Chapter 26 The Loser's Sobering Thoughts...
Several men carried Zoro back on a stretcher, who was embedded in the rocks, and carefully placed him on a bed in the infirmary behind the restaurant.
Zeff, leaning on his crutch, walked over, glanced at Zoro's blood-soaked bandages, checked his pulse, and grunted:
"Four broken ribs, minor internal organ damage, significant blood loss, but he won't die.
The Straw Hat kid was careful, avoiding all vital areas."
Zeff turned to the cook beside him and ordered, "Bring my medicine kit, and prepare a third-grade nutritional soup, with double the amount of healing herbs."
"Yes, sir!"
Sanji stood at the infirmary door, an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips, looking at Zoro's paper-white face on the bed, unusually refraining from making any sarcastic remarks.
After Zeff finished treating the wounds and re-bandaging them,
Sanji went in and placed a bowl of freshly cooked, still steaming meat soup on the bedside table.
Zoro's fingers twitched, and he slowly opened his eyes.
His green pupils were somewhat unfocused, taking several seconds to refocus.
Zoro tried to sit up, but the excruciating pain throughout his body caused him to groan and fall back down.
Zeff's voice came from the doorway: "Don't move! If you move now, your wounds will reopen, and you'll be the one in pain."
Zoro gritted his teeth, slowly propping himself up on his elbows, each movement pulling at his broken ribs, fine beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead.
But he stubbornly sat up, leaning against the headboard, and looked at the bowl of soup.
"Drink it, it's the old man's special soup, it'll speed up healing," Sanji said.
Zoro stared at the bowl of soup for a few seconds, finally reaching out to pick it up, blowing on it to cool it, and taking a small sip.
The warm liquid slid down his throat, bringing a strange warmth, and the pain seemed to subside somewhat.
The two were silent for a moment, the only sounds in the infirmary the soft slurping of Zoro's soup and the crashing waves outside the window.
Sanji suddenly spoke, his voice low: "Hey, Moss Head, that straw hat guy... is he really that strong?"
Zoro paused in his soup-drinking motion.
Zoro looked down at the brownish broth in his bowl, and after a long pause, said in a hoarse voice, "He only used one hand the whole time... no! Most of the time, his hand was in his pocket."
The cigarette in Sanji's mouth trembled.
Zoro continued, "My final attack, I used all my strength, that uncontrollable power... He only used one punch, he didn't even intend to kill me."
Sanji fell silent. He recalled the scene he had witnessed earlier: the blade of light wreathed in dark red, effortlessly crushed by a jet-black fist.
That visual impact was more convincing than any words.
Zoro put down his empty bowl, leaned against the headboard, and closed his eyes:
"The gap is too big, so big... I can't even muster any resentment."
Zoro was telling the truth. Faced with such a difference in levels, anger and resentment seemed ridiculous.
Just like an ant doesn't feel anger at being stepped on by a human, it only sees it as a natural disaster.
Sanji looked at him with his eyes closed, and for the first time realized that this green-haired guy who always shouted about becoming the world's greatest swordsman could actually have such... moments of clarity and helplessness.
Zeff's voice came from the doorway. The old man had returned sometime earlier, leaning against the doorframe: "Kid, do you know where you went wrong?"
Zoro opened his eyes and looked at Zeff.
"You're too obsessed with defeating him," Zeff said slowly.
"Every strike you make is focused on breaking through his defenses, on landing a hit.
But that straw hat kid, from beginning to end, never considered you a serious opponent."
Zorro's body trembled slightly.
"To him, you're just a slightly interesting challenger.
He's fighting you, probably just to see what that troublesome power within you is all about.
What you're risking everything for is probably not even a warm-up in his eyes."
These words were crueler than Zoro himself felt, but also more real.
Zorro lowered his head, looking at his bandaged, still slightly trembling hands.
Yes, Zeff was right.
From beginning to end, the man named Luffy's eyes held no hint of fighting spirit.
It was a condescending observation.
"Thank you," Zoro said softly.
Zoro, heeding Zeff's blunt words, and also showing mercy to Luffy in his final moments. Though it might not have been mercy at all, but simply a feeling that killing him would be a waste.
Zeff glanced at him, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
Sanji stood by the bedside for a while longer, then suddenly said, "Hey, Moss Head."
"Hmm?"
"Do you...still plan to challenge him in the future?"
Zoro remained silent for a long time. Outside the infirmary, the sky gradually darkened, the last rays of sunset disappearing below the horizon.
"Yes! But not now. Right now, I don't even have the right to make him take me seriously."
Zoro looked up at the starlit night sky outside the window: "When I truly master this power, when I become strong enough that he has to take me seriously… I'll go find him again."
Sanji looked at the light in his eyes and suddenly smiled:
"Alright, having ambition is a good thing."
"Take care of your injuries, don't die. You still owe the old man for medical bills and food."
Zoro ignored Sanji's last sentence and closed his eyes again.
Night completely enveloped the sea. The Baratie was brightly lit, while the Going Merry, anchored not far away, was much quieter.
A warm yellow light shone in the cabin.
Nami leaned against the cushions by the window, holding a nautical logbook, but hadn't turned a page for a long time.
Nojiko was sorting the dried herbs from the day, classifying them into different jars.
Kaya sat on the edge of the bed, needle and thread in hand, mending the cuff of Luffy's torn sleeve from training during the day. Although Luffy said it didn't need mending, she secretly did it anyway.
Luffy lay on the soft mat in the center of the floor, his head resting on Nami's lap, his straw hat covering his face, seemingly asleep.
"That green-haired guy... will he come looking for you again?" Nami suddenly asked, her fingers unconsciously twirling the ends of her orange hair.
Luffy's calm voice came from under the straw hat: "I don't know."
"If he gets stronger, will he challenge you again?" Nojiko stopped what she was doing and turned to look at Luffy.
"Maybe." Luffy removed the straw hat from his face, opening his eyes and looking at the ceiling.
The cabin was quiet for a few seconds, then Luffy said, "We'll see when he gets stronger."
This casual answer made all three girls laugh.
After laughing, Kaya hesitated for a moment before asking the question that had been weighing on her mind since their return:
"Luffy...you could have finished him off with one punch today...but you held back at the end, didn't you?"
Nami and Nojiko stopped what they were doing and looked at Luffy.
Luffy turned to look at Kaya.
The girl's blue eyes were clear under the light, filled only with simple curiosity and a hint of...worry.
"Yes," Luffy admitted readily.
Kaya pressed, "Why? He challenged you like that, and used that seemingly dangerous power..."
Luffy was silent for a moment; the only sound in the cabin was the gentle lapping of the waves against the hull.
"He still has a dream," Luffy finally spoke, his voice clear in the quiet cabin.
The three girls were stunned.
Luffy continued, "A person with a dream shouldn't die in a place like this, in a match that wasn't even a warm-up."
Nami thought of her own dream: to draw a map of the entire world.
Nojiko thought of Bellemere, and her vow to protect the village and her sister.
Kaya thought of her own yearning for medicine and her longing for the wider world.
Looking at Luffy's calm profile, a complex emotion welled up within them.
This man, usually so cold and domineering, could say such things and make such choices at times like this.
Nami suddenly leaned down and gently tapped Luffy's cheek.
Luffy turned to look at her.
"What are you looking at? This is a reward for today..." Nami blushed, trying to remain calm.
Nojiko smiled, and Kaya smiled softly as well.
The atmosphere in the cabin suddenly softened.
Luffy looked at Nami for a few seconds, then closed his eyes again and pulled his straw hat back over his face.
"Sleep."
The three women smiled at each other and found comfortable spots to lie down.
Nami leaned against Luffy's shoulder, Noki rested her head on his arm, and Kaya curled up beside him.
Under the warm yellow light, the four of them huddled on the soft cushions in the center of the cabin, their breathing gradually becoming even.
Night deepened.
Luffy opened his eyes, gently removed Nami's hand from his chest, and sat up.
He walked to the window, looking at the shimmering sea under the moonlight and the brightly lit Baratie in the distance.
Zoro.
A swordsman with potential, dreams, and an unexpected awakening of Conqueror's Haki.
Killing Zoro today could indeed eliminate future troubles, but what good would it do?
A dead genius, utterly worthless.
Keeping him alive might be more useful.
A strongman who owed him a "forgiveness" for not killing him, a swordsman who saw him as a role model.
If trouble arises in the future, perhaps he can become a useful blade.
Even if it's not useful, watching Zoro struggle to become stronger is entertaining.
As for the line: "People with dreams shouldn't die here,"
that's half true, half false.
The true part is that I genuinely admire people with dreams, because such people often go further, become stronger, and thus have more value.
The false part is that if Zoro's dream gets in my way, I'll crush it without hesitation.
However, there's no need for those three girls to know this.
Nami and the others are doing well now. Having a bit of a soft spot for them makes them more obedient and more willing to become stronger for their own sake.
Luffy looked away and lay back down on the cushion.
Nami unconsciously leaned closer in her sleep, and Luffy reached out and pulled her into his arms.
Sleepiness gradually crept in.
Tomorrow will be another new day