Author's note:
This was inspired by me learning about Día de los muertos in Spanish class and I thought what if Sanji had to help Zoro find his decedents because he kept getting lost? Thus this story was born. I'm not sure if I got all of the symbolism right, so if I messed something up, feel free to correct me. I'm also taking into account that Zoro and Sanji mellowed a bit over time, so sorry for any ooc-ness. Rated T for Sanji's cussing. As always, reviews are highly appreciated.
There is no real connection to the storyline in this fanfic, so they are not actually dead in the current manga.
…
The Day of the Dead
The dead were acting more excited than usual, Zoro noticed with a small frown. He could remember them acting like this before around a certain time of year, but he couldn't remember what it was. He turned to the blond standing next to him.
"What's up with everyone?" he asked Sanji.
"Don't tell me you forgot again," Sanji replied with a sigh.
"Forgot what?
"That tomorrow is Día de los Muertos."
"Oh, that."
"Yeah that. And Tagashi will kill me if I let you get lost on the way there again."
"I didn't get lost, everyone else did."
"Idiot marimo, your sense of direction didn't improve even after death."
"It's not like your cooking did either."
"Shut up, shitty swordsman!"
"You're one to talk, ero-cook"
Sanji launched a kick at Zoro, who managed to block it by pulling Yubashari, the deceased sword, in front of him. Two plain black katanas hung at his waist, the two that were broken by Mihawk in that fateful first encounter. A few more blows were traded before they reluctantly stopped.
"We should probably start going over, if it's tomorrow. I can already smell the incense."
Zoro sniffed the air and realized that Sanji was right; there was a very slight smell in the air.
"How do you smell something that faint?" Zoro asked.
"Cooking gets you used to it. You have to be able to tell if you put the right spices in the food, marimo."
Zoro decided that sleep was more important than another fight. He yawned and stretched out, closing his eyes with a mumbled "wake me up when it's time to go." Sanji shook his head, a small grin on his face. That swordsman never changed.
…
The blond cook aimed a kick at the swordsman lying on the ground.
"Wake up moss-head, it's time to go."
"I'm getting up already." Zoro slowly clambered to his feet. He and Sanji had died when they were older, but in death they were restored to the prime of their life. He and Tagashi had given birth to a son named Allen, and Sanji and Nami had a daughter named Lisa. Then, to their surprise, Allen and Lisa had married, and had twins, Kayla and Zeff. The twins were ten years old.
Sanji and Zoro began to walk in a random direction as far as Zoro was concerned until he noticed that the smell of incense getting stronger as they walked.
"So that's how everyone knows where to go," he murmured softly to himself. Sanji just sighed. Nothing that the swordsman did to get himself lost would surprise him anymore.
After walking for a while, Sanji asked Zoro, "Do you miss it?"
"Miss what?"
"Being alive?"
Zoro thought for a moment. "Yeah," he answered. "I do. But I accomplished my goal. I defeated Mihawk. I was the best swordsman in the world. The best swordsman can't have too long of a life expectancy. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm satisfied with the life that I lived. Are you?"
"Yeah," Sanji admitted. I guess I am. After all, I found All Blue. I also got the lovely Nami-chan for my wife. But I miss sailing with Luffy, and the adventures that we used to have."
They walked in silence for a moment. Then Zoro spoke.
"Maybe we should get together and all go sailing sometime, here in death. I think that I heard that there are oceans around here somewhere, and the Going Merry should be here as well."
"Yeah, we should."
The two walked through a hole ripped in the trunk of a gigantic tree that lead into the world of the living. The portals were only open today, so many spirits made good use of them, checking on everyone they wanted to who was still alive.
They stopped at a fairly large house on the corner of a block. The cook and swordsman walked through the door and into a large room, an alter draped with flowers on one wall. There were tall candles burning, and incense perfumed the space. Offerings of food were set out, and skeletons were everywhere.
"It looks like someone made an alter to Brooke," Zoro said with a grin.
"Yeah, but since when did Brooke wear a bandana and haramaki and use three swords," Sanji pointed out a skeleton dressed with aforementioned clothing.
"Look at this one," Zoro remarked while laughing. It was a skeleton with swirly eyebrows and an apron.
There were other skeletons scattered around, some of Zoro, some of Sanji. Zoro looked at one of him in the Oni Giri position, noticing that he was even using the right swords. A miniature Wado Ichimonji was in his mouth, and he was holding tiny versions of both Sandai Kitetsu and Shuusui in his hands.
Sanji was looking at a skeleton of him in a suit, his leg aimed upward from a kick. There was a pair of skeletons that showed both of them together, fighting back to back.
The blond cook picked up a pastry from the alter. The physical pastry stayed in place, and the shadowy copy that was the flavor came away in his hand. He took a bite of the roll and savored the taste. His daughter had inherited his cooking skills he thought to himself. Zoro took a gulp from a bottle of expensive sake left out for him.
The young twins paraded into the room. Kayla had Wado Ichimonji, Shuusui, and Sandai Kitetsu strapped to her waist, and the little Zeff was carrying a plate of cookies, steam rising from them. He set the plate on the alter, announcing to the air, "Look, grandpa Sanji, I can cook too! I'm going to be the best cook in the world, and find All Blue, just like you did! But the map Grandma made was lost when you died, so I'm going to find it all over again!"
"Well I'm going to be the best swordsman in the world, grandpa Zoro, just like you were. And I'm going to master the Santoryu style as well! It doesn't matter that I'm a girl, I definitely will! See, I've been practicing!" With that, she stuck Wado Ichimonji in her mouth and took out the other two, swinging them around in one of the basic forms. She nearly missed Zeff's arm with Shuusui which lead to a brief scuffle once the swords was safely replaced in their sheaths.
"They're like we were back then, aren't they?" Sanji asked with a dreamy look on his face.
"Were?" Zoro scoffed. "More like still are," and to prove his point, smacked the cook on the side of the head with the hilt of his sword.
"Watch it, shitty swordsman."
"See, I told you."
Sanji accepted the fact with a nod of his head.
"Well, it's your fault that poor little Kayla has green hair."
"And you're not to blame for Zeff's eyebrow?"
"He has a perfectly fine eyebrow!"
"Besides the fact that it's swirly?"
Zoro took a cookie from the plate and widened his eyes a little.
"He can bake well."
Sanji mimicked Zoro and took a cookie.
"A little too much flour, but not half bad for a beginner," Sanji critiqued.
"He'll become a great cook one day, undoubtedly. After all, he's got your swirly eyebrow, so he has to become a great cook."
"And Kayla has your marimo hair, so she'll become a great swordsman. Her form didn't look half bad, after watching you for so long."
"It's funny how those things work."
"In what way?"
"Well, they're just so similar to us. It's like the essence of us being used again in them. Kind of like being reincarnated, but staying ourselves."
"You know what; you might just have a point there."
Soft footsteps and a loud thump behind them proved to be Nami and Tagashi. The former marine tripped over the doorstep as she came in somehow, even though she had no physical form in this world. Zoro dismissed it without a thought, just catching her and setting her gently on her feet. He was used to her practically legendary clumsiness.
"We've done well for ourselves, haven't we, marimo?" Sanji asked.
"We certainly have, ero-cook," replied Zoro.
…
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