Chapter Text
Sitting down waiting was not something he was used to do. Usually, it was him on the bed, swaddled in bandages like a mummy, sleeping his wounds off while the rest of the crew dealt with the aftermath.
This time, he was the one sitting and waiting, and he didn’t like it one bit.
Waiting meant he had time to think, and while meditation was something he could do even in the most stressing of times, this time his thoughts wouldn’t settle up, his own traitorous mind playing over and over again that scene. Wado rattled in his trembling hands when he remembered his gasping, bleeding mouth, the spasms and his pained gasps, the sword piercing through skin and bone and insides-
He groaned. He clutched the white katana, willing his thoughts away. The man in the bed didn’t react, blissfully unaware of his struggle. That was fine, he didn’t want to fight the idiot now, not when he couldn’t even defend himself. As angry as he was at his dumb actions, he wasn’t going to further damage his body.
He exhaled, closing his eye, but opened instantly as the images once again assaulted his mind. Damn, this was annoying. It wasn’t something he could cut, or something he could easily forget. The dumb, idiot, shitty cook didn’t let him. Dumb, sacrificial idiot. Stupid and reckless.
He was so angry, and yet… so disappointed at himself. After all, this was his fault. He was careless, he let himself open. He left his back open for fuck’s sake!
He needed to be stronger. It wasn’t enough. If he wanted to protect the crew, if he wanted to be worth being called the right hand of the pirate king, he had to be strong.
And if he wanted to prove Kuina that he could achieve their dream, he had to be even stronger. Her katana glinted in the afternoon light, singing to him a quiet lullaby, calming his soul. He raised it, silently observing the beautiful white saya, and with a sight placed it back on his legs. He reassumed his bedside vigil over the cook.
The sea was quiet for a change. It made the machines sounds louder.
It had been in the middle of a hard battle. Pirates swarmed them from all over, seemingly endless. He cut through a bunch of them with practiced ease, sending them flying elsewhere, uncaring of how or where they landed. From the distance he could hear the telltale sounds of Nami’s thunderbolt tempo, exploding stars from Usopp’s well landed hits, and the kung-fu attacks from Chopper. From the other side, Robin’s twisted necks and broken backs sent gasps of agony, Franky’s suuuper shouts reverberating through the whole room, Brook’s yohohos making them company along pained grunts and wails from the fallen enemies.
Jinbe was drawing water in, no doubt wrecking havoc with his fishman karate, followed by Luffy proclaiming his powered attacks, going straight towards the enemy captain. The telltale sounds of his gum gum attacks destroying the ship made him grin around his white katana. They definitely got this.
Suddenly, a burly man sent an axe on his way, and he instantly blocked it. Another one tried to slash through his defenses, but he was having none of that. He threw them away, but two more appeared out of nowhere, quickly going at him with swords and axes and guns. What the hell…?
He kept fending them off, grunting at the surprising strength they packed. Where were they coming from? They didn’t seem like they would stop anytime soon and it was annoying him.
He realized they were pushing him away from the group, trying to corner him. But he was having none of that. He sent them spinning away with a strong wave of his three katana, when that happened.
He heard it more than felt it. His Observation Haki flared up in response both at the presence of the familiar man and the enemy, but it was too late. He could only stare in shock at the sword protruding from the cook’s back.
The whole place fell into a heavy silence. Zoro stared at the blond man, who was uncertain on his feet. He looked as if he was still processing that he had just been skewered by a long, glinting sword, his shoulders tensing at the incoming pain. He had the audacity to turn over, staring at the swordsman in the eye with blood running down his mouth and chest, the hilt of the enemy’s sword protruding over his upper right side.
“I saw a glimpse of the future,” he gasped out, and Zoro’s eye widened. “You were stabbed right through the heart.”
He knew the cook’s Observation Haki was much better than his own, as much as he despised to accept it, so he knew that there was some true to his words. But that didn’t make this easier to deal with.
He took the white katana out of his mouth, sheathing it, maintaining contact with the cook’s stare.
“And you couldn’t just kick that guy away?”
“I did.” He said. A wet cough escaped his lips, sending more blood down his chin. “The sword just got lucky. But at least it was me.”
Zoro frowned.
“What do you mean.” He demanded, his fists already tightening around Enma and Kitetsu.
“A swordsman’s shame… is to get wounds on his b-back…”
The cook fell heavily on his knees and Zoro, pride be damned, dropped his two remaning katanas and ran to him, quickly holding him up from his shoulders and keeping him from falling down and injuring himself further. The man was trembling but still kept conscious, though it wasn’t going to be long until he wasn’t considering the extend of the wound.
Puncture wounds were complicated. He had the experience of having them, seeing as being a swordsman was his full time job. He couldn’t get the sword out, lest he risk letting the cook die from blood loss. He needed to get Chopper before this got worse. They would talk later.
“Can you stand?” He spoke down to the cook, who was very still and tense. Pain was evident in the way he was clenching his fists, his mouth a thin press of lips.
He sent him a glare.
“Of course I can, I’m not weak.” He muttered, scowling at him.
He was about to respond to that, taunt him maybe, but the cook was already moving. As soon as he put one foot on the ground, he gasped, eyes flying open wide in shock.
The sword. It had shifted. It was long and probably too heavy, and judging by the color, probably very resistant too. It cut down further too, judging by the blond cook’s heavy pants and the blood running down the blade in rivulets. He tried moving anyways, and Zoro stopped him before he could go on.
“Stop it, idiot. You’re making it worse.”
“S-shut up!” He grunted out, and suddenly, his breath caught in his chest.
And then it started getting worse.
The sounds he made when trying to suck in air were going to stay in Zoro’s mind for a while. He was choking, trying to get air in his lungs but failing to do so in between wet rasps and coughing. He needed to find Chopped ASAP. This was quickly going in a way that was escaping his control.
He pushed him down to his knees again before he could do more damage to himself. He could easily do so. He didn’t like it.
The cook finally seemed to catch on his breathing, but it was tight. His skin was turning pale and ashen, and sweat was running down his face.
“I’ll have to carry you, so hold on tight.”
“No!” Was the instant answer. “I’m not… being carried by a shitty… swordsman!”
This wasn’t the time nor the place for their usual quarreling. This wasn’t a small wound, this was fucking with his insides and he could really die. And while the cook always got on his nerves, he didn’t want him to actually die.
At least not from taking a hit meant for him.
He decided to be the one mature one, starting with taking hold of the situation. The cook could be all his dumb, emotional self if he wanted but he wasn’t going to contribute to it.
“Shut up and stop complaining.” He commanded. He could feel the tendrils of his Conqueror’s slipping out from his own tightly controlled emotions, and he knew he was slipping out.
He knew the cook realized this too. And he also knew it was hurting his sorry pride, as much as his own. They were the wings of the pirate king, as put into poetic words by their archeologist, the two most powerful crew members after Luffy, the ones who had the task of protecting everyone from any danger. And as much as he despised to accept it, Sanji was a strong fighter with an unique fighting style, who wouldn’t go down no matter how many times he was struck, and who he knew would have his back, just like he had a few moments ago.
But right now it was just Zoro and Sanji and a stupidly ill-placed sword. He knew having strength didn’t mean not being able to die from a sword piercing you; that fateful tumble down the stairs wouldn’t have taken his rival so easily otherwise. Life was frail just like that, and even the strong were susceptible to it.
Though if he could avoid that, he would do it.
It was at this moment that the cook’s body decided to give up. He fell further into Zoro, as if he had decided to just suck it up and accept help. Fucking finally.
“You with me?”
A small nod answered him. He let himself be manhandled until he was laying in Zoro’s arms, bridal style (a position that easily helped avoid touching the sword and affected areas) and stood up. The swordsman could only imagine how embarrassing this was for the cook, and the thought made him smirk. Friends or not, he loved teasing the hell out of the annoying bastard.
But the smirk fell quickly out of his lips when he saw the bluish tone around his eyes and lips, and the rapid decline of his health. His eyes were closed, and his head hung loose, having finally lost the battle against unconsciousness. The movement must have taken its toll on his weakened body, but it still had been too quickly. He was starting to suspect something else was acting on the cook’s body to make him go down so easily.
Maybe, just maybe, the sword was poisoned too. Which, quite honestly, scared the shit out of him.
“Don’t you dare die.” He growled down at him. Not like this, not because of my own carelessness.
He realized his katanas were laying haphazardly on the ground. He had forgotten to sheathe them at the sight of the collapsing cook. But it wasn’t hard to decide who was his top priority right now. Luffy would kill him if he let his favorite cook die, the only one who could keep up with his ravenous appetite.
He took to kick some debris onto them, hopefully concealing them from prying and searching eyes, before he took off running to the direction of when he last heard Chopper.
As soon as Chopper’s eyes landed on the prone figure of the cook he ran as fast as he could towards him. Thankfully the battle had died down, and just a few enemies remained in the scene, quickly being taken care of by Brook and Franky.
“Sanji! Zoro! What happened?!” Exclaimed the little guy, immediately tugging on his pants to let him get better access to the cook.
He sat the unconscious man on the ground, careful of the way he handled him, avoiding touching or moving the damn sword. The cook was trembling, his face scrunched up in pain. His face was pale, almost translucent, and he seemed like he was having trouble breathing.
Chopper rolled up one of his sleeves, when Robin suddenly appeared beside him. She quickly knelt down, and sprouted hands from the floor to help support the cook. The little reindeer acknowledged her with a small, thankful smile.
“Please give me details, Zoro.” He asked, while installing an IV drip.
“A sword pierced him.” He stated the obvious. Chopper was still waiting for more, so he elaborated. “Was coughing blood almost instantly. He fell unconscious pretty soon after, so I think the sword is poisoned.”
“Poisoned?!” He exclaimed, and dug into his bag for a syringe and tubes. He motioned to the archeologist. “Robin, please hold the IV bag over his head. I’ll take blood samples and look for poison traces and what kind is it.”
“You can do that here?” Asked Zoro, surprised. He didn’t know the little guy was that prepared. But he was the doctor for a reason.
“Yes, I have blood tests ready for these kind of situations.” He answered, drawing blood from the cook’s other arm. “Anything else you can tell me?”
“No, well, aside from the obvious blood loss.”
“That’s okay. I can’t take care of the sword right now, we have to get him on the Sunny for that.”
Robin bloomed more arms to better adjust the IV bag and the cook while Chopper worked on the blood test. The cook didn’t react nor did he stir; he was far too gone, which left a bad taste on his mouth. Hopefully the idiot didn’t kill himself over him, because he wasn’t sure he could live up with that guilt.
He stared, long and hard at their nakama working on their fallen crew mate, holding Wado tightly. For now, it seemed that there was nothing else he could do more than go and finish the battle, retrieve his swords and see if there was anything else Luffy might have forgotten.
With a resolute sigh, he dislodged the katana from his side and placed it besides Sanji. He silently told her to please stay with him while I’m gone. He could feel Robin’s curious eyes on him, but he paid her no mind. There were more important things to do than worry about his dignity.
“I’ll be back.” He announced, before turning around and going were he felt his katanas laid. He put on his bandana, determined to finish what the cook had started.
There wasn’t much to do other than looking for the rest after he got his sweet revenge, when Luffy’s triumphant last shout reverberated through the whole enemy ship. The battle had finally finished, and the last idiots who were still fighting scampered fast and cowardly, leaving everything behind and jumping ship. He sheathed his swords, silently thanking them for the hard work, and took the bandana off, tightening it on his left bicep.
“Oi, Zoro!” Someone shouted, hurrying at him with loud steps. It was Usopp, who was panting hard and loudly when he reached his side.
“What is it.”
“We’re going back to the Sunny! Luffy’s going to destroy this ship any second now!”
“Serves them right. Let’s go.” Zoro smirked, happily showing how satisfied he was at hearing that.
He was about to start running when Usopp got a hold of his sleeve and steered him in the opposite direction, much to his own annoyance.
“Dude, you should have seen Luffy, he was pretty angry!”
“Sure, who wouldn’t. They messed up with the wrong crew at the wrong time.” Lunch time, to be more specific.
“Yeah but, he was really, really angry, you see.” He said, and Zoro didn’t ask why, but he still continued. “Once he knew what they had done to Sanji, he flipped out!”
“What did he see?”
“He saw Robin and Chopper running to the Sunny with Sanji on his arms! To be honest he looked pretty bad, there was lots of blood. Chopper had this frantic, scary look you only get to see when it involves you!”
Ignoring that jab at himself, Zoro’s stomach dropped and he clicked his tongue. Damn, Luffy knew. No wonder there had been a last, final cry and a powerful attack. He could still feel his Conqueror’s Haki from where he had been fighting.
The ship creaked and shook, so they hurried up. The whole place was falling apart. He could feel Luffy’s energy going haywire; he had to be really, really angry, just as Usopp had told him.
A big mess of debris fell down in front of them, but he cut through and finally, they reached the outside of the ship.
He grabbed Usopp (who already seemed hesitant to take the big jump) threw him over his shoulder, and jumped. They landed on the grassy floor of the Sunny just in time to watch the bigger enemy ship slowly sink, collapsing onto itself. Seconds later, there was the telltale sound of snapping rubber and his captain landed right in front of him, holding his straw hat in place.
“It’s done. Nobody messes with my nakama.” He said, uncharacteristically serious. He glanced at Zoro, who acknowledged him with a nod.
“Luffy, did you at least make sure everyone was here?” Asked Usopp, his voice wavering with uncertainty.
“I made sure they landed here.” He smiled. But then, his eyes fell on the closed galley door, and his smile fell. “Where’s Sanji?”
Zoro’s insides felt weirdly heavy. The fact that he was partially guilty of what had happened that put Luffy on edge made him feel guilty, a feeling he despised with all his being. He exhaled through his nose.
“Being treated, I hope. We just got here.” Answered the sniper. And then, as he sensed the tension in the atmosphere around them, he started moving away. “Ah, I‘ll go see if they have updates about him now. See you there!”
And off he went.
They stared at him until he disappeared in the galley. Then it was just Luffy and him on the grassy deck. He gulped, knowing how perceptive his captain could be when he wanted to, and prepared for the incoming talk.
“Zoro, you know what happened to Sanji, don’t you?”
“Aye, captain.”
“Was it accidental?”
“No. He decided to.”
“Did he say why?”
Zoro clenched his teeth.
“He said it was to protect my back.” He confessed. “I don’t know who told him he could do that, but he did.”
Then his captain smiled.
“That’s just how Sanji is.”
“Hmph, sure, if you say so.”
He crossed his arms, annoyed at the fact he was feeling a tad bit grateful. A tiny little bit. Just a pinch. Still, it didn’t soften the fact that he still felt far too guilty.
“Don’t be stupid, Zoro. He did it because he wanted to.” Said Luffy, as if he had just read his thoughts.
“I’m still angry at him, though.” And angry at myself, his mind uselessly supplied.
“You’ll have to talk to Sanji then!” He exclaimed, and took hold of his wrist. “Let’s go see him!”
They couldn’t enter the infirmary. Not yet, at least. The rest of the crew had already gathered in the galley, sitting down at the table and waiting for news about their cook. Zoro stood next to the door, unable to sit down. As much as he disliked showing it, he was actually worried. The last time he had seen Sanji he looked like he was on the verge of death, who knows what else had happened in this absence.
His thoughts were interrupted by a tall shadow, holding his very familiar treasure.
“Zoro-san, here.” Brook presented his white katana to him holding it in both bony hands.
“Thank you, Brook.” He took it, stared at the white saya, and placed it back with the rest. It felt heavy, as if it had been carrying a big weight prior.
Well, he had entrusted the cook’s life on her, after all.
“Chopper-san told me to take it with me after we escaped the ship.” The musician continued. “Sanji-san did a very honorable thing once again.”
“You saw?”
“I did, with this very pair of eyes. Ah! But I no longer have eyes to see, Yohoho!”
Having eyewitnesses didn’t sit well with him at all. Something about his pride, he guessed.
“Brook, what did you exactly see?” He asked again, in a whisper. He didn’t want the others finding out yet, if they didn’t already know. Not until he knew the extend of the damage and the state of the cook’s life.
“I saw him taking a hit meant for you.”
“And how did it happen.”
“He kicked the man who was wielding the sword away, but it was too late to stop the trajectory of the sword, I’m afraid.” He said with a sad tone. “I wanted to go help, but I had my bony hands occupied at the moment.”
Of course. It had been in the middle of the battle. And it wouldn’t had happened if he hadn’t carelessly left his back wide open. He couldn’t believe something like that could happen at this point in their adventure, when far more dangerous enemies awaited them in every corner. He had to be stronger, stronger than today. And he was going to start by honing his Observation Haki skills first. It was what had saved his life, after all.
Damn that bastard cook, always playing the hero. He didn’t like being saved, much less owing someone favors.
Before his thoughts could go any deeper, the infirmary door opened, and a tired Chopper appeared, fully clothed in surgery gear. Everybody held their breaths.
“Sanji’s finally safe.” He said, and the collective sigh of relief that came after was almost laughable.
“Great!! I call for a celebratory feast!” Exclaimed Luffy, already making plans for a big party.
Nami’s fist didn’t let him think about it anymore, though.
“Don’t be so inconsiderate, he just got back!”
“I’m sowwy…”
“Chopper-san,” Jinbe, who was mostly silent, referred to the little reindeer. “How is he doing?”
Chopper sighed, deep and tired.
“Good, considering how bad he was doing just a few minutes ago.”
So, it wasn’t time to celebrate yet.
“What’s wrong with Sanji-kun?” Asked Nami, sounding concerned.
“He went into shock as soon as we got the sword out. His vitals crashed, went into cardiac arrest and I had to perform CPR twice on him.” He grimly explained, looking very sad. Then he looked at Zoro, who immediately straightened up. “You were right about the poison too. Because of that and the blood loss it wasn’t very easy to bring him back, but I finally managed to stabilize him for now.”
“But will he be alright?”
“Yes, but I’m keeping him sedated and under constant observation for now, until his vitals show better improvements.”
Everybody nodded at that, knowing full well that they’d have to take turns tending to their cook’s duties for now. At least he was safe, not out of the danger zone, but safe enough and in their doctor’s hooves.
Once the news had been delivered and duties were distributed, the crew walked out of the galley but Nami, who went to the kitchen, and Zoro, who stayed leaning on the wall. Luffy was immediately banned from it, and was sent to fish along with Usopp.
“So he doesn’t try anything.” Assured the navigator, while placing a pot on the stove and gathering ingredients.
It was just her and Zoro in the galley now. He couldn’t leave yet. The guilt was weighting him down, and while training was what he usually did when he was stressed, he couldn’t move from his spot against the wall. Nami stole quick glances at him; he could feel her prying eyes on himself, but he paid her no mind, choosing to keep silent.
“Alright, I’ll bite.” The witch suddenly said, leaving her spot in the kitchen and sitting down at the table. “Come here.”
Zoro snorted. He didn’t have to follow her orders.
“Sit, or I’ll add a 50% extra fee to your ongoing debt.”
Damn it.
He growled, unhooking his swords from his hip and leaving them on the wall. He all but flopped down on the chair, staring anywhere but her. He knew what was coming, and he knew he was being a coward about it, but he really didn’t want to talk about his feelings and shit.
Nevertheless, their navigator was smart and knew how to read her crewmates. She already had it figured out.
“Something happened with you and Sanji-kun, isn’t it?”
He grunted.
“Something that has to do with his injury.”
Another grunt.
“You’re feeling guilty about it.” She pressed, and Zoro had enough.
“What. Do. You. Want.” He tried sounding as menacing as possible, pointing each word out, but Nami had been the second to join this crazy crew, and had been dealing with him since long.
“I just want to talk, you big oaf.”
He loudly sighed, feeling drained all of a sudden. He brought a hand to his face and massaged his sinuses, invoking the will to talk.
“What happened, Zoro?” Nami inquired, leaning forwards on the table. This time, she actually looked and sounded concerned.
“The cook jumped in and took a hit meant for me.” He finally replied.
“Hmm, but that’s just usual Sanji-kun stuff, why are you so upset about it?”
“Because it was for me.” He stated, as if it was obvious.
Nami just smiled.
“Zoro, Zoro, Zoro…” She chanted, and then stared right at him. “You’re allowed to be protected sometimes too.”
“But I can’t,” He countered. “If I want to be the greatest swordsman.”
“Ugh, men…” She shook her head. “Are you sure this isn’t about your manly pride being hurt? I know you and him don’t exactly get along.”
“Maybe.”
“And…?”
Zoro finally let it go.
“It bothers me. It bothers me that he thinks I’m weak and that I need protection. That it was because of my own weakness that he had to take that decision.”
Nami seemed satisfied with his answer.
“See? Was that so hard?”
Before he could reply back, bark some insult or stop her from being so irritating, the infirmary door opened, and Robin quietly exited the room. She looked as calm as collected as always, but he could see a bit of sagging in her shoulders, tiredness still showing through her veiled emotions.
“Robin! How are you doing? How is Sanji-kun?” Nami sat up, offering her spot to the archeologist.
She politely denied, instead walking towards the kitchen where a coffee pot was placed specifically for her.
“I’m fine, thank you. Cook-san is sleeping, our doctor is closely monitoring him.” She answered with a polite smile, pouring water and turning on the machine. “Care for a cup of coffee?”
“I’m alright, I’m actually supposed to be working on dinner. Luffy’s gonna come banging on that door demanding for food in any second now and I kinda want to avoid that headache if I can.”
“And you, swordsman-san?”
Zoro shook his head.
“No thanks.” He got up from the table, walking towards his katanas.
He paused. His eyes caught on the porthole of the infirmary door. The lights were turned on, and he caught a glimpse of the cook lying on the bed.
“You can go keep him company, if you want.” Robin said, making him jump. She never failed to surprise him, much to his own embarrassment.
“Nah, I don’t think he’ll really appreciate it.”
“Chopper says we need to keep him constantly on watch. Our little doctor is already tired from all he’s done, and I feel he deserves a little break.”
Damn that woman, always knew where to hit him.
Without a single word, he grabbed Wado and entered the sickbay.
“Zoro! Great timing. I need to go ask Usopp for some ingredients for a medicine I have to make. Can you please stay here with Sanji until I’m back? It isn’t going to be long! I promise! Thank you!”
And as soon as he put a foot in the room, the little reindeer was out. It was as if he had planned this… maybe Robin had given him the idea, no doubt.
He sighed, scratching his head. He looked down at his white katana, listening to the weird beeping sounds and hissing coming from his right side. Other than that, the room was silent.
He spotted a small stool in front of the bed and sat down heavily on it, the poor thing cracking under his weight. He mentally counted to three, and lifted his head.
The cook was sleeping. Sedated, was the correct term, but he looked peaceful enough. Gone were the pained winces, though the paleness remained. His face was covered by a transparent mask, covering his mouth and nose, fog appearing every time he exhaled. His torso was wrapped up in bandages, a small bump on the right side where the sword had stabbed through a few hours ago. A tube was hidden behind them, and it looked like it was draining something. Was it blood? He couldn’t tell.
“Oi, shit cook.” He muttered, kind of greeting him.
Only silence answered him.
And that’s how he found himself in this current predicament.
Chopper, true to his word, came back a few minutes later. He didn’t want to leave his patient unattended for long, which spoke of how bad it really was.
“He has a punctured lung, which triggered a traumatic related hemopneumothorax. The poison was actually a cardiotonic in a high dosage, which increased blood flow and provoked a faster blood loss, inducing shock almost immediately.” Chopper listed on the events, while fixing an IV line.
“What’s a cardiosomething?”
“A cardiotonic. To put it simply, it’s a drug that helps improve blood flow from the heart, making it have stronger beats. It’s usually used as medicine, but… I guess you can also use it for evil things too.”
“Cook said he had seen the sword piercing my heart.”
“Then… if that had hit you, you’d have died instantly. If not from your pierced heart, which is frankly almost impossible, then from the faster blood loss.”
Zoro had to gulp down his discomfort at that.
“What else?”
“The sword pierced him through a rib in front and through two of them on his back, millimeters away from his scapula.” Chopper was now staring at the chest tube, observing the bag collecting blood, and wrote something down on the chart.
Then, he placed the chart and pencil on his desk, and walked to the swordsman, who was still sitting and watching the unconscious man. He latched on his knees, grabbing his attention.
“Zoro,” the little doctor spoke, his eyes looking worried and shiny when he looked up at him. He was no doubt holding back tears. “I know you guys are our monsters and all, but you’re still human. You have to take better care of yourselves.”
“Tell that to the cook when he wakes up.”
“That’s the thing, Zoro… from what you told me, you’d really have died if that sword had touched you.”
“But the cook didn’t. What makes you so sure I’d have died?”
“The placement of the injury.” He insisted. “You and Sanji are similar in height, and that sword… it really would have pierced straight through your heart!”
“But it didn’t. I’m alive. So is the cook.”
“But he wasn’t!” Chopper cried, then almost slapped himself in the face with how quickly his hooves flew to his mouth. Then he added, in a quieter tone. “He wasn’t, and it wasn’t just once, but twice.”
Their little doctor was on the verge of tears. Zoro always held a soft spot for the reindeer, he was like the little brother he had to protect at all costs. He placed his hand on his hat, gently patting him.
“But you saved him, twice. And you would have saved me too, I’m sure. That’s what makes you an amazing doctor.”
Compliments were Chopper’s weakness, and he instantly reacted to his words. He did his happy, bashful dance, getting a smile out of his lips.
“Saying that won’t get you anywhere, you idiot!”
He chuckled at the doctor’s usual antics, getting his hand under his hat and ruffling the fluffy fur there.
“It will be fine, Chopper.” He reassured him.
But when he looked back at the prone figure of the cook, the hissing sounds and beeping machines, and the visibly stained red bandages, he wasn’t so sure anymore.
