Chapter 1
Gem felt it as someone stepped onto her island.
Was it that time already?
She wondered what kind of story he'd tell her about this time.
Something exciting to while away the years again?
She stared up at the glittering dome of her prison.
The stones glowed from the energy running through them.
Energy from the sun was faint down here on the bottom layer.
The oceans were thicker.
Nothing grew right.
She was surprised anyone could be happy down here.
She wished she could go back to the surface layer again.
Out of all the places to trap her on this hellish planet, they had to keep her here, on the First Tier.
She looked at the map of the world she had carved onto the walls with her own claws.
It was a rough sketch, but it was hers.
She heard the sound of voices.
Not his.
But there was another voice that resonated within her.
His was deep, vibrant, full of life.
He sounded young, but strong and already a little hardened by the world.
Her map glowed where she had used the natural minerals to give herself a real sense of the world.
The tiny sphere in the middle glowed dull, the progression increasing in brightness as she'd carved the next five rings. Then the last she had spent so much time on.
Twenty years ago she had lived there. On the Seventh Tier.
Not trapped here to rot away slowly. Alive.
That place was as beautiful as anything.
Lit by the sun, not filtered through the glow stones as they absorbed light from the previous layer.
It made her dread what a lower layer would be like.
Gem flexed her claws as she heard the voices getting closer as they managed to not set off the traps Mihawk had set to keep her in and everyone else out.
She laid on her stone table, unable to use her Enigma power so long as the chain on her wrists and ankles and the collar around her neck held. These had been specially formed for her Draconian side to not be affected though.
xXx
Zoro shoved against the stone blocking the next room.
He took the lantern from Nami and stepped inside.
It was like nothing he'd ever seen before.
It wasn't the treasure Nami was hoping for, but it was definitely something worthwhile.
He stared into the cell, looking at the carvings on the wall.
It was a map of the Tiers.
He reached for the gate as he saw a body on the table.
He paused as Nami touched his hand and pointed at warnings carved into the wall.
"What do those say?" She asked.
He held the lantern up to them as Usopp and Luffy followed them into the tiny area outside the cell.
He read out loud. "'If you made it here, good for you. How many you lost doing so, that's a warning in itself. I laid these traps in the hope you don't read this. If you are, I have failed. But don't be fooled by the glittering gems inside the cage. She is there for a reason and shall stay there for eternity. Her words might seem sweet and gentle, but her violence leaves no man alive. You might as well take the box to the side and remove your dead before I come back. I hate the smell of dried blood.'"
"Seriously? All that shit for this? It's like maybe a million in cash, from the right buyer." Nami motioned at the box full of shoddy jewels.
Zoro ignored her.
Gems in the cage?
There were no jewels that he could see in the light.
He caught a flash of movement as Luffy went to open the cage.
He jerked on his captains shirt as a scaled, clawed hand lashed out to pull him in.
He held up the light and it moved to stay in the dark.
"What are you?" He asked.
His only response was a hiss of scales on stone before a Dragon became visible in the faint light.
He glanced at the table. The body was gone.
The Dragon paced its cage.
It held a slight limp in the rear left foot.
He moved to the gate instead and hooked the lantern he carried.
"You guys get back to the ship. I'll handle this." Zoro said as he motioned them to leave.
Nami ordered Luffy and Usopp to pick up the box of cheap jewels and she gave one last worried look at him before leaving.
Not that she should be worried.
Even ignoring his immortal blood, he was stronger than a lot of humans out there.
He faced the Dragon within the cage.
As he reached for the gate, it scraped claws on stone.
"I'll come to you." He said with a half smile. This might be fun.
xXx
Gem didn't want to hurt him, this man with the body made for sin and the smile that made her hot.
All her life sailing after Roger raised her as his own, she had never seen anyone quite like this man.
As a Dragon, she could see his aura.
That clash of black and green and red from his Vampire blood to the Draconian to the faint bit of human in him running in his veins was blinding.
He spent a great deal pretending he was human. It made that bright, sickening shade of red strongest, but it also made him weak. To her.
She paced as he quickly stepped inside.
She shifted forms as she launched at him, hoping the change would startle him.
Her skin just barely touched the partially drawn blade as he held it against her neck.
She hadn't seen him move.
Her Draconian violence was overpowering.
Normally that race was peaceful. But for some reason, the blending of Draconian and Enigma was dangerous.
It had been considered taboo before her parents, and definitely since she'd been born.
Her birth had sealed her fate.
The mix of her blood was volatile but powerful.
If she could only tame her Draconian nature, then her people would truly fear her.
She felt herself move back.
He still stood between her and the exit.
Her body finally took in a breath and her lungs were filled with his scent.
Salt of the ocean, metal of his blades, and the combination of heat from his Draconian blood, with the cool of his Vampire and the oddness from his human drops.
The oddness was more than just from his human blood. It was his personal scent now.
That mix of cool vanilla with a stronger cover of natural warm smoke.
It was odd, but strangely soothing.
A little sweet, but with the headiness of burning wood.
No, that wasn't his human blood. It was his human blood trying to mix the other parts of him.
She stumbled as her vision went cloudy.
Her Draconian self was getting overwhelmed as he stood there.
Gem was glad as she started to faint.
She knew her Draconian side was realizing what her Enigma half did from the start.
This man was her other half.
The perfect match to her soul.
xXx
Zoro watched her stumble as her eyes hazed over.
She looked like she hadn't eaten in days.
Maybe longer.
This place looked like a cross between a tomb and a prison.
Though he supposed for some prisons, there wasn't much difference.
He moved forward as her golden eyes started to close.
He reached out and caught her as she fainted.
What had she been thinking, attacking anyone like that?
He looked her over.
Her dress was faded and tattered.
As if she had been in it for a few years now.
No, as short as it was, he'd guess from when she was little.
Just how old was she when she was imprisoned?
He reached to clip his sword back to his haramaki and then put his arm under her legs.
He almost stumbled himself at how weightless she was.
She was deathly undernourished.
He took in a breath as he steadied himself now that she had changed to a fully human form.
It was a mix of Draconian heat and pure rose.
Zoro held her carefully as he moved to grab the lantern again.
He carried her out of the cell.
She didn't even flinch at the sound of the door opening.
She was really out of it.
He focused on her again as he moved past the disarmed traps.
Her hair was a little messy, but it was a beautiful black against her pale skin.
She was absolutely gorgeous.
She settled in his arms as he made his way back to the ship.
When the sunlight hit him again, he blinked.
As he looked down, he gasped.
Her hair and skin looked dusted with a rainbow of tiny specks of color.
Not enough to really distract, but enough that it added to her beauty.
He climbed up on the ship and as he was laying the girl down on the deck, Luffy came over.
"This that Dragon?"
"Yeah, she's Draconian." He said.
And something else, but until he found out what, he would keep it to himself.
Luffy looked at her.
"She looks sick."
"I think she hasn't eaten in a long while." Zoro nodded as Nami came to the lower deck.
They had a small caravel to sail in, with every possible space jammed with some room.
The two floors below the main lower deck held the storage and bedrooms. Aside from the slightly larger room Nami had taken at the back of the ship, the other six above the storage at the bottom were the size of closets.
He didn't need much more than the bed it held and the chest he put his stuff in and used as a table.
Luffy wanted to put more crew members on the ship though and eventually it was going to get crowded.
The front cabin held some cannons and related gear as well as a spare sail and other things a ship would need for repairs.
The back lower cabin held the bathroom and room Nami had claimed for her chart drawing.
The back upper room was a kitchen with the steering and basic gathering room thrown inside one small space.
All in all, it was tiny.
But after Luffy had rescued him from the Marines execution ground on Shell Island, he wasn't about to complain.
It was better than the rowboat they'd set sail in.
"You brought that Dragon with you?" Nami snapped at him.
He turned to look at her with a glare.
"And you just wanted me to leave someone helpless and trapped to die?"
"Someone obviously comes back regularly." Nami hissed.
Zoro shook his head with a scoff.
"Obviously someone who doesn't care that she's in there. You heard me read that warning. They meant to keep her there forever."
"Because she is dangerous."
He started to pick her up and they all went silent as she made a small sob before curling into his chest.
He cradled her.
"Some monster." He huffed as he moved for the hatch that lead below deck.
xXx
Gem opened her eyes to a soft glow from a solar lantern.
She took a deep breath of that addicting scent.
For the first time in her life since Roger was killed, she didn't feel crazy.
No clawing inside her to be free, no roaring in her head, nothing from her Draconian bloodlust.
She reached to touch her head and felt it settling in with her Enigma powers. For the first time, she felt it fade into dust and blend into the power in her. Making her stronger, yet not unstable.
"You feeling better?" She looked over at a man sitting on the floor cleaning his blades.
That green haired swordsman who calmed her Draconian blood.
He had shed his shirt and had a towel draped around his neck.
He looked fresh from a bath as he finished cleaning unused swords.
No, the ocean air demanded he clean them often down here.
"Do you understand me?" He asked.
She nodded.
She started to get up and went to move her feet to get up.
The chains binding her brought back the memories of seeing Roger walking proud to his death.
His crew had never set foot on the island he was to be killed on, as per his request. But Mihawk couldn't say no to letting her say goodbye to the only man other than her parents to care for her as if she were his own daughter.
Even in chains he'd held her long enough for the Marines to break a little.
Those two men had honestly felt bad for killing him. But having such a dangerous man loose was like tempting fate.
Mihawk had taken her away and her people bound her in her cell from the time she was seventeen.
He visited several times a year from his home on the Fourth Tier.
Said he liked the atmosphere of that level.
Every time he came, he brought her another present.
Rayleigh gave her numerous charms for the bracelet she wasn't allowed to wear.
She always got yet another of Roger's mementos that were mostly just the jewels he'd hidden with Rayleigh for her.
Plus, Mihawk himself always seemed to leave a dried rosebud in the box as a sign that she still wasn't mature yet.
"You feeling okay?"
She focused again and realized he was kneeling in front of her, holding the cuffs that had been on her ankles.
Gem nodded.
"I didn't mean to scare you with the cuffs, I just didn't want you getting far before I could get back. I figured you'd be a bit frightened of such a new place."
She looked around the tiny room.
What was there to fear?
Only her fear of small spaces.
"Can you speak?" He asked.
She shook her head and started to rub at the layers of dirt and grime that blocked his vision.
He sat back as he saw it.
The huge scar that cut across her throat.
The one her people had given her in their attempt to kill her.
If Mihawk hadn't come by that day, she'd long been dead.
He hadn't feared her violence.
All he'd wanted was to remove the device they had placed around her neck to contain her power.
They had thought it would be enough to put it around her neck. But they didn't realize when she shifted, the Runes on it that flowed with the dampener prevented it from shifting with her.
She had changed and nearly died.
She could still remember being seventeen and feeling her blood flow as her throat was torn open by the broken metal.
As a Dragon. It had cut through hardened skin and scales.
Mihawk had sliced his hand badly as she'd faded in and out while he removed it.
He'd stayed for days, sitting in her prison with her, until she woke again.
It had been the first time since Roger died that anyone had held her close.
He had honestly feared her death.
He admitted that he came because her parents asked him.
As one of the only men the Marines couldn't kill outright, he was the only one who could be the go-between for them. Her people couldn't just kill the old Vampire for no reason either.
He had stayed with her until she was healed, feeling the pain with her as she'd lost her voice.
This new man reached up and traced over it with his thumb.
The warmth of his hand was amazing.
She leaned into his touch.
"Whoever did this should die. Horribly." He mumbled.
He pulled his hand back.
"At any rate, you could use a decent bath and a meal. I'll show you the bathroom and get you some new clothes." He said.
She nodded and he stood to lead her out.
xXx
Zoro led her from his room.
It had been the only place he could think of earlier to put her that was comfortable.
The empty rooms were that, empty. Of even a spare set of bedsheets for the mattresses.
She couldn't stay in anyone else's room. Usopp had too much junk, Luffy's was a mess.
Nami didn't trust her to not go crazy.
So he had left her in his room and his Vampire side was roiling thanks to it.
It wanted her blood.
More than any other he could have ever had, this girl set him off.
Something about her blood screamed power.
She was something else alright. Even Luffy's faint Draconian blood didn't trigger it.
She followed him to the ladder up to the deck.
As he climbed up, he looked back down at her.
"Come on, it's alright." He said.
She nodded up at him before starting up the ladder.
As she took his hand, he pulled her up.
She was so light.
He'd always thought Draconians were supposed to be bulky, but she and Luffy both proved that wrong. Maybe others were.
She stood on the deck as he lowered her to her feet.
Her eyes went to the sky above them.
It was beautiful, that dusting of glowing light like long forgotten stars.
He had read books where he learned that what others believed as stars were nothing more than glowing stones radiating the faint light from the real stars above the Seventh Tier.
Even so, it was pretty.
She stared.
"It's not the same, is it?" He asked.
She shook her head and he turned to lead her to the bath.
He went to the line hung up across the room.
It was actually for clothes, but Nami hung charts on it unless they needed it.
He was actually kind of lucky he'd done laundry that morning.
He pulled off a shirt and pants for her and motioned for her to keep following as he took a set of towels from the shelf beside the door.
"I didn't use much of the hot water earlier, so there should still be some in the tank."
She frowned as he set the stuff on the counter for her.
Zoro watched her look at the tank above a metal lined stove.
It was something they were all careful of, not burning the ship.
He opened the lid and the steam came up.
"Yeah, you should be able to fill that small tub and get a good soak."
As he turned for the door again she caught his hand.
He faced her again.
She looked afraid.
"Alright, I'll fill it up for you and when you're done, just leave it and I'll drain it too." He said.
He went back to the tank and pulled out the plug at the bottom.
The water flowed out into the small tub.
There was barely enough room for him to relax a little bit. But for such a tiny thing like her, there was more than enough.
He heard her behind him as she shrugged out of the tattered dress.
He capped the hole again tightly and turned.
His mind momentarily went blank but he forced himself to head for the door.
She grabbed his wrist again.
"You want me to stay?"
He felt the slight flush on his cheeks.
No woman had ever been this bold before.
Granted he'd only had about a dozen in his short life, but all had preferred he not look at them while having sex.
He wasn't sure if they'd been embarrassed over themselves or doing it with a bounty hunter who paid.
Yeah, he'd admit it, he'd hit up a couple brothels in the past few years since he left the dojo at fifteen to find Mihawk and challenge the current best Swordsman in the world.
The girl nodded.
He moved to sit on the floor with his back to the tub to give her a little of the privacy she obviously didn't seem to want.
He heard her slip into the tub though.
"Soap is in that dish." He motioned to the one on the wall behind him under the window. "You'll have to get the cloth wet first to get much from it though."
It was almost painful to listen to her scrub at the dirt she was coated with.
Did she have no idea the effect her body had on a normal man's libido?
Damn, he was glad he wore loose pants.
Though, the thought that she'd soon be wearing a pair of his pants didn't help the matter.
He waited until she stood up to hand her the towel.
He stood up and avoided looking directly at her until she touched his bare back.
'You can have me.' The soft, gentle voice in his head was no more than a whisper.
He turned around.
"Was that you?" He frowned.
The towel covered all of her, for which he was grateful.
She nodded. 'I created a link between us. To speak to you.'
"In my head?"
She nodded.
She looked at the clothes.
'You seemed worried about not seeing me, but I wanted to make sure you knew that I'll be yours.'
"Damn." He rubbed a hand over his face. "You don't even know me."
She laughed in his head.
'An Enigma needs nothing of the sort. Once we find the one meant for us, we bond for life. You...you are my other half.' She blushed.
He sighed. "You don't even know my name."
xXx
Gem titled her head to the side.
'I can learn.' She said.
He held out his hand. "Zoro." He said.
She took it in both of hers, not caring that the towel was going to slip.
'Gem.'
He flushed as the towel fell away from her.
"Sheesh, at least pretend to be shy." He mumbled as he looked away.
'I would never let another man look at me. Only you.'
He actually faced her again.
"You're serious about this, aren't you?"
She nodded and brought his hand to her cheek to nuzzle his palm.
His touch was warm, a little rough, but perfect. Rather...a lot like Mihawk and Roger. But more Mihawk.
Because he was also a swordsman.
'You calmed my Draconian blood, therefore, you really are my other half.' She said.
He sighed.
"Fine, but get dressed and lets get some food for you before we talk any more."
He pulled his hand away and she smiled.
He was nervous.
Because of her supposed beauty?
Mihawk had said that she would be devastating compared to any other, but she didn't believe him. He was biased.
She pulled the pants and shirt on as he drained the tub.
When he turned back, he nodded in approval.
"Finally, something decent on you."
He reached to help her tie the pants so they'd stay up.
He started to lead her out of the bathroom and hung the towel on the line holding more of his clothes.
He led her up to the kitchen and she saw three others.
"So, she's awake." A woman said from the head of the table.
Was she the captain of the ship?
"Gem, meet the crew. The one in the overalls is Usopp, he's a liar and a damn good marksman."
The man looked a little torn between the liar remark and the complement. But she took in his natively tanned skin and pointed nose and poofy dark hair and guessed he was born from someone from higher up.
Zoro pointed to a pale skinned younger man with wild straight black hair under a straw hat that was very familiar.
His cheerful smile was contagious.
"That is our captain and resident idiot and future King of the Pirates, Luffy."
The boy laughed at being called an idiot. He clearly didn't care or knew his ways were a little off kilter.
"And the redheaded thief navigator is Nami."
She looked at the other woman.
Was she scared or nervous?
Something in the way she acted had Gem on edge.
"Guys, this is Gem. She'll be staying with me, I'll keep her out of trouble, and you won't have to worry about her."
"Can she fight?" Luffy asked.
Gem frowned as she looked at the kitchen.
"Lets let her get used to not being locked up first, alright?" Zoro asked.
Luffy nodded with a little disappointment.
Zoro moved into the kitchen and collected up enough to make her a sandwich.
Nothing but a piece of meat and slice of cheese on bread, but she wasn't even sure she could stomach it.
He held it out to her and she took it.
"So is she going to go nuts on us?" Nami asked as Gem took a hesitant bite.
"No, I've got it covered."
"Right because monsters are your specialty." The woman snapped.
Gem felt her claws dig into the bread as she forced herself to swallow.
It felt like her insides were shrunken.
That one bite was as much as she could handle. She set the rest on the table.
"Oddly enough, yes, they are. But she isn't a monster Nami, she's a scared woman who was caged for years. We can afford to take her with us until she wants to leave."
"And if she never does?"
"We'll have a new crew mate." Luffy sounded excited.
She finally placed where his hat came from.
It had been Rogers before he left it with Shanks.
She had been young when Shanks left the crew to set off on his own. Roger used to joke that Shanks was basically a younger version of himself.
She moved to Luffy and tugged his hat off.
He started to reach for it before she let tears fall on it as she traced fingers over the red sash.
"Do you know the story behind this?" Luffy asked.
She nodded.
"You knew Shanks?"
She nodded again.
'A little. From when I was young. Before he left Rogers crew and got this hat from him.'
Zoro explained for her and that she could speak telepathically with him.
"Wow...you knew the King of the Pirates." Luffy sounded amazed.
She held the straw hat up and under the human scent of Luffy tinged with Draconian, under Shanks, she could still catch a whiff of Roger.
Her adoptive father.
She crushed it to her as she dropped to the floor and cried.
Even twenty years wasn't enough to dull the pain.
Zoro knelt to hold her.
"Why is she crying?" Luffy asked.
Zoro sighed.
"I'd guess...Roger was her father. Well, adoptive." He said.
Luffy moved to the floor too and sat beside her.
"I know how hard it is to lose family." He said. "I lost an oath brother years ago and even now, it still hurts to remember him. And Shanks was like family too before he left me to go to the Seventh Tier."
Gem felt him lean his head on her shoulder as Usopp knelt in front of her.
"I lost my mother a long time ago too, but I just keep smiling for her. I know she would want me to sail the seas like my father is."
Zoro laughed. "And that is the truth."
She heard him look at the last of the group.
"What about you? Lose anyone? Can you feel her pain?"
"It's none of your business." She snapped.
Gem felt Zoro move to pick her up and she held the hat back to Luffy.
'Roger would want you to have it.'
Zoro relaid her message.
Luffy tugged it down on his head.
"He was such an awesome Pirate. It's so cool knowing this was his before Shanks got it."
Zoro carried her back out and down to the main deck.
She pushed away to stand up.
"It's alright to be sad when remembering someone you lost." He said as he led her back down to his room.
He motioned for her to sit down on the bed.
xXx
Zoro sat on the chest and pulled out the white sheathed sword.
"This was an heirloom of the dojo I trained at. Kuina was set to become the next head and there was talk of even an arraigned marriage between her and me. She was a girl, and where I come from, girls can't be powerful swordsmen, or dojo masters." He scowled. "I never once beat her, in all my years of training until I was ten. She was the best. She was my goal."
Gem looked at him as he pulled out the blade.
"She had just kicked my ass again the night before. The following day we were supposed to be sat down about the marriage. She knew it was an important thing, but she hadn't known what. Just that this sword was present at every important meeting she'd had with her father." He took a deep breath as he remembered the moment her father had pulled him out of training with the rest of the boys.
"She climbed up to get it from the shelf and lost her footing. The doctor said she broke her neck on the fall. All over this stupid sword. Her dream of being the best was gone. My dream of beating her. None of it mattered to me anymore." He looked at the sheath as he put the sword away. "I was pretty bad back then. It took almost three months for them to pull me back out again. Her father had been a surrogate father to me as well and he cried with me when she died. It took a couple weeks for me to finally accept that she was gone."
Zoro looked at her. "But once I came out of that slump, I knew what I had to do. I begged him to give me her sword and I vowed that I'd carry it with me on my journey to become the greatest swordsman in the world. Because if I did it with this sword, it'd be like saying I did it with her. I don't believe in ghosts or gods, but I do believe that as long as I have this sword, she still supports me."
Gem moved to sit beside him.
'I'm sure she's watching over you, proud of how far you've gotten.'
He laughed. "More like pissed I became I bounty hunter, then a Pirate."
'Maybe both. You're strong, even for a Vampire.'
"Yeah right. I refuse to use that blood in me. I never revealed it to the dojo or her father or even her. I never will use that blood."
'You'll need to to be the best. You need to put all your skills on that fight and believe me, Mihawk is not a Vampire you can take lightly.' She leaned against him.
"I'll beat him without using anything but my human strength. Prove that it doesn't matter what I am."
She looked up to kiss his neck.
'And you are a Vampire. You'll need to accept it. It'll only make you stronger.'
He scoffed.
'Try biting me.' She said.
He stood up.
"Not a chance in hell, I have never and will never bite anyone."
She glared at him.
He looked down at her.
Her blood called to him, but he could resist it.
'Fine. Continue being weaker than even Luffy.'
He scowled at that.
"Am not."
'You sound like a child.' She said.
"And you want to change who I am."
'No!' She stood up to face him. 'I want you to accept what you are.'
"Why? It doesn't matter."
'You'll keep letting the urges hit you, fighting them back. Until when? You spill blood you can't resist?'
She held up a claw to her neck.
"Don't you dare."
He watched as she nicked herself with the claw.
The scent of her blood filled the room.
He covered his mouth.
'I'm yours, body, soul, and blood. You can drink from me whenever. If you want to be able to use that Vampire strength without fear of losing to cravings, then drink from me whenever you want.'
He glared at her.
"You are crazy."
She smiled.
'Crazy enough to have an idiot Vampire as my mate. Yeah.'
He swallowed as he watched the thin trail of blood seep from her neck.
Damn.
He leaned towards her.
xXx
Gem knew she won.
He'd be stronger after he stopped resisting his Vampire blood.
She felt him lick the trail of blood before sinking fangs into her neck.
It sent a prick of pain through her body for just a moment.
But then she felt his warmth as he slowly wrapped his arms around her.
As he drank her blood, she could feel how gently he held her.
She felt a little lightheaded as he pulled his fangs free and licked over the wound.
His saliva would help heal it faster.
"You're insane." He mumbled.
She smiled as he went to let her go.
She couldn't hold her own weight and he instantly lowered her to the bed.
'If I am to have a mate, I want him to be strong enough to fight for whatever he wants.'
"Fine, I get it. But if we're doing this thing..." She watched him flush slightly. "There's going to be some rules."
She looked up at him as she turned to lay on her side.
"One, I'm not drinking anyone's blood but yours. Two, you won't stop me from my goal. And three, I won't be with anyone else while we are together."
She reached out as he sat on the side of the bed.
'I won't ever show my body to anyone but you, I will only do what is best for you, and I will never allow anyone to stop you from getting your dream.' She took his hand.
He sighed.
"Good enough for me."
She smiled.
"You should get some rest. I've got watch tonight."
He headed for the door after pulling his blanket over her.
She watched him leave, admiring him from behind.
She supposed it could be worse.
She could not really know him and hate how he looked.
Instead, she had gotten lucky enough that he was attractive to her.
Some women might prefer less bulky, like Luffy or Usopp. But Gem had always liked muscle and strength. Maybe because it reminded her of the one period in her life she'd felt safe.
Most of Rogers crew had been fairly well built. He had once prided himself on having a strong crew. Not just physically though. His crew had been as close as brothers.
They had all treated her like family. Enough that when she almost got hurt trying to climb up to the crows nest, they had scolded her like older brothers and kept it a secret for a week from Roger.
She smiled as she remembered how angry he'd been at all of them.
Gem let Zoro's scent surround her as she snuggled in to sleep, shedding the pants and kicking them to the floor.
xXx
Zoro sighed as he leaned against the railing.
"Don't fall asleep on us." Nami said as she came up to the front deck.
He scoffed.
"You're probably biased, but what do you judge her mental state to be?" Nami asked.
"Well...she's afraid, lonely, probably free for the first time in a long time." He shrugged. "Yeah, she was violent before, but I've heard rumors that some Draconian mixes are more temperamental than others. She's part Draconian, part Enigma. That makes for a volatile mix."
"So she is dangerous." Nami went to turn away.
"No. She's calmed down. She was violent before because she didn't have anyone to calm her. Apparently I do that to her. We've come to an agreement that I'll be with her as long as she wants, but she'll need to work on controlling herself." Zoro said. "She'll only be dangerous if anything happens to me."
"You're sure you can keep her under control?"
Zoro nodded. "It might take a bit of working with her, but she's not panicking at being in a tiny space just because she's in my room right now."
"So she's pretty infatuated with you? At least someone is."
He grinned. "Just because you don't want me doesn't mean no one does. Obviously I'm good enough for some people."
She sighed as she shook her head. "It's...not that."
He watched Nami look up. "Honestly, it isn't your attitude or looks, it's just that I've got no time right now for anyone."
"Well, I'm off the list anyway. I think Gem is fairly possessive." He shrugged.
Nami scoffed. "Probably, if she's Draconian." She turned to leave again.
He watched her wave as she went down the stairs.
He sighed as he looked out at the calm water.
He had grown up here on the First Tier. Kuina would be pretty disappointed that he hadn't gotten at least to Second or Third by now.
Tonight was going to be as boring as any other average day.
His watch was never entertaining unless Luffy tried to steal food.
He made his way back down nigh early in the morning since Usopp was taking the early shift so he could sleep.
As he climbed down he thought about how he had someone else in his bed.
He grinned as he opened the door and turned on the solar lantern.
Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.
He looked to see the pants he'd given her laying on the floor.
Body, soul, and blood right?
He supposed if she was going to give herself over to him knowing he was a Pirate, he should at least do the same.
She was pretty as she laid under the thick blanket he'd stolen from the collection when they were given the Merry.
Usopp had whined about it, considering how large and warm it was, but Zoro never gave it back.
Her skin, cleaned up and fresh was almost a sort of glowing pale. The black hair was dry and slightly still a mess.
He sighed as he sat on his bed and took off his boots.
She shivered as he pulled the blanket back until he slid in beside her on the small bed.
His whole body tightened as she snuggled up against him and put her head on his arm.
He stayed on his side, letting her use his arm as a pillow and put his other arm over her waist to scoot away from the edge of the bed.
Granted, it wasn't a far fall, but he didn't like the thought of falling off. He reached behind his head to turn the lantern off again before returning his arm around her and settling in to sleep.
xXx
Gem woke up to the warm skin under her fingers and opened her eyes.
Zoro had slid into bed at some point and she eased up a little to look at him.
His tanned skin was the result of being outside in even the moderate sunlight filtered down to this level.
She noticed several small, faded scars over the part of his chest she revealed.
She turned slightly to open the curtain of the tiny window in the room.
It was getting to late morning now.
She stared for a moment before looking at him in the light.
As he shifted slightly to stretch out a little, barely being able to do so in the length of the bed, she watched him.
Her hands went out and she touched the warm skin he showed as the blanket slid off a bit.
She reached to brush her hand through his hair, marveling at how soft it was.
He groaned as her hands fell back to his chest, spreading over the hard muscle he'd worked on.
She eased lower, testing how far she could go.
The way he moved under her touch was a little sexy.
She'd been taught what sex was, that men would always be attracted to her, but Roger had never let anyone touch her.
He feared her violent side coming out on any man.
But it wouldn't surface against this Vampire.
She eased her hands down to the waist of his pants and he cracked an eye at her.
"What are you doing?" He mumbled.
'What I want.' She said as she tugged on his loose pants.
He sighed as he put both hands behind his head to look at her.
Those dark green eyes were almost black.
Was he aroused or angry?
Or both?
She moved to straddle his thighs, feeling his hot skin against her own bare thighs.
She looked down for a moment.
He was aroused, but she got the feeling he was also annoyed.
At her.
She also took note of how big he was.
She knew Vampires were sexual creatures by nature, as the couple on Rogers ship used to complain when out at sea too long. No female company had driven them a little mad.
She still remembered accidentally seeing them together while playing hide-and-seek with Rayleigh when she was fifteen.
After that day, she was both interested in the act of sex and slightly scarred for life at seeing how rough they were with each other.
Though, they never did complain again.
"Do you even know what you're doing? How long were you imprisoned?"
'Twenty years, but that's not the matter.' She said.
"You'd have been what? Maybe two when they put you in there?"
'Seventeen, more than old enough to have interests. Enigma people are immortal and don't age past our prime. As Vampires and most inhuman species also mature.'
He laughed.
"Looks to me like you're a bit out of your level though." He said.
She looked up at his face.
He wore that sexy grin she had seen in her prison cell.
The one that said he knew he was going to win.
She was determined to not panic just because she wasn't sure what to do.
She looked back down at his length.
"Want me to show you?"
She felt his hand tangle in her hair as he eased up enough to put his shoulders against the wall and her head on level with him.
'I...I've never done anything before. But I want to with you.'
He groaned as he looked down at her.
"Do you even know how hot that sounds?"
She reached with both hands to touch him.
She watched him suck in his abs as she wrapped her fingers timidly around his length.
"Tighter." He wrapped his hand around hers to show her how to touch him. "Stroke."
His hand guided hers in moving.
Gem felt his hand tighten in her hair.
'This...really feels good?'
"God yes." He growled.
His voice was harsher, but she liked it.
She found it made her core tighten at the sound.
She had fantasized finding a man, but never went farther than dreaming of having someone with her.
She saw a bead of thick liquid form on the crown and touched it with her tongue.
She had seen those two Vampires do something similar.
He jolted a little and she leaned forward.
He tasted like the heat and salt of his scent.
She liked it.
She put her mouth over him and he gasped.
"You don't..." He lost his words as she licked the underside of his shaft while moving her mouth in time with their hands.
She looked up at him from where she was and watched his head fall back.
The slight sheen of sweat on his chest was sexy.
This was plenty arousing to him.
xXx
Zoro felt his mind go blank for a moment as she stroked sensitive nerves with her tongue.
For someone who had never done anything like this before, she was really learning quickly.
He could feel himself ready to come, but he didn't want to in her mouth.
It was considered pretty rude by the girls he'd had before.
Maybe they just didn't know how to handle it.
Gem seemed determined to make him go over the edge.
Body, soul, and blood right?
He jerked to look down at her as she sucked.
It was far too much.
He felt his hand tighten in her hair and she moaned in his head.
He couldn't form words though as he thrust into her mouth slightly.
It took everything to not move and risk hurting her.
But he was in awe as she not only didn't recoil from his semen, she swallowed it.
He pulled away from her.
She looked at him as he dropped his hand from her hair and made her let go of him.
"Sorry." He mumbled.
'For what?' She frowned as she leaned over him and put light kisses on his chest.
How was she not repulsed by his sweat and his actions just a second ago?
"For that. I know it's nasty." He looked away from where she put an open mouthed kiss over his heart.
'How so? Have you ever tasted yourself? It's not bad, just different.'
He turned to look at her as she seemed almost intent on licking him clean.
Was that a Draconian thing?
No, she was just being affectionate.
"You...aren't disgusted?"
She looked up at him with a laugh in his head.
'I thought doing that was acceptable. I've never heard of it not being. Of course, the men used to talk pretty open out a sea and most figured that I should know how it all worked. While no one ever touched me, the stories were more than enough. And some were just funny.'
"I...was always under the impression it was bad." He sighed.
'Maybe to some women, but I like how you taste.'
He flushed a little.
She moved to straddle his thighs again and leaned in to kiss him.
He didn't deny her.
In fact, he titled his head to kiss her deeper as she closed her eyes.
He couldn't taste himself. Only the taste of rose from her.
How did she taste like rose?
Must be her Engima blood.
It made him wonder if everything about her tasted like rose, not just her blood and mouth.
As she pulled away, he took in a breath.
He looked at the light from the window.
"We should really get up." He said.
She leaned in to kiss him again.
"And I need a bath already." He mumbled.
'Alright. If we must.'
He laughed as she got up.
He watched her reach down for her pants.
Seeing her from behind left nothing to imagination.
She was wet. Just from doing that to him?
He reached to snag her wrist, feeling the chain under his fingers.
"Come with me." He turned her wrist to kiss the inside. "Take a bath with me."
She blushed and nodded.
He stood up to collect a clean shirt from the chest as she pulled on the pants.
He led the way to the room Nami had claimed.
He was met with a pile of clothes thrown at him as well as both his towels.
"You're not the only one who needs this area you know." Nami said.
"Sorry. I forgot about it after everything yesterday. Take it easy." He collected the clothes and quickly folded them up to set them on the shelf where his towels would normally be.
He led Gem into the smaller room with both the towels.
"There isn't much hot water by the way. Luffy used most of it already." Nami called through the door.
He sighed as he checked the tank.
He'd fill it after they were done.
It was still warm.
That was what mattered.
He set his shirt on the counter and watched her shed her clothes and set them up as well.
Her nipples were tight as he pulled his pants off.
He turned to pull the plug.
She knelt to watch the water fill until he got in the small tub.
"Come on." He said.
'With you?'
"That's what I said right? There's enough room." He took her hand to urge her to step in with him.
He tugged her down onto his lap. "If we get close anyway." He whispered.
She blushed as he shoved the plug back into the tank once it dripped empty.
Barely enough water for them both.
He leaned forward to catch a little pink nipple in his mouth.
If she could be bold with him, then he could with her.
Obviously she had no issue with having a physical relationship while they travelled and got to know each other's personality.
xXx
Gem gasped as he pulled her tight against him.
He was already hard again.
She had felt almost uncomfortable walking to the bathroom.
Nami had scared her slightly with the sudden barrage of clothes. Though Zoro did deserve it.
She felt a little embarrassed about being in the tub with him.
It was a tight space.
He wrapped his arms around her to keep her close as he teased her breast.
It felt so unusual, but so good.
He reached down from behind her and she arched into him as he touched her folds from behind.
She tried to lean away but he held her there.
His other came back to her front and snaked between them to rub at her like she'd only touched herself once.
"Just relax." He spoke softly as she put her hands on his shoulders.
'But...this is...'
"Good. Don't worry. I'll take good care of you." He said with that grin again.
She couldn't possibly think coherently as he stroked his thumb over the nerve center.
It was too much stimulation.
He pressed a finger into her and his other hand forced her to lean in and kiss him.
She threaded her fingers into his hair to keep herself grounded as she felt her whole body coiling inside.
His tongue mimicked his finger and she had to close her eyes just to stay focused.
Looking into those dark eyes was like watching herself drown.
He pressed as he rubbed with his thumb and two fingers went deeper into her than ever.
It was just what she needed to feel herself snap inside.
xXx
Zoro watched her tilt her head back and he saw the beautiful look on her face.
Cheeks flushed, lips bruised just a little, eyes barely fluttering as she clenched on his fingers.
Damn, he wanted to feel that on his cock.
As she came down from her fall, her head fell back to his shoulder.
'I...that was...'
"Not all. Just a little more and then maybe I'll put you back to bed." He whispered in her ear.
She didn't protest as he picked her up just enough to slide her down onto him.
She winced as he stretched her, but he stayed still.
'It hurts.'
"Just for a couple seconds. Let the warmth ease you."
She relaxed against him as she let his heat sink into her.
He eased her up a little, just enough to gauge her reaction.
She drew her brows together, but didn't try to get off him.
He slowly slid back in and she let out a shaky breath.
"Still hurt?" He asked.
She shook her head.
"Good. Look at me."
Those deep golden eyes opened again.
He loved the rainbow dust everywhere. Skin, hair, eyes, it was just beautiful.
She looked at him before he started to move her on him.
It was a bit harder in this tub than he'd thought with her not knowing what to do.
Her eyes flashed as she realized it wasn't painful at all.
He thrust up just a little. Never moving fast enough to splash the water.
He felt her close again, so quickly.
But she just wasn't over the edge.
He reached between them and gave a firm rub to her clit.
That was enough.
It felt like she was tightening on him impossibly, but he knew already how she was.
The feeling was more than enough to send him over the edge.
She started to let her eyes close as her orgasm hit.
"Keep looking at me." He growled.
Her eyes focused on him and she clenched harder again.
Something about looking at him while doing it was hot.
No woman had ever wanted to look at him like this.
But she was far sexier than any of them had ever been.
He'd look at her all day.
It helped that he loved the way her eyes looked like molten gold as she came on him.
As she fell back, he slowly pulled free and eased her against the tub wall gently.
He reached for the washcloth he normally used and looked at her.
She definitely deserved some pampering.
xXx
Gem could finally find the mental ability to speak again.
'That was amazing.'
"I know. Nothing has ever felt that good."
She blushed.
"I'd say it's probably because you're perfect for me. You fit so damn good and react exactly the way I like."
She couldn't find the strength yet to stop him as he carefully and meticulously washed her.
As he picked her up out of the tub, he reached to wrap her in a towel.
She tried to keep herself steady as he set her on her feet.
She gripped the edge of the counter as he turned to drain the tub.
She watched him quickly dry himself and pull his pants on.
It took a moment for her to get enough strength to stand again.
He turned to her and took his time drying her.
"Feeling alright?" He asked.
She nodded.
'Just a bit tired.'
He sighed as he helped her pull her clothes on.
"Do you want to go back to sleep?"
She shook her head.
She wanted to get a feel for the crew she'd be joining.
He made her sit on a stool he pulled out and she felt more than a little spoiled as he combed through her hair.
It was the first time in a long time that anyone else had done it.
'Most people don't think of rough Pirates or Swordsmen as gentlemen.' She said.
He laughed.
"We're not a common crew either." He reached for a small drawer that had hairbands on the vanity.
'Who uses those?' She frowned. No one on board but her had hair long enough to need one.
"Well, the girl from Usopp's village who gave us this ship was intending to use it to sail around the island herself. She had long hair. Hence these. And why the room Nami has is bigger than the rest." Zoro shrugged as he pulled her hair tight, but not painfully, up on her head.
She wasn't a big fan of it, but it kept her hair out of her face.
He moved to lead her out of the bathroom once he finished cleaning up.
Nami wasn't in the other room anymore.
Gem blushed slightly, wondering if she had heard them.
'Do you think...she heard?'
He laughed low again as he pulled her to him.
"Do I care?"
'I don't want anyone to be angry that I'm with you.'
He opened the door to the main deck after hanging the towels to dry.
"Don't worry. No one will be angry about that."
Well, her people would.
But she followed Zoro out anyway.