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Zoro stabs his sharpened stick into the muddy water with crazy precision and lifts it out. 3 more fish for the pile. 3 more gray, veiny, sickly-looking fish with withered fins and abnormal sized bodies. To the pile of the other fish they go. SHCK! Plop. Repeat until there’s enough to fulfill him for the next couple days. Stab. Lift. Re-sharpen. Repeat.
It doesn’t entirely matter if they’re poisoned by the water supply or not, there aren’t many other options around the outskirts of Wano for him to start being picky now. Though his stomach doesn’t seem to agree, grumbling and twisting with each bite he takes.
‘Some rice would be nice with this.’ He thinks, before remembering that the cook is still out there getting his ass into some dumb shit right now and can’t exactly be bullied into making him onigiri. Zoro huffs, annoyed, and goes back to stabbing.
Without Luffy around, the crew had scattered about for the time being. In order to stay as inconspicuous as possible, Zoro had taken to traversing the miles and miles of land that stands uninhabited by the citizens of Wano due to its complete lack of….anything. There is nothing but cracked land, withered plants, and “rivers” of toxic waste with creatures barely recognizable as fish swimming around. No homes, no farms, no people. Just him and the skyline littered with the dark outlines of factories and the smoke in the air.
He coughs. God, this is disgusting.
But alas, this is the best he’s got for now. Not to mention he’s most likely better off than most of the actual citizens of the island, which goes to show just how much Kaido has really fucked up the place.
Footsteps approach from behind, just as Zoro stabs his sharpened stick into the water again. He feels like a prehistoric caveman, but there is ZERO chance he’s using one of his precious swords to kill these. Who knows what sorts of chemicals are actually in these waters. No one knows for sure what Kaido makes in his factories.
STAB. PLOP. There aren’t many fish left in this area, so he might as well get them all while he can. Doesn’t hurt to have a stash. The footsteps continue coming closer.
Zoro doesn’t place a hand on the hilt of his sword in preparation. He doesn’t ready his stance to attack without the other person noticing. He doesn’t even turn around to see who it is. He knows.
He can recognize the dull thudding of those boots anywhere. The wide stride that leaves precisely half a second of silence between each strike to the ground. He doesn’t need to see to know.
“Zoro! Hey, there you are.” Ace greets him. Carefully crouching to his left. The orange fabric of his kimono grazes the filthy ground below them and meshes with the bottom of Zoro’s white one (which has now been severely dirtied by the dust and dirt in this place). There is a striking difference in their chosen colors of clothing. “I’ve been wondering where you wandered off to.”
“Got hungry.” He replies very simply. He sees Ace reach down below his waist, revealing quite a few inches of bare skin on his legs, and pull out his hand knife. The man doesn’t bother to cover himself back up. He pulls his knife out of the holster and grips it tightly. For not being used very often (from Zoro’s recollection) it’s perfectly sharpened and looks brand new.
“I wanna catch one too.” Ace announces, as he blindly stabs the knife into the river of waste and retracts his arm. Two mid-sized fish sit atop his knife. They’re not quite as big as his own, due -of course- to the size difference in their weapon of choice, but they’ll do.
Ace examines the fish. His stomach growls animalistically and he physically withers like a flower. “Have you really been eating these raw? These look nastyyyy.” He says, dragging out the y.
Ace isn’t one for being picky with food, but Zoro supposes these aren’t exactly the most appetizing of fish, even for him.
“I’ve got no way to cook them, idiot. Food is food, anyway. Can’t be too picky in a place like this.” He points out.
“Heh.” Ace sits down on the ground, legs crisscrossed; revealing yet even more skin. “Well now you've got me.” He notes. The man picks up the sticks that are scattered about on the ground around them and pushes them into a small pile. The heat in Wano has dried them out quite a lot, making it easy as pie for Ace to start a fire. One spark lands on the sticks and it immediately bursts into a huge flame. Thankfully, because of the dryness of surrounding land, it doesn’t spread further than the small pile Ace created, giving them the perfect little campfire to roast their fish over.
“Ta-da.” Ace cheers, giving Zoro the jazz hands.
Zoro huffs and shifts his position so he’s facing the fire and -effectively- Ace as well. Ace tears the fish he’s caught off of his blade and stabs the least offensive looking stick through the center of each of them for easy handling.
“Let’s hope this cooks some of the poison out. My idea of a good time isn’t exactly getting a stomach ache in the desert. Or dying from poisonous fish. Imagine how embarrassing that would be.” Ace tattles on, not really expecting a response.
And he doesn’t really get one. The most Zoro does in response is hum in acknowledgement that something has been said to him, but that seems to satisfy Ace nonetheless. He comes off as the type to say what’s on his mind just for the sake of it.
Zoro copies the man, stabbing some fish with long sticks and they both roast their respective dinners in comfortable silence. When his first fish is done roasting -its skin a beautiful golden brown crisp- he lifts it away from the fire and sets it down beside him while he fishes out a big bottle of sake from the satchel he’d been using to carry his food around the area. God forbid he’d have to carry all this smelly fish with his own two hands.
“Care for a drink?” He asks Ace, whose face is stuffed full with fish meat. His cheeks are massive, with barely any room for more. Without chewing, he swallows it all in one go. Ace burps loud enough to create an echo and pulls one long fish skeleton out of his throat, tossing it aside.
Disgusted, Zoro almost retracts his offer, but the other pirate reaches out his free hand and smiles at him. “I’m always down to drink with you.” He announces, taking a big long swig of the sake to wash the residual poison taste down.
“Ahhh…” Ace sighs in satisfaction. “Nothing better than a filling meal and a drink to wash your worries away.” He licks his lips and returns to eating like there was nothing but a bottomless pit in his stomach. There might as well be one, he notes, him and Luffy are the same that way. They can just eat and eat and eat until their stomachs practically explode. Zoro isn’t like that with food, no, he’s more so a bottomless pit for alcohol to disappear into. He chugs and chugs the sake and feels practically none of it.
The swordsman doesn’t say much in response, just a simple “Mhm.” He can’t fully bring himself to focus when Ace is practically being swallowed by bright warm light that dances across the planes of his face. There are more freckles on his face than there were a couple days ago, and his hair now ghosts over the top of his collarbones.
The fire crackles loudly and makes itself known, much like he does. His devil fruit is very fitting to him, Zoro thinks. Ace is the embodiment of a sultry flame that burns in face of circumstance and aversion.
They eat and drink and hum to themselves until the sun has set far below the horizon and the moon has begun peeking out from behind the factories that continue blowing toxic smoke into the air.
By this point, they’ve long abandoned the fire, letting it roar and die out on its own. Their bellies are full of food and the only warmth they need comes from the sake and Ace’s burning body heat. They now sit shoulder to shoulder against a boulder near the river, sharing no words between them, but passing the bottle of sake back and forth until there’s only a little bit left.
“Hey, Zoro.” The pirate calls out, softly. The other man turns his head in response. Ace takes the opportunity to lean in and steal a kiss from his lips. Ace tastes like rich sake and smells distinctly like fire from a grill, just like he always does. It’s ashy and blazing and awakens a sort-of want inside of him. He’s just about to lean in to return the kiss when the pirate leans away.
“Heheh” He giggles with closed eyes and a scrunched face. Zoro pays close attention to the folds on the bridge of his nose and near the corners of his eyes. He looks flushed even in the night’s cold light. “You taste like sake and poisonous fish! YUCKKK!!” He jokes, exaggerating how grossed out he is.
“So do you.” Zoro argues, leaning to the side to slam a fist down on the top of Ace’s head. He yelps and keeps on laughing like nobody’s business. “Idiot.” The pirate decides to not mind the others’ foolishness, a tactic he sometimes uses to force Luffy into leaving him alone, and returns to drinking in silence.
A couple minutes crawl by, though it simultaneously feels like hours and mere seconds have gone by. When Zoro looks to his side again, he sees Ace staring up at the sky thoughtfully. His previously very wide and boisterous smile has melted into something far more timid and downcast. He’s still smiling, but it doesn’t have his usual life to it.
Zoro has never been great at reading people, never one to be keen on the changes in people’s facial expressions or the shifts in body language that others usually notice. He’s never sure if someone’s tone is “off” or if they’re acting strange. Having Luffy as a captain makes dealing with this issue far easier, since he might be the simplest person on Earth to read. He will yell and scream what he wants at the top of his lungs unapologetically, all while draping himself on you and demanding you give him the thing he wants.
Ace though, well, he’s not quite as easy to read but definitely not impossible. There is a certain type of aura that manifests around the man when he begins thinking a little too hard about something. It makes for a strangely heavy atmosphere between the two of them that could be easily broken with a single breath. Ace continues staring at the sky.
In a split-second decision, Zoro does something he doesn’t prefer to, and offers his partner the last bit of the sake they were sharing. Though to be quite honest, it was the swordsman that had drank most of it. The action breaks Ace out of his trance, and he gladly accepts and takes a couple swigs of the liquor.
“So?” Zoro asks, waiting for Ace to say something.
“Hm?” Ace hums in question. “Oh, sorry! Here you go.” He hands the bottle back to Zoro, who rolls his eyes.
“There’s something on your mind. Spit it out.”
Ace seems a little taken aback, but doesn’t question how Zoro knows. “There are no stars in the sky.” He notes, very simply. It sort-of shocks Zoro with its simplicity.
“Is that really all you were thinking about?” He prods, poking fun at the pirate.
“Well yes and no. It just made me think about how royally fucked Wano is under Kaido’s rule. The people can’t eat. They can’t drink fresh water. They can’t freely work. They can’t even look up and appreciate the night sky with their families. Something needs to change, and quickly.”
Ace shifts the way he’s sitting, sliding down the rock just a pinch. Just enough to let his head rest comfortably (or as comfortable as you can be on a big, sharp boulder with jagged edges and weathered away corners.)
Zoro smirks, very faintly. “I didn’t take you for a poet.” He jests, though both of them know he shares Ace’s sentiment entirely. It will be his captain who frees this country from its shackles. It’ll be Luffy who lets the sun shine over Wano freely once more. He knows it. He can feel it in his soul, just as he’s felt every single other victory of Luffy’s.
It’s inevitable. He isn’t one for losing. Freedom is on the horizon. Zoro can basically taste it on the tip of his tongue.
“You asshole, I’m serious!” Ace laughs, throwing his hands up into the air dramatically. “I think one of the greatest pleasures in life is getting to look at the sky with people that you care about.” He says, rolling his head to the side to face Zoro without lifting it up. The swordsman makes brief eye contact with the other man, and then huffs and looks away, mildly embarrassed by the implications.
A moment passes. And then another. And another before Zoro breaks the silence again. For being such a talker, Ace is really making it difficult for him to remain the silent one.
“There’s something else.” Zoro says, more as a factual statement than a question.
“You need to stop doing that.” The pirate jokes. “What if I say it's nunya business, huh? Then what?”
The swordsman rolls his eyes. “I would tell you you’re pissing me off and to spit it out. Don’t make me draw Wado.”
Ace laughs, hearty, warm and genuine, and sits up straight, stretching out his right leg and bending the other to place his elbow on. “Woah there, partner. No need for those typa threats. I’ll spill the beans.” He melts into a southern drawl.
A pause.
“There’s some people…Here in Wano that are waiting for me. They’ve Been waiting for me for quite a few years. I made a lot of promises to them that I haven’t fulfilled. I don’t want to start any trouble while Luffy is away and make more problems for you guys but..” He cuts himself off.
“You’re not leaving Wano with us, isn’t that right?”
Ace looks away, unable to make eye contact with him at this moment.
“I’m not. I need to stay here. I have too much to do. I promised them that I would bring this country back to its original glory, the one from the days before Kaido’s reign destroyed everything the people held dear.”
Zoro thinks for a moment. He knew this was coming, he really did. From the very beginning -even two years ago- Ace wasn’t there for the same reasons the rest of them were. Unlike the rest of the crew, it was never Ace’s goal to follow Luffy to Laughtale and watch him become King. He’s said as much. It makes sense, the pirate wasn’t lost before meeting Luffy. He’s always had his own goals, his own plans and promises and dreams. Being on the crew was simply a temporary thing, it was bound to end sometime. And here, in the land of Wano, it makes the most sense.
Ace was here before them, after all. He told Zoro the story once -though it seems now that it wasn’t the full story- about his old crew and their adventures. He recounted to the swordsman the days he spent here and it was then that Zoro realized this was where he was aiming to go all along.
“I figured.” He finally says.
“Yeah?” Ace asks, unsure what else he can say in this situation.
“Yeah. Tell you what, Fire-fist-” Zoro begins, leaning closer to the other man. “How about you find me in a couple years. After Luffy is King and I’m the best swordsman. After you bring this country back to its glory days and can confidently say its people are better off than when you first came here. What do you say?”
Ace breaks into a smile. “Yeah okay.” He agrees. And the pirate knows that Ace means it. Much like himself, the dark-haired man is plenty headstrong, and very keen on keeping every promise he makes. Him being here, despite almost dying, is a testament to that.
“I’m going to brag to everyone that I knew the best swordsman in the world back when he was just a baby-faced rookie, and not a big scary man covered in scars.” Ace says, using his right hand to squeeze the sides of Zoro’s face. He watches the other man’s displeased face as his cheeks are squished between his fingers. Ace applies more force, then lets go, then moves his hands up and down. And Zoro just lets him, though it’s not without his usual angry frown.
When he feels the pressure of Ace’s hand loosen slightly, and him beginning to let go of Zoro’s face, the swordsman pushes against the force of his arm and leans forward to return the kiss Ace had planted on him earlier. He no longer tastes like fish, but smells like fire all the same. Zoro is sure he’ll remember this smell for many nights to come.
“I’m going to tell everyone I don’t know who you are, creep.” He retorts, and Ace lets go of his face.
“So mean, Zorooo!!” Ace cries, rolling the r in his name ever so slightly and dragging out the O’s.
It’s funny, Zoro thinks. When Ace is frowning and whining all child-like like this, he’s not all that different from Luffy. If there was a venn diagram of all the ways they were similar and different, the middle column would be far larger than either of their perspective sides. And maybe it makes Zoro realize he has a type when it comes to the kind of men he trusts with his life.
And maybe the joke is on him, or maybe he’s just got a good sense for kindness, despite himself. He doesn’t really know.
And frankly, he doesn’t really care, because things are fine just the way they are.