Although he was in a rush to get to the young man's room and see how he was doing, the Swordsman followed along with Law's request, trying to avoid any conflicts in between him and the Surgeon.
Causing trouble would only limit his chances of getting to see his Captain, therefore, Zoro complied with Law by waiting patiently.
Once he was settled down, Law took a seat beside him and clasped his hands together, looking down at the floor.
"I'm pretty sure your Captain's gonna hate me for giving out this much private information about him," he sighed in defeat with a barely visible smile cast upon his exhausted gaze.
"But I thought of telling you in particular because you are his right hand man, and I can tell you two trust in each other."
Zoro's eyebrows furrowed as he nodded immediately in agreement to Law's statement, yearning to gather more information on Luffy's status.
"The procedure is called Posterior Urethral Reconstruction, and I've only ever performed it on one patient, aside from Mugiwara-ya. He is the second person to undergo this type of surgery, and the only person younger than 34 years old, to have it."
"And... And what does that mean?"
Zoro's body grew numb to the touch while Law continued talking in a low voice that was concerning for the Swordsman to listen to without thinking about the worst outcome for Luffy.
"It means that he's going to need about six to eight weeks to recover, in addition to taking medication for pain as well. Same goes for Blackfoot-ya."
The dark haired Surgeon spoke in a serious tone of voice, going over the recovery time Luffy would be taking, in order to heal.
"Well, I didn't expect them to heal in no less than a month, so this is no surprise to me..."
Placing his elbows on his knees, the Swordsman felt his gaze drift off into the distance.
"My main concern is delivering the bad news to everyone else on the Sunny. And what excuse to make up."
He then looked up at Law, as if searching for an answer through him on what to do from here.
"Before you tell anyone else, I think you should start by visiting the patient himself." Law's suggestion sent a chill throughout Zoro's body.
The confidence he had to see his Captain before was wearing off and turning into fear.
Not because he was afraid of the young man, but because he didn't know what conditions he would be in, when he would walk into his room.
He's been with him long before meeting anyone else, and they have battled alongside each other for almost three years.
Zoro and Luffy have seen each other at their worst, so surely, this couldn't be any different.
At least, that is what the Swordsman wanted to believe, for the time being.
And though the Swordsman wanted to put on a brave face, nothing could prepare him for what he would truly encounter later on...
"He isn't fully awake yet, but I could take you to where he is. As long as you aren't squeamish, that is."
Law's voice snapped the Swordsman out of his train of thought, and brought him back to reality.
"I'm not. But why do you ask?"
The Swordsman stood up with his stomach tied in knots as the mysterious Surgeon guided him down a room that was a few miles away from the other one they were having their discussion within.
"Because what you might see in there, won't be easy for you, or for that young man."
There was a glint of uncertainty in Law's voice, one that made the Swordsman clutch his swords for comfort as he prepared himself for the worst.
"Later on? What's going to happen to Luffy? What are you saying?"
Stopping his tracks once more before entering the recovery room that he had been approaching with the Surgeon, Zoro watched as Law looked over at him with a motionless expression.
"I have one last thing to let you know before you see him, just in case the situation gets out of control for you. So, listen carefully..."
Standing just inches away from the room that his Captain was inside of, Zoro took a moment to himself, and to process everything that Law had just told him.
"If it comes to that point, then just call out to me." The Surgeon stared back at Zoro as he nodded at him.
"You can go in."
"You aren't coming in with me?"
The Swordsman held back on walking inside for a second, wondering if Law would be joining him as well.
To his surprise, the Surgeon shook his head and told him that he needed to attend to a personal situation happening in his life, but that he would stay nearby, and be available at all times, in case of an emergency.
In addition, he told Zoro that his Heart Pirates would also lend a helping hand to Luffy or Sanji.
Having so many of Law's subordinates nearby was reassuring, but Zoro hoped to not have to call out to them, and that his Captain and crew mate wouldn't be in any danger, while they recovered from their surgeries in the Polar Tang.
Taking a step further into the recovery room, Zoro's feet went numb, the closer he was to seeing his Captain.
He had somewhat of an idea on what to expect when seeing him, and he knew that his appearance couldn't possibly be any more heart wrenching than the one he was faced with, a few hours ago.
Thinking back to when he first found Luffy and Sanji, remembering the sound of terror in Sanji's trembling voice, and the blood from the wounds on their bodies that was streaming down the side of the tub and seeping into the rug beside it, Zoro kept walking towards the recovery room.
With those visualizations imprinted into his mind, the Swordsman finally found the room he was desperate to get into, just seconds ago.
But now that he was just one curtain away from seeing his Captain, the Swordsman slid his hand over it, reacting to a new scenery in front of him.
His breathing slowed down for a moment, and as did the rest of his body when he noticed a change of ambience, in seconds.
"Th... This is..."
~~~
