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What Zoro remembers most clearly from his first meeting with his captain was how bright it was.
He’d been out in the sun for nine days, tied to that damned pole by that Marine brat. He was thirsty as all hell, and his head was pounding. The sun was beating down on him like never before, searing his arms and the back of his neck, making them itch and blister. That stupid girl came and offered him food, and when he refused it(honestly, did anyone ever read the signs?) the Marine brat came and stomped on it, leaving Zoro to stare at it, taunting him. After they’d left, Zoro kept staring at it, just thinking.
There’d been no doubt in Zoro’s mind he’d make it to the end of the month. But at the same time, he figured being tied up like that would at least give him some time to figure out what he should do next. Bounty hunting wouldn’t pay for his booze forever, and he still needed to figure out how to find and become the strongest swordsman in the world. Though he hadn’t admitted it to himself, he genuinely was at a loss for a definitive way to go next. Hence, letting himself get tied to a pole. Though he was starting to think there were easier ways to make himself stop and think.
Looking back, Zoro’s pretty sure that if he wasn’t able to eat that rice ball, he would’ve passed out. And probably never woken up.
And then, he heard a high, confident voice. He’d tilted his head up and pushed away the hot daze to see a man - a young one, probably not even out of his teens, with thin arms and a relaxed frame, and a confident stride. The man ignored Zoro’s growls to stay away and offered to untie him in exchange for joining his pirate crew. Zoro’d refused of course. What idiot would join up with a career criminal? The man pointed out that Zoro, a bounty hunter and dangerous man, hardly in a position to talk(sharper than at first glance, maybe), but Zoro’d just scoffed. The man thought about it, then simply rejected Zoro’s rejection, steamrolled past his objections, and said he’d steal back Zoro’s precious swords from the Marines to force him to join. The man then left, leaving Zoro watching him, mouth agape.
Zoro assumed that would be the last he’d ever see of the man, and he’d be arrested as soon as he tried to steal his swords back. He leaned back, and resigned himself to waiting out the rest of his sentence.
Things… did not work out that way.
The man - Luffy - and his friend saved him from those traitor Marines who wanted to kill him before he could fulfill his dream, and together they crushed that asshole with the giant axe and his dopey son. And now that he was officially on the other side of the law, he pledged his swords to the would-be King of the Pirates. And after they’d restored their strength and set their sights on the Grand Line, they’d gotten a sailboat and set off.
As they sailed away in their little boat, Zoro wasn’t sure if Luffy fully understood the weight of the promise he’d asked of him. But, as he looked at the determined grin on his captain’s face, the almost out-of-place hardening of his eyes, and the fluid ease with which he turned that grin to Zoro and snickered, he started to think otherwise.
***
Zoro couldn’t quite figure Luffy out.
He had a pretty warped view of what it means to be a pirate, for one. He didn’t seem too interested in stealing and burning and gorging himself on meat and booze. Well, they did do that last one, but Luffy seemed to think that a pirate outright shouldn’t be stealing and burning and killing anyone who got in his way. Which was a relief(Zoro sure as hell wouldn’t be here if Luffy was anything like Buggy), but it also was really confusing. How does a guy call himself a pirate and not seem to know what a pirate is?
Once Nami was done wringing Luffy’s neck for leaving behind some of their cash for the old man, and they’d settled into an easy silence, he decided to ask.
“Oi, Luffy!”
Luffy looked up from where he’d draped himself across the edge of the ship(Idiot. If you fell off you’d be a goner) and flashed Zoro a quizzical look. “What’s up, Zoro?”
Zoro tried to think a bit harder on what he wanted to say, then shrugged. “What the hell do you think a pirate is, anyway?”
Nami glanced at him from behind Luffy in their other boat, a confused look on her face. Luffy just stared at Zoro as if he were the dumbest man in East Blue.
“Isn’t it obvious? A pirate is someone who’s free!”
Now it was Zoro’s turn to be confused.
“Huh?”
Luffy shook his head, turning to face him fully. “A pirate is someone who can do what they want! Who goes wherever he wants, and eats whatever kind of food he wants! And that means the Pirate King…” Luffy extended his arms far to his sides. “...is the freest person in the world! That’s why I have to become the King of the Pirates!”
“Free, huh…” Zoro chuckled as the pieces started to fall into place. “Guess that’s one way to think of it.”
From the other boat, Nami let out a laugh. “Man, you’re a real class act, you know that? I’ve been on these seas forever and I’ve never met a pirate like you!”
Luffy just turned to her and flashed a grin. “Guess you haven’t met very good pirates, then!”
Nami’s smile turned stiff for a second. Luffy didn’t notice it, but Zoro did.
“So, how does that whole freedom thing work if you’re the captain?”
Luffy looked at her, more than a little confused. “Huh?”
Nami shrugged. “You’ve got a responsibility to your crewmen, you know? All one of them!” She snickered, but without much humour. “You gotta make sure they’re eating their fill, earning their keep, staying happy so they don’t put a knife in your back, the usual. How’s that for freedom?”
Luffy started to respond, but Zoro cut him off.
“No, no, Nami’s got a point.”
Luffy turned back towards Zoro, who was decidedly not smiling anymore. “If you’re our captain, that means it’s your job to watch out for us. You promised me you’d become the King of the Pirates, and I promised you I'd become the strongest swordsman in the world. I’m gonna hold you to that, Luffy.”
Zoro fixed his captain with a hard stare from his spot on the floor. “I won’t give up my dream for yours. I’ll cut you down in a second if it comes down to your dream or mine. That’s one responsibility you won’t be running from.”
For a moment, the only sounds Zoro could hear were the waves lapping against the boats, the creaking of the wood. Then, Luffy grinned, and for a moment Zoro could swear the sun had moved just so it would be behind his head.
“Well, guess I’ll just have to make sure both will happen! No problem!”
Zoro’s jaw fell open with the ease with which Luffy said it, as though it was the easiest thing in the world to promise. His sheer confidence should have come off as naive, and yet, it felt genuine. Earned, even. He said he’d help Zoro accomplish his dream, and he meant it. Even accepted that his head would be on the line. No one just does that.
“You can’t just-”
Luffy stretched, and rubbed his growling stomach. “Anyways, I’m starving! How long until the next island? I hope they at least have some meat!”
Nami shook her head out of her shock, assuming a look of annoyance. “Maybe you should’ve thought of that before you got us run out of town! I could’ve at least gotten us some rations!”
Luffy deflated. Nami closed her eyes, and sighed.
“Here. Give me your hat. I’ll patch it up for you.”
At once, Luffy jumped over to Nami and shook her, thanking Nami as she laughed(a bit nervously) at his sudden enthusiasm. Zoro stared at his back for a few more seconds, still processing his captain’s words, before shrugging, figuring a warrior like him would be better able to process everything after a good sleep. So he laid against the rail and, against the animated conversion between Nami and his captain, went to sleep.
***
Zoro fought to remain conscious as Usopp hastily worked at stitching up the massive wound through his torso. Blood oozed out from the colossal wound Mihawk had sliced from shoulder to waist, and every time the boy pinched at his skin and pierced a needle through a bit more poured out, dripping down into the floorboards of the shitty cook’s shitty boat. Zoro grunted, and shifted slightly; Usopp’s finger slipped and the needle pricked his finger.
“Ow!”
Usopp jumped back and sucked on his finger. “Hold still, Zoro! These wounds are still bleeding! Honestly, do you want these to heal right!?”
Zoro barely heard him.
Dracule Mihawk had fought him. The strongest swordsman in the world had acknowledged him. Not humiliated him, no, but graced him with humility. Showed him how much further he had yet to go on his journey - and carved the path to his goal into his very flesh. He could still taste that exquisite blade on his skin, and it brought a grin to his face. He would be able to fulfil his promise after all.
If he didn’t bleed out on the floor of this boat.
Usopp yelled towards the top deck. “Hey, Sanji! Come hold him down, will ya!?”
The shitty-haired cook yelled back. “My hands are for cooking and cooking alone. I’m not risking them trying to hold down that moss-headed idiot. He might attack me out of animal instinct!”
Zoro grumbled. Sanji kept going.
“Besides, someone’s gotta keep us on course. Especially since the captain's so worried about his pet swordsman.”
Huh?
Zoro raised his head further, despite Usopp’s protests. Crouching at his feet, staring straight at Zoro’s wound, was Luffy, a worried frown creasing his brow. The sight of such a face on his cheery captain outside of combat was… well, it probably was the blood loss talking, but it was so unexpected it was almost funny. Zoro grinned.
“Oi, Luffy! The hell’s the frown for? This is what we’ve been waiting for!”
Luffy’s frown deepened. Zoro kept smiling as Usopp sighed and pushed the needle through his skin. “I’ve made my promise to Dracule Mihawk. I know how I can become the greatest swordsman in the world. As soon as we get our ship back and get to the Grand Line, I’ll-”
Luffy’s frown, impossibly, got even deeper. Zoro sighed. “I know I got a little banged up, but hey, we won! Doesn’t matter if we get a little hurt along the way, does it? I know the way forward now, we got what we needed.”
Luffy opened his mouth. Zoro stopped him with a pointed finger, his expression turning serious.
“I promised you, Luffy. I’ll never lose again. From here on out, I’ll keep on winning, and cut our way to the top. A swordsman doesn’t break his vows.”
Luffy frowned, trying to think of a response to Zoro’s words, but couldn’t think of anything. Instead, he just stood up. “Alright then. But as your captain, I forbid you from getting almost killed from now on!”
Zoro laughed, then winced as the effort jostled his partially-cut ribs. “Aye, captain.”
Luffy nodded, satisfied, before draping himself on the back of a nearby chair. Zoro laid back down, and let Usopp finish stitching him up and leave the room. Since he was already laying down, Zoro decided to take a quick nap while they sailed after Nami. When he woke several hours later, he turned his head to the side to see Luffy, snoring away, still draped over the back of the chair, still facing him. As he moved, he realised that his swords had been placed in his clutch as he slept.
***
It was a few days after Loguetown, and Zoro couldn’t remember the last time he was this enraged.
Not when Mihawk crushed him with a letter opener. Not when he found out the Marines were gonna break their word and execute him. Not even, he thought, when he found out that Kuina had gone and gotten herself killed before she could battle him for the title of strongest swordsman. This one burned more slowly. It burned and ate away at him for days, slowly growing greater and hotter until he couldn’t train without getting too distracted and doing something Usopp would yell at him for making him have to fix.
It was night, and Zoro could take it no more. He sheathed his swords after a fruitless night of training and headed up to the top deck. This time of night, the only one on night watch would be the one he wanted a word with. He walked straight ahead, and after a few twists and turns made it to the top deck, where he set his eyes on his captain, who was sitting cross-legged on the sheep-shaped figurehead, facing the ocean and breathing deeply. Zoro walked up to the area just behind the figurehead and crossed his arms, and stamped his foot. Luffy snapped up to attention and swivelled his head around, his expression of surprise turning to relief as he saw who it was.
“Oh, hey Zoro! I thought you were training!”
Zoro just stared at Luffy, arms crossed, expression hard. Luffy didn’t stop smiling.
“Man, your face looks really funny right now, Zoro! You look like Sanji after I tried to swipe the meat in the kitchen!”
Luffy laughed. Still nothing. Luffy’s smile didn’t waver, but he did cock his head to the side.
“Come on, what’s going on, Zoro! The way you’re looking at me, you’d think you were mad at me or-”
“You’re a real bastard, you know that?”
That got Luffy to drop his smile. He shot Zoro a look of pure confusion. Zoro continued.
“‘Sorry’. That’s what you were gonna end things off with. ‘Sorry, I’m dead’. You really thought you were gonna die there, didn’t you, Captain? Head cut off by that damned clown and all you had to say was sorry.”
Luffy’s eyes lit up in understanding. “Ooooh, that’s what you’re mad about?” Luffy threw his head back and laughed for a moment, before getting a good look at Zoro’s expression and stopping himself. “That was a week ago, Zoro. What’s the problem now?”
Zoro grunted. It was hard to perfectly express what he’d been thinking. That’s partially why he’d waited so long; he had to come up with the right words. “You were fine with dying up there, weren’t you?”
Zoro had barely been able to sleep the past few days without thinking about the smile on Luffy’s face as the blade fell towards his neck, while Zoro could do nothing but stare, helpless. Sometimes he looked at his captain’s constant grin and thought he saw a sword, preparing to cut him away from him.
Luffy frowned. “Of course not! There’s still loads left I gotta do! But, if that’s how I was gonna die, it wouldn’t be so bad. I’d never seen an execution before!”
Luffy snickered. “An execution in the same spot as Gold Roger’s wouldn’t have been the worst thing in the world. I hadn’t become King of the Pirates yet, so of course it wasn’t planning on dying there! But if I had, and there wasn’t any way around it, I’d’ve been able to accept it.”
Luffy’s grin stretched back across his face, easily. “But fate wants me alive! I’ll definitely become King of the Pirates! Once we hit the Grand Line, everything’ll work out!
Zoro stayed quiet for a moment, a muscle in his jaw tensing and untensing.
“Besides, you told me not to worry when we get hurt, as long as it all turns out OK! What’s the matter now?”
“Idiot…”
Luffy made a surprised sound and cupped his ear. “Sorry, Zoro, what did you-”
Luffy yelped as Zoro drew Wado Ichimonji and pointed it at him, jumping to his feet as he stood on the figurehead. Zoro looked down, gritting his teeth, breathing quickly.
“‘Accept’ it, huh? You really think you can throw your life away like that? After everything you’ve done, you think you can just throw us out that easily?”
Luffy raised his palms, his brow furrowed in concentration. “Zoro, what do you-”
“You don’t get it, do you? Idiot. You made a promise to me. You said that you’d become the King of the Pirates, and I said I’d become the greatest swordsman in the world. I swore myself to you, Luffy. We all did.”
Zoro took a step forward. “None of us would be here if it weren’t for you, Luffy. We’d still be miserable sacks of shit with no way to achieve our dreams. I’d be dead on a pole. You saved us, Luffy. You gave us our hope back. And you think you can just take it away that easily?”
Luffy took a step back as Zoro walked forward. Luffy tried to speak again. “I’m sorry, Zoro, I-”
“I told you before. I gave you my loyalty, and you gave me yours. That’s not something I’ll let you take back. That’s a responsibility you won’t be running from. Think about that, before you put your neck on the line for something stupid.”
Another step forward. Another step backward. Luffy glanced back, seeing the black seawater below him. Zoro’s gaze didn’t waver.
“The next time there’s trouble, the next time you even think you’re in danger, the next time someone comes between you and your dream…”
Zoro lowered the sword to his side, finally looking his captain in the eye. “Call on me. And I’ll cut ‘em up into ribbons.”
Luffy froze for a moment before breaking into a massive grin and taking a step forward. “Zoro, I-”
Luffy’s sandaled foot slipped. As he fell, he shot out an arm to grab onto the railing, but it snapped off, and Luffy plummeted towards the black and unforgiving waters, hitting the water with a splash.
Zoro didn’t even blink.
Zoro sprinted to the broken spot of the railing and dove down, falling after his captain. The cold water was like a million needles to his arms, sapping his strength as he treaded. He rapidly swung his head around before finally seeing his captain, who could barely thrash and try to keep his head above water as the ocean stole life from his muscles. Zoro made his way towards Luffy, fighting his way through the water and wrapping an arm around him before kicking at the water, trying to make his way back to the Merry. He kicked against the water with all his strength, forcing his way back towards the ship. With his left hand, he drew a sword and plunged it into the side of the ship, using it to hoist himself up and grab onto one of the side cannons, pushing Luffy into the gun deck behind it and reaching down to retrieve the sword before hauling himself in after him.
Zoro struggled to see in the unlit gun deck, feeling around until he saw the faint shape of Luffy lying prone on the floor. He moved over to him and flipped him around, listening carefully as he realised his captain wasn’t breathing. Adrenaline and fear surged through him as he placed two palms on Luffy’s chest and pushed, pushed, pushed, leaning down and forcing air into Luffy’s mouth before pushing again, Luffy’s elastic chest bending as he pushed down. Zoro fought off the darkness that seemed to claw at him, entirely separate from the darkness of the unlit room. The whispers, the jagged cries of failure and oathbreaker and murderer that ripped into his sides, the cold touch and wet hands and broken things, the sight of a small and broken body wrapped in white, refusing to move, refusing to keep its promise, refusing to get up and fight-
A spray of water poured from Luffy’s mouth and splashed Zoro in the face. As he moved his hand to wipe it away, Luffy shot up into a sitting position, coughing up the last bit of water from his lungs. To Zoro’s bewilderment, he calmly got to his feet and wiped his mouth.
“Woah! I keep forgetting how bad the sea wants me dead! I really thought I was a goner for a second there! Thanks, Zoro!”
Zoro got onto one knee and knelt before Luffy. In the darkness of the gun deck, Luffy’s wide eyes and bright smile seemed to glow. Zoro averted his eyes and forced them down, panting, his ears ringing. Luffy tried to say something but Zoro couldn’t quite make it out. Zoro felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Luffy, his captain, his master, looking at him with a serious expression he’s only seen a handful of times.
“I’m not going anywhere, Zoro. So you better not go anywhere either. We’re doing this together.”
Zoro felt something shift within his chest. He nodded. Luffy removed his hand from Zoro’s shoulder, and offered it to him. After a moment of staring, Zoro accepted, and Luffy pulled Zoro to his feet.
Suddenly, the door to the gun deck banged open, and Zoro’s hand flew to his swords, before relaxing. In the doorway, the silhouette of Usopp stood, his wiry frame tense with anger.
“Hey! What the hell’s going on!”
Luffy grinned. “Oh, hey Usopp! You mind fixing a piece of the deck railing?”
“What!?”
“And a hole in the lower hull,” Zoro added.
Usopp sputtered in shock. Luffy laughed. Zoro stared at Luffy as he did, taking note of just how happy he looked as he did so.
***
Vivi Nefertari was settling right in with the rest of the Straw Hats. Luffy’s already asked her to join his crew, but she’s said no just as many times. Zoro thinks Luffy knows her dream lies elsewhere. Won’t stop him from trying, though.
After a day of sailing, Zoro was ready to tuck in for the night. He leaned against the (newly reinforced) rail of the Going Merry’s deck, clutched his swords, and closed his eyes.
At the sound of footsteps, he opened them. “You need something?”
Vivi stopped, a little surprised, before recomposing herself. She really let her guard down around them, didn’t she?
“Uh, hello, Mr. Bushido! I, uh, just wanted to-”
“Spit it out.”
Vivi chuckled a little. “Direct. I like that about you all. You guys don’t beat around the bush, do you?”
Zoro narrowed his eyes slightly. Vivi sighed, then looked towards the front of the ship. “Your captain, Luffy… you seem close to him, right? He seemed pretty upset when he thought you beat up innocent townspeople.”
Zoro grunted. “He thought I lost my way. It was his duty to put me back in my place. He knew my honour should stop me from killing random people, the idiot…”
“So you do know each other well, then?”
Zoro didn’t respond. Vivi continued, her confident voice betraying a hint of apprehension.
“Well, um. I know you’re all strong - very strong,” she added, at Zoro’s raised eyebrow. “But Mr. 0 - Crocodile - is one of the Seven Warlords. And I don’t know if anyone is strong enough to…”
Vivi trailed off, before kneeling down and facing Zoro, the pretense of formality dropped, raw pleading in her eyes. “Do you really think he can help me save my country?”
Zoro didn’t even have to think about it.
“You’re on our ship, and you’re fighting on our side. That means you’re a part of our crew.” Zoro shifted to look Vivi in the eye. “How badly do you want to save your country?”
Vivi’s face hardened, and she looked at Zoro with the eyes of a veteran. “More than anything.”
Zoro nodded. “Then it’ll happen. Luffy promised to make the dreams of every single member of his crew come true. That includes you, Princess.”
Zoro adjusted his position against the railing, thinking of Luffy’s determined face. “We’ll hold him to it, all of us. Luffy won’t rest until your dream’s come true, and I’ll cut up anyone who tries to stop us. Nothing more to it.”
Vivi blinked, sniffed, and wiped at her eyes. “You…” she said. “Thank you.”
Zoro grunted. “Get up.”
Vivi chucked. “Heh. Guess a princess isn’t supposed to be kneeling before a knight, right?”
Zoro turned the words over in his head, before shrugging.
Vivi stood up, and turned to leave. After a few steps, she turned her head slightly.
“You have a lot of faith in him, don’t you?”
Zoro closed his eyes. “Yeah,” he replied, recalling the feeling of Luffy’s hand on his shoulder. “I do.”
***
“Come on, Chopper. Let me outta here.”
The diminutive doctor shook his head and crossed his arms. “Nope! You’re still recovering from your electrical wounds! You’re not leaving this bed until I say so!”
“But the shitty cook-”
“Sanji’s not leaving either! Both of you are staying right where you are until you’re well!”
Zoro leaned back. It was pointless to argue with Chopper. If he was being honest, it was probably a good thing he was being confined to the Merry’s medical room; he was surprised he was still moving. The ship lightly rocked on the cloud-sea as Zoro glanced across the room to see a thickly bandaged figure on the bed across from him, separated by a partition.
“Oi.”
The shitty cook on the far side of the room seemed to be looking at him through the screen and all his bandages. “I hear you defended Robin’s honour against that God guy.”
Zoro grunted. “I hear you took that hit to save Usopp and Nami.”
Sanji grunted.
After a moment, Sanji spoke again. “You hear when Luffy rang that giant bell?”
Zoro hadn’t. He’d been unconscious. He got separated from his captain early on and hadn’t been able to aid in the final battle. Useless.
The two lay in silence for a while. Then, Zoro asked, “Where’s the captain?”
Sanji chuckled. “He’s being treated in another room. Chopper brought a ton of his medical supplies with him. Idiot got himself burned and banged to hell and back.”
Zoro shuddered. If Luffy hadn’t been immune to that guy’s lightning thanks to his Devil Fruit… His wounds seemed to sting a little more at the thought.
Sanji spoke up again. “I broke a bone in my leg, you know. Apparently your muscles run on electricity and lightning makes them flex so hard you break your own bones. Though I doubt your muscles could pull something like that off, moss head.”
Zoro sat up, wincing. “I’m going.”
Sanji sputtered. “Hey, mossy idiot. You heard the doc. You’re just gonna get yourself-”
Zoro took two more steps before his legs gave out from under him. From his bed, Sanji snickered.
“... more injured. Idiot.”
Zoro planted his hands on the ground and struggled to push himself upwards, muscles seizing as he did so. Sanji sighed.
“Hands flat on the ground. Below your shoulders, shoulder-width apart. Push straight up.”
Zoro did, and despite his muscles screaming in protest, he was able to push himself to his feet. He looked behind him at Sanji, who he could clearly see was wrapped head to toe in bandages and whose face was covered in healing burns. He nodded, and Sanji nodded back. Zoro didn’t ask where he learned the best way of getting up after being beaten to within an inch of your life.
“Go see our captain. Keep watch over him, or whatever you sword-toting maniacs think constitutes loyalty.”
Zoro turned away from him and stumbled out the door. He peaked through the doors as he passed, ultimately finding Luffy being treated by an increasingly-shocked Chopper. Noticing Zoro, Luffy grinned widely, and an odd sense of relief flooded Zoro’s chest, mixed with… something else. Before Chopper could notice him, Zoro sat down to the side of the door, propped his swords up against his shoulder, and kept watch.
Eventually, Chopper left the room, not noticing Zoro sitting behind the door. Once the reindeer was out of sight, he quietly got up and entered the room, his eyes zeroing in on the figure in the bed. Chopper had anaesthetized him, and Zoro could see why; he’d gotten scorched all over, with a massive amount of burnt flesh on his arm being dressed and bandaged with particular attention. The captain was bandaged from head to toe, with his straw hat sat on the table next to him. His captain’s face, as it always was in sleep, was peaceful.
Zoro stared at the burnt flesh on his arm, feeling his own arm prickle almost in an attempt to share the pain. He drew a chair from the nearby table and sat down, nesting his swords in the crook of his arm, and set his eyes on the door.
Zoro kept watch over his captain for as long as he could. Past when Chopper came back to see his patient moving when he absolutely shouldn’t be and started yelling, past when the rest of the crew tried to convince him to get some rest, past when Sanji told them to hold off for a second. Past when his eyes started to droop and his vision started to blur and his body began to ache. A swordsman is no coward. A swordsman does not turn his back on the one he is sworn to.
When Luffy woke up, he turned his head and saw Zoro, bleary-eyed, slouched over from fatigue. And he grinned.
***
Zoro didn’t know what to do with Luffy.
They were sailing towards Water 7, with Robin and Luffy recovering from that shitty admiral’s attack. Zoro hadn’t even been able to fend the guy off. Aokiji had shown him yet again just how weak he really was. Zoro laid against the railing of the Going Merry(a patched-up section, but then what part of the Merry wasn’t patched up at this point?) and rolled his shoulder, feeling it unstiffen as he moved through his physical exercises, remembering the burning feeling when Aokiji froze it solid. He imagined his captain feeling the same way across his entire body and shivered.
The crew had managed to get past every strong asshole they’d come across on their way so far, and getting stronger with every island they hit. Zoro couldn’t believe how ignorant he’d been when he first met Mihawk, all the way back in East Blue. The next time they met he’d kick that icicle guy’s ass, he didn’t have any doubts about that.
But all the same, this was going to be a problem for the crew. The further into the Grand Line they got, the stronger the enemies. And while Zoro relished a strong opponent, one who could push him past his limits and make him even stronger, he also knew that if his crew failed at any point they’d be wiped out. He wasn’t stupid enough to think they’d done too much to fail now. Despite himself, he was… concerned? Concerned, over the crew.
Hm. This was unlike him. Wasn’t he the sort of man who had no regrets?
Zoro closed his eyes. Whatever. He’d trust Luffy’s judgement on this. Hadn’t steered them wrong so far.
“Oi, Zoro!”
Speak of the devil.
Luffy jumped over to Zoro and nestled up to him(he’d been doing that a lot lately). Luffy’s body was always warm, like he’d been laying in the sun for hours, no matter the time of day. It used to surprise Zoro, but now it just felt comfortable. Even so, he could tell Luffy was just a bit colder than normal. The aftermath of the fucking ice guy freezing him solid. Zoro put his arm around Luffy as he huddled up.
Zoro leaned back and stared at the sky, not looking at the man curling up against him like a dog, and grunted. Zoro imagined Luffy pouting as Zoro ignored his presence; he spared a glance downwards to see Luffy making the exact face he was imagining.
“Come on, Zoro,” Luffy pouted, “You’re not still mad about Ao-guy freezing me, right?”
“...I could’ve taken him,” Zoro grumbled.
“But I needed you to help get Robin to safety!” Luffy shot back.
True. Zoro was a particularly awesome crew member. The likes of Sanji would never have been able to keep fighting after getting frozen. It was a solid tactical decision to send him with the other crew members back to the Merry while Luffy held him off long enough for the group to escape. But that didn’t mean he had to like it.
“I’m supposed to be the first line of defence,” Zoro grumbled. “Crew swordsman and all that.”
Zoro paused for a moment, before adding, “How’s Robin?”
Luffy closed his eyes, and for a moment looked almost guilty. “Chopper says she’ll be fine, just a bit more rest,” he said while leaning closer against Zoro. Zoro frowned even more deeply. “Wish you coulda done more?”
Luffy thought for a moment, then shook his head, the smile vanishing from his face. “I guess. But hey, it worked out! And we’ll be able to kick Ao-guy’s ass next time, so there’s no problem! Let’s relax, Zoro!”
“Yeah, but-”
Luffy put his finger against Zoro’s lips. Bewildered, Zoro didn’t say anything as Luffy laid up against him and relaxed, his rubbery body almost conforming to the shape of Zoro’s solid frame. Soon, draped against his slightly shocked but unresisting swordsman, Luffy began to snore, leaving Zoro to glare off a mirthful grin from Sanji and close his eyes to resume his long-awaited nap.
As Zoro fell asleep to the sounds of the waves and the gentle rhythm of his captain’s snoring, he decided that this was the sort of man who was worth dying for.
***
Luffy was dying.
Another Warlord, Kuma, had shown up right after they beat Moria. He’d wiped the floor with their exhausted allies. Even Zoro could admit he wasn’t fit to keep fighting by now, but still he kept going. He stood amid the rubble of Moria’s castle, blown to bits by Kuma’s air bomb, watching the pawed freak walk towards his captain.
Kuma was going to take Luffy.
Luffy’d spent everything he had taking down Moria. He was broken and battered and bleeding and Kuma was going to take him away. Zoro struggled to stand after barely avoiding Kuma’s laser. The bastard turned himself into a metal freak, courtesy of the World Government. Even Zoro couldn’t cut through him. Maybe if he’d been a bit stronger, maybe if he wasn’t completely fucking exhausted, he’d have a chance-
'I’m not going anywhere, Zoro. So you better not go anywhere either.'
Damn it. If one of them was going to break their promise, it better be Zoro.
“A body like that, combined with a Devil Fruit? I’m starting to run out of hope… already my body won’t respond to me."
It was true. He could barely force the words from his mouth. His head turned towards the shattered body of his captain on the floor, the gashes on his face, and steeled his nerves.
“So… the only way you’ll leave in peace, is if you take Luffy’s head with you?”
Kuma cocked his head, and replied in a flat voice. “Yes,” the behemoth intoned, “that is the only compromise.”
Zoro nodded. “I understand,” he said, sitting with crossed legs. “I’ll offer up a head, then…”
Zoro forced his head towards the ground in supplication. “Take my head instead! Please, settle for that!”
What was he saying? Who was saying this? Not the Pirate Hunter Zoro? Not the greatest swordsman of Shimotsuki Village?
“I’m not as famous as my captain,” he went on, “but I would’ve become the greatest swordsman in the world if I were allowed to live. It can’t be that big of a loss.”
‘I’ll keep the promise I made for both of us! I’ll become such a great swordsman, my name will be known even in Heaven!’
Not Zoro, Kuina’s rival. Not even the first mate Zoro of the Straw Hat Pirates. Then, who was saying this? What did Zoro say, what felt like years ago? Something about responsibility? What happened to that?
Kuma looked on impassively, but something about his expression shifted. “You have such ambition,” he said, “and yet you’d lay down your life for this one?”
“The way I see it, it’s the only way to save the rest of my crew! What good is ambition… if I can’t even save the life of my captain!?”
Zoro meant it. Zoro didn’t realize he meant it until the words left his mouth. When did that happen? When did he start putting Luffy so much higher than everything else? When Luffy proved himself to be honourable, and passionate, and wise beyond what most people could see? When he proved himself unshakably loyal, to himself, to his crew, to Zoro? When he brought himself to the brink of death, over and over again, for the sake of his family?
‘I won’t give up my dream for yours. I’ll cut you down in an instant if it comes between your dream or mine.’
Zoro thought about the way Luffy had smiled at him, back when he’d been a lonely man tied to a post. Thought of the brightness of his smile. The warmth of his skin. The natural confidence and casual ambition, the loyalty towards a man to whom he owed none. He closed his eyes, and even then he could see Luffy, shining bright as ever.
“Luffy… is the man who will become King of the Pirates!”
Zoro realised that he was the one who underestimated the weight of a promise.
“Not so fast, idiot.”
Sanji. The shit cook actually made it. He walked over to Zoro, hands in his pockets, looking ready to die all nobly like the fucking moron he was.
“You’re right about Luffy! But what about your dream! What good’ll dying do, you stubborn fool!”
His dream was Luffy’s dream. The two were one. The two were the same.
“Instead of this scruffy-haired swordsman, take me!”
Idiot. Sanji hadn’t sworn a swordsman’s oath of fealty. Sanji hadn’t made Luffy’s life his own. Sanji had something after this. Zoro had Luffy and Luffy alone.
“Hey Zoro, give everyone my-”
Zoro slammed his sword into Sanji’s side. The cook keeled over, cursing Zoro. Kuma the Tyrant looked on, impassively. Zoro stood.
I hope I’ll get the chance to apologise in person, Luffy.
“I’ve shown I’m a man of my word. Your turn.”
Kuma nodded, and placed one of his hands on Luffy’s shredded chest.
***
Zoro opened his eyes two days later.
He was wrapped head to toe with bandages, and had the worst of the cuts dressed and packed. His body felt like every square inch had been smashed with a sledgehammer wielded by an insane giant. He struggled to open his eyes, and the effort caused a spike of pain in his head. Zoro groaned, and tried to rub it, only to be met with even sharper pain in his shoulder and wrist.
At a table full of medical supplies next to him, Chopper heard his groans and his head snapped up. “Zoro!” the little human-reindeer cried, rapidly snatching up needles and pills and pouches of powder and waddling his way over. “You’re awake! I was worried you’d never-”
“Chopper? You’re all…”
Chopper paused his frantic rifling through his supplies and gave Zoro a small smile. “We’re all fine, Zoro. I don’t know how you fought Kuma off, but we’re all fine.”
Zoro wasn’t reassured. “Where’s Luffy?”
Chopper shook his head and gave Zoro an exasperated look. “I’ll call him over. After you take these medicines”-he held up a handful of pills - “and promise not to move around much.”
Zoro clenched his teeth and nodded.
After Chopper’s routine was done, he hopped off his chair to go find Luffy. As he did so, Zoro noticed a barrel of what smelled like booze on the bedside table, with a chicken-scratch note that said “ZORO’S”. Zoro gingerly reached over for the barrel, only to realise someone had drunk it all. He chuckled, and the force hurt his chest.
After a while, Luffy ran in, his cheery face affixed with uncharacteristic concern. His eyes alighted on Zoro in the bed, who flashed a quick smile.
“ZORO!”
Before Zoro could reply, Luffy had launched himself across the room and landed square at Zoro’s feet on the bed, wrapping his long arms around Zoro as he laughed. Zoro barely even felt the pain. Luffy’s light seemed to burn all of it away. And yet, he couldn’t help but continue to feel worried.
After a few minutes, Luffy released Zoro, who collapsed back onto the bed. Luffy plopped himself down at Zoro’s feet, looking at him with a grin on his face. The grin, normally infectious, did nothing to dissuade Zoro from feeling as though he needed to do something while he had the chance.
“I was so worried about you, Zoro! Everyone says you managed to fight off a Warlord on your own! Man, that must’ve been-”
Zoro picked up Luffy’s hand with his two heavily bandaged ones and brought it to his lips.
A lord and his samurai. Never saw the point before. Guess that’s something else you’ve taught me, Luffy.
Zoro was certain Luffy didn’t get the meaning of his gesture. The line of thought was confirmed when Luffy looked at Zoro in confusion, then in dawning understanding, and then cupped Zoro's cheeks and brought Zoro’s lips to his.
In that moment, in that eternal moment, Zoro felt surprise, and then something else, so many things else. He feels stars bursting into being and he sees the path, the true path, the one path he was always destined to walk, becoming clear to him for the very first time. He feels destiny roar in triumph, as though he and his captain have passed the final test, have proven themselves worthy. He feels triumph and adrenaline and the sensation that one gets when one cuts through steel or defeats one’s ultimate opponent. He feels purpose and home and the eradication of the last of his fears. But above all, above all of this, more than anything in the world, Zoro felt…
So warm.
Eventually, Luffy broke the kiss, and looked at Zoro, the same adoring expression on his face. “That’s what you’re supposed to do with swordsmen that do that, right?”
Zoro blinked. Then, he grinned. “Dumbass.”
Luffy blinked in confusion. Zoro grabbed his captain and brought him in for another kiss.
***
Zoro stood on the deck of the Thousand Sunny, Luffy close by his side with a long arm wrapped around his, watching as the Red Line and Sabaody Archipelago came into view. At their side, Nami glanced at the two, and smiled.
“Enjoying the view, fellas?”
Luffy jumped over to Nami, stretching his arm and keeping it wrapped around Zoro’s. “It looks awesome, Nami!” Luffy said, raising his hand to his brow to keep the light out. “Who knows what adventures we’ll be able to have in the New World!?”
Zoro grunted. “I agree. We’ll be one step closer to our goal.”
Luffy snapped back to Zoro’s side, pouting. “Oh, come on, Zoro!” Luffy laughed. “Think of all the adventures we’ve had so far! Who knows what we’ll
“I agree! We’ve already met such lovely ladies in this half of the Grand Line. I wonder what other mademoiselles we’ll be able to see in the New World?”
Sanji sauntered his way over as Nami smirked and left(with barely more than a Nami~! from the cook). Sanji leaned against the railing and glanced over at Zoro, arm still tightly grasped by Luffy’s, and smirked.
“I can’t believe the moss head managed to hook up before me. I mean, you don’t even try and someone just falls out of the sky. Literally, in your case.”
Zoro glared at the cook, and Luffy snickered. Sanji smirked.
“Enjoy the view, lovebirds.”
Zoro’s other hand twitched towards his swords. Sanji laughed, and went off to prepare all their luxuries for the mermaid lady. Zoro turned his gaze back towards the Red Line, and unease began to pool in his stomach.
Zoro’s wounds still weren’t fully healed from Thriller Bark. If they got into a fight now, he doubted he’d be able to give his all. He might end up being a liability for the crew.
Zoro turned his head to one side. Luffy looked back at him and grinned, and the knot in Zoro’s stomach loosened.
Whatever. They were coasting high either way. Whatever problems the crew faced, Zoro would cut them down. After all, they’d done well up to this point, and now Zoro had even more reason to fight. Zoro gave into an impulse to touch the side of Luffy’s head with one hand, and Luffy pressed it against his, and, impossibly, seemed to get even happier.
No matter what happened next, Zoro was certain that he and his captain - he and his crew - could win.
***
Zoro breathed as deeply as he could as Usopp hauled his broken body away from the carnage. He struggled to turn his neck behind them as Luffy fought against the monsters that had finally come to claim them.
They couldn’t win.
Admiral Kizaru. Kuma. And that shitty other robot. Maybe if it was just one, maybe if he was still uninjured from Thriller Bark, maybe if they didn’t have half of the Marines in the god damn ocean bearing down on them, they’d have a chance. Maybe. It didn't matter. They weren’t ready.
Zoro dimly recalls Luffy screaming orders for his crew to escape. The way they’d been filled with desperation, fear almost. It wasn’t like him. Zoro’d seen him panicked before, of course. Worried. Scared. But never desperate. Never like he knew that his family(because what else were they?) was going to die unless they ran as fast as they could and didn’t look back.
Franky fired his strongest blast and it did jack shit. Rayleigh would only be able to hold Kizaru off for so long. Zoro needed to think. He needed to be able to fix this somehow. Think, god damn you. Get them out of this. Get back there and-
“PX-1! Finish off Roronoa Zoro!”
Fuck.
“Usopp,” Zoro panted. “Put me down.”
Usopp sputtered as he ran. “What!?”
“I’m dead weight. Drop me, keep running, help the others, I have to go back and help-”
“Nope!” Usopp grit his teeth and kept running. “Captain’s orders!”
So that’s how it feels.
The giant Kuma-robot bore down on them. Brook broke off to attack it, and Zoro heard it smack him aside like a god damn ragdoll. He heard Sanji attack it from behind and join him and Usopp; he looked back in time to see it recover, take aim at Sanji and him, and fire.
The cold white light blinded him as he was thrown from Usopp, crashing into the grass, feeling sprays of dirt shower him. He struggled to his feet(palms shoulder-width, straight up) as the giant fucking monster grabbed Sanji and fired a blast straight into his chest. He looked past him to see Luffy having the shit beaten out of him by that Marine brat.
Not here. Not like this.
The giant robot caught his attention as it turned his weapon towards him. Usopp grabbed Zoro and tried to keep running, but suddenly the searing white light was everywhere and it was so hot, not like Luffy, nothing like Luffy, this heat was cold, unfeeling, and it pierced his eyes and left him blind.
Zoro struggled to remain conscious as he lay on the ground. He heard roaring; was there another monster around? He forced his eyes to open and his arms to move, damn it, you can’t let him die, not now, not again, it can’t happen again, move you stupid, stupid man, DRAW YOUR SWORD AND FIGHT-”
“So you survived, Roronoa.”
A shadow fell over Zoro. He looked up to see… Kuma. The real Kuma. He removed one glove, revealing his pawed hand.
“If you were to take a trip, where would you like to go?”
Nowhere. Not without him.
Zoro’s arm flew to his swords. Kuma’s hand whipped towards him faster than he could think.
‘From here on out, I’ll keep winning, and cut our way to the top.’
I’m sorry. Luffy.
… “Sorry?” Really? That’s all you have to say?
Zoro heard Luffy scream his name. He glanced to the side and saw Luffy, far away, too far away, reaching out for him, an expression of pure and desperate fear on his face. Zoro looked back at his captain and sighed. And he smiled.
Kuma’s palm struck Zoro’s head, and his world went dark.
***
Zoro sprinted through the forest, dodging flung spears and cutting down the giant sword-wielding monkeys that jumped out of the shadows. In his hand he clutched a piece of the shattered boat Mihawk had given him, intent on using it to swim away. He knew once he got to the water he wouldn’t need a navigator. If he could just start swimming, his heart would guide him to where he needed to go, as it always had.
Jump, block, cut, run. Zoro didn’t stop. Zoro didn’t think. Zoro didn’t close his eyes. If he did he saw Luffy’s anguished expression, and an overwhelming constriction of his throat threatened to make him lose focus. And Zoro couldn’t afford to lose focus. Not here. Not now. Not when there was so much at stake.
Just hang on, Luffy, Zoro thought to himself as he sliced down another monkey on Mihawk’s stupid, stupid island. I’m almost there.
***
Zoro wasn’t ready.
He’d realized how fucking stupid he was being just before setting off to sea. He could barely beat those damned baboons on Mihawk’s island, and he was damned sure he was nowhere near Mihawk himself. Kizaru, Kuma, the robot, they’d all made fools of him. He wasn’t ready. He wasn’t worthy of standing beside his captain as he was now.
None of them were. They’d gotten cocky. Just another gang of pirates that thought they were something special going into the New World. They’d gone so far that the’d forgotten just how long the path was. Zoro couldn’t forgive himself for that. The crew’s swordsman should be able to deal with any threat, but he’d let himself believe he was strong enough to shoulder the burden as he was. Stupid, stupid man. He was unworthy of his position. He was unworthy of his captain.
The sight of the newspaper Perona had shown him flashed before his eyes. 3D2Y. Luffy’s promise. Zoro took it in and made it his own, as he did with every last one of Luffy’s promises.
Zoro walked into Mihawk’s room, where the bastard sat there, looking at Zoro like he was an old and matted dog bereft of a master. Zoro dropped to his knees, and curled into as deep a bow as he could manage.
“Please, teach me what you know!”
The Zoro of a few months ago would’ve hated him for what he was doing. But Zoro had something higher now. A shining star he had to protect by any means necessary, a guiding star that needed him to guide in turn. Luffy needed him. Luffy needed him. And Zoro would be there, by any means necessary. A swordsman worthy of standing beside a king.
Mihawk glared at him, revulsion evident in his features. “How disappointing, Zoro. You would beg your enemy for instruction? Have you no pride?”
Zoro said nothing. He ground his forehead against the floor as he bowed. Sweat dripped from his forehead.
“Leave at once. I’ll do no business with a wretch like you,” Mihawk said. “I apologise. It seems I overestimated you.”
Zoro didn’t move. Mihawk raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing? You only humiliate yourself.”
Zoro spat out the words. “I need to get stronger!”
Mihawk tutted. “You couldn’t even beat those baboons and escape to sea. I’ll have no business with a man who cannot finish what he starts.”
“I beat the monkeys!”
Mihawk made a small sound of surprise, as if it should’ve been impossible. As if Zoro didn’t have something that he could never be torn away from, not by any army, not by any warlord. He forced the rest of the words out.
“You’re the only one left. But I’m not stupid enough to think I can beat you yet.”
Mihawk’s hawklike eyes widened, as though trying to pick out the details of something he couldn’t quite make out. “I don’t understand. You would kneel before your mortal enemy and beg him for knowledge? Why!?”
Why?
For a moment, it wasn’t Mihawk sitting in that chair, demanding an explanation. It was a younger man, a prideful man, a grieving man with no direction and no path. A man who thought he knew the weight of a promise, but in truth knew nothing at all. Who didn’t yet know of the shining star that was soon to fall into his life. And the peace, strength, and guidance that would come from being at his side.
“To surpass you! And to prove worthy of standing at my captain’s side!”
My pride, my ambitions, my greatest wish… For you, I’ll throw them all away.
“Ha! Such an absurd request! Asking for my instruction while admitting so readily you wish to use it to kill me!” Mihawk laughed, the sound cutting into Zoro’s ears like sandpaper. He turned to Perona. “Ghost girl, patch the man up. When his wounds have healed, I will instruct him.”
For one breathless moment, Zoro couldn’t believe his ears. Then he slammed his forehead back onto the ground in a bow. “Thank you!”
Mihawk chuckled. “Begone now, Roronoa Zoro. Rest. You will need it.”
Zoro stood up and bowed at the waist. He turned to leave, Perona following closely behind, staring at him in shock. As they left, as Zoro reached back to close the door, he heard Mihawk laughed softly to himself.
“The things men do for love…”
***
The years were brutal. Mihawk showed him no mercy, just as Zoro had hoped. No booze, no rest, just pure training in his forest. Haki and wind-slashes, advanced techniques and impossible katas. Fighting for weeks on end, scrounging for food and water if need be. Zoro suffered, and Zoro got stronger. Once, Mihawk commented that he was impressed by how fast he was growing. Zoro’d just grunted, and said he needed to do more. Mihawk doubled the amount of time he’d have to survive in the forest.
A thing is not worth doing just because it’s difficult. It’s worth doing if the reward is something great, something beautiful, something that can only be earned through righteous hardship. But Luffy was no one’s reward. Rather, it was the life Zoro had had at Luffy’s side that he coveted. The warmth, and purpose, the loyalty he gave to Luffy being returned a thousandfold. A shining star that knew the face of the man who loved him, and loved that man in return.
Loved?
Loved.
Zoro now understood that he had loved many things in his life. He loved booze. He loved becoming stronger. He loved his swords. He loved his village. He loved Kuina. He loved his crew. But the love he felt towards Luffy felt different. Purer. Warmer. Softer, maybe. Zoro wasn’t a soft person- he’d cut down anyone who said he was. But this was different. When Zoro leaned into that feeling, he felt… at peace. Like he was having a good long sleep, surrounded by friends. Like he was walking the path he was meant to walk, with someone he trusted and who trusted him in turn. Offering up his life to a truly worthy man, and, impossibly, receiving that man’s life in return.
Zoro’s devotion towards Luffy was absolute. And it was out of devotion that he cut harder and deeper than ever before.
On the final day of his training on Mihawk’s island, he thanked Mihawk for all he’d done for him.
“The next time you and I meet will be the last, Mihawk.”
Mihawk smiled. “Farewell, Roronoa. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Behind him, floating in the air, Perona waved. “Bye, Zoro! Say hi to your boyfriend for me!”
Zoro laughed. He walked onto his boat and untied it, and set sail for the nearest island to find someone that could take him to Sabaody Archipelago. As he sailed away, his heart hammered in his chest harder than it ever had for the past two years. Not a day had gone by where he hadn’t pictured the day he reunited with his crew. Now that it was almost here, for the first time in an age he wasn’t quite sure what he should do.
Eh. He’d just wing it, like he always did. His heart would guide him to the right choices. It always had.
***
Zoro was unlucky enough to meet up with Sanji first, in Grove 4 Grove 41. Zoro arrived first, as expected, and Sanji’d apparently arrived seventh, as expected.
“I’m gonna go fishing,” Zoro said. Might as well while they wait for Luffy. Would give him time to come up with something to say to him. Sanji stared at him like he was a little boy who’d just suggested he fry up his shitty leather shoes, since it would taste better than his usual stuff. Zoro(No.1) and Sanji(No.7) broke into a usual argument(Zoro felt an odd sense of relief with the ease with which they slipped into it) before getting a call from Franky, who told them Luffy was getting involved with some commotion with the Marines(typical) and they needed to go bail him out and then break for the ship immediately(also typical). The two ran for Grove 42, bickering all the way.
God, I missed this.
As they arrived at the commotion, they caught a glimpse of that Marine brat that had beaten the crap out of Luffy two years ago(Zoro was going to have to cut him for that) and two Kuma-bots - Pacifistas, as he’d learned they were called. As they ran into the fray, Zoro saw a figure leap into the air. In the light of the sun, and with his one remaining eye, Zoro could barely make out the features, but there was no mistaking the straw hat of the man that, for a moment, seemed to eclipse the sun as the brightest thing in the sky.
Zoro grinned.
Luffy’s fist crashed down on the Pacifista’s head, pulverizing it in one hit. “Hey, Luffy!” ZOro shouted. Luffy turned from atop the mound of twisted and smoking metal, and his smile made the entire world seem brighter.
“Hey, Zoro! Hey, Sanji! Long time no see!”
The second Pacifista ran up from behind, and Zoro’s blades leapt into his hand, more eager than it had ever been, and he cut it down. As the thing crashed to the ground in pieces, Zoro felt an odd sense of relief. He was strong, now. Strong enough to serve his purpose. To allow his captain to thrive in the New World, and to thrive there in turn. Zoro grinned as he sheathed his swords. This would work.
The three pirates fled the scene, sprinting through side streets and alleys until eventually they stopped, having managed to lose their pursuers in the city streets. Behind the buildings, the trio panted to catch their breath. Zoro watched the sweat roll off of Luffy’s face, the enormous smile on his face, like that thing hadn’t almost killed them all two years ago, like all of the hardships of the past two years were nothing more than a daydream. Like nothing was different. In a sense, nothing was. None of them had changed in a way that mattered.
Sanji noticed Zoro staring, and laughed to himself, before pulling out a cigarette, lighting it and taking a drag. As he exhaled, he pointed towards a laughing Luffy.
“We’ll catch up on the ship, Luffy. I’ll go make sure we weren’t followed. Mossball…” Sanji glanced at Zoro knowingly. “Look after our captain, won’t you?”
Zoro huffed. “Sure thing, Number 7.”
Sanji chuckled, and ducked out of the alleyway. Zoro watched the spot he vanished from for a second as he realised he was finally alone with Luffy. After two years of hard training and wondering if he’d ever be able to see his captain again, he suddenly was alone with him, like nothing’d ever changed. Zoro fought to think of something to say as he turned towards Luffy, only to stop as Luffy eyed him with a mischievous smirk. The kind of smirk he only got when he spotted something he wanted and was about to snatch it.
Zoro grinned. Luffy shot out his arms and grabbed Zoro by the shoulders, and launched his face into Zoro’s. The moment where Zoro’s lips met Luffy’s made everything, everything seem worth it.
***
Zoro, Luffy and the shit cook arrived at the Sunny, with the help of Chopper and some giant bird he found. Zoro walked around and greeted his crewmates, Luffy doing the same as he rode around on Zoro’s shoulders. Robin giggled at Luffy’s antics, while Nami just sighed. Zoro didn’t see what the problem was; it was his duty as swordsman to carry the captain’s burdens. And also, he really liked doing it for some reason.
The pirates fled the archipelago and dove down towards Fish-Man Island, wrapped in one of Sabaody’s signature bubbles. Luffy and Zoro tried to hunt some of the fish on the outside but were stopped from “breaking the bubble” and “killing everyone" by the others. After dealing with some pirates and a giant kraken and making it to the bottom, they were able to dock in a secluded area before venturing into Fish-Man Island proper. Luffy gave his speech to the crew, but Zoro was barely able to focus on what he was saying, only the way his voice flowed like a sweet wine, the sheer passion and joy in his eyes. Usopp ribbed him once and asked him what Luffy just said; Zoro glared at him, and Usopp chuckled.
Eventually, the crew had enough of their celebrations and decided to tuck in for the night, and explore Fish-Man Island in the morning. Zoro laid down on a bedroll to go to sleep. As he tried to drift off, he felt a pressure on him, and saw that Luffy had draped himself on top of him. His body felt harder than it had been before. More muscular, a bit rougher. But his body was still still soft enough to mold itself around the contours of Zoro’s, and still so, so, warm. He cracked one eye open to see Luffy’s face inches from his own, eyes closed, already about to start snoring, arms stretched on either side of Zoro’s head.
Zoro’s body relaxed completely, and he closed his eyes. Unbidden, one arm came up and clutched Luffy’s back, pressing him closer, as though worried he would try to leave. Zoro felt Luffy smile, sleepily.
“I missed you, Zoro.”
“Missed you too, Luffy.”
And the captain and his loyal blade fell asleep in each other’s arms.