Chapter Text
"Huh? What do you mean it will take 4 months to heal? I'm fine." Zoro argues. Chopper's ears flop with embarrassment. Chopper is unsure if he can bear the news. A vein popped out of Zoro's forehead. But he has no choice but to continue
"You won't be able to move around much. And at the beginning, at all." Said Chopper.
His brown eyes widened. No response came from him. In Chopper's doctor's office, Luffy sat in the corner of the room observing Zoro. Zoro didn't say anything for a while. None of them did. That is until a lightbulb sparked the straw hat captain's eyes.
"You rest! I'll find another swordsman to fill your place."
This hurt Zoro's feelings and worst of all betrayed him.
Zoro shot up, shouting, "DON'T YOU DARE!" A sharp, cracking pain shocked his entire body, making him whine. Meanwhile, Luffy closed the door behind him.
Luffy orders Nami to locate the nearest island. About 100 km later they reached a dock. Very uptight, with quality dock board wood with fancy lamppost lined up.
By the end of the dock, small colored colonial houses and gift stores were in sight. Till the highest mountain, you saw bigger and prestigious houses and with a neater view.
Luffy begins this one-man adventure search.
"Must look for a swordsman," said Luffy in a sing-song tune.
You could hear Nami's gold coins rustling in his backpack each step he took till he stopped at a pub. The smell of beer was strong but he recognized the smell of good meat cooking.
He swings the saloon door. sits on a table booth, and decides to lay low for a bit and observe. The bar looked almost like Partys Bar. The bar Shanks and his pirates drank happily. Creaking wood floors, tree bark bars and tables, and ship steering wheels in each wall. The room was growing humid. It could be because of the warm orange lights, or the tight space. It was crowded.
"I'll take meat! Meat! Meat meat!" he said sing-song to the waitress.
Her forehead creases.
"But what kind? Medium rare, well done? Pork, beef? The waitress said.
"What do you mean, what kind? It's meat obviously! Brown, juicy and you gotta chew it! Don't you have that kind?"
Groaning, the waitress scribbled down the vague order in a notepad. She walks away, cursing under breath while Luffy is unaware.
A fight next to his is going on. The argument escalates. Eventually someone throws the first punch and everybody's attention is toward the fight. Before more people get involved in the fight- WHOOSH! A sword swings and the two stop. And it came from a cloaked man. Luffy was only to get a glimpse of his smug.
"It's happy hour, don't forget that." The mysterious figure said. And that he retreats his sword back to its case.
"I think I just found my swordsman." Luffy said to himself.
He turns to the coated man next to him.
"Hey. Say, you are good with swords. Join my crew"
"Sorry, I don't go with strangers." He said, still looking forward, waiting for his shot glass.
"What do I need for you to join my crew? It's an emergency. You see, my swordsman is heavily injured. He can barely move or stand."
"So you're a pirate? Pirates step on their dignity and others for shiny ambitions. Find someone else," he said. His voice was young. Perhaps a teenage boy.
"Why?"
"Quit asking," he retorted.
"Why are you all cloaked? Are you trying to be mysterious? How old are you? I bet we're the same age! "
"End of discussion– Hey, is my drink ready?"
Luffy continued to ask question. He wished he drink in peace.
"I said leave me alone!" He said. and there, his young boy-like voice is not there. Because it was soft and feminine like. He was, no, she was a swordswomen. She turned to Luffy, where you can see her soft feminine eyes.
The air was heavily awkward for the two of them. Others around them didn't seem to notice. Luffy looks down, his total vibe changed. Luffy dared to ask in a low voice. This made Y/n heart quicken.
"So you're not a man."
"I can't be a swordswomen. It's not allowed here..." She said, her voice hitches.
She explains to him: In the slums of her hometown, she was often outcasted for her appearance. The rich cursed her and belittled her. As much as her mother loved her, She believed it, so she decided to learn sword fighting in the male dominated job. Born to a poor family, without a father, She trained herself to be a swordsman. Not a swordswomen because, on her island, it's not allowed. It was a well paid job and since 13, she trained hard, disguised herself as a man, to make ends meet. Now, her mom is ill and under hospital care. So it adds more.
"I will pay you. It will be enough for you till your mom is better and heals. Join me, and you will be known as swordswomen in the ocean who fights alongside Roronora Zoro and me, the future kind of the pirates!"
"Future king of the pirates? And R-Roronora Zoro?