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Zoro loves his crew, that's a fact. Though not obvious, his love was more subtle, like a safety net; always there for the crew when they needed it, even if they didnt know it. His presence had always kept the crew feel safe, his never-faltering guard and protectiveness for every one of them, the way he would somehow always neglect his pains and sacrifice his own body just to make sure the rest of the crew would not reach harm's way. Safe to say that everyone in the Strawhats just knows how much Zoro loves his crew.
Sanji embarrassingly realized this fact far later than everyone else. He first thought that Zoro was just some brute who hung around and stole their booze, but after what happened to Whisky Peak, the message, though unsaid, is clear; I will protect you .
That's the message written in bold right in front of Sanji, as he wakes up only to hear from Nami-san herself that Zoro had single-handedly protected the crew and all of their belongings whilst most of them fell asleep.
Since that day, Sanij has started to pay more attention to the smaller details of Zoro's behavior, as well as the unnoticed actions. It's surprising to Sanji that he has managed to create a whole list of these small protective actions.
- Whenever a storm or rain has gone by, the swordsman always places himself near any specifically slippery areas and can trip in case anybody does end up falling—Such as below the stairs, outside the kitchen, or just anywhere on the deck near the mast.
- Zoro would always be the fastest to arrive when somebody had a nightmare, it wouldn't matter who, if he heard the slightest sound of someone in distress, he would immediately bolt towards them. Even if he can't offer the best of comfort, his being there always offers a feeling of comfort and care
- Whenever someone even remotely seems like a threat, Zoro always places himself in front of the rest of the crew so if the guest did happen to attack, Zoro would be the first target.
- Zoro can't cook for shit, so it seems like he always wants to make up for it as if it wasnt Sanji's entire job to feed the crew. But he still tries to help anyway by helping pack up the kitchen after meals even if it wasnt his duty for the day.
- Zoro loves his swords, thats for sure, it's almost as if he values his swords more than his own life. But the green-haired man also has a habit of keeping everyone's weapons in the best possible condition along with his own. He secretly runs through a quick inspection whenever he sees one, making sure the sword is properly oiled or that a gun is loaded.
- Zoro doesn't always pay much attention to what the crew is doing, but he's always listening when they're telling stories. Even Usopp’s crazy lies. He secretly remembers all of their favorite anecdotes and will bring them up in conversation when someone is having a bad day.
And the list continues. Even now, on the brink of battle against a fleet of Marines, Sanji turns his head only to see Zoro immediately put himself in front of Chopper, acting as a shield against him and the Marines even though fully knows Chopper could handle himself just fine against these newbies.
Sanji roundhouse kicks another marine soldier running towards him at full speed with an axe on fire, seriously , he thinks, these weapons are just getting more absurd by the day, are the Marines that desperate? Another marine proceeds to stumble towards him with a fishing pole.
Battles like these seem so normal and a part of the Strawhat's daily lives that everything feels so boring, it feels like other island they stop at another marine fleet is already there waiting for them to try capturing them. Other than a few close calls, none of these battles ever come close to anything that should be counted as an emergency. But this one feels… different. Sanji isn’t quite sure how, but it feels more coordinated, and more planned for some odd reason, even though he doesn't have any proof to back the theory up, he still doesn't lower his guard, keeping his eyes on his crewmates at all times.
But of course, at the one second Sanji takes his eyes off them a bone-trembling scream rings through the air. There was no build-up, no warning, none at all. One second Usopp was carefully perched on one of the trees, and then he was hugging his knees absolutely screaming his lungs out on the ground in the next second.
The effect is instant, Chopper doesn't waste a second and sprints over there, and Robin and Zoro follow suit, wiping out a whole bunch of the marines recklessly on the way there. In the shadows of where Usopp once stood proudly, a marine stands instead. Sanji doesn’t catch up on the newest news nowadays, Nami usually does, but not him. So when Nami gasps and clutches her Clima-Tact tighter and gasps, Sanji starts to panic even more.
A wordless conversation begins between Zoro, Robin, and Chopper. Chopper quickly transformed into one of his bigger forms before bringing Usopp into his arms, even as slow and gentle as Chopper tried to be, Usopp still winced and curled into himself tighter. Robin quickly cleared the path for the two for the Sunny and followed them while Zoro stayed, glaring at the marine.
The marine drops down to the same level as Zoro, and without the shadows blocking his view, Sanji can judge his appearance with more detail; it was a tall-slender man with short choppy brown hair, the marine wielded 2 sickles, one drenched in blood—Usopps blood.
Zoro unsheathed his third sword and placed it in his mouth and in an instant the fight began, it was ugly. The two exchanged blows, it had been a while since they saw a marine truly have enough strength to keep up for so long with Zoro. Sanji had to deal with his fair share of marine cadets, it seemed like when the sickle guy got out it was some sort of code word for every marine to start instantaneously attacking a Strawhat all at once. Of course, it was no problem for Sanji.
After a good five minutes and a couple of ‘gum-gum pistols’ from Luffy, the fight finally ended, the entire area was now almost littered with the unconscious bodies of the marines. Sanji turned to see Zoro standing on top of the unconscious body of the sickle guy, blood pouring from his chest.
“Oi, Moss, what happened—” Sanji started as the crew started making their way back to Sunny, all of them were concerned for their sniper.
“It's that marine guy’s blood, don’t worry about it, cook.” Zoro quickly cut him off, stating it firmly, a clear sign of not wanting to continue the conversation. Sanji only sighed and nodded and joined everybody else as they all collectively hopped on board the Sunny.
— — —
A devil fruit. The kind that inflicts this torturous pain onto its victim and will only leave on its time. The time will depend on how much of the poison the victim got. It's a miracle that Ussop had only gotten a slash and nothing more, he was already in so much pain. Chopper said that he estimated it would only last a day or two if he was unlucky. The sniper had been almost delirious with pain, clinging to Luffy as sobs wrecked his entire body.
The future pirate king frowned in concern before wrapping himself around the sniper, placing his beloved straw hat on the other’s head, and resting his head on the nape of his sniper’s neck. The two were left alone in the infirmary bed as per Chopper’s instructions to give Usopp as much space as possible for Usopp to rest. The whole situation felt absurd, the tension among the crew high as ever. Sanji could tell everybody was going to have a rough night, he was just glad he wouldn't be participating as he was on night duty. Where that brings him to the situation at hand;
Zoro naps a lot, he always has these designated spots on the Sunny where people would often find him on the floor leaning on whatever surface is behind him, as of now; Zoro was sitting carefully on the floor with his back on the Sunny’s mast. But he didnt look like he was napping—his only working eye was opened but it was as if they arent focused on anything, Zoro looked dazed and unaffected by anything around him. Not when Brook started singing Bink’s Booze, not when Franky did another loud exaggerated ‘SUPER’, not even when Nami ran across the deck demanding Zoros unpaid rent, the swordsman sat there unfazed, almost catatonic.
Sanji was about to scold the swordsman for not changing his blood-stained shirt, but the state Zoro was in distracted him.
Though you would need a torture chamber and a shotgun to get it out of Sanji, the sight worried him. The dull vacant look in Zoros's eye was so out of character it felt wrong. Is he sick? What if hes starving? What on earth happened to make Zoro so out of it all of a sudden?
He can't be hungry, Sanji recalled how Zoro practically shoved his dinner down his throat in a matter of seconds. A speed that can only be rivaled by Luffys.
Sanji took notice of his pale skin and the fact that he was shivering when it was nowhere near cold. He had his arms wrapped around himself like some sort of self-hug like he was trying to protect himself from some sort of invisible force that he couldn't escape from.
Sanji finally made his way towards the swordsman and crouched down to his level, right in front of his line of sight, but Zoro still made no move.
“Oi, marimo, what's wrong?” Sanji tried, but no response. The panic by now had almost tripled in level so Sanji gripped the green-haired man's shoulders, intending to shake them slightly to grab Zoro's attention. But from the slight touch alone Zoro flinched violently, further proving that he really didnt acknowledge Sanjis's presence at all.
“Cook…?” Zoros's eyes were finally brought back to life, barely. Alarm bells were ringing in Sanji's head immediately. Was he so out of it he could barely string one word?
“Yeah, now what's wrong with you?” Sanji said, the smugness in his voice tempered by a hint of genuine concern.
“You look like you’re on death's bed, are you sick or something?” Sanji continued, trying hard to not seem concerned for the shitty swordsman.
“No…?” The response sounded unsure, almost like a question itself. Zoros's eyelids soon started slowly drooping.
There was no doubt in Sanji's mind that Zoro was sick. It wasnt often for the swordsman to fall ill, but when he does it always hits hard. He recalled the last time Zoro fell ill; the swordsman was tripping and stumbling everywhere, but even with a half-conscious mind he somehow managed to avoid Chopper's instructions and started training in the crow's nest.
It was there he noticed how Zoro exactly hugged and positioned himself, his arms were wrapped around the center of his chest, the blood stain in his shirt still evident, as if there was a wound there he neglected.
Of course.
Sanji remembered how in the fight Zoro had with the sickle guy there was blood drooping from his chest, could that mean Zoro had also gotten slashed by the guy's poison devil fruit, or worse, stabbed? Zoro brushed off his remarks stating that it wasnt his own blood staining his shirt, but he could always be lying. Nobody was there to do a checkup on him as Chopper was so busy with Usopps state.
If he did get stabbed, his pain must be as much or even so much worse than Usopps, had he been hiding it for the whole night?
At this point, Sanji has to make a separate list of all the stupid things Zoro does.
“Marimo! Did you get stabbed by that sickle guy!?” Sanji questioned, no longer hiding the worry in his voice.
“Hm..? Yeah a bit… but ‘m fine..” Zoro slurred, his eyelids dangerously closing. Sanji grabbed Zoro's shoulders once more, staying firm even as he flinched once more and shook it.
“Stay awake! I’m grabbing Chopper.” Sanji stood up but before he could do anything, a hand grabbed his own. He looked back to see Zoro barely holding his own, shaking like a leaf, and gripping his arm in a light grip—probably using the little leftover strength he had left.
“Dont… hes already tired ‘n busy with Usopp…” There was more to it, but Zoros's voice trailed off as he winced in pain, not even having the capacity to say full sentences. Of course, Zoro would put Chopper above his pain, ever since Alabasta the two had some sort of fatherly-son connection that was never explicitly explained, but the two would be often found cuddling with eachother and caring for eachother.
Sanji stood in silence to contemplate his decisions. On one hand, Zoro was correct, the little doctor spent the whole day running around Sunny trying to find anything to relieve Usopps pain or a cure for anything but found none. There was nothing Chopper could do other than to order Zoro to rest, anyway. (Which is an impossible task)
But then again, Chopper is the Strawhats resident doctor, so not alerting him when a crewmate was in pain felt criminal.
“Fine. But we’re telling Chopper first thing in the morning, got it? After he gets his night's rest.” That seemed to calm down Zoro, he let the grip on Sanji loosened and sunk back down on the floor, letting a pained groan, gripping his chest once more.
“But that doesn't mean you’re completely in the clear, mosshead.” Zoro his working eye stares at Sanji. “Come on, let's go to the kitchen. I need to see that wound of yours.”
Sanji helped Zoro to his feet without a moment to waste. Zoro’s arm was now slung over Sanjis shoulder and Sanji’s keeping him stable on his waist.
Zoro grumbled incoherently, too out of it to protest. His vision was beginning to blur, and it took all his concentration just to keep his head upright.
Zoro practically clung onto Sanji like a lifeline on the way to the kitchen, even with Sanjis's support, The swordsman’s legs shook with each step he took and he could stop stumbling and almost tripping the whole journey. Sanji was surprised nobody woke up to the commotion the two had caused.
Sanji laid Zoro on the long green couch against the wall before grabbing the emergency med kit from the kitchen cabinet. He wanted to go into the infirmary but knew he wouldn't like to risk waking Usopp up if he wanted to keep his head safe from Luffy, so the med kit had to work for now.
He nudged Zoro slightly to signal him to lift his hands so he could lift his blood-stained shirt, but even the slightest nudge made the swordman wince. He quickly hoisted the shirt up with difficulty only to see a deep stab wound looking like it was practically inflamed—red and engorged.
The sight of Usopp barely struggling to breathe flashed in his eyes. If from a simple slash, Usopp had already been like that, what kind of pain would Zoro be in?
— — —
Zoro
Zoro knew what was going on around him, he knew that Sanji was trying his best to help but every little nudge or breath he took was already so painful, it was borderline agony. He spent so much of his strength to even stay conscious.
He couldn't even control his own body anymore, it felt like he just simply existed—his mind was so hazy it was on autopilot. The pain took too much of his thought that it felt like he was just watching his entire life through a cinema and letting everything else happen while he simply… sits there. His head lolled as he fought to stay conscious. Sanji crouched in front of him, carefully wrapping a bandage around Zoro's arm.
He wants to help the cook, say that he could do it by himself but his limbs felt so heavy and made out of lead, just the trip to the kitchen made him feel like he was about to fucking drop to the floor in any second. So he just lay there, eyes unfocused as Sanji tried to treat his stab wound. The yellow-haired man kept berating him about hiding his injuries and something about poison, but Zoros consciousness could only process a couple of sentences before going back to the haze.
"Hold still, idiot," Sanji said, his voice gentle despite the insult. "You're about as steady as a baby deer."
“Mm… sure, curly…” Zoro swore he saw the blonde’s eyes light up from the insult, but didnt have the time to dwell on it as a new wave of pain soared through his body. He could only hiss in response, unable to even lift his arms to try to shield himself from the nonvisible pain.
He sighed in relief when he felt Sanji finally finish wrapping the bandages around his chest, Zoro felt himself sag even more and let his head droop on the couch as Sanji started packing up the med kit and heard the ‘click’ as he returned it to his place and locked the cabinet. (to make sure Luffy didnt try to snoop and try to find any hidden food stashes)
“Come on, let's get you to bed.” The cook said.
“Can't… too tired..” Well, Zoro wasnt exactly lying either.
Zoro heard the cook sigh. “Well, I can't exactly let you stay here alone for the night. Knowing you, you’ll probably try and ignore your injuries and go train or some shit.” Zoro just hummed in response.
Sanji stood there for a moment as if he was thinking of something before walking off somewhere, in panic, Zoro quickly grabbed the cook's hand before he could exit the room. Sanji looked like he was about to yell at Zoro but something stopped him when he looked at Zoro.
“Dont go… please,” Zoro heaved. He knows how pathetic he must look, but he couldn't care less, not when the last thing he wanted to do was to be alone wallowing in his pain. The thought of being alone with his mind scared the swordsman more than he liked.
“I’ll be back soon, I just need to get you some blankets, can't let you die of frostbite if you really do plan on sleeping here tonight,” Sanji explained, shaking his hand away from Zoros grip, a look of concern and hesitation on his face. But before Zoro could complain anymore Sanji exited the kitchen without another word.
He didn’t know how time worked after that, he barely held on to any clear thought.
He simply just drifted through his mind, not having anyone or anything to depend on to make him keep present in the room, all he knew was pain, agonizing pain seething through his chest to his toes.
He just wanted to rest, he didnt want to feel the pain anymore, it was too much. Maybe he should sleep?
He likes to sleep anyway. Sleep helps. Chopper said that once, right?
Besides, anything to escape the pain.
He felt his eye droop and then, just before he could finally let the darkness take over him something warm covered his body. It was way more welcoming and comfortable than the darkness. Zoro moved his aching limbs to make sure he got full coverage, though his ribs grinded against eachother, it was worth it. He could hear Sanji chuckle in front of him.
Wait, Sanji?
He slowly lifted his heavy eyelids only to see Sanji stand there, blanket in hand.
Sanji set down the blankets, his heart lurching as he saw Zoro's condition. There was something so vulnerable about the sight of the usually proud swordsman reduced to this, trembling and disoriented.
“Sorry for that, I didnt mean to leave you for that long.” Sanji apologized. Zoro could only hum in response and close his eyes once more, the lights were too bright. He didn’t remember them being this bright.
“...’s okay, cook,” Zoro slurred, “Jus’... dont leave again…”
He heard another chuckle “Sure, moss,”
Something warm pressed into him once more to the side, he shakily opened his eyes to see Sanji press himself on his left side, lighting a cigarette. He knew doing it would make him look even more pathetic than he probably already looked, but Zoro couldn't help himself; he leaned his head on Sanjis's shoulder.
He could feel the cook go completely still, Zoro immediately regretted the action and tried to pull away. “Sorry—”
“No, it's fine, I was just, a bit shocked. But it's fine.” Sanji reassured, recognizing what Zoro was about to do. Zoro sighed in relief and let himself completely go slack against the cook, draping half of his body weight onto it.
The cook was actually very comfortable, even with the blanket he was still struggling with the cold—the poison must have made him more sensitive to temperature, or something like that. Being so enveloped in warmth and care was heavenly to Zoros hazy mind, a warm hand soon snaked along his shoulder and gave him a side hug as Zoro continued to burrow himself further into Sanjis side.
He tried not to think about how good it felt, how much his body craved this closeness.
“You can rest now, Zoro,” Sanji murmured. Zoro already planned on that, but the permission to truly relax was the last straw, and he was out moments later. It was the fastest he'd fallen asleep in years, and for the first time in even longer, he slept peacefully through the night, accompanied by pleasant dreams.
— — —
“Hey, mosshead, can you open your eyes for me?” a voice asked.
Zoro didnt want to, he knew if he did the pain would come back. He really didnt want to.
“Please, marimo? I need you to open your eyes.” The voice pleaded. It was becoming harder not to listen to the voice. The voice felt familiar, and something urged Zoro to do what it said, but at the same time, the darkness was so welcoming and comfortable.
“Zoro.” Something was wrong. The voice— Chopper , right, the voice was Chopper. Chopper sounds worried, is he ok? Is something wrong?
“Yes, something is wrong. One of the crew is very hurt right now.” Chopper continued. Now that got Zoro in panic, he finally opened his eyes in a rush, hissing at a bright light right in front of his eye, probably a flashlight.
Zoro groaned as he slowly returned to consciousness, his body sore and heavy. His head was throbbing and every part of him hurt, but he was coherent enough to understand that he was now in the infirmary, no longer in the kitchen.
Who was hurt? What happened? Did an intruder manage to sneak on the Sunny? Please be ok, Zoro can't fail, he has to protect his nakama. Thats his job. If someone gets hurt it's his fault, he has to get stronger—
“Who?” Zoro managed, his voice hoarse and rough.
“It's you, dumbass,” Sanji responded for Chopper. Zoro could only let out an ‘oh’ in realization.
Instantly, a wave of agony went through his entire body, Zoro felt himself let out a choked gasp and heaved forward, trying to fix his unsteady breathing. Zoro felt a hand start to rub circles on his back as if it would soothe all his pain. It certainly wouldn’t, but the comforting act helped.
“Why couldn’t you tell us Zoro?” Chopper asked, teary-eyed. It pained the swordsman to see the younger straw hat in such distress. “I thought… I could handle it…” Zoro gasped, it felt like a knife was directly stabbing his insides and twisting and turning with each breath Zoro took.
“Well, you clearly can't.” Chopper spat. It wasn’t often for the doctor to be so harsh. “I know that you always want to be strong for the crew, but you have to know when you have to rely on somebody else to help you. I'm a doctor, my job is to help you.” Chopper continued to lecture him while feeding him painkillers and redoing Sanjis's bandages last night.
“Can you tell me what you're feeling?” Chopper asked, forcing himself to remain composed though he was irritated by Zoro's stubbornness. Zoro knew there was no point in lying to the doctor by now.
Zoro took a moment to respond, his breathing ragged and uneven. “Dizzy,” he managed to gasp out. “Weak. Everything’s spinning. And just full-on pain, really.” Chopper nodded with concern, noting everything down in some sort of notebook.
“The wound is deep, by now the poison has traveled far. I can't make a clear estimation of how long the wound has lasted, but I'm guessing it would be cured in around a week.” Chopper explained.
A week!?
“Nothin’ you can do…?” Zoro asked bleakly, Chopper only frowned and shook his head. Zoro clenches his fist with all his remaining strength in anger.
If only he was stronger, if only he was faster, he wouldn't get stabbed. If he was just a little bit more stronger he wouldn't be a liability for his crew.
Zoro gripped the railings of the bed and tried to lift himself up with shaky arms.
“What are you doing!?” Chopper frantically asked, waving his arms around as if he were debating whether to push Zoro back onto the bed or not.
“I need to get stronger,” Zoro said as if that mere excuse explained everything he was about to do.
“You can't be serious, your fucking poisoned, in pain and trembling like a leaf. Like hell, you'd even be able to lift a single dumbbell.” Sanji stated, waving his cigarette in Zoro's direction.
“I can manage,” Zoro states before pain erupts right below his neck, he grips the bandage right above that area so hard he is surprised it didnt tear. He heard Chopper sigh disappointedly before gently maneuvering Zoro back into his previous position.
“Yeah, right. Now go rest while I make you lunch, you missed breakfast.” With that, Sanji Brisky walked away.
— — —
Sanji
Sanji stood in the kitchen, chopping vegetables and flipping through different recipes in his head. He kept glancing at the clock, aware of exactly how much time had passed since he'd left Zoro in the infirmary.
He couldn't quite shake the image of the swordsman's pained expression, the quiet vulnerability that had briefly flickered across his face. It was a side of Zoro he hadn't seen before, a rare glimpse of something soft and breakable behind all that steel and muscle.
Well, Sanji now needed to cook a meal for not only one sick crewmember but also two.
Sanji sighed to himself as he firmly decided in his head that he would be cooking Soto, a warm filling soup with everything a sick man would need to heal. He started to prepare the ingredients, letting the boat rock across the calm sea (something the strawhats rarely get) while he started assembling the spices and chopping the vegetable.
Sanji soon finished and set the already set ingredients aside and prepared the next batch, his mind still preoccupied with thoughts of Zoro. He couldn't understand why he was so focused on the swordsman, why he cared so much about his condition.
"I can't believe I spooned the damn swordsman," he muttered to himself as he stirred the soup. "What's gotten into me?"
It was just Zoro, the idiot swordsman who never knew when to quit and always picked fights he couldn't win. But there was something about the way Zoro had looked when he was poisoned, the way his usually confident demeanor had crumbled.. Sanji shook his head, trying to clear his mind. This was ridiculous. He shouldn't be wasting his thoughts on such a brute.
Right, he should probably make something for the ladies to lift their spirits! After the news of how both Usopp and Zoro are now in critical positions, the mood of the ship has gone down by a significant amount. Usopp has now gotten a bit better, now settling with just fatigue and stomach cramps. The sniper just rested in his bed now, only accompanied by their pirate captain and a few visits from the others from time to time, leaving the infirmary open for Zoro.
Sanji added a few spices to the pan, the smells of garlic and ginger mingling in the air. He took a moment to consider the flavors, adjusting the seasonings as needed.
When he deemed the pot worthy, he ladled the soup into two bowls, steam rising from the deep orange liquid. He first carried the first bowl to the men's quarters, carefully gently knocked on the door before opening the door and taking in the sight of Luffy holding Usopp in his arms in the bed. He quietly left the bowl of Soto beside the bedframe so nobody would step on it, but Luffy would still be able to reach it.
After the first visit was done he made his trip to the infirmary. He knocked on the door before entering. He sees Zoro half asleep in the bed, but hearing the knock and the door creek open, he perks up and brings his top half forward. Like Zoro was expecting to see someone.
“Your lunch,” Sanji says, bringing the steaming hot bowl of Soto to the swordsman with a spoon already in the bowl. Zoro eagerly received the bowl, not caring about the heat surrounding the soup. Zoros's shaking had subsided in the time it took Sanji to cook.
Sanji watched Zoro eat, a soft smile emerging as he saw the way Zoro relaxed more and more with each bite.
“Easy, moss,” Sanji said, his eyes glittering with amusement. “Take it easy for once in your life.”
Zoro grumbled but slowed down, the food in his mouth muting his usual retorts. His eyes flicked towards Sanji, taking in the way he was now leaning next to the door. Zoro was never one who would compliment Sanj’is food, but the blonde never questioned it as from Zoro's expressions alone he could tell how much Zoro enjoyed his meals.
“No booze, cook?” Zoro asks, bringing his hand up to wipe his mouth.
“No booze for an injured man. Chopper is bound to kill me if you somehow get your hands on alcohol.” Sanji states.
Zoro frowns and pouts. Zoro pouts. Roronoa Zoro, the usually stoic brute that he is pouts.
Sanji rolled his eyes at the swordsman's frown. "Come on, you'll live," he said dryly. "Besides, I'd like to see you try to stand up after a drink with the amount of poison still in your system. You'll collapse two steps out the door."
The swordsman only rolls his eyes in return. Zoro finishes the last of his soup and hands the bowl back to Sanji. Feeling full and warm, and the exhaustion that had been weighing him down was taking hold once again.
Zoro murmurs something inaudible before dropping back onto the comfort of the pillow, Sanji chuckles lightly before finally exiting the warmth of the infirmary.