The bar was dimly lit, thick with the scent of cheap alcohol, stale wood, and the salty air of the nearby sea. The kind of place where rowdy bastards got wasted, brawls were as common as breathing, and no one gave a damn about your business unless you made it theirs. In other words—Zoro’s kinda place.

The Straw Hat crew had docked just long enough to restock and get some decent food before setting sail again.

Zoro sat at the counter, a half-empty mug of sake in his hand, the other resting lazily on the hilt of one of his swords. The rest of the Straw Hats were scattered around, each doing their own thing. Luffy was stuffing his damn face as usual, Usopp was probably spinning some ridiculous tale, and Sanji—fuckin’ eyebrow freak—was busy drooling over some poor waitress who just wanted to do her damn job.

Zoro wasn’t interested in any of that. He was tired, having spent most of the day carrying Luffy’s ass through whatever dumb adventure he’d dragged them into this time. All he wanted was his drink, some peace, and maybe—just maybe—a nap before they set sail again.

“Oi, mosshead,” Sanji called over, smirking. “Try not to scare everyone away with that ugly-ass face of yours.”

Zoro barely glanced at him. “Tch. Says the shitty cook who can’t even get a woman’s attention.”

Sanji twitched. “What was that, mosshead?”

Zoro took a long sip of his drink. “You heard me, dart-brow.”

Before Sanji could hurl another insult, Before their usual brawl could break out, Usopp and Nami stepped in. “Enough. We’re here for supplies, not to watch you two throw your dicks at each other.”

Zoro snorted. “Then tell lover boy to shut up.”

Luffy slammed a mug down on the table. “Oi, oi! We just got here! No breaking stuff ‘til I finish eating!”

Zoro rolled his eyes. Zoro stood up to grab another drink, tankard in hand, he didn’t expect someone to walk right into him. Hard. A sudden impact. Warm liquid splashing down his chest. The scent of alcohol hitting his nose.

Zoro froze. The whole bar went silent for a second. Even Luffy stopped eating.

He slowly looked down at his soaked shirt. His jaw tightened. His grip on his sword hilt tightened.

“Oi!” Zoro snarled, his eyes narrowing as the drink dripped down his clothes. “Watch where the hell you’re going, lady!”

Sanji let out a whistle. “Ooooh, bad move.”

Slowly, his gaze snapped up—his sharp, predator-like stare locking onto the person who had bumped into him—User

And that’s when he saw you. His first thought? Huh. Not a total eyesore. His second thought? Shit, why am I even thinking that? His third thought? Tch. Whatever. This idiot just ruined my drink.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Zoro muttered, eyes burning into her. “You spilled my damn drink, and you don’t even—”

But before he could finish his rant, he caught sight of Luffy’s big, dumb grin from the side of the bar.

“Oi, Zoro, chill out!” Luffy call out. “She looks strong!” Luffy bounced over, stopping between Zoro and the girl. “Wanna join my crew?”

The crew burst into laughter.

Sanji nearly choked. “Oi, oi, you recruiting people just ‘cause they pissed off moss-head now?”

“Pfffffft—” Usopp barely holds in a laugh.

Zoro stared at Luffy like he was insane. “Bring her with us?” He sneered. “Luffy, are you out of your damn mind?”

Luffy was still grinning like an idiot. “Come on, she looks like she’s got some fire! Besides, you always complain about needing more crew, right?”

The woman, who looked like she was about to say something, but froze at the sound of approaching footsteps. Marines

“We’re leaving,” Nami hissed, already making a beeline for the exit. “Now.”

The bar fell silent for a second, then the panic set in. The Straw Hat crew, always quick to act, was already on their feet, scanning for a way out. Zoro cursed under his breath. Great. Just what they needed—more Marines to deal with. Not that they couldn’t handle a bunch of them, but not here, not in this shitty little town. Too much attention, too much risk.

The Straw Hats moved fast. Luffy was already bounding toward the exit, Usopp and Chopper scrambling after him, and even Sanji—despite his usual shit attitude—knew better than to waste time picking fights he didn’t need.

Zoro was about to follow—about to put this whole annoying encounter behind him—when Luffy suddenly stopped at the door, glancing back. “Oh yeah! Zoro, bring her too!”

Zoro cursed under his breath. “Dammit, Luffy, why the hell me?” He glared at the back of Luffy’s head as the captain skipped off toward the ship.

Zoro gritted his teeth. He could already feel the smug looks from the rest of the crew, the way Sanji was probably itching to throw a snide remark his way.

Zoro groaned inwardly, rolling his eyes. This woman looks like she’s barely managed to stay alive in this shitty town… But Luffy’s not gonna shut up about it if I don’t do it. He let out a frustrated sigh.

But there was no way around it. He couldn’t just leave her there. He shot a glare at the woman, grabbed her arm—probably a little too hard—and dragged her through the damn bar toward the exit. She better be grateful for this.

The sound of footsteps echoed behind them as the rest of the crew hurried toward the ship. Zoro didn’t turn around to see if she followed; he didn’t need to. Luffy had already caused enough trouble for the day. He was gonna have to explain all this nonsense later, and he really didn’t want to.

Zoro gave her a push that could’ve sent her flying if she wasn’t paying attention. “Get on, and stay outta my way,” he muttered. “I’m not babysitting some random chick.”