The Blind Brawler [ Roronoa Zoro X OC]

Chapter 5

"Damn, that woman! Who does she think she is?!" I was storming through the halls, seething in rage and muttering curses under my breath in frustration.

Ever since Kaori and I met in the garden, she did nothing but get under my skin. She did not answer one of my questions, she completely blew me off, and she acted like the title 'swordsman' was a shameful thing.

I glanced at the three swords at my hip. The Yubashiri, a legendary blade with remarkable grace, hung next to its new brothers. The Sandai Kitetsu thrummed with energy, its curse giving it a life of its own. Finally, the Wado Ichimonji of the great Ichimonji Swords hung in its white sheath, given to me by my master and bearing the weight of both Kuina's and my dream, "No. The title 'swordsman' could never be shameful. I don't care what Kaori or anyone else says. I won't let her play with my mind. I have a goal and she will not make me waver!"

"Hey, Zoro!" The happy voice of my captain broke me out of my thoughts and I looked up. Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp were walking toward me, apparently finished with the hot spring.

"Done so soon?" I asked them, resting my arm on the hilts of my swords.

Luffy began to pout, "I wanted to stay longer, but Nami had us kicked out."

Usopp chimed in, annoyed as well, "She said she couldn't relax with all the noise we were making. Can you believe that?"

"Yeah," I answered nonchalantly, scratching the back of my head. Luffy and Usopp both gave me dirty looks. I ignored them.

Usopp continued, "Well, I think it had more to do with Sanji's peeping attempts than us goofing off," He gave the Ero-cook a disapproving look, but Sanji was beside himself with grief.

"The rooms were completely separate; no wall to climb over, no gaps too see-through, not even a tiny crack," He blubbered.

I rolled my eyes, "You sure do have some disgusting habits, you know that?" He was completely oblivious to my insult, however, as he began to strategize how he would see her next time.

Luffy only laughed at him, "Let's go find something fun to do!"

"Like what," Usopp asked him, "From what I can tell, this place only has the spa and living areas. It seems more like a resort than a home, really."

"Well, there's gotta be something to do in this place," Luffy said, "Let's go explore! Maybe we can find the kitchen!"

Following our captain's lead, we began to wander the halls aimlessly. Curlybrow and I both tried to just leave Luffy and Usopp to their little adventure, but he would have none of it. I resided myself to just play along until the two got bored and I could leave. Maybe we would stumble upon the garden and I could take my nap.

Our exploration was interrupted by a man's voice yelling something angrily. Curiosity got the better of us and we went to investigate the source. What we found was unexpected, but answered a lot of questions.

Isamu was standing with a young, blonde girl. Her hair draped over her shoulders, matching the golden hue of her dress. She was looking up at her boss with a scared expression, holding her hands in front of her chest as if in defence. Isamu stood looming over her, his hands on his hips and an angry scowl on his face.

"I know I heard something, Emiko. Stop trying to cover for that wretched girl!" Isamu yelled down at her.

She flinched back from his voice and began to twist her hands around themselves, "I-I'm not... Isamu-sama, it was nothing, really. I can fix it."

"Fix it?!" Isamu growled. The girl covered her mouth, realizing her slip-up. He bent down and got into her face, "Fix what?"

"Hey! Back off!" Sanji shouted. I looked over to see him stomping his way toward them, "How dare you treat a lady like that!"