It started out as a normal day on the Sunny. Until the giant typhoon that could be classified as the father of all storms hit.

The storm had hit out of nowhere, and if they didn't have Nami to tell them it was coming they would have been completely blindsided. Raindrops fell like houses, winds slashed cruelly, and the lightening flashed down toward the small ship on the big ocean.

Everyone was doing everything they could possibly do to survive the terrible onslaught. Nami was of course the busiest, telling everyone else what to do. Luffy and Ussop were up in the riggings, tying down the sails. Robin was using her multiple arms to help Sanji tie everything on deck down. Franky was trying to keep Sunny intact, while Brook was trying to comfort a terrified Chopper. Even Zoro had woken from his morning nap and was cutting the raindrops that were trying to hit the ship with the intensity of cannonballs.

Up on the mast, Luffy had his entire arm wrapped around it, enjoying the enormous waves threatening to swallow them up. He laughed playfully at the sea, as if daring it to do more.

"Come on, is that your best shot?"

Usopp glanced over at him. He was clutching the mast as hard as he possibly could and they would need a crowbar to get him off.

"Oi, Luffy. Try not to make the sea any angrier."

Luffy looked over, his playful naivety causing him to ask.

"Why? It's fun."

Usopp shook his head. There was no arguing with Luffy. Suddenly, a fierce wind blew causing the two Strawhats to let go of the rigging. Luffy immediately grabbed the railing of the ship and was about to pull himself in but he saw Usopp flying out over the water.

"Ah, help me!"

Luffy didn't even think about it. He threw out his stretchy arm to wrap around Usopp's waist.

Suddenly, the wood he was holding on to snapped, making him fall toward the ocean. Luffy immediately tossed Usopp on deck, hoping silently that Usopp would pull him in. Then he hit the frigid ocean water.

He was numb, yet feeling the prickling sensation on his rubber skin. He was cold, yet on fire. The strength whooshed out of his limbs in a rush. He could feel his hand slowly, weakly untangle from Usopp and slip over the edge of the ship, crashing into the waves beside him. He could do absolutely nothing as he sank deeper into the waves.

Zoro heard the terrified screech from Usopp just as he was slashing an extra large water droplet. He landed on the deck, calm as ever as he glanced at the sniper, expecting something trivial.

"Usopp, what is it?"

Usopp pointed to the broken railing.

"Luffy he—"

The sniper didn't need to say anything else. Zoro shoved his precious katanas into Usopp's hands before diving into the sea without a second thought.

Dammit Luffy, why does this always happen. Something's never change, huh? It was almost as if everything went back to normal after the two year separation period.

Zoro hit the water like one of his swords, diving deep under the tall waves. Ignoring the stinging in his eyes, he opened them fully, glancing around for his captain. There, a speck of red sinking quickly into the vast waves.

Zoro swam quickly through the water, hooking his arms around Luffy's torso and hauling him toward the surface. His captain's dead weight was almost nothing compared to the hours of weight training he endured and he quickly broke the surface, gasping for air.

Luffy lay limp in his arms, like usual. Zoro glanced around the mountainous waves to try to see the Sunny. There, but it was far off in the distance. Zoro coughed as a wave slapped him in the face, spraying the disgusting salt water to the back of his throat.

He tried to swim but it seemed the ocean had other plans for him. The swirling currents and waves were guiding him away from the Sunny. He tried to yell, for them to come back and help, but it was no use. A wave slammed over top of him, shoving him and Luffy beneath the surface. The air, which was only a few feet away before, was now actually a hundred as a crest washed over the pair.

Zoro struggled greatly, using only one hand to swim and one to keep a hold of Luffy. He gasped for air every time he broke the surface. The water was pushing and pulling him in every direction.

For goodness sakes, don't let go of Luffy. He thought for the hundredth time as the ocean tried to wrestle his captain from his grasp.

Suddenly, the waves died, the sun shone, and everything became peaceful again.

Zoro swam up and broke the surface the thousandth time that day. Breathing hard, he brought Luffy up. For once, he thanked the New World's unpredictable weather.

He set Luffy on his back and tried to float. It didn't work. He couldn't do anything for Luffy right now with no ground, but he couldn't just not do anything either.

He stretched his head around.

"Luffy?"

A few coughs followed as Luffy expelled the water stuck in his lungs. The captain then relaxed on Zoro's back, falling into an exhausted unconscious state. Zoro then looked around for the Sunny.

It was gone. Completely vanished.

Zoro cursed his luck, but didn't panic. Panicking would get him nowhere. He had nothing to do except swim and hoped the Sunny would find him before he got exhausted and drowned both of them.

Luffy was lying on Zoro's back, his legs and arms dangling over his sides and his head on his shoulder. He was almost completely underwater and Zoro had no idea if this much seawater exposure could damage Luffy. He gritted his teeth.

"Dammit Luffy, how do you get me into these things?"

With that, he started to swim. He didn't know where too, and goodness knows he didn't know which direction, but he was swimming to stay afloat, to live.

Minutes passed, which turned into grueling hours. Seawater kept getting his mouth, making it raw. The swordsman never wanted a drink in in all of his life more then during that time on the sea.

Zoro thanked his weight training because the muscles he had built up helped his endurance tremendously. However, every stroke he took Luffy began to feel heavier and heavier. Concern for his captain wasn't making the situation better either.

He needed motivation and something to interrupt the boring monotonous swimming. He started to talk to Luffy. He told him about his training, about how he lost his eye with Mihawk. He told him about his dream, about his swords, about his weeks of being the first one at Sabaody. He talked about everything, with the spare breaths he had anyway.

Then he started to ask. About Impel Down, about Marineford, about Luffy's training. There was no answer, so he stopped the questions that only discouraged him.

"Dammit, where is the ship?"

He cursed. Suddenly, he felt Luffy stir on his back.

"Zo…ro?"

It was small, raspy, and weak, but it was there, interrupting the empty blue infinity. Zoro snapped his head around to see Luffy's eyes flutter close and him passing out again.

"Luffy, are you awake? Are you all right?"

No answer, but Zoro didn't care. Luffy was alive, of course he was, and now he had a reason to strive, a reason to live for.

He had to protect his captain. That was that.

He kept his strokes small, trying to conserve energy. His mind fogged and the action of swimming turned mindless as his mind slowly began to shut down. He looked up at the red sun setting. The storm had struck midmorning. He had been swimming in this damn ocean for at least six hours.

He was tired and he was getting to the point where he didn't care. He tried to keep going, thinking of his dream, and Luffy's, but his body wasn't doing what his mind was telling it. He had cursed himself for not bringing wood, a lifeline, anything that would have helped them float or get back to the Sunny. But the past was the past; all the swordsman could do was hope for the future.

He began to sink periodically in his strokes, the water waking him up and getting him alert again, for about a minute. He started taking deep breaths, thinking that it would be his last before he sank beneath the waves forever.

This is it. I am going to die out here. There is nothing I could do. Zoro looked over his shoulder to see Luffy sleeping peacefully. He murmured wearily.

"I'm sorry Luffy. I couldn't save y—"

He bumped into something, cutting off his apology. He looked up to see a ship towering over him. Relief cut through him like one of his swords. They were saved.

He opened his mouth to yell up, but only a hoarse whisper came out. He cleared his throat and tried again.

"Oi, anybody there?"

He saw somebody leaning over the side. Then there was shouting, chaos, but Zoro didn't care. They were saved. He started to slip beneath the waves, but somebody grabbed him, hauling him onto the ship.

He coughed water spilling out of his abused and weary lungs. Somebody was saying his name, and somebody was trying to take Luffy from him but Zoro growled, keeping his hand on his captain, protecting him like the first mate he was. He raised his head.

"Thank you for sav—"

The gratitude turned to ashes in his mouth as he saw the white sails stained with blue lettering.

The letters that said MARINES.

Zoro glanced at all of the leering men with the word 'Justice' printed on the back of their jackets.

He was completely worn out, without his swords, and with an unconscious Luffy facing a marine battleship.

Oh Shit.

Zoro stood and staggered. He knew he couldn't do much, but he sure as hell would do something, if it meant tearing this ship apart with his bare hands. His eyes were half closed. He needed a nap, but this was more important.

"Luffy, come on, wake up. I need you Luffy."

No response from his prone captain. Zoro noticed the marines closing in around him, wary of him. He smirked his demon smirk, pretending that he hadn't been swimming in the ocean all day.

Swords, Zoro needed swords. Most marines had swords; he could just steal them. Well, he could if his arms and legs didn't weigh tons.

"Ah, Roronoa Zoro and Straw-hat Luffy. What are you two doing in the ocean?"

Zoro didn't answer, just stumbled forward, trying to keep his eyes open. No, he would fight.

Suddenly, the marines pounced, tackling him to the floor and having handcuffs on him before he knew what was happening. They did the same to Luffy, who wasn't moving, and tried to drag him off.

Zoro immediately felt an irrational fear take hold of him. They couldn't take Luffy. He reached out and grabbed Luffy's wrist, growling. It didn't matter that these damn marines had fished him out of the ocean, that growl held rage, it held power, it held intimidation. They wouldn't separate the captain and first mate.

Zoro felt a foot in his side and flinched. He looked up to see what looked like the captain of the vessel. The captain leaned down and picked him up so he was sitting on the deck.

"You didn't answer my question."

Zoro opened his mouth to speak, his consciousness quickly fading. With no water, no life threatening danger to keep him awake, his body and mind were taking a break.

"Storm…fell overboard…"

"When?"

"This…morning…"

He heard awe filled whispered.

"Since this morning?"

"He's a monster."

Zoro smirked his demon grin, which scared the hell out of the marines. Zoro glanced over at his captain. If Luffy was here beside him he had nothing to worry about. They would take care of each other, just like always.

The last sensation Zoro felt before slumping to the wooden deck unconscious was his fingers still wrapped around Luffy's wrist.