Disclaimer: The setting, characters, and plotline belong to Eiichiro Oda's creative mind. I am merely speculating on intention and meaning.
Author's Note: After a little thought I decided to move this piece into its own collection. I have others that will eventually join in this collection, but like the others I do not know when I'll be updating. Likely only when something interesting comes my way.
Summary: Being lost was relative most of the time. Zoro and his thoughts on what being lost means.
Timing: Post-Timeskip. Could theoretically be anytime
Sense of Direction
Being lost was relative most of the time. It wasn't like they had a specific time when they had to meet each other. And he always found his way to them eventually. Privately, Zoro knew he did get lost on occasion. But most of the time he ended up where they needed him rather than where they expected him. He honestly saw no point in getting fussy because turning left felt more right than turning right.
They all overreacted anyway. So what if he had found himself in a jungle rather than along the beach while taking a walk. And the map clearly had their destination on the right. When people told him to go north, what else was he to do when there was no more north to go? Up was the logical choice. And it wasn't his fault his swim landed him in the middle of the plains. Plus when he actually thought about it, having him lead the party usually avoided ambushes, like those Marines that had been ready to shoot them the moment they exited the stairs to the brig. That had been a big surprise when he found out about first the absence of guards when Sanji and Luffy entered then later about the mass of guns aimed for the door they had used. It was luck that guided his steps. He did not need to know where to go when fate placed him where he had to be. When they overreacted and tried to correct his course, that was when trouble came.
When he went for a walk, it wasn't just to stretch his legs after being cooped up on a ship in close quarters with a bunch of idiots. The moments of solitude and the absent minded movement allowed for thought. Deep thoughts. Sometimes he thought on various battle techniques or sword forms. Which attacks had proven to be worth perfecting, which needed changing. Sometimes he thought on history and his promises. Kuina was first and foremost in his mind. Luffy a close second. He had made promises to each of them that had changed his life. Sometimes he thought on Mihawk and the distance he had to achieve. All the other swordsmen he had fought were nothing compared to the greatest. But at least now he knew how far he had to travel. These walks let him clear his head and focus on what was important. No idiot cook, no greedy navigator, no attentive doctor, no childish captain. No general ruckus to cloud his head with annoyance. These walks kept him on track.
When he went for these walks, he didn't pay attention to his surroundings. He would arrive where he needed to be eventually. And his surroundings all looked the same after awhile. People posed a threat and they needed to be watched, but the background? The scenery wasn't going to kill him. And when he didn't feel a threat he could zone out and focus.
So he wasn't getting lost. He couldn't get lost when he had no destination. And when he did have a destination the directions he was given never made sense. How could he possibly be expected to understand directions when everything looked the same? He just left it alone and trusted his luck to guide him. Life really was more interesting that way. And now that he had joined with Luffy he no longer felt lost. Being with this crew must have been fate, because no matter what happened he always found his way back to them. And if he could always find them, why did it matter if he took some detours along the way?
Of course there were also times when he just didn't care where others directed him. He knew the shortest distance between him and where he needed to go was a straight line and damn them if they tried to make him go somewhere else. If he needed to, he could cut an opening wherever he needed one. It was one thing Luffy understood. He went where he wanted, guided by the wind and waves. Zoro chose his directions out of convenience and instinct. And whatever best suited him at the time was what he went with.
So when Zoro eyed the two ships in front of him, he knew which one was the fisherman's boat. He had been on those small rowboats often enough to know that there was no comfortable way to take a nap on them. The other gigantic ship was clearly a pirate's ship but the curve of the rail and the sheer width was perfect to recline on. He didn't know how long it would take for the fisherman to gather what he needed to fish. So Zoro simply leapt on the railing of the large ship and dozed off. He was waiting for the other crew members to arrive so it didn't matter how long he took. When they arrived, he would know. He would find them. That was fate. And he would never be lost while fate guided him.