#opla 1x07

[zorobae]

[a-hidden-piece-of-happiness]

"Luffy... Help me" - OPLA, 1x07

[dvarapala]

while most - if not all - interactions are set post syzygy canon for the ease of rping. i'm placing the opla interactions around the 50% mark of syzygy. the first part of the story has already happened. the second part? it's happening as we speak. which means she is looking for a blade called the nandaki aka the source of joy to defeat svarbhanu.

without further ado, let's get into the opla of it all!

there are whispers, of course, about this weird girl, this weird woman, with her weird clothes and her weird way of speaking. most people are used to weird and quirky, though, so no one pays that - or her - any mind when she weaves in and out of the crowds.

(though there are people who think she has something to do with the heavenly yaksha aka doflamingo, because she, too, wields strings and threads despite not having consumed the string string fruit.)

the romance dawn trio meets her properly at the bar in 1x01. though to them, she's just a person who makes the little girl laugh. just someone who eyes zoro and his swords and who eyes nami, too, because nami is hot. she has clocked luffy as well (because how can you not?) and koby too. a marine hits on her and she pretends and insists she doesn't speak english/the common tongue while blatantly ignoring that she did just that zero point five seconds ago to the barkeep.

it is clear she has been through a lot; it is clear she is running from something. from someone.

she drinks something non-alcoholic because while she does love a good cocktail, she wants to keep her head clear if she needs to fight. the bar brawl scene happens and udy is activated. she is entranced and enchanted by the way zoro moves, by the way he fights, by his blades. everything about zoro is gorgeous and dangerous and beautiful, though when she hears his monniker of pirate hunter, she thinks twice. thrice, even.

udyati is wholly absent in 1x02 but bits and pieces of her story unravel after the romance dawn trio meet vena zaman (santhosh sreeram), omisha kaushal (ashley ganger) and ayush dahiya (josh heuston) after the circus fiasco: udyati was once kalindi zaman's puppet for years. made to do things she didn't want to. kalindi (aishwarya rai-bacchan) is long gone now, however.

in 1x03 and 1x04, udyati is also absent from the main plot but there are some scenes interspersed with the main plot. it becomes clear that udyati has taken a vachan - a verbal vow with physical consequences for mind, body and soul if not followed through and fulfilled. the thing is, though, she can't remember exactly what it is that she promised to the mahavidyas aka the great wisdoms.

1x05 sees udyati make her way to baratie, exhausted. the chef - sanji - finds her curled up in a booth in the corner and feeds her. she genuinely thinks he's kind and she also genuinely thinks he's hot. udyati has the currency to pay for the meal but it's not berry's, further cementing the fact that she's not of this world. before she can pay, though, mihawk appears and he and zoro get into an intense swordfight.

in 1x06, udyati debates the merits of staying but flees when no one's looking; she feels bad about doing this, however. (usopp probably sees her go, though. she also had at least one conversation at the bar with him in the previous episode.)

during 1x07 she makes her way to conomi island because she still feels bad for skipping out and part of her is just drawn to the straw-hat pirate crew. she arrives right when arlong starts attacking coco village.

and in 1x08 udyati helps fight off the fish-men together with sanji and zoro and usopp while luffy fights garp. after their victory, udyati apologizes to sanji for skipping out without paying for the meal. udyati tells them the truth and tells her she's from elsewhere. then, she says goodbye to the strawhats before the marines arrive.

post opla canon, udyati will pop up in loguetown where she is chased by vena and his colleagues who are still intent on extracting the information they feel they are owed.

the scene goes like this: in loguetown, we see udyati wander around. doing a bit of window shopping. she's still looking for a very specific blade called the nandaki which is commonly known as the source of joy. at some point, vena and omisha and ayush spot her and they give chase. udyati runs but loguetown is a busy place so she bumps into quite a few people. one of which is a lady who wants to buy a dress; the lady holds up two. one lavender, one green. udyati rushes past with a rushed apology and yells at her to get the lavender one as that one brings out her eyes. vena and his colleagues unintentionally end up chasing udyati into the arms of the straw-hat pirates once again and a fight ensues.

[zorobae]

[zorobae]

Zoro in episode 3:

Zoro in episode 5:

Zoro doesn't dispute being Luffy's first mate — because of course, he doesn't; at this point in the story he is already devoted to following Luffy even if he hasn’t declared it yet — but when it comes to actually acting as the first mate, he needs to be told what to do. So he asks Luffy if he is okay and doesn't actually ask about Garp and that's it. To put it differently, he is the first mate but only in name.

Zoro in episode 7:

The possibly most integral part about Zoro’s character is that he is a man of honor and a man of his word. So after declaring his undying loyalty to Luffy, he is no longer just the first mate in name but also in his actions. This time, he doesn't need to be told to follow Luffy, he does it on his own and without hesitation. He doesn't ask Luffy any empty questions either but simply stands by his side. He gets ready to leave again at one point but that’s the exact moment Luffy takes to open up — because he does need Zoro there with him and of course, Zoro stays. As far as the actual conversation goes, Zoro gently questions if Luffy is doing the reasonable thing but Luffy trusts his own intuition and knowing how well that served him before, the matter ends here for Zoro. He trusts Luffy and his course of action.

Luffy really said "I need you, Zoro" and Zoro in turn vowed to stand by his side forever. And he does; he honors his word.

[zorobae]

ZoLu + touching

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ZoLu + hands

[zorobae]

I think what I like the most about this wonderful parallel is the fact that, the second time around, Zoro doesn’t say or ask anything. Luffy explicitly told Zoro that he needs him, and Zoro’s answer to that was that he will always be with him. “Until the end”. And true to that vow, Zoro is with Luffy here, didn't even hesitate for a moment before he followed him. And he does nothing to feign interest or to push Luffy to talk when he doesn’t want to. Instead he simply waits to see if he is needed in this particular instance or not, getting ready to leave when he thinks it’s the latter but that moment being the exact one Luffy chooses to talk. To be fair, that first issue is something that bothered neither Zoro nor Luffy. But they still made it a point to draw a parallel between these two moments to show the growth of their bond. With one moment, being awkward and almost unnecessary and the other one, emphasizing how poignant their dynamic has gotten. To the point that there are barely any words needed. Just being there is enough.

[zorobae]

I, Roronoa Zoro, vow to stand by your side from now until the end. You're my captain, Luffy. And I'm your first mate.

[zorobae]

ZoLu + saying so much without saying anything at all

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[zorobae]

I kind of adored this scene cuz I think it showcases two things about Zoro that may not be as apparent at this point in the manga. Firstly, the fact that he always speaks his mind, no matter how harsh it may seem. And secondly, he never puts himself above his captain’s choice, regardless of whether he agrees with him or not. (There’s literally only one time in the manga when Zoro goes against what Luffy wants but that was totally justified.) For someone like him to so easily fall into the role of second-in-command instead of the one in command will just never not be amazing to me.

[zorobae]

ZoLu — favorite quotes (season 1)

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