Disclaimer! The Spanish used in this story is meant to be of the Chilean variety (as that is the character's ancestry) but due to several factors including the fact that I did not learn Spanish in Chile, the Spanish used here was translated by Google to allow for easy translation if anyone wishes to know what was said. None of the dialogue said in Spanish is important to the story, more to give you an idea of both the character's personality and background. This may change in the future if a translator from Chile is available in future chapters. Thank you!


Chapter One: A White Sword


"Clara, we are going to be LATE" She heard a husky voice yell out from her position in front of a mirror, emphasis on the word "late".

"I'm almost out the door!" Clara Santillo called out with a chuckle in her voice. She knew the voice very well as it was her fiance, Maxwell. She looked in the mirror at her reflection, dark brown eyes staring back to her. Her long, ebony colored hair was tucked neatly into a braid over her shoulder. She tested out a smile, moving her round face side to side to see if she missed a spot in her makeup.

"If you look in the mirror any longer, you'll be driving yourself to my parent's house" That same rough voice snarkily said as her fiance came up from behind her and started fiddling with her off shoulder top. Clara spun around so she was facing the dark blonde, giving him a chuckle. Just as he was fixing her shirt, which had rode up her shoulders, she started fingering the collar of his dress shirt.

"You act like we've never been late before" She sighed as she popped out his collar, hands smoothing down the front of his shirt as she lifted her head to make eye contact. Hazel eyes stared back at her, his head tilted slightly downwards to account for the height difference. The two were standing in the entryway of their modest town home, with the front door open, she could hear her fiance's truck's engine purring. "I was just doing a final check, see? Ready to go"

"That's not the point, Clare" Maxwell sighed as she walked out the front door perpendicular to the mirror she was standing in front of. His eyes were quickly drawn to the lavender purse his fiance had left on the entry table below the mirror. He quickly swiped it before walking out, the front door closing behind him. "And maybe don't forget your purse?"

Clara spun around, hearing herself gasp as she saw her purse hooked on her partner's arm. His low chuckle could be heard as he locked their front door, closing the screen door in front of it. She gracefully walked up to him, sneaking the purse off his forearm. It was just like her to forget her purse after spending so much time matching her top to it. The two shared a soft smile as they made their way to their respective seats in the forest green truck, with Clara sitting in the passenger and Maxwell in the driver's side. Clara relaxed her features and rested her head on the shoulder of her seat, her eyes watching as the scenery of their neighborhood passed quickly by.

"Will you ever be on time?" Maxwell chuckled. He wasn't upset as this was a regular occurrence any time they traveled together. Clara turned her head towards him, grinning.

"Sabías en lo que te metías" She smirked, holding up her left hand which displayed her engagement ring. A purple gem atop a delicate silver band with leaves engraved. He remembered how long he debated which ring to get for the girl who sat beside him. He was so nervous he picked the wrong one, an irrational fear that slid off his shoulders the moment she said yes. "You're stuck with me now" She laughed.

Maxwell returned the laugh, the smile never leaving his face. That is, until an unpleasant thought popped into his head. He sighed and placed his right hand atop his fiance's left, lowering it so their hands sat atop the center console. Clara's smile was swept off her face as she had a creeping suspicion what was going through his head at that moment.

"I know it's a sore subject, but they're going to want to talk about where we're holding the wedding" Maxwell stated, his teeth quickly starting to gnaw his bottom lip.

"Max, we talked about this" Clara growled. "This is our wedding, not theirs"

"I know and I've told them we're doing it at the Trailing Gardens, no mistake there" Maxwell hesitated with his next few words. "But…"

"But what, Max?" Clara snapped. She thought this conversation was behind them. The wedding was in a month, there was no changing anything. She knew weddings were stressful on everyone, especially when it comes to parents, but she had hoped they were done having arguments like this. "What is your mom asking for this time?"

"Please calm down, I'm not raising my voice, am I?" He weakly protested. Clara sighed and took a deep breath, not wanting to shut him down right away. "They… want us to have a second wedding… at their church-"

"Maxwell! Seriously?" Clara gasped. "One, this isn't their wedding, it's our singular wedding. Two, didn't they mention this last time we had dinner with them? Why are they still bringing this up? Do you want another wedding? Do you not like our wedding venue?"

"No! I love the venue, but they want us to have one in a church-"

"This isn't up for discussion, I'm sorry" Clara sighed. She tried remembering what her dad told her growing up, something about weddings bringing out the worst in people. "I know you're trying to be the good guy, but maybe it's time to cut contact again"

"What?!" Maxwell said, his voice full of dread. "But you told me I should start talking to them again-"

"Stop saying them, I know this is your mom talking" Clara shouted. She was always the first to raise her voice in an argument, something that she had been working on but mention of Max's mother trying to control him again caused her voice to sing like a hot kettle. "And I did because I know you want her at the wedding but she's causing fights between us again."

"I don't want to cut her off again so close to the wedding" Maxwell felt his right hand tighten on the steering wheel as he breathed in. Deep in thought, he looked at Clara, who had begun biting her nails. "Look, you're absolutely right, her request is ridiculous. You're going to be my wife and she needs to-"

"MAX" Clara shouted. Maxwell turned his head to see a red sedan had run the red light to his right, the side Clara sat on. By the time he noticed, it was too late as the car smashed into Clara's side and the car had started spinning out of control. Max's vision went white as he tried to keep his grip on the steering wheel. He felt as the truck rolled once, throwing his senses off as if he was on a roller coaster. Slowly he felt his vision return and balance restore itself, his legs shaking while his white knuckles still gripped the wheel. He ran through a mental checklist, making sure he couldn't see any major injuries on his person.

I think I'm okay. He thought adrenaline coursing through his veins. He started laughing out of shock, the small chuckles accompanied by tears. He turned his head, expecting a similar reaction from his fiance, but his laughing quickly stopped when he saw her condition.

The door had caved in on Clara, her arm caught right where the door would normally open. Her back was hunched to accommodate her predicament. The injury that concerned Maxwell most was where the window would normally sit had bent in and collided with Clara's head, leaving her with a deep cut that stretched from her eyebrow to above her ear. He was confident she probably had a concussion and, judging by the lack of awareness for the blood starting to pool at her feet, was knocked out by the crash.

"Clare? Can you hear me?" Max cried as he undid his seat belt, shaking his fiance's free arm. "Hey baby, please wake up! You can't go to sleep on me"

Clara remained still, even though she could hear her partner calling for her from a distance. My head, god it feels like it's going to explode

"Clare! Stay with me! Help is coming, please don't sleep!" She heard her fiance cry out.

Her lids closed as she heard him cry out, her body overcome with pain. Clara felt her consciousness waver. She knew when she was being moved as her body told her with pain. She knew when her arm was freed from the truck, her entire right side lighting up with a burning sensation licking up her body. She knew when she was being carried into an ambulance as Clara felt herself shift from hunched over to lying down, the soft sheets doing nothing for her as they only rubbed against her wounded arm.

"Her pupils are blown, probably has a brain bleed" An authoritative voice called out. She could feel her mind slip away as she heard various numbers being called out and a mask being slipped onto her face.

She didn't know when, but at some point the pain started fading away, replaced by pressure instead of the burning she was starting to expect with any moment. Though she was conscious once more, her eyes remained shut through it all, words floating in and out of her mind.

"Mi gatito, ¿qué te han hecho?"She heard a familiar voice cry out. Daddy?

She hadn't called her father daddy in years, since she was a child, but she felt the need to as fear gripped her tightly. Hearing her father call her kitten did little to soothe her as it was accompanied by a sob. "Please gatito, stay with us. Por favor, no me quites a mi niña"

"Clara please hang on" She heard Maxwell sob. "I should've never argued with you! I love you, I love you so much!"

What were we arguing about? Clara could remember remnants of their fights. Don't cry, I'll be fine. I can't die before my wedding, we have so much planned. Please don't cry, Maxie

Clara knew time was passing as new voices kept coming into hearing. Her eyelids felt like they were welded shut and she couldn't move any of her limbs.

"Unfortunately, her brain isn't showing any improvement. Neither were her breathing trials" Clara felt dread creep up her spine. This was not a welcome voice, nor a welcome statement. The voice was new, but she could only assume it was a doctor. "We have her on life support, but she isn't going to last. I'm sorry, but it's time to start calling family to say goodbye"

I'm not going to get better? Clara wanted to scream, cry, even smash something but her limbs didn't move. She felt powerless. I can't die like this

"mi hija, mi hermosa hija" Clara heard her dad cry out once more. She felt someone grab her hands and press it to their lips.

"Clara, I'm so sorry" Maxwell sobbed. "I just want you to know that I love you. I love you so much"

I love you too. God I wish you both could hear me say it.


Suddenly, Clara could hear the ocean, waves swishing back and forth. Her body felt light, no longer in pain, but incredibly sore.

Where am I?

She felt her eyes finally open, expecting to be in a hospital bed with her fiance and father. Instead, she was face down on the sand, waves tickling her feet as they pulled back. Clara took a deep breath before feeling for her arms and pushing herself onto her knees.

My arm… I thought it was crushed. And my clothes are different. What the hell…

She looked down at her right arm only to see that it was completely fine, her snake tattoo showing proudly. She had gotten the tattoo for her 18th birthday, the tattoo being that of two dark lines above a snake going from her upper arm down to her elbow, although she didn't remember it being so flat. Like all the detail and shading had been sucked out. She grabbed the tattoo as if she was unsure how it got there.

Even if I did miraculously heal, my tattoo would be all screwed up… it looks brand new. Like a silhouette. What the hell is going on

Looking down, her tattoo wasn't the only thing different. She was thinner, her face no longer as round and her arms had more muscle than she previously had. She was never heavy nor built like a weightlifter, but her pudgy exterior with soft curves had significantly diminished. Her lavender off shoulder top and blue jeans were gone, replaced with baggy black pants and a dark blue tank top. She looked at her left hand and realized she still had her engagement ring, the purple gem shining back at her. She quickly reached up to her ears and found that she still had all of her piercings as well, two helix and 3 lobe piercings on each ear with all of the jewelry still present.

All of my jewelry is still here… but my clothes are different and my body's different

"Max-" she found herself yelling with a raspy voice. She immediately started coughing, like her voice hadn't been used in years. While coughing, her eyes landed on her hair. It was no longer the black curled hair she had grown up loving. Her hair was now dark brown, like mud on the forest floor. Its previous curled status was replaced by thick waves that were weighed down by the sea water.

That's it. I have to find a mirror, find Max, and figure out what the hell is going on.

Clara pushed herself to her feet and started to observe her surroundings. Her eyes immediately fell to a group of ships near some stairs. In front of her was a large gray stoned wall, above she could see people walking around. She checked herself one last time for injuries before starting her walk towards the group of ships. As she got closer, the waves started getting higher, now licking at her thighs. Looking back, she realized the place where she woke up was completely submerged, no longer visible to the eye. Soon enough, she found that she had to swim to her destination. Despite being exhausted, Clara paddled as hard as she could, the newfound muscles in her arms familiar with this motion. As she got closer, a realization hit her; these were wooden, hand built ships, not the motor boats she was familiar with. Her heart dropped as she also saw the attire these people were wearing. Older clothes, some with symbols of skulls on their backs. She quietly swam beside one of the boats, slipping under a wooden pier that was holding barrels and supplies. She slowly made way up the gray stone steps under the pier and looked around at her surroundings. Turning around, she saw an arch between some buildings that said Loguetown with decorative swirls.

Guess I'm in Loguetown, wherever that is. Taking a deep breath, she started walking into the small, bustling town with two goals. Find Max and get the hell out of here


One Month Later

"Get back here!" A strained voice yelled into the center of town where crowds of people were shopping for their groceries or sight seeing the famous execution platform. Everyone in the Loguetown center looked around to see which criminal the Marines were chasing today. The town was fairly familiar with these chases as the marines had been stationed here for quite some time. Pirates far and wide had made the mistake of coming to this town, thinking it a great place to stock up before heading towards the Grand Line, only to have their journey stopped here by Captain Smoker and his men. Running through the crowd was a familiar face for the locals of Loguetown, a young girl who had come into town about a month prior with little intention of leading an honest life. Though no one knew the girl's name, they knew her story and how she arrived into their busy town.

Clara chuckled as she expertly dodged oncoming residents and took advantage of her small size to slip into an alley, deceiving the officer into thinking she got away.

"You won't get away this time" He yelled, holding onto his labeled teal and white cap as he ran right past the alley she was hiding in. "We will catch you, street rat!"

"Estoy seguro de que lo harás" Clara chuckled. She glanced down at the pockets of her raggedy pants, which carried a couple apples. The shop vender had gladly given her some, but she had been the marines radar for a while so it was no surprise when the officer spotted her and accused her of stealing. The townspeople had been an absolute blessing since she arrived as she had no money (Which she quickly found out was referred to by Belis) and nowhere to possibly go. She wasn't stupid, she knew they pitied her but she wasn't going to refuse any help she got either. In return, she helped the citizens of Loguetown with chores or projects they needed assistance on. The most recent one being to help repair different buildings a storm had damaged, which the residents were immensely grateful for.

Once she was sure the coast was clear, Clara slipped out of the alley way and took in her surroundings. The Loguetown sign helped her place where she was, which was the entrance to town. She smiled as she saw quite a few friendly vendors out today, servicing people as they came from the harbor. One of them, an older man selling watermelon, waved at her. Clara returned the smile, biting into her apple as she started her walk towards his stand. Her walk was interrupted as she collided with a hard chest, tumbling backwards. A pair of strong arms caught her before she hit the ground. Her vision went white as images flashed behind her eyelids.

A young boy with green hair and a scowl on his face holding as many swords as he could

A dojo setting with several students in martial art uniforms

A young girl with dark blue hair, cut short holding a bamboo sword. She smiled, pointing a long, white handled katana at the young boy. His voice shouting in determination.

"I will beat you, Kuina!"

Finally, a similar girl that was clearly older with red glasses pointing a long katana at him.

Clara could hear a name ringing her ears.

"Roronoa Zoro!"

"Hey, you alright?" Clara blinked away her vision as she stared at the man who had caught her. He wore a loose, white shirt with a dark green bandana tied around the bicep of his arm. She recognized the green hair immediately, though the three lobe piercings on one of his ears was new to her. She quickly nodded and pulled herself upright using his arms.

"Yeah, I'm okay" She offered a small smile, which he returned in a smirk. Suddenly, a blonde in a suit who was standing close by marched up to Zoro and started shouting.

"How dare you run into this beautiful young lady!" He shouted, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth and his curled eyebrows furrowing in disgust.

"It was an accident, you shitty cook" Zoro scowled, crossing his arms. "Besides, she ran into me"

"Don't you dare pin this on her!" The cook growled. He turned his attention to Clara, going down on one knee while reaching out for her hand. Clara quickly shoved her hands into her pockets as she didn't have time for another vision right now. "Mademoiselle, I apologize for this sword wielding baboon-"

"No, no it's fine" Clara nervously defended as she started walking backwards, leaving her bitten apple behind. "Zoro's right, I ran into him-"

"Wait" It was now that Clara noticed three other people in the group. A young Brazilian boy with red clothing and a straw hat, another boy with overalls and a bandana covered his afro and finally, the one who had spoken up, a girl with short ginger hair with a dark blue shirt. She looked at Clara with suspicion, bringing her hand up to her chin. "How did you know Zoro's name? We didn't tell you"

"Yeah, that's right" Zoro stepped back as he realized what the ginger was implying. "How did you know my name?"

"I-I don't! Just a… a slip of the tongue" Clara stuttered as she attempted to back away from the group. Every step back she took, the group took one towards her. Crap!

"That's a pretty specific name to just accidentally call someone" The ginger smirked. Out of nowhere, the Brazilian boy's arm stretched out like a tape measure and grabbed Clara's arm before she could escape.

Dammit! Clara cursed as her vision went white once more

A man with red hair wearing a straw hat, probably the same one the boy had on now

"I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!" Her ears rang with how loud the boy laughed.

A younger version of the boy with a knife to his eye

A purple fruit with several swirls sitting in a chest

Finally, she saw smoke. Lots of smoke wrapped around the boy as a very familiar voice growled out

"Monkey D. Luffy"

"The Straw Hat Pirates"

"30 million Belis"

"Let go of me!" Clara shouted, pulling her arms away. She was shocked to find that Luffy's arms kept stretching no matter how hard she pulled away. He laughed and ran up to her. Clara panicked as it suddenly hit what kind of people she had run into. "Why are you guys even here if this moron has a bounty on his head?! Do you realize just how marine infested this town is?!"

"She did it again!" The boy in overalls gasped with the rest of the group. He took a deep breath before marching up to her in his best attempt at an intimidating stance. Clara thought he looked like a kitten trying its best to scare an intruder. "Okay, fess up! How do you know he has a bounty?!"

"Woah!" Luffy shouted. "How did you know! That's a really good guess!"

"Idiot" Zoro said under his breath. "She could've seen his wanted poster"

"Callarse moron!" She shushed. "This is a marine infested town and you are all being very loud"

"Then just tell us what you know and we'll let you go" The ginger smirked. Clara did not trust the look in her eyes one bit. How did she get herself into this mess?

"Fine! Follow me and don't-" she ripped Luffy's arms off her with a growl. "Touch me if you aren't Luffy or Zoro, got it? Malditos piratas me están dando dolor de cabeza" She muttered her last few words in Spanish.

The group looked at each other before walking behind the brunette. Clara was furious at the pirates. She had known about the visions she got shortly after arriving in Loguetown. It was quite the shock as every person she touched gave her a vision, but once she calmed down and realized what triggered her plight, she was able to mitigate them to a degree. Just my luck that the one guy I bump into gives me trouble Clara sighed. If only I kept my mouth shut

The Pirates were not far behind as Clara led them through a few alleys, skillfully avoiding the center of town as that's where the bulk of Smoker's crew were stationed. She smiled as they stopped in front of a hole-in-the-wall restaurant named Sea Eats.

"You guys hungry?" Clara asked. Luffy's face lit up like a Christmas tree as he rushed inside, Clara following after him. The restaurant was fairly empty with only a few tables. The place gave Clara nostalgia as it reminded her of the family owned Hispanic restaurants she would visit as a kid. The owner, a blonde woman wearing a blue dress, waved when she saw Clara's face. Her teenage son poked his head out from behind the counter, smiling as well.

"Hey Donna, you said I could bring a few friends over for a free lunch. Does that offer still stand?" Clara smiled.

"Of course honey!" Donna smiled as she stretched a hand out in a welcoming gesture towards a large round wooden table. "I'll be back, you all help yourself!"

The crew sat down next to each other while Clara scooted as far as the table would allow from the pirates. Luffy started chanting "Food! Food!" As he sat down.

"Alright, so what do you want to know- Thank you Travis" Clara smiled as the owner's teenage son set a cup of water on the table for her before walking away. Her gaze looked back to the group in front of her.

The ginger spoke up. "How did you know Zoro's name? Did you see it on a wanted poster? Luffy already has one so that wouldn't be a shock if Zoro had one too"

Clara started undoing the large braid in her hair as she sighed. "I didn't see a wanted poster for either of them. I just did; The moment Zoro grabbed me I knew. I… get visions whenever I make contact with someone"

Zoro snickered. "Oh really, little girl? What else did you see oh great fortune teller"

Clara stopped brushing through her hair with her hands, shooting a deadly look at him. "I don't think Kuina would appreciate you using the fact that I'm a girl to pick on me" She said with venom in her voice. Zoro paled immediately and looked away, guilt and shame littering his face. Clara returned to her activity of reassembling her braid once she was satisfied with the knot-free status of her hair.

"Kuina?" Luffy stared. "Who's that?"

"None of your business" Zoro grumbled

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" The boy in overalls demanded. "Sure, you knew Zoro's name, but he's kinda famous! How do we know you're not lying?"

Clara stared at him for a moment before stopping mid-braid. He was to the left of her, so she threw her hair over her shoulder, scooted closer to him, and held out her hands. The boy looked as if she had a knife to his throat.

"Go on!" The ginger scolded. The whole crew was staring at the pair, waiting for confirmation.

The boy gently placed his shaking hands into hers. Clara sucked in a sharp breath as her eyes closed and the images flooded her mind. This time was different as there were more voices than images.

"Pirates are coming!"

"I heard you were feeling down, would you like to hear about the time I fought a giant goldfish at the south pole?"

"A gold fish?"

"Yeah! It was bigger than an island!"

Clara saw the boy talking with a young sickly blonde girl, who laughed at his grand stories.

"Captain Usopp will protect this island!"

"You and your stories, Usopp"

"Kaya please, you have to believe me"

Clara opened her eyes, face to face with the boy she now knew was called Usopp. She could see he was sweating nervously, waiting for her reply.

"I thought Luffy was the captain of your crew" Clara questioned. The others looked confused til she smirked and said "Or is that another tall tale, Captain Usopp?"

"WOAH!" The crew cheered. The ginger stood up quickly.

"Me next!" She went to grab Clara's hands. Clara quickly retracted them before the girl could reach her.

"Can we take a break?" Clara squeaked. "I get a headache if I do it too often. Maybe we can introduce each other traditionally?"

"Oh, sure. I'm sorry" The ginger apologized as she sat back down. Food began to arrive and be placed on the table, which Luffy immediately attacked. "I'm Nami"

"My name's Sanji" the blonde cook offered. "I must say I'm not only impressed by your ability, but your beauty is a sight to behold!"

"Uh thanks?" Clara weakly offered, her hands taking apart her braid for what felt like the 4th time. "Pleased to meet you guys"

"Alright, now what's your name?" Zoro interrogated. "We told you ours"

Clara froze, her hand mid stroke in her hair.

Do I even want to go by Clara anymore? It's been so long since I've been called by my name and not street rat or thief

"I… don't really know" Clara admitted.

"You don't know your own name?" Luffy questioned with his cheeks stuffed to the max.

"It's not that, I just don't know if I want to use it anymore…" Clara shrugged. "I haven't heard it in so long" and this body is not even mine in the first place.

The group was silent, Clara finally tying up her braid, when their captain spoke.

"If you don't like your name, why not change it?" Luffy suggested.

"That's not a bad idea, Luffy" Clara chuckled, amused by his suggestion.

"Though you have to have a name, otherwise we wouldn't know what to call you on the ship" Luffy laughed.

"Yes, that's- wait what?" Clara froze. The other crew members also noticed the specific working.

"Luffy, you can't be serious!" Zoro objected.

Luffy gave a large goofy grin. "I want you to join my crew! We could use a fortune teller like you!"

Clara swore she could hear how fast her heart was beating. Me? A pirate? I know I'm all alone, but do I want to be on a pirate crew?

The group all looked at Clara, waiting for her answer. "I have to think about it" Clara breathed out. "You're asking a lot of me. Can I think it over?"

"BUT-" Luffy attempted to interject, but Nami was faster.

"We'll be here until sunset" Nami informed her. "Meet us at the harbor if you want to join"

Clara nodded as she rose from her seat and quickly exited the restaurant before another word could be exchanged.

"Luffy, are you serious? I'm not sure we should trust that girl" Zoro said, taking a plate of food from the enormous pile the owner kept high..

"MMMMMMM!" Luffy muffled, his mouth stuffed with food.

"Zoro's right. We know nothing about that girl" Usopp reasoned.

"I might have a solution!" Nami smirked. She held up her hand, signaling over to the restaurant owner. The sweet woman, Donna, walked over.

"Anything I can help you with, dearie?" She smiled at Nami.

"Yeah, what do you know about that girl? The one you're friends with" Nami smiled, using a sickly sweet voice.

"Well, nobody knows much about her. No one really knows her name because she refuses to give it and we don't really know how old she is either." Donna sighed. "Poor girl washed up on the harbor about a month ago. Was quite distressed. She kept running around asking everyone if they had seen someone named Maxwell"

"Maxwell?" Nami questioned.

Donna nodded. "She said he was her fiance, that they were getting married and she had to find him. The poor girl was soaked head to toe and her clothes were ripped to shreds but she just kept crying out for him. Marines tried to get involved but she avoided them like the plague. Ever since she's been living on the streets of Loguetown. She helps all of us with chores and we try to keep her fed. Refuses to stay with anyone, doesn't mean we haven't tried" Donna smiled as she looked at her son. "She helped my boy repair our roof a week ago after a nasty wind storm. Such a kind soul, that one!"

Nami had a look of pity for the girl. "Thank you ma'am"

"No, thank you for giving her some company" Donna smiled before returning to the kitchen.

"...she lost her fiance. How sad" Nami said with a frown.

"Sounds like he died at sea- OW WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!" Zoro cried out as Nami threw a punch to the back of his head.

"Try to have some sympathy here!" Nami shouted. "She's all alone."

"Which is why she should join our crew" Luffy smiled.

"Don't you have an execution platform to be at?" Nami dead panned. Luffy shot up from his seat, suddenly remembering his quest.

"Oh yeah! I gotta see where Gol D. Roger died!" The Brazilian boy shouted before running out the restaurant at full speed.

"He's hopeless" Nami sighed as she looked at the mountain of dirty plates the boy had left behind.


A pirate… me… Clara stared up at the sky, counting the clouds. She was currently on a rooftop close to the center of town, alone with her thoughts. Maybe this could be good for me, Max. A new place, a new name… a new life

She found herself fiddling with her engagement ring.

Not like I trust those damn marines Clara grimaced. Her memories of the officer were cold and bitter as she remembered how awfully they treated her when she begged for help looking for her fiance.

"Have you seen my fiance?" Clara asked, her throat raw. The marine whose attention she had grabbed looked at her with disgust. All he saw was a small girl who was in ripped clothes with soaking wet hair. All he saw was a pirate who had been left by her crew.

"What's his name?" The marine asked, trying to get her information.

Clara's eyes lit up. "His name is Max, Maxwell Collins! He's about 5'8 and he had blonde hair and Hazel eyes-"

"Calm down" the marine barked. "There's no one in town by that name, are you sure you're looking for a resident?"

"No, no he's not a resident" Clara denied. "He would've been washed up with me. Please help me find him. I've asked all around and no one knows who I'm talking about"

"Miss, the only people that aren't residents here are pirates and tourists" The marine tried to reason. "Now if your honest with me, we might be able to get you some help"

"What are you talking about, I'm not a pirate or a tourist, I washed up on shore. I don't know where I am!" She shouted.

"The only ones who wash up on Loguetown are pirates" The marine stated. He turned towards her and reached for her arm. "Ma'am if you're not going to be honest, I need you to come with me"

"No, please! I-" Clara protested. When the officers hand touched her arm, her vision went white. She saw flashes of images, some pertaining to this officer's life. Things like his name, childhood, first love. But more importantly, she saw his intentions.

"Smoker! We have a cast away pirate!"

"Lost her crew in a ship wreck"

"Said she's looking for someone else"

"NO!" Clara cried out as she wrestled out of the man's grip, running down the street as fast as she could until she hid in a dark alley near the center of town.

That was when Clara had realized she could have visions about people. And when she started avoiding marines like the plague. Maybe if she hadn't washed on shore she could have seen his reasoning… probably not though. Clara continued staring at the sky, imagining what her new life would look like.

What name would I pick? Maybe something edgy? Raven? Nah, too much for my taste. Maybe Ariel? Too on the nose for me. Maybe something to do with my old name… Can't do anything with Clara. Maybe… My middle name? What could you get out of Lorelai?

Clara sighed, her headache not easing up with her thinking. She took a deep breath only to be greeted by the smell of tobacco and smoke. Sitting up, she could see a group of people gathered around the execution platform.

"¿Qué demonios?" Clara muttered and she stood to her feet. Once she got a good view, she quickly realized what the commotion was about. Luffy was climbing the execution platform with Captain Smoker of the Marines just mere feet away from him. She felt all the blood drain from her face at the sight. Smoker… I saw smoke in Luffy's vision. I should've known! Maldita sea!

Clara quickly slid off the roof and began running towards Luffy, who was gearing up to serve a large stretched fist to Smoker while he was hanging onto the platform.

"LUFFY! Don't do it!" She yelled, hoping he would hear her. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her, dodging all the spectators as she made her way towards Luffy. Unfortunately, the pirate geared up his punch ready to strike… Until his fist bounced back, leaving him dangling on the tower. She slowed her pace until she was directly next to Smoker. "Luffy… what are you doing?"

"Trying to fight this guy!" Luffy whined, his torso dangling from the platform. "Not my fault my legs are all tangled up!"

"No puedo más" Clara chuckled, squeezing the bridge of her nose. Her chuckling quickly seized when Captain Smoker, a man who easily towered over her, looked directly at her.

"Are you with the straw hat, street rat?" he growled, the two cigars in his mouth muffling his speech slightly.

Mierda! Clara could feel goosebumps on her neck. "I-"

"Hey! Leave my fortune teller alone and fight me dammit!" Luffy screamed. He started grabbing at his feet, attempting to yank himself free. "As soon as I'm free, I'm gonna kick your ass!"

He's officially doomed me! I'm so screwed! Clara thought as she felt Smoker's mouth turn into a grin. Before he could say anything else to the brunette, Luffy pulled himself free and launched a fist towards Smoker. Clara quickly jumped out of the way, hoping to avoid the fight.

"Gum gum pistol!" Luffy yelled. Smoker quickly dodged and landed a punch on the boy's face.

"Too slow!" He gruffed. Luffy was sent flying but before he could land on the ground, Smoker was there to land a kick, sending the boy flying.

"Luffy!" Clara shouted, flinching at the kick the boy received. Luffy quickly recovered, using the tower to push off once more. He attempted to punch Smoker once more, but Luffy was quickly hit once again with his fists. This time, Luffy collided with the top of the building next to the execution platform, falling onto the platform and finally face planting on the ground. Clara ran over, attempting to help the rubber boy up.

"What are you thinking?!" Clara scolded. "He's a marine captain! ¡¿Estás tratando de que te maten?!"

She pulled the boy to his knees, brushing off the concrete dust on his hat from his collision with the building. Smoker widened his stance, staring at the two. Clara was very familiar with the captain, having a couple run ins herself. But the difference was he didn't perceive her as a threat, just a rat. Judging by his few attacks, she knew Luffy was in over his head. And now, she was in his line of fire as well.

"22 years ago, I witnessed Gol Rodger's death. His final moments were proud, worthy of the title 'King of the Pirates'!" Smoker scoffed as he rose, looking down at the two. "But you, the 'king of the pirates'? Don't make me laugh. You can't even enter the Grand Line."

Clara gritted her teeth, annoyed at how Captain Smoker looked down at them, both physically and metaphorically.

"Come on, Luffy" Clara growled as she began to help the boy to his feet, the latter struggling to stand up.

"Don't bother helping him up, street rat" Captain Smoker smirked. "It's a waste of your effort"

Clara got Luffy to his feet and surprisingly, the boy had a large smile on his face. "Maybe, but I'll never know unless I try!" The rubber said with a goofy grin. He looked down at Clara, giving her that same wide smile. "Thanks for helping me up, but I got this. Gum gum whip!"

Clara stared in amazement as Luffy's leg stretched out, aiming for Smoker but instead wrapped around the fountain nearby and sent him flying.

"Aw crap!" Luffy said before he was shot up several feet into the air "I missed!"

Clara sighed as she saw his figure disappear.

"That was… bizarre" Smoker gawked.

"You can say that again" She said, pinching the bridge of her nose. Her train of thought was broken as she saw smoke surrounding her person. She quickly jumped out of its path, only to have the smoke surround her ankle. She was quickly picked up from the ground, left dangly as Smoker's hand replaced the smoke.

"Don't think I forgot about you" Smoker grinned. "Little street pirate"

"Uhh I can explain" Clara attempted to wiggle her ankle to make contact with his skin, hoping a vision would contain information to throw him off guard, but to no avail. Smoker wore gloves which meant she knew nothing that could get her out of this mess. I have to get out of here!

In the distance, there was shouting, causing Smoker to turn his back on Clara, who quickly twisted her way out of his grip and made a run for it. Smoker didn't bother chasing her as he now knew where to find her.

"You can't hide forever, street pirate!" He shouted at her back.

Thanks for the reminder, Smoker She sighed as she dashed into an alley.

Clara stopped running when she finally felt she was safe from Smoker's eyes. She wasn't stupid, she'd known he'd be back, but she would take any freedom she got. Once she got a few deep breaths in, she took in her surroundings. She was a good distance away from the center of town, but still in Marine territory as she saw the large white building labeled "Marine" with their signature anchor logo. Before she could walk the opposite way, she saw a familiar green- haired swordsman walking down the street, looking lost in thought.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Clara shouted as she ran to catch up to the swordsman. She knew better than to yell his name out in public, especially considering what shenanigans their captain was already up to. She grabbed his arm when she was close enough causing the man to spin around.

"Hey watch where you're- oh it's you" Zoro realized as he stopped walking.

"You okay? You look lost in thought" Clara smiled, wondering if it was something from her vision plaguing his mind.

"What? You can't read my thoughts" Zoro snapped. Clara let go of his arm and gave him an apologetic look.

"Hey, I'm sorry about earlier, I shouldn't have brought up a sore subject like that, it was a low blow" Clara sighed. The man beside her hummed in response. "Can you forgive me?"

He waited a few seconds before answering. "I guess I'll have to, especially if you're joining our crew"

"I haven't decided-"

"One thing you'll learn about our captain is that he doesn't really take no for an answer" Zoro chuckled. "Now let me ask you this; how come you're not getting a vision thing or whatever from touching my arm?"

"Because I already had one about you" Clara shrugged. "I don't really understand it myself, but so far, if I touch someone new, I only get one vision even if they touch me again."

"Odd" Zoro commented. Clara nodded in agreement.

"Are you looking for a specific shop? I can show you the way" Clara offered, pulling her braid forwards so it rested on her left shoulder.

"Yeah, a weapon's shop"

"Oh, I know where to go" She smiled. "Follow me"

She grabbed Zoro's hand, leading him down the street. Zoro watched as different vendors they walked past smiled at the girl, some even waving. It surprised Zoro even more when she smiled and waved back.

I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. The lady did say she helped out around town Zoro thought as he glanced at the girl who has his hand in hers. She led them both to a quaint little weapon shop with a sign that had two swords crossing each other. Walking inside, Zoro could see the shop was little, but well stocked. A variety of daggers and spears lined the walls along with several barrels on the ground filled to the brim with swords- just what he was looking for. The shop keeper, a balding older man wearing a dark blue robe, was currently sleeping on the counter. Clara walked past Zoro and towards the sleeping old man. As she reached out her hands to wake him, Zoro noticed that she was only placing her hands where the man's robe covered his skin.

"Hey chief, you have a customer" Clara whispered softly, nudging the man awake. The man rustled before opening his eyes and looking at Clara sleepily.

"Oh, it's you" He smiled, stretching out his limbs. "How are you doing, grasshopper?"

Clara warmly replied "I'm good, but we can talk later. I brought a talented swordsman to shop here"

His eyes quickly moved to Zoro as he shot up and started rubbing his hands together. "Of course! Have a look at anything you like! We have an extremely large variety to choose from!"

Zoro walked up to the counter, her fist setting down the little money he had. "I've got 100,000 belis for two swords. Can you do that?"

"Two for 100,000?" He looked at Clara. "I thought you said a customer, not a thief!"

She held her hands up with a nervous smile. "Hey, he said he needed weapons"

The shopkeeper groaned, leaning on the counter as he put his head in his hand. "At 50,000 a piece I can only give you two dull blades. Maybe a couple kid's swords since you're friends with grasshopper here" He said, shooting a glare at Clara.

Zoro took his hand off the belis and stood up, lifting his hands. "I'll make due with whatever. I just don't have the money right now"

"What happened to your other swords?" Clara asked, glancing at the one on his belt.

"You don't know?" Zoro questioned. When Clara shook her head, he sighed. There goes his assumptions about the fortune teller . "It's a long story"

The shopkeeper also glanced at the sword on his belt and his blood ran cold as he recognized it almost immediately. "Now hold on a second! I just wanna take a look at that sword you got there! I-is that okay with you, pal?"

Both Clara and Zoro noticed how jittery the man was looking at the sword, although Zoro was the one to speak up. "You okay there buddy?" He questioned.

"LET ME SEE!" The shopkeeper shouted.

"Chief!" Clara was shocked to see him so forward. Zoro raised a hand towards her.

"It's fine" Zoro assured he pulled his sword out handing it to the man. "Knock yourself out"

The shopkeeper was sweating profusely as he opened the katana, examining the blade. Clara thought he was going to pass out as he started taking deep breaths. "Wow that's a pretty nice sword you got! Wanna sell it? I'll give you 200,000 belis, what do you say?" He bartered, closing the katana. "That would leave you with 300,000 belis which should buy you some pretty good steel. At 100,000 a piece, there's bound to be some good swords in here!"

Clara quickly realized she recognized the sword, that it meant a lot to Zoro. Before either could say anything, Clara grabbed the sword from the old man's hands and gently handed it back to Zoro, who had a vein popping out of his forehead at the suggestion of selling his katana.

"Grasshopper! What are you doing?!" I'm trying to strike a deal here!" The man grumbled.

"I'm sorry Zoro, he's usually not like this" Clara apologized. She turned towards the shopkeeper, a frown framing her face. "The sword's not for sale"

"WHAT?!" The old man shouted. "Okay, how about 250,000? 300,000? I'll even offer 500,000!"

"Just stop" Zoro growled. "I'm not selling, this sword is staying with me"

"TOUGH GUY, EH?!" The older man yelled, his face red. "I'LL BUY IT FOR 650,000 BELIS!"

"Enough! He said no!" Clara shouted, standing in front of Zoro, who was frankly shocked at how aggressive she was getting at the shopkeeper over his sword. Just as the older man was about to start shouting at Clara for interfering, the sounds of the door opening and footsteps interrupted their conversation. Looking at the person who just walked, both Zoro and Clara paled at the sight. Clara recognized her as the girl from her vision, the one yelling Zoro's full name. Zoro recognized her as the Kuina look-alike who had forced him to mop in exchange for the glasses he broke. She walked up to the counter carrying a sword wrapped in fabric.

"I'm back!" She happily announced, clearly not aware of the tense atmosphere. "Did you finish polishing my shigure?"

"Did you know about her?" Zoro whispered, seeing Clara's equally pale face. The shopkeeper and girl carried on with their discussion as Clara and Zoro looked at each other with panic.

"Yes, to a degree" the Hispanic admitted, suddenly feeling guilty for not filing him in on the contents of her vision.

"Thanks for the heads up" Zoro whispered with malice

"I didn't think she'd be here! I just saw her yelling your name while holding a sword!" She hissed

"Thanks, like that's supposed to be comforting to hear" He snickered. "Anything else you'd care to fill me in on?"

"Do you really want an answer to that question?" Clara growled, not sure if the news their captain pissed off a marine captain would be of any help at the moment.

"Hey, is that.." The girl asked. Clara quickly hid behind a couple suits of armor as the girl's eyes were on Zoro. "You're okay! I was worried about you. See, some marines were attacked earlier right by where you had been mopping the floors. You were gone though so naturally I assumed that you had been kidnapped. Thank goodness you're okay though!"

Mopping the floors? Clara looked puzzled. She glanced at Zoro from her hiding spot and saw he was tensed up, clearly not prepared to see an old ghost in front of him.

"The fact that you're here means you must have run away. Sad, you really must have no idea how to accept love when it comes your way, do you?" The girl scolded. Clara had to hold in her snickers at the obvious jab. Her eyes drifted to a pair of curved daggers on the wall, their handles wrapped in a soft blue fabric. "Here's your stupid money back, I don't need it. I can't accept money from a heartless ingrate. Besides I-"

The conversation was cut short as the tumbling of weapons was heard from Clara's hiding place. Zoro poked his head over to see the poor teen on the ground with several sheathed knives on top of her. The girl placed her glasses on, staring confused at the knocked down girl.

"Got some new glasses…" She walked over to Clara, offering a hand up. "Are you alright?"

"WATCH IT, KID! THAT'S EXPENSIVE MERCHANDISE!" The old man yelled.

"Estoy bien" Clara muttered as she pushed herself up, ignoring the stranger's hands. Dusting herself off, The girl's eyes went to the sword in Zoro's hands, now able to clearly see it with her glasses on. Her eyes went wide with excitement.

"That sword looks just like the Wado Ichimonji!" She squealed. "Is that really the sword? May I have a look?"

Zoro looked uncomfortable but handed over his sword as the girl drew it from its sheath, examining the blade. Clara walked over to the group once more, curious about what the girl had to say

"It's beautiful! This has to be one of the 21 Ō Wazamono swords!" The blue haired girl suddenly whipped out a book on different swords and how to identify them, flipping through entries until she found the one she was looking for. The shopkeeper looked like he was about to have a heart attack. "See? Look at this; it says here that this sword is worth no less than 10 million belis!" She glanced at Zoro. "But you're broke! How do you have this legendary sword?"

"YOU JUST HAD TO KEEP TALKING, DIDN'T YA?" The shopkeeper exploded, clearly aware that whatever chances of a deal he had were just washed away. "I'm gonna sue your ass for obstruction of business!"

"Obstruction of business?" The two girls in the room gawked.

"You were the one trying to screw over your customer" Clara snapped. "And you were calling him a thief"

"Shut it grasshopper!" The old man snapped back as he grabbed the girl's sword from under the counter. "I polished your shigure for ya, now just take it and get out. I don't wanna see you in my store again!"

He tossed the girl the sword, only for her to fall back onto Clara, the two colliding onto the ground. Clara could feel her vision go white, thankfully for not very long this time as images flooded her head.

"Tashigi! Put down that sword!"

The image of a little girl swinging a bamboo sword despite the protest of her parents.

"Girls can't be swordsmen!"

"I'm gonna be the greatest swordswoman the world has ever seen!"

"Officer Tashigi reporting for duty, Captain Smoker!"

Ah shit! Clara thought as she quickly realized who had fallen on top of her. Why do these damn pirates attract all the wrong people?!

"Get outta here before you two tear my shop apart!" The shop owner barked. The two girls quickly helped each other up, Clara now accepting her hand to pull herself up. "Boy she helped you dodge a bullet. What a waste of a sword like that on someone who doesn't know its true value. You can pick from our lovely selection of barrel swords for 50,000 a piece. Pick any two you like"

Zoro walked over to the barrels, muttering about the crazy shopkeeper as he started looking at his options. Clara followed behind him, glaring daggers at the old man. The girl, Tashigi, also followed as she watched Zoro fiddle through his options.

"You must use a lot of swords if you think you have to carry three around" Tashigi joked. "Unless, of course, you're like that famous pirate hunter"

Clara stifled a laugh, earning a deadly glare from Zoro. "Pirate hunter, you don't say- Ouch!"

She was quickly interrupted by a stomp from Zoro's foot onto her own. She looked at him with tears in her eyes. Comprendido, shutting up now

"Have you heard of him?" Tashigi asked Clara as she backed away from the sword display. "He's quite the legend! His name is Roronoa"

"Oh yeah, him!" Zoro responded, smirking to himself.

"He's known throughout the East Blue for his amazing sword skills" Tashigi praised before her expression tensed. "But he's not a good person. A swordsman who is just a bounty hunter is no honorable swordsman at all. Everythings backwards, it's really too bad for real swordsmen. Pirates and bounty hunters as sword masters? It just doesn't make any sense. They have most of the world's legendary swords, too. It's a tragedy, really"

"I wouldn't go that far" Clara argued, her mind returning to the image of a green haired boy holding as many swords as he could. Just the thought made her smile. "They're not all bad"

Zorro stopped his search, looking at Clara. His mouth turned up into a small smirk.

"How could you say that?" Tashigi gasped. "They're all nothing but trouble, waving around swords they have no right wielding"

"I think she means it has to be looked at on a case by case basis" Zorro interjected.

Tashigi furrowed her brow before proclaiming "This is my shigure! I'm going to work as hard as I can to perfect my skill and take back the legendary swords from the criminals who are wielding them! I'll find them all!"

Zoro turned towards her with a smirk. Clara swore she could hear the challenge in his voice.

"And this one? My sword, the Wado Ichimonji?" He popped his blade slightly out of its sheath.

Tashigi's face fell into one of guilt. "I'm not trying to get the legendary swords back for my sake, I just don't want criminals to have them."

"I'm not disagreeing with you, but I think you're being too wide with your brush stroke" Clara tried to reason.

"Too wide…?" Tashigi looked at her, holding her glasses into place. "Wait, do I know you?"

"N-no! Just traveling!" Clara could feel the hairs on her neck stand with Tashigi's statement.

The girls were interrupted by Zoro pulling out the blade of a sword with a red sheath. "Is that?" Tashigi said softly as she pulled out her booklet, finding a match for the sword in Zoro's hands. "Just as I thought! Kitetsu. Kitetsu the Third! Its predecessor, Kitetsu the Second is a Ō Wazamono sword and Kitetsu the First before that is listed as a Ō Wazamono sword". She looked towards the shopkeeper. "Hey, are you really only selling this one for 50,000 belis?"

"Yeah…" The old man weakly replied.

"Unbelievable! That's an authentic Wazamono! You have to buy that sword!" Tashigi encouraged. "It's worth at least a million belis if not more!"

"Why is it so cheap if it's worth more?" Clara asked.

"I can't sell it!" The old man shouted.

"I didn't think so, I knew there must have been some kind of mistake-"

"Hold on, why the sudden change in mind?" The brunette questioned. Zoro's face was rigid as he aimed the sword downwards.

"The sword's cursed" Zoro stated.

"How do you know?" The shopkeeper wondered.

"I just… do" Zoro responded, his eyes never leaving the blade.

"The Kitetsu swords are superior in all respects, but they've been cursed since their beginnings, you have to believe me!" The older man begged. "There are stories from all over of master swordsmen who have met their death after taking up a Kitetsu Sword! Nobody is stupid enough to even touch them these days and you'll fall to its curse as well if you decide to take it. I'm scared to let you buy it or it'll curse me too, just leave it alone"

"How horrible!" Tashigi bowed. "I'm sorry I even brought it up! It would be death to take that sword"

"A cursed sword" Clara mused as she looked at the blade. The purple swirling in the metal and the condition of the sword made it hard for her to believe it was cursed. "Such a beautiful blade…"

Zoro was quiet as he raised the blade. Clara saw the sudden change in his face as he smirked. "Sounds great! I think I'll take it!" He said with confidence, like nothing he was told about the sword affected him. Tashigi gasped while Clara looked at him curiously.

"I can't sell it, you fool! Cause if something happens to you with that sword, the curse could come back to me!" The shopkeeper cried until a hand smacked the top of his head.

"Now don't be an idiot!" A woman beside him wearing a cap shouted. Clara recognized this as the man's wife. "Let him buy that sword you old fool!" She turned to Clara and smiled, her husband forgotten. "Hi there sweetie! Feel free to pick something out as well, we owe you for all your help with the shop's repairs last week. That storm was a real trouble maker!"

"Don't just offer my products away!" The husband cried, the wife hitting him once more. "Stop hitting me!"

"It was no problem, ma'am" Clara blushed as she looked back at Zoro. "Are you going to take it?"

The green haired man smirked. "I'm going to see which of us is stronger; The sword's curse or my good luck"

Before she could ask what he ment, Zoro tossed the sword up in the air, holding out his arm. Clara felt her heart skip a beat.

"No!"

"Stop! You're going to chop your arm off you fool!"

"What the-"

They all watched with bated breath as the sword fell towards Zoro's arm. Clara held her breath as she watched the blade fall closer only to dance around Zoro's arm and strike itself into the wooden floors of the shop. All three spectators fell to their knees in relief. Zoro's smirk only grew wider.

"I'll take it" He reached down to grab the sword out of the floor before turning to Tashigi. "Hey, pick out another. You've got a good eye on ya."

"O-okay" The bluenette timidly agreed.

"You! Wait here!" The old man shouted as he ran to the back of his shop.

He then turned his attention to Clara, who was helping herself off the ground. "You should take up their offer for a weapon, you're gonna need it"

"Yeah, you're right. I just don't know what to pick" Clara admitted.

Zorro looked her up and down, taking her height and stature into consideration. "You're too short for a sword, but not strong enough for a spear."

"Why not daggers?" Tashigi suggested. "Something no longer than the length of your forearm."

"You wouldn't happen to have anything in that book about daggers, would you?" Clara chuckled as the bluenette shook her head. She walked to the other side of the shop, looking at the wall of displayed knives. Keeping what Tashigi said in mind, she held up her arms to the knives, trying to see what options she had.

Too long

Too large

Too long

Too- wait a second Her eyes went to a pair of damascus blades a few centimeters shorter than her forearms. The swirls in the blade drew her attention. She reached up, grabbing one and found herself surprised by its lightness. The blade's structure was also unique as the blade was straight at the hilt but quickly dipped before curving into a sharp point. The handle was plated with brass and a soft fabric tied around it, forming tiny tassels at the end of the handle.

"Those look good on you" Zoro's voice announced. Clara spun around, holding the dagger.

"Thanks… It feels good." Clara admitted. "I hope I have enough saved up for them"

"I'll give those to you for 20,000" The shopkeeper smiled as he turned the corner holding the sheaths for the blades on a dark blue belt.

"Only 20?" Clara smirked as she dug out the money she had been saving from her odd jobs around town and gave them to the old man. Well, it looks like I'm joining that crew now that I've got a weapon

The two walked out of the shop, brandishing their new weapons. Clara adjusted the belt on her hips, getting used to the weight of her new weapons. Her eyes went to Zoro's waist and saw a black sword she didn't recognize.

"Hey you ended up with three swords after all!" Clara smiled. "Did Tashigi pick that one out?"

"Ta-who? No, the old man offered it to me. Said it was the best sword they had" Zoro smirked. "It feels good to have three swords again" He chuckled as he looked at his companion, adjusting her belt once more. "Having trouble?"

"No, just not used to them" Clara admitted. "I've never had a weapon before, I'm not really sure how to use them"

"I can train ya" Zoro offered. Clara's eyes lit up.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I won't go easy on you, so think long and hard before you accept"

"I have to fight somehow" Clara chuckled as the two walked down the street. Their banter quieted down into a comfortable silence. Zorro was pleasantly surprised with his company. He truly thought the girl would be much louder than she actually was and her interest in fighting wasn't bad either. Zoro looked ahead some stairs leading down to the town center.

"Let's rest for a while. Nothing we can do while the crew is still shopping" Zorro offered.

"Yeah, sounds like a good idea"