It had been around five hours since Luffy and Zoro last saw each other and parted ways.
By this time, the sun had already set and Luffy realized how dark the Island could get without having a trusty campfire to confide in for both warmth and light.
His feet hurt, but all that he could think of was finding the cave he had spent last night and the rest of his morning inside of.
On his way towards it, he wondered about many things, mainly correlated to Zoro:
Would the man be there?
Was he waiting for him?
Did he calm down as much as Luffy had?
Does he still hold a grudge against their fight the same way as Luffy?
And finally... "Could he be waiting for me there?"
The thought of Zoro possibly growing to miss Luffy gave the boy a chance to cool down a bit more while he walked closer towards a pathway of stones that lead him into a familiar looking cave.
Keeping his eyes on the ground the rest of the way there made Luffy feel less anxious about his arrival and how he would be received by the older man.
However, among all the thoughts in his head, the only one that he never came across was an apology.
He felt Zoro was the one that owed him the apology instead and with those intentions, he believed things would work out in between them if the older man apologized first.
"Well... I'm here already. No going back now." He took a steep breath in, walking into the dense cave.
If it weren't for his anxious attitude that was deprived of all joy and confidence, Luffy would think that something was off about the cave.
But nonetheless, he knew that it was just him and his own lack of confidence when it came to facing Zoro again.
Audible noises echoed throughout the cave, letting Luffy know that Zoro was aware of his presence.
Droplets of rain landed on Luffy's head, pushing him further into the darkness of such a hollow, cold cavern.
Immediately, there was a change of ambience that was sure to send shivers down anyone's spine as the silence felt unsettling to the younger man.
"Aren't you gonna say anything?" He asks with hesitation, keeping his distance from the selfish Swordsman's shadow who appeared to be holding a sword in his mouth.
"Hmm, alright. I'll give you another chance to say sorry."
~Silence~
"Come on, it was your own fault. Why am I apologizing alone? You! Say sorry, right now!" He pointed at the shadow, hearing a low grunt.
This came off to Luffy as a rude response that triggered him.
"I'm the one who should be growling, why are YOU the one getting mad!?" After another long silence, Luffy couldn't take it anymore.
"Don't leave me hanging... You're not allowed to." His feet walked around the cave, getting wet with water that appeared to be all over the ground.
Luffy wondered if the ground was as wet before or if he was just imagining things. But in that moment, he couldn't think of anything else other than the fact that he was receiving the silent treatment from Zoro.
"I don't deserve this attitude from you!" Suddenly, the shadow responded with a louder tone of voice.
"No! Don't just growl, use your voice! TALK TO ME. You coward, do you have any idea what you're making me go through?!" He shouted, grabbing a pile of tiny stones.
"Ever since yesterday, I can't stand looking at you!"
The boy admitted as he launched his first stone.
"A-all because you looked at my stupid feet! When you pushed me on the ground like that, all for nothing."
"Getting me worked up for nothing!" The silhouette groaned in response, so Luffy continued talking, letting everything out, no matter how difficult it would be to look at Zoro afterwards.
"YES, for nothing!! Maybe I was expecting a little more, but who the hell cares? I know you don't-" He tossed another stone, this time, hitting his target and causing it to shout.
"Aren't you gonna say anything yet?! Huh!" Paranoia settled in the back of Luffy's mind, making him grow unstable.
"Stop ignoring me! After you made me walk all the way here alone... Is this it? Is it?" Fear began to torment him, but not just any fear...
"Are we over just because of a stupid snail?!" The fear of losing Zoro as a friend terrified him. Though, he couldn't help but to feel as if their friendship is over.
"I FUCKING HATE YOU, RORONOA ZORO! SO MUCH... SO MUCH. Because I love you.... GO TO HELL!" He ended up confessing to the man as he just backed away from him, disappearing into the shadows of the cavern.
This disappointed Luffy to the point of making him shed tears out of his own anger and frustration.
His bipolar outburst was so intense, he ended up using his Devil fruit abilities.
"G-gum-gum no... PISTOL!" He aimed for the man's frame that grew bigger and wider as it peered out from the deepest depths of the cave.
"Y-you... You're not Zoro." Luffy's eyes widened out of shock.
The boy had made a new discovery: The person who he believed was Zoro and was carelessly yelling at...
Wasn't Zoro at all, let alone a human... But a large, angered bear who was biting down on a long tree branch.
"W-woah!!" The bear swung at him, using it's overgrown claws. And though Luffy wasn't afraid of it, the pain he had in his feet was preventing him from moving around freely without growing weak.
"Crap! I used too much energy to walk into the WRONG cave, now I can't even move."
A worrisome expression traced Luffy's face then faded away into a grin as he managed to punch the wild animal in its face.
"I know just who to take my anger out on now. GUM-GUM NO... ROCKE-" The boy tumbled back, watching as another shadow joined in on their fight.
Surprisingly, the shadow didn't seem to be siding with the bear, and wasn't an abnormally large size either.
He stood up only to watch the bear fall unconscious with an "X" slashed across its chest.
After the bear collapsed and was killed, the killer itself let their face and body be shown, stepping closer to Luffy.
"Zoro..!?" The younger man was thrown over Zoro's shoulder as he rested limp in his grip at first.
"Wanna know something, Limpy? I fucking hate you too."
~~~
