Chapter Text
The morning sun rises to cast away all the darkness from the deck. Left behind are long, soft shadows in its wake, as the crew rises from the lower levels of the ship for the start of a new day.
Zoro makes his way across the wood, alternately coveted by the warm, soothing rays and cool shade. The green haired swordsman leans up against the deck railing. The sun shines at his back. A yawn overwhelms him. He’s got about 10 minutes or so before some kind of breakfast is ready. That’s what the shitty cook had said anyway. Or was that just for the coffee? Well, whatever. He has no interest in coffee anyway, and it wouldn’t hurt to relax for a bit, would it? He watched through a half-lidded gaze as Chopper, Luffy, and Ussop raced across the deck and round and round in circles about the ship’s mast.
They had a tremendous amount of energy even before breakfast.
“Humph.”
The corner of his lip tugged upward at the sight of Chopper with a full-fledged grin on his face. Chopper’s excitement began to grow as he started to gain on Luffy and Ussop, and his eyes radiated with joy. Light laughter lifted into the air from their direction. Zoro’s eyelids lowered, and a quiet sigh flowed through his body. His smile staying put. He could feel his mind wandering towards the blissful path of unconsciousness.
Suddenly, the racing cut across from him on the opposite side of the ship. A loud plunk hit the ocean water below. Zoro snapped his eyes open and scanned the area. That couldn’t be good. His breath picked up as he noted that the deck had turned vacant. Zoro realized he was standing before he had even considered getting up. He raced to the opposite end of the ship, preparing to call out to whoever was in trouble and leap overboard in pursuit.
Then, he caught the sounds of racing across the deck once more. He snapped his head around to see if anyone had noticed his momentary panic, but they were all caught up in their own world.
A knot twisted in his stomach even as he verified everyone’s safety with his own eyes. He ran his hand over his face. Flashes of Kuina’s dark hair and larger than life personality encroached on the edges of his memory.
He gripped the hilt of her sword, lightly sliding his fingers along it before closing his eyes, as if shutting them would shut the memory out.
It’s okay. His friends are here, playing on the deck. They’re all fine. He inhaled deeply and drug his way back to his self-designated napping location, sinking down to the deck of the ship. He must just be tired. The noise he heard was nothing. There are three of them after all. They wouldn’t go down quietly. It’s time for that nap, certainly. It’s needed.
Zoro settled against the deck and inhaled deeply once more before forcing himself to allow the tendrils of sleep to carry him into darkness.