"Wow, Zoro, you're so strong~"
I couldn't help but admire him as our rowboat flew through the ocean at inconceivable speeds. Stray drops of salty sea water splashed over the edge of the boat and splattered against my face like little liquid bullets. The wind whipped my hair back so it wasn't sticking to my wet cheeks for once. It was as if all the forces of the currents and the wind had come together to propel us along. But in reality, our power came from nothing more than the swordsman.
I watched his biceps explode with every pull of the water. His body would lurch forward and rock back with a strong, controlled exhale. With a tight core, he swung effortlessly from his hips where he otherwise sat rigidly on the wooden seat. Sweat began to soak through his white shirt where it was pulled extra tight over his bursting shoulder muscles. It dampened his mossy green hair to deeper shade of green and dropped down his face. I watched the perspiration carve trails from his temple, across his cheekbones, and over his parted lips. I imagined my tongue tracing the same path while being presses against his sweaty body...
Sure, he was frantically chasing our pilfered pirate captain under unusual circumstances. But he looked so sexy doing it.
"Why are you breathing so heavily? It's not like you're doing any of the work!" he accused.
Typical, all humor of the situation was lost to the blunt swordsman.
"It's not like I could keep up with you," I reminded him, brushing a drop of water from my chin. "We'd just be going in circles if I tried to do anything. Besides, I'm busy keeping an eye on our captain."
I lounged over the side of the boat being careful not to tip the balance. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the breeze was absolutely wonderful. I scanned the great ocean, seeing nothing but sparkling water and the massive bird flying off with Luffy on the horizon. What a great day to be a pirate out at sea.
My ears picked up a strange sound before any unusual sight reached my eyes. I closed them, feeling out with my stronger senses to get a good read on what oddities disturbed the ocean's surface.
Three human bodies lay before us. The circular motion of their treading arms made irregular waves lap at the front of our boat. The kicking of their legs created tiny currents that gently pushed and pulled beneath the surface of the water. I felt all of these aberrations clashing with the natural flow of the elements. And of course, as we got closer, their voices turned into recognizable human speech.
"Man overboard! Hey! Man overboard!"
"Heads up, there's some men floating in the ocean dead ahead."
We were coming in hot and they were just sitting ducks out there.
"I can't believe we're finding ship wreckers at a time like this," Zoro growled over his shoulder. "I can't stop, you're just going to have to jump right in."
Their faces when they realized he was kidding; the way they frantically dove out of our way; the miracle that all three of them managed to grab hold; watching them clamor on board - it was too much for me.
I was on the floor rendered useless by a fit of laughter. What a bunch of idiots! I mean seriously, who just floats around the ocean without even a boat?
"Were you trying to kill us?" they shouted simultaneously. Haha, losers.
"Stop the boat now," one of the men commanded with a sly smile. "The three of us are members of the Buggy the Clown's Pirate Crew. This boat is ours now."
"Huh?"
I would have to say that the number one thing about Zoro's personality is that he does not take shit from anyone. It doesn't even matter if they were pointing a sword right in his face like these punks were. In fact, it probably just pissed him off even more.
Three swords and a few blunt blows later, we were all on the same page.
"I'm sorry, we had no idea you were the famous pirate hunter, Zoro," they nervously chuckled through swollen lips and puffy cheeks. "Please forgive us!"
He had put them to work moving our boat so we could keep an eye out for Luffy.
"Thanks to you three idiots, I lost sight of my friend," he warned in a menacing (but sexy) voice. "So just keep paddling."
"Yes sir!" they chimed.
"Knowing Luffy, he'll probably pull of something once he spots land. Hey, pay attention. Which way did he go?"
He roughly nudged me in the side with his toe and the tickling only made me laugh more. I almost rolled into the three creeps we picked up which straightened me out right away.
"I can't find him anymore but the bird headed that way," I pointed, wiping a tear from the corner of my eye. What an eventful day! "You know, I like it when you take control."
"So who is this Buggy guy?"
Wow, the jerk completely ignored my flirting! But I guess I could forgive him because he looks so picturesque sitting back and relaxing while making other people do the work.
"What! You've never heard of Buggy the Clown?"
"Nope."
"He's the ruthless captain of our pirate ship and he's eaten one of the devil fruits! Above everything else, he's one truly terrifying man."
"Is that his Jolly Roger?" I asked. One of the pirates was sporting a skull, crossbones, and big red nose.
"Sure is!"
"Mmmm doesn't look very intimidating."
"What do you know! Captain Buggy is a ruthless leader!"
"Yeah, he's feared by all!"
It was cute how worked up they got.
"Did I tell you to stop paddling?"
A stern look from Zoro and the pirates were back at it with double the speed. I felt his arm sneak behind me and suddenly I was being dragged down into his lap. He leaned over me, his face blocking out the expanse of the great blue sky.
"I'll tell you what, when we get to land, I'll look for Luffy and you can go get supplies. We need food, beer, and anything else you can think of. And don't forget the beer." His voice dropped to a low whisper. "If you do a good job, I can take control of you later~"
I squealed a bit as his arms tightened around me in a promising squeeze.
"Yeah sure," I breathed. Wow, later couldn't come soon enough.
I spent the rest of the boat ride in a daze of impure thoughts and steamy fantasies. I didn't even realize when we docked at an island and Zoro had to carry me out of the boat. A massive explosion rocked me back to reality.
"That was one heck of an explosion," Zoro mused.
"It looked like it was one of the captain's Buggy Balls."
"Buggy Balls? Well at any rate, keep out of trouble," he warned.
He set me down and ran his fingers through my hair before I hid it with a dark hood.
"Wait a second," he demanded, holding my cloak so I couldn't escape.
"Hmm?"
He didn't say anything but inspected my face closely. Was there food in my teeth? Could he see the bruise from where I tripped and hit my head earlier? What the hell did he want?
"X marks the spot," he grinned and planted a kiss on the bridge of my nose – right where the two blue scars crossed my face.
"You're too cute. See ya later!" I called as I headed toward the explosion. It wouldn't hurt to just check it out, right?
Luffy's adventure plus Zoro's sense of direction gave me at least a few hours (if not the whole day) before I'd need to head back. That was plenty of time to go out on my own adventure and please Zoro with the gift of booze. As luck would have it, a strong scent of roasting meat and alcohol was wafting from the source of the explosion.
As the smell got stronger, I could hear a loud raucous of people chanting "fire, fire, fire". I had to assume they meant fire another one of those devastating cannon balls. This was probably the kind of trouble Zoro had warned me to avoid.
Oh crap! What if they fire it in my direction?!
I started for the nearest building but remembered the destruction I had passed on my way over there. It had leveled all houses in its path. What would Zoro do at a time like this?
I tied my bandana over my eyes and steadied my breathing. There I stood in the middle of the street, sword drawn, waiting to see if the enemy would rear its ugly head to challenge me.
...
Screw this! I thought and sprinted in the opposite direction. If we were going to have sex later, I couldn't afford to die here.
So I ran. And I kept running. I didn't plan to quit until a stabbing pain in my side knocked me off my feet. All I could do was lay there in the middle of the street gasping for air and clutching my side. I should have stood up and kept running. Pain isn't an excuse to quit. I was glad no one was around to witness my moment of weakness and take pity on me.
But, if no one was around, then who could have shot me? Not a single soul populated the streets nor could I find anyone milling about their homes. I gingerly removed my hand to my side only to find the skin unscathed. So was it just a running cramp? Was I really that lame?
Feeling severely disappointed with myself, I stood up, sheathed my sword, and replaced my blindfold as a headband. I didn't deserve to call myself a swordsman or a fighter. With my head hung low, I dragged my feet through the barren road.
I wandered until a terrible grinding noise caught my attention. It echoed off the hollow walls of the empty street and filled my ears. It sounded like a heavy concrete scraping against the stone pavement. And, in the same direction, my heart was pulling me to my swordsman. (Yeah, it's cheesy and embarrassing but it's not like I can control my instincts).
I eventually found him settling into bed of one of the abandoned buildings.
"Hey you," he smiled with tired eyes.
I had smelled the blood before I had even gotten to the house but I was praying that it wasn't his. Of course he had to go getting into trouble without me.
"Zoro," I murmured, sitting on the edge of the bed. "What the hell happened to you?"
But he wasn't satisfied with my position and pulled me into bed with him. His strong arms trapped me under the hot blankets but I wasn't about to leave.
"I dropped my guard and made a mistake. Don't worry about it."
He smiled and buried his nose in my hair like it was just another night of cuddling together. Unlike him, I couldn't relax with the thick smell of blood spurting from his wound.
Tears are synonymous with weakness. But I wasn't strong enough to protect what mattered most to me so tears suited me just fine. They fell uncontrollably from my eyes and soaked the pillowcase under my head.
I could have been there for him but I made the choice to run away. I should have had his back, just as he has mine in every situation we've faced. Because that's what it means to be partners; it's a two way street.
"You're doing everything right." He kissed the back of my neck and wiped away my tears because he knew exactly what I was thinking.
"But it's not fair," I sobbed. "I want to fight."
"Don't be stupid. Leave that part to me," he smirked.
I rolled over so I could face him. His eyes were already closed and there was a content smile on his face. I don't know what he had been through in the short time we were apart but it was clear that it had taken a toll on him. He needed a good recharge to be ready for whatever this weird village had in store for us. But if he wasn't, I would make sure I was next time.
"Go to sleep, my sweet," I purred.
He looked so innocent when he slept - like he hadn't been hardened by driving ambition yet. The cliché was written all over his relaxed muscles. He was just, just Roronoa Zoro. My sweet, mossy headed Zoro.
I leaned in close to his face until I could feel his hot breath tickle my cheek. Being physically close with him was something that I had the privilege of doing and I was not going to miss an intimate moment with just the two of us. A sudden twitch from the arm beneath me stopped me in my tracks. His movements were lightning quick as he weaved his fingers through my hair and pushed my lips into his. He had caught me off-guard looking all asleep and everything and I let out a surprised squeal.
He rolled on his back with a satisfied smile and passed out. Dreams of getting stronger and sparks of ambition kept me awake a little longer but eventually I must have fallen asleep too.
I hadn't realized it until I woke up a little later to a high pitched whistling sound in the distance. The air pressure rapidly increased which was severely confusing. It all condensed around my head, pushing out the last wisps of dreams lingering in my consciousness.
Instinct raced the cannon and my muscles took action before it reached us. The noise was the loudest when the buggy ball impacted the house before ours. It pushed past the first wall with ease, making a clean, round hole through the white concrete. Next, it tore through the foundation, splintering the wooden arms holding up the roof. Gravity crushed the broken walls beneath its heavy hand and the building came crumbling down after the cannon. Lastly, it broke the final wall with its sights set on us.
Zoro had left for the dream world with the intent of returning stronger and renewed. In his place in the waking world, it was my job to watch over him as he slept. As he slept through the cannon fire and ensuing collapse of the building in which we took shelter from shit like this.
"Zoro was sleeping in there!" Luffy exclaimed.
It sounded like he was right outside when the explosion hit. But I had other things to worry about than our unscathed captain.
So I train under Zoro and follow in his footsteps down the path of kenjutsu. But contrary to popular belief, that doesn't mean that I'm crazy and I go around bench pressing boulders like he is often found doing. I am very human and limited by a human maximum, unlike that idiot.
That is why, when I found myself supporting a slab of concrete on all fours, I thought my muscles would be ripped apart from the strain. The swirling cloud of dust filled my heaving lungs and chocked off the desperately needed air. Starved of oxygen, one of my elbow joints buckled under the weight putting all of the pressure on my muscles.
"That's one hell of a way to wake a guy up," he muttered from under my protective shield.
I felt the weight being literally lifted off of my shoulders as Zoro kicked the roof to the side. Once I could feel the sunlight filtering through the settling dust, I completely collapsed in his lap.
"Eh I could've used a few more z's. How are you holding up?" he asked me with a yawn.
"I ... can't move my arms or legs," I replied honestly. "I feel like a rag doll."
"Alright, you're alive! And hey look, it's Crystal!" Luffy exclaimed as if we should be dead or something.
Our captain was joined by an orange hair girl and a feisty old man shouting about the town being destroyed. The old guy was all fired up and suited with some wooden barrels which I assumed had to be some makeshift armor. He held the pride of a lion in his heart and ran off to fight the Captain Buggy we'd been hearing so much about.
Zoro carried my useless body from the rubble and handed it to the orange hair girl.
"Keep her out of trouble," he ordered.
"You're gonna go too?" she cried. "But you're wounded!"
"Yeah, so what?" he challenged. "The injury to my reputation's a lot worse than the injury to my gut."
"Wait, Zoro! Take me with you!" I yelled after his retreating figure.
Stupid human body. Fine, I'll start squatting boulders!
"Screw you!" I screamed at him.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" The girl asked as I squirmed out of her grasp.
My limbs were starting to feel tingly so that was going to have to do. One step in and I hit the ground hard but at least I was able to catch myself with my arms. I could feel the life return to my limbs and I just had to make it go faster.
I dragged myself over to the pile of rubble and fished out my cape, sword, and the bag of food I worked so hard to acquire. A step forward, another one - right, then left. I was off running before I could even walked.
The girl followed right behind me and we arrived on scene to challenge Buggy's crew against our own. It was different standing beside my friends to tackle the challenge head on. If it was just Zoro and I, he'd just shove me in a back alley to help out assassin style if needed. And of course with Zoro, it never was. If not a little unnerving being out in the open, it felt right to take a stand here.
"Gom gom balloon!"
The devastating cannon turned on its creator, leveling the building where they had made base in this town. In the mess of crewmen and rubble, few were left standing besides the captain himself. One such man was cabbage head, a sword-wielding unicyclist. Oh, did they call Cabaji?
I saw the dangerous glint in Zoro's eyes and that maniacal smile. It basically told me I wasn't even allowed to consider this swordsman my opponent. (Not that Zoro would ever let me call anyone my opponent besides him in mock sparring.)
Cabbage head was savage, kicking Zoro relentlessly in his stab wound. I felt queasy and weak in the knees watching him writhe in pain on the dusty ground. But I couldn't tear my eyes away from his conviction and flawless skills. It was mesmerizing and hypnotic the way he commanded all three blades in harmony. They were of three different eras, three different creators, three different paths, but under him, they were one. He had endured much worse before. Hell, he had subjected me to (emotional) training worse than that when we first started. We had this one in the bag.
But still, I hated all of the cheap tricks and taunting he threw out. Fire breathing, dust, and all this kicking crap was just veil for his weak sword skills. Honestly, he wasn't worth Zoro's time and I'd gladly step in to take out the trash. Unfortunately, the duel had started and there was no stopping them.
"To keep fighting with such a bad injury, he's crazy. He's hurt so bad, I don't know how he's managing to stay in the fight!"
I had to agree with the lady, he had done some pretty crazy things to prove his strength. But that was practically the summation of his existence; it was something he put all of his heart into. And it was a part of him that I accepted and loved every time I said "I love you."
"Why are you just standing there watching him? He's going to get himself killed, you know! You have a sword, so go out there and fight him."
I found it borderline rude that the annoying lady didn't have more faith in him. But what did she know. It was rude, however, that she thought she could boss me around.
"I can't; this is his fight," I replied, unimpressed with her over concern.
As he always would, Zoro stood back up again. He taught me to always rise, no matter how many times you get knocked down. And I was glad to see him leading by example.
"You annoying little bastard," he grumbled. "You having fun poking at my wound? Then go ahead!"
And so Cabaji did.
"Unnecessary!" I screamed, clutching my side where I had the cramp earlier. I guess I was getting too excited.
Everyone had already deemed him tough as nails. He didn't have to go getting voluntarily re-stabbed. But he was smiling, so whatever makes the moron happy is what I have to work with.
"There, is that enough of a handicap for you?" There was that maniacal grin again. "And now let me show you just how superior my skills are to yours."
Finally time to get serious. Honestly, if I had spent as much time screwing around as he just did, he'd probably just swoop in and fight my battles for me.
"If I lose to someone like you, even with these minimal injuries, I won't have a very bright future, now will I?"
Zoro's resolve seemed to be really pissing off Cabaji so he threw a hundred spinning tops onto the battle field. Even I could handle that. But it was confusing because I thought he was supposed to be a swordsman, so why wasn't he using his sword? He rode his unicycle up a wall and launched into the air.
Yet another surprise, something small came creeping up on Zoro but Luffy stomped it out. It was their captain's hand, hoping to play a role in this duel. What sort of lowlife garbage would try to interfere with a one-on-one match? I was seething with anger and my hand found the hilt of my sword.
At least Zoro didn't seem to notice the commotion.
"Alright men, let's follow Captain Buggy and help out Cabaji!"
How dare they-
"LUFFY!" I screamed, my thoughts nearly lost to panic.
The man leading the charge thrust his filthy blade into my captain's turned back. He was just inches from severing his spine in half but that's as far as he'd get.
Why do I fight? It's a question that rages a war in my mind worse than any battle I've fought (not many). It's just a lifestyle I've adopted since finding Zoro. I started by toning my muscles and learning the basic skills. I held a bokken, trained with a katana, then finally wielded my black blade. My sword has tasted bloody victories but mine has been spilled more. I've stumbled to the edge of my life and fought my way back. But why do I do it? Why do I blindly follow the path that Zoro forges for himself without creating my own? The sight of blood made my stomach turn and the thought of inflicting pain was even worse. I was a lover, not a fighter.
Because of these moments. Because of these moments when we're staring in the face of adversity; when everything crumbles but our will to survive. I can stand beside them, Zoro and now Luffy, for the freedom we believe in. I fight because... because protecting my nakama is the only thing that matters!
As long as I was still standing, I would never let the blade reach its rubbery target.
The icy chill of my gaze translated directly to the icy chill that took hold of his soul. From the moment he heard my desperate cry and we locked eyes, his fate became sealed in stone. Literally. Stone instantly began to crawl over his skin until it had consumed every part of his body and soul. The man who intended harm to my captain was no more than a stone statue.
The number of my victims had now been stretched beyond the count of a single hand. Their faces still haunted my memories and their screams echoed in the hollows of my ears. This Buggy Pirate, I heard someone call him Hiro; Mr. Tonagari on night patrol; Mr. Minamino and Mr. Kei - both fathers of my classmates; and the first to fall from my devil - my own parents.
My will to fight was drained as my devil fruit power transferred out of my body and onto my victim. I was nothing, if not weak, if I had to rely on plan B to make it out on top. I was fast - probably faster than anyone else on the battle field - so could I have made it there in time? Did I let fear and panic get to the better of me? I collapsed to my knees in the middle of the warzone. Tears fell from my eyes and mingled with the dusty road.
"D-devil fruit powers? Another one of them has devil fruit powers!"
All attention turned to me but I had neither the energy nor will to care. I heard my captain's footsteps slowly approaching me. Each sandaled footfall matched one of my pounding heartbeats.
"Crystal, did you do this?" he asked in a low voice.
Crystal, are you the monster?
I nodded with nothing but a muffled cry coming from my lips. When he didn't respond, I stole a glance at his looming figure. Was this the end of my short-lived pirate adventure?
"Well thank you," he smiled. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"Devils have no place in the conflicts of men," I muttered.
He pulled the brim of his straw hat over his eyes and nodded.
"Thank you, Crystal, for saving me." He briefly rested his hand on top of my bowed head. "You just leave the rest to me. I promise, I'll show you why choosing my life was the right decision!"
Choosing... my captain?
"Luffy," I whispered.
Maybe he was on to something that I was blind to. Maybe I really was just a monster. Though I had the feeling that if I let things play out, this man could be the one to lead me to the answer.
"Thank you, Luffy."
Next up: Usopp!
A/N:
Thanks for reading the second chapter! This was a fun one to right because I consider this chapter/arc to be Crystal's introduction where I got to focus mainly on her, her relationship with Zoro some more, and her growing trust in Luffy. The next ones will more focused on her developing relationships with the other characters as they join and leave the crew. Each chapter will follow the arcs so if you haven't seen all of OP and aren't in to spoilers, they should be easy to avoid (:
A little disclaimer about me... At the publication of this chapter, I am on episode 518 (Sabaody pt 2/New World arc). I'm trying to stick to the original plot but if I say something 'off' about a character or their history or something, it's probably because I don't have the whole story yet haha! (It's something I worry about as new ideas come to my head). Also, if you write a review (please do!), I'll most likely end up PMing you so no spoilers please!
Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece
(lol)