NOTE! This chapter was too long for one post and has been split into TWO. Link to the second half of the chapter can be found at the end of the chapter or you can read the full chapter on AO3.
A LuZo/ZoLu Best Friends to Lovers Modern AU.
[AO3 Link]
[Link to Chapter 1]
Summary:
Zoro and his friend group go on a much needed vacation to reconnect and unwind from their busy lives. However, some find themselves getting much closer than they expected.
Zoro comes to realize that he is comfortable being stuck in close quarters with his long time best friend Luffy, but he soon realizes that he wants more than just friendship from the other. Will Zoro risk jeopardizing their many years of friendship? Or will he choose to distract himself with a tempting proposition from someone else?
Or
"Oh no! There is only one bed!" Trope
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10 YEARS EARLIER
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The television flickered in the corner of Luffy's bedroom, washing the room in shifting blue light.
Every few seconds the glow changed, throwing long shadows across the stacks of cardboard boxes packed with Luffy's belongings.
Zoro hated those boxes.
He sat on the floor with his back against the mattress, one knee pulled up toward his chest. His gaze intensified the longer he looked at them, as though glaring hard enough might make them disappear.
Unfortunately, they remained exactly where they were.
Fully packed and ready to leave.
Ready to take Luffy away with them…
It felt like all their memories of bike rides, sleepovers, and numerous bad ideas (that usually ended with one of them getting yelled at) had been reduced to cardboard and packing tape.
The worst part was that they had spent the entire day creating this disaster.
Technically, they should have finished packing hours ago, but Zoro had spent half the afternoon finding reasons to move slower.
Luffy hadn't noticed… or maybe he had and simply hadn't said anything. Either way, the packing was done. The room was all packed regardless of how Zoro felt about it. The move was happening.
After eight years, Luffy was finally getting what he had always wanted.
He was moving in with Ace.
Zoro was happy for him. Really, he was. Afterall, Luffy talked about wanting to live with Ace so much, that Zoro started to want the same thing for him.
Every meeting with his social worker, Luffy would ask about it, wishing they could be placed together. He would cling to every piece of good news from Ace and hoped it meant the foster agency would find a way to make it happen.
Now it was.
After all this time there was finally room.
Luffy would finally get the happiness he deserved and be reunited with his brother.
With such good news, Zoro wondered why it felt like someone was slowly tightening a rope around Zoro's chest…
Ok, that was a stupid thing to question. Zoro knew why.
Luffy wasn't just moving to a new home. He was moving to a different town. They wouldn't be able to bike to each other's houses or see each other everyday anymore. Hell! They wouldn't even be attending the same high school!
Luffy was moving so far that seeing each other would actually require planning.
The thought made his stomach twist into knots.
Zoro wasn't the only one struggling with the move.
Makino had spent the day pretending she was fine, but she wasn't fooling anyone.
Every time she checked on them, her eyes looked suspiciously red and the tip of her nose was bright pink.
Twice, Zoro caught her standing in the doorway watching Luffy pack before she quickly found an excuse to leave again.
Zoro understood why… She'd raised Luffy with all the motherly love she could possibly give.
Makino had always understood Luffy in a way other adults didn’t.
She had managed to survive eight years of raising him, which was no small feat considering all the trouble Luffy got himself into.
She never yelled and she was slow to anger. If she did get upset, she wouldn’t stay that way for long.
Even her odd punishments were weirdly effective.
A few months ago, Luffy had called him during dinner time sobbing so hard he could barely speak.
“M-Makino called Disneyland a-and told them to ban me forever!!!”
Luffy’s wails were so loud that Mihawk and Perona had heard the entire phone conversation.
Apparently, Luffy had gotten in trouble one too many times for calling his teachers insulting names, so Makino's solution had been to pick up the phone, pretend to call Disneyland, and inform them that one Monkey D. Luffy was no longer welcome until he improved his manners.
The breakdown had been spectacular (considering that Luffy had only ever been to the park once) but damn that punishment worked.
Luffy didn’t give any teachers rude names the rest of the school year.
What if his new foster parent wasn't creative like that?
What if she lost her patience?
What if she was mean to him?
What if…
A hand suddenly pressed against his forehead.
Zoro gave a startled jump, then looked up towards the disruptive source.
Luffy was leaning over the edge of the bed, laying on his stomach. His chin rested on his folded arm while his legs kicked lazily behind him.
"Zoro." His thumb rubbed between Zoro's eyebrows. "Your face is doing the thing again."
"The thing?"
"The grumpy thing." Luffy pushed at the crease between his brows like he was trying to physically smooth the worry away. "See? All scrunched up."
The motion eased some of the tension that was building in Zoro's chest.
"Are you even watching the movie?"
Zoro glanced toward the television.
A car sped across the screen only to explode into a ball of flames. Another car flipped through the air, causing several people to scream in terror.
He had absolutely no idea what was happening.
"Not really." Zoro shrugged.
"I could tell." Luffy hummed.
Luffy grabbed a handful of popcorn from a bowl beside him. The movie continued to play unnoticed.
"Are you worried about school again?" Luffy asked between bites. "Nami's sister said your high school is supposed to be fun."
A fresh knot formed in the lot of Zoro's stomach.
School was another thing he didn't want to think about.
He was already nervous enough about starting high school. The fact that Luffy wouldn't be there made it worse.
For years, if something happened, Luffy had been right beside him, meeting him for every break between classes ready to put a smile on his face. He loved that Luffy could turn the worst day into a good one just by being present… but soon he wouldn't be.
Zoro shook the thought from his head.
"I wasn't thinking about school." Zoro replied.
Luffy tilted his head.
"Then what are you thinking about?"
Zoro fidgeted with the threads of carpet beneath him as he searched for the right words to explain his concern.
“Are you going to be ok with the move?” He asked without looking up. “I thought Ace said his foster mom was strict.”
"You mean Dadan?"
Zoro nodded.
"You said Ace calls her an old hag."
“Shishishi. He does.” Luffy rolled onto his back and folded his arms behind his head. “But he says she's a nice old hag."
Zoro's gaze wandered back to Luffy.
"I doubt she'd appreciate that description." He frowned.
"Probably not." Luffy's grin widened, still amused.
“Better not let Makino hear you call her that.” Zoro warned the other. “She’ll make sure Disney never lets you back in.”
Luffy stiffened. His eyes went comically wide at the reminder.
"I didn't call her that! Ace did!” Luffy clambered back to his stomach to defend himself. “And Sabo called her a hag long before he got constipated."
"Emancipated." Zoro corrected with a heavy sigh.
Sabo moving out of Dadan’s home was the entire reason this arrangement had become possible.
One person left, one space opened. Luffy was permitted to move in. The arrangement was that simple, but the more Zoro thought about it the less simple it felt.
"You said Ace is also planning to get emancipated in a year or two."
"Yeah… So?"
‘So’?! The comment just made Zoro feel frustrated. Why couldn't Luffy think things through?!
"So then you'll just be separated again." Zoro snapped.
For the first time all night, Luffy stopped smiling, and suddenly Zoro wished he could take the comment back… but it was too late for that.
Every worry Zoro kept hidden was piling up. One after another. Faster and faster. Like water building behind a dam. Before he realized it, the words were spilling out.
"I know you want to live with Ace, but what happens after he leaves? What if you don't like the school? What if Dadan's too strict? What if you don't make friends? What if-"
His voice caught.
Zoro was about to ask ‘What if you forget me?’ but that question lodged itself firmly in his throat.
He tried to swallow it, but he is'd been thinking about it for weeks. It sat in his chest every time someone mentioned the move.
He needed to know… Even if he wasn't sure he wanted the answer.
Zoro looked down at the floor. His fingers curled against the carpet. Then finally he forced himself to ask…
"Will you be okay without me?"
Luffy's body went completely still.
Zoro kept his eyes fixed on the carpet. He refused to look at whatever expression Luffy had on his face.
"What do you mean?" Luffy asked slowly. "I thought you said we can still see each other."
"Well... yeah." Zoro picked at a loose thread in the carpet. "But we won't see each other every day anymore."
The moment the words left his mouth, Luffy visibly relaxed.
"Oh." He sounded relieved. "Then yeah! As long as I still get to see you, I'll be okay."
The answer at least eased some of his nerves.
A familiar warmth Zoro always felt when he was around Luffy began to settle in his chest, but he picked at a loose thread he found on the carpet, still desperately trying to avoid Luffy's curious gaze.
"What about you?" Luffy tilted his head. "Will you be okay?”
Immediately, the warmth turned into panic.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Zoro tried to shrug, but the motion felt stiff. “Nami's there."
The reply was more defensive than an actual answer, and even he knew that sounded weak.
"Zorooooo's not being honest."
Luffy's sing-song accusation made Zoro's ears burn.
Luffy continued to stare.
The silence stretched long enough that eventually Zoro gave up.
"...I'll be okay.” His shoulders slumped. “It's just..."
The words felt difficult to get out.
When he'd first met Luffy (who was crying under a desk over untied shoes), he'd always thought he would be the one looking after him. But somewhere along the way, Zoro had realized that Luffy was the one who had always been taking care of him.
Luffy was the first kid who wanted to be his friend. He was the first kid who stood up for him.
Now, Zoro couldn't imagine what life looked like without him in it every day.
"I'm not very good at making friends." Zoro confessed quietly. "I'm only friends with Nami because you became friends with her first." He paused to swallow the lump forming in his throat. "Now we're going to different schools… What if you make a bunch of new friends and forget all about me?"
The mattress shifted behind him.
A moment later, there was a soft thump as Luffy climbed off the bed to plop down beside him.
Before Zoro could react, a greasy hand grabbed his chin and forced his face upward. Popcorn butter glistened on his fingers. There was even salt still on his hand.
"Luffy!"
"Look at me." The command was surprisingly serious.
Zoro lifted his gaze and froze. He immediately regretted making eye contact.
Luffy's eyes were locked onto his. His expression lacked its usual mirth. In fact… he looked genuinely offended.
"Don't be stupid." Luffy's words weren't harsh. If anything, they sounded hurt. His fingers tightened ever so slightly around Zoro's jaw. Not enough to cause any pain, just enough to make sure he was paying attention. "I could never forget you."
Zoro didn't say a word. Even if he could speak, he doubted he could find the words to convey what he felt right then.
He like that stupid thread on the carpet. Luffy was tugging on Zoro's heart strings, unraveling him bit by bit…
"You know more about me than anybody." Luffy continued. "You know my favorite foods, what movies I like, where I hide snacks… You even know what I want to name my future dog."
A ghost of a smile tugged at the corner of Zoro's mouth.
Luffy immediately pointed it out.
"See?! You even smiled because you know exactly what I'm talking about." Luffy loosened his grip, but didn't let go. "You think I'd throw all that away because I'm going to a new school?"
Zoro stared, completely transfixed.
Luffy could often be ridiculous, but when he cared about something nobody was more honest than him.
Slowly, Zoro reached up and grabbed Luffy's wrist. It would've taken almost no effort to pull free, but he held on instead.
"No." Zoro's voice came out barely louder than a whisper. "I don't think you'd forget me."
Luffy grinned. Bright and victorious.
"But..."
The grin faltered.
"That doesn't change the fact that I'm going miss you."
This time, Luffy was the one who looked away.
The room grew quiet again. Only the television continued to play in the background.
On-screen, some action hero was sprinting through a hail of bullets. Sparks exploded across the screen. A golden earring flashed in the light.
Luffy suddenly sat upright.
"Hey!"
Zoro jumped.
"What?"
Luffy pointed at the television. Then at Zoro.
"Didn't you want your ear pierced?"
The abrupt topic change nearly gave Zoro whiplash.
"...Yeah." His hand lifted to his ear. "Dad said I have to wait until my birthday."
Luffy immediately made a face.
"That's forever away."
"It's just a few months from now."
"Forever!"
Luffy’s grin widened from ear to ear.
The expression instantly made Zoro nervous.
Whenever Luffy looked like that, trouble usually followed.
"You should let me do it."
Zoro leaned back and stared at Luffy like he'd grown another head.
"Why would I let you stab a needle through my head?"
"Because!” Luffy scooted closer. “If I do it, then it'll be a reminder that I'm still with you… Plus you'll look bad ass and make more friends!"
The logic was completely ridiculous. A single piercing was not going to make people like him.
However, carrying around something that reminded him of Luffy had a strange appeal to it. Especially when Luffy was about to move away.
His gaze drifted back toward the packed boxes.
Tomorrow, this wouldn't be Luffy's room anymore.
Tomorrow, things would be different.
Plus… Zoro always had difficulty saying 'no' to Luffy.
"Do you even know how to pierce ears?" Zoro asked.
"No." Luffy pulled out his phone and waved it in his hand. "But that's why we have YouTube."
Before Zoro could protest, Luffy thumbs flew across the screen. A second later he shoved the device into Zoro's face.
The video couldn't have been longer than a minute.
A cheerful woman explained the process.
Step 1: Numb the ear with ice.
Step 2: Use Vaseline to make the needle slide in smooth.
Step 3: Pierce the ear with a needle.
Done.
The demonstration itself took less than thirty seconds.
The woman smiled proudly at the camera as she stuck an earring into her fresh piercing.
It seemed pretty easy. With only three steps, it seemed easy enough for Luffy to do.
The bigger issue was Mihawk.
His father had very specifically told him to wait until his birthday. Not following instructions would definitely lead to consequences.
Zoro considered that for almost five whole seconds, then shrugged.
That sounded like a problem that future Zoro could deal with.
"Alright."
Luffy sat upright, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Really?!"
"Yeah."
"YES!" Luffy launched off the bed. The sudden burst of excitement nearly sent him crashing into the dresser. "Let me go get everything!"
Zoro listened to Luffy's hurried footsteps race down the hallway.
A cabinet opened somewhere in the kitchen. Random clattering signaled that several things fell.
Zoro pinched the bridge of his nose. He was seriously rethinking his decision on the piercing, but he would feel pretty damn cowardly if he backed down now.
He glanced toward the doorway where Makino's bedroom door remained shut. There was no light peaking out the bottom of her door, so she must be asleep.
Maybe it was for the best that tonight was Luffy's last night here.
Makino would probably have a heart attack if she walked in right now.
Several minutes later, Luffy returned carrying the needed supplies: A sewing kit, a jar of Vaseline, and a cup full of ice.
Everything landed on the floor with a loud clatter except the ice. Somehow, Luffy managed to keep that upright.
"Okay." He dropped onto his knees. "What side?"
Zoro reached up and tugged on his ear.
"The right one."
Luffy squinted his eyes at the ear in question.
"That's your left."
“That's what I meant! Your left, my right.”
“Don't you mean my right and your left?”
Zoro felt heat rush into his face.
"Zoro's confused again!" Luffy burst out laughing.
"Just give me the damn ice before I change my mind."
Still laughing, Luffy handed over the cup.
Zoro grabbed a handful and pressed it against his ear.
The cold immediately bit into his skin. Water trickled past his jaw and down the nape of his neck.
Meanwhile, Luffy opened the sewing kit and began examining the needles.
"Woah! This one's huge." Luffy held up a needle nearly the length of his finger.
Zoro shifted uneasily where he sat.
‘Trust the process… trust the process…’ Zoro thought in his mind.
Luffy dipped the needle directly into the Vaseline and twirled it around. Once satisfied, he held it up.
The needle glistened with a horrifying amount of Vaseline.
"Shouldn't we disinfect it?" Zoro asked.
The needle stopped spinning between Luffy's fingers as he paused to consider the question.
“I don't think so.” He finally answered. “The lady in the video didn't. She seemed like she knew what she was doing."
That seemed fair enough.
Zoro leaned back against the side of the bed, ready to accept his fate
His ear was completely numb now. Even his hand lost feeling.
Luffy held up the needle.
"Ready?"
Zoro dropped the ice into the cup.
"Ready."
Luffy moved closer until the needle touched Zoro's skin.
At first, Zoro barely felt anything. The ice was definitely helping.
Then the pressure increased.
A sharp pinching sensation followed.
Zoro winced.
Luffy's tongue poked out in concentration.
The pressure somehow became worse.
"Did you get it?" Zoro asked.
"No… Hang on." Luffy pressed harder. "I think I used too much Vaseline."
The pressure vanished.
Luffy leaned back, his eyes grew wide.
“Oops."
That was not the reaction Zoro wanted from his piercer.
"What do you mean oops?"
Luffy’s gaze remained on Zoro’s ear, assessing the damage, then slowly drifted back to him.
"... I think I missed."
"You MISSED?!"
Zoro shot to his feet and rushed to the mirror.
"It was really slippery!" Luffy called after him.
A long sewing needle protruded from the upper portion of his ear. Randomly lodged in cartilage. Nowhere near where a lone earring should be.
"Luffy!" Zoro angrily snapped his attention back to his friend.
“I told you it was slippery!”
Zoro turned back to the mirror to look again. The needle wobbled with the movement.
His stomach immediately dropped.
“It doesn't look that bad.”
Zoro dragged a hand down his face and groaned.
"Just pull it out," Luffy suggested. "Then I can try again."
Zoro peeked through his fingers at his reflection.
A tiny bead of blood had already begun forming around the metal.
Years of sword training had taught him enough to know that removing something lodged in a wound usually made things worse.
"I'm not taking it out. It's the only thing keeping my ear from bleeding everywhere." Zoro forced himself away from the mirror and headed back toward his seat on the floor. "Just get a fresh needle.”
Luffy immediately brightened.
“Okay!”
He grabbed a fresh sewing needle from Makino's sewing kit and reached for the Vaseline again.
Just before Luffy dipped the needle into the Vaseline, something clicked in Zoro's head.
“Wait.”
Luffy froze with the needle hovering above the Vaseline jar.
“Didn't the woman in the video put the Vaseline on the ear, not the needle?”
Luffy reopened the tutorial.
The screen lit up his face as he scrubbed backward through the video with Vaseline covered fingers. Sure enough, the woman on screen did exactly what Zoro said.
“Oh.” Luffy grinned. “Zoro's so smart.”
Without waiting for a reply, Luffy scooped a glob of Vaseline onto his fingers and smeared it across Zoro's ear.
“That's way too much-”
He was cut off when the second needle pressed against his skin.
The second attempt hurt more. The numbness from the ice was fading. Instead of pressure, Zoro actually felt the needle this time. His ear pulsed from the swelling heat as it became increasingly more aggravated.
Zoro clenched his jaw when another sharp pinch shot through his ear.
Luffy didn't say anything, which immediately made Zoro suspicious.
The room went quiet. Too quiet.
Luffy stared at his ear with his lips pressed into a tight line.
Zoro narrowed his eyes.
“What did you do?”
“Nothing.” Luffy waved his hand as if he was trying to swat away Zoro’s questions.
“Luffy.”
"Say..." he started carefully. "How would you feel if we did oooone more piercing?"
A sinking feeling settled in his stomach.
Very slowly, Zoro stood and looked toward the mirror again.
The second needle was lower than the first, but it was still higher than where the actual earring was supposed to go.
His ear had become bright red.
Two sewing needles now protruded from it at completely different angles.
“Three would actually look cooler.” Luffy spoke up from behind.
Zoro's frown deepened.
“You use three swords.” Luffy reminded him. “It could be like a collage.”
“You mean homage.”
“Yeah, that!”
Zoro exhaled sharply through his nose.
This had quickly become the worst decision of his life. His ear was throbbing and his future punishment from Mihawk was growing more severe by the minute. Not to mention that he was about to walk around his new school with more holes than a slice of swiss cheese.
But he was not a quitter.
If they had come this far, they were finishing it.
“I swear,” Zoro warned, pointing at him, “if you miss again…”
“I'm not gonna miss. Come on.” Luffy patted the carpet next to him. “Third time's the charm.”
Luffy grabbed a third needle. This time he skipped the Vaseline entirely.
There was already more coating on Zoro's ear than what he used to oil his swords.
“Hold still.”
The burning sensation from earlier intensified when Luffy tugged on his ear again.
“Careful!” Zoro hissed.
His entire ear felt like it was on fire.
He expected Luffy to stab it through as quickly as the last two, but the other seemed to be taking his time.
“Can you hurry up?” Zoro complained.
“I would if you'd stop moving.”
“I wouldn't move if you'd stop taking forever.”
“I want to get it right.”
“For the love of- Just stab me already!”
A loud gasp suddenly came from the doorway.
Both boys jumped.
"AGH!"
Pain exploded through Zoro's ear.
The third needle had punched through his swollen skin. His eyes watered instantly at the sensation, but he could tell that Luffy had finally hit the correct location.
For one glorious moment he basked in the relief that it was finally over… but then he looked up.
Makino stood frozen in the doorway. One hand clutched her robe shut, while the other held the wall for support. Color had completely drained from her face. Her eyes traveled slowly across the room to take in what she was seeing.
A very long silence followed.
When she finally spoke, her voice was terrifyingly calm.
"Boys."
Luffy visibly shrank.
"Get your shoes on."
Makino turned her attention directly toward Zoro.
"I'll call your dad on the way to urgent care."
Zoro felt his soul leave his body.
Mihawk was going to kill him.
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Present Time
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“My neck is killing me!”
Usopp trudged down the open hallway with one hand clamped over the back of his neck, kneading at a knot that refused to loosen.
"I can't feel my shoulder anymore either.”
He rolled his head from side to side, wincing with every crack.
Judging by everyone else's faces, he wasn't the only casualty of the night's sleeping arrangements.
Franky rolled his shoulders every few steps until they gave an audible pop, Sanji repeatedly stopped walking to stretch one leg behind him, and even Robin attempted to unstiff her joints by rotating one wrist before calmly folding her arms again.
Honestly, Zoro thought they were all overreacting. He and Luffy had slept perfectly fine.
Luffy bounced ahead of the group with an extra spring in his step, looking like he had the greatest sleep of his life.
Zoro had no complaints. He always enjoyed the way Luffy sprawled across him like a weighted blanket, one arm slung over Zoro's ribs and one leg tangled with his own.
Feeling well rested, however, was another story.
They'd barely managed a few hours before Nami's alarm had shattered the silence at six in the morning.
Zoro had placed his pillow over his face, fully intending to ignore it, but Nami had decided that wasn't an option.
According to her, they had to get their resort wristbands as soon as the welcome desk opened and ask whether any additional rooms had become available within the few hours they had been there… Damn that witch was definitely persistent.
While everyone else was still waking up, Robin had taken the time to leaf through the brochures scattered across the desk in the corner.
"Look," she'd said, pointing to a page in the resort guide. "There's a fitness center with locker rooms and showers."
The announcement had transformed Nami's mood almost instantly.
"Oh good," Nami had said with an audible sigh of relief. "Once we get our wristbands, we can take showers there and not have to worry about fighting for the bathroom."
Personally, Zoro didn't understand the urgency of the whole shower situation.
They were on vacation. People acted like missing a single day of showering was the end of civilization.
He only showered when he got dirty. Yesterday had mostly consisted of sitting on airplanes and in a shuttle. That hardly counted as getting dirty.
Still, arguing with Nami before she'd had breakfast seemed like an excellent way to ruin the morning.
So everyone took turns getting ready then shuffled toward the lobby, moving with all the enthusiasm of zombies.
"At least I can breathe again." Usopp let his hand fall away from the knot he'd been rubbing and drew in a long exaggerated breath of the warm, humid morning air. "I thought I was going to suffocate in that room."
"You can say that again." Franky stretched until several joints cracked in rapid succession. "Luffy's sleep farts were strong enough to strip the paint off the walls."
"I do not fart in my sleep!" Luffy protested immediately.
He absolutely did.
Zoro had told Luffy that countless times over the years.
Unfortunately, Luffy operated on the unshakable belief that because he'd never smelled one himself, they simply didn't exist… As if sleeping through the crime somehow made him innocent.
"I blame the airplane food," Sanji muttered around a yawn, rubbing his one visible eye. "Nothing but processed junk. There wasn't a single balanced meal on that flight."
Zoro frowned.
"It also didn't help that you fed him half your dinner."
Sanji immediately rounded on him.
"I did not feed him." He jabbed an accusing finger toward Luffy. "The idiot stole it off my tray while I was talking to Nami."
"You should know better than to leave food unattended around Luffy." Zoro shot back.
Sanji clicked his tongue.
"That's not my fault."
"It became your fault the second you looked away from your sandwich."
Luffy let out a long groan.
"Can we stop talking about food?" Luffy whined, clutching his stomach. "I'm staaaaaarving."
Robin smiled softly.
"Just a little longer." She reached up and gently patted his head. "Once we have our wristbands, we can head straight to one of the buffets."
"Buffet?!"
Luffy's entire face lit up. The word alone seemed to inject life back into him. Without another thought, he bounded ahead of the group toward the lobby with renewed purpose.
Zoro shook his head with an amused huff.
Typical.
Food really was Luffy's greatest motivator.
As the group's attention followed Luffy, Zoro’s drifted toward the back of their group instead.
Chopper had fallen several steps behind everyone else.
The poor guy looked miserable.
Dark circles hung beneath his eyes, and he looked as though he was struggling to keep them open. Every few steps his body drifted sideways before he sleepily corrected himself.
"Doing alright back there?"
Chopper lifted his head sluggishly. His eyes looked glassy with exhaustion.
"Don't worry about me." He rubbed both eyes with the heels of his hands.
"I've just..."
An enormous yawn interrupted him.
"...had a lot of overnight shifts during residency lately."
Another yawn.
"I thought I'd catch up on sleep during vacation but..."
His sentence dissolved into a sleepy mumble.
Zoro slowed until they were walking side by side. Without saying anything else, he held out an arm.
Chopper blinked at the arm in confusion.
"You can lean on me." Zoro held his arm out further, urging Chopper to come closer. "Once we get the wristbands, you can head back and sleep some more."
Chopper didn't even pretend to refuse. He gently rested against Zoro's side.
"...Thanks." His eyelids were already drooping closed. "I'm just... gonna rest my eyes..."
Within seconds, most of his weight settled against Zoro.
Zoro adjusted automatically, wrapping an arm around Chopper's shoulders just enough to steady him while they walked.
It reminded him of guiding Luffy around after the other had burnt himself out on an intense workout. Perhaps he was just his friend group’s support beam.
Not that he minded... Much.
The awkward part came when they reached the broad staircase leading from the resort buildings to the main lobby.
"Step," Zoro warned quietly.
Chopper sleepily lifted one foot.
"And another."
They continued until they made it to the top without incident.
Just like their group, the resort was only beginning to wake.
A few guests jogged along the pathways toward the beach. Others wandered with steaming coffee cups in hand, making their way toward breakfast. Palm trees swayed lazily overhead while the distant rhythm of waves rolled onto the shore.
It was exactly the kind of atmosphere Zoro had been hoping for.
Quiet. Relaxed. Just a week where he could turn his brain off.
As they approached the lobby, his eyes wandered almost automatically toward the unusual tree standing beside the entrance.
Morning light spilled across its twisting branches, spreading dappled shadows along their path.
The fruit looked even stranger during the day.
Their skins shimmered with rich colors that almost seemed to glow beneath the sunlight.
It didn't look real.
"So beautiful.” Vivi stopped walking altogether. She gently tugged on Nami's sleeve. "Nami, look. The colors are glowing."
Nami gave the tree the briefest glance.
"They're pretty," she admitted distractedly. "But let's worry about sightseeing after we-"
"WHOA!"
Luffy eyes sparkled with excitement when they landed on the fruit.
"Those look delicious!"
He veered off the path in an instant toward one of the lower branches.
Robin moved before anyone else.
"Luffy, DON’T!"
Her hand shot out, grabbing a fistful of Luffy's shirt and yanking him backward just as his fingers reached toward one of the low hanging fruits.
"Hey-" Luffy paused mid-protest when he turned to look at Robin.
Robin's breathing was quicker than normal.
Her hand remained tightly clenched in Luffy's shirt.
There was a flicker of panic in her usually composed expression.
"Those fruits are extremely poisonous," Robin said firmly. "You should never eat them."
Zoro felt his blood grow cold. His heart beat thrummed hard, somehow pounding in his ears
Poisonous?! And Luffy almost ate that? He had almost lost his best friend to a damned fruit?!
Before Zoro could spiral any further over what just happened, a second voice answered from nearby.
"Your friend's absolutely right."
The group turned.
A security guard approached along the stone pathway.
He wore the same dark resort security uniform as the broad man Zoro had seen lurking around the tree the night before.
This guard, however, couldn't have been more different.
He was lean instead of broad with an unusually long nose that instantly reminded Zoro of Usopp. His easy smile made him seem approachable, even cheerful despite the warning he'd just delivered.
He tipped the brim of his baseball cap politely toward Robin.
"Thanks for stopping him, ma'am." His accent carried an old-fashioned cadence that made every sentence sound strangely refined. "That makes my job easier."
Luffy let his hand fall with an exaggerated pout. He stared longingly at the colorful fruit overhead like he'd just watched someone take away dessert.
Zoro's own expression hardened.
His pulse hadn't quite settled from realizing how close Luffy had come to grabbing one.
If Robin hadn't reacted...
The thought alone made something twist violently in his chest, nearly stealing his breath away.
Zoro looked back at the guard, irritation boiling over before he could stop it.
"If they're poisonous..." His voice came out sharper than intended. "...then why the hell are they growing right next to the lobby where anyone can grab one?"
The guard didn't appear offended. Instead, he looked toward the tree with admiration.
"It's protected."
He folded his hands neatly behind his back.
"The resort was built around it when the property changed ownership years ago, the new owners wanted the tree removed but they weren't permitted to." His eyes drifted up through the twisting branches. "It's one of the rarest in the world. Researchers believed relocating it would've shocked the root system badly enough to kill it."
Zoro looked back toward the brightly colored fruit dangling only a few feet above the walkway.
"So..." He gestured toward the branch. "The only solution was to leave deadly fruit hanging within reach of every curious guest that walks by?"
The guard's easy smile faltered ever so slightly.
"We keep the area under constant supervision." His eyes flicked toward Luffy. "Some guests simply keep us busier than others."
That answer only irritated Zoro more.
"It could've killed my friend." The words spilled out of his mouth like venom before he could soften them. "So why isn't there a fence? A warning sign? Anything?!"
For the first time, he genuinely looked caught off guard.
Before he could answer, Vivi stepped quietly beside Zoro.
A gentle hand settled against his forearm.
"Zoro." Her voice was soft. "Please calm down."
He glanced sideways.
Concern filled her expression.
"No one got hurt."
Zoro's shoulders remained tense.
His eyes swept across the rest of the group.
Nobody looked comfortable anymore.
Franky had crossed his arms.
Usopp looked like he wanted to disappear into the nearest shrub.
Chopper had unconsciously shuffled closer to Robin.
Even Luffy wasn't smiling anymore.
The security guard cleared his throat.
"My earlier comment was only made in jest." His tone had grown noticeably more careful. "I never would've allowed your friend to eat the fruit."
He offered another polite smile.
"We always have security like myself patrolling this area. We prevent anything hinky from going down. It’s part of the job."
The way he said ‘hinky’ made Zoro wish he had one of his swords on him. He wanted so badly to swipe the fake smile off this guy’s face. The man couldn't have been much older than they were, yet he talked like somebody's grandfather!
Still...
Everyone else was visibly uncomfortable.
His reaction wasn't helping the situation.
Zoro let out a slow breath through his nose.
"D your job better." The words came out as more of a grumble than a shout this time.
He turned away from the guard.
"Come on." Zoro jerked his head toward the lobby. "Let's just get our stupid wristbands."
The group eagerly welcomed the change of subject.
They began filtering through the entrance almost immediately.
As Usopp walked past Franky, Zoro caught him whispering under his breath.
"I seriously thought he was gonna punch that guy..."
Chopper quietly nodded from behind them.
"So did I." He squeaked.
Zoro lingered outside for one last moment.
Something still bothered him.
He looked back at the guard.
"If these trees are so protected..." Zoro began, his stern gaze drifted back to the guard. "Then why did I see the security guard from last night take one of the fruit?"
For the briefest instant, the man's composure cracked. His posture stiffened. His eyes widened just enough for Zoro to notice.
Then the pleasant smile returned.
"I believe you're mistaken, sir." His voice remained polite. Almost too polite. "Our staff would never remove fruit from that tree."
Zoro held his gaze another second.
He knew what he'd seen, but arguing wasn't worth it.
Not now, when everyone else was waiting.
"Tch."
Zoro turned his back on the man.
Fuck him…
The lobby's cool air wrapped around him the instant he stepped inside.
It felt refreshing after the sticky morning heat.
Luffy was waiting just beyond the doorway.
The moment he spotted Zoro, he wandered over and latched onto his arm, taking over the spot Chopper had occupied only minutes earlier.
"You okay?"
Zoro glanced down to find Luffy's wide brown eyes staring up at him with worry.
"I will be." He sighed. He placed a hand over Luffy's, reassuring himself that no harm had come to his friend. "As long as you promise me you won't eat any weird fruit while we're here."
Luffy grinned.
"Shishishi. I'll only eat buffet food." Then, almost absentmindedly, Luffy reached up and ran his fingers through the three earrings in Zoro's left ear. "I promise."
The familiar gesture caught Zoro off guard. His shoulders loosened almost immediately.
Funny.
After all these years, Luffy still had little habits that only seemed to exist around him.
Whenever he played with Zoro's earrings, his tension simply disappeared.
Zoro welcomed the distraction.
‘Everything is fine.’ Zoro told himself.
Besides… Vivi had been right. Nobody got hurt. That was what mattered.
The group drifted together near the welcome desk by the lobby entrance where the shuttle had dropped them off the night before.
The area looked completely different in the daylight.
What had been an empty counter now displayed towering glass dispensers filled with brightly colored drinks. Beads of condensation rolled lazily down the sides, catching the morning sunlight filtering through the enormous lobby windows. Bowls of sliced citrus, fresh mint, and neatly folded napkins completed the display, making the whole setup look far more inviting than the exhausted check-in counter they'd stumbled into after midnight.
Standing beside it was a woman in a floral resort shirt tucked neatly into a khaki skirt. She adjusted a pair of bright red glasses before smiling warmly at the approaching crowd.
"Good morning!" Her gaze swept across all nine of them before a look of recognition crossed her face. "I take it you're the large group Miss Kalifa checked in last night?"
Nami reached the table first. She planted both hands against it and leaned forward.
"Did she find us extra rooms before she left?"
Straight to business.
Zoro admired her fierce determination when it wasn't aimed at him.
The poor employee's smile faltered.
"Uh... no. I'm sorry. Nothing became available overnight." She gave an apologetic laugh while nudging her glasses farther up her nose. "Miss Kalifa informed me about your situation before she left. I promise we'll move your group into additional rooms as soon as something opens."
Nami's fists balled. Before she could argue further, Vivi stepped smoothly beside her.
"We were told to come here for our wristbands."
"Oh! Yes!" The woman reached for a clipboard. It immediately slipped from her fingers. "...Oops."
The clipboard hadn't even touched the floor before Sanji launched himself forward.
He caught it with both hands, somehow dropping onto one knee in the process.
Zoro pinched the bridge of his nose.
Of course.
"A beautiful lady like yourself should never have to pick up something she dropped." Sanji held the clipboard out like he was presenting a priceless treasure.
The guy looked less like he was returning office supplies and more like he was proposing marriage.
The woman's smile became noticeably awkward.
"Thanks..." She didn't take it. "Those are actually your waiver forms. You can just take one and pass the clipboard around."
A muffled snort escaped Usopp somewhere behind Zoro.
Sanji quietly stood, peeled one form off the stack with considerably less flair than before, and handed the clipboard to Zoro.
"While everyone takes one, let me officially welcome you." The woman continued pleasantly, "Welcome to Thousand Sunny Springs. My name is Tashigi."
She offered a small bow.
"I'll be explaining your resort wristbands this morning. First, please remember these bands are quite expensive. They act as your room keys and grant access to all resort amenities, so you'll need to return them when you check out."
She gestured toward the forms.
"By signing, you're acknowledging responsibility for them. Lost wristbands carry a replacement fee of $250.00 each."
Zoro could physically feel Nami's stare sweeping across every member of their group.
"If any of you lose yours..." Nami hissed under her breath. "I'll make you pay double."
Everyone silently reached for a pen.
Considering the reservation was under Nami's credit card, nobody wanted to find out whether she was bluffing.
Zoro signed his name without another word.
One by one, the completed forms returned to Tashigi.
She counted them twice before smiling again.
"Perfect." She spread both hands toward the glass dispensers. "As a welcome gift, everyone receives one complimentary signature drink."
Luffy's eyes lit up.
"There are alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions."
Zoro immediately became interested.
"Isn't it a little early for alcohol?" Vivi asked.
Zoro’s head snapped to her direction, a deep frown forming as he did so.
"It's vacation," Usopp said, nudging Vivi with his elbow. "Morning rules don't exist."
Vivi laughed quietly.
"I suppose that's fair."
Tashigi began filling glasses.
One after another she handed them out until everyone held a brightly colored drink.
"You all enjoy yourselves while I prepare your wristbands."
She disappeared through the same back door Kalifa had used the night before.
The instant she vanished, Luffy thrust his cup into the air.
Zoro drank deeply. In an instant, he realized that he had already emptied the entire thing.
It was sweet. Definitely tropical, but it was far sweeter than he usually preferred. However, the rum lingered pleasantly at the back of his throat, spreading a comfortable warmth through his chest and fingertips.
Yeah… He definitely needed that.
Around him, conversations immediately splintered into smaller groups.
"The balance is impressive. The citrus doesn't overpower anything." Sanji rotated his glass thoughtfully. "And look at that beautiful orange color."
Zoro looked from Sanji's drink to his own empty cup.
“What do you mean orange?” Zoro asked. “It's red.”
Sanji turned to give Zoro an incredulous look.
"It's not red. It's orange.”
Zoro stared, unimpressed.
“That is definitely red.”
Sanji let out a frustrated growl and held his glass toward the sunlight pouring through the lobby windows.
"Look at it!"
"I am."
"It's fucking orange!"
Zoro folded his arms.
“Well, in the shade it was red, then you put it up to the light but now... yeah, it's fucking red!”
Sanji's eye twitched.
"Bullshit." Sanji reached around Zoro and grabbed Luffy by the shoulder. "Luffy!"
"Hm?" Luffy looked up from happily sipping his own drink.
"What color is this?"
Luffy glanced at the glass for less than half a second.
"Red. Why?"
Sanji stared at him in disbelief.
"No!" He dragged a hand down his face in frustration. "Why did I ask when you both share the same brain cell?"
His head whipped toward the others.
"NAMI!"
Nami looked up from talking with Vivi.
"What?" Nami looked like she knew his question was going to bother her.
"What color is this?"
She barely glanced over.
"It's the same color as my hair.” Nami deadpanned. Then she immediately returned to her conversation.
Sanji pointed triumphantly.
"See?!" He jabbed a finger toward Nami. "Orange!"
Zoro nearly choked.
"What are you talking about? Nami's hair is red! She's literally called a redhead!"
Sanji looked ready to tear his own hair out.
"FRANKY!" Sanji called.
Franky paused his conversation with Robin.
"What?"
"What color is this?"
Franky looked between Sanji's furious expression and Zoro's equally stubborn one.
"...Uh..." Franky scratched the back of his neck, already uncomfortable with being pulled into their argument. "What color do you think it is, buddy?"
"Coward," Zoro muttered under his breath.
Franky narrowed his eyes.
"I heard that."
Before Franky could fully get dragged into the argument, Robin calmly stepped in.
"It's tangerine orange." She smiled softly. "Like Nami's hair."
Sanji threw his free hand into the air.
"THANK YOU!"
He spun toward Zoro with smug satisfaction.
"You hear that, mosshead? Robin settled it."
Zoro opened his mouth, fully prepared to argue.
Before he could continue the debate, Tashigi reappeared through the staff door carrying a bundle of white plastic tags threaded with bright red cords in one hand and a small clear container in the other.
"Alright!" she said brightly. "We're just about ready."
She set everything neatly across the welcome desk.
"To make sure these don't come off during your stay, I'll have to fit them to each of your wrists and crimp the clasps closed."
She opened the clear container with a soft pop.
Inside sat a pair of small jewelry pliers alongside tiny silver rings used to fasten the cords permanently around each guest's wrist.
The metal pieces clinked as she lifted one out.
"It takes a few minutes, so I like to get to know our guests while I work."
She smiled around the group.
"Just tell me your name and what you do for a living."
She lifted the pliers and gave them an experimental squeeze.
Click.
"Who wants to go first?"
"I do."
Of course.
Sanji vaulted to the front before anyone else could answer.
He extended his arm with such exaggerated flourish that it looked like he was inviting Tashigi to dance rather than fastening a resort bracelet.
Zoro resisted the urge to groan. He was going to have to deal with this fake flirting the entire trip…
Tashigi's polite smile stiffened ever so slightly. Still, she accepted Sanji's wrist with practiced professionalism.
"I'm Sanji," Sanji said smoothly. He flashed a seductive smile. "I'm a chef at my father's restaurant, the Baratie."
As Tashigi looped the cord around his wrist, Sanji leaned in just enough to be annoying.
"But I'm saving up to open a restaurant of my own. A place where beautiful ladies like yourself never have to pay."
Tashigi paused, her expression flattened. She quickly recovered and reached for one of the silver clasps.
"That doesn't sound like a very sustainable business model…" She deadpanned as she threaded the ring through both ends of the cord. "If you're planning to spoil every woman who walks through the door."
Usopp snorted.
Sanji's confident smile faltered. It seemed he had finally gotten the hint that he was coming on too strong.
"I may have heard that exact lecture from my mom.” He rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassment replacing his flirtatious confidence. "For a long time, my mother was the only person who believed I could become a chef."
The flirtatious tone disappeared from his voice.
"When she married my adoptive dad, he believed in me too. He even let me start testing recipes in his kitchen while I was still a kid."
Sanji glanced down at his own hands.
"I've spent years learning everything I can. I just want to make them proud someday."
The warmth returned to Tashigi's smile. She crimped the silver ring shut with one clean squeeze of the pliers.
"I think that's a wonderful reason.” She said while trimming the excess cord. “I'm sure they're already proud of you."
Sanji froze. A red flush climbed into his cheeks. One compliment was all it took to turn the idiot back into melted butter.
Zoro clicked his tongue.
Tashigi's attention shifted naturally toward him.
"Next?"
Zoro stepped forward.
"Zoro." He extended his left arm with as minimal flair as possible. "I own a dojo."
He hoped that would have been enough. Instead, Tashigi's face brightened.
"Oh?" Tashigi slipped the cord around his wrist. "What do you teach?"
Zoro suppressed a sigh.
"...Kenjutsu."
Tashigi gasped.
"No way! Me too!" Her fingers tightened around his wrist without her seeming to notice. "I mean, I don't teach like you do, but I've been training for years. I almost never meet guests who practice swordsmanship."
"Tch." Sanji clicked his tongue in disappointment from somewhere behind Zoro.
Zoro ignored him. Not his fault Tashigi suddenly wanted to talk swords instead of soufflés.
"That's... cool." Zoro awkwardly gestured toward their still-connected hands. "Can you finish?"
"Oh!" Tashigi seemed to look embarrassed by her own excitement as she averted her eyes. Her cheeks dusted pink. "Sorry."
She hurriedly tightened the band around his wrist. The cool tips of her fingers lingered against his pulse while she adjusted the clasp. When she finished she didn't let go. Her touch remained on his skin far longer than necessary.
Zoro shifted uncomfortably.
"Sanji and I train there too!" Luffy suddenly appeared beside them. He hooked an arm around Zoro's shoulder while thrusting his own wrist toward Tashigi. "I'm Luffy!"
Luffy tugged Zoro backward just enough to wedge himself between them.
Tashigi blinked in surprise as Zoro was decisively pulled out of reach.
"We don't use swords though," Luffy continued cheerfully. "Sanji does kickboxing and Zoro's my boxing coach."
Tashigi looked from Luffy back toward Zoro. She seemed to be trying to calculate something as her eyes flickered back and forth.
"That's quite a different discipline." She finally answered, confusion still furrowing her eyebrows.
Zoro didn't know why she was looking at them that way, but he was just happy to be released from her hold.
"It is." Luffy nodded enthusiastically. He moved until he was fully in her line of vision, cutting Zoro from view. "But if I wanted to box professionally and there wasn't anybody else I'd trust to train me."
Zoro smiled despite himself, warmth filling his chest as it always did when Luffy complimented him.
Training Luffy wasn't too much work though. He liked patching him up after fights and making sure he actually drank water between sparring rounds.
Tashigi paused.
"Professionally? Wait…" Tashigi's eyes widened. Recognition flashed across her face. "Are you Luffy D. Portgas?"
"Yup!" Luffy beamed.
"Oh wow!" Tashigi smiled back looking impressed. "We had your last fight playing on all the lobby televisions a few weeks ago! You're incredibly talented. Especially for someone so new to the circuit."
"Shishishi. Thanks!" Luffy leaned back into Zoro.
Tashigi looked between the two of them with obvious amusement.
"So..." Tashigi clipped the bracelet closed around Luffy's wrist. "You’re together?"
Luffy threw his free arm back around Zoro's shoulders and hauled him against his side.
"We've been together forever!"
"Pretty much." Zoro nodded in confirmation. They had been friends for ages, but he didn't elaborate on that thought.
A chorus of groans rose behind them.
"They're unbelievable." Nami muttered to Vivi under her breath.
Robin smiled quietly into her drink.
Now it was Zoro's turn to be confused. What the hell was that reaction?!
Tashigi moved on.
The rest of the group went through the process one by one.
Usopp went first.
He explained that he'd recently finished his master's degree in film and was working toward becoming a screenwriter. He'd already landed a position writing for a sitcom, although he was hoping to eventually work his way up to directing one of his own stories.
He talked for several minutes.
Zoro tuned out about half of it.
Usopp had a tendency to get carried away whenever anyone asked about his career.
Vivi was much more reserved.
She introduced herself as an interior decorator, her cheeks pinkening when Tashigi asked what kind of spaces she preferred designing.
"Mostly residential," Vivi explained shyly. "I like making places feel comfortable. Somewhere people actually want to come home to."
Nami, on the other hand, had no trouble talking about herself.
"I'm a weather reporter for a local news station back home." She said with her chest puffed up proudly.
Chopper's introduction took a slightly more concerning turn.
"I'm a doctor," he said sleepily. "I graduated med school recently. I'm doing my residency now."
"That's wonderful!" Tashigi smiled.
"Thanks." Chopper yawned.
"How's residency treating you?"
Chopper stared at her.
"I work 60 to 80 hours a week… and I have a mountain of student debt to pay back."
Tashigi's smile disappeared. She immediately reached beneath the desk and pulled out a small voucher.
"Please accept this. It’s for one complimentary massage at our spa."
Chopper eyes widened with unshed tears.
"Thank you!"
Zoro couldn't disagree with Chopper’s perk. It was well deserved.
Franky went next.
He was finishing his engineering degree and expected to graduate within a few months. His final robotics project had already earned him several job offers from companies hoping to hire him once he received his degree.
"My engineering ring will be the hardest ring I ever have to work for." Franky grinned. "Still, it'll be nothing compared to the most rewarding ring I'll ever get."
Robin looked up at him.
Franky winked while holding up his wedding band.
"Asking this beautiful woman to marry me was the easiest decision of my life."
"So sweet." Robin's expression softened with a fond smile.
Franky looked ready to explode from happiness.
Zoro rolled his eyes.
Everyone was being weird this morning.
Finally, Tashigi turned toward Robin.
"And you?"
Robin extended her wrist.
"Robin." She smiled pleasantly. "I'm an archaeologist."
"Archaeology?" Tashigi's expression brightened with genuine curiosity as she carefully wrapped the final cord around Robin's wrist. "I never thought I'd meet anyone who studies archaeology, but I suppose I always assumed most of the major discoveries had already been made."
"Not necessarily." Robin's smile remained perfectly pleasant. "Although climate change poses a serious threat that could potentially make large portions of the planet uninhabitable within our lifetimes, the extreme heatwaves we've experienced recently have also exposed landscapes and ruins that were previously hidden underwater. Those discoveries give archaeologists new opportunities to study civilizations that have been buried for centuries.”
Tashigi's face had gone pale.
The lobby went quiet.
Zoro felt a chill travel down his back.
Robin was still smiling even though everyone else looked horrified.
Zoro didn't understand her strange talent for saying things that made everyone else contemplate their mortality.
Undeterred by the awkward silence, Robin continued, "I was curious about the tree outside."
Zoro's attention immediately sharpened. His shoulders tensed at the reminder…
"I was surprised to see an extinct species growing here, particularly one whose fruit was historically associated with ancient sacrificial rituals."
Tashigi's professional smile finally cracked.
"Well..." She adjusted her glasses. "The tree is protected, so it cannot be moved."
"Yeah, the security guard said the same thing." Franky spoke up.
Zoro's eyes remained on the tree as he said, "Still doesn't explain why there aren't any signs telling people not to touch it."
"I agree." Tashigi's shoulders slumped down, her expression suggesting she really did. "Unfortunately, the resort owners felt warning signs would be an eyesore."
She shook her head with a frown.
"I was actually supposed to explain all of this after everyone's wristbands were secured."
Her fingers closed around the metal ring on Robin's bracelet.
"But since we're discussing it now..."
Click.
The clasp snapped shut.
Tashigi's demeanor changed. The friendliness remained, but something more serious settled behind her eyes.
"As part of our welcome procedure, we're required to warn all guests to stay away from that tree." She pointed toward the windows. "It is illegal to remove any of its fruit. More importantly, eating the fruit can cause paralysis and a severe decrease in heart rate."
Luffy's expression immediately lost its playful quality.
Zoro's anger was slowly building again.
"How severe?" Zoro asked through gritted teeth.
Tashigi hesitated.
"If enough is consumed, the heart can stop completely." She finally answered.
Zoro's stomach tightened. His eyes immediately found Luffy, who was staring at the floor with a guilty expression.
Tashigi continued.
"By checking into the resort, you've already agreed to the terms and conditions prohibiting guests from tampering with the tree or removing any of its fruit."
Nami folded her arms.
"That's a pretty shady place to hide something that important."
"I don't disagree." Tashigi sighed. "I don't particularly approve of the resort's approach either. However, they do have safety measures in place. That's why a security guard is stationed there at all times. Morning, afternoon, and overnight."
Zoro's jaw tightened.
"Not very effective if the guards are stealing the fruit themselves."
Every head in the group snapped toward him.
"What?" Usopp stared at Zoro.
"Who?" Tashigi's eyes widened. Her gaze instinctively shifted toward the windows. "Kaku?"
The morning security guard with the long nose and old-fashioned manner of speech was still stationed outside.
"Not him." Zoro shook his head. "The guy from last night."
"The night guard?" Tashigi hesitated, then she lifted two fingers beside her head, mimicking the distinctive shape of the guard’s strange, horn-like hairstyle. "You're talking about Blueno?"
Zoro nodded.
"Are you sure you weren't seeing things?" Nami asked.
Zoro turned toward her.
"We'd been traveling for long hours," she continued. "It was after midnight. You were exhausted."
Zoro might've been tired, but he wasn't so exhausted that he'd imagined it.
"I know what I saw." Zoro answered firmly.
Nami's eyebrows rose.
Zoro could feel everyone's eyes on him.
Tashigi slowly reached beneath the desk.
"This is a very serious accusation." She pulled out a blank incident report. "One we can't simply ignore. If you're willing to put what you witnessed into writing, I can open an investigation. Depending on what we find, the police may need to become involved."
Zoro stared at the paper.
Great.
Exactly what he wanted to deal with on vacation.
An investigation with police and potentially getting some guy fired because Zoro happened to see him take a weird piece of fruit in the middle of the night.
He almost told her ‘never mind’... Until he looked at Luffy.
Zoro remembered the sudden terror that had seized his chest.
The thought of Luffy dropping dead because he happened to be hungry enough to reach for something pretty was too much for Zoro to bear.
Zoro didn't want anyone else experiencing that fear, and if Blueno really had taken one of those fruits… Who knew what he intended to do with it?
Zoro grabbed the form.
"Fine."
He leaned over the desk and began writing everything he saw. When he finished, he pushed the paper back across the desk.
"Wait." Usopp spoke up. His face had gone pale. "How do we know that guy isn't going to come back to slip one of those things into our food for revenge?"
"Nobody willingly eats the fruit." Tashigi offered a strained smile.
Usopp crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat.
"That's not very reassuring."
"You’d know immediately,” Tashigi elaborated. She folded her hands neatly in front of herself. “One bite would be enough. The fruit is supposedly so bitter that you’d spit it out instantly.”
Usopp looked marginally less horrified.
"Supposedly?!"
“Legend claims the strongest members of the fruit’s original village were tested by eating it.” Robin spoke up again.
Zoro glanced toward her.
There was something about Robin’s voice whenever she slipped into lecture mode. It was always calm and soothing. This made it considerably worse when the subject matter turned horrifying.
“Those who survived were elevated as revered warriors, deemed worthy by their beloved Sun God.” Robin paused, letting the weight of her words settle. “Those who died were considered to be tainted by the bitter fruit and were offered to the demons of hell in an attempt to keep them at bay.”
Usopp’s face went pale again.
Zoro stared at Robin.
Why did she always know this shit?
“This is because the fruit was said to be so bitter that only the devil himself would eat it.”
Tashigi gave a small, uneasy laugh.
"So that's how it got its name..."
She glanced toward the strange tree outside where the branches moved lazily overhead, causing the unnaturally vibrant fruit to bob against the leaves. In the sunlight, they looked harmless.
"Devil Fruit.” Tashigi finished her thought aloud.
"rickrolling is mean" rickrolling is the gentle, kind, prosocial descendant of what we used to do on the internet, which was putting a redirect to goatse in every possible misspelling of a url
you dont have to be a parent to understand the horror of walking into a room to discover that the baby crawled out of his crib and onto that pottery wheel you forgot to turn off, and while the baby is spinning around and around, the dog is sitting there all calm, like a person, gently using his paws to fashion the babys soft cartilage head into something a little more modern. it might be the classic tale of bad parenting, but lets see where the dog is going with this
random PSA, I know a lot of people use duckduckgo as a Google alternative search engine, but it always kind of annoyed me when I was using it because it felt like No Name Brand Google
I have switched to using Startpage.com and vastly prefer it. for one thing, instead of displaying an "AI summary" at the top of the search results (unless you turn it off, yes I know), it displays the first paragraph of the Wikipedia article, with link, whenever it finds one that's relevant.
also a waaayyyyy better sense of design than duckduckgo
also private, European based, least annoying search I've used lately (RIP old "don't be evil" Google)
i have one of those, scraped from multiple different rec posts:
Search Engines
Infinity Search is an alternative search engine with a special focus on privacy
DuckDuckGo is a popular search engine for those who value their privacy and are put off by the thought of their every query being tracked and logged. Uses bangs, ![site] for in-page search (sells your data to microsoft and draws from fucking bing)
WolframAlpha is a privately owned search engine that allows you to “compute expert-level answers using Wolfram’s breakthrough algorithms, knowledgebase, and AI technology.” A data search engine.
Boardreader is a search engine for forums and message boards. It allows you to search forums and then filter down results by date and language.
Based in France, Qwant is a privacy-based search engine that won’t record your searches or use your personal details for advertising. Uses “&” as a bang search.
Another privacy-based search engine is Search Encrypt, which uses local encryption to ensure that users’ identifiable information cannot be tracked. Metasearch across multiple engines.
Offering unbiased results from several sources, SearX is a metasearch engine that aims to present a free, decentralized view of the internet. Can be self-hosted.
Gibiru’s tagline is “Unfiltered private search” and that’s exactly what it offers. Requires AnonymoX Firefox add-on for privacy.
Disconnect allows you to conduct anonymous searches through a search engine of your choice.
Swisscows provides fully encrypted searches to protect your privacy and security. Built-in violence/porn filter cannot be overridden.
MetaGer offers “Privacy Protected Search & Find” through its anonymised search. A plugin will allow it to be made a default.
Gigablast is a private search engine that indexes millions of websites and servers real-time information without tracking your data, keeping you hidden from marketers and spammers. Variety of filtration and refinement options for searching.
Oscobo is a search engine that protects your privacy while you search the web. By not using any third-party tools or scripts, your data is protected from hacking and misuse. Has a Chrome extension to allow use in toolbar.
https://search.marginalia.nu/ an independent DIY search engine that focuses on non-commercial content, and attempts to show you sites you perhaps weren't aware of in favor of the sort of sites you probably already knew existed. Use old-school searching rather than query-based for the best results.
https://www.mojeek.com/
https://wiby.me/ - It’s goal is to index as many personalized websites as possible, and NOT commercial sites.
https://4get.ca/ it works a lot like SearX, but honestly better. It doesn’t have its own index, but pulls from many others. I think it’s the best for research, since it allows you to search for answers from different indexes, is easy to configure, add free, and avoids censorship as much as it can.
https://www.searchenginemap.com/ for more on how search engines relate to each other.
https://yep.com/ is a crawler
https://www.etools.ch/ retrieves from Google, Mojeek, Bing, and Yandex, like Searx
https://www.dogpile.com/
https://searxng.org/ (next gen Searx)
https://luxxle.com/ - possibly conservative?
https://presearch.com/ - good for academic?
https://kagi.com/smallweb - free/randomised Kagi.
Other Searchers
www.refseek.com - Academic Resource Search. More than a billion sources: encyclopedia, monographies, magazines.
www.worldcat.org - a search for the contents of 20 thousand worldwide libraries. Find out where lies the nearest rare book you need.
https://link.springer.com - access to more than 10 million scientific documents: books, articles, research protocols.
www.bioline.org.br is a library of scientific bioscience journals published in developing countries.
http://repec.org - volunteers from 102 countries have collected almost 4 million publications on economics and related science.
www.science.gov is an American state search engine on 2200+ scientific sites. More than 200 million articles are indexed.
www.base-search.net is one of the most powerful researches on academic studies texts. More than 100 million scientific documents, 70% of them are free.https://cosine.club/ is an electronic music similarity search engine
"i wish they would fight then have crazy gay sex" "pussy so good it changes the course of the narrative" "knife to my neck (romantic)" ok max black sails did all these effortlessly but do you even care
snowghoul
izzy806
pixelskylines
origamiaround
yousharknotpass
stormborns
titsay
