𝓑𝓮𝓪𝓾𝓽𝔂 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓑𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓽| 𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒄𝒆

𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉ℯ𝓇 6

"You're seriously going along with this?" Zoro asked, his voice as deep and gruffed as usual, with closed eyes, deep within his thoughts.

Water gushed from the tap, slapping the metallic sink as it flooded rapidly. Rue placed her arms into the liquid flow on her injury, watching the blood drain away. The lights above the sink gave a good view of her arm glistening with cherry, pieces of glass wedged into cuts of her skin stainted in red.

"Even if I didn't," Rue replied while crouching and outstretched an arm to the first-aid kit. She lifted herself back up and placed it on the small wooden table, "He would have kept asking me either way."

Zoro peeked an eye open as she took a seat. Both were on opposing sides of the seating areas. The swordsman lounged on a large creamy couch in the corner. He leaned an arm on a grey pillow. His eyes surveyed her take items from the kit, slowly removing the necessities to clean her injured arm. Without a flinch and steady fingers, she carefully tugged on each shattered piece on her arm with a tweezer while discarding them on a small white sheet. His dark eyes roamed her figure like a hawk to not miss a beat of her movement.

From her silver curls to her brown skin, she seemed like a vulnerable woman at sea with a child. Anyone who would take a good look at her would have said the same thing. Yet, apart of him kept telling, no, screaming at him that she was more than meets the eye.

He lifted his gaze elsewhere; most importantly, the style of her boat further raised his alarms of distrust. For the most part, from the outside, it seemed simple. A wooden deck with a few seats on it and the starting wheel in all its glory in the middle.

However, the inside resembled nothing he had experienced. Though small, yet it was elegant and a bit fancy in design. The door with simple steps brought one down to taste a bit of luxury. A modest taste, yet with a touch of a rich yellow, adorned the walls with stripes of grey. Cabinets decked in a dark brown with metallic silver handles attached. Between the large cabinets displayed a bed; its comfort looked inviting, from its large white and black-striped covers to its fluffy grey pillows, while a window brimmed down the sun rays from above it.

To his left, a fridge seemed big enough to fit food for more than two people, where he placed his three swords. Now that he thought about it, it made sense since her kid could eat a meal for five by herself.

He sank further into the creamy-leathered couch as his thoughts processed it all, and his brows furrowed. It was clear to him that whatever career choice this woman had, she could afford such a boat.

Not only that...She allowed strangers into her home without caution, not only one, but three men into her boat and around her child. To anyone, her actions would be absurd and practically reckless, as this situation could be a recipe for danger.

His eyes landed back on the woman. He watched her slightly wince as she applied drops of alcohol while she struggled slightly to wrap her arm. He frowned further, getting up and grabbing the tape from her hand; he gestured a hand. "Give me your arm."

Rue paid no mind to his actions and only gave him a polite smile, "Thank you, but I have troubled you enough already." As she continued treating her wounds, to her surprise, the swordsman took the tape from her hands, placed her arms in his and slowly began to wrap the tape around it. The woman stood still as she allowed him to do his work.

Silence drained the room, only leaving the faint voices of Aisha and Ayame squealing as they played on the upper deck with the duo swordsmen with steady waves of the ocean.

Zoro patiently kept a firm, yet tender grip on her arm. There was not too much pressure, but a hold kept the tape steady. He couldn't help his mind from wandering as he did his work. The woman before him hadn't revealed any hostility and showed them endless kindness. However, his mind wouldn't rest as something was amiss.