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It's a cold day, right after school when he's sitting at the half abandoned wooden dock and eating a bowl of pasta Sanji made him. It's quiet, only the wind blowing in the air as he kicks his legs back and forth. He slurps up another forkful of linguini, grinning softly.
It's his favorite after school activity; coming to the dock. It's always peaceful, and the perfect place to eat where stupid Ace and Sabo won't steal the food he begs Sanji to make for him.
He chomps down on a piece of steak, and stares down at the water with a small frown.
It looks like there's something there, and he's not sure what could be so big in this area.
He clutches his bowl closer— and screams when whatever it is jumps up from the water, covered in clumps of dark green and gray scales... and, green hair?
Hair?!
Human!?!
"AHH! What are you?! Who are you!?" Luffy holds his bowl close, starring into the creatures... very pretty eyes.
"... what are you eating?" The creature asks him, leaning on the deck.
Luffy blinks, and tucks his bowl behind his back. "I won't share my food—" Luffy stares into those grey eyes, and he thinks that he's never seen eyes so pretty before. They practically twinkle—"...even if you have... very pretty eyes."
The creature bites down on his lip, and looks away.
"... I'm eating fett... fettuccini... Alfredo? I think. That's what Sanji said."
The creature looks at him again, and he feels his cheeks warm up at the pretty eyes... and the pretty face.
...
"Okay, I'll give you some."
"... okay."
Luffy grabs a piece of meat, and holds it out towards the creature. He raises his own hand out of the water, and grabs the meat. "Steak."
"How do you know?!"
The creature eats it, then laughs. "Merman leave the water too, y'know."
Luffy huffs. "Then I gave you my meat for nothing!"
"... it was good. Thank you."
The creature smiles at him— a smile with sharp teeth that give him dimples. If the creature was already pretty— the dimples make him prettier.
"Your... your welcome." Luffy messes around with his food, twisting his fork around. "Do you have a name?"
"I do."
"What's your name?"
"Zoro."
"Okay, hello Zo-ro. I'm Luffy!"
The creature— no, Zoro hums, then puts both arms on the dock... then pulls himself out the water— the full tail on display. It's a beautiful sight— and Luffy almost wants to touch it.
A tail with pretty dark green and gray scales... he frowns at the net that caught the tail.
"You have a net on your tail."
"I know. People suck, sometimes. My own people also throw stuff in the water, so I guess everyone sucks."
"Are you gonna get it off?"
Zoro hums, and reaches out his hand— sharp nails— and cuts the net in half.
"It happens a lot, so I try and keep my nails sharp." Zoro looks at him, and grabs the net out from under his tail. "I want pasta."
"Huh?!"
Zoro points at his food, at the noodles, then at his mouth... Luffy blinks.
"C'mon... I speak perfect English... I even did a demonstration."
"What— no! I understand."
Luffy huffs, but twists his fork around the pasta... and puts the fork up to Zoro's mouth.
"Eat."
Zoro grins softly, then bites the fork, slurping the noodles that trail out into his mouth. "Mhm... that's good."
"I know! Sanji is such a good cook."
"Mhm, I don't like him... his food is good, though."
"Why don't you like him?"
Zoro shrugs, then rubs his tail. "Don't know, don't care. Why do you eat here everyday? I always see you."
"So that my stupid brothers don't steal my food! They're so annoying!" It's true! They're super annoying— and insist on stealing his food. He says no, and they do it anyway.
Zoro frowns for a second. He doesn’t like the look of a frown on his face.
"And I like it here. It's pretty."
"Okay. Thank you, you never leave trash behind."
"You don't have to thank me for that!" He looks up, and Zoro's looking at him with a small smile.
"Still, thank you…” Zoro looks at him— and it makes his stomach do flips. Is it a merman’s power to make him feel so… warm and gooey inside?
Is this what Sanji feels when pretty woman walk by?!
He feels his cheeks warm up, and he looks away nervously.
“…do people ever say you’re pretty?”
“No?” Zoro furrows his eyebrows. He gulps.
“Why?”
Zoro shrugs, “I don’t really… talk to people.”
“What about the other mer… people?” He didn’t really know there was a mer-society until 5 minutes ago, but… he’s trying. Maybe there’s a social hierarchy and all.
His history teacher was talking about that today, actually. Everywhere has some sort of social hierarchy, but maybe the mermaid people are different.
“I am not the beauty standard of my people, so no.”
Luffy blinks. How is Zoro not?!
“But!?! What?!”
“What…?!”
“You’re so… um, beautiful!”
Zoro’s face looks surprised for a second, and then he turns bright red. It makes Zoro look even prettier, somehow.
“My people believe us with scars are ugly. I am at the bottom of the beauty scale, and only the beautiful are successful… you need perfect and soft skin.”
“Why…? I think you’re perfect as you are.”
Zoro bites down on his lip for a second, then runs a finger down the deep scar across his chest.
“Because, we can only take supplies from sailors if we lure them with our perfect, flawless beauty. I am not that.”
“… I think you are. I’d be hypnotized.”
“I appreciate that… no one’s ever called me pretty and beautiful before.” Zoro looks away from him, and fumbles around with his fingers. Their webbed. He wonders how it feels.
“No one?”
“No one… well, my mother used to tell me I was perfect for luring men, and then I got this hideous scar— and I was kicked out. I’ve lived here ever since.”
Luffy frowns, and Zoro seems to have no reaction. Maybe it’s been a long time— and the wound has healed. Or maybe it never hurt in the first place… he’s not exactly sure.
“Oh, that sucks.”
“It does.”
It’s silent between them, only the sound of waves lapping against the support beams of the dock fill the air.
There’s a pop and then Zoro’s… mermaid parts turn… human?
He stares, dumbfounded.
“Oh, yeah. This happens. I can actually only be… mermaid-y for a few hours of the day. Happened when I was exiled from my city.”
“Exiled?! You can turn human!?!”
Zoro laughs, a nice sounding genuine laugh.
“Yes… my family were influential. And yes, I can.”
“…that’s so cool. Zoro, you’re so cool. Be my friend— where do you live? Do you have a home? Do you go to school? Oh my god, do you have a job?”
Zoro scoffs.
“Calm down. I live… around. I have a home. I do not go to school. I have a job…ish.”
Zoro goes quiet for a second.
“And… yes, I will be your friend.”
Luffy grins, and starts going through his mental-new friend- check list… he grins, this is the start to a great… friendship?