Luffy sat in her bed and read. All day. She was on her stomach in her pajamas, the book propped up in front of her. She snacked on almonds as she read, sometimes having to read the paragraph multiple times to process what it said. But she continued to read, trying to be engrossed in the adventure book.

She was sad there weren't many fiction books like this one. She wished she could go on an adventure. She wished Ace would go with her for company, and she wished she could swim in the ocean so she could be on a boat and sail to mystery places, and meet new things. New foods, environments, animals. Maybe, somewhere out there, there were people like hers. Nymphs or other creatures who could do magic.

She'd read once about fruits that granted people powers if they ate them. What kind of powers? Powers like hers? How interesting it would be to meet those people. Would she meet better people to battle? Steal new weapons? Be free out there, maybe making new friends. That would be fun. She couldn't remember much about the fruits… or were they vegetables?

She loved everyone here (every nymph), but they were mostly confined to the forest, and it became boring for her. Thankfully, she had Ace and sometimes Makino to make things more interesting.

She wondered where Zoro and his friends were, and what they were doing. Maybe they were eating yummy food, or playing games together or drinking alcohol and throwing a party. Chopper had powers, so do the others have powers too? She kind of wanted to meet them, but she didn't like the man with the yellow hair. First, he almost caused Luffy's cake to fall down, then he kept sneaking peeks at all of the nymphs in a creepy feeling way.

She'd seen him once afterwards, making a human woman really uncomfortable. And the long nose human was obviously terrified of Luffy and Ace. That didn't particularly make her mad or sad, but it made her wonder, if the others were so scared, besides Chopper, why Zoro was different?

Even if he were strong, he'd be useless if he was banished. There's no way to fight back a banishment. You disappear someplace for good. A nymph can't call a banished person back.

It was nighttime by the time she'd finished three of the four books. She needed a break and some fresh air.

Still in pajamas, she went outside and walked to the beach's edge and sat in the sand. She wanted to go out, but she didn't want to worry Ace or make him angry. She wasn't scared of him or anything when he got upset, but she didn't like it when he looked down on her, even if he wasn't meaning to. She splashed her bare foot in the small waves that washed away sandcastles and made a very quiet sloshing sound.

She wanted to go see Zoro. He was fun to fight with and beat up, but she also just liked him in general, even though they had barely spoken at all. Well, he spoke, Luffy written. Then there was that moment when she gave his sword back when he looked at her with amazement and shock, and then the time last night where he smiled a real smile at her, not a smirk she wore herself.

He seemed grumpy and antisocial when she saw him with his friends or alone, but he didn't act like that with Luffy. And he was so happy when she came to get him and lead him to their newest arena. Zoro had laughed in her presence, and she had a feeling that was a rare event, laughing at anything.

She looked up at the moon, not full anymore, and the sky was more cloudy tonight than last night. And she was utterly bored. So she walked out back into the forest and headed towards the docks, wondering if Zoro was out on deck, since she wasn't going to go into the men's room when everyone was on the ship. Plus she didn't want to invade privacy in any way. She hurried through the woods, faster than she knew she was.

Zoro finally made it back to town after a long time of going in circles. It was a miracle he made it back, plus not seeing any nymphs he could piss off. Though there might have been and he just didn't notice it, but at least he wasn't dead or whatever they do when a human gets too close to their home.

He sat on the bench he'd first seen Luffy and the nymphs at. But Luffy never came. Robin did, though.

"Looking for Luffy?" she asked, making Zoro purse his lips in irritation and defiance to answer. She smiled knowingly and sat down next to him, carrying new books since she'd finished the last one. "She was in the library this morning with another nymph, looking down. She checked out four thick books, so it's safe to say she is probably gonna spend today at home, wherever that is." Robin giggled at that sentence, entertained by what the nymph had checked out. "She looked pretty sad, so I think that she might have gotten in trouble for fighting you last night," Robin hypothesized.

"She didn't get in trouble for fighting the first night. I think," Zoro replied, worried it was his fault she got in trouble. But thankfully, nymphs supposedly never hurt each other.

"It might have been different this time. No one was around and you were in a secluded area. And it's possible she told no one where she was going. If you had been a bad human, you could have hurt her or kidnapped her. And she can't exactly scream for help, if anyone would actually hear her." Robin paused, looking at Zoro's sad face. "So I think you won't be seeing her tonight."

Zoro sighed.

The rest of the day was pretty boring for Zoro, but he decided to take watch again, since he took naps a lot because he was so bored, not to mention the earlier naps. So he wasn't tired at bed time.

Sanji had been the one to watch the ship, so he was able to make a lot of desert dishes for later (mostly for Robin and Nami), and a big dinner. Chopper and Usopp had been shopping for tools, since Usopp wanted to be with someone that the scary nymphs liked and wouldn't hurt. Nami had gone shopping for clothes, because what else would she do?

The very girly part of her kept wanting to suggest different outfit choices for the beautiful little people, or some makeup. But she kept these to herself, not wanting to offend them. There really weren't many of them. They obviously stayed in the forest more or the mountain. Wherever they lived. Or there just weren't many of them on the island in general.

She tried no to look at them, but it was difficult. When one caught her looking, the girl frowned at her, causing Nami to abruptly walk the other way. She also noticed the nymphs were mostly female, and that they stayed in groups of three or more. They always had a blank face. And there were no old ones. They all looked young, but not young like a baby or child. It was hard to describe.

Luffy made it to the docks and walked along it slowly now. It looked like none of the lights were on in Zoro's ship. She still really liked this ship. Compared to the other boring ones, this one had personality. It looked like a fun ship.

A few yards away from the ship, she took off in a sprint, which she was almost unable to see. Then she leapt off the end of the deck and turned her hands into thick claws, digging it into the side of the ship. She'd fix it later. She climbed up the wooden side fairly easily, carefully climbing over the railing and onto the deck. Her fingers relaxed back to regular and she walked around, looking for Zoro. If she saw anyone else out, she'd leave right away.

Zoro was on the crows nest, just watching the stars when the clouds moved out of the way. He was bored. The last two nights were fun, so he was bored now. He heard a snapping sound somewhere on the ship. It wasn't too loud, but he heard it anyway. He climbed down to the deck and slowly looked around, hand on his swords. Someone was on the ship, but who was it? He couldn't help but hope it was Luffy.

Whoever it was had very light footsteps and was making nearly zero sound. Had to be a nymph, and who would it be besides Luffy?

Zoro was pretty good at making no noise either, despite wearing boots and having three swords at his side. Well, when he wasn't in the woods he was quiet. He finally found Luffy below where he was, looking in the darkened windows for something. But she couldn't see anything, which visibly frustrated her.

Zoro dropped down next to her and she reacted on instinct by immediately changing her hand into claws and slashed, cutting Zoro's chest horizontally. He just frowned at her, and she frowned at him, irritated that he surprised her like that. But she ran her soft, small hand across the cut and soon it was gone. Then she did it a second time to repair his shirt. This disproved Robin's theory that she could only heal.

"Thanks," Zoro said, his frown gone. She bowed her head like an apology. "It's fine, I'm the one who startled you," he told her. She smiled a soft smile, making his heart beat faster. This was ridiculous.

Luffy looked to the mast, frowning at the damage she had done. There was some sort of tape covering the holes she had made. She silently walked over and ripped the tape off, covering the damage with her hand. It easily repaired itself. She then fixed the other damages she had caused.

"That's really cool. How do you do that?" Zoro asked. Luffy chewed her lip, not sure to tell him or not. "I won't tell anyone else. Promise," he added. Luffy nodded her head and sat down in front of him. He took the clue and sat in front of her. Instead of pulling a paper out of nowhere, she just made a thick black pen and wrote on the deck. Upside down for Zoro.

Rewind time for small things. Cuts, stains and messes, broken things.

"And what about making things out of thin air?" Zoro questioned. Luffy didn't hesitate to answer. Zoro found himself looking at her hair that some strands fell over her small shoulders. Then he looked at her written reply.

I just do. I have no way to explain it. What do you want me to make?

"Dry sake," he answered right away. Luffy smiled in amusement and created two glasses and it magically filled. She filled hers with orange juice.

Try it. Zoro drank it. It tasted perfect.

"It tastes perfect. Why do you go to buy things in the market if you can just do this? Couldn't you just create food?"

It spoils quickly. Your sake would have not tasted good if you drank it 15 minutes later. Want me to make something else? She was having fun with this.

"Hmm… Something big… how about a giant weight. Like the ones over there?" he said, pointing to his own. She smiled again and the metal flowed out of her hands, morphing into a giant dumbell that she then picked up with ease. "That's amazing," Zoro said with awe. Luffy grinned again, feeling a slight blush. But he couldn't see it too well because it was dark outside.

"What about changing your own body? Can you only do it to your limbs?" This was all so amazing. He was fascinated, and he could now see why Robin was, too. But she wasn't able to see any of this. It made Zoro pity her, but was also smug. Luffy was only showing him this.

Luffy shook her head, and made metal spikes grow out of her spine, and made herself metal fangs, which was really creepy, and then coated all of her visible body with gray, which he assumed was metal as well. Then everything went back to normal. But her pajamas were ripped so she asked him to turn around. All she did was take her arms out of her polka dotted pyjama dress, moved it backwards, and mended the holes.

Luffy clapped once to let him know she was done. She smiled at his darkened cheeks.

I didn't take it off. You don't need to be embarrassed.

"I'm not embarrassed," Zoro said, sounding grumpy. He flushed darker when she grinned at him with almost perfect teeth. One canine was longer than the other. "No, really."

Whatever you say… She let out a few little sighs that he assumed her laughs. My turn to ask questions. Zoro nodded. What are your friends like? Besides the creepy blonde one.

Zoro couldn't help but burst into laughter. You don't like him?

"Hell no. I hate him. We argue and fight all the time. His name is Sanji, but I call him dart-brow or love-cook cause he's a pervert."

Seems like it. He was making us uncomfortable when we were watching Chopper's magic.

"That's him for you."

Who else? she wrote eagerly, with an interested look on her face.

"There's Nami, Robin, Chopper, Usopp," Zoro listed. Assuming she wanted more information, he began to describe them. "Robin is the captain, and she loves learning history and new things. She says really dark things so I think she's a bit off in the head. She has Devil Fruit powers. She can make body parts come out of anything," (Luffy looked bewildered.) "I know, it's creepy sometimes. Nami is the navigator, who punches us a lot and is obsessed with money and treasure. Usopp is the sniper. He's a coward and lies all the time. They aren't even believable. Then there's Chopper, who ate a Devil Fruit that made him part human, which is why he can talk and speak to animals as well. Then there's me, the swordsman," Zoro concluded.

You mean the man who will become the greatest swordsman in the world?

"Damn straight." Luffy grinned again.

I'm sorry about taking an important sword. I should have picked the other one. Luffy said with a serious look on her face.

"It's fine. I wouldn't have met you if you didn't beat the shit out of me and leave me for my crew to find. Thanks for bringing Wado back, though," Zoro replied, not sounding mean about it at all. Luffy laughed silently again.

I like hanging out with you. You look grumpy a lot though. I guess I'm special then, Luffy observed.

"Yup," Zoro replied truthfully. "I'm only grumpy around people who piss me off."

You don't like the people on your crew? she asked, with a confused look on her face.

"No, I like them. They just piss me off a lot, but they're still like my family. A random-ass, dysfunctional family. But still family. I'll protect them. What kind of swordsman would I be with nothing to use from it?" he said simply. Luffy had a warm smile on her face.

You're a good person.

"I bet you are, too. Even if you are a cocky little thief. I'm guessing nymphs don't kill those who follow them." When Luffy wore a closed off expression, Zoro knew she was not going to talk about that. "You don't have to tell me. It was just an observation." Her closed off expression left and she had the content face back on. Then her stomach grumbled. "Hungry?" Zoro asked, amused.

Yeah. I didn't eat very much cause I wasn't going to battle tonight.

"Can't you just make your own food?" Why would a nymph ever go hungry if they can create any food they want?

It's not very filling. You won't be able to get drunk off of what I made for you. It's effects fade fairly quickly. Luffy then looked mischievous. Can I have some food from your kitchen?

"Sure," it's this way. Zoro said, wondering what that look was about. When Luffy went straight to the refrigerator, Zoro got suspicious. "You've already been here, haven't you?" Luffy stopped and licked her lips nervously, but didn't lie. She nodded.

Then she turned to the wall and wrote with her pen: Me and Ace were curious so we came to look. That bottled stuff in the girl's room smells nasty. Don't worry, we didn't look in any underwear drawers.

Zoro couldn't help but laugh. He had no problem with her and her brother snooping, but the rest might. "You'd probably be horrified if you saw the kind of underwear Nami probably wears. And don't tell any of them you were snooping."

I can imagine what they'd look like. I saw all of her clothes after all. She then wiped the words off and rummaged through the fridge. He heard her gasp when she saw the left over desert. She didn't hesitate to pull that out and take a piece of it from the sealed plastic bag and create a fork and plate to eat it off of. She made a sigh at its delicious taste. So she ate another one. And another one until it was all gone.

Then she created what looked identical to them and stuffed them into the same bags and sealed them again. She turned to the wall once again.

Hope you didn't want anymore cause that's gonna be moldy by tomorrow.

"I look forward to seeing love-cook's face," Zoro replied casually. "And he worked so hard on it. But you don't care, do you? It's the creepy blonde guy after all." Luffy silently giggled and nodded.

You're really fun to hang out with. I like you. It's too bad you're leaving in a few days. But I'll come visit you every day, so don't worry.

"You're awfully haughty, aren't you," Zoro asked in a teasing voice.

I can tell you like me too, though. I'm just assuming you'll want to see me like I want to see you.

"Yeah… I like you, too. Probably too much considering how short a time we've known each other," Zoro said without thinking, then comically clapped his hand over his mouth. "Shit…"

Don't worry, the feeling is mutual.

Zoro couldn't help it. He walked up to her and cupped her face, leaning down to kiss her.

Thankfully, she didn't protest and reached on her tiptoes to make him have to bend down less. She kissed him back well, considering she'd never done it before.

Zoro got really into it. Her lips were so soft, and he moved his tongue into her soft, small mouth, running it across her almost perfect teeth. She gasped when he did this, but didn't pull away. She only pushed him away when she felt her toes cramping.

She walked to the table, pulling him with her, and stood on the bench so she was at his height and then grabbed his head and pulled him back to her lips, wrapping her arms around his thick neck. They both battled for dominance, almost equal in strength as they were during their two fights.

The little nymph brought her legs up and wrapped them around his middle, legs too short for her feet to touch around behind him. She realized just how much bigger he was compared to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, but did not go lower because, despite the way his crew and everyone else he knew saw him, he was not a barbarian and could be a gentleman if he wanted to; and he would be for this woman.

But Luffy wouldn't be subdued by Zoro, even if this wasn't a real fight. She leaned down and left his lips to suck on his neck. Zoro panted a bit, leaning his head to the side for her. He'd have some nice hickeys tomorrow.

"Ha- have you done anything like this before?" Luffy shook her head. "Th- then you catch on real quick." He was done being the one under attack and moved his head so she couldn't suck on it anymore and he licked up her neck instead. But he wouldn't give her any hickeys. He didn't know what the other nymphs would think of her doing this, and he didn't want to get her in trouble again.

Luffy let out a slow breath that he could only compare to a moan. He wished he could hear her make one with a voice. He bet she'd have a nice voice. She finally pulled away when she looked at the clock behind Zoro's head. It was one o'clock in the morning. She knew she had a lot of time until Ace woke up and came to her door, but she wanted to be as safe as possible about not being caught. What would the others think? Would they see her as betraying them? Consorting with humans was pretty much an unofficial sin.

She pulled away, flushed and breathing heavily. She unwrapped one arm and pointed to the clock behind him. Zoro was flushed and panting as well, and excited in other areas also, but he ignored that. "You have to go?" he asked her. She nodded. He did as well, and put her down. If she noticed Zoro's unintentional excitement, she ignored it for his sake, though it made her feel weird feelings in some… places as well.

She fixed her dress, which had hiked up slightly, and combed her fingers through her hair so it looked normal again. She made the pen again and wrote: I will see you tomorrow. Promise. Then she gave a wry smile. And we can continue this activity. She smiled bigger when he gave a dopey grin.