As promised, a new chapter! Soon things will start happening, but you'll have to read through this chapter first, then the week can begin for real!
Chapter 11
"Garp told me that we got a new recruit to work in the stable earlier today", Brook said and put his violin away.
Both he and the prince had been in the dining hall for around half an hour, waiting for the blonde man to arrive. Brook had played on the violin to keep himself occupied but he realized that Zoro's dreaming was a bigger issue right now.
Zoro only muttered something in response and kept looking out of the gigantic windows that reached from the floor to the roof. Brook knew exactly what ran through the prince's mind right now.
"Try to be reasonable Prince Zoro", Brook said while sitting down at the table. "Young men, or any person at all for that matter, does not swim around and randomly saves people and then flutter of till oblivion and-"
"I'm telling you Brook, he was real. I'm gonna find him", Zoro interrupted and lifted one arm over his head and leaned it against the window. "And I'm gonna make him mine."
A laugh broke the conversation and the two men turned to the entry of the hall. Three figures entered in the shadows, two of them dragging the third inside. Zoro recognized the figure pushing behind the third shadow to be Luffy. The one pulling at the thirds arms was old lady Kokoro. As Zoro saw they entering the light his stomach did a tiny, almost unnoticeable, flutter. The blond young man he had found on the beach was the third, the one who was both pulled and dragged inside the hall. He was gorgeous. The blonde hair was neatly done and he was dressed in a black suit with a sea-green clean shirt under. Not fancy but it was very fitting for the blond, his long legs being hugged nicely by the tight pants.
"Come on now little boy, don't be shy", Kokoro cackled, enjoyed by Sanji's sudden awkwardness.
"Yeah, don't fight cause you'll never win against me", Luffy said and grinned.
Sanji turned his head to the straw-hat boy.
'Oh yeah? Wanna prove that shithead?'
"Save it for later", Luffy blinked. "Now you're gonna charm Zoro, right?"
Sanji blushed and turned his head away, shyly looking over at the two men that already was in the room.
When Sanji had realized that it really was only him, Zoro and one more, freakishly thin, man; he had panicked and tried to escape. Luffy was too fast though, and grabbed him before he could escape. Sanji could have kicked Luffy senseless; but firstly, he wasn't so steady on his legs as he would have like, and secondly; Kokoro had butted in to and Sanji couldn't hurt a lady. Thus he was beaten.
"Oh Zoro, isn't he a vision?" Brook asked and rose from his chair and walked up behind Zoro.
"Eh, well", Zoro stuttered and looked at Sanji. "You look stunning."
Sanji quirked the corner of his mouth and a smile and looked down at his feet.
"We will leave him to you, Prince Zoro", lady Kokoro said and dragged Luffy out with her after bowing ungracefully at them.
"Yohoho come, come", Brook said and wrapped his hands around Sanji's shoulders, showing him to the table.
Sanji turned his head and kept eye-contact with Zoro, who stretched his throat to keep it as long as possible. Then a thought hit the human. He couldn't let this beautiful blonde distract him from finding the person who saved him on the beach. That was his destined person, he felt the 'thunder' when he opened his eyes where he lied on the beach. But oh, how he wished that this blonde was that person. But he couldn't be. He was sure that his savior had a beautiful voice, and the blonde couldn't talk at all.
'But maybe pant or moan?' a little voice butted in and Zoro shook his head from thoughts of that kind and seated himself at the end of the diner-table, windows behind his back. Brook sat at his right side and the blonde man at his left.
Sanji peaked over at Zoro but something else caught his eyes. The bony man, who had presented himself as Brook, pulled out something very familiar and lighted it. Sanji's whole face lit up as he saw the snarfblat and Brook caught this interest.
He looked from Sanji to the pipe and then back to the blonde again. He blinked and leaned over the table, pipe in an outstretched hand.
"Do you like this?"
Sanji nodded his head furiously and took the snarfblat in his hands. Sanji turned it and drew in a breath. He put the small end to his mouth and blew as hard as he could.
The black could puffed out and hit Brook right in his face.
The older man coughed and blinked, very surprised. So was Sanji.
Zoro was grinning like mad but stopped and cleared his throat when he saw the look he got from the thin man.
"Sorry Brook."
"Oh Prince Zoro, that's the first time I've seen you smile in weeks", Makino said with a chuckle. She had arrived into the room just as Sanji blew the cloud out.
Sanji had been quiet embarrassed about the accident but he realized it was his doing that made the green-haired man laugh.
"Well, it was very amusing", Brook said dryly and wiped his pale face with a cloth. "Yohohoho Makino my dear, what's for dinner?"
Sanji listened interested as Makino described the dishes and he had to admit it sounded very tasty.
The food was served and the trio were left alone, starting to eat some stuffed crabs. Zoro had an inner conflict to whether he should like the blond or try to ignore him. He was highly interested in this man, but he wasn't the right one and Zoro wouldn't be an ass and play with someone he wasn't going to see on a regular basis.
"You know Zoro, perhaps our young guest would enjoy to see some sights from the kingdom?" Brook suggested. "Maybe a ride with a little group of people tomorrow, would do?"
Zoro was pulled out of his though and ripped his eyes away from Sanji to look at his advisor.
"Sorry Brook, what was that?"
"You can't spend all your time moping about. You need to get out", Brook said, a little offended by Zoro's absent mind. "Do something with your life. You can't just practice with your swords and sleep all the time."
"Easy Brook, easy", Zoro said and waved his hand slowly. "But it isn't a bad idea. If he's interested. What do you say?"
Sanji looked up from his plate and met eyes with Zoro.
"Would you like to join me on a ride around the town tomorrow?" Zoro asked.
Sanji nodded shyly with a small smile.
"How wonderful then", Brook said and took another bite of the crabs. "I'm sure we can get some guards to follow you aro-"
"I think the less we are, the better", Zoro interrupted.
"I will not let you walk around alone Zoro", Brooke said sternly. "You get lost in your own castle and I don't want to look for you again."
Sanji's shoulder bounced with silent laughter and Zoro huffed.
"Fine, but it's okay with one right? Ace would do fine."
"He and the new employee can escort you!" Brook said and lit up. "I'm sure the new man also want to see the kingdom."
Zoro shrugged, not pleased to take someone he didn't even know along. But it was only one more and if Zoro knew Ace right, the raven could deal with whoever it would be.
Sanji walked around quietly in his new room. It was fancy decorated but not too much stuff and Sanji liked it really much. He had met one new maid after the dinner. This was also a man, but he seemed a little older than himself. His name was Bon Kurei and Kokoro said he and Luffy would serve as Sanji's personal maids. She herself didn't have the time and she couldn't let Luffy handle it alone.
Sanji was a little uncomfortable with this new made, he was weird. But he had meet worse people. Or merpeople at least.
What Sanji loved the most wit this new room was the balcony. It wasn't big, but it was placed five meters over a small garden and below that, the sea clashed against the built stonewall. Sanji walked out on the balcony and leaned against the parapet. His eyes looked out of the ocean. He wondered what his beautiful sisters was doing. Where they worried about him? He prayed they weren't crying, although that would make his heart jump with affection.
Sanji was pulled out of his thoughts by a very familiar bark and his gaze landed on Chopper and , luckily, Zoro who were playing with the reindeer in the little garden.
"Come here Chopper", Zoro called and patted his knee in his kneeling position.
Chopper ran and jumped around him excitedly before jumping up on Zoro and licking his face.
Sanji looked at them and gave away a happy sigh. He wanted to be down there too, licking every inch of Zoro's face. Sanji face blushed a little and he huffed at that thought. It had only gone one day, seriously.
He realized both Zoro and Chopper were looking up at him, the prince waving with a lopsided smile. Sanji quickly straightened up, waving back with a smile and a blushing face. He walked backwards inside his room and only turned when he couldn't see Zoro anymore. He missed the fond smile Zoro got on his face.
A knock was heard on the door so Sanji walked over and opened it slowly. His face lit up when he saw Smoker stand in front of him and quickly let him in so nobody would see him.
"That god damn brat", Smoker muttered to himself as he walked inside. "Only one day, one fucking day and I already want to crush his head."
Sanji listened interested at the captains mutters and a grin spread over his face. Smoker was a well-trained diplomat and military man, so he seldom let his anger get the best of him, or he seldom let people get the best of him. Sanji was one of the few that could make Smoker lose his temper, but apparently it was one more that had caught Smokers interest.
'Is this god damn brat that you're talking about good looking?'
Sanji seriously had no idea what kind of gender Smoker preferred, he had never seen him with someone, so it could be anyone right?
Smoker quickly turned and glared at Sanji, when he heard the telepathic question from the merprince.
"Just an annoying kid named Ace."
Sanji's face lit in recognition.
'Oh, you and him are going to follow me and Zoro around the town tomorrow'.
"I'm very well aware of that too, thank you very much", Smoker continued muttering.
'It will be a double-date then', Sanji grinned teasingly.
"Definitely not", Smoker said dryly.
Sanji rolled his eyes at Smoker's short tone and patted his shoulder before he turned to the bed and crawled under the covers.
"The goal is to have the kid tell you he loves you", Smoker muttered and sat down on the bed beside the lying Sanji. "It will be hard, cause he will not get to know you as good since you can't talk. But if you behave well and use that ridiculous charm of yours then maybe..."
Smoker stopped talking when he saw that the blonde young man had fallen asleep, hair strands falling down over the handsome face. Smoker's features softened a little and the brushed the strands to the side. He rose and blew out the candle and the room became dark, but it was still lit up by the moon outside.
"You are hopeless brat. You know that?" Smoker muttered as he walked to the door. He threw one more look at the sleeping blonde before he sighed and closed the door.
"Completely hopeless."
A big, blue whale shark fishman was standing in the throne hall in Atlantica's palace. He had just arrived to All blue's water from his own kingdom because of a request from King Zeff himself. He watched the king swim from one side of the room to another. His hand was twisting around each other behind his back anxiously.
"Sanji is a very close friend of mine", the whale shark said with his dark voice. "I will of course help you in your search for him and captain Smoker."
Zeff stopped his restless behavior and nodded towards the other man.
"You have my gratitude, Jinbe. But all I ask for is that you keep your eyes and ears open. I cannot ask that you, as the crown prince of your people, go and search yourself. Not even I can get that time. But please let me know of you hear the slightest clue of where they have disappeared to."
"Of course."
Their conversation was interrupted when Pappagu entered the hall, sad look on his face.
"Any sign of them?" Zeff asked with a tiny trace of hope in his voice.
"No your Majesty", Pappagu said and confirmed Zeff's thoughts. "We have searched everywhere. We have found no trace of your son or Smoker."
"Keep looking", Zeff said with a stern voice. "Leave no shell unturned and no coral unexplored. I want every man on the search until we find them!"
"Yes sire", the starfish said and bowed before leaving.
Zeff sank down on his throne and rubbed his face with his hands frustrated.
"What have I done?"
And done, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Some of you are so clever and have figured that something is going on between Smoker and Ace, and if you're good readers then maybe sopmething will... hm, I'm no good at this threatening stuff. Very well, untill next chapter; see ya!