CHAPTER TWO:
The winds crashed against the sails as the thunder lit up the sky with an angry tantrum. Zoro and Luffy were helping the other sailors handle what's on the ship deck. Waves seemed to be crashing onto the deck mercilessly, dousing the men with salt water. But no matter how hard they fought, eventually the weather won its battle: with the wind so fierce combined with the thunder, the main pillar fell and crashed onto the ship. It was time for evacuation.
"Everyone! Onto the lifeboats! Hurry!" a crewmate called. Everyone hurried and jumped offboard. Luffy looked around his surroundings and realized his dear friend was missing.
"Zoro? Zoro! Where are you!" Luffy yelled.
"Be right there!" Zoro shouted back. "I'm just getting–" But just as he grabbed the last of his swords from its safe spot, the boom broke off from its position, swinging wildly into the air and squarely right into Zoro. He could feel all the air knock out of him as he felt his body tossed in the air and into the freezing salty ocean.
"Zoro!" Luffy cried. He was about to jump in after him to rescue him when another crewmate restrained him, reminding him of his inability to swim. With reassurance and much restraint, Luffy could only pray that the other person was right in the prince's ability to swim to safety.
But Luffy's prayers were wrong.
As Zoro sank into the watery depths, he tried to swim to the surface for air. But with each curling fierce wave crashing over and over, it sunk Zoro farther and farther into the depths, despite his best efforts to fight against the current. And with the limited oxygen left in his lungs…
I can't die like this! I can't! My dream! My goals! My…!
And as suddenly as that storm had hit their ship, Zoro fell unconscious. The last feeling he remembered before he blacked out was that of a soft grasp…
Sanji should have just swam away. He should have seen the storm coming and just went to safety. But no… he just had to listen to his curiosity and conscience. He just had to watch the strange creatures jump off the broken vessel. He just had to watch the creatures scurry to safety and call onto one another.
He just had to watch the green haired creature struggle to swim towards the surface, as he sank further and further.
Not able to stop himself, Sanji swam as fast as he could towards the drowning creature. With all of his strength, he pulled the green haired up towards the surface, desperate to save its life.
You will survive… don't you die on me…!
Eventually, Sanji managed to drag the big lug towards a sandy outcove. It was small and shallow, and he wasn't sure if there were any of its kind nearby, but it would have to do. The blonde panted as he flopped the green haired next to him onto the shore.
Is it even alive…?
Sanji took a moment to study the creature. It was pretty motionless… He pressed his ear against the creature's chest where he thought its heart might be. A beat. Two beats. Three beats.
Good… you're alive… I think. Sanji let out a sigh of relief. He let his blue eyes gaze upon the green haired creature. Studying it up close, he could tell there were definite similarities and differences. For one, it had bulging muscles that could only rival those of the strength of elephant seals. But at the same time, he had arms like a merman: five fingers on each hand even. Sanji hesitated at first, but then dared himself to inspect the face. It seemed to be of similar bone structure to that of a male figure… Perhaps this creature was a male specimen as well. With tan skin blessed by the sun, he looked extremely dark compared to Sanji's light skin tone. Sanji stroked the spiky wet hair and dared to crack a smile. His spiky green hair reminded him of a sea urchin… no… maybe like the marimos that he saw out during his travels one time. Sanji giggled at the thought.
A marimo… that's a good name for you…
Sanji peered over his facial features and watched as his three earrings glistened in the sunlight. With his eyes closed, he wasn't half bad looking…
"Come on marimo… wake up…" Sanji whispered. "You have to achieve whatever your dumb dream is… Wake up marimo… Wake up…" The blonde frowned at the stillness. This man… this man had so much more to live for. Much more than Sanji at least. The blonde has dreams too. Well, had. It's no use now thinking about them when his so-called father will never let him live it out… He had made a promise to his mother before she died that he would see the All Blue someday. To swim and see its glorious waters and meet every fish in the sea. But that was a waste of thought… there was no way his father would ever let that happen. But if Sanji could help someone else out. Help someone else live their dream, even if a minor help… then it was all worth it. So perhaps rescuing the marimo was a little selfish on his part… but seeing another soul have such a passionate goal such as him… he just…
He had to try.
"What would I give… to live where you are…" Sanji sang softly, feeling a bit melodramatic at the moment. Sanji chuckled, laughing at his own stupidity and foolishness for singing to a possibly dead marimo. "What would I pay… to stay here and day dream? What would I do to see you… smiling at me…?" The marimo, at the sound of the singing, seemed to stir a bit and shuffle. Sanji gasped and without thought, stroked the side of the marimo's face to try to wake him up further.
"Where would we walk…? Where would we run…? If we could stay all day in the sun…? Wandering free… wish I could be…" The marimo opened his eyes slowly.
Can it be? The marimo was alive?!
"Part of your world…!" Sanji sang aloud, tears coming to his eyes.
He's alive! He's alive! Thank Neptune he's alive!
The sound of more of the marimo's kind startled Sanji and stopped his singing as he diverted his attention to the noise. From a distance, he could see more of them coming closer to them.
Shit, I can't stay here… Sanji looked back at the conscious green marimo and stroked his cheek.
"Live, marimo. Live."
And with that he disappeared back into the waters.