Chapter Text
Zoro looked out the window to clear fields, nothing but grasslands and empty roads were all he could see.
He had just woken up from his…was this his seventh…nap during his trip over here. He opted to look out the window instead of falling back asleep, he could feel he was close.
Koushirou seemed to notice his passenger was up, he adjusted his rearview window to get a better look at Zoro.
“Are you awake for good now?” Koushirou asked
“Depends how long we’ve got till we get there, I could probably squeeze in another nap or two,” Zoro said with a yawn
The old man laughed while he pushed up his glasses.
“We’re just about here” He turned to look at the road ahead of him “Are you nervous?”
“No”
“Oh? You’re awfully cool about this whole thing”
“Am I supposed to be nervous or something?”
“…It’s the Army”
“This is what I went through training for” Zoro responded
“That’s true, but JROTC can be quite a switch to joining the actual Branch,” Koushirou said
“I’ve prepared for this, I’ll be fine sensei. Besides, you were once in my same position” Zoro said
“Well…that’s true. But the Army has changed since I was last there” The old man stated
“Ah, c’mon I’m sure it’s nothing a top-class veteran like you couldn’t handle” Zoro smirked
“What’s this sudden niceness? Is it because you’re finally getting rid of me?” Koushirou teased
“You could say that”
The rest of the car ride was filled with idle chit-chat, the old sensei recanting his stories from his days in the Army. Zoro had heard all these stories a million times, but as he drew closer to a new point in his life, he couldn’t now picture himself living out these old tales.
Soon, Zoro could see big and long gates. He was here…
A lot of honorable and strong soldiers came from this very place, he was looking to be one of them…to be the best…
The two drove through security, passing the necessary checkpoints and proper identification. The line was long, hundreds of fresh faces in their cars all heading to the same place he was. It was interesting to Zoro, how so many strangers could be bounded together because they all shared similar dreams.
They continued to drive forward until they reached a large building, a sea of people and cars crowding the entrance. Koushirou-sensei finally was able to find a parking space, the two soon stepped out of the car. Zoro went straight to pop open the trunk, slinging his large duffle bag over his shoulders and holding a black carrier case in one hand.
Koushirou took a deep breath as he put a firm hand on Zoro’s shoulder.
“Boy, does this bring back memories”
“Whose getting all sentimental now” Zoro smiled
“I think I’ve got a special excuse today, wouldn’t you say Zoro” Koushirou said as he ruffled green locks
“Now you’re just being embarrassing,” Zoro said, moving out of the hands of his doting sensei
Koushirou only chuckled, pushing Zoro lightly to walk forward
Zoro could see the sea of people and their families all heading towards their new home, he turned his head up to look all around him.
“East Blue Army Base” Zoro spoke out loud
“Big isn’t it? One of the world’s largest and famed Army bases” The old sensei said “You’re new home”
The two continued on as they fell into the line of other people soon joining the ranks of the East Blue Army. Soon they would be in the same courses, ranks, dining halls, and battlefields, putting their lives on the line for a common cause without knowing each other’s name. The reality of the situation was slowly hitting him harder, yet never enough to deter him away from his determination.
Finally, it was Zoro’s turn to talk up to the registration counter.
“Well I’ll be if it isn’t Sergeant Koushirou,” Aokiji said with a salute
“Please cease the flattery, I should be praising you Admiral Aokiji” Koushirou copied the motion “What’s an Admiral doing here on admission day?”
“I was in the area and had nothing better to do” Aokiji shrugged casually
Zoro slightly raised an eyebrow, for an admiral he had an…interesting personality.
“So, is this the famed pupil of yours that’s got everyone talking,” Aokiji said turning attention to the new recruit
“Roronoa Zoro, it’s an honor Sir,” Zoro said with a firm handshake
“You should be quite proud of yourself Zoro, word of your great skills as a weapons master has reached the admirals. I hear you’re unmatched when it comes to rifles” Aokiji said
“I am, I only aim to be the best,” Zoro said firmly
“Great attitude son, you’re just what the Army needs. Think you’ve got what it takes?”
“I know I’ve got what it takes”
Aokiji appeared to be taken aback by Zoro’s boldness, he could clearly see Zoro meant every word. He then looked to Koushirou, who only pushed his glasses up his nose with pride at his young student.
“You’ve got guts Zoro, I’m glad you enlisted. Here, I won’t hold you two any longer” Aokiji said
The two orders briefly exchanged a few words as they registered Zoro in, he could feel his heart starting to beat just a little bit faster.
“Alright then, if you could just step behind that white wall for your ID picture, you’ll be all set” The Admiral instructed
Zoro sat down his stuff and did as he was told, he stood straight, looking directly at the camera.
“Come on Zoro, can you stop scowling and smile?” Koushirou pushed
“No”
Soon, Zoro was met with a bright flash. He blinked a couple of times to adjust his vision, he walked over to the printing machine to get the final product.
“Alright, paperwork, welcome packet, room assignment and map, and…” Aokiji picked up the fresh card and placed it atop the rest of the papers “Your ID, welcome to the Army Roronoa”
Zoro took it all in, he looked at himself in his ID. His short-cut green hair stood proudly against his tan skin. His frown was prominent on his face, and his brown eyes had a look of both determination and danger. And there was his name, printed body on top of the Army’s logo, and his assigned number
It was official, he was now soldier 030919970, another fighter for the World’s Army.
They walked out of the Service Building, and Zoro looked around the base. Soldiers old and new roamed about, with a few civilians either visiting or saying their goodbyes. Cries were mainly heard as families now parted ways, which was pretty pathetic to Zoro. Until he heard a slight sniffle behind him.
He turned to see his old Master take out a black bandana.
“Please don’t wipe your tears for me,” Zoro said
“Oh quiet, I’m not even crying,” Koushirou said, lying terribly
He moved to tie the cloth around Zoro’s forearm, and Zoro only raised an eyebrow.
“Keep it as a reminder, when you’re out there in one of your future battles”
“Oh…thanks?”
The two men stood next to each other, Zoro cleared his throat awkwardly.
“So…this is goodbye” Zoro started
“It would seem so” The veteran responded
“Yeah…uh…thanks”
There was silence again, Zoro was starting to sweat with the awkwardness. Koushirou let out a laugh, Zoro was about to look up when he felt a hand behind his head push him forward, he bumped heads slightly with his old sensei.
“You trained so hard to be the greatest, and you will get there. From this point on, you will strive even harder to reach your dream. There will be hardships along the way, but you will overcome them. You may feel like the dream is too distant, that you’re fighting for no reason, but when those feelings come, always remind yourself that you are doing this for you’re dream. I’m proud of you Zoro, you will always be my favorite student. And remember…Kushina will always be proud of you”
Zoro's throat tightened, and he closed his eyes tight, the emotions finally hitting him.
That’s right, he would always remember what he was doing this for.
He was doing this for Kushina.
He was going to become the greatest marksman in the world.
They made that promise to each other all those years ago, he had maintained that promise again at her grave just before he started his drive to the base.
Zoro nodded against the old man's head, his hands clenching.
“I hope I will”
The veteran moved to give one bear hug to his pupil, giving a final sigh before he let go.
“Take good care of yourself Zoro, find a squad that will only push you closer to your dream. You have to always move forward together”
Zoro smiled with a determined nod “I will, Koushirou-sensei…thank you for everything all these years. I won’t let you or Kushina down”
“Yeah, I’ll never doubt” The old man smiled “It seems like just yesterday you stumbled into my JROTC program and academy starting trouble. And here you are joining the Army with already so much prestige. I really am proud of you Zoro-kun”
“Thank you” Zoro smiled
“Remember to write and call, I’ll visit when I can. Goodbye soldier” Koushiro saluted
Zoro followed suit “Goodbye Sensei”
With a final wave, Zoro picked up his things and made his way through the crowd. He dug through his files to find a map he was given.
“Alright, let’s see where the barracks are,” Zoro said
He cocked his head to the side, struggling to understand what all the squiggly lines and symbols meant.
“Whatever, I can find it on my own” Zoro shrugged as he put the map in his back pocket.
He walked around, taking in more of his new environment. It was quite big for an Army Base, but he shouldn’t be too surprised considering it was East Blue. Cars drove on the roads, soldiers walked about, walking in and out of various buildings, and he could see a few big trucks and tanks parked in the far distance. It didn’t seem too different from his old life, now it was just only limited to his fellow soldiers and Army staff. He had lost count of how many buildings he had walked past, he could have sworn he walked past the library twice, but he couldn’t find the damn place where his new bed was. He sure as hell wasn’t going to ask for directions, that would be so uncool as a new recruit.
“Damn, isn’t it even on this base?” Zoro huffed, as he dumped his things on the floor and leaned against a nearby wall.
He crossed his arms, maybe if he was to take a quick power nap he would definitely find it this time. He lowered his head, teetering on the edge of brooding and sleeping when he heard footsteps approaching him.
“Oi, are you okay?”
“What’s it to you?”
“Well, you’re leaning against a wall in the shadows”
Zoro looked up, a frown on his face while his arms were crossed.
One person yelped, and the other person smiled at him with the biggest grin he’s ever seen.
The man stood shorter than him, same black combat boots, the same camouflage pants, and a standard olive green shirt with the Army’s logo on it. The only major difference was the prominent scar on his face.
“That’s a funny sight with it being Registration day and all that,” The straw hat man said
A shorter man poked out behind him, he pushed up his large round glasses.
“Maybe he’s having second thoughts about enlisting?”
“What did you say ya bastard?” Zoro growled
A head of pink hair once again hid behind the man.
“Ha! You seem like a fighter, my kind of style!” The man said, he stuck out his hand and smiled wide
“I’m Monkey D. Luffy”
Zoro looked at the hand for a second, slowly reaching out to shake his hand.
“Roronoa Zoro”
Luffy put a hand on his chin and furrowed his eyebrows in thought “Where have I heard that name before?”
“R-Roronoa Zoro…as in t-thee Roronoa Zoro?” The small man said behind Luffy piped up
“What are you trying to say?” Zoro in the same harsh manner that made the shorter man shut his mouth for good
“Ah! That’s right” Luffy said with a snap of his fingers “You’re that rising marksman, pretty impressive record man”
“Thanks, I appreciate it,” Zoro said with a now more leveled tone
“So what’s got you looking down in the dumps on such an exciting day,” Luffy asked
“I'm not sad, I just can’t find the damn sleeping quarters” Zoro huffed
“Barracks? What building are you in?”
“Uh…” Zoro looked through his papers “ODA Hall”
Luffy blinked at him.
“What?” Zoro raised an eyebrow
“You’re leaning against it”
Zoro’s face dropped, he left his spot against the wall to look to the front of the building. It was in fact, ODA Hall…
He could hear laughter behind him, he turned to find the black-haired man laughing so hard the scar on his face disappeared. He also held Zoro’s duffle bag and carrier case. Through his laughs, he handed Zoro his stuff back.
“And you’re funny, I like you Zoro” Luffy smiled
“A little odd, but you’re not too bad yourself Luffy,” Zoro said with a smirk
“As a matter of fact, this is my sleeping quarter too. What are the odds?”
“You don’t seem like a bad roommate”
“Glad to hear it!” Luffy said with a smile “Oh, by the way, this is my friend Coby!”
Coby popped up behind Luffy, he raised his hand in a nervous wave.
Zoro nodded at him “You sure the Army is the right place for you kid?”
“Y-Yes! I’m going to work hard to be a great man and an even greater soldier!” Coby said with a determined huff
“See, he’s got spunk! You gotta respect that in a man whose willing to put his life on the line for his dream” Luffy said as he ruffled Coby’s hair
Zoro was a little taken aback but the sudden wisdom from the goofy soldier, but there was truth in his words. That indeed was something to respect when it came to one chasing their own goals
“You’re right” He turned to Coby “Keep working hard, you’ll get there someday”
Coby finally fully stepped out behind Luffy, he smiled at Zoro with a nod.
“Thanks, it means a ton!” Coby said “Anyways, I better get going, I have so much to do or the Admiral is gonna kill me! I’ll catch you later Luffy, it was…uh nice meeting you Roronoa-san”
The small man ran away, leaving the newly acquainted soldiers alone for the first time.
“Wanna put your stuff inside, I can show you the other people we’re rooming with!” Luffy offered
“Sure, I’ve been dying for a nap anyways,” Zoro said as he began walking inside
“Come on, where’s your sense of adventure? I can take you on a tour of the base”
“You seem quite familiar with the place, you aren’t new are you?”
“Nope, practically grew up here. I enlisted last year. Are you?”
Zoro nodded his head “I’m a new recruit, just registered in officially today”
“Awesome! You seem like just the excitement we need here in this boring old place” Luffy snorted
The two continued down the halls of the building passing by locker rooms, their gym, recreational areas, bathrooms, and finally the room where their actual beds were. It was quite small, with 8 small beds in the room, each having a small table next to it and a trunk at the foot of the bed. Each seemed to be already occupied, except for two.
Luffy pushed passed Zoro inside, instantly flopping to what Zoro assumed was his bed. Zoro saw it had the basic white sheets, but over his bed was a yellow straw hat. His table looked to have a sculpture of a weird fruit, and there was a photo of a red-headed man and a small boy. Before he could look around the room, Luffy pointed to the bed to next him which was empty.
“That used to be Coby’s bed, but he’s getting transferred to another base so the bed was cleaned out. Guess it’s yours now”
Zoro nodded, placing his duffle bag on his bed. He sighed, guess there really was no turning back now.
This was his new home, he would spend the next years training and carrying out assignments in order to be the best marksman to ever exist. It almost seem distant now as he looked at the small room he now shared with 7 other people.
He folded his clothes in the trunk of his bed, he packed light just like his sensei advised him to do. He had few possessions to begin with, except for his very special item.
Luffy was now laying on his stomach, watching with interest as his new roommate unpacked. He eyes the black carrier case with interest.
“Oi Zoro, what’s in the case?”
“Oh, they're my rifles”
Zoro placed the black carrier case on the bed, unlocked it, and pulled out the weapons. Out came three sleek and big AK-47s, the other two were simple black ones with a relatively simple design and built. But there was one that stood out, powerful in its black design but no mistaking the custom white line that stretched from the base all the way to the tip
“SO COOL!” Luffy exclaimed, his eyes practically sparkling
“Heh, thanks. These babies have helped me power my way through the ranks” Zoro said proudly as he showed all 3 to Luffy
“That’s awesome man!” Luffy smiled
“Thanks, Do you mind me asking what that funny-looking sculpture on your table is?” Zoro asked as he pointed to it
“Ha! It is funny looking, isn’t it?” Luffy reached over, briefly looking at it as a small smile crossed his face. He handed it over to Zoro for him to look at
It seemed to be porcelain, Zoro ran his fingers over the swirls that covered the sculpture. It looked to look like a fruit, purple in color with a green stem poking out
“It was a gift from the man who raised me. Kinda a gag gift really, I’m pretty sure he made it for me while he was drunk off his ass. He said the reason I’m so strong has to be because I probably ate some strange fruit that looks like that” Luffy explained "He also gave me that hat, means a lot"
“Seem like you two share a funny personality then,” Zoro said
Luffy took the sculpture, placing it next to the framed photo.
“Is that him?” Zoro asked
Luffy nodded, the smile still on his face.
Zoro gave a final look at the photo, it appeared to have been taken at a bar. The red-headed man with scars held what he assumed to be a young Luffy due to the scar, smushed against his face as they both smiled at the camera. For some reason, the man looked familiar. But before he could give it further thought, the sound of a stomach growling filled the room.
“Geez, I’m starving…Hey! Have you seen the cafeteria yet?” Luffy questioned
“Nope”
“You’re missing out, it’s my favorite place in the entire world!”
Zoro looked at his watch “It’s not eating time though”
“Tch, young naive Zoro-kun, eating time is not a concept I acknowledge,” Zoro said as he frowned and crossed his arms childishly
Zoro could only snort in response. He liked Luffy despite the extremely short amount of time they’ve known each other. From the jump, it was hard to ignore Luffy's bright and energetic personality. Sure he was a little on the goofy side, but it seemed like he knew when to get serious too. Zoro respected he was kind enough to offer his help to Zoro by showing him around and making him feel comfortable by showing genuine interest in his guns. He also could appreciate that Luffy was kind enough to share a little something about himself with a man he obviously cares about. He didn’t know why he was so drawn to Luffy, but he could feel like Luffy was different from the rest of the soldiers here.
“Sure, I could eat too now”
“Great, let’s go!”
And with that, Luffy jumped out of bed and ran to the door, early waiting for Zoro to join him. Soon, the two soldiers were back outside, the sun starting to lower as the day winded down to an end.
“It might be chow time now actually,” Luffy said as he looked at his own watch “Even better, I won’t get yelled at!”
They walked up the steps of the dining building, dozens of soldiers walking around them with various forms of food or trays. They walked into the main dining area, and the line to get food was already quite long
“Damn, a long line…” Luffy sighed
“Is it always like this?” Zoro asked
“Sadly, but don’t worry, I have a plan that always works!” Luffy said with a mischievous look
“Follow me,” Luffy said as he walked closer to the front of the line
He stepped in front of a woman
“Hey! No cutting!” She frowned
“We’re sergeants cadet, stand down” Luffy snapped
“O-Oh, sorry sir,” The woman said, hiding her face behind her tray
Luffy nodded, making him and Zoro stand now in the front of the line
“Dirty, I like that” Zoro quietly spoke
“Works every time” Luffy stuck his tongue out cheekily, handing Zoro his tray
“Man, I can’t wait to eat! I wonder what he cooked today!” Luffy added
Before Zoro could ask who he asked, his eyes were caught by something. Tall, blue, and golden at the top…his full attention was instantly captured by the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen in his life