𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐬

𝐀 𝐒𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐧'𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 || Zoro

Zoro decides just for your sake and his, for once, to allow himself to express a feeling he'd long buried inside him after Kuina's death-and a feeling he's only ever had for you.

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I love you.

Settled atop the crow's nest dome- shaped roof of the Thousand Sunny, Zoro's dark-brown eyes dart open to meet splotches of fluffy white painted across a canvas of endless blue.

A gentle breeze rustles his clothes and threads through his mint-green hair as he lays with his back pressed flat against the roof's surface, head cushioned by his arms, while his gaze continues to follow the clouds lazily gliding across the sky.

I love you.

Zoro clicks his tongue when he hears the words teasing melody continue to play in his head.

Words that had repeated its haunting every daylight, and every nightfall.

Words you'd confessed to him weeks ago-and words he had thought would be your last.

Why did you do it?

Zoro still relives the moment when he watched your body go limp in his arms, crimson red trailing its way down in gushing streams from the wound in your torso.

Why did you risk your life to save his?

A question that lingered along with your confession deep within his mind during the couple of weeks you'd remained a victim of sleep.

A furrow lines Zoro's brows, deepening as he unwillingly recalls the urgent scream of your voice calling his name, followed by the sound of steel tearing through flesh and then the painful sight of your body collapsing, motionless, in a pool of red.

After the tragic occurrence, day after day, Zoro would visit you inside the sick bay. It was a difficult task at first, seeing your comatose state, but he made it part of his daily routine to check up on you. And assisted Chopper where he could, sometimes spending the entire day by your side and wishing that you would just open your damn eyes.

And during that time he spent with you and without you, he prayed.

Zoro never believed there was a god but yet, for you-he did.

Like a devout believer, day in and day out, he prayed and hoped for a miracle.

Hoped that some god- any god-would hear his prayer and that you would awake from your seemingly endless sleep.

Though when a couple of weeks had flitted past and you showed no signs of waking up, the little faith he'd mustered started to wane.

Waned until like a flame drawn down to a single spark of light left with nothing to fuel its burn, it extinguished.

But today Zoro's flame reignites.

At the sound of Chopper's crying voice, Zoro's body bolts upright, his eyes drawing wide when he hears him announce in between sniffles and hiccups, that you're awake.

And in an instant, he's on his feet.

And in an instant, his legs carry him with desperate steps towards the direction of the sick bay, Zoro thinking to himself, despite his once wavering belief-for the first time-a god really just might exist.

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"Nami, Robin- you guys are going to hurt her!" Chopper's worried voice warns the two women hugging the life out of you-literally, Chopper thinks.