"I still can't believe that this is Zoro."

He woke to the hushed voices of strangers. Slowly shedding the sleep from his brain it became quite clear that he wasn't where he was supposed to be.

"He must, it may not be the Zoro we know, but no doubt it's him…"

For a fleeting moment, he allowed himself to dwell in the sense of soft sheets and the comfort of the cover. The rhythm of his chest was even, his eyes still shut. Carefully, oh so carefully, he opened his lids, just the tiniest bit. Seeing without being seen.

"How much can we tell him?"

He was alone. The room he was in was empty, empty and unfamiliar. A part of his soul cried in pain and another breathed in relieve.

"… won't it change the past?"

Hesitant he rubbed the remaining glimpses of his dream away and let the visions of the night rest. To his surprise, he wasn't engulfed by darkness.

"How so?"

"Too much exposure can be dangerous. If he retains memories from now and takes them back it could change everything."

A pleasant dim light tickled in through the small round window in the door. Thought it was not the one the sounds came from.

"… and if we're creating an alternate timeline?"

As quiet as possible he left the warms of the bed behind to watch the vague dance of silhouettes in the keyhole.

"… or is this the future caused by the occurring events? Arrrggghhhh, why does it have to be so complicated?"

"What's going on?" He mumbled to himself.

While the puzzle pieces clicked one after another together, his dizziness gradually return. Heavily he leaned against the door. Perhaps a little too heavy. The wood moaned pitiful under his weight and the shadows turned in his direction.

Shit. His heart skipped a beat. There was no denying it, no pretending. He had been caught.

"You're up? Come on out if you want," a faceless voice called.

He took a deep breath and pushed the traitorous door open. Squinting against the bright colors of the day he saw him.

"Straw Hat?"

AN:

Thank you so much for your reviews, they mean a lot to me! Guest special thanks to you, your comment made my day! (I really felt flattered) This chapter is incredibly short but the next ones gonna be longer again + thanks for reading :)