A/N: Hi there! Adding this edit for anyone new to my fic:
Be patient with these first chapters. I just needed to get the ball rolling. Good news- I'm getting better as I go, and plus, I have an awesome beta helping me now. I don't have a regular update schedule, but I'm always writing and editing this. I meander through subplots and some tropes, and this fic will hit the 200k mark near its end. You could call this a slow-burn, but think of it as foreplay ;) Speaking of, I also post this on AO3 under the same author and story names, so if I get censored here, please migrate over to AO3!
This story takes place a while after Wano(!), in the vague future of the canon OP universe. Zoro is about 24 years old here, to give you a reference point. The SHC hasn't reached end game goals yet—the adventure continues. I plotted this fic out years before Wano started in the manga, so my ninja are nothing like Oda's. I'm writing to develop my OC (the shitty little ninja, obviously), who belongs to a different, original universe and story. Just keep that in mind as I mesh her with OP. Sometimes shit goes awry, sometimes it works well. That's life, yall. Feel free to skip the ninja-related scaffolding, of course.
I'm just happy my OC and this story exist in the world in some way. I really hope you get some enjoyment out of this!
One Piece characters belong to Oda. The ninja girl & associated shenanigans are mine.
WARNINGS: This fic contains graphic depictions of violence and very explicit sexual content. There are also scenes depicting PTSD, panic attacks, dissociation, and suicide. PLEASE DM me with questions about these tags if you're concerned or if you feel I've left any warnings out.
It was a fact of life for the Straw Hat crew that mornings often began with shouting and shrieking. While it didn't necessarily bode well, there was not often a real cause for concern.
Waking up to the shit-cook screeching from the galley wasn't particularly uncommon either, but it never had a happy ending.
Grumbling to himself as he half fell out of his bunk, Zoro made his way to the kitchen to see why the hell the shithead was being so goddamn extra this morning. He rounded on the galley, hanging in the doorway to look on passively as twirly-brow attempted to strangle the life out of their beloved but good-for-nothing captain. It was a testament to his stress that he used his hands and not his feet.
The rest of the crew had already gathered to their usual places around the table, no one moving to interfere on Luffy's behalf, so Zoro simply took his own seat. Nami muttered about needing to update the locks on the fridge and pantry yet again. It became evident that the rubber bastard, with his bottomless pit of an appetite, broke into the kitchen last night and ate through most of their stock in a midnight snack attack. Once the shit cook's anger was blunted by the cathartic release of strangling Luffy, he set about assessing the damage and reallocating their supplies while he put together breakfast, bitching about how eggs were about the only thing their captain hadn't inhaled.
The meal was a relatively quiet affair, since Luffy guiltily sulked and twirly fumed.
Near the end of the meal, the cook finally sat down and informed Nami that they needed stop and restock as soon as possible. As the blonde took a long drag of his cigarette, clearly trying to calm his nerves, Zoro actually refrained from insulting him for blowing a damn fuse over the whole thing. The asshole took their nutrition so damn seriously, and beyond that, well... There were only two things that ever put a look of fear in the shit cook's eyes and running out of food while at sea was one of them.
Instead of telling him to chill the hell out, Zoro started a fight with him by accidentally elbowing him every thirty seconds while they scrubbed plates together at the sink. It didn't take long before Sanji was distracted and engaged in a spar with him, letting a little steam off while Nami consulted her maps for a pit-stop to restock.
After a short hour, their navigator announced that the Sunny would be making a detour to reach land later that afternoon. Apparently, there was a small, inhabited island not so far away, and while it would take the ship several hours off their current course, it was a lucky break nonetheless.
Twirly visibly relaxed, while Nami put a few extra lumps on their captain's head after he claimed 'see, no big deal!'
The rest set about their typical morning routines, including Zoro. He did his usual crunches while hanging off the balcony before starting weight training in the crow's nest.
Best get in a good workout before they made landfall that afternoon.
The island was indeed small, populated by hardly a couple thousand people who concentrated in a little village along the coast. Everyone but Luffy and Nami disembarked. Luffy was essentially in time-out and on ship-watch duty, while Nami stayed behind to recalculate Sunny's course given the unforeseen pit-stop.
In town, Zoro wandered through a maze of alleys off the main market square, considering all the mixed smells and details of his surroundings except his direction or heading. Letting his senses draw him towards a seedy tavern that promised booze, a quiet but tense scene caught his one open eye.
Ahead of him, a Marine hulked over a smaller figure in an aggressive way, crooning words that Zoro wasn't yet close enough to hear. Though the person wore a cloak, her legs and shape were definitely feminine, and it wasn't difficult to guess what the man was suggesting. The small woman faced away from Zoro, and her profile was further shadowed by a black cowl wrapped protectively around her head, so he couldn't see her face, but he didn't feel any fear from her. In fact, her energy was more irritated than anything, and not only that, she was quickly losing her patience. Heh.
He regarded the big man again, noting his glassy eyes and unkempt appearance.
Zoro rolled his eye. Great. In his experience, a Marine that couldn't handle his booze could be a real pain in the ass.
The slight female tried to side-step around the Marine with a stern, monosyllabic negative, but the drunk matched her sideways step to prevent her from passing by. As Zoro came into ear-shot, he could hear the man's sloppy slur and trashy words. "Wait, wait, waiiit! I hear the women around here looove military men! Now, come one. Show me some hospitality, and I'll maybe be gentle."
The woman didn't answer but yet again tried to step around the man, and the drunk mirrored her step, blocking her a second time, not taking no for an answer. Bad move there, drunk guy. Surprising the Marine, the female squared up to the much larger soldier with a calm but hard voice, enunciating through clenched teeth. "I said no. Let. Me. Pass."
"We can do this th'hard way, or I can make ya feel reaaal niiiice if you cooperate. Now lemme—" The drunk slurred and tried to paw at her chest, but she pulled back so he couldn't touch her.
Her pitch and haki dropped to downright menacing while her expression remained composed even if a little angry. "Touch me and you die. Only warning."
Zoro's eyebrows climbed, because hell, the girl radiated hostile intent. She wasn't bluffing. What a dangerous little thing!
He continued to observe the pair carefully as he made his way towards the tavern just beyond them. The drunkard had cornered the woman long enough that Zoro was only a few meters away now. Still, he felt no need to interfere; the girl was not in trouble. Heh—couldn't say the same about the Marine though.
But when the drunk guy grabbed out more aggressively, Zoro noticed a slight catch to the female's actions as she dipped out of his reach again and then kicked the guy hard between the legs. She favored her left side in a funny way, like something was wrong with her shoulder or chest... He focused harder and caught a glimpse of dark dampness to her cloak, across her left shoulder. Blood. Freshly injured?
The soldier had doubled over for a moment, groaning and cursing her as a 'worthless bitch' before righting his posture and using all his drunken stupidity and pain tolerance to lunge at the small woman. What a fuckin' moron... At any rate, the short exchange had moved the two strangers directly into Zoro's path to rum. Faster to solve it himself. And he'd probably be doing the soldier a favor in this case, on account of he wouldn't kill him like the girl seemed ready to do.
"You're in the way, asshole." He muttered grumpily, approaching the pair on his way to the tavern.
The big Marine turned his glare on Zoro but stopped short when he apparently recognized him. "Y-yo-you're pirate hunter Ror—!"
He drew Shuushi, unceremoniously thwacked the drunk over the head with the flat part of his sword, and resheathed the blade before the dumbass had even registered what happened. The soldier's eyes rolled back into his head, and he crumpled to the ground without another sound.
"Che. Marine scum." Without stopping, he moved along toward the tavern, thinking of the booze.
The girl had taken a few steps to the side in a subtly defensive move, and Zoro finally looked at her as he passed. He could see her face now that she looked directly up at him, observing him with shrewd, amethyst eyes, their gazes locking and holding.
Badump. His heart thumped against his ribs as they watched each other, the seconds slowing as his instincts kicked in. Wisps of long, darker violet hair peeked out of her hood and framed her pretty face, very nearly distracting him from the way she assessed his entire being, seeming to deliberate something behind her stoic expression that didn't at all match her laughing eyes. Badump. She was far smaller than her haki presence had made her seem—the little thing hardly reached chest height. And from what he could see behind her hood, many small, silver rings lined the shell of right ear, matching the dual hoops of her double-pierced nostril and complimenting her waiting, viper-like haki. Badump.
He ignored his bodily reaction and simply smirked at her. Dangerous and fuckin' cute, too.
She offered him a quick half-smile in return, cautious but subtly amused. "Thanks, I guess."
Her voice was quiet but steady and confident, sparking more warmth in him. "No problem." He stepped over the unconscious drunk, still heading toward the tavern and leaving the girl behind, wondering at the sudden tension in his chest and guts when he finally broke their strong eye contact. He spoke without looking back. "You should take care of that injury. Ain't smart to walk around without enough blood, ya know."
He let the prospects of a mug of rum overtake his attention again, finally entering the tavern. He found a seat at the bar away from the crowd and ordered some food and booze before resting his head on his hand, closing his eye for a short nap.
Purple and metal…
Damn nice combination, in truth.
Zoro stirred when the barkeep dropped a heavy mug and plate in front of him. As he woke and started to eat, he sensed a newly acquainted presence down the opposite end of the bar.
He subtly observed her in his peripheral. The purple-haired girl from earlier sat on a stool, back to the crowded room and distinctive hair still covered, cloak in place and face still shadowed. She simply ate and drank, minding her own business while ignoring him and everyone else, so Zoro did the same. If he wasn't so limited on time, and she wasn't still bleeding for shit's sake, he'd have approached her again. He may not have been one for pleasantries and idle chatter, but she'd caught his eye, and maybe he'd caught hers as well.
After finishing his food, he was sipped his third mug of booze when the drunk Marine wandered into the tavern, apparently waking up with plans for revenge. The dumbass cursed Zoro's very own moniker, overall not doing a stellar job with the gutless attack to his back. He didn't bother to react or turn, knowing there was nothing to fear. The Marine drew a dagger, raised his arm, and sluggishly but accurately chucked it at the back of his head.
A second before Zoro would have tilted his head to avoid the pointy end of the incoming dagger, the cute girl from down the bar raised her hand with a quick flick her wrist. Within the same moment he detected her slight movement, the distinct ring of metal on metal tinked right behind his head. The marine's dagger jerked off course and embedded into the wall behind the bar, while a second metal object landed with a solid thunk in the neighboring bar-stool only a few centimeters from his thigh.
He finally looked down the bar to the woman, who calmly raised her mug to her lips like nothing happened. The Marine retreated altogether, disappearing from the tavern without a fight. Tch. Coward.
His gaze shifted down to the smallish weapon the mystery girl used to deflect the Marine's dagger, noting the hollowed out, ringed pommel, the ridged but bare tang, and the lack of a cross-guard. Palming the unique hilt and dislodging it from the bar-stool, he found the balance surprisingly hefty but comfortable and intuitive. The short, double-edged blade was elongated and narrow like a dagger, but with sharpened central ridges on both sides that tapered toward the point. It looked more like an ax grind. He'd never seen nor held a weapon like it, yet...
Zoro eyed the girl again, seeing her in light of her weapon, all shadowed and restrained behind her hood. He recalled his earlier impression of her haki presence, when she threatened the Marine douche, quick to anger and poised to strike.
Was she…?
The stranger finally cast him an appraising look as she stood and put a few notes on the bar-top, still wearing that neutral expression but capturing him with those enlivened eyes just as fully as before.
"Nice blade, lady." He casually tossed the weapon to her but watched carefully.
Her gaze didn't leave his as she deftly caught the odd blade with a finger through the ringed pommel, the momentum of the toss causing it to spin rapidly around her index finger several times before she palmed the grip with obvious second nature. Brushing back her cloak, she slid the weapon home into a small, hidden pouch on the outside of her thigh.
...Holy shit.
She was!
"Decent aim, too." She pointed out, straight-faced but bragging.
His jaw dropped. No way!
She finally grinned again, distinctly smug as she took in his stunned silence. Turning away without another word, she swiftly made for the exit, ducking her chin to shadow her face from the few people in the crowd who may have been paying attention to the bizarre exchange.
Zoro watched the mysterious girl's back as she left.
Did he just meet a fucking ninja?!
After several mugs of booze and many attempts to rid his brain of the most-likely-a-ninja girl's face, Zoro figured it was time to meet up with the others on the Sunny. He threw some Beri on the bar as he gave a nod of thanks to the bar-keep and departed.
The town was small with one set of docks, so he had no worries about finding the ship despite what the others said. But when he reached the shoreline, first thing he noticed was that the Sunny was not where he'd left it. Why'd they move the ship? Was there trouble? Next thing he noticed was the Marine battleship that most definitely was not present earlier. He slowed, eyebrows knitting together as the third child of trouble made itself known. Uh-oh...
"Tell us where the Straw Hats are hiding, and you'll get off easy." A Marine negotiated from nearby.
Zoro's attention snapped to the far end of the pier, where a small group of soldiers circled around someone. The presence he sensed was not that of a crew-mate, but one he now recognized, her energy quite distinct. He discretely made his way toward the group to catch a bit of the interaction, and for the third time that day, a now-familiar, feminine voice answered, an undercurrent of irritation again coloring her tone.
"I said it five damned times already. I don't know those pirates. I'm only trying to find passage to the next island."
Shit. Zoro continued to move in closer, unnoticed by the occupied Marines. Her words were probably true—they didn't know her, and plus, she now had a small pack across her back. The girl looked ready to travel.
"You lying bitch… you know the Pirate Hunter! I saw you with him!" It was the lewd, haki-blind drunk from earlier.
Double shit.
"Call me a bitch one more time, jackass." The little ninja didn't help the situation as her patience evaporated. "I dare you."
Zoro snorted softly. Dangerous, cute, and insolent.
Angered, the idiot Marine charged her with a sword, ignoring the commands of his superior to stand down. The girl dodged, almost lazily despite the quick but vicious spike of haki, and then used the soldier's own momentum to simply help him off the docks and into the ocean below. Something must have happened between him and the ninja that Zoro didn't see, something to do with that momentary energy she'd let loose, because before the soldier hit the water, blood spewed out of his mouth. He floated there, motionless, but Zoro's attention was quickly drawn back to the other Marines. They rushed her all at once, but she clearly out-classed them even while favoring her left side. Definitely hurt. Regardless, the ninja struck down a few more Marines with scary precision, her right fist faintly glowing a strange green color. Armament haki? But it was kind of weird...
More fresh blood, brighter in color this time, dripped down her left arm steadily enough that it started to puddle on the planks underneath her.
Well, hell.
He didn't care to get involved, but it was at least partially his fault. Drawing Shuusui with his left hand, he leaped into action, easily taking out a handful of Marines with a single projectile slash attack. Ninja-chick watched him carefully, apparently not at all surprised to see him but obviously weary as she again took subtle steps away from him while he sent the remaining soldiers flying. Damn. She'd so easily detected him despite being surrounded and distracted? What an intriguing stranger, indeed...
He turned to her, gazes locking yet again. Hers was still assessing and unafraid but definitely hazier than before, eyelids blinking closed but struggling to reopen as her breaths came fast. No wonder, with all the blood loss and that pallor. She clutched a hand to her left shoulder, obviously trying to put pressure on her wound, but it bled all the same. He stepped forward and raised a hand to do something, like help her stem the flow, but she leaned back and crouched a little lower, reminding him once again of a coiled snake. His hand dropped. The girl wasn't fucking around.
"Thought I told ya to take care of..." He gestured between her injury and all the blood under her feet. "That."
Annoyance flashed in her pretty eyes, voice low and serious. "Get..." She blinked again, eyelids fluttering as she started to slump, but she caught herself and snapped to attention once more. "Get out of my way."
He felt his brows furrow. "You don't look so good."
"Wow." Her tone had a sarcastic bite despite her controlled countenance and heavy breaths. "So astute."
"Che." Though her attitude was entertaining, she was in survival mode and almost out of blood. Better play nice, 'cause she just seemed like the type to be rash. He refrained from insulting her back. "Our doctor could fix you up, if ya want."
A noise in the distance took his attention—damn, more Marines mobilized nearby. Looking at the girl again, the small blade from before was suddenly in her right hand. He hadn't even seen her draw it from that pouch?! Sneaky. Noted. "You can hitch a ride on our ship for free." He thought of Nami. "Well, free-ish."
"Ugh." She scoffed, disdain crossing her features. "What a vulgar line."
"That's not—don't be stupid!" He scrubbed a hand through his hair, thinking he should really walk away. It would be so much easier. Walk away, Zoro. "Our doc will fix your shoulder, and then we'll drop ya at the next island, that's all."
Her eyes darted to the larger group of increasingly boisterous soldiers at opposite side of the docks, who were hyping themselves up to face the Pirate Hunter. She had her back to the end of the pier, and considering that swimming would probably be impossible with her shoulder, he'd inadvertently helped the Marines corner her. ...Oops. Probably this didn't look great.
She zeroed back in on him, looking a little more desperate as she fought to stay conscious. "Just get the hell out of my way!"
At this point, even if he wanted to step aside, the Marines were just as much after him now, too. And on top of that, she'd definitely bleed out trying to fight her way outta this. Still clutching Shuusui in his left hand and turning his eye to the Marines, he drew Kitetsu with his right and spun it over the back of his hand to bring it to the ready, gripping it tight.
"I have to take care of these bastards, so just hang on a second." He looked to her again, chiding. "And really, don't be so damn difficult."
"Difficult?" Yup, this one had a temper, all right. "Difficult?!" Her energy was approaching murderous even as she continued to bleed and struggle. Heh. "I'm going to fucking drown you if you don't fuck off already, you stupid, shit pirate!"
What a mouth! "You sure 'bout that? 'Cause—"
She cut him off by lunging at him, totally ignoring the inbound Marines and apparently finding one last reserve of strength!
"Are you kidding!?" He complained as he barely moved in time to block her stupidly fast attack. Was she aiming for his good eye?!
A whoosh of air burst forth from the sheer force of impact of their blades, and more blood spurted from her shoulder, painting the front of his robe and the exposed skin of his chest. Fuck yeah, the little thing could fight! It roused his darkest instincts once more, but he kept himself in control, and fortunately, her grip faltered as her eyes fluttered a few times. She gave him one last pissed-off glare before falling completely slack. The damn ninja passed out mid-attack!
"For fuck's sake…" He muttered, reaching out and simultaneously adjusting Shuusui in his grip so he could catch her before she fell. Zoro carefully angled Kitetsu away from her and pried her weapon out her hand—how was she still clutching it so tight?!—and carefully tuck it behind his haramaki. He had a feeling she'd put a hole in his carotid with her ninja-blade if she came-to. He shifted her weigh so he could sheath Shuusui and then wrapped his left arm around her waist, pulling her against him to keep her somewhat upright as he decided what to do next.
The Marines were only a few seconds from barreling down on top of them, and he was reluctant to keep involving himself, but there was no way in hell he could leave her with those bastard, half-dead and still bleeding. Not when they were actually after him and his crew. Not when he knew Chopper wouldn't forgive him if Zoro left someone in need of emergency medical attention behind.
How troublesome.
He hoisted her slight frame over his left shoulder, her hot blood soaking his robe and oozing over the skin of torso, the sweet tangy smell overwhelming his senses for a moment. "Don't die, purple."
With Kitetsu in his right hand, he turned to take care of the imminent soldiers and find out where the hell the Sunny went.
A/N: Please let me know what yall think! Reviews on these older chapters are soooooo awesome to get and totally keep going :)
Thank you for reading!