Zoro returned back to the ship a little past noon, after getting side tracked by the cities unique changing streets. He wasn't worried about the Cook. He knew Sanji enough that the blonde did need his space once and a while and after the eventful night they had, had he could give him that. He did notice, in the awkward stalking way he did notice changes, that the blonde was not on the ship when he got back.
That was no matter though, like he was certain, he wasn't worried or anything. In fact the first thing he did after another shower, trying to get the awkward feeling off his backside, was head back into his crow's nest to start on his training. Hours passed and his counting got into the thousands and finally the Marimo decided to come down from his tower.
The first thing on his list to do now was visit the kitchen. Surely that idiot cook was back by now, he only said he had to grab something. However, when he opened the door to the kitchen he was met with disappointment. There was no annoyed blonde in sight. Instead some of the crew sat on the table and glanced over at his arrival. The girls seemed particularly the most amused.
"Wow, finally you guys are back. Busy night?" Nami teased, grinning.
Zoro narrowed his eyes though. Why, was she only now asking that? Surely she talked to the cook and found out about it. But, the more he inspected, it didn't seem like the cook had been around at all yet. He looked back over to her.
"Oi, where's the cook?"
The ladies exchanged glances and Robin slightly frowned. "Sanji isn't with you?" She asked for confirmation.
The swordsman swallowed thickly, standing up straighter. "No." He said flatly, a tad bit of confusion in his tone. "He left first... You haven't seen him at all?"
Nami shook her head and put the glass she was drinking from, she must have made it herself or perhaps robin, onto the table gently. "No we haven't seen him. Did everything go alright last night?"
Zoro clenched his teeth and without even giving the navigator so much as a subtle hint to her question, he turned around and dashed out of the kitchen and onto the deck. Where could that Cook be? If he wasn't in his kitchen there wasn't a lot of other places to check. But Zoro tried anyway, heading to each room he could find and even double checking a few. The blonde wasn't on the sunny.
"Zoro bro, what're you looking for?" Franky asked while walking across the deck with some supplies under his arm, heading for his workshop.
"Have you seen the Cook?"
No avail. Even Brook, who was to busy composing music had not seen him. By that time everyone else was beginning to be alarmed. They all gathered back on the deck.
"Zoro what's going on? We thought Sanji was with you..." Nami began, her gaze concerned.
Zoro gritted his teeth, clenching his fists so tight his knuckles were white. "He was!" He hissed back. He was with him, he was right next to him! Why had he let him go off on his own? What he had been thinking? What could have happened to the Cook? He started off towards the edge of the Sunny.
"Ne, Zoro, Where are you going?" Luffy pondered. He'd been sitting around on the head of the Sunny and only noticed now the commotion.
"Going to go find that shitty cook!"
Though, before he could so much get a leg over the side of the sunny two familiar faces came running into view from the streets. It was Usopp and Chopper and they looked more frightened then they should normally be.
"Luffy! Zoro!" Chopper cried, stopping a few feet from the docked ship. "It's horrible!"
The other crew members join Zoro at the edge of the ship, peering down to hear them out.
"What is Chopper? What's going on?" demanded their captain.
Usopp was resting for a moment to catch his breath, his hands resting on his knees until he looked up, his expression nothing but serious and dire.
"It's Sanji! The Marine's have him!"
That's when everyone's hearts seemed to stop for a moment. The Marines? They had Sanji? No way that was impossible, Sanji was way to powerful how could he have been taken captive by the Marines? Zoro wasn't going to stand by getting answers though. He jumped down from the ship, landing on his feet in front of then and snatching Usopp up by his shirt.
"Where?" Was all he needed to know. He trusted his crew mates. If they said Sanji had been taken, he would believe them but first he needed to know what direction he needed to go to get him back.
Usopp trembled slightly in his grasp, staring into his single eye with apprehension. "It-it's too late! They've already embarked!"
"And you didn't stop them?!"
Chopper tugged desperately on Zoro's pant leg to get him to let Usopp go. "Zoro Stop! They already left! People saw it! We have to go after them now!"
Nami's eyes widen. They left already? How long had they been here? She looked down at her log pose. It hadn't even set for them and they had already come, gotten Sanji and left? Robin, standing next to her was looking down at the log pose as well before looking back at the doctor.
"Do you know what direction they were headed?"
Chopper and Usopp both exchanged glances. Honestly, they hadn't a clue. Everything they had quickly gathered from the locals who had told them were mixed answers, none the same. Realizing that they didn't have the most obvious information they needed in order to chase after them, their expressions changed to panic.
Luffy narrowed his eyes, his face a little strained. So much for his nap and now everyone was freaking out? Where was Sanji, why wasn't he making them meat? Didn't he know the crew got impatient watching for it? Hell Zoro was already jumping off the ship just to find him and bring him back to get started! Was that what they were all freaking out about?
"Ne, Where's Sanji?" He asked to Brook, who was worriedly watching the scene's unfold, even if he wasn't directly involved and hadn't had a face to make expressions.
"Luffy-san." Brook said, turning to his Captain, his voice a little hesitant. Did Luffy really not know? He had only been there a few minutes himself and already he was aware of the situation. "It appears he's been taken by the Marines."
Luffy's eyes widen. His Nakama, Sanji and Peanut had been taken? His growing anger could be felt around the deck and he painfully stabbed his fingernails into his palms.
"We're setting sail now." He demanded, looking back and forth between his on deck Nakama's faces. The three on the ground had paused enough to listen and could imagine the determined and infuriated expression of their captain. "We're going to get Sanji back."
The Marine Captain grunted impatiently, awaiting outside his own medical bay of his navy ship. What on earth could be taking so long? Was that filthy blonde pirates condition not obvious enough? He hated how in some odd turn of events, he was playing a tad bit hostly to someone who irked him so much and should be in a holding cell in the hull of the ship. But for some reason that wasn't happening.
The door to the medical room opened and the Marine spun on his heels in alert. It was his doctor, standing ready and alert with a chart in his hand. For some reason he looked a little baffled and paler than usual. He sighed.
"It's just like we thought... for some reason he is indeed pregnant." The doctor explained, stepping back a little bit to reveal the scene happening in the medical bay at the moment.
Sanji had the pleasure of going through some routine tests. It wasn't anything unusual, same shit Chopper had him do the beginning of nearly every week, but he wished they'd just have believed him and skipped the trouble. He told him he was pregnant, but he supposed for a moment he had actually forgotten how unlogical that sounded. Even so through their hospitable care that was way more than a little annoying and highly suspicious, Sanji was pissed.
Probably because of the way there were marine guards in the medical room with him, demanding he get up from the examination table for transfer to his holding cell. Sanji would comply, since we was kind of snatched and in the marine's custody anyway, but it infuriated him to no end the way they felt the need to aim their weapons, guns this time, in the direction of his most precious. He growled.
"Pick your gun down you fucking morons." He snapped, stepping up from the table and rolling his shoulder's back. "I'm not going to run."
As if the marines hadn't heard that line a million times before for it to only end in the pirates trying to run. As if they would actually fall for that old trick! Instead they might've taken a step back to give the man space. There was a distinguished line between marine and pirate, but for some reason the thought of meeting the first pregnant man they've ever heard of, imagining the shit he was going through, they couldn't help but slightly sympathize as guys themselves. They would hate to be in such situation.
"How is that possible?" The Captain muttered under his breath, watching as the blonde pirate whose bounty poster he'd stared at angrily approached. He wanted to strike him so much, each step reminding him of the way he had fled and played around with their sparing match like a damn punk. But he couldn't yet, he was his gambling chip. "Is it a fruit ability?"
The doctor shook his head. "No, Not that I can tell. Everything about it is just... weird yet perfectly natural sir... his reproduction system must be so altered...this is such a break through in medical science-"
The Captain through snarled, bringing the doctor out of his scientific fan-girling and met his gaze with dark intent.
"Can you abort it?"
It was the most reasonable option he could come up with. Pirates were scum to him, the less their were the better. A baby from two pirates, since there was no doubt the father was one as well, didn't get excluded from that belief. The Captain might've regretted saying it though when he saw the look on his doctor's face at the mere suggestion. It was horrified, that he a distinguished man of the Marines, who were suppose to be the good guys mind you, would suggest killing an innocent and very unique life.
"Sir I don't think you understand.. this is incredible! This is something out of like science fiction, the stuff of legends! It's a huge medical break through!" He pleaded.
"Hm, so ol' Scar face can't kill us? Hear that asshole? I'm a medical breakthrough, walking." Sanji mused, reaching the door and easing his way through as the doctor sidestepped. The guard Marines followed.
The Captain scowled at him. Scarface? That was his nickname now? Who the hell did he think was responsible for him getting the diagonal scar along his face!? Had he just died like he deserved in the beginning that and the other scars along his body would've never happened. He would have prepared for that swordsman.
"Forget the suggestion marine." The Captain said out of the corner of his mouth, then lifted up his finger aiming for the door to the hull. "Now take this imbecile to his holding cell already, he's making me sick."
"Rest assured I was thinking the same thing." Sanji explained, willingly turning to walk towards the door. He'd rather not see that shit face either, it was giving him a bad acidy taste at the back of his throat that gave him odd early pregnancy de ja vu.
Sanji could honestly say he'd never seen a marine holding cell before in his life. To his memory he couldn't recall ever being caught before either. There was a set of them, three large barred structures, each containing a toilet and a bed. Sanji sighed. If only there were a window view then it really would be homely.
The lights were dim though, only a few light bulbs hanging from wires along the ceiling and the cook could honestly not tell if he had neighbors. Still, he strolled into the first cell then turned around. His hands were tied in front of him with handcuffs, sea stone his favorite. Leave it to the marines to use the most powerful thing they could to level the playing field. Regardless, he positioned his hands in the small rectangular slot of the cell door, no doubt where trays were slid through, before watching as one of the guards took his hands and unlatched the handcuffs and pulled them off.
Then they left and all was silent except for the lull of the waves moving against the ship and the door to this dungeon being closed after them. Sanji stood there for a moment, rubbing at his wrists and looking around, urging his eyes to adjust to the darker faster. Still uncertain whether or not he was alone, the blonde turned in his cell and walked to the cot.
He sat down on it and winced as it gave a god awful screech. Really the marines were out doing themselves in guest services. Still, he pulled his legs onto it and laid down, easing his head into the flat pillow. It made him home sick already, a faint smell of alcohol in it's fabric. It just made him think of that shitty Marimo.
Hell, had that guy even noticed he wasn't around anymore? Well surely if he hadn't the crew would have chimed in and let him know. Someone had to notice dinner not on the table right? It ached his heart a little at that thought. Would they just figure him off doing something else and go on without him? Why now, sitting in the near darkness, was he wondering what the Marimo's reaction was, or would be?
His hand moved from it's place lazily resting on his stomach and went to his pocket. Stupid Marines, you'd think they'd actually search him down. That wasn't the case though, they looked at him like such a nut job and if they touched him they might walk away knocked up themselves. He supposed he couldn't blame them, the small hill sprouting from his chest was a bit intimidating. Satoru, not even born yet and scaring people off like his father.
Sanji's fingers wrapped around the small box and retrieved it, bringing it out and in front of his face a few inches. At least in the lighting he could tell what it was now. Though he doubted he would ever forget it's image. He opened the box in the dark, staring at the rim of the ring. He'd be a fool if he ever thought they wouldn't eventually search over his person and see the box.
So finally, alone in his cell, Sanji took out the ring and held it between his fingers, the first time really holding it himself. His thumb brushed against the engraved pattern. Stupid Bastard probably paid out his ass to Nami for this. He couldn't help but chuckle sadly, imagining the expression that had to be on the Marimo's face when he was standing inside the ring shop, no doubt probably just asking for the cheapest most bland at first.
Sanji gripped the ring in his palm before settling the box on his tummy. Then, his other hand free now he slid the ring on his finger. Now how the hell had the swordsman known his ring size? Though he guessed it didn't matter, maybe it was fate or something the way it fit on perfectly. Then he snorted. Marimo Prince charming was an awful image to come to mind but it very much cheered him up.
A small smile graced his lips.
"You like it too?" he whispered softly under his breath, lightly placing his fingers over a spot on his abdomen where he felt Satoru's small flutters.
Sanji grabbed the box again, reaching down and setting it on the floor before turning on his side in the bed. It was late by now, he was sure. He should sleep. But what if the crew caught up to them during the night? Would it be better if he held out? He groaned softly. Shit he didn't know, though he kind of was tired. Not from the physical aspect as much as the shit he got into today. He was hungry too but he doubted this place had room service.
Instead he tried to ignore the grumbling sensation of his gut and close his eyes. Reminding himself the crew would be coming, cause he really hoped they would be coming, was the only thing soothing him towards sleep.
"Sanji?"
His eyes opened wide. That voice, why did it sound so familiar? He sat up on the cot. Had it come from the next cell over? Damn he knew he there were probably other people there with him, but... could it be? He stood up and walked over hesitantly.
Author's Note: Dun dun dunnn! Gasp! XD Hope you are enjoying the dramatics in this part of the story ;u;. Though I have an important announcement to make. I'm going on a slight hiatus for a week on updating this for personal reasons, which since I've updated this every three days now since published, that's basically just two updates (sorrysosorry). These updates should start back up again next Tuesday, the 17th, or maybe earlier than that, just depends how things go in the real world. As always thanks so much for reading and I hope you will allow me this ;u; ~ andleavelovelyreviews