Win You on a Bet
Summary: Zoro makes a bet with Usopp that he can seduce any man or woman. Then a certain foul-mouthed chef walks into the bar and poses a challenge.
In the meantime Law attempts to escape his shady past and Luffy can't stop himself from being his curious self. (Modern AU, ZoSan and LawLuffy)
Chapter 21: A Sad Backstory Is a Must
Law staggered back home, barely able to unlock the door before falling head first onto the floor and letting out a grumble as his broken ribs hit the hard surface.
He swore under his breath as he struggled to get back up but in the end decided that lying down probably wasn't that bad of an idea.
The silver lining to the whole ordeal was that at least Sanji wasn't home, already taking the early shift at his restaurant. That in turn meant he wouldn't get to see him at his worst state and he had some time to make himself more presentable, as much as that was possible.
He closed his eyes, taking a ragged breath and trying not to jar the injuries further.
What had happened? The events flashed before his eyes, the way some asshole had sneaked up on him and managed to land a blow to his head before he even knew what was going on.
The surgeon felt his head, he could only hope it was a minor concussion.
Fortunately, he was quick on his feet and fought back, his instincts kicking right in. If it weren't for the injury on his hand, courtesy to the fight with Zoro, he would have been more effective with dealing with the stranger but alas the bastard was able to land some pretty bad blows on him.
He'd managed to get the upper hand in the end, that much was a win. Problem was the other had run away when things got serious, undoubtedly waltzing back to Doflamingo to give him his report.
Law swore once again, now he had a matter of hours or days at most before the criminal boss was back at him. He shuddered as the thought of Sanji being targeted crossed his mind.
That very prospect was enough to get him back on track and with great effort he struggled back to his feet, opting for the bathroom where he could wash away the blood over him.
From what he knew about Doflamingo, and he knew a lot, the other would wait before the next attack, he was a strategist, never wanted to rush things. Plus it appeared the criminal boss took immense pleasure in toying with people, he enjoyed their fear more than he did the actual kill.
Still, there was not time to waste, he had to be prepared as much as possible.
xxx
Law stared at his swollen, bloodied reflection and shook his head, he could already imagine how panicked Sanji would be. He didn't care much about himself but hurting his friend – that was something he had avoid at all costs.
With steady hands he wet a small cotton dab and then proceeded to wash away the blood from his face.
It was then that he heard the front door open and his heart slammed against his chest – what if Doflamingo had found him?
How could he have been stipid enough not to lock it given the mess he was in? Then again the blow to his head was probably already screwing with his brain.
Trafalgar gripped the edge of the sink, meeting his own bloodshot eyes in the mirror and preparing himself for what was about to come.
If this had to be the end, he was ready. His life had sucked as a whole but there were a few nice moments and –
"Sanjiiii! Tarraooo!" came a sudden scream that took the Spaniard aback, "Where are you?"
Before he could so much as speak up he saw Luffy, of all people in the world, leaning in against the doorframe of the bathroom, black eyes full of shock.
"What happened to you!?" the brunette demanded as he took a determined step towards him.
Law instinctively took a step back and nearly fell on his ass as he lost balance.
Luffy was quicker than him, he was immediately at his side, warm hands giving support.
The surgeon met his eyes and he noticed the childish innocence was gone and replaced with worry and care. He looked away, unable to face those emotions, unable to deal with the idea the other cared about him.
"Stay away from me," he managed to say, trying to sound harsh but his voice gave out somewhere in the middle of the sentence.
Luffy shook his head as determination flashed through his face,
"Not gonna happen," he asserted as he hardened the grip on him but was still careful not to jar the injuries.
"I said leave!" Law screamed, scared that Doflamingo could barge in and hurt the shorter man as well.
As angry as he was with him, the thought of him getting injured was one he couldn't bare.
Not to mention…if Luffy didn't care why would he act like this? If the bet was only a game for Sanji and him to get tricked…why was he caring?
"Mugiwara, please leave, you don't want yourself to get involved in this," he said in the end. He owed him at least this much and he couldn't allow for him to get hurt.
The brunette gave him a look, studying look and when he spoke once again his voice was almost unrecognizable, every trace of joy and childlike carefreeness gone from it.
"Law, whatever it is that you're running away from it, however scary you think it is," he began, black eyes never once leaving his own, "We can beat it."
Trafalgar couldn't help but laugh at the bold statement.
Beat Doflamingo? As if he hadn't tried and failed one time too many!
That had to be a joke.
"You can't beat him," he said quietly, a sudden wave of tiredness washing over him and making him weak at the knees. He swayed on his feet and it was only Luffy's warm, steadying hands on his shoulders that prevented him from falling.
It was then that to his utter surprise Luffy broke into a heartfelt laughter that echoed through Sanji's apartment and then flew out on the busy street.
Law briefly toyed with the idea that perhaps this was all a hallucination caused by the concussion.
"You obviously don't know me, Tarrao," the brunette said when he was finally done laughing.
His voice was softer now, soothing even. Law had to fight to look away, he wasn't ready for the care in his eyes.
"Me and my friends, we've dealt with more things than you can imagine," he added, his tone one of reminiscence mixed in with pride.
"Plus, if I was able to hold off both you and Zoro, don't you think I'm pretty strong?"
The Spaniard couldn't help but chuckle at the observation. Still, it was true and he remembered he was pretty impressed with what the Straw Hat had done back done.
He himself was a force to be reckoned with and Zoro was just sas strong, if not more. For Luffy to be able to break them apart and hold them off, he had to be all but inhuman.
"What you did back then…it was pretty impressive," he mumbled under his breath which earned him a sunny grin from the brunette that made something in his chest melt.
Law was taken aback by how all the tension in the room dissipated and suddenly even the prospect of Doflamingo finding him was a little less scary.
Perhaps that was the effect the other had on him.
"And Law, don't you even try to run or I'll catch you and kick your ass myself," Luffy warned and with that any other opportunity of dealing with the situation was gone.
xxx
Trafalgar did try to fight off the brunette. He warned and hissed and scoffed and even begged for him to leave but the other wouldn't bulge. At some point he had no choice but to give up as he realized arguing with Luffy made as much sense as hitting your head into a brick wall and hoping the wall would be the first to fall apart.
"Why are you doing this?" he asked in the end, words laced with tiredness.
Luffy froze for a second or so and he even put down the cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol he had in his right hand.
"Because I care about you," was the simple answer and it sounded perfectly sincere, "I know Zoro and I messed with the whole bet thing but…believe me Tarrao we care about you and Sanji."
The Spaniard scoffed, trying to escape the meaning the words held. He wondered if perhaps staying angry with the other was all but a cop out. Was he truly that afraid of someone caring about him?
Law shook his thoughts, trying to make those unwelcomed thoughts go away.
"I don't believe that."
The expression on Luffy's face morphed and soon enough all the childish happiness was gone from it.
"Then why else would I be here? You think me taking care of you is some sort of elaborate plan?"
Law didn't reply, truth to be told the prospect made no sense.
"Come on, Tarrao, I'm not that smart!" Luffy whined, a pleading expression flashing behind those black eyes.
"Can't argue with that," Law deadpanned but the corners of his lips still betrayed him, forming a miniscule smile.
"So you forgive me?!" the brunette cried out, all but jumping into his lap but stopping mid-second into the air, apparently becoming aware of his injuries.
"Not so fast, Mugiwara," the surgeon warned, raising a hand between them and stopping him, "I still think you fucked up in epic proportions."
He saw all the joy drain from the tan face he'd come to know and he hated himself because it still hurt to see the other sad. No matter how angry he still was with Luffy the puppy eye look wasn't something he wanted to see.
Still the straw hat clad man backed away, apparently able to read the mood for once.
A tense silence fell between them and within seconds Law forgot about the other's presence, his thoughts straying into the direction of Doflamingo. Terror seized him up as he came to the realization that now not only Sanji was exposed to the risk of being injured or worse, so were all the Straw Hats.
He shook his head as horrific images flashed before his eyes, what if he became the reason for some of them getting hurt? How would he forgive himself?
Just when it seemed as if the darkness of his own imagination threatened to suffocate him, he felt a small, warm hand clenching his shoulder.
He turned around only to see Luffy's worried face, mere inches away from his own. Trafalgar felt an impulse, a strong urge coming from somewhere deep within him to smack his lips onto the other's but he still stopped himself.
"Listen to me carefully," the brunette began and something in his voice caught Law by surprise, he wasn't used to the other sounding so serious, "Whatever this is you have to tell me about it."
The Spaniard opened his mouth to protest but Luffy would have none of it.
"I don't give a fuck about whatever story you've made in your head about us getting hurt. You saw me fight the other day, you know I'm stronger than both you and Zoro."
Words died on Law's lips, he had no argument against that. Logically thinking, he knew the other was right. Still, he couldn't repress the dread he felt, it was a primal feeling, one he felt was out of his control.
"You're smarter than me, think about this realistically," Luffy pressed on and squeezed his shoulder once again.
The doctor stared at the tan hand and how good it looked over his shoulder, how natural all of this felt. He shut his eyes closed in frustration and let out an uncharacteristic sigh fly past his lips. A part of him wanted to let this be, he wanted to melt into the other's contact.
Despite everything that had happened he realized he loved Luffy, the other was the one bright light in his dark world. His brain though, his injured pride and that terror that Doflamingo had planted in his heart, they all prevented him from accepting the other back.
"Law, please, I am begging you, let me help you," Luffy said, meeting his eyes.
His voice was serious, rid of any doubt or hesitation, rid of the trademark sunny optimism. It was like the sharp blade of his swords and when he searched for any traces of lies in those black orbs, he found none.
Suddenly it was all too much – the horror of Doflamingo finding him, the damn bet, the feeling of betrayal and his injuries, it all weighed over him so much, he felt as though it would crush him.
Law was so tired, so desperate to share the burden, to escape from this dreadful reality that without even intending to he let the mask slip, meeting Luffy's eyes, too tired to hide the pain in his own.
xxx
Luffy noticed the precise moment the atmosphere shifted and the mask fell from Trafalgar's face. He could barely handle the utter misery written over the other's face, it made his own heart clench in pain.
Acting on instinct, he leaned in and wrapped his hands around him, pulling him into a warm hug. He heard Law grunt against it but other than that, surprisingly he didn't fight.
This was all too much for him, he understood it with absolute certainty now. Despite his sunny looks on life, Luffy was no stranger to pain himself and he'd seen more than one strong person fall apart before him. Nami, Usopp, even Zoro.
He ran a hand on the other's back, almost scared not to hurt him with the action, given his injuries.
They stood like that for longer than necessary but Luffy didn't mind it, if anything he reveled in the contact. He inhaled Law, feeling almost ecstatic when he sensed the familiar scent making its way into his nose. He smelled of some fancy cologne and medical supplies and maybe it wasn't the best combination in the world but for the brunette it already felt like home.
A long time passed before he choose to speak up once again, hoping the other was feeling a little better.
"Law, I'm serious, you have to tell me everything. This is the only way I can protect not only you but Sanji as well."
The Spaniard pulled away from his embrace and met his eyes and he saw a tiny part of the usual determination had returned to the steel irises.
They stared at each other but Luffy didn't bulge under the intense glare. In the end he heard a small sigh, followed by a tiny nod.
The other began his story and for once in his life the straw had clad man paid attention.
xxx
Law ran across the freezing street of Paris, struggling to keep up as his hand throbbed. He was already dizzy from the blood loss, not to mention bone tired from a lack of sleep and food.
The streets were all but deserted and the few random pass-byers gave him horrified looks and ushered their kids to cross to the other side.
Trafalgar couldn't blame them, he looked like every parent's worst nightmare – a bloodied up teen on the street. Probably a junkie, or worse. Obviously caught in some very shady business.
Not even a local, his strong Spanish accent made pronouncing even the most simple words in French a challenging act.
The sign of some sort of restaurant stood before him but he could barely make out the words, his heady heavy and his limbs numb from the cold, combined with the blood loss.
Law struggled to remain conscious, forcing himself to focus on the sign before him.
Baratie?
Was this the name of the mysterious restaurant? It sure smelled nice.
For a second there the Spaniard imagined walking inside, buying himself a nice, warm meal…Warmth, it was all he wanted right now.
Next thing he knew he was drifting off to darkness and didn't have the strength to stop himself.
xxx
Next thing he knew, he was lying flat on some nice bad, fluffy covers keeping him warm and comfortable. For one brief moment Law wondered if perhaps he'd died and was now in Heaven.
Heh, as if, no chance he would get out of this mess this easily.
His hand felt on fire and he could hardly move it but after some struggle he managed to raise it above the covers to inspect. It was wrapped up in pristine white bandages and although it was obviously the job of an amateur he still had to give credit where credit was due.
His head throbbed as well and he could already make a bet that was a concussion. Fortunately, it wasn't too bad otherwise he wouldn't have woken up this quick…though he had no idea how much time had passed.
Panic seized him as he realized he had no idea where he was and his fuzzy thoughts couldn't make any likely suggestions.
Still, he knew wherever he was, he had to move.
What if the people who'd saved him from the street didn't have any good intentions? After all who on Earth did any good these days?
In his brief life Law didn't had little experience with kind stranger after Rosinante's death. Grief clenched his heart as it always did when his thoughts strayed in the direction of the other but he did his best to dispel those thoughts and focus on his current predicament.
Even on the off chance that some kind hearted Frenchmen had chosen to play hero and take him home, the threat of Doflamingo still loomed in the air.
With great effort he managed to push the covers away from himself and even get one leg out. But then he heard another voice and his heart slammed against his chest.
"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," he heard a teen say and turned to his right side to spot some scrawny blonde guy sitting next to him.
Law's eyes widened in surprise – how come he'd never realized he was being watched? Perhaps he'd hit his head harder than he thought.
"Who are you?" he manages to croak out, voice raspy from a lack of use.
"Uh, shouldn't I be asking that?" the boy demanded, still speaking in English.
Law could still hear the strong accent poking through the edges of the words, it was evident the other wasn't used to speaking in the foreign language.
He was probably his age, or maybe a year younger. Tall but probably still not as much as him. Skinny and pale, perhaps a little on the awkward side but still having an attitude to back it up.
Trafalgar met his eyes, a pale shade of blue. Surprisingly the French boy didn't look away and he was a little intrigued when he saw some flickers of a personality in that gaze. It was such a rare occurrence to meet anyone with a personality these day that it too Law by surprise.
"I'm Sanji," the boy said, extending a bony hand that bared a few tiny scars, probably burns from the kitchen, acquired when he was young. It clicked for Trafalgar when he noticed the waiter uniform and the dumb name tag that stood awkwardly on his chest.
Law looked away, opting instead to focus on the covers and feeling completely ridiculous for the situation. But more important than that he knew he had to go. Now that he'd come to his senses, he knew Doflamingo was hot on his tail, he had to move.
Before he caught him and before this nice, ordinary Sanji guy got in trouble because of his sorry ass. Sure, he didn't know much about the guy but whoever he was, it was obvious kindness was an inherent trait of him. Otherwise, why would he ever take a passed out stranger in his home?
"I should be going," he said, going back to his task of standing up.
It proved to be more difficult than he suspected and by the time he managed to sit up the room tilted dangerously to the left and he felt light-headed.
"Hey, get back to bed, you're not okay!" he heard Sanji shriek, but the words were kind of distorted, as if they were coming from far away.
Still, he knew he had to leave and struggled to get up. It was then that he felt cold, bony fingers on his shoulder and the smell of cigarettes without a filter washed over him.
He met pale blue eyes, an ocean of concern.
Then his world went black.
xxx
Him fainting was what pretty much sealed it that he was in fact staying with Sanji and his dad. Law hated every minute of it, being mostly bed ridden as his hand and head healed and the blonde guy all but baby-sitted him.
Still, he was grateful as he realized how much of a risk the two Frenchmen had taken just by letting (or better yet making) him stay at their home.
It was a tiny, old apartment in Paris, right above the restaurant, Baratie, they shared. It was dingy and it smelled of forgotten values and untold romance. The carpets stank of tobacco no matter how many times they were washed and the furniture was dingy. Pictures of times long gone, with women beautiful in that old European way hanged from the walls and purple velvety curtain completed the nostalgia feel to it all.'
A few long days passed and Law managed to walk up to the window in his room (although it did take him a few tries) and looked out of the window, grey eyes falling over the grim back alley of some no-name Parisian street.
He bit his lip, this part of Paris was nothing like the glamour the city stood for.
"You should eat something," he heard a small voice and turned around to see Sanji, balancing on a tray with whatever absolutely diving dish he'd made that day.
"I should go," Trafalgar replied deftly, stepping towards the door and ignoring the weakness he felt.
Sanji jumped right before him, quickly putting the tray aside and stretching one long leg over the door, as if to block him.
"You stubborn ass, get the fuck back on bed and eat your damn lunch," the waiter grumbled, hands already on his shoulder and fingers digging in slightly into his T-shirt.
Law though wasn't about to give up this easily. Couldn't Sanji understand, this was for his own protection?
"You don't get it, the man after me…you have no idea how strong he is!" he asserted, locking his eyes with the blonde who wouldn't bulge under the intense glare.
Sanji all rolled his eyes, apparently failing to hear any reasoning.
"I don't care about any mysterious boogey man after you!" he snorted, pushing him slightly in the direction of the bed, "You're hungry and injured and that means I have to take care of you, whether you like it or not."
He'll, he'll fucking kill you if he finds me here!" Law all but screamed, desperation and anger bubbling up his chest.
He couldn't allow anyone else to get hurt because of him, he simply wasn't worth it.
"Then we won't allow him to find you," came a third voice and Trafalgar snapped in its direction, only to see Zeff standing in the narrow hallway, hands on his hips as he had a determined look over his face.
The older man stepped into the room before Law had a chance to reply and he felt almost overwhelmed by the authority the man carried.
Zeff was shorter than him but his unwavering aura well compensated for the height. He was stout, Germanic looking in his sharp features, light blonde hair and blue-grey eyes which added sternness to his looks.
Law felt him squeeze his shoulder in an almost fatherly gesture and he felt something in his chest clench, a long forgotten emotion coming to the surface.
"Kid, we've got you and no, you don't have to do anything in return," Zeff said, words speaking of determination as hard as metal.
The Spaniard opened his mouth to protest but the older man quickly interrupted.
"And don't bullshit me about this drug lord you're running away from," he warned, "If you wanna know how I learnt about it's because you talk in your sleep."
"A lot," Sanji snickered from the bed where he'd sat down.
"If you were all that important to Mr. Scary pants, damn fucker would have come take you out already."
Law gulped at the words, the image of Doflamingo looming over his head. Still, it had been a weak and admittedly the criminal lord did have more important things to be concerned with than him.
Maybe he was in the clear for now.
"Thank you for everything," he found himself saying, words spoken with utmost gratitude. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd had a reason to thank anyone.
"Yeah, well you'd better be grateful," Sanji mumbled, "You're stubborn as hell and I've had to sleep on the couch for a week!"
Trafalgar felt a wave of guilt wash over him and was about to speak up when Zeff boasted with laughter, the loud, cheerful sound echoing throughout the entire apartment and flying onto the street.
"Well, then maybe you two should share the bed and sleep together!" he shouted, sending them a wink before shutting the door close after him.
Law and Sanji met each other's eyes, faces a solid red colour at the man's words.
Little did he know it was that how he found his best and only friend.
xxx
To say Sanji didn't take Law's attack easily would be the understatement of the year.
The blonde paced from one corner of the room to the other, not even bothered in the slightest by the fact that he was dropping cigarette ashes all over the carpets. For once his more meticulous side had taken a step back, overrun by his worry.
Sure, Trafalgar had attempted to downplay everything, to say he was just fine, in top shape really, well, minus the concussion and other injuries.
And then there was Luffy, jumping into their lives like a knight in shining armour. He'd found the Spaniard first and for that Sanji was already drowning in guilt. He should have been there for Law, after all what kind of best friend was he?
But no, he'd been busy moping in self-pity because his dumb ass love life wasn't of top notch quality!
He grunted, kicking at the nearest chair as a jolt of anger ran through him. Soon enough though the intense emotion left him and he felt worse, an empty sense of desperation washing over him.
How would they escape Doflamingo? What if…what if he lost his best friend? The mere thought of it made his heart slam against his ribcage so hard it felt as it would break away from him.
Suddenly all his previous issues seemed like a melodrama, an episode in some cheap, rom-com teenage show, garnered with cheesy pop songs. Sanji plopped onto the sofa, running a tired hand through his sand blonde locks.
He felt stupid, borderline disgusted with himself as how he'd all but cried on Law's shoulder all the while the other man had much more pressing issues.
And sure now Luffy was here and he was all grins and bright smiles and reassurance that "Everything will be fine, Sanji!" as he'd said a million times already.
The chef gritted his teeth, if only he had that kind of optimism. But no, he was no ray of sunshine and it was in moments like this that the worst of his insecurity crept out of the corners of his mind and made itself present.
What if he couldn't protect Law? What if Luffy couldn't either? Now granted the Straw Hat was powerful
"Stop frowning, it doesn't suit you, lovechef,"
Sanji snapped in the direction of the gruff voice only to see Zoro leaning against the frame of the door, arms crossed over his muscular chest.
"Luffy called and he let me in," he explained curtly, "He left after filling us in."
The French nodded, no words coming to mind. He walked over to the couch and plopped himself onto it, crossing his legs. What was there to say between them?
Roronoa stood before him, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head, like a teen with a hopeless crush. Sanji didn't miss the bruises over his face which he and Law had left and he felt the familiar pang of guilt.
Even after everything that happened he still cared about the damn swordsman. If anything, his anger had subdued, perhaps because in the wake of Doflamingo being after them everything else seemed like a minor issue.
He half expected Zoro to leave, usually the other was never one for the emotional talks. Sanji shut his eyes closed and waited for a minute and then another one and another. In the end he got fed up with waiting and opened his eyes once more only to be greeted by the sight of a worried swordsman.
"You should leave," he said quietly but the other remained completely still, a small sigh escaping his lips.
Before he knew what was going on Zoro was next to him and pulling him into a hug.
Sanji froze completely, feeling as though all the oxygen had been knocked out of his lungs, unsure what to do. His heart slammed against his chest as Roronoa's large, warm hands pulled him into their strong grip.
"Let me go!" he shrieked, only silencing himself once he realized Law was asleep and needed to rest after the attack.
"Not gonna happen," Zoro affirmed, effectively tightening the embrace.
The chef tried to wiggle away but found the task impossible and had to accept the swordsman wasn't letting go.
And if he had to be honest with himself, he did not want be let go of. The other's embrace felt warm and reassuring, his body naturally complying to it, searching comfort. He hadn't even realized how much he'd missed this type of intimacy.
Then…there was the betrayal, the lingering taste of bitterness that he couldn't wash away or drown in any amount of alcohol or cigarettes. How could Zoro ever care about him after what he'd done?
"Fucking let go!" he demanded once more, voice quiet but deadly.
This time Zoro obliged and lifted the death grip, prompting Sanji to move away to the other side of the couch and send a poignant glare.
Still…now that he was free he immediately felt a wave of vulnerability wash over him, almost threaten to drown him. He missed the other the moment he was away. Sanji tried to hide it, he tried to silence those thoughts, focus on anything else. He prepared himself to say something vile, in hope of pushing Zoro away once and for all, make sure losing him was a certainty so he had no regrets.
But then Roronoa stepped in closer once again, putting a large, calloused and bruised hand over his shoulder and offering the tiniest of squeezes before he was shrugged off.
"Listen, cook," he began, voice as firm as steel, "I know you're mad at me and I know I fucked up but…please, let us put this aside so we can help you."
The chef was taken aback by the simple words and the meaning they held. For the first time in days he met the other's one remaining grey eye, searching for traces of lies.
He found none which caused something in his chest to clench in both hope and fear. Hope because he wanted to trust the other with all his heart and fear because his brain was telling him he couldn't. Not anymore…not for a long time.
"Please, just…let me help," Zoro asserted, voice uncharacteristically low but still possessing all the determination in the world.
The French found himself nodding before he could say anything.
Roronoa's lips stretched into a tiny smile, immediately making him look younger, happier, almost innocent.
Sanji didn't dare smile back, not yet at least. Still, no matter how hard he tried he couldn't help the small, familiar flutter he felt somewhere in his chest.
And when Zoro put his hand back on his shoulder, this time he didn't fight it off.
Author's Note: What did you think of Law not being taken by Doffy and fighting off the attacker? Hah, I thought that was the least predictable route to go as most people expected him to be abducted! Hope it was still enjoyable!
And then Luffy – how was that for a LawLu moment? Did you enjoy Law slowly starting to forgive our Straw Hat? And the tenderness between them – please tell me that wasn't too chesy xD
Big thanks to: maychewn, KleinXDgirl, Siriana2526, Panda, BloodyME, Prissycatice, Angelshalo03, Tanuki2000 and AkumaOra for all the wonderful feedback!
Siriana2526 Hope you enjoyed the new chapter and the little moment between Zoro and Sanji! Our boys aren't there yet but they've taken a step in the right direction!
There will be more snippets from Law and Sanji's past coming up in the next chapters. But I've made a decision to post a prequel to this story that will deal with their adventures in Paris. I promise it will be a ton of friendship, sharing and you know Law-Sanji awesomeness! Plus there will be a lot more detail than what I am presenting here as I don't want The Bet to become over-run by the flashbacks.
Please tell me what you think of this idea and if you're looking towards the prequel!
Last but not least what about Zoro and Sanji finaaally talking again? Do you think they're slowly walking on the road back to each other?
Please review, I would really like to read about your thoughts, opinion, ideas, etc!