Sword

Chapter 2

4 years later

Zoro couldn't understand what was wrong with the damn ocean. He was no pro navigator, but he was definitely doing everything correctly; he was sure of it. Yet he'd arrived at several different islands since he left home a month ago, and none of them were where he had intended to be.

            This island looked like something he could make do. He saw a Marine base building looming high over the rest of the island. With a base that big, there just had to be a strong swordsman Zoro could test himself against.

            He docked his boat at a pier that appeared to be on the edge of the town. Grabbing his swords, he headed up the street, looking at the buildings he passed, hoping to find a restaurant. He'd find a worthy opponent in time, but first he needed to eat.

            Finally, he found a cozy-looking pub. A sign out front advertised food service, so he ducked inside and sat himself at the bar, where a young woman was busy preparing drinks for the four or five other customers inside.

            "Shoko, we have another customer! Can you help out here please?" The woman called through a door to a back room upon noticing Zoro.

            A girl who looked to be around his age appeared through the doorway, holding a small baby in her arms. "Don't mind the baby," she said, following Zoro's glance. "I'm just watching her while my sister works out here. Are you ordering something to eat or just drinking?" she asked him.

            "I'm eating," Zoro said. "Do you have rice balls?" It wasn't the most nutritious meal, but Zoro was craving his favorite snack. "And... I'll have some sake as well," he said, trying not to look overly excited. He was only sixteen, but he figured he may look old enough if he acted confident about his order.

            "Sure," the girl said, moving the baby to her hip. "Anything else?"

            "No, that's it." That was easy, Zoro thought.

            The girl turned around and began pouring a glass of sake. The other woman turned to see what she was doing and gave a suspicious look to Zoro. "How old are you?" she asked.

            Dammit.

            Zoro shrugged, trying to look indifferent. "Twenty," he lied. The woman's expression became one of disbelief.

            "Right," she said. "I don't think so." She grabbed the sake glass out of the girl's hand and instead poured a glass of water for Zoro. The younger girl looked at Zoro apologetically.

            "Sorry man, I tried," she said, then turned to the woman. "Riri, he asked for rice balls too. I'm going to bring Rika up for a nap. Let me know when the food's ready and I'll come serve it." With that, she disappeared back behind the door she had originally come through.

            She returned only a minute or two later, no longer holding the baby. She stopped in front of Zoro across the bar. "Sorry, I'm bored. Mind if I sit with you?" she asked. Zoro raised his eyes from his glass of water, unsure what to say. But before he could decide on an answer, the girl had already made her way around the bar and sat at the stool next to Zoro. "I'm Shoko," she said.

            "Zoro," he responded, watching her warily. The girl slouched over the bar, elbows on the surface, watching the other woman cook. Then she turned back to Zoro.

            "I don't think I've seen you here before. What are you in town for?" she asked.

            "Nothing really," Zoro huffed, feeling a little flustered by the whole situation. He wasn't used to interacting with strangers in such a familiar manner. "I got lost I guess."

            "Hm," Shoko raised her eyebrows, but didn't press any further.

            "Shoko, can you bring this to the table over there," the woman interrupted the awkward silence, handing Shoko a plate and pointing towards another table with a nod of her head. Zoro thanked her silently, wishing he could just take his food and leave.

            Shoko took the tray of food and drinks and served them where she was directed before taking back her seat by Zoro.

            "Do you know how to fight with those?" she asked, eyeing the three swords Zoro had hanging off his hip.

            Zoro narrowed his eyes, wondering why she would ask such a silly question. Who would carry swords without knowing how to use them? Deciding to remain polite, however, he just replied with a simple "yes."

            "Are you going to fight someone here?" she pressed. Zoro wasn't sure, but he thought he noticed a wishful look in her eye. Now Zoro figured maybe he could get something good out of this conversation after all.

            "Is there anyone here who's good at sword fighting?" he asked, finally turning to face her.

            "Not sword fighting," she said. She hesitated a moment before continuing in a whisper, "There's a Marine who fights with an axe..." Zoro sat up a little straighter, feeling excited until Shoko continued, "but I don't know if he's worth wasting your time on."

            "Is he not very good?" Zoro asked, slouching back over the bar, supporting his head with his hand.

            "Eh," Shoko shrugged, "he's kinda shitty if you ask me."

            "Shoko!" the woman behind the bar hissed, looking suddenly scared. "Don't talk like that."

            Shoko shrank back, looking guilty, but didn't say anything else.

            After a confused moment, Zoro asked, "So there's no one here to spar with?"

            Shoko shrugged and smiled at him mischievously. "I don't know about sparring, but if you're looking just to practice and get stronger, you can always tag along with me."

            "You can fight?" he asked, suddenly much more intrigued by the girl.

            "Not with a sword. I use a yumi, but I have a spot I like to go practice. I'm sure you could train there with your swords, too."

            "A yumi? So you're an archer?"

            Shoko grinned proudly. "Yep! I'm training to be one of the best there's ever been. Do you have time to go see the spot today?"

            Zoro grinned, suddenly finding Shoko to be much more relatable. "I guess I don't have anything better to do," he agreed.

            "Riri, are you ok here if I go train in a little bit? I'll see if Mom can watch Rika," Shoko, eyes pleading, asked Riri, the woman behind the bar.

            After a moment of internal struggle, Riri smiled softly. "Go for it. I'll be fine here."

            "Great!" Shoko beamed. "I'm going to change clothes and grab my stuff, Zoro. We can leave when you're done eating." She then hurried back around the bar, disappearing once more through the back door.