One Piece does not belong to me! *cough* wish it did *cough* It belongs to the one and only, amazing Oda sensei. Besides a few add-ins to the original plot, nothing is mine. Hope you enjoy, and if you can, tell me if you want more! I appreciate your opinions, and thanks for reading!

(And I'll be honest, this is my first published work so I don't really know what I'm doing)

(I hope you like it though)

(*awkward laugh*)

Biscuits Room, Punk Hazard

"OI!" Zoro shouted in surprise. He found himself running to the female marine and kneeling beside her. Her face looked worn out, and it was inevitable that the wound on her shoulder would leave a horrible scar. He huffed, his eye on the unconscious woman. What an idiot. But he couldn't help but admire the fight she had fought before losing. It was smart not to let go of the harpy, although it would look like a stupid move to many. He lifted the marine up deftly and moved her to the wall, and positioned her so that she was in a sitting position. Zoro moved to find a cloth to bandage her wound quickly. He didn't have any, so he searched her jacket pockets until he found a white handkerchief. He wrapped it around her shoulder hastily, and sighed out of a frustration when he was done. Where's Chopper when you need him? He thought. He figured that it would be smart to take her to her medical unit or to chopper quickly. The cloth would only last so long. She needed proper treatment. After glancing at her once more, he began to pick her up again, when he heard something that made him stop. He turned his head to the door that was blocked earlier. He inched away slightly in surprise when he saw the purple gas beginning to enter the room.
He wanted to yell out of frustration. Why was that poisonous gas always following him?! He felt as if he would never get a break. Zoro lifted the marine, slung her over his shoulder, and began to run for what felt like the hundredth time that day. He needed some sake. All this running was starting to annoy him. But of course, he couldn't do anything about it. Especially with a female marine on his shoulder. She hadn't woken up yet, thankfully. Blood was already starting to spot the cloth he had wrapped around her shoulder. He watched her as she dangled from his shoulder, unconscious. Her glasses were holding onto her hair as if their life depended on it. However, they slipped, and began to fall to the ground. Zoro stopped and swung around as fast as lightning, catching the glasses just in time. He sighed in relief. He wasn't going to break her glasses yet again. The day that they met flashed in his brain as he continued to run. Meeting her had been quite eventful. Thanks to her, he had gotten one of his cherished katanas. He still couldn't believe that she had dragged him into a marine base, thinking he was a married man. When had her kind words to him changed to harsh challenges to duel? Obviously when she realized that he was an infamous pirate. He didn't think she'd speak to him so kindly ever again, now that they were enemies. He finally shook himself out of his trance. Zoro placed Tashigi's glasses on her head and then looked up, greeted by the wall of gas becoming ever so close to him. He cursed quietly and began to run even faster. Tashigi stirred on his back, and opened her eyes. As she began to assess the situation, she began to panic and squirm uncontrollably, yelling at him to let her down. Zoro began to chastise her for moving, clearly irked. Watching the two would've been quite the sight, as both of them were yelling at each other, with one on the other's shoulder. However, Zoro was a bit thankful that she was there. Having a guide was helpful to his horrible sense of direction, although he would never admit that to anyone else.

Later, during the party

Zoro paused his drinking, and looked around at the groups of marines, children, and pirates. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the female marine he had been carrying earlier. She was busy helping others, keeping track of the children, and feeding her subordinates. She acted like she was completely fine, but Zoro knew that she was struggling. Her wound hadn't stopped bleeding yet, and it was steadily soaking the white cloth used to stop the bleeding earlier. No one seemed to notice, in the confusion that was happening. Also, she was tightly covering the cloth with her hand, but talking happily to her subordinates nonetheless. Soon, the cloth would be useless and completely covered in the dark red liquid. Zoro sighed. He was going crazy, he was sure of it. Why should he care about a marine? Still, he stood up and pushed through the crowd towards Tashigi. He watched as she sat down on a crate, and read over her notes once more. Zoro finally reached her, and he sat down next to her on a separate crate silently. A few minutes passed and Tashigi still hadn't noticed him. Her subordinates had, however, and they began to whisper and point behind her. Finally, Tashigi looked behind her. She shrieked in surprise, dropping the clipboard she held in her hand. Zoro huffed. About time she noticed I was here.
"Oi, copycat. Haven't you even realized that your shoulder is still bleeding?" He asked, turning to her. Tashigi's eyes shifted to her shoulder, and she gasped in surprise after lifting her hand. Blood covered the white cloth, and it would soon deep into her gloved hand. Her men became quiet in shock. Zoro rolled his eyes. Oblivious bastards. They all started to flood towards her with worried shouts, when Zoro gave them a look that stopped them all in their tracks. He turned back to her shoulder. Zoro removed her hand from her shoulder, and deftly unraveled the bloody white cloth. Afterwards, after looking around himself, he removed the bandana that was tied on his arm and began to wrap it around her wound tightly. Tashigi flinched, but let him bandage her wound. She looked at him through her glasses. For the first time, she was able to really study the scar on his left eye. She wondered how he got it. It certainly wasn't there two years ago. Tashigi flashed back to what had happened back in the biscuits room. Her mouth went dry with an unidentifiable emotion when she remembered his hand on his shoulder, saying "Good job" to her. She could never have imagined that a pirate would compliment her. Was it even a compliment? It could have easily been mockery. But still. Roronoa Zoro sure was making her experience things that any other pirate wouldn't. She wanted to ask him multiple things. She still couldn't understand what it was about the man that made her so curious. But that was what was different about the Straw Hat Crew. She could name many pirates who wouldn't bother to save her. Tashigi finally snapped out of her daze, realizing that she was staring. For a brief moment, Zoro lifted his gaze and glanced at her with a piercing expression, causing Tashigi to flinch and shift her stare to her shoulder. When he finished, he stood up, and walked away without looking back. The bloody white cloth dangled from the handle of one of his katanas, right in front of his forearm, which rested on the handle as well. Her subordinates all followed him with their eyes, in complete shock. Their mouths were hanging open as they shifted their vision back and forth between Tashigi and Zoro over and over again. Murmurs began to explode in the crowd of marines. Tashigi bent down to pick up the clipboard. She sat up again, glanced at her shoulder, and locked her gaze in the direction he had walked off in, more puzzled than she had ever been in her life.