Fifteen years later
"Fin! The winner is le prince Zoro by five points!"
The small audience applauded as the competitors took off their masks. On the right was the butcher woman from the village who had offered the friendly challenge; on the left was Prince Zoro, who had grown into fine stature and strength. His features were tanned and chiseled, and his green hair stuck out like a sore thumb.
"Shake hands," King Mihawk ordered, for it was none other than he who had volunteered to oversee the duel. The two turned and shook hands firmly.
"You did well," Zoro said with a faint smile.
"Thank you, mon prince," the woman said gratefully. "You're quite gifted with a blade."
He nodded in turn. Soon the woman and the audience dispersed, and Mihawk approached Zoro in the middle of the courtyard.
"It's good to see your training hasn't gone to waste," he remarked.
"Yes," Zoro agreed, reaching up to adjust the earrings in his left ear. They had been a birthday gift for his thirteenth and he hadn't gone a day without them since.
"I'll return to my room, Father," Zoro continued, handing over his mask. "Thank you for supervising the duel."
Mihawk gave him a curt nod and Zoro headed back to the castle.
On his way to his room, he spotted that girl again—a young thing wearing a skirt and a fancy shirt. Her hair was pink, and oddly enough, Zoro had once asked his father who she was, only to receive a confused, "Who are you talking about?" despite that she seemed to have been around the castle for many years.
"Hey!" he called, looking directly at her as she peered at him around the corner.
She gave a small shriek and disappeared around her corner. Zoro quickened his pace, but although he was not far from her, she had vanished completely by the time he looked around the wall. He shrugged, scratched his head, and continued on his way.
He finally reached his room and carefully closed the door behind him. He opened up his wardrobe and quickly changed out of his fencing outfit into his normal clothes. For years, servants had dressed him, but recently he had asked that he be allowed to dress himself from that point on.
Before putting a shirt on, Zoro went to his mirror and examined himself. He flexed his biceps and grinned to himself, twisting slightly to check out his backside.
"I'm sorry, did you want some privacy?"
He whipped around to see Luffy, Nami, and Vivi hovering in the open window. He quickly lowered his arms and covered his face.
"Er—if you'll give me a moment, I'll put my shirt on," he said awkwardly. He went back to his wardrobe and pulled out his shirt, quickly shoving his arms through the sleeves and popping his head through. As soon as he'd strapped his sword and sheath to his belt, he turned back as the three floated through his window—they each wore simple dresses in respect for human society.
Nami was smirking at Zoro, who looked away.
"Do you do that often when you're alone?" Luffy asked curiously.
"You didn't see anything."
"Of course not," Vivi said amicably. "How now, Monsieur Zoro?"
"I'm well, thank you," Zoro said, gathering himself. He cleared his throat. "And yourselves?"
"We're in good health, though that's nothing new," Luffy announced cheerfully, flipping himself so he hovered upside-down in the air. His dress fell down, covering his face and uncovering his petticoats.
Zoro smiled, the formalities dropped. "It's good to see you," he said. "Is there any special reason you've come?"
"We'll tell you in a moment," Nami reassured him. She smirked as she eyed his head. "Your hair's healthy as ever, I see."
Luffy giggled from under his dress. Zoro glanced at him oddly before smiling at Nami. "Yes, thank you. I do sometimes wonder how this color came about, but . . . I suppose I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth."
"So your father hasn't told you yet?" Vivi asked, going to Luffy and lifting up his dress. He grinned at her upside-down.
"Pardon?"
"About your hair's color," Luffy clarified, rotating in the air so he was right-side-up once more.
"I have asked him, since his hair is dark," Zoro admitted. "But he said he didn't want to think about 'that day.'"
The faeries glanced around at each other.
"So you still haven't been told of . . ." Nami said slowly.
"Told of what?"
"Oh, never mind," she said quickly. "I suppose it should be up to le roi Mihawk to tell you. But we can tell you some of what happened that day . . ."
"To get to the point," Luffy interrupted, "we'd like to invite you to come to la Colline."
Zoro's mouth popped open in surprise.
"Oh, you don't want to?" Nami asked in his silence, smiling innocently. "Why, that's such a shame; and after we told the others you would be coming . . ."
"I—no, of course—I accept!" Zoro exclaimed hastily.
"Then it's settled," Luffy said cheerfully. "Allons-y!"
"Not yet," Vivi said firmly. "Mon prince Zoro, do you need time to prepare yourself in any way before we go?"
"I—no, not at all," Zoro said. "Unless there are customs I should follow?"
"There are none," Nami said.
"Then we'll be off?" Luffy asked eagerly.
"Yes," Vivi said, smiling. "Madame Nami, Monsieur Luffy?"
Nami and Luffy flew over to Zoro on either side of him and seized his arms from underneath.
"Wait—" he said. "What exactly are you—?"
"Here we go!" Luffy exclaimed, and he and Nami lifted Zoro off the ground and shot out the window, carrying him between themselves.
"Zoro?"
King Mihawk opened the door to Zoro's room, only to find it empty. The window was open.
"I could have sworn I heard . . . well, it's not important," he muttered to himself, closing the door again as he left.
"We're here!"
Luffy and Nami gently set Zoro down in front of their home's entrance, Vivi just behind them. He quickly regained his footing.
"I would appreciate some warning next time," he muttered.
"Oh, sorry," Nami and Luffy said together without a trace of sincerity.
"So this is la Colline?" Zoro asked with interest, eyeing the vine-covered cave entrance in the hillside. All above and around the hill was thick forest.
"Yes, and the others look forward to meeting you," Vivi said. "Except for . . . er, never mind. If you would follow us?"
Zoro nodded and rested his right hand on his sword as they passed through the vine curtain and into the dimly-lit passage. Soon the faeries turned right into a room, but Zoro continued down the passage.
"Zoro, we're over here!" Luffy exclaimed, popping his head out. Zoro started and turned around, glancing away briefly. He quickly came back and followed Luffy through properly this time.
He came out in a large room, lit by torches on the walls. In the center was a large round table, where Nami, Vivi, and four others sat.
One had a feminine figure covered by a lovely violet dress; her skin and hair were dark, and the latter was untamed and thick; and a blindfold was tied around where her eyes should have been. The second had a tall masculine figure covered by a simple black suit; his skin, eyes, and hair (which was styled like a large sphere) were dark in their own respects; and jagged scars were clear upon his throat. The third's (rather short) figure could be called neither masculine nor feminine, and was covered by a white robe which ended just above their knees; they had a metal helmet on their fair, curled hair; their skin was likewise fair; and their eyes and smile were as bright as the angelic wings upon their back.
The fourth figure—and this made Zoro do a double-take—looked like Luffy in every way, save for the different dress, the blue-tinged nose, and the leaf upon his head.
"Uh," Zoro said intelligently, looking between the Luffy on his left and the Luffy at the table.
Both Luffys giggled.
The one with wild hair smiled. "What are you two up to?"
"Nothing," they said together innocently.
"Zoro, would you like to sit?" Nami asked. "Introductions are in order."
"Is something wrong?" the Luffy with the leaf on his head asked, grinning as Zoro sat down with the Luffy who had led him into the cave.
Zoro eyed this second Luffy grumpily, glancing between the two. They continued to ignore this.
"Zoro—may I call you Zoro?—I am called Robin," the woman said, smiling as she turned her face in Zoro's direction. "A pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise," Zoro said, nodding briefly.
"I only wish I could see that hair of yours," Robin added regretfully. "I hear it's a sight to behold."
Zoro smiled, pleased. Luffy (the one next to him) coughed into his hand.
The tall one with spherical hair tapped the table to get Zoro's attention, smiled, and made several hand motions.
"Er," Zoro said awkwardly, for he had never learned the art of sign language.
"'Greetings, mon prince,'" Luffy translated. "'My name is Brook, and I would sing for joy upon meeting you at last—if I still had a voice!' . . . He says."
"Oh," Zoro said. He nodded. "It's good to meet you, too."
Brook grinned in return.
"Mon prince," the fair one said, smiling shyly. "I must echo the others; it's a pleasure to meet you at last. I am Merry."
"Likewise," Zoro said with a faint smile.
Finally he turned and eyed the blue-nosed Luffy with an irritated scowl. This figure held a smile in Zoro's direction for a good few seconds before looking a bit scared and ducking his head.
"Zoro, don't look so scary," Nami scolded.
Zoro gave her a look. "I wouldn't if someone would tell me why there are two near-identical Luffys here!"
Robin hid a laugh behind her hand, having finally realized what was going on. "Now, Zoro, mind your manners," she said lightly, smiling. "Didn't your father ever teach you your pleases and thank yous?"
Zoro now narrowed his eyes at her (though she could not see it), half-convinced everyone there was out to get him.
"Whoops!" exclaimed the blue-nosed Luffy suddenly, just before there was a puff of smoke and he was gone. Zoro blinked and leaned over. Out of the suddenly limp dress crawled an odd creature. It looked like a raccoon, but somehow more dog-like, and was a bit pudgy. It had a puffy tail, stood on two legs, and, just like before, had a blue nose.
"Hi, Zoro," the raccoon-dog thing said, grinning. "I'm Chopper!"
"Nice to . . . meet you," Zoro said. "A shapeshifter?"
"Yes, I'm a tanuki," Chopper said proudly. He was even shorter than Merry.
"That explains it, then," Zoro said, though he still eyed Luffy grumpily. Luffy noticed and laughed.
"I didn't know Chopper was going to do that," he protested, grinning. He glanced at Chopper. "Nice job! You looked just like me! Except the nose . . ."
Chopper frowned. "I can never get that part right!"
Now Zoro smiled. "I'm sure you'll get it one day."
"D'you think so?" Chopper said, perking up.
Zoro nodded and glanced around at the others again. "This may be rude, but what are you?"
"Would you like to guess?" Robin asked politely. "Oh, two more should join us soon. They said they wanted to finish a project before coming out."
"I see," Zoro said. He eyed her. "Madame Robin—"
"Just Robin is fine."
". . . Robin, you wouldn't be a Gorgon?" Zoro scratched his head. "Then again, your hair . . ."
Robin smiled. "You're correct. Not all of us have snakes for hair . . . and I assure you there's no danger of becoming stone anymore."
"So that's why you wear the blindfold," Zoro murmured in understanding.
Robin grimaced now. "That's the short version, yes."
Zoro decided not to press her and turned to Merry. "You wouldn't be . . . an angel?" he said curiously.
Merry smiled. "I'm afraid not, mon prince," they said, "but you're very close!"
"You may have heard of Ser Merry's kind if you've traveled to the Norse lands," Vivi hinted quietly.
Zoro thought hard. It looked like it hurt. Finally he sighed and shrugged.
"Oh, you can't guess?" Merry said. "You must not be very bright—jest, I jest!" they exclaimed hastily at Zoro's sudden glare. "I'm a Valkyrie, mon prince."
"Oh," Zoro said in sudden understanding. "Come to think of it, that does sound familiar . . . you take the fallen to the afterlife?"
Merry nodded. "Yes," they said, a bit sadly. "It's not a pleasant task, but I do what I have to do . . . it can be difficult, and . . . taxing . . ."
They suddenly looked like they might cry.
"I, er, sorry," Zoro said quickly. "Are you—?"
"I'm fine," Merry said, smiling again. "Worry not."
"Merry is extraordinarily empathetic with each client," Robin explained, "and such strong emotions from the fallen are not always easy to handle."
Merry nodded. "I brought the former reine to the afterlife," they said.
"My mother?" Zoro said, taken aback.
"Yes," Merry said. "She is at peace, mon prince."
Zoro smiled at this. "I'm glad to hear it."
He now turned to Brook, and for a good while they stared at each other.
Then Zoro shrugged. "I give up," he said bluntly.
Brook scowled and signed something.
"'You aren't even going to guess?! Of all the nerve!' . . . He says," Nami translated.
Zoro tilted his head. "Perhaps . . . an incubus," he deadpanned.
Brook ducked his head and his shoulders shook with silent laughter. The others laughed along with him and Zoro grinned.
"Oh, speaking of incubi—or succubi, they're they same thing, really—" Luffy began cheerfully, but he suddenly cut himself off, glancing at the cavern's entrance. "Er, never mind. We'll get to that later."
Zoro side-eyed him and shrugged. "Whatever you say . . . in any case, Monsieur Brook . . ."
Brook signed something.
"'The 'Monsieur' isn't necessary, mon prince Zoro.' . . . He says," Vivi translated.
"In any case, Brook," Zoro repeated, "I still have no idea."
Chopper frowned at Brook. "Brook, how in the world is he supposed to guess when you can't speak?"
Brook snapped his fingers, stood, and opened his mouth as if singing, throwing one arm outwards.
"Singing," Zoro murmured. "A banshee?"
Brook gave him an indignant look.
"Was that wrong?"
Brook folded his arms grumpily.
"He's a siren," Robin said.
"Oh," Zoro said in surprise. "A siren who can't sing?"
"I'm a Gorgon who can't see," Robin pointed out. "Is that really so strange?"
Zoro shrugged. "That's a good point." He glanced at Brook, who was sitting again. "Sorry about the banshee guess. So you cannot sing . . . ?"
Brook shook his head and pointed to the scars on his throat. He held his hands near his head and made motions with one like he was moving something back and forth, proceeding to sign afterwards.
"'I cannot sing, but my violin playing is a performance to behold, if I do say so myself!' . . . He says," Luffy translated.
Zoro frowned. "Sirens lure sailors to their death, isn't that right? That's what I've heard. Why don't you live near the sea?"
Brook hesitated, then signed something.
"'It's a rather long story, mon prince. I will tell you another time.' . . . He says," Nami translated.
"Okay," Zoro agreed.
"'Lo," came a sudden voice from the entrance. Zoro turned to see two figures, only a head taller than Merry, come inside. Both had masculine figures and weathered skin. One had blue hair styled upwards, a nose made of metal, and a rod of similar material where one of his legs should have been. His companion had a rather long nose, scars around his ears and shoulders, and hair like Brook's, though his was tied back. He was fiddling with some semi-circular device, his brow creased as he sat with the blue-haired one at the table.
"How good of you to join us at last," Robin said, smiling.
"Hi," Chopper said cheerfully.
"You must be the famous Zoro," the blue-haired one said, turning to face Zoro and nodding. "I wouldn't know anyone else with hair like that. I'm called Franky."
"It's a pleasure," Zoro said politely. He glanced at Franky's companion. "Er . . ."
Franky tapped his companion's shoulder, who looked up, spotted Zoro, and grinned sheepishly. He held up a finger, lifted his device to his head, and hooked it around, connecting his ears around the back.
"How now, Zoro?" he said, his voice perhaps a bit louder than necessary. "My name's Usopp."
"It's nice to meet you," Zoro said politely. "What is . . . ?"
"Oh, this?" Usopp said, gesturing to his head. "Franky and I were caught in a furnace explosion many years ago. He lost his leg and nose, and I lost most of my hearing. This device helps."
"I see," Zoro said.
"I suppose you can guess what they are," Nami said.
"Usopp here is clearly some kind of goblin, isn't that right?" Zoro said confidently.
At this the whole table burst into laughter again while Usopp scowled and folded his arms.
"I'm not some penny-pinching miser like a goblin, or a certain faery I know," he huffed, glancing at Nami. "I'm a dwarf, nothing more and nothing less!"
"Oh, okay," Zoro said. "And Franky, you are, too?"
"Aye," Franky said, grinning. He eyed the sheath strapped to Zoro's hip. "Would you show us your sword?"
Zoro's hand moved to his sword, but he did not draw it out. He eyed Franky suspiciously.
"Don't misunderstand, now," Usopp said nervously. "We're metalworkers, you see, and we're interested in checking your blade's quality. I myself am world-renowned as a blacksmith, in fact!"
"No, he isn't," Nami said. "But with the price their works fetch, he might as well be."
"Are you saying my sword isn't good enough?" Zoro asked dangerously, sliding it out just an inch.
"We'll never know unless we see it," Franky pointed out. "If you'll show us, we may be able to hone it for you."
"Zoro, they're not going to break your sword," Nami said exasperatedly. "Honestly . . ."
"Tch," Zoro muttered. He drew out his sword and handed it gently to Franky and Usopp. "Well? Any problems?"
"Hm," Usopp muttered, tracing a finger over the edge—he and Franky had such tough skin, they would not be cut by ordinary weapons. "There are some scratches . . ."
"Small dents here and there . . ." Franky murmured. He looked at Zoro. "Wouldja mind if we took this in? We'll fix up any errors by the time you're ready to leave."
Zoro hesitated, then sighed. "Very well."
Usopp grinned. "Don't look so moody! Your sword will be good as new when we're done!"
They carefully carried it out of the room. Zoro watched them go until they vanished from sight.
"Didn't you bring him here to tell him something?" Robin asked, facing Nami. Zoro finally looked back to the others.
"Yes," Vivi said, looking at Zoro. "You see, Monsieur Zoro, we attended your christening ceremony."
"All of you?" Zoro said, looking around.
Robin, Brook, Chopper, and Merry shook their heads.
"I was busy that day," Merry said quietly. "And Robin and Brook . . ."
"We usually keep to ourselves," Robin explained. "We do not hate humans, nor do we wish to be on bad terms . . ."
Brook signed something.
"'Franky and Usopp are the same way.' . . . He says," Vivi translated.
"I've never met your father, so I wasn't invited," Chopper piped up.
"So it was just Luffy, Nami, and you," Zoro said to Vivi. "I see."
Vivi nodded. "Le roi Mihawk invited us," she explained, "and in turn, we each bestowed a gift upon you."
"How so?" Zoro said curiously.
"Magic," Luffy said simply. He grinned. "My gift was your hair."
Zoro frowned. "I was bald before?"
Luffy giggled. "No, no, the color!"
Zoro stared at him. "You're the one who gave me this color?!"
Luffy grinned again.
"Wow," Zoro said, dumbstruck. "I—thank you! But what possessed you to grant such a gift?"
At this, Vivi and Merry hid smiles. Nami rolled her eyes, and Luffy giggled again.
"I, uh . . . thought . . . green hair would be wonderful," he lied. "It all worked out in the end, so it doesn't matter."
Zoro smiled. "That was very thoughtful. Thank you."
Nami hit Luffy in the back of his head. He glanced up at her. "What?"
"You know what," she hissed. She looked at Zoro now. "My gift was the skills of a swordsman."
Zoro looked surprised once again, but then he frowned, narrowing his eyes.
"Is something wrong?"
"So I'm only proficient at swordsmanship," he said slowly, "because of magic?"
Nami frowned. "Oh, I see what you mean. It's not quite that—you see, the magic only gave you potential to become great. It was you yourself who chose to pursue swordsmanship, was it not?"
Zoro nodded.
"There you go," Nami said. "And as far as I can tell, you would have been great regardless of whether I'd done that or not."
"Alright," Zoro said, satisfied. He adjusted his belt and looked at Vivi expectantly, but she lowered her head.
"Monsieur Luffy, Madame Nami, I'm not sure we thought this through," she murmured. "If I tell him of my gift, we would have to tell him what happened beforehand."
Luffy and Nami glanced at each other.
"Fair point," Nami admitted. "Zoro, do you mind waiting?"
Zoro scowled. "I suppose not."
"Good," Luffy said, smiling. "So, er . . . we won't go into details, but one of our other friends was at your ceremony."
Zoro looked around. "Who?"
"Her name's Hancock," Luffy explained. "She isn't quite ready to meet you yet, so she's elsewhere at the moment."
"Is she very shy?" Zoro asked.
Luffy shrugged. "Not exactly, but . . . I'm sure you two will be able to meet peacefully one day." He smiled.
"Okay," Zoro said slowly.
"When you do meet her," Nami said, "please don't be hostile. She isn't bad, no matter what might've happened in the past."
The others nodded.
"I'll be civil," Zoro promised. "Though I don't see why I'd be hostile to her in the first place."
Luffy grinned. "Thank you!"
Within an hour or two, Zoro had been taken on a small tour of the caverns. He had only been prevented from going to one area, which, he was told, was where Hancock was staying for the time being. Franky and Usopp had presented him with his newly-polished sword, for which he thanked them profusely as he sheathed it once more. The two had been the first to live in the caves.
Nami, it seemed, often took the dwarfs' work into town to be sold for a nice price. She would then take the gold back to be fashioned into jewelry or decorations for herself, which Franky and Usopp were more than happy to do, for they enjoyed tinkering and hammering more than anything.
Chopper had come to this land by travelling on a merchant's ship from his homeland and journeying across the continent until he'd come upon the others, where he'd been offered the chance to stay and eventually accepted.
Robin and Brook hailed from Greece, and vague statements led Zoro to believe the former had begun covering her eyes and the latter had lost his voice sometime after they'd traveled to the kingdom.
Merry simply disliked the cold, and found it warmer with company, south of the Nordic lands. They were called away every few days to escort someone to the afterlife, and thankfully recovered from the experience within a few hours each time.
The sun was beginning to set as Zoro said his farewells. He was invited to return again in the future.
Luffy and Nami stood near him.
"This is your warning," Luffy announced as he and Nami grabbed each of Zoro's arms. They lifted him up and shot up into the air.
Zoro was set down gently in his room. Luffy and Nami bade him farewell and shot back through the air. Zoro watched them go, smiling, before he closed the window lest he catch a chill.
He was called down for supper soon, and made sure to remove his weapon before leaving his room.
Halfway through dinner, Zoro cleared his throat. Mihawk looked up at him from across the table.
"Father," Zoro said, "tell me what happened at my christening ceremony."
Mihawk stared at him a moment longer before slowly setting his fork down. "And what prompted this?"
Zoro explained about where he'd gone earlier.
Mihawk pursed his lips. "I do wish they'd waited to tell you until I had a chance to talk about it, but . . . what's done is done."
He sighed.
"An enchantress named Hancock," he said slowly, "appeared at the ceremony. I'd specifically forbade her from coming, but this only served to anger her."
He folded his hands tightly. "She intended to have you killed on your twentieth year, Zoro. But Madame Vivi graciously stepped in and saved you."
Zoro had frozen in the act of lifting a forkful of food, and his hand remained suspended halfway between his plate and his mouth. He set his fork down.
"The new curse," Mihawk explained, "says you will fall into deep slumber on your twentieth birthday. The means to wake you is simple." He clenched his hands. "I am forever grateful I will not lose you so early."
"I was told—I was told she wasn't a bad person," Zoro said. "Yet she tried to have me killed . . . ?"
Mihawk sighed through his nose. "I shan't blame you if you choose to befriend her. The faeries have been trying to reconcile things between myself and her ever since that awful day, but she has yet to beg forgiveness for her actions."
Zoro looked down at his plate.
"I see."
The rest of the meal passed in silence.
As Zoro got ready for bed, he spotted that pink-haired girl around the corner again. He hurried to the door and found her just down the hall.
"Hey," he snapped, and she looked back at him. "Yeah, you. Quit harassing me."
She stared at him. "You can see me . . . ?"
"You're not exactly hiding," Zoro pointed out. "I'm trying to get ready for bed, so stop spying on me, for the love of—"
"Zoro?"
Zoro turned around to see Mihawk.
"Who are you talking to?"
Zoro glanced back, but the girl was gone. He frowned.
"There was . . . a girl here," he said lamely.
Mihawk shook his head. "Get yourself to bed," he said sternly. "Staying awake until you see things isn't healthy."
Zoro scowled and retreated to his room, shutting the door. Finally, he would be able to relax and explore his dreams after that long day.
He blew out the candles and climbed into bed, soon falling into sleep.
Translation:
Allons-y = Let's go