One Piece Fan Fiction ❯ Drawn ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

One Piece, it's characters and settings, belongs to Oda Eiichirou and Shonen Jump, and are being used here without permission. Rated PG-13 for language and violence, nothing more than One Piece usually has. C&C welcomed and greatly appreciated.

 

Notes: Since there aren't any official translations for certain names and such yet, I took the liberty of making them up. Like, I translate Zoro's sword San-dai Kitetsu (the possessed one) as “Ghost the Third,” since that's what's in my Chinese subs, and it's close enough (I think kitetsu is kind of like, “possessed” or “filled with ghosts” or something, just by looking at the kanji). Also, for those of you who know Mr. 1, his real name is Dasu Bounesu, which I've romanized to “Das Borneth.” I think it sounds cool. :P

 

Oh yeah, and I changed “Jurakyuuru” to “Julacule.”

 

On the other hand, I left Gomu Gomu instead of Gum Gum, because that sounds silly.

 

 

 

Drawn

Chapter 1

 

 

Zoro frowned thoughtfully at the trickle of blood seeping down his palm. The cut along the tip of his forefinger was shallow but long, so precisely drawn that he hadn't really noticed at first. It was more irritating than painful—to have been cut while cleaning his own sword. It made him remember the origin of his mysterious blade, and the edges of his lips curled. “Possessed indeed.”

 

Luffy glanced at him over his shoulder. “Huh?”

 

“Hey,” spoke up Usopp. “You're bleeding.”

 

“Do you need help?” Chopper offered.

 

“It's nothing,” Zoro assured easily, wiping his hand on a rag he'd been using to clean his swords. The wounded finger he stuck in his mouth until it more or less stopped bleeding. Meanwhile, he turned towards Luffy and indicated one of the cards in his hand.

 

“Huh. This one?” Luffy set the card down in front of him, face up.

 

“I meant get rid of it,” Zoro corrected around his finger.

 

“But I like that one.”

 

Usopp groaned. “Come on, Luffy, look at your hand.” He turned so he could see the cards. “You've already got two pair. What could you possibly need a three of spades for?”

 

“'Cause it reminds me of Zoro. See? Three swords.”

 

Zoro and Chopper laughed while Usopp rolled his eyes in exasperation. “You're hopeless. Months later and I still can't teach you regular bar poker.” He turned instead to Chopper. “What about you?”

 

“I've got Nami,” Chopper declared, proudly displaying the queen of diamonds.

 

Usopp flopped on the deck as Luffy stole his cards, fishing out another one. “King of Hearts is Sanji!”

 

Zoro snorted. “Don' t you mean the Joker?”

 

The trio laughed together, and Zoro went back to polishing Ghost the Third as Luffy and Chopper continued to designate their playing cards as pirates. He smiled to himself; he'd taken it upon himself to keep on eye on everyone since Bluebell, and was satisfied with the results. Though at first Luffy had tread lightly, especially around Nami, once breakfast was finished the morning after he'd been back to his usual, rambunctious self. Now, three days later, the incident seemed nearly forgotten by all. Every once in a while, though, Zoro would catch one of them watching Luffy thoughtfully. They had seen something of a different side to their captain and friend, and if their thoughts matched his own, they had a lot of unanswered questions.

 

This time it was Zoro watching. He wasn't sure what he might have been looking for, other than maybe some of that bizarre maturity he sometimes saw. It was baffling how Luffy managed to surprise him after all this time, and then go back to being as predictable as that bastard Sanji. He found it especially ironic that Luffy, of all people, had raised such dark concerns in his crew. Watching him now, he almost couldn't imagine Luffy as he'd been the other night, his eyes cold and serious.

 

There was one image, however, that came to him suddenly and easily: his captain stretched across the white satin beds of Alabasta, bandaged and fever-struck. It was a scene he'd only seen once before leaving Chopper and Vivi to care for him in the short days following Crocodile's defeat. The lapse was only momentary, and then Zoro blinked stupidly as if having been drawn from a dream.

 

“It's an island!” Luffy's voice sang abruptly, and Zoro glanced up to see him, Usopp, and Chopper crowding at Going Merry's bow for a better look. “Zoro, come look! It's a pink island!”

 

“Pink?” Frowning, Zoro sheathed his swords and moved to join them. It really did look like a pink island from this distance, and he scrubbed at his eyes to make sure they weren't at fault. “Huh. I guess it really is.”

 

“Do you think it's candy?” Luffy asked brightly, climbing up onto his special seat. “Sanji! Nami! Robin! Come look!” He paused abruptly to look at Chopper, who had climbed onto the rail next to him. “Chopper?”

 

“They're…cherry blossoms, aren't they?” Chopper asked quietly, drawing Zoro and Usopp's attention as well. He was watching the closing island with wide, expectant eyes that shone with emotion. “Aren't they?”

 

“Looks like it,” Nami affirmed as she came up behind him, patting his shoulder. She smiled warmly. “Do you want to go see them?”

 

Chopper tugged his hat further over his face. “Yeah.”

 

“Hmm. Oyomi Island.” Everyone glanced back at Robin, who was watching the horizon with a knowing expression. “I should have remembered this was the next island.”

 

“Oyomi?” Sanji echoed. “Is that bad?”

 

Robin shrugged the way she did when she wasn't about to give a straight answer. “Not necessarily. But we should be careful—the people of Oyomi are all pretty strong, and they specialize in sword fighting.”

 

That perked Zoro's interest, naturally, and he grinned as he rested a hand on his sword handle. “I guess that means I'll be busy.”

 

“They say it's the birthplace of Julacule Mihawk.”

 

“M-M-Mihawk?” Usopp echoed shakily. “You mean that hawk-eyed guy?”

 

Zoro took in a slow, steady breath as several pairs of eyes fell on him. His face remained still despite the sudden palpation in his chest—Mihawk's homeland. The origin of the greatest swordsman in the world. He knew better than to think he would find the man himself in such a place, but the thought crossed his mind for barely a moment, making the scar across his chest tingle. He wasn't ready to meet the man again; it wasn't an admission he would ever think or say, but despite all his fighting and training he knew Mihawk's strength greater than anyone, and also that his own was not yet enough. He knew even more certainly when he felt Luffy's gaze on him, making him wonder if his captain had been able to judge his ability all along.

 

“Who's Mihawk?” Chopper asked suddenly, breaking the heavy silence.

 

“Mihawk's a terrifying swordsman!” Usopp declared, throwing his hands up. “With eyes like a hawk and a huge, black sword that can cut ships apart—fifty at a time!” He continued in light of Chopper's awed expression. “We met him back in East Blue, and I stared him down without flinching!”

 

Luffy knocked Usopp lightly on the head before Zoro could follow his first impulse of knocking him flat on his face. He seemed to catch on, and with a grin Luffy turned his attention to Zoro. “You wanna go see?”

 

Zoro shrugged coolly, hiding his excitement. “Might as well, if we're already here.”

 

“Alright! Full ahead to Yummy Island!”

 

“Oyomi, Luffy,” Usopp corrected ineffectively.

 

As they pulled closer, the source of the island's pink shade became more obvious; there was no beach, only a sheer Cliffside lined with a grove of massive Cherry Trees. Each had a trunk at least five meters in diameter, and their branches spread so far that each tree seemed to blend into the next, providing a vast, fluid canopy of varying shades of vibrant pink followers. When the wind blew it tossed petals into the ocean in handfuls, dying its surface as well. They could also see a channel carved into the rock side wide enough for several ships to pass through abreast. Robin explained as they went.

 

“Oyomi is considered a Spring Island,” she said, arms folded, not looking nearly as thrilled as the rest of them. “The cherry trees will be in bloom most of the year, and are all hundreds of years old. That channel goes all the way through the island, but we'll want to drop anchor at a beach further north.”

 

“Ah, you know so much, Miss Robin,” Sanji complimented lovingly.

 

She smiled somewhat thinly. “Oyomi is infamous among pirates—some of the greatest fighters, pirates, and bounty hunters alike, have been trained here. And they don't like people with Devil's Fruit powers, so you'd better keep an eye out, Captain.”

 

Luffy snorted indignantly. “As if they could hurt me.”

 

“Hey, Miss Robin's giving you good advice,” Sanji said pointedly. “Pay attention.”

 

Luffy only stuck his tongue out at him, which might have led to a scuffle if Nami hadn't called for them to change course. “We'll pull north like Robin says,” she ordered, “and drop anchor at the beach. But if this island is dangerous, then no running off alone, okay Luffy?”

 

“Why are you only telling me?”

 

“Because you're the only one stupid enough to do that!”

 

By the time Going Merry had landed everyone was eager to disembark and explore the island. Zoro and Luffy were the first off the ship, all excitement and curiosity at the prospect of investigating an island of fighters. After receiving strict instructions from Nami not to get into any trouble the crew started up the beach, leaving Robin behind to watch the ship—reluctantly so. “I'm not really interested in seeing the island,” she'd reasoned, “and you'd want someone here to look after the ship. Think of it as my first duty as your crewmate.” And she'd winked.

 

“Damn sneaky woman,” Zoro muttered. Several minutes later they were following a dusty path through another cherry tree grove, surrounded by dozens of gently flittering petals. He found himself brushing them constantly off his shoulders and head as they went. “She sounds like she's making fun of us.”

 

“Because she likes us,” Luffy declared knowingly. “Who wouldn't want to be in my crew?” He laughed as a petal fell on his nose. “But I only accept strong people.”

 

“Hmph. I still think she's a sneak.”

 

“Then you stay back and watch the ship,” muttered Sanji.

 

“Why don't you, Fancy Foot?”

 

“What was that!?”

 

As the two continued to argue Chopper trotted up beside Luffy—he'd changed into his walking, more deer-like form for their trip into town. Luffy glanced at him with a smile. “Are they like how you pictured?” he asked lightly. “The cherry blossoms.”

 

“I…guess so.” Chopper's voice was quiet as he gazed about the colorful grove. “They're beautiful. Do you think…” He grew even softer. “…if Tobi had seen them, he might have gotten better?”

 

“Hmm. I don't know.” Luffy's smile didn't falter. “But I know I feel better, seeing them.”

 

Chopper blinked in mild surprise, then smiled himself. “Me too.”

 

Not long after, the sounds of a city began to filter through the trees. Zoro couldn't help a nostalgic smirk at the sound of a voice rising particularly in familiar commands. As he'd suspected, the first building they came across was an old style sword school—a dojo, with a dozen young boys standing at strict attention just within its gates. Each was clutching a short wooden sword, all of them focused and intense on the elder boy leading them in their mid-morning exercise. Several pairs of eyes darted toward the approaching crew but none dared break their form, until their leader at last noticed. He was a tall boy of about fourteen with pale, serious eyes; with a single whispered command he sent one of his students scampering inside the dojo.

 

“Hey there!” Luffy called a cheerful greeting. Fearful that he was about to say something profoundly troublesome, Nami and Usopp clapped their hands over his mouth.

 

“Hey,” Sanji took over instead. “What's the name of this city?”

 

“Ohtori, for now,” the boy replied. His gaze slipped carefully over the group, lingering particularly on the swords at Zoro's hip.

 

“For now? What's that mean?”

 

He blinked slowly. “Are you pirates?”

 

“Oh, no, it's nothing like that,” Usopp laughingly replied, sure to keep Luffy's mouth safely clasped. “We're just traveling around, seeing the sights.”

 

“We just need to get some supplies, and we'll be gone,” Nami swiftly added.

 

The boy didn't look convinced, but he pointed further down the path. “Follow this road into town, and you'll find the market place down by the pier. You can get whatever you need there.”

 

“Thanks. Let's go, Captain.” Nami continued on with Luffy in tow, the rest following. Zoro hung back a moment, unnoticed.

 

“Not to disrupt your practice,” he said, “but being a stranger here, I wanted to ask. Are there many dojos around here?”

 

The boy lifted an eyebrow. “There are seven in Ohtori City, four more on the outskirts.”

 

Zoro whistled appreciatively. Robin hadn't been exaggerating—if the whole island was like this, his chances of finding Mihawk's school were thin. “I'll be busy, then. Well, how about you save me some time and tell me which is the strongest?”

 

The students were all staring at him, by now far distracted from their exercise, but their instructor didn't admonish them for it. “Ohtori Dojo; the biggest building in town. You can't miss it.”

 

“Thanks.” Zoro continued on after his friends, aware that he was still being heavily watched. The kid that had been sent in earlier hadn't returned; he'd almost expected to meet the school's master, and the fact that no one had showed stuck with him.

 

Zoro caught up with his companions just as they were stepping out into the main street. Luffy was already beside himself with excitement; even the city outskirts were impressive, lined with tall, ornately decorated buildings of classical design, the streets bustling with lively people. The cheery trees had invaded even this far, a few poking out between houses, some even protruding from the center of the street. Their petals coated every rooftop and stretch of road, and most of the residents as well. There were even some piles of them in alleyways from storeowners sweeping them aside. It was a little reminiscent of Dram with its snow, and Luffy's crew was just as awed by it. Especially Chopper—his eyes were wide and wondrous, even a little glossy, and Nami stroked his back comfortingly.

 

“Well, should we take a look around?” Sanji suggested, lighting a fresh cigarette.

 

Luffy cheered, which Nami quickly admonished him form. “No adventuring,” she told him firmly. “This island's dangerous, remember?”

 

“But Nami,” he whined, ducking beneath her fist, “we haven't had a good chance to explore in a long time.”

 

“Usopp and Chopper will look out for him,” Zoro spoke up, though he was glancing among the buildings. He had a feeling the dojo of his search would be easy to spot. “I've got some business in town.”

 

“That worries me even more.”

 

Sanji stepped forward, offering his arm. “Let's not worry about them, Miss Nami. There are plenty of things we could—”

 

“Like I said, don't worry about us,” Zoro interrupted coolly, earning a glare from Sanji—even more so when he patted Nami on the shoulder as he walked past. “What could they possibly have on a pink island that could hurt us?”

 

“Just stay out of trouble!” Nami called after him as he was joined by Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper. Shaking her head, she turned down a different street, towards the harbor. “Come on, Sanji—we can at least pick up some more supplies.”

 

“Yes, Miss Nami!”

 

 

“Hey, Zoro.” Luffy fell into step at the man's side, hands shoved in his pockets, his manner light as he surveyed the strange new town. “Wah, they're all in pajamas,” he declared abruptly, pointing at a group of women in long robes.

 

“It's a kimono,” Zoro corrected. “This place is pretty traditional, it looks like.”

 

“Hu~h.”

 

Usopp snickered beneath his hand. “Somehow, I didn't think Zoro of all people would know anything about culture.”

 

Zoro shrugged the mild insult off. “I grew up at a dojo; I'm used to this stuff. Though even my master wasn't as traditional as all this.”

 

“Your master?” Chopper echoed with amazement. “He must be really strong.”

 

“Heh, maybe.”

 

They walked only a few minutes, admiring the scenery and pausing every once in a while to wait for Luffy as he leapt into piles of swept blossoms. They managed to gather quite a bit of attention along the way, between Luffy's playful antics and Usopp's random boasting, and yet Zoro realized early on that the majority of the stares they attracted ended up on him. He even thought he'd heard his name once or twice, and none tried to avert their gaze when he looked up. Something was going on that he couldn't see yet; he started to take Robin's warning more seriously. Though he had to admit it was kind of exhilarating to be the center of attention again—the title he'd earned in East Blue had long since lost meaning on the Grand Line—it also made him wary.

 

Zoro was about to tell his captain to keep an eye out when his attention caught the form of a building ahead, and all his concerns seemed to vanish. As promised the structure towered over the shops surrounding it, several floors tall and covered with intricate carvings and gold plates. The architecture was just as traditional as the rest of the city with its wide, pagoda-like rooftops and paper screens. He could already hear voices inside, older than the boys of the first dojo, and the faint sounds of metal cutting the air. Zoro grinned—this was a real school.

 

“Hey, Luffy,” he said without turning his eyes from the place. The precise calligraphy across its signboard read “Ohtori Dojo,” as carefully managed as if it were new. “You guys go on ahead; I have to make a short stop.”

 

“Huh?” Luffy followed his gaze to the building. “You goin' in?” His face lit up. “Looks fun.”

 

“Hey now, Nami told us not to get into trouble,” Usopp warned. “And this place looks kind of….”

 

Zoro at last turned away to offer Luffy and the others a sly grin. “He's right—I wouldn't want to get any of you in trouble with Nami. Besides, this might take a while. You wanted to see more the city, right?”

 

Luffy anguished over the matter for a moment before coming to the decision his friends knew he would. “I wanna explore more, and find a restaurant, and we'll come back for ya later.” He laughed as he started down the street once more. “Don't kill too many!”

 

“Hey, Luffy, you can't say stuff like that….”

 

Zoro shook his head as Luffy and Usopp's argument faded from his ears. “Okay, Zoro,” he said under his breath as he stepped up the slight path to the dojo's front gates. “Let's see how good this island really is.”

 

He almost expected to find guards at the doors, but when he slid the panel open he quickly realized why they would have been unnecessary; it led directly to the dojo's main practice room. The wide, hardwood floors were lined with dozens of boys in their mid and late teens, clad in perfect white training gi and brandishing wooden swords. They looked like eager, strong young men. A pair of them stood at the class center, trading blows in a demonstration of real swords. One of them glanced at him in the doorway—briefly, not enough to disrupt their duel, but Zoro could feel that he'd been judged and measured in that instant. He grinned to himself; they were as well trained as he'd expected.

 

“Sorry to intrude,” Zoro called, stepping inside with anticipation. “I'm new here, so I don't know your etiquette. But I'm here to challenge your dojo.”

 

The pair of students in the middle stepped to the side, revealing a man at the back at that had been watching all along. “I've been expecting you, Rolonoah Zoro,” his voice cut above the murmur of students as he stood. “I'll accept your challenge.”

 

 

“Hh~n,” Luffy whined as he, Usopp, and Chopper wandered the streets. He folded his hands behind his head. “I wonder what Zoro's up to. Think he's gonna fight someone? I wanna see…”

 

Usopp glanced at him. “I knew you'd be curious. If you wanted to see you should have stayed behind.”

 

“But Zoro said not to, and he's serious when it comes to fighting. I bet he's having a cool fight right now.”

 

“But Nami said not to get into trouble,” pointed out Chopper.

 

“Fighting isn't trouble. It's fun.”

 

“Hey there, fellows.”

 

The trio glanced up at the call of another street vender—they seemed to be out in force, forming lines along what might have been private residences. Luffy hadn't been paying attention until now, but when he saw what was being sold he quickly rushed over. “Hey, hey, what is all this junk? It looks cool!”

 

The vender, a scruffy man in a wide black cap, chuckled at his enthusiasm. “They're rare weapons from along the Grand Line,” he explained ominously. Beneath a sheet of glass were a dozen sharpened daggers of various sizes and shapes, some typical and others almost ridiculously deformed. “They look a little odd,” the man admitted, “but a master of a unique weapon will always have an advantage in combat—if you've never seen a dagger like this, you won't know how to defend from it.”

 

“Ooh, neat.”

 

“Not that you know how to fight with daggers anyway,” Usopp reminded him with a snort, though he looked equally impressed with the craftsmanship. “Well, I don't, either, but they do look really cool. This island really is full of fighting buffs.”

 

The vendor lifted an eyebrow. “Ah, so you haven't been here before?” he surmised. “Are you pirates?”

 

“Geez, what's with you all?” Usopp laughed nervously. “Just because we're traveling doesn't mean we're pirates. We—”

 

“But we are pirates,” Luffy interrupted proudly. “There's nothing wrong with that.”

 

“Luffy—”

 

“But we are!”

 

The elder man laughed as they glared each other down. “There's no need to be upset,” he assured. “It's just that Oyomi doesn't get many visitors. We used to have a lot of pirates come through here, training or looking for weapons, but not anymore.” He leaned back in his booth. “You just said his name was Luffy, didn't you?”

 

Usopp clamped his hands over his mouth; even if he hadn't looked so guilty, Luffy himself would have given them away anyway. “Yeah. Monkey D. Luffy.”

 

“Oh ho. This Monkey D. Luffy?” He reached beneath the display of knives to retrieve a slightly worn wanted poster bearing Luffy's name, face, and a bounty of 30,000,000 beri.

 

“Yup! That's me.”

 

Though Usopp appeared to be having his own self-contained panic attack—and perhaps Chopper as well—the knife vendor only laughed heartily. “You're a bold lil' fellow, aren't you? You must really be new here.” He folded his arms over his stall and grinned. “Then let me ask you one more thing, since you're so honest,” he said in a lower voice. “These days more and more pirates that show up here have eaten Devil's Fruit. How about you?”

 

“Me?” It passed Luffy's mind, briefly, that Robin had warned them Oyomi's inhabitants didn't like Devil Fruit users. But the man looked genuinely interested, so he saw nothing wrong with answering despite Usopp's horror, “I've seen lots. I ate one, too: the Gomu Gomu Fruit.”

 

“Ah, Gomu Gomu, huh? That would make you…a Rubber Man?” When Luffy nodded he grinned, and reached within his display case. “That's all I needed to know.”