Zoro had completely underestimated just how right Coby was.

It was impossible to not like the girl who aspired to become the pirate queen. For days they spent on the tiny boat, talking through the night and occasionally waking up with tangled limbs, the swordsman had quickly taken to the young Captain. The first day he woke up with her curled against his side, rubbery arms around his torso, he had considered pushing her off. The next day it happened again, and again. He just gave in and allowed he what small comfort his presence seemed to give. He could see her strength, something many would look over due to her childish attitude. He could see her spirit, something that seemed almost... broken, but never absent. Never. Her spirit burned most brightly of everything.

Of course, that wasn't to say the rubber girl didn't have her moments. Only a while into their journey, she had herself carried off by a giant bird (something told him she could have fought it, but he said nothing), then she had fallen from a cliff after getting hypnotized (although he refused to believe she had died, he was still been scared). The canonball - well, there was way of saying whether or not that was an accident. Still, she didn't look particularly unhappy ending up as a chore girl. It was probably on purpose.

A majority of the time, she was cheerful. For days after finding a new nakama, she would celebrate in her own little way. There was always a hop to her step, or a hum in words, or something that made her just seem that much more cheery than before. Even before someone became her nakama, Zoro noticed her eyes would light up seeing someone. It brightened her whole being immensely. He had once seen it aimed at him. He couldn't help but give her an affectionate smile whenever one of the true grins split across her face.

Then there were times... He couldn't quite explain it. She wasn't quite unhappy, but perhaps she was and he simply didn't know her well enough. It was more as though she were remembering something from long ago, like being forced to watched a painful memory from her childhood. When they had received Going Merry, she had walked around the ship like this for at least a day. Always, she was brushing her fingers against the wood, lying on the deck, and sleeping on the figurehead. Even when the nights grew chilly, she remained out there.

She snapped out of it easily enough. The prospect of a new island, a new nakama, a new adventure... anything distracting, really. But that didn't stop the time where she would drop down beside him and fall against him. He didn't know why she chose him as her support, but he would let her stay. Perhaps it was because he was her First Mate. Sometimes, just watching him train would be enough for her. Either way, his presence seemed to offer a comfort no one else could.

There were times when she was deep in thought, her brows furrowed together as she attempted to remember something. When she failed, she would shrug it off with a careless smile. It was ofter these times when she ended up in trouble soon after. The bird incident was one of these times. She would do something completely idiotic and worry him half to death and then laugh about it later.

Each time a new nakama appeared - in the oddest places, might you add - it was as though a small weight had been lifted from her shoulders. At the same time, another weight had been added. There was always some type of burden when you had the lives of so many people on your shoulders.

At first, Zoro found it strange that she had a pirate hunter and a pirate thief on her crew, but he got used to it. She seemed to attract the strangest people. After Nami and Usopp joined, it was getting easier to accept.

However, there was a point it was drawing the line. When he saw the telltale sparkle in her eyes, he immediately followed her gaze to find the reason. He certainly was not expecting the blond, flirty man. For a moment, he turned his eyes back Luffy, who watched the cook with her head tilted and a smile on her lips. Then, she turned back to him, meeting his eyes.

She wore the outfit of a chore girl, her newly dictated roll. At least, until she paid off the damages. And that's only if she didn't make more. Where the girl usually kept her scars uncovered, but the new outfit hid them well. He could tell it made her uncomfortable to have them hidden. During their talks she had briefly mentioned that they were a reminder of what she had to fight for. She had told him she never wanted to forget, so they would remain uncovered.

"Zoro!" His attention was brought back to his captain. She stood near him, a pout on her lips as she stared at his food. Slowly, knowing she had his attention, to tore her eyes away to look at Zoro.

His resolve crumbled beneath him instantly and he melted. Just like the first night in the boat, the cold, ex-pirate hunter melted. She had done it before, and he knew he let her get away with far to much because of it.

With a roll of his eyes, he speared a bit of meat with his fork and lifted it to her mouth. She grinned at her clear win, and stepped forward to eat it.

Then, the idiotic cook with the curly eyebrow butted in.

"You must be Luffy-chan!" Sanji waltzed up to them, a rose in his hand. Dramatically, he slipped onto one knee before Luffy and grasped her hand. He pulled it to his lips, kissing it and slipping the rose into her hands. He was oblivious to the glares he was receiving from the first mate. He saw Luffy's startled look and instantly grew protective. "I apologize for the old man's behaviour... Making such a lovely young woman work... I have never seen such beauty-"

He was cut off as Luffy stumbled backwards. This shook Zoro from his protectiveness. Luffy had given Sanji her nakama-eyes, and she had never acted like this to anyone. The embarrassed blush that spread across her cheeks was something completely new.

Sanji had just kissed her! Instead of attempting to kick her. It took a moment to process, and then another to figure out why. Her blush deepened again. She was a girl, and beyond that... Sanji thought she was beautiful. There was something horribly wrong with that alone...

There was no way she was beautifully. She looked nothing like Nami, Robin, Hancock or even Alvida after she ate that devil fruit! She didn't want to be beautiful!

Her mouth dropped open in realization.

"Oh my god..." She muttered, before walking away from her friends. Zoro was smirking at the cook's failed attempt at smooth talking the captain, and Usopp roared with laughter. In an attempt to get over the rejection, Sanji began to flirt with Nami.

Luffy left the room quickly, and found herself staring at the waves. She didn't want to be pretty. Then again, did it really matter? She came here to save her nakama. No matter what form she was in, nothing changed her goal. She would have to get used to Sanji being flirty with her, but she was sure it was nothing she couldn't handle.

Aiyume appeared, leaning against the railing beside her.

"You're taking it better than I expected..." She hummed, looking at Luffy with something of a smile. "You might just take to this body better than I expected."

Luffy looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Aiyume just shook her head. There was no way she was going to try and explain something to Luffy. He was still a man inside the body. She had to remember that. At least, that's how it was for now. There was no telling what the future held.

"Luffy? Are you alright?" Aiyume looked up, and she seemed to freeze. She bit her lip, before forcing herself to disappear not a moment to late. Luffy spun to see what she had been looking at and ended up bumping into Zoro.

The two of them landed in a head on the deck. Zoro was beneath her, having been taken off guard by Luffy's sudden movement. She was straddling him unknowingly, looking down at him with a look of innocence.

She grinned at him, forcing away he earlier insecurities.

"Hi, Zoro!" She exclaimed, then cocked her head when his face flushed. She watched his expression, confused, before looking down. When she did, she realized the position they were in and she jumped back. She helped her first mate to his feet, avoiding his eyes. Landing on Zoro that way... it was much more embarrassing than Sanji's kiss! Today was such an unlucky day, and she just knew it was going to get worse.

She was right, of course, but that's what you get when you had already lived it once. Sure, there were slight differences that she wasn't exactly expecting, but they weren't necessarily bad. It was better than she thought, the little twists and turns. She was stronger now, so she didn't have to worry about things going wrong. She tried to look at details closer, something that was nearly impossible with her attention everywhere.

But when Don Krieg arrived, shortly followed by Mihawk, Luffy knew she had to prepare herself for something she could not prevent. No matter what happened, what she saw, Zoro was not going to die. She was not going to lose him.

She told herself this. Over and over, she repeated it like a mantra.

She could do nothing but watch as Zoro stood up. He claimed, his words echoing through her ears, that a true swordsman never shows his back to the enemy, and Mihawk nodded in approval.

Not going to die, she shouted to herself.

The moment she saw the blood, she couldn't help it. She snapped. Zoro's blood was everywhere, and where in another life, he could defeat Mihawk with ease and become the greatest swordsman (as he had proven at her execution), he had not reached that point. So easily, Mihawk could kill her swordsman...

With a cry of anger, she blindly shot herself at Mihawk with a burst of Haki. A fist flew from nothing, as she was moving too fast for anyone to track, and caught him square in the jaw. The force of it sent him flying into the wall of the ship.

Everyone stared at her with wide, scared eyes. Not only had just just punched a shichibukai, she had sent him flying. The girl was practically feral, standing there with wide, angry and wild eyes. For a moment of time, she had no control her herself anymore. Seeing her nakama's blood had driver her into insanity, only calmed by...

"Luffy!" At the sound of Zoro's voice, warm and alive, she snapped out of it. Her eyes faded of the anger, and she whipped around to see Zoro holding his sword high. "I promise I won't ever lose again! I'll beat him someday!"

With Luffy's back turned from Mihawk, the warlord rose. He was looking at the girl. There was something not normal about her... All the same, she was powerful. He approached carefully, before putting his hand of Luffy's shoulder. She stiffened.

"Straw hat, your fight is not with me," He told he. She relaxed beneath his grip. She knew Mihawk was not her challenge, but Zoro's. He would help Zoro become a great swordsman one day. He raised his voice, "Strive to surpass me, Roronoa Zoro."

With that, he stepped onto his raft like 'boat', and made to sail away.

"Did you not come to fight me?" Don Kreig roared from another ship, seeming triumph and cocky now that Mihawk had so easily been beaten.

"No. I was just bored."

"Neh, Ossan? If I defeat Don Krieg, will you let me off chore duty?" Luffy asked Zeff. Zeff simply blinked in shock. After everything he had seen, she knew he could do it where he would fail. He had no choice but to put his faith in this girl who seemed powerful enough. She had sent a warlord flying, after all.

"Ahh... Yeah, of course," He muttered in complete defeat. She grinned.

"Okay!" And with that, she practically bounded off towards the pirates. She landed on the deck, glaring at the crowd of pirate. Immediately, many backed off. They had seen what she did to the warlord. Challenging her would be madness! She did a complete sweep of the area, sending men flying in all directions into the water. Krieg already had his weapons out, dodging her attack but stumbling back. As she evened herself, steadying, she something pierce her shoulder. Blood rushed down her aim, and she scowled angrily. Without wincing, she yanked the metal missile out of her shoulder, bring a steady rush of blood with it.

The cooks and pirates alike gaped at her. She hadn't even made a noise... had it even hurt at all?

Luffy dropped the bloodied weapon, turning to face Krieg with a pissed off expression. The man was smirking at her. He thought he could win... After all, she was just a girl, a stupid child. He obviously wasn't expecting the first hit to actually sent him flying. He coughed as he rose from the wreckage, looking at the girl with a look akin to horror. One more move, and his armour shattered. He looked down, feeling himself grow scared. What kind of demon was this girl?

She stepped back, laughing and watching him with a neutral expression. "No one messes with Krieg! I'm going to kill you!"

To the surprise of many around her, the girl's eyes narrowed. "Kill me? I've already died."

She stumbled back, fearing her tone and her glare. She didn't step forward, pulling him to his feet and dragging him forward. She pulled her hand back, and ignoring how he quivered, let loose on him in a flurry of punches until her hand was bleeding and he fell to the ground, unconscious and bloody. She dropped him, nudging him aside with her food and made her way for the Baratie.

She boarded, ignoring the cooks and guests alike. All looked completely horrified by what they had just seen. This shrimp of a girl had just pummelled one of the most feared pirates. It was far to easy - a feat like that should have been impossible... andy yet... This time she was stronger, more capable. She would fight and defend all of her nakama, and she would save them.

She passed the old man on her way to her cook. He had a bit of a shocked expression on his face. She looked at him apologetically, but it didn't stop her from wiping the blood from her hands onto her clothing. "Sorry, Ossan... I ruined the clothes."

"Ah... It's no problem."

She smiled brightly as she approached Sanji, whose one visible eye was wide.

"Sanji! Join my crew, okay?"

It took him a fair amount of convincing, but after the cook's shitty act, and him hearing the truth, Sanji had finally agreed to join Luffy. Or as he put it, "join his most beautiful love for a life of adventure and romance on the sea." Luffy was still awkward with the flirting, even moreso that it came from Sanji, but quickly got used to it. After all, she got first dibs on the food now!

She watched with a small smile as Sanji gave his 'tearful' goodbyes. Johnny, Usopp, and Zoro had stayed this time around, knowing well that the fight would not last all that long. Convincing Sanji, however, had taken a bit longer.

Finally back on the sea and in her own clothes, Luffy was happy. The clothes that didn't cover her scars were more comfortable. She knew Sanji instantly saw the marks, but the man said nothing.

Luffy rarely left Zoro's side, much to the others chagrin. It didn't stop Sanji from flirted helplessly with her, even when Zoro would glare at him irritably from where he lay.

"I'm hungry, Sanji!" Luffy said from beside Zoro with a pout. Almost instantly, dishes of food were laid out before her.

"Anything for you, my most beautiful captain!" Sanji sang as she danced around her with hearts in his eyes. Yosaku and Johnny rolled their eyes in unison when Sanji simply dumped food in front of them. Usopp sputtered, but said nothing. Instead, he watched as Luffy stuffed her face for a few minutes, paused, and attempted to force food at Zoro. The man sat up indignantly, his face flaming as he insisted that he could at least eat. Luffy pouted, returning to shoving food down her throat.

"I'll have you know, we are heading into a very dangerous situation," Yosaku started up, aobout halfway into their meal. He was cut off by Luffy, who scowled.

"Fish man, Arlong, Nami evil, destroyed villages, seven warlords, blah, blah, blah!" She exclaimed, not heeding the warning looks anyone sent her. "Look, I'm strong enough to take this Arlong guy and get Nami back. I'll protect everyone."

Sanji stepped forward, as if to say something about how wonderful his captain was, no matter what mood she was in. The darkened look in her eyes brought him to an abrupt stop. She was beyond upset, sitting these shaking and angry. No one was sure what to say, until Zoro reached around and looped an arm around Luffy. He tugged her closer, watching as she went from upset to shocked, to relaxed.

"We know you'll keep us safe."

"Help me."

Nami finally said the words she so desperately needed to hear. She watched as her nakama were beaten, pain coursing through her, but refused to fight. Until those words left Nami's mouth...

"Take care of this for me, will you?" Luffy asked, pushing the straw hat onto Nami's head. She glanced at Zoro, Usopp and Sanji, who gave her nods. They followed as she left for Arlong park, loyally trailing beside her.

When they arrived, there was already a crowd standing by the doors. They were held off only by a beat up Johnny and Yosaku, who parted willingly for her. Anyone could feel the pure, unmasked power that rolled off the woman in waves stronger than the ocean she spent her life on. The crowd split for her, not daring to get in the way of this infuriated pirate.

She paused before the large doors, ignoring the villagers insistence upon the door being unbreakable. She cracked her knuckles before sending one powerful punch towards the door. It crumbled immediately beneath her fingers.

"Arlong! I'm going to make you pay!"

The villagers watched as the strange man approached the fish man. Anger shone bright in her eyes, and even he seemed taken aback by the power that rolled off of her. Still, she was too small, too weak, to do any real harm... right? He was taken completely off guard when she stode up to him, reached up, and snapped his nose. Not letting go, she pulled him down to her eye level.

"You made my navigator cry," Luffy hissed venomously. She used her tight grip on Arlong's nose to hoist him over her shoulder, and with a growl, she slammed him into the pavement. Taken by surprise and perhaps even hurt, Arlong sat there for a moment. With a roar, the fish men launched themselves at Luffy. Easily able to sense each attack, she dodged gracefully, sending counter attacks and sweeps.

"Hey! Save some for us!" Sanju yelled, running into the battle to defend his wonderful captain from the dangers of vile fish men. Zoro was already there, next to Luffy. His wounds bled more with each movement, but he pushed these thoughts aside. Right now, he was protecting his captain.

"Well, you three can have them all!" Usopp exclaimed as he ducked away from the action.

For a good period of time, the fish men seemed to be losing the battle without hope. The odds seemed to change, however, as Arlong rose to his feet once more and a large creature emerged from the depth of the water. The fish men cheered obnoxiously.

"Go Mohmoo! Take these weak humans out!"

Luffy turned on her heel to face the large cow like fish. She gave it a strict look and it instantly bowed her head submissively. Luffy smiled brightly and scratched it's neck, much to the horror of the Arlong Pirates. Many of them stumbled backwards, not believing the beast had been tamed by the pirate so easily. What, was she some type of witch?

She turned around, the beast looming behind her, and released a powerful burst of haki. Around her, fish men fell to the ground in heaps, without having even laid a finger upon them. Even so, it wasn't hard to see that everyone had felt it. Along side Arlong, her nakama struggled to stand at the raw power. She managed to look apologetic, before she slumped onto the ground. Her body couldn't handle such large blasts of haki yet, untrained in this form.

"Luffy!" Zoro was the first one to run forward, only to be stopped by Sanji, who gave him a small glare.

"She'll be fine, Marimo. Did you not feel that... whatever it was? It just exhausted her. For now, we have our own fight." He indicated to the few fish men who had withstood the power, although just about as shaky as them. Zoro nodded. Sanji was right, although he wouldn't have admitted it otherwise.

He slipped into his stance, ignoring how he shook. It was only after he had defeated the fish man that he ran for Luffy's unconscious body. She seemed to be in a deep sleep as he approached and he couldn't help but roll his eyes. Of course she would be sleeping.

He reached out, taking her shoulder and shaking it gently. She didn't even give an indication she felt it. He sighed in irritation. "Luffy-"

He was cut off as he was abruptly kicked. He felt his old wounds as well as new split open at Arlong's kick. Arlong strode over, his eyes fiery with anger and vengeance. Zoro struggled to his feet, returning the look with deep hatred. Beating Hatchi had been one thing, but Arlong? There was no way Zoro could live up to his promise to Luffy.

Arlong caught him by the throat, lifting him high. Zoro instinctively raised his hands to his throat, clutching at the webbed fingers. Arlong ripped away the first layer of clothing, finding himself rather amazed at the sight of the injuries. Large cuts from both Mihawk and Hatchi were etched deeply into his skin.

"How did you survive with such injuries?" Arlong asked. Zoro just glared, feeling himself becoming wheezy. Behind Arlong, he could see Nami raise her hand to her mouth in open horror from his wounds.

"I will be the best," Zoro coughed, in answer to Arlong's question. "I won't lose. Ever."

"What dedication," Arlong mocked with a scowl. He didn't understand how the puny humans continued to fight, even after their leader collapsed in a moment of weakness. He himself would never fall so easily, so pitifully. "Your captain is weak."

Zoro's eyes sparked with anger at the words. "Luffy is not weak. She is strong where you are not. She is strong in ways you wouldn't even begin to understand."

Arlong just rolled his eyes at Zoro's words. They were pitiful, just like the band of pirates. They had no chance of succeeding with their dreams, after all. With their captain down for the count, they were nothing. "Perhaps I should kill her first, and you can see just how strong your captain is."

"Kill me?" Luffy's voice floated over from behind Arlong. She had stood up from where she passed out, stretching her rubbery limbs over her head with a yawn. Perhaps she should join Zoro as he trained. This body needed to be more capable of controlling it. "It'd gladly let you try. But if you lay a single webbed finger on Zoro, I won't be the loser of this fight."

Arlong practically shook in anger. He dropped Zoro to the ground, watching her with a horrified expression on his face. He wasn't sure he could handle another blast of power again, if it was as powerful as before. Still, he wouldn't go down without a fight. Not to a female human, so small and weak compared to him!

Luffy walked past him, ignoring how he tensed, and scooped Zoro into her arms. She could smell the blood that soaked his clothes as she walked towards the group of villagers. She lied to herself, telling herself the blood belonged to someone else, but it didn't help. This was his blood, and someone had caused it. She placed him at Nami's feet, looking up at Nami for assurance that he would be safe. The navigator gave a soft nod, watching as Luffy smiled at her before turning and striding back to Arlong. She couldn't have any of her nakama nearby. They needed to be somewhere safe, no matter what.

Arlong park was coming down.

"Boss! You're finally here!" Nami exclaimed as the woman seemed to drop from the heavens in a of luck. The girl looked out of it for a moment, before turning to the orange haired girl who had addressed her.

"Nami!" Luffy had said without thinking. Nami wasn't expecting that, but flowed with it easily enough.

"Would you take care of these guys for me, Boss?" Nami asked, before taking off down the streets. She couldn't help but feel the guilt course through her for leaving the girl alone. She didn't know if the girl could handle herself - what if the men tried to do something? She found herself turning around, only to come face to face with the strange, straw hat wearing captain.

"You beat them? You must be pretty strong!" Nami acknowledged with a pretty wide grin. She looked the girl before her from top to bottom. She was dressed in nothing but a tank top and shorts, but it seemed to work for the child like girl.

"You're pretty strong. Why don't you join up with me? I'm a thief that only steals from pirates!" Nami said, still having no idea about who the girl was.

"No," Luffy said bluntly, not even attempting to soften the outright rejection. "But how about joining my pirate crew?

"No way in hell!"

Luffy woke up hours later in a medical bed. Haki was second nature to her in a way she couldn't help but use it, but she had overexerted in her anger towards Arlong. Her body was left exhausted and weak. When she woke, however, she was in the cot directly across from Zoro, who seemed to be napping.

"You're awake."

"Eh?" Luffy rolled over to see Nami grinning at her. She smiled back brightly, just happy to see two of her nakama at her side as she woke up. Luffy sat up slightly, and Nami placed the straw hat back on her head with utmost care. The woman had taken care of it and Zoro, just as promised.

Suddenly, Luffy was pulled into a tight hug. Luffy didn't hesitate to wrap her rubbery limps around Nami as she returned the hug. She could feel Nami shaking with silent tears, just as she had only mere hours ago.

"Thank you," Nami whispered, but Luffy heard. "Thank you so much, for what you've done."

Luffy just grinned, laughed, and pulled away from Nami.

"Let's go eat, okay?" Luffy exclaimed, her tone one of complete forgiveness and even happiness. She instantly grabbed Nami's hand, pulling her towards the door. Nami chuckled and followed her captain.

Her captain.

She never thought she would say those words with fondness. Not after Arlong and everything he had done to her, at least. But there was something about this girl... Perhaps it was the way she smiled when she listened to Usopp's woven tales and songs of triump, or watched Sanji flirt with girls. Maybe it was the way she watched Zoro drink, the way she kept her eyes on all of her nakama. This woman, this captain... She cared about her friends in a way Nami had never seen outside her family. To Luffy, her crew was her family.

And she had thought she would have lost it. After everything she had done, how she had treated them... why would they ever want her back?

But she was accepted warmly by the captain, by the crew. She had found family again, after so long of being alone. And for the first time in years, she was happy.

After partying for a good few hours and stuffing her face on whatever the villagers fed her, Luffy had eventually wandered back to the little medical building she had woken up in. Zoro was sitting awake this time, swearing loudly as the doctor changed the bandages. Zoro had been fixed up immediately upon seeing how bad it had been, but he was still being checked up on regularly. When Luffy entered, however, he quickly turned on her.

"You! Where the hell did you go?" The doctor scolded, but Luffy didn't listen to what he said. She had just been tired, and he had nothing to worry about.

"Hey Zoro!" She exclaimed, dropping down onto the foot of the bed. The doctor sputtered indignantly at the two of them before jumping to his feet and marching away.

"What're you doing here?" He asked, only to receive a shrug in reply. "Did you eat all the food already?"

Luffy wanted to playfully punch him but she held back. He was hurt, after all.

"No. I'm just bored," She sighed, crossing her legs as she watched him. Sanji was flirting with all the girls, Nami was talking to Genzo and Nojiko, and Usopp was still singing to his fans who believed he defeated Arlong. She let out a huff of air. "Everyone else is really busy."

"I see." Luffy nodded very seriously in response to his understanding.

"I talked to that Genzo guy, and Nami is gonna come with us," Luffy explained, enthusiasm leaking into her tone without meaning to. Zoro smiled at the Captain.

"That's good." He still didn't trust the witch. He couldn't be expected to, after everything she had done to the crew. She was more trouble than she was worth. Either way, Luffy seemed to trust her and respect her, so he left it alone. Luffy seemed pleased with his approval, so it couldn't be such a bad thing. "How are you feeling from earlier?"

Luffy shrugged. She wouldn't admit it, but she was still a little tired. She didn't have to say anything though, and Zoro tugged her down to his level. He shifted in the cot, but it didn't seem to matter. The captain had fallen asleep almost immediately, curling into his side. The partying, drinking and food could wait. Right now, it was just the two of them, just as it had been for many days before Nami had wormed her way into the crew.

He let his eyes fall shut and joined her in the world of sleep.