Even back when her life revolved around the adage of 'Survival of the fittest', Yamato had always relished the satisfying, bone deep ache one got after an intense workout. It may very well have been an instinctual thing, being the spawn of such a powerful creature, or it may simply have been something she'd picked up over her many years of fighting. After all, hard training meant getting stronger, and getting stronger meant a better chance of seeing the next sunrise unharmed.
Whatever the reason, the fact remained that Yamato enjoyed the post-workout burning of her muscles and so she would often find herself in the spacious crows nest of the Sunny with the enigma that was Roronoa Zoro.
Shortly after having joined the crew, Yamato had ventured to the top of ship in search of space to train and was surprised to find the nest already occupied by the crew's First Mate deep in a workout of his own. She had apologised profusely for interrupting him of course, but Zoro had simply shrugged, nodding his head at one side of the room alongside a mumbled "Weights are over there". From that day on, the two fell into a steady rhythm of mutual respect.
As far as training buddy's went, he was pretty decent. She certainly preferred the knock down drag out brawls she engaged in whenever she sparred with Luffy, but the stoic quiet of the green haired swordsman wasn't all that bad either. He was an improvement on her father at any rate.
The pair spent the majority of their time together in concentrated silence, the air filled only with the determined grunts of two insanely strong individuals lifting absurd amounts of weight, each desperate to exceed their own limits. On rare occasions however, they would converse over whatever sake that Zoro had managed to swipe from the kitchens that day, swapping regime advice or past exploits of battle in an easy manner that surprised Yamato: she'd expected him to be as reserved as he usually was, but it appeared alcohol loosened his tongue somewhat.
Currently, they were discussing weapons and Yamato noticed that it seemed to be one of Zoro's favorite topics.
"I will admit that, when I first heard of your three sword style I was a little skeptical but your abilities have proven me wrong, you are an exceptional fighter," she stated, trying to keep her voice from sounding condescending, a nasty habit she'd picked up from her father.
If Zoro felt that something was off, he didn't mention it, only grunting in response, and then "You're pretty deadly with that thing yourself," he gestured to the large club leaning against the wall. "Ever thought about using swords?" The deep timber of his voice rattled Yamato's skull as it always did and he followed up by taking a deep pull from his bottle.
Yamato took a decidedly more restrained sip and hummed in consideration. "I have thought about it yes, but I realised that you swordsmen appear to have a rather deep connection to your blades, I'm not sure I would be capable of that," she hadn't meant to make it sound so self pitying but for the most part it was true, understanding inanimate objects wasn't something she would have the patience for.
Zoro drummed his calloused fingers against the glass of his bottle in thought, one good eye trained on Yamato as if studying her. His scrutiny unnerved her but she took another drink to cover it up. After a short few seconds, the swordsman's arm moved behind him, very clearly reaching for his swords. Usually, when such a strong individual went for their weapons in front of her, Yamato reacted in a manner she deemed appropriate, namly bashing their skull in, but she could sense no ill intent from the dour man and so she only watched as he retrieved a single sword from his collection, patting the other two with a fondness one usually reserved for living, breathing comrades. The white hilt and sheath of his chosen sword shimmered under the morning sun that broke through the nest's windows. He held it with reverence.
"This is Wado Ichimonji," he removed the blade from its housing at a snail's pace, analysing its every contour for knicks or scratches that might mar the admittedly beautiful sheen of the folded steel. Its simple elegance was plain to see and even someone as novice to blacksmithing as Yamato could see that it was expertly crafted. Zoro took a deep breath before presenting his pride to the Oni as if he were offering it to her. Yamato was too stunned to move.
As far as she was aware, Zoro didn't take too kindly to anyone touching his precious katana, even the man he chose to call captain. Yet, here he was, gifting the chance to someone he had met less than a month prior: the child of a once great enemy no less. Without thinking too much about his reasoning, Yamato gingerly accepted Wado Ichimonji, the regular size blade feeling rather comical in her massive hands.
"Shut your eyes and listen to it," Zoro grunted, as if that was all the explanation required. Still, despite the less than informative directions, Yamato did as he asked, laying the sword across both palms and allowing her eyelids to slide shut.
For a long while, nothing happened. Yamato felt a bit silly sitting there trying to...well she wasn't really sure what she was supposed to be doing but, whatever it was, it wasn't working. A silence enveloped the crows nest and for once it wasn't the companionable silence of two introverts, but rather the tense quiet that only comes about when someone is waiting for the other shoe to drop. Yamato was focused entirely on the weapon before her and beside her, Zoro held his breath, unwilling to break her concentration. Then, just as the muscles in Yamato's forearms began to ache from the continued strain, she felt it.
It was a subdued presence: a wavering mass of energy that barely twitched under Yamato's fingertips, but it was strong enough that she couldn't help but be baffled as to how it had escaped her notice for so long. Wado Ichimonji was powerful, there was no doubt about that, and Yamato felt strangely proud that it had deemed her worthy enough of a connection, no matter how shallow.
She opened her eyes, openly grinning and Zoro joined her.
"Every sword's got a will of its own that you need to work with to get the most out of them," he explained, relieving Yamato of the blade and sliding it back into its scabbard with a resounding *click*, before continuing. "Some are pretty easy, some not so much," here, he allowed his good eye to flicker to the remaining weapons resting innocently by his side but Yamato could note the hint of exasperated amusement in his tone.
"You speak of them as if they're your partners more than your weapons."
"That's cos' they are."
To this Yamato has no reply, so instead she sat in quiet contemplation, re-examining her whole understanding of what it means to use a weapon. Before, she had swung her club with reckless abandon in battle, relying solely on the strength of her own arm to keep her in the fight, but now she had to consider the possibility that her weapon may be more effective if she learned to understand it more.
"The more you fight with them, the easier it becomes. Me and Wado have been through alot," Zoro smirked, tapping the hilt of the white sword against his shoulder.
Yamato nodded in understanding, deciding right then and there what her next step should be. She turned to face Zoro fully, bowing her head in a rather serious manner that had him quirking his eyebrow. "I would like to spar with you at some point in the future, Zoro-san," she requested, tacking on a hurried "If that's alright with you," after the fact.
"Don't have to be so formal about it," he huffed in amusement. "Alright, but don't expect me to go easy on you like Luffy does."
Yamato laughed, her thoughts now turning to her new captain and their training sessions. Luffy was the best sparring partner she could have hoped for but if Zoro considered the island leveling brawls that Luffy and her shared to be Luffy 'going easy on her' then she was especially looking forward to a match with the swordsman. "Thank you Zoro-san," she bowed her head again but he waved off her formality. She'd have to tell Luffy that their usual daily fight would have to be postponed for a day and hoped that he wouldn't be too upset. I'm sure I can make it up to him somehow she thought to herself, blushing at her own implications.
Just like that, the pair fell back into a comfortable silence, sipping (or swigging) their drinks to the steady beat of the waves breaking on the hull of the ship.
Not for the first time since joining the crew, Yamato felt an inexplicable sense of peace envelop her, loosening her usually steel wired muscles. Zoro definitely wasn't the most animated of companions but, nevertheless, Yamato enjoyed his rigid presence enough to be able to let her own guard down at least a little. Slowly, she was beginning to realise that the same could be said for all the members of her new crew: they all had a knack for making her feel at ease, even the members as impassive and disciplined as Zoro. She even felt relaxed enough to ask the question that had been plaguing her mind for a while now.
"May I ask you something Zoro-san?" When the swordsman merely grunted in reply, she took it as a sign of assent and continued. "Why did you join Luffy's crew? If you don't mind me saying, you don't strike me as the type to follow others," she tried to frame her question as mildly as possible, not wanting to offend her crewmate.
Zoro didn't answer right away, instead choosing to allow his eye to glaze over and to slowly scratch at the long horizontal scar that bisected his chest. Eventually he spoke in the relaxed tone of someone giving an answer to an obvious question "The same reason everyone does," the corner of his mouth curled into a ghost of a grin. "He's Luffy."
Yamato was left somewhat speechless at his answer. She hadn't exactly been expecting him to monolog about how much he respected and admired his captain or anything but the two simple words seemed a little vague even by Zoro's standards. Yet, the more she thought about it, the more his words made perfect sense: she felt the same way, after all. Luffy was Luffy and that was all the reasons Zoro (and no doubt the rest of the crew) needed. It was as simple as that. The Oni smiled softly, nodding in understanding.
With the matter settled, Zoro took a deep breath and jumped to his feet, discarding his empty sake bottle with his swords. He stretched his arms, rotating them several times in both directions as he trudged over to the piles and piles of weights that took the majority of the left hand side of the room. "C'mon, no time to sit on our asses, should probably work off that booze," he called over his shoulder.
Still smiling, Yamato set down her own alcohol, before getting to her feet to join him. She realised that, while he wouldn't ever be particularly talkative or even that warm and welcoming, Zoro considered her a staunch ally and friend. The short times they spent in the crows nest getting stronger and lightly chatting together, were just his way of showing it. Alongside that, she also felt as if she had a better understanding of him now that she had gotten a grasp on his reasons for becoming a Strawhat.
Everyday she could feel herself binding more strongly to this captain and his crew. Before it had frightened her just a little but now she was sure she wouldn't give it up for the world. They were her family now and Zoro's taciturn acceptance only served to reinforce that point.
Her smile deepened at the thought. Family. Now, she had one worth fighting for.