Chapter 8

There was no ground to stand on, no air to breathe, nothing to see.

The only thing that existed was oneself.

...

Zoro suddenly opened his eyes.

Had he been dreaming? He couldn't remember. Zoro didn't even try to recall; he was too exhausted for that.

"I'm tired."

He didn't remember ever feeling this tired, even after long battles.

"Uh-uh, uwaah."

But the sound of whimpering immediately got him out of bed. Tiredness was one thing, but he couldn't just ignore that sound.

Zoro walked over to the source of the noise, the crib. Megumi was fussing. A diaper check ruled that out; it seemed like hunger was the culprit.

He opened the formula container and prepared a bottle with practiced ease, a routine he had quickly become accustomed to over the past few days.

Holding Megumi, Zoro placed the bottle in his mouth. The eager sucking suggested he was very hungry. Zoro felt a bit guilty.

The house was silent. It was dark because the lights were off, but he couldn't understand why it felt so chillingly cold. It was April; it shouldn't be cold.

Once the bottle was empty, Zoro, just as Chie used to do, leaned Megumi against his shoulder and gently patted his back.

A soft burp followed, and Zoro laid Megumi back in the crib. Seeming sleepy, Megumi yawned with his little mouth slightly open. Zoro softly stroked his hair.

"Sleep well, Megumi."

And, I'm sorry.

Blink, blink.

Green eyes hid behind the eyelids. Breathing became steady, and his belly gently rose and fell in sleep.

Zoro looked around, then walked over to the bookshelf. There was a book so thick it could be used as a blunt weapon.

'Parenting Encyclopedia'

It was the book Chie often referred to while raising Zoro. Whenever she had questions about parenting, she would consult this book. Of course, it didn't seem to have all the answers.

Knowing nothing wasn't an option now.

Zoro sat on the couch, placing the book on his lap and flipping it open. Despite the drowsiness that crept up on him as he read, he forced himself to continue.

"...Zzz..."

Eventually, he couldn't fend off sleep any longer. Books had never been Zoro's thing. The combination of a dark living room, a thick book, and the lure of sleep was too much for him, and he inevitably began to nod off.

Suddenly, it seemed like he heard laughter.

"You're a good brother, Zoro."

Instantly awake, Zoro jerked his head up. But in the darkness that filled the house, there was no one else besides him and Megumi.

"What was I expecting?"

It was a voice that couldn't possibly be heard. A person who couldn't possibly be there.

Yet, in the face of loss, people inevitably find themselves weakened.

Closing the book and getting up from the couch, Zoro walked over to the window. The sky was pitch black, not a single star in sight.

It wasn't the sky here, but once upon a time, Zoro too had made a promise under the night sky.

"It's a promise."

To a friend who shared the same goal.

Half unconsciously, Zoro's hand reached for his right side, the place where he used to carry his swords in his previous life. But now, without a sword, he only felt the emptiness at his side.

Everyone eventually dies. Turns to bones.

The strongest girl in the world, those called the strongest, emperors who ruled divisions of the sea, even the Pirate King who turned the sea and the era on its head, all eventually died and became bones.

Just as Chie died and was cremated, becoming a handful of ashes buried in the earth.

Thunk, Zoro rested his green head against the window pane. But...

"It didn't end there."

People leave something behind as they live their lives. Memories, will, dreams, stories, love...

A promise.

Thus, death was an end, yet not the end.

Even if one does not resurrect like Brook or Zoro, as long as there are those who remember and carry on their will. As the world and time continuously turn, and there exists someone who fulfills what that person wished for.

If there is a continuation that even surpasses death.

Zoro, too, had a promise with Chie.

"Tell them you love them."

Moving away from the window, Zoro looks back at Megumi. In the peaceful face of the sleeping child, he momentarily sees Chie.

It's heartwarming yet sorrowful.

He hesitates, then speaks. After a brief pause, he delivers the intended message.

"I love you."

It's awkward, but not dishonest. At least, that's what Zoro believes as he scratches his grass-like hair.

"...It feels strange."

But he'll get used to it. It was a promise, after all.

Although Chie's request was solely verbal, Zoro knew that words alone weren't enough. Words were necessary, of course, but actions were equally important. After all, Zoro himself was a person who prioritized actions over words. He might not yet know exactly how to show love through actions.

Naturally, the face of another person who expressed love very adeptly came to mind.

Wrapping his thick arm around Chie's waist, lightly resting his head on her shoulder, and whispering, "I love you."

It was Toji.

That day, Toji immediately took Chie's body from the hospital to the crematorium. After cremating Chie and burying her ashes in the cemetery, he sent Zoro and Megumi home in a taxi.

And he didn't return.

"What's he doing?"

Zoro had no idea. There was no way to find out.

He couldn't even call. He didn't know the number. Toji had never given Zoro his phone number, and Zoro had never needed to call him.

After all, Toji had always been there.

At times like this, Zoro didn't know how to accept Toji's absence.

"Let's just wait."

He decided to wait and see, and if Toji didn't return, then he would take action. Maybe Toji just needed some time.

Zoro settled himself somewhere between Megumi's crib and the front door. Leaning against the wall, he tried to catch some sleep in that position.

It was still a chilly spring day.