One Piece (Love Story) [Part One]

Chapter Seventy Seven [Rewritten]

-Chapter Seventy-Seven-

"That's right, yeah! I'm drunk, honey!" Zenny boisterously laughed.

"Really?" Usopp asked, tilting his head.

"This straw hat kid has got me absolutely intoxicated and not just with wine, so here's to looking forward to the day when the Zenny Pirates finally set sail!" Zenny exclaimed, causing us to cheer while at the same time anxiously glancing at one another.

-Everybody's P.O.V-

Zoro snored, his arms wrapped tightly around Skylar who was currently sprawled over top of him—his nose occasionally twitching whenever a stray strand of her hair would brush against it. Every now and then he'd feel her twitch against him, her body jerking as the occasional whimper would slip past her parted lips.

"Stop it..." she muttered, face scrunching up into a look of agonizing fear as her fingers curled and clutched at his shirt—roughly twisting the fabric around as she soon started to squirm against him, jerking back and away. Grumbling, he tightened his hold on her as if to still her body before eventually sighing in contentment when he finally felt her settle down and go lax once more. Whatever nightmare she had was now fading and seemingly being replaced with something far more pleasant. Once he was certain she was settled, he tiredly peeked an eye open and peered down at the sleeping woman on top of him.

"You really haven't changed all that much..." he quietly huffed, softly smiling as he gently brushed away the stray strands of hair that had fallen into her face.

He remembered her.

Of course, he remembered her—how could he ever forget a pretty face like hers? Although...if he's being honest...he really didn't know what to say to her to let her know that he remembered. He was never the greatest at putting his emotions into words, always preferring actions over them anyways. He's tried to breach the topic with her many times before—tried to talk to her...yet, every time he'd open his mouth and got ready to speak, his mind would go blank. He knew what he needed to say...and yet, couldn't find the words to say it. It was embarrassing really, normally he had no issue saying whatever he normally needed to say...

But this was different.

This wasn't just some stranger, but someone he held very near and dear to his heart who had the chance of crushing him if there was the slightest chance he was wrong in his assumptions. Despite how odd it sounded, part of him wanted her to be the one to bring up the past they shared. She remembered, that much was obvious to him from the way she effortlessly fell back into old habits alongside him. It was as clear as day that she remembered—she was never this easily affectionate with strangers or people she didn't feel completely comfortable with as far as he remembered...

Despite this fact, he still couldn't find it in him to speak.

It was humiliating how difficult it was to just ask her if she remembered—to ask her if she still thought back on those days they spent together as children and if she remembered how badly it had torn him up when she suddenly left. It was embarrassing how even with all this certainty, there was still this sliver of doubt deep inside him that feared the worse. The thought that she truly didn't remember him despite everything they had been through together in their youth shook him to his core and made his stomach churn with the unfamiliar sensation of anxiety. Even as he kept telling himself that it was ridiculous to think she had forgotten due to how close they had been, he couldn't make that rock in the pit of his stomach go away because...

What if she did?

What would he do then if she had just simply gone and forgotten him like the friendship they had built nothing to her at the end of the day? He knew how stupid he sounded thinking that, but he couldn't help it as such thoughts only seemed to grow and fester the longer they both went without talking about the promises they had made. They were like a disease in the way that they grew, always developing and getting worse the longer he ignored them. He felt like a coward in wanting to push the responsibility onto her to breach the topic they both had seemingly and unanimously agreed not to talk about and instead let it mockingly hang there above their heads despite knowing that it was only human to fear the thought of being hurt and humiliated.