Zoro hmmed his understanding and stayed close to the shadows somewhere just behind Howl. He was far calmer than his companion, his own breathing relaxed though his body was tense. Being sneaky may never have been a Straw Hat specialty (even Robin sometimes lost her guile to Luffy's over-loud presence) but Zoro could be subtle when he had to. As they crept along, he kept his eyes trained on the surrounding darkness, alert to the presence of the figure he'd seen from outside the door. Maybe whoever it was would just let them through peacefully since they had no real intention to fight; optimistic as it sounded, there was a slim chance that it would happen. Maybe. Not that Zoro would back down when it came to blows, but he didn't think his guide was particularly keen about it happening.

He moved quickly and silently, taking care not to trip over anything. His left side missed the familiar balance of his swords and his stomach felt cold without the haramaki around to warm it. Zoro didn't think he'd find any of those items in the kitchen but he'd seen and found a lot of weirder things in a bunch of even weirder places. A guy stuck in a chimney, for instance.

Oh, wait. That had been him.