The pale morning light had barely begun filtering through the clouds when a loud CRASH jolted the Straw Hats awake. Usopp shot upright in his bedding, already in full panic mode before his brain had fully booted up.
"W-w-what's happening?! Are we under attack? Did Enel find us?!" He scrambled to the window, knocking over a water jug in his haste.
The others groaned as they peeled themselves from their sleeping mats. Nami rubbed her eyes blearily. "Usopp, if this is another false alarm about cloud formations looking 'suspicious,' I swear—"
Another metallic CLANG cut her off. This time, they all crowded around the windows to see Zoro in the courtyard below, shirtless and already drenched in sweat as he went through his morning kata. His swords flashed through the air with deadly precision, each swing sending gusts of wind that disturbed the morning mist.
"Oh, it's just Marimo being an overachiever," Sanji grumbled, already turning back toward his bedding. "Some of us actually value beauty sle—"
His complaint died in his throat as movement caught his eye. There, perched comfortably on Zoro's shoulder like some sort of swordsman-themed parrot, sat a tiny pink-haired girl. She swung her legs cheerfully in time with Zoro's movements, completely unfazed by the deadly blades whizzing past her face.
"Who the hell is that kid?!" Sanji blurted out, drool nearly falling from his lips.
The entire crew pressed their faces against the window in unison. Chopper's nose left a smudge on the glass. "She wasn't with the Shandians yesterday, was she?"
Curiosity overriding sleepiness, they stumbled outside in various states of dishevelment. Luffy, still half-asleep with his hair sticking up in five different directions, pointed directly at the girl. "Oi, Zoro! Who's that?"
Zoro finished his current swing before blinking at them. "Huh? Oh, this?" He jerked his thumb at the tiny human clinging to his shoulder. "No idea. Woke up and she was there."
Sanji's eye twitched violently. "YOU ABSOLUTE— Don't tell me you— with a— at that age—" His outrage rendered him temporarily incoherent, visions of scandalous headlines about irresponsible swordsmen dancing in his head.
The girl suddenly stood up on Zoro's shoulder, tiny hands on her hips. "Don't talk bad to Zo-chan like that!" she huffed, puffing out her cheeks in indignation.
The sheer adorable fury of it short-circuited Sanji's brain. His anger evaporated instantly, replaced by hearts in his eyes. "A-ah, my apologies, little madam! I didn't mean to—"
Nami, ever practical, turned to a passing Shandian warrior. "Was there a child like this in your village?"
The warrior shook his head slowly, eyeing the girl with equal parts confusion and wariness. "We've never seen her before."
The girl—Yachiru, as she introduced herself—beamed proudly. "I'm Zo-chan's special surprise! And he's my new papa!" She wrapped her arms around Zoro's head in a dramatic hug.
The resulting chorus of "HAAAAAAA?!" could probably be heard all the way the whole island.
Zoro looked like someone had hit him. "The hell I am."
Yachiru's bottom lip began to tremble. Big, fat tears welled up in her eyes. "But... but you said we'd be together forever when you hugged me up last night..."
Every female eye in the vicinity immediately narrowed at Zoro. Even Robin's usual serene smile gained an edge.
"I was drunk!" Zoro protested, which did absolutely nothing to help his case.
Nami cracked her knuckles. "We're going to have a long talk about responsibility, mister."
As the chaos unfolded, Nolan observed from his floating nimbus cloud, idly munching on sky fruit. "Huh. Didn't see that coming." He tossed another fruit piece into his mouth. "Wonder if she's powerful..."
.
.
.
Nami massaged her temples as the pieces finally clicked together. "Let me get this straight... this little girl is actually the spirit of the sword Nolan upgraded?" She eyed Yachiru skeptically as the pink-haired child sat cross-legged on Zoro's head, happily munching on a rice ball twice the size of her face. "I mean, I guess that explains why the blade looks completely different now..."
Nolan's explanation had been delivered at his usual glacial pace, punctuated by yawns and long pauses that made Usopp visibly age three years. But at least it cleared up the most pressing concern - no, Zoro hadn't somehow acquired a secret love child overnight much to Sanji's disappointment.
Chopper tilted his head, his doctor's curiosity overcoming his initial shock. "But how does a sword spirit manifest physically? The biological implications are—"
"Don't think about it too hard," Robin advised with an amused smile, watching as Yachiru used Zoro's hair as a napkin.
Sanji, who had been unusually quiet, suddenly snapped his fingers. "Wait a damn minute!" His visible eye narrowed as he pointed an accusatory finger at Zoro. "Mosshead... earlier you said you 'hug and talk sweetly to your swords at night'?" His face paled dramatically. "Please tell me that was just drunk rambling and not some creepy nightly ritual."
Zoro's face turned the color of Sanji's worst sunburn. "O-oi! When the hell did I say that?!"
"You said you were drunk" Nami supplied helpfully. "And added this girl's comments earlier..."
The entire crew froze. A beat of silence passed.
Then Sanji absolutely lost it. "HAHAHAHAHA—" The cook collapsed to the ground, rolling around like a dying fish as tears streamed down his face. "OH MY GOD— HE ACTUALLY— WITH A SWORD— BWAHAHAHA!"
Usopp and Chopper desperately bit their lips, their shoulders shaking violently. Even Robin had to cover her mouth with one hand, though whether from shock or amusement was unclear.
Zoro looked ready to commit seppuku right then and there. "IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" he roared, his voice cracking slightly. "It's called sword maintenance, you perverted cook—"
Nolan, who had been observing the chaos from his floating nimbus cloud, chose that moment to yawn loudly. "Anyway..." He waved lazily at Zoro's new blade. "It's stronger than your white one now. You're welcome."
Zoro immediately switched gears, his embarrassment forgotten as he reverently drew Nozarashi. The dark steel gleamed ominously in the morning light. "Yeah... thanks for this." His fingers traced the blade's edge with surprising gentleness. "Feels different in my hands. Livelier."
Nolan cracked one eye open, a sly smile playing on his lips. "You think that's all it does?"
Zoro froze. The glint in his eye could've cut diamond. "...There's more?"
Instead of answering, Nolan reached over and ruffled Yachiru's hair. The tiny sword spirit giggled and leaned into the touch like a content cat. "Figure it out yourself," Nolan said through another yawn. "Your bond with the blade matters. She matters." He poked Yachiru's nose. "And no, she's not edible. Probably."
Zoro's grip on Nozarashi tightened as understanding dawned. This wasn't some cheap power-up - it was a partnership that would grow stronger with time and effort. The corner of his mouth quirked upward. "Tch. Better this way anyway. Wouldn't want some hand-me-down strength."
Yachiru suddenly launched herself from Zoro's shoulder, landing perfectly balanced on the flat of his raised sword. "Zo-chan gets it!" she cheered, striking a dramatic pose. "We're gonna be the strongestest ever!"
Luffy, who had been unusually quiet throughout the whole exchange, suddenly burst out laughing. "Shishishi! This is awesome! Now Zoro's got a tiny version of himself!" He reached out to poke Yachiru, only to yelp when she bit his finger. "H-Hey!"
Nolan though shivered when he remembered how inept Yachiru is when it comes to directions. "Are they gonna be okay..?" he muttered but decided to shrug it off. He reached out to Robin who embraced him as they both lounged in the nimbus.
Unbeknownst to the crew, the self-proclaimed god who is sitting on his throne is already fuming in anger. "Those damn blue sea dwellers!" he shouted as his retainers just shivered in fear.
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