deercountry | We Are! 🏴‍☠️ closed

"Old man can't tell his ass from his elbow," Zoro grouses to himself as he steps into a certain gaudy burlesque club in Red Cellar. "And now he's a pervert, too. Great."

Bad enough that it took him a few days (and some patronizing locals) to reach his destination. Now? He's finally stepped into the halls where that old-geezer Hunter told him he could find a mentor willing to help him. A master who, even without the gifts imparted to Sleepers, achieved something so few people in this land do: Control over the wild art of Beasthood when willpower alone wasn't enough.

Only to be surrounded by stale cigarette smoke, pounding music, raucous laughter, and half-naked performers hustling for their next meal.

Not that Zoro gives a shit what people do during their free time. But after the hell he's gone through, he needs a goddamn drink. Dragging a stool over to the bar, Zoro slouches over the counter and waves someone down. "Oi—"

That's also when he feels a pair of eyes boring into the back of his head. Clenching his jaw, he whips his gaze around, a defensive snarl of "what're you looking at?" on the edge of his teeth.

And then he stops. His eyes widen.

"...!!"

And his mouth splits into a wide beam.

"LUFFY!"

The stare Zoro is referring to is from a sharp, wide-eyed pair of black eyes waiting for the green-haired man at the bar to turn around. And once he does, once he sees it's the green-haired man he wants, Luffy's arms rocket up to the sky.

"ZORO!" Somehow Zoro's name gets through the chunk of meat wedged in his cheeks where he sits in a booth surrounded by a plate of buffalo wings and two burlesque dancers.

"You're here after all!"

Look, Luffy's got a mouthful of food, and Zoro knows his captain's priorities. So rather than wait for the man to get up from his seat, he strides across the room and pulls out a chair for himself.

"Man, I'm glad to see you. You seem well."

Better than Zoro expected, anyway. Then again, his own injuries from before are gone. Maybe the same is true for Luffy. He can't get a good assessment over the mountains of plates, but...his captain is as energetic as usual, at least. That's something.

"Ah? Yeah, been here all day," he points out with a sober expression. But it doesn't last long. His smile breaks through in a matter of seconds when he leans toward Zoro to share some of the best news he's heard today.

"They have free chicken wings!" Luffy explains. One of the women beside him is quick to correct him.

"No, no, it's all you can eat," Candy points out to him again, but mainly to the newcomer. One of them must have some sense, and right now she's going to bet it on Zoro.

"Right, yeah!" By the look on his face, her amendment doesn't register with him. "Is that why you're here? Or're you here for the girls?" He expects the former, but hopes for the latter. Who knows if there will be enough chicken wings to go around between the two of them now. He already faced one contender for all the chicken wings when he ordered. Luffy bore holes straight through his head with his eyes.

Both women loitering around the table turn their attention to Zoro. Candy even sets herself gracefully on one of his knees and purrs, "I sure hope so."

"Tch. Don't confuse me with the cook." Then, pointedly, to the dancer on his knee: "—And I never said you could sit on me, lady."

There are plenty of chairs right there.

"Anyway, don't worry. I'm not here for your chicken wings, Luffy," he adds, knowing full well how territorial Luffy can get with his meals. "An old man gave me the wrong directions for some place I'm looking for. Said it was called 'The Late Chancing", or something like that. But then I ended up here. Because he can't tell left from right, apparently."

The second dancer leans against the table, exposing her cleavage. "That old man," Lulu says with a curious tilt of her head, "wouldn't be a Hunter who goes by the name of Hedge. Would he?"

Zoro narrows his eyes. "How did you—"

"He sent a message saying you were literally on your way. To our fine establishment, The Late Chanson," Lulu giggles with a dramatic flair on that last word. "That was days ago."

"Well, his directions were garbage!"

Candy does as she's told, but not before sharing a sidelong glance with Lulu at Zoro's attitude. Other patrons would have considered themselves very lucky to have her bare cheeks on their knee.

But whatever slight could have dug in her craw, they all band together instead to laugh at the frustrated man now screaming just loud enough to be heard over the booming music in the background.

"I know that old guy!" The words are muttered from a mouth dripping with hot sauce. "He told me about the legs and eggs breakfast they do here in the morning!"

"Wait—" Lulu speaks up. "So you really are here for the food?"

Luffy blinks once. "Yeah." Then his eyes drift to Zoro, interested to hear his reason.

"So he's a regular here," Zoro mutters. "Well, that explains a lot."

Naturally, there's the unspoken question of why Zoro is here. If not for the wings or the legs, then what the hell does he want? The dancers must have some idea, at least. But they've expectantly fixed their eyes on him, alongside Luffy.

He folds his arms over his chest.

"People here turn into Beasts," he explains. "Not the way Chopper does. More like some mystery illness that gets into your bloodstream. Makes your mind and your body go berserk if you don't know how to tame it. Most people try to suppress or avoid it. But then it usually happens sooner or later, and they're screwed until someone puts them down."

Zoro studies the dancers now, his gaze sharp and appraising. Like someone assessing a fighter or an opponent, rather than tonight's entertainment.

"Some people here have learned ways to control their Beasthood," he adds. His words are directed at Lulu and Candy, just as much as Luffy. "And I wanted to find out how. That's why the old man sent me."

"Oh!" His eyes bug a little wider when some familiarity sparks in his brain. Luffy tips further over the table, straw hat pushed back with one hand.

"Candy can do that! Right?" Black eyes dart to her for confirmation. Or a skeptical look if he's way off the mark. Her wide smile suggests they're both correct, thankfully.

"I'm a master," she tells them both. And then with a wink, Candy saunters to the stage. Luffy knows exactly what they're in for, so he sits back with arms behind his head to watch. He spares a glance for Zoro and an eager snicker.

When her hand reaches the pole, Candy takes one smooth spin around and continues down the catwalk. At the end of it, she squats down on platform heels with her ass popping in front of her audience as she looks over her shoulder at the two of them. Her eyes are not her eyes anymore, though. They are slitted and glare almost ruby red when light hits them.

"Ho hoo hoooo! So cool, yeah?" He whoops along with the crowd, but for completely different reasons.

Anyone can seem like a master if they know even a little more than you do, he thinks. But Zoro watches Candy's performance with a critical eye — past her curves, past the heels, and instead focuses on the confidence that rules her movements, the sharp gaze that pierces into the audience...

And the way her pupils coil into blood-red serpentine eyes.

When Hedge said he'd find people here to teach him, this is not what he expected. But Zoro schools his expression into a level gaze, even if Luffy's enthusiasm is still infectious.

"'Cool' is one word for it," he says. His own teeth bare into a hard smile, the kind of look he gets when faced with a challenge that hangs just beyond the boundaries of what he can do. "A monster normally makes people scream for a different reason. But she's got enough control over her own Beasthood that she can pretty much turn it into a game."

A lucrative game, even, if the plethora of shiny bobbles and trinkets being shoved at her are any indicator. As a gambling man, he can respect that. Most people wouldn't have the guts to let that side of them out in a venue like this.

"You've seen this song and dance before?" he asks Luffy.

"Mm, yeah—" He has more to say, but he's got to clear his mouth of food first. "They all take turns on stage! I figured it was just devil fruit powers." Which is why it's been so easy to keep his mind on the food and not the goings on around him.

The small crowd, mostly consisting of men, suddenly gasps. Turning his attention back, Luffy sees that Candy has opened her mouth unnaturally wide. Fangs like you would find on a viper stretch out dripping what he can only assume is venom.

"Is this what you wanna do?" he asks between a few more wings.

Edited 2023-05-30 23:43 (UTC)

Lulu, meanwhile, rises from the table and saunters onto the stage alongside her partner. A pair of dark, leathery batwings unfurl from her back, sharp carpals gleaming underneath the bright stage lights. Zoro takes note of the fine control Lulu exudes over her own shape with the same calm detachment he'd have if he were watching his junior perform katas back at the dojo.

"No." He tilts his head toward Luffy. The sharp edges of his grin soften into something more boyish and cheeky. "...Already can. Turn into a beast, that is. Main thing is learning to control it."

Granted, the old man took great pains beating it into his thick skull that it's not so simple as controlling it. But as he sees it now, the only alternative is letting the beast inside of him run wild, with no purpose in its carnage, and no help to either his or Luffy's goals. That is unacceptable. And so here they are.

Luffy watches him for a good hard moment, even as he munches away at the last chicken wing he deboned. His dark eyes then follow where Zoro has attached his attention to—the woman onstage flexing an impressive leathery wingspan. All done with purposeful, slow motions.

"And they can." Finally, the pieces put themselves together. "You're here for training."

Zoro gives a single nod. "...Yeah. That's right."

Training. Not the conventional kind. Not what he'd bruised himself for, back on Kuraigana Island. But he's already burned to ash in this place once, his self-discipline and single-minded focus withering to nothing like a Vivre card turned to dust.

When he thinks on it too hard, shame smolders in the pit of Zoro's stomach.

"Corruption," the old-man Hunter — the one who'd bested him — had called it. "Once it invades your bloodstream, that's it. You lose yourself. Someone either pulls you back, or puts you down. I see the look in your eyes, and I know what you're thinking. But I'll tell you right now! There's no brute-forcing your way through that, son. Not on your own."

Because if it was just a matter of willpower...Zoro would have held onto himself. No question, just as there's no doubt about the floor beneath his boots. He'd rather be flayed alive like a fish writhing on a cutting board than turn into a mindless Beast that can't think for itself.

"Didn't expect this whole pony-show scene," he dryly adds, nodding toward the spread of baubles, trinkets and flowers from adoring spectators littering the stage.

"I like it!" Luffy is joyfully resolute in his claim as they watch the display of control and power. And tits. It's particularly impressive to watch Lulu hold herself upside down with her legs split on the pole, because her chest sure isn't light.

"Think they'll make you wear heels that big?" he suddenly wonders. Are they integral to the training? He hopes they are. Zoro will be a veritable giraffe onstage.

Of course Luffy would like it, albeit not for the same reasons as the shitty cook. Dancing is dancing...and it's probably fair to say nobody's seen a (good) party without it.

Still.

"Nobody's making me do anything," Zoro bristles. "I might be training here, but I'm not a circus animal."

His laughter is all in good cheer, even if his words are carelessly stabbing.

"Yeah, you wouldn't be very good at it, anyway! You'd have to smile," he points out. Lulu and Candy have every man in here eating out of their hands with soft eyes and coy looks. There'd be nothing left of Sanji but a berriless, bloodless husk on the floor if he were here.

"Hey, I smile all the freaking time," Zoro frowns. "Doesn't mean I wanna do it for these guys. Not unless they're buyin' me booze first!"

The way his stoic expression immediately gives into a grousing frown has Luffy snorting. He's only proving his point! But then Zoro says something that could change the whole game.

Immediately he's waving a hand for one of the other girls snaking through the table of patrons to come over.

"Hey, hey, Suzie! Can the guys here buy you drinks?" he asks her.

"Yeah, of course, hon. Perks of the job! You can probably get them to pay for a meal, too. Sometimes they'll buy you jewelry if they think they're in—" She's not even done with her answer before Luffy is howling like he's been bit on the ass by a Sea King.

"I want on stage!" Already he's pushing Zoro out of the way so he can step over the table.

Zoro yowls when Luffy clocks him with an over-eager elbow. His captain might be made of rubber, but he ain't exactly soft.

"—Wait, hold on a second, Luffy!" he snaps, grabbing for Luffy's shoulder before he plunges headfirst into the next thing. "What about the others? Did they come here with you?"

Well, talking about his crew is enough to snap him back to reality. He's pulled back on his seat beside Zoro.

"No, I was on my way to Sabaody to meet back up. But I ended up on the beach..." Which doesn't make a whole lot of sense in hindsight. Even if he had fallen into the water, one of Hancock's girls would have fished him out. Right?

"Isn't that where you were headed, too?"

The only reason Zoro didn’t mention the crew before now was that he had been so blindsided by finding Luffy here, of all places. Now that he’s brought them up and heard his captain's answer, he’s even more baffled than before.

"Sabaody?" he echoes with a pinched expression. "Why? You said two years!"

"Uh huh." Yep, that's what Luffy said. Two years, and then meet up in Sabaody. You got it right, Zoro. Your Captain absolutely said those words.

Uh huh, he says, as if the problem shouldn't be obvious. Zoro bristles. "It's barely been two months!"

Luffy laughs like Zoro cracked a good joke.

"No, it's been two years!" he reiterates. There's nothing in his voice or expression to suggest he's lying. Hell, Luffy can't lie to save his damn life.

At that moment, the lights from the stage pass over Luffy's wiry frame. Zoro's eyes are drawn toward his open shirt. It's the first time he's gotten a look at him since—

"He's suffered a grievous injury to his heart," Hawk Eyes had said, cool and detached as he ripped Zoro's world apart a second time.

Zoro tears his gaze away from Luffy's scar — new to him, but clearly not new, with the way the pink, uneven flesh has managed to mend and heal. His mind reeling by the implication, he grasps for whatever information he can to make sense of things.

"Two years," he echoes. "You trained for two years. And then you woke up in this town."

"Right." His open expression never shifts. In fact, Luffy's smile grows because it seems like Zoro gets it now. He's up to speed!

Along the beaten path cut through Trenchwood, Luffy sweeps the trail back and forth with a broken branch he found abandoned on the road. He sings loud without care for whomever or whatever might hear, voice rising and falling with melismatic notes.

"The monsters in the forest~! They creep in the fog~!" he hollers like a buzzing fly. "They go kusukusu pyo~in!"

His straw hat dangles against his back because it no longer fits right on his head. He's half his usual height—something not entirely novel for him, but never this long. Zoro and he had to fence a couple of shirts from an oblivious family with a full clothesline in town on their way to their usual haunt.

The real nuisance of it all was the fact that they were now barred from The Chanson. There was some kind of "age limit" for entering, and the dancers were not sympathetic to their regular patrons. They snickered, called them cute, but said that rules were rules.

"Come back when you're older," they told them with a patronizing smile.

So Zoro and Luffy decide to wait out this bout of impromptu childhood in the woods while training. Everyone thought they'd lost their minds, and maybe they had, but what else were they going to do? Enjoy their day peacefully? Pff!

The underbrush crunches beneath Zoro's scuffed boots as they venture deeper into the woods. The women, thankfully, didn't question where they'd pilfered their clothes from. Then again, they didn't press them about where they were going, either. Probably for the best.

Sheathed at the side of his smaller body, Kitetsu Sandai's volatile temperament simmers just beneath the surface, radiating the same tension as an agitated animal pacing back and forth in its cage.

What a problem child, Zoro muses to himself with some measure of both exasperation and pride. If Wado Ichimonji is like a winding river confidently cascading toward its destination, and Shusui is as reliable and unquestioning as the ground beneath his feet, then Kitetsu burns like a flame that fluctuates between calm flickers and raging infernos. It's simply its nature. And it's Zoro's responsibility to discipline it without crushing that mischievous personality that makes Kitetsu, Kitetsu.

But as long as Zoro's swords stay confident in his own fighting spirit, then the rest will work itself out — whether he's trudging through the grass in the body of a 10-year-old, or temporarily shuffling around as a 100-year-old. He's sure of that.

His captain's meandering song, meanwhile, should be more grating than it is. But more than anything, Zoro's quietly glad he gets to hear Luffy say anything at all these days.

"We camping out here tonight?" he asks nonchalantly in the wake of the trail of Luffy's dragging stick, like Zoro wasn't just pondering the cursed sword strapped to his side, and its potential to maul him like a beast. "We could scout out a place for some shelter and a bonfire."

"Uh huh! We'll build a fort," he calls back. Then his hand suddenly points to a spot on the horizon (there is no horizon in this densely clotted forest of fog and blood-dripping trees) where they can lay claim.

"There!" Luffy shouts with all the confidence and authority of a Captain on land. For all they know it's a marsh of quicksand. But that's not going to stop him.

Luffy's declaration wrings a small snort from Zoro. "I said scout, not point at the first dark place you see."

There's no ire in his words, though. In fact, Zoro dutifully moves toward Luffy's intended destination...if that place actually required taking a hard right, anyway. Because that's exactly the (wrong) direction Zoro's headed.

It's the same thing in Luffy's book. Without a second thought, or a second glance, he steps in time with Zoro... only in the opposite direction. The correct direction. He's all of several feet when he notices that Zoro is no long right behind him.

"Z... Zoro?" He spins his rubber body 360 degrees and finds that he's... rather alone in the fog. Wherever he wandered off, he can't be seen through the thick mist covering the path.

"Hey!" Luffy calls out with a hand cupping his mouth. "Zoroo~!"

"Yeah?" Zoro's voice cuts through the dense haze. Judging by the volume, he can't have strayed too far. Yet.

"What is it? You found something better?"

"Ah." That was easy enough. He narrows in on the distance of the call and throws an arm back to build up momentum.

"Rubber leash!" His arm stretches through the thick fog in search of its target. But all he finds is empty mist and the bark of a tree.

"Hey! Say it again!" Luffy calls out, like a strange game of Marco Polo.

"Say what?" Zoro barks back in that higher-pitched voice that still surprises his ears, a faint of edge of irritation bleeding into his tone.

Edited 2023-07-10 03:13 (UTC)

"Yeah, keep saying that!" He shoots his arm out again in the direction of Zoro's childish voice. It stretches far into the empty mist until it hits his target—well, a target. No, more like the target hits him. Luffy's hand radiates pain as it's slammed between a large toothy maw.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The pained pitch of his scream jolts Zoro into action, much like a misstep by a creature triggers a concealed bear trap. “Luffy!!”

Luffy's outstretched arm, and the pure shock emitting from it, paints a picture with few strokes, but it's enough for Zoro to quickly deduce what's happening. He leaps onto the arm, dashing down the most direct path towards whatever's got his captain. Despite Zoro's small stature, the weight of his swords leaves no room for excuses.

Course set, he doesn’t linger on the makeshift rubber rope-bridge. Instead, the wind sings past his ears as he kicks forward, his left hand already reaching to unsheathe Wado Ichimonji, preparing to confront whatever lies ahead in the mist.

"Ahhhowowowow!" Something about a hidden enemy shrouded in creepy mist makes this so much worse! He remains where he stands, bare feet digging into the dirt below his feet in order to give Zoro a stable walkway forward.

What Zoro sees at the end of the line is a massive creature, crouched on all fours with a wide mouth slammed shut over his Captain's rubber hand. It has one big watery eye that narrows when Zoro comes into view from amidst the fog. Its dark leathery throat expands with a deafening croak, warning the little morsel to stay away.

Fat chance. His captain isn't a snack, and now it's time for the frog to cough up.

"Two-sword style!" Wado in one hand, Shusui in the other, Zoro cuts identical arcs through the mists — which generates two bursts of air-based projectiles that go hurtling toward the frog's throat. "Flash!"

We Are! 🏴‍☠️ closed

Intro - Like a roulette my life turns - Late April/Early May

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Into the Woods - Early May

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