Hi, guys! Legal Notice: All original characters, settings, and plot belongs to Eichiiro Oda. I did not receive any revenue for writing this fan fiction. Enjoy Chapter 38!
Mimi tried to wait patiently. She adjusted the song to fit her new tactic. She repeatedly practiced the lyrics in her head. She and Jotaro studied the Straw Hat's movements when they first snuck on board. She was certain that Zoro-sama would pass this way before heading to his regular spot in the crow's nest. The half-breed was putting away her catch of smelly fish and the cook would probably help her. The captain liked to see if he could sneak a bite or two before lunch. The others' schedules varied but they usually did their own activities.
Finally, after waiting forever, Zoro-sama walked down the hallway. Mimi took a starting breath. She still couldn't sing full force, but she should be far enough away that if she sang a little above medium volume, the song would affect Zoro-sama properly. Mimi began singing. It was essentially the same song, only a few words were different. Again, Zoro-sama froze but this time something unexpected happened.
"Hey, Zoro. I want to play a game!"
"Luffy, Franky says that next island we stop at, we're going to need more cola!"
"Oi, Marimo! Fight me! I want to prove that I'm the only one who deserves to be by Magina-san's side!"
Mimi couldn't stop singing now. If she did, the other crew members would notice her! So, Mimi did the only thing she could think of—she sang again.
Let your pulse quicken
As the heat rises
Blood pounds in your veins
All calm be stricken
Allow your vices,
Your passion to reign
Oh, warrior, hear me
Allow your emotion
To overtake your soul
Let it go free
No need for caution
When your senses I stole.
The others froze just as Zoro-sama had. She shrugged from her hiding place. Well, it wasn't exactly how she planned it, but maybe this would work out better than she hoped. Careful not to let the four men see her, she loudly stated the half-breed's name.
"Magina."
The four men snapped to attention, and she sang the song one more time. There was a sudden flurry of activity after she finished.
"Where's Magina?" the curly-haired man asked.
The cook scoffed, "I'm not going to tell you, Usopp. I'm going to get to her first!"
The captain giggled, "Not if I beat you there, Sanji!"
Even Zoro-sama growled a low warning, "It won't matter if you beat Sanji there, Luffy. Magina's mine!"
And with that all four men scrambled to the top deck. Mimi sighed, her frustration building. She carefully stepped into the hallway before she headed back to their hiding place. It was a good strategy, but there were too many people around to make it effective. She trudged back.
"This isn't working."
Jotaro wisely said nothing at first.
"So, what are you going to do?"
"I'm not sure. I have to come up with a plan," Mimi answered.
"Well, think about it while we move locations. Somebody came close to this section last night," Jotaro commented while packing some supplies.
Mimi silently went through the motions of packing while she was deep in thought. There had to be a way to get Zoro-sama away from the half-breed. There just had to be.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
She gasped when Zoro strode into the kitchen and threw her over his shoulder suddenly.
"Hey! What's going on? Put me down!"
"I won't. The competition is coming," Zoro growled angrily.
Magina turned her head around with difficulty to see Sanji, Luffy, and Usopp approaching. The atmosphere was tense. Magina almost thought she saw her nakama's eyes glitter. What was going on?
"That's not playing fair, shitty swordsman. You can't claim Magina-chan without a proper contest," Sanji lit a cigarette and slowly took a drag.
"Yeah, not fair, Zoro! We should play a game for Magina! It'll be fun to kick your asses!" Luffy grinned.
"E-even though you're all st-stronger than me, don't think I'll let you win just like that!" Usopp declared.
Her eyes widened. Why were they behaving so strangely?
"What's going on here?" Robin's amused voice floated from the door.
"Oh, Robin! We're going to play a game to see who should get Magina! Did you want to play too?" Luffy asked brightly.
"How interesting," Robin chuckled.
Magina's heart sunk. Even if she pleaded with Robin, it probably wouldn't do any good now.
"Robin, can't you talk some sense into-" she was cut off by a hand covering her mouth.
"If you four gentleman are going to compete for Magina, then there should be rules and someone to enforce them, don't you think?" Robin suggested in amusement.
"Hmm. That would be fair. What do you suggest, Robin-chan?" Sanji asked.
"The last one standing should be able to lay claim on a lady's heart, but there should be some choice on the lady's part as well. There will be two contests and the competitor with the most points will be the winner. Give me a moment, then we'll start right away."
Robin walked away, presumably to prepare for the impromptu contests. The hand disappeared in a flurry of flower petals as she left the room. Magina groaned. How had it come to this? She was instantly set down and surrounded by four anxious men.
"Are you feeling sick?"
"Did you need some of my meat? I have a secret stash—"
"Maybe Chopper should look at you."
"Don't worry, Magina-chan! I'll restore your health with the best food made from my undying love!"
A steady throbbing was growing in her temples. She didn't like being pampered or being taken care of. If this lasted much longer, she might just murder a few nakama. A chuckle interrupted the worried babble.
"Robin wasn't kidding. I can't wait to see what happens," Nami grinned.
A brilliant idea suddenly popped in her head. It was the only solution to avoid this whole ridiculous contest. Magina opened up her mouth to sing…right as a gag covered her mouth. The song meant to put her nakama harmlessly asleep was effectively muffled. Her hands were tied behind her back before she could remove the cloth.
"That would be cheating too much, Fisher Girl," Franky's voice sniggered behind her.
"So, what's going on? A game? Can I play?" Chopper asked excitedly.
"This is a contest to determine who is the worthiest man to win Magina's heart," Robin explained as she came back into view.
Magina couldn't voice any objections because of the gag. She hoped that this wouldn't take the whole day. She didn't get to clean any of the fish she caught that morning. She needed to prepare for the evening's catch too. Magina was also supposed to train with Zoro sometime. Who knew if that would happen now? She curbed her impatience as Robin began to describe the first contest.
"The first game is to determine how much you love Magina. The audience and I will be the judges as you try to prove to us why you should be the winner."
"That doesn't sound like a game," Luffy protested.
"The real game will be after this little side show."
Construction noises interrupted Robin's explanation. Magina twisted her head around to see Franky quickly building some wooden bleachers.
"As expected of Franky! These bleachers are awesome!" Chopper's eyes sparkled happily.
"It's because I'm extra super this week! Though I didn't go into as much detail as I wanted to. It was a little short notice," Franky replied, grinning as he sat down next to Chopper.
Magina rolled her eyes. She couldn't wait until this whole farce of a contest was over.
"You'll have to prove your love for Magina with a romantic gesture. The rest of us will be judges: green circles earn you a point, red circles will mean disqualification until the final round. You may have five minutes to prepare," Robin smiled.
The four men looked at each other and quickly dashed off to different sections of the ship. Magina was lifted gently and set in a box seat on the bleachers. Glaring balefully at the others only earned her sympathetic chuckles.
"Sorry, Magina. If it was anyone else, then gagging and tying up wouldn't be necessary. Singing them to sleep wouldn't be any fun. Aren't you curious about their proof? Though, why are all four of them acting like this? Normally, it's only Sanji-kun who gets all worked up," Nami frowned.
Magina narrowed her eyes. Why indeed? It was like they were under a spell. Until she found an opportunity to escape this madness, she'd keep quiet. Then, she'd get to the bottom of this.
…
Zoro, who on principle never panicked, began to believe that he was as close to a panic as he had ever known. He might lose this first contest. Usopp had an artistic bent, he could certainly paint a portrait of Magina easily enough. Ero Cook was so used to proclaiming his love to women, he would probably compose a three-hour love ballad just for her.
How could he prove his love for Magina? He wanted to win and imprint on the minds of everyone on the crew that Magina was his, and his alone. He didn't have a talent to make anything for her, nor did he have anything he could give her. What could he possibly do? Zoro walked into the kitchen, half-expecting to see the baka Love Cook. The quietness seemed out of place in the normally active room.
Zoro wrinkled his nose at a strong odor that floated his way. The fish that Magina caught that morning were still waiting to be taken care of. With the other three suddenly interested in her and the chaos that followed, they had been forgotten. Zoro listened carefully at the door as the others hurriedly finished preparing. He shook his head and set to work.
…
"Seems like the one man who should be here is missing. Are we supposed to start without him?" Nami sighed in exasperation.
"That might be wise. Luffy seems impatient," Robin agreed.
Magina snorted through her nose. She just wanted to rest instead of this ridiculous game.
"Then, I insist on going first," Sanji proclaimed loudly.
The others nodded. A red rose appeared as if by magic in his hand and he knelt on his knee in front of her.
"For Magina-chan, I have created an epic poem dedicated to her beauty, grace, and serene disposition…
Her eyes are pools of sparkling water
There is enough beauty to drown in
Which I willingly dive into
Each time our gazes lovingly connect.
I long to be her captive…
30 minutes later…
But an ugliness threatens to tear us apart!
Her love for me must bloom
Together we can grow beauty and love to the world.
And…"
"Sanji-kun, that's enough. You've been speaking for half an hour already!" Nami yawned.
"My love for Magina-chan cannot be limited to time. Tch. And I still had two hours left to the poem too," Sanji muttered to himself.
"I…I was so touched! That kind of real love does exist in a world such as this! Bravo! Bravo!" Franky shouted, tears streaming down his face. He brought out a guitar and started strumming. "I call this 'A Man's Love to a Woman. Spring is About to Return!' A man must love…"
"Franky! Just give us your vote already!" Nami snapped.
Franky held up the green marker, tears streaming down his face. "Don't make a mistake! I'm not crying at all, dammit!"
Robin sighed. Magina's sentiments matched entirely. She tried to struggle out of the bonds, but they wouldn't budge.
"Three votes to one-Sanji's loss," Robin announced.
Sanji growled low in his throat, but stepped aside.
"Ooh! Is it my turn now?" Luffy asked excitedly.
"Sure, Luffy. Go ahead," Robin smiled serenely.
"Yosh! I'll be right back!" Luffy grinned, dashing down below.
Magina sighed. It was harder to breathe with the gag around her mouth, like the air was cut off, clogging her throat. Loud thumps and crashes came from below deck. Even Franky looked apprehensive. The noises stopped as suddenly as they came. Luffy came stomping up the stairs carrying a carved monstrosity.
"Luffy, what is that?" Chopper asked, wide-eyed and nervous.
"This is Magina's new fishing bucket. The one she has now is too small. I thought if she had a bigger bucket, she could fish even more! That would be great, wouldn't it?" Luffy grinned innocently.
"Even when he is in love, Luffy still thinks with his stomach," Magina overheard Nami whisper to Robin. They giggled briefly before Usopp started to inspect Luffy's handiwork.
"Oi, Luffy. What are these triangular looking blobs? They're all over this thing!"
"The ones with curves are hearts. The pointy ones are all fish," Luffy explained, pointing them out proudly.
"All right, judges; we should probably vote now. Hold up your markers!" Robin called out.
Magina sighed to herself as the four judges voted on Luffy's 'proof of love'. At least everyone else seemed to be having fun. She turned her head to look for Zoro. He hadn't shown up yet. A chill touched her spine and sent her heart racing. Even if this was just a silly contest; what would Zoro do if he lost? She wouldn't care, but he might decide that they couldn't be together if he lost. A sudden argument brought Magina back to the present.
"Why didn't you vote for me, Franky? You gave Sanji a point!" Luffy pouted.
"Sorry, Luffy. I can't vote for that atrocious hunk of wood. Just looking at it might change how SU-PER I am this week," Franky grinned.
"The votes for Luffy ended up being a tie. It'd be bad if I didn't get better than that," Usopp commented seriously.
"Alright, Usopp. Show us your proof," Nami ordered with a huge grin, thoroughly looking like she was enjoying this event immensely.
"Yeah. Prepare yourselves to be amazed at my masterpiece!" Usopp exclaimed, slowly taking out a piece of black cloth.
It was a jolly roger. Magina couldn't remember seeing a more elaborate piece of art. It looked spectacular.
"Not bad, Usopp. I knew I had to be wary of you," Zoro suddenly interceded.
Magina's eyes widened. What was the point of showing up now? The contest was practically over, and he was empty-handed! Did he really just not care? Disappointed and angry tears filled her eyes. She didn't even want to know how this was going to end.
…
Zoro had to admit that Usopp's artwork was amazing. The skull had Magina's hair style, a single long braid, while the crossbones were two fishing poles. Tiny and elaborate hearts were scattered in the background. Artistically, he didn't have any chance of winning.
"I guess we should vote so that the last contestant can show us his proof," Robin said calmly.
Zoro watched as all four green markers were raised. Winning wasn't going to be easy, but then again it wouldn't be worth it if it was easy. He had just one argument that might put him on top.
"Alright, Zoro; what about your proof?" Chopper asked excitedly, obviously expecting something to out-dazzle Usopp's Jolly Roger. He paused, unsure how to say it.
"Don't tell me you didn't prepare anything?" Sanji asked aghast.
For a second, Zoro thought about denying involvement, but out of the corner of his eye he caught the sight of Magina's shoulders drooping drastically. He couldn't disappoint her when she was so obviously expecting something from him. Even if it was embarrassing, he wouldn't give up on this contest. Zoro grunted in annoyance at Sanji's accusatory tone.
"I prepared something alright. Bringing it to the deck was annoying. There'll be no complaints as long as I show everyone, right?"
He couldn't quite catch his grin in time. While everybody's proof was creative; he was positive he would win. At least, if Magina had a say when the final vote took place. The four judges conferred with one another and finally agreed on a decision.
"All right, we'll allow it. Where is your proof prepared?" Robin questioned calmly.
"The kitchen."
Zoro smirked at the surprised looks from most of the crew. Sanji, who looked outraged, was the only exception. Franky picked up Magina, and the whole crew filed to the kitchen behind him. Zoro stood at the door, nerves finally getting to him. What he prepared wasn't flashy; it was just normal. Would anyone besides Magina understand? He mentally shook himself and opened the door. He sat down at the table, watching the crew look around in confusion.
"What exactly did you prepare? I don't see anything out of place, or that's different," Nami opened a cupboard carefully.
Zoro didn't really want to explain it. The embarrassment of saying it out loud was an unsettling feeling. He crossed his arms in order to attract attention away from his burning face.
"This contest interrupted Magina's normal routine. She wasn't able to gut or clean the fish she caught this morning, and her supplies were scattered around the kitchen. I cleaned it up for her," Zoro replied gruffly.
Silence descended heavily in the immaculate kitchen.
"Damn," Sanji muttered, "that was actually a well-planned strike. I won't lose the next contest."
"I don't think it should count," Luffy pouted.
"On what grounds?" Zoro argued.
"Because it wasn't fair. You know Magina a lot better than the rest of us. Of course, your proof is going to be good!"
Zoro growled. It was their fault for not knowing her better! Why should he be penalized for circumstances beyond his control?
"Now, now. Calm down. This isn't even the real contest," Robin broke into the arguing serenely.
He was going to give this contest his all!
I hope everyone enjoyed Chapter 38! So, do you think Zoro is going to win the final contest? Mimi is still trying to sabotage Zoro and Magina's relationship. Is this the time that she is going to succeed? Find out in the next chapter: The Last Man Standing! Keep safe, keep healthy, and keep creating! See everybody next time!