Hallo and welcome back!

I know its early, but I checked and it's already wednesday in 4 countries! Also I'll be busy tomorrow, so yay, early update. This one is a short one unfortunately but it concludes this part of the story and I'm so happy to be finally done with it. So...yeah I probably would have updated anyway, just to get rid of it...

As for my plans for Wano: I'll probably go ahead with the Wano arc and since I've been asked a lot: no, I'm not worried about Oda shipping Zoro and Komurasaki, not at all!

Last chapter we learned that Zoro stumbled into the BDSM life, this chapter will continue right where the last one ended

Lord, the man was exceptionally cute when he pouted. "I'm sorry, please continue."

He told her how he had been in need of a ship, because his companions Johnny and Yosaku had gotten lost with theirs, and she was really glad for the fact that he couldn't see her barely holding on as her face was buried in his chest. Of course it had been his friends that had gotten lost, not him, never him. He hesitated when he continued, talking about a woman and her younger companion. She knew he desperately wanted to avoid the word slave even though they both should know that she was capable of making the distinction.

"Well it was a 24/7 kind of deal, but she really could have opted out at any time? The lady didn't treat her bad either, you know?" He was stumbling, reaching, trying.

She pushed herself off his chest to look him in the eye, one inquisitive brow raised in question. "So you mean to tell me that you stumbled into BDSM because a Dominatrix allowed you to train on her young, susceptible slave?"

He panicked; his breath caught, eye widened, and she knew she shouldn't enjoy flustering him like that when he was being mindful of her past… It was just too much fun. She could understand why Nami enjoyed teasing him so much.

"I wouldn't - She was older than me! Both of them! If anything they- fuck"

She laughed, watched as his expression merged from panic to confusion to exasperation. Brows drew together and a vein ticked on his forehead.

"I'm sorry, Zoro, I know the difference, that this has nothing to do with the slavery I experienced. And I know there are black sheep in the community, but with how you treat me, I can see that you had a good teacher."

"Yeah… whatever," he grumbled even as he blushed at the compliment, and she knew he wouldn't disclose anymore of this part of his past, not right now. He wasn't mad at her either, not really, at least. For the future, he'd know though. He didn't have to carefully tip toe around her, and she was really and truly done with her past, in part thanks to him. She didn't want him to feel bad discussing any topic with her.

He understood, tightened his arms around her waist. "Didn't mean to coddle you," he mumbled into her hair.

"Thank you," she said as she snuggled back against him. Now that the pain induced euphoria lifted, the safety of his embrace beckoned her to close her eyes and drift asleep. She was exhausted. Limbs like lead but buzzing with the burn of exercise.

He stretched under her, sat up with her, and she gave a very uncharacteristic disapproving grunt that he didn't just let her fall asleep.

Only when he handed her a bottle of Dr Chopper's and a bar of "Curly nutrition" did she realise just how famished she was, and thirsty. Her mouth suddenly felt dryer than the Alabasta desert.

After having downed the whole bottle and scarfing down two bars, she started to register the soft rumble of his chuckle and looked up at him, cheeks still puffed with food, most likely resembling a squirrel.

"You look like Luffy," he said, humour twinkling in his eye, and she could feel the blood rushing to her face. She swallowed the last mouthful of delicious cashew flavour that Sanji had added to his repertoire just for her - a gesture she greatly appreciated while praying he would never find out just where her sudden penchant for the nutty goodness came from.

"I was hungry," she pouted, knowing even while she said it that it didn't help her case at all. The opposite, in fact, He started laughing, wheezing almost, when he tried to tell her that she now also sounded like their Captain.

She couldn't blame him, could see the similarities, but didn't find it in her to care about them. Instead, she rested her cheek against his quaking shoulder, patiently waiting for his amusement to die down again.

It definitely took him longer than she would have liked, but as soon as he turned with her on the couch to actually lie down, as soon as he draped the soft and fluffy blanket over her and closed his arms around her again, she was out like a light.

Everytime she woke up in his arms, it surprised her just how at peace she could be with the world, with the scent of cloves and spice, green tea and forest floor doing their best to keep her there, in that cocoon of safety and tranquility. Rough hands stroking her sides or hair with a gentleness nobody would ever associate with the grumpy menace under her. If only she could enjoy that without the ever-present guilt in the back of her mind. It was considerably quieter now, she noticed. With the promise on her back, a promise she still didn't know the shape of, that nagging voice finally hushed.

She hummed in content at the soft massage he gave her head even though she knew that she couldn't stay. He wouldn't just wake her up for nothing..

"I know you don't insist on your after play shower anymore, but maybe you should get cleaned up before the cook gets up," he suggested after a few more lazy strokes through her hair.

"Don't worry about him, he's known for quite a while," she answered but left his cozy embrace anyway.

He scoffed at the reveal. "Fucking knew it! So what's his plan? Low dose heavy metal poisoning or something? I haven't noticed any difference in his behaviour or my meals, it's driving me nuts!"

"Fufufufufu, actually, I think he's fine with it," she laughed as she made her way to the latch in the floor, just barely catching his robe when he threw it her way. The cuts on her back tugged at the movement, she had almost forgotten about them again. The bandage would need to be changed soon, too.

"Not if he sees you running around like this, he won't. Cover yourself. Fucker will gouge my eye out if he sees what I did to his poor Robin-chwan," he grumbled, stretching while frowning at the utter mess the crow's nest had become. Fufufufufu, good thing it was his duty to clean the crow's nest anyway.

As always, I'd love to hear your opinion on the chapter!

Unfortunately Shôganai will be on break next week, but let me tell you, there's both action and drama ahead!