Hi everyone! Legal stuff: All original characters, plot, and settings belong to Eiichiro Oda. I did not receive any revenue for writing this fan fiction. Enjoy Chapter 40!
Magina woke up early. Her stomach grumbled. She shrugged into a new change of clothes. She thought about grabbing a snack last night, but she didn't want to run into any nakama. She took her fishing gear from the wall and went to the kitchen to grab a piece of fruit. Fishing should smooth over any resentment that she had from yesterday. She bit into the fruit, savoring the delicate tanginess. She quickly polished it off before setting up the bait, lines, her fishing basket, and her pole. She briefly considered grabbing Luffy's fishing bucket but dismissed the thought quickly. The bucket was huge, and she wouldn't be able to carry the solid wooden mass by herself. Magina was so preoccupied that she didn't hear the snoring until she approached the railing. Zoro rested against the railing; a fishing pole gripped loosely in one hand while he leaned back. The line twitched. She glanced at his bait bucket and held back a giggle. It looked like Zoro put all the bait on the hook in hopes of catching a larger fish. The fish were probably eating the bait right off the hook! She knelt by the slumbering swordsman. Magina winced when she caught a glimpse of a bump. That was where she hit him. She gently brushed the hair away with her fingers. A calloused hand suddenly gripped hers.
"Don't look so worried, siren. It sounds like I deserved it," Zoro mumbled, his eyes still closed.
"You don't remember what happened?" she glanced at his face.
He grunted.
"It's fuzzy," he admitted, "but you wouldn't hit me without reason. I get the feeling I should have seen it coming. We were annoying after all."
He cracked open one eye, staring at her. Magina felt her cheeks heating. Why did she feel guilty now? Zoro chuckled before releasing her hand.
"Alright, siren. Tell me what I'm doing wrong. I thought that I would wake up as soon as I got a bite, but nothing happened."
Magina stood and stuck out a hand. Zoro slapped the pole into her palm and stood beside her. She reeled in the line. It moved easily through the water.
"First of all, did you put all the bait on the hook?"
Zoro crossed his arms. "The bigger the bait, the bigger the catch."
"If you tried catching a larger fish with this pole, the line would probably snap. And that sounds reasonable; only there is a flaw with the logic…"
Magina pulled up the line and lifted the empty hook to show Zoro. There was a flash of dismay, but she caught something else in the pre-dawning light. The red on his face reached his ears! Magina bent her head over the hook, hiding her smile. Zoro didn't embarrass easily.
"Fishing with a pole on the open sea is a challenge. I like to think like it's a match. Fish are stupid most of the time. You bait your hook right, and they won't even know that they're falling into a trap."
Magina baited the hook and handed the pole back to Zoro. She deftly did the same with her own hook."Casting the line allows you more time to trick the fish," Magina grinned before expertly casting the lure into the sea.
Zoro observed her carefully before mimicking her actions. It didn't take the two of them long to fill up the basket. Magina sighed and picked up the basket. She weighed it for a moment before setting it back down.
"It's too bad that Luffy's bucket wasn't easier to move. We could continue fishing if we had more space."
Zoro's face brightened for an instant before he tossed his rod at her.
"I'll be right back!"
He seemed…eager. Not that she minded. It was fun fishing with Zoro. But what was going on? Moments later, she understood why Zoro took off. He grunted as he carried over Luffy's wooden monstrosity.
"Why did he make it so big?"
She chuckled. "Nami and Robin said that he was thinking with his stomach. A bigger bucket means more fish."
Zoro snorted and set the bucket down. Magina dumped the basket into the larger container. She offered the fishing pole back to him. It was still going to be some time before the sun started rising or Sanji came out to start preparing breakfast. They fished in companionable silence. They emptied the basket several times before Zoro broke the quiet.
"Are you going to try to use this bucket every day?"
She shrugged. "I might, but it's large and unwieldly. It would take me forever to fill it up. I would have to start earlier."
Zoro paused for a long moment, staring at the sea.
"Teach me to fish."
Magina swiveled her head to look at Zoro in surprise. "What?"
"Teach me how to fish. With the two of us fishing together, we won't lose to the size of this bucket. I'll help with the cleaning and gutting too. That way, you're not spending all day on the catch."
Zoro hesitated a little longer and then turned his head her way. The intense and serious look made her cheeks heat.
"We haven't had a lot of time alone recently and fishing cuts into the time that we could be spending together. I'm not going to ask you to stop fishing, especially since I think Luffy would riot. But if I fish with you, then we can be alone for a while. Sanji can't protest if we're fishing. What do you think?"
Magina's smile grew slowly until she was beaming. "Mmhmm," she agreed. "I think I would like that."
Zoro turned back to the sea, but not before she caught a flash of his own smug grin.
"Good. You're not mad at me anymore."
He was right. She wasn't even angry at the rest of the crew. Magina had been annoyed until talking and fishing with Zoro. Now, that final resentment was released. The swordsman sighed.
"But you can probably expect that everyone is going to try to make it up to you today. Luffy might even order you to forgive him. He is an idiot after all," Zoro commented dryly.
"Like when he ordered me onto the Franky Family's ship because you asked him to?" she teased.
He growled at the reminder. Magina stifled her laughter. She was happy at the swordsman's suggestion. Fishing was a very solitary pastime, and thinking that she would no longer have to spend the hours alone brought a silly little grin to her face.
"It would be great to have another fisherman to help me. Luffy will be happy with all the extra supplies," she continued.
A sultry song came up behind them. She wasn't surprised when Sanji appeared on deck.
"Teach him how to properly gut and clean a fish too, Magina-san. I just came across the most atrocious gut job that I have ever seen in a kitchen."
Zoro flushed angrily.
"No one is good the first time, Sanji. Are you getting ready to cook breakfast? Did you want anything from the fresh catch?"
Sanji rocked on his heels for a moment before jumping and sitting on the lip of the giant bucket.
"Hmm, maybe. I see a huge fatty tuna down there. I'll come back with a tray."
Zoro's sigh echoed her inner feelings. "Well, I guess that means time is up."
Magina nodded. He was right. Once Sanji came out to see the catch, fishing time was over. She was a little disappointed. A sudden thought occurred to her. Even if her alone time with Zoro was done this morning, they would do some fishing tomorrow. And he was right. The cook wouldn't complain if they were doing something innocent like fishing. She was in a better mood when Sanji came back and started looking through the catch and picking out fish for breakfast
.…
He held back his growl of annoyance as Sanji strutted to the oversized bucket. The damn Love Cook was always showing off in front of Magina. Still, Zoro had no idea how Sanji managed to get the fish out of the bucket while still looking immaculate after.
"This will do for breakfast. I'll cook the tinier fish as garnishes. Then, you can feel like you contributed, shitty swordsman. Maybe I'll start calling you the shitty fisherman instead. Listen to what Magina-san tells you. Don't make her job harder than it already is!" the cook smirked, holding a tray with the large tuna and several smaller fish scattered on top.
"Of course, I won't, Dartbrow!" Zoro retorted angrily.
Magina didn't seem to be paying attention. She already pulled herself up to the lip of the bucket to look down at their catch below. She frowned once and then landed lightly beside him.
"The fish can't stay in the bucket. The bugs will start finding the fish soon, and if the sun shines down on them too long, the whole deck will smell like a fishing wharf."
"What do we need to do?" he asked.
She contemplated a moment longer before snapping her fingers. "There are some smaller baskets in one of the storage holds. We can use those to bring the fish into the kitchen. I don't think that this thing will fit through the door. Follow me."
Magina walked away. Her steps were purposeful and determined. She always looked so natural on a ship, and he couldn't help but think that she was beautiful, even if all of her focus was on the catch. She was a fisherman, through and through. Eventually, she noticed that he wasn't following her, and she turned around to look at him.
"Why did you stop? We have to hurry before the fish smell and the bugs gather," she said in confusion.
He chuckled. "Maybe I realized how serious you are when it comes to fishing. I have no qualms about learning to fish from a master."
Magina's face instantly turned red at the compliment. She turned around and headed into the storeroom. Zoro grinned and followed her. She was trying to play off her embarrassment by moving around as much as she could. Soon, she had two large stacks of woven baskets stacked high above her head.
"There, that should be enough."
"Well, if you think that this will be enough," Zoro murmured in her ear, standing directly behind her.
There wasn't a lot of room in this little supply closet, but the small size was going to work in his favor. She swung to face him, but he was so close that she was almost nose to nose with him. Magina's eyes widened in surprise.
"Zoro? What—?" she squeaked.
He grinned before kissing her. Surprising her wasn't easy, but it was always worth it. His lips crashed ravenously on hers. She hesitated for only a moment longer before kissing him back. He deepened the kiss. She relaxed in his arms completely. He would have continued the embrace, only he heard Luffy outside the storeroom, asking about breakfast. Time was up. He released her and picked up the two piles of baskets.
"These just need to go by the bucket?" Zoro asked.
Magina could only nod in reply. Zoro turned and picked up the baskets, smirking. He could get used to fishing if he was able to sneak a kiss or two. Better yet, there was no way the Love Cook would be able to stop him. He strode out of the storeroom in a much better mood.
…
Magina let herself sink to the floor as soon as Zoro left. She placed a hand over her heart. It raced uncontrollably, and she wasn't sure if she was ever going to breathe easily again. She touched her cheeks. They blistered with heat. If Zoro kissed her like that every morning, she just might die of heart palpitations! She took a deep breath and stood up. She had to get moving. There was fish to store before the bugs really got heavy or before the sun spoiled the catch. She opened the storeroom door. Zoro stood by the bucket, obviously waiting for her. She was about to move towards him when she was pulled aside.
"Magina, are you okay? Your face is all red. Did you and Zoro make up in the storeroom? That would explain why he looks so smug," Nami murmured in her hand.
She quickly touched her face again. She managed to shake her head.
"No, we made up before we went into the storeroom…"
Nami smirked and went off to the kitchens. "I'll send Luffy out to help you in a bit. There's some time before breakfast anyway, so he can't complain too much."
When Magina finally got to the fishing bucket, she saw Zoro frown in annoyance. "I don't like Nami hanging around you. She's like a fly."
Magina stifled her laughter. He sounded jealous! Speaking of flies; they had work to do before breakfast. She glanced at the bucket. She sighed.
"I think the easiest solution is going to bring this over to the kitchens. I'll bring the baskets."
She had to make two trips, but by the time she brought the piles of baskets, Zoro maneuvered the bucket close to the kitchen door. He grunted as he set it down. Magina jumped up on the lip of the bucket again and looked down. She didn't really want to drop herself into the bucket. She just changed her clothes, and it took forever to get fish oil and the smell out. She didn't have that many sets of clothes to begin with.
"It would be another thing if this bucket had an opening or a chute. Then, we could get the fish out easily. But as it is, this bucket is too big. Maybe if it had a door, right around here. Wheels would make things easier too," Magina contemplated the large wooden container.
"Oh, Fisher Girl. You have some awesome ideas there. Modification is the only way to make this mess salvageable," Franky interrupted on the way to the galley.
She nodded. "Maybe you and Usopp could come up with something. I'd hate to scrap the whole thing, but it's just not functional as it is. We still have to get the fish out before breakfast. I don't want to dump it on the deck, though. The oil would be disastrous for the wood."
Franky thought silently for a moment before snapping his fingers. "There are some torn sails in the second hold storage room. You could use those to protect the deck. I'll talk with Long-Nose Boy and see if he's up to some tinkering today. We'll make this hunk of wood SU-PER if it's the last thing we do!"
Franky began searching for the marksman. Magina sighed. Maybe after they modified the bucket, they could finally make it work for her.
"I'll be right back with those sails. We need to take care of those fish before the sun rises too much. Do you mind guarding the fish from Luffy? He isn't above sneaking a raw fish or two when he's really hungry," she asked the swordsman.
Zoro grunted. "If he tries, I'll cut him."
Magina chuckled as she entered the storeroom. Was he overprotective because part of what was in the bucket was his haul or because she asked him to protect it? Magina looked around the empty storeroom. The torn sails should be somewhere in here… She found them just as something made her shiver. She had the strangest feeling that she was being watched, and not in the same way that Zoro always stared at her. The stare was malevolent, baleful. She always laughed off the old tales when the fishermen talked about haunted ships or ghosts. She paused and took stock of her surroundings. The stockroom was too quiet. She tried to breathe in deeply and calm her racing heart. There was no such thing as ghosts. She never saw any evidence to suggest that they were real. Something fell from one of the shelves, all on its own. Magina grabbed the torn sails and bolted out of the stockroom.
. . . .
Zoro waited patiently for Magina to come back. It didn't take long. She rushed over to him, almost as pale as the sails she carried in her arms. He frowned. What was wrong with her? It almost looked like something scared her.
"Oi, what's the matter?"
She flashed him an unconvincing smile. "Nothing's wrong. Here, I'm going to set up this sheet so that the fish can be dumped here. It's good that this is right next to the kitchen door. It'll make hauling the catch from outside to the kitchen easier."
Zoro didn't argue. She was trying to pretend that everything was fine. Luffy silently stood behind her as she fiddled with the sheet, stretching it taut. He leaned in until he was directly over her shoulder. Magina gave the sail a final pat.
"That should do it."
"What are you doing, Magina?" Luffy asked.
He wasn't expecting her reaction. She leapt up and shrieked. Thankfully, Luffy didn't seem to notice that anything was wrong, because he laughed instead.
"Magina, you're so funny!"
Magina spun around with her hand covering her heart. "Luffy, you startled me! Is it time for breakfast already?"
Luffy shook his head. "Nami sent me out to help with the bucket. She said that I couldn't eat breakfast until I helped out. Did you catch a lot today?"
Magina shrugged. "There's one way to find out. I need you and Zoro to dump the bucket on this sail. Then, I'll cover the fish with the other sail to protect it from the sun, birds, and bugs. We can eat after that."
Luffy grinned. He hefted the bucket while Zoro did his best to guide the slope of falling fish. By the time they were done, a glistening mound of the scaly fish sat on the sail. Luffy grinned in delight.
"Ooh! You caught a ton! You did need a new bucket. We'll never run out of food now!"
Magina stifled her laughter and set to work on covering the catch. Zoro watched her. She still looked slightly pale. She moved her hands quickly to distract them so that they wouldn't notice her shaking. He wasn't sure why she even tried to hide it. Luffy was an idiot and didn't notice anything except the large number of fish on the sail. Finally, she finished and stood up. Luffy bounded eagerly into the kitchen. Magina was going to follow but Zoro stopped her, grabbing her hand. It shook ever so slightly.
"Luffy's an idiot and wouldn't notice anything, but I can tell that something is wrong. What is it?" he demanded.
She looked up in bewilderment at first but then she smiled.
"Nothing's wrong. Really. It was just my imagination. It's fine now."
Zoro studied her closely and decided that she must be telling the truth. The shaking in her hands stopped completely and the color was back in her cheeks. He finally grunted and released her hand.
"Good. Let's eat before Luffy takes all the food."
Magina nodded with a grin. He opened the door to the kitchen, the usual chaos and noise spilled out on the deck. There was never a dull moment with this pirate crew, especially anytime it involved food. But instead of sitting down at the table, she called the Love Cook over instead.
"Sanji, could you make a plate for me? I'm going to take it outside so that I can start working on bringing the catch in as soon as I'm done. I need a pail of water too."
"Being a fisherman seems like a lot of hard work," Chopper said with adoration in his voice.
She smiled teasingly. "It is, but it's worth it, as long as you like eating fish!"
Luffy laughed loudly. He rubbed his stomach in anticipation. "It's not as good as meat but it's still tasty! Eating fish is the next best thing!"
Sanji kicked Luffy in the head and a squabble broke out. Magina giggled softly beside him. He glanced over, the question in his eyes. She picked up on it without him even having to ask.
"I'm pretty sure that Luffy would say any food was the next best thing after meat. His compliment is nice to hear but I should only take it at face value. Fish is only the next best thing today. Tomorrow it will probably be something else."
Zoro grunted in agreement. Luffy certainly wasn't picky, in any sense of the word. Eventually, Sanji made a plate for Magina and she took it out on the deck. Chopper nudged him.
"Aren't you going to eat, Zoro?"
Zoro paused only a second. "Hey, Love Cook! Make me a plate too; I'm going to help the siren!"
Nami and Robin giggled softly to each other and Sanji's face turned a mottled red. He probably had a strange idea of swooping in and rescuing 'the Princess' from the mound of smelly fish. Zoro would fight the Love Cook first. He helped Magina fish this haul, not Sanji. So, he was the one that was going to take care of the fish. Sanji begrudgingly gave him a plate with food and a pail of water. From the cook's attitude, it was clear that he was going to finish serving and cleaning after the meal as fast as possible, probably to keep Zoro from 'tainting' the siren. Zoro grunted as he sat down on the other side of the covered fish.
"I didn't expect you here until after breakfast," Magina sounded shocked.
Well, at least he managed to surprise the siren. He stuffed a forkful of food in his mouth first. Eventually, he shrugged.
"I helped make this huge pile. I might as well learn, from start to finish. Besides, there were too many annoyances in the kitchen. I can eat out here in peace."
Magina nodded with a huge smile on her face. She didn't waste another second on chatting but went straight to eating. He followed suit. Undoubtedly, they would be able to talk once they settled into work. Plates were set aside, and she gave him one of the piles of baskets. She hesitated with the other pile before also bringing it over and setting it close by.
"We first have to sort the fish into these baskets. When we have a few baskets full, then we can bring them into the kitchen," Magina finally explained.
She carefully picked up one side of the sail and folded it over. The fish odor was so strong that it made his eyes water. Zoro quickly learned to not breathe in deeply, otherwise the stench stuck in the back of his throat. It looked like the smell didn't bother Magina at all.
"How are we sorting these?" he was finally able to ask normally.
Magina took one look at his face and giggled softly. "Don't worry. You'll eventually get used to it."
Somehow, Zoro doubted that. The siren took two smaller stacks of the containers and gave him one. She set the other on the ground before she sat next to him.
"We sort fish by size and by type so it's good to have a few extra baskets handy. The dorsal fins are sharp, so be careful when you pick up the fish. The gills and bellies are the safest way to handle them," she explained.
He nodded to the pail of water. "And what's that for?"
"Ah, right. This is to wet our hands before we handle the fish. Fish are slippery. Wetting our hands will give us a better grip."
Before she even finished her sentence, Magina already put her hands in the bucket of water and began to sort fish by size. Zoro observed a minute before also wetting his hands and sorting as well. They didn't talk much, except when he put a fish in the wrong basket. She patiently explained the different varieties, and by the end of sorting everything, he knew the fish names and how best to catch them. Magina stood back and looked at the assortment of baskets proudly. Zoro silently snorted. She was just like a proud parent, excited to see her child's progress. She really was a fisherman.
"Magina-san, did you need any more help? Did that shitty swordsman make your job more difficult?" an annoying voice came around the corner.
Zoro narrowed his eyes. Magina picked up a grouping of baskets and shoved them at the cook.
"He didn't do that. We don't have a lot of time. We have to get these baskets in and start gutting!"
He grumbled and if he listened carefully, he could hear Sanji mumbling a few choice words of his own. Magina dumped a pile of baskets into his arms.
"I need both of you to carry one more round of baskets. I'll grab the rest after that," she said, already sorting baskets into two more stacks.
Sanji saluted and sprinted to the kitchen. Zoro grunted. The cook was too eager. Sanji was already back with his second round of baskets by the time Zoro deposited his burden on the counters. He smirked. Zoro's eyes narrowed. He was being more annoying than usual. He ignored the cook and came back out of the kitchens. Magina struggled with a pile of baskets that was taller than her head. A smaller stack was pushed close to the kitchen. Zoro sighed and plucked the larger pile of containers from the siren's arms.
"I'll get this stack, you get that other one," Zoro growled.
Magina looked startled at first but then she smiled happily. "Deal, then I'll hold the door."
Zoro shook his head. It was just like her to try to handle the huge burden all by herself. He was going to have to have a serious talk with her soon. Maybe he would bring it up during their training session. He knew that she was startled over what he and Sanji said in Enies Lobby. He sighed. The woman was all kinds of frustrating.
The rest of the morning was spent cleaning, descaling, and gutting fish. The Love Cook and Magina both looked to be immune to the stink. Zoro didn't complain but he couldn't wait to get out of the enclosed kitchen and away from the pervasive smell. The Love Cook was dividing the fish up in three different piles. What was he doing?
"Are you salting and smoking some of today's catch, Sanji?" Magina asked as she concentrated on the last batch of fish.
"I know with our Captain's appetite that it would be hard for any of this to go to waste, but it was a large haul. Having some supplies set aside will relieve the burden placed on you, Magina-san," the cook replied.
Magina nodded. "Well, that should be the last of it. Thank you for your help…" she was looking at him, but Sanji interrupted her.
"Don't mention it, mademoiselle! I would do anything to help you!"
Zoro growled. He was sure that she was thanking him! Magina smiled and nodded. She waited until Sanji grabbed a basket of fish and left before turning to him.
"I mean, I am thankful for what he does to prepare the catch, but you were a great help today. I can't usually catch and clean that much, even with Sanji's help. Thank you, Zoro. I only need to clean up and put things away. Go and get some fresh air. I'll be out in a few minutes."
Zoro hesitated only a little. He was going to help her until she was done, but the smell was overpowering. He needed to clear his lungs with good, sea air.
"Are you sure?"
Magina grinned and pecked him on the cheek. "Go. I'm surprised you lasted as long as you did. Try to find something citrus to eat. It'll probably help with the taste in the back of your throat."
Zoro grunted and headed out of the kitchen. A breeze tousled his clothes. He breathed in deeply. That was one part of fishing that he could live without. He wondered if Magina and Sanji were just used to it. Would he get used to it too? Luffy and Chopper were playing on the top deck. He left them alone to play and went up to the crow's nest. He did some weightlifting before scanning the ocean. He was slightly distracted by the noise coming from the top deck before he grabbed a pair of binoculars. He focused the eyepiece against the sun reflecting off of the water. He saw something bobbing in the water.
"Hey, guys! Look out down below. There's something floating in the sea," Zoro called.
Hey, guys! I hope you enjoyed Chapter 40. It was fun to write and see Zoro start delving his way into the world of fishing for the first time. I have 2 more story arcs planned (though not entirely written at this point, still working on it, I promise!) It seems kind of crazy that we're at Chapter 40 already. What do you think is coming up next? Tune in for the next chapter. Create, stay healthy, all that good stuff. See you in the next chapter!