1 – The author does not own One Piece, it's characters or situations. Tae for entertainment only.
2 – Thanks a lot for all the One Piece fans. You support for me during all this year was great and very, very appreciated. Season greetings, and I wish you all a 2018 of peace and light.
o.O.o
Zefrin was so hungry he could cry no more. Even being but a young boy, he saw the symptoms several times. A person can't get up, can't breathe, is not able even to open their eyes… then, the end by starvation. Today, it was his mother. Mother that few hours ago, gave him the greatest end-of-year gift. An apple. A small, thin apple the invaders didn't care to seize. Or maybe it was one of the rare things washed ashore after yet another cargo ship faces the blockade. Like now. The noise signals another ship going down.
But here and there, the thin faces lightened with hope. Zefrin, it's an enslavers ships going down. In the name of everything sacred, it's a enemy ship going down!
"Leave the last one standing for now." Sanji said.
"Why? It's right on my target." Complained Usopp
"A god should be merciful, right?"
Finally, getting close, Sanji added a strange order. There was no need for the crew to disembark. He and Zoro would be enough to get the good. He was going to complain, but decided to wait until they landed.
"Now talk, ero-cook."
"I ran out of options. I needed someone who would understand the situation, that excludes Luffy, Usopp and Chopper, bless their hearts, since their brains are a lost cause; I would never put Nami or Robin in danger. And you are a better fighter than Brook."
"That leaves Franky."
"Not in the mood to look at his speedos the whole time."
"Ah. So, what's this all about? It's nothing a matter of getting food, is it?"
"Yes, it is. Those ships we just gunned down, they were blocking the food supply for this island for weeks. It's now just a matter of taking their crew down."
"How do you know about that?"
"Newspapers have other uses other than covering one's face to nap under the sun."
"Or to wrap fish up."
"Look, don't make me regret…"
"So, you're here to do your good-goody deed?"
"The inhabitants were starving. This has nothing to do with…"
"Sanji, the one who can't see anyone suffering without food."
The cook raised his finger to the swordsman face, but Zoro finished.
"Not complaining. I am at your side this time."
"Good."
The swordsman pointed to a nearby bar.
"Food or not, shall we start at the usual place?"
The music, laugh and rabble ceased as soon as the duo opened the door and gave a few steps in. after a couple of seconds of silence, all that could be heard was two "click" sounds. A lighter being used and a katana blade being exposed a few centimeters out of the scabbard by a thumb.
More seconds, and Sanji said, in a puff of smoke.
"We want Lock Jack."
A braver man stood up
"It's Admiral Lock Jack for you"
Several other men followed his example. Zoro and Sanji just smiled.
A minute or so later, Zoro was looking for something to drink behind the balcony, and Sanji was turning a knocked down antagonist with his feet. He raised his head and scanned the sea of hurt, fainted, knocked out, bleeding and otherwise bodies on the bar floor.
"Anyone with some brain and vocal cords capacity relatively intact left to talk?"
"Baldy over there." Zoro pointed with a bottle.
The guy in question tried to crawl away, but a powerful foot crushed his hand on the floor.
"Like we said before, we want Lock Jack."
"West temple!" He sobbed "The headquarter is at the temple west from here!"
"See? It was not that hard, was it?"
Zoro joined him walking outside
"You were right about the starving thing. There's no decent booze around. Not even the passable cheap stuff."
"Hey, Marimo."
"Huh?"
"West's this way."
"Ah. Right. Even so, I don't know why you need my help. There's just so many crew he could fit in three boats. You could handle them yourself."
"There's also the islanders. Lock Jack controls the food, people do anything to get their rations. Inclusive fighting alongside their enslavers."
"Hm. I find it hard to believe. I was without food for nine days and still…"
"You are you, moss-for-brain. Those are simple villagers."
"Hm. So you need my help to defeat simple, hungry villagers."
"The only reason I am not sending you back to the ship is because you would never find it."
Somehow, news travel faster than the two Straw Hat Pirates, and the last two dozen meters to the temple was filled with armed antagonists.
"That's… what? Almost a hundred for each?"
"Around that, yes."
"A bit unfair."
"Very, very unfair."
"Let's make it interesting. Don't use your right leg."
"And you… let me see one of your swords. The handle end."
Sanji – already standing on his left leg – carefully put his lit cigarette standing up at Zoro's sword end cap
"I will want it back. Don't dare to drop it."
"Ha! I said to make it interesting. Piece of cake."
And the duo launched themselves at the enemies.
In front of the temple closed door, Zoro offered the sword handle with the cigarette back to Sanji.
"I better be honest with you, Marimo."
"I knew this would come. Spill it."
"I saved you and the rest of the crew more than once, usually doing things no one thought about. I am the cleverness you lack."
"Hey!"
"Let me finish, this is not easy. And you... in certain situations is… kind of …the strength I don't have."
"I know I am way stronger than you, but you can hold yourself in every situation."
The cook kicked the door open, Zoro looked inside.
"Ah. In almost every situation."
Sanji raised his voice, addressing the interior of the church "Allow me to give you a fair warning. Leave now and save yourself a beating, 'Admiral' Lock Jacqueline. You have a face to pretty to…"
The enslaving woman launched a ray from her fingers, turning almost everything on its patch in sand. The Straw Hats jumped out of the way.
"You will owe me one, ero-cook."
"Sure. As soon as we make sure the island people are save."
It did not take long for Zoro to knock the enemy leader. Sanji convinced whoever worked for her and was able to move to jump into the remaining ship and never return.
As a reminder, a Diable Jambe burned and carved on a large rock the Straw Hat's Jolly Roger.
The duo returned to the temple, just to make sure no enslaver was left hiding.
"Now tell me a thing, cook. If this place is practically only sand and rock, how can people live here?"
"They import food, marimo. That's what we did here, get rid of the blockade for them."
"Sure, import how?"
"Are you with your eyes open?" Sanji pointed to a wall of the temple, where religious writings were surrounded by
"Ah. Pearls."
"They have huge oyster beds all around the island."
As if it was a signal, the chief of the village appeared, offering a box of pearls to the pirates.
"Keep it and make a good stock of food." Said Sanji
"And improve the island defenses. Towers and cannons all around." Finished Zoro.
Walking away, the swordsman shocked his head.
"You know Nami would have our head if she learns about it."
"Yes, as much as I admire Nami-chan, sometimes she overstates the importance of gold."
"For instance, what you said."
"For instance, food…huh? What did I say?"
"That we complete each other… sometimes."
"What I meant was…"
"I feel the same, curly."
"Ah. I… yes…"
"It's… huh… nice to fight alongside you."
Sanji's face reddened. For a moment, he was about the kick the swordsman for… some reason. But decided to:
"S-same here. Fighting with you…I feel… safe." Not only fighting. No matter what they did, Zoro made him feel… but he did not finish the thought aloud
"I know the feeling." Myself, sometimes I welcome danger. Often I forget my own fight just to watch you, and your deadly dance, with your powerful legs. But Zoro did not voiced those.
"Well, the important thing is this people will no longer starve. No one should, nor in this time of year, nor never."
Zoro felt someone tugging his leg. A little boy, too thin to be health, wearing some old shorts only good will kept in place, was offering him an apple. A poor excuse for a fruit, with not much pulp on, going brown in places, but the kid was happy to offer with an almost whispered
"Thanks for freeing my father."
He accepted it with a smile.
"Moments worth more than gold, huh, cook?" Took a bite out of the apple. Without thinking, he offered to Sanji, who also ate some.
Without a word, they walked back to the Thousand Sunny. Here and there, the back of their hands brushed against each other. They tried not to stop those.
END