Bound by Blood and Sea || Sanji || Zoro

The Weight of Decisions

- Luffy's pov -

The world spun wildly as I swung through the air, my hands desperately clutching the yard. I was laughing, caught up in the thrill of the storm when I saw the look of panic in Aileen's eyes. The wind roared around us, tearing at my grip, and I could see her fighting against the storm as she tried to help me.

Suddenly, a violent gust wrenched me from my perch, and I felt my fingers slip one by one from the yard. I tried to hold on, but the storm was too strong. The next moment, I was hurled away, the ship and Aileen disappearing into the churning darkness. I flew through the air, my heart pounding in my chest. 

Then, with a sickening rush, I was plunged into the icy water. The shock of the cold took my breath away, and I gasped as I sank beneath the surface. I thrashed around, but even without the curse of the Devil Fruit—which makes users unable to swim—I would have struggled to stay afloat due to the gigantic waves crashing down on me.

I sank like a rock, unable to move effectively in the turbulent water. The freezing cold wrapped around me, and every attempt to swim felt like a futile struggle against the crushing pressure of the ocean. My limbs felt leaden, as my body descended toward the bottom of the sea. 

My head lolled to the side, and through the murky water, I made out a shadowy figure swimming towards me. No, they weren't swimming—they were sinking. As the figure drew a little closer, I recognized it with a jolt: it was my little sister.

My heart clenched painfully as I saw her unconscious body, sinking slowly and helplessly. Panic surged through me, but despite my desperate attempts to move, I was trapped in the cold grip of the ocean, unable to reach her or save either of us.

The dark water around us grew colder, and my vision darkened further. My breaths came in shallow, ragged gasps, and the pressure of the ocean felt like it was closing in on me. I tried to reach out, to grab her and pull us both to safety, but my arms refused to cooperate.

The last thing I saw was her shadowy form drifting away, and the world around me began to fade into a deep, unyielding blackness. My vision narrowed to a pinprick, as my consciousness slipped away, leaving us both to sink into the depths.

- Zoro's pov -

I made out a muffled scream, barely audible over the howling of the wind. It was a desperate, faint cry, swallowed almost completely by the storm's fury. My head snapped in the direction of the sound, and with horror, I watched as Aileen and Luffy plummeted into the ocean below. 

"Dammit!" I swore under my breath. Without a second thought, I grabbed onto a nearby rope to steady myself against the furious wind and rain. I knew I had to act fast.

I glanced around desperately, knowing that Robin, with her Devil Fruit abilities, couldn't help in the water without risking drowning herself. I needed to tell her to get the others, but she was nowhere to be seen in the chaos. The rain pounded down and the wind whipped around, making it nearly impossible to spot anyone through the storm.

I dashed to the railing, the ship pitching and rolling beneath my feet. My heart pounded as I stared into the tumultuous sea below. The darkness of the water was pierced only by the occasional flash of lightning, but my crewmates were nowhere to be seen. 

My heart clenched as I realized what that meant—they were already sinking. I couldn't spot them, but I had a rough idea of where they had gone down before they disappeared beneath the waves.