1
One Piece
Friendship Lost, Love Found
Chapter I
It had been four years since they had set sail for One Piece and Luffy had achieved his goal of being King of the Pirates, but that did not satisfy his thirst for living on the open sea. He had taken a share of his cut of the treasure and had a bigger and better Merry Gold built and had said in that way that only he could with that huge smile that only he could muster, "C'mon guys we've seen the east now let's go see the rest of the world!" And what had they done? They had all agreed to it so they all set off Luffy, Nami, Sanji, Usopp, Chopper, Robin, and of Zolo.
Zolo lay in bed thinking about the events that had trasnpired over the course of four years when someone knocked on the door sharply. "Yeah what is it?"
"Zolo we've come into port do you wanna come with us to town?" Nami's voice came from behind the door.
"Yeah whatever." He sat up and threw the covers back. "Gimme a minute."
Moments later Zolo strode onto deck. He was in a nasty mood today, for what reason he did not know, but he just felt like hurting somebody. He looked at his friends were on deck and scowled. It seemed that on the Merry Gold love was in the air. Nami and Luffy were engaged in a serious liplock that looked like they were going to die from lack of oxygen if they did not surface soon.
Zolo rolled his eyes. Friggin' lovebirds, he thought to himself.
Usopp held up an envelope with much elation. "Yay!" He danced around happily. "Kaya just said she loved me and she'll see me in a month!" He kissed the letter and flashed a large grin.
"That's great Usopp." Sanji patted him on the back and smiled at Robin.
She smiled back sweetly and batted her eyelashes.
Zolo rolled his eyes. Yeah, great. His lips pinched when he looked at Luffy and Nami who had started back to making out. "Chrissake would you two freakin' cut it out already! Some people on this ship would like to keep their appetite for breakfast." His voice was snappish and almost rose an octave.
They looked up from their seat on the starboard bow and Nami narrowed her eyes at Zolo. "You're just mad because you don't have a girlfriend. And no wonder ya big grump!"
Zolo looked up a the clear blue sky and grit his teeth in anger. No, not today. He was not going to argue with her today. A sigh escaped him as if he were trying to control his emotions or least keep from throttling her. He leaned a hand on his swords and shot her a scorching glance. "I'm leaving." He vaulted off the ship and landed on the wooden pier with a thud. He straightened and picked his way through the crowd to find the nearest tavern.
Soon, he found himself in a crowd of people as he walked down an old stone street. He snarled angrily as people jostled and bumped against him. "Hey watch it!" A figure in a bright blue hooded cloak bumped forcefully into him. "Watch it, I'm walking here!"
The figure bowed and scurried off quickly into the crowd.
"Friggin jeez." He touched his belt and found that his money bag was absent. "Shit! Hey come back here!"
The figure took off at full run down the streets, bobbing and weaving around the people without breaking stride. She leapt onto the tapered roof of a house and began running up and down the shingled houses agilely.
"Hey get back here! If I catch you you're dead!" He bellowed as he followed behind with just as much agility. Maybe he should have stayed on he ship like he started. Up and down and up and down they went as they bolted over the red roofed houses.
She jumped across the fifteen feet wide gap and landed lithely on the tapered roof, stopping for a brief moment to gain her balance. She bolted up the roof, slid down the other side, grabbed the edge and swung through the window. Glass flew everywhere as she crashed through the window and landed on the floor in a crouch.
The teenage girl in the bed awakened with a jerk and gazed at the cloaked stranger that ran out of her room. She blushed when the handsome green haired man carrying three swords at his waist landed on his feet and began pursuing the other stranger. She hoped to see the green haired stranger again, preferably in her bed.
She winded her way down the curving staircase, through the kitchen, and burst on to the busy street. Her cloak fell to the ground in a heap as she discarded it and took off like a rocket through the crowd with Zolo's money pouch in hand. Her red hair flew behind her as she grinned broadly.
Zolo flung the door open and looked down at the vivid blue cloak on the ground on the sidewalk. "Dang it!" He looked to his left at the sea of people and then to his right, but he recognized no one. A sigh escaped him. "Friggin hell!" He hit the air in frustration. "What a friggin day!" He put his hands in his pocket and started off towards his previous destination, a tavern. Maybe he could hustle some poor sucker out of his money.
Sixteen year old Jazz ran into an inn and up the stairs and to the last door on the right. She opened the door and entered the simple hotel room where her friend sat on a bed. "Cat look what I got!" She closed the door behind her and shook the full money pouch causing the coins to jingle. "It's totally full of gold coins!" She threw it onto the bed where Cat lounged.
Cat ran her hands through her jet black hair that flowed to the middle of her back and untied the pouch. Gold coins glinted up at her as if they were winking. Her sky blue eyes rounded and she squealed giddily. "Wow this has to be at least ten thousand beri!" This fortunate turn of luck meant that they could get out of town and on their way to another city before the enemy found them. "Do you know what this means?" She hugged the money to her white form fitting short sleeved shirt and giggled girlishly. "Lucky us and poor whoever."
Jazz flopped down on her simple cot and smiled at her friend that was seven years her senior. "Yeah, too bad though. He was really cute. I could have been here sooner but I had to stalk him for while so I could salivate over his godlike butt before I ripped him off."
Cat rolled her eyes. Yeesh, teenage hormones. She began counting the coins with a happy flare. "What'd he look like?" The gold was cold against her palms as she counted quickly.
She thought about Zolo's strong build and sighed dreamily. "He was tall, brooding, muscular, and had three swords tied to belt..."
Cat stopped counting instantly. Three swords? There was only one person she knew that carried three swords, but no, no it couldn't be him. He would never come this far into the West. Would he? "What color was his hair?"
"Green. Weird huh?"
Cat began to shake as a distant look took its place on her features.
"Cat?" She walked to Cat's bed and sat down. "Cat? Are you okay?"
Cat shook her head as if awaking from a dream. "We can't keep this money." She began putting the coins back in the money purse by the handful.
"Whaddya mean we can't keep it? Cat that's our ticket outta here." Her brow creased quizzically. She had never seen Cat turn down money.
"We can't okay." She wrapped the tie around the mouth of the bag and tied it firmly.
Jazz looked down at the tied bag. "But why?" Tears stung her eyes.
She pulled her thick knee-high brown boots onto her feet and got off the bed. "Because I said so." She commanded. She wrapped her belt and sword around her waist, slung her rifle around her back, and placed her throwing knives in their respective places all over her body.
Jazz rolled her eyes and stood with her friend. She hated when Cat talked to her like a little kid. "I know you can do better than that. Now tell me why!" She stamped her foot.
Cat whirled around. "Because we can't! Okay? Just get off my back!" She took in a breath trying to compose herself. "Now I'll go give this back to him, you stay here." She checked her lipstick and appearance in the mirror. It had been eight years since she had laid eyes upon him, she wanted to at least look presentable. However, it wasn't like she was going to let him see her face. He would surely kill her like he had promised all those years ago. She picked up her black hooded cloak and draped it over her shoulders and pulled the hood over her head, making sure her identity was concealed. She tied the pouch full of money around her waist and strolled out of the room.
Zolo had found a cozy tavern called the Dancing Maiden and found a seat in the corner where he could be alone with his thoughts. His eyes fell upon the unsavory people that gazed at him and he sneered. They turned around quickly. A feral smile crossed his lips. Chickens. He slumped in his chair. Damn he was so thirsty for some ale, but everything cost money and he had not one dime. He should have stayed on the boat. But he couldn't stand to see Nami and Luffy playing tonsil hockey anymore, because it irked his nerves. Everyone on the ship had someone to love. Nami and Luffy which did not come as a surprise to him. Usopp and Kya corresponded through long and lengthy letters, still no surprise. Sanji and Robin, heck he didn't know what was going on in that situation. The only bachelors on the ship were he and Chopper, and that made him feel even worse.
Why did he feel this way? Was it because he was twenty-four years old now? Or because he wanted what everyone else he knew had? Whatever it was, he often found himself laying on his back at night thinking of the purely blue eyes that haunted him when he felt his loneliest. Zolo you're going soft, my friend. He laid his head on the table and grumbled peevishly.
"Hey handsome." A sexy voice spoke.
He lifted his head and ran his eyes over the beautiful black haired, olive-skinned woman standing over him. "Hey." He cracked a smooth grin.
"You thirsty for some ale?" She put a hand on her hip.
"Yeah." He arched his eyebrow, waiting for the catch.
"I could buy you a couple of glasses for a price." Her eyes roved over him hungrily, undressing him with her eyes.
"And what would that be?"
She grinned lustfully at him and flipped her hair. "Take a wild guess handsome."
He sat up and folded his arms. "I think I'll pass." Hell he needed money but he didn't need it that bad. He had never paid for it and he was never going to pay for it. And he darn sure wasn't about to sell it, no matter how pretty the woman.
An annoyed expression passed over her features."Your loss." She turned and strode away swaying her hips seductively.
A grimaced passed over his face as he sat back into the wooden straight-back chair. His stomach growled hungrily. "Great. Friggin' great." If he was lucky one of his crew members would come in and loan him some money. He just hoped it wasn't Nami, because her interest was through the roof. He laid his head on the hard table, closed his eyes, and began to nap.
Cat entered the tavern and scanned the room, looking for green hair. She gulped when she saw him sitting in the far corner of the room. He was sleeping. A grin crawled across her lips. He still had that habit of napping quite frequently throughout the day, but she knew better than to approach him too quickly. His senses were impeccable and he would wake up at the slightest feeling that something was amiss. She took in a deep breath and strolled towards him.
He was taller than she remembered a lot taller. His arms were well-muscled like they used to be, but she could tell they were trained to move with unbelieving fluidity, speed, and precision. She would barely stand a chance against him. She pulled her hood further over her head, concealing her identity to a greater extent, and let the cape of her cloak hit the floor. Her throat opened and closed spastically as she neared him. Just relax, he won't know who you are.
Zolo tensed when he heard quiet footsteps approaching his table. He sure hoped someone didn't want to fight, because he was hungry and didn't want to waist his energy carving some unfortunate soul up like a jack-o-lantern. He opened his eyes when something heavy fell on the table causing a thud mingled with the jingle of coins.
"I am sorry that the child stole your money purse. She can be quite rambunctious at times." She tried to disguise her voice as she spoke, but then realized that he probably wouldn't recognize it anyway.
He sat up and looked at the cloaked figure. It was a woman, that he could tell from her curvy figure. "Yeah, rambunctious." He undid the tie and looked in the bag, making sure it was actually coins. Something caught his eye. It was the ring on her right middle finger. The ring had a golden band with a single black gemstone on its mount and a red dragon winding over the stone. It was identical to the ring Cat used to wear. "Where'd you get that ring?"
Shit! She had forgotten about his attention to detail. "I bought it from a poor young woman that needed money." Her voice threatened to crack, but she calmed her emotions.
He folded his arms and stared at her for a brief moment.
It felt as if he were looking straight through her disguise as he gazed at her with those piercing jade eyes. She knew that he was trying to figure if he should believe her, but she could also see just a small bit of interest in those green depths. "So, I have to go." Her boots thunked against the floor as she stepped back.
He arched an eyebrow at the shakiness that wound its way into her voice. She afraid of him. But why? "Thanks for bringing back my money, I really need it." Really, he didn't but he had never liked the idea of someone other than him spending his money without his permission. He smiled appreciatively.
She blushed behind her hood. He was so, so, so handsome. She had always found him cute, even when they were best friends, but then she had found him scruffy like a pet dog. Now, however he was a different handsome, now he was strikingly handsome that was seamlessly combined with a certain kind of sensuality that melted the senses of any woman. It was these thoughts that caused Cat to forget herself and utter a phrase that she should have never said. "No worries my friend." She turned quickly and walked out of the tavern.
Zolo sat upright and his face took on a thoughtful expression. He had heard that phrase many times in his teenage years, because it had been uttered by one his best friends and one of the people that had hurt him deeply. "No way." Could it be her? Why would she come out this far? He jumped from his seat, grabbed his money purse, and took off out of the pub. He skidded to a stop when he saw the street teeming with pedestrians. Not again! He raked his eyes left and right. This was the first time in eight years that he had the chance to see her and now it was slipping through his fingers. He needed to know if she grew up alright, if she had taken good care of herself, and if she was sorry for her betrayal. If she got away this time he didn't think he could take another eight years of not knowing, because it would eat at him mercilessly. A carriage passed and he spotted her black cloak down the street straight ahead.
Dammit! Cat cursed herself angrily. How could she have forgotten herself and said those four words? Maybe he hadn't recognized the phrase, after all they were in an entirely new land and different people said different things. He wouldn't recognize it would he? I mean she only said it a couple of thousand times when they were friends. Aw hell. Zolo was smart, he always had been and now he probably was sitting in the tavern trying to figure out who had said that in life. He would figure it out and then he would hunt her down like she saw him hunt Johnny Blade. He was ruthless. She sidestepped as a large black horse pulling a open carriage trotted by.
Zolo's heart beat in his throat as he pursued her. His footsteps, although he was running full speed, were nearly silent as if he were on the hunt. He remembered Cat's acute ears and the ease at which she could always tell which direction he was coming from even if he tiptoed. However, he had improved at sneaking up on people in eight years, but then again she had probably improved as well. She didn't turn when he neared her. His heart fell. Maybe it wasn't Cat after all.
Cat was in such deep thought that she had let her awareness of her surrounding environment falter. She didn't realize someone was behind her until it was too late. A hand grabbed her hood and pulled it back, causing her long, thick, black, hair to spill forth. Stunned she turned and looked at him.
Pure blue eyes stabbed into Zolo as he gazed at her. It was her. It was Cat. He knew those eyes anywhere. His heart beat loudly in his ears as he tried to catch his breath. He could not speak and he could not move. All he could do was stare into the eyes of the woman as if she were a ghost. Barely did he notice the people around him as he regarded her with captivated eyes.
Fear gripped her as he peered at her with those sharp eyes. She didn't know what to do or say, and she always knew what to do or say. She usually had a plan, but this time she had gone in blind and was now flying by the seat of her pants.
Her eyes had the same look in them that they had ten years ago when they first met, surprise mixed with a butt-load of distrust. "Cat?" He finally found his vocal cords again. "Is it really you?" She looked completely different. He remembered a gangly thirteen year old that dressed like a boy, but she had really filled out and turned out to be rather beautiful.
She swallowed. "Yeah." She averted her gaze to the people in the street behind him and then up at the sunny sky. "It's me."
He folded his arms and gave her a quick once-over noting not only her ample breasts and round hips, but the weapons concealed beneath her clothes. "Been a while."
She nodded but did not speak.
He took a slow step forward. A need to hug her all of sudden rose into him and he hadn't felt that need in many years.
Alarm rose into her mind. The stones grated as she stepped back with a foot and her hand automatically dropped to her sword hilt.
Zolo noted this behavior. Why was she so tense? Then it came back to him. 'When I see you again traitor, I'm gonna make sure I split your skull!' Those were his exact words to her before she left town. Damn. He lifted his hands, showing that he didn't intend to hurt her. "How about a drink?"
Her eyes narrowed at his question. "What's your angle Zolo?" She was trying her best to seem unshaken by his presence, but she was failing miserably.
He put his hands in his pockets. "No angle Cat."
She stared at him trying to read his expression so she could have some clue as to what he was thinking, but she found none. He had always been good at hiding his emotions, but now he was better. "How do I know you're not trying to make good on that promise you made ten years ago?"
He rolled his eyes impatiently and kicked up a little dust with his boot. "Do you want a drink or not? Because it's hot and I don't have all friggin day to stand out here with you," he said with a little more venom than intended.
She relaxed and restrained a smile. "Fine. Jeez." They fell in stride together down the street.
"Do you like ale?" He asked while keeping his eyes on the foot traffic.
She shrugged slowly. "When I'm in the mood."
They strode into the bar and sat at the exact table where she had found him. Zolo ordered a pint of ale and vegetable stew while she requested a small mug and a napkin. The atmosphere at the table was so thickly tense that the surrounding patrons could feel it like the wake from a ship. Silence permeated them as they both sipped their ale quietly. Both had many things they wanted to get off their chest, but neither could find the words.
Zolo pressed his forehead against the glass in frustration. He didn't know what to say. It's not like he was the most expressive apple in the bunch, but dang anything was better than this deafening silence. He wished Sanji or maybe Robin were with him, they were always good at handling these situations. A sigh escaped him.
She looked down at the ale in her mug. "So... how've you been?"
He looked at her and almost smiled. "Good. Believe it or not I'm a pirate now. Firstmate of the Straw Hat Crew."
She smiled with pinched lips. "So I heard. It's ironic really. You used to be afraid of the ocean, but now you're spending just about all your waking days on it." She swished the ale in her cup and grinned at him warmly.
He returned her smile and leaned back in the chair. "Yeah even I got the sense of it. What about you?" She looked down at her cup again as if debating on her answer and then a sad expression crossed her face, but disappeared in a breath.
"I'm okay."
Zolo noted that when she answered she switched her eyes to the window to his rear and then back to him. He hated when she lied. "You sure?"
She nodded quickly and gave a weak smile. "Yeah." Her eyes darted around the room suspiciously. "I'm okay." Her voice was etched with uncertainty as if she were trying to convince herself more than she was trying to convince him.
Zolo sat forward when the barmaid brought his bowl of steaming vegetable stew and began eating hungrily.
Cat twiddled her thumbs nervously. She needed his help but did she dare ask? Yes. She took in a breath. "Zolo?"
He looked up at her from his stew, which he found was very thick and filling. "Yeah?" Here it comes.
"W-would you help me if I asked?" She raised her eyes timidly to look at him. His lips were pinched and his jaw worked.
He chuckled bitterly and put his spoon down next to his bowl. "You wanted to know if I had an angle and you're the one with the angle. I should have known." He shook his head regretfully. "I should have known that you wanted something out of me."
Her jaw clenched she gave him a scorching gaze. "You've got an angle too. I know what you want. You want to me be sorry for what I did to you eight years ago. So you can feel better about your life and for calling me Nameless when you knew that hurt me to the bone." She leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. "Well, I'm not Zolo. I'm not sorry for what I did, because I did what I had to . If you wanted more from me, too bad... Because I ain't seeking forgiveness. From you or anyone else."
He inhaled deeply and let out a slow deliberate breath as if were battling with the idea of strangling her. "I thought..." He thought that now maybe things would be different, but he was wrong.
She scoffed. "You thought what Zolo? That I had changed."
He looked at her hopefully. "Yeah."
She chortled mockingly. "You're getting soft Zolo. You of all people should know that time changes all things and can turn a fourteen year old boy into a man. It can turn you cold, harden you like the steel of a blade and leave you exhausted and wanting for things that will always be out of your reach. That's when you accept the hand you've been dealt and roll with your mistakes." Her eyes began to gloss over as tears stung them.
"So nothing's changed?" He asked with set teeth.
She stood slowly. "Nope. There's bad blood between us, Zolo and there always will be." She turned and walked towards the door.
He followed her signaling to the barmaid that he was not skipping out on the tab. The evening sun hit him in the face blindingly so as he stepped outside. He gripped the hilt of one of his swords. "What if I want to make good on that promise?" His voice came out low and dangerous.
She stopped in the street. "Go ahead, but you'll have to get in line first." Her eyes fell upon him when she turned. The ornate hilt of her sword was cool between her fingers as she gripped the hilt. Damn. She definitely couldn't beat him with her sword, maybe if she shot him first. No he would impale her before she even aimed her rifle. The throwing knives concealed in her sleeves were the best bet. Her heart thumped in her chest as she watched him warily.
He couldn't do it. He could not make good on his promise, at least not with her. He dropped his hand from his sword and looked away.
She relaxed her grip, turned on her heel, and strode down the street. Tears began to flowed down her cheeks. She hated lying to him just as much as she had eight years in the past
Zolo sighed as he watched her disappear into the crowd of people. She had been his best friend once, and now they were enemies. He hung his head and reentered the bar to finish his food and to dig up memories of long ago.
