Escape
Sanji stared at the empty tray on the cell floor. All that it had contained was bread, water, and a little bit of dried meat. It was just enough food to keep a man alive. That was the catch. It was enough to keep one person alive, not two. The cook wasn't sure if there was meant to be a second tray that had been forgotten, or if it was intentional. Sanji suspected the later. He guessed that the goal was to make the prisoners fight for the little nourishment that the tray offered. The outcome was plain. It was either both people split the food and slowly starved together, or one person lived and the other starved.
Sanji had tried to give all of the food to Zoro. As much as the swordsman annoyed him, he was his nakama, and it was Sanji's job to keep his crew fed. Unfortunately, that idiotic marimo would have none of it. The swordsman ripped the bread and meat in half, giving half to Sanji against his complaints, and taking the other half for himself. Zoro drank half of the water in the cup and handed it to Sanji, leaning back against the wall to eat the feeble meal.
"But we'll both die!" Sanji had cried in desperation. "At least this way, you'll survive," The thought and you won't have to go through the hell that is starvation was unspoken behind it.
"No one will die," Zoro said firmly. "We'll get back to the Thousand Sunny long before that happens."
Sanji picked up the tray and twisted it around in his hands. He had eaten the bland, tasteless food that the swordsman had given to him, his stomach already wanting more. Shut up he told it, you've been through a lot worse than one puny meal before. You'll deal, at least until I find a way to get us out of here.
The cook sighed and looked down at the tray in his hands. There were no sharp edges, nothing that could provide any means of escape. There was nothing that he could do to get them out.
…
Zoro looked down at the handcuffs stretched between his wrists. I could always cut off one of my hands, he thought. Wait, that wouldn't work, I have nothing to cut them with. "Hmm…" he intoned, looking at the seastone manacles. They were smooth, almost slick to the touch. I can do something with these he thought. The question is, what? He braced the ring of the handcuff between his shoe and the floor. He tugged his hand, trying to yank it through the hole. Predictably, it didn't work. The swordsman's hand stuck when it had barely slid through at all. Zoro grunted, sliding his hand back in place. There was only one other thing that he could think of to try, although he wasn't sure if it would work. The swordsman stood up, bracing his feet. He strained with his arms, trying to pull the seastone cuffs apart.
"Hey, idiot, what are you doing?" came the desolate voice of the cook leaning against the wall.
"Leave me alone, swirly eyebrow. I'm trying to get them off."
"By breaking your handcuffs? That's only a barely better idea than cutting off your hands!"
"I thought about that, but there's nothing to cut them with."
Sanji sighed. "You shithead. You know that's not going to do any-" He was cut off by a sharp pop, followed by a cracking noise.
Zoro grinned triumphantly. "See? I told you it would work." The handcuffs were still attached to his wrists. The difference was, now they weren't attached to each other.
The cook was awestruck. How much raw power did it take to break a pair of handcuffs like that? "It's not that great," he scoffed, but still held his wrists out for the marimo to break his handcuffs. Zoro grasped the chain and pulled, his muscles bulging under the strain. With a loud cracking sound the cook's handcuffs broke as well, leaving the pirates free.
Or at least kind of free, Sanji reflected as he glanced down at his bound ankles. He bent over, trying to break the chains through force like the swordsman had done. The manacles didn't even budge, but there was no way in hell that he was asking the swordsman for help.
Zoro watched patiently while Sanji strained at his bonds. He let the cook continue, wondering if he would ask for help. Zoro knew that he never would, and suspected that the cook wouldn't either. When Sanji had almost given up, Zoro dropped down on his knees and elbowed the blond man aside with a grunted "move." The restraints strained a bit and snapped under the tremendous pressure that the swordsman applied.
The green-haired man stood up and walked over to the bars of the cell.
"Move aside, moss-head," called the cook.
"Why should I, dartboard eyebrow?" he replied. Sanji aimed a kick at Zoro, who dodged to avoid it, moving out of the way of the bars.
"Because although you can cut through steel with those shitty swords of yours, you don't have them now. It's my turn." With that, Sanji spun and sent a kick straight at the cell door. A metal pole buckled and bent to the left. The cook kicked the two poles on the right of it fully out, and the pole on the far side of the gap to the right, creating a hole big enough for them both to slip through. Sanji ducked through the opening, followed by Zoro.
"Should we rescue anyone else in this hell-hole?" Sanji wondered aloud, looking around the empty block of cells.
"No," replied the swordsman. "Luffy rescued anyone else who was important already. If they're back here this soon, then they don't deserve to be rescued again."
"I never thought that I'd hear you say anything that actually made sense," he mumbled under his breath.
"What was that, pervert cook?"
"Nothing, idiot. Now let's get going before they notice that we're out.
The two started up the steps, picking up pace as they went along.
"Damn," Zoro murmured. "I wish that I had my swords."
"They're probably on the top floor. I think that I saw a room of confiscated weapons. They looked too mismatched to be the marines'."
As the two pirates reached the top of the top of the stairwell, an alarm went off. They heard the heavy pounding of boots.
Sanji cursed. "Here we go," he announced. "Try not to slow me down."
"You try not to slow me down. I bet I can get more then you, even without my swords."
"You're on."
…
I hoped everyone like it! It's a bit late again, but I actually have a legitimate excuse this time. I was sick :P As always, every single review that I get is much appreciated! I'll try to get the next chapter out soon XD
