Author's note: This is the last chapter of She's Not Kuina. I know that it ends on an open-ended note, but I was intending for that since the beginning. I sincerely apologize to readers who wanted it to end differently. This is why I wrote "Possible Zoro/Tashigi pairing" in the summary- at first I wasn't sure if it would develop into something like that, but, as I said at the beginning, I did want to write a story in which they learned more about each other and developed more respect for each other. I also decided to hint that they were developing stronger feelings as well, but decided to end the story here. I also decided to share some of the feelings that Mihawk and Erika have about their relationship that complicates things for them- and it could complicate things for Zoro and Tashigi, but who knows? Perhaps it'll take a different route. Like I said, perhaps I'll write a sequel and go into their LOVE. Or, if you have any ideas, or would like to write a sequel, please feel free to send me suggestions or tell me.

Also, I apologize if the characters seemed OOC in the last few chapters, particularly Mihawk.

I have enjoyed writing this story so much thanks you all of you! Thanks you guys! Especially those who reviewed! Please feel free to continue review so I'd know what you'd think!

~elovejapan

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or its characters. They rightfully belong to Eiichiro Oda-sensei.

Epilogue

"Ah," said Rayleigh, sipping his drink and noting the shadow on the wall. "You're the first to arrive."

"What? Nobody's arrived yet?" came Zoro's voice. "They never change."

"But you have, apparently," said another voice.

Rayleigh, Shakky and Zoro all turned to look at the new speaker.

The voice belonged to a woman, wearing a baggy, long-sleeved shirt and baggy pants, all in black, with black boots with short tops to match. From the top of her head sprouted a long braid that ended at the middle of her stomach. She had snapping black eyes and an almond shaped face, but Zoro was most struck by the scar that tore across it: one that started above her left eyebrow, crossed the bridge of her nose, cut through her right cheek and ended a little ways away from the right corner of her mouth, all in a clean, straight line.

It was due to this scar that Zoro did not recognize her at first.

"I'll be honest, I was expecting you to arrive last," she remarked, holding up her own drink. "I know that you're quite devoted to your captain, but I don't think that would extend to correcting your directional sense. And I know Mihawk well enough to know that he doesn't excel in fixing one's directional sense either. So, I suppose Perona guided you here?"

Zoro stared. "Uh, who are you again?" he asked, scratching his head.

"Eh? Don't tell me you've forgotten who I am! It's me, you know, me!" the woman exclaimed, jabbing a finger at her face.

"Eh? Roronoa, you've met Erika before?" Rayleigh asked a still-flummoxed Zoro.

"Ah? Erika?" Zoro scratched his head again before jumping back. "Eeeeeeeeeeh?! What are you doing here?!"

"How rude. To see you off, of course! I was interested to see what the other members of the crew were like," Erika explained. Noting the wary look on his face, she added, "No, I'm not interested in capturing them. They're not the kind of pirates I tend to hunt down." She thumped the seat next to her. "Come now, sit down and stay awhile."

After hesitating a moment, Zoro decided to believe what she was saying and took a seat beside her, asking Shakky to bring him a cup of booze.

"Uh, sorry," he said. "But I really didn't recognize you. When did you get that scar on your face?"

"Oh, this?" said Erika, tracing it absentmindedly. "Got it back in that duel with Mihawk a year or so ago. You know, the one you were present for?"

"Eh?" Zoro replied.

"Yeah, some dirt got in it and caused an infection, so it will never be able to completely disappear," Erika explained.

"That's a pity. They say that men don't go for scarred women," remarked Shakky as she delivered Zoro's drink to their table.

"Meh, such men are losers," said Erika, flapping a hand airily. "I'm better off without them."

"How old are you again?" Zoro asked.

Erika smashed his head into the table, giving him a big lump on his head. "DON'T ASK A WOMAN HER AGE!" she snapped, a vein throbbing on her head. After taking a sip of her drink, she added calmly, "But since you asked, I'm thirty-nine."

"What did you attack me for if you were going to tell me all along?" Zoro croaked as he lifted his head from the table, a throbbing vein also appearing on his head. He started to gulp down his drink.

Erika peered at him. "In any case, it looks like I got off lightly in comparison to you." She nodded towards his eye. "That scarred eye of yours."

Zoro set his tankard down with a thud, gasping. "Another!" he demanded, holding up his tankard. Shakky came around with a pitcher.

"So," said Zoro, studying his drink, "how do you know about this place?"

"I come here all the time. Saobody is a gathering place for pirates- a place that's ripe for finding higher bounties. I usually like to tackle some of the more violent ones here. But Rayleigh's not on my list. And Shakky is the number one information source around. Occasionally she'll tell me where the more troublesome bounties are. For example there is- what did you tell me, Shakky-chan? Was his name- Demaro Black?"

"Huh." Zoro sipped his drink. "Since you're here, I'd guess that Smoker and Tashigi are around here too?"

"Wrong," Erika told him.

"Eh?"

"Tashigi left my tutelage long ago. She's in the New World now with Smoker."

Zoro nearly spat out his drink. "What?"

"Yep. Smoker was put in charge of the Marines at the base G-5 there. He's a Vice Admiral now, and Tashigi is now a Captain. They've grown quite a bit in the past two years."

Zoro scowled. "Damn! And I told her I'd be the one waiting in the New World!"

Erika smiled. "You like her, don't you?"

Zoro nearly spat his drink out again. "What? Don't be ridiculous!"

"Well, I don't blame you. She is pretty tough, determined, and works hard. I'd say she's the sort you'd respect as a partner."

"Don't say crazy things!" Zoro protested. "First of all, I'm a pirate and she's a Marine."

"So?" Erika jabbed a finger towards Shakky. "Luffy's grandfather Garp used to chase Shakky around when she was a pirate."

"Oi, please don't put disturbing images in my head, granny."

Erika smashed his face into the table again. "Thirty-nine is nowhere near old enough to be called granny," she said coolly, yet she once again had a throbbing vein sticking out on her head.

"Then why are you so sensitive?" Zoro grumbled as another lump grew on top of his first one.

Watching them, Rayleigh, sweatdropping, muttered to his wife, "Has he really gotten stronger?"

"Obviously, yes, but she has too," replied Shakky, also sweatdropping. In a louder voice, she added, "Also, there's you and Mihawk, Erika."

Erika turned red at that. "Oi, what are you saying Shakky-chan!"

"Oh, don't be so shy about it. It's always so obvious," Shakky insisted.

"I wouldn't doubt her if I were you. She's surprisingly insightful about such things," Rayleigh said, pointing a finger to his wife.

"Tch. Married couples always think they know everything about love," muttered Erika.

"Oi, don't you complain after you say the same things about me!" Zoro snapped.

"Well, I suppose I can understand your feelings about the situation, Zoro," Erika continued, propping her head on her elbows on the table. "When you have a good rival that you're attracted to, you're not sure you want to fall in love with them because it would change your perspective on the relationship. You wouldn't be able to interact with that person in the same way, and therefore you will not experience the person that you fell in love with." She smiled. "Love could be found anywhere, but a rival like that is rare."

Zoro was silent, staring at his tankard. When he realized that Erika had gone silent and that his own silence might be interpreted as agreement, he quickly said, "Ah- again, I don't have those sorts of feelings for her!"

"So, that's how you feel about Mihawk," Shakky remarked. "I always wondered. Is this why you two always challenge each other to a fight to the death?"

"Well, yeah. When we agree to commit ourselves to a fight like that, it's the best way to know that we're not holding back on each other," Erika replied.

So that's it, Zoro thought to himself.

"Still," he went on, noting her scar, "how could you like him if he fights you so mercilessly?"

"I like him for the swordsman he is. And he has demonstrated respect for the swordsman I am. I like that relationship." Erika sipped her own drink. "It would be weird if that changed. But if you were interested in another side of Tashigi, then don't be afraid to look for it."

"Stop giving me advice on things that don't exist!" Zoro bellowed, reddening with embarrassment.

-Meanwhile-

"What?" Shanks cried, turning around with a huge smile on his face. "Luffy and his crew are coming back together?"

"Mm," Mihawk commented with a nod.

"I knew it! I knew Luffy wouldn't stay away for long! Oiiiiii, everybody!" he shouted to everyone on the island. "Oiiii! Listen up everyone! Luffy's coming back!"

"Eh?"

"He is?!"

"Yep!" Shanks grinned. "And you know what that means!"

"PARTY!" everyone shouted, and there was an immediate scramble for the booze.

"Well, I'll be going now," Mihawk said, turning to leave, but Shanks grabbed his shoulder.

"Hold on!" Sit down and stay awhile! Since you brought this news to us, you gotta stay and celebrate!"

Mihawk glared at his frenemy in obvious yellow-eyed displeasure, but Shanks chose to ignore this and shoved a wine cup into his hand. "Go on! Drink, drink!"

Mihawk sighed and complied.

A while later, the men were all drunk, dancing and making fools of themselves, although Mihawk still remained remarkably sober. At this point some of the men had started talking about what women they would have at the party, and they soon turned Mihawk.

"So, Hawkeyes, if you wanted a woman to be here, who would it be?" Shanks asked, shaking him by his shoulder.

"As if I would ever bring a woman to this kind of thing," Mihawk muttered.

"Aw, c'mon, don't say that!" said Shanks, shaking him even harder. "C'mon, Hawkeyes, you'd like Erika to be here, wouldn't you?"

Mihawk grimaced at this and shrugged him off so hard that Shanks fell over backwards, spilling his drink on his face in the process. The men howled with laughter at the sight of their captain making such a disgrace of himself, and Shanks himself pulled himself up, laughing along with them as he tried to wipe his face clean with a his sleeve.

"Seriously, though, Hawkeyes," Shanks continued, once the laughter died down. "Why don't you two get together? She seems like the best woman to be your partner."

"She is a rival who I respect. It is that person that I…like." He said the last part under his breath. "If our relationship were to change, I would be unable to interact with her as that person, and that is not something that I'd care to lose."

"Hm." Shanks was quite for a few minutes, as if seriously contemplating this, before throwing an arm around Mihawk's shoulder. "Awww, so you do like her!"

"Oh, shut up."

-Weeks Later, in the lab at Punk Hazard-

"I warned you!" Zoro yelled as he swung his sword towards one Marine. The blade jarred as it clashed with another sword just as well made as it was.

"C-Captain-chan?" gasped one of the Marines watching.

Zoro looked up and grinned. Finally. Now they finally met.

Tashigi's face was a rock, but inside she was excited, yet conflicted. She knew what she must do here.

"So, the little copycat has made it to captain?" He really wanted to start a duel with her, but now wasn't the time or place. "But you're not really looking for a fight." He knew her sword well enough to know that.

Tashigi's eyes widened in surprise, but accepted it. She lifted her sword off of his, and as he passed by, he said softly, "Fight you later, though."

Landing on the ground, she said loudly, "No, please go on ahead." As the other pirates rushed past her, she muttered under breath, "Fight you later too."

Author's note: some of the content in the top third and bottom third were taken from actual episodes. the top third came from episode 517, and the bottom third came from episode 605.