revelations
Chapter Five
Zoro blinked up at the ceiling of the infirmary. He hadn’t moved since Robin left a few hours ago because he felt tired. Not physically given his form but certainly mentally. This spirit form was taking its toll and it was taking a lot out of Zoro to ease the nagging doubt at the back of his mind that was clawing its way through, telling him he would never return to his body. No, he had to have hope. His nakama believed in him. He would make it through this and years into the future it would eventually turn into a peculiar memory.
It would. It had to.
He was interrupted from his thoughts when there was a clatter of noise coming from somewhere on the ship. Who was on watch and why the noise? Intrigued, Zoro floated out of the infirmary. Straight away he spotted the light on in the galley, however, he also spotted Usopp on watch at the Sunny figurehead. Zoro sincerely hoped for Luffy’s sake that the man wasn’t trying to raid the fridge or pantry for a midnight snack. Last time he’d done that Sanji had raged big style, resulting in a very regretful and apologetic Luffy.
As Zoro floated through the door he witnessed Sanji making himself a coffee. For a man who knew everything about food, he clearly wasn’t thinking straight if he thought coffee would aid his sleep. Or, Zoro supposed, maybe the cook didn’t want to sleep. But that led him down a train of thought that would suppose Zoro actually cared what the cook got up to. He did not. At all.
Okay, maybe just a little. Definitely not a lot, though. Not at all.
Just what was he thinking?
After making his coffee, Sanji sat at the dining table where his collection of kitchen utensils, pots, and pans were in disarray—that must have been the clatter Zoro heard earlier. Sanji pulled forward the block of knives first and retrieved a knife sharpener from one of the cupboards and started sharpening the first knife. He sharpened it like he always had with a gentle but firm grasp on the knife, one could tell it was a well-practised movement he’d done hundreds of times.
With nothing else going on, Zoro watched as Sanji did the same for the next three knives. However, something was off come the fourth knife. There was a small tremor in Sanji’s hand as he sharpened the knife, but Sanji persevered and kept sharpening. But the tremor got worse until both his hands were shaking so much that the knife and sharpener were wobbling out of alignment with each other. Zoro bit his lip. Shit. This wasn’t good. He would cut his hand at this rate. Zoro knew how important Sanji’s hands were to him and exactly how sharp those knives were too, especially freshly sharpened.
—
“Make yourself useful and dry the dishes,” Sanji had said once, tossing a dish towel at Zoro.
Zoro had grunted but accepted his fate. Had he known this would be the first of what would become a regular routine, he would’ve tried bargaining for something. That first night, he had made it through the majority of dishes without breaking any (a miracle according to Sanji) but when he picked up the last item to dry—a knife—it slipped between his fingers and left a small cut on his hand.
Zoro had gazed at the cut. “These things are pretty sharp, huh?” he said, fascinated as the blood trickled out.
Sanji’s eyes widened as he spotted the blood. “Damn it, Marimo! Be careful!” He quickly retrieved some paper towel, wet it, and pressed it into the cut. “How do you even manage to fight with three swords, one even in your mouth like a maniac, and somehow not get cut, but then let this happen!” Sanji shook his head. “Nothing makes sense.” This was the closest they’d ever physically been without fighting. Up close, Zoro got a good look at the sky blue of Sanji’s eyes. Wow, they were captivating.
Wait, what?
Zoro had snapped out of it, of course. “A swordsman never shares his secrets,” he had eventually said with a smirk. Sanji rolled his eyes and left him there, calling out of the door for Chopper’s aid.
—
That had been a simpler time compared to now, Zoro thought. Sanji’s hands were still shaking but he had the sense to place both the knife and sharpener on the table. Zoro exhaled, relieved. With his head facing down, Sanji clenched his fists on the table. Just what was going on?
Zoro approached Sanji and tried to get his attention, but it was hopeless, as expected nothing he tried worked. He had absolutely no effect on his surroundings. He even sat next to Sanji and attempted to bang his own head on the table but it was no use. He really was losing it. But that didn’t matter because shortly after a speck of water dropped onto the dining table next to him. Followed by another. And another, and more. Zoro dragged his eyes up to the source: Sanji was… crying?
Wait, what? Zoro had to do a double take. The cook was definitely crying and Zoro had no idea why. What on earth was happening? And why did Zoro’s chest feel uncomfortably tight when he didn’t even have a physical body? What the fuck? Zoro gulped. For all that he and Sanji rarely got along, seeing him break down and cry was something else. Zoro hesitantly reached out for the cook’s shoulder, but his hand went right through. He clenched his fist in frustration. He’d never been good at comforting others, but seeing Sanji like this, so upset and vulnerable with no one around just didn’t sit right with Zoro.
Footsteps sounded just outside the galley and Sanji’s head shot up as he quickly wiped his eyes with the sleeves of his shirt.
“Damn it, Marimo,” Sanji said under his breath.
And, well… what? Zoro wondered if he heard right. But he didn’t have the opportunity to dwell on it because Usopp entered the galley with a big grin on his face. Sanji had gotten up from his seat and was topping up his coffee with his back to Usopp.
“Guess who just learned a new yo-yo trick!” Usopp said, a spinning yellow yo-yo dangling from his hand. “And the beauty is, I don’t even have to look!”
“That’s great, Usopp. But you need to go back and keep watch,” Sanji said, his body rigid as he remained facing away from Usopp.
“Yeah, I will. Just wanted to get some water. You okay, Sanji? You seem kind of tense. Can’t sleep?”
“Yeah. It’s been a long night.” Sanji slid a glass of water to the side of him. “Here, take this.”
“Oh, thanks!” Usopp said as he grabbed the glass and headed for the door. He paused just before it. “Um… I know you’ve been struggling to sleep lately—I can hear you tossing and turning at night. But if you want to talk about anything, I’m here. I can spar with you, too, though I know I won’t be as good as Zoro. Also, if you want to sleep you should lay off the coffee.”
“Thanks, Usopp,” Sanji said. Usopp just nodded and exited the galley.
As soon as Usopp was out, Sanji exhaled and poured his coffee down the sink—it wasn’t like Sanji to waste food, so Zoro knew something was definitely getting to him. But Sanji just tidied up all the kitchen utensils, pots, and pans that were on the dining table, putting them away in their right spots. Once done, Sanji appraised the now tidy state of the galley and nodded to himself.
Zoro got a good look of his face, though. And while the tears were no more, the heavy bags under his eyes definitely indicated Usopp was onto something—Sanji wasn’t sleeping.
“Sleep, cook,” Zoro said.
Surprisingly, Sanji turned the lights off and headed back to the men’s quarters. Zoro followed him and watched as Sanji climbed into his bunk. Zoro stayed in the room, sitting against the wall, and waited for Sanji to drift back to sleep. He did eventually but it took a while.
Moving back to the infirmary, Zoro sighed as he once again laid his eyes on his unconscious form. The night and early morning had been very surprising. Zoro would love to just be able to shut off and sleep for a few hours, but in this form he could not.
Just what had he witnessed exactly? It was the cook having a breakdown, obviously, but for what reason? And why did the thought of it trigger such an uncomfortable tightness in Zoro’s chest?
But it was just like Sanji to suffer in silence and it concerned Zoro because who knew how much the cook had endured alone, probably thinking he didn’t want to burden the crew. Surely the cook had to know that was absurd, though, given everything their crew had been through together. Surely, Sanji had to know that a problem shared was a problem halved, or however the saying goes. But then again… Zoro would probably behave in the exact same way. He cursed at himself.
The tight sensation in his chest was still there, but Zoro did his best to ignore it as he settled back on the bed. He closed his eyes, but all he could see was Sanji’s exhausted and tear-streaked face. What could he do though? He was powerless. But that face… he’d seen other Straw Hats cry and his response was usually anger, usually fired up to take out whatever or whoever caused the tears—he hated seeing his nakama cry. But this… the cook… Sanji… It was different somehow.
With a sigh, Zoro tried to dispel the thoughts from his head. This was an issue he could deal with when he woke up. There was no point stressing over it when he was absolutely powerless to do anything. The best he could do was put his best efforts forth in making Chopper’s theory come true. And not go stir-crazy in the meantime.
He really needed to wake up. Soon.
— —
When the morning sun crept up a few hours later, Zoro joined the rest of the crew in the galley for breakfast. As usual his spot was saved and Sanji had prepared his typical breakfast feast for everyone. Sanji looked… better than he did in the middle of the night—the cook was good at putting a brave face on—but Zoro knew better. And he couldn’t shake the image of him crying out of his head.
“So, some hopefully good news everyone!” Chopper said after sipping from the straw in his orange juice. Zoro turned his attention to Chopper. “The peculiar scent is definitely lessening from Zoro and I can now smell it on Brook, Jinbei, Franky, and Robin. It’s still strongest on Zoro, but we still have five of us to go.”
“What if it still doesn’t wake him after everyone’s spoken to him?” Sanji asked. The bags under his eyes weren’t as noticeable as they had been hours prior, but he still didn’t look great.
Chopper steeled himself and faced Sanji head on. “Well, then we’ll repeat the process. We will get him back, Sanji. I promise.”
Zoro grinned. That was the determined little reindeer he loved to see. Sanji, however, didn’t look convinced.
The conversation was cut short by Luffy sighing. “I miss Zoro and his stupid green hair.”
Stupid? Zoro narrowed his eyes at his captain. He would pay for that.
“I think Usopp said he was going to go next for one-on-one time with him, but if you really want to see him you know you can, right?” Chopper said.
“We know, Chopper,” Nami said. “But I think it’s best that we stick to what we’re doing. We have our duties onboard the ship to distract us from getting overwhelmed by Zoro’s situation right now. Being too overwhelmed won’t help anybody. I believe we’re on the right track.”
Luffy hummed. “Yep. Seeing Zoro unconscious will just make me frustrated so I’m only gonna see him when it’s my turn for one-on-one time.”
“Likewise,” Sanji said. There were murmurs of ‘yeah, same’ and nods all around the table.
“Zoro-san’s too strong to let a curse keep him down,” Brook said.
“I’ll drink to that!” Franky said, holding up a bottle of cola. The rest of the crew grabbed their own beverages and raised them. “To Zoro!” Franky called.
“To Zoro!” the rest of the crew echoed back.
Zoro grinned, his heart felt full. He loved this crew. He wouldn’t let them down.
— —
After breakfast, Chopper headed to the infirmary with Zoro in tow. He did another scan of Zoro’s vitals and nodded to himself. Nothing came back as abnormal then, Zoro assumed. Once done, Chopper exited, calling for Usopp.
Usopp made himself comfortable on that same chair that sat everyone who visited him and scooted over to Zoro’s bedside.
“So…. Zoro. What’s up?” Usopp said, twiddling his fingers. “Oh wait, you can’t respond. I suppose it’s lucky Captain Usopp is here to talk your ear off with tales of grand adventures!”
Zoro huffed in amusement. This was bound to be elaborate and full of exaggerations but at least the sniper was a great storyteller. He settled in to listen.
Several stories later and Zoro found he was surprisingly grateful to the sniper—escapism was good entertainment, it appeared. He regretted not spending more time listening to Usopp’s stories. The man had a talent.
“Now, Zoro, it is time for my greatest story yet! It’s a Zoro exclusive so I hope you’re paying attention.” Zoro raised an eyebrow, curious.
“This is a true lived experience of a mighty pirate warrior of the sea called Nusopp. However, we need to go back to the beginning for once upon a time he was not the mighty pirate warrior he is known as today.”
Nusopp this time, huh? Zoro snorted. So far he’d heard Sogeking, Tusopp, Rusopp, and Dusopp.
“So without further ado, here goes. Once upon a time there was a cowardly young boy called Nusopp. His dad had left him in the care of his mother while he went and sailed as a pirate. However, Nusopp’s mother fell ill, and so Nusopp began lying and telling stories in an attempt to energise his mother. However, his efforts were in vain because his mother soon passed away.”
Zoro watched Usopp. This story was unlike the previous ones. So far, it sounded suspiciously familiar to what Zoro knew of Usopp’s past. However, Usopp appeared strengthened by the story—like it was a part of his past that he had made peace with. Zoro smiled, a small bit of joy blossoming in his chest. Usopp’s growth since joining the Straw Hats had been admirable.
Usopp cleared his throat and Zoro realised he’d zoned out during a few sentences. Oops. “Anyway, after defeating the evil Nuro and much begging on the Pirate Captain Nuffy’s behalf, Nusopp finally joined their crew. Naya graciously gave them a new ship! And what a beauty the Nerry was!”
Zoro was entertained by Usopp’s naming conventions. Just switch the first letter of every name to an N, huh? For someone who was usually so thorough in his storytelling, it was an interesting choice. Was there perhaps another reason Usopp had kept it so obvious? Zoro listened on.
Usopp painted a very vivid image of the Straw Hat’s time together and it was actually great to hear how things went down from his perspective, given all the times the crew had to split up to adventure or fight different enemies. Usopp’s fights had a different tone to them than Zoro’s. While Zoro’s were often strictly business in nature, Usopp’s had a lot of hilarity, the element of surprise, but also a great comeback story.
“Anyway, the whole point of this story leads us to this pivotal moment when the once cowardly Nusopp evolved into a brave mighty pirate warrior. You wanna know how it happened?” Usopp said, eyebrow quirked.
Zoro nodded.
“It didn’t. Nusopp was in a crew surrounded by the truly brave but he himself was still kind of cowardly. But he had learned to be brave when the moment required it. And you know why that was? It was because when he closed his eyes he would see the faces of his nakama—a reminder of why he was there and who he was fighting for,” Usopp said, fist clenched passionately in front of him.
“And in the face of extreme danger he would ask himself ‘what would Noro do?’ and sure, Noro would probably do something absolutely unhinged, but just thinking of that question always gave Nusopp the boost in courage that he needed. Noro was someone to aspire to.”
Zoro smiled. That was… touching.
Usopp stroked his chin. “I mean, Nusopp wouldn’t copy Noro’s actions because he’d be dead if he did. Like, what kind of idiot challenges Nihawk, the greatest swordsman in the world, and readily accepts a slash down the front of his body? Only Noro, I tell you!”
Zoro chuckled at that. The man had a point when he put it that way.
“Anyway,” Usopp said, leaning forward and lowering his voice. “This stays between you and me, but not all my stories are real. However, that last one? Totally real. And I think you know that too.”
Usopp sat back and stretched his arms above his head. “Damn, I sat so long. Such is the burden of a gifted narrator. Anyway, I’ll leave you to it, Zoro.” He squeezed Zoro’s forearm. “Come back soon, buddy. I’ll even let you train me in the gym when you do!” He stood and held one finger up. “But only once because you are a certified beast.”
When Usopp exited the infirmary, Zoro once again experienced a weight being lifted off of him. It was fascinating because while the curse weighed him down, he didn’t really realise it until some of his burden left him. It made him wonder what he would feel like once the curse was entirely gone. It also gave him a new gym idea: what if he did his usual workout while wearing ankle and wrist weights? Could be a gamechanger.
Usopp’s visit had been a lot of fun and Zoro was able to see him in a different way than he had before; he’d always appreciated the sniper, but never really cared too much for his storytelling. But now Zoro could see its value.
With Usopp gone and Zoro in good spirits, Zoro wondered who would be next.
The door creaked upon and a familiar little crewmate walked in. “I guess it’s my turn now,” Chopper said, gently closing the door behind him.
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