Thank you all so much for your patience. I know that it has been longer than a week since I last posted. I swear I rewrote this chapter almost 3 times before I was finally happy with it. I wanted it to be absolutely perfect and I am now pretty satisfied with it. A lot of what happens I did not intend to write originally and it just ended up flowing out the longer I typed. I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it! I tried to keep them as in character as I could. Let me know if Luffy or Zoro sound a little too OOC but I think I did ok with it.
Thank you so much for all of the fantastic reviews! You guys make my day with every single one. Plus, they convince me to write faster.
A big thanks to Shirani-Chan, Rina, Vampchick2010, ZoLuFanGirl98, jadecraze, Galymed, and VampireFreak4Eterity. You guys are my regular reviewers and I love you all so much.
Shirani-Chan: I demand longer reviews. Lol, j/k. Thanks so much for your continued support as you have been here from the beginning and been a big support for me.
This chapter was completely written by me. From here on out the writing will be all my own. If I add an idea or a bit of a conversation from another ZoLu or Fem!Luffy story I will be placing a note at the beginning of the chapter with what I borrowed and the name of the author.
Without further ado, I know you guys have been waiting for this so enjoy!
One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda!
Realizations, Arguments, and Zoro's past
It was another calm day, something that Nami was getting used to seeing during her time with the Straw Hat pirates. The sun had crested the horizon and was shining brightly across the sea as waves crashed lightly against the side of the ship and there was not a cloud in sight. The orangette stretched her arms above her head with a yawn as she left the storage room, blinking her eyes against the bright blue sky. After their party last night to celebrate Usopp's joining, the navigator had claimed the captain's quarters at the rear of the ship as her, and Luffy's, bedroom. She had insisted that they have separate quarters now that they had an actual ship and, surprisingly, Zoro had agreed with her. Even though he had gotten used to waking up with Luffy using him as a makeshift pillow, these past two days had shaken him slightly. He craved contact with her, even more than he used to, and actually had to keep himself from pulling her into a hug every time the raven-haired girl said something silly or gave him a cute look. Because of these growing feelings and urges, Zoro wasn't sure how smart it was to have the object of his confusion sleeping in the same bed -hammock/whatever they had- as him anymore. Luffy had pouted slightly at that, trying to argue against it. She thought that the hammock room was cooler than the small girly bedroom at the back and didn't particularly like being told that she would be confined to it at night. The straw-hat girl had eventually given up arguing with the navigator and had proceeded to ignore both Zoro and Nami in retribution. Instead she sat and talked with Usopp, pretending as if she didn't hear the other two. It was a childish thing to do, Nami had thought, and the orangette had just rolled her eyes at the younger girl's antics. Zoro on the other hand had not taken kindly to being ignored by his captain, especially when she was ignoring him for Usopp of all people, and the swordsman had spent the rest of the evening with a scowl on his face and a constant glare directed at the long-nosed teen. Usopp had quickly felt Zoro's glare and had quickly drank himself into oblivion, as Nami just watched the swordsman's obvious jealousy fester. Honestly, the two of them were such high maintenance.
'Speaking of,' Nami grinned, pulling herself out of her thoughts when she noticed Usopp sitting gingerly on the stairs that led to the bow of the ship, his head in his hands.
"Drink too much?" The orangette chuckled, crossing her arms over her chest as she watched the other teen let out a soft groan of acknowledgment. Usopp's face was pale and he looked absolutely sick as he absently rubbed at his temples in an effort to dull the pounding in his head.
'Stupid, angry, scary swordsman.'
Nami sighed, taking pity on the sniper and lowered her voice as she continued. "Luffy's enthusiasm is probably not helping it either, right?"
Usopp glanced up at Nami from between his fingers with a frown on his face, wincing when another throb shot through his head. "Luffy's not up yet... thank god." The sniper wasn't sure that he could handle the raven-haired girl's energy at the moment, although he could always hope that she was hung-over as well. After all, she had drank almost as much as Zoro and that was saying something. That man drank sake like water and was twice as big as Luffy so the tiny captain was almost certainly as bad off as Usopp, if not worse.
Nami just frowned at Usopp's words, glancing around the deck in an attempt to spot the raven-haired girl, not quite believing the long-nosed teen's words. Luffy often slept in late but...
"She wasn't in the bedroom when I woke up though. So where..."
Her gaze turned back to Usopp as she slowly began to fit the pieces together, fighting the urge to bang her head against a wall, and the long-nosed teen just gave her a raised eyebrow and a 'are you really that surprised' kind of look. No, no she really wasn't.
'I wonder how Zoro will take this after being so adamant about her sleeping in another room last night. Not that I don't get why he wanted Luffy away from him, at least for a bit, but-...'
"I seriously do not envy that man." Nami sighed, finally voicing her thoughts as she dropped her head into her hand and shook it slightly. This morning was probably going to turn out to be kind of interesting.
Zoro couldn't remember the last time he had that much to drink, it had probably been back when he still traveled with Johnny and Yosaku, but he was still proud to say that his tolerance for alcohol had not dimmed in the least. Zoro's chest clenched in frustration, bringing him slowly back to consciousness, as he remembered his reason for drinking so much in the first place. Not that the alcohol hadn't been good, but he had been so annoyed with Luffy that he just kept downing bottle after bottle in an effort to banish the swirling thoughts that her actions were causing. She had been acting so childish last night but for some reason, he had been angrier with the sniper talking to her than with the girl herself.
The swordsman groaned slightly, banishing those thoughts, as light shone through the hatch that led up to the deck, waking him more from what had been a particularly good rest. Since he had escaped from the Shells Town base with Luffy, he had been either sleeping at the bottom of a small boat or on the ground. It was nice to sleep on something soft for once, even if it was a couch.
'Speaking of soft...' Zoro cracked his eyes open slowly as he felt the warm lump pressed into his side wiggle slightly, mind fighting through the haze of sleepiness.
"Zoro..."
"Shh... Lu..." He absently soothed the girl's small whine as his eyes slipped closed again, pulling the small girl closer to him in an effort to make himself more comfortable. He took a deep breath as his face settled into her hair, relaxing at the familiar scent of wild orchids and a soft sea salt breeze that was uniquely Luffy. His mind began to drift off again, content, the familiar sleeping arrangements convincing him to relax and slip back into blissful sleep. There was almost a minute of calm relaxation, the swordsman mere seconds from sleep, before his eyes suddenly snapped open and focused on the raven-haired mop snuggled against his collarbone.
"Gah!" With a shout that roused Luffy from her comfortable place on her first mate's chest, Zoro flailed backwards, shoving the girl off of the couch and onto the wooden floor and causing her to let out a grunt of pain as she slammed into the small coffee table in the center of the room.
From up on deck, both Nami and Usopp heard the cry and subsequent crash and turned their gazes towards the hold before both sighed heavily.
"I think he's awake now," Nami muttered, shaking her head softly. Her eyes watched the hatch to the hold with an almost pitying expression.
Usopp didn't say anything back, just nodded, a sympathetic look on his own face.
Nami sighed as she rolled up one of the charts that Merry had given her, sliding it carefully back into its holding tube before setting it to the side and glancing around the deck. It had been eerily quiet since Zoro and Luffy had woken up, the little argument they had gotten into notwithstanding.
Flashback
"Dammit Luffy! What the hell were you doing?!" Zoro growled, climbing out of the hold and stomping across the deck, the loud movement making Usopp hold his head in pain as each step caused his temples to throb. Seriously, were none of them hung-over like he was, how was that possible? They were monsters, that had to be it.
"I was sleeping," Luffy replied, tilting her head curiously as she rested her arms on the edge of the hold, not climbing fully out onto the deck. She didn't seem to understand Zoro's question fully and looked at her first mate, concerned."Did Zoro have a nightmare? Is that why he yelled?" She asked.
She pouted, moving one hand to rub at the back of her head, wincing when her fingers hit the forming bruise on her skull. "I hit the stupid table thing."
Zoro turned to face the raven-haired girl at her mumble and made a small half movement towards her when he saw her wince. It was almost ingrained now, the need to make sure that she was ok, to protect her, and his hands twitched at his sides. He wanted to run his fingers through her hair and check the injury for himself but his eyes caught sight the bandages still wrapped on her upper arms and he forced himself to stand still. Zoro shook his head in an attempt to bring himself back to the matter at hand.
"No Luffy. I didn't have a nightmare," The swordsman sighed. "Why weren't you sleeping in your room? We talked about this last night! Now that we have a ship, you and Nami have your own room." He was exasperated, having not planned on waking up so suddenly or in such a situation. But really, Zoro knew he should have expected something like this. Luffy hardly ever listened to him on a regular basis, why did he think she would listen to something when she didn't want to do it in the first place?
"No!" Luffy pointed a finger at the swordsman, her eyes narrowing with anger. "You guys talked about it. As Captain, I chose to ignore you." Her voice was sharp and both Usopp and Nami flinched slightly away from the normally bubbly captain, not used to seeing this side of her. Zoro just stood his ground, knowing that Luffy wasn't mad, after all, he knew his captain best. That tone of voice and the expression on her face, he knew that his captain was more hurt than angry. He scratched the back of his head in annoyance, feeling himself start to cave. He just couldn't stay mad at her for too long and it was making him angry at himself.
"I can sleep wherever I want. It's my ship and I like sleeping with Zoro!" Luffy continued, nodding, the movement having a sense of finality to it, as if there would be no more debate and the raven-haired girl's word was law.
Zoro's teeth ground together even as a blush spread across his face at Luffy's words. He didn't know why he was arguing this so heavily, why having Luffy so near him was such a bad thing. Why couldn't they go back a week to the time when having Luffy use him for a pillow, without all these messy and confusing feelings getting in the way. Damn those Nyaban brothers for changing everything. He had been happy with the way things were when it was just Luffy and him. Zoro watched as Luffy finally climbed out of the hold and shut the hatch carefully behind her before moving to stand in front of Zoro with her arms crossed. She watched her swordsman with a look that practically screamed, 'I dare you to argue with me.'
The green-haired swordsman felt like screaming and hitting a wall at that look. He was supposed to be angry with her, annoyed that she was continuing to win such a petty argument, but all Zoro could feel was an urge to pinch her cheek and force her frown into a grin, distract her. He wanted to grab the straw-hat girl, throw her over his shoulder, and start a game of tag or something. Anything to break the argument without him having to outright lose to the tiny pirate captain. His anger with himself grew as he felt Luffy slip more under his skin and he growled. Stupid, childish, beautiful, obnoxious girl.
But Zoro refused to give up. He was the famous Pirate Hunter of the East Blue, damn it. Regardless of the fact that Luffy was his captain, he would not back down against a girl that was half his size, his pride wouldn't let him. Luffy opened her mouth to keep speaking and Zoro knew that he would crumble under her next words so he quickly cut her off and said the first thing that came to his mind.
"Well, I don't want you to sleep near me. I don't want you in my room so SLEEP IN YOUR OWN DAMN BED!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Zoro regretted them. He had never been one for words, had never been good at getting his feelings across, and to speak without thinking was ten times worse. He hadn't meant to yell at Luffy, hell the words that came out of his mouth weren't even true, but she just frustrated him so much sometimes. He couldn't think straight around her and it confused him more than anything. Zoro had spent his life training to be the best and to have something render him so completely insecure and almost helpless without even giving him the chance to fight back angered him immensely.
Luffy's expression faltered, her arms dropping to her sides as her whole body just seemed to deflate at his words. Her eyes were shiny, as if she was about to cry, and she watched Zoro with a sad and somewhat hurt look on her face. After a few seconds of silence, she took a deep breath and nodded jerkily.
"O-ok. Sorry, Zoro. I didn't mean... we've just been... Sorry."
Without another word, the straw-hat captain turned and made her way past where Usopp and Nami were watching the argument with shocked expressions on their faces. Neither could believe what had just happened. That Zoro, ZORO, had just yelled at Luffy and told her to stay away from him. Nami's gaze was almost horrified as she stared at the green-haired swordsman, seeing a similar expression mirrored on his face. Usopp had turned to watch as Luffy passed and was following the girl with his eyes as she walked slowly towards the front of the ship before silently and a little unsteadily pulling herself up and onto the ram figurehead when she got near enough.
Zoro's eyes were glued onto Luffy's retreating frame, watching her move further and further away from him. His mouth was hanging open and his eyes were wide as if he couldn't believe what had just come out of his own mouth.
Usopp had started swinging his head between Luffy's slumped back and Zoro's shocked face, unable to keep his eyes on just one person and stubbornly ignoring the pain that throbbed in his head as he did. Even after just knowing them for a few days, Usopp could easily see the relationship that the captain and first mate had. It was one of those obvious things that was almost straight out of one of Kaya's romance novels. To see the swordsman, the man who had reacted so harshly to Buchi just holding Luffy, yell at her himself in such a harsh way... The sniper couldn't believe it, and he wasn't the only one.
Nami's horrified expression had melted away into a furious glare and she stormed towards Zoro, unable to believe what he had just done. The orangette punched his arm as hard as she could before smacking him upside the head multiple times. "You stupid, idiotic, moron!" She hissed, keeping her voice down so that Luffy couldn't hear her. She knew that the raven-haired girl would just defend Zoro, no matter what he had done. Luffy never could stay angry with someone for too long and Nami needed to smack some sense into the green-haired swordsman.
"What the hell was that?! Did you see her face? How could you do that to Luffy?! Why would you even think that after everything you two have been together? Were you even thinking?!" With every word the navigator spoke, Zoro's serious and almost destroyed expression deepened until he could no longer look the orangette in the eyes. His gaze slid to the side and passed over Luffy, his heart thudding painfully against his ribs at the sight of her looking so sad, before he closed his eyes in defeat. Nami just shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation as she watched Zoro struggle.
"You two have been sleeping together, in the same 'bed', since you started sailing together," Nami began, causing Zoro's ears to turn a little pink at her wording but the swordsman still refused to look at her. "I mean, this is Luffy we're talking about! Dammit, you know how childish and naïve she can be at times! Do you really think that she understands the reason that we want separate rooms? Sleeping is just sleeping to her, you know that!" The navigator shook her head in exasperation. "She probably thinks that you hate her or something like that now, so nice going."
Zoro flinched slightly at that, the idea of Luffy thinking that he hated her caused a lump to form in his throat. Nami noticed the swordsman's discomfort and quickly drove her point home. "So, Mr. 'Pirate Hunter', you need to get whatever has gotten you so worked up under control and apologize to Luffy. I don't care what is going through your idiotic seaweed brain but don't you dare take it out on her." Nami stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest, glancing back at Luffy and then up at the sun before turning back to Zoro. "And you better do it by lunchtime or I will personally throw you overboard." The last statement was said with a snarl because Nami was starting to get a little protective of the raven-haired girl. The longer she hung around Luffy and the more time she spent with the girl, the more she thought of the goofy kid as a younger sister that needed protecting and the orangette wouldn't hesitate to put the girl's moron-of-a-first-mate in his place if he did anything to hurt her.
Zoro just glared at the orangette, finally able to look her in the eye again, and started muttering under his breath about being ordered around by annoying women. Eventually he sighed and turned away from Nami's accusing glare, making his way towards the back of the ship, the complete opposite direction of Luffy. Nami was about to yell at him again but stopped when she saw him shoot one last sad look at his captain's hunched frame before the swordsman scratched his head, sighed, and disappeared behind the galley, presumably to think.
End Flashback
Nami sighed as she pulled herself out of her memories and glanced up at the sky, taking in the sight of the sun almost directly above her. It was almost midday now and Zoro still hadn't budged from his place on the roof of the galley. He was lying down, using his arms as pillows for his head, his swords placed a few feet away from him. Nami would have thought that he was sleeping if it wasn't for the constant flicker of his eyelids and the occasional tensing of his arms, that indicated that the swordsman was definitely awake. The navigator had no idea what was running through the moss-headed idiot's brain or what he was thinking about so hard, but she hoped that he would hurry up. Her eyes moved to Luffy, who was still sitting at the bow of the ship, the raven-haired girl's shoulders slumped forward and her head downcast. She looked completely put out, even worse than when Buggy had ripped her hat, and it saddened Nami.
'Men,' The orangette thought, shaking her head as she stood up and made her way towards the galley door. She would never understand them. Nami stopped just before she entered the room and glared up at the roof, willing herself to see Zoro past the wood that blocked her view. 'And I'll be charging Zoro double for his meal today, regardless of if he apologizes to Luffy.'
Zoro sighed and slowly opened his eyes as he felt the navigator's glare drill into him. He knew how badly he had screwed up, Luffy's crushed expression that was branded into his mind was proof enough. Hell, they shouldn't have been arguing in the first place. It was stupid and petty and as much as Zoro hated to admit it, Nami had been right. He was just taking his anger out on Luffy and that was something that he never wanted to do, something that he never thought that he would do. He just... he couldn't get the image of Luffy unconscious in Buchi's hold out of his mind. The way his chest had tightened and his anger had flared at the sight. The hot jealousy and disgust that shot through his veins at the sight of the man pawing at his captain, his Luffy, like he owned her. She was his. He had made that point clear when he fought Cabaji, and-...
'Shit.'
Zoro paled slightly at the direction his thoughts had turned. He remembered boys from the dojo talking about girls they had crushes on and the anger they felt when the girl would talk to other boys. At the time, Zoro had thought all of that stuff was stupid. To let yourself get worked up by something like that was just dumb in his mind and he had made his opinion clear, which ended up resulting in a lot of fights against boys that were older than him. It had been good practice for Zoro.
But now... Hell, he still thought it was stupid to let yourself get worked up like that, and here he was doing the exact same thing. He didn't have time for crap like that. All that he needed to focus on was getting strong enough to be the greatest swordsman in the whole world, strong enough to beat 'Hawk Eyes' Mihawk.
Zoro let out a groan and smacked his head lightly against the wood beneath him when Luffy's smiling face flashed through his mind. He just needed to beat Mihawk, that was it, so why was it that when he thought of his dream, his goal, the little straw-hat wearing she-pirate came to mind?
"The World's Greatest Swordsman sounds good to me. The Queen of the Pirates wouldn't have anything less than the best on her crew."
That bright smile she had given him when he had told her of his dream. There was no disbelief, no judgment in her gaze. Her immediate faith in him was what had first caused Zoro to think that there was more to the grinning raven-haired girl than he had originally thought. The longer he traveled with her, the more she surprised him, encouraged him, inspired him; the more he came to rely on the tiny girl with the bright smile. Now, in his head, he couldn't see himself without her. His goal was no longer separate from hers. Zoro knew that he wouldn't be the World's Greatest Swordsman if Luffy wasn't standing beside him as the Queen of the Pirates, it was as simple as that.
Zoro chuckled softly to himself as images of Luffy's pouting face flashed through his mind. The time when Buggy had claimed that he would be the Pirate King and Luffy was forced to correct him. The pout that the clown man's statement had caused and the shocked looks she left behind when she told him how it was really going to be. After all, Luffy would be the Queen of the Pirates if Zoro had anything to say about it. He loved the silly look she got on her face, the genuine confusion in her gaze when people couldn't seem to understand her motive for things. He had never had any trouble understanding her and her smile had always brightened when she realized that he knew her plan without her having to say it. Zoro cherished that smile and ruffled her hair or even praised her just to see it grow even brighter. He loved... her,he loved Luffy andevery silly sentence, every confused expression, every stupid idea she ever had
Zoro honestly couldn't pinpoint the moment when that had happened, when Luffy's happiness and well-being had become so important to him. He wasn't stupid like those teenagers at the dojo that he had fought with all those years ago. He didn't believe in love at first sight or anything like that, but he honestly couldn't remember when seeing her smile had become one of the best parts of his day. Zoro quickly tried to think back, flipping through every memory he had of them in an effort to try and figure it out. He remembered the worry, relief, and exasperation he had felt upon seeing her in Buggy's cage. Even back then she had been important to him. The idea of leaving her, it was unthinkable in his mind, and he had felt his chest clench in worry when she first told him to run. He had to assume it was before that then. Maybe during the time they were sailing together, that time when she fell off of the boat? But Zoro remembered being slightly worried about her even back when they were fighting Captain Morgan so...
The swordsman scratched his head in annoyance and forced himself into a sitting position before shaking his head slightly. What did it matter when he had fallen in love with her? It wasn't like knowing the exact moment would change anything. He knew he did love her now and had absolutely no idea what to do with it. His gaze drifted to the bow of the ship, eyes filling with regret at the sight of Luffy still sitting there. She hadn't budged from that spot going on three hours now and it just wasn't like her. She was always moving, always exploring everything around her and often fell overboard on their tiny boat because of it. Her enthusiasm and excitement was just a part of who she was. Now though...
'Shit.' Zoro let out a slight groan, the hand in his hair moving to cover his eyes. What was he supposed to do? To say? His thoughts were rushing through his head as he tried to think of some way to apologize. He had never been good with words so how could he explain it to her without...
'I love you, Luffy.'
Zoro shook his head again, squeezing his hands into fists and smacking himself lightly in the forehead with one. Absolutely not. He was not telling her... ever. Luffy wouldn't understand what he meant by it, she would just think that he loved her like any of their crew. Like Nami had said, his captain was naïve. In Zoro's mind it was one of her best qualities, the ability she had to see the simple side of things and the good in people. He didn't want to be the one responsible for taking that away, for changing her, and he knew that love, and what came from it, would change her. Why wouldn't it? He didn't want her to lose that innocence and naivety but, at the same time, he couldn't leave Luffy thinking that he was mad at her. He could never be truly angry with Luffy. Exasperated or annoyed at times, but never angry. So how was he going to do this?
With a resigned sigh, Zoro strapped his swords back to his waist and stood up, stretching cramped muscles for a few seconds, his eyes focused on the bow of the ship. He dropped off the top of the galley and onto the main deck with a little grunt, the noise causing Usopp to turn his head from his fishing spot at the railing. The long-nosed sniper watched as the swordsman began to cautiously make his way towards the front of the ship, an unsure expression on his face as he muttered nonsense under his breath. The sniper wasn't as upset with Zoro as Nami was, understanding at least partially where the other teen had been coming from. It was difficult when you felt like you were backed into a corner, it caused you to say things without thinking about them, and though he had only known his crewmates for a few days, Usopp had already figured out that Zoro did not have a way with words even at the best of times. He was curious as to what the swordsman would say to get back on Luffy's good side, half of him wondering if they were about to hear some kind of love confession.
Nami poked her head out of the kitchen curiously. She had heard Zoro's footsteps above her head and assumed that the swordsman was finally going to bite the bullet. Thankfully, she had just finished making lunch and was able to watch as Zoro approached Luffy cautiously, with nothing to distract her.
'It's about time,' she thought, slightly annoyed at the green-haired teen. Honestly, how long did it take to come to the conclusion that yes, you were in love with a scatterbrained idiot and had been for a while. Nami had noticed Zoro's possessiveness way back when she first met him. The way that his thoughts had been on Luffy's well-being when she was in the cage or the hatred that came to his face when that weird unicycle guy tried to fight her. Obviously, he had been half in love with her even back then. That it took him this long to figure it out himself, and he had help no less, was almost pathetic in her book. Sometimes Zoro could just be so slow. The orangette leaned against the open galley door and just watched as Zoro scratched the back of his neck nervously. Nami wondered what the man was going to say to Luffy. It better be something amazing because it had taken him three and a half hours to come up with it.
Zoro cleared his throat as he rested his arms against the ship's railing next to the figurehead, attempting to look semi-relaxed. From the corner of his eye he saw Luffy unconsciously flinch away from him and it hurt that she was wary of him because he would never do anything to hurt her.
'But you already did hurt her.' He thought to himself sadly.
Shoving those thoughts away, Zoro clasped his hands together and took a deep breath.
"Luffy?" He asked cautiously. When he heard no reply from the she-pirate, he looked away from the ocean to turn fully towards the raven-haired girl and found her watching him, not looking at him completely but trying to look without being noticed. Her gaze was curious but still slightly worried and she was biting her lower lip so hard that Zoro was surprised that it wasn't bleeding yet. Her muscles were tense as if she was waiting for him to start yelling at her again but she refused to let fear show on her face. She was a pirate captain, dammit, and would not look weak in front of Zoro of all people. Zoro just nodded at her and let a faint smile come to his face, attempting to reassure the girl somewhat as he knew what was running through her head.
"Lu... I'm sorry." He let out another sigh, something he seemed to be doing a lot of lately, as he tried to figure out exactly what to say to the young girl. After a few seconds of silence and internal debate he decided to go with the truth, or as much of it as he was willing to share. "I didn't mean to yell at you this morning, Lu. I was just angry, but not at you!" he hurriedly added, seeing Luffy frown slightly at his words. He scratched the back of his head and let out an exasperated huff. "Geez. I mean, I was lying when I said those things about staying away and such, I just-"
Zoro was cut off when two slim hands grabbed onto the front of his shirt, startling him somewhat. His eyes widened as he stared at the hands before following the stretched arms to see Luffy turning to fully face him. With a twitch of her lips, the raven-haired girl let herself be pulled from her spot on Merry's figurehead and towards Zoro. The swordsman let out a grunt as Luffy slammed into him, her arms coming up to wrap around his neck as her momentum caused them to tumble to the ground. He winced when his back hit the wooden deck, the air being forced from his lungs with a wheeze. It took a few seconds for his breath to come back but when it did Zoro forced himself up so that he was resting back against his elbows, one eyebrow raised in confusion as he watched Luffy settle herself in his lap.
The she-pirate eyed her swordsman carefully for a second, both of them silent as they stared, before a smile lit Luffy's face and the she-pirate giggled softly, reassured by the look in Zoro's eyes.
"It's ok, Zoro." Luffy shook her head slightly, her grin softening slightly as she broke eye contact. "You don't need to apologize, I know. I'm sorry too." Zoro sat up fully, a slightly annoyed sigh leaving him as he maneuvered Luffy until she was resting more comfortably in his lap, shaking his head at the girl's words. Seriously, he was trying to apologize and she just forgives him like that and even apologizes herself. He was going to need to have words with her later about being so forgiving and trusting, there was only so far she could go before it just became ridiculous.
Zoro opened his mouth to respond to her but stopped, the words catching in his throat when he stared down at the straw-hat girl, watching her fidget slightly in his lap. She looked almost nervous but Zoro quickly brushed that thought off, Luffy was never nervous, it just wasn't a part of who she was. She refused to make eye contact with him for a few seconds, biting her lip and glancing out at the ocean before she eventually sighed and looked back at her first mate.
"Hey Zoro..." She began, watching him curiously, her words almost hesitant. "You said you lied so... you don't hate me, right? You won't leave?" Luffy's voice grew in volume as she continued, growing more confident as she talked, her eyes darting across his face as if she was trying to see the answer to her questions in his gaze. "Please don't leave Zoro. I promise I won't bug you as much, but I might forget and then I'll apologize, so-"
Zoro chuckled slightly, ruffling Luffy's untidy hair playfully before pulling the rambling girl into a tight hug, cutting off her rambling. "I apologized didn't I?" He asked, grinning slightly, happy that Luffy seemed to be back to her old self. It had been too quiet these past few hours in his opinion, something he would have never thought that he'd say just a few weeks ago. But now, it just didn't feel right to Zoro if he couldn't hear Luffy humming or laughing or even just talking to herself. The she-pirate was brightness and noise and life.
"Besides," Zoro continued, his grin turning teasing as he raised one eyebrow. "I thought the Queen of the Pirates needed the best on her crew. It wouldn't be complete if you didn't have the World's Greatest Swordsman, right?"
Luffy pulled back from the hug with the brightest grin that Zoro had ever seen on her face. She was nodding her head vigorously in agreement.
"Yeah!" She cheered, laughing happily before pulling the green-haired swordsman back in for a hug. Zoro breathed a slight sigh of relief as Luffy began to giggle again. He really hated himself for taking this happiness away from her for even a second and even though he knew he would probably argue with her again, he would do his damnedest not to make her sad. His face began to flush slightly, his ears even turning red, as Luffy started to nuzzle against his collarbone happily and he groaned in resignation. He was set in his resolve to not tell Luffy that he loved her, but because of that it looked like he would have to get used to little displays of affection like this from her. Zoro couldn't help but be a little pleased that she didn't seem to be this affectionate with anyone else even though she was very prone to hugging everyone. As that thought passed his mind he suddenly remembered the other two people on the ship and his eyes moved from the raven-haired girl in his lap to look at the relieved expression on Usopp's face from where the sniper sat on the main deck railing and then to the Nami's smug grin as the navigator watched the two from her place at the galley door. Her grin widened when he made eye contact with her and Zoro just glared at the orangette before retuning his gaze to Luffy. The girl was still latched onto him and he poked her side in an effort to get her attention.
"Oi... Lu? Can you get off me now?"
Lunch had passed uneventfully now that Luffy and Zoro were on better terms. Usopp swore up and down that the fact that Zoro wasn't actively frowning constituted a smile, in fact, in Zoro expressions it was practically a wide grin. Nami had cracked up at the glare that Zoro had sent Usopp and the fact that when Luffy called his name shortly after his whole body seemed to perk up. Honestly, he was being a little obvious. After lunch had been finished and the dishes had been done, everyone had split up to enjoy their free time. Nami was making a new map of Syrup Island and the surrounding sea and Usopp was at the bow of the ship doodling on a piece of black fabric. Luffy had commissioned the sniper to try and make a flag for them since they were now an official crew. In her mind, four people was enough to warrant a Pirate mark and matching flag. Zoro was in the middle of the main deck swinging around a five ton metal hammer in some weird sort of training exercise. When asked where he had gotten the enormous weights Zoro had mumbled something about Kaya asking what he wanted on the ship. Luffy just sat on the stairs to the front of the ship, her elbows resting against her knees and her head pillowed in her hands as she watched Zoro train. There was nothing really for her to do on the ship, having been banned from making the flag after her disastrous first attempt and so she was currently amusing herself by counting her first mate's swings for him.
"2,345... 2,346... 2,347..."
"I finished it!" The shout came from behind Luffy and the girl whipped her head around so that she could watch as Usopp set down his paintbrush, an excited grin coming to her face.
"Let me see, Usopp!" The sniper scrambled to his feet and gave the raven-haired girl a thumbs up and a proud smile, puffing his chest out as he began to gloat. "Behold the wonderful masterpiece that I, Captain Usopp, have made! You have never seen anything as awesome as-..."
"Quit bragging and let's see it," Zoro said, dropping his weights lightly to the ground and rolling his shoulders gratefully. The green-haired teen made his way to the stairs, stepping into place just behind Luffy so he could see over her head. Even Nami had stopped her work to watch, a little curious herself. Usopp just smirked and shook his head at Zoro, as if he was pitying the older man, before he turned and revealed the newly designed pirate flag.
"Behold! My legendary piece of pirate art! Truly a masterpiece!"
Luffy's eyes swept the black piece of cloth, a frown beginning to form on her face as she took in the image. The pirate flag that Usopp had designed had a skull that looked a lot like the long-nosed teen. It was grinning and facing slightly to the side, a green bandana on its head and curly black hair. One long bone was crossed in one direction and in the other was Usopp's green slingshot.
"Who told you to make your own flag?!" Both Luffy and Zoro yelled, the green-haired teen moving to hit Usopp upside the head and the girl reaching forward and pinching his cheek between her fingers.
"OW! Geez, le'go!"
Zoro took a few steps back to get another look at the mark and hissed slightly in exasperation. "A pirate's flag is a symbol of death and terror. That is not even the least bit frightening. Luffy's mark was scarier than that." Zoro stated, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the railing.
"Yeah, hers was terrifying cause of her horrible art skills." Nami added with a chuckle. The straw-hat girl glared at Nami before poking Zoro's side hard in retaliation.
"Ow!"
"No appreciation for talent," Usopp sighed dramatically. "I'll have you know that I have been painting for 50 years."
"That would make you an old man, silly." Luffy giggled, having caught Usopp's lie this time and feeling a little proud of herself.
The sniper just sighed dramatically. "Fine, but what are we going to do about our flag? Any bright ideas?"
"We need a mark that strikes fear into the heart of pirates and marines alike, something scary yet easy to remember," Nami muttered, tapping her chin as she started to think. The others nodded, agreeing with her assessment and all falling silent as they tried to think of something.
"Why don't we do something similar to Luffy's first idea," Zoro finally muttered, glancing up at Usopp. "A pirate skull, crossed bones, and her trademark scar." He poked at said scar as he said it and Luffy smacked his hand away, protesting slightly.
"Don't forget my hat!"
Less than ten minutes later, the flag was finally done. Usopp looked down at his work proudly, a few splotches of yellow paint stuck to his cheek and a satisfied smile on his face. Just like they had decided he had created a somewhat old-fashioned jolly roger with two crossed bones behind the skull. The skull was smiling and Luffy's scar was present under its left eye, the girl's bright yellow straw hat completing the image.
"This is awesome, Usopp!" Luffy cheered, clapping her hands together happily, her eyes sparkling.
"I have to admit, it's not bad," Nami agreed with a nod.
"Yep, this is our mark for sure" said Usopp, proud of his skills.
Nami turned to Zoro and her small smile turned into a smirk. "Wow Zoro. I guess I was wrong about you. It appears you do have a few brain cells left. I guess you're not famous enough to have lost them all yet." Zoro growled at her in warning, about to snap back at the navigator but was interupted when Luffy jumped onto his back, wrapping her legs around his waist and draping her arms over his shoulders.
"Ne, Zoro! Our flag looks so cool! Now we're officially pirates!"
The swordsman turned his head to look at his captain and smirked slightly. "I thought it was official when I joined your crew. That's what you said in Shells Town, right?"
Luffy paused, mouth open, having been in the middle of chanting 'pirates' over and over again. She tilted her head to the side as if she was thinking, a wrinkle coming to her forehead. "Well... yeah." She agreed, pouting. "But now we're Officially Officially Pirates!"
Zoro just chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief before turning back to their other two crewmates.
Nami grinned, slightly relieved to see that the captain and first mate were truly back to how they used to be. It was nice to see their banter and teasing again but Nami could see the slight change in Zoro's eyes. The way that he watched Luffy longer than he used to, the look of concealed joy when she laughed and the hints of love buried in his gaze. She sighed slightly and shook her head. She had hit the nail on the head before, it seemed. Somehow, Nami had known that when Zoro figured out his feelings that he would bury them. Now she would just have to wait and see if Luffy ever noticed the signs. She would probably have to help the girl along a little bit but what were friends for? The blackmail material she would get from their relationship having no factor in her willingness to help, obviously.
"Paint it on the sail, Usopp!" Luffy ordered, sliding off of Zoro's back and running over to tug on the sniper's arm in an attempt to convince him.
"Ok, ok."
Usopp had made another flag to hang above the back sail before moving on to paint the large cream colored main sail. Now that he was done, the Going Merry was finally complete and looked like a true pirate ship, albeit a small one.
Now that they were done, each returned to their own work. Usopp had collapsed next to the mast, exhausted after painting the sail and Nami returned to her maps. Zoro had also returned to his training, leaving Luffy alone and bored which was never a good combination. Seeing the cannon on the back of the ship the girl quickly darted up the steps and past the galley to the aft deck.
'It's too quiet. Where is Luffy?' Usopp cracked one eye open and scanned the main deck, a little worried when he couldn't spot the raven-haired girl. 'That is never a good sign.'
A loud crash followed by a joyful giggle echoed from the back of the ship and Usopp was suddenly wide awake, eyes focused firmly on the trail of smoke coming from the direction of the noise. He wasn't the only one startled either. Zoro had stopped mid-swing and turned towards the noise.
"Luffy! What are you doing?!" Nami shouted, storming up the steps, angry at having her concentration broken.
"I found a cannon!" Came the she-pirate's happy voice and Luffy stepped into sight of the others, her face completely covered with black soot and a bright grin on her face. "I can't quite get it to work though."
Usopp bit his lip to stop from laughing at the ridiculous look on the so-called Pirate Queen's face and, exhaustion forgotten, he scrambled to his feet and started to make his way towards Luffy. "Well, of course you can't!" The sniper scoffed, shaking his head before pointing to himself. "Only the great Captain Usopp can man the complicated machines aboard a ship. Just watch and learn, Luffy!"
Luffy nodded eagerly, excited to see what Usopp could do with a cannon considering his skills with a slingshot and she moved to follow the long-nosed teen to the back of the ship when a hand latched firmly onto the back of her vest.
"Oh no you don't. Go wash your face in the kitchen. You look filthy, Luffy." Nami sighed, shaking her head as she pushed the raven-haired girl towards the galley door, unable to believe the younger girl's simplicity. But really, she should have been used to it by now.
Luffy grumbled slightly but followed her navigator's order at the stern look in the orangette's eyes, sticking out her tongue at the other girl when she was sure Nami's back was turned. From the kitchen, she could hear Usopp mumbling to himself and the loud boom of the cannon and she tried to peek through one of the portholes in an attempt to see what the boy was doing.
"WOOHOO! Bullseye! I am the Great Captain Usopp!"
Luffy giggled at the pride and excitement in her crewmate's voice, quickly drying her face and stepping out of the galley, wanting to give the cannon another shot. She was walking along the upper deck, watching Zoro train as she passed him when something white caught her gaze. Leaning against the side of the main deck, next to the stairs, were Zoro's three swords but Luffy's gaze was stuck on the white one that clearly stood out next to the two plain black swords.
Quietly, trying not to get noticed by Zoro who seemed completely focused on his reps, Luffy snuck down the stairs and sat down on the bottom step next to the swords. She carefully reached over and picked up the white one, holding it delicately in her hands. The sheath itself was beautiful and Luffy could see the care that had gone into making sure it stayed in almost perfect condition. It was definitely in better shape than the other two. One hand settled against the hilt, feeling the worn leather and metal under her fingers, and she moved to slowly draw the sword when a hand clamped over hers, preventing her from moving and holding her firmly.
Luffy winced and glanced up at Zoro, wondering if the swordsman was mad at her again but only saw a thoughtful and almost sad look on his face.
"You need to be careful Luffy," He said quietly. "Swords are not toys."
"I know that." The raven-haired girl pouted cutely at the reprimand, causing Zoro to chuckle slightly. He removed his hand from hers but didn't take the sword away from Luffy, which surprised the girl. Instead, he took a seat next to her, sighing slightly as he caught his breath from the rough workout. Luffy watched him curiously for a few seconds before turning her gaze back to the sword in her hands, absently stroking the sheath with her thumb as she began to speak.
"You really like this sword."
"Huh?" Zoro turned his head to her, watching how carefully she held Wado.
"I can tell. It's the same with my hat. You love this sword, it's your treasure." Her eyes found Zoro again and Luffy smiled happily, removing one hand from Wado to pat the hat on her head for emphasis.
Zoro's gaze dropped to the sword, Kuina's sword, and he sighed. "This sword… it's called the Wadō Ichimonji. It's not mine, but it is a treasure. It's..." His words trailed off and he squeezed his eyes shut as memories began to assault him, things that he tried to bury in the past, that he didn't want to think about now. His face twisted in pain and Luffy felt her chest clench slightly, a frown coming to her face as one hand moved to rest against her heart.
She didn't like seeing Zoro upset, it made her feel sick, and see could almost sense the distress coming from her swordsman. Wanting to comfort him, but not quite sure how, Luffy reached out with the hand not holding Wado and brushed her fingertips lightly against Zoro's cheek and jaw before moving to clutch one of his hands and giving it a reassuring squeeze.
Zoro flinched slightly at the soft touch, the brush of fingertips against his cheek pulling him from his memories and he blinked his eyes open, staring down at the small hand that was resting on top of his own calloused one.
"Zoro..." His eyes darted to Luffy at the sound of his name and the girl squeezed his hand again before continuing, the words coming to her easier now that Zoro's steel colored eyes were focused on her. Luffy knew that she normally wasn't that good at thinking things through, she preferred just to charge headfirst into everything, it was who she was, and so she just let herself ramble, hoping that her words would help erase the sad look from her swordsman's face. "I'm sorry. Whatever happened to you back then, whatever made this sword so important to you, I know it was sad and I'm sorry that you had to go through that."
The girl took a deep breath and nodded, more to herself than to him. She was doing better than she thought she would and she quickly continued the passion in her voice clear. "But Zoro, I know it's painful to talk about the past but I'm here. I want to know more about Zoro and no matter what, I won't ever leave. Promise."
When Luffy finished she smiled, the happiest and most loving smile that she had ever given Zoro. It was the kind that made his heart pound against his chest, the one that always left him feeling warm and calm. He lost himself in Luffy's dark brown eyes, letting all the thoughts wash from his mind. Looking at Luffy, he felt no pain when the memories of Kuina came and it was at that moment that he thought that it would be ok to tell his tiny captain about the promise he had made to his childhood rival.
Zoro smiled softly back at Luffy and ruffled the girl's untidy black hair gently, making up his mind. "Promise," He repeated, nodding back at her, his own heart feeling lighter when her eyes flashed with joy, letting her warmth and happiness wash away his sadness as he began to speak. "That sword... it belonged to a childhood friend of mine. Her name was Kuina."
He slowly began to talk, his words quiet at first but growing stronger the more that he spoke. He told her how he had left his home and challenged the nearby dojo. How he could beat every adult swordsman with ease but was never able to land even a hit on the daughter of the dojo master, on Kuina. Zoro explained the rivalry that they had, the friendship that formed from it, and his desire to one day become stronger than her. His voice broke slightly when he told Luffy of his last duel with Kuina before her death. She had tripped down the stairs. It was a death that she would have been ashamed of, he joked, his lips twitching into a fond smile. Finally, he spoke of the promise that they had made before Kuina's death, that one of them would become the World's Greatest Swordsman. When she died Zoro swore that he would become the best and fulfill not only his dream, but hers as well.
"Sensei… that katana… please give it to me. I will... take her share of training and become even stronger! I'll become so strong that my name will reach the heavens! I'll become the strongest swordsman in the world! we promised... I..."
Zoro remembered begging his master for Kuina's prized katana. It was the last time he had cried, the tears flowing freely down his cheeks when Koshiro had agreed and handed the white blade carefully to Zoro.
"Kuina's soul and dreams... I leave them to you."
Luffy's eyes were back on the white sword in her lap as Zoro finished his story, feeling the sword almost seeming to hum under her fingers. It was as if she could feel it, the dreams of the young girl who had died and left Zoro alone in the world, the hopes and prayers she wished that she could say.
"That's why I must become stronger, why I will not stop until I am the Greatest Swordsman in the World. It was our promise to each other and I will make Kuina's and my dream come to life." Zoro fell silent, watching Luffy as the girl stared down at the sword, at his treasure, with a soft look in her eyes. His own eyes dropped to the Wado Ichimonji, his chest feeling a bit lighter now that he had finally told Luffy his story. The raven-haired girl stayed silent for a bit, just taking in everything that Zoro had told her, feeling the emotion that had been behind every word and the feelings that she could feel echoing from the sword, before a small smile came to her face.
"Then I know yours and Kuina's dream will come true," She said, eyes finding Zoro's and her smile growing bigger with every word that she spoke. "It'll come true because I know that Zoro will be the best and strongest swordsman ever!" Her eyes sparkled with happiness, taking in the shocked and slightly pleased expression on her swordsman's face. Her hands clenched against Wado's hilt as she looked up and watched the clouds that passed above them. "I know that Kuina knows it too. I can feel it in Wado. Her faith in you and her dreams." Luffy's face softened when she spoke the other girl's name, feeling a kinship with the girl that had inspired Zoro so long ago.
'I promise I'll take care of him from now on.' Luffy swore, eyes twinkling when she felt the sword hum in her hands. She eventually looked away from the bright blue sky and found Zoro staring at her, a small half smile on his face. They were both content to stay like that, watching each other silently and enjoying the peaceful moment when a loud noise suddenly echoed from the other side of the main deck. Both jumped slightly and turned to look as a figure leapt over the railing and onto the deck, kicking over and shattering a few empty barrels as he did.
"PIRATES! COME OUT AND FIGHT ME!"
Another chapter down!
I hope you guys enjoyed this. I honestly wasn't planning on having them get into any sort of fight and I just started writing and Bam! I got done with it and thought to myself "Am I really going to do it like this? I was just going to have him sleep on the roof and think while Luffy was playing with Usopp." I feel like this was a more emotional way to do it though and it also gives Luffy a little jolt. In this chapter she has started referring to Zoro as HER swordsman more and will be doing little things like that more often over the next few chapters. It's my way of slowly bringing Luffy around and I have a pretty good idea of when she is going to get the massive jolt that makes her stop and think about why Zoro is so important to her. You never know though, it might end up like this chapter and my original idea will go out the window and I'll just go on a writing craze. Who knows?
Anyway, thanks for listening to my rant guys and I hope you liked the chapter. Please review, you make my day!
Til next chapter!