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RUMBLE!	By : TreeStar Category: +M to R > One Piece Views: 7990 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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RUMBLE!

18

It Went Like This

The damage assessment went as follows:

There was a hole in the bathroom wall that was being mended in a patch job by Usopp. Because the bathroom was above water again, it had been able to rush out of the same hole that the water had come in from for the most part, and the rest had gone down the drain in the floor.

The kitchen was a DISASTER AREA with everything that had ever been in the cabinets now on the floor with some spice containers coming open and spilling together. This did wonders for Sanji�s temperament, and he and Chopper were both working together to salvage pretty much everything. (Sanji wouldn�t have it any other way.) At least the icebox and refrigerator had stayed closed, so they just had to be reorganized.

Nami�s room was a mess that Robin was mostly handling alone. There were about twenty arms doing various activities at once and the area had been considered quarantined until she finished. (It hadn�t take her long.)

The storage room had actually held up pretty well because both Chopper and Nami locked their supplies up knowing it was folly to keep them out for this very reason. Other than that the food supply was all in crates and boxes, so they�d just slid around and avoided slamming into anything crucial like the drawing desk. The only real crisis (and only according to Nami) was that the Skypeian gold had slid out of the bags and was scattered all over the room. Every piece had to be found before she would even consider navigating the ship that was just bobbing around now.

There was lots of rope in the armory, but there was no more anchor, nor did they have the available manpower to tie all of Zoro�s weights to in a funny shape that could serve as an anchor, (because Zoro himself was the only one who could left them and none of the boys felt it wise to take him from his current job if they ever wanted to sleep in the hold again) so they were being forced to sail toward during the night whether they wanted to or not. On a good note, every island with a decent population so far had had a port city which in turn would have a shipyard where you could buy ship supplies. This was a maritime world and such things were considered necessity.

But for the time being it presented a problem: while there was no real urge to stay in the place they�d just been attacked, they were now literally sailing blind. Merry didn�t exactly have bright lights attached to the front, so they had to shine a lantern that wasn�t powerful enough at all at the water�s surface and hope they didn�t crash into a random rock or something. At least there was a small mercy in that this island was supposed to be an autumn one and would have no tropical coral reefs underlying the surface.

After helping Sanji in the kitchen, Chopper had the once-in-a-lifetime treat of sitting in Luffy�s Special Seat on the figurehead, and was shining the lantern without the threat of being yanked up and yelled at harshly for breaking the ultimate sin on the ship. (It was really the only rule that Luffy had set up and made sure everyone adhered to. As far as he was concerned the figurehead was a captain�s sacred place.)

After putting Luffy in his miraculously still-dry hat to sleep off whatever he�d been through and putting it back on the table, Zoro had gone to change and he�d then started cleaning up the hold. Hammocks were all over the room. The water and rum barrels had rolled around and since their room was normally full of trinkets and things that the younger boys found interesting (like a rubber ball, a game of jacks, Usopp�s inner tube, a stick for some reason�), it wasn�t the most easy task trying to figure out where to put things when a lot of it just stayed on the floor, cluttered in the corners.

As Zoro worked, he worried about Luffy. He thought fleetingly about the island they would be reaching before or shortly after the sun rose, but no matter what happened when they got there, it would be something he could handle. Hostile natives and dinosaurs and giants and big snakes were no threat to the mighty Zoro (oh gods, he sounded like Usopp), but a sick boy� That could push him into realms of paranoia he�d never thought possible. And not just any boy. This boy. His captain. Had it been one of the others, Zoro was sure that he�d be concerned, yes, but he wouldn�t be glancing at their sleeping forms every four seconds to make sure nothing had changed.

Luffy was different. Why? Because he�s the man I sail under? Because he�s my best friend? Because he understands me in a way that no one else ever will? All of these answers sounded plausible, and he was sure that they were all true, but none of them sounded complete. Zoro couldn�t just pass his feelings off entirely as one of them.

He glanced at the Boshi-bed again. He couldn�t see Luffy over the brim from across the room, but all that meant was that Luffy wasn�t moving. He heard nothing to suggest otherwise, and continued to pick things up and put them away as quietly as he could.

It was getting worse. Sleep had claimed Luffy in a way that it had not since this all started. He had just collapsed into it like he did sometime after fighting an impressive enemy that had taken all of his energy to defeat. Something had happened. Zoro was sure of it.

It had been over an hour since the Merry had righted, and Luffy had not stirred since. At this point Zoro did not know if that was a good thing or not.

---------------

The world took form around Luffy slowly. He was in no hurry to wake up, but his dizziness had cleared while he�d slept, and he could clearly hear his crew shuffling all over the ship. It was actually the tossed calls that woke him fully. Every few seconds he would hear Nami call something from one direction, and then Chopper call something back at her from another.

Why were they shouting outside? And why was everyone moving around the ship? Was it actually day time? Was Luffy�s condition playing tricks on him? If it was then it was annoying, but it didn�t hurt, so he wasn�t going to push it.

�Ah yes. They�d been flipped over and then back again.

Was everyone okay? Sounded like it. He wasn�t worried about them, his crew was strong. They were the best crew ever! And he was still useless� Luffy was proud that he was able to trust his nakama so completely to keep them going, but that didn�t change the fact or make it acceptable.

He rolled over and stretched a little, then flopped back into his mattress before realizing that with everyone doing things that were elsewhere, there was no one watching him� but there was someone doing something that was right across the room.

Luffy was about to launch up and start shouting for attention because he wanted some, but as he tried to lurch, all of the dizziness threatened to come back and knock him out again. So Luffy had no choice but to move more slowly, and by doing this, a string of thoughts occurred to him and connected like a dots game: Zoro actually looked busy right now, and if Luffy distracted him, then he couldn�t work, and if he neglected finishing his work, then he might get into trouble with Nami. This deduction being complete, Luffy peeked up over the brim of the hat and just watched the swordsman doing the abnormal activity of cleaning their room.

Zoro would glance over toward his hat every once in a while, and when Luffy saw it coming he would duck down and press his face into his pillows, trying not to laugh. It was like a game! At least that�s how it started out. But after two quick ducks, playful interest gave way to another kind of interest entirely.

Zoro was really strong. He had on black pants and his blue tank top, and every time he moved the muscles in his arms and back rippled. Luffy marveled at it. How did anyone get their body to do that? Maybe it was because of the minor rubber thing that Luffy had going, but he couldn�t make his back and arms stand out like that unless he was flexing really hard. Zoro�s looked chiseled even when he slept. It wasn�t really fair� but then, Zoro couldn�t stretch, so maybe it was. In any case, Luffy respected physical strength very highly, and Zoro had that in spades. But it didn�t make him bulky, it made him lean and� comfy. Like something one would want to lay against and relax on and be held by, and not just when one was really small. Besides that, having a first mate with a body that looked so� like that, reflected well on his own skill of picking out attracti- strong nakama.

Luffy blinked himself out of his bizarre voyeuristic stupor. His brain was still sleeping or something. �Sheesh!

When Zoro began to turn around, Luffy ducked as quickly as he had the other times, but with a new sense of urgency to not get caught watching Zoro while he was blushing so richly. How the hell would he explain that? He couldn�t� at all. He had no idea how it had happened.

-------------

Zoro straightened again, finally finished putting things away, and was turning to walk over to Luffy�s hat again when he heard the squeak.

Immediately hopeful, he crossed slowly to loom over the hat in which his captain was trying to suffocate himself with his pillow. �Luffy? You okay?�

After a moment Luffy rolled onto his back and smiled up at him. �Hi, Zoro.�

Zoro smiled as well. For a moment he�d almost gotten concerned at Luffy�s hesitation, but the boy looked clear-headed and bright-eyed, and he had color in his face that had been distinctly absent the last time he�d awakened.

Then Zoro became suspicious. �How long have you been awake?�

Luffy turned his face to the side, unable to meet Zoro�s eyes. �Only a little while.�

�Why didn�t you say anything?�

Luffy looked back again. �Because you were working.�

Now Zoro wore a frown. �Then how come every time I looked over here I couldn�t see you?�

Luffy stuck out his tongue and giggled.

Part of Zoro was sighing this off like he normally would. The bigger part of Zoro was still worked up and stressed and wanted answers. �You�ve just been laying here watching?�

Luffy stopped giggling. Zoro sounded mad and kind of hurt. This wasn�t what he�d expected� Somehow he had thought that Zoro would play along.

But then it made sense. Zoro and the others were doing all the work while Luffy had just been sleeping. Of course, Zoro did that all the time� but Zoro never played games at those times, though. That was like rubbing it in that they had to work and he didn�t.

Luffy sighed and looked away again. No wonder Zoro was mad.

�Do you have ANY idea how worried I�ve been?!�

Luffy�s eyes shot back to Zoro�s with a look of surprise, which dissolved after a moment into apology. Luffy lived so much for the present that he�d forgotten Zoro didn�t know� that Zoro had no idea what had happened to him, and then he had been unconscious for who knows how long, and all that after what Chopper had said earlier about his attacks. Of course Zoro would worry.

�I�m sorry,� Luffy apologized guiltily. �I didn�t think.�

Zoro was unappeased. �You didn�t think what? That I�d be scared for you? Hell, Luffy, what was I supposed to do? The fucking ship flips over so I go take care of it and when I come back you look dead. What the hell else am I supposed to think?�

Luffy started. I looked dead?! He hadn�t realized� What must they all have thought? He knew how much they all loved him. They were nakama! A bond closer than family! You couldn�t pick your family, after all, and there was never a guarantee that you�d get a reliable one, but your nakama� They�d chosen each other specifically and had always come through for each other. Hell, if Luffy ever thought that one of the others was dea--

Luffy suddenly cringed in pain and empathy for all of them. �Gods, if he ever thought one of them was dead�! And to think he�d laughed it off two seconds ago to his best friend. Was there even a way to make this right again?

Luffy slowly pushed himself to sit on his knees. He would talk about this attack and give as much detail as Zoro wanted to hear. No question would be denied. He would do it for all of them, if they wanted. He owed them that.

The only problem was: �I don�t remember very much...�

Some of Zoro�s tension melted at these words. Luffy had stopped and was looking at him for permission to continue. Zoro was confused for a moment, then sighed and nodded. He sat down on his sofa and reached a hand toward the Boshi-bed in askance. His hand was shaking, but he decided to pretend it wasn�t even thought Luffy could see quite clearly that it was.

Luffy looked surprised for a moment himself, and Zoro had to nod to confirm that it was indeed an invitation, and that he wasn�t angry.

The tension returned somewhat when, instead of leaping up into his palm like an excited frog, Luffy slowly crawled to the foot of his Boshi-bed before carefully lifting himself to his feet and half reaching for Zoro�s hand without stretching his arms away from his body enough to hinder his delicate balance. Luffy wasn�t as clear-headed and bright-eyed as Zoro had first beheld. Oh, he�d smiled and giggled, but he�d also never raised himself from his limp position in the bed until just a moment ago. Now he looked cautious and patient. It was strange, and made Zoro feel a little somber. Oh Luffy� why didn�t you say you still weren�t feeling well?

Out loud he said nothing. He moved his fingers right to Luffy so that the boy could climb onboard at his leisure, which he did.

The transport from the hat to the swordsman�s body was unrushed, and before Zoro had even laid back properly Luffy to get down onto Zoro�s belly.

He didn�t lay down on the spot when he touched down, but sat back on his knees again with his fists on his thighs, looking respectful and serious.

This wasn�t what Zoro wanted. He didn�t want Luffy to act all serious and tense, that wasn�t how Luffy talked about these matters. It was such a sharp contrast to see him looking so nervous and composed at the same time, like he was scattered all over inside just like he always was when he tried to talk about his condition, but like he was trying to hide it all under this collected appearance. It made Zoro completely baffled as to what kind of a story he was about to hear.

�I don�t remember much,� Luffy said again, �but I�ll tell you everything I do remember. Then maybe you can help fill in the gaps, because I want to know your story, too.�

Zoro nodded.

Luffy continued. �I woke up when the ship flipped over. If I was dizzy then, I don�t think I noticed because all I could think of was the cold. I saw everyone, saw you. I saw that I was in my hat, but I don�t know how I got there. It wasn�t until I was in your shirt that I realized I was really dizzy, but I was still doing okay. I think I remember telling you to get your swords, but I�m not sure�� he looked at Zoro for confirmation, and when Zoro nodded slightly, Luffy nodded slightly.

�I remember that I couldn�t see anything anymore after I went to Nami and you left, so I don�t know if it was normal that I saw things, or normal that I didn�t, but my eyes felt sore and my head was spinning. Then the ship jerked hard and Nami screamed and it felt like my whole body was pounding, and I don�t remember it but I must�ve curled up tight because when Nami held me to her chest and the heat made the dizziness get easier, I felt that I was curled up.�

Zoro said nothing when Luffy stopped talking for a moment to take a few breaths, shoulders shaking. The boy�s color wasn�t looking good, but Zoro would not tell him to take it easy. No matter what his body said, Luffy would never acknowledge that merely sitting was physically exerting on him. He had a man�s pride, and now he shook with the effort to maintain it.

�After that Nami was talking to me. I don�t know she said because it was all one big noise, but then the ship shook again all of a sudden and it hurt. Everything just� hurt. My chest hurt. And I-I-� He bit his lip a moment and looked down at his lap, �I kinda made a noise, um, to make it stop��

Zoro nodded, encouraging him with the most serious and attentive expression he could muster, careful not to raise a brow at Luffy�s sudden backpedal.

He swallowed his words�

�But um,� Luffy continued, �when I made the noise things didn�t get better. Nami started getting scared. I couldn�t really hear it or feel it, but I knew. It�s hard to explain.� Luffy�s hand met Zoro�s chest as his exhaustion forced him to lean forward on it for balance.

�After that it just kept getting quieter and everything stopped. That�s all I remember.�

Zoro frowned slightly and whispered �alright� as Luffy was forced to put his other hand forward to hold him in his sitting position. �I have a couple questions.�

Luffy nodded once, expression focused, and Zoro again gave an internal nod to his captain�s strength. Luffy was fighting his enemy even now, and the way to show confidence in him was to talk to him as though unconcerned with whether he could keep up. At least until he passed out, which was sure to be soon. Luffy knew he had been made weaker by the RumbleBalls, but he would walk away stronger for it.

The tiny pirate was breathing in heavy, slow pants, oxygenating his blood to help him stay conscious longer. Zoro almost smirked; Luffy refused to lose to a foe completely. Even now he had found a way to take advantage of this, and he was growing.

Zoro carefully kept his hands to his sides and away from the boy.

�Did you actually have an attack?�

Luffy nodded after a moment, �I think so. Probably. Maybe. Sort of.�

�Did that count as an answer?

�What do you mean?�

Luffy took another deep breath and answered, �I mean I felt bad, and I passed out I think, but there wasn�t just one thing wrong in particular, so I�m not sure.�

�Well, what caused it all? Was it the dizziness? The noise? The cold?�

Luffy�s eyebrows drew closer together. �I don�t know. It was just everything.�

��Did you get scared?�

Luffy nodded.

Zoro considered this quietly. �Luffy, did you stop breathing?�

Luffy didn�t answer right away, holding very still and focusing on his breathing in a way that made it impossible to tell if he was seriously concentrating or just stalling.

�It wasn�t for very long,� Luffy finally answered quietly.

Zoro closed his eyes grimly before opening them to settle on his captain again. �So when your chest hurt�?�

Luffy nodded, and then the arms that had been supporting him finally gave out and he fell forward onto Zoro�s tummy to catch his breath and relax for a moment. Still Zoro did not interfere by reaching in to help him, but waited until Luffy had dragged himself forward and sprawled out over Zoro�s heartbeat to reach up and cover his captain with his warm palms.

Luffy sighed happily, eyes falling shut as Zoro�s heat soaked into his body.

�Luffy?� Zoro started, one last time. �You said you tried to make a noise. One that would make everything stop. What was it?�

Luffy stiffened slightly for a moment. How could he answer? He had to say something, he couldn�t just not answer� How could he say it to make Zoro not feel bad?

Zoro waited patiently until Luffy�s shoulders slumped into him again and the boy admitted very quietly, �I just wanted you to be there��

Zoro�s eyes closed. He called for me�

�I should have been here.�

Luffy looked up. �Then who would have saved the ship? You can�t be in two places at once, Zoro.�

�Then I should figure out how!� Zoro insisted very seriously.

Luffy smiled. Sometimes Zoro was so unreasonable, Luffy loved it.

�Zoro, the ship is important. We can�t let anything happen to her, you know that.�

�YOU are important. Merry�s tough.�

�I�m tough. If Merry gets a hole in her then she would sink and then we would all be in trouble. Besides, you did make everything stop, just differently. You saved everyone.� Luffy smiled. �Tell me how?�

Zoro sighed. He didn�t feel better about it, but Luffy was trying. And so he started to tell the story of the shark fin that turned out to be the back ridges on an alligator that was so big it could have swallowed a boat larger than the Merry whole. It had been dark, and a good chance to train, so he had struck out away from the ship on his own to find the beast that hadn�t even noticed Sanji�s watery kicks.

The story went on in something akin to Usopp�s style without all the goofy voices and posing, and Luffy closed his eyes and listened to the tale unfold. He heard that Robin was alright, and about what kind of shape the ship was in, but also that it would be okay soon. He learned why they were sailing in the dark, something very unsafe in this sea but also currently unavoidable, and that they were making about seven knots, which was decent in such conditions. And he heard how they were keeping watch. It wasn�t until Zoro made the mistake of mentioning that Chopper was giving directions from the front of the ship that the rightfully suspicious Captain Luffy called for elaboration.

�The front of the ship?�

�Aa.�

Luffy raised a brow. �Do you mean the bow�?�

��Technically.�

Luffy�s eyes narrowed. �Technically,� he repeated.

�Yes. If you want to get technical about it, then it�s the bow.�

�Zoro, let�s go up top.�

Zoro snorted, �No, you�re fine down here.�

�But I want to go outside!�

�No, you don�t. You just want to interfere with our course. They know how to do their jobs, Luffy, their fine. You chose well.�

Luffy dropped the act of having no reason to want to go up. �But it�s my special seat!�

�It�s just a seat,� Zoro frowned. �You�re fine.�

Luffy was incensed. What did Zoro know about it, anyway? He�d never understood it!

Luffy carried on about it for a small decade on Zoro�s chest, finally jumping up with energy from nowhere that disappeared promptly when Zoro dropped him back into his hat and walked across the ladder to lazily call �Chopper, get down before Luffy has an aneurism or something down here�� and got an answering disappointed mumble.

He reached up when Zoro came returned, wanting his place back, and the two lay together for some time after that just being together in something relative to peace.

Zoro watched Luffy lay on him with his eyes closed and a ghost of a smile on his lips. When he was relaxing like this it was hard to believe that he was in serious inner turmoil.

He�d stopped breathing. So Chopper�s guess had been right, not that anyone had doubted it. Luffy had gotten scared and the RumbleBalls had associated that feeling with previous experience and made his chest lock up. This did not bode well for the future. But next time anything like that happened, Zoro would be there. He decided right then that he would be keeping Luffy with him at all costs from now on, and cheddarhead could deal with the sea monsters.

Before long Usopp climbed down the ladder and tiptoed to the couch, opening his mouth to say somethi-

�Hi Usopp,� Luffy said without opening his eyes.

Usopp stopped, his mouth in the middle of forming a first word, and then laughed softly. �Hi Luffy. How�re you feeling?�

�Fine.� The small pirate rolled over slightly and met Usopp�s eyes. �Tired. How about you guys?�

Usopp sighed, �Tired, too. I finished cleaning the Armory and I think the storage room�s done, but the kitchen is still a little messy. I think Chopper and Sanji are both going to call it a night soon, though. Nami thinks we�ll reach the island around dawn now, so we should sleep while we can. That alligator was probably the king of these waters, so there won�t be anything else big enough to hurt the ship for miles. The girls will handle sailing our course on their own.�

�They usually do,� Luffy smiled.

Chopper and Sanji both came down a few minutes later and Luffy willingly gave a brief recount of what had happened to him with an apology for scaring them, and then Sanji told everyone to go to sleep and let Luffy do the same. No one argued, not even Zoro, and as they hung their hammocks no one made a comment on how snuggly a certain pair was acting as one fell asleep on top of the other, and the other made no effort to move him.

They all fell asleep, and no one awoke until the Nami�s voice cried from up top, �Island in sight! Everybody up!�
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RUMBLE!