The Greatest (Zoro x Tashigi)

Chapter 13: Control

Zoro POV:

"I don't like this plan." I whisper, barely leaning forward in my seat to make sure that only Tashigi hears me. Deep shadows contrast with the lantern she just lit, making it impossible to see anything but her silhouette. The bottom of the island stretches above us, forming a 100 feet high ceiling over the choppy sea that crashes against the island's rocky base. She just hailed the watchman on shore, and any of my concern for her ability to succeed vanishes as the enemies numbers' rise, almost 30 marines standing on the wooden dock.

"Shut - up - Zoro -" Tashigi grinds from the corner of her mouth, quieter even than me. I blink a moment at my first name, but realize it's just cause Roronoa has too many syllables and she doesn't want to talk in the first place.

"This is stupid." I whisper back.

Tashigi's silhouette tilts her head back to me in just the slightest, and I can tell she's keeping her gaze fixed on the privates ahead, attempting to look in command of our 2 person crew.

"You already complained for most of the five hours rowing here and never offered a better idea so we're going with it." She spits the words out as fast as possible before turning full attention ahead again. The dock's 50 yards away, and we can both feel the nervous suspicions of our enemy waiting for us, murmmers of doubt at Tashigi's ability to capture me floating over the water. Fair enough. I am terrifying. Which is why I hate this plan.

The wooden docks jut out into the sea from a shallow indent in the otherwise sheer rock cliffs that rise everywhere else to form 90 degree angles with the bottom. A bit past the dock, torches light up what looks like a hole in the stone ceiling, presumably what leads to the top of the island. As the privates scramble to prepare for our landing, one yells out-

"WHAT SECURITY MEASURES HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO SUBDUE THE PRISONER?!" The blond, short marine gulps, and I can see him sweating buckets all the way from out here. Before Tashigi can answer I lean forward again.

"I had plenty of good ideas."

"fighting the entire damn island is not a good idea."

"Not when it was just you, but if I, er, both of us-"

"PRISONER IS SECURED! I WILL EXPLAIN UPON LANDING!- we are literally a minute from landing we're not changing this." Tashigi responds to the marine before shooting the almost silent words back at me.

"Your not the boss of me."

"Zoro I swear to everything that is holy in this world if you-"

"I don't believe in holy stuff."

"JUST STICK TO THE PLAN." Tashigi manages to yell while keeping her voice barely above the noise of the waves, and I scowl at her tensed shoulders.

"IT'S A STUPID PLAN!" I whisper yell back.

20 yards away. I watch as several privates start pulling their muskets into aimed positions.

Tashigi, knuckles white as she clenches the boat's edges, suddenly whips around, her eyes flashing as she glares at me.

"LISTEN HERE YOU SCUMMY PIRATE! We have to scale a thousand foot cliff, make it through a village, a tunnel, 27 flights of stairs," Tashigi talks so fast I can barely catch the meanings of the words,

"and then do it all backwards. Yes we could just slaughter everyone on the island but I'd prefer not killing my clueless comrades Even if you just try to cut a path there's no guarantee I can keep up with you especially up a thousand foot cliff with heavy ammunition reigning down on a narrow path and chances are you would get lost and then the Straw Hats will hate me If I'm not dead Trust me this is the quickest way to get us into the castle with minimum security and casualties-"