The Blind Brawler [ Roronoa Zoro X OC]

Chapter 79: Boarding the Arc

Everything felt weightless, as if I were floating in and out of consciousness. Then, I started to feel heavy again. There were bandages all over my body, and I was lying on some kind of mat. My wounded shoulder no longer hurt, but I was not sure if that was a good thing. In fact, I could not feel any pain across my body. It just felt heavy or tight.

I slowly moved my arms to prop myself into a sitting position. I felt my weight shifting and the pressure of my hands against the floor, but nothing else, "What's... happening? Am I dead? People say you can't feel pain when you're dead."

Hesitantly, I reached up and pinched my cheek. I felt the pressure and resistance, but no twinge or ache. Dread washed over me, and my stomach sank. I dropped my hands into my lap as I tried to make sense of this bizarre lack of feeling.

As I sat there, I felt the void swallowing the area around me. I quickly shook my head and reactivated my mantra. It felt strange, as if all the edges of my usually sharp focus had been softened and dulled. I was able to recognise the galley of the Going Merry and heard the steady breathing of two people lying on mats to my right.

My brow furrowed slightly before I moved to try and stand up. I felt lightheaded and had to hold my arms out to keep my balance. A soft gasp passed my lips as I felt a sharp tingling, like pins and needles, start to creep up from my toes and fingertips. I clenched my fists to try and ease the sudden wave of pain that washed over me, "Gah! Fuck! Ow! Okay, at least I know I'm not dead. Must be nerve damage from being hit by lightning. Damn, that smarts!"

As the fresh sting of my injured nerves started to lessen, I managed to get to my feet and take a few unbalanced steps. My hand reached out to the wall to help keep me stable as I walked towards the door to the galley.

I stepped out onto the deck and grasped the railing to hold myself up. The deck was eerily quiet, but I had only sensed two people inside. A frown curled my lip, "Sanji was knocked out right before me and Gan Fall was already injured. So then... Nami and Usopp should still be awake, right?"

I tried to sharpen my mantra to see the entire deck around me. It was hard to tell if I was still stunned from my run-in with Eneru or if the deck was truly empty. I cleared my throat before calling out in a slightly hoarse voice, "Nami? Usopp? Anybody there?"

There was no answer. Just as I started to grow worried again, I heard a commotion from inside the cabin. Before I could go to check it out, the door slammed open with Sanji shouting in panic, "Nami?!" I let out a relieved sigh as I started to approach him, but he seemed not to notice me. He sounded shocked, "What... What is that?"

My brow furrowed in confusion and worry as he gasped, "Sanji? What's wrong? Do you see something?"

He nearly jumped at my voice, turning to face me, "Kaori? Thank goodness you're still here. It's Nami. She's in trouble!" He stepped forward, and I sensed him raise his arm to point at something, "It sounds crazy, but there's a massive flying ship up there, and I know Nami is on it."

I was bewildered by his frantic reaction, "Whoa, Sanji, take it easy. Panicking won't help."

He was not listening to me, however, as he rushed past me to go back into the cabin, "I'm gonna get Usopp. Don't go anywhere. We all need to stick together."

"Wait, Sanji, what are you-" I clicked my tongue in frustration as he completely ignored my call. Instead, I turned my attention towards the sky, "A flying ship? I doubt even with my Weitbleck I'd be able to see it from here."

Gan Fall's words stuck in the back of my mind, "If you could train yourself to release your need for precision in the here and now and instead focus on simply listening, I'd wager you could hear every living thing on this island."