I don't own One Piece and I don't want to. It would be way to much pressure. I would get no time to sleep and rest.
….. Zzzzzzzzz…
"What!" suddenly wakes up. "Morning already?" I haven't done any uni work…..
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
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Zoro's Promises: 2. Trust?
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When Zoro had first accepted the offer to become a warlord he had done it on a drunken whim, but when he had actually been found for real and reminded of his promise he began to regret it. It seemed like way to much work for people he didn't even like.
But Zoro was restless. Nothing he seemed to do could satisfy him for long, and the navy at least offered him something that he didn't have at present. Direction. He had achieved his goal, but he had never planned to do anything after that. In his drunken state of mind he sometimes didn't think he even cared anymore. And so he had finally been able to get to the designated meeting place, but Zoro was at a loss to what to do next.
Zoro shook his head, and stared at the map he had infront of him. He had managed to pull a few arms of the people that had owed him a few things to get him this far, but he was certain he could make the rest of way himself.
He scratched at his head. "Where the hell is this building?"
After walking about and around a town for a little while he eventually bumped into a marine patrol and they told him they could to take him to the building as he had been expected.
And so he was brought up thousands of flights of stairs that twisted and wove its way through the mountainside. It was really interesting, but the uncommunicative marines where not. Zoro didn't mind, but he did have to keep an eye on the young marine infront of him in case the young brat suddenly disappeared as many sneaky people did when Zoro had to follow them to a certain location. Zoro could tell that all the young men leading the way were nervous, but he didn't think much of it. Many people were nervous around him. He supposed that came with the title that he had wanted for years.
Once they had reached the peak Zoro looked back down into clouds that were now beneath his feet. The mountain was so high it reminded him of what it was like being on skypia again. He sighed and enjoyed the bright sun that was now above him, rather than the cloudy drizzly day that he had had that morning down below.
He was lead up into a very old building, which seemed to have incorporated lots of expensive stuff from all over the four great seas and the Grand line. He walked down a huge hallway with golden plated giant candlesticks standing infront of the windows on one side, and huge mirrors and clocks and paintings filling the other. He liked the feeling of space it gave to him, but he did think that there was a lot of useless stuff, that could have done a lot of good in another country.
He was lead into a room, asked to sit down, and make himself comfortable and then just left there as the man seemed to need to leave the room to make the call that a new warlord had arrived.
Zoro felt bored in the immaculate place. It felt too clean, too perfect, too strange. So he got up and had a wander about by himself. He found a route that lead him outside onto a balcony that gave him a brilliant view of the lake that the building had apparently either been built over or had been made for it's magnificence. Then he found a hall of fountains which was good, and made use of the water and washed his face, and then he passed by a few halls with marine personnel that were apparently being given secret missions.
He smirked as he listened in on their oh so secret talks. The marines made stealing their secrets all to easy, and upon realizing that Zoro lost interest and tried to find his way back again.
Well, that's what he tried to do, but it was a lot more difficult than he had imagined. After having walked through the halls a couple of times he was just considering jumping at the window and starting again by coming in through the main entrance when he heard a familiar voice.
"What sort of answer this that?" A woman's voice could be heard over the rambling of others. "Don't you even have enough respect to men that have defended you and risks their lives to trust them sir? I can assure you they are not to blame!"
He made his way towards the sound of her voice and walked into the room. It seemed to be filled with officers getting impatient and talking angrily amongst themselves.
He walked into the room apparently unnoticed and to the window on the far side. He looked out of it and tried to carry on listening.
"Hey?" Came a voice from behind. "Are you supposed to be here?"
Zoro turned and saw a swarm of people looking at him. "Well, I don't see why not. No one said I couldn't walk around and the door was open."
"Are… are you that Roronoa Zoro?"
"Yep. New Warlord." Zoro leaned back against the window frame and peered outside and then looked back at the others. "What's it to you?"
That seemed to be enough to satisfy their curiosity as the sea of people instantly seemed to disperse and he was quickly left alone as they gradually made there way back to wherever else they were supposed to be. He noticed a table in the middle of the room that he hadn't seen when he first arrived with food on it and moved over there to graze. He grabbed a plateful and then sat down eating to his hearts content.
"Roronoa Zoro!" Came back in the speaker of the voice he had recognized from the very start.
Zoro lifted up his head in fake surprise at her being there. "Well, well, if it isn't Captain four eyes." Zoro gave her a mocking sloppy salute with two fingers.
"If it isn't a green watermelon head that rolls wherever the sea takes it." Tashigi indicated for him to follow her. "You're not supposed to be in here."
"Nice of you to fetch me." Zoro stood up with plate in hand and walked over to her.
Tashigi gave him the scowl that he remembered all too well and she turned her back on him. Returned apparently back the way he had come.
Zoro ate his plate of food on the journey there and once he had finished he put it on the floor and rolled it down the hallway corridor admiring how well it spun.
She looked back at him. "Having fun?"
"Yep." Zoro clicked his neck as he stood back up again. "Good food."
She was able to bring him into a room that Zoro could have sworn he had been in before and there seemed to be an important conversation happening in the other room.
She sat down pulled up a newspaper from the table beside the couch she was sitting on. She indicated the to the seat infront of her and Zoro sat down in it. He looked back at her and tried to read her expressions as she read the newspaper.
He leaned back. "So... Anything to report." He asked.
"If you want the news then read it yourself. There's one right next to you on that side."
So he reached down on the other side of the couch and sure enough he found another and started reading.
But then tuned back his trained ears on what was being discussed in the next room. After a while just like before he got bored. "So what are they talking about next door?"
No reply. Zoro coughed standing up he made his way over to the door.
"Roronoa! You're not allowed in there."
He raised an eyebrow. "Alright, so Captain eyeglasses…" he pointed over to where a pair of interesting closed doors and an uninspired conversation seemed to be taking place. "What was I called here for again and what is this all about?"
She breathed in deeply but kept her cool. "You were called here for the annual meeting between the government officials and the other warlords of the sea. The world government are talking about cutting back on their support for…" and then she stopped as if considering whether or not Zoro had the right to know. Deciding he didn't she carried on. "Anyway the officials are discussing that presently."
"Right." Zoro walked back over to the couch he had previously been sitting in. "Do you know a good place to get some booze is around here?"
At that she glared back at him. "You are actually going to meet some of the most important people in the Marines and you want to be drunk when you do."
"Don't be ridiculous." Zoro scoffed. "I can't get drunk in such a short amount of time. I'd need about two to three hours to get drunk properly and I haven't had anything like a good bottle of sake for a week." He sighed and totally relaxed back into the chair swinging his legs up onto the table infront of him. "That's better! Maybe I can catch some shut eye."
"What sort of idiot are you? Put your legs down! They will damage the table."
Zoro felt a smirk spread across his face. "You know what's strange? The first day you met me and offered me a job as one of your janitors, I said I would never work for Marines, and now I'm here actually signing up for one." He paused and looked up at the ceiling. "Ish? It's basically the same job I did before I met Luffy. Except I might or might not get praised for it." He looked back up at her. "This is really comfortable, can I take my boots off?"
"No!"
"Okay, okay, keep your shirt on." Zoro smirked liking her shocked reaction. He was actually enjoying this, deliberately irritating her. It had been a long time since he had argued with anyone. Most people were just so intimidated by him they let him do anything, but this woman had never been like that. Even though there had been many a time when she should have been afraid and could have been killed by him. He had notice she had always been more angry at him for taking pity on her apparently rather than having been terrified to have been almost killed by him. She was a odd woman, mad and strange. She made him feel more comfortable in such a prissy, clean, and tidy place.
"Did you really kill Hawkeye like everyone says?" Tashigi asked after a long pause of silence.
"What you're still here?" Zoro opened his one good eye.
"Yes, I need to keep an eye on you. I don't trust you."
"Hum, some things don't change." He ran his fingers through his short green hair. "Yes, it was a duel to the death."
"Why? Rumour had it that you trained under him and were protected by him after the battle at Marinefold when all of you strawhats went into hiding."
"It was a battle of wits and promises. I had to defeat him. I had made a promise. I don't expect you to understand." He looked back up at her. "And besides what do you mean protected? Where do you think I got this scar?"
"Bad karma?" Tashigi shrugged and offered weakly.
Zoro laughed, "Ha! Bad karma. You forget I'm lucky."
"Don't be too proud of that." She looked back down at the swords on his hips. Remembering a purchase she had witnessed when Zoro had come across two excellent swords. "The curse could still be sprung on you, you know."
He looked up again at that, "Who's to say that it hasn't already."
Tashigi frowned and looked at him directly. "What do you mean?"
"Never mind." Zoro said and leaned back into the seat again and closed his eyes.
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Chapter 2!
Been a long time since I looked at this story.
:D