Naghi-Tan: A lot of mysteries! Will they ever be explored in this fic?...I don't even know. D:
Happy Balon: Sanji knows where the food is! Luffy can rely on him for that. Perona is a not so secret fangirl – she probably has written her own fanfiction somewhere.
: : Twenty Five
Once the dungeon area was destroyed, all of them moved into separate directions. Law could only shake his head in exasperation as he watched Luffy punch his way out, careening out into the open in search of food. Kid was pulling his weight by taking out as many as the guards as possible – a noticeable difference in his abilities due to his physical weakness. Zoro somehow got lost in the scuffle, and Law had no idea where he was.
He made his way into the castle, easily bypassing all the alarmed guards that suddenly started showing up from nowhere. His goal was obtaining food and then getting some rest – he didn't care what the others did. Evening set in and the castle was essentially abandoned as the battle took place in the streets. He'd taken advantage of the chaos to clean up, find some nifty clothes, took a blessed nap and went in search of the kitchen. The place was a level in itself, and it boasted of windows that were only shuttered, allowing plenty of the cold mountain air in. He could see his breath when he exhaled, the chill stronger than it was down in the desert. He opened up one of the windows to reveal broad space that looked out over the front courtyard, the ledge outside decorated with vines that curled up from the flowerboxes below. He could see everything from this position, which made it suitable for his current needs.
The night sparkled with an occasional explosion, screams of the people ringing out. Buildings had toppled, and he was sure the Marines would have been proud of their projects. Two of them alone had taken down the kingdom on whatever reserves they had.
He had no idea where Perona was, but he didn't see zombies on the streets so he assumed she'd found a place to sleep somewhere. He found that Luffy had already been here, eating anything that was already cooked and leaving behind empty platters and pans. He found some scraps to eat, chewing on some unidentified bird leg he found underneath a pile of bones with Luffy's teethmarks all over them. He ate that as he watched the chaos down below. He watched as a single line of one story houses collapsed under a force, and realized that it had been Luffy. He was surprised someone could hit him that hard but then he watched a large, overweight man with purple hair scramble up after him, screaming about damage caused to the crown.
"That's Warpol," Sanji said as he came up behind him, and Law almost choked because he hadn't even sensed him approach. Seeing his dilemma, Sanji swatted him hard between the shoulder blades, and Law spit out the chunk he'd accidently inhaled. "That's the king. It seems like whatever he eats he takes on – so he ate some type of cannon. Luffy's got a hard task with him."
Wiping his face, Law frowned down as the rubber boy climbed to his feet and was back into the air, firing down some of his attacks on the man that only screamed in alarm. He went essentially unharmed, his skin glinting silver under the streetlights that fluttered. He spit out three cannonballs before hollering for a reload – Luffy couldn't avoid the last one, blasted straight through another building as a pair of guards hastily pulled a cart towards Warpol, giving him an opportunity to swallow more cannonballs whole.
Law was interested in how this man was able to do that – what sort of science allowed a man to take on various transformations and use his body as a useful weapon. Cannonballs bulleted the area Luffy had disappeared within, causing a series of explosions that sent rock and debris flying.
"Kid's out," Sanji reported. "He's unconscious somewhere in that space right there."
"Not dead?" Law asked with disappointment, earning a swat to the head. He glared down at the other man as Sanji walked away, shaking his. He found himself pausing in whatever next thought came to his head because the tunic and flashes of white pants presented a totally different person from the one he was already familiar with. It hid most of his lower shape so it was a shame not seeing those long legs but the color and cut made it seem like Sanji had just stepped away from his own castle. He swallowed uncomfortably, looking at his half-finished bird leg as his own body seemed to ache. He wanted to touch Sanji, but he didn't know how.
"Zoro's lost – he didn't even have to use his beast form to win. Perona's asleep in one of the bedrooms upstairs. Ussop's out looking for Zoro."
"I didn't ask for any updates on any of those guys."
"They're our companions, we should know about them," Sanji muttered as he opened the fridge, awed at the content that had remained after Luffy's departure. He pulled out various items, filling his arms before depositing them onto the long counter within the center of the kitchen. Law chewed on the remains of his bird leg, watching Luffy reappear majestically from the mess. He was growing angry with Warpol's stubbornness, and Law was sure if Luffy just stood back to think about his tactics, it'd make the battle a whole lot easier. But Luffy was never one to strategize these things – he relied on hand to hand fighting in order to succeed.
He remembered how many times the Marines had to repair the training rooms because of it. Luffy was strong and near indestructible, with an unbelievable stubbornness to him that made him a scary opponent. He didn't walk away until he won. Law never wanted to be standing opposite of him when it came down to it, but he didn't want to be the kid's friend, either.
A flurry of fast moving fists rendered the area around Warpol into rubble, and the man stumbled back, his guards racing away for their own safety. It sounded as if Luffy were hitting metal whenever his fists happened to connect – the ring of impact vibrating through the dust. Warpol was clumsy and awkward, and he rolled away to use the dust for cover.
Sanji rejoined him sometime later, the stove occupied with various pots and something that smelled delicious. The spices made him think of the venison stew Sanji had been admiring that one night.
"That's Dalton," Sanji then said, pointing down below. Law saw that tall head guard that had helped bring them in ushering townspeople into a safe evacuation away from the battle. A horde of people with meager belongings and scared faces bypassed the castle grounds and disappearing somewhere else into the city. "He's that guy's bodyguard. Warpol got mad at him for not protecting him, and shot him. Surprised he's still alive."
Law looked at him, detecting a tone of admiration in Sanji's words. He didn't like the soft look on his face as he watched the guards work, and straightened away from the window. "I thought I'd mentioned that I did not like my things taken from me."
Sanji rolled his eyes. "Shut your sauce box up."
"If he's half dead already, then it'd make sense to put him out of his misery, then."
Sanji pulled him away from the window, saying, "When Warpol was telling Luffy who he was, he mentioned that he'd taken over this colony from a previous ruler. Dalton was that man's friend. When Warpol dies, Dalton will take over. So you can't kill him."
"Then stop looking at him with such admiration."
"What you want me to look at him with? A stupid face like yours?"
Law mimicked him meanly, glaring out the window. Dalton was long gone now, and Warpol was eating what looked like part of a blacksmith's anvil. He elongated to take on the appearance of one, metal teeth chomping noisily as Luffy staggered after him. Warpol spit out what he hadn't yet chewed, then charged – his small legs were surprisingly fast as he slammed into Luffy, sending the boy flying.
"Watching this is just pathetic," Law muttered as he turned away to walk back to the counter, looking for more scraps to eat. Sanji stood at the window for a few minutes just to see Luffy catch himself, set himself firmly into the street and catch Warpol as he charged again. Arms wrapped around the screaming man, Luffy twisted into a tight coil before releasing – whirling the man into dizzying speed before letting him go. Warpol flew completely over the debris left behind of their battle and disappeared somewhere beyond the castle wall. Moments later Sanji heard the sound of collapsing structures and more screaming. He then saw that Luffy was stuck, struggling to pull his feet out from the street.
"Idiot," he muttered. He wondered if he should go down to help him when a shadow staggered out from the street debris off to the left. Ussop was dragging Zoro behind him in a hay wagon, the wolf snoring loudly. When Ussop caught sight of Luffy, Luffy said something to him that caused Ussop a shout of exasperation. Zoro was dumped out into the street, and the rude awakening caused the wolf some muttering before he saw what was going on. He helped loosen Luffy from the street, the rubber boy then using him as a sturdy jump off point to chase after Warpol. Ussop climbed into the hay wagon and collapsed into it as Zoro stretched. He picked himself up from the street and started walking after Luffy, yawning noisily. It was predictable to see him venture into a completely off direction from where Luffy had gone.
Sanji leaned out the window to shout and catch his attention, pointing to where Luffy had gone. Zoro headed in that direction with a gesture of his hands, and Sanji wondered if he should enter the fray at all. As far as he was concerned, Luffy had Warpol handled – whatever this had turned into, it wasn't something that Sanji felt required his interference.
He sighed heavily, turning to look at Law. The man had cleaned up, shaved, and found a dark blue jacket with white lining and straps to pull over a vest with a similar design, a high collar shirt with white buttons and jodhpur-like pants that had zippers crossing over his thighs. He hated to admit it, but it made him feel like he was facing some highly decorated officer, the accompanying sword adding to the picture. Law was handsome in a sense but he made Sanji feel uneasy to admit it because of the situation swirling around them. He couldn't understand why the man looked at him so hungrily when he could easily find someone more fitting to his image.
'Hungry', but it was apparent Law didn't know what to do with that appetite. It was both irritating and relieving in that Sanji could feel safe with him not making the demands he was used to, but exasperating because maybe he wanted those demands.
He cleared his throat before saying, "You were looking for maps, right? Warpol has a room full of them."
"Of the area?"
"The world. Come, that'll take awhile to cook."
"Were you able to find your island?" Law asked with interest.
"For a smart man, you sure forget a lot."
"Right. It's inconvenient when you're that uneducated."
"For a man that says these types of things, you sure ain't getting anything right," Sanji muttered with a slight shake of his head. Their footfalls was the only sound made in the hall, and Law felt his expression pull into a sour scowl.
Since the electricity was out, Sanji lit the candles positioned around the room until Law was able to see all of it. The maps weren't giving him any images of those he was familiar with; the one at his feet showed off four different sections of planes that gave no distinguishing shape to the world map he was used to. He guessed that none of the towns from two hundred years ago would make it through this time, so he had no way to determine just what part of the world was painted down at his feet. The ones at the walls detailed smaller settlements with miles of open space between them – a single line between places was determined as a 'road', and the names that he read were more of a description than an actual title.
It felt like another slap in the face to see all of this; to know that everything he'd known and learned had been useless. It was similar to a loss of a home, of the ground from underneath his feet. The group of them hadn't known exactly where they were – what state they were in, what part of the country they were from; they were locked in a bunker and never allowed out. So he wasn't even sure what part of the country they were currently standing in, now. This was an entirely new world but deceptively familiar because it was still the same planet. The oceans had even lost their names and were rendered with direction only. At the same time he told himself this was only one map – the man in charge of it might have only commissioned to have it rendered the way he wanted.
He found the appropriate wall that captured their very location and the surrounding areas. The "colony by the sea" was only that – with a blank wall around the area where the colony had stood. He found the ferry that Sanji had mentioned – it crossed a lake that was almost oceanic itself with how wide it was. The direction in which the ferry was pointing had a single colony labeled on a cliff.
"Are you sure you hadn't crossed a lake, instead?" Law asked Sanji as he searched the blue for any sign of any occupation. But while the map was surrounded with blue to indicate the ocean, there wasn't any continuation of this side of the world.
Sanji stood next to him with a frown, squinting at the wall. He pointed off the map, tracing a trail with his fingertip. "It was this ocean because I had landed here. That lake doesn't connect with any part of the ocean. Warpol said it's gone, now. Said the island is all blowed up."
"'Blown'," Law corrected. "How does he know that?"
"How does he know where any of this stuff is?" Sanji asked instead, examining the length of the map, curious as to how big of an island they were on. This part of the land had broken away from the mainland, he knew. But it was truly the first time he'd seen it as a whole. There were many colonies listed by image near the sea, and others scattered across the ranges where water was pictured. To know that there were so many people living out there was a wondrous one.
Because Sanji was right about that, Law couldn't say anything more about it. He pointed at their current location, Warpol's insignia emblazoned there brightly. "From here to there would take a few days' travel. The ferry leads across the lake to this single location here. Alabasta."
"Don't know that town."
It all welled up at once – all the numbness of being out of their element, the novelty of a new world, the fact that he hadn't any idea what his goal was. He set his sword aside and leaned against the map with his forearms baring the weight, his forehead settled against his clasped hands. He tried to steady himself, feeling the race of his heart as he truly understood that they were stuck here in a life they knew absolutely nothing about. Their earlier goal was to win a war – now they had absolutely nothing but a vague idea that what they'd left behind wasn't what they wanted.
Having no idea where to go, or what to do made him feel helpless.
Sanji was aware that Law was going through something, and stood quietly nearby. He could hear the rumble of more collapsing structures outside, and the castle shook gently. He studied the map with a curious expression, wondering where the rest of it was. He would have to rely on Law to read everything to him, but he knew not to ask now. He wanted to believe Warpol's statement of his hometown being lost. He knew Law's mind was set on going there but he wasn't sure what the other man's overall goal was. The others wanted to make a name for themselves by proving their strength, but it seemed to Sanji that Law's was only to understand how the world worked. Considering the length of travel and the obstacles in between, he wondered if that were realistic.
"All places probably be like this one, anyway," he murmured, turning to examine the other walls. Looking for places in the ocean that could possibly be his old home.
Law straightened up from the wall with a harsh inhale. He struggled to re-align his thoughts to fit the situation of today, to focus on the small steps that steadily took them away from the bunker. They'd all wanted out – maybe it wasn't in the place they wanted, but they were out.
Maybe back then things would be this way, too. Struggling to fit into society, building their own cages around themselves as the result of their unexperienced choices. It was still frustrating to think that they wouldn't be accepted anywhere.
"Here, what's this one?" Sanji asked him from the other wall, reaching out and touching a spot that drew Law's attention. Leaving his sword, he crossed the world map at his feet and joined him, seeing him point to a spot that looked suspiciously as if someone had scratched it off the map. The letters were illegible. It was within the ocean, but with the formation of the land mass above it, Law couldn't imagine what part of the world this could possibly be.
"It's been deliberately scratched off, I can't read it," he muttered, brushing away remains of dust and paint.
Sanji nodded. "It might've been that one."
"It doesn't make sense because it doesn't connect with that one, there. It's like that idiot had these maps plastered randomly!" Law said with frustration, looking down at the world map. The shapes on the wall didn't match up to those on the floor. He began searching for Warpol's insignia. Once he found it, he crouched to compare that land mass to the one on the wall. He discovered that this maps were still uncompleted – these images were only of those that were known areas, and nothing as a whole. There was still uncharted land out there. He exhaled shakily, reaching up to rub at a mounting headache.
"If it's gone, it's gone," Sanji said, frowning at the sight of the nearly missing island. Someone had made big effort to eliminate it, and he felt a small joy in the possibility that it truly was gone. He couldn't imagine how. He looked back at the man. "You could always go and ask that guy about it."
Law straightened away from the floor as he considered the idea. Then he thought about how tenacious Luffy was – he looked to Sanji. "Go bring Dalton here."
Sanji gave him a look.
"If he's the bodyguard, he'd know this type of information. Interrupting Luffy right now would be a pain."
"Let's wait until things are settled," Sanji said, walking over to retrieve his sword. "He won't be going anywhere. We're not going anywhere."
It was irritating to have to wait for his answers, but it made sense. He looked over the map once more, committing things to memory. He crossed his arms stiffly as Sanji waited quietly at his side, letting him think.
After a few moments, he said, "Now that you saw the map, where will you go?"
"I'm going with you." Sanji then amended himself quickly. "All of you."
"What made you change your mind?" Law asked, a little startled after the fight Sanji had put up about it. Sanji shrugged. "Because you think your home is gone?"
"I'd decided before I knew that." Sanji then looked at him sharply. "So don't mess it up."
It made Law feel a little happier knowing that Sanji would continue with them without being forced to. He felt it on his face. There was something significant about it that made enduring the unknown of this world a little easier. Sanji frowned at him because he could feel that the other man was cheered by it, but it was frustrating not getting anything more than that. A familiar sense of tension rose up at that moment, and he acknowledged wanting to have it expressed with some sort of physical gesture. He did want it.
He waited for something more to come from it, but Law walked on with his sword over one shoulder. Sanji looked after him with a shake of his head, then followed.
"I'm going to ask that man if he has anything here worthy of information from then," Law said as they headed back to the kitchen. "I'll have some time before everyone recovers from their foolish endeavors to prove themselves."
"Guess you don't feel a need to?" Sanji questioned almost snidely as he caught the scents coming from the open windows and those from the kitchen.
"I don't need to prove anything. This is their idea. I told them to wait."
"No one needs to listen to you, you're not the boss."
"But I have the better ideas."
"They'll wanna break away from your 'better ideas' and then what you do?" Sanji asked as he tried not to react negatively. "You'll have no one to boss around but yaself."
"I don't have to worry about that for now. They'll go wherever you go, and it's already established that you'll be with me."
"Sometimes that arrogance is just…"
"I'm done taking orders. No one tells me what to do, anymore. Every decision I make, it's my own and for my own reasons. There's no reason for anyone to tell me what to do."
Sanji paused in mid-step to give him a look that Law found puzzling. It had a weight to it that he didn't recognize, and he paused as well to wait for Sanji to say something to accompany it. Sanji then gave a slight shake of his head and an exasperated breath that turned into a chuckle. He continued on to the kitchen, and Law was at a complete blank as to what that meant. He reviewed the conversation in his head as he slowly followed after him, wondering what he'd missed.
Once in the kitchen, he watched as Sanji fiddled with the bubbling pots on the stove, dropping in various spices from shakers and stirring with a ladle. "What was that about?"
"Ya just made it very clear I'm gonna be waiting for awhile."
Law set his sword aside, hearing the incoming whistle of something coming their way. Sanji heard it as well, turning to look at the window with apprehension. Warpol was headed straight for the tower, screaming with horror. He cringed because he expected impact.
Law switched Warpol out with a piece of debris from the streets below, catching the rock as it sailed through the window. He set it down as silence descended over the area.
Luffy's enraged, "LAW!" filled in through the windows from somewhere down below. Sanji opened his eyes, straightening to see that nothing had happened.
"DON'T GET IN THE WAY!"
Understanding the situation, Sanji rushed over to the window and shouted, "Don't send your trash this way when I got food cooking!"
"OH! AWESOME! THANKS, SANJI! SORRY 'BOUT THAT!"
Sanji wasn't sure where Luffy was shouting from, but his tone had certainly changed when food was mentioned. Warpol looked confused as he rose from the ground, dusting himself off. His comically puzzled expression as to how he avoided certain injury and impact spoke volumes.
"Wait for what?" Law asked.
Fiddling with the ladle, Sanji regrouped himself before returning to the stove to focus on what he was doing. "For you to get a single clue."
"I don't understand."
"I don't think it's my place to tell ya what to do, but I ain't going to force it, either. Guess it's just up to you to figure it out."
Law stared at him with an absolutely clueless expression. He had no idea how the conversation had switched to such a baffling turn. Sanji finished stirring and turned around to see him with such a lost expression that he laughed. He set aside the ladle and checked the contents in the oven, basting the animal with the runoff juices and grease that bubbled around it. Then he shut the door, taking the few steps necessary to him.
He bit his lower lip so that he wouldn't be laughing in the man's face, struggling to keep his mouth controlled. Once he recognized that effort, Law gave him a tired frown because he knew Sanji had just tried to trick him into making some sort of fool of himself.
"You had such a panicked look to your dumb face, I couldn't help it," Sanji laughed.
"It's not funny."
Sanji kissed him quickly, checking his reaction to settle his nerves. Law was wearing that same bewildered look, flushing brightly from his cheeks to his ears. It was an honest reaction apart from the usual expressions he had, and it made Sanji feel good to know that he could affect him this way. It was nice to see the older man rattled. He reached up to hold onto his jacket and kissed him again, waiting for him to say or do anything in response. He did like the feeling of excitement and warmth that shot through him upon the contact, his own breath quickening as his senses became sharper. It almost felt like he was coming into heat again, firing up from deep inside of him as his instincts delighted in being able to express his own affection.
Just as he grew brave enough to use his tongue, something inside of him twinged. A sensation of fright dashed all that building warmth away, and fleeting memory of the night Law had used "physical discouragement" to control his heat rushed to the forefront. The images weren't very good but the emotions and the pain was, and Sanji could feel them as strongly as he'd felt back then. He yanked away with a start, pushing for distance as it built in his ears and made his chest hurt. He looked at the flustered man with frozen action, struggling to quell the conflicting feelings that made his limbs numb.
He then hastily turned away, stumbling a little as he made his way back to the stove.
Law looked after him with a disturbed expression. He was just experiencing something incredibly significant, filling him with new emotions and building curiosity for more – but to see that expression directed to him made him think of exactly how Sanji had looked at him that night. He must have remembered it somehow, and Law knew it was his own fault. His ears rushed with a ringing sound, anger and frustration building up inside of him. For a few moments he breathed hard, struggling to put things back into order but that physical contact was something that he'd needed. Something that fit the rising unrest that he'd felt every time he looked at the other man. He was embarrassed that all those 'silly' movie feelings the others talked about was an accurate depiction of things that just happened between two people but at the same time, he was angry at Sanji for suddenly disregarding it just like that.
He strode after him, startling him with his approach. He grabbed him by his hair and shoulder to hold him in place, smashing his mouth against his to recreate that earlier feeling. Sanji struggled to get away from him, pushing against his face and chest to get some space between them. They banged up against the stove, rattling pots atop of the burners. Just as he managed to pull his head back, Law bit him in the cheek, then jaw.
A wild sense of terror hit Sanji again, blinding his common sense. It seemed like a part of him wanted to respond but his limbs felt paralyzed by fear. Rational thought left his head, leaving behind only instinct. He felt the scrape of Law's goatee against his sensitive flesh and could smell all the overpowering scents of his agitation, aggression and pent up want. It was almost frightening how quickly he lost his head when normally he would be inclined to fight back at the snap of a hat. Law's mouth moved over his, pinching his lips against his teeth, their teeth clacking painfully; Sanji's legs were like jelly, and he reached behind him to support himself as the man's fingers tightened on him.
Law was like an animal himself, and Sanji wasn't sure how to control him at this point. He stopped pushing at him, hearing distressed noises leave him but he wasn't sure if they were words. Law kept his head in place but his other hand dropped from Sanji's shoulder to his waist to pull him close up against his body. His mouth left his and went to his neck, and Sanji shivered because he was getting so wrapped up in the aggression that he felt that every part of body had grown too sensitive. He felt Law's teeth sink into the delicate tendons at his neck, his skin growing wet with his saliva, and he felt Law's fingers kneading into his waist with such strength that Sanji knew he was going to have bruises. He could smell and feel the other man's arousal, and it surprised him to feel his own starting to return. He was wondering why because he felt like he was being mauled; crammed against the stove edge with nowhere to go and hands and mouth all over him. He was being slobbered over and bitten, but he'd lost his mind to rational thought at the start and there was no hope of it returning soon.
Before he could respond in any way, Law pushed away from him. Sanji didn't get a chance to say anything because he was then hauled up and over his shoulder and they were leaving the kitchen.