Chapter Text
“OOOOOOH!”
A single eye blinked open slowly, emerging from sleep with ears ringing from the force of his captain’s excited yell.
“IT’S HANCOCK’S SHIP! OOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIII!!! OVER HEEEEERE!”
Sitting up slowly, Zoro blinked the blurriness out of his eyes before yawning, turning in the direction of Luffy’s voice and raising a single eyebrow. Hancock? Wasn’t that the pirate that had helped out Luffy?
…...Wasn’t that the pirate Luffy had said wanted to marry him?
Before even he knew it, he was already a single step behind Luffy, looking over his captains smaller form towards the large ship heading in their direction. He could tell that there was a rather large gathering of...women, on the ships deck. They were all waving and almost all of them were shrieking out their delight at seeing his captain.
Ugh.
Shrieking women.
He really didn’t need another Nami anywhere close to his vicinity.
But, they did help his captain when he couldn’t so...he’d tolerate them as long as required.
This was for Luffy after all.
Sighing softly, he straightened up and moved beside his captain, respectfully staying an inch or two behind him as the ship full of shrieking women finally settled beside their own, much smaller ship. Everything would be okay as long as Luffy was in his line of vision.
--------------
He couldn’t find his captain anywhere.
Luffy just disappeared into thin air as soon as the kuja pirates (some of them anyways, they didn’t all fit on their small ship) boarded. Zoro tried not to let his protective Luffy-Luffy-gotta-find-my-captain-Luffy instincts kick in. He usually just ended up cutting anything that got in his way and...well, he couldn’t do that here.
Growling under his breath, he glared at any Kuja pirate that tried to get near him or touch him. He’d let a few of them try in the beginning, but after the first three pulled on his skin until it was red and stinging, he’d refused any further advancement from any of the others.
A familiar sounding “uwooOOOOOOO!” reached his ears, and Zoro couldn’t help but roll his eyes and grimace. Of course the perv cook was enjoying this. Swirly brow was living his dream right now no doubt.
Glancing at the area he heard the cooks voice coming from, he saw the man dancing from woman to woman, handing out drinks and pastries with a gross, pervy smile on his face and hearts in his eyes.
Ugh, stupid shit cook.
Zoro continued on his way after confirming that Luffy wasn’t with them, his frown deepening at that fact. Oh well, he’d look on some other part of the ship.
After swerving and dodging a good amount of grabby hands, he made it to the quarterdeck and glanced around, his one eye locking on to Robin and Nami chatting with a concernedly large portion of the Kuja pirate woman. He wasn’t sure the Sunny could take carrying so many people for too long. But, well, he has yet to hear Franky complain, and if he isn’t saying anything then he must have faith that Sunny would be alright.
He’d trust his nakama at the moment, but if he so much as heard a creak coming from Sunny, he was going to start kicking some people overboard. And it’s not going to be his crew-mates.
…Well, maybe Sanji.
Huffing, he strolled past the chattering girls, ignoring Robin’s eyes following his movements. That woman is even more trouble than Nami. He’s seen those eyes on walls when he and Luffy are...ahem, spending time with each other. It creeps him out to no end and he knows that she knows that.
Shrugging off his discomfort, he headed towards the kitchen, anxiety beginning to settle low in his belly. Having all these people on board, other pirates at that, with his captain out of his line of vision didn’t sit well with him. He was first mate damn it. Luffy was his captain. It’s his job to protect him.
But how could he protect if he wasn’t with the man?!
Stepping up to the kitchen door, Zoro opened it and peeked inside, a small groan escaping him when he didn’t find Luffy in there. Brook, Usopp and Franky were in there however, keeping another portion of the Kuja pirates entertained with music, dances, and cheap tricks.
Zoro didn’t really care.
Gritting his teeth, Zoro closed the kitchen door and stomped his way over to the medical room, almost slamming the door open only to see Chopper treating a few scratched up Kuja pirates.
He had half a mind to yell out his frustrations, but he held it in.
Before Chopper could even ask him what was wrong, he stomped back out and outright ran towards the crows nest, climbing his way up and through the door in just a few short seconds.
Finally, finally, his eye landed on Luffy’s colorful clothes, familiar straw hat, and radiant, perfect smile.
But as soon as the anxiety he was feeling began slipping away, it came back three times as hard as his eye connected with the eyes of the kuja pirates captain.
Boa Hancock's eyes.
A shiver went down his spine, but it wasn’t desire. It wasn’t want or need or anything of the sort. It was...well, not quite revulsion, but not indifference either. Perhaps somewhere in between. To him, she wasn’t a goddess. She wasn’t beautiful. She was cold.
Her eyes asked for blood and death and pain. Not to herself, no.To him. He could both see it and feel it.
She didn’t want him there and he knew why too.
The side of her body was completely against Luffy’s. Every small movement would result in their skin brushing against the others. At a second glance at where they were sitting, he noticed that Luffy was a few feet away from where he would normally sit when up in the crows nest. He’d no doubt tried to scoot away from the pirate captainess, but she just scooted right back up beside him.
A harsh, burning rage filled up his chest, a not-so-friendly growl trying to roar out from him, but he held it back in favor of sending the captainess a cold look of his own.
After fully climbing back into the crows nest, he turned his eye back over to his captain, his deep frown slipping away into his normal, default expression and his stare regaining some warmth at the smile being directed at him.
The smile that was always just for him.
God, he loved that smile. It always reached Luffy’s eyes, those dark brown orbs filling with what he knew was love. They were so open and trusting and god. Don’t even get him started on the smile. It was just so...Luffy. And he adored Luffy. He loved Luffy. There was nothing about Luffy that was in-perfect in his eyes.
He even loved when Luffy tackled him with his gomu gomu no rocket. It hurt, but was completely worth it.
“Zoro? Ne, Zoro, you okay? Are you going off to your own mystery land? Shishishi! Zooooorooooo!”
Snapping back to attention, he fully looked at a now intensely amused Luffy, surprised to see that he was already in front of the two captains and was just staring off into space. Into Luffy space.
...He’s been spending too much time with his captain.
Snorting softly, he grinned down at his captain, the first upturn of his lips that he’s had ever since breakfast that morning.
“Aye, captain. I’m fine. I just wondered where you’d wandered off to, that’s all.”
Before Zoro could stop himself, his hand reached out and brushed a lock of hair away from Luffy’s eyes, knuckles gently gliding down the side of his face.
This was a habit he’d picked up not too long ago, greeting Luffy this way every morning including when at least an hour of separation had past.
He wasn’t needy.
Shut up.
After pulling his hand away, he didn’t even bother glancing at the captainess, content to have Luffy’s attention on him at the moment.
But then, then, the bi-ahem...the pirate captainess, got the nerve to push herself even more against Luffy, her large chest practically right against Luffy’s face.
A vein popped out on Zoro’s forehead, a growl really slipping out of him as he turned his eye on her and glared as harshly as he possibly could.
And of course, she wasn’t even paying attention. She was too occupied in blushing and stammering and almost begging for Luffy’s attention.
It annoyed him that all his captain did was laugh, indulging her every question and concern.
Sighing, he plopped down next to his captain, close enough to allow their shoulders to gently brush together.
Oh well, he’d get attention later. The other pirate crew wouldn’t stay too much longer, They did have their own business to attend to, and he wasn’t too keen on having them aboard the Sunny much longer.
He leaned his head back against the glass of the crows nest, eyes closing as he focused more on his captains chatter than Hancock’s higher pitched and whiny one.
As he started to doze off, his hand twitched a bit as he felt something slip in to it.
Smiling softly, he relaxed further, linking his fingers with Luffy’s as their hands safely hid away between their thighs, away from Hancock’s piercing gaze.