Chapter Text
Lucy disappeared for the rest of homeroom.
Zoro immediately had a bad feeling. Luffy had been notorious for getting into trouble and it seemed like Lucy was similar. It was very possible she had skipped (apparently it was something she did often), but something was telling him that wasn't the case. As soon as the bell ring, he took out his phone and texted the love cook.
Z: is lucy w u?
S: Are you telling me you lost my precious Lucy you idiot Mosshead?!
Zoro's eye twitched in annoyance. As usual, Sanji was no help. He grumbled, maneuvering through the hallway in an attempt to find his captain. Usually, he had no problem picking Luffy out from a crowd but there was no sign of her.
Z: she left in homeroom i have no idea where she went
Oddly enough, the shitty cook didn't respond right away. It was surprising considering his 'dear Lucy' was on the line. Maybe he was already attempting to scour the school looking for her? He honestly didn't care enough to find out.
S: Have you seen Bellamy around?
It took him a minute to recall who that even was, let alone who he was in this world. Then again, it wasn't like he could forget the man who had dared to disrespect his captain in front of his face. He racked his brain, trying to remember if he had ever seen the piece of shit since waking up in this world. Though, a part of him was wondering why the hell Sanji even cared.
He suddenly had a very bad feeling.
~~~
Anyone on his crew would say he was notorious for getting lost. But that had never been quite true in regards to Luffy.
Zoro found Lucy perched on the edge of the school's pool (he tried not to panic at the sight). Her feet were hanging off the edge and in the water and she was staring down at her lap. Her jacket completely hid the lower half of her face from him. He quickly sent a text to Sanji, letting him know where they were before sitting down next to her. "You wanna tell me what happened during homeroom?" he asked gruffly.
It came out a lot rougher than he would have liked.
Lucy said nothing, just turned away from him. There was something about this whole situation that set off the warning bells in his head. Never at any point of being a Strawhat had Zoro not been able to read Luffy. They were on the same wavelength, always knowing what the other was thinking.
And never had Luffy outright ignored him like this. Something- rather, someone- had really upset her.
"Lucy," he said slowly, firmly. "What happened with Bellamy?"
He saw the tension in her shoulders. "Bellamy?" she parroted, her voice making it apparent she had been crying. Luffy had absolutely hated crying despite being somewhat sensitive and it seemed Lucy was the same. "Why would I care about that jerk?"
Zoro, despite himself, was growing annoyed with her refusal to answer. She had clearly opened up to Sanji enough that he at least had some inkling as to what was going on. That shit cook shouldn't have been privy to this, not when he wasn't. "Either you tell me what happened or I beat it out of the piece of shit myself," he threatened.
Finally, onyx eyes that had been obscured by her raven locks snapped to him. "Zoro, drop it," she hissed. "Nothing happened."
Zoro didn't appreciate the irony. "Lucy," he insisted. She still didn't face him. Fine, if she was going to be like that there was nothing stopping him. He began to stand up. "Maybe that asshole will be more willing to talk after I'm done with him."
But Lucy grabbed the hem of his shirt and yanked him back down. "Zoro cut it out!" she snapped, finally looking at him fully. Her face was contorted in anger. "You stupid jerk, if I say nothing's wrong, then I mean it! It's none of your freaking business!"
But he wasn't listening to her. No, Zoro was a lot more focused on the purple bruises around her mouth. While she yelled at him, he reached out and gently prodded one with his finger. Lucy cut herself off, wincing away from his touch. She seemed to realize her mistake and covered her mouth once again.
It was too late for that, though. If Zoro had been irritated before, he was pissed now. "Fucking Bellamy did that?" he seethed.
Her big dark eyes lost their fire, replaced with unshed tears. She sniffed, nodding, and he was suddenly aware that she wasn't angry, she was upset, humiliated, and maybe even a little afraid. His hatred increased tenfold; no one was allowed to scare his captain.
Zoro knew that back in his world, Bellamy had been a nonissue. Luffy could have wiped the floor with him in that bar, and actually did much later. But there were a few problems in this world: Lucy didn't have Devil Fruit powers or any training other than swimming, Bellamy was three times her size, and Bellamy was harassing her for a very different reason this time.
He wasn't dumb. Zoro might not have been someone who got hooked on physical appearance, but only a fool could deny that Lucy was beautiful. He remembered how that piece of shit's crew had leered at Nami, suggesting that she was a common whore who'd do anything for a few Berries. And that was without the naivety Lucy possessed.
He was going to slit Bellamy's fucking throat.
Zoro took a deep breath in a valiant effort to calm himself down. "Did he touch you?" he asked lowly. He swore, if Bellamy had laid so much as a finger on her, he'd cut his hands off.
Normally, Luffy would respond with, 'Duh he touched me, are you blind?' But Lucy knew what he was really asking. "Kissed me," she admitted quietly, frowning. "I didn't like it."
Rage burned inside him, but he managed to keep his face stoic. "Nothing else?" he questioned carefully, as if even thinking about laying his lips on Zoro's captain wasn't a crime punishable by death.
Lucy seemed uncertain about her answer. "I... maybe?" she told him. "I don't really remember. Just that I kicked him and ran."
He had a feeling just where she had kicked him and smirked a bit. "Good," he said. It wasn't nearly enough, but hopefully it would be enough to send a message. He, of course, would properly deal with that asshat himself.
She was trembling, something he hadn't noticed before. "I don't get it," she murmured, looking at him helplessly. "Why do I feel like this? I've been in fights before."
Zoro... didn't have an answer for her.
Fortunately, he was saved by the love cook who finally decided to grace them with his presence. "Lucy, sweetheart!" he gushed. He perched himself on her other side and set a bag into her lap. "All your favorites from the Baratie!"
Lucy was instantly distracted by the mention of food. "Thanks Sanji!" she chirped, immediately tearing into the food. Zoro sighed in relief; at least she was back to her old self.
But Zoro knew this was far from over. Bellamy was going to pay if it was the last thing he ever did.