Author's Note: Wow so here we are at chapter 8, halfway through the first part of the fan-fiction! I know it's a long story, but stick to it; the future plot twists will be worth it! Also, a special thanks to all my followers out there. I'm flattered that my first fan-fiction is good enough for you guys to want more of it! Again, reviews reviews reviews. I cannot stress this enough! Those things make a difference in any writer's writing, whether they're beginners (such as myself) or professionals.

Disclaimer: Another thing I can't stress enough: I do not own One Piece. The extent of what I own (including that of a cat and a starving piggy bank) does not nearly equate to what Oda has built in this awesome anime series. I own a cat and a ceramic pig, not an anime. And that's all I have to say about that.

Thanks again to all my viewers and future reviewers your support is greatly appreciated! And without further ado, I bring you chapter 8!

CHAPTER 8

Zoro has feelings?

Ari's Invited to Dinner!

Luffy had come inside from the evening air and was relaxing on a couch in the foyer, next to a cart that is stacked high with platters of meat. The chandelier creates pretty little rainbows on every corner and Luffy oohs and ahhs at how cool they are.

Zoro comes around the corner and, in his frustration and confusion, sits down next to his captain. "Hey, Luffy?"

"Yeah?" Luffy responds with his mouth still stuffed with food.

"Did you see a visitor come by?"

"Yeah." He swallows another gigantic bite. "This pink haired lady came by to see you."

Zoro's face drops in disbelief. Wait… was it her who did the painting? "Just now?"

"No, she came by this morning."

"So did you see anyone else since then?" Zoro asks impatiently, starting to get irritated.

"Nope, don't think so."

Zoro groans, and is back at square one. "So… you say that… she wanted to see me?"

"Yep."

"Did she say why?"

"Nope."

"A lady, wanting to see Zoro," Sanji says while waltzing in from the hallway and into the grand foyer, "that's one I haven't heard before."

"And what's so surprising about a lady wanting to see me?!" Zoro curses under his breath.

"Then again, now that I think about it, mosshead," Sanji continues with a smirk, "we're the only men on the island so they're probably getting desperate."

"Would ya shut your trap already?! She's not just another skirt for you to get a load of!" Zoro shouts. Sanji raises a curly brow and eyes Zoro curiously.

"Well, in that case, it appears that even plants have a heart," mocks Sanji. Zoro's face turns bright red.

"Screw you! It's not like that!"

"Wait, Zoro has a heart?" Usopp, who was listening in on their conversation with some new invention of his, tumbles all the way down the staircase and smashes his nose into the floor at the bottom of the stairs. "And I think mine just stopped beating…" he croaks.

"Hang in there, Usopp! Don't you dare die on me!" Chopper flies down the staircase, apparently in on Usopp's spying scheme.

Franky pops his head out of the weapons room at the top of the stairs. "Yo, totally not eavesdropping," he says while holding a wrench in his hand, "but let the guy feel a little. A man's still a man, even with emotions."

Zoro rises to his feet to hide the red that is now painting his face. He tromps across the foyer, opens the door, and takes his leave. Damn! I don't believe this! Zoro stomps along the path and out of the gateway to the palace. He notices that all of a sudden the air is a bit cooler and abruptly crashes into something, falling on his ass. He rubs his head, squints his eyes and looks up.

"Stupid tree!" Zoro springs to his feet and points an accusatory finger towards the pine. "Why did you have to sprout up instantly like that?!" he shouts at the tree and something rustles above him. Zoro moves out of the way just in time to avoid getting hit by a pinecone on its way down. He smirks at the tree and assumes that he had outsmarted it. But then a whole rainstorm of pine cones comes cascading down on him, leaving him stuck in a hoard of pine cones. He frowns. At least it's only pine cones this time, he thinks to himself, remembering the events of the day before when a hoard of women were piled on top of him.

Footsteps and voices approach the palace and Zoro hurriedly burrows out from under the mass of pine cones, dusting pine needles off of his clothes. He leans against the tree and tries his best to look natural, despite the mountain of fallen pine cones surrounding him. As the voices get louder and the footsteps closer, Zoro realizes that two of the voices and footsteps belong to Nami and Robin. The third voice sounds familiar, but he can't quite pick it out. As soon as they're closer to the palace, he notices a girl he recognizes walking in between his two crewmates. Shit! This girl again?! He turns away from the path and feigns interest in the berry bushes behind him.

"Hey, Zoro, if you're looking for the path, you're going the wrong way," Nami teases him right as the girls are passing by.

"I know! What do you think I am, a moron?!" he shouts over to her.

"It appears that he ran into a tree again as well," Robin whispers over to the other two, just loud enough so that Zoro can still hear her.

"It got in my way!"

Ari laughs lightly. Is this a habit of his? Ari and Zoro turn their heads at the same time and make eye contact. She takes note of his rugged and muscular appearance. She would never admit it to herself, but his rippling muscles and chiseled jawline especially demand her interest and attention. Even though her pulse quickens and her stomach flutters at the sight of him, she refuses to accept that she could have anything for a pirate. I could never take that risk. Even if he were to feel the same, which she suspects that he might, she likes to stay in a no-risk zone. A zone that no man has ever gotten past, and that no one at all will after what happened to her about five years ago. A few moments pass by that feel like years, and they break eye contact. She walks toward the palace with the other two girls, and he stays put by the pine tree.

XXX

"Thanks for helping us carry everything inside," Nami says and turns to Ari while they walk through the front door to the foyer. Ari sets her bags down beside her on the polished floor.

"NAMMMIII SWAAN! ROBINNN DEAR!" Sanji floats over to them. "Need some help with those bags?" He grabs both girls' bags and looks curiously at the girl behind them.

"Thanks," Nami says and is relieved that her arms can rest.

"Thank you, Sanji," Robin replies.

"And who is this lovely lady?" He waltzes past Nami and Robin and goes in between the two girls to get to Ari. He takes her hand and bows slightly. "Pray tell, what is your name, fair maiden?"

Ari's face turns red with both embarrassment and annoyance. "Don't touch me please."

Sanji looks utterly shocked and rejected. He goes into a pit of despair and sinks down to his knees dramatically.

"Oh yeah, I'm sorry, we never did get your name, did we?" Nami asks.

"It's Ari."

Ari… Robin wonders to herself. Where have I heard that name before?

Luffy is still sitting on the couch eating his snack when he interjects, "Hey, wait a minute, aren't you that pink haired lady that dropped by earlier asking about‒"

"Yeah that was me," she interrupts Luffy.

Luffy cocks his head and looks at her curiously, but chooses to keep his mouth shut due to her pleading eyes. He instead decides to ask Sanji about dinner. "Heyy, Sanji, what's for dinner?"

Sanji hops back on his feet and recovers from his despair. "I was in the kitchen preparing it before I came out here," he says. "We're having a delectable sea monster scallion with some fried island mushrooms on the side." Luffy gives him a bewildered look. "Don't worry, Luffy, these aren't the kind of mushrooms that spawn on your body."

"Wait! How did you know about that?! Are you a psychic and a cook?! That's… so cooool…" he beams with glee.

"You could say that," Sanji replies, "but Marguerite and the other wonderful ladies on this island told me all about it."

"Hey guys, do you know if they got any cola around here?" Franky calls from inside the weapons room. "I'm running on a short supply." He walks out of the weapons room with a massive pile of ammunition in his arms. He walks down the stairs to the group and sets the heap down at the base of the staircase.

"There should be some in the kitchen," Sanji replies and leads Franky down the hall in which Sanji first came from. The smell of the crisply cooked meat wafts down to the foyer, and the sizzling of the mushrooms travels along the length of the hall.

"Speaking of dinner, I'm famished," Nami says.

"I'm with ya all the way, Nami!" Usopp's tummy grumbles audibly.

"I think I'll just stick with the mushrooms, though," Chopper says.

Ari turns to grab her bags and leave when Robin speaks up, "You can stay and dine with us if you like."

"I don't want to impose…" She turns back around to face Robin.

"Don't worry about it, you wouldn't be imposing at all." Nami waves away Ari's concern with her hand. "In fact, Sanji would probably kill us if we let you leave on an empty stomach."

Ari looks at the group around her and evaluates how big a risk it is to stay. I don't want to be rude or anything… and that sea monster meat does smell pretty good… "Thanks alot, that sounds good." She walks alongside the group and the aroma of sea beef becomes stronger as they stroll closer to the kitchen.

So, that was chapter 8! Yeah, yeah, i know. It took me forever to finally post it, but hey it's here now right? In the next chapter you'll get a sneak peak into Zoro's motivation for his restless search for the Fluttering Swordswoman! Hang onto your hats for chapter 9: Enter New Girl Marin! The Memory of Kuina's Inspiration!