Sitting in a beach chair at the edge of the water with a cup of coffee, munching on a stylish wheat bread prosciutto sandwich and enjoying the company of a beautiful, intelligent older woman who seemed to hang on his every word, Sanji was practically living out every high school fantasy he'd had, lying awake at night, trying to pretend he was one-hundred percent straight.

Of course, this was still an entirely unbelievable scenario for him, but that was because the beach chair was situated next to the glowing blue water of a cavernous grotto, and there were four merpeople lounging about in the shallows. Dr. Tony had run off to prepare some antiseptic for Zoro, so that left four humans to balance out the merfolk.

Sanji sipped at his coffee as casually as he could manage, given the situation.

"It's hard to believe this is your first time seeing our facilities," Robin mused to him. "I'm sorry it had to be under such surprising circumstances."

"His fault," Sanji replied, hitching a thumb over his right shoulder towards the water where Zoro floated with arms propped against the smooth rocks.

In return, he received an irritated splash from the merman, who tried his best to get salt water in Sanji's drink. It didn't work.

"Indeed," Robin chuckled, smiling when Zoro shot her a grumpy look in return. "I'm mulling over the best way to go about this. Would you rather ask any questions you may have? Or shall I start detailing the history of our organization?"

Judging by the disgruntled noise from the water, and the bored look on Zoro's face when he plopped his chin into a hand rather dramatically, Sanji wondered if, despite how fascinating it would be to listen to Dr. Nico's account, the explanation might get a bit….lengthy. And aside from the scientific findings, the rest was pretty self-explanatory.

A research center secretly protecting and exchanging education with merpeople? As crazy as it sounded, it actually made a whole lot of sense, given what he knew about O.H.A.R.A.'s independence.

"Well," Sanji started, his head spinning a bit as he tried to work out one clear question in his head. "I guess, my first question is, how long has this whole...arrangement...been a thing? And how long has my dad known about it? You said on the phone you've been working with Zoro since he was ten?"

Robin shared a glance with Zeff, Sanji noticed, though no words were exchanged, and his father remained quiet.

"As you know," she eventually said, her long index finger trailing over the porcelain of her coffee cup absently. "The M.A.R.I.N.E.S. was established by the World Government over ninety years ago, to initially provide research to aid the world war efforts, particularly for early submarine development. O.H.A.R.A. was created in response one year later, to study and protect the habitats and marine life that were affected.

"And in fact, it was O.H.A.R.A., based in West Blue as it still is now, that came into contact with the first merpeople, driven from their homes by the dangerous weapons testing occurring in the other seas. The M.A.R.I.N.E.S., at this point, was working closely with the Navy to do so. The first researchers of O.H.A.R.A. decided to protect the merpeople and give them insight into the humans' actions. This was difficult, at first, with the language barrier, mind. But it seemed merpeople had been observing what they could of the human world far before humans were even aware of their existence beyond legend."

Sanji couldn't help but turn eyes down to Zoro when he caught his movement out of the corner of his eye, the merman slumping shoulders and shooting Sanji a deadpan look, as if to say, 'I told you so.'

Sanji just reached out and flicked Zoro's forehead, contrarily quite fascinated by Robin's little history lesson because, unlike some idiot fish, he could understand it. And it was real history that he'd never heard before, at least not with the merfolk added to the mix.

"After the war," Robin continued. "The M.A.R.I.N.E.S. had made their stance on marine life preservation quite clear, and this was what drove O.H.A.R.A. to break off as a separate faction, keeping the secret of the merpeople with them."

Again, Robin looked to Zeff, who'd crossed arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair, one ankle propped on his knee.

"As for when your father found out, perhaps this is a question best answered by him."

A few grumbling noises from the old man.

"I was thirty-five," Zeff answered gruffly. "Out here helpin' transport some pilot whales that had beached and needed care. Far too careless mermaid popped up to say hello while we were out on the water. She was just lucky I was the only outsider aboard."

This was all he said, and though this raised a million more questions in Sanji's mind - among them, who was she? Where was she now? - it seemed Zeff wasn't about to elaborate, and he caught the look Franky and Robin exchanged.

Was that disappointment…?

"Yes, well, we are very grateful for Dr. Red's involvement in our cause in the years since. Having him as an East Blue ally has helped sustain the populations that have migrated there," Robin said. "And we cannot thank him enough for the protective efforts he put forth during both of the government's seizings…."

"Seizings…?" Sanji asked, not liking the sound of that, particularly when he noticed the uncomfortable shifting of the merpeople, Johnny, Yosaku, and Perona all averting eyes. Even Zoro only met Sanji's eye briefly when he tried to look at him again.

Robin gazed, a little sadly, at the merfolk, but didn't shy away from the truth.

"Yes," she began. "Nearly twenty-five years ago, the Navy began to run more weapons tests in the waters around East Blue, with the M.A.R.I.N.E.S.' approval. The leader of the merfolk, at the time, was rather brash. He went against our advice and showed himself to the M.A.R.I.N.E.S. in a foolish attempt to negotiate and protect their waters. He'd become a scientist himself, after a lifetime of interaction with O.H.A.R.A., and he believed he'd developed the perfect negotiating tool.

"This wasn't the case, as, ultimately, his actions - and the harrowing interest of the M.A.R.I.N.E.S. over the merpeople's reveal - led to the capture of several merfolk for study, including, very regrettably, some infants. And their leader was killed in the fight that ensued."

Sanji's stomach dropped.

Merpeople? Children? Captured for study? Held in captivity?

Suddenly, he felt very sick, trembling hands lowering his coffee to his lap, his chest tight and his head doing a nauseating spin.

"Wh - What?" he breathed in disbelief, hoping to fuck there was some twist to Robin's words.

There wasn't. He could tell by the heavy air that had fallen over the cavern, the way his father's, and even jovial Franky's moods had dropped, the blue-haired man leaning forward with elbows on his chair's armrests, fingers steepled together as he stared gravely at the floor.

Robin nodded sadly, but her blue eyes were clear, watching Sanji as she spoke.

"Afterwards, our efforts doubled to protect the merfolk, who hid themselves far more thoroughly. The M.A.R.I.N.E.S. pursued them, however, and though it took another ten years for them to finally locate the East Blue colony, I'm afraid they acted again."

Her gaze shifted to Zoro, and Sanji's heart thumped painfully in his chest because, suddenly, he wondered, with dread...

"Zoro himself was nearly taken," Robin murmured gently. "Thankfully, they haven't attacked since. But of course, the effects are lasting…"

Sanji's eyes closed, a shuddering breath leaving him before he turned his head slowly to look at the merman, whose gaze was, a little surprisingly, already fixed on him silently. Sanji's eyes drifted down to the black beads hanging from Zoro's neck.

Zoro stared back solidly, even when Sanji's shoulders slumped and his mouth opened wordlessly, giving a tiny shake of his head.

What was there to say? Absolutely nothing, and, as a human, especially one working in East Blue, he couldn't help but feel incredibly pained over all this. Pained and guilty, even if there was nothing he could have possibly done to help.

"I - I'm sorry…" was all he said after a long moment, eyes still fixed on Zoro.

All other questions he had, about the merfolk, about O.H.A.R.A….all of it left him, and he wasn't sure why. There was so much he was curious about, but it hardly seemed the place to be inquisitive, when it was clear the merpeople had a far darker history than he'd first assumed.

"It's not gonna happen again," he heard himself saying, in the silence that followed, and he wasn't saying it to Robin. He was saying it to the four in the water. To Johnny, Yosaku, and Perona. To Zoro, who'd lifted a brow at the commanding tone to Sanji's voice.

"It's not," he repeated decisively, this time turning back towards the humans. "We can't let it. Even if it means B.A.R.A.T.I.E. stakes jurisdiction over North Blue and South Blue too."

"Eggplant, it's not that simple," rumbled his dad, but Sanji was adamant.

"Right, because a damn human rights violation is up for debate-" Then he huffed a breath and amended, "Whatever. Merpeople rights. But it shouldn't matter! We protect every species, and it's obvious they're more than just a species."

Zeff made a grumbling noise, and he seemed likely to say something else, but Robin's chuckle interrupted.

"Remind me why you didn't tell him sooner?" she asked the older man, a teasing glint in her eye.

"My thoughts exactly!" Sanji yelped indignantly.

Robin smiled, sharing a glance with Franky, who wiggled eyebrows enticingly.

"I have to assume you're curious about their biology as well. Dr. Brook is out tending to the whales, but he knows a great deal about their culture. You may ask him anything you wish. Or myself and Franky, of course. And naturally, any of our friends here."

She gestured to the merpeople.

"Nothing personal though!" Perona piped up, arms crossed over her chest and a pretty pout on her lips. "I don't know you!"

Robin chuckled again.

"Perhaps you'd prefer perusing our library instead," she offered, extending a hand towards the cozy alcove nestled on a higher level of the cavern.

"You brought yer laptop or somethin'? I can get you set up for access to our online database too," Franky added, jerking his head towards the backpack Sanji had by his feet. "Just gotta make sure your computer's protected. Don't want any leaks."

"Wow, really?" Sanji asked, surprised. "Uh - yeah! Please. Damn."

Would any of this ever sink in…?

...

Probably not, because some ten minutes later, sitting on the ground by the water, with Franky seated across from him, typing away on Sanji's laptop after having stuck some kind of thumb drive into the USB port, the blond still found himself craning his head up at the towering cavern ceiling in amazement.

Robin had taken the various cups and dishes back to the kitchen, and Zeff had moseyed off towards the library, but Sanji didn't much care what he was up to, because Johnny and Yosaku were excitedly detailing an underwater cave near their current settlement that had all kinds of ancient artwork from their people.

"Yeah, and there were all these weird arrows leading deeper into the cave - it was creepy!" Yosaku explained, talking quickly in his excitement. "So we sent Zoro to check it out while we waited at the entrance - you never know what kind of things live in those caves! We waited for like an hour-!"

"I think it was two hours," Johnny cut in.

"Alright, two hours-" Yosaku corrected. "But he never came back! We thought he got eaten! So we were all ready to go back and tell the Queen that she lost her best warrior, but then the freaking rocks in the wall started dislodging themselves-"

"And it was Zoro shoving his way out like a damn crab!" Johnny finished, both him and Yosaku cracking up together at the stupid memory.

"Right, Zoro?" Yosaku stuttered out between laughs, thumping the back of a hand to Zoro's chest. "We never figured out how the hell you got in there."

Then he kept right on laughing, and Sanji realized with glee, judging by the entirely baffled look on Zoro's face, that the dumb merman hadn't understood a word of what his friends said.

The annoyed fake laugh he gave in response to his friends cackling in his face was enough to confirm that.

As amusing as Zoro's complete lack of comprehension was, there was still something Yosaku had said that left Sanji rather baffled.

"Wait-" he interrupted, still grinning. "You have a queen?"

This question was accompanied by all sorts of fantastical images bursting through his imagination. A beautiful, majestic mermaid - maybe with magical powers - sitting regally on a throne of colorful coral, a trident in her hand, hypnotic eyes boring into his soul….

Was that too over the top?

He wondered if it might be, judging by the slow, almost curious looks the merpeople exchanged, and he caught the eye roll of the seemingly disinterested Perona, sitting apart from the group again as she fiddled with her hair.

"Yeah…" Yosaku replied slowly, though Sanji's eyes had drifted to Zoro, who'd quirked a brow right back at him, barely suppressing a smirk. What was that about…?

"There's a few different kingdoms around the world actually," Yosaku continued. "But, our kings and queens are….a lot more informal, I guess you could say. None of this fancy ceremony and stuff like yours. They're more like - chiefs….leaders. Y'know, that kind of thing-"

"We have a palace though…" Johnny mumbled, cutting in.

"Okay, but - it's not exactly the same."

Too late though.

"A palace?" Sanji nearly yelped in disbelief. "Are you fucking-? For real? Like underwater Atlantis shit?"

He whipped his head back to Franky, still typing away on his laptop.

"Please tell me you have pictures!"

Franky merely chuckled, pausing his work to chug back some cola from the bottle that sat on the ground beside him.

"Nada, bro. Not of the palace at least," he replied. "Queen doesn't want the location gettin' out. She hasn't been up here in a few months. But she's pretty strict on what she wants shared these days."

Sanji couldn't help it. He groaned loudly at that missed opportunity, even as Franky gave a few last clicks on his laptop.

A satisfied nod and the man passed it back to him, large hands practically dwarfing the thin device.

"Anyway, you're all set," Franky said. "Main password's 'undadasea'. No spaces. Spell it like they sing it~ You're gonna have to set a few more yourself though. Sorry, but we gotta track your computer now too. Just the location and any activity on the database. Also, I can take the whole thing offline at the click of a button, so just be real careful, okay?"

"Gotcha," Sanji said, eagerly taking the laptop off Franky and spending the next minute or so setting up a series of passwords when prompted.

But once he was in, he was delighted to find an entire encyclopedia of searchable information.

It was so thorough that it was almost too good to be true. It seemed like it should have been fake, some elaborate publicity stunt for a movie about merpeople, and he definitely would have believed that if it hadn't been for the very real merfolk mere feet away.

"Holy shit," he breathed, clicking eagerly through to the known species of merpeople, "Who wrote all this?"

"A lot of it's transferred in from some books we had, written over the years by past members of O.H.A.R.A. Amendments and any articles from about fifteen years ago and up are approved or written by Robin," Franky explained proudly. "Though I got a few credits in there myself~ 'Bout their weapons an' tools an' stuff."

"Damn…" was all Sanji said again before he went quiet for a few minutes, save for various noises of shock and disbelief as he scoured the incredible resource, tearing into the information with fervor.

There was so much, about the merpeople's diets, their physiology, complete with images of X-rays, how they compared to the normal fish of their species.

They were mammals, amazingly, most capable of live births, and some kinds, those fused with dolphins in particular, even had dual respiratory systems.

They were warm-blooded, but capable of withstanding temperatures far colder - pressures far greater - than any human could.

But for every question answered, it raised countless more that were yet unanswered. Next to nothing was known about their evolutionary process, how they had even come about, and Sanji began to realize it was because humans hadn't explored. Much of the merfolk's way of life, their structures and societal behaviors were left untouched, out of fear. Fear of exposing too much, of venturing too far and risking their exposure.

And it went both ways. The merfolk had advanced, intelligent civilization, with recorded history and language, but only a select few groups had chosen to interact with humans, and even then, they were secretive, defensive of their culture.

But so much was missing, dammit….and selfishly, Sanji couldn't help but feel dismay over that, despite what he'd learned today of the strife between the humans and merfolk.

"Brat. Read it on the way back," came a gruff voice behind him, his father coming back down to their level from the library with two large weathered-looking books in hand. "We got a long trip an' daylight's disappearing."

"What? Oh, come on!" Sanji whined instantly, as if he wasn't a full-grown adult but a kid having his time at an amusement park cut short.

Nevermind that he knew there was still work to be done back at B.A.R.A.T.I.E. But after everything he was discovering here, he didn't want to leave.

"We still have to record all the samples we got yesterday," Zeff was rattling off. "And you've been putting off damage-checking the outdoor enclosure after that storm a few days ago-"

"Ugh, I know, I know…" Sanji muttered. He'd done a surface check though….and the tank was empty now. It wasn't even an urgent problem.

Still, excuses aside, he sighed, reluctantly snapping his laptop shut and stowing it in his backpack before taking Franky's hand, the man having stood and offered it down to him.

He got to his feet, hoisted the pack over his shoulder and gave a wistful glance around the space.

"No worries, bro," Franky said, squeezing his shoulder. "You're welcome back any time!"

"Quite right," Robin agreed, coming out of the kitchen and leaning a hip against the doorframe.

Sanji wasn't sure he'd ever seen anyone make a zip-up wetsuit top look as elegant as she managed to do, but that was beside the point…

"We'll walk you guys out."

Franky's hand left his shoulder as the man headed towards the heavy metal door that Sanji had first come through, Robin joining him.

But Sanji didn't move right away, lingering where he was by the water, slowly looking back down to where Zoro and the others bobbed.

"Brat, let's go," called Zeff.

"Would you give me one second, old man?" Sanji snapped over his shoulder, a little more nastily than intended, but Zeff merely sighed and walked off towards the door with Franky, and Robin, who hid a chuckle behind her hand.

Before long, they were all through, and the door had closed behind them, leaving Sanji in the cavern, the lone human.

It was only a second though before Johnny had elbowed Yosaku, jerked his head towards the water, then motioned for Perona to do so too.

The mermaid made a small indignant noise. Then, without so much as a farewell, slipped beneath the surface and swam off, mumbling to herself in her own language.

Johnny and Yosaku at least had the manners to say goodbye, if far more formally than necessary.

"Nice meeting you - S - Sanji," Yosaku stammered, face turning red as he bowed deeply, almost seeming to doubt his own words. "I hope - I mean, it would be nice if we could see each other again."

"Yeah," Johnny said, bowing as well. "Let's meet again."

"Likewise," Sanji replied, a little surprised they were leaving. "But you don't have to be going so-"

"It's okay, bro," Johnny assured. "We oughta be gettin' home anyway. We're all finished here. Just been waitin' to see if Zoro-bro was okay."

He turned his head to Zoro with that, muttered something in their language. Then, with another nod to Sanji, he and Yosaku sank beneath the surface too.

Neither Zoro nor Sanji said anything in the moment that followed, and in fact, Sanji simply sighed and lowered himself down to the ground to sit cross-legged before Zoro.

The grotto was quiet, save for the lapping of water echoing, the slight splash Zoro's tail made when his caudal fin flicked above the water now and again.

He tried not to let his eyes linger on Zoro's beads for too long.

"I meant it, y'know," he said softly after a minute. "I'm not gonna let them hurt you ever again. I dunno how, but I'm not letting it happen. I promise."

Zoro watched him with that same look of calm certainty he'd had before, and he eventually replied, "You won't," with equal certainty.

Despite the seriousness of the moment, Sanji felt himself smirking in the face of Zoro's confidence.

"So you trust me now?" he asked, and something inside him stirred when Zoro grinned back and nodded.

"'Bout time," said the blond.

Fuck.

He'd leaned closer unconsciously, elbows on his knees, and Zoro had done the same against the rock.

This was bad. Because the urge to move even closer was strong, and that was fucking ridiculous.

Zoro was attractive. And the merman's lack of inhibitions only made him more so. Sanji could admit this now, without qualms or the insecurities of his younger self.

But unlike with Ace, or anyone else for that matter, Zoro wasn't human. And Sanji could not afford to fall into this as easily as he had before, when there was a lot that wouldn't work. A damn lot.

Still, that left him with the fact that he very much didn't want to leave. Because who knew when he'd see this stupid mossball again…

Zoro didn't seem uncomfortable with the silence that had befallen them when Sanji lapsed into his internal thoughts.

By the time Sanji had become aware such a long pause had even occurred, Zoro's eyes had drifted, lingering on his lips, he was pretty sure. They'd certainly looked downward, in any case, and for a fleeting, indulgent moment, Sanji wondered if Zoro was thinking similar thoughts.

Were merpeople even attracted to humans? Had such a relationship ever existed…?

"Um…" Sanji stuttered when he realized the silence had stretched a touch too long. "Look, you know you're safe at B.A.R.A.T.I.E. So if your stupid wandering ass or - tail or whatever - flops up there, I mean…."

The look on Zoro's face as Sanji struggled to come up with the right words became positively gleeful, and he shifted closer so his forearms brushed Sanji's knees.

"You - want me to…?" he trailed off, not having the human words to finish the sentence, but the effect was there, namely the bright flush that took over Sanji's face.

"No!" he answered immediately, mortified when Zoro pressed closer and copied him with a, "Yes!"

"No!" Sanji screeched again, automatically getting right up in Zoro's face….a bad move when Zoro merely tried to bite his nose off with sharp teeth.

The blond shoved Zoro in disgust, quickly getting to his feet and gathering his things.

"You owe Nami twenty pearls!" he shot back in retaliation, smirking at the offended expression that assaulted Zoro's face.

"What?!" the merman shrieked, but Sanji was already backing away, well out of grabbing range.

"For getting lost~" he replied.

Then, before he could linger for too long, he slid backwards towards the door.

He stopped just in front of it, quirked a brow at the algae-head sulking in his direction from the water, looking incredibly frustrated by his lack of legs in that moment.

"See ya around, Zoro~" Sanji said as sweetly as he could manage beneath the pounding of his heart and the hope that this wasn't the last time he'd see the merman.

He slipped through the door, wondering what would have happened if he'd kissed him.


Zoro had never particularly wanted to be human. He didn't find them particularly interesting. They had to worry about actively breathing and stuff - walking and gravity. They ate dumb shit, like lettuce, and they couldn't swim for shit either.

Aside from probably Franky, Zoro hadn't met any human who stood any chance of killing something with their bare hands or teeth, and the weirdest part was that humans didn't want to. They lacked the same instincts when it came to survival, and they relied on cheap tools and shit to do all their fighting - and most of their work in general.

But watching Sanji disappear through that door, shoot one last fleeting glance over his shoulder before it closed...

Zoro had never wanted to sprout legs and run after him more than he did in that moment.

His tail flicked back and forth with agitation, and his body tingled, that feeling of familiar disappointment and yet unreleased energy twitching through him like it did on the rare occasions some lucky prey got away from him.

But Sanji wasn't prey. Sanji was - something else...and Zoro was honestly surprised to find these instinctual feelings of want and attachment could even apply to humans.

And to that human in particular?

He was in trouble.

Zoro usually chose to close out the very human emotions that he was definitely capable of feeling. He let his shark half rule. He did as he pleased and actively tried not to feel because he knew what that brought.

As it was, he'd nearly let himself be overcome today, when Robin had told the merpeople's history….when Sanji had nearly touched his beads on the boat ride over….

He hadn't felt emotional like that in a long time.

And he also hadn't smiled, laughed, felt everything slip away as easily as it had when he messed with that weird blond. He hadn't connected emotionally with anyone, merperson or human. Not like that….not for years...

It was a foreign feeling, the fluster that rose along with base instincts, the feeling of his heart fluttering in his chest, that excited clenching in his gut that made him want to run hands slowly and gently over Sanji's form, just as badly as he'd felt the urge to stake his claim - to shove him up against something and sink teeth into his skin to assert dominance.

He knew merpeople were capable of softer feelings like that. All of his friends let that part of themselves take precedence far more than he did...

Zoro gave a little growl, almost against the very idea, then turned and dove beneath the surface because he knew the longer he stared at that door, the more frustrated and confused he would become.

The pool deepened rather quickly, beyond the shallows, dropping off into the deep tunnels that led out of the cave system to the ocean beyond.

Normally, it would be dark, and though the merpeople's eyesight was even better underwater than it was on land, it helped that Franky had installed lights into the rock surfaces below, giving the water its unearthly blue glow. He'd even put up signs over the different passageways, indicating where each tunnel led so they could find their way out easily.

Zoro was some thirty feet beneath the surface, heading towards a left-hand tunnel that he knew would put him in the right direction to swim back to East Blue (despite the sign over it reading 'North'). He knew he needed to wait around for Chopper to get back, but in that moment, he needed some fresh water.

But, in a split second, a dark figure darted towards him in a flurry of bubbles, its shape silhouetted in the lights leading to the tunnels, and he had just enough time to brace himself when, with a ferocious sound, Johnny collided with him at top speed.

His teeth were out, and he seemed intent to ram Zoro into the rock wall, though immediately, Zoro's fighting instincts kicked in, pupils dilating and muscles contracting to shove the other merman back.

Johnny was relentless though, and his voice was low and fierce because of it, rumbling clear, even under the water.

"What the hell were you thinking, Zoro?!" he growled in their language, just barely dodging a powerful hit from Zoro's tail before his hands clamped down on both of Zoro's drawn fists. "You could've given us away! What if that fisherman had seen you?! What if he'd called the M.A.R.I.N.E.S.?! What if you'd died!"

"Shut up! I wouldn't have!" Zoro growled right back, pushing Johnny away again and nearly landing a punch to his jaw, had the merman not flipped away in time. "The asshole was fishing right by the reef! And Chimney and her stupid catfish were messin' around there! The hell was I supposed to do?"

"Uh, I dunno, not attack a fucking boat?" Johnny shouted, and he was about to rush Zoro again, until Yosaku swam up beside him, a tentative hand on his arm to hold him back.

The dark-haired merman stopped, but hissed his frustration.

"If you'd ended up with anyone but Dr. Red, it would've been bad," he eventually continued, barely succeeding at calming himself. "Hell, we are so damn lucky Sanji wasn't like the M.A.R.I.N.E.S. The Queen would be so-"

"Did you seriously fucking expect him to be like them?" Zoro bit out, though he did bring fists back down to his sides, no longer baring teeth as ferally. "The only thing that gave me pause for a second was B.A.R.A.T.I.E., but it was obvious that the damn curly question was harmless-"

"Zoro-!" Yosaku interrupted, sounding a little fearful, his eyes flicking up to the surface as if Sanji would overhear them, despite having left. "Quit being so disrespectful…"

This only earned him a dramatic roll of eyes and a loud groan from Zoro.

"Bro," Johnny insisted. "He said those things about helping us. And he seemed cool, yeah, but we only just met him! We shouldn't trust him so readily. We need to talk to the Queen. Tell her what happened and then-"

"He should be the one to talk to her."

Zoro's voice was level, as was his stare, level and entirely set on his decision.

Johnny and Yosaku shared a surprised glance.

"What…?" Yosaku stammered.

"He could help us!" Zoro exclaimed. "He already lives in East Blue! He wants to help us! And you know Robin still has one of the-!"

"No - No! Absolutely not!" Johnny protested, wrenching his arm from Yosaku's grasp to dart towards Zoro again. "Bro, have you lost your mind?! He goes missing, don't you think they're gonna scour the oceans for him? He's a biologist and regardless of his morals, B.A.R.A.T.I.E.'s still part of the-!"

"He told me B.A.R.A.T.I.E.'s not part of them!" Zoro growled, blocking Johnny's advance by ramming his forearm assertively into the other merman's chest. "M'not supposed to say anything, but he an' that Dr. Red guy are trying to break B.A.R.A.T.I.E. off, just like O.H.A.R.A. You talked to him! You seriously think he's gonna reveal us? We've actually got a shot at finally stopping the M.A.R.I.N.E.S.!"

At that, Johnny's brow furrowed, as did Yosaku's, because they heard that tinge of desperation in Zoro's voice. Their friend hadn't given this up. For close to fifteen years, he'd been dead set on toppling the M.A.R.I.N.E.S., something that was, as far as they knew, a damn impossible goal given the circumstances.

He hadn't stopped wanting this….not since…

"Zoro…" Johnny muttered, voice softer now than it had been. "I know - I know…. Kuina was…."

"Then what's the problem?!" the other merman shot back, frustration and rare upset making its way into his tone.

"What is he going to do?" asked Johnny, growing exhausted with the argument. "It doesn't matter who he is, in this case. Fact is, he's human. A human who doesn't know shit about us. It's not gonna amount to anything. We're better off protecting our own…"

"And everything Robin and Franky and them have done for us over the years? Does that mean fucking nothing?"

"No - of course not! Zoro, that's not what I-"

Johnny stopped, closed his eyes and took a moment to clear his thoughts, slow the irritable pounding of his heart that was really more fearful than anything. This was all sounding too familiar….too similar to how things were all those years ago…

"Can we please just….talk to the Queen?" he murmured after a minute. "See what she says first before we do anything crazy?"

Zoro was looking away steadily, arms crossing his chest, and it was clear in his eyes that he was somewhere else, remembering something else, things that Johnny and Yosaku had no hope of relating to, but they did hope that Zoro would listen now at least, even if he rarely did. Even if he hadn't back then.

But surprisingly, Zoro eventually replied, "Fine," though he didn't look over, and in fact he gave a flick of his tail, propelling himself up a bit towards the surface. "You guys go ahead. I gotta stay and wait for Chopper."

It wasn't a lie, of course. He really did have to wait for him to return with the medication he'd set out for, though it was also partially a request to be alone, something that wasn't too out of the ordinary, given his solitary nature.

His friends knew this, and, thankfully, respected this, evident when they both backed off without another word nor any jibes about Zoro getting lost on the way home.

Only Yosaku hesitated, pausing to look back at Zoro for just a moment before he swam after Johnny, who'd already gone deeper towards the East Blue tunnel.

Zoro waited until they were gone, then, with one beat of his tail, coasted back up to the surface where he flopped himself in the shallows again to wait, now completely alone in the grotto, for Chopper.

He wondered briefly if he should heed his friend's advice, if he should really be more cautious of Sanji.

But then he thought about the blond's enticing smirk, how serious he'd been when he'd promised he wouldn't let anything bad happen.

Yosaku had told him not to be disrespectful….but wouldn't it be more of an insult to Sanji's name if he didn't trust him?

Absolutely, he decided.

His mind was made up.


Chopper had returned, not long after, slathered some weird ointment all over his healing wound and tied a waterproof container to Zoro's wrist, with some pills he ordered Zoro to take for the next few days, to prevent infection or something.

The merman put up the obligatory fight, but would probably adhere to his instructions….if he remembered.

Robin had made him stay for the language lesson he'd missed, but he could tell it was in part to get him to rest before swimming home. Not that he needed it. He would've been fine. The trek, while it might be long for a human, was pretty standard for their species. Sometimes he could tell humans didn't really get that.

Franky had come back that evening, barbecued some shrimp for dinner, something that Zoro had actually developed quite a liking to, even if human food was often far too elaborate for his tastes.

Brook had joined them, the old man turning on some music on whatever the hell Spotify was, and Zoro had admittedly forgotten some of the tensions of earlier in favor of watching Brook, Franky, and Chopper get a little too tipsy off the weird beer drink that always made humans act like idiots. Every time he asked to try it, Chopper would vehemently refuse, insisting it would kill him.

Zoro highly doubted that.

He'd stuck around, mostly to prove all was well, and he hadn't gone pearl-hunting for Nami, thank you very much, the woman having gone home early to prepare for a date with a girl or some shit. One of those strange mating rituals humans did.

He'd stayed until that evening, said goodbye to everyone and pretended to leave himself, when in reality, he'd waited around underwater until there was no movement in the cavern above him, until lights were turned off, and all that remained to illuminate the space was the ethereal glow of the water.

Only then, when even Robin, who often stayed late to read, had left, did he pop back up, eyes already on the door across the cavern, the unsuspecting door that looked just like the rest, yet was his goal to get inside.

Could he do it? He'd never tried such a thing before, but he'd have to, wouldn't he, and he was pretty sure he knew the right password to get in.

In no way was he stealthy, but, with any luck, he could at least get the door open, crawl back for water, then make one last trip for what he hoped would be easy to find inside.

Conviction on his features, he took in a conscious flow of water through his gills, let the oxygen invigorate him for a second.

And then he planted hands onto the rock surface and pushed up out of the water, fists clenched and forearms already working to pull himself across the flat ground, eyes on the door the entire time.

His tail dragged limply behind him, and the comparative roughness of the floor was a little painful against his skin, but he powered through with minimal discomfort, and managed to make it to the door quickly.

From there, he grabbed a rolling chair from the lab bench against the wall, shoved it towards the door, then heaved his torso up onto it as best he could in order to reach the keypad beside the door.

He stayed focused, flipping open the keypad's cover and typing in the four digits he knew he'd seen Franky program as the password.

0-2-0-6. Robin's birthday.

Sure enough, the LED light turned green. A clicking sound, and the door easily swung forward when he pushed down the metal door handle.

He slid off the chair, propping the door open with an arm, and shot a glance over his shoulder at the water beyond.

He felt okay. The air was wetter here, not like under the blazing heat of the sun outside, so the awful burning and the suffocating feeling of his gills closing up hadn't kicked in yet.

Maybe it was foolish, but he decided to push a little farther, to at least get a chair set up inside so he could reach the counters in what he knew was a small laboratory, but an important one.

He shouldered the door open the rest of the way and managed to crawl his way in, harsh fluorescent lights turning on, activated by the motion.

More lab benches lined the walls, and though he couldn't see what was on top of them from his low angle, he had to assume there were yet more computers, maybe microscopes or other ridiculous tools, most of which he still didn't know the use of.

Fuck. It was hard to see anything, the room as unassuming and clinical as it was. He didn't know what he'd been expecting. More of Franky's handy directional lighting? Clear labels? Not that he'd be able to read most of them, but it would be a start.

He crawled forward, because the door clearly wanted to shut, and he wasn't going to stay wedged in it while it did.

Except now his body was growing heavy. His arms were strong, and he managed to get through, curving his tail out of the door's way, but it was with enough effort that when he heard the door click shut behind him, it instilled a tiny bit of panic.

Shit.

Change of plan.

He'd prop the door open with something, go back to the water, catch his breath, then come back and try again.

So he reached out and grabbed the nearest chair, shoving it, with a bit more urgency, at the door, the chair's wheels clattering loudly against the painted metal.

There was an uncomfortable tightening in his chest as he pushed himself up to the seat to reach the door handle, his heart having picked up speed, and he felt his torso contract in protest when he instinctively tried to open his gills to let in water.

Again, he almost panicked, arms fumbling a bit on the chair, but he gritted teeth and forced himself to remain calm as his hand closed around the handle, tugged down, and pulled.

But the door didn't open. The door stayed shut, and when he gave another hard tug, there was nothing, no give.

It was fucking locked, he realized with a feeling of dread, and when eyes darted to the small black box beside the door, he was rather horrified to find that it wasn't the familiar keypad he'd always seen Franky punch numbers into.

There were no numbers. No buttons. Just a small red light glowing behind a tiny square of clear plastic positioned in the center of the little box.

He pressed fingers to it, shoving himself up higher on the chair, gripping the back for dear life as he jammed fingers against it over and over, yanked at the door handle frantically.

His gills twitched fruitlessly now, despite his best efforts to control it, but there was no denying that he was in some pretty deep shit, particularly when his arms slipped and he found himself sliding off the chair to land rather hard on the floor, crushing a pectoral fin painfully.

Stubbornly, against the burning of his gills and the terrible lightheadedness, he struggled to get up again, to force his arms to work, to do something to get himself out of here, even though he didn't know what.

His tail began to thrash erratically though, making any productive movement near impossible now.

He was suffocating, and though the air was, in reality, quite cool, he felt nothing but heat searing through him, his heart thundering at alarming speed in his chest.

He wasn't going to make it, he realized far too late. And though his arms gave one last quivering effort to drag him forward, his vision was graying, and he vaguely registered uttering a choked swear before all went black.


"Some day, huh," Franky murmured, fingers threading gently with his girlfriend's as they stood, no one but the two of them, in the dark lobby, the soft light of the front desk's fish tank casting rippling shadows across the carpet.

"Some day indeed," Robin agreed quietly, taking the private moment to step closer and brush her nose against Franky's gently. "To be honest, I'm fairly surprised Dr. Red let him come~"

"Yeah," Franky chuckled in response. "And Zoro seemed pretty damn - uhh - interested in him..."

He trailed off, but the suggestive wiggle of eyebrows and the way he bit his lip was enough to draw a smile onto Robin's face.

"Yes, that was perhaps the most curious thing of all~" she said, and leaned closer to steal a quick kiss to that ridiculous grin on Franky's lips.

"I'm glad," she added, a touch of melancholy in her voice. "I've been worried, admittedly. His human qualities have been fading quite prominently as of late…."

Franky's grin fell somewhat, his hands releasing hers, moving delicately to her hips instead.

He'd noticed it too, how distant the merman had become. How it would take him longer than normal for his eyes to regain their clarity, particularly after he fed.

"Not around Chopper-bro," Franky teased, trying to lighten the mood some, but Robin's lips only twitched up slightly.

"Not around Chopper, but….I've recently unearthed some troubling theories from Dr. Clover's old files. Theories that point to the possibility of such a change becoming permanent…."

Franky pulled Robin closer against him to hide his frown, sliding his grasp to the small of her back where he rubbed up and down soothingly.

Of course, he believed in Dr. Clover's research. After all, the man had founded O.H.A.R.A., and though Franky had never met him, he respected him greatly.

But Franky also believed in his friends.

"Zoro-bro's Zoro-bro," he eventually said. "He's a crazy dude, but….we wouldn't lose him to something like that. He wouldn't let it happen."

Robin closed her eyes, lifting fingers to grasp lightly at the open fabric of Franky's shirt.

Franky sensed her lingering apprehension, and he lifted hands to her cheeks, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Get some sleep tonight," he advised. "You've been stayin' up late all week. Sure you'll feel a-okay in the morning~"

It wasn't like her to worry like this, after all. Not since her days as a student could he remember her outwardly fretting this much.

He heard her sigh, but she tilted her head to kiss his jaw.

"Alright," she said. "Chopper is in the lab still. But once he leaves, I'll rest."

"Good," Franky replied with a smile. He leaned in to finally kiss her properly, pulling away only when he felt her hands give his waist a final pat.

"See you tomorrow, honeybuns~" he said, squeezing her hand one last time before he backed up towards the front doors and the parking lot beyond.

Robin crossed arms over her chest and gave one last elegant wave.

"Call me that again and you may not live to see tomorrow~" she mused pleasantly.

Franky jolted, gave a sheepish laugh, then scurried to push open the doors.

"Roger that!" he conceded with a little salute before his kind-hearted girlfriend could crush his manhood or some similar punishment.

Robin chuckled to herself, watching him lumber up to his Hummer through the clear glass windows, the huge car managing to look average-size compared to his large frame.

Only when his headlights flicked on and he started to roll towards the exit did she finally turn and walk towards the Marine Mammals hallway, where a light still burned brightly, evidence that Chopper was indeed still working.

She moved through the doorway into the hall, fully prepared to gently order Chopper to go home too when, suddenly, the young man himself barreled out of the laboratory door, nearly colliding with her full-on as he sprinted towards the elevator in a frenzy.

"Chopper!" she exclaimed in shock, catching herself on the wall for balance. "What's-?"

"Zoro's locked in the research lab!" he shouted, already at the end of the hall, jamming his finger into the elevator button repeatedly. "I saw it on the security cam!"

Robin's eyes widened, and she hurried after him without a word.


The soothing rush of water over his gills. His heart beating steadily, placidly, in his chest. The vague feeling of fingers stroking through his hair, accompanying two quiet voices.

Eyes scrunched tighter, and he groaned slightly, for no apparent reason. He was no longer in pain.

But it elicited a reaction from his companions, a soft gasp and gentle hands squeezing his shoulder.

"Zoro! Can you hear me?"

It was Chopper's voice, and the fingers in his hair were definitely Robin's, enough that he wasn't surprised to find his chest and head resting against her legs where she sat on the sloping edge of the lagoon, water lapping over them softly.

"Zoro, are you alright?"

He forced his eyes open at the sound of Robin's voice, in his own language, and he blinked a few times until eyes focused on Chopper's orange T-shirt just in front of him, the fabric wet and soaking.

"M'fine," he answered Robin, and to prove it, pushed himself up off Robin's legs to try and get his bearings.

"What were you thinking, Zoro?" Chopper asked, in a fair imitation of Johnny earlier, his tone scolding, but his voice quiet with nerves, his hand sliding down Zoro's bicep to clasp his forearm. "If I hadn't seen you…."

The merman looked away sheepishly.

He didn't have an answer for that. He'd been stupid. But he didn't regret trying what he had. Because there was one thing he knew for sure.

"He needs to see," Zoro said clearly, thankfully not stumbling over his words to hit home his point.

"What? Who? Who needs to see what?" Chopper replied with confusion, but when Zoro turned his serious gaze to Robin, it was obvious she knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Him," Zoro answered. "He needs to! He's - He - can help-"

A little growl of frustration before he gave up and lapsed into his own language, even if Chopper wouldn't be able to understand it all.

"He's the only one who's gonna have any shot at negotiations with the M.A.R.I.N.E.S., and you know it," Zoro insisted to Robin. "We can't leave him in the fucking dark anymore. We know his head's in the right place. Hell, you even said that! I remember you said so after meeting him years ago - you could tell! So why can't we trust him to know everything?"

He seemed ready to argue more if need be, but surprisingly, Robin's response was calm, her lips turning up ever so slightly.

"That was Dr. Red's decision, not mine," she reminded, then she leaned forward, switching to Zoro's language to say, "Zoro, if you wanted the bracelet, all you had to do was ask~ Instead of nearly killing yourself to get it~"

Zoro's mouth, already open to protest what would surely be Robin's protest, only managed to utter a surprised sound, his eyes narrowing before a brow quirked up slowly.

"Wait….what?" he stammered. "But - what about - danger an' - all that shit? What about not trusting Curly Brow?"

Zoro wasn't sure why he was voicing a counter-argument, but dammit, it was often difficult to decipher when Robin was using one of her reverse psychology tricks.

But to that, Robin merely sighed, shook her head.

"Was Johnny attempting to talk you out of it?" She clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "I told him earlier he wouldn't be able to."

Zoro opened his mouth to reply, but Chopper beat him to it, the young doctor looking between the two of them with growing confusion.

"What about danger?" he asked. "And what did Johnny say? I only caught...some of that."

"The bracelet," Robin replied easily, just before getting to her feet.

"I will retrieve it," she said pointedly to Zoro, and turned on her heel to walk back towards the lab, just before the news sunk in for Chopper and he sucked in a sharp breath.

"The bracelet?!" he shrieked, rounding on Zoro with wide, worried eyes. "But Zoro, what if it doesn't work! No one's even used it since-"

"Need to try," Zoro insisted, with enough power and intensity to his gaze that Chopper did back down, though he still wrung his hands in his lap apprehensively.

He didn't reply for a few long moments, looking worried all the while, so eventually, Zoro nudged him gently with an elbow.

"Chopper," he said. "About….Question."

Chopper furrowed his brow slightly.

"What's your question?" the younger man wondered, tilting his head.

But then Zoro gave a little growl and shook his head.

"No. Question," he repeated with more emphasis.

Chopper still looked confused for a moment before his eyes lit up finally with recognition.

"Oh! You mean Sanji?" he tried, and when Zoro relaxed some, nodding, Chopper asked, "Why not say his name?"

Zoro just shrugged.

"So….Question?" he asked again. "You think….?"

Chopper watched Zoro for a second, but then a small smile came to his face, thinking of the blond man's demeanor.

"Well, to tell you the truth, he reminded me a lot of you~" Chopper said, and giggled when, after deciphering his words, a look of mild shock, and then horror crossed Zoro's features.

Zoro stammered for words, which only made Chopper laugh more, the merman eventually giving up and letting Chopper have his moment of amusement.

Once the laughter faded, however, Chopper looked at him once more, mouth twisting a bit in thought before he murmured, "Just….be careful, Zoro. This is kind of how all of this started. Y'know….waaay back when the M.A.R.I.N.E.S. first found out about you guys and stuff…. I don't - I don't want-"

But despite his annoyance from a moment ago, Zoro reached out to place a hand on top of Chopper's head, gave a ruffle to his soft brown curls.

"Don't worry," he assured confidently because upsetting Chopper was out of the picture.

Chopper batted at Zoro's hand, but smiled.

The lab door clicked shut across the room, Robin striding over to the two with a gentle smile of her own.

Perhaps Franky had been right. Perhaps she'd been wrong to worry for Zoro's emotional well-being….

This was one instance when she hoped she was.

"Do not lose this~ As far as we know, it's the only one left of its kind," she said to Zoro when he looked up at her, in his language so he wouldn't miss a word.

She knelt before the water's edge and held over a thin silver band of metal, looped in a simple oval shape with two tiny sharp-looking prongs on the inside.

Zoro took the band from her, examined it for a second, then met her eye with a serious nod.

"Good," she replied, and made to stand again. But just before she did, a thought struck her, and she smirked.

"Oh, and Zoro. Because I know your curiosity may very well get the best of you. Please wait until you're out of the water before trying it on~"