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bowieandqueen11 · 5 months

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Sanji And Reader Being Smitten With Each Other Would Include...

Request: Headcanons of sanji with a crush or s/o who is absolutely smitten? Like always glancing or looking at him. Probably got punched across a room in battle after admiring sanji. Literally always looks at him with heart eyes.

My love this is so sweet but honestly I feel like Sanji is exactly the same so I hope you don't mind Sanji being just as smitten with reader :)

Warning: slightly NSFW, mentions of smoking and mentions of blood/ injury!

(I do not own One Piece or its characters, all rights go to creators. Gif credit goes to @suuho.)

☆.。.:・°☆.。.:・°

I mean look at Mr. Heart Eyes right here so let's just say that you're smitten? You're with the perfect man then because oh my goooossshh have you driven ZORO crazy with how infatuated the two of you are with each other. This poor swordsman has to spend 90% of his time barrel rolling you out of the way and diving in front of Sanji because you dopey dumbasses (affectionate in my case and derogatory in Zoro's) will just not. stop. gaping. at. each. other.

It all started when you agreed to escape the Germa Kingdom with your young princely friend; for many a year, since that fateful day he had literally walked face first into you while you were pretend playing pirates with some of your school chums in the marketplace, Sanji had been inseparable from you. Whether it was him sneaking out to find some solace in your welcoming home, or you trudging over the imposing walls of the palace so you could sneak down into the dungeons and hold a weeping Sanji's hand through the bar grates, you had been the one thing in his life since his mother's passing that had kept him sane.

And now here you were: worried eyes dampened by the torrential rain, but still peering over his face on that desolate rock the three of you ended up shipwrecked on. The whole eighty five days the two of you were stuck on that lonely side, with nothing but the unending stretch of unsultry gloam to keep you company, Sanji believed you were an angel sent to keep him safe. It was the way you shoved the crummy tins you had managed to shovel into your pockets while the ship was going down into Sanji's arms, shaking your head and pressing them further into his stomach as he began to protest. It was the lack of care you had for yourself, so intent you were with making sure he was doing as well as he possibly could: scooping murky water out of the crevices with your hands, just so you could run back and let it trickle down your fingertips and against his chapping lips. How some nights you hadn't slept a wink, too busy chasing away the growing whirlwind of seagulls that circled over your heads, diving down to try and peck at Sanji's burning legs. Making sure that he was tucked tightly under the overhanging edge of a crag, relinquishing the only bit of cover on this small island so Sanji could at least be a little sheltered from the constant downpour. Not only that, but you had even tried to comfort him: offering him a tired smile as you let your fingers shakily run through his hair and tuck away the stubborn curls behind his right ear.

He had held you against him then, as tightly as he could. Wracking with shivers, he couldn't quite figure out if it was due to the freezing cold wind that blew in from the North and snapped at his fingers, or the growing guilt that left him sniffling against your shoulder. It was so hard to focus on anything, with the sleet biting at his face, the imposing waves eating away at the stones beneath your feet. So he did the only thing his dispirited mind could still home in on: the one thing he would regret never doing, if he really were to wane away on this forsaken rock. He let his eyes flutter close, and he used the crash of lightening to mask his thundering heart as he tilted his head up and bashfully pecked your cheek.

For a moment, you thought it was just another hot splash of rain, until you caught sight of Sanji pulling away quickly and ducking his head in embarrassment.

'I-I don't know if we'll ever- well, I'm giving that kiss to you as a loan. I fully expect to get it back.' He managed to rouse some kind of meagre conviction in his hollow voice as he turned to watch your reaction; when he realised you weren't horrified, but instead were wide-eyed with shock as your pointer finger glazed over the wet mark left on your skin, he found himself hopeful for the first time in his life.

God, the two of you were both so gone. It was haunting, in its own beautiful way, as you gripped onto his hand and squeezed.

Far too many times has Zeff nearly blown the kitchen down with the amount of boiling smoke pouring out of his ears due to you two. It wasn't your fault that you had been assigned to the kitchen for your shift: Zeff should have known better, considering the exact same thing had happened yesterday... and the day before... and the year before that and so on, until your hand resembled more bandage than actual skin. You couldn't help it. It was just far too enticing- something so enchanting drawing your attention away from julienning your carrots to instead focus on the way Sanji's taut muscles rippled underneath his shirt as he sautéed. It was as if he had spellbound your eyes so they followed his form around, gladly taking in and making note of the idiosyncrasies you recognised from childhood: the way he still bites his bottom lip when he's really concentrating on stirring, the revulsion on his face as he absentmindedly unscrews a spice jar and takes a sniff, finding it to be oregano.

When you gash across your ring finger and start pooling blood onto the chopping board, though, is when the spell finally breaks and the shouting starts. 'Forth time this week!', he wags his finger at you. 'Forth time this week I've had to bloody throw out good equipment!'

'Was that seriously a pun?', Sanji asks, following on your heel like a swarming shadow as you hobble over to the sink. Zeff bites his tongue as Sanji shakes his head at him: this was an argument they had had far too many times. He had almost, almost resigned himself to the fact that Sanji would, and has, dropped the plates he was carrying to the floor with a resounding crash to run over and care for you. Thankfully, this was the perfect opportunity for Sanji to wrap gauze around your finger, before using an 'old fisherman's tale for healing grievous wounds' by peppering kisses against your knuckle to make you laugh.

Once, you were caught admiring him across your shared work station; the dishes stacking up to be washed were long forgotten as you spent ten minutes absentmindedly running your soapy sponge over the same plate, too busy letting your eyelashes flutter down to watch Sanji's skilful hands work. If you had let your gaze settle for just one more second, you would have seen Sanji raise his eyes to observe your face, lingering far too long on the rising curve of your Cupid's Bow. He bit his bottom lip, trying to stop the peach from flushing along his ears as he imagined how it would feel to swipe his tongue against your lips. When your eyes finally lock, the two of you end up so flustered about being caught that you both immediately go running off in different directions for your fifteen minute breaks.

It's not until the late evening, when everything is finally stowed away and only the late party-goers of the ship are still milling about by the bar that Sanji reappears. His head pops around the door like a surprised meerkat, rapping his knuckles against the office door and smiling as you kicked out the velvet stool next to you, beckoning him in. You drop the pen you were fiddling with when he magics the dish he had been working on earlier from behind his back, the heavenly aroma of your favourite childhood dessert overwhelming your senses as he settles next to you.

'I remember that this was your favourite, and-. Well, a sweet treat for a sweet treat, don't you think darling?'

You hum as you take the first bite, dragging the spoon along your bottom lip and throwing your head back in delight. Little did you notice the effect the warm, low vibration and sight of your plush lip dragging spit against the metal had on Sanji. He squirmed in his chair, swallowing thickly as he did his best to straighten his spine and look presentable: not like someone who was finding it harder and harder to hide the tingling feeling burning in his groin at the sight of you. God, just one noise and he was becoming undone.

He nearly cries out when you lean forward, so close he could nuzzle the tip of his nose against yours. God, does he want to. Instead he becomes slack jawed, eyes glazing over with pure want as you use your thumb and pointer finger to grip onto his chin. You tug down, opening his mouth and replacing the space with a fresh spoonful of his sweet dessert. He forgets how to breathe as he watches you glide the spoon out past his locked lips. It's only when you swipe away a little bit of cream left behind on his bottom lip line with your tongue, that he finally jolts. You just giggle, bringing the spoon back to your own mouth and sucking off the remnants of chocolate as Sanji does his best to stop his breath shuddering with soft squeaks.

His heart is about to spill out onto the floor: the trajectory of his life wrapped so firmly around the sweet twilight embrace of your tide that he would find it a pleasure to drown. You were his best friend. The love of his life. And he understands in that moment, with a realisation he could never unlearn, that he would go through every moment that led, every hardship, every bit of pain to get here again. He would do it all, if it meant he ended here with you.

But he only sighs and smiles fondly as you reach up to tuck that damn stubborn curl of hair back behind his ear again.

As soon as he made it back to his room, he slammed the door and fell back against it. With a hand thrown over his face, he groaned inwardly at how oblivious he had been. How much time he had wasted being afraid. But it was okay. He understood now. It had always been you. This. He was made more of you than he was of himself.

The next night, just after your shift, you find him leaning casually against the back door of the Baratie: his legs crossed out in front of him, watching the waves lap up serenely against the docks. His back rests against the shimmer of the bottle-green fish scales, making him seem almost other-worldly as the sun dips over his body. It fades from a warm yellow against his fringe, settling onto a melted honey running over his twirling cigarette, bowing with a crushed violet against his tapping heel.

You two have spent the last thirteen years endlessly circling each other's orbits without the eventual collide, that it didn't take long for you to find him. Tucking yourself against his shoulder, Sanji offers you a smile full of solace: an unspoken acknowledgement that he had been waiting out here for your arrival.

That despite all the hours and hours he had droned on about finding the All Blue, he wanted to be here with you - hell, he wanted to be anywhere with you. Even though he couldn’t find the right words to say it, still so unused to the daunting vehemence of requited love, it showed in the lift of his rose-tinted cheeks. In the flutters of the lines on his forehead. Sanji knew one thing in his life was certain, no matter how his future panned out: he loved you with every fibre of his being.

He grabs at your fingers, gently guiding them up to his lips. Pursing them, he places your fingertips around the mouthpiece and stares over the butt as he takes a final inhale, firm perch stopping you from getting away. As the stream of smoke floods out from the corner of his mouth, he allows you to pluck the cigarette away and toss it into the ocean.

'Y/n, I-', he starts breathlessly, turning his torso so he's giving you his undivided attention. He looks terrified - even more so when you quickly interrupt him by talking over his quivering confession.

'I have something to give back to you.' Your tone is so serious, Sanji's head bucks back in confusion.

'...Well, love. If you stole my apron again, don't sweat it.' He shoves his hands into his pockets, finding his courage draining away as you stare indiscernibly straight at him. 'Zeff has enough in the spare cupboard that we could dress up every Marine in a new uniform-'

'No, I mean- well', you shake your head and look up at the sky. 'I've been meaning to give it back for a long time now, but I guess delivery is pretty slow out in the middle of bloody nowhere', you laugh breathlessly, appreciating the way Sanji's worried eyebrow creases settle at the joke. You swear, golden treasures buried at the bottom of the ocean couldn't gleam as ferociously as Sanji's eyes do as he finally catches onto your meaning, his mouth dropping open.

His breath hitches in his throat, and his chin drops down to his neck in shock as you lean to your right and finally press your pliant lips against his own. Your fingers are quick to spread over his cheek, twirling through his loose curl once again as he falls against you; he almost crushes you with his full weight, but is quick to curve his spine and bow over you, little whimpers following his open mouth.

For a moment, as a thin trail of spit joins your brushing lips, Sanji has no idea how to react. Well, that is until he registers shock ripples delightfully lashing up his spine as you shove him back against the wall, his mouth falling open again in allowance for your tongue to lash in and fill the empty space: to suffocate his whines.

The look on the rest of the cooks' faces as the two of you come stumbling back in is priceless. The two of you really thought you had gotten away with it: if it weren't for the wall being shaken hard enough to rouse a Kraken from its slumber, and the slurred string of French curses and praises stuttering out of Sanji's lips and through the open door, you almost might have.

It's so worth it. Sanji just coughs into his clenched fist, fixing his lopsided tie and doing his best to use the flat edge of his thumb to try and wipe away some of the ruddiness from his swelling bottom lip. But when he slides his fingers in-between yours, a shy smile masked by a playful wink thrown back at you, do you know the two of you won't be able to keep your eyes (or your hands) off each other for the rest of the dining service.

When two of your 'charming' customers have a disagreement over their seating arrangements, you're too busy admiring how Sanji's thighs strain against his pressed trousers to see the trouble coming your way. It's only when one of them comes hurtling towards you and knocks you and your drinks tray ass over kettle that you become enraged. Before Sanji can even reach you to apologise, you've launched the customer off of you with a swift kick, managing to jab Sanji in the abdomen in the process. Doubling over, he falls on his face on top of you. I've got to be honest, neither of you are exactly complaining about your sudden arrangement. Once you've finished giggling and checking each other over, you realise that an inch lower, and short pant of Sanji's heaving breath against your breast and your lips would be brushing together.

The two of you would have turned into a tangled mess of heavy making out right there and then if Zeff hadn't come swinging out of the kitchen to see what all the ruckus was about.

Istg this poor man does his best to give the two of you jobs at opposite ends of the Baratie, only to nearly tug his braided beard out when a customer complains that their service is slow because, *surprise surprise*, the two of you are slacking off together. Either you're making heart eyes at him during as you wait in the main dining area, using any opportunity to grip onto the meat of his waist and slide past him with a poor excuse about 'needing to get clean menus' and making him shiver with a fresh rush of goose bumps, or he's finding you. Even when you were confined to working behind the bar, Sanji still manages to convince the other cooks that he so desperately needs the new delivery of brandy for his new profiterole recipe. Of course, he only does it so when he's on his knees lifting out the boxes, he can leave you a gasping, flustering mess. With clenched hands sending curls of shredded wood down on top of his hair, Sanji just presses his knees forward and pays no notice. He's too busy gliding his hands underneath your shirt, splaying them across your your back as he shoves his nose into your stomach. Although he's careful to stay hidden from the customers, he adores the sound of your clenched whines too much to stop himself. He rolls up the hem, ravishing you with a wet trail of kisses over the band of your trousers; his tongue runs welts over your skin as his teeth suck underneath your bellybutton, his left hand snaking down to rest on your leg so he can grip his thumb against the inner seam of your thigh.

It's only when the pad of his pointer finger presses a little too close to your clothed groin and you spill a drink over a customer that you both stop.

Once the two of you join Luffy's crew, you and Zoro seem to be the perfect team to drive Zoro up the wall. He likes you just fine, but you and waiter together being all lovey dovey makes him want to jump head first overboard.

What makes it even better is the fact that during the attack on Coco Village, you were too busy being proud of Sanji on his spectacular form and fighting technique that you and Zeff had spent years teaching him, that you don't notice one of the Fish-Men grabbing your collar. Before you can even gasp, you've been punched straight across the water and have knocked Zoro and three of the guys he was fighting down like a speeding bowling ball.

From then on, Zoro sleeps in the Crow's Perch and nowhere else. If he's not being knocked down, he's being left wincing as he trains with bruises gained from your elbow jabbed into his back. It's not your fault if you sneak in to cuddle in Sanji's hammock every night, and Zoro's face just happens to be inches away from yours. Sanji still has nightmares of your shipwrecked days from time to time, and just the pressure of your hand against his arm is enough to rouse him from whatever oblivion he was beginning to sink into. A warmth immediately spills through him as the two of you spend most of the night talking, reminiscing, sharing secret smiles between lingering kisses that leave the two of you giddy.

You're always up before him, letting him sleep in for as long as you can with a final, lingering kiss to his tense forehead. You wait for him in the kitchen, a warm cup of tea cupped between your hands, and a second one waiting for him on the counter as he sleepily wanders in to start breakfast preparations. It's become a comforting routine: you placing your head on your hand and talking idly as you admire him, keeping him company.

He knows, though. He knows what you're really waiting for. He happily obliges once the eggs have begun to sizzle, coming to rest on the bench in front of you. He grabs onto your back, pulling you onto his lap until you were straddling his waist. With languid blinks, he leaves soft kisses against the edge of your mouth as you grind against him, delighting in the hoarse groan that bobs his Adam's Apple. You tug the hair at the nape of his neck before scraping your nails over the skin apologetically, but what other way were you going to get him to open his mouth for you? Besides, the jumbled rush of French words that leave his mouth in a pealing string as you slide your tongue over his pulse point is the most heavenly sound in the world.

You're only disturbed by the sound of Luffy's yawn. For a moment, he just scratches the back of his neck and looks between the two of you curiously.

'Y/n, how come only Sanji gets a good morning hug! Can I have one too!'

'No!'

#one piece #one piece imagine #sanji #sanji imagine #sanji x reader #sanji headcanons #opla #vinsmoke sanji #vinsmoke sanji imagine #vinsmoke sanji x reader #vinsmoke sanki headcanons #op #op imagine #zoro #monkey d luffy #nami #usopp

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halfvalid · 7 months

Text

the blade daughter, pt. 2

ABOUT

pt. 1 | pt. 2 | pt. 3

alternate title: dracule mihawk cures your daddy issues!

rating: mature

characters: live action!roronoa zoro | fem!reader | live action!dracule mihawk | live action!straw hat ensemble

pairing: live action!roronoa zoro x fem!reader

word count: 23.6k total | 8k this part

description: after joining the straw hats on board the going merry, you're confused as to what to do with your life from now—and you can't help but get closer to zoro.

tags: mihawk's daughter!reader, female reader, canon-typical violence, cursing, no use of 'y/n', pet names per mihawk ('dear', 'darling', 'sweetheart', 'little hawk'), emotional hurt/comfort, slow burn, patching of wounds

author’s note: second chapter! i hope you like it <3 out of the three this one's probably my favorite personally, i really like the wound-stitching scene & i think it's one of the best scenes ive ever written. i'm suchhh a slut for the patching up of wounds trope.

You rose before the sun, careful to pack your belongings all in one sack. Considering the very little amount you’d brought, it was a relatively easy task—leaving the sloop would be fine, too, as you paid for the slip for a few months longer at least. Your father had so many ships across so many seas it hardly mattered much anymore.

You double-checked that you had all of your things before shutting down and leaving the sloop, consulting some of the dock men to transfer a boat lift under the berth. You moved carefully across the east port, making quick time as you returned to the Straw Hats’ ship in slip fifty-two.

There were apparent signs of life when you reached the ship, even with the sky cast over in dark hues of navy. All of the dead bodies had been removed, for one, and dock men were loading barrels up on the deck while Sanji watched over them. His expression brightened as his gaze fell across you.

“Lady Dracule!” he called out, slipping off from the barrel on which he’d been perched to meet you at the pier. You gave him an unimpressed look.

“I have a name, you know.”

“Oh, I wasn’t aware of that,” Sanji answered, a lopsided grin pulling up the side of his face. You rolled his eyes and introduced yourself, which only prompted a brighter smile and a steady pat of his hand on your back. “A fine name, for a fine woman.”

“Sanji, stop flirting with the crew.” You glanced up to see Nami, one hip cocked to the side with her hand on her waist, staring down with an exasperated glint in her eye. “Welcome aboard the Going Merry. Sorry I was a little grouchy last night. I don’t like having my sleep interrupted.” She leaned down to offer you her hand, and you took it, climbing aboard the ship.

“The Going Merry?”

“Fits it, don’t you think?” Sanji asked from behind you. Nami eyed him again, volume dropping as she tilted her head towards yours.

“He’ll quit with the sweet talk eventually. I’ll give you a tour once we’ve cast off. We’re just waiting for Zoro to get back from town, and then we’re all set.” She turned to bark out another few orders to Sanji— “Finish up with the crates already!”

“Anything you want, madam,” Sanji said with a little bow. Nami let out a long-suffering sigh.

“Luffy already prepared a room for you. I’ll show you to it.” She led you below deck, back towards the ship’s aft. There was a collection of rooms all crammed together, one beside the other. “These are the women’s quarters. Men’s’ are all the way at the front of the ship.” She nodded behind her. “You get this one here. Sorry, it’s small.”

She opened the door to the very last room, and you stepped inside, surveying your surroundings. It wasn’t much; the cabin barely scraped by as a room, consisting of only a wardrobe, a hanging bed, and a small table and chair stuck in the corner. A round window at the very edge of the room revealed the water just a mere few feet below.

“It’ll do fine, thank you,” you said. Your room back at home was far more ornate, but you’d never been picky.

“You can sleep for a few more hours,” Nami said, lingering by the cabin mouth. “Come find me when you’re ready for a tour. We should be setting off in a few moments, if Zoro’s back.”

You gave her a smile, and she left, the patter of her footsteps dying off as she walked further and further away.

It didn’t take you long to get arranged, and afterwards, you gingerly sat down on the bed, the rope tied to the ceiling causing it to sway under you. You were still uncertain about boarding the ship, but you couldn't exactly return to your sloop now. And it wasn’t the worst idea in the world, you tried to convince yourself.

You felt the ship start moving just a few moments later, and you stood up, walking across the rocking ship to get up to the deck. You were making fast time, Loguetown’s silhouette rapidly getting swallowed in the gulp of the horizon.

Nami was bickering with Zoro and Luffy when you found her. “What even took you so long? We were due to leave a half-hour ago.”

“I was getting new swords,” Zoro said calmly. Nami eyed him, then yanked something out of his hand. A wallet, it looked like, stuffed with bills of berry. “You can’t be mad at me. I spent less than half of your budget.”

“They scammed you,” Nami scoffed, eyeing the katanas at Zoro’s hip. Zoro simply shrugged. “A sword for free? It’s probably made of plastic.”

Zoro snorted. “I’d be able to tell.”

Nami cast him a look, gaze unimpressed under the line of her eyelashes. “You can’t tell the difference between a ship mast and a tree.”

“Yeah, but I know swords.”

“Oh, hey!” Luffy, who’d seemed tuned out of his crewmates’ conversation, said as he spotted you. “Glad to see you here. Officially part of the crew.”

“Oh, well…” you hesitated. “Not so sure if I’ll be joining you forever.” Luffy looked confused by that, but not particularly offended—Nami and Zoro had turned to watch you, too, argument dying on trembling legs. “Right now the plan is to help you get to the Grand Line. From there you can drop me home. And then we’ll part ways.”

“If you change your mind…” Luffy trailed off, then patted you on the shoulder. “Nami, were you going to show her around?”

“I was, but I’ve got some mapping to do.” Nami glanced over at Zoro. “Hey. Make yourself useful.”

“I hate you,” Zoro muttered. He brushed past you, just barely motioning with his head for you to follow. “Afterdeck.”

You stepped into the small space. It was easily the most secluded place on the ship deck, decorated with three young tangerine trees in white boxy planters. “I like your trees.”

“They’re Nami’s trees.” Zoro gestured with his head again, and you followed him. The tour was brief; Zoro didn’t have much to say, generally just showing you a room before telling you what it was and departing for the next area.

You were about halfway through the tour when Zoro spoke again, the words abrupt in his throat. He spat them out rather than spoke them, and you got the impression he’d been mulling over talking for a while— “You ever beat your dad in combat?”

You snorted. “No.”

Zoro didn’t look at you, opting instead to push through the next doorway and gesture vaguely around him to show you the surroundings. “Gotten close?”

“Never.” You shrugged. “He taught me the basics, but I wasn’t the best student. He’d try to be strict and everything, but… sword fighting isn’t really my thing. You’re probably better than me.”

Zoro gazed at you skeptically. “He taught you.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you—” He paused, mouth open for a moment before resuming his sentence. He didn’t sound particularly hesitant, but the pause had you stifling a smile anyway, knowing he was at least a little bit flustered. “We should train together.”

“Was that a question?”

“Not really.” Zoro’s lip quirked, one side of his mouth tugging upwards in an odd semblance of a smile. He didn’t seem the type to smile often, though, so it didn’t look out of ordinary on his face. “Have you seen enough of the ship yet, or do you want me to show you the bilge too?”

“I’m good, thanks,” you answered primly. “Now did you want to fight me or not?”

Zoro actually smiled at that.

You decided to train on the main deck, in an area wide enough to not bump into anyone else. You shed your jacket, pulling Hiru out of its scabbard. Zoro winced as the sun hit the silver blade, reflecting a blinding gleam off its surface. “That a stylistic choice?”

“I polish things when I get anxious,” you answered. “So not really.”

“Right.” Zoro untied a black bandana from where it was fixed on his bicep, fingers working fluidly against the knot. Once he got it untied, he wrapped it around his head, tying it carefully around his head. Afterwards, he slid one of his swords out of its scabbard, holding it with his fingers to follow with the other. “How low should my expectations be?”

“I don’t know, you tell me,” you answered. Zoro let a soft sound out through his mouth, but he said no more, transferring one sword to each hand. He moved carefully, arms arching over his head to lower to each of his sides. You lifted Hiru up, more casual in your movements than Zoro was.

You paid more attention to Zoro than the actual fight when you started moving. You figured you’d have time to genuinely practice later—you hadn’t kept a close eye on the swordsman in the battle against the pirate hunters, and your curiosity was eating at you. Zoro was all angles when he fought, elbows lifted and limbs pin-straight. That wasn’t to say there was no flexibility in his movements, though—he dodged your oncoming attacks easily, sidestepping with a light twist of the torso so your blade cut air instead of flesh.

Just a few seconds in you could tell Zoro was far, far better than you. You parried one of his attacks, gasp ripping from your throat as you just barely managed to block off a slash from his katana with Hiru. He spun towards you, careful not to actually cut as his blade came for the throat. You managed to dodge just in time, moving backwards with a quick patter of your feet against the wooden deck.

There was barely anything skewed in his motions, you were soon to realize. He was perfect in every sense of the word. Your styles were vastly different, of course—Zoro mainly relied on his blades, and his physicality was carefully practiced, no curves or bends apparent in the straight lines and slants of his body. In comparison, you were much more slippery, focusing mainly on your agility to carry you throughout a fight rather than your strength.

“Your elbow,” Zoro said. You barely managed to respond, letting out a grunt of effort as you blocked Zoro’s oncoming attack.

“Hm?”

Zoro’s katana came from the left. He used the other one to knock your arm up, nearly gentle in his movements, and you were reminded of how Mihawk used to train you—stopping mid-fight to reposition your limbs, using his sword to carefully push your hands in the right places. “You’re dropping it.”

“I don’t care much for angles,” you answered, ducking under Zoro’s incoming blade and sliding off to the side instead of trying to shove against it. Zoro seemed startled by that, struck off-balance as he stumbled, turning to face you.

You jerked your sword towards him, one leg coming up to shove against his torso whilst doing so. You managed to knock him fully off-balance then, and he staggered against his feet, teetering precariously backwards. “Your center of gravity is screwed.”

“You dad kept flinging me around the pier,” Zoro said. You raised your brows, the phrase nonsensical to your ears. But it did sound like Mihawk. “It run in the family?”

“Very funny.” You dodged another slash of Zoro’s swords. “The only thing I picked up well in our lessons was about keeping balance.”

“And dodging, apparently.” You snickered at that, parrying another one of Zoro’s attacks—but it was getting harder and harder, what with the immense strength of his body you simply couldn’t keep up with. As flexible as you were, you weren’t quick enough this time, and Zoro swept you off your feet so you fell to the ground, wind bursting out of your chest all in one rush. Hiru clattered a few feet away, your fingers unfolding from their grip and letting it move freely.

Zoro slid his swords back in their sheaths, letting them close with a satisfying click. “You fight too defensively.”

You lay there for a moment, trying to gather air back into your lungs. “Never found a point in attacking others, really.” You got up, straightening your shirt before bending over to pick Hiru up from the floor. “Good fight.”

“Yeah,” Zoro said, but his voice was weak, tapering off to blend in with the wind. He had an uncertain look on his face, big brown eyes all fuzzy around the edges, like there was some cloudlike film covering him from seeing properly. You frowned at him.

“Is that because I’m worse or better than you expected?” you asked, gesturing vaguely up at his expression. Zoro blinked, the fog over his eyes clearing as he glanced down to meet your gaze. You waited expectantly, but he didn’t say anything. “Zoro?” you prompted.

“Sorry,” Zoro said. “I’m—I’m going to go to my cabin.”

You watched him leave, growing more quizzical by the second. Well, you’d gotten what you’d come there for, anyway. Roronoa Zoro was a great swordsman. And he certainly had the potential to be the greatest in the world, too—a realization that shook you a little, heart trembling from where it was fixed in your chest cavity. You swallowed hard, mind replaying the firm motions of his body from the fight. He’d been confident, sure of himself. You had even forgotten he still hosted Yoru’s slash along his torso from just a week or so prior, he’d been so… perfect.

“He’s good, huh?”

You startled, turning to see Usopp sitting atop a pile of crates like a king on a throne. He was picking at his fingernails. “Zoro,” he clarified. “Best swordsman in the East Blue.”

“Yeah,” you said, glancing over at where Zoro had left. “He is.”

Usopp eyed you for a moment. “Your shell phone is ringing.”

You startled, patting down your figure before finally unearthing your phone from where it was tucked safely away in your pocket. You opened it, pushing the den den mushi in your ear as it vibrated, little mouth making soft rumbling sounds to catch your attention. Usopp clearly didn’t know a thing about privacy, though, because he kept watching even as you picked up— “Hello?”

“Back home yet, darling?” Mihawk asked over the line, and you relaxed, your entire body going slack with comfort as you heard the familiar low hum of your father’s voice. “I figured you’d go back as quickly as possible.”

“No, actually,” you said. “Luffy roped me into coming aboard his ship.”

You could practically see Mihawk’s brows lift up in surprise. “You joined the Straw Hat pirate’s crew?”

“No. They’re bringing me home. I’m helping them get to the Grand Line,” you corrected. Mihawk hummed, the sound a crackle of monotony through the den den mushi’s mouth.

“And why, pray tell, would you do that?”

You chewed at your bottom lip, glancing off the side of the Going Merry to the East Blue. The sun had risen fully, fixing itself in a warm beam in the sky. “I was curious about Roronoa Zoro. You never told me why you left him alive. Or why you let Luffy go.” You could still feel Usopp’s gaze on you while you spoke, and you just knew he’d be telling the rest of his crew this after your conversation finished. “So I wanted to figure out your reasoning.”

“Ah,” Mihawk said. “Has he healed from Yoru’s wound yet?”

“It’s not like I tore off his shirt to check, dad,” you muttered. Mihawk barked out a laugh, and you startled at the sound before settling down again. “He walks fine. I saw bandages.”

Mihawk seemed pleased by that. “Wonderful. He’s a hardy one. You should fight him.”

“Already did,” you answered. “He beat me.”

Mihawk considered that for a moment. “Eh, I saw that coming.”

You scoffed. “You have no faith in me. Where are you now?”

“South Blue, still,” Mihawk replied. “Are you at least enjoying yourself there? It’ll be good for you to make friends, sweetheart. You don’t get much social interaction other than me and the villagers, after all.”

“I’m not here to make friends, I’m here to get a ride home,” you said insistently, but your voice was weak, and Mihawk clearly didn’t believe you. Your mind wandered back to Zoro—the firm muscle of his body, the hushed tone he spoke in, and you found your face pinkening. “One of them—one of them wants to kill you. That’s his entire life’s purpose. To murder you.”

“I think you’re being a tad bit broad, darling,” Mihawk said with a click of his tongue. “You seem rather enamored with this particular young swordsman. Something to say?”

“I—” your words fumbled in your mouth, and you were certain you were entirely pink now, the sun’s glowing rays only making your face warmer than it was rapidly turning. “Stop. I’m hanging up now.”

Mihawk’s voice was tastefully dry when he responded. “I’m sure.”

“Shut up, old man,” you grumbled.

“Right. Remember the rule, dear,” Mihawk trilled, and despite his voice being as monotone as ever, you could still identify the undertones of it—laced with syrupy mocking, all teasing and dramatic. “No dating unless he can beat you in combat!”

You actually did hang up this time, practically tearing the den den mushi out of your ear. You huffed out an irritated breath, rubbing a circle into the shell of your snail as an apology just a moment later. “Sorry,” you murmured. “My dad’s a bitch.”

The snail just let out a little grumble in response. You tucked it back into its case and snapped the phone shut.

“Aw, we’re not allowed to say hi?” You spun around at the new voice, glaring upon seeing Sanji and Luffy having joined Usopp in his eavesdropping. Sanji bore a gigantic grin on his face. “Sounded like an interesting conversation.”

“None of you know what boundaries are,” you muttered, but it was light-hearted.

You didn’t see Zoro until suppertime, a fact that rang odd in your head. It seemed like he’d completely evaporated from the ship, disappearing around every corner as you spent the rest of the day getting to know the rest of the crew better. Something had happened, but you weren’t exactly sure what—and you weren’t exactly sure if you were close enough to him to even ask, yet.

Sanji had cooked up a dinner so fine you doubted it could even quality as ship food. From your time traveling with your father, rations on-board hadn’t been much of anything—a few scraps of bread or dried meat, old apples, perhaps some fish if you were lucky. Mihawk hadn’t the biggest priority on eating well, but the Straw Hat crew seemed to have the exact opposite opinion. You were served a bowl of miso soup along with a bowl of rice, and dishes of tofu and oyster sauce stir-fried vegetables were carefully laid out all across the table.

“Bon appétit,” Sanji said, taking a half-bow before slipping into the last seat around the table. “I hope it’s to your liking. Yours especially, Lady Dracule.” He gave you a little wink at that. You just stared at him.

“I thought I told you my name.”

“Well, you did, but I thought Lady Dracule had a nice ring to it.”

“It doesn’t,” you said. Nami stifled a snort, the hand not holding her chopsticks coming up to cover her mouth. Sanji didn’t look the slightest bit dissuaded. You turned your attention on Zoro, who hadn’t spoken a word throughout the whole meal. He was rather studiously focused on his bowl, eyes picking apart the grains of rice like they’d reveal the world’s greatest secrets.

Carefully, you leaned towards Nami, voice coming out in a hushed whisper. “Is he okay?”

“He gets like that sometimes,” Nami answered, her words drowned out by Usopp and Luffy’s cheerful conversation. “Nobody can crack him except for Luffy. I’d just leave him be.”

“You don’t know why?”

Nami just shrugged. “Hell, we’re all depressed sometimes. Not within my rights to question him.”

You nodded, but your gaze didn’t move away from Zoro’s figure. There was a particular squeezing sensation deep in your chest—a little flip-flop thing, a sort of panging you couldn’t quite place. He glanced up, dark eyes meeting yours for just a fraction of a second. But he didn’t flinch away. He just returned your gaze, strong and unblinking.

To your surprise, Zoro was the first to look away, craning his neck to study his bowl again and continuing on like your extended bout of eye contact hadn’t even happened. You watched him, dumbstruck, until Nami nudged you in the shoulder. The rest of the group’s idle chatter had died down, and Usopp and Sanji were staring at you, low murmurs falling out of their mouths. You cleared your throat, finally dropping your gaze from the green-haired swordsman and attempting to ignore the fact everyone had caught you staring.

You didn’t do much of anything after supper—you just returned to your cabin, carefully walking across the creaking boards of the ship. Luffy assigned you mid watch, so you had a few hours to sleep before waking up at midnight to look out for any enemies.

You couldn’t find yourself falling asleep even after you’d slipped into bed. You’d changed, a loose blouse light against your skin, black silk shorts grazing your thighs. It was cold out, so you shrugged on a robe as you headed out into the darkness of the Going Merry. You emerged out on the deck, taking in a breath of the night air as you glanced to see who had the night watch.

Just your luck. It was Zoro.

He seemed tranquil, lounging across a hammock with his white sword—the Wado Ichimonji—cradled in his arms. In the dim light you couldn’t see if his eyes were open or closed, but as you got closer, he cracked one of them open, a gleam reflecting off his right iris. “Hi,” you said, moving over to the side of the ship to watch the waves on the water.

Zoro didn’t deign to respond, so you just stood there, watching the sea lap at the side of the ship until eventually the hour struck twelve. Zoro left soundlessly. You stayed awake all throughout your watch until Usopp came to relieve you of your duties.

Zoro was avoiding you.

A few days had passed since you first boarded the Going Merry. They hadn’t been of much interest—just days of practicing with your sword and chatting with the crew, for the most part. You helped around the ship, completing various tasks apparently none of the members knew or cared enough to do. You were just emerging from the bilge, having done basic maintenance to ensure everything was working properly, when you bumped into him. The man was apparently taking a nap, though you couldn’t figure out why the storage area was a very good place to sleep. Still, he seemed comfortable enough, long body splayed along a grouping of crates.

“Hi,” you said, for what seemed like the hundredth time over a few days. Zoro just averted his gaze and let out a little grunt in response. You stared at him for a moment. The realization had dawned on you ever since the first day, but it was growing more and more apparent, and you were baffled as to what you’d done to incur the silent treatment.

“Hi,” you repeated, more purposefully this time.

“Hey,” Zoro said, though the word was clearly bitter in his mouth. You propped your hands on your hips and stared down at him.

“You’re avoiding me.”

Zoro closed his eyes, expression not even changing. “You’re not that special.”

“Ever since we fought that one time, you’ve been ignoring me,” you barreled on, entirely ignoring his quip. Zoro cocked a brow, eyes still closed, and you glared down at it. “I’d like to know why.”

“Why do you care? We’re not friends.”

“Isn’t it natural to want to know why someone is mad at you?” you demanded, perplexed. Zoro sighed then, shifting around on his boxes.

“I’m not mad at you.” You heaved out a sigh even more irritated than Zoro’s. Your experience in the realm of dealing with close-lipped men’s personal issues was, unfortunately, rather well-seasoned. You’d had to coax situations out of your father, one hand pressed against Yoru’s hilt to prevent Mihawk from lashing out his frustrations rather than explaining them. But that didn’t mean you were all too fond of it.

“Okay, well, why else would you be ignoring me then?”

Zoro’s response was annoyingly frank. “It’s not really any of your business.”

You pursed your lips, trying to suppress the irritated noise that threatened to burst from your throat. “I don’t like being on bad terms with people,” you started. “If I did something to piss you off, I’d very much like it if you—”

The floor slipped out from underneath you before you could finish your sentence. You fell with a graceless clatter, lurching forward into the stack of crates Zoro was leaning on, words dying on your tongue. The entire boat trembled, quivering from side to side as if the ocean waves had suddenly propelled a thousand more ripples at its surface.

Zoro sat immediately up, one hand pushing you off of him as he scrambled off the crates. “What was that?”

“I don’t—” Just a moment after regaining your balance, there was another dull thud and a row of quivers. You remained steady this time, glancing carefully around you before you and Zoro were both hurrying up towards the ship deck. The Going Merry was in chaos when you emerged, Nami at the helm while Sanji was firing up a cannon beside her.

“What’s going on?” you demanded, the tails of your coat lapping around your calves as you hurried up besides Luffy.

“Pirates,” Luffy said grimly, nodding towards a ship that was quickly gaining on you. “They blew through the stern railing. Do any of you recognize the jolly roger?”

You glanced up, taking in the billowing sail boasting a pure-white jolly roger with a top hat and mustache. “Nope. These things are getting more and more ridiculous,” you muttered.

“Yeah,” Luffy agreed, affronted. “Ours is way better.”

You turned your gaze up at the Straw Hat crew’s aforementioned jolly roger. “...No comment.”

“We can’t outrun them!” Nami shouted from her place at the helm. Sanji had successfully nailed a cannonball into the railing of the oncoming ship, but they had a dozen more men. “I’m going to try to get closer. Best chance we have is one-on-one combat.” She turned to fix the small grouping with a glare. “Don’t just stand there. Get to it!”

You launched into action, hurrying to climb up the rigging to get a better view as Nami veered hard to starboard. The enemy ship had dropped their cannons, and you could see them preparing to board the Merry, grabbing onto loose ropes of rigging. “They’re going to swing over,” you reported, watching as the ship tilted in your direction, gaining on you. “I see maybe two or three dozen men.”

You hesitated, glancing around at the rather stationary crew around you. Your lip tugged between your teeth, and you stood there for a moment, unspoken words heavy on your tongue. You could see the captain yelling out orders on the ship across from you, and you turned abruptly, fixing Sanji with a look.

“Sanji, trade with Usopp. I want you to nail a cannon at their port stern.”

“W—What? Me?” Usopp stuttered. You nodded.

“I want Sanji on the frontlines. That should be close enough now.” You gazed out at the rapidly thinning gap between the two ships. One final cannonball whizzed towards, and you ducked, watching as it just brushed the side of the Merry. The ship rocked, and you tightened your grip on the rigging, satisfied to see it’d barely left a mark.

“They’re coming over,” Sanji reported, and you nodded, sliding Hiru out from your scabbard as enemy pirates started swinging over on ropes. Luffy was the first to react, an arching, rubbery limb catching one of them midair and yanking them down into the ocean. Boots thudded on the ground as the enemy pirates landed aboard the Going Merry.

“Time for a fight,” Zoro murmured, barely audible from your left. You jumped down from the rigging, sword coming down to crash against one of the enemy pirates. He reacted slowly, pistol cocking towards your chest—but you just brushed it to the side with Hiru, cutting it straight out his hand and following up with a flurry of sword thrusts.

Besides you, you saw Sanji sliding into battle, spinning on his palms to deliver a mean right hook to someone’s jawbone. An audible crack pierced the air, and you winced, breezing backwards on your feet as two pirates closed in on you.

Luffy seemed to have engaged in a one-on-one with the enemy captain, who was easily identifiable due to the gigantic top hat perched upon his head. He had thick black hair tied neatly back in a ponytail, and a mustache and beard to match. A thick cutlass was tightened in one fist, thrusted towards Luffy—but every sweep was dodged with unbelievable bends of the torso.

You turned your attention away, whipping your sword at the pirates that surrounded you. Hiru clashed with their blades, gleaming silver scraping against theirs. You leaned forward, and the blade before you broke with the pressure, sword snapping under Hiru’s will.

The sword dropped out of the pirate’s hand, and you took the opportunity to pull your leg up, kicking him squarely in the jaw. The other lunged for you, and your fist dug into their torso, hands gripping tight to their belt. You bent over, twisting into his body to push him over your shoulder in a sweeping throw.

He fell to the floor all in one, and you landed a kick to his chest just to ensure he wouldn’t get up again. Another man—bigger, this time, probably half your width and inches taller—gunned for you.

You sidestepped him easily, agility tilting in your favor as you escaped his grasp. It was harder to take this one down—while you could dodge him well enough, and parry his oncoming attacks, he was simply too strong to compete with. Strength isn’t everything, little hawk, Mihawk would always tell you. Everyone has a weakness. Get them off balance. Use your points.

The man delivered a stinging left hook to your torso, and you gasped. He took the opportunity to grab onto your wrist, grip so tight you couldn’t move your hand. Hiru clattered out from between your fingers. You directed a hit with your elbow towards the pirate’s sternum, but it was oddly-placed, and he just sneered down at you.

One of his large fists rose to thud against your skull, and you braced for impact, but the blow never landed. A warm squishing sound of a sword against skin made your entire body shudder, and you turned to stare as your assailant’s head slid cleanly off of his neck.

Zoro was behind him when his body collapsed, sword slick with blood as he spun it lazily around in a hand. “Careful,” he said.

You gaped up at him for merely a second more before you realized your jaw was ajar. You flushed, bending over to fish Hiru up from the floor. “I was fine.”

Zoro just thrust his sword cleanly into the torso of an incoming pirate, eyes not breaking away from yours. He slid it out with a sickening sound, flicking the blood off the blade with a motion of his hand. “A thank you might be nice.”

“Behind you,” you said instead, but Zoro was already reacting. You watched him, an incurable sigh perched on the tip of your tongue. He was good. He was really, really good, and you didn’t know how to feel about it. “Is that most of them?”

“I think—” Zoro cut himself off, glancing over his shoulder as you both hear the familiar yell of Luffy’s voice screaming out one of his final moves. You both watched, soundless, as his foot smashed into the top hat pirate’s face, flinging him all the way across the water straight into the mast of his own ship. Only mere seconds later did the mast crack, the wooden pole falling down in a glorious, wooden heap.

“...Yeah, we’re fine.” Zoro said. He leaned down, grabbing the shirt of one of the fallen pirates to wipe his blade with before sliding it back in its scabbard. “Let’s get out of here.”

“On it.” Nami snapped her bo staff closed—when she’d jumped down into the battle, you were unsure, but she was already returning to her place at the helm. “Toss these bodies off our boat, would you, Zoro?”

“Right.” Zoro bent over, easily picking up the fallen pirate and chucking the corpse overboard without another thought. You watched him the entire time, the strain of his biceps against his skin forming solid ridges up his arms.

“I can clean your swords,” you said, words a bit too late out of your mouth. Zoro glanced up, brow creased. “While you’re doing that.”

Zoro looked uncertain, but he unstrapped the scabbards from his hip, handing the twin katanas to you. You took them, glancing over his figure again. He moved with difficulty, and while you’d originally thought that was because of the bodies’ weight, you now saw the real reason. Lines of crimson were seeping through his shirt, a pool by the left side of his lower abdomen the biggest injured site. You took an involuntary step forward. “You’re hurt.”

“I can treat them later,” Zoro said dismissively. “Gotta clean up the Merry first.”

“No, mosshead, the lady is right,” Sanji said. You startled, not having noticed him slip up beside you. “Usopp and I can manage with waste control, eh?” He winked. “Go clean up.”

Zoro glared at him, the look dripping with malice, but he didn’t argue past that. “Fine,” he said, chucking another body—this one alive—off the side of the ship before straightening. You heard the hitch in his breath as he spoke, along with the near-imperceptible wince of his face. “You good, Luffy?”

“A little hungry,” Luffy responded truthfully. He was still watching the other ship. Fire had started aboard it, and soft billows of black smoke drifted in the air. “Can you cook something up later, Sanji?”

“Got it,” Sanji said. “Tell your first mate to patch up his wound before he bleeds out all over our beautiful deck.”

“The deck isn’t beautiful, it’s got blood and guts all over it,” Zoro muttered.

“Well, have a little respect and don’t add to the mess.” Sanji fixed him with a stern look. Zoro bared his teeth at him in a grimace, extracting a sharp little laugh out of your throat. His eyes brushed over yours, a glimmer of surprise dancing in his irises, before he ducked inside.

“Why are you following me?” Zoro asked flatly, as you entered the cabin he’d gone into. You’d hastened to keep up with him, only a few steps behind before finding the room he’d gone into. Zoro had propped himself up on the hanging bed, loosening the ties of his wrap shirt to expose his bare chest.

“I was wondering if you needed any help with your wounds.” You deposited Zoro’s swords, along with Hiru, on the table in the room, moving closer to him to survey the scene. “If you wanted it.”

Zoro’s gaze met yours, and he said nothing for a moment. “First aid kit’s over there,” he finally said, nodding to the table. You moved towards it, opening up the small box to expose supplies of bandages, needles, stitch string, and disinfectant inside. You carried the box over to the bed, sanitizing your hands before carefully parting the folds of Zoro’s shirt. The cloth stuck to skin, coagulating blood making the shirt peel rather than move. Now that his entire torso was bared, though, you could fully inspect his wounds. There were still bandages from Yoru’s cut, all dirtied up now from his other injuries—you’d have to take them off and re-dress them, so he’d be in the bed for thirty minutes at least.

You turned your attention to the cut by Zoro’s abdomen, deciding it was the most important thing to focus on. The cut wasn’t too deep, but it was gushing a steady flow of blood, and you picked up a towel to press against the wound. “Hold,” you instructed, and Zoro’s fingers brushed against yours as he took a hold of the cloth. “Thanks. I’ve got to take your bandages off, then I’ll clean and dress all the wounds. That one down there might need stitches.”

“How do you know how to do this?” Zoro asked, watching as you unwrapped the previous bandages from around his chest. You were careful to touch his skin as little as possible, distracting yourself with the blood and gauze.

“My dad,” you answered. You’d spent too many late nights patching up a wound Mihawk had brushed off as unimportant, only to wind up bleeding out on your couch. Zoro raised a brow.

“Dracule Mihawk gets injured?”

“Of course he does,” you said with a huff. “Don’t be stupid. He’s a man, just like the rest of you.” The gash from Yoru had fully scabbed over, revealing a long, trembling crust of dark ochre. You finished peeling off all the bandages, and cast them to the side.

“You know a lot.”

“Jack of all trades, master of none,” you quipped. You moved away from the desk to fill a bucket with warm water, dipping a cloth into it and squeezing out the excess. You dabbed around Yoru’s scab with the cloth, careful not to break the shell while still cleaning it of any extra gunk. Then you focused on flushing out the other wounds, wiping across his skin and getting all the little nicks on his chest and arms. Zoro didn’t say a word, but you could feel his eyes boring into your skull, watching you with a hardened intensity that made your insides churn.

You nudged his hand away, examining the big cut. The rag he was holding had filled up with blood, white cotton dyed red and sodden with liquid. Thankfully, the bleeding seemed to have lessened. You wiped up all the last of it with your towel, swiping it against the pills of blood that had caught along the waistband of his trousers. Zoro hissed as you came into contact with the wound. “Sorry,” you murmured.

“Why are you apologizing?”

You frowned at that. “Because it hurt?”

“I thought you were mad at me,” Zoro said stiffly. You raised your brows. “Since… you thought I was annoyed at you, or whatever.”

“Just because you feel a certain kind of way towards me doesn’t mean I reciprocate the same feelings,” you answered, setting aside your towel after deciding everything had been cleaned out well enough. You picked up another cloth, dabbing this one with some alcohol to disinfect the wound. “This is going to sting,” you warned.

Zoro’s jaw clenched, teeth grinding against each other as you flushed out the wound. His torso clenched, and your eyes fell across his exposed midriff, watching the tight skin that was seemingly sculpted into muscles. You glanced away just a moment later, a dusting of warmth brushing over your cheeks. “On that topic,” you hastened to say, trying to distract yourself from the half-naked man in front of you, “Why were you avoiding me?”

Zoro let out a sigh, the sound stuttered as he clenched his jaw again when you brushed your towel against his wound. You waited, taking out a fresh cloth to dab at the other nicks on his body. You examined the wound near his left side again. “Stitches.”

“Great,” Zoro muttered. You ignored him, searching in the kit for some needle and thread. “Can you take the stitches out from your dad’s yet?”

“Ha ha. You’re going to need those for a few more weeks,” you said, without even looking at the scab to check. “Ask me again later. Yoru cuts are deadly.”

Zoro let his eyes flutter closed. “It’s a great sword.”

“Yeah, it is,” you said. You paused from where you were threading the needle, glancing up at Zoro’s face now that you knew he couldn’t catch you staring. He looked so peaceful in this state, eyelashes splayed along his cheeks, dark umber freckles that you hadn’t noticed before splattered across his face. There were dozens of them, skin sun-worn and bearing the marks as proof—constellations of dark brown stars, so similar to his warm, glowing skin it was easy to miss. A five-o’-clock shadow traced around his mouth, and at his left ear, his golden earrings gleamed bright.

“I don’t feel anything,” Zoro said, and you snapped out of your reverie, fingers fumbling to finish threading your needle.

“Patience is a virtue, you know,” you hissed. Zoro snorted.

“Yeah, one I don’t have.” You rolled your eyes, tying off the string and bending down to examine the cut again. It wasn’t too wide—maybe five or six stitches at most. You gave Zoro no warning except for the light brush of your fingers against the wound, and he hissed again.

You glanced up. “Do you want something to bite on?”

“I’m not a toddler,” Zoro sneered. You mouthed his words mockingly, though you didn’t actually speak them, not wanting him to catch you doing such an immature action. You fixed your gaze back on the wound, free hand resting flat against Zoro’s abdomen to steady you—his skin was warm under your palm, and you expected him to say something, but to your surprise, he didn’t even flinch.

The first puncture came carefully. Zoro hissed, the sound of a low rumble in his throat as you felt his abdomen clench under your palm. You forced yourself to continue, pulling the thread fully through the skin before moving onto the other side of the wound. You did it again, carefully to keep the string untangled as it ran through Zoro’s flesh.

“It wasn’t because I was mad at you,” Zoro said abruptly, and you paused, glancing up to look at Zoro’s face. His eyes were still closed, brows contorted tight and mouth bared down into a grimace. “Don’t stop. I wasn’t avoiding you because I was angry. Or because of anything you did.”

“Why, then?” you asked, lowering your head to continue with your stitches. Zoro took in a sharp breath at the next one, the edges of a scream cutting into his breath but not fully escaping from his throat. You were rubbing a comforting circle into his stomach before you could stop yourself—muscle memory from patching up your dad’s wounds. You swallowed hard, but didn’t stop the motions—Zoro didn’t seem offended by them.

His voice was raggedy when he spoke again. “Fighting against you. It reminded me of—my friend, from back then. I told you about her.”

Your lips pursed, but you didn’t stall your actions, running the thread through the hole you’d pricked. “The one you made the promise to?”

“Yeah,” Zoro said, the word falling out all in one breath. You fixed the string tight along the wound, fingers splayed across his stomach warning him for the next puncture. He continued speaking despite it, and your needle hovered over his skin. “We were training together—fuck.”

“Sorry,” you said again, still running your thread through his skin as he heaved out a long, ragged groan from low in his throat.

“We were training together,” he repeated. “Haven’t done that in a while with a girl. So it—” His voice tapered off in another breathy groan. “Reminded me of her. I got bitchy.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” you said. You were getting close to the end of the wound now, but your actions slowed, just to keep him talking—the words came out all harsh and hesitant, and you got the feeling speaking about his past was a laborious task. Might as well let him have the safety of avoiding your eyes like this while he spoke. “Do I look like her or something?”

Zoro huffed out a laugh. “Ha. No.”

“Okay,” you said. You pierced his skin again—he took this one better, muscles clenching as he sucked in hard. You waited until you finished the stitch to speak again. “Are you going to keep avoiding me?”

“No,” Zoro said. His words pierced the air, weighed heavy with a gasp of pain and a hiss, but it still rang sharp in your ears. He eased out a breath, long and soft. “It was unfair. Can’t help it sometimes, that’s all.”

“That’s fine,” you answered carefully. You threaded one last stitch, both of you mute as you tightened the wound closed with the suture and tied it off. You snipped the string with a pocketknife, using another damp towel to clean up any of the excess blood. “I’m going to dress everything with bandages now. Almost done.”

“Okay,” Zoro said. You reorganized your supplies, tucking away your stitching things to replace with bandages and dressing pads. You washed your hands again, then returned to bend over Zoro’s torso. When you did, you were surprised to see Zoro’s eyes had opened, soft brown irises boring into yours. You swallowed, feeling the burn of his gaze into your skin as you stared at the skin of his midsection.

“I’ll do the big one first, then everything else,” you said carefully. You worked in silence, pressing a dressing pad along the wound and tying it off with some gauze to fix it in place. You moved around his body, bandaging up any cuts you deemed worthy until you finally were left with Yoru’s cut.

It stretched the entire expanse of his torso, from shoulder to hip. It’d been well done, the cut deep but not deep enough to kill as long as someone was fast enough with treatment. You recognized the shape of the cut, the very tip of it thin before Yoru’s mouth caught the skin with the center of his blade. “He did it like this on purpose?” Zoro asked.

“Yeah,” you said. “He’s methodical with most things.” You wrapped gauze around the scab, tightening it up and then finally tying it off by his hip. “I’d keep that on for a few days before replacing it. Keep dressing it for another two weeks or so. It’ll probably start swelling soon, so I can help you drain whatever fluid develops.”

“I’ll let you know,” Zoro said. He was still watching you with those big brown eyes, and a soft shiver traced down your spine. “Thank you.”

“Thank you for saving me from that pirate earlier,” you said. You surveyed him again, though you were careful not to meet his eyes. A long silence filled the space, heavy with something you couldn’t quite place. You ducked your head, busying yourself with putting away the first aid kit. The words fell from your mouth before you could stop them— “I like your earrings.”

“Oh,” Zoro said. Nothing else.

You were pretty sure you liked more than the earrings. You liked the way he fought, even if it scared you sometimes—even if you knew one day he’d probably be able to beat your father. You liked his face; those big brown eyes, soulless at times but holding the world in those glistening irises at others. Those freckles, adorned with the entire galaxy, stars and planets and constellations dotting his cheeks like a mural of life. The way he talked, soft-spoken but utterly real, voice low in his throat, words disturbingly honest.

You didn’t say so, though. You stuck with the earrings, because those were safer.

pt. 1 | pt. 2 | pt. 3

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#opla zoro #opla roronoa zoro #opla #roronoa zoro #roronoa zoro x reader #roronoa zoro x you #reader insert #x reader #one piece live action #one piece netflix #one piece live action x you #one piece live action x reader #opla fanfic #opla fanfiction #dracule mihawk #opla zoro x reader #kiki writes!

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calypsocolada · 8 months

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BUILD UP | r. zoro

(part two of winner winner)

synopsis: somethings building between you and the stoic swordsman, roronoa zoro. author's note: hiiii, this is just a lil somethin somethin for fun :) cw: suggestive, not proofread forgive me wc: 3.3k

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Zoro sat at the wooden table alone, an ale in his hand as he watched you from across the table. His eyes never leaving any part of you. He watched you laugh, which was more often in the passing months. Watched you smile as Usopp embellished some stories about past adventures.

Zoro liked watching you, ever since you two kissed he found himself staring all the time. It was embarrassing really, how much one kiss changed the entirety of his actions towards you. But you… yeah you seemed as oblivious as ever. He was nervous all the time now, careful of what he said and did. You made him nervous and he found himself wanting to impress you. Zoro never really considered himself a romantic, in fact he knew he didn’t have much of a romantic bone in his body but he would try all that shit for you. He stayed near you during fights, offered you food that he couldn’t finish, cleaned your sword and always made sure there was a space next to him for you to sleep. You were always cold and Zoro used that as an excuse to sleep close to you most nights, he really really didn’t mind.

You reached for your glass and brought the rim to your lips, sipping as your eyes slid to Zoro’s, in the candle light you saw him blush when your eyes met his. You set your cup back down on the table and gave him a small smile before turning your attention back to Usopp. You were at some sort of town gathering, the crew and you had saved this village from some wannabe dictator and in your honor they threw a little celebration. There was drinks and food and dance and cheerfulness all around. Zoro wasn’t much for fun and dancing, he’d rather nurse his ale. But you on the other hand, you’d really grown out of your shell being with the strawhats and when a villager with kind eyes sidled up beside you you saw Zoro’s eyes sharpen. You turned as the man gave you a kind smile. Your hand flew to the knife on your hip but Sanji caught your hand, mouthing the word ‘relax’.

“Hi, I don’t want to trouble you but I was wondering if you’d like to dance?” He asked, the music near the middle of the village had started to pick up and swell towards the table you were sitting at. You eased up your hand. You didn’t know how to dance and dancing with someone you didn’t know seemed even worse.

“She would love to, right?” Sanji interjects, giving you a smile. You forced a smile back, nodding your head as he held out his hand. You took it and let him sweep you off towards the town square.

The village was full of life and love, all swinging in time with the music as they danced without a care in the world. It was infectious, a smile permanently plastered to your lips as the man swept you around and spun you dizzy. You giggled uncontrollably, fingers entwined with his, your hair dancing in the wind.

Zoro watched from afar, the drink in his hand held so tightly his knuckles were slowly turning white. He wasn’t much of a dancer but if you wanted to dance he’d do it. He’d do anything and everything for you. He felt sick with anger and jealousy as he watched some other man spin you around, the smile on your face as bright as the morning sun. Sanji noticed his sour mood and turned to look at where he was looking.

“You’re such an idiot.” Sanji mumbled into his glass as Zoro’s eyes cut to his. “Letting that girl dance with someone else.”

“Shut your damn mouth.” Zoro grumbled, taking a big gulp of his ale. Sanji laughed, pushing up from his chair.

“Think it’s my turn to cut in.” He says, walking over towards you. Zoro felt his stomach turn, his face beat red as he watched that sly cook sidle over to you. You’d gotten softer in the passing months and when he cut in you smiled kindly and waved to your last partner. Zoro watched for approximately thirty seconds. That was the last straw. He slammed his drink against the table startling some of the people around him and pushed out of his seat. He stomped over to you and when you spotted him you smiled huge. He melted, all the anger and jealousy he was feeling dissipated as he watched you say something to Sanji before slipping away from him and towards Zoro.

“Are you turning in for the night?” You asked as you two walked closer to each other. Zoro didn’t answer, just swept you into his arms and pulled you back into the throng of dancers. His right hand pressed gently into the small of your back, the other enveloped your hand in a warm grip. He grinned down at you as he twirled you around before dipping and snapping you back up, your faces mere inches from one anothers. “I thought you said you couldn't dance.” You smirked, slightly out of breath. Zoro’s hand around your back tightened as he pulled you closer to his warm body.

“I said I didn’t like to, not that I couldn’t.” Zoro corrects as the music swells before slowing. Couples form and press together as romance sweeps in. Zoro slowed and you followed his lead.

“Then why dance with me?” You ask as Zoro’s eyes slide down to yours.

“Is that a serious question, killer?” He asks and when you don’t object he snorts a soft laugh. “Because it’s you. That’s why.” Your breath hitches in your throat. Two months ago Zoro and you kissed by the fire. You thought about it every night since then but he hadn’t made a move on you since. You trained everyday together and things were tense but not in a bad way, in a way that made you want to grab him by the collar at every given moment. But you kept that all to yourself because these growing feelings in your chest burned a hole right through you. You knew nothing of romance, didn’t really even know what it meant to be with someone but god did you want to be with Zoro anyway you could have him. You tightened your hand in his, slowly dragging your eyes up to his.

“Were you jealous?” You asked. Zoro’s brow flicked up slightly as you followed his lead in the dance.

“Were you trying to make me jealous?” There was a sort of call and response thing happening with you two. Someone would notice you, maybe ask you to dance or ask you to dinner, moments later there’s Zoro, brash and brazen, staring away any possibilities. You didn’t mind it at all. He was the only one to catch your eyes.

“I don’t know,” You start with a cheeky smirk. “Did it work?” His cheeks pinken as he exhales a laugh, shaking his head.

“What am I going to do with you?” He sighs lovingly.

“Whatever you like.” You say and watch his ears burn. You weren’t aware of the undertones of that sentence. He leans into you, lips barely brushing your ear as he speaks.

“We could go back to the ship if you like?” He whispers, sending shivers down your spine.

“But I’m not tired yet.” You said, eliciting a warm laugh out of him.

“We wouldn’t be sleeping.”

“Are you really not enjoying the party?” You question, clearly missing something. “Because we can go back to the ship if you really want.” You offer as Zoro laughs even harder, shaking his head.

“Nevermind, killer.” He says as the band finishes off the song and the villagers applaud the performance. You watch Zoro clap, he was so hard to read sometimes, or maybe it was your fault. You just wanted to take him by the shoulders and shake a confession out of him.

“Roronoa-“ Drops of rain start to fall, slowly at first but then pick up. You look up into the sky, the drops hitting your warm skin as Zoro’s hand wraps around yours, pulling you towards shelter. He shoulders open a rickety old door leading into some kind of gazebo, rain beating against the tin roofing. It was soothing really. He kicked the door closed behind you two as you shivered from the cold walking deeper into the room. There were empty chairs in the corner and some tools and garden pots. It must’ve been a tool shed that you two ducked into. You grabbed a strange looking trinket, blowing the dust off of it to inspect it.

“Here,” Zoro’s voice said just behind you as he placed his jacket onto your shoulders, warmth soothing your shaking. You gave him a small smile, pulling your arms through the arm holes. “What's that?” He asks, walking closer to you, practically pressing himself against your back to peer over your shoulder. You turned the little charm over in your fingers, recognizing the woodwork. You laughed a little.

“It’s a figurine from an island near Orange Town. My father used to steal them from the shopkeeper.” You say, placing the figurine back down where you got it from. You didn’t talk about your father much, all the pirates knew of him and quite frankly you didn’t want to be associated with him. He wasn’t a good person. You feel Zoro behind you.

“Not gonna take it?” He asks and you shake your head. “You are very different from what I expected.” Zoro says. You turn to face him, your bodies practically pressed together, your space was his too apparently.

“What did you expect?” You had a feeling of what he meant but you wanted to hear it coming from him. Your father was a fearsome, murderous pirate and you barely escaped him with your life to join the straw hats. He was probably as well known as the king of pirates but for all the wrong reasons.

“To have to keep an eye on you at all times.” He says and you laugh slightly.

“You do that anyways.” You say and he smirks.

“But for very different reasons.”

“Oh? And what are those reasons, Roronoa?” You ask and watch his cheeks blush. He liked when you called him by his first name, it felt special coming from your lips.

“I’d rather keep that to myself.” He says. He’s so tall that you slightly crane your neck to look up at him. He has that look in his eye, the same look he had when he kissed you.

“Keep your secrets.” You whisper, watching his eyes dart to your lips then back to your eyes. Your stomach bottoms out as you try and keep still. He tilts his head slightly, a long finger coming up to brush your hair off your forehead. The rickety old door bangs open as Sanji bumbles in, wet and slipping against the ground. You back away from Zoro, embarrassment flooding your stomach. Sanji startles at the sight of you both before blowing out a sigh.

“There you are!” He says, walking forwards and yanking you into a tight hug, he reeked of alcohol. You patted his back, with a laugh, his wet hair dripping on your shoulder.

“Everything alright, Sanji?” You asked as Sanji pulled back, still gently holding both of your biceps as he spoke very passionately.

“I have to tell you something very important.” Sanji slurred, slightly losing his balance. You reach up and hold his arms to help steady him.

“What’s that?” You ask as Sanji laughs, veering right, almost knocking you both over. Zoro grabs you, letting Sanji crash into various pots and potting soil. You burst out laughing, Zoro still holding you. “Sanji, how much did you drink?” You ask through fits of laughter.

“Too much…” He grumbles from the floor below. You hold out a hand as Sanji grabs it and you help him up but once he has his foot he grabs you and spins you around the small shed. Zoro watches, a cloudy expression on his face, eyes like lightning. “I have to express what I feel!” Sanji declares in the small shed gaining another laugh from you.

“What is it that you feel, Sanji?” You ask, playing along. He slows, looking at with heat in his stare.

“You are so beautiful, too beautiful even. Much too beautiful to be fooling around with that bozo and-”

“Alright, casanova, enough.” Zoro interjects, yanking Sanji back by the collar of his shirt. “You’re making a fool out of yourself.”

“You’re the fool!” Sanji growls. You weren’t sure when things got so heated, you were just busting a rib moments ago. “You can’t keep her at arms length then get jealous when someone wises up to how much of a catch she is!” Sanji huffs dramatically.

“Shut up.” Zoro dismisses, crossing his arms over his chest. Sanji mimics him, crossing his arms and lowering his voice.

“Shut up.” He echoes, you snort a laugh but pretend you weren’t laughing when Zoro looks back at you. He looks back at Sanji, with murder in his eyes. You step forwards, running a hand up Zoro’s back calmingly.

“Sanji, don’t antagonize him.” You jest as the rain comes in slower and slower. Sanji huffs, blowing his blond fringe out of his eyes. He shoots one last look at Zoro as he walks to the door.

“You're running out of time. Someone’s going to wise up.” He says to Zoro before giving you a smile and slipping out of the door.

“He is so strange.” You say, shaking your head. It was quiet behind you so you turned, meeting Zoro’s eyes. There was something eating at him. “Sounds like the rain stopped,” you say, walking towards the door. Zoro’s fingers wrap carefully around your forearm, pausing your movement to the door. You turn. “Roronoa-“ he’s on you in seconds, like there was no room to wait any longer. His body pressed yours against the rickety old door, eager lips meeting yours. You gasp, his hands coming up to cup either side of your face. The desperation slowly melting into soft almost sickly sweet kisses.

“Please,” Zoro murmurs into your mouth. “Stay here with me.” Your heart stutters in your chest at the low rasp of his voice. Your entire body feels as though a fire has started beneath the floorboards and is slowly catching you ablaze. He was so rough around the edges, coarse hands and hard stares. But he held your face softly, so softly if felt as though he thought you might break beneath his touch. What did this all mean? What did your uneven heartbeat mean? Or the unsteadiness of your breath, or the burning want in the pit of your stomach. You’d never felt this way and chasing the sensation seemed like the only thing you ever actually wanted to do. Sure you loved to fight, you were raised as a fighter, but did the love of it come from the desire to please your absent father? In some ways Zoro was just like your father, strong and eager. But the glaring difference was Zoro was still around. After spending months by your side he hadn’t left, not even when he really should’ve. You trusted Zoro and all those mental obstacles in your head he seemed to vault with ease.

Your fingers slowly make their way up as you slide your arms around the back of his neck, fingertips tangling in his hair. His hands move from your cheeks to just below your butt as he picks you up with extreme ease and walks you to the opposite side of the room, setting you carefully atop a table. His kisses grow deeper as the space between practically turns to nothing. He grabs you by the hips and pulls you against him. His lips trailing from your lips to the side of your mouth then down to your neck.

“Zoro,“ you say with a strangled breath, he pulls back just slightly. Looking up at you with shining eyes and pink lips.

“Use my name.” He says husky and deep. You clear your throat.

“Roronoa-“ you could barely get the last letter out before he’s crashing his lips back against your own. Kissing you with such ferocity and vigor. A groan bubbles up out of his lips but you kiss it away. He seemed to be making up for those two months of nothing. Two months of building tension, of teaching you to use a sword, which you were really fluid with now. Two months of him eyeing you and getting angry when Sanji tried to make any moves. He was taking everything you could give him. You thought back to when you first asked him how you knew you liked someone and he told you to kiss them. It was very clear to you now, Sanji was right after all. It is just something you knew.

Zoro pulled back from the assault on your neck and with glazed eyes looked at you. He made a sound low in his throat, the air thick as can be between you. You weren’t even sure what you were going to say before. All you could think about was the space between you and how that should not exist. You took him by the collar.

“Don’t stop now.” You said cheekily, yanking him practically on top of you, the table groaning with his added weight. His body caged your own, his elbow propping itself beside your head as you hiked one leg up to wrap around his hips. He stuttered against you, something almost nervous in his movements. Your hands slid to his sides, pulling him closer to you, the contact had him almost whimpering into your open mouth. Zoro was so commanding out there, but even with him pressing you down on the table you felt like the one in control. With precise and trained movements you maneuvered yourself beneath him and in the blink of a second you slid on top with ease, hips rubbing against one another. A shocking white lightening pulsed inside you at the movement. Zoro sucked in a breath below you, hands digging into the meat of your hips. You moved against him, almost unconsciously as you leaned and pressed a kiss to the side of his mouth, following the lead he set for you earlier. Your lips trailed fire down to his throat as you kissed it gently, him twitching beneath you. You kissed his scars, grabbing and intertwining your fingers with his own. You're not sure how far to take this, it’s not something you’d ever done before and quite frankly not something you wanted to try for the first time in a rickety old dusty shed. But your body was hungry for him, a breathless whimper escaping your lips. As thought an ice cold bucket of water was tossed onto you, there was a banging at the door. You flew off Zoro, stumbling over some pots, almost crashing into the floor. Zoro snapped to his feet, grabbing your hand before you could meet the ground as Luffy and Usopp popped their heads inside.

“There you two are!” Luffy said, innocently pushing the door open.

“Sanji said you two would be in here.” Usopp said, eyes wandering the shed. “Rain’s over and it’s getting late, we should head off the island.” He says and you nod.

“Let’s go!” Luffy says excitedly, running out of the shed, Usopp following moments later. It was silent for a few too many seconds before you started to laugh, running a hand through your hair.

“What’s so funny?” Zoro asked, eyes devouring you.

“Nothing. We should head back.” You breathe out, biting your lip to slow the giggles. You walk towards the door but Zoro grabs you one last time, spinning your around and kissing you dizzy. When he pulls back he looks at you very earnestly.

“Lead the way, killer.”

#one peice x reader #one piece zoro #zoro roronoa #zoro roronoa x you #zoro roronoa x reader #roronoa zoro #zoro x reader #zoro smut #one piece sanji #sanji x reader #vinsmoke sanji #zoro x you

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asliceofzosan · 6 months

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in which Zoro takes the blame for not paying for the food at the Baratie (sequel to Sanji witnessing the riceball incident in Shells Town)

Ribeye steaks piled one on top of the other, a massive helping of mashed potatoes with boatloads of gravy, salads, soups, and fancy dishes with names Zoro can't pronounce — all made up the massively long order list that he knows Luffy has not a single Berry to his name to pay with.

Zoro looks around the place, tuning out the story of the giant goldfish that Usopp has told them before, his eyes resting on the blonde waiter flitting about and flirting with every woman at every table.

Sanji was his name. Zoro didn't recognize it. But when he arrived to their table and saw Zoro, it looked like their resident waiter recognized him. Zoro's reputation in the East Blue is not a laughing matter, so it didn't bother him at first. But the way Sanji stared at him, wide blue eyes and with a touch of a smile on his lips, told Zoro that there's something a lot more than recognition swimming in that man's head.

He can't put a finger on what it is exactly though. It's driving him crazy.

"Waiter, can I get a beer and something for my friends?"

Sanji turns to him and nearly steps back in shock. Zoro quirks an eyebrow, confused and a little annoyed. He wore his best clothes today (Captain's orders). And he's pretty sure he even took his mandatory once-a-week bath before they went inside (Nami's orders). Still the waiter looked at him like Zoro had grown a second head. Like he couldn't quite believe his eyes.

"Maybe there really is something wrong with your eye," Zoro muses, crossing his arms as Sanji quickly straightens his posture and shoves his hands into his pockets. "Got a problem with me, waiter?"

Sanji coughs out a laugh. Zoro notes with narrowed eyes that there is the slightest tint of pink coloring his cheeks. Is he blushing? The fuck?

"None at all, sir. I think I was just seeing things." The look in the waiter's eyes betrays his statement but Zoro chooses to say nothing. With a practiced smile, he turns back to Nami and asks her how she'd like her water that makes Zoro stare at him this time like he's grown a second head.

"And um..." Zoro is surprised Sanji hasn't left yet and is once again directly addressing him. "We have a few specialty riceballs not on the menu today. I'll bring them out... on the house."

Without even explaining what the fuck that meant, Sanji turns on his heels and beelines straight for the kitchen.

"I think Nami's boyfriend might be yours too, Zoro." Usopp teases him with a snicker and the glare he gives him is sharper than the blades of his swords.

Now, here Zoro is, letting Ussop's words affect him more than they have any right to as he downs his third bottle of beer.

The specialty rice balls haven't come out yet. Zoro's starting to think it's just a sick joke. But he doesn't let it get to him. Or tries to. Why offer free food when you can't deliver on it? Fucking ridiculous. And no, it's not like he suddenly craved rice balls when the blasted waiter mentioned them. That's not it at all. Bullshit.

"Didn't the waiter said he's coming by with rice balls?" Zoro finally snaps and the conversation his crew was having died down immediately at his statement. Ah fuck. He probably should have just kept his mouth shut because Nami was now looking at him with a shit-eating grin not entirely unlike the one he gave her when he teased her before the meal.

"How would you like them, oh great swordsman?" She teases with a glint in her eye. She cups her cheeks with her hands in delight at the irritated snarl Zoro gives her.

"With or without seaweed?" Ussop chimes in.

"Cubed or crushed?"

"Fuck off," Zoro hisses between his teeth. Nami and Ussop share a look before bursting into laughter. Zoro looks over at Luffy who was swinging his feet and obliviously sipping his milk. When Luffy makes eye contact with him, he just tilts his head with wide blank eyes and it makes Zoro question all his life choices.

"You wanna ask him?" Luffy says, already clamoring over the booth and waving at the object of Zoro's unexplained irritation. Zoro sinks into the seat as Sanji approaches with the bill for their meal.

"Your bill, sir."

"Zoro's asking if you're gonna bring the rice balls you promised." Zoro just stared up at the ceiling and thought of a million different ways to cut a hole into the floor so that the ocean could take him.

There is a headache inducing silence that follows Luffy's question. Zoro can't help but finally look at the waiter and he doesn't know how to explain the feeling that bubbles up when they make direct eye contact. Maybe it's indigestion. It's probably indigestion.

Instead of bringing up the damn rice balls, Zoro just grabs the tray with the bill from Luffy's hand. Just as expected, his annoyingly endearing captain put down an I.O.U for the ridiculously long list of food they ordered. Several possible scenarios could happen from this. And Zoro doesn't want to think about Luffy wreaking havoc in someone else's kitchen.

With a deep sigh through his nose and a knowing look at Nami, Zoro wrote down his own name in place of Luffy's.

"Zoro, what—" Luffy almost took the bill back when Zoro stood up and handed it directly to the waiter, who looked just as dumbfounded as the rest of them.

"If your head chef's got a problem with that, he can talk to me directly. Tell him that for me, won't you?" Sanji takes the bill, reads what's written, and there's a phantom lurch in his chest that happens when Sanji looks up at him and smiles. Zoro doesn't want to describe it. He'll allow himself to firmly believe that it's a side effect of eating too much food. It's indigestion. You're just constipated. Never mind that the feeling is most prominent in his chest and not his stomach.

"Of course, sir." Sanji purrs and the sound runs like a cold river down Zoro's spine. There's a hint of mischief in the gleam of his visible eye. Every instinct in Zoro tells him it's dangerous. He should take his crew out of here, onto the Merry, and run.

But he stays rooted to the spot, wrist limp on the hilt of his sword, as he watches that damn waiter walk away from him.

"WHO THE HELL IS RORONOA ZORO?!"

The steady routine of washing the dishes helps quiet Zoro's racing mind.

It's a very welcome distraction. The clinking of the ceramic against metal utensils provides a cacophonous symphony that helps drown out all of Zoro's waking thoughts. The sooner he starts to think, the sooner he starts to notice how that stupid fucking waiter has just been sitting at the table behind him, cursing Zoro with his mere presence.

Scrub scrub scrub...

"You sure you don't want any help?"

Scrub scrub rinse...

"No."

Scrub rinse dry...

"I really have nothing better to do."

Zoro's eye twitches.

"Good for you."

A long silence follows this and Zoro thinks the waiter finally gave up. That was until...

"Are you still mad about the rice balls?"

"Oh my god!" Zoro nearly slams a pile of dishes onto the floor. He turns to Sanji, who is just casually smoking at the table, and stomps over to him. Once he was right in front of him, Zoro snarls at him, one hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Talk about those damn rice balls one more time, I'm gonna chop your head clean off for them to use in tomorrow's ramen stock."

Sanji blinks, then turns his head to the side to blow smoke away from Zoro. Zoro tries to convince himself that he isn't staring at the way Sanji's lips purse around the cigarette in the process.

"I can still make you the rice balls," Sanji says without a single ounce of fear in his body. "I just couldn't do it while the old man was around." He then stands up and steps around Zoro with a practiced grace. "Are you willing to wait ten minutes?"

"I'm not hungry," Zoro hisses but his stomach betrays him with a loud grumble. He's been washing dishes for so many hours. He probably missed dinner.

Then, as Zoro straightens his posture, Sanji does it again — he smiles and Zoro doesn't know what to do.

"Sit." Sanji gently nudges a chair out with his foot. It lands perfectly in front of Zoro at a perpendicular angle. "I'll have them out in five."

"You said ten minutes." Zoro found himself saying, only to be contradictory. Sanji laughs this time and the resulting smile pierces Zoro's heart with a million cursed swords.

"When someone's hungry, I feed them." Sanji says simply and that's the statement that ends their conversation. Zoro still refuses to sit on the chair, instead finding himself gravitating towards the counter that Sanji was preparing his ingredients at and leaning against the marble.

Before Sanji found them at their table, he brought down a marine and a fearsome pirate with just his feet. Zoro was fascinated by his fighting style even if he didn't want to admit it out loud. But he's always been curious. Especially now, with Sanji whipping out the sharpest knives and using them effortlessly as Zoro would wield the Wado Ichimonji.

"You're good with knives," Zoro says before he could stop himself. Sanji chuckles.

"Of course, I am. I'm a chef. Best one in the East Blue."

"What's a chef doing waiting tables, then?"

"Cause I was kicked off the line this morning. It's a weekly occurrence, nothing special." The way Sanji scrapes his ingredients into a bowl betrayed how he felt about it despite his nonchalance. "I can cook better dishes than everyone in this damn kitchen but Zeff refuses to acknowledge that. It's always 'your food is crap', 'slice those carrots thinner', or 'needs more fucking oregano—"

Sanji throws the knife onto the cutting board, its tip now embedded neatly straight down the middle. It stood perfectly still, like it was afraid of what Sanji could do if he added more pressure. Zoro raised an eyebrow, looking up at the now irritated cook with a smirk.

"Sorry," Sanji mumbles, taking the knife and cleaning it carefully with a cloth. Zoro says nothing. He just props his elbow on the counter and places his chin into his hand as he watches Sanji in his element. Eventually, it's down to just shaping the rice balls with his hands and Zoro asks the question that poked at his mind during Sanji's mini outburst.

"If you're so dissatisfied cooking here why don't you just leave?"

Sanji pauses. His head is down, his blonde fringe obscuring one eye as his fingers twitch against the rice ball.

"It's not about that."

"Yeah?" Zoro leans as close as he could get with the counter between them. Sanji still refuses to look up. "A hot-headed cook who claims to be the best in the East Blue settling down here — where he is not head chef — is as contradictory as it gets."

"You don't know–" Sanji snaps but stops himself immediately. He looks up to glare at Zoro through narrowed eyes. "You don't know why I still stay."

"Enlighten me then, cook." Zoro leans his hip against the counter. "Because really, someone as good as you claim to be has got to have some ambitions. Dreams." Zoro holds the man's gaze. "Do you hate the old man?"

"No!" Sanji counters immediately. "The man fucking raised me. I owe him my goddamn life!"

"Owing him your life isn't the same as giving up your life to work at a restaurant that barely lets you cook."

"You don't know shit!" Sanji nearly slams his fist down on the counter, pointing a finger at Zoro with his face beet red. "This restaurant was his dream—"

"But is it your dream?"

Silence. Total utter silence.

Where color is nothing but a dark void of black and grey, a sea of blue greets him from the pages. Vivid pink skies and tangerine mangroves burst to life. All types of fish swim in his mind's eye but if he reaches out to touch them, it certainly should be real. A phantom breeze kisses his cheeks and water laps at his feet. He's drowning but he swims in delight. He's falling but he feels the clouds cushion him with warmth.

There is a vast ocean out there, one that contains delicacies and species from all four seas. Creatures of every kind, spices that have never been tasted.

The All Blue.

In Sanji's world of black and white — he strives to find the one place that's in screaming color.

There are tears in Sanji's eyes before Zoro could comprehend what was going on. But he wipes them away before he can get a good look at him. The kitchen was quiet around them. The only sound peeking through was the faint music from the bar outside. Though Zoro's heartbeat was louder in his ears than his own breathing.

But he could hear each footstep Sanji takes, the scrape of the plate as it's pushed in Zoro's direction, and the click click of Sanji's lighter as he helps himself to another cigarette. Zoro looks down and sees the rice balls presented in front of him — three heaping helpings, all coated in a different topping, all different flavors.

Zoro takes one.

And it's the best rice ball he's ever had in his life.

"I have a dream," Sanji murmurs, cigarette hanging loosely from his lips. One glance and Zoro could see that whatever his dream is... it still burns like molten lava in the heart of this chef. "I'd just rather give up on it than die searching for mine."

Zoro swallows, turns around, and takes the cigarette from Sanji. The ashes fall into his palm, its embers dimming as he squishes it between his fingers.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Zoro says, looking up to make eye contact with Sanji. He can see it almost immediately — the longing for something that seems near impossible to achieve, the acceptance that it's hopeless — but Zoro sees it, clear as day, that the flickering flame of hope still shines in Sanji's eyes. That he's just waiting for his sign to let it once again consume his soul in a roaring fire, brighter than even the sun could be.

Zoro wants to see him shine.

"Come meet my captain," Zoro instinctively wraps his hand around Sanji's wrist. Surprisingly, Sanji doesn't pull back. "I think he'd really like to get to know you."

Sanji doesn't protest.

Zoro takes the rice balls to go.

Never waste food.

#niki's fics: debt and doing dishes #one piece #sanji #roronoa zoro #opla #zosan #one piece live action #nami #ussop #monkey d luffy #MY GUYS IT GOT SO LONG I THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE A PART THREE #roronoa zoro x vinsmoke sanji #zoro x sanji #fic series: it all started with a dirty rice ball

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shewrites02 · 26 days

Text

Forgive Me, if I Break You |Zoro x Reader| Part I

Part II

Trigger warnings: Domestic assault, Alcohol, verbal abuse, Sexual implications-almost light smut if you squint. THIS FIC WILL CONTAIN DARK CONTENT ! MINORS DNI !

A/N: This will be my very first series on tumblr, I am excited and petrified lol. I know this fic contains some sensitive subjects/material/feelings I just hope that I am able to handle them with care and do them justice.

This story is inspired by @turtletaubwrites , all her writing really lol, but “A Good Catch” Shank x Reader story sparked the idea that lead me here. You owe it to yourselves to give her works a read ! Thank you again for sharing and allowing others to be inspired!

Request: Open

Word count: 8.1K

Leave a comment if you enjoy :)

For a brief moment you are able to convince yourself only you and Zoro reside on the beach- on the island. Zoro wraps around your shoulders to draw you into his chest. He rests his head on top of yours when you lean to lay against him. The two of you stare up at the twinkling stars.

The chill of the breeze rises goosebumps on your exposed flesh. The cold grows harsher the further into the night it gets. Zoro's skin is warm against yours. The heat that radiates off him compensates for the thin blanket that encases both of you. Part of you wished you had enough foresight to have brought thicker blankets, but the indulgent feeling of the swordsman's bare skin against yours, quickly dismisses the fleeting thought.

Zoro keeps you close. His arm drapes over you, practically forcing your body on top of his. Using the tip of his finger, he swirls circles lightly on your shoulder. Part of you believes the swordsman enjoyed feeling your bare skin just as much as you did his. The circles are replaced with small kisses, trailing up until Zoro's lips are at the edge of your jaw.

"I wouldn't have taken you for the sex on the beach type." He offers you one of those genuine, uninhibited laughs. The kind that forces his lips into a smile, and crinkles the edge of his eye. The laugh that made your bones shudder every time you were lucky enough to hear it.

"I guess there's a lot you don't know about me, Roronoa." You tease. He presses a kiss into your temple in response. You can feel his smile against your skin.

"I guess there is."

Silence befalls the two of you. Comfortable, but heavy. Two more days. That is all the time you and the pirate have left. The intrusive reminder was becoming difficult to ignore. Two more days before you would have to give up his comfort. Two more days before it is back to darkness and lonely nights...

You almost forgot life could feel this good. That love could feel this good. Your heart clenches in your chest at the thought of a loveless life. A life without Zoro.

"Tell me something." The swordsman demands.

Your face scrunches in confusion. Zoro looks down to meet your eyes once you don't respond. His expression is soft, sad, but a small grin still rests on his lips.

"Tell me something about yourself. Anything."

You ponder for a moment, ciphering through the pieces of yourself worthy of the swordsman. Finding it difficult to have something to share.

"Summer is my favorite season. I love the feeling of the sun against my skin... it makes me feel free."

"Your turn! Tell me something!" You demand before Zoro has an opportunity to respond. His face softens more with each passing second.

"...I'm going to miss you."

Zoro nuzzles his head into the crook of your neck, leaving only his reddened ears for you to see. His green hair ruffles underneath your chin and along your cheek.

"I know- we only have two days left, but if I don't tell you this now, I don't think I ever will."

You can hear the deep breath he makes, as if preparing himself. His hold on your waist tightens some. When he continues his voice is barely a whisper.

"I love you... I love you so much the thought of you leaving-" The swordsman does not continue. Allows his words to sit in the air.

Your eyes close at his proclamation. Your brain pauses as if needing a moment to scribe this into your memory. Zoro trembles lightly against you in anticipation. You are sure to have a heart attack if your pulse does not slow. If your heart doesn't stop trying to violently claw its way out your chest and into the swordsman's hands.

Listening to his sentiments is the most euphoric torture you've ever experienced. You know there's an ask in his proclamation, understand that he expects an answer.

"I love you too Zoro, so much it scares me." You confess. "... I wish I could stay."

Zoro lifts his head just enough to plant a kiss to your neck. A sigh falls from his lips. You hope it's of relief, but it sounds more of disappointment.

Stay.

You and the pirate both knew this beach was home to neither one of you.

"Me too." He whispers.

Though you shouldn't find joy in their misfortune, you find yourself thanking the Marine admiral that drove the Strawhat pirates your way. Thanking this tiny island for having such a lengthy waitlist for materials. Every second you get to spend with Roronoa Zoro is truly a priceless gift.

Zoro's smile is the widest you've seen it as he guides you around, giving you a tour of their ship. "The Sunny". The captain was sure to inform you of the name immediately after your boarding. Their shipwright had done an amazing job with the repairs. No evidence of their prior squabble remained.

Zoro tugs your hand along to follow him, a wide grin still on his face. Part of you curses the swordsman for gatekeeping his smile for so long. Holding out on a treasure in spite of your limited time. You could hate him for it , but he pays it forward so often . Reserving a special tenderness just for you.

"I want to show you something." He announces pulling you along.

The sight of seeing the entire ocean from the crow's nest is breathtaking. The sun sets on the horizon, its rays beam off the water. The ripples in the water make the illusion of twinkles. It's a hard sight to take your eyes off of. You never remembered the sea gleaming this way back home.

"We can sleep up here?" Zoro hinted. His voice is small, meek, you almost think he is fearful you might reject him. The stoic swordsman invites you to share a night in his favorite spot...

How could you deny him that memory?

"That sounds great Zoro."

The smile that spreads on his lips wider than the one on the deck of the sunny. You feel that resentful sting in your heart once again, quickly soothed by the swordsman's warmth.

"Stay right here." With a kiss on your cheek he is gone.

When Zoro returns his arms are full of blankets and pillows. He drops them to the floor and with as much earnestness as a kid at a sleepover , sets up the makeshift bed. He leans the pillows against the wall opposite of the windows, spreading one blanket fully before lazily dropping the others.

Once satisfied with his work, Zoro offers you his hand to join him. His back is against the wall. You lay in his arms. The two of you listen to the peaceful lull of the water.

"Tell me one more time." The swordsman whispers in your ear

It is so warm in his embrace. He Nuzzles his head in the crook of your neck, littering you with light kisses awaiting your response. There's no need for clarification. You understand his request.

"I love you Zoro... God, do I love you."

The giggle that erupts from your lips is involuntary. Could never hide how having the swordsman close affects you. Zoro squeezes your shoulders at the confession. Mules his satisfaction just loud enough for you to hear him. If you concentrated enough you were sure you could feel the pirate's pace quicken at your words.

"I love you too doll."

You were going to miss this... The feelings of Zoro's arms wrapped around you. Firm, but so gentle. Going to miss how the stoic swordsman gives you his heart to handle on a silver platter whenever the two of you are alone.

"...Excited to go home?" Zoro asks, As if sensing the tension that exudes from you. The reason the air was heavy against your chest. The reason he held you a little tighter tonight than usual. The colossal size elephant in the room...

This is your first and last night on the Sunny.

"I'm going to miss you." You respond softly.

Zoro kisses your temples . You aren't sure if he is trying to soothe your anxieties or his. You feel the pressure of his head laid against yours.

"I'm going to miss you too." The swordsman confesses.

You swallow harshly, refusing to sully your last night with tears. Don't deserve to wallow in self pity. You look up to face him, bringing your hand to lightly caress the side of his cheek. You don't deserve his comfort, his futile attempts to bring you peace of mind.

You are going to break him.

Absolutely. positively. Shatter him.

"I'm so happy you wrecked that tiny little boat." Zoro mumbles against your skin. Giving your hand a small kiss. The memory is a bittersweet recollection.

The sun had a personal vendetta against you and the heat was proof. It was Scorching. Sweltering. Neither adjective seemed strong enough. The rays blinded you as you blinked open your eyes. Meet with clear blue skies.

Were you dead? Was this some preliminary to hell?

There's muffled noises in the background. People? Animals?... Monsters? Your brain couldn't distinguish. Too busy using its power to attempt to wriggle your fingers beneath you. Sand?

"Are you okay?"

The first thing you noticed was green hair. The second was his handsome face, and lastly his swords. Three swords. A handsome three sword swordsman, your brain had finally deduced. Although you still had not answered his question.

He kneeled to the right of you, looming over your face so your eyes met him.

"Hey woman, you okay?" The man repeated his tone a bit more gruff than before. The way his brow slightly twitched implied he wouldn't be repeating himself for a third time.

"Where am I?"

The swordsman leaned back as you slowly pushed your torso up from the sand. Surveying the area, you took note of the ocean a few feet away, the large coconut trees behind you nestled by the rustling bushes that perimeter the beach. A group emerges from the foliage, filled mostly with smiles, though you could make out a few complaints.

"There's the dumbass!" A blonde haired man pointed over. His expression seemed to soften drastically once he noticed you. a wide smile replacing his scowl. " Oh mademoiselle."

You look up at the swordsman when you notice his grimace. The same twitch of the brow he had displayed earlier, except now they were furrowed to the center of his face in a frown.

"Zoro! I thought I said 'stick with the group'!" An orange haired woman reprimanded as she and the others approached.

"Zoro?" You repeated to the swordsman, who still eyed you intently. He nodded.

"Are you okay?"

He seemed to cave now that he had noticed the bruises that covered you. you went to pull your robe around your shoulders to cover yourself, but the fluffy material was nowhere to be found. It's only then you noticed your slippers were gone too. bare feet embedded in the sand. you were left only in the slip gown you had left in.

"I'm fine." You mutter pushing yourself from the ground so you could stand. Your eyes scatter the wide beach, if maybe you could find your boat washed ashore you could find your robe.

"I think that's your boat." The swordsman, Zoro, pointed over to the pile of driftwood floating around a small sea stack on the edge of the shore. The gasp that left your lips was guttural.

"I'm a doctor, I can help if you're injured." The small reindeer pleaded as he approached.

"Where am I?" You repeated.

"According to this map, where on Shinryoku Island, just off the coast of..." The orange hair woman wrestles with the map in her hand for a second longer before lowering it to meet you. "A village called Gekka."

"You're bleeding." The swordsman- Zoro said pointing to the cut that trailed your calf. He went to reach for you, but you refused his help. Stepping back to avoid his touch, your weight landed on your injured calf. Your body hit the sand with a loud thud.

The blonde hair man let out a cry. He went to run to your aide, but another woman, a devil fruit user, had blossomed hands to grab the man's ankles. Stopping him in his tracks.

Again, Zoro kneeled beside you, this time he did not try to touch you. He even tried to tuck his swords further out his reach as if that were to bring you some comfort.

"We are not going to hurt you... let my friend help you."

You agreed with a small nod of your head. Not seeing much choice you had otherwise. Cautiously the reindeer approached.

"My name is Chopper." He said taking a seat beside you. Riffling through his backpack he began to pull out gauze and alcohol pads.

"How'd you get stuck out here anyway?" The man in the straw hat asked.

"That's none of your business Luffy!" Zoro scolds.

"I got caught in a storm, my boat capsized- I don't really know what happened after that."

Strawhat hummed in satisfaction at your answer. Assumed that it was more so from getting his way, than your actual response.

"Where were you headed- if you don't mind me asking." The devil fruit user asks.

Your mind tumbled for an answer. Where were you going? 'Just away' didn't seem like a sufficient enough answer. Especially when you had only made it to the other side of your little island.

"Home." You lie, regretting the moment it fell from your lips.

"We can take you!" Strawhat offers gleefully, a smile spreads the whole length of his face. One that shows all his teeth. "You know, since your tiny boat is smashed."

"Maybe we should repair our own ship before we start giving out rides!" The orange haired woman scolds.

By the log pose on her wrist you assume she is a navigator. log pose. In your fervid flee you hadn't even thought to grab a log pose. No money. No clothes. No food. Just you and the boat. The woman's question started to echo in your ears- 'Where were you going?'

pathetic. useless. how could you be so stupid-

"I'll have the sunny fixed up in a super amount of time, don't you worry Captain!" The cyborg- shipwright assured.

"So it settled, after Sunny is repaired we will take you home!"

"You didn't even let her answer Luffy." The navigator reprimands.

Suddenly more than just the swordsman, began to eye you expectantly. Your boat was smashed into a million pieces, along with your chances of ever escaping this island. There was nowhere left for you to go.

"Okay."

The swordsman lets out a small chuckle that brings your attention back to him. Amusement has taken the place of that somber expression previously on Zoro's face.

"I guess I should thank Luffy for pissing off the marines. If it wasn't for that we would have never met."

The smile you give in response is weak, but it is all that you can muster. You drop your hand from Zoro's face so that you can face forward to look out the windows. Don't have the strength to face the swordsman as you speak.

"Thank you Zoro, for loving me. It's been so long since I've felt like this."

"You don't have to thank me." He says without missing a beat. "It's an honor to love you."

You can hear it already. The cheers of the villagers. Ringing in your ears like an alarm. The palms of your hands are cold, clammy. You're thankful for the blistering sun. Won't have to explain the sudden sweat that beads at your brow. The praise draws nearer as the town wall comes into view. A large white stone arch entrance, adorned with ornate olive leaf carvings. A wreath centering the wide gated structure.

"You okay?" Zoro asks, reaching out to grasp your hand. The thumping of your heart almost drowns out his voice. Quickly, before he can grab you, you snatch your hand away. Awkwardly rubbing the back of your neck to mask the jerky movement. With a feigned smile you glance over at him.

"Yeah." You lie. The furrow of his brow alludes to his disbelief, but the pirate does not press any further. Two guards meet you, as you all approach, bending at the waist before offering a kind genuine smile.

"We are so glad to have you home Lady Misatori. "

"We were all so worried about you."

Their voices are difficult to make out over the applause, but your temporary crewmates had heard your title all the same. The bewilderment is clear on their faces. Perhaps they hadn't asked any questions yet, but they were sure to come.

"We thought we lost you, and so soon after losing your f-"

"Thank you. I'm glad to be home safe." You smile, offering a kind nod then proceed to guide your friends through the barrier.

Citizens fill the streets of the town with smiles of joy and tears of relief. Although people stand shoulder to shoulder, essentially on top of one another trying to get a glimpse of your return, the path before you all is split like the red sea. Free of impediment, you all travel up the hill along the unpaved path, accompanied by praise the entire way.

As you walk, you're nauseated at the sight before you. The homes that laid in rumble just beyond your line of sight. The crowd posed as the perfect distraction, drawing the pirates' attention away from the destruction. You probably wouldn't have noticed yourself if the lemon grove, your mother's favorite place, wasn't missing from the countryside. The homes central of the village, easily eyed by the public, seem to be the only ones spared from the Chief's rampage

"Are they throwing you a parade?" The pirate captain asks, a wide grin on his face. If his eyes fill with any more admiration they may turn to stars.

You let out a pained laugh, dismissively waving away Luffy's question. The irony. A parade. This was more kin to a walk of shame. The cheers of the people, the chorus to your persecution. The Strawhats nor the villagers none the wiser. The others do not chime in, but you are sure they are just as curious as their captain.

A tiny castle resides at the top of the hill. Your home. Nothing like the regal structures you've heard stories about while stranded on the beach with the Srawhats, but sizable all the same. Once you arrive you can see him sitting at the castle steps with a wide smile on his face. As he watches you approach he stands, outstretching his arms attempting to welcome you into a hug.

"Darling! I thought I'd never see you again, I'm so relieved."

You feel the moment Zoro's eye falls on you, there's an unrelenting squeeze on your heart. Don't need to look his way to know the frown that has settled on his face. Know anger has taken over his expression.

"Darling?" The swordsman mutters to you.

It's as if you are a marionette, operated by the sound of his voice the way your body moves on its own. abandoning the green haired pirate to walk into the man's deceitfully warm embrace.

"I'm home now." You respond feeling the shackles being placed back on your ankles with each word slipped out your mouth.

"Introduce me to your friends." He demands, releasing your hold just enough to allow you both to face them.

It's impossible not to allow your gaze to immediately fall on the swordsman. To see the heartbroken look in his eye. His eye glued to the way the man's hands rested around your waist. A frown seared onto his brows just as you had expected, but when he finally meets your gaze his expression-

"These are the Strawhat pirates. This is their captain Monkey D. Luffy." You turn your attention to the captain unable to watch as the next words come out your mouth. "Luffy. This is Lee Misatori... my Husband."

"Chief Misatori." He corrects, chuckling lightly while reaching out to shake Luffy's hand.

"They saved me from the kidnappers, then graciously offered to bring me home."

For the first time since you arrived home, all eyes weren't on you. The strawhats had all turned their attention to the first mate. All mouths slightly agape awaiting his reaction. It isn't hard to predict what the swordsman will give you. Rage. Grief. Anguish.

"Husband?" Zoro parrots back to you.

The swordsman looks broken, shattered to a million pieces in front of you. The waves of emotion clearly passed on his face. An unusual display from the reserved first mate. Confusion, sadness, then anger. Only anger.

You give him pleading eyes. Can only hope that he does not make a scene here. Willing to give the swordsman all the time to yell at you later.

Maybe he notices the way your eyes implore him to play along. Maybe it is genuinely shock that drives him, but the swordsman removes the hand he had placed on his sword's hilt then walks away.

"Oh god, he's going to get lost." The cook mumbles trailing behind him.

The last taste of freedom leaves your tongue as you hear the tall wrought iron double doors close behind you. Not Nearly enough to satiate your appetite. Lee stops at the bottom of the grand staircase, turning to face the pirate crew.

"I can't thank you enough for returning my wife... I haven't been the same since she went missing." He smiles over at you squeezing your hand, he has refused to let you go since you've gotten back.

"Please, let us repay your kindness. Stay a few days, our housekeeper can show you to your rooms? "

"We'd love to!" Luffy agrees.

"Do you mind if y/n escorts us though? We just can't quite bear to let her go just yet." Nami asks, a tooth achingly sweet smile on her face. Her voice is a tone of amiable you've never heard before.

Lee digs his nails into the back of your hand at the mention of your departure. His face shows none of the signs of hesitation you can feel coursing through him . That same inviting smile is still on his lips.

"Sure." Lee grits out through his teeth. He turns to look down at you, lowering his volume so it is reserved for you. "Come right back when you're done !"

The Strawhats are kind enough to wait until they bombard you with questions. Know better than to ask in mixed company. When you push through the door to show Nami her bedroom , all the pirates follow. They stand in the suite staring, awaiting your anticipated explanation

"I- I did not mean to lie to all of you." Tears begin to swell in your throat, tears that don't deserve to fall. Tears you choke and swallow down.

"Are you a princess?" Chopper asks.

"I- uh" you stammer, finding the words to formulate the precarious situation you are in. "My father was chief of the village. I am his only child, but as a woman I cannot inherit his title. So whomever is chosen to be my husband is to be his predecessor. Lee was chosen to be my betrothed six months ago. "

"So You've been married for six months?" Usopp asks, his face filled with confusion.

You nod.

"So you lied to Zoro?"

It is posed as a question, but the captain lets the words fall out his mouth like fact. Zoro- His heart broken face flashes in your mind. A look you were sure you would remember even well into old age. It takes everything in you not to wince at the image.

"I really do love him, Luffy. It's not- that simple."

"So explain it to us, because right now all we see is a woman who hurt our friend." Nami announces. The rest of the crew nod, seemingly sharing her sentiments.

"A month after the wedding my father suddenly died. Lee was appointed Chief the next day."

"You're a Chieftess." Robin announces.

"I have a duty to these people- my people. I won't leave them to suffer, even if it means... me and Zoro end up heartbroken."

Duty. That was something that all the Strawhats could understand. Even if your actions were an enigma to them.

"Will he ever forgive me?" You ask no one in particular. Hoping that someone will ease your worries, provide you with comfort. Instead the room falls silent.

"Why did you lie to your husband about how we all met? We didn't save you from anyone." Nami asks, her tone seems softer this time.

"Lee can't know I spent two months on the other side of the island. please." You plead.

Your fingers rest on the door knob to the shared bedroom. Once you cross the threshold, that was it. The last of your freedom would truly be stripped away. You caress the knob lightly, as if willing it to disappear at your touch. as if thoughts alone could vanish the tall doors that stood before you.

Lee does not face you when you walk into the room. Keeps his back turned to display his dismay. He is waiting. you know what for, an apology- wants you to grovel on your knees for him. Even if he believed you had gotten kidnapped, you still left him and that was a punishable sin.

"I missed you." He lies. "Come here."

When Lee finally does face you , his lips have curled into a devilish smile. He reaches out to draw you in, letting his free hand rest against your cheek. He whispers when he speaks.

"Do you have something you want to tell me?"

He wraps his arms around your shoulder to bring you into his chest, forcing you into a hug.

"I'm sorry I was gone so long... I missed you too." The words tasted bitter as they fell. Like your tongue had forgotten the flavor of empty endearments since being in the swordsman's presence.

The Chief draws away just far enough to examine your face. His hand returns to wrap firmly around your jaw to squeeze your cheeks. His eyes pierce yours.

"When I first heard you went missing- I thought you had left me, run off somewhere. But you wouldn't do that, would you? ... leave me?"

"Of course not, Honey. You are my husband, I'm not going anywhere." You answer, unsure if the words are a reminder for him or yourself. Despite the panic that starts to grow in the pit of your stomach, you remain still. Maintaining the focus your husband demands.

"I'm so happy to be home."

Lee hums in satisfaction at your response. Rehearsed. Polished. Perfect. Just like you were to be. Just how he wanted you to be. He sweeps a strand of your hair out your face. The gentle touch is a precursor to the kiss he presses to your check. Your participation prize, a reward for a job well done. For remembering your training.

Lee drops his hands from you, done playing, then turns to make his way into the shared bathroom. In spite of your efforts a sigh of relief escapes. Finally feeling as though you could breathe without the man inspecting your every move.

"The swordsman- what's his name?" Lee asks, calling out so you can hear him in the other room.

"Zoro."

"He seemed quite..." Lee pauses trying to find the right word. "Smitten with you."

The air in your lungs leaves just as quickly as it came. You curse whatever god has decided to play cruel tricks with your heart. You have returned home. Return to your responsibilities. Was that not enough? Did you have to be taunted with the swordsman too? haunted by everything the two of you couldn't have.

You stay quiet, won't risk incriminating yourself so early into your return. The man does not want an answer anyway. The statements that fall from his lips are law, not opinion.

"Do you think he has a crush on you?" Lee asks amused.

He walks into the room, wants to analyze your features while you think. The smile on his face is deviously wide. The chief was a beast and you were his prey. The innocent question, a trap set to devour you whole.

"I wouldn't know. I didn't spend much time with the swordsman, mainly just the navigator." You lie. knowing the real question he wants an answer to. Your husband nods, no indicator of satisfaction or delight.

"Get ready for dinner. Your friends are going to join us."

The small dining room houses a long horizontal table, a glass top that sits on gold regally sculpted legs. The table holds just enough room for the pirate crew, your husband, and you to sit comfortably. You sit at one end while Lee the other. The Strawhats fill the seats on both sides. It is hard to keep your eyes from drifting to the empty seat to the right of you, and the identical opening mirrored on the opposite side.

"Will the swordsman and cook be joining us? Sanji and-" Lee asks Luffy, before the captain can answer he turns his attention to you. "Honey- what did you say his name was? Z- Zo-"

"Zoro." You say ending the sounds Lee mutters aimlessly trying to recall the name.

"Yes, Zoro! Will Zoro and Sanji be joining us, Captain?"

"I don't know." Luffy sings innocently. "Zoro seems pretty mad a-"

Before Luffy can finish his explanation there is a shuffling at the front door. It's loud, drawing the attention of everyone at the table. Expectantly staring at the entrance to the dining room, you all wait to see the source of the commotion. A few seconds pass before the culprits reveal themselves.

Sanji and Zoro.

The cook shoves the swordsman into the dining hall forcefully, although the smile on his face does not wain for a second. His pearly whites compensating for the scowl on Zoro's face.

"Let me apologize for our tardiness. Moss-head got us lost." Sanji announces to the room though he speaks to your husband.

As Lee responds with some feigned hospitable response, you watch the swordsman. Watch his eyes dance down the length of the table. Know he is hoping, praying the only seats left isn't anywhere near you.

You can pin the moment he deflates. Note how quickly his eye leaves yours. Never seeking them out as he accepts his fate, and walks the length of the table. Zoro chooses to sit to your right, leaving Sanji to sit to your left.

The cook spares you a small grin as he takes his seat. It is filled with warmth, but something else is hidden within it. In the way he doesn't flash his teeth to give you a full smile. It's disappointment. Pity.

"Y/n said you saved her from her kidnappers... you must have a formidable crew Luffy." Although masked in praise, you hear the challenge in Lee's statement. Emphasized by the way he addressed it to the captain specifically.

"Oh yeah, Me and My friends are super strong! That's the only way I am going to be King of the pirates!" Luffy exclaims. Nothing but mirth in his tone, completely oblivious to the antics of the chief. Lee lets out a laugh in response. Part of you believes he may genuinely find amusement from the pirate, a bigger part of you knows that isn't the case.

Now that the table is full Lee orders the kitchen staff to start dinner.

"Can I get a bottle of Sake?" Zoro mumbles to the woman who fills his glass with water. The woman nods, then goes to fulfill his request. It's difficult not to be jealous. The swordsman gets to indulge, to drown his thoughts. That is not a luxury you have. The days of sake and beer flowing freely forever to be memories.

You plopped down beside the green haired pirate, your body making a thud as it hit the sand. His eyebrows raised to his temple giving way to his surprise. For a split second you found yourself wondering whether it was that you'd gone out your way to seek the swordsman out, or if it was that you'd finally decided to have an ounce of fun that had him so shocked. The giggle that erupted from seeing his expression kept you from pondering for too long.

"You really can't hold your liquor." The swordsman muttered, his lips curling up slightly. The closest to a smile you had seen them get in the four weeks you had all been together.

"I'm not allowed to drink at home so my tol-"

"Not allowed?" Zoro cut you off. Your eyes grew wide at the repetition of your words, cursing the alcohol for making you speak so freely. Your mouth opened to protest, back peddle, before you could the pirate let out a laugh.

"Is it because you're such an annoying drunk?" He teased

The alcohol lowered your inhibitions, kept you from fighting against the visible drop your expression made. You tried to laugh, dismiss the joke for what it was- a joke, did not want Zoro to notice your discomfort, but it was to no avail.

You had come to learn in these past weeks that the swordsman noticed everything.

Zoro reached to place his hand over yours, but hesitates. You assumed he wasn't trying to make you any more uncomfortable than you already were. You blamed the alcohol for seeking out his affection. Intertwining your finger with his, so he couldn't withdraw.

Zoro averted his gaze away from you to the waves calmly crashing into the shore. He rubbed his thumb lightly against yours. Even with the alcohol to coax your action, you still trembled in the hands of the pirate. Even so, Zoro's hold was strong, steady.

"I think this is the first time I've seen you laugh. It's good to see you relaxing... was starting to think you don't trust us."

" I don't- can't-"

You stopped speaking. The only way to stop the liquor from forcing more incriminating words out your mouth. Needed a moment to collect yourself, not used to the swirling feeling that impeded your thoughts.

"I have to protect myself. It's just me." You muttered.

"... Doesn't have to be. Not here." He squeezed your hand as he turned to meet you. "I wouldn't let anything happen to you."

You had to fight the shiver that threatened to crawl down your spine, reminding yourself that four weeks was not enough time to know anyone, let alone a group of pirates. Trust was not something you could not afford to give out. The swordsman could not be an exception. .

"My crewmates are kind, probably too kind. You don't have to worry about them- well maybe the shit cook, but I'll make sure he doesn't touch you."

Zoro offered you a full smile, one that sunk your heart to the bottom of your stomach. Maybe it was the alcohol that charmed his words, you couldn't be sure, but they had affected you all the same. The pirate returned his attention to the ocean, leaving you relieved he did not expect a response.

"With such a strong crew I can only imagine the burden y/n must've been." Lee lets out an obnoxious laugh. It drags your attention to the table. "It's a good thing she is pretty. Thank you again for bringing her home safely."

The crew has fallen a bit quiet. The only one to respond is the oblivious captain with an enthusiastic "Your welcome." Seconds later he is muttering a pained cry , shooting Nami a confused glance.

The awkward silence is relieved by the entrance of the kitchen staff. When Zoro's sake bottle reaches the table, Lee is quick to take notice. A small grin spreads on his face. You see the moment he gets the idea, the light bulbs as clear as his iris'.

"Ahh what a wonderful idea swordsman. We should all share a toast- to the return of my wife!"

The staff moves quickly to bring out sake for the group, handing one to Luffy despite his protest- and answering his fifth question about dinner. When the woman gets to you she sits down a flute of sparkling cider.

Zoro is the first to notice. His eye twitches over briefly, but he does not speak.

"You're not drinking love?" Sanji asks, his voice hushed, but your husband always keeps an ear out for endearments dotted upon you.

"Oh y/n doesn't drink, we decided once we got married she would stop. Right honey?"

The smile on your face burns in a way you know you deserve. Your throat is traitorous for allowing a knot to form, for making your force the words out, when they had once come with ease. You had done this , acted , so many times before but- acting while on display for the swordsman felt like a special type of hell curated just for you.

"Yes Dear."

"She just gets so annoying it's embarrassing- no way for a woman, let alone a chief's wife to act."

Lee is answering Sanji , but his eyes are on you. Their cold, pitiless, although his voice drips with sweetness. The gleeful look on his face never waivers in spite of the growing discomfort in the room. Nami and Robin look to you for guidance, looking for approval to be outraged, clearly not wanting to laugh along. The smile on your face soothes their worries.

"And I'd never want to do anything to embarrass honey. Why don't you Give your toast hun." You urge.

This was punishment for how you hurt the pirate. Nothing less of Divine retribution. You fight not to meet Zoro as you feel his eye linger on you. There is no effort to hide the disdain on his face. There is an angered confusion easily seen in the way his brows furrow and his lips fight back a snarl.

"To the return of my beautiful wife, and to the Strawhat pirates."

Everyone raises their glasses, but Luffy nor Zoro take a drink. There was a part of you relieved at the tension in the air. That your friends are uncomfortable with the indignities your husband throws at you. There were many dinners you sat through, cringing as the whole table laughed at his snide jokes. For a while you believed it your fault for being hurt, too sensitive for not being able to laugh at your expense the way the others could. Lee always said you spoiled the fun when he reprimanded you later for not joining in.

The silence is once again relieved by the kitchen staff entering ,bringing out the entrees. Luffy squeals with pure joy and anticipation. The captain had been waiting as patiently as he possible could to finally eat. The other plates have not even hit the table before he is half way through his pasta. The sight is the only thing to bring a genuine smile on your face all night.

"It's as good as you promised, y/n!" Luffy's mouth is full as he says his praises.

"Eating with your mouth full is rude Luffy!" Sanji lets out an exasperated sigh. The captain has a confused look on his face, though he has not taken any time to stop eating.

"It's okay, I'm glad you like it, Luffy."

"What about you Zoro, think the meal is everything my wife promised it would be?"

Your mouth goes dry at the sound of the swordsman's name coming out of Lee's mouth. Suddenly starting to think you weren't as convincing as you thought earlier in the day. Lee had decided to take it upon himself to solve the mystery of the swordsman's feelings for you.

There's some feigned solace in knowing Zoro probably hates you. That Lee would poke and prod to find the Strawhat's first mate merely harbored resentment and ill will towards you. Though the process would be painful.

"The food is fine." Zoro responds, still looking at his plate.

His dismissal only stoked the flames of Lee's infatuation more. You can see the glimmer that raises in the chief's eyes.

"I've never seen a swordsman with three swords..." Lee's voice leans more toward a mocking tone than an inquisitive one.

"I'm a master of three sword style."

"Zoro is gonna be the best swordsman in the world!" Luffy exclaims.

"Really? I always assumed a swordsman who needed more than one blade was... overcompensating." Lee brings his glass to his lips to drink. The chuckle the cook fails to muffle deepens the scowl on Zoro's face.

Zoro glances over at the Chief then, for the first time since he walked into the dinning room, he makes eye contact with you. It's difficult to not squirm under his gaze. Your cheeks burn under his stare, the warmth so violent it spreads the length of your skin.

A small crooked smirk creeps its way onto the swordsman's lips as he looks you over. This time the pirate lets out a laugh. It is the first display of joy he has shown since setting foot in your village.

"I don't have anything to overcompensate for." He takes a shot of Sake, licking his bottom lip to catch the drops that spill over. "I don't get any complaints."

Zoro peaked up from in between your thighs. In spite of not being able to make out his lower half , you knew a crooked smile rested on his lips. That same cocky smile he wore every time he made you cum.

"You tapping out on me princess?" He asked, giving the inside of your thigh a whisper of a kiss. The faint touch still has you jolting at the sensation. The way Zoro's arms wrap around your thighs kept you from going too far.

"is too much Zo." You whined, hands clenched around the sand, leg limp over the swordsman's shoulders.

Zoro spared you a merciful laugh as he rested your legs on the sand. He leaned back on his heels to look at you. Sprawled lazily, dress hiked just enough to give him the access he begged for. Sweat beaded at your brow not only from the heady force of your fourth orgasm, but the humid air. A full smile appeared on Zoro's lips at the sight.

The way his eye gleamed with adoration and love rivals the moon. His stare was enough to illuminate the entire beach. It took every bit of will you had to not shrink underneath him, to feel deserving of the way he worshiped you.

The pirate leaned down to hover over you, planting his hands into the sand, one on either side of your head. He gently places a kiss to your lips then another. You could still taste the way you coated him.

"I'll spare you this time." He mumbled , before laying on the sand next to you.

Instinctively, you rolled your chest into the swordsman, lazily throwing your leg over his so it rested between his thighs. Even with your body pressed into his you craved to be closer to him. Although the swordsman had explored every inch of you, and you him, it never seemed to be enough.

Your cheeks up to your ears burned at the confession swelling in your throat. Embarrassment not great enough to keep it shoved down somewhere convenient- comfortable. Instead the sentiment clawed its way out tooth and nail.

"You make me feel so good Zoro-"

"Yeah? You trying to let the whole beach know with how loud you were yelling my name?" You slapped your hand into his chest forcing another laugh from the pirate. It did not deter him from continuing his teasing. "I'm just saying, my crew is still pretty close, you could try to be quiet."

"You're such an asshole! Now I'm not going to tell you the rest." You pouted. Your words are filled with malice although your tone and smile could not convey the same emotion. Zoro chuckled then planted a kiss on your temple.

"Tell me, please." He implored, lips brushing against your ear.

It was hard to deny the swordsman anything when he asked so sweetly. Those manners are only allocated to you. Your eyes close while the words climb to the tip of your tongue. You turn your head away from Zoro completely.

"You're the only man to ever make me orgasm."

Zoro wrapped his fingers delicately around your chin. He tugged your face towards him. The fire that ignited in his eye was different than anything you'd seen from him before. There's a smile on his face, almost childlike in its giddiness. It was as if the notion was the best thing he'd ever heard in his life.

The pirate crashed his lips into yours like they were the answer to his prayers. Like he could pledge his devotion in your mouth and find salvation in your lungs. Indignant. Needy. Desperate. The two of you gasping heavily once separated.

Zoro wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you into him, though not much space resided between the two of you to begin with. He kissed along your jaw down your neck until he reached your shoulder.

"Fuck- Lemme do it one more time?"

The small snickers coming from the pirate crew force your eyes to Lee. Immediately noting how his hands grip tightly around the napkin. The Chief is not getting the reactions he is yearning for, hasn't realized this is far from some ordinary group of bandits he's dining with. You'd revel in the victory, if it hadn't meant your loss.

"Chief Misatori, why don't you tell us more about your role? Y/n tells us you've recently moved into your position?" Robin asks. Her tone is so innocuous and innocent, it draws Lee from his testosterone filled rage. Your husband is eager at any opportunity to talk about himself, especially to a pretty woman.

"Yes, after my wife's father passed I inherited his title. "

"That must have been a lot of responsibility to take on so suddenly." Sanji adds.

"It was, but I was hand picked for the job for a reason. It is work ,of course, but I can't imagine anyone else doing it."

"I imagine you wouldn't implement any changes in policies considering being so new to power?" Robin phrases it as a question, but you see it for the shameless prying it is. The historian begging for answers as to why the townspeople, despite their cheers, seemed so riddled with grief.

"I've made a few changes to ensure our people's safety. Y/n father was an amazing man, but- soft. "

There is an internal cringe at each mention of your father uttered from the newly appointed Chief's lips. Who was Lee to slander your father, the very man he has to thank for his title, The only reason he has this power to abuse so freely?

In the six months you had been married you watched Lee turn your village into something unrecognizable. The gates closed, patrol increased, and the villagers had been stripped of their voice entirely. The chief gave the final decree. Acted as judge, jury, and executioner.

The villagers for the first time are fearful of what the chief's approach could mean for them. Constantly hoping to be spared from his wrath. Too fearful to even speak ill of the chief in fear of his retaliation. In fear their homes may look like the ones that resided in the countryside.

Chief Lee Misatori is nothing like my father hoped he would be.

"A beloved man in the community, but he was never able to make the difficult decisions-"

"Can we not discuss my dad, please honey." You plead, unable to sound any more like a beggar if you tried. There are tears swelling at the brims of your eyes at his mention. Angered you could not defend the man who raised you in the way that he deserved. Angry, your father had been deceived by such an evil man.

These tears are harder to choke down. Prickly , and awkward the whole way down your throat. The swordsman reaches out to place his hand over yours, only grazing your fingertips as you draw your hand away. For the briefest moment you let your eyes flash to Zoro, praying the apology in your eyes is sincere enough to provide him any relief.

Two times. Two times you had rejected the swordsman in this single day. Guilt floods your heart, taking up even more space than fear in your chest- despite the way Lee cuts his eyes at you.

"Of course honey." He smiles.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part II

A/N: I hoping you all enjoyed ! I'm thinking this story will only be apart 3 parts. I have most of the story written actually lol so the feedback I get on part 1 will determine when I release part two. If you would like to be on the tag list please let me know I would love to have you.

taglist: @dinuxia-bhm

#one piece #zoro roronoa #oneshot #ronoroa zoro #zoro x reader #zoro x black reader #zoro x y/n #zoro x you #roronoa zoro x reader #zoro roronoa x y/n #Forgive Me #If I break you

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my-love-is-sunlight · 2 months

Text

Full bloom

Zoro x reader

Warnings: fem reader, swearing, reader is mad at Zoro, SFW

Word count: 1.7k

Summary: In which you overhear Zoro talking badly about you.

Notes: This is also my bird!reader but decided to take another rote with this one idk this is literally just my one piece self insert just wanted to write about them

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

PT2 ➜

You were not the kind to fall slow, you’ll fall completely flat, rough and knowing it’ll probably hurt badly, not even stretching your hands to stop the fall, pouring your whole heart and soul

You’ll fall hard

The moment you saw Zoro Roronoa you knew you were doomed, falling for someone like him was gonna be a huge problem not only because he so happened to be part of the pirate crew you were asked to join, but because you quickly picked up he wasn’t a feelings kind of guy, he was stoic and closed up like a big old book with a even bigger lock

But one day the feelings for the swordsman that had bloomed in your heart were quick to wither and rot, after overhearing a conversation between him a some other members of the crew

“I don’t know why you invited her Luffy” Zoro scoffed “An archer is useless we already have Usopp he’s a good shooter, and her powers are ridiculous”

Your heart sinked at every word that left Zoro’s mouth, after feeling rejected your whole life and thinking you had finally found a place where you belonged, you’re proven wrong once again

“Don’t say that Zoro!” Luffy defended which made you smile a little “She’s not only that! Y/n is this very powerful warrior and turning into a bird is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!” He sounded excited, at least your captain liked you

Zoro’s silence was like a dagger going through your poor heart, holding your breath in hopes he’ll answer and say that he was wrong, but instead your ears catch Sanji’s mischievous laugh

“Don’t tell me you feel threatened by such a gorgeous lady mosshead”

You were thorn between running away or pull yourself closer to the door to listen, but Zoro made that decision for you after hearing a muffled thud followed by his loud screaming

“Shut up! I’m going to be the world’s greatest swordsman I am never intimidated specifically by some stupid bird you dumb cook!” You stood outside the door, hurt and angry, you thought Zoro would be different from the men in your island, always overlooking you and judging your abilities for reasons you couldn’t control

After this incident you decided to avoid the green haired pirate completely, if he already was hard to talk to, whenever you were tasked to do something together you kept your mouth shut, always training opposite sides of the Merry and answering him coldly. Everyone picked up on your change in behavior, the contrast between how you treated literally everyone else, even strangers, compared to Zoro was palpable, your whole aura shifted at the sight of him

But as upset as you were, you two made perfect fighting partners. Those were the only times when you’ll put your pride aside, after all you were a professional and valued the place Luffy had offered you in the crew, and as much as you hated to admit it, Zoro was an exceptional swordsman.

After some time, the stoic man had warmed up to your presence, he now respected you since he saw you were not only capable but complemented him in battle like no one else in the crew. Everything he knew about you was only things he’ll pick up when you would chat with others or little antics and traits he’ll put attention to, but it was enough to trust you and have a real read into your character

“Why do you always avoid me?” Zoro asked one time while you both walked back to the Going Merry, he had gotten lost again, and you were the assigned Zoro’s compass since you were able to fly around and find him easily, which you didn’t quite enjoy especially now that he decided to instigate whatever had happened between you two

You scoffed “Where did you get that idea from?”

“Everyone notices how mean you are to me and I am not blind” mean, that word lingered like poison in your ears, you were the kind of person to always try be the best version of yourself, being patient and understanding, so hearing Zoro calling you mean felt unfair

“I have my reasons” the green haired pirate noticed your body language change completely, you stiffened and your breath quickened, fist clenching. This wasn’t exactly the direction he wanted this conversation to go but he wasn’t quite good at talking

“How dramatic” he whispered but loud enough so you’ll hear him, already giving up in a peaceful chat

You stopped in your tracks anger boiling up and reaching your tongue immediately “Oh fuck off” Zoro’s eyes widened, he had never heard you swear let alone seen you this angry before

“You can go ahead and call me whatever you want, but you don’t know me Zoro” there you stood in front of this man that doubled you in size, eyes that froze him in place, your face was red with fury and the tension could be seen from a mile away. The swordsman backed up slowly, was he feeling threatened?

“But if you did, you’ll know I know better than to talk shit behind my crewmates back” in a swift move you morphed into your bird form, not wanting to continue the conversation and soared the skies, high enough so he could still follow you back

No one had ever stood up to Zoro that way before, he silently walked under you a million thoughts going through his head at once, what did you meant about talking shit about another crewmate? I mean of course he would talk shit but nothing ever serious, but again, how could you know if he barely even said hi to you?, a little guilt settled on him, maybe he was the mean one after all

Curiosity tickled him as his mouth opened and without thinking twice he screamed your name in hopes you’ll fly back down, after a little thinking you did, perching on a nearby tree before chirping at him

“Can you like… not… be a bird?” You made what it seemed to be an angry sound before morphing back to your original form while soaring down, landing in front of him arms crossed brows furrowed

“I don’t talk to assholes” you had always been the bigger person your whole life, so acting petty maybe wasn’t your style but really you didn’t cared enough what Zoro would think of you, after all you still seemed to think he viewed you as useless

“You still haven’t answered my question” his tone shifted, you had started to annoy him, he hated people that aren’t straightforward “I don’t know you you’re right, but maybe if you allowed me to we wouldn’t be here in the first place”

“I know you didn’t wanted me in the strawhats” you blurted out, knowing he wouldn’t drop the matter before arriving back to the ship and wanted to avoid everyone hearing you “You think I’m ridiculous and useless” that came out way shakier than you wanted to, finally showing how hurt you actually felt “My whole life I’ve been underestimated, I’m a woman and my powers are always taken as a joke, my abilities never recognized just because of how I look and who I am, when I joined you guys I thought I could leave that behind…”

The swordsman felt a knot forming on his throat, feeling absolutely unequipped for this situation and mostly, guilty, guilty he had ever made you feel something remotely close to this. It was true, when you first joined he didn’t quite agreed on Luffys decision but after all he was the captain, but you had proven him wrong showing your hard work and talents. For a moment you reminded him of someone he had cared for long ago, which made this whole fiasco even worse, feeling terrible he couldn’t even mutter a response, only standing before you absolutely bare.

“I am not asking you to be my best friend in the world, just for respect and some trust, at least the same one you give everyone else” ouch, your words as soft as they left your lips felt sharp, cutting onto Zoro’s ears.

You search his features for a reaction, an expression, anything, but he was unreadable still a stranger to you. Regret simmered in your gut, maybe should’ve kept your thoughts to yourself

Before you could walk away any further from him, Zoro gripped your wrist forcing you to stay and look back at him

“I actually think you’re pretty skilled for a bird” he offered you a small lopsided smile to try and freshen the mood which you were thankful for “You’re a fearless fighter, and more capable than others in the crew, If I ever made you think any different I apologize”

A breath you didn’t know you were holding escaped your lips, grateful he wasn’t actually an ass like you had painted him to be

“You gotta watch your mouth Roronoa” you smirked back “Could’ve lost your perfect fighting partner” you pulled yourself out of his grip and walked towards the Merry

Zoros laugh ringed in your ears, something you never thought you’ll hear, at least between only you two “This means you’ll stop training by yourself and finally join me? Or are you too scared?”

A heavy weight lifted from swordsman’s shoulders, finally able to bond with you and solving the never ending mystery the haunted him because contrary to your beliefs, he always noticed the distance you drew between you and him, it ate him alive. But now, you could finally see yourselves in your true colors, enjoy your time together and grow closer

“Yeah like you scare me” you pushed him playfully a smile tugging on your lips “If you wanted to train with me so bad should’ve just asked”

Zoro rolled his eyes “Don’t get too cocky birdie, I could destroy you in a sparring session anytime”

Slowly but surely, the swordsman had once again found his way into your heart, the garden that once withered grew strong once again, and little did you knew that you had also made love bloom in his, but that was a problem to deal with another time

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

Gonna most likely make this a series ☝🏻 like always request are open and feel free to correct me English is not my first language

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himezoro · 2 months

Note

Can you do head canons of how the straw hats would cheer you up if they noticed you were sad?

— thank you so much for requesting, and being my first request ! ୨୧ i mainly focused on the monster trio, i'll be happy to do a part 2 with other straw hats if you want to (tbh i was so excited to write after work that i could not wait lmao). i hope you'll enjoy it as much as i liked writing it for you ⋆˙⟡♡ i didn't know if it was meant to be their s/o, so i went for both hypothesis.

— ʜᴇᴀᴅᴄᴀɴᴏɴꜱ : how would the monster trio cheer you up if they noticed you were sad ?

wc : 1400+

warning! : mention of gender (female) in sanji's part !

sailing with the strawhats has always been pure magic and ectic each day. watching the sun sets in the most beautiful places, feeling the breeze tickling your nose, discovering nature in all its glory, dancing to the rythm of the waves. but traveling the seas had its tough times. who could have thought that your inner demons would catch up, when the thousands sunny would go so many ways ?

during these tempestuous times, with a forced smile on your face, the light in your eyes dimmed, and when you thought (or, your inner demons so declared), no one noticed, or that no one cared...

monkey d luffy

[ if you were his friend ]

luffy brings light with each blink of his round, bright eyes. he is the life of the party, hell, he is the party.

and even though he is used to having some more quiet souls around him, like zoro or robin, he sure can notice when someone is feeling sad, especially a crewmate. a friend.

when he noticed your absence during the time the ship decked on a beautiful beach, luffy asked for you, as he would for any of his comrades.

when he heard you stayed on the ship "to get some rest", he nodded and kept on having fun with usopp and chopper.

but the time flied, and you did not show up.

luffy would scream for you at the top of his lungs for you to come out and look at him pull pranks and build a really fun castle. he would do anything to make you laugh. even if it meant getting dugged in the sand by his friends or used as a kite for kite-surfing.

if his screams didn't make you come out (or, get him killed by nami), he would run to the ship and offer you a present : seashells he collected.

he would offer his biggest smile and tell you that he will be back soon with a giant fish for everyone to eat.

needless to say, he ended up drowning and that, made you laugh.

[ if you were his s/o ]

again, luffy may look a little over the moon, but he can make the difference between introversion and sadness.

if he would do anything to make you laugh as a friend, as a partner, luffy would tend to be more quiet.

luffy immediatly feels your sadness, even from miles away. it clenches his heart. he hates it when he knows his antics are not enough to make you smile. he feels like he failed in some way.

luffy's love language is physical touch. be prepared for a lot of cuddling sessions where he would not.let.you.breathe.

he hopes to bring warmth to your heart. he would not kiss you, but trap you with his elastic arms for as long as you want, or until he has to eat.

if you say you need space and alone time, luffy would respect that. instead, he would put his hat on your head and patiently wait until you're ready to be welcomed in his arms.

he's a sweetheart overall i want to squish him

roronoa zoro

[ if you were his friend ]

roronoa zoro is a quiet animal, a man of a few words. he respects boundaries more than anyone on the ship, which is why you liked having him around, especially during these dark times.

but just because zoro is quiet doesn't mean he does not notice. boy, does he notice. that man is always on watch, his guard on, he can feel the switch in the air the second he saw you sitting in a secluded space of the ship.

he knows he's not skillfull with words, and he knows he does not like prying. so, he does not ask questions. he just acknowledges your current state, and leaves you space.

when other crew members would ask for you, he would lie and say you're asleep in your quarters and do not want to be disturbed. he would make sure no one gets close to the place you're currently hiding, knowing that if you were there, it meant not wanting to be seen dealing with these emotions.

he would yell at luffy for being too loud and pretend it disturbs his own peace.

when he sees you come out looking sad again and cross his path, he would not talk or say anything. instead, he would give you a small, silent, yet, eloquent nod.

in other words : zoro would be the greatest gardian

[ if you were his s/o ]

zoro often felt like he was not a great partner. he's not energetic like luffy, romantic and eloquent like sanji... he feels like a brute.

but if there's one thing zoro is confident in for sure, in his relationship with you, it's his ability to protect you, to shield you from harm.

as a friend, he always feels protective of his crewmates, but when it comes to his s/o, this boy would build a whole planet just for them to be safe and sound. at peace.

so he immediatly notices you were sad with the way you bid "goodnight" after dinner.

he left you alone for a couple of minutes, just so you would not feel oppressed. again, this man knows boundaries.

yet, he is unable to stay away from you and leaving you alone in such state. his duty is to protect you from even the smallest ant. even if he has a lot of trust in your strength, he cannot help but to come into your room and sit, lay by you. he would not ask you to talk, but he will. after placing a kiss on your wet temple and a hand on your shivering shoulder, he would quietly state, with determination and pure adoration : "i'll be waiting by your side, if you need anything."

he would probably fall asleep, but he kept his promise, and his hand remained on your shoulder the entire time.

vinsmoke sanji

[ if you were his friend ]

sanji cares about the well-being of his crewmates like no other. after all, he is the chef, he is responsible for your health, and you know what they say : le bonheur est dans l'assiette (translation, happiness lies in the plate).

so when sanji notices you have not finished your meal last night, he figures that you just didn't like its taste.

so the next day for lunch, he tried to improve his recipe and served the meal once again, but to no avail. you did not eat a bite and quickly left.

sanji then understood the meal was not the issue here (he's a great chef after all, i cannot see him fail a recipe), but it was something else. you were sad. and this man cannot let a pretty lady in such dismay (or a friend in general).

sanji would bake your favorite cookies and, if you're a female, bring them over to you on a silver tray with the most marvelous bouquet to make you feel like a princess. it would be difficult for him to hide his excitement when he sees you, but he would understand your need to be left alone if this would please you.

but if you needed someone to talk, female or not, this man would pour down a cup of wonderful tea and listen to you for minutes, hours, hell, even for days, and provide a lot of advices and support.

he would not eat the treats he made for you, claiming they were yours and he "feeds off your growing happiness".

[ if you were his s/o ]

he would do everything he would do for a friend. after all, sanji is known to be kindhearted, thoughtful and attentive.

but when it comes to his s/o being sad ? he would feel it right away, like lightning.

before checking on you and reacting, sanji would think. this boy is sensitive, filled with empathy. so he would question himself and wonder if he is the cause of your sadness. is he too cliché ? is he too pushy ? does he not compliment you enough ? is the attention he gives to other ladies problematic ? he would think a lot about his own actions to make sure he can comfort you the right way.

so even though he notices your sadness really early on, he takes a while to react.

but when he does, expect your favorite treats along with a wonderful handwritten note under the plate where this boy tells you everything he wants you to know, "so you can cherish these words forever and hold them to your heart when feeling sorrow"

he would not give you the plate in person if you asked to be left alone, instead, he would silently leave it by your window and wait until you open it to offer you a sweet, loving kiss, on top of your forehead. like la cerise sur le gâteau (translation, the cherry on top of the cake).

#one piece x reader #one piece headcanons #one piece x you #zoro x reader #luffy x reader #sanji x reader #roronoa zoro #monkey d luffy #vinsmoke sanji #one piece headcanon #one piece imagine #op #op x reader

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french-unknown · 5 months

Note

Hi I really love your writings I was wondering if I could requesting something with a reader with chronic pain/disability? I've been dealing with some really bad pain days and could use a little fluff. Maybe with mihawk, shanks, sanji, and zoro? I would really appreciate it ❤️

𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐋 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐂 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐍/𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒: mihawk, shanks, sanji, zoro 𝐂/𝐖: fluff, little hurt / comfort 𝐀/𝐍: Hi and thank you very much! I learned a little about chronic pain (and life with it) to offer a headcanons in which you can project yourself so I sincerely hope you will like it and it will comfort you! I also focused more on chronic pain rather than disability because the latter was much too broad. Good luck with your pain! 𝐖/𝐂: 850 +

| m a s t e r l i s t |

𝐌𝐈𝐇𝐀𝐖𝐊

✧ He considers you perfectly capable despite your chronic pain and in no case does he brood over you or seem saddened for you.

✧ He has complete confidence in you and your feelings about your body so he never questions it if you tell him that you are tired or that you are in too much pain. In the same vein, if you tell him you can handle it, he believes you. He's not going to be on your back asking you if you're sure you're capable of it before each action.

✧ He remains very understanding about your illness.

✧ He never makes you feel guilty for being too painful to do an activity or outing. He simply pushes them away without ever accusing you.

✧ Will call doctors regularly to monitor the progress of your pain because health is very important to him.

✧ However, he will let you cuddle him if it helps you feel comfortable and eases the pain. He will put down his sword and his hat before opening his arms in "Go ahead, but finish me off quickly before I change my mind" mode.

✧ Don't put up with you being discriminated against or made fun of by anyone because of this. He has the capabilities to win against pirates and the Marine, and he won't hesitate, so whoever does will taste the edge of his blade.

✧ Is still discreetly impressed and proud to see you manage your life with your pain.

𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊𝐒

✧ You will have to explain the concept to him because he does not know it.

✧ He tends at first to make jokes like: "Are you still in pain? Yeah, you just don't want to peel 10 kg of potatoes!" but really in good-natured mode and without a nasty ulterior motive. He's just teasing you like he always does.

✧ As soon as he understands that being in almost permanent pain also affects your mood and your management of emotions, he will make it his mission to cheer you up.

✧ He takes you to the four corners of the world with his crew to see wonder shine in your eyes and make you forget your state of health.

✧ He always makes jokes to make you smile when you're going through really shitty days.

✧ He doesn't think about it that much either.

He already asked you to help them weather storms. So, after spending hours running on the soaked deck with your heart beating wildly and holding on to the ropes that were going away or grabbing on to everything you could get your hands on so as not to finish in the water, he stood staring at you in surprise when you couldn't even move the next day.

✧ He even laughs about it.

𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐉𝐈

✧ He takes really great care of you!

✧ He is extremely attentive to signals of pain or even simply discomfort that you may make.

If you are slower than usual, he will approach you directly to keep you company. If you stay in bed longer in the morning, he will immediately come and bring you breakfast in bed. If you wince, he'll rush to your side to worry.

✧ However, he is sometimes too preoccupied. He is kind of invasive in these cases. He tends, for example, to take loads off your hands without asking your opinion to prevent you from getting tired or to overprotect you in the middle of a fight and in daily life.

✧ It's very cute at times but you're going to have to make him understand that you are an independent person and that he doesn't have to wrap you in bubble wrap or treat you like a child.

✧ He is the most adorable person in the world, when he sees that you are not well, because he tries his best to help you. He brings you sweets, hot water bottles, blankets or hugs to help you get through these difficult times.

✧ Above all, he is very sad that it fell on you but he is happy to be able to help you and support you. He's shamefully a little satisfied that he can be useful to you.

𝐙𝐎𝐑𝐎

✧ Don't understand the principle. He is used to pain from injuries he receives while fighting or training and pain has never stopped him from living his life. So he doesn't understand at first why you're so exhausted for "nothing" in his eyes.

He doesn't see why you sometimes can't even get out of bed.

✧ He even thinks at some point that you're just a little lazy. That you were just making excuses to stay in bed or that you were really being weak.

✧ He is quite harsh in his words like : "Why are you in pain? We've only been walking for ten minutes and what's more, you're slow!" or "Why are you tired? You spent your day in bed!"

✧ It has to be Chopper who explains the principle of chronic pain to him.

✧ He needs instructions on how to act when you need to rest or how this impacts your daily life. You have to explain and communicate a lot about the pain levels. You will also have to ask him to be less accusatory in his remarks.

✧ He will always have difficulty with the concept but he nevertheless understands that it is complicated for you so he sticks to the instructions.

✧ Finally, he enjoys taking a nap with you.

𝐉𝐎𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐃𝐎𝐍'𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐘 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓: @iheartamora @bontensh0e @opchara @lys-ada @viscade @dozcan123 @kai-wifey

#one piece #one piece x reader #dracule mihawk #mihawk x reader #shanks #shanks x reader #sanji #sanji x reader #roronoa zoro #zoro x reader

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swirlymarimo · 2 months

Text

Zoro sits silently at the otherwise empty kitchen table, his head nestled against his palm as he watches their ships cook flit around, preparing breakfast for the crew. It's early. Too damn early if you ask him, the sun is barely just rising over the horizon. Its light is soft and golden, pouring in from the window on the adjacent wall.

He had been sitting alone in the crows nest, finishing up his nights watch when he had heard the familiar squeak of the galley door. After finishing the last of his push-ups he grabbed the towel from the bar on the wall and wiped the sweat from bis brow. "I should probably shower." He spoke into the deafening silence. Sanji would want nothing to do with him if he waltzed into the kitchen in his present state.

With the cook up and about, he decided it's fine to end his watch and move to the bathroom to freshen up. It won't take long, things would be okay with ten or so minutes of loose supervision.

Now here he sits, clean and refreshed watching the love of his life be the most obnoxious type of morning person there was. How someone can be this full of energy before the world was even awake will never makes sense to him. Right now he seems to be humming some old shanty while he tossses ingredients into a large mixing bowl.

He looks beautiful in the early morning light. The golden sunlight is casting a halo that makes him practically glow like treasure. Not to mention how cute and domestic he looks in his stupid pink apron.

"Need some help?"

He just can't shake the pull of soul wanting to be closer to the man at the counter. He was breathtaking. Zoro wants to burn this image into his mind.

Without even turning to spare him a glance, Sanji answers, "No, I'm alright. I don't have much to do."

"You were just saying yesterday I need to help out around the ship more." Zoro knows the comment was merely an excuse to bicker at the time when it was said, but now perhaps it can be his excuse to be closer. He really means to say "I just want to be domestic with you." But he's certain the cook can read between the lines and understand that he just wants to do something simple in each others company.

Sanji humors him this time, turning and placing one hand on his hip. "Do you even know how to do anything in a kitchen?" He asks.

In all honesty, no, he does not. So he makes his best offer, "I can do the dishes you're making. Dry them and put them away too. Or I can help you cut stuff. Kind of my thing isn't it?"

Zoro tried to joke, but Sanji doesn't find it comedic at all.

"Please its not the same kind of cutting at all. Cutting things in the kitchen is far different in technique than weilding a katana." Sanji now turns back to his station and adds the batter he's made to the waiting skillet on the stove. It sizzles for a moment as it hits the hot surface.

"I can't become the greatest swordsman if I can't even master a kitchen knife. Show me. Then I can help." Zoro mentally pats himself on the back for his clever in.

His smirk falls when Sanji laughs loudly. "Are you serious? You'll take my instruction on something?"

Zoro has to brush off the small amount of annoyance he feels at being teased. Remembering his ultimate goal is to participate in some form of bonding activity he keeps at it.

"Yeah. I master a new blade. You get breakfast done a little quicker. It's a win-win."

Sanji turns again to face his lover who seems very intent on helping today. "Is this really because I said you aren't very helpful around the ship? Because I wasn't being that serious, you do plenty." He feels a little bit of guilt creep into his chest.

"No. It's not that." Zoro gives Sanji a soft look, one he reserves only for the blonde. "Look pretty cook I just want to spend some time with you before everyone gets up. That's all." Zoro confesses.

Sanji gives Zoro a look of his own. Soft eyes and a small, genuine smile.

"Okay lover boy, first things first, go wash your hands. You're not touching anything until I know you're not contaminated."

Zoro smirks in victory, a smart remark already on the back of his tongue

"Yes chef."

And Sanji rolls his eyes so hard they may just roll right out of his head, but even so, a light laugh rings into the quiet galley.

#zosan #zoro x sanji #zoro and sanji #my post #established zosan #zoro wants to help #sanjis love language is quality time #zoros love language is acts of service #mini fic #ficlet #zosan ficlet

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turtletaubwrites · 3 months

Text

One Shots & Requests Masterlist

18+ ONLY. MDNI. SOME FICS CONTAIN DARK CONTENT. Currently writing for One Piece. All of these fics are NSFW and Fem!Reader unless marked otherwise. Content warnings and Ao3 links can be found on each post. This post updates frequently! Check out the main masterlist for completed and ongoing series, as well as WIP updates and announcements! One shots related to the poly fic We've All Got Needs can be read on their own, and are marked with a 💜

Ace

The Only One I Want ~ (1657) ~ You have a delicious dream about a certain swordsman. Your boyfriend, Ace, is not pleased when you wake up. (Brief Zoro x Fem!Reader in a dream.)

My Pretty Little Thief ~ (2004) ~ Ace knows where he left his hat. But when it's not there, he hunts it down, only to discover the culprit. How can he convince the thief to return his precious hat?

Buggy

You’d Do Anything For Me, Wouldn’t Ya, Doll? ~ (2104) ~ You are Captain Buggy’s Vicious Dagger, his blade tossing beauty that recently became his lover. You’d do anything for him, and tonight you prove it.

Crocodile

Wrong Side of the Bars ~ (3990) ~ Your promotion landed you in hell, otherwise known as Level 6 of Impel Down. All you wanted to do was work this shit job so you could move on up, but there's one prisoner that won't leave you alone. It turns out those long nights go by faster with a bit of company.

Cross Guild

Numbers Game ~ Masterlist ~ (Oops. Turned into a series.) ~ You left your stable/boring life as an investment banker to have some adventure. Unfortunately, that sweet Warlord of the Sea didn't follow your financial advice, and now you and your clown are at the mercy of his biggest lender and his new business partner.

Katakuri

Sweet Abduction ~ (4084) ~ Part 2 ~ (2175) ~ Part 3 (End) ~ (3781) ~ Times are tough, and you're afraid you'll have to give up the family business, until you find people who cherish your work. Who knew making doughnuts would gain you the attention of an Emperor of the Sea, and her second son? Will your new life be as sweet as it seemed?

More fics below the cut 🖤

Law

See How You Like It ~ (1927) ~ Law is back from another fiasco with the Straw Hats. You think he's cute when he's grumpy. He thinks you should have some more respect for your captain.

Bend Until You Break ~ Masterlist ~ (Oops. Turned into a series. Completed) ~ !! YANDERE!Law x Fem!Reader !! DARK CONTENT !! ~ You have struggled with mystery pains and injuries for most of your life, and had resigned yourself to suffer after every doctor told you there was nothing wrong. But when a world renowned doctor/pirate comes to town to offer aid in exchange for supplies, you decide to give hope one more chance. Maybe you'll finally find a doctor you can trust.

Misty Eyes ~ Masterlist ~ (Oops. Turned into a series. Ongoing) ~ (Includes Doflamingo x Fem!Reader in the past & flashbacks) !! DARK CONTENT !! ~ You were the weakest member of the Donquixote Family, so Doflamingo found another way you could serve him. Until your childhood crush found you, freeing you from those chains. What will Law expect in return?

Such a Softie ~ (461 ~ Drabble) (SFW) (GN!Reader) ~ Law is struggling to help you with your pain, until he has an idea. This is the coziest treatment you've ever received.

Luffy

My Favorite Kinds of Nights 💜 ~ (2375) ~ Part 2 ~ (3625) ~ You are enjoying a quiet moment away from the feast while the crew celebrates another victory. Your three partners, Robin, Sanji, and Zoro are occupied for the evening, so you take time to relax. Until you receive an unexpected request from your captain.

Multi and/or Character x Character

Same Time ~ (1123) ~ Zoro x Fem!Reader x Sanji ~ Your boyfriends are always arguing, but sometimes you're the one that wins the fight. Tonight the battle is for who gets to go first.

So What? ~ (SFW) ~ (1096) ~ Zoro x Sanji ~ An enemy catches Zoro eying Sanji in the middle of a fight. Zoro doesn't care, until they make the mistake of threatening the cook.

One Piece x Introverted!Reader (SFW) ~ Headcanons & Drabbles ~ Zoro, Sanji, and Robin

The Sounds You Made 💜 ~ (1422) ~ Sanji x Fem!Reader, Zoro x Fem!Reader ~ Sanji overhears you discussing and enjoying your casual arrangement with Zoro. He doesn't like the way Zoro talks to you, so he listens in to make sure you're okay.

Lucky Boy 💜 ~ (2561) ~ Sanji x Robin ~ Robin and Sanji have been dating you for a while, but tonight is their first date together. How will the cook and the archaeologist get along?

In Control ~ 💜 (2599) ~ Zoro x Robin ~ Robin and Zoro have been dating you for a while, but tonight is their first date together. How will the swordsman and the archaeologist get along?

You Never Shut Up, Do You? 💜 ~ (1323) ~ Zoro x Nami ~ Nami has watched you enjoy your poly relationships with Zoro and Sanji for a while. She's got an itch that needs scratching, and she decides to see if Zoro can help her out.

I Saw You First 💜 ~ (1451) ~ Part 2 ~ (1309) ~ Zoro x Fem!Reader, Sanji x Fem!Reader ~ You have a casual arrangement with Zoro, but he isn't happy that you'll be seeing Sanji tonight. He tries to get his mind off of things, but overhears you enjoying your time with the cook. Can he control his anger?

Touching What's Yours 💜 ~ (815) ~ Part 2 ~ (2344) ~ Part 3 ~ (6048) ~ Zoro x Sanji, Zoro x Fem!Reader x Sanji ~ You have a casual arrangement with Zoro, but he isn't happy that you had your first night with Sanji tonight. Zoro overheard some of your time together, and his rage kept him from sleeping. Instead, Zoro has gone to confront the cook for taking what's his.

Sanji

Sleeping Beauty 💜 ~ (2646) ~ Your boyfriend has yet another kink he'd like to explore with you. You tell Sanji that you trust him to take care of you, even while you're sleeping.

Filthy Little Angel 💜 ~ (1323) ~ Sanji requests to try a new way to worship your body. You know your boyfriend will take good care of you.

Parted Lips (SFW) ~ (1734) ~ Sanji has made another meal just for you, but it's still too painful to eat. You open up to Sanji about your jaw pain, and he offers to help you work through it.

Sanji's Super Birthday Present 💜 ~ (988) ~ Part 2 (End) ~ (1105) ~ You work up the nerve to ask Franky for help with a gift for Sanji. You hope your birthday boy will like his new toy.

Gag Order ~ (3268) ~ You catch your boyfriend flirting with another woman, and you can't stop your worries. Until you decide to use your talents as a hypnotist to make sure you're the only one Sanji flirts with. He told you he only wants to be with you, so what's the harm in helping him keep that promise?

Shanks

A Good Catch ~ (4367) ~ Part 2 ~ (5030) ~ Part 3 ~ (4613) ~ Part 4 (End) ~ (4275) ~ You are an unlucky fisherwoman having a bad day, until a red haired pirate captain offers to help you out. You're pretty sure he only makes it worse.

Zeff

My Lovely Patron ~ (1300) ~ Part 2 ~ (1922) ~ You are a journalist following a story about fishmen attacking a floating restaurant. You try to ply the head chef with wine for some details, but end up getting something else instead.

Zoro

Just a Dream ~ (1288) ~ You have a delicious dream about your captain's brother. Your boyfriend, the first mate, is not pleased when you wake up. (Brief Ace x Fem!Reader in a dream)

Hogging the Blankets 💜 ~ (1210) ~ Zoro hogged the blankets, so you try to wake him. He tells you what you need to do now that you've woken him up.

Fighting Dirty 💜 ~ (2341) ~ You can’t help it when you get distracted by Zoro during training sessions, so he brings the sparring mats to the bedroom to teach you a lesson.

Mama Bear ~ (2606) ~ (Modern AU) ~ You're a gogo dancer, and you bring Zoro to a rave on your night off, wanting to show your boyfriend what that part of your life is like. Zoro can't help but notice how much you like to take care of people, and he has some thoughts on the matter.

Zoro x GN!Swordsman!Reader (with a powerful/unique sword) (SFW) ~ Headcanons & Drabble

A Swordsman's Shame ~ (SFW) (GN!Reader) ~ (1530) ~ You and Zoro have the same dream, and it's built a passion between you. But something has been holding you back, keeping you from opening yourself up to your crewmate, your rival, your fellow swordsman.

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cozage · 11 months

Text

The Moss that Grew in Gloom

Chapter 2: Honor in Asking for Help

Start From Beginning | Next Chapter | Masterlist | Read on AO3

Summary: As the daughter of the best swordsman in the world, your life has been a lonely one. You've never minded the quiet life, until a mossy-haired swordsman falls to your island and shakes things up. Word Count: 2.5k Characters: female reader x Zoro

You heard him outside your room in the mornings, training in the courtyard. Sometimes you stopped to watch him, but most of the time you ignored it. He worked his way up the baboons, slowly and painfully.

In the afternoon, you explored the island. Most days you wandered through the destroyed villages, but you also enjoyed watching Zoro train. One time he caught you, and demanded you either fight or leave, and you laughed as you walked away. He didn’t seem to question why the baboons didn’t chase you as you retreated.

He dragged himself inside at night and the four of you ate dinner together. Most of the time it was silent, save for Perona’s loud voice talking to nobody in particular. After dinner you and Zoro went to the infirmary, where you checked his bandages and made any adjustments that were needed.

This went on for a few weeks, until Zoro only had about 10 baboons left to conquer. He had been stagnant in his progress for a few days, and you could tell he was getting frustrated.

“Would you like some pointers?” you asked, tightening the bandage around his wrist.

“What could you teach me?” he snarled back.

You laughed, it echoing off the stone walls. “I guess you won’t know until you ask.”

“I don’t need your help.”

You hummed, tucking his bandage under the wrapping to keep it from unraveling. He hopped off the cot and stormed towards the door.

“Let me know if you change your mind,” you called out to him as he stormed down the hall.

There was a knock on your door three days later. You opened it to find the moss-headed swordsman standing there there, sweat beading on his forehead. He looked nervous, but he didn’t say anything.

You stood there waiting for him to speak for a few moments, but he didn’t.

You finally took the bait, tired of his game. “Can I help you?”

He scowled at you. “Hang on, woman. I’m working on it.”

You stood there for another minute, but he didn’t say anything.

“You’re wasting my time,” you said, starting to shut the door.

“Hang on!” His hands slammed against the door, taking you by surprise.

You squinted your eyes at him, crossing your arms over your chest in irritation while you waited for him to muster up the courage to say whatever he was planning.

Zoro fiddled with the hilt of Wado Ichimonji, clicking it in and out of its belt. “Mikawk said you’ve beaten all of the babboons on the island.”

You raised an eyebrow. “And?”

“How’d you do it?”

You give him a smug look, finally realizing his motives for being here. He had actually taken you up on your offer.

“Are you asking me for help?” you asked coyly.

“No!” Zoro snapped immediately. He hesitated for a second, and then let out a defeated sigh. “Yes.”

You gave him a slightly evil giggle and picked up your sword next to the door. “Come on, let’s see what I can teach you.”

You walked past him without saying anything further, and quickly down the hallway. You heard him struggle to keep up with you behind you. You considered waiting for him, but pausing would show a sign of weakness you couldn’t afford to let him see. He already understimated you enough as it was.

When you finally made it out to the courtyard, you turned back to face him, hoping he was still behind you. He was a short distance back, but he had kept up for the most part.

The courtyard didn't seem like the proper spot for the training he’d be doing, and you’d rather stay away from your father’s lurking eyes and his judgemental comments. So you continued on towards the tree line, still not saying anything to Zoro.

“Hey!” Zoro called out, stopping at the courtyard. “I normally train here!”

“Keep up!” you called back to him, not slowing your pace. “Or else you’ll get lost.”

You heard him let out a huff of desperation, and his boots stomped quickly on the ground to close the gap to you. You smirked to yourself, but said nothing outloud.

Once you hit the treeline, you slowed down to allow him to catch up to you. It’d be easy for a normal person to get lost in these woods, and Zoro would be hopelessly doomed here. When he finally caught up with you, he was breathing heavily.

“Could you walk any faster?” He snapped, struggling to catch his breath.

“Yes.” You kept walking, your eyes watching the darkened areas of the forest where enemies could be hiding.

You heard his steps start to recede, and as you look around, you realize he’s wandering away from you.

“Hey!” you shouted, running over to him. You gripped his wrist tightly, dragging him back to the path. “All you have to do is follow me! How are you failing so badly at that already?!”

You heard him clench his teeth, but you kept a strong grasp on his wrist. You did not want him to get lost here. It’s unlikely he’d ever find his way out.

You pulled him along, and he followed obediently, even if you could feel him silently seething. Luckily, no baboons bothered you all for now. It’s the weaker part of the island, but sometimes they still liked to challenge you for fun.

You all finally made it to some old ruins, and you stopped abruptly. Zoro smacked into you, and he groaned out in pain.

“Pick a spot,” you said, ignoring his grumbling. “Do you know what Haki is?”

He gave you a scowl, which you took as his answer.

You coated your hand in armament haki and held it up to show him. “You ever done this before?”

His scowl deepened, and you resisted the urge to roll your eyes. How could this man best your father if he didn’t even know what haki was.

“Haki is your spiritual energy, which you can harness and use in various ways.”

“I don’t know what that has to do with beating baboons.”

“Because,” you hissed, irritated with his arogance. “This cut-”

You sliced at the air with your blade, sending a slash to the tops of the trees. Several branches fell to the ground.

“Turns into this.”

You infused haki into Nikko, sending a glance his way before slicing the area next to the one you had just cut. It was a clean cut, and the tops of multiple trees completely toppled, crashing to the ground.

Zoro’s jaw dropped for a moment, but he quickly corrected it. He tried not to look too impressed, but you could feel pride swelling in your chest. You had proven yourself to him, in a minor yet crucial way.

“Teach me,” he said, desperation in his voice.

“I can’t,” you replied.

“Then why’d you show me?!”

“You have to learn it yourself, idiot!” you shouted back. “So pick a spot!”

He grumbled, but he walked over to a flat rooftop and sat down. You joined him, holding out a hankerchief. He stared at you, skeptical of the piece of cloth.

“Around your eyes,” you said, pointing at his face.

“What?” he hissed.

“Do you trust me?”

He frowned at you. “I don’t know you enough to trust you.”

You groaned, turning and walking away from him. You were exasperated with his constant mood switches. “If you don’t want my help then I’m leaving. Find your own way home.”

“Wait!” he shouted. “Fine. But I’m using my own.”

When you turned back, you saw him tying a bandana around his head and pulling it down over his eyes.

“Okay,” you nodded. You bent down, picking up a stick from the ground. “Now dodge.”

“What?!?!” He screamed, but when you swung, he moved out of the way instinctively.

The fact that your stick didn’t make contact with him on the first attempt shocked you. Either his senses were sharp, or…

You swung again, and he dodged. Time and time again, you swung and missed him.

“You do know what haki is!” you pouted. You were hoping you’d get at least one hit in.

“What do you mean?” He raised his bandana off one eye, looking up at you.

“Your observation haki is super refined!” you complimented. He deserved that much. “It’ll make it easier to transfer that concept to armament haki.”

“Oh.” Zoro did his best to act disinterested, but you could see his cheeks pink at your compliment.

“So the feeling you had when you could sense my movements?! You know that feeling?” You looked at him, waiting for him to respond, but he just shrugged.

“I just know how to do it. It’s not really a feeling.”

You frowned. There was definitely a feeling you associated with it. It’s how your father explained it too. The mossy-haired man probably just wasn’t paying enough attention.

“Close your eyes again. Really focus on the feelings you’re experiencing when you dodge.”

You swung another twenty times, and he dodged them all. No matter how indifferent or how much malice you put into the swings, he always avoided your attack.

“You know the feeling now?” you asked after the last swing.

“I don’t have a feeling!” he shot back, still blindfolded.

“Are you focusing on how you feel?!”

“No!” he yelled. “I’m focusing on you!”

You rolled your eyes. “Focus on yourself.”

“I can’t!” he shot back.

“Why not?” you growled.

“You’re too damn distracting!” He said, tugging his bandana off his head to stare at you.

You ignored the heat rushing to your cheeks and used his outburst as a way to take a deep breath and focus yourself before you responded. “Well stop focusing on me. Focus on my attacks, and how they make you feel.”

“I already know how they make me feel,” he muttered under his breath. He pulled his bandana over his eyes again, and you swung.

You smacked him, and he yelped out in pain.

“What the hell?!” he demanded. “I wasn’t ready!”

“Focus!” you screamed, swinging again.

He dodged this time, though it was a later reaction than it had been before. You could tell he was trying to follow your instructions, even if they didn’t make much sense to him. After a few swings, he seemed to flow better in his dodges.

“You can feel it,” you said, dropping the stick to the ground.

“I think so.” He didn’t sound too sure. “It’s like a weird tingling sensation.”

“Yes!” you shouted in triumph, and he jumped at your loudness. “Now you just have to harness that tingling sensation and put it around you, kind of like an exoskeleton.”

“An exo-what now?” He pulled his bandana up again so it sat normally on his head. His eyes were full of confusion.

You hummed, trying to think of a proper synonym. “Kind of like a shell?”

“And then I just push it into my swords?”

“We’ll get to the sword part after you get the armorment haki down.” You didn’t want him wearing himself down to the bone in one day.

He closed his eyes, trying to concentrate. You could see his body tensing, his muscles clenching together in effort.

“Zoro?” you sang his name like a soft melody, and you saw his teeth grit in frustration.

“I’m focusing!” he snapped.

“Yeah, I see that. I just think-”

He shouted in frustration and stood up, pulling out one of his blades and slashing it at nothing. “I can do it myself, okay?” he yelled, looking at you.

You didn’t react. You just stared at him with an irritated expression, waiting for him to calm down. He finally did, heaving deep breaths from his energy being gone after so much training through the day.

“Come on.” You turned back towards the castle. “You’re too worked up. It’s not going to work if your mind isn’t right.”

“Do whatever you want,” he huffed. “I’m not coming back until I get this.”

He’d be out here all night even if he didn’t start wandering off. “Zoro-”

“Leave!” he yelled. “You’re distracting me, woman!”

“Fine,” you snapped back. You sped towards the treeline without another word, refusing to look back at him.

You couldn’t believe the audacity of that swordsman. You offered your kindness, just for him to treat you like this. Your father always said pirates weren’t honorable, they they could turn on a dime, and Roronoa Zoro seemed to be the perfect example of that. You wanted to scream at him for being so rude. Let him get lost, let him fight all of the baboons at once. Whatever happened to him, he brought upon himself.

You made it back to the castle as the sun was slowly sinking down over the ridge, and you were irritated to learn that your entire day had been wasted on some ungrateful man. You stormed into the castle and past your father without a word. You were about to head up the stairs when he addressed you.

“Busy day?” he asked. You could hear the sly question in his voice.

“Are you going to chastise me for helping an outsider?” you snapped back, your anger still bubbling inside of you.

His eyes gave you a warning glare, letting you know that your attitude was pushing his patience. “I take it the lessons did not go well.”

You took a breath. “He doesn’t want my help.” You felt calmer now that you were talking to your father. He was so level headed, everything was so simple with him. It brought you back down to rational thinking.

“Why do you think that is?”

“Probably because I’m a girl,” you scoffed. “And he doesn’t want me helping him make any progress.”

Your father laughed dryly. “I believe half of that answer is right.”

You squinted your eyes at him, trying to decipher the code he was speaking in, but he changed the subject before your could figure it out.

“Would you like to spar tomorrow morning?”

“With Yoru?” you asked eagerly, excitement bubbling inside you.

“If you would like.”

“Yes!” You jumped with glee, and your father smiled at your joy.

You grinned for the rest of the night, excited for what would come in the morning. You were so consumed in getting ready for your own battle with your father, you didn’t realize that Zoro had never made it back to the castle.

#one piece #one piece imagine #one piece scenario #one piece x reader #one piece fic #one piece x you #zoro #roronoa zoro #zoro x reader #zoro x y/n #zoro x you #cozage #TMTGIG #✧˚zoro✧˚

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