Chapter Text
You sat fairly calm and relaxed at a table in the corner of an old yet cozy diner. The wooden floor creaked with every step taken by a new customer. Everyone seemed to be locals who knew each other, casting furtive glances your way, somewhere between fear and disdain, but you simply continued eating. Your muscles were warm and tense after your latest assassination job, which hadn't even been the problem.
You were lost in thought. After the job and a good payment, you had continued sailing through the East Blue when you saw it.
A ship bearing that all-too-familiar Jolly Roger, a smiling face crossed by a diagonal line.
When (Y/N) was still a child, fate had led her onto a mysterious vessel where people were captured and caged like animals. Later, she and the others had been taken to a human auction house and sold as slaves.
Of course, in the present, you weren't about to stand by and do nothing. Despite the fear you felt, the way your muscles tensed, the way your body froze and your knuckles turned white as you gripped your weapon, you had to do something. In the past, you had only managed to escape your captors through sheer luck, but... you had improved, hadn't you?
You brought your small boat closer to the larger vessel and boarded it. Your mind told you this was a mistake, that it could bring trouble to your "peaceful" life, but you refused to listen. You refused to stand by while so many people were only hours away from being bought and sold like trash, especially women and little girls, just as you yourself had experienced in the past.
You ended everything with swift movements. You knocked out every slave trader, though you couldn't guarantee they were still alive. It didn't matter anyway; the world didn't need that kind of garbage. You managed to free every captive aboard and escaped using one of the emergency rafts stored on the ship itself.
You had never considered yourself a good person. After all, you had been raised to become an assassin. You killed men for money. Yet the expressions on the faces of the people you had just saved, along with their words of gratitude and vulnerability, made you feel something in your otherwise empty life.
That brings you back to the present, in the diner. Once you finished your meal, you paid and left, carrying a small portion of leftovers for the road, along with the backpack that held your weapon, a pair of metal nunchaku, and your painting supplies.
The sun was shining brightly that day, hitting your face directly when you crossed paths with the two people who would change your life forever.
There he was. Tall, tanned, with three swords resting at his hip and three earrings gleaming in his left ear beneath the sunlight.
You froze.
Your muscles refused to move.
"What the hell...?" you thought. You looked him up and down again and again until the voice of the boy beside him interrupted your thoughts.
"Hey, are you okay? Why are you covered in blood?" the curious boy asked, tilting his head.
You lowered your gaze, looking at your appearance. Just as you were about to give a simple answer, he spoke again.
"Are you going to eat that? I don't have any money and I'm starving! Besides, it smells delicious!" (You could've sworn you heard his stomach growl, and he practically seemed to be drooling over your food.)
"Why would you eat someone else's leftovers? Besides, I don't even know you." You answered while your gaze briefly returned to the green-haired man, who remained silent, studying you without looking away for even a second.
"That doesn't matter! My name is Luffy, and I'm going to be King of the Pirates!" The boy declared with a huge grin and complete confidence.
"And he's my crewmate, Zoro!"
"What the hell is wrong with this guy? Did he just say Zoro? Is that really the famous Pirate Hunter?"
You thought to yourself as the man who had captivated your attention finally spoke.
"Let's go, Luffy. We can hunt something out at sea." His voice was monotone and deep, unmistakably masculine.
"My name is (Y/N)," you finally said, introducing yourself, your voice dropping into a softer tone.
You were about to say goodbye when, just behind them, you spotted several of the men you had knocked out earlier on the ship. They seemed to be looking for you, and they had brought reinforcements.
"Shit..." you muttered under your breath.
"Would you guys like something to eat? My treat." You spoke quickly with a small smile, pointing your thumb toward the diner behind you.
"Please, don't be shy. I have plenty of money."
Luffy's eyes lit up instantly. He practically appeared beside you, nearly grabbing your arm as he celebrated the prospect of free food.
Zoro, on the other hand, didn't trust you. He couldn't understand your behavior, but he couldn't deny that he felt drawn to you... and maybe to the possibility of some sake. Though he'd never admit it, he reluctantly began following you and Luffy.
"That was delicious! Thanks, (Y/N)!" Luffy said with a huge grin, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his stomach. A massive stack of empty plates covered the table.
"It's nothing." You answered with a gentle, sincere smile as you lit a cigarette between your lips, though the bill would probably wipe out most of the money you currently had on you.
"So, (Y/N) why did you run away a moment ago?" Zoro finally addressed you directly, taking another long drink from his mug of sake.
Deep down, he was incredibly intrigued by you. Maybe attracted in other ways too... but he kept telling himself it was only because of the blood on your clothes and the backpack you carried.
"I just thought you looked hungry." You lied while constantly glancing toward the diner's entrance, making sure the group of idiots stayed outside, and perhaps planning an escape route in case of an emergency.
As Luffy ordered yet another serving and stuffed his mouth with food, silence settled between you and Zoro.
You couldn't help sneaking glances at him whenever he wasn't looking. Was he really the Pirate Hunter? What was someone like him doing with a guy like Luffy? And a pirate, at that. You felt a strange sense of nervousness around him, even though you yourself were an assassin.
"Are you really Roronoa Zoro?" you finally asked, your voice quiet and timid in a way you hadn't realized it could be.
"The same, am I not what you expected?" he replied in his deep voice, a slightly teasing smile tugging at his lips.
You immediately became nervous.
Before you could say another word, a bomb shattered the window of the nearly empty diner and crashed onto the floor.
They had found you.
You didn't even have time to react before strong, warm arms wrapped around your body.
Zoro's body covered yours while Luffy fell backward in his chair, still holding a half-eaten piece of meat.
The explosion was fairly large. Though it destroyed part of the building, it seemed no one had been injured.
The group of men entered immediately after the blast, scanning the room until their eyes landed on you, where Zoro was still unconsciously holding you.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Zoro asked, looking down at you while standing far too close, completely ignoring the men as he focused solely on you.
"I have to go..."
you replied in mild panic as you dropped a stack of berries onto the table to cover the bill and bolted through a window, hurriedly wrapping bandages around each hand.
"Go after her now!"
the leader shouted, paying no attention to anyone else inside the diner.
Neither Zoro nor Luffy understood what was happening, while the latter finished devouring the rest of his food before finally making a decision.
"We have to follow her, Zoro!"
"Huh?"
"I've decided! She's going to be part of our crew!"
he declared with a huge grin, completely certain of his choice.