Author's Note: 10/14/15- If anyone is interested in helping me by beta-ing this story, please let me know with a PM? If you have a story on this website or a sample of your writing, that'd be awesome :)

Before her stood a wall of blades encased in glass. She paced along the wall with a small smile, mentally recounting tales. She stopped in front of a scratched blade with a worn, brown hilt, and noticed the placard underneath. Pulling her red-rimmed glasses down from her head and in front of her eyes, Tashigi read part of it aloud:

"Donated fifteen years ago." She had asked the museum to keep her name from the records. It felt too much like bragging. Besides, it was rare for her to return to East Blue, so she appreciated that the museum staff let her patrol here from time to time to see these swords at her leisure. This was more than enough compensation. The date elicited a frown, however. Her fingers pressed against the glass barrier as she remembered.

She was walking home from her dojo, and a large figure shadowed her. She ducked into an alley, planning to face him with a wooden practice sword. Looking back, she thought herself to be a fairly reckless child.

"What do you want?" She asked, but he didn't reply. He unsheathed the sword.

"Where did you get that?" She didn't know the name of the sword, but the style of the hilt and temper of the blade told her it was legendary. She took a second look at her assailant. His hair was oily and matted, and his reeking clothes were stained and worn. He appeared to be destitute. That sword was probably the only thing of value that he owned, she figured.

"Shut up. Give me everything you have." He pointed the sword at her face. His stance was flawed.

She pulled out her wallet and grabbed the cash inside. 'There isn't much in here anyway. I think he needs it more than I do.'

"Here." She put the money into his hand. After that, his face twisted into something uglier. He stepped closer.

"Take off your shirt." He ordered. She shook her head. He had mistaken her generosity for fear.

A legendary sword should not be used in such a way.

This was the first one she had ever confiscated. She even handed it to the authorities herself. The drive to recover legendary swords from criminals was one that pushed her through the ranks of the navy. Each blade on this wall had a story behind it; not all were as easy to obtain. Tashigi had amassed a large collection for the Loguetown Museum, but even after a decade of naval service, she was unable to collect a few. Some of which had been right in front of her face in this very town.

"Someone like you is not fit to wield the Wado Ichimonji! Hand it over!"

"Come and get it." He smirked.

Her face scrunched as though she had swallowed something sour. As she thought of Roronoa Zoro, she noticed a strange flicker in the lights. Whether it was a shadow or an issue with the circuitry, she could not tell.

Tashigi treaded gingerly down the halls. The glowing red exit sign and a few floor lights were her only aid. This system was intended to protect paintings and other valuables from constant exposure to light. This put her at a disadvantage though. Even with glasses, she was likely to bump into a wall.

She closed her eyes and let instinct act. It had been some time since she had last used Observation Haki. In East Blue waters, there were few criminals that warranted her full power. It seemed that the target was an exception, though. Placing a hand on the hilt of the Shigure at her side, she squeezed her eyelids tighter, focusing on the quality of the intruder's aura. Perhaps there was something that could help her identify-

She groaned.

Releasing a breath, Tashigi walked towards the intruder. She did not try to muffle her footsteps because she was already sure he knew both where and who she was.

"The museum is closed. Please come back tomorrow during opening hours." She gripped the hilt as she spoke.

"Copycat woman? They demoted you to security guard?" A man with a green haramaki was leaning against a large column in the middle of the room, keeping to the shadows. She suspected that he was avoiding the security snail on the ceiling behind her. It was difficult to see him in the red glow of the room.

"If you do not leave now, I will have to use force." She warned. Zoro laughed.

"You really want to fight me?" He grinned and lifted the Wado Ichimonji. She winced again.

"I have nothing to lose. You won't cut me anyway."

His smirk faded and he sighed.

And disappeared.

She gasped, but her arm moved on its own, sliding Shigure out of its sheath and above her left shoulder. Her mind seemed to register actions several seconds after they occurred. She heard the clink of steel on steel, and the vibrations from the impact left her sword-wielding arm slightly numb. In the corner of her eye, she saw him hesitate and braced herself.

A flurry of attacks rained upon her, and she parried through each one. The weight of each strike pushed her further and further back. Every second took its toll, and her knees began to buckle.

"Your speed got better…" He muttered as though he were grading a paper she had written. She was unable to even reply; all her focus remained on blocking and fruitlessly searching for an opening. When it came to speed, she was comparable to him. But in terms of raw physical power, she was like a flea caught in a hurricane. And it pissed her off.

Throwing caution to the wind, she sliced through the air in front of her, but he vanished again. He was wearing her down. She closed her eyes and began searching for him with Haki until she heard him speak.

"One sword style…" Her eyes opened.

"You wouldn't-!"

"…Great Dragon Shock!"

The scream froze in her throat, and her body would not move. She could not even fall to the ground. All she could do was watch him close the distance. She had once seen him use this attack to slice a woman in half.

No…that's not completely true…

"What was that?! You didn't actually try to kill her at all, did you?" He'd chosen to scare that enemy into paralysis. Even though she was aiming to wipe out their comrades, he refused to injure a woman.

...Which means that this attack isn't meant to kill me either.

Her realization had only taken a split second, and it allowed her to turn her head slightly to locate his intended target. In an instant, she felt the air knocked out of her stomach, and her vision went black.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself sprawled on the floor with Wado Ichimonji's blade plunged into the ground beside her cheek. Zoro leaned on the sword with both hands, as if it were a cane.

"Are you… out of your mind…?! You could… break something important… in here!" Her breath came in spurts and her voice shook. She did not know if it was from exertion or rage. He pointed behind her, so she tilted her head backwards so she could see, albeit upside down. The security snail had toppled onto the floor. The creature was alive, but paralyzed and inoperable.

She lay her head back on the floor.

"Why did you come here?"

"There's something I have to tell you." He said, offering a hand to help her up. Though she took it, her other hand clutched the hilt of her sword.

"Should I ever get defeated or killed," He removed the Wado Ichimonji from the ground, "This sword will go to you."

She blinked twice, "T-to me?"

"Yeah you. I didn't write a will or anything so I thought I'd give you a heads up." He sheathed the sword and scratched the back of his head. He was no longer looking at her, but at the floor next to her. His behavior puzzled her as much as his words. She sheathed Shigure.

"I don't understand. After all this time and trouble, you really want to just give it to me?"

"I have my reasons why I picked you, okay? Anyway I gotta go. I don't wanna be here when this place opens up." He turned to leave, but she was not paying attention. She was wrestling with another puzzle.