The Blind Brawler [ Roronoa Zoro X OC]

Chapter 44: "Damnit, Nami!"

We were making great time across the desert by riding the moving crab. The sun had almost fully set now and the frigid night air was nipping at my ears and nose. I was glad my clothes and hair had dried. However, I knew we had to cross the Sandora River in order to reach the capital so that small comfort would soon be gone. We would also be reaching it before long, so there was no point in trying to get sleep before the fight.

Nami and Vivi both fell silent shortly after we left Rain Base. Sanji had done so as well, but he was also burning through cigarette after cigarette. Usopp took it upon himself to try and distract the others with tall tales, but the only one listening to him with any amount of interest was Chopper. Zoro merely huffed as he used Eyelash as a counterweight on his sword and performed one-armed curls with the camel's weight.

The navigator must have gotten annoyed with his anxious lifting and scoffed, "Zoro, why don't you relax? You're just wasting your energy doing that."

"Who asked you?" He snapped in response without pausing in his reps.

I inwardly flinched, "Damn, he's pissed. Maybe I shouldn't've blown him off earlier when he was checking on me."

"Excuse him, Nami," Sanji said cooly, "He's hopeless. Guys like Zoro, they gotta keep moving or they won't stay focused. They have one-track minds, especially..." He paused to take another drag on his cigarette, "Our own resident muscle freak here now that he's had a taste of the Seven Warlords."

At that, the swordsman paused. I could hear the scowl in his voice as he growled threateningly at the chef, "Stop whining. Just say what's on your mind or shut up!"

"Ah? You need me to spell it out?" The suave pirate bit back, "All this tough guy bluster is just a sad attempt to mask your fear that Luffy might lose this one."

Vivi gasped in horror at Sanji's words and Zoro leapt to his feet. The tension in the air sharpened my sensory vision and I saw the swordsman with his fists at his sides, "Who me?! You sayin' I'm scared?! Huh?! Is that what you're sayin'?! Look at me!"

I stood and quickly held my hands up to both men as the chef began to get up as well, "Sanji, stop antagonizing him. We're all worried. There's no point in being an ass about it!"

The chef took my statement and twisted it to insult the swordsman, "My apologies, Kaori dear. I didn't think that moron would be so easy to rattle, but I should've known better."

Zoro began to stomp toward Sanji with anger rolling off of him. I had to press both of my hands against his chest to barely hold him back. He could easily brush me to the side, but he was too focused on the chef, "You wanna come over here and say that?!" He shouted, "Fancy Eyebrows!"

"That's it," Sanji snarled, "I've had enough of you! Ya damn Mosshead!"

"WHAT'D YOU CALL ME?!" The swordsman roared and easily stepped forward past me. I struggled to try and push back against him, but only managed to be dragged along. I realized it was hopeless to stop them and stepped back to at least get out of the way.

The two pirates butted heads and growled at each other in rage, "You wanna go at it?!"

Before either of them could throw the first blow, Nami strolled over and landed her fists square on the top of their heads. Both men dropped to the ground with an anticlimactic thud as the navigator huffed in annoyance, "Cut it out. This is pointless."

I could not help but frown and mutter under my breath, "You're the one throwing punches first."

"You say something over there?" The woman jeered at me. I merely frowned and crossed my arms in response.