A Story That Fits With You

Zoro's past

"Are you kidding me?! You want me to help the World Government, our enemy who's been a thorn in our side for years, get their resources back, which means giving them more strength, and making them MORE POWERFUL? Are you insane? At least the old geezer did something good in his lifetime and rejected the notion of helping the Government!" Zoro exclaimed as he threw his hands up in the air.

"I know that it's a tough request, but-" Kuina was cut off once again.

"TOUGH?! Leaving my friends to go help our staunch enemy is TOUGH?! It's a no-brainer! I'm not helping the World Government, nor am I going back to that wretched family ever again." Zoro departed the room, leaving only Kuina behind.

"Goodnight." Was all that Kuina heard before the door slammed shut and Zoro returned back to his cabin to have a restless night's sleep.

-

Zoro had thought about what Kuina had said to him. At first, he seemed like it was an impassable request to him. But then he started to remember the mission that his ailing, dying mother had said to him when he was a child.
'Protect Joben. Keep him safe, no matter what it costs...I'll always love you.'
Zoro remembered that day vividly. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get rid of that memory. It stayed with him forever. He drifted off to sleep, thinking about his mother.

And his horrid past. He had to confront it sooner or later,

-

Zoro was a week past his 5th birthday. He walked into a grand palace, filled with servants and maids, chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. He walked into a room full of medical kits and medicine.

"Hey Dad, how's Mom? Is she getting better?" Zoro asked, carrying a baby boy into the room, cradling him in his arms.

"She's doing fine, Zoro. Now since mommy and daddy have to say a few grown up things, you're going to have to leave. Make sure that Joben gets his milk." His father answered immediately, straining his voice heavy clutching onto his wife's hands, praying that she stayed alive.

Zoro knew better than to argue with his father in these types of dire situations. He made his way out of the medical-themed room into the kitchen and gave his little brother some milk from a sippy cup and laid him on his lap to give him some sleep.

His little brother Joben started to cry. He needed some entertainment.

Maybe competition with his other brothers would help. Joben normally loved that. He loved watching Zoro compete with his brothers, the fights were packed with action and adventure. Even if Zoro was hated by hated by the majority of the household in the Shimotsuki family, it was also known throughout the household that Zoro was the strongest out of his siblings. He was also very mature for his young age.

Zoro held Joben and walked up to the courtyard, where his three brothers were training.

"Zoro, are you here for another match? If so, bring it, I really won't hold back this time." His brother, Suke, 7 years of age, proclaimed.

"Yeah, you tell him, Suke!" Another voice came out. It was another of Zoro's brothers, Ruto, who was 5 years old as well.

"Suke, if you want, I can take him on for you. I'll kill him." Kura, 9 years of age, spoke, as he cracked his knuckles.

"Joben, who do you want me to fight? You can choose." The spotlight fled to Zoro as he nodded to Joben, asking him. Joben slowly crawled towards the red haired sibling in Kura. He tapped Kura twice, which symbolised to Zoro that he was to choose Kura.

"Kura, let's do this." Zoro unsheathed and drew out his katana. The purple triangle pattern reflected off Kura's red blade - splattered with blood. Even though they were very young, they were raised in such a way that they were trained to kill and be heartless to any person who dared to cross their land without permission. Zoro had gotten the hand of his swords with the amount of guarding his house he did.

Kura attacked Zoro as Kura went on the offensive throughout the whole duel. Joben clapped his hands and gurgled in amazement and appreciation. He loved this type of action. Fast - paced action got to Joben well enough to get a reaction out of him.

Kura tried to chop Zoro's head clean off, but since Zoro was so used to his brothers trying to kill him so many times, he simply ducked, and kicked Kura back a few meters. Kura, still unfazed by this type of attack, simply brushed the blood off the outside of his lip and continued to fight. Zoro was surprised by this...his brother never normally had this type of grit when it came to fighting. He was all bark and no bite at all, and it showed as Kura tried to do the same move he had done a few seconds ago again, but it didn't work.
Zoro simply ducked and hit the weak spot in Kura's neck with the hilt of his blade.

He wasn't merciless like his brothers.

He wanted to have a good life.

He walked over the unconscious Kura and took Joben from the starstruck Suke, who hadn't even realised that Joben had been taken away from him. Zoro kept walking as a silent tear fell from his eye as he then took Joben, who was getting sleepy, and put him to bed. It was getting dark outside.

Zoro and his family then sat down to have dinner.

Suke, Kura, and Ruto all nodded to their father, it looked as if they were agreeing on something.

"What are you guys doing?" Zoro mumbled to them, his mouth full of food.

"Excuse us." Suke, Kura, and Ruto all left Zoro and his father, Kashi, alone.

Kashi was a very strong man. He knew Observation and Armament Haki and even Conquerors. He had stretch marks along his skin, along with an old monocle that looked like it had cracked not 55 years, which also gave you a rough estimate of what was NOT his age. He was in fact, 34.

"You know that your mother died just now, right?" Kashi broke the news to him. Zoro dropped the utensils he was holding and even spewed some food out. He was shocked.

"What? And you told me this only now? You...why? You never tell me anything! I knew that my brother's hated me, but this is something else. You...you know what? I'm leaving. I've had it with this place." Zoro then declared.

"Why? Do stay with us...until we kill you..." Kashi smirked creepily.

"Huh?" Zoro didn't hear him properly. Did he just say...

"Now!" Kashi called out. The three other brothers then came storming into the room, holding a towel the size of Zoro himself, wrapping it around him so he couldn't move, and holding onto it tight, until Zoro passed out.

"Those guys...that towel was pungent with chloroform. And I bet that they got that from the medicinal room where she died! They...I hate them." Zoro drifted away to the unconscious zone in his head as he laid still. 

"Just remember that you killed her...she started becoming ill when you were born..." HIs father's words echoed inside his head.

Then, Kashi grabbed his son by the shirt, tied his hands with rope wire, took him outside down to an ocean bed, laid a boat and began swimming outside with oars. After about 10 minutes of swimming, he then plunged Zoro into the water, as he then sunk down into the deep, blue ocean water.

Deeper...
Deeper...
Deeper...

-

"Zoro! Wake up! Kuina's been calling you for half an hour now!" Nami's rude voice sent him spirally back down to reality.

"Really? I want to talk to her as well." Zoro rose up as he smacked his lips and rubbed his head for a good wake - up sensation.