It was late, or early rather. The silence of pre-dawn stretched over Enies, settling over a small warehouse on the west side of town. Here, on this street, no sound was made. Whereas the morning quiet was tranquil across the rest of the city, this silence was of anxiety and fear.
The harsh lights of the warehouse shone down on two men crouched by the door. One leaned casually against the wall. His shirt was slightly undone, but he seemed unaffected by the brisk air. His companion shuddered as a light breeze came toward them. He wrapped his arms around himself and glanced nervously at the door. The man smacked his lips and cleared his throat.
"So. Uh, do you- What do you think they're doing in there?" he asked his partner. The other man turned his head, cocking an eyebrow, but said nothing. "I mean, I'm sure that they're- you know- but are they going to kill him?"
"You new?" The other man asked, a hint of disdain in his voice. The nervous one nodded, smiling hesitantly. "Then let me give you some advice. Shut your mouth or you may find out first hand how the Don works."
He gulped. "Yeah, yeah. Of course." He turned back to look out at the dark street.
--
Watching all this quietly from the shadows of a neighboring building, Brook decided now was the moment to move. He hoisted his violin case higher on his shoulder, adjusted his jazz suit, and stepped out of his cover. As the light hit him, Brook pulled up his violin and set the bow to the strings. It was one of his favourites. Jules Massenet- Meditation de Thais. He'd heard it as a child, and immediately had wanted the sheet music. He'd spent years perfecting this song, loving it and watching it grow on the strings of his violin. The melody ensued, slow and, then, by the time he was standing under a street lamp just in front of the warehouse, it had picked up. Music flowed across the quiet street, a hypnotic whisper. Distantly, he recognized that the two men had begun to approach him, but he had become too engrossed with his song and refused to break that connection.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw them raise their guns. Brook hoped Usopp was doing his job and covering him, because all Brook had been required to do was pull them away from the main door. Now, Brook had just reached the crescendo leading up to the climax. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. The two men fell, and Brook smiled, knowing he could finish his song. He savored the final moments.
A hand landed upon his shoulder, pulling Brook out of his reverie. He turned to look into Franky's teary eyes. "That was super, man."
"Yeah, it was," Luffy said, coming to stand next to Franky. He smiled widely, even in this high-stress situation. "You were so into it I thought maybe you were just going to let them kill you."
Brook laughed and was about to comment further when Zoro's deep voice broke through. "We all enjoy your music, but I believe Sanji is more urgent."
His look wasn't so much disapproving as grave. Not for one second had any of them forgotten Sanji. Brook, Luffy, Franky, and Usopp had all been able to push aside their anxiety in order to work better. Zoro was an exception. He seemed more nervous and frustrated than made sense. Nothing in the way he stood showed that, but Brook knew the man well enough to still see worry.
"Of course," Brook said, immediately sobering up.
Luffy nodded and clapped his hands together. "Yosh. Brook you stay here. Make sure Duval and Genzo are ready. Usopp you got us covered? Good. Franky, Zoro, let's go."
Brook watched his leader and two friends confidently raced towards the building. The three of them snuck in through the door. Brook smiled wistfully, shook his head. He looked up, searching for Usopp along the tops of the buildings. He caught sight of the sharpshooter and waved at him. Worry for Luffy and the others was building in his chest. Brook shoved it away, forcing the fear out of him. But as he looked out over the silent street, he couldn't stop the question from gnawing at his heart.
What if we are too late?
--
Zoro was struggling to keep his mind empty, solely focused on his one task. To get Sanji and everyone out safely. There was no time to second-guess himself, to wonder if he was strong enough, to consider every possible failure. He inhaled deeply and cleared his mind. Now, he had steeled himself. Whatever, whoever, or however many there were, he would take them down. His only doubt was for Sanji's safety.
There was no one right inside the door, no inside guards. Zoro took this chance to check out the area. He saw that the main floor was mostly empty, minus a few crates and a table where there were about seven men. They had no noticed them yet, so Zoro continued with his examination. He noted that there was a second floor, and his eyes quickly searched for a staircase. Sanji was most likely on the second floor. That was where Zoro would keep someone captive if he were in Krieg's place.
Nami and Robin had tried to impress the idea that stealth was the key. Krieg's advantage was one of sheer numbers. Although it might not always appear that way, Krieg's gang was a well-organized syndicate that had only grown due to Prohibition. What was once a collaboration of men of similar ethnicity was now a large racket of strong members, all of them prepared to kill. Luffy, Zoro, and Franky were certainly ready to fight and kill if need be, but the enemy might kill Sanji outright when they learned the three were here. Luffy was here to save Sanji from death, not be the cause of it.
That concept must not have made an impression on Luffy. "Sanji!" he yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth. His voice echoed throughout the building. The men at the table jumped to their feet, guns in hand and pointed right at the three men.
"Oi, Sanji," Luffy said, ignoring the guns pointed at him. "We're here."
--
There was blood in his mouth, leaving a sour taste on his tongue. That, however, was the least of his worries. Far higher on the list was the loose tooth he could wiggle with his tongue and the shallow cut on his forehead that was dripping blood down his face. Sanji could feel it crusting in patches around his eye, and he knew that if he opened it the blood would cause some discomfort. He wasn't going to open his eyes, though. He hadn't since Krieg had begun to scrape off the dead flesh on his hand with the vegetable peeler. Sanji had been unable to watch any more damage being done to his hands. Now, he was struggling to hold back the words that would condemn his new friends.
"Where the hell is my deed, you little shit?" Krieg snapped. Sanji felt the rough wire of the vegetable peeler scrape across his skin. The dead yellow flesh was gone and Krieg was using the cuts the lamé had made as a base to peel away skin. Sanji winced. "I can keep doing this. We still have two more instruments. Ready for the tenderizer?"
Sanji shut his eyes more tightly. No, he was not ready for the tenderizer. What he was ready for was for this hellish nightmare to end. He was ready to wake up, shivering from sweat, and look around his room and realize that it had all been a dream. Sanji was even willing to admit that the oppression and fear he had constantly felt under Krieg was better than this torture. Spending his nights beneath Gin had better outlooks than this. At least there he had always known he would have someone in his relationship with Gin. He knew that the other man wasn't likely to leave Sanji for someone else when Sanji was so easy to use. And in that, Sanji knew he would never be alone.
Now though, as the peeler cleanly sheared through his skin, Sanji thought that he would rather be alone for the rest of his life, because this- this was shit. Sanji didn't think he could last much longer, hold out through this pain. He was ready to scream out Luffy's name and hope for a quick death. A shot through the head would be all right, he supposed. Quick, painless release from this life to send him into the real hell. Sanji was pretty sure that's where he was going. That was where people like him belonged, traitors and cowards. For selling out the people who had given him happiness. He'd read something once about how the deepest circle of hell was reserved for traitors. Well, that's where he'd be headed if Krieg continued.
Sure, he'd feel bad about it. It would be the worst thing he'd ever done, but Sanji's strength was weaker than his loyalty. He couldn't do this. But he would try. He forced the tears away. Sanji would try to keep his mouth shut still. For Caimie, his best friend, because she deserved to be happy. For Nami and Robin, because they risked themselves to steal the deed. For Luffy, because he had a goal to meet and if Sanji couldn't help him later, he would try to now. For Zoro, because there was something there Sanji couldn't quite grasp yet, but if he ever got out of this place maybe he'd take time and figure out what he felt or thought about the other man and why it was so damn important.
Sanji heard the door open suddenly, but he couldn't imagine why. No one was supposed to come in and disturb Krieg. That was the number one rule in Krieg's gang. Don't interrupt the Don when he's working. Sanji even knew that. So who would even attempt to enter this place?
"Don Krieg, sir. There's a minor problem." Gin, Sanji thought. He came back. Or had he never left? Sanji cracked open the eye that wasn't crusted with blood.
"Problem?" Krieg said. He had turned away to face Gin. Sanji could see the lines of tension were still present in the other man's face, but they had eased somewhat. Instead they were replaced by the hardness of battle. Sanji knew that look. It was the same, terrifying gaze that only a murderer could have. He'd seen if on Gin before, but this time it had a different, desperate edge to it. Gin was looking only pointedly at the ground, avoiding the gaze of both Sanji and Krieg.
"Yes. There are intruders. Three of them have entered the building. The guards posted at the front must be dead, as are the men we placed in the main entrance."
"Do we know what they're doing here?" Krieg snarled. He had completely moved away from Sanji, disregarding, for the moment, the torture. It was necessary to assert his power and take control of the situation as leader. Sanji saw that and hoped it would mean Krieg would leave and let Sanji stay here and die, maybe.
"No sir, but most likely they have come for the chef." Sanji, fighting the pain movement caused, brought his head up to look directly at Gin.
"Ah," Krieg said. He paused for a moment, then turned to look at the bleeding, desolate figure Sanji made. "Gin, you and I will greet these intruders and find out why they're here. Be ready to fight and kill. No mercy. Pearl, stay and guard him. If they have come for the chef, then I'll send someone to tell you he's of no more use. If they are Whitebeard's or Buggy's men, we'll need to keep him for awhile longer."
Inwardly Sanji was jumping up and down for joy. Krieg was leaving, and there was a possibility Zoro and Luffy had come for him. He'd never thought that they would risk their lives for him. He'd only known them for a week or two, yet they had dared to enter Krieg's territory and come for him.
However, on the outside Sanji was just as defeated as he had been minutes before. He refused to let himself show any outward sign of his hope and desire to be saved. Krieg, in his sadism, would use that against him.
So he watched silently as Krieg directed Gin on where to go and the two of them left in a hurry. Gin strode out of the room, never once looking back. Sanji watched him go, the narrow vision given to him by his one eye closing Gin off to him sooner than he would have liked. The last view he had of his once lover was of clenched fists and the body shaking with rage. Had Sanji the energy, he would wonder what it meant, yet he watched the door close before exhaustion pulled him into blackness.
--
Zoro, Luffy and Franky had all split up after defeating the men on the first floor. Zoro hadn't paid much attention to where the other two went. It wasn't important, because he knew that eventually one would find Sanji and the others would find a way to meet up. Instead, Zoro had shaken the blood off his sword and ran toward he thought there would be a set of stairs. He thought he had been running to one side of the building where he had seen stairs, however, Zoro ended up on the other side of the crates. He stopped and turned and looked around the area, frustrated that now, when time was of the essence, his poor directional skills were causing him trouble.
In the opposite direction he'd been heading, Zoro saw a set of stairs. Deciding that, although he should hurry and run towards them, his speed had only hurt him before. Now, Zoro walked slowly, keeping his eye on the stairs continually. Gradually, he approached the staircase, and when he was within feet, Zoro picked up his speed. He hurried up the stairs and onto the upper level.
He reached the top and looked around. All he could see, either way he looked, was a long stretch of walkway. From his spot, Zoro noticed various doors, and immediately he wondered which held Sanji. It didn't matter which. All that mattered was that one of them did and that eventually he find it. Zoro would search through every one if need be. Although, he was hoping that wouldn't be necessary.
Zoro rushed forward, beginning his search. The first door was locked, and after he kicked it down, all he discovered was a closet. The second door was open, but only led to a bathroom. Third door was an office. Zoro was getting frustrated. He turned the corner, hoping that the next series of rooms would prove more successful.
This didn't seem likely, though, for as he veered around the corner, his way was blocked. In front of him stood a tall, lanky man. It took a moment, but Zoro recognized him as the gaunt man from Sanji's restaurant. The one who had leaned down and spoken to the cook. The one Zoro now knew as Gin, Krieg's right-hand man. Zoro leapt away and drew his sword, ready to fight if need be.
Gin had his tonfa out, but made no move to attack. Zoro met the rival mobster's gaze, expecting to see pre-battle anxiety in his eyes. Instead, Zoro was shocked to find a deep, desperation hiding in the black eyes. There was a faint, hopeless look in them that Zoro knew. He understood that feeling, for he'd suffered and seen that haunted look in his own eyes. Once, long ago. Zoro had no idea why this man's eyes showed so much hurt. It shouldn't surprise him, though. Everyone, at one point or another, faces challenges that can irreparably change them.
"Why are you here?" Gin said. Zoro hadn't expected him to say anything. "Did you come for the chef? For Sanji? "
Zoro didn't answer right away. It wasn't in his nature to discuss his purpose with the enemy. Especially not when the enemy had caused undue pain to a friend of his. He felt no need to respond to Gin, but the desperate pain in the other man's eyes caused him to pause. Zoro nodded slightly.
"Are you going to try and stop me?" Zoro asked softly. It was unnecessary to ask, because either way Zoro was getting past this man.
Gin took one step forward, stopped, and gripped his tonfa more tightly. Zoro tightened his grip on his own weapons. "Why- why would you come? How- Never mind. I don't want to know. Just-" Zoro watched as Gin took a deep breath and several halting steps forward until he was close enough to whisper. "Two doors down. There's a guard."
Then he hurried away, brushing past Zoro. Zoro stared at the spot where Gin had been standing, unsure of what exactly had caused the other man to betray Sanji's location. Although shocked, Zoro wasn't going to take the time to sort it out. So he shook off his brief encounter with Gin and hurried down the corridor. Two more doors, he thought. Zoro ran.