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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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In RUMBLE!!

2

different now

~~~ *** ~~~

�There you go,� Nami said as she finished tying the knot she�d been working on.

Luffy held his arms out and looked over himself. Nami had carefully folded a nice handkerchief into a rectangle and sewn the sides together, leaving armholes and making a slit for his head. Then she�d given it to their miniature captain so he could put it on.

Luffy had been pleased with the whole concept for some reason, but after he�d pulled it on, he�d started saying that something was missing. Nami had rolled her eyes and told him that he was in no position to be picky, but when the boy had continued to pout, Zoro had taken a piece of red string and tied it around his waist to hold the hanky in place. The white hanky went to Luffy�s knees and gave him the freedom to stretch as he pleased. He had asked Nami for pants, but the request had been ill received as there was no way for anyone to possibly measure him and make a pair of pants that tiny. Luffy had pouted about it for a moment, before Usopp had told him to think of his new outfit as a long pajama top and not worry about it; it wasn�t like he was going to enter a battle in this condition.

Zoro felt easier with each moment of watching Luffy act so normally. He could tell the boy missed his hat, but he had an idea for that.

After Nami had put away her sewing, and as Luffy was preparing to jump off the table, Nami picked him and promptly tossed him across the room at Zoro, where the boy splatted onto the swordsman�s face with a happy chirp, "Zoro!" and promptly wrapped his arms and legs around his head so he wouldn�t fall.

Usopp snorted on his way out the door, but that stupid cook burst into laughter.

Oh, for crying out loud� Zoro wrapped his fingers around Luffy�s middle, and the boy�s arms and legs stretched as he pulled his away from his face. �What the hell did you throw him at me for?�

Nami waved her hand passively and she left the galley to join Robin, who�d already been tanning on the deck for a while, �You�re going to watch him. It�s always been your responsibility to take care of the Luffy, so now you�re going to do it. It�s not like you have anything better to do, because you certainly never help out with the chores. Work for a change.� She left the door open behind her.

Zoro grumbled as Luffy pulled himself up to sit on his head. Chopper was sitting on the floor with his books spread around him as he tried to more specifically diagnose Luffy�s condition. Usopp had just finished painting something that morning and gone to check on how the wind and sun were drying it on Aft.

While Luffy nestled himself into a nice comfy position in Zoro�s hair with his itty-bitty feet just poking out over top of the head, the swordsman sighed. It wasn�t because he minded watching Luffy at all; protecting his oblivious captain was second nature to him and he wouldn�t have it any other way. Zoro sighed because he had hoped that he might get some help, but now he realized that no one else would spare the attention for Luffy that he would require. And even though Luffy would probably be fine sitting with Nami or watching Chopper or singing with Usopp, Zoro didn�t feel safe yet with the idea. Maybe eventually�

�She�s got a point, though.� Sanji spoke up from his position behind the refrigerator door. �If you lose him now, he�s gone for good.�

The cook�s words were no real revelation to Zoro. On the contrary, it�s all he�d thought about since Chopper had assigned the term �days� to Luffy�s condition. There were so many more dangers available to him now. If he fell off the ship, he would be lost to them. They�d never find him in the dark ocean in time. And if he got into any other kind of trouble without anyone in his immediate vicinity and tried calling for help, there was a good chance that no one would hear him.

It was probably a good idea to have a talk about this with him now. Not only to set some rules that Luffy probably wouldn�t follow, or to make sure that the boy fully understood the gravity of the situation, but to make sure Luffy really was going to be okay�

He may have acted carefree all the time, but Zoro knew their captain wasn�t invulnerable. Quite the opposite, really. For all of his physical strength, Luffy was not unbreakable. He could bounce back bullets, but all it took was the right person saying the wrong thing to make him shatter like glass.

The point was that, for somebody made out of rubber, Luffy was very fragile, and having his whole world suddenly change was going to have an effect on him. Zoro knew it wouldn�t happen right away, because anything can be fun for a little while, but his initial excitement was going to wear off before too long. After that, there was no doubt in Zoro�s mind that Luffy�s feelings about all this would somehow change. People�s courage tended to adjust with their size and power. As they grew stronger, they became more confident. Luffy was used to having great strength, and he was pretty damn cocky about it at normal height. And that was why Zoro was worried�

Zoro�s hand went to the boy who was giggling and petting his hair, and his fingers wrapped around the little one�s waist.

�Zoro, what-� Luffy exclaimed as he was promptly pulled from his perch and held closely to the safety of his first mate�s chest. He distantly thought that Zoro was acting a little strange today, but the idea barely had time to register before his first mate stood and carried him out onto the deck, giving him a look at his new world. Or so he thought. Zoro was holding him the wrong way, so Luffy couldn�t see much� but that was okay because Zoro was probably taking him up to see everyone else on aft deck, and then he could run around!

The first thing Luffy noted upon leaving the safety of four walls was that the temperature must have severely dropped somehow, because it was freezing. Wind on the ocean was sort of a constant; wind always towed Merry along at a nice pace, and Luffy had never really paid it any mind before. Now as Zoro went down the stairs, a sudden blast of cold air had Luffy holding tightly to Zoro�s warmth. He wasn�t going anywhere because Zoro was still holding him firmly, but Luffy was grateful when the swordsman raised his other hand to cup the boy to himself completely, creating a nice pocket of heat.

Luffy was also minutely surprised to find that Zoro wasn�t taking him to Aft to the others, but found that he didn�t actually mind much because Zoro moved behind the shield of the stairs to sit down out of the wind. Zoro always seemed to know what Luffy was thinking. He was the best first mate ever!

After Zoro had lowered himself to sit cross-legged on the wood, he casually moved Luffy away from his body, setting the small captain on the deck nearly a meter away from himself. He had a theory, and he wanted to test it. �Don�t run too far,� was the only order he gave before breaking physical contact with the little captain. Then he watched Luffy�s every reaction like a hawk.

After he had been gently lowered onto the deck, Luffy finally turned to see everything fully� and was amazed. He looked around in awe of everything�s size and shape. Everything was so different! Like he was someplace totally� totally new. But that wasn�t right� This was his ship, after all �so why was it like this now?

Zoro could tell by Luffy�s posture alone that this was the point whereupon excitement quickly faded� to be replaced by a completely different feeling.

Luffy took a step backwards. All of it was still familiar, but somehow it wasn�t. It didn�t feel the same� as if he knew where everything was, but he�d never been there before. The wooden surface beneath him was bumpy and full of dips and rivets. When the floor creaked his balance wavered, and he took another step back. He couldn�t see the flag that was atop the mast anymore, it was too far away. The deck now looked long and exposing, the armory door on the opposite side being a hard sprint through only barely known territory. Another step. The noises were different now; bigger, and there were some new ones he�d never heard before. Everything was brighter, too. It didn�t even make sense! His eyes were the same, but the now sun hurt them, and he was glad again to be in the shadow of the stairs because he had a feeling he wouldn�t be able to see anything in direct light! Was this why birds always flew into windows?

He shivered and crossed his arms, as the cold reminded him that even his clothes were different now. He didn�t have any pants, and the hanky he wore was awfully thin. He felt like he was exposed in a place he�d never been. The cold and the brightness and the noise and the size of everything was quickly becoming heavy, like it was too much at once. He was backing up steadily now. When the others had been there, it hadn�t been like this. He had been able to run around naked and feel comfortable, provided that he had been able to see them.

When he felt himself bump into Zoro�s leg, the tiny boy turned and pulled himself over Zoro�s calf to clamber into the pit of his crossed legs -without once looking at his swordsman�s expression- and then pressed his face into Zoro�s thigh. He didn�t want to look out there anymore. He wanted to be here. It felt safer here.

Zoro had watched all of this happen without a word, knowing that this was something that Luffy had to understand; that the ship was different now. He hadn�t been surprised when Luffy had come back to him and climbed into his lap. But when his tiny little captain hid his face, Zoro decided to anchor him with a voice. �Hey, Sencho, you okay?�

Luffy didn�t answer, but raised his hands to clench the fabric of Zoro�s pants in front of him as his shoulders began to shake. Luffy was angry and embarrassed and� he wasn�t even sure what he felt. Shame? That sounded about right. �Sencho�, Zoro had called him� and always called him, no matter what. But what kind of sea captain was intimidated by his own ship? And in front of his first mate, of all people� he felt so stupid.

Zoro called him again, making sure to keep his voice soft. �Luffy?�

A tiny mumbled voice rose up to him, but it was muffled by his pants.

�Luffy, can you look at me?�

A shake of the head.

Zoro closed his eyes for a moment, sighed quietly, and opened them again. �Luffy. Look at me.�

Luffy flinched. The softer questioning tone had left his swordsman�s voice, leaving behind an ordering air that he knew he had to answer to, captain or no. Zoro hadn�t been mad at him yet, and Luffy didn�t know how he would handle it if he made him that way.

He pushed himself back a bit from Zoro�s leg, but he still couldn�t bring himself to raise his eyes. �Everything�s different now��

Zoro nodded and observed his captain�s posture. He had expected the confidence loss, but it was still painful to watch. Zoro wasn�t used to seeing Luffy so timid. The sight made his internal need to protect the boy become much stronger than� ever, really. His theory had been right: Luffy�s confidence thus far had only been because he was surrounded by his nakama. Out on an open, empty deck, he didn�t have the distraction of everyone talking and playing with him. There were no walls to shield the elements or make a boundary between what he could immediately process and everything else. Luffy normally loved the outdoors and felt suffocated inside; this was so strange. Idly Zoro wondered how he had guessed in the first place that the opposite might temporarily apply. Even now, Zoro figured that this was only short-term.

�Well, you knew it would be bigger,� he pressed, sounding casual.

Luffy shook his head and began to clench and unclench his hands in Zoro�s pants. He started to look out at the deck again, but turned his head back quickly, eyes squeezed shut. He started breathing faster, �It�s not just that. It�s too- it�� he stopped and bit his lip, his hands still fisting up in nervous frustration. Zoro couldn�t tell if Luffy was having trouble finding the words he wanted, or if he�d just become overwhelmed with trying and stopped.

�Hmm?� Zoro tried to encourage without actually sounding like he was trying to encourage. Not that it mattered, because Luffy had stopped whatever he�d been trying to say. Luffy had never had a problem adjusting to anything before now, really. Unless you counted the heat in the Arabasta desert, or the whole getting-frostbite thing in Drum. He doesn�t know what he�s feeling right now� and he�s mad at himself for it.

But still, Luffy had only been three feet across the deck from him for a few seconds. It should have taken more than that to cause this. Zoro should have given Chopper a chance to be sure of everything that was wrong before he separated himself from Luffy outside. It just didn�t add up; either Luffy was just reacting much worse than Zoro had expected, or something else was wrong.

Zoro placed his hand in his lap and began to run his thumb up and down along Luffy�s back. He didn�t really know how to comfort someone, but he figured he couldn�t lose anything by trying and he really needed Luffy to pull it together a little and talk to him. He was relieved when the boy responded by relaxing under his touch, and kept the treatment going.

Zoro kept this voice soft so as not to reverse everything he was trying to do. �Na, Luffy, you know you don�t have to explain anything to me if you don�t want. But if you think something else is wrong, Chopper should know about it. Even something small could become something big.� He kept his finger moving steady, because this gesture of physical comfort seemed to be getting through to the small boy better than any words he�d used so far. Zoro logged the detail away for future reference.

Luffy was quiet. He still looked like he wanted to look out at the deck again, but it seemed to Zoro almost as if he didn�t dare. He opened his mouth to say something -and gave a sudden start and abruptly turned and pulled himself against Zoro�s lowered fingers as if seeking refuge in their embrace. His feet never left the deck, however. �What was that?�

Startled by his captain�s unpredicted movement, Zoro instinctively moved this other hand a few inches from the boy, creating a semi-shield around him just in case. He looked around in confusion. ��What was what?� He made sure to keep his hands steady as Luffy�s grip on Zoro�s finger tightened, but there was still no response.

�Luffy, what was what? I didn�t notice anything� Did you hear something?�

Finally the young captain looked up to meet Zoro�s eyes for the first time, his own eyes wide and face terrified. �It�s all wrong! Everything�s wrong!�

�Luffy?�

�It hurts!� Luffy cried all at once, startling Zoro -who didn�t want to outwardly show his captain the concern that this particular statement had aroused.

Luffy stopped talking and rubbed his fist across his face, catching his breath before trying to speak again. ��Zoro, something�s� There are sounds that weren�t here before. And I can�t- It�s too bright. It�s all cold; it hurts when I try to act normal, because when I try to see, I can�t. And when I try to listen, it�s different. It�s all loud� and the wind hurts� the cold hurts�� He paused, looking frustrated again, but he was still trying. His hand automatically rose toward his head� only to fall limp again in memory. He missed Boshi.

His tone held an unspecified plea for answers, but Zoro didn�t have any to give. The swordsman just couldn�t tell whether any of this was normal for being small or if there was another problem altogether.

Not liking the silence, Luffy pressed on. Zoro admired his captain. He listened as Luffy tried to list every symptom that he could manage to put into words, even though Zoro knew he didn�t really know how. �Also the ship is rocking more. It�s hard to balance. Everything�s heavy. And bright.� He had stopped shaking by this time, and now laid his head against Zoro�s palm as if trying to absorb warmth or�comfort? His eyes didn�t seem to focus on anything, just looking ahead as if in some kind of daydream. His next words were so quiet Zoro had to lean down to hear them. �Zoro� Merry doesn�t feel right anymore.�

Zoro now closed his eyes in understanding. He would tell Chopper about the symptoms, but the swordsman recognized now that most of this had really been about Luffy trying to figure out how he was going to -for the first time ever- tell his first mate that he was afraid.

The two had always had an understanding; had always been comfortable together. They trusted each other to never lose or falter. They knew and respected each other�s strengths and weaknesses. Now something had changed for Luffy; he couldn�t be as sure of things -as sure of himself- as he had always been before. It scared him, and that was what he was trying to tell Zoro. He was afraid of being seen as weak, and he was afraid that this might make Zoro unable to understand him anymore. But Zoro understood Luffy perfectly no matter what. In fact, Zoro was positive that Luffy couldn�t make his first mate misunderstand him.

The swordsman had to admit, he�d never expected to see Luffy like this� but he�d also done a lot of other things he�d never expected to do since Luffy had chosen him. That�s right, Luffy had CHOSEN him. He�d picked the swordsman over everyone else in the world, trusting that Zoro would be able to take better care of him than any of them. Zoro was going to give this whole thing his best shot, because he�d be damned if he failed Luffy now.

He kept his eyes on the tiny boy laying against his palm.

Zoro was no counselor. He had heard that there were certain things that one person was supposed to tell to another in such a situation. He figured that he was probably supposed to empathize with Luffy; pretend to understand what his captain was going through, that he knew how hard it was to have so much of his strength taken from him in an instant. But that would have been lying, and real men didn�t lie. Luffy would have known in an instant what was happening, and closed himself off to any words spoken.

As a boy who�d only ever surpassed everyone he�d met since he set sail, the world�s aspiring Kaizoku-ou now looked up to beer bottles. Zoro didn�t see his captain as weaker now at all, but to say that Luffy�s own point of view had changed wouldn�t be an overstatement. Also, suddenly reacting so poorly to a change in environment probably felt like an incredible fall to the tiny captain. Zoro had never felt the emotions that Luffy was probably feeling to such a strong degree, and claiming to understand how Luffy exactly saw his new situation would be appallingly insulting. It would sound the same as being completely brushed off. Treating something that was affecting his captain so strongly as though it were something anyone could go through, and therefore no big deal, would make Luffy feel even worse for overreacting -when he wasn�t overreacting. Zoro held his captain in the highest respect; if Luffy was honestly scared then there was a damn good reason for it.

He knew what not to say, but Zoro had no idea how to tell Luffy what he did want to say. He wasn�t great with words, and he wasn�t sure if anything he wanted to say would actually mean something to the world�s currently-littlest pirate. But Luffy wasn�t too good with words, either. He liked things simple. So maybe� just saying it was the best he could do.

Tiny hands relaxed and Luffy raised his head a little when Zoro began to speak to him quietly. �Luffy, I don�t know what it�s like to be four inches tall. You�re hearing things that I don�t hear, and shivering when it�s warm out. I can only try to imagine how things must feel from where you are, and I don�t exactly have a huge imagination. So I�m not going to insult you by pretending to know how hard it might be. What I will say is that you�re my captain, no matter what size you are. In my eyes, you�re still the only person on this ship who might be able to beat me, and the only person in the world from whom I might be able to accept defeat, if it ever came to that.�

Zoro spoke slowly, sometimes pausing between sentences as he thought of what to say. He never took his eyes from Luffy.

The tiny pirate hadn�t moved except to lay his head back down against the hand that comforted him. Zoro ran the pad of his thumb up and down Luffy�s back again, knowing that his words were getting through. If Luffy hadn�t liked what he�d heard, Zoro knew that he would have pushed himself away from the large hand altogether instead of trying to absorb the warmth it radiated.

The words began to come easier as Zoro tried to finish what he had wanted to say. �I really don�t know what it�s like, so if you think you might have a difficult time with some things, it�s okay to tell me. I�ll figure something out. We can all accommodate, it�s no big deal to us. And I won�t ever think that you�re being weak, Sencho. Not ever.�

It was quiet for a moment, and Zoro had to wonder what Luffy was thinking. Then, after a moment, the boy climbed the rest of the way into his hand and rolled onto his back, head rested against Zoro�s fingertips, accepting the implied offer to separate him from everything else for just a moment.

Zoro�s words had meant a lot to him. The feelings they evoked were of comfort and happiness� and security. They also eased the very distressing ones he�d felt minutes before, for which Luffy was grateful. Zoro had proven his respect and loyalty to the young captain time and time again; Luffy had never questioned that. But having Zoro tell him in his own way that he wasn�t disappointed, and that was willing to make sacrifices here and there in order to help Luffy through this� that gave him strength.

He still felt strange in almost every way, and the ship was still unfamiliar, but at least he didn�t feel ashamed of it anymore. Zoro�s acceptance of, and compassion toward, his precarious and rather disconcerting current position reminded Luffy that -even though he was the only person �In Rumble�- he wasn�t going through this alone. He didn�t have to be afraid of being afraid.

Luffy looked up at his swordsman from his new position. �Arigatou, Zoro.� He reached next to him and took hold of Zoro�s thumb, moving it to hug against his chest.

Zoro let the tiny boy curl up into his palm, knowing that Luffy had deciphered his point. It was obvious that something aside from the shrinking was still very wrong, but at least he had managed to calm the mini-rubber boy down. He was also glad to see that Luffy had possessed the common sense to entrust himself to one of his nakama when things became overwhelming, rather than try to tough it out by himself. Zoro was sure that, if Luffy continued to follow these instincts closely, it would make things a little easier for everyone on board, but he wasn�t ready to fill that particular basket with eggs, yet.

He wiggled his thumb a little across the captain�s tummy. The boy shrieked and giggled, �Nonono! Tickles!�

He held the thumb tighter in reflex and Zoro stopped and smiled. �Does everything still feel too bright and heavy?�

Luffy nodded. �It keeps getting better and worse. I think something�s wrong�� He sounded rather put-out about it, but still looked surprised about the turn of events. The analogy that went through Zoro�s mind as he watched Luffy was that his captain had been looking forward to having a Field Day, and now - not only had all his games had been called - but there was a typhoon taking out his parade.

�It hurts?� Zoro fished. He hadn�t forgotten about that.

Luffy loosened his hold on the thumb again. �Tokidoki na.�

Zoro frowned. �Sometimes� was too much. �You ready to go see Chopper?�

Luffy nodded, �Aa, let�s go back inside.�

Zoro lifted Luffy up to his chest again and stood slowly. The sound of tiny chattering teeth reminded him to bring up both hands to shield the little one from the cold and the wind before stepping out from behind the barrier of stairs. Luffy clung to him tightly as he steadily walked up the steps to the higher platform and approached the closed galley door. Turned his back to the wind, Zoro released the higher of his hands to reach for the doorknob.

�Zoro?�

Zoro paused for a moment, �Yeah?�

�Can you� will you stay near by? And keep me close? Until this is over, I mean?�

Zoro smirked, �I�ll stay near by you longer than that, captain.�

For the first time since they�d stepped outside, Luffy relaxed fully against his swordsman, closed his eyes, and smiled.
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RUMBLE!