Sanji's hands hurt. They hurt horribly and uninterruptedly.

It's intermittent, so he doesn't really know when he's going to feel. But it's been a while since the pain won't go away. Not even for a minute.

Nami informs the crew that it will rain tomorrow. Sanji hates to hear this this information, so he doesn't even compliment on her amazing weather predicting skills like he usually does. Nowadays weather changes just made the pain worse somehow. He watches them all eat their food while trying to ignore his hands.

He then tries to grab his cigarette pack on his pocket and stops midway, feeling silly for even trying. Feeling sick, he leaves the kitchen and waits for Zoro on his hammock, as usual. He can't sleep at all, the pain being so pungent it's insufferable.

He didn't tell Chopper. The little doctor told him this could happen, it was really common, according to him. He asked for him to come immediately to him if that was the case. But he didn't, and he won't. Yes, he feels fucking stupid for this, but he simply doesn't want to.

He's just trying so hard not to be a nuisance for the crew since he came back from being rescued. And even though Luffy makes a point to tell him almost daily how much he's needed he can't seem to believe it at all anymore.

Zoro arrives not much later, he probably picked up on Sanji's weird behavior. He can feel Zoro's eyes on him all the time lately, always watching, never saying a thing. They stay facing each other as Zoro yawns a million times, probably very sleepy already.

"My hands hurt." Sanji tells him, and it's barely a whisper.

Zoro looks kind of horrified, but also like he's trying his best not to look like it. But Sanji can see through it, even in the dim light of the boys' room. The swordsman just stays there and hugs him, like he always does, his calloused hand trying to soothe him, caressing his lower back.

Sanji stares at his own missing limbs on Zoro's back, looking at the beautiful talented hands there aren't there anymore, admiring the scars those wristlets left.

He wishes they were really gone, but their phantom is still there, forever haunting him.