Thrice Prophesized - Zoro x Reader

Chapter 22: Thrice Prophesized

The Merry Go was, to your surprise, the hideout of the Straw Hat pirates. Located in a forest in East Blue, there was an old, wide, squat tree with an old tree house tangled in the branches. There was a caricature of a ram's head, as far as you could tell, at the prow of the tree house, that was barely visible through the thick branches and leaves.

The longer you looked the more rooms, ladders, and ropes you could see twisted and wedged between the branches.

But what was in the branches wasn't the hideout. The tree just acted as a marker of sorts, as Zoro lifted a nearby mossy stump and revealed a metal tunnel.

"This leads into the actual hideout." He says, stepping back so you could look.

It had taken you a few minutes after the van had stopped to settle your stomach, and everyone else had gone into the hideout while Zoro had stayed with you. You step back from the tunnel entrance and rub your arms a little.

"Sorry... I just, want to stay outside for a little longer." You admit. "I feel like if I got down there I'm not going to be okay."

"... Claustrophobic?"

You shake your head. "No, I've done cave expeditions and underground shifts before. I just feel like I need to walk around a little."

"With or without company?" He asks.

You smile. "With would be nice."

You and Zoro walked around the forest in silence for some time. You kept one eye on the direction of the tree house, eternally grateful that your sense of direction at least was trustworthy. The weather was moderate, there was no hint of an impending autumn, there was no chill of a new spring. Summer was still a foreign sensation to you, but the air wasn't thick and heavy, whatever time of year it was, the day was simply comfortable.

"Is this island like this everywhere?" You ask idly.

"Mm. There's some snow in the mountains in the north, but most people say the only natural disasters in the Metro are the Warlords and Emperors." Zoro answers.

"Does it have seasons? I mean, uh..." You look into the tree tops with a smile. "The leaves on that one island were beautiful. Autumn was always so brief in the Duchy, but it feels like it'd be nice to appreciate that again."

"... Yeah, there is. This place changes for a few weeks." He explains coming up beside. "Just long enough to turn all the leaves and then it starts warming back up."

"So there's no winter to speak of?" You question, leaning toward him and resting your head on his shoulder.

"Not really."

"That... makes me a little sad, I think." You admit, an odd tightening in your heart is trying to squeeze tears out of you.

"You... we won't be on this island for forever." Zoro says after a moment. "I don't mind the snow."

"Making travel plans already?"

He grunts, and after a moment tilts his head to the side and rests it on top of yours. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah, but I still have this weird feeling." You say, brow furrowing. "I don't feel nauseous, and I think I could safely go underground, but it almost feels like..." You reach out with your hand and feel yourself take a step. "It's just... right there. As though I could," you're reaching out with both hands, and it almost feels like you could wrap your hands around the air itself and pull it.

"I could just... pull." The tugging sensation is stronger, and you almost feel like you're stepping away from yourself.

You take another step and feel an iron grip on your wrist that snaps you back to your senses. Zoro has a grip on your wrist and his other hand is already drawing a sword.