CHAPTER 1: THE SHINSEKAI REFORMATORY FOR MALADJUSTED TEENAGERS.

The day was as grey as everyone's mood. Some pieces of classical music sounded through the speakers of a crowded bus in a creepy way, as if it was predicting the horrible future of every single boy who got into the vehicle. The instructions were clear: the bus would pick up everyone in the region who was registered in the School. As it arrived at every house, an instructor would register the kid and his baggage, and then he would put him the GPS bracelet; the students weren't even allowed to bring their smartphones. The procedure was presumably similar for girls.

The Shinsekai Reformatory for Maladjusted Teenagers was a brand-new initiative from the Government. It was a boarding school for teenagers from 14 to 18 years old who had committed any kind of crime, and the objective was to reshape them into regular kids who could opt to a normal job or even go to university. It was public, thought for teens who didn't have a supporting family nor a healthy environment. It was also sealed, remote and isolated, split in two: the Boys' and the Girls' Unit. It was planned to use some unspecified new teaching and controlling methods. At least, that's what the pamphlet said; but Zoro didn't really believe any of that.

The guy was seated in the last row of the bus, with a heavy-looking face. Even though the bus led to a Reformatory, where the students were supposedly young delinquents, everybody felt intimidated by him and thus the seat next to him was the only one left. They had been going through the mountain for a while, so Zoro thought that they were arriving to the school, but they reached an enormous house in front of a cliff. A smiling, tanned boy with a scar under his eye was waiting, along with two fierce-looking adults —one had long, black hair and a face full of tattoos; and the other one was older, but also seemed stronger— and a blonde guy who seemed very smart and nice. The boy hugged the three of them and then, after being registered, got into the bus. As Zoro had seen until that moment, that guy was the only one going to the school who seemed to have a loving, structured family.

The boy sat next to Zoro, smiling. "Hey, I'm Luffy! What's your name?", he said.

"I'm Zoro", he answered, yawning.

"Your hair looks awesome", Luffy laughed. Zoro just yawned again and tried to sleep, but the dark-haired one wasn't going to leave him. "Aren't you excited?".

"Why would I?", Zoro said. "We are going to a prison".

"But it will be a great place to make friends, don't you think?", Luffy smiled again. Zoro just ignored him, because he thought that he was the typical guy who didn't have real problems and just caused trouble to stand out. Both eventually fell asleep.

When they woke up, they had already arrived. Everyone in the bus was amazed by the enormous size of the building, along with its installations. It didn't even seem like a Reformatory; it looked like one of those private military schools that only appeared on the movies. It was a gigantic gothic building surrounded by an extremely green forest, all above the greenest grass they had ever seen. At least thirty buses were already there, and the students, all of them handcuffed, were heading to the school.

As soon as Luffy and Zoro got off the bus, they were forced to wear handcuffs. Their luggage was taken by the instructors. The students were forced to be in a row, walking slowly.

"Was this what you were looking forward to?", Zoro said, ironically, hoping for a frightened answer. However, Luffy was still smiling.

"Wow, the Government has really spent a lot of money. That's cool!", he said.

Zoro laughed. Maybe that guy wasn't as silly as he thought.

They got into the building. It was pale white, with marble details, all built in a classical way, as if it was a really expensive hospital. Each one of the boys had to go to a room where the handcuffs were removed; they would get naked and they would be assigned some clothes: a few pairs of underwear, white sport shoes, some white T-shirts and a light blue overall. Every piece of clothes had the ID number of every student. They were also given a folder with multiple files for them to read.

Zoro was separated from Luffy right after that, which he hated, because he somehow liked that guy. Plus, he felt like the control was too strict and he actually needed a friend. However, he came to the thought that they wouldn't meet again, as the place was extremely big. An instructor took Zoro to his room and said that he would have some spare time, as the first meeting would take place in two hours and his roommate hadn't arrived yet. He gave him his luggage and told him to unpack right before closing the door with some ultimate technology. Zoro just lied on the bed and fell asleep, again.

Big noises woke him up. His roommate had arrived. It was a blonde, tall guy with weird curly eyebrows. He was unpacking his baggage in a really loud way.

"Can't you do that on another time?", Zoro asked. "I'm sleeping".

"I like to leave everything organized", his roommate said. "I am not as dirty as you, as it seems...".

"What did you just say?".

They soon engaged in a fight, but an instructor came into the room an instant later. "Why the hell are you fighting already?", he said, separating them. "I'll let you pass this one, but I won't be as merciful the next time, so you two better get along". He left immediately, very angry. Zoro and the other guy looked at each other, confused.

"Wow, how the fuck could they know that we were fighting?", Zoro asked.

"I guess that it's because of the bracelets. We can't take them off and they are able to control us at every moment. I think that they can even hear us", his roommate said. "So you better stop being an asshole".

"You too", Zoro smiled provocatively. "I'm Zoro".

"Sanji".

"So… What did you do to be here?", Zoro asked while lying in his bed again. "And where are you from? I didn't see you in my bus".

"Well… I am a Vinsmoke", Sanji said, kind of regretful. Zoro was startled. The Vinsmoke was an assassin clan from the North. Despite the rumors, nobody knew what their exact business was, but they were known for their extremely violent way of killing people. "But I prefer not to talk about it. What about you?".

"I'm from the East. I… Well, I get into a lot of fights, you know. I live in a very violent neighborhood, so…".

Sanji looked at Zoro. He noticed a big scar across his chest. "What an ugly scar you have".

"What an ugly face you have, you idiot", Zoro replicated, angry. "I told you, I get into a lot of fights".

Sanji just smiled and laid on his bed, looking at the ceiling. "Man, I need to figure out a way to get cigarettes, or I'll be screwed".

"Yeah, I'll also feel empty if I don't try any alcohol until December, when we get back home… Even though I don't think my hometown will be any better than this place", Zoro said. "I guess your family will be waiting for you back home, as you come from such a peculiar clan".

"Shut up, I told you I don't want to talk about it", Sanji said, violently. "Nobody will be waiting for me though. Hey, do you think we will be able to go to the Girls' Unit?", his eyes suddenly turned to hearts for some reason.

"I wish, man… But I don't think so". Zoro sighed.

"This is a faggot's paradise, you know? We will spend a year full of dicks".

"Hey, man, don't say that. I respect everyone. Just bang some girl in Christmas and go to the bathroom when you need to jerk off".

Sanji laughed. "I bet you're a faggie".

"Shut up, Eyebrows!"

They went silent for a while, and then Sanji spoke again. "Is there someone waiting for you back home?"

"Oh, it's a funny story", Zoro said, amused. "There used to, but not anymore. I had a girlfriend, but we actually broke up a week ago… And she's in this Reformatory as well".

"How did you get a girlfriend being that ugly?", Sanji laughed. "Bet she's ugly as hell".

"She's actually the hottest", Zoro said. "Her name is Nami. We got into trouble together, you know? She's a strong girl. We had good-bye sex, man, and let me tell you… It was awesome".

"Wow, look at you. The macho, all lovey-dovey!", Sanji chuckled.

"Shut the fuck up! We broke up anyways".

"You don't seem happy about it".

"I feel kind of bad… She's really clever, you know?", Zoro sighed. "She got me some money I needed… From her high school. They caught her, and that was the last straw. Her grades were perfect, but her behavior was the worst. Fights, stealing money, blackmailing… She ended up being suspended. That made her so fucking sad, man…"

"That's when she broke up with you?", Sanji asked.

"Well, we spent the whole summer fighting and then getting back together… But last week we had a huge fight and she left, so that's it. We're not together anymore".

"So that means me and her can hook up…", Sanji smiled, getting punched by his roommate.

The day, nonetheless, went by peacefully. Zoro and Sanji were taken to the hall, along with the students. The faculty introduced themselves: Sengoku, the headmaster; Akainu, the assistant principal; Aokiji, the psychologist; Kizaru, the vigilant (his role wasn't clearly defined, but he seemed like the one in charge of punishing people); and Kureha, the doctorine. The schedule was really strict: breakfast, classes, lunch, activities, some free time and dinner. They also had to pick a duty, such as cleaning, doing the laundry, cooking… And if their behavior was good, they were allowed to do the mixed meeting every two Sundays, which was described as a fun activity for both male and female students. That made the boys all excited, but the rules were clear: no seeing the girls in week time and definitely not having sex. Moreover, if they didn't have any major misconduct, they were able to visit the nearest town for a day, once every two months.

Zoro thought that that seemed too good to be true. He had been on some other Reformatory schools, and they were pretty much like prisons. That was more like a prep school for wealthy kids. However, something got him out of his thoughts: a big scream that echoed throughout the whole hall:

"Akainu, you motherfucker! I am going to kill you!"

It was Luffy. He kept screaming, jumping and punching some kids while trying to reach Akainu. He was out of his mind. Some instructors held him and got him out of there. Zoro was astonished.

Yeah, he definitely wanted to be friends with that guy.

The weeks passed by without many major incidents. After the Luffy thing, everyone was scared, because rumor had it that the boy had been the first one to be sent to Module 0, and no one knew exactly what that was. Some guys also caused some trouble, like Eustass Kidd and Basil Hawkins, who tried to stab each other, or Trafalgar Law, who was caught dealing with drugs; but they were sent to Module 0 immediately.

Zoro was pretty much alone all the time. He didn't want to talk to anybody either; he only thought about being friends with Luffy. Plus, he didn't want to be sent to Module 0, because deep down he wanted to see Nami on the mixed activity on Sunday, so he tried to behave well. Another reason why he sat all by himself at lunch and dinner was that Sanji chose the cooking duty (and he didn't mind, because they were always fighting and he was pretty tired). Zoro, on the other hand, chose cleaning the gym, because he liked to maintain the facilities in good condition.

Zoro had been a fencing athlete for years, but he was kicked out of his city's dojo because of his fights, which made him very angry, because he knew he could have become professional. However, he was happy, because they left him take some wooden swords to practice his santōryū after basketball practice. He wasn't as good as Sanji was at football, but he had a good time.

Sanji had managed to get some cigarettes from Law before he had to go to Module 0, so he taped their room's door and window with some duct tape he found and then smoked for hours. Zoro didn't really like that at first, but after a while he ended up getting used to it. They both were as pacific as they could be, but they still fought so many times that the instructor, knowing that they weren't going to harm each other, let them be.

By Thursday, a small boy started sitting next to Zoro at the dining room. He was a very cute, tiny boy, with light brown hair and big dark eyes. He didn't talk at first, but after some time he said: "Don't you have any friends?". Zoro looked at him with a fierce look, but the boy didn't seem to care. He kept talking: "I don't really have any friends either, so I decided to sit next to you, because you seem nice and cool".

Zoro smiled. The little kid was too cute for him to get angry. "I don't like talking to people, but I might like talking to you", he said. "I'm Zoro".

The other boy smiled widely. "I'm Chopper, nice to meet you!".

"How old are you?"

"I am 15", Chopper answered.

"Wow, you look a lot younger", Zoro chuckled. "I'm 17".

"Well, you look a lot older!", Chopper chuckled as well.

"What did you do to be here? You don't look like the other guys".

"Oh, my grandma is Kureha, the doctor! I don't have more family, so they offered me a place at this school and we accepted. I sleep in a room with her. She's had some criminal record in the past and she had been unemployed for a while, so we didn't have other option", Chopper said. Zoro looked at him, pitiful, but Chopper smiled. "Don't think that I'm not happy! It's actually very cool to be here. I only have to go to class; I don't have any duties nor activities, so I can spend the rest of the time reading or at the nursery with my grandma".

"Where is she now?", Zoro asked. "Doesn't she eat?"

"No, she only drinks alcohol".

Zoro laughed. "Oh, I would love to meet her and share a drink with her!", he said. "By the way, if you don't have to follow all of the rules… Could you ever go to the Girls' Unit?"

"I guess I could someday, but not now. Everything is very strict, as it's only the first week", Chopper said.

Zoro clicked his tongue. The alarm rang, indicating that they had to go to their activities. "Hey, I have to go, but it's been good to meet you! If you don't have anything to do, I guess it's Sanji's shift for lunch, so you can try to make friends with him. He's blonde and ugly, with pathetic eyebrows. You'll recognize him. Tell him that you know me. Bye, see you at dinner!".

The days went by on a quick pace. There were many things to do and too little time to mess things up, so the school was calm, at least it would be for a while. Zoro met Sanji's friends and they started to form a group: Usopp, a slim boy with a long nose, very shy and coward, who was there because of multiple frauds, and Franky, an extremely tall, loud guy that Zoro already knew from basketball, whose family belonged to a mafia. Usopp, Franky and Chopper were truly intelligent; that, along with the group's brute strength, made them one of the most feared gang in the school. However, they didn't get into fights and were always below the radar.

On Sunday, Zoro woke up extremely excited. He tried to hide it though, because he didn't want to be seen as a weak child who loses his mind for a chick. The rules on Sundays weren't that strict: they were allowed to go around the school and even outside —and the girls could, too—. Sanji messed with him the whole day and they were fighting around outdoors when Zoro heard something familiar.

"Hey"

Zoro turned around and smiled widely, powerless. It was Nami. She had short, orange hair, and she had unzipped her overall and cut down her top, showing a glimpse of her big breasts, and her pants all rolled up. She ran to hug Zoro. Sanji looked at them, jealous. Zoro didn't really know how to react.

"I really wanted to see you", Nami said. "We're still friends, right? I missed you so much…"

Sanji couldn't stop looking at her, running around with heart eyes, screaming. They both ignored him and kept on looking at each other's eyes. Suddenly, Zoro gave her a small peck. Nami didn't reject it; she just smiled shyly.

"Look, Zoro… I want to introduce you to my friends", Nami said, trying to separate from him, even though he was still stunned by her sole presence. "These are Robin and Vivi".

From the moment Sanji saw them, he hit on them wildly. Zoro smiled and waved, saying hi. Both of them were wearing their clothes like Nami, and they were also beautiful. Zoro couldn't help but look at Robin; there was something mysterious about her that attracted him. However, that feeling didn't last long, as Zoro started looking at Nami again, speechless.

Both the girls and the boys introduced themselves and they soon formed a big group. Vivi told that she was in the Reformatory because she led many violent student revolutions against the country's king and Robin just said that she preferred not to talk about it. They faculty had organized some sport activities, where they had a good time running and pushing each other. Thankfully, there were no violent incidents. Plus, they ate together and spent a great day overall.

They spent the whole evening with their music teacher, Brook, who enjoyed having a break with his students. It seemed like he liked them, specially the girls; but didn't cross the boundaries, so they were cool with him. He sang, brought them some non-alcoholic beers and even hid later to share a cigarette with Sanji.

"You know what?", Brook said. "I used to go to a Reformatory school when I was your age. It was a living hell, the students were mean, the teachers were abusive… This is a great initiative, you're really lucky".

As Brook was talking, the speakers announced that the students and the teachers had to go immediately to the hall for the special ending event. The headmaster, the assistant director and the vigilant stood in the stage, behind a big microphone. Akainu was smiling in a really crazy way. "Students!", he said. "It's the moment! You are going to participate in the biggest event of our Reformatory... The Buster Call! Module 0, please come here".

A row of students came into the stage. They were handcuffed and looked depressed, slim, starving. Zoro could recognize Luffy, who was in the middle, along with Law, Kidd and Hawkins. There were also two pink-haired girls that Nami recognized: Jewelry Bonney and Rebecca, who apparently had been causing some trouble.

"Oh, no, I can't believe this…", Brook said. "I thought that this project was rejected… This can't be real". He started to tremble and took a few steps back. "Don't do anything, don't move, don't let them take you to Module 0", he said. "I will be back. I have to find Jinbei and stop this".

Brook left, leaving the group extremely confused. Meanwhile, Akainu kept talking: "This is going to be a ritual, happening once every two weeks".

A boy who looked very small started to cry. "Please! Stop this! I beg you!", he was about to kneel down, but Luffy stopped him, tearfully.

Kizaru, the vigilant, laughed, holding a briefcase where he kept all of his punishment tools. "Oh, boy… I'm going to enjoy this!".

Notes:

Hi everyone! Hope you enjoyed this, I'm really hopeful about this fanfic :) It's inspired on another fanfic I wrote years ago, in Spanish, but never finished. It's still published in my profile if you want to check it out.
I'm sorry if I commited some kind of error, English is not my first language. Please, let me know if you liked this fanfic and this chapter! I really really really appreciate feedback.
I'm also posting on AO3 :)
I'll try to publish the next chapter next week! Stay safe and healthy :)