When Zoro stepped out of the room and took a deep breath of the cold air, he still could not quite calm down. While his skin was freezing, his heart was beating rapidly. The cold is the last thing that is bugging him at this moment and even though he could not correctly phrase his feelings, he knows that he is aggravated. And somewhere in between that frustration, there is a hint of sadness.
"You must be insane standing there with a t-shirt!" Usopp comments with a hammer in his hand. "Where'd your coat go?"
"I left it inside," he answers despite not being in the mood to talk. "I will get it later..."
"Oh yeah, speaking of that. It sure took you long enough to come out! There was a crazy guy munching on our ship, you know?"
"Seriously?" Zoro now takes a closer look at the tattered ship. Bits and pieces of it are missing, just as if someone took giant bites out of it. "Did not notice that."
"Well good for you. Someone here has to take care of this mess now," Usopp says, pointing at the hammer and walking to the storage room to gather some materials.
The swordsman lets out a short sigh and leans against the railing of the ship without the slightest intention of helping his crewmember. The moment he thinks he could dwell in silence, Nami taps on his shoulder.
"How's she doing?" she asks casually.
"Pretty fine I guess," he responds quietly.
"Hm... if she's doing so fine then why are we desperately searching for a doctor right now?" Nami says with a sarcastic undertone. He does not spare her a glance. "Okay, now seriously. How are you doing? Don't say fine this time because someone who's willingly standing in negative degrees with thin clothes on is definitely not fine."
"Are you a psychologist now?" he grunts.
"No... but after a stranger just tried to eat our ship, I'd rather hear about something a bit more humane," she replies smugly. "And maybe grab some booze in the meantime."
Finally, there is a small smirk forming on Zoro's lips. "Now we are talking."
ஐ
"Ahh!" Zoro gasps after taking another few gulps of the drink. He wipes the corners of his mouth and puts the mug down on the table with force. "I know. I know that he is the captain and all... he rightfully is! He gets the spotlight every time already so why... Why does he get Y/N's too?"
Nami looks at him sympathetically. She barely touched her drink while she listened to Zoro's rant. With the amount of alcohol he has consumed, she knows that he must be speaking from his heart right now. "Listen, there's a saying that we see what we want to see and I believe that it counts for the other senses too. Maybe you're just thinking too negatively! All you hold onto is jealousy, weren't there times she felt closer to you?"
He thinks for a while but does not respond, only staring at the liquid in front of him.
"Think about it, we're on this incredibly dangerous and at the same incredibly amazing journey. We should enjoy the time we're spending together." She stands up, knowing she should go back to navigating. "And hey, first loves rarely work out."
He looks up. "Are you speaking from experience?"
"Not from my side, but I've rejected a few people here and there." She waves it off and leaves.
Zoro watches her go out the door, then glances at the barrel on the floor. "Guess it is just you and me now."
Nami puts her gloves back on and observes the clouds in the sky. 'I should've guessed that there was something going on,' she thinks. 'After Y/N recovers, it's time for some serious girl's talk!'
ஐ
The next morning, it was Sanji who stood in the crow's nest. He has to cover the early shift today because a certain someone is still in deep slumber due to excessive drinking. Sanji rubs his arms furiously, hoping to generate some heat. "Don't you think it's been pretty cold for a while now?" he asks Usopp, who is hammering away at the boards to fix the side of the ship.
"Yeah, I guess now that you mention it," he responds with nails between his teeth. "Do you think it has something to do with Y/N's condition?"
"It's proof that we're close to an island," Vivi suddenly joins in. "There must be a winter island nearby."
"You're right..." Sanji says while looking through binoculars. "I can see land up ahead!"
Nearing the island, the crew members gathered around the front of the ship. They are looking at the towers of white protruding out of the ground. This is truly a winter island. Everything is covered in snow and the temperature is low enough for a bear to start hibernating.
"So... who's gonna look for a doctor?" Usopp asks his comrades. Luffy and Sanji both eagerly volunteer for this job. But before they could even let down the anchor, they are confronted by a hoard of citizens.
"You will turn around immediately and leave this island at once," the person who seems like the leader calmly demands.
Seeing how everyone on the island did not believe and refused their request to see a doctor, the atmosphere tightened. A confrontation almost started between the two sides but luckily Nami stormed out of the cabin at the right time and together with Vivi, managed to convince the citizens with a sincere bow.
"We only ask for a doctor. Please save our friend."
✘