The Greatest (Zoro x Tashigi)

Chapter 33: pt 3 'Get Off the F-ing Boat'

Author Note: "How dedicated are you to your fanifction?"

"Dedicated enough to create an entire code."

hello. I was going to get them off the F-ing boat this chapter, but the scenes I still wanted to include felt better suited to a fresh chapter. Please accept this one knowing the fourth and final part of 'Get Off the F-ing Boat' will be coming soon;)

TASHIGI POV:

"or code."

the moment Robin spoke the words, thunder cracked and lightning split the heavens. A drop, then another, and before I could even process how my heart leaped in hope, torrents of rain fall from dark grey clouds. We shriek, I grab the books and bags and pens all to my chest, tangled in the blanket as I shoot from the cursed lawn chair and sprint for the closest cover.-

Down the stairs, across the lawn, I race for the men's dorm, "Head for the library!" Robin dashes up the stairs in front of me, arms waving, I follow, seconds later we tumble into the dark room. Wind !SLAM!s the door shut, the world stilled except our existing in the echoing space. Water drips from sopping wet dresses and shirts and shorts, my chest rises and falls as I catch my breath.

Pitch black, then a lightning crack. My eyes adjust. We look at each other, and laugh. Holy cow that was a lot of rain. Holy cow I'm holding a bundle of precious, not waterproof, paper books. I freak. "the books!" my body freaks. "They- OW. OWOWOW" I collapse. it hurts. Sharp throbbing everywhere. sprinting definitely a no go. but.. slow breathes, a minute staying still. Sharp throb to... existing. pulsating.

Flat on my back, I crack my eyes open when I hear Robin.

"You are worse than our own Mr. Bushido." She leans over me, eyebrow raised in scolding. I blush. "Stay right there, rest a few minutes. Then we'll take a crack at that code. I only saw it for a second but I'm positive it's a retired West Blue sailor scrambler." Robin walks away, so all I stare at is the wooden plank ceiling. Code. I grin, heart ready to burst. My grandma was a badass.

and a hardass.

.. and an admiral.

I swallow. How much did she know? How much did she ignore, turn a blind eye to... in her perfect marines. Blanch, I push to my elbows. ignore my wince.

"The books are dry, right?" I ask as I watch her pick them all up and walk towards the table in the middle of the Library. She looks over her shoulder with a smile and nod 'yes'. I sigh, letting go breath I didn't know I was holding. "How do you solve it? that... what did you call it?" I glance down at my bandages. Only a few red specks bleed through the white. Hurts, but I sit up all the way. No stitches rip. Oh thank goodness. Chopper's just overly cautious with his bedrest demands. "How long does it take to decode?"

"A West Blue Sailor- why are you sitting up?" She deadpans as she turns all the way around, then walks back over to me.

"I'm fine," I huff,

"Nice to meet you fine, I'm done with your lack of self preservation." Robin quips, but offers her hand to help pull me up. I accept, and a minute and some stumbling and reserved cursing later I collapse in one of the yellow skinny chairs.

Ookay, catch your breath,

"Do you want some coffee?"

"No, I'm okay." I answer as I open my eyes and look at all the books laid out on the table in front of me. My eyes land on the Marigold Log Book, and I shift in my seat as I reach for it, ignoring that all the other titles are also exposed to the world.

Just, don't think about them.

about family.

"The West Blue sailor scrambler is one of the simplest codes in the world, but is so old that few people remember it exists." Robin's voice makes me start, and I look up as she walks back to the table, mug in hand. "All it takes is a single keyword, and then for each letter in the code word, you count how far away that letter is from the first letter of the language's alphabet. Add all those numbers, then the final result is how much you count from a letter in the coded message to learn the decoded letter."