Chapter Text
-''Bushido-San!''.
-''Eh?''.
It wasn't all that strange that Zoro just rolled with Vivi's self-declared nickname without complaint, the swordsman usually went along with the majority of the crew's antics without much, if any, fuss at all, even less if booze was involved and no Luffy's life-threatening, improvised human slingshots to send him barreling into Merry's deck (Or through walls).
But the local Navigator and Cook had a silent, seething and nearing boiling point agreement.
What the absolute fuck.
-''They're real!''.
-''Ha? What are you playing at? Of course they're real''.
Vivi played with the dark ears on top of the hybrid's head as he rested against the mast, both arms and legs crossed, green tail swaying around while the blue haired teen caressed his very-non human ears between her index and thumb with a fascination that both disgusted and endeared the blonde and redhaired crewmates.
Zoro might as well be an older cat entertaining a curious child, or a very active kitten with how unbothered he looked at this blatant invasion of his personal space when, in the short time they had sailed together, it was common knowledge that both his tail AND cat ears were very offlimits, (Except for their young reindeer doctor, adorable privilege uncontested and undoubted). And Luffy because he's Luffy
-''There are no Tigers in Alabasta, you're the first one I've seen in my life''.
-''Mn''.
The Cook would absolutely cave his head in if he dared to as much as growl at sweet Vivi-Chan. If he posessed ears and a fluffy tail he would offer himself in a silver plate for the ladies to cuddle to their heart's content! The marimo should feel honored such a beatiful girl is touching his stinky seaweed fur!
Zoro does not seem displeaced nor thrilled while Vivi fusses and plays with his tail, Nami orders them to adjust Merry for the change in the wind and the crew goes on their business.
Zoro cannot answer what type of tiger is he nor if he knows more like him.
But when a green tail swiftly slips out of her fingers, she doesn't push any further, smiles and, satisfied, never touches him again for the rest of their trip.
They reach an islad on the way and the cook grumbles the whole time he's on Marimo duty, he's got a backpack full of interesting fruits he wants to experiment on in the kitchen but instead he's stuck as the designated tiger hunter, he kicks a rock and it hits the back of a familiar black boot.
-''Oi, shitty Marimo-Cat! I've got a crew to feed and I'm not going to lose sleep looking for your sorry ass, get back in here!''.
For the first time, Zoro doesn't take the bait, instead the swordsman is busy staring up at one of the gigantic trees scattered through the island which cast ominous shadows over the forest floor, nose twitching and tail swinging low back and forth, Sanji mentally chuckles as the stripped seaweed just needs to start making chirping noises and he'd be the perfect image of a shitty housecat birdwatching from the window.
Swords always at his hip and a generous bed of leaves spread on a thick sheet over the ground he's obviously been working on for a while, the half tiger sticks his hands on his pockets and retrieves what Sanji can only identify as two pieces of wood with spikes on them, attached to a piece of leather each and watches as the tiger slips his fingers into them as if they were brass knuckles, but the spikes facing down from his palms.
Before he can ask what the hell is he doing the swordsman gets close to the tree and, with a swift, easy movement from his feet, a thin, sharp blade emerges from the sole of each of his boots, he stabs them to the bark of the tree with a suspiciously strong and practiced kick, makes sure he's got a good grip and starts climbing as Sanji watches dumbfounded.
Since when he's got those in his boots???
-''Oi, what are you doing?''.
-''Getting food, What else?''.
If he cranks his neck almost all the way back and squints his eyes Sanji can make out the shape of colorful fruit hanging all over the tree's branches, generous and enticing compared to the scarce fruit he's found closer to the ground, a nice, pleasant smell that makes him run a hundred and some list of recipes out of thin air and challenging enough to be worth his time.
Of-fucking-course they turn this into a competition.
Sanji relishes the look of absolute outrage in the swordsman's face when Sanji hops up the smooth trunk with the gravity defying grace of a goat just beside him and grins when Zoro steps up his game with the wicked grip and leap of a feline, leaving marks on his way up but otherwise very much undeterred by his odd tools which Sanji doesn't have time to question when they're busy throwing fruit to the bedding the hybrid did beforehand while attempting to push the other off of the branches like crazy monkeys, by the time they're done they're covered in leaves and sticks poking out of their hair, they fight some more over who picked more fruit while carrying ridiculous amounts each, Sanji doesn't question the way Zoro massages his knuckles and shifts his weight from one leg to the other, it's something he just does, with a smirk on his face before or after a battle or one of their many scuffles, satisfaction dripping off of him like honey, the cook doesn't read farther than that, sharing the sentiment.
-''Well done, Marimo, you get an extra cup of sake for your efforts''.-Sanji jokingly pats the swordsman's head, almost immediately Zoro shrinks his shoulders under the blonde's hand like an annoyed cat and pretends to growl at him, red dusting his cheeks.
-''Oi! I caught more than you! I deserve a whole bottle, Curly!''.
-''Ha?''.
Sanji half-heartedly kicks him as the swordsman retaliates with a swing of his sword while precariously balancing his own share of fruits on the other, they try to fit through the galley's door at the same time, a loud BANG! and Merry's deck gets filled with colorful spilled fruits as yelling is heard from the galley.
-''They never learn, Do they?''.-Vivi asks as a fruit rolls down next to her feet.
-''Never''.-Nani deadpans.
It's late, plates washed and stacked, bellies full and retired to bed, Usopp is just about to start his watch and stumbles upon Zoro who has claimed a portion of the deck with an assortment of several different types of knifes he carries in two different holsters wrapped around his legs and which absolutely don't make Usopp stare and drool like an idiot in the way the straps grip his thighs and frame a very round ass under the familiar noise of leather being stretched when he moves. Nope.
-''Wanna change turns?''.-Zoro's voice makes his jump out of his neatly arranged set of mental photographs.
-''Uh-eh- What?''.
Ten points to Captain Usopp.
-''I need to clean and sharpen them, gonna stay up late anyways''.-Zoro doesn't look up from the serrated pocket knife he's cleaning, Unlike the sinister but bearable, physics defying shadow of his bandana, the marksman knows if they meet eyes with only the moonlight above their heads he'll see them shine horrifically, He can tell the swordsman apart from the rest of the crew in a dark room immediately because of his inhumane glowing eyes. Chopper's as well, he's got enough scares to last a lifetime, thank you very much.
He rummages through his bag, finds a loose, half-used candle, lits it up and sits down next to the busy tiger. Zoro looks up at him quizzically, no demonic white glow over yellow eyes, just the warmth of the wick. Ha!
-''Why you have so many knives? Is it part of the hyakumantoryū* style or what?''.-He finds himself asking, blame his love for curious tools and the swordsman's need to act like a living, breathing swiss knife, leather wrapped thighs included.
Zoro blinks once, twice, then bursts out laughing. Sharp fangs gleaming under the moonlight.
-''I would love that but no, they're more practical like this for me, That's all. If we're surrounded by marines or somethin' I don't think they'll wait for me to wipe out a swiss knife and choose what I need before they fill me with bullets''.
-''Yeah, that makes sense''.
Speaking of leather, he has noticed that Zoro never takes off the pair of gloves he's seen his hands hidden under ever since they've met, tight bandages appear from under them and extend almost all the way to his elbows. They're thick and worn out by time, the type Usopp would use to grab sharp pieces of metal or wield something until it's red with heat, but not to wear on a daily basis like say, the fancy, silky lace gloves Kaya wears. Despite that, the barbarian swordsman manages to hold his infinite collection of little pocket knives with delicate, gentle and firm fingers, cares for them as much as his swords. His ears twitch and his tail flips gently, nose scrunched in concentration and eyes fixated on every little detail that needs his attention. He doesn't mind Usopp's company nor he seems aware of the staring.
The candle doesn't last long, but the white glow isn't as scary under a gentle, concentrated gaze he memorizes to perfection.
A few days later a pirate crew manages to sneak in on them in the middle of the night, during the scuffle, Zoro can only manage to get two swords out as he's cornered away from the rest, gets thrown through a wall and is reduced to one sword.
A blade slids down deck with the sway of the waves and a black shoe stops it before it could get lost to the sea. He lifts his gaze on time to see the swordsman wipe out one of his secret blades hidden in the soles of his boots and, with a hasty kick, Sanji grimaces as he stabs one of his attackers right in the groin, the angle is wrong and the blade breaks, stuck into flesh as the pirate hollers in pain, Zoro swiftly flips him away just in time to block an axe about to split his head open. Luffy is breaking absolute hell in the larger, menacing enemy ship and the rest stay to protect Merry. Another one slids through the waves with all the intention to charge into their ship, Nami and Vivi, barricated in the galley, pull at the helm with all their strength to dodge impact, the larger ship taking part of the railings and the abrupt change of direction gives Zoro the leverage for the pirate that dared steal Kitetsu as his foe slips right into his other blade through the chest and is thrown at the sea after a well earned growl as he stands his ground in preventing anyone from entering the galley as the two girls steer the ship through the dark sea.
The cook doesn't have time to kick Wado back to her owner and has to resort to a backflip, grab the sword and send another pirate flying into the sea to rain a neverending barrage of kicks to a good dozen pirates zeroing on him like a deer cornered by a pack of wolves. Bones snap, screams of outrage and pain fill the night, blood spills like a broken vasine, there is no moon tonight and Usopp, high on the mast and with the accuracity of a deadly sniper, supports his crewmates and keeps them from getting dangerously cornered, until he fires an oil pellet from above and the effects are devastating, Like domino, one poor oiled bastard slips, breaks the innocent lamp hanging on the mast and sets himself and the ones near him on fire, howls of pain that will fill Sanji's nightmares to kingdom come, refuses to see their panicked, flailing forms falling from deck and into the sea. Worry sets into his bones because he can't see Nami nor Vivi around, he hears Zoro roar for the first time into a bastard's face that dares injure him, no sword in his mouth to muffle the pained sound and Merry suddenly is too big and too small in a vast, infinite sea and they are just kids with big dreams.
It's chaos, It's life or death and survival, protectiveness and pride, is dreams to accomplish and people waiting for them back home, is a simple 'I don't want to die' and 'Like hell I'm falling like this'.
Sanji holds onto Wado like an anchor and keeps fighting and fighting and fighting.
The sun is just shy of the horizon, the strawhats wind up exhausted and dirty but victorious, Nami and Vivi hold onto each other for support, exhausted and dirty and Sanji releases a breath he didn't knew he was holding, Luffy has sinked the enemy's ships and now his midsection hangs on the railings like a wet cloth left to dry, arms stretched on deck like strings and legs hanging above the water, exhausted and injured but smiling, and they know everything is okay.
Chopper bursts onto deck with more energy than all of them combined and checks them up for injuries. Usopp, in better shape than the rest with scrapes here and there and a bloody brow, jumps down the mast and assists the young doctor in carrying bandages and everything he needs. The young tiger catches his breath against the wood of the mast, he's hurting everywhere but something is missing and with the little energy he has left, he looks for her sword and notices it is being held with suspicious expertise by long, elegant pale fingers, as Sanji is about to hand it back to his owner with a well placed tease as is common between them, even more nonchalant and exhausted as both try to catch their breath, Zoro realizes he isn't particularly opposed to the blonde holding the blade, a strange sense of safety washing over him at the immediate, almost instictive knowledge that Sanji won't damage it nor cut himself with it-
-''OH MY GOD, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR CLAWS!?''.
Everyone turns to see what the hell Chopper is talking about and one by one their expressions vary from confusion to shock, horror and disgust.
Zoro looks up at his hand and it dawns on him that his glove is gone and his bandages ruined. Blood soaked and sizable splinters stuck into his flesh from getting thrown through the galley's wall, the adrenaline of the fight kept him from noticing the pain when everyone's lives where on the line.
-''Shit! Where did it go?''.-The swordsman gets up with a groan to search for it, completely oblibvious to his crewmate's reactions because is That fucking ratty glove what he's worried about??? Until Chopper grabs his forearm to keep him in place, the swordsman yelps from pain as it pulls all the wrong spots and stays half crouched by Chopper's grip as the reindeer get a closer look, specifically, at his fingers. His intense, creeped out gaze drills holes into his skin.
-''What the- Oi, Chopper!''.
-''Zoro...''.
-''...Were you declawed?''.
It's been just a few days since he sailed with Luffy, heavy, dark clouds breach the horizon and Zoro realizes he's made a grave mistake.
The boat is tiny and he has nowhere to run.
Worked breaths leave his throat and his arms pathetically try to wrap around his frame in fetal position, his ears ring and pain, so much pain drowns everything else.
The way his lungs expand and contract along the noises he can't keep in make him look more like an injured animal than a human, pained huffs and breathless growls through his teeth as dread settles in. He's used to being in pain AND alone, no one to know and exploit his weakness. No one to pity him nor laugh at him.
But the boy in the strawhat is there, sharing a boat with him and a front row seat to his humilliation and misery. Now he'll see the mistake he has commited in recruiting Zoro, now he knows that The Demon of the East Blue is a big fat fucking lie and-
Fucking cripple.
He'll hear him say anytime now. Then the whole world will know because the damn kid can't keep a secret to save his life.
Fucking cripple.
Rubbery limbs wrap around his torso and legs, pulling him into a more horizontal position than the tiny boat allows. Startled, he opens his eyes and growls at the boy lying next to him, electric currents that don't work against freacking rubber, mouth full of sharp teeth and inhuman growls deep and rumbling from his chest that has lesser men piss themselves into submission as they once again label him a demon and Don't touch me, don't touch me, don't touch me-!
Dark eyes stare at him, unblinking. Not in pity, Not in fear, not even a hint of humor.
-''When Zoro feels better, let's eat lots of yummy food!''.
The swordsman is stunned into silence.
The waves lazily push the boat around and the sound of thunder is distant in the horizon, rubbery limbs acts as a much more forgiving surface than the tiny boat and Luffy is warm.
He's five and bedridden and crying, storm raging outside and a little girl, just three years older, is sitting on the futon next to him, a warm, gentle hand pats his head when she could just leave him behind and do anything else
-''Stupid tiger. Hurry up and let's get back to the dojo''.
She says, just on the line of scolding, and yet full of affection, like only an older sister could. His pain doesn't magically go away, but is just a little bit more bearable, and a bit less lonely.
And Zoro thinks:
'She would have loved you...'