I do not own One Piece
Day 1 of 7
They stood in their small group looking at the others who were defenders. Luffy was laughing as he looked around. The rest of the crew watched from the side lines. They already had their flags and their survival packs. They stood at ease as the others seemed to be whispering to each other about something or another and looked ready for a battle. Zoro watched them carefully as Sanji was smiling like an idiot at the female teams.
"Attention, attention, and welcome to another Survival Game of Capture the Flags, this year's prize is two hundred million beli, it will last one week, a total of twenty red flags are available, when you hear the giant gong the game has ended and you have three days to get back to the town to collect, failure to return means you lose out. Now allow me to introduce the teams. Starting with the three time winners, the Aquilon Teams from the Aqulin Pirates," said the announcer over a den-den mushi speaker. "Captain Taya and her First Mate Kano," a woman turned and waved to the cheering crowd. "Team two Sniper Shimei and Shipwrite Tomi, and team three Cannoner Yuno and swordswoman Koya." The blue flagged people waved and turned to the other teams and smiled cockily at them.
"Next we have the Skylark team from the Drop Pirates, Captain Ryoichi and his First Mate Koryusai , team two Snipers Koto and Shinzo, and team three Accountant Otojiro and martial artist Shiho." The team of green flags grinned evilly at the crowd as some cheered and booed them.
"Finally we have the Sunny teams from…. The Straw Hat Pirates!" there was a moment of silence as the crowd went quiet for a long moment. "Team one, their captain Straw Hat Luffy and his Navigator Cat Burglar Nami," there was looked around as the other Straw Hat crew cheered and then others joined in. "Team two, is First Mate and Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro and Chef Black Leg Sanji! Team three Archaeologist Demon Child Nico Robin and Sniper Usopp!" The announcer said and the crowd cheered and backed away slightly. Taya and her crew watched them carefully; Zoro had his arms crossed as he too watched them. She gave a small smile his way and then turned to the forest at hand.
"Teams ready!" the announcer said and they all split up.
"Oi!" Luffy called out and his crew looked at him as he lifted an arm into the air. Nami smiled and lifted hers into the air. Zoro and Sanji followed as well as Usopp and Robin and in the crowd Chopper lifted his arm up, Franky and Brook not quite understanding but knowing it meant something lifted their fists to the sky. They remained like that not saying a word to each other. The crowd and the other teams looked at them strangely. It was their vow, to see each other again.
"Ropes up and," the announcer said as a gong was struck loudly. "GO!"
The teams raced into the forest following their ropes.
Sanji led with Zoro behind him coiling the rope around his arm. The pack over one shoulder as he worked. Sanji walked at a slow pace as he listened to the natural sounds of the forest and the vanishing crowd in the town behind him. They weren't allowed to look in their packs yet so he had no idea what they had for food supplies.
"Poor Nami having to be paired with that glutton," he complained. Zoro watched the back of his head with his one good eye.
"She can handle Luffy," Zoro said. Sanji looked over his shoulder at him, it seemed that he knew more than what he was letting on, but he didn't say anything more than that. It was just his luck that he would be stuck with Zoro.
So they walked following the rope, which to Sanji's surprise Zoro was able to follow, mainly because he was in charge of gathering it and couldn't get lost doing so. According to the rules they had to stay at the place of the knot until sunrise tomorrow. Sanji looked up into the sky and noted it was still morning. A bit of scouting should be done around the area, he looked at Zoro. He would be taking that role.
"Nami expects us to win," Zoro said. "Those names weren't random."
"I figured," Sanji replied. "She did it this way so we would have the best chance, leaving the doctor and shipwright on the ship was a good idea. Usopp and Robin also work well together and she can handle the captain rather well, at least he listens to her," Sanji stopped for a moment. "And we're the fighters." He smiled then and swooned. "Nami's so smart!"
Zoro glared at the back of his head and then started on again. "Ero-cook keep up or you're gonna get lost," Zoro called over his shoulder.
"I am not the one that gets lost marimo!" Sanji yelled at him but started to follow after him listening to the clicking of Zoro's three swords, the sounds around him as he looked around the forest for food supplies. Nearly ignoring the swordsman before him but his eyes kept looking him over as he gathered the rope as he walked; he wasn't sure if he was looking around to or if he was sleepwalking. "Stupid marimo." Sanji growled lowly. Zoro turned his head to the side but said nothing.
More walking, it was no wonder why they said they had to stay at the ropes end until sunrise, it was really deep into the forest, and this island was larger than he had thought. If he was getting hungry he wondered how Nami was fairing with Luffy, and Robin with that useless Usopp. That put Sanji in a foul mood just thinking about it. Zoro hadn't said anything for a few hours now and when Sanji looked up to the sky he could tell it was in the afternoon. Sanji was angry with his own thoughts he nearly ran into Zoro when the man stopped.
"Oi! Why did you stop?" Sanji growled and looked around Zoro and then looked at the rope wrapped around a tree. They had reached their ending. Sanji shrugged off the survival pack, crouching down he shifted through the contents before a second dropped beside his. Sanji looked up at Zoro and glared as the swordsman leaned against the tree, both eyes closed. "Oi," Sanji started.
"Huh?" Zoro grunted as he opened his unscarred eye.
"Don't go to sleep," Sanji yelled at him. Zoro ignored him and closed his eye again. Sanji was about ready to kick him but stopped himself. He quietly went back to looking over the packs. He set everything around him as he took inventory of their supplies. Four compressed blankets, two compressed rain tarps, he guessed for shelter, four cans of what he assumed was food as well as two bags of some sort of trail mix. Two rolls of thick bandages and one full first aid kit, two canteens of fresh water. Two skinning knives, and a crude set of cooking and eating wear. Over all they didn't have much. Sanji packed everything back in the packs as he thought about what to do now. Zoro was sleeping against the tree; Sanji sat down and lit a cigarette.
Zoro was suddenly awake and standing up as he looked around the forest, Sanji looked at him and stood up, he looked around and to Zoro as he looked in one direction which was over his shoulder to the right. He placed a hand on one of the hilts of his swords as he waited for something to happen. Then a large boar came rushing out of the growth, its hooves pounding in the ground as it wailed. Zoro was quick as he unsheathed and slashed at the charging creature to have it fall dead a few feet behind Sanji. The cook watched as Zoro cleaned what little blood there was from his weapon sheath it and sat back against the tree.
"Oi," Sanji said as he lashed out with his foot. Zoro lifted an arm to block him. "What is your problem; you have been ignoring me and being all moody on me." Sanji growled.
Zoro glared up at him and pushed him away. "Nothing," he answered and looked to the boar. Sanji looked over his shoulder and then went to work on the boar, muttering under his breath. Zoro watched Sanji and looked up to the sky.
"Zoro," Luffy called to him as he and Nami walked after Zoro to the crow's nest. Nami sat on the bench as Zoro picked up his weights and Luffy stood watching him for a moment.
"During this contest I don't want you and Sanji to fight," Nami said. Zoro looked at her as he swung on the bar to the salmon ladder.
"Huh?" he asked and dropped down and took a towel.
"Zoro, Nami wants to win, if you two can not fight each other and work together she thinks this contest will be easy," Luffy said.
Zoro looked at Luffy and ran a hand through his hair. "What can I say when the Captain tells me not to argue with the cook?" he let out a breath and nodded his head. "Your orders."
Nami wrapped her arms around Zoro's shoulders in a hug and grinned wide. "Two hundred million beli is ours!"
Zoro watched as they left the Crow's nest. This was going to be a week of Hell.
Zoro closed his eye to try and get back to his nap. Soon though his stomach rumbled as smells from cooking reached his nose and he woke up to see Sanji leaning over a small fire, he had dug into the earth to try and keep the flames down, but a lot of good that did when the smoke and smell of the food wove around in the air. Sanji walked over and handed him a plate and a water canteen. Zoro looked at it as there were some roots and other things with the boar meat.
Sanji sat a few feet away from Zoro and they ate in silence. Sanji watched Zoro from the corner of his eye as the swordsman sat there, shoving the food into his mouth. Sanji looked at the boar and he wished briefly that Luffy was here so he could eat it all, as it was they couldn't carry it all with them and he knew that neither of them had the endless pit that Luffy had. To his credit though Zoro ate quite a bit of the food so there wasn't as much that would go to the other animals of the forest or if some other team was lucky enough to find it before they left at sunrise. Sanji looked in the packs and decided to use a tarp to wrap some of the cooked food, it would last long but a day or so, he rearranged the packs again.
"Oi stupid marimo," Sanji looked up at him. "Since you slept you get to keep watch tonight," Sanji growled getting ready for a verbal fight. To his dismay Zoro nodded his head and jumped into the tree to get a sight advantage. Sanji growled at his lack of confrontation with the swordsman. He grabbed a blanket and went to lean against the tree to try and get some sleep. "Wake me up before sunrise!" he called out to Zoro. Zoro didn't respond to him as he sat down on a branch and watched the forest. Sanji glared and grumbled as he lay down to try and get some sleep.
Zoro looked down after a while to the sleeping cook. The night was still young yet, the sun hadn't even fully set. He jumped out of the tree and walked around the small little area, he didn't want to go far and leave his crewmate unprotected. He would never let that down. He looked to the sky and wondered how the others were doing, but that thought didn't last long as he turned and looked to the side.
A woman walked out of the brush a sly smile on her face as she stood a couple of yards away from him. A red flag on her left arm and a pair of daggers on her thighs.
"First night," she said and smiled. "Rules state I cannot attack during the first night," she said turning her head to the side as Zoro allowed the sword to slid back home in the sheath. She watched Zoro as he walked around checking the other areas. The woman stood there watching him and looked to Sanji sleeping curled against the tree. "Wow, normally both members of the team sleep the first night," she said with a smile to her voice. Zoro turned to watch her, she hadn't moved.
"You plan on standing there all night?" he asked.
"Maybe," her eyes became alight with humor. Zoro then ignored her for the rest of the time, and she was content with that. About two hours before sun rise Zoro knelt down to Sanji and placed a hand on his shoulder and shook him.
"Oi mr. Nosebleed," Zoro called and Sanji groaned as he sat up. Zoro looked towards the woman but she had faded into the shifting shadows of the coming dawn. She had been there nearly the whole night and now she was gone, that didn't sit well with him. "Be warned cook, we have an attack around here," he explained as Sanji got up and packed the blanket away and started to heat up some breakfast.