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Chapter 8 – Chances

Day 6

Zoro pressed his back against the weathered brick of the chimney and fought the urge to run.

He should be safe here. He was high up, too far away from the roof's edge to be seen from the ground, and he was sure no one had spotted him climbing the building. He'd picked his direction at random, and didn't recognize the area at all, so there was no reason anyone would think to look for him here. He should be safe. He should have plenty of time to figure out what his next move should be.

So why did he feel like a rabbit about to be pounced on by a hungry cat?

"Found you!"

Zoro gasped, leaping to his feet as a phantom grip tightened on his arm.

"Whoa, Nami was right! Hey, Little Zoro, come back to the ship with me!"

Luffy. The last time he'd been on a roof, Luffy had found him.

"Right," he mumbled, shaking off the memory and slumping against the chimney again. His choice of hiding place suddenly seemed like a terrible idea. He should move. If Luffy found him again, he'd…

He'd what?

One hand clenched at his side, and Zoro forced it to relax. He had no sword; he'd left them all on the ship. And even if he'd had one, could he really bring himself to hurt Luffy? Never mind how unlikely any attack would be to succeed—if he tried at all, he had to be prepared for the chance it would. And after seeing Luffy so badly hurt in that dream, after seeing, no, feeling, what that man (not him, never him, couldn't be him) had gone through to keep him safe…Zoro didn't know if he could do it. He didn't want Luffy near him, but he didn't want him hurt.

So his best option was to avoid the outsiders completely.

"Zoro."

"Aaaahh!" Zoro spun around, hands scrabbling at his swordless waist.

"I'm sorry." Sylvi raised her empty hands. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Zoro's hands dropped to hang at his sides. "What are you doing here?"

"Just thought I'd check on you."

"Sorry. You brought me to that house and everything, but…I couldn't stay there."

"No, that's…okay." Her head tilted; like a bird, he thought. "You look upset."

"I—" Zoro looked away, his hands creeping up to hug his arms. "You were right. I should've—it's so much harder now. I should've stayed away from them, like you said."

Sylvi approached him with light footsteps and a sympathetic smile. "That's a lesson everyone here learns eventually. It's not your fault you're new at this."

"Is it true?" He wanted to grab the words and stuff them back inside.

"Is what true?"

But he also wanted to know. Needed to know. "They think I'm one of them. They think I'm the missing friend they're looking for, and that I used to be big like them. Is it true?" It was silly to expect Sylvi to know the answer, but there was no one else to ask.

Sylvi didn't answer right away. A small pile of loose bricks lay near the chimney, and she sprang onto it, balancing expertly on one foot while the other waved gently through the air. A bird flew overhead, a roll of paper stuffed into a bag around its neck, and she shaded her eyes with one hand to watch it pass. Zoro ignored it.

"That's something you'll need to decide for yourself."

Zoro folded his arms and glared. "That's not how it works! Either I am or I'm not, and if you know which it is, you better tell me!"

"Are you threatening me?" She spun on her brick, her smile now with a hint of amusement to it.

"Of course not!" Everything in him recoiled from the idea of hurting her. "But I need—"

"On this island, things like that aren't so set in stone."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Sylvi hopped off the brick pile, landing silently on the roof. "You could be happy here, you know."

"Huh?"

"The people of this island always look ahead, without being weighed down by the past. No one is hungry, or cold, or alone, and it's up to you to decide what your life will be."

"I don't understand." Zoro growled and dug a hand through his hair. "You're no help at all!"

Sylvi's laughter was like tinkling bells. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to upset you." She danced to a stop in front of him, the skirt of her dress swirling around her. "You're the only one who can make the decision, but in everything else, this island will give you whatever support you need. If you want the outsiders gone, they'll be gone."

"It's not that easy." He knew—don't think about how—that the outsiders were strong. Insanely strong. He tried to imagine them losing, and his mind went blank. The image just wouldn't come.

"You should have a little more faith in us, Zoro," Sylvi said. "You're one of us now, and we'll do anything to protect one of our own. We've had a lot of practice." She skipped back, jumping onto the edge of the roof. "Just think about it. And while you're thinking, you might want to move along. You haven't gone as far as you think; they'll find you soon if you stay here." She stepped back and dropped out of sight.

Zoro wasn't really surprised to see no sign of her when he peered over the edge half a minute later.

Chopper was hungry.

He didn't want to be. Zoro was missing, again, and in trouble, and that was much more important than food. He wasn't Luffy; he would stay focused on the mission for as long as he had to, whatever his stomach said.

He turned a corner, and the smell hit his nose.

Sugar. Chocolate. Cinnamon and fruit and caramel and…oh, he could see the shop window now. It was huge, glittering with tiny lights like a sea of stars, and the displays—! There were cakes and muffins and pies and cookies and chocolate sculptures and candy and maybe he should check inside, just for a minute, to make sure Zoro hadn't hidden in there. It wasn't the sort of place Zoro would normally be, but that might be exactly why he'd go there, to try to throw them off.

And if Chopper happened to get a few sweets to sample while he was there…well, he needed to keep his strength up. After a little sugar, he'd have the energy to look for Zoro for hours. He was a doctor; he knew these things.

The shop had a long line, but it moved quickly. Chopper handed over his money, happily took his slightly-bulging bag, and turned to leave.

Zoro was standing across the street, his nose pressed to the window of a sushi shop.

Somehow Chopper managed to get outside the bakery without either dropping his bag or knocking anyone over.

"Zoro!" He charged forward, not caring whether the street was clear or not. Thankfully, aside from the line at the bakery, there seemed to be a break in the traffic, so Chopper made it to the sushi shop without causing any accidents.

By which time Zoro was halfway down the street.

Chopper shoved the handles of his bag in his mouth, transformed into Walk Point, and took off. Normal Zoro was fast, and Kid Zoro could still have outrun a lot of adults, but even Zoro at his best couldn't beat a reindeer running full out.

"Zoro, wait!" Chopper called through his mouthful of bag once he'd caught up.

Panting, Zoro shook his head and pumped his legs harder. His speed didn't change much, and he was wobbling badly, nearly colliding with a building when he tried to turn a corner.

He's tired. And hungry. Zoro probably hadn't eaten anything since the night before, and who knew how much sleep he'd gotten.

"I have food!"

Zoro's steps faltered. He looked at Chopper, easily keeping pace with him, then the huge bakery bag. His shoulders slumped, and he dropped to a hesitant trot. "I don't like sweets."

"I know." Chopper switched back to Brain Point and held the bag out to him anyway. He wished he'd grabbed some of the savory pastries the bakery had been selling. "W-we could go get something else! Whatever you want! That sushi place looked pretty good, didn't it?"

"No." Zoro swiped a muffin that wasn't completely covered in sugar from the bag and slumped against the nearest building. "This is fine." He bit down and made a face.

"Are you sure? I don't mind at—"

"I said it's fine!" Zoro took another bite of the muffin.

Chopper gave in, leaning against the wall himself and digging a chocolate-covered cookie out of the bag.

"We were all really upset this morning, when we realized you were gone," Chopper told him.

Zoro flinched and looked away. "Yeah, sorry. I know I broke the deal."

"No!" Chopper swallowed his cookie with some difficulty, feeling tears prickling at the corners of his eyes again. "Not because of that. We were worried about you!"

"I never asked you to worry about me. I don't want you to, either." Zoro bit off a chunk of muffin like he was tearing at a piece of meat. "I can take care of myself."

"We can't help it," Chopper said.

"Because you think I'm your missing friend."

"Yes." No point in denying something they both knew was true. "But even if we didn't think that, we'd still be worried. We'd still want to help you if you were in trouble. You were only on Sunny for a day, but that's plenty of time to decide you like someone."

Zoro glared at him. "Well, I don't like you."

The words felt like an arrow to Chopper's heart. He doesn't mean that, he told himself. He just doesn't remember, that's all.

"And I don't know why you'd like me, either." Zoro's shoulders were hunched, and in spite of the scowl on his face, he looked suddenly vulnerable.

"Well, Luffy likes you. That would probably be enough to give you a chance all by itself, because he's almost never wrong when he decides someone's a good person. But I'm a doctor. Even if I didn't like you, I'd want to help, because it's my job to take care of people, even when they don't think they need it."

Zoro leaned back against the wall again, fiddling with his muffin.

Chopper smiled at him. "Our Zoro never thought he needed it," he said. "We argued about it all the time."

Zoro's fingers stilled on the muffin. His eyes were distant, staring at something Chopper couldn't see. Chopper was about to ask if everything was all right when his ears caught a barely-audible mumble.

"…they were restricting my movements."

Chopper squeaked, and the bakery bag slipped out of his grasp.

Zoro's head shot up. He stumbled away from Chopper, the remains of his muffin falling to the ground. "I-I—"

"No, wait, it's okay!" Chopper waved at him frantically, which only seemed to unnerve Zoro more. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"

"No." Zoro shook his head, backing away.

Oh no. He was losing him. He couldn't lose him! "Wait, Zoro, please, just listen—"

"No!" Zoro clapped his hands over his ears. "I don't want to hear any more! I don't want to see—" He whirled and ran.

"Zoro, wait!" Chopper tried to follow, but the streets were filling with people again, and already Zoro's slight form was getting hard to spot in the crowd. Especially when Chopper was so short himself.

…He was still in Brain Point. Why was he chasing him in Brain Point?

Chopper transformed immediately, but between Zoro's headstart and the increase in people, it was too little, too late. Chopper scoured the streets around the bakery for over an hour, but Zoro was nowhere to be seen. He'd lost him.

His surroundings flashed by in a green blur. His side ached and it was getting hard to breathe, but Zoro kept running. He had to keep running. He had thought he'd run far enough before, but Chopper had still found him. The outsiders were more determined than he'd ever thought they'd be.

No. If it's for a friend, they have more determination than anyone in the world.

Zoro shook his head. No. He didn't know that. He didn't know that because he didn't know them, because it wasn't true, he wasn't… If he could just go somewhere they couldn't find him, then it wouldn't be true. The visions would stop. They had to.

He stumbled, hands flying out to catch himself on the cobbled street. Street? Hadn't he been in the woods? He'd barely been aware of leaving the town, but there had definitely been trees at some point. There weren't any now, though—he was definitely in a town. Looking around, Zoro didn't recognize anything. He hoped this was a different town, at least, hoped he hadn't just exhausted himself running in a big circle.

His ears pricked as he caught the babble of excited voices in the distance, and Zoro looked up. Worry twisted his stomach as he saw the huge crowd gathered at the far end of the street. Was it the outsiders? Had they followed him here already? Heaving himself to shaky legs, Zoro considered his options. Should he run away from the crowd, or try to lose himself in it?

He was too tired to run. Zoro staggered down the street, his eyes fixed on the people ahead. He could rest after he got there. He wouldn't need long. If they could just hide him for a little while, then he'd be good to run again, or fight, or…or whatever he needed to do. He'd figure it out later.

The good news was that he didn't see a single outsider. Still, the crowd didn't bring the comfort Zoro had hoped for. There were lots of people, yes, but they were grown-up people. Hardly anyone was younger than the youngest of the outsiders, and Zoro seemed to be the only kid here by himself. He tried to brush off the feeling of being watched.

Actually…there weren't a lot of really old people, either. It was hard to tell with adults, but he thought very few were even as old as Boran, and he saw just one woman with fully-gray hair.

Zoro shuffled through the crowd. It wasn't hard; in spite of how many people there were, they stayed bunched together in small groups, with more than enough space for a kid to wander between them.

His foot caught an uneven bit of stone and he crashed to the ground again, still too tired to catch his balance in time.

"Oh dear, are you all right?"

A hand wrapped around Zoro's arm, hauling him to his feet, and he looked to meet the eyes of an unfamiliar blonde woman. She was trying hard to keep a concerned look on her face, but her cheeks were flushed and she was practically bouncing in place as she brushed him off.

"'M fine," he mumbled.

"Is it your first time here?" she asked him. "It's unusual for children to come to see the lottery. Are you hoping to be a big brother?"

Zoro gaped at her. "A…what? Lott…ery?"

Her brow furrowed. "You know, the lottery."

"What're you talking about?"

"How can you not know about the baby lottery? Even if you don't remember it yourself, shouldn't your caretaker have explained it?"

His what? Zoro felt his brows tug together in a scowl. He didn't need anyone to take care of him. He was plenty old enough to look after himself.

"Oh, wait, I get it!" the woman said, looking critically at Zoro. "Yes, from the look of you, your Renewal must have been very recent, right? Maybe they just haven't got to that bit yet. After all, you won't really need to know about all that for at least another ten years. That makes sense!" She turned away from Zoro to face the center of the crowd, bouncing on the balls of her feet a little.

"What makes sense?" Zoro had had about enough of adults pushing him around. "What lottery?"

"Oh—well, I mean…" The woman looked around. "All right, I'll try to explain things quickly. So, obviously we can't have too many babies born here, because of Renewal. You at least know what Renewal is, don't you?"

He'd never heard of it before in his life. "I—"

A shout went up from the center of the crowd, and the woman jerked away from him, startled. "Oh no—They're starting already, and I haven't even found Neven yet!" The crowd drew in on itself, gaps shrinking as people pressed forward.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go," the woman told Zoro as she moved to join them. "I can't miss this chance; I've been trying for five years already." Her eyes shone as she threw him a parting look over her shoulder. "I want a baby of my own more than anything. Maybe you'll understand someday." She hurried off, and Zoro was left hovering near the edge of the crowd.

There was a curb nearby; Zoro squeezed past a few more people and sank down onto it gratefully. He'd regained most of his breath, but his legs still felt wrung-out and shaky.

"We will now begin the drawing," boomed an amplified voice from the center of the crowd. "There are seven slots available this year. Please listen carefully, and remember: no violence or harassment will be tolerated. Those who cannot abide by the rules will have their lottery privileges revoked for up to three years, with stronger sentences possible for more serious violations."

The crowd fell silent, and after a moment, the voice read out what sounded like a pair of names. A wild cheer erupted from the far side of the crowd, and Zoro saw a hat fly into the air.

"Number sixteen, Simon and Soraya!" the voice called a minute later, and a couple near Zoro leapt into each other's arms, shrieking. The man lifted the woman up and spun her in a circle, and the moment her feet touched the ground, she tightened her grip and did the same to him. They finished with a kiss, then began weaving through the crowd toward the voice, their hands still clasped tightly together.

The people around them weren't so happy. No one spoke, or tried to stop them, but the most pleasant expression Zoro could find was a wistful smile. Glares were far more common, and more than a few faces had fallen like an underdone cake. Zoro spotted one couple hugging like each was all that was keeping the other standing.

For the first time, Zoro noticed how many couples were in the crowd. There were occasional groups of three or more, but the vast majority were couples, and no one else seemed to be on their own like he was. Another thing that set him apart. He stuck out like blood on white cloth here; only the fact that everyone was so much taller than he was, blocking him from the view of anyone outside, kept him from ditching the crowd and looking for another place to hide. Well, that and his legs, which were of the firm opinion that they had not rested nearly enough yet and would consider mutiny if he tried to press the issue.

The voice continued calling out names, and each time the crowd rippled with tension. Zoro could practically hear their thoughts. It'll be us this time, I know it! It's gotta be! as the voice paused before announcing the next set of names. No! Damn it, it's supposed to be us! as the voice read out names that belonged to someone else, and Lucky bastards as the chosen couple celebrated loud enough for the whole street to hear. Then the pause, just long enough to rebuild hope, and it would happen all over again.

Five sets of names passed, and the mood of the crowd dipped. Zoro heard muttered prayers, and anyone who wasn't speaking didn't seem to be breathing at all. After the sixth names, an air of bleak resignation crept in. It's not going to happen. It won't be us. Should have known. Look how many people are here; there's no way we'd be chosen.

And finally, number thiry-six, Elodie and Hunter!" said the voice. "Congratulations to our winners, and I'm sure I'm not alone in wishing you all the best. For those not chosen, thank you for your restraint and understanding, and I encourage you to reapply next year." The sound of a throat being cleared echoed through the air. "And if you don't wish to wait that long, I urge you to consider adoption. However excellent our care houses are, I'm sure we all know how much new Renewals can benefit from more individual love and attention, and I can see how much of that everyone here has to give. Thank you all for coming."

The crowd turned from the voice. Quickly or slowly, with dark looks or wet faces or weary sighs, they all went.

"Maybe we should," Zoro heard one man murmur to his partner. "Adopt, I mean."

"I don't know." The woman bit her lip. "They're already so old. It wouldn't be the same."

"No. I know. But we've always wanted more than one child, haven't we? And it would give our baby an older sibling, when we win next year."

She managed a hesitant smile. "You really think we'll win next year?"

The man grinned at her and took her hand, pulling her forward. "Definitely."

"I'll think about it." She slipped her arm through his. "At least it would give me someone to talk to besides you."

"Hey, what's wrong with talking to me?"

They were far enough away now that Zoro didn't hear her reply clearly, and when he glanced around, the street was nearly deserted. The crowd had melted away like icicles in summer, and the feeling someone was watching him had returned, stronger than ever. But surely the Straw—the outsiders weren't here. They were too loud and chaotic to stay hidden for long. Even so, he couldn't stay here. He was far too exposed. He needed more people, or maybe less people, or—somewhere that wasn't here. He stood; his legs wobbled but held, and Zoro trotted off, shivering in the afternoon sunshine.

Where had everyone gone? He could see a few people in the shops, but not enough to blend in with, and almost no one was walking around outside. Zoro's steps quickened with every wide open street he passed, until he was running, or as close to it as he could currently manage. He had to get out of the open. He had to—

Lights and music brought him skidding to a halt. For one wild moment he thought it was the outsiders and his heart lurched in his chest, but then he looked up and saw a bright sign reading The Glass Goat.

A bar. It was the noisiest, most crowded place he could remember seeing, and it was a bar, and Zoro's knees nearly gave out at the sense of relief and comfort the sight brought him. His stomach growled loudly, and he swiped a dry tongue across his lips. There was food here, and things to drink, and enough people to hide him. And it felt like home. Not as much as the ship had (don't think about that!) but enough that he'd stumbled to the door and pushed his way inside before he'd fully decided to do it.

"Whoa now, hold on there, kid."

Zoro froze, clutching the edge of an empty bar stool. He looked up. A man was leaning over the counter. He smiled at Zoro, teeth shining like stars against his dark brown skin.

"Now, I can understand if you're a little confused, but it'll be a while before you can order in here again. Whatever you might remember, right now you've got a growing body, and not much of what we serve here is going to be any good for that."

Zoro blinked at him. "I…did I come here before?" He couldn't remember being in any bar before, much less this one, but he did feel awfully comfortable for a first time visit. Or maybe he was just tired.

"Probably not here—and I don't recognize you, either—but someplace like it, maybe. I like to think all the good bars are related somehow, like one big family." The bartender tilted his head at Zoro. "In any case—whoa there, you okay, kid?" His hand shot out, wrapping around Zoro's arm.

The world righted itself, and Zoro realized he'd been the one slipping sideways, his grip on the stool the only thing keeping him from face-planting on the dusty floor. He rubbed at his eyes. "I—"

"Oh, all right, kid. You go ahead and sit down, and I'll get you a drink. Need a hand up?"

"I can do it!" He was tired, not helpless. He didn't need to be lifted onto a stool that was shorter than him. Not by much, but it was. "But you said I couldn't order."

"Not the hard stuff, you can't, but I can at least get you some water and let you sit a bit." The bartender smiled at Zoro and turned to grab a glass.

It took longer than Zoro liked to make it onto the stool. His legs had reverted to jelly again, unwilling to hop enough to get him to the seat, and in the end his arms did most of the work. He slumped forward, laying his head on the bar counter, and waited for his water.

His eyes wandered to the rows of glass bottles on the wall. There was one bottle, just over the bartender's head, its contents a rich, deep amber that made Zoro gulp in longing. It would taste so good right now, the perfect thing to relax with after the day he'd had…

How did he know what it would taste like? How did he know he even liked alcohol to begin with?

A large barrel plunked down in front of him. Luffy grinning. "Hey, Zoro! Look what I found! It's for you!"

Zoro gasped and shot upright, nearly tipping the stool over. No, no, no, no! Don't think about it! It's not real! He wrenched his gaze from the bottles, the sight suddenly making him sick. The comforting feel of the bar was gone, and Zoro was wide awake and twitching with the need to get out. What if the Straw—the outsiders came looking for him here? If their Zoro liked bars, they'd probably check here eventually, right?

He swallowed. His throat felt ten times drier than it had a minute ago. Did he dare wait for his water first? It couldn't be that much longer, could it? He could stay another minute or two, long enough to drain the glass, and then—

A hand landed on his shoulder.

Zoro yelped and jerked away, his grip on the counter the only thing keeping him from falling off his stool. He looked up, ready to punch the pirate in the face and do his best to run, even if they'd catch him in no time.

The lack of twisting horror in his gut should have been his first clue, but it still took him a long moment to register that the man standing behind him wasn't one of the outsiders. He was familiar, though, and after a few more seconds of mental fumbling, the name finally clicked.

Boran had found him.

Oddly, the realization didn't bring much relief. It was too early to relax. Zoro had run away from Boran two days ago, after all. What if he was mad about that? What if he'd run into the outsiders and they'd convinced him to help find Zoro? He should leave, now, before—

"There you are, Zoro." Boran didn't sound mad. In fact—was that a smile? "I've been worried about you."

Zoro looked down at the bar counter, digging a finger into a crack in the boards. "You didn't need to. I can take care of myself." The hand on his shoulder was firm but comforting. He wanted to throw it off.

"Maybe so." Boran ruffled Zoro's hair, then dropped onto the stool next to him. "But you shouldn't have to. The world can be a dangerous place for kids like you, and there's nothing wrong with having a little help."

Zoro's throat was tight. The reassurance and support was hard to resist. It made him want to pour out all his fears about the outsiders, apologize for ever leaving, and ask Boran if he could come back. And yet…something in him resented being treated like a little kid. Even at their most careful, the Straw Hats had never quite managed to sound like adults talking to a child. They'd tried, but they thought he was their friend, their grown-up friend, and that came through in their words, the way they looked at him, the way none of them had ever ruffled his hair like Boran just had. He hadn't realized it at the time, but part of him had liked that. He almost missed it.

Just not enough to go back.

"You two know each other?" The bartender had finally returned, and set not just a glass of water in front of Zoro, but a plate piled with round crispy things that smelled like cheese.

"He's staying with me," Boran said. "We got separated for a bit. I appreciate you looking after him."

"Couldn't do much else when a kid comes in here too tired to walk straight. Glad he's got a place to stay. Maybe try to keep a better eye on him next time. I know that's easier said than done, with most kids, but that's the job you signed up for, isn't it?"

Boran's laugh sounded a bit forced. "I suppose it is."

Zoro looked down at the food. "I didn't ask for this." His stomach growled.

"Maybe not, but I hope you're gonna eat it. It's never good to let food go to waste."

Zoro's hands tightened on the counter. For a moment, the bartender's voice had sounded like someone else's, and he quickly shook the thought away before his traitorous not-memories could tell him whose.

He snatched one of the crispy things off the plate, nearly dropping it again when molten cheese oozed onto his fingers. "I'll eat it!"

"I'm a bit hungry myself." Boran looked at the bartender. "Why don't you bring us a couple of meat pies, and I'll also have some of whatever ale you've got on tap today."

Zoro bit into the crispy thing. The outside was some kind of potato, fluffy under the crispy shell and absolutely delicious stuffed with the gooey cheese. "What are you doing here, anyway?" he asked Boran once he'd polished off two of them and reached for a third. "This isn't the town you live in, is it? Were you looking for me?"

"Nope, this was just a fortunate coincidence," Boran told him. "I supply eggs and produce to a few places in this town, including this bar. Today happened to be one of my delivery days."

Zoro wasn't sure he'd agree it was fortunate. He'd left for a reason, after all.

"Listen, Zoro…I'd like to apologize." Boran turned on his stool to face him. "It's my job to look after kids like you, and I've been doing it a long time, so I tend to think I always know the best way to handle things. But nothing is one-size-fits-all, is it? I'm not sure what it was, but I must have done something wrong if you felt so unwelcome you needed to leave, and I'm sorry for that."

"No!" Zoro quickly swallowed a mouthful of food. "You didn't! That's not why I left."

"Mind if I ask why you did, then? It's not good for kids to be wandering around on their own, even on this island."

Zoro looked down at his plate. "I…didn't want to cause any trouble."

"Were the chores too much for you?"

"Of course not!" The idea would have made him laugh if it wasn't so insulting. "I could have done ten times that much. No, a hundred!"

The bartender returned not long after Zoro had finished the plate of cheesy potato things, setting down two steaming golden pies, as well as a huge frosty mug of beer that Zoro stared at for a long, thirsty moment before wrenching his gaze back to his food. The pie was hot enough to burn his mouth and fingers, but it tasted amazing, and even after his appetizer, Zoro was still so hungry that he could barely get the food to his mouth fast enough.

"Looks like you've had a hard time the past few days," Boran said after a few minutes. He was digging into his pie with a fork, lifting out neat bites and blowing on them. It seemed like such a slow way of eating. A little pain was worth not having to wait.

"Nothing I couldn't handle," Zoro said through a mouthful of crust.

Boran frowned. "You know, you can tell me if anyone gave you trouble. Most people on this island would know better than to harm a kid, but there're always a few bad apples around." He took a long sip from his beer. "Especially right now—I've heard there are some dangerous outsiders on the island at the moment. Best to keep your head low. You didn't run into any of them, did you?"

Zoro choked on a carrot chunk. "N-no," he spluttered as soon as he could speak again. "I mean, I heard about them, but I—I didn't meet them." The lie went down as hard as the vegetable, but he didn't want to talk about the Straw Hats, wouldn't—couldn't—tell Boran how scared and bad and small they made him feel. He especially didn't want to talk about the things he'd seen, or the other things the Straw Hats made him feel.

Boran set down his fork. "There's nothing wrong with being scared. But if you've seen them, or talked to them—heck, if they might've seen you, even at a distance, you should tell me. Outsiders are nothing to mess around with. Please, Zoro. If you told them anything—"

"I didn't tell them anything! Because I didn't see them! I don't even know anything to tell them!" There were only a few bites of pie left, but Zoro pushed the plate away, suddenly feeling sick.

Boran sighed, holding up his hands. "All right, all right. I apologize for being hard on you. This island's had a history of bad experiences with outsiders, especially when it comes to the kids, so most of us tend to worry a bit more than we strictly need to. I'm glad everything's okay."

Zoro nodded wordlessly. It didn't feel like anything was okay.

Boran drained his mug. "Now then, this was my last delivery in this town, so it's time I headed home. I'd like you to come with me."

"I don't need looking after."

"Everyone could use some help now and then. And my beds are a lot more comfortable than a rooftop or a tree branch or wherever you were planning on sleeping tonight."

Those sounded like perfectly fine places to sleep to Zoro. But he did like beds, too…

"And if you're hungry again later, I believe we're having chowder tonight, though we can find something else if that doesn't suit you."

The thought of food was less appealing than it would have been five minutes ago, but Zoro knew that would change later. And dinner sounded a lot better than whatever scraps he might find wandering around on his own. He hadn't had much luck with that earlier, which had gotten him caught by the talking deer.

"…The outsiders are in that town, aren't they? Wouldn't it be better if I stayed away?"

"Now, don't worry about that. Like I said, I've been doing this for a long time. I know how to handle outsiders."

Zoro twisted his stool from side to side, feet thumping against the bar. He wanted to go with Boran. He wanted to run out the door and find a place where no one knew him at all. Worst of all, a tiny part of him wanted to go back to the other town, not with Boran, but to find the docks and see the Straw Hats again, see the ship that had felt like home. He squashed that part as hard as he could, but the embers refused to die entirely.

"Please, Zoro. I can't possibly just leave you alone now."

Going back to the other town with Boran would also bring him closer to the Straw Hats. That wasn't a good thing, but the tiny flicker in his chest roared its approval, and the part of Zoro that wanted to leave everything behind was overruled.

"…Okay."