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***
Zoro had finally settled down to start his nap for the day. He figured he deserved it. After all, he had just bathed both himself and Chopper earlier. While it was a task he only had to do once a week, cleaning Chopper’s fur was difficult. Especially since he had managed to get cotton candy in it today.
Shifting a bit in his spot on the grassy lawn of the Sunny, Zoro got comfortable enough to sleep. Apparently his captain had other plans though.
"ZORO! ZOOOOOOOOOOOROOOOOOOOOOO!”
Keeping himself from groaning out loud, Zoro just focused on looking like he had fallen asleep. He was either not faking well enough or the other man just didn’t care since Zoro could hear the sound of fast approaching flip flops slapping against the deck.
“HEY ZORO!” Luffy decided to scream right in his ear this time so there was no way he could keep pretending to sleep.
Zoro opens his right eye slowly and looks at his captain.
"How did you lose your eye?"
Oh.
Of course Luffy would be curious about that. Giving it thought for the first time since he got the scar, Zoro realizes that it is a little strange to show up after 2 years of training with a new, major, and highly visible scar. However, Zoro doesn’t want to talk about it. In addition to that, the story of how he got it is embarrassing. Incredibly embarrassing actually. There is absolutely no way he can tell Luffy the truth and still keep his dignity intact. Not only that, Luffy would probably find it hilarious and tell everyone. Zoro cannot have the whole crew making fun of him for it.
“It's old. Don’t worry about it.” Zoro says, closing his eye as he does, aiming to look like he’s going back to his nap. He can’t handle looking at Luffy as the younger man stares at him, afraid he will crack and actually have to tell him. Zoro can feel Luffy’s stare on him as he crouches next to him.
“Okay!”
The sound of sandals slapping tells Zoro that Luffy has run off, likely bored of waiting for Zoro to actually answer his question. Zoro cracks his eye open again to see Luffy has joined Usopp in fishing, nearly knocking the other man from his spot on the railing. Letting out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, Zoro relaxes back into his nap. Relieved he doesn’t have to tell that embarrassing story.
His relaxing doesn’t last long though because Luffy spotted something in the water, diving in after it. Which led to Zoro also taking a dip into the ocean, retrieving the young man before he drowns.
***
A few days later finds Zoro in a tavern on the island they had arrived at earlier that day. A mug of the island's local ale in hand and Nami across from him at the table. She had dragged him shopping when they landed on the island, nagging him about how ‘his clothes smell bad’ and ‘do you only own that one robe, it's disgusting’. After what felt like hours he was finally where he wanted to be at the start of the day and on his way to drinking his fill when the witch decided to bother him further.
"I will drop your debt by 10 percent if you tell me how you lost your eye."
Zoro glares at her.
"Fine. 12 percent but no more than that."
“No way.”
“It must be a reaaaaally embarrassing story if you don’t want to talk about it.” She says with a knowing smirk behind her own pint of ale.
Zoro glares at her further. Yes. The story was embarrassing. And no, he didn’t want to talk about it. Especially to Nami who he knew would never stop making fun of him for it if she ever found out.
“Look. I just don’t wanna talk about it. It happened a while ago. I’m over it.”
Or at least trying to get over it, but Luffy and now Nami are bringing back the memory and he really wants to be done with the questioning.
"If I drink more than you tonight you have to tell me how you lost your eye."
Zoro groaned and leaned further back into his seat, looking up at the dirty ceiling of the dingy bar. It was usually a 50/50 whether he could outdrink Nami but he figures he could probably drink more than the witch today since she had been enjoying free samples of some fruity, overly sweet looking drinks during their shopping trip. Seeing it as an out, and also maybe a bit off of his seemingly endless debt to her he decided to play along with her bet.
“If I win I don’t have to pay for all the shit you bought today and 12 percent off my debt.”
“No way. That deal was in the past. Just the clothes.”
“And the drinks.”
“Fine. And the drinks.”
Nami must be really curious about the story if she is willing to pay for the obscene amount of alcohol the both of them can go through. Zoro groaned loudly again before giving in.
“Fine.”
A couple hours later, Zoro is carrying a drunk Nami over his shoulder back to the ship. At least, in the direction he remembers the ship being. When Nami wakes up it's a few hours later and Zoro has managed to navigate them to a beach on the far side of the island. Nami doesn’t stop yelling at him until they make it to the deck of the Sunny.
***
“...and the warrior fell! His opponent got another hit on the man as he did. A few moments passed as the warrior gathered his wits and began to stand again. Blood gushing from the wound, the warrior stood, shakily to his feet. Raising his sword against the evil man, the warrior fought on. Seeking revenge for his now lost eye!”
Zoro just wanted to work out in silence but Usopp had found his way up into the crows nest and was telling some story about a warrior and a fight? He wasn’t listening that closely to be honest, more focused on counting his reps as he lifted the heavy weight with both arms over his head and swinging down, repeating the motion over again.
…996…
“The battle of strength raged on! Neither man backed down, standing firm in their goal to see the other fall. Then…”
…997…
“...swords swinging in dangerous arcs, the warrior finally figured out the technique of the other! For it was simple really, the trick was…”
…998…
“...the stage was set. This would be both of their final attacks, the winner declared while the loser fell. Raising his sword…”
…999…
“At last, the villain fell! The hero of this story, the brave warrior, stood victorious over his limp form.”
…1000.
Finishing his set, Zoro set the weight down and wiped off his sweat with the towel he kept in the crows nest. Settling down on one of the benches circling the space, Zoro drank some water before leaning back against the window, the coldness of it providing some relief to his back, warmed from his workout. As Zoro relaxed, he noticed Usopp staring at him, quiet for the first time in about an hour.
“What?”
"Was I close?!"
"Huh?"
"Was my incredible tale of your feats close to how you lost your eye?"
Not this again.
Luffy, Nami, and now Usopp? Was this going to be a regular thing? If so, Zoro isn’t sure how long he can handle this line of questioning before he starts to go insane.
“It's none of your business longnose.”
Usopp squeaked at that. Zoro might have said that a bit harsher than he should have but he was annoyed. Why did any of them care how he lost his eye? It may have affected his fighting when he first got the injury but he has been able to work past that challenge and is still more than capable of doing his duty of protecting the crew.
“Ah…well…it's just that…ummm…”
“What Usopp.”
“It’s nothing!”
The two of them stared at each other for a few moments, Zoro’s glare getting fiercer and Usopp’s hunched form turning more and more into a cower.
“I should go!” Usopp squeaked, “I suddenly have don’t-want-to-die-in-a-sweaty-gym disease!”
Faster than Zoro had ever seen him, Usopp left in a rush out of the crows nest and down the rope ladder. Disappearing into Nami’s tangerine trees, probably to get as far away from Zoro and his glaring as possible.
Frustrated, Zoro picked up his weights and started his reps over again.
***
Peeling potatoes wasn’t how Zoro imagined he would spend his time as they made their way closer to the next island. It was probably a winter island judging from the cold temperatures and light snowfall that had started about an hour ago. Zoro had planned to do some training outside, but the shit cook had cornered him instead rambling about making a soup due to the chill and needing Zoro to act as potato peeler.
He had just about filled the pot the cook had handed him with the stupid potatoes when Sanji came over to check his progress, having finished his job of cutting through the other vegetables and meat for whatever soup he had planned for lunch.
“Good to know you can still peel potatoes without messing it up.”
“What does that mean, Curlybrow!?”
“Means I figured your messed up depth perception would have made you shit at handling a peeler without cutting yourself, Mosshead!”
This cannot be happening.
More questions about his stupid eye? And from the cook of all people!
Zoro didn’t even bother giving him a response as he finished peeling the last potato and shoved the pot into Sanji’s arms. Zoro mumbled about ‘shit cooks and their stupid peelers and stupid potatoes’ as he left the galley, Sanji yelling at him as he went.
Later on that day, the Sunny was about to be attacked by Marines. Turns out the island they were approaching was a Navy base and the Marines had spotted them as the Sunny got closer to the island. As the Marine ships started loading their cannons, Sanji approached him for the second time that day, pulling his box of cigarettes and a lighter from the breast pocket of his suit.
"Let's make a bet! When I take down more marines in this fight than you, you have to tell me how you lost your eye."
"You would never take down more marines than me shit cook! And besides, I don't see what I get out of this when I win."
Sanji put his hand to his chin in thought and a few seconds later, "What about as much sake as you want for a week," breathing in the smoke from his cigarette and on the exhale, “I won’t even complain about it.”
Zoro blinked. As much sake as he wanted and he wouldn’t have to hear the cook yell at him for it?
"Deal."
An hour later sees the Marine ships sinking, the Strawhats sailing away, and Zoro and Sanji yelling at each other about how many Marines they each managed to take down. Their arguing quickly leads to the sound of steel hitting shoes.
After Nami hits them both in the head, leaving them laying on the deck side by side and nursing growing bumps, they agree it was a tie.
***
A few weeks later, Zoro sits in the infirmary after a fight with a group of pirates. One of the opposing pirates had managed to sneak behind Zoro while he was busy slicing through a group of them and hit him in the back of the head with some sort of spiked club. Zoro managed to cut the guy down before his vision grew blurry and Franky carried him out of the way before he passed out.
After making sure he was okay and being diagnosed with a concussion, Chopper set to fret about Zoro’s other injuries. Bringing Zoro to where he is now, head pounding as Chopper fusses about his missing eye.
"As your doctor, I can't properly take care of your injuries unless I know how they happened. There could be other damage that needs to be taken care of or special treatment to keep it clean."
“It happened a while ago though and it doesn’t even bother me, why would it need special treatment?”
Zoro needed to get out of this situation quickly. He didn’t have very many weaknesses, but Chopper and his big pleading eyes were one of them. If Chopper kept going on Zoro was pretty sure he would just give in and tell the young doctor everything. He knew the kid looked up to him and if Chopper found out how Zoro really lost his eye that admiration would definitely fade.
“I won’t tell anyone else if that’s what you are worried about Zoro! Doctor-Patient confidentiality!”
Chopper says that now but this is one story Zoro cannot risk anyone knowing. He knows that Chopper takes his job as doctor seriously but this could be the one thing even Chopper breaks his morals on and tells the others about. Zoro might be missing an eye now but he isn’t blind to the fact that the rest of the crew is curious. After having half the crew ask about his eye, he figured out by now that they all have something going on to try to get him to spill the story.
Looking back at Chopper, Zoro can see that the kid is trying his best to get Zoro to talk by making a sad and pleading face at him.
Staying strong, Zoro coughed before speaking, figuring flattery is the only thing that will get him out of this.
"You're the best doctor though Chopper, I know you can take care of any injuries I get, even without knowing how they happened."
The flattery seemed to do the trick since Chopper was squirming too much in joy to ask Zoro about it again before his exam was done and he all but fled the infirmary.
***
"You know our experiences make us who we are, especially those that leave marks."
It's been 5 minutes and Zoro already regrets resting in the library to get out of the heat of the day. He knew he should have gone to the aquarium bar instead but Robin had mentioned that the couches in the library were more comfortable and Zoro didn’t think anything of it.
By this point Zoro knew what was happening. Robin was in her own weird, roundabout way asking about how he lost his damn eye. He chose not to respond though, hoping Robin, as one of the more reasonable Strawhats who understood privacy, would drop it.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t that lucky.
“Have you chosen not to tell us because you are ashamed of the circumstances that lead to it?”
Damn. She really hit the nail on the head there. Yeah. Zoro was ashamed of how he got it. It was really embarrassing and he honestly wished they would stop asking about it.
Zoro must have made some sign to her that she was right though because she laughed lightly before getting up to put her book away, turning her back to him as she checked the shelves for her next read. At least Zoro thought she was grabbing another book for herself, but when he felt something gently tap his head, he opened his eyes to find an arm sticking out of the couch he was laying on and a thin book in front of his face. Sitting up, Zoro grabbed it and took a look at the dark brown cover.
Ryuma, Tales of the One Eyed Samurai
The book was old. Its pages were slightly yellowed and thin as Zoro opened it.
“I think you will find this an interesting read, Mr Swordsman.”
She said it with a smirk with more meaning behind it than Zoro wanted to figure out.
Robin did eventually find a new book to read and sat down at her place on the other couch and began to read again, apparently having said what she wanted to Zoro. Ignoring the book, Zoro placed it down on the window sill behind him and closed his eyes again, hoping to get back to his nap. However, after 15 minutes, sleep eluded him and with a frustrated grunt he opened his eye, sat up, and grabbed the book again. Turning to the first page he figured he might as well give it a try. Zoro had never liked reading, preferring training or napping, but the book was thin and he was curious as to what it might say about the man, or rather corpse, he once fought.
The book mostly contained accounts from people who had fought Ryuma. Apparently the samurai had a penchant for fighting anyone and everyone, particularly those that touched his sword sheaths with their own. A couple hours later, when Zoro was about halfway through the book, he got to the part he assumed Robin wanted him to read.
It was after Ryuma's first fight with Cyrano, but before his second fight with him that he had managed to lose his left eye. There are no records of Ryuma having fought with anyone during that time. Many theories persist on how Ryuma lost his eye but none have been confirmed. Anyone who asked the samurai how he lost his left eye was immediately brushed off and Ryuma was known to make a point to quickly change the subject or challenge them…
Zoro slammed the book shut and tossed it on the coffee table again. Looking at Robin, he saw she wore that same smirk but now he understood the meaning behind it. After glaring at her, he left the library in a huff, her soft laughter following him.
***
Zoro’s focus was entirely on the railing he was currently fixing the paint on. After a couple of heavy storms only the New World is capable of, the Sunny was in need of fixing up. All that was left was to fix the paint in a few more spots. Franky had recruited Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji for the task. Usopp had finished his section quickly, being more of an artist and a better painter than the other two and the section Sanji had been painting is drying while the cook works on dinner. Leaving Zoro to finish painting the part of the railing he claimed with Franky nearby replacing some of the boards.
While Zoro is the type to work in silence, Franky definitely is not. Franky has been recounting stories of his childhood with Iceburg and has now moved on to telling Zoro about the details of his time in Vegapunk’s old lab.
“What about you Zoro-bro! What super stuff did you get up to during those two years?”
“Not much. Training.”
“Don’t hold back bro! I know you got up to some adventures. How else would you have gotten that super manly scar!”
Not this again. More questions about his eye. Zoro knew it was a matter of time until Franky asked him about it too but it is no less of a surprise when it finally happens.
“Like I said. I was just training. There wasn’t anything else to do on Mihawk’s island anyway.”
Franky groans at his response like Zoro has somehow offended him. It isn’t Zoro’s fault he doesn’t want to talk about it. It isn’t a good memory and Franky should have figured that out by how Zoro has responded to the others when they have asked.
“Bro I know you are holding back some super stories though! Just give me one story! I will even write a song about it.”
At that, Franky pulls his guitar out from somewhere on his person and starts strumming a loud tune.
A song about how Zoro lost his eye was probably his worst case scenario. It would add further humiliation on top of an already stupidly embarassing story. Zoro needed out of this conversation with Franky immediately. Or something that would distract Franky enough for him to hide away in the crows nest.
Looking around the deck while Franky figured out what chords would be super enough for whatever manly story he was expecting Zoro to tell, Zoro found an out. Luffy and Usopp were messing around on the other side of the deck near the door to the men’s room. Whatever Usopp was holding looked flammable. Or maybe not. At this point Zoro didn’t care.
“Are Luffy and Usopp making bombs over there?”
That got Franky to stop strumming and look directly at the younger two.
“I think that one is going to explode. Might do some damage.”
And that got Franky moving.
“HEY DON’T DAMAGE THE SUNNY!”
In the fastest escape of Zoro’s life he took the rope ladder up to the crows nest, staying there until dinner was ready an hour later.
***
A soft melody played across the Sunny that night as Zoro made his way over to Brook to relieve him of the night shift. Not wanting to interrupt Brook’s playing, Zoro stood off to the side, leaning against the railing of the Sunny and listening to the gentle melody. When Brook’s song came to an end, Zoro spoke up.
“My turn for the night shift, you can head to bed Brook.”
“I find that I’m not very tired right now. If it's alright with you, I would like to play a few more songs.”
“I won’t stop you.”
Brook nodded in return and resumed playing on his violin.
“Seems we have a few things in common now, Zoro.”
Brook still played while he made his observation. Zoro didn’t quite get what Brook meant by that. It’s not like Zoro had picked up an instrument over the course of two years or grown fond of bad puns.
“What do you mean?”
“We both seem to have lost eyes! Or well an eye in your case”
Zoro sighed. He had hoped for a peaceful night.
“Wait,” Brook paused. “I’m a skeleton. I don’t have any eyes to lose! Yohohoho!”
While Brook laughed to himself over his own joke, Zoro went to the galley and grabbed himself a bottle of sake. If he was going to be harassed about his eye again, he was going to have a drink.
Heading back down to the Sunny’s lawn, Zoro took his spot by the railing again, taking large gulps straight from the bottle.
“It seems I’ve offended you with my joke.”
“I just don’t get why everyone wants to know about my eye so bad. It's not like losing it affected my fighting or anything.”
Frustrated and more than a little tired of it at this point, Zoro just didn’t understand why they all kept asking him about his damn eye. Nothing had changed. Not really. Sure, losing the eye sucked but he figured out how to live without it, why couldn’t the rest of the crew.
“Because as much as we tease you, we do care about you Zoro.”
What?
“What?”
“We were all separated for two years and the first time we saw you, you lost something very important. We just want to make sure you are okay, in our own way of course.”
That…actually makes sense. Zoro has never doubted that his nakama cares about him but to have it said to him, to have it confirmed like that. That was different. Zoro gave Brook a small smile and answered him.
“Thanks. But I promise. There’s nothing to worry about. I’m good.”
With soft smiles on both of their faces, Brook resumes his playing. Zoro resumes his drinking.
***
Zoro was going to kill everyone on this ship and then himself. Over the course of the past 5 minutes he has gone insane.
It started when Zoro tried to take his seat at the table for breakfast, bumping into the cook as the man placed dishes on the table. A comment about his shitty depth perception here and an insult about the other man's eyebrow there somehow led to the rest of the table yelling over each other about Zoro's damn missing eye again.
Usopp has started to recite another one of his over the top stories and Franky is accompanying him on his guitar.
Chopper has made his way over to Zoro’s side to fret over him and make sure the scar isn’t infected or something.
Nami and Sanji both look like they are contemplating just hitting Zoro.
Robin is quiet but with a look on her face like she is thriving in the chaos around her.
Brook and Luffy are just laughing. Loudly.
His ears are starting to ring and something breaks in Zoro’s mind.
"Gorillas."
Zoro's finally done it. He's finally lost his damn mind.
The crew turned to stare at him in disbelief that he was actually giving them an answer for the thing they have spent the past few weeks annoying him about. Sighing heavily and realizing this might be his chance to end the line of questioning and save what little sanity he has left, Zoro finally gives in.
"Mihawk has these stupid gorillas on his island and I was fighting one. It got a good hit in."
Zoro let his sentence hang. Technically the statement wasn’t wrong. He had been fighting Mihawk’s dumb gorillas and they had hit him a few times during his training. It just wasn’t how he lost the eye. He wasn’t sure he would be able to add ‘that’s how I lost my eye’ to that sentence though without it being obvious he was lying so he let his words taper off as the group watched him.
They all seemed to buy Zoro’s lie well enough when Nami pulled out the book she keeps track of their bets in. While Zoro wasn’t surprised they all bet on this, he was pissed about it.
“Alright, well he didn’t tell just one of us so that part of the bet is off. Since it was an animal attack… Luffy and Chopper won.”
“YAHOOOO”
“YAY!”
While the crew figured out who got what from the betting pull, Zoro let out the breath that he was holding. Hopefully they would stop asking him about it now and he could relax for the first time in weeks.
There was absolutely no way he was going to tell his nakama that he lost his eye running away from Perona’s nagging and when taking a turn too fast in Mihawk’s stupid castle, he ran face first into one of those stupid wall light things ('Its called a SCONCE' Peronas voice in his head yells at him.). The crew teases him enough as it is, if they found out how he really lost his eye he would never hear the end of it.