One Piece Ficcage - 2,705 words

[dethorats]

The moon, waxing past the first quarter towards full, hung brightly in the sky, blotting out all but the strongest stars near it. The deck of the small caravel was silvery in the light, glimmering spots marking fallen and forgotten nails. Waves rocked the ship gently at anchor, an almost inaudible groaning coming from the mast. It was peaceful in the harbor, a stark contrast to the din and fires of the island town.

“Poor Going Merry,” Luffy whispered, patting the side of the crow’s nest with his foot. The ship had been through more than its fair share of trouble lately, what with the marine cannon fire as they left Alabasta, then the bombardment from the old ship falling from the sky, and finally that crazy monkey man trashing it. Usopp had done his best, but as he had said, he wasn’t a carpenter. The ship was in pain; the creaking of its boards underneath the new patches giving testimony its damage. But the Going Merry was strong, and Luffy was sure it could be fully repaired once they found the fabled sky island.

Of course, that was all dependent on finding a way. For once his navigator was at a loss. But Robin had said to trust the Log Post, and he trusted Robin so the island had to be up there. Too bad most of the people in Mocktown had turned out to be so unhelpful. A scowl crossed his face before he sighed and turned his attention back to the moon. The afternoon had been a waste of time. Mocktown’s inhabitants had been of no use to their quest, at least not the ones he’d encountered with Nami and Zoro.

They didn’t deserve to call themselves pirates, saying dreams weren’t real and all who died in pursuit of them would be remembered as idiots. What was the point of being a pirate then? Pirates should be more than just looters, rapists, destroyers. Without a goal, a dream, why bother coming to the Grand Line? There was plenty of easier prey to be had in the four Blues. Scum, nothing more than sea-going robbers, was what those men had been. Not worth the effort to even bother teaching them a lesson. Men who thought as they did would never learn; never understand what it really meant to be a pirate.

The captain drummed his fingers in frustration, tapping them on his stomach and on the wooden railing of his high perch. He didn’t understand their kind of thinking, not really. It was true he’d met plenty of evil pirates since he had first set out from his village. But all of them, every single one, had held an ultimate goal. A dream of their own for which they fought, despite the costs to those around them. Kuro had wanted a hidden life of wealth and, more importantly, peace. Don Krieg had wanted to be the best pirate; Arlong had desired the domination of his people over humanity. Crocodile wanted Alabasta for himself, a base from which to launch a play to take over the world. And all had believed in the goals they had set for themselves. But this Bellamy, with his talk of a New Age, didn’t have any overarching goals, any real dreams. It didn’t make any sense; he couldn’t figure it out.

He’d been antsy ever since the return from town. Thoughts of Bellamy warred with visions of the sky island. The only bright spot in his day had been Robin’s report of a man on the other side of Jaya, a man who believed in the sky island. Ship repairs went slowly and he found himself even less able to concentrate than was normal. He wasn’t used to having these kinds of nagging thoughts so he took the night watch, hoping the moon and the night air would bring him answers. Thus far he wasn’t having any luck.

Luffy scrubbed a fist across his cheek, rubbing over the clinging cloth. It itched. Most of his body was itchy, the cuts healing with almost supernatural swiftness on his rubber body. If it weren’t for the fact that Chopper was insistent and upset, he wouldn’t have even bothered with the bandages. The beating hadn’t been that bad, although Nami’s yelling about it all evening was terrible. Her anger was scary, and it had taken a long chat with Robin AND three helpings of Sanji’s Ultra Chocolate Delicious Dessert to calm her down. He’d only gotten one serving, same as everyone else. He pouted at the memory. It wasn’t fair. He was the captain, and he and Zoro had been the ones taking all the hits. Sanji should’ve made extra. Luffy knocked his heels against the boards of the crow’s nest, trying to vent his irritation. Damn but he was itchy, inside and out. He needed soothing, something to comfort his thoughts and to exhaust the strange nervous energy that had been plaguing him.

A low growl rumbled in his belly, reminding him that dinner was over ages ago, and it had been at least an hour since he’d finished the snacks his chef had made. Even as he thought about climbing down to raid the fridge, one of Nami’s mikans flew over the side of the crow’s nest, whacking him on the head. Grinning, he began to peel it, hoping he could somehow use this new power to summon some of Sanji’s leftover seagull soup next. But then another fruit landed in his lap.

“Oi.”

“What?! Are the fruits trying to talk to me?!” He held the unpeeled fruit to his ear, but the next sounds definitely came from the deck.

“Oi, Luffy! You still awake?”

He leaned over the railing, catching a third mikan as it flew up towards him. Zoro stood below, chest bare for sleeping and swords resting low against his hip. Spots of white stood out in the moonlight against tan skin, bandages indicating his own encounters with both Bellamy’s men and the ship’s doctor. Those wounds, however minor they may have been, were his fault. Not directly of course, but it was on his order that Zoro’s blades had remained sheathed. And suddenly Luffy wanted to touch them, reassure himself that Zoro was fine and wouldn’t carry even a single new scar from the incident.

The swordsman already had enough of those. Mihawk’s mark should have been enough, but Zoro had added to his collection himself on Little Garden. Luffy hadn’t gotten a good look in Alabasta, even with ample opportunity in the palace bath, but Chopper and Nami had both told him about the results of Zoro’s battle with Mr. 1. Zoro wouldn’t care, that was the life of a swordsman and a pirate, but it bothered Luffy to think of Bellamy’s mark being on Zoro’s body forever. If that bastard or any of his men had left so much as a single permanent scar...he started as cool liquid ran over his fingers and dripped onto his leg. The mikan was a squashed pulpy mess. Down on the deck, Zoro peered blearily up at the crow’s nest.

“Luffy? You okay up there?”

The captain shook himself, hastily hiding the damaged fruit behind his back as he leaned over the railing.

“Ah, Zoro! Thanks for the snacks.”

Zoro nodded, head cocked back to stare up at him. He yawned and reached a hand up to idly rub at his right shoulder.

“Just checkin’ to see if you were up. You have a bad habit of falling asleep on watch Captain.”

Luffy laughed. That was true. Normally he’d fall asleep within minutes of the last crewmember disappearing below decks. It was just so boring, sitting up all alone with no one to talk to. He’d been banned from night watch within two weeks of gaining the Going Merry. They had been boarded on all three instances he had taken night duty; with him waking up to Nami’s yelling just in time to see Zoro dumping bodies overboard. Tonight, though, he’d put his foot down. After all, he was the captain, and if he wanted to take a night watch, well, he would. Besides, there was a lot on his mind. He wouldn’t have gotten any sleep tossing and turning down in his hammock.

Zoro was still looking up at him, and Luffy decided to take full advantage of the swordsman’s presence. He stuffed the remains of the first mikan in his mouth, sticky juice dripping down his chin, and dropped the squashed one onto the floor of the crow’s nest to join the remaining intact fruit. Then, grabbing hold of the rail, he leapt over the side. His feet touched the deck for an instant before he sprang back up, pulled by the recoil of his own rubber limbs. He let go as he approached the deck again, landing solidly in front of an unimpressed Zoro. Who quickly tried to move out of the way as Luffy tripped on one of the scattered nails, stumbling headfirst towards him. He couldn’t quite dodge the falling youth, and Luffy managed to throw a hand out, catching himself with Zoro’s injured shoulder. He didn’t miss the brief wince that flickered across the swordsman’s face, but Zoro was silent, unmoving under his hand as he steadied himself. His exposed skin was warm under Luffy’s hand, warmer even than the summer air of the island. Sudden want flared and lodged in the pit of Luffy’s stomach, finding plenty of room in the empty space. Letting go of Zoro’s shoulder, he dropped his hand to the ache.

“Sorry ‘bout that. Didn’t see the nail.”

“Mnn. Whatever.”

“Hey, now that you’re here, I need ya to do somethin’ for me.”

Zoro studied him for a minute, taking in the way Luffy was rubbing at his stomach, then grinned. “Need me to stand guard, eh?”

Luffy nodded. He needed that aid, among other things. Venturing into Sanji’s kitchen was a dangerous task. He was fairly sure the love cook had been too preoccupied with soothing his Nami~swan to have set up the usual traps. But there was no denying his preternatural ability to sense when someone was stirring in his domain. With Zoro here to keep an eye out, and stall if necessary, there was a much better chance of liberating some precious food. Besides, he needed some time to figure out just what he wanted to do, and this would keep the swordsman from disappearing back below deck.

“All right. I’ll handle it if the shitty cook shows up. Go get your snack.”

“Thanks, Zoro.”

Taking the few stairs two at a time, he hurried towards the galley. A low growl reminded him of just how hungry he was. That lone mikan hadn’t been nearly enough. There were still several more hours remaining before dawn after all, and he needed to keep his strength up. The brass door handle turned softly in his grasp and he eased his way inside, hugging the wall just in case Sanji had left anything unpleasant to surprise him. When nothing immediately sprang out at him, he stepped cautiously towards the middle of the floor. Shadows filled the room, the moonlight trickling in through the small window and under the door barely denting the darkness. Even still, he peered about, straining to make sure everything was safe. Sanji’s last theft deterrent surprise had ended with him smooshed in a giant mousetrap for hours. It had been rather uncomfortable even with his rubber form, and he didn’t want a repeat experience. Luck seemed to be with him, for he could detect nothing that looked like a threat. Luffy let out a small victory chuckle and made for the fridge.

The heavy metal door swung open, and Luffy gazed in awe at the contents to this chilly cave of wonders. Absently he stuck a chicken leg in his mouth and began pulling out food. There was the leftover seagull soup he’d been thinking about, several piles of various sandwich fixings, more chicken, a few pickles, and best of all, hidden behind a large jar of mayo, a single remaining serving of Ultra Chocolate Delicious Dessert. Luffy’s eyes gleamed, and he dipped a single finger into the quivering chocolate treat. The chicken leg slipped out of his mouth and reverently he brought the small dollop to his tongue. He could feel his taste buds exploding in ecstasy, and he sighed with pleasure. There were very few things in the world better than meat, but this dessert managed to be one of them. He placed the dish carefully on the table, stuck the drumstick back in his mouth, and set about to make the nine or so sandwiches that should hold him through ‘til breakfast.

Luffy emerged long enough from his thoughts of food and eating to remember that it was Zoro who was helping him. He decided to make the swordsman a sandwich, too. It couldn’t hurt to have another method of keeping the man with him after he emerged from the galley. He still wasn’t sure how he was going to check on Zoro’s wounds. Or what he was going to do about banishing the other ache in his stomach. Luffy absently slathered mustard onto the thick slices of bread. He built his sandwiches, towering constructs of meat, meat, a slice of cheese, meat, meat, meat, another piece of cheese, lettuce, and more meat, while he thought.

It was just a little strange that Zoro was even up and about. After all, no one liked sleeping more than he did. Although, Zoro, at least, was able to successfully stay awake through a night watch. In truth, he was the one most likely to worry about security, well, except for those few times Nami had actually had a great deal of money on board. The swordsman was suspicious like that. Honestly, Luffy couldn’t be sure if it was their proximity to Mocktown or Robin’s presence that had him more concerned. He knew Zoro still didn’t trust her. It didn’t matter that everyone else had accepted her, Zoro still wasn’t sure of what she wanted or what her aims were. Not that Luffy had any clue, either. But it didn’t matter. He couldn’t sense any malice from her and as it turned out, she hadn’t actually killed the funny uncle at Whiskey Peak. Besides, she had fought against Crocodile in the end. Most of all, she seemed to be the only one who had any idea how to get to the sky island. He wished Zoro would just get over it. While Robin didn’t seem to mind his accusations and watchful eyes, it bothered him just a bit as the captain to have a divided ship. Also, it was cutting in on what little private time he could spend with the swordsman.

The longer they were on the Grand Line, the fewer chances they had to be together…alone. In fact, if he was remembering right, there hadn’t been a single moment since leaving Drum with Chopper. It wasn’t as if they needed to be physical. He knew the bonds of trust and respect he had with Zoro were solid. After Whiskey Peak, there was nothing in the world that could shake the faith he had with the swordsman. They had an understanding. And yet, it wasn’t like he didn’t have occasional desires. Sanji might have been the most obvious with his hormones and urges and flirting, but they were all teenagers. Eating a devil’s fruit didn’t change that.

When they were in the midst of an adventure, he wasn’t terribly aware of his body’s needs, or of very much else really. But when they were just traveling, sailing with little to distinguish the days between islands or marine chases or other sorts of random minor encounters, well, then he noticed. Then his mind wasn’t so distracted with his surroundings or possible opponents. Mainly he would spend his time dreaming about becoming pirate king, about what was for lunch and dinner and what he could filch for a snack. He also thought about finding Shanks and returning his hat, or of finally getting a musician. Sometimes, however, he couldn’t help focusing on Zoro.




That's kind of an arbitrary cut-off point. Obviously there's more, but this is the point where I stopped editting/revising tonight.