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daegall · 7 months

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☆ tiny mishap

➷ in which your very protective boyfriend interrogates you about a certain wound you have

pairing: (opla!)bf!zoro x reader

genre: fluff, slight crack, established relationship!AU

warnings: injuries, booze, mentions of self harm (it is assumed, but false) based off opla!zoro, but has chopper bc chopper <3

word count: 1.5k words

a/n: to my nct audience; LOL SORRY IF THIS CAME UP IN UR FEED AND YOU GOT CONFUSED 😇🙏 currently obssesed over one piece live action dude i physically cannot explain how much i love all the characters :( (esp koby and nami's character development!!!) anw ive been having a major zoro brainrot so :) enjoy!!!

You grumble and keep a hand to your cheek, shoulders slumped and sore, as you walk into the kitchen, in search of someone specific.

Chopper, your trusty nurse and adorable friend, of course. Who else would heal the cut on your face and bruises on your arm?

Hearing a little action going on in the kitchen, you can only assume is your captain Luffy, or Usopp, as they both are food lovers, after all.

"Hey, have you guys seen Chopper anywhe–"

However, once you make it inside the kitchen, you are shocked to see the person you've been avoiding this whole morning.

"Oh," You breathe out. A frown curls on your lips once you realize he's got a bottle of booze wrapped in his hand, bringing it up to his lips as he turns to gaze at you. "Damn it, I thought I hid those..."

Your boyfriend's got a nasty habit of drinking alcohol. Anytime he wanted. Bored? He's either napping, training, or drinking his stupid booze. Tired? Booze. Feeling happy or sad? Stupid booze.

You've been trying to stop him before he becomes 80% alcohol, but he's better at finding it than you are at hiding it.

"Morning," Zoro mumbles, as he puts his bottle down. "tried to hide these just like you've been hiding from me me all day?"

At his words, you look away, taking a step away from him. "I don't know what you're talking about,"

"Why are you holding your cheek?"

When your eyes flicker back at him, he's got a worried frown, a crease in his eyebrows some might mistake as anger, but you recognize it as care.

He cares for you, and you hate how soft it makes you.

"It's just... cold," You attempt to lie, rubbing at your skin. Bad idea, as you fail to stop your hiss of pain.

Zoro instantly walks towards you, his hands releasing his bottle of beer, and his swords, to raise it to your face. One hand hovers over your uncovered cheek, the other wrapping it's fingers around your wrist gently.

"Show me."

You still, not knowing what to do. You know you're gonna succumb to him anyway, so there's no need to put up a fight, but you can't help how stubborn you are.

So, you don't step away, but you don't lower your hand anyway.

"Y/N," Zoro says sternly.

"It's nothing, I swear, just a tiny... mishap,"

"Then show me,"

Despite his voice being so harsh, and his gaze just as much, you know this is all because he loves you. You can tell by the way his thumb softly runs over your skin, you can tell by the way he steps closer to observe further, you can tell by the way he doesn't force you. He trusts that you trust him, and you hate how it works on you every time.

"Do you at least have any bandages?"

With your tiny voice and small gaze up at him, Zoro knows you've given in.

"You know I always do,"

It's true. With the amount of fights he gets himself into, he has at least 2 packs on him. Also in case you scrape your knee or get a papercut. It's the small things he does that assure you he cares.

He finally releases his grip on your wrist, walking back to pick up his bottle of beer on the counter. Before he can even take a sip, however, you hop onto the counter in front of him, and snatch the bottle, shaking your head.

"It's 10 in the morning." You remind him sternly.

Zoro can't stop the tiny smirk on the corner of his lips, huffing. "Yeah, yeah,"

You know he loves you, he knows you love him too.

It's the tiny things like this that prove it. The way you try to make him a better man, the way you'd instantly take care of his wounds yourself, the way you shush the other crewmembers when he's napping. And unlike you, he loves how soft it makes him.

"Take your hand off now."

Though you have a disapproving look, and grimace, you comply, slowly lowering your hand from your cheek.

You look down at your lap once you hear his sharp intake of air, playing with the hem of your shirt.

Zoro can't take his eyes off the cut on your cheekbone, his heart sinking impossibly quickly, cracking when he sees a bruise right under the cut. "What the fuck happened?"

"It just... happened," You mumble weakly.

"Who did it?" Zoro'a voice, once again, is harsh, but you hear the shake in it, worry.

"...I did,"

You know he takes it the wrong way the next second, considering how you answered him, you would have skipped to conclusions yourself.

"You're harming yourself?!"

You interject immediently, reaching out to grab his wrist, "No! God, no, Zoro,"

You haven't said his name until now, and it still manages to send a wave of warmth over his body. The way you are so quick to reassure him, the way you lean into his warmth, how your skin rubs against his comfortingly, it all warms him inside. He's only ever felt warm with you, which is why he loves you so much.

"Then how did it happen?"

At his question, you frown again, but it's less serious than before, it's more of a pout, if anything.

"It's stupid."

"It's not stupid if you're getting hurt."

"You'll think it's stupid,"

"Our captain is Luffy, whatever you do can't be that bad."

Zoro waits patiently for your answer, taking out the band-aid from his pocket. His eyes shine with anticipation, no longer (that) angry, and you're glad he isn't as worried anymore. You hate making him worry.

"I..." You hesitate for a second, tearing your eyes away from his gaze. You decide that it doesn't matter if he laughs or not in the end, because he won't ever see you differently. He's your Zoro, and he'll always be by your side.

"You know how there was a storm last night?"

Your boyfriend's eyebrows raise at your words, and he nods silently, gently sticking the band-aid to your cheek. He blows on it, making sure it's secure.

"I fell off my bed and face planted onto the floor,"

At your words, Zoro completely freezes, his fingers grazing the skin of your jaw. You can't tell what he's quite feeling, as one, you didn't have the pride to look at him for more than 2 seconds, and two, he remains as emotionless as a rock.

"...Zoro?"

Suddenly, there's a sound. A strange sound that comes from him. It's unfamiliar, but... strangely warm. You come to a conclusion that Roronoa Zoro, your cold, stoic boyfriend, is laughing. He's laughing with his whole heart, eyes squinting as he finally smiles, the prettiest, most precious smile you have ever seen.

Zoro's forehead lands on your shoulder as he continues, an arm wrapping around your waist to secure you in place.

"Roronoa Zoro are you laughing at me?"

"N-no–" He snorts. How dare he lie to your face.

Although he did flat out lie to your face, it's endearing. His laugh and smile is new, comforting, and you swear your could listen to it your whole life and not complain.

"I-I'm not laughing at you, I promise!"

"Doesn't look like it," You huff out with a grumble, facing away from, attempting to hide the shy smile curling on your lips.

"N-nooo!" Zoro chuckles. A sudden warm feeling envelops not only your chin, but your whole entire being, as Zoro tilts your head back to him, your heart almost stopping at the sight of his charming grin.

He's grinning.

And it's all because of you.

You have to admit, you're proud of yourself.

"You're just... too adorable,"

"Roronoa Zoro, you're flirting with me now?!"

"Shhh!" He shushes you, though its playful, and loving, placing his index finger on your smiley lips.

You two sit there, alone and together, for minutes on end, unable to let the moment become a memory. Zoro resumes with patching you up, caressing the bruises on your arm comfortingly.

It's moments like these that make you realize just how special you are to Zoro, and just how special he is to you, because who else on planet earth would be able to get him to laugh thay hard, grin that much, and love you that much?

You'd crash into the floor a million times if it meant seeing Zoro's smile, you'd admit to any embarassing moment, if it meant having to hear his melodious laugh.

"You know," He breaks the peaceful silence, causing you to grow concious of how you were staring at him. To be fair, the both of you don't mind staring at each other. What's there to hide? You love him, he loves you.

"you could come nap with me if you want. I could keep you anchored to the bed so you don't fall out again."

Considering how much he valued his hours of sleep, and alone time, this is something big he asks you of, and you feel a sweet warmth stirr in you.

This time, you don't grow shy, or snarl at his sarcastic remark. Rather, you grin at your lover, reaching up to pinch his chin playfully. "You'd like that, huh?"

"Don't say you wouldn't,"

"And if I drag you down with me?"

Zoro shrugs, ruffling your bed-head. "We'll both get to laugh and patch each other up."

You reach up to peck his cheek, before hopping off the counter. "I'll take you up on that someday,"

#roronoa zoro #roronoa zoro x reader #zoro x reader #zoro #one piece #one piece imagines #one piece x reader #roronoa zoro imagines #zoro imagines #one piece live action #opla #roronoa zoro live action #zoro live action

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gigislesbo · 7 months

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↳ “time to teach ya’” || op zoro fic

╴ until you learn how to properly pleasure yourself, zoro refuses to allow you to leave. now it's too late to have any regrets about admitting to him that you've never masturbated before.

╴word count: 2k

╴pairing/dynamic: top!zoro , bottom!reader

╴content warning: smut like barely any plot, female prns, made with afab body in mind, just zoro being zoro, innocentish reader, guided masturbation, fingering, corruption kink, spit, praising, cussing, overstimulation, begging but from readers own accord

╴requested: no

╴a/n: english isn’t my first language so if there’s grammar errors i apologize. this is for my zoro lovers 🫡, do enjoy!

↳ ZORO

Zoro could sense something was off about you, particularly after the party. Zoro was honestly a bit bewildered; it was a party with your close friends, and you’re acting dryly with him.

Zoro agitated finally decided he was finished being quiet; after all the way you were acting was bugging him.

"what’s wrong. You’re acting’ bizarre," Zoro voices impolitely, glancing at you once more. "Nothing? "I'm acting normally," you mention, baffled at what he’s talking about.

"Stop lyin'; we both know something’s off with you. Just spit it out already," he replies with a little bit more urgency in his voice.

"it’s nothing! I promise. I'm just, to some extent, embarrassed about something that was discussed."You declared, sitting down on your bed, hoping that answer would appease Zoros curiosity. "And what was discussed?" he replies while glancing at you once more.

He wanted to get to the root of the issue so you wouldn’t continue to act so distant.

"Can’t say! It was just something ridiculous Nami brought up during our game." You say rambling about the game of ‘never have I ever’ that you and the other ladies played.

Zoro raised his eyebrow, looking for you to give him more specifics. You huff at him but finally decide to just get it over with.

"She asked if… I'd ever played…with myself, and I thought she was joking, but when I looked at her face, it was clear she wasn't. " You followed off before resuming. "I said I haven't, and out of shame, I went to go get you so we could go home," you say with a flush of coral on your cheeks, noticing how elementary your actions were.

Zoro quietly laughed. His partner hasn’t masturbated before, and that’s why they were acting in this manner. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about, baby, because that'll change soon.." He proceeded to walk towards your bed and then he sat down. With a smirk on his face, he then continues his sentence. "I'd say it’s time to teach ya’ whatcha think, baby?"

"That’s it, pretty girl," Zoro says while helping you keep your legs apart. "Doing so good."

At the praise, you couldn’t help but feel yourself get more wet. He knew what he was doing, especially when he persisted in helping you keep your legs open.

Honestly, all he wanted was to see you play with your pretty pussy, but you weren’t one to protest against it. After all, it somehow made you feel more pleasure.

"Getting all wet for me, babe? How cute." Zoro couldn’t help but feel proud of the fact that he was able to convince you to masturbate.

It was your first time, and it was with him watching, corrupting you, and teaching you where you should touch yourself. Everything was just too perfect to be true, especially after hearing your moans.

"Feel too good." You said playing with your clit and making sure it feels good, just like how Ro' told you.

This ecstasy was enough to melt any thoughts from your brain, just like the sun can melt snow.

Zoro could tell just by looking at you how much you were enjoying yourself, but he just couldn’t let you have all the fun.

He decided to play with you just a little bit, using his fingers to rub your inner thighs, which are closest to your needy hole.

As soon as he did that, you noticed. Wide-eyed and staring at his fingers, you could feel your mind start to wander. Wanting him to stuff you full with his pretty and big fingers.

"Keep your eyes on your own fingers, love." Zoro leans forward, whispering in your ear.

"Don’t wanna… You’re being unfair." You protest to him while looking at his face for any sign of giving in. There was not but a single smirk on his face.

"Sorry, pretty girl, I'm just here to teach. Nothing else…" He pauses for a moment, looking at your needy and begging face. "If you don’t know how to do it when you’re all alone and crying for my dick, then you’ll be more upset. Can’t have that, can we?" He says he is laughing with his deep, sultry voice.

You know what he says is right, but the laugh he made didn’t help your case. You just wanted him to pound into your poor cunt and have him call you the slut you are, but instead you had to give pleasure to yourself.

You opened your mouth to complain again, but Zoro was quick to shut you up by taking your unoccupied hand and spitting on your fingers.

Right now, your expression is like a deer in headlights. You didn’t know what he was planning to do, but you knew you had to listen up.

He then led your fingers to your hole, slowly making one at a time enter.

"Zo’ f-feels good." You moan; your finger may not be better than Zoro's, but it still made you feel good.

Zoro just smirked at you after he heard you moan, moving his hand away from yours.

You honestly didn’t know what to do from there, so you just stayed still, mesmerized by the feeling of your own finger inside. It honestly felt a bit weird; it was the feeling of something inside of you not moving. You looked at Zoro for some guidance, which he gave.

He honestly couldn’t help but chuckle a bit, looking at how pretty his innocent baby was. "Move your finger in and out of your pretty hole. If it still isn’t enough, then add a few more fingers, k'babe?"

"M'kay," you say, just staring at him without even making an effort to move your fingers.

"I already went over this. I’m not going to do it for you; you gotta do it yourself. You're going to make me proud, aren’t you?" Zoro stated he meant it all.

You lived to make Zoro proud, so of course you would do it. The only thing is that you only feel like you can do that when you’re drinking with him or fucking. You don’t mind doing those things either, but sometimes you just wish he’d let you pleasure his cock right now instead.

I mean, there are so many ways he likes it, like when you’re jacking him off, giving him a blowjob, a titjob, or even just letting him fuck your tight little cunt. But right now, you know better than anyone not to ask. You’ll get refused, no matter how needy he is, because he wants you to please yourself only. So instead of sulking, you decided you’d make him proud.

You take your finger and start moving it in and out of you, looking for that one pleasure spot that you continuously miss. You then try adding three fingers, but it’s no use; you can’t find it.

Yes, it's pleasurable enoughto throw your head back every now and then, but it’s not the pleasure you want. You want your spot touched; it’s like your cunt craves it as it continues clenching around your fingers.

"Ro's too hard and can’t find it." You state between mumbles and moans, looking directly at how Zoro just stares at your body, looking like an animal wanting his prey, but he snaps out of it hearing your voice.

"Shouldn’t you know your spot better than me? You can find it, baby." Zoro says with a sly smirk on his face, knowing he’s teasing you.

You continue for a few more minutes, even while paying attention to your needy clitoral, but it's still no use. You can’t find the spot that’ll make you cum faster.

You look at Zoro with puppy dog eyes and say, "Ne-need you, Zo', can’t find it.. wan’ your fingers in me."

That was all it took for Zoro to finally snap and help your pussy out. I mean, who could say no to that?

He looks at you with a stern look on his face and tells you to follow his lead. Before you can take your fingers out, he stops you. Shoving three of his own into you. "Mm f-fuck!!" You screamed not on purpose but because it took all the air out of you.

Your cunt was stretched and full, like it is when he forces his cock into your cunt. Zoro groans hearing you moan like that just from him entering his fingers in.

Zoro then begins fingering you, going back in and back out of your stretched-out hole. You end up following him; it was a pleasure. You felt your body start to burn like lava. So much pleasuring you, almost too much, especially because Zoro ended up finding pleasure spots you completely missed.

At this point in time, you were a babbling mess, just barely able to think—completely overstimulated. Before you could even do anything. Zoro found the spot. You screamed once again, telling him it was too good and how you needed more.

Only to be left with complete disappointment because Zoro’s fingers were no longer in you. "Gotta pleasure it yourself, babe; as hot as it is knowing you’ll get off on my hands, it’s better watching you struggle. Don’t you think? He whispers into your ear, knowing how badly you need to cry.

You huff at him, but you can’t fight back. You know this is for the better. After a few more minutes of trial and error, you find it. You need this to cum, and so you keep shoving your finges in and out of your hot cunt, pleasuring your spot every now and then. "Gonna gonna cum!!" You shout, letting yourself cum.

The orgasm left your body shaking for more, but you were too tired to comply.

"Good girl, I'm very proud of you." Zoro said, looking down at your flushed body and pulsing hole.

"I hope you know I'm not done yet." You pause, getting air, then continuing, "I've got to help you out."

"I would love that, babe." He just smiles at you.

╴a/n: had fun making this, it’s not my best work but i did have fun so it doesn’t matter.

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sanjisboyfie · 7 months

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one piece smau: dating zoro edition

- slight nsfw images + wording , very slight

- male reader !!

liked by freeluffy, SUPERCOLA, and 10k others

rzs.[name]: muah smooch kiss 😚

tagged: [name]s_hubby

[name]s_hubby: i love u pretty boy

-> rzs.[name]: come home imy

-> [name]s_hubby: im gettin ur stupid biggie bag wait a second

dni_nami: STOP BEING HAPPY ON MY TL ‼️‼️‼️ I DIDNT ASK FOR TS esp from u two

-> rzs.[name]: btw nami i jus venmoed u for the snacks u bought for us at the movies

-> dni_nami: i wish u both nothing but happiness 🫶🏼 love u botthhhh

uso_pp: damn why he eatin u ... [name] u good??

-> [name]s_hubby: pls stfu u touch deprived idiot

liked by purrrona, rzs.[name], and 11k others

[name]s_hubby: why r ppl spelling gym "jim" that shit sound stupid as fuck

tagged: rzs.[name]

rzs.[name]: my favorite pillow <333

rzs.[name]: guys do u see how he tagged me :))) its cuz hes my boyfriend

rzs.[name]: pls tell me ur single plsplsplsplsplsplsplsplspl

-> [name]s_hubby: i almost blocked u bc i thought u were a rando

-> uso_pp: smths tellin me this isnt the right answer ???

-> [name]s_hubby: mb i mean, yes i do have a boyfriend and am happily married to him

freeluffy: ZORO i beat ur pr 😈😈

-> [name]s_hubby: mf i know u didnt stop lying

princesanji: vomitted in my mouth xoxo

-> [name]s_hubby: the jealousy from this comment is crazy

liked by [name]s_hubby, princesanji, and 10k others

rzs.[name]: HES SOOOOO HOTTTT I MIGHT JUST START DROOLING

tagged: [name]s_hubby

[name]s_hubby: please do not start drooling i might break up w u

-> rzs.[name]: u practically started crying when i told u i had to leave the bed to go to school , i cant even jmagine if i broke up w you

-> uso_pp: his ass is not built to survive without u [name] pls dont break up w him for the sake of everyone else

randomgirl: happy for u ig ...

-> [name]s_hubby: im gonna block u from [name]s phone cuz hes too nice to do it himself foh w ur bullshit

[liked by dni_nami, robinkills, and 100 others]

johnnybro: BIG BRO ZORO GOT THE CUTEST BOYFRIEND EVER

-> rzs.[name]: JOHNNNNYY zoro says he misses u

-> [name]s_hubby: i didnt but good to hear from u johnny and yes my bf is the cutest

liked by rzs.[name], [name]s_hubby, and 9k others

SUPERCOLA: zoros drunk ass couldnt even stand upright and [name] had to go on over there to sober him up

tagged: rzs.[name] and [name]s_hubby

robinkills: what even got him to come back to his senses? he was so drunk

-> rzs.[name]: i told him he would have to sleep on the couch unless he got serious

[liked by dni_nami, princesanji, and 57 others]

-> dni_nami: thats all it took??? wtf 💀💀💀

freeluffy: zoro is so funny 😂😂😂 he kept bumping into poles ans apologizing to them

-> [name]s_hubby: luffy delete this comment rn u have ten minutes.

rzs.[name]: i love my boyfriend 😇 even if hes so fucking stupid

-> SUPERCOLA: pls do NOT start beef in my comment section i was tryna show how cut u guys r as a couple not how stupid u both are

liked by rzs.[name], princesanji, and 17k others

[name]s_hubby: one day ill put a proper ring on his finger and then MAYBE just maybe bitches will stop tryna slide in his dms

tagged: rzs.[name]

uso_pp: it was cute until u threatened a whole population of people

-> [name]s_hubby: the issue is that theres a whole population of people tryna get w my bf, thats not my fault

dni_nami: zoro u almost had me fooled that u were being a SWEET bf for once

rzs.[name]: why not rn???

-> [name]s_hubby: shhh

princesanji: the caption couldve been smth great and then u ruined it

-> [name]s_hubby: and ur still single. so...

liked by dni_nami, [name]s_hubby, and 12k others

rzs.[name]: i was told to make it more obvious on my acc that i have a bf (even tho hes in all my posts) so pls stop dming me now ty

tagged: [name]s_hubby

[name]s_hubby: his username is literally "roronoa zoro's [name]" as in - IM RORONOA ZORO ... i need all of u to wake tf up

-> rzs.[name]: and my man!!! thank u to my man!!

dni_nami: if anyone knew u two in real life theyd know all u do is talk abt each other

uso_pp: the world if ppl were able to take a hint🌈✨✌️☮️🕊️

princesanji: i am begging all of u to actually stop dming [name] bc the amt of ppl is genuinely stressing zoro out and its making him act even more like an asshole to the rest of us. please spare us this treatment and leave them both alone

[liked by [name]s_hubby, rzs.name, and 120 others]

rzs.[name]'s story:

happy 2 yr anniversary, im so lucky to have you in my life

[name]s_hubby replied to your story: i hope i get to wake up next to you everyday, i love you so much please come home quick so i can show you pretty boy <3

#≡;- ꒰ ° smau series ꒱#one piece smau #one piece imagines #one piece x reader #one piece x male reader #zoro x reader #zoro x male reader #roronoa zoro x male reader #x male reader #zoro smau #roronoa zoro smau #zoro imagines #male reader #male reader imagines #modern one piece #roronoa zoro imagines #x reader

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soleurs · 6 months

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▎ BAD IDEA, RIGHT?

concept yeah.. maybe, not really ・ gender netural reader + word count 494 genre fluff .. established relationship warnings mentions of : cuddling .. suggestive thoughts .. kissing — cred. to byhees for the cute layout

napping with roronoa zoro is a bad idea. in fact, it’s the worst scenario to end up in.

with sturdy arms that have been bronzed by years of honing his undeniable talent, he’ll weave one around your waist. as for the other? well, that’s probably fallen asleep too after hours of resting beneath your head.

(like arm, like owner—you humorously suppose.)

initially, you’ll whittle down time by staring at your dozing swordsman. out of all the looks you’ve witnessed him sporting in the past and present, you’ll definitely be confident in claiming tranquility’s his best. but as much as you want to continue staring at the living art, streaks of marigold and azure are beginning to blend beyond the broad horizon.

and here is where the catch begins.

silly you will think that escaping his grasp will be easy. after all, he sleeps like a log being carried by the ocean’s little waves. all you need to do is squirm a little, perhaps sprinkle a few kisses upon his calloused palms to warm him up a little. oh look at that, zoro’s eased his hold.

now that you’re on your feet, it’s best you go—

“come back to bed.”

the rich, raspiness of his voice echoes in your ear, accompanied by his gentle tug that puts you back where you began: wrapped up in his embrace. what a shame, you had managed to walk a few more centimeters away this time. (your previous record stood so weakly at eleven centimeters.)

“clover, we need to get up..” you try to convince him, but how can you do that when he’s tracing kisses across the crook of your neck? “..then they’re gonna make assumptions, and that’s a whole other mess i can’t handle on an empty stomach.”

this is where your suspicion arises.

there’s no more warm breath fanning across the spanse of your skin, or even a non-committal hum that merely ripples from the top of his chest. in fact, you can’t even hear the little snores he tends to make in between the steady thrums of his heartbeat.

you just never seem to learn, which is why it’s so easy for zoro to move you until you’re facing each other. (an impressive feat that’s taken at least five times to perfect; you fondly call it the hammroll. and while he calls it silly, he secretly likes the name of this special move. makes it feel like it belongs to only you and him.) the warmth you were looking for earlier? it’s right there, skimming your face as he leans in to kiss you.

but he won’t be satisfied with just one. no, before he dives in for another, he’ll make sure you hear him whisper, “let them guess. i’ll still have you with me afterwards.”

it's not such a bad idea, right?

daylight I'M ALIVE !!!!! is what i wanna say but my mental health's been going loop-de-loop so cue the awkward laughter- to the anon who requested this, thank you for taking a chance on me ♡

#zoro x reader #roronoa zoro x reader #opla x reader #roronoa zoro #zoro fluff #opla fluff #one piece live action #zoro imagines

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naomihatake · 6 months

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A love so deep

Pairing: Roronoa Zoro x GN!reader

Synopsis: He loves you so deeply it defies the forces of nature.

Content warnings: weapons, loyalty, maybe it's fluff?

Word count: a few hundred words

A/N: Zoro brainrot hours. I'm around episode 330 of one piece so I don't know for sure if he ever harms any of his crewmates with his sword, so for now this is just a headcanon. Take it as you will, dear readers

Zoro Roronoa is loyal. He's confident, despite the monsters hunting him sometimes, screaming in his nightmares that he's not strong enough, that he has to get stronger and stronger and stronger in order to protect his friends, his lover. If he can't protect the ones he cares for at least through actions — because he's never been a professional at verbally expressing himself — then what the fuck is he even doing?

His will is stronger than steel. Maybe it's tied to his stubborn nature, to the fact that once he wants to do something, there's no way to stop him. His will is the highest and strongest mountain you'll ever lay eyes on and you're either able to accept it or not.

He wants to protect the ones he holds dear to his heart. Out loud there are rare times when he admits such things, but he's proved it countless times. He'll say things with a specific nuance and only his friends would know the deep meaning behind his words.

His will are his swords. His stubbornness runs through the hilts and rests in his scabbards, it makes his katana shine each time he draws them out. He's poured his everything into these swords, even the overwhelming and undeniable love he has for you. Weapons, objects he always used to kill, blades that sparkle with the remnants of blood.

However, not even once did his sword cut through a friend, through you. Even his very body would be manipulated by some supernatural force, the blades would only graze the skin, would mold into your skin and still not break through. There would be marks, it would be obvious something happened, but your blood will never get on his swords.

Especially if you trust him, his abilities and his katana. They're like an extension of his very being, of his own soul. Even the blades recognise you, your haki, your energy. Even their sharpness softens at the contact of your skin and stops, refusing to hurt you, someone he loves so deeply he doesn't know for sure what path he'll take if something happens to you.

And he'd be damned if you're harmed by him. He would rather die one thousand times and run with bare feet through hell than be the one to inflict pain on you.

And he trusts you just the same way he trusts his own will. Whatever weapon you weild, whatever power has been bestowed to you by a Devil Fruit — none of those matter. Deep down, he knows you're not capable of harming him or your friends.

Because, at some point, an enemy you're fighting against might laugh hysterically about how "You'll bend to my will, Pirate Hunter".

Both of you know that no matter what, none of your wapons will ever be drowned in the other's blood. His sword would stop at the contact with your skin and your bullet would ricochet against his bare chest.

A love so deep it defies the forces of nature. The string of trust is thick and stronger than steel, just like his will and your own.

This connection between him and you won't appear out of the blue, but it will certainly grow steadily and once it does, it's unbreakable.

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ageingfangirl2 · 7 months

Text

Forget What I Said Zoro (OPLA)

A bit of OPLA Zoro x reader. After a fight with the Marines y/n is injured and Zoro realises he's found his treasure.

ZORO

It was all because of me y/n was below deck injured and unconscious because I wasn't fast enough to save them. y/n could hold their own in a fight but all of us had underestimated the amount of Marines who'd swarm us and y/n quickly became outnumbered. I remember my vision turning red when y/n hit the floor, and then I remember being surrounded by bodies as I picked y/n up in my arms and rushed back to the ship.

y/n was pale in my arms and blood stained their white blouse and arms from where they were stabbed and slashed. As I ran I shook them but got no reply, I couldn't lose y/n.

'You can't die on me y/n....because...I think I love you...' I say out loud, thankful no other crew were around to hear me and y/n was unconscious.

Sanji had basic medical knowledge picked up from Zeff and it turned out none of y/n's wounds was life-threatening, they'd just need to be bandaged up and kept on bed rest for a few days. I was relieved because it meant they weren't going to die.

After beating the Marines we set sail wanting to put as much space between us and them as possible, not needing another run-in when one of us was bedridden and everyone else nursing wounds.

I decided to stay by y/n's side waiting for them to wake up. After cleaning my swords I set about cleaning their daggers so they could jump straight back into action. The rest of the crew left us alone, not quite sure what to make of the situation.

y/n had joined the crew after we encountered and defeated Buggy, their town being held hostage. y/n was very good at escaping things, very agile and handy with daggers. It meant they got beat up by Buggy's crew whenever they tried to escape but they still kept trying to free the other villagers.

y/n was quiet like me but could be an idiot after a couple of drinks, so the two of us got on like a house on fire. y/n was able to give me a sense of direction when it looked like I was getting lost and we had come to rely on one another when we couldn't go to the other crew with our problems.

I'm pulled out of my thoughts by a loud groan coming from the bed in front of me. y/n sits up, hissing and cursing, 'How long have I been out?'

'Two days,' I answer and put the daggers down, 'how are you feeling?'

y/n snorts, 'like shit. Have you been here the whole time?'

I nod, 'yeah, do you want me to leave.'

y/n shakes their head and smiles, 'No, I like your company. Can I ask you a serious question Zoro?'

I sit up in the chair, curious what question y/n could possibly ask me, 'yeah go ahead.'

y/n locks eyes with me, and I see mischief behind them telling me they'd be back to their old self soon, 'you told me you loved me,' they say blankly.

I gulp nervously, so they had heard me, 'Yes.'

y/n hums, 'while you thought I was dying in your arms?'

'Yes.'

The mischief leaves y/n's eyes and they soften, 'well, I'm still alive. Care to repeat it?'

I was shocked at what I was hearing. y/n had heard my confession and seemingly wanted to hear it again now they were awake. y/n's smile turns into a frown at my silence.

'So you said it in the moment and didn't really mean it,' y/n sighs and looks away from me.

I stand up and walk over to the bed, 'sorry, you took me by surprise. I did mean it. I think I love you y/n.'

y/n's smile returns and they turn back to face me, 'Good, because I love you, now kiss me.'

I don't need to be told twice before I'm cupping their face gently in my hands as to not hurt them and bring my lips down on theirs. y/n kisses me back, and I'm thankful I remembered to lock the door. After a minute or two y/n pulls back and smirks.

'What are you thinking y/n?' I ask, still cupping their face.

'Let's not tell anyone and see how much we can mess with them,' y/n replies gleefully.

I shake my head at their antics, but realise there could be some fun to be had from messing with the rest of the crew, especially Sanji who thought he was a lady's man, 'I'm down, now I'm going to kiss you again.'

#one piece zoro #roronoa zoro #zoro x reader #zoro #one piece live action #OPLA #opla zoro #one piece #one piece imagines #one piece fandom #one piece fanfiction #one piece zoro imagines #opla imagines #opla fanfiction #zoro fanfiction #zoro imagines #anime imagines #anime fanfiction

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mangekyuou · 3 months

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Hi. If you're comfortable with writing this ( if not, please feel free to ignore, no pressure on you, I really really appreciate your hardwork & I love your writing thank you so much for all of this amazing fanfics you keep bringing!! 💗💗💗💗 ), may i request some angst where Zoro & gn!reader gets into a heated argument with each other which leads to reader wanting to break up with him?

★ WHAT ONCE WAS! roronoa zoro ★

── pairing. zoro x gn!reader.

── summary. change was something you feared. but it had happened before your very eyes as you watched your long-term boyfriend train to take on unknown dangers out on the sea. you can’t even recognize him anymore.

── cw(s). angst. gn!reader. no pronouns used. shitty summary. reader says something kinda mean. zoro being kind of a jerk. takes place pre-timeskip before zoro leaves the shimotsuki village. mentions of kuina.

── wc. 1.2k.

── notepad. i actually been so long since i’ve written something angsty that just stayed angsty. it hurt my soul just enough. so thank you so much for this !! i know the rq says that the reader wants to break up, but this one is kind of a mutual break up

things just kind of happen, don’t they? everything feels fine one moment, but the next moment not so much. people change all the time, even when you don’t want them to. maybe, you were afraid of change. maybe, you were just afraid of him changing.

he didn’t hold you anymore. when the sun had fallen to rest, and the moon had taken its place to shine silvery blue in the cool night sky. not once had his arms draped over your body like they used to. he hadn’t even faced you, as he drifted into the world of dreams. most nights, he did not even come to bed.

instead of lying beside you until sunrise, he found himself striking a dummy a hundred times with the same attacks to perfect them. instead of breathing in your cozy scent, he had pushed his mortal body way beyond its limits.

he didn’t kiss you like he did before, full of passion and love. his strong hands cradled your face as he kissed like every time would be the last one. instead, he had settled for quick pecks to the side of your temple, as he muttered “love you” against your warm skin. hardly even a moment later, he would be out the door. he didn’t even give you a chance to say it back. he never even said ‘i love you’ anymore.

maybe it was a minor thing to gripe about for some people, for it to be those special three words instead of the two. but it meant a lot to you, and he knew that. or at least you thought your boyfriend of several years would have known that.

you made up excuses, anything to keep you from believing that the man you loved more than anything was changing before your very eyes more and more every day. you found yourself thinking questions you never wanted to think about.

does he care anymore? was he no longer attracted to you? did he even love you anymore? had he ever even loved you?

it filled you with so much dread, to the point it was overwhelming. it was getting harder and harder to keep how you were feeling behind the closed door of your, well once shared bedroom.

you couldn’t keep going on like this. going on like everything was fine when it wasn’t. pretending to be fine, as you watched your neglectful boyfriend exert himself to near injury in the name of becoming the world’s greatest swordsman.

now he was talking about leaving the village to challenge dracule mihawk to a duel? you loved him dearly, but you heard one too many stories about “hawk-eyes”, none of them were good. allowing your boyfriend to even set foot off this island was sending him to an early grave.

you believed in him, sure. one day he would be the greatest swordsman. but for once, you just wanted him to be realistic and realize that that day will not be tomorrow, it won’t be next week, it won’t be next month.

why doesn’t he understand you feel this way because you care about him?

“zoro…” you say gently, standing at the door frame of the dojo.

the swordsman was still swinging away at the wooden dummy that was a few swings away from falling apart. of course, he didn’t hear you the first time. he never did.

“zoro” your voice was much louder this time, finally grabbing his attention. “huh?” was all he even said before he went back to swinging at the dummy. he didn’t even spare you a glance.

“can we talk, please? it’s important.”

“just say what you’re going to say, ( y/n )”

“WILL YOU PUT DOWN THOSE LOUSY SWORDS AND LOOK AT ME!”

you didn’t mean that. you knew just how much his swords meant to him, especially the one dawning a pure white hilt. you knew what his dream meant to him. you were just angry. frustrated. tired.

you watched as he sheathed the swords, and did as you said. his expression was stone cold. it was like looking at a whole new man. never had he ever looked at you like that. you knew what you said hurt his feelings.

“if you’re still trying to talk me out of leaving, forget it. if i don’t do it now then…”

“THEN WHAT?! you’ve never been out of the east blue! and you’ll be a DEAD MAN if you challenge a shichibukai!” you couldn’t stop yourself from yelling. “you don’t know what lies ahead of you in the other seas, zoro! i’m just trying to help you!”

“i never ASKED for your help!” he retorted, clenching his fist around the hilt of one of his swords. he continued, “i never WANTED your help! i never NEEDED your help!”

a silence filled the room, as your face dropped and your heart sank into the dark void of your body. you opened your mouth to speak, but you couldn’t even form the words you wanted to. you weren’t even exactly sure what those words were.

“if i don’t do this now…then i may never have a chance to do it again. i have to do this, I thought you understood that.” his voice was full of disappointment, as he turned his back to you, as if you had meant nothing, as if this has all meant NOTHING.

you balled your fists, “i do understand that! but i also understand that there are battles that we are not prepared for just yet! kuina meant a lot to you, zoro. her dream has become yours, and you want nothing more than to achieve that for her. but you are not ready. letting you go would be suicide! kuina would not want that!”

“YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT SHE WOULD HAVE WANTED! YOU DIDN’T EVEN KNOW HER!” he snapped at you.

“YOU’RE RIGHT! I DIDN’T! BUT I KNEW SHE WOULDN’T WANT HER FRIEND DEAD! AND I’M NOT GOING TO SIT BACK AND LET THAT HAPPEN TO YOU!”

“then don’t. leave.”

“…what?”

just like that, you felt everything crash around you. leave? what did he mean 'leave'? leave and go where? how could you leave when this was all you knew? HE was all you knew. you were each other’s firsts. how….could you just leave?

how could he throw everything away? everything you were willing to stay and fix.

“leave! you don’t want to be here then go. nobody’s stopping you.”

he made it clear.

it couldn’t be any clearer than that.

with shaking hands, you slowly turned on your heel, putting one foot in front of the other, walking out of the dojo, walking away from your first love, walking away from the man you thought you would spend the rest of your life with.

you had hoped, he would have stopped you. that he would drop his swords and chase after you, pull you into a hug, and apologize for what he said. you had hoped you just start over, like none of this ever happened. that he would see that you meant well, that you just wanted to keep him safe, that he would stay here with you.

but that didn’t happen. tears flooded your cheeks, as you continued to walk home without him.

it was over, wasn’t it?

#☆ — MY LOVE MINE ALL MINE.#one piece #one piece x reader #roronoa zoro #zoro roronoa #zoro #zoro roronoa x reader #roronoa zoro x reader #zoro x reader #zoro oneshots #zoro scenarios #zoro imagines #zoro headcanons #zoro angst #one piece oneshots #one piece scenarios #one piece imagines #one piece headcanons #one piece angst

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fic-recs-for-readers · 1 month

Text

One Piece Tumblr - Recommendations

Red-Haired Shanks

Puppy (2-Part Series) by @octoberleaf

One // Two

This is a very cute story! If you’re looking for angst and fluff look no further!

Sanji

Favourite Dessert by @honnelander

I had to name this one myself as I couldn’t find the name - sorry author :) This one has a Sanji who gets the wrong idea but ultimately loves the outcome!

Roronoa Zoro

The Blade Daughter (3-Part Series) by @halfvalid

Part One // Part Two // Part Three

Zoro meets Mihawks daughter, Luffy invites her to be apart of the crew, Mihawk is the perfect 'shotgun' father and you fall in love.

Multiple

They Have A Child (4-Part Series) by @writinggoddess1125

One // Two // Three // Four

A brilliant series about how Buggy, Shanks and Mihawk would react to them having a child (or children) with !reader. A lovely ride through discovery and acceptance and a few surprises along the way!

It's On Me (Series) by @honeysworld-offanfiction [18+ Only!!]

Luffy wants you ready for him. You get lessons from everyone ;) #HOT

#One Piece Imagines #One Piece x Reader #One Piece Fic Recs #Shanks Imagines #Shanks x Reader #Sanji Imagines #Zoro Imagines #Zoro x Reader #Mihawk Imagines #Mihawk x Reader #Buggy x Reader #Buggy Imagines #Fic Recs

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laws-hat-headcanons · 10 months

Note

Hello Hat I hope you're okay and I was wondering if you could do a request for Zoro with a female love interest who is afraid of thunder?

Hey @Ketauri,

Even though my requests are technically closed, I did it! This could have been a scenario in its own right but it's bullet points instead!

Zoro with a fem love interest who is afraid of thunder

. The two of you are working out in the Sunny's gym, each doing your own thing while rain lashes the windows.

. You're doing sit ups when the first crack of thunder splits the air outside, accompanied by a searing flash of lightning.

. Despite yourself, you can't help but let out a little yelp, your body spasming in fear at the loud sound.

. At first glance it seems like Zoro hasn't noticed, too wrapped up in his own workout. So you try to pretend like nothing happened.

. You move across the room to the dumbbells, behind him and pick out a set, glancing nervously at the windows.

. Cautiously you start doing some curls, hoping the thunder has passed until another crack resounds around the room.

. You accidentally drop the dumbbell, biting your lip in an attempt to stifle your shout of surprise.

. "You okay, Name?" Zoro asks, glancing over his shoulder at you. He can't have failed to notice the dumbbell slipping from your hand.

. "O-oh yeah I'm fine," you force out a laugh, bending down to rerack the weight at your feet. "I'm being clumsy today. I think I'm gonna call it quits."

. Zoro raises his eyebrows. You never usually cut your training short.

. "Alright," he shrugs, returning to his squats.

. You pack your things away, wincing away from the window as another peal of thunder shakes the glass.

. Zoro continues with his workout, saying nothing about your strange behaviour as you head over to the hatch.

. As soon as you open the trap door, exposing the wild weather outside, another burst of thunder and lightning splits the sky, causing you to shriek and fall backwards.

. Before you hit the ground a pair of thick arms brace you on either side, a solid chest at your back.

. Zoro looks down at you with his singular eye and shakes his head.

. "You're such a baby," he grumbles, kicking the trap door shut and hoisting you up over his shoulder.

. "Oi! Zoro put me down!" You demand, then wrap your arms around him, tucking your face against his sweat damp skin as more thunder rocks the crows nest.

. You hear a different rumble fill the room as Zoro starts to chuckle. A moment later he drops down onto a window seat, depositing you in his lap.

. "I can't believe your afraid of thunder," Zoro snorts, letting his head flop back against the wall, eye slipping closed.

. "If you're going to make fun of me just let me leave," You sulk, not looking at him.

. "You think I'm going to let you climb down that ladder?" He asks, cracking his eye to look at you again. He snorts. "A little thunder and we're scraping you off the deck."

. You huff, but confirm his suspicions when another boom of thunder makes you jump, pressing yourself against him.

. Zoro tuts, but his arm comes up around you and pulls you against his chest where the steady sound of his heartbeat drowns out the rumble of thunder.

#one piece #zoro #roronoa zoro #one piece imagines #Zoro imagines #roronoa zoro headcanons #zoro headcanons #zoro x reader

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portgasdwrld · 7 months

Note

Hello! I read older posts where you mentioned you weren't a fan of your writing. I think you're awesome though! Love your work. c:

I have a suggestion, if you happen to like it. Could we get Zoro (and any other characters) with a shy and aloof female reader who can't figure out they're being flirted with, even though they share the same feelings?

👩🏻‍💻Hey!! Thank you so much for your sweet words it means a lot to me🫶🏻✨ I’m super happy you love it! And yes ofc no problem!! I love the idea 🤭

📂 Zoro+ oblivious shy/aloof reader to his flirting

Featuring: Zoro+ f!reader Warning: none, fluff Note: I rewrote it and very much prefer this version, I hope you do as much as me

Zoro was never the type of man to be outspoken about his feelings

His flirting is somewhat a bit clumsy and he gets frustrated with himself easily. He gets embarrassed by being open with how he feels.

It doesn’t help when you are clearly not reading in between the lines...

He even wonders if you are doing it intentionally to mess with him, but when you just give him a confused look or go on about your day like nothing happened, he questions himself 😭

A sigh leaves the swordsman's lips as his back leans against the railing of the deck. His thoughts wander and they always come back to one thing bothering him: you.

He starts to doubt himself as most of his flirting attempt were fails. A week ago, he complimented your outfit ,but you simple threw a short thanks with a smile as you walked away. Wednesday when he sat next you for dinner and brushed his arm against yours, you just apologized with a blush and slightly took your distance. Yesterday, when he asked to talk to you, but you stuttered a bunch of words and got away from him by grabbing Nami's arm.

He knew better than abandoning. In fact, ever since his feelings for you were revealed to him, all he could think of, was you. You occupied his mind when it wasn't focused on training, he found himself longing to hug you and smile when you do. Although, he thought about not pursuing you, scared it would ruin his focus on his goal. It was in vain, as he realized you were always very supportive of his goal and even cheered him to train harder and achieve his dream. He appreciate it a lot.

The sun is slowly setting on the Sunny, the golden light illuminating the boat. He looks far away, a hand on his swords and his head turns in your direction as your laugh echoes through the ship.

You are playing a card game with Robin, killing time before its time for supper.

His lips naturally curve into a discreet smile as he observes you complain about some move Robin did. You were accusing her of cheating with her ability, sulking over your lost as she quickly denies it with a chuckle. As he watches you, he notices that you did something different with your hair and decide to use it to his advantage.

He approaches you with his usual blank expression, but he slightly hesitate in his steps which caught Robins attention. You smile noticing his presence.

-What brings you here! Wanna play?

You ask him as you show him quickly the pack of cards in your hands with your infamous grin.

-Nah, I’m good. You..you did something new with your hair?

-Oh, yeah! You noticed? Robin said it looked good.

You reply in an excited tone as you touch your hair.

-Yeah, you’re pretty.

-Thanks! I appreciate it

You say with a slight blush due to the compliment, but an awkward silence falls. Zoro stays silent for a moment as he thinks of what he could ad to the conversation but you open your mouth first.

- By the way,..umm I'm sorry about yesterday, i hope it wasn't something important?

You trail avoiding to stare at him as you remember how you embarrassingly ran away too nervous to talk to him. When he pulled you to the side, his eyes staring deeply into yours, you felt like you couldn't breath for a moment. You didn't want him to obviously figure out you like him...

Robin gazes at Zoro before looking at you a small teasing smirk appearing on her lips.

-Oh...Yeah...I was hoping to talk to you, but...uh.

He says as his face gets red. He clearly hates the facts that Robin is here enjoying the little show while you are still oblivious to his advances.

-It can wait

-We can talk now if you want. We were done with our game anyway.

-I have to do something first, but you can meet me in the crow-nest in about 5 minutes?

He lies trying to give himself some time to think about what he's going to say. You nod agreeing with your usual smile that he loves so much.

-Alright then see ya

You watch him leave, curious about what he wants to speak with you. You shrug your shoulders ready to leave too, but Robin is looking at you with a small teasing smirk.

-What?

-Nothing~

She retorts sweetly before waving you off.

++++

The dark sky slowly sets over the head of the Strawhats as the delicious smell of the food fills everyone nostrils. You enter your room to put away your card and as you are about to leave, you take a moment to breath. You didn't notice how nervous you are until you felt your breath getting a little shaky.

Arrived at the location, you open the door and see him sat not too far from the window. He’s looking away but as he notices your presence, he invites you to sit besides him.

-The food smells good

You say breaking the silence. He nods and looks outside again. At around the same moment, an insect fly inside and run directly in your face, making you panic a little. Zoro is quick to catch it and throw it away, making sure you are fine at the same time.

-You’re okay?

-Yeah, it’s just a small insect, I'm good.

-Wait

He gets closer to you and clumsily fix your hair with the use of his fingers.

-Cool

He concludes with a small satisfied smile as he finishes placing your hair. You look up at him with a blush, eyes connecting with his. Zoro clears his throat as he leans back while you stare at your nervous fingers. Your heart is pounding in your chest as you stare now at your friend.

-So, what did you want to talk about?

You see him hesitate as he opens his mouth but close it quickly. His gaze shift from you to the view outside. He sighs and with a blush spread on his tanned cheeks, he finally speaks.

-I like you

Your eyes widen at his sudden confession, not expecting this at all. You furrow your eyebrows as your hand naturally covers your pounding heart.

-What??Since when!?

You ask completely confused. He chuckles a little astonished to your true shock to his confession. You really didn't notice his flirting tactics.

-I thought I made it obvious

-No?? How??

-Uh...with compliments.

-Zoro...

-I don't compliment anyone like the cook, I genuinely think you are pretty.

You gasp a little hiding your face in your hands, half of you not believing this is real and half of you realizing the cause of his strange behavior. You let your hands fall on your laps as you giggle.

-You're so bad at flirting

You joke to try to calm yourself down. Both of you start laughing as he admits it with a nod.

-You are so dense though

-Pfff, not at all

-You clearly can't take a hint

-Wha-

-Y/N SWANNNN, It's time to eat!

You are interrupted by Sanji's scream that startle you a little.

-Look like dinner is ready

Zoro concludes as he prepares himself to stand up, but you quickly grab his forearm pulling him down. You close the distance and give him a quick kiss on his cheek. He looks at you surprised, but he slowly start to smile.

-I like you too

#one piece #one piece headcanons #one piece x reader #tomiewrites🌷#one piece zoro #zoro headcanons #zoro fluff #roronoa zoro #zoro x reader #op zoro #zoro smut #zoro imagines #zoro roronoa #zoro headcanons #zoro roronoa x reader #zoro roronoa x you

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daegall · 7 months

Text

☆ drunk confessions.

➷ in which a drunk person's words is a sober person's thoughts.

pairing: (opla!)zoro x (implied fem!) reader

genre: fluff, slight angst, slight crack, mutual pining, friends to lovers!AU (ish..?)

warnings: lots and lots of alcohol, none after that but if you find one i can add lmk!! (+ lots and love of love for smiley zoro!!!!)

word count: 3.4k words (SHEESH)

a/n: requested by @acupnoodle !! tysm bae for the request, i hope you like it!!!! my inbox is now open for requests for opla (mostly zoro tbh LOL) if anyone would like to request ^^ (make sure its sfw as i am a minor!!!)

This is sick. This is just so sick.

Okay, maybe Zoro could be exaggerating. But what else is supposed to think, when you, the you who he has feelings for, is in the kitchen with Sanji, the annoying cook who he bickers with at least 5 times a day?

And especially since the day Sanji got him to blurt out about his feelings for you while he was drunk?

Zoro never thought he'd say it, but maybe he should lay low with the booze.

The swordsman can only grumble and huff as Luffy goes on and on about something—he hears something about Shanks. But all Zoro can do, is replay the memory of you sitting on the counter, right next to Sanji, who was peeling a few apples, and with a small frown on your face at that.

First, he thought maybe the cook had hurt you in any way. Then he realized it couldn't be, you'd be marching away from him. Then he assumed it could be you, with some personal trouble. But then you would always, without a fail, go to Zoro for help in that case.

Then, Zoro came to his final conclusion.

He had hurt you in some way.

But how could he? He'd never even consider the thought—he'd kill anyone who'd hurt you, because he cares—

No.

There's no way.

Sanji didn't tell you about his feelings... right?

Indeed he didn't. But Zoro doesn't know that.

What he also doesn't know, is the fact that you went to Sanji to talk about your best friend himself.

"He's been avoiding me," You mumble out weakly, picking at a few crumbs left on the counter. Gross, but hey, it's a pirate ship. There could be much worse things than a few specks of food. "I don't remember if I did anything wrong,"

Sanji knows you didn't. In fact, it was all his fault that Zoro was avoiding you. At the moment, having the usually stoic, cold swordsman admit his feelings for you with a dopey smile, the most loving tone as he describes every little thing about you, it seemed like the best thing on Earth. The man who everyone thought would never break, broke, all because of you.

But now, Sanji thinks it's stupid. He thinks it's stupid that Zoro's avoiding you because one person knew about his feelings. How cowardly could he be? But then again, he has absolutely no experience in relationships.

Sanji offers you an apple slice, his voice comforting and soft. "I don't think it's you," He smiles when you take the apple, taking a bite. "you could never wrong him."

"Then what is it?" Your voice is laced with such helplessness, a tone of worry and guilt buried underneath. It breaks Sanji's heart to see you like this. You play with the bracelet on your wrist, something Zoro had bought you when you were at a small town. You hadn't taken it off since, and it's been 3 months.

3 months marks your feelings for him as well.

"Why don't you ask him?"

At this question, your head whips to Sanji's direction, shaking instantly. "No! Hell no, it'd make him hate me even more!"

"Y/N..." Sanji's hands are suddenly on your shoulders, his eyes glistening with genuine care. It shocks you how serious he is about the whole situation. "he doesn't hate you. You might be the only one he genuinely feels safe with, you hear me?"

It's silent for a moment, as you bask in his words, the words in which hit you unexpectedly deeply. Yes, there have been times you've patched him up after a particularly harsh fight, yes, you both have shed tears together, and yes, he lets you touch his swords and lets you use—holy shit, Roronoa Zoro does care about you!

You decide to ask him, just as Sanji had suggested you do.

Zoro, on the other hand, has a different plan.

Despite the wallowing pit in his stomach, occupied by the green monster labeled as jealousy, Zoro knows you wouldn't go for Sanji. He's like an older brother to you.

But alas, he cannot control his emotions. And so, he's come up with possibly the worst plan ever.

Roronoa Zoro is going to flirt with you. The same way Sanji flirts with Nami.

It's stupid, he knows it's stupid, but Zoro is desperate. He's never felt this way towards anyone, ever, and his pride is way too big for him to ask advice from anyone on the crew.

"Zoro!"

Said man's heartrate doubles the moment he realizes it's your voice, your sweet, sweet voice calling out to him. Oh, how special he feels now, to have you by his side, to have you care for him and make him smile, how has he not realized how blessed he was just in your presence?

Okay, maybe Zoro was exaggerating.

He glances over his shoulder, attempting to act cool with a neutral face, as he murmurs. "What is it?"

As cold as ever, his gaze pierces yours. But... there's something different in it. It's colder.

Of course, this wasn't Zoro's intentions, clearly just trying to act cool and not confess his feelings for you right then and there, but the ice in his tone, his gaze, his aura, has your heart sinking.

Maybe he really did hate you now.

"Do you mind if we could talk?"

God, just the thought of having a chat with you has Zoro's heart soaring, his whole mind and being flooding with tenderness knowing that you'd always talk to him.

"What's up?" He sighs, fully turning around to you. His body language is the usual, calm and collected, the usual hand on his swords. Zoro is thankful you can't get a look inside, you'd be seeing a whole zoo and his running thoughts about how pretty you look today.

You step closer to Zoro.

"Did... did I do something wrong?"

This time, Zoro's heart twists in confusion.

Wrong? You? How could you ever think that?

"Because if I have, don't hesitate to tell me—"

"—your face."

What?

Holy shit, Zoro thinks you're ugly?

"...Is this your way of telling someone they're ugly?"

To be frank, you're kind of glad it's not about anything that you did, that would break you.

However, him directly telling you you're ugly? You never really cared if anyone called you ugly, but Roronoa Zoro? The only man you'd every trust? Your own crush?

Your heart twists in pain.

"No! No, that's not what I meant,"

Zoro's heartstrings tug at the sight of your pained face, the frown curling on your lips, he should never open his mouth ever again.

"I-I just meant that... you..."

He feels his cheeks warm up. Is he blushing?!

"you look really pretty today,"

Those were the very last words you would have expected coming out of Zoro's mouth.

A silence envelops the air. It's... awkward, to say the least, but a little endearing, with the both of you shyly looking away.

Zoro thinks you're pretty.

Absolutely stunning with your pursed lips trying to contain a smile, the glint in your eyes known as relief, and a little hint of mischief.

"Thanks," You mumble quietly, shrugging, though you're a far cry from casual.

Zoro mirrors you, leaning his hip onto the ship railing. "Don't mention it."

And you don't. Not for the next few hours, at least.

To say Zoro's plan of flirting with you failed, was quite the understatement. Sure, he finally got to say what he's been holding in for months, but he was expecting Sanji level flattery, the teasing smiles and confidence, not whatever the two of you went through.

Zoro feels like an idiot.

You, on the other hand, quite enjoyed it. it was genuine, and unlike Sanji's flirting, it's left you thinking about the moment for hours after it's passed. It seemed so genuine, carefully thought out (though it wasn't) and soft, something you didn't know Zoro could be.

You like Zoro's flirting much more than Sanji's. Though, that may be due to the fact that you have feelings for the swordsman.

The sun sets, leaving the pirate ship quiet (for once) and calm, just like the ocean, with it's soft waves and tranquil energy.

What isn't tranquil tonight, is you.

Instead of going to sleep, you've decided to have a drink. Yes, you may have stolen from Zoro's hidden stash in which he only showed you. Yes, you may have had more than one drink.

3, to be precise.

Why? Well, how are you supposed to go on the night? Simply thinking over and over about Zoro's words? His words that have left a permanent place in your heart? Your mind and soul?

How are you supposed to spend the night thinking about a man who you were sure hated you, who called you pretty and set your heart on fire, without a drink?

Besides, what's the worst that could happen?

Maybe the fact that Zoro wants a drink tonight as well.

Okay, yeah, he did say he was gonna lay low with the booze. But bad habits die hard. He's bound to drink a little here and there.

The moment he gets to the kitchen, Zoro is shocked at the sight of you, sitting on the counter, with a bottle of his beer in your hands. Your eyes are droopy, almost sleepy, a stupid lopsided smile spreading on your lips. The bottle has Zoro's name on it, written on the tape and pasted lousily over the brand name, and seeing you eye the writing and mumble his name has Zoro's heart pounding, filling with such unexpected fondness for you, ready to burst as such a volcano would.

"That's my booze,"

Your eyes blink tiredly, with no energy, as they trail to Zoro, and when you spot him, he can't believe the way your frown completely transforms into a bright grin.

"Zoro! Hey! Yeaahh, it has your name on it,"

He's shocked when you extend your hand with the bottle in it, shaking it side to side lightly. "Wanna sip?"

Your 'p' pops, and Zoro can't help but find it utterly endearing.

"Don't mind if I do," He murmurs with a small smile, wrapping his fingers around the bottle. He doesn't miss the way you maneuver your fingers to brush with his, catching your smile once they've made contact. His fingers are warm, and slightly rough.

Life of a swordsman, you suppose.

When he takes a sip of the bottle, you scooch over on the counter, tapping the space beside you. "Come join me!" Under the low light of the moon shining through the window, you look unexpectedly elegant, despite your tipsiness, the rays settling on your cheek just right.

Zoro complies, but simply leans against the counter. He takes another swig. "Any reason as to why you're here alone? Drinking my booze?"

"Been thinking," you say simply, reaching over to fiddle with a bandage on Zoro's forearm. The action is an abrupt source of serotonin to him.

His voice is laced with care and curiosity, as he asks you, "Thinking about what?"

"You,"

Oh how you never fail to get him shy. His eyes grow wide, but with the little alcohol in his system, he supposes it could work as liquid luck for tonight.

"Yeah? What about me?"

You chuckle, drunkenly, your eyes flitting from the bandage on his arm to his own eyes, no hints of hesitation or doubt. "How pretty you are,"

"You think I'm pretty?"

"Mhm," You nod. A hand is placed on your cheek, as you lean on it and continue to gaze at Zoro, almost dreamily. "your smile is pretty,"

At the mention of his smile, it appears almost instantly, and causes you to swoon even more, if it were possible. "You like my smile?"

You sigh, your own grin joining his. "Always,"

You decide to elaborate even more, deciding your sober self will have to deal with the embarrassment of rejection later.

"And you've got these freckles on your cheeks and nose, from all the hours in the sun, I always tell you to use sunscreen,"

It's true, you do.

Zoro only chuckles lightly, growing fonder and fonder of you every time you speak.

"and I love how ambitious you are to become the worlds greatest swordsman. You're always the best. To me, at least."

God, Zoro might kiss you right then and there.

"And you're so caring for everyone on the crew, don't deny it, I always see the way you do! Helping Usopp clean the ship and tie knots, listening to Luffy's nonsense rambling and storing all the maps for Nami, even for Sanji! Always buying the right ingredients for him," You breathe out a soft laugh. "and you care about me too. I think. I mean, you're always there when I have a problem personally or not, sometimes I think maybe... we could have some connection, you know? And other days... it seems like you despise me."

What?

How could you ever think he could despise you? Sure, there are some instances where you disagree with each other, but he does not hate you. He could never even think about it.

Before Zoro could comment on it, you carry on, voice growing louder and louder.

"Did I mention I love your smile?"

Zoro can't help but chuckle, reaching over to brush a few strands of your hair from your eyes. Wow, that took him more confidence than he thought.

"Yes, you have, Y/N."

"Oh... then let me mention it more," A sheepish smile grazes your lips, as you lean in close to observe his smile once you realize he is.

"And your lips. They're pretty too,"

Your eyes squint as you lean in closer, so close that your noses brush against one another. Zoro doesn't find the will in him to lean in, neither to pull back either. He simply sits there, his heart growing softer and softer when you purse your lips and tilt your head, shaking it.

"they look lonely," you state. "wanna meet mine?"

Oh, you're cute.

With the confident, almost cocky smile on your lips, eyes growing wider and wider as Zoro starts laughing.

Through your drunken eyes, seeing him smile is one thing. One thing enough to set you rambling and rambling about how much you enjoy it. Hearing him laugh? You could talk about it for hours, but you'd have too many things to say at once, you'd be left speechless. And that's exactly what happens at the moment, as you're left gaping at the sweet melody of his laughs, simply keeping your loving gaze on him.

"I'm not kidding, Zoro." You mumble. "I love you, I do."

For months, Roronoa Zoro has been so unsure about himself around you. Is he enough? Will he ever be enough? But now, hearing you state that you love him, he's sure. He loves you too, more than he could ever comprehend, and he won't doubt himself anymore.

He leans in, bumping your foreheads together clumsily. Though it hurts for a moment, it's fond, caring, as he smiles softly at your drunk state.

You could just be drunk right now.

None of this could be true.

Zoro doesn't care. If it's true or not, there has to be a reason you're telling him this. He'll ask you when you're sober.

Speaking of, "I won't kiss you," He says.

Your heart plummets to the ground, you can feel it deep in your chest, crashing through the base of the ship and sinking to the bottom of the sea, buried under such hurt hearing his words.

It lifts a moment later, however, as he places his lips on your cheek lovingly, a kiss to your forehead following.

"not when you're drunk. Don't wanna take advantage of you,"

"But you're not—"

"—I know, but it won't feel the same,"

Really, all Zoro wants to do, is place just one kiss on your lips, your lips that pout as you look up at him, hold you so closely to him, finally accept his feelings and make a move.

But, he'll wait for the morning. He'd wait forever just for you.

And as he leaves, warning you to stop drinking his booze, you're left... with a half heart. Half full with love, knowing Zoro could very much feel the same way for you, half empty, sad to have made so much effort (getting drunk should not be the way to confess to your crush) just for him to leave you hanging.

That's on you, you suppose.

He makes a very good point about the whole 'taking advantage' thing.

You guess you'll be too much of a coward when you wake up sober, too scared to fully confess, too scared to even look at him.

Zoro could not disagree more. He swears, the moment the sun has risen and you're awake, he's going to make you his. All his to hold, all his to take care of and protect, all his to love.

And as the day starts, both your minds are instantly flooded with thoughts of the other. The moment you see him, yawning as he listens to Luffy's rambling, your heart starts racing.

You don't remember that much from last night.

All you remember is the feeling of Zoro's warm lips on your skin, his caring gaze, and the ridiculous amount of alcohol you had drank. Sure, it was a far cry from how much Zoro would usually drink, but it's still a big amount to you.

Zoro has last night's events imprinted in his mind, every lingering glance he sends your way, every shy smile the two of you share, the way you scurry away quickly with an embarrassed scrunch of your nose, it takes him back to the night.

And finally, some alone time.

You find Zoro in the kitchen, checking on his booze stash, the one you had invaded the night before.

"Sorry about that, by the way," You call out, announcing your presence.

Zoro's heart soars just at the sound of your voice, small, almost guilty, and when he turns around, seeing you sit on the counter, just as you had last night, he can't stop the smile from tugging his lips upward. "It's no problem," He shrugs. "you'd never bother me,"

Roronoa Zoro, the lone wolf, the harsh swordsman saying that to you says a lot.

He approaches your figure slowly, growing more and more confident once he's realized that's exactly what you want. It's exactly what he wants too.

Finally, he's stopped right in front of you, your knees brushing slightly against his shirt. You look down at your hands placed on your laps, too shy to say anything, nor even look up at him.

"Hey," A sudden touch at your chin shocks you, and you eventually melt against his hold as he tilts your head up to meet his eyes. Like a magnet, you grow closer collectively, up until Zoro has both his hands sitting by your hips, your noses once again brushing.

This scene seems familiar.

You conclude it's what had been done last night, when he had kissed along the skin of your cheeks.

"I'm not drunk anymore," You whisper out.

Zoro chuckles, causing your entire being to wave with warmth of safety and comfort. "Yeah, I can see that."

"So you gonna give me that kiss or—"

Zoro's lips feel much warmer than you expected. They feel complete, pressed against your softly, almost hesitantly. The moment your fingers graze against his jaw, he relaxes, leaning in deeper to not only kiss your lips, but your entire soul, with love and solace, finally coming to terms with his feelings.

God, does Roronoa Zoro love you so much. He loves the way your hands creep up to mess up his (already disheveled) hair, the sigh you let out against his lips, the way you chase his lips once he's pulled away.

"What exactly did I say last night?" You mumble against his lips once he's pulled away, grabbing at his hand to play lightly with his fingers.

"Well, you mentioned how much you loved my smile," Zoro chuckles. There he goes once again, with his pretty smile and laugh, leaving you speechless and starstruck. "like, a lot."

"Did I mention that I love you?"

Zoro feels a warmth bubble from his stomach, feeling it envelop his chest, his arms and fingers when you finally intertwine your hands in a lock, his cheeks as they redden, and his lips as he finally gives you one last flash of the smile you claim to adore so much.

It's love.

"Yeah," He leans in to press your foreheads together. "I think I love you more,"

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callilysto · 1 year

Text

𝗢𝗣 𝗕𝗢𝗬𝗦 𝗫 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗦𝗠𝗔𝗡/𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗖!/𝗗𝗢𝗠!𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗥 (pt. 2): op boys with a dominant (s/o)

characters: law (💛; pt. 1), zoro (💚; pt. 2), & sanji (💙; pt. 3)

warnings & tags: mdni!, fluff, semi-suggestive undertones, misunderstandings, jealousy, implied taller reader, getting together, established relationship, slight dom/sub dynamics (both nonsexual and sexual aspects) if you squint.

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💚 ⌦ 𝗥𝗢𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗔 𝗭𝗢𝗥𝗢

What better way to win this man's heart faster than free unlimited drinks? You were a simple bartender in a shady rowdy pirate-infested town, and immediately recognized the Strawhats’ renowned swordsman.

You both hit it off quite fast, Zoro telling vague stories about the crew and you sharing rumors and events in town. You later admitted you quite owed your life to the Strawhats, hearing that the crew was responsible for defeating Moria 2 years ago and your shadow returning to you after almost a full decade without it.

You graciously offered them all a free stay by the inn above the bar, as the island and town was being slowly taken back under the Marine's control from the pirates, and you didn't want the crew to run into trouble when they're just having a quick stop before their log resets.

Zoro, who's ever alert of danger, hesitantly took the offer once confiding it with Luffy and the rest. Suspicion kind of rose seeing your demeanor change into even more friendly after meeting Luffy and retelling your gratitude.. Like he gets it, and there's nothing wrong about being nice, but there's something off about you, like a wolf in sheep's wool.

The next morning, one of the bar customers tipped off to the Navy about yours and the crew's location, and they all rushed to get back to Sunny after Franky reunited with them and confirmed she was fully repaired. Inevitable fight to escape broke out, but nothing too serious that they couldn't handle.

As they continued to be chased by warships, Ussop pointed out the commander was shouting not only the arrest warrants for them.. but another: you—and they all were flabbergasted as you were chilling by the back of Sunny watching it all unfold as a stowaway. Zoro's danger senses had enough and drew his blade against you as he interrogated who you really were. You kept insisting you were just stowing away at the ship until the next stop, but Zoro said he’s seen you before, in a list of wanted criminals in a Marine file he quickly glanced through when raiding a Navy ship once, but never had a public wanted poster. Especially since you had quite a bounty of 400M berries.

Not wanting to sour your relationship with the crew who once again, saved your life, you admitted they saved it for the third time: first was Moria's defeat, the latest one is stowing on Sunny, but the second one was when Luffy broke in and out of Impel Down. You were one of the Level 6 prisoners, classified criminals not published in the news or known to the mass public–a shinobi assassin capable of reading poneglyphs.

Now, you're just wandering around with no goal in mind, just wanting to survive and start a new life, but that can't be the case for you, as you're unable to escape from the ties of your past. Luffy (bless this man) had the bright idea to invite you to the crew as a fresh start, some protesting about the abrupt invitation due to his compulsiveness to invite any weirdos in the crew because Luffy finds them cool. And what's cooler than having a pirate ninja assassin as a member?

Months go by, your adventure with the crew was the best thing that ever happened in your life despite all the obstacles, you found them exciting and for the first time in a long time, you found your purpose as one of the crew's protectors, and Zoro respects that. You were quite different from the rest who had grand dreams, and so keeping the crew safe was the one goal you have for yourself, the only achievable thing you can do with your lifelong polished skill in killing.

Your relationship with Zoro developed as well.. in more ways than one, banter was borderline flirting (teasing sexual innuendos and suggestive jokes), but you were both dancing around the subject, tension building high enough that others were starting to see how much it bothered you both.

It all started because he never knows when you arrive, footsteps light as ever and presence trained well kept even from Observation Haki, so you kept accidentally and/or intentionally spooking him and even the others (Brook swears you’re a ghost as he screams. How ironic.) You let out a small remark somewhere between the lines of “I’m just better than you, that’s all.” sparking yet another rivalry on the ship against Zoro. Banter turned to annoying one-sided flirting (in your part), which differentiates it from Sanji’s and Zoro’s. Whatever it was, it’s just an additional headache for the crew to tolerate, although you gladly have never been subject to Nami’s loving punches.

Your routine was 90% of the time synced with the swordsman, mostly tucked away up in the crow's nest training and sparring, Zoro didn't mind one bit as you were a nice presence to be around. You however, were slowly losing your mind.

Having to train with him every time you can means seeing him all shirtless, panting and sweaty, and you might as well not be any better man than Sanji because goddamn this man has tits. Anyone who doesn't recognize Zoro's attractiveness would be lying to themselves–solid muscular build, sharp jaw, prominent temples, veiny hands, huge knockers, and the adorable rare dimples you see whenever you get him to laugh or smile–you were down bad.

You first brushed it off as just sexual frustration and lust, but noticing Zoro's softer sides whenever he syncs his shower schedule with Chopper to help him wash his fur, the small smile he has whenever he finishes maintaining his swords like they're his own children, his unyielding ambition to become stronger not only for his dream, but to protect his friends–all these were just the things you could list on the top of your head because you can go on for hours talking about him like a lovestruck teen even as a grown adult.

However, unlike you, Zoro has no concept of knowing his limits even when he's severely injured, and it drives both you and Chopper mad just to keep him in place and rest. He's lifting weights the following day like nothing happened, and only ever complied after your pissed ass lift and dragged him away from his make-shift gym, demanding to be placed down, face red with embarrassment. Zoro learns not to test your patience whenever you are looking out for him despite his protests.

You entered the infirmary with a basin and washcloth in one hand. You told Chopper you could handle disinfecting him and he could change Zoro's bandages after. The little doctor was exhausted managing everyone's injuries, so you told him to have his supposed shower day today to relax.

You take in the sight of Zoro's sleeping, bandaged figure and internally debated if you had to wake him up to do what you need to do, or just wait until he wakes up, then you catch Zoro's eye peeking through his eyelids, grumbles, and turns away from you onto his side. You roll your eyes, scoffing at the pettiness. Zoro's reddening ears didn't go unnoticed, a smile forming on your lips.

"Aw, don't tell me you're actually still mad, tiger?" You teased, setting down the basin on the bedside table and sat on the mattress.

Zoro hides his face into the pillows. "Go away."

You tugged his ear lightly, earning a flinch and he finally faces you with a frustrated look. Before he can cuss you out, you interrupted.

"Sit up. I'm cleaning you, then Chopper rewraps you with new bandages. He's out relaxing in the shower to destress.. he's got quite a difficult patient." You gave him a chiding look, something he's never going to get used to even if it's something you've always done to him and some others.

At first, he didn't like it even if he knew you had kind intentions, for it stings his ego a little that you felt obligated to take care of him outside of battle situations. He wanted to stop you, but seeing how you seemed genuinely happy caring for him and the others in your acts of service made him unable to reject you. This time was no different, but that doesn't mean he hasn't moved on from feeling.. babied?

"..Later." Zoro managed, turning away once more, trying to calm his mind. He's feeling weird flips in his gut again, heart racing. Your pampering nature needs to be held back sometimes, because he's always got to catch himself from completely succumbing to your advances. (He's willfully dense from your affection.. The man cannot handle it.)

"Roronoa." You warned.

A beat later, Zoro reluctantly sits up and half-heartedly glares at you. You shoot him the 'I-wouldn't-be-doing-this-if-you-weren't-stubborn-as-hell' look, eyebrow raised. He grumbles under his breath, and looks away.

You unwrap his soiled bandages, concern surfacing in your expression despite trying your best to look unphased. Zoro had reopened some of his wounds because of his persistence to move around, especially the one along his collar bone. It was quite deep, and Zoro, as usual, trained like it didn't hurt. Men had pride, an ego to build and defend, especially Zoro, who only ever wanted to be undefeatable for his ambition and the crew's reliable protector, so you didn't actually enjoy chiding him when it resulted in him being aggressively defensive ("I can take it." "I need to get stronger.").

The bleeding reopened wound got the best of your patience as you wiped the dried blood off, so you said something in the calmest possible tone.

"Endurance is strength, but there's more strength to be built in resting. You know that well, Zoro."

Zoro stays quiet, watching your hands clean his wounds, but you sensed his tensed jaw. You knew he didn't like confrontation with feelings or concerns, but you continued to press your observations on him. You can't stand it.

"Do you immediately go back to training after being injured to be stronger? Or is it to punish yourself?"

Zoro's whole stature tensed, freezing in place like he was caught sneaking into the kitchen for booze. He snaps a glare at you, no intended malice behind them but a warning.

"Mind your business, (Name)." He managed through his gritted teeth.

You return the glare with an unwaveringly persistent stare. "No."

Zoro was about to remove his arm from your touch, but you held him in place.

"You're so damn nosy when you don't need to be—"

"And so I'll just watch you punish yourself by making your wounds worse? If you take it upon yourself to protect everyone from everything attacking them, there's no problem with that, but who's taking care of you when you don't realize you're hurting too? So yes, it's my business."

You meant that as something more than physical hurt, but Zoro is slow. He didn't think of it that way, but he does understand you to a certain extent. What he can't comprehend is your overly caring nature, something very similar to Chopper's, but he only assumed it was because the reindeer is a doctor and is obligated to. Why him? It set something off in his chest that he didn't want to acknowledge.

You knew you had no place telling him what or what not to do, but it didn't stop you from caring. You wish he could listen and understand that. You knew he felt hurt after being unable to protect Chopper in time when his opponent redirected his attack towards the unsuspecting reindeer.

If you weren't there to save Chopper, Zoro would be feeling a lot more worse if the doctor got hurt. He finished his fight in victory, yet the thought of being unable to see that sly attack going for Chopper (he was exhausted at that point, but he holds no excuses for himself) bothered him greatly. It brought him back to the time Kuma was slowly going after his friends and him being unable to move because of his pain. He was weak—a burden. They were all lucky Kuma was not as bad as the person they thought he was.

He didn't say any of this to you, but he didn't need to. You hardly knew anything about the Saobody incident, but you saw the panic in his eyes at that moment with Chopper, and understood his coping mechanism.

"I can take care of myself." Zoro stated, tone firmly saying there's no argument against that.

You scoffed, annoyance festering inside you was growing unbearable by the day because this man doesn't get it. You didn't want to explode in a horrible immature way.

"Sure, tiger. Bleeding yourself to exhaustion lifting thousand ton weights to 'train' doesn't sound like taking care." You mumble the next part, "..It's bottled up insecurities."

Zoro's teeth clenched. "Insecure?" He snapped back, not liking the implications. Before he could completely go off and push you away, you beat him to it and clutched his arm in place with a well-known vise strength. Today was the last straw, taking a deep breath and narrowing your gaze to his.

"Yes, insecurities. But I didn't say that to make you feel less of a man or weak because I'm not stupid and I know you're strong. But if you think I don't see your little self-deprecating ‘training’, then think again. I know I have no place to tell anyone here what to do, but I do have a place here to care—especially for a hard headed dumbass who thinks unnecessarily hurting himself constantly equates to being stronger."

You grab his hand into your own, and stare at his disbelieving eyes widening by the moment. He didn't dare look away.

"I care for you, and I get worried because you're hurting more than just these goddamn wounds. I want to take care of you. Let me care for you when you need it.."

You pull his hand closer to your lips, lowering your head that it almost looks like you would kiss it, but didn't. You were lucky the man didn't pull away yet, so you looked back up to him.

"Please."

"You—.." Zoro's face was reddening worse by the moment, eye twitching. The hand in your grasp was growing clammy but he didn't want to pull away. His mind was going haywire thinking what the fuck are you doing and what do you mean, heart pounding hard against his chest. You kept looking at him with that pleading look, making it more difficult for him to resist.

'I care for you'

'Let me take care of you'

When was the last time Zoro ever heard someone talking to him like that? Never, he thinks.

"What..? Why?" he asks dumbly, still unsure of how to respond from a semi-confession. You mentally curse yourself for word-puking like that, and hope and beg for any god if there is one that you won't regret.

"Because.." you cleared your throat, and squeezed his hand. "I like you. A lot."

Fuck, fuck, fuck, I’m chickening out now–shit!

Zoro was looking more and more like a ripe tomato by the second, and you could feel your cheeks growing warm. What the fuck did you mean? Like him? In.. that way?

You study his flustered expression, nervousness eating you alive and you wanted the earth to swallow you whole. You compose yourself, setting down his hand but not really letting go yet.

"As a friend! Haha!" You nervously laughed, looking away and setting the towel in the basin.

REAL smooth, (Name)... real fucking smooth.

You let him go, not bothering to look back at him anymore and stood up quickly. Remorse was eating you alive slowly.

"I'll go now since I'm done. You better get back to sleep." You turned to leave with the basin in hand, snapping Zoro out of his shocked trance.

"Wait!" Zoro grabbed the hem of your shirt, catching your attention. You slowly turned to look him straight in the face again. His flushed face was slowly calming into fainter hues. Damn, he's cute. You chide yourself internally to focus on the situation at hand.

"Yes?" You ask, searching his eyes, hoping the subject was dropped.

"I uh.. Don't mind." He whispered, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Don't mind me taking care of you?" You smiled, grateful he's accepting help, the fucked up confession leaving your mind instantly.

"Yes—I mean no, not that—"

You raise your brow, smile pulling into a light-hearted snark of annoyance due to his hardheadedness.

"Fuck, I mean yes I'm okay with you um.. doing this for me." He said, letting go of your shirt. You smiled fully again, delivering blooming sensations under his skin.

"Great! I'll train with you once you're actually better." You beamed, turning again to leave Zoro alone to handle the heart hammering in his chest.

A week passed, Zoro was officially fully healed thanks to Chopper's (and your) care. He felt ridiculously nervous yet elated climbing up to the crow's nest, the implied shared space between you two. You were already there with your usual yoga stretches to maintain your flexibility, greeting him with a teasing smug yet caring smile.

He notices his equipment is cleaned, and realizes it's always been cleaned after use thanks to you and your slight cleaning obsession. The thought bothered him, but not unpleasantly.. which was more bothering because he never stopped thinking about your confession.

He started noticing every little hidden thing you do to care for him, and even others. It made him wonder how long you have been doing this, and appreciated it immensely more than he would ever admit. You sneak in little items others might need into their space, like for him, his towels and water bottle. He was more flustered than usual, especially when it comes to directly taking care of him or showing forms of affection he's only ever noticed now.

The lingering touches you have when slinging your arm around his shoulders as you laugh at Luffy's shenanigans, sliding down to his lower back, or when you hold his hand a second longer after you pull him up to stand. You sneak alcohol on the rooftop of the nest to share, and he's always happy to oblige.

You both go on to tell stories of your adventures as you drink the night away, and whenever he would be the one to share his experiences in whatever story (he was sharing Alabasta), he would catch you gazing affectionately at him, studying him with a dumb small smile and it makes him stutter out of his sentence, face flushing.

"Stop that." He groans, cheeks burning from both alcohol and embarrassment.

"Sorry, you're cute." You chuckle to yourself.

"Hah?!" He gives you an incredulous look, eye wide. You laugh aloud, waving your hand to brush it off.

"Sorry, sorry. 'M tipsy as fuck now." You set your mug down, looking down to ground yourself. You meant it all fully.

"I'm not cute." He huffed, taking a swig and glared at you, not knowing if he's feeling irritated or affected with other feelings.

"Sure, sorry handsome." You grin at him.

"Shut up."

"Though I would say cute fits better on Luffy." You rested your chin on your palm, elbow at knee as you continued to think into the distance. Zoro rolled his eye.

"Actually no, handsome fits Sanji better."

Zoro's attention snapped at you, a furrow in his face.

"What? That shitty cook?" He sounds a little too mad from just a comment.

"No, no, wait, probably sexy? His waist can be somewhat considered petite—Aha! He's fits pretty boy more—"

"Will you stop that?" Zoro snapped, more upset that he should be as he glared at your grinning side profile. You looked at him, eyes questioning and surprised and Zoro can't discern if you're faking it or not.

"Woah, okay!" You laughed, palms up in mock surrender and defense. "I'm simply giving silly comments! Besides, it's not like they can hear us, no?"

"That's not—I can hear you!"

"It's just you, man! Are you gonna go up to Sanji and tell him I think he's a pretty boy?"

"No!"

"Then there's no issue, yes?" You grinned, slowly realizing where you had incidentally led this. God, him and his stupid rivalry with Sanji is borderline homoerotic tension you sometimes feel slightly jealous of.

Wait.. jealous?

"Just—Why is he—He's not even that pretty." Zoro countered , like a goddamn toddler and you can't stop your fit of laughter as you both argued. Zoro was taking this a little too seriously.

"What?! Okay then fine, he's sexy and Luffy's cute—"

"Can you shut the fuck up." Zoro groans into his hands, wiping the grogginess off his face.

"Actually, I'd say Torao-san fits more as sexy than Sanji."

"Stop—"

"Oh, he's definitely the sexy one because his tattoos are just so hot, though Sanji does have the sexy suave vibe, with the full suit and all—"

"(Name), please." Zoro grabbed your forearm, eyebrows still furrowed but eyes pleading and irritated with something more than just annoyance.

Is he jealous..? No way.

"What's wrong?" You asked, wanting to see if he's ever going to admit to anything. There was the smug grin in your face that Zoro wanted to wipe off as you kept chuckling, but then it suddenly pulled into a serious expression as you placed your hand atop the one he was grabbing you with. Zoro’s heart stuttered, sensing the change in mood.

“Be straight up with me, man.. Do you like Sanji?”

He looked at you like you just grew an extra head. “WHAT?! No!” He yelled, snatching his hand away, fuming. You were laughing again, even slapping your knee.

“Ohoho? Is that why you’re mad when I compliment him? I mean you both always look like you’re about to kiss when you argue sooo unnecessarily close face to face!”

“What the fuck are you talking about?!”

You gave him a teasing look up and down, slapping his shoulder as you continued your fit of laughter. Zoro wanted to punch you right now, jealousy turned frustration.

“Don’t worry, Zo. I don’t like him in that way–He’s all yours-”

“Fuck no! I like you!”

A beat. You’re both frozen in your places, surprise reigning your face followed with a blush. Zoro was once again growing red as hell, eyes wide and lips quivering from realization of what the fuck he just said, cursing himself. Your heart rate picked up fast, nerves alive as liquid courage coursed through your blood and the taste still on your tongue. You don’t know what to fucking do, but you did know one thing: you want to kiss him.

So you place your hand around his nape, brushing through his three earrings with your thumb, and pulled him to a rushed yet soft one.

Zoro sucked his breath in, melting into your touch instantly after a second as you fiddled with his base hairs on the back of his head, and leaned back to the kiss. His hands found their way on your shoulders, and you sighed, sucking on his bottom lip making him groan and then pulled away despite not wanting to.

You searched his eyes for any sort of more confirmation or uncertainty, and smiled when you saw he was just staring at your lips, wanting to kiss again.

“Cute.”

He frowned slightly again, pouting.

You pulled him on your lap and kissed him one more, long and full of all the affection you have ever wanted to give him and more.

That make out session lasted in what felt like eternity, from soft and longing to rough and all tongue, hands wandering all the places you ever wanted to touch him (Ah yes, the tits). Needless to say, you and him were together officially after your cheesy full confession of how he is in fact the love of your life and asking him out. He agreed, of course.

Although you both never told anyone, it was so obvious to others (except Luffy) that you were finally dating. Mostly because you can’t get your hands off Zoro despite his protests, and even showered together..? That’s a lot to say for Zoro and your persistence.

Of course, the first to ever bug Zoro was Sanji, the cook never letting him live it down how the swordsman was swept off his feet. There became a huge argument that started after Nami insisted you to tell her who confessed first for a bet they all had, which drew commotion that everyone joined in, even Zoro, who wanted to disappear and kick your ass for even telling it to Nami for fuck’s sake. You two had a debate on who really did confess first, whether your first chickened out “I like you as a friend” counts or not. Chaotic day, but a happy one as everyone congratulated you both.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦•··············

a/n: this one is longer than the first part which was law.. the zoro brainrot is real asf. last of the part is sanji! if you all have requests to continue or any other feel free to comment hre :D pls be nice.

#𝕃𝕐𝕊 𝕀𝕄𝔸𝔾𝕀ℕ𝔼𝕊 #one piece x male reader #one piece x reader #one piece x dom reader #one piece x y/n #one piece x you #roronoa zoro #roronoa zoro x reader #roronoa zoro x you #roronoa zoro x y/n #zoro #one piece #one piece zoro #one piece scenario #roronoa zoro imagines #zoro imagines #roronoa zoro x dom reader #roronoa zoro x male reader

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sanjisboyfie · 6 months

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DOMESTICITY: a shared interest among swordsmen

(keep safe) zoro + male reader

-> domestic series rise ‼️‼️

link to the fanfic where zoro and the male reader are based from <3

now, [name] and zoro had a rocky start in getting to know one and another. [name] bested zoro in a fight, which was a shame to zoro’s ego in of itself.

but there was one thing the two could bond over and not cause a fight about. their care for their weaponry. [name] never drew his blade, unless he was prepared to use it to kill. that was something he liked to have control over. not to swing around his sword so carelessly.

it was disrespectful to the katana and the previous wielder of it.

nevermind the fact it’d be inappropiate, but sometimes the mere exposure of the blade to air could cause a shift in the atmosphere. it was dangerous even when it was simply unsheathed. so [name] liked to avoid it causing trouble and kept it in its protective scabbard more than half the time.

to zoro, the sword was an incredible tool. [name]’s in particular had him facinated the first moment he saw it. so one day, he (surpirisingly) pushed his pride to the side and approached [name], in hopes of getting to talking about the sword.

“what’s its name?”

“arnold,” [name] grinned, enjoying the pissed off look on zoro’s face, “jokes, jokes! i don’t know it’s name, shanks never told it to me. he’d only ever call it kiddie names whenever he showed it to me.”

“that’s stupid,” zoro muttered in disappointment, “have you ever used it?”

[name] nodded, looking down at the sword. zoro took a seat next to [name] and looked at the blade intently. he almost looked like he was glaring at it. seeing zoro’s curiousity, [name] smiled gently and placed the blade into zoro’s lap.

“go on,” he said, motoining for zoro to expose the blade.

zoro gulped, sensing the strong power the weapon in front of him held, but got over his thoughts of doubt and simply unsheathed the sword in a swift motion. he felt sweat begin dripping down his skin the moment the blade was exposed. and he knew he had to put it back into its casing soon.

but still, he looked at the blade in amazement. a smirk came onto his lips before he could realize it and now he was looking at it with his pupils blown wide. the only reason why he was knocked out of his dreamlike state was because [name] whislted lowly at him.

“this is the happiest i’d ever seen you,” [name] said with a cheesy smile, “it’s a nice expression,”

zoro turned away from the blade and put it back into its casing. roughly, he shoved it back into [name]’s hands.

“easy there, no need to be so angsty about it,” [name] said, bringing the sword to rest on his shoulder. “what about yours?”

“i need to clean them, actually,” zoro said, cutting the conversation short and going to stand up to leave. but [name] grabbed his wrist to stop him.

“let me come with you,”

zoro really valued his alone time, especially with how rambunctious their crew was. and that alone time was designated to two things: sleep and sword cleaning. both of which he took very seriously.

but with the way [name] was looking at him, it was impossible to refuse. it could save time, he also told himself, accounting for the fact he had three swords to take care of. so he allowed [name] to follow him, bringing out the small kit and putting the katanas on display for him.

he grabbed wado ichimonji on instinct, taking it into his hands to gently care for. [name] hummed as he picked one of the remaining two and began going to work. the two were sitting in silence, gently taking care of the blades.

[name] focused intently on not messing this up, knowing how much each of zoro’s blades meant to him. he gently “poked” and “prodded” at the blade with the fluffy ball at the end of the stick, careful in each of his movements.

zoro, unknown to him, had a careful eye on [name], to watch him as he handled his weapons. but after some time, he recognized [name]’s skillful and careful movements. the man did own his own katana, after all.

and after that session, it seemed that the two developed a habit of cleaning zoro’s swords together. given the fact [name] had never used his sword, he didn’t need to clean it. so they were only having to clean three blades. zoro would always take wado ichimonji while [name] would take care of the other two.

it was a serene sight, if anyone was lucky to catch it. the two, who were usually bickering, were silently bonding over their shared interest and care for katanas. it was a wordless and silent exchange that always happened and zoro appreciated that.

after any major battle, or whenever zoro felt that his blades were rather neglected, he’d find [name], shoot him a particular look, and then that caused [name] to come bounding in his direction — ready to clean the katanas.

it was a routine, at this point, and neither of them minded the silent company. it was always pleasant.

#≡;- ꒰ ° keep safe series ꒱#≡;- ꒰ ° domesticity series ꒱#one piece x reader #one piece x male reader #zoro x male reader #zoro x reader #zoro imagines #x male reader #roronoa zoro x reader #roronoa zoro x male reader #one piece imagines

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marvelmymarvel · 4 months

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So my thoughts tonight.

I'm plus size. Some of yall know this. Some of yall don't. But anyway I'm currently doing strength training to lose some weight and.... head empty only thinking of training with Zoro one on one and he's touching you softly to fix your form. Hands all warm and firm as he lowers you into a squat. Or how safe you'd feel with his hands hovering under the bar you're lifting.

Better yet.

When you have good posture and form, he just purs out the most sinful "good form baby"

Lawd I am GNAWING at my enclosure

#zoro imagine #zoro imagines #zoro x reader #plus size reader #one piece imagine #one piece plus size reader #one piece plus size #one piece imagines

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naomihatake · 6 months

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In search of freedom (Ch. 5)

5. I've found heaven in hell

⠀⠀➺ fic masterlist

⠀⠀➺ Chapter 4 ; Chapter 5 ; Chapter 6

⠀⠀⠀⠀She's been searching for freedom her entire life and everytime she thought it was laying right in front of her eyes, she was mistaken. She was running around the East Blue, seeking herself and her dreams, meeting people she never forgot. No matter how much she traveled, she could only catch a glimpse of peace before realizing everything would crumble at her feet.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Maybe it was destiny that brought her on that ship with three strangers — foolishly, that's what she tried to believe when the moon shined beautifully and hope settled in her chest, squeezed by the same ribcage where feelings were blooming.

Pairing: female!reader x OPLA Zoro Roronoa

Warnings for this chapter: alcohol, angst, arguing, tension, tarot readings

Word count: 7,9 k

Theme song: fic spotify playlist (click on the link)

A/N: I genuinely hope this chapter is as good as I wanted it to be, but I'm not so sure about it. I tried my best, but I'm certainly proud of the last scene of this chapter. Yes, we finally got to Baratie and Zoro's fight with Mihawk. I'd be very happy to hear your opinions, so let me know what you think <33 Not proofread yet.

The reader is referred to as "Witch" because I have no intentions of using "Y/N".

One card fell from her tarot deck from the moment when she started shuffling it: Death.

Nope, she immediately thought to herself.

The witch let out a theatrical sigh and let the cards back in their place, half of her mind completely ignoring the meaning.

No way I'm occupying my mind with such trouble now of all times. I couldn't even sleep last night.

She could think about that later, after she gets a few hours of peace. They were lucky enough to escape from the Marines just a while ago. The answer she received after she came back to her room at the first hours in the morning — when she had just finished her night shift — was ambiguous enough. All she wanted was to breathe some fresh air.

The witch got up from the bed and was ready to leave the girls' room while pulling a large shirt over the tight tank top hugging her curves, leaving it unbuttoned. The hot weather made her choose some shorts in favor of the usually large pants she preferred. The low heels of her boots created a strong sound with each step on the Going Merry's floor.

"I still can't believe Luffy was the one to get us at this floating restaurant in the middle of the sea using his nose only," she chuckled at the navigator.

Nami was glancing one last time into a small rounded mirror she held between her fingers before closing it and shoving it into a bag.

"Add food to the equation and he could take over my role."

"Well, well, that's quite exaggerated. He might have an affinity for sniffling foods, but you can feel a thunderstorm. That's a big difference," the witch winked.

"You're flattering me," Nami grinned.

The witch opened the door of their room and they were instantly greeted with the rays of the sun. She squinted her eyes and walked on the deck with two knives and a gun sitting at her hips. Luffy was already on the dock of the restaurant created in the form of fish with an open mouth. Baratie was written in red neon lights on top of the suspended balcony of the restaurant.

"Do you think there are marines here?" Usopp asked as he leaned against the railing of The Going Merry.

"There are skulls on the flags of other ships. If marines are here, they're probably not for business. I wouldn't start yelling about it in the middle of a place filled with pirates," the witch commented.

Any other words died on top of her tongue when her eyes fell on the swordsman who just left the galley. Maybe the witch should've been more careful while staring so insistently, but gosh, wasn't he always a sight? The dark bluet-shirt clinging onto his chest for dear life, accentuating the muscle lines and — god fucking dammit — the jeans squeezing his legs made her gulp. The signature swords were secured against his left hip.

She averted her eyes before she could get caught ogling at the crewmate she grew fond of. It was a pleasure to blame it on the doses of alcohol in her veins, but it wasn't the case that time. She was wide awake and sober, so the nature of her thoughts was worrisome, to say the least.

She was still dealing with the possibility of feelings. A concerning topic for an inexperienced person in the domain of romance.

Another trouble she didn't want to think of. Maybe Zoro isn't that wrong for drinking with every occasion he gets.

What made it worse was the lack of attention he gave her, as if she was just a ghost.

Maybe she was overthinking it.

Truth be told, she wasn't exactly wrong. Zoro did intentionally look away so he could save himself from embarrassment. He turned away before he swallowed the lump in his throat, his fingers curling tighter around the hilt of his sword. He must've gotten insane to start avoiding people.

"Let's go! I feel like I could die from hunger," Luffy jumped from the ship straight on the dock.

The witch found the right thing to focus on: the restaurant looked amazing. Not only did it smell so divine her stomach learnt how to talk, but it was also splendid. For a second, the witch wondered if that was a place for pirates and not for some rich business people — they could certainly be found there. Dozens of tables and the constant chattering of people, waiters and waitresses walking around and rushing from one side to the other — it was so lively.

The fishman greeting the people coming in smiled warmly at them, even if a little strained — a habit he got from his job.

"You mean there's no free table for our captain, the soon to become King of the Pirates?" Usopp smiled proudly, pointing at Luffy.

She found it hard not to laugh or chuckle at the interaction between Luffy and the poor fishman who said twice already that there will be an available table in three weeks. When the witch saw Nami shove her hand in her pockets, it was obvious what tactic she'd use. Obviously, it worked, even if Luffy and Usopp were cheering, walking down the stairs ahead of them.

The witch looked around, wary of any possible threats or drunk people who would get mad about the smallest thing, like the way they looked. Everyone seemed so caught up in their own thing and it eased her mind, some anxiety leaving once her shoulders fell.

However, there were certain gazes following her silhouette. It was probably because of each confident step she made, the elegance she carried, the force she proved to have with every sharp glance she threw around. Her fingers twitched to grab a hold of her dagger. She figured out there were no imminent threats yet.

At the table, she found herself between Zoro and Nami. She was conscious the moment she intentionally sat a tad bit closer to the swordsman who comfortably spread his legs after he tried to fit his swords. Sometimes, when she'd shift in her seat, his knee would brush by hers and goosebumps would erupt on her skin. She allowed herself to enjoy the proximity, the way her gaze would linger on his figure when he talked, the low timbre of his voice soothing her soul.

She had to get used to that idea.

It ached. Her heart would thump painfully in between her ribs each time it felt like he was ignoring her. He didn't say much to her since morning and something inside of her was bleeding, despite the lack of crimson liquid tainting her clothes.

The witch hated him for every cold glance thrown her away or, worse, each time he didn't even look at her when she spoke. To protect herself, her lips got sealed for a long while.

Her attention was piqued by the fight between two marines who seemed unable to swallow up their pride, threatening each other with death, while a beautiful lady sat at the table, looking at them with fear visible on her expression.

The roll of her eyes and the exasperated exhale she let out spoke for her as the witch rested her elbows on the table and held her face with a hand.

"Do people always act like that over stupid things?" Usopp frowned.

"They act worse," the witch scoffed, amused. "The average pirates aren't any better either, you know."

"Bold of you to say that when you're a pirate yourself," Nami shook her head.

"I've never claimed I'm a lady, so," she shrugged.

A waiter with blonde hair dressed in a clean black suit appeared by the men's table. There was a specific customer-friendly smile plastered on his face while he tried to calm the waters.

One of the two men pulled his pistol out just to have his arm being hit by the waiter's feet. In a few seconds only, the other man received the same treatment, getting a strong blow right in the stomach. The blonde waiter rolled on his feet and right after his feet collided with the man's face, he prompted his hands on the table to pin the other pink-haired marine to the floor with a kick in the crown of his head.

"Good fighter," Luffy pointed out with excitement bouncing in his tone.

As if nothing ever happened, the man's fingers grabbed at the plate he abandoned on the table and smiled again.

"No cause for alarm, folks. Please enjoy your meals."

A normal occurrence, most probably.

The waiter came to their table with a few long steps. From up close, his handsome features washed away the obvious forced smile plastered on his thin lips.

"Hi, welcome to our shitty restaurant where the only thing worse than the ambiance is the food. My name is Sanji. What can I get for you?"

His voice was tinted with harshness and he was definitely in a bad mood, visible despite the professionalism he tried to stick to.

Luffy grabbed one of the small loaves of breasla on the plate the waiter just placed down in front of them.

"One of everything, please," their captain spoke with his mouth stuffed.

"What's wrong with the ambiance?" the witch asked, confused. "Not to flatter, but this place is splendid."

Something in that man's head misunderstood it as you're splendid, apparently, since his eyes shone like crystals when they settled on the witch's figure.

Maybe her mouth spoke before she had time to think it over. Bad decision.

"It became splendid the moment you walked in, perhaps," he smiled effortlessly, his voice dropping an octave.

Wait… what?

"Thank you?" she blinked owlishly.

It sounded more like a question. Not the first compliment she received and she also had to admit that most of the men who flirted with her were absolutely gross. This one was decent, even polite — hell, someone could've taken courtesy lessons from him.

The energy shifted. Or, better said, the man next to her shifted. Zoro just crossed his arms over his chest and fixed Sanji with a glare meant to send daggers through his face. The waiter didn't even bother to look at Zoro.

"Is there anything I could bring for these two beautiful ladies?" his smile widened visibly once he spotted Nami right next to the witch. "Would you care for an apéritif to start? Or perhaps some drinks, like one of our signature cocktails? Maybe a glass of Umeshu? You know, something sweet for someone sweet."

His wink was flawless and it would've been perfect if not for Nami's retort.

"Something wrong with your eye?"

Nami was frowning, taken aback by the comment and equally amused.

"Very good question," the witch nodded.

Nami tried her best to stifle a laugh when she realized she was backed up. Usopp was hardly holding back his laughter

"Forgive a man for being blinded by such beautiful ladies," he grinned as if he'd fallen in love not once, but twice in the same minute. "So?"

"Water, please," Nami answered.

"Still, sparkling, mineral? With ice or without? Cubed or crushed?"

"Regular water in a regular glass. Thanks."

"A beer for me."

Zoro's voice was threatening and low, sharp gaze still focused on Sanji.

"A beer for me. I usually have two, but…" Usopp didn't have enough time to continue as he's been interrupted by Luffy.

"A glass of milk for milk for me!" the straw hat said with his mouth still stuffed with bread.

Sanji's head turned towards the witch with a smile curling his lips.

"One of the special cocktails you mentioned, please."

The witch didn't intentionally use that kind voice. It was a habit whenever she talked to strangers to soften her tone and smile out of courtesy and politeness. Probably, her kind gesture has been misunderstood as flirtatious.

"Any preferences? We have plenty of options you can choose from."

His smile already reached his ears and she could feel a specific swordsman straightening his back by her side.

"Nothing too strong, if you may."

"Of course."

"Are you done yet?"

Zoro made all of them turn their attention to him and while usually he wouldn't like it, at that time he couldn't give a single fuck about it. All he did was arch his eyebrow at the waiter and telling him to fuck off as politely as he could, with no cuss words falling from his mouth yet. If Sanji continued to gravitate around their table with that flirtatious smile on his lips, the swordsman might burst a vein on his forehead sooner rather than later.

Sanji wasn't exactly satisfied to be rushed, but he turned on his heels and left. The witch was still looking at Zoro from the corner of her eye, trying her best to understand what just happened.

He seemed fine minutes ago. Not too talkative, definitely, but not… so mad either. What has been with that scowl on his face ever since Sanji appeared? He couldn't be enough of a man child to be jealous of someone's flirting—

I'm getting delusional lately, the witch cut off her own thought process.

"Mad about something, Zoro?" Nami smirked devilishly.

"Everything's fine."

Everything was, in fact, not fine.

The witch was engulfed by her thoughts, fingers pressing and rolling the fork between her fingers after their food was served. She had to admit she was hungry and was trying her best to savor the pieces of meat tickling her taste buds, but it was almost impossible to ignore the shallow sensation in her stomach.

"Was there anything wrong with your tarot?"

Nami, who was by her side, turned her head and offered the witch her entire attention. Maybe she's been playing with her food for long enough to get their attention.

"Not wrong, just something I would've rather not know," she said after swallowing.

"What did you see?"

She shook her head softly with a light chuckle leaving her lips.

"I pulled the Death card." Quickly enough, she realized she shouldn't have started with that.

"Who's dying?!" Usopp almost choked on his food.

"It's metaphorical death," she clarified. "The ending of a cycle and a new beginning, whatever that might mean this time," with a shrug, she proved her own uncertainty.

"Doesn't sound that bad," Zoro commented while he curled his fingers around his glass of beer.

The young woman still remembered each element of the first tarot card she saw before they left The Going Merry. The skeleton dressed in silver armor on the white horse, holding a flag with the number 'XIII' and the people kneeling in front of it, their clothes painted in golden, blue and white.

"It usually implies a hard step to take in order to advance. Change doesn't come unless you allow it and transformation is supposed to help you evolve, not regress. Each time, it doesn't come easily and it shakes up your reality first. Simply put, who the heck knows what might happen in the next few days," she clicked her tongue. "Anything is possible."

"What use do those readings have if you can't even find out what's really going on?" Nami arched her eyebrow.

Fate spoke for itself.

The witch's eyes fixed on hers, regret hanging around her heart.

"They give enough clues, I just have to figure them out."

She felt bad for keeping to herself the other two cards she pulled: the ten of swords and the four of pentacles — betrayal reasoned by protecting yourself. The witch knew who this was about and she didn't mutter a word about it, finding it improper to do so.

"And did you?"

"Not entirely yet," she bit at her bottom lip.

She knew her words were probably just passing by the ears of her friends. The witch was well aware they had no reason to believe in such things or listen to her. They could take her words into account or completely ignore them; it didn't really matter, as for her the reality remained the same.

What mattered was that she knew only half of the upcoming events. The other side was hidden somewhere in shadows and life lessons the cards decided she had to learn on her own.

"I won't need food for a year," Nami commented after she leaned back against the cushions, sighing.

"We should do a toast. Come on, grab your glasses."

The witch's fingers curled around her glass of cocktail with a soft smile.

"To the best crew sailing on the sea and to our victory!"

"No, I'm sorry," Nami furrowed her eyebrows. "What victory exactly?"

The witch didn't even get to bring the glass to her lips, Nami's question sinking deeply into her bones.

"I don't know how many naval battles you guys have been part of…"

"Two dozen, at least," Usopp interrupted her before taking one more sip from his beer.

"Plenty," the witch placed her untouched glass back on the table. "It was a disaster, I'm well aware of it. We could've died before reaching a day of sailing with The Going Merry."

"Then I suppose you agree we were unprepared and uncoordinated," Nami turned towards her.

There's never been such tension lingering around the navigator since the witch got to know her. The orange haired woman was easy going and talkative, she was skilled and was so strong. Someone used to the harsh world they lived in and yet she seemed absolutely stupefied by the mention of said victory.

Nami was tense and uncomfortable as she continued to shift in her seat, surprised wide eyes glaring at Luffy.

"You didn't think to mention your grandfather was a Marine? And not just any marine, a vice-admiral! I don't know about you, but I didn't sign up for that."

"You raided a marine base," Zoro spoke calmly. "Of course that'll make you a target."

The witch only let out a soft sigh and straightened her back with a frown. She was equally worried, but…

"I understand where you're coming from, Nami, but it wouldn't have helped us with anything to know about Luffy's relatives or their status. We're already haunted for merely having a map in our possession."

At their table Sanji appeared again, with a gray plate with a paper in between his fingers this time.

"Your bill, sir."

Luffy pulled his lips together and glanced at Nami before taking the pen and scribbling something.

"Thank you," he smiled up at the waiter.

Sanji took the plate and almost instantly, a mischievous grin splayed on his face.

"No, thank you," and with that, he walked away.

Whatever that was supposed to mean.

Luffy turned towards his friends once again, confident in his opinion.

"I'm not saying it's good that the Marines are on our tail, but we showed them that they can't just roll over us. This crew, our crew, can handle anything."

The witch gently smiled at him and leaned her elbows on the table again.

"We could use your optimism, Luffy, but it's harder than that. At any given time from now on, the simple fact that we're after One Piece is enough of a reason for a Warlord to come after us because right now, we're an easy target. Not to mention the relationship between the Marines and the Warlords. Remember that these seven pirates aren't anyone's toys and if we ever encounter them, it will not always have something to do with the Navy."

"What makes you talk about the Warlords?" the navigator gulped. "They'd be an ever bigger pain in our asses. Average pirates are merciless already—"

Nami stopped herself from talking and looked away. An unusual reaction met with silence from the witch.

"Luffy isn't the only one with relatives—"

"Who the hell is Monkey D. Luffy?" a hoarse voice boomed.

The witch could feel a headache appearing along with the old chef who was hobbling because of his wooden leg. She finally gulped the entire cocktail.

Why was Luffy always getting into trouble?

"I need a drink," Nami exhaustedly threw her head back.

"I need dozens of drinks," the witch sighed heavily.

•┈┈┈•┈┈┈•┈┈┈

Maybe it wasn't a camaraderie thing to do to their captain, but they were now occupying some seats on the terrace of the open fish mouth. The witch was in between Nami and Usopp on the large couch, with their backs facing the sea, meanwhile Zoro sat on a chair, at the other side of the table.

The witch had a whiskey bottle from which she poured herself shots once in a few minutes. Usopp had three straws in his mouth and he drank a sweet cocktail from a bowl. Zoro warned him with a chuckle, but he didn't listen.

Nami, on the other side, was silent as she stared into her empty glass for longer than expected. The witch found it worrisome — she was used to her own phases, but it hurt to watch her friend struggle with something she didn't entirely share. Nami's issue was known by them and yet there was something the witch just grasped onto, a tale told by her tarot.

"The next drink is on me," the navigator got up from her seat.

"Nami," the witch's fingers curled around her friend's.

She squeezed Nami's hand gently and looked up at her with concern in her eyes. The witch rubbed her fingers over her knuckles in a silent plea, her eyebrows knitted together.

You're not alone, her touch said. It's alright. We can make it alright.

Nami swallowed down hard and barely squeezed the hand who held her before slipping away from them.

The witch poured herself a shot and gulped it down quickly.

"Why are you in such a hurry as well?"

Zoro's voice made her chest burn worse than the alcohol.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'd just rather not talk," she mumbled as she rolled the small glass between her fingers.

"You know something that I don't," he concluded quickly.

Usopp, who sat like an obedient child and listened, blinked curiously.

"I know a lot of things that you don't, Zoro," she responded with sorrow.

Saying one single word about Nami while she was gone felt unfair.

When the orange haired woman came back to them with a bottle in her hand, her conversation with Zoro somehow turned into a guessing game. Usopp, who obviously didn't take the swordsman's warning into account, went to the dance ring and moved like a sea slug — or that's what Zoro said.

"Are you in?" Nami asked.

"I'd rather not," the witch lowered her gaze.

It was easy to admit she didn't want to share anything about herself. Still, she knew better than that; with some shots, her tongue would loosen up bit by bit.

Her eyelashes fluttered lazily and her gaze fell on the glass she held. The corners of her mouth were slightly curled downwards and she seemed aware of the effect alcohol would have on her. She will succumb into sorrow or happiness, depending on which one clouded her mind first. The lack of answers coming from someone who adored to share experiences and explain was strange.

Nami looked at her from the corner of her eye and accepted the situation as it was. She'll get the witch to talk one way or another. Something was fishy about her behavior — it was poking Nami's senses.

The witch leaned against the cushions and turned her head towards the sea, pushing reality out of her awareness. Zoro's and Nami's conversation sounded muffled from her perspective, caging herself willingly in her head.

Zoro was sitting right in front of her and the witch still thought of him. Her feelings were confusing and analyzing them was a full time job. Maybe it was time for her to accept her situation and deal with the heart aching for him. It was impossible not to think of him, especially when his deep voice sounded like a melody.

She swallowed a lump in her throat and blinked away the overwhelming sensation settling in her chest. Maybe the present could give her peace.

"You're unfair, Roronoa," she crooked a teasing grin and turned her head towards him.

"How's that so?"

His gaze burning holes into her shouldn't affect her as much as it did. Those black oceans shining shamelessly told her everything she had to know, it made hope bloom in the center of her soul.

Maybe there was a chance. A tiny little chance hidden in his mesmerizing eyes.

"She's telling you entire stories, but you don't even bother to elaborate."

He clenched his jaw and scoffed.

"That's not part of the game," the side of his mouth curled upwards.

"Now that I think about it, she's right," Nami smirked.

"Just drink."

With that, they raised their glasses and both glanced at the unusually silent witch.

"I didn't play the game," she excused herself.

"That's why you have to drink. You listened and didn't share," Nami arched her eyebrow. "Are you also unfair, Witch?"

It was Zoro the one who poured whiskey in her empty glass.

"You two are so sneaky," the witch laughed softly and complied.

The alcohol burnt her throat and it was the alcohol getting to her head that brought questionable curiosities in her head… How would his lips taste? Would he make her burn harder? A one single touch from him would both ruin and put her back together.

Alright, I have to find something else to think of.

Hastily, the witch who sat by Nami's side gulped down another shot of whiskey and got up from the cushions. An idea creeped in her mind when her attention fell on the group of four musicians whose music Usopp danced to.

"Where are you heading to?"

"Killing some time," she winked at Nami.

With light steps, she walked to the guitarist and asked for his instrument after he just finished playing. With a nod, he handed her the guitar and she grabbed a chair to sit on. Her legs crossed and she positioned the guitar in her lap easily, like second nature. Gentle fingers tapped the wooden object and her lips curled — it was perfect — before her grip on the neck of the guitar tightened. Her other hand was busy testing the chords, tingles running down her spine at the sensation.

She hasn't felt that in too long.

The alcohol was also a reason for her bold action, but the witch didn't care. The fingers of one hand pressed against the strings, while she played with the other hand, giving life to the guitar. Lively sounds rang through the air and the other musicians quickly picked up on the notes. A classic, an old shanty pirates would sing when drunk after victories, but it was more beautiful when she played it. Even her humming and the rare times when her lips would part to let sweet words fall from between them, it was alluring.

Zoro's attention never left her figure. Her eyes sparkled with freedom and the smile on her face was that of an angel. She was life itself, stuck under soft skin and hidden in her heart. The dim lights of the terrace — the open fish mouth — bathed her in white and warm gold. Her happy face, the smile lines, the crinkles of her eyes, the jovial energy surrounding her; all of these things charmed him over and over again. The longer he looked at her, the worse it got, because he didn't have the courage within himself to avert his gaze from her.

"You should just admit it," Nami said.

He didn't look at her when he let out a low "Hm?"

"Don't you think she's pretty?"

His head snapped towards her.

"What are you talking about?"

"Which one of us are you trying to fool, Zorol; me or yourself?"

Uncomfortably, the swordsman shifted in his seat, clenching his jaw.

"I think you're confused," he responded with fake confidence while he crossed his arms over his chest.

"No, you are confused," Nami scoffed. "You were jealous back then, when Sanji flirted with her."

"You're quick to jump to conclusions."

"If Usopp would be here, he'd agree."

"Unfortunately, he's too drunk to even walk straight, so I suppose he isn't here to support your theory."

"Speaking of him."

Nami just spotted Usopp who came back to their table with a man behind him. A strange man, judging by the hilt of the sword as tall as him — and he wasn't short by any means either.

"Which one of you is Monkey D. Luffy?"

Zoro turned his head lazily, arching his eyebrow.

"I don't recall such a name."

The witch's peace has been entirely destroyed by the new appearance, an unwelcome guest. She could spot him easily because of his big elegant hat with feathers and the sword with precious stones on the hilt.

It was her turn to stand proudly in front of a Warlord she's only heard about from her deceased father. Her back was straight and her chin up high, gaze sharp.

When the man turned his head to her, there was no mistake it was Dracule Mihawk, his golden irises shining with boredom. Even his perfect posture betrayed the obvious superiority he had in front of some mere children.

"I didn't know your father had raised a liar. He was honest, from what I recall."

The witch knew she was her father's splitting image, but how could he know—

The only thing that stopped her eyes from widening in surprise were the nails digging painfully into her palms.

"I don't know any Monkey D. Luffy and I certainly have no clue what you're talking about."

"I have business with your captain. If you know what's good for you, you'll hand him over."

"I don't know either," Nami responded from her seat. "Right, Zoro?"

"You're Dracule Mihawk."

The swordsman got up from his chair and for a moment, the witch wondered if he was insane or more delusional than her, because there's no other way he stood without a worry in the world in front of him.

In front of someone who could slice entire ships into pieces.

"Zoro?" the witch whispered, horrified.

The man in question stepped by Mihawk and walked slowly, steadily, as if the Warlord was his prey.

"It pains me to inform you that tomorrow… you're going to die."

Oh, Gods, please don't.

•┈┈┈•┈┈┈•┈┈┈

The witch was left speechless. She couldn't find strength in her legs and she had to sit on a chair when all of them gathered in the valley of their ship.

Zoro wasn't a sane man. He needed to be locked up or someone had to get that stick from up his ass before he had a chance to die out of stupidity.

She shook her head countless times while Zoro and Nami argued, rubbing her forehead with her fingertips and squeezing her eyes shut.

"Why do you even care?" the swordsman's cold tone rang in the air.

"Because you're my friend, you idiot."

Nami sounded close to losing it all.

The witch already lost it one hundred times. Her heart wasn't beating, her breath was shallow and she was pinching the bridge of her nose to hold back from saying or doing something rude, something she would later regret. The tension in the room weighed on her chest and she wished it was all just a nightmare.

"You said you don't have any friends," Zoro responded sharply.

The woman's eyes snapped open. He was more insane than she thought. She wanted to yell, but no raw sound filled with pain left her chapped lips. The witch could only remain rigid while Nami left the room with loud stomps.

"You're insane, Zoro," she muttered between gritted teeth.

The witch was tugging painfully at her own strands of her in order to stop the overwhelming feelings from spilling out of her like a tornado. Her shaking fingers curled into her hair and gripped, the burn on her scalp bringing her back to the cabin of their ship.

"This is a suicide mission."

"It's his dream," Luffy smiled, "we can't—"

"Zoro, you're gonna die!" she shouted out of the sudden after she snapped her head towards the swordsman.

She sank her nails into her palms until the sting was painful enough to keep herself stable. It was not to her liking to be pessimistic, to admit that someone wasn't able to do something, but what he wanted to do was not the most intelligent idea.

"This isn't good, this won't end well at all and you shall know it," the witch continued. "You can't seriously believe you'll get out of there better than half-alive."

The swordsman didn't need to respond in order to answer. His unmoving gaze and straightened back told enough: he wasn't going to change his mind at all, no matter what anyone said.

She knew it meant a lot for him to become the strongest swordsman in the world, but in his current state he wasn't able to defeat Mihawk. Out of all the people he could've dwelt with, Zoro chose him, that monster of a man.

"Did you not listen to me when I said 'He cuts entire ships with a mere flick of his wrist'?" she furrowed her eyebrows. "Did you suddenly forget when I clearly warned you all the warlords aren't some mere toys for the big guys in the system, they do whatever the fuck they want!"

She cussed herself for letting out so many emotions, but she seriously couldn't hold back anymore, no matter how worried Usopp seemed, or how confused Luffy was. They had no clue what Zoro was getting into—

"That's exactly why I'm dwelling with him and not someone else," the green-haired man spoke firmly.

"Oh, so your dream is to get cut in half by a sword taller than you?" her irritation slipped.

"Do you really think I trained my entire life to get cut without putting up a fight?"

Even if she didn't want to admit it to herself, one side of his heart was hurt. This entire time, every time they spoke, she openly told him she believes in him, that she trusts him even if it would be her downfall. It sounded like she's been lying this entire time.

"You know very well I never meant that you're weak, but you're not stronger than him! That's your idea of a swordsman? You can believe, you can even hope for the best to happen, but the happiest situation would be a quick death. And the worst? A torturous one."

"I didn't take you for someone who wouldn't understand what the pride of dying in a duel means."

"Fucking hell!"

The witch's tight fist hit the table placed in the middle of the cabin with a quick and hurried motion, her feelings indeed getting the best of her that time. It didn't come to mind the last time she ever acted so harshly.

He turned her words against herself and he was a professional at doing so. She knew what kind of pride swordsmen and pirates carry, she knew what they considered noble because she's spent years of her life listening to men and women talking about such things. Her father did the same, thought he could get out of any problem, until it brought him his death.

"Maybe you should have more faith," Usopp intervened in a small voice.

He was hesitant, the surprise obvious on his face — none of them expected that their most collected crewmate would lash out like that. Luffy was also silent, confused, obviously trying to find a way to get into the thick heads of his friends somehow. The argument escalated quickly and the tension wiped away any ounce of peace.

The witch's eyes were fixed on Zoro's and they burnt holes through his face. He's seen just as many emotions a night ago, when she told him about her past sailing experiences, about the life she left behind as she desperately tried to find freedom. And if freedom felt like that, he wondered if she really wanted it. He succumbed to the flames of hell in her eyes, but snapped himself out of it.

She was angry at him, he figured out quickly.

He didn't like that gaze. He'd do almost anything for her to stop looking at him that way, as if she wanted him away from her, as if his very presence brought her suffering. Almost anything.

"You see just what you want to see, Zoro. You're deliberately ignoring our worries, thinking we have something against you, thinking god-knows-what about how we're not your friends or whatever the fuck's going through your head—"

I'm worried for you, she swallowed a lump in her throat.

"Just because me and Nami are trying to stop you, it doesn't mean we're assholes keeping you away from your dream. We might be assholes, but we want you to be alive, not six feet under the ground!" her voice raised slightly at the end again, her breath shallow.

"You're worried about her, not about me. I don't need your worry."

"Zoro—" this time Luffy tried to intervene.

"You're impossible," she faintly spoke, like a ghost.

She gave up.

She buried her face into her own palms and sat on a chair, her elbows prompted on her knees. She had so much faith in Zoro, she could barely even point out how many feelings swirl in her heart when it comes to him, but she was aware he was mortal. He could die at any given time.

"Right, Zoro. Go die with pride filling you up the same way that man's sword will," she bitterly mumbled.

I hate you, Roronoa Zoro. You and your stupid pride, along with the fucked way I feel about you. I hate it all.

The poor woman was exhausted, her heartstrings twisting into knots, making it hard to ignore the pain running through her entire being. His name rolled on her tongue so many times in only a few minutes and it made her situation worse, that one word made of two syllables cutting through her chest.

The witch regretted her words immediately, but didn't say anything for a while.

Usopp nudged Luffy into leaving the other two alone and it was probably one of the few times when the straw hat understood subtleties without any questions.

"Take your time and clean your swords, Zoro, we'll be waiting outside," Luffy spoke.

The witch heard two pairs of steps that walked away, her face still buried in her palms. She gulped and took in a few deep breaths before she moved from her seat, straightening her back and moving to the window of the cabin, hands gripping at the edge of the wood.

She didn't throw a glance at Zoro. Silence stretched between them while the witch focused on the stars shining in the night sky.

I shouldn't have been here in the first place, she thought to herself, twisting the blade deeper into the wound. I shouldn't have accepted to come with you. I should've stayed in Syrup Village and left with another ship, to go somewhere far away from you. I should've known better that there's no way in hell I can grasp at the mere notion of freedom.

There's no place for me in heaven and there's no place for me in hell either. I'm stuck here, in this body, with these feelings and this swordsman in this galley.

I should've known. I should've known I was damned to die on my feet, with a bleeding heart and my back turned at you. I should've—

She gulped down harshly, blinking away the tears.

I want to stay with you all so badly.

"Zoro," she whispered his name again.

Tears stung in her eyes at the sound of his name. It felt like it was the last time she could hear his name repeatedly, the same name carved with silver on her heart.

"Be careful," she continued, her voice faint.

"Why do you care?" his bitter tone resounded in her eardrums. "Everyone seems deadly interested in my actions lately."

Only then she turned her head towards him and her ribcage protested when the prisoner that was her heart beat so harshly.

"I don't need a reason. I simply do. Please, Zoro."

Like the idiot that she was, she begged him to stay alive. A confession was hidden between her chapped lips — she picked at them with her nails and there was blood surfacing on top of the skin. Her tongue swiped over her bottom lip, the metallic flavor tickling her taste buds.

Judging on the way his jaw ticked with tension, he grasped onto enough of her words. Or maybe he refused to do so — who knows?

"Don't throw your life away. You'll never fulfill your promise if you die today. Be mindful. Don't rush when fighting, don't get angry if he pushes on your buttons and irritates you. Be wise, Zoro."

It was a lost fight on her side. There was nothing she could do to stop him, so at least she had to give him the best advice she thought of.

When he finally looked at her, her breath hitched. His brown eyes saw through her soul and she wondered if he could also feel how much she cared for him, the way she cared for him. She liked everyone on the ship equally, but her affection for him took a different path, one she's never walked on before.

He didn't say a word, letting everything sink in.

Maybe there is a chance he gets what I meant.

"Be careful."

This time, her voice trembled but she didn't look away. She stood there, staring at him as if it was the last time she saw his eyes open.

She turned towards the window again, nails digging into the wooden frame. She refused to look at him when she figured out tears could spill over her cheeks like a river if he continued staring at her, burying himself further into her soul. She only wanted him to be safe, because nothing was greater than that. If all of them could be kept away from harm's way, she would have days filled with peace.

Too bad such a thing was impossible in that unforgiving world.

Behind her, Zoro moved around and left the galley. After a few minutes, he came back with a bottle of oil for his swords. He dragged a chair and sat down at the table, more silent than usually. With utmost care, he took one of his black swords and unsheathed it, leaving the scabbard on the table. He poured some oil on the blade and used a piece of cloth to spread it even from tip to hilt.

The witch only dared to throw glances with an aching heart. She couldn't bring herself to leave, to stay away from him for too long now more than ever. She swallowed hard before making a tough decision.

Wordlessly, she moved from the window. Her heavy steps echoed in the room until they stopped right by Zoro's side.

"Can I help?"

Calm, just like she always tries to be, she spoke with fear clinging to every nerve in her body. She would blame herself for the rest of her life if they would part ways like that. More than her fears and worries, he mattered. He deserved all the pain she was capable of harboring inside her poor heart, he was worth the fight with her own self.

The swordsman didn't expect her gesture. He supposed she would storm out of the room, that she would scold him or try to stop him, just like before. He guessed she was more sane than him, even if he couldn't bring himself to care enough about that. Her reaction pained him in ways he couldn't explain.

His fingers pressed the piece of cloth against the blade of his words. He thought of being petty, shutting her down. Why couldn't she believe in him more? Was he that weak?

He nodded. Like the stupid man that he was, with no need for spoken words, he accepted her help. He watched her blank face, devoid of any life, as she took another sword from the table, following his exact steps.

Except, her hold on the white sword was gentle like a feather. A careful grip, so it wouldn't slip from her hand, but gentle nonetheless. He stopped whatever he was doing, focusing on the woman who rested her hips against the table, close to him, so close, but, oh, so far away. Zoro watched her unsheathe his Wado Ichimoji and place it on the table. Her hand reached out for the bottle of oil and her other one took advantage of the opportunity, taking the piece of cloth from his own hold.

Their fingers touched. Hers were cold, but they still burnt his skin. Electric shocks traveled through his body and his chest tightened.

She poured some oil on the material and then left the bottle on the table, gripping at the hilt of the sword again. She moved the piece of cloth over the blade carefully, as if she's done it before countless times. Left, right, left, right. Everytime she exhaled, her breath was trembling, despite the slow pace of her gestures.

He paid more attention to the hands holding his sword: they were shaking when she placed the sword on the table. She poured some more oil on the cloth and dipped the tip of her index finger in the same spot. With the same finger, she drew on the blade a symbol Zoro didn't recognize.

With each stroke of her fingertip, she traced lines and connected them in a barely visible symbol: an arrow pointed upwards.

"It's a rune meant for protection," she explained softly as she sheathed the sword. "It's associated with strength and honor. It doesn't matter if you don't believe in it, because I do and that's enough."

It was true: he didn't believe in such things and never did. The swordsman never found it reasonable nor did he ever try to figure it out. It didn't mean he denied her beliefs — no, but he was indifferent towards it.

However, he couldn't act indifferent towards the witch, which he found at that point to be straight up painful. It was painful to look at her and see torment in her deep eyes, it hurt to see sorrow painted on her angelic features when none of them was dead.

The witch did the same gesture with the other two swords, carefully holding each one of them, as if they were her own treasures, not his.

"Come back alive," she whispered.

If he wouldn't have been so close to her, her voice would've sounded like a breath.

"That's all I ask of you. If you wish so, then no sword will cut through you. Blades can cut steel, but nothing can cut will."

What was she mourning when she said those things? Who did she think of? he wondered.

May the gods protect you tomorrow, she hoped. They've taken so many away from me along the way.

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