Time after Time
Chapter One
Returning to Life
Whatever people said about the Straw Hat Pirates, no one could deny that they were formidable; especially the captain and his first mate. Citizens shuddered when they thought of those two pirates, and there were many a debate about which was more frightening: Luffy's carefree attitude or Zoro's steely, glittering glare. It wasn't that they hurt civilians, in fact there was not one instance of the Straw Hat's injuring civilians, but just watching them fight marines was enough to make people cringe when they heard their names.
On this particular day the Straw Hat's were out at sea, sailing away from a small inhabited island in the New World. They had been turned out of the village almost immediately by the mayor of the one town that was established there, his reasoning being that without Whitebeard's protection there was nothing to defend them if other pirates came looking for a fight with the Straw Hats. So, while the rest of the crew distracted the residents Nami snuck into town and stole provisions for the next part of their journey.
Now the Thousand Sunny drifted aimlessly through the blue-gray water, splitting the gentle waves with her bow and all through the ship serenity infused the air. Luffy was napping below deck; Franky and Usopp were sitting in the workshop, Usopp sketching out a plan for another invention and Franky polishing his tools. Nami and Robin were playing a game of chess and Sanji was preparing dinner in the kitchen, the aroma of baked fish drifting through the door. Sanji hoped it wouldn't wake Luffy. The last thing he needed was Luffy asking when dinner was every two seconds. Chopper was cleaning the infirmary and Brooke was keeping watch up in the crow's nest, resting his chin on one bone hand and gazing out at the sun. Zoro was standing on the grassy deck looking up at the dark blue sky.
The green haired swordsman watched the sky almost sadly, with sadness in his eyes that would have puzzled his crew members if they had seen it. His swords hung at his side as always, and his hand moved over their grips restlessly. His tan skin seemed strangely sallow, and his feet scuffed the deck seemingly without their master's knowledge. It was apparent he was distracted.
Indoors, Nami and Robin finished their game of chess, Robin winning with an excellent showing from a reckless pawn and incredibly bloodthirsty bishop. Nami was disgruntled by the loss and glanced out the window to the deck, noticing a certain nakama standing there. She went to the door and glanced up at the sky. With a sigh, she opened the door and walked out onto the deck, the sound of her heels crunching on the wood alerted Zoro, and he turned to look at her, his eyes dull and somehow darker than usual.
"What is it, Nami?" He asked her, looking at her thin form. Nami tossed her red hair and put one hand on her hip.
"It's going to rain, so you better come inside, idiot," she said briskly, turning around as soon as her voice trailed off and walking back inside the Sunny. Zoro watched her go, than looked back up at the sky, not moving. A few minutes later, just as Nami predicted, droplets of water began to fall from the sky in a dance that almost seemed to defy gravity. The gentle impact of rain on his skin caused Zoro to blink, but he continued to look up at the sky.
"Hey, Zoro," Luffy's voice called from the door of the kitchen, "C'mon in! Sanji made dinner!" The swordsman did not respond. "Zoro," Luffy said, slightly confused, "It's time to eat." Luffy was slightly unnerved by the lack of response he was getting from his first mate; although Zoro did not always give a direct answer, he always supplied some indication that he had heard you.
Suddenly Zoro was sprinting across the deck, his eyes still fixed on the sky. "Zoro," Luffy yelled, running out into the rain. His first mate wasn't going to jump into the sea, was he?
Luffy looked up wildly, trying to spot whatever had caught Zoro's eye. It was obvious. Falling from the sky was something far bigger than a raindrop. As Luffy watched, he identified the girl who was tumbling from the sky as having long, straight blond hair, a thin frame much like Nami, and a short stature. As he watched, he saw Zoro reach up into the air to catch the girl before she hit the deck of the Sunny.
The girl fell into Zoro's arms, limp and unmoving. Zoro went down on one knee to absorb the impact just as Luffy ran over to him. "Who is it?" The captain asked, crouching by Zoro, gazing at the girl's face. Zoro looked at the girl he was holding in his arms.
"I don't know," he said. They knelt there for a few minutes, not sure what to do, and just as Luffy was going to stand up and go fetch the others, the girl stirred in Zoro's large, tan arms and opened her eyes, which Luffy now saw were big and a dark chocolate brown. Looking straight into them, he saw a golden undertone in their hue that made them appear like a molten brown color, swirling and full of life.
The girl blinked and sat up, one hand on her head. She looked at Zoro, Luffy, then around at the Sunny. A puzzled expression came to her face and she looked at them again. Her eyes swept to the wheel, the grass covered deck, the crow's nest, and then the flag.
She looked straight at Luffy. "Pirates, right. The Straw Hats, I think." Her voice was strong and pure with a hint of sarcasm lurking in the undertones.
"Yes." Luffy replied. The girl stood up, brushing herself off.
"Well," she said, "That's fantastic." She rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath, "How am I ever going to find Marco now."
"Marco," Luffy said, gazing at her intently, "Marco as in Whitebeard's previous first division commander?"
"Oh," said the girl, cheering up a bit, "You know him? Do you know where he is?"
Luffy shook his head, but Zoro answered. "No, we're not sure where he is, but he must be somewhere out here in the New World. He's probably searching for the One Piece too."
"Anyway, what's he to you?" Luffy asked, crossing his arms and trying to look imposing. The girl raised one eyebrow.
"Marco and I are a couple," she said flatly, "Can you help me find him?"
"Sure," Zoro said, earning him a gaping look from his captain. "What," he said in response to Luffy's look, "We're going to run into him eventually, and having someone else along may help." He turned to the girl. "Can you fight."
"Probably just as well as you can," she replied sassily. Zoro bit back the urge to retaliate with his swords.
"Okay then," he said, turning back to Luffy, "See? She could be a help."
Luffy looked suspicious, suspecting that his first mate may want this girl around for a different reason. After all, she was very pretty and Zoro was single, but the look vanished from his face as soon as he thought about it, and he laughed. Zoro wouldn't ever fall in love, let alone at first sight. He wasn't that kind of guy. "Okay, sounds fine!" He exclaimed with a guffaw. "Just two things," he said, his attention directed towards the girl, who was now trying to mop the hair away from her face.
"What?"
"One: How did you fall from the sky, and Two: What's your name?"
The girl laughed, than looked at Zoro and Luffy. "Okay, first," she started, still chuckling, "I got left behind on a sky island by accident a year or two ago, and eventually drifted to the edge and fell in the little boat I had. And Second: my name is Pepper."
~Author's Note~
Hey all, me here! This is my first actual story, so reviews and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated! Thank you for reading, I hope you follow the story and others I am writing in future!
-ShatteredElement