Tickseed

"Perennial tickseed thrives in the poorest of soil, provided it drains well. With slender stems and bright yellow-orange blossoms, tickseed is a low-maintenance, sun-lover that performs beautifully in mixed beds and borders." (Schiller, Nan. "17 Temperate Flowering Perennials That Will Grow Almost Anywhere", Gardener's Path, 2019)

"Can you untie me now?"

"No."

"What if I have to pee?"

"No."

"Alright, alright... but what if I have to poop?"

She could practically hear the bulging of the vein on the man's forehead. His hands were squeezing the metal of the gun in its holster, tense muscles barely restraining themselves from reacting or reaching out to her.

It was an effect she had so often with men, such as the burly one standing guard outside her room. She just couldn't help it if she was irresistible, she smugly considered.

"The next time you open your mouth, I'll cut out your tongue. Your bounty's worth the same either way."

She harrumphed in response, her lips kept firmly shut. Her arms hung limply above her head where they were tightly bound by rope and shackled to the ceiling. With a roll of her shoulders, she settled against the stone wall at her back with criss-crossed legs.

His loss, she thought. She was nothing if not a wonderful conversationalist, if she did say so herself— and she surely did, seeing as she'd practised with herself enough. At least Luffy seemed to think that she was funny.

Speaking of—

By her approximations, she had been gone for at least three hours. Nami would have been the first to notice her absence, so as long as their captain hadn't found any particularly dramatic shenanigans to get into... or as long as Zoro hadn't run off and gotten lost on his own, therefore needing his own rescue. Either way, her crew would come for her soon.

The air was too foul in the room to take a deep breath. She was surrounded by stone and dry air. Tickseed was budding through the cracks in the ground, eager to burst through the man-made structure to reclaim its territory. The gold of its petals was the only source of colour in the otherwise dreary keeping. She tilted forward, eager to catch a whiff of its pollen.

Boots suddenly echoed down from the hallway, the sound of their pounding against the floor accompanied by disgruntled cursing. She felt herself perk up in her seated position, careful not to strain too hard against her restraints as she leaned forward.

Outside her room, her guard stood to attention and moved to investigate. The muffled cursing continued as it rumbled its way closer to her room. A smile stretched across her face as she recognized the source.

Zoro had come for her!

"Zoro!" She immediately called out, straining forward against her bonds with unrestrained joy and a twinge of pain that she easily ignored. "Hey, Zoro! I'm in here!"

The thunderous boots paused, and then proceeded forward with a seemingly renewed vigor.

"Who are—"

Her guard's body hit the floor before he could get out the words. With a step, Zoro stood in the doorway with his hands on his hips.

"What the hell are you doing?"

She blinked. She blinked again. "Wait, what do you mean? Aren't you here to rescue me?"

Zoro's cheeks began to warm. "What are you doing getting captured anyway?" Zoro grumbled as he approached her with a single sword in hand. "What's the point of you having a Devil Fruit if I'm still always saving your ass regardless?" He swung his sword towards her.

"My leg still hurts. I didn't feel like fighting anyone today," she replied with an unflinching shrug, trusting Zoro not to accidentally decapitate her. His sword sliced through her bonds easily even as he scoffed at her response. Her arms tumbled down to her sides without feeling as they were released, slapping her face on the way down. Her fingers were numb from being held above her head for so long. She could feel Zoro's eyes on her as she shook them out before his hand gripped beneath her armpit and hoisted her unceremoniously to her feet.

"Do you know the way out of here?" He asked, quickly returning his hands to himself at her disdainful look.

She sighed heavily. "So you really are just lost. You only found me by chance."

Zoro's face was flushed and turned pointedly away from her. "I—I'm not lost, obviously I'm here to rescue you— a little gratitude would be nice—"

"Yeah, yeah," she mumbled, passing him with a bored wave of her hand. "Thank you, Mr. Samurai. You're very impressive, Mr. Samurai. But we won't find our way out just by standing here."

Zoro joined her in the hallway with a series of inaudible mutters that almost sounded like curses. "See if I rescue you again anytime soon, you shitty tree."

She barked a laugh.