Thrice Prophesized - Zoro x Reader

Chapter 10: Fall

You, Zoro, and Luffy had returned to the Sunny to face the wrath of Nami. When Luffy and Zoro had gotten down on their knees in front of her you had joined them, letting the fiery navigator get her rage out. You couldn't argue any of her points – you had wandered off, you had caused a ruckus, you hadn't even needed to do any of it to protect yourself.

Well, no you didn't agree with that part.

"I had to Nami," you interrupted, standing up. "Look, I'll admit if I hadn't let myself get distracted nothing else would've happened, but once I knew I couldn't just do nothing."

"We're not knights, (Y/N)." Nami retorts her arms folded in front of her.

"If I had been a knight back there I wouldn't have done anything." You admit. "Knights obey the orders of their lord, and I can stand here and say that the Archduke of Winternight would've liberated that town, it's not my place to speak for him. I tried to follow Luffy, but he's not exactly one for giving orders.

"So, I decided to be a pirate." You pointed down the gangplank to the boxes and bags that Zoro and Luffy had helped you carry back. "I left what I wanted at the door of every house I could find, and brought the rest back here."

"... What did you leave at their doors?" Sanji questions.

"Swords. Food. Their king sits in the ruins of the scaffolding in the middle of the town square, battered but alive. His guards won't be a threat for days at the least. It takes time for anyone else to get here. If these people rise up quickly, they'll be fine."

"They've been beat down for a long time." Sanji murmurs.

"They have. But today they saw defiance. Kingdoms have risen and fallen on less." You shrug. "You said yourself that you're not revolutionaries." You bow before Nami. "I'm sorry I got distracted, Nami."

Nami rubs her forehead and sighs. "Well, you brought back supplies, and we're not getting run out of the port, so it's fine."

"Supplies? I brought back gold, mostly." You admit. "Sorry was I supposed to- eh?" You look around to see Nami is nowhere in sight.

Zoro tilted his head toward the gangplank.

Walking over to the ramp, you lean against the railing and grin. "Well, I imagine I'm not in trouble anymore." You muse as Nami is positively delighted looking through the loot you came back with.

"What caused you to do it?" Jinbei asks, coming up to stand beside you.

You look up at him and then hoist yourself up onto the rail to sit. It puts you a little closer to eye level with the taller man. "Most of it was my own rage, if I'm honest." You admit. "But you told me about this world and its history, and it was like I was seeing all the worst parts all in one place and... and I mean this world is amazing, and it's beautiful and brilliant, and it's not my world, but look at this island!" You stretch your arm toward the port to the trees beyond.

"The forest is alight with color; the autumn season is in full swing! The color of the corals shimmer in the water, the mountains in the distance are massive! It's breathtaking! To run through those trees, to see what sits in the caves and rocks, to know what manner of creature roams the thickets." You take in a breath and let it out in a sigh. "And then those people. What do you have to do to a port town to strip its color away like that? Was what I read today normal? Was that why no one raged? Had they known days so much worse that they couldn't even muster tears?"

"In my experience all peoples rise up," Jinbei says. "It is often just a matter of when or opportunity. But, your choices aside, how do you feel? I could sense your haki from here."