Free Heart

Ch. 7 - I am an Adventurer

Zoro almost choked on his fourth plate of food. "WHAT?! The crew is only you, me, and her?!"

He stared at Luffy as if seeing him for the first time. The boy in the straw hat was helping himself to his sixth plate of food while sitting at the edge of his chair, directly across from the swordsman. Then Zoro moved his attention to the blonde girl, who was busy washing glasses at the sink behind the bar.

"Yep! You, me, and Emmy!" Luffy said, stuffing a forkful of steak into his mouth.

"We're going to call just us three a pirate crew?!" Zoro demanded.

"What's wrong with that? We're strong," Luffy replied. He tilted his head and frowned at the swordsman. The captain was at a loss at what the swordsman was so worried about.

Zoro narrowed his eyes at the boy. They were definitely not powerless. Zoro gave him that much. Even the girl was not someone to underestimate. Even though, he still wasn't quite sure what had came over him, he knew for sure whatever magic or power the girl possessed was not something to ignore.

One second he was bracing himself to be gunned down by the marines, the next he was facing his worst nightmare - bleeding to death from a cowardly sword wound in the back as Kuina watches him with disgust and disappointment. Zoro instinctively gulped just reliving that moment in his mind.

"Fine," he grunted, "What about a ship? We at least have a ship right?"

"Yes," Emmy said and she went to the window at the front of the restaurant. She opened it and pointed her finger to the dock a couple streets away, "You can see it right from here."

Zoro couldn't see a thing from his chair so he went over to the window and leaned out of it. "I don't see anything except for a small fishing boat. Where's your ship?"

"That is our ship, Zoro-san," Emmy said with a proud smile, "It's the first ship we ever commandeered!"

"You have got to be kidding!" Zoro shouted, almost bumping his head against the window frame.

"Someday we'll get an even bigger ship!" Luffy cheered, "And we'll hang a big pirate flag on that one!"

"And how are you planning to make that happen?" Zoro asked as he stood back up and pressed his fingers against his temples. He had a hunch for what his new captain was going to say.

"I don't know. I figured I'd find one eventually," Luffy replied.

"I thought so...Ugh. Did I really make this guy my captain?" Zoro grumbled.

"We'll get more crew members," Luffy said enthusiastically, "Once we head for the Grand LIne."

Coby spat out the orange juice he was drinking. "What?! With just the three of you? There's no way that could happen!"

"I've heard patrons from this bar say that whoever enters the Grand Line never comes out alive," Rika's mother said worriedly.

"But the One Piece is somewhere there," Luffy grinned.

"I guess it can't be helped," Zoro said with a shrug. He sighed and made his way back to the table.

Emmy smiled and started to clear the empty plates away. Between Zoro and Luffy, they had managed to create a tower of dirty dishes in a short amount of time. "You shouldn't worry about us, Coby-san."

"I should!" Coby said, jumping out of his seat and clenching his fists to his side, "Emmy-san! What's wrong with being worried for my friends?"

Then a blush came to his cheeks when he realized what he had said and he looked sheepishly at Luffy. "It is okay that I consider you my friend right, Luffy-san?"