Disclaimer: All the characters herein, with the exception of some random extras, are the intellectual property of Eiichiro Oda and all the companies involved with publishing and production of the One Piece manga and anime. I just twisted 'em a bit.
Spoilers/Warnings: This story will eventually encompass the entire first season of the anime, which is up to about halfway through volume 11 of the manga, just so you know. This is an AU, so many things have been changed/altered/warped to suit my needs. Also, there is some language and violence.
Pairing: None. However, I like subtext, so you can probably find hints of just about anything, if you look for it.
Dedication: To the OP at the fanforall at LJ, for requesting a cowboy AU and spawning this in my brain. Many thanks to Dandy Wonderous for beta-ing.
A/N: Name order for all characters has been westernized. Don't like it? Tough cookies! I do not claim to be an expert on anything involving gun fighting, the old west, or the cavalry. I did some very basic research for some of this, but I probably got lots of stuff wrong. Humor me! As I am sure you are aware, many One Piece characters do not have last names. All surnames assigned by me were given for a reason! See the end notes for further details.
Part 3- Share and Share Alike
Zoro hummed to himself under his breath as he tossed Helmeppo's hat onto the campfire to join most of the rest of the other man's clothing. The gunfighter had almost kept the hat as a trophy, seeing as the bullet hole was dead center and all, but it was too big to fit in his saddlebags and he'd never been all that sentimental. The gunman had decided to keep the socks, though. They were nice, thick, wool numbers, and, after a good washing, they looked to be mighty cozy.
Luffy'd gone off to locate some sort of meat for dinner.
Across the fire, Nami was alternating between warming her hands at the blaze and rubbing her arms.
"Cold?"
"Well," Nami rolled her eyes, "you certainly have a gift for stating the obvious. Aren't you cold, too?"
"I seem to be wearing more clothing."
"A lady on her own has to use all of her... 'assets' to their full potential, if she wants to survive." She leaned forward as she spoke, providing quite a view. Zoro knew it was completely intentional, and made a point of looking anywhere except at said "assets." "A gentleman," she stressed each syllable of the word, "would offer a lady his coat."
"Don't know whether or not you've noticed," Zoro chuckled, "but I ain't exactly a gentleman."
Nami opened her mouth to retort, then barely stifled a scream as the headless body of a good sized rattlesnake landed next to her.
"We can eat that, right?" Luffy asked. "You said, 'if it moves we can eat it,' right?"
"I surely did." Poorly concealed laughter was audible in Zoro's tone. "Snake's some fine eating."
Luffy fished a can of beans and a skillet out of his saddlebags, and soon supper was sizzling over the flames.
"I can't believe I'm having snake and beans for dinner!" Nami made a face at her plate.
"'S good!" Luffy exclaimed through a mouth full of food. "If you don't want yours, I'll eat it!"
"I never said I wouldn't eat it!" Nami batted away an encroaching hand holding a fork. Luffy sulked and Zoro snickered. Giving each man a pointed glare, she took a large bite, chewed carefully, and swallowed.
"Good?" There was a clear challenge in the gunman's question.
Nami didn't reply. She simply cleaned her plate.
After supper, everyone got ready to bed down for the night. Nami hadn't really brought anything along but the clothes on her back. A gruff "hey" was her only warning before a blanket almost hit her in the face.
"Zoro?" She raised one eyebrow in inquiry.
"It's cold," he said casually. He stretched out next to the dying fire and pulled his hat down over his face. "Besides, I still have my coat."
Nami snorted, but wrapped herself in the blanket anyway.
Luffy looked back and forth between the two for a moment, before shrugging and curling up under his own blanket.
"Good night, all!"
"'Night, Luffy."
Zoro's only response was snoring.
When Luffy awoke the next morning, Zoro was already up and checking over his guns. Other than the gunman, the immediate area was empty.
"Where's Nami?"
"Took a walk," Zoro informed him absently. "Said she wanted to scout ahead a bit."
"Do you do that every morning?" Luffy wondered. The smooth, sure motions of Zoro's hands indicated the actions had been performed many times.
"Every morning I plan to keep on living." Zoro looked up and locked eyes with Luffy. "Did you clean your pistol after I fired it?" Luffy shook his head. "Go get it then," Zoro instructed him, "and I'll teach you to take proper care of it."
"Could you teach me to shoot, too?" Luffy asked, eyes twinkling. "A proper outlaw ought to know how to hold his own in a shootout, right?"
"You still on about that outlaw business? That blowhard's probably too embarrassed to actually report anything..."
"I'm gonna be a notorious outlaw, someday." Zoro could tell that Luffy was dead serious. "You should be in my gang. I'll need some skilled gunmen."
"Oh, sure thing, Boss." Unfortunately for Zoro, Luffy either completely ignored or was oblivious to the sarcasm.
"Hee. 'Boss.' I like the sound of that..."
"Luffy?" Zoro waited for the younger man to snap out of whatever crazy daydream he'd been indulging. "Your gun?"
"Hey, you know, in exchange, I can help you with your hand to hand!"
"I can hold my own in a brawl, thanks."
"Aw, c'mon," Luffy wheedled. "I'm pretty good! They used to call my grandpa 'The Fist.' He taught me to box. 'Course, that was probably just an excuse to hit me..."
Zoro eyed the boy's wiry limbs, a skeptical expression on his face.
"Stand up," Luffy insisted. "It's all in the momentum. Gotta' punch from the hip!"
He caught the other man in the left shoulder, and Zoro stumbled back with a surprised grunt. Guess there really was something to that "momentum" talk. The gunman also discovered that Luffy was amazingly fast. It was all he could do to block most of the punches with his forearms. Sometimes it seemed like Luffy had more than two arms! A fist slipped through, slammed squarely into Zoro's jaw, and he found himself staring up at a grinning face from flat on his back.
"See? Told ya."
Zoro stood up and brushed the dirt and sand off the back of his legs, jaw set determinedly.
"Alright. Show me that again..."
When Nami finally came back, the boys had finished boxing lessons, covered basic weapon maintenance, and Zoro was in the process of correcting Luffy's misconceptions about firing a gun.
"Don't pull," Zoro repeated for probably the tenth time. "Squeeze."
"But-"
"Don't. Pull."
"Alright, alright! I gotcha... Squee-" and the pistol fired. The horses both panicked and bolted, taking the dry tree limb to which they had been tied along with them. Zoro swore a blue streak that Nami found both highly offensive and strangely awe inspiring.
"I thought you said it was unloaded!" Zoro fumed.
"Must have missed one! Sorry..."
"Sorry? Sorry?" Zoro clenched his fists until the knuckles cracked and took several slow, deep breaths. "I'm going after the horses. Pack up the rest of camp while I'm gone?"
"Okay..."
"While you're at it, clean that pistol again. You could use the practice."
Zoro startled almost imperceptibly when he turned and saw Nami standing right behind him. Apparently neither man had heard her arrival. He nodded sharply in acknowledgement and departed, grumbling all the way.
"Quite a temper he's got, huh?" Nami attempted to be sympathetic. Luffy was looking down, messy bangs hiding his face. When he looked up, Nami was surprised to see a wide grin.
"I know! Scary, right? He'll make a great outlaw! You can join my gang, too, if you want."
"Gang?" Nami blinked.
"Yep! I'm gonna have to come up with the perfect name for us. It'll be great! Luffy D. Monkey, Zoro Roronoa, and Nami... Say, what is your last name?"
"Dunn," she mumbled, still a little taken aback. Then, having collected her wits, she frowned. "Listen, Mister, I don't care what you and your buddy do with yourselves, but I am most certainly not joining a gang of outlaws!"
"Aw... Why not? You're already a thief. That's pretty close, isn't it?"
"No," she retorted, tone icy, "it isn't."
Luffy shrugged. "Okay, but if you ever change your mind, I'll keep a spot open for you."
He looked positively dejected, and Nami found it was pretty hard to stay angry at someone who was just so darn nice.
"I've known some pretty nasty outlaws," she offered by way of explanation. "I've seen gangs do some awful things, and I just can't be associated with that."
"I get it." Somehow, she knew that he honestly did. His contagious grin was back, and they set about cleaning up the camp in a companionable silence.
Zoro eventually returned with the horses. ("Blasted desert all looks the same!") He never verbally apologized for the earlier outburst, but he complimented their cleanup job and the underlying meaning was understood. They shared a light lunch of hardtack and jerky as they rode west.
End Notes:
"Snake and beans" is not meant as innuendo. Seriously. It just amuses me deeply. I've been told snake tastes like chicken.
Nami's last name is derived from Rose Dunn aka "The Rose of Cimarron," an actual female outlaw. I selected the name for Nami after reading about the shootout in Ingalls, Oklahoma. I defy anyone to read about that and tell me it doesn't ring any bells with regards to retrieving weapons for other people. (Yes, I am being intentionally vague...)
Also, I'm majorly guilting that the story only goes to just after Arlong Park... People keep asking about Chopper and Robin... Even Brook! I think I'll go find a nice corner and melt into a sulky pile of misery and guilt...