Chapter Three: Pirate Hunter Zoro Enters

I blinked my eyes open, and I felt the calming lull of waves rocking the boat I was in…

BOAT?!

Why was I in a boat? A boat meant that i was going somewhere...and that could be anywhere...and that means i can't start my journey until later!

I had a grand plan for all of this. I would arrive on my home island...the one I was taken from, and I would get a boat of my own, steal enough supplies, and then I'd try not hopping onto someone else's ship.

But this wasn't good...I could be going anywhere... and I could be with anyone... Fear seized my now hammering heart. Animal instinct told me I was in horrible danger until I identified who was sailing this boat.

My mind, manipulated by my fear, told me I had been captured by the Circus pirates, and now, they knew about my Devil Fruit powers...and they'd put me in an even smaller cage...and only feed me enough to keep a cat full...

Fear controlled my body and I jumped to my feet and glanced around me. I was next to Coby, who was talking to Luffy about Roronoa Zoro. We were in a small boat and I could see that we were approaching land. The landscape was very familiar...almost painfully so...

Coby tried to convince Luffy that Zoro was a monster and that he wasn't a good person. I only laughed at the stupidity. Coby, Coby, Coby, we pirates aren't good people. We kill, steal, torture, some sold humans to ridiculously rich people...

Coby looked delighted to see that I was okay...I wasn't really...my back hurt like hell...

Once we arrived at the port of…my old home island, Luffy seemed surprised that we reached land. I would be in that situation soon...but at least I had the wind and waves to guide me...he was the sort who just wandered aimlessly through the sea.

Coby and Luffy went into a restaurant, and I took this chance to slip away from them. It wasn't like I was going to stay with them forever, and they would barely notice that I was gone.

I weaved through the feet of the many people who were walking through the streets. I had only one goal, and that was to get to the marine base, so I could punch that miserable worm, Helmeppo.

I looked up at the wall that blocked my way to punching that twerp. With a sigh, I jumped up onto the wall and walked along it. Inside the walls, I saw a man was tied to a post, and he looked nearly dead.

'Roronoa Zoro…I should help him…' What can I say? I'm an infamous shit-stirrer!

I jumped down from the wall and walked slowly towards him. His head was bent down and his face was shadowed over. I looked at him, and my green eyes stared evenly into his as he glared at me.

"Get lost."

I rolled my eyes, but jumped out of the way as he tried to kick me. I looked up at the post on the cross he was tied to, and got ready to jump up on it to rescue him, when I heard Luffy and Coby.

"Hey you! Could you please…come over here and untie me? I've been tied up for nine days and I'm exhausted." Zoro looked up at Luffy and Coby who were peeking over the wall.

I growled in anger. I was here to get him out, I was right next to the guy and he was still asking them to help?

What a jerk.

"Hey look! He's smiling!" Luffy grinned and I smiled. What can I say? This was a pretty descent pirate. Even if he would probably die as soon as he tried for Grand-line.

"He...He talked!"

'No Coby, he used sign-language.' I laughed at my own joke, since I was the only one who could enjoy it.

"Hey, isn't that your friend?" Luffy asked Coby and he pointed at me.

"Coby looked at me with wide eyes. "Hana!"

Yeah, I didn't pick the name. I haven't even talked to him. That was just what he called me. I flicked my tail at him in greeting before I poked Zoro with my paw.

"HANA! Don't do that! He'll kill you!" Coby screamed as i poked Zoro again.

"I'll repay you. I could hunt down a fugitive and give you the rewards. I'm not lying. I'll keep my words." Zoro said and I noticed that his breathing had become shallower and blood dripped from his wounds.

"LUFFY-SAMA! Don't be tricked by his words! If you free him, he'll kill us both and escape!"

'And what am I now? Chopped liver?'

"He can't kill me because…I'm strong too." Luffy just kept on grinning. My ears twitched and I heard something moving behind them.

Both Coby and Zoro looked at Luffy in surprise while I up onto the cross with claws and went towards his ropes again.

I heard something hit the wall near Luffy and Coby, and I glanced up to see a small girl holding a finger to her lips.

Coby started freaking out as the little girl climbed over the wall and started walking towards us. I went back to scratching the ropes.

I was taking my time since I wasn't going to take the chance of him hurting the girl.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

Coby told Luffy to save her, but Luffy just told him to do it himself. I found this funny since there was no way on earth that Coby would do something like that.

"Do you want to die or something? Get lost!" Zoro growled at the little girl.

"Um… Brother, I made some rice-balls for you! You haven't eaten for a long time, right?" she held out two large rice balls and she grinned nervously up at the pirate hunter. "This is the first time I made rice-balls…"

"I'm not hungry! Go away!" I understood what Zoro was saying as I sensed something was about to happen. I quickened my pace as I cut through the thick ropes. My small claws began to sting from constantly being yanked after getting stuck in the rope fibers.

"But…" The little girl looked heart broken.

"I DON'T WANT IT! LEAVE ME! I'll kill you if you don't go!"

My senses were correct. The gates on the other side of the ring opened and I growled angrily as I instantly recognized who came in along with a group of marines.

"RORONOA ZORO! Don't pick on little kids or else I'll have to report to my father about it."

'So, he's still a daddy's boy hm? Where's his mother? She should have beaten that out of him. Oh...that's right...she's dead.'

Luffy and Coby started to talk about the useless worm that was prancing around in a hideous purple suit.

"Tch. If it isn't the lieutenant's bastard son." Zoro glared at Helmeppo.

'Ya got that right.' I was surprised to hear that Morgan had become a lieutenant though, considering that he was a complete idiot and that he wasn't really good at being a marine…or that's what papa told mom.

"Don't get cocky, my dad is a marine Lieutenant." Helmeppo said in his retarded, slimy, spoilt voice. I growled, and felt the fur on my ears and tail become longer.

I managed to calm myself down before anything else could happen. I stopped cutting the ropes and off the post so that I stood near enough to the little girl that I could pound anyone who tried to hurt her.

I tightened the muscles in my legs, and watched as Helmeppo waltzed up to the girl and stole one of her rice balls.

"Ah! Stop it!" she shouted at him as he took a big bite out of her hard work.

"Blegh! Horrible! You put too much sugar in it! You're supposed to put salt in these things!" Helmeppo's face changed so that I couldn't hold in my laughter.

The little girl said that she thought that they would taste better, and if I didn't know any better, I would have agreed with her.

I launched myself at Helmeppo as he stomped on the girl's rice-balls.

Now, there's a little detail I guess you may have realized by now. Right now…my body was in the form of a cat. A small, calico cat. With a skull and cross bones on her side.

So…I'm not exactly the biggest threat. But…I could solve that problem.

But I didn't get the chance. A Marine knocked me out of the air, but I twisted and landed on all fours. Like a cat should.

The girl started crying and Helmeppo pulled another round from his jerk routine.

"Aww…don't cry. It's no wonder why I hate little brats so much." He then pointed at a sign that I had totally not noticed. "It's all your fault you know? Didn't you see what was written here? 'Anyone who helps a prisoner will be charged with the same crime' Marine Lieutenant Morgan. You know how scary my dad can be, right? You would've gotten the death penalty if you're a grown up."

He then turned to the Marine who had knocked me down. "Oi! Throw this brat out."

The marine turned and blinked in shock. "Huh?"

"I'M TELLING YOU TO THROW HER OUTTA HERE! ARE YOU TRYING TO DISOBEY ME?!" He grabbed the marine's collar and got in his face, "I'M TELLING MY DAD!"

"Ay-aye sir!"

I lunged at the marine but was kicked be another as they picked up the girl and tossed her over the wall. I knew Luffy had caught her.

I stood up and I felt myself slowly growing. My fur got longer and lighter, but I fought against the shift.

I luckily didn't complete the change, though; it would have hurt like a warm of bees, and watched as Helmeppo told Zoro he would keep him alive for a whole month. It appeared that they had a deal of some sort. Helmeppo and his unfortunate guards all left the area and I sat down next to Zoro.

He blinked when he noticed the slight difference in my size and colour. He blinked again when I reverted back to my usual calico form.

"Meow?" I looked up at him innocently. 'No, you didn't see anything...the cat before you is a normal cat.' I thought as I swayed my tail from side-to-side as though I was trying to hypnotize him.

I looked up at the same time as Zoro when we noticed Luffy standing in front of us. I meowed and rubbed up against his leg.

"You still haven't left yet? Leave now or else he'll tell his dad about it." Zoro told my stretchy friend.

"Oh yeah?"

Zoro nodded and Luffy said what I knew he was dying to say to my green haired companion.

"I'm looking for someone to join my pirate fleet."

"So you gave up on life and became a crook huh?" Zoro laughed and I growled. He glanced down at me, "What's the mater with you?"

I simply turned so he could see my side, and I licked the fur next to my skull and cross-bones.

"Tch. Even animals give up their lives..."

"It's my dream! There's nothing wrong with being a pirate!"

"Don't tell me your going to set me free and force me to join your pirate ship." Zoro asked and I only let out a cat-laugh.

"I haven't made up my mind yet, since everyone thinks you're a bad guy."

"Your cat doesn't think so, since it was trying to cut my ropes before that bastard came along." Zoro said and motioned with his head at me.

"Huh? That's not my cat, that's my friend's." Luffy looked like he just noticed that I was here.

"I'll never join you, because I have something that I need to take care of. I could survive even if you don't help me. I just need to survive for one month. That bastard kid promised to let me go afterwards. I'm going to do everything I can to stay alive and fulfill my dreams." Zoro said and I just shook my head. If he was stupid enough to think Helmeppo would let him go, then he was more of a lost cause than Luffy.

"Really? If I were you, I think I'd starve to death in a week." Luffy grinned at the pirate hunter and I held in a laugh.

Zoro then pretty much told Luffy to get lost, but he stopped Luffy as he walked away. I watched blankly as Luffy picked up chunks of crushed rice-ball and fed them to Zoro.

I let out a purr when he told Luffy to thank the little girl.

I stayed after Luffy left, and we just sat there…well, I did…he was sorta stuck.

I just sat there and stared at him now. After getting a good look at him, I realized I had seen him once before...he kinda killed the crew I was sailing with. But it's cool.

I started spacing off, as I continued to scratch at the ropes...'I wonder if he dyes his hair to get it that colour...'

"Why are you still here?" he asked me. I snapped back to reality and rubbed my cheek against him. This pissed him off...which was sort of the point... I jumped down again and landed on the dusty ground.

I put my paw in the dust and wrote, 'I came to beat the crap out of someone.'

"Well, good luck with that." He laughed, although I could tell he was surprised I could write.

I only nodded, even though he was mocking me. I walked away from him and into the marine base.