❛ ARE WE LOST AGAIN?! ❜
₊˚៹ . ❪ episode : 102 ❫˖ ₊˚.⋆
࿐┊ CH. 9┊🏴‍☠️🌊👒

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The few pirates that were paused in the middle of the desert say nothing between each other, the only sound hear being the hot breeze of the wind brushing past. Sweat dripped down their foreheads, trying not to fall to the harsh environment they were currently in.

Zoro and Chopper both look on ahead with narrowed down gazes, carrying figures over their backs which happened to be the Monkey D. siblings, all split from the main crew that were somewhere else in the desert.

Prior to this Luffy was going crazy again from eating a cactus, and dragged his sister along with her, and was lucky she wasn't holding Happy at the time who was back with Sanji and the others.

The swordsman was holding onto the underside of (Y/N)'s exposed thighs, her chest pressed against his back and had her arms loosely lopped around his shoulders for support. Her head was tilted to rest against his neck, and hidden away from the sun that he made sure was there.

His head turns a little bit hearing Luffy groan now waking back up, and also felt her move on his back, which had him placing his nose into the side of her head, "You awake now, princess?" He rasped his low question.

She just grumbled an answer back to him fluttering her eyes open a little bit, blinking to get use to the bright sun and gulped seeing him so close to her face, "Y-yeah, I am." She mumbled back resting her chin on his shoulder now, giving a tired smile at him in thanks.

Zoro grunted sliding his rough hands up her thighs more to adjust her so she wouldn't slip, and pressed his lips onto her temple, "Go back to sleep for a bit, I'll carry you don't worry." He muttered softly, pulling back so he could glace at her through the orange cloth over his head.

She felt her ears heat up at the sudden affection from him, not knowing if it was the sun or not. Feeling shy she listened to his words, digging her face back into his shoulder and let herself relax against him, thought wondering back to Sanji, Happy and the others hoping they were alright.

"Huh? Where are the others?" Luffy asked confused now also wake getting carried over Chopper's shoulder, a hand on his straw hat glancing around to spot their friends.

Zoro shrugged a bit being careful not to bump his captain he was carrying, "Dunno." He answered sending Luffy a pointed look, knowing he was the main reason they were lost jow, "I'm not sure, to be more precise."

"Don't be funny." The Monkey. D boy scolded unamused, which gained him a sarcastic laugh back from Zoro, and the male snarked, "This is not time to be laughing! Are we lost again or what?!"

This had hit both Chopper and Zoro's nerves now, brining their faces down to the lost looking Luffy's one, "Whose fault do you think that is?!" They snarled in sync with shark teeth, and a small giggle escaped her lips hearing them bantering.

"Wha? M-my fault?"

Zoro irked at his other captain that caused more trouble than the first one at times, and sighed heavily to calm himself, "Yes, you idiot." He grumbled to Luffy through his teeth, hands squeezing (Y/N)'s thighs more, "And now we don't know where the rest of the crew is."

Luffy hummed in thought having a serious thinking expression on, getting placed back down onto the sand by Chopper in his bigger form, "Hey, Chopper!" He called bouncing up to him, "You smell things good!"

"I'm already trying. But I don't smell anything at all." Chopper answered looking down briefly to him, before back out to the land of sand that went on forever not smelling any familiar scents.

(Y/N) perked up from her head from Zoro's shoulder, using her robs sleeves to wipe off the sweat on her forehead, "Which way is the wind blowing from?" She questioned aiming it at the animal up front.

He scratched his blue nose which had it twitching a bit, wishing Happy was here right now as he was better at tracking than him, "I don't know the direction, but its coming from our left."

"Left, huh?" Zoro repeated in a mumble adjusting the girl on his back more, as he felt his sweaty hands slipping from her legs, "That at least means they didn't go that way."

Luffy gave him a weird look from beside him, and raised his eyebrows, "You just made that up." He commented unamused, not realising the irony in his words that the other two did.

"Shut up! Stay here if that's what you want!" Zoro snarked back annoyed, feeling his eye twitched now stomping off away from him, "I'm taking your sister with me anyways. Let's go, Chopper!"

Chopper made a noise of understatement jogging up to where the swordsman was walking, and Luffy was straightaway trailing after them not wanting to be away from his sibling, all while complaining about how hot it was.

The wind was picking up again over the lands which had the sand blowing along the ground, and despite it being that way, it wasn't cooling the four off it any way, as the wind was hot not fresh like usual.

(Y/N)'s eyes were getting droopy by the minute as they continued to travel, the rhythm of Zoro's walking calming her and making her sleepy. The heat wasn't helping her body either, as it seemed to be more worn out and tired than the others for some reason which confused her.

Zoro noticed her change of attitude quickly as she was quiet which wasn't normal for her, and tilted his head to the side, "Sleep if you need to, princess." He whispered against her temple, and left a warm kiss on it also that she didn't even register.

He watched her fondly as her eyelids fluttered closed now not fighting the need for a rest, smiling to himself hearing her grumbling noises, and carefully moved her so her head was nestled into the crook of his neck.

"Say, is pirate life always like this?" Chopper was the one to break the comfortable silence between them, keeping his voice low so he wouldn't wake up the captain, whom he viewed as his best friend and motherly figure, "Always climbing snowy mountains, crossing deserts..."

"Ain't that true?" Zoro chuckled a bit also keeping his voice low to not wake up his beloved up, his gaze straight ahead hearing Luffy groaning behind them about the heat still, "But we're just a little out of the ordinary. Plus there's our two captains."

Chopper grimaced with his furry shoulders deflating a bit, "(N/N)'s amazing at what she does, but I think I might've gotten on board a not-so-good ship..." He deadpanned sweating a lot.

Yeah she really is, the swordsman thought fondly to himself staring at her sleeping face on his shoulder, and shakes his head agreeing, "What a coincidence. I was just thinking the same thing myself."

Chopper perked up a bit now watching how Zoro looked at the girl, and wanted to found out more about what he thought about the situation, "You're the most veteran crew member here, right?"

He hummed in acknowledgement flickering his dark eyes to the curious Chopper, "If you wanna get technical, Happy was the first. But..." He drawled off in a trail, "I guess, however there's not that much of difference between us."

"Why did you join?" The devil fruit user now asked a bit more seriously, their walking pace slowly down because of Zoro getting caught off guard, "To me, since I joined, it seems like everyone's a maverick. Especially you and Sanji when it comes to (N/N)."

Zoro scowled a bit hearing the cooks name but sighed to control himself, "That's true. In my case, things pretty much turned out this way." He told Chopper, smiling feeling (Y/N) nuzzle more into him in her sleep, "The others are the same. Our rea goals are different from the siblings. We're trying to do what we want to do. It's crazy. It's just like someone said before."

"So that's what Usopp meant by, 'Just do what you can!'" Chopper recalled remembering what the sharp shooter once said to him, "Makes sense to me."

The green haired male snickered flashing a closed eye smile of amusement, "It sounds like Bs when he says it, though." He mused to Chopper, "As for why I still stay with her..."

He looked down to (Y/N) snoozing away on his shoulder softly, subconsciously rubbing his thumb over his fourth finger on her thigh, "being by her side all this time's given me another goal to strive for."

Luffy caught up with them being behind the trio, him looking like he was close to passing out from the heat and wanted Happy to come fly him the rest of the way. At the same time Chopper tilted his head confused, and asked Zoro, "Another goal?"

He paused mid step with Chopper to wait for the other captain now, as he brushed his lips along (Y/N)'s cheek chucking softly, "Sorry. I dunno how to answer about it." He admitted sheepishly, actually being serious for once.

Seems to be like you already know.... Chopper thought to himself sending Zoro a look out of the corner of his eyes, and turned back around hearing Luffy yelling about something.

"I found shade!" He declared happily raising his arms up into the air seeing the rocks up ahead, grinning widely, "Make sure to protect (N/N)'s head Zoro!" He added causing the two to instantly panic, and his arms to stretchy all the way to the rocks in between them, "Gum-Gum...."

Oh crap! Zoro thought to himself going pale in the face knowing what was going to happen, quickly adjusting the girl in his arms to press her chest to his in front, and legs to wrap around his waist. He held her tightly only thinking about protecting her, keeping one arm around her and the other on the back of her head.

"...Rocket!" Luffy let his arms slam straight into the duo who screeched in alarm, now getting forcefully pulled through the air at top speed, and all the way to the rocks in the distance, that they all crashed into roughly.

A massive hole was now in the rock cover that was made by them break through it, and the four all landed in different places thanks to Luffy. Chopper was somewhere in the sand, while Zoro was on the floor groaning still holding onto (Y/N) who was now awake, worriedly patting her first mates cheeks seeing how his eyes were white from the fall.

"Whoo! It's nice and cool!" Luffy cheered breathing a sigh of relief, sitting down on a smaller rock under the larger ones where it had the most shade, and laughed unbothered.

Zoro's eye twitched irritated lifting himself up with her legs still straddling him around his waist, and kept his left arm around her back, "I oughta chop you apart!" He snarled, growling his warning at Luffy, "You could of gotten your sister hurt, you idiot!"

"I knew she'd be fine as long as you're holding her!" He assured grinning brightly at Zoro, and his embarrassed sister still sitting in the swordsman lap, "But my bad!" He laughed before noticing a missing friend, "Huh? Where's Chopper?"

They all looked to see the said male face planted in the sand a few meters away, dusty and marked up from the rough landing, "Oh! There he is!" Luffy remarked raising a hand to see better on his forehead, "What's he doing out there? Is he trying to act funny?"

Zoro had a dark look on his face raising one of his katanas up to Luffy's neck, causing him and (Y/N) to pale in the face, "Yes. It as my fault. I'm sorry." The straw hat male owned up nervously, fearing for his life.

"Geez! What was the point of that conversation-" Zoro goes to sit down on another rock under the shade, wanting to grab the girl also but was suddenly falling straight through the sand, which created a sink hole into an underground area.

She panicked watching her first mate now disappear below under the surface, scrambling up from where she sat beside Luffy to lean over the edge, "Zoe?! Are you alright?" She called in a worried tone loudly, almost falling in also if it weren't for her brother holding her up.

"Yeah! Don't worry-" His voice echoed through the underground cavern back to her, followed by his pained groaning from landing on his butt, "Dammit! That hurts! What is this place?"

Sand was spilling into the hole that was created up top, as he sat up from his fall to hold onto his head trying to look around. Standing up his dark gaze narrowed down on a brick wall that had old symbols on it, something that he couldn't read, "What's this?"

His footsteps echo around the room as he walked forward along the floor, up to where the cubed like structure was, "What's something like this..." He trailed off lifting a hand to touch it, before he was interrupted by two people.

"....doing underground?" The Monkey. D siblings were both standing behind him, wearing matching confused and dumbfounded face staring at the structure half in the sand.

Zoro's eye twitched at them being there, marching up to the girl to pinch both of her cheeks in between his fingers, "Why are you down here?!" He exclaimed pulling her skin back and forth, gaining a whine from her trying to push him away.

"I was worried about you, Zoe!" She protested with a muffled voice from him pulling on her cheeks, still giving a grin that had him turning red seeing it, "And we also wanted to see down here too!"

He grumbled embarrassed spotting Luffy's teasing look he was sending him, pulling down his hands off her cheeks to sigh heavily, and flickered her forehead gently instead, "With you two down here too, we might get separated from Chopper! Without him, we'll never meet up with Happy and the others!"

Luffy blinked a bit owlishly not answering for a few seconds, before smiling big to assure the agitated swordsman, "Oh! That's okay! Because Chopper was falling down here too!"

Not even a second later the sound of the reindeers screaming was heard, and more sand to spill into the hole that was created by Chopper falling down through the sand to where they were. His landing was softened a bit by (Y/N) bending the sand up to him, and caught his larger form in it to safely place him onto the solid ground.

"Oww..." He winced sitting up from in the sand circled around him, and held onto the back of his sore neck glancing around at the ruins underground, "What is this place?"

"Heya. You seem to be alright." Zoro's voice reached his ears, turning to see him holding onto the girls smaller hand walking towards with Luffy trailing behind gazing at the new environment they were in.

Chopper stood up humming a bit hearing his greeting, his eyes catching onto the cubed structer in the sand, and moved towards that now, "These are probably ancient ruins or something." He spoke raising one eyebrow up at the symbols on the cube.

"How can you tell?" Zoro asked interested also walking over to where he was also, keeping an eye on (Y/N) who was behind them laughing with Luffy at something funny he did, not paying attention to their surroundings.

"Look at this. See all the picture-like writing on this wall?" Chopper told lifting up his hand to place it onto the cube, and turned to give Zoro a brief look, "I saw it in a book or something before. These are ancient letters."

The swordsman nodded his head in thought, leaning his hands on his three swords around his waist side, "If you're right, than what is this place doing underground?" He questioned Chopper, who had no idea why that was the case.

"Not sure, but I get the feeling they were trying to hide this building..." Chopper claimed nervously staring at the symbols on the cube, wondering why some of them had a orange tint in graved in them.

Zoro scratched the side of his head shrugging a bit bluntly, "In any case, it's none of my business, and it doesn't interest me." He remarked out loud walking to stand in front of (Y/N) sitting on a rock with Luffy, "What we gotta do now is get the hell outta here. Right, captains?"

She tilted her head to the side causing the straw hat to move a bit, and pulled by her robes around her shoulders more, "Do we have to?" She whined giving him puppy dog eyes pouting, "I mean I wanna, but it's so hot outside!"

He physically faltered seeing her giving him that look now, feeling weak in he knees knowing he rarely could resist it, "W-well, yes we have to-" He tried to get out gaining more of a doe eyed stare, and sighed in defeat grumbling, "the quicker we get this mission done, the quicker I'll let you tie up my hair."

She was instantly standing up at that with a determined look pointing up at the ceiling, making Luffy snicker loudly and Chopper to deadpan, not truly knowing how much she had Zoro wrapped around her finger.

"So that's Zoro's comedy hole?" Luffy asked out loud standing beside his muttering sister, both staring up at the ceiling of the doom now, and it had Zoro shouting back embarrassed. Ignoring him Luffy winded his left arm back, "Alright! Gum-Gum..."

He tried to punch his fist up through the small opening, but ended up hitting the part beside it which made pieces of rubble to break from it. Screeching panicked, (Y/N) placed an air shield around them to stop the rocks from crushing them, and for Zoro to sweat drop watching them beside Chopper, "What are you doing?"

The moss head was once more ignored by the siblings, who were more focused on trying to get out of the mess they were in, "Darn it!" Luffy cursed a grumble when the shield was down, "I missed 'cause the target's so small!"

He tried again stretching his arm up through the hold to grab onto the edge, which he successfully did but ended up brining down more rubble from up top, and for her air shield to be brought back.

"Again, what are you trying to do?!" Zoro exclaimed repeating his words from before, watching as the girl sulks over her forehead getting hit by a rock that wasn't stopped in time by her bending, "Just grab onto the boulder above the hole!"

(Y/N) glanced under her hats brim to Luffy beside who had a mischievous grin on now, sending bad vibes through her knowing she got that same look when she though of an idea. Scrambling back away from him, she grabbed onto Zoro's forearm, who looked confused but didn't say anything about it.

"It's okay! I got an idea!" Luffy snickered his assurance to the swordsman, walking over to the solid beam that stood up in the broken ruins, "Chopper. You should probably turn little. And Zoro you make sure my sister is protected again."

The two males stare at Luffy incredulously as he stretches his arm around the pillar many times, "Oh, now I see..." Zoro mumbled sweat dropping just as Chopper turned small, and sighed defeated grabbing onto (Y/N)'s waist, "C'mon, let's go."

She was placed in between him and Chopper clinging onto Luffy's back, half of Zoro's chest pressing against hers to keep her secure, while she had one arm around Chopper and the other hand gripping onto her brothers rob tightly.

"Here we go!" Luffy yelled once he realsed his hold on the pillar, which had the four of them spinning around it many times in a sling shot way. They were than sprang straight out of the hold at great speed, making her break out in terrified laugher with Luffy, and the other two almost passing out flying through the air now.

Everything was a blur to them blur from how fast they were traveling, which had Zoro's hold on (Y/N) to get tighter feeling her body shaking which was because of her laugher, "How are we going to land?!" Chopper cried out holding onto dear life.

"I'm sure (N/N) will soften the landing with her abilities!" Luffy snickered over the wind, laughing at Chopper's shrieking next to his ear, who was crying not signing up for this kind of abuse.

And the meat lover was right about what he said, because before they did smack into the harsh ground, she quickly mavoured her hands to thrust them up creating an air spiral that only paused their landing for a second.

After getting caught by her bending the four were skidding along the sand creating a massive explosion noise, and dust to fly up everywhere. Luffy caught his sisters freaking out figure in his arms safely, and laughed loudly once the sand cleared around them, "Successful escape!"

She gave her brother an incredulously look hearing his comment, pulling on his ear in a scolding way which gained a whine from him. Grumbling she looked over to see Zoro and Chopper's twitching bodies stuck in the sand, making her eyes go wide in worry calling out their names, and received weak groans back.

🏴‍☠️⚔️🏴‍☠️

Later that day the sun was now setting over the lands of the once hot dester, that was getting cooler since it was about to become night time. (Y/N) and Luffy lead the group through the desert hoping to find the other soon, while Zoro and Chopper walked on behind them.

Chopper paused mid step in his bigger form getting a whizz of a familiar scent, "The wind has changed direction. I smell something!" He tells the confused trio facing where a sand dune was, and sniffed some more nodding his head, "No doubt about it. It's Nami's perfume! It's this way!"

The girl brightened up hearing that information following where he was pointing to, and sprinted off without thinking along side Luffy, "Hey! Guys!" She called out happily raising her arms up into the air.

"Don't rush off on your own guys!" Zoro exclaimed his scolding at their figure rushing away, straight away running after the girl that had Chopper following behind in step, "We'll get separated again!"

They kept running towards the hill that lead down onto more of the flat sand, which had the rest of the crew down there walking. Vivi was the first to spot the waving siblings, and smiled calling Happy and Sanji's name out who has been sulking since (Y/N) had disappeared.

Zoro and Chopper both looked like they were about to pass out again behind the excited siblings, having had ran fast to stay caught up with them, and felt overheated even if the environment was getting cooler.

(Y/N) grinned widely catching Happy's figure who flew up to her straight away crying a river of tears, and wrapped his tiny paws around her neck, nuzzling into her cheek relieved his best friend was back.

While she reassured the cat by patting his small furred head gently, she perked up hearing Sanji call her name next with him running towards her also sulking dramatically, arms outstretched to hold her.

Once the cook reached the girl, he picked up her with his arms around her waist,  to spin her around in circles gaining loud giggles from her, and exclaims from Happy as he was being squished in between them.

When I'm with them, I start to see many things... Vivi thought to herself watching the scene from on Eyelash, smiling fondly when Sanji tried to kiss (Y/N)'s cheek but was met with a fist from Zoro instead, and laughs from everyone else, these people may have the answer!

─►☆ AUTHOR'S NOTE :
i fr wasn't gonna write this ep but did it anyways cause it has some good fluffy scenes with moss head which i enjoyed and squealed so much writing them BAHAHA love that man so much i swearrr but soon we'll be into the actual arc so things can
get a move on eeeeehh👹👹

i hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and pleaseeee don't be silent readers, it really helps to
keep me motivated lmao :') kisses🫶