Love Is Blind | ZoLu

40

If it weren't because Luffy's status was still a mystery to him for the time being, the Swordsman would have already ran outside to share the unexpected news with the rest of his crewmates.

But before he could get ahead of himself and let everyone know the exhilarating report that Law and Chopper had delivered to him, the Swordsman took the time to process and compare his situation to when Chopper first told him that Luffy had lost his vision, leading up to this heartwarming phenomenon that was unfolding right before him.

It's been nearly an entire month since the traumatic incident took place in the Sunny, when Chopper revealed to everyone that their Captain had gone blind.

The heaviness that plagued the Sunny was dense enough to make the ship sink, along with the shattered hearts of the young Captain's crewmates.

Looking back at that heartbreaking event in his life, Zoro's chest tightened, the same way it did back then.

Only now, the feeling was significantly different: It could be easily mistaken for sorrow, but in reality, the Swordsman was elated, with a hint of excitement reflecting off of his demeanor.

"Strawhat-ya is recovering now, but we have to wait until he's completely awake, in order to talk to him about the surgery."

The Surgeon softly spoke.

"We would also like to tell him about it before anyone else knows. So, keep this information confidential in between us three."

His request didn't have a clear explanation, but Zoro wasn't concerned in the slightest bit.

In the Surgeon's voice, there was now a glint of hope and positivity: The complete opposite of how he sounded when Zoro and Chopper first brought Luffy to him.

And that reassurance that he provided Zoro with was what the Swordsman had been yearning for with desperation, ever since he left Luffy in his care.

Out of every possible sentence he created in the back of his restless mind to respond to the Surgeon, only a simple "I understand", was all that the man could verbalize without fumbling his words.

His eye was barely blinking and there was a distant static noise invading his ears.

Though it was just in his head, the sound lasted long enough to distract the Swordsman and keep him immobilized with the visions that were channelling right through him.

His body temperature had dropped, but he couldn't sense the coldness taking over every living cell inside of him.

It wasn't long before his surroundings became less visible to him from where he was standing.

Nothing made sense for a while, but everything was all coming together to him, at the same time.

Caught in the thought of Luffy undergoing a major surgery to restore his vision and getting his old life back, the Swordsman felt overwhelmed with a combination of happiness and nervousness, all at once.

"Well, that's all we wanted to discuss with you for now."

"Zoro, Luffy's getting a second chance to see again... Isn't that great?"

Although both Law and Chopper were trained professionals in the medical field, only one couldn't hold back on shedding a few tears, upon distributing the news to Zoro.

And that sentimental young Doctor, was Chopper.

His eyes were glistening like a set of newly polished diamonds after his tear ducts welled up and overflowed, causing him to burst into tears of joy.

"Hey, Doc!"

Zoro's deep voice caught Chopper's attention, especially since he sounded so serious.

For a moment, he wondered if the Swordsman was dissatisfied with the news he had just received, or if something else had made him upset.

Slowly lifting his head up to face him, Chopper's teary eyes were met with Zoro's motionless facial expression.

A few seconds after staring at the older man, Chopper felt something drip onto the top of his hat.

"H... Huh? What was that?"

Placing one of his hooves over his special hat, the deer slowly looked up at Zoro and what he saw next, left him paralyzed.

The Swordsman's posture was strong and well-balanced, and even so, there was one thing that made his perfect structure weaken: A major knot that had been lodged in his throat for a considerable amount of time, was now coming undone.

With its disintegration, Zoro's airway slowly opened up, and as did his trembling lips while he attempted to speak for a second time, to finish the sentence he had started.

"He better not be surrounded by corny recovery cards when he wakes up. I want us to be the first thing Luffy sees when he opens his eyes!"

The man's words struck the last remaining string of sanity in Chopper's mind, along with his very own.

The Swordsman started shedding tears of joy through his singular eye, embracing Chopper as the younger wept against his shoulder.

"Strawhat-ya is strong, but he'll need a lot of mental strength to regain the weight that he lost, in order to undergo surgery. His heart has to be healthy enough." Law mentioned.

"Oh, don't worry... He'll be ready when the day arrives. I'll make sure of it." Chopper reassured the Surgeon.

"This nightmare is almost ending. Luffy, hang in there for a little longer..."

~~~