Zoro's head is about to explode from the constant thoughts he's been thinking about for two days now. That's also how long since he found out about Luffia's true identity as Strawhat. It doesn't help that Tashigi has been nagging at him through her messages which made it very tempting to block her number.
Staring at his phone, he wonders if he should call Luffia now. He knew it is useless when he does not even know how to handle this situation.
What was he supposed to feel? Even he cannot answer that question. Thinking about her, he still cannot wrap his around the fact that she belongs to the dark world of the streets. Far from belonging to this kind of world, she's part of it, a leader of a very notorious group that coincidentally is Zoro's target.
Her image doesn't fit at all. She's a sunshine, an innocent woman whose smile always brightens Zoro's mood. At least that's what he thinks of her. But thinking about what he found out, he started questioning if he knew who Luffia is behind that innocent smile of hers.
A part of him is angry that she never told him anything. He's angry that all this time, she made a fool out of him. Was it intentional? Why did she lie? Why did she remain silent all this time? There are so many questions he wanted to ask her but he doesn't know where to begin.
Even if Zoro doesn't want to admit this, his pride was hurt. He's a renowned Mafia Hunter, feared by many, yet here he is, hunting for someone who was right within his reach all along.
"Damn it." He cursed loudly. Another curse left his mouth when he received another message that the intelligence team of CP0 found one of Strawhats' safehouses. It only means one thing: he might meet Luffia again.
In a job where he has to hunt his prey, it is inevitable that sometimes, he ends up killing them in the process before he can turn them into the World Government's precincts. He wonders if the same thing with Luffia this time.
The past few days were not enough to make him decide on what to do next, but the changes in the plans are here, and he must choose where he stands.
His pride as a Mafia hunter or his best friend?
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
Strawhats have many safe houses where they store their goods. The good amount of firearms they have in this safe house near Alabasta City was just one of them. The safe house contains guns and ammo they sell to allied influential families in the nearby cities.
Whilst these families may only appear as 'rich' and affiliated with the World Government, their ties to the Mafia groups are nothing to scoff at. They need firearms to protect themselves from other Mafia Groups. It's just a matter of choosing which group they want to be allied with. At the end of the day, it is a matter of safety that they need to prioritize. Such safety is what keeps the money ongoing for these Mafia groups.
While everyone is bustling on the inventory, Luffia was sitting alone and in deep thoughts, thinking about Zoro. She had not received any message from him.
'Does he hate me now?' She thought to herself while sighing. What is she supposed to do now that one of her secrets has been revealed? Even if Zoro did not tell her that he already knew, the matter is easily recognizable.
"Luffia, stop sulking already." Sanji offered her a drink which she happily took.
"I am not sulking."
"Yes, you are. Your eyes are telling me you are." Not like Luffia can refute his words when it's true.
"When should we deliver the goods?" She asked, diverting the topic before it gets deeper than it already is. Distraction sounds good to her rather than thinking about the things that she will never have an answer to.
"The guns and vehicles from Franky's house are ready for deployment tomorrow. We're just preparing this safe house to store them while we coordinate the locations of where they should be delivered. The eyes are on us, so we cannot use the previous locations." Sanji answered.
She nodded absentmindedly, left with no words to extend the conversation which the man understands. While he dislikes Luffia's current situation with the infamous Mafia Hunter, he could not do anything when it was her choice how to settle things with him.
With the circumstances turning for the worse, Luffia will be forced to choose how to deal with Zoro now that the Cipher Pol Agents along with Kaido and Orochi are dead set on silencing them. They never figured out why the Cipher Pol wanted Luffia's head so much. Nami thought that they must be uprooting a possible threat, seeing that the Strawhat's pace was the fastest they have ever seen since Roger's time.
Luffia only nodded at Nami and Robin's deduction, but deep inside, the young leader of the Strawhats have a bad feeling that Cipher Pol agents or the World Government might be aware of her true identity. The more she thinks about it, the more it makes sense, but how did they find out?
And if they found out about Luffia's identity, then why are they not publicizing it? With her understanding of the World Government, they love to make themselves heroes in everyone's eyes. This is a perfect opportunity, yet they chose the backend method by using Cipher Pol. This is still an assumption but if this is true, Luffia and her sisters need to be very careful.
If the World Government know about their true identities and decided to reveal them to the public, everything will be over in an instant. They will find themselves cornered by the hungry enemies they made as well as their father's.
Deciding that thinking about this will get her nowhere, she decided to take a stroll around the safe house even though there was nothing she will aside from the trees and bushes, given this is in a remote area.
Sanji left her alone, shrugging at her eccentric behavior. Walking around under the moonlight with the hoodie covering her head, she felt at ease only for a few minutes before her senses tingled. The silence around her serves as her warning that there is a storm coming. With her body tensing, she heightened her senses while walking faster towards a large tree for cover.
Just as she reached the tree for cover, a rustle in the bushes alarmed her. Before her mind can process what she did, she dived onto the ground, rolling till her body was fully covered by a nearby rock.
Her sisters always told Luffia that she was always nimble and quick on her feet, and her instincts are always on point to a point that they doubted if she has an eye at the back of her head.
"Tsk!" A man several meters away from her clicked his tongue. Luffia didn't need to look back to know that they are under attack. She's worried about what might happen to her members but she knew they can handle it themselves. What she needs to be worried about is how she can handle this situation.
Checking her hips, she clicked her tongue after realizing that she only brought her pistol. The other defenses she had were her hands and a small knife that may be useless in this situation wherein the number of enemies is unknown.
She didn't have time to ponder her plans as more shots fired from the right side. Luffia ran while looking for cover.
'One. Two. Damn it, Three.' Luffia ran in a random direction where she knew she can get a cover. She cannot get a backup knowing she left her phone in the safe house. With how coordinated their movements are, she guessed that they might have planned this. How did they manage to locate this safe house?
She has no time to think about the possible answers as they are closing in on her. Finding the chance, she raised her gun to point at the person from the right side, hitting the man on his chest.
Two more chasing after her. Using her knowledge about the area, she managed to shoot the second person chasing after her but at the expense of wasting most of her bullets, leaving her with only two.
More shots are coming her way and not just that, someone was planking from the left. When she looked at the man, her heartbeat almost stopped when she saw it was Zoro. The distraction was fatal because it made her stumble on the ground, giving a chance for her enemies to catch up.
She heard shouts not too far away which means that her men are still alive and must be looking for her. All Luffia needs to do is to keep herself alive for now.
Getting back up to start to run, she didn't expect a knife flying through from the enemy.
"Ouch!" It hit her thigh. The aim was off, only scratching her skin, but it was enough for her to bleed.
"Don't think you can run, Strawhat!" A shout became louder, signaling that his pursuers are getting close, and so was Zoro. The bark of the tree hit the wounded leg, making Luffia grunt in pain.
As it is, she only has two bullets left. Two wrong moves and this could end her life, but she must risk it. Stopping for an instant, she aimed her gun at the tall man going after her only for the bullet to hit a tree instead. She rolled to the ground for cover as the man fired more bullets in her way. Just how many bullets did that man carry? Judging from the straps attached to the man's coat, Luffia knew that the Cipher Pol Agent has many more than her.
With the last shot, she aimed again but to no avail. Just as she was about to run again, Zoro managed to outrun her and moved toward her escape route.
Luffia looked up to see a beast waiting to devour her. She gulped, nervous to be standing in front of her best friend like this. Reading Zoro's mind had always been easy for her, but at this point, she does not know what else to think after seeing a fierce look in Zoro's eyes.
"There's no escape for you, Strawhat." She can hear the man's voice from behind her but her eyes are still focused on Zoro. "Zoro, kill her now. I will let you get the credit. Go now."
"Don't dare boss me around, Lucci," Zoro growled, not appreciating the tone.
Zoro was now pointing his gun at Luffia's forehead. Her hoodie is still on but her face is not covered, letting Zoro have the full view of her best friend. He's feeling so many emotions now that he's in front of Luffia, dressed nothing like what he was used to seeing. The blood on her body made Zoro feel like he was also injured. The indescribable feeling surges in his heart along with the confusion about what he should be doing. It doesn't help that Luffia's eyes sparked with resignation to her fate, leaving everything in the hands of Zoro.
Should he choose his pride as a Mafia Hunter or should he keep his best friend alive?
"What are you waiting for? Don't tell me you are pitying him?" Lucci must have not noticed that Luffia is a woman. He must be growing anxious about why Zoro was not pulling the trigger.
The green-haired man is stuck between two choices, pissed that Luffia does not even look remorseful at all. She was just looking at Zoro with an innocent blank expression that left Zoro exasperated.
"Do it now, or I will." Lucci was giving Zoro no choice, so he sighed as he placed his pointing finger on the trigger. Lucci finally smirked upon seeing the determined look in Zoro's eyes.
"Fine." He said and locked eyes with Luffia before saying: "Duck!" Luffia was so quick to duck, leaving Lucci no time to react as Zoro pulled the trigger. The bullet pierces through Lucci's forehead. The blood drips on his face as he stares at Zoro, wide-eyed in shock that the situation reversed. His hands were shaking as if he was willing himself to remain alive so he can retaliate but there was nothing to be done as his body falls to the ground, still wide-eyed.
Zoro only looked at the dead body with a stern look on his face before turning to an injured Luffia.
"You have many things to explain, Luffia." He said and picked her up to get her treated. The choice was clear - he chose Luffia.
"I'm sorry," came as a whisper from Luffia. She knew that the choice was difficult for Zoro. It is why she didn't want to beg him to choose her.
"Let's get you treated. We cannot go back to your hideout as the other CP0 agents might still be there."
"Where are we going?"
"Where's your other safe house? Call your doctor and get him there quickly!" Luffia gave Zoro the address of another safe house half an hour from where they are. Zoro is familiar with the outskirts but he was surprised to know that the safe house was in a middle-class subdivision. "Why here? Is this one of the houses of your members?"
"Not really. I owned the subdivision." Zoro gaped in surprise. He should not have been after discovering her true identity as Strawhat. With his knowledge about the amount of money a Mafia group can generate, owning the land in this subdivision is nothing to be surprised about.
The security almost pointed his gun at Zoro when he saw how bloody he was upon lowering the window shield, but Luffia was quick to show what looks like a card to the guard and he let them pass. It just means that this security guard is one of the members of the group. Zoro wondered if all residents here are part of Luffia's group. He wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.
Luffia told Zoro to stop at a certain house quite far away from the main entrance of the residential subdivision. It was fairly large, larger than any of the houses on the streets.
As soon as they stepped inside, Zoro immediately laid her on the couch, asking again if the doctor is on the way. She nodded, looking pale from the loss of blood. About 10 minutes passed and another car stopped in front of the gate, signaling the arrival of the people they are waiting for.
Zoro does not know what to feel now that he's in a situation where he has to meet the people working for Luffia. It's weird, now that he thinks about it. It's weird to let the idea sink in, that Luffia is a Mafia Boss.
"Luffia! Are you alright?! You're not dead, are you? Luffia - " A teenager stopped talking, eyes as wide as saucers when he saw Zoro in the living room. "AAAHHH! Luffia was captured by the Mafia Hunter! AAAHH!"
"Chopper, shut up. No one was captured. You're being silly." Luffia giggles amidst her injuries.
"B-But! B-But!" The teenager named Chopper was going back and forth between Luffia and Zoro, looking confused at the presence of what they treated as their enemy.
"Luffia-chan! Are you - " Another man burst into the room. "What the hell is he doing here?" His expression immediately changed when he saw Zoro.
"He brought me here, Sanji."
Zoro held his head up, not breaking eye contact with the man named Sanji. Not even a minute passed and he knows he doesn't like this blonde idiot.
"I don't trust this man." He even went as far as pulling his gun to point it at Zoro but the green-haired man did not flinch. He only stared at Sanji, looking down on him like an idiot that Zoro thinks he is.
"Sanji put your gun down." For the first time since he knew Luffia, Zoro heard her use a commanding tone. He can now see the authority she holds in this group unlike what he was used to seeing. It's like seeing a different side of the person he loves.
"Tsk!" Sanji clicked his tongue, reluctantly putting his gun down as requested by Luffia. "He should not be here." He said but Luffia had no answer. She looked like she was ignoring his statement.
Chopper ignored the banters as he was focused on treating Luffia's wounds but he heard them just fine.
It didn't take long before more people arrived. They must have been notified because as soon as they entered the safe house, they didn't look surprised when they saw Zoro leaning against the wall. A woman with orange hair glared at Zoro before turning her eyes to Luffia who looked like nothing fazed her at all.
Another woman walked into the living room but instead of a glare, she just smiled at Zoro. He immediately winced at the coldness in her eyes. The others followed and from what Zoro observed, these must be his high-ranking members. Surprisingly, some of them are quite young, perhaps a year or two younger than Zoro.
"Care to explain?" The woman with orange hair had her hands on her hips while demanding an answer from Luffia.
"I got shot. But we escaped, Nami."
"Huh. Do you think I am asking about that? I am asking about him! What is he doing here?"
"He brought me here." Luffia's straightforwardness sometimes is scary to a point that it will make you bald from the amount of stress you will get.
"You know he's an enemy! He might be leading the World Government here!" Zoro frowned at the woman but did not say anything. While he felt offended at her accusations, he cannot deny that such thoughts are normal for someone in their place. Zoro would have thought the same.
"He's Zoro," Luffia said as if that explains everything including her actions. Surprisingly, none of her members said anything back even what she said doesn't make sense. "Could you please leave us alone?"
"Eh? But you should be resting! You are injured!" Chopper protested.
"It's okay, Chopper. It's just a scratch. I will contact you all back tomorrow. Just leave us alone for now." She made it clear that she is not taking no for an answer, so all of her members started to leave the house, leaving Luffia alone with Zoro.
"If you do anything, know that everyone in this area will kill you," Sanji warned, puffing a breath of smoke before leaving. The rest followed till Chopper was the only one left, giving Luffia a few instructions about her wounds.
They were left alone in the living room. Luffia was lying on the huge couch, bandages over her injuries but still looked lively as ever. The silence is imminent, very fragile. Luffia was fidgeting from her position, stealing glances from time to time at Zoro who was in deep thoughts.
"You're mad, aren't you?"
There was no answer and she can only bite her lips in nervousness. She never wanted to reveal her identity to him for fear that he will hate her.
"Since when were you part of the Mafia World?"
That was a tricky question. What was Luffia supposed to answer? She had always been a part of this world from the day she was born but should she answer him with that, she's afraid it will open more questions she's not willing to answer.
"I formed my group when I was a teenager." That was the safest answer she could come up with.
"Why?"
"It was like having another family."
"And you didn't bother telling me about this? Did you enjoy keeping me in the dark, thinking that you are just the innocent woman I've always known when in fact, you are part of the streets?"
She winced when he raised his voice.
"Why did you lie to me?"
"I never lied to you. I just did not tell you the details about my job." The growl from Zoro indicates that he did not appreciate the answer.
"Now I understand why you refused my offers to pay for your college. It's because you have your money and you chose to be in the streets." He scoffed, feeling betrayed.
"I did not do it to make fun of you or anything like that!"
"Then, why didn't you tell me?! I looked like a fool!"
"It wasn't my intention!" Luffia answered back. "I didn't want you to be conflicted between me and your job. I don't want you to end up in a situation where you have to choose!"
"I already did!"
"You didn't have to." Luffia's voice diminishes. "You didn't have to save me."
"I did. I just did, Luffia." He approached her and sat at the corner of the couch. "And I would have chosen you. I always will." That struck her heart.
'Would you choose me if you knew who my parents are?' She did not dare to ask such a question.
"I am angry that you didn't trust me enough for you to tell me about this!" Zoro felt sad that he is not aware of a few things about Luffia. He thought he knew her better than anyone, but it seems that it is not the case. It was a hard choice for him when he decided to betray the Cipher Pol and turn his back against what he agreed upon - to hunt down Strawhat - all because of Luffia. "I thought we promised to be honest with each other."
Luffia dared to look into his eyes and found sadness in them. A look of betrayal that hurts more than she wants it to be.
"I'm sorry."
Looking at her condition, Zoro couldn't stay mad at all. He never did. Luffia has a special place in his life and in his heart, he would always find a space to forgive her no matter what she does.
"You would hate me if I told you about this while your job is to hunt down people from Mafia groups. It's better if I keep my identity a secret than have you betray what you do. I don't want to hurt your pride."
"Luffia, I wouldn't hate you even if you are a Mafia leader. It does not matter to me. As long as you don't massacre innocents that are not part of the streets."
"I would never! Ouch!"
"Stay still, why don't you? You're injured." Zoro knew she is not lying. Ever since he heard about Strawhats, while they are infamous for causing troubles everywhere, never did he hear that they were purposely killing people or involved in human trafficking. He finds solace knowing that Luffia is still the same. She would never condone injustice.
Silence passed when Zoro found his voice again. "I will back out from the operations with the World Government."
"But you will get in trouble!"
"I am already in trouble for being unable to kill you when I had my chances." Perhaps it was instincts that prevented him from pulling the trigger several times than he can count.
"But Zoro..."
"Do not worry, I know what I am doing. I can hide your identity so they won't track you down."
"You do not have to be involved with this, Zoro. You are a Mafia Hunter, and if anyone finds out that you're helping Strawhat - "
"I am not helping Strawhat." He firmly said. "I am helping you, Luffia. Because you're important to me. More important than this job. Besides, I am just doing this to get more information about my family's incident. My justice is not as pure as you think it is. If the justice of a Mafia Hunter is to never help someone from the streets, then, I will bend it. For you."
'If you knew who my parents are and who I am, would you still say this?' Luffia is afraid to voice this opinion. She thought she lost Zoro after he found out about her identity as Strawhat, but surprisingly, she didn't.
"Just promise me one thing, Luffia."
"What is it?"
"Please don't lie to me. I need you to be honest."
"I..." She blinked a few times, sighing as she swallowed the guilt she was feeling. "I will." Now that Zoro knew about her identity as Strawhat, she must make sure he will never find out about her identity as Gol D. Luffia.
With the plans she had with her sisters, she knew it is only a matter of time before their secret will be revealed. For now, she will relish the moments she will spend with Zoro before she will finally lose him.