What's Not To Love

Chapter 35

A groan escaped Zoro's lips as he began to regain consciousness. He couldn't understand the cause of his discomfort. Shocks periodically attacked his back and sides. It felt as though his internal organs were having a party inside of him. Dragging his body up to a sitting position, he kept his eyes squeezed shut and tried to ignore the pain. He swallowed a lump in his throat and shook his head.

Taking a deep breath, Zoro tried to will the pain to go away as he tried to crack his sides by stretching. He heard a few cracks and instantly felt a little better. With less pain, he wasted no time in getting his shoes on and exiting the room. As he made his way to the upper deck, he continued to feel the unsettling feeling in his stomach which made him stop a couple of times. On deck he saw Luffy and Usopp sitting over the railing fishing. Chopper wasn't in sight so he assumed he was in his room researching as usual.

Brooke and Franky were talking next to the mikan trees but waved to greet Zoro with smiles. The greeting didn't last long as their smiles instantly dropped as Zoro bent over a little to catch his breath. He got up not too long after and nodded his head at the two members, assuring them that he was fine.

Am I tired still? He thought to himself as he turned around. He was originally going to the crows nest but with the way he was feeling, he probably wouldn't even make it up the ladder.

Nami and Robin sipped their drinks at the table while Sanji added the final details to dinner. He shut off the stove and oven before grabbing plates. The girls immediately got up and helped, which Sanji appreciated. Kairi and Daichi ignored them as they played in their high chairs, making faces at each other.

When the table was presentable, Sanji stood straight up, smiling at his preparations. Though he had made most of the food before, the casserole was a new addition. Franky bragged about the one from the last island, and even though he won't admit it, Sanji wasn't going to be out done by novice chefs. He ushered the girls to their proper seats and fixed the twins in their usual spots before leaving the kitchen with the intention of waking Zoro up first.

The door to the gallery closed and the girls heard Sanji's food announcement. What followed though was a gasp and the galley door opening again. The girls looked up at a flustered Sanji.

"I think somethings wrong with Zoro."

Though his voice came out low, Robin heard him clearly and silently made her way to the deck. Nami didn't quite catch it but walked passed Sanji to join Robin. Both women stared frozen at Zoro who was on one knee on the deck below. As each member came to him, he waved them off. Their eyes met quickly before rushing towards Zoro. When they got close to the green haired man, they noticed everyone staring down at him from above with worry, all except for Chopper who still wasn't present.

Nami kneeled down with a hand on Zoro's back while Robin crouched in front of him. Both of them said nothing and just waited for him to say something.

"I'm fine." Zoro's voice didn't carry as far as it usually did. Its tone was too soft for the two girls not to grow more concerned.

"You're not" Nami said. "And that's okay. What can we do to help?"

Zoro didn't say anything. He felt dizzy and the shocks were starting to travel, making his legs feel weak.

"Zoro? " Robin said, trying to get him to focus

"I don't know. " Zoro put a hand on his head. "I didn't eat much. That could be something."

The girls shared a glance before turning to look at the other members. Robin signaled Sanji to bring a little food down just to make it easier for Zoro. He walked to Brook and spoke to him for a minute before both of them disappeared into the gallery. Not long after, Sanji came out alone with a small plate of food in his hands. He didn't want to give too much since he wasn't sure if this was actually the problem.