Enjoy!

Loyal 'till the End.

Disclaimer.
One Piece © Eiichiro Oda

-x-

Pain. That word alone explains the feeling Nami has right now.

She slowly opens her eyes and looks around. Her memories are hazy but Nami recognizes the place. Her hazy memories confuse her as she tries to remember how the beautiful landscape turned into something terrifying like this. Most of the greeneries had turned into ash. It is black and red and gray everywhere. Nami remembers they were having a fierce fight with marines and pirates and then... There is also something...

Her body freezes as she notices a half-burnt straw hat on the distance. A certain memory of a possessed Luffy attacking everyone comes to her mind and she finds herself running to the straw hat.

Nami is on the very verge of tears. The memory is way beyond terrifying. It broke her heart seeing a crying, desperate Luffy shouting orders for them to go away; how Luffy had tried to hurt himself; how the evil spirit forced him to punch and kick and hurt them; how Luffy begged them to just kill him. Luffy must be suffering. She can't even imagine how broken her captain was.

As she carefully holds the straw hat, Nami scans her surroundings for the others. When she sees no signs, however, Nami can only pray to whatever deities exist up there to protect her dear nakama; to protect her dear captain.

She walks, finding her way through the destroyed landscape. And when she sees two familiar figures in the distance, her blood runs cold.

Because the two are Zoro and Luffy, laying unconscious.

Because the number of wounds on their body far exceeded any Nami has ever seen before.

Because the pool of blood around their bodies is way too much for any human to stay alive.

Because Nami can't sense nor see any movement from the bodies.

So she runs. She runs towards her friends, ignoring her own pain and fatigue. And when she is right there, Nami can't hold back the tears anymore. If any human, — any living beings — can survive this, that will be by pure miracle.

She has seen Luffy and Zoro horribly injured after a fight countless time before. The wounds were always severe, but none of those injuries was as severe as this one. There is a stab mark right on Luffy's heart and there is a small gaping hole on Zoro's stomach.

Nami has to fight the urge to vomit. How can something like this happen? No. How could she became unconscious when something like this happen? How dare she.

Before she can start grieving, though, Nami knows what she has to do. A doctor. She needs Chopper. Screw possibilities, her eyes might deceive her and she won't believe anything else beside their doctor's words.

They are fine. They are alive. She believes it. Because she is a Strawhat. Their captain is miracle personified and they do believe in miracles.

And again, Nami runs. She finds Chopper buried under a pile of rubbles and she quickly pulls him out. Nami is a bit rough when she tries to wake Chopper, but she fully understands that a mere second difference might have a big impact on the lives of their captain and swordsman.

"Chopper! Wake up! Please! Luffy and Zoro are dying! Please, you have to wake up!"

Chopper wakes up with a startled expression. He stands up and looks around frantically. "What? Where?! Luffy? Zoro?!"

Nami sighs in relief and without any delay, she carries the wounded reindeer as she sprints back to where she found their bodies. Chopper practically jumps when he sees the horrible condition they are in. How can he let something like this happen? How dare he.

Tears begin forming on his eyes but Chopper fights it back. The word 'hopeless' is one word he refuses to say about a patient's condition, no matter what. Because he is a Strawhat and they are really bad at giving up.

So Chopper tries.

And it is like a miracle. One by one, in less than a minute, other members of the Strawhat find their way back to their captain. One by one come running with a worried expressions, and as soon as they see the horrible conditions Luffy and Zoro are in, their hearts break a little, but none of them loses hope. Instead, they move and offer their help to aid in the treatment of the two despite their own critical injuries. None of them accepts Chopper's treatments before they are sure that both Luffy and Zoro are okay. Franky even volunteers to donate his blood, as it is fortunately of the same type as Zoro, even though his own cyborg body is almost torn apart.

Chopper is a doctor. He knows all about human's body and judging by the severity of the wounds, he fully understands that any other people would've died in no time. There are heartbeats, very faint and unstable. Any other people would've given up on healing the two, but they won't be a Strawhat if they give up and let one of them die. No. No way.

Chopper examines the stab wound on Luffy's chest. The cut is unbelievably clean and small; it is definitely the work of Zoro. Chopper can't figure out what did Zoro cut, nevertheless, he is relieved because the cut doesn't harm the heart. It doesn't even harm any other organs or veins other than a very small spot beside Luffy's heart.

It is still too early to say that they are okay, but it is not impossible to save the two.

A miracle will happen for sure.

-x-

Roughly three hours later they finish taking care of the two wounded crew. It was nothing short of a miracle that they managed to arrive just in time before the wounds were infected. It is nothing short of a miracle that the life of both Zoro and Luffy are not in an immediate danger.

It is truly a miracle.

All members of the Strawhat are beyond relieved to see the face of their captain sleeping so peacefully. The image of Luffy going berserk still haunts them, and they sure miss his wide, stupid, innocent grin right now.

Zoro, on the other hand…

The little stab mark and the incredulous amount of wounds on his body have more or less explained the situation. It's like Thriller Bark all over again. Zoro has fought for their captain. And he has succeeded. That is enough. Nami secretly considers spending some of their fortune on beer and sake later. And of course, lots of meat.

-x-

When Luffy first opens his eyes, three days have passed. He is greeted by the sight of an all too familiar ceiling of the ship's infirmary. His mind is foggy as he tries to collect his thoughts. His body feels heavy and it hurts here and there, but Luffy feels like he should be worrying about something else right now.

That is when he turns his face to the side, where he sees... Zoro. A fully bandaged Zoro.

Memories come back to him, and he screams.

-x-

A scream from the infirmary shock the whole inhabitants of Thousand Sunny. Each and every single member of the Strawhat minus Zoro and Luffy stop whatever they are doing and rush to the infirmary.

"LUFFY!"

The infirmary's door bursts open as they rush inside.

What they find inside nearly move them into tears.

Luffy, with all the injuries on his body, has fallen to the floor. He crawls, trying to move his nearly limp body to reach the unconscious swordsman's bed on the other side of the room.

"Z... Zo... Zoro..."

His voice is dry and croaky. They can see the fear on his face and the tears forming on his eyes.

Chopper is the first to react. "Luffy! Stop! What are you doing? Your wounds will reopen if you move!"

Followed by Sanji who approaches him and gently, with the utmost care, carries Luffy back to his bed, "You shitty-captain. Go back to your bed! I'll feed you up later."

Usopp sprints back to the galley and come back with a glass of water. "Luffy, don't overdo it!"

Robin grabs a towel and sits on the bedside, slowly wiping sweat from her captain's head. "Please, you still need to rest, captain."

Franky is trying to fight back his manly tears as he leans on the door. He understands that his big body takes a lot of space, so he won't go in even though he really wants to pull Luffy in a hug out of relief.

Nami walks in and carefully helps Chopper to replace Luffy's already-bloodied bandages.

Brook sits in the corner of the room, playing soothing sounds with his violin. He knows that Luffy must be suffering even now, so he hopes to at least soothe his worry a little with his music.

Luffy stares at his nakama one by one, feeling completely safe and secure. His gaze then finds the bruises each of them have. Luffy grimaces.

"I'm... Sorry..." He whimpers.

Each and every single member of the Strawhat smiles a reassuring, genuine smile at their almost crying captain. At the sight, Luffy knows. He knows that none of them resents him for what happened. Still, he despises a part of him that had hurt his precious family so bad.

So Luffy bites back a smile and averts his gaze. He doesn't want to feel relieved just yet. It feels wrong for him to be happy after what he had done. He wants some kind of punishment, something to remind him of his weakness and his failure to protect them.

Noticing his sadness, Nami places something on his face and Luffy is so startled that he shrieked. He raises a hand to grab the object, and when his eyes recognize the thing, Luffy practically beams; a wide smile on his face.

"My hat!"

They giggle at the sight. They had been trying hard to fix the burnt hat and it truly is worth it to see that wide smile from their captain again, after what feels like months. The smile itself has lifted up their worries, sadness, and has given them a sense of relief.

Looking at the smiles they are giving him, Luffy feels at ease. He sets aside his worry as his lips form his usual wide grin. Luffy stretches his hand and pulls them closer on a big hug.

"Thank you," he whispers.

It feels warm.

It feels right. This is how it's supposed to be. Luffy is supposed to be smiling. They are supposed to be there to be his comfort. The nightmare isn't supposed to happen.

Then they are reminded of something. The nightmare disappeared thanks to someone. Someone who hasn't showed any sign of waking up any time sooner. Someone who had made a bet, risking his everything for their captain.

Luffy stares at Zoro and without him realizing, his hand goes up to rub the tiny cut mark on his chest. He smiles bitterly and looks at Chopper.

"When will he wake up?"

Chopper shakes his head and climbs up to Zoro's bed. "I'm not sure. Normally it would probably take weeks, even months, but in Zoro's case... We never know."

At Luffy's saddened face, Chopper hastily adds, "But he's okay! He's not in any danger! He will definitely wake up soon!"

Luffy smiles and nods, "Yup. He will. Zoro said everything's gonna be all right."

None of them dares to ask what happened. None of them even has the slightest intention to simply mention anything about that nightmare. It is unnecessary. They are fine and that's enough.

Being together like this is all they ever need to feel happy and satisfied.

-x-

In Zoro's case, we never know.

It is faster than anyone can ever imagine.

Late that night, Luffy wakes up to someone rubbing his head. When he opens his eyes, he is greeted by the sight of a weary but smiling Zoro sitting on his bedside, gently rubbing his head.

Luffy gasps as his eyes widen in shock and his lips form a wide, wide grin.

"Zoro!"

Zoro lets out a chuckle. "Glad that you're okay, captain."

Luffy has many many things he wants to say, but he pushes them to the back of his mind and simply says, "Because I have faith in you, that's why."

Zoro smiles. He is way beyond relieved that he didn't fail. He has succeeded. His captain is fine and everything's all right. Surely he can't ask for more than this.

"But I hate you, Zoro."

Zoro is taken aback by the sudden comment that he almost falls to the floor. "What?"

"Because you tried to kill yourself. I hate it."

Zoro opens his mouth only to close it again when he realizes that he has no rights to complain. He was at fault.

"...Sorry," is the only word he whimpers.

Then Luffy giggles. "But it's okay. Everything's all right now. We're so close to our dreams and soon I'll become the Pirate King and everyone is with me and… And…"

His sentence is cut off when Luffy chokes on tears. "And I'm just so happy..."

Zoro takes a deep breath. He can feel the joy building inside him. How long has it been since he was saved? It all started on that lousy Marine base, and now they are here, almost at the end of their journey. With this crew — this family — they had survived through countless fights and adventures; it is almost unbelievable, isn't it?

After all this time... "Finally, huh?"

Luffy takes his hat from the bedside and plays it in his hands, smiling delightfully. "I guess we will set sail tomorrow. I can't wait! Are you okay with that, Zoro?"

Zoro feels fatigue consuming him as he stands up. "As you wish, captain."

He then pats Luffy's head gently and walks back to his bed. "Now, you're still healing, right? Go to sleep, Pirate King."

The two words make Zoro smiles. It feels so right. Soon everyone will call his captain like that, and the thought alone is dreamy enough to widen his smile even more.

"Zoro,"

Zoro looks up from his bed. To be honest, his wounds still throb with every movement he makes, but he knows that if he doesn't wake up sooner, Luffy and the others will worry and they will never set sail before he wakes up. So Zoro has fought his own unconsciousness to wake up for a while; just for a little while — to see with his own eyes that everyone is all right and Luffy is smiling again.

"Yeah?"

Luffy smiles a wide smile that immediately erases all of Zoro's fears and worries. It truly is worth the struggle to wake up.

"Thank you."

Zoro replies with a smile. "Anytime, captain."

-x- THE END -x-

and that's that.

How was it? Did I meet your expectations when you clicked this story? Was it angsty enough?

Ahh, writing in present tense was so hard =_=
Please don't hesitate to point out any mistakes I've made. That will help me learn too~ xD

Thank you so much for reading! Mind leaving your thoughts below? :)

-FVsei-