One Piece (Love Story) [Part Two]

Chapter Three Hundred and Twenty Six

-Chapter Three Hundred and Twenty-Six-

"What a pain..." Zoro grumbled, head turned the other way as he gave me some privacy to ring out my dress shirt to the best of my abilities. "Everything here looks the same" he noted, taking a look around just as I started to slip the piece of fabric back on—attempting to straighten out any wrinkles as I shifted around at the feeling of how heavy and cold it now felt against my skin. "We could be walking in circles for all we know."

"With you leading, we probably are" I said as I began to fiddle around with the buttons.

"What was that?!" he snapped, turning around to face me before halting as his cheeks flushed the instance I looked towards him. Water continued to drip from my wet strands of hair with some even clinging to my face as I tilted my head before finally noticing that the white shirt I wore was still slightly see through due to how soaked it had become despite having twisted it around in my hands until I had gotten almost all of the water it had soaked up out.

"You heard me" I said, flicking his forehead the moment I walked over to him. "Also, stop staring, you pervert" I giggled as I watched how his blush darkened before he quickly turned his head to the side and huff.

"I wasn't staring..." he embarrassingly grumbled, blush only getting worse as now began to spread at the sound of my continued giggling before I finally, pressed a small kiss to his cheek.

"Sure, you weren't, sweetie" I teasingly cooed.

"Are you done? If so, then let's go" he huffed, grabbing my hand as we finally started to get ready to go and find the others before quickly coming to a halt once again upon hearing the sound of approaching footsteps rushing towards us—it wasn't too long before what appeared to be guards started to surround us and prevent us from moving any further.

"You're Roronoa Zoro and Skylar Strife from the Straw Hat Pirates, right?" one of the guards asked as the rest pointed their tridents at us as it to convey a silent threat that they weren't above using them if they had to.

"Yeah, so what if we are?" Zoro asked as we both placed a hand on our swords.

-Later-

-Everybody's P.O.V-

"By the way," Neptune began, "I sent my sons to fetch you, but they took too long and I grew impatient" he admitted as he escorted Luffy, Nami, Brook, Usopp, Camie, and Pappagu back to the royal palace. "I hope they returned in the meantime—we're holding a banquet you see, and I simply can't stand to wait on anymore guests" drool started to leak from his mouth as he began to think about all that food that was waiting for him back at the palace.

"I think we're going to get along great" Luffy also began to drool at the thought of food.

"Gross—stop drooling!" Nami snapped, scrunching up her nose in disgust as she looked between the two.

"Speaking of guests, I already invited two of your crewmates—they're at the palace now" Neptune revealed as he wiped the drool from his mouth, his words now catching the Straw Hats attention as they all perked right up and quietly listened to what he had to say. "I must say, the young woman has been nothing but polite, albeit curious what with asking my servants plenty of questions," he said as he began to recall the two pirates that had been brought back to the palace earlier, "but the man with her seemed to be lacking in manners though, he started drinking before the banquet and wouldn't listen to reason when I advised him to wait for the other guests to arrive" he sighed. "I seem to have forgotten their names."

'Got to be Zoro and Skylar' Usopp thought, instantly recognizing the mannerism of his two crewmates as he thought about both the swordsman and swordswoman.