From a young age, [Name] knew that he wouldn't stay on the Island he'd been born on, how he knew that on the other hand was a complete mystery. Even bigger mystery was the fact that this child somehow appeared to be in pain all the time. Yet there were no scars, no bruises nor markings, just pain. It sadly meant that [Name] was part of that marginalized group of people who could feel the pain of their fated one as if it was their own, any kind of pain.
Even now that his older brother [B!Name] was watching the child play, those large [e/c] orbs were filled with tears as the little boy was playing. [Brother] could still vividly remember the first time and how he'd rushed his infant brother to the doctor of the town in panic only to hear that there actually wasn't anything physically wrong with [Name]. He'd spend hours upon hours trying to figure it out only to come to the soul crushing conclusion that no, his brother wouldn't suddenly drop dead or something like that and there wasn't a problem with his nerve system either, oh no, his soulmate was just an idiot who got hurt A LOT and was most likely very proun to crying, one of that sensitive type y'know.
"Brother! Look what I made!" the voice of his beloved younger brother made the young man look up from his own work. The little boy ran towards him, causing the prosthesis maker hurriedly put away his newest piece in favour of catching the child in case he'd slip and fall over. Tiny feet came to an abpurt halt upon coming to the point where the little gremlin felt to be the best distance of showcasing his masterful work. Large [e/c] eyes wide and filed with pride, cheeks puffed and [h/c] hair on a messy little pony tail, the child stood, holding up a piece of paper.
On the paper one could see two figures, one bigger one, one smaller one, both supporting the same [h/c] hair but different eyes, the taller having icy blue eyes while the smaller supported [e/c] orbs. The taller one also seemed to missing a leg, or at least it was coloured white. [Brother's Name] couldn't help but to take a quick glance at his own porcelain made leg which had a steel core, his finest piece of work to this day.
He'd lost his actual leg a long while ago in an accident that had cost him a leg and his friend his dear life. Children loved the fact that he indeed had a half robotic leg that he could use almost like a normal one, but he himself wasn't too keen of it, it packed the ability to feel, it was cold to touch, too smooth, too pale. A reminder of what would never be. After all, his best friend had turned out to be in fact his destined one, and that knowledge made his heart ache. Even more so when he also knew that had he been able to build a new heart, his friend would've lived, but he'd lacked the knowledge of how to make such thing.
The blue eyed man patted the child's head affectionately, smiling that sad smile of his and told him that he'd be a great artist one day. [Name]'s eyes widened at this rare occasion of being given attention like that, his brother was a busy man after all, many prostheses to be made and a lot more to be invented, but he cherished it nevertheless.
And before long, [Name] found himself to be taller than his older brother, who still would pat his head affectionately and give him encouragement. It was around this time that the teenager, or was he a young man already, started to get more physical marks on his body, each and every one of the scars he'd received from his fated one, as he experienced this pain firsthand, also bringing him an unexpected amount of pain that seemed to only increase as years went by.
A scar that went from his right shoulder to his left hip, it nearly made the [h/c] faint. The ones that followed, hurting even more and then there came a long time period when he didn't receive new scars nor feel pain, only to wake up one night screaming in agony. It felt like he was suffering for two people instead of just one, yet none of it scarred his skin. And then, the final scar appeared, it went from his left side of the face, straight down, over his eye to the cheek. But.... It didn't hurt.
It was at this time that [Name] had already come to the conclusion that his fated one was at sea, suffering. There was only so much that a man could go through on this island. [Name] could only hope that the way he lovingly treated his own body would also reach this unknown man or woman so that they would know that someone cared for them.
If he was honest with himself, [Name] would've loved to do nothing more than to swiftly slap this person in order to get them to take better care of themself, but another part of him also wanted to just wrap them into cotton and keep them safe to the end of their days.
Just like his brother had said, [Name] had become an artist, who painted and day dreamed most of his days, wondering just what kind of person his fated one would be. He humoured the idea of them being of different species entirely, he shyly fantasised over them being strong, he yearned for them to have a large and kind heart, he feared them to be cold and ruthless, he hoped them to be the master of their own fate. Despite of living on this unnamed and uncharted island, [Name] had come to learn of the horrors of the outside world, especially how the World Government acted and how the people seemed to be driven by their lust for blood, like sharks.
The [h/c] haired man was cursed to be curious and keen on learning and thus his fate was to cry for those who had no ability to shed tears anymore. That curiosity had made him learn the story behind his brother's occupation and why he stood tall and lone, it had forced him to learn how their own parents had forsaken them and how his brother had become his legal guardian at the age of seventeen. It had forced him to see, and hope, that his brother would one day find love, even if his soul mate was long gone.
And now that [Name] was once more day dreaming, the ocean would bring him one of his desires.
Ronoroa Zoro, ex-pirate hunter, current vice captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, stared towards the misty sea his brow furrowed in confusion and thought. Next to Thousand Sunny was another pirate ship, belonging to the Heart Pirates, and on its deck stood one Trafalgar Law.
"Just that you'll know, Zoro-ya, that is the island of the legends where one can find their soul mate. Just by looking for someone who has the same scars or tattoos as you do", The man said into the wind that decided to gracefully carry those words into the ears of the greenette.
But Zoro couldn't dare to even hope for such thing, he'd been alone for almost all of his life, unable to feel connected to other people on that level. He'd nearly given up on ever finding someone who'd stand by his side and love him as their husband instead of the sibling like love that he received from the crew he was part of.
As his dark eyes kept staring, the island seemed to beckon him to come closer, it was as if the mist was actively making room for the two ships in favour of helping them pass through.
[Name] sat up from his previous lazing position, his heart skipping a beat as he could feel something pulling him like a magnet. Slowly, the artist got up from his comfortable spot, deciding to follow the feeling.
His route took him down the countless stairs of the city, through the streets and alleyways, through the port and finally down to the beach where he now stood, glad in his cream white clothes that were now flowing in the wind. Searching for the center of this sensation, the pair of [e/c] eyes scanned the area before turning to the sea, the usual mist that was surrounding it slowly dissipating in front of his gaze.
He could make out the outlines of two ships, but that was about it, nothing much more than that.
Zoro felt the person before he could see them, this sudden wave of calm and kindness washing over him, the sheer feeling of being loved made his body relax. And that's when he spotted him. A tall man with [h/c], standing on the shore, waiting, his clothes flowing majestically in the wind. An unexpected turn of the wind freed the man's hair from it's ponytail, the [f/c] lace that had been used to tie it up now tangling and dancing on the waves of the wind before softly landing on Zoro's hand.
The ship came to halt, and Zoro was the first to jump off of it. Bee-lining to the man, still holding onto the hair tie, the swordsman walked the sandy beach, the stranger's [e/c] coloured eyes shining with curiosity. Zoro's one good eye widened as he noticed the scar tissue and how it oh so perfectly mimicked his own, he couldn't help but to wonder.
The green haired man stood in front of [Name], who was now measuring him up and down. Though the man looked a little bit scary, there was something tender in that one open eye that was staring right at him, confused and... Hopeful?
[Name] extended his arms, taking a step forward, his arms soon enveloping the other man into a secure hug. A content sigh escaping from his lips. "You aren't hurting anymore are you? You've got a lot of explaining to do", he whispered into an ear that had been decorated with an earring, earning a shiver from the man.
"You felt it all...?", "Yes, I did. Ever since I was a child"
[Name] finally let go of the man in order to take a proper look at him, before flashing a bright smile. "I am [Last name] [First name], an artist", Zoro blinked momentarily forgetting his own name. His mouth felt dry like a desert and cheeks hotter than the sun. "Ronoroa Zoro, swordsman", he finally managed to urgle out of his mouth as the beautiful creature in front of him cocked his head cutely to right.
"You're looking to buy supplies, right? Please follow me", [Name] said smiling as he twirled around, ready to start leading the group of two pirate crews to his home town.
At the port however, they came to see an older man who stared down at them from the upper part of the hill the town was resting on. From his [h/c] hair and facial structure, one could easily say that he was related to their guide, who smiled widely to the man. "[B/N]! Look! Visitors! Oh and it seems that my fated one is with them soooo", [Name]'s voice trailed off while the Straw Hats and Heart Pirates got to the point where they could see that the older man was missing a leg and was actually using a white prosthesis to carry himself.
"You're planning on going with them", that statement was something that the younger man couldn't deny, after all he'd always known that he would eventually need to leave the island, because he'd had the feeling that his fated one wasn't the type to stay out for very long.
"Yes, brother, I can't stay here, I must go with him", "I see.... I'll pack your bag for you, you may pick it up before you leave"
The man turned away, silently starting his a bit slower pacing than your average human towards the place both of them had been calling home ever since [B/N] had become [Name]'s legal guardian. Sanji was the first one to catch up to him.
"So, what was all that about? You know the guy?" was all the chef asked before he'd nearly get distracted by the nearest woman, who just so happened to be a gate keeper.
"Yes, that was my older brother, he wished to know if I was really going to leave this island together with my fated one. It seems that destiny chose your swordsman to be bonded with me, and as such I must be by his side", upon hearing this explanation, Sanji looked like he was ready to burst out laughing, but he held it in as he noted the serious expression on the young man's face. "I've... I've been spending my whole life scared and confused over the fact that I could feel someone else's pain so vividly that it felt like I was the one being hurt, so I made my mind to find my soul mate and watch over them. It feels horrible to know that he was suffering and I couldn't do a thing about it", [Name] stated silently making the chef realise something very horrible.
During the time in Thriller Bark, Zoro had taken in all of the pain of their captain and it had nearly killed him. This young man had most likely also felt it. Did the pain also render him unconscious for days like it had done to Zoro? Did it leave long lasing psychological damage?
"Your scars", the blonde started, but was quickly interrupted by the [h/c] head. "I have never been in a fight nor done any activities that'd leave scars like this, the people of my tribe share their bodies in a way with the people they're destined to be with, was it in love or in friendship"
Ah, that explained a lot.
Zoro casually eavesdropped this conversation as he himself had no idea what to say or feel about this. Or well... Perhaps he did feel a little happy to know that he wouldn't be alone in the world, but he was also terrified to know that whatever happened to his body would also transcend to this kind man.
"So if he had died", "That sadly would only mean that I'd have to live with the knowledge of never being complete like one of our local beauties, he's a fashion model whose body hasn't shown any signs of bonded one, or feel their soul return to me like happened with my brother though he was never same afterwards"
"Ouch", "Mhmn"
[Name] led the crew towards the town center where the markets were while the tanned and tired looking man with a beanie excused himself for a moment, soon disappearing from sight completely. Not thinking much of it, the crew made it to the town square which was filled to the brim with people. And during all this time, Zoro kept his one good eye on [Name], he couldn't help but to think that the man was a beautiful one with his [h/c] hair and large [e/c] orbs, without doubt, the scars that he bore were only adding to this odd sensation of need and yearning.
Would the swordsman not been proun to feeling embarrassed easily, he would've held onto this handsome being, whose gentlemanly antics were such a great contrast to his own. Even now his body yearned for the touch of the other one despite of only meeting him only an hour ago. What a beautiful curse was this whole island and its ability to help you find your other half, or was it a blessing, either way the greenette was glad that they'd come here.
From his observations, he could see that slight aversion of those [e/c] eyes, following their gaze was easy and soon Zoro found that the other one was looking for a stand with a certain fish shaped treat. Smiling to himself, the swordsman stepped to the stand, buying two of the kind, before turning to the male.
"You seemed like you wanted a taiyaki", he said with a husky tone, offering the fish-shaped cake to the man whose eyes were now wide open in shock. A [s/c] hand reached for the treat, the [h/c] head unconsciously taking a step forward as well.
Standing there right in front of the slightly taller man, those who had eyes could see that they were newly found soulmates, both still a bit clumsy in their ways, the taller one especially as he wasn't from the tribe and knew nothing about their ways of interacting with one another.
The owner of the taiyaki stand smiled at them gently, tilting his hat in an effort to hide his eyes as if their presence was too bright for his eyes.
"Thank you Zoro", [Name] said smiling shyly, not daring to look into the man's eyes. A comfortable silence falling between them as they basked in the presence of one another. Thoughts and questions swirling in their head, unsaid as to not destroy this fragile and pleasant moment.
Zoro saw how his companion leaned forward.
Sanji moved his little trolley forward, happy to find such an exquisitive and excellent collection of different items he could use to create his master pieces referred to as meals. He came to halt near one of the stands, his eyes looking for a certain swordsman to ask him to help with the load. His eyes nearly fell out of their sockets as he finally spotted him, holding the younger man who'd been their guide on his arms, eyes closed. The man, [Name] wasn't it, was leaning forward his lips pressed against the marimo's, he too had his eyes closed and it seemed that they were both comfortable.
"Aww would you look at that", "They're such a good looking couple", "He looks so happy"
Sanji could faintly hear the locals gush to themselves, clearly talking about the vice captain and the [h/c] on his arms, someone even mentioning how happy they were for the latter to finally meet his fated one.
A small eternity managed to pass before [Name] let go, a small grunt of a protest escaping from the lips of the partner in front of him. "I... I meant to.. I was going to- I don't really know what came over me there I'm so sorry if it made you uncomfortable", [Name] said quietly his eyes now staring at the taiyaki as if blaming it for his sudden burst of emotion and need. He felt an arm snake behind him, pulling him closer to the chest of the other man.
"Doesn't matter really, I actually liked it", was the whispered answer he obtained from the slightly blushing Zoro.
And that day, the Straw hats found themselves with an artist who was able to work as Chopper's Co-doctor thanks to his knowledge on medicine and prosthesis thanks to his older brother, who saw him set sail and even gifted his own notes of the prosthesis making to his beloved younger brother.