VERY IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ ALL OF THESE INFO/NOTES/MESSAGE FIRST IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THE LAYOUT OF THE STORY!
Warning: Rated T for language (cursing) and minor suggestive adult themes in Chapter 5.
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or its characters. I'm just a fan that's inspired by the great works of its creators. This is just a fanfiction and does not have any affiliation to the actual anime/manga. Also, I don't personally know much about Japanese culture or Geisha's in general. I basically just researched these background information.
Reading Guide:
This story will be told in third person point of view, but will also include narrations (first person pov) from our main character (Pansy). That can be annoying, so I will distinguish it in brackets with italic font, i.e. [iambabygg].
Ellipses ... indicates a change of time or scene.
Parenthesis with asterisk with italic font (*iambabygg) indicates my in-text notes.
Single quotation marks 'iambabygg' will be used to indicate a person's unspoken thoughts (kinda like a soliloquy).
Author's Message:
YOU'RE PROBABLY THINKING WHY THE F*CK DID I CHOOSE THIS PAIRING? LOL, WELL, BELOW IS YOUR ANSWER!
I was inspired by the Boss Luffy Historical Specials! (Special Ep. 4, Ep. 291-292, etc.) I love Zoro, and I loved how he was depicted as a monk, so that's why I decided to stick with that and create this FORBIDDEN LOVE vibe. I really liked the reference to feudal Japan, so I figured, why not use geisha's! The geisha's will be the Kuja's from Amazon Lily (*I really wanted the mermaids instead, since they are more 'friendly' with men lol, but I couldn't think of a 'perfect' female character, so yeahhh.) Since the Kuja's are geisha's, I needed a pretty and younger character; therefore, Pansy is our girl! (*she's the fighter from the Amazon Lily Arc.) Also, I needed Guy #2, so I chose Law, because, c'mon, he's such a hottie! #LOVETRIANGLE
Despite being geisha's, I will rule out a few things! (1) A new maiko does not have to change her name. (2) A maiko can be promoted to be a full-fledged geisha by age 18 instead of 20-21.
Last but not least, this story may or may not be slightly inspired by "Memoirs of a Geisha", the movie, because obviously, that's the media that introduced the word 'geisha' to me, and possibly some of you guys too!
Note: Chapters 1-2 are mostly introductions and background information. The love development starts around Ch. 3 and so on.
iambabygg ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ
Terms to know -
Geisha: a hostess, trained to entertain clients (generally men) with conversation, dance, and song.
Maiko: apprentice geisha
Okasan: literally "mother" - the owner/proprietress of an okiya
Okiya: geisha house
Ochaya: literally "tea house" - establishment where guests are entertained by geisha's
*more 'terms to know' will be listed whenever I introduce it in each specific chapters.
Main Characters:
Pansy, 18, a geisha
Zoro, 21, a Hakaisou (Buddhist monk who broke the rule of being one)
Law, 26, a nobleman and doctor
Marguerite, 18, a geisha (Pansy's best friend)
Gloriosa, aka Elder Nyon, the okasan
Other geisha's/workers of the okiya: Hancock (most popular geisha), Marigold, Sandersonia, Ran, Daisy, Rindo, Aphelandra, Nerine, Kikyo (head maid), Belladonna (doctor), Enshida (assistant), Cosmos, Blue Fan, Sweet Pea, Poppy
Doflamingo, 41, a daimyo (feudal lord)
Chapter 1: Spring, the Best Time for Flowers to Bloom
It was early spring, around March, and the flowers were just starting to bloom. The forest, next to a small town, were filled with various wild flowers. A little girl with brown eyes and short, black hair sneaked into the forest to play with the flowers. She spotted varieties of pansies and plucked them out, gently laying them into her basket. After collecting enough, she sat under a shady tree and started making a floral wreath. Once she completed, she held it out and gently gaze at it, admiring her masterpiece. Suddenly, the wreath was yanked from her hand.
"Hey! Give it back to me, Zoro!" she yelled out to the older, green hair boy that stole her art.
He examines the feminine headdress. "Eh? Since when do you like girly things?"
She blushes and steals the floral wreath back. "Uh, it's- I just found it!"
He can tell that she was clearly lying. "You already know that we aren't allowed to come to the forest alone, Pansy." She frowned and looked down. "Anyways, since we're out here, wanna go catch some fish?" She smiles and follows the boy. They went to the river and he made some spears out of tree branches. They spent the rest of the evening trying to catch as many fishes as they can. After filling up her basket, they happily walked back to town.
"Zoro! Pansy!" a tall man with a long ponytail, wearing round glasses shouted at them. He was clearly mad that the kids had been out all day without informing him.
"Sorry, sensei. We just went fishing. See!" Zoro showed the man the basket filled with fishes. He sighed and went up to them. The two were relieved that he wasn't mad. All of a sudden, he knuckle punches their heads, making them groan in pain. "Ouch! Sensei! We said we're sorry!"
"Next time, let someone know where you're going!" He took the fish basket to the kitchen.
The other children giggled. "You guys wanna get hit too!" Zoro threatened. They immediately stopped giggling.
"Koshiro-sensei was so worried about you guys, that's why he was so angry." They both looked at each other and smiled with relief.
After a while, the man came back with a tray full of cooked fish. "Dinner's ready! Come eat, kids!" The kids huddled at the dinner table and all shared their portions. All of the kids were not siblings or even from the same family. They had one thing in common – they were all orphans. It had been three years since Pansy was sheltered in the orphanage. Ever since living there, she became best friends with Zoro, who was three years older than her. Despite their gender, Zoro treated Pansy like his little brother, due to her tomboyish behavior.
[I spent the remainder of that spring playing with Zoro. We would always run around town, doing mischievous things, such as pranking people, and occasionally stealing candy or fruits from the local markets. We would always get caught by Koshiro-sensei though, and received harsh punishments. Even though we had no family, no money, and no education – we were just two little kids enjoying ourselves to the fullest. It was finally near the end of spring, and the orphanage got an unexpected visitor. She was an older woman, accompanied by a girl with short, blonde hair who was around my age. After speaking with Koshiro-sensei for a while, he nodded and walked to me.]
"Pansy. Come here and greet Elder Nyon." She bowed and greeted the short, old woman.
"How old are you, little Pansy?"
"Eight."
"Ah, just the same age as Marguerite-chan here." The blonde girl smiled to Pansy, while she smiles back. "Do you want to come with me, little Pansy? I can offer you a better future. You will learn various arts and become educated. All I ask, is for you to repay your debt when you grow up. What do you say?"
Pansy turned to look at Koshiro-sensei with a confused expression. He smiles and nods, gesturing her to take the opportunity. She didn't want to though. She looked over to Zoro, who was just minding his own business. "T-Thank you for your generosity, Elder Nyon. But can I get a few days to think it over first?"
"Sigh. As you wish. I will give you one day. I expect an answer that will benefit me. Good day." The two visitors got up and left.
"Pansy, you should have just said 'yes' and left with her. What if she doesn't come back for you tomorrow?"
"But, sensei, I don't want to leave. I still want to live here with-"
"Tch! Baaaka!" Zoro angrily stormed up to her face. "Do you know how lucky you are to have someone come and offer you a better life?"
"Z-Zoro?"
"Just go! You won't get another chance like this in a lifetime!" He turned around and walked away. Pansy's eyes started getting teary.
[I couldn't believe it that Zoro wanted me to leave. I thought we were going to be friends and live together forever. I felt so foolish to have such a strong hope for that unreachable dream. I immediately made up my mind that night and said my goodbyes to everyone at the orphanage, except Zoro. He was gone that night. Everyone was worried about him, but I didn't care. The next morning, Elder Nyon and Marguerite came back. I packed my belongings and got on the carriage. I tried to be tough and forget about that selfish boy, but inside, I was extremely worried and heartbroken that he hadn't come back to say a proper 'goodbye' to me. I drifted farther and farther away from the town. Still no Zoro. Soon, the town was out of sight. I knew right then, that we will never see each other again.]
…
After a few days of traveling, they finally arrived to the big city. It was very different from the small, country-side village Pansy grew up in. There were lots of building structures close to each other. The lively streets were filled with residents walking or riding carriages throughout the markets. They finally stopped at a certain building. It was very grand and beautifully decorated with white walls, brick pillars, red wooden posts, and pagoda tile roofs (*since Amazon Lily's original architecture and décor resembles ancient China, I will base the okiya as that, instead of the typical Japanese housing architecture).
Elder Nyon smiled to Pansy. "Welcome to my okiya. From now on, you will be living here. Marguerite, show Pansy to her room."
"Hai!" Marguerite guided Pansy through the outer courtyard to the inner courtyard (*Siheyuan style). As they were walking across the courtyard, Pansy saw a very beautiful woman, dressed in a red kimono nightgown. She is tall and slender, with pale skin, large breasts, and long black hair. She looked a little cranky though, as if she had just gotten up, even though it was nearly afternoon. Marguerite bowed to her. "Good morning, Hebi-hime." The woman saw that Pansy was mesmerized by her. She confidently smirk and elegantly walks across the courtyard to the main room. The girls walked to the west wing and entered a small room.
Pansy stored her belongings away and asked, "Who was that woman, Marguerite? She's so beautiful."
"Of course she is! She's only the most beautiful and popular geisha in all of Grand Jipangu!"
"G-Geisha? What's that?"
Marguerite giggled. "Seriously? You don't know what a geisha is? They are only the most beautiful and talented women ever! You and I will be trained to be just like them. Isn't that why you came to this okiya?"
"E-Ehh?!"