This is not my story. I have changed and added parts from various other One Piece Fem!Luffy and Luffy x Zoro stories to create a full one.

The authors I have borrowed from are: Pen-Woman, ChemGirl, and Killjou. (If someone thinks I have added some of their story, I apologize for not listing you. PM me and I will add you)

Beta reader for Pen-Woman is TheBlackSeaReaper.

One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda

Roronoa Zoro the Pirate Hunter

The first time I saw you, I just couldn't breathe. I noticed you standing there; I didn't want you to see. With butterflies in my stomach, I walked up and said "Hello". I wanted time to stop; I didn't want you to go. I felt as if I have known you, and that this was a second chance from some past life together once again…by Farawaysis.

"The weather is so nice," Luffy sighed taking a long inhale of the sweet sea air and exhaling as she watched waves gently dance around the boat.

"If we keep this up, we'll be at Shells Town in no time at all," Coby said cheerfully, glancing away from his fishing rod for a second. Fishing had always been one of his favorite activities while sailing on the open sea.

"Wow, that's pretty impressive, Coby! You're really good at navigating."

"It's nothing really, this is one of the basic rules while sailing. You have to know these kinds of things. Don't you know how to, Luffy?" Coby talked as if it wasn't a big deal.

"HAHA! I just let the boat carry me where it wants. I'm no good at navigating." She laughed cheerfully at Coby's shocked expression.

"That's how you got caught by the whirlpool!" He yelled. "You need to learn this stuff!" She bent her knees, placing the soles of her feet against each other and grinned at him.

Nah, I'll just get an awesome navigator for my crew!" Coby sighed softly, knowing there was no point in arguing with her. He opened his mouth to say something when she leaned forward.

"As soon we get to Shells Town, we'll get Zoro out of there and he can become my first crew mate! Then you can join the marines!" She laughed again, eyes glazing over slightly as she imagined it. "It's going to be awesome. He's got to be really cool if people call him a demon!" Coby sighed at her happy expression.

"This is nothing to laugh about, Luffy! I've heard that…the Marine Base is holding the infamous Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro because…he hunted down wanted Pirates like a bloodthirsty beast on a rampage and sliced them up without hesitation. People say that he's demonic being in the shape of a human, he's been called nothing less than a living, breathing Demon in human form!" He finished with a huff and stared at Luffy, hoping that he had finally gotten his point across to her. She stared back at him seriously and nodded solemnly before turning to stare out at the ocean again, a grin fighting its way onto her face. 'Zoro, huh?'

At Shells Town's docking place, after Luffy and Coby had tied their boat on the post, they set off to the city in search the marine base where the great Zoro was being held prisoner.

"Luffy, this is serious! If you think this guy is just going to join you then you're out of your mind," Coby hissed as they walked through the outdoor market place.

"I haven't made up my mind yet about him joining. I have to see if he's a good guy first." She replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"HE'S IN PRISON BECAUSE HE'S OBVIOUSLY NOT A GOOD GUY!" Coby sometimes wondered if this girl was just plain crazy or just plain stupid. Luffy spotted some tasty pears and quickly grabbed one and took a bite before handing the vendor a berri.

"Hey, could you tell me where I can find Roronoa Zoro?" she politely asked the vendor. When the villagers around her heard his name they flinched in fear and began to back away from Luffy. She sweat dropped at their silly act.

"Maybe its best if we not mention Zoro here," Coby muttered softly. Luffy shrugged and continued to walk through the town towards the marine base.

"C'mon let's keep heading to the Base Coby. You wanted to become a Marine, right?"

"Of course I do, Luffy, but I don't know if I'm ready just yet. From what I've heard the man in charge of this Base is named Captain Morgan and he's a very tough marine." Once again the people around the two teens flinched at Captain Morgan's name and backed away as if expecting something to come up and kill them. Now both Coby and Luffy were sweat dropping at the villager's reactions.

"HAHAHA, this place if full of weirdos!" Luffy laughed, loving the strange reactions they kept getting if they so much as mentioned Zoro or Morgan's names. She had no clue why they were acting like this but it sure was entertaining.

"I don't get it." Coby wondered, scratching his head. "I understand if they're afraid of Zoro but why did they flip when I mentioned the Marine Captain's name too? I have bad feeling about this." What he said was true. People shouldn't be afraid of the marine leader that kept them safe from pirates. He ran the city and protected them...right?

"Maybe they did it for fun," Luffy replied, shrugging.

"And how does that made any sense?"

Before Luffy could reply, she stopped walking. The had arrived at the marine base and now stood in front of a giant steel door with the word Marine printed on it in large white letters. A large white and blue painted wall stretched as far as they could see on either side and Luffy let out an impressed whistle. "This look like the place."

Coby could feel the tears welling at the corners of his eyes, he had finally made it. "I'm finally here. 'sob' This is where we part ways. 'sob' I know we haven't spent much time together but I…"

"Where are the foot holds on this thing?" he was cut off when he saw Luffy trying to climb the wall to the left of the steel entrance.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! GET DOWN FROM THERE!"

"So where this Demon?" Luffy ignored him and glanced around the large open plaza, arms resting on top of the thick wall.

"I don't think they would keep him out in the open. They probably put him in some underground prison or…"

"Found him!" Luffy cheered. "I'm going to get closer look." She jumped down from the wall and sprinted further left along it so she could take a closer look at Zoro. Coby was frozen in shock for a few seconds but quickly recovered and followed Luffy. She scrambled up the wall and Coby followed, wanting to see if she was right. Sure enough, Zoro stood outside of the base in the blazing heat, arms and stomach tied to a wooden cross and head bent.

"That's him, right? Coby?" she asked, nudging the pink haired boy with a carefree smile plastered on her face. Coby couldn't reply, his eyes wide and mouth hanging open, because he was shaking like a leaf and too afraid to make out a word. He was in the presence of a Demon, the man tied to the post for the world to see was the great Pirate Hunter.

'That bandana…and that haramaki. There is no doubt about it…its Roronoa Zoro." He whispered shakily.

"I bet if I untie those ropes he can be free, right?"

"DON'T BE STUPID! YOU'RE GONNA KILL US BOTH IF WE LET THIS GUY ESCAPE!"

"Ah don't worry about a thing. I'm strong, remember? I can protect us," then she turned and grinned at him.

'She's lost her mind!'

"Hey, you two," A gruff voice echoed from the plaza and Coby panicked because Roronoa Zoro was speaking to them.

"You're an eyesore. Get lost," his tone was low and angry with a glare that could make Satan cry.

"AHHHH! Luffy trust me, there is no way you can survive with a crew member like him." Before he could say anything else to try and dissuade her a ladder came out of nowhere and smacked against the wall. A young girl with black eyes and brown hair in pigtails climbed up the ladder made a 'shush' sound at them gesturing for them to keep quiet. She glanced around the plaza to see if there was anyone there and once she saw it was clear she climbed down using a rope and ran toward Zoro, a bag clasped in one hand. When Coby saw her running toward Zoro, he panicked.

"AHHH! Luffy! We've gotta save her before the Marines spot her or she gets killed by the Demon himself." but Luffy wasn't paying attention to Coby, she was watching the little girl, wanting to see what she was going to do with Zoro. Once the girl neared him she slowed and gave him a sweet smile. Unlike the others, she didn't appear to be frightened of Zoro.

"What do you want?" he was clearly annoyed that the little girl was stupid enough to barge into the Marine Base.

"I thought you might be hungry now so I made some Rice Balls."

"Do you have a death wish kid? Scram!"

"But, you haven't eaten anything in a long time so I decided to make you some lunch. Here." She held up two Rice Balls wrapped in wax paper, showing them off. "It's my first time, but I think they turned out ok." Zoro was stunned at the girl's generous offer. He looked at the round Rice Balls that she held up, he really was hungry, but quickly pushed the thought of food aside and said.

"Listen kid, I'm not hungry so stop irritating me and beat it."

"But…"

"I SAID BEAT IT, KID!" he raised his tone in an attempt to scare her off but that didn't work either. He turned as he heard the door to the base slide open and a weird looking guy walked out, flanked by his two Marine guards. The weird boy was a skinny and lanky-looking young man with light blond hair shaped like an oval on top of his head. He wore a snappy violet colored uniform with white shoes and a rubber band ring on his left hand.

"Now, now, no one likes a bully you know." He walked towards the two with a smug look on his face the two bodyguards trailing behind. Luffy watched as Zoro's expression darkened when he saw the newcomer.

"Roronoa Zoro, you seem to be handling this ordeal well, don't you agree?"

"Who this weird looking guy?" Luffy asked, her brow furrowing with annoyance.

"Ah thank goodness, he's a Marine, maybe everything will be alright now."

"Oh! Looky here, some tasty Rice Balls." The blonde boy stepped up to the young girl and snatched the Rice Ball out of her hand before taking a large bite out of one.

"HEY! They're not for you!" As she said that the weird boy's face turned green and he spit the chewed up Rice Ball onto the ground and grimaced in disgust.

"They're packed with sugar?! You're supposed to use salt, you idiot!"

"But I…I thought it would taste better with sugar," she sniffed. Then the boy snatched the last Rice Ball from her hand and threw it on the ground before smashing it with his foot.

"No stop, stop it!" the poor girl cried out, tears dripping down her cheeks as she watched her hard made Rice Balls be ruined. Coby and Luffy watched the scene before them, shock evident on their faces.

"That's…that's just horrible." Coby shook his head sadly. He couldn't believe that this man was so heartless toward a little girl. Luffy's expression was strangely blank. Once the boy finished smashing the Rice Balls which were now ruined and muddy, the poor girl fell to her knees and cried. All her hard work spoiled by that mean boy.

"But I 'hic' worked so hard to 'hic' to make those."

"Well too bad! I guess you didn't read the notice posted over there. Those who assist criminals in any way will be executed! Signed by Marine Captain Morgan." The boy pointed over at the small sign that stood near the entrance to the plaza and the poor girl began to shake harder.

"HEHEHE it seem even little brats fear my Daddy."

"His daddy?" Luffy's eyes widened slightly when the weird kid mentioned his father who just happened to be the Captain of this base.

"So…that guy's father is Captain Morgan." Now Coby was even more worried for the girl's safety since this cruel boy was practically the second in command after his father. Then the boy turned his head to one of the Marine guards and said.

"You! Toss this kid over the wall right now." the Marine flinched at his order.

"But s-sir, she's just a child." The boy's eyes narrowed and he reached out and grabbed the Marine's shirt in a vice grip and looked him straight in the eyes.

"I said, throw her over the wall, soldier. If you don't obey my orders, I'll tell my Father." The marine flinched again knowing that if he disobeyed the Marine Captain's son he'd be killed for sure.

"Y-yes sir. I'll do it" The boy let go of the Marine with a small nod of satisfaction. The marine felt a heavy guilt settle in his stomach when he saw the girl's frightened face, but what choice did he have?

"I'm really sorry, just curl into a ball, okay?" he whispered to her so that boy wouldn't hear him. The little girl did what he said and just like that he threw her over the wall. But Luffy was ready for the toss, she jumped after the girl and stretched out her arms to pull the smaller body to her chest before wrapping herself around the girl and bracing for an impact against the dirt ground. She hit hard and bounced slightly before coming to a halt and carefully unwrapping herself.

'Ugh, so much for the perfect landing.'

"Thank you, miss." The little girl whispered, hands gripping at Luffy's red vest.

"Luffy! Are you two okay? I can't believe that wretched man would do something so horrible. Are you two hurt?" Luffy let Coby inspect the girl resting in her lap for any signs of injury while she looked at the wall of the base wondering what was happening over there.

On the other side of the wall, the boy laughed after the girl was thrown like it was a joke to him. Zoro cursed him silently, damning that cowardly boy to hell for his heinous act towards a little girl. Then the boy turned his head to face Zoro.

"HEHEHE still stubborn to stay alive."

"That right, I'll make it through the month without any problem," Zoro said confidently, a dark grin appearing on his face.

"Yeah, good luck with that," The boy turned to leave but before that he kicked at Zoro's right abdomen hard, causing the pirate hunter to clench his teeth. Zoro wouldn't let him see the pain that kick had caused him to satisfy his sick desire for control. After a second the boy snorted and left, his marines following behind him.

"Just you wait. I'll survive the next ten days and win that bet," Zoro grunted, but he made sure to hide his pain. He couldn't help but feel the soreness of the wound on his stomach that the boy had aggravated.

Back with the others, Coby made another check up on the girl to double check that she wasn't hurt and sighed in relief when he noticed that she didn't seem to be in any pain.

"Thank goodness you're not hurt. How could that man be so heartless? Hey Luffy, what should we…" But when he turned around Luffy was nowhere in sight.

"What the…where did she go?"

Back with Zoro, he was glad the pain has subsided but the throbbing muscles in his side had swollen and would cause even more pain after he was freed from this bind if it was not treated soon. He opened his eyes with a sigh to see the shadow of a person on the ground in front of him and when he looked up he saw a girl, a pretty girl at that. He took his time to study her, she seemed to be about seventeen years old with light tan skin that almost glowed in the bright sun. Her body was well built but still quite slim and frail looking. Her face oval-shaped and framed by silky black hair held in place by her straw hat. And her eyes…they were the biggest and most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. They reminded him of an onyx gem that sparkled with life and happiness despite the dark, murky color.

Luffy cocked her head in a questioning manner. She had kept hearing from everyone that he was a demon but as she stared at him, all she could see was an average sized, muscular man, bundled up with a green haramaki over his hips, black trousers tucked inside black boots and a plain white shirt with the top three buttons undone. He had three identical golden earrings on his left earlobe that tinkled when he moved and at that moment Luffy came to the conclusion that Zoro was a normal human being.

"So I hear you're a bad guy," she asked the first question that came to her mind and when Zoro recognized the voice he scowled in annoyance.

"You're still here."

"You're stuck there for all the world to see, are you really that strong?"

"Shut up!" he hissed. She sighed and stepped a little closer to Zoro holding her hat in her hands.

"If I were you I'll have starved to death in three days," she declared, grinning happily.

"I've got more spirit than you could ever have, which is why I'll survive this ordeal…this I swear!" He promised, mouth curved in a smirk that said he was determined to win and confident enough to do it. Luffy seemed impressed by his resolve and giggled at him slightly which made Zoro blush a little.

"What a weirdo." She was about to leave when Zoro stopped her.

"Hold on…could you…pick that up for me?" He eyed the muddy Rice Ball with a hungry look and she cocked her head to the side and picked up the muddy grains off the ground.

"You're gonna eat this? But it's ruined and…"

"SHUT UP AND GIVE IT TO ME, KID!" He yelled back in irritation. She stared at him in surprise but shrugged it off and brought the muddy Rice close to his mouth. Zoro was surprised that she would come so close to him when she could've thrown it to his mouth. Didn't she know who he was? He shook his head, he was far too hungry to be thinking right now, and took bite of the grain on her palm, getting the entire thing in his mouth in one swoop and gulping it down before spitting out some of the mud from his mouth.

"I told you so~" she said.

"It was good, tell the girl I said thanks." His tone was soft and there was a hint of kindness in his voice. Luffy smiled at him, she knew he wasn't that bad of a guy, then she heard a grunt coming from Zoro that sounded like he was in pain.

"What's wrong?" She didn't know why but when she saw him flinch in pain, she became extremely worried. Even though she had only known him for two minutes she knew, Zoro was special and he would be part of her crew, and a good captain takes care of her nakama.

"It's nothing, just…leave." The frown she gave him said she didn't believe him, and her eyes scanned over his body, determined to find out what was causing him pain. She quickly took notice of a fresh dirt outline of a footprint on his right abdomen which had to be the source of his pain and she quickly rolled the shirt upward to see a very swollen and bruised patch of skin.

"HEY! HEY! What are you doing?" Zoro didn't know why he panicked like that but he knew he didn't want this girl to see him in his current state.

"That doesn't look good. I have to treat you fast." She ignored his loud protest and put her hand into the right pocket of her shorts pulling out a small circle box. She quickly opened the lid and scooped out a generous amount of the green substance within and leaned over Zoro before rubbing the cream gently over the bruised skin. Zoro hissed in pain at the stinging and cold feel of the cream and his body involuntarily shied a little away from Luffy's hand.

"Sorry about that," Luffy sighed, wincing in mock sympathy. "This cream will sting for a bit but it'll reduce the pain and swelling really quickly." Seconds later, Zoro cracked his eyes open and took a deep breath. True to her word the pain was completely gone as if he wasn't even injured in the first place.

"What is this stuff?"

"It's made out of seaweed and coral reef from the East Blue island where I come from. I collect the items and make this just in case I ever need medical treatment. I always carry it on me," she answered distractedly, eyes still fully focused on massaging the injured skin. Zoro was stunned to say the least and flushed at the feeling of the girl's warm hand. The soft and gentle touch was sending shivers down his spine and God help him to suppress the moan he could feel building up. He swallowed it back, annoyed at the loud sound his adam's apple made as he did and took another deep breath.

"I'm sorry," Luffy apologized, thinking that his reactions were caused by pain from his injuries. She brushed a strand of hair over her ear and continued working. "I'm almost done." A faint scent tickled his nose as her hair shifted and he glanced down, realizing that the sweet smell was coming from her. It smelled almost like wild orchids and a fresh sea breeze; his mind went fuzzy as he just breathed in the scent but sadly it ended when she leaned back, obviously done with her work. She placed the box with the cream back into her pocket and smoothed Zoro's shirt back down before smiling softly at him and turning to head for the wall. She scrambled quickly up the ledge before turning back towards Zoro and waving goodbye, a huge smile lighting up her face.

"My name is Luffy, by the way!" And then she was gone, and Zoro blinked in slight confusion over the actions of the strange girl.

"Really! He ate it all?!" The little girl exclaimed, clapping her hands with glee. Coby and Luffy had walked her back to town at the girl's, whose name was Rika, insistence. She was smiling happily, overjoyed to hear that her new friend Zoro had eaten her home-made rice balls.

Luffy nodded, sporting her own grin. "Yep, he ate every last grain there was."

"Oh that wonderful!"

"I wonder if Zoro is really as evil as everyone thinks that he is." Coby wondered aloud, thinking it silly that the pirate hunter's whole reputation might just be built off the rumors of scared people.

"NO, he is not!" Rika shouted, turning to face Coby. "…he's a really good person because…he got punished for helping us." Her happy expression faded into a sad look.

"Could you please tell us what exactly happened here." Luffy asked Rika as softly as she could in an effort to calm the upset girl. Rika took a deep breath and told both Coby and Luffy what had happened two weeks ago.

"It's that stupid Helmeppo's fault! He is the son of Captain Morgan."

*Flashback*

"Step aside, step aside. Make way for my beautiful pet doggy," Helmeppo crowed while walking with his sword on his shoulder and his beloved pet down the town's main market street, two Marine guards following a short distance behind him. But his pet was not really a doggy but in fact a fully grown orange wolf with beady yellow eyes and sharp fangs. The people in the market quickly scatter around like frightened mice as the wolf strolls on the street freely.

"And if anyone doesn't move, I'll have my Father execute you all! HAHAHA!" Helmeppo threatened the people constantly and always got away with everything he did. The wolf pushed its nose into a swinging door that led to the restaurant that Rika's Mother owned and operated. The customers inside let out shrill screams as the wolf leaned over their plates and grabbed at whatever he wanted. Angry, Rika grabbed the broom she had been cleaning with and smacked the wolf over the head, trying to make him leave.

"Stop it, you mean old thing."

"You, little girl, is there some kind of problem with the way my beloved doggy is behaving?" Helmeppo smirked at the girl daring to try and scare his doggy.

"Rika! Get away from that thing!" Rika's Mother cried out, worried for her daughter's well being but it was too late because the hungry wolf had taken notice of Rika and jumped at her as if to eat her. The little girl screamed in fear, thinking that she was going to die, but before the wolf could reach her, it was hit by a wooden chair hard on the head which killed it instantly. Helmeppo screeched like a little girl when he saw his pet lying dead and Helmeppo and everyone in the restaurant turned to stare at the man that dared kill Helmeppo's pet wolf.

"Who the hell are you?…wait, you're… you're that Pirate Hunter, Zoro." He knew he recognized that bandana and the three katanas, he was the man known throughout the East Blue sea, the great Roronoa Zoro.

"And if I am?" Helmeppo held his sword tightly in his hand trying to look heroic and fierce but failing miserably when his legs shook in fear.

"What's a Pirate Hunter like you doing here in the first place?!"

"Can it and let me finish my meal in peace," said Zoro as he took a big bite of his piece of meat. Helmeppo charged at Zoro trying to kill him but Zoro was too quick, he dodged his attack then kicked the idiot's sword through the roof and punched Helmeppo in the face. He drew his own sword and pointed on Helmeppo's face, causing the wimpy man to make a screech that you could have mistaken as a girl crying for help.

"You're getting on my nerves, pal." To prove that point his face was hooded and the scary look reminded people that Zoro was known as the demonic being. Helmeppo felt the cold, hard steel near his face that looked sharp enough to cut a rock, and quickly thought of an idea.

"Hahaha, you do realize that if my Dad finds out about this he will surely execute the girl and her Mother." Helmeppo smirked when he saw the look on Zoro's face, he had guessed right and now he had the pirate hunter right where he wanted him.

"So, what you do say to make a deal between men." He got up from the ground and stared at Zoro face to face.

"In place of the kid and her Mom, we string you up instead for…let's say one month. If you survive for one month I will be so kind as to let you and the women live. So what you say, hm?" They stare at each other in silence for what seems like half a minute before Zoro sighs and lays down his sword on the table.

"Then one month it is."

*End Flashback*

"It's been almost three weeks since that day. Helmeppo keeps beating him and punching him while he's tied up, he's being so unfair and I... 'sob' I don't know how to help him! 'sob'" Then all of a sudden Luffy, Coby, and Rika heard a sudden crash coming from a building near them.

They all ran straight to where the sound was coming from and find out it's coming from Rika's restaurant. Luffy shoved the doors open to see Helmeppo destroying the tables and the plates. Then he got tired of storming around the building and sat himself down on one of the chairs, placing his white shoes on top of plates full of fruits.

"Hm, I'm hungry. Bring me whatever you got and keep the check for yourselves! HAHA, and bring me a bottle of one of your best Moon Shines or whatever crap you serve here." Rika's Mother nodded silently and did what she was told while the customers could do nothing but watch helplessly, among them a familiar orangette hair girl in the back holding a drink. Rika's Mother poured the drink for Helmeppo and quickly handed it over to him.

"You know, I'm bored out of my mind. I'm trying to think up something to do, but maybe if I execute Zoro tomorrow. That would be fun, right? HAHAHAHA!" Something inside Luffy snapped like twig at Helmeppo's words. She didn't know why she was suddenly seeing red but that cowardly man had just made one fatal mistake. Her hands clenched into tight fists and she quickly stormed towards the blonde man, and slammed her fist into his face, the blow powerful enough to send him flying into the wall. As he slid to the ground he began to wail, the sound almost like a 4 year old girl who had skinned her knee and everyone gaped at the teenage girl's actions.

"You… you just hit me and you ruined my clothes," Helmeppo yelled at her while his holding his nose, tears dripping down his cheeks. Luffy could feel her anger rising again and she clenched her fists even tighter, left hand moving to cover her right bicep in her classic pistol stance. Coby stopped her before she could hit Helmeppo again by grabbing onto her right forearm and this seemed to calm her a little but she still glared down at the whining boy angrily.

"Luffy stop! What do you think you're doing?!"

"This guy must pay."

"You bitch! You just hit me and made me wet. I'm Captain Morgan's son you know?" Helmeppo yelled.

"I don't care who you are!" Luffy exclaimed angrily.

"YOU'LL CARE WHEN MY FATHER EXECUTES YOU FOR THIS!" He screamed back with teary eyes.

"Why don't you fight your own battles, you coward?" The customers watched the screaming match going on between the two teens with faces of apprehension.

"Stop it Luffy! Why are you trying to get on the Marine's bad side?" Coby asked, trying to pull Luffy back.

"I have made up my mind, Coby…today, Zoro is going to join my Crew!" Luffy's tone was cold and serious and left no doubt in his mind that there was nothing he could do to change her mind.

Inside the walls of the marine base, a man sat on his comfortable chair in his office, inhaling his favorite cigar and admiring the view of his city. The man's aura held power and authority but in spite of that he was greedy, frightful, and unjust. His name was Marine Captain Morgan, the very one that citizens and marines feared. Even his appearance was frightening, he was a very tall, intimidating man with white-blond hair and a jaw made of actual steel.

"I feel great," Morgan said to the marine who stood by the door. The marine quickly saluted his Captain.

"Yes sir, right you are, sir."

"And yet the taxes we collected don't even compare to my sheer degree of greatness." His voice was cocky as he glared at the box of berris in front of him.

"Yes, it is true sir. I guess the citizen's wallet aren't very deep these days, sir," said the saluted Marine trembling in terror, fearing that the captain would get angry at him because the taxes were lower than the day before. When Morgan noticed that he'd most likely go the person's house with the lowest toll and they will be accused for treason against the marines and be executed on the spot to show an example to the townsfolk.

"The issue at hand is the level of respect for me. Wouldn't you agree, soldier?" It wasn't a question answer, more of a command, agree or die. Before the soldier could answer him, the office door burst open and a weepy and fuming Helmeppo ran in.

"Daddy, there is someone I want you to slaughter and I want it done NOW!"

*Flashback*

Two children are competing against each other using only Kendo sticks. One is a girl with short dark blue hair and dark brown eyes using the traditional one sword style. The other is a young version of Zoro using two Kendo sticks. The girl struck Zoro with a powerful slash sending both of his kendo sticks flying and knocking Zoro to the ground ending the duel.

"You're weak, Zoro. nothing ever changes," said the girl smirking in victory.

*End Flashback*

Zoro gasped himself awake and took a deep breath because it had only been a dream, a remnant of his past. He glanced around the empty plaza, relieved to see that no one was around there to give him his afternoon beating. Then he began to sulk because of the over-bearing heat burning down on him, with no sign of ending and the lack of food was not helping his already failing body.

'I can't die here…I made a promise to her! I can't afford to die in place like this,' he grunted in irritation, when he spotted a shadow on the ground he glanced up to see the same black hair girl from earlier.

"Ugh, you again? Don't you have better things to do than hang around here," Zoro asked annoyed

"I'll help you escape if you promise to join my Crew," said Luffy crossing her arms over her chest

"Your WHAT?!"

"I'm running a Pirate Crew and I'm looking for people to join up." As Luffy said that Zoro let out a snort. That had to be the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.

"No way. I'd never stoop so low as to join a Pirate Crew. Especially if it's run by a female captain. Screw that." After he said it he felt a sudden rush of guilt that he couldn't quite place as Luffy frowned and placed both her hands on her slim hips.

"And what's wrong with being a Pirate, huh?"

"They're all low life criminals and why in the seven hells would I want to join your Crew?!"

"Uh c'mon!" She whined. "Everyone already thinks that you're some vicious criminal who is only out for blood."

"People can say whatever they want about me but…I've never done a single thing in my life that I regret." Then he smirked and continued.

"I'll make through this challenge and then I'll accomplish what I want."

"Yeah, that great but…I've already decided that you are going to join my crew~" she singsonged, the bright smile returning to her face.

"WHAT? YOU CAN'T DO THAT!"

"I also heard you're one of the best Swordsmen in the East Blue."

"Well…I am, but that idiot Captain's son took my swords away." He muttered this last part under his breath. He hated when he showed weakness, especially in front of this girl.

"I guess I'll just have to get it back for you."

"What?!" He was stunned that this girl would do that for him but then Luffy's eyes twinkled with mischief and she continued.

"But if you want your sword back, you'll just have to join my Crew."

"NOW YOU'RE REALLY STARTING TO PISS ME OFF!" He never would've guessed that this young girl could be so…so wicked. Luffy giggled and turned to run in the direction of the Base.

'She really is going to bust in' but he quickly realized that the girl had started running the wrong way.

"Hey, genius! You're going the wrong way." Luffy froze mid-step and made an "oops" sound. Zoro sighed in exasperation before glancing back up to see her suddenly stretch her arms forward hands gripping onto the top of the wall, over 20 feet away. Suddenly she was gone, arms pulling her forward at an incredible speed and launching her up and into the air. Zoro gaped after the flying girl, mind trying to process what had just happened in front of him.

"Did she…stretch?…what the hell is this chick!"

Meanwhile, at the top of the marine base, Captain Morgan had ordered his men to lift a gigantic statue of himself onto the roof of the central tower as a final touch to demonstrate his power.

"Well, Dad? Aren't you going to do something about this? That bitch just hit me in public. You've never hit me before, why should she be able to?" Helmeppo stood near his father, whining and demanding like a spoiled child who hadn't gotten his way.

"Do you have any remote idea why I never hit you?…well?!" Morgan asked his son, the words almost a hiss as he glanced to the side to glare at the blonde boy.

"Uuhhh…is it because you love me, Dad?" Helmeppo replied in a whisper.

"…No. It's because," Without waning Morgan turned on the ball of his foot and slammed his fist into Helmeppo's face, sending his son flying into the wall. Helmeppo groaned as he sank to the ground, this hit was much worse than how the girl had struck him earlier.

"Because you're a stupid fool who is not worth hitting," He brought out his right arm from behinf his back, showing that in place of his arm, was a large ax, the handle of which seemed to go straight through to his elbow. Then he used the tip of his ax to lift Helmeppo off of the ground.

"I don't want you to get the wrong idea. The only great one around here is the man you call your Father." Then he tossed his son onto the ground with a "thud".

"Which reminds me…I heard a rat snuck into the crucifixion yard?"

"Uh yes, that right. The little girl, but I already dealt with her." Helmeppo commented, waving his hand dismissively.

"I hope that means kill." All of the marines on the roof, and even Helmeppo were shocked to hear this cold-hearted statement from their leader; suggesting that they kill a child.

"Wha… what, no?! I didn't kill her, she's just a kid," said Helmeppo. Helmeppo may be a rotten, stupid, spoiled kid but he wasn't a murderer. Morgan gave his son a disappointed look before he turned to his lieutenant and said."You! Go find this girl and kill her."

"Sir, you can't be serious! She's just a little girl, sir."

"I don't care if she's a child or not, when I give you an order soldier, I expect you to follow it. Now go to town, find her, and kill her."

"No sir, I won't do it," the Lieutenant mustered his courage and stood tall, staring down Morgan to show that he wouldn't do such a terrible thing. Morgan glared darkly at the man who dared to defy him and without warning struck down the lieutenant using his ax hand leaving him to fall to the ground dead. Helmeppo was petrified to see that his Father had just killed one of his own men.

"YOU… YOU KILLED HIM!"

"My strength is what I used to rise to the rank of Captain. Listen carefully, in this world what matters the most is strength. Which means being the Captain of this Base and the highest ranking officer, I'm the most superior person as far as I can see. I do everything right, am I correct men?"

"SIR, YES SIR!" all the Marines saluted their Captain with a new found fear for the larger man.

"Let's put killing the of this girl on hold…for now and behold the greatest symbol of my unending authority." Morgan stared at the rising statue with satisfaction. Once it was in place it would grant him more power and respect throughout the town and then the world.

"It took years to complete it and now here it is. Now men! STAND IT UP, DISPLAY MY GREATNESS FOR ALL TO SEE!" Once that was said his men proceed to heave the heavy statue of Captain Morgan with slow and even pulls.

Meanwhile, Luffy had been running around everywhere, searching for that stupid kid Helmeppo for quite sometime now and there was still no sign of him anywhere. Not to mention, she hadn't seen a single marine the entire time.

"Huh, I wonder where everyone went off to?" She stopped and tilted her head, confused at the lack of people and was able to hear a faint shouting coming from the top of the large central tower. "Maybe there?" She glanced up to the top and took two steps back before launching her arms up and propelling herself up the tower with a shouted, "Gum-Gum Rocket!"

As the men heaved the statue up the side of the base one of the men was unfortunate enough to slip and accidentally scratch the statue's hand on a light post. The Marine tried to apologize profusely to Captain Morgan countless times but the Captain wasn't hearing any of that. He raised his ax-hand, ready to strike down the marine for committing 'treason' but stopped when he saw a large object suddenly fly up past the tower. It looked almost like a large bird but upon inspection he saw that it was actually a... GIRL?!

"What is that?!" one of the Marine yelled in surprise as Luffy shot past them.

"Ahh! Too high! Too high!" She screamed stretching an arm to grab onto one of the ropes holding up the statue. She used the rope to pull herself to safety, landing easily on the roof but upsetting the balance of the marines trying to lift the statue. They tried to correct the sudden change in weight and balance but it was already too late. The force of the statue caused it to hit the edge of the roof and crack in half, sending the top part down into the back training yard, hitting the ground and shattering into a million pieces.

Everyone gawked at the young girl casually dusting herself off, gazes shifting between her, the bottom half of the statue, and Captain Morgan. They were shocked to see that the Captain's custom statue had been completely ruined by one scrawny little girl. Luffy laughed nervously as she noticed the mess she has made.

"Hehehe, sorry…about that." She scratched the back of her head embarrassed as she tried to apologize but Morgan was too angry to hear her measly excuses.

"SEIZE HER AND HOLD HER DOWN SO I CAN KILL HER MYSELF!"

"SIR, YES SIR!"

"THAT'S HER DADDY! SHE'S THE BITCH WHO HIT ME!"

"Hey, there you are! I've been looking everywhere for you." When Helmeppo saw the girl come running towards him he shrieked in terror and tried to back away but Luffy had already caught him and in a choke hold and started to drag him towards the roof entrance.

"DO NOT LET THAT GIRL ESCAPE!" Morgan yelled at his men as they began to chase after the small girl. One of his men yelled that he had spotted someone in the crucifixion yard. He looked down to see a little boy running toward the strung-up Pirate Hunter.

"I'm surrounded by traitors".

Luffy had been dragging Helmeppo through the halls of the large facility, trying to get the location of Zoro's sword out of him and she was starting to get impatient.

"Okay, so tell me where Zoro's sword is right now!"

"ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT, I'LL TELL YOU 'AH' STOP DRAGGING ME ACROSS THE CARPET!" Poor Helmeppo's butt was burned to the limit where he probably would never feel it again. Luffy slid to a stop and grasped the front of his shirt, staring at the whiny blonde.

"Fine, which way?"

"In my room. We just passed it, behind you on the left."

"What?! Why didn't you say so in the first place?" She sighed in annoyance. "Now we have to go all the way back.". She turned back to notice three marines blocking her path.

"STOP! don't move and let Helmeppo go." The leader of the three shouted as they all pointed their guns at her.

"No way but…you can try shoot me if you want," as she said that she put Helmeppo in front of her as a shield.

"AAAHHHHHHHH! DON'T SHOOT! DON'T SHOOT!" When Helmeppo screamed like a maiden in distress, Luffy took the opportunity to run passed the Marines and into Helmeppo's room.

At the crucifixion platform, Coby was trying to help Luffy out by unbinding the ropes holding Zoro to the post so he could escape out of town. That would hopefully get Luffy out of the line of fire, at least.

"You have to get out of here, Zoro, and fast," Coby said, fingers dancing over the small knots.

"That manic is going to kill you for what you're doing right now."

"No, I can't just leave you here. I can't stand the way the marines are behaving anymore, a true marine should be honorable!" Coby was really upset to see the way the marines had been acting. Fraidy-cats that couldn't do anything to stop the tyrant that was Captain Morgan. They were supposed to be brave.

"Look kid, I can't leave. I got ten days left and then I…"

"Well not quite." Coby cut in. "They're going to execute you tomorrow."

"…What?!"

"Helmeppo never intended to honor your agreement, he planned on killing you from the start. This made Luffy really angry, so she knocked him out for you."

"She…did that…for me?" He felt an overwhelming sense of warmth and gratefulness for Luffy's actions.

"Now the Marines are mad and are dead serious on catching her. I'm not asking you to become a pirate or anything like that but I hope you'll help her because you have a lot of strength you can offer." Zoro didn't know what to say, his mind was on overdrive. If Helmeppo killed him it would break his promise and that annoying girl, Luffy, was risking her life to help him, a stranger she barely knew. Then he heard Coby continue with his rant.

"Luffy is the only one who can save you from your execution…and of course you're the only one who can save her from a very similar fate." As soon as the last words left Coby's mouth Zoro knew what he had to do.

"End of the line!" Both Zoro and Coby turned their heads and gasped in surprise at the line of marines, led by Captain Morgan, who were aiming their weapons at the two teens.

"For the crime of treason against me, I sentence you both to die where you stand!"

Luffy had finally found Helmeppo's room. She stared around the pink, frilly room, covered in girly fashions and sighed. "Yup, this is definitely your room." She dropped Helmeppo onto the dark red carpet and quickly scanned the room to find Zoro's sword. She quickly spotted 3 swords resting against the small bookshelf, two black scabbards and one white.

"What the, there are three of them?! Hey weirdo, which one of these is Zoro's?" She stretched her arm to grab at Helmeppo's shirt but quickly noticed that he was out cold. She shrugged in resignation and dropped Helmeppo back onto the ground before walking towards the bookshelf to grab the three swords. As she passed by the window she glanced outside to see that both Zoro and Coby were surrounded by marines. She quickly opened it, prepared to jump to their rescue when she heard Morgan speak.

"I've seen you pull some interesting moves around here. Is this some kind of poor attempt at overthrowing me. Did you plan this with that straw-hat girl?" Morgan growled.

"Tsk, I always fight alone like a real man. Not like a coward who hides himself behind walls of expendable cronies."

"HAHA!" Morgan let out a loud laugh at that. "Roronoa Zoro, don't you dare underestimate me. You may be a strong Swordsman but under my rule you're nothing but a rat that need to be exterminated. TAKE AIM, MEN!" Morgan's men took their positions waiting for their Captain's order to fire and Zoro could do nothing but stand there and face down death.

Up in the bedroom, Luffy gasped and quickly strapped the three swords to her back before grabbing the window sill and stepping back, stretching herself like a slingshot. "Gum-Gum... ROCKET!" She screamed, launching herself out the window and towards the plaza where her nakama and friend were in trouble.

"FIRE!"

Luffy landed on the ground between Zoro and the marines with a thud. The guns had already been fired and were now aiming right at Luffy.

"LUFFY! NOOOOO!" Coby screamed.

"LUFFY!" then Zoro yelled too.

"STRAW HAT!"

Luffy quickly stood and spread out her arms, making herself as wide of a target as she possibly could. As the bullets struck her back, they sank into her skin, stretching it forward and out, the bullets continuing to follow their trajectory as if she wasn't even there. After a second the skin covered bullets slowed to a stop and froze, before ricocheting back through her body and into the marines who had fired them. Everyone was rendered speechless by the girl who had suddenly appeared from the sky and reflected their own bullets back at them. Luffy began to laugh, the sound loud and joyous.

"That…won't work on me, because I'm strong!" while the Marines and Captain Morgan stared at her in shock, Coby is just relived that Luffy made it in time. Zoro stared at her in astonishment, wondering for the millionth time what was wrong with this girl.

"What the…Just who the hell are you?" Luffy turned her head towards Zoro and gave him her signature Monkey D. grin.

"My name is Monkey D. Luffyko and I'm gonna be Queen of the Pirates!"

To be continued next chapter. Woohoo, this is a lot of fun. I spent so long rewriting and combining stories (originally just for myself) and it's nice to share it with other people. My love and thanks to One Piece fanfic authors for creating stories for me to read. I hope to one day be as good as some of you.

I plan on posting the first chapter of one of my own stories in the next day or so so look forward to that.

HUGE thanks to all who Story alerted this or favorited it. You all are the reason I am posting this!

Til tomorrow!