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Something you learn pretty quickly as a pirate, or at least a pirate whose captain is Monkey D Luffy, is that weird things happen more often than non-pirate people might expect. That being said, Zoro figures that - despite what Nami and Usopp claim on an almost daily basis - if it was something that actually upset any of the Strawhats, they wouldn't have become part of Luffy's crew in the first place.
In other words, you get used to it. So it doesn't really bother Zoro when, several weeks after Luffy's resounding victory in Wano, and a week or two after half the crew end up spending a day thrown into an alternate reality for fairly stupid reasons, Zoro starts going places in his sleep.
Or rather, going to sleep, and then abruptly arriving at places.
Places is the best he can do, description-wise. They're different each time, sometimes seeming maybe a little familiar but mostly just leaning pretty hard into the genre of generic-looking abandoned buildings and smashed up rocky expanses. Sometimes there's an ocean or trees nearby, sometimes not, but the landscapes are consistently lifeless and rubble-strewn and definitely not a part of the ship where Zoro had just closed his eyes.
So yeah. Zoro has no idea what's up with that.
Where and why are equal mysteries, since nothing else odd seems to be happening at the moment as Sunny sails placidly along a series of small, scattered, basically uninteresting islands. Zoro's hardly an expert, but as far as he can tell, there's been no hint of anything that might be unusual or remarkable enough to cause the basic rules of reality to bend.
(Well, there's always Luffy, but Zoro's pretty sure he's not doing it.)
It’s not particularly like the thing with the inter-reality portal, either, which had operated under rules that were dumb but clearcut and coherent - at least in retrospect - and required double gateways and body-swapping and needing to be in the right place at the right time. There's none of that now; no apparent trigger except sleep and, according to Nami and Jinbe when Zoro sort of obliquely asks around, no special trades winds blowing or mysterious currents swelling or any once in a blue moon star alignments. In fact, the entire lack of anything even vaguely noteworthy is probably the most unique thing about this stretch of sea, and a growing cause of complaint for their novelty-hungry captain, who is spending more and more of his time doing things like seeing how many times he can stretch himself around Sunny's hull or challenging the crew to a projectile-throwing contest and then nominating Zoro to be the projectile (that at least had been useful battle practice).
So waking life remains totally normal and uneventful, except for when Luffy does things like try an extra fancy throw that sends Zoro rocketing in the opposite direction from where Jinbe is waiting to catch him and causes a half day search-and-rescue pause in their travel that results in Nami banning all sports-related activities onboard for the next week.
And yet, even that evening when Zoro has finally been Mini Merry'd back to Sunny and roundly scolded for letting Luffy always do whatever he wants, as if somehow that's a choice rather than the definition of pretty much their entire journey, he wakes up three minutes after falling asleep in some kind of jungle.
It could be a version of Skypeia, but really jungle looks like jungle, so that's hardly enough to prove whether or not Zoro is actually going to alternate realities. Maybe that's not it at all; it's not like even Nami or Jinbe or Brook could recognize every random place that exists along the Grand Line, and Zoro certainly can't. In fact, even the places he's personally been to are sort of blurry in his memory due to having spent most of his time there running or fighting or drinking or bleeding heavily, so it could just be that after that portal island, he sort of has alternate realities on the brain. On the other hand, this is also the New World, so for all Zoro knows, even without portals or portents, there could a dozen things hanging around that could send someone teleporting or materializing or dream-walking or whatevering.
Or this could even - if you really stretched credibility - just be a lot of really dumb dreams.
Ultimately, as long as it's not a threat to the crew - and no one has been running around in shock going guess what happened last night?!?!!! so it doesn't seem to be widespread or a danger - Zoro doesn't really care enough to worry about it too much. No point in panicking everyone for no big reason since really, it’s mostly just kind of annoying more than anything else.
It's also definitely not exciting. Luffy would sulk if Zoro kept an actual adventure from him, but unlike the portal situation, which had led to a world full of (semi-psychotic) alter versions of the crew and a (stupid) version of Ace and a lot of (weak but persistent) pirate fishmen, now everywhere Zoro seems to end up is just empty and messed up.
The places give off a lot more low budget ghost town vibes than the aura of actual old or important ruins, but it's still barely possible that Robin might find some of them interesting. Zoro doesn't. In fact, after spending the first few trips exploring around and finding jackshit worth looking at, Zoro gets bored and after that usually just tries to find somewhere reasonably comfortable each time where he can doze.
So, other than interfering with his sleep patterns, it doesn’t make too much of an impact on daily life at first. Zoro just falls asleep and then, as far as he can tell, some part of him goes to random places for no obvious reason. Or maybe he just thinks he does, since the crew doesn't notice anything amiss and Sanji definitely kicks his body awake for lunch once or twice It's a little hard to pinpoint exactly what the traveling feels like; it doesn't seem just mental or entirely physical, either, so the best Zoro can guess is that maybe it's a little bit of both. Which, again: annoying but probably not dangerous to the crew.
Still, eventually they're going to stumble upon (or knowing Luffy, charge straight into) some situation that needs Zoro to be fully focused and not mildly sleep-deprived. So, once he's satisfied that it's not like some cold or virus that's going to stop by itself, he decides to investigate, starting with the easiest theories and going from there.
"Hey Usopp," he says that afternoon, when Usopp is alone and tinkering around with something gadgety on deck, "you ever have weird dreams?"
The sniper puts down his pliers and eyes Zoro nervously. "Weird as in....?"
Creepy but boring doesn't seem like it would help Usopp much. Zoro settles for: "Dunno, I guess kind of post-apocalyptic?"
Usopp immediately relaxes and waves one hand in a cavalier manner. “Oh, that kind of weird? Absolutely! All the time - but that's just how I am," he says modestly, even though Zoro's pretty sure that's not something to be boasting about.
Zoro picks Usopp to ask because the sniper is generally the most mentally flexible member of the crew and is also the most easily intimidated into silence if need be, but not much comes of the conversation. Usopp tries, though.
"I feel like whatever I might suggest may not be all that be useful,” he says accurately, "but you say that you spend some nights feeling like you don't know where you are? Because that's, you know, not entirely unusual for you?"
"What's the point of having dreams that are the same as real life?" Zoro grumps, because among the many strange ways that he has adapted to Strawhat life, one is being so routinely mocked for his navigational sense (which isn't that bad) that he mostly doesn't even notice it by now.
Usopp frowns more deeply. "Ok, well then... I guess it could be like a metaphorical reflection of feeling emotionally lost or devoid of purpose? Although that does not really sound like you, actually, no. But Robin says-“ Usopp shifts to his Robin talking expression, voice going lilting- “the core function of the subliminal mind or subconscious is to store the components which affect and create the maps and messages of your reality.”
"And that might be a problem?" Zoro hazards, because he has no idea what the hell Usopp just said.
"Maybe?" Usopp also sounds a little dubious.
Zoro drums his fingers on Wado's hilt. "Do I even have a subconscious?" he asks, just to double-check. Robin's obviously usually right about this kind of thing, but still it seems kind of dumb to go twenty-one years without Zoro's subliminal mind doing much of anything and then suddenly have it decide to work overtime on random shit like this.
“I think everyone does,” Usopp hedges, looking equally uncertain. “Well, maybe not Luffy....” he amends conscientiously. “But people that, like, you know, think a lot. Like in layers."
“That doesn’t sound like me,” Zoro says, frowning. “What kind of messages are we talking about?”
Usopp screws up his face in thought. “I think it's like how emotions sort of bubble up sometimes in dreams. So if you’re happy, you get . . . .” Usopp trails off, clearly not conversant in the happy dream arena of life, “ . . . flowers, maybe?”
Zoro’s frown increases and Usopp looks at him hopefully. “Are you dreaming of flowers?”
There have been the occasional flowers, but only in a growing over the abandoned zombie wasteland sense.
Usopp correctly interprets Zoro's expression and his own falls. Clearly the sniper would prefer the person who often helps save his life to be more subliminally cheerful and inclined toward nocturnal rainbows.
Zoro has to admit to being a little surprised himself. If this is all some reflection of his inner self, well, quiet is one thing, but he would not have pegged his subconscious to go so strongly toward the depressing but dull. There hasn't even been anything to fight....
Still, Zoro can tell Usopp is just warming up, so he waits patiently as the sniper starts to pace, possibilities and strategies almost visibly whirring through his eyes.
“Alright," Usopp says finally, steepling his hands, "so assuming that this is a manifestation of some deep inner disturbance...." Usopp glances at Zoro. "That's what we're assuming, right?"
Zoro shrugs nonchalantly. "I guess so."
Usopp takes a deep breath. "Welllllllll, then I think we need to more accurately identify the underlying root issue," he says in a rush, tone very much suggesting that privately he would actually rather not learn about any root issue in case it ends up being dangerous.
On cue, the sniper glances quickly over at the three katana hanging at Zoro's waist and continues: "You know, because we don't want anything, um, unfortunate to happen? Like, oh, I don't know... you becoming possessed by the vengeful spirits of your evil swords and spiraling out of control and trying to kill everyone onboard?"
"My swords aren't evil and I'm not going to try to kill everyone," Zoro says automatically, because ever since he got Enma, he's been having this conversation with a rotating roster of worried crewmates about once a week. He doesn't bother to add that if he ever thought he was in danger of spiraling out of control, Usopp would not be the person he would choose to try to rein him in.
Reassured and looking more cheerful now that he's almost definitely not about to be attacked by something santouryuu-y, Usopp rubs thoughtfully at his chin and then holds up a finger to indicate the first item on a mental checklist.
“Right! So. Do you ever feel pessimistic?" the sniper asks.
Zoro considers the question. "No."
"Like, you don't have any sort of lingering background fears or worries or the vague but unshakeable premonition that while so far you've successfully triumphed against the whimsical vagaries of fate, one day luck will crushingly desert you in your most dire moment of need and leave you to plummet down from the heights of happiness to be dashed against the rocky shores of a cruel and uncaring world?"
Usopp pauses. "Or, you know, something like that but less specific."
"No."
"Or like, annnnny sort of nervousness about the future?"
Zoro thinks. Luffy becomes Pirate King, Zoro becomes the World's Greatest Swordsman. "No worries," he says confidently.
Usopp sighs. "I can't decide if I'm insanely jealous or horrified," he mutters.
"Is that all the subconscious does?" Zoro prods. "Worry about useless stuff?"
Abruptly, Usopp hesitates, eyeing Zoro carefully and an odd expression sliding over his face. "Welllll," he says slowly, "sometimes dreams can be hinting about other kinds of hidden feelings or emotions? Different emotions, not negative but maybe a little, you know, more complicated than usual? Emotions that you may not have noticed yet, despite years of them being really really obvious to everyone else?"
Usopp is watching him with a strangely expectant glint to his eyes and a sort of sudden tensed excitement, but Zoro is damned if he knows why.
"Emotions like what?" he asks, genuinely confused.
He never gets an answer, though, because Luffy bursts around the corner and hails them with: "Zoroooo! Nami made an ice storm on the beach of that little island so we can practice fighting it!"
"Sounds good," Zoro agrees immediately, because they haven't been historically very effective against winter elements and it will make for a good change of pace from all this psychoanalysis stuff.
He glances over at Usopp. "You wanna come, work out some combos?"
Usopp shakes his head, the odd look still on his face as Luffy impatiently tugs Zoro toward the side of Sunny where an assortment of bored-with-sailing crewmembers wait in coats and mittens and of course in Franky's case, a speedo. "Nah, I'll sit this one out. You two have fun."
"It's always fun with Zoro!" Luffy says cheerily, and Zoro smirks a little at that. Usopp just shakes his head and sighs for some reason, then settles back to his project.
Well anyway, Zoro decides thirty minutes later as his too-stupid-to-remember-a-coat and thus now freezing captain twines tightly around him for body heat and moans "Make me hot, Zoro," he can probably rule out the whole "hidden subconscious message" idea. He's sure he would have noticed if something like that was going on.