Chapter Twenty Five: A Heart Warming Conversation
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You purse your lips in dismay as Sanji sets a plate of dessert in front of you. It was beautifully crafted, with smooth white cream decorated in small fresh fruits and sprinkles. The dessert was just utterly breathtaking, and would have been utterly delicious. Would have considered the fact that you weren't feeling very peckish at the moment.
"Here you are Y/n-chan. I hope you enjoy~"
The corners of your mouth twitched down a little as you deflated in your seat. He didn't call you by his usual nickname. Sure, you had asked him to treat you more so as an equal, but it was clear that Sanji wasn't his usual self. What in the world did you do to make him act this way? How can you fix the situation when you didn't know what it was?
You would ask Sanji personally, but you were scared. And there was the fact that he always tended to avoid areas where you were, or averted the conversation away from him whenever you tried to talk to him.
You knew you could always use your Haki and see what was wrong, but you felt that it was kind of an invasion of privacy. Like your Master said, it was best to solve problems with simple solutions, unless the problem required a complicated one. Haki wasn't a tool for you to use on just anyone.
There were boundaries that shouldn't be crossed, and you knew that if Sanji wanted you to know what was wrong, he would tell you. But he clearly wasn't.
So what could you do? How could you solve this situation without using Haki?
You poked your dessert absentmindedly with your fork.
Think Y/n, think! What has all those friendship animes, manga, and video games taught you? What has all your friendships taught you to deal with situations like this?
Thinking back on your friendships, you blanched. Those relationships were relationships with practically no bumps in the road. Katakuri and Mihawk practically let you do whatever you wanted, and Crocodile was always that tsundere who would also relent whenever it came to what you wanted.
Doflamingo liked to spoil you rotten, Smoker, well, you both had rekindled your friendship and- OH.
Your eyes widened. Smoker! You could use your rekindling as reference to now! Huh, but how exactly did you and Smoker make up...?
Sighing in defeat, you slumped over the table, causing all attention to be averted to you.
"Is everything okay, Y/n-chan?" Nami asked. Her chair screeched as she pushed it back, standing up as she made her way over to you. "You look like you've been in deep thought."
The sound of rustling paper caught your attention, and you saw that she had set down the newspaper she was reading so that she could place a hand on your back, rubbing it soothingly. You gave her a sheepish smile.
"Don't worry about it! I was just thinking about some people I know." Technically not a lie. Your gaze drifted to the circular window. "Besides, you guys should be preparing for Little Garden."
Nami nodded her head, widening her eyes slightly. "That's right. Have you been to Little Garden before? What's the topography like? Are there things we should watch out for?"
Sitting up slightly, you leaned your head on your non-dominant hand, your other using your fork to prod at your dessert. It was silent with only the small chink of the metal on the plate. Your eyes flickered to a soft gold color for a moment, causing her to hold her breath. One word left your lips.
"Bugs."
Shifting your head to the side, you let out another heavy sigh.
Nami raised her eyebrows, moving back to her seat and picking up the Newspaper once again. Holding it over her face, she leaned into Usopp. "Don't you think Y/n-chan's acting a bit weird?"
Everyone could only watch you with confused eyes as you continued to poke at your food absentmindedly. Your usually large appetite was gone. It's been ten minutes since Sanji set down the dessert in front of you, but you hadn't even eaten a single bite, only resorting to poking and pushing it around with uninterest.
Usopp felt his hands shake a little. Does he tell everyone what's been troubling you? Or does he keep quiet? He should keep quiet about this, shouldn't he? You seemed to want to solve the problem yourself, so...
"Definitely weird." Usopp and Nami looked back to Zoro who's eyes were narrowed onto your form. "Weird enough for Luffy to notice too."
Their gaze shifted to Luffy who had suddenly clung to you like a koala. There was a small pout on his lips as his eyes drifted from your serious and contemplative expression to your uneaten dessert.
There was worry and concern in his eyes as he pestered you.
"Y/n, are you going to eat that?"
Luffy poked your cheek with a small frown. "Aren't you hungry Y/n? Are you not going to eat? You should eat something! You're growing! And you need energy to explore the island with me! Don't you want to explore the island with me?"
"You can have it if you want, Luffy," you spoke up after his insistent pestering. "I'm not feeling hungry right now. Actually, I've been thinking about a few things. I just have this weird feeling that everything is not going to go how I think it's going to go."
Zoro paused, eyes widening slightly when he remembered something. He had been about to call out to you when Vivi had spoken.
"Ah, but I think you should eat, Y/n-chan!" she said. "You haven't eaten much since yesterday. You can't expect to function at your best when you're hungry!"
"I'll be fine," you spoke with a reassuring smile. "Besides! I trained for this too. I can go a week without eating and sleeping and still be in tip top shape!"
Nami shook her head, face palming. She smacks you lightly in the back of your head. "That's not healthy! Who's irresponsible enough to let you even do that? Not sleeping for a week or eating?! That's ridiculous!"
You shrugged your shoulders. "All part of training with Saka-chan I guess. He's a very intense individual. Very stoic too. But he's a bit of a tsundere too, so that's kind of funny. Ah, that's right. I haven't seen him in a while. It's been two years now maybe?"
Eyes shifting to the newspaper, you hummed. "Ah, if you're done with the newspaper, could you pass it to me please, Nami?" Nami froze a little, her hand gripping harder to crinkle the paper. She opened her mouth to speak, but Luffy happily spoke up, interrupting her.
"I'LL DO IT!" Ripping the paper from her hands, Luffy happily shoved the newspaper in your hands. You held onto it, pulling it towards you a little, but Luffy didn't let go.
Instead, he tugged it a little towards himself as his train of sight caught on to a small image on the paper.
"Heyy! That's Coby! Zoro! Look!" You tilted your head down to stare at the upside down image. Coby? In the image you could see two boys huddling together on a ship. And those coats- Those were marines. And standing right there with that familiar dog head...
That was...
"Grandpa?" You spoke under your breath in surprise. He was in the East Blue and you didn't even know about it?
"Coby?" Nami spoke in confusion. "Isn't that your friend that you were talking about the other day...?" Luffy nodded his head with a large grin.
"Hey hey! Y/n!" Luffy excitedly asked. "Read me the newspaper! I want to hear what it says!" You couldn't help but laugh a little, ruffling his hair.
"Okay okay." You shook the paper to get a flatter view, adjusting it with your hands. "Vice-Admiral Garp's warship has arrived at Navy Headquarters. It seems like this photo was taken during the ride on Reverse Mountain. Your friend Coby seems to be going on Reverse Mountain for the first time from the look on his face."
You shuddered a bit. "I can't blame him, though. Reverse Mountain is scary."
You purse your lips before laughing. "Well I guess that Grandpa for you, always taking the harder way instead of going through the Calm Belt."
"Whoa! So Coby has entered the Grand Line too!" He turned to face you with the brightest smile. "Oh yeah! You don't know who Coby is, do you? Coby was this guy that I met who accidentally got on a pirate ship when he tried to go fishing!"
Oof that's bad luck.
"-but his dream is to become a marine officer! So I beat up fat Alvida and then the two of us went and found Zoro!"
You nodded your head. "Well it's good that he's on a path to achieve his dreams- oh." You blinked in surprise when Sanji set down a steaming bowl of food in front of you. Your eyes sparkled at the familiar dish.
It was chicken noodle soup.
You smiled softly. Whenever you felt down or were sick, Mihawk had always been the one to cook it for you. It was kind of funny that since you had been feeling a little down, Sanji was the one to make it for you.
Sanji chewed on his cigar, watching you with a sigh. "Luffy and Vivi-san are right. You've barely touched any of your food since yesterday. You say you're not hungry, but you should eat some of this soup. It's light and should give you some energy for the rest of the trip."
Eyes flickering up, you couldn't help the bright smile that filled your expression.
Something twinged inside of Sanji as he adverted his eyes. Sanji felt incredibly guilty. He knew it was his fault. He knew that your loss of appetite had been because of him. So why were you looking so happy at him now, when he had hurt you? Why is it that you look at him with those bright eyes, as if disregarding his cold treatment towards you?
He watched as you hurriedly grabbed the spoon, dipping it into the soup. It was silent as all eyes were on you, quietly blowing on the liquid. He could see that you seemed more chipper than you had been before.
Why were you so easy to please? Why weren't you angry at him? Why did you have to make this harder than it needed to be?
"Thank you for the food!" you exclaimed, happily taking a small sip.
Your reaction was everything to Sanji, and he felt his heart break at the absolute happiness that was shown in your eyes. Except it suddenly soured as it felt as though something were stabbing him in the heart. That ugly sinking feeling in his chest that made him feel as though he were suffocating was unbearable.
Nami, meanwhile, had found herself narrowing her eyes at Sanji.
She wouldn't say she was the most observant person (well, she was, but only when it came to the weather), she could conclude a few things from the small interaction between you and Sanji.
1. Sanji clearly wasn't being the lovey dovey person he was towards you.
No pet names, no heart eyes, if anything though, it seemed as though he were holding back. Especially when earlier she caught him casting a few occasional glances out the window to you. He had seemed contemplative, serious even, but when you eventually did turn your head towards the kitchen, he would always get right back to work.
2. You didn't talk much to Sanji.
There were a few things that Nami knew very well from you. Your personality was pretty straight forward. You liked interaction between your friends. New people, you were a little hesitant with, but with your friends, it was easy to say that you were outgoing. Every morning she would always find you greeting her with a happy smile, asking her what kinds of things she needed help that day.
But right now... Your interactions with Sanji seemed to have dwindled to the minimum. Her eyebrows furrowed as you happily slurped your specially made soup.
It was because of him, wasn't it? Sanji did something to hurt your feelings. No. Nami shook her head slightly. Sanji wasn't the type of person to deliberately hurt your feelings. Something you did must have affected him somehow, and now Sanji was attempting to put his distance with you.
Regardless of what it was, it was clearly hurting you. And all Nami could see was that it was Sanji's own fault.
With a quiet thump, you set the empty bowl down on the table. It was silent as you stood up, newspaper in one hand, and began walking out of the room. No one made a move to stop you. No one except the captain himself.
"Y/n!!" he called out, running to hug you. "Let's hang out! Let's go sit on Merry's head together!"
You felt the blood drain out of your face.
"Ahaha... I-I'm not too sure...."
"Whaaa? You don't want to hang out with me?" he whined, giving you the puppy dog eyes. "Pleease~? I want to spend time with you!!"
After a few moments of contemplation, you gave in. Giving him a smile, you let Luffy slip his hand into your own, intertwining each other's fingers as he pulled out out the door.
"LET'S GO!"
And with that, the door slammed shut.
Nami took that chance to glare hard at Sanji. "Okay Sanji-kun, what the fuck was that." Nami practically seethed, her glare menacing as she regarded the chef coldly.
Zoro hummed, leaning back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head.
"I have to agree, what was that, shitty cook?" Zoro spoke, a stoic expression on his face. "Did you have a sudden realization that Y/n's too good for you?" he jabbed. But even then, Zoro knew that it was not the case.
A realization that you're too good for him would never stop Sanji from pursuing you. And who's to say that he would even realize it in the first place?
Usopp nervously looked between the three crewmates, a bead of sweat beginning to dribble down the side of his face. He wasn't so sure if he should be involved in this at the moment. Nami was terrifying alone, but even Zoro seemed a little pissed off, considering how stoic he was at the moment. It was chilling to see how protective the two were over you.
He gulped loudly. And if Luffy hadn't left to, what he assumed to be, make you feel better, he was sure that Luffy would have been even more terrifying. With how naive and oblivious Luffy tended to be, there was never a single detail or thing that he didn't notice when it came to you.
He had seen it first hand yesterday when Luffy had been distracted by you sitting by yourself in the middle of the deck, straying as far as you could from the railings, when he suddenly said that you hadn't eaten for a while.
Usopp had felt a little startled that the boy would actually bother to pay attention to what you did, especially when Luffy had hardly been around you in the first place. But no, it seemed as though he were aware of what you were doing. Eerily aware.
Now in the present, Usopp couldn't help but think that Luffy knew there was something going on between you and Sanji. It was only right, considering his past actions. Or maybe he was so focused on you he didn't notice the change in Sanji's behavior? Usopp shook his thoughts out of his head.
Whatever the fact may be, it was irrelevant at the moment, with the harsh, one-sided stare down between Sanji and Nami and Zoro. His gaze shifted over to a worried Vivi and Karoo. They didn't seem to be too aware of what was going on, but they knew enough to know that Sanji did something to upset you, and vice versa.
Sanji let out a sigh, slipping a cigarette and lighter out of his pocket. With a small metal click, he flicked the thing to life, bringing up to his cigarette to light it. Placing the lighter back into his pocket, he took a long drag.
"I didn't do shit," was all he said, moving behind the counter to clean up the plates.
"Bullshit," Zoro growled. "We can all see it. Hell, even Luffy can see it. What the fuck has gotten you so freaked out?"
Sanji's lips quivered slightly, before he angrily turned around. "Freaked out? You think I'm freaked out? I just fucking told you, I did nothing, so shut up before I make you."
It was clear that this was a topic that Sanji wasn't willing to speak of. Whatever the hell is going though his mind, it clearly wasn't a good one. Especially if it were enough to make him angry and distance himself away from you.
Nami let out a huff, angrily standing up abruptly. Only the loud screech of wood on wood was heard as the chair slowly fell backward with a thump. With a grit of her teeth, she stomped out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her. If Sanji wasn't willing to talk, then fine, he didn't have to. Though it peeved her slightly that he didn't call her her usual nickname either.
Just what was going on?
Vivi and Karoo nervously looked at the two men and Usopp, wondering if they should leave or stay. Most likely leave, considering the thick tension in the room. But how could they leave, leaving Usopp there by himself in the middle? Her eyes caught Usopp, and it was like a strange connection went between the two of them.
Usopp opened his mouth to nervously speak, "V-Vivi! Hey! I just remembered that I had some cool stuff to show you!"
Yes, this was a totally good plan.
"You know I went to Loguetown and got some interesting weapons! Yup, weapons! Ahahahaha..."
He quickly stood up, glancing between Zoro and Sanji's harsh staredown. They didn't even bother to glance up at him. Wow.
With haste, he left the room as well, holding the door open for Vivi and Karoo, who took no time to leave as well. Once the door shut, Usopp let out a huge sigh, letting his body slump up against the door.
"What... What happened?" Vivi asked with a shaky voice.
Usopp shook his head.
"I don't even know." Wrong. He did know. He closed his eyes, before reopening them, letting them settle over at the Merry's head, where both you and Luffy could be seen laughing. You were curled up between his legs as he protectively held you, probably reassuring you that it would be okay.
"Just some drama, I guess," he muttered.
"About Y/n-chan?" Vivi inquired.
He was quiet for a moment. "Y-Yeah..."
It didn't even need to be said. It was obvious.
A silence fell upon the two of them, with only the laughter heard from the distance the only sound heard. They found themselves staring at you and Luffy, watching as you laughed nervously, occasionally glancing at the ocean before Luffy began to divert the conversation and hug you tightly.
Vivi let herself sigh, a soft smile overcoming her features.
"She looks happy," she commented as you giggled at something Luffy said. It was then that she remembered how downright terrifying you were when you had been drunk the other night. She shuddered. "But she's terrifying."
Usopp quirked a brow. "Terrifying...?" Ha, he could totally relate to that. "Yeah, she can be scary sometimes..."
A sudden shout from the lounge caused them to stiffen. From Merry's head, even you seemed to go rigid, quickly whipping your head in their direction. Unfortunately for you, you seemed to have moved too fast, losing your balance and falling off the ship.
It was like slow motion as you slowly fell backwards. It was also at this time that Zoro decided to storm out of the lounge, just in time to watch you fall. Everyone's mouth fell open comically.
"Y/n!"
Luffy was quick, wrapping his legs around Merry's neck to stabilize himself as he let his arms stretch to grab you around the waist. You let out a yelp when you felt your hands just about graise the water, before you were shot back up into the air like a slingshot. Unfortunately, it was just enough power to make Luffy accidentally let go of his legs, and the two of you suddenly found yourselves spiraling through the air.
You let out a sound of despair as the world spun around you, and upon realizing that the ship was gradually getting closer at an alarming rate, you screamed, clutching onto Luffy who was laughing his ass off.
"LUUUUUUFFYYYYY!"
Oh please someone catch me.
"Don't worry!! I know what I'm doing Y/n!" Luffy exclaimed, shifting his body so that his back was to the deck and you were in his arms. "Shishishi! I got this! Gomu Gomu no...."
"BALLOOON!"
You let out a groan as Luffy fell onto the Going Merry, the impact making you a little woozy, but otherwise fine. As Luffy deflated, he held a tight grip on you, preventing you from rolling off. You probably would have, considering just that little event had taken too much mental energy from you. Now you just wanted to take a nap and forget that you almost fell into the sea.
You didn't even move at the sound of hurried footsteps. You just felt a little too exhausted. Not from just the fall though, you soon realize. The mental toll of Sanji's weird actions was also beginning to affect you. A nap sounded pretty good right about now.
"Y/n! Are you okay?" Ah, that was Nami. "Luffy! What were you thinking? You could have killed Y/n!"
You could feel Luffy's shift from under you, moving to a sitting position. He let your head rest against his chest, as he spoke. "But I didn't! I made sure to protect Y/n the whole time! Right Y/n?"
You blinked slowly, feeling a little sick. Everything was beginning to spin, churning into a blur of colors.
"Y/n?"
Your head slumped over to the side, breathing becoming steadily shallower. Something was wrong. You didn't feel so good. A blackness was beginning to cloud your vision, and you felt yourself slowly losing consciousness. The last thing you heard was the worried yelling of your friends, before the world had suddenly gone dark.
---
"Can anyone hear me?"
It is a quiet stillness as the voice echoes throughout the void. And even if you found yourself wanting to respond, you cannot. There is no air, no way that vibrations should be able to traverse.
And yet you could somehow hear that small, tickling whisper.
A whisper that you've heard a few times before in the past. A voice indistinguishable, a voice that beckons you to lean in and indulge in whatever secrets they may spill. Secrets perhaps you may never know, with how worlds apart it seems to be from the voice.
"Is there anyone there?"
You are listening, but you do not respond. You cannot respond. Your body is tired, as if there was a weight pressing immense pressure upon your chest. You are unable to move, unable to speak, unable to sense anything. Senses are dulled as you could only focus on how empty the world is, how dark it is.
How lonely it is.
Alone in an endless world of black tar, a blank, black canvas that has yet to be filled. Without limbs or feet, without the movement, the breath, the smell of air, there is nothing. It is unpleasant, it is uncomfortable; it is as if there is no more good thing in the world, being snuffed out like a candle. But there is no bad thing either.
There is just... nothing. Just a vacant space, within an ever moving mind.
Thoughts of why and how this came to be only fueled your confusion and frustration.
"It's lonely." Your eyes widened as the voice echoed throughout your head. It was not a person who had been speaking the entire time, but it had been yourself.
It has always been yourself. Everything had all been in your mind. And yet the sound of their voice still lingers, a foggy memory that was never even there to begin with. You close your eyes.
They are not here. But they are watching.
"It is lonely," they agree. And then it is silence.
And then there is no more.
---
There weren't exactly any doctors on the ship, and they were no professionals, so it was only up to them to guess what could have made you suddenly so ill. There was only a day left until they would arrive in Little Garden, but that seemed a long while as they awaited for you to wake up, not to mention the tension amongst the crew.
With everyone's daily chores and tasks, it was up to Vivi and Karoo to watch as you peacefully slept the day away, wrapped up nicely in a hammock with a small stuffed animal by your side. Not a peep left you as you were unconscious, and by Vivi's estimate, it had already been twenty hours since you had passed out. It was dark out and you were still not awake.
Vivi sighed, flipping another page in her book as she could only watch you. She wondered if it had anything to do with Sanji's behavior. From what Nami had told her, he wasn't always like that, and had only begun after Whiskey Peak. He had been flirty and cared a whole lot about you, ever since he had first met you. He smiled and absolutely loved to take care of you. Nami had said he went as far to have even adored you.
Some part of her felt guilty, wondering if it was her fault that your relationship with the man had been ruined. And well, maybe it was. Maybe it was because of her that you were like this now. Maybe-
"Caw!" Karoo, who had been sitting beside your hammock, suddenly called Vivi excitedly. The air in her chest suddenly felt constricted as she rushed to his side, eyes scanning your face.
Relief filled her system as she could see that you were slowly waking up, eyes twitching as you struggled to open your eyes.
"I feel...so tired," you mumbled to yourself, staring up at the wooden ceiling. Moving your head to the side, you squeezed your stuffed animal a little tighter in reassuring yourself that whatever you had dreamed in your sleep was really just a dream.
Of course it was. You weren't alone, you had friends. At least, you think so. Turning to the side of your hammock, you gave Vivi and Karoo a smile. "Good morning you two. Oh, is it really morning though?"
You gasped softly in surprise as Vivi threw herself on top of you, crying tears of joy. You patted her shoulder a little in confusion.
"I'm sorry, but I think I'm confused. Why are you crying?" You furrowed your brows as you felt her swirl in a whirlwind of emotions. "Why do you feel guilty?" Your breath hitched as you suddenly remembered that you had passed out after Luffy had saved the two of you from a few painful bruises.
"What... what happened?"
Vivi sniffed, wiping her nose with her hand. "I-I'm sorry. This is all my fault..."
You raised a brow at her apology. "How so? I don't think me passing out is your fault."
"If you guys hadn't gone to Whiskey Peak-" her breath hitched, "Then-then your relationship with Sanji wouldn't have to be like this-"
Oh. You grimace a little bit at the reminder, but nevertheless, attempt to sooth her worries by patting her on the head.
You understood somewhat of what she was trying to convey. You knew. You could feel her guilt coursing through you, her raw emotions that tugged at your heart strings. She felt guilty because she felt that it was her own fault. That because of her, guiding the crew to Whiskey Peak, Sanji was treating you differently. But it wasn't.
It was yours.
"It's not your fault you know," you whispered. "We would have gone to Whiskey Peak regardless. Besides, it's okay. We're here together. It's okay if there are a few bumps in the road. I'm sure everything will work out."
At this point you were just reassuring yourself.
You weren't so sure everything would work out. You really hope so, but at this point, it looked like it would be impossible. You didn't enjoy taking initiative, and Sanji doesn't seem like he wants to talk anyway. Besides, it's not like you're getting any visions about this either. At this point you really wish that you could control what you see because that would be very helpful.
You let her go, letting yourself rock in the hammock. "You know I don't think you should.. Um, be worried about this anyways. You should be thinking more about your kingdom and the journey ahead. Master always says that overthinking is the death of most people-"
Ha, but you overthink things all the time.
"-so try not to overthink too much. It's not very healthy either. Just try to focus on what's important." Vivi's eyes widened at your words.
She had always taken you for someone like Luffy, aloof, and too happy and jovial for your own good. And yet she's seen a few sides to you. Your scary and terrifyingly drunk side, your passionate side, and now she could see how wise you could truly be. And perhaps the person to thank for that is your Master, Mihawk.
Vivi remembers how startled she was when she had discovered that fact on the ship. To have someone so renowned, a shichibukai just like Crocodile, to train you was just incredible. And the man seems wise, and with the way you spoke about him, you really look up to him.
"Vivi, Karoo, how long was I sleeping for, anyways?" You began to sit up, swinging your legs to the side.
Vivi made a move to stop you. "You should stay in bed. You've been unconscious for twenty hours now. We don't have a doctor, but I think some rest would be helpful to your health."
You pouted a little. "I don't want to stay in bed though. I want to see what everyone else is doing."
She sweated dropped. "Y/n-chan, everyone's getting ready for bed. It's already night. Well..." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "I mean, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell everyone that you woke up-"
"Y/N!!" The door slammed open revealing Luffy. He dashed up to you, enveloping you in a big warm hug. Warm wet tears streamed down his face as he cried. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO DIE!"
How in the world Luffy knew you woke up, Vivi didn't know.
"LUFFY!" a familiar high pitch voice yelled.
A head of orange hair came into your vision, and you found yourself wrenched away from Luffy. In front of you was Nami, giving Luffy a scolding look. "You shouldn't be bothering Y/n! She's supposed to be resting!"
"Sowwy Y/n," he pouted, looking very regretful. It made your heart pang a little bit.
Her eyes shifted to you, and her face immediately brightened. "Y/n-chan!! I'm so happy you're okay! We were all so worried about you!"
"Sorry! I didn't mean to!" you apologized. "I don't know what happened."
"I've been thinking, but have you been feeling stressed?" Nami inquired, checking your forehead with one hand, and pushing Luffy's face away with another. "Stress causes people to pass out sometimes. Considering you're in an area full of water, I wouldn't put it past you to be stressed over it."
Or about Sanji, Nami thought.
"Stress...?" you muttered. "I don't know. I guess?" Haha, you were totally stressed out by Sanji, but you weren't going to tell her that. This was between you and Sanji, she didn't need to get involved.
The loud thumps of footsteps caught your attention, and everyone turned their heads to face Zoro, standing in front of the girl's room. His arms were crossed over each other as he zeroed in on your spot.
"Y/n. We need to talk."
Nami protectively shielded you from Zoro's view, glaring at him. Luffy took this chance to wrap his arms around you, staring at Zoro and Nami in confusion.
"Excuse me, but Y/n-chan needs her rest, Zoro." She pointed a crass finger in his direction. "And you can't just barge in here just to ask her to 'talk'."
An irk mark formed over his head. "Well I wasn't asking. When I say 'we need to talk', it means now."
"A-Ah... I think Nami-chan is right, Mr. Bushido," Vivi nervously said. "Y/n-chan does need her rest, and I don't think we should bother her too-"
"What do you want to talk about?" you asked, cutting Vivi off. From your observations, you could tell there was something seriously bugging Zoro. "Is it a private matter?"
Nami scowled. "And you're not even going to bother asking her if she's okay?" she jabbed at Zoro.
"Does it even matter? She looks fine."
"Fine?" she echoed, voice rising a little as she scowled. "Fine? Is this how you're going to act when we've all been worried sick about her? Is this all you have to say, Zoro?"
You nervously tried to calm them down. "I-I'm fine, really! I can talk to Zoro, it sounds important anyways so-"
"Y/n, sit your ass down," Nami growled, stomping up to Zoro. Luffy's hold on you grew tighter as he watched the duo. "I am sick of you men treating Y/n like this."
You attempted to tug on Luffy's grasp, wanting to stop the two, but he didn't let go. There seemed to be some contemplation in his eyes, and the way his grip tightened and loosened, you could tell that he didn't know if he should let you stop them, or see how this plays out. You yourself weren't sure either, but you did know that the crew shouldn't be fighting amongst each other.
Maybe Luffy realized that too, as he suddenly let his grip loosen, his arms hanging down his sides. You gave him a silent thank you, to which he nodded in response, face serious as he watched his two crewmembers.
Zoro's fists clench at the accusation. "You men?" he growled lowly. "Stop directing your anger at me when I've been nothing but helpful to Y/n. What have you been doing? I didn't see you helping Y/n when she was drunk off her ass."
Nami swallowed, about to make a retort before the words died in her mouth as you maneuvered around her. Hurriedly, you tugged on Zoro's arm, nervously looking between your two friends.
"Please don't fight right now," you pleaded. "I'll talk to you," you looked to Nami, "-and I'm fine, really. It's not the worst thing to happen." You gave her a reassuring smile, pulling Zoro out of the room.
"Lead the way then, Zoro."
As Zoro silently led you out, you glanced behind you briefly to see the distraught and concerned looks of Luffy, Nami, Vivi, and Karoo. Perhaps they were in their right minds to be concerned, especially when you felt a little woozy as you started to walk. Even if it bothered you a little bit, you made no move to comment about it, merely watching Zoro attentively as he took long strides towards the storage.
You were a little nervous, considering you have no idea what Zoro wants to talk to you about. You assume that it's probably something to do with Sanji, so you prepare yourself mentally about how to answer him. But as the door slammed shut behind you, nothing could have prepared you enough for what left his mouth.
"You know Crocodile personally, don't you?"
It was as if time stopped, the air in your lungs constricting as your throat clogged up. You think that maybe you could play this off as knowing him as an acquaintance, but you realize that you've taken too long to answer, and the reaction you've given him was all he needed to know to confirm his suspicions.
Not to mention the familiar letter in his hands.
You swallow dryly, adverting your eyes. Sighing in defeat, you quietly wait for him to leave and tell everyone, but he does none of that. Instead, he sighs deeply, slumping down to the floor.
"I assumed as much," he mused, tossing the letter over to you. You hesitantly pick it up, clutching it in your hands as you watched him,
"How.. How long...?"
Zoro shook his head. "Only since Whiskey Peak, but I had a feeling that it was the case."
Crocodildo he remembers you called him, albeit drunkenly. It was so stupid that he couldn't even get it out of his head. When Vivi had brought up the man, it was the first thing that came to his mind. You knew the shichibukai, so of course it was right that you would know Crocodile.
And with your interactions with the unluckies and how aware of their organization you seemed to be, it only solidified his assumptions. Then when he discovered the letter in your room... Well, the puzzle pieces had all fallen into place to create a clear picture.
"How much do you know? What's your association with him?"
You nibbled on your lip, unsure as to how to respond.
"I-I uh... we're friends."
He sighed. "Friends, huh?"
Zoro doesn't think that you're a bad person, just because you're friends with Crocodile. No, it's clear to him that the people you hang around doesn't not define your character. What he's more concerned about, is how will Vivi react if she finds out. Or the rest of the crew in that manner.
Not that he's willing to snitch on you. He doesn't think he can handle the guilt of being the cause of hurting your feelings.
"Are you..." His eyes flickered up to your own, taking notice of your hesitant and shaking form. "Are-Are you going to tell everyone?"
He lifted his arm to rest on his knee, his hand holding his face up. "No. It'd cause too much trouble for the crew. It's not like you're on the enemy side either, so I'd consider this unimportant. It'd only create more stress than there already is."
You purse your lips. "Sorry..." you mumbled.
He scowled. "What are you even saying sorry for? It's not your fault, it's because of that shitty pervert."
"I think I said something when I was drunk that upset him," you muttered sadly. "But I can't remember, and he won't tell me either."
"Did you even bother to talk to him?" Zoro asked with a raised brow.
Sheepishly, you shook your head. He groaned.
"Then just talk to him for God's sake." He face palmed, bringing both his hands to cover his face. "Just ask him what's wrong and apologize to him or something and get this drama over with."
"But-But how? How do I talk to him?"
Zoro gave you a dead ass stare. This is the most basic thing that you could ever do. How could you not know how to talk to him? Granted, Zoro was awkward with apologies too, but hey, this was you he was talking about.
"How? Are you being serious right now?" He groaned as you shook your head. "I'm sure you've apologized a few times in your life, right? You just apologized to me earlier."
You were silent for a moment. "I mean I apologized to someone I accidentally almost killed, and I say sorry for mistakes and other things, but I've never said um... I mean it's just kind of hard to tell me to apologize when I'm over thinking everything. I just don't want to sound awkward and fake and just...
"How... How do I... What should I say to him?"
Zoro shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever comes natural, I guess. Just talk how you normally talk."
"But-But what do you mean by natural?" you asked. "Do you mean I just go up to him and ask? But what if he says no? What if he gets angry or something? What if-" Your breath hitched, the words clogging up in your throat as Zoro placed a reassuring hand on your shoulder.
"Hey calm down!" he told you. "Just breathe. If he gets angry or something then I'll just kick his ass or something. Though I doubt he'd get angry at you."
It's hard being angry at you, Zoro knows. He can feel frustrated with you sometimes, yes, but angry, never. There's just a charm around you that makes him like you. And that same charm is what makes him feel sympathetic towards you.
And it makes him detest Sanji very much at the moment.
You take a breath in, trying to calm your nerves down. "Okay.. I'll try. But it makes me a little nervous because I'm thinking so much about it. When... normally when I say sorry it comes out naturally, but confronting someone about it is kind of scary."
A silence fell upon the two of you, and you awkwardly stare at your feet.
What.... What now?
"How... " Zoro cleared his throat, looking away abashedly. "Erm, I mean are you okay?"
You blinked once, letting his words filter through your mind.
Are you okay? What's he- oh. He was asking if you were okay after you had fell unconscious. You couldn't help but smile at him. Maybe he had taken Nami's words into consideration. How sweet.
"I'm doing much better! Thanks for asking!"
Zoro couldn't help but feel his heart lighten as your mood suddenly took a 180. Honestly, you were like a child. Not only that, through this interaction, he has learned some new things about you.
You were smart, but you tended to overthink things when it comes to friendships and what other people think about you. Not only that, but it seems like you take betrayal and friendships seriously, especially how nervous and scared you seemed to be when you thought he was going to tell the others.
And when it comes to things like a compliment (however small they may be) or asking about your well being will make you happier, and aren't overthought by you. Physical touch also helps you calm down, he remembers, when he placed a hand on your shoulder to get you to stop panicking.
So you take praise and positive reinforcement, he muses mentally. He'll have to keep that in mind. He doubts that anyone else besides maybe Luffy would know about this, but he can't help but think that maybe Luffy doesn't, considering how airheaded he tended to be.
Zoro thinks that this information he's taken notice of is helpful incase you get drunk again, or if you're wallowing in self pity again at how useless you think you are on the ship. Either way he finds himself a little pleased to know that he's learning a little more about Mihawk's prized, and only, student.
And somewhere in his heart, he's pleased that Sanji's acting the way he is, because now he gets to spend time with you.
---
The glass in Garp's hand cracked slightly, before crumbling to pieces, spilling water everywhere, causing him to scowl. Sengoku, who had been behind his desk at the time, raised a questioning brow at his companion.
"Garp? Is everything alright?"
"No, it's not," the man practically seethed, unhappily staring at the square photo in his hands. "I got my photo of my granddaughter wet! What if it's telling me that she's drowning right now? Did I just indirectly kill my granddaughter?"
Sengoku couldn't help but roll his eyes, setting the stack of paper in his hands to the side. "Garp, Y/n's not drowning."
"How would you know?!" he shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at the Fleet Admiral. "You're not with her, how would you know she's not drowning? Huh?"
Sengoku let out a long sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Fine, let's just say she is drowning."
"WHAAAAT?! ARE YOU IMPLYING SHE'S DYING SOMEWHERE?!"
"NO!" Sengoku quickly shut his mouth, unintentionally letting out a shout. "No, I meant hypothetically. If she were to be drowning, of course she would have the help of her crewmates, not to mention you grandson-"
"WHAT IF THEY'RE DROWNING TOO?!"
At this point Sengoku was just done with Garp's shit. Letting out a sigh, he got up, walking over to Garp, and placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Garp, she's fine. This is Y/n we're talking about. Besides, I didn't know you believed in superstition."
Garp grumbled. "I didn't start believing in it until bad things started to happen since Y/n left."
"Garp, I think you're just overthinking things." Sengoku approached his desk, rummaging through his drawers for his own photos of you.
"OVERTHINKING?" Garp exclaimed, appalled. "You think all that shit Sakazuki's been pulling has just been a 'coincidence'?"
Senogku paled a little. "Okay, his moods may have taken a turn-"
"Not to mention Kuzan has been more awake than usual, and Borsalino's the one sleeping!" Sengoku dead panned as Garp kept ranting more and more about the things going on around Marineford.
By this point, he wasn't really listening, just giving the occasional, "of course", "Mhmm", and just pretending that he was listening. Honestly though, Garp was right about a few things. Sakazuki had been more moodier than usual, not to mention Kuzan hasn't been lazing about like he usually does.
Perhaps the new wanted poster that came in had caused a stir within Marine Ford. And then there was the matter about Borsalino who had taken off a few hours ago to who knows where.
Maybe Garp really did have a point about these superstitions, but he wasn't really going to admit that. Besides, it'd just be a lot more stress anyways. He let out another sigh.
He was going to get grey hair soon if everyone was going to continue acting like unsupervised children.
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Chapters might begin to be shorter as school is starting and I need to study instead of winging everything. Might take a little longer too, just to let you guys know.