A/N: For the 20 Years at Sea event, Day 17: Devil Fruits (cross-posted). I recently procrastinated course work by re-watching the first few episodes of the anime and had a bit of a laugh at the reactions around Devil Fruit.


Not Exist? Ha!

Zoro lay on the grass deck, sun warming the little of his skin that was visible from the newest round of bandages Chopper had insisted on applying to his wounds. Usually, when the little doctor had insisted that he not train with his injuries, he would use his time until he was distracted napping, but today a thought that had hit him as he watched their skeleton start up a new concert session occupied his mind.

He remembered traveling the East Blue searching for word of Mihawk, training and testing his strength. Taking bounties to fund his movements and building himself a reputation that meant nothing to him. He had heard tales of Devil Fruits occasionally during his travel and along with each of the tales was the scepticism that they existed.

Zoro himself hadn't really believed they existed, but he hadn't not believed either. In the way that he didn't believe in a lot of things that he hadn't seen before, but if he ever had proof he might (with the exception of God, he couldn't ever bring himself to believe that there was one being that decided everything about his life without giving him any say).

Then he met a met a rubber idiot in a Marine execution yard, who proved that they were real, even as many of the Marines tried to disbelieve what was in front of them. (Zoro often wonders, when he thinks back to that time, whether they had ever travelled very far or met many of their own colleges, because Smoker and the Admirals among others.) An idiot that had a dream that was bigger than even his and just as much conviction to see it happen (but no real ability to plan out how, Zoro at least knew he needed a sturdy ship and supplies).

After that it was like the floodgates of Devil Fruit users were opened and they ran into them more often on their island stops than not (Buggy, Smoker, the whole bloody Grand Line). But still as long as they remained in the East, the scepticism as Luffy fought remained.

The only stop in the Grand Line that they had made without running into a Devil Fruit user was with Laboon and the old man who tended him.

For something that was supposed not to exist, it was a little interesting that now almost a full half of the crew that he had made his own was made up of Devil Fruit users. Five to four. Luffy, Chopper, Robin and now Brook.

Well, least the Curly-Brow had proved to be a strong swimmer, so Zoro could occasionally leave the fetching of them out of the waves to another. It had been a bit annoying when it had only been him to grab his new captain, it had eaten into his napping time.