Of Straw and Steel

Summary: Zoro was always warned of the dangers of falling for the Captain's daughter. He just never imagined the dangers that came with falling for the Captain herself. Oneshot series on people's reaction to the Captain and First Mate's relationship.

Chapter Warnings: Conis. Cuteness. Yeah? Conis and Wiper, actually.

The entire island was rejoicing.

Through the music and dancing and food and drink, enemies and friends alike were drawn together, celebrating their new found freedom. The fire itself seemed as happy as those who danced around it, the flames rising and falling with the sound of the drums.

The smell of smoke and food was thick in the air and the group of people didn't want it any other way. Despite fighting each other for the land only hours prior, Skypeians and Guerillas alike now shouted and sang, passed food from one to the other and shared in the drink.

"It's a miracle he hasn't woken up yet..."

Conis' attention was drawn to her father, who stared at the party with a small smile on his face. She smiled softly, before her eyes drifted back to the injured warrior.

"Go for a bit, get some food," she urged him. "I'll be fine here."

He looked hesitant at leaving her alone with the the fighter, but the doctor was nearby and they both should get some food before the rubber captain decided to devour it all. After he left, Conis sat alone and watched the festivities with peace in her heart. She was happy. No longer was she scared, or even uncomfortable with the strangers that had been enemies for so long.

A few minutes past, and Conis heard shuffling from beside her. The warrior was waking up. Instantly, the doctor was at the man's side, making sure he was okay as the warrior forced himself into a sitting position.

Conis turned to him, a look of concern on her face. Wiper didn't seem to appreciate recieving a Skypeian's concern and turned away from her. Barely conscious, fighting had become so ingrained in the man that he bristled as though prepared for a fight.

"Drums? Are we in battle?" Wiper asked, throwing his legs over the side of the makeshift bed and attempting to stand. No one tried to stop him, knowing it was futile, but Conis stepped in.

"War... war is the last thing from anyones mind right now," she told him, her heart pounding as she faced the man, scared of his reaction. He, of course, ignored her.

"The girl is right, Wiper," the doctor added as Wiper's eyes finally rested on the group of partying people. Although seemingly unfazed, Conis could clearly see the confusion in his eyes. "You can see that. We don't need to fight anymore."

The man paused, before his face hardened completely. Conis was well aware of his thoughts. He was confused, unbelieving. Surely, after centuries of war and hate between them, there was no way they could come together so easily...

He turned sharply before either could process what the man was doing, and took off running in the opposite direction of the bonfire. He dodged through the greenery without even looking back. Not thinking clearly, but concerned for the man, Conis took off after him. He was still injured and needed time to heal. Running through the woods would do him no good.

The doctor shouted after her but she paid him no heed. Completely dedicated to catching up with the fighter, which was proving harder than she imagined, she ignored the angry foliage as it whipped her legs and caught her braids.

The man was injured and despite the adrenaline running through him, he didn't manage to get far. It wasn't surprising, considering how he had almost died. When she found him, he was leaning against a tree. His eyes were closed and he was breathing hard. As she approached - slowly, ever so slowly - his eyes cracked open, giving her a glare that would deter anyone else.

"I know you're confused," Conis said softly, stopping only a few feet away from the fighter. He was tensed, ready to jump and fight should she come closer. "But we... we really don't want to fight anymore! We've fought for too long over something foolish. Now... now we don't have to and we don't want to! It'll be hard to... hard to get used to, but we aren't so different! Both of us were affected by the war, both of us lost our homes... And the golden bell rang! We can be at peace now!"

Wiper didn't say anything in reply, though he seemed to relax a bit. Most likely because he was so injured and being on guard only stressed his body more, but Conis was still grateful.

"You need to rest," Conis said, going into an almost doctor-like mode. "And here isn't going to cut it."

The glare was back, but the venom seemed lacking compared to previous glares. He allowed her to step forward, and couldn't exactly protest when she helped him to his feet and began to lead him back to the doctors.. He hated it, but he was to injured to get himself back to the doctors able hands.

Conis chatted idly beside him, telling him of the events that happened after he passed out. The Straw Hats had come together, along with the Shandora and Skypeians. After breaking into the priests' food storage, the feast had begun. The bell had long stopped ringing, echoing through the air, but the emotions it drew from all parties remained.

They soon arrived back at the doctor, who met them outside with a glare at the warriors direction. Wiper simply ignored it, walking past him and the building and instead aimed for the party. Almost instantly, a mug filled to the brim with grog was shoved into his hand. He turned, only to see the dark haired captain from the Blue Sea dwelling pirates.

It seemed she had pried it from her first mate's hands, and he cast her an annoyed look. Both were injured, though not as much as him, and yet the captain had more than enough energy... Conis joined him at his side, smiling at the two pirates with fondness that Wiper didn't understand. The two were nothing but trouble, even if the captain did save them in the end.

"Dance with me!" Wiper could hear the captain begging the swordsman over the loud music. The swordsman looked like he'd rather be anywhere else, but it seemed he didn't have much of a choice. Luffy had already wound her rubbery arms around his neck, clinging to him. With a grumble, his hands were around her waist. She took it from there with a laugh, spinning around wildly and dragging him along around the fire. It was demand after demand, and for some reason, the first mate put up with it.

"Spin me!" Zoro complied. "Again, again!"

Wiper was getting dizzy just watched, but the captain seemed completely unfazed as she giggled. As the song being played came to and end, they had gone around the entire circle and ended up in front of Wiper and Conis once again.

"Thanks for holding this, warrior guy!" Luffy grinned, grabbing the untouched drink in Wiper's hand. He felt a tick of anger. Conis simply giggled beside him. The Captain pulled the swordsman into a deep kiss, before pulling away and shoving the mug into his hands. Then she was off for the food table, shouting behind her, "Thanks for the dance, Zoro!"

Wiper looked from the shocked Conis, to the slightly irked swordsman, to the feasting captain. What... Then, Conis smiled softly, shaking her head.

"I should have known," she muttered, before turning away to search for her father. "Take a break and relax, Wiper. It's a time to rejoice!"

Yeah, so here is Conis' chapter. I finally figured something out for it.

If you guys want to see anyone besides the crews' and Luffy's families' reactions, lemme know and I'll work it in. Already planning on: Franky, Garp, Coby, Brooke, Law, Jinbei, Rayleigh, Boa Hancock, Shanks, Sabo, Perona, Ben, Mihawk, Kidd...

Not exactly in that order but yeah.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, faved, alerted... or even read. I appreicate it! :D