It's been five days since Luffy arrived back at his ship, and what started off as an excuse to not interact with his friends while he was currently healing from his surgeries, turned into a habit for the Captain.
A bad habit that was causing a conflict among his crewmates, as they saw the way Luffy wasted away in the Sunny.
"Luffy, there's an Island called "Bocado Beach", it's a tropical island that's warm and sunny, all year long."
After the Captain's Navigator mentioned the weather they could expect in Bocado Beach, he showed interest in wanting to know more about the Island.
He was currently sitting down at the dining table with a shiny silver fork in his mouth, indulging on a delicious breakfast consisting of a sausage and potato hash, diced and cooked to perfection, as well as a mango, banana and pineapple fruit smoothie medley.
His issues with swallowing food were vanishing, allowing the boy to enjoy his meals and saving him the trouble of dealing with a bothersome sore throat.
"Mm! Bwhafs Hocado Heath Bami?"
The young man asked: "What's Bocado Beach, Nami?", fumbling his speech with a full mouth.
"Bocado Beach is-"
"Only theeee coolest Island ever, with food triple the size of the Sunny!"
Usopp chimed in, adding excitement to his speech by enhancing it with a smirk that was overflowing with confidence.
"EHHH?! HRIPLE THE HIZE HOF-"
Captivated by the enthralling description of the Island that Usopp delivered to him, the Captain ended up choking on a chunk of diced potato.
Zoro pat his back, rather harshly and at a fast pace to the point where he spat the particle out, unblocking his airway.
"Don't inhale your food that way, Luffy."
The Swordsman warned, keeping an eye on his Captain to ensure his safety.
Normally, whenever he finds himself choked up on a portion of his meal that he didn't chew properly before swallowing it, a few of his crewmates would be slightly concerned.
But today, everybody seemed to be equally as worried about Luffy.
"Are you alright, Luffy?! Want some water?"
Chopper asked, grabbing a glass pitcher full of cold water to pour some into a clean cup before handing it to the Captain.
"Thank you, Chopper!"
Luffy coughed, finally able to fill his lungs with air after his windpipe cleared up.
"Oh no..."
After harshly straining his body to cough, Luffy started twingeing in pain.
This has been happening to him for a few days now, but even if he went through it for a few months, it was nearly impossible for him to overcome the stabbing pain that he felt inside of him.
But he was grateful for the medication that he was taking; it was the only source of temporary relief that he had.
Ever since he started taking his pills, the muscular contractions in his bladder have gotten much easier for him to manage.
"Argh.. Aha.. Haha."
He lowered his head and uttered a grunt that dissolved into laughter, seconds later.
"The longer this happens, the less painful it feels. This won't be the end of me."
Zoro watched Luffy snicker to himself before raising his head back up, wearing a temporary smile on his face.
Behind his blissful visage, there was no real happiness, but instead a hollow emptiness in his chest and a withered mind, that was stuck in a limbo.
The man took his hand and slipped it underneath the dining table to place it on top of Luffy's own.
Luffy held it and smiled once more, adding a hint of emotion to his renewed facial expression.
"Is your food cold? Should I warm it up?"
Shifting his gaze over to Sanji who was sitting beside him, Luffy declined his offer, gently shaking his head.
"I'm good! I'm almost done."
He insisted, breathing in deeply while leaning back against his chair, holding onto Zoro's hand.
As he held it, Zoro was able to keep track of how Luffy was feeling without having to ask him, in front of everyone else.
Soon, he was able to pick up on an erratic pattern in Luffy's grip: It was loose, at first, then gradually tightened as his legs began to shift in his seat.
This went on for the rest of the morning as the boy finished his breakfast.
By the time his Captain was done, the Swordsman made eye contact with him and used his head to point at the hallway, as a way of asking him if he wanted to stand up.
Luffy nodded at the man as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
With the rest of his crewmates engaging in different activities around the Sunny, it was easier for Zoro to help the younger out of his seat.
When the Swordsman had his back turned to push the chair back in, Sanji was about to walk back out into the dining room when he saw Luffy standing nearby.
"Good, he hasn't left yet. I wanted to ask him how he feels after he finished his meal. He sure did have a really cheerful expression on his face, earlier."
The Cook contemplated, feeling relieved in knowing that his Captain's life was slowly going back to normal, as they both continued to heal.
However, something changed his perspective on the way he viewed Luffy when he caught a glimpse of him doing something he had never done before.
The Captain shrugged his shoulders up to his ears and shivered while keeping his eyes shut, as if he had seen a monster.
When he opened them again, the uplifting attitude he had before, was nowhere to be seen.
His neck started to twitch, but this only lasted for a duration of five seconds before he went back to normal when he felt Zoro wrap his arm around his waist, never once noticing the change in Luffy's behavior.
But Sanji— who noticed everything from start to finish— was now walking back to the sink to wash the remaining dishes on the table.
He quietly reached for the widespread faucet handle, turning at it until water began to drain out into the sink.
"You can hide it from Zoro, but I saw everything. That look, just now, is one I've seen many times."
The sound of the running tap water continued to act as a background noise to Sanji while he was lost in his own thoughts.
"I've had that same reaction, before. You remembered something, didn't you? But what... What's making you feel this way, Luffy?"
~~~
