Venus enjoyed the peace as she stayed with Zoro and Nami after a drunk Usopp and Vex had walked away from them and gone to the bar with one another. Unaware that Nami had already started planning on leaving the crew. Hearing a small crowd as she glanced back to see that Usopp was dancing around.
"He certainly has a grace to him." Nami spoke up as she watched him as well. "Kind of like a frantic, uncoordinated.."
"Sea slug?" Zoro asked as he stayed seated. Glancing over at the male before glancing back. Keeping his arm around Venus.
Nami chuckled as she nodded. "Just like it." She spoke. "That's what he's like."
Zoro listened before glancing over at her. "Yeah. I guess I can see that. I don't know about Vex though."
"Just look at him. Like he doesn't have a care in the world." Nami added.
Zoro glanced at her before glancing away. "What are you carrying around that is so heavy?" He asked her.
Venus listened to him speak. Keeping her head on his shoulder as she glanced at Nami.
"You have no idea." Nami spoke as she glanced at the two of them.
"I bet I do." Zoro replied back to her.
"You can talk to us, you know." Venus added.
"Well, her. Still not much of a talker to others." Zoro joked as he listened to them. "But I bet I know more about you than you do about me."
"Yeah, sure. You're an open book."
"Care to prove it?" Zoro asked. Lightly sitting up as he placed Venus on his lap with ease. Lightly filling the glasses up. "If I guess something wrong about you I will drink."
Venus listened as she lightly wrapped her arms around his neck. Watching him fill the glasses up.
"If you guess something wrong about me then you will drink." Zoro added as one of his arms stayed around Venus' waist while his hand rested on her knee.
Nami listened as she glanced at him before shaking her head. "Fine. Go ahead." She spoke as she smiled a bit. "Tell me all about myself."
"I bet you grew up in a big city, running schemes, being able to hang out in swanky bars just like this one." Zoro spoke first.
"You must be thirsty." Nami spoke to him as she watched him.
"You're saying I'm wrong?" Zoro asked.
"Yes. I grew up in a small village.. barely a village. It was just a handful of houses in the center of a tangerine grove." Nami admitted at the moment. "Now drink."
Zoro listened to her before reaching over with his free hand and grabbed his first glass. Drinking at the moment as he soon set the glass down. "Your turn." He spoke.
"Okay then." Nami spoke as she listened to him. Thinking of what to say. "But I had you read all the way back in orange town." She added. "I'll bet you didn't have any friends as a kid."
"I had friends." Zoro spoke as he scoffed a bit.
"Your swords don't count." Nami chimed in.
"But my girl does." Zoro spoke. "Seems like you forgot we grew up together." He added. "And someone else.."
"Hell, more friends than I've had." Nami spoke as she smiled a bit. "Drink." She added.
"Drink." Zoro spoke back as he reached for his next drink.
Venus let them do their own thing on getting to know more about one another before glancing away. Watching a drunk Usopp talking with someone she seemed to immediately recognize.
Usopp stayed by the bar as he slurred his words. "And then they aimed their biggest, baddest cannons at us." He spoke to anyone who was listening to him. Drink even more from the glass in his hands. "But I wasn't scared, after all I'm the best shot in the East Blue."
"Usopp.. stop it.." Vex spoke as he tried to get him away from the man. Drunk but still able to tell who it was slightly.
Usopp continued with his drunk slurring. "So I fired at them." He mumbled. Making the sound of an explosion. "And again, and again. Boom, boom, boom! Down goes their yard. Dead marines everywhere in the water. All thanks to the great Captain Usopp." He motioned to himself.
Unaware of the man sitting next to him who had been paying close attention.
"So, you're the captain?" The man finally spoke up as he set his glass down.
"Well, technically, no. I'm not." Usopp replied as he set his glass down on the counter behind him. "But I did distract them long enough for Luffy, who's like, the official captain, to bounce that ball right back to the marines."
"Usopp." Vex nudged him.
The man seemed intrigued already by the mention of the one person he was looking for. "I should very much like to meet this Luffy guy." He spoke.
Usopp listened before he nodded. Glancing at the man. "Sure." He spoke. "Heck, you can come meet the whole crew." He lead the way back to the table. "Guys, I want you to meet my new best friend. What did you say your name was again?" Usopp asked only to be interrupted by him.
"No. I think-." Vex tried to speak before being distracted as he went to dance with someone.
"Which one of you is Monkey D. Luffy?" The man asked.
Zoro glanced at the man as he recognized who it was in an instant.
"Zoro, don't." Venus whispered to him.
"Who wants to know?" Nami asked.
Zoro ignored what Venus said. "You're Dracule Mihawk."
"I have business with your captain." Mihawk spoke. "If you know what's good for you then you'll hand him right over. Where is he?"
"We don't know anyone named Luffy, right guys?" Nami asked. "Zoro?" She asked once more. Seeing the look on his face.
Venus got off his lap as she stood up before watching him stand up as well. "Zoro." She spoke.
"I've been following your career since I was a child." Zoro spoke up. "It's an honor to finally meet you, sir."
"Thank you." Mihawk spoke.
"Which is why it pains me to inform you that tomorrow you're going to die." Zoro spoke as he walked over before standing behind him.
"Wait, what?" Nami asked as she sat up.
"Zoro, don't do this." Venus spoke up.
"I, Roronoa Zoro, challenge you to a duel." Zoro spoke as he ignored the two of them. "To the death."
"Zoro!" Venus spoke as Nami stood besides her at the moment.
Nami placing a hand on her shoulder as she narrowed her eyes a bit towards the green-haired
"I've never heard of you." Mihawk spoke as he turned to face Zoro.
"They call me the Demon Pirate Hunter." Zoro shrugged. "But my lifelong dream is to beat you in single combat and become the greatest swordsman in the world."
"You're serious." Mihawk pointed out.
"Accept my challenge and you'll see how serious I really am."
"Do not." Venus intervened.
"Very well." Mihawk spoke as he walked over to him. "Tomorrow at dawn. And when I'm done with you, Pirate Hunter, I'll take your Captain." Walking away from him and the others as he left.
Nami and Venus stood with one another. "What the hell did you just do?" Nami asked. Keeping Venus away from him.
Zoro ignored her as his eyes scanned the three of them. Hearing Vex having his own moment elsewhere. Not saying another word about it. "V-."
"Don't." Venus spoke before gathering her things and leaving first.
▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰
Luffy had been stuck in the kitchen as he was almost done with the dishes he had been asigned to him before having a small chat with Zeff about Sanji before Usopp rushed in.
"Luffy, we have a problem." Usopp spoke.
Luffy listened before following him back to their ship at the moment.
"Maybe you can convince him to call it off." Nami suggested.
"I won't be doing that." Zoro spoke up.
"Did you see the size of that guy's sword?!" Nami asked. "He will slice you into sashimi."
Zoro continued to clean his sword at the moment as he listened.
"What's going on here?" Luffy asked.
"I'll tell you what's going on." Nami spoke up first. "Your Marine grandpa sent a Warlord of the Sea to bring you in." Nami spoke as she was fuming at the situation. "Instead of getting the hell out of here when he had the chance, Zoro challenged him to a duel."
"Which he accepted." Zoro replied.
"You are a fly to him. Something to be swatted and forgotten." Nami continued.
"Not if I win."
"You're not going to win."
"You don't know that."
"Maybe we need more drinks." Usopp chimed in.
"Tell your first mate he's going to get himself killed."
"Tell your navigator to butt out." Zoro spoke as he had already made up his mind.
Vex and Venus stood to the side as they let the situation unfold before them.