This took way longer to write than I had hoped. My apologies, semester finals kinda... ate both my brain and my time. XD I hope that this chapter is worth the wait. ;-; Thank you kindly to everybody who reviewed! It really means a lot to this Pineapple Husky. And thank you, Nikki, for all your help and suggestions. I'd still love suggestions from others as well if you have any! By the way, I'm still a bit worried about OOC-ness; please tell me if you think I can fix anything!
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Chapter 2: Day One
"Wake up, goddammit!"
Zoro stirred underneath the heavy blanket comforter. With a yawn and a stretch, he blinked his eyes open. The room was dark, as he had left it the night before, save for the light that flooded in through the door frame. A lone figure stood leaning against the frame, shadowing the light; it may only have been a silhouette, but Zoro had recognized whose outline it belonged to in a heartbeat.
"What the hell are you doing here, Agent Tangerine?" he groggily questioned, rolling onto his side and shielding his eyes from the light.
"We agents are on a first-name basis with one another; we rarely call each other by our codenames, unless we're undercover," the woman explained. She paced to Zoro's bedside and held out her palm to him. "My name is Nami."
He glanced at her hand, then to her face, and buried his head underneath a pillow, groaning, "Why are you here so early?"
"Early?" she replied, snatching the pillow and revealing his face. "It's a quarter-to-eleven! The 'Oni Ex' leaves in fifteen minutes, and you already missed the eight o'clock one. Get up, now!"
Zoro growled quietly, rubbing his temples. There was silence for a good amount of time. Then a soft piano melody floated down from the room above and hummed into his ears. "Who plays the piano?" he asked quietly, raising an eyebrow.
Nami's tone softened a bit, but annoyance was still present in her voice. "That's one of the pilots," she answered, "Agent Shades." She cleared her throat and called to the room above, "Johnny! It's ten-five-zero! The train leaves in ten minutes!"
The piano tune slowed and ended, and the pilot shouted back that he understood. A few footsteps sounded and then the two heard nothing more. Nami turned back to Zoro, who lay still in the sheets.
"Don't make me get you outta that thing myself," she warned.
Zoro smirked. "I'd like to see you try."
Nami heaved a heavy sigh and flipped open the cover to a small touchpad near the door. "You asked for it." She pressed three keys and gently flipped the cover back down.
The bed vibrated lightly, then it shook, then it rumbled. Zoro felt like he was caught in the middle of an earthquake. It was a rather unorthodox measure of getting someone out of bed; he was about to sit up and finally step off the mattress when WHAM! The bed sprang upright into a vertical position, flinging Zoro, along with all the sheets, pillows and blankets, off the bed and against the wall. He fell heavily to the carpet with a loud thump.
Zoro was outraged. "You didn't have to do THAT!" he hollered, rubbing his forehead. He glanced up and spotted the newly-formed crack in the wall. "Look at what you did!" he hissed, motioning at the break.
"Me? Oh no, I'm not the one with a rock for a skull, I'm not the one who wouldn't get out of bed, and I'm not the one who is horribly late for work!" Nami fumed, pulling open armoire doors and then setting Zoro's uniform on the once-again horizontal bed. "I need you to change. Quickly. The train leaves in a few minutes."
With that, she stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her. Grumbling, Zoro donned the same black outfit he'd seen so many of the agents dressed in before. He took a gander at his reflection in the mirror on the inside of the armoire door and, for the first time, believed himself to be one of those figures. He also recognized a long black strip still lying on his bed in the reflection. He took it in his hand and looked it over: it was his neck-tie, and now Zoro realized that he'd never worn one before in his life.
He twisted the doorknob and exited the room, tie still in hand. He stood before Nami, and embarrassedly requested that she tie it for him. To his surprise, she didn't sneer or snicker at his lack of knowledge in tying ties, but she calmly smiled a bit as she looped, knotted, pulled, and smoothed the tie; he wasn't quite sure what he thought of this sudden change of disposition. The nice moment was ruined, however, when she reprimanded him, saying, "You'd better learn soon. I'm not doing that for you every damn morning."
After looking him over for a second, then stepping back with a slight sigh, Nami began to search around the apartment; for what, Zoro hadn't a clue. As she lifted various papers from the kitchen counter, she inquired where he'd placed his license.
"License? Like a driving license?" Zoro responded, messing with his tie.
"No, no; your agent license," Nami rejoined. She turned to him with a somewhat concerned expression; it soon, however, disappeared and was instantly replaced with a look of irritation. She marched up to him and slapped his hands away from his tie, straightening it. "Stop playing with your tie and help me look for it."
"Would I even have an agent license?" Zoro asked, crossing his arms. "I mean, today is really only my first day."
"Found it!" she sang. Zoro blinked dazedly as she acquired a small laminated card from underneath a shirt thrown carelessly on the coffee table and held it before his face. It included his old driving license photograph, with his codename, true name, and various bits of information labeled in green ink.
He made ready to ask how he'd gotten the license so quickly when Nami grabbed his wrist and lugged him out the door. "We really need to go… Now," she urged.
Still holding onto Zoro's wrist, she led him to the elevator and impatiently pressed the button. Fortunately, there was one available that instantly opened; Nami shoved him rather forcefully inside. Once the doors closed, he asserted, "You don't have to pull me around like that."
She loosened her hold on his wrist, but hadn't released it. The moment the doors parted, she continued to pull: down the hall, through the lobby, past the entrance to the Onigiri Channel, and down the stairwell. "Get your license out; you'll need it to get past the counter," Nami commanded.
Zoro looked past her and noticed the counter had some sort of glowing green shield, restricting people from entering. How odd; he hadn't seen that last night.
Nami fed her license through the slot in the machine next to the counter, and soon after, the license reappeared in the slot and the green shield vanished. Taking her card, she pushed through the counter and walked past the entranceway. "Your turn," she called, before the shield glowed again.
Zoro pulled the card out of his blazer pocket and fed it into the machine as he'd seen Nami do. Seconds later, it popped back out of the slot and the shield disappeared once more. He quickly walked through, only to remember he left his license in the slot; he scrambled and managed to grab it and bring his arm back through just before the shield recurred. He heaved a sigh of relief and tucked it back into his blazer pocket.
"We're very lucky," Nami voiced. Zoro turned around and walked to her side. "The 'Oni Ex' hasn't arrived yet."
Glancing around the station, Zoro counted only six other agents. "Where is everybody?"
"Everybody takes the eight o'clock ride," Nami replied.
"Why didn't you?"
The two of them were suddenly greeted with a voice. "Good morning, Nami-no-Aneki," it spoke.
Nami turned and smiled, "Good morning, Johnny."
Zoro turned as well and studied who the voice belonged to: Agent Shades, or Johnny, as Nami had called him. Still the tall, tan, dark-haired guy with sunglasses he remembered from yesterday. Closer up, he noticed a kanji character tattooed onto his cheek: 'Sora' it read, meaning "sky". It was appropriate, Zoro believed, recalling how he was a pilot.
Johnny bowed to them and held out a drink to Nami. "Your usual: a Double Mocha Latte," he proclaimed.
She accepted it gratefully. "You continue to bring me coffee every morning. You're too much of a sweetheart, you know that?" Nami fussed, pinching Johnny's cheek. He merely laughed, rubbing it gingerly and wincing once she let go.
He then noticed Zoro, and straightened up a bit; he bowed to him. "You must be the new agent… Agent Marimo?"
Zoro nodded. "But please, call me Zoro."
Johnny smiled kindly. "My name is Johnny," he said, "or Agent Shades. I'm a pilot, if you haven't guessed." He tapped the symbol on his cheek. "I'm sorry… I didn't know you were coming along with us. I'd have gotten you a cup of coffee…"
Zoro shook his head indifferently. "It's all right," he shrugged.
"You can take mine, if you'd like," Johnny insisted. "It's a Caramel Macchiato."
"No thanks. I'm not a … 'Macchiato' type of guy." Zoro's brow lowered as he wondered, 'What the hell is a "Macchiato"?'
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
A whistle sounded and the Onigiri Express rolled into the station. The three quickly boarded one of the cars; with a bellow of the horn, they each seated themselves and held onto the silver railing bars.
Zoro coughed and faced the two of them. "So, why don't either of you take the eight ride?"
With a simple shrug, Nami replied, "We work later into the night."
"Everybody else goes to the agency and works from eight in the morning to eight at night – yeah, they're twelve hour shifts, but they're really not bad at all – and the weird ones like us work from eleven to eleven," Johnny explained.
"…Why would you want to work so late?"
Nami sipped her coffee. "We just do."
"So that means… If you can work for at least a twelve hour shift… I'm not late for work," Zoro concluded.
"Hm, nice try, but you are late. New recruits must work the eight-to-eight shift and must file a report if they wish to change," Nami stated matter-of-factly.
Zoro scowled; he truly believed he'd found a loophole. Johnny placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, saying, "Don't worry, it's only your first day; I'm sure they won't mind too much."
They sat listening to the train speed through the channel for a moment. Then conversation sprouted once more. "So, Nami-no-Aneki," Johnny addressed, "how is Vivi doing?"
"She's doing well; she's been assigned to monitor Kohza, who was recently deported on a mission. You couldn't imagine how excited she was! I swear, I don't think she's taken her eyes off the monitor screen for even a second."
"Kohza? Agent Rebel?" Johnny queried.
"Yes, him; you'd think Vivi's obsessed with that guy," Nami expressed, with the tiniest hint of jealousy in her voice. "Anyway, how's Yosaku doing?"
"I'm sure he's just great. But he and I are kinda… gonna be in a lot of trouble," he replied, ruefully running his hand over the nape of his neck.
"Oh really?" A sly expression crossed Nami's countenance; Zoro noticed this facade made the other highly uncomfortable.
"Well, we sorta crashed… er, another one of the simulation planes. That'd be the fifth one since I became an agent, I believe."
"…How in the name of Onigiri can you crash simulation equipment?!"
"Oh, we manage." He then subjoined, "The guys up in the Oni-Simulator Department aren't going easy on us this time, I'm sure."
The train commenced slowing to a halt in the Onigiri Inc. station. Zoro stood with the two other agents and remained in the car until the doors whirred open. He followed the pair as they sipped at their coffee and strode casually through the subway to the agency. As they pushed open the entrance on the top of the stairwell, Zoro's eyes met the familiar silver shine. The three black figures and their reflections marched over the gleaming tile to the steel door with the touchpad.
The other two agents faced Zoro as the trio stood before the entrance; he read over their countenances: one being calmly content, the other ferociously annoyed.
"Why don't you open the door, Zoro-no-Aniki?" the pilot suggested.
Zoro was a little surprised at the sudden use of a formality towards him, but shrugging it off he decided he preferred his suggestion over whatever Nami was ready to propose with that expression across her visage. He stepped forward and lifted his hand to the pad, pressing his palm to the warm, black square; four small lights illuminated with four soft beeps, and the same woman's voice rang out from above.
"Access accepted. Welcome back to Onigiri Incorporated, Agent Marimo."
The doors slid apart, revealing the world of Onigiri Inc. to 'Agent Marimo' once again. Nami instantly shoved him through, saying, "Let's go; I've got to get you to one of the Superior Agents."
Stealing a sip from his Caramel Macchiato, Johnny waved to the two of them. "I'll see you around the agency!" he called. "I've got some explaining to do with the Simulation Department."
Zoro watched over his shoulder as the pilot vanished down a stairwell; a vicious pull on his ear dragged his mind back to Nami. She led him through the sea of black to a tall, red door with the word "Crimson" painted ornately in golden paint. She knocked softly below the letters then turned the knob; once open, she bowed respectively to the man inside and nudged Zoro's shoulder, pushing him inside. Bowing once more, she mouthed, "Good morning," then closed the door.
The man standing before Zoro had a kind smile, bright eyes, and brilliant red hair; his uniform was like the others, however, his was a pleasant burgundy rather than the striking jet black. A large hand was held out to the new agent, and with a smile, he introduced himself, "I am Agent Crimson, but everyone just calls me Shanks. Welcome to Onigiri Incorporated, Mr. Zoro; or, Agent Marimo, as you've been dubbed. Merry's given you the tour of the agency, correct?"
Zoro took his hand, gave it a shake, and then nodded the affirmative.
"Well then! All that's left now is to place you in the proper field of duty."
"Field of duty?"
"Yes, yes; from your build," Shanks started, walking around Zoro and looking him over, "I do believe you'd do best as a 'Field Worker'."
"What is it 'Field Worker' agents do?" Zoro interrogated.
"Essentially, they're the ones who are deported on missions the most. They're our stronger agents; I think you'd fit perfectly. Here, I'll page another Field Worker to come talk with you." Shanks dialed a number phrase into a keypad on the wall near the door.
Moments later, the red door crept open; the strange Agent Strawhat that Zoro remembered from the day before stood in the entranceway. He stepped inside appearing as content as a lark.
Shanks playfully ruffled the agent's hair and placed a straw hat onto his head. "Be a little more careful, Luffy; don't lose this hat."
Agent Strawhat, which Zoro presumed was named "Luffy", grinned so widely that it nearly seemed inhuman how greatly his face had stretched. He touched the brim of the hat and exclaimed, "You found it!"
"Yes, in the Dining Hall. Now then; Luffy, this is Zoro, our newest agent. He's been assigned as a Field Worker. Why don't you two get acquainted with one another?"
With that optimistic smile still across his face, Luffy walked Zoro out the office. The agent, as yesterday, wore casual clothes in place of the uniform. Zoro mused wearing a casual outfit to work and completely disowning the uniform, stupid tie and all.
Grinning and laughing, Luffy started conversation. "Are you the sword guy?"
Recalling back a month ago to an incident at a museum, Zoro nodded, "Yeah, that was me." He considered the fact that the news of said incident was probably spread throughout the entire world.
"Now that was awesome. I'm glad Shanks liked my idea of making you an agent here at The Oni!"
Zoro stopped suddenly, astonished, and faced Luffy. "You were the one who got me accepted here?"
Luffy's grin stretched now to his ears as he exclaimed, "Yep!"
"You… you were the one who made me throw my life away to become a secret agent?"
"Well, when you word it like that…" Luffy's face fell for a moment, but it was cheery again after a heartbeat or two. "But come on… you get free food!"
Whatever kind of persuasive argument "free food" was intended to be, it hadn't swayed Zoro; he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed as he pondered whether he could even help his going into this new, and forced, way of life. With a sigh, he figured there was nothing to save his old life and he figured that his old life wasn't really worth being saved anyhow.
It was that moment when the "free food" argument came back into play: after being pulled and dragged all the way from his bed to Onigiri Inc., Zoro suddenly realized he was terribly famished, and his stomach voiced this as it emitted a deep, rumbling growl.
"…Well, I guess I am kinda hungry."
Completely ecstatic, Luffy took Zoro by the arm and sprinted to the Dining Hall; screeching over the tile and slamming into walls, Zoro struggled to keep up with him. His shoulder began to burn as it collided against a doorframe; he rubbed it tentatively, and once he glimpsed upward, the rosy warmth of the scarlet Dining Hall met his eyes. Luffy had already chosen a table and rambunctiously called out to the chefs in the kitchen. Zoro joined him and took the menu into his hands, studying the available dishes.
A chef soon emerged from the kitchen; the very one, Zoro recognized, who entitled him "Marimo". He scowled deeply and coughed from the sudden wave of cigarette smoke.
"Luffy!" growled the chef. "You were just here. You can't still be hungry."
"It's not for me, Sanji. It's for the sword guy!" Luffy explained with his never-fading smile.
Zoro studied the chef – Sanji, he now knew – as the tall blonde man eyed him; he held back a snicker as he spotted the abnormally curled tips of his eyebrows.
"Sword guy, huh?" Sanji confronted Zoro. "That was you?" The man cleared his throat and with a sort of newfound respect reached a hand out to him. "I'm Sanji, Agent Prince."
Zoro hesitantly raised his hand to the fellow agent's, but shook it when he read the validity of admiration in his features. The flirt of a cook didn't seem too bad after all.
Zoro named something off the menu and with a nod, Sanji vanished into the kitchen. Upon his return several moments later, he lifted the glistening silver top from the dish and the most pleasant aroma Zoro had ever encountered flushed over the booth, making his mouth water instantly.
Before placing the dish at Zoro's place setting, Sanji shot a quick glance to the other agent drooling on the tablecloth. "This is not for you, Luffy. So don't touch it."
With a deep pout, Luffy promised he wouldn't, and Zoro commenced engulfing the meal the moment the plate touched the cloth. Luffy watched forlornly, holding his chin in his palms. The new agent slowed his consumption and began savoring each mouthful, not seeming to recall a time before when he'd tasted anything so delectable. Before long, there wasn't a morsel left; Zoro placed the fork on the plate and contentedly stretched.
"So, Luffy," Zoro began, scratching his chin. "What exactly do we do all day when we're stuck here in twelve-hour shifts?"
The other agent perked up a bit from his despondent stance, saying, "Eat."
Zoro half-expected this response. "Other than that."
Luffy shrugged. "We just do stuff. There's always something going on so you never get bored—Hey Ace!" Luffy waved vigorously to someone behind Zoro.
With a blink, Zoro turned to view whoever this "Ace" was. He found a tall man with black hair and a freckled face. He, unlike Luffy, wore his black uniform, minus the blazer and white undershirt revealing a well-toned chest and abdomen; he did wear the tie, however.
Luffy waved him to the booth, explaining, "Ace is my big brother. He's a Field Worker too!"
The man seated himself next to Luffy, and in addressing Zoro said, "I don't believe I've seen you around here before. The name's Ace; I'm Agent Blaze. Who might you be?"
"I'm Zoro, or Agent Marimo." He groaned once again internally; he speculated if he'd ever get used to his codename.
"He's the sword guy, Ace! Remember?" Luffy proclaimed enthusiastically, seizing his brother's shoulder and shaking him energetically.
Ace grabbed Luffy's wrists in attempt to calm him down; he laughed and turned to Zoro, "That was you? Looks like we've got someone infamous here at the agency; I wonder how that's gonna work out when you go undercover."
Zoro realized he was probably considered a fugitive after that incident at the museum. "That was me." With a shrug he then subjoined, "If I'm infamous, however, why am I a secret agent? Aren't they supposed to be… secret?"
"Maybe you should go talk to Robin; she's the researcher who checks out all the agents' histories before they're recruited," Ace suggested. "I'm sure you can find her in the Hall of Adversaries."
Zoro stood up and stepped out of the booth. He bowed in thanks to Ace and quickly quitted the Dining Hall. Glancing down both hallways on either side, he impulsively chose one and started down it. Whenever he found another hall branching off, he'd turn down it. He reached the end of one hall and only found two restrooms; he started back down a different hall and found himself facing the monitor room, trying to find his way out without tripping over cords and papers. He went down one last hall and ended up back at the Dining Hall.
Exasperated, Zoro stepped inside and paced over to Ace and Luffy. "Er… Where is the Hall of Adversaries?"
Ace smirked and instructed that it was "Down to the right, take a left, go straight and then take another left."
Zoro bowed once again in thanks and did as he was directed. Fortunately, he found himself between the familiar photographs, and the tall Agent Arms stood before him; she must have been the "Robin" that Ace mentioned. She was inserting information onto a photo using a sort of holographic keyboard and a pen. After a moment or so, she noticed Zoro's presence and faced him with a soft smile.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Roronoa. How may I help you?" she spoke kindly.
Zoro avoided contact with the most azure of eyes he'd ever known. "I was only wondering: how did I become an agent, exactly? Other than Luffy's referral."
Her eyes sparkled gently as her smile softened even more. "Well then. Would you care to tell me the story of the sword incident at the museum?" Robin questioned as she leaned against the wall.
Zoro's expression darkened slightly, but he began, "My best friend used to own a katana, a family heirloom; it had a white scabbard and it was very precious to her. She and I used to be fencing partners, and I never won a single match against her. I learned to use two fencing swords, and even later I learned to use three, but she still would always beat me. She always hoped to use that katana one day even though that style of sword fighting was outdated and forbidden.
"But… but one day she died. I was friendless and partner-less, but worst of all, she never was able to use her katana as she dreamed. Her father offered to give that sword to me, but I refused it. She was his only child, and with nobody to hand that beautiful katana down to, he simply donated it to the National Museum. I went every chance I could to that museum to visit that katana, and each time I did I would stay for hours at a time thinking of her. I did this for many, many years. Sometimes I'd even hide and stay after closing hours; they never caught me, nor did they seem to care.
"About a month ago, while I was alone in the shadow of the katana display after closing time, a strange man came in. While overlooking me while I was in motionless thought, he pulled out a pen of some sort from his front pocket. Using the pen, which I then found to be a laser, he drew a circle in the glass of one of the displays and he reached in through the hole he formed and seized the four katana inside. He placed them all on the benches near the exhibit.
"As he performed this same act on the two other displays, I meanwhile picked at the lock behind the glass that protected the white katana. I managed to unlock it, and I quietly tipped open the case and took the katana into my hands. Once I held it safely out of his sight, I crept discreetly through the shadows to the benches, where I took two other swords; I then hid in the darkest corner of the exhibit room.
"Once he noticed that the white katana was missing and two other swords from the bench gone, he became livid. He shattered the glass case of the last display and glared heatedly into the darkness. For the first time in my life, I slid the three swords out of their scabbards and tossed each of the casings onto the floor, taking two swords into my hands and the white one between my teeth, as I'd learned to hold three fencing swords.
"I was sure to throw the sheaths not far from where I stood, as to make him look in my direction and to make myself known. It was a cocky move, I admit, but it's disrespectful to attack from behind.
"So then I tried out my fencing moves with katana swords. It's quite a different sensation. But the exhibit room was dark; I couldn't see all that well. I couldn't tell when he managed to grab the katana from the bench and unsheathe them, but he fought back and the sound of metal on metal rang throughout the museum.
"Before I knew it, I held three bloody katana and felt a deep slice across my shoulder, with an unconscious figure lying before me. I heard the wailing of sirens coming nearer and nearer, and I was definitely sure they wouldn't accept me in my condition, even if I did stop a thief, so slid the white katana back into its sheath and I escaped through the back entrance," Zoro concluded.
Robin smiled thoughtfully with conscious eyes. "That's quite a story Mr. Roronoa," she murmured melodiously. "And do you know who that man was?"
With a blink, Zoro honestly replied, "I don't."
Robin took a few steps and placed a hand on the wooden frame of a photograph. Zoro inched forward for a better glace, and noted that the glass had a red tint and bold letters wrote the word "Detained" diagonally across the man's visage. Even behind the words, Zoro had recognized the man's features to be the same ones as the thief's.
"This is Das Bones, one of our more resilient adversaries," Robin spoke. "You managed to defeat him nearly effortlessly. We here at The Oni were greatly impressed that you overthrew one of our adversaries, and Luffy was simply fascinated with your use of swords. We decided that we'd recruit you and save you from your fugitive status. As far as the rest of the world knows, you've been sent to jail and executed for what you've done."
"You mean, the whole world thinks I'm dead now?" Zoro queried.
"Essentially, yes, but you needn't worry about that. Secret agents live secret lives, Mr. Roronoa; they're celebrities only to their own kind."
With a nod and a pause, Zoro tilted his head to the left with a somewhat lost expression. "What am I supposed to do all day for twelve hours?"
Robin chuckled slightly and smiled genuinely. "You are a 'Field Worker', correct? You are deported onto missions more often than you'd guess," she explained. "However, since you are new, I suggest that you go to the simulation department and have them set you up for 'virtual mission practices'; they can get you ready for undercover operations and such."
Seeming to know Zoro's dreadful sense of direction, she instructed him where to locate the simulation wing of the agency. With a nod and a bow, Zoro thanked her and followed her guidelines to the simulation department.
He was sure the directions were correct, spotting the word "Simulation" in bold black letters above a steel door. He reached for the handle to enter inside, but quickly withdrew his hand when the handle twisted on its own. The door flew open and two agents sprung out, slamming it shut once they were safely outside.
Zoro blinked at the two figures before him, each heavily panting and resting feebly against the door; he instantly recognized the sunglasses on the one, though they were terribly skewed, and the other he recalled by the idiosyncratic plaid tie: Agents Plaid and Shades.
Smoothing his hair and leveling his glasses, Johnny peered upward and smirked timidly. "We meet again, Zoro! And such an awful state I must be in," he fretted, standing upright and tugging at his sleeves.
Puzzled, Agent Plaid came to his feet and straightened his tie. "You know him?" he inquired the other pilot, indicating Zoro.
"We met earlier this morning," Johnny clarified.
The other agent faced Zoro, and after a moment, offered a smile and his hand. "My name's Yosaku; codename: Agent Plaid," he said.
Zoro took his hand and gave it a hearty shake; at least these two were kind, he supposed, considering the aggressive Nami and the eccentric Luffy. "I'm Zoro, Agent Marimo," he spoke, once again cringing internally; perhaps someday he could be awarded with a different codename.
"So, Aniki," Johnny confronted Zoro, who still appeared unused to the formality, "what're you in the simulation wing for?"
"I was sent here to get set up for a 'virtual mission' thing. Y'know, to practice for real missions, I guess," Zoro explained, reaching for the silver door handle; the two fellow agents simultaneously grabbed his wrist.
"Trust me, you don't want to go in there," Yosaku advised.
"They're kinda… not in a good mood. Let's put it that way."
"That's putting it rather mildly, Johnny."
Before Zoro could object, they turned him around and led him away from the door. "Hey listen," Yosaku offered. "Why don't we go the lounge?" He then subjoined underneath his breath, "I could use a drink."
Zoro searched his memory and found a deserted lounge with oddly-shaped yellow chairs from his tour with Merry. Grimacing slightly, he commented aloud how he despised the color.
"Yellow…? Oh, we're not going to that lounge," Yosaku replied with a snicker.
"We're going to the Cosmos," Johnny explained. "It's like the secret hideout of Onigiri Inc."
As long as there was an absence of canary-colored chairs, Zoro decided he'd be satisfied. The two agents escorted him through hallways, past doors, and down a few stairwells. At long last, the three found themselves in front of a skinny black door.
Yosaku and Johnny stepped back and bowed to Zoro, chorusing, "After you!" and motioning to the door. Zoro turned the handle and allowed the door to swing open.
His eyes were greeted with the sight of bitty twinkling lights against everything navy, resembling deep space. The navy tablecloths entwined with sparkling lights, the silver ironwork of the tables and chairs, and the floating sensation of elated weightlessness were all present. On the far end resided a stage with ebony curtains tangled with more of the glittering lights; a live band consisting of Onigiri Agents performed on the stage, and Zoro noticed in the lack of stage lights above, each instrument was illuminated from the inside, presenting an luminous glow and acting as the solitary light source for the performers. The billiard tables in the back sported the same glowing phenomenon, as did the cocktail bar.
Cocktail bar… Its presence cast a grin across Zoro's face. After receiving nods from the pilots, he stepped into the lounge and made a beeline for the bar. He requested a mug of rum, however, he received a drink in a curved glass with an umbrella and a fruit slice; Yosaku appeared at his side and accepted a similar beverage.
"This is a great place to unwind," he told Zoro as he produced a cigarette from his blazer pocket and ignited it with a lighter. "Not to mention hide."
Zoro nodded and glanced around. He regarded Agents Sniper and X cheer Agent Super on as he gulped down bottles of soda, chanting, "Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!" followed by a chorus of jubilant exclamations. Once finished with this, Agent Sniper joined them at the bar and invited the two of them to a game of billiards. Accepting the invitation with a nod, Yosaku exhaled a flurry of smoke and acquired a pool cue from the wall; Zoro simply stared at the other agent.
After a moment, Agent Sniper laughed ruefully. Addressing Zoro with an outstretched hand, he introduced himself, "Hey, I'm Usopp, Agent Sniper. Are you that new agent? Agent Marimo, the recruit from the museum episode?"
As this was voiced, a hush silenced the entire lounge, even the performers stood wordlessly upon the stage; each black figure turned and faced the pair of them. Zoro stirred uncomfortably and took a swig from his drink, which he found tasted much sweeter than rum. Coughing slightly, he nodded affirmatively to Usopp. "Yeah, I'm Agent Marimo. Call me Zoro," he announced, giving his hand a shake.
The lounge erupted with murmurs; this hadn't eased Zoro in the least. In attempt to relieve the attention on Zoro, Yosaku handed him a pool cue as Usopp commenced a game of billiards; he also held one to Johnny, but he declined the offer, stating he simply wished to watch. The two exchanged glances for a moment, then Yosaku joined Zoro and Usopp at the table.
As Zoro leaned over to strike the white ball, he interrogated the other two agents, "Do you guys spend all of your time here in the lounge?" He still wanted to know what he'd be doing stuck in the agency for twelve whole hours.
"We do spend a good amount of time in here and in the dining hall, but I usually work on the gadgets most of the day," Usopp said with a shrug.
"I usually spend most of the day working in the simulation planes with the other pilots; Johnny and I seem to be awfully destructive with those things lately… Anyway, Usopp here likes running around with this camcorder he made about a year ago," Yosaku added.
"I would go around and ask all the other agents stupid questions and make fake interviews and documentaries and such. I titled one series of mine 'Tales of the Great Agent Usopp'! It was loads of fun, especially when they all were pissed off enough to want to break the camera. But then the camcorder did break one day."
"Yes, yes, it was quite the tragic day."
"Then what did you do?" Zoro asked, glancing up from the table and chalking the tip of the cue.
"Easy. I just tore one of the security cameras off the wall and ran around doing the same old stuff."
"You used a security camera?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.
"The guards loved it; I know they did, even though they now forbid me from making 'such an abomination as a camcorder' again. Little do they know," Usopp snickered, "I already have three or four made."
The three continued through a few more games and then retired to the comfortable sofas behind the clusters of tables. Yosaku also explained to Zoro that "About seventy-five percent of us agents have some sort of musical talent. Because of this, many of us act as musicians when undercover."
As Zoro was ready to ask if he'd known how to play an instrument, Yosaku invited Johnny to play a tune with him on the lounge's stage; the other pilot accepted and the two of them walked to the front of the lounge and vanished behind the curtains. They reappeared soon after, pushing in a glowing piano and carrying in a gleaming bass.
The two pilots began a mellow, jazzy duet, and Zoro sunk deeper into the sofa cushion, lulled into a long nap by the gentle melody. Sleep was nice. Quite nice, he decided.
At least Zoro finally found how he could spend the whole twelve hours of the work day.
And that's chapter two! XD I hope I made sense with many of the issues I had attempted to explain -- especially Zoro's story about Kuina. D: AUs are not really easy to write in the whole aspect of having to change certain things. On that subject! Before I get buried in questions: In the original One Piece series, the tattoo on Johnny's cheek says "Sea". XD; I felt it was no longer appropriate since he's become a pilot in this, so I changed it to "Sky". I hope I have the right to do this since it's AU, seeing how I may have to change a bunch of other things too. Now, before I ramble on too much... Thank you for reading, and comments, critiques, and suggestions are always loved and welcome! I'd still like a bit of help with this story if anybody's interested. Chapter Three is currently in progress, I'll hopefully have it finished faster than this chapter!
-The Pineapple Husky