15 Reasons to Fall in Love
Chapter 8
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.
7. Zoro was always lost
Having to look after their idiot captain was bad enough, Sanji didn't want to have to constantly be on Zoro watch just because the stupid marimo could walk a straight line.
By the time the Straw Hats finally reached the next island, everyone was ready to jump ship. It had started as it always did, with Luffy growing bored. There were only so many games he could invent and only so much trouble he could get into before he grew bored with sailing. Usually they would have made it to the next island before he reached that point, but Nami hasn't been joking when she said it was going to be a long way to the next island.
When Luffy threw in the towel and gave into boredom, so did Usopp and Chopper. This left a very inquisitive Usopp to interrupt Franky at every turn and a very nosy Chopper to harp on Zoro for his "incorrect" methods of working out. This irritated the shipwright and the swordsman to no end, and they began asking Nami how long it would be till they reached the next island every time they saw her. This combined with Luffy's constant whining and pestering pushed Nami over the edge. She'd locked herself in the navigator's office three days ago after threatening to castrate anyone that came near her. She only came out for meals and when she and Robin headed to the girl's cabin for sleep.
Sanji tried to help his nakama out by keeping the boys busy with fishing, but there was only so much fishing they would do in a day before they threw down their poles and told Sanji to get the fish himself. Truthfully, Sanji was pretty on edge himself; even he would have a hard time making meals with their dwindling food supply. He was one of the most conservative chefs he knew, but he couldn't make their supplies last forever. So when the boys had refused to fish any more one afternoon, he'd kicked Luffy hard enough in the head to send him flying.
Brook kept his spirits up, and tried to do the same for the rest of the crew by playing upbeat melodies for them every night. That was, every night until Luffy got mad at him for not playing his favorite song (primarily because Brook didn't know Luffy's favorite song, and Luffy didn't have a clue how it went either) and threw his bowl at him. The bowl couldn't harm Brook, but it could harm his violin. The bowl struck the fragile instrument and snapped two strings in the process. That disheartened Brook thoroughly, and they'd lost their only source of cheer.
Even poor Robin, who tried for so long to keep the others calm and happy eventually lost her patience with all of them and locked herself in the aquarium room with a few books. It was quiet there, and the ideal place to avoid the noise caused by her overly energetic captain, the cook and the swordsman's constant fighting, and the frequent explosions caused by the shipwright and the sharpshooter.
When Zoro called down that he'd spotted land the next morning, they were all so relieved to be able to get off the ship and stretch their legs that they enjoyed their breakfast together as if any of their fighting had never happened. Nami even happily gave Luffy some of her food while she talked about how long it would take her to map out the island.
The island they landed at was huge and seemingly uninhabited. They'd circled around less than half of it before deciding it was safe to make land. It seemed to be covered in a thick forest, many evergreens and a few splashes various color from changing deciduous trees. It was definitely an autumn island in the late summer.
An uninhabited island was good news for the infamous pirates, it meant they could stay on land and explore at their leisure without having to worry about encountering any marines, bounty hunters, or hateful citizens. It was apparently also good news for Nami, who gleefully informed them that they wouldn't need their allowances, since there was nowhere on the island to spend it.
As Nami and Franky went to pull the ship near to the island and find a good place to drop anchor, Sanji set to work on making lunches for them to take out with them. Zoro stayed behind and washed the breakfast dishes. It was the first time in a few days they'd been in the same room together, as their rising irritation levels over the course of the last couple weeks had led to nothing but fighting. If Zoro so much as held a cup wrong Sanji would lash out at him, and the swordsman had taken to complaining about how long it took the cook to wash something. In the end they'd decided it was safest to separate themselves until they were in better moods.
They hadn't spoken, but their silence was quiet and companionable; the way Sanji had been getting used to it being before they'd both been driven to their breaking point. Sanji hummed happily while he combined ingredients in a pan and gave its contents a swirl with a spoon. Of course, he hadn't realized he'd been humming until Zoro so subtly pointed it out.
"You're humming," He commented.
Sanji paused in his movements. "I was?"
"Yeah," Zoro said. He hadn't even bothered turning away from the dishes. Given his blatant comment and lack of continuing conversation, Sanji could only assume that his humming had been irritating the swordsman.
"Sorry about that," He shrugged, swirling the spoon in the pan once more before tapping it lightly and setting it aside. Yesterday he might have snapped at the marimo to mind his own business, but today he was feeling nothing but relief and wouldn't let Zoro's minor slights bother him.
"No, I liked it," Zoro corrected. "It was nice. I was just wondering what song it was."
Sanji was glad Zoro was still so intently focused on the dishes; he could feel his face heating and was sure it was a nice shade of pink. "I'm not sure," He thought about it for a moment. "Something Brook was singing the other day I think, but I couldn't tell you what it was called."
Zoro finished drying the last dish before setting it on the counter and turning to face the cook. He leaned back against the counter, looking every bit at home in Sanji's kitchen as Sanji was. This thought didn't make Sanji any more comfortable than Zoro's comment about his humming had and the cook quickly twisted to survey the contents of his pan, giving them a quick stir.
"I like it when you hum. You only do it when you're happy," Zoro said. "Glad to be landing?"
"Aren't we all?" Sanji laughed, though it sounded a little forced even to him. "You were going pretty crazy too, if I recall."
Zoro laughed as well, though his laugh sounded much more relaxed than Sanji's. "That's true. I hate it when Chopper goes full doctor mode on me. I never get a moments peace."
"Well," Sanji cleared his throat and raised it to an impossibly high and squeaky tone. "If you'd just take care of yourself he wouldn't have to worry about you!" His voice broke on the last word and both he and Zoro laughed at his poor imitation.
When their laughter had subsided Zoro cleared his throat and continued their earlier conversation. "Anyway, we've all been a little on edge, but I know you've been worried about the food supply."
Sanji resisted the effect of gravity on his jaw. If he hadn't it would have fallen right open. He racked his brain, trying to remember a time he'd even hinted to Zoro that he'd been worried about their food shortage. Of course he came up with nothing. He knew he hadn't let anything like that slip. Despite his own concerns, he was always very careful not to let the rest of the crew know about their lack of food. That could cause a panic, and that wasn't going to help anyone.
If Luffy asked why meal portions were getting smaller, Sanji would reply that they needed to start being conservative for the long haul; he never mentioned that sometimes that was all they had. He told them to fish if they wanted fresh meat; he didn't mention that if they didn't fish there wouldn't be any meat. He knew his crew wasn't stupid (well, some crew members weren't stupid). He knew they realized there came a point in the journey when food supplies ran low. They knew fresh fruit and vegetables didn't stay fresh for long, and meat and eggs could only last so long. He was always careful not to tell them exactly how bad things were though.
And Sanji wasn't about to let the idiot marimo figure it out either. "I don't know what you're talking about," He shrugged, turning the heat off on the stove and turning to the cabinet he kept their lunch boxes in. "The food supply has been fine."
Zoro raised an eyebrow. "Is that why you tried to kick Luffy back to Alabasta?"
"I kick Luffy because he was being a useless little brat," Sanji frowned.
"Oh, I was pretty sure you did it because he refused to fish and you needed those fish for breakfast the next morning," Zoro replied with feigned nonchalance.
However Sanji could feel the swordsman's eyes burrowing into the back of his head and knew it was useless to try and lie his way out of this one. He threw one panicked gaze at the swordsman. "Please don't tell the others," He threw his pride away and practically begged the other man.
Zoro was surprised by the cook's reaction. Sanji never asked favors, especially from him, and he'd never seen the cook look so upset. Even when Nami had rejected his advances he'd never looked so distraught. He wanted to ask what it was that had the cook so worked up, but he found the words died in his throat. Instead he just nodded. "Of course I won't. Your secret is safe," He replied, though he wasn't sure why they were keeping this a secret.
Sanji was reassured though, and exhaled a sigh of relief. "Thank you," He looked at the swordsman thoughtfully. "How did you know I was worried about it?" He asked.
Zoro pushed off the counter and came closer to where Sanji was standing. Sanji resisted the urge to back away. For one thing he'd just end up trapped between the swordsman and the stove. For another, he couldn't back down to Zoro, it would be like admitting defeat to the swordsman, and Sanji would never admit defeat to that idiot.
The third reason he wouldn't back away was, well, because he couldn't. He found himself completely frozen in place, eyes locked with Zoro's, as he reached out, fingers brushing against the cook's lips. His hand had barely made contact before he pulled away, but it sent a shiver down Sanji's spine.
"You chew on these more than you smoke them when you're worked up," Zoro said.
Sanji blinked, tearing his gaze away from Zoro's to focus on what the swordsman was presenting to him: his cigarette. Sanji chewed his lip where the little stick usually sat, having only just noticed it was missing. Sure enough, the butt was chewed into a disgusting mush and the thing had clearly never been lit.
"Oh," Was all Sanji could manage, still thoroughly distracted by the tingle left over on his lips from Zoro's touch.
Zoro reached past Sanji and set the chewed cigarette on the counter. "Yeah," He chuckled. He was standing so close Sanji could feel the swordsman's breath on his shoulder. He had to remind himself to breath normally.
Zoro stepped back and gave the cook and odd look, and Sanji realized he'd been staring. He quickly tore his gaze away from the marimo and set about packing up their lunches. He was extremely grateful that Zoro decided not to ask about his strange behavior. Instead the marimo turned and began putting the clean dishes away.
When he was finished he wiped down the counter, rinsed out the sink, and hung the towel neatly so it would dry properly. Just the way Sanji liked it. Zoro never made any mistakes in his kitchen (at least not real ones, just the ones Sanji made up as an excuse to yell at the swordsman). It never ceased to amaze Sanji that the marimo, the same shitty marimo he hated up till a few weeks ago, seemed to know everything about him, down to his simplest habits. It was both strange and flattering to the cook.
"Hey, Zoro?" Sanji called, snapping the lid shut on Luffy's second lunch box.
"Yeah?" Zoro asked. He'd just finished his cleaning and Sanji could practically feel his excitement to get off the ship. He hadn't really noticed it before. He assumed Zoro was happy as long as he could lift weights and nap, but apparently even the idiot swordsman could get cabin fever.
"I'm probably going to spend the day foraging for food and hunting..." He paused, wondering what on earth he was thinking for a moment before he continued on. "Did you want to come?"
The surprise on the marimo's face was quickly followed by a happy expression that looked so pleased it shouldn't have been allowed on the scowling idiots face.
"I could use your muscles for carrying stuff," Sanji added.
The glee on Zoro's face dropped a notch or two, but he still looked pretty damn happy. "Sure, I'll come," He agreed. "Wouldn't want a lady like you to break a toenail doing some hard work."
Zoro was literally kicked from the galley. "Just go get us a couple of bags, Shitty-marimo!" Sanji yelled, shutting the door with a loud snap.
Sanji forgave Zoro later when he came back later with two of the biggest packs the Straw Hats possessed and two canteens filled with water. At least the bastard had been productive with his time, for once. Sanji distributed the lunches, (assuring Luffy that he had plenty of meat in his pirate lunch box) and waited patiently while Nami told them exactly when to meet back at the ship. The moment they were given permission to leave, he and Zoro wasted no time in putting as much distance between themselves and the Thousand Sunny as possible.
"I've never seen Sanji and Zoro so excited to get off the ship," Chopper commented while he waited with Robin, Brook, and Luffy for Franky to pull out the Mini Merry. Nami and Franky had pulled as close to shore as a safe, but the water was still too deep for the devil fruit users to traverse; not that Luffy hadn't tried, nearly drowning in three feet of water and having to be tossed back on board by Zoro for his troubles. He now sat pouting and whining about how it wasn't fair that Sanji and Zoro got to have an adventure first.
"I don't really blame them," Nami replied, shooting Luffy a scathing look. She herself was ready to put as much distance between her and her captain as possible, but she didn't want to ruin her skirt, so wading the rest of the way to shore was out of the question. "I'm just shocked they volunteered to go together."
"They've been getting along much better lately," Robin informed her. "Better for them at least."
"Yeah," Usopp agreed. "They spend a lot of time together now."
"Really..." Nami gave Robin an expectant look. Everyone on the crew knew nothing slipped past the archaeologist. If you were curious about something, you went to Robin first. The first chance she got away from the others, Nami was going to find out what Robin knew.
"Seeing such a wonderful display of friendship warms my heart...or it would, if I had a heart," Brook laughed merrily at his own joke.
"It's not fair!" Luffy whined. "I wanted to go food hunting too!"
"You'd just eat all the food," Nami snapped, smacking him in the head.
"I hope they're careful," Chopper frowned. "They don't know when to quit sometimes."
"I'm sure they'll be fine Chopper," Usopp assured his friend with a pat on the back. "They're monsters after all; it'd take more than a little fighting and a some forest wildlife to take them down."
Chopper nodded but it was clear his worries weren't entirely put to rest. Fortunately it was then that Franky announced the Mini Merry ready to depart and the cook and the swordsman were temporarily forgotten by their nakama in the excitement to finally leave the Sunny.
The air was pleasant enough for light clothes, but not exactly warm enough for wet clothes. Fortunately, Sanji had thought ahead enough to suggest they each bring a change of clothes. When they reached shore they were both soaked up to their chests. The water wasn't particularly deep, but there was a fair amount of splashing caused by their unspoken competition to reach shore first.
Sanji pulled his spare clothes from the pack but hesitated in putting them on. He wasn't a shy man by any means, but the idea of stripping down in front of Zoro suddenly left him feeling a tad self-conscious. He glanced back at the swordsman and saw the other man clearly didn't have the same reservations as Sanji, as his shirt was already gone and he was making to undo his pants. Sanji spun quickly around again. He was being stupid, and he needed to get over it. With that in mind, he quickly stripped himself of his clothes and changed into the new ones.
"You're slow, Cook," Zoro commented when Sanji was finished.
"Shut up, Marimo," Sanji snapped. For a walk in the woods with the marimo, a suit would have been overboard. He settled instead for a t-shirt and simple pair of black slacks. They laid their wet clothes out on a rock to dry while they were gone and turned to look at the forest in front of them.
Sanji was pretty excited to get in and see what the forest had to offer him. The forest itself made him feel a little nostalgic; forests like this were pretty common in the North Blue, and even though he hadn't lived there since he was a kid it still had a sense of familiarity. This was the Grand Line though, he reminded himself, and the similarities between the forests in his vague childhood memories and this forest could end at their outward appearance alone.
"Are we going in or not?" Zoro asked, though his voice didn't hold quite as much impatience as it usually would. The cook was obviously lost in thought, and Zoro had taken to observing the cook more than picking fights with him.
"Yeah, yeah, we're going," Sanji rolled his eyes, setting off into the forest in front of them. "This forest reminds me of the forests at home," Zoro hadn't asked, but Sanji figured he'd better explain his sudden space out anyway. Not that he felt he needed to justify any of his actions to the marimo...but he did want to make conversation.
Zoro gave him a strange look. "Didn't you grow up in that restaurant?" He asked, then (in case Sanji was an idiot) he added, "In the middle of the ocean?"
Sanji glared at the swordsman. "Before that, idiot. When I lived in the North Blue," He looked up at the canopy of leaves and branches above him. "Not like a spent a whole lot of time in the forest anyway, it just kinda reminded me of the past is all."
Zoro nodded but didn't say anything. Together they walked a ways in silence. Once in a while Sanji would stop to observe a type of leaf or pluck a berry and consider it for a moment before discarding it.
"What was wrong with that one?" Zoro asked after the third time Sanji did this. The berry in question was red and plump and looked delicious. As much as the cook hated wasting food, Zoro couldn't believe his eyes when Sanji carelessly threw it to the side and moved on.
Sanji turned and looked down at the berry he'd tossed aside. "It's not edible," He said simply, turning to move on again.
Zoro followed, but not before giving the berry one last regretful glance. "It looked pretty edible to me," He said.
"Well why don't you eat it then, Marimo, tell me how that goes for you," Sanji smirked. "Or you could trust your cook to know what's good for you."
Zoro grumbled but let the subject of the berry drop. Eventually he and Sanji stumbled upon a tree laden with apples. He sent a questioning look at Sanji who nodded.
"Those are edible Marimo," He said, reaching up and plucking one down. He turned it in his hand, inspecting it for damage from insects or animals. Seeing none he bit into it. "Mm, they're sweet," he commented wiping at a bit of juice on his lip.
Zoro watched the cook take a bite and curiously reached up to try one for himself. It was sweet, but not overly so. It had a crisp, refreshing flavor to it that seemed to reflect the nature of the island itself. He chewed on it thoughtfully, savoring the taste of something fresh and juicy after so much time living off of Sanji's preserved foods and the catch of the day. Not that anything that Sanji had cooked had been bad, it always tasted great, but the contrast between fresh fruit and canned fruit was noticeable even to the swordsman.
Sanji pulled the pack off his shoulders and set it on the ground before reaching up and plucking a few more apples from the tree. Zoro quickly finished his apple and followed the cook's lead. He took the cook's advice and inspected each apple for damage before he added it to the pack. If the apple was damaged, the tossed it aside. Sanji assured him the bad apples wouldn't go to waste; something would come along and eat it.
"In a way, we're helping out," Sanji said. "Some things would love to eat these, but they can't reach them and have to wait for them to fall off on their own. We're speeding up that process for him," He said, tossing another bad apple to the side.
"What can you use these for?" Zoro asked. Ever since he'd started helping out the cook in the kitchen, he'd seen Sanji do some pretty amazing things with food that Zoro had never even considered. He'd never had an interest in cooking before, and truthfully still didn't, but watching Sanji create dishes was the equivalent of watching a stage performer to Zoro.
"Lots of things," Sanji said, considering an apple for a moment before adding it to the bag and reaching for another. "If I had flour, the easiest thing to make would be pie...but I ran out of flour last week, and I don't think I'll be finding any in this forest," He thought for a moment before continuing. "I bet we can find some nuts though. Depending on which kinds we find I could bake them with nuts, and a little cinnamon and nutmeg, I'd have to play with spices," He paused and looked up at Zoro, smiling. "It's a really great desert for this kind of weather. And I think you'd like it, it's not too sweet."
Before Zoro could come up with a reply, Sanji put the last apple in his pack and straightened. "I think that should be enough. If we get too many they might go to waste," He lifted the pack back onto his shoulders. "Let's move on, Marimo, we've got a lot more food to collect."
Zoro wordlessly obeyed, hefting the now weighted pack onto his shoulders and following after the cook. He could have made a comment about the cook's sudden impatience after he was the one that got all googly-eyed over the forest to start with. He could have made some smart aleck remark about the cook being the one that was having a love affair with the apples, but he didn't. Primarily because he'd been stunned speechless.
He'd never told the cook he didn't like sweet things.
Sanji hiked happily though the woods. Occasionally a small animal would startle and take off into the woods. This happened many times, but there didn't seem to be anything larger than a rabbit around as far as game went. Rabbits and squirrels were edible, but too small for the marimo's swords and too quick for even his feet to keep up with. He'd have to talk to Usopp about making up some traps later. For tonight he was sure they could find some crabs or clams on the shore. Luffy would just have to wait until tomorrow for "real meat."
The forest was peaceful, quiet but not oppressively so. There was still enough life in the bird song and small rodents to make Sanji feel at ease. In fact the only strange noise in all of the forest right now was the sound of his own feet as the made a path through the dead leaves and detritus that littered the forest floor.
Just the sound of his own feet...
Only his own feet...
Sanji spun quickly. The marimo had, until just a moment ago, been following behind him. Now he found himself alone. He listened carefully, hoping to pick up the idiot-swordsman's footsteps, but aside from the trilling bird song, everything was quiet.
"Dammit," Sanji cursed. He should have known better than to have the marimo follow him. The idiot couldn't walk a straight line without getting lost, and he knew for a fact the moron didn't pay attention long enough to follow anyone. "Oi! Marimo! Where the hell did you go?!" He shouted. It was probably a lost cause, but it was easier than having to guess which direction the swordsman took off in.
He strained his ears for a reply. There was a beat of silence before he barely heard, "Cook! Over here!"
The voice was so distant it seemed to come from several directions at once. Sanji sighed and took a wild guess, trudging back the way he came and slightly to the west. "Keep talking moron! I can't find you if you're not making noise!"
After several minutes and an improvised game of Marco Polo (that could have been renamed Shit-Cook and Bastard-Marimo) Sanji finally found Zoro. "What the hell were you doing, you bastard?" Sanji fumed. "I realize your sense of direction is even less than non-existent but I was right in front of you. How did you manage to get lost?!"
"I wasn't lost," Zoro frowned.
"Bullshit, how do you explain the last ten minutes I spent having to look for you then?" Sanji snapped.
"Just shut up, Cook."
Sanji grit his teeth. He needed a cigarette. How he'd gotten through the last hour or so with the marimo without one was a mystery to him. "Don't tell me to shut up y-" He started, but was cut off by Zoro's hand.
"Shut. Up," Zoro repeated. He tilted his head to the side, trying to catch the sound he'd heard before. Once he found it, he released the cook. "This way."
Sanji was furious, murderously so, but the marimo's actions aroused his curiosity enough that he decided kicking the bastard's ass could wait a little while. It seemed the marimo was onto something, so Sanji kept his mouth shut for the moment and followed the swordsman as he walked in a seemingly random direction. He paused every once in a while and sometimes turned and wondered off in a different direction. Sanji wondered if perhaps he wasn't just discovering the marimo's pattern for getting lost.
After what seemed like an endless amount of walking in a random, zig-zagging fashion, Zoro stopped again and turned to Sanji. "Almost there," He said. "Hear it?"
Sanji paused and listened. It sounded like the woods had all day, bird song, twigs snapping in the distance, the crackle of dried leaves...but there was something else as well, something Sanji hadn't heard before.
"A river," Sanji commented with some surprise as he pinpointed the sound. The rush of water and was almost a white noise in the background, but the sound was unmistakable.
"Right," Zoro nodded, leading the way again.
They walked for another few minutes before Zoro suddenly veered right. "Here," He said, pointing ahead of him and disappearing between some trees.
Sanji followed, ready to unleash his rage at the swordsman, but the scene before him silenced him instantly. The marimo had led them to a clearing in the woods, wide enough that some grass bravely poked itself out of the ground to make the most of the sunlight the trees had let through. The river they'd heard before ran through the clearing. It was small, only a couple of feet wide, and fairly shallow. There was an out cropping of rock that made for a small waterfall, and the water gave the scene a cheerful bubbling noise.
It was the picture perfect scene, and Sanji couldn't believe the marimo had found it. In fact, he was almost positive the swordsman hadn't found it entirely on purpose. "So you got lost, happened to hear the river, and followed the sound?" Sanji guessed.
Zoro made a face that confirmed Sanji's theory. "Shut up. I thought it'd be a nice place to have lunch."
Sanji overlooked the scene again and smiled. "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but that is an excellent idea, Marimo."
Zoro looked a little too pleased with himself as he slipped the pack off his shoulders. Sanji could have easily wiped the smile off the marimo's face, but decided to let him have his moment. He slipped his own pack off and sat down, taking a moment to recline in the sun. It was warm, just warm enough to be pleasant without burning.
"You know, Marimo," Sanji commented, taking out his lunch and popping the lid off. "You really should do something about your sense of direction."
Zoro shot him a glare. "Shut it, Cook. Besides," He paused and took a bite of his lunch. "I always end up exactly where I need to be."
Sanji considered that. It was true; Zoro always did end up back where he was needed, usually just in the nick of time. He'd always figured it was just a fluke; if you run around lost long enough, you were bound to find the place you were supposed to be eventually. He thought about how Zoro hunting down this spot. Zoro wasn't exactly a genius, but he had sensational instincts. Maybe Zoro started out lost, but he always found his way back by instinct.
Thinking about it made Sanji's brain hurt. "At the end of the day, Marimo, you're too simple to even make sense of."
"What the hell does that mean?" Zoro growled.
"Forget it," Sanji chuckled setting his lunch aside and laying back in the grass. He folded his arms behind his head and closed his eyes, letting the sun warm his skin. "I'm just starting to think maybe your getting lost all the time isn't all that bad."
Zoro didn't reply and Sanji let himself enjoy the moment; with the river babbling happily behind them, the sun dancing over his skin, and in the companionship of one swordsman he was starting to enjoy having around.
Finally he sat up and grabbed up his lunch box. "Eat up Marimo, we still have a lot of gathering to do today," He said, happily digging into his meal.
A/N:
Does that seem a little...incomplete? Well I apologize if it does. We've reached sort of an...arc, in this story so the next few chapters will tie in together. However the end of the chapters might leave you going "uh...and then?"
Thank you all SO MUCH for the reviews! Really, they were great! I got a lot of compliments that had me all embarrassed and a few critiques that reminded me to keep my story in line a little bit. All of them were wonderful and thank you all for taking the time to leave a review!
Also, I'm sorry some of you were disappointed by the lack of action in the last chapter. I promise there will be plenty to come in the future.
I'm not really sure how I feel about this chapter. For some of it, it felt like I was really forcing things along (most of that ended up being deleted). Zoro getting lost seemed like such an easy concept to write about...but when I was trying to write it, it suddenly didn't seem so easy. Anyway, I hope you'll let me know what you think of it.
Again, I apologize for any spelling and grammar errors and typos. I slept very little to be sure I could post this today, so my editing may have been even more careless than usual.
I hope you enjoyed!