Without a doubt in his mind, the indigenous Swordsman violently swung his sword, only to stop when he recognized who was standing behind him.
"Z-ZORO!?? It's j-j-j-just m-m-me!!"
Chopper shouted with tears prickling out from his tear ducts, his heart nearly popping out of his chest.
"Chopper!!"
"Chopper-San!"
Upon witnessing this perilous act Zoro attempted against Chopper, two of the Straw Hat crewmates rushed to protect the young Doctor.
"Chopper! Oi, you okay? Are you hurt?"
Zoro asked, reaching forward to grab onto Chopper's hand, but he was stopped when a sword was aimed at his chest.
"Not another step further."
Said the voice, wielding the long, purple cane sword.
"Zoro-San, what's the meaning of this?"
The voice asked, demanding a fast response from the suspicious Swordsman.
"I thought he was someone else. You shouldn't sneak up behind people, Chopper."
Zoro warned while the rhythm of his unsteady heartbeat slowly went back to normal.
"And you shouldn't swing at a random person without knowing their intentions!! You green moron!!"
Usopp scolded the older man, smacking the back of his head with his hand.
"Chopper, are you alright?"
The Swordsman asked, once again, earning a nod from Chopper.
"Good. Then, see you around."
His calm behavior and empathetic gesture towards the Doctor left the crewmates to wonder why the Swordsman's demeanor seemed so different.
"What the heck was all that, back there?"
Usopp asked Chopper, using the back of his thumb to point behind Zoro as he vanished into the Sunny.
"I... I'm not too sure, myself. It's not like Zoro to be defensive and docile at the same time, he's acting strange.."
The reindeer quietly responded with a concerned expression on his face, walking beside Usopp.
"Ah, the way, Usopp! Have you seen Franky? I've been looking for him."
He asked the long-nosed Sniper, searching for answers through him.
"Franky... Franky... Know what, coming to think of it, I haven't seen him either."
Usopp replied, growing worried as well.
"Did ya' check the wine cellar?" He asked, looking down at Chopper.
"Yeah.. I checked the wine cellar, the bathroom, kitchen, living room, even the aquarium."
The younger lowered his shoulders and sighed in defeat.
"I'll help you look for him then. Have you tried Zoro's room?"
"No, why would he be in- Actually, we won't lose anything in searching there. Let's try it, Usopp!"
While their voices grew further away from the deck as they walked into the Sunny, someone was hiding in the far end of the deck, behind a large, empty barrel.
Lurking in the shadows that vanished in the darkness of the night were a set of evil eyes, full of bad intentions, targeting the Straw Hats, and watching their every move.
