To Tame A Beast

A Twist of Fate

The sweet accident of coincidence is the best foundation on which to build.
-Gregory Maguire
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        The Straw Hat pirates moved around the deck of the Thousand Sunny, the storm from the night before knocking things out of place, making their living space messy. Nami leaned against the side of the boat, sighing, her orange hair blowing in the slight breeze. Had she not recognized the shift in the wind and discoloration of the clouds, they may have been in more significant trouble.

"Nami-San!" Sanji called out, dancing over to her with a tray full of a pink and swirling purple liquid with blueberries dancing on the carbonation.

"A drink for you on such a hot day after hard work." He offered to bow, wiggling as she accepted the drink from him with a smile.

"Thank you, Sanji." She took a deep sip, trying to hide her smile as he and Zoro started their usual bickering. Unfortunately, Zoro had attempted to take a glass before Sanji had a chance to offer one to Robin first.

"Hey! I see something floating out there!" Usopp called from the crow's nest, removing one of his goggles to look down at them.

"Maybe it's a huge fish! I'm starving." Luffy whined, jumping on the Lion figurehead, standing with his hands on his hips, leaning forward as if it would help him see further.

"Franky! Activate paddle boat mode; get used a little closer." Nami yelled out, squinting towards the floating object in the water.

"You got it!" He called back, moving a lever next to the ship's wheel. The ship jerked as a gear switched, and instantly they moved forward faster with the assistance of the slight breeze.

Sanji and Zoro ceased arguing and stood near Nami, staring over the ship's side; Zoro stared at the object, feeling a sense of familiarity. Realization dawned on him as they got close enough to determine what it was.

"Oh! It's a person! Sanji, go get Chopper! We need to pull them out!" Nami shouted barking orders; Zoro stood there frozen, remembering the same colored strains of hair from the tavern on the island. The woman who made such a realistic drawing of him thought he saw his own reflection and didn't like what he saw.

"Someone take the Zoro! What are you doing?" Nami called out as Zoro pushed himself into the ship's rail, diving into the water. He swam towards her, a million thoughts running through his mind; the most bewildering was, what the fuck was she doing all the way out here in the middle of the ocean?

         His heart hammered in his chest; please be alive. He sent a silent prayer; the last thing he wanted was to see those stormy grey eyes lifeless. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the rise and fall of her chest; alarm bells rang in his head, seeing the state she was in. Her back was sunburnt, boils forming on her pale skin. A blood-soaked bandage was ruined from the seawater. Dark purple bruising marred her skin. He found it strange she wore just a bra and pants, nothing about this made sense to him. He brushed the hair from her face seeing another bruise on her cheek and her lip split, his mouth pressed into a firm line, and his eyes narrowed. Whatever happened, one thing he knew for sure was these were not environmentally inflicted wounds.

         He gripped the splintered board of wood she floated on and started swimming back towards the ship; he heard Luffy shout something incoherently and saw as he used his gum-gum fruit to extend his arm out to them. Zoro wrapped one hand around her middle, and with the other hand, he grasped Luffy's. Then, pulling his arm back, Luffy reeled them both in effortlessly. Once back towards the ship, Zoro jumped over the side, landing gracefully, softly laying her down on the grass on the deck. The crew gathered around curiously as Chopper sprinted to them, backpack in tow. Chopper was silent, hovering over her, not knowing where to start. Once he determined what was the most important to work on first began treating her.