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Luffy couldn’t remember the last time he had awoken feeling so refreshed. He had always healed fast, but even for him, this was a bit absurd. Hadn’t Moria thrashed him about? Hadn’t Oars crushed him, battered him until he could barely stand?
But Luffy had no issues standing up now. He looks around, unconsciously taking a head count of his crew. Everyone was lying about in various states of awareness – Chopper was running around frantically, Robin was helping Nami to her feet, Franky was attempting to snap Usopp out of a haze. Sanji was-
Where was Sanji? Luffy did a double-take of the crew’s surroundings, but he didn’t see the blonde-haired cook. And Zoro-
A piercing scream sliced through his thoughts.
Luffy had only seen Sanji in complete distress a handful of times. The man was strong, resilient, and stubborn. It took a lot to break that cool composure of his (excluding the presence of a woman).
But in that moment, the pure agony in the scream that ripped from Sanji’s throat nearly brought Luffy to his knees. He only stayed frozen for a second before he sprang toward the sound, launching himself toward the source. He leaps over a tall pile of rubble, landing uncharacteristically clumsily on the ground. The rest of the crew appeared a few moments later, not quite as quick on their feet as their captain.
Sanji was on his knees, his knuckles pale and bloody where they gripped his hair forcefully.
But Sanji never fought with his hands – then he wouldn’t be able to cook as well. Why were his hands bloody?
Luffy’s gaze shifted past Sanji onto someone else. They were red from head to toe, covered in so much blood they were barely recognizable. But Luffy would recognize his swordsman anywhere.
The blood on Sanji’s hands was not his own.
“Sanji? What-“ Nami’s voice cuts off abruptly as she spots the body in front of Sanji. Her hands fly to her mouth, clamping her lips down to stifle a scream of her own.
“Ch-Chopper!” Sanji turns around for the first time, pupils dilated as they struggle to find the doctor. “Chopper! He’s not- he isn’t br-breathing!” Sanji sputters, chest rising and falling rapidly. “He’s not breathing! I can’t-“ Sanji chokes on his words, turning and staring down at Zoro with disbelief and denial.
Chopper ran forward, followed closely by Robin and Franky. Robin crouched down next to Chopper, and they talked in fast, hushed voices. Franky places a hand on Sanji’s shoulder, gently trying to help the chef stand. But Sanji remains frozen, face stuck in a permanent expression of horror.
Luffy didn’t understand. Sure, not breathing was a bad thing, but Zoro wasn’t dead. He had promised Luffy. Promised that he would never lose again. If he were dead, that meant he lost. And he had promised.
He was meditating, then. On especially boring afternoons, Luffy watched Zoro meditate. The swordsman would sit still as a statue, sometimes so still that it looked like he wasn’t breathing. Zoro had tried to explain to him once that meditating was not the same thing as sleeping, but Luffy never quite understood the difference.
Chopper was crying and clinging to Robin’s waist when Luffy finally approached. Robin had laid her jacket over Zoro’s face. Why had she done that? He wouldn’t be able to see when he woke up.
“Zoro’s meditating,” Luffy speaks up, his words confident. “He gets mad when you bother him, so we just need to wait for him to finish.”
There’s a strange noise behind him. When it repeats, Luffy looks over his shoulder. It was Usopp. He had fallen to his hands and knees, heaving out wet sobs that he could no longer contain. Next to him, Nami pressed her face into Sanji’s shirt, her shoulders shaking violently. Franky had managed to get Sanji to leave Zoro’s side. The chef stood, his lips moving but no words sounding. It should’ve been a red flag that Nami was clinging to Sanji and the man wasn’t reacting, but Luffy was too dumbfounded to dwell on that.
His crew’s gross overreaction should’ve been funny, but the first twinge of unease ran through Luffy’s gut.
“Luffy,” Robin calls out to him softly. He turns to face her; if his crew were messing around, she would tell him the truth. “Zoro’s dead.”
Luffy stared at her, waiting for her to say something else. She was crying, clutching Chopper against her too tightly. She didn’t say anything else, so Luffy filled the void.
“No he’s not.” Luffy frowns. They were taking this a little too far. It wasn’t a funny prank anymore. “Zoro, get up! We beat the giant guy and Brook is gonna join the crew!” Why was he meditating at a time like this? Luffy closes the remaining gap between himself and his swordsman, crouching down and grabbing Zoro’s shoulder. He shakes the swordsman, lightly at first, then more firmly when he doesn’t respond. Frown deepening, Luffy tugs the jacket off Zoro’s face before Robin can stop him.
“Zoro! Oi, Zoro!!” Luffy’s hand pulls away crimson.
“Luffy…” Robin reaches and grabs his shoulder, fingers squeezing him. Her voice is too sad; it reminds him too much of the old Robin, the one who self-isolated and lacked self-worth.
The uneasiness Luffy had felt before shifted into panic. “Zoro! Stop sleeping already!”
Every second that passed made his anxiety grow. That impossible truth became more possible with each moment.
“Zoro! ZORO!!”
When had he started yelling? His vision was fuzzy. Zoro wasn’t getting up. He wasn’t moving. His skin had been too cold and there was blood everywhere and-
Luffy threw himself on top of his swordsman, pressing his ear to the man’s chest, uncaring of the blood that got onto his cheek. Faintly, he could hear the sounds of his crewmates around him, but their voices and cries were muffled in his ears. He listened and he waited, waited to hear that familiar ba-dump, ba-dump, but only silence greeted him.
Zoro was dead.
The next few days passed by in a blur. Sanji listlessly prepared their lunch – they were leaving this island today. His fingers tighten around the handle of the kitchen knife.
All he could see was Zoro standing in front of Kuma. He had tried to take Zoro’s place. It should’ve been him. It was his fault. His fault. His fault.
The knife slips and nicks Sanji’s thumb. He stares as a little bead of blood forms and drips onto his palm. The last time he had accidentally cut himself had been when he was still learning how to cook.
The knife clatters onto the floor, but Sanji’s eyes remain fixated on the cut. Red. There had been so much blood. Sanji had never seen so much blood before. His fault, his fault-
“Sanji.”
Sanji startles, his head jerking toward the kitchen doorway. It was Nami.
“Franky’s done,” she says quietly. Nami had cried a lot the past three days. Her eyes were a testament to that, all puffy and red. Red. His fault.
He presses a napkin to the cut on his thumb. “Alright. I’ll be out in a second.” Nami lingers for a moment, looking like she wants to say something more, but she doesn’t. She leaves, her footsteps slow and too soft.
Sanji knew the full truth, but he hadn’t been able to bring himself to tell the others. He knew how Zoro had died. Why he had died. It had been to protect his captain, to protect all of them. They had been too weak and exhausted to fight when Kuma had appeared, and Zoro had known that. Sanji had heard the deal that the swordsman made with the warlord.
My head for my captain’s head.
Kuma had given Zoro Luffy’s pain and injuries. When Sanji had heard this, he had tried. Tried to stop Zoro from being an idiot, from a certain death. But he had failed. It was his fault.
Sanji wanders outside after Nami, expression flat as he approaches where the rest of the crew is gathered. The others on the island weren’t present. They must have left to give the Straw Hats some privacy.
Everyone was dealing with the grief in their own ways. Nami cried a lot, but she tried to keep that hidden. She did a poor job. Chopper cried a lot too – sometimes Sanji forgot that he was just a kid. Chopper was inconsolable. Usopp, for all the whining and crying he normally did, had been very stoic. He aided Franky, who had spent the past few days constructing a coffin.
Franky’s normal boisterous self had quieted as well. It normally didn’t take him long to build things, especially something as small and simple as a wooden box. But mentally, he had insisted on using the finest wood he could find around the island. He oversanded each plank, made sure each nail was straight. Usopp helped him find the wood.
Robin wasn’t acting all that different from her usual self. She was still quiet. She spent most of her time alone, sometimes disappearing for hours at a time on the island. She always returned empty-handed, so Sanji wasn’t sure what she was doing. When she was on the Sunny, she spent time with Chopper or Nami, acting as a support system. But even her typically well-guarded expression wasn’t infallible. Sanji could see the pain behind her eyes.
Brook had just joined the crew, but Sanji could tell he was mourning for the swordsman all the same. He had played his violin at first, coming up with a solemn, slow song in an attempt to pay his respects. But when Chopper had broken into another loud fit of sobs after hearing Brook practice, the skeleton hadn’t touched his violin since.
And Sanji – well, he spent his time doing what he did best: cooking. He barely slept. He spent all of his time in the kitchen, losing himself in the flow of chopping and stirring and baking. It was a weak distraction, but it was a distraction nonetheless. If he didn’t keep his hands busy, and subsequently his mind, he spiraled.
Zoro’s death was his fault.
Luffy’s behavior was the worst. His grief was suffocating, spontaneous, and unpredictable. He woke up one morning, Zoro’s death seemingly erased from his memory. Sanji had watched Luffy relive getting the news of his death again. Luffy barely ate, much to Sanji’s displeasure. Sanji cooked his favorites, but the captain always just stared at his plate with a blank expression.
Other times, Luffy would get angry. He would go into the woods on his own, out of the sight of his crew, and unleash a rage so potent that Sanji felt it ripple off of him in waves despite the distance. He rampaged, flattening trees and rocks until he worked himself into exhaustion. He had dark bags under his eyes. He hadn’t slept very much.
Sanji could only imagine what Zoro’s death had done to their captain. Did Luffy feel that this was his fault? Zoro had been Luffy’s first mate. The pair had shared something deep, something unspoken. Something that the rest of the crew could see but not fully understand. Seeing their normally put-together captain falling apart was a testament to that broken bond.
Everyone was present when Sanji’s heavy feet finally made it to the wooden box. Robin had done the difficult task of cleaning Zoro’s body of blood – she was the only one who could stomach the sight of his mangled body. Now, the swordsman was free of blood, but he was still covered in bruises and cuts that would never heal. Sanji forces himself to take it in. This should’ve been him.
Robin looked exhausted as she stepped forward. “Captain,” she addressed Luffy quietly. Luffy was staring down at Zoro, his gaze so intense that Sanji almost believed Zoro would feel it and rise. But he didn’t. When Luffy didn’t reply, Robin continued.
“Do you want to say anything?” She prompted gently.
Anger flared bright in Luffy’s eyes. He suddenly reached into the coffin and grabbed all of Zoro’s swords, clutching them tightly against his chest.
“Zoro’s a liar.”
The words made Sanji’s stomach drop. There was so much hurt, so much anger in Luffy’s tone that it made him feel sick. Luffy thought Zoro had lost to Kuma. But Zoro hadn’t lost – he had chosen this. He had done this so that Luffy could succeed.
Sanji pulled the cigarette from his mouth, lips parting to speak, to correct Luffy. But something stopped him. Anger was easier than grief. Grief couldn’t be directed at anyone; it simply was. But being angry had a focal point. Anger was easier to overcome, to use as a way to get stronger. Zoro had wanted Luffy to live, to get stronger.
Zoro wouldn’t want them to know the truth.
Sanji shuts his mouth, the realization settling heavy in his gut. He hated that he knew what Zoro would want. He would want Luffy to be angry, rather than devastated or hurt. Even if Luffy hated him because of it, Zoro wouldn’t want him to know the truth.
As heavy as it weighed on his shoulders, Sanji silently vowed to himself that he would carry this burden alone.
“L-Luffy,” Nami speaks up. “That’s not…” She seems to be at a loss for words. They all are.
Luffy’s expression doesn’t change. “Zoro promised he wouldn’t ever lose again. He’s a liar.” Luffy’s hands tightened around the three swords. Sanji’s eyes burned. Luffy, apparently having said what he needed to, turned around and walked to the Sunny. Zoro’s swords bounced against his thigh.
The rest of the crew stood in silence for a long time, but no one could find the words to say. There was nothing they could say, so Franky sealed the swordsman’s body in the coffin. He and Usopp lowered it into the hole they had dug. Through tears and labored breaths, everyone helped push the dirt to cover him. To lay him to rest.
It was nearly two hours later when the crew was finally ready to leave the island. Everyone was waiting on the Sunny, but Sanji lingered by the freshly upturned dirt.
“Stupid mosshead.” His voice cracked. He swallowed, then lit another cigarette. He inhaled deeply, until his throat ached. Finally, the words managed to get past his lips.
“I’m sorry.”
His throat closed up, choking him as he quickly turned away. The grave wasn’t even marked. To prevent grave robbers, Robin had said. But since Luffy had taken Zoro’s swords, there was nothing valuable to take anymore. Sanji walked away quickly, boarding the Sunny. As the ship raised its anchor and the shoreline faded into the horizon, Sanji didn’t look back.
Luffy put Zoro’s swords on his old bunk. He was mad. He was furious, but he couldn’t find it in him to hate Zoro. After all, this was his fault, too. He hadn’t been there to protect his crew. To protect his swordsman. He had failed in his duty as captain.
If his crew noticed him polishing the blades, sleeping next to them at night, none of them said anything.
It was pitch black when Zoro’s eyes opened. It was stuffy, too. His whole body ached and protested as he slowly tried to sit up. But his head hit something, preventing him from getting up. Where the hell was he?
Zoro instinctively reached for his blades, but the space by his hip was empty. He paused, searching for the feeling of his blades before quickly realizing they were nowhere near him. They didn’t even feel as if they were on the island. He frowned, then proceeded to carefully move his hands around to get a sense of his surroundings. It didn’t take him long to realize he was inside a wooden box, though the reasoning behind why that could possibly be eluded him. When he tried to recall how he had ended up here, his mind drew blanks. He remembered fighting a giant, faintly. He remembered Luffy winning. Nothing after that.
Well, whatever had happened to him didn’t matter. He needed to get out of here. He could figure the rest out after that. Zoro braced his hands against the wooden ceiling that encased him, grunting as he applied his full force against the wood. It creaked in protest before snapping apart. Soil began spilling through the opening quickly. Zoro barely had the time to take in a gasping breath before he was completely encased. He squeezed his eyes shut, his hands reaching up blindly through the loose soil. His face turned red from holding his breath as he struggled.
Suffocating in dirt would be such a stupid way to die, so Zoro doesn’t allow it to happen. His hand finally, miraculously breaks the surface. He emerges from his grave sputtering and coughing, collapsing on his back to catch his breath as he stares up at the stars. He had been buried.
In a coffin.
Maybe that wasn’t so strange, given the creepy nature of this island. They had seen an old man emerge from a grave. Maybe burying people alive was a normal thing to do here. Though he wasn’t sure how he had allowed it to happen to himself.
When Zoro finally caught his breath, he sat up with a grimace, taking in his surroundings. The island was quiet. He didn’t see anyone around him, but he could see the shoreline in the distance. This was the only reason he didn’t get lost. When he reached the shore, the ocean was just as empty as the island. He frowned, scratching his head. Had everyone left him behind? That was starting to seem likely. It wouldn’t be the first time that had happened, so Zoro wasn’t too concerned.
He was sore and aching all over, so he sank to the ground in the sand and gazed out at the ocean. Someone would come for him eventually. In the meantime, he would wait. He fell over on his back, closed his eyes, and promptly fell asleep.
No one came for him. Three days had passed and he hadn’t seen a single ship. On the second day, he had wandered the island, confirming his suspicions that he was, in fact, alone.
It was just like his crew to forget about him. But they usually remembered. Zoro decides that there must be something keeping them from the island. He wasn’t worried, though. If they couldn’t get to him, he would go to them.
He spends the fourth day searching for the ruined castle. He finds it (it finds him) after about three hours. With another hour of searching and some luck, he finds an old dinghy. Its wood is soft with age, but it doesn’t give way when he applies pressure, so it’s good enough for him.
He drags it to the shore, picking up three ancient-looking swords he finds on the ground along the way. They weren’t his swords – they were too heavy in his hands and they didn’t speak to him – but they were better than nothing.
He leaves that evening, after managing to scrounge up a sorry-looking pile of fruit from the island. He doesn’t attempt to navigate the boat, knowing he wouldn’t be able to even if he tried. He would end up on an island eventually. If it were inhabited, he would figure out where his crew was and go from there.
Drifting in the dinghy is reminiscent of his and Luffy’s early days. They had floated with no destination in mind. Barely any supplies, barely enough room for the two of them to stretch out fully. He had only just met Luffy back then, but the boy had never felt like a stranger to him.
Being on the little boat alone was much different. Zoro did what he could to pass the time. He meditated, napped, managed to slice and snag a few fish from the water. He tried to train, but the little boat swayed unhappily when he swung the old blades.
Zoro could last a long time without food, and he had filled miscellaneous containers with fresh water before he left Thriller Bark. (He was an idiot, but he knew how to survive.)
Thankfully, he didn’t have to spend too long on the dinghy. He spotted land in the distance on the third day, and the currents eventually steered him to the sandy shores.
The island is somewhat small, but it has a sizeable port town. Abandoning his dinghy, Zoro wanders the streets. Before he did anything else, he needed a drink.
He walked into the first tavern that he found, setting the little coin he had on him on the table. The man behind the bar wordlessly slides him a glass of some sort of booze (Zoro isn’t picky). Zoro drains the glass easily, but he slows his pace a little more on the second glass.
Zoro finds a newspaper lying abandoned at the end of the bar. The date is from a few days ago, but he flips through it regardless, eyes scanning for any useful information. Wherever the Straw Hats went, chaos tended to follow, and this chaos was often in the papers.
He laughs at first when he reads about the celestial dragon getting punched. The article doesn’t explicitly state Luffy’s name, but Zoro knows. He knows without any doubt that this was Luffy’s doing. He grins, the swallows the rest of his beer.
More importantly, he knows where to go now: Sabaody.
Zoro steals a current newspaper the next morning after spending the night sleeping on the beach. Unlike the one that had been in the bar, this one was from yesterday. More recent. He flips through the unimportant stuff, then stops short. He rereads the article that caught his attention. Then he reads it again.
It had only been a few days ago that Luffy had punched a celestial dragon. But this article discussed the crews of the Worst Generation, talking about the ones that had been on Sabaody before fleeing with the arrival of the Marines.
Zoro couldn’t care less about any of these crews. What made him stop in his tracks was the mention of his crew.
The Straw Hat Pirates have gone missing.
Missing? What the hell did that mean? It was one thing for his crew to leave him behind by accident, but there was clearly something else going on here. He hated being out of the loop.
He asks a group of fishermen on the docks if they knew of anyone going to Sabaody. They told him that shipment of goods was being sent there tomorrow and that he was welcome to ride along so long as he didn’t mind the cramped quarters. Zoro didn’t mind.
He’s waiting anxiously the next morning for the news bird to arrive. He hastily thrust a coin at it. This time, the article that gets his attention is on the first page.
The execution of Portgas D. Ace
He reads over it rapidly, heart sinking as he reads the information. Ace was scheduled to die. A war was rumored to be brewing. Whitebeard wouldn’t let Ace go without a fight. And what a fight this would be.
Zoro knew Luffy would be in the middle of it. His captain would never allow this to happen. But the paper had claimed his crew to be missing. They must’ve slipped under the radar when they left Sabaody. Zoro couldn’t think of any other explanation.
He doesn’t get on the boat to go to Sabaody, knowing he wouldn’t find his crew there. He spends the rest of the day searching for someone, anyone stupid or brave enough to take him to Marineford instead. But everyone he asks either gawks at him or tells him to get lost. Zoro snaps at the last guy, threatening him until he finally gets a bit of information.
Marineford is far, far away from this island. It would take weeks to sail there on a fast ship. And no one on this island had any interest in sailing straight into a warzone.
At least Zoro knew why his crew hadn’t come back for him. He could imagine Luffy’s reaction after he found out about Ace. Zoro was fine; he could wait. But Ace needed help now. Luffy must’ve set their course straight to Marineford, not wanting to waste any time. Even if the Marine base was far away, Zoro didn’t doubt that Luffy would reach it in time. He defied the odds like that. Zoro wasn’t offended. He knew how important Ace was to Luffy. And to him, Luffy’s decision to leave him alone for now was just another act of trust. Luffy trusted Zoro to be able to take care of himself. So, Zoro would do that.
Still, he couldn’t just sit and wait around to hear news. He manages to find his dinghy again and prepares to set sail at dawn of the next day.
It’s five days later, when Zoro is once again drifting on his little boat, that a news bird happens to fly over him. He flags it down, wasting no time to grab the paper from it and start reading. It takes all of a few seconds for him to see all that he needs to see.
Ace is dead.
Zoro doesn’t feel the bird staring at him, waiting for its coin expectantly. His heart hammers in his chest. He forces himself to read the rest of the article. It details the fight that had taken place – the warlords who had been present, Whitebeard’s appearance and his death, and Luffy. Luffy had been there. There was no mention of the rest of the crew, but that didn’t matter.
Luffy had been there to watch Ace die. He hadn’t been able to save his brother.
Zoro grips the newspaper so tightly that the page crumples and rips. He thrusts a coin at the bird with burning eyes, and it finally leaves.
While Zoro had been sitting on his ass these past few days, Luffy had been fighting for his and his brother’s life. Now, Ace was dead and Luffy’s whereabouts were unknown.
And Zoro wasn’t there. He hadn’t been there for his captain. He wasn’t there for Luffy after he had just lost one of the most important people in his life. Zoro’s chest aches. He cries, yelling pointless curses at the sky despite the sea being his only witness.
Where was the rest of the crew? Why weren’t they with Luffy? Had Luffy left them behind, not wanting to thrust them into the middle of such a violent war? Zoro didn’t think so. Luffy wouldn’t leave his friends behind like that, no matter how dangerous. They must have gotten separated somehow.
He would find Luffy no matter what. Wherever the rest of the crew was, he and Luffy would find them again. Together. Zoro would never leave his captain’s side again after this. Never again.
He would find Luffy.
Zoro doesn’t find Luffy, but he does find another gothic island that’s not unlike Thriller Bark. The only reason he pulled his dinghy ashore and ventured into the forest on the island was for food. He didn’t have any left.
Instead of finding food, Zoro finds the annoying, familiar pink-haired girl from Thriller Bark. He learned her name was Perona, but not because he conversed with her. She followed him around, yapping and complaining about everything. She must’ve taken pity on him at some point, because after two hours of wandering around (floating, for her), she offered to take Zoro to the castle on the island. Begrudgingly, he agreed, only because it was his best chance at getting any sort of information.
He wasn’t expecting to find out that the castle – rather, the entire island – belonged to Mihawk. If he hadn’t been in such a somber mood, he would’ve laughed. Because of course fate would bring him here. Here, of all places.
Zoro refuses to ask Mihawk for help, so he angrily storms out of the castle and back into the woods instead. A group of sword-wielding apes finds him. This fight would’ve been a good opportunity for him to relieve some stress, but his scrounged blades from Thriller Bark were, to put it bluntly, pathetic. One was so dull that it was basically a metal stick, another broke upon collision with another sword, and the last one was just subpar in general.
This being said, Perona finds Zoro thirty minutes later, lying in a pool of his own blood and sweat, and looking up at the sky with a dazed expression.
“Can’t you leave me alone already?” Zoro growled venomously, much too pissed at the world to put up with her blabbering. He was wretched, not even strong enough to beat a bunch of monkeys. When he had the strength to walk, he would find his boat again. He would leave. He would find Luffy. He had to.
Perona huffs indignantly. “Well, I was trying to be nice! I figured you might want to see the paper, since your captain is in it.” She tucks the paper under her arm and looks away from him. “But clearly you don’t care!”
Despite his injuries, her words make Zoro sit up straight. He staggers to his feet, lunging toward her. She floats back, matching his glare with one of her own.
“Give it here!” Zoro barks.
“Only if you ask nicely!”
“Oh for fuck’s sake- fine! Can I please see it already?”
Perona narrows her eyes at him. After a silent debate, she tosses the paper on the ground in front of him. Zoro grabs for it like a starving man would reach for a warm meal.
It was the story on the front page again. A large picture of Luffy was front and center. Zoro took it in hungrily, eyes scanning his captain and assessing. He was covered head to toe in bandages, but he seemed to have recovered – at least enough to be standing. The article claimed he had returned to Marineford to pay his respects to Ace. That certainly seemed to be the case in the picture. Luffy’s head was bowed, his expression quiet, and his infamous straw hat held carefully to his chest. Was that the only reason he had returned?
“Oi, ghost girl,” Zoro calls out to Perona. She frowns at the name, opening her mouth to retort, but Zoro continues. “What happened to my crew? Why is Luffy alone?”
Perona rolls her eyes. “God, you’re so stupid!”
Zoro grits his teeth but forces himself not to reply. Finally, she gave in.
“How do you not even know what happened to your own crew?”
Zoro exhales, practicing patience. He needed answers, and right now, this girl was his best bet. “I got separated from them, back on Thriller Bark.”
Perona tilts her head to the side, regarding him curiously. “That warlord, with the super uncute paw print hands. Remember how he made me disappear?”
“No,” Zoro answered honestly. However, her description of such a man did sound vaguely familiar to him.
“You- ugh! You’re infuriating!” She bares her teeth at him, but Zoro doesn’t find her even the slightest bit menacing. “Whatever. I don’t know where your crew is. But if I had to guess, I’d bet that warlord sent them all away.”
“Sabaody. Do you know it?”
Perona rolls her eyes. “I’m not an idiot. Of course I know Sabaody!”
“How far is it from Marineford?”
Perona frowns at him. “Do I look like a log pose to you?”
“Just- a rough guess!” Zoro growls.
“Fine! I don’t know – maybe three weeks of sailing?”
Zoro looks back down at the black and white picture of Luffy. Three weeks. Even for the Sunny, sailing a three-week’s worth of distance in a few days wasn’t feasible. But if what Perona was saying about this warlord was true, perhaps Luffy had been sent closer. It didn’t make much sense – Zoro didn’t know why the warlord would separate the crew to begin with, much less aid Luffy by sending him close to Marineford – but it made more sense than the Sunny traveling at super speed. Plus, the rest of the crew wasn’t with Luffy. Even by Luffy’s standards, he couldn’t cross that distance sailing the Sunny all on his own.
Staring down at Luffy, Zoro notices something he had missed the first time. There was something written on Luffy’s arm, one of the few places of skin that wasn’t wrapped in bandages. Zoro squints, making out the numbers and letters. They faintly remind him of Ace’s tattoo, in their design. The crossed-out markings, the black ink covering his bicep. It sends a deep ache down his spine.
“Well?” Perona demands after a minute of Zoro’s silent stare down at the paper.
Zoro’s gaze doesn’t waver from Luffy. His captain was doing more than just paying his respects to Ace. This was a message.
3D2Y
Two years. It was a long time. Luffy wanted them to get stronger. The crew had been separated by the warlord, then. In two years, they would meet up again. Despite being out of the loop from the crew’s last moments together, Zoro knew. In two years, they would meet on Sabaody.
“Hello??” Perona drawled out, floating down closer to Zoro with an irritated expression. “Is your head so dense that you can’t even hear me?”
Luffy wanted them to get stronger. Zoro wanted to go after Luffy. He needed to see his captain with his own eyes. But this was an order.
Get stronger.
So fate hadn’t been messing with him, then. Trust Luffy to somehow get him to this island. If he was going to get stronger, what better way to learn than from the world’s greatest swordsman?
Asking his greatest rival for training would go against all of his morals and ideals, but ignoring Luffy’s order wasn’t an option.
“I don’t know why I’m even bothering with you!” Perona cries, whirling around in a blur of pink pigtails and floating angrily away from him. Zoro steps after her, knowing she was probably going back to the castle.
“Don’t follow me!” Perona snaps. “You make no sense!”
“I’m not following you. I’m just going this way, too.” Zoro’s voice is steady. He’s made up his mind. Perona must see this, because she does nothing more than let out an annoyed sigh before going back the way she had come to the castle.
That evening, Zoro found himself kneeling before Mihawk. If Mihawk thought him pathetic, the man didn’t voice those thoughts. Mihawk must’ve seen something in the tautness of Zoro’s shoulders, the way his jaw was set and his eyes were hard. The warlord agrees to train him. Starting at dawn the next day.
It only occurs to Zoro a little later that night, as he’s sitting in one of the many cold, dank bedrooms in the castle, that he’s without his swords. Their presence was a comfort to him, so being without them made him feel off-kilter. But he didn’t have them. He would have to train without them, find some sort of temporary replacement. It sucked, but he didn’t have a choice. He had to get stronger.
Mihawk evidently noticed Zoro’s lack of blades. The following morning, he tosses three sheathed katanas into Zoro’s arms. Zoro can immediately tell that these blades are of a far greater quality than the ones he had grabbed while on Thriller Bark. They weren’t his blades, but he could feel them. They acknowledged him and his strength. They were strong enough to speak.
Training with Mihawk was hard. He fought with the sword-wielding apes every single day, his frustrations growing as he continually was unable to beat them. It bothered him that most days, Mihawk didn’t even stick around to watch him. Like Zoro wasn’t worth his time.
Considering he couldn’t even beat these apes, perhaps he wasn’t worth Mihawk’s time.
Perona was a constant, irritating presence. She frequently watched him spar against the apes, making unnecessary comments, trying to purposefully distract him, or laughing when one of the monkeys got the better of him.
She was annoying, but Zoro was secretly glad that she filled the silence. So he tolerated her. He could count on her to whine and yap like a little dog, distracting enough that he wouldn’t be able to think of how he had failed Luffy.
With building determination and anger, Zoro finally bested the apes. Breathing heavily and bleeding from cuts all over, he stood over the last monkey, all three of his blades drawn. Perona watched him. After a few beats of silence, she started clapping.
“Wow, you finally did it! I was starting to think all of those ugly muscles were just for show!”
Zoro looked up at her, about to quip back, before he noticed her smiling. This smile wasn’t mocking. It was small and soft. Genuine. The sharp words die on his tongue.
Maybe she wasn’t so bad. At least not all of the time.
Months passed, but it was still too slow for Zoro. Zoro had advanced past sparring with the apes. Finally, Mihawk was training him himself.
Zoro was far stronger than he had been when he had faced Mihawk on the Baratie. But he was still no match for Mihawk, and the warlord knew it.
It infuriated Zoro.
It was this that led Zoro to make such a grave mistake. He should know better by now than to lose his composure. But Mihawk’s piercing gaze was looking down on him. Perona’s eyes were nervous. Nervous for him, because he was too weak to block the hits from Yoru that sliced his skin.
Luffy had told him to get stronger. Had he progressed at all these past few months?
With his frustration and rage past the boiling point, Zoro lashed out. He charged forward recklessly, too blinded by anger to notice Mihawk’s unimpressed raised eyebrow. All three of his blades clash against Yoru’s black steel. Mihawk frowns as he looks at Zoro’s enraged expression.
With an effortless flick of his hand, Mihawk disarmed Zoro. All three swords flew through the air and clattered against the old mossy stones. Yoru struck out fiercely, cutting and claiming his eye.
Zoro staggered back with a grunt of both surprise and pain, his hand instinctively reaching up to clutch at his face. Mihawk sheaths Yoru, looking disappointed. Somewhere in the background, Perona shrieks in horror at the gory mess.
“Lose your composure again and I’ll take your life next time,” Mihawk speaks coolly, completely unfazed. “I expect better from you, Roronoa.”
Zoro grits his teeth, feeling the sting of unwanted tears in his one uninjured eye. Mihawk didn’t need to tell him what his mistake was. Zoro knew. Keeping a steady composure during battle was one of the first lessons of swordsmanship he had ever learned. Refusing to do that was a rookie mistake. He was fortunate that Mihawk only decided to take his eye.
“We’re done for today.” Mihawk turns on his heels and disappears into the castle. Still crying, Perona approaches him, floating worriedly in front of him.
“God, you’re so stupid! What’s wrong with you? Men are so barbaric!” Perona yells, trying to get a look at the cut on his face. “You’re going to get blood everywhere! Hurry up so I can bandage your ugly face already!” She continues grumbling, something about how Mihawk had made him even uglier than before.
Numbly and without protest, Zoro follows her.
Zoro didn’t lose his composure again. He was still defeated by Mihawk time and time again, but something in him shifted with the loss of his eye. He suspected that Mihawk had known this would happen. He had given Zoro the push that he needed.
Zoro could see his progress now. He was getting stronger every day, physically and mentally. He learned how to strengthen his body and his senses with haki. He learned to slice through everything and how to slice and cut through nothing.
While he still wasn’t strong enough to best Mihawk, Zoro was starting to think that maybe, just maybe, he would be strong enough to face Luffy. Strong enough that Luffy wouldn’t be disappointed in him.
Zoro’s eye healed, but he would never see out of it again. He didn’t mind, though. It served as a physical reminder to him. He had two permanent scars from Mihawk now. He regretted neither of them.
Time passed by quicker. At some point, Perona’s presence had gone from tolerable to enjoyable, though Zoro would sooner die than admit that aloud. The girl insisted on patching him up every day after training. She still talked to him endlessly about everything, but Zoro actually found himself talking back. He slowly opened up to her some. He told her some stories about the crew’s adventures. He talked about Luffy.
He talked a lot about Luffy.
Perona wasn’t an idiot. She saw the way the tension leaked out of Zoro’s sore muscles at the mention of his captain. The unshakeable faith he felt for the boy. The sadness and regret in his remaining eye that he hadn’t been there for Luffy after the death of his brother.
She saw all of this enough that she spoke without thinking.
“You really love him, huh?”
Zoro blinked at her, his mouth frozen in whatever shape of the word he was about to speak. Perona’s watchful eyes noticed the way the tips of his ears reddened. Begrudgingly, she found that he was actually kind of cute like this.
Zoro was not the same man – or rather boy – he had been two years ago. His already bulky physique had filled out more. He carried himself with a newfound confidence. His hair had gotten longer, though he still kept it short.
On the day of his departure from the island that had been home for the past two years, he stood on the beach, facing Mihawk and Perona. Perona’s eyes were watery. She was blinking furiously, trying her best not to cry.
Zoro pulled the sheathed blades from his hip. He took a moment to speak to them, to thank them for letting him borrow their strength. He was sad to leave them behind, but these weren’t his blades. The katanas knew this, too. Zoro dropped them into Mihawk’s arms, then stepped back. Mihawk’s unnerving eyes never left Zoro.
“The next time we meet, I’m going to kill you.”
A hint of a smile tugged at Mihawk’s lips. “I look forward to it, Roronoa Zoro.” He paused, eyes assessing. There was something unspoken in them, but Zoro couldn’t read what it was. Beside him, Perona sniffed.
“Men are insufferable,” she grumbled, looking off to the side to avoid meeting Zoro’s gaze. Zoro turned to look at her.
“Oi, Perona,” Zoro called out to her. Surprised to hear her actual name, she turned to look at him.
“Take care.”
The tears she had been so carefully trying to hold back spilled over. With a hiccup then a loud wail, she flung herself across the sand into Zoro’s arms. She sobbed loudly. Zoro looked caught off guard, but he awkwardly hugged her back, lightly patting her back.
“Don’t tell me such stupid things! I hate you, you know that! You better not die out there, you hear me?” She cried, clutching onto him tightly. Zoro gradually relaxed, lips upturned in a small, fond smile.
“Sure.”
He doesn’t try to pull away until she does. Mihawk watches the pair all the while, his expression strange but still unreadable. Zoro looks at the man one last time. He nods, then steps into the little boat Mihawk had provided him. On his wrist was an eternal pose for Sabaody.
On the shore, Perona was shouting something and waving at him. Zoro raised a single hand back at her. Then, he raised the little sail and rode the wind.
It took him five days to reach Sabaody. Mihawk had told him the trip was a two-day sail. Zoro guessed he must’ve lied. He was certain he had followed the log pose exactly.
Regardless, he was certain that he had reached Sabaody when he finally stepped on solid ground. The island was large. It certainly lived up to its title as a connecting point between the Grand Line and the New World.
He thought he was a few days early for the island. For some reason, Perona had insisted he leave a week in advance of the meeting date despite the sail only being two days long. He really didn’t understand her sometimes.
But with time to kill, Zoro wandered the island in search of a bar. Mihawk only had wine in his castle, and he never let Perona or Zoro touch it. Zoro didn’t care much for wine, so it hadn’t bothered him too much. He didn’t want to drink something that was meant to be sipped on. But damn, he missed booze.
Zoro eventually finds a bar. It’s rundown and not crowded, so he knows the booze will be good. He steps inside up the creaky wooden stairs, opening the door. It’s surprisingly cozy on the inside. Looks can be deceiving, he supposes.
He walks to the bar and sits on one of the color-faded stools. A woman stares at him from across the bar, her head tilted with curiosity.
Just as Zoro is about to request a drink, a man steps in from the back door. His eyes immediately find Zoro, widening with surprise.
Then, he laughs loudly. Zoro frowns. What a weird old man.
“I never expected you’d be the first to arrive!” The man chuckles, wiping a single tear from his eye. “You’re Roronoa, aren’t you?”
“You know me?” Zoro asked, not sure if he should be surprised or not. He did have a bounty after all. But it had been two years since he had last been active.
The old man nodded. “Get him a drink, dear. It’s on the house.”
A moment later, Zoro had a cold glass of beer in his hand. He downs it in one go, finding immense pleasure in the way it burns the back of his throat. After getting a refill, he finally speaks.
“So who the hell are you then, old man?”
If the man is offended by his rudeness, he doesn’t show it. He grins. “Raleigh.”
Zoro takes another long drink. “You know me.” It isn’t a question.
“I met all of your crew two years ago.” Raleigh studied his face. The man was old, but Zoro could tell he was incredibly strong. He was glad the man didn’t seem to be an enemy. “I really never thought you’d be the first to arrive. How’d you know to meet with them here?”
Zoro shrugs, not totally sure what the man meant by that. If he had met the crew, he should’ve known they agreed to meet on Sabaody. “Just knew,” he settles on saying.
Raleigh chuckles, his eyes sparkling with some sort of mischief that only he seems to know about. “Things are about to get really interesting here.”
Zoro didn’t know what the man meant, but he was getting free booze, so he didn’t pay it too much attention.
Zoro spends the night sleeping on the floor of the bar. In the morning over breakfast, the woman (he learns her name is Shakky) tells him that the Sunny is still docked on the island.
“Raleigh kept an eye on her for you,” Shakky hums as she sips her coffee. Zoro glances over at the silver-haired man. Not for the first time, he wonders just exactly who he is.
“Your swords should be there,” Raleigh adds, immediately piquing Zoro’s interest. He should’ve felt their presence. He expands his observation haki, stretching it out far. The Sunny was docked on the opposite side of the huge island – it was no wonder he hadn’t sensed his blades initially.
The relief that flooded through him upon feeling his blades was palpable. Zoro grins. Wado was just as bloodthirsty as she had been two years ago. Kitetsu was as aggressive and feral as ever, and Yubashiri still exuded a cool calmness. The steadying weight against the far more reckless Wado and Kitetsu.
Zoro doesn’t waste any time after eating breakfast. He sets off to find the Sunny, loosely following the presence of his blades. Following their auras, he was able to find the Sunny with relative ease. Seeing the ship filled him with a homesickness he hadn’t realized he had. She looked just as strong and powerful as she had two years ago, despite her respite of the past two years. Raleigh had done a good job of caring for her.
The Sunny was empty when Zoro clambered up the side. He immediately went to his blades, finding them lying on his bunk. They were poised, reaching out for him enthusiastically. Grinning, Zoro grabs them, wrapping his fingers tightly around the familiar hilts. Their steel sings with the pleasure of his return. A lightness that Zoro hadn’t felt in two years settles over his shoulders. He straps them to his side, his hand resting atop them. With his blades back, he felt complete.
Zoro lingered on the Sunny for a little while, lying on the grassy deck and wandering into the kitchen (the alcohol cellar was empty). He yearned to stay here with her, but Raleigh had said the meeting place was meant to be his bar. So, with reluctance, he leaves the Sunny and sets off back to Raleigh’s bar.
Sabaody is too big. Zoro has no idea where he is. But the sun is starting to dip below the horizon. It would be dark in a few more hours. Frowning, Zoro glares at his surroundings as if they were at fault. How the hell was he supposed to find that stupid old bar on such a huge island?
Irritated and tired from wandering around for so long, Zoro finds a place to nap. However, when he wakes up, he finds himself on an unfamiliar boat.
“We’ve got a stowaway!”
“I think he’s a pirate!”
“Throw him overboard already! It’s just one man!”
Zoro blinks the remainder of sleepiness from his eyes, standing up and stretching. He didn’t know how he had ended up on a boat. He thought he had fallen asleep on one of the hundreds of docks on the island. Had the wooden boards he had sat on actually been a ship? It didn’t matter too much to him. Thankfully, he could still see the shores of Sabaody close by. The ship had only just left.
He tries to ignore the crew of the ship as he walks over to the balcony. They weren’t worth his time; getting back to the island was more important. But one of the men shoots a gun at him. Zoro dodges with a frown.
Well, his swords were screeching for the taste of blood. Who was he to deny them a fight?
It wasn’t much of a fight. Zoro didn’t mean to, but he had gone overboard with his first strike. The boat was cut cleanly in half, the crew slipping overboard into the ocean or desperately clinging onto the tilting deck.
Despite the lack of blood drawn, his blades don’t complain. They seemed to know as well as Zoro did that these men weren’t worth the effort.
Zoro dives into the ocean and swims to the shore. He’s busy wringing the seawater out of his shirt when he feels a familiar gaze watching him. He turns around, smirking when he sees Sanji gaping at him. The cook looked so dumbfounded that his stupid cigarette had fallen from his lips, still smoldering on the pavement.
Had Zoro really changed that much? He supposed Sanji looked pretty different, but not different enough to warrant such gawking.
“Yo, shitty cook,” Zoro greets, uncharacteristic fondness behind the derogatory words. He steps toward the cook, but falters when Sanji takes a step back.
“Z-Zoro..?” Sanji was pale, whiter than a sheet. Zoro’s expression fell a little. He wasn’t sure whether to laugh at this reaction or be concerned. Was this about the scar running through his eye? Sanji’s reaction seemed a little too extreme for that. Besides, the cook had never batted an eye toward any of his injuries in the past.
Sanji stared at him with wide eyes. He stared long enough that Zoro was beginning to feel a little irritated. Had he actually been glad to see Sanji? He must have forgotten how annoying the chef was. He opens his mouth to insult him, but the shift in Sanji’s expression makes the words catch in his throat.
Sanji was crying.
“Zoro.” His voice is little more than a hoarse whisper. “You… is it really you, mosshead?”
Zoro was concerned now. “Did I really change so much that you don’t even recognize me?” He frowned, surprised at the bit of hurt that writhed in his chest. That was a little cold, even for Sanji.
Sanji swallowed, shaking his head. He slowly reaches into his pocket, fingers fumbling for his lighter and a new cigarette.
It had to be another hallucination.
Sanji had seen Zoro’s dead body. He had seen the unnatural amount of blood. The injuries that had marred Zoro’s skin after he had taken on Luffy’s pain. Zoro’s body, lifeless in the wooden coffin. Soft soil covering their dead crewmate. Zoro’s empty bunk.
Zoro was dead.
And yet…
Sanji’s heart knew this was him, deep down. There was something different this time. He had seen Zoro plenty of times in the past two years, usually watching him train stoically or ridiculing him late at night when Sanji couldn’t sleep. His fault. His fault.
But that Zoro had never spoken to him, not like this Zoro was.
His fingers struggle to flick on his lighter. When he finally gets the cigarette lit, he takes a deep inhale and tries to focus on the smoke burning his lungs.
The nicotine does little to calm him. After Sanji has absorbed every inch of the man, he laughs. It’s a concerning sound at first, a little deranged, half hysterical. But it develops into something genuine. Finally, Sanji replies.
“No, Zoro. You haven’t changed a bit.” His lip trembles. Unconcerned with the tears trailing down his cheeks, Sanji closes the gap between them and wraps his arms around the swordsman.
Zoro stiffens briefly before slowly returning the gesture, expression riddled with confusion. But he at least looked a little more relaxed now. Sanji cried against his shoulder, two years’ worth of pent-up grief and self-blame pouring out of him. Zoro doesn’t ask him why he’s crying. It isn’t important to him, Sanji knows. But Zoro’s grip around his back doesn’t loosen, and he doesn’t ridicule Sanji even after the blonde gets snot all over his damp shirt.
It takes a while before Sanji stops crying. Zoro doesn’t speak the entire time, watching Sanji with poorly concealed concern in his one open eye. Faintly, Sanji wonders what happened to the other eye.
Sanji needs to tell Zoro. Tell him why he was crying. He had no doubt the others would react similarly. And Luffy…
Well, he really wasn’t sure how Luffy would react. After losing both Ace and Zoro, how different had their captain become?
Sanji still doesn’t speak, even after he’s pulled away from Zoro and has begun the trek back to Raleigh’s bar. Zoro trails behind him, looking more than a little lost. Lost in more ways than one, Sanji felt certain.
The silence grows heavy alongside dusk. After mulling over his jumbled thoughts, Sanji finally attempts to speak.
“What do you remember of Thriller Bark?”
Zoro looks at him warily, unsure if the cook would suddenly break into tears again. The swordsman looked as if he thought the question was stupid, but he answered regardless.
“Luffy defeated that shadow warlord and his giant puppet. And-“ Zoro frowns to himself. Sanji waits a bit impatiently. “Well, I guess after that fight, I collapsed. So I dunno what happened after that. When I woke up, I was six feet underground. Literally.” Zoro’s frown deepens at the memory. “I guess one of those idiots on the island buried me. But when I woke up, the crew was gone.” Zoro’s frown shifts into a glare as he glowers at Sanji. “Care to tell me why the hell you guys left without me?”
Sanji stares at Zoro, his expression foreign. Zoro didn’t remember. He didn’t remember that he had died. He didn’t remember Kuma, or his sacrifice to save Luffy and the crew. He didn’t remember.
Sanji didn’t even know how to begin to explain it. But Zoro needed to know the truth. Unfortunately, it seemed that it had fallen on Sanji to relay that to him.
Sanji finishes his cigarette and immediately lights a fresh one.
“That isn’t what happened. Not fully.”
Zoro waits for him to continue, one eyebrow slightly raised.
“Luffy beat their asses like you said. We won, barely. We were all worn out. But Kuma showed up.” Sanji studies Zoro’s expression as it furrows, but he can’t tell if the name is familiar to him. “Kuma wanted Luffy’s head. He was going to kill Luffy. And we were all too weak to fight. Luffy was passed out. Kuma-“
“I remember,” Zoro cut him off briskly, his expression unreadable. Sanji studies him, watching the gears of his mind turn as he starts to put everything together.
“You thought I was dead. That’s why I was buried.”
Sanji manages a nod. “You were dead. I saw it, I-… We all saw it.”
Zoro did think he had ever felt so many emotions at once. The crew thought he had died. They hadn’t searched for him because in their eyes, there was nothing to search for. They thought Kuma had killed him. Bile rose in Zoro’s throat. He tries to swallow it down.
“Did… did you tell them?” Zoro asks, his voice gruff. Without explaining it, Sanji knew what he was asking. A bit of anger flared inside the cook.
“No. Luffy thinks you lost to Kuma.”
Zoro takes that in. He’s quiet for a while before he speaks. “Good.”
“Luffy thinks you broke your promise,” Sanji continues, his eyes bright with some sort of anger. “He thinks you lied to him.”
Zoro gives a small nod. “He’s alive,” he says simply. He meets Sanji eyes, seeing the unspoken question lurking among the cook’s anger. “I would do it again.” Something flickers in Sanji’s eyes, but it isn’t surprise. Zoro knows that if anyone understood, it was Sanji. Sanji had tried to take his place after all. The others wouldn’t understand, but Sanji did.
“Thank you. For not telling them,” Zoro speaks after a few minutes of walking silently down a dirt path through the woods. They must be getting close to Raleigh’s bar by now.
“I didn’t do it for you,” Sanji replies quietly, sounding tired.
“I know. But still.”
Sanji doesn’t reply to that. Instead, he chews on the tip of his cigarette, looking like he has something to say. Zoro waits, and eventually he speaks.
“I’m glad you’re not dead, mosshead. Don’t ever go doing what you did again.”
Zoro doesn’t reply. He isn’t one to make promises that he may not be able to keep. Sanji knows this. He doesn’t press Zoro for an answer.
Zoro is glad that Sanji caught him up to speed. He’s able to use that night to mentally prepare for the rest of the crew’s reactions.
Sanji doesn’t bring the topic up again, which Zoro is grateful for. They seemed to be on the same terms with what had happened, even if it unsettled them both in different ways.
Robin arrived the next morning just after the sun had risen. Sanji had been ecstatic, but unsurprisingly Robin’s blue eyes had fallen on Zoro. This normally would’ve angered the cook, but he let it slide this time.
Robin’s hug was firm but gentle. Her hands moved up and down his body like she didn’t quite believe he was real. Her eyes watered, but she didn’t cry.
“I suppose I should’ve known,” Robin chuckled, the words a strange mix of relief and sadness. “I should’ve known you wouldn’t go down so easily.”
Zoro smiled at that, taking in Robin’s face when she pulled away. Her hair had gotten much longer, but she looked the same, other than that. Her all-knowing eyes picked him apart. Zoro had a feeling that she knew the truth, although he believed Sanji when he said that he hadn’t told anyone. Robin was just like that. She knew things. This, and the fact that she didn’t ask him what happened, led Zoro to suspect as much.
He, Robin, and Sanji spent the next two hours catching up inside Raleigh’s bar. It felt good. It was good to be back.
Nami and Usopp arrived together. In a fashion similar to before, Sanji leapt to his feet and ran toward Nami (he didn’t pay much attention to Usopp). But both Nami and Usopp gaped at Zoro, unable to even greet Sanji or Robin. Zoro had expected these reactions, but he still shifted his weight uncomfortably, not sure how to react.
As if in sync, both Nami and Usopp acted at once. Letting out something between an angry wail and a screech, Nami pounced toward him, beating her fists (with surprisingly painful force) against Zoro’s chest. Her lower lip wobbled as she scolded Zoro through tears.
“I hate you! You’re- I can’t believe- You!” Nami yelled through hiccups and sobs. Zoro let her punch his chest, his eyes soft and regretful as he looked down at her. “You’re horrible!”
“Aye,” Zoro replied quietly. The single word was enough to quell Nami’s rage. She pushed herself into Zoro’s chest, gripping the front of his robe tightly in her clenched fists as she clung to him.
Usopp was trying his best not to cry. He remained glued where he had been standing.
“I, of course, knew you weren’t dead! I knew it! I n-never once d-doubted it…” He sniffled, biting his lip in a poor attempt to hide his shakiness.
“Usopp,” Zoro called to him lightly.
Usopp didn’t need more than that. The waterworks opened. He ran to Zoro, wrapping his arms around both Nami and his waist. Zoro held them both tightly.
Zoro didn’t regret his decision. But he did hate how much grief he had caused his crewmates.
Nami and Usopp had only just stopped crying when Franky arrived, followed only a few short minutes later by Brook. Franky, of course, cried harder than anyone else had. But Zoro had expected this. Franky may look tough (especially now, after two years; he was a beast of a cyborg), but everyone knew he was a big softie. The cyborg had lifted him up into the air and against his bare chest, wailing and yelling all the while.
This was the scene Brook arrived at. He looked shocked (as shocked as a skeleton could look), but he didn’t cry. He was incredibly happy, of course. But Zoro had only met Brook for a few brief days before he had been separated from the crew. They trusted each other, given what they had been through at Thriller Bark, but they were still largely strangers to each other. Still, when Franky finally calmed enough to set Zoro back on his feet, Brook had clapped a bony hand on Zoro’s shoulder, and that had said enough to him.
With the initial shock of Zoro’s presence mostly done with and most of the crew reunited, Sanji makes lunch as they wait for Chopper and Luffy. It’s almost a normal meal. They laugh, talk loudly, and share stories with one another. Zoro doesn’t comment on how Nami’s arm is pressed against his. She’s sitting close to him, as if he would cease to exist if she weren’t touching him. Usopp sat on his other side, the sniper acting similarly. With far more frequency than usual, he reached over to touch Zoro. A light slap on the shoulder, a brush of a hand against an arm, a lean against him while laughing. Again, Zoro says nothing.
Chopper had been crying even before he had stepped inside Raleigh’s bar. Over what exactly, Zoro couldn’t be sure. When the reindeer’s eyes fell on Zoro, his entire body stiffened. There were a few beats of silence as the crew watched. Then, Chopper screamed.
“Gh-ghost!” He wailed, crying loudly as he ran to seek shelter behind Sanji.
A pang shot through Zoro, this one more painful than the others had been. He tried to tune out Sanji and Usopp’s explanation that Zoro wasn’t a ghost. That he was just alive.
Zoro had hurt his crew. He had hurt them badly.
Unlike the others, upon realizing that Zoro was real, Chopper hadn’t let go of the swordsman. He had cried for a long time; he was still crying at present, but it was silent now. Just the occasional sniffle.
After the initial shock and the remaining greetings to the rest of the crew, Chopper sat on Zoro’s lap at the bar. Everyone had spread out, still catching up with one another. Chopper was drinking a glass of milk. He wouldn’t meet Zoro’s eyes.
“Z-Zoro?”
Zoro hummed to show he was listening, subconsciously shifting Chopper in his lap to a more comfortable position.
“You didn’t have a heartbeat. You…” He shook his head. “It doesn’t make sense.”
Zoro doesn’t know what to say to that. He knew nothing of medicine. Was it really so strange, what had happened to him? Zoro honestly didn’t know.
Regardless, he wanted to reassure Chopper. “I have a heartbeat now,” he replies calmly. “You know I can’t go anywhere. Not until Luffy’s the king.”
Chopper sniffled, managing a watery nod. He didn’t speak for a minute, but Zoro could tell he had more on his mind. He waited.
“I… I want to give you a check-up. To make sure there aren’t any lingering side effects of what happened.” Chopper finally looked up at him and Zoro felt something inside of him break. Chopper looked utterly wrecked.
Zoro nodded without hesitation. “Aye, doctor. Do what you need to when we’re back on the Sunny.”
Chopper managed a tiny smile before a fresh wave of emotion overtook him. He buried his face in Zoro’s chest. Zoro let him.
Predictably, Luffy’s arrival was followed closely by chaos. He had somehow managed to upset an entire battalion of Marines. And unsurprisingly, the idiot was leading them straight toward Raleigh’s bar.
They heard Luffy shouting long before they saw him.
“That sounds like Luffy-bro!” Franky yelled, running over to the door and ripping it open.
Chopper cheered loudly and tried to peer around Franky’s legs. Thankfully, the little deer was no longer crying.
Robin chuckled from her spot at the bar. “That would indeed be Luffy. It seems he’s bringing company.”
Nami frowned. “Company?”
“He’s being chased by an entire squadron of Marines,” Robin explained calmly, her expression pleasant.
“EH?” Usopp screamed, running up behind Franky and attempting to shove the cyborg out of the way. “It’s too soon! I just got back! They’ll never take me alive!”
Brook laughed loudly. “It doesn’t seem as if much has changed!”
“Don’t let that idiot lead the Marines here!” Nami shrieked, tugging on Sanji’s sleeve as if the cook could do something about the situation.
“Let’s bounce! Sunny’s waiting!” Franky sounded far too excited given the situation.
Usopp finally manages to squeeze past Franky, wasting no time in taking off toward the direction of the Sunny.
Behind the bar, Raleigh and Shakky watched, their expression amused. Raleigh turned to Robin, seeing as she was the calmest.
“Your ship is ready to set sail. I got it coated, so you can descend to Fishman Island.”
“Thank you for all of your help, Raleigh.”
Raleigh waved her off. “Think nothing of it. Now get out of here. I don’t feel like dealing with Marines right now.”
The rest of the crew had finally taken off after Usopp, but Zoro lingered behind to wait on Robin. He knew she could handle herself, but he still didn’t want to leave her behind.
Robin smiled and gave one last wave to Raleigh. Zoro followed the woman outside. In the distance, he could see Luffy running, a massive trail of dust in his wake from the group of Marines pursuing him.
“Shall we?”
Zoro grunted, then started to run. He swiftly turned around when a hand grabbed his shoulder to steer him in the right direction. His face warmed, but he did his best to ignore Robin’s giggle.
Running full out, Zoro didn’t have time to think about Luffy. He didn’t acknowledge the squirming nerves in his stomach. He didn’t let himself think about Sanji’s words.
Zoro’s relieved when he and Robin finally emerge from the woods and see the Sunny. The others have already boarded, rapidly preparing to set sail the moment their captain arrives. Despite the lengthy sprint, Robin wasn’t out of breath, Zoro noted. It wasn’t super obvious on the outside, but Zoro had a feeling the woman had become much stronger.
As soon as his feet touched the deck, Nami was yelling at him to pull the anchor up. A distraction. He braces himself as he lifts the heavy anchor, pulling the chain up onto the deck. Sweat made his skin glisten.
“Oi! Everyone!”
Luffy’s voice carried easily. As the crew ran to the railing, a rubbery hand suddenly grabbed onto the mast. Realizing what was about to happen, the crew scattered as quickly as they had gathered.
But Zoro hadn’t been listening. He wipes his forehead of sweat as he finishes his task. Before he can even turn around, something collides with his back forcefully. He lets out a grunt of both surprise and pain as his chest collides with the Sunny’s railing.
“Set the sails! We’re off to the New World!”
Everyone cheered, but Zoro’s heart stopped. Still lying splayed out over Zoro’s back, Luffy springs up, only sparing Zoro a quick glance.
“Eh? Oh, sorry, Zoro!”
Zoro turns around, taking in Luffy’s face for the first time in two years. Luffy was already turning away before he suddenly froze, his entire body stiffening as if he had been electrocuted. He turns back around slowly, his lips pulled down into a frown. Zoro stares at him, meeting his gaze. Luffy’s eyes were so familiar, yet Zoro immediately noticed a difference. There was something darker, something more mature lurking underneath those brown irises.
The Sunny had successfully departed seconds after Luffy had boarded. Zoro could feel the nervous gazes of the crew as they watched him and Luffy. None of them paid any attention to the Marines that had finally reached the shore, fruitlessly firing their guns out at the sea.
Zoro’s throat was dry. He couldn’t speak. He felt like a mouse cornered by a cat. He could almost always tell what Luffy was thinking, but the expression on his captain’s face was completely foreign to him. The silence stretched on, becoming unbearable enough that Usopp tentatively took a step forward.
“Um, Luffy? So, uh, it turns out that Zoro-“
The fist that collided with Zoro’s cheek was not gentle. It was fast, fast enough that he didn’t have time to react. But even if he had, he would’ve taken it.
In a flash, he was knocked onto his back, and Luffy was towering over him, fists raised as he repeatedly struck Zoro. Zoro could have defended himself. He could have drawn Wado and deflected the punches, or covered his face with his arms. But he didn’t. He lay limply on the ground as Luffy pummeled him, stifling even the grunts of pain that attempted to slip past his lips.
“Luffy, stop!” Nami cried, though she didn’t dare try to break them apart.
Sanji stepped in for that.
“Luffy!” Sanji yelled, blocking his captain’s fist with a leg. “That’s enough.”
Luffy was breathing heavily, but Sanji’s interference seemed to be enough to bring him back to reason.
“Zoro!” Chopper wailed, running over to the swordsman. He was crying again. Zoro sat up, ignoring Chopper.
“Zoro, you’re bleeding!”
Zoro could feel blood trickling from both of his nostrils. He listlessly wiped it with the back of his hand, smearing it across his cheek.
“Zoro’s a liar,” Luffy finally spoke, his eyes hidden under the shadow of his hat. He turns on his heel and storms away toward the head of the ship.
The crew watches him, completely dumbfounded. Then they turn to Zoro.
“Let me bandage your face! Please, Zoro!” Chopper pleaded. Zoro placed a hand lightly on the doctor’s hat.
“S’fine, Chopper. These aren’t injuries that need to get healed.” Zoro gets to his feet, his expression flat. He had known Luffy would be angry. Sanji had said as much. But this still hurt. It hurt a lot. Zoro turns away and walks toward the crow’s nest.
“Hey! Zoro!” Sanji growls, intercepting him before he can make it to the ladder. “What the hell was that?”
Zoro stares at Sanji. “What?”
Sanji huffs with exasperation, sending a puff of smoke into Zoro’s face. “Don’t be an idiot! You didn’t even say anything to him!”
Zoro averted his gaze. What on earth could he have said? There was nothing.
“I can’t believe this!”
Zoro flinched when Nami exploded.
“Today was supposed to be a happy day! It’s been two years!” She jutted a finger at Zoro. “You need to go talk to him and fix this!”
Everyone was watching him. Zoro’s skin crawled with discomfort. Nami didn’t understand. There was nothing he could say. He wouldn’t apologize for what had happened because he didn’t regret it. He would do it again in a heartbeat.
He would die for Luffy without question. But that wasn’t something Luffy wanted or needed to hear.
Even if Luffy hated Zoro, Zoro could never hate his captain. He would lay down his life for Luffy always. Anytime. No matter what.
And that was something he knew Luffy would never be okay with.
So no, he had nothing to say. His expression must show something, because Nami’s anger starts to wither.
“You’re unbelievable,” she mutters angrily, turning around to go into the kitchen. Slowly, the rest of the crew trickles in after her, casting glances back at Zoro. Only Sanji remained, still standing in front of Zoro. Zoro recognized the look in his eyes. It was one he had never thought he would see directed at him – pity.
Because only Sanji truly knew his dilemma. The cook took in Zoro’s beaten face.
“Luffy’ll come around,” he finally says.
Zoro nods minutely, but he doesn’t know if that’s true. Sanji gives him one last look before he, too, goes after the others into the Sunny. Finally alone, Zoro climbs the ladder into the crow’s nest.
He doesn’t cry, but his one open eye burns. He should clean himself up. His face was starting to swell, and blood was drying on his skin. Instead, he sits down with his back against the wall.
The only other time Luffy had ever seriously attacked him had been on Whiskey Peak. It had been a misunderstanding – one that had deeply angered Zoro. It had taken so little for Luffy to turn on him. He hadn’t heard Zoro out, choosing instead to take the word of their enemies. But he and Luffy had eventually talked it through, and they’d grown stronger together because of it.
Zoro didn’t think they would be able to talk this through.
If Luffy was angry, that meant he was alive.
And that was good enough for Zoro.
Zoro spent the night in the crow’s nest, taking both watch shifts in lieu of sleeping. Sanji had griped about him skipping dinner, but he brought Zoro up a plate regardless. Zoro wasn’t hungry, but he ate it anyway, not wanting to anger Sanji even more.
The night was quiet. In the morning, they would begin their descent to Fishman Island. Nami hadn’t wanted to descend during the dark of night. Luffy, surprisingly, hadn’t argued with her.
Zoro stared out at the peaceful sea, his thoughts dark.
He loved Luffy. He loved everyone on the crew.
Unless Luffy ordered it, he would never leave them.
But he could make himself scarce. If Luffy was more comfortable when he wasn’t around, then so be it.
Zoro would do anything for his captain.
It was a familiar nightmare that woke Luffy up. Ace, dying in his arms. His crew, screaming for help as they vanished before his eyes. Zoro, lying bloody on the ground with no heartbeat.
He had gotten better at calming down after, but he still didn’t trust his mind enough to fall back asleep. So, with a quietness that Luffy didn’t often utilize, he left the sleeping quarters and wandered onto the deck to his spot.
He had missed sitting with Sunny. He had missed the view and the breeze. The way her lion’s head always felt warm, somehow.
He missed Ace.
He missed Zoro.
But Zoro was here. Zoro was here, but Luffy still missed him. It didn’t make sense.
Luffy had trained hard over the past two years. He had done his best to become strong. Strong enough that he would never lose anyone in his crew again.
He had been furious at Zoro. He still was. But mostly, he was furious with himself.
How could he call himself a captain when he let his first mate die? When he let his crew vanish in front of him?
Maybe Zoro had lost to Kuma, but it never should have come to that. It should have been Luffy’s fight.
Luffy ran his fingers over his knuckles. He regretted hitting Zoro. If Zoro hadn’t been upset with him before, Luffy felt certain he would be now.
Zoro had broken a promise. He was a liar. But Luffy was something much, much worse, because he had allowed it all to happen. He pulls his knees to his chest, resting his chin on them.
He wasn’t sure how long he stayed like that, but just before the sun peeked over the horizon, he heard the shuffle of footsteps behind him.
Sanji stopped near the railing next to the lion’s head. He was always one of the first ones awake so that he could make breakfast. Luffy briefly makes eye contact with his cook before turning away again.
Sanji lights a cigarette. “Any requests for breakfast?” He hums, eyes locked on Luffy’s back.
Luffy shook his head. “Not hungry.”
There was a heavy sigh behind him.
“Luffy. If you have no intention of forgiving Zoro, you need to kick him off the crew.”
That grabs Luffy’s attention.
He whirls around, brows furrowing in both confusion and anger. How could Sanji even suggest that? He opens his mouth to reply, but Sanji cuts him off.
“There can’t be a rift inside the crew. Things will turn out like they did on Water 7. So,” he continues. “Either talk to him and fix this shit, or tell him to get lost. Otherwise, this is just going to get worse and everyone will get sucked into it.”
Luffy stares at Sanji owlishly. He doesn’t speak for a long time, so Sanji sighs and turns to leave. Luffy grabs the sleeve of his shirt.
“Sanji.”
The cook turns and faces him expectantly.
“I failed as a captain.”
Sanji blinks, not saying anything. Nervously, Luffy continues.
“Everyone got hurt because I wasn’t strong enough. Zoro got hurt.”
“None of us was strong enough. That’s not your burden to shoulder alone.”
Luffy shook his head. “I couldn’t protect Zoro.”
“Like I said, not your fault alone.”
“I couldn’t protect Ace, either.”
Sanji flinched at that. A familiar guilt crept up his limbs. Sanji swallowed.
“Do you want that idiot to stay with us?”
Luffy slowly gave a little nod.
“Then talk to him.” Sanji snuffed out his cigarette. “Your sulking – both of you – is affecting Nami and Robin, so hurry up and fix it already.” Sanji pulled his sleeve away from Luffy’s grip. Luffy’s hand falls away, and Sanji’s expression softens a smidge.
“Go talk to him, Luffy.”
Luffy watches Sanji disappear into the kitchen. The first rays of sunlight had appeared, warming the deck of the Sunny in an orange glow. Luffy pushes himself up. Without giving himself time to second-guess his decision, he stretches an arm to the crow’s nest, then pulls himself up through the open window.
Zoro hadn’t slept. He wasn’t supposed to, given that he was on watch. But even if he hadn’t been, he wouldn’t have slept. His face was swollen and still aching from Luffy's punches. He keeps his gaze lowered when Luffy clambers up through one of the open windows. He wasn’t sure why Luffy was here – to call a truce? To yell at him more?
Luffy sits on the floor across from Zoro. Zoro can feel his eyes burning a hole through him, but he remains stubborn and keeps his head down. Did Luffy want an apology? He could see Luffy squirming around in his peripheral vision – he was nervous.
“Zoro.”
Zoro finally raises his head, the motion tentative as he meets Luffy’s gaze. Luffy had taken off his hat, fiddling with a loose piece of straw on the brim to keep his hands busy. Zoro let out a quiet sigh.
“Luffy,” he replies, his expression guarded.
“I’m glad Zoro isn’t dead. And I’m sorry for hitting Zoro.” Luffy’s hands and body finally go still. His eyes are watery. He looked moments away from crumbling and falling apart.
“I shouldn’t have hit Zoro. But…” Luffy swallowed, biting his lower lip. “But Zoro should’ve never left.”
A familiar guilt and wave of regret washes over Zoro. What Zoro did on Thriller Bark – that he didn’t regret. He wouldn’t apologize for that. But regarding Ace… that was something he would never forgive himself for. He hadn’t been there for Luffy. Luffy had suffered alone. He lost Ace, and he thought he had lost his swordsman, too. It was unforgivable.
“I’m sorry, Luffy.” Zoro means it. Luffy doesn’t react to the words. The boy stares down at his hat, obviously having more to say. Zoro waits.
“Did Zoro lose?” Luffy finally asks him quietly.
Had he lost? Zoro didn’t consider what had happened to be a defeat. But he wouldn’t tell Luffy the truth. He wouldn’t lie, either.
“I’m still here,” he settles on.
“But you weren’t. Zoro wasn’t breathing. He didn’t have a heartbeat.”
“It’ll take more than a single warlord to take me out,” Zoro attempts to lighten the mood. It falls flat.
Luffy looks up at him. He had started crying at some point. “I let Zoro die. Just like I let Ace die.”
Zoro’s stomach sank. “That’s not-“ Zoro bites his tongue. It wasn’t his fault. It was all of their faults. None of them had been strong enough. He swallows the lump in his throat. Telling that to Luffy wouldn’t change anything.
“We weren’t ready. That’s why Thriller Bark happened. That’s why Sabaody happened. And…” Zoro can’t bring himself to say Ace’s name. “But we’re ready now.” Zoro kept his gaze even as he looked into Luffy’s eyes. That darkness Zoro had seen before had reappeared, clouding his normally bright eyes.
“Never again,” Luffy utters quietly. “I’ll never lose anyone I care about ever again. Especially Zoro. Zoro isn’t going to die.”
“Luffy,” Zoro warned. They had talked about this before. Zoro wouldn’t make promises that he may not keep.
“Zoro isn’t going to die because I’m not going to let him,” Luffy continues, determination sparking in his eyes. “Got that, Zoro?”
Well, shit. Zoro couldn’t really argue with that. Luffy almost always got what he wanted, especially when he was this determined.
“Aye,” he replies softly. Luffy let out the first noise since he had started crying, a sort of hiccup that seemed to lead to more tears. His hands clenched the brim of his hat, knuckles paled.
Looking at him – the first beams of sunlight had just breached through the open windows, illuminating Luffy’s face – Zoro was certain. Luffy would be the king.
“Z-Zoro,” Luffy sniffed, lower lip wobbling. “I missed Zoro. Missed him so much.”
Zoro gently set his blades down. “Luffy.” He silently beckons the boy to sit next to him. Not needing anything more than that offer, Luffy throws himself at Zoro, stifling his cries against Zoro’s neck. Zoro wraps his arms around Luffy tightly, squeezing until his veins start to pop against his skin. He pressed his nose and lips against the top of Luffy’s hair.
“I missed you too, Captain,” he utters quietly. Luffy smelled of sweat and saltwater. It was familiar. Zoro’s swords brought him comfort, but this was different. For the first time since the crew had reunited, Zoro felt completely at peace.
They stay like this, wrapped in a tight embrace, until Luffy’s long stopped crying. His breath is warm and damp against Zoro’s neck, but Zoro couldn’t care less. For Luffy, it was a long time to sit still. Thus, Zoro wasn’t surprised when Luffy eventually began shifting and fidgeting in his lap. Zoro pulls back a little to give him space. Luffy’s face is a little flushed from crying, but it isn’t super noticeable.
“Where did Zoro go?”
“Mihawk. He trained me.”
Luffy’s eyes widened, falling onto the scar that slashed through Zoro’s eye. If Luffy had asked about the scar, Zoro would’ve answered him. But he was unsurprised when Luffy said nothing about it. He had never been one to care much about things that had happened in the past. Still, he brings a hand up. His fingertips trace the curve of the scar before settling on his cheek.
“Raleigh was my teacher.”
“That old man?” Zoro had sensed Raleigh’s power, but if the man was strong enough to train Luffy, he had underestimated him. Luffy nods, still touching Zoro’s cheek. Zoro lets himself fully take in Luffy. He hadn’t exactly gotten the chance to see how the boy had changed before.
His hair was a bit longer, but still as messy as ever. He was a little taller. His muscles had filled out, but he was still leaner as opposed to bulky, like Zoro’s build. Luffy had always oozed strength, but the power radiating from him now was entirely different. It was something radiant, something ageless and abysmal. It was a power that didn’t seem to have a limit.
The biggest difference was easily the massive scar that marred Luffy’s chest. Zoro places a hand over the rough skin, not bothering to hide the anger that washes over him. It eases a little when Luffy laughs.
“We match!” Luffy said, eyes much brighter than they had been. Zoro traces the edges of the scar with a calloused hand. A smile ghosted Zoro’s lips. He would do anything for Luffy.
Still giggling, Luffy leans in and presses a wet kiss on Zoro’s scarred eye. Zoro leans into it, then lightly grabs Luffy’s jaw to redirect his lips. Their kiss is unusually soft, especially on Luffy’s end. Normally, the captain was all enthusiasm and teeth and tongue. But not right now. Zoro tilts his head to deepen the kiss, Luffy reciprocating easily. Zoro’s hands slide down to Luffy’s waist, thumbs exploring little circles near his hips.
“Oi, mosshead! Get your ass down here for breakfast already!”
Luffy immediately breaks away, his foot digging into Zoro’s thigh in his haste to stand. Zoro grunts with a frown, watching Luffy eagerly climb out of the window he had entered from and leap down toward the deck with a loud cheer of “Meat!”
Zoro smiles, slower to follow as he grabs his swords and takes the ladder instead of the more direct route used by Luffy.
By Luffy’s side, Zoro felt immortal. So long as his captain lived, Zoro would never die.