-Chapter Seventy-
"Sanji?" Luffy questioned, silently asking if the blond was ready for them to leave.
"Yeah" Sanji nodded.
"Alright, you guys, make sure to hold on tight to me" Luffy instructed, pulling himself further back before finally, he shot forward and rocketed toward the Marine ship.
"And there they go" I whistled.
"Yep" Nami sighed. "Hopefully, they'll be alright" she smiled.
"Hm" I nodded. "What should we do 'til they get back?" I curiously asked.
"Don't know, do whatever you want as long as it doesn't cause too much noise" the ginge shrugged. "We don't want to attract the Marines's attention before they get back" she reminded me.
"True..." I mumbled in thought. "Do you think pestering Zoro would be a quiet activity?" I asked.
"You better hope so" she said, rolling her eyes as the corners of his lips twitched upwards. "Last I saw, I think he was going to take a nap in one of his usual spots."
"Perfect, then that means he won't see me coming" I grinned, taking off as the ginger snorted.
-Later-
I flinched when I suddenly heard and saw Sanji smash headfirst into the wall right beside me as Luffy perfectly landed on the ship's railing just fine.
"Nice landing" I snorted, closing the book I had been reading.
"You think so?" Luffy laughed.
"Dammit! You did this on purpose, didn't you?" Sanji groaned as I covered my mouth in an attempt to stifle my own laughter.
"I'm sorry" Luffy grinned.
"Really? Cause you don't look very sorry!" Sanji growled.
"That's why I'm sorry" Luffy giggled.
"He's got you there, Sanji" I laughed.
"I'm going to flay you!" the blond threatened the still-laughing rubber man as I started to wipe at any tears that had built up at the corners of my eyes before giving a content sigh. Leaning back against the wall, I watched the two with a look of amusement.
"Luffy, what's the matter?" Nami asked as she and Usopp came running out onto the deck, most likely drawn outside by the commotion the two had started to make with their arrival back on the ship after Sanji had slammed headfirst into the side of the cabin.
"He threw Sanji into a wall" I answered.
"What? Did you seriously damage the Going Merry again, Luffy?!" Usopp scowled
"Oh yeah, about that, I'm really sorry" Luffy widely grinned. "The Marines saw me, so we kind of had to hurry up and get back" he confessed.
"That...that doesn't sound like something you shouldn't be laughing about" I sweat dropped as the raven-haired man started to laugh once more.
"What?!" Nami's eyes widened. "The Marines saw you? How could you let that happen?!" she angrily shouted.
"We got this ship from Kaya, so it's really important that we take care of it! How many times do I have to tell you that?!" Usopp snapped.
"We can't just stand around like this—Usopp, Sanji, Skylar! We're leaving immediately!" Nami ordered.
"Yes, Nami, my love!" Sanji swooned before groaning in pain. "But...I can't really move at the moment..." he moaned.
-Time Skip-
"Aw, man" Luffy loudly groaned as he slumped over the kitchen table.
"Something a matter, Luffy?" I hummed, curiously glancing over the book I was ready and towards the sulking captain.
"Argh! When is this stupid rain going to stop?!" he suddenly and angrily shouted, causing me to smile
"Is that it? I quite like the rain, it's very calming" I confessed, causing the captain to grumble in return before he looked toward Usopp.
"Hey, Usopp, do you have anything we can have fun with?" he asked as I closed my book and handed it to Nami who hummed and looked away from the newspaper she had been reading with a raised brow.
"With him like this, I'm not going to be able to concentrate—I'll read it sometime later, but thank you for letting me borrow it" I explained.
"No problem, you can borrow it whenever you like" she nodded in understanding, taking the book and setting it off to the side before turning back to the newspaper she was reading.
"I do have a firework we could shoot off if you like want to" Usopp answered, digging around inside his pocket before pulling out a small firework that honestly didn't look that well made at all.
"Do I?!" Luffy brightened.
"That's not a good idea, guys—for all we know, there could be hostile ships nearby" Nami butted in.
"Yeah, you got a point there" Usopp agreed, already putting the firework away and causing Luffy to slump over once again with a heavy sigh.
"Don't worry, Luffy, I'm sure you'll find something fun to do" I assured him, propping my chin up with the palm of my hand as I reached over and gave his back a comforting pat. He grunted before eventually humming in thought as he suddenly leaned over towards Robin who was busy reading...I wish I could have that same level of concentration as she does, but it was sometimes difficult for me to focus whenever there was too much noise.
"Hey, Robin, what's that book you've had your nose in all this time?" Luffy curiously asked, startling everyone. "What? Is something wrong?" he asked when he saw that nearly everyone was now looking at him.
"No, it's nothing" they responded, quickly diverting their attention.
"It's called Rainbow Mist—it's an incredible, fascinating read" Robin answered as she showed the captain her book.
"Sounds interesting, what's it about?" I asked, deciding to join in on the conversation as I leaned against the table.
"It's about an adventure someone had in a part of the sea known as an unusual phenomenon" she vaguely answered.
"An adventure, huh?" Luffy hummed, tilting his head in thought. "Sounds pretty cool" he smiled, picking the book up the minute Robin sat it down which in return took everyone by surprise once again.
"Uh...so I saw an island" Zoro said, lowering the hood of his raincoat as he came walking into the kitchen.
"An island? Yahoo!" Luffy cheered, instantly dropping the book as he took off running out of the room. I laughed as the others gave sighs of relief, the tension in the room now dissipating as they relaxed.
"Okay, what's wrong with you guys?" Zoro asked with a raised brow.
"Nothing" they responded.
-Later-
"Keep a close eye on the ship while we're gone, okay?" Nami called back from the island's shore.
"Yeah, okay—I got it" Zoro responded.
"Got it" I waved.
"Are you sure you didn't want to go with them?" Zoro suddenly asked as he leaned back against the railing. "It might have been fun."
"I'm sure" I smiled, crossing my arms behind my back. "I enjoy spending time with you" I smiled.
"Oh? Really?" he grinned, leaning in closer as I shrunk away.
"I need an adult" I squeaked.
"Technically, I am an adult" Zoro chuckled.
"I need an adult that isn't you!" I exclaimed, causing him to laugh as I shoved him away. It grew silent after that—peacefully silent really as we both stood there for a moment and just enjoyed each other's company. Despite the dreary weather we've been having, I couldn't help but suck in a deep breath of air and enjoy the fresh scent of rain that still lingered. Looking at the man beside me from the corner of my eye, I opened my mouth as if ready to speak...only to immediately shut it the moment I felt that familiar lump of anxiety.
"Yeah?" Zoro turned to me, raising an eyebrow when all I did was shake my head and look the other way.
"Nothing..." it felt ridiculous how difficult it was for me to ask what most would consider such a simple question. Despite the embarrassment though, there was a small part of me that felt almost irrationally bitter as I wondered why he couldn't just bring up the topic of past friendship himself. I know he's probably tried...or at least I think that he has. Occasionally, I'd catch him in the corner of my eye, opening his mouth and looking just about ready to say something before closing it the same way I did and pulling away with a look of uncertainty in his eyes as if he too didn't know what to do and was nervous about what would happen if he brought attention to the past. It felt strange to think someone as cocky and overconfident as Zoro could be just as lost and wary as someone as overly anxious as me...
Did we even really need to bring it up?
That was a question I recently found myself thinking whenever I was alone and left with my thoughts. Despite what that little voice in my head says, it's clear that we both remember something considering how easy it was for us to slip back into old habits. There was something familiar about our interactions that brought back such warm and fuzzy memories of a time that I found myself actually cherishing. My time with him back on his home island all those years ago was one of the few points in time where I found myself feeling genuinely happy—the good memories I have are far and few between with most of them being shared with him...
And maybe that's why I wanted some verbal confirmation.
A strong part of me wanted to know that the memories I so dearly cherished are also cherished just the same by him. I so badly wanted to know that he thought just as fondly of those days we spent together like I did and that the friendship we shared clearly meant something to him. I wanted to know...
"Hey" I flinched at the sudden snapping of fingers in front of my face. "You alright? You kind of just spaced out a bit there" Zoro worriedly frowned as I owlishly blinked, forcefully dragged from my thoughts.
"What? Concerned about me or something?" I teasingly smiled as I leaned in closer toward him, causing his cheeks to grow warm. "How sweet" I cooed, giggling when I suddenly felt his hand against my face as he shoved me away.
"Not anymore since you're clearly fine" he rolled his eyes with an embarrassed huff. "Whatever, I'm going to get some training done" and with that, he stormed off. Giggling, I decided to wander off myself in search of Robin once I remembered that I hadn't seen her leave with the rest of her. I was rather curious about the newest member of our crew due to how mysterious she seemed. Since her arrival on the ship, I rarely saw her around as if she was nothing more than a mere ghost. No doubt she was keeping her distance...whether that be because she could still sense the other's wariness of her or because she herself was wary of getting too close, I didn't know.
"Still reading that book, I see" I hummed the moment I found her.
"Yes, it's quite an interesting read" she answered, peering up from the book in her hands as she repeated the same sentiment as earlier. "Is there something you need, Swordswoman?" she asked, tilting her head.
"Not really, kind of embarrassed Zoro, so I need to wait a while before I can go back and embarrass him some more" I truthfully told her as I scratched my cheek. "Thought I'd come and talk with you, but I see that you're kind of busy at the moment..." I sheepishly smiled, motioning to the book in her hands as I realized fairly quickly that I didn't really know what to say to the woman. I came searching for her with the intent of getting to know her better and instead, I now only felt like I was intruding on her alone time and being a bother. "I'll just be going, sorry for bothering you" I apologized, already turning on my heel and getting ready to leave.
"Wait" I stopped and looked back.
"Yes?" I asked.
"Your last name is Strife, correct?" she suddenly asked, causing me to tense.
"Uh...yeah..." I hesitantly responded, forcing my muscles to relax as I darted my gaze elsewhere. "What about it?" I asked. I watched from the corner of my eye as she narrowed her eyes in thought, staring me down like a hawk until I started to uncomfortably shift around and avert my gaze once more
"It's nothing" she finally said after a moment of tense silence, softly shaking her head as she returned to her book.
"Right..." I nodded, lingering for a moment before quickly leaving...
Maybe it was best if I didn't spend too much time alone with her.
-Later-
"How pretty" Nami smiled, eyes bright as another bout of fireworks were shot off. Turns out this particular island just loves holding festivals specifically revolving around fireworks, so we unanimously agreed to stick around just a bit longer and watch the show before setting off.
"Beautiful..." I breathed in awe, head tilted back and staring upwards at the colorful display. Zoro hummed in agreement from beside me, though he looked slightly irritated with Luffy who was currently shoveling food down his gullet. I couldn't help but giggle as I watched from the corner of my eye how Nami knocked away Sanji's arm when he attempted to be romantic and put it around her shoulders.
"Whoa!" the people around us shouted in awe as more fireworks were shot off, coloring the sky in various shades of reds and blues and greens.
"Amazing, they did such a fantastic job" I praised, before owlishly blinking when another firework that wasn't as great compared to the previous ones was suddenly shot off, confusing everyone as a low murmur kicked up in the crowd.
"Why was that one so crappy?" Nami frowned.
"Don't know, maybe it was a dud" I shrugged as the excitement in the crowd once more returned as an even bigger firework was suddenly shot off. This one far better and prettier compared to the previous one. When the last of the fireworks were shot off and finished, everyone started to cheer around us. "That was wonderful, wasn't it?" I happily laughed, wrapping my arm around Zoro's waist in a side hug as I brightly smiled up at him.
"Yeah, it was—beautiful too" his gaze softened as he returned the gesture, throwing his arm around my shoulder as he pulled me closer.
-Time Skip-
"Yahoo!" Luffy eagerly cheered as Usopp shot off one of the ship's cannons, destroying any small rocks in the distance we happened to pass by. "That was awesome!" he excitedly laughed.
"I see you're finally awake" I chuckled when I noticed that all the ruckus had finally woken Zoro up from his slumber beside me. He sneezed before stretching his arms upwards, only to quickly grab for his swords when he suddenly spotted Robin heading toward us with a blanket.
"Didn't I tell you not to stand beside me?" Zoro glared.
"That's rude—she's a part of the crew now, so be nice" I scolded, lighting smacking his arm as he lowly grunted.
"You're going to catch a cold dressed like that" Robin said, motioning to his clothes with her head.
"The only people who catch colds are those who let their mind guards down" Zoro scoffed.
"Zoro, that's not how that works" I sweat dropped.
"Okay" Robin smiled, not arguing with the man's logic. "I guess all those stories I've heard about how tough Zoro the Pirate Hunter is are really true" Robin remarked.