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Chapter Text

The desert island was far behind them now. The excitement their new crew member had brought came and went. The love cook was quick to the kitchen to whip up a treat for the, now, two misses. However, Zoro had not been expecting him to return so quickly and empty-handed no less.

“We have a slight problem…”
Nami, ever the one problem concerned, gave him a questioning look.

“I don’t want to worry you, my sweet, but we may have neglected to stock up on food before departure.”
The orange-haired head was buried in her hands.

“How much do we have stocked currently?” she inquired, somewhat muffled by her palms.

“I would estimate 3 days of eating as usual, but we could ration it for up to a week comfortably.”
Zoro glanced at Luffy, who seemed to have paused his shenanigans with Ussop and Chopper in favor of this very concerning topic.

“Aw but I don’t wanna ration!” the captain whined, unsurprisingly.

“We may not have a choice, Luffy! We don’t know when we may see another island. If it worries you so much go catch some fish!”
The boy slumped away in defeat, picking up a rod on his way.

“Thank you for letting us know, Sanji. Let’s make sure it lasts the week just in case.”

“Yes ma’am!”

And with that, everyone carried on as they had before besides Luffy who was now picking through the bucket of bait, pouting. Sometimes it surprised Zoro how childish he could be. He never would have expected the man he would dedicate his livelihood to would be as immature as his captain was. Yet, he still held great respect and admiration for Luffy. He mused over this as he drifted off in one of his upper deck napping spots.

When he woke, it had become quite late. The chef was now picking some tangerines, likely to add to whatever dinner he was preparing. Luffy came bouncing up and looked up expectantly at Sanji.
“Just one, okay? I know it is hard for you to grasp, but we need to make our food last.”

Luffy just nabbed the fruit and sat down next to Zoro, who he must have realized was awake now. The stretchy boy fumbled with the shell of his prize for a bit before passing it over to him. With a bit more finesse, he was able to seamlessly peel the tangerine before handing it back. Luffy thanked him with an impossibly bright smile before chowing down. Just when he seemed to finish, Luffy offered the last slice to Zoro, which he took. Objective completed, the captain bounced off to some other part of the ship.
Zoro cherished these little moments. Not wanting to waste such a precious gift, he consumed his little snack. Who knew what kind of diet the stupid cook was going to have them all on? Zoro knew he needed nutrients to grow more muscle during his training, but perhaps their situation could inspire a new variation of training for him. Maybe see what sort of limits he could push and make his body more energy-efficient or something? He didn’t have much time to pursue that train of thought before dinner time was announced.
There was a mixture of excitement and anxiety amongst the crew as seats were taken. Today had been very eventful: being chased by the Marines, saying goodbye to Vivi, and the uproar of the unexpected new crewmate. Everyone was famished. Steaming plates were distributed and the anxiety was flushed away. The chef had come through with an exceptional meal for everyone.

“Eat up!”
Nami looked at Sanji, confused.

“I thought we were rationing?”

“Don’t think too much of it, my love. Some of the food needed to be made before it went bad and I think after the day we’ve had this is worth it.”

Luffy was happy enough, already nearly finished with his meal. The others were happily digging into their own. Robin, their new arrival, seemed amused by the lively event that was their mealtime. She better watch out that Luffy doesn’t prey on her plate. Zoro noticed Luffy chancing glances at the other’s plates, as his own had but a few specs left. Their eyes met and Zoro gave a slight shake of his head. Luffy seemed to get the message since he puffed out his cheeks in defiance.

“Sanji! I want seconds!” The captain whined.

“Sorry, but that is all we have for tonight. You’ll have to wait until breakfast.”
The boy’s face met the table for a moment before it rose again and the captain left the galley. There were some giggles at Luffy’s antics, although Zoro didn’t miss the crease in the cook’s curly eyebrows. He patted the pocket where he kept his cigarettes, but seemed to decide against having one right now.

Zoro was one of the last to leave the cabin since Sanji had managed to drag him into helping with dishes for a bottle of rum. Bottle in hand, he made his way back to his spot in the back of the ship. The sun was giving off its last rays of light before the night was to settle in full. Once at the top of the stairs, Zoro could see a familiar slim figure with an unmistakable straw hat. He seemed to be fishing again.

“Any bites?” The first mate queried.

A sigh and then, “No…”
A peek into the bait bucket told a different story, though.

“Luffy you didn’t eat the fishing bait again did you?”

“I got hungry!”

Now it was his turn to sigh, “You’ve never really had the patience for fishing, huh.”

A nod of agreeance. Luffy swiveled back around and hopped off the rail of the ship where he had been sitting. He stopped for a moment as if thinking about something, before scampering off again.

“I’m going to bed!” he yelled back at his first mate once he was at the bottom of the stairs.

“Good night, Luffy.” the swordsman replied.

After the last of the light was out, Zoro made a round about the ship, then headed up into the crow’s nest for the night watch. It was typically a duty fulfilled by either himself or the navigator. Although, occasionally Ussop would volunteer to stand in. Nami would usually take up the job whenever they were sailing overnight. Tonight, though, they had made enough distance that it was not as necessary. Seeing as Zoro got a lot of shut-eye during the day, the crew had seen it fit that he takes most night watches.
The cool breeze he enjoyed now was a nice change from the bitter freeze of the desert nights in Alabasta. For him, being on land was preferable, but this ship was his home now. Where the ones he cares for, and now another, take shelter and travel together. Zoro still didn’t trust the raven-haired woman. Even if she wasn’t their enemy right now, what was to say she wouldn’t turn on them like she had Crocodile? He couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being used. Which, wasn’t a particularly unfamiliar feeling seeing as that had been exactly what Nami had been doing. Zoro was not about to argue with his captain’s decision, though. He was just taking it upon himself to watch the crew’s back. Especially since they had all been so easily swooned by her charms. Not that that was a hard thing to pull off. Which was another thing he didn’t like. Nico Robin seemed to know exactly what to do or say to get each and every member to trust her. Most nights Roronoa didn’t take his watch all that seriously, but tonight he was alert to the new possible threat upon their vessel. Just having her here made them a much larger target, with her having the largest bounty on the ship. 70 million berries was nothing to sneeze at. As a former bounty hunter, he would definitely know. He was fairly confident that her bounty was not all because of her combat prowess. This begs the question... Why was she so wanted by the government?
The night was uneventful. The first to wake was Sanji, which was pretty typical. As soon as the chef stepped onto the dock, Zoro made his way to his hammock. Ussop had somehow ended up upside down, Chopper slept soundly, and Luffy was sprawled out in the hammock next to his own. He was the only one who could sleep soundly even with the captain’s flailing and mumbling in his sleep. It seemed Luffy was having his usual dream about ordering food from Sanji. Zoro watched in amusement as Luffy ate in his buffet dream. It wasn’t too long before Zoro himself was also in his own dream world.

Chapter Text

The midday sun flooded the cabin through the open hatch blinding the now stirring swordsman. Hunger drove him out of bed and to the galley for his brunch. The useless love cook was always considerate enough to add a little extra to his plate since he almost always missed breakfast. However, Roronoa Zoro would never admit his appreciation out loud. The crew gathered and ate their fills without much complaint about the lesser portions. Even Luffy himself seemed to be less sulky, although he was definitely scanning for leftovers when people had finished. If Zoro had left a couple of extra pieces on his plate when he left it was certainly an “accident”. A happy little accident for a certain smug-faced captain. It took a lot for Zoro to not snicker out loud as he watched the not-so-sneaky food thievery in his peripheral vision.
After lunch, he would train. Zoro’s sword skills may have improved during his fight with Mr. 1, but what would he do against trickier foes? Like Crocodile, or a more likely run-in, Smoker. He may be able to do the cut-nothing and anything trick, but what was he supposed to do if his foe could not be harmed by normal means? He decided that was a battle he was not yet prepared for. Mihawk probably knew how to handle logia-types, but for now, he was going to hone and master his new skill. Cutting steel with steel was a big step, but what about things tougher than steel? Maybe it wouldn’t be so different. When he was really focused, he could sense the world around him more vividly. It was like seeing everything in a new light. He had even been able to locate his sword which had been buried underneath the rubble. If he could do the same thing again…
Zoro began to meditate, focusing on that new awareness he had picked up in his fight. He started to sense his crewmates around the ship and what they were doing. Beyond that, though, was proving to be rather difficult. Nami was in the captain’s cabin, scribbling away with her quill. Ussop was hammering away at something, probably making some sort of new twisted contraption to use against enemies. Chopper was in the galley with Sanji, both of them prepping their own ingredients. Robin sat on the main deck, flipping through the pages of a book Nami had lent her. Finally, there was Luffy who was taking a cat nap on the sheep's head at the bow of the ship. Sensing any further seemed to be a fruitless task, so he moved on to weight training. Even if he wasn’t going to be building up as much muscle, he needed to at least maintain his current physique.
The routine was always something of a comfort for Zoro, too. He had been weight training for over a decade now. Yet, it never seemed to be enough. After his humiliating duel with Mihawk, he would train himself into the ground. He had to if we were going to fulfill his promise to Luffy. The only man he respected who had aspirations greater than his own. Zoro had never planned to join up with anyone while pursuing his dream, but here he was. That day at the Baratie, he had made a promise to himself as well. That as long as he drew breath, he would not only fight for his own dream but also protect his captain and his dream. Now, he was perfectly aware that Luffy was capable of handling himself, but that didn’t stop Zoro from feeling a bit protective of him. It was a huge punch to the gut to hear about how badly Crocodile had beaten Luffy during their one-on-one outside of Rainbase. He had hoped Luffy had gone into the fight a bit more prepared. It worked out in the end, as it always had, but Zoro had been the one to hold the other members back from staying with him. Maybe if he were stronger they wouldn’t have to worry about threats like Crocodile. Unfortunately, the foes seemed to grow in strength the further into the Grand Line you got. It seemed somewhat improbable that they would run into any threats as imposing as a Warlord for some time, though.
Before he knew it, it was mealtime again. The workout had been really draining, as they always were, so it was great timing. This time, dinner was definitely meager in comparison to the previous night’s. Everyone seemed somewhat upset to some degree at the smaller portions. He finished his meal quickly and returned to the main deck to take a nap before the rest decided to head to bed.

A flick to his forehead was all the navigator needed to wake him.

“I’m going to keep the sails at half tonight so please come tell me if there is any change in the weather. That means wind changing direction or picking up speed. Got it? Hey! Are you even listening?” It was too dark to see her face, but he could hear the scowl.

“Yeah, yeah.” He rolled his eyes. It wasn’t anything new.

“Oh. And Big Sis Robin is going to stay up and learn how we do night watch as well. You better play nice, okay!”

“Tch-”

“Don’t ‘tch’ me! Anyway, I’ll come out and check on things periodically. Good night.”

With that, she strolled away. Robin was still in the galley reading a book from the looks of it. Honestly, he wasn’t really sure what “ropes” he was supposed to show her. He usually just kept an eye out and if anything significant did happen the crew would hear about it if it hadn’t already woken them up. He didn’t fill out any sort of logs or anything. The crow’s nest was comfy and had a good vantage point, so that was his choice spot for watches. He spent the time up there continuing this training from earlier, mostly keeping his senses focused on the woman in the galley.

It wasn’t for a couple of hours before she finally moved from her spot. She made her way to the crow’s nest as well. Blanket in hand, she made herself comfortable on the other side of the nest.

“The stars really are beautiful aren’t they?”

“Do you not see stars often?” He wasn’t so rude as to ignore her. But, his trust was going to be hard to earn.

“Not many where I could relax and appreciate them like this.”

“Crocodile seemed to have you on a pretty loose leash.”

“Perhaps so, but it is hard to enjoy the little things when you have someone like him watching your every move.”

“Oh yeah. Those Unluckies.”

“Yes. They were definitely hard to work around.”

“I’d imagine so.”

“You know, you were something of a thorn in the boss’s side before you were even a pirate.”

“I wouldn’t think he would have cared that much about someone as low ranked as 7.”

“No, but he saw potential in you. I’m glad you joined Luffy in the end.”

“Who says I had to have joined anybody? Not that I regret joining Luffy. I’ll follow him until we find the One Piece or die trying.”

“You two have some big aspirations. It is inspiring, really.”

“What about you, Nico Robin, what is your aspiration?”

“My dream died in that cave. But, your captain kept me from going down with it.”

“So what are you trying to accomplish now?”

“Honestly, I don’t know.”

Zoro wasn’t very satisfied with this answer, but he wasn’t sure where to take the conversation from there. They stayed there, occasionally watching the horizon for any signs of approaching ships or other dangers. Nami came out of her cabin a few times periodically, checking her log pose and the skies before retreating back to her bed. Finally, the sun began to rise on a new day and as if like clockwork, the waiter rose from the men’s sleeping quarters as he did every day.

“You’re up early, Sanji.” The raven woman remarked.

“Oh, my sweet miss Robin, I’d get up at any time to see your beautiful face. Are you out here all by your lonesome- oh mosshead.”

The swordsman glared daggers at the chef before hopping up and over the side of the nest and landing gracefully on the deck below. With a yawn and a stretch, he wordlessly crawled down under and into his hammock for his morning nap. As he did, Sanji exclaimed, “I do hope the brute didn’t upset you-”...

He didn’t hear any more of the conversation, but he didn’t care to. Zoro couldn't care less what the woman thought of him. He didn’t have the luxury to put his guard down when the well-being of the crew and captain were at risk with her simply being around. Even his attempt at figuring her out last night had been a total waste. He continued his contemplation, staring up at the ceiling of the cabin. Luffy was quick to give the benefit of the doubt since he often had no doubts when it came to his instincts. An exasperated sigh left the first mate and he turned to look at his drooling puppy of a captain. There was a charm to his childish innocence, but naivety was dangerous. He would never doubt his captain, but he would not put it past others to betray his captain’s trust. It would never come to that as long as he was alive to help it.

Chapter Text

Zoro woke around lunchtime as he typically did. Although, this time he noticed he was not alone in the cabin. The oh-so-familiar rambunctious snores of Monkey D. Luffy resonated about the room. Sure enough, there he was fast asleep. It seemed after breakfast he must have made his way back to his hammock for a morning nap. Napping was not an unusual activity for the young captain, but it was typically somewhere else on the ship sometime in the afternoon.

“Oi, Luffy.” Zoro patted the boy’s arm. He groaned and twisted away from him in response.

“You’ll miss lunch-” He need not say anymore. The previously dormant boy was now slingshotting himself up and out of the cabin. Rorornoa couldn’t help but chuckle at the predictable reaction from his gluttonous captain. Luffy had certainly made his displeasure of their new dieting clear to everyone. He did seem to be taking this pouting fit a little far, though.

The crew congregated around the table with each still somewhat engrossed with their own personal projects. Ussop and Nami with some blue tubing and wiring, Robin and Chopper with their own respective books, and the love-cook with the final touches on their meals. Luffy seemed to have smothered his face into the table with his eyes drooping lazily. As Sanji approached the table, plates carefully balanced on his arms, the sleepiness from the boy’s demeanor disappeared and eager drool formed at the corners of his mouth.

The food was nearly satiating, but more would definitely have been welcomed by all. Looks of disappointment were not limited to their captain this afternoon. The overall mood of the crew was already seeing the implications of their hunger. Only day 3 and anxiety about how long they might be on the open seas with little to eat was increasing.

It was not long before Nami made the decision to continue sailing at full speed even at night. Even though it would stretch them thin, the downsides heavily outweighed the alternative. So 2 to 3 people would have to stay up for night shifts to ensure smooth sailing. In return, the crew would get full meals to keep the energy up for when they inevitably ran into trouble.

The sun still sat high in the sky. Zoro was doing his typical workout near the stern of the ship. Nami and Ussop went to bed after their meeting as to prepare for the night shift. Luffy hung over the rail of the ship looking like clothes hung out to dry. As far as he knew, the usually spry captain had been looking rather depressed and worn out today. After finishing some reps, Zoro settled down next to the rubber boy, leaning on the railing taking in the view.

“You didn’t say anything during our little meeting earlier.”

“Mm-” Was all he got in response.

“Pouting isn’t going to make the waiter give you larger servings you know.”

“Not pouting.” -was not the expected response, although perhaps he was just denying his childish tendencies.

“You’ve been hanging half upside down over here for almost an hour now.”

“M… just tired.” Zoro raised a confused eyebrow at him. Luffy was a simple man and sleep was something he and his captain enjoyed very much, but it was somewhat concerning to hear he was tired after not being physically active. Especially after his multi-day coma after his brawl with the Baroque Works leader, Crocodile, only recently.

“I don’t know if you would feel very rested if you slept like that.”

He must have agreed, because he soon pulled himself back upright and twisted around, slumping back down onto the deck. But, his eyes didn’t meet Zoro’s, instead, they honed in on the small tangerine grove behind him. Unfortunately, many of the fruits had shriveled and dried up while they had been on their desert island adventures. The branches had been picked clean by Nami and Sanji on the first day when they realized they would need all the food they could get. All that was left were the ones that still showed green. The temptation in his captain’s eyes did not go unnoticed.

“It’s no good, captain.” Defeated, the boy slid onto his side to doze off.

“Good grief.” The swordsman sighed to himself before picking up his weights again.

The sky darkened, but it was not quite dusk yet. Clouds from the horizon quickly approached, blocking out the light.

“All right, boys! That storm is going to hit us in just a few minutes! Get everything inside and start securing the ropes!” The navigator’s orders echoed across the ship. Like clockwork, everything was done, although with less vigor than it may normally be. Just as she said, the winds hit and the sails had to be drawn up. It looked like this one may last a while.

“This could be a good sign, though.” She encouraged, “This could mean there is an island nearby.”

That was enough to put a pep in their steps. Eyes were peeled, Zoro took over some of Ussop’s duties so he could focus on the horizons, having the sharpest eyes on the crew. For hours the winds howled and the rain poured, but no sign of land. By the time it passed, it was night again. Nami and Ussop stayed up for the night watch, while everyone else headed to bed. They were a good team for night watch, so they didn’t feel the need to burden anyone else with the job. Zoro was grateful to get a whole night’s rest again. In the cabin, many of the others were changing out of their soaking wet clothes in favor of warm dry new ones. Although, Luffy seemed to already be in bed. Unsurprising after how tired he had seemed that day, not to mention the storm must have totally wiped him out. Sanji had managed to whip them up a quick supper they went to eat in turns.

Upon closer inspection, the keen first mate noticed his captain was still wearing his wet clothes from the day, a puddle of rainwater forming under his hammock. It seemed their doctor had noticed as well.

“Luffy! You’ll catch a cold!” Chopper scolded. Tugging on Luffy’s arm to rouse him. The boy’s eyes were weary and glazed over.

“Mm? Oh sorry Chopper.” He slowly got up and started undressing himself, then taking the new clothes Chopper had gone and fetched him from a nearby crate. Just as he was about to return to his bed, the doctor stopped him again.

“Wait! Your hammock is all wet now. Just sleep in Ussop’s for tonight I’m sure he won’t mind.”

Without argument, Luffy swayed his way over to the empty bed and practically fell into it. Before his head even hit the bed he was asleep again. Chopper sighed and shook his head before returning to prepping himself for bed. As he himself went to bed, he could hear the faint sounds of fighting on the upper deck, no doubt Nami and Ussop were squabbling over something. Hopefully, for everyone’s sake, they would settle down. Zoro was beaten from two night shifts in a row and the intense workouts without proper refueling were already taking their toll. Better cut back and still to less intense regimens. He didn’t want to end up being useless if they did run into trouble. Especially with the captain in his little funk right now, protecting the crew was more his responsibility than ever.

Chapter Text

Zoro always slept like a rock. That night, however, he found himself easily roused. Call it a gut feeling or whatever you like, but it was why he found himself waking to Ussop clambering down into the bedroom. He seemed to be doing his utmost to make as much noise as possible as he did. Sanji had already been getting ready to head up, being the early bird as he always did, so he went mostly unbothered. The doctor was not so lucky, getting tickled awake by the sniper’s hands. Afterward, he passed by Zoro but must have decided it was a bad idea to try anything funny. Finally, he snickered to himself before creeping up to his prey.

“This isn’t your bed!” He exclaimed as he went in for the tickle-fest. However, there was no reaction. The boy was still sound asleep. Ussop tentatively poked at his cheeks, his shoulder, even stuck a finger into Luffy’s ear.

“Huh-” The sniper pinched the boy’s nose and stretched it out to match his own, then let it snap back into place. Still nothing.

“Luffy?” There was a waver in Ussop’s voice as he started to shake the boy by his arm. Still not quite sure if this was Luffy’s form of a prank.

“Luffy!” Now Zoro was stepping in, pushing him aside. He forced an eyelid open, but there was nothing but hazy, unreactive, eyes underneath.

“Chopper!” The first mate barked, sliding the captain out of the hammock and onto the ground for the reindeer to inspect him. The little doctor pressed his ear to the boy’s chest, looking relieved.

“He is alive but unconscious. Which is still not good.”

“What do we do?” Ussop asked, panicked.

“Bring him up to Nami’s room and I can examine him further.” Zoro scooped the surprisingly light-weighted captain into his arms and made his way carefully up the ladder. The reindeer returned, medical bag in hand, and stopped in front of the door and knocked.

“Yes? Who is it?”

“It’s us, sorry but we need your room!”, the young doctor replied.

“What?! What could you possibly-” Nami flung the door open and stopped when she saw the limp captain in the first mate’s arms.

“Luffy! What- what’s wrong with him?” She stood aside, letting them pass. Zoro gently placed the unconscious boy onto the fluffy mattress.

“We aren’t sure, yet.” Chopper pulled up a stool to reach better and began his more thorough examination.

“Come on. Let’s leave them.” Zoro spoke softly, leading Nami out the door with him.

“You don’t think he is sick do you?” She brought her fingers up to her lips like she was fighting the urge to chew on her nails.

“We’ll have to see what Chopper says. But, it is weird for Luffy to get sick. I didn’t even think he could.”

“This won’t be like after Little Garden, right?”

“We have a doctor now, Nami. Trust him to do his job. Plus, I think we know better than anyone else here just how tough Luffy can be.”

They waited outside the door for a while. Sanji came out probably to announce breakfast, when he noticed the two of them.

“Nami dear, shouldn’t you be in bed? Mosshead isn’t keeping you up, is he?”

“Hey-”, the swordsman began to rebuttal, only to be interrupted by the navigator.

“No Sanji, is it breakfast? I’m famished.”

“Yes! Come right on in. Let me just go tell the others.”

“It’s only Ussop down there right now.” The cook stopped and turned around, confused.

“Chopper is trying to figure out why Luffy won’t wake up.” Now he was totally taken aback.

“What do you mean?”

“Just what she said, idiot. The captain won’t wake.” Sanji stopped to think for a bit before he went back into the kitchen. Confused, Zoro and Nami followed suit. The chef picked up a plate of breakfast and turned around. They followed Sanji into Nami’s room and Chopper looked up at them questioningly. The cook left the plate on the bedside, and by some miracle, the captain began to stir. Eyes still full of sleep, he shifted onto his side and reached lazily for a handful of the food. As he chewed, his eyes recovered a glint of life in them.

“Luffy!” They shouted in tandem. Startled, Luffy slipped out of the bed, knocking the food onto the ground with him. Even so, he finished shoveling the rest of the food into his mouth ending with one of his extraordinarily loud burps. He sat up slowly and took them all in.

“Whas happening?” His speech was slurred by lethargy. Before the rest of them could say anything, the doctor slid in front of Luffy. He showed a light into his eyes, tested some of the boy’s reflexes, and felt his forehead.

“Are you able to stand, Luffy?” The boy gave him a weird look and tried to move. As he put weight on his first leg, it caved, but Zoro was able to catch him in time. Lifting him up off the ground to then sit on the edge of the bed.

“Woah.” Luffy still seemed to be recoiling from his slip.

“How are you feeling?”

“Hmm~ Heavy.”

“Anything else?” In response, he held his abdomen and grimaced even more.

“Tummy hurts.”

“Have you been sick before?” Thinking, he cocked his head to the side.

“I don think so… Is that why I feel weird? Am I sick?”

“It is entirely possible you caught something while we were in Alabasta and it just didn’t hit you until now. If I had to guess, it may have entered your system when you were still weakened after your fight, but took some time to really take effect. How long have you been feeling weird?”

“Maybe since yesterday?” The questions and information really seemed to be taking their toll on his head. A crease formed ever deeper in his brow as he tried to recall what he could for Chopper.

“Well. You should get some rest, okay?” The captain didn’t argue, only nodding and then turning back onto the bed. Zoro moved the blankets to cover his whole body before turning to leave with the others.

They moved into the dining hall to eat breakfast while they discussed their situation. Chopper started, “I’ll keep tabs on him every hour or so. He doesn’t have a fever, but not all sickness presents with one.”

“I noticed he was pretty tired yesterday. I just thought he didn’t sleep well or somethin'.” The first mate offered up.

“First the food situation and now this. I really hope we find land soon.” The navigator cried.

“Let’s not let this meal go cold on us now.” The waiter said, dishing out the plates for breakfast.

They all offered up their thanks to the cook before solemnly digging into their meals. The table was unsettlingly quiet without their rambunctious captain there to liven things up for them. It really had seemed to just be one thing after another for them since they set sail. Zoro couldn't agree more with Nami. They needed to find land quickly to get their legs back under them before things got any worse.

Chapter Text

The vice-captain poked at his food for quite some time. It just felt wrong to him to eat without the captain. Meals were important to him, but not just for the food itself, but because it was when the whole crew got together. Sure, Zoro missed out on many breakfasts himself, but this was different. He also felt it would be cruel of him to go sit in front of the captain and eat his food in front of him. Maybe he could justify it if he gave some of it to Luffy as well. It was quite the dilemma that did not slip the other’s notice.

“You not like the food I made for you sword boy?” The cook teased.

“What Luffy needs right now is rest. Don’t worry about him too much, okay?” The adorable doctor consoled him, seeing right through him.

He ate his meal, however wrong it felt to him. As next in charge, he would need to be in top form if any big decisions had to be made. Sure, Nami did make most of their decisions, but that was because she knew the seas better than any of them. Even Zoro respected her wisdom when it came to navigation and other logistics. It also now mainly fell to him to protect the crew whilst Luffy was out of commission. He knew that if anything were to happen to any of them, himself included, Luffy would blame himself.

The crew dispersed as they usually had after breakfast. Nami made a temporary bed out of one of their recliners on the main deck. The pervert cook managed to rope Zoro into doing dishes. They were relatively silent while Sanji scrubbed and Zoro dried, placing the plates into a neat stack off to the side until the cook decided to speak up.

“Your face looks ridiculous.”

“What the hell?!” Zoro exclaimed, nearly smashing a plate as he did.

“I meant that you got a ridiculous look on your face, idiot.”

“And that is supposed to be better?!” Sanji rolled his eyes at him.

“Look we are all worried about the captain, but you look like you might kill someone for looking at you funny.”

“-Tch” The swordsman returned to his task.

“I’ll make sure to make a bit more for the captain’s lunch. Food always seems to perk him up.”

“Yeah.”

Zoro stalked off to take his morning nap, already exhausted from everything that had happened. He did stop in front of the temporary sickbay, debating checking inside. A small antlered creature exited the door, nearly running into him.

“Oh, Zoro, sorry I didn’t look where I was going.”

“How is he?” The little doctor sighed, contemplating his answer.

“I still can’t narrow down his symptoms. I have some ideas, but at this stage, I would have expected him to show more signs than he currently is. Until then, I can only offer temporary solutions. I gave him something to help a bit with the pain and another to try and boost his energy, especially since the pain medication with make him a bit sleepy on its own.”

“Can I go see him?”

“Yes, but if he is sleeping let him be.”

“Of course.” He half-whispered since he had already opened the door to go in.

As Chopper had warned, Luffy was fast asleep. It was not his normal sleep, though, it was quiet and still. It made Zoro’s chest ache a little. He would switch positions with him without hesitation. This wasn’t the jolly carefree man he had grown to care for so much. The doctor’s orders were to leave the patient be, but there was nothing wrong with him sleeping in the room, too, right? The bench in the room was comfy enough. He settled down there, careful to sleep lightly in case the captain did rouse.

The morning passed and there was no sign of wakefulness from the rubber boy. Chopper had come in a couple of times but had not said anything against Zoro’s presence. There was one time Zoro heard the doctor mention something about “cold” when taking Luffy’s temperature. Before writing some notes and taking his leave of the room. Nothing else of note had happened, though. Estimating the time to be just after noon, Zoro slipped out of the sickbay to see what the curly brow cook had whipped up. It smelled good, and the extra meat sticks (Luffy’s favorite food), did not slip his notice.

“Oh, Mosshead.”

“Perv-”

“Chopper said we could eat in the sickbay with the captain for lunch. Whatever he has, he doesn’t think it is contagious, so it should be fine. Plus, he also agreed he needs to eat regularly to keep up his strength.”

“Uh… Sounds good.”

It seemed everyone else also already knew about the plan because they were now congregating on the main deck instead of in the dining hall as they usually did. They were having quite light-hearted conversation considering the circumstances, but they did have a knack for taking strife in stride.

“I saw this huuuuuuge bird. Like, that thing could have swooped down and eaten us all whole! Thankfully, I, the great Captain Usopp, managed to scare it off!”

“Woooow! That’s incredible! Thank you, Usopp!” The little reindeer cheered.

“Just how, praytell, did the great Usopp manage such a thing?” The raven-haired woman questioned, clearly not buying into the tall tale, but enjoying herself all the same.

“Well! I’m glad you asked! You see I was fishing when I saw it, so I took the rod and used it like a whip!”, he demonstrated the technique, “Then, the bird saw just how dangerous I could be, and turned wing and fled.” Usopp finished his story and performance looking rather proud of himself. The applause from Chopper and Robin made him gleam with even more pride.

Nami seemed to have her eyes glued on the log pose. She had been doing her best to make sure they didn’t stray from their course to reach their next destination as quickly as possible, but the winds hadn’t been favorable for the past few days. Sometimes they would run into small islands in between destinations. It had been days and that had yet to happen. Honestly, the navigator might be worried the log pose was broken or something.

Sanji came out of the kitchen arms full of plates. Robin helped him pass them around to people, leaving him with two. One was just like the rest of theirs and the other had the addition of small sticks of meat. Chopper made sure to grab everyone’s attention with a little clap of his hooves.

“Okay, when we go in try to be super loud. He may even be a bit irritable when we wake him. After he finishes his food we will all leave even if you aren’t finished, clear?”

“Crystal.” The rest of the crew replied. As the little reindeer began to open the door, he turned back to them to say one last thing.

“Let me wake him, alright? Just find a spot and get comfy.”

They nodded back to him and they all made their way into the captain’s room.

The gathering of the crew at his bedside did not stir him. Chopper got on his little stool and gently attempted to coax the boy from his sleep. Groggy moans and blinks showed that the doctor had been successful. With a little help, Luffy sat up, the blankets that had covered him falling away as he did. The exposure to the cool air made him shiver.

“We brought you some lunch. It had your favorite!” Some light returned to his eyes.

“Meat sticks?”

“Bon appetite.” The chef placed the meal on the captain’s lap.

“Thanks, Sanji!” Luffy said somewhat weakly, but sincerely gracious. He picked up one of the bones but hesitated before it reached his mouth.

“That’s weird…” He said, placing the food back on the plate, “I’m not hungry.”

Chapter Text

There were some gasps from the crew, and Zoro could not blame them. He himself was stunned at the words that left his captain’s mouth.

“Is it because your stomach hurts?” Dr. Chopper inquired.

For a moment, it almost looked as if the boy was trying to have an internal conversation with his own stomach to get some answers, but he eventually gave a pained nod.

“I know it might be hard to remember, but do you recall eating anything questionable recently or while we were recovering in Alabasta?”

He shrugged. Of course, Zoro was not surprised since Luffy never paid much attention to what he was eating. Their doctor seemed to be lost in his own thoughts for a bit. Their captain seemed to not have much more energy to stick around for any more drawn-out conversation, eyes drooping and neck giving out.

So the first mate took the initiative, “Alright everybody let’s not keep the captain awake any longer.”

Taking the hint, the group shuffled out of their spots and filed out of the room. Zoro stayed behind only to tuck Captain Sleepy in before following the others out. The rest of the crew had made themselves comfy on the deck outside, whispering amongst themselves, with the exception of Chopper who had already engrossed himself with his medical texts. Trying not to startle the little reindeer, Zoro made his approach deliberate, sitting not too far in front of him.

“What are you thinking, Chopper?”

Big tear-glazed angry eyes met his own. The anger was not directed at him, however. No, this anger was an internalized self-hatred. The young doctor was not long on his journey and he blamed himself for not being able to cure his captain. Zoro reached over, pressing a reassuring hand on the doctor’s shoulder.

“We will get through this together. You are not alone in this.”

The creature burst into tears and ran into his arms. Nami and Ussop had tears in their eyes as well. Zoro recognized the internalized frustration in Sanji as well. This was just how things were right now. The going would only get tougher from here, so they needed to get themselves together to move forward.

“Chopper, is there anything we can do to help? Anything you need that you don’t have? Or even help bouncing ideas around?”

With a final sniffle, the doctor returned to his books. He lifted the page to reveal documentation about desert-based parasites.

“My best guess so far is that he may have something like this taking away the nutrients. He should eventually pass some, but he has yet to use the restroom at all! I was really hoping he would eat so that he might. But, if he did have these then he would be extra hungry! Now I don’t know what to think. If it were food poisoning we would also be seeing other symptoms. This also doesn’t fit any sort of bacterial infection that I have seen or read about. This book is even one I got from King Cobra’s castle so it has lots of info about medicine and diseases specific to their island.”

“That is a head-scratcher.” The chef piped in, lighting a cigarette.

“He doesn’t have a fever or anything?” The navigator probed.

“Not really. I noticed he was a little below average temperature, but I didn’t think it was significant enough to indicate anything.”

“That is odd, though,” the swordsman interjected, “he is usually on the warmer side.”

“What could that potentially indicate, Dr. Chopper?” The archeologist queried.

“Hmm…” Chopper scratched his head, flipping through his books, “It still wouldn’t really fit. If he was nauseous then it might fit some things, but he has assured me he isn’t. As sick as he is, I would imagine that symptoms would have shown up much sooner with all of these illnesses along with other signs as well. For example, some of his symptoms could explain kidney stones, but he wouldn’t be as exhausted as he is which is currently his primary symptom.”

“What should we do then, without a diagnosis?” The sniper asked anxiously.

“Since he still needs nutrients to keep up his strength, I will give him an IV, but until I know what he has I can’t give him many medications. Just blindly throwing some medications at the problem could potentially make things worse.”

“Medicine sounds really complicated. I’m glad we have you here to take care of us, Dr. Chopper.” Robin flattered the little reindeer.

Normally, Chopper would swoon at the praise, but he was on a mission now. It seemed he wanted to get the IV set up sooner rather than later. It was reassuring to know that the captain would be getting some form of sustenance since he was refusing to take it via is typically favored route. It had really thrown them all for a loop when he said he wasn’t hungry. The captain was always hungry.

Since the meeting seemed to have been unofficially adjourned, the rest of the crew was now digging into their meals. It was now occurring to Zoro that they had left Luffy’s meal in the cabin with him. Normally, it would be no big deal, but with their tightness on food, it seemed like a pretty major slip to let so much food go uneaten. He also didn’t want to take the food away from the captain in case he did manage to get some appetite back. It could sit out for a little bit a least before they tucked it away in the fridge or split it amongst themselves. It seemed so backward, though. Luffy was always the one taking their food and here he was thinking about how they would distribute what was meant to be his meal. Especially in his weakened sick state, it almost felt underhanded. Maybe it would be for the best for them to just leave it there. The chef could make a broth with it or something if they waited too long to take it.

So when Sanji seemed like he was about to go fetch it, Zoro stopped him. The cook threw a childish insult at him at first, but after he explained a bit of his reasoning, the pervert seemed content with it as well. Much to his annoyance, though, the curly-brow saw the opportunity to drag Zoro into dishwashing duty with him. He reluctantly followed him to the kitchen. It wasn’t even that he hated the chore, he just didn’t like being forced to work with the cook. He was sure that Sanji didn’t like it either, but he took pleasure in how much it irritated him.

They cleaned the dishes relatively quietly as they usually did, until Sanji broke the silence, as he almost always did.

“You are doing a good job.”

The cook seemed to always know how to say the most unexpected things. “Uh… thanks?”

“Not that I’d ever follow you as a captain.”

“-Wha?!”

“I will always help support the crew, though. And don’t act all surprised, we don’t exactly get along.”

“I would never expect you to follow me as a captain, and you’ll never have to.”

“I just meant in temporary circumstances like this, damn it. I’m not implying…”

“Even if you were implying. If and heaven knows I would never let it become a when, Luffy was no longer able to lead us, I would have no intention of leading this crew. Hell, Ussop could take over for all I care, but I would not stick around.”

“Does that mean you don’t care for anyone on this crew besides the captain?”

“That is not what I mean and you know it. Luffy is the only man on this crew that I would follow.” And I would follow him to the ends of this world or even farther. But that part was left unspoken.

“Well, all the washing is done. So you can go nap or whatever you do.”

Zoro walked away, wiping his hands on his pants to dry them. But he paused, turning back just before opening the door.

“Hey, Eyebrows.”

“The hell do you want now?”

“The captain needs your help, too.”

Zoro was just about to leave with that, but a shout from the cook stopped him.

“Wait!”

Sanji’s eyes were wide now, not with gratitude, but with realization.

“What Chopper said before! The exhaustion, the stomach pain, the lower body temperature, and then the loss of appetite! Holy shit it makes so much sense now. I literally want to smack myself I feel so stupid right now.”

“That could be arranged, but what the hell are you blabbing about?”

“I’ve seen this progression before. It is starvation!”

“What? But he has been eating the same meals as us.”

“I know that, idiot, but I don’t know it just fits perfectly. Just find Chopper and I’ll see what he thinks.”

“Uh-huh. Sure.”

Still somewhat reeling from the cook’s rant, Zoro left to find the doctor. Thankfully, he was just outside reading his medical texts over again.

“Hey, Chopper. The creepy cook thinks he might have an idea.”

The little reindeer gasped, shooting up to his feet, “REALLY?!” He did not hesitate to speed past him and through the kitchen door. Zoro followed curious about the doctor’s thoughts. The rest of the crew gathered as well, also curious about the commotion.

“Sanji! Sanji! Sanji! What did you find?”

The chef was whipping up what seemed to be an impromptu meal, although he seemed to be mashing many of the ingredients into more of a paste as if he were preparing a drink.

“I don’t think he is sick, exactly.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“I know it pretty well, having experienced it myself. You mentioned the symptoms before in the exact order I remember experiencing them myself. He is starving, I’m sure of it.”

Thoughts were racing behind the doctor’s wide eyes.

“This whole time… He must have been suffering so much.”

“That IV you gave him should help a bit, but he will need to get something back in his stomach. I’m making a smoothie that should go down easy. He may not feel like it right now, but he needs to eat again.”

“To think that his metabolism is working so fast that being limited to eating the same amount that had little to no effect on the rest of us had such a drastic effect on him.”

Zoro made a connection from one of the first things he heard Luffy say, “When I first met the captain, I was being held up in a marine base, punished to spend a month tied up with no food or water. I mentioned I had been there for 3 weeks, and Luffy had casually remarked that he would have died of starvation in only 3 days. At the time I had taken the remark as a sign of weak will. I had not yet known what kind of man he was. Looking back on it, I don’t think he wasn’t exaggerating by any means.”

“That would make his metabolism roughly 7 to 10 times that of the average person. Take into account that his entire body is made of rubber, so he probably isn’t able to feel full unless he has filled his stomach to max capacity, it is a wonder he only eats as much as he does.”

“I don’t think there would be any argument if every last morsel left on the ship went towards getting our spirited captain back.”

There was a chorus of affirmations.

“Knowing our captain, he will bounce back in no time. It is kind of his thing.”

By the next morning, Luffy was running around the ship like he usually did.

“And don’t worry about the food too much. Luffy will be getting large portions and a few snacks, but we will still be eating as well. I managed to sort out enough to last us a couple more days.”

Which was all they needed. The crew stumbled upon a jungle island with plenty of gathering and hunting to be done to restock. That night, they celebrated not only their much-needed find of the island but a greater understanding and appreciation for each other.

Roronoa Zoro was simply relieved that everything had worked out in the end. He also felt like he knew himself better now. His last conversation with Sanji had made him understand his place within the crew much more clearly. He smiled at his captain’s glowing face as he danced alongside Ussop and Chopper.

To the ends of the world or even farther.