haramaki.
The bandana bound still tight around his forehead.
His body slowly moves around, facing them.
His crew mates.
All of them standing afar on the broken stones of the now completely destroyed island. Their fight had ripped everything that once decorated this uninhabited island into nothing but several of their own floating islands.
"KUNIA."
His voice shouts into the open sky. His head falling into his neck, staring right above.
"I did it.", his eyes stare into nothing but the open blue light. No response.
Thud. Thud.
His body returns to the noise that comes from the area his nakamas have been watching him and the moment his eyes catch the reason of the movement, he already is covered in the small body of their navigator, he struggles to hold them both, the weight of the fight pulling on his fading energy. He needs to rest.
"She heard it.", Nami's voice reaches him, and her face comes out of his neck into his vision.
Nami…
Her eyes bright on his face and his mind going back to all the moments those orbs have been on him. The years of the past, from their first meeting, their bickerings over nothing and the moments they got each other backs to the most recent ones. The ones that finally opened a promise, he had been holding tight on his chest.
The nights spend on deck with nothing but a half-emptied sake bottle between them, serving as the excuse for finding each other in the midst of the darkness under the moonlight. As if it was not something more than two nakamas spending some early hours of the day on each other's shoulders while both hearts clearly drank the minutes in full need of more.
Zoro knew that Nami finding him before sunrise meant something more.
He knew when her body leaned into his, she showed him a possible future.
He knew that he did not ask for more, when her eyes linger on his, because his heart felt too heavy to do her justice. Them.
And he knows that right now, she is taking all of the things she has been wanting from him, because she knows he finally can offer her all of it.
His arms wrap around her body and his head falls on her shoulder. He wants to fall entirely into her arms, but he is aware that his weight might be too much for her.
"You did it. The world's best swordman.", she whispers in his neck again, her hands cradle his hair below the bandana.
He smiles and wants to just close his eyes to dwell, but another desire grows, one that only she can fulfil.
One he knows he has seen in her eyes for years now.
One she has been waiting for.
One he finally allows himself to act on.
One that holds the reason for her being the one that embraced him first.
"Zoro…", her voice reaches him again and he pulls away in the soft request waves along her tone. He looks at her.
Sees her.
Her dried tears of worry on her cheeks, which his blood covered fingers trace in a soft motion. He realises the red marks he leaves, and he wants to remove his hand, but her head leans into his touch, asking for his hand to just stay right there. While her own fingers find the scar on his eye that once was closed and now fully in use to take all of her in.
Their eyes lock and so many words are being asked, none of them being answered in that moment, except for one. One that pulls on Zoro's neck down to her, his eyes closing slightly on the sensation of their noses brush, followed by an even more empowering sensation.
Her lips on his.
She slips hers in smooth motion over his, nibbing and then being captured by his in process of a slight lean on her fully awaiting lips.
Their bodies move closer, their hold in a soft but tight grip on the other. Her hand on his hip and hair, guiding his tired body and lips in the perfect motion with her. Creating a them, they both had been craving for since the moment they met.
His thumb stroking over her cheek, the other placed on her lower back. And he wants to hold her, keeping her lips on him, but he feels his body fighting against his desire.
She feels his weight falling onto her. "I got you.", she whispers against his lips, when his body keeps trying to fight the tiredness taking over.
And he tries to stand and move but then his body is touched by more hands that hold him up. Robin spreads arms from Nami's body to secure him, to allow him to fall into her arms in a soft smile.
Nami ducks her head again in his neck, a deep breath and her arms tighten over his body. He is alive. He survived it.
She hears footsteps behind her and then other arms reaching for the man slumped over her. But she tightens her grip and shakes her head. She does not want to let go of him.
"Nami, let us get him to the ship. I need to check him.", Chopper's voice reaches her and the hand on her back strokes softly in circles. She knows it is Usopp's.
"I take him.", their captain says and Nami fights the urge. She wants to be the one. She does not want to let go.
"I can't… ", she whispers, her tears falling onto his bloody skin.
But she should have known her captain by now, of course he got her.
Instead of taking him away from her, their captain's arms wrap around them all and set them flying straight onto the sunny in the most soft landing- right into Franky's waiting hands. He puts them down, Nami feels Usopp lifting one of Zoro's heavy arms over his shoulder. "Together.", he says and Nami nods, sliding onto his other side and drags them up to the infirmary, Chopper already sitting and preparing himself.
When Zoro's body hits the bed, her eyes finally allow to scan the man in front of her. Blood everywhere, the once close scar across his chest opens again, smaller ones on his arm, thighs…
Nonetheless, the small smile on his lips is all that tugs on Nami's heart. Her head falling next to his, her fingers going through his hair, while Chopper goes to work. Her eyes watching his raising chest.
He lives.
Her eyes close and her lips mirror the same small smile on her lips.
The night washes over them.
Zoro's eyes open in the darkness and it takes a moment for him to register where he is. His head turns and his met by red hair.
Not a dream.
He senses the soft lips on his shoulder and his eyes wander over the leaning face of the navigator on his side. She lies with her face on the pillow next to him leaned down, her arms hugging his arm tight and their fingers lying softly on each other. She embraces him as softly as she probably is able to while making sure to feed her need to be right beside him. Making sure he is feeling her. His fingers twitch and slowly tighten his grip around her fingers.
Not a dream.
A snore catches his attention, and he moves his head slightly up. And his eyes widen. The infirmary is full. Every single crew mate has been stacked here with him. Luffy, Usopp and Chopper scramble over Jinbei's body, using him as pillow and bed at the same time. Robin lays over the side of the bed behind Nami. And somewhere in the corner his trained eyes see Franky and Sanji leaning against each other on the wall.
Meaning the light notes from the outside, he hears are indeed Brooks as he is staying up for the nightwatch. He smiles softly and his heart grows even warmer.
Not a dream.
They are here for him. They are by his side. As always.
His vision blurs and he raises his hand to cover his eyes, feeling all at once, one hand slipping from his arm, catching his other wrist, the one meant to dry his tears.
His head moves to the side, finding the brown ones of the navigator. The lips on his shoulder shaping a soft smile, as she moves her fingers over his cheeks, catching his falling tears.
Not a dream.
He wants to turn to her, to grab her, hold her and breath her in. But his body is still weak, tired and yet full on fire, when he feels her obliging to his unspoken wishes. Watching her pushing herself up on her elbow, removing thereby her hand from his, but allowing herself to move in right between his arm and body, his fingers wrapping over her waist and his eyes observing all of her tender moves. Her fingers still stroking his cheek and her face hovering over his. Her eyes gaze over all his features until they land back on his eyes.
"Not a dream.", he whispers the question his heart keeps repeating.
"Just reality.", she answers and leans down to capture his lips in another craving desire.
He does not know how long she has been holding those feelings for him, if it had been just as long as he himself has… or was she quicker in her emotional understanding. Probably.
It took him way too long to connect the responses his body had for her, exclusively for and to her, with all the emotions he had no idea how to label. Just to find himself settling for the one word that would do it justice.
Love.
He loves her. Deeply, warm and soft in his craving heated heart.
More than he has loved anything or anyone else. Perhaps that having been the reason for his mind to fully grab what his heart has been asking for.
His other hand slowly finds his way in her neck and in the soft attempt to tell her, not to let go, to keep herself on him. And he feels her smile melting into his lips as she response with more heat against him, her hand on his cheek falling down his neck to his bandaged chest, laying over his heart.
He knows she feels it. His racing beat against her fingertips.
"Not a dream.", her voice rumbles against him and he sighs in delight of everything this moment holds.
"Nami…"
She hums and moves her lips over the corner of his lips. She wants him to talk, but she also needs to feed her heart.
"Promise me that as long as…", his deep voice dies in the room and his head moves against her, their foreheads on each other. "As long as your heart is mine, we never part…", his tone is low and his hand lands on top of her, holding his chest, holding his heart right there.
She smiles again, moving slightly, brushing there nose. "Only, if you promise me that I can be yours as long as you are mine."
Never has the swordsman wanting to hear anything else.
"Promise.", he whispers when she finally guides her lips against his to finalise their spoken words.
She asks him if he wants to rest more, not forcing him to sleep as she can only imaging how full his heart must be. He shakes his head and turns his body with her help on his side, small pain running through his muscles, just to be forgotten when her fingers dance again over his neck and their lips meet again.
As the following minutes drag to hours, they just lay next to each other, whisper more stolen words their heads have been craving for, confessing all the love they have been holding for the other and soft touches in between small laughers and deep kisses.
Not a dream, but so much better.
A couple of days later
Silence hangs over the galley. Well, aside from the moves in the kitchen performed by Sanji. Who has been working his hardest to prepare the biggest feast he has since their celebration for the achievement of finally having the title King of the Pirates on their captain.
Luffy, the one holding that title, grins broad on the head of the table, his arms folded. His impatient leg moving up and down. Showing what all the others are feeling. The others stare in silence onto the empty table, waiting.
It has been two days in which Zoro has rested after his fight. Their ship swimming over the ocean to no particular known goal aside from just finding their next adventure.
Only Chopper and Nami have had the pleasure to actually talk with the person the others have been dying to finally celebrate.
But Chopper demanded more rest and for the first time, Zoro did just that.
No one heard his weights in the night. No napping green head anywhere on deck.
And everyone felt the heaviness of taking some proper nightshift on their lack of sleep, finally understanding why the swordsman napped over the day as his nights where mostly dedicated to the nightwatch and his training.
Chopper kept them updated about his healing progress, which due to his unusual obeying patient went smoother and quicker than he expected. The others did sense that the navigator's presence probably played a role. As she was the only one besides the doctor, to enter the infirmary and most of the time never left for hours and if she did only to grab some food from the galley. Her face decorated with the brightest smile they have ever seen on her, which they all knew was caused by the swordsman.
Nami was also the one not allowing anyone else in. Not even – or rather specifically not – their captain. Robin and Jinbei sensed a small exploitation on her side to finally have their swordsman just for herself, as well as her care for his well-being.
That did not stop Robin to glance with her powers at times into the room. Just to find relief in the indeed smiling face of her best friend fully entangeled with the red head or just in content sleep, her still in his arms.
As they all sit in the galley with Chopper having them gathered there because he finally released his patient from his care, they are waiting.
All waiting for the sound.
The door.
It opens and footsteps enter.
Their heads all sliding over the person that just entered into their silence.
And there he is. Their swordsman. The world's best swordsman. Their vice-captain. First-mate.
"King of Pirates.", his deep voice fills the room. Even the cook stopped his movements, staring at the tall figure in bandages at the entrance.
"You finally have your world's best swordsman.", his arms open, welcoming the expected and so needed hug from the man that had got him here. The man that he had protected over and over with his life, because he was freedom, he was hope. For him and so many more.
Luffy jumps in full power into his arms, crying into the one man, that his entire being would never be able to live without. The one, he does not believe he actually got him to follow him. But he did, so many days in the past. This ambitious, strong monster bowed his pride down to him, allowed him to pull him into life to this place. For them both to finally reach their goal side by side.
Zoro's arm hold him close and laugh into his shoulder. Tears running down his cheek and his heart is once again full.
The rest of the crew just watches the two. The ones that seem to have their heart stitched into each other despite never seeing them ever talk over all the things that just so naturally appear to be mirrored in each other. None of them ever grabbed how these two found another, but they all were grateful. The captain that allowed them to be themselves, to live their dreams and be free. Their vice-captain that made them feel safe, protected and always aware of being cared for. The perfect duo, that everyone knew will never die.
As some of the crew might find themselves settling down, it would not be the two of them. They will be on each other's side until they die.
And not just them. But there enters the other person, that will probably never leave their side.
Nami. Their navigator. Her body leans on the door frame and she watches the two men her life holds the dearest in their tight embrace. Crying into each other and all the unspoken words of love and happiness.
"Idiots, just say it for once.", she smiles and wipes her own tears.
"I love you!", they shout into each other faces right after and the crew falls into a warm laugher over their so ridiculous display of love.
"Okay, and now off!", Chopper jumps out and pulls on their Captain. "He is still healing.", Chopper's tears still falling and once Luffy falls on the kitchen floor, Chopper transforms back and hugs the swordsman himself in his tiny form.
Zoro laughs into his fur. "So much about careful?"
"This is a needed doctor hug!", Chopper cries and a second later one by one from Usopp to Franky over Jinbei, Brook and Robin, they all hug their protector.
They all dwell a moment, all knowing that their swordsman is the toughest of them all and he can take probably even more than that. But relieving him nonetheless, when Nami finally steps in and ask for space.
She removes one by one and when she wants to turn, to get her own moments with the man so desired right now, she feels his arms already wrap tightly around her waist, his head falling onto her shoulder.
"So, where is the sake?"
She leans back against his chest in a chuckle. The safest spot she has ever been and always want to be.
In the arms of the strongest swordsman in the world.
And yet, her swordsman above all.