Holy… Wow! This is just… so many… as you can so, I am shock beyond words. I see that so many people favored, alerted, reviewed this story and… I am just so touched. You guys' reviews are what make this story possible. I thank you all. Alright, I've looked over this chapter a bunch of times and I think I have the font and spacing to work out. Tell me if I did, alright? OK, it's time for some rough housing in LougeTown. Oh yes, and the appearances of many needed characters. You know that ones I mean. Sorry for any typos, again, I was in another , lets get this chapter rolling!


Chapter eleven: Misadventures in LougeTown

Intro:

Destiny...

Fate...

Dreams...

These unstoppable ideals are held deep in the heart of man.

As long as there are people who seek freedom in this life,

These things shall not vanish from the earth...

( Funimation's " Believe" song plays)

" THIS IS GONNA BE AWESOME!" yelled Lucy in excitement. She was nearly jumping as she and her crew stood in front of an open town gate. The sign above the gate read in neat letters; LougeTown. Nami was reading out of a little travel book she had brought from her home town.

" Every pirate who heads to the Grand Line always stops here to stock up on supplies. It has everything from food to weapons." read aloud the thief. Lucy was only half-listening. She was beyond excited. From what she heard from Shanks as a kid, this place was where Gol D. Roger, the King of the Pirates, was born and executed. Lucy turned to her group and she gave the best pout she could make.

" Please, ppppplllllleeeeaaaasssseeee! Can I go and check the place where they killed Gol D. Roger? It'll only be for a while! Pppllleeeaaaassseee~!" begged Lucy, practically on her knees. Zoro smirked, finding his begging captain quiet amusing.

Nami looked up at the sky." I guess you can. Just make sure you don't get lost and meet us by the-"

" Nami, she left when you said," I guess."" said Usopp, pointing to the smoke cloud of a skull and crossbones with a straw hat. Nami pinched the bridge of her nose and she gave a groan." Great. Why do I have the feeling we're all going to be sore at the end of the day?" she asked herself. Everyone sweat dropped in agreement.


" Yay! I got ice cream! Yummy-tummy ice cream!"

" OK, just be careful. We don't want it to spill."

The little blonde girl giggled as she skipped with her three-scooped ice cream cone. She didn't watch where she was going and she crashed into someone's leg, landing on her bottom and her ice cream spilt on the person's leg. The little girl gasped and she looked up, her brown eyes meeting dark-gray irises. The owner was a man about thirty-four-years old. He had short gray-white hair that would make people think that he was older than he looked. He wore a white jacked with the words," Justice" written on the back of it with cigars strapped to his upper arm. The jacket was left open, showing his muscular chest. He also wore brown gloves, blue jeans and brown, leather boots. He was smoking two cigars in his mouth and he gave a menacing look at the little girl.

The father of the little girl gasped." C-Captain Smoker! Pl-please, sir! Forgive my daughter! She didn't- oh please!" begged the father as Smoker reached for the little girl. The child flinched as Smoker placed his hand on her head and he kneeled to her eye-level. His eyes gave a slightly soft appeal.

" I'm sorry. My silly pants have eaten all your ice cream. Here, go buy yourself five scoops." said Smoker as he handed the little girl 1 Berri coin and stood up.

" Th-thank you. So much." said the father of the little girl as Smoke left with the other Marine he was with. The little girl gave a tiny wave.

" Thank you." she said. Smoker lifted his hand and he gave a silent wave. With that business finished, Smoker headed off to the docks. When he arrived there, he and the Marine with him spotted Lucy.

The teen gave a turn and she spotted the two Marines." Hey! Can you guys give me some directions!" she called as she walked over. Smoker quirked his eyebrow. He hadn't seen this girl around town." Can you tell me where the place they kill people is?" asked the she-pirate-who-would-be-queen.

" You mean the Execution Platform?" asked the Marine.

Lucy nodded and she looked around." Yeah. It seems that I can't find it anywhere. This is my first time being in this town." said the teen. Smoker just stared at her. He knew he had seen this girl somewhere and he felt like her had seen someone who had also looked like her. Lucy sighed when Smoker remained silent." Huh, guess ya don't know. Ah well." said Lucy with a shrug as she began to walk away.

" Hold it, kid, just fallow the smoke." said Smoker as the smoke of his cigars went in a direction. Lucy blinked before grinning.

" Wow! Thanks, mister! See ya!" she called as she ran in the direction of the smoke. Smoker watched her as she leaved, his mind trying to remember where he had seen that girl before.


" Man, these swords are badass. Why do they have to cost so goddamn much?" complained Zoro to himself as he stared at all of the magnificent swords that were held on display at a swordsman's shop. If he could, he would go get more Berris from Nami. However, if he did, then that would just increase the interest Nami had added to the money he was already barrowing from her. With a sigh, Zoro gave a longing look at the silver blades.

" TAKE THIS!" * CLACK!*

Zoro turned his attention to the sudden noise. A group of people surrounded a fight that was going on. Zoro looked over the heads and he spotted two knocked out pirates and a woman with a Kantana in her hands, Her hair with a short midnight-blue and she accidentally dropped her glasses. Zoro found them and he held them out to the woman.

" Here you-" Zoro's mouth stood agape as he looked at the woman's dark brown eyes. They held the same light that… Kuina had….

" Oh, thank you." said the woman, a light smile on her face. Zoro felt so shocked that he crushed the glasses in his hand. Both he and the woman gasped." You… How could you!" yelled the woman angrily. Zoro flinched, still in a state of shock. The woman grabbed him by his ear and she yanked him to a walk. Zoro tried to get out of her grasp but man, this girl was stronger than she looked!

" Whoa! Hold on! Where are we going!" yelled Zoro as he was yanked.

The girl gave him a glare." To the Marines! You're gonna work there till you have the money to pay my glasses." she said. Zoro twitched. He would get in major shit if he went there. Zoro clenched his teeth and he gave a hard tug, making the swordswoman fall on all fours, Zoro's Kantana also went flying. It landed next to the woman and she picked it up, examining the blade. She slowly turned to Zoro." So, you're a swordsman?" she asked as she stood up.

Zoro crossed his arms at his chest and nodded." Yeah. I use Santoryu Style." he said.

The woman gave a nod." Hm, that's a rare style. Only a handful of people in the world know that style." she said. She then gave another nod." Alright. Fallow me. I have a better idea." she said as she walked to the direction of the swords smith. Zoro raised an eyebrow but, he fallowed, curious about this girl's idea.

" Here we are. This is the one place in town where you can get good swords." said the woman, gesturing to all the weapons." OK. Here's how you can get out of paying me. Since you're a user of Santoryu and you have the legendary Wado Ichimonji, I want to see how good you are at picking swords. A smart swordsman knows what blades suit them well. All you have to do is pick two swords that I think represents your stature. Pick the right ones, and you can leave without paying me and I'll pay for the two swords you picked. Choose wrong, and you're coming with me to the Marines." said the woman. Zoro nodded, seeing this as an easy obstacle and he moved to a barrel, looking over all the swords. As he searched, he decided to pass the time.

" So, you're a swordswoman, huh? Sounds impressive." said the green-haired swordsman.

The woman looked over her own sword." Thanks. I wish to become legendary one day. I hope to be with the greats. Like that one pirate hunter, Roronoa Zoro." she said.

Zoro gave a smirk as he searched." Really? This Zoro really that famous?" he asked.

The woman nodded." Yeah, but he's been doing odd things lately. I've heard he was last seen in Arlong Park fighting by the side of a female captain. Huh, I wonder if she is his girlfriend." she said to herself.

Zoro face twisted and he flinched, a salmon-tint now spotting on his cheeks." G-girl friend? Why would you think that?" he asked.

The woman sighed dreamily, stars sparkling in her eyes." I find it very romantic. The two of them, a pirate hunter, a pirate captain. It sounds like a forbidden love~." she said in a dreamy voice.

Zoro turned more red and his mind went half blank.' Me and Lucy? Lucy and me? Forbidden love? That sounds so… so…' Zoro couldn't bring himself to think his thoughts. His heart pounded fast at the thought of Lucy and him together. What would happening in that kind of life? Holding Lucy in a protective yet caring way, making sure that she was safe and that she always had that thousand-star smile…

He placed his thoughts on hold when he found one particular sword that caught his interest. It had a black and gold handle and it was in a scarlet-red hilt. Zoro could feel an odd sensation run through his veins as he held the swords. He could tell that something was up. The swordswoman also noticed the strange feeling. Out of her pocket, she pulled out a small red book and she paged through the book. She stopped at a page in the book that had the same picture of the sword.

" Ah, just as I though! This is Kitetsu. Kitetsu The Third. It's apart of the Wazamono Grade Swords. You just have to get it! Think about how strong you'd be with-"

" This sword is cursed." muttered Zoro, taking the sword out of it's sheath and he held it to the light.

The shopkeeper of the swords store nodded his head." Yes. The Kitetsu swords are known to be cursed swords. Many men who have had posses that swords have died of it's curse. Just listen to me and don't buy. That sword will only lead to death." he said.

Zoro smirked and he held up the sword." Tch. Looks good to me. If it's as cursed as it's said to be, then lets see which is stronger; the sword or my good luck." said the smug samurai as he tossed the sword in the air, sticking his arm out and closing his eyes as the weapon came spinning back. Time went into slow-motion as the swiveling blade reached Zoro's arm… and missed it by a curve of the blade. The sword pierced to the ground, digging it way to the ground. Zoro opened his eyes and he gave a knowing smirk.

" I'll take it."


" What a load of crud. I fallowed that guy's directions but, I still cant find the Execution Platform. Dang." said Lucy to herself as she walked around a corner. She had been searching for the Execution Platform for an hour now and she was getting more impatient than usual. Lucy stopped and she stared at the sign that caught her eye. Written in fading gold letters were the words' Gold Roger's Bar.' With sheer curiosity, Lucy walked her way down a staircase and into a dark room that looked like a bar. The chairs were turned over and on the tables and the place was cold and quiet. There was only one chair that was not turned over and sitting in that chair was an old man with black shaded glasses. Lucy walked in and the old man looked up.

" Um, excuse me. The sign outside says this place is called Gold Roger. Is that a misprint? And why is it called that?" asked Lucy.

The old man gave her a nonchalant/ bored look." Get lost, kid. You're too young to be in a place like this. Besides, we're closed for good. Starting today." he said as he took a bottle of Sake and pouring the liquid into a glass and gulping it down." I'm retiring. So beat it."

Lucy sat her self on a bar stool." I just want to know why this place has it's name. You see, I'm looking for the Execution Platform and I'm lost. Can you tell me where it is?" she asked. Lucy them sat up straight when she saw a giant skull on the man's table. A long, gaping crack was impaled on it's forehead." Wow! That skull is so huge! How cool." said Lucy with interest in her eyes.

The old man stared at the skull with a fixed look." Killer Giant. One of the most notorious villains in all of the Grand Line. He sent the many lives of men straight to hell." he said. The old man then smirked." That is, until Gol D. Roger came and took out the behemoth with one slash of a sword and one shot of a revolver." He pointed to the larger crack of the sword. Lucy bounced on her seat and she begged the old man to tell her more of the famous Pirate King. The old man agreed and he told her the most feared villains of his time being killed by the King of the Pirates himself. He even told her about the first time he met Gol D. Roger and about how the great Pirate Era came to be on the day Gol was killed. He then said, in a distasteful, that there were only fake pirates of this world and how the town of Louge was now looked as a mockery.

Lucy let out a small giggle and she tipped her hat to cover her eyes." Don't worry, old man. There are still great pirates out there, like me. Gol D. Roger was and still is the greatest pirate ever known. And I'm gonna be just as great. When I leave this town, and reach the Grand Line," Lucy looked up with a determined smirk." I'll find the One Piece and I'll become the first ever Queen of the Pirates." she said confidently.

The old man looked at her in disbelief first before his eyes widen. For one mere second, the bar owner thought that Gol D. Roger himself was sitting in her place. But just a second later, Lucy sat there once more, her grin still on her lips. The old man finally let out a warm smile." Well, it's the first time I ever heard something that ridiculous. If there are pirates in this world like you, girl, then I just might be convinced enough to keep this place open." he said as he walked to the counter of the bar." Here, lets have a drink. I haven't been in a good enough mood in years."

Lucy scratched the back of her neck as she looked at the different beer bottles." Uh, I'm not allowed to drink stuff as strong as this. Sake's fine but, I'm still seventeen." she said. The old man chuckled and he pulled out two glasses of powdered milk.

" Very well. This stuff will work just as well." he said as he handed Lucy the glass and he raised his." To the eternal King of the Pirates. And to your dream as well." he said. Lucy grinned and the two toasted there glasses, drinking up the white drink. When her drink was finished, Lucy bid the old man farewell and she walked out of the bar. Her search of the Execution Platform was back on.


" Hey, kid!"

Lucy, now on the verge of climbing the finally found Execution Platform, looked around and she spotted Smoker." Oh, hi! Could you wait a minute? I'm kind of busy." she said. The Marine glared at the teen, for he earlier found out that the girl was Monkey D. Lucy. Or as some called her," Straw Hat" Lucy.

" So you're that girl. That female captain that everyone on the East-Blue has been blabbering about." Straw Hat" Lucy. Well, as a Marine Captain, it is my duty to arrest you." said the Marine as large puffs of smokes blew out of his two cigars. Lucy gave a nod and she carefully climbed up another railing.

" I guess you're right about that but, I'm not letting you arrest me. I'm planning on traveling to the Grand Line and I want to become the first ever Queen of the Pirates." she said, locking her ankles around the iron beam. Smoker raised his eyebrows. The Queen of the Pirates? What kind of nonsense was this?

" OK, kid. I can see that you might've been dropped on your head as a infant so, why don't we just head off to the Marine Base and we'll see if we can get a hold of you're parents." said Smoker. He trying to level with this kid because even though he didn't look it, he had a soft spot for kids. Lucy, however, simply shook her head.

" Uh-uh. I ain't coming." she said as she tried to climb up some more when she realized her feet were stuck. With a small scowl, she tugged with all her might. A little too much might, I might add. The pull had freed Lucy however, it made her fly into the sky, spiraling her out of control." WHOA! SCREW UP! SCREW UP! SCREW UP!" screamed the she-pirate as she flew half-way across town and she fell on a hard road. With a groan and a rub of her head. Lucy stood up and she decided to try to get back to the Execution Platform. Little did she know that old enemies that were hot on her trail.


Zoro stared at his own reflection of the blade of his new sword. After obtaining Kitsu, the shopkeeper of the sword shop had given him another sword, the Yubashiri. It was a very light Kantana and Zoro found it as interesting as Kitesu.

" Wow, neat swords, Zoro." said Lucy as she suddenly popped out of no where. Zoro jumped slightly and he glared at his captain.

" Sheesh, quit popping up like that, kid." he muttered. Lucy just laughed and she sat next to Zoro, picking up the Yubashiri and looking over it. Zoro shifted a bit at how close Lucy was sitting next to him. He could feel the warmth radiating off her body and could smell her sweet scent. The mixture of vanilla and sea air. Though many would think this scent sounds repulsive, Zoro felt that it was just, well… Lucy. The swordsman's mind went back to the thoughts he had at the sword shop. He could almost see the thoughts he had. Lucy held closely in his arms. Her arms around her neck and her hands lightly gasping his hair. Her chin resting on his shoulder and her lips just an inch under his ear. Those soft and pink lips whispering," Zoro… I-"

* GROOO~*

Zoro snapped out of his imagination and he sweat dropped at a giggling Lucy, who was rubbing her stomach with her happy-go-luck smile.

" Shi, looks like it's time for lunch. Come on, Zoro. I spotted a restaurant just a black away." said the black-haired girl as she handed back the ex-pirate hunter's sword, grabbed his hand, and dragged him to the restaurant. Zoro eyed their entwined hands and he tried to ignore the warmth of her palm. The two walked into the restaurant and they got a table for two. Their waiter came up and he gave them a welcoming smile.

" Hello. What can I get you two love birds?" he asked. Zoro glared at him while Lucy, as usual, remained oblivious.

" Five plates of meat and some ice tea, please." said the she-pirate.

" One plate of Sea King meat and some white rice. And a bottle of ale." said Zoro.

The waiter wrote down their order and he gave a nod." OK, I'll be back with you're orders soon." he said. The waiter then ducked to Zoro." Cute girlfriend. Want me to get you guys a more private booth?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Zoro gave him a ' Do you want to piss me off?' look and the waiter high-tailed it. Minutes, he came back with their order and a man with a camera." My good man, lets give a complimentary photo." said the waiter as he shoved the two teens together. He made Lucy sit on Zoro's lap and he made Zoro put his arms around Lucy. Lucy gave a smile, finding this like a game, while Zoro tried to look away with his blush. Lucy giggled.

" Come on, Zoro. Please?" asked Lucy, batting her eyelashes adorably. Groaning, Zoro sighed in annoyance and he gave a fake half smile while Lucy smiled and nuzzled her head to Zoro's neck. Zoro couldn't stop the faint blush on his face. The camera flashed and the picture came out. When the men finally left, Lucy smiled at the picture.

" I'm gonna be sure to keep this for a long time." she said. Zoro just shrugged and he took big gulps of his ale. For the time they were eating, they each exchanged at what they did and saw. Lucy told Zoro the stories the old man told her while Zoro told Lucy how he had gotten his two new swords. Lucy gave a small burp when she finished her fifth plate of meat." Ah, well I'm stuffed. Lets pay and get out of here." she said.

Zoro nodded as he drank up the last of his drink." Yeah. So, where's the money?" he asked. Lucy cocked her head in confusion.

" What do you mean? I don't have any money. I thought you did." she said.

Zoro coughed up a bit of his drink." What! You don't have any well? Well I don't either! How the hell are we suppose to pay for all this?" he whispered harshly. Lucy gave a shrug and she suddenly felt something land on the brim of her hat. She leaned her head forward and a small bag of Berris landed on the table. Lucy grinned and she turned to the tow clocked people who had launched the bag.

" Wow. You guys are so nice. Thanks for paying for us." said Lucy as she bowed her head to the people. Zoro did the same and they walked out of the restaurant. They two walked around a little until they reached a market place. They looked at a few sellers before a flower vendor called them over.

" Ah, I love to see young couples pass this place. Tell you what, you're lady can have these beautiful flowers I have on display here." she said. Zoro was going to retort that Lucy was not his lady when it looked like the vendor shut hid off, pulling a crown of red flowers with many petals from her cart and taking Lucy's hat off her head, placing the crown there." Ah, perfect. The cosmos are truly you're flowers, young lady. What do you think. Young man? Doesn't your lady look like a princess?" asked the lady. Lucy grinned at Zoro.

" Well? Do I look like a princess, Zoro?" she asked.

Normally, Zoro would either give a shrug or he would shout at the flower vendor that Lucy was not his. But, that was proven to be rather difficult since Zoro had to admit; Lucy did look very pretty with those flowers in her hair. Not that she wasn't pretty everyday. Zoro then scowled and he looked at the ground, blushing at his thoughts.

" Uh, yeah. They look good on you, Lucy." he said. Lucy giggled and the wind suddenly picked up, causing Lucy hat to slip out of her hands.

" Ah! My hat!" yelled the onyx-eyed girl as she raced after the hat. Sighing, Zoro fallowed Lucy, trying to catch up with her as fast as he could. Lucy's straw hat floated higher and higher until it reached the town square, right where the Execution Platform was. Lucy grinned and she grabbed her hat, stuffing the flowers in her hat and plopping said item back on her head. Lucy then noticed the Execution Platform and she climbed it up with no hassle at all. Lucy gazed at the perfect view.

" Wow! This is so cool! To think, twenty-two years ago, the King of the Pirates himself stood on this platform and began the Pirate Era! This is just… Wow!" shouted Lucy in amazement as she looked over the view. People began to gather and they wondered why the heck was this girl up there? Only one person didn't see all that surprised. It was an extremely slim woman with gorgeous, ebony-black hair and dark green-blue eyes. On her head was an all too familiar white cowboy hat.

" My, it has been ages, hasn't it, Lucy Darling?" called the lady. Everyone turned and every person there was amazed at the beautiful woman. Lucy, on the other hand, crossed her arms in front of her chest with a confused face.

" Who the hell are you?" she asked.

The woman flipped her hair back." You don't recognize me, Lucy Darling? And here I thought we had a special bond. Yes, I've searched for you for nearly a month now to proclaim me my love for you-" Every one dropped there mouths for a second. Love? Holy crap! They thought this story involved no lesbianism!"- The love that only a mother could for wish for. That's right, I want you to become my daughter, Lucy Darling." Everyone gave a sigh a relief. Thank God, there was no lesbianism involved. A sudden explosion came and the Buggy Pirates appeared, surprising Lucy when they locked her in a in a head board jail, Buggy standing next to her with a sword threateningly held at her neck. Lucy looked more bored than scared.

" Oh no. Please, spare my life. I beg of you." said Lucy in an uninterested and sarcastic tone. This whole thing seemed like a load of crap to her.

Buggy glared at her and he stomped his foot on her head." You rubber brat. That's all you have to say? I'm surprised. Someone with a mouth as big as your's must have a lot of things to say. Come on, there's gotta be something that tiny little brain of your's cam think of." he said mockingly. Lucy took a deep breath and she screamed.

" LISTEN AND LISTEN GOOD! I'M THE GIRL WHO'S GONNA BE THE QUEEN OF THE PIRATES!"

Her words echoed everywhere as dark, thunderous clouds began to roll in.

" Hell yeah, you are!"

Everyone turned to see two, new people enter the scene. It was Zoro and Sanji. Zoro with his bandana tied around his head and his swords in his hands. Lucy gave a grin. Boy, was she glad to see them. Zoro and Sanji looked mad as hell. For Sanji, he was mad that those idiots locked up Lucy, for he cared about her a ton. The same counted for Zoro, however, he was to prideful to admit it. The two of them charged onto the battle, ready and willing to fight off the pirates.

Buggy smirked and he raised his sword in the air." You buffoons are too late! Say good bye to your precious captain!" he yelled as his sword was about to slash down. At the last seconds, Lucy spoke, an apologetic smile gracing her lips.

" ZORO! SANJI! USOPP! NAMI!… Sorry… But I'm dead!"

Zoro turned his head just as the sword came down" LUCY, NO!" he yelled.

At the last second, just when the sword was about to slice her neck, a tremendous lighting strike came crashing form the sky and it shocked the platform. It caught on a sapphire-blue fire and it slowly went tumbling to the ground. Zoro looked at the wreckage, wondering if a certain captain was OK. The said girl suddenly appeared out of the wreckage, only a few smudges and scratches on her. Well… that was lucky.


" Damn… you!" muttered Lucy as she felt the heavy weight of Smoker's foot on her head. After escaping the town square, the pirate gang had somehow gotten separated and Lucy and Smoker met again. The two fought against each other and Smoker had shown to be quite strong with the powers of his eaten Devil Fruit, the Smoke-Smoke Fruit. Smoker pulled out his weapon, a jutte with a strange stone called Sea Stone imbedded in it, and he about to strike at her with it when someone grabbed his hand.

" Don't even think about it." Smoker turned his head to the owner of the hand. The man was in a green cloak and he had a hood on, only the half of his tanned, tattooed face revealed.

Smoker gave a glare." Tch, so now the government can be at ease. To simply come alone is unlike you, Dragon." he said.

Lucy fidgeted her head. Who was Smoker talking to? And who was this Dragon person? The man known as Dragon simply smirked as a harsh hurricane blew all over town, sending everyone and everything in sight to the air. It even conveniently sent the pirate gang all the way to the Going Merry. To say that this was based on luck would be the understatement of the century.


Back in a secluded place in LougeTown, the mysterious man known as Dragon walked down the path where he had saved Lucy. The rain that had started came down in little soft needles and the wind blew lightly around him. He stopped when he found a clump of red cosmos flowers. They were the flowers that had fallen out of Lucy's hat when the hurricane blew over. Dragon picked them up and the corner of his lip went slightly up.

" LISTEN AND LISTEN GOOD! I'M THE GIRL WHO'S GONNA BE THE QUEEN OF THE PIRATES!"

" Strong ambitions… I always knew you would have those… Lucia…"


" FWAAH-CHOO~!"

Lucy wiped her nose with the back of her hand as she walked onto the sky deck. Nami, Ussop, and Sanji were in the lounge, trying to warm up and Lucy had decided to go check on Zoro, who was on watch. The rain was clearing up and Lucy had spotted Zoro lifting weights, shirtless( A.N: Cue the screaming fan girls.) Lucy smiled and she walked over.

" Hey, Zoro." she said. The swordsman looked at her and he gave a nod of acknowledgment, turning back to his weight lifting. Lucy noticed that the ex-bounty hunter was unusually silent. He had been this way ever since they left LougeTown and she could feel a cold air go off him. And it wasn't from the watery wind.

" What's wrong, Zoro? You've been silent for a long time and you haven't talked to me. What's up?" asked Lucy. Zoro still had his back turned to her and he was still lifting. He suddenly stopped and he had his head down, his face being shadowed.

" You… YOU'RE A DUMB ASS! YOU NEARLY GOT KILLED TODAY AND YOU DIDN'T DO A THING ABOUT IT WHEN IT CAME TO YOU! YOU JUST GAVE UP THEN AND THERE! THAT WAS THE MOST STUPIDEST THING YOU EVER DID!" Zoro could feel a blazing fire run through his veins and he turned to Lucy, his eyes turning cold and harsh. Lucy flinched. She didn't like this side of Zoro. It wasn't his usual pissed-off mood. Her hand reached for him.

" Please, Zoro. Clam down. Why are you so-"

Lucy let out a yelp as Zoro grabbed her reaching hand and pulled her to him. She placed her hand on the middle of his pectorals, right where his heart was. Lucy felt a rush of warmth run up her spine and to her cheeks as her palm felt Zoro's cold skin and the rough beating of his heart. Zoro looked down at her with a glare of anger and seriousness.

" Can you feel that, captain? This is exactly how fast my heart went when you were going to get killed. When I first saw that you were trapped, I knew I had to be the one to save you.. But when you said those damn words…" Zoro shook his head and he glared harder.

" Do you know how worried I was, Lucy? Do you know how I felt? On that last second, I thought I would lose you. You… I swear, you…" snarled Zoro, his voice flatting as Lucy wrapped her arms around his neck and pull his close, her head resting on his chest. Lucy could feel the scar Zoro had received from Mihawk against her cheek and she could feel Zoro's heart beat ease down. She stood there with him, in soft silence as the rain lit up and the wind calmly blew. finally, Lucy placed her hand on Zoro's cheek and she looked up at Zoro, her eyes softening.

" I'm sorry. I'm sorry for worrying you, Zoro. I just accepted that I was going to die back there. I never meant for you to get worried." apologized the girl. She looked at his chest and her free hand lightly traced of Zoro's long scar. It made Zoro shiver." I've should've known better. I was worried when it looked like Mihawk killed you. I thought I would never see you again. I thought I lost my best friend." Lucy placed her hands on Zoro's shoulders and she pushed up lightly on her toes, pressing her lips against Zoro's rough cheek. Zoro sighed at the warmth." I'm sorry, Zoro. I truly am." she murmured against his skin.

Zoro could feel his skin tingle at the warmth of her breath and he wrapped his arms around Lucy's waist, placing his hands on the small of her back.

" It's alright, Lucy. Just promise me you won't give up that easily, ever again." he said. Lucy rested back on the soles of her feet and she nodded, giving a light smile and pulling off her hat. She then reached into it and she pulled out the picture she and Zoro got in LougeTown. She smiled at it fondly and she smiled at Zoro again." We'll always be best friends, won't we?"

Zoro smiled and he looked at the picture as well." Yeah. We'll always be friends."

To Be Continued…

( End Credits roll in)


Yes! Enter Smoker and Dragon! Two very important characters that are needed in this story! They'll help out a bunch! Anyway, thanks to you all for reviewing! Since this story has passed it's 50th

mark, I'm gonna give you all a bonus chapter! It's the next chapter over! I bet you'll all like it! Oh yeah, I also need your guys' advice. Should the chapter after the bonus chapter be when the Straw Hats meet Apis or when they meet Laboon and Crocus? I can't decided! Any way, make sure to review and go ahead and check out the bonus chapter! Go on, check it out!