Zoro sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time that morning. He had woken up early to think about his plan once more. Yesterday he had decided that today would be the day he captured Luffy to collect the bounty on his head. Right now, he was sitting at the dinner table wondering if, maybe, he should wait a little longer.
He didn't want do say goodbye to his friend yet. He had become attached to the teen, something that shouldn't have happened. That was never the plan. He really didn't want to end this friendship, but he knew it would only get harder to do this the longer he waited. If he waited any longer he would only get closer to the merman.
He sighed again and put his head in his hands. Why did this have to be so hard?
The thoughts continued to circulate in his mind for a while before he finally stood up. He had to do it. For his sister's sake. Kuina had to survive. He couldn't lose her! He looked at the clock. He should get going now.
He grabbed the basket he had taken with him every time he went to Luffy. He filled it with meat for the merman and some other food for himself. He was going to act like it was any normal day. Luffy couldn't suspect anything or the plan would be ruined.
He walked to the bathroom. He still needed one last thing. Something he needed for his plan to succeed. He entered the bathroom and opened the cabinets to search for the item he needed. He shoved aside various bottles of pills and other medical things until he found what he was looking for.
It was a bottle of very strong sleeping aid. Kuina sometimes needed this. There were periods when his sister just couldn't fall asleep, most likely from pain, and failed to rest for days. That's why the doctor gave them this. The strong sleeping aid always succeeded to put Kuina to sleep no matter what her situation was at that moment. The only downside of the sleeping aid was that his sister stayed very drowsy for the next couple of hours after she woke up.
Because he didn't want to hurt his friend, Zoro had decided that the best option was to put the merman to sleep by using his sister's sleeping aid. Luffy won't suspect anything. He didn't know if it was going to work considering how energetic the merman was, but it wouldn't hurt to try.
Zoro slipped the bottle in his pocket and exited the bathroom. He grabbed the basket and left the house. He had left a note behind for his sister for if she woke up while he was still gone. The weather was good. It was very sunny for this early in the morning.
The weather totally didn't fit his mood today.
He got in his car and drove away. However, he didn't go to the lake. Instead, he went to a village. The village closest to the lake and the one where he had seen Luffy's wanted poster. He had to do something there before he could begin with his plan.
He parked his car and got out. Nobody was outside. He slowly made his way through the village in search for the bar where he had seen the wanted poster. When he finally found it he noticed that everything was dark inside. He wondered if the bar was open yet. He walked to the door and pushed against it. It opened.
He pushed the door open all the way and stepped inside. He looked around but saw nobody inside the building. Even the bartender was nowhere to be seen. He made his way over to the bar and the pinned papers on the wall behind it.
The wanted poster was still in the same place as it had been when he first came here. Zoro looked at drawing of 'the monster' with a frown on his face. The drawing made Luffy look so.. evil. So dangerous. It made him realize that he really was the only one who knew that the merman was actually a kind creature.
"What are you doing here so early in the morning? Looking for a wake-up drink?" A voice suddenly said, scaring the shit out of Zoro. The green-haired man looked at the bartender who was now standing behind the bar. When did he get here?
Zoro recovered from his shock and answered the man. "Not exactly. I just have a few questions regarding the East Blue Monster and I was wondering if someone here could answer them." He said.
The man frowned. "If you're asking for information about the monster, then I don't think anyone can help you. There is very little known about it." The bartender said.
"That's not what I meant." Zoro began. "I was wondering where I need to bring the monster if I catch him and what will happen to him afterwards." He said. The other man scratched his chin. "You know, that's a really good question.."
"So you don't know?" Zoro asked. The bartender shrugged. "I don't think anyone knows. We don't have a police here so there isn't really a place where you could drop off the monster. Why do you ask? Do you think you can catch it?"
"I do. I'll probably have him at the end of the day." Zoro replied. The bartender looked at him like he didn't believe him. Then again, why should he? So many have already died trying to get their hands on the creature, so why would Zoro be an exception?
Zoro sighed knowing very well that the man doubted that he would succeed. "Look, I'm going to do my best to bring him here. Just give me a place where I can deliver him and collect the bounty." He said. The other man thought for a little while before answering.
"There lives an old hunter in this village. I think he might have a cage where the monster can be put in. He lives in the house next door. You should talk to him about it. As for the money, it can take a while for you to receive it. The families who have gathered the money have to be notified first. I think one of them will give it to you once they arrive here."
Zoro nodded in understanding. Of course, he thought it would be better if he received the money right away, but he could understand that they needed some time to get it ready for him. He just hoped it wouldn't take too long.
"Thank you, I know enough." Zoro said and walked to the door. The bartender's eyes followed him as he exited the door. The old man then sighed and shook his head. 'Just another idiot who thinks he can get easy money..' He thought before continuing to do what he had been doing before Zoro entered the building.
Zoro knocked on the door of the small house. He was now at the builing the bartender told him to go to. Seconds passed without any response from inside. He was about to knock again when he heard a noise from behind the door. A few more seconds passed before the door opened and Zoro was met with the sight of a man.
The man, who was probably around sixty years old, looked at him with an annoyed look on his face. It was clear he wasn't very found of strangers.
"Who are you and what the hell do you want from me?" The man asked rudely. Zoro continued to stare at the man for a short while before answering. "Good morning sir. Are you the hunter the bartender was talking about?" He asked uncertainly. He didn't like this man already.
"How should I know if I'm the hunter the bartender was talking about?! But I am the only hunter in this village, I guess I am. Why did he send you here? I'm sure I didn't forget to pay for my last drink." The man said annoyed.
"No, that's not why I'm here. I need some information and the bartender said you could help me." The green-haired man said. "It's about the East Blue Monster. I'm going to capture him today, but I need a place to bring him to. The bartender said you might have a cage to put him in."
The man frowned at the mention of the monster. "I do have a cage, yeah. What makes you think you can capture it? You don't seem like a hunter to me." He said, doubt clear in his voice. "I just know I can." Zoro replied. "But back to my question, can I bring the monster here when I capture him?"
The man stared at him intensely for ten seconds, making Zoro very uncomfortable, before sighing. "Sure, whatever. Follow me to my backyard. I'll show you the cage." The man said as he stepped outside, closed the door of his house, and started walking to the back of his house. Zoro then noticed something about the man. He had a prosthetic leg. He decided not to comment on it as he followed the man around to the backyard.
The man entered his backyard through a rusty iron gate and walked to a shed that stood in the middle of it. He opened the door and flicked on the light.
In the shed were a lot of objects. Everything was covered in white sheets so Zoro couldn't see what they were. Perhaps the man had done that to protect the objects from dust. The hunter walked to one of the larger objects standing in the shed and pulled the sheet off. There stood indeed a cage. The cage was big, about two by two meters wide and another two meters high.
"If you indeed catch that monster and bring it here, you need to ride around the back to this shed. I'll leave the gate open. If you get me then I can open the shed for you. Okay?" The man asked. Zoro nodded. The man was about to leave but Zoro stopped him.
"Before I bring him here, I need you to promise me something." He said. The man looked at Zoro with an irritated look on his face. "That depends on what you want me to promise." The man replied.
"When I bring him here I don't want you, or anyone else, to harm him. If you do, I will take him back to the lake and someone else can try to capture him." Zoro said. The other man stared at him with an unreadable look on his face. "It would be awful if that monster stayed in the lake any longer, so I guess I'll promise I won't hurt it." The man replied.
Something about the hunter's features screamed 'liar' but Zoro pushed the negative feeling away.
"Thank you. I have to leave now. I'll see you later." Zoro said before leaving the backyard. He wasn't sure what to think of this old man. Something about him gave him the creeps. Was he really going to leave Luffy behind with this man?
Once Zoro was gone, the man's mouth twisted into a creepy smile. He patted his prosthetic leg. "It seems like I get my revenge after all.."
"Zoro, are you sure you're alright?" Luffy asked for the eleventh time that day. "I'm fine! Stop asking that every time I don't reply to something you said!" Zoro responded annoyed. He had arrived at the lake a while ago, ready to spend one last day with his best friend, but he kept spacing out much to the merman's concern.
"But you're acting differently today! There is something on your mind, I know it. Just tell me. I'm your friend! Friends are supposed to tell each other if something's wrong!" Luffy exclaimed.
Zoro swallowed his frustration and gave a small smile. "You really don't need to worry. It's nothing of your concern." He said. He reached his hand into the basket and grabbed another piece of meat. He gave it to the merman in the hope the teen would drop the subject. Luffy accepted the food and ate it in the blink of an eye.
"You know, maybe I should go swimming for a little while. It's really hot in the sun." The green-haired man said. Luffy looked up at him, excitement clear in his eyes. "Really? That would be amazing! You have never gone swimming with me before!" The merman exclaimed happily.
Zoro took his shirt off and placed it next to the basket. His pants ended up in the same place. Underneath his pants he wore black swimming trunks. He had put them on that morning because he already knew that he was going to enter the water.
Without Luffy seeing anything, Zoro grabbed the bottle of sleeping aid from his pants' pocket and took the last remaining piece of meat in his hand. He knew how much of the sleeping aid his sister needed to fall asleep, so he used the same amount, if not a little more, to put Luffy to sleep. He added the sleeping aid to the meat and quickly hid the bottle again. He then turned to face the curious merman.
"Hey, I found one last piece of meat. Here." Zoro said and handed Luffy the meat. The creature accepted the meat and ate it without thinking twice. He made a weird face after swallowing it. "Eww, what was that? It was so nasty!" The merman said. "Maybe it was an old piece that was left from the last time I visited?" Zoro said, though it sounded more like a question.
"Man, now I only have this nasty taste in my mouth." Luffy murmured as he tried to rub the awful taste from his tongue. Zoro apologized with a small smile. The man then stood up and walked to the shallower part of the lake.
He entered the water and made his way to the deeper part of the lake, slowly getting used to the temperature of the water. Luffy swam over to him while smiling brightly.
Finally Zoro was completely in the water, only his head stayed above the surface. The merman kept swimming around him while talking about how awesome swimming was.
The two swam together in the lake for a while. Luffy had suggested playing a game of tag, so that's what they did. Of course, Luffy was way faster in the water than Zoro because he was a sharkman. Zoro didn't mind though. He never really liked playing tag, so he didn't mind losing.
After they played for a while Zoro noticed that Luffy was slowing down. The sleeping aid must have taken effect. It probably won't be long before Luffy falls asleep.
They continued to swim and talk together for a little while longer until Luffy started complaining about being tired. The merman didn't really understand why he was feeling so tired all of the sudden. He tried to leave to take a nap, but Zoro managed to convince him to stay by saying he wanted to play one last game before he left, which the merman thought was strange considering Zoro didn't really like games that much. But of course, Luffy couldn't swim away from a game.
So the two of them played another game. One for which they didn't have to move around a lot since Luffy was very tired. The merman became more sleepy as minutes passed by. At some point Zoro had to hold Luffy up by the teen's waist to keep him above the surface.
"Zoro, I really want to go to sleep now. Please let me go.." The merman murmured tiredly as he weakly pushed against the other's chest to try to loosen the other man's grip on his waist. Zoro's grip didn't falter though. "You're in no condition to swim away, Luffy. Go to sleep if you're tired. I got you." He said.
Luffy didn't reply, but decided to do what Zoro had told him and give in to the sleep. He trusted his friend. Slowly, the last of his strength faded away and his eyes closed. Zoro stayed quiet. The only sound being the steady breathing of the merman in his arms.
The man released a breath he didn't know he had been holding in. He stared down at the sleeping teen in his arms. Doing this to his friend, it felt so terribly wrong. Every little piece of him protested against doing this. He couldn't help but regret doing this even though he knew that this could possibly save his sister's life.
He slowly started to make his way to the shore, taking Luffy with him. Halfway to the shore he had to pick the merman up because the water was getting too shallow to drag him. He carried his friend the last few feet out of the water and the short distance to his car. The sandpaper-like tail scraped the skin of his arm open, making him bleed a little. Zoro didn't care. He felt like he deserved it anyway. How he managed to open the trunk of his car without using his hands he didn't know, but it didn't matter anyway. He gently put his friend down in the car. When he was sure Luffy was comfortable, he slowly closed the trunk.
Zoro returned to the rock and dried himself with a towel he had brought with him. He dressed himself once he was dry enough and gathered his stuff before going to his car. He entered the car with his stuff and started the vehicle, but didn't drive away immediately.
This was his last chance to go back. This was the last chance to stop this plan of his. He could still bring Luffy back to the water. He could even drive Luffy to the sea, to the teen's home, if he wanted to. But if he did that he wouldn't get the money his sister needed so badly. If he didn't do this, it would certainly be game over for Kuina. He couldn't let that happen. Not when the money was within reach.
He sighed and started the car. His mind was made up. He didn't want to, but he had to do this. He didn't have an other choice.
Luffy's consciousness was slowly returning. He felt himself being moved by something, which turned into someone when he felt hands lift him up. He could vaguely hear voices. Not one, but three. They sounded distant yet nearby at the same time.
His back was met with something cold as he was laid down. He realized that he himself felt cold as well. He never really noticed the cold in the water. Wait, he didn't feel any water around him. Was he out of the water? But how?
He tried opening his eyes, but that proved to be quite a task. Why did he feel so weak? So tired? He was confused. What was happening? He tried once again to open his eyes and, after a short while, he finally succeeded.
His sight was blurry, but he still managed to make out three figures standing in front of him. He had to look up to fully see them, so he had to be lying on the ground. He somehow managed to recognize one of the blurry figures as Zoro. Who were the other two? Where was he? Why wasn't he in the water?
The three figures seemed to be talking to each other. Luffy couldn't understand what they were saying though. His mind was too hazy. The two unknown figures were speaking loudly and patting Zoro's shoulders. Were they.. praising him?
He moved his hand over the ground. The material underneath him was as cold as steel. Maybe it was steel. He didn't know. He just couldn't think clearly right now. What was happening? He didn't understand!
From the corner of his eye he could see the bars of the cage he was in. Wait, he was in a cage? But why? He hadn't been attacked, had he? He didn't feel any pain, so he probably didn't fight. Then how did he get caught? And why was Zoro with them? Was Zoro trying to get him out of here? Zoro was helping him, he had to be. He was his friend!
He wouldn't betray him, would he?
His head became more clear as minutes passed. His sight became less blurry and the figures got more shape. Their voices sounded excited. They all seemed happy about something, but about what?
Zoro moved away from the other two and entered the cage through the still open gate. He knelt down next to him and whispered something to him. He was saying that he was sorry. Sorry for what? Please Zoro, what is going on?
Luffy tried to speak, but only a small whimper came out. Zoro's hand moved to his head and ruffled his hair. The man apologized again. Why was he doing this? What were they doing here? Who were those other guys?
Zoro stood up again and left the cage. The merman stretched a shaky hand out to try to grab the man's pant leg, but his fingers only grazed the material. Luffy's eyes became watery. Was Zoro betraying him? But why? They were friends! Friends don't do this to each other! He felt his heart break as Zoro closed the gate of the cage.
One of the other men knelt down next to the cage. He vaguely recognized the man from an old memory. It wasn't a positive memory. The man's smiled gave him chills.
The man stood up again and joined the others. The three men then started to say goodbye to each other. Wait, was Zoro leaving him here? No, no, no, no, no! He couldn't do this! Why?! What did he ever do to Zoro to deserve this?! They were friends!
Or.. was their friendship a big lie?
Zoro looked at the merman one last time before turned around, not wanting to look as a tear slid down his friend's face.
AN: I don't really know what to think of this chapter. I feel like I could have done better..
Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter. Thank you for reading!
