The pirate hunter strolled down the dusty road, passing by dilapidated shops with faded signs swinging above the doorways. Scratching his head in thought, Zoro whipped his head left and right, a frown on his features as his eyes narrowed. Beads of sweat ran down his flushed face from the sun's glare. He was certain he followed Johnny to catch up with Yosaku until he lost him in a crowd. He began to walk down the path and ended up somewhere else. He tried going back again, but the results were the same. Now, his trail ended up at square one.

"The hell?" He rubbed his head; he thought, "How did I end up here."

One moment, the three men were together; the next, he isolated like a wolf that separated from his pack. Zoro released a groan from his lips at the predicament while he pinched the bridge of his nose. He never understood how they easily separated when they followed him like lost puppies. He sucked his teeth at his companions for getting lost amid the crowd so easily.

Ah well, they would meet up someway and somehow.

Taking in his surroundings, Zoro's frown deepened as he had no recollection of this area. Due to the scorching sun, a repugnant aroma filled his nostrils from mouldy food. He twisted his head for his attention to land on a run-down shop. Brown hair in low pigtails, the little girl's head rested in her hand on the counter. Eyes slightly droopy, ready to fall asleep into a slumber, spotted the green-haired swordsman. Immediately, her eyes lit up at his presence, and a grin spread.

"Hey, mister!" She waved at him, "Want some food?"

Zoro remained in the same spot, watching the little girl from afar. Slowly, he approached her until a wooden countertop separated the two.

"Wait, here," she ordered him, scurrying off to the back. Moments later, the little girl returned with her a small ball of rice balls. A roar from his stomach escaped at the sight of it alone; his vision fixed on the meal.

Looking better at her appearance, dirt covered the girl's cheeks, and her feet were almost the same colour as the earth beneath them. Her clothes were torn and worn, seeming a bit small for her. As keen eyes gazed at her, the corner of her lips rose nervously.

"Um..." she began, her voice an octave higher, "50 berries, please." She directed her view to her shoes, creating small circles with them in the dirt. Zoro's eyes were shadowed under his green bandana.

For what felt like moments, Zoro's hand dived into his pockets; the jiggles indicated that he had spare change. He pulled out the money requested, which the little girl had no problem snatching away with a bright grin.

"Ayame!" A small voice yelled out from a distance.

Too immersed in the meal, Zoro's teeth sunk into the rice ball, chewing the soft, salty texture. He hummed as he swallowed the content, not realizing he had finished it in one shot. A rumble escaped his stomach; he groaned, knowing a single riceball wouldn't be enough to calm the noise. He dug in his pocket again, hoping to find spare change for more balls to devour.

"Aisha!" An older woman chased after her, "Don't run ahead of me."

Aisha collided with Ayame, wrapping her little arms around the girl. Though Ayame towered Aisha's small stature, Ayame embraced her spinning her in circles and earning giggles from the little girl, "Hi, Aisha!" Ayame grinned at her little friend.

Aisha returned her grin that slowly disappeared as her big brown eyes landed on the man behind her. She hid behind her friend at the way the sun's glare shadowed the man's eyes under his bandana. Inspecting him from behind Ayame, the man kept digging into his pockets. Three gold earrings dangled under the light of the sun. Tan skin like cinnamon; every part of him was decorated in green except the shirt he wore. Three swords strapped to his waist on his right side, he gripped them while his hands searched his pockets.

Ayame glanced back at the swordsman, then at her friend, "Oh! Don't worry, he's nice! He's..." Ayame's eyes returned to the swordsman, who eventually gave up to find spare change. As if understanding the look in her eyes, his gaze landed on Aisha.

"Zoro," He responded.

At that sound, Aisha's face lit up, "Oh! Zozo!" She pointed with her finger.

A tick mark appeared on his forehead, "It's Zoro."

"That's what I said." Aisha's lips formed a pout, certain that her response was correct. At that, Zoro sucked his teeth.

"Aisha!" Rue caught up with her daughter, "I told you not to run off."

"Mommy, look!" Aisha smiled at her mother, grabbing the tips of her fingers and dragging her towards her friend and her new acquaintance, "I found Ayame and swordsman, Zozo."

As her gaze fell on him, his breath hitched at the woman before him. Silver kinky curls tied in a low puff flowed at her back. Under the hood of her long silver lashes hid porcelain curious eyes. Her skin of coffee glistened under the sky. If he had to put it into words, beautiful wasn't even the word he could use. Zoro glanced at her lips, mouthing words from one ear out the other. The sun shone the gloss on her lips. He swallowed a big gulp, his Adam's apple bobbing at the action as his eyes lingered for a moment longer on them. Those lips looked as tempting to any sinner.

Her eyes, oh, her eyes. The deeper he gazed into them, the deeper he was sucked into those specks that plunged into the deep waters of the seas.

"Swordsman?" Rue's voice pulled him out of his thought, blinking at her in response. Under his view, she drew circles with the soles of her feet. A moment later, her specks of blue met his own again, "Do you, perhaps, need help?"

Seeing her daughter run off sent her heart to race, seeing a strange man near her friend, Ayame. His intimidating demeanour and three swords. Her feet only sped up at the thought of the girls being in danger. However, those assumptions disappeared when her daughter did not fear the man.

Though that still didn't put Rue at ease from his glaring under the hood of that bandana, he didn't seem harmful. Her fingers clenched the fabrics of her sleeve, she wasn't going to waste this opportunity either if she wanted to achieve her goal.

Aisha and Ayame could only blink at the awkward interaction.

Then, his stomach rumbled at what seemed to Zoro the wrong time, causing the two little girls to giggle. The swordsman turned away from them, ears flushed with a frown.

"Do you want food, Zozo?" Aisha asked him, still giggling at the man as her hands tried to cover the melody of her laughter.

Zoro grumbled, resting one hand on the hilt of his sword while the other rubbed his temple. "For the last time, it's Zoro."

"That's what I said." Aisha pouted angrily, her hands on her hips. She knows what she said, not understanding why he kept correcting her.

After assessing the situation, Rue's gaze returned to the swordsman, wondering how he even got here in the first place. "I could lead you back in town to get a proper meal," Rue's soft voice reached him as his back no longer faced her, "You can't just eat rice balls; you need nutrition to fill your stomach."

Zoro thought about it for a moment, his eyes lingering around the broken-up town a minute longer until he turned from them once again and began walking away. Ayame called out to him, features coated in confusion. He turned his head slightly towards them, his eyes hidden by his bandana.

"Aren't you coming?" He asked, his gaze on their confused faces.

"Y-yes, but.." Rue fumbled with her words, unsure if she should mention it. She was certain that he had probably lost his way; therefore, why was he...Though the sun brimmed down on them all and was certainly heated, did the glare of the day created confusion with directions?

Ayame snickered at the man's actions, "You're going the wrong way." She laughed, holding on to her stomach, her giggles bursting out while Aisha joined in her fits.

Zoro's cheeks flushed," I knew that!" His mouth blared out sharp teeth.

Off they went in the right direction. Along with Aisha and Ayame, Rue guided the swordsman back to the main part of town on the dusty road. They noticed Zoro's strange habit of wandering off in random directions during their journey. To Zoro's reluctance, Ayame grabbed his hand, keeping a tight grip and not leaving room for him to escape. Meanwhile, Aisha giggled at their interaction. No vegetation came across them until they reached the other part of the town.

Deep in thought, Zoro wondered about the whereabouts of his two companions and what they were up to. How they easily got separated from him; he sighed at the thought of his companions always losing sight of their path.

"I'm sorry for the late introduction," Rue started, adjusting an arm under Aisha's bottom and a hand on her daughter's back to secure her position. "I'm Rue."

Zoro kept his eyes on the dirt road ahead; he squinted his specks from his bandana's lack of sun protection "Roronoa, Zoro."

Rue responded with a closed-eyed smile, giving him a nod, "Pleased to make your acquaintance." Zoro's face twitched, and a bead of sweat formed on his forehead. A small giggle at his side made him take a glimpse on his left; a tick mark appeared on his forehead at Ayame's mischievous smile and squinted eyes.

"Zozo," Aisha called out; Zoro hummed, indicating he was listening. He eventually gave up correcting the child on pronouncing his name. The little girl glanced his way, a peculiar look on them. "Why do you have three swords?"

Zoro smirked at her, pulling the girl's left. "Cuz I want to."

Aisha pouted, "That's not a reason."

"Ayame, wouldn't your mother worry that you left the shop unattended?" Rue voiced out, her eyes on the pigtailed brunette. The woman didn't want her walking around the village without her mother's knowledge, after all, Rue wouldn't want the same for her child.

"Nope!" Ayame popped out the word, "I left her a note." She wasn't going to miss the opportunity of meeting new faces.

A smile appeared on Rue's features, "Alright."

As they made their way down the dusty road, Rue's feet were tickled by the earthy greens that covered the ground. The bustling noise of the town whispered in their ears. The tantalizing scents of fish, tropical fruit, and other foods heightened Zoro's senses. The aroma consumed his mind, and he was distracted by the sudden impact of bodies colliding with him. He was shoved to the ground and struck his head on the earth, groaning in pain.

"Zoro!" Johnny and Yosaku cried out, tears streaming down their faces.

Zoro knocked them both on their heads, causing bumps to grow on their skulls. "Idiots!" he grumbled.

Whimpering in pain from the bump from the impact, "You're the one who kept wandering off-" Johnny's voice wavered, breath taken away by the sight of the silvered-haired woman. Rue extended both her hands, helping them both at their feet. Johnny and Yosaku stared in awe at Rue's kind gesture.

"You must be Roronoa's friends," Rue's smile turned their legs into jello, "I'm Rue; it's nice to meet you both."

"N-nice to meet you too, Miss," they both yelled out in unison with flushed faces, almost turning into jello at the woman's brush of her fingers on them.

Rue kept her smile, a silent relief washed over her at their harmless appearance. One with jet black hair, eyes blocked by shades draped in a hoody with a purple undershirt. The other fashioned in a green coat, the sun glistening on his bold head; Rue quickly turned away from the man that seemed to be wearing boxers as pants. She sweat dropped at his dressing; Roronoa certainly has strange friends.

Soon, right on cue, stomachs rumbled at the same time. At the noise, Zoro's focused his gaze while Yosaku and Johnny's scratched their heads with cheery cheeks. Meanwhile, Aisha's cheeks puffed up with a pout, her gaze on her mother.

"Mommy, I'm hungry!" At that, Zoro's widen in bewilderment.

Did she say, mommy? As in a mother...As in Rue is a mom?!

"Woman, how old are you!" Zoro asked, voicing out his thoughts. Yosaku, Johnny, and Ayame's jaws dropped at the question. In unison, each swung a hand, smacking him on the back of the head.

"You never ask a woman that question!" His companion shouted at him in unison as they raged with sharp teeth.

Taking no offence to his demeanour, Rue smiled at him in response instead."Let's focus on filling your bellies, yes" Rue took two steps forward, "Stay close."

They all followed the trail of the young woman. The small talk went on amongst the adults, with children sometimes pitching in. Rue released her daughter from her arms, walking side by side. Their laughter and small banters were tuned out by Zoro while he was deep in thought. The swordsman glimpsed at the shops on each side of them. Voices boomed the area filled the air instead of the wind hums and creaky signs. Colours splashed all over, from the shops to the different kinds of food. The aroma of tropical fruits and expensive meats compared to a mouthful of mouldy riceball. An overall lighter atmosphere filled with life and people, unlike the dead area he walked into previously.

Zoro pushed the thought to the back of his mind, as odd as it was. Finally, the group arrived in front of a polished shop. Open restaurant horizontal tables on each side with cushiony seats. A simple dark brown covered the walls, sauces on each table with white clothes on them.

Few customers occupied the area, but servers weren't at rest, scurrying around from table to table with food and drinks on their trays. With a wave of their hand, a server came in their direction and found a table for the group to be seated in. As ready as Zoro was to eat, he knew that later on, he had to find a place to stay.

He sighed, one problem down, another added to the list. Now, he could use some alcohol.

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I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Hopefully, this book isn't boring anyone! Don't forget to vote and comment! XD