"Is it me, or does Luffy sound different?"
Sanji thought, keeping an eye on his Captain as he attempted to walk further out into the hallway.
"Could it be because of the pain in his throat, or-"
The moment Zoro passed him by and stood next to Luffy, Sanji's train of thought came to a halt. He finally pieced everything together.
"Him."
The man whispered underneath his breath, observing Zoro from up close as he interacted with Luffy, caressing his cheek with the back of his hand, bearing a gentle smile on his face.
"We're almost there, just a little more."
He overheard Zoro tell him, the closer they were to arriving at the dining room.
Looking behind him, Sanji saw Zoro and Luffy were slowly catching up to him, but in his pace, it was obvious to him that his Captain was limping, so he decided to walk ahead of them to create a temporary distraction.
"Alright! Who's hungry?"
The Cook clapped his hands together, loud enough to catch his crew mate's attention, and to keep them from peeking behind him.
Most of his crewmates chanted "ME!" in unison, while few simply raised their hand in the air.
When the Cook retreated to the kitchen, Zoro walked up behind Luffy's chair, pulling it out for him to sit on it.
Luffy stood a few inches away from him, feeling a build-up of negative emotions reaching the pit of his stomach when he walked towards the chair.
"Luffy!!"
"Look who finally showed up, haha! Hey, Cap'n!"
"Yoooo, Luffyyyy!!"
But out of the many voices that called out to him in a cheerful manner, the Captain couldn't hear a single one.
He felt sick to his stomach as he bend down to sit, only to stop halfway when he felt pressure being applied against his bladder.
"Luffy?"
The crewmates that he hadn't responded to were now staring at him in confusion as to what was stopping their Captain from fully taking his seat.
Zoro, who was still standing beside him, took a quick look to check on Luffy's body from his side of the chair, seeing that the boy was almost suspended in the air, using his leg and core strength to keep himself from going down any further.
Brook and Nami, sitting the closest to them, at the time, stood up from the table, giving Zoro a chance to whisper something into the Captain's ear.
"What's wrong?"
He mumbled, barely even moving his lips to not make it obvious to the rest that were still around them.
Luffy faced him in return and gestured downwards with his head.
Leaning closer towards what the younger was trying to show him, Zoro noticed that he couldn't sit down, properly.
"Okay, here we are! One for you, here's yours,"
Before Sanji could serve anyone else, he walked towards Luffy and calmly placed a small bowl on the table, then he rubbed the shorter man's shoulder.
The sudden sensation of his hand gave the Captain a reason to relax himself when he noticed Sanji lifting up a lid from the bowl to uncover an aroma that was much to his delight.
He let out a silent groan as he finally sat down, feeling the knot in his stomach expanding along with a painful, poking sensation in his lower body.
"You okay?"
Zoro asked, earning Luffy's attention, and Chopper's as well.
"Does Luffy still feel nauseous?"
The short, blue-nosed reindeer asked, lifting his head up to face Luffy, yearning for an immediate response.
"No, not anymore. I'm better now."
Luffy spoke up for himself, not wanting to rely on his Swordsman all of the time.
Zoro nodded back at Chopper, then looked down at his plate, taking a fork in his hand.
"That's a relief, thank goodness."
Chopper said in a kind-hearted tone of voice, eventually discarding the possibility of anything else being wrong with his Captain.
While Luffy picked up a spoon in his hand, he dipped it into the liquid substance within his bowl and guided it into his mouth.
The smell was delicious, but the taste was superior to every other meal that he's had, on that day.
With the hearty meal slowly filling up his empty stomach, the Captain placed his silverware down for a second to look up at Sanji who took a seat next to him.
"How is it?"
He asked, nervously anticipating the young man's feedback on how his meal tasted.
The lively ambience of chattering among the crewmates diminished in seconds, one by one, when they faced their Captain.
Without the sound of their voices, Luffy could tell that the attention was now riveted on him.
He was never one to fear being put on the spot: He was the Captain of the crew, after all.
But under those circumstances that he found himself in, Luffy had grown unfamiliar with the feeling of being watched.
He despised it.
The thought of someone watching him with a set of judgemental eyes was making him feel seen, in a way that he wish he wasn't.
He felt naked in a room full of cameras, targeting every scar and imperfection on his body.
"Calm down. Just be honest like you always...." His mind went silent.
The knot that had formed in his stomach had reappeared, causing him to clench his abdominal muscles.
"It's really good!!"
He forced a smile, making everyone sigh happily.
"Should've said so sooner! You had me worried for nothing."
Sanji laughed, patting Luffy's shoulder.
"I'm really glad to hear that."
The joy on his face made Luffy chuckle softly, but there was no real emotion emitting from the laughter that he let out.
Once his friends went back to normal and weren't staring at him, Luffy used this opportunity to relax for a moment.
"It's over. I've got this.."
Leaning closer towards his bowl to continue eating, Luffy took the spoon in his hand again, gathering some of the soft puree in it.
And right when he thought that he was starting to feel better...
The Captain's unpredictable bladder spasms returned, causing him to drop the spoon into the bowl, splashing the soupy substance on the table and all over himself.
"Luffy?"
"Was it too hot?"
"What happened?"
Zoro, Sanji, and the rest of the Straw Hats stared back at their Captain, their questions flooding Luffy's head.
"Now's not the time...! Stupid spasms, leave me alone already!!"
~~~
