Zoro had wandered for who knows how long. His stomach had been growling miserably for what felt like several days now. He did forget to count the hours since he had parted from Zou Island. He didn't even really remember how he got off that lonely island. At one point he had just decided to trust his gut and walk in what he expected to be straight ahead. After all, this tactic had always worked for him so far.
Somehow, he had managed to end up on a ship that was passing by and to convince the frightened crew to take him with them to their next stop. Most probable was though that they had helplessly accepted to tolerate his presence on their ship after he had neither acknowledged nor reacted to the crew's desperate request to leave their dear ship at once. He guessed that it had helped his case that his stomach had started to growl really loud at the exact moment that he had boarded the ship. He remembered their dumbfounded faces when he went to sit down at the railing, his favorite place on any ship, posing his beloved swords at his side. Ignoring his growling stomach, he closed his one eye, shutting out the annoyingly panicked hustle of the sailors on board, and patiently awaited their arrival in the next harbor or wherever they were going.
After a while, he felt his thoughts shifting to the endeavor he had bestowed upon himself.
It was no easy matter. What the fuck was he going to do when he had found the shitty ero-cook? How would he convince him to come back?
He could certainly take down these arse lickers of Big Mom and take back the cook by force.
He folded his arms thoughtfully across his chest. Not at all did he doubt his physical abilities and the assumption based on them that he could take on these stupid kidnappers. It probably would be more of a relaxing afternoon exercise for him. Whether doing this was the wisest solution, was a moot point.
After all, this would be an open attack on a group of Big Mom's subordinates. If he did that, they certainly shouldn't be surprised if the group declared war on them afterward.
He frowned, annoyed at the complexity of the situation the idiot cook got them in.
If everything failed, he could always simply give the ero-cook a good knock on his stupid head and kidnap him back.
He had to admit he liked this thought. He grinned impishly. Just then, he heard a startled gasp a few feet away, followed by hurried footsteps.
Bugged out, he opened his one good eye and noticed that he was suddenly all alone on the big deck of the ship. That is if you didn't count the twitching leg that was sticking out from behind the main mast and undeniably belonged to one of the sailors, judging by the recognizable fabric of the trousers.
Unaffected, he shrugged his shoulders. Weird strange sailors. They better not disturb his thought process again.
He closed his eye and stretched his arms to fold them behind his head.
Whatever, he thought, he would figure it all out whenever he got there. He always did.
With this confident thought, every difficulty was forgotten and he relaxed, hands resting on his swords, ever ready but seemingly calm, listening to the soothing beat of the waves against the ship which was letting him drift further and further into a restful slumber.
He was woken up in one of the rudest ways known to him.
An intrusive blow to the head.
He grumbled angrily and turned his head in another direction in a pathetic attempt to protect himself from further abuse and to be able to continue to snore in peace.
It didn't take a second and again he felt a blow on his skull, this time more powerful and painful than before, and instantly, he felt a bump forming in the abused area.
There was only one person who dared to do that.
The red-haired witch.
At the thought that she wanted to wake him up to blackmail him with his outstanding debts and ultimately order him around for her own purposes, he suddenly got into a really bad mood.
"Get up, you fucking snorehead!" a shrill voice broke through his thoughts and all at once new painful blows rained down on his poor bump with every word: " You can fucking sleep when it's night. Get the fuck up now! You're in my way!"
That damn witch would pay for that, he decided then.
Before the next blow could hit his abused head, he had intercepted it in mid-air with the still sheathed Wado. Slowly, his good eye opened, sparks flying at the troublemaker who dared to bother him. He heard a startled gasp from somewhere around him as a response.
His now open eye caught a small person with a flowing white mane in front of him who seemed to be crossing his sword-hilt with a bare stick and for a moment he was speechless at the audacity.
"Na-nami?" he stammered in confusion. This person must be their ship's navigator, mustn't it? She was apparently female and got on his nerves incredibly. Who else could it be? And why was he so confused about it? Maybe all the blows to his head had permanently damaged his brain. Whatever the reason, it seemed to be indisposable right now.
Unfortunately, his counterpart seemed more impatient than he and almost knocked the sword out of the baffled swordsman's hand with her stick.
"Finally, damn it. Well, it's about time, make way there! I don't have all day!", she shouted again and her shrill voice send some uncomfortable spines down the swordman's back.
"Get up, damn you! Get up, you damned sniveller!" she shouted and hit him again, again with the stick and again on the head, causing Zoro to wince uncomfortably and jump up.
"Get your hands off me, you fucking witch!" he shouted, placing one hand on his swords ready to fight, "Bother someone else and leave me alone or you'll regret it!"
Against all expectations, his threat had not had the desired, nor by all appearances the slightest effect on the person with the stick. Instead of cowering and pleading for forgiveness, the white-haired witch swung her stick all the more energetically in front of his nose, just like Nami always did.
"You'll regret defying me if you don't get out of my fucking way now!", she said pompously and quickly tapped the angrily snorting swordsman on the head with the stick, "you probably have no idea who is here standing in front of you!"
"Who says I care, you old hag," Zoro fired back. His fingers twitched longingly toward the hilts of his sword, yet for some reason, he held himself back.
He couldn't.
The resemblance to Nami was too great. It would be like drawing the sword seriously against one of his Nakama.
"Oho and you're naughty too!" the old woman clamored, and before he knew it, he had received another blow to the head with the stick, to which he could only angrily gnash his teeth in response.
"Well, if you don't know, then I guess I'll just have to teach it to you damn well myself!", The white-haired witch twirled her stick strangely in the air, pointing it behind her over her shoulder, where he now first noticed a couple of frightened-looking people in uniform green clothing. "We are the cleaning crew of the hazy harbor, and with full pride, we bear the responsibility of deep-cleaning the incoming ships. It's a service that we take very seriously, and in the 40 years I've been cleaning crew leader, there hasn't been a ship that hasn't left this harbor sparkling clean, and I don't think we'll fucking start now!"
"Wha..what?" stuttered Zoro perplexed, "cleaning crew? 40 years? What are you talking about, you old screw!"
His eyes widened in astonishment as he now also noticed the end of the stick in the white-haired witch's hand, which he now finally made out to be a broom and not merely a stick. So, she definitely wasn't Nami then. There was no way that Nami would voluntarily touch a broom.
Now he also took the time to look around properly. He would have to be on the ship he had found while searching for Sanji. He finally remembered that he had wanted to reach the next port with this ship, in order to do further research on the idiot-head from there. So this was the port in question.
A painful blow on his bump jerked his gaze back to the small white-haired woman in front of him.
"I warned you. You'd better get your idiotic stick off me, you witch!" he shouted angrily, his hand tightening around the hilt of Wado's sword as he assumed a more threatening stance.
"You're a little slow on the uptake, aren't you?" the old woman merely said, looking at him unimpressed, "why the fuck do you think I'm going to the trouble of getting you off this ship? During our cleaning mission, the crew always goes off the ship so as not to disturb the process. Because of you, our whole schedule has been fucking pushed back by 20 minutes."
Out of the corner of his eye, he surveyed the ship he had traveled on. Other than him and this pathetic cleaning crew in front of him, there was really no one left on the ship.
"Don't think we don't have experience with tough wannabes like you who want to cause problems," the white-haired continued, "We enjoy the special appointment through the mayor of this island. He gives us his best man for protection every day."
With an almost casual movement of her broom, she pointed to a muscular figure standing with folded arms at the ship's dock and sending attentive looks in Zoro's direction, "That's him. That's our Pablo."
Almost amused Zoro examined the muscle man. As if someone like that could ever stop him. For a brief moment, he really considered taking his chances, just for fun's sake.
But then he dismissed that thought. If he wanted to look for Sanji and go unnoticed for as long as possible, then he should avoid drawing any unnecessary attention.
He sighed annoyed. Stupid cook. Even the fun would have to be postponed. All because of the trouble the stupid idiot curly brow had gotten them into.
He nodded and relaxed his stance, through which he intended to communicate his cooperative motives to the cleaning crew.
"Whatever," he finally grumbled, making sure all his swords were in place with a rehearsed move.
Then he turned to the pier and set off.
Behind him, he heard enthusiastic clapping, probably intended for the old white-haired woman, and he rolled his eyes at the hollow drama. When he was level with the muscleman Pablo, he suddenly stopped.
"By the way, witch?" he called over his shoulder, knowing that the right person would feel addressed, "Have you seen some idiot with curled eyebrows and a black suit here on this island by any chance?"
"Haven't heard of anyone like that!" came back, more tight-lipped than anything the white-haired woman had said before.
"Sure." Zoro said simply and continued on his way, confident in his abilities and his luck to find the right clues at this weird island, reinforced by the restful sleep he got during his journey and fueled by a growing growl in his stomach.
Man, was he hungry.
...
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Author's note: That's it for the second chapter. Hope you liked it! What do you think is going to happen next?