13

"Decide you want it more than you are afraid of it,"

-Bill Cosby

Caroline

One Piece Season 7- Later on that day

He was just staring at me non-stop. And every once in a while I would give him a look back like 'Zoro what the hell do you want?' Then with the slowest reaction he would just turn away, maybe go back to sleep or stare in another direction. There was something up. So I decided after the 5th day I'm going to ask him. After talking about it with Maurice he assumed he liked me. But I didn't believe that because Zoro didn't look like he likes anybody, like he's asexual. Like there is no woman on this earth who he could possibly like at all or be physically attracted to. And I'm here like great the psycho swordsmen who wants to kill me is secretly in love with me.

That's when I'm like what the hell I'll talk to him no matter how much he scares me. Because I am scared of him, he is really strong I am not like Nami and do not know him well enough to joke with him, or yell at him to make him scared.

That night he was sitting in him normal position with his swords against his shoulders staring up at the stars, I waltzed right up to him and sat down right next to him, Then he gave me a look like 'are you lost?'

"You know what the ancient Marine armies used to do to see if your eyesight was good enough to fight for their country?" I asked him remembering a story Nate used to tell Olie and I.

"Huh?" He surprisingly answered back.

"On the Big Dipper on the handle on the second star right under it there's a star if you can see it then you have perfect vision enough to fight for their army." I told him.

Then I saw him looking for it, grinning with satisfaction he leans back, "How do you know that?" he wondered.

"Nate told me, he tells Olie and I a lot of cool war stories," I answered back looking at that star. "He was like our parent only cooler because he was completely blunt and honest about everything." Zoro just let me go on so I continued talking, "Like one time when Olie and I were 15 or so he gave a marriage advice. Like we were going to get married anytime soon, he's not even married. The first one was women see 20 million different colors men only see 10. The second one was women remember everything, if you're arguing she'll pull something that you did two months ago, You probably don't even remember,"

"Hah, that's right, I hardly remember what I had for dinner yesterday," he answered back.

"So what you do is you stop talking. Just go some place she won't, like a garage, there's spiders in there she'll never go in there." I told him remembering Nate, laughing at the fact that he actually told Olie and I this, "Lastly, the first month of marriage is not about love. That's a lie, it's about habits, and things that you can't and can do. Like dishes if you don't want to do the dishes then break one of them, you'll never have to do them again.

"I have no idea, however why he gave us marriage advice, this was however after a previous boyfriend I had broke up with me because I gave him a black eye," I grinned at the thought.

"He broke up with you because you gave him a black eye?" Zoro wondered laughing.

"Yeah, apparently, I'm too rough. I apparently need a guy who's as made as steel as I am," I told them then I thought, whoops if he liked me then I was egging him on.

"Nate seemed like an interesting character," Zoro told me.

"Nate is smart on a lot of things you just don't see it because all most people see him as is a martial arts teacher of all sorts. He loves history and how the brain works and I'm pretty glad he raised me and not Mihawk."

"Mihawk." Zoro remembered, "It's still hard to believe you're his daughter, or that he even has a daughter,"

"What? You don't believe me? That my father is the 'Greatest Swordsmen' in the world and one of the Seven Warlords of the sea?"

"No, I believe you, you and Olie look like him, and Olie's as strong talented as him. I'll have to fight you and win if I want to beat your father though,"

"I'm not interested in fighting you," I told him, "I find it completely unnecessary, I always hated fighting like that. I should use my strength for the greater good; not for pride,"

"Would you ever battle me though?" he looked at me and for that moment he didn't look scary at all almost peaceful.

Smiling and looking down I answered, "Probably not. Are you willing to fight a lady?"

"I'm not like that chicken of a cook. It doesn't matter what gender you are I'm not going to go easy on you. You deserve that, if you want to battle me," he responded back still staring at me.

"I know I shouldn't say this, but I can't help but notice you're staring at me a lot."

"No I'm not," instantly denying Zoro looked down.

"I don't mind, I'm just confused, you don't look like the kind of guy who is interested in anything but fighting. I don't get it."

Stumbling on his words he said, "I just think you're special, I guess. I liked how when George Booth Rolette made you fight me and when you gave it you're all how strong you really were. I honestly didn't think that a girl as good looking as you can handle my strength. I admire that."

"So what? Staring at me makes it intensify?"

"I like how fearless you are." He answered. Not quite the answer I wanted. "I've only ever been beaten by a girl once, I mean by that same girl once, when, I was younger,"

"Really?" I asked uninterested. I've never been beaten by a girl I thought to myself.

Then he exploded a little voice rising and everything, "Is there any other answer you wanted? Can't you just get over the fact that I actually do have feelings for you? Has that never happened before? Minus Sanji, have I been the only one to actually say something to your face?"

(Did I not just tell you I had a boyfriend who I punched in the face?)

Thinking about it minus Sanji, "Yeah," I got up getting the answer that I wanted.

"Wait! Hey! You can't just leave after me saying that to you!" he yelled back at me.

As I started to walk away I heard him get up and start to reach my shoulder. I grabbed his hand from my back and flipped him over towards me pinning him to the ground I retorted, "Life is all about choices I can do whatever I want. And why did you let me flip you? You knew I would,"

"I didn't care," He answered. "But if you really want to fight I'll give you a fight,"

"Nah, I don't think I will," I told him. "You wouldn't even want to hurt me anyways,"

"Really?" He said getting up and bracing himself. Instantly a punch went flying towards me from him. I caught it then he tried doing it again with the other hand, caught that too. I kneed him in the gut and kicked him to the side. He flopped on the ground.

"You let me do that," I told him looking down at him. "Face it Zoro you want to be beaten."

"By you," He got up, "Anyways, I don't see what your problem is. I told you how I felt, and you had get all defensive."

I looked at him looking at me, "I just don't understand you. Why would somebody like you feel entranced by the way I am? And why won't you hit me back? I thought you said you didn't feel pity against girls."

"I did it's just, this isn't an actual fight, you don't mean to hurt me, because I know you can put all more strength into that. You're just surprised somebody actually paid some decent amount of attention to you and not your brother like you're used to."

Oh, you noticed that too, I thought walking away and into the lounge. I didn't know what to say.

When I sat down at the bar getting ready to position myself for sleep I heard Zoro open the door and walk right in.

"I haven't heard that much sass from you," He said walking in and sitting across from me.

"I haven't heard you talk much about your feelings," I said back.

He laughed, "There's not much to talk about,"

I guessed he wasn't mad by that remark, "I'm sorry about kneeing you and such; I just really wanted to know why you stared at me so often."

"That's fine," he looked down but then looked back up, "Wait? I really stare at you that much?"

"Yeah, everybody's been wondering if there was something going on between us, with the way you've been acting," I told him trying to get myself comfortable.

"I didn't realize that," he looked down. "Well, how did you feel about that?"

"I just wanted to know why you were staring at me," I told him getting really tired.

"That's it?"

"That's it." I yawned.

He just turned the other way and positioned himself for sleep too.

Eventually I think we both drifted off to sleep. When I woke up Zoro was still asleep but Olie was hovering over me.

"What are you doing?" he whispered.

"What do you mean what am I doing? What are you doing?" I questioned back.

"Asking you what you're doing with him?" Olie rephrased.

I looked over at Zoro sleeping soundly, "I'm not doing anything with him, he just likes me, that's all."

"Well?" Olie wanted to know more.

"Well what?" I asked getting up and going over to the sink getting water.

"I don't want him back if that's what you're wondering, it's not like it matters anyways," I told him then drinking my water and setting the glass in the sink. "I'm going to take a shower now," I told him walking right past him and down in Nami's, Robin's and my room.