Author's Note: Because I got 4 reviews in less than twenty-four hours, I'm posting this at 6 in the morning. I don't own One Piece. Please review!


Speechless
By: Setkia


Full Summary

Sanji is a cook at the Baratie who, for a reason not fully understood by all the other cooks, has not spoken a word in three years. He goes through his life normally, communicating through paper and pen. He hasn't felt the urge to speak since he's decided he would never speak again. Things change though when one day, while taking out the trash, he accidentally runs into the "Demon the Streets".

Roronoa Zoro, the "Demon of the Streets" is a mystery but he's feared by everyone who hears his name. He's on the run from the police with a wanted poster and a big prize if he's found and captured. With an accidental wrong turn, he encounters a strange man with long legs and blond hair. Zoro learnt pretty early on that in his line of work, you don't get attached to people and yet somehow this cook is working his way through his barriers.


PART ONE: BATTLE SCARS

II


Each time he went to take out the trash, he waited.

Sanji couldn't understand why, but he expected to see the green-haired man turn the corner again. He didn't though. Two weeks and no reappearance reinforced Sanji's theory that the man had been lost. No one got lost in the same place again, not unless you didn't know north from south.

Sanji would never admit he felt slightly disappointed.

Roronoa Zoro, huh?

Sanji had been in his presence for less than five minutes and yet, he was more curious about this man than Zeff's secret soufflé recipe and that was saying something.

Tall, tanned. An angular face and green hair. It was after the fact that these details became clear to him. Three golden hoops in his left ear, haunted grey eyes. A white shirt, black pants, a haramaki, he was pretty sure that's what it was called. Three katanas, one white, one black, one red. Those were the colour of the sheaths. Black boots, muscular torso. And those scars.

How did he get those scars?

Sanji closed the lid on the trash can and waited. Five minutes. He gave the Demon of the Streets five minutes of his time every day and he never showed.

Such is life, thought Sanji to himself, opening the door to go inside again when he heard it.

Footsteps.

Using logic, he knew he should get back into the restaurant. He had waited his five minutes, there was no reason to be outside anymore.

Sanji waited.

The footsteps were slow as they inched towards him. He could hear ragged breathing and coughing.

Sanji waited patiently for the mystery person to reach him.

They never did.

Instead, Sanji heard a stumble and then a fall.

He contemplating going to them.

What if they were yakuza? A police man? But what if they were hungry?

He thought about it. What would be the consequences of going to help an injured person? He could tell they were injured, the fact that they couldn't reach him was proof enough. But still … Sanji was said to be too kind hearted, always serving the hungry, but it was his and Zeff's policy. No one should ever go hungry, it was a terror that no soul deserved to face, regardless of what they may have done.

Sanji went off in the direction of the sound to see him.

Roronoa Zoro was back.

He looked nothing like he had before. He was on his knees, trying to use one of his katana to hoist himself up. He was wounded worse than what Sanji had first believed. There was blood … so much blood.

His shirt was stained crimson. He spat on the ground, blood coming out. Gritting his teeth, his swords scrapped across the cement as he tried to stand, but his knees seemed to give out on him.

Sanji held out a hesitant hand. He wanted to say something, anything, but his voice was caught in his throat. Even if he could find words, he knew his voice would crack. Instead of speaking, he gave the swordsman a concerned look.

Roronoa Zoro stared at Sanji's outstretched hand. More accurately, he stared in Sanji's general direction, no sign of recognition filling his eyes, not that Sanji honestly expected him too, before his eyes settled on Sanji's hand. He squinted, as though unsure of what it was. It was then that Sanji realized that there was a trail of blood from Zoro's left eye, almost like he was crying tears of crimson.

The green-haired man's lip was bleeding, he had wounds that looked pretty serious and though Sanji was no doctor, it still worried him.

Sanji stretched his hand out further. He was silent, gnawing at his bottom lip, right where the swordsman was bleeding.

"Cops," Roronoa gasped. "They …" He coughed, blood landing on the ground once more.

The word "human" flashed before Sanji's eyes.

Give him whatever title they saw fit but in the end, Roronoa Zoro was still human.

Sanji could see the fire in his eyes, those haunted grey storms. He wasn't going to take his hand.

Sanji grabbed the wounded man by the elbow, using all his strength to pull him up. The man was heavy and Sanji had no doubt that it was all muscle. When the man was finally on his feet, he swayed for a moment before steadying himself.

Roronoa glared at him. He wasn't meeting Sanji's eyes though, it was more like he was glaring in Sanji's general direction. Probably didn't want to look at the one who had damaged his pride.

"You don't need to help me," Roronoa snapped. "I'm fine."

Says the man wiping blood off himself. Sanji rolled his eyes and gestured for the man to follow him.

"I can't go in there," he said, nodding towards the Baratie.

The man's stomach growled.

Well, if that didn't seal the deal, nothing else would.

Sanji tried to guide Roronoa by his elbow, but the man fought back. "I'm not going, Curly Brow!"

Sanji's eyes widened in surprise at the new name. He glared, his blue eyes flashing. Fine, if he was going to be that way, then he was Marimo.

With his mind made up, Sanji tugged again, his jaw squared, the smoke pouring out of his cigarette. Taking a deep breath, he tried to clear his mind.

"Leave me alone!" Marimo snapped, gritting his teeth, trying to pull out of Sanji's grip. He was seriously injured, there was no way he would manage to get out of Sanji's grip, and even if he did, it wasn't as though he could go very far.

If he thought Sanji was just going to leave him be, he was downright stupid. Sanji never turned away someone in need. Especially if they were hungry.

"Listen to me dammit," Marimo hissed. "I've dealt with worse."

Sanji might've believed him. If he hadn't winced at the end.

"Curlicue, leave me the fuck alone!"

Idiot-swordsman, Sanji shot back in his mind.

Marimo was right though. He couldn't go into the Baratie. From the way the cooks had spoken about him, Roronoa Zoro was bad news. If the piercings and scowl weren't enough, he also carried three swords. How did he fight with them all?

A thousand reasons not to help this man raced through his head.

He was probably a fugitive, the cops wanted him in jail, the cooks spoke badly of him and they rarely spoke trash of anyone. Carne and Patty had been scared of him, just hearing his name. He was a skilled swordsman with the title of "demon", a title which was probably not just given out to the first person out on the streets. He had earned himself a reputation for being ruthless, hadn't he? But …

He was hungry, wasn't he?

Marimo was starting to get out of his grip. He couldn't waste time thinking, not while that bakaro was limping— holy shit, he was limping— away.

CRASH!

The wounded man hit the ground a few seconds before Sanji's foot met with the cement again. In a simple kick, Sanji had just made more noise than he had ever made in three years.

He blinked, staring at the passed out man.

Quiet. It was quiet.

Sanji tilted his head. He found he didn't so much mind a silent Marimo.

But what was he supposed to do now?

He didn't know how long he could keep him knocked out, it really seemed like a once in a lifetime thing, with the man's strength depleted he hadn't been able to fight back but if he had, Sanji had no doubt he'd have been turned into a pretzel and though he was flexible, he doubted he was that flexible.

He sighed.

Even knocked out, the Marimo was causing him problems.


Author's Note #2: The thank-yous!

Random Person: Glad to know!

Aj the human: Here's another one for you!

bronze andromeda shun: I don't believe you've ever reviewed my work before, in which case, welcome to the dark side!

tenshuni: I hope this satisfies you for now. Also, please don't chop off the heads of authors if you want updates from them.

Okay now my question for the chapter: first impressions? Sanji's point of view? What do you think of these new alternate universe characters? Why do you think Sanji doesn't speak?

(Yes, I told you the chapters would be shorter.)