Title: Leave it Behind
Author: Chichicken
Fandom: One Piece
Pairings: Nothing in real, but little Sanji/LuffyxZoro if you want to see it so. Anyway, Zoro-centric.
Warnings: Rated MA for violence, blood and sexual themes. (M might have been enough, but well... )
Spoilers: Thriller Bark
I do not own One Piece, all the rights for Eichiiro Oda! And the lyrics I use all the way through the fic are from song Careless, written by Jonathan Davis!
LEAVE IT BEHIND- PROLOGUE
It was like time didn't move on the Thousand Sunny.
For the outsider, the kitchentable wouldn't have looked empty. On the other head of it was sitting readhead navigator, her stare consentrated on the map. On the left side huge android, Franky, murmured while knitting his food with the fork. Next to him sat the elegant, darkhaired archaeologist Nico Robin. She moved politely when blond cook, Sanji, served more food for the Captain, who sat in the other head of the table. The Mugiwara Captain Monkey D Luffy ate and ate, like usually. Dirty plates tried to fill the empty hole between him and Robin.
On the Luffy's right side Skeleton Brooke sighed, but didn't dare to say any of his thoughts out. Sneaper Usopp looked at him but continued his meal, too. Little reindeer-doctor Chopper tried to make out something about Nami's map.
-We must make at least three or four groups for this, Nami finally said. Her voice wasn't too loud, but the atmosphere was unusual enough to make anyone in the table listen. -One group will stay on this island to wait ... if he comes back, others will leave with small ships Franky has built to look around anywhere else. Remember to ask from all the people around!
After the nakama has left from Thriller Bark, they had made up a deal. Nami had given them all an own map, that showed distinctly the location of Spring Island. It was a small place without any people and ocean around it was usually quite easy to ship through. If one of them would get separated from others, Spring Island would be the place where they'd meet up.
And it had already been four months. Four months without a sign of greenhaired swordman.
Luffy gulped the last piece of the meat in his mouth. On the outside, he seemed normal, but everyone knew it wasn't that simple. Luffy didn't really get excaited of new things like he used to be. The Spring Island was at first a cool place with new animals and lovely, warm-but-not-hot atmosphere. But when they landed on it the first time, the usual trio- Usopp, Luffy and Chopper -didn't even research the place. Only to get the food they had been walking through the forests and beaches.
And it wasn't like ANY of the Mugiwaras would relax. Zoro had always been there- for everyone, he had always been sleeping on the corners, bleeding mostly after the fights, yelling most loudly with Sanji...
And they all had respected him so much.
-I am not gonna stay on this island! I will go somewhere else! Luffy finally let out, before others dared to say a thing. Deep inside, Captain couldn't help but feel a guilt. He remembered blurry when he woke up for a few seconds in the storm. He had heard Zoro's soft voice... And he had stopped to feel panic on that first second, he was sure they'd get out of the waves.
But why was it only he who was on the board after it?
How dared the stupid ocean swallow his first mate?
After Luffy's comment everyone opened their mouths at the same time, first saying, then saying loudly and then yelling that they didn't want to stay on the island either. Luffy wasn't stopping them, so Nami took the lead and made the loudest voice, making everyone silent.
-One person is enough to stay here. Others, take pairs and you all will have one Bugphone to inform others if you find something! Remember to keep contact!
After Nami's simple command everyone worked well.
-------
Sanji felt weird to travel with so small vehicle on the huge ocean. Sure, he didn't show is unsureness to anyone, he just smoked lazily and followed where logstick pointed. His partner, Usopp, showed his emotions more. Sniper was moving nervously from the side to the side and Sanji needed to kick him to make him calm down.
It was something like ten mails before Usopp dared to open his mouth:
-Sanji... um, have you thought that maybe... you know, we'll never find Zoro?...
Cook hid his suprised expression and grunted:
-Well I think that shitty marimo is way too dumb to drown! And you know excactly how well he gets lost, he's somewhere wondering and we are gonna get him back!!
Usopp bit his lip and stayed silent. Sanji's cigarette fell from his mouth, the cooks swore and took another one. He lighted another one and added: -And not like I want that bastard back anyway. We will just have it easier if we'll never find him.
Since he didn't believe Cook's words, Usopp stayed silent. And of course, it wasn't true. Honestly, Sanji stayed almost every night awake, staring at the ceiling, remembering how he was gonna jump after the marimo... And then again, he never did it. Why in the hell? Why didn't anyone else jump when they noticed he dissapeared?
But well, Sanji didn't have right to blame others. He was the only one of the nakama who knew about the truth with Kuma... About the fact that Swordman wouldn't give a shit about his own life, as long as his Captain was safe.
Sanji knew, and still he didn't react when Luffy was being pulled up and Zoro was sinking down.
How could he be so dumb?
-O-oi, Sanji, I see the land already!
-... Mh? Really? Sanji checked the map but didn't see an island near them... -Shit, we must be lost. But well, let's land anyway, maybe we can find something.
Usopp nodded. They sailed their ship little bit hidden, away from the public harbour.
-At least they won't regocnize me from the bounty-poster, Sniper said proudly when they stepped on the land. -They can't figure it out since I had the mask...
-Oioi, you mean they would regocnize ME from the poster? From that ridicilous, ugly, untruthly picture?! Sanji fired up. Usopp gulped and tried to swallow his smile:
-O-Of course not Sanji, it doesnt look like you... so much....
-I'm gonna throw you to the ocean soon.
The harbour was peaceful, only few fishers were chatting outside of the little pub.
-This place looks way too nice and lovely for the marimo, Sanji grunted. Suddenly he noticed that his words were said to the air- Usopp had dissapeared. Sanji swore silently and strided backwards. He found his partner staring at the dark wall of the little shop near by.
-Oi Shithead, you could warn before you diss--
-Sanji, Usopp breathed. Cook was right on his side, staring at the small, new poster.
DANGEROUS PIRATE RORONOA ZORO'S DECAPITATION
ON 12th MARCH 12 pm
COME TO SEE HOW JUSTICE WINS IN THE END.
Sanji hit his fist in the middle of poster, suddenly losing all his selfcontrol:
-What the fuck is this?!
-Sanji, don't scream--
-How haven't they informed this anywhere else?? This should be done in some Marine's huge nest, not in the fucking small island like this, and hidden!! How can they execute someone with this big bounty without a big audience??
-SANJI!!
Blond shut his mouth. Few people were staring at them. Sanji felt a sudden shame, he had let out so much emotions suddenly. Even the Captain of Cowardly was able to keep himself cool at the moment like this.
They walked further from curious eyes and Usopp started to talk with low voice:
-That day's tomorrow. Is Bugphone on the ship?
-No, I have it with me. Gotta inform others right now... But we can't wait them to be here. It's too late then.
-Huh? But they gonna be here tomorrow, I'm sure of it---
-Usopp, there'll be a crowd of Marines with guns then! It's more suprising if we attack now, just you and me. The place they keep him can't be too big or well-guarded... And we can handle it, right?
Sniper bit his lip and nodded:
-It would have been like hell to wait till tomorrow.
----
After two pirates had decided what they should do, everything started to happen like in the dream, like they didn't do anything, just followed the flow. Usopp informed others of the quick find, Sanji started a careful search of the Island's Marine Nest. After two hours Sanji found out two places- other was a original bountyprison on the other side of the Island, other was the headoffice, in the same town they were right at the moment. Even though the Prison sounded like the right place, pair decided to check the office first.
Sanji was so full of adrenalin that he worked like it was a dance. Though, a serious, violent dance. He hardly heard how Usopp thought if this whole thing could be a trap for them. And even though Sanji heard it, he didn't react.
I should have helped him out of the water.
I won't stay and watch the situation again.
Both pirates were surpised how poor the guarding of the Head Office was. Usopp took care of half of the men safely from behind the hedge, Sanji attacked after him and guards fell by his kicks without even realizing it.
They made it to the main corridor easily.
-I wonder how they have been able to hold Zoro with this kind of watch?? Usopp wondered aload. Both stayed quiet and couldn't make up any good excuse. Sanji felt a knot in his stomach. They headed up in silent, found only clean rooms with few Marines (that layed down unconsious after the meeting) and so started to down floor by floor.
--
-... What the fuck...? Is this still the same building?
Usopp couldn't say a word. The Lowest floor was totally under the ground. Horrible smell filled the air. Both men stood for a while, not managing to start open the heavy and old doors.
It was so silent. Deadly silent.
Even though it would have been faster, Sanji and Usopp didn't separate at first. They opened few doors together, only to find empty and dirty solid cells. One door leaded to dark corridor with more doors. Sanji walked from the head to head of it, realizing how big the whole place was. Awhile, Usopp was able to open one door:
-Sanji, someone's...here....
Cook ran to the open door and understood why Sniper's voice had sounded so nauseated. Thank god this person wasn't Zoro. The Prisoner was hanging on the chains in the molded corner. The whole body must have been rotting there for a while, skin was grey and the middle body was being a great dinner for the rats.
-What... what kind of justice is this...? Usopp's voice shook. -He might have been a bad guy but... How can they just leave him here...? How can those people even visit this sick floor?!
-Usopp, let's go, Sanji ordered quietly, the nausea hitting him too. -We can't do anything to things like this... But we know Zoro must be alive, that's the most important now.
Usopp nodded little and stepped weakly out of the cell, closing the door behind him. They separated finally, took both own side of the corridor and started to check the cells one by one.
Sanji was sure his soul was out of his body, watching himself from the ceiling of the disguisting building.
He didn't see other dead or halfdead bodies in the cells, he didn't feel the old wood of the doors or stonewalls around himself.
He couldn't make a sound when he opened the last door. He couldn't breathe when he saw the dirty, dark creature hanging in the chains.
Sanji stepped closer, though he didn't feel the ground or hear his own steps.
The creature was a human, with tanned, bloody skin. Clothes had lost their usual colours and forms, they were just little shreds covering the deepest, open wounds. Sanji could made out that biggest cuts were done by opening all the old scars of the front of the body. Black bandana was tied on the head, covering the eyes totally.
Even the skin has lost its natural colour. It was all dirt, blood and mud.
The smell of open flesh and secretions were overhelming.
Sanji was still out of his own body when he lowered close to his nakama and touched carefully the shoulder's little area where the skn was still intact.
The body shivered, teeth made a little grind.
Suddenly Sanji breathed out sharply, jumped up and screamed like an insane:
-ZORO IS FOUND!!
[tbc]
Aaallrightie, so this was the first real chapter! I did my very best with it, though I might've hurried up a little bit too much.
I'm not native-english-speaker (and not like it's any excuse ^^; ) and kinda lazy with grammatic, so I hope you can ignore all the mistakes I've written.
Anyways, I was so suprised and happy when I already got first, own comment to the Prologue of the story O__O !!
So, Grace121, thank you so much of your review!! I hope the fic satisfies you in the future, too ^^ !!
