Hello everybody,

this time I'm right on time and I'm damn happy (and slightly proud) about that.

First things first, the upcomming week I will be on my first vaccation for 5 years (actually I'm just visiting my sister, but one week without any appointments, no job, no studying, so who the hell cares) and even though I'll be taking my laptop along I don't know whether I'll have the time to upload the next chapter (even though I really want to, because finally things will get interesting), so please be patient with me^^'

Second things second, I managed to finish the first draft of the translation last night (and hell yeah I'm proud about that one, because as you do not know - I just noticed that you guys have no clue what you've gotten yourself into - those are a total of 63 chapters), so after I come back I will start posting twice a week and if you have any preferences about which days, just tell me ;-)

And last but not least, thank you all for your kind words and favors. I know most people are wary about WIPs (especially long ones), so knowing that some people actually dare to tag along on this trip really makes me happy.

Have an awesome weekend and maybe till next week ;-)


Chapter 9 - Changes

-Zoro-

He lasted for a total of three hours, managed to preserve his own body for three hours.

He quickly realized that beneath the physical exhaustion, beneath the numb pain of transforming, a quiet throbbing had been hidden and while he had recovered and argued with Perona more or less productively, this throbbing had become stronger and more unpleasant.

Now it had stopped completely.

Probably because he had given in a few seconds ago and had immediately turned back into Lady Loreen.

But unlike his transformation to Roronoa Zoro, it had not hurt at all this time. On the contrary, although he was exhausted, he was actually only tired and weary, otherwise he was fine.

"It's weird," muttered Perona, watching him closely. "When you become a girl, it happens really fast and it looks almost elegant. But when you transform into a man, it takes almost minutes and you can literally feel how painful must be, not to mention that you've screamed like a stuck pig."

"I did?" He asked, leaning back. He couldn't even remember that.

She nodded: "Mhm, looked as if you were about to rip yourself to pieces any moment, never saw anything like it. It was horrible."

"Why didn't you just leave?"

He was tired. Transforming back and forth was exhausting and Perona didn't make it any better, but if he was quite honest, she was kind of okay, even if he would never admit it.

"And miss that? No, definitely not. That was the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life." Now she grinned and he regretted his praise immediately.

He was cowering on the floor, still in the clothes he had borrowed from Mihawk, that were now far too big.

"You're really cute now," Perona said, kneeling down beside him. "If you didn't glare at me like that, I could easily forget that you're such a nasty guy."

Sighing, he tried to straighten up, but his body denied its service.

"Listen, Perona." Slowly he came back to his feet. "No matter how many times you say it, it doesn't change who I am, and I really can't stand you calling me cute or sweet or whatever."

"But it's true...," she murmured puffing her cheeks. "I mean even in these rags; every guy would fall for you."

She sighed: "What would I give to dress you up just once. I could turn this sweet little thing into a real femme fatale."

He laughed coldly. Why did all women want to abuse him as a dressing doll?

"You? You look like a five-year-old zombie chick and you want to dress me up? Certainly not, I'm better off walking around naked."

Again, she puffed her cheeks.

"I'm twenty-five, asshole, not five. By the way, in theses pictures you're the one looking like a child." Out of nowhere, she pulled out some newspaper articles again and laid them out in front of him. He didn't pay attention to them. Rather, he was surprised that she was actually older than him.

"I don't care what I look like. I'm not interested in this girl stuff."

He walked away.

"But you're a girl, at least partly."

Surprised, he stopped. Jade had told him once that Loreen would be a part of him, a part he would never be able get rid of.

"The girl in you is the dominant body, that's the reason why you've turned back against your will."

He turned around. Perona was right and he hated that. He didn't like the fact that she had figured it out before he had.

"That's why you should know what's important for girls."

"Tze, not all women care about clothes. There are much more important things."

"Wait a sec." Sie followed him as he left the room. "Where are you going?"

"I want to find out what kind of island we're stuck on, what it's called, where it's located or whatever. Anything that might help Hawk Eyes to find it."

He was still tired, but it was much easier for him to recover as Loreen than in his original body, and he hated that as well.

"The island is called Kuraigana," Perona said behind him, and again he stopped.

He had heard that name before, but he couldn't recall where or when. He looked at her.

"How do you know that?"

They were about the same size, so it was very easy to stare at her directly. After all those tall men and women of Sasaki, it was almost pleasant not having to look up ro somebody.

She folded her arms.

"I've been here for weeks. Don't you think I've tried everything I can to get away from here? But apart from a small boat I found nothing, but that would be suicide on the open sea. Although I absolutely want to find Master Moria."

"So, you think he actually made it?"

"Of course, he's still alive! Don't you dare doubting his abilities!" In her rage, several ghosts rose from her body, whose ability Zoro knew only too well.

Calmingly, he raised his hands.

"Yeah sorry, my fault, you're probably right, otherwise the World Government would have had to replace him, which seems to be bothersome. He's probably already on Mary Joa."

He could really do without being touched by those ghosts.

Perona nodded. "Exactly. He has to be fine."

Now that she had calmed down again, the ghosts disappeared.

Meanwhile they were wandered through the big castle, although maze would be a more fitting description. No door led where he'd expected it to, and every stairway seemed to have another aim than it should. It was not particularly helpful that he repeatedly stumbled over the far too long trousers even though he had already pulled the waistband up to his chest.

"What are you actually doing? Is there something you plan on going?" Perona asked after a while obviously annoyed, while continuing to follow him around.

"Outside," he murmured.

"What? We've already walked past the entrance three times."

He stared at her.

"What are you talking about?"

She shook her head. "You're really stupid, aren't you?"

Now she went ahead and led him through a hallway that already seemed familiar to him.

"What else have you found out?" He asked, ignoring her insult.

She shrugged her shoulders and walked on. "Not much, we are the only people on this island. Apart from this castle there's nothing but trees and ruins here and these wild monkeys."

"Monkeys?"

They had reached a heavy double door and Perona pushed it open.

Walking outside, Zoro looked around. Thick wafts of fog hung in the air, blocking almost any sunlight. It was hard to tell if it was day or night as the sky was just dreary and grey.

"The ruins are somewhere in this direction and the monkeys are usually close by." Perona pointed to his left, but except for forest and fog he could see nothing, certainly no sea.

"And these monkeys attacked you?"

She nodded: "They're no ordinary animals. They have weapons and are pretty good at throwing them at me. They don't come near the castle, but as soon as you're close to the forest they attack."

"Aha." Zoro looked closely at his surroundings. These monkeys did not worry him, even if he was slightly curious about them apparently being able to fight.

Then he turned around again and walked back inside.

"Wait a second, why are you going in now, I thought you wanted to get outside." Upset, she followed him.

"I just wanted to know what this island looks like and what time it is. But with the weather you can't see anything."

She snorted. "Do you know what watches are for?"

He just kept walking.

"Wrong direction." She grabbed him by the forearm and dragged him along. "Gosh. There are moments you seem so cool and then you do something like this..."

He raised his eyebrows but said nothing.

After the quiet and thoughtful Mihawk, this girl was quite bothersome. She was loud as Nami and annoying as the cook but at the same time as childish as Luffy. He had no idea how to survive the days to come without killing her.

"So, you say that Hawk Eyes is coming to pick you up?" She said when they reached the room where he had woken up in.

He nodded. "Yeah, after the war."

"Do you think he would take me along?"

"I thought you like it here?"

He dropped back on the bed and yawned.

"Yes, of course, you saw the island. A beautiful, creepy landscape and this old castle is magnificent. But all on my own, without servants and sweet cuddly toys, it is quite lonely and miserable."

He did not respond, but slowly began to braid his hair because it kept bothering him.

"You have to comb it first, otherwise you'll rip out all the tangled hairs," she murmured. "Oh gosh, how stupid are you?"

She sighed and walked over to a dresser.

"I've only been a woman for a month, cut me some slag," he grumbled, but allowed her to stand behind him with a hairbrush, combing his hair.

"So, what do you say? Would he take me along? To any island so that I can search for Master Moria?"

"We will travel to the Sabaody Archipelago."

"Really? That would be perfect."

"However, I can't promise you that Hawk Eyes will let you tag along. He is not exactly some good-natured saint."

"What?" He could hear in her voice that she was desperate.

"But if you don't annoy me too much, I may can convince him."

When had he become so soft?

"Would you do that?"

Sighing, he folded his arms.

"Well, after all, you prevented the monkeys from eating me and brought me inside, didn't you?" He grinned sarcastically. Maybe he would get along with her without actually killing her.

"Can I ask you something?" She mumbled and began to braid his hair. It felt different from Kanan, not as firm, but he didn't mind. "If you just learned how to transform, does Hawk Eyes know who you really are?"

That question surprised him. Should he lie? Would hiding the truth protect Mihawk? But was lying even necessary? What would he achieve by doing so?

"Yes, he knows," he replied briefly.

"Oh," came as answer before she asked, "do you have a hair tie?"

"Do I look like I do?"

She muttered something under her breath, and he could feel her pulling his hair a little more.

"Does he know that you can transform now? Did you tell him?"

"When would I have been able to tell him that?"

She patted his shoulder as a sign that she was done and then walked away.

"Oh come on, I'm not stupid. Don't think I haven't seen you stare at this transponder snail all the time. You certainly talked to him. So, did you tell him?"

"None of your business."

"That's a 'No'."

Instead of a lengthy discussion, they unanimously agreed to eat something, with Zoro already longing for his bed again as he followed Perona through the castle.

To his surprise, the castle's pantry was filled up to the last corner, as if someone was actually living here.

"We're almost out of sugar," Perona lamented, but Zoro completely ignored her over the slices of smoked ham. For the first time, he could really understand his captain's desire for meat.

A short time later, he walked back to his room with a bottle of wine. Well, actually Perona delivered him at the doorstep; she slept in the room opposite. Both rooms were located directly above the kitchen and close to the entrance. He assumed that they once had been servants' rooms.

The ancient clock above the door told him it was just after 8 p.m.

With a small sigh, he reached for the transponder snail with one hand and opened the wine bottle with the other. He had also found harder booze, but since he didn't really tolerate much in this body, he would wait with the sake until the next day, when he would successfully transform into his original body.

Zoro had tried to transform again while eating, but it had not worked. Perona had suspected that he was too exhausted and since he could not deny it, he had accepted her presumption for now.

He drank a few sips of the red liquid. He had never been a fan of wines, but since he had spent time the Shichibukai, he had started to drink and even like the grape juice.

The little snail in his hand beeped a few times and then it got picked up on the other side of the line.

For a second, none of them said anything.

"Hey," Zoro muttered, taking another sip.

"You sound even worse than you did this morning," came the cool answer immediately, "I thought I told you to rest?"

The alcohol began to warm him from the inside. He grumbled approvingly and put the bottle next to him.

"Are you alone? Can you talk freely?" The little transponder snail raised an eyebrow and copied the questioning face of the Shichibukai almost too good.

"Yes, of course," Zoro muttered, taking another sip.

"Very good. So, you know where you are now?" The other sounded like always, but something was different, or was Zoro just imagining it?

"Yeah, Kunei, wait how was it? Kuri.. Kuwai..."

The other sighed: "Kuraigana?"

"Yes, exactly!"

"Really?"

"Yes, Perona said that's the name."

"Who is Perona?"

"Oh, doesn't matter, just some girl. She was also sent here by Kuma and is actually quite okay."

For a moment, the other was silent.

"Well, that is actually the best outcome I could have hoped for."

"What? What are you talking about?"

Unfortunately, his bottle was already half empty, he should slow down.

"You remember this island I told you about? The island I normally live on instead of Sasaki?"

"Mhm," he muttered recalling those conversations.

"This is Kuraigana. I already had the presumption when you told me about the countryside. What a strange coincidence."

Oh, so that meant he was actually drinking Hawk Eye's wine, right?

"That means you know where it is?"

"That means you are not far away at all. That is excellent. Kuraigana, there is no one for you to worry about. My storage chambers are filled sufficient. You can wait for me there pleasantly."

Pleasantly?

He was rarely as aware of how different they were as he was right now.

Of course, he knew about their different family backgrounds, but did the other really think that he would pleasantly wait here for the Shichibukai to come by and pick him up? That a castle with fine wines was pleasantly for him? That he needed something like that? Especially while he didn't even know if his friends were still alive?

They were indeed very different.

"Why are you so quiet, Roronoa?"

He looked at the bottle in his hand. What would the other think of it if he saw him drinking a wine right out of the bottle. Zoro had never been ashamed of who he was and what he was. Had never thought of being better or worse. He was just who he was.

This had never been a problem with his crew, sure someone had complained about something at some point, like always when several different types of people were packed together on a tiny space day in and day out. But no one had tried to change him.

On Sasaki it had been different.

Kanan had insisted on treating him like some lady, asking him to behave like some lady. He had thought that had been because of his new body. He had adapted to his new body.

But Mihawk knew who he was, had always known who he was.

But even though the other saw him, understood him, he still tried to educate him, to reprimanding him. But not only that. Mihawk tried to change him and Zoro no longer knew whether this was only because the other wanted to help him or whether he wanted to turn Zoro into another Dracule.

"Roronoa, talk to me, is something troubling you?"

He sighed. He had completely forgotten that alcohol made him think, and now he was brooding about such strange things just because the other had thought that Zoro would have it comfortable in this castle.

The worst was not that the other wanted to change him for whatever reason. The worst of all was that Zoro had tried to adapt. He had tried to behave, had tried to act in a way that... that what? That he got by? That he could survive? Or was it something else?

Why did Zoro worry about being different from Mihawk? Why did he suddenly worry because of some stupid word?

Pleasantly?

Stupid wine!

"Roronoa?"

"I..." His voice broke. What did he want to say?

"Anyway, you are safe there. That is the priority," said the other after a moment, before clearing his throat. "But you should stay inside. The Humandrills – these are the primates you have talked about – have acquired human fighting techniques and I suspect they are still too strong for you at the moment. They would probably kill you. So, stay inside of the castle."

It annoyed him that the other thought he wouldn't be able to keep up with a few monkeys, and even more annoyed him that the other talked to him like he thought Zoro was stupid.

"Of course, I'm not a moron," he murmured angrily.

Mihawk at the other end of the connection sighed deeply: "I never said you are, Roronoa. Please, do not put such insults in my mouth."

Zoro swallowed. Their conversation certainly shouldn't go into that direction, so he decided to change the subject.

"Say, Mihawk," he muttered, "is everything okay on your side?"

"On my side?" The Shichibukai chuckled quietly, obviously relieved and amused by Zoro's choice of words.

"Yes, everything is fine on my side. The next few days will be quite boring. The other Shichibukais are arriving one by one and the World Government probably wants to prevent us from running into each other, so I will doubtless attend many meetings."

"Do you know if Gecko Moria is there?"

"Hmm?" The other yawned. "Yes, he had been treated here on Mary Joa, his wounds from your fight are still not completely healed."

"Oh, really?"

"Roronoa. Jirou was here today. He is gradually getting suspicious. He knows me well and, as you know, he is no moron either. He still eliminates the possibility of your survival, but it is only a matter of time before he will doubt the story of Lady Loreen."

Zoro looked at the little transponder snail.

"Do you want to tell him the truth?" He asked calmly.

"This is not about what I want," the other replied calmly. "You just have to be aware that he will find out at some point and then we will have a problem."

Zoro nodded. "Don't worry, I'm well aware of that."

Their conversation lasted a few more minutes in which they talked about less important things before the elder finally wanted to go to sleep.

For security reasons, they agreed that the Shichibukai would not contact him again until he left for Kuraigana or if something unexpected happened. Zoro himself would only call if he was in danger, not that Zoro actually planned on calling, especially not if he would get into danger.

After their conversation, he lay awake for a long time and looked at the stone ceiling above him.

Early the next morning, he transformed. Surprisingly, he was able to do it this time, even if the transformation itself was as painful as before. It took him almost an hour to gain the strength to put his plans into action.

Taking his swords on his way to the door, he noticed his own reflection.

He had changed.

Of course, the three earrings were missing, instead the delicate golden cross hung around his neck, but it felt good to face himself again. With proud chest and squared shoulders, he left the room.

In the hallway, he met Perona, who was floating through the corridors.

"What are you going to do?" She asked him as he searched for the exit.

"I'm going outside."

"What?! Why should you want to do that? With all those monkeys trying to kill us!"

He grinned.

"That's why. I want to defeat them!"