One Piece (Love Story) [Part Two]

Chapter Two Hundred and Ninety Nine [Rewritten]

-Chapter Two Hundred and Ninety-Nine-

-Everybody's P.O.V-

"Please, let me go! Stop it!" a young nurse pleaded as she struggled against the Celestial Dragon's tight grip. Everything around Skylar seemed to just freeze the moment she spotted the man as her body seemed to almost react on its own—hastily dropping her to her knees as she suddenly began to bow like the rest of the people in the area. Zoro halted at this, peering down at the brunette in confusion before narrowing his eyes when he noted how her body was slowly starting to shake.

"Skylar...?" he quietly asked, raising an eyebrow at her strange behavior as she dared not raise her head. She could only shake, her cheeks flaring up in embarrassment and humiliation as she mentally cursed herself for her automatic response to seeing the Celestial Dragon. But...could anyone really blame her? This sort of mannerism had been beaten into her head as a child—the World Nobles were the highest-ranking social class in the world and were meant to be treated with respect much to her and many other's displeasure. She was taught to remember that everyone was the same as the dirt beneath their feet when it came to the Celestial Dragons.

Zoro's frown only deepened when he noted that the young woman body was shaking even harder than before the longer she listened to the nurse's pitiful pleas.

It hurt...it hurt...it hurt...it hurt...it hurt...

It hurt and Skylar hated it—she knew that it was wrong to turn a blind eye, she knew that it was wrong to ignore someone who was clearly in need of help...she knew it made her a hypocrite to just sit here and do to this woman what everyone had always done to her and her brothers growing up. But...but her mind could not let go of the lesson it had been taught, this—just like many other things—had become second nature to her, but...

"Skylar...?" Zoro once again questioned before flinching when the brunette slowly and shakily lifted herself off the ground, a dark look on her face as she blankly stared towards the man and pleading woman whose cries could still be heard. Hesitantly, did Zoro reach out and rest a hand on her shoulder.

-Skylar's P.O.V-

"You shouldn't stand!"

"You're breaking the rules! He won't be happy!"

"You're trash compared to that man, you need to be groveling at his feet just like the rest of them!"

I was harshly dragged out of my thoughts the minute I felt Zoro's hand on my shoulder, causing me to slightly jump and cast a quick glance towards him before looking down and mumbling a small, "I'm fine," as I motioned for us to continue walking. Yet despite my words, the sense of dread in my stomach was ever growing as steadily did the pain in my chest worsen with every quicken beat of my heart...

I was breaking the rules by doing this...I was doing something that I knew I shouldn't—I was doing something wrong by not bowing before this...this disgusting pig along with everyone else and because of that, I didn't know what would happen...and that's what scared me the most, the lack of knowing what might happen now.

"Take her back to the hub for me!" the Celestial Dragon ordered as I lowered my head until I was staring at my own two feet...even if I wasn't going to bow, I knew better then to make eye contact. I soon found my gaze slowly wandering over towards Zoro, silently watching how he casually chugged the drink in his hand as if he didn't have much of a care in the world. Barely did he even seem to pay any mind to the people around us who were on the ground, bowing at the feet of the noble—all their heads lowered as to avoid making eye contact. Occasionally I'd watch as his eyes would flicker towards me, a look of worry flashing across his face that only made the pain my chest worsen and the dread in my stomach grow until I was forced to look away because right now...I didn't really deserve his concern or worry.