I'm almost caught up!
Title: Ribbit
Theme: Set #03, #26 Frog
Claim: Zoro + Chopper
Words: 664
Rating: PG
Warnings: Sap, fluff, and excessive sweetness! Sanji uses his favorite word.
Disclaimers: Nothing you recognize in here is mine in any way. All rights belong to Eiichiro Oda and all the multitude of people involved in production of the One Piece manga and anime.
A/N: I feel there are some clear downsides to understanding animals...
The small, swampy island at which the Sunny was currently moored was uninhabited. Nami elected to stay on board after a very muddy trek to survey the area for her charts. The younger boys found the muddy terrain to be exceptionally entertaining for a while, sloshing through the shallows and chasing frogs.
Those very same frogs proved to be the worst thing about the place!
As the sun set, the swamp came alive with a surprisingly loud cacophony of frog calls. They made it very difficult to sleep, and by the morning after the first night, everyone was checking frequently to see whether the log pose had set!
To the crew's general dismay, night fell again before they were able to continue their journey.
Zoro was heading below deck for the evening, contemplating whether meditation might help tune out the racket, when he spotted Chopper sitting dejectedly by the railing.
"I guess the noise really bothers you, huh?" Zoro called out. No response. "Chopper? OI!"
The reindeer finally jumped slightly at the shout and turned to acknowledge the swordsman. He removed a set of earplugs.
"Sorry, Zoro! It's just these frogs..."
"They are pretty loud and annoying, huh?" Zoro realized something. "Isn't your hearing more sensitive than the rest of us? No wonder you need those earplugs..."
"It's not so much that..." A particularly obnoxious croak drifted over to them and Chopper shuddered, making a disgusted face. "It's what they're saying..."
"Yeah?" Zoro had honestly never given any thought to what went on in the mind of a frog.
"They're trying to attract mates, you know," the doctor explained.
"So it's like a crowd of froggy Sanji's out there?"
"Worse!" Chopper shuddered again. "Do you remember that tavern we had dinner at a few islands back? Where those drunk guys kept making catcalls at the waitress?"
Unfortunately, Zoro did remember. He didn't think he was terribly easy to offend--arguments with Sanji aside--but even he had been appalled by some of the things the group of men had been shouting. Any member of the crew would have been willing to step in on the waitress' behalf, but Sanji was, of course, the first on the scene. Zoro had taken a measure of satisfaction in watching the cook literally kick the snot out of the drunken men!
"It's like that, huh?" Chopper nodded solemnly in reply. "Is there anything that will make them shut up?"
"Well..." Chopper thought about the question carefully. "They'll be quiet if they think a predator is nearby, so they won't draw attention to themselves."
"Hmm..."
***
Sanji had just finished cleaning up the galley for the evening when everything went oddly quiet. He stepped out on deck for a smoke and was surprised to see Zoro standing in the middle of the swamp next to the ship, all three swords drawn, going through the motions of some of his attacks.
"What are you doing, moss-head?"
"Training. What does it look like, curly?"
"At night? In the middle of a swamp?"
"Yep!" Zoro grinned maliciously around Wadou's hilt and sent a wave of air through a swath of nearby cattails.
"Whatever. At least you're keeping those shitty frogs quiet for a while!" It really was a nice break. He'd been beginning to crave frog's legs something fierce!
"Yep!"
Sanji rolled his eyes and turned to head below deck. He paused for a moment, almost certain he'd just heard Zoro say something about "slimy, little perverts!" He shrugged it off and continued on his way. With this crew, it was usually best not to ask!
Theme: Set #03, #26 Frog
Claim: Zoro + Chopper
Words: 664
Rating: PG
Warnings: Sap, fluff, and excessive sweetness! Sanji uses his favorite word.
Disclaimers: Nothing you recognize in here is mine in any way. All rights belong to Eiichiro Oda and all the multitude of people involved in production of the One Piece manga and anime.
A/N: I feel there are some clear downsides to understanding animals...
The small, swampy island at which the Sunny was currently moored was uninhabited. Nami elected to stay on board after a very muddy trek to survey the area for her charts. The younger boys found the muddy terrain to be exceptionally entertaining for a while, sloshing through the shallows and chasing frogs.
Those very same frogs proved to be the worst thing about the place!
As the sun set, the swamp came alive with a surprisingly loud cacophony of frog calls. They made it very difficult to sleep, and by the morning after the first night, everyone was checking frequently to see whether the log pose had set!
To the crew's general dismay, night fell again before they were able to continue their journey.
Zoro was heading below deck for the evening, contemplating whether meditation might help tune out the racket, when he spotted Chopper sitting dejectedly by the railing.
"I guess the noise really bothers you, huh?" Zoro called out. No response. "Chopper? OI!"
The reindeer finally jumped slightly at the shout and turned to acknowledge the swordsman. He removed a set of earplugs.
"Sorry, Zoro! It's just these frogs..."
"They are pretty loud and annoying, huh?" Zoro realized something. "Isn't your hearing more sensitive than the rest of us? No wonder you need those earplugs..."
"It's not so much that..." A particularly obnoxious croak drifted over to them and Chopper shuddered, making a disgusted face. "It's what they're saying..."
"Yeah?" Zoro had honestly never given any thought to what went on in the mind of a frog.
"They're trying to attract mates, you know," the doctor explained.
"So it's like a crowd of froggy Sanji's out there?"
"Worse!" Chopper shuddered again. "Do you remember that tavern we had dinner at a few islands back? Where those drunk guys kept making catcalls at the waitress?"
Unfortunately, Zoro did remember. He didn't think he was terribly easy to offend--arguments with Sanji aside--but even he had been appalled by some of the things the group of men had been shouting. Any member of the crew would have been willing to step in on the waitress' behalf, but Sanji was, of course, the first on the scene. Zoro had taken a measure of satisfaction in watching the cook literally kick the snot out of the drunken men!
"It's like that, huh?" Chopper nodded solemnly in reply. "Is there anything that will make them shut up?"
"Well..." Chopper thought about the question carefully. "They'll be quiet if they think a predator is nearby, so they won't draw attention to themselves."
"Hmm..."
***
Sanji had just finished cleaning up the galley for the evening when everything went oddly quiet. He stepped out on deck for a smoke and was surprised to see Zoro standing in the middle of the swamp next to the ship, all three swords drawn, going through the motions of some of his attacks.
"What are you doing, moss-head?"
"Training. What does it look like, curly?"
"At night? In the middle of a swamp?"
"Yep!" Zoro grinned maliciously around Wadou's hilt and sent a wave of air through a swath of nearby cattails.
"Whatever. At least you're keeping those shitty frogs quiet for a while!" It really was a nice break. He'd been beginning to crave frog's legs something fierce!
"Yep!"
Sanji rolled his eyes and turned to head below deck. He paused for a moment, almost certain he'd just heard Zoro say something about "slimy, little perverts!" He shrugged it off and continued on his way. With this crew, it was usually best not to ask!