#especially if you hadn’t really drawn them before like usopp or robin

[flimflamfranky]

Day 24 - Sensory Deprivation

After a fight, Franky loses his sight.

~

Zoro sat on the deck of the Sunny, arm held out so that Chopper could fuss over his injuries, and he breathed. In, out. Focused on the grass beneath him, and the mummer of conservation around him. Post-battle was always a weird time. With the adrenaline fading, leaving shaky limbs and sore muscles, and the exhaustion hitting hard. Zoro always found it a good time to mediate - to take stock of himself and his abilities, and to reflect on what he did and figure out how to be better. This last battle hadn’t been so bad - their swordsman, some stuck-up guy who focused too much flashy tricks, hadn’t been much a challenge. No, their enemies had been more annoying than anything. One of them had a devil that let her shrink, and she had gone around, making a real nuisance of herself, messing with them in the fights and striking at random. But even she had been easy to handle, once they figured her out. She had been responsible for most of the injuries, though. Mostly minors one, thankfully, that just needed a quick disinfection and a patch. Which was why they were all gathered on the deck for Chopper to treat them - they wouldn’t all fit in the infirmary, and none of their injuries really needed them to be there. Only he and Franky had been really battered. Zoro had taken a shot to the arm, thanks to Tiny’s interference. And Franky had been grabbed by some big guy and used as a bludgeon. Thankfully, the guy had terrible aim, and even worse endurance, and Franky didn’t seem too worse for wear.

All in all, it had been kind of a boring fight. Zoro was annoyed that he’d gotten hit at all. But there was no use regretting it now, so instead, he cast his eyes around the crew, watchful as ever.

Luffy was chatting a mile a minute to Sanji, wound up as ever, as the shit-cook struggled to apply bandages to their captain’s small cuts. Robin was sitting next to Chopper and reading, occasionally passing around bandages and wipes, and Jinbe sat next to her, mediating as well. Brook was leaning against Jinbe’s back, playing a soft, soothing melody. And Nami was leaning against Franky, drifting off, as he and Usopp chatted, tools scattered around them, repairs temporarily forgotten. And that was when he saw Franky freeze. Zoro straightened up immediately, getting a squeak of confusion from Chopper. Franky had cut off mid-sentence, mouth snapping shut and going stiff as a board. He was blinking now, brow furrowing, and he looked around, but his eyes didn’t catch on anything. Almost like...almost like he couldn’t see anything.

Something was very wrong.

Usopp, looking just as baffled as Zoro felt, waved a hand in front of Franky. “Uh, Franky? Hey, man, are you okay?” That attracted everyone else’s attention, a sudden and tense silence falling - especially when Franky didn’t respond.  Nami sat up, looking equally concerned. “Franky?” Franky looked down at the deck, eyes wide. “Uh, guys?” He finally said. “Not to freak you guys out or anythin’ but I can’t see.” They freaked out. Chopper rushed over immediately, babbling question after question in a panic. Luffy nearly did too, by launching himself at Franky, but Sanji restrained him at the last second. “Also,” Franky continued, despite the noise. “I can’t hear anythin’ either, so if you’re talking-“ The rest of his sentence was drowned out by them all scrambling to be around him, trying too see if he was okay. Chopper tugged at his ears, breathing fast. “Oh no, what do we do?! I’m a doctor, not an mechanic!!” “Wait!” Usopp said. “He knows morse code!” He reached forward and tapped Franky’s knuckle. Franky flinched, but he gave a breathy chuckle, and flipped his hand over to grab Usopp’s. “Oh, hey,” He said, relief plain in his voice. “Yeah, I can feel that. That you, Usopp?” Zoro watched as Usopp began tapping out a code on the palm of Franky’s behind. Next to him, Luffy stretched his neck out to look. “Usopp,” he whined, face drawn into a worried pout. “What are you saying?” “Yeah, what are you saying?” Chopper parroted, peaking over Franky’s finger to see. “I’m just asking if he’s okay, hold on,” Usopp said, brow burrowed in concentration as he finished his question. As he did, Franky nodded along. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, aside from the, er, obvious. I’m not in pain, or anything. Wait, shit, you guys can hear me, right?” “Yeah,” Usopp said aloud as he tapped out a new message. “What’s wrong?” Franky let out a frustrated sigh. “That big bastard must’ve knocked something loose when he was tossing me around. At least it only seems to be affectin’ my sight and hearing.” “But it’s fixable, right?” Chopper asked, looking up a Franky. Usopp translated what he said. “Yea, it’s fixable,” Franky said. He frowned, serious. “But...it’s gonna be delicate work. And I won’t be able to do it like this.” Luffy turned to Usopp. “You can help, right, Usopp?” Usopp bit his lip, looking stressed. “I mean, Franky’s been teaching me a few things but-!” Usopp shook his head, cutting himself off. “No, no, I can do this. If he needs me too, I can help.” “Franky’s been teaching me a few things too,” Nami said from Franky’s other side. “A second pair of eyes couldn’t hurt. I’ll help.” “I can help too!” Chopper said. “I don’t know much about machines, but he’s still human. I might be able to figure where the broken part is.” Usopp nodded, looking a little more confident. “Okay, okay, yeah, we can do this.” He began telling that all to Franky, in firm, measured, taps. He didn’t even finished before Franky began to relax. “Yeah, that sounds like a plan,” Franky said. “I can guide you guys through it.” And then, he grinned, relieved. “Thanks, guys. I wouldn’t be able to do this without you. Literally.” As they continued to talk, Zoro stepped back, grinning to himself, and began fiddling with his bandages. Sanji shot him a look. “What’re you grinning for?” Zoro shrugged. “They’ve got this. I’m not worried.” Not anymore was implied, but Zoro knew Sanji would pick up on it. Sanji huffed, and then light up a new cigarette, as the tension bled away and the loud chatter resume. He watched as the others began helping Franky to his workshop. “Yeah,” he said, with a fond grin. “I’m not worried either.”

#one piece #opfanfic #franky #cyborg franky #whumptober2020 #no.24 #sensory deprivation #this one's pretty light-hearted actually #im just.....famibly...... #my stuff #thepilotsfic #straw hat pirates #zoro #chopper #usopp #nami #luffy #sanji

[moosemightymoose]

Heat of the Moment

Summary: The first time they woke up in Loguetown, they were in a bed at an inn, and they didn’t know why but they tried their best to help. The second time they woke up in Loguetown, they were in a bed at an inn, and they didn’t know why but they tried their best to help. The third time-

Ao3 link

Being born again sucks.

Being born again again was an emotional roller coaster.

Being born again again again really just makes you tired.

It was like that supernatural tuesday mornings episode, or that movie groundhogs day, except this was my life. And it was lasting a long ass time before restarting. And there was no trickster pulling the strings, not as far as I could tell. And I’ve had a while to figure it out, with still nothing to show for it.

It had been forty years total. This would be the twentieth time I was trying to save the Strawhats and their allies.

The first time we were close, we didn’t even realize how close, before the marines threw every single person, weapon, and power they had at two dozen people. Some may say that’s overkill, but they only just barely won. It would take them years to recover, and in that time the revolutionaries might actually be able to grab power. But the Strawhats were gone. We were gone.

We died.

Waking up back in that small bed 3 years in the past and I never cried so hard. I didn’t think what I had experienced was a dream, but here I was to do it all over. I was so grateful. And when I found out I was the only one who remembered, only one who knew we’d lived this before, well that was okay. Maybe it was better that way.

Then I was hopeful. Third time’s the charm and all that.

The fourth time I woke up there I was pissed. Again, nobody else woke up with the memories of what had happened, and I had never felt more alone surrounded by my family.

Each time our journey cut short, our crew massacred in different ways stopping us from reaching our dreams. The seventh go through we just got unlucky and a storm mixed with a sea king got us. Never showed up before, never showed up after.

On the ninth go through I decided I wouldn’t join the Strawhats, and instead hovered in the background for a grand total of 5 islands before Luffy dragged me onto the ship.

In all these attempts, only three times we were able to save Ace. Three times. Once preventing him from capture, once saving him from imperial dawn, and once at marineford. And yet, somewhere in the New World, our luck would run out.

By the 20th time I was feeling pretty defeated.

Nineteen times I watched as they all fell around me, my friends. Never the same order, sometimes I would die first, that’s what’s been happening the past 5 times. I jumped in and took the killing blow, saving myself from having to watch as the others got taken out one by one. I couldn’t watch Sanji being pummeled, Nami being shot down, Franky taking a bomb meant to kill thousands, Wado torn from Zoro's mouth as he was cut to ribbons, Chopper taking bullet after bullet, Brook being tossed into the ocean, Jimbe dismembered limb by limb.

Only once had Luffy been killed before me. Only once did I have to watch as the life left his eyes and the smile slipped from his face. I would not repeat attempt fifteen.

And here I am now. Waking up in my rented bed in the middle of loguetown. The first time I didn’t know why I was here or what I would do, but by now I knew. I knew this day too well.

I got out of bed, wondering if I should really try to be on the side lines, maybe join the revolutionary army, or maybe Boa Handcock would take me to her tribe so I could train. Either way I needed to go forward, and the best way was to hitch a ride on the boat I knew would make it over that crazy entrance and sail onto the grand line.

I gathered all my things and grabbed my knapsack, ready to see who I'd bump into first this time around.

If I went left and never turned I’d reach the fish market, where I’d run into Sanji. If I went right I would wind up in the shopping district where Usopp and Nami could be found, depending on which store I went in.

If I didn’t go inside any stores and kept walking I’d find the docks, where the merry was stationed and a lion and a man were attempting to burn it down. Or destroy it somehow, their plan never going well. I fought them off and snuck aboard the ship a few times, doing so twice in a row the past two times, as I wanted this day to just be over with.

If I explored, and I started making turns and going down streets, I stumbled across different scenes. Once I found Tashigi facing 2 men, handing them their asses on a platter, and Zoro’s reaction to her striking resemblance to Kuina. If I made a few different turns I’d find Usopp and Daddy the Father facing off, and Usopp's incredible shot. A different route and I would find the execution platform, early enough to sit and watch. I hadn’t in a while, gone right to Luffy that is. Not since attempt fifteen.

So many choices, but ultimately they all ended on the Merry, which is why I was going to skip the day and head straight there like the last two times but something made me pause. A feeling. An instinct.

The execution platform wasn’t as tall as I had once imagined. It was also old, and questionably stable.

And as I stared up at the structure, people passing around me not bothering with the rickety old scaffolding, I felt hot tears roll across my face.

“Are you okay?”

Luffy’s voice made my body jolt, and quickly I wiped at my face before turning to him. Seeing him so young again always sucked the breath from my lungs. No scar, no haunted look in his eyes, no heavy burdens weighing him down. He was carefree and joyful once again.

I didn’t know what to say, I stopped lying to Luffy after attempt fifteen, but I also didn’t want to talk about this right now, in such a public spot, so I shrugged. He frowned, and looked over at the platform, then back at me.

“This is where the King of the pirates died.”

“Yes. Right up there.” I said, looking back up at the top, and remembering seeing Luffy up there, shackled and smiling, as the marines held us all captive, rain pouring down and making it hard to see, especially with our arms bound, unable to wipe the wet hair and pooling water away from our eyes. Made us watch as they executed Luffy first, his head rolling away from his body in a way that made everything inside me twist up. I didn’t know how I didn’t throw up, snot was clogging up my nose as I cried making it hard to breath. Then they took Zoro up next. They were going to take Sanji next, but someone pointed out it would be more torturous for a ladies man like him to only watch as they killed the girls.

“After all, ladies first, right?” A marine had jeered. They took me first, and after that I had no idea what happened. Not like I could ask someone.

“Is that why you’re sad?”

A startled laugh left me, as my captain always had a way of surprising me with the conclusions he’d draw.

“Kind of. All the people who called Roger Namaka lost someone important that day. It hurts, I understand their pain. To feel desperate and alone.” I swallowed and glanced at the small frown Luffy wore as he looked at me. Anxiety prickled under my skin, questioning if maybe Luffy could see, see how much I had failed and he wouldn’t want me. That this time he would judge me and determine I’m not worth it. I couldn’t help the flinch at my own thoughts and turned before Luffy took notice, and decided enough of that for now. We had a journey to begin. And I was sounding too much like Robin.

“What do you think he saw, when he looked out at the end?” I asked, knowing where this would lead. His soft shishishishi was like a southing balm, his arms wrapping around my waist again felt like home, and flying through the air up towards the top of the platform made my heart race in the best, the smile from the feeling stuck on my face as Luffy set me down, still laughing.

“Now you don’t have to wonder.” He said, and looked out across the plaza.

My heart clenched, thinking of all the other times I had seen him up here. It had been maybe nine years?

“Hey you up there!” Shouting broke my thoughts, and our attention was drawn to a marine with a megaphone.

The fun was about to begin.

I was stronger this time. Sometimes when I woke up again, Id find it was easier to run, I was faster in my defense, it was easier and easier to call upon my haki. Last time I unlocked haki at whiskey peak. Today luck was again on my side as I tested my ability, observation allowing me to easily dodge and weave around all the clown pirates blocking our path to Luffy. Buggy grated on my nerves at the best of times, and right now he was reminding me too much of before. It was only the knowledge that in a heartbeat I could have all these men on the ground and Luffy safe that I held back, because I was waiting for something.

“I'M GOING TO BE KING OF THE PIRATES!” Luffy's declaration rang out, for everyone in the plaza to hear, the weight of his words mixed with the strong will that blanketed the area set a serious tone.

I realized I had not heard this declaration here since the first time we were all in Loguetown. I had stopped here, sure, but I either left to do something else and missed that part, or once I had stopped Buggy from capturing Luffy in the first place, on attempt fifteen. But the universe said that boy will go up on that platform one way or another.

Goosebumps ran down my arms and the winds picked up, the atmosphere changing as thunder clapped. Hope bloomed in my chest, hope that I tried to squash down immediately. Luffy always did this, made me feel like this time was it. This time we would make it.

No, it was two years too early for those thoughts. I told myself to never be hopeful until we were past fishman island.

Luffy had a way of making broken people heal.

#one piece #fanfic #my writing #strawhat #pirates #original character #dimensional travel

[forcedapotheosis-blog]

Gloomy Days Chapter V

Alright fellas, apparently it’s the day of double updates. I felt a lot better with writing this chapter, hope that you might like it, too. Have a fantastic day!

Disclaimer 1: I don’t own One Piece or any of its characters

DIsclaimer 2: This seems to be Chapter 7, chapter 5 and chapter 3.4 because somewhere along the line, I messed up. It’s the seventh post of Gloomy Days and .. oh, I don’t know. Try not to pay too much attention to it D:

Chapter VII / V / III.4 - Second Chances

Where the Hell am I?

The question was not really as surprising as it should be, considering the person that was asking. After a good time of wandering around, it became blatantly obvious that he got lost within the mansion while he was looking for the bar. The exact bar that was in clear line of sight just a few minutes ago. The exact bar that the obvious blonde hair of Sanji could have been seen at. Still, he got lost. Besides that, he felt awfully naked without his trusty companions made of tempered steel at his hips. For the record, he had gotten lost in places that were much more simple than this opulent and imperial mansion, and his evergrowing thirst for booze didn't help. As did the fact that meeting Sanji after years of separation did indeed have a lasting effect on him, as much as he wanted to deny it.

They had been brothers in all but blood for many years until the rot began to tear the crew apart. Even the strongest metal could be destroyed by corrosion, a mountain could be ground down by waves. With the bonds of friendship, it was just the same. When people stopped to be true towards one another, to keep a thing going only for the sake of it being what they used to be, even the strongest ties tended to lacerate. The swordsman had used the long time apart to reflect on it, something that none of his former crewmates would have believed.

Damn cook, I bet he's at the bar now, flirting with some broad and having booze, while I'm .. somewhere, I guess. Think I didn't leave the house, did I? Why does everything here look so unfamiliar?!, he was of a mind to just punch his way through the walls until he found some people and just a few years ago, he would've done it in an instance. Today should have been a special day for his former navigator, though, and if he accidentally broke the skull of her groom, she'd probably not be too happy about it.

That, and I still owe her a load of money. This fact was more a problem now than it used to be. When they were still travelling together, there was booty to be had, money to be stolen from other pirates. Now that he pursued his dream of becoming the greatest swordsman in the world on his own, things went .. a little slower. Falling back into his old ways as a pirate hunter, he found out the hard way that the World Government didn't actually like to pay bounties to ex-pirates. Scratching that off of his list, he worked as a bouncer for a few months, as his former captain did. Sadly enough, the paycheck wasn't even close to cover his drinking habits. That, and his employers didn't like that he slept on the job. To keep himself floating, he resorted to teaching swordsmanship, although that also didn't work out as well as he was expecting. If people got monstrously strong in a relatively short amount of time, they sometimes lost perspective. This loss of perspective did dawn on him when he broke both the arm and the wooden sword of a pupil during a practice session, after seeing that, the large influx of new people that were drawn to his name suddenly subsided.

I wonder when the ceremony is going to start, I might just be able to hear them .. until then, why not take a small nap? Can't do anything wrong with not moving any further away, right? Right?

It was all the more unfortunate that simply taking a nap wasn't as good since he left the crew as it used to be. On the outside, the green-haired swordsman was a killing machine, a force of nature when it came to battling their foes, but still waters used to run deeper than one might have thought. The events of their separation did make a lasting impact on him, traces of that even haunted him up until this very day.

"YOU GODDAMN MORON!", he shouted out in an unusual fit of rage when the first punch was thrown. The cook didn't even try to react to it and faced the consequences. His balled up fist came crashing down on Sanji's face and sent him flying straight into the ship's rail. A lesser man would've lost consciousness from the force of impact alone, but even though Zoro would never admit it, the cook was as tough as nails. Thus, he was able to simply shrug it off and stand up as if nothing happened, rubbing the place of impact in an apathetic manner.

"We're done yet?", the indifference in his voice enraged the swordsman even more, didn't the moron see that he was trying to help him?!

This scene was just the climactic finale of the developments that had occured within the crew since Brook's final death. The situation got from bad the worse and here they were, under the cover of the moon. The swordsman's blood was boiling because of the scene he had witnessed just minutes before. Not only did that dumb cook hurt himself in the process, but he hurt the one woman who might actually be able to unconditionally feel for him. Not in any physical way, of course, but that somehow made it even worse.

"YOU GET BACK IN THERE AND APOLOGISE!", he shouted again, at least showing enough foresight to not draw his swords. Things would have gotten really messy if both of them unleashed all they had.

"What does it matter? And why do you care, of all people? This crew's finished, marimo. Robin knew it, even Franky and Chopper left. This is it, deadlock for our dreams. Just stay out of my way, I'm going to hop off at the next harbor and you'll never have to see me again. It's just a matter of days.", he pulled out a cigarette and put it between his lips, though he didn't have a chance to ignite it as the swordsman took his next swing. A mean hook that impacted on the right side of his head and smashed him to the ground again, throwing the cigarette from his lips.

Zoro was quite surprised about the whole situation himself. Usually, he pretended not to care at all, especially when regarding the cook. This time though, it was different. When Usopp left the crew after his fight with Luffy, there were more pressing concerns to be taken care of and things worked out in the end, anyway. He was so sure about it that he didn't feel the need to intervene. The same thing happened again when the cook was doing his spiel with his wedding, though he pretended not to give too much of a concern about the situation, he was certain that Sanji's abilities would be more than sufficient to resolve it in their favour. Yes, it did need the invertention of Nami, Luffy, Chopper and Brook, but things worked out.

This time, he couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. He had to do something about it or the whole thing would go to Hell. It probably already was.

"You didn't answer my question. Why in the world do you care?!", Sanji's indifferent facade was finally crumbling, his hands were balled into fists and after the first two, free hits, he was finally ready to defend himself.

"Shut up, go in there and apologise if you don't want me to kill you.", the anger wasn't exactly subsiding, but at least the swordsman had found a way to use it in his usual manner. Focussed on the enemy, he raised his hands in the style a boxer would.

The fights between these two always had something comically serious, as if two storms were wrestling with each other, two unstoppable forces of nature. Surprisingly enough, none of them had ever been hurt within their encounters, but both of them knew that this time, the outcome could be different. One of them might die.

For an outsider, it would have looked as if two mortal enemies were engaging each other, they wouldn't have known what was lying underneath. After all that happened, this fight was still a show of mutual respect. None of them was giving quarter or a second of relieve to the other and besides the fact that Zoro wasn't using his swords, he went all out. Even blocking or evading attacks became secondary as they traded crushing blows that would have killed a lesser man. In this situation, they broke bones and tore flesh apart, but none of it was lethal. These men were evenly matched and it seemed that the only condition of losing was to go in the defensive.

After a few minutes of all-out combat, the swordsman and the cook were breathing heavily, bleeding from a dozen or more minor wounds and ignoring a plethora of broken ribs and other bones. Still, they went at each other in a final clash in which they traded hits again. Sanji's shinbone came crushing into Zoro's ripcage, again, and unfolded enough kinetic energy to throw him into the ship's rail, but the trade-off was that he wasn't able to defend himself against the swordsman's devastating right. The impact let him collapse backwards and blurred his vision. After all, none of them was in the condition to continue this fight much longer and they did make one hell of a noise out there.

Getting back up, Zoro knew that another one of those kicks would damage his internal organs enough that it might kill him. If the broken ribs hadn't already began with puncturing his lungs. Too bad that showing weakness or admitting defeat was not his strong point. At least the cook wasn't looking much better, if any better at all. He had taken so many htis to his head that he was sure to have a concussion and blood was running down his nostrils and his mouth. The situation would have proven dire if all the noise they made didn't alert one of their remaining nakama. She bursted out of her cabin, her eyes still teary from the conversation they had, before the fight between these two 'brothers' escalated.

"STOP IT, PLEASE!", she started crying the moment she realised what was happening. And against any better judgement, even after all the things he said .. or more, didn't say and didn't do when the whole world came crushing down on them, she still ran up to the now sitting Sanji and fresh tears filled her big brown eyes. "Please, Sanji-kun, please stop ..", this provided Zoro with yet another proof that he was doing the right thing here.

Sure, it wasn't easy for Nami and Sanji when things started out, but somewhere along the way, his relentless pursuit of fulfilling all of her wishes made her open up. So much, in fact, that it seemed for a while now that she had made the conscious decision of being with him, openly caring for him. And he was about to throw it all away. Zoro knew that the cook understood his trail of thoughts when their eyes met. The navigator was sitting right next to him and visibly wanted to comfort, to embrace the cook. Maybe a simple touch could have changed how things went, maybe it could have been more than a hope spot. The moment passed, though, and Sanji worked himself up, aching every step of the way, carefully averting his gaze from the red-haired woman next to him. This scene reminded Zoro too much about what had happened minutes ago, when she was on her knees and begged him not to go.

Still, he wasn't even looking at her, the one remaining person he desired more than the All Blue itself. Zoro's lips silently formed the words 'Stay. For her.', but to no avail.

The Sunny was in the middle of the ocean right now and Sanji had suffered some devastating blows, yet he still refused to give in. To do what's best. The last chance for a second sunrise vanished into thin air when the cook jumped into the air, his face full of regrets and his visible eye the source of neverending tears. He skywalked out of sight within the next moments, leaving behind shattered bonds and two broken hearts. Hers and his own.

"Excuse me, sir, are you alright?", he was opening his healthy eye, actually being happy to have been awoken from this haunting dream. The swordsman took his sweet time to reply, first and foremost beginning to inspect who was talking to him. Hrm .. too handsome for his own good.

"It's alright, just took a little nap before all the .. fuss.", he didn't know how to assess the cautious laughter that followed his remark, but an idea already began to form.

"Haha, oh, my good friend, you're absolutely right. I, too, find it a little distracting from the more important things. The wedding probably is blown out of proportion. Many of the guests aren't here to meet Nami, anyway, they're here to attend my parents.", he was holding out his right hand towards Zoro to help him get to his feet, but the swordsman declined by shaking his head, getting up on his own instead.

"Thanks, I'm .. good. My throat's terribly dry, though, where's the bar?", he was leaning his head to both sides, making his neck crack in a manner that visibly sent shivers down the other man's spine. Yet, he continued to smile.

"Sure, my friend. Right down this hallway, you can't miss it. Before you go, though, may I ask you something? Since I don't know you, I assume that you belong to my dear Nami's guests, is that right?", Zoro nodded, moving his right hand in a small circle instead of just telling him to go on.

"That's great, I'm really excited to finally meet most of her family and friends! Judging from the hair and the rough exterior, I assume that you're Roronoa Zoro, is that right, too?", again, the swordsman just nodded. How much did she actually tell that guy about her past? The scion of an old and influential family, getting married to a former pirate? Even if the guy himself wanted it, his parents might not be as excited about this prospect.

"You might not want to write it on your shirt, though. People can get a little weird when they're in the company of pirates. Or .. former pirates.", in contrast to Luffy, who's bounty had been erased by his grandfather, Zoro's was still active. That also was the main reason that he wasn't able to collect bounties from the people he hunted down.

"Oh, don't worry about it, my friend. Nami trusted me with these informations about her past, none will hear them from my lips. It would cast quite the shadow on our marriage and I really don't want to put her through this stress. I mean, even if it was to come out, I'd still stay by her side, but the act of calming the waves would be a distressing start for a life in wedlock, don't you think?", still, the swordsman wasn't really sure what to think about him. He was as tall, dark and handsome as they could get, definitely not a bad catch. And he had money and even though he knew about her past, he seemed understanding enough. A nice companion for her future.

"Yeah, better that way. What's it you want to know? Just going to remind you that I'm really getting thirsty right now.", well, he mostly was thirsty, but he also wasn't terribly delighted to be a part of this conversation right now. As far as he could see and feel it, there was nothing really wrong about this guy. Quite on the contrary, even. I've got the impression that he actually is genuine.

"Well, my friend, it might be the wrong time to fill you in on this, but since you're one of her closest friends, maybe you'd know a way to lift her spirits. During the time she was writing your invitations, especially during the last one she wrote, she actually broke down and started to cry. See, she wrote all of them during the nightly hours, away from our bedroom and in isolation. When I heard her crying, I rushed to her bureau, but she just wouldn't let me in. So .. I mean, you don't have to answer me, but I'd love to know what that could have been about. The next day, everything went back to normal and I didn't ask what was going on, thinking that she'd open up to me when she felt like it, but that did not occur yet.", for the first time now, the groom had Zoro's full attention. After meeting so many wealthy and powerful people, it felt refreshing to meet someone who at least seemed to be a reflective, true-to-himself person. Yet, Zoro didn't want to get pulled into this. He had tried to intervene once and it failed, he wouldn't try a second time. That, and if he said anything, just about anything wrong here, it might be his fault that this nice bubble that Nami had built for herself would burst. How would he react when confronted with the swordsman's theory that her heart, in fact, might still be beating for another man? Probably not what you want to hear on the day of your wedding.

"Sorry, can't help you with that, but I'm sure it's going to work itself out. This way to the bar, right?", it was obvious by now that he wanted this conversation to end. If in any way possible, without leaving a broken groom behind. Not going to carry that cross. Every other, but not this one. I'm not even going to try to fix this mess for you, freaking perverted cook.

The groom nodded in a sad fashion before he forced himself to smile again.

"This way, my friend. Well, I already said that it'd be alright if you wouldn't want to answer that question. Just .. see, I want Nami to be happy, in the best of all cases, I would want her to be happy with me. I just fear that if there's an unspoken thing between us, the marriage might suffer from it. That's not what I want, neither for her, for me nor for my parents. So, one last time, my friend: Is there something I should know about her past? Did she have bad experiences with another man?"

Whatever this is going to be, I'm not playing a part in it.

"Give it a rest, man. It's probably nothing and you'll have a nice, clean marriage waiting for you. This way to the bar, now?", again, he was pointing at the wrong direction. For the third time or so.

"My friend, this way. And I'm sure that you'll understand that it's rather difficult to put this situation to rest. You've known her longer than I did, that I'm sure of, so, shouldn't it be a shared interest of us to see her happy? I .. see, my friend, I know that I told you that you don't have to answer me, but I simply can't stop thinking about her crying in the night. I'm sure that it wasn't the only time that it happened, either. Sometimes, when she wakes up, her eyes appear to be swollen. She's always quick to cover it up, even telling me that it's because of an allergy, but you wouldn't believe that either. Especially not during the Winter."

Hell, can't he just leave me alone? I don't want to be a part of this!

It was then that another thought occured to the swordsman. For all his life, he never believed in fate, in some kind of god or a divine plan. Even if godlike things existed, they wouldn't care about humans, wouldn't they? So far out of touch with their own creation, nothing they would think or do would matter to him.

But what if .. No, no, no. We're not going down that road. I've tried it once and I failed. We're not going to do that again. Whatever happens between all of them, it doesn't concern me anymore. I really need some sake right now.

The gnawing doubt was still there, though. What if there was some kind of a divine force that lead people through their lives? Not even all the time, only appearing when they were straying from their paths? Would these powers be able and willing to grant second chances?

ARGH! They better will, because that frenzied woman will have my head if this doesn't work out!

Finally having made a decision, Zoro stopped in his tracks, turning around to the still waiting groom.

"You know .. Cassian, was it? I don't like it, because you seem to be a nice guy, but you forced my hand in this. Yes, there once was another man. Do with that information what you will. I'm just telling you right here and right now: You're not big enough to fill the hole that he left."

With these words, he started moving towards the bar, now in dire need of a drink because Nami would almost certainly kill him and dying blackout drunk didn't seem like such a bad thing.

"Hey .. my friend, that's not the way to the bar."

#Sannami #SaNami #SaNa #Sanji x Nami #Nami x Sanji #Vinsmoke Sanji #Nami #OTP #Gloomy Days #Roronoa Zoro #OC #One Piece Fanfiction #Fanfiction #One Piece FF #OP Fanfic #Alternate Timeline #Shipping