One Piece Fan Fiction ❯ "You hurt him but even though he won't accept it he still sees you as his sister." ❯ Chapter 1

They had arrived in Utashima three days ago, and the tired Pack had spent two days together at the nest. Indeed, the queen's hospitality was legendary. The room for their nesting was very large and their style. They had also fed them great food during their time at the nest.

But now it was time to cook their meals. That's why Sanji got up early. On the way to the kitchen, something caught his attention.

“10119... 10120... 10121...”

He saw Kuina, who was training with weights, in one of the rooms. That way she reminded him of Zoro.

“Kuina-chan?”

Kuina had finally noticed Sanji's presence. She dropped the weight in her hand and draped a towel around her neck.

“Good morning Sanji-san. I thought you'd spend some time at the nest today, too. You are early.”

"A cook shouldn't be out of the kitchen for long, right?"

"I think you are right. I don't understand much because I'm not allowed in the kitchen."

"Oh, why?"

“Both because I drink too much booze and whenever I try to cook, I mess up a lot.”

“Hahahaha. Our marimo is then one step ahead of you then.”

"Ha?"

“Weirdly enough, he actually cooks pretty well.”

"Is that so?"

"Yup. I was also confused when I first noticed it.”

Kuina was silent for a while. It was clear that something was bothering her.

“Kuina-chan?”

"Hmm?"

"Do you want to talk?"

“Sanji-san... That would be great. But I'd better take a short shower first. You want to go to the kitchen as soon as possible, don't you?"

“Actually, yes.”

“Then I'll meet you in the kitchen. Unless, of course, if I won't disturb while you cook?"

“As if a beautiful lady like you could disturb me…”

“Okay then.”

***

As she had said, Kuina soon came to the kitchen, having wet hair. A few minutes ago, Kuina's crew's cooks were in the kitchen, but at Sanji's insistence, they had left the kitchen entirely to him.

“Welcome, Kuina-chan. I didn't know what kind of tea you like, but because you reminded me of Zoro, I prepared some matcha tea."

"I like it a lot. Thank you very much Sanji-san.You took the trouble.”

“What trouble Kuina-chan? It was a pleasure for me."

With her tea, Kuina settled into the chair. Sanji also started to prepare breakfast.

“Don't you know where to start?”

"I guess... you really are a real gentleman."

“This is how I was raised.”

“You're too kind to a caveman-like Zoro hahaha. But at the same time, I can see your harmony. Please take good care of him, Sanji-san. He's very good. He was a real nuisance as a kid, but I couldn't help seeing him as my brother.”

“Don't worry, Kuina-chan. That stupid marimo is in good hands. When did you two meet?"

“Did he tell you about his mother?”

“More or less yes.”

“Zoro and I met when he was 7 and I was 9 years old. Brat came to my father's dojo with a piece of brushwood in his mouth. He said that he was invincible in the other villages and that he came here to beat everyone in the dojo. If he won, he'd get our sign and some money. My father asked him what if he lost. It was clear he hadn't thought of that possibility. After a pause, he said that he would stay here and become a student of the dojo.”

“A totally Zoro move.”

"Is not it? Then my father called me. He objected at first, but then accepted. Do you know what he did next?"

"What?"

“He tried to hold nine shinais exactly!”

"Nine?"

"Yup. It was so funny. He tried to keep 3 in his mouth. Of course, he couldn't. He dropped two of them while we were saluting. Everyone was looking at him like an idiot. Including me."

“Hahahaha I would love to see that moment.”

"Was very good. It was fun messing with him.”

"What happened then?"

“I knocked him down in one move and he dropped all his shinai to the ground. He then stood up again but this time he only held two shinais but was completely in a two-sword style pose. So I asked him if he was trained to use two-sword styles. He said to me, he didn't know, it was the first day he even held a shinai. It was a natural talent. It was in his blood. Of course, he couldn't beat me. Again, I hit his head with one move. He didn't even try to dodge. He was very arrogant. He was such a cute brat.”

“I bet.”

“Really, but I wouldn't be considered very polite either. I told him it was 10 years too early for him to use two-sword styles, he was an amateur and we could have one more match if he wanted to. His anger was so evident… Yet he had been proud ever since. He said the defeat was a defeat and agreed to enter our dojo as a student. Then he told me that he would work hard and beat me. And I said that a day like that would never come.”

“You really weren't courteous, Kuina-chan.”

"I said so. You see, he was a very good student. He would come soonest. For the first two months, we didn't find out where he came from."

"How so?"

“One weekend my father and I went to the neighboring village. After we did our shopping, my father wanted to buy me something. I said I wanted to eat sashimi. So we entered a sashimi shop. Coincidentally, that shop was the shop where Zoro worked. He was working there when he got back from the dojo and weekends as a waiter. My father spoke to him immediately. That's when we learned that Zoro was an orphan. Until then, he had survived by working in different jobs and being challenged. He came to this sashimi shop when he decided to become a student at our dojo. The shopkeeper gave him a little money, food, and a room to sleep. He's been in that little room for two months."

"Hmmm..."

"I guess he didn't tell you that much."

“He told me that he was an orphan and that he earned money through challenges. I should have more or less guessed.”

“A lot of the time we don't want to guess.”

"Yeah..."

“My father is a good person Sanji-san. Don't look at me leaving like that. I was a child. Moreover, I was a quick-tempered child who was on the verge of depression. That's why I acted so stupid. Yes, I don't regret leaving, but I certainly wouldn't fake my death if I had the mind I have today."

“You were a child like you said, Kuina-chan.”

“But it doesn't lessen my regret. Especially against Zoro. As I said, he was a brat, but I saw him as my brother. Anyway, then my dad talked to Zoro. He said he could stay with us, but Zoro objected. He couldn't accept such a thing. ah ah. Proud nuisance... That's when my father asked me to stay with us during the week while the dojo was open and work at the sashimi shop again at the weekend. Zoro said that only if the shopkeeper said yes, then he would agree. This time, my father made a contract with the shopkeeper. So Zoro started staying with us during the week.”

“He was lucky to have met you.”

“Was he? I do not know. Two weeks after Zoro started staying with us, he had grown much more than he had developed in two months. He suddenly became the best among the students except me. And Zoro was working really hard. Seeing him working made me gasp and I started working harder so that I wouldn't be defeated by him. Less than a month later, Zoro was already beating adults. Of course, since he stayed with us all this time, we inevitably got closer. We used to argue a lot at the dinner table. We caused a lot of trouble.”

“It must have been difficult for your mother.”

“Oh, my mother died when I was not yet two years old. I don't remember her at all."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"It's alright. Like I said I don't remember her. But my mother's sister, my aunt, was our neighbor. She was a widowed omega. She always wanted to be a mother, but unfortunately, she could not have a child due to the untimely death of her husband. She raised me as her own daughter. I think she started to see Zoro as his son after a while. Zoro was such a dirty kid. How many times did my aunt force him into the bathroom.”

"Can you believe that he is still like that?"

“I believe. He really didn't like the bathroom. He moved a lot while sleeping. He was constantly throwing the quilt over him. I went over and covered it again a few times. My aunt tried very hard to persuade Zoro. But our goat stubborn Zoro never agreed to stay with us on the weekends."

“That damn arrogant brat.”

“Oh... But we loved him as he is. One night I couldn't find Zoro in his bed. So I went looking for him. I caught Zoro on the way. He told me he was staying at the sashimi shop that night. I objected that it wouldn't happen either, but he didn't listen to me. He continued walking. So I went after him. My father knew about his room in the sashimi shop, but it was my first time seeing it. It was actually the basement of the shop. There was only one mattress. There was nothing else. Zoro involuntarily invites me into his room. He took out two swords that he had hidden under the bed. These swords were given to him by his mother as a gift for his fifth birthday. It was his last gift. At that moment, I realized that it was Zoro's birthday that day. But I did nothing. He obviously didn't want anything. Yet I did not leave him alone. That night he fell asleep clutching his swords. I waited for him. I think he had a nightmare for a while. He cried out for his mother, and I held his hand and whispered that he was not alone. I told him that I was here, that I would not leave him. He calmed down after a short time. It was the first time I had seen him fragile.”

“Anyone who loses a mother is a little fragile. Even Zoro... I lost my mother too. I can understand. By the way, Kuina-chan, I will interrupt, but if I'm not mistaken, you're originally from Wano, right?"

"Yup. So is Zoro.”

"How?"

“My grandfather came to our village from Wano 50 years ago. That's how we can say I'm from Wano. At least I'm connected. I don't know exactly who Zoro's mother is, but his mother was from Wano. I don't know how she got to East Blue or who is Zoro's father."

"How do you know she was from Wano?"

“Thanks to my captain. She likes to solve mysteries. She had done some research on him the first year when I told her about Zoro. I don't know the details, but she told me we were both from Wano. It was reasonable. Zoro rarely talked about the legendary swordsmen from Wano or something. His mother told him. My grandfather used to tell me. So it made sense for both of us to have a connection to Wano.”

“Hmm... He told me his mother told him about swordsmen and legendary swords instead of fairy tales. He said her eyes sparkled when she was talking about them. Actually, that's why Zoro started using a sword. to make her happy. His mother was angry at first but later helped him herself. So she gave him swords as a gift, huh?

“Zoro must have loved his mother very much. Even the first time he came to us, he talked about being the best swordsman in the world. It must have been to make her happy.”

"I think."

"Shall I continue?"

"Please.”

“After that day, Zoro started to open up a little more. He told me about his mother several times. He said he missed her cooking. I think from that day on, I started to see him as my brother. I even told him once that he couldn't beat me, but even if he did, I would still protect him as his older sister. I guess I can't forget his answer. ‘We are rivals. Everything is mutual. If you protect me, I will protect you, sister.' Only then did he call me sister. But it was enough for me. I loved him so much Sanji-san. I wanted to hold him in my arms and not let him go. Him and I... I wanted us to be in the same pack but unfortunately, it wasn't just him and me. No matter how hard I tried, I could not escape the eyes and words. Everyone was saying that soon Zoro would surpass me. I also sometimes hit Zoro a little too hard because of my anger towards them. I hit him once as if I really wanted to hurt him, and he fell to the ground and hit his head. Normally he would get off the ground. He always got up, but he didn't get up that day. My father immediately embraced him and took him to the doctor. Fortunately, nothing happened. The doctor said he needed to stay under observation for a day or two. We barely kept Zoro in bed. I have never left him alone. I was feeling very guilty. He noticed that too. He told me it wasn't my fault, that sometimes accidents like this happen. That damn brat. He really understood me. After Zoro recovered, everything went back to the way it was. I never told him about my birthday, but I think he asked my father. He bought me a book introducing legendary swords for my birthday. Turns out he saved up the money he earned at the sashimi shop. It made me cry. He didn't know what to do when he saw me cry. I had a really sweet brother.”

“Although Zoro may not look like it, he is actually very thoughtful.”

"Really he is. Gosh... I... I love him so much... I...”

At that time, Sanji noticed that Kuina was about to cry and gave her a glass of water. He waited a few minutes.

“Thanks, Sanji-san.”

"You're welcome Kuina-chan."

“The morning of the day I beat him for the 2000th time, I met my captain for the first time. She initially introduced herself as a medicine-seeking traveler. She asked me if I knew a doctor. So I described it to her, but that day, I felt a pair of eyes on me all day long. In the evening, I overheard my father talking to the man at the dojo. The man said how much Zoro has improved in a year but still doesn't match me. And my father... His exact words were: 'Female swordsmen are faced with immense walls. As she is now, I can not let her inherit the dojo. I shouted to my father. My dad said it was rude to be an eavesdropper, but I didn't care. I told him I would become the world's strongest swordsman and he would see. He told me that as a girl, I would never be the strongest in the world. Even now, my father's words still ring in my ears. It makes me doubt myself. Of course, it was even worse for a girl who was a month away from her 11th birthday. I did not return to the dojo at night. I was sitting by the roadside. I saw Zoro. He came to challenge me for the 2001st time. This time he took his swords with him. He was going to fight me for the last time. He was going to end everything. He wanted me to fight him with a real sword. I agreed too. I got Wado Ichimonji, which my father inherited. Real swords are not light like a shinai. Two swords are a real burden. Zoro was still not strong enough back then. That's why I beat him. 2001. Times. After the match, Zoro started to cry. I told him I was the one who should have cried out in anger. At that moment he stopped crying and began to listen to me. I told her that girls grow weaker than boys and that he'll catch up with me soon. I emphasized how he always said how to become the best swordsman in the world. I told him how my father said I would never be. I said I was aware of that but how frustrating it was. I told him he was lucky to be a man, and I wanted to be the strongest swordsman in the world. I told him that my body is already starting to change. If I was just born a boy... Zoro got mad at me when I started crying. He told me not to whine like that after I beat him. He said it was unfair, that I was his goal. The boy is this, the girl is this... He said, "Are you going to take refuge in this excuse when I beat you one day?" He said it would be an insult to all his work until then. He asked me not to say such nonsense. He made me promise. One day, one of us would become the strongest swordsman in the world, and we would compete to see which of us would be.”

“Woah... I don't know what to say. He valued you a lot.”

“Yes, and I failed him. I took my anger out on my father out of him.”

“You wanted revenge on your father?”

“I thought he was making me suffer. I wanted him to suffer too.”

"Why didn't you tell Zoro?"

“Zoro is not a good liar. He's downright honest.”

"But..."

“I was a child. I was stupid. And too much. I'm so sorry, but we can't change the past. And I knew I would see him again one day. My brother would announce his name. When I saw his first wanted poster, I saw that I was right. Then I started following him and you guys in the newspapers. It made me very proud. My strong brother... I wish I knew a way to forgive myself."

"You hurt him but even though he won't accept it he still sees you as his sister."

"But..."

“I am not saying it will be easy. Especially if it is Zoro, you have a very difficult job, but as I said, he still sees you as his older sister, although he does not accept it and younger brothers love their older sisters very much. I also have an older sister. So you can take my word for it.”

“Sanji-san…”

“Don't lose hope, Kuina-chan. You didn't lose Zoro. Now, if I ask, would you wake the others up? Breakfast is ready."

“Of course and by the way Sanji-san?”

"Yup?"

"Thank you so much."

"It was a pleasure for me."