Comical Misunderstandings

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  • Rec *

    Finding Your Wings by

    Fandoms: One Piece  

    18 Aug 2025

    Tags
    Summary

    Kuina is the name given to him, and it’s one she’s happy to take. Her future as a wife, not so much. She vows to break any ties that threaten her freedom, but this Zoro guy won’t leave her alone. Maybe if she throws Wado Ichimonji at him?

    A version of Kuina survives, and fate spins on.

    (“I’m Zoro,” he tries again, “and I’m going to be the world’s greatest swordsman.”

    “Kuina,” she says, and I am going to fly.)

    Language:
    English
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    137,956
    Chapters:
    43/?
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    6,358
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    Bookmarked by CarrolTheCat

    17 Sep 2025

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    Bookmarker's Notes

    Ch43

    Being a girl is, at first, a terrible experience. Mainly it involves panicking about going to the bathroom, developing breasts, and future periods. (Social standards for women don’t factor in; he doesn’t realize that this is what he should be worrying about.) After the initial excitement of having a different body part fades away, he finds it’s not so bad. There’s not much of a difference in how his body moves, and he’s got years to grow into his new developments. In the end, there’s no identity crisis, no tears, and no wishing to be male. While it would be nice to have his old body back, this female one works just fine. He decides he’s going to start calling himself “she” out of convenience. It doesn’t bother him. (And if he neither corrects nor confirms when someone says “he” or “she,” well that’s for her to worry about.) She slams the door on some auntie asking her to join a “Preparing for marriage” class. She thinks of the little girls arranging flowers with hearts in their eyes and snorts contemptuously. (She shouldn’t be so hypocritical. She’s not inheriting the dojo, and since she’s not an official student of the dojo, her father is definitely grooming her to be the inheritor’s bride.) The boys aren’t much better. Full of ideas of what makes a man, they sling slurs and curse words at her for being a girl even when she beats them into the ground. Her father simply laughs and tells her to go easy on them. She redoubles her efforts of getting off this island.“Why are you reading?” The boy sneers. She taps the page with a considering hum. “Usually people ask ‘What are you reading?’ ” She says with humor. “Books aren’t important! You can’t learn swordsmanship like that!” The boy shouts. She closes the book with a snap and inhales deeply. Whatever higher deity is out there, grant her strength from murdering this poor, stupid child. “Alright, be ready with your katana. We’re going to do a real sword duel tonight in the training yard.” She gets off the boy who stares at her with a gaping expression. She narrows her eyes and the boy jumps up and runs off as if set on fire. Normally when she issues a challenge, her opponents run off in fear. That huge grin tells her he’s the furthest thing from scared.“Why did you challenge me?” The kid asks. “When you still don’t care to know my name?” It’s a dirty blow from behind, a strike from a defeated opponent. It’s not that she doesn’t know his name—he shouts it every day—it’s that she refuses to acknowledge him. “You wanted to know why I was reading,” she says, falling to the ground in exhaustion. “This is my answer.” “What the hell kind of answer is that?” The kid demands. She should be in bed right now, sleeping so she can get up and work. She should be preparing herself for another dull day of training. So what is she even trying to do? She digs her sandals into the dirt and tries to figure out what she wants to say. “You want to be the strongest swordsman in the world, right? What will happen when you can beat everyone on this island?” She asks. “I’ll go to the next!” The kid declares. She stares into his eyes and asks, “How?” She’s given the expected answer. “By sailing!” The kid plops next to her, and she can see the same determination from earlier burning away. It’s almost as if she never beat him down. She feels slightly envious. “Do you know how to sail? Do you know what to pack? Where to go? How the trade systems work? You have to learn that stuff,” she says. “I can just get someone to teach me,” the boy scoffs. “And there it is. You can, but I can’t. No one will teach me, so I have to teach myself,” she smiles bitterly. “I have to learn any way I can. I refuse to be stuck here.” The sentiment echoes in her sword training. No one wants to teach her or help her get stronger. She goes to the back of the class and learns even when her father has made it clear she’s not actually a student. She expects some derisive comment, but instead the kid remains silent. Again, she has no idea what she’s trying to achieve here. She just wanted to be left alone, to have him understand that she isn't going to stay. “I’m Zoro,” the boy eventually says, holding out a hand, “and I’m going to be the world’s greatest swordsman.” It’s not a wild declaration, and there are no bamboo swords being waved about. It’s a serious statement, and there’s a promise of something behind those piercing dark eyes. “Kuina,” she replies, taking his hand. It’s the start of something new and dangerous, but damn if it isn’t interesting.She sees the disapproving look from her father out of the corner of her eye and knows she’s lost the argument despite winning it. She’ll be told, once more, that the older she gets the weaker she is. It’s bullshit. She remembers a woman that could go toe to toe with any man while she, the supposed greater sex, would go and pass out on the bar floor. I