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Joining the Straw Hat Crew was easily the best decision you had ever made. Each crew member had their own quirks that made you love them, but the way you viewed Zoro was different from the start. Instantly drawn to his strength and steadfastness, you always hung around on the deck as he worked out, trying to get to know him better. He began to subtly acknowledge you with a nod when he caught you staring, he would make a quick remark in passing on the ship. As time passed, these little interactions grew into conversations, the closer you got the bigger your feelings toward him became. When you finally confessed, he confirmed it was mutual with a kiss to your cheek.
Zoro was a good friend, a bit standoffish at times but good. Zoro as a boyfriend was a totally different experience, it was like he became a different person after you confessed. That attentiveness he usually put towards his craft was now focused on you, your interests, your tastes. At night would have your drink of choice waiting beside him on the deck, he would leave little trinkets that made him think of you in your bunk.
The way he acted towards you changed too. Zoro’s naps on the deck were now naps in the library where you were. Every meal you would sit side by side, close but not touching. His arm would rest on the bench behind you, whispering commentary in your ear when he thought no one would notice. On the nights where the crew was at a banquet, you two would always slip away hand in hand.
Although it had only been a couple of months, you savored these sweet and private moments between the two of you. Zoro didn’t like to show others his soft side, it was something that was just for you. Not broadcasting your relationship status to your fellow crewmates was for his benefit, allowing the relationship to progress at his pace as having a partner was a new experience for him.
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The salt air ruffled your hair as you stood on the deck, staring out at the endless expanse of the ocean. When the swordsman was training, you were never far away, lounging on the deck with a book in hand. The constant sound of waves breaking against the hull of the Sunny accompanied by Zoro’s swords slicing through the air brought you a sense of peace. When the rest of the crew scattered, Zoro’s swords were quickly sheathed and he walked towards you with that signature smirk. He sat on the edge of your lounge chair, lifting your legs to place them in his lap.
“Hi.” his voice deep, gruff from the physical exertion. “Hey.” You lowered your sunglasses and smiled at your shirtless boyfriend, covered in sweat and panting. His hands absentmindedly traced alongside the muscles of your calves. You would never get used to the feeling of his touch. It still felt like an iron-hot brand, igniting the feelings you have for him all over again.
Before you could even process it, he leaned in and placed a soft, sweet kiss on your lips. He stayed in your space, so close that you both shared a breath. Pulling away, you met his eye. “What was that for?” You whispered. “Cause I wanted to.” He smirked before placing a chaste kiss on your lips and returning to training.
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Unknown to the two of you, Sanji was headed towards the kitchen when he spotted the intimate moment between the two of you. The cook just thought Zoro had a one-sided interest in you the way he followed you around like a lovesick puppy, but this moment just put it all into perspective. How the hell had his rival found a partner before him? The blonde thought himself to be kind, attentive and good with women. Somehow the dumb mosshead had scored one of the absolute goddesses of the crew and under his nose? It seemed impossible. Sanji had never seen the swordsman as soft and domestic as he was in that moment, it made him sick.
Envy and jealousy can lead someone to do drastic, conniving things. Sanji had an idea, one that was down right diabolical. He needed a way to put some space between the two of you so it wasn’t in his face every five seconds. If he could just go about his business without seeing the stupid idiot with hearts in his eyes, he would be able to breathe.
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Sanji started small, he continued to dote on you just like he did the other ladies of the Strawhat crew, but laid it on extra thick. He would frequently beg you to date him, give him a chance. He hoped this would get under Zoro’s skin, but the bastard was assured in his new relationship that he hardly seemed shaken. He usually would roll his eyes and chuckle when Sanji cooed over you, mumbling something about “the damn ero-cook.”
One night when he was in the kitchen washing dishes, Zoro wandered in for a bottle of sake, so Sanji decided to take on a new tactic. If he couldn’t make him jealous, maybe there was another way to rile him up.
“Looks like y/n and you are attached at the hip.” He tossed over his shoulder, attention still on the vegetables he was prepping for breakfast the next day. “What the hell is it to you?” He heard the swordsman grunt back.
“I don’t know mosshead, seems like I will be surpassing your bounty any day now.” He grinned, finally turning around to look at Zoro, placing the knife on the cutting board. He could see the gears turning in the idiot’s tiny brain. Zoro scoffed, “I could still take you easy, curlybrows, let me know when you want me to prove it.” He could see the marimo begin to lose interest as he turned towards the door, so Sanji decided it was time to go in for the kill.
“For someone who wants to be the greatest swordsman in the world, you sure are lax these days. Spending all that time with y/n when you could be training seems like a waste. How the hell are you going to help Luffy be the king of the pirates if you’re weak?” Sanji was pushing Zoro, after years together on the grand line he knew exactly what buttons to push to get under his skin.
Normally, Zoro would blow Sanji’s babbling off as nonsense but something about this specific jab hit him a lot deeper than their usual bickering. If there was one thing Zoro was sure about, it was that he would be standing next to Luffy on Laughtale. There was a sinking feeling in his gut, had he been blowing off his ultimate goals to hang out with y/n? Was he losing sight of the end game this close to the finish line?
His newfound relationship had definitely led to him blowing off his training to spend time with his partner, but he hadn’t noticed that the others were paying attention. Sanji was right, he needed to commit himself to his crew, to the reasons he took to the seas. The fights were only going to get harder from here, he had to remind his own stupid captain of that, how could he forget? Training needed to be the priority if he even wanted a chance to support his captain and protect his crew.
Sanji expected the older man to blow up, but Zoro stayed relatively quiet. “Whatever, ero-cook, mind your damn business.” He stomped out of the kitchen, the steely glint of determination in his eye.
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Zoro ran his hands through his short, green hair. Was the cook right? Usually he would assume that the cook was just trying to get a rise out of him, but he wouldn’t mention Luffy’s dream unless he was being serious, right?
As he paced the length of the ship, he considered all possibilities. Zoro had been spending more time with you and less time swinging his swords, that’s for sure. He had discovered a new form of exercise that was more enticing than curling a dumbbell. When he had allowed you in, you were all that was on his mind. Maybe he was losing sight of the bigger picture.
When he promised Luffy to help him be King of the Pirates, he meant it. You as well as any of the other crewmates knew that seeing that goal actualized took precedence over anything. The swordsman thought himself to be the crew’s strongest fighter outside of the captain. If he wanted a chance to help Luffy achieve his dream and keep you safe while doing it, he needed to get serious.
As he headed to bed, his mind wandered towards you. Should he talk to you about it? Confide how he feels? If Zoro knew anything though, it was that he was putty in your hands and you would convince him to take less drastic measures than he was considering. This was something he had to do on his own. Steeling himself, he turned and headed to bed. He was doing this for the crew, for you. Hopefully you would forgive him on the other side of this.
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Sure it had only been a couple of months, but you couldn’t be happier with Zoro. You couldn’t hide your joy as you practically skipped to breakfast, ready to see his face for the first time that day. As you took your normal seat next to him and greeted him with a big smile, he barely acknowledged you, shoving his breakfast down before practically running out of the kitchen. Your smile faltered, this was different. Trying not to overthink it, you continued chatting with the others at breakfast, letting him have some space hoping he would come around later in the day.
After breakfast, you saw him on the deck working on his footing while swinging around a dumbbell. You decided to let it be and went about your normal daily routine, everyone has bad days once in a while. The alarm bells in your head became louder when he didn’t show up to the library to nap like he did everyday since you two were official. The situation continued to get weirder when he didn’t engage with anyone at dinner, shoveling down some dinner before grabbing a bottle of sake and heading outside. Sanji seemed a bit smug as he washed the dishes, laughing to himself about something. Maybe the two of them got into an argument?
The cool sea breeze caused you to shiver as you stepped outside, scanning the deck for your boyfriend. Seeing the light in the crows nest on, you began to climb up to join him.
“Hey love, how’s your day going?” You eased into the conversation as you sat down next to him. “Fine, just training.” He grunted, colder than normal. “I missed seeing you around today.” Your smile radiated as you faced him. “Don’t have time,” he muttered before taking another swig of sake. “Sorry.” He muttered, but the way he wouldn’t meet your eyes gave a different impression.
“Oh, okay, well you know where to find me.” You leaned in to give him a kiss before you left, he quickly turned so you just got the corner of his lips. Feeling rejected and confused, you climbed down and headed to your cabin, analyzing the past couple of months on repeat until the sun rose.
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It had been a week of this new Zoro, he felt like a stranger. His attention was fleeting, he couldn’t focus on anything but working his body into the ground. He hadn’t given you more than a peck in a week, no sneaking off to a storage closet for alone time.
You spent hours wracking your brain for an event that may have caused his newfound behavior, a reason for the sudden switch. Although this new Zoro was unfamiliar, you couldn’t forget how happy he made you, he was worth fighting for. Despite his new addiction to training, you began to sit on the deck with him, always on his periphery. You were not going to just move on until he gave you a reason to.
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On a whim, you decided to buy a new lingerie set at the island you were docked at. Maybe you could wake him up from this new workout obsession with a sexy distraction. As you stood in the shop, you spotted a forest green teddy with a matching thong, perfect. This would be the ultimate temptation for Zoro, his partner wrapped up like a present just for him. You couldn’t help but smile as you skipped towards the ship, scheming and planning the whole way home.
You waited until he was on lookout duty for the night, but secretly had Robin agree to take over in hopes you would persuade him to spend his time elsewhere. Wearing nothing but a trenchcoat and the lingerie, you snuck out of your cabin and called up to the crows nest, “Zoro, I need your help!” “Y/N, whatever it is, can it wait? I am on watch.” He shouted down. Robin suddenly appeared just as planned, “I will be up for a little while, I can watch in the meantime.” Robin suddenly was climbing up to the crowsnest and shooing Zoro out.
When he got down onto the deck, he sighed, the weight of constant training visible in the bags underneath his eyes. "What's up?” “Just something over here, I need help lifting it.” You pouted dramatically. As you walked towards a storage room, you quickly shoved him inside and dropped the trenchcoat. A choked noise came out of your boyfriend as he memorized each dip and curve of your body as if it was his first time seeing it all over again.
“Y/N, you - uh, you look very nice.” You could see his knuckles white as his side, holding himself back for some reason. He couldn’t hide his interest as it grew in his pants, he began to look intently at the walls of the room.
“Why are you holding yourself back from me, Zoro?” You frowned, trying to approach him. “I miss you baby,” you reached out to touch his cheek. He picked up the coat and threw it at you as he rushed towards the door. “I have watch, I have to go. We can pick this up some other time.” Before you could argue back, he was out the door and sending Robin to bed.
What the hell just happened? He was obviously interested, he never missed out on a chance to get you naked! He avoided your touch like the plague. What struck you most about the encounter was how exhausted he looked, maybe he was too sore. He seemed like a shell of your boyfriend after just a week of this new grueling regime. How long could he keep this up until he got hurt? You should have offered to listen to him after you saw the state he was in up close.
Just as you were about to climb up to confront him and beg him for answers, Robin grabbed your shoulder. “Let him have tonight, you can chat with him when he doesn’t have a responsibility.” You nodded, starting up at the crows nest one last time before she ushered you back to the cabins.
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As you laid in bed that night, you thought about the man you had chosen to give your heart to. Was he reconsidering the relationship? Pondering what life would be like without your presence? Trying to ghost you when you lived on the same damn ship? Your internal dialogue kept you up until the sun peaked through the windows. Despite how embarrassed you felt about last night, you couldn’t help but worry for your boyfriend.
What had happened to change him so abruptly? His smile, his laughter, his carefree attitude, all of the things you loved about him were just gone. Shuffling out of your cabin in a robe and slippers, you headed for the kitchen. The sting of rejection would not keep you from the coffee and breakfast that was waiting for you in the kitchen.
“Y/N-swan, please come in and have a seat my darling, breakfast is ready!” Sanji’s syrupy sweet voice dragged you out of the thought loop you seemed to have been stuck in for a week. “How are you sleeping lately, love? You look just as radiant as usual, but a little tired.” His concern for your wellbeing was sweet, but you couldn’t even pretend at this point that something wasn’t wrong.
“Thank you Sanji, just a lot going on.” You managed a weak smile, but he didn’t seem convinced. Nonetheless, he continued to plate breakfast for the rest of the early risers, still keeping an eye on you. Robin, trying to make conversation, spoke up. “Zoro seems to be training very hard lately.” Her carefully timed observation opened up the floor to discuss it as a group, you were anxious to see if anyone else had noticed the abrupt personality change too. “So it’s not just me?” You spoke up, encouraging the conversation.
Sanji froze, his scoop of eggs hanging in the air as his concerned gaze turned into an emotion you couldn’t quite recognize. Chopper suddenly piped in, “He seems to be pushing himself too hard, I am concerned about his body having enough time to rest between his work outs, he could pull a muscle or pass out from exertion at this rate.”
Sanji began nervously pacing as he tried to busy himself around the kitchen. “It’s mosshead, he will be okay, he’s always okay.” Sanji grunted, furiously chopping some vegetable. What stopped him in his tracks was a sniffle he heard from across the room.
A tear slid from your eye, “I just-I can’t figure out what changed..” you drifted off, looking into the distance. While the whole crew might not know about the exact nature of your relationship, it was apparent the two of you had grown close. Chopper and Robin both looked at you, reaching out to offer a squeeze of support. Although their presence comforted you, nothing would comfort you more than an explanation from the man himself.
Sanji couldn’t stand the sounds of you crying, even if it meant he had to talk to the damn swordsman to fix it. Deep down Sanji knew this was a problem he created, he needed to solve it. “Monamour please don’t cry, let me go speak to him, I will make it better.” Sanji patted your head and ran in the direction of the cabins.
Stunned, the whole room was silent. “Did he just-?” Chopper stopped before he could even get the words out, eyes wide as he looked around the table. “Am I imagining things?” You looked at everyone else. Laughter erupted from the table due to the sheer disbelief, your tears quickly dried up due to shock. “Nope, that was just as weird as you thought it was.” Usopp stated. “I am going to go make sure they don’t kill each other,” you said as you excused yourself from the table.
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As the cook marched towards the men’s quarters, he began to replay concerning moments he had blown off over the past week. Zoro was draining the sake barrels quicker than they could replenish them, he was quieter at meals and couldn’t hold anyone’s gaze longer than a moment. Y/N seemed off too, more to herself than normal. Where she was normally animated when talking to others, she seemed distant and empty.
While Sanji knew what he needed to do, that didn’t mean he necessarily wanted to. His crew’s happiness came over his ego though. It was time to own up to his errors. He burst through the door not caring about the damn mosshead’s sleep schedule, ready to get this over with.
“You jackass, what the hell are you doing!” He yelled, grabbing Zoro out of bed. The swordsman’s eye shot open, immediately glaring at the cook with contempt. “What the hell, curlybrows, do you have a problem with the way I sleep now, too?!” Pushing Sanji off him he stood up, “What the hell is your problem, cook?”
The two stood nose to nose, challenging each other. “You made the lovely y/n cry this morning because you have been ignoring her for training, go fix it!” Sanji’s words were biting, but his guilt made him lose his bravado, he shifted nervously on his feet. “Wait, y/n is crying? Where is she?” Zoro’s first concern was you, it was always you. He began to push past Sanji and then the second part of the sentence hit. If looks could kill, Sanji would be at the bottom of the ocean at that exact moment.
“I have been training because you told me I was getting weak because I was spending too much time with her, what the hell do you mean why would I do that?” his face was red, his voice was getting louder. “I just said I could kick your ass,” Sanji responded quieter, he seemed to be trying to shrink himself. “No, you said and I quote “Luffy needs the best from us and I can’t support him for shit if I just spend all my time lazing around with y/n” you good for nothing cook! Why the hell would you say that if you weren’t being serious?”
The blonde snapped, “I was just jealous, okay?” Sanji yelled. The swordsman was ready to be done with this conversation and go search for you but this stopped him in his tracks. Despite the situation, Zoro couldn’t help but double over in laughter. “You? Jealous of me? You must really feel bad if you are admitting that to my face.”
The heat of embarrassment colored Sanji’s entire face, “Just watching you with her, it made me want someone too, okay?” The honesty was sobering, but Zoro couldn’t help but let a few more laughs out. “Let’s hope I can fix what your dumbass caused, if not, it’s your head.” Zoro finally left the men’s cabin to search for you but found you right outside the door, eyes wide and mouth in a perfect O.
After how embarrassing Sanji just was, Zoro had no shame in dropping to his knees and apologizing to you. “Y/N, baby, I am so sorry, Sanji told me that I wasn’t doing enough for Luf-” You dropped to your knees and shut him up with a kiss. “You know you can always talk to me, right? That’s what I am here for, I am here to listen to your troubles, problems and issues. I want to be your support.” His thumbs swiped a couple of tears from your eyes, “Sharing things with someone, my feelings, all of it, I have never done this before,” Zoro admitted in a whisper. “Then let’s learn how to do this together,” your answering smile was the sun itself after the endless night. Zoro basked in it.
All he could do is wrap around you and whisper his apologies, still knee to knee on the floor of the hallway. “Could you guys, like, get a room?” Sanji sniped as he walked back towards the kitchen, trying to forget all the embarrassing shit he just said to his rival. “Don’t worry, we will, don’t look for us for the next two hours.” Zoro yelled back.
“ZORO!” You yelled, slapping his chest. He laughed as he picked you up and tossed you over his shoulder. “Be quiet and tell me where that lingerie set you bought is, I need to get a closer look.” You couldn’t help but laugh as he paraded around the ship with you over his shoulder, playfully slapping your ass occasionally, happy to have the man you were falling for back in your arms.