36: Telling the Truth

445 15 5
                                    


☀️🍥☀️

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

☀️🍥☀️

Everyone nervously waited for the doctor to update them on Naruto's condition. The hospital's waiting room was filled with an uneasy silence, punctuated only by the occasional rustle of clothing and soft murmurs.

"Do you think he's going to be okay?" Luffy asked, his voice tinged with anxiety as he fidgeted in his seat. His eyes darted around the room, unable to settle. "He fell to the ground pretty hard, and his shoulder was bleeding a lot and—"

"Luffy!" Zoro snapped, his voice cutting through the tension. "Shut up!" he barked, his gaze never leaving the door through which the doctor would emerge. His jaw was clenched, and his fists were tightly balled in his lap.

Usopp leaned closer to Luffy, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Don't worry about Zoro," he said reassuringly. "He's just as worried as you are. We all are."

Luffy nodded, swallowing hard. "Where's Nami and Sanji?" he asked, trying to distract himself from the gnawing fear in his stomach.

"Sanji went back to the hotel to make some food," Usopp explained. "He thought we'd need something to eat when all this is over. Nami...I don't know where she is. She said she needed some air and left a while ago."

The room fell silent again, each lost in their thoughts and worries. The clock on the wall ticked loudly, a constant reminder of the passing time. Every now and then, footsteps could be heard in the hallway, causing the group to tense up, only to relax again when they realized it wasn't the doctor.

Zoro's eyes remained fixed on the door, his mind racing with worst-case scenarios. Luffy's hands wouldn't stop moving, picking at the fabric of his pants and tapping nervously on the armrests. Usopp tried to stay calm for his friend's sake, but his fingers drummed an erratic rhythm on his knees.

Sanji returned with a bag of food, his usual confident stride somewhat subdued. "Hey guys," he greeted them, his voice softer than normal. "No one has said anything yet?" he asked, his eyes scanning the room for any sign of news.

"No..." Zoro responded his voice low and tinged with frustration. He had been pacing the room earlier but now sat in a chair, elbows on his knees, staring at the floor.

Sanji sighed deeply, the weight of the situation evident in his eyes. "I made some sandwiches," he said, lifting the bag higher to emphasize his point. "Figured we might need something if we're just going to be camped here till Whiskers wakes up." He moved around the room, distributing the sandwiches to each of them.

"Thanks, Sanji," Luffy said, accepting the sandwich but not unwrapping it. He stared at it momentarily, his usually bright and eager expression clouded with worry. "But I'm not hungry," he added, placing the sandwich on the table beside him.

Sanji paused, looking at Luffy with concern. "You should eat, Luffy. We need to keep our strength up, for Naruto's sake."

Luffy nodded but didn't make any move to eat.

The Sun of The Strawhat PiratesWhere stories live. Discover now