Rated M for Violence, Language, Smoking, The Destruction Of Government Property, and Some Very Detailed Lemons!

I don't own One Piece! This world belongs to Eiichiro Oda and these amazing characters are his. My OC'S and this story, however, are my own! This is a work of fiction from me, any relevance to the real world or other works is purely coincidental.

Thank you for reading!

Zoro

"Chopper!" Zoro cried out, his lungs burning from the cold. Water dripped down his shivering form as he held the small woman tightly against his chest. Luffy's arm unwound from around Zoro's waist as the caption stepped back, shaking the saltwater off his hand.

"See anybody else?" Luffy asked, quickly turning back to the banister, facing the sea. Usopp and Brook stood by his side, their eyes scanning the dark waters for any sign of other people. As far as Zoro had seen this girl was alone, but others could have easily slipped beneath the waves before he spotted her.

"Not that I can see," Usopp assured everyone.

Chopper rushed over, his tiny reindeer hooves pulling down the woman's coat just enough to place a statoscope to her chest, "She's breathing."

Sanji sighed in relief nearby, muttering something about her being too beautiful to die, Zoro ignored the idiot and kept his grip on her tiny form. Her body didn't even seem to have the energy to shiver, she just laid there, limp.

"Nami, Robin, I'll need your help." Chopper said, shifting into the larger version of himself so he could lift the strange girl from Zoro's arms and start for The Thousand Sunny's sickbay, "Zoro you should come too; we have to get the both of you dried off and warm."

Zoro nodded and pulled himself to his feet. His body burned in protest but he ignored it. The cold and his still-healing wounds weren't anything new to deal with. He bent over and picked up his swords from where he'd dropped them on the deck before plunging into the icy sea. Zoro then paused for a moment, staring with the others out into the darkness. He suddenly couldn't get the image of the woman reaching her hand upward towards him, like a cry for help, out of his mind. He didn't regret the decision, certainly, it wasn't in him to just let her drown. Still… a foreboding feeling had settled deep in his gut as if there would be no going back after this.

Zoro finally turned and made massive strides as he walked across the deck and into the warmth of the ship. With the sting of cold still burning his skin, Zoro quickly made his way down to Chopper's sickbay. Once there he found Chopper and the girls starting to pull a dripping wet jacket free from the tiny soaked survivor. In the ship's lights, he could get a clearer view of the woman. Her dark brown hair ended just above her shoulders, with small streaks of white scattered throughout. It clung to her delicate-looking skin; some parts of her hair even holding shards of ice, leaving Zoro to wonder how long she'd been out there. A gentleness seemed to echo from her helpless form, as she slumped against Chopper's hold. She looked skinny, almost sickeningly so, especially now without the thick wet jacket. A soft round face made her appear to be in her teens, and Zoro found himself wondering what events in her short life had brought her to this near-death moment.

A shirt hit Zoro in the face and he reached up to pull the garment off his head. "Stop staring and get changed," Nami snapped, tossing pants in his direction as well, "we don't need you getting sick."

"Whatever," Zoro growled, unconsciously shaking his head; how had he gotten so distracted that Nami of all people caught him off guard?

Dry clothes in hand, Zoro turned to face the closed door so he could strip down. Privacy was a commodity on a pirate ship, and Zoro instinctually knew that getting his clothes off quickly was important, hypothermia was a real threat. Turning around would share his intentions with the girls anyway. Once turned Zoro gripped his frigidly soaked jacket and pulled it free of his body. The garment was heavy and fell to the floor with a wet sounding 'thud'.

"What the-?" Nami's voice was soft, but Zoro heard it, the unmistakable sound of surprise.

Zoro turned and watched as Robin took a wobbly step backward and in his direction. Nami was visibly trembling, though Zoro couldn't see her face he could imagine her eyes wide with shock. His certainly were. Chopper's large form was kneeling on the bed. His hands quickly rummaging through his medical bag. The girl was topless, lying face down with her head turned to the side so she could breathe. Anyone who had glimpsed her gentle-looking face would not have been prepared for the nightmare that was the newly exposed skin on her back. Raised scars in different stages of healing marred her flesh in a crisscross pattern, and deep burns covered a majority of one shoulder before dripping down one side of her back. The scars were horrid to look at and Zoro knew from his own experience that when she'd gotten those wounds, they had been unimaginably severe. A new cut, one that spanned from her shoulder to her hip shone with the bright crimson of fresh blood. It mixed with the water coating her skin and dripped down both her sides, staining the sheets below her.

"It barely missed her spinal cord," Chopper muttered, pulling out various supplies. "Nami, grab the red jar off my desk, Robin do you think you can hold the wound closed?"

Robin nodded and Nami seemed to snap out of the shock enough to run around Zoro and grab what Chopper needed before stepping up beside the doctor. Zoro turned back to face the wall again and finished changing, doing so quickly. He could hear various orders being given to the girls by Chopper behind him, and with each word his unease escalated. Once in dry clothes, Zoro paused to look back at the bed, where the girl was being treated, her oddly tranquil face filling him with an unknown feeling.

Zoro quickly left the med-bay, he had nothing to offer anyway if he stayed. He then stormed through the ship and quickly grabbed a coat, not caring who it belonged to, before stepping back outside onto the deck. The chilly blast of air helped bring some sense to his muddled mind, yanking him into the present. Zoro took a deep breath; he just needed some space to think for a moment.

"Hey moss-head," Sanji snapped nearby, his stupid circular eyebrow was raised slightly and he'd lit a new cigarette "that's my coat."

Zoro glared back at him, this was just the distraction he needed," No wonder it smells like ass."

"You smell like ass," Sanji growled back.

"Want to go swirly brow!?"

"Sure, just don't get butt-hurt when I beat you!" Sanji snapped "It should have been me jumping in to save that cute girl!"

Zoro pulled one sword free of its scabbard, the blade glistening in the moon's glow. He lunged first, not that it took the cook by surprise. A foot instantly blocked his thrust, bringing Zoro's body to a sudden stop. He pulled the second blade free and swiped at the blond, the blade hitting only air as Sanji dodged.

"Stay still damn you," Zoro hissed, placing his third sword's grip in his mouth and biting down.

"Like hell, I will," Sanji replied, jumping forward just as Zoro's blade swung again. Collison struck Zoro and pain pulsed through his wounds, but he refused to stop. He needed this right now, as much as he needed the air in his lungs. He pushed forward once more as they continued to spare. The two in a deadlock as neither made progress.

Zoro's muscles burned with excursion as he tussled with the cook, his mind finding a moment of calm as long as he had an opponent in front of him. He could feel Sanji holding back, his kicks were slow and softer than usual, and it just pissed Zoro off more. Zoro knew his wounds hadn't healed, and anger accompanied that knowledge. It was even more reason why he wouldn't, couldn't, back down. Back and forth they went, their collisions echoing into the cold darkness surrounding the ship. Sanji lunged again, his foot barely missing Zoro's face. Zoro hissed in pain, nearly falling to one knee. Sanji stopped, his expression twisting into one of concern. The adrenaline pumping through Zoro's veins continued to push him forward as he regained his footing, preparing to thrust his blade again. He wasn't finished, his body wanted to quit but his mind still needed this distraction. Then the cabin door opened and Nami stepped out.

"What in the world are you two doing?!" Nami snapped, her hand finding the back of both Zoro and Sanji's heads and smacking them hard enough to leave a bump.

"Nami, how's the castaway?" Usopp's voice sounded nearby and Zoro relaxed his stance.

"Not good, the next few hours will be critical," Nami sighed, before turning to face Zoro "speaking of, Chopper wants to see you. You left before he could give you a checkup," She gazed out at the deck, "he wants you too, Luffy, it's important."

Zoro sheathed his blades, "Tell Chopper I'm fine," he hissed.

"If Chopper is worried you should go," Luffy offered, his face surprisingly stern as he stepped up to stand beside them.

Zoro paused, staring at his caption for a few moments before sighing, "Fine," he offered, stepping back inside and following Luffy down toward the medical bay. If his caption wanted him to go, he'd go. Although he had considered arguing for a moment there. Zoro found himself surprisingly irritable today. What he didn't know was why. Why the hell did he want to punch everyone in the face right now? It didn't help that the heaviness in his gut wasn't easing up, if anything it was getting worse.

"Hey, swordsmen," Robin's voice pulled Zoro from his thoughts as she started walking past them in the hallway. He glanced over to see her smile.

"Yeah?" he muttered back. Leaving Luffy to continue toward the med bay without him.

"You alright?" The ever-astute Robin gazed at him with those blue eyes of hers. As if she were trying to decipher him, like the sight of some ancient ruins or something.

"What does it look like? I'm fine," Zoro shrugged, his massive shoulders rising and falling before he continued walking. His wounds hadn't opened up. What baseless worry did she have?

"I see," she sighed, continuing to pass him and make her way back up to the deck of the ship.

Zoro ignored her and continued on his way, hastening his steps a little as he got closer to the med bay. Chopper's voice greeted him as Zoro pulled open the door. Luffy was already there, listening as Chopper talked about the girl's injuries.

"There you are," Chopper smiled, he was wiping his hands with a rag. He'd made quick work of the woman's wounds and her chest was now completely wrapped in bandages, "there's something I need your help with."

Chopper stepped closer to the girl and yanked up her pant leg, revealing a metal cuff. A small section of chain dangled down her foot and off the end of the bed. "She was someone's prisoner," Chopper said his face twisted in anger.

"The Navy?" Zoro offered.

"Hard to say, but the chain has a sea prism stone embedded in it," Chopper continued, before looking to Luffy, "so what now?"

Luffy glanced at Zoro, "Cut it off."

"A-are you sure?" Chopper stuttered, "what if she's dangerous?"

Luffy's face took on his typical goofy grin, "then we'll handle it when she wakes up."

Zoro nodded and gripped the handle of one of his blades. He took a deep breath, centering himself, and focused on cutting the meatal, not her leg, then sliced. The metal cuff fell to the ground, rattling as it did.

"I guess we'll have to keep an eye on her then," Chopper replied as his eyes grew wide, though he didn't question Luffy's decision.

Luffy just chuckled, "I'm going to go ask Sanji to cook up some meat for a midnight snack!"

Zoro couldn't help the small smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth as Luffy stomped out the door screaming for meat. His caption was crazy, but Zoro trusted him, and that probably made Zoro himself even crazier. Either way, Luffy had been right to cut the cuff off. Leaving the girl with a sea prism stone strapped to her ankle would have been cruel, regardless of who put it there in the first place.

"Now..." Chopper stepped closer, pulling open Zoro's jacket and glimpsing the flesh inside. The angry scars still looked jagged and raw, leftover from their encounter with Kuma on Thriller Bark. Chopper lifted his stethoscope and placed the metal surface to Zoro's chest, "You look anemic and your wounds still haven't healed."

"I'm fine," Zoro growled.

"Just don't push yourself," Chopper countered. Before shifting to his small form and rubbing his hoofed foot back and forth against the floor as he looked at the girl on the bed, "so, I wonder who's going to help me keep an eye on her? What if she's dangerous?"

Zoro huffed, pulling his scabbards, blades and all, free from his side and taking a seat on the floor beside the door before leaning back against the solid wall.

"Wake me if anything interesting happens," he offered before nodding off to sleep.