Luffy couldn't sleep that night. Try as he might, with all his twisting and turning and flipping over to get into a comfortable position, he couldn't shut his eyes for more than ten seconds. Maybe the fact that he wasn't sleepy at all was part of the reason, but it was probably because he was too excited.

Tomorrow he'd be turning six, and tomorrow he'd be seeing Zoro.

Three months had passed since he brought Ace and Sabo over and they became a somewhat common sight at the pub. They stopped by at least once every week, usually bringing some sort of game as a gift. Makino had been shocked when they brought in a danpa twice their size and Luffy had snickered a bit, thinking about the crocodiles in the lake they'd bring once it melted.

They usually came around lunch and after hanging out in the pub or in Luffy's room for a bit they'd go out together to the Gray Terminal or the like and mess around there. Luffy introduced them to his friends there and they all got along pretty well, or well enough considering how antisocial Ace could be. Sabo did the talking as usual and Luffy was their in-between, though the freckled brunette was slowly (very slowly) opening up a bit.

They came across each other more often, too. Until they met those few months ago Luffy never actually saw his two would-be brothers. He'd felt their presences, sure, but he'd never seen them. Now they'd always somehow manage to meet in the Gray Terminal or Edge Town or even in the middle of the forest. Luffy always managed to sense them first but they always ended up walking in his direction, as if they were unconsciously being drawn to him.

The older two eventually became more used to Luffy's presence after their constant run-ins and visits that they were hanging out almost every day. Of course, because of this it shouldn't have been much of a surprise when a certain someone found the three of them together.

Gramps' initial reaction upon walking into the bar and seeing the three of them at the barstools was of open-jawed shock. His eyes zoned in on Ace and Luffy (because he didn't know Sabo just yet) and after processing the image in front of him he'd promptly dragged the two off for a training session, no questions asked. Sabo was left with Makino as he watched his friends flail in a hopeless attempt to get away, the doors shutting behind them.

Three hours later they returned, Gramps laughing loudly with a dirtied Luffy shouting at the old man from under his arm and a dead-beat tired Ace hanging off his shoulder. Gramps dropped them both on the stools beside Sabo as he and Luffy shouted for food and Ace's head hit the counter with a groan.

(Gramps had never trained Ace like that before. The geezer visited the bandit hideout from time to time and left him with multiple bruises on his head from Fists of Love but he had never spent more than an hour with the man before. Now, learning that Luffy was his biological grandson and had crazy training sessions like that with Gramps regularly, Ace wondered just how strong the kid was.)

Gramps left with the promise of returning soon and Ace, fearing for his future health and sanity, announced that he wouldn't be visiting as often. With Ace not coming by as much, the same was said for Sabo and both boys only dropped by once or twice a week. Luffy was disappointed but could sympathize—spending time with Gramps in the past always resulted in more pain than it was worth.

They continued to hang out every day away from Fuusha and while Luffy didn't have as much time to train anymore he was happy. He liked spending time with both his brothers like this, and seeing them together always made him smile. It was a sight he missed with all his heart and the only thing that could make it better was having more friends to have fun with.

Instead of futilely trying to sleep Luffy ended up shuffling out of bed and drew the whole night, trying to make a gift for Zoro when he saw him (which was weird, because it was his birthday tomorrow. He hoped Zoro got him a present, too. He hoped it was meat). By dawn he'd collapsed on his desk from exhaustion with a pile of drawings at his side and some crumpled balls of paper scattered on the floor.

Makino found him later and gently shook him awake for breakfast, Luffy jumping up at the word and rushing down the stairs and to the pub. An extra large, extra delicious meat-only breakfast was set out in front of him which he promptly devoured and thanked Makino for with a big hug before the day started. He helped out around the pub as usual, chatting animatedly with the customers, and was bouncing in place as they closed for the day after lunch.

The routine was the same as six months ago—renting a boat from a fisherman, the long trip to Shimotsuki, and keeping a look out for sea kings to blast with a little bit of Conqueror's Haki. The only difference was Luffy's restlessness to reach land and see his first mate waiting to be picked up.

What could have only been a few hours felt like days before they reached the port and Luffy jumped off the boat—almost shooting off if it weren't for Makino's call to wait. He did so reluctantly, though still hyper and excited, constantly shouting for Makino to "hurry hurry hurry!"

They walked down the streets of Shimotsuki, Makino looking around and noting some things she would buy on their way back and Luffy staring ahead excitedly, drawings clutched to his chest.

Six months was a long time. He wondered how strong Zoro had gotten.

———

Makino followed Luffy as the boy sprinted off through the dojo's gates, people having to jump out of the way of the small hurricane. Makino didn't bother yelling after him now, knowing it'd do no good, and apologized to the people in the newly-made six year old's place. One of the fusuma doors slid open and a head peeked out to check the commotion. Makino recognized him as the dojo's sensei, Koushirou.

Politely, Makino bowed in greeting. "Hello, Koushirou-san. I apologize for barging in like this."

Koushirou blinked at her, probably putting a name to her face, before a kind smile took over his face. "Makino-san. It's nice to see you again. And it's quite alright, I'm glad someone seems energetic today."

Makino gave a sheepish smile in return, rising from her bow. "Luffy was very excited for today. He looked ready to run off at the port if I hadn't stopped him, though I'm afraid I couldn't stop him from doing that here. I apologize if we've disturbed anyone."

The dojo master stopped her before she could bow again, raising a hand and giving an easy smile. "It's alright, Makino-san. I can sympathize, really. Zoro has been waiting for this day as well. I had to convince him to wait at the dojo instead of going to the harbor. Knowing that boy he'd probably get lost on the way."

After chuckling for a moment, Koushirou gestured for her to step inside. "The sun's quite bright today. Why don't we talk a bit over some tea while the boys get reacquainted?"

Makino nodded, smiling at the offer. "That would be nice, thank you."

She took her shoes off at the bottom of the porch and stepped onto the engawa, following the sensei into the dojo and sitting down on one of the pillows on the tatami floor, legs tucked under her. There was already fresh tea on the small table in front of her and Koushirou poured some into a spare cup, passing it to her in a smooth and graceful movement.

As she took a sip from the cup Koushirou set his hands on his knees and bowed. "Thank you for agreeing to watch over Zoro. While I'm not sure of what spurred his sudden decision to go to your village and train with Luffy-kun, I'm glad he's had something to look forward to after everything that's happened."

"Of course. It's no trouble, really. Zoro's a nice boy and both him and Luffy seem very close, despite knowing each other for only a few days. But," her brows furrowed in concern, "you said something happened?"

"Yes," Koushirou said, straightening from his bow and sitting somberly. "My daughter, Kuina, died recently. She tripped down the stairs and hit her head, killing her instantly, so at the very least I'm grateful she didn't suffer."

He sighed, taking off his glasses and wiping them for a moment before putting them back on. "Zoro and Kuina were— well, rivals, you could say. That boy came to this dojo as a challenger and fought Kuina. He lost easily which upset him greatly, as he'd never been defeated before, and he started challenging her constantly after becoming a student of the dojo. They dueled two thousand times just before her death, Zoro never having won once."

Koushirou picked up his own cup of tea and took a slow slip. Swallowing, he continued. "I don't think they were close enough to be called friends exactly, but the bond they shared after two thousand exchanged blows was a very strong and complicated one—one that I cannot understand myself, and I'm sure they couldn't either. As it was, with her passing, Zoro did not take it easily. Instead of mourning her he trained day and night, in the snow or rain. He hardly took any breaks and before anyone knew it he had defeated every adult in the dojo."

He set the cup down and smiled a tired smile at Makino. "Then, one day, he asked me for her treasured sword. He swore that, with it, he'd get stronger and achieve both their dreams—to be the best. It was only then that he cried for her."

There was a moment of silence as he stopped speaking and Makino let the information sink in, feeling a pain in her heart for the boy.

She watched as Koushirou set his hands in his lap, his eyes staring straight into hers through his glasses. "I have no doubt that Zoro will get stronger away from this dojo. I know he'll meet many people out there, experience many things, and he will make all sorts of bonds with people like he had with Kuina—like he has with Luffy-kun. He will be in your care until then, so please take care of him."

Makino nodded and gave a reassuring smile. "You have my word."

Smiling back, Koushirou stood. "Now, I think it's time to find those boys. Last I remember, Zoro should be somewhere inside the dojo."

He walked towards the fusuma and slid a door open, showing a narrow hallway. Turning to Makino, he gestured towards the door. "Shall we?"

Makino chuckled, rising to a stand. "Knowing Luffy, I don't think it'll be too difficult finding them."

They left the room, Koushirou leading the way through the long winding hallways. After walking in silence for a bit, Makino spoke.

"Zoro will be fine."

Koushirou turned his head a bit, listening. "Oh?"

Makino smiled to herself, hearing shouts and scuffling up ahead. "Luffy will be with him."

———

Zoro's presence popped up in the back of Luffy's mind as the dojo was in their sights. He was practically itching in excitement as they approached the gates and he couldn't help but sprint off as they passed under them. He could hear the startled shouts of people behind him as he rushed by but couldn't be bothered since Zoro's aura was like a beacon in the dark.

He climbed onto the engawa, forgetting to take off his sandals, and threw open the first sliding door he saw. He ran through the halls and through random rooms towards Zoro's presence, getting lost a few times and finding himself in the kitchen once. He stole an apple from a basket and continued his search, shouting his first mate's name at the top of his lungs.

Luffy finally found him in the training room (of course that's where he'd be, why hadn't he looked there first?) and did the first thing any sane person would do when seeing a friend for the first time in a while—jump on him.

"ZORO!" He shouted, laughing as he landed on the startled boy's back.

"What the— Luffy?!" Zoro spluttered, dropping his shinai and stumbling forward under Luffy's sudden weight.

"Zoro!" He shouted again, hugging Zoro's head and covering his eyes with his arms. "I was looking for you! There were too many rooms and hallways so I ran through them all! Why'd you have to be in the last room?"

"I bet you just got lost— and oi, move! I can't see!"

As Luffy snickered loudly the other students in the room turned to look at them, whispering to each other, but Luffy paid them no mind as he climbed up his friend. Settling on Zoro's shoulders, he took the papers he had rolled up in his hands and opened them in front of the greenette's face.

"Look! I made these for you last night! Aren't they cool? Take 'em, take 'em!" Luffy said, shaking the papers in front of him. The one at the front was of a giant green tiger, because Zoro was a lot like a tiger sometimes—always napping like a lazy cat but fierce and strong when he needed to be.

Zoro looked at the drawings (what was he even looking at? All he saw was a giant scribble of green and some black. Was that a tail? No, a snake? Green rope?) and took them from the smaller boy's waving hands. "Uh, thanks. It's nice. Can you get off me now?"

Luffy did so reluctantly but was jumping with excitement as his feet hit the floor. He held out his hands towards Zoro and made grabby movements.

Zoro looked at him weirdly. "What?"

"My present! Gimme!"

"What present?"

"What do you mean 'what present?'" Luffy cried, hands falling to his side. "It's my birthday! You give presents on birthdays! I want meat!"

"Well you can have meat later," Zoro said, setting the drawings down by a wall. He turned to Luffy, fists clenched and eyes determined. "Fight me."

The atmosphere in the room took a turn and suddenly everyone's eyes were on them. Luffy blinked at the change and gave Zoro a confused look. "Why?"

Zoro picked up his shinai from the floor. "I need to see how strong I've gotten." His eyes flashed with an emotion too quick for Luffy to read as he plucked a third shinai from a rack and set it in his mouth. "How much farther I need to go."

Luffy's eyes widened as Zoro held the three swords, stance at the ready. He grinned. "Santouryuu? Did you beat Kuino?"

His grin fell off his face as Zoro's eyes darkened, not bothering to correct the butchering of the name. "Kuina died. I never beat her, but now I hold both our ambitions and have to become stronger."

Zoro's eyes pierced Luffy's and the younger saw something in them he saw long ago—a certain look in his first mate's eyes that he saw once on a man who'd just been freed from nine days of starvation and beatings. The look of a man who was alone and had only one reason to live.

"I will be the World's Strongest, or I will be nothing at all."

("And should you get in the way of my dream, I'll have you commit seppuku to atone.")

Zoro had eventually stopped thinking that way—that he was alone and his dream was the only reason he continued breathing. Zoro's dream became theirs and theirs his. The Straw Hat Pirates became another part of his dream that he strove to protect and cherish just as the rest of them all did, but Zoro hadn't started feeling that way until Arlong Park, and the change hadn't come until Mihawk's intervention.

What Luffy was looking at now was the Zoro he never truly knew, the Zoro who had lived his life by his swords and for one purpose until Luffy met him in that marine base and changed his life thereafter.

While Luffy admired those who could give their life for their dreams and chase after it with everything they had, right now, in Zoro's case, he didn't want that for him. Because Zoro wasn't alone. He had him. He would have them.

Luffy would make him see that.

He looked at Zoro with an equally determined look, nodding. "Alright," he said, settling into the stance he'd taken during their last spar. "Let's fight."

As soon as the words left his mouth Zoro charged, surprising Luffy and forcing him to defend first. Normally Zoro would never make the first move. It was better to let your opponent attack first and the swordsman knew this, so either he was very confident or overly eager.

Luffy's hands flew up to block the two swords coming down at him. They hit his arms with a loud sound and Luffy could feel the shinai shaking from the pressure Zoro was applying to them. Luffy's block didn't break, though, and Zoro didn't let it deter him as he swung his head, sword and all, hitting Luffy's block and breaking through the defense.

Luffy stumbled back and defended again, dodging and blocking and pushing away Zoro's advances. He was sorely stuck on defense, not able to get in a hit at all since Zoro was leaving no openings. Luffy knew Zoro had trained a lot these past six months but he didn't think he could improve this fast. Luffy could barely keep up, having barely trained at all due to Ace and Sabo's recent reinvolvement in his life. The only times he'd really trained was that one time Gramps came to Foosha and the few days he didn't see his potential brothers.

There was something different about the way Zoro fought now though. He couldn't exactly name it, couldn't explain it, but he felt it in the way his first mate struck without pause, swords swinging and slashing in every direction. It was different from how he fought before. Back then he fought for the fun of the fight, the adrenaline rushing through his veins and the excitement in every dodge and strike. It had been the same for Luffy. Now, Zoro fought to win, and to win fast.

After blocking another one of Zoro's slashes Luffy jumped back to put space between the two of them. Zoro lunged forward, the tip of his shinai aimed at his gut, and Luffy didn't react fast enough to dodge the blow. He was hit straight in the stomach, the wind being knocked out of him and leaving him coughing up spit and choking for air. A strand of sweat slid down his face as he gasped, clutching his gut and standing on shaking legs.

Zoro stopped charging at him, standing in front of him with his fists clenched and teeth biting down hard on the training sword's handle. The other students called out to him, saying he should stop or to go easier on him, but their words fell on deaf ears.

"What are you doing?" He grit out around the shinai, ignoring them. "Is that all you've got?"

Silver eyes stared straight into his own with such intensity that Luffy felt them pierce his soul. It was like he was looking for something and though Luffy didn't know what he could place a guess.

Zoro would not follow a weak captain, he knew that well. Either physically or mentally weak, Zoro had said it himself that he wouldn't follow someone who'd let someone else walk all over him. Now, Zoro was probably trying to find out where all of Luffy's previous strength had gone. He was wondering why he was so weak. He was disappointed.

Luffy would not allow that.

There was a flash in his eyes and, with a sudden burst of energy and speed, Luffy ran up to Zoro and socked him equally as hard in the gut as he had to him with the sword. Zoro spluttered as he stumbled back with wide eyes, moving to clutch his middle but his hands were full and they hung there awkwardly instead.

"Who said I was done?" Luffy asked, teeth bared in a fierce grin. "I haven't even started yet."

Zoro grinned with him and this time they charged together. Luffy honed his Observation to greater lengths, easily moving out of the way of Zoro's slashes and finding precise openings to exploit. They weaved around each other, dodging and attacking when they could, blocking when they couldn't. Luffy's grin became more excited as he felt Zoro's pace matching his, his strikes becoming less victory-driven and more free, as if living in the moment. This was what Luffy wanted—for Zoro to have fun.

They didn't notice Makino and the dojo's sensei walk in and join the crowd of students that had gathered around them. They hadn't noticed anyone but each other, really. Some students had to back up if they got too close and there was one time when Luffy knocked a shinai out of Zoro's grip and the swordsman-in-training dove into the crowd to retrieve it, barely realizing there was a crowd there at all.

After a while they were both covered in sweat and breathing rough but neither slowed down. Neither were getting the better of each other, too, and Zoro spoke as he dodged one of Luffy's punches.

"Oi, Luffy—" he pushed another punch away from him with his sword. "Use that thing!"

"What thing?" Luffy asked, ducking under a swing of a shinai and blocking another with his forearm.

"Haki! The armor one," Zoro grunted, swinging again with the arm Luffy ducked under, successfully striking him in the side. Luffy blinked.

"Why?" He asked, decking Zoro in the face. The older stumbled a bit but carried on.

"I wanna try fighting against it," Zoro said, fixing the shinai in his mouth from where it loosened and attacking Luffy again.

Luffy blocked it and moved to the side to dodge another swing. "Alright," he said, "but you asked for this."

Luffy pushed off with a foot and ran around Zoro, coming up behind him with a readied fist. Zoro quickly spun around, just in time to watch a metallic black crawl up his arm, and quickly defended himself with a sword. Luffy's punch broke right through it, snapping it in half, and Zoro ducked out of the way before it could hit him. Luffy charged again and Zoro moved to slide his fist off aim with another shinai but Luffy overpowered him and hit him in the chest (pulling back some haki from his arm at the last second so he wouldn't damage him too much).

Zoro fell to the ground, back hitting the floor with a loud thump, and groaned loudly. Luffy stood just a ways away from him, slouching as he stood and breathing hard. The room was silent, save for their harsh breathing, and Luffy watched as Zoro's head rolled to the side to examine the broken shinai he'd abandoned. Then, Zoro laughed.

"Damn," he wheezed, chuckling. "Now you've really gotta teach me that."

Luffy took another breath and giggled. "That's the plan."

Their words broke the awed stupor of the room and the crowd clapped, oohing and awwing at them. Both Luffy and Zoro finally noticed them and their eyes landed on Makino and the sensei at the back. Luffy helped his first mate up and supported his side as they walked over to the two, Makino looking surprised but proud and the sensei looking interested.

"That was quite the spar, you two," the glasses-wearing man said. "I'm very impressed." Turning to Zoro he added, "And I can see why you chose to train with Luffy-kun now. I'm looking forward to how the both of you will grow from here on."

Zoro simply nodded and Makino crouched down in front of them, looking them both over. "Are you both alright? Those were quite some heavy hits I saw—it gave me a little scare, really. You both are really strong," she said, praising and fussing over them at once. Luffy giggled at the praise and Zoro grunted.

Makino asked for some ice for the inevitable bruising they'd get later and the sensei called for one of his other students to show her the way to the kitchen. When the fusuma doors shut behind her the sensei turned to Luffy, smiling softly.

"I already said this to Makino-san but thank you for agreeing to house Zoro. He's a handful but please take care of him," he said, ignoring Zoro's indignant shout and bowing.

At the polite display, Luffy copied the man, bowing at the waist. "It's my pleasure," he said stiffly, attempting to sound formal but tossing the act away when he heard the sensei chuckle. He straightened, looking up at the man and grinning.

"I know he's a lot to handle but Zoro's nakama so of course I'll take care of him, Glasses-ossan!"

"If anyone's a lot to handle it's you— and he's Sensei, not Glasses-ossan!" Zoro said, brow twitching irritatedly.

"Sensei-ossan!"

"That's not—"

Sensei chuckled, laying a hand on Zoro's head. "It's fine. I don't mind at all. Call me what you wish, Luffy-kun. And I'm glad he's in safe hands."

Luffy giggled happily, nodding, and Zoro sighed in resignation.

They left the training room and met Makino in the hall, the barkeeper holding two ice packs in one hand and a plate of freshly cut apples in another. Luffy went for the apples first, shoving three into his mouth at once and only humming when Makino warned him about choking. She gave them the ice packs as Zoro reached for a slice and Luffy was suddenly reminded of their earlier spar and the damage he'd taken. With the adrenaline no longer numbing the pain Luffy felt all the bruises on his body pulse at the same time, making each sore spot known. Luffy's nose wrinkled slightly as he shoved the ice pack under his shirt where Zoro had hit him in the gut.

Turning to Zoro, he watched as the older boy chewed on his apple while holding the ice pack to his chest. Despite pulling back some haki, Luffy's last punch still must've really hurt.

Swallowing the food in his mouth and grabbing another slice, Luffy grinned at him. "You know Zoro, you got a lot stronger than the last time I saw you. What type of training did you do?"

Zoro looked at him for a moment before looking at his apple slice and shoving it into his mouth. "The usual," he said simply.

Luffy's brow rose a bit but he didn't say anything about it, though Sensei gave him a concerned look. "I didn't train all too much recently. I made some friends and we play all the time! It's really fun—you'll get to meet them too! I bet you'll get along—especially with Ace! He kinda acts like you, y'know? But grumpier."

"I'm not grumpy," Zoro grunted.

"You are too! Your eyebrows always have a wrinkle between them. You're still small and it'll look weird when you're older," Luffy said, eating another slice. He chewed a bit before continuing, looking thoughtful. Food sprayed from his mouth as he spoke. "Ace's eyebrows are like yours but they're stuck. I don't think they can go back to normal. At least yours relax sometimes, but if you keep doing it yours will be stuck too."

Zoro cringed, wiping the bits of apple that had stuck to his face from Luffy's spitting. He rubbed his hand on the smaller boy's shirt in disgust before saying, "I don't have wrinkles."

"You do! Look!" Luffy took his pointer finger and stuck it between Zoro's brows, rubbing at the wrinkle. Zoro slapped his hand away but Luffy kept trying to poke at it, saying he'd rub it away for him.

As they went back and forth, Zoro holding Luffy's arms back as the younger tried to touch his face, Makino laughed.

"They get along well," she said, smiling at the boys.

Beside her, Sensei nodded, a content and relieved smile on his lips.

———

They ended up staying over for the night, Sensei offering a place for them to stay at the dojo. Makino was given her own room and Luffy decided to sleep in Zoro's. The older boy protested very loudly at first ("I bet you drool!" "No I don't! You do!" "I do not!") but eventually relented after Luffy's consistent annoying pleading.

Two futons were laid out in the center of the room and Luffy immediately jumped and rolled over them, messing up the comforters and pillows. Zoro ended up kicking him off and onto his own futon before fixing his own and turning off the lights. Luffy squirmed to get his pillow back in place and dove under the covers. Futons were a bit weird—he was more used to beds and hammocks, but they were better than sleeping on the bare ground and the blanket was really warm. Plus, it reminded him of his days at the bandits' hideout with his brothers, so he couldn't say he minded it at all.

Luffy wanted to stay up longer and talk with Zoro and maybe have a pillow fight but it turned out he was exhausted—especially after the spar with Zoro. They spoke for a bit before Luffy's eyes inevitably flew shut and he fell asleep.

It felt like only a few seconds had passed when his haki spiked and his eyes flew open, darting around with a startled breath. He took in the sharp red of the sky and the scent of dust and iron flew up his nose, choking him, and Luffy knew immediately that he was dreaming. A glint of light caught the corner of his eye and he shot out a bruised arm, slapping the sword out of the marine's hands and decking him in the face, knocking him unconscious easily.

A flare of pain shot up his arm and Luffy winced, grabbing his wrist and shouting as he let it go, the pain increasing and like spiteful fire in his veins. He looked down at his arm with teary eyes, his head hurting horribly and his heart beating in his ears ruthlessly like a drum. His arm was wrapped in loose bandages, reds and purples peeking out from the dirtied white of the cloth. The bandages had come entirely undone by his hand, his wrist exposed and severely swollen, covered in an ugly dark purple with blue at the edges.

Luffy couldn't move, the pain nailing him to the ground and his knees falling under him. He curled up on himself, forehead to the ground and arm shaking violently, sweat dripping down his face and his teeth tearing through his lip. His mind was clear despite the pain, though, and he was screaming at himself to get up—to move, dammit!

Because he knew what was going to happen. This wasn't a normal nightmare. It was a memory.

Luffy's brain shouted the command repeatedly but his body wouldn't respond, continuing to shake on the dirty, bloodied ground. One of his legs twitched and he could practically see the marine charging at him, sword raised high and glinting maliciously in the red sun.

His other leg jolted and suddenly he could move. He scrambled to a stand, arm still pulsing with pain, and turned around.

There was a flash of silver and red exploded in front of his eyes, droplets shining like maroon jewelry in the air. They fell slowly, as if in slow motion, and everything around them grew silent. Luffy's ears rang as his eyes followed the body falling in front of him, the body that hadn't been there seconds before, the ringing and static growing louder and louder the further it fell.

Then, the body hit the floor with a heavy thump that seemed to echo, and the blood came rushing to his ears and everything came back to life so suddenly—the shouts, the smells, the red red red.

"ZORO!!"

Luffy screamed, the sound so broken and his throat cracking with the volume he emitted as Zoro's body bled out, his chest to the ground and arms splayed out beside him, Wado Ichimonji just an inch from his still fingers. Blood sprayed from the deep slash across his back and Luffy charged at the marine, punching him with his good arm, the last bits of his haki draining out into his fist. The marine barely had time to spit out blood as he flew back from the blow and crashed into a wall, blood splattering and leaving a dent in the bricks.

Luffy didn't give the dead man a second thought as he rushed back to Zoro, eyes wide and frantic.

"Zoro!" He dropped to his knees beside him, his hands hovering over Zoro's body. Blood flew out of him like a river, pooling up beneath him like a dark red lake. Luffy shoved his hands over the wound in an attempt to keep blood from flowing out, ignoring the sharp pain that shot through his wrist, his fingers shaking as he tried to keep the liquid in one place.

Despite his attempts, red fluid fell through his fingers and onto his first mate's already blood stained clothes. "Stop!" He cried, tears forming in his eyes and threatening to drip over his cheeks. "Stop bleeding! Don't you die too, dammit! Come on Zoro!"

The body under his hands shuffled a bit as Zoro's head turned to look up at him. He grinned weakly, blood dripping out from the corner of his mouth. "...What's with that look on your face," he said, voice coming out as a rasped whisper. "You look... stupid."

"Oi, don't talk, idiot! You're hurt! You're hurt really bad but you'll be alright, I swear!" Luffy said, his voice cracking at the end. His vision grew blurry as he felt Zoro's body slowly becoming colder and colder. He hastened to rip off his sleeve to hold over the wound but Zoro's hand came up and grabbed his wrist.

"Don't... There isn't enough time and the wound's too deep. Get out of here already. Before... before more back up—" A terrible cough broke his sentence, the hand around Luffy's wrist tightening as he spat out blood.

"Zoro!" Luffy shouted, watching his first mate heave for breath, his single eye lidded and sweat dripping down his chin.

Zoro's face was becoming a deathly pale and Luffy knew he had to get him out of there fast. He gently lifted the older man up to where his arm was wrapped around his wounded back, minding the gash. Luffy attempted to pick him up when a hand grabbed his shoulder and squeezed.

"Luffy, stop. You have to go by yourself," Zoro said, voice now barely above a whisper. Luffy grit his teeth as his vision misted up once more, a stray tear slipping from his eye.

"I'm not leaving without you," he said, voice wobbling yet firm. "I'm not letting you die too."

Zoro's brows furrowed as he bared his teeth, gripping Luffy's shoulder harder and speaking with as loud and forceful a voice he could manage. "Listen to me..! I'll only slow you down. Face it—I'm done for. You have to leave me!"

Luffy could hear the scattered sounds of footsteps approaching but his eyes stayed focused on Zoro's own, silver eye gleaming in the red light. A tear fell down his face, then another, and another, until tears were flowing from his eyes without restraint. "Don't... Don't say that," he said, voice quiet and wet. "I— You— You can't die. I won't let you. If you do... I—"

I'll be alone.

The tears came down harder and it felt like he couldn't breath, like something was stuck in his throat and wouldn't let any air in. He swallowed, multiple times, until he let out a shaky breath. "E-Everyone's gone," he said, choking on his words, his tears, the damn dusty air. "Don't leave me too..."

Zoro's eye softened and his grip on Luffy's shoulder had lessened considerably. His hand moved down to the young captain's chest, right over his heart.

"I'm sorry," Zoro said, and Luffy let out a completely mirthless laugh, lips wobbling downwards and hands shaking at the answer. That's not what I want you to say, he thought.

"I'm sorry..." Zoro said again, "about everything. But please, for myself and the others—" The hand on Luffy's chest moved, pushing him with so much force that he fell backwards, losing his grip on Zoro.

As he fell, their eyes never left the others and Luffy watched as his first mate's lips moved, forming a single word.

"Live."

A gunshot ran throughout the space and Luffy felt the air by his ear shift. His back hit the floor as he watched Zoro's body jolt, blood spurting from the small hole over his heart. Luffy froze, eyes blown wide open and face pale. Zoro fell back, eyes firmly shut, and landed with a sickening splat in the pool of his own blood, still.

Luffy's head whipped back to find a marine officer with a gun a distance away, completely in his blindspot. He wasn't able to see him, but from where Zoro had been in his arms, he had. Luffy looked back at Zoro's body, his unmoving chest and pale skin, and terror filled every inch of him.

"No..." He said, voice full of disbelief. He reached a hand out towards the body, fingers shaking. "No, this— this can't—" Luffy swallowed thickly, shaking Zoro lightly. "O-Oi, Zoro, get up. This... This isn't funny, you know?"

There was no reply and Luffy shook him harder, frantically. "Zoro, come on, get up! Open your eyes!"

His shaking stopped suddenly and Zoro's head fell limply to the side, like a marionette with cut strings. Luffy's lips trembled and he found himself crying once more, sobs and whimpers escaping him. A horribly empty feeling consumed him as he hung his head, tears dripping onto Zoro's lifeless form.

"Why?" He asked, voice pained and vulnerable. "Why did you do that?"

He sat there for what felt like forever but could only have been a few seconds, sobbing and clutching at the dead body of his friend. The faces of all his nakama flashed in his mind and he let out another choked cry. Everyone had died and Zoro had been the last.

He was the captain. He was supposed to protect them. So why was it that he was the one who had to be protected?

Was he really that weak?

In his mind he knew the answer.

And because he was so weak, because he couldn't protect them—now he was truly alone.

A second gunshot shattered the silence and broke Luffy from his mourning and grief. The bullet was off the mark by a yard or so and Luffy looked up at it, eyes dull and red at the edges from crying. He wondered at the point of using a gun—bullets being ineffective against him and his rubber body. Zoro shouldn't have pushed him back, but maybe blood loss and the sight of so many kairouseki-coated weapons they'd seen hours before had him paranoid. Even if the bullet had been made of kairouseki, Luffy wouldn't have minded being shot if it meant Zoro could still live.

The tears stopped coming and he wiped his face, turning to look at the marine who had shot and finding it to be the same one who dealt the finishing blow to his friend. A new feeling welled up within him, overriding the hollowness and pain he'd felt just seconds ago. A deep rage filled him, sparking his worn and tired limbs with energy, a fire burning in his gut. He set Zoro's body down on the ground gently, taking Wado from the ground and wrapping Zoro's hands around it, setting the sword on his chest. He stood, fists clenched into tight balls by his side.

Luffy looked straight at the marine, the man standing a few yards away and hiding behind some rubble of a ruined building. He could see more marines from the corners of his eyes, heard shouts in the distance, and knew that the enemy's reinforcements had finally arrived. Luffy couldn't care less at the moment, though, empty eyes piercing the marine who'd done the greatest of sins.

Steam rose off his skin, his limbs gaining a pinkish hue, and he sneered.

"I'm going to KILL you."

He shot off, and his vision turned red.

.

Luffy woke up a moment later, the dreaming ending with his shout for blood. He was sticky with his own cold sweat and drowning in tears and snot and he hastily wiped at his face, hiccuping every once in a while and shivering a bit. He hadn't had a dream like that in a long, long time—ever since those first few months after the time travel. He didn't know why it happened now but he'd been unprepared, not ready for the emptiness and grief that filled him, nor the bloodlust and hatred that made his own skin crawl. He rubbed his arms and sat up, looking around.

He took in everything slowly, the dim moonlight coming into the dark room through the fusuma's thin paper walls, the blanket thrown haphazardly around him, and the body sleeping soundly in the futon beside him. Luffy's eyes stuck to the form under the comforters, watching Zoro's back rise and fall gently. He let out a small sigh, forcing himself to relax. Zoro was alive, there was nothing to be so worked over right now.

He gave another sigh, feeling more like a man in a child's body than ever before.

Luffy stretched a bit and stood up, making his way towards the inner fusuma doors and sliding it open silently, stepping out into the hallway. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep immediately after that so he decided to find the kitchen and get some water.

He walked down the halls silently, having grown used to stepping lightly and quietly in the dark after nightmares. He kept his thoughts away from the battlefield and focused on finding the kitchen, trying to remember where it was.

He found it eventually and, after searching the cupboards a bit, found a cup and poured himself some water. After he drank and got the leftover chills out of his system, he placed the cup by the sink and started back to his shared room with Zoro, not feeling like going outside and wandering some more.

Luffy slipped into the room as easily as he had slipped out and headed towards his unkempt futon. Instead of laying back down, though, he stood still, staring down at it with a lost expression. He didn't really feel like sleeping alone right then and definitely didn't want to be left with his thoughts. He didn't want to bother Makino either so he was at a loss. He glanced around the room, eyes landing on Zoro's rolled over form once more, and pursed his lips before making his way to the futon beside his, crawling under the covers.

Zoro didn't so much as twitch as Luffy settled beside him, deciding to use the small head pillow Zoro had abandoned for himself. He laid still for a while, a bit tense and eyes trained sorely on the ceiling, mentally counting his friend's quiet breaths to keep himself distracted. A drowsiness eventually washed over him, the distraction similar to counting sheep, and the rhythm of Zoro's breaths were relaxing and made him calm.

The next thing he knew he was asleep, a dreamless dream playing behind his eyes.

———

When Zoro woke up, the first thing he noticed was how uncomfortably hot it was. He groaned and tried to roll over but found he couldn't move. He tried again but felt his limbs being tied down and a heavy weight on his chest. He blinked his eyes open, wondering what the heck was going on, and saw a sleeping face beside his, the person snoring loudly and obnoxiously.

Zoro blinked a few more times, wondering if he was dreaming, when he inhaled and took in a disgusting lungful of morning breath. He gagged and tried to push the boy off him.

"Eugh, your breath stinks! Get away!"

He wriggled a bit more but his efforts didn't shake the smaller boy off him, only waking him up. Luffy opened his eyes slowly and yawned widely, exhaling in Zoro's face and making him gag once more.

"G'mornin..." Luffy muttered, rubbing his eyes and looking like he was about to fall asleep again.

"Oi, don't sleep! Get off me already! What are you even doing in my futon?" Zoro shouted, trying to shake Luffy off once more. Luffy didn't say anything but did roll off Zoro, the weight disappearing from his chest and finally allowing the older boy to breath properly. He sat up and rubbed a hand over his eyes, looking around the room and seeing Luffy's bedroll messy and empty. Beside him, said boy was gathering the comforter and pulling it over his head, complaining about the room being too bright. Zoro grabbed a corner of the blanket and yanked it away from him, making Luffy groan and dig his face into the sheets.

"Why are you in my futon?" He asked again. Luffy still didn't respond, only humming tiredly into the futon. Zoro was about to open his mouth and ask once more when a distant call reached the room, the voice kind and feminine.

"Luffy, Zoro! Breakfast is ready!"

As soon as the word 'breakfast' was heard Luffy shot up, scrambling out of the futon and shooting out the door with an excited cry of "FOOD!!"

Zoro sat still, hand still raised by his face and suffering from the whiplash of his captain named Luffy. He sighed though, knowing he'd have to get used to this, and stood, following after the smaller boy to the dining room.

Breakfast was a quick affair and Zoro quickly learned that Luffy had the appetite of a starved lion, practically inhaling the food set out for him. Makino had said nothing as eight plates were stacked beside the small boy and he let out a loud, disgusting burp. Sensei also didn't seem bothered by it and raised his tea cup to his lips, sipping silently. At the table, only Zoro seemed somewhat uncomfortable, though he knew that he'd also have to get used to that too.

Apart from Sensei and himself, no one else lived in the dojo. Every student and helper lived down in the village, meaning it was quiet and no one was there to see him leave since Sensei closed the dojo for the day. He didn't want a going away party either, preferring to leave quietly, so he was fine with this. He roamed around his room, choosing things to pack away and take with him. The doors to the engawa were wide open, displaying the courtyard where Luffy was running around. Zoro rolled his eyes when he heard Luffy climbing up a tree and loose footing, yelping in the distance as he fell.

If you were going to fall you shouldn't have climbed it, he thought absentmindedly, checking over his stuff.

Zoro didn't own many personal items and therefore only had one bag filled to the brim with clothes. Along with two shinai and Kuina's katana, he wouldn't bring anything else with him.

At the thought of Kuina's katana, his eyes looked over the room and found it propped against the closet door. He walked over to it and picked it up, running a hand down it's white sheath. He unsheathed it a bit, showing about three inches of the blade and watching how it reflected the sunlight.

He realized he'd also have to bring a cleaning kit and whetstone for the katana and sheathed its blade, mentally reminding himself to ask Sensei for them. Despite sheathing the sword, though, he didn't put it down, continuing to stare at it.

A scene of a brightly lit night and swords flashed behind his eyes as Zoro's grip around the katana tightened ever so slightly. Their promise rang in his ears, the one they made the day before Kuina's death, promising to be the best.

Zoro would absolutely fulfill it. No matter what, he'd train harder than ever and absolutely become the strongest. His name would reach the ends of the world, even up to the heavens, and all would know of his strength. That was their dream, and he'd do anything to see it come true.

He stared at the white sheath for a moment more before moving to slip it into haramaki Sensei had given him, stopping and jumping in surprise when a voice spoke beside him.

"Oooh, it's Wado!"

Zoro turned, seeing a head of black hair standing next to him and looking at the sword. Shaking himself of his shock and mentally reprimanding himself about paying more attention to his surroundings, he gave Luffy a curious look and asked, "Wado?"

Luffy nodded, getting closer and looking over the sheath, reaching out to touch it. Zoro watched as the boy's small fingers brushed over the white surface gently before pulling away. "Yup!" He said. "It's name! Wado Ichimonji! Didn't you know?"

Zoro shook his head. "Swords have names?"

Luffy nodded again, smiling. "Yeah! —Well, only some, but the ones that do are really strong!"

Zoro hummed and looked back at the katana—Wado Ichimonji—before tucking it into his haramaki, committing the name to memory. He looked back at Luffy as he picked up his bag of clothes.

"Well, I'm done packing now, though there's still some stuff I have to get from the dojo," he said, walking towards the doors leading to the hallway, "but we should be able to go soon."

Luffy's eyes widened in excitement as he let out a happy shout, jumping around. "We're going now?! Great! You're gonna love Fuusha! Ah! Race you to the gates!"

And like that, the younger boy shot off, racing out of the room and into the courtyard.

"Oi! I said soon! Not now!"

There was no response, only laughter getting further away towards the dojo's gates. Zoro's eyes twitched and he set his things back down before chasing after the idiot he decided to call his captain.

He sincerely hoped every day wouldn't be like this.

It's been awhile! I was actually hoping to get this chapter out sooner but a lot of things came up. Sorry about that!

This chapter was supposed to be longer, actually—I only wrote about half of what I planned for this chapter!—but I thought it'd be too long and decided to split it with chapter eight. We'll be seeing some ASL + Zoro (or as I like calling, ASZL) in the next chapter, finally! I've really been wanting to write it hehe. Also, a little thing that no one probably noticed, I changed the measurements from metric to american to make it easier on myself lol. So no more meters and whatnot (except for some few exceptions of course).

Unfortunately, school is starting up again next week so whether or not I'll be able to update quickly depends. I'm hoping that I'll actually end up more motivated to get out chapters faster (however that'll work) but who knows. I also plan to go back and rewrite the first few chapters since there are a lot of things I'm not happy with (small details mostly but I'm paranoid lol), and I'll also be posting new chapters at the same time, but we'll see how that goes.

Thank you to those of you who comment on my chapters and all the kind words and support you give! It really gives me a little push to write and I appreciate it and love you all! Also, come join my discord and see some sneak peeks and get updates on the updates! Warning: It's a bit chaotic there so have an open mind I guess. Check out my Tumblr too! I do art stuff :P Now, with that said, thanks for reading and I hope to see you all in the next update!

My Discord: https://discord.gg/B8YnWU4

My Tumblr: @Kyuyua