Stolen // One Piece

chapter eight

A week had passed since the night of the... incident. Not one pirate on the Straw Hat Crew knew quite yet how to address Luffy's attempt. Well, rather, they did, but every time it was mentioned the captain flapped a hand lazily and changed the subject. He wanted to pretend that it had not happened, that he was strong enough to hold on to himself and his sanity. Every attempt at picking his brain apart was utterly useless, so eventually everyone had given up.

It still troubled Zoro, even as the crew walked from the ship, which had been docked in a large cave, onto the sandy beaches of the newest island. He kept his one good eye trained on his young captain, and studied the way he moved.

He walked like a well-known criminal, like the many Zoro had conquered in his days as a pirate-hunter.

No, no, that wasn't quite right. The pirates of Zoro's past had never had the audacity to walk as if they ran the world, or owned the ground they swept across. They never held their chin high as they passed people in the market places, never scanned each person, or observed the environment around them as if it was the last thing he wanted to see.

They walked with swagger, and arrogance. Luffy did not.

No.

Luffy didn't walk like a criminal.

Luffy walked like a King.

His arms swung lightly at his sides with each step he took. His strides were calm, thorough. Planned, and careful. His eyes were alert, but his body relaxed. He kept his muscles taut, but at the same time, looked like he had just taken a nap in a hammock while drinking a bottle of sake.

He had certainly grown up from the childish seventeen-year-old boy he was before. He no longer skipped, or grinned at strangers. No longer gawked at things that were completely normal. No longer acted as if he were a young boy.

This boy had become a man.

To be quite honest, Zoro felt nothing but pride for his captain. Sure, he could be a real idiot sometimes, but Luffy wasn't stupid. Luffy wasn't a child. He wasn't naive, despite how he occasionally acted. He was smart, and logical when he needed to be.

He was a captain.

"Zoro-san?" a smooth female voice said from beside him, changing his attention from Luffy to the woman beside him. Robin's piercing blue eyes were bright, and full of wisdom.

"What?" the man grumbled, causing the archeologist to chuckle. She brushed back a stray lock of hair from her shoulder and fell into stride with the swordsman.

"Luffy is no longer a child, no?" Zoro sighed. The woman always knew exactly what he was thinking. The man sighed and shook his head.

"No, he isn't. He's our captain."

Nico Robin nodded sagely.

"With your help, he has changed. He is older, not just physically," she added as the green-haired man chuckled. The two stopped, a little behind the rest of the group, and faced one another. "You know why, don't you?" she asked him, cupping her face with her hand. A long moment passed before he spoke, this time staring after his friend.