Ch. 50 - Zoro Finally Gets It
Zoro wanted these halcyon moments to last forever.
Though their little shopping excursion was nothing short of mundane, he couldn't remember the last time he'd been this content. Helena was healthy. She was happy. She was here. He didn't have to mind his thoughts. There was no looming dread of parting. No having to suppress every memory of her. No nagging doubts that they would ever see each other again.
Maybe Nami was right. Maybe he had been simping a bit. Maybe it was just a honeymoon phase, but he honestly didn't care. Now that he didn't have to guard his heart anymore, he had never felt more attracted to Helena. The Sun Queen was practically glowing, and he had to resist the urge to throw her over his shoulder and make off with her again.
And of course, having Kuina there made it all the more perfect. Zoro glanced around and saw her asleep again, this time nestled against Luffy. He sat at an enormous table with the rest of the crew, enjoying a feast that had been thrown in Helena's honor. The captain ate with his usual vigor. His stretchy arms meant he could get to any dish he wanted without disturbing his sleeping charge. He caught Zoro's eye – glanced down at Kuina and back up at him – grinned and gave him a thumbs up.
Mayor Induztry had invited them all to dine at his manor on one of the lower branches of the great tree. From his famous statue garden at the edge of the branch, they had a great view of the harbor, whose long still waters did nothing to hide the haunting but ethereal shipwrecks beneath from this angle.
The statue garden itself also held a touch of the macabre. An untrained eye might not have noticed anything amiss, but the pirates couldn't help but see that the majority of the wooden statues – peeling effigies of mermaids and animals, angels and demons, and all sorts of different things – were in fact figureheads. Here on display for all to see were Ryubokuu's pirate conquests. The lion of the Thousand Sunny had come dangerously close to winding up here.
The mayor hadn't invited them to dine in that spot to make any sort of threatening statement. He'd done so to show Helena the statue garden's latest edition. – a carved depiction of her victory over the Shipyard Queen. Fierce and beautiful, with a snarl on her face, Helena's carving held the beast's stinger in a powerful lunge, running the thing through.
"They do realize I'm not actually their hero, right?" Helena murmured to him while she eyed the statute pensively. "I didn't do any of this to save them. I did it to save you."
He turned and smirked at her. Then he noticed she hadn't eaten much. He made an obvious glance at her plate then back at her. She grimaced.
"Sorry, I think squirrel meat is on the list of aversions," she informed him in a whisper. "Either that or I've been walking too much today. I'm a bit queasy."
She must have seen the confusion on his face. She smiled at him.
"That's right. You don't know yet," she placed a hand on his arm. "Zoro, there's been something I've been trying to tell you," she said, still smiling.
The other Straw Hat's turned their attention on them, as though the pair had just been illuminated by a bright spotlight.
"Yeah, what's that?" he asked.
The crew leaned in. Robin looked like she might explode from holding her breath. Franky had both fists up and clenched in excitement, as though barely repressing a superrr. Chopper hid his face in his hands.
"Zoro, I'm…"
A sudden, distant rush of noise stopped her short. She and Zoro and everyone turned their gaze toward the disturbance – toward the horizon. It sounded like a roaring creature rushing to meet them on all sides of the tree.
The wave of sound broke over them in a rush that lifted the hairs on their arms, and they finally recognized it. The long absent roar of the ocean.
The first bout of short, choppy waves slammed into the lower roots. At the same moment the sea breezes hit in a blast that made the tree sway. The sudden rustling of the giant flowers and leaves deafened them for a moment. Airborne traffic bees got sent into crazed spirals as their handlers clung to them for dear life. The floral scent of the Juliet tree grew stronger around them, now mixed with brine. Familiar, glorious sea brine!
Everyone at the long banquet table jumped up and cheered.
A few clouds had rushed in with the wind and waves and sound, but not nearly enough to explain why all the Ryubokuuans had just whipped out their colorful umbrellas. So many bloomed open on the distant dock below them it looked like the fields of Elysium.
Fortunately for Zoro, Helena had the sense to follow suit. She popped open her umbrella above the two of them just before streams of water came pouring down from above.
Not from the clouds, from the giant Juliet flowers! Each closed blossom touched by the sea breezes flew open, dumping water and nectar on the party goers and their feast.
After a moment, the weather settled as did the initial cheering and buzzing of the tree's residents. The Straw Hats, some under prepared and completely soaked, threw back their heads and laughed.
Helena had just lowered her umbrella, laughing with the rest of them. She grabbed Zoro by the front of his coat and kissed him.
"Weren't you about to tell me something important?" he asked her.
"Yes!" she cried, breathless from the excitement. "Zoro, I'm…!"
"Little Zoro!" Luffy called suddenly. "Where'd you go?"
Helena and Zoro's eyes widened in momentary panic. In seconds, both Zoro and Luffy had sensed where Kuina had gone, but it did nothing to assuage their sudden fear.
A presence had just made itself known: a powerful beacon of haki there in the statue garden. It had been masking itself, but in the shock of the Calm ending, whoever it was must have dropped their guard.
And the little verdant light that was Kuina was dashing toward it.
Zoro and his captain leapt into action, Helena trailing behind them as. Quickly winded, she struggled to keep up. The two pirates soon found Kuina with her arms wrapped around one of the gangly legs of Trafalgar Law.
"Traffy?" Luffy called in surprise.
Law had been staring down at his new leg warmer in shock. The shock turned to panic as he saw the Straw Hats approach. He attempted to shake the adorable little girl off but she wouldn't let go.
"I-yi yi-ike you-oo!" she giggled, her voice oscillating as he waved her up and down.
He softened for a moment. "Lami…" he started, then seemed to get a hold of himself. "Get off me, kid!"
"YOU!" Helena roared, finally catching up them.
"Room!"
A blue bubble enveloped them as Helena tossed her umbrella at Luffy and grabbed one of Zoro's swords from its sheath – thankfully Wado Ichimonji, not the Kitetsu – and charged Law with a primal cry.
Before Law could use his powers further, he found himself forced to draw his own blade to defend himself.
"YOU DESTROYED HALF OF MY WALLS, AND NOW YOU'RE AFTER MY DAUGHTER? " Helena bellowed, slashing at him. "I'LL CUT YOU IN TWO!"
Zoro generally expected Helena to be able to hold her own in regular close combat, but Law managed to knock her back with a single well placed strike. She flew back into her husband, who steadied her before she lost her footing completely.
"Shambles!"
Helena made to dash forward again, katana at the ready. Zoro went to back her up, drawing another sword.
Then Law swapped Kuina for the umbrella. One moment she was clinging to Law's leg and the next she appeared in Luffy's arms.
"Hi Yuffy!"
It was too late for the two attacking swordsmen to check their momentum. But Law was ready for them. He jabbed his sword in the air in front of him, too far away to reach them with any kind of jab. What was he doing?
"Personality Transplant Surgery."
Zoro blinked and the next moment it felt as though he had teleported. One second he'd had Helena between himself and Law, but now he's somehow overtaken her. His eyesight became noticeably better; he had regained depth perception. But his body felt slower, weaker, sicker.
He looked down at his hands…why was he holding Wado Ichimonji instead of Shusui? Wasn't Helena holding that sword?
He turned when he heard Helena let out a little cry of consternation behind him. But when he turned he didn't see her, he saw…himself?
"What in Hades?!"
That was Helena's voice, but it was coming out of this other Zoro's mouth. Said other Zoro immediately made to button up his coat to cover his chest, then looked over at him, eye wide in confusion.
He looked down at his own body. Why was he wearing leggings again? – only they were far more comfortable than they had been before. He took in the boat necked T-shirt, the sandals, the sparkly (weathered) toes, the slender, feminine frame. – he was in Helena's body! Which meant she must be in his.
Zoro and Helena turned back to Law and shouted, "What did you do to us?!"
But with teeth gritted, Law teleported himself away, leaving the two to grapple with their newfound predicament.
Zoro turned back to the other Zoro, no, to Helena, who stared at him, still in shock. He felt like he was about to puke.
"Ugh, did we seriously just swap bodies?" Zoro groaned.
"Looks like it," Helena replied, sheathing the katana and inspecting her new body pensively.
Kuina and Luffy looked between them as they each spoke, eyes wide.
"That was rough…I think I'm gonna hurl."
"Really? I feel great!" Helena replied, flexing a bicep, "Better than I have in ages!"
"We need to find him and make him switch us back," Zoro groaned.
"What's the rush?" Helena pouted. Zoro didn't think he'd ever seen his face make that expression before.
Then Zoro felt his stomach flutter. He stared down at it, perplexed.
"Helena…?" he asked, two functioning eyes wide. "What the heck did you eat?" His stomach kicked him again.
Helena let out an unmanly giggle. It looked weird coming out of Zoro's big body, particularly with the way she had her hands clasped to her face. "That would be the baby, dear." She chortled.
"YOU ATE A BABY?"
Helena facepalmed. "Like father like daughter," she chuffed. "No, I didn't eat a baby, you idiot."
"Then…?" Zoro started, but trailed off when it finally hit him.
"Congratulations, Zoro," Helena went on, grinning as she swept her burly arms open wide. "You're pregnant."