One Piece: Plant island

8

ZxR]
Zoro woke up halfway through their trip, and insisted on walking, even though it was difficult. He groggily stumbled through the field of grass, forcing the rest of the crew to slow down to his pace, but no one commented on it, for they could see the determination in his silver eyes.

"You sure you wanna walk, mosshead?" Sanji questioned, a bit of concern almost escaping from his voice.

"Yeah, you look SUPER tired."

"I'll be fine," he said, quickly dismissing their concerns.

His injuries were relatively bad, but he was in no danger of death. He told everyone what Zonbi had said about the island's history, how it came to be, and how it operates. He also made sure to let them know about Zonbi's intentional avoidance of speaking the name of whoever operated everything behind the scenes.

They spoke and theorized for a large part of the way back, and Zoro was repeatedly questioned about what else had happened because no one was foolish enough to believe that Zonbi had just spilled the beans about everything going on, but he shooed them off.

"Alright! Way to go, Zoro!" Luffy cheered, happy to have gained valuable information.

He wouldn't be able to do anything with it, but he knew a few members of his crew were discerning enough to put it to good use. After a considerable amount of time spent walking, the crew finally arrived back at the ship. Looks of relief and lingering emotions of despair from the events that had just taken place, mixed to create a bizarre but quiet atmosphere.

The crew boarded the ship and the crew spread out into different groups. Zoro staggered to the Crowsnest, just wanting to relax in peace. Robin followed close behind him, still concerned. As he sat against the wall, he could hear her footsteps approaching the ladder and he stared at the entrance with anticipation. What did she want anyway?

It was unlike her to scold him for stupid decisions. She probably wasn't going to smother him while crying about how happy she was that he was back. He didn't have much time to think about it, as her blue eyes soon peeked through the little hole. His silver gaze followed her as she walked over to him, her movements as graceful as ever. Not a word was spoken between them until she sat down beside him

He huffed. "Whaddaya want, woman?"

She slightly frowned, not particularly pleased by his attitude. She decided to ignore it and continue with what she came for.

"Well, I just wanted to make sure that you were okay, " she started. "Your wounds seem to be healing, but you look so hurt and exhausted; it's quite the contrast to your usual confident and calm personality."

He gritted his teeth. Was it that obvious? He inhaled, trying to think about what the best course of action was. She was concerned for him, and he didn't want to make it worse by swatting her away like he did the others. If anyone, I should tell her, but is it worth it? My pride can't allow it.

He sighed. "You're quite observant, aren't you?" he asked, a grimace almost creeping up his face. "But what incentive do I have to speak? I could just keep my trap shut, couldn't I?"

Robin stared at him curiously. Was he really doing this? She thought for a moment, and an idea popped up in her head. She grabbed his arm and gently leaned on him.

"How about this? I won't move until you talk," she said, a smile playing across her face.

He looked at her, not impressed by her attempt. Without getting up, he flung his arm upwards, throwing her into the air. She didn't have time to react and she fell towards the floor, being caught at the last second by the same hand that threw her.

"It doesn't bother me much," he said, his arrogance being fueled by the exchange.

He gently lowered her down to the floor. She stared at him, frustrated by his lack of cooperation. He cleared his throat.

"But, I guess I'll go ahead and tell you what I remember anyway. It could help you figure things out easier, and I want to know who operates this whole thing," he muttered.

Another one of his games.

"Do I look like a child to you?" She asked, with a cold glare.

"Not at all, but you act like one sometimes. Why can't we have a little fun?" He said.

"Because this is serious, just tell me what happened already."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine"

He described to her the drug Zonbi used to make him feel more pain, and his attempts to anger Zonbi, to force him to lose focus. She winced, but he continued."He also told me that the leader is in cahoots with the government, in exchange for some of the more valuable plants here"

"Why would you try to anger him? That's foolish! Look at what you had to endure."

"People are sloppy when they're angry, i.e., easy to manipulate, but he was smart. He never angered, and I only got myself hurt. I can't remember the last time I felt scared. He scared me. I'm genuinely so glad you found me" Zoro said, looking up at her.

She didn't show any sort of compassion or sadness or anger. She just watched him closely, her blue eyes staring deeply into his. She sat on her knees, in between his legs. Spontaneously, she grabbed both of his legs, pulling them back, and making him fall on his back. She had so much pent up frustration, and she knew just how to release it.

"You're safe now. That's all that matters, right?"

"I suppose so."

"You remember when you told me to try again if I really wanted it?" she asked, sliding a finger across his waistline, stopping beneath his belly button and tugging at his pants. He groaned. "Can I have it, swordsman?"

[LxH]

Luffy sat on the deck, resting against the guard on the edge of the ship. Hancock snuggled against Luffy's arm with a warm, content smile on her face. He moved his hand on top of her head, narrowly touching one of her golden snake earrings, prompting it to sway back and forth. He ran his fingers through her silky, raven-black hair. It usually went down to her waist, but because of the angle she was laying at, it lay between his legs.

Luffy had mixed feelings. He was incredibly happy that everyone was back to normal and okay, but he knew that it didn't reverse the pain that the whole incident had caused, and that bothered him. He saw the pain in Zoro's eyes but didn't question him about it. Luffy wouldn't force him to talk about what happened if he didn't want to. The anguish that masked Zoro's confidence and arrogance, it bothered him.

He wondered what he and the others had done under the influence of Zonbi's alcohol, and how much pain they had caused. More specifically, what did he do? He let his hand slither down from the top of Hancock's head, down the side of her face, over her neck, and onto her shoulder, making her blush slightly. He sighed.

"Hancock, I got a question," he mumbled, an apprehensive look on his face.

She looked up, her smile slightly dissolving due to his tone and unsatisfied look. "Luffy..." She started, unsure of what to say. There was a moment of silence before she shook off her concern. If Luffy needs me to answer a question, I'll answer to the best of my ability.

"What's your question?" she asked.

"Did I hurt anyone when I was affected by the booze Zonbi gave us?"

"N-no-" she stuttered, not wanting to make him feel bad.

He didn't buy it for a second.

"Tell the truth," he said coldly, slightly intimidating her.

She paused for a bit. "Well..." She started. "You did attack me a little bit..." she started, making him tense up; she desperately gripped him tighter. "But it's okay. I know it wasn't you and that's why I'm so happy your back. No one will think about it as if you had hurt us."

He slowly cooled down, letting a smile creep onto his face. He wrapped his arms around Hancock and smiled.

"Thanks Hancock, you're the best." He said, squeezing her tight. She whimpered, and her face turned pink.

"O-of course, Luffy."