#zonamiweek2016

[zonamievents]

Orange & Green

Sorry for submitting this so late! I didn’t have time to finish it until now, hope it’s okay :)

((Whoever submitted this, PLEASE contact me and share your name!! Thanks!))

[mahousixnine]

[zonamievents]

Jungle Life

ZoNami Week – Day 07: Jungle // Tiger VS Dragon

Rating: K (more fluff!?)

Summary: AU – Human. Nature. That obnoxious cry. (A parody of the Tarzan 2016 tagline)

Word Count: 1,649 words

PLEASE NOTE: The soundtrack for Disney’s soundtrack really helped me right this, but more than anything, it’s clear that “Trashin’ the Camp” worked best for this scene. Enjoy!

‘What a strange place.’ He couldn’t help but think as he spied the stationed encampment in his jungle. For years he had lived amongst the wildlife, surrounded by nature, living off of the land, and never before had Zoro come across such a strange set-up that was the fabric-made huts and the strange wooden surfaces and the odd objects that were built from materials that were suddenly placed before him. Such foreign items were resting oh so casually in his territory and it was difficult to decipher whether or not this worried him or excited him.

Franky and Robin would not be happy to know that he came here, but he had simply spied the newly founded nest while swinging upon vines, wandering aimlessly. How was he to know that there would be something new and utterly shocking to be found? This would be something that Luffy and Usopp would love to see, too. He could have just as easily gone to retrieve them…but it would be better for everyone if he surveyed the place before luring his friends or his parents to such an unfamiliar location.

Deciding on his course of action, Zoro slipped through the bamboo stocks and cautiously stepped out into the open. His eyes scanned the land, his nose rose into the air, and both of his senses were immediately overwhelmed with unfamiliarity. So much nature had been cleared away for these encroachers to create their base, the land desecrated down to the very dirt beneath his feet. The sun’s warmth appraised his tanned skin kindly due to such a massive opening in the jungle’s forestry, only further angering the unsanctioned protector.

Many shelters were standing tall – like the ones that he helped create for his family whenever there was stormy weather to endure – however, he did not know of the crop that created them. Wooden tools resembling the trio of sharp-sticks he had fashioned for hunting were positioned all throughout the area, or rather, he assumed that that was what they were. The array of objects and things he had never witnessed before confused him greatly and he could not afford to wonder what their purpose was, for he would instantly be distracted by something else—

Such as the creature that revealed itself from one of the shelters…who looked more like him than anything else he had ever seen in his life. “AH!” Screamed the creature, scrambling away from him the moment their eyes met.

Zoro grunted and took a step backwards in response. He slipped into his combative stance, yet the typical combative urge he felt when faced with a foe was not present. Of course it wasn’t, when there was suddenly a creature of his species standing before him.

They were both frozen in place, assessing the other with distrusting eyes, a trace of curiosity glinting in their gazes. From what he could tell, the creature before him seemed…cleaner, as if the encampment allowed for more bathing somehow. Unlike his single string of cloth across his ‘manly spear’, the creature was covered from top to bottom in strange layers of textures and colours that were not natural to the jungle, especially the tone of the vine-length hair.

It resembled the setting sun, and that soothed him, oddly enough.

“W-Who are you?” Demanded the creature, voice shaken. Zoro cocked his head at the language spoken to him, for he could not understand the meaning. He could communicate with most animals easily, yet the one who looked most like him spoke in a tongue he did not know?

This encounter was so astounding to him, for his mother and father promised him that there were no others like him – he was unique to their band, their monkey family, and he should revel in that fact. There were times when he did not notice the difference in skin between himself and his furry siblings, but how was he to ignore the very real, very similar creature before him now? It was almost too much to stand there, ignoring his heart which demanded to know more.

So, he chose not to waste another second. “H-Hold on!” Shouted the creature, removing those crossed arms from the collar of those heavy layers of cloth and revealing an impressively curvy chest; the muscles this creature must possess! “D-Don’t come any closer, or I’ll—!”

Since he could not make heads or tails of what was being said, Zoro simply obeyed his instinct and began to judge the flowery scent that wafted off of the creature. He walked in a circle in order to assess every detailing of this otherwise skinny figure, which contradicted the massive muscle he observed in the chest area. Nevertheless, from their posture to the make of their hands, they were the same.

When he attempted to compare their fingers, the creature raised that very hand in order to slap him. “Hey! Don’t just grab me—!” Quickly, without much thought, he caught the dainty wrist of the assailing hand and prevented it from hitting him. It took little to no effort, and that did not surprise him based off of the bony body that put in the effort to strike him.

No, what did shock him though was the black smudges on the creature’s hands.

All of his life, his skin had been tanned but nowhere near dark enough to compare to the padding on the hands of members of his family! And yet the creature before him – the stranger who invaded his jungle and made camp – had both a creamy complexion and the darkened tone that resembled his family’s. Out of all of the sights he had seen today, this was indeed the most captivating, for it had been something he had occasionally longed for, ever since he was an infant.

A moment passed, and when the creature hadn’t yelled or threatened to hit him again, Zoro forced himself to pull away from his fascination. What he found was not anger or hatred, but there was a hint of kindness in an otherwise blank expression. Before another second could pass them by however, it seemed as though the creature followed an instinct of their own and spoke again, “Who are you?”

Again, he cocked his head at her, this time showing a frown at the questioning tone. Furrowed brows, the creature asked again, as if he would suddenly understand, “Who – are –you?”

Once more, he could only offer his greatest show of confusion.

With a heavy sigh of frustration, the creature took advantage of the movement of the hand he was not hold and pointed to themself, only to announce. “Na – mi.”

Was…a name being offered? Was the creature trying to inform him of a name? The three shining rocks around her neck was equally alluring, and he felt simple in his ability to be so easily distracted. It had merely reminded him of his preference of carrying three spears when he hunted, and so he nearly lost himself in the dazzling reflection he saw in the golden stones that dangled above her hand. He grunted with apparent enthusiasm, a cheeky grin on his face. And so, repeating the gesture, he was told was again, “Na – mi.” Then, that instructive hand was placed on his chest. “Zo – ro.” He proclaimed eagerly, hoping he understood the game. “Zo – ro!” The way his name was exclaimed was so exciting, so invigorating! It felt amazing to know that he had communicated with a new breed of animal – one that looked like him! The smile he received confirmed their mutual enthusiasm and it made him feel compelled to learn even more from the creature.

“Nami!? Is that you!?” Out of nowhere, another voice called out the creature’s name, stealing away some of the majesty of the moment. Zoro attempted to step in front of Nami, protecting her from the unknown entity that was approaching.

“Ah, yes! I-I’m fine!” She yelled back, understandably using that unknown language to address the mysterious figure in the jungle. But what was not so easily comprehend was that smudge-bearing hand tugging on Zoro’s shoulder as Nami tried to draw his attention in the opposite direction. Whispering harshly, a warning was given to him, “Go!”

His neck was going to be quite sore from all of the times he had tilted his head in this lone, confusing conversation.

Nami groaned and began tossing her arms in the direction she was hoping he would take a sudden interest in. “Go! Go! GO!”

The shuffling behind them – from the direction of the other possible member of his species – implied that the intruders to their first meeting were very, very close. Zoro was not so unintelligent that he could not decipher her meaning in asking him to leave, and for fear of overstepping his bounds as a member of his own family, he decided to abide by Nami’s wishes and take his leave. One last, firm grunt was the end of their interaction before he took three large steps and found himself in the trees once more.

The rumble of voices grew distant as he traversed the jungle again, almost as if hadn’t just met this Nami. This fascinating creature who had just revealed to him that he was not alone in his kind… Though their strengths could not possibly be measured, her energy was feisty, lively and prominent – she had what it took to survive in a jungle environment, just as he had.

There was so much to learn about Nami, so much more he wanted to discover about the creature who resembled him far more than any other hairy, scaly, or otherwise rough skinned animal in the land he had been raised in, called his home.

A smirk overtook his face as he reached for a vine, taking off into a powerful swing as he screamed at the top of his lungs, “Ahhhh-ah-ah-ahhhhh, ah-ahhh!”

((Please don’t question when jungle animals have English names, or why British people have Japanese ones, ha ha. I am actually going to see the movie this weekend, so I thought I should use the Tarzan yell that Zoro loves to do as a basis for today’s theme! Clearly, I drew inspiration from the Disney version though, ha ha. “Three-pronged Earring” was also one of the themes for the ZoNami Week Poll, so I decided to add that into the mix. This one is my shortest story because I am considering writing this AU out fully, and because I have to prepare for another OTP event for another fandom! Hopefully, this story was still enjoyable, and that you’ll come back again tomorrow for the Bonus Day! ~Maiden))

[zonamievents]

All She Is

ZoNami Week – Day 04: Scar // First Meeting After 3D2Y

Pairing: Zoro x Nami

Rating: T (self-harm flashback from Arlong Park)

Summary: In the early quiet of the morning, Zoro is left alone with his thoughts and the opportunity to observe Nami in all of her natural glory.

Word Count: 2,615 words

PLEASE NOTE: I listened to a piano and cello cover of “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri while writing this, and it was absolutely enchanting. Please consider looking for it on YT to really follow along with Zoro’s sentiments in the story. Thank you.

The sun was always blinding when he awoke in the Crow’s Nest, even when he was pressed against Nami’s body, sprawled out on the floor. The sheets they had collected to create the illusion of a proper bed was in complete disarray, never mind her hair or the thoughts in his head as reality greeted him when he opened his eye. It wasn’t enough that her sweet scent had permanently perfumed the air around him, nor was it enough that he held her around the waist and had her compressed to his body in the most comforting yet playfully territorial way; the bedding was a comfort that she required, when all he needed was her.

Accepting such a resounding truth had boggled him for so long now, but there was no denying it when he was allowed the peace of rising for the day with his lover still slumbering, unaware of his appreciation of her.

Feeling something for the navigator beyond mere friendship had been startling early on, and then suddenly, it wasn’t. Roronoa Zoro was not an entirely, externally emotional man, so when he realized that Nami – the woman he had called a witch, who he had cursed to hell more times than he could likely count – had managed to possess his hearts much more realistically than she had ever owned his nonexistent wallet, there was sure to be a shock to his system. Some sort of moment where he would berate himself, or her, or feel himself grow awkward around her in the hopes that no one noticed, especially not her.

No such moment ever occurred.

Instead, it felt effortless to allow himself to love her – that was the most surprising part. Nothing needed to change, even while it felt as though everything was meant to. Having her in his arms, for example, was definitely a new phenomenon that was gifted to him due to the budding romance they had only just begun. Truthfully, the acceptance of their feelings only allowed them to grow physically closer than ever before, expressing their adoration and belated passion for one another as if it had been inevitable all along.

That was why he found it much more enjoyable to sleep with her by his side suddenly. There were indeed times where they were separated from one another, given that he needed to train and she need to add to her collection of personalized maps. His urge to have her rest with him at the end of the day was his greatest indicator of affection and her willingness to join him was one of the many ways she surpassed him in expressing her love for him. In the quiet of the early morn, Zoro usually took his chance to shower her with secret acts that showcased his true feelings for her both in thanks and in good faith.

He truly enjoyed tugging her thin frame against his large body and measuring the difference based off of the width of his torso that was left cold where her warm flesh could not cover it. His nose would bury itself into her tresses and the silken texture was always so much more comfortable than the pillow she had him use. However, his most intimate act was the lazy yet prominent kisses he would drape her skin with, from her ear to her shoulder. He always found it to be a challenge to keep his path straight – like a clean slice, almost – while adorning the column of her neck, and that somehow amplified his incentive. They weren’t timed in any fashion; Zoro simply took pleasure in each display as he offered it to her unconscious form.

Today, though, he found something to distract him from his newly implemented ritual.

As his lips came to rest on Nami’s left shoulder, he couldn’t help but notice the signature tattoo that rested beneath his lips. His steely eye scanned the curvaceous design, studying it much more diligently than he ever had before. He recognized the tangerine-like shape at the very tip of her interpretative windmill as a signature of hers – never again, since the day he met her, would he be able to even think of a mikan and not imagine her face. A tattoo was just as permanent as the scars he wore all over his body, and it was most appropriate that she had erased the heinous symbol that marred her skin beforehand.

The scar along the back of her arm was the only physical tie to that horrific time in her life now, as even the villagers of Cocoyashi had moved on from the days of Arlong’s rule. Indeed, the jagged, violent-looking skin that had been the target of her dagger that fateful day when the fishman’s reign had finally fallen had never been scrutinized by him either. The realization that he never saw her would up close prior to this very instant felt wrong, however, he could not think of a time in which he paid it more attention. So, with that in mind, his hand that was resting over her forearm began to stroke it gently while he stared at the raised mess of flesh before him.

It was so very unceremonious, not at all as clean as his trail of kisses had been. He could easily recall the moment he had seen her fall to her knees after the villagers had left her behind in the middle of the village, stomping their way to Arlong Park. Zoro remembered it vividly – the shaking, the way she reached for that dagger and in the blink of an eye, it was in her arm. The way she had screamed that man’s name was haunting, so very chilling that it had nearly frightened him with how much hatred and rage she had forced into her voice. Then, she had pulled it out and thrusted it back in. The rawness that was her response to the overwhelming defeat she endured in that moment had been anything but typical of the behaviour she had demonstrated towards them during their visit to her hometown. It had been so eye-opening into the person that Nami truly was: he had never admired her more than he had in that moment.

The moment when she stabbed herself eight times when she had finally fallen apart.

His brows furrowed as he understood just how easily his reflection of her scar had stolen away some of the gentle majesty of his early morning rise. It had been eight times that she had impaled her arm, and it was eight times she screamed his name for whom she had assumed to be no one but her to hear. In the midst of all of her animosity were the grunts of pain she had forced upon herself, but nothing could stop her during her craze except for their captain; only his staying power could compel her to drop her weapon of choice, as well as accept their assistance without the crew even needing to offer.

Those feelings that had inspired her hand to strike were visible in her scar, Zoro believed. Not even the permanent etchings around his ankles – from the time he had been willing to cut off his own feet if it meant setting himself free – looked as inelegant as her self-infliction. There were sharp lines shooting in every direction, the mark running quite long on her back. Out of curiosity did he release her waist for a moment or so in order to measure it against the length of his hand: from his wrist to his pinky finger, that it’s unofficial sizing. Having the opportunity to pay attention to it now, the swordsman was silently experience the sensation of being awe-stricken by the woman in his arms.

Of all of the people who now occupied positions in the Mugiwara crew, Zoro was the greatest expert on what it felt like to be cut by a blade. Even while he could not verify the sharpness of the dagger she had used, the sheer depth she must have reached when the blade disappeared into the muscles in her arm – the hilt having hit the distressed skin around the wound she had given herself – was the most explicit testimony to the pain she had been harbouring for so long…

And to think he nearly charged at her with his Wadou drawn.

Grimacing, the first mate felt so foolish now, after two years, to admit that in his haste he had nearly believed Johnny’s words and…who knows what he would have done to Nami if that shitty cook didn’t stop him. He had not been blinded by his concern for his friend, no. The interactions that the two of them had shared during their adventure on that island in particular had been such a whirlwind of experiences.

He had arrived there hating her while carrying orders to retrieve her.

He had believed for but a moment that she was genuinely a horrible person, a pirate worse than he’d ever seen.

He had realized that she’d nearly fooled him and leapt into the pool while bounded by ties in order to show her just how strongly he knew that she was better than what she was pretending to be.

He had nearly taken back his good faith when she punched him in his injured gut and sent him to prison.

He had given up trying to understand her when she freed him from his cell and returned the Wadou to him.

Encountering her on the path back to Cocoyashi Village succeeding Johnny’s claim that she murdered Usopp was simply the final straw in his otherwise confusing day. Or rather, it was the last instance of her bewildering him personally, as the sight of her with that dagger in her hand had rattled his bones. For someone such as he who had never even considered self-harm in all of his life, it nearly sickened him worse than watching a fallen foe bleed out before him. She had been officially freed of the title of an enemy by the kindness of her sister and her willingness to share Nami’s past with them…

Until it all boiled to the surface and she suffered through all that she had supressed with the help of a single blade.

“Mmm,” groaned the woman who occupied his thoughts as she suddenly began to rise. Zoro felt her shift in order to rub her eyes, just so she could look at him clearly when she turned herself into his body. With her tattooed shoulder now pressed against the very part of his chest that housed his heart, Nami smiled at him softly as she greeted him. “G’morning.”

“Morning.” Answered her lover in a meaningful tone. After having examined her trademark scars, he instantly took to taking in the sight of her face while she lavished in the feeling of a proper, fulfilling rest. Whenever she was calm and close like this, it was almost insane to imagine a time in which he hadn’t wanted her by his side as she was now.

“What’s wrong?” asked the navigator as she sifted through the apparent emotions that were visible in his expression, or so he assumed.

Feigning ignorance easily enough, Zoro brushed away her concern, “Nothing. I’m just waiting for you to give me my arm back.” To prove his point, he jostled the limb beneath her.

That Cheshire grin of hers still looked quite sleepy as she replied, “I’m not done with it yet, though.” “Hmph.” Was his solid reply.

“You sure you’re okay? You never let go of me until we’re ready to move, when we sleep together like this.” Never before had she been brave enough to state the romanticisms of their time as a couple, and hearing her speak of one of their routines warmed him deeply, more than he might be willing to ever articulate.

He leaned in though, and shared his happiness with her through a gentle peck on her temple. “You have the blanket to cover you, if I’m not.”

“If I wanted the blanket, I would have just taken it from you sometime during the night.”

“Then why do we even lay them out in the first place?”

“So that we can sleep naked without someone accidentally coming up here and seeing us.”

Zoro refrained from rolling his eyes at her whenever there weren’t people to witness his exhaustion of her antics and agree with him. Instead, he dropped his forehead against hers and stared down into her big, brown eyes. “I would hear them climbing the ladder long before they reached the hatch.” He explained with a drowsy yet firm-sounding voice.

Without hesitation did Nami reply, “And if Luffy happens to get up before us, and slingshot himself up here?” He barely had any time to consider how uncomfortable such a situation would be before his supposedly adoring lover began to laugh at his anxious expense. A heavy frown quickly took over his facial features, but those nimble hands of hers acted just as swiftly and drew him in for an insincerely apologetic kiss.

And as she her lips left his, Zoro truly observed the woman before him. Excusing their conversation, he openly took in the sight of Nami the navigator laying somewhat beneath him, showing him her most genuine grin. The vision before him clashed so harshly with the memories he had been experiencing just before she had finally awoken, and to think that the two women were one in the same person – the tattoo and scar confirming their identities – was astounding to his otherwise witless mind.

All he could comprehend then and there was that he was so very proud of the woman who was his lover, having reflected upon the journey that turned her into who she was today.

“You’re amazing.” Atypical of his usual behaviour, Zoro let the compliment escape his thought process and leave his mouth as he felt that she truly deserved his praise. She did not need it, oh no, regardless, it felt right that she know on occasion how he saw her: as the truly wonderful person that she was.

Sadly, she assumed that he was being sarcastic after the teasing way she had spoken to him; rolling her eyes at him, she decided to turn away from his hold and reach for her nightgown that was resting just out of reach next to their cluttered sheets. In doing so, she brought her left shoulder into his view again and it inspired him to make good on the promise of his words to her.

Zoro brought his lips down and kissed the middle of her self-inflicted scar.

Neither of them moved as the sun rose higher in the early morning sky, until his kiss caused an obvious shudder to travel along her skin. Slowly but surely did Nami return to previous pose of resting against his chest, eyes sparkling with curiosity as to the validity of his kindness and actions. Once more did he lean in so that he could kiss her, this time gracing her lips with a great deal more power behind them. He channeled every ounce of emotion that she had provided him with in the few minutes in which he had been awake, along with his gratitude for allowing him to be the one to appraise her so.

Zoro decided then, in that moment, that he would need to add that same spot along her scar to his morning ritual of kisses from that point onward, if it would instill in Nami just as much joy as it gave him to be the one lying next to her each and every day.

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((This one is romantic, and I really love that it’s Zoro who is being the romantic person in this scene. I think he could be really sweet and tender when the mood strikes him, and so that’s why I set this one up so much to be that sort of setting for his mind to wander. We never get to see Zoro’s reaction to what Nami did that day in the Arlong Arc, so I thought I would take this opportunity to try it out! Hope you enjoyed it, and hope to see you again tomorrow! ~Maiden))

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💕 ZNWeek Day 4: SUBMIT NOW! 💕

Day 4: Scar // First Meeting After 3D2Y

(Credit to mugi-girl for being the original artist for this gif!)

Remember to submit to us directly or use the proper tags so we can share your art / story / gif sets / manga/anime edits with our awesome community! ~Maiden

[zonamievents]

Jealousy by ginsigi11

[zonamievents]

Enough (Oh Say Say Say)

ZoNami Week – Day 01: Jealousy // Friendship & Family

Written by: MaidenOfTheWorld

Pairing: Zoro x Nami

Rating: K+ (fluff and romance)

Summary: dfn. – resentment against a rival, a person enjoying success or advantage

Word Count: 6,246 words

PLEASE NOTE: I listened to “Maps” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs while writing this story, so please feel free to do the same as you read!

There weren’t many things of which Roronoa Zoro was envious of. He was not a religious man – faith of any kind typically taught the downfall of envy to those who practiced – yet he tended to be free of such a vice. Perhaps it was due to his apodictic strength, or the resolute approach he held while stepping over the milestones of his life that prevented him from even associating himself with the transgressive trait. There were no grudges held in his heart that could weigh down his spirit, because he was indeed unrestrained in every way.

Until he met the world’s greatest navigator, that is.

Until his life held a plan that was meant to proceed in conjunction with others, Zoro had simply wandered through the thresholds of his meager existence without pondering anything too deeply. Whether he had traveled alone or with friends, so long as he had a place to rest his head at night, there was nothing to fret over. His philosophy was monk-like in the eyes of some, given his minimalistic lifestyle, opposed solely by the urge to contest his power; were it not for his dream to become the world’s greatest swordsman in his own right, it was possible to consider him the most virtuous of his friends and family.

If he had never met her, that is.

Sighing to himself deeply enough to challenge the lull of the spring-like breeze, the disgruntled first mate of the Straw Hats crew stared out at the ocean from the peak on which he stood. Autumn was considered a reflective season – or, so he had been told once or twice before – however, the urgency in the wind to have him return to the sea gave rise to the impudence inside of the supposedly holy man and compelled him to stand on the edge of the cliff, allowing his mind to drift just as listlessly as the waters below him. It was no surprise to his otherwise disengaged thought process that the concept of jealousy rose to the top of an immaterial list of possible topics to consider when he found his solitary peace, even though he denied that it existed within himself at all.

Only where she was concerned, would he ever question its stake in his otherwise cleansed spirit.

“There you are!” Sounding relieved, the woman who supposedly held the power to tempt him, compel him to behave sinfully revealed her approach as she called to him from a few steps behind him.

Zoro lazily looked back at the redheaded woman over his bare shoulder and immediately caught sight of the frenzy of flower petals being tossed about by the warm gusts of air sneaking into the tendrils of her hair. Pink, white, yellow flowers that had been happily sitting upon their branches fell victim to the pressure of the lackluster whirlwind that flitted in from the sea and created a picturesque image of Nami, complimenting her natural femininity as she approached him in a simple sundress. She carried with her the image of a woman who lived in the woods of Proserpina, thrived in them, as if she was not truly a woman of the sea.

Ignoring her previous summons, Zoro indirectly asked her as he turned his attention back towards the sea, “You done wandering yet?”

“Me?” She dared to sound astounded that he dared to say such a thing. “You’re supposed to be with the others, listening to the village elder tell the legend of this place.” As she explained her surprise, Nami came to stand beside the swordsman who had secretly been cursing her before her sudden arrival. Arms stretched above her head, releasing a pleasant sound of relief, it was quite easy to assume that she had enjoyed her lone trek throughout the thriving woods before spying him and his companionless state.

Zoro found himself complying with the urge to cross his arms over his bare chest when he replied, “I’m not interested in that.” The folds of his robe’s upper half spilled over the haramaki that guarded his hips and yet failed to shield the hilts of his swords. He recalled the existence of the navigator’s Climatact in that moment and glanced over her body, immediately taking note that she did not have her signature weapon on her person. The swordsman thought that to be somewhat foolish of her, yet he refrained from voicing such a potentially instigative opinion. He knew from experience that he had made a wise decision.

“Well, would you be interested in exploring some of the island’s secrets with me?” Offered Nami with that signature tone of voice of hers that truly meant he had very little choice in the matter.

Still, the offer to do something at least marginally productive on the otherwise idle island intrigued him. “What secrets?”

Snickering, the navigator leaned in close – the top of her head stopping just at the tip of his nose, even in her favourite pair of heels – and whispered with a cheeky grin, “I found an entrance to a cave a few feet from here. No one mentioned it to us when we arrived, so I was wondering if there might be something…important down there.”

“Don’t you mean, something treasurable?”

A soft palm landed on his bare shoulder the very instant that the wind picked up once again. “I mean, something that could tell us more about Proserpina than some old story could.”

A curious brow arched above his unscarred eye. “You don’t trust the people here?”

“I think they aren’t going to give us the grand tour themselves,” Was the oblique answer she gave him. “Let the rest of the crew entertain the villagers and keep them occupied – we can go down there and see what we can find, okay?”

Though he refused to say so aloud – to protect his own hide more than anything else – the prospect of partaking in a covert mission was quite appealing to the swordsman; he had nothing else to do with his time other than sleep; a member of his crew had expressed distrust towards the civilians and therefore earned his immediate cooperation; being with the navigator guaranteed that he wouldn’t find himself meandering aimlessly until he happened upon the village.

A burning sense of that aforementioned jealousy flared in his chest then.

“Fine. Let’s go, then.” Grumbled Zoro as he dropped his guarded pose and faced her properly, almost as if he was issuing her some sort of informal challenge. Staring down into her warm brown eyes, it was all he could do not to depart from the cliff before her, internally unsettled about her swift admonishment of his directional sense if he stepped off in the wrong direction before the exploration even truly began. Without further prompting, Nami grinned from ear to ear and stepped away from his side with glee in her step. So swift in her movements, a few of the loose petals that had infested her orange strands fluttered to the ground before him; absentmindedly did he watch their descent, bewitched for reasons he could not fathom entirely.

It was in his momentary distraction, however, that the familiarity of a smooth, delicate hand dragged him from not only his thoughts, but from his stance at the peak as well; Nami’s impatience had compelled her to daringly tug the infamous swordsman along with her by the thickness of his wrist. “N-Nami!” Zoro snarled at her defiantly. Her overbearing action did nothing to quell the rise of inferiority in him, even if quarreling with her was a familiarity that oddly soothed him at times.

“Then keep up!” She fought back without missing a beat. In the blink of his lone eye, his wrist was freed from her grasp, and once again the warm breeze toyed with his sensibility as it caressed the skin the moment she released him from her hold. The difference was quite noticeable, and yet, Zoro behaved as though he was still thoroughly unamused with her imperious attitude. Never mind the otherwise peaceable nature to the island, it would take him a moment or two to properly extinguish the irritation from his bones.

His lack of directional…competence was not secret amongst those who knew him well. Typically, it did not bother him all too greatly. It was only in moments where Nami was concerned that his inadequacy reared its ugly head. Why, he wondered in moments such as these; the navigator was meant to be intelligent and directionally savvy, where as it was his duty to protect the crew and the Thousand Sunny from those who wished to do them harm. If he thought deeply enough, Zoro might even admit that the both of them had overachieved and surpassed many who shared their talents.

So then, why did it bother him on the odd occasion when she exercised her personified skill?

Following closely behind her as she guided him around the overgrown roots of some trees and the precarious entanglement of others, it was clear that his faith in her instinctive, internal compass wasn’t questionable: he trusted her to lead their crew to the end of the Grand Line from very early on in their journey. Even when she had betrayed them momentarily, Luffy’s expressed devotion to her and the role she played for their future enforced the belief that no one throughout the entirety of the world could fulfill the role of a navigator more superiorly than Nami.

In the same regard, there was no way she had any plans to supersede him in his dream to overtake Mihawk and become the world’s greatest swordsman. They each had their dignified and specifically designed roles to play, which only strengthened their positions in the crew they both considered to be their makeshift family. There was surely a possibility that she was envious of his superior physical strength at times, regardless of how mighty she could be with that weather-creating staff of hers. A contemptible voice inside of him dared to hope that she sometimes felt as deficient as he did, and the scowl he wore minutes ago once again curved the line of his lips until the corners sunk into his cheeks.

Such negativity, simply because he couldn’t walk a straight line without losing his way.

It was with great relief that he spied a precarious opening at the bottom of the path they were currently strolling along, the elevation of the land sinking suddenly in the midst of the woods. Though unnecessary, the navigator felt the urge to point out, “We’re here.”

“This cave isn’t exactly hidden,” Zoro noted. “Why do you think we should check it out?”

For a moment, there was silence, between them, around them. Nami did not even face him while her head rolled from side to side, most likely taking in the design of the entrance. He knew that she had heard his question; though uninterested in playing the patient conversationalist, her inability to keep pace with him was compelling, to say the least.

Even so, she sidestepped his ask of her once again when she took the opportunity to mimic him and glance over her shoulder at his curious face. “You should probably go first.”

“Huh? Why?”

“In case there are wild animals in there, or something.”

The bored, irritated look he shot her did nothing to modify her strategy. It felt as though she had brought him along simply as a body guard when she assigned him the role of a human shield, and it nearly infuriated him that she had roped him into her inappropriate expedition so uncaringly. Prepared to snap, he felt his voice rise in volume as he said her name, “Nami—”

His mouth was still open in order to carry on with his intended admonishment of her scheme when the faintest rumbling of voices in the distance caught his attention, placing his instincts on high alert.

“What? What’s wrong?” “Shhh!” warned the first mate before he was forced to comply with her plan of action and raced towards the entrance of the cave. His mind vaguely interpreted the distance of the murmurs in the woods to be a dozen or so feet away, giving them a fair chance to sneak inside a fair depth before they risked being spotted. With heavy tip-toed steps did he take on the role she had assigned him as the escort and led Nami inside the hollowed tunnel before them as discreetly as he possible. Staring forward, it was impossible for one of the major setbacks to their journey to go unnoticed, though.

“It’s pitch black in here!” Zoro whispered with a furious tone to his voice. Thankfully, the sounds he made barely buzzed as they filled the earthy space, promising to diminish the risk of being found should they need to speak more often than not during their descent into the cave.

“It isn’t that dark,” argued Nami in the same voice, however, she housed a somewhat defensiveness in every word, “and our eyes will adjust the longer we’re down here.”

“We’re only staying down here until we know those guys in the forest are gone!” Instructed the agitated first mate to the navigator at his back.

She scoffed at him before answering, “I’m surprised that a guy who sleeps so much is scared of the dark.”

“I’m not scared of the dark! We can’t even see anything, Nami!”

“Shut up! Don’t say my name if people are following us down here!”

With great familiarity did he feel his teeth begin to grind against each other, his jaw tense while he frowned at her childish response. Zoro could not deny the stupidity he felt then and there as he cursed her inside of his mind, all while continuing to abide by her plan to explore the cave; no one toyed with his sense of self more so than she did, and it angered him to no end how he always found himself in such familiar situations with no means of escape.

Ignoring his plight, Nami muttered from behind him, “Make sure you walk along the side.” “Why?” He bit out instantly.

She failed to acknowledge his anger in his words even when she responded to them, “The path is about to become unsteady, probably; we can hold onto each other if we need support.”

Just as she provided him with her warning, Zoro lost his footing partially as the cave dipped at an odd angle, indicating the beginning of their descent. The heel of his boot planted itself into the ground so that he could decipher just how steep their trek would be from this point onward, and he realized quite quickly that Nami’s suggestion of taking one another’s hands while the moved was a very intelligent decision.

Given that he could guide her and release her if he was about to fall the rest of the way.

He wondered if this was her way of leading him on his descent to hell.

“Here; take my hand.” Zoro commanded in a less abrasive tone while holding out his open palm, steady, refusing to seek her out in the darkness.

“What—where?” Whined the proud woman behind him. He waited in place while she searched for his offering and when she located his hand, she slapped hers down onto his, creating a rather loud sound when their skin clashed.

“Quiet!” Zoro scolded her with a low growl. “All right!” Nami snapped back at her unamused guide. Of course she would refrain from apologizing for the sting that radiated off of his palm, or the volume of her voice that risked them being discovered; she possessed as many negative qualities as she did positive, and he couldn’t tell if that made her compelling or insufferable at times. In moments such as these, he tended to favour the latter.

The deeper they sunk into the cavern’s darkness, the less light they were gifted with to take in their surroundings. It only made the entirety of the situation feel even more foolish, so very ridiculous, that they would take on this excursion without informing anyone of their whereabouts. Enel forbid they end up stranded! How proficient were her navigation skills when the world around her was not illuminated, he could not help but think.

They continued to coast their way through the cave for quite some time without saying a word, both of them focusing on their uneven steps. There were indeed a handful of moments in which he was forced to pause and balance himself on the slanted pathway while assisting her over an irregular rise or fall in the ground. In some cases, he required both of her hands to help her along. A restless notion of tossing her over his shoulder like some sort of barbarian ran through his mind – the idea brightened, despite the lack of light surrounding him – however, his instincts once again caught wind of something that stalled their exploration.

“Hey…do you hear that?” Zoro whispered when they were nearly face to face, his awareness of her closeness discovered when it felt as if their chests had brushed against one another, implying that they had nearly shared the same breath.

“Hm?” Nami hummed in surprise. He imagined her blinking up at him while trying to locate the noise that had stopped him in his tracks. It did not shock him in the slightest when she suddenly uttered her realization, “It sounds like…water. Like the ocean.”

Zoro nodded, though she could not know that he did. The soothing tempo of the sea had calmed him while he had been standing on the edge of that cliff, it had faded when he had wandered deeper into the woods, and he had anticipated the sound to become mute once they chose to plunge into the strange opening in the earth. Nevertheless, there was that unmistakable intonation accompanying them inside of the mysterious cave, irrefutably familiar to those who lived their lives on the open waters.

“Where there is water,” Nami theorized aloud, whether for both of their sake, or simply her own, “there will also be light.”

Again, he responded to her with a nod, then proceeded to follow the sound that had caught their attention. The more he thought about it, the less he understood, however; how was it that he could hear the water, but he could not see any form of light? Why would the natives keep a place so esoteric unguarded, and not have a light source stationed along such a temperamental pathway? The entrance had been easy enough for two tourists to discover – were they walking headfirst into a trap? If so, the first mate was forced to begrudgingly admit to himself that he was at least somewhat satisfied to have been brought along, if only for Nami’s sake.

Her defenceless, weaponless sake.

“Stop!” Her voice startled him, especially when it bounced off of a stone wall that had been directly in front of his face. Distracted, he had failed to notice that he nearly walked right into the edge of the cave before its path diverted into an odd direction. Zoro could not fathom how she could have known it was there, given the way that the sound of free-flowing water only grew louder and louder, filling the space with its noisy beckoning and goading them to discover its location.

He ignored his mingling sense of relief and embarrassment and turned his body to the right—

“No, not that way.” Nami promised him from behind.

Unamused, he turned himself to face the exact opposite direction and when he did not receive further criticism, Zoro resumed their trek once again. An unfamiliar voice bobbed over their heads, sounding farther back in the cave while maintaining its volume; his honed sense of awareness informed him that whomever it was that was approaching, they had not properly entered the cave as of yet. There was no other option but to hope to find a place to hide should the people following after them chose to venture into the lightless tunnel.

Zoro’s distaste for the murky cave was immediately met with a glimmer of hope then, when he spied the edge of yet another turn in the cave’s pathway, thanks to an almost unnatural blue glow teasing them around the next corner. It was unexpectedly faint in comparison to the waves’ rising volume, but that failed to stop him from rushing towards the potential escape. Did it not surprise him then, when he turned to discover the sight of their path descending into the crystal blue waters, with no other end in sight.

“Nami…we’re stuck.” He did not approach, he did not observe; Zoro could barely believe that they had traveled all this way, only to become cornered by the sea. There was a few openings under rocky arches throughout the strange space, yet it mattered not to him while the swordsman did his best not to throttle the woman who brought him down to such a precarious place.

When she managed to step around him after he failed to assist her into entering the space, Nami’s gasp was followed up by a delighted squeal as she decreed, “It’s a grotto!” When he failed to immediately share her joy, she assumed that he did not understand her enthusiasm and chose to explain it to him. “This must connect us to…the east side of the island, where the Sunny is located. I bet if we swam out to that opening there” – she pointed, and with the light that traveled along the water, he managed to make out her form in the dull, natural glow of the grotto – “we’d be able to see it.”

“We may have to try it out, if someone followed us down here.” Zoro remarked as he turned his head in order to listen for any possible sounds being carried down the tunnel they had just exited. Why, he even closed his eye so that his focus could not be diverted—

“Zoro, look!” Nami’s voice shattered his concentration without remorse. Turning his head to glare at her, the swordsman found the navigator observing strange markings on the walls, most of the etchings blocked from his point of view due to her presence. Forced now due to imposed inquisitiveness, he stomped over to her side while listening to her read the engraved words aloud. “‘Beware the Witch. Listen to the voices of the dead from the seas. Pay the price if you enter the waves. The witch cares not for your pleas.’”

Zoro felt the chill that ran along her body, due to how close they stood. The letters appeared to have been scraped into the stone wall with a smaller rock, the lines appearing frantic, given how many there were. Unfortunately for the person who dared to warn them of the evil that possessed the grotto, the man who had recently attained Observation Haki sensed no such ill will inside of the cave; the ability activated whenever malicious or life-threatening conditions were present, and he could not locate any sort of hostility in their immediate space.

In fact, there was nothing else in their vicinity, not even the Cat Burglar’s most likely anticipated treasure.

“Well?” He asked her, expecting her to admit that they were foolish for entering such a place when it failed to bring them any real reward.

Instead, Nami surprised him by reaching for the hem of her sundress and began to drag the fabric over her head. “O-Oi!” shouted Zoro with a fair amount of surprise in his voice.

“Shhh! We don’t know if those people are still following us!” Reprimanded the woman who was stripping before him, making any possible escape quite challenging if there were other people in the tunnel due to her unclothed state.

“What the hell are you doing!?” He decided to be blunt in addressing his issue with her spontaneous desire to strip!

Her dress flew into his face and her snatched it up quickly in his tense hands. Standing before him now was a sight he was quite familiar with – Nami in a bikini. The colours surprisingly coordinated with the flower petals he had watched braid themselves into her hair earlier, yet that small factoid meant nothing to him while he awaited her answer. Apparently, he was receiving it in the form of an action instead of words: she strolled towards the water’s edge and began to enter the sea. As if it was her natural territory – like the witch he sometimes referred to her as – the navigator slowly waded her way out into the grotto’s depth.

Nevertheless, actions did not speak louder than words in a moment such as this, especially when he could have sworn he heard the sound of a rock being knocked down the tunnel they had just escaped, “Nami!”

“I-I’m going to see if I’m right about the Sunny; we need to have another way out in case we can’t go back the way we came!” The cool bite of the water caused her to stutter, and for reasons he could not understand then and there, he was glad to see her thrown off of her high horse if only in her ability to control her speech. She had brought them down here, she was putting them at risk of the irate locals who might happen to find them in their haunted grotto!

Nami and her ridiculous directions.

Zoro knew there were people approaching – the crawling awareness along his skin was running rampant in trying to get his attention. Surely, his Haki was not active at the moment due to the unsuspecting civilians who had no intention of finding two travelers in such an oddly sacred place. They would more than likely become hostile once they discovered the two of them, though. Not wanting to face such a dangerous encounter, his swords were in his hands the moment he realized that the only way to escape such a possible calamity was to once again allow Nami to lead the way. Holding his scabbards to the top of his head, the other quickly tied his battle ready bandana under his chin after securing his precious blades in place. They would need to rest vertical instead of horizontally if he expected to clear the opening the navigator had pointed out, which hazardously infringed on his sight.

The next time she tried to coerce him into something so ridiculous, he would need to remember how silly he felt in this very moment.

As he stepped into the glistening water, Nami finally took the plunge and dove beneath the waves, swimming out to the opening in the cavern wall in order to determine just how far they would need to swim. By the time his haramaki was mostly sopping wet, her orange hair reappeared above the water, curtaining an exhilarated expression. “It’s actually not that far from here! We should be able to swim to the Sunny in a few minutes.”

“Good, let’s go!” Barely paying attention to the volume of voice by this point, Zoro rushed Nami back into the water. She nodded, inhaled a hefty breath, then dove back into the sea. It would be quite challenging for him to escape the grotto while minding his swords, but it was his nearly literal cross to bear. He waited until his shoulders were almost covered before taking his feet off of the ground beneath him and swimming out after her. The exit took no time at all to reach, and there was an immediate awareness that – just like the path that had brought them down here – there was a sudden dip in the elevation of the earth beneath them, abandoning them both to the will of the ocean.

Zoro could not look back, and he did not want to, especially when he thought he heard a hushed conversation at his back that carried over the sound of the water that rushed passed his ears. All that that mattered to him then and there was catching up to Nami and swimming towards the Sunny. If they could sneak onto the ship and pretend create an excuse for their sudden re-emergence on the island, then—

Nami emerged from the ocean directly before him, forcing Zoro to recoil with the muscles in his gut as he prepared to tread water ever so suddenly. “W-What the hell!?” He hollered while fighting with the seawater that spilled into his open mouth.

“That’s what I want to know!” Nami screamed right back at him. “How can you get lost when the Sunny is right there!?” For dramatic – or descriptive – effect, she threw a pointed finger in the direction of their home as it bobbed at the port of Proserpina. The expression on the figurehead was typically bleak, and yet, it looked oddly stressed as though it was trying to avoid overhearing the scolding he was receiving.

Infuriated to no end, the thoughts that plagued him before she roped him into her dissatisfactory plans reared their ugly head once more and collected that envious burden of his in order to infuse all of his negativity into one unbridled response, “Then don’t swim underwater while leading the way out! You brought me down there! The least you could is take me back to the Sunny!”

“But it’s right there!” She tossed her head between his glower and the passive face of the Sunny, emphasizing her point.

“So what!?” Poor in articulation, Zoro let his antagonism rule his mind while he stared her down. Ignoring his soaking wet clothing and the precarious position his swords sat in atop of his head, he managed to gather enough enmity to fight Nami then and there without any other motivations.

And in the very instance in which he chose to wage war with her in the middle of the ocean, Nami’s brown eyes softened in an unexpected fashion.

She did not appear submissive, she did not appear sad or frightened; the look in those chocolate-colored eyes of hers appeared to be…sympathetic? Her pity was not wanted nor was it needed, and he was prepared to leave her staring after him as he swam in some godforsaken direction if it meant escaping her dejecting glance. He could train himself to stare at the Sunny until his face was plastered against the rim of the Soldier Dock System door! Perhaps his deficiency in directional capabilities was due to his lack of concentration on his destination! If only he could—

“All right,” Nami said gently, pulling him away from his inner craze. Without warning did she reach below the water and snatch up his hand. It was the reverse of the situation that had brought them into the cave – where he had escorted her to the destination she desired – and the comparison was not lost on him. “I won’t let you die at sea.”

“I wasn’t going to die out here!” Zoro barked back at her, his grip on her tightening in an attempt to show strength.

Nami merely laughed at his reaction to her words, and only after she began to speak did he recall the carving on the walls of the cave. “You call me a witch, right?” – when he didn’t admit or deny her claim, she merely began to kick her legs and swim towards their shared home – “Well, I heard your plea! You’re always adding more beris onto that debt you owe me, so I can just put this on your never-ending tab. Let’s go!”

A huff released as a final reply to her playful take on the unsettling mythos of the cave was immediately drowned by the sound of the rising tempo in the waves. She was a witch, Zoro thought sourly, and went so far as to theorize that perhaps this strange cult inhabiting the island had foreseen Nami’s arrival and wrote that message on the wall as a reminder of her innate cruelty. Lording her directional sense over him the way she was…

Only in the privacy of his own mind would he admit that he might have needed her assistance, if he could not even swim in one direction long enough to avoid missing the ship. As he watched her orange strands of hair sway along with and against the current of the sea, the swordsman found tranquility in the swirling motion amidst the envy that had possessed him in a blinding sort of rage. It was frustrating – in the privacy of his mind, in the solitude of his heart – to be in the presence who exceled so exponentially at something that he could never overcome.

And yet…

There was no unforgivable misdemeanour to be found in the way she brought him home.

Nami never failed to read the weather, chart their every destination, partake in a realm of study that was so far beyond his comprehension that the swordsman could secretly confess to never giving her proper credit for her work. She always relied on him whenever she needed someone strong, and there were times where his lack of navigational skill had nearly let her down, such as during Doflamingo’s assault on the Sunny, where he was forced to allow Sanji to go in his place…

But Nami held no ill will towards him. She showcased no jealousy of his craft and in fact depended on him and his honed strength without question whenever it suited her fancy. The excursion they had just endured with a supreme example of her faith in him, even though he did nothing more than lead her down a path that required her guidance at times…

Maybe she was indeed a witch, enchanting him with her signature ways in order to compel him to do things he knew he should not. Saying she had bewitched him into following her, holding her hand, becoming the victim of her greed would be so much easier to accept…

Rather than acknowledging the fact that perhaps he just merely did not want to admit that their clashing abilities might mean that he would need Nami for a long time to come.

They were two ends of the same spectrum – one with a nearly godlike directional sense, and the other who might as well have eaten the Lost Lost Fruit – and they had found one another. There were undisclosed moments in time when he wished he could be as talented with a compass, an internal directional sense as if it were a form of Haki he could attain. If the Straw Hats’ navigator was at his side, though, he could stroll through life without worrying about ever losing his way, couldn’t he? Accepting that was a challenge in and of itself; relying on another individual specifically, for something he surely lacked, would mean requiring someone in a lessened severity comparable to his swords.

And that person could be Nami?

Arriving at the Sunny meant that she had to turn to face him, all while holding his hand as casually as if they were overtly familiar with one another’s touch. “Think you can climb the anchor’s rope and then throw me down the ladder?” She asked through strained breaths, the swim to the ship taking a lot out of her. Her physical limitations were on display for him in that moment, and she did not seem at all bashful or displeased. There was a unique charm to the stubborn, prideful, dependant, secretive, caring relationship between them, Zoro realized then, the astonishment reflecting in his eyes.

Or rather, another thought had dawned on him that momentarily stole away some of the charm of the acceptance of his emotions.

Immediately, Nami noticed and questioned his sudden shift in expression, “What?”

Without any feeling whatsoever, Zoro reminded her, “You left your dress in the grotto.”

There was a long silence filled only by the familiar lull of the sea. “…So, we’ll be departing soon?”

Nodding mindlessly, Zoro agreed, “Yeah, I’d say so.”

 (I figured the theme of ‘Jealousy’ would be too easy to write as a ZoNaSan love triangle or something to that effect, so I wanted to take a different approach…and I ran away with the idea quite easily! In my mind, someone as out of touch with intimate feelings as Zoro might translate certain emotional responses incorrectly when he begins to fall in love, you know? Like how little boys are stereotyped as being mean to the girls they like – this is Zoro’s version of trying to avoid loving Nami and it forces him to become somewhat out of sorts because he is fighting his feelings too hard; he is forcing himself to be dishonest by trying to deny his admiration of one of her greatest traits. In the end, it only helps him to release that she is indeed the woman he needs! Very adult concept for Day 1, isn’t it? Also, there was a clear connection to Hades and Persephone of Greek mythology, along with the setting design based off of Capri’s Grotta Azzurra in Italy. Well, I hope you enjoyed the long read, and I hope to see you tomorrow! ~Maiden)

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