#it's worth mentioning that Zoro still has no idea of what's happening and Luffy somehow knows everything

[mike-milkyway]

I like to think that there's this stupid gossiping chain in the Strawhat crew.

First we have the wine talk that only Sanji, Nami and Robin are allowed to assist to (though there's the exception of Chopper who sits next to Robin like a little child, reading or sleeping) that is the main source for fresh gossip.

Nami keeps Usopp up to date because despite being practically allowed to join the wine talk he's usually working on the ship with Franky.

Robin and Franky talk on bed right before one goes to sleep or before Robin picks up her book.

On that topic, the next time they're fixing something or making a new project, Usopp and Franky discuss the information they got, Chopper sometimes overhears too, as he likes to watch Franky and Usopp do mechanic work.

Then we have Zoro, who sometimes finds out through the breaks him and Sanji get in between fighting, when he's just sitting in the diner table while Sanji cooks or right after *ahem* having a pillow fight.

In the end of the chain we have Luffy, who finds out through Usopp and Chopper while they're all fishing. This is usually a week after the gossip was first started.

In conclusion: I put too much though into a show about silly pirates fighting government corruption. I should just go to sleep.

[kbstories]

Signification

sig·ni·fi·ca·tion (n.)

The process of assigning meaning to something.

Captain and First Mate, two years later.

(Or: Zoro adores his captain. A lot.)

Tags: Reunions, Nakamaship, Introspection, Fluff, Domesticity (!)

Post-Timeskip setting, between Sabaody and Fishman Island. Read Chapter 2 here.

***

Surrounded by tumultuous battle and the distant booming of cannons, the Thousand Sunny begins to sink. The waves churn and slosh against her hull with increasing might; glinting foam breaks across the sky in half-formed arcs and yet not a single drop touches the grass below.

The crew watches, wonder shining in their eyes. Roronoa Zoro counts, sharp gaze touching upon every familiar face, every smile that glows with shared relief, then starts over.

Nine. Nine, again.

Finally complete, the Strawhats are swallowed by the sea.

In a heartbeat, the breathless moment dissolves into the usual chaos as Nami commands their gradual descent: Usopp and Chopper screech in unison about this sea king and that monster over Franky’s good-natured reassurances at the helm and the melodic humming coming from Brook; blooming and wilting like flowers, Robin’s elegant hands crop up all over the deck where Sanji and Zoro are wrangling the sails against the ocean’s massive current–

The Sunny moves like a living thing underneath them and through it all, Luffy laughs and laughs like he couldn’t get himself to stop even if he tried.

Having his friends back is a delight in and of itself but it’s that sound that does it. Zoro can feel the rough edges of the past months knit themselves together into something nostalgic, something fond, a type of gooey-warm devotion that became second nature somewhere along the line.

Like muscle memory, dormant for a while and never forgotten. It’s good to be home.

And yeah, he’s the first to admit soft things don’t come easy to him. There is a private smile on his lips, though, one he doesn’t care to hide. There’s no reason to, not here. Above them, a school of fish swims by, silhouetted by the sun like silver-coated birds and–

“Woah, it’s huge! Is that a shark?”

–the smile turns into a grin. Zoro’s eye meets those of his captain and, before Monkey D. Luffy can utter the idea brewing in that rubber brain of his, Shusui glides out of its sheath smoothly. Luffy cackles and together they stand, with their crew behind and the vast ocean ahead.

“You ready, Zoro?”

Those three little words settle in the spaces between skin and muscle and bone and – after two long years of worrying, wishing, waiting – Zoro nods and gladly takes his place beside the man who will be Pirate King.

*

The reunion party takes days to run its course until, on the third night, even the most energetic among the Strawhats are turning to their spot on Sunny’s deck for a cozy evening. A bonfire burns brightly in their midst and, under Sanji’s watchful eye, all kinds of sausages and vegetables sizzle away on a makeshift grill. Curiously, the smoke it produces leaves the resin coating of the ship in small, harmless bubbles – arms crossed and leaning back against the railing, Zoro follows their path until they disappear into depths unknown like sticky shooting stars.

A bit of imagination and even this cobalt sky can yield a few constellations, though it would take a creative mind like Usopp’s to name them all. Their presence is soothing, regardless.

No need to look so glum, Mihawk had said, that first night an eternity ago, after awkwardly hovering in Zoro’s periphery for far too long.

It had been a clumsy attempt at comfort at best. There was blood on the cuffs of his shirt and the soot of cannon fire still clung to his coat; made vague by the darkness, it was nonetheless the kind of tangible proof that all those headlines in the paper lacked. Somewhere out there, the ruins of Marineford smoldered. Somewhere out there, his captain was hurting.

Zoro had just huffed and stared out into the void. There was nothing to say, nothing at all.

There had been a quiet sigh, and steps echoing in the silence. Arms crossed, Mihawk had stared until Zoro couldn’t but stare back, quietly surprised by the intensity of emotion burning where nobody dared to look for it.

Don’t grieve what you haven’t lost, kid. You’re all under the same sky, after all.

Still, Zoro muses, eye slipping shut and shoulders relaxing against the Sunny’s comfortable embrace. Around him, the ever-present chatter of the crew dulls to a low rush. This is better.

The transition between sleep and consciousness is so gradual that Zoro doesn’t bother to track down the moment he dozes off. Eventually, there is a subtle shift around him, like gravity itself bends and realigns towards a greater force – a silent force, and that is what makes Zoro glance up between sleepy blinks.

There Luffy stands, hand on his hat and his hat on his chest and a woven-straw brim barely covering the crater of a scar below it. The fire casts shadows on Luffy’s face (Is it doubt flickering there? Indecisiveness?) and yet they’re fleeting enough to make Zoro question what he sees, fractured as his vision has become.

Then Luffy notices he’s awake and it’s all gone with a smile. “Napping already?”, he chuckles as he hops on the railing next to him. Zoro shrugs and stretches with a satisfied grunt.

“We getting close?”

“Nope, not yet.” Luffy snickers as Zoro slumps right back to where he was, his back snug against warmed wood. Sandals flip-flop along with the carefree swinging of Luffy's feet. “It’s okay, though. More chances to listen to Usopp’s stories! He met the Hercules, can you imagine?”

“Hardly”, Zoro grumbles indistinctly enough to not disturb the starry-eyed marvel on Luffy’s face. “Did he tell the one about the man-eating plant turned island yet?”

“The what?!”

It’s impossible not to laugh at how wide Luffy’s eyes can get: Zoro snorts and gestures towards the shape of Usopp on the other side of deck, a silent have at him that Luffy almost follows.

Almost. Cheers and laughter carry over from Usopp’s loosely assembled audience, and Chopper’s astounded What, really?! proves the story being told is a good one. Even so, the motion to launch himself into an unsuspecting Usopp is stopped mid-way and Luffy bounces back to the railing.

Huh.

At Zoro’s questioning grunt, the man just shakes his head and lowers his hat to his lap. “Ah, y’know. We have time now, right?”, he says with a thread of serenity woven into his voice – one that wasn’t there, last time they spoke, and the realization that Luffy is pacing himself shouldn’t feel this monumental.

Zoro lets his gaze linger, this time: over the subtle lines around Luffy’s eyes and the hint of exhaustion underneath; over all the little scars dusting his knuckles, old and new, and the gentle back-and-forth of his thumb over the ribbon of his hat, a mindless gesture of comfort that aches, somehow.

Threadbare it has become, this most faithful of companions. The red is long washed out by the sun and the sea and hell knows what else. Gratitude registers as a warm glow at Zoro’s core, for it being there when none of them could. For weathering the storms and the tears and the laughter, from the instant it left Shanks’ head to this very moment.

“It’s looking good”, Zoro comments lightly as he sits up and rubs the last traces of sleep from his eye. “Feels like ages ago that Nami had to stitch the hat back together. After… Buggy, was it? The clown guy.”

The expression on Luffy’s face goes a bit funny at that, half-way to a grimace yet too fond to be one. “Hah, yeah, him. I’ll have to thank him next time we see him, him and Jinbei and the others.”

Zoro blinks. That… makes no sense at all. Then again, Mihawk did grumble about the clown becoming a warlord, so weirder things have happened. “Who’s Jinbei?”

Luffy smiles, then, bright and toothy. “A friend! Don’t worry, you’ll meet him soon. He’s all serious and talks about honor a lot, so.”

So you’ll like him, Zoro fills in for him and huffs to himself. That part of himself that is fiercely independent wants to argue the point – then again, Luffy’s instincts are rarely off the mark.

Another thing to look forward to, then. Hopefully this Jinbei guy likes to drink.

“Say, Zoro?”

In a bundle of rubbery limbs and rustling fabric, Luffy joins him on the grassy deck, legs crossed and hat back where it belongs. His head tilts curiously, the steady weight of his full attention one Zoro shoulders with ease. “Where did you go?”

Ah, that. It’s a question he’s heard a few times this week, along with How in the world were you first? and What the hell happened to your eye? and Zoro has no room to complain. He, too, keeps a list of names in his heart, and the question marks around their fates are a subtle discomfort but very much there.

It’s weird to think of adventure as something they can experience even when forced apart.

And so Zoro tells him, about the castle standing proud among ruins and the ship that wrecked before it even touched the sea and the day he bowed to become stronger. He doesn’t mention the tense days spent in-between, reading the newspaper near-obsessively for even a scrap of new information. That black-and-white image of his captain standing alone on a battlefield is fresh in his memory, and will remain there for eternity. “Took me a while to get what you were trying to say”, he admonishes without heat, and Luffy nods sagely.

“I know, right? So complicated… Without Rayleigh I would’ve mixed everything up.”

That confirms that theory, then. A whole library of those exists in Zoro’s mind, years’ worth of theories and questions gone unanswered and wild speculation and it doesn’t matter, not anymore. Not with Luffy sitting next to him, looking more at peace than Zoro expected, deep down.

“You did well, Luffy.”

The words are out before he really thinks them through. It feels right, though, to see surprise dawn on Luffy’s face; the pride Zoro places in his voice soon takes root in the square set of Luffy’s shoulders, too, and the strong line of his back.

Then, he grins, eyes alight and squinting with it. Like this, the signs of weariness melt off entirely and there Luffy is, a little older, a little more mature and scarred to hell but still the happy-go-lucky idiot Zoro chose to follow two years ago.

“We really made it, huh, Zoro? It felt like forever and I was wondering if I’m just dreaming or something but… We’re finally here.”

Zoro sighs and reaches over and pulls the hat down, the brim briefly covering the amused chuckle on Luffy’s lips before it’s righted again. “’course it’s real, captain. You think we’d all bust our asses to be on time for some dream? Seriously.”

Luffy is still laughing, “I mean, you were early! Everyone was so surprised!”, poking him in the cheek and wiggling his feet in delight. Zoro lets him have it for a second longer than he normally would have before he rolls his eye and gets up.

“C’mon, rubber-for-brains, there’s some sake I brought that’s calling my name. Oi, Usopp! What was that thing with the plant island again?”

And with the sound of stretching rubber and a not-so-distant crash, Luffy is gone and Usopp yells.

>>Read Chapter 2

[onepiecefeatstuff]

Festival | Sanami week 2020

The log-pose clearly had Nami’s ideal in mind when it decided to guide them to that island. Or at least, it looked like it had. Maybe it wasn’t the island of her dreams, but it checked many of the boxes. It was like the perfect man, found in reality. It doesn’t have all the characteristics one expects, yet it doesn’t really matter. It isn’t about crossing things out of a list, but the feeling of certainty that came along with him.

At least, that’s what Nami thought. Not that she knew much about it, anyway.

However, that island had the perfect climate (sun, but with a light breeze), the perfect altitude (there was a beach, and also a mountain), the perfect shape (mapping it would be an easy job)… It even had a castle, which was not a priority but it was very welcome. In her fantasy island, there would always be a castle –because deep down, she was still fond of fairytales, maybe.

So when she saw a poster than announced a renaissance fair, she gasped. She actually, really gasped. Chopper did, too, which made her feel less lonely; but no less childish. Luffy took the poster from her hands, and decided they had a plan. She took it back with a frown, but she was smiling inside. The tension from the last few weeks (maybe months, maybe years) seemed to lift from her shoulders momentarily. The wind was blowing softly, messing up her hair, and she took a deep breath before starting her path to the village.

 The village was just what she had pictured in her mind: tiny, made up of wooden and stone houses, and sprinkled on all sides by flowers. There was a fresh aroma in the air that seemed to welcome them, as the real habitants did so. Nami was taken aback by their generosity and their invitation to join the festival, especially after Luffy mentioned that they were pirates. The hesitation from the mayor only lasted a few seconds, and Nami felt a sudden burst of excitement inside as they mentioned the competitions.

She arranged everyone in a few seconds: Zoro, Usopp and Franky could take the carpentry contest; Brook, Chopper and Luffy could do their best job as bards and Sanji would master whatever dish they were making in the cooking competition. She trusted Robin enough to let her go as she pleased, and as for herself, gambling was always a safe bet. There was no way they were going back to the Sunny empty-handed.

They all got dressed up for the occasion, with the many costumes they were renting. Nami chose a white and blue dress with bateau neckline that she later accompanied with a fresh-made flower crown that Robin had arranged in a second –Chopper asked for one, too. She felt like a princess, and she would have been repulsed by her own lame thoughts if she hadn’t been so happy about it. She kept twirling the dress and spinning around, with no apparent reason.

Sanji, however, was sure it had to be on purpose; it had to be destiny to be alive in that same moment as to see an unearthly creature move so gracefully in the sunlight. It was both a blessing and a torture. Slow, painful torture; not being able to hold her in his arms. He would have been her knight, he would be his knight anytime. His first instinct had been to offer his services, swearing all kinds of loyalty to his mistress to anyone who could listen, but it only took a second more of admiring her to throw his usual behavior pattern away. There, as she danced and twirled and kept winning money by the second (she was great at multitasking, as well as with everything else), he realized that he never wanted to be the one to interrupt her happiness.

But her mere presence was costing him the competition, and she was going to kill him for that. The dramatic irony was really shining that day, he thought. She was also glowing, like he had never seen her before. He wouldn’t know what it felt like for Robin to discover a new phonegliph, but he figured it had to be something of that kind.

The turkey legs were burning, and he had put out the fire. He hoped no one would notice, especially after all the condiments and side dishes, but he knew Zeff would have made him re-do the dish. His cook pride was a bit shattered by that realization, but one glance from her made it all worth it. He would do it all again if all his life choices led to that moment.

As he served the judges a taste of his dish, he couldn’t help but smile when he imagined her response to a comment like that. She would roll her eyes, or smack him down for saying nonsense. Except he felt like it made perfect sense. He was probably the most sane person in the crew, if anything. There was nothing irrational in giving it all for her, because she was the most extraordinary event that happened to him. He wouldn’t be there, in that festival, if it weren’t for her. He wouldn’t be the man he is, if his path hadn’t crossed hers.

Before they announced the prize, he already considered himself a winner. Although when Nami ran to his side and hugged him tight, that’s when he really won. Part of him knew that part of her was driven by her fierce ambition, but another part of him knew the other part of her. When their eyes met, he felt she was proud of him; and it was enough.

“What a beautiful couple!” the oldest judge said, applauding. “Are you running for queen and king of the festival?”

Sanji was about to tell him no when Nami hushed him with her index finger, and asked the old lady to explain further. At the end of the day, people voted for the king and queen of the fair, and they’d get crowns and share a dance in the main hall of the castle. The idea of wearing a crown (a real, golden one, not the one made from flowers she was wearing) sounded very appealing to her; and the idea of sharing a dance with Nami sounded very appealing to him. They didn’t even have to speak to reach a conclusion, their silent agreement.

Arm in arm (Nami said to keep appearances, and Sanji was not going to complain about it), they signed their names in the voting booth; and went on with the festivities. Once in a while, their paths would meet, coincidentally when there was a crowd nearby, and they would share public affection that only hurt a little to Sanji when he remembered they were doing it for the show. It was a small price to pay.

He couldn’t complain.

At noon, the mayor gathered all the contestants in two lines, separating them both. Nami held his hand until the very moment they had to pull apart, and Sanji felt the ghost of her hand still on his throughout the whole ceremony. He could see the man talking, but he wasn’t really paying attention. The other girls looked beautiful, but Nami glowed like no one else. She was looking at him, and although her smile was confident, he could feel her pulling strength out of him. He straightened his spine, and let out a deep breath that she imitated. She smirked when he did, and Sanji kept the impression game by winking at her. He couldn’t believe it when she winked back over her shoulder. He was so struck that he couldn’t think of anything else, not even his name.

“Sanji.”

The crowd cheered and it wasn’t until that moment that he really processed that it wasn’t his own mind but an outside voice who pronounced his name. Precisely, the man who was walking with a crown. He stood tall as they put the crown in his head, and proceeded to gesture wildly at Nami. She let out an inaudible laugh, that somehow got to his ears right before they announced her name.

For a moment, Nami thought about throwing away the flower crown just like a bouquet and seeing who would catch it. But she couldn’t do that to Robin, who put all her effort in it, and gave it to the gorgeous girl that she had next to her. The golden crown that was placed in her head was made out of plastic, which came out as a disappointment; but the winning was the finishing touch of the day. The crown jewel of the festival.

The music started playing almost immediately, and both parties pushed Nami and Sanji close together. Nami, who until that moment found pleasure in being the protagonist of the tale, began to feel nervous and agitated. Shy, even. The touch with Sanji’s hand made her more comfortable, and she remembered why she wanted him to share the spotlight with her.

“Thank you.” She told him, only loud enough for him to hear.

Sanji kept swaying, knowing that the moment would soon be over, and he would have to return to reality; knowing that all good things come to an end.

“You needed a partner.” He said, stating the obvious. “I’m always at your service, milady.”

“Actually I didn’t need one. Queen and king are two separate categories.” She told him, which confused him even more. “I kind of… wanted you here.”

Sanji froze, and Nami had to guide the dance as well as the conversation.

“I feel safer when you’re around. I guess that whole knight thing has gotten into me in the end.” She laughed, quietly. “Plus, I like fooling people. But I didn’t want to fool you.”

Sanji opened his mouth to talk, but the firework show started and everyone lifted their heads up, including her. He stood there, watching her pointing at the sky with the biggest smile; and a greatest sense of tenderness overflowed his heart. Because she liked fooling people, but not him. Because she wanted him there. Because they could be, even if it was only for one night, the king and queen of the fair.

Author’s note: I’m so sorry this came in so late, but I guess it’s better late than ever. I hadn’t really had much time lately, but I couldn’t miss Sanami week! It’s been a blast, as always. I’m going to miss waking up to a new prompt.

[sparda3g]

One Piece Chapter 956 Review

Wano Country Act II is over. It’s time for the next act that promised to be climatic and riveting. Before the chapter release, I had a hunch that perhaps Oda will shift the scene to elsewhere; taking a small break from Wano and begin building up to other world problems. Fortunately, my hunch was spot on, but the development is not what I’ve expected. It’s a whole lot bigger than I anticipated.

The chapter can be considered as intermission report. When it comes world building, leave it to Oda to overwhelm his fans with crazy amount of developments. When you have a chapter titled, “Big News,” it’s going to be far more than a character reference. As soon as the chapter opened up with Fishman Island, it hits me the notion that Reverie is done. It was bad enough that it shifted to Wano Country before the fun began, Oda continue to toy with fans’ expectations. After this chapter, it now occurred to me that Reverie wasn’t going to be full of reveals, but instead, full of secrets.

Garp continues to be the best man from the meeting with his kindness to escort Neptune and his family. They briefly discuss the meeting that can be best described as the usual government misfit or in other words, the usual day at the office. There’s a ruckus between countries’ leaders, which was expected. Funny how Oda drew a Hitler-esque character design for one of the leaders. Even if they join hands, it’s not like they hold back their ill intention. Based on the discussion, Reverie would have left off as a simple debate that has no need to be explored. Then, the real entrée appears with the reported incident that happened soon after it was adjourned, and it involved with Kingdom of Alabasta.

This one got me thinking like crazy. Worst of all, it’s not even addressed what exactly. My best guess is it has something to do with the World Government and Im. I remember vividly that he was carrying the poster of Vivi in his hand; highly foreshadowing his next action revolve with her. Not to mention, when he sat on the throne, we don’t know what he has in mind, but to me, it has to be about Alabasta. What is exactly? I don’t know. I have seen fans speculating Cobra was murdered or Vivi has disappeared. It’s extremely vague and I curse Oda for toying with my head. Not really, but damn, he knows how to temper fans’ feelings.

Morgans has been busy with tons of headline news and there’s no stopping. That is until an assassin, a CP member to be exact, from World Government threatens him to stop or else, well, prepared to die. Shockingly, Morgans is strong enough to beat up an official, so his words will spread on. There’s couple of takeaway from this. One is that he admits that he has spread lies in his news before, yet also decide when not to. You may be thinking, “That’s journalist for you.” You may be right, but the intention is whether to believe the next news is true or not. More on that very soon.

The second is he’s targeted by World Government. In a way, Morgans can be considered as a wild card, where he can report something valuable for us fans, or deceive us for falsified report. I guess you can say he will spoon feed us the plot whether it’s true or false. Lastly, the scene ends with a cliff note of him receiving another news from King Wapol. It could be important or not. Once again, it ended before anything was revealed. Speaking of unrevealed, the news that is spreading across the world is vague for fans, but more importantly, something has happened with Sabo.

There’s two important details to consider. One is Sabo was caught in the midst of Reverie. The last time we last saw him was him trying to sneak in. According to the news, Sabo was reported in a way that upsets the Revolutionary Army. It could mean either he is captured or worse, he’s dead. Going back to Morgans, he stated that he is willing to falsify news for sake of drama that ultimately translate to profit. Dragon wasn’t going to buy it just yet, but it is very alarming. This ploy is tempering the fans’ emotions. While I don’t believe it, it is hitting me with concerns. Poor Koala. Killing a pairing before it sets sailing. No pun intended.

The second important part is the world now knows Sabo is or maybe was alive. It’s why Oda intentionally showcase the world’s reaction towards Sabo. Now, everyone knows. If he returns, this will spark huge news. DoFlamingo can only laugh at the downfall of the world and that’s enough for him to be satisfied. So much for coolest guy ever idea, eh? The report on Sabo is a mystery and very concerning; however, that’s not all what Oda wants to exploit here.

I know I have said, “There’s couple or two” here and there, but there are tons of important key elements in this chapter. It’s mind-blowing to be honest. With that said, there’s more. While sailing with Marines, Coby is seen speaking to someone to update the status of the world and to me, it sounds like we only got a small portion of what transpired from Reverie. Wano Country may not be the focus here, but it doesn’t mean there’s nothing crucial to learn here.

X Drake is confirmed to be a double agent for Marine; the man who is currently speaking to Coby. This blows my mind. I knew somehow the Marines would get involved with this arc and it’s only getting started. Now that he told them about the dangerous alliance of Kaido and Big Mom, they’ll take action. But the surprise doesn’t stop there. Apparently, CP0 member is in Wano Country right now. What the hell? Too much hype. But seriously, who can it be? Lucci? The point is, the Government is now invading Pirate-ruled country. Something huge is going to happen soon. Speaking of huge, there is one huge development. This series can’t rest at all.

I was confused when Coby said he was going to see Hancock and arrest her. This is clearly intentional to leave the fans going, “Huh?” Maybe the explanation would have been the Government learned about her helping Luffy. Then it gets more confusing when a person (nick) name dropped three Shichibukai members. Then, the truth comes out. The Shichibukai System is officially over. Now, that’s how you drop a major development.

The privilege for those pirates is over; like losing an insurance from a newly established law until the next passing. That one marine practically summarized Buggy with one line, “You’re now a lowly pirate.” You can say that again. Hilarious how Buggy acted like the boss, as if he is not intimidated, yet his inner mind is already set to escape, leaving his men to die. That marine fellow really hit the bullseye with that remark.

Mihawk is now targeted, though this excites me because now, he can roam freely. We can expect his involvement sometime later and that has me hyped. Imagine him meeting with Zoro with his new sword, Enma. Whitebeard Jr. is targeted. This is now a really good time to prove his worth. Is he strong as his name should be or is he just a fake, like I still predict he is? Lastly, Hancock is targeted by Coby. I really wonder who is stronger between the two. I wonder if the topic on Luffy will be brought up there. Perhaps it’s a way to excuse her if she somehow loses. So many expectations; the worst Oda can do is off-screen all conflicts. Sadly, I’m prepared for the likely direction.

This chapter was one massive info dump with tons of new developments. This series continue to build its world in a very exciting way, while also developing more excitement lurking within Wano Country. With the mystery of Alabasta and Sabo, along with the end of Shichibukai, it’s hard not be incredibly interested. I should mention about Blackbeard. It appears that he’s ready to recruit someone from former Shichibukai. This series just keeps on giving. Oda is set to obliterate Marineford War Arc, and if this is where he begins to build to that expectation, it’s going to be glorious. What a time for me to return to review.

[plume8now]

I don’t need your opinion

Fandom: One Piece

Ship: ZoSan

Prompt: “I called the wrong number and started talking about my life and you only interrupted me after a few a few minutes of me revealing some pretty personal stuff and now youre invested in my life troubles” AU. OR When Sanji thinks he’s calling Usopp (… but we all know it’s not Usopp.)

Warning: AU, Humor, Romance, Relationship Troubles, Rivalry, Stupidity, Dealing with different pictures of love, Bored!Zoro, Sanji being Sanji, Ero-cook, Mention of Sanji/Conis, Bet, Foolish behaviors, They are children seriously.

Chapter 2/3 - chapter 1

A/N: You can also find it on AO3 or ff! Thank you @blueflamebird​ for correcting me :D This chapter is from Zoro’s pov.

“Deal.”

Zoro smirked. That man was going to eat his pride so bad, he had no idea what he just had gotten himself into. At least, someone was having a good time out of it. He wasn't usually interested in  the business of others, especially when it was about love stories, but this time, it was different.

First, he was bored. He hadn't found anyone to fight with in a long time, and his training classes were off for the holidays. Nothing was entertaining. Nothing new, or interesting.

But this phone call- it changed things a bit. Now he could bother someone, and he was already starting to like it way too much to stop.

“You look happy, Zoro,” his roommate said, slightly leaning his head on the side. “What's going on?”

“Nothing,” he replied. “Just got a phone call.”

“A phone call?”

“Yeah. Anyways, what's up with you and these... clothes?”

The young man was indeed wearing some sort of... what, a giant hamburger? Was that really something you would be willing to wear those days?

“Yeah! I'm going to a costume party on Saturday! There'll be meat! Remember I talked about it-”

“For months, yeah.”

“Come oooon... you should really come!”

“Don't wanna,” Zoro sighed.

The other crossed his arms.

“Why not?”

“Not feeling like going, that's all.”

Did he always have to justify why?

“But you're always complaining about being bored!”

“Yeah and so?”

“So do something to kill it!”

“Hrm.”

“So you'll come?”

He stared at his roommate. He was so stubborn.

“No.”

“What? Why!”

“Because.”

He just did not feel like it?

“That is not an answer!”

“Huh, that is.”

“You're not funny, Zoro.”

The swordsman shrugged. They stared at each other for twenty-five seconds before a new argument came:

“I'll do the chores for three days.”

… Oh. This was becoming interesting.

“One week.”

“One week!”

Zoro smiled. That was worth it.

“Okay.”

Luffy let out a scream of victory.

There were times when nothing was happening in your life. Like, literally, nothing. Zoro felt like he was at one of those moments. And he was dying for something exciting to happen.

A new fight, new trainings, a new opponent. Or even an old one. Not obviously something new. Just- something. To kill his boredom.

“God”, he whispered under his breath. “Holidays are so boring.”

He could understand how Luffy felt, all those times when he kept bothering him, whining about how boring he was, and how much he needed entertainment. How did he manage to kill it? How did he succeed in making it go away?

Everything was boring. And Zoro was tired of that feeling.

That's why, when his roommate came back with a penguin – don’t ask why – he didn't mind. After all, why not? Penguins could be good company, and no one ever said it was strictly forbidden to have a penguin as a pet at home. Unless... said penguin was from a Zoo – Zoo which was supposed to not let go of the animals it was keeping and taking care of.

Maybe, the idea wasn't that good. Maybe, yeah, maybe, they should put it back where it belonged before anyone noticed it had disappeared – and before they get into trouble. Besides, it had been a while since they got trouble. Who complained? Not him. Though being bored didn't mean he was okay with having problems to be kept busy...

But instead, he said:

“What's its name?”

“Bird!”

Zoro frowned and turned to the young man.

“Bird?”

“Yeah! Bird!”

“Bird like... flying bird?”

Luffy made a face, looking at him as if he was staring at an idiot. He wasn't the idiot!

“Dude that's a penguin.”

“I know very well the fact he's a penguin! But he told me he decided to fly like birds. So he wants to be called Bird.”

That's insane.

“Why’d you take him here?”

That's what he should have asked first.

“Bird wants to learn how to fly.”

He laughed. Yeah, he got that part.

“And so you're gonna teach him?”

“Well yeah! Why not?”

Zoro sighed. He knew, he knew he shouldn't have made a joke on this. He knew how serious Luffy could be – and stubborn – about stuff like these. Especially if it included “someone's” dream.

“Just bring him back.”

“No,” he said in a very serious tone. “Unless he tells me to.”

The swordsman took a look at the penguin. It looked dumb, and like it had no idea where it was. It also looked like it wanted to swim in the living room. Which he was not approving at all.

“You wouldn't want me to cut it in half by misfortune while I train, would you?”

“Are you threatening Mr. Bird?”

So it was Mr. Bird now??

He quickly thought how to handle this without pissing Luffy off. Just because his roommate had the mind and the imagination of a child, didn't mean he was completely a child.

“I think it wants to get back to its family. I believe it thought you were taking it on a walk but look how confused it is now.”

“I'm pretty sure-”

“Luffy, what about you bring it back and if it does go back to its place, you'll leave it there?”

He shrugged. That was surely supposed to mean “yes”, then.

“How is it going on with your girlfriend, ero-cook?”

Zoro stared at his screen. His thumb pressed “send”.

It's been three days now, and no news from the shitty cook. He wondered if the man would keep his promises – one being his new decisions concerning that 'Conis-chan' girl, and the other their bet. Was he the kind of person too proud to face complications? Was he going to pretend the phone call never happened?

He didn't care, but  he would be a bit disappointed – though he would never admit it. Zoro didn't get any answer until late in the evening, which was only composed of two words:

“Good, obviously.”

“Really?”

No need to meet the guy to be 99% sure he was lying.

“Yeah.”

He smirked. That was all?

“That's it?”

“What do you want, to laugh once again at me?”

“Maybe.”

“Shut up.”

“So I'll just believe you and admit I lost.”

“Really?”

“No. Of course not. What do you think I am?”

“A bored asshole fucking around, arrogant and so very full of himself.”

Now this was fun.

“And yet you're still talking to that asshole.”

“I'm not enjoying this.”

“Oh yeah? How come are you still talking to me?”

“I made a bet. I don't break promises. Why are you talking to me? Nothing better to do?”

“I made a bet, too.”

“That's an answer way too easy.”

“You replied that too.”

“No, I replied that first!”

“Oh that's alright then.”

“Oh my god, just stop talking.”

“We're texting.”

“Right. See ya.”

Zoro paused, looking at the last message, and scrolled through the conversation. The guy was clearly not willing to talk about it, confirming his thoughts. Though at first that bet seemed to be a nice entertainment, now he felt bothered by it. There was a real relationship at stake, and he didn't like to be included in relationship issues or people's problems. Especially if  it was a perfectly random guy's. That’s so not like him.

He lied down and closed his eyes.

Who cared? He wasn't doing anything, no one owed anything to anyone. They were both free men.

“We talked.”

It's been two days since their last conversation, and Zoro replied two hours later, busytrying to free Luffy from the Zoo in which he'd stolen the penguin. The Zoo's security was for sure to be changed, but they eventually got to Luffy. That had been a long, long day.

“That's a big first step in a relationship. Did she reply to your 'hello'?”

“Ahah. Very funny.”

“You almost begged for it.”

“I didn't.”

“You did.”

“No I didn't.”

“You sure did.”

“I. Didn't.”

This man was such a kid.

“Okay shut up and tell me what happened now.”

“So you wanna know?”

Oh, come on man.

“So you wanna tell me?”

“This conversation is nonsense.”

'You are the nonsense', he thought. But instead, he texted:

“Agreed.”

“We discussed, like you said when we talked on the phone.”

“Oh so you admit being a superficial guy?”

“Don't push it.”

“Alright, ero-cook, what happened”

“We had a “cigarette” debate.”

What now?

“She smokes?”

“No. I do.”

“Oh. Aren't you supposed to be a cook?”

“Those are two very different things.”

“Are they?”

“Yes.”

“If you say so.”

“Anyway, we talked about ourselves. I opened up. Somehow we ended up on the smoking question.”

“Oh so you did listen to me...”

“Shut up.”

“You know that answer has a limited amount of use.”

“Shut up.”

“Apparently you don't.”

“She asked me why  I was smoking, I replied, like a lot of people, that it was helping me handle the tension and stress. But she said it wasn't the solution, and I should quit. I know she's right, but I can't promise that.”

“Why not?”

“Did you ever try smoking?”

“Nope.”

“Anything else?”

“I enjoy good drinks.”

“Great, an alcoholic.”

“Hey what?!”

“Imagine being forced to stop drinking.”

“Yeah, nah.”

“I know she's right. I hate to go against her.”

“What happened?”

“She said she didn't dare say it before, but she couldn't handle the smell.”

“That's basically a “me or the cigarette” situation.”

“Yeah.”

“You chose the cigarette?”

“I didn't choose anything yet.”

“No, you already did.”

“What?”

“You chose you.”

“Me?”

“Smoking sucks, I'm not saying I approve, but you obviously can't stop right now.”

“... I chose something else over a woman?”

“That's progress.”

“Not really??”

“Well, your sentence clearly says “over a woman” dude. She's Conis. Not “a woman”. Objectifying her again?”

“Stop doing that.”

“You stop doing that.”

“Shut up.”

“Here it is again.”

“I will kick you!”

“Try me.”

Oh why, he was enjoying teasing him so much right now.

“You have a weird face.”

Zoro looked up.

“Come again?”

Luffy slightly tilted his head on his left.

“You have a weird face.”

The swordsman frowned.

“That's my normal face.”

His roommate frowned back, staring at him for some ten seconds, before he shrugged:

“I guess it is!”

His phone vibrated in the middle of the night, and Zoro groaned in his pillow as his hand looked for said phone. Who was the dumbass texting him while he was sleeping? (Something that was actually often happening).

“I don't know a thing about you.”

Damn ero-cook.

He didn't need to know anything about him, because there was nothing to know. It was not like they were friends or anything, now... Was it? He put down his phone, thinking that maybe, just maybe he'll consider replying this text positively or not on the next day.

...

Five minutes later, he texted back.

“You look awful,” Luffy said when he saw Zoro leaving his room, half awaken, dragging himself to the kitchen with half of his bed with him. He'd rarely seen his roommate in such a state, he'd usually stay in bed all day, or leave it completely, but never in-between.

“Is there someone out there paying you to compliment me every day?” Zoro mumbled.

“What?”

“Yesterday, weird face, today, awful,” he yawned.

“Shishishi, no, but I wish! I'd buy tons of meats with it.”

“Of course you would.”

He sat in front of him, and looked around before asking:

“What's for breakfast?”

Luffy's eyes widely opened.

“You think I'm making breakfast?”

No one was making breakfast here. They've been roommates for years, and not even once did they prepare breakfast. They'd just take anything around, and eat it.

“Right.”

“What's wrong with you?” Luffy curiously asked.

“Texted all night, I guess.”

“Texted?”

The older man took a look at his friend. He could understand the questions behind his eyes. That was unlike him to miss a good night of sleep, if there wasn't alcohol or a fight included.

“With that ero-cook.”

“Oh,” Luffy grinned. “So you like him, huh?”

“N-no, I don't,” he frowned, “it has nothing to do with it.”

“Then why do you keep talking?”

“We have a bet.”

“How will it end?”

“What?”

“Are you guys going to meet?”

“I... I don't know.”

“Did you talk about it?”

“Yeah, on the phone, the first time?”

“There was another time??”

“No,” Zoro whispered not knowing why.

“So when do you meet?”

“I just told you I wasn't even sure!”

Luffy pouted, super-disappointed. Seriously, why was he even roommate with such a kid, already? Oh, right. He had a very mature side surprisingly popping up, sometimes.

“Don't do that face to me, won't work.”

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Yeah, right.”

Someone knocked on the door after those words, and before Zoro even thought about moving to open, Luffy had left his seat and already on it.

“Who's that?” he asked.

The door opened on two men he never saw before. Luffy greeted them before turning to Zoro.

“You forgot? We have our party tonight!”

Damn, yes. He forgot.

He stood up and came to meet the guys. One of them was slightly higher than Luffy, curly black hair, without doubt with African origin. The other, about Zoro's height, had a weird eyebrow, blond hair eating half of his face, dressed in a nice suit.

“Remember those guys I told you about? Well, here's Sanji, and Usopp, whom I met yesterday!”

I hope you liked it, as usual, please leave a comment (or like and share!) because I do need an opinion *wink wink* - or you can also send me a message if you want!

Reminder: they never told each other their names :D