Middle 1: Chapter 2

Two strange men entered the Saloon. One with messy blonde hair and a worn out suit, and another with green short hair in a tattered shirt with dark green pants. And by the look in their eyes there were 2 things they wanted. They were searching for something, and they were hungry.

"Hey old man, do you have anything to eat?" the larger man waved his hand toward the bartender as he plopped himself onto the wooden seat next to a lady who was quietly sipping a bowl of soup.

"Wait Zoro stop— " the cook called with a raised hand. The moss head ignored his comment.

"Of course!" The older figure smiled with slight suspicion, but went along nonetheless, "What would you like? How about today's special? We were able to catch some sea king meat to put in our stew" He gestured to the young lady who was savoring the special.

"That's fine…just give me anything, and could I have booze with it?" Zoro leaned against his seat as he rambled on only set with one ambition in his head: to get food into his stomach. The bartender nodded.

"Oi you can't just order like that without my consent." Sanji protested as he shot him a look.

"Why would I need your consent? Don't tell me what to do; I'll eat whenever I want to," He stubbornly crossed his arms as he leaned his head back—narrowing his eyes.

"You dumbass! We don't have any money!"

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?!" the man jerked out of his seat facing blonde with angered surprise.

"I TRIED TO" Zoro's oblivious attitude had no boundaries. Sanji was seriously questioning how he even managed to survive before he joined the crew.

The two faced each other in a rigid stance as the atmosphere heavily raised in the whole room.

"You want money? How 'bout I sell your head instead?! I'm sure pirate hunter marimo must be worth something?!" The chef waved a clenched fist—not caring about the gathering attention they started to receive from disturbed customers.

"Same goes for Black Leg ero-cook!" the swordsman snapped back as fire started to build up in his dark eyes. The two men were at each other's throats with snarling looks when a quiet voice seeped in between.

"Um…sorry to interrupt your..erm 'bonding session,' but I think I can help you guys out." A woman with faded hazel hair tied tightly into a neat braid stood awkwardly between them. She had grayish-blue eyes which colors seemed to be dried out with the searing sun. Her overall look gave a dull appearance, but her intent seemed genuine and kind. She wore a coral shirt with a light beige cardigan that blanketed her shoulders, and somewhat ripped denim shorts that stopped to her knees. She seemed simple and almost too basic, but it wasn't anything bad. Her aura was calming.

The two pirates blinked at the smaller figure that had seemed to slip in between.

"How so?" Zoro's anger had seemingly faded as light curiosity seemed to grow from the sudden appearance.

"I could pay for your meal if you want" she offered calmly as she began digging through her pocket—pulling out a small wallet.

"Ahh I couldn't possibly have a lovely lady such as yourself pay for us, especially not for this brute right here" Sanji suddenly took a graceful form as his words soothed out from his previous bickering. He drew a warm smile as he straightened his posture and impression as if trying to make up for his horrible behavior.

"No I insist," the woman smiled as looked at the men with a careful eye. "You people seem to be not around here, and I'm sure you haven't eaten anything in a while judging by the growling of your stomachs" She chuckled as she opened her wallet pulling out a wad of money.

"However, I'd like to ask you a favor in return," Her washed out eyes took on a quick spark as flipped through the beri.

"I would do anything for such a generous beauty as yourself~" Sanji twirled in the presence of the female.

"A favor?" Zoro ignored flailing imbecile and was right onto suspicion as he raised a brow at the young lady then back at the money as he felt the discomfort of an empty stomach. His appetite seemed to be more persuasive at the moment.

"Yes, if you don't mind, I was searching for a couple of body guards…and you seemed to be the kind….to be able to be pretty skilled in fighting. Judging from your looks I could tell you've been through a lot," The hazel haired woman began to ramble as her words spilled and trailed away.

"Body guards?" The green haired man echoed back the words and let them register for a while, "What for?"

"Well, this town isn't exactly the safest place around," Her eyes birghtened with slight hope as she continued to talk.

"Of course! It's a man's duty to protect any lovely damsel in distress" Sanji reassured as his chivalrous side strongly showed.

"Really?!" A bright smile spread across her face as she thanked them. She paid for the men's two bowls of stew as well a bottle of sake.

The swordsman quickly gulfed down his meal and took a swig of sake that went down smoothly with a soft burn to the throat. Sanji also had not realized how hungry he was at the time and was self-conscious not to scarf the stew down too quickly. His impression of a well-mannered gentleman was more important than appearing like the savage that was sitting right next to him.

:Ah I'm sorry I haven't even introduced myself yet," The girl suddenly jerked up and straightened out her short braid over her shoulder, "My name is Lily," she gave a small smile.

"And, I presume that you're Black Leg Sanji as well as Pirate Hunter Roanoa Zoro," she continued.

"How did you…" Sanji blinked in surprise as he was just about to introduce himself to the young lady.

"Faces are quite easy to distinguish. You two are pretty infamous from where I'm from, but compared to other pirates I've met in the past, you don't seem as scary as I first thought. In fact, you guys seem friendlier." She chuckled as she recalled reading about the Straw Hat pirates in a recent news article on their advancing fame. Zoro grunted in response as Sanji took this as a sign of admiration.

"I feel so grateful about Lilly-San knowing so much about us~ You must be very brave to have stepped in on our little "fight" when you knew about how dangerous we are, though I would never hurt a hair on your body of course~" Sanji swooned.

Zoro rolled his eyes as he pushed the man aside.

"Besides that point, what are we going to protect you from? And, how long is this going to last?"

Lily placed her hands on the counter and faced the two with determination

"We'll have to leave as soon as possible; we're heading to the tallest mountain that's further into the forest."

"I'm guessing that we'll have to make sure your safe until we reach the place…" Zoro mumbled as he plugged the top back on. Lily nodded as both men slowly rose to leave for the trip. She thanked the two again and bought extra supplies in case the journey would take the group a while.

When everything was ready from preparation, the three headed back into the lush of green that awaited them. The small peak of a mountain was visible within view, and the route was child play: just head towards the mountain.

"Hey Zoro, you better not get lost," Sanji looked at the green haired man hulling over a larger bag as he easily swung it over his shoulder.

"Shut your mouth, I think I'd know better than to get lost in something so obvious" He growled as he pointed to the pinnacle.

"Nope, you'll get lost" Sanji laughed. He knew about the swordsman terrible sense of direction. If he had the choice to follow Zoro or a blind man, Sanji would choose the man with impaired eyesight without a moment's hesitation.

The ex-pirate hunter glared at the smirking cook as he faced the road again keeping his eyes on the dirt as he kicked around the rocks and twigs.

"whatever."