Replies to reviews:

#Fenix Cole : Thanks for the cookies, but I'm on a diet :P Yes, Ussop will appear in the storyline, although it likely won't be the cheerful liar we all know and love
#somebody : You'll hear soon enough. I did write that he'll tell everything to his friends once they gathered together. :P
#clos : Thanks for the compliment and the review
#StarKiss666 : Thanks :D You and everyone else will have to wait for that a bit. A have no intention of rushing things and messing everything up ;)
#dbzgtfan2004 : Thanks and will do. For the last bit, read above :)


Chapter 3 - Reminiscing

With a calm mind, a lone person was sitting on the roof of the speeding train as it was going through the wildlands. Eyes closed, brows furrowed in concentration, Zoro was meditating. Dawn had finally arrived barely an hour ago. There were at least twelve hours to travel before they reached the sea again, and then at another five before they reached Water-7. He chuckled for a second, remembering how Nami and Robin explained the events of last night to the conductor and the agitated passengers. Luffy was right about Nami... although in hindsight, Luffy was usually right in all of the important decisions he made. Slowly getting up, he drew his most prized possession, a master-forged katana bearing the name Wadō Ichimonji. The grip and sheath bore little decoration, and as he drew the blade, sunlight danced as it reflected on it's pure white surface. There were probably more powerful swords in the world, but like every competent swordsman knew, a sword is only as powerful as the hand that wields it, and it's weight is borne not by the steel it is forged from, but by the soul guiding it. To him the blade he solemnly held in his outstretched hand was more than a weapon. It symbolized everything he believed in, the code he followed, the oath he had sworn. Closing his eyes and relaxing, he began to swing the blade, his body moving of its own accord as he danced across the roof, the blade, near-invisible from the speed, reflecting the light as it soared through the air. After a few minutes, he gracefully stopped, sheathing the sword. He stood silently, his mind going back to his memories

------------------

(5 years ago, Hong Kong)

Night was finally falling on the warm and overly moist streets of one of the worlds last surviving metropolises. Zoro loudly cursed. He was lost. Again. Damning whatever creator was up there for cursing him with such poor sense of direction, he slowly walked the never emptying streets and markets of the coastal city. He had just sharpened his swords and was looking forward to a good opportunity to test them, failing that he'd settle with a good tavern for some sake.

Along one of the larger streets, he noticed a crowd gathering. Having failed to find either fights or taverns, he let his curiosity draw him to the crowd. He could hear the people talking but he didn't pay much attention. Everyone's sights were riveted to a pair of figures around which the crowd have made a circle. One, Zoro recognized the uniform, was a Federation Marine officer, and the other was a kid about his age, wearing rolled up jeans and a simple red vest. While the marine was angry as hell, Zoro noted, much to his amusement that the boy was busy picking his nose.

"Monkey D Luffy" the marine bellowed "For crimes against the federation government I am hereby placing you under arrest."

The boy quirked an eyebrow at the man.

"Eh?" was all he said to the exasperation of both the crowd and the marine officer"Who're you?" he asked quite innocently. He marine in question was fuming.

"Lieutenant Andrew Morgan you damnable pirate" he seethed at the young man. Suddenly the young man's face darkened considerably. What the crowd interpreted as fear, Zoro realized had been rage.

"Morgan?" the boy said questioningly"Lieutenant Morgan, formerly in command of the marine vessel "White Shark"?"

The marine smirked, haring the same bad interpretation of the crowd "I see you've heard of me. Now will you come peacefully, or do I have to beat you to a bloody pulp first?"

Luffy grinned "Screw you marine. You're free to try" he said, giving him the finger. By now quite interested in how the situation would turn out, he watched the enraged lieutenant charge at the young man with an axe drawn. Much to the annoyance of the marine, he deftly dodged his every blow, throwing rather embarrassing insults at the man. After a few minutes, the marine was tired, and the pirate stood unfazed by the entire situation, idly rubbing the back of his neck and yawning slightly. The crowed gasped as the marine flew into an even worse rage and charged for an overhead slash. Which Luffy stopped. By grabbing it with two fingers and snapping off the head of the axe. He simply grinned

"Are you done?" he asked. The lieutenant gulped, realizing that he was fighting against someone far more powerful than himself. Luffy laughed, as he slammed his fist into the man's gut, sending him flying quite a way back, straight through the wall of a building in his path. Laughing at the whole situation, he quickly realized that the whole crowd was watching him in fear.

"Neh" he turned to the crowd "does anyone know where I can by some good meat?" he asked, causing a complete confusion among them. A few of the people weakly pointed in the general direction of a decent place to eat. Grinning, he slowly started walking in the direction, the crowd parting to make way.

"Thanks!" he yelled as he waved a hand at the crowd, which was by now slowly dispersing. Zoro made a devious smile. He had found a worthy sparring partner.

---------------

Having decided against fighting him in the streets, Zoro decided to follow this young man named Luffy, in hope of finding a decent place to challenge him . Although he wasn't really interested, e found out that the man had a bounty of 20 million credits on his head. He didn't really need the money, but he decided to use it as the excuse to start a fight. Not that I really need an excuse, he mused.

As he followed him at a discreet distance, he realized that he headed towards a large park. It was already night and the street lights were already on. For a moment Zoro wondered if his prey realized he was being followed, but quickly dismissed the idea. Luffy slowly walked over to one of the trees near a small lake, and sate down, facing the water. With a peaceful expression on his face, the boy seemingly went to sleep. Deciding it was the right moment, Zoro slowly approached.

"Took you long enough" Luffy said, his voice still sleepy and barely louder than a whisper "What do you want?"

He had noticed him, Zoro quickly realized.

"I was going to say that I was after your bounty" he started with a small smirk on his face. He drew all three of his swords

"But you're more interested in how strong I am after the show I made today." Luffy chuckled. Silently thanking whatever creator was out there for sending some entertainment, he slowly rose and faced Zoro "My fists against your swords, eh?"

"That's right" Zoro replied

"Let's make it a little more interesting" Luffy said, grinning devilishly. Zoro quickly decided that he didn't lake the way this was going. "You beat me, and I'll willingly follow you to the nearest marine base for you to get the twenty million bounty on my head. No guarantees I won't escape at a later date, though." he grinned

"And if you win?" Zoro asked, now curious as to what the young man was planning

"You join me." he stated shortly.

Thinking it over for a second, Zoro nodded in agreement.

Luffy stretched his arms behind his back for a moment, before crunching his knuckles. Both warriors seemed to be in a good mood as they simultaneously charged at each other. Zoro quickly realized just how much his opponent was holding back earlier that day, as he realized that he couldn't land a single hit on him. Thankfully, it appeared that neither could his opponent.

Dodging and parrying with his bare hands against the three swords which stormed around him, Luffy held his ground. His face had changed from earlier that day, Zoro thought, into a far more serious one, fully committed to battle. They both seemed to be going all out as the battle went on.

The first blow was laid by Luffy, as he managed to slug the swordsman in the face. He wasn't left unscathed either, as one of the blades left a shallow incision on his arm. Slowly tiring, both lost a bit of their speed, and the hits landed soon become more numerous. After nearly an hour of fighting, they both still stood, albeit at a small distance.

They were evenly matched Zoro thought almost happy at the thought. Finding a good opponent was hard, and the man he was fighting was his equal with his bare hands. He calmly surveyed the area around them as they both took a small break. The place was in ruins: Smashed rocks, cut-down trees, holes in the ground. Then a rather strange fact occurred to him. Luffy didn't seem physically as tired as he was showing himself to be. Wondering at the meaning of this somewhat obvious deception, he charged back at his foe, the short time for rest over. It's time to finish this, both of them thought. Gathering his remaining strength, Zoro prepared his final attack. Seemingly noticing this, Luffy stopped his attacks and awaited him with a grin.

"Oi, green-hair" he said, somewhat teasingly "Gimme your best shot"

With a wicked smile, Zoro obliged, setting his stance to that of the technique he had in mind.

Holding his two blades parallel at an angle, he dropped to a half-crouch.

"Santouryu" he whispered "Three Thousand Worlds"

With the completion of those words, Zoro charged at his foe, for the first time in months feeling joy in battle. He was more than a worthy opponent. But he was sure that this would end it.

Having closed his eyes, Luffy was waiting for the charging swordsman. Although his speed was great, before Luffy's eyes everything slowed down. Much to the swordsman's horror, Luffy blocked all three blades and smiled.

"Sorry, but now it's my turn" he sad sadly and vanished. For a moment, nothing happened, and Zoro was wondering just what the hell was going on, but then the first blow landed, then a second and then a third. Three blows of ridiculous strength were enough to bring him to his knees. Was this the same person he had fought on par with?

He felt his frustration grow along with his rage. He had failed. He was defeated. These thoughts and many others such raced through his mind as his consciousness faded.

----------------

He could feel the light falling on him. Waking up, Zoro felt bandages on him as he started at the ceiling. Ceiling? He slowly forced himself up, looking at the insides of a room, probably in some hotel. He noticed some of his clothes neatly folded, and atop of them were his three swords. Further scanning the room, he felt a pair of eyes watching him

"You might want to rest a bit more." Luffy said quietly "I think I may have broken one or two of your ribs"

Zoro merely grumbled, eliciting a small laugh from Luffy.

"Don't get to upset" Luffy continued, seemingly hitting a nerve in the wounded swordsman "It really wasn't a fair fight"

Zoro sighed, the man wasn't lying, he had been utterly outclassed.

"Why didn't you fight me with full strength from the start?" he asked, his eyes closed

Luffy stood silent for a second, contemplating how to answer the question. Letting out a small sigh, he decided ask him a few questions first.

"Apart from the fun, why did you pick a fight with me?"

"I wanted to test my strength." Zoro replied tiredly"And you still haven't answered my question"

"Same reason" he replied shortly "That trick I pulled of in the end..." he stopped for a moment

"Does the term Awakened mean anything to you?" he asked, seemingly changing the subject

Zoro was quiet. He had heard the word, but merely as a rumor. A rumor that people with amazing powers wandered the world, capable of great feats of power and destruction. Stories claimed that the had sold their souls to the devil in return for power, or that they found lost relics that bestowed them with power. He had even heard a weird tale that by eating a strange fruit you could gain such powers. But one thing was common in all stories: they were equally unbelievable.

"Why do you ask?" Zoro finally mouthed, unsure at what he was aiming.

"You seem to be a man of honor, Roronoa Zoro" the said man flinched, a bit surprised how he knew his name "Can you keep a secret?"

"Sure"

"What I am about to show you and tell you is not to leave this room under any circumstances. Understood?"

Zoro nodded, curious as to what he was about to show him.

"The reason I asked you what you knew about the Awakened is..." he stopped for a moment. Zoro blinked, not fully believing what he was seeing, but staying relatively calm. Luffy's arm stretched, and snapped back. "...because I am one of them."

"So that's how you pulled the disappearing act" Zoro idly commented

Luffy laughed, he had hoped that Zoro would show little to no reaction. He nodded, the grin never leaving his face.

"It was part of it. You see, all Awakened have two inherent powers" he started to explain. Zoro didn't seem particularly interested. "First, like this rubber ability of mine, are caused by genetic mutations, some inherited, some artificially caused. And second, and this is where you should pay attention, is the Will"

Zoro slightly twitched at the word. It seemed oddly familiar, but not from the rumors he had heard, but from somewhere else. From the teachings of the Way of the Sword.

"I see you have an idea of what I'm talking about." Luffy's expression changed to a solemn one

"Not many wield the Will. The Awakened carry it as a birthright, but aside from them only a handful of truly exceptional people can wield it. And I think you have potential" he smirked as he said the last word.

"There are as many ways to use it as there are people who can. I for instance figured out how to use a fraction of my Will to accelerate my body, while protecting it from any damage that would be incurred do to the speed-up. I know a guy who can teleport himself around. And I've seen even weirder things happen" he grinned. "I can teach you how to use it" he added as an afterthought, sending a shock through the swordsman's mind

--------------

Those are good memories, Zoro thought as he snapped back to reality. He had trained him, but he never answered the question Zoro had asked him. It had no longer been necessary. After a year's training Zoro understood. If he always used the will, he would never grow stronger, so he chose to fight with his own strength wherever he could. The woman, Robin, that Luffy had brought, he was certain that she had the Will as well, and was very likely an Awakened too. He had always wondered why Luffy had kept it a secret from the others, and why he never told them everything. Zoro understood that Luffy was keeping a secret, and it seemed that, for the time being at least, a secret it would remain.

Finding an interesting target in a large rock in the distance, he figured it was time to try it once again. Focusing his mind and will onto his blade he took his stance, waiting for the right moment. Iai was a style he appreciated, elegant, efficient and clean. The rock outcropping was a hundred meters away. In a single fluid moment, with a movement that no normal eye could see, he drew the white blade, slashing at the air and sheathed it. As the sword clicked into place, the rock was split in two. He grinned. Suddenly, another rock some fifty meters behind the original target snapped as well. His grin grew wider. His range and strength had improved. As did his endurance. The exhaustion he had feel the first time when he tried was crippling, but now, he could only feel his heartbeat speed up a little.

--------------

"Remember" Zoro remembered Luffy explaining as the two trained "Using Will puts strain on your body and mind. Using it for short bursts of strength and speed are probably your best options for now."Luffy blocked a blow from Zoro's blade with his bare hands. Zoro was frustrated at the fact how hard it was to use. When he first managed to use Will, he also knocked himself unconscious from the strain. It had been a month since, and he was now capable of using short bursts to increase his speed and strength. Everyone has their own path when it comes to the Will, he could hear Luffy's voice in his head. He found out that his was improving the strength of his body, but his progress was abysmal. With a month of training, he could only use it twice or trice in a battle.

"This won't work" Luffy winced "The progress is too slow" Luffy stood for a minute, brows furrowed in concentration, until he slammed his fist onto his palm in realization. Zoro merely watched him, Luffy didn't know shit when it came to swords, but when it came to what he was teaching him, he was a pro. Luffy grinned.

"It would probably take you around a decade to reach continuous use this way, so will do it the other way around. Instead of focusing large amounts of energy, try using a much smaller amount, but constantly."

And so, Zoro tried, and much to his surprise it had worked. The improvement wasn't great, but it was there, and he could maintain it without breaks or even any strain. Luffy grinned widely

"That should improve your growth considerably. You should still train that burst release, for your more powerful attacks though" and with those words, Luffy left his friend and went to sleep, while Zoro continued to train.

------------------

Sanji took a sip of tea as he heard the explosion in the distance. He made a small smile, The shity swordsman's improving, he mused. Not that he would ever say it to his face, as these two hurled insults in each other's direction whenever a good opportunity presented itself, which was basically when they were within shouting distance. Deciding against wasting his time on the green-haired idiot, or the crazy captain who was also missing, he took a look at their new companions. The youngest of the three was Sil, the bounty hunter. She was slightly shorter than him, with short blond hair, green eyes and a smile that could probably melt ice. She was dressed up in a nondescript military uniform, which did a good job of hiding most of her rather attractive body.

Second was Jared, her slightly older brother. Same short blond hair and green eyes, but a much darker look on his face, framed by a bandana which apparently never left his head. His uniform was similar, except that it seemed that his was a bit less restrictive. He was quite large, and Sanji laughed internally at the idea that Luffy brought him down with just one hand, most likely. Knowing how things went with his crew, he didn't expect these two to stay long. His eyes then moved to the two ladies whom he expected to stay quite a while longer. Nami and Robin, as Luffy had introduced them, were both stunning in their own right, but something told him that they were both made of sterner material than it seemed. And it didn't help that his crazy captain had his already infamous 'instincts' to guide him. Sanji made a small smile before walking over to them and asking them politely if he could get them something.


Author's Rambling : Another chapter done. I am proud to say that I've finally crossed the 10k word mark without being booed off the scene :P This is going quite a bit easier now that I'm free as a bird :D Anyho, down to the subject of the new chapter, I decided to start adding in explanations to various things that happen. As you probably noticed, there is a rather obvious explanation of Luffy's vanishing trick from before :P I'll add stuff to the end of the chapter whenever I can't figure out how to put something into the story itself

Oh, and

Iaido (Iai from above is a short form)- Japanese sword style associated with the smooth, controlled movements of drawing the sword from its sheath, striking or cutting an opponent, removing blood from the blade, and then replacing the sword in the scabbard.(mostly copy/paste from wikipedia)

Anyho, thanks for reading, and keep posting reviews/comments.

And here's a quote (from God knows where, cause I certainly can't remember) for ya: If you see a rifle on the wall in the first act, expect someone to be killed by it in the second or the third.