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[pure-garbage]

The End Is Nigh

I’m trying to put together a nice ending, which I have never done before. I have never, not even once, finished a story in my life. Thus, the last few chapters might be a little slow to come. I want to be thorough and satisfied with the conclusion to this project.

It’s not even really over yet and I’m already considering a sequel 😂

In any case, thank you so much to everyone who has read the story so far! I hope to finish strong and keep you all as entertained as you deserve to be ❤️

[pure-garbage]

Fourth Day Routine! The Methods Of Trafalgar Law

Chapter Warnings: Mild Violence, Sexual Themes

"Right leg. Right arm. Left arm."

Whap!

"Ow!"

"Not good enough," Law tsked, circling back to face Lana on deck. "Left arm."

"It's on there!" she insisted through grit teeth. She was dripping sweat even though the routine Law had built for her over the past week didn't require her to move. She stood before him with her arms extended at her sides and her stance wide. The pose felt unstable as she shifted her haki from one limb to the next on Law's command. She'd been fighting against the ingrained urge to balance her weight and steady her posture for nearly an hour now.

In response to her claim, Law swiftly brought his sheathed sword down on her left arm for a second time.

Whap!

"OW!"

"If it hurts, it's not good enough," Law informed her. "More!"

Lana breathed and pushed the energy that constituted her armament haki, willing it to accumulate where Law demanded it.

"Good. That's good," he commended her. "That's a full set. You're done."

She heaved a sigh of relief and laid herself out on her back on deck while Law started to drift away.

"Rest up. I'll meet you back here after dinner," he told her in parting. Mornings, he guided her armament training. After nightfall, they wrestled mentally in an exercise that Law insisted was just as crucial as armament or observation, even if it didn't necessarily fall neatly under either umbrella.

"What exactly is it you do all day anyway?" Lana asked curiously, eyes following him as he headed for the ship's interior. She knew he often spent long stretches of time deep in conversation with Robin, but otherwise, the man was rather mysterious.

"You know, I try to get some time alone to think and plan," Law mused grumpily. "But it feels like what I mostly do is deal with a never-ending parade of distractions and tomfoolery, courtesy of your crewmates. Especially your captain."

"Yeah, once Luffy takes a liking to you, he can be pretty... well, I remember when he found out I could pick locks," Lana recalled. "It was weeks before he stopped bringing me boxes and chains to open for him."

She smiled fondly at the memory.

"That does sound like Luffy," Law sighed wearily.

He took his leave, disappearing to seek peace on the Thousand Sunny. On any given day, tranquility could be an elusive beast on the vessel of the straw hat pirates. Lana silently wished her mentor the best of luck on his solitary hunt. She sighed and sank further into the plush grass, savoring the cool ocean breeze. The sun was too hot today, but the occasional cloud drifted by, wispy and white as frothy sea foam. Lana savored the moments of shade, closing her eyes while she recovered from the training session.

'I'm being stalked.'

The corners of Lana's mouth crept up in a smile as she realized Zoro was nearby. He was trying to suppress his presence and he likely would have succeeded if his mark had been any less familiar with his aura, less attuned to his energy.

'Closer... closer... so quiet. He'll pounce.'

Lana chose to let the scenario she foresaw play out. Rather than lay still complacently, she stretched lazily, extending her hands high above her head an instant before Zoro's weight crushed her against the deck and his fingers caged her wrists.

"Gotcha," he breathed victoriously in her ear, the low declaration dripping with satisfaction.

"You got me," she sighed, her smile widening as she slowly opened her eyes to catch his gaze. His triumphant grin faltered a little as her intent betrayed no trace of alarm. The realization that he hadn't startled her at all was quickly followed by the conclusion that she must have known he was coming.

"Aw, what gave me away?" he all but whined.

"Nothing," Lana assured him, leaning up to press her lips to his softly, briefly. "I have an unfair advantage that no one else you ever fight will have."

"What is it?" he persisted, adorably bothered by the idea that he had a weakness he didn't know about.

"I love you," Lana said simply.

"Oh. And that gives you an advantage?" Zoro asked dubiously, even as he returned her smile.

"Of course it does."

"I guess that's not a problem. Since I love you too, it stands to reason I should have an equivalent advantage," Zoro reasoned. Lana giggled a little at his logic as he relaxed atop her and their fingers played absently together over their heads.

"Still wrapped up like a gift, I see," Zoro observed, tugging lightly at the bandages still snaking down Lana's arms.

"Mm, I'm surrounded by doctors threatening to beat me up if I take them off too soon," Lana explained, tone overflowing with humor at the ironic predicament.

"Two doctors on the ship is too many," Zoro grumbled in agreement. "You really don't feel good enough to tear these bandages off yet?"

"They're not hurting anything," Lana sighed. "Anyway, I've found other ways to train without exerting myself. If anything, the splints are improving my routines."

"Oh yeah? Care to elaborate?"

"Aside from Law's haki exercises? I've been taking walks around deck carrying Anyorith's tips bare-handed," Lana informed him.

"Huh. Is it getting... easier?" Zoro asked.

"Not yet. I guess the walks are more of an experiment than a training exercise at this point," Lana admitted. "But it's not like I have anything better to do, so..."

"Nothing at all?" Zoro prompted, eyebrows shooting up as his chin dug into her chest and his hands wandered.

"Nothing my liquefied insides can handle," Lana clarified with amusement sparkling behind the words.

"Traffy's too creative with his diagnoses," Zoro complained. "You're fine. Do you feel like you're not fine?"

"I feel pretty good," she agreed.

"Then let's get you unwrapped," Zoro urged, lips nipping at the curve of her neck as his hands found her waist and her fingers sank into his hair. "I miss your skin."

"You're an awful influence," Lana tsked severely, even as she pressed into his touch with unrestrained eagerness.

"I'm the best influence," he countered.

"I'm gonna give it a few more days," she sighed, melancholic at her own resolution. "The doctors want a month or two... I can at least give them a full week. That oughta keep them off my ass."

"Who cares," Zoro groaned as he was forced to end his trail of kisses at her collarbone, where Chopper's tightly wound bandages began.

"I care. A little," Lana allowed. "Chopper means well. It's frustrating, but I also don't want to let him down. Not too hard, anyway."

"You know what's really frustrating?" Zoro persisted.

"I bet I already know," Lana chuckled as his teeth grazed her ear. "But go on..."

"It's frustrating how bad I want to lick my way down your body," Zoro grumbled at her ear, making her breath hitch at the lewd suggestion. "It's frustrating that I can't taste you the way I want... taste your salt, taste your sweet."

His left hand curved around to the inside of her thigh, stroking lightly as he pushed his way boldly between her legs.

"It's frustrating that I can't sink my teeth in right here," he lamented, grip tightening on her thigh briefly.

"Mm, you'd better ease up on the pillow talk, or I'll be even more frustrated than you," Lana warned him.

"Good," he purred, grinding his hips down against hers and savoring the sharp little gasp the action drew from her lips. "Why should I be the only one frustrated?"

"You're such a troll," Lana teased.

"Hey! Take it inside, you two!"

Nami's barking interrupted Zoro's escalating seduction. She snapped open a folding beach chair and settled down in her bathing suit to get some sun.

"What's the point of having our own cabins if I still have to deal with your constant PDA, huh?!" she griped loudly.

"You heard the boss," Zoro grinned, rising to his knees and tugging Lana's hand, urging her to follow him. "Inside?"

"Not now," Lana moaned, pulling in opposition, trying to make him come back to lounge atop her body. "I like the sun, I like the air... I'm tired from training. Take a nap with me."

"Tsh! Lazy bones," Zoro complained. Even so, he settled down obligingly. "But I guess a quick nap wouldn't hurt..."

"Hmph, as if you weren't gonna take one anyway," Lana teased, closing her eyes again contentedly.

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<== Previous Chapter

== First Chapter ==

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Exercise In Futility! Try, Try, And Try Again

Lana's three days of rest came and went. The third day found her storming out of Chopper's office, fuming over his staunch refusal to help her remove the splints and bandages limiting her mobility.

"You're not healed yet! I'm not gonna help you kill yourself!" Chopper yelled after her with shrill melodrama.

"I'm not dying!" she muttered under her breath angrily as she stomped through the ship to her cabin. She passed Law in the corridor, shooting him a suspicious glance that he didn't shy away from meeting.

'He came from Robin's room? Whatever, not my business,' Lana thought as she disappeared into her quarters. She flopped down on the bed, grabbed one of her knives and started hacking at her bindings with the least caution required to keep from stabbing herself. On the nightstand, Raize the transponder snail slowly munched a leaf of lettuce, watching with mild interest as Lana fought to free her body.

A curt knock interrupted her struggle.

"It's open," she grunted, wiggling her knife as the blade caught on a patch of plaster near her knee. The door creaked open and Law peeked in. A deep scowl spread across his face when he set eyes on her.

"What are you doing, locksmith?" he demanded.

"What does it look like?"

"Nothing good will come of such blatant disregard for your doctor's orders," Law warned her gravely.

"What do you care?"

"Call it a professional courtesy. Few things in this life frustrate me as much as a patient who won't do as they're told," Law explained.

"Hmph."

'Damn, Chopper really put this crap on good this time,' she thought unhappily.

"Anyway, don't you think you're getting a bit ahead of yourself?" Law went on. "If it's your haki you're trying to improve you shouldn't need to move around to strengthen it."

His words gave her pause. She stopped clawing at her bandages and met his cold grey eyes for the first time.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Seriously? Something about that sentence confused you?" Law asked derisively.

"I'm trying to improve my armament," Lana scowled in return. "I need to spar to do that... don't I?"

"Not at all."

Lana's confused expression didn't change, so Law stepped over the threshold of the cabin.

"If you're game, I can demonstrate," he offered.

"Uh... sure, I suppose," Lana allowed.

'I had no idea what approach I would take to my new training anyway... maybe Law has some useful insight for me.'

Law shooed Raize over a few inches and used the nightstand as a stool. He extended his hand and Lana took it with some hesitation.

"Go ahead and try your little time out trick," he instructed.

"Hey, it's not a 'little trick'," Lana scowled.

"Call it what you want. Go on."

"We both know I can't overpower you. Not for long, anyway," Lana sighed.

"Give it a try."

"Fine. Calm-calm..."

Her power met the wall of Law's resolve, the strength of his will holding her at bay even as his pupils contracted and expanded unnaturally under her influence.

'At least I have some effect on him,' she thought, tightening her grip on his hand reflexively as she struggled to narrow her focus and impose her will over his.

"Come on, you can do better than that," he chuckled. "You had me for a minute there back on Punk Hazard. Granted, you had the element of surprise then... hey, tell me something."

"You're distracting me," Lana grunted, glaring at their clasped hands like she could somehow intimidate him into lowering his guard with the fierceness of her scowl.

"Psh. Lame. I'm talking too, it's not making me any weaker," Law pointed out. "You gonna answer my question or not?"

"Tch. Fine. What's the question?"

"Roronoa's haki must be nearly ten times stronger than yours," Law observed. "How is it you were able to shut him up for so long?"

"It's because I used hush," Lana explained, grimacing as she tried to force her haki to obey her. "It doesn't affect the person directly. It's just a bubble that surrounds them and cancels out all sounds inside its radius. Whether that's them speaking or dropping a cup."

"Intriguing. And the bubble follows the person around?"

"Person, object... whatever it's attached to."

"How far away from you can it get before it wears off?"

Lana knew because she'd tested it before, but she met Law's curious gaze with a sly little smirk.

"Wouldn't you like to know," she purred.

"I'm not learning the applications of your devil fruit for strategic purposes," Law assured her.

"Oh really? Why then?"

"Well... because..."

Lana felt the wavering, exposed thread of raw emotion that Law was never able to suppress or completely conceal when the subject of her devil fruit was broached.

"You know something about haki?" Law said abruptly. The thread vanished, tucked safely out of sight once again. Lana didn't pursue it.

"I don't know much about haki at all," she admitted.

"It helps to understand something if you're going to try to master it," Law pointed out, sounding highly amused.

"It's never really been explained to me. Zoro tried, once, but I couldn't make heads or tails of what he was talking about. To be honest, I'm not sure he really understands it on an intellectual level either."

"He must understand more than you. His haki has to be about twelve times stronger than yours," Law mused.

"Hey! Last time it was ten," Lana protested.

"I changed my mind. We've been doing the psychic equivalent of arm wrestling for nearly five minutes now and you don't even have me breaking a sweat. If I thought it would be conducive to your learning experience, I could have slammed the back of your hand against the metaphorical table countless times over by now."

"'Conducive to my learning experience'? Big words, doc, you sure you don't want to slow it down for the moron?" Lana griped, calling back to the many times he'd questioned her intelligence.

"My bad," Law grinned, buying into the gag enthusiastically. "You, weak. Me strong, win match. You lose, suck eggs."

Lana laughed involuntarily.

"Give me a few more minutes. I almost had you just then," she said, knowing the words were painfully far from the truth.

"Sure, I think I felt something... oh no, wait. Yeah, sorry, that was just your snail vibrating. Why... why does the video feed snail vibrate?" Law wondered.

"Beats me," Lana shrugged. "It's kind of a weird snail, to be honest. Now stow it for at least a full minute, would you? I don't want to be here all night without at least making you twitch."

"Uh-huh."

"Unless you have a helpful hint for me..."

"Suck less?"

"You're a dick," Lana grumbled.

"I don't have to be here," he reminded her.

"I didn't ask for you to be."

"Well, I could just leave then..."

"No! Hold up, I can do it! I almost did it!" Lana insisted, her stubborn pride getting the better of her.

"Not even close, locksmith," Law tsked.

"I'm not a locksmith, you know."

"Focus up. You're more of a distraction to yourself than I could ever be," Law chastised her.

Lana grumbled, but poured all her attention and effort into the task literally at hand.

Lana didn't realize how many hours she and Law lost to banter and her strained haki practice until Zoro made an appearance. He was already shrugging out of his robe when he came through the door, but paused with one hand on his sash when he realized Law was in the cabin. He cocked an eyebrow high, but one look and a touch of observation were all it took for him to figure out what was going on.

"Hmph."

The grunted sound was the closest Zoro came to commenting on what he saw in his quarters before he resumed his undressing as casually as if he and Lana were alone in the room.

"Almost," Lana panted, expression tense. A drop of sweat rolled down her brow as she clutched Law's hand tighter, sensing his intensifying desire to leave. "I almost got it!"

"We should call it a night," Law grumbled while Zoro shed his robe and haramaki. The other swordsman stretched, yawned and dropped into bed next to Lana with a little bounce, settling down on his stomach facing away from Law.

"Two more minutes. I know I can do it," Lana groaned. At her back, Zoro threw an arm over her midsection and started snoring.

"Uh... there's always tomorrow," Law said uncomfortably, rising from his makeshift seat.

"Just ignore him. Didn't you feel that?! I almost put you under!" Lana insisted. "Zoro! Snore quieter!"

The swordsman actually snored louder in response. Lana rolled her eyes hard and pushed a pillow over his head, muffling the noise.

"It's not like I have all night to sit here and wrestle with you anyway," Law informed Lana, yanking his hand free with some effort. 'Her haki may be lacking, but the woman has a hell of a grip.'

Lana couldn't deny her relief when Law cut the session short. She didn't want to give up until she made at least a little headway, but truth be told, she was exhausted.

"Damn. Did I even get a little better?" she mumbled.

"Over the course of a few hours? No," Law chuckled on his way out, his dark silhouette framed by the yellow light streaming in from the corridor outside. "But trust the process, okay? Nothing great was ever built in one day."

"The process?" Lana questioned. "So... we'll do it again tomorrow?"

"If you're game. Not for as long, though. I really don't have this much time to spare every day," Law told her.

"Sure. Thanks, Doc," Lana sighed in response.

He left, pulling the cabin door shut behind him. Lana reclaimed her pillow from Zoro with a weary moan, regarding him with suspicion. His snoring struck her as somewhat feigned. Her eyelids felt like they were weighted and her retinas burned with fatigue. Even so, she couldn't help posing a quick question.

"Zoro. Are you really sleeping?" she all but whispered.

"Mm-hm," he assured her, his voice a deep hum in the base of his throat. He tightened his arm around her while she smiled. She slid closer to him, abandoning the fight against unconsciousness to join her lover in slumber's sweet embrace.

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<== Previous Chapter

Next Chapter ==>

== First Chapter ==

[pure-garbage]

Hiii! Wanted to share, again, that I love your Sandbox Adventures series and this has been sitting in my head for weeks. I've been trying to get back into drawing and dabbling in digital art. This is how I picture Lana. Even if it's not how you envision her, I wanted to share it with you , since your character was my muse tonight 😆🥰

It's not the best, but it was great practice!

EEEEEE I LOVE HER!! Yes, actually, this is incredibly close to my mental image of her as well and I'm so over the moon that you shared it with me! Thank you so much, I'm dying of happiness over here :D

[pure-garbage]

A Tense Confrontation! The Dangers Of Forgetfulness!

Chapter Warnings: Angst

Zoro was unspeakably frustrated by the time Lana approached him, in more than the sense that he couldn't voice his irritation.

'How could she be petty enough to leave me like this for so long?' he thought rancorously. As she neared, he kept his eyes closed, cross-legged and leaned back against the mast in the first stages of trying to settle in for a nap.

"So, we need to talk, right?" Lana sighed. She leaned against the mast beside him, but didn't sit. She was still bound tightly enough by Chopper's splints that getting up and down would be an incredible struggle.

'Not sure what there is to talk about, but at least if she wants to talk, that means she'll unhush me,' Zoro breathed a little sigh of relief at the thought. Sanji's teasing alone was making his life a living hell in this state.

Lana had, in fact, forgotten that she'd hushed Zoro and assumed his stony silence was intentional, orchestrated out of spite. When he didn't respond, she took a deep, fortifying breath and forged ahead.

"Okay. I guess I'll go first. I'm not mad at you about the training, okay? I get it. I know you just want me to get stronger, right? I know you want me to be able to hold my own. I guess you probably want my help protecting the others too, right?"

She waited for him to offer affirmation, but he remained silent, didn't so much as look at her.

'Kind of a dirty trick for her to force me to be quiet while she gets all this off her chest,' Zoro grumbled internally, oblivious to the misunderstanding. 'Not really necessary either... what, does she think I wouldn't hear her out? I don't interrupt that much.'

"Anyway, I... yeah, I've thought it over and I can admit I probably could have spent my time better during the two years we spent training," Lana went on. "I lost time reuniting with Alan and more time raiding Lofton with the Crimson Gulls, and yeah, I definitely took the easy way out in terms of my haki, but I didn't realize it until I thought it over just now, okay? But I get it now and I understand why you're frustrated with me. I spent my time working on improving the skillset that already came naturally to me. I focused on what was easy, and sure, my observation is phenomenal now, but I did it backwards and I get that now. Training should be time spent working on the things that don't come easily, because those are the things that need the most work, right?

And I know you told me that before we parted ways, I promise I didn't forget all your lessons, but I can't think of everything all the time! And yeah, I am kind of mad at myself because who the hell goes two years without such a simple thought occurring to them, but also, there's not much I can do about it now, is there?! Is there?!"

'Fucking hell woman, I didn't realize you had so much to say,' Zoro groaned to himself. He let his head fall into his hands, unsure how much more of her rapidly spiraling ramble he could stand without intervening.

Zoro's visible frustration wasn't lost on Lana, who was starting to become a little alarmed by the fact that he wasn't saying anything. Usually he stopped her when she started to ramble.

"Zoro! Come on," she whined. She reached for his shoulder, but thought better of the touch, letting her fingers hover an inch from making contact. "Say something!"

'How angry is he with me anyway?' she thought sullenly. 'The silent treatment is one thing, but I would have at least expected him to walk away or snap at me by now. I have to be annoying him.'

'Say something? The hell?!'

Zoro's suspicions stirred like an irate, slumbering beast. He rose from his cross-legged pose, one hand on the mast so he could lean forward. He grit his teeth and pointed an accusatory finger at Lana.

"Did you forget you used your devil fruit powers on me?!" he demanded. No sound escaped his mouth, of course.

Lana's expression went blank. She didn't understand what he was saying. His lips were moving too fast as he struggled fruitlessly to vent his agitation verbally. Horror washed over her face a moment later and her cheeks flushed bright red.

"Zoro! Crap, have you been on mute this whole time?!" she demanded. She released him from her hold.

"Yes! Yes! YES, I HAVE BEEN!" Zoro shouted. Lana shrank back from his volume and he quickly cleared his throat. "Yes, Lana, I have been. Sorry, I've been screaming all day. I didn't mean to be that loud."

"Sorry?! You're sorry?! Zoro, I'm so sorry!" Lana all but wept, face falling into her hands as shame overcame her. "I'm so sorry, I forgot I did that! I thought it would wear off on it's own! I didn't mean to leave you like that this whole time!"

"Calm down, it's not that serious," Zoro frowned, pulling her hands away from her face and tilting her gaze up so she could see the smile he fixed on for her. As irritated as he was by the past few hours, the mild comedy of the situation didn't fully escape him either. "What did you think was going on, anyway?"

"I just thought you were brooding," Lana pouted. "I'm sorry."

"I'm glad you're sorry. Don't use your devil fruit powers me again, okay?" he requested.

"I guess I won't," she sighed. "But you were being such a jerk... can't I even use them just a little, just when you're being unreasonable? I won't forget to take them off again after."

"Don't do it," Zoro shook his head. "I'm not a jerk, I'm not unreasonable and I didn't like that. So don't do it again."

"Fine, I won't," Lana conceded. "But you were being a jerk, and you're not always as reasonable as you think you are."

"And you talk too damn much," he informed her, leaning over her with one hand braced against the mast and the other fixed to his hip.

"So you're not mad at me?" Lana pressed, tentative but hopeful.

"Only for yapping my ear off," Zoro teased. "No, Lana, I'm not mad at you."

"So you're fine with it if I change the way I train?"

"Do you really need my approval?" he challenged her with a raised eyebrow.

"I..."

Reflexively, Lana wanted to be defensive.

'Of course not,' her pride thought cockily. 'I do what I want and not because I'm seeking your approval.'

A deeper, more diminutive truth poked its head up from beneath the cloak of Lana's ego where it had been hiding quietly.

"Zoro, I do... really, really respect your judgement," Lana said carefully, struggling to articulate the sentiment.

She held his opinion in high esteem because he was the best at what he did. It would take a special kind of idiot to ignore combat advice from a man who'd devoted his life to dominating the arena of battle.

"And so... I want to do something that's going to work for me, something that'll help me get better on my own level. But I also don't want to bother doing something you think is stupid. Because if you think it's stupid, I'm sure you have a good reason for that and I'm not interested in wasting my time. Does that... make sense?"

"Perfect sense," Zoro allowed. "Do what you need to do, Lana. If I see you doing something stupid, I'll tell you so."

"Thank you," she sighed.

'She wasn't actually mad at me this time,' Zoro thought with some amusement. 'She was just misplacing her feelings.'

He leaned closer to her, but she stopped him with a creased brow and a flat hand before he could give her a kiss. He frowned his confusion.

"You forgot something too," she informed him.

"I did? Well if I forgot it, it can't have been too important," Zoro puzzled. He pressed forward again, but she didn't relent and he didn't force his way past her palm on his chest.

"It's important to me," she insisted.

"Well if it's important to you, it's important to me," Zoro allowed. "What was it?"

"That swing you took at me in our cabin."

"When I was trying to make you show me your haki," Zoro recalled.

Lana grit her teeth. She'd spent a lot of time mulling over what she would say to him about it, but now that the moment had arrived, all that premeditation flew out the window. Impulse seized her and she blurted out raw emotion in place of reason.

"I hate that you did that!"

The vitriol in her words took him aback, just a little. Lana let her head fall back against the mast, taking her eyes off his in an attempt to rein in her blossoming anger. She didn't want to lash out at him with words she would regret later, knew she needed to get a handle on her turbulent emotions if she was going to prevent herself from doing so.

"I know we give and take hits all the time when we're sparring. I remember I once told you we shouldn't pull punches. I still mean that, but I just... I don't know. I keep replaying that moment in my head trying to figure out what it was about it that upset me so much, but I can't-"

"Lana, shh," Zoro entreated. He tapped her lips with one finger gently. He was requesting her silence, not ordering it and she obliged his desire, stilling and meeting his gaze again. "It's fine. You don't need to understand everything. I don't need to understand. All you have to do is say you don't want me to do it again, and I never will. Understand?"

Gratitude swelled in Lana's heart, overwhelming her with its power. She nodded, fearing her voice would waver if she tried to speak.

"So, can I kiss you now?" Zoro checked, pulling her palm from his chest and tangling their fingers as he pressed closer to her.

Lana nodded again, opening to him with all the relieving bliss of reconciliation buoying her emotions to their highest point.

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<== Previous Chapter

Next Chapter ==>

== First Chapter ==

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Impromptu Girls Night And The Short-Lived Siege Of The Sprout Monster!

"Ah. I see," Robin said contemplatively after hearing Lana's recounting of her disagreement with Zoro. Her hands were busy at work in Lana's hair, an impressive feat considering that Nami was also in the middle of painting her nails. The deft multi-tasking was made possible by the power of her devil fruit, her flowers handling the braiding while her actual hands relaxed on Nami's knees.

"Oh boy. You know you're gonna have to make him apologize, right?" Nami sighed. 'Zoro's so damn stubborn... that may never actually happen. I'm going to be bunkmates with Lana for the rest of my life.'

Nami was tempted to give her friend bad advice, to tell her to just suck it up and make nice with her swordsman, but Robin's presence made it impossible. Surely the older woman would correct her swiftly if she tried to lead their friend astray.

"Not necessarily," Lana grumbled. "He's not exactly wrong... it's not like he's trying to hurt me. He's just trying to make me stronger, same as always. And that's a good thing. That's kind of our thing, you know? It's just, for once, I'm not on board with his plan on how to get me there."

"If that's all, then the solution is rather simple, don't you think?" Robin told her. "Stand your ground. Work through your own plan. As long as your plan succeeds and you begin to surpass the current limitations of your strength, the swordsman should come around on his own. In time, that is."

Nami heaved the weariest sigh of her life. This was the worst of all the worst case scenarios she had considered.

"Wouldn't it be simpler just to badger him 'til he apologizes and gives it up?" she practically whined. 'I guess if all else fails I can just take Brook up on his offer... I'd like to be better than that, but I get unreasonable when I start losing my beauty sleep and I'll definitely lose sleep if Lana's rolling around in my bed sawing logs every night!'

"You're clearly never tried to wrestle an apology out of Zoro," Lana grumbled, crossing her arms hard over her chest.

"You're right, I usually just smack him and move on," Nami admitted. "Have you tried smacking him?"

"I'm not gonna smack him. That's the other thing that's kind of bugging me," Lana sighed heavily.

"What, that you want to smack him?" Nami asked, rising a puzzled eyebrow.

"No, he took a swing at me and we weren't training," Lana snarled, expression contorting with rage at the memory.

"He struck you in anger?" Robin asked dubiously.

"Not exactly."

"Don't make excuses for him," Robin told her firmly.

"No, I mean he didn't land the hit," Lana explained.

"But it bothered you that he tried," Robin pressed.

"Not at first. I'm sure it was just another training exercise, but still... the more I think about it, the more it bugs me," Lana admitted. "I don't know. We train together all the time, we've traded more blows than I can count... I can't figure out why this time it felt different."

"That... actually sounds kind of serious, Lana," Nami frowned.

"It's as serious as Lana feels it should be. Well, Lana?" Robin pointedly prompted the younger woman.

"I... I don't know," Lana said, tone almost mournful. She hated not knowing how she felt, hated not understanding the reasons behind the emotions she was dealing with. The confusion was almost worse than the feelings themselves. "I just don't know, okay?"

"We're not the ones you should be talking to in order to reach the heart of the matter," Robin sighed. "You're going to have to talk it over with Zoro, you do know that?"

"You think I have to?" Lana asked hesitantly. "He's... he's going to think it's really stupid."

"If that's the case..."

Robin manifested ten more hands for the express purpose of cracking five sets of knuckles in unison. The sound sent a shudder of unease down Nami's spine.

"... I may be inclined to intervene on your behalf," Robin said darkly. Her eyes glowed menacingly from behind shaded features.

"Don't be creepy on spa day!" Nami scolded her. "How are we supposed to relax if you're filling the room up with witchy vibes, huh?!"

Robin's exaggerated antics drew the ghost of a smile to Lana's face. The way Robin smiled back let Lana know that had been her main goal all along. Just to get her friend to smile, even just a little.

"You know, if I want him beat up, I could do that myself," she sighed, only half-joking.

"Sure, but there should be some comfort in knowing that you don't have to," Robin told her with a little wink.

Lana was indeed comforted.

_____________________________________

"Zoro! Zoro! Zoorooo!"

The swordsman had been holed up in the crows nest for hours, still trapped in the bubble of silence Lana had inflicted on him.

'What a pain!' he thought for what must have been the hundredth time. He dropped the weights he was using, taking a few steps back before they hit the floor so that the crash would be audible. He couldn't call out to let Usopp know where he was, but he had a fairly good grasp of how far the shroud of muteness extended out from his person.

The plan worked like a charm. The thunderous clang of weights hitting the floor echoed and shook the ship. After only a few seconds, Zoro made out the sounds of Usopp clambering up the ladder.

'Must be nice,' he thought wistfully. 'Never thought I would miss being able to make noise so much.'

"Zoro! I need help!" Usopp panted, doubling over with his hands on his knees after his mad dash throughout the ship in search of his friend.

"What with?" Zoro tried to ask. He growled when no sound followed his words and that sentiment was rendered ineffective as well. In front of him, Usopp kept panting, elaborating between gasping breaths.

"Evil plants! Running wild! Getting bigger! Come help... need swords. Slice slice, etcetera."

Usopp finally straightened, not seeming to realize Zoro couldn't speak. The swordsman raised one eyebrow high, but Usopp didn't have time to explain further. A creeping green tendril appeared behind him, stalking up the ladder and poising over the sniper's back. Usopp noticed, shrieked and dashed to put himself behind Zoro.

"I think it's got some kind of grudge against me for trying to cultivate it!" Usopp lamented. "Please, Zoro! Don't let it get me! I fought it valiantly for hours and hours..."

Usopp had fought the plant monster for three and a half minutes.

"... and none of my special attacks did anything! Please don't let it eat me!"

'It's a plant, you idiot, it can't eat you.'

Zoro knew better than to try to give voice to his thoughts. It was useless. Instead, he heaved a sigh, rolled his eyes and grabbed his swords from the bench. He drew one and faced down the tendril.

'Piece of cake. You won't even give me enough of a fight to get this anger out of my system,' he thought wickedly.

Despite the veil of silence still draped over him, Zoro knew the creature understood his intent. It recoiled sharply, which made him grin. Plant, animal, person, it was all the same to Zoro. He could smell it's fear and the scent made him shiver with delight.

______________________________________________

<== Previous Chapter

Next Chapter ==>

== First Chapter ==

[pure-garbage]

Not-So-Quick Thought Dump

I'm currently working on a handful of chapters that are actually incredibly important to me. I've been a victim of domestic abuse in the past, so it's an unbelievably difficult topic for me to write about. As much as writing can provide therapy and catharsis, I'm still only human and I get triggered sometimes trying to work through trauma I've personally experienced. I'm sure I'll end up hiding all the pain under a few layers of comedy, which is also fine. That's valid as an art form(I think).

That being said, I'm very pleased with the way I present the situation playing out roughly through chapters 123, likely to around 127. Character aspects like the ones explored here are a huge part of the reason I love the straw hat women so much, especially Robin(Lots of love for Nami too, but she is significantly younger and I head canon her as less experienced/wise).

Robin is the friend I always wanted but never had when I was dealing with my own struggles. She's centered, she's grounding, she's practical, and she can be amazingly fierce when it come to protecting/advocating for the people she cares about.

Going through my own experiences, I never had anyone who told me what I was going through was not okay. It can be incredibly confusing to be victimized by someone you have strong feelings for, whether that's romantic or familial. One of the hardest things in the world to realize is that two things can be true simultaneously: you can love someone and still not be okay with the way they treat you. You can create boundaries, have tough discussions and try to change behaviors. If change isn't possible, it becomes necessary to walk away, which is a separate challenge in and of itself.

Also the concept that someone can hurt you without meaning to and that's still not acceptable. It's easy to make excuses for the people who hurt us instead of holding them to account. Justifying the actions of someone you love is a hell of a lot easier than communicating with them. It's a lot easier than telling them you aren't okay with what they did. It's a lot easier than asking them not to do it again. Especially if they don't realize or don't want to admit that they hurt you. Maybe they were just playing. Maybe they thought you could handle it. If you're tempted to make excuses for them, you'd better believe that if you try to have a conversation about what happened, they'll likely make excuses for themselves.

This point cuts extra deep, at least for me, because it goes both ways. We can hurt the people around us without that being our intention. Hurting someone doesn't automatically make you the bad guy. Every fight in a relationship doesn't necessarily have a 'right' or 'wrong' side. It's fine to have a little self-forgiveness, but it has to be paired with caution. Don't make excuses for yourself instead of taking responsibility. The only thing you can really do to wrong another person is violate the boundaries they set knowing that you're doing so.

Whatever happened, even if it was a little thing, a petty thing, a 'stupid' thing: if you didn't like it, that's enough reason for it to never happen again. That's called setting a boundary and anyone who cares about you will respect the lines you draw in the sand and go out of their way not to cross those lines again. Which probably sounds super basic, like it should 'go without saying', but some of us were raised in dysfunctional households. For us, this really basic knowledge is a completely alien concept that we learn about later on. It's a life-changing epiphany if you're lucky enough to realize it consciously.

So if there's one lesson I can impart with this little arc, I hope that it is this: love and respect go hand in hand and they have to be mutual. Put the work in, be considerate, but don't forget to demand the same effort and consideration in return.

And walking away from a bad situation never makes you a bad person.

[pure-garbage]

No Bones About It... Chaotic Applications Of Serenity

"Are you two fighting again?!" Nami demanded. Her exasperation was unchecked as Lana all but collapsed into the seat next to the navigator in the mess. Across the table, Zoro's expression was still frozen into a deep scowl.

"How can we be fighting if we're not even talking?" Lana snarked, shooting Zoro a brief, venemous glare that he met with equivalent harshness.

As the rest of the crew and their guests streamed in to crowd around the table, Lana's usual spot at Zoro's side remained conspicuously empty. No one who got a look at the swordsman's face was willing to settle down next to him, until Law made his arrival on the tail end. The only seat left was the one next to Zoro, whose glower hadn't eased up for even a second. Law took the vacant seat without hesitation, raising an eyebrow at Zoro's menacing expression.

"Hey, that's the face you should make next time they sneak in a photo for your wanted poster," Law observed blithely. Zoro didn't dignify him with a response. Down the table from them, Usopp was visibly on edge, chewing his nails nervously and glancing around like he expected something to ambush them at any minute.

"Alright, spill," Nami sighed. "What's the matter this time?"

"Nothing."

"If you don't talk about it, it'll never get better," Nami pointed out.

"I'm not in the mood right now."

"Oookay."

Nami pursed her lips, eyes darting appraisingly between Lana and Zoro. Whatever was bothering them, they were both clammed up tight about it.

'That won't do at all,' Nami thought unhappily.

"Brook! Switch with me!" she demanded.

"Huh? But I'm talking to Robin!" Brook protested.

"I need to talk to Robin."

"Can't you switch with Sanji instead?" Brook proposed. "That way, we can both talk to Robin."

"Psh, as if!" Sanji spat. "I wouldn't give up my spot at Robin's side for the world!"

"Well if you switch with Nami, you can sit next to Lana instead," Brook pointed out as Nami got up out of her seat and made her way down the table to loom over their shoulders.

"Brook, I want you to turn around and take a good long look at Lana right now," Sanji frowned.

"Hmm..."

Brook swiveled, taking in Lana's stiff posture, tight scowl and the way she was stabbing her food with her fork like it was still alive and needed a little more killing.

"Mm, I do see what you mean, Sanji," Brook admitted. "But I have to say, I'm not exactly eager be put in such an awkward position either. Age before beauty. I'm afraid you'll need to take one for the team this time."

"Why you-"

"Both of you can it and one of you move!" Nami snapped ferociously.

"She asked you to move first!" Sanji persisted. "Go cheer Lana up with a song or something, isn't that what you're here for?"

"It's not a matter of who she asked first. Don't you have any respect for your elders?" Brook demanded. "Honestly, Sanji, I'm shocked. Can't you see I'm too old to deal with the romantic dramas?"

"If you're so damn old get your wrinkly butt over there and give the girl some sage advice!" Sanji shot back. "Don't you have any wisdom to contribute?!"

"Wisdom, yes, but I take exception to the implication that I'm wrinkly!" Brook gasped in affront. "After all, how could I possibly have wrinkles? Why, I don't even have any skin! Yo-ho-ho-ho!"

"Idiots!" Nami cried, fed up with the bickering. She knocked them both on the head, drawing groans of pain from them as they fell out of their seats simultaneously. Robin looked on with quiet amusement as Nami took the seat on her right and the boys continued their squabble over who would get to keep the seat on her left.

"I've never felt so popular in my life," she sighed wistfully. "Why the urgent need to sit by me, Nami?"

"I've got a big problem and I need your help with it," Nami informed her gravely.

"Oh?"

"Lana and Zoro are fighting again."

"Aha. Your concern for your friends is admirable, but if I were you, I'd leave well enough alone," Robin said. Behind her, Brook planted himself in the chair and thumbed his nose-socket at Sanji.

"Victory is mine, Sanji! I'd stick my tongue out at you if I had one!" he declared triumphantly. "Yo-ho-ho-ho!"

"Bastard! You owe me big time for this!" Sanji fumed.

"Mm, I don't think so!"

"Those two," Robin went on, ignoring the tiff at her back, "... will work things out in their own time. No need for us to intervene."

"Sure, that's all very well and good in theory," Nami said dismissively, her concerns still as strong as ever. "But in practice, I need this to be over quickly. If they're not talking, that means they're not sleeping in the same bed. If they're not sleeping in the same bed, that means Lana's bunking with me again since it was Zoro's room first. I can't handle another extended slumber party with her! She talks in her sleep! And that snoring! Not to mention her knives take up way too much damn space! Why the hell does she need five of them anyway?!"

"You know, she used to have seven," Robin put in unhelpfully.

"Couldn't she crash in your cabin instead this time?" Nami begged.

"Out of the question. My space is my temple," Robin said firmly.

"Well then we need to get them to make up asap," Nami concluded.

"Well is room and board the entire crux of the issue?" Brook broke in, leaning into the conversation. "Sorry, I couldn't help overhearing. Might I offer a simple solution?"

"I'm all ears," Nami said.

"If she needs a place to sleep, my cabin is always open," Brook grinned. "After all, it was hers to begin with. It's the least I could do for a friend. And perhaps... I might be graced with a glimpse of her panties!"

He steepled his fingers and cackled lightly to himself.

"You perv, that's not a solution anyone's gonna agree to!" Nami scowled. "Anyway, did you forget Zoro's already pissed enough as is? What, are you trying to make him go ballistic? Do you have a death wish? Huh?!"

"Well, I am already dead," Brook reasoned. "How much could he really do to me?"

Nami and Robin furrowed their brows, gazes fixed to Zoro. Brook followed their eyes across the table, taking in the visible ire of the swordsman as he chomped obnoxiously and slammed his utensils down on the table in a futile attempt to make some noise escape the bubble of silence Lana still had trapped him in. Sanji chortled, pointed and teased him, adding unnecessary fuel to the fire of his wrath.

"Yikes! Alright, he does look awfully scary right now," Brook admitted. "How's this? I promise not to peek at any panties. Not intentionally, at least. If I were to catch a tiny glimpse, purely by accident, well... who would know? Who would blame me?"

"Ugh, I'm not disturbed enough by her snoring to make her bunk up with Brook," Nami mourned. "Come on, Robin, won't you help me talk to her after dinner? We can make it a spa night. We'll make her spill her guts about whatever it is that they're fighting about, then we'll help her iron it out. Please?"

"Well, I suppose it has been a while since I've had my manicure touched up," Robin admitted. "I'm in."

"Yes! Alright! This is going to work!" Nami celebrated.

Law, meanwhile, scooted his chair back to put himself out of the way as Zoro leaped up from his seat. The swordsman leveled a finger at Lana and reprimanded her, voice still muted. Lana didn't spare him a glance, just kept mutilating her meal stubbornly. With an inaudible huff, Zoro left the mess abruptly, robe whirling as he went.

'Never a dull moment on this ship,' Law thought bemusedly. He would have been more exhausted by the straw hats internal drama if he wasn't so fascinated by the quiet power hiding out in their midst. His history with the calm-calm fruit filled him with a sense of intrigue that was becoming more difficult to ignore with each passing day.

'The way the locksmith uses that power... it's nothing like what I saw from Cora. She's so aggressive with it. What kind of person manages to weaponize the power of peace and quiet?' he thought with snide amusement, watching as Lana interacted sullenly with the cook. The woman presented a conundrum, a contradiction that defied logic and the laws of nature themselves. 'In her hands, the calm-calm fruit is going to become a force of chaos. What a terribly ironic thing I'm watching unfold.'

____________________________________________

<== Previous Chapter

Next Chapter ==>

== First Chapter ==

[pure-garbage]

The Limits Of Directness! Subtlety Is Underrated

Chapter Warnings: Violence, Injury... Domestic Abuse?? Bullying?

"Three days?!"

"It was supposed to be a month or two," Lana informed Zoro. Law wasn't the only doctor who'd been alarmed by Lana's apparently grave condition. Chopper came looking for her when she failed to show up for lunch and nearly blew a gasket after a cursory examination. He'd wrapped and splinted nearly her entire body and ordered her to take a few days off from training on pain of being tossed into the sea.

Lana didn't quite follow the thread of his logic. If he really cared about her getting better, he must have realized that drowning would do nothing to improve her health. Even so, she was ready for a hiatus.

"Law said my insides are liquefied," Lana threw in for good measure.

"Your insides aren't liquefied," Zoro scoffed. He stood over her with his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl twisting his features. "They're just underestimating you, that's all. Chopper does the same thing with me all the time."

"Is that what that is?" Lana asked dubiously. She could recall a dozen or more times off the top her head when Zoro had defied Chopper's orders with blatant disregard for his medical expertise.

"You just need a good nap, that's all," Zoro insisted. "Just close your eyes, you'll feel better when you wake up. I'll help you get out of this mess of wrappings... Chopper really went too far this time. He's got you decked out like a mummy ready for burial."

"Zoro I don't think-"

"Don't worry about Chopper, I can tell you from experience he's all bark," Zoro went on without giving her time to get a word in edgewise. "He talks a big game about how he'll 'make sure there's no sake on board for a month' unless you follow his orders, but when it comes right down to it-"

"Zoro! Listen!" Lana snapped. If she didn't grab his attention forcibly, he would never hear what she had to say.

"Eh?"

"I'm gonna take the three days," she told him.

"Three days? That's a long nap," he tsked. "Did you eat enough? If you're planning a nap that ambitious, you don't want your grumbling stomach waking you up two days in."

"I'm not necessarily gonna nap the whole time," Lana sighed. "I'm just gonna take it easy for a while, okay?"

"Easy?"

"Yeah. I decided to take their advice. A little break from training couldn't hurt, right? And I'm telling you, I feel like absolute hell. I can't keep up at this pace, not against Luffy."

"What, is he hitting too hard?" Zoro asked, seeming baffled by her announcement. "I'll talk to him and tell him to dial it back some. How's that sound? Get some rest in tonight, then tomorrow let me know if he-"

"Zoro, no," Lana insisted firmly. "Do you hear yourself? Luffy doesn't throttle! It's always all or nothing with him! If anything, his attacks just get stronger day after day... and all I'm doing is falling farther and farther behind. This isn't working, so I'm taking a break. When the break's over, I'll decide what to do next. I'm not going to keep beating my head against the same brick wall waiting for my skull to get thick enough that it doesn't hurt anymore."

"So you're giving up," Zoro summarized harshly.

"Not giving up. Just switching tactics, right?"

"No, this is just giving up," Zoro declared angrily. "You can't switch tactics if you have no idea what you're going to do next. You're just quitting."

"I'm not quitting! I'm going to get stronger! I'll do it at my own pace!" Lana argued.

"Quitter."

'"Why, because you'll need to answer to that psychotic swordsman otherwise?'

Law's taunting words echoed in Lana's mind as she felt herself wavering under the intense spotlight of Zoro's scorn. She grit her teeth and dug her heels in stubbornly.

"Your way of doing things isn't the only right way," she insisted. "I owe a lot to your methods, but they're not doing anything to improve my haki. Instead, I'm just stuck acting as a glorified punching bag for the captain."

"That bad attitude is probably why you're stuck," Zoro said, goading.

"My attitude is fine!"

"Your attitude is limiting you needlessly. Come on, show me your armament."

"Not right now."

"Show me, Lana! I know it got better since you've been sparring with Luffy!" Zoro pressed.

"I'm in pain, I'm not showing you anything right now," Lana shot back, refusing to budge.

"Try pulling that line out in a battle, see how much your enemy cares," Zoro scoffed.

Lana's eyes narrowed as five seconds from the present, she watched Zoro reach the end of his patience.

"Don't even think about it!" she hissed, shifting to sit up in bed, battling against splints that limited her mobility.

"You do realize all that foresight is a complete waste if you can't hold your own against the attacks you see coming?" Zoro pointed out. He drew his fist back, black spreading down from his elbow.

"I'm not playing around, Zoro!" Lana snapped. "If you try to hit me I'm putting you in time out!"

"And if I decide not to let you?" Zoro challenged. "There's no trick that gets you out of building strength, you know!"

"Let me?!" Lana raged, fury rising in her at his inability to listen to what she had to say. "I have tricks, do I?! I'll show you a trick! Calm-calm hush!"

Zoro had more to say, but his lips moved in silence as his fist flew. Lana waited with a scowl and dropped onto her back on the bed just in time to dodge the blow. Her feet shot out, connecting with his waist and driving him back hard enough to send him flying out of the cabin. She struggled up, supporting herself in the doorway.

"The discussion is over," she decreed, anger contorting her features and giving her enough strength to hold herself more or less upright. Outside, Zoro sprang back to his feet and stomped up to her, raging silently, mouth moving furiously in a soundless rant. Spitefully, Lana cupped her hand to her ear. "I'm sorry, what's that? I can't hear you. Speak up a little, would you?"

Zoro's eye twitched and his fists clenched, but Lana didn't release him from the hold of her power and he didn't make another move to test her. They stared each other down for a few long, tense moments, silent aggravation charging the air between them. The atmosphere was so heavy Lana wouldn't have been surprised if electricity started crackling in the space between them as they glared at each other, neither willing to back down first.

Usopp unknowingly interrupted the tension when he gave a world-rending shriek from within his cabin.

"LORD HAVE MERCY! OH GOD HELP US ALL! WHO PUT WATER ON THESE SPROUTS?! WHAT ABOMINATION HAVE YOU UNLEASHED ON US ALL?!"

Lana groaned loudly and pushed her way past Zoro, limping down the hall to escape the burgeoning commotion.

"I have no idea what's going on in that room, and I'm planning on keeping it that way," she muttered to herself.

_____________________________________________

<== Previous Chapter

Next Chapter ==>

== First Chapter ==

[pure-garbage]

A New Mentor? Unheeded Advice From The Beleaguered Surgeon Of Death

Chapter Warnings: Violence, Injury

If confusion was a terminal illness, Lana would have been long dead.

"What do you mean we're not training together today?" she asked, brow knit deep as she planted her hands firmly on her hips.

"Just that," Zoro informed her, carrying on with his routine of stretches. "I've been trying to improve your haki for what... two weeks now?"

"Try one and a half," Lana corrected him.

"A week and a half. And we're not making any headway."

"I'm am making headway! So what, you're giving up? You just expect me to figure it out on my own from here on out?" Lana demanded. 'That's... not like Zoro. What the hell is going on in his head?'

"Psh! As if. You should know better by now," he tsked her. "I don't give up."

"I didn't think so."

"BUT... I will switch tactics if what I'm doing isn't working."

"Okay, so what's the new tactic?" Lana pressed.

"I found you a new mentor," Zoro said. The fact that he sounded so insufferably pleased with himself immediately set off alarm bells in Lana's head.

Fwip-fwip, Fwip-fwip.

The sound of flip flops hitting the deck behind Lana told her everything she needed to know. She turned, catching Luffy in the middle of a grin that put every single one of his teeth on display.

"So Zoro tells me you're struggling with your armament," Luffy announced. "I told him I could fix that easy."

"Uh... you can?" Lana asked, tone full of well-founded apprehension.

"Sure! I'll train you up just like Rayleigh trained me!" Luffy assured her enthusiastically.

"Oh... wow. Thanks, captain," Lana managed, dismay filling her. She shot Zoro a glare which he met with a smirk.

"Have fun," he told her in parting.

It was true Lana was unhinged. Zoro was crazy to the point of having been known as a demon even before he became a pirate. Yet, Lana was painfully aware that neither of them could hold a candle to Luffy's insanity.

'I am going to die,' she realized glumly.

"Alright, now we'll start with something easy," Luffy assured her. It seemed like he was trying to be comforting, but the manic energy he was giving off set Lana's teeth on edge. "All you have to do is block, okay? Easy-peasy! Now gum-gum... Elephant Gun!"

His fist loomed over her, so huge that it shaded her fully from the sun's light as it poised in the air above the Sunny.

'I had so many things I wanted to do before I died,' she thought with a resigned, melancholic sigh. 'Oh well. I guess everybody does.'

__________________________________________

"So, how's the haki coming along?" Zoro asked when Lana all but collapsed into bed next to him that night. She wasn't dead. She only wished she was.

"I hate you," she told him, wincing melodramatically as her battered body protested every movement she inflicted on it while she struggled to make herself comfortable.

"Want a back rub?" Zoro offered pacifistically.

"Don't touch me."

"Foot rub?"

"You suck."

"You're so mean," Zoro pouted. He ran his fingers through her hair, taking advantage of the fact that she couldn't really escape his soothing touch. "You'll be thanking us when you have the strongest haki on this side of the grand line."

"Just you wait til that day comes, Roronoa Zoro, I promise you're going to be the first one I murder," Lana groaned, burying her face in her pillow.

The days that followed were more of the same. Luffy's approach to haki training was as simple as it was brutal. He didn't give much verbal advice and he did not hold back. At all.

"I gotta say, I'm impressed by your survivability."

Lana was completely laid out on the deck. Luffy was an intense sparring partner, but he was easily distracted when lunch came around. While he raced off to answer Sanji's call, Lana found herself in Law's shadow.

"I can't say I've ever seen anyone take so many hits in a row without having their insides liquefied," he went on, leaning on his sword like it was a staff.

"They feel like they might be liquefied," Lana groaned.

"I could take a look if you want."

"Oh right, you're a doctor," Lana remembered. "If they are liquefied, could you fix it?"

"Fix liquefied insides?" Law smirked, rare amusement shining in his dark eyes. "Even with my surgical prowess, the only prescription for something that serious is bed rest. Or perhaps euthanasia..."

"Ha ha ha, you're a very funny guy," Lana managed dryly. "You gonna look me over or not?"

"Sure. If you don't mind, my professional curiosity would love an internal look at what your captain's attacks are capable of," Law agreed.

"Good to know where my wellbeing stands on your list of priorities."

"Did you expect it to be higher?"

"Not at all."

Law became serious, posing his fingers under his hand as a small disc swirled outward from his palm.

"Room. And scan."

Physically, Law's power was unobtrusive, but the effect it had on Lana's haki was decidedly more pronounced. Lana still associated the surgeon of death's aura with that of an enemy, a first impression that she still hadn't been able to shake. Reflexively, her haki reacted defensively to his.

"Heh," Law chuckled, his will overcoming hers as easily as ever. "Better than last time, I'll give you that, but you still can't hold a candle to me, locksmith. Just hold still and try to relax."

Lana grit her teeth, then groaned in pain as the tension in her body further aggravated her injuries. She was even in too much pain to correct his repetitive misunderstanding of her skillset.

"Well? What's the verdict, doc?" she managed. His expression was stoic, a sight crease in the middle of his forehead the only hint at what he was really thinking.

"I've noticed something about all you straw hats," he sighed, letting the room fade out of existence now that he'd examined her and ascertained the full extent of her injuries.

"We all secretly have liquefied insides?" Lana sighed, only half-joking.

"You're all stubborn and you don't take advice," Law corrected her tersely.

'He's a rather stern fellow,' Lana noted inwardly. She opted to keep the thought to herself.

"Spoken like a guy who's got advice to give," she pointed out. "Let's pretend for a minute that advising straw hats isn't a complete waste of time. If that were true, what would you say?"

"If it wasn't a total waste of breath?" Law mused. "I'd tell you to ease up for a while before you get yourself killed. Your haki can't improve if you're dead."

"Is it that bad?" Lana sighed.

"It's pretty bad."

"How long?"

"What, 'til you drop dead?"

"No, how long would I need to rest to recover?"

"What's this, a straw hat seeing reason?" Law asked with feigned shock.

"Well it's not like I'm having the time of my life here," Lana grumbled.

"Will your captain take a sick note?" Law asked dubiously. "You may not be having fun, but Luffy sure does seem to be enjoying himself."

"The training is optional," Lana assured him.

"Hmph. If you say so."

"How long of a break would it take before it was safe for me to keep sparring with Luffy?" Lana pressed.

"You shouldn't be sparring with Luffy," Law sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "The gap between you is too steep, you'll never learn anything because he's not capable of holding back enough to give you room to grow."

"I don't think that's true," Lana protested. "At the very least, I'm getting good at taking hits."

"Ah, there's that trademark straw hat stubbornness," Law griped. "You're all delusional."

"You gonna give me a time frame for resting, or am I just gonna keep pushing through?" Lana demanded.

"You should definitely give it a month of two."

"A month?! No way! Out of the question!" Lana snapped.

"Do you want to heal up or not?!" Law shot back.

"I can take a day off. Two, tops."

"That's not going to help at all!" Law all but growled, frustration overcoming his stoicism.

"It's all I can afford!"

"Why, because you'll need to answer to that psychotic swordsman otherwise?!"

"I don't answer to Zoro!" Lana scoffed.

"Don't make me laugh," Law snorted derisively. "Look, I gave my professional opinion. Ignore it at your own peril. Train yourself into an early grave if that's what you really want, see if I care."

He turned his back to her and took a few steps away, but once again, a wisp of emotion slipped past the walls his discipline formed around his intent.

"Huh. You say that, but you do care," Lana mused, more puzzled than anything else. Her observation stopped Law dead in his tracks. "This isn't the first time I've felt weird feelings from you, doc. What's that all about, huh?"

"It's rude to use your haki to go through someone else's head," Law snarled.

"Oh please, it's not like I'm doing it on purpose. If you don't like me picking up on your feelings, try keeping them on a tighter leash," Lana said with a roll of her eyes. "You gonna explain yourself or what? We don't know each other, but something in your intent feels-"

"My intent!" Law cut her off harshly. "My thoughts! It's none of your business, locksmith, so stay out of my head!"

He stormed away, leaving Lana still prone on the deck of the Sunny.

"Sheesh, touchy much?" she grumbled to herself. "A month... I can't afford to take a month off. Maybe just today and tomorrow... I wonder if I could get away with three days. Come on, body... play nice, huh? If I let us sleep for three days, you'll heal up nice and fast for me, right? Right? Damn, I really need to break this habit of talking to myself."

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<== Previous Chapter

Next Chapter ==>

== First Chapter ==

[pure-garbage]

https://x.com/7nawon?s=21&t=55HyzerWcN_RxNpgV2Jocw

[pure-garbage]

"Kuina's death is ridiculous" yes! That's the point! You do realize that falling down the stairs is a way of showing Zoro how fragile human lives are, right? You are aware that the point of Kuina's character is the unfairness of the world towards women in comparison to the privileges men have, like living in itself and fulfilling their dreams, right? You know that Kuina's death is "ridiculous and dumb" because it's meant to show that even the strongest person Zoro knew could die from something so little, right? You understand that the value Zoro gives to life is fucking immense, right? Right?? You realize Zoro can't seek revenge because nobody took her away from him and now the only thing he can do is become the world's greatest swordsman to avenge her death, right? You get that Zoro's character is an atheist because he doesn't believe in anyone and he can only rely on himself when it comes to Kuina's sudden death, right? You are aware that sometimes people die in the simplest of ways and that doesn't make them weak because death doesn't discriminate, right? You know that all of these things are what make Zoro's character so interesting and important, right? Right??? You know, right?

Well, of course you fucking don't because if you knew you wouldn't be saying her death is ridiculous <3

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Spill The Tea? Efficacy, Solidarity And Kitchen Rules

Chapter Warnings: Language, Smut(MINORS DNI)

Food and sleep were always Lana and Zoro's first priorities when they were done obliterating their enemies. The third priority was as much a basic need as the two that preceded it. Sex was by far their favorite way to blow off steam after a fight and burn out any lingering adrenaline.

Zoro disappeared sometimes when they fucked, especially after a hard battle. The beast that took his place was a mindless creature that ravaged his lover with a thoughtless abandon Lana relished. Zoro would never unleash his full strength on her, not even in moments like this, but it was at times like these that he allowed her a taste. Lana adored it, savored the raw brutality. She always screamed her pleasure out with enough ferocity to match his as she surrendered to his will, to the primal passions that lingered after their bloodlust was sated. She never worried, no matter how intense he was in the moment. She knew he would never break her.

Even if he did, he would carefully, tenderly put her back together when he was done with her. Every time, without fail.

Zoro's hips forced Lana's legs open wider, his cock bullied its way deeper into her tender, aching cunt. She could only focus on her own ragged, wheezing breaths as his grip on her throat threatened to cut off her air supply completely. Every muscle shook as she yielded herself to him while he smothered her body with his. She kept gentle hands on his back and in his hair as a soft reminder that she was still beneath him as she savored the crush of his weight pinning her into the mattress.

Zoro's thrusts slowed, his growls growing deeper and longer, finally coming closer to moans than battle cries. She knew he was getting close, could feel him as he throbbed inside of her. His fingers loosened their death grip on her throat and she dragged in a greedy, desperate breath. His teeth had been clamped to her shoulder for who knew how long, but he released her now so he could kiss her, breathing gratitude into her mouth as he moved over her and inside her. They were both slick with sweat and the space between them was sticky from the two orgasms Lana had fallen prey to while her beast had his way with her. She was satisfied as completely as ever, ready to call it a night whenever he was.

"I want you to swallow it for me," he rasped against her lips while her fingers ruffled through his hair and his cock hit hard against the very deepest parts of her again and again. Lana moaned helplessly, pulsing around him as the command somehow aroused her afresh even after what must have been hours of him driving into her mercilessly. "Say you will, Lana! Say you'll do that for me tonight!"

'Of course I will, anything you want Zoro, please give it to me, please let me taste you, please let me swallow it for you...'

Lana could only manage a nod and a hum of affirmation. Despite his demand, Zoro's tongue didn't leave her mouth long enough for her to get a word out. He responded with a rough, satisfied groan, burying himself so deep inside her and stilling for so long that she thought he'd finished there after all, the way he usually did. A second later he pulled free, scrambling up her body to press his tip to her lips. Lana opened to him eagerly, leaning up to take him deeper as he stroked his shaft firmly and wound his fingers into her hair. It wasn't necessary for him to hold her in place while he came down her throat, but he did it anyway. Lana held his ecstatic gaze, swallowed his spend while he rewarded her with moans and curses, praise and filth rolling off his tongue while he tensed and arched above her.

Lana stroked his trembling thighs with soft palms, soothing his fervor as she waited patiently for him to finish. He stayed over her for a moment longer after he did, thumbs stroking over her cheekbones as adoration shone past his exhaustion while he gradually settled. He pulled back and collapsed at her side, demanding a kiss that made her shiver with its depth, with the way his tongue swept over every inch of her mouth as he wound his fingers tight through hers.

Zoro passed out hard, face buried in Lana's breasts and one leg slung over her body haphazardly. She gave him time to settle in, gave herself time to savor the quiet heat of his body and the steady, strong rhythm of his heart. Then she slid out from under him, pulled on a robe, grabbed her tea box and made her way to the kitchen.

While she waited for her water to boil, Zoro made an appearance. He couldn't sneak up on her anymore, though she knew he still tried sometimes. He pressed close to her back, arms winding around her body while he rested his chin on the top of her head.

"Special tea?" he asked.

"Mm-hm."

"You still have to drink it? I didn't finish inside," he grumbled, confusion coloring his tone.

"It's not a big deal," she assured him. 'Oh. Is that why he switched things up tonight? Not that I mind...'

"No, just poison," he said sardonically.

"Poison I'm tolerant of to the point of being nearly immune. Better safe than sorry," she chuckled dismissively, fingers playing up and down his arms as they pulled her a little tighter to his bare chest.

"Would you be sorry?" Zoro wondered.

"Hm?"

"You know. If it happened."

"If... oh."

Zoro came down from the top of her head to study her expression while she considered her answer.

"I would be," she admitted with a soft sigh. "What about you?"

Lana had never considered the possibility that Zoro might want to be a father. Now, she found herself nervously awaiting his answer while the kettle slowly built up to a whistle.

"No," he replied, the ease of his response unsettling Lana. She chewed her lip.

"Are you mad at me?" she pressed with concern tainting her tone.

"What for?"

"Don't act dense. I've been drinking this tea the entire time we've been together. I never thought to bring it up, never considered that it might be a problem, but... now that you know, does it bother you?"

"No."

Lana rolled her eyes at him. She had no doubt that both statements were perfectly true and knowing Zoro, he fostered some brutal, simplistic logic that managed to keep them from contradicting each other.

"I think it's really unnecessary," he went on, one hand creeping up to play with a lock of her hair while he spoke. "If you would have just said something from the start, I could have been pulling out this whole time, you know."

"Yeah?"

"Of course."

"That's still risky, you know," Lana sighed, even as she smiled. Her kettle was summoning her. She patted his hands, silently entreating him to release her. "My water's ready."

"So you're still gonna drink it?"

"I mean, unless you want to get me pregnant..." she teased.

"You don't want me to?" Zoro murmured at her ear, a smile hiding in his voice.

"No!"

"I bet I could turn my fertility off with force of will if I tried," he mused, letting her go so she could finish her brew.

"You're not quite a man of science, are you?" she giggled. "Seriously, the tea hasn't so much as upset my stomach in years. I promise it's fine. Trust me?"

"Of course I trust you. Doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Good enough."

"Lana?"

"Hm?"

"Make a cup for me too."

Lana raised an eyebrow so high it almost hit the kitchen ceiling.

"Zoro, I promise I didn't get you pregnant," she chuckled. "It doesn't work that way."

"I know, I'm not an idiot," he scowled with a roll of his eyes. "We both made love, there's no reason you should be the only one dealing with the consequences."

"There's no consequences, I told you the tea doesn't bother me anymore," Lana protested.

"Good, that means it won't bother me for very long either," Zoro persisted stubbornly.

"Zoro, it's fine. You don't have to drink the tea."

"I want to drink the tea."

"Zoro-"

"Give me the tea or I'm gonna stop having sex with you," he declared, crossing his arms over his chest stalwartly.

"You wouldn't last a week holding out on me," Lana scoffed derisively.

"Wanna test that theory?"

"You're serious. Of course you're serious."

Lana sighed heavily, but caved and pulled another teacup from the cabinet with a shrug.

"It's not gonna make you any less fertile, you know," she informed him.

"I know," he replied, resolve unshaken.

"It doesn't taste good."

"Just make the tea, woman."

"Here, then," she frowned, pushing a dainty teacup across the counter toward him. She blew on the surface of her drink while Zoro considered his with a creased brow. A question tickled the tip of Lana's tongue, something that was still bothering her. Directness had rarely caused her regret when dealing with her lover. She braced herself and spit out what was on her mind.

"Zoro, do you want kids?" she blurted.

He gave a little shrug, still eyeing his tea. He tipped his glass a little, swirling the dark liquid around as steam rose from its surface.

"I don't not want them," he replied. Lana had never heard so much uncertainty in his tone. "What about you? I mean, clearly you don't want that now, but... would you ever? Do you think?"

"I... I never know what I'll want before I want it," Lana admitted.

"That's fair."

Her hand crept across the counter, fingers winding through his fondly as affection swelled in her chest.

"If I ever want that, I'll talk to you about it," she assured him. "And if you want it, you'll talk to me?"

"Of course I will. And until then, we'll just keep drinking our tea," he smiled. She returned his smile and raised her cup.

"Cheers to that," she chuckled. They clinked their glasses. Lana sipped hers while Zoro slugged his in one go, not seeming to mind that the tea was still near scalding.

"Blegh!" he exclaimed, features scrunching with disgust.

"Yep," Lana sighed. She drained her glass as well.

"Well, at least I won't have to worry about getting knocked up," he grumbled, setting his cup in the sink.

Lana found herself overcome with emotion as the magnitude of the gesture, the full depth and breadth of Zoro's devotion, hit her like a hurricane. She pulled him down to her height, demanding a kiss that started sweet and slowly escalated until neither of them could breathe and Zoro had her backed against the counter. He tugged her legs up, hoisting her high as their excited breaths started coming faster in tandem.

"Not here!" Lana managed to gasp, pushing back off the counter mindfully.

"Why not?" Zoro whined.

"Sanji would weep..." Lana smirked. "... if he ever found out we were even making out in his kitchen."

"So? Who cares?"

"Take me back to bed," she sighed, pulling him along by his wrist.

Zoro didn't disappoint. He did as she asked and they were half-way through another round before he stilled above her with a pained groan.

"L-Lana?"

"Yeah?" she panted, still rocking up to meet thrusts that had stopped coming.

"My stomach hurts," he informed her sadly.

"Wanna stop?" she sighed.

Zoro nodded dismally and rolled off her with a grimace.

"I told you not to drink the tea," she chided him, but her tone was gentle. She couldn't summon any ire given the circumstances.

"I regret nothing," he insisted.

"Want me to hold you?"

"Please."

She did, rubbing his back until his labored breathing steadied and he fell into an uneasy sleep, still mumbling occasionally in her arms.

"Stubborn jackass," she muttered to herself, though she was still smiling as she closed her eyes to join him in slumber.

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<== Previous Chapter

Next Chapter ==>

== First Chapter ==

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Aftermath Of Victory... Soup And Solipsism

"I hate your knife, Lana!"

Of all the people Lana expected to be scolded by, Chopper had been at the very bottom of the list.

"Hey, don't hate, Anyorith is a good knife!" Lana said defensively, one hand creeping to the dagger at her hip. "You'll hurt his feelings!"

"That weapon is cruel and unnecessarily brutal and someone needs to throw it into the ocean!" Chopper scowled insistently.

"Look, can you get my tip out of Caesar Clown, or what?!" Lana demanded with an ever deepening frown.

"I can, but it's going to be a whole operation! What that knife did to his organs was inhumane!" Chopper went on furiously.

"Inhumane?! He's inhumane, he had it coming!" Lana snarled back. "Not an hour ago you were up in arms over his experiments, shouldn't you just be happy he's not at large anymore?!"

"No one has something like this coming!" Chopper protested stubbornly. "And it's true what he did was reprehensible, but don't you think resorting to this kind of over-the-top violence is the same thing as stooping to his level?!"

"Luffy was the one who stabbed him! Are you trying to say Luffy's on the same level with that scumbag?!" Lana challenged heatedly.

"Hey, hey, what's the problem here, kids?" Zoro broke in, strolling closer with two bowls of soup. He kept one for himself and offered the other to Lana, who accepted gratefully.

"Oh, Chopper's mad because Luffy stabbed Caesar Clown in the kidney or something," Lana said dismissively, digging in to the soup with gusto. "Mm! Sanji's?"

"You know it."

"Damn that man can cook!"

"You're taking what happened way too lightly!" Chopper insisted. "The way those tips are barbed makes them really hard to remove if they're lodged more than an inch or two deep!"

"Mm, yeah, pretty sure that's the point," Lana said absently. "Chopper, did you get some soup yet? This is really good! You're probably just hungry. I'm sure you'll calm down after you get something to eat."

"I'M ANGRY BECAUSE YOUR WEAPON IS A MENACE, NOT BECAUSE I'M HUNGRY!" Chopper shouted, shifting into heavy point unintentionally.

"Okay, but are you also hungry?" Lana pressed, unfazed by her friend's suddenly towering stature.

"YES!"

"Good, go get some soup."

"I WILL! BUT I STILL HATE YOUR KNIFE!"

"Good for you, buddy you're very ethical," Lana congratulated him sincerely as he stomped off furiously.

"Were you this catty two years ago?" Zoro asked suspiciously.

"I don't know. Was I?" Lana shrugged.

"I don't think so."

"Sucks to be the rest of you, I guess."

"Mrrrow."

"Sounds to me like you're not mad about it," Lana noted with some amusement.

"Hmph, not yet. I'm sure you'll start getting under my skin soon enough," Zoro smirked.

"So... I'm still pretty confused about what's going on," Lana admitted, gaze full of consternation as she fixed it to Sanji's samurai and the pink dragon he claimed was his son. "Did Luffy invite those two to join the crew, or...?"

"I'm sure he did, but as of now, they're just passengers," Zoro informed her. The pair settled against the rail of the ship as they finished their food. Lana shrugged out of one arm of the stolen coat Zoro had lent her, wrapping it around him and snuggling close to his side. He wound one arm over her shoulders inside the fur, sighing contentedly as they both relaxed for the first time since arriving on Punk Hazard.

"Passengers... and where are we going next?" Lana asked.

"No idea yet. That's always up to Luffy... I get the feeling that Traffy has more work for us and I don't see Luffy breaking off this alliance of theirs anytime soon either."

"Great. So now we work for a warlord?" Lana grumbled.

"Not at all. I don't know about you, but I'm still just following Luffy's orders. He's not a joiner... I'm sure he'll split from Traffy's plan when it suits him," Zoro grinned.

"Luffy sure seems fond of Law. He mentioned he saved Luffy's life once. Think he was telling the truth?"

"Must have been, because Luffy told me just about the same thing," Zoro confirmed.

"What a mess."

"No more of a mess than usual from where I'm sitting. At least I've finally got you back in my line of sight," Zoro pointed out. "You really had me worried when you went missing, you know."

"Went missing? I think you mean when Law abducted me."

"Yeah. When Law abducted you. That reminds me... he mentioned that the gas they used on the rest of the crew didn't affect you," Zoro remembered. "And Luffy said something to the same effect happened when you tried and failed to rescue him."

"Hey! He ended up rescued just fine," Lana griped.

"Sure. Anyway, I meant to ask... why doesn't the gas work on you?" Zoro puzzled. "Luffy developed insane poison resistances while we were all separated. Did the same thing happen to you?"

"Uh... well, no, not exactly."

"What then?"

"It's kind of private," Lana sighed, biting her lip.

The wary response only served to further inflame Zoro's curiosity.

"Too private to tell me about?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I... uh..."

'I guess it does sort of affect him too,' Lana realized for the first time. 'Maybe I owe it to him to tell him... he probably won't even care. But what if he does? What if he has a problem with it? I have a hard time imagining that he would... so why do I feel so nervous about telling him?'

Lana powered through her anxiety and forced herself to just spit it out.

"Well, the poison in the gas is... this is kind of a funny coincidence, actually," Lana chuckled, struggling to keep her nerves in check to go on. "... and a really lucky one at that, at least for me. But it's made from a plant I make tea from a lot."

"Hm, you do love tea," Zoro mused. "Why would you make tea out of a poison plant though? That doesn't make a lot of sense."

'He thinks I love tea? I guess I'm always drinking the stuff... but only because I have to. I actually don't even like tea. Especially not that nasty swill,' Lana thought, amused by his interpretation of her rituals.

"It's medicinal," Lana sighed. "In a certain sense."

"I don't get it. It's good for your immune system or something? If that's the case, why are you the only one drinking it?" Zoro puzzled. "I don't like getting sick either, you know."

"No, it doesn't ward off colds, Zoro. It prevents... pregnancy."

Lana watched the gears turn over in Zoro's head as he processed the new information. She held her breath waiting for his response. He didn't keep her waiting long.

"Oh. That makes sense."

He settled back against the rail, seemingly with nothing else to say. Lana breathed a sigh of relief, tension melting out of her as she chastised herself internally for worrying about his reaction.

'Of course he's fine with me regulating my own body. Why wouldn't he be fine with that? That was a dumb thing to be anxious about.'

"You know something, Lana?"

"Hm?"

She settled even deeper into his embrace, exhaustion creeping over her as the action-packed day finally drew to a peaceful close.

"I was never lonely before I met you," Zoro grumbled unhappily.

"Aw. Don't feel lonely. I'm not going anywhere," Lana mumbled sleepily.

"You're always gone off somewhere."

"We do get separated a lot, huh? We could try harder to stick together," she suggested.

"I'd like that."

"Me too. It's a promise then?"

"Promise."

He hooked his little finger around hers, responding to her drowsy smile with a small one of his own. She sighed heavily and let her eyes slide shut while he laced their fingers together loosely. He thought she'd gone to sleep until she spoke again.

"Zoro?"

"Yeah?"

"I was always lonely before I met you," she sighed.

"Guess it's a good thing I'm here now," he concluded with some amusement. Lana could only nod against his chest as she surrendered to the comforting abyss of sleep.

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<== Previous Chapter

Next Chapter ==>

== First Chapter ==

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Not Good Enough! A Challenge Issued And Accepted

"Zoro!"

The pirate hunter was in the midst of a tense standoff with the G-5 marines when Lana finally found him. The sight of her waving wildly from a suspended walkway twenty feet over his head brought a wide grin to his face, circumstances notwithstanding. She leapt over the rail and into his embrace without hesitation, unconcerned with the navy, the long fall or the two swords he had drawn. Fully deserving of her unconditional trust, he caught her easily without dropping his weapons or even coming close to letting the blades so much as graze her. The display drew shouts of shock from the marines as the pirates shared a brief, passionate kiss while Lana found her footing.

"Lana! You're freezing!" Zoro scowled. He shivered a little as she burrowed close to his bared chest and pulled his furry coat tight around them both, disappearing from view except for her feet. Her moans of relief rang out loudly for their enemies to hear, further confusing the marines while she basked in Zoro's body heat as if they weren't surrounded on all sides by opposition.

"Yeah, I never got the chance to dress for winter," she informed him, words muffled from within his thick coat.

"Take the coat. I was getting too hot in it anyway."

"Aw, I like it better with you in it too," Lana pouted playfully, pressing her frigid cheek to his skin to warm it.

"Hm, I'd agree if we didn't have all these marines trying to kill us," Zoro mused. He took a slash at the men creeping too close, sending them swiftly to the ground.

"Why are they trying to kill us?" Lana wondered. "I thought the plan was for them to rescue some kids."

"So did I, but apparently their skulls are too thick for that concept to make it through," Zoro grunted. "Here, come out and hold my swords so I can take the coat off."

"Hold the swords? Just do the flippy thing," Lana urged him, emerging from his coat so he could move freely.

"The flippy thing?" Zoro asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"You know what I mean. Are these... my knives!"

"They are."

Zoro did the 'flippy thing', tossing Shusui and Kitetsu both high into the air and shrugging out of his coat while they spun together over his head. Lana accepted the coat from him, and he caught the falling blades just in time to counter an attacking marine. His back was to Lana. She reached around his waist to steal back her daggers, grinning gleefully as she returned them to her belt where they belonged.

"I made Law give them to me," Zoro informed her.

His change in tone was abrupt and unmistakable. As delighted as Lana and Zoro were to be reunited, he quickly brought the mood down with his stern demeanor. She already knew what he was going to say next.

"So. Traffy kicked your ass, did he?"

Lana swallowed hard, wondering how many details Zoro already knew.

"Well, uh... yeah, okay, the first time. The second time was closer to a draw though," Lana said defensively. Even that, she realized, was blurring the truth somewhat. In all honesty, Law still likely would have beaten the tar out of her a second time had he not already decided to ally himself with her crew.

"What was his advantage?" Zoro pressed.

Lana sighed heavily as they fought through the throng of marines, pressing on toward goals that she was still incredibly confused over.

'There's no use in beating around the bush. He probably already knows and just wants to see if I was at least able to come away from my defeat with usable information.'

"My haki still isn't strong enough," she admitted grudgingly. 'Even though my observation is so damn incredible I can essentially read minds and see the future... as far as Zoro's concerned, it's still not good enough. It won't be until I'm unbeatable.'

Her bitterness didn't escape his notice.

"You think I'm being too harsh," he noted. Again, it was a statement rather than a question.

"I didn't say that."

"Your face said it."

"I'll get better, okay? I'm already working on it."

"You had two years to 'work on it'. Now's not the time for working on it, Lana, it's do or die now!"

"Yeah, well I'm not dead yet!" she snapped. "Is now really the time to do this?"

Around them, the battle had dissolved into a panicked stampede as ominous purple fog rolled slowly closer. Overhead, alarms blared and lights flashed.

"Time to run!" Zoro announced grimly. "But don't think you're getting off the hook! I'm still going to deal with you later!"

"I swear if one more damned swordsman tells me they're gonna 'deal with me later' I'm gonna fucking riot!" Lana growled unhappily.

"Yeah right, riot with that weak haki of yours," Zoro scoffed, rolling his eyes as they booked it furiously toward a pair of rapidly closing blast doors. "Terrifying."

"Keep pushing your luck, you'll be doing your own laundry for the next few weeks, sweetheart!" Lana huffed, adrenaline fueling her anger as they cut it close, tearing through the doors with barely inches to spare before they slammed shut.

"Ooh, scary! You say that like I didn't manage my own laundry just fine before we met!" Zoro taunted. They didn't slow down, racing past marines. Lana assumed they were heading to reunite with others of their crew, but with a jolt of alarm, realized she was actually relying on Zoro to get them where they needed to be. Wherever that was.

"Uh, Zoro? Where are we going?" Lana panted as they outstripped the navy, leaving the G-5 well in their dust.

"Huh? I don't know, I'm following you!" Zoro frowned.

"Nuh-uh, I was the one following you!"

"Aw crap!"

They both slid to an abrupt halt, taking a moment to catch their breath in the empty hall.

"Well at least we lost the marines," Lana reasoned. "What were you supposed to be doing?"

"Finding Nami and helping her," Zoro remembered.

"Okay, that tracks. Where's Nami and what's she doing?"

"No idea."

"Zoro!"

"Can't you find her on your little snail buddy?"

"Oh right. Sure, I'll just use my super advanced observation haki to get us out of the pickle you got us into by not paying attention," Lana smirked slyly, reaching into her pocket to pull out her new pet.

"Hey, you should have been paying attention too!" Zoro snapped.

"Sure, sure, it's my job to pay all the attention. Doofus. Say, why don't you take a stab at finding Nami?" she asked sarcastically, offering him the snail knowing he wouldn't take it.

"Tsh, you know my observation isn't good enough for all that fancy crap," Zoro scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm working on it, okay?"

"Ooh, really? What's that? You're working on it?" Lana mocked.

"Shut up!" he grumbled.

"I thought you had two years to work on it? Isn't that right? And now it's... what was it you said... do or die?"

"Keep it up and I'll kill you myself," Zoro threatened emptily.

"Think you could get close enough to kill me past my exceptional observation?" Lana teased pointedly.

"Law got close enough."

"Law cheated."

"No such thing."

"Fine, point taken. Look, I said I would practice, okay? We both will, so can we call it quits on the bickering?" Lana sighed. "You're wearing me out."

"Me too," Zoro admitted. "I spent the entire day looking for you, I'm really not interested in fighting."

"Aw, the entire day?"

"Yep. I wouldn't have had to if your haki was stronger."

"You just have to have the last word, don't you?" Lana growled. "When my haki is strong enough the first thing I'm gonna do is wipe that smug smile off your stupid face."

"You can try."

"Grr!"

"Just quit your griping and work the snail, woman!" Zoro sighed with a roll of his eyes.

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Uneasy Allies! Lingering Aura On The Frost-Bound Island

Lana came to in a cage surrounded by friends and enemies. Escape was instantly the first thing on her mind, but the swordsman beat her to the punch. Law blew her mind straight out of her skull when he broke free of his chains.

"Whhhaaaaat!" she screeched, gaping with her captain while their eyes bugged out of their sockets. The others in the cage were surprised too, but no one else had such a strong or immediate reaction. Lana's mind raced wildly as she struggled to reconcile reality with what she was watching.

There was only one logical conclusion.

"You ate a devil fruit, but you're somehow immune to sea prism stone?!" she demanded, disbelief battling with the undeniable fact that the swordsman was free.

Law frowned down at her severely.

"You're not very bright, are you?" he sighed.

Lana's wonder soured, her amazed expression giving way to a deep scowl. Meanwhile, Luffy guffawed at his lockbreaker's expense despite the fact that he'd been thinking the exact same thing a moment earlier.

"Fine, keep your secrets then," Lana grumbled. "Go on then, do your little teleporting trick and make your escape. The less I have to deal with you, the better. Don't worry Luffy, I can still get us out of this mess. No sweat."

"Don't see why you would have to," Luffy said with a cocked eyebrow. "Traffy's loose, he'll just free the rest of us too."

"He'll... wait, what? Who? What?" Lana wondered, baffled.

"Luffy has accepted an alliance with this man," Robin explained, quickly getting Lana up to speed before her confusion could consume her entirely. "This is Trafalgar Law, one of the seven warlords of the sea."

"Luffy... accepted... allies? Us?"

The pieces clicked into place.

"That's what you meant when you said we could be useful to you," Lana realized, catching Law's intense gaze while he drew his sword. "This is the proposition you were talking about."

"Try to keep up," Law chided. He reached for her with his sword. Lana's eyes narrowed. Part of her wanted to free herself just to show the warlord she could, but she hadn't forgotten the two marines in the cage with them.

'If I can get out of this without tipping my hand, all the better,' she thought, submitting herself to Law's precise, powerful slash. Her chains fell away, as did Luffy's, Robin's and Franky's. While Law and Luffy went over the merits of freeing the marines as opposed to leaving them to fend for themselves, Lana crossed her arms over her chest tight. Her features twisted with disgruntlement as she glowered up at Law. Robin didn't miss her unease. She poked Lana with an elbow to steal her attention.

"Don't be so worried," she told the younger woman soothingly. "Luffy can handle this warlord."

"I know he can. I don't even care anymore," Lana lied. She was more trying to convince herself than she was Robin. In all honesty, it was a good thing Law had allied himself with her crew. If she was thinking in strictly practical terms, she would have grabbed onto the fact that Law being her ally meant she wouldn't have to fight him again. That thought should have been reassuring, but against Lana's better judgement, it filled her with rage.

"You care," Robin scolded her. "It's childish to say otherwise. If you don't handle your emotions, they'll be handling you soon enough."

"I've definitely gotten five different variations of that same advice from Zoro," Lana sighed with a hard roll of her eyes. "I got it, okay? I'll play nice with the warlord."

'I'd do anything for Luffy. I've done much harder things on his orders before. At the end of the day, he's still my captain. The way I feel about it doesn't matter.'

The intensity of her feelings on the issue caught her off guard. Competitive spirit was one thing. She was used to the frustration of defeat after so many losing matches against Zoro, but Law wasn't Zoro. Theirs had been a serious fight and if he would have been really invested in the struggle, she would have been dead by his hand. Lana knew she was only alive now because Trafalgar had been pulling punches and that infuriated her.

'It should be fine. He's a captain, he's a warlord. Of course he would outmatch me, it's only logical. Still...'

"Locksmith."

Law caught her attention and she grit her teeth at him, putting her hands on her hips in offense.

"I'm not a locksmith," she protested. "What do you want?"

"Earlier you said you could get yourself out of this cage, no problem. That true?"

"Tsh. Of course."

"Good. Here's the plan. I can teleport everyone out of here, but if I bring you along, we'll lose the pouch of sea prism stone tips you're carrying for that dagger. I'm taking the others back to the lab. Get yourself out of here and meet up with us inside."

Lana took a quick inventory and realized she still had Anyorith with her.

'Caesar planned for us to die out here,' she realized. 'He didn't bother taking our weapons.'

"Once you find us, give Luffy the dagger," Law went on. "He's going to handle Caesar. As for the rest of us-"

"Hold on, so you're just calling all the shots now?" Lana demanded. "Luffy? You're fine with going along?"

"Don't see why not! Traffy's plan is alright with me, as long as I get to kick that Clown guy's gassy ass," Luffy said, cracking his knuckles loudly.

"You heard your captain. Don't take too long, locksmith," Law instructed her smugly. "Room and shambles."

Law teleported them all out of the cage and back into the lab, leaving Lana fuming on her own as the smoke grew thicker around her by the second. She coughed and hurried to pull out her pins to escape the asphyxiating cloud Law had urged Franky to create as cover for their escape.

"Law!" she grumbled as she dropped to the ground below, landing in a snowy bank with a little poof as snow flurried up around her. "Damn it's cold out here!"

She made a beeline for the lab, searching for any door that she could lockpick her way past. As the icy wind swirled around her, something caught her attention past the near agonizing chill. Something familiar whispered past the frigid harshness of the environment. Something unnatural and unmistakable.

'Admiral Aokiji... this side of the island is laced through with traces of his haki. All this ice... is this all his doing?'

Lana ran her fingers through a snow drift, brow furrowing in contemplation. She would have recognized the admiral's aura anywhere and the glacial weather was undeniably within the parameters of his power. Combined with the fact that the marines were already present on the island...

"Great. Warlords, evil scientists, marines... dealing with an admiral on top of all that would just be swell," she muttered to herself sardonically. "Just the perfect little catastrophe cherry on top of the disaster sundae. Brrr! Gotta get out of this flipping cold... stupid admiral. Stupid warlord. Stupid Clown."

She forced her way back into the lab, still mumbling to herself unhappily. She shoved her hand into her pocket, connecting with her transponder snail and using it to help her find Law and the others.

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