Title: Of Dreams and Desires
Pairings: Smoker x Ace, Sanji x Zoro, and other side pairings
Ratings: T - NC-17
Chapter: 3 of ?
Summary: Old Face…
Disclaimer: I do not make any profit from this story; all props go to Eiichiro Oda.
Author Note: Thank you YunisuKozakura, astraschilde, meep, and unlockai for following my story, it means a lot. :D
Beta Reader: descriptionsalive21, thank you so much!
Roronoa Zoro
"I'll wait for you."
Zoro did his 500th pushup as sweat rolled down his body and droplets fell off his nose, landing on the deck of the Going Merry every time he lowered himself. The green haired teen was supposed to be taking things lightly after his run in with Mihawk and the incident in Arlong Park. His body ached when he woke the following morning, but there was a burning desire to train as soon as he was able to move. The stitches in his chest constricted as he worked out his upper body, tearing just slightly and causing small amounts of blood to mingle with his sweat.
"No matter how long it takes, you'll be the World's Greatest Swordsman."
Those words pushed him to do another set of 500 pushups, even though he knew he would regret it later.
"It's still too early for you to die. My name is Dracule Mihawk! Discover your true self, the true world, and become stronger! However long it may take, I shall await you at the top. Surpass this sword! Surpass me! Roronoa Zoro!"
The words spoken was those of respect, even if it was not directly stated, Zoro understood it. There was a challenge set and he would rise to it, he had to…for her sake.
The newly acquired cook of the crew, a lean male with blond hair and an awkward curly eyebrow, called for everyone, letting them know lunch was ready. Zoro could recall the words Sanji had shouted to him when he was fighting Mihawk.
"Stay down! Is your dream worth dying for?"
Zoro huffed, if only the ero-cook knew.
After completing the remaining 500 pushups, Zoro paused his exercise to dry his skin with the towel that was hanging on the side rail. He took a swig of sake he had stolen from the Baratie without anyone noticing. It was a unique brand that he'd never tried before, but the sweet aftertaste hooked him on the product. He took one more pull from the drink, setting it and his towel down before headed off to the galley for lunch.
When he entered the small eating area he took notice of the once thief now turned navigator and the long nose already sitting at the table, their captain bouncing excitedly in his seat at the promise of meat. Zoro sat near Nami, opposite to Luffy, and Sanji placed numerous plates of grilled fish, rice, pork, and other items in front of the five-man crew. Even though Luffy made lunchtime interesting, from his constant attempts to steal food from everyone's plates to his table manners – the meal still was a little awkward. Yes, the crew had bonded and faced battles together, and they have even earned respect for one another, but still, there were moments when they did not know each other, which meant conversation sometimes, failed to spark.
Zoro watched Sanji flit from the stovetop to the sink to start washing dishes. He noticed that the cook did not eat until after the dishes he had used were clean. It was an odd reoccurrence that Zoro had not commented on; it did not matter to him why Sanji does what he does, as long as he gets fed, nothing else matters.
R.Z
After lunch, the crew found themselves on the deck of the Going Merry, enjoying the sunny day.
"Nami-san! Here is your iced drink. I hope it's refreshing enough to cool a beauty such as yourself down on this hot day!" Sanji said with hearts in his eyes as he handed Nami her drink.
Zoro, who was sitting in the crow's nest on lookout duty, made a heaving noise that caught the attention of the cook. "Got something to say, shitty marimo?" He said in his gruff voice, exciting something in the swordsman.
Boy…if looks could kill, Sanji would be dead six times over for calling him a marimo. Pink lips contorted into a predator like grin and Zoro bit out, "Nothing but your ugly face and dart brow causing my lunch to come back up."
Just as Sanji was going to send a heated response his way, Nami drew the attention of the crew. "Guys, take a look at this." She picked up the bounty flyer off the deck before showing it to the crew. On the center was a picture of their captain, a big smile and ever-present straw hat resting atop his head. At the bottom of the paper was his bounty, which had increased from nothing to 30,000,000 beli.
Luffy let out a hearty laugh and pulled Usopp into a hug, spinning him around. "Wow, already 30,000,000 beli!" He put the sharpshooter – who had joined him in his laughter – down and with a hand on his hip, Luffy rubbed a finger under his nose, letting out a quiet shishishi. "One step closer to being the Pirate King."
Nami rolled up the rest of the newspaper and hit Luffy on the head with it. "Laugh all you want, but now we have to be careful. The price on your head will cause more people to come looking for you to collect your bounty." She leaned back in her chair and grumbled, "Just what we need, more stress."
"Lighten up, Nami," Usopp started, "more than likely Luffy's bounty will scare away all our foes." He puffed out his chest as Luffy laughed in agreement.
Nami sighed and shook her head, the actions contrary to the small smile that graced her features, Luffy's happiness becoming increasingly contagious. Luffy turned to continue his conversation with Usopp when Zoro's voice gained the crew's attention. "Island spotted!"
Usopp, Luffy, and Nami ran towards the side railing of the ship and Sanji came to stand next to their navigator with a spyglass, handing the telescope off to her while lighting up a cigarette. She took a minute to look at her map on the table. "That must be the Polestar Islands, where Loguetown is located. It is the last place where we can stock up on supplies before we leave East Blue for the Grand Line. It's also the birth and death place of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger."
Usopp and Luffy gasped. "The Gol D. Roger!" Their eyes shone with awe as they sang, "Cool!"
Sanji chuckled at their excitement before taking a puff of his smoke. "Nami-san, I'll need some beli for supplies."
Nami nodded and pulled out a white pouch containing a portion of the crew's money. "Of course. Sanji, since you have the biggest role of anyone, you'll get the majority of beli." She opened the pouch and pulled out a smaller but hefty looking pouch before she gave it to Sanji. She turned to Usopp and Luffy and handed them each their own smaller pouches. "Here is your spending money, use it wisely." She threw Zoro's pouch up to him in the crow's nest.
Luffy and Usopp went off to talk about what they could do in town while Zoro opened his pouch and immediately he noticed that the amount was not sufficient. "Nami, I need more. There're some things I have to take care of."
Nami slowly turned around with an evil smile on her face, causing Zoro to jerk back slightly. "You be lucky I let you have as much as I did, or did you forget your debt to me?"
Honestly, Zoro's bounty should have gone up that day. He had already killed a cook and now he was currently trying to murder their navigator with a glare. Zoro huffed and jumped out of the crow's nest to help prepare for docking.
After the crew had dispersed into the town, Zoro set upon his mission to get new swords. He roamed around the busy streets for a while before he happened to stumble upon an arms shop. Zoro stepped into the arms store, immediately taking notice of the barrel of swords nearby and he approached it, inspecting each one. He picked a few that caught his eye up and unsheathed them, feeling the weight and balance of the weapons, before he returned the swords to the barrel.
The door to the shop opened again, but Zoro ignored the jingle of the bell and the shop owners greeting as he focused on a certain blade. He picked up the deep red-sheathed sword, admiring her beauty. Even sheathed the sword sang out to him, daring him to use it. He removed the sword from its home when a faint gasp tickled his ears. Startled, Zoro jumped slightly and shot his gaze over to the raven-haired woman who had begun to dig around in her pocket. His heart stopped in his chest and his palms became clammy. This woman that caught his eye sent him into a momentary shock, as memories flashed through his mind like a roll of film…looking at this woman was like a punch to the gut that winded him completely.
There is no way…she looks just like her.
When the woman had found what she was looking for, she let out a "Ha!" before opening the newly produced booklet in her hands, furiously flipping the pages. She glanced up at Zoro as she stopped on a certain page. "That's Sandai Kitetsu! It is one of the Wazamono grade swords. Only on sale for 50,000 beli! You should get it! That is an incredible deal! Normally her price is 1,000,000 beli."
Zoro opened his mouth to respond when the shop owner slammed his hands on the counter, ceasing any further conversation. "That–" he started, faltering and gulping slightly before trying again. "That sword isn't for sale. It's said to be cursed like all the Kitetsu swords."
With a gasp, the woman threw herself into a bow. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to attempt to talk you in to buying a cursed sword."
Still shaken by the physical appearance of the woman, Zoro shrugged and stretched his arm out. "This curse or my arm, let's see who has better luck." He grinned and threw the sword into the air. He kept his arm out under the now falling blade, closing his eyes as he waited for the outcome.
Both the storeowner and the woman held their breaths as the sword began her to descent. The owner tried to convince Zoro to move his arm, stating that the blade was sharp and would cut his arm clean off. Still, Zoro stood steadfast and allowed his arm to remain outright and soon enough, the sword came down curving nicely around his arm before sinking into the floor. Grinning at his luck, Zoro picked the sword up out of the floor and sheathed it. "I'll take this one."
The storeowner, formally known as Ippon-Matsu, told Zoro to wait as he ran to the back of the store.
As the man disappeared from sight, the woman busied herself by looking at the other swords in the store. Zoro became rather unsettled once again with the striking similarities that this woman held to his childhood friend, Kuina. He was positive that Kuina would have looked exactly like this woman had she have lived past her childhood. Just as he mustered up the courage to speak to the raven, the storeowner came out of the back of the shop with a white box. He slowly opened the lid, revealing yet another sword.
Another gasp escaped the woman in glasses, "Yubashiri, one of the Ryo Wazamono swords."
Ippon looked at her and nodded his head before setting a hard gaze on Zoro. "It's a family heirloom, been with us for generations, but I know she won't get its used here with me. Take her," he said handing the sword over to Zoro hilt first. Zoro hesitated at first, but soon he pulled the sword from her sheath and took a few swipes through the air before he replaced the blade in her sheath then taking the entire thing from Ippon.
"I don't have the money for her."
"Free of charge," Ippon huffed, closing the box the sword was formerly stored in and returning to the attic of his shop.
Zoro studied the two swords he had just obtained with a smirk. He set his money on the counter for the owner and walked out the store, but not before he took one glance back at the black haired glasses wearing woman still looking at swords on the wall.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, may seem a little slow but the story will pick up soon. Stay tune for next chapter: Smoker Tensa Read and Review - Huredhiel