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There is a distant splash.
Zoro pauses, the mouth of a bottle already at his lips. He scans the quarter deck on which he's lounging. Most of the crew are by the lawn deck, with Jinbe at the helm. He pushes himself to his feet and peers over the railing, eyeing the ripples the Sunny is making in her wake. He can't tell if there's anything out of the ordinary but...
Zoro unbuckles his swords and lays them gently down on the deck. He kicks off his boots, the worn soles thumping against the wooden deck with a low thump. Then he dives off the side.
He hits the churning water, and the cold cuts through him immediately. His jaw tenses against it, and he kicks, propelling himself down. He blinks rapidly to clear his vision, the buffeting waves making it hard to focus on any particular spot.
Then in fissured underwater sunlight, something bright blooms.
It's mostly dark here, beneath the surface, and the light from above flickers unsteadily. It's hard to tell if he's going deeper or if he's even making much progress forward. He squints through his burning eyes and keeps his gaze trained on that bobbing spot of color.
There are a few moments when he blinks and it's gone, but he bats away any surge of panic. He turns himself around in a circle, once, twice, then there, there it is again. The air in his lungs strain, and his heartbeat is starting to get dangerously loud in his ears as he swims and swims.
He gets near enough to make out striking red fabric and one pale arm, and he reaches out, almost clawing, and seizes Luffy's wrist. He hooks an arm under his captain's chest, holding the limp form against him.
Zoro starts for the surface, but it's harder with one less arm and Luffy. The roar of the ocean and his own struggling heartbeat fills his ears. It's not the first time Zoro has carried Luffy, and yet, as he struggles to keep his arm locked around Luffy, the pull of the ocean depths seems almost insurmountable. But, of course, Zoro doesn't believe that anything is.
He forces his freezing limbs to work harder, faster. Precious bubbles of air bob from between his gritted teeth, leading the way up, and Zoro squeezes his eyes shut, hard, then opens them again and keeps going.
They break the surface, and Zoro heaves, racking coughs that force water out of his mouth and down his chin. His throat is raw and hot with each shuddering breath as he cups Luffy's chin back and rests his head on his shoulder.
"Oy," Zoro wheezes. He gives the man a hard tap on the cheek. Luffy's head lolls on Zoro's shoulder, his lashes so dark against his too-pale face.
Zoro is momentarily blinded by the sun, a scorching contrast to the frigid water. He is suddenly curled up on a rowboat with the horizon expanding incomprehensibly around him / handing over a bloodied decapitated head for a bag of coins / chugging booze on an empty stomach / strapped to a wooden post under a blazing afternoon sky. Until he looks up to a face leaning close, the brim of a ratty straw hat sharing its shade from the unrelenting heat.
Zoro's watering eyes pulse from the sting of sea salt, the harsh sunlight, or maybe something else.
He tightens his grip across Luffy's chest and gives him another hard smack.
"Oy!"
Luffy sputters, a spray of water erupting from his mouth with a tiny rainbow flashing in the ensuing froth.
"Wha–?" Luffy gags and flails. Zoro grimaces as an elbow jabs into his ribs.
"Stop that!" Zoro loosens his hold a little to let Luffy breathe, and the younger man seems to realize what's happening, his head swiveling to take in his surroundings.
Luffy's eyes meet Zoro's, and a wide grin spreads across his scarred face.
"Thanks, Zoro!"
The Sunny had sailed a fair distance away, but someone had noticed, and indistinct shouts drift over to them as the ship starts to turn.
Zoro's lips are numb from the cold but the tickling puff of breath from Luffy's mouth is a welcome warmth as the other man laughs against his cheek.
As they bob on the waves, waiting for the others, Zoro shifts to pull Luffy more securely over his chest—over his heart—and lets his captain weigh him down.