Chapter 1
Zoro and the Mysterious Girl
"Alright!" Nami said sternly as she slammed her hand on the table. Everyone looked at her, except Zoro who was looking at the island they just arrived on. "There is a small marine base on this island, so stay. out. of. trouble! Especially you two!" She glared at Luffy and Zoro. Zoro glared back, huffed, and then jumped off the ship. Everyone quickly fallowed and went their own separate ways.
Zoro walked down the street calmly, he knew it probably wasn't smart to be so out in the open, but he didn't particularly care. Until all of a sudden, he heard the sound of marines chasing someone and shouting, "Get him!", "Don't let them get away!", and "Split up and find the rest of the crew!" An almost on cue, he heard the familiar screaming of his captain.
"That idiot," Zoro said as he ran his fingers through his hair. Then he heard the footsteps of the marines heading in his direction. The green haired swordsman put his hand on his sword and started to draw it, but then the angry face of Nami appeared in his mind. After a sigh of annoyance, he put his sword back in its sheath.
"Quickly! This way!" a marine shouted as a group of them got closer to the street. Zoro heard them, and quickly began to look around for a place to hide.
The marines were about to turn on to the street. "Damn it!" Zoro said in frustration. Then, just as he was about to draw his swords, Zoro saw a dark alleyway and quickly entered it. The marines ran down the street, looking for the Straw Hats, and as they passed the alleyway, Zoro made sure he was hidden in the shadows. He waited patiently for the marines to be gone before moving.
Zoro smirked and turned to go out the other side of the alley. However, before he could even take two steps, someone ran into him. Zoro stood confused for a moment, and then looked down to see who had run into him.
On the ground in front of him was a young woman around his age. She had long black hair that was in two braids, and she wore a newsboy cap. She also had on a long trench coat that stopped slightly above her knees, and black, knee high boots. Finally, on her back was a small backpack that seemed to be packed full.
The woman looked up at Zoro and he was immediately drawn to her golden eyes. However, it didn't last long because he realized that she was giving him an annoyed look. Zoro raised an eyebrow and said, "Don't look at me like that. You ran into me."
She rolled her eyes, "True, but most people would be concerned or offer to help, not stare." She tilted her head and smiled, "I take it that you're not exactly a gentleman."
Zoro smirked, "I never said I was did I?" The girl giggled, and to his surprise, Zoro found himself offering her his hand. She took it and he helped her onto her feet again.
As he was helping her up she responded, "I guess not." She wiped the dust off herself and thanked him. Smiling, she asked, "So what brings you to this dark alleyway?" The woman glanced at his swords and then back to his face.
"I could ask you the same thing," Zoro retorted. She was about to respond, but they suddenly heard the shouting of marines. Zoro quickly looked towards the end that the shouting was coming from, and the girl looked to both ends. Then she glanced at Zoro and an idea formed in her head.
As the marines got closer to the alleyway, Zoro tired to come up with a plan of some kind. But before he could come up with anything, he was quickly pressed against the wall and the woman slammed her lips against his.
Zoro's mind went completely blank and he froze. After a little less than a minute, which was an eternity for him, the woman stepped back and looked towards the end where the marines just passed. Then, after a few more moments, Zoro regained his senses and shouted, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" The black hared woman looked at him out of the corner of her eye.
She sighed and then looked straight in the eyes, with a very serious expression, and began, "Well, Swords, if you must know… It's called a kiss and its whe-"
"I know what it is! Smartass!" Zoro shouted with a slightly red face. "I want to know why you did it!"
She smirked, "I'm sorry, did you want to get caught by the marines?" He gave her a slightly confused look, and she rolled her eyes. Then, the girl explained, "Ok look, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that you're hiding from the marines, so by kissing you, I just saved your ungrateful ass." She pointed towards the end of the alleyway, "Look. Right now, all the light is coming from that side, so anyone looking in from that side," she pointed to the other end, where the marines had passed, "can only see the shadowed shapes of anything or anyone."
Zoro glanced to each end, and saw that she was correct in her explanation. "Ok, but that still doesn't explain why you kissed me."
The woman rolled her eyes again, "Oh come on Swords, think a little." Zoro raised an eyebrow, and she sighed. "Tell me which looks more suspicious, two shadowed figures talking in an alleyway, or a couple seeking privacy in the shadows? Also, would you want to bother an intimate couple in an alley?"
She smirked on the last part, and then began to walk away. Zoro stared at the end the marines had passed, until something occurred to him. He quickly turned and fallowed the girl out of the alleyway. "Exactly what did you gain by helping me instead of turning me in?"
She smiled, "Now he's thinking." He shot her a glare, but she didn't react. "On this island, any crime will earn you a visit with the marine captain and the bigger it is or the more you run, the bigger the punishment. So I couldn't possibly have turned you in because it just so happens they're after me as well."
Hearing this, Zoro found himself more curious then surprised, so he asked, "And what exactly did you do to get on their bad side?"
"Well…" She glanced around to see if anyone was listening before smiling and exclaiming, "It's because I stole this!" The black haired girl pulled out a small, marble figure from her pocket, and grinned triumphantly. Zoro just gave her a questioning look. "It's a griffin! You know half bird, half lion, powerful mythological creature…" He just raised an eyebrow and continued to look at her. She cleared her throat and said while putting the figure back in her pocket. "Yes, well, I guess they are a little more concerned with the money, food, and the other things that I stole…"
She let out an awkward laugh and Zoro gave her a small half smile. The two continued walking, and Zoro glanced at her and asked, "What's your name anyway?"
"Why Swords? Liked what you got and now you want to go on a date to see if you can get more?" The girl snickered as a flustered Zoro tired to make sense of what she just said and respond. But before he could she continued; "Besides isn't always polite to introduce yourself before asking others?"
Finally regaining himself, he answered in a serious tone, "Look, the less you know about me, the better. Otherwise you'll just end up in more trouble then you already are."
"Doubtful," she said under her breath, causing Zoro to eye her suspiciously. Clearing her throat she smirked and replied, "It doesn't really matter since I'm already in big trouble with the marines. Also, as soon as I get a boat I'm leaving this place."
"What exactly did you steal? Or do you just hate it here that much?" Zoro asked,
She answered, "I only stole the money and supplies I need for my journey. Also, I don't particularly care for this island and its inhabitants."
Zoro gave her a curious look, "Isn't this your home town?" The girl looked at him and then started to chuckle, and with an annoyance Zoro questioned, "Something funny?"
"No, no…sorry," she began before explaining. "This isn't my home island, so that's why don't care about it. You see, about a year ago, I sailed off on my own to try and find someone for a friend. But, a week ago, a storm capsized and destroyed my boat, and as a result I lost my boat, supplies, and I ended up here."
The two walked in silence for a minute, and then she gave a small chuckle. "To me, this just another stop on my journey, a place where I caused a little bit of trouble. But, hey where's the fun in an adventure if you don't get mixed up with the marines every now and then."
Zoro gave the impish girl a small half smile, and though, I can't tell if she's stupid, crazy, or cunning. Then her hands shot to her face and the girl exclaimed, "Damn it! I can't believe I almost forget something so important?! How could I be so stupid?!"
She quickly spun around on her heels and started to rush off towards the direction they just came from. But, before she got too far, she stopped and looked back at the swordsman with a smirk.
He watched her as she called back to him, "Sorry to scurry off suddenly, but I got things that need to be done." She turned slightly towards him, and her smirk grew. "But it was nice to meet you…Roronoa Zoro."
With that said, she ran off, leaving Zoro completely dumbstruck. After a minute was knocked out of it when Usopp and Chopper saw him and called out to him.
His two crewmates ran up to him, and Usopp told him, "Hey Zoro, Nami said the log pose are set, so we are ready to take off." Zoro was silent and continued to stare where the strange girl had been standing moments earlier. "Uhh…Zoro…"
Zoro smirked, "Yeah… Right…We better get going." The three turned and started heading for the ship, but Zoro glanced back one last time. Then he thought, So…She knew who I was the whole time…The sneaky little devil…