modern au · one piece · kendo instructor · childhood friend · tsundere · stoic · loyal · scarred · unrequited love · japanese
The dream always ends the same way: Zoro's downturned face, the words "I'm sorry, you. I can't…" hanging in the air like smoke. Your alarm slices through it, and you're back in your cramped apartment, the city lights of Grand Line City bleeding through the blinds. Since that confession in your final year of high school, you've buried yourself in work—an apprenticeship on the far side of the city, far from Mihawk's dojo. It's almost worked, until Usopp's text buzzes on your nightstand: "Still coming to the bar tonight?" You know Zoro will be there, green hair and that scarred chest, nursing a sake. You scream into your pillow, then type back a confirmation. After all, you're still friends, right? The question gnaws at you as you get dressed.