I got this idea while I was reading 'First Mate', by midnite-republic. I figured, what if Zoro wasn't really sleeping, during their first major weather crisis of the Grand Line?

Luffy sat on the figurehead of the Going Merry, thinking about what they just went through. These seas were certainly different, and so much fun! But also dangerous. They were going to have to be careful, and make sure that they were ready for anything at all times.

They were on their way to Whiskey Peak, along with their two guests. Luffy wasn't stupid, he knew that the girl was more than she seemed. She kinda reminded him of Nami when she was trying to convince them to leave her home island, that she had killed Usopp and would kill them too. What she was saying, and the look in her eyes had not agreed with each other. Her mouth said 'leave', her eyes had screamed 'stay'. The girl... Miss Wednesday, she was kind of the same way. It was clear to Luffy that something was wrong, that she wanted to be anywhere but here, she was worried about something. It hadn't seemed to Luffy like she was really trying to kill Laboon, but rather, putting on an act. An act for her partner, maybe? Like how Nami had to put on an act for Arlong?

That was the only reason he was helping them get back to their home after what they tried to do with Laboon.

Not long after leaving the whale and Crocus behind, they were hit with bad weather, what started as simple snow, soon turned into cyclones, thunderstorms, high waves, blizzards, ice-burgs, you name it, they had to sail through it. There had been no end to it, and through it all, Luffy laughed.

He laughed because it was fun, but he also laughed because he knew that if he didn't, Usopp would panic more than he already was, and then he might have gotten hurt, or gotten somebody else hurt. And he couldn't have that. He also laughed because he knew they would be fine. He trusted Nami to get them through the storms. If he hadn't known with 100% certainty that they wouldn't be alright, he wouldn't have been anywhere close to laughing.

Of course, he wasn't the only one whose actions during the crisis Nami didn't really appreciate, he thought, as he listened to Nami and Miss Wednesday behind him, yelling at Zoro who had finally 'woken up'.

Silly Nami, didn't she know that where Zoro was sitting was the perfect spot to be able to easily jump in and quickly rescue anybody who potentially went overboard? That where he was sitting allowed him the best view of the deck where he could watch and be where he needed to be quickly? That he wasn't being lazy, he was saving his strength for after it was over, for in case they were attacked while they were all too tired to react properly?

He didn't say anything, though. Nami was just going to have to learn to trust that her crewmate knew what he was doing, and that if he was ever truly needed, then he would be right there.

Someday, she would learn, but for now, they were still too new as a crew. Someday, she would place more trust in them to be there when she needed them to be. Until then, they would watch, and wait.