A/N: Hey all, thanks for the continual support. I had a lot of thinking to do for this chapter, and it took some time to write it all out. I work two jobs, 7 days a week, and every night I have commitments with people to tend to. I actually just quit one of them today, so there's that. Here's to having the weekend off again. I started this story in November of last year, if I remember correctly—it's been one hell of a ride and I'm gonna see this through. Thanks for following me from start to finish guys. We're almost there. Please review and follow, I'd love to see if you guys are enjoying the read. I've got a lot more to write and fight within me. Shit definitely is starting to hit the fan this chapter.

WARNINGS: Blood, mental trauma, non-con sex, language, among other things.

Chapter 14: Stay With Me

•THE CAFÉ•

"So when was the last time you saw your dad, kid?" Sanji leaned against the bar counter and glanced at the nervous child. Robin and Chopper had just introduced her to the straw-hat crew just moments prior. So…what exactly was their goal? Find this kid's old man, and then have the old man inform them on anything related to Law, Doflamingo, or anything that was just strange in general. They had no other leads after all…

Leanne, not very keen of strangers, felt an odd comfort as soon as she mustered the courage to look Sanji in the eye briefly. Those were quite the serene eyes, ones that she could hopefully trust. She glanced around the room…only to realize everyone appeared to be just as friendly looking. There was even that cute bear, and a super cool robot! Not to mention the fact that there was also a very funny looking guy with a super long nose. "…It's been almost two days," she sniffled, her response merely mumbles.

"Damn, that doesn't sound like too long ago…" Usopp furrowed his brows in concentration, "where did ya last see him, here in the shop?"

"…Mhm," Leanne wiped her eye, "…he said he was gonna give Leo some food, and that maybe he could visit again sometime."

"Leo?" Nami asked, quirking her very own brow. "What did Leo look like, did he have dark hair?"

"Was he almost as tall as this guy?" Usopp pointed at Zoro, "Well uh, a bit taller?"

"And did he also have those SUUUPPEEERRR cool tattoos all over his hands and body?" Franky flexed his robot hands wide open as he posed.

Leanne, captivated by Franky's animated behvaior, soon smiled and nodded, "Yeah, that's Leo! Is he your friend? Were you looking for him this whole time?" She asked almost eagerly, as if some sort of revelation had dawned upon her. "Leo saved my life, he fixed me when nobody else could!"

"Our friend is indeed a doctor!" Brooke rejoiced, this was a wonderful lead!

"I'm glad that you're all fixed up now, Leanne. It is very much like my captain to use an alias, Leo is very close to the name Law…it's probably what was on the top of his mind at the time." Bepo confirmed with finality to the conversation.

"Did your dad tell you which way he was gonna go, Leanne?" Nami asked, only to be interrupted by a sudden outburst from Franky.

"Oi! What's this, guys! Look, it's Luffy! I just checked my drone to see if it was still working. Looks like Luffy made some friends! The transponder snail on the drone is transmitting this to us live! Isn't that…" Franky held up his arm, a small screen attached on the inside groove. It showed Luffy trudging through the forest with some other men.

Everyone immediately came closer and gathered around the screen, "X Drake? What is he doing on this island?" Robin recalled the man well, because of his reptilian features.

"Oi, Luffy! What are you doing with those guys?" Franky spoke to his own transponder snail, hoping that Luffy would notice the drone following him—the snail transmitting the voice over.

Luffy looked over his shoulder to see where Franky's voice was coming from, his eyes now sparkling at the sight of the drone! Little did he know that was what the bracelet was for—it was the honing device that the drone was attached to wirelessly. "Eh?! Franky! That's so cool!"

"Yeah Luffy your bracelet is how the drone follows you! What is Drake doing with ya?!"

"We're going uphill! To Doflamingo!"

"We'll be on our way to help then, Luffy!" Nami responded, grabbing hold of Franky's transponder abruptly.

"See you then!" Luffy retorted, resuming his run with the other men.

Sanji sensed something in the distance. "Hold on…" He listened. "It can't be as easy as that."

Zoro added, "We have company…" Sanji and Zoro exchanged a mutual look towards one another. Something was coming. And it was coming super damned fast, almost as if…whatever it was could fly.

"Nami, Brooke, Chopper, Usopp, Franky, Bepo. Take Leanne and get out of here. We're about to run into some trouble." The chef leaned off of the counter, letting a seamless cloud of smoke fade as it escaped his lip.

"Go with them, swirly brow. The threat isn't big enough for the both of us to be here." The swordsman folded his arms over his chest, his face laced with nothing but the calm before a storm.

Of course Sanji would be too stubborn to leave that directionally challenged moss head behind. There was no way he could find his way up that hill without guidance after they were done dealing with the incoming threat…and there was just no more time to waste on the matter.

"So we left Zoro and Sanji behind," Nami addressed the group as they all traveled towards the general direction of the hillside, "but we can't all go up to where Luffy is. It'll be dangerous and we can't take Leanne there. We have to split up again. Franky, Robin, Usopp, take Leanne somewhere safe—you guys can keep an eye on us with that drone once we find Luffy. Chopper, Bepo, Brooke and I will find Shinta and Law too. Hopefully Zoro and Sanji won't take too long… Now let's get going!"

•THE MANSION•

Fragments of life skittered beneath those dark, very dazed eyes. Living in such amplified pain and misery over the span of a month had certainly poisoned his heart and mind. What was going on again? Law slowly came to.

Doflamingo must have knocked him out after he cursed at him for what seemed like the millionth time. "Nnh…" the surgeon slowly rolled his eyes open. He glanced about wearily, fuzzily. The hall was empty, and the side of his face was resting on the dining table. Monet and Vergo…

That's right. They were sent after Leanne and Shinta. But…they were long gone. The realization of what had occurred finally hit Law like a truck. How long had he been out? "Damn it," he muttered to himself dryly, as he fought the burning bile in the back of his throat. Law flinched suddenly; the touch of a terrorizing familiar hand was soon resting on his shoulder. Wait, he wasn't in the chair anymore…

"Law, what's on your mind? Were you perhaps…" Doflamingo stroked Law's exposed rump, "…wondering where everyone is?"

The front of Law's chest was pressed against the table, the side of his face pressed against the wood. His feet were resting limply on the ground, his hands still cuffed. Pain soon skittered up his spine the moment he tried to stand—Doflamingo's hand pressing him back down. What the hell had happened? He wasn't in this position before… Unless… "…H-h, fuck." A mumble. His head throbbed insanely. He ached. But…this ache in particular was far fresher. He had been out cold, and he should've felt a bit better by now. Instead…he felt worse. Doflamingo had fucked him while he was unconscious. There was no doubt about it. Even now, the hands on his flesh hurt to feel. "Sick," a whisper. At this moment…he felt completely paralyzed. How much time had passed again?

Doflamingo grinned ridiculously to himself, "Oh, you're wondering what happened to you while you were out cold." The blond laughed condescendingly, "I filled you up again," he smacked Law's flushed cheek, "just for good measure. You were still so tight… Your whole body wanted it, even while unconscious." The blond grinded his groin against Law's well abused cleft, placing both of his hands on the other's shoulders. He hoisted the other up, causing Law to stand with his back pressed flush against the blond's chest. "I would ask Sugar to turn you into a toy, but…" he hovered his lips against the shell of Law's ear, "…you already are one."

Thoroughly disgusted and just about ready to vomit, Law furrowed his eyes as his lips grimaced distastefully. He literally had nothing to say…nothing that he hadn't already said. He refused to be acknowledged as Doflamingo's sex toy. Even when he'd die he was sure Doflamingo would commit necrophilia. Legs quivering from the disgusting thoughts that were now plaguing his mind, Law waited for Doflamingo to make his next move. He was at the other's mercy while he was still lost in his own tormented thoughts. How far did Shinta even get? Hell, the old bastard may have already died by now. All his efforts for nothing…Just what in the hell was he supposed to do now? If Drake was planning on saving him, what exactly was his strategy? What cue were they waiting for?

"No comment, Law?" Doflamingo bit Law's shoulder a couple times; electing a few brief groans of annoyance and some irritated squirms. The blond then turned the other around. He held Law by the waist, "I won't forgive you for what you did on Punk Hazard or Dressrosa…or even with Rosinante and the devil fruit. You deserve all of this…until I kill you."

Law refused to look Doflamingo in the eye until he mentioned Corazon, his savior. At that very moment, all the dark haired captain could do was lock his storm colored eyes onto the other. In those eyes, what exactly could be seen? Over a decades worth of turmoil, that much for was certain. Biting his lower lip, lost in memories of the man who saved him, Law finally spoke. "You brought it upon yourself…" Rekindled in an absurd sort of way, Law shoved Doflamingo off of him and glanced around for his clothing…any sort of clothing. He needed to cover himself. Being so exposed like this, well…

Fuck that.

Disoriented as ever, Law stumbled. He could hardly stand on his own. The male decided to fight his weakened state. The cuffs weren't going to come off unless he snapped or cut his wrist and used his blood as lubricant. Most times that wouldn't work…but Law had slimmed some, due to lack of food. Perhaps he'd try it.

Doflamingo let Law fumble about for his ripped clothing; to him it was no big deal. Laughing momentarily at the short response he received, he cracked his knuckles for his own comfort, "The world is full of sheep that need to be led somewhere, Law. Even if it's to their death." The blond followed Law's movements with his eyes. The boy had managed to cover himself with great difficulty. The surgeon soon propped himself against one of the walls, his tattooed chest heaving gently. Doflamingo decided to let the arrogant surgeon rest for a short while…just long enough until Vergo and Monet were back with Shinta and the child…

It wouldn't be long now.

•LUFFY•

Trudging through the rainfall whilst headed up one of the major hills that overlooked Ghost Town, X Drake huffed to himself and slowed to a halt by a small clearing of trees. Luffy, following beside him, furrowed his brows. "Why'd we stop?" What's the matter?" The straw-hat captain balled his hands into fists, riled and ready. Drake glanced at both of his crewmembers briefly and made a few motions with his hands. What exactly was he signaling to the others? Did he see something in the distance? In a matter of moments, both of Drake's shipmates retreated and ran off in different directions. What the hell was that supposed to mean? What was Drake up to? "Where are you guys going? Huh?"

"Don't worry about 'em. They've got a few things to take care of for me. We can keep going in the mean time Luffy. Sounds like your crew is headed this way too…" In truth, all Drake wanted was for his men to complete a few of their 'tasks' before the rest of the straw hats showed up to bombard a few of their operations. Well, Doflamingo's operations. The moment they attacked Doflamingo would be a signal for them to retreat and let Luffy do all the work. As for Law… Drake had a hunch he'd be fine. That poor bastard.

Eventually, the pair reached the top of the hill, the stormy breeze quite chilling. Wet skin crawled beneath Luffy's clothing. Damn was it cold… The straw-hat captain pressed his lips together, his determined eyes landing straight on the mansion before them. There it was, they were here… And the place was crawling with goons similar to the ones that they fought on Dressrosa. Despite this, there was something a bit off about this place… Why would Doflamingo even come here? Luffy, just about ready to leave their hiding spot behind the shrubbery, was immediately pulled back by Drake's firm hand. "Don't you dare. Not yet. We should wait for your crew."

"I'm going in, I'm not waiting anymore." Luffy was irritated, his voice stern as ever. "It's been too long. I need to go for my friend, Tra-guy. I gotta do this for everyone back at Dressrosa too."

Sighing heavily, Drake face-palmed himself as he listened to Luffy's half-assed speech. "…Fine." There was no stopping this guy. The reptilian male could sort of tell that this man with that kind of determination…well, his bounty did justice after all. "You're just gonna rush in then?"

Silence.

Drake glanced at Luffy only to see that he had already taken off. "What the hell…" he muttered to himself, contemplating his options quietly. Perhaps he'd let Luffy take care of it alone…if any of the other Yonkou's found out that he was apart of Doflamingo's downfall…well he'd sure as hell make a target out of his crew. It'd be better to let Luffy and his crew take all the credit for now. Drake weighed his options, and decided to hang back in the shadows. He'd see how things would play out. As for that damned shop-owner...he forgot to mention him to Luffy. No big deal.

•THE CAFÉ•

They shot down through the roof, the sound of the crushed building louder than a crashing wave. Rubble and smoke settled about them, just as the rain beginning to wet the inside of the café. Zoro and Sanji easily dodged the crash landing of an entrance and waited for the pair of executives to make themselves known. "Looks like tea for two has turned into tea for four," Monet murmured as she and Vergo stood back to back. It was very alarming—the straw hats were here. They needed to alert Doflamingo immediately so he could take action. But first…they had to defeat them.

"I'm sorry to say, I have the right to refuse service to any guests I choose." Sanji dabbed the butt of his cigarette onto one of the tables, his initial shock in regards to Vergo's survival dissipating rather quickly. He was almost certain that Law had finished him off at Punk Hazard. He didn't exactly have the best encounter with Vergo himself, in actuality. He had fractured his leg in mid-combat the last they fought.

For Zoro, however, it was different. He had destroyed Monet's will to fight in a matter of seconds, his very aura overpowering her entire being. Had things changed at all since then? She wasn't shaking in shock this time, at least…not yet. She was still weak in his book. Vergo, however…he had the brute strength that he sensed earlier.

"Black leg. It'll be easy to finish you off once and for all," Vergo assessed, adjusting his sunglasses in the process. The swordsman, however…he'd see.

"You'll have to go through me first," Zoro interjected, almost eager for a fight. Monet wasn't worth his time. Sanji could deal with her. "That bird lady isn't much of a challenge."

Monet furrowed her brows out of sheer annoyance. "More importantly, where's the girl, boys? You can't hide her from us." Monet quirked her lip slightly—she was a bit more prepared for the duo this time around since she had seen what they were capable of beforehand. She knew she wouldn't be able to take down Zoro, but perhaps she could distract blondie while Vergo dealt with the moss head. If anything, she knew she'd have to fly out as soon as things got out of control. Leanne in hand or not. The new end goal was to notify Doflamingo.

"We're not about to tell you," Sanji placed both of his hands in his pockets, "…Also…same goes for you. You can't hide Law forever."

Of course they'd be here looking for Law. Gritting her teeth together, the harpy lady decided to initiate combat and charged straight toward Sanji. Despite her damned attractiveness, the cook dodged effortlessly and found himself blocking a second swift attack with her powerful harpy leg. Leg against leg, Sanji knew well he'd have to put a stop to her without dealing a direct blow to her. Hitting women was against his policy.

Vergo took Monet's cue and went straight for Zoro, the man already provoking them from the start. A kick to the left, a kick to the right, he assessed Zoro's swiftness, his strength beneath his blades. Oh this man was something, wasn't he?! Vergo knew right off the bat he'd be using haki to deal with this man. It's almost as if Zoro had extensive training in dealing with kicks—of course it had to be that damn blond friend of his. Smirking to himself from the adrenaline rush, Vergo appeared behind Zoro with the speed of a demon. He landed a heavy blow to Zoro's spine, the swordsman flinching and recovering quickly. Vergo was faster than his large, heavy body led on to be. Coughing briefly, Zoro dealt a few fierce blows to Vergo, their fight intensifying. The swordsman had godly precision; something Vergo noted as well. Zoro proved to be quite the formidable foe.

Sanji deflected yet another blow landed by Monet, only to launch her straight up into the air and through the very roof she had come from. Monet, now in the sky, spread her harpy wings as her eyes landed on Sanji who was already moonwalking up towards her. Now how in the hell could a mere human do that? Was he that damn fast that he could walk on air? "Now I'd never hit a lady…but you're gonna get worn out sooner or later. When that happens…well, it's curtains for you." She could try to hit him all she wanted, but there was no way in hell that he'd be taken down by her. Sanji would watch for the moment she became vulnerable after burning herself out…all in order to trap her. That was his plan. Hopefully she'd cough up some information about Law.

"I don't get worn out easily, pretty boy." Monet chuckled in a sinister fashion, batting her wings in four consecutive motions with such force. A gale wind was created, and it sped straight towards Sanji. The blond was knocked downward, only to rebound on the remains of the rooftop, his feet launching him off to a different direction. He approached the next-door building and retrieved a rather large, wet flag that was hanging off the front of it. He had no intention to attack her directly. With the wet cloth in hand, Sanji sped towards Monet—confusion in her sharp eyes. What was he up to?

And then it hit her. Sanji had flung the flag over one of her massive wings, and tied it rather quickly to the other one. Monet kicked and screamed with the voice of a cursed banshee, Sanji eating one of said kicks straight in the abdomen in order to accomplish his feat. Monet fell, unable to free her limbs. Sanji, being the gentleman that he was, caught her easily after regaining his breath. He landed on the ground, the woman staring at him with such malice in her eyes. Without a word, Sanji sat her down across the street on a bench with a mini roof over it. It was raining still, and the two of them would wait outside for the victor to exit the teahouse. The blond knew for a fact that Zoro would never lose a fight again, especially after two years of training. It was a matter of time before they finished.

•LUFFY•

Luffy had knocked out virtually everyone in his path that was affiliated with Doflamingo. He had leapt over the fence and launched himself straight through a window on the second story of the mansion. If anything, Luffy was thankful that this mansion was nothing compared to that damned castle in Dressrosa. It'd be easier to find Law now, and that's all that mattered…aside from kicking Doflamingo's ass. The dark-haired captain of the straw hats ran along one of the hallways upstairs, leaving only a few alarmed henchmen behind. It was a matter of time before they rallied up everyone they had to stop Luffy. The henchmen were mostly astonished when they saw the young captain appear out of nowhere. Just how the hell did straw hat Luffy infiltrate the premises without alarming anyone thus far? Just what in the hell?

It only took a few moments for Luffy to get through the whole hall and peek in every room. "Laawwwww!" He yelled, not giving the slightest care for who was around to hear. He wanted Doflamingo to show himself. There were two more doors until he reached the staircase at the end of the hall. Opening one of the doors, Luffy paused briefly—noticing that there were a few overturned pieces of furniture, a weird squishy black blob crawling out of a bag on the ground, and splatters of blood all over the floor. Hell, even the window was broken. Was this where they kept Law? Furrowed brows and concern overcame Luffy's features. Even more determined, Luffy looked in the last room to find nothing and ran down the staircase. He passed a kitchen and then came across a few men who he knocked out instantly. Finally, he entered a large dining hall…

"…Law?"

Half the room was normal. The other half…was loaded in string. Webs upon webs of string. String walls, string floors. There were mounds of it everywhere. Law…he was now apart of the string-ridden wall. He was wrapped up completely, with an absurd amount of the white laces. Only half of Law's arms and torso were visible, the rest of him well embedded in a load of thread. Little did Luffy know that beneath the string, his wrists were trapped in sea stone. Just what in the hell…had they done to him? Law looked so pale, so worn, and so small. He was tortured, and heavens knew what else. Dried blood framed Law's temple, his lips chapped and lower cheek bruised. Welts accompanied the tattoos across his chest, most cracked and swollen. Disease embroidered all of his cuts, his body had given up fighting off everything that was broken and hurt. Hands balled into fists, Luffy ran across the large dining hall, and entered the string domain. He ripped several of the strands apart as he approached, the area completely covered in synthetic webs. Standing in front of Law now, Luffy spoke to the other with a tone so upset, so concerned. "Tra! Wake up!" He shook Law by the shoulders, the surgeon's head shrugging off to the side limply. When Luffy saw that it was no use, he grabbed a fistful of string from the wall and began ripping it. He pulled and yanked as much as he could, moving as quickly as possible. He needed to get Law out of there pronto; he needed to take him to Chopper!

"I don't appreciate the way you're ripping my strings apart, Mugiwara-ya." Doflamingo now appeared to be standing beside the dining table behind them. "That's what Law liked to call you, correct?" The blond folded his arms over his chest and laughed to himself briefly as Luffy began to look over his shoulder. They locked eyes. Such anger was apparent in straw hat's dark eyes. Doflamingo knew he was about to be thoroughly entertained by this weak ant.

"What did you do to him?!" Luffy demanded to know, "I'm gonna kick your ass. For Law, and for all of Dressrosa! You're going down here and now, Mingo!" Luffy's words were coated with anger, his tone so sharp that a faint growl could be heard beneath them. The rubber pirate leapt forward, his fist ready to land quite a fierce blow! Luffy channeled quite a bit of strength behind his first move, his eager demeanor compelling him to do so! This was the moment he was waiting for!

•TEAM NAMI•

After traveling uphill through the forest for quite awhile, Nami the navigator slowly came to a halt. They were almost there. She spotted a clearing just up ahead and told the others to hide among the bushes so that they could assess the situation. The fence around the mansion seemed to be in tact, but…there were henchmen all over the place. Half of them were knocked out on the ground, the others scurrying towards the inside of the mansion. Wait. Some of them were also scurrying outside of the mansion as well. What the hell? Talk about disorganized chaos.

"Luffy was here, that much is for certain," Brooke whispered to the others as he noted the scene before them in the distance.

Nami nodded at Brooke's words, "We've gotta get inside and find Law while Luffy keeps Doflamingo occupied."

Bepo sighed quietly to himself, the suspense was making him extremely anxious. He wanted to get in there as soon as possible in order to find Law. He needed to make sure he was safe…It had been far too long since he'd seen his captain. "Let's go, we can wipe out these goons easily."

"Bepo, Nami. You both head inside while Chopper and I take care of these men. We'll meet you guys in a few minutes." Brooke stood up from his crouched position by one of the trees, his sword already in hand. "Come Chopper, off we go!" The skeleton would most certainly prove to be the biggest distraction on the field. Brooke ran in rather quickly, suddenly capturing all of their attention. Nami and Bepo ran around the clearing and headed towards the mansion, clearly taking advantage of the moment. Chopper soon activated kung-fu point and joined Brooke on the battleground, blow after blow—men fell to their knees! No one could defeat the Soul King and Chopper! Completely engaged in battle, the distant shouts of men crying out soon faded from Nami and Bepo's ears. They entered the mansion from one of the windows on the flank.

•TEAM FRANKY•

Franky, Robin, Usopp and Leanne were headed in a different direction. They didn't want to be too far from the mansion in case they were needed, but at the same time they wanted to keep Leanne somewhere safe. They didn't know where else they could take her, and who they could really trust around the area. It seemed everyone was holed up at home due to the storm. Finding an old cabin between the shrouds of many trees, the straw hats decided to take shelter there for the time being. The girl seemed to take a liking to Robin, and for the most part she felt a lot safer than before. "We'll stay here for a little while, at least until the rain lightens up. Then we'll try to rejoin the others."

"I'm gonna go survey they area around us, I thought I saw something earlier on our way here. Usopp, come with me! We won't be too long, Robin. You guys are safe here." The cyborg soon exited the cabin, Usopp complaining behind him, trying to get him to stay. Franky flat out ignored the complaints, his mind focused on a few other things. He led the marksman off the trail and elsewhere. They walked for what seemed like forever, but in actuality it had been only twenty minutes or so.

Eventually, Franky confirmed his suspicions: there were henchmen here! He could've sworn he saw someone or something scurrying about in this direction. Wait…

"Is that…" Usopp's jaw dropped.

"Another SMILE factory," Franky confirmed, an air of seriousness gracing his robotic features. With furrowed brows, both Franky and Usopp observed the area. There were men working in the area, producing loads of strange devil fruits. Beside the factory was a small building half it's size. Who knew what was inside there, some sort of laboratory most likely. Everything also looked brand-new…this building must have been recently completed. So this…this was Doflamingo's back up plan. He had to produce more fruits to give to his dealers. They had to stop all this crap once and for all.

With his binoculars on, Usopp's jaw dropped once more! He could see two familiar faces sneaking around the factory! Those two men…weren't they with Drake and Luffy earlier?! Did Drake order his men away? "Franky!" Usopp whispered frantically, "Drake's men are up to something, it looks like they may be trying to infiltrate the factory…what if they're after some of those fake devil fruits! Ah! They're stealing them now! Why? What are they up to?!"

"For a second I thought they would've destroyed it themselves…but looks like we have a new mission now, Usopp. We need to devise a plan."

"Ahhh we're gonna try and blow this factory up?! Ugh, you know what you're totally right, we should definitely do that and save this island from impending doom. But don't we need help from the others, and uh, we should totally tell Robin! Let's leave and go to her and uh, come back later!?"

Franky huffed briefly in response to Usopp's quick words, "we'll have to do it now, on our own. Robin has to look after Leanne."

"Wha?! Look at the size of that thing though Franky, how the heck are we gonna do this?!"

"We're lucky I've done this before. Here's what we're gonna do."

•ZORO & SANJI•

Some time had passed. Sanji lit another cigarette, listening to the fight patiently. Zoro and Vergo had exited the teahouse through the back. The fight was now taking place on the street behind the teahouse. Sanji would remain on the sidelines with Monet, who was slowly slipping her wings out of the binds only to have him tighten them again. Her wings were certainly strong; he'd give her credit for that. "So where's Tra-guy now? Up that hill in the mansion? It's been weeks."

Monet locked her poisonous gaze on the blond male, "He's probably dead by now," she smiled serenely, hoping that would shut him up. Further conversation was futile and he should've known. The woman was eager to see Vergo return, but she had to come with a backup plan…she needed to get out of the bind as quickly as possible.

Sanji furrowed his brows distastefully, all of a sudden hearing a loud bang from the distance. The fight was nearly finished, he could feel it.

Vergo was fast, but Zoro was faster. After a few blows were exchanged, the swordsman understood that Vergo took a split second longer to rebound. Taking advantage of that fact, Zoro was able to cut through Vergo's haki armored body in one unpredictable movement. Zoro wanted to end the fight quickly. There were much better things to do, after all. When Vergo was cut and made vulnerable, Zoro took advantage of the moment once more and knocked the man into a nearby wall with the strength of a tornado.

Vergo, left in the rubble, was severed in half. His haki armor had been sliced! What sort of swordsman could deliver blows that could destroy his armor? He was lost in an air of shock and de ja vu—he'd been cut before by a familiar brat. Not again. Not again. In this brief moment of realization, Vergo understood he was locked in a trauma-induced paralysis.

To finish him off, Zoro delivered one final blow with his three-sword style Ul-Tora Gari—he came forward with a descending slash, and that was definitely the end of Vergo. With the aura of a tiger in mind, Zoro sighed softly to himself after he executed. In order to perform as well as he did, he harbored an extreme focus. Spending two years with Dracule Mihawk, well…he sure as hell learned a lot. Smoke from the collateral damage coated the area, despite the relentless rain pattering down on the road he stood on. With closed eyes, Zoro sheathed his swords. More rubble hit the ground in that moment. That was the end of that.

Zoro had entered the coffee shop through the back door, and soon made his way to the entry doors. Outside across the street, he saw Sanji standing beside Monet who was sitting on the bench with her wings tied. The moment she landed eyes on Zoro she frowned…where was Vergo? Had he…lost? Realizing she was now in a bigger mess, the harpy struggled to come up with a plan. She needed to escape.

The green haired male crossed the street and approached the pair. "Didn't send her flying elsewhere, that's a shame." Zoro folded his arms over his wet chest as he came to a halt.

"A lady should be treated with far more care than this," the blond sighed. He felt guilty for even tying her delicate wings.

Zoro took one look at Monet, only to see that she was shaking slightly from his presence alone. "Untie her wings." He had mentally traumatized this lady back on Punk Hazard, and it looked like her nerves finally got to her again just by looking at him this close up.

Sanji listened, more than willing to let her go. The moment he untied her, Monet stayed put out of fear. "Damn Zoro. Didn't know you had this sort of affect on girls. Guess we'll leave her then…" he started walking, "No wonder you're g—" Zoro cut him off by grabbing his arm as he brushed past,

"Good at ending fights?" the swordsman furrowed his brows as he locked eyes with the blond. Water dripped from his chin, the man still drenched from the continuous rainfall.

Sanji pouted briefly in acknowledgement, "Yeah, whatever. Let's go." Zoro released the other's arm in response. The blond then continued onwards, rubbing his arm with his hand in the process. "Just stay with me, marimo-chan." The last thing he wanted was for this directionally challenged moss head to get lost in unknown territory. Again. It was good that they let Monet go, the harpy lady wasn't going to tell them anything either way. The men entered the forest, already beginning their uphill journey.

Zoro mentally sighed as he walked alongside the blond. He sure as hell wished he could actually stay with him. Ever since the night they had together up in the crow's nest, he'd been lost in thought about what to do with the blond. Sanji was acting like…the same old Sanji. As if nothing had ever happened. How long could he lie to himself? "After we finish up here…we should talk."

"Talk about what?" Sanji asked with a surprisingly hard tone, clearly he was irritated. "We already talked."

What the hell was Sanji annoyed with all of a sudden? With furrowed brows, Zoro retorted, "We got nowhere. You still haven't told me what you really want." Abruptly, Sanji stopped walking in his tracks. Zoro noticed this and stopped as well, his eyes now locked onto the blonde's face. The wet fringe of his light hair covered the side of his face per usual, his eyes locked onto the moist ground before them. What was Sanji thinking about?

"Zoro…I." He balled his hands into fists as his arms hung limply at his sides.

The swordsman wore a stern expression on his face, he didn't like seeing the other so lost…and alone. Hell, maybe he needed to steer Sanji into the right direction this time around. For a change and all. Zoro took a step toward the blond and placed his practiced hands about the other's waist. He closed his eye and pressed his forehead against the others. That's all. Nothing more, nothing less. Actions would always speak louder than words for Zoro, so maybe this was his way to comfort the other.

"I need more time…" came a soft breath of a response. The blond actually was comforted, but he'd never admit it. The chef slowly wrapped his arms around Zoro's neck, bringing himself to look straight into the other's eyes with such a soft, blue gaze.

Those movements alone were enough to make Zoro cave into what he wanted. The cherry on top however…was when Sanji's light breath hit his lips. Zoro moved in, pressing his lips against the chef's. He tightened his grip about the blond's waist, and kissed with such a somber passion no one knew he was capable of. With furrowed brows and a tender heart, Zoro pushed the other's back against a tree that happened to be just behind Sanji.

The blond let Zoro have his way with his lips, one of his hands scuffing up through the hair on the nape of the swordsman's neck. As soon as he felt the tree grit behind him, Sanji broke the kiss briefly, his lip grazing along Zoro's cheek. The swordsman then began kissing downward, down Sanji's jaw and to the crook of his neck. Sanji squirmed slightly, his hand resting on Zoro's back, while the other hand continued to massage Zoro's nape. "Nh," Sanji murmured, the other male had bit him softly, adoringly.

Zoro kissed the side of the blond's neck once more, before coming up to eye level again. "Sanji." The male rubbed the blond's waist with his thumbs gently, "I can wait, but…not forever."

It was then, that the blond came to terms with it. Zoro really loved him. He could see it in his daring eye. He could hear it in his patient tone. Sanji, unable to find words to respond, decided to pull a Zoro. He came forward himself, and pressed his lips against the other once more.

"…H-help me…please…I can't move much more…"

Zoro and Sanji immediately pulled away from one another, their attention snapping straight onto the voice they had just heard. Who in the hell was that?! How come they didn't notice before?! "Damn, what happened to you, old man?" Sanji made his way over to the old guy who seemed to have just crawled his way through the wet, soppy clearing. He was injured badly.

Just how long had that guy been there? Did he see them…kiss? Probably…but the old guy was disoriented, and Sanji had already made his way over to help. Crouching over him, Zoro and Sanji both helped the other up against a tree. "Could this old guy be the owner of the teahouse?" Zoro asked.

"Yeah he's gotta be. I could've sworn I saw him in one of the picture frames inside." Sanji shook the man gently, "Old man, you still there?" No response. The blond shook him gently once more, "hang in there." Glancing back at Zoro, Sanji sighed. "We've gotta take him back."

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