A/N: Hi guys! This story is now now Beta'd thanks to, KrljicaZla!


~Chapter Zero~

Prologue

Zoro stood in front of the Going Merry staring at the sea. All three swords were at his side like they always were. A blank expression was on his face, his crew mates unsure of what to make out of the swordsman's demeanor. Zoro ignored his friends as they asked him what was wrong. Rarely did he respond to them, assuring them he was fine. Though it was obvious something was bothering him deep down.

As the wind brushed gently through Zoro's green hair, he closed his eyes and let a small smile come to his lips. Out of the few things he cherished in life, the wind was one of those few. It was the one thing that brought his mind at ease knowing somewhere, a certain someone out there was sharing the same moment.

That certain someone was special to Zoro, even though he would never admit it out loud and hated to admit it to himself. He always claimed he hated that person or found him extremely annoying. After that someone left the Merry to help a sick village full of starving people, Zoro found himself missing that someone. That someone was Sanji.

He would never forget the last words the cook said to him.

~flashback~

The Going Merry was getting ready to sail off. Luffy had called the signal and Usopp brought up the main sail. Zoro went to raise the anchor but stopped as he spotted Sanji among the crowd on the pier. Zoro's eyes widened and turned his head to face Luffy.

"Luffy, Sanji!" He pointed to the blond who stood at the end of the dock watching his crew mates sail away. Zoro ran as fast as he could, jumping to the ram's head. "Shit cook! What are you doing?"

"Sanji!" Luffy shouted.

"These people need me here. They are starving and in need of a cook. Being a cook myself it's my duty to feed the hungry."

"But you're our cook, Sanji!" Luffy cried.

"I know that, Luffy, and I'll always be your cook. I just need to do this."

"You damn cook! You're leaving us!?"Zoro cried out.

"Oi, shitty swordsman, I'll come back! I'm not leaving for good!"

At this time Usopp, Chopper, Nami and Robin were standing next to Luffy as the ship sailed further away.

"But your dream, Sanji! All Blue!" Luffy cried.

"Not a chance would I ever forget it! I'm still going to find that ocean someday!" Sanji smiled brightly at the crew and started waving his hands in a wide arc. "We'll meet again! Live on the promise!"

Zoro shook his head. "Luffy! Grab him!" The first mate demanded.

"Aren't you going to do something, Luffy?!" Nami asked.

The raven haired boy rose his head, a smile on his face. He held onto his straw hat and waved to Sanji. "If you don't come to us, we'll come to you! Got that, Sanji?!"

Sanji's smile broadened. Zoro gaped at his captain.

"You're letting him go!?"

Luffy grinned. "It's his job, Zoro. He wants to feed the hungry. He'll be back. He promised."

Zoro stared at his captain and then back at Sanji. He felt a small knot beginning to form in the pit of his stomach as the cook slowly became indiscernible among the crowded dock. Zoro shook his head and pulled off his bandana. "YOU BETTER COME BACK AND RETURN THIS, SHIT COOK!" he said, the bandana blowing away from his fingers.

Sanji grinned, as he caught a hold of the dark material, tying it around his neck. "Don't worry sword-boy, I'll keep your hair piece nice and clean for you. In the meantime I'll try to come back as soon as I can! TAKE CARE, YOU HEAR?"

~end of flashback~

"Take care, you hear…" Zoro said to himself and touched the bare spot on his arm that the bandana once occupied. He sighed and turned himself around. It had been six long months since then, with no word of Sanji's whereabouts. Zoro couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the cook as concern crept upon his mind.

Though when he looked to Luffy his captain seemed worry free of their cook's decision. Then again, nothing seemed to worry Luffy. That captain was always happy-go-lucky.

Zoro sighed and moved away from the helm, jumping down to the main deck. He headed to the men's quarters, passing Nami and Robin along the way. He remembered Nami speaking of an island only a few hours away, not that Zoro cared. All Zoro cared about was taking a nap.

Having Sanji on his mind all the time wasn't good and seemed to only tire him out. He needed to rest and to forget about the cook. He had to concentrate on becoming the best. That was his dream after all. He had made a promise and he wasn't going to let the cook's temporary absence stop him, just because he missed having him around.

But that was it. He did miss the cook. He missed Sanji and his damn mouth. Why? He didn't understand and it bothered him deeply.

Sighing softly, Zoro made it to his hammock and threw himself into it. He stared at the ceiling for a while before closing his eyes. He didn't want to wake again until they reached the next stop. There he would go on about his training and try to regulate things back to the way they were. With or without the cook.

To be continued…