Alpha!Zoro x Omega!Reader | Alpha!Luffy x Reader | (EVENTUAL) Iota!Nico Robin x Omega!Reader | Platonic Everyone Else x Reader
X...X...X
The first days at sea make Zoro does something he should never do too much of--think.
[An Omegaverse One Piece Rewrite][Updates Every Wednesday]
Word Count: 1.9k
| AO3 | Patreon | Wattpad |
Chapters Masterlist
X...X...X
On day two, with the meager supplies Luffy had messily thrown into his “boat” already depleted, they'd spied a small island in the distance. Or more accurately, (y/n) —who'd taken to using a roll of paper like a telescope—spotted a bit of green on the horizon and Zoro and Luffy rowed so fast they'd gotten to it before the end of the day, even though they were moving against the wind.
Zoro was determined to get real supplies, but they found no people on that small outcrop of rock covered in greenery.
But what they did find was fruit.
And though Luffy complained loudly about having no meat to add to the supply, they loaded their ship with as much fruit as it could carry. Though quickly after disembarking they discovered that the boat was not buoyant enough for their entire harvest. This was much to the distress of the two possessed eaters of the cursed fruits, who both flew into each other's arms in panic as the ocean began to slosh up the sides of the boat.
They'd had to throw near half their supply off before their dingy stopped sinking and spent another few hours pailing water out. It made Zoro wonder how Luffy made it to the first island at all, if getting possessed by a devil fruit made you sink like a hammer. They were so weakened they hardly had the strength to lift their hands.
While y/n sunbathed to dry since she insisted that her papers were soggy, Zoro asked just that question. Luffy just shrugged and said it was where the wind took him, like that wasn't the most obtuse way to travel the ocean.
And that was how their adventure, just the three of them, started.
To call the first week of their journey 'long' would have been to underestimate the difficulty by miles. What he took responsibility for first, as the only capable alpha on the crew, was protecting the omega. That much he could tell himself was fine—only because it was his duty. That was enough to quiet the voice of his hind, which since seeing her hadn't allowed him any rest until he'd come to this compromise.
It was just the right thing to do. Nothing more.
Though they all set out as inexperienced sailors, she was obviously ill suited for life at sea. At the very least he could make sure she didn't sink into it, since Luffy was fool enough to let her along. Honestly, he'd expected her to be little more than dead weight. Nice smelling dead weight which made being adrift at sea with Luffy less unbearable of an absurdity, but nonetheless mostly useless.
Firstly, she was an omega. She wasn't strong in any sense of the word. She couldn't lift much, admitted she couldn't protect herself, and could hardly tug the rope hard enough to turn the sail.
Omegas in general were probably better suited for land than sea. One, as far as Zoro knew, they were healthiest living in a stable territory and not running all over the world. Two, they were emotional and he didn’t want to deal with someone who couldn’t keep up with the stress of seafaring. Three, they had their heats. And while an alpha could work through a rut, heat made an omega practically useless and would distract anyone else with a nose all the while which would only be dangerous for them, along with everyone else on the ship.
Those three reasons were good enough to leave her on land, Zoro thought. And within a few days, Zoro found out she fit all those categories. She seemed uneasy on the dingy—though they were all uneasy on the dingy, since it was so small. And her scent was already a distraction to him heat or not, which he grumbled to himself about.
Not to mention that when she was overwhelmed by any strong emotion, she also had a tendency of fainting. And since she ate the paper-paper fruit, fainting included her entire body collapsing into a single sheet of paper which would drift to the deck with a comedic swaying. But however funny that was, laughter stopped when the wind threatened to take her into the air like a kite and drop her into the ocean.
Having to snap her body out of the air and gingerly hold her down until her mass bounced back only highlighted her frailty. He’d expected her to begin begging to be let off at the next island and he’d never have to see her again.
Yet, in the face of hunger she was the last to complain and the first to cut her rations smaller to share with him and Luffy. That kind of self-sacrifice (especially when she did it for him) made the hind in him preen. Though Luffy more often than not snapped up Zoro's portion before he could eat it. It didn't matter that he'd snap and call Luffy a hundred names, because Luffy would just smile his signature shit-eating grin. And that would just leave Zoro grumbling alongside his empty stomach.
Yet, he didn’t forget.
He couldn’t not notice that she was watchful too, and always on alert. Even when she wasn't on watch, she was still on look out, and every day she earned her totem a little more. And when she first turned her head all the way around to survey the ocean, he'd nearly fallen out of the dinky in shock. By now he'd gotten used to it—and he would never never admit he’d done that.
While they were lost, she looked for land. And somehow remained as optimistic as Luffy when days passed with no sign of life as far as the eye could see.
Though Zoro couldn't help but point out the ridiculousness of their situation, loudly and snappishly as the hunger set in and their fruit supply evaporated. Had he not been so fresh off the high of feeling full and free after being rescued from the pike, he would have cared more about where they were going, with who, and how. But by the time it all became an obvious problem; it was too late to do anything more than complain.
And as much as he wanted to complain about her too, the words would stick on his dry throat.
He’d cough. He’d splutter. Something in him choked it down, so he was stuck with these feelings. He noticed things (he couldn’t miss them if he tried!) but tried not to look often. Though after they were settled into their dingy, there was nothing to do most of the time except stare out at the open ocean and watch seagulls dive in the water. So, he watched her form the corner of his eyes, and pretended like he didn’t.
Zoro'd always admired birds. Their entire bodies were like a weapon, and they lived free as the wind they sailed on. Every bird had three potentials for attack, beaks for striking and their talons for slashing, so of course he appreciated their ferocity. Even the smallest bird had the potential in it to utilize the ultimate three-prong fighting style.
The more he grew to know his new crew mate, the more the description owlish seemed to fit. She had big saucer eyes that he'd noticed the first time he'd seen her. But what he came to learn was that when she surveyed a room, she did so with a slow, measured movement. Gliding her head back and forth like he'd watched owls do when he was child, training too early in the morning out in the forest behind the dojo.
Or when she tilted her head to the side to focus all her attention, it was in a funny owl-like way. And when she blinked it was always slowly, with a shuttering kind of motion that stopped with a click before they went wide again. She kept watch the best of any of them too, because he had the habit of falling asleep on his shift and Luffy was too distractible to stay still for any length of time.
That's why he'd taken to calling her Owleyes.
Maybe when he first uttered that nickname, he should have realized there was something special brewing between them. He could have picked any name to call her. Even if this one suited her, it was still a sign.
Not only had he admired birds all his life, the last three years on the sea he'd spent chasing after the ghost of the Hawkeyed Man, who was the current uncontested best swordsman in the world. Of course, he was only uncontested because no one had bothered to duel him in the last decade. Nonetheless his skills were renowned. Zoro was intent on crossing blades with the man and proving himself to be the best swordsman alive.
How had he not noticed that in a single afternoon a new bird had perched itself up on the throne which was his highest aspiration? The first was huge and terrifying. A hawk of legends with piercing eyes that could slice a mountain in half with a sharp glare.
And now another, comparatively miniscule in size, hopped out from its shadow. A tiny fluffy thing really, with big curious eyes watching him oh-so carefully and he had a burning need to not flinch from its attention lest it fly away as quickly as it appeared.
Yes, he was smitten right when he saw her.
If he'd admitted that to himself then he might have been saved a good deal of trouble. But Roronoa Zoro was not a well-known swordsman because he avoided trouble, or even tried to prevent it. He was renowned because he often crossed paths with trouble, encouraged it even, and then beat it to a bloody pulp.
Troubles of the heart, however, were a completely different set of enemies than the kind he was used to. A type he had no idea how to approach. He felt tempted in the worst way, like she was born to destroy his discipline and he refused to lose it. And as he considered his predicament under the unrelenting gaze of sun, he remembered an adage he'd overheard in a bar a few years back.
It was a story about the making of man from an old islander legend. The body was made of mud, given life by the sea, and given spirit by the sun. But as the sun rises and sets, man's nature was also given two sides, likened by the old drunken men who'd relayed this story, to wolves.
One was the obedient, learned wolf of the day, which could be taught many tricks and behaved to the expectations of others. The second wolf was wild, the embodiment of the animal nature and all its savagery which hides until nighttime. It was the soul of man, with these two wolves always by his side, that decided which aspect of his nature to feed.
The obedient wolf, or the wild one.
As much as he tried to starve it, a desire was growing in him. And when he dreamed of the relief her loving touch might offer him, the wild wolf feasted.
This was not to be misunderstood, however.
The obedient wolf was no less enraptured by the honey of what could be, even if it didn't want to utterly devour her piece by piece in an ugly, selfish way. He was not a man easily tamed and even the so-called domesticated side of his nature was stubborn and mulish. But for her, he would turn belly up and eager for whatever of her attention he could steal for himself, though he'd die before admitting it.
And honestly, if they didn't find food soon, maybe they would die and he'd never have to acknowledge it. That might just be for the better anyway…
X...X...X
[Get Early Episodes on Patreon]
⊹₊ ˚🪷.˚₊ ₊˚.🪷˚₊⊹ 18+ Links ⊹₊ ˚🪷.˚₊ ₊˚.🪷˚₊⊹
Like my work and want more? If you like this, I promise you'll like my books.
You can also find all my available stories by supporting me on Patreon or Ream get early access to new stuff and enjoy my entire catalog! Or if you'd rather leave a tip I'd be so grateful if you bought me a coffee. Hey, even reach out to order commissions! My asks are also open, so don't by shy!
Currently reading Out of the Fire, Into the Furnace by blanketskeepmesafe and it literally makes me feel knots in my stomach? I’m genuinely emotionally invested? I love a good fic and if you’re looking for the following, this fic is for you:
