Hiya. I'm Morikei. Just a few things before we get into it. This is going to be a more OC-centric story since we already know the main story but it will follow what's canon. Mostly from the manga but maybe with some moments from the anime if it'll fit. It'll be starting just before the Alabasta Arc to let the story build. Gonna be a long one I hope. It's a Zoro/OC story rated M for language, blood, violence, adult problems, and eventual smuts. One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda. I'm just another fan. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this and please enjoy your stay.
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"It is man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that leads him to evil ways."
-Gautama Buddha
When the Tiger Met the Badger
"You're such an idiot, you boobless bitch!"
"Don't call me that, you absolute asshole!"
"That's enough, both of you."
The two teens immediately stopped their quarreling at the stern voice of their mentor. They glanced at each other and chuckled like mischievous gremlins. This was Aurikel and Jaren. Both were on this island in the East Blue for a special test to see if they would be able to handle solo missions. They were young bounty hunters and already had their names spoken by many.
"Jaren. Do you remember where you'll be going?"
"Sir! To the seaside mansion in the northeast to take the head of the crimelord."
"Aurikel. Where are you headed?"
"To the campsite in the west where a bandit captain smuggling weapons needs to be killed, Sir."
Their mentor nodded to himself. "You have until morning. Go."
The two sped off in opposite directions, needing no further instructions. Aurikel felt her blood sing with excitement. Her first mission on her own. Albeit it was just a test. But she was alone. She'll finally have her name recognized as an official bounty hunter. Maybe even increase that number on her head as well.
The World Government treats the guild she belongs to more like criminals than a justice-seeking organization. There are more dangerous people out there other than pirates. Some agree the guild was nothing more than troublemakers while others believe they are saviors. Aurikel doesn't see the world in black and white like most do. But as a swirling cesspit of many colors with occasional mixes of different shades here and there. Nearly everyone she had worked with had a bounty on their head, but that didn't mean they were evil.
The young woman came to a stop deep within the dark forest, her burgundy eyes carefully scanning her surroundings. It was too dark for most but with her training, Aurikel could see quite well in dimly lit places. The brilliant waxing moon above helped. Streaks of pale light filtered through the branches of the trees, turning her dove-grey hair a shimmering silver. There was no wind tonight and she could hear the faint sound of the ocean waves crashing against the rocks. An occasional chirp of a cricket or a hoot of an owl echoed through the silence. And among the stillness, there was also the distant chattering of voices. That's what she was after.
With a lick of her lips, she raced off to the left like a feline chasing its prey. Her steps were light and careful as she weaved between the strands of moonshine. The closer she got, the louder and more festive the chatter became. It sounded like a party. A celebration for a closed deal with the resident crimelord perhaps? Then why were there clangs of metal?
Aurikel ducked behind some bushes when she reached the edge of the campsite and peered over the leaves. There was fighting! In the midst of a dozen or so, those who were still living, was a young green-haired man wielding two swords with a third at his side. For a few moments, she was mesmerized by his rather aggressive fighting style. She quickly snapped out of her mini trance and jumped from her hiding spot, unsheathing her seax dagger. She ignored the other bandits and snaked through them, her blade coming into contact with one of the green-haired man's swords. It made her hand tingle from his strength. Confusion filled both the night air and the man's dark eyes. Once he noticed what happened, he spoke in a deep voice that sent a chill down her spine.
"Are you with them?"
She raised a brow and quickly grabbed one of the throwing knives in her thigh holster and threw it at a bandit who was charging the swordsman with a mace. It embedded itself in his throat, causing him to drop his weapon and clutch his neck. He collapsed to his knees, gurgling before falling dead.
"Does that answer your question? These assholes are my prey."
He looked her up and down with a scoff. "Your prey? You really going to kill them with that puny thing?"
"Well, it did stop your sword."
Her words and smirk ticked him off. She was expecting him to attack her but instead, he pushed her aside with his right hand sword and blocked what would have been a strike to her head from a club. Aurikel didn't have time to say anything else to him since the bandits finally grew some balls and decided to attack. She placed the seax between her teeth, grabbed a couple more throwing knives, and launched them at the two that were charging her from the right. The little blades hit their mark, right in their eyeballs. Her attention turned to a man who disregarded his fallen comrades and raised a longsword above his head to attack her.
He swung down, only for the blade to smash into the forest floor. Aurikel had stepped to the side, then pounced at the man with her seax ready to strike. The blade pierced through his throat like a burning knife through butter. The man fell back with her still on top, blood splattering on her face as he choked. She locked onto her next target, a hulking man with a club, sneaking up on the green-haired swordsman. As much as she was entertained by the thought of letting the man attack the swordsman, it left a bitter taste in her mouth. So she launched herself at the club-wielding man, the collision causing the both of them to crash to the forest floor. The man blindly swung out a fist, almost catching Aurikel in the face. Her blade pierced between the ribs and right through the man's heart.
"That's twice I've saved your ass!" She shouted at the swordsman as she stepped off of the dying body.
She heard him grunt as he pushed his opponent away and slashed his sword across his chest. "I didn't ask for your help!"
He suddenly turned on her. She barely had time to react when he lunged at her. She felt the razor-sharp edge of his sword just kiss her cheek as he thrust the blade past her ear and into the throat of the bandit behind her. Their faces were just inches apart.
"That's twice I've saved your ass."
She smirked hearing her own words come back to bite her. They kept their eyes on each other as the swordsman stepped back. Her attention quickly turned to a couple of bandits behind him that were trying to sneak away. Once they noticed Aurikel was staring at them, they dropped their weapons and bolted.
"Oh no you fuckers don't!"
She ignored the angry complaint from the swordsman she shoved to the ground and raced after them. She was planning on leaving at least one of them alive so she could ask them where their captain was. But chasing them through a dark forest was more fun.
Well, the idea was fun until something came flying at her and drop-kicked the back of her head. She went face-first into a tree and slid down the rough bark, leaving a trail of blood from her nose. She slowly rose to her feet and looked behind her, blood slowly dripping from her injury. The swordsman was looking angry and panting from running after her.
"What the actual fuck?"
"I could say the same, you asshole. What the hell was that for?!"
"That's my question! You came flying in here and made me face-plant a fucking tree!"
He stomped towards her, glaring like a pissed-off cat. "You're the one that threw me to the ground first."
"That's because my prey was getting away."
She suddenly grabbed him by the shirt and forced him into a headlock. That only lasted a few seconds. He pulled himself free, reversing her tactic onto herself. His grip was fairly stronger. She changed her footing while squirming in his grasp and swiped one of his legs out from under him. They ended up falling to the ground with Aurikel on top of the swordsman.
She quickly rolled off of him, gave him a little bow, and disappeared into the darkness.
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"Where the hell did that bitch go?"
Roronoa Zoro stood in the moonlit forest, wondering how he managed to lose sight of that woman so quickly. She was just gone, like a shadow vanishing under bright light. Who the hell was that? She mentioned those bandits were her prey. A bounty hunter? He hasn't been traveling the East Blue for that long and the other hunters he's come across, or rather stole bounties from, didn't have the same battle prowess as her. She was trained.
His ears perked when he heard shouting coming from his right followed by a faint explosion. He raced off in the direction, noticing the edge of the forest was coming closer. He slowed when a frigate docked near a river mouth came into view. There was a camp and several dead bodies strewn about, all with clean cuts to their throats or major arteries.
"Fuckin' animal!"
Zoro's attention turned to the frigate where he saw the woman scampering across the railing of the ship on all fours with her dagger in her mouth. Gunshots rang out but failed to hit their target. When she reached the aft of the ship, she jumped back to the deck and out of Zoro's sight again. Just as he took a step, a headless body was tossed over the railing and landed inches away from him. A chill raked its claws down his spine. He slowly looked back at the vessel and saw a rather haunting image.
The woman, covered in blood, was standing on the gunwale with a scimitar in one hand and a red-stained sack in the other. The combined light of the yellow lanterns and the descending silver moon gave her an eerie glow. They locked eyes and stared at each other in silence. He was going to be coming across other people like her, wasn't he?
"Sorry I didn't leave any for you," she remarked, breaking the stillness. "I did tell you these guys were my prey."
Zoro said nothing as he watched her toss the bloodied sword aside and jump down, landing in a crouch. He kept a hand on Ichimonji while she washed her hands and face in the river. He was both intrigued and terrified of her.
"Who are you?"
She stood, shaking her hands free of water, and faced him. "I'm Aurikel, a bounty hunter. And you?"
"Zoro."
"That's all you're going to give me? Why were you killing those bandits?"
"They had bounties and I need to eat."
Her head cocked to the side. "You're a bounty hunter?"
"No. It seemed to easiest way to make money. Are you done with your questions?"
"Nope. Interested in becoming a bounty hunter?"
His gaze narrowed in annoyance. "No. Now you done?"
She paused, tapping a finger to her chin. "Nope. But why don't we talk over a meal?"
He was going to argue, but his stomach growled. If dealing with her incessant questions meant food then he'll just suffer through it. And she didn't seem like his enemy. Just another person surviving in this treacherous world.
"Well? Would you like to eat or not?"
He glared at her but nodded a yes. She looked awfully happy at his answer and walked off, following the edge of the forest back to town with the sack at hand. Zoro followed with a sigh, cursing his stomach for making noise.
He was expecting her to ask more questions yet she didn't. She trekked on while humming, swinging the bag in her hand to and fro. He can't get a read on her. Part of him feels like she'll catch him off guard and attack him. The other part feels thankful she wasn't his enemy.
The silence lasted between them until they reached the edge of town. She led him further down the lamp-lit streets and towards the harbor where Zoro could make out a single person standing near a short brick wall separating the town from the piers. The woman went straight for him.
"Welcome back, Aurikel."
The man that greeted her was well over 6 and a half feet. His brown was cut short and his eyes like coal were cold. This was not a man to pick a fight with. His gaze went to Zoro and he felt icy hands of Death already at his neck.
"Who is this?"
"The person that almost made me fail the test," she replied, standing back next to him and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "His name's Zoro. This is my mentor, Owain."
Owain stepped in front of Zoro, his sheer mass even more intimidating up close. It took every ounce of willpower to keep eye contact with him.
"Are you interested in joining a bounty hunter guild, young man?"
Zoro swallowed the spiked lump in his throat. "I'm not."
"Why is that?"
"There's someone I'm hunting down and I'm going to do it alone."
Owain was silent for a moment before he turned away. "Shame. You seem like a strong man. Aurikel."
The burgundy-eyed woman shoved the paralyzed Zoro aside with a giggle. "Present, Sir!"
"Jaren is at the inn resting. He finished his mission an hour before you arrived."
"Of course he did. He's a Fishman so he has the advantage."
"Both of you completed the task earlier than expected. We're leaving in a few hours."
He walked away, taking the bloodied sack with him, and didn't look back. Zoro finally felt like he could breathe. He had to sit. How can that woman stand before him without problem?
"Intimidating isn't he?"
"Yeah, no shit. Who the hell was that?"
"My mentor, like I said. Both myself and my best asshole friend Jaren are his apprentices. We're here for a test so we can do hunts by ourselves?"
"A test?"
She nodded and joined him on the beach wall. "Within the guild, there are mentors that train potential bounty hunters. Usually ones they found. And once the mentor deems the student worthy, they are given a test to prove they are ready to take jobs by themselves."
"So how did I almost make you fail?"
"Because you were attacking the bandits. If you had killed their captain, I would have failed. Thankfully you didn't."
"So that bag you had…"
"Yup. The head of the captain. I just needed his. His crew was just extra. And since you helped, unintentionally and unknowingly, you get some of the pay."
"You don't need-"
She held up a hand. "No arguing. It only seems fair."
He wanted to argue with her again yet he just couldn't. He let out a string of grumbled swears which made her chuckle. This was the first time since leaving his home, he's actually had someone to talk to. Well, to be honest, most people he was around weren't the best for company. Nor were the towns he stopped in. This was...nice.
"Sooo? You want food or not?"
She had stood up from the wall and was standing before him, slightly bent at the waist and with her hands behind her back. When he met her gaze, he had forgotten for a moment she was a bounty hunter. Looks are always deceiving. He said nothing as he stood and gave her a nod.
The walk was no more than ten minutes to a small pub near the beach. It was another quiet walk and Zoro just watched the dove-haired woman hum along. There was something he noticed about her. Something that bothered him. The scars around her wrists. Even in the faint light of the morning, he could see the marred flesh clearly. It was none of his business yet some small part of him wanted to know. He wanted to know more about her.
The inside was relatively empty. There were a few people scattered around at the tables. The patrons didn't pay them any attention as the woman led him to a table in the corner. They sat across from each other as a pretty lady came by to ask for their orders. Zoro was hesitant, but his stomach growled louder this time. The dove-haired hunter giggled.
"Get whatever you want."
His eyes narrowed at her.
"Seriously! You killed some of the bandits and you would've turned them in anyway. Consider this part of your payment."
He wasn't going to win this argument so he ordered the biggest meal he could along with a few pints of their best alcohol. The waitress left with a nod of her head. He relaxed in the chair and kept his gaze on his surroundings. He could feel the gaze of the woman across from him even as he tried to ignore it.
"What?"
"Who is it you're looking for?"
"None of your business."
"But you told Owain you're looking for someone by yourself."
He looked back at her, seeing a faint pout on her face. "Because he was scary as shit. I felt like he would kill me if I didn't answer."
"I can be scary too."
He partially wanted to agree with her. "No, you can't."
Her pout grew even more and she looked away with her arms crossed. "Well, I didn't survive as long as I have with just being cute."
"I'll admit you can fight. But that doesn't mean anything."
"So if I become all big and burly like Owain, that'll make me scarier."
"I doubt it."
She laughed softly but said nothing else as their food was brought out by a couple of waitresses. In between bites, she would talk. Mostly about some jobs she took with her partner or places she had been to since coming to the East Blue. He noticed she talked more about the plants and animals and even rocks from the islands. A couple of times, Zoro just watched her as she spoke. She was like a child describing a really cool beetle.
With their meals finished, they headed back outside and were greeted by the morning sun rays. The woman stretched her arms above her head, letting out a soft sigh. She looked over her shoulder and Zoro with a faint tilt of her head.
"It really does suck you aren't coming with us. We could help you look for your mysterious someone."
"I'd rather look alone."
She shrugged. "Guess is where we depart, never to meet again."
"Yeah, a real shame that."
She was suddenly in his face with a big grin. "Let's make a promise."
He took a step back, stopping himself from shoving her stupid face away. "How about no."
"Come on! Just a little promise."
For the briefest of moments, he saw Kuina in front of him on the day they made their promise. He shook his head. "Fine. What?"
"If we ever meet again, you and I have a dual." She held out her hand toward him, her smile softening. "What do you say?"
He looked at her hand and then back at her burgundy eyes. As childish as they looked, he also saw determination. It would be interesting to have an uninterrupted fight against her. After a heavy sigh, he took her hand in his and shook it. Her skin was warm and slightly calloused.
"If we ever meet again."
She nodded, taking a few moments before stepping back. "Until then, try not to get yourself killed."
She gave him a two-fingered salute and hummed away down the street. He watched her leave, looking away only when she was gone from his sight. He let out a soft scoff and felt the corners of his mouth twitch up.
If it could have been seen by Zoro and Aurikel, a little red string had connected them together. Fate had made up her mind and there was nothing that could be done to change it.
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