Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I'm nobody special. I don't have Haki. I don't have a Devil Fruit. I don't even have any fighting skills! I'm just an ordinary girl, curled up on the ground, trying not to die as the world around me goes to hell in a handbasket.

Hi! You're probably wondering how I got here. Let's go back to when this all started: about a month ago. I'm minding my own business, sitting on the subway, chewing my bubblegum, playin' with my yo-yo… Oh wait, that's a different story.

I'm sitting on the subway when suddenly, everything goes dark. I figure the power probably went out or something, so I wait patiently in my seat. After about five minutes, I realize that it's quiet, far too quiet for crowded public transportation. Then, I hear a tap, tap, tap of dripping water from somewhere off to my left.

Making a super smart spur of the moment decision, I go investigate the sound. My shoes slosh through ankle-deep water after only a few steps. The dripping sound has turned into a roaring gush, and the water level is rising. I still can't see anything. 

Based on my spatial memory, there should be a door to my immediate right. I place my hands out in front of me and wade forward through the thigh-high water. I keep walking, but my hands make no contact. The water is up to my waist now. I walk faster. Still nothing. The water is up to my chest. 

My foot catches on something, and I trip, plunging into the depths. I flail around, disoriented and panicking. I can't find the surface! My lungs are burning. I need air! I see light! I claw my way up through the water, and my fingers break the surface, followed quickly by my head. I desperately gasp for air before a wave crashes over me, dragging me down again. 

I fight back to the surface, drawing in another lungful of sweet, sweet oxygen. I catch a glimpse of a small boat nearby. “Help!” I yell, and immediately get dragged under again. I kick with all my might to stay afloat, but I can feel my strength waning. 

Just as I'm about to give up, a strong hand clamps firmly around my wrist, and drags me onto a hard surface. Laying on my side, I gasp and splutter, chest heaving and muscles spent. I groan weakly. My eyes are stinging, but I force them open in order to view my savior. I blink up at the blurry green haired man sitting beside me. It looks kind of like… I squint. That can't be right. “Z-Zoro?!” 

I try to sit up, but the man pushes me back down. “You shouldn't move. You have a nasty gash on your forehead.” He pulls out a roll of bandages.

When did I get that? I raise a hand to my forehead, and I wince as I make contact with the wound. My fingers are stained with red when I pull my hand away. “That's probably not good,” I say dazedly.

“No, it's not,” he says, handing me a belt. I stare at it, confused, and he sighs. “Put it in your mouth. This is going to hurt.” Oh. I hastily place it between my teeth and brace myself as best I can. My forehead burns like a metal slide in summer as he presses a damp cloth to it, and I let out a muffled scream. My entire body trembles as a needle repeatedly pierces my skin, pulling and tugging at my scalp. I lose track of time, dissociating from the pain. When he finishes wrapping my head, he sets a hand on my shoulder, pulling me back to the present. “Are you alright?”

I pry my sore jaw apart, and wipe my eyes. “I-I'll live.”

He grins and raises an eyebrow. “You're tough. You didn't pass out,” he remarks.

I bark out a laugh and prop myself up against the wall of the boat. “So, where are we heading?”

He shrugs, and points into the sky. “I'm sailing towards that cloud. We should reach land at some point.”

I chuckle. “You're definitely Zoro.”

He raises an eyebrow. “You seem familiar with me, but I'm pretty sure I've never met you before.”

“Oh! Right! My name's…” I frown. “My name's…why don't I know my name?” When I try to recall anything about myself, I come up empty-handed. I stare at Zoro with wide eyes. “I don't remember who I am.”

His brow furrows. “But you know who I am?”

I nod, and speak the words supplied by my brain. “Roronoa Zoro, Demon Pirate Hunter, wants to become the world's greatest swordsman.”

Zoro's gaze sharpens. “How do you know that?”

“I don't know!” I yell, frustrated. “I just do!”

I hug my knees to my chest and rest my chin on them. “I don't know,” I mumble. We sail in silence for a while. I feel so empty. I finally speak. “If I can't remember my name, I suppose I'll need a new one.”

Zoro studies me intently for a moment. “Kirei,” he says.

“Kirei? I like it. Does it mean something?” I ask him. He doesn't respond. I shrug. “Alright. I guess my name's Kirei now.” It'll take some getting used to, but it's as good as any. “Thank you, by the way, for rescuing me and stitching me up. You saved my life.”

“Eh. Don't make a big deal about it,” he says, waving a hand dismissively. He leans back and appears to fall asleep.

I stare at his relaxed face. It's weird. I know more about him than I do about myself. Where did I come from? Do I have a family? Friends? How did I end up in the middle of the sea? I'm giving myself a headache, so I turn my attention to the water. Looking across the waves, I spot a speck on the horizon.

Excitement grips my chest. “I think I see an island!” I exclaim.

“Told you we'd come across land,” Zoro murmurs. “How far off is it?”

“It's only a speck, so probably still a bit?” I shrug.

“M'kay.”

I roll my eyes and adjust the sail, so that the boat is heading towards the speck. Zoro probably would've left it to chance. I watch the landmass grow larger and larger. A large blue and white building takes up a large portion of the port city. My brain supplies a name. “Shells Town.”

Zoro stirs at my words. “Do you know this place?”

I frown. “It looks familiar, but more like I saw a picture of it once.”

“Well, there's a marine base,” he says, pointing to the large building. “Maybe someone there can help you find your way back home.”

“No!” I blurt out in panic. “I don't trust the marines!”

“Why?”

“I don't know. It’s just a deep-seated feeling inside of me. Just like how I feel completely safe around you.” I jump onto a dock and start tying the boat to a post. Halfway through the knot, I pause. 

“What's wrong?”

“I know how to tie knots, but I don't remember learning how to tie knots.” I slowly finish securing the line, confusion etched into my features.

“It's probably muscle memory then,” Zoro comments. “Maybe you used to work on a ship.”

“Would it be alright if I travel with you for a little longer?” I ask anxiously. 

He shrugs. “Sure. But I don't have a lot of beri.”

“I don't care. We can figure something out. I'd just rather be with you than on my own.” 

He gives me a weird look, nods, and we head into town together.

Chapter Text

I'm surprised at how quickly we find a bar. I guess Zoro can navigate, but only if alcohol is involved. I sit down at a table in the corner, while Zoro approaches the counter. With two mugs in hand, he joins me at the table and slides one over to me.

I watch him take a sip, and I tentatively raise my own cup. My nose scrunches up at the smell, but I try it anyway. Nope! It burns my throat, and I cough violently. As Zoro pats me on the back, I set the mug down carefully and push it towards him.

“Sorry. It's not to my liking,” I say, smiling weakly at him. He did pay for it, so I don't want to be rude.

Zoro chuckles. “That's an understatement. More for me, I suppose!” A few minutes later, two bowls of stew are placed down, along with a glass of water. The lady who owns the bar gives me a small smile. I return the smile, and tuck in. It's delicious! I polish off the bowl rapidly.

Sitting back, I scan my eyes over the room. There's a young girl sweeping the floor between two tables. She looks kind of familiar. Suddenly, the door bursts open, and a feral dog enters, followed by a marine whose demeanor just screams narcissistic jerkface. The snarling canine starts eating food off a customer's plate.

The child angrily whacks the dog with her broom. “You can't take other people's food!” she yells.

The dog's going to attack her! As the canine lunges forward, a stool flies past me and nails the dog on the head, knocking it out. Zoro barely shifted! His reaction time is impressive. 

Some of the other patrons start whispering loudly. “That's the Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro! What's he doing here?”

“Can't you let us eat in peace?” Zoro asks blandly, staring at the Marine. I want to say his name's Harold or Humphrey or something like that.

“How dare you attack my pet?! Don't you know who I am?!” The man child draws his sword, and I scoff quietly. Does this guy seriously think he stands a chance? 

Zoro swiftly disarms him and places a blade to his neck. “I don't really care about you or your stupid pet.”

The marine grins. “You do realize that if my father finds out about this, that girl and her mother will be executed for sure! So let's make a deal; You get strung up in their place for, uh, one month! If you can survive for a month, I'll let you live too! Whadya say?”

Zoro drops his sword. “One month,” he concedes.

I don't like this one bit. “Zoro,” I begin, but he sends me a warning glance, and I close my mouth. I don't trust that marine, but I trust Zoro's judgment. And so, I just sit there and watch him get arrested.

This leaves me in quite a predicament, however. I have no money, I don't really know anybody here, and I don't want to leave town without Zoro. I sip my water slowly. I don't know what to do. My worry must be written on my face, because the owner lady, who also happens to be the little girl's mother, approaches me.

“I'm sorry,” she says. “Your friend was arrested for defending my daughter.”

“You don't have to apologize to me,” I say quickly. “He's just that kind of guy. And that marine fellow seemed like a real jerk.”

She gives me a kind smile. “Do you have a place to stay while he's tied up?”

I shake my head. “No. I don't even have any money.”

“We'll put you up for the month, then. It's the least we can do in return for your friend's actions.” She walks away before I have the chance to object. Okay. I guess I'm staying here. After the bar closes for the night, the owner, who I find out is named Ririka, shows me to a small room with a mat laid out. “It's not much, but-”

“It's perfect. Thank you very much,” I say, bowing in gratitude.

Not wanting to feel like a burden, and also to distract myself from thinking about Zoro, I help wash dishes for Ririka during the day. Before I know it, three weeks pass. 

I hear a commotion in the streets, and Ririka rushes Rika inside the building. “What's going on?” I ask.

“Some guy in a straw hat just punched the Marine Captain's son,” Ririka tells me.

“Only ‘cause Helmeppo said he was gonna shoot that Pirate Hunter guy!” Rika added.

“He said what?!” I throw down the washrag and bolt out the door. Something big is about to happen, I just know it. And nobody's shooting Zoro on my watch!

Luckily, there's a tall ladder set against the wall already, so I scramble to the top and leap down. A pink-haired boy, Koby, is trying to untie Zoro's bindings. I rush over to help.

“Kirei? What are you doing here?! It's dangerous! You have to leave!” Zoro yells at me.

I don't know why, but I slap him. “I've been worried about you for weeks! And I just found out that Helmeppo's planning on shooting you! So, no, I'm not leaving!”

Zoro looks stunned. Then his gaze shifts past me, and his face pales. I turn around. A handful of marines stand there, guns at the ready, and behind them towers a large man with an axe for a hand. Helmeppo's dad, Captain Morgan, gives the order to fire, and I squeeze my eyes shut in anticipation.

Since I'm not immediately riddled with bullets, I crack my eyes open, seeing a skinny boy wearing a red vest and a straw hat. I breathe out a single word: “Luffy.”

After flinging the bullets back toward the marines, Luffy turns around and addresses Zoro, holding up Zoro's katanas. “I didn't know which one was yours, so I grabbed all of them.”

I say, "They're all his,” at the same time as Zoro says, “They're all mine.” Zoro makes eye contact with me and grins.

Seeing as their bullets didn't work, the marines draw their swords and charge at us. Koby’s still trying to untie the knots, but Zoro impatiently says, “Just hand me my swords.”

A flash later, Zoro is free, and he blocks all of the swords at once. I skitter behind the cross for cover, and curl up, making myself as small as possible. I hear metal clang as swords clash together again. There are several yells, and thumps, and just overall chaos.

Someone yanks me to my feet by the back of my shirt. Helmeppo puts a gun to my head and shouts, “Stop, or I'll shoot them!” I realize he has a second gun pointed at Koby. I can also feel Helmeppo trembling.

I lock eyes with Zoro, and a calm spreads over me. At this moment, I know for certain that Helmeppo won't harm me. I flash him a quick smile.

“Luffy-san!” Koby yells. “I don't want to get in your way, even if it means dying!”

Luffy's grin stretches wide across his face. “Gum-Gum-” Captain Morgan towers behind him, but Luffy pays him no mind. “-Pistol!”

Koby and I duck as Luffy's punch sends Helmeppo flying. Standing up, I see that Zoro has taken care of Morgan. The remaining marines drop their weapons and cheer. Then Zoro collapses to the ground, and I rush over in concern. “I'm really hungry,” he groans.

I turn to the boy made of rubber. “Hey, Luffy! Can you carry Zoro to the bar?”

Back at Ririka's bar, Koby and I sit back and watch in awe as Zoro and Luffy shovel down food. A tall stack of dishes accumulates before both are satisfied.

Zoro turns to me apologetically. “I'm sorry Kirei, but we might need to part ways.”

I stare at him in disbelief. “Why?! If you think I'll want to leave because you're a pirate now, you're an idiot! I'll be one too!” I look at Luffy. “Hey, Luffy, can I join your crew?”

Luffy grins. “Sure!”

I turn back to Zoro challengingly. “There!”

Zoro blinks, and then laughs. “I guess there's no getting rid of you, huh?” He takes another swig from his mug.

My smile falters. Does he want to get rid of me? 

“So Luffy, how many crew members do you have?” Zoro asks.

“You guys are my first two!” he says brightly, and Zoro does a spit take.

“That's all?! Please tell me you at least have a ship!” Zoro exclaims.

“Of course I do!” He points toward a small dinghy-sized boat tied at the dock.

Zoro slumps in his chair, and I laugh. “This is gonna be fun!”

Chapter Text

After the Marines chase us out of town, Luffy ends up getting carried away by a massive bird, and Zoro frantically rows after him. Along the way, we happen across three men in the water, who climb aboard our boat. Zoro quickly convinces them to row the boat for us.

It isn't long before we reach an island. As we step onto land, a massive blast rocks through the town. Zoro looks up at the explosion. “What was that?”

“That was one of Captain Buggy's prized Buggy Balls!” One of our impromptu passengers says.

I frown. “Buggy? Isn't that the clown guy with the Chop-Chop powers?”

Zoro turns to me in surprise. “You know him?”

“I know of him. I don't think I've ever met him,” I clarify. We start running toward the source of the blast, and I keep talking. “His powers allow him to split his body apart, so he can't be cut.” 

Zoro nods. “Got it.” He races on ahead. I can't keep up with him, but I continue on anyway. By the time I reach the stairs leading to the platform, Zoro is dragging a large cage down them. Luffy is trapped inside, and Zoro has a wound in his side.

“What happened?” I ask.

Zoro grins. “It's just a little scratch. Nothing I can't handle.” He drags the cage down the street, and finally stops in a small square, flopping onto his back with a groan.

I stare at the trail of red behind us. “Zoro, you're losing a lot of blood. At least let me patch you up, please.”

One of his eyes peeks open. “Eh? Alright.”

I pull out some bandages, and kneel by his side. While I'm carefully wrapping his wound, Nami appears and tosses a key towards Luffy. “Consider this payment for saving me earlier,” she says.

Unfortunately, a dog swallows the key before Luffy has a chance to grab it. Luffy shakes the dog angrily. “Give it back!” he demands.

A nearby voice calls out, “Why are you bullying Chouchou?” 

I look up. “You're the mayor of this town, right? Do you have a place where my friend can rest?”

The man points to a building across the square. “You can use my house, but he looks like he should see a doctor.”

Zoro rises to his feet, and stumbles away from the house. “He'll be okay,” I reply, adjusting Zoro's trajectory. I follow behind him to make sure he ends up at the correct building. As soon as his back hits the mattress, he straight-up passes out. I sit in a chair beside the bed. I trust Luffy to handle anything outside.

I hear several loud crashes from the square, and a weird growling roar. A lion, I think. Then I hear a loud boom, everything around me explodes, and my vision goes white. I'm thrown backwards, and whatever I land on splinters beneath me. Something heavy pins my body to the ground. 

I gasp and immediately cough as I breathe in the settling dust. There's a loud ringing in my ears, and I blink to clear my vision. My first thought is, How am I alive?, because the heavy thing on top of me is a grand piano.

I somehow manage to shimmy out from under the weighty instrument and struggle to my feet. I have a sharp pain in my chest when I breathe, but it's bearable. Looking around, it seems I was blown four houses away by the explosion. When the ringing finally fades, I hear Zoro yelling my name, and I stumble in his direction.

As soon as he sees me, his face breaks into a relieved grin. “Kirei! You're okay!”

I give him a half-hearted smile. “Well, I wouldn't make a very good pirate if I was defeated by a piano.”

He laughs. “A piano, huh?”

I notice the Mayor run off suddenly, yelling, “I'm coming for you, Buggy the clown!”

I frown. “We should go after him.”

Zoro is already tying his bandana around his head with a grin. “I was thinking the same thing.”

Luffy laughs. “Hey, Nami! Join my crew!”

“I'll never be a pirate! But I will team up with you for now,” Nami states.

Luffy and Zoro take the lead, with Nami and me following behind. I turn to her in confusion. “I thought you already are a pirate,” I say quietly.

With a flash of fear in her eyes, she drags me into a nearby alley and presses me against a wall. “How do you know that?!” she hisses intently.

I put up my hands in defense. “I don't know. I have amnesia. I just know things about certain people when I see them. I don't understand why.”

Nami fixes me with an intense stare, then she huffs and releases me. “Fine. But don't tell the others…please.”

“I won't,” I promise.

We emerge from the alley in time to see Luffy bounce a Buggy Ball back toward Buggy himself.

“What the hell are you?!” Nami yells. “No human can do that!”

“He's made of rubber,” I murmur, but nobody seems to hear me.

“That was my Gum-Gum Balloon!” Luffy says proudly, which just makes Nami yell some more.

Down the street, Buggy emerges from the smoke unharmed. He had used his own men as shields. The lion tamer guy leaps to his feet, and says, “Careful, Captain Buggy! He has a Devil Fruit power too! He's a rubber person!” 

Luffy laughs and stretches his cheeks. “Yup!”

A unicyclist suddenly charges at Luffy, but Zoro interposes himself. “I'll be your opponent,” he states with a grin.

I duck back into the alley. I have a feeling I don't want to watch this. I hear Zoro cry out in pain, and I clench my jaw. He'll be okay. He's Zoro. 

When Nami runs past me, I follow her. “What are you doing?” she asks, annoyed.

I shrug. “You won't be able to carry all of the treasure yourself. I'm coming to help.”

Nami narrows her eyes, then she shakes her head. “Do whatever you want,” she mutters. I continue to follow her.

The door to the vault is unlocked and the guard is asleep. “You know, for a guy who cares so much about treasure, you'd think he'd have tighter security,” I whisper.

Nami smiles. “I'm not complaining.” She lights a lantern, and her eyes gleam as she gazes at the mound of gold. “You were right. I can't carry all of this by myself,” she reluctantly admits. She examines a crown that had tumbled to the ground.

“Hey! You're not -hic- supposed to be in here.” 

We spin toward the drunken guard, who is now awake. He glances at his empty bottle in disappointment, and Nami collapses, pulling her shirt down slightly to show the top of her breasts. “Oh! My chest hurts!” she exclaims.

The guard gets distracted, and Nami whips out her staff, clocking him in the skull. She retrieves a ring of keys from around the guy's neck and spins them on her finger with a smirk.

We quickly fill two bags with gold, and head back toward the others. Nami attempts to run across the street without being seen, but Buggy charges at her, ripping the bag open. Luffy, of course, intervenes, and he sends a mini Buggy flying after Nami ties up most of the clown's body parts.

I know that I'm slower than the others, so I yell, “Hey, Luffy! I'm heading back to the ship! I'll wait for you guys there!”

He flashes me a grin. “Sounds good, Kirei!”

I get halfway to the docks before they catch up to me. Luffy is carrying a barely conscious Zoro, and Nami has her gold divided into two smaller bags, one in each hand. The three Buggy Pirates who hitched a ride with us earlier attempt to stop us from leaving, but one glare from Zoro sends them running. I drop my bag onto Nami's ship. Luffy ends up leaving both of the smaller bags behind for the town, though.

As we hurriedly sail off, we hear the mayor shout, “Thanks, young'uns!”

Chapter Text

Nami spends the first hour complaining about the gold, then about how we're not ready to tackle the Grand Line yet. I walk over to her. “There's no point in trying to tell all of this to Luffy. He's trusting you to navigate wherever we need to go. And if we need to get a bigger boat, then we will. We all trust your judgment,” I say, patting her on the back.

She nods hesitantly. “Okay. I'll sail us toward the Gecko islands, which are a little south of here. We should be able to find a bigger ship there.”

“And meat!” Luffy interjects.

“And booze,” Zoro adds.

I smile apologetically at Nami. “See. Told you they weren't fully paying attention.”

She just shakes her head with a scoff and adjusts the trajectory of the boat.

Around midday, we make landfall on a small island. I have another moment of dejá-vu as a number of pirate flags pop out of the bushes and a long-nosed boy appears on the cliff, firing ball bearings toward us. “Usopp,” I mumble.

“I'm hailed by many as the great Captain Usopp!” The boy proclaims proudly. “If you're looking to invade this island, my 80 million men won't stand idly by. For this island is under the protection of the Usopp Pirates!”

Luffy's eyes sparkle. “80 million! Woah! Cool!”

“He's lying,” Nami, Zoro, and I say at the same time.

Nami bends down and picks up one of the balls. “You know, I've never heard of a pirate using a slingshot before,” she comments casually.

“Don't insult me!” Usopp shouts angrily. He loads another shot and aims it toward Nami. “My slingshot skills are better than a pistol!”

Luffy gets very serious all of a sudden. “Now that you've drawn your pistol, put your life on the line,” he says carefully.

Usopp sweat-drops. “Huh?!”

“I'm saying those aren't for threatening people,” Luffy replies.

Zoro grins up at Usopp, showing a bit of his blade. “What you're looking at are real pirates.”

Usopp lets his ammunition fall to the ground as he collapses onto his knees. He sighs heavily. “Real pirates have so much more weight behind their words.”

Zoro and Luffy look at each other and burst out laughing. “We stole those lines from Shanks, a pirate I respect,” Luffy explains, his signature grin upon his face.

Usopp's eyes widen. “You know Red-Haired Shanks?!”

“Yeah! You're Yasopp's son, right?”

Usopp leans forward excitedly, then loses his balance and tumbles down the hill. He sits up with a frown. “Yeah. Yasopp's my old man, but how do you know that?”

Luffy's stomach growls. “Meat first, then questions!” he declares, heading up the incline towards the town.

Usopp hurries to take the lead. “I can show you the best restaurant on the island, renowned across the seas, better than anything you've had before…”

I roll my eyes with a small smile. This is just what Usopp does. He proceeds to lead us to the only restaurant on the island. It just has the word ‘Food’ written above the doors. Luffy orders twenty meat platters and scarfs them down, while Nami asks Usopp about the island.

I eat slowly, pushing my food around my plate. I feel a nudge and look up, meeting Zoro's watchful gaze. “Is something wrong, Kirei?” he asks quietly.

I frown. “I'm not sure. I feel like something bad is going to happen,” I mutter.

“Well, your feelings haven't been wrong yet. I'll be on alert,” he says with a reassuring smile.

Usopp suddenly leaps up from the table and runs out of the building, spouting off some type of excuse.

A few minutes later, Usopp's three ‘crew members’ burst through the door to rescue their captain from us evil pirates. After scaring them a bit, we tell them that Usopp ran off, and they explain about Kaya, the girl who lives in the mansion at the top of the hill.

Luffy decides he's going to ask Kaya for a ship, so we head up the hill. Once we reach the fence, Luffy just stretches his arms up to slingshot over. The rest of us try to stop him, but we get flung up into the air with him.

I crash painfully to the ground. “We're not all made of rubber, you know,” I grumble.

Luffy laughs and jumps to his feet, running over to the tree where Usopp is talking to Kaya. I see a tall man wearing a fancy butler uniform round the corner of the building, and my face pales. I know this man, and I know how dangerous he is. His calculating eyes scan over each of us, narrowing slightly when he sees me. Does he suspect that I recognize him? I gulp.

He addresses our group as a whole. “You are trespassing on private property. I must ask you all to leave at once!” He looks up to where Usopp is hiding behind the tree. “Usopp! You know you're not allowed in here, but what else would I expect from the son of a filthy pirate.” Says the pirate.

“Don't insult my father!” Usopp shouts, using a grappling hook to reach the ground.

Klahadore Kuro chuckles. “Why are you getting so worked up about it? Why not spout one of your many lies and claim your father was a traveling salesman or something?”

Usopp slugs him in the face. “Shut up! I'm proud of who my father is! He's a pirate, a Brave Warrior of the Sea!”

Kuro scoffs and adjusts his glasses. “See? This just proves how savage your blood is. You and Miss Kaya are from completely different worlds. You're probably just trying to get her fortune.”

Usopp grabs the butler's collar angrily, but Kaya cries out, “Stop, Usopp!”

Kuro breaks out of the grip and takes a step back, brushing off his clothes. “I suggest you leave now and never return to this place,” he says coldly.

Usopp clenches his jaw but walks past him. “Yeah. I get it. I won't come back here again.”

The rest of us are escorted off the premises as well. I can feel Kuro's eyes burning holes into my back as I walk away. An involuntary shiver runs down my spine, and I walk a little closer to Zoro, accidentally jostling his elbow. He looks at me with concern. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah. I just don't trust that guy,” I say quietly. “I'm pretty sure he's a pirate.”

He raises an eyebrow skeptically. “You're saying the rich girl's butler is actually a pirate? That's a bit hard to believe.” He sits down next to a fence to rest his eyes.

It feels like a stab to my chest. Earlier, he said that he trusted my gut feelings. Now, he suddenly doesn't? I frown. When Luffy wanders off down the road, I follow him. I'll find proof.

Chapter Text

Luffy, Usopp, and I listen as the two pirates on the shore below us discuss all of the details of their nefarious plan to kill Kaya and obtain her fortune. Told you, Zoro.

Luffy, direct as always, stands up and shouts down at Kuro, “Hey! You guys leave that girl alone!”

Usopp falls over in shock, and I freeze in fear. Kuro looks up with a glare. “Well, if it isn't Usopp and his friends. Did you guys hear anything?” he asks threateningly.

I gulp. Usopp waves his hands in front of himself. “N-no! Of course not!” He laughs nervously. “We just got here, so we didn't hear anything!

“We heard everything,” Luffy admits bluntly.

Kuro sighs and turns away, nodding toward Jango, who pulls out a bladed ring on a string. He waves it back and forth. “Watch closely!” he calls up to us. “On the count of ‘One, two, Jango’ you will get very sleepy. One, two, Jango!” I keep my eyes trained on Kuro.

Luffy sways on his feet, toppling over the cliff. I reach out for him, but my fingers close around nothing. He crashes head-first onto the rocks below, and Usopp runs away in panic.

I don't know what to do. Kuro locks eyes with me, and I turn to run. In a flash, he's in front of me, blocking my escape. My limbs lock up in terror as he stalks towards me, long bladed fingers at his sides. I don't have any means of defending myself. “I can't allow you to leave,” he hisses, towering over me. “You know too much.” 

He plunges the blades into my chest, agonizingly slow, and I cry out in pain. I feel the cold metal slide out of my body, and I drop weakly to my knees. Then the world tips sideways, and I'm swept away into the sea of oblivion.

<><><><><>

I hear muffled voices, as though I'm underwater. They seem agitated. I want to go back to sleep. I let out a small whine, and everything goes quiet. That's better. Now I can just-

“Kirei!” The voice is very near and very loud, and I instinctively flinch. 

“Shhhhhhhhh.” I mumble, trying to swat at the person. They just laugh in response. I crack open my eyes, and find Luffy’s widely grinning face directly over mine. I sigh in resignation. “Morning, Cap'n.” My chest is really itchy. I reach up to scratch it, but my fingers are met with thick bandages. I look down in confusion. “Wha-?” The memory of getting stabbed by Kuro suddenly comes rushing back to me. “I thought I died,” I breathe. 

I recall the pirates’ conversation, and I sit up quickly in panic. “Is Kaya okay?”

Luffy laughs again. “She's fine. I beat up that evil butler guy!” he says proudly.

I give him a relieved smile. “How long was I out for?”

“Nearly two days,” he says, just as my stomach growls. He looks away guiltily, rubbing a toe into the ground. “I had food for you, buuuut I got hungry and ate it all. But, I'll get you some more!”

I finally take notice of the room. We're in a rather fancy bedchamber. I frown. “Where are we?”

“Kaya's letting us use the guest house until you're better,” he says. “Zoro, Nami, and I were taking turns watching you. I'll go tell them you're awake!” He rushes out the door before I can respond.

I lie back against the pillows with a wince. Getting stabbed hurts. Not to mention, my ribs are still sore from getting crushed by that piano in Orange Town. Why did I decide to become a pirate, again?

My reason suddenly walks through the door, followed quickly by Luffy and Nami. Zoro approaches the bed, not quite meeting my gaze. “I'm sorry I didn't believe you,” he mutters guiltily. “You got hurt because of it.”

I open my mouth to reply, but Nami storms over and whacks me on the head. “You owe me 10,000 beri for making me worry!” she yells angrily. Then she hugs me. “Don't do that again,” she says with a waver in her voice.

“Alright!”Luffy shouts. “Now that Kirei's awake, let's get some food and set sail!”

“Don't we still need a ship?” I ask.

“Kaya gave us one!” Luffy yells behind him as he races out the door again.

I sigh. “I'd better hurry, or he'll probably eat everything before I get there.”

“Here. Let me help you,” Zoro offers, holding out a hand.

I accept it, and he pulls me to my feet. It takes me a moment to get balanced. I could probably walk by myself, but I'm grateful for the excuse to hold Zoro's hand. As expected, Luffy's already digging in by the time we arrive, but there's still a decent amount for me to eat. Afterward, we make our way down to the shore, where a caravel with a ram-shaped figurehead awaits us.

As soon as I lay eyes upon her, I'm overcome with emotion. I blink back tears. It's the Going Merry, I think reverently. She's even more beautiful in person! I frown. What an odd thing to think.

Zoro, who's still ‘assisting’ me, notices my damp eyes. “What's wrong? Does your wound hurt?”

I shake my head with a smile. “No. I just… I somehow recognize this ship. For some reason, it's making me emotional, like I'm seeing a friend that I lost long ago. It's strange.”

“You're right. That is strange, but I won't dismiss your feelings,” Zoro says firmly.

“Thank you.” I stop walking and look him in the eyes. “Zoro, I don't blame you for my injuries.”

He swallows. “I'm still sorry I couldn't be there to protect you.”

We start walking again. “You can't protect everyone,” I say softly. “Sometimes things happen that are outside of your control.”

“I know.”

When he says that, an image of a young dark-haired girl appears in my mind. "You lost your best friend," I murmur.

Zoro's hand tightens on mine. "Are you sure you aren't psychic?" he asks.

I kick the ground in frustration. "How on Earth would I know?"

We complete the rest of the walk to the shore in silence. Usopp is readying a small rowboat to set off on his own, but Luffy yells at him to climb aboard the Merry. He doesn't need much convincing. Nami shouts orders to everyone, and soon enough, we've left the Gecko Islands behind.

Chapter Text

I pace back and forth along the railing, trying to figure out how to ask someone to train me. I don't want to impose on anyone, but I also don't want to be a burden who can't fight. On my sixth pass, a hand lands on my shoulder. 

“What's wrong, Kirei?” Zoro asks.

I take a deep breath. “I want to learn how to fight, Zoro.”

“Do you have a fighting style in mind?”

I shake my head. “I don't know what will work best for me,” I explain.

Zoro grins. “That makes it easier. You can have all of us teach you things, and then you can figure out your own way of fighting!”

That… actually sounds like a great idea! I return his grin. “I like the sound of that.”

He spends the rest of the day showing me how to settle my body into a sturdy stance. According to his words, 'If your base is broken, the rest of you will fall.'

The others catch on pretty quickly to what we're doing, and Luffy steals me away the next day. “I'm going to teach you how to punch, Kirei!” he exclaims, dropping into a stance similar to what Zoro taught me yesterday. I copy his actions. “You want to send more force through your shoulders and into your fists, like this!” I try my best, but punching things feels awkward.

My next day of training is commandeered by Nami. She prefaces with, “We're women, so we can't always do the same things as men.” I'm not sure I fully agree with her sentiment, but I want to get stronger either way. She shows me how to swing a quarterstaff, explaining that the length adds force to the blows to make up for our physical shortcomings. I do prefer a weapon to straight up throwing hands, but a staff just feels unwieldy to me.

The following morning, when I emerge onto the deck, I'm met by Usopp, who is striking a pose. “Never fear, Kirei! The great Captain Usopp will teach you what you need!” First, he shows me his ‘most powerful technique’, which is just him shouting about papercuts. Then he talks about different gadgets he invented. Finally, he lets me try shooting his slingshot. “Try hitting that bucket on the other side of the deck.”

Something about sighting down one arm, and drawing back with my other arm resonates with me. My breathing slows, and I release my shot and my breath in tandem. Clang! I hit the metal bucket square on, leaving a decent sized dent.

Usopp beams at me. “My training worked well!” I mentally shrug. Whatever makes him feel better.

“Thanks, Usopp,” I say politely. “I think archery might be my forte, though I think I should probably have a melee option, too, just in case.”

“I can build a bow for you!” Usopp declares. “After all, what is a bow, if not a weirdly shaped slingshot? Should be a piece of cake!” Somehow, his words don't inspire confidence, but I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. 

I glance out across the water, and see a rock jutting out of the sea. It's not too far off. “Hey, Usopp, what's the range on this thing?” I ask, holding up his slingshot. “Do you think it could reach that rock?”

Usopp peers at the rock and then turns and gives me a thumbs up. “Definitely!” he proclaims.

My first two shots come up short, but the third strikes true, sending up a small cloud of dust from the distant rock. “Whoohoo!” Usopp cheers, giving me a high-five. “I knew you could do it, Kirei!”

I see movement in the water, and I frown, trying to make it out. “What's that?” A man wearing a blue shirt jumps on board and destroys part of the railing. “Hey! Cut that out!” I shout. “Zoro, tell your bounty hunter buddy to stop wrecking our ship!”

Zoro cracks an eye open. “Johnny?”

Johnny stands down, eyes wide. “Big bro Zoro?”

Over the next few minutes, Johnny explains that his partner, Yosaku, is sick. He also says that while they were resting, a stone came flying from our ship and hit Yosaku on the head. I quickly apologize for the injury I unknowingly caused. Nami figures out that Yosaku has scurvy, and Usopp and Luffy start squeezing a bunch of limes into the guy's mouth.

I punch Luffy in the head. “Don't shove the rinds in his mouth, you numbskull! You'll make him choke!”

Luffy, unphased by my outburst, suddenly perks up. “Do you guys smell that? Someone’s cooking meat!”

“I wonder if that's the Baratie,” I muse aloud.

“What's the Baratie?” Zoro asks.

“A floating restaurant,” my mind supplies. I've decided to just roll with it. My weird knowledge hasn't been wrong yet.

Sure enough, a large ship soon comes into view with a sign that reads, ‘Baratie’. A marine vessel pulls up beside us. The guy in charge is a jerkwad. He orders his men to fire a cannon at us. Luffy balloons his body to deflect it, of course, but one of his hands slips, causing the cannonball to smash through the roof of the restaurant.

I wince. “That much damage is a year's worth of dishes,” I mutter to myself.

We pull the ship into dock while Luffy attempts to apologize. Based on the thunks I keep hearing, I don't think it's going well. Once we're seated. I can't stop scanning the dining area.

“Are you looking for someone?” Zoro asks.

“I think so,” I reply hesitantly. “This place feels importa-” I interrupt myself with a gasp as a tall, lanky blond-haired man with curly eyebrows emerges from the kitchen. “It's Sanji!” I breathe, a grin forming on my face.

Zoro's face sours when he sees the subject of my attention. “Hmph. It's just a scrawny waiter,” he mutters.

I turn on him indignantly. “Sanji isn't a waiter!” I exclaim. “He's one of the best chefs in the world!”

Sanji catches sight of our table and twirls over, producing two flowers from an inner pocket of his suit jacket. He lowers to one knee and presents the flowers to me and Nami. “I bless the seas for bringing such lovely maidens to this humble place! Oh, my heart, I cannot bear the thought of parting from two ladies so fine!”

I chuckle at his antics. He's such a hopeless romantic.

I don't notice the fact that Zoro's expression grows grumpier with each word out of Sanji's mouth, or the glare that he directs toward the young chef.

“Then go with them. We don't need you here.” I didn't even see Zeff arrive.

Luffy, who appeared beside Usopp, grinned. “Ya hear that, Sanji! You have permission to join my crew!”

Sanji spins around angrily, ignoring Luffy. “Damn geezer! I'm the sous chef. What do you mean you don't need me?”

Zeff crosses his arms. “You're always getting into fights with customers, you flirt with every woman that comes through our doors, and you can't even make a decent meal.”

Sanji grinds his teeth. “The other things I could overlook, but how dare you insult my cooking, ya geezer?!” He grabs hold of Zeff's collar, and Zeff tosses him into our table.

I gasp as a glass of ice water drenches my shirt. Then, I groan. I don't have any spare clothes. I notice that Sanji is staring at me, and a trickle of blood runs from his right nostril. Even Zeff looks a bit pink in the cheeks. Perverts, I think. 

Zoro manages to rescue the rest of our dishes before they spill. Nami clears her throat. “Um, Kirei, I think you need a change of clothes.” Her voice is slightly higher than normal. I glance down and immediately wrap my arms around my torso, blushing fiercely. My light blue bra is fully visible through my soaked blouse. I have a sudden thought. Did Zoro see my bra when he fished me out of the sea? If he did, he certainly didn't appear flustered by it. He never said anything about it, either.

Once Sanji notices my discomfort, he hastily removes his jacket and drapes it over me. “Everyone, go back to your meals! There's nothing to see here!” he shouts.

I hear the tink of a plate cracking, and I glance at Zoro, noting his deep frown. “Zoro, are you alright?” I ask anxiously. He's acting weird.

“I'm fine,” he says shortly.

A pang shoots through my chest. Did I do something to make him upset? I shiver and tug Sanji’s jacket tighter around me, and I see Zoro's jaw tick. Ahh, so that's it. He's irritated that I'm letting Sanji fawn over me. Is he jealous? 

Sanji rights the table and sets a bowl of fruit each in front of Nami and me. “I apologize for the disturbance.”

Nami gave him a simpering smile. “Wow! Thank you! You're so kind! You know, all of this food looks wonderful, but I'm not sure I can afford…”

“Of course, the meal's free for you two beauties!” Sanji exclaimed. Then, his mood switched on a dime, as he sent a disinterested glare toward the boys. “The rest of you can pay.” He reaches a hand out and grabs Luffy by the ear. “You need to learn how to be a proper waiter!” He walks off, dragging Luffy behind him.

Chapter Text

After lunch, we return to the ship, and Nami helps me change my clothes. Kaya had gifted us some extra outfits she had sitting around. I found a pretty, teal, tunic-style shirt with purple flowers, and a pair of blue jeans. I feel Zoro's eyes follow me as I reenter the restaurant to give Sanji his suit jacket back.

My eyes scan over the tables, and I wonder if I'll recognize anyone else. A shadowed figure sitting alone catches my eye and I frown. Something about him feels wrong, unnatural even, like he doesn't belong here.

His head swivels upward, and a pair of bright green eyes meet my gaze. The chatter of the patrons dulls into a low buzz as I find myself unable to look away from their emerald glow. My peripheral vision stretches and blurs. Everything suddenly snaps back into place, and I blink. The man is gone.

“...Kirei!” My ears finally register that Nami is calling my name, and I turn toward her. “What's going on, Kirei?” she asked. “Weren't you heading back to the restaurant to give that coat back to the pervert?”

“Huh?” I glance around. I'm still on the Going Merry. I shake my head slowly. “Sorry. I must've zoned out.” Who the hell was that man? I feel like I should recognize him, but I don't. I absentmindedly rub my forehead.

“Are you alright?” Usopp asks.

“I honestly don't know right now,” I reply. My mind is still reeling. Was that an apparition? A hallucination? I hear a faint chuckle on the breeze. I feel like someone, or something is messing with me.

I experience a small level of Déjà Vu as I enter the Baratie. I head straight for the kitchen. I'm not up for tempting fate. Knocking on the door, I frown. The more I try to recall the man's face, the fuzzier my memory becomes. Was it even a man? I honestly don't know. 

My knock remains unanswered, so I slowly push on the door. The door is suddenly yanked open by Patty, who shouts, “Patrons aren't allowed back here!”

I shrink back from him. “I-I'm sorry,” I say in a small voice. “I j-just wanted to return Sanji's suit coat.” I hold the black jacket in front of me like a shield.

Patty's face pales. “Oh. Uh…”

A black shoe connects with Patty's head. “How could you yell at a lady like that?!” Sanji exclaims. He gently retrieves his jacket from my outstretched hands. “Thank you, Kirei. I apologize for my stupid coworker. Are you alright?” His eyes are wide with concern.

I give him a small smile. “I'm okay. He just scared me.”

“Can I make it up to you with a private dinner perhaps?” Sanji asks hopefully.

“I appreciate the offer, but it might give the wrong impression. You see, the green-haired guy, Zoro, is my boyfriend,” I lie. Crap! Why did I say that?! 

He makes a face. “That oaf?”

“Yeah.” I feel like I'm just digging my own grave. Am I sweating?

Sanji schools his expression. “I truly hope he's treating you right. A delicate flower like you deserves the very best,” he says smoothly, kissing the back of my hand.

A light blush heats up my cheeks, and I pull my hand away. “I should probably get back to the ship,” I say, quickly fleeing from him.

My face heats up further when I see Zoro leaning against the railing, waiting for me to return. I'm so embarrassed, I can barely look at him. I go straight into the girls room and collapse onto one of the beds, throwing a pillow over my head with a groan. Why did I tell Sanji that Zoro was my boyfriend?! I'm so stupid!

When the door opens, I pretend I'm asleep. I don't want to try to explain my emotions to anyone right now. I eventually fall asleep, but I have a nightmare. Something with red eyes is searching for me. I don't know what that something is, but I know that if it finds me, something terrible will happen. I hide beneath my bed, and I hear it moving around the room. I hold my breath as it approaches my hiding place. For a moment, everything is silent. Then, something grabs my ankle, and I scream.

I jolt awake, heart pounding in my ears. I'm under my bed. Did I sleepwalk? As I crawl out from under my bed, I feel the ship sway beneath me. When did we set sail? Opening the door, I step out onto the deck, blinking in the sunlight. Nami is standing near the bow, so I walk over to her. When she hears my footsteps, she spins around, and her eyes widen.

“Kirei?! I thought you were inside the restaurant with the guys!” Nami exclaims.

“I somehow rolled under the bed while I was sleeping,” I tell her. “So, you're running away?”

Her body stiffens. “I can't let Arlong see you,” she mutters.

I frown. I know that name. “He's the guy holding your village hostage, right?”

Nami's mouth drops open. “How do you…?” She sighs, and slumps to the floor. “Yes.”

I sit beside her. “He's a scumbag. Don't tell him about the money.”

Nami glares at me. “I finally have enough! We made a promise!” she snaps.

“He won't honor your agreement,” I say calmly. “He'll send the rat to confiscate it.”

She grips my shirt and shakes me slightly. “Why?!” she cries. “Why did I sign over my life if there's no promise?! What was the point of the last eight years?!” Her head drops onto my shoulder, and she breaks down.

I wrap my arms around her. “Luffy will liberate everyone,” I murmur. “Including you.”

Chapter Text

Zoro POV

I scowl as I watch Kirei carry that scrawny waiter's suit jacket into the Baratie. I don't like that guy. Kirei was far too happy to see him. What's so special about him, huh? He's obviously a pervert, with the way he reacted to Kirei's wardrobe malfunction. Which he caused, I might add. I hear a crack, and I look down, realizing I've crushed part of the railing in my hands. Oops.

Releasing my grip, I step back, my gaze returning to the restaurant. Just after we met, she said she felt safe around me, but she seems to feel safe around him, too. Am I not as special to her as I think? 

I see movement at the door, and my eyes focus on Kirei as she exits. My breath hitches, just like it does every time I see her. She really is beautiful. I try to catch her eye, but she looks down suddenly, and I swear I see her cheeks flush. My scowl returns, deeper than before. Did that shitty cook say something to her to make her blush like that?

After she boards the ship, she heads straight to the room she shares with Nami. She doesn't even acknowledge my presence. I'm more than a bit miffed, to be honest.

She doesn't emerge in the morning for breakfast. I assume she's still sleeping, so I go on ahead with the others. Either she'll join us later or stay on the ship with Nami.

The crappy waiter seems to be in a sour mood today. He slams my plate down harder than the rest. “Enjoy your meal,” he grits out. I shrug and dig in, paying him little mind. He's probably just upset there aren't any girls with us today.

Partway through breakfast, the front doors of the restaurant open, and two men enter, a smaller man supporting a large man who looks on the verge of passing out. I recognize Commodore Don Krieg from his bounty poster.

Don Krieg drops to his knees. “Please. I need food. I'm so hungry,” he begs weakly, which seems very out of character for an individual such as himself. It could be a plot, but he certainly looks half starved. One of the cooks, the one with blue hair, refuses, citing the pirate’s cruelty as reason enough to deny him food. 

I notice the scrawny guy leaving the room, but then he returns moments later with a bowl, which he sets in front of Don Krieg. “If someone is hungry, I'll feed them,” he states plainly. Admirable sentiment, but I still don't like the guy.

Don Krieg practically inhales the food, but then he stands up and decks the crappy waiter across the floor! What the hell, man?! Does he have no honor? His subordinate appears to have a similar line of thought. “Commodore, you promised you would leave them alone!” he exclaims. 

“I'm taking this ship,” Don Krieg announces to the chefs, ignoring his subordinate. “The rest of my men are starving too. Make 100 meals for them, now!”

“You want us to revive the pirates who'll attack this ship?! We refuse!” Blue-hair shouts angrily.

Don Krieg growls. “I'm not placing an order, I'm giving orders! Don't defy me!” 

“Sanji, I'm sorry,” Don Krieg's subordinate apologizes quietly, and I frown. Who's Sanji?

The blond pervert wipes the blood from his mouth and gets to his feet, heading toward the kitchens, but his colleagues block the way. “Where do you think you're going, Sanji?” Ah, right. That's his name.

“I have 100 more meals to prepare,” Sanji says calmly.

The rest of the chefs draw oversized utensils from who-knows-where, pointing them at Sanji. “Like hell you do!” they roar.

The old peg-leg chef suddenly emerges from the kitchen and tosses a large sack at Don Krieg's feet. “There! 100 meals for your crew!”

Don Krieg's eyes narrow at the old man. “I was wondering what happened to the infamous Red-Leg Zeff, a man who navigated the Grand Line and survived. Give me your logbook, too!” he demands. “With it, I'll reenter the Grand Line!”

“Not a chance,” Zeff says dryly. “I refuse to part with it. It's too important to give it to you.”

“Then, I'll take it by force!” Don Krieg states. “I'll gather a new armada, enter the Grand Line, and find the One Piece!” 

Oh, now he's done it. I grin as Luffy steps forward. “Hold it!” my captain interrupted. “I'm the one who's gonna be the King of the Pirates!”

Don Krieg scoffs. “What did you say, boy? I suppose I can let it slide-”

“I just stated a fact,” Luffy doubles down. “I'm going to find the One Piece.”

“This isn't a game!” Don Krieg snaps.

Luffy's grin widens, and so does mine. “I know. I'm going to conquer the Grand Line,” Luffy says confidently.

“It's no joke!” Don Krieg yells, and his shoulder pauldrons lift to reveal gun barrels.

I start to draw my blades. “Need some help, Luffy?” I ask.

“Y-yeah. W-w-we'll fight t-too,” Usopp stammers beside me.

“Nah, I'm good,” he replies, so I resheathe my sword. I know he can back his statement up.

Don Krieg throws his head back in laughter. “Are those your crewmates? There aren't very many of them!”

“I have three more!” Luffy says proudly, holding up three fingers.

“Hey, you just counted me in that, didn't you?” Sanji mutters. Wait. Luffy asked him to join? Eh, what am I saying? Of course he did. It's Luffy.

The guns return to their hiding places beneath Don Krieg's pauldrons, and the large man hoists the sack of food onto his shoulder. “You're not worth my time right now. I'll be back later for the ship and the logbook,” he says with a laugh, exiting the restaurant.

His subordinate looks to Sanji and Zeff apologetically. “I'm sorry. If I had known he was going to do this, I wouldn't have brought him here,” he confesses.

“Have you really been to the Grand Line, Gin?” Luffy asks excitedly. I chuckle. I've got to admire his tenacity when it comes to finding the One Piece.

A haunted look crosses the man's face. “We had a grand fleet of 3000 men, and all fifty ships were wiped out in an instant by just one man,” Gin explains. “I don't even want to remember that man's sharp, hawk-like eyes whose glare itself gives one the chill of death!”

My hand tightens on the hilt of Wado Ichimonji. “What did he just say?” That sounds like the man I'm searching for. Dracule Mihawk, the man they call the World's Greatest Swordsman. The man I'm going to defeat.

“That must be Hawk-Eye,” Zeff comments. “That gaze you mentioned wouldn't be enough to identify him for sure, but combined with his skill, there can be no doubt that it was him."

“Hawk-Eye,” I mutter.

Luffy turns to me curiously. “Do you know him, Zoro?”

“He's the man I set out on the seas to find,” I tell him.

“But now you see how dangerous the Grand Line is,” Zeff concludes. 

“Yeah,” Usopp pipes up. “Hey, Luffy, maybe we shouldn't go…”

Luffy grins. “Ahhh! It sounds so exciting!” he exclaims.

I smile. “I now know that I can see that man if I go to the Grand Line. That makes it easier.”

“Are you guys stupid?” Sanji asks bluntly. “People like you die first on the Grand Line.”

“There's no need to call us stupid,” I mutter. “When I decided to become the World's Greatest Swordsman, I devoted my entire life to it. I made the decision, so I'm the only one allowed to call myself stupid.”

“Me too!” Luffy exclaims.

“M-me too!” Usopp lies.

Sanji stares me down. “And you're willing to drag your girlfriend along with you on your suicide mission?” he asks bitterly.

I frown. “Wha-”

Screams from outside interrupt me. Through the window, I see Don Krieg's massive ship split in two, and my eyes widen. “This isn't good! Kirei and the others are still out there on our ship!” I shout, racing out the doors with Luffy and Usopp. I don't see the Going Merry when we exit, and I immediately fear for the worst. 

“Big Bro!” “Big Bro!” I hear Johnny and Yosaku calling from the sea, and I hurry to the water's edge to help them up onto the dock.

“What happened? Where's the ship?” Luffy asks them. “Where are Kirei and Nami?”

“Big Bro!” Johnny wails. “Nami's gone!” 

“She took all of the treasure and left with the ship!” Yosaku adds.

“What about Kirei?” I ask. “Where is she?”

“I'm sorry, Big Bro, we don't know. We didn't see her,” they tell me.

I gaze off into the sea, hoping to see the ship still. My eyes land on a dark shape drifting closer through the mist, and a jolt runs down my spine. It's him.

Chapter Text

Kirei POV

Nami tells me to hide as we approach the Conomi Islands. She plans to report to Arlong like normal, and doesn't want the Arlong Pirates to find me. I agree, but only because she sounds so scared.

“Try to stay safe, Nami,” I say.

“I should be saying that to you,” she replies in a mutter.

I turn around and look at the Merry. Where should I hide? I contemplate crawling back under my bed, but the memory of my nightmare gives me pause. Coming to a decision, I step carefully down the stairs and hunker down amidst the random supplies in the hull. There's so much crap down here, it should be easy to blend in.

I wait in silence, listening to the creaking of wood as the ship gently bobs upon the waves. The creaks get steadily louder, and I realize with a start that there's somebody moving around the deck.

A sliver of light appears suddenly, and the stairs whine in protest. I press back into the shadows. I really hope it isn't Arlong's crew. I can't let them find me. I hear a thump nearby, followed by shifting fabric. My heart taps frantically on my ribcage. Every breath I draw sounds deafening in my ears. Then, a face pops up over the crate in front of me, and I scream.

A sinister grin spreads across the fishman's face, and webbed hands yank me out of my hiding place. I attempt to pull free, but his grip is too strong. I'll just end up hurting myself if I continue to struggle. Feeling helpless, I drop limp in despair, and the fishman holding me chuckles.

He drags me across the deck and onto the island, toward a tall, tiered tower in the distance. A shiver runs down my spine. Arlong Park. I know I've said it before, but I'm really not a fighter. The few skills I've picked up from my crewmates are not enough to go toe to toe with a fishman. So, when I'm unceremoniously thrown to the ground before Arlong, I scurry backwards in fear, only stopping when my fingers hit the edge of the pool.

The sawfish man, lounging on his throne, eyes me with a mixture of disdain and amusement. “Are you afraid of me, girl?” I nod shakily, and he grins. “Good. You know your place, then.”

“Arlong-san! We found another one!” I clench my jaw as Zoro is dragged across the cement. My eyes are drawn to the bandages across his chest, and a pang shoots through my heart. He almost died, and I wasn't there for him. I know it wasn't fully my fault, but I still feel guilty.

Zoro's eyes widen when he sees me cowering on the pavement, and he fights against his binds. “Kirei?! Are you alright?” I want to run to him, but my limbs are locked in place due to fear.

“Aw, look,” Arlong says condescendingly. “The swordsman cares for her. How sweet.”

“Shut up, shark face!” Zoro snaps. Even though he's tied up and injured, he tries to place himself between me and Arlong. “Once I get out of these ropes, I'll beat you up, you half-fish freak!”

Arlong grits his razor sharp teeth. “You've got quite a mouth on you. I'll allow it for now, but don't call me ‘half-fish’. We fishmen are evolved humans who developed the ability to breathe underwater. We are superior to humans in every single way.”

“I don't appreciate your ideology, Arlong,” Nami says, stepping out of the shadows.

“You're the exception, of course, Nami,” Arlong concedes. “Your sea charts are the best in the world. We are truly blessed to have you as our navigator.” His words reek of sarcasm.

I can't see his expression, since he's facing away from me, but Zoro leans forward. “Navigator?! Nami, what's going on?!”

Nami strides forward, crouching down in front of Zoro, a wicked smirk upon her face. “You fell for my ruse so well, you followed me here?” she mocks. “Even after I stole your ship and your money? How pathetic!” She laughs derisively, turning just enough for Zoro to catch sight of her tattoo. “I'm one of the leaders of the Arlong Pirates, you fool!”

Wow. She is a really good actress. Then, Arlong has to open his stupid mouth. “Shahahaha! This woman is a cold-blooded witch!” he laughs. “She'd even forget about her own parent's death to get some money!” Nami's face turns pale, stricken with grief and fear, and I know that Zoro catches it too.

“I see,” Zoro says calmly. “Then I was right. I didn't trust her from the beginning. Even if she were a homicidal maniac, I wouldn't be surprised.”

Nami recovers quickly. “Why don't you leave then? You're such an eyesore,” she snaps.

Zoro suddenly propels himself backward into the pool, knocking me in as well, and I flail about in panic as I plunge into the water. I don't know how to swim! Is he trying to kill me?! Somebody strong grabs hold of one of my arms and drags me up onto the cement, and I gasp for air, trying to calm my racing heart. 

With a splash, Zoro lands on the ground beside me, dragged up by Nami. He coughs up water as well. “What the hell were you thinking?!” Nami asks angrily. “You almost died! And you almost killed Kirei as well!”

Zoro looks over at me apologetically, but I don't want to meet his gaze. I know he’s an idiot, but why couldn't he at least remember one of the few things he knows about me? I mean, it's the whole reason we met, after all.

Nami tells the fishmen that she'll deal with Zoro, and then Arlong says something that chills my blood. “Take the human girl to my chambers for now. I have some business in Cocoyashi Village.”

Nami freezes in place. “No,” Zoro groans, inching forward, but one of the fishmen kicks him in the face before wrapping a webbed hand around my arm, yanking me to my feet. 

He drags me into the main building of Arlong Park and up a long set of stairs. Of course, Arlong's chambers are at the very top of the structure. I release a grunt of pain as the fishman throws me to the hard stone floor. I need to get out of here! 

Scrambling to my feet, I hurry toward the window, barely getting one shoe on the sill before I'm abruptly yanked backwards by my shirt, my head slamming into the ground with a solid thunk. As I blink dazedly up at the ceiling, a cold metal cuff clicks closed around my ankle, and my stomach drops. I'm so screwed!

Chapter Text

Zoro POV

I strain my muscles ineffectively against the sturdy ropes that hold me captive. I need to get to Kirei! A few of the fishmen chuckle at my fruitless struggle, and I send glares their way. Nami is still frozen in place, staring at the door they led Kirei through just a minute ago.

During my wriggling, I happen to kick a stone which skitters across the ground, landing in the water with a small splash. It seems to be enough to break Nami out of her stunned state at least. She glances down at me, giving me a meaningful look, and I slow my efforts to escape. I hope she has a good plan. She motions to a couple of fishmen, who step forward and lift me from the ground, carrying me through a different door in the building. They toss me into a cell, and walk away laughing, leaving me, supposedly, at Nami's mercy.

As soon as they're out of earshot, however, Nami crouches down and uses the dagger on her belt to cut my ropes. “Your swords are in the next room over, and Arlong's chambers are on the top floor,” she says quickly. “Can you get Kirei out of here? I'm going to try to stall Arlong to give you more time.” 

She stands up, getting ready to leave, but I reach out a hand to stop her for a moment. “Just answer one question for me; Why are you working for Arlong?” I ask.

She sighs. “It's a long story, but I didn't have much of a choice, okay? I certainly don't want to work for him.”

That's good enough for me. I nod and let her go. I give her about five minutes before I retrieve my swords. Alright. She said top floor, so I'll just go up any and all stairs that I see, and I'll reach it. Piece of cake.

The first set of stairs leads me back outside, and one of the fishmen spots me almost immediately. I guess I'm fighting now. It's probably best to get rid of the enemies first, anyway. That'll make it easier for Kirei to escape. 

Once I clear the pool area, I face the building once more. There are three doors. Crap! Which one is it again? I pick one at random and sprint inside. Nope. This is the cell I just came from. I run back outside and pick a different door. Nope. That's a kitchen. Must be the third door then. I race up a long stairwell, continuing on until I run out of stairs. 

There's a door in front of me, but it's locked. It's only made of wood, however, so it's easy enough to cut through. I draw the Wado Ichimonji and slice the door in half before shouldering into the room beyond.

“Zoro!”

My eyes land on Kirei, who looks relieved to see me, though her eyes are red from crying. “Kirei! Are you alright? Did you get hurt?” I ask quickly, kneeling beside her. She chews anxiously on her lip, and hesitantly shows me her hands, which are scraped up, her fingernails torn and bloodied. My eyes widen with concern. "What happened?!"

“I was trying to escape,” she explains quietly, glancing toward a chain anchored securely in the stone wall. Small streaks of fresh blood litter the surrounding stone.

My eyes travel slowly down the chain, all the way to a thick metal cuff that sits heavily around her ankle. My jaw ticks. I don't know how to cut through steel. My chest wound throbs. I'm not strong enough yet.

“Zoro,” Kirei says, even quieter, and my eyes snap up to meet her worried gaze. “You need to either find the key or cut off my ankle,” she tells me in full seriousness.

I nod and rip off a strip of fabric from my shirt, carefully wrapping her injured hands. “Don't worry, Kirei,” I state with confidence. “I'll get the key.” I don't want to hurt her.

“Thank you,” she murmurs.

“I'll be back soon,” I promise, heading back down the stairs. I really don't want to leave her by herself, but it's possible one of the fishmen by the pool has the key. I rummage through all of their pockets, unfortunately coming up empty handed. I frown. Maybe Arlong has it.

“Oh, this is a really strong fish!” The voice comes from the other side of the wall, and I climb up to look. There's an octopus fishman sitting there, fishing. He notices me. “Who are you?” he asks. I open my mouth to respond, but he answers himself. “Me? My name is Hatchan! Nice to meet you! I notice you're a human. Are you a marine or a guest or something?”

This guy's weird. I glance back at all of the fishmen I cut down. “I suppose I'm a guest. Do you know where Arlong went?”

“Arlong-san? He's hunting down a long-nosed human who angered him in Cocoyashi Village,” he tells me. 

I wonder what Usopp did to piss off Arlong. “Where's Cocoyashi Village?” I ask.

He points to a large pot floating in the water. “Hop in. You're a guest, so I'll take you there.”

I hesitate, looking back toward the main building. I need to get that key, but what if something happens to Kirei while I'm gone? I told her I'd get the key. She's trusting me to save her. I climb into the pot.

Kirei POV

About thirty to forty minutes after Zoro leaves the room, I hear an angry shout from outside in the courtyard. “What happened here?!” Panic zips through my veins. Crap! Arlong's back!

There are footsteps coming up the stairs. I cast my eyes desperately around the room, searching for anything I can use for a weapon or a shield, but there's nothing within reach. As the footsteps grow closer, I shrink back into the corner, hoping I won't be targeted. I know, I know. Wishful thinking on my part.

“Roronoa…” I hear Arlong mutter from the doorway. Terror seizes control of my limbs. You said you'd be right back, Zoro! Where are you?! The remains of the door shatter suddenly, and I let out an involuntary shriek. Arlong strides into the room, leering down at me. His eyes linger on my wrapped hands. “That swordsman cares about you, right?” he growls, mostly to himself. “You'll make good bait.”

Chapter Text

Kirei POV

I hope Nami tells Luffy and the others the truth. I also hope she carries out the plan we discussed on the Merry. As for my own fate, I fear for my life. Arlong places cuffs on my wrists before releasing my ankle. Then, he leads me down the stairs. I stumble along behind him, not fully able to keep up with his long strides, and the cuffs dig painfully into my wrists. 

At the bottom of the stairs, he tugs the chain forcefully, causing me to fall to the ground, and my body scrapes against the cement as he drags me toward his throne. “Kneel,” he orders, and I slowly push myself up onto my knees, tears of pain and terror streaming down my cheeks as I stare at my wrapped hands. I'm afraid of what he'll do if I disobey. I just need to survive until Luffy gets here.

“Kirei?!” My eyes widen at Usopp's voice, and I lift my gaze to my long-nosed crewmate. He's already here? My face pales. He's going to ‘die’ soon, I just know it.

The fishman with sharp elbows approaches Arlong, holding Zoro's cut ropes in his hands. “Someone let Roronoa escape,” he says in a deep voice.

Arlong frowns. “You think Nami is teaming up with the bounty hunters to take my head, Kuroobi?”

One of the other fishmen chimes in. “She did seem pretty desperate to save them from drowning.”

“Betrayal is her specialty,” Kuroobi adds.

“That's enough of that!” Nami interrupts coldly, walking through the gates. She glances disdainfully at Usopp before glaring at Kuroobi. “Don't discuss things based on conjecture. I swore my loyalty to this crew eight years ago, when I got this tattoo.”

“Don't worry, Nami,” Arlong says soothingly, laying a hand on her shoulder. “I don't suspect you one bit.” 

“Liar,” I mumble under my breath.

Pain blossoms on my cheek as Arlong backhands me across the face. “Pets should be silent!” he growls. I slowly right myself with a wince. I guess he heard that. 

“You look pale, Nami,” Kuroobi remarks, grabbing a dagger from the ground beside Usopp. “You know, I also found this in your room,” he adds, holding up a map of the island. “Is this a treasure map? It seems to be pointing toward Cocoyashi Village.”

Nami snatches the map out of his hand. “That's my own personal map,” she snaps. “It has nothing to do with you at all!”

“What in the world happened here?” Hatchan asks suddenly, poking his head out of the pool. He must've just returned from taking Zoro to the village.

“It's the work of Roronoa Zoro,” Arlong states. “Where were you, Hatchi? You were supposed to be keeping watch here.”

Hatchan scratches his head. “Well, I took this suspicious swordsman to Cocoyashi Village. He was looking for you, Arlong-san.”

“That was Zoro!” the other fishmen shout, and Hatchan makes a shocked face.

Arlong sits on his throne with a grin. “If he's searching for me, then there's no need to hurry,” he says. 

Nami abruptly races over and smacks Usopp with her staff, sending him tumbling across the courtyard. “You idiot!" she yells. "That's what you get for messing with Arlong!” I honestly forgot he was there. 

Usopp stands up and wipes blood from his mouth. “I'm disappointed in you, Nami,” Usopp admits. “Even after you stole our ship and left with all of our treasure, Luffy still trusts you. How can you trick someone like that without caring?”

“The only thing I trust is money,” Nami says coldly, slipping the dagger from Kuroobi's hand. “You're causing too much trouble. The least I can do is kill you myself."

Usopp's face pales. “Special Attack: Smoke Star!” he calls out, and he shoots something at the ground. A cloud of smoke swiftly fills the courtyard.

“Don't let him escape!” I hear Arlong shout. There are feet scuffing on the cement in all directions. Something long and skinny presses into one of my palms, and I instinctively close my fingers around it. As the air clears, I can just make out the shapes of Usopp and Nami by the water's edge. Then, I see a flash of red, and Usopp stumbles forward, falling limply into the water with a splash.

I know Usopp is fine, but I try my best to appear horrified, letting more tears flow down my cheeks. Arlong throws his head back in a loud laugh as Nami hands the dagger back to Kuroobi and walks away, an emotionless mask upon her face.

Nami POV

I climb the stairs toward the room that's been my prison for so long, bandaging my hand as I go. It was the only thing I could think of to get Usopp away from Arlong. Kirei probably hates me now. I managed to swipe the key to Kirei's cuffs and slip it to her in the smokescreen, but I don't know if she'll get an opportunity to escape. I remember the look on her face when I pretended to stab Usopp, and I sink to the floor, hugging my knees to my chest. I'm so sorry, Kirei.

Once I have control over my emotions, I slip a glove over my bandaged palm and head back out. I need to find Luffy and Zoro. They're the only ones who can possibly beat Arlong and rescue Kirei. 

Following Kirei's advice, I already distributed my beri stash among the villagers, so that should be safe. I don't trust people. I don't. But I trust Kirei. I don't fully understand why, but I do. And she's getting hurt because of me. I take a deep breath and release it slowly, continuing on the path to Cocoyashi Village. 

Up ahead, I see Luffy and Zoro, along with… is that the perverted waiter? Why the hell is he here? I want to say his name is Sanji, I think. There's also one of Zoro's bounty hunter buddies with them. As I approach, Luffy grabs the guy by the jacket, and angrily shouts, “Nami would never do that to Usopp! We're friends!”

Even after everything I did? He still sees me as a friend? Tears prick my eyes. ‘Luffy will liberate everyone, including you.’ That's what Kirei told me, and I desperately want to believe it. “L-Luf…” My words catch in my throat. Why is it so hard to say? 

Luffy turns at my voice, his stupidly wonderful grin lighting up his entire face. “Nami! You're here! We came to get you and Kirei!” His grin flips upside down as he looks behind me. “Where is she?” he asks.

Beside him, Zoro's jaw clenches. “Please tell me she's still okay,” he says quietly, his eyes swimming with regret.

“She's alive,” I tell him. “Or at least she was when I left.”

“But what about our bro, Usopp?!” Zoro's buddy cries. “You murdered him!”

I peel the glove from my hand, revealing my bloody bandages. “No. I didn't,” I confess.

Just as I say that, a cloaked figure comes sprinting down the road towards us, a familiar long nose protruding from beneath the hood. As he gets closer, he throws the cloak from his body, revealing himself to be none other than Usopp. “Never fear!” he exclaims proudly. “Not even death can stop the great Captain Usopp!” I fight the urge to roll my eyes. His flair for dramatics is truly something else. 

Luffy beams again. “See! I told you she'd never kill a friend!”

“Great, that's all cleared up,” Zoro says quickly. “Can we go rescue Kirei now?”

“Yeah, let's go save your girlfriend,” Sanji agrees.

Zoro mutters something under his breath, then looks to Luffy. “Captain?”

Luffy stares at me. “What do you want, Nami?”

Am I finally allowed to have a dream again? Tears well up in my eyes, and I force the words out. “I-I want you to defeat Arlong. I want to be free. Please, help me.” My voice breaks at the end. I'm putting my faith in Luffy. I'm putting my faith in my friends.

Luffy walks toward me, his face deadly serious. He pulls the straw hat from his head and places it on mine. “Of course I will,” he declares, and my tears flow faster. I know that he views this hat as one of his greatest treasures. The fact that he trusts me to hold on to it means the world to me.

“Let's go!” Luffy shouts to the other three.

“Right!” Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji nod and follow him. They don't even hesitate.

Chapter Text

Kirei POV

I bite back a sob as Arlong hits me again. ‘You're a wimp? Man, I hate people like you.’ I blink. Where did that come from, and why did it sound like Luffy's voice? I flinch as Arlong's hand descends toward me once more, but this time he pats my head. “You're a good pet,” he praises me, in a highly condescending tone. My fists clench, and I feel the key in my grip. I don't want to be Arlong's pet. He's likely to kill me, and if that's going to be my fate, I'd rather go down swinging.

I have no faith in my ability to actually fight, but if I don't try, I'll hate myself even more. I subtly slip the key into the keyhole on the cuffs and turn it while Arlong is laughing. My wrists are free. Now comes the hard part. How on earth do I attack a fishman? I start by getting some distance, scrambling away from Arlong's throne and getting unsteadily to my feet. Then, I drop into the stance Zoro showed me and raise my bandaged fists. 

“Shahahahaha!” Arlong laughs at my feeble attempt, and my jaw clenches. I know I'm not strong. I know I'm nothing special. But, I'll be damned if I allow my spirit to be broken so easily. 

“Arlong!” I shout. “Your reign of terror ends today!” I know that much for certain. Even if I die, Luffy will win. With that thought, I charge forward, swinging my fist toward Arlong's face. 

As I expect, he doesn't even react as my knuckles plonk weakly against his chin. He just laughs even harder. I kick at his shin next, my foot bouncing harmlessly off his leg. As I send my other fist toward him, he grabs my arm and squeezes, still laughing. I scream as something snaps. He throws me across the courtyard, and I slam into the wall near the gate, falling limply to the ground. 

Everything hurts! I don't want to move, but this fight isn't over until I'm dead. I struggle to push myself up using my uninjured arm, using the wall behind me to support my weight. My broken arm dangles by my side as I raise my other fist once more. Locking eyes with my captor, I grin. “If you hate humans so much, why are you acting like one?”

Arlong's eyes flash red. “I'm nothing like you puny humans!” he snaps, whipping water droplets toward me.

I double over in pain as they strike my stomach and chest. Breathing heavily, I force myself to straighten back up. “You claim to hate slavery, and yet you would enslave me. You hate being discriminated against, yet you keep insulting my kind. Do you not see your own hypocrisy?!” I notice a handful of Arlong's crew shift uncomfortably at my words. “I form my opinions of individuals based on their actions, and yours have been less than stellar,” I continue. “I'm not fighting you because you're a fishman, Arlong. I'm fighting you because you are mean to me. Simple as that.”

“Well said, Kirei!” The wall just to the left of me explodes in a cloud of dust and rubble, and Luffy steps through, smiling reassuringly at me. I immediately collapse to the ground in relief. My captain is here. I don't have to be afraid anymore. “We'll take it from here,” he says. Then, his face darkens as he turns toward the fishmen. “You hurt my crewmates, so I'm gonna kick your ass, Arlong, whichever of these guys you are!”

Zoro and Sanji step up beside him, with Usopp lagging behind slightly. Zoro glances toward me guiltily, his jaw ticking. Sanji lights a cigarette. “How dare you injure a lady,” he growls.

As the four of them stalk forward, a few of the townsfolk from Cocoyashi Village carry me through the hole in the wall, and the village doctor begins tending to my injuries. Even though I'm in an extreme amount of pain, I feel proud of myself. I did it. I wasn't a wimp! And I somehow managed to stay alive. 

“Gum-Gum Pinwheel!” I hear Luffy yell, and a cow sea beast goes flying overhead. 

A moment later, I hear a loud splash, and Zoro shouts, “Luffy!”

“Is Genzo around?” I ask hoarsely. The town sheriff enters my view, and I crack a small smile. “Can you help my captain? He's made of rubber, so can you stretch his neck and pull his head up here so he can breathe?”

He nods and dives into the sea. A minute passes before he surfaces with Luffy's head. Luffy gasps and splutters, focusing on me. “Kirei!”

I shush him. “This is to keep you alive until Sanji can break the concrete around your feet. If you make too much noise they'll come and kill us both.”

Luffy's eyes widen and he grins. “You're really smart, Kirei!” I don't respond. I'm really not. I'm just following my gut.

I bite down hard on the meat of my thumb as the doc sets my broken arm, and black spots scatter across my vision. I cling to consciousness. I need to see Luffy destroy this place. Blinking rapidly and heaving air into my lungs, I regain my vision in time to see Luffy slingshot into the air, but then he reaches out and Zoro goes flying into the air instead.

Despite my pain, I shove myself to my feet and race off toward the place I just know he'll land. “Hey, wait!” the doc calls out. “You need to rest!” I don't care. Zoro's injuries are far worse than mine. I need to make sure he's okay. I spot a pool floatie that had flown out of Arlong Park and snag it on the way. I’m not going to question the universe when it gives me help. It probably won't do much, but it might soften his landing slightly.

I lay it in place just in time. Zoro lands directly on the floatie, bouncing slightly, but it absorbs most of the impact. The floatie doesn't even burst! What kind of material is it made out of?! I drop to my knees beside the bloodied swordsman. “Are you okay, Zoro?”

“I'm the epitome of health,” he said, cracking a grin.

I knock him lightly upside the head. “I'm serious, you idiot! You look like you're about to die! I know you're not going to die, but it still makes me worry!” 

His grin drops. “I'm sorry, Kirei. I'm also sorry for leaving you alone with Arlong.”

“I don't hold you responsible for my injuries, Zoro,” I tell him gently. “You had to choose between two people to protect. You had no way of knowing that Arlong would return so soon.”

Releasing a small sigh, Zoro closes his eyes. “I think I'm gonna take a nap,” he murmurs. After only a minute, I hear light snores from him, and I smile slightly, examining his peaceful face as he rests. I'm glad I was able to prevent at least some of his injuries. 

As my adrenaline wears off, I slump against the wall beside him. I'm not sure I'd be able to stand, even if I wanted to. My face throbs, for obvious reasons, as does my left arm. I'm in pain and I'm tired. Maybe Zoro's onto something with all those naps he takes. My eyes close without my knowledge.

I awake to a loud rumbling sound, along with a large tremor that shakes the ground beneath me. Is it an earthquake?! It takes a moment for my brain to process, but once it does, I pout. I missed seeing Luffy take down Arlong Park. I hear a cracking sound above me and quickly pull Zoro out of the way as a chunk of wall lands exactly where his head just was.

Zoro blinks at me, yawning. “Did we win?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.” He pushes himself to his feet. “We should probably rejoin the rest of the crew then.”

I nod and use the wall to help me stand, gritting my teeth as I jostle my arm. It hurts so badly! If Zoro can power through his injuries, though, I can power through mine. I force a smile onto my face. “Let's go.”

Chapter Text

Kirei POV 

I'm trying so hard to focus on what's happening, but the throbbing in my left arm is seriously so distracting. I don't know if I've ever broken a bone before, but I sure hope I haven't. It sucks. Let's see, rat bastard shows up. Tries to claim all the money in Arlong Park. Boys beat him up. I think that's it. 

I wince as Nami hugs me abruptly. “I'm so sorry I couldn't get you away from Arlong faster,” she apologizes, and I gently karate chop her head with my right hand. She releases me, looking at me in confusion.

“If it weren't for you, I would've been worse off, so stop apologizing,” I tell her. I just know that she's the one who gave me the key to my cuffs. I shudder to think what would've happened if I hadn't escaped when I did. “No matter how many chains Arlong put me in, they would never be as heavy as the ones you wore,” I add quietly, for her ears only.

She nods and brushes away a tear that threatens to fall. “Thank you,” she whispers.

I shrug painfully. “We're friends. That's what friends do.”

My wince doesn't escape her notice this time, and she zeros in on my partially wrapped arm. “Nako!” she calls.

The town doctor examines my arm and concludes that he'll have to re-set it. That'll be fun, not. Apparently, I jostled it out of alignment when I rushed to save Zoro earlier, not that I regret my actions in the least. He's far more injured than I am.

Nako ends up dragging Zoro, Johnny, Yosaku, and me back to his clinic, chewing all of us out along the way. He treats Johnny and Yosaku first, since they're fairly quick.

“I don't know why he brought me here. I just need to sleep it off,” Zoro grumbles, sitting down on one of the beds. “I'm fine.” 

I sigh, plopping onto the next bed over. “Zoro, I know you're not fine,” I say quietly, giving him a pointed look, and he stills.

“You're not fine, either.”

“I never claimed to be,” I retort.

“That's true enough,” he admits as Nako approaches the side of my bed. 

“Try to relax as much as you can,” the doctor instructs me, placing one of his feet on my shoulder. A minute later, a strangled scream rips from my throat as he yanks on my arm. It hurts a lot more this time around. I stare up at the ceiling, unable to move or think for the moment. I think Zoro's saying something, but my brain is having a hard time deciphering sounds right now. I feel lightheaded.

<><><><><>

I must've passed out because when I next open my eyes, it's dark outside, and I have a cast on my arm. Extracting myself from the covers, I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and stand, wobbling for only a moment. Then, I make my way over to the doorway and peer outside.

Although the sky is black, the streets are lit up like a carnival. Somewhere in the distance, I hear Usopp singing and Luffy yelling for someone to bring him more meat. Leave it to my crew to throw a massive party after a victory. I'm in no hurry to join them, though. There's something to be said for the occasional quiet moment away from the chaos.

I see the end of one of Zoro's sheath's poking out from an alley and head in that direction. Zoro and Sanji seem to be having a heated argument as I come up on them.

“How many times do I have to tell you? She's not my girlfriend!” Zoro snaps loudly. My heart feels like it was dipped into an ice bath. I know I lied about Zoro being my boyfriend, but it hurts to hear him denying it so forcefully.

“Then why did she say that she was?” Sanji asks.

I don't want to hear this conversation. I attempt to back up quietly, but my shoe knocks over a mug, which clatters against the wall. They both turn in my direction, and I bolt in sheer panic, racing off down the street. My eyes sting, but I blame it on the nonexistent wind whipping across my face. 

Zoro POV

This is a great party. There's plenty of booze, so I'm tolerating the skinny waiter, for now. We'll see how long it lasts. Speaking of him, Sanji laughs suddenly. “I still can't believe you had to be rescued by your girlfriend!” he taunts.

This again? My jaw clenches. “How many times do I have to tell you? She's not my girlfriend!” I growl. He's really starting to get on my nerves. Why did Luffy have to bring him along?

“Then why did she say that she was?” he counters.

I blink. Kirei told him we were dating? Why? I open my mouth to reply, but a noise catches my attention. I turn to see Kirei standing nearby, staring pale-faced at the two of us. She dashes away before I can speak, and I swear I see a droplet fall from her eyes.

“Kirei?” I hastily scramble to my feet. Why is she crying? Rushing out onto the main street, I cast my eyes about, but she's nowhere to be seen. Where is she? Did she duck into another alley? Why did she run away? 

“You obviously upset her,” Sanji says caually, lighting a cigarette and leaning on the wall beside me.

I scowl at him. “Me?! What the hell did I do?!”

“If you can't figure that out, then I can't help you,” he replies cryptically. My scowl deepens. Why can't he just say what he means? 

Chapter Text

Kirei POV

Having tucked myself into one of the open doorways, I close my eyes and focus on breathing. I don't know why I ran like that. Am I that afraid to admit that I lied about me and Zoro being a couple? No. It's deeper than that. I don't know why, but I think I was hoping that Zoro would confirm it as fact. 

The fingers on my right hand clench around the fabric of my pants. I know, it was a foolish hope to have. I'm just a random girl that he saved. He probably thinks I'm annoying, to be honest. I've proven several times over now that I'm not cut out to be a pirate. Back in Shells Town, I didn't put much thought into my decision to join. I just didn't want to leave Zoro. Maybe it was a mistake.

I'm sure the King of The Pirates has no room for a weakling on his crew. Everyone else has a lofty dream that they're striving for. What do I have? Disjointed knowledge and a crush? That's not enough to warrant a position on this grand crew. I have nothing of value to contribute. Or at least, if I do, I don't know what it is.

“Kirei.” Startled, I lift my head, meeting the steady gaze of my captain, who's crouching in front of me. Why is he here? Shouldn't he be in the square, stuffing his face with food? Tilting his head, he studies my face for a moment, then bluntly asks, “What do you want?”

The words come to me without much effort. “I want to find out who I am.”

He frowns in confusion. “You're you. What is there to find out?”

I shake my head sadly. “I know next to nothing about myself. Kirei's not even my real name. It was given to me by Zoro shortly after we met.”

“You have amenities?” he asks.

A small smile comes to my lips at his flub. “I have amnesia, yes,” I say.

“Well, I guess we'll learn all about you together, then!” he exclaims cheerfully. It's such a simple statement, and yet, it's exactly what I need to hear right now. “Now come join the party! You need to eat!” He takes my available hand and pulls me along behind him as he rejoins the festivities. 

I see Zoro several times throughout the night, but I go out of my way to avoid him. I just can't face him right now. I'd like to avoid Sanji, too, but he's dishing up food, so he's kind of unavoidable. 

After refilling my plate of fried rice for the third time, Sanji stops me. “I can't believe I'm doing this on that oaf's behalf, but, talk to him, Kirei-chan. He may be an idiot, but he's genuinely worried about you.”

I sigh. “I know, it's just-”

“You love him?” he asks. “And you're afraid he doesn't love you back?”

I stare at him in surprise. I certainly didn't expect that sudden assessment from Sanji. I close my mouth and nod.

“Then tell him. I don't think he's even considered that you might be into him,” Sanji muttered.

I smile. “Thank you, Sanji.” As I turn away, I see Zoro sitting alone against a building on the outskirts of the party. He's scowling in our direction, though he hastily raises a mug to his lips when he notices me looking at him.

‘Tell him.’ Is it really that simple, though? I navigate around the townspeople, picking my way through the crowd. Standing before Zoro, a bead of sweat runs down the back of my neck. “D-do you mind if I join you?” I ask hesitantly.

He gives a noncommittal grunt, gesturing beside him. I take that as permission, lowering myself against the wall on his left side. I balance my plate precariously on my lap and pick up my spoon, shifting the rice around my plate. Out here, on the edge of the party, the night feels more tranquil, while within my chest, my heart is in turmoil. I need to apologize to him. I just need to do it! I open my mouth.

“I'm sorry,” we both say at the same time.

I turn to look at him with a frown. “Why are you sorry?”

He scratches the back of his neck. “I'm not really sure, but the cook said that I upset you earlier, so I'm sorry for making you upset.” His brow furrows. “Wait, why are you sorry?”

I look down at my plate. “I'm sorry for telling Sanji that you were my boyfriend. And I'm sorry that I've been avoiding you all night.”

“I am curious about that,” Zoro murmurs. “Why did you tell him that we were dating?”

I can feel my face heating up. “Well, he tried asking me on a date, so I panicked and told him that I was already taken, hoping he would leave me alone,” I say quickly.

Zoro is silent for a long time, and my nerves can barely take it. “Then, you don't like the cook?” he finally asks.

“I-I like him as an acquaintance, but not in a romantic sense,” I explain. “He's too flirty for my tastes.”

“I see.” He goes silent again, for just a minute this time “And, what are your tastes?” he asks slowly.

I can't look at him. “I…I like strong swordsmen with green hair,” I mumble. Am I being too bold? I don't know. I want the ground to swallow me up, but I also want to kiss him. I'm an anxious mess. Oh my seas, he's far too quiet. I totally messed up. I was right. He thinks I'm annoying. Just let me shrivel up and die in-

“I like you,” Zoro breathes.

My head snaps up so quickly I think I might have pulled something. Zoro's fingers are clenched tightly around his mug, and his cheeks are flushed as he stares down into his drink. Did I hear him correctly? A sudden thought pops into my head. “Zoro? What does Kirei mean?”

His cheeks darken further, but he raises his head to meet my gaze. “It means Beautiful,” he says softly.

Chapter Text

Kirei POV

I'm absolutely certain there is no breath remaining in my lungs. Beautiful? Me? Really? My face feels hot, and my mouth is dry. I blink, unable to look away from Zoro's flushed face. As my tongue darts out to moisten my lips, Zoro's eyes flicker downward, and his Adam's apple bobs. “A-are we supposed to kiss now?” he asks hesitantly, barely raising his voice above a whisper.

“I want to,” I reply, in an equally breathy tone. Where is this boldness coming from? I feel drawn toward him, and he, in turn, leans closer to me. Are we really going to kiss? Is this happening? My heart is beating so loudly in my ears, I can hardly hear myself think. My eyes flutter closed and-

“There you are!” My eyes snap open as a rubbery hand wraps around my good arm and yanks me to my feet. I send a pleading look toward Zoro, but he just watches helplessly as Luffy drags me off to do who knows what. He looks as disappointed as I feel. “Hey, Kirei, you gotta try this cheesecake! It's really good!” Luffy exclaims, and I sigh. I wonder if he even knows what he interrupted. I glance back toward the wall, but Zoro's gone now. My heart sinks. We were so close…

Zoro POV

Damn it, Luffy! I repeatedly knock my forehead into the side of one of the houses, cursing my captain for interrupting us. I should've gone in for the kiss sooner. I rest my head against the cool stone wall, the corner of my mouth curling up. As disappointed as I am, I can't help but feel like I won a competition. She likes me, not that stupid cook. And although we didn't get to kiss, I know that she wanted to. 

Now that my racing heart has calmed down, I push off from the wall and head back to the party, but when I turn the corner, all I find is an empty street. I frown. Where is everyone? Did they all move to a different part of town? I still hear music, so they can't be too far away. I turn left and go down a few streets, then I turn right and go down a few more. I scratch my head while standing on a cliff overlooking the sea. They're not over here, either. This island seems to be shifting around. It's very confusing. 

Kirei POV

It’s been several hours, and Zoro still hasn't reappeared. Where is he? Has he gotten lost? Luffy keeps dragging me around, shoving food into my good hand. I don't have the heart to tell him I'm full. I can't waste the food, either, so I choke it down. I need to figure out how to slip away without making Luffy sad, hopefully before I throw up. 

I spot a redhead across the street, and I make desperate eye contact with her, mentally pleading with her to help me escape. Her lips twitch, but she starts heading in our direction. Success! Please give me an out! 

“Luffy!” Nami says. “Are you enjoying the party?”

“Yah! Ish Gweat!” Luffy exclaims, his mouth full of… I don't even know what. His neck bulges as he swallows, and a wide grin spreads across his face. “Your hometown is really nice, Nami!”

“Do you mind if I steal Kirei for a bit?” Nami asks, and I try not to look too relieved. Luffy frowns, but Nami quickly adds, “Just some girl talk.”

Luffy tilts his head in contemplation. “Alright. Don't go too far, though.”

Nami flashes an O.K. sign, pulling me down an alley, and out of Luffy's earshot. She looks at me in concern. “Is everything alright? You look like you're about to be sick.”

“I just… hoo…” I lean against one of the buildings, breathing in slowly through my nose and out through my mouth in an attempt to hold my nausea at bay. “He just keeps handing me food… and I can't say ‘no’ to him… not when he looks so happy…”

After a moment, she leads me further from the party, away from the drifting scents and loud music, and helps me sit down against the trunk of a palm tree. “You need to develop a backbone,” she mutters.

“I know,” I sigh, closing my eyes in defeat. Then, I peek one eye back open hopefully. “You haven't seen Zoro recently, have you?”

“No, I haven't.” I'm sure my disappointment is written all over my face, because her lips quirk up in a knowing smile. “If I see him, I'll let him know you're looking for him, alright?”

I nod. “Thanks, Nami. I think…” I grimace as a fresh wave of nausea washes over me. “I think I'm just gonna… ugh… sit here for now.”

She sits down beside me. “Okay.” I feel her fingers fix the part in my hair, smoothing some of the frizz. “Thank you,” she says after a moment.

I scoff lightly. “Me? Are you kidding? I barely did anything. I don't deserve thanks for being a deadweight.”

Nami's arms suddenly wrap around me. “You don't have to be a warrior to have worth,” she murmurs. “You helped me realize the truth of my deal with Arlong. You gave me the courage to ask Luffy for help.” She gets to her feet. “So, say what you will, but thank you all the same.” 

I watch her walk away, her body blurring with the landscape as my eyes flood with hot tears. Damn these people. I love them all so much.

Zoro POV 

“What are you doing way out here, Zoro?” 

I turn to see Nami coming up behind me. “I'm just trying to get back to the party,” I explain frustratedly. I'm somehow, inexplicably, back on the cliff's edge.

She smirks. “So, you're lost?”

I scowl at her. “No. What are you doing out here?” I ask, attempting to redirect the conversation away from me.

“This is my mother's grave,” she says flatly, gesturing toward a cross in the ground nearby. 

“Ah.” I awkwardly shuffle away from the cliff, heading towards some bright lights in the distance. I don't want to intrude on her moment.

“Hey, Zoro!” she shouts after me.

“What?” I call over my shoulder.

“Kirei’s looking for you!”

She is? My lips tug upwards as I hurry, not too quickly, towards where I hope the party and Kirei are still waiting.

Chapter Text

Zoro POV 

I hate this island. I walk toward the lights and buildings. I even triple check by looking back at Nami to make sure I'm going the right way. So… why the hell am I surrounded by trees right now?! The ground must be moving, because this is just getting ridiculous. 

As I round a small cluster of palm trees, the moonlight sets silvery-blue hair ablaze, and my gaze settles upon a body leant up against the base of one of the trunks. I immediately come to a halt, blinking in surprise. Kirei? She's fully passed out, a few strands of hair that had fallen across her face fluttering lightly with each puff of breath she releases.

Smiling softly, I kneel down and gently tuck the strands behind her ear. Then, I sit beside her and close my eyes. I don't need to keep searching for the party. I already found what I was looking for. Also, I'm tired. Kirei and I will just rejoin the others in the morning.

<><><><><>

I bolt upright as a distant voice shouts my name, and I see Usopp and Luffy making their way through the trees, searching for me and Kirei. I open my mouth to alert them to our location, but a bandaged hand quickly covers my mouth. I turn toward Kirei, her pale orange eyes wide and pleading. “Just a little longer,” she breaths, and I nod, my cheeks heating slightly from our proximity.

She removes her hand, and we both relax back against the tree, watching our crewmates get further away. “How's your arm?” I ask quietly.

“It reeeeeeeally hurts,” she replies, gritting her teeth. “I'm trying not to think about it. How's your chest?”

Does she mean the cut I received from Mihawk? Or is she referring to my heart, which is currently trying its hardest to escape from said chest? “It's fine,” I shrug. “I'll just take another nap later.”

Kirei lets out a small giggle. “I had a feeling you'd say that,” she remarks. Then, she flinches as Luffy's voice cuts through the trees.

“I found them!”

I sigh. “I guess time's up,” I say, getting to my feet with a yawn. I reach down to help her up, keeping our hands connected for a bit longer than necessary. “I, uh, hope, at some point, that we get to continue our, uh, conversation from last night,” I mumble, turning my gaze to the trees.

“I-I'd like that,” she murmurs.

“Oi! Zoro! Kirei! We're leaving now!” Luffy yells.

“We're on our way!” I shout. Then, I start walking toward shore, but Kirei grabs my hand again and tugs me in the opposite direction. “What are you doing?” I ask.

“The ship's this way,” she says with a small smile.

“Oh.” I feel my cheeks heating up again, and I hope nobody else notices.

Kirei POV

I don't know how I got lucky enough to wake up beside Zoro. For a moment there, I almost thought I was still asleep. Maybe all of this is actually a dream. That would explain how surreal everything is. Though, that would really suck. I don't want this to be a dream. I want to stay with Zoro, even if I get hurt along the way.

“Kirei?” 

I blink, looking up at the green-haired man who's walking beside me. It takes me a moment to realize that I'm crushing his hand in my grip, and I quickly loosen it. “Sorry.”

He shakes his head. “That's not- Are you okay?”

I frown. “Yeah? I mean, my arm's throbbing and I'm getting hungry, but other than that, I'm fine.”

Zoro looks like he wants to say something else, but instead he just shrugs. “Okay.”

When we arrive at the port, Luffy and Usopp wave at us, while Sanji greets me enthusiastically. I can practically feel the glare Zoro shoots at the chef, but thankfully he doesn't start a fight. Nami doesn't appear to be on board yet, but I have a feeling she'll be here soon. Sure enough, she appears in the distance, running toward the bay, shouting at us to set sail.

Luffy laughs. “You heard her! Set sail!” I reach for one of the ropes to release the sails, but Zoro grabs it first, tugging it free, and Sanji and Usopp already have the other ropes handled. I bite the inside of my cheek out of frustration. I know I'm injured and weak, but I still want to help. 

“Kirei, can you man the rudder?” Luffy asks.

I grin. “Sure thing, Captain!” I race over to the rudder as Nami makes the leap onto the deck, dropping dozens of wallets to the ground with a smirk. I chuckle. That's exactly what I'd expect from our navigator/treasurer.

About thirty minutes into our journey, while we're all lounging on the deck, Luffy's voice rings out. “Sanji! I'm hungry! Make some lunch!” My stomach growls at the mention of food, and I remember that I didn't have breakfast this morning. Lunch sounds really good.

Unsurprisingly, Sanji serves Nami and me first. “For the lovely ladies!” he exclaims, bringing out a platter of cucumber sandwiches and two colorful drinks, setting them on the table between us. 

“Thank you, Sanji,” I say, taking a sip of the light blue liquid. When he starts walking back to the kitchen, however, my smile twists into a grimace, and it takes all of my willpower not to spit it out. I slowly push my glass toward Nami, who happily takes it off my hands. 

Zoro POV

My lips tick downward, seeing Kirei try to hide how much she dislikes alcohol. I slip inside the kitchen behind Sanji, who spins toward me with a scowl. “Be patient, Mossy. The rest of the food will be ready soon,” he snaps.

“That's not why I'm in here, shitty cook,” I grumble. “It's just, Kirei's too polite to tell you she doesn't like alcohol. That's all.” I turn to exit the kitchen again, but Sanji grabs my shoulder before I can leave. 

“Here.” A glass of apple juice is pressed into my hand. “Take that to her,” he says quietly. “I'll try to pay better attention in the future.”

I give him a small nod and return to the deck, gently setting the glass of apple juice beside Kirei. Then, I go back to my relaxed position against the railing, trying to ignore the feeling of her surprised gaze.

Chapter Text

Kirei POV

I have that nightmare again, the one where a red-eyed thing is after me, but this time, I'm in a tangerine grove. I race down the rows, hastily choosing one of the trees to climb and clinging to the trunk, hoping the dense foliage is enough to shield my body from view. I hear nothing besides the pounding of my heart as I attempt to steady my breathing. Then, a slither of fabric upon the ground, distant, but drawing nearer. It stops beneath me, and dread seizes my chest. I'm suddenly yanked to the ground, my limbs pinned by an invisible force. I try to scream, but I can't. I have no air in my lungs. I'm suffocating. Oh, god! I can't breathe! I'm gonna die! Help! Zoro! Luffy! 

With a panicked gasp, I jolt awake, staring up at Sanji's extremely concerned face. The moon peeks through clouds far above, scattered stars winking in confidence while my lungs and heart struggle to regulate themselves. 

Sanji slowly releases his grip on my arms, sitting back on his heels as he lights up a cigarette. “Nightmare?” he surmises. I nod and sit up with a wince, feeling an ache deep within my left arm. Sanji's eyes widen. “Did I hurt you?” he asks in a panic.

“No, my arm is just sore,” I assure him. I take a look at Nami's tangerine trees beside me and frown. “How did I get out here?” I know for certain I went to sleep in my bed, in the girls quarters, which is pretty far from where I am right now.

“I'm not quite sure,” Sanji admits. “I was faithfully guarding Nami-swan's tangerines when I heard a rustling in one of the trees. I thought you were Luffy trying to steal some fruit, so I yanked you out of the tree. I apologize for that. I could tell that you weren't fully aware of your surroundings, however, since you started struggling and hyperventilating, so I held you down so you wouldn't hurt yourself. Then, you woke up, and here we are,” he concludes.

“I guess I sleepwalk whenever I have a nightmare,” I murmur. “Last time, all I did was crawl under my bed, but this time I climbed a freaking tree. Who knows what will happen next time?”

Sanji frowns. “This is the second time it's happened?”

“Maaybee?” I say slowly. “It's the second time I remember it happening.” I lift a hand to my forehead, rubbing it roughly. “I wish I knew,” I mutter. Catching Sanji's look of confusion, I add, “I have amnesia. Zoro pulled me out of the sea about a month ago. Everything before that is blank.”

“That'd be nice,” Sanji mutters under his breath, and colors flash before my eyes - orange, pink, red, blue, yellow, green. 

“Germa,” I mumble, rubbing my head again.

Sanji stiffens, his cigarette dropping from his fingers. “Wh-What did you say?” he stammers.

“I just saw a bunch of colors, and the word, ‘Germa’ came to me.” I explain quickly. “I honestly don't even know what it means.”

He doesn't seem to hear me, as his breathing picks up and his entire body begins to tremble. I reach for his shoulder, shaking it gently. “Sanji?” Nothing. I chew on my lip for a moment before wrapping my good arm around him and pulling him into a hug that he doesn't respond to. “Sanji,” I murmur, saying the first things that pop into my head. “You're not a failure. You're your mother's greatest success, and your sister's hope. The others can go straight to hell. If they try to hurt anyone you love, Luffy will beat them up.”

Sanji's fingers clutch onto my shirt, and he drops his head onto my shoulder, his body shaking in silent sobs. My hand rubs circles into his back. “It's going to be okay,” I tell him. A small whimper escapes his lips as I press a kiss to the top of his head. “There are no bars here,” I add gently. “You're free.” 

Another ten minutes pass before Sanji's breathing settles. “Please don't tell anyone about any of that,” he whispers, still clinging to me.

“I won't,” I promise. 

He sighs softly, relaxing into my hold. “Thank you.”

Zoro POV

I get up to pee in the middle of the night, but on my way back to the room, I hear hushed voices near the back of the ship. With a hand on my hilt, I cross the deck silently, but I pause when I see two silhouettes sitting amid the trees, blond and silvery-blue. My jaw clenches as Kirei pulls the cook into a hug, even going so far as to kiss the top of his head. I can't hear what they're saying, but it doesn't matter. Their actions have said enough. I head back to the boys room and sink heavily into my hammock. My chest hurts. It must be because of the wound I received from Mihawk. 

Kirei POV

Morning comes too soon, but the smell of breakfast in the air persuades me to get out of bed. I struggle on a blue shirt decorated with daisies and some tan capris and make my way out onto the deck, yawning. It's a gloomy day, with monotonous gray spread across the sky, and I feel an ache within my bones, likely from my late-night excursion. I need another four hours of sleep, at the very least. 

I sniff the air. Mmmm, pancakes. The air from inside the kitchen is warm as I push open the door, but I nearly get run over by Zoro as he exits. “Oops, sorry,” I giggle, stepping to the side. With a tick of the jaw, he glances past me, walking through the door and letting it slam behind him. My smile falters before dropping completely. I don't understand. Did I do something to make him angry? 

“Don't worry, Kirei-san, it's not you,” Sanji assures me, setting a plate on the table for me. “He’s been in a bad mood since he woke up.”

I give him a small smile. That makes me feel slightly better, though I'm curious why Zoro's so upset. For once, my mind doesn't supply me with an answer, so I sit down and eat my food in silence. Sanji and I had both decided to pretend like last night never happened, for his sake and for mine. 

“You're sad again.” Luffy's voice startles me. I didn't even realize he was in the room, because he isn't trying to steal my food. That's strange.

I blink at him. “Huh?”

“You're sad,” he repeats, grabbing five pancakes from the stack beside Sanji. “Zoro's sad, too.”

I shovel the last few bites into my mouth and rise from my seat. I need to talk to Zoro. I don't want him to be sad. As I exit the galley, I see him standing near the bow, doing sit-ups. Making my way over to him, I sit down nearby and wait. His eyes flicker over to me a few times, his brow furrowing when he looks away. Eventually, he gets to his feet, and walks in my direction… continuing on past me, toward the bathroom.

My heart clenches. That's twice now that he's ignored me, and I don't even know why.

Zoro POV

It hurts just to look at her. She's so beautiful, but I can't unsee what happened last night. Even so, I'm not angry at Kirei. It's obviously the cook's fault. He's always flirting with her. I drive my fist into the wall beside the mirror, wishing it was that man's face instead.

“If you break something in there, I'm adding it onto your debt!” Nami shouts warningly through the door.

I sigh, letting my hand drop back to my side. I need a distraction, or something to fight. “Land, ho!” Usopp calls out, and a feral grin spreads across my face. That'll do.

Chapter Text

Kirei POV

“Alright, we'll split into three groups,” Nami announces. “Two groups to explore the island, and one group to guard the ship. Since Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji are our powerhouses, the rest of us will draw lots to see who we're paired with.” She holds out three strips of paper, each tipped with a different color. Usopp pulls green, and my heart sinks. I was hoping to go with Zoro. I pull next, drawing the red tipped paper. I can't tell if I'm imagining it or not, but Zoro almost looks relieved. “Which leaves me with Sanji,” Nami concludes, holding up yellow.

I still want to talk to Zoro, but Luffy has already jettisoned himself off the ship, and I have to pump my legs in order to not get left behind, climbing over mossy stones and stumbling over gnarled roots. My lungs start burning after not too long, and I feel lightheaded. I have to stop. Just for a minute.

The sound of Luffy charging through the underbrush fades into the distance, eventually replaced by the chittering of small animals and the buzzing of insects. I sigh. I don't think splitting up was a good idea. Once I catch my breath, I continue on through the trees, heading in the direction Luffy took earlier. It's not that big of an island. I'm bound to run into somebody at some point.

Another twenty or so minutes pass before the trees open up into a small clearing with a ring of toadstools in the center. I stare at it for a moment, then turn around and head in the opposite direction, muttering to myself under my breath. “Nope. That's some fairy realm shit. I ain’t messing with that.” I hear a chuckle on the wind, and I start walking faster. Nope. Nopenopenope.

I can't find my way back to the ship. I swear, this forest, or something in the forest, is messing with me. I see the trees start to thin, so I race forward, breaking through the treeline into the clearing with the fairy ring. I glance at the forest around me, which seems more ominous than it did before. “You-You're not letting me leave until I play your game, are you?” I ask anxiously. Silence fills my ears, and I gulp. No birds, no animals, no insects. Just… silence. I take a hesitant step toward the circle of mushrooms. This seems like a really bad idea, but I don't seem to be left with much of a choice.

I walk forward until I'm just outside the circle. My heart is pounding furiously. What will happen when I cross the threshold? I don't know. I'm scared. I don't want to step inside. What would Zoro do? Honestly, he'd probably just walk through it because he doesn't believe in fairies. I'm not as brave as him, though. I'm not as brave as any of my crewmates. Despite what they might say, I'm really not cut out to be a pirate. I can't even run for longer than five minutes. It's frankly pathetic.

“Zoro, if this does something to me, just know that I love you,” I whisper. Then, I clench my eyes shut and step into the circle. Aaaaand, nothing happens. I open my eyes and look up at the trees. They seem to be laughing at me. Feeling slightly foolish, I exit the clearing. I find my way back to shore pretty quickly after that, which bothers me. Why couldn't I find it earlier? Why did I need to enter the fairy ring? Did it actually do something, or was it all in my head? 

I see the others on the ship as I near the edge of the forest, and it looks like Luffy has a bunch of welts on his head. Nami probably hit him for leaving me behind. Zoro is staring at the forest, a bit to the left of where I'm emerging, and I lift my hand to wave at him, but as I step clear of the forest, an intense wave of dizziness comes over me. I tip over, landing with my face in the sand, and I hear footsteps pounding nearby.

I hear Zoro's voice, but it sounds muffled and distant. “Kirei! What happened?” I don't have the energy to answer him. Calloused hands gently turn me over, and colors swim around. My vision won't focus, and my body feels heavy. I'm so tired. “Hey, stay with me! Kirei!” Be quiet. I just… wanna… sleep…

Zoro POV

“How could you lose her?!” Nami screeches. I hear Luffy yelp in pain as I jump into the water, cutting my way toward the shore. 

When Luffy returned to the ship earlier without Kirei, I felt ill. She's not a fighter. If she runs into danger… Refusing to complete that thought, I cross the beach with the intent of searching for Kirei. A chill runs down my spine as I peer into the forest, and I place a hand on my blade. I sense something in there. Not a wild animal, though. It's something else, something that makes the hair on the back of my neck prickle. 

I catch movement out of the corner of my eye and turn toward it, sliding my sword out a few inches, but I stop when I see silvery-blue hair. I let out a relieved breath. It's Kirei. She's safe. Her hand twitches a bit. Then, she blinks once and pitches forward into the sand. “Kirei!” I race over to her. “What happened?” She doesn't respond, so I carefully flip her onto her back. Her eyes are open, but her gaze is unfocused, her eyelids fluttering weakly. “Hey, stay with me!” I shout in panic when her eyes slide shut. “Kirei!” I shake her shoulders, but her eyes remain closed. “Kirei!” 

Chapter Text

Zoro POV

I gently lay Kirei on her bed, leaving the room so Nami can check her over. I need to move, train, pace, anything to distract me. “Oi, Curls! Maybe your shitty cooking made her sick!” I know he'd never feed us something spoiled, but I need to rile him up so we can fight. Thankfully, he takes the bait.

“I put extra care into curating meals for Nami-swan and Kirei-chan!” he exclaims indignantly. “I only serve them the highest quality foods that are nutritionally balanced and energizing, tailored to their individual needs and preferences!”

I draw my sword. “What do you serve the rest of us, then?” I demand.

His eyes blaze, but a smirk plays on his lips. “The scraps.”

I charge at him, and he blocks my swing with his foot, pivoting to kick his other foot toward my face. I deflect his leg to the side, bringing my blade around toward his side, but he spins out of the way. I think about last night, about him and her embracing on the deck, and I slash at him a bit harder than I intend to. He still manages to block it, though his eyes narrow slightly in a wince. I quickly take a step back. Yes, I'm angry at him, but I don't want to actually hurt him.

I hear the door open behind me, and I turn around to see Nami emerging from the room. She's not smiling, but she doesn't seem panicked either. That's a good sign. She looks at Luffy then looks at me. “I don't know what's wrong with Kirei, or whether anything actually is wrong,” she began. “She doesn't have a fever. She has no injuries. She's just… unconscious.”

Does that mean I overreacted? No. I dismiss that thought immediately. I know I felt a presence in the forest earlier, and my gut tells me it's related to whatever's going on with Kirei. My eyes flicker toward the island. Maybe the answer lies back there.

“...Zoro?”

I blink at Nami. “What?”

She sighs. “I was suggesting that you three," She points to Sanji, Luffy, and me. "Head back into the forest to figure out what happened, while Usopp and I stay on the ship with Kirei.”

I nod. That's what I was thinking. “If she wakes up-”

“I'll let you know,” Nami assures me.

I nod again, turning back toward the island. Luffy has already disappeared again, so I guess it's just me and the cook. I glare at him briefly before making the swim back to shore. I don't want to be alone with him. Unfortunately, he doesn't take the hint, and, instead, keeps pace with me as I stalk through the trees. The strange presence I felt earlier is no longer here, and I'm even more convinced that it’s responsible for Kirei's unconscious state. But, if it's gone, I have nothing to fight.

“Which way do you think we should go?” Sanji asks.

I scowl and shoulder past him, taking the path I think Kirei would've taken. Tension is building in my shoulders, just from the proximity to my rival, but I'm not willing to fight him again until I get my anger under control. 

Sanji POV

I'm quite worried about Kirei, yes, but I'm also worried about the swordsman. Our fights have always been a friendly way to relieve stress. However, there was animosity earlier. For the briefest of moments, it almost seemed like he wanted to kill me. He withdrew shortly afterward, but I can't shake the feeling that he's angry at me, and I also can't figure out why.

As we press further inland, it becomes quite apparent that Zoro has no interest in making conversation with me. Every question I ask, every comment I make, it's all met with glares, scowls, and the occasional grunt. Fine. If he's going to be like that, I'll push harder. “So, have you kissed her yet?” I ask.

I guess that was the wrong thing to say. He spins around, one of his hands reaching out to grip the collar of my suit. “Shut up!” he growls. “I get it! You don't need to rub it in!”

I blinked, taken aback by his explosive reaction. “What?”

He scoffed. “Don't act like you don't know.” He shoved me backwards before resuming walking. “I saw you last night,” he muttered.

I freeze. Did he hear what we talked about? Is he angry because I let my weakness show? Or is it because I kept my past a secret? Did he lose trust in me because of Germa's reputation? Or because I'm endangering the crew? What if he tells Luffy to kick me off the ship? Where will I go? I can't go slinking back to the Baratie. That would be an admission of the failure I am. 

A heavy hand lands on my shoulder, and I flinch, my mind conjuring up my brothers. “...ook! Sanji!” I see green hair. Is it Yonji? I can't do this right now. “Sanji!” Yonji starts shaking me, so I curl in on myself, protecting my head. I know I shouldn't be crying, but I can't help it. I thought I escaped from them! I thought I was free!

“Come on, Curls! I don't know what you're seeing in your head, but it's not real!” I can hear Zoro's voice close by. Is he here to help me, or is he here to kill me? I don't know. “Perverted chef! Cook! Curly brows!” he shouts.

I hesitantly crack my eyes open, seeing leaves in front of my face. This isn't the castle. Nobody's punching me or kicking me into walls. I blink slowly, my arms shaking as I sit up. The green-haired swordsman is sitting nearby, his back pressed up against a tree trunk. Shame immediately floods my chest. I had a panic attack in front of Zoro. If he didn't know before, he definitely knows now. I'm finished. “I-I'm sorry,” I begin, but Zoro holds up a hand.

“Just answer one thing for me,” he says gruffly. “Is this what happened last night?”

Averting my eyes, I nod. Now's when he tells me to get lost. To my surprise, however, he sighs. “I owe you an apology, Cook. I thought you and Kirei were-”

I watch a blush spreads over his cheeks, and my eyes widen in realization. “You thought we were… really?!”

He rubs the back of his neck. “Yeah, so, uh, sorry.” Getting to his feet, he walks over to me and offers me a hand.

Accepting it, I pull myself to my feet. I'm still confused that he isn't pushing me away. “You're not… disappointed… in me?” I ask quietly.

He raises an eyebrow. “Why would I be? Nothing happened.” He turns and continues walking through the trees, and I follow behind, trying to hide how deeply his words are affecting me.

Chapter Text

Zoro POV

We scour the island for several hours, finding nothing but trees, rocks, and a handful of beetles that I have to ‘rescue’ the chef from. Apparently, he's deathly afraid of insects. Who knew? Luffy meets us back on the beach, but he didn't find anything either.

By the time we finish dinner, Kirei still hasn't woken up, and the sun's sitting low in the sky. “I'll take the night watch,” I announce. I know it's technically Usopp's turn, but I want to be awake if when she wakes up. Nobody challenges my decision, but Sanji does disappear into the kitchen for a moment as everyone shuffles off to bed, emerging with a jug of sake, which he sets beside me on the deck. 

I raise an eyebrow at him, and he just shrugs, waving his cigarette in a dismissive motion. “I just don't want you waking me up later for booze,” he huffs, refusing to make eye contact with me.

I give him a half-cocked grin, raising the jug to my lips. “Whatever you say, Curls.” I tip it back, letting my eyes close briefly in relaxation, and when I open them again, the cook is gone. My eyes slide over to the door behind which Kirei lays, and I take a longer, slower sip, mulling over the exact moment she passed out. There has to be something I missed in my panic, some sort of explanation for it all.

I spend all night drinking and thinking, more the former, to be honest. I'm still awake when the cook rouses to start breakfast, and I can feel the look of concern he sends my way, but I ignore it. I don't need his sympathy. I need Kirei to wake up. 

The air quickly fills with the smells of bacon, which wakes Luffy, and once Luffy's awake, everyone usually is. I look up hopefully as Nami walks out onto the deck, but she just looks at me and shakes her head. I try not to let my disappointment show, but it's difficult. I don't know what to do. It's not like I can fight something to make her better. I feel helpless, and I hate it.

I enter the galley last, and I barely get seated before Luffy turns to me, his cheeks filled with meat and toast and eggs and whatever else he's managed to stuff in there. “Zowo!” He swallows everything down in one gulp, and shouts, “I had an idea!”

Everyone at the table falls silent, and Nami even places the back of her hand against Luffy's forehead. “You did?” I ask warily. His ‘ideas’ are usually cause for concern.

He giggles. “Yeah! So, I remembered this story Makino told me once about a girl that falls asleep and sleeps for, like, a really long time,” he explains. I have no idea who Makino is, but, okay, where's he going with this? “Then this guy kisses her and the girl wakes up,” Luffy continues. “We should try it!”

What? He's halfway out the door before I fully process his words. I nearly trip over my chair. “Wait!” I quickly give chase, but I don't catch him in time. I freeze in the doorway as my captain firmly plants his lips on Kirei's. 

“Luffy!” Nami squeezes past me and shoves Luffy off the bed, punching him several times for good measure.

I feel betrayed, even though Kirei and I aren't technically together. I don't want anyone else to kiss her. “Why would you do that?” I ask in a strained voice.

Luffy meets my gaze, and his eyes darken for a split second. Then, he shrugs. “I wanted to kiss Kirei, so I did. It's not like she's dating anyone.” He stands up and looks down at Kirei's still-sleeping face. “It didn't work. Oh, well.” His eyes meet mine again. “I guess I'm not her true love.” 

It seems as though he's challenging me. I've never seen him look so serious outside of combat. It's unsettling. I scoff. “True love is a load of bunk,” I mutter, but part of me can't help but wonder. What if I kiss her, and she wakes up? What if I kiss her, and she doesn't wake up? 

“Alright, alright, that's enough,” Nami says. “Everyone get out of the room.” She grabs my arm as I try to leave. “Zoro, can you keep an eye on her while I finish my breakfast?” I hear a slight waver in her voice. I nod.

“Oi, Cook! I need to ask you something!” I call out, and Sanji stops walking. Once the deck is clear, he approaches me, and I pull him into Kirei's room, closing the door and locking it. Sanji looks at me questioningly, and I sigh. “I-” This is really hard to admit. “I don't know how to kiss,” I say in a forced whisper, heat rushing to my face. “I mean, I never really cared about any of that stuff, but…” I trail off.

Sanji reaches into his pocket for a cigarette, lighting it and taking a drag before speaking. “You want me to teach you how to kiss?” he clarifies. “Are you sure about that? I'll warn you, I'm a very hands-on teacher.”

I don't know what that means, but I nod anyway. “I'm sure. Where do we star-” The rest of my words die on my tongue as Sanji steps closer to me, his free hand reaching for my chin. I try to back up, but I hit the door. His fingers are surprisingly gentle as he tracing them along my jaw, and I forget how to breathe for a moment. “Wh-What are you doing?” I stammer breathlessly. I can easily push him away, but I don't.

He leans closer, his face only inches from mine. “Teaching you,” he replies simply, his one visible, blue eye holding me captive as the scent of smoke and menthol muddles my senses. I swallow hard. Why aren't I pushing him away? Do I want him to kiss me?

“Zoro!” Luffy's sharp shout directly into my left ear jolts me awake, and I blink confusedly in the sunlight streaming down from overhead. I'm slumped against the main mast, an empty jug of sake held loosely in my right hand, and the rest of the crew, minus Kirei, are gathered around me. Luffy grins at me. “Oh, thank goodness!” he exclaims in a relieved tone. “I was afraid you caught whatever Kirei has!” 

I slowly sit up, running a hand down my face. I must've fallen asleep during my watch last night. Sanji offers me a hand up, and I stare at it for a bit too long, remembering the feeling of those fingers on my jaw. I mentally shake myself, grabbing hold of the offered hand. It was just a dream. Sanji's as straight as they come, and besides, I have Kirei. That doesn't stop my pulse from racing, however, as I taste the lingering smoke in the air from Sanji's cigarette.

<><><><><>

I sneak into Kirei's room later, while everyone's busy with other things. I don't know why I'm doing this. It’s stupid. I know it's stupid. There's no such thing as a true love's kiss. But… it wouldn't hurt to try it, right? I wipe my sweaty palms on my pants. I shouldn't be so nervous about this. Just a quick peck. That's all. I lean over her sleeping form, my heart pounding loudly in my ears. I moisten my lips with my tongue. Why is this so difficult? Clenching my eyes shut, I close the distance, pressing my lips against hers. Then, I quickly reel back, embarrassed by my own actions. 

This was stupid. Why would a kiss wake someone up? I should just go before I do something else stupid. As I turn to leave, however, Kirei lets out a small groan. I freeze, staring intently at her face as her mouth twitches and her eyelids flutter open. “Zoro?”

Chapter Text

Kirei POV

I blink at the swordsman, confused about why he's in my room, and why his face looks so flushed. “Zoro?”

He opens his mouth as if to say something, then snaps it shut and swallows. Then, he opens his mouth again. “Y-You woke up,” he states dumbly.

I frown, and start to sit up. But, as soon as I do, I feel extremely dizzy. My head hits the pillow, and my consciousness slips away from me.

Sanji POV

I'm in the middle of washing dishes when Zoro suddenly bursts through the galley door, a focused look on his face. I hurriedly toss the sponge into the soapy water as he grabs my arm and practically drags me out of the kitchen. “What the hell are you-”

“Sh,” he says sharply, his head swiveling left and right, almost like he's trying to sneak around.

Confused, but also curious, I follow him across the deck to the girls’ quarters, and he pulls me inside. “You know we're not technically allowed in here, right?” I say quietly.

Zoro runs a hand through his hair, avoiding eye contact with me. “I know, but…” He clenched his jaw. “Iwantyoutotrykissingher,” he blurts out.

Excuse me?! I pinch myself, but nothing changes. My eyes narrow. “Did you hit your head or something, Mossy?” I demand. He's acting strange.

He crosses his arms, keeping his gaze fixed on Kirei. “No, I didn't,” he says gruffly. “I-” His voice lowers to a whisper. “She woke up briefly earlier after I kissed her, but my second kiss did nothing,” he confesses. “And I thought… maybe…” A light blush colors his cheeks.

My eyes widen. “You think it's like The Slumbering Princess?” I ask, surprised. It was a fairy tale I read when I was younger, but I didn't expect Zoro to know about it. “That whole ‘true love's kiss’ thing?”

His face darkens to red. “M-Maybe,” he mumbles, still refusing to look at me.

“I know how much you like her,” I murmur. “Are you sure you're okay with me-”

“Just shut up and kiss her, damn it!” he growls.

My heart begins to race as I lean over her bed. I quickly pinch the bridge of my nose before my thoughts can run away from me and gently press my lips to hers. Soft, velvety… I feel lightheaded.

Zoro POV 

I watch in shock as the cook slumps to the floor in a dead faint. “Oi, Cook! This isn't funny. Wake up!” I say, panicking slightly. I kneel down and shake his shoulder, and he lets out a small groan, his blue eyes blinking up at me. 

His lips curl up in a stupid dazed smile. “I could die happy,” he breathes. 

He's okay. “Idiot lovecook,” I grunt, punching him in the shoulder. Then, I quickly stand up before I can think too hard about how close I am to him.

Sanji shakes his head slightly and gets to his feet, raising a curled eyebrow in my direction. “Why are you being so weird?” he asked.

I stiffen and glance away from him. “What are you talking about?”

“That!” he exclaims. “You won't even look at me!”

I force my eyes back to his and immediately feel my face heat up. “Tch!” I turn away, hoping he didn't notice. “Why would I want to look at your ugly mug anyway?” I snap.

A giggle came from the direction of the bed, filling me with both relief and embarrassment. My head turns to see Kirei sitting up in bed, her pale orange eyes watching Sanji and me with amusement. “You guys okay?”

Kirei POV

Zoro and Sanji exchange a look. “We're fine,” Sanji says dismissively. “How are you feeling, Kirei-chan?”

I don't answer him, rubbing my forehead instead. I don't really remember falling asleep. “Why are you in here, anyway?” I ask. “Did something happen to me?”

Zoro shakes his head slightly and clears his throat. “You, uh, you passed out on the beach, and you weren't waking up,” he says.

The beach… How did I get to the beach? My frown deepens. “I was in the forest, though,” I murmur. “I found a clearing with a ring of toadstools in the center…” My memory cuts off there. I don't know what happened after that. 

It's Sanji's turn to frown. “Zoro and I checked every inch of this island,” he responds slowly. “There are no clearings like that here.”

“I know what I saw!” I exclaim.

“I never said I didn't believe you!” he says quickly, putting his hands up. 

“There was someone or something else on the island with us earlier,” Zoro adds. “I felt it. It probably did something.”

Sanji turns toward him. “You never mentioned that.”

“Well, it was gone by the time we went back out,” Zoro says defensively.

Glowing, green eyes flicker briefly in my mind, and I sigh. “I feel like the answer is in my head somewhere, but it's just out of reach. It's so… urgh!” I let out a small, frustrated growl, tousling my hair. “I just wish I could remember!”

The door opens, hitting Zoro in the back. “Zoro? Sanji?” Nami asks. “What are you- Kirei!” Her face lights up with a relieved smile, before faltering at the look on my face. “Is something wrong?”

Luffy pushes his way into the room behind her, grinning at me. “Kirei! You're awake!” 

Usopp brings up the rear, claiming that his ‘special chant’ woke me up.

“Are you hungry, Kirei-chan?” Sanji asks. “I can whip you up something.”

“I'm hungry,” Luffy states, but Sanji ignores him.

I blink at the suddenly full room of people. It's a bit much, to be honest. “I would like some food,” I say quietly. “Thank you, Sanji.”

Beaming, Sanji spins out of the room, and Luffy follows him, probably hoping to steal a snack. Nami faces the other two. “Do you mind getting out of our room?” she demands.

Both of them quickly leave before she can punch them, closing the door on their way out, and Nami smiles at me. “You good?”

“I think so.” I stretch my arms over my head, pausing as I realize my left arm no longer hurts. I hold it out before me, bending and twisting it. “Huh. Guess my arm's no longer broken.” I feel like it should've taken longer to heal.

“That's good to hear,” Nami says, sitting beside me on the bed. Then, she pulls me into a hug. “I don't know what happened, but I'm glad you're okay.”

“Thanks.”

Chapter Text

Kirei POV

I twist the shower knob to turn off the water and reach for my towel, running it slowly over my body as I mull over my piecemeal memories. Why do I remember some things, but not others? Like, I remember Zoro kissing me, but I don't remember what led up to it or what happened afterward. Just… the feeling of his rough, sea-chapped lips brushing briefly against mine. 

The thing that piques my curiosity, however, is the fact that I also remember Sanji kissing me, soft and gentle, but also unsure. Similarly to Zoro's, I had no context for the moment, just a feeling seared into my mind.

This presents me with a few difficult questions, though. Namely, how do I address said feelings without hurting either of them? Part of me wants to just ignore them and continue on how we've been, but I also see the way Zoro acts around Sanji now. Ever since I woke up, things have been… different. Zoro hasn't challenged Sanji to a single fight, and he leaves whatever room the cook enters. At meals, he only grabs a quick bite before retreating back onto the deck. On top of all that, he's still been avoiding me. I'm a bit worried about him, to be honest. 

A knock on the bathroom door jars me from my thoughts. “Kirei?” Nami calls through the wooden barrier. “Is everything alright in there?”

“Yeah! I'm fine!” I reply quickly. “I'll be out in a minute!” I finish drying my hair and hastily pull on my clothes. My gaze skips over the mirror as I head for the door. I don't like seeing my reflection. The person staring back is a stranger to me. Unlocking the door, I push it open, stepping out into the sun. Lifting a hand to shade my eyes, I catch sight of the swordsman across the deck, and begin making my way over to him. 

He stands up before I get to him, avoiding my gaze and trying to walk away. I sidestep to block his escape, so he tries to go around my other side, but I have had it up to here with his moodiness. I lift both of my hands and shove him backwards. I guess my move takes him by surprise, because he stumbles backward, landing on the deck with a loud thump.

I quickly get up in his face, gripping the collar of his shirt. “We're going to talk, and you're going to explain to me why you've been avoiding me,” I hiss. He blinks dumbly up at me, too stunned to answer, so I give him a little shake. “Talk,” I demand.

“I- You- Th-the cook-” he stammers, his cheeks flaring with heat. I stare at him, waiting patiently for him to gather his thoughts. After a minute, he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “I-I kissed you while you were unconscious,” he confesses quietly, keeping his eyes closed. “I did it without your permission. I'm sorry.” It doesn't seem like he's finished speaking, so I give him a moment. “I also, um… I also asked the cook to kiss you. It was stupid and I'm sorry. I-”

His eyes fly open as I cut him off with a kiss of my own, holding it for a few seconds before pulling away. “There,” I murmur, releasing my grip on his shirt. “Now we're even, so stop avoiding me.”

He nods quickly and sits up, his cheeks still rosy. I go to stand up, but he catches my wrist. “Kirei, uh…” His cheeks flare even brighter, and his eyes dart to the side. “Do you, uh… Do you find the cook attractive?”

I frown. Is he still jealous? “I already told you, I like you. You don't have to worry about-”

“That's not- That's not what I mean!” he exclaims. Then, he lowers his voice as Nami and Usopp glance in our direction. “I just- Do you think he's attractive?” he repeats seriously.

“Objectively? Yes. He is quite attractive,” I reply.

Zoro almost seems relieved to hear that. “Oh, good,” he breathes. “It's not just me, then.”

I blink. “Wait… Do you find Sanji attractive?”

He stares at me incredulously. “Well, yeah? Have you seen the guy?” Then, he sighs and runs a hand down his face. “But, he only seems to be interested in girls.”

Almost on command, Sanji twirls out onto the deck with two ice cream sundaes held aloft on a tray. “Nami-swan! Kirei-chwan!” he sings. He kneels down to present the first to Nami before his gaze sweeps toward the stern, where Zoro and I are. His steps falter momentarily, but he quickly regains his air of elegance as he glides across the deck. “For the lady,” he says gently, setting the sundae on the deck beside me. His eyes dart at Zoro, and he opens his mouth like he wants to say something, but then he snaps it shut and quickly walks away.

Zoro's eyes linger on Sanji's backside as he leaves. “It's not fair,” he mutters. “He's an annoying pervert. I shouldn't find him so damn hot!”

I can't really disagree, but I also have a stud right next to me. I briefly entertain the idea of courting both Zoro and Sanji, but I laugh it away in my head. Like that will ever happen. I'm satisfied with just having Zoro, even if he is pining after another man.

Sanji POV

Returning to the galley, I press my back against the wall and fish a fresh cigarette out of my left breast pocket. Lighting it up, I take a slow drag and release a sigh along with the smoke. Kirei looked as beautiful as ever today, the sun glinting off her silvery-blue hair, but her proximity to the swordsman was problematic. Stubbing out the cigarette butt, I return to the counter and pull out a cutting board and knife to begin prepping lunch.

Surprisingly, I'm not jealous of them. No. Rather, I can't seem to get Zoro's reaction to my panic attack out of my mind, no matter how hard I try. He's a brute. He reeks. He has absolutely no table manners. But… he has a soft side, too. He let me see it when we were in the woods, and again, briefly, in Kirei's room. He's strong and gruff, but also kind and thoughtful. Compared to him, I'm subpar, and I'm pretty sure he's come to that conclusion himself. That's why he won't spar with me anymore. I'm not worth his time. How can I hope to measure up to a man like that? The simple answer, of course, is that I can't. Obviously. 

…Failure… 

I let out a pained hiss as the sharp blade of my kitchen knife bites into my index finger instead of the carrot. 

…Can't even do your job properly…

“Shut up,” I mumble, curling in on myself. I can already feel the telltale sting of tears in my eyes.

…Crybaby…Wuss…

“Cook?” 

Crap! Shit! I can't let him see me like this! I hurriedly reach for a hand towel to dry my face, but, in doing so, my lacerated finger smacks into one of the cupboards, and small whimper escapes my lips before I can stifle it. Shit!

“Cook?” His voice sounds closer, and it's taken on a note of concern. He rounds the corner of the central island and stops. I'm sure I look pathetic, sitting on the floor, crying. I expect him to yell at me, but instead, his brow furrows. “Stay right there,” he orders, placing Kirei's empty ice cream dish on the counter. Then, he hurries out of the kitchen.

I'm not sure why, but I listen to him, sitting still and waiting for him to return. I don't know if I imagined the worried look in his eyes or not. After all, why would he be worried about me?

The swordsman returns a moment later, carrying a small medkit. He sits cross-legged on the floor beside, and holds out a hand expectantly. Swallowing dryly, I extend my injured hand toward him, keeping my eyes lowered in shame. I'm supposed to be one of the best chefs in the East Blue. I shouldn't make stupid mistakes like that. 

I barely manage to hold back a wince as he cleans my wound, his large, calloused hands steady and surprisingly gentle. “It's not too deep,” he murmurs, setting aside the damp cloth. He reaches for a roll of bandages, and, before I realize it, he's practically mummified my entire hand. His eyes search my face, the flicker of worry still present within them. I guess I didn't imagine it. “Do you have any other injuries?” he asks anxiously, and I shake my head. His shoulders relax, and he almost smiles. “Good. Do you want me to help chop vegetables, Cook?” I glance down at my overly bandaged hand, then back to his earnest face. I nod.