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The old saying went, set sail with an omega in hand, you will see all new lands - leave them on the shore, you’ll be lost forevermore.
No modern pirate or marine believed in old superstitions of course, but also most ships had a policy to have at least one omega per dozen crewmen.
The reasoning changed depended who you asked.
For the marines, having an omega present kept all the alphas calm, the scent reminding them of the law and order that they fought for. They were also great cooks and took care of the ship beautifully.
For some pirates, they knew that if an omega bonded to a crew, there was no more terrifying fighter, that they would sacrifice everything. They were scarier than any alpha when it came time to protect the ship, the captain. For other pirates, an omega was cheaper than the tabs and bail that happened after a visit to brothel.
For some omegas setting sail meant a very good life, for some it meant hell on earth.
Every ship was different, but no ship worth its salt, worth its sail, set on the seas without an omega, they never said it, but they never wanted to be lost forevermore.
But the old stories never said what to do if your omega could get lost in a room with only one door.
*
“Zoro?”
“Yeah Chopper?” He was grunting as he lifted weights, and Chopper wanted to tell him that was overdoing it, pushing a bit too hard after that last marine attack, but he still was a bit unsure of his place as the ship doctor. The weights were put down and Chopper was relieved, then he sighed when heavier weights were picked up. “What’s up?”
“Umm, just well, everyone else on the crew has let me give them a full medical examination, and we’ve talked about health and stuff.”
“Oh really, you try to get Cook to cut out the cigarettes?” Zoro was clearly laughing a bit as he did squats with the weights across his shoulders.
Chopper made a face, and turned to heavy point and adjusted Zoro’s back, “so you don’t get a hernia. He patted me on the head and made me cotton candy. Which didn’t make me happy!” He went back to his normal size. “But you’ll listen to me, right?”
“Of course, Chopper,” Zoro said.
“Which means you’ll stop straining that thigh that took the bullet three days ago.”
“Sure, soon as I finish this set. Only three hundred more squats to go, then I’ll come to your office for that check up. Don’t worry, I’ll listen more than Shit Cook.”
Chopper wondered if it would be worth it to define irony for Zoro. Instead he went to the tiny area they had set up for him, and he spun on his stool a bit because no one was watching. He had started files on all his crew, and switching form so he had fingers, he opened one for Zoro with all his initial notes. He expected a fair bit of trouble from the swordsman, especially when it came time to talk about certain things. But they needed to talk about this, with him being the only on board.
He wasn’t surprised when Zoro took longer than he should have. He probably had tried to duck out of the meeting. “Sorry, Chopper, your office moved.”
“It did?” He didn’t think it had. Especially not while he was in it. But he let that go. Zoro started off really agreeable, as Chopper measured him, and began to catalogue all his current scars. “Zoro? I can make a lotion, if the skill pulls on the big one.” It was so scary the scar across his chest. He should have died. But he hadn’t. They hadn’t even had a doctor, but the sewing hadn’t been too horribly done. “Who sewed you up?”
“Cook, said sewing me back together wasn’t that different from tying off a stuffed roast.”
“Well at least he would have known to keep his hands clean. And I’m hear now, we’ll take better care of you.”
“I know you are going to be a great doctor, Chopper.”
“That doesn’t make me happy, you bastard!” Chopped wiggled. He did a few more tests, and then there was only one thing left. “You are human.” That just got him a grunt. “I’m an animal. Sort of.” Another grunt. “I can smell you are an omega,” he blurted out. Zoro just shrugged. “I know humans have rules about having an omega on board a ship. But -” Chopper tapped his hooves together. “I don’t know what this ship’s rules are. And if you need…help. If you don’t want -”
“Chopper, do you think Luffy runs that sort of ship?” Zoro was smiling. “I am fine.”
“I know how to make herbal scent covers, and suppressants, and birth control, and whatever you need Zoro!” Chopper was nodding furiously. “Now that I am here, I am going to make sure you are taken care of, properly!” He went over and pat Zoro on the knee. “I need to ask some questions though?”
“Sure,” Zoro crossed his arms, and looked almost bored.
“Do you suppress your heats?”
“Nah, only have them two or three times a year. Couple I’ve had since we set sail, Nami found us a decent island. First time I took a room, second they left me the ship.”
“You prefer them alone?” That just got a shrug. “I need to know if in case of medical emergency, there is an alpha on board that you would trust to scent calm you. Or if you want me to do it medically. Only in case of extreme emergency.”
“Luffy, if he is around, others medical.”
“Okay,” Chopper nodded in agreement. “Just a few more questions.” They went through it all and Zoro was a lot easier about it than Chopper expected. He had been told that warriors resented being omegas, but Zoro didn’t seem to care. And it didn’t sound like he had any problems with the crew. “You were the first crew member right?” That got him a nod and it made sense, of course Luffy would hold to that old sailor’s tale. “And you are happy?”
“I’m heading towards my dream, and going to be at the right hand of the king of the pirates. What more could I want Chopper?” Zoro smiled and ruffled his hair. “And I know we’ll get there thanks to having the best doctor there is.”
Chopper did a happy dance. “Zoro?”
“Yeah, we done? I have a bit more training to do.”
“You need to rest that leg!”
“It’s all arm, promise.”
“I just, you smell nice. I know that is bad to say to humans. But you smell a bit like home. And sometimes being at sea is scary.” He tapped his hooves together. Zoro crouched down and Chopper sniffled, sure he had ruined Zoro’s trust in him as their doctor.
“If you are ever scared, you can climb on me when I am napping. I don’t mind.”
Chopper threw himself into Zoro’s arm and buried his nose against the omega’s neck. Breathed in and calmed immediately. “Thank you, Zoro.” He never expected that the swordsman would be a hugger. But he guessed he was wrong. He was so happy that Luffy had found this ship omega.
*
“Zoro?” Usopp was scared to approach Zoro, but it had been a few days, and Zoro hadn’t talked to him at all. He had always thought that Zoro didn’t talk to him much, didn’t really like him, but it was only now when there was no contact at all that he realized how much there had been before. “Can we talk?”
“Right now?” Zoro looked at him. “I’m showering? And you want to do this now?”
“The mighty Usopp -” he began and deflated when Zoro turned his back. “Hard to runaway from me with shampoo on your head.” That got him a shrug. Which was more than he had in days. He didn’t like confrontation with Zoro like how Nami and Sanji did, it felt wrong to him, to yell that much at the omega. And he knew it was wrong that he thought it was wrong to yell at an omega, but he couldn’t really help it. “You fought with me at Enies Lobby. You saved my life? So why won’t you even look at me now?”
There was just another shrug.
“Luffy took me back. Everyone took me back. You did too? But then you didn’t. And I’m just confused. Because you decide to change your mind, I know I’m gone.”
“How’d you figure that? Captain makes the decisions.” Zoro was washing the shampoo out, and Usopp knew he had a couple minutes at most.
“You’re the only one he actually listens to. Because -”
“Because?” Zoro’s was daring him to say it.
“Because you are the ship omega, and he wants to be the pirate king and found you first,” Usopp spoke the words so quickly. “Because you said you’d leave if I came back without admitting I was wrong. And Luffy won’t sail without an omega aboard. Without you aboard.” Usopp hugged himself. “I know I don’t matter next to the future world’s greatest swordsman, and the ship omega, the first nakama that Luffy had.”
The water turned off and Zoro dried off. He wrapped the towel around his waist. “I’m not a very good ship omega. Didn’t even know what that was all about first time I heard someone comment that Luffy was following the rules. Looked it up. Seems bullshit to me, that you won’t get lost if you have me on board. Always kinda figured, when I’ve drunk enough, I got lost so much so that the ship didn’t. Then I sober and up and realize that is crap. Pouring slick out of my ass three times a year isn’t going to make us sail true or anything like that.” Zoro was moving past him and Usopp slumped, but then there was a hand on his shoulder. “Give me time, Usopp. I wanted you dead for breaking my captain’s heart, and don’t want that anymore. I’m glad you are here.”
“I am sorry that I hurt you.” Usopp looked at Zoro and thought about how he protected them all, and how in that fight he had to stand back, watch his family hurt each other. Thought about what that would do to an omega like Zoro and he did something he had never done before. He threw his arms around Zoro, hugged him tightly. “I’m sorry,” he sobbed and he felt Zoro give him a nuzzle. Another first. There was a pat to his back, and Zoro was then gone.
But at dinner that night, Zoro spoke to him, and Usopp felt the whole table relax a bit, as it really all did settle back to normal. Usopp knew there was another old saying happy omega, happy crew, and he was smart enough to not say it out loud, but he saw, he knew, that when Zoro was happy, they all were too.
*
“Roronoa Zoro, what do you say? You telling me you have this good an offer from that weird captain of yours?”
Nami scowled as she listened to the voice trying to convince Zoro to join another pirate crew. They had pulled into port, to get supplies. Kaya had stocked the boat well for them, but there were just things they needed now that they had a proper ship. And proper stores meant more food, and there was just no way Kaya could have understood how much Luffy could eat. She assumed she had stocked them for a month. And it had only lasted the three weeks it did because she convinced Zoro to guard the store room for a huge discount in what he owed her.
“Luffy isn’t weird,” was all Zoro said, which wasn’t actually telling them to bugger off. Zoro was theirs, dammit.
“He actually pay you?” Another voice said. “Your own room, all the omega jewelry you want. Pick of your crew for your heats. We run a clean ship, don’t hold to the bad ways. Treat an omega right if you want to make it to the new world, we understand that. What they gave you those earrings, and that’s it?”
“They were already mine.”
Nami cursed. She had assumed that Luffy had given them to Zoro when Zoro agreed to be crew. She had never given him any jewelry, and Usopp was a beta and so in love with Kaya that he wouldn’t think to give ship jewelry. Dammit, Luffy, doing right by getting an omega, and then fucking it up with nothing to keep them? Especially one like Zoro? She thought of her treasure, there were definitely a few pieces they could give him from in there. She was so busy cataloguing what they could give him, bribe him with, that she had missed part of the conversation. When she tuned back in, she blinked, because they were offering Zoro how many Berries to sail with them instead?
They didn’t have that kind of money. They barely were a crew, and she was not letting them near much of the treasure because she was so close to enough for Arlong. Why would Zoro stay with what was being offered? She wouldn’t.
“Sorry, guys, but Luffy is my captain, and nothing is going to change that.”
Nami blinked as they doubled their offer and she could hear Zoro walk away, likely in the wrong direction. The men were dejected. “He smelled nice,” the one whined.
“Guarantee an omega like that aboard, you make it all the way. That idiot Luffy doesn’t know how lucky he is.” There were sighs. “Come on, this is a decent sized town, we’ll find a good omega for the crew.”
“Hey wait, Zoro is coming back, maybe he just needed to think for a bit,” the first said eagerly.
“Oh, it’s you guys, didn’t I leave you over there. You moved quickly.” Zoro laughed. “Listen, I feel a bit bad, you seem like decent pirates. I was drinking in the bar, with pineapple shaped sign? The bartender, she’s an omega, a wicked left hook, and can mix a mean drink. Said she was getting restless in this town. Just so you know. Now which way are the docks?”
“That way,” the one said. “Good right hook?”
“Saw her knock a guy cold with one punch when he suggested his dick was good enough to pay his tab.”
“Thanks, Zoro, you are the best.”
Nami waited until they were all gone and hurried back to the ship. Luffy was already there eager to set sail. “Idiot, we almost just lost Zoro!” She hit his head, knocked the stupid hat off.
“Nami!” Luffy adjusted the hat. “Ow! And we always lose Zoro, but we always find him. He’s got green hair, he is easy to spot.”
“Have you even given him a single piece of ship jewelry?”
“Why would I have jewelry shaped like a ship? That would be cool. Nami in your treasure do you have anything like that. I want it!” Luffy was grinning at her, and she had to hit him again.
“No you moron,” she shouted. She was going to say more, but it was useless. She went to her room and dove into the treasure she had. There had to be something in there, she could give Zoro that wouldn’t cut into her needs too much, but convince him to stay. Yes, he was staying, but like added incentive. In a bag, she found a lapel pin for a suit. Which Zoro had five pieces of clothes total, and a suit wasn’t among them, but the little pin was a katana with a diamond hilt.
It was something.
She went back to the main deck and saw Usopp dragging along Zoro to make sure he didn’t wander. She slammed it into Luffy’s hand. “Give him this!”
“Ooh shiny!”
“I swear to all the treasure in the world, Luffy, I’ll make sure you never see the Grand Line,” she looked over, and Zoro was on the gang plank. “People offered him a lot of money, a life of privilege to join their crew. And look at us. So give him that pin, so he knows he is wanted.”
“That’s stupid, Nami, Zoro knows we want him. Don’t you Zoro?” She groaned as Luffy sprang over, and wrapped himself around Zoro. “You know we want you, right Zoro?”
“Sure?” Zoro just shrugged. “Why’d they move the dock?”
Nami kept her cool as Usopp and Luffy laughed at Zoro. Like they hadn’t almost lost the man. She took the pin from Luffy, because the captain apparently couldn’t do captain duties. She carefully attached it to Zoro’s shirt. “There, looks good on you.” She pat it a little bit.
“Why are you being weird, witch? You never give something without a reason.”
“Just we have a proper ship now. Time to do some things properly. Like your own room. Luffy doesn’t use the captain’s quarters. You could have them.”
“My hammock isn’t broken.”
Save her. Luffy was now hanging upside down off of Zoro, legs wrapped around Zoro’s waist. And laughing at the blood rushing to his head. Why was this up to her? “Zoro, just -” he was looking at her, like this was all out of nowhere. “I overheard those guys.”
“What guys?” Luffy asked and was upright. “Hehehe, my head feels funny.”
“I’ll make your head feel funny,” she swore.
“What guys, Nami?” Zoro asked this time. “I had a few drinks at a bar, wandered the town a bit. Don’t remember having any important conversations with any guys.”
“You -” He wasn’t drunk, and he wasn’t as stupid as he pretended. Well, sometimes, he was, but not this sort of stupid. “You didn’t have any persuasive conversations? About future opportunities?”
“Huh? What future? You mean where Zoro is the best, and I’m the pirate king, and it is all awesome?”
“Yeah, Nami, that is the only future I know about,” Zoro agreed. “But the pin is…cute? I guess? Are you going to make me pay for it?”
“No, I just thought it would suit you,” she said. “Tide is with us, we should head out. Anyone need anything else here?”
“Nope,” Luffy said, “Let’s go!”
“Got everything I need on this ship,” Zoro said and Nami watched him give her a small nod. She doubted Usopp noticed, and Luffy definitely wouldn’t have.
“If you ever don’t have what you need, you promise you’ll let us know, give us a chance to fix it?” Nami bit her lip. “Whatever you need, I can provide?” She had never noticed his scent before, for an alpha she wasn’t particularly into omegas, but it was strong in that moment, more than it had been before. A scent she had thought was mostly the ship - it was him. It was home, a home she couldn’t claim, not with Arlong hanging over her head.
But she wanted.
“How about then, providing me with enough money for booze at the next port?”
“No, you idiot, then I’d be broke!” She hit him and he called her witch and when they set sail, he stayed close and she breathed him in, and wished she could stay.
*
“Zoro, did you know I was one of the ship omega’s on my first crew,” Brook was sitting in the crow’s nest with a cup of tea, while Zoro worked out. “There were three of us. It was nice to have companionship that understood me.” He just got a grunt as Zoro lifted weights. It was strange that he had never told Zoro this, but then they really hadn’t had the time before they were all torn apart. “I miss them. I miss it all sometimes, and sometimes I don’t.” Brook wanted to make a skeleton joke, but for some reason he just couldn’t. He drank his tea and looked out over the water.
“You don’t have a scent anymore.”
“No, rather need flesh for that and for heats. Death, the great equalizer, once you are bones, that sort of thing doesn’t really matter anymore.” Brook shrugged a bit. “But well, I just thought, if you ever needed to talk about anything. I am here.”
“Don’t, need to talk,” Zoro grumbled, “but could use a fight.”
“Yohoho,” Brook laughed and stood up. They sparred more about form than actual fighting. It was different styles. And Brook realized that this was Zoro playing. How could it be any other way? He laughed more and they moved around the room, trading strikes and Brook knew that he was nowhere near Zoro’s equal, but he liked to think Zoro wasn’t bored. They called it after a time, and Zoro seemed lighter, more content. “Your heat is soon.”
“Soon enough,” Zoro agreed. He was wiping off. “What was it like for you? Alone or with someone?”
Goodness, Zoro was actually talking about this. He never talked about this. Brook straightened up a bit. “I tended to, well the captain and I had an arrangement. Not every time, but many times.” Brook looked out at the sea and back to Zoro. “He was fond of the old saying. You know. Omega in hand. Liked to take it literally, when it was my time. Held my hand the whole time.”
“That sounds nice.”
“It was,” Brook agreed. He leaned forward. “He always let me see his panties when I asked. Yohoho!” He was happy that it made Zoro laugh. “Do you, do you choose, anyone on the ship?”
“No,” Zoro said. “Occasional in a big enough town my heat hits, I’ll hire an alpha, but otherwise Chopper gives me some good meds, and Franky has significantly improved the quality of…help aids on the ship.” He was flushed a bit as he said that. He was quiet for a bit, nervous. “But if a friend who understood what it was like, maybe played some music late at night, it wouldn’t be awful.”
Brook gave him a bow. “It would be my honour, fellow omega of the seas.”
A few nights later, he stood on the deck near the heat cabin that Zoro was finally using and played a soft melody.
*
“Mosshead, I’m not going to fuck you.” Sanji glared at the annoying bastard. He just took up so much space on the ship. With his stupid comforting scent. He would ask Chopper to do something about it, force Zoro to actually take his meds, but everyone else liked the scent. And he knew, that the gods of the sea didn’t particularly like it when a ship’s omega blocked their scent. Luffy must have, way back when it had been the two of them, ordered Zoro to stay natural unless an emergency or something. They were on their way to a desert kingdom, and Zoro would probably take up more space even in a desert.
“I just asked for a bottle of sake?” Zoro was almost looking around the room in confusion. “Why would you fuck me?”
“Just figured we hadn’t actually had this conversation and you haven’t had a heat yet since I’ve been here and -”
“Yeah I have?” Zoro moved forward and grabbed a bottle. “Like a few weeks after you joined up.”
That made Sanji pause. He had the most sensitive nose on the Baratie. It was a part of why he smoked so much, block out other alphas so he didn’t rip out their throats. Not that he would ever do so to their beautiful goddess Nami, and he knew he would never win in an alpha challenge against Luffy. He smoked, and looked at Zoro. “I would have smelled it if you had gone into heat on the ship.” He knew this dammit.
“I’m leaving.”
“No, wait, you bastard.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you shit cook, why are you being weird now?”
Sanji knew why and sighed, “my rut is coming up, okay? And well you are the…” Zoro snicked open Wado and yeah that was fair, and shut Sanji up. “Look, I don’t know what the rules for that are here. How it all works, okay? And who do I ask, Luffy?” That got him a snort, and the hand on the weapon eased. “I don’t want to fuck you.” Sanji finished the cigarette, and started another one. “I hate that you don’t smell like shit, considering you are such shit.”
“Trust me, do you how annoying it is that you smell not awful?” Zoro sat and gestured to the wall. Sanji pulled a glass for himself off the shelf and he sat, a bit surprised that Zoro shared his booze. He only shared with Luffy, who usually just tossed the contents over the side of the ship when Zoro wasn’t looking. But he knew that Zoro knew and didn’t care. A glass was poured for him, and Sanji knocked it back, stunned when a second was poured. “I know my place on the ship, good luck charm, superstition.” He waved a hand, dismissed it all, “Luffy just got lucky that the first omega he found that he liked the scent of was going to be the world’s best swordsman one day.”
Sanji didn’t give him grief for that because the one thing that was always off limits for them, was their dream. “Funny, when you think about it, with everything that has come our way, that in the end Luffy is a bit of a traditionalist.” That got a smile from Zoro. “On the Baratie, the ship omega, you’d see all sorts. Fed all of them, but you’d have cherished ones, pragmatic ones,” Sanji shuddered a bit, “Hurt ones. Some treated like gods and some like slaves. In all I saw? You aren’t like any of them.”
“Was that a compliment, Cook?”
“Fuck off,” Sanji drank the booze and spluttered when Zoro poured him a third glass. “Why do you smell good?” It wasn’t what he meant to ask at all.
“Nami asked that once, bet that makes your perverted mind thrilled, to know you have something in common with her.” Sanji smiled, because yeah it did. “Said I don’t know, not like I super smell myself. Don’t really notice it. Mostly I just smell the sea, the blood of our enemies. Luffy.” That last was whispered almost easily missed, but Sanji didn’t miss it. “She said when completely shitfaced once, that I smelled like the ship. Or what she thought was the ship was me. That it was home.”
Sanji clutched his glass and nodded a bit. “Yeah,” was all he could say. Under the really gross sweat and the booze, and there was still freaking blood under his nails because Zoro had an aversion to respecting his fellow humans, he smelled like the ship. Or the ship smelled like him. Home. “Heard some idiot once say home isn’t a place, it is a people.”
“That’s fucking stupid.” Zoro drank a bit. “Has all this touchy feely crap made you want to fuck me? Because however am I surviving without your amazing and huge alpha dick in my ass? Bend me over this table you manly man you.”
“You don’t fuck in a kitchen! You know how unsanitary that is? If you got slick or come over everything it needs to be triple cleaned! And mariamo never say that crap to me, or frankly anyone again.” Sanji threw the glass at Zoro’s head, which was easily caught. “Is that how you talk in bed? Fuck, we’ll give you lessons or something. That was -” Zoro was smirking at him, and Sanji flipped him off. They were quiet for a bit and he couldn’t hear Luffy so he thought maybe it was safe to make the two of them a small snack. He put out a plate of onigiri, three pieces, and saw Zoro’s eyes light up. And he preened a bit, because yeah so what making the ship’s omega happy, made him happy. “There isn’t a separate rut and heat room on here, right?”
“Nah, you just use the storage closet. Chopper checks in on you. And if we’re in port, Nami will give you money for a room. Only 150% interest rate for biological imperatives instead of the usual 200%”
“Nami, is a soul of perfection and compassion,” Sanji pointed at him. “Be nice.”
“The witch is tolerable, upon occasion. Gave me ship jewelry once, when she realized I never had any.”
Sanji blinked. “Wait, Luffy doesn’t give you any?” What the fuck? “I - no of course that idiot doesn’t. Zeff would kick his ass. Baratie was a ship, the sommelier was our omega. A bunch of the cooks regularly stole from the pirates that stopped by, to make them happy.”
“I have my goal, and the crew, why would I need anything else to make me happy? Too much jewelry, you’d get all bitchy about washing blood out of the links or something.” Zoro finished the booze. “Cook you said you don’t want to fuck me, forgot the most important point. I don’t exactly want to fuck you either.”
“Yeah, but, what if -” Sanji didn’t even know.
“Look, she’ll kill me for talking about her like this. But Nami had a rut when we were two fucking dinghy’s lashed together. When we literally couldn’t escape each other.”
Sanji looked at him in horror. “With another alpha right there?”
Zoro just shook his head. “Sanji, you are thinking about everyone else. Think about our crew.”
Sanji had no idea what to do with Zoro actually calling him by name. But he thought about it. Nodded. “I don’t want to fuck you,” but this time the sentence sounded completely different, because he understood. They were crew, they were family. And no amount of biology would ever make them do something to their crew they didn’t want to.
“How ever will I go on in this life, not being fucked by you?” Zoro replied. He stood. “We done here?”
“This conversation never happened,” Sanji said.
“What conversation, shit cook?” Zoro left getting the last word, which he’d have to kick the man’s head in later.
When his rut hit he went to the room, and he had prepared enough food for his crew, with Zoro promising to make sure that it actually lasted the two days. Chopper had given him a check over and some aids, which dear god of the seas was the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to him. He went to the small storage room which had a futon and provisions, settled in.
When the rut got rough he heard a thump outside the door, and then eventually a sound he understood. Zoro tending to his blades. That scent of home, of crew, slid under the door, just a bit. Calmed the edge of the worst of it.
He didn’t want to fuck Zoro, but he was so fucking grateful he was theirs.
And in a million years like fuck he would ever tell the man.
*
“Zoro-bro, you finally used the heat room, I built you. That is super awesome!” Franky was so damn happy. He posed in the hallway, blocking Zoro from actually going anywhere. “Was it super?”
“Yeah? It was a room?” Zoro looked a bit strung out, honestly like most omegas after a heat alone. He probably wanted a good long bath and hot food. Sanji had been cooking up a storm. Zoro’s first heat back with the crew, and Sanji was convinced that they would have not fed Zoro right to replenish his needs. Franky should get out of the man’s way. He was really smelly. Most omega that Zoro had ever actually smelled before. Strong enough to bother and even entice a beta nose, not that Franky actually cared, not when he had Robin who had been smiling at him recently. Not a crew smile, a super smile.
He should move, but didn’t. “I need details, Zoro,” Franky said. “What in the room was good, what needs improving. The toys all up to snuff? I was thinking some rings in the wall for gripping onto, reinforced because you are super strong and -”
“Franky, I want a shower.”
“Right, right. You know there is actually one built into that room?” He assumed that Zoro would want a soak because from what he had heard solo heats were murder on backs, but he just wanted a shower? He had told Zoro the room was outfitted for all his needs. He put his hands on Zoro’s shoulders and turned him around. That got him a bit of a growl, and he moved his hands away. “Just showing you the super awesome room I made you. Again.”
Zoro went back in and fuck, okay, Franky quickly turned the vents on because, whew, that was a strong smell. “Now look,” Franky began to move around the room. “You got the bed, which you well used. Super awesome. The toy drawer that you just push this button and everything gets cleaned right up.” He pushed the button, and there was a faint whirring noise. Zoro just grunted at that.
“See that the floor is tiled here and the thing from the ceiling?” Zoro looked up and Franky pulled a lever. “Sixty seconds of water for each tug. About five minutes worth in the reservoir, kept tepid.”
“Oh, that would have been handy to know.”
“I told you all of this when we did the first tour of the sunny.”
“That was years ago.”
Franky didn’t want to be mad at his crew, especially right after a heat, when even Zoro had to be feeling a bit delicate. “Yeah, bro, it was, and maybe if you had ever used the room I made you, you would have remembered this shit.” Franky crossed his arms and glared at Zoro. “Why didn’t you want to use the room I made you, it’s super not cool bro.” He hadn’t realized how much this had bothered him, that the ship omega wouldn’t use the space designed just for them, that Franky had poured so much work into making perfect, consulting Iceberg, and the omegas in the bros about everything that would make a space perfect for such an important crew member. And years, fucking years later, was the first time Zoro had stepped foot in it. He didn’t want to cry that he had finally been accepted by the ship omega, or cry that it had taken so long.
Then Zoro was hugging him. He mostly didn’t hug anyone, other than Luffy. “I’m sorry, Franky. It is a great room, I wasn’t not using it because it wasn’t a great room.” Zoro stepped back. “I just couldn’t ever find it. It kept moving around the ship.”
Franky laughed at that, of course it did. “Yeah sorry, I designed the ship to move around all the spaces, just to fuck with you.”
“Ha! Told Luffy that,” Zoro looked downright smug. There was a shrug, “if I used a heat room, that meant I was the ship omega first, I was someone else’s thoughts of me, before my own. I wasn’t a swordsman, living for my goals, it was in support of everyone else.” Zoro went over and pulled the lever let the water fall on him. “Then I was away from everyone and realized that was bullshit. We are all working towards everyone’s goals. Luffy will be king, you’ll see your perfect ship sail the world over. I will be the strongest swordsman and eat onigiri at shit cook’s restaurant in the all blue while we plot to find one more island for Nami’s map.” Zoro shook like a wet dog. “Seemed stupid. Room is just a room, right?”
“Super room,” Franky corrected, and began to sob. “That’s beautiful bro.”
Zoro just sighed and was gone giving Franky a pat on the shoulder.
Franky sat in the heat room and sobbed happy that what he had built was accepted for what it was. Super cool space for his super cool bro. He straightened up and wiped the not crying away, because there were definite improvements to make now that the space was being used.
*
“Mr. Swordsman, I found a book that you might enjoy.” Robin approached Zoro who clearly was lost in the village. She never chided him for his lack of direction like everyone else did. She understood it.
Well she didn’t, not really, but she had read once in a very old story that not all who wander are lost and she rather thought that applied to Zoro sometimes. But also, he really did get lost.
“Oh yeah?”
“It is a journal, the tales of the lead ship omega of Gold D. Roger,” she held out the book. “Arguably the most important ship omega in modern history.” That just got her a grunt of indifference. “It seems he had a fair hand with blowing shit up.” Now that intrigued Zoro, she could see. They started walking side by side, and she nudged in the direction they were meant to go. “Do you ever feel like a thing, just wanted for something you had no control over, like once the ship and your captain’s goal is achieved, you’ll be tossed away like you never mattered at all?”
Zoro stopped walking and looked at her. She was curious how he would respond. They were still testing the waters around each other. Learning how to be crew mates. Everyone else had accepted her, but not Zoro. He kept an eye on her. But she was keeping an eye on him too. What she didn’t expect was for him to laugh though. Bend in half that he was laughing that much.
“Zoro!” Luffy shouted from somewhere, and then in a blink was next to them. “Did Robin make you laugh like that? I like when Zoro laughs that much! What’s so funny, tell me?”
“I’m not sure I know,” Robin had to admit. She was reluctant to repeat it in front of Luffy, unsure how the captain would react. She was not charmed when Zoro was almost giggling. She was too jaded to be charmed by a happy omega. But she smiled faintly.
“She thought when you were king of the pirates, you’d throw me away,” Zoro straightened up, finally in control of himself. But apparently one look at her and he was off again. And this time Luffy was laughing as well, but he laughed at everything, so she wasn’t sure it was the same. “Didn’t know you had a sense of humour like that, Robin.”
“I am full of surprises,” she agreed, watching the two of them. “It has happened before. Ship omegas abandoned, forgotten when goals were achieved, or not achieved. People get thrown out all the time.” Robin wasn’t sure if she was talking about Zoro or herself. But apparently they made the two men laugh even more.
“Robin,” Luffy was laughing that laugh that pulled you in, made you believe there was good in the world, even when you knew that was a lie. “Why would I throw Zoro away, unless we were playing to see how far I could throw him, and then if I can catch him.” Luffy’s eyes grew huge, and he changed his hold on Zoro. “Can we do that?”
“NO!” Zoro shouted, but the sound carried through the air as he was already tossed.
Robin watched as Luffy ran and sort of moved absurdly around, and she would describe it more as breaking Zoro’s fall instead of catching him. “That was fun! But I am squished. You are heavy, Zoro!”
She watched as Zoro just sort of flopped even more on Luffy, letting the smaller alpha bear all of Zoro’s weight. Neither seemed trouble by how close they were. But then Zoro was up, and walking back over to her. “You might be not so bad, after all, if you can joke like that.”
Luffy was already gone, chasing a balloon. “People get thrown away,” she said, “left behind, even when they are loved.”
Zoro threw an arm around her shoulder, and she leaned in, breathed him in. He smelled mostly like the dirt that he had fallen onto. The metal of his swords, and that scent of the ship. He was looking at her and she wondered what he was going to say. “Thanks for finding that book,” was all that he said. “Might be interesting to read.” He gave a nod and went what was likely in the wrong direction.
Robin watched him go, watched as his hand snapped out and caught the balloon that was about to get away from Luffy and hand it back to him. She thought maybe they’d go off together, but they didn’t even speak, Luffy bounding to her.
“For you, Robin. You needed a balloon.”
“I did?” It was bright red, and swaying in the air. Luffy tied it around her wrist. “Thank you.”
“It was a good joke! Treat for being funny.”
“Why are you so sure it was a joke?” Robin was watching him. Wanting it desperately to be true that her life of abandonment and loneliness was a punchline she just hadn’t understood.
“Because you are my crew,” he smiled. “I smell meat. Bye!” And he was gone.
As if it was that easy. She wanted it to be that easy.
A week later, the book was back on her bed. Dirty with blood on the front, torn pages, maybe stabbed. At the end there was a scrap of paper.
Interesting read. If you find any books on swords, let me know.
She smiled and tucked the note into a drawer. “Zoro, let’s practice throwing you again!” she heard through the open porthole.
“No, you idiot!” But the last word was stretched out, their swordsman thrown in the air again.
She laughed, and perhaps her worry was a joke after all.
*
“Zoro, you will have to make a choice,” Mihawk looked at his, well honestly he wasn’t sure what to call Zoro. A year now, and his training was improving him by leaps and bounds, but the boy would never make it all the way there if he held onto certain paths. “Do you know what that choice is?”
He had that blade in his mouth again, was cut, almost exhausted, but clearly going to charge yet again, “You mean the choice of which blade ends you? It is clearly Wado, to keep my promise. How was that a choice I’d have to make - it was obvious.”
And so was Zoro’s attack, and Mihawk brushed it off. “You are done today,” he ordered. That should mean there were only two or three more attacks. He fended them off easily enough and once it was clear that Zoro was done, he sat at the table on the edge of the training area, poured himself a glass of wine. Perona was there, serving tea to her odd creatures, that he would never admit he knew all the names of. “The choice of whether you are the Strawhat omega or a man fulfilling his own goals. They are incompatible.”
Perona was looking between them, “You said we weren’t supposed to talk about that!” She grabbed one of her plushies and was hugging it. “You said I was allowed to say whatever I wanted to him, but never say anything about that. You are breaking the rules, Mihawk!”
“They are my rules, I am allowed to adjust them, and we are adjusting them now.” He gestured and huffed when Zoro stayed on the ground. “Sit, it is time for this conversation.”
“If it is time for this talk, I should be allowed booze,” Zoro stumbled to the chair and sat.
“One glass of wine,” Mihawk decided to be generous.
“Moria never had a ship omega. He thought they were very not cute. Absalom would sometimes say that was why were stuck in the Florian triangle. I didn’t understand why, and there was no one I could ask. I just decided it was because none of them were alphas?”
“Old sea saying,” Zoro explained, “no omega on board, you are fucked.”
“That is why the saying was created,” Mihawk sneered a bit, “prettied it all up, but basically if you want a harmonious crew, make sure that you have a ready omega for fucking to avoid alpha fights on a ship.” He saw Zoro wince at the crudeness which was laughable considering what Zoro must have done on that ship. He drank his wine and decided to stay quiet because Perona leaned forward, and he learned much about Zoro when he and Perona bickered. Even if the sound grated on his nerves.
“Zoro! Did you have sex with everyone on your ship? Some of them were cute. Not long nose he is so not cute for being able to beat my ghosts.” She was pouting. “I saw a book once, like three alphas and one omega.”
“Yeah? There were three alphas on our ship?” Zoro knocked back the whole glass of wine and looked hopeful, but Mihawk moved the bottle out of reach. “Is that number so weird?”
“Ugh, don’t you get what kind of book it was?” Perona made a face. “The sex kind. Did you do that?”
“Ew, no! Why would I have sex with Sanji, or Nami? They didn’t want me, and I didn’t want them. They are crew.”
Mihawk nodded a bit. So the captain had claimed exclusivity with the ship omega, not uncommon. “I see.” He drank a bit more. “Zoro, those sorts of bonds, they will hold you back.”
Zoro shoved away, “You understand nothing, old man.” He stormed off, and he didn’t appear for training for several days, but Mihawk could hear him fighting outside their walls, and Perona regularly reported how Zoro was doing. Mihawk refused to feel guilty when he stitched Zoro’s face. Because Zoro made a choice, and we all pay for our choices in the end. “You think what? That I can’t be both?” Zoro asked.
“No one can achieve what they want with divided loyalties. You are not a swordsman to them, you are just your hormones. No matter what they say.”
“That what happened to you? I can smell it on you. We’re the same.”
“Hardly, I have actual taste.” Mihawk was gentle as he wiped the blood away. “I do not say this to be cruel. But you will have to choose. Yourself or them.”
“All this training is for them.”
“And to defeat me one day.”
Zoro laughed a bit. “Is it so wrong to believe in Luffy, to believe in the King of Pirates?”
“He isn’t that yet, not by a long shot. You do not comprehend what lies before you.” Mihawk looked at the rag in his hand, that was covered in Zoro’s blood. “Is he so very good in bed, to be worth not fulfilling your own promise?”
“Never been in his bed, none of them. What shit porn do you read Mihawk? Ship omega isn’t about that?” Mihawk wondered how the man could be that innocent with all he had already seen and done in the world. “That what Shanks wanted you to be?”
“Congratulations, Rorona Zoro, you finally landed a blow.” Mihawk stood. “I expect you at training tomorrow. We’ll have to work from scratch with that.” He left without another word, pleased that Zoro didn’t try to apologize, or offer excuses, just owned what he said.
He couldn’t sleep that night though. It was frustrating, but a bottle of wine would help. He moved silent through the keep, and saw the lights under Perona’s door, that was open a bit.
“So what was it like?” he heard Perona ask. “And sit still, I’m making you cute. I can’t believe you don’t have anymore jewelry.”
“Shit just would get dirty.”
“Well, tough, you are getting all omega pretty. Because you lost our bet. So sit still, this shade of lipstick will be cute on you.” There was an exhausted sigh, and he smiled a bit. He would not rescue Zoro, because this was a satisfactory revenge. “So, it isn’t like a naughty story at all? Didn’t you want it to be?”
There was quiet. “If Luffy had wanted me, I wouldn’t be against that,” Zoro said eventually. “Everyone on the ship says I smell like home, like the ship to them. He never says that. Never says anything about what I smell like. To me, he is the one that smells like home.”
“That is sort of cute. I’m going to paint your nails.”
“Must you?”
“Yes.”
Mihawk was about to continue on, when he heard something that kept him still. “Which do you care about more, being the best swordsman, or the ship omega?”
“Why?”
“Mihawk says you can’t be both. But he is old and doesn’t understand people. Not like me. I understand people great.”
“You torture people, with those stupid negative ghosts.”
“I know, that is why I understand them. Maybe not everyone could be both. But you could. I think. Maybe. If you let yourself be cute and wear this tiara!”
“I’m not wearing a tiara!”
“Meanie!”
“Shrew!”
Mihawk heard a gasp and then the collapse of Zoro as he was hit with the ghosts. “I am horrible at both, my role and my goal. I should die and come back as a beta sea slug.”
“Oh that’s not fun,” she whined and Mihawk could hear her picking him up. “Look, I like Mihawk, he has a gloomy castle and dresses great, and treats me better than my crew did. I like it here.” That made him feel funny, and he refused to acknowledge that he perhaps tolerated Perona too. “But he’s wrong. It isn’t that you have to choose. You are holding yourself back from being all you know omega, just in case of whatever. I don’t know. But if you embraced whatever it is you want, wouldn’t then that help you be the best swordsman? If you are happy with both, wouldn’t that make you stronger at both?”
“Why are you making sense?”
“Being this cute makes you really smart. People just tend to notice the cute.”
“It hurts, being here.”
“Of course it does, Mihawk kicks your ass every day.”
“No, being away from my crew. It hurts, that is a weakness. I should cut away all weakness, shouldn’t I?”
“Or, you could use it to fuel you. I’m going to paint your toenails now. It will make you extra cute.” Mihawk didn’t hear an objection to that. “I miss my crew, but also not. I think you are really lucky. And I am sure your captain, all of them are missing you too.”
“You should stay here with Mihawk, when I leave. Don’t find those assholes.”
“He wouldn’t want me to.”
“Never know. And can we paint them red, like the shirt Luffy wears most?”
Mihawk decided to leave them be at that point. He went and fetched the bottle he wanted, went to his room and reread very old letters from Shanks. The next day, Zoro was on the training grounds, nails painted, and a chain around his neck, but no tiara. He knew to an outsider it wouldn’t look it, but he went easy on Zoro as the man adjusted to his changes in perception.
Months later they were having a dinner that he refused to call a celebration in honour of how well Zoro’s haki had developed. “Rorona Zoro, you may have to make a choice soon,” Mihawk said, and he ignored the way they both rolled their eyes. “You will return to your ship and -”
“I’m not leaving them, my way forward is with them. My crew,” Zoro said calmly, completely sure. “I’ll be their talisman, and their home, and their protector and it will all lead me to being the world’s greatest swordsman. Love is going to let me kick your ass.”
Mihawk almost smiled at the way Perona clapped her hands and bounced.
“Zoro, no interrupting please. Manners at my table.” Mihawk took a drink and relished the grumbles and the way they both leaned forward. “No the choice you’ll have to make is this. Stay pining or seduce your captain that you are clearly in love with.”
“I am?”
“You are,” Perona agreed.
Mihawk smiled, “Now since you are not versed in certain elements of the role you have on the ship, allow me to educate you.”
“Huh?” Zoro looked lost.
“Oh my ghosts. Not cute. Not cute. Not cute.” Perona screeched.
“Zoro, my boy, I do believe it is time you had some sex education. Let us begin with a discussion of alpha knots.” There was a noise and he watched as Perona left her body right through the ceiling and Zoro tried to bolt, but he threw a dagger and pinned Zoro to a chair. “Now, this advice won’t take into account how being rubber will have impacted your captain’s knot, but we can make certain assumptions.”
He was impressed that Zoro didn’t gnaw off his own arm to escape the conversation, because it looked like he was seriously contemplating it.
And Shanks had always said he had no sense of humour.
*
“Zoro! We’re having a party, come down here!” Luffy shouted. He could see Zoro working out. The windows were open, and he knew that the man could hear him. “Torao is leaving, and you are going to say goodbye, right!” He stomped his foot and didn’t care. “Get down here right now!” Zoro just made a rude gesture out the window, and didn’t come down. Fine. “I’m drinking all your sake!”
That was a lie, but hopefully Zoro would believe it and come down already. He went to where tables had been set up and started to eat. The food was so good. And it wasn’t actually too long before Zoro was there. Luffy lightly tugged at Zoro's earrings, like he had taken to doing since they had been reunited. He couldn’t explain why, just that it made him happy, and it seemed to make Zoro happy too. “The food is real good.”
“Cook knows how to ready a party.” Zoro had a bottle in each hand. He should be eating too. So Luffy jammed a kebab in Zoro’s mouth. They eventually went over to where everyone was sitting and Luffy huffed.
“Zoro, eat!”
“I’m fine, captain.” He drank and Luffy picked up more food from his plate and jammed it in Zoro’s mouth. Tugged at the earrings again. Brook was playing music and Chopper was already cotton candy drunk, and going to crash soon. He liked when Robin leaned against Franky, they looked happy together. His crew should be happy. He was sad that Trafalgar was leaving. He was fun, but he understood that he missed his crew. Luffy always missed his crew when they were apart. He didn’t like to think about that time, when there had been no Sunny. No Zoro next to him. It made his stomach hurt.
It made him not want to eat when he thought of no Zoro. He had asked Chopper about that, and Chopper said he needed to ask Zoro. He would when he remembered. He remembered now, but he knew it wasn’t the right time. Not when Zoro wasn’t eating enough. He held up more food, and Zoro ate from his hand.
“I have to say, there were always rumours, but seeing it all day to day so different than what you expect.” Trafalgar was drinking as well. “It is more like a children’s story than reality.”
Luffy was confused, and he watched his crew tense up. “Huh?”
“Since I’m leaving, figure the time to ask all the burning questions every pirate has about the Strawhat ship omega.”
Luffy looked around confused. “The what?”
“He means me, Luffy,” Zoro replied. “Ask away, Law.”
“Well it is all so noble and sweet. It could almost make you sick.” Law was grinning, like he was mocking them. Luffy’s eyes narrowed. Was he making fun of Zoro?
“You don’t respect your ship omega?” Zoro countered.
“Don’t have one, have omegas on the ship. My crew is anyone who can handle their shit. I don’t believe in old sayings. But guess Luffy does. Considering the way he shakes the world, that surprises me is all.”
“What saying, what omegas? I don’t understand.” Luffy looked at his crew.
“It’s fine, Luffy,” Zoro said. “I know why you picked me first, we all do.”
“Yeah, because I found you first?” Luffy shrugged.
“Because you knew your crew needed an omega to reach the grand line,” Nami nodded.
Luffy laughed. “Nami, are they compasses or something because if they are, then Zoro is broken.” He laughed more, but no one else was laughing. “What?”
Law was watching them, and Luffy really didn’t like the look on his face, and how that look kept drifting to his Zoro. He tugged at Zoro’s earrings a bit more, moved closer. Which made Law smirk and Luffy stuck out his tongue.
“Luffy,” Usopp was laughing, “we just mean the old saying, that’s why you picked Zoro first.”
“What saying?”
“Set sail with an omega in hand, you will see all new lands - leave them on the shore, you’ll be lost forevermore,” Robin chimed in. “It is about seven hundred years old, roughly from my research.”
“Never heard it.” Luffy looked and his plate was empty. “More food. I ate all mine.”
“Actually you fed half of it to your ship omega,” Law offered helpfully. “Noticed he is the only one you share with.”
“He’s Zoro, why aren’t you saying his name?” Luffy looked at everyone. Then at Zoro. “Zoro knows why I picked him.”
“Because I was an omega and a good fighter,” Zoro agreed.
Luffy was mad. “Zoro! I picked you because you ate the food from the dirt and you used three swords. Do you know how cool that is? If I picked someone because of how they smell that’d be stupid.”
“Luffy, it’s okay,” Sanji said, “if you picked him at least a little bit because of superstition. Sailors are a weird lot like that. Pirates even more so.” He saw everyone nodding, even Zoro, and Law kept looking at Zoro. Like he wanted Zoro, but that was stupid, no one wanted Zoro, Zoro was theirs. His.
Luffy thought about what Nami had said years ago, about people trying to take Zoro. Franky’s questions about building a heat room, how Chopper always slept on Zoro face buried in Zoro’s neck. They all had said at some point Zoro smelled like home.
Luffy buried his face in Zoro’s neck. “He just smells like Zoro.” He glared at everyone. “That perfect Zoro smell.” Now they all had different looks on their faces and Law was laughing. A lot. “What? Why is everyone being stupid! I picked him because he was Zoro. I don’t even know that stupid saying. Which is extra stupid because if Zoro was a ship omega and not my Zoro, we’d be lost all the time. He’s always lost!” Luffy looked at Zoro. “You know you are you. Don’t you?”
“I do,” Zoro was laughing too. But it was a nice laughing. He liked when Zoro laughed. “Never minded that you picked me in part because of the old saying.”
“I picked you because one look at you, I knew that you were going to be beside me forever, it has nothing to do with what our junk says about who we are.” Luffy picked up his plate and went and got more food. His crew were all so weird. Why were they all thinking weird things? Zoro was Zoro, not anything else. He was - He was -.
He looked at the plate of food and wasn’t hungry. His stomach was doing the thing. He stormed back over and Law had an arm around Zoro. Luffy body checked him out of the way ignoring the laugh that got from the other captain. He pointed at Zoro. “When I think about you, sometimes I can’t eat. Why? What did you do?”
“Ohh that is so romantic,” Nami said.
“Romantic?” Luffy was confused. “What do you mean?” He looked at Zoro, “what does she mean?” He reached up and tugged the earrings. He found his hand lingering on Zoro’s neck. “I don’t get it. You aren’t the ship omega. You are Zoro. My Zoro.” He traced a finger over the closed eye. “My Zoro.” The funny feeling in his stomach grew, emptied him out and filled him up. “Zoro?”
Law leaned over. “Captain, this is where you kiss your omega.”
“Don’t ruin the moment!” Sanji shouted and kicked Law, which Luffy appreciated. “We’ve been waiting years for this.”
“For what?” Luffy stared at Zoro. His first crew member. His first thought in the morning. Well his first thought that wasn’t I need to pee, I need meat, I need adventure. Zoro was always his first and last real thought. Every picture he had of the end results of his journey, anything after that was all blurry, Zoro was there clear as day. “Zoro, what is going on?”
Zoro was smiling. “Not much more than usual. But might kiss you, if that is alright.”
“Sure, Zoro can do whatever he wants to me, he’s Zoro. He’s mine, and I’m his. Everyone knows that,” Luffy said and blinked. “Zoro did you miss because of your eye? You kissed my scar.” Then there was a kiss to his jaw, and his neck. Zoro was there and he breathed him in. And everything snapped into place. “We love each other! Zoro, we’re in love.”
“I know,” and there was a proper kiss against his lips. His ears were ringing, because his crew were yelling really loudly and Law was laughing at them, and it scared Chopper awake making him yell and then yell more when he saw the kissing. Luffy hugged Zoro tight, didn’t let go. Refused to let go.
He still just smelled like Zoro.
That just happened to be the best smell ever. Well like third best ever. Or maybe second. But then Zoro bit his neck and right okay. Luffy sent them both flying up to the crow’s nest.
*
“Zoro!”
Zoro groaned and rolled over. “What?”
“Look what Nami sent me!”
Zoro blearily opened his eyes and saw a crown on Luffy’s head. He wasn’t wearing a stitch, other than the crown. And it was listing dangerously to the right, too large for Luffy’s head. “You look stupid.”
“Zoro!” Luffy whined. “I look like I’m the king of the pirates!” He straightened the crown a bit, and it just fell again.
“You look like the pirate king, because you are the pirate king. Crown just makes you look stupid.”
“Fine.”
Zoro snorted a laugh as the crown was replaced with the straw hat and still no clothes. He lay on his back and looked at Luffy. “So what next, oh mighty king?”
“Better when you call me captain. Boring people call me king. Zoro isn’t boring.”
Zoro knew that was the highest of compliments from Luffy. He felt a tug at his earrings, that Luffy had changed when Zoro had defeated Mihawk and become the greatest swordsman. They should go visit the old man soon. They had been land based for almost a month now and they both were getting itchy. And Luffy had that gleam in his eyes. The gleam from when they first met, when he started to give everything to Luffy.
His captain. His home. Because everyone was wrong he had never smelled like that. It was all Luffy. “Where to, Captain?”
“I dunno, but it'll be fun!” Luffy was running out of the room. “Let’s go!”
“Pants first, dumbass!” Zoro called, but Luffy was already headed towards the Sunny. Zoro dressed, grabbed his swords, the small bag they always had ready, and followed along.
Time to set sail for old friends and new lands.