Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.
A/N: I watched a documentary on Animal Planet and a plot popped out.

Zoro was supposed to be taking a nap on the soft field of grass when he heard the cook's annoying, cooing voices, "Nami-san, Robin-chan, I made some juice for you~!"

"Where's ours Sanji?"

"It's in the kitchen you idiots!"

The swordsman rose up to stare at the scene before him. The ladies accepted the drinks, took a sip, and each gave their compliments. Sanji, with the tray in hand, gripped it close to his chest and thanked them by rehearsing a lengthy poem.

Zoro snorted and turned away. In a split second, he felt someone lightly tapping something against his back. He pretended to be asleep, until the object slid up and down his spine.

The swordsman resisted an urge to hiss and glared at the intruder, "What Cook?"

"Here's your drink." On the tray Sanji was just holding just a while ago was a glass with light green colored juice. Apples and pears hung on one side of the glass. Zoro frowned when he also noticed a tiny paper umbrella garnished over the fruits. "Thanks." He said flatly as he took the drink. Sanji squatted next to Zoro and watched intently as the swordsman drank. Zoro frowned in his drink as he tried to turn away from the stare.

While Zoro wasn't looking, Sanji brushed his fingers over Zoro's earrings. Zoro jerked away from the cook, almost dropping his drink, "They're right there!" Zoro hissed, pointing to the ladies just a few meters away.

"They don't care." Sanji rolled his eyes and proceeded to touch Zoro, "Did you like the drink?"

"Yeah I did, so go away." Zoro slapped the disturbing hand.

Sanji was persistent and swiftly pulled the glass out of Zoro's lips and replaced it with his own. By now the swordsman was in shock as he pried the cook off. After few struggling moments with the wandering hands and tongue, Zoro kicked Sanji in the gut and sent him flying a good ten feet. "I said go away!"

The cook did a somersault and landed on his feet like a cat, "Why you-!"

"I see an island!" Luffy's booming voice was heard throughout the ship. Nami, along with everyone, scrambled to the front of the ship to see for themselves. They could tell it was a summer island by how hot the sun pelted down on them. From far away they could see that it was full of houses, buildings, and people.

Nami's eyes suddenly shone, "Markets?"

"Yes," Robin said, "The Island is famous for their imports from other countries. I heard you can buy anything there." she smiled, "I heard that the items there are sold at a surprising price."

"How so?" Nami asked, more intrigued.

"For example you can buy rare jewelry for under three thousand bellis."

"T-three thousand belli?" the navigator screamed. "We got to go there!"

The Thousand Sunny stopped in the remote side of the island so they could hide their ship. The time to fill up the log pose was five days, enough to at least see all of the markets. Before they all set off in their own different ways, Nami stopped them.

"I'm going to each give you some allowance so you guys can enjoy yourselves." From there she each handed them a small leather bag filled with folded paper money and coins. She didn't tell anyone that hers and Robin's had fifteen percent more stashed in their little bags. "Now you can go."

"Yeay! Adventure!" Luffy was the first to leave the ship. He always did it the valiant way: taking a huge leap out of the ship and once landing on the sand, he took a mad dash into the deepest parts of the island. The rest would either spend another minute or two planning on what to do and buy and then leave the ship. Usopp, Chopper, and Brook stayed in a group, same goes with Robin and Nami. Franky usually went on his own or sometimes tailed behind the UsoChoBro group. That left Zoro and Sanji.

"Hey Marimo."

Zoro's eyebrow twitched and he was glad his back was facing the cook's, "What?"

"I need to restock so I kind of need your help."

"Sorry Cook but I'm going to get some booze."

Zoro could feel Sanji's eyes lingering on him. Sanji's voice rose slightly, "You can do that later." The word later sent shivers down Zoro's spine. He needed to get out here quick. So he ignored the cook's orders and just like Luffy, bolted into the marketplace with a different goal in mind.

Zoro was on his own, squeezing his way into the biggest and the busiest parts of town. The outdoor markets stretched as far as the eye could see with colorful curtains to shade away from the blistering heat. Zoro could feel the heat from above and the scorching sand. He wasn't searching for anything really, for now he was trying to create as much distance from a certain blond as possible. He came to a stop when the crowd had stopped to either see the goods or barter with the store clerk. There was only a five millimeter radius of personal space, but Zoro was quite used to that now.

And he was getting irritated by it.

Since Zoro and Sanji started their relationship, the swordsman lost all personal space. In the morning, he got an excruciatingly long (but hot) morning kiss while the rest of the male gang was in the same room. During breakfast, lunch, and dinner he would be served the 'ladies' way.' His dishes looked like a piece of art than a simple dinner. All of the dishes were prepared in expensive dishes and decorated in a fancy way. However, his did have some masculinity or rather, oriental feeling to it. Every day Sanji served a dish that was Zoro's favorite.

Between lunch and dinner, Sanji would saunter over to the sleeping swordsman and handed him a drink, usually a ice cold beer or Sanji's special drink. A few minutes later, the tray would be filled with cookies, cakes, or crepes; fresh and right out of the oven.

Of course, either Zoro or Sanji would slither away out of everyone's sight dragging the other with him and have a secret kissing, touching (and eventually sex)moment.

But the whole day, from morning to night, whether Zoro was awake or asleep, Sanji was always there. Always.

Zoro only wanted subtle affection. If he wanted it, he would go up to Sanji and get some. He now considered Nami and Robin as saints. How could they stand him for that long?

Zoro growled in mild frustration since he was stuck between walls of people. He could smell different odors and perfumes that clung on human skin and it sickened him. To lower his irritation he decided to see what things the store just up ahead of him was selling. It took a few minutes for the swordsman to push through the crowd to stumble out and into a small store selling exotic animals.

All of the animals were stored in cages made out of bamboo. The smaller animals were kept in metal cages to prevent any escape. Still, animals with elongated tails stuck out. Zoro awed at an animal shaped in a round ball and small enough to sit on his hands. Its large, shiny black eyes stared back at him with curiosity. Its fur was long and pure white and on its forehead was one long spiral horn. His hand tentatively slipped through the bamboo bars to touch the little animal. His hand sunk into the soft, white body; it was pleasuring to the touch. The creature titled its head to the side and wiggled happily.

A short, wrinkled old man wobbled out from the side of the tent. He had been inspecting the green haired customer, "That is a unicorn chinchilla." Zoro pulled his hand out of the cage and took a good look at the man. The store clerk looked like was basking in the sun for his skin was dark. He wore large, loose robes and a dirty red cap to block some of the light. The man was shorter than Zoro and only came up to his chest. His eyes were as large as the unicorn chinchilla and sparkled with interest. "Do you want it? It's a mere eighty-six thousand bellis."

Zoro staggered away from the creature, the chinchilla sulked back to the corner of the cage, "Ah, no. I was just looking..."

The glint in the man's eyes didn't change, "Ah, but you must be interested in this." He lowered two stacks of cages away and raised one right in Zoro's face, "This is a cuckoo lizard. It is still a baby but once it's fully grown, it could carry a person and fly in great distances." The swordsman stared at the winged lizard covered in chicken feathers.

"Really, I'm just looking." Zoro tried to leave but the man held him by the collar. He whirred and glowered down at the store clerk, "What?"

The man had another cage and Zoro stopped to stare at the creature within. The animal was fairly large with short brown hair covering its slick body. Its eyes were bright red but Zoro couldn't tell where it was looking at.

"Isn't she quite a beauty?" The store clerk let Zoro hold the cage. The swordsman was about to pet the creature when the old man stopped him, "Be careful. If you provoke her she'll bite-and her bites aren't pretty."

Zoro took the information into consideration as his fingers gently stroked the fuzzy body. The creature stirred but did not bite back. She made rustling noises but otherwise remained still, allowing Zoro to stroke her. He liked her immediately.

"How much is she?"

The store clerk beamed, "She is twenty-four hundred, but since she likes you so much I'll make it nineteen hundred. How does that sound?"

Zoro opened the money bag for the first time and counted his allowance. He had thirty thousand bellis, enough to keep her and trip to the bar. The man accepted the bills with a gleaming smile and handed the cage. "Thank you very much."

"You too." Zoro waved a hand. He quickly tucked the small cage under his arm and shoved through the immense, suffocating crowd.

-.-.-

Everyone planned to sleep in inns to relax in still beds instead of rocking hammocks. While some of the crew rented hotels, Zoro chose a small inn right above the busy marketplace. Zoro laid the cage on the tiny table beside the bed and tapped the bars lightly. The creature made its way toward Zoro and rubbed its legs against Zoro's fingers. Zoro smiled, "Your name's Umiu okay?" the creature made a clicking noise and he assumed she liked it, "I think everyone's going to like you-well maybe not Nami..."

The creature hissed at the name. Zoro laughed, "You already don't like her? Well, wait until you meet her..."

-.-.-

Four days have gone in a flash and it was time for departure. Nami and Robin returned with each arm (Robin had eight arms) filled with bags of clothes. Already in their room had dozens of newly bought clothes, ready to be put away-or worn. Nami was the queen of bargain and with her adorable looks and voice she was able to crank down most of the asking price. She bought tons of jewerly from rings to crowns all embedded in different kinds of gems.

Franky came back with tools no one had ever seen before. Usopp was fascinated by the intricate screw driver like object with the ends coiled like a snake.

Sanji had already restocked all of the supplies on the first day without any help and the rest of the day he spent his time flirting with women or finding rare items. Whenever he bought something it was always for someone else. This trip he bought a total of three: a gold chained necklace with a nickel sized opal dangling on it- this was for Nami. The simple amethyst jeweled necklace was for Robin. The last, the three gold and silver earrings with tiny diamonds embedded on it, was for Zoro.

The joyous band of boys brought home toys and other playful objects. One of the items, called a bom-bom, were little rabbit shaped pellets and once thrown, the pellets exploded in a comedic noise and colorful strings of confetti blasted out. It was only a one-time enjoyment so Luffy bought hundreds. Usopp bought himself his own alarm clock which he could record sounds to create the alarm sounds. He also bought a voice-enhancing microphone to alter or enhance his angelic music, Den-den Mushi speakers (two Den-den Mushi with their eyeballs to raise and lower the volume), some drawing paper, the Phoenix Paints (paint that never runs out), invincible paint brushes (never bristle), and a massive frame to put up his masterpieces. Chopper came home with a couple of books from medical to leisure time and some tiny miniature figures. Brook bought rosin for his violin bow, stacks of sheet music, and blank sheets of music so he could write his own music. The musician also bought each of the ladies some panties, and he got a 'thank you but no thank you' kick from the navigator.

As always, Zoro was the last to arrive to the Thousand Sunny with the tiny cage hidden behind his back, wrapped up in a yellow handkerchief. In the other hand, which he wasn't hiding, was a thin black box. Inside was a red and blue pin stripe tie for Sanji. It was half a gratification gift since he knew he was probably going to get something from him and also an apology for not spending time with him for the whole five days. Luffy was the first to greet him at the doorway and threw three Bom-Boms at him.

Zoro pulled away the iridescent strings out of his hair, his eyes, and his face, "Hey Luffy."

Luffy laughed and clapped his hands, "What did you get? Let me see!"

The swordsman shaded the objects away from the captain, "Later okay? I'll show it to you later."

"When~?"

"When we go to bed!"

"Okay!" Luffy chirped and leapt back into action, throwing the pellets at Brook. Zoro then sidled up to Sanji and threw the tie over the cook's neck. He fastened it with a sweep of his hand and finally kissed the end of the tie. He leaned back, examining it. "Looks good on you, Cook."

-.-.-

The ship had already set sail and on its way to another exciting adventure. Sanji was finishing up washing all of the dishes. Nami and Robin were in the kitchen earlier to have some cups of coffee. They were both wearing the necklaces Sanji had given them and his face melted as he remembered the compliments he received from them, "Ah, I am the luckiest man alive." Sanji sighed pleasurably.

The happiness resided quickly at an agonizing thought. There was five days, five 'free from the crew' days, yet he did not spend any bit of them with Zoro. None. Most of the days Sanji was frantically searching, trying to find his lover so he could drag him back to his hotel to make love. Yes, he rented a hotel, a pricey one to be exact (he used the allowance he saved from the last trip) and he completely wasted it. Now, it was back to the undercover sex, although he didn't mind that at all-it was quite sexy.

He glanced over at the clock on the wall. Past midnight. Everyone should be asleep. His nerves were aching for the swordsman. He fiddled around the knot of the tie he received from Zoro. Zoro kissing his tie-it was remarkably hot. Sanji hastily removed his apron and bolted to the men's room only to stop at the door. He heard voices. Not just one, all of them.

Sanji cursed. What were they doing! His hand still on the doorknob he proceeded to listen to the men's conversation.

"So is this what you bought?"

"Yeah, I didn't want Nami to know I bought her."

"It's a she? What an interesting specimen."

"What's her name?"

"Umiu. She's cute huh?"

"I like her! Can I touch her?"

"Yeah, but be careful, her bites are poisonous!"

"Only Usopp Bro would know that." Sanji snarled under his breath. What were they looking at that caused the whole sleeping crew to wake up, taking his and Zoro's time? Even though the discussion was light and happy he planned to interrupt it.

He turned the knob and stormed in, "What are you guys doing-"

Everyone sat on the floor either cross legged or laying flat on their stomachs. They formed a circle around the said creature. Umiu crawled slowly around, tapping its legs on Luffy's forearm. She was as big as the size of Franky's hand. It stopped and faced Sanji with four of its red beady eyes. Its hairs bristled up and she hissed.

She was a tarantula.

A sound, close to a noise of a drowning animal with ten times the volume, was heard throughout the Thousand Sunny.

Of course, Nami and Robin were awakened from their slumber to see who and what caused the horrible dying noise. The navigator shrieked at the sight of Umiu but thankfully she didn't tell Zoro to release her. She said she would be fine if the creature was out of her sight. Unfortunately that meant she had to be away from Zoro because Umiu was fond of Zoro's hair. She stayed on top most of the time but often times she would crawl down to Zoro's shoulder or arms, covering Zoro in her web.

Zoro was taking a nap on the upper deck with Umiu placed on his chest. The tarantula was resting also, its body contracting in and out as she breathed in even breaths. He woke up to the noise of nervous footsteps and out of the corner of his eye he saw Sanji. He was cautiously tiptoeing towards Zoro with a slice of apple pie. Zoro moaned at the sweet scent and sat up, causing Umiu to tumble down to his groin. That also caused Sanji to scream and launched himself away.

The swordsman frowned, "She's not going to hurt you."

"I know that!"

"Then come here!"

Sanji swallowed, "I rather not."

Zoro rolled his eyes, "Then put the pie there. I'll get it myself." Sanji sputtered out but reluctantly placed the tray on the floor. He shot a look at Zoro, back at the tarantula, and zipped off. Carrying Umiu in his arm, he walked over to the tray, and took a bite of the pie. Just as always, it was delicious.

He kind of felt sorry for Sanji. He didn't know the cook was deathly terrified of bugs. Since Umiu joined the crew (as a pet) the distance between them widened. The cook did not approach him when Zoro was with Umiu, which was most of the time. So far though, Zoro liked it. Sanji was not the sappy romantic, the man whom Zoro loved. Sanji probably learned his lesson of letting Zoro have his personal space, hopefully.

Zoro finished his pie and carried the creature to the men's headquarters. He placed her back in her cage so she wouldn't escape and went in search for Sanji. He needed to thank him for the earrings.

The End

One Piece trivia: Did you know that most of the female characters in the manga are the names of birds? (Kuina, Tashigi, Mozu, Kiwi, Hina...). That is how I got the name.
It makes me wonder if the Kuja Pirates (Boa Hancock's pirate name) were not a coincidence either. [Kuja=Kujaku (peacock)]

Also belli is almost equal to the currency of Japanese money of yen. So, nineteen hundred belli is equal to nineteen hundred yen which equals to about nineteen dollars in English dollars.

Thank you for reading.
Please review.