Chapter Text
“Someone wants my hat?” Zoro looked over to Luffy with surprise; he wasn’t the only one, either.
The boy who had been smiling and laughing before had now gone serious, a sort of calm upset on his face that looked eerie in the darkened lighting of the circus tent.
The clown seemed to pick up on this if his less-than-subtle glee was anything.
“Oh? Don’t you know, boy?” he leaned forward, a certain tenseness in his smile as he spoke. “That hat belongs to another pirate. Red Haired Shanks.” He leaned back with a laugh, malicious, hating and cold.
“It’s his treasure,” he continued. “And it belonged to him far longer than it belonged to you.” The clown's expression pinched at that, his face going up in a half snarl.
Luffy frowned, his eyes dark and expression strange. The expression disappeared, though, as fast as he had had it, and Zoro almost wondered if it was there at all.
“If it was his treasure, then he should have protected it better,” Luffy stated matter-of-factly, speaking of this unnamed pirate as if he were a fool.
Though Zoro figured he was a fool if somehow Luffy had gotten his treasure without even trying.
The pirate ahead of them just laughed, unrestrained, wild, and satisfied in a way that had the girl not too far behind Zoro flinching.
It sounded personal.
“You aren’t wrong about that brat,” he managed between a few straw giggles. “He should have.” He addressed Luffy with a newfound interest.
“Exactly!” And although Luffy nodded along, 'So you can't have my hat. Nor can the other guy!" Luffy didn’t move the ready stance he had left himself in, knuckles still clenched and at the ready. He was still willing to fight this man, this pirate.
Zoro grinned at the thought.
“You know what straw-hat.” The clown barked out a laugh. “I think I’m going to let you go!” Around him, the pirates murmured, confused at the act of mercy their captain was showing. Admittedly, Zoro himself was confused.
“What about the town!”
“I’ll let them go too.” Zoro furrowed his brows. “Just make sure to get a big bounty before you leave the East Blue, kid.” The pirate grinned.
“I’ll do what I want!” Luffy shouted back, confused. The pirate, unoffended—surprisingly— laughed again.
Zoro had the horrible un-flinchable feeling that they were on the back end of some cruel joke he wasn’t aware of.