One week earlier - Allied Blue Research Center - Reverse Island
The vibration of his phone filtered through the murky depths of Sanji's dreams, a persistent rumbling that eventually had the blond breaking the surface of consciousness. He fumbled his hand blindly towards his bedside table until he found the device. One bleary eye cracked open, only so he could quickly slide his finger across the screen to shut the damn thing up before he flopped his face back into his pillow with a tired groan.
It was uncommon for his alarm to actually wake him, but dammit, he'd been staying up far too late recently, and while he was normally an early riser to begin with, it was the workload on his shoulders these days that seemed to suck his energy so quickly. Maybe he was just getting old…
But no, twenty-nine wasn't old, thank you, or so he insisted to himself. He was far from retirement age, after all, unlike his old man, who he'd basically had to force into handling B.A.R.A.T.I.E. and B.A.R.A.T.I.E. only. Getting him to commit to said retirement fully was a hurdle Sanji had yet to leap.
B.A.R.A.T.I.E.—the Bio-Aquatic Rescue and Testing Institute of East Blue—was smaller though, with far less to manage, only Patty and Carne, who had been nothing more than two foul-mouthed babysitters in desperate need of both good manners and a good shave. A damn handful, the pair of them, but a reliable one. And any marine guests they had at any given time were even less troublesome.
Sometimes Sanji missed working there. Times had certainly been simpler.
But Sanji's dad knew it well. It was easy for him, having lived and worked there since before Sanji's birth. It was home for both of them, and for all Zeff grumbled about being sidelined and discriminated against for his advanced age, Sanji knew he didn't mean it. In fact, he knew the twinkle in his eye to be no less than pride, even if verbal expression of it was a rarity.
Because he'd still stepped aside and given Sanji the reins to what had become their shared dream, what had been Sanji's birth parents' dream, manifested after years of hardship, fear, and injustice.
Their Allied Blue, their research center that combined the efforts of their entire archipelago; B.A.R.A.T.I.E., the Ocean Habitat Aquatic Research Association over in West Blue, and yes, even the Maritime Animal Research Institution of North, East, and South Blue, their former enemy….enemy of his people….until Sanji had put an end to that himself.
He'd never considered himself special, but there were reasons he'd stood up for justice, reasons that went beyond mere duty. Way beyond. So far beyond that they broke the very laws of nature.
Sure as hell beyond what Sanji could have ever imagined five years ago when all that shit went down. And he was a marine biologist. He knew the world was a fucked up mess of unbelievable shit as it was.
But a lot could change in five years. A lot.
He'd seen respectable people turn to villains by way of grief and misguided righteousness.
He'd seen ordinary people become heroes.
And he himself?
Well, he'd become something so magnificent, so unbelievable that he'd had to keep it secret from the world at large.
He didn't feel particularly magnificent though, certainly not in that moment, lying there in the dim light of his bedroom, blankets far too warm and comfortable. Not to mention the limp arm thrown over his waist from behind, still holding Sanji steadily through both the rise and ebb of sleep.
What would happen if he just...stayed here forever, avoided the looming responsibilities of the day?
...He'd probably suffer punishment ranging from an eloquent scolding from his sister to a few broken ribs from Yonji, who seriously had no gauge on his own brute strength. But that had been one time, dammit, and besides, both Sanji's ego and his body would heal quickly enough, at least in his mer-form.
Because that's what Sanji was, a merman, half thresher shark, at least underwater, and it was the metal bracelet resting on his bedside table that had unlocked his true form, years ago.
Actually no. It was all thanks to the certain someone sleeping beside him. But he refused to give that dumb someone all the credit most days.
Another five minutes of dozing would be even less difficult...
…
Unfortunately, it was impossible because a loud rumbling accompanied the silence, one that was just as annoying as his alarm, but far more welcome...somehow.
Sanji rolled himself to his opposite side to find a gaping, snoring mouth in his face, something that shouldn't have been a comfort, certainly not when the algae-head's pool of drool threatened to both choke him and drown Sanji.
But it was that arm on his waist…
It was the hand still resting beside Sanji's face on the pillow where fingers had played gently with blond hair the night before, until their last moments of consciousness, the bracelet on his wrist still safely secured...
It was the simple black band on his ring finger, and the matching pearlescent one on Sanji's own that he'd worn for a year now...
All of it reminded Sanji of why, despite every obstacle that should have stood between them, he'd fallen under the spell of a mythological creature.
Zoro was not the siren he'd always envisioned, luring him underwater with soft lips and a gentle touch, singing a hypnotic sailors' song from atop a cragged rock.
No, Zoro was hardly soft or gentle half the time. He could shatter that imaginary cragged rock with one punch. And he sure as hell could not sing, in Sanji's humble, but justified, opinion. In fact, when he'd first fished Zoro out of the sea, injured after getting into a stupid fight with a propeller, the idiot had barely been able to speak human language at all.
And fuck, he'd been perfect, despite all that, still was, Sanji thought, reaching out fingers to brush tenderly over Zoro's sleeping face, his touch feather-light as he trailed it over the faint, now two-year-old scar running through his left eyebrow, touching down on his cheek again. His dear husband had nearly lost an eye, courtesy of a boat's anchor, but Sanji supposed that was what he got for his obsession with everything sharp.
The faded white line stretching across his torso was a nostalgic testament to that as well, one Sanji was particularly fond of. It was how they'd met, after all.
Sanji admired, for the millionth time, his strong jaw and the bow of his lips, relaxed now, that were so often twisted into a frown, though Sanji knew just how to break through to that annoyingly gorgeous smile of his.
Annoyingly gorgeous. Yes, that was his husband, who had no fucking clue of a lot of things, least of all what he did to Sanji on a daily basis. Even if Sanji told him on a daily basis, he didn't think Zoro would ever know just how much he'd come to mean, how much it meant to have him here in this bed, his forever, their worlds united.
"I love you…" he whispered in Zoro's ear, in a language that wasn't his native but belonged to his people, one he still wasn't particularly skilled at using, but he knew those important words, and he wanted Zoro to hear them, even if the man slept as hard as a dead fish flopped on the beach at high tide.
Predictably, he didn't stir, a dead fish indeed.
And that was exactly how Sanji felt himself, knowing he had to drag himself out of bed sometime within the current century. So, with one last tender kiss to his husband's temple, Sanji started to sit up reluctantly, the air uncomfortably brisk against his bare chest.
But no sooner had he moved than Zoro's grip on his waist tightened unconsciously, the merman still fast asleep as he yanked Sanji right back down against the mattress, an unsightly snore ripping from his throat all the while, piercing Sanji's eardrums.
"Fuck—" Sanji hissed, feeling his ribs creak when Zoro's arms merely squeezed tighter, trapping him like a fucking octopus about to devour its prey.
And sure enough, a second later, Zoro's head drew back, just before his mouth clamped down hard onto Sanji's throat, far too close to his jugular, drawing a yelp from the blond as sharp as the idiot's incisors.
In his mer-form, Zoro would have surely broken skin, possibly even tore through Sanji's throat entirely as he continued gnawing in his sleep.
Sanji thrashed, shoving at the absolute Neanderthal, struggling to pry himself free until he finally managed to break away by forcibly pushing Zoro's head, his legs kicking at blankets as he made his escape. Sanji supposed that punching a shark in the nose was a good survival tactic after all.
Zoro's arm merely fell back to the bed, the sound of his snores even more deafening by the time Sanji had freed himself, quickly getting to his feet before Zoro could grab him again, breaths panting slightly as he glared down at the fool.
"Fuck you…" he hissed, rubbing at the throbbing juncture of neck and shoulder, checking his hand after for blood. None, thank fuck, but he'd surely have a lovely mark. Honestly, did he look like a fucking tuna or some shit? Given the questions it would surely raise, he wanted that shit healed as soon as possible. The sooner he could transform, the better.
So with a sigh, he leaned over the bed to shove Zoro sideways, pulling the pillow out from under his head so he wouldn't suffocate accidentally (still a concern, even after years).
"You're such an idiot," he murmured out of habit, though his lips turned up as his gaze lingered on his husband for another few moments, fingers unable to help one last brush to Zoro's jaw before he pulled away to start his day.
Sanji's routine was hardly elaborate. It never had been, but these days? It was even less so. Half the time he didn't even bother with a shower in the morning, knowing he'd be submerged in saltwater before long.
He felt his way through the dark bedroom, nothing but the blue tint of the light behind the curtains to illuminate his path, picking up his husband's discarded sweatpants from the night before and tossing them into the hamper just inside the closet.
Those could sure as hell do with a wash, a chore Zoro was still forbidden from after deciding that dunking Sanji's entire wardrobe into the ocean with a squeeze of shampoo was equivalent to "doing the laundry." An old memory from the beginning of their relationship that was now more cute than enraging. The idiot had tried… But the laundry was still off limits.
A quick stop in the bathroom after that, which gave Sanji a moment to look over his reflection and inspect the slightly throbbing bite mark now gracing his throat. He threw some water on that travesty, along with a few colorful curses, hoped it wouldn't develop gangrene or some shit.
He looked tired, he thought, blond hair in need of a trim, ruffled and wavy from sleep, his goatee a bit scruffier than normal, but he left it, just brushed his teeth, then headed back into the bedroom to get dressed.
Thankfully, his outfit was nearly nonexistent, the usual polo shirt which he didn't even wear, merely zipped up safely in his waterproof pack. He shimmied into a fresh pair of wetsuit shorts, pulled on his water shoes, and honestly, he'd stopped caring years ago about his lack of opportunities for proper fashion. It only made more of an impact when he could dress up. He'd thoroughly enjoyed breaking Zoro's brain the first time he'd put on his best suit...
But that was neither here nor there. After all, he'd still barely had occasion to dress up in the years since. In fact, not until Franky and Robin's wedding soon after their escape from the M.A.R.I.N.E.S., and his and Zoro's own the year prior.
So he made one last stop at his bedside table, grabbing the silver cuff that rested there and snapping it onto his wrist, followed by the shell necklace beside it which he clasped around his neck, settling over his collarbone the two jagged teeth attached, courtesy of the first barracuda he'd successfully wrestled. A good luck charm, or so he liked to think. Hell of a good story at the very least.
A final brush of fingers over the framed photo of a blond mermaid, beaming at the camera with the kind smile he'd inherited—his mother's—before he threw his phone in his pack too and left the room with a parting kiss to his still sleeping husband's cheek.
Closing the door behind him, the short hallway was just as dark, cast only in that cyan light coming in through the circular window on the opposite end, a mere few paces away. Sanji glanced outside, pleased to see beams of sunlight already shining down in speckled curtains of warmth.
Eagerness growing, he turned the corner to descend the tiny, narrow stairwell, the hiss of the airlock satisfying as he opened the watertight door onto a small, low-ceilinged alcove, lips already turning up at the sight of, not a floor, but a pool of turquoise water lapping below, casting familiar undulating patterns across the ceiling above him. He shut the door, double checked to be sure it was secure before hopping down the last few steps onto the bobbing platform.
And then he didn't wait, bypassing the ladder entirely in favor of diving straight into the water in a smooth arc.
He cut through the blue with ease, feeling its warmth ripple through his hair, across skin which now warmed with a different heat that spread down his chest, through his legs which fused together smoothly until it was his tail that gave a powerful flick, sending him shooting forward into open water with greater speed.
Gills took in a soothing gulp, and he opened eyes, seeing, in crisp focus, the underside of their houseboat anchored in the sandy sea bottom. His habitual inspection of the hull followed, checking for damage as he coasted by, though it was hardly necessary. She was their Warrior of the Sea, as her name so proudly read in a scrawling cursive, and Franky had helped build her strong.
So with that thought in mind, he gave another pump of his tail and headed away from the docks, passing under yet more bobbing vessels, more than they'd ever possessed at B.A.R.A.T.I.E. It was still unbelievable sometimes, to think that all this was at his disposal now.
He dove lower, weaving over and between the giant wooden beams of the dock supports, careful to avoid any rough barnacles, because those things hurt like hell when they scraped, as he'd once discovered the hard way.
And soon enough, he'd popped through to the other side, where the slowly sloping sand some twenty feet below him dropped off entirely in a steep cliff, deep enough to house the lower half of the massive building appearing before him, which clung to the cliff's side and broke the surface, its top three floors a rippling image above the water.
His Allied Blue, his dream research center, built with government funding, and not technically his, but he'd damn well consider it as such. It was his new home, the one that had finally brought his two worlds together as they never had been before. Finally, he was free to experience the seemingly limitless undersea world, at least as carefully as he possibly could without risking the exposure of the merfolk, but that was fine, because most of the merfolk were cautious, sure not to draw attention when they were—
"Think fast!"
A sudden shout of warning, and Sanji's heart jolted in surprise, the blond just barely having time to duck out of the way when he found the blade of a sword hurtling toward him, cutting a thick stream of bubbles through the otherwise placid water.
Its wielder followed through with the swing, hands gripped tight around the ivory hilt streaking past in a wide arc.
Luckily, he found his reflexes (and his dignity) in time to pivot, drawing his tail back for a wicked crack of his lengthy caudal fin, one that should have easily landed a stinging hit to his "attacker" had she not, predictably, darted out of reach, anticipating his move.
Of course she had, skilled fighter as she was, and it was honestly no surprise Zoro trained with her so damn much, because the challenging glint in the mermaid's eye was as equally motivating as it was frustrating.
She swung again, faster this time, her dark bob of hair nothing but an inky blur as she sent her blade swiping for his face, though he merely grinned, arching backwards in a graceful backflip to avoid her well-aimed attack.
"Kuina," he said by way of greeting once he'd righted himself a few tail-lengths away. "Good timing. I could do with a shave."
The mermaid rolled her eyes in response, though there was a smirk on her face as she sheathed the sword in the belt she wore at her waist, her thick gray tail calming to a lazy lateral swish. The black beads she wore around her neck floated back against her collar again.
"And I could manage it with how slow you are," she teased, crossing an arm over her sports bra in a casual stretch before asking, "Where's Zoro?"
"Good morning to you too," Sanji replied. "He's still asleep."
"Still asleep?!" she gritted out, dropping her arm to plant hands on her hips. "We're supposed to go for a run in fifteen minutes!"
"He knows," the blond said with a smirk.
She let out a frustrated noise, then flicked her tail to swim past him.
"Excuse me while I go break your bedroom window and flood the place…" she grumbled as she passed.
"He's human! He'll drown!" Sanji warned with no real worry.
She didn't look back, just shouted, "Don't care!"
"He's also naked!"
"I can do it with my eyes closed!"
Sanji couldn't help but chuckle, knowing Kuina was one of the few merpeople a comment like that would even work on. Years spent imprisoned by humans had, for better or worse, thoroughly imbued the mermaid with proper human sensibilities, unlike Sanji's feral husband, who still found the very idea of clothing to be strange and unnecessary. Not that it much mattered in the privacy of their bedroom.
Still, there were some merfolk who appreciated fashion, among them the mermaid he now sought.
"You seen my sister?" he called after Kuina before she could swim out of earshot.
"She was going to her office," Kuina called back. "Think Robin called about something."
Then she dove out of sight beneath the docks, leaving Sanji to stare after her for a few moments as his mind swirled around that information.
His elusive sister had certainly shown up more frequently in the months since they'd fully established the research center. But even still, it was often difficult to find her when he wanted to check in.
He silently thanked Robin for holding her hostage, finally swimming off for the building once more.
Was there a more direct way to enter the research center? Certainly. He could have used any of the entrances above water like a normal human.
But, of course, Sanji wasn't a normal human, and besides, using the underwater entrance was a good excuse to double check the security. After all, it was built as a way for the merfolk to enter without being seen, and while the majority of those working for him were in on the secret, having been carefully selected after the destruction of the former M.A.R.I.N.E.S. Headquarters five years prior, there was always the stray intern whom he didn't quite trust. Not to mention the center's frequent visits from government officials or scientists outside of their alliance, and those would likely only increase as time went on.
There was still far too much at stake to risk his people's exposure, so up he swam through the concrete tunnel near the ocean floor that cut into the underbelly of the building. It was well-lit, lights evenly spaced between some rather obnoxious blinking arrows, courtesy of Franky. Though the man was still based at O.H.A.R.A., he'd sure as hell left his mark. The tunnel branched a few times, signs indicating the way to different locations, including the main laboratories and the administrative offices.
Sanji veered towards the latter, swimming through the shorter tunnel until he reached the end where a metal door waited for him, a discrete security panel beside it.
Lifting his wrist, he tapped his bracelet to the sensor, which gave a few tinny beeps before lighting up green.
The rush of what sounded like gallons upon gallons of pouring water started up behind the door, the blond crossing arms over his chest to wait somewhat impatiently before, eventually, the sensor beeped again, and the door in front of him slid up automatically.
He passed through into a submerged room, the tiled floor and showerheads along the wall installed to look like an inconspicuous shower room. The kind Sanji had always avoided as a very closeted high schooler still trying to deny any bisexual interests in the locker room. Sparsely clothed guys had hardly been good for that at the time.
And now the majority of the males he dealt with were hardly clothed at all.
They were also half fish, but that was beside the point. Though Sanji supposed his dear friend, Ace was the one human exception.
Sanji snickered to himself at that thought as the heavy metal door lowered shut behind him.
And then the room began to drain, slowly but surely, and as the water level crept down from the ceiling, Sanji's head eventually popping up into open air, so too did that familiar heat down his body until, finally, he stood on two human legs once more, back in his shorts, the steady dripping of water from the showerheads echoing in the air-filled room.
He shook his wet hair back into order and moved to the opposite end, scanning his way through another heavy door and heading out into the main building.
By the time he made it to the offices on the top floor, he'd dried himself off, pulled on his shirt, and even stopped in the lounge kitchen to make Reiju a coffee like a good brother.
It was still early, not even seven o'clock, but he'd heard voices from her office down the hall, already seen some of the interns and research staff milling about near the labs downstairs. So he'd tossed his belongings in his own office, ignoring, for the time-being, the fact that his phone was already blinking with a voicemail from his dad, even at that hour, and made his way to her door with two steaming mugs in hand.
It was cracked open, so he shouldered his way in, stepping into a room that was largely decorated like her underwater quarters at the mer-colony's base, the sunken cruise liner Noah which remained perpetually frozen in the past with its antique furniture and heavy draperies. This room, however, certainly took advantage of the lack of water, her bookshelves properly full to the brim, and her desk covered with a sophisticated computer set-up.
And that was where he found his older sister, fully dressed for the day in a lacy cover-up dress over her bikini top, seated at her desk in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, view of the sea stretching out far below. Her attention was fixed on her computer screen, immersed in a video call.
"...the investigation is ongoing, but it seemed to have disappeared without a trace," a smooth female voice was saying from the computer, in the language of the merpeople. It was a language Sanji was still far from fluent in, but after five years and some lessons, he was pleased to have gained enough proficiency to understand the gist of what was said.
Reiju glanced up at him from behind her curtain of rosy pink hair, though she didn't acknowledge him outwardly when he entered, merely continuing her conversation.
"That's a good thing though," the mermaid replied in the same foreign language. "I'm sure it's moved on then."
The blond crossed the room so he could see the computer screen, staying out of frame for the moment as he subtly slid her drink across the desk and leaned a hip there.
Taking up the screen in a large chat window was the video image of a woman in a wetsuit, her long black hair tied up in a high ponytail, her blue eyes piercing but kind.
Dr. Robin Nico, director of the O.H.A.R.A. research center, and close personal friend to both Sanji and the merfolk in general. Her dedication spanned many years before Sanji's own discovery of his past, and if not for her, Sanji doubted he'd have anything he had now, including his husband.
"Good for West Blue, yes," Robin continued. "But not only were there sightings in East Blue now….there was an attack—"
"Whoa, whoa, hang on." Sanji couldn't help but interrupt at that, finally showing his face on-screen. "What's—?"
"Ah, Sanji, good morning," Robin greeted, a smile coming to her lips as she switched back to her native tongue. "How kind of you to join us. Did you sleep well~?"
"Very well, thank you for your concern, as always—" he replied hastily, flicking eyes to Reiju, who'd taken a casual sip of her drink, to ask his sister, "Have you even slept at all?"
Reiju merely sighed, fixing him with a clear look, then turned her attention back to Robin. The fact that she switched languages spelled out her annoyance.
"Was anyone injured in this attack?"
Robin's smile slipped, her features growing serious again.
"Apparently a man has been hospitalized this morning with minor injuries to his leg," the older woman answered. "He is insisting it was the result of a bite. Whether it's the truth or not, I cannot confirm. Sanji, surely you've received a call from your father."
At that, Sanji's expression turned a little guilty, remembering the notification he'd promptly ignored.
"Ah...that…" he replied slowly, struggling a bit to string together the foreign words. "I haven't...listened to the voicemail already."
"'Yet,'" Reiju muttered. "You mean 'yet,' not 'already.'"
The blond rolled his eyes.
"And is this really the time for a language lesson?"
Reiju's eye roll in response was remarkably similar to his own.
He shook his head, leaning closer to the screen.
"So, what is it, a shark?" he asked, hoping he'd grasped the conversation topic correctly.
"According to the claims," Robin confirmed. "The West Blue reports incriminated a great white. Though I'm certain they were merely influenced by stereotypical cinematic hysteria. I'm afraid no one laid eyes on the culprit fully. However, I'm sure the Coast Guard will want it removed."
Sanji frowned, knowing exactly what 'removed' entailed, and knowing it spelled nothing good for the shark.
Honestly, they'd been lucky thus far. Unlike the Navy, the Coast Guard wasn't aware of the little mer-secret brewing beneath their waters. But the government, under the guidance of key players who did know, had kept them well enough in the dark, directing their attention elsewhere when necessary, or employing the Navy instead when matters got too risky.
All that was changing though, with Sengoku's retirement… Sanji had yet to meet the new Inspector General, but surely he couldn't be trusted so readily, an added concern for all of them.
And it was one he actively tried to force down, keeping his tone as nonchalant as he could manage.
"Well, Zoro's been itching for a good challenge lately," he said with a shrug. "Let's send him to patrol the coast. Scare the thing off from the beaches."
"Him and Kuina," Reiju corrected quickly.
"Obviously," Sanji confirmed. He'd go himself but he couldn't afford any time off, regrettably.
Robin seemed to mull over this proposition, a hand coming to her chin in thought, her brow furrowing subtly.
"Very well," she eventually allowed. "But I'd advise caution. As you know, it's very rare indeed for a shark to bite humans." Her eyes seemed to bore right into Sanji then, a knowing smirk coming to her lips. "Excluding whatever bedroom habits you may have, Mr. Red~"
The sheepish laugh that escaped the blond was far too loud to sound natural.
"Robin, please. Not while I'm here…" Reiju muttered, rubbing fingers at her temple.
The older woman merely chuckled brightly.
"On that note, I'll take my leave~ My husband will surely scold me for attending to work matters before seven o'clock. But please call me if the situation complicates."
"Will do," Sanji replied. "Say hi to Nami for me~"
Robin smiled and lifted a hand in a small wave. "Enjoy your day~"
Sanji waved back pleasantly until her image disappeared from the screen.
The moment she hung up, Sanji felt Reiju's eyes boring into him intensely. Sure enough, when he glanced at his sister, he was met with her icy glare.
"What...?" he asked, wrinkling his nose.
She didn't respond, forcing him to whine out another, "What?" What could he possibly have done to irritate her already?
"Really?" she finally asked, clarifying nothing.
"What!"
"Really?" she repeated, this time jabbing her finger directly at his throat, where Zoro's lovely bite mark throbbed hard to remind him of its existence.
"Shit, is it visible?" he hissed, hastily fumbling with his shirt collar to try and cover up the offending skin.
His sister huffed a breath, swiveling in her chair to face him.
"I know you're stressed with everything lately, but you're getting so sloppy these days. It's embarrassing."
"Yeah, yeah…" he muttered, still preoccupied with his shirt. "It's not what you think anyway. He bites shit in his sleep..."
She stood though, and batted his hand away to fix his collar herself, adjusting the fabric and doing up a button until she seemed satisfied.
Her touch had him stop his fidgeting, especially when her fingers migrated to his hair, brushing some of the damp strands from his face and smoothing the sides back into order.
She sighed then, shaking her head slightly as if he were truly hopeless and this was the best she could do.
Still, he caught the subtle way her lips turned up, and he couldn't help but return the soft look. Sometimes it was still a wonder to him that he even had this now, an older sister to look after him, even through her annoyance.
"Uh huh…" she replied eventually, patting his shoulder resolutely. "Well, I want those two headed for East Blue by tonight. Make sure they're ready."
Sanji couldn't help the heavy sigh that left him, despite the whole thing being his idea. This meant he'd have to be apart from his husband, after all, and while he knew Zoro to be more than capable of being out on his own in the wide-open ocean, there was a part of Sanji that already mourned the loss of, not only Zoro's companionship, but the adventures he'd no doubt be missing out on by staying behind.
When was the last time they'd gone out exploring together, losing themselves (at Zoro's fault) in the great blue with not a care for the human world? It had been far too long for Sanji's liking…
Still, he forced a smirk onto his lips and gave a teasing bow.
"As you command, Your Majesty~"
His sister's own smirk widened, a mischievous glint coming to her eye as she sat down again, taking up her mug and raising it appreciatively.
"Thanks for the coffee, servant boy," she replied, crossing her legs gracefully.
He snickered as he made for the door. Their technical high status in the mer-colony hardly meant anything to the both of them, and he certainly did feel more like a servant with the day's duties mounting in his mind as he exited the room.
But he loved his job, loved his life, and he loved his husband. That was why he trusted him entirely to make the trip to East Blue, however difficult their time apart might be. He was capable, when he wanted to be. An idiot, naturally, but not as stupid as he liked to make himself seem.
Sanji just hoped he wasn't a dead idiot at the hands of Kuina.
Hours later - Downtown Logue Town - Reverse Island
His heartbeat thundered in his chest, breaths panting heavily as he rounded the street corner at top speed, sneakers pounding on the open sidewalk that stretched out before him. He saw Kuina in his peripheral, a pace behind him, and dammit, if she was letting him pull ahead then he'd have to kick her ass for holding back.
But no. He may have been running faster than the fucking wind itself, but he'd seen the look of irritation on her face when he passed her a few blocks back. That was real, right? There was no way she was letting him win.
Another glance over his shoulder, just to confirm she was behind him.
And sure enough, she—
—wasn't. He was completely alone, and wait, had he really gained that much distance on her? Where was—?
"Zoro!"
He stopped short outside a souvenir shop, sneakers screeching, nearly careening headfirst into a rack of flip-flops, sending a group of tourists jumping back with yelps of surprise.
He ignored them, head whipping around until he located Kuina across the street, at the opposite end of the intersection, her exasperation clear as day, even from a distance.
He squinted eyes at his friend in confusion, breaths still heaving, and he was about to ignore her and continue on his way before she called out, "Wrong way, idiot!"
Then she promptly turned to continue running off down the perpendicular street.
And that was when he noticed, at the end of that same street, the towering palm trees giving way to sand...and the glistening ocean beyond.
Fuck. When the hell had that appeared?
He took off after her, shoving his way through a slow-moving cluster of people. Thankfully the weird walking symbol was green, so he bolted across the street, struggling to keep her in his sights when she seemed determined to ditch him now. He wasn't against jumping over cars or knocking old people out of his way if he had to.
Sanji always told him that was bad though, that humans had rules of conduct and—yeah, that was the exact problem. Humans had too many rules for their own good. But land training, for all its annoyances, with gravity and all that shit, helped make him so much stronger underwater, so it was necessary.
Logue Town wasn't big, or particularly crowded, at least not on their usual running route. It wasn't like Water 7, the human city Sanji had taken him to after their wedding, with some of the biggest structures Zoro had ever seen and more humans than he'd ever imagined existed.
No, he preferred to steer clear of the humans, who were mostly just obstacles, moseying down the streets and staring in windows like there was interesting shit inside. There never was in this town, just stores that sold seashells and ordinary objects that could be found anywhere on the ocean floor, or ugly clothes that they wore in the water for whatever reason. Some even sold long legless tables that the humans liked to ride over the tiny waves near the shoreline.
All of it was useless, Zoro had judged in the six months since he and Sanji had moved to the island full-time.
Well, no, there was one place that wasn't useless. The liquor store. The only place he was willing to blow the under-the-table paycheck Sanji gave him for helping out at the research center.
And it was the only place he recognized now as his feet carried him past its familiar brick facade at the end of the block.
He hated admitting Kuina was right, hated that the streets even changed on him as they did whenever he ran ahead of her and dammit, where the hell had she gone now? He scanned along the opposite street, wondering if she hadn't run onto the beach where she'd likely blend in with the humans who often ran beside the surf.
Nothing… Some kids flopping around in the water, barely able to stay afloat by the looks of it….some women roasting themselves on the sand….a guy jogging with a land seal trotting along beside him…. No sign of her...
Until…. fuck, there she was. He spotted her pounding her way across that final intersection, onto the sidewalk that stretched along the beach's edge.
A resolute huff and he sped up, barely dodging a man on one of those bike things who cursed him out as he rode past. Zoro didn't even look, eyes on the goal the entire time, willing his legs to move faster, Kuina's form growing closer.
And when he finally reached her side, he slammed his shoulder into hers purposefully, a smug look on his face when he heard her groan of dismay.
They were neck and neck now, the two of them sprinting far faster than normal down the sidewalk, blowing past bewildered pedestrians and bursting through flocks of seagulls milling about on the ground, the heat from the sun overhead sending torrents of sweat down their faces, though neither cared. They'd been at this for hours, and this was finally the home stretch.
The beachfront began to thin, giving way to the island's expansive wharf, where frequent ferries docked and dozens of private vessels bobbed in the bay. The lighthouse on Twin Cape served as a rather prominent landmark in the distance. Allied Blue lay just on the other side.
So Zoro wasn't surprised when Kuina veered off the sidewalk, heading directly onto the labyrinth of docks for a straighter route to the cape's tip that jutted out into the sea.
She'd always been better than him at running, particularly on uneven surfaces like the floating platforms beneath his feet. Their first try at this several months back had ended with him landing face-first on the slippery boards. She had laughed her ass off, and then Sanji had yelled at him, saying he could have knocked his bracelet loose, but it had been her fucking fault anyway!
This time, however, Zoro followed easily as they ran right up to the end of the dock, ignoring the disgruntled noises from various fishermen as they passed, the two of them jumping right onto the deck of the final boat. Thankfully, it was empty, giving them a straight shot to the stern, careful to avoid the coiled ropes and nets left out on the deck.
Zoro reached the end first, scrambling over the rail and up onto the boat's nose, about to dive into the water automatically when Kuina grabbed him by the arm and yanked him back.
"No swimming, that's cheating!" she warned, taking advantage of Zoro's loss of momentum to jump over the rail ahead of him, landing easily on the opposite dock.
"Oh, and that's not?" he gritted out sarcastically, fumbling after her clumsily, but thankfully sticking his own landing, though he just barely missed the water.
And then, a sprint across the remaining dock, a final push up the twisting sidewalk that climbed the hill of the cape, Allied Blue coming into view at last when they crested it. It was a sight to behold, the gleaming building seeming to grow from the water itself, glass windows glinting warmly in the midday sun, the waves lapping gently at its very walls.
And there, amongst the research center's own network of docks, stood the most brilliant sight of all, a blond man conversing with what looked like Johnny, Yosaku, and Yonji working aboard one of the vessels, and a young brunette woman, who Zoro recognized as one of the summer interns, standing beside him.
That stupid mop of golden hair was like a beacon, their finish line determined as Zoro and Kuina both shared a competitive glance before they sped down the other side of the hill, barely in control as they all but crash-landed onto the docks below.
Feet pounded down the long wooden runway, boats streaking past in one nearly continuous blur.
Kuina shoved his shoulder hard. He tried his best to elbow her aside.
Sanji's brunette companion gave a surprised yelp when the pair tore by her, the tray she held in her hand tipping and dumping its contents into the water just before Zoro barreled right into his husband, arms wrapping around him as he tackled the blond over the edge of the dock, the two of them submerging with a great splash, a split second after Kuina.
The tingling warmth of his legs fusing together, gills taking a gulp and his gaping jaw lunging for one of the rice balls he noticed floating down, courtesy of the girl's tipped tray.
Zoro caught it with his mouth, popping back up to the surface to call out a garbled, "S'good, Rika," before disappearing beneath the waves once more to find his husband swimming about to frantically collect the other floating rice balls before they disappeared.
Zoro snatched another from Sanji's grasp as his neurotic husband passed to return them to the surface, narrowly missing Sanji's long tail when the blond whipped it his way in warning. Instead, Zoro merely shrugged, chomping down the rice ball in one bite and waiting while Sanji returned the soggy bunch amidst profuse apologies above the surface. The blond then spent time removing his soaking shirt, wringing it out and folding it meticulously on the dock and fuck that.
Impatient, Zoro reached up to grab Sanji's caudal fin and gave a hard yank, tugging him back under the water until they were level again.
Then hands threaded through blond strands and he pulled Sanji in for a rough kiss, his lips spreading into a toothy grin when they parted because Sanji still looked entirely disheveled and that was exactly the edge Zoro liked to gain on him in the mornings.
"Hey," he murmured, grin widening when Sanji rolled his eyes, though he didn't miss the smirk coming to the blond's lips as well.
"Hey yourself," Sanji replied, a hand sneaking up to curl fingers around Zoro's at the base of his neck. "Was the tackle necessary?"
But Zoro didn't answer, distracted, having immediately taken notice of an odd mark on his husband's pale skin.
"What happened here?" Zoro asked, brow furrowing at the sunken indentations of what looked like teeth adorning Sanji's throat. A flash of concern was barely able to register over his features before Sanji, surprisingly, smacked him hard in the chest.
"You happened here, you heathen!" the blond growled, prompting Zoro to quirk a brow in confusion.
"What?" he asked, understanding his husband (he wasn't a clueless idiot anymore, most of the time), but what the hell was he talking about?
No response from Sanji, just another eye roll that answered nothing, and he merely turned to Kuina instead, the mermaid's gray tail swishing lazily in place as she fiddled with her watch, no doubt checking their run time. Or ignoring Zoro's heated kiss. Probably that, but whatever.
"Please tell me our boat is intact," Sanji muttered, smacking Zoro again when the merman set to testing his own bite size against Sanji's offending mark.
"Might be a few leaks, but I got him awake anyhow," Kuina replied, eventually looking up as she untied her hair from its short ponytail to let it float free once more. "Half-asleep the whole time though. No wonder he lost our race."
"Shut up! It was a tie!" Zoro complained, mumbling a wounded, "You cheat anyway," before fixing that wounded look on Sanji, his fingers reaching out to link smoothly once again with the blond's. "You should've come too."
His soft touch seemed to work on his husband, whose eyes met his with fond exasperation, his own hand coming up to brush at Zoro's hair.
"As fun as it sounds to run around the island with you two in this humidity, I'll pass~" he said, and when a predictable pout came to Zoro's lips, he leaned in closer, stroked a little more tenderly. "You know I have shit to do in the mornings."
"So we didn't take long," Zoro muttered sulkily.
"It's almost eleven," Sanji replied, his lips turning up.
Zoro shrugged.
"Well, I don't have to be paying you to help with shit around here..." the blond said, his voice a teasing lilt as he shrugged in turn.
"You barely pay us!" Zoro yelped. "You're as bad as Nami!"
"I shouldn't be fueling either of your alcohol addictions!"
"It's not an addiction!" screeched Zoro and Kuina in tandem.
Sanji merely rolled his eyes, then gave a solid pat to his husband's bare chest.
"Right, well anyway, look," he said, Zoro's brows furrowing when he sensed a change in his tone. "Robin called. And my dad. We've got some weird-ass reports going down."
"What kind of reports…?" the merman replied, a little warily when Sanji's eyes met his seriously.
"Shark attack reports," Sanji answered. "A great white apparently. In East Blue now. Coast Guard's no doubt looking to get rid of it."
"Well, that's offensive—" Kuina scoffed quietly, though Sanji soon leveled that serious gaze on her as well.
"Someone was hospitalized just this morning."
The mermaid wasn't deterred though, her skepticism clear.
"Were they swimming in the feeding grounds then?" she asked. "It's gotta be something else."
"I know…." Sanji allowed. "But my dad wants to be sure. He obviously doesn't want the Coast Guard to come knocking…."
"Then ask Ace to check it out. Put him in a shark cage. It could be fun~" Kuina replied with a haughty little smirk.
The blond merely shot her a look, deadpan.
And it was unamused enough to have the mermaid's expression sobering too.
"You want me to go," she assumed, to which Sanji nodded.
"Both of you," he said, hands finding Zoro's, the mosshead squeezing back automatically. "I'd go with you, but you know I've gotta stick around here."
Zoro shared a glance with Kuina, who flicked eyes to him with some degree of defeat.
"Orders if we find one?" she eventually asked.
"Drive it away from the coast," Sanji answered, though his own gaze was fixed on Zoro, his hands snapping up to grab the merman's face the instant a murderous glint sparkled there.
"Leave it alive, please," the blond insisted, squeezing Zoro's cheeks enough to make him swat at Sanji's hands. "Any species is endangered as is. Just lead it to a new feeding ground if you can."
Finally, the merman managed to grab hold of the blond's wrists, lowering his hands away from his face to play softly with his fingers again, tracing the soft pads with his own.
"How long…?" Zoro asked quietly, watching the blue of Sanji's eyes dance in the underwater light.
"I think a week…" Sanji murmured in reply, regret already filling his voice as he stared back. "Just to be safe…"
Zoro nodded a little regretfully himself, enough that he leaned in to bump his forehead against the blond's, reaching up to play with the long strands of Sanji's hair which waved like golden seagrass.
"Check in on my dad while you're there?" Sanji continued gently. "Make sure he hasn't completely lost his mind without me."
Again, Zoro nodded, this time leaning in to kiss his lips slowly.
How many times had he tried to convince Sanji they could still do things together? That, yes, his job was important, but as far as Zoro saw it, he didn't have to work himself to death. He didn't have to let his new management responsibilities keep him from the kinds of adventures they used to enjoy back in East Blue.
What was so urgent? What was so necessary that he felt the need to stay at the research center nonstop? Sure, they had far more human visitors here, but so what?
To Zoro, it seemed so simple. Disappearing together had never been a problem before...
He felt Kuina nudge his arm, breaking him off Sanji's lips to see her jerk her chin his way.
"Let's leave at sundown," she said. "We'll take a boat. It'll be faster. Meet me at the docks." A nod to Sanji too and then she swam off out of sight, leaving the two in the sunlit water, alone for the first time that morning.
Naturally, that meant lips found lips once more, this time with a bit more fervor, the merman unable to stop a slow grin when Sanji's arms came around his shoulders tightly, his mouth as warm and inviting as ever. It was enough to set his heart thudding harder, his head spinning pleasantly by the time they parted, his brain not quite capable of forming human language in that moment.
"How bad were the attacks?" he eventually asked, thumbs stroking small circles along Sanji's jaw.
"A human was bite—" Sanji replied, though Zoro quickly shook his head at the incorrect grammar, grinning when it earned him a dramatic roll of eyes in response.
Sanji seriously hated looking stupid, Zoro knew, which was why it was a rarity for him to try more complex phrases outside of a language lesson. And this was also why Zoro felt entirely pleased that his own fluency had progressed far faster than his husband's, in his not so humble opinion.
"—Bitten—?" Sanji corrected after a pause, to which Zoro nodded and smirked. "—on the leg. That's how—what—Robin and my dad say."
Zoro smiled because, for all Sanji struggled with his language, his weird-ass human accent was pretty damn attractive, and that was why he leaned in again to kiss away the frustrated frown on Sanji's face. Zoro could damn well be patient with him, after all. Sure as hell more patient than the idiot blond had ever been with him.
But that was okay because they didn't even need words half the time.
All he needed was Sanji, and that bright smile of his that never failed to stir a comforting warmth within him that he'd never known his heart capable of.
It was the same smile that graced Sanji's face when they parted, all traces of his earlier irritation gone as he took hold of Zoro's wrist.
"Come on," the blond said. "We're releasing the marlin today, remember? And I'm so looking forward to seeing you get slapped in the face with a tail again~"
Zoro let out a sarcastic laugh, then, just for fun, twisted himself in the water to smack his own right into Sanji's side, sending him reeling back in a flurry of bubbles.
He dodged a swift slice from Sanji's long tail, darting out of reach towards open water with a snap of teeth and a satisfied grin.
His husband's hand quickly dragged him back though, yanking him off in the right direction.
Hours later…
Sanji's back slammed hard into the mattress, a breathless laugh escaping him as strong hands threaded in his hair once more and a ravenous mouth captured his in another heated kiss.
He couldn't help but return it, his own hands sliding smoothly over Zoro's bare waist, up the firm skin of his back that was still slick with sweat, pressing their torsos flush again.
There was a grin on Zoro's face too in the moments he pulled away for breath, his kisses ever relentless, and Sanji gave an appreciative hum low in his throat when Zoro gave his lips a break and moved his assault downward to his throat.
Despite his embarrassment from that morning, Sanji no longer cared if his fair skin showed the evidence. There was the fact that he wouldn't have this for much longer before Zoro left, and that was reason enough to take advantage of the moment. They were running out of time, but maybe just a minute more...
His fingers gripped in the mosshead's hair, the strands damp at the nape of his neck, guiding those aggressive kisses and nips of teeth further down to his collarbone and heaving chest.
Here, Zoro slowed, his lips brushing almost reverently over Sanji's sternum and pounding heart beneath before reaching the small spot of gnarled scar tissue marring the blond's skin. He kissed the spot tenderly, as he often did, though it never failed to send a burst of warmth flooding Sanji's chest, soothing the fearsome memories that accompanied the old wound, even after years.
There were still things that haunted them both, after all. Claustrophobic tanks, suffocating panic….evil sneers and rough grips that forced them apart….the image of Zoro thrashing futilely, left for dead in the searing heat of the sun…
He could have lost Zoro then, nearly had, before their relationship had even truly begun, and he knew his husband remembered that same pain and terror whenever he saw Sanji's scar. He didn't like being apart from Zoro, because even if the two of them were far stronger, far more capable than they'd been in the past, it was that fear of the unknown that wouldn't quite leave him. He refused to lose his family, not again, and the only way to ensure that wouldn't happen was if they were together.
So it was with great regret that he pressed his hand to Zoro's chest, stopping him with a light chuckle just as the merman slid hands beneath his hips to lift them towards his.
"It's almost sundown, mosshead. We don't have time to go again," he panted, smiling when Zoro responded with a growled whine, his forehead knocking into Sanji's chest.
The merman loosened his grip after a moment, letting the blond drop back to the bed a little roughly, his own body weight slumping heavily against Sanji's. He didn't move, merely stayed there, seemingly determined to keep Sanji pinned as if that would stop either of them from having to get up.
Sanji's fingers stroked more gently through his husband's hair, the two of them lying there for a precious few more minutes as heartbeats calmed and their minds circled back to clarity. That didn't mean either of them started to move when they should have, and for a moment, Sanji wondered if the idiot atop him had fallen asleep.
"Zoro," he said eventually, a smirk tugging at his lips when the merman finally shifted, if only to nestle his head more comfortably on his chest.
"Kuina might actually kill you this time if you're late again," he warned, but his tone was soft, as was his touch which migrated to the trio of golden earrings dangling from Zoro's ear.
"You're making me go," Zoro replied, clearly pouting, and though the lighting in the room was dim, Sanji could imagine his tightly furrowed brow and childish frown, his husband's shark half making emotions consistently easy to read.
"Aren't you excited for a break?" the blond tried, nudging his arm. "A chance to go back to East Blue for a bit? It's been half a year now."
"Not without you…" Zoro mumbled immediately, his voice sulky. It was enough to make Sanji sigh, his gaze fixed on the ceiling and the turquoise patterns of light swirling across.
"It's only for a week," Sanji said by way of remedy, but it clearly wasn't enough, judging by Zoro's disapproving grunt in reply. The blond sighed deeper. "You're making me feel more guilty than I already do."
This had Zoro moving, pushing himself up on Sanji's chest to finally look down at him.
Sure enough, the pout Sanji had predicted was there, though with his cheeks still ruddy from their tumble in the sheets and his disheveled hair drying in wavy curls over his forehead, he hardly looked intimidating to Sanji.
"One week," Zoro muttered after a long minute of failed glowering to which Sanji nodded. A week wasn't long….but, dammit, it was when they barely spent time apart… Ugh.
"Yes," he replied, fingers tracing the curve of Zoro's bicep, tracing the three red bands tattooed there. "And that's only if you don't find anything. If you do, take care of it and come back sooner."
Zoro huffed out a breath and shook his head.
"Just come with us, Question."
"I can't, mosshead."
"You want to, Sanji."
This time, he leaned in closer, breathing the name close to the blond's lips, and sometimes Sanji really wished he hadn't given away how much that affected him so early on in their relationship. They both knew this game. And Sanji was quite certain the mosshead wouldn't have succeeded with half—or any—of his persuasion over the years if he'd remained oblivious.
But there they were, with Zoro's quiet tone far too convincing for his own good.
"Of course I do," Sanji murmured, taking Zoro's face in his hands.
"So come."
"Zoro…."
It would have been so easy, and it shouldn't have been such a big deal. He could trust Reiju to manage the research center while he was away. Yonji had the docks covered, with Johnny and Yosaku to back him up… They were all competent…
But they weren't human… And while Sanji himself wasn't either, not entirely, he was the only one who knew that world properly. The interns were in and out, and while Rika, their most trusted, had kept quiet about the secret thus far, he still wasn't sure how well the teen could manage under pressure. He was their best line of defense, and if he wasn't there to make sure things were running smoothly…shit, he'd never forgive himself if something bad happened just because he took off.
So thumbs stroked apologetically over Zoro's cheeks, stopping beside those dark brown eyes which still, to that day, looked at him with so much open devotion it took his breath away.
"I can't disappear like you…" he eventually finished. "Not anymore."
Zoro stared at him for a long moment, the tension in his face eventually softening to a bit of defeat. He made a show of rolling his eyes, then took hold of Sanji's wrists which he pinned to the bed to press one last kiss to his lips before pushing up and moving off him.
The blond rolled over onto his side, watching as Zoro stood and moseyed over to the waterproof backpack Sanji had been sure to prepare for him earlier.
He had to remind Zoro to pull on some clothes, because his father would surely not appreciate it if he showed up nude.
Sanji forced himself from the warm bed too after a minute as Zoro readied his swords, the two newer weapons he'd discovered in another ancient shipwreck not far from Noah. The blond threw on his own rumpled clothes so he could head upstairs to the galley, the room far lighter above the water, bathed in the dipping orange sunlight.
He filled a small cooler with the light meals he'd prepared earlier for Zoro and Kuina's trip, as well as a jar of his pasta sauce his dad always subtly raved about, made with the island's local clams.
And then, all too soon, he was standing below deck on the ocean access platform, Zoro floating in the water before him, food, phone, and gear packed, his swords belted securely to his waist and his tail swishing anxiously because there was nothing left to do but say goodbye.
Sanji took a step closer, reaching out to fidget with Zoro's backpack straps absently.
"Don't forget to deliver the marlin scale samples to my dad," he said, stalling. "And the sauce he begged for."
"I know," Zoro replied, prompting Sanji to huff out a breath.
"Call Ace if you want help patrolling. He can send boats out."
"I know."
"Listen to whatever Kuina says—"
Zoro growled, fisting a hand in Sanji's shirt and yanking him down roughly, a flick of his tail driving him upwards until their lips could meet.
Sanji sunk to his knees in the shallow water as Zoro's hands held his face, lips caressing each other's in gentle tandem as they both savored the moment, the memory of which would now have to sustain them both through the next week.
Lips parted, only for Zoro to pull Sanji in close against his chest in a tight hug, burying his nose in blond hair.
"I love you…" he murmured in his own language, Sanji's arms squeezing back tightly, taking in a deep inhale of his husband's comforting scent.
"I love you too…" Sanji repeated, closing eyes and convincing himself that everything would be okay. "Call me after...you get...East Blue."
Zoro nodded against him, and when he pulled back, there were no quips about Sanji's no doubt botched sentence, just a look of sincere fondness on his face.
His mosshead would be fine. Kuina was going with him, and she was one of the very few Sanji trusted could handle his feral husband. His dad was in East Blue, and so was Ace and his crew, and there was no way anything bad would happen. He ought to stop worrying and admit that his dumb brain was just being overly paranoid. They were just going to wrangle a potentially deadly shark, after all. And they'd fought worse than that...
"Don't have too much fun without me," Sanji added in a half-hearted attempt at making himself feel better, pressing back when Zoro leaned in to kiss him hard one last time.
"Love you," Zoro said again, flashing a confident grin before he dove beneath the surface and disappeared with a splash.
"And don't do anything stupid!" Sanji called after him, wondering if his words would even reach his husband's dense ears at all.
One week later - East Blue - Sambas Beach
"I'll never get over how gross legs are. It looks like…..a dying kelp forest..."
Kuina's voice, and Zoro glanced over to see his friend staring off into the distance, up the sandy underwater slope at the hundreds of kicking humans floating near the shore. Varying shades of beige and brown, some blindingly white, others nearly as red as a crab with how horrifically sunburnt they were. All flailed about at the surface in a disturbing cluster of wiggling limbs.
"I was thinkin' jellyfish," Zoro replied, and he found himself wishing in that moment that humans could similarly regrow their limbs. He was itching for some blade practice...
Kuina snickered, switching languages to mutter, "I'm sure Perona just had an aneurysm for no reason…"
"A what?"
"Nevermind."
Zoro rolled his eyes and turned his gaze away from the shore, back out towards the deepening ocean beyond.
They'd been in East Blue for nearly the full planned week, scanning the waters near the beaches practically non-stop during daylight hours with no sign of any lurking predators. Nothing that would pose even a remote threat to the humans.
In fact, Zoro thought, the most dangerous creatures skulking beneath the surface were likely him and Kuina.
His thumb pushed at the golden handguard of his sword, flicking the blade in and out of its crimson sheath with growing agitation, almost daring the peaceful waters to break into chaos. At least if something appeared, they'd have something to show for this venture.
Even Sanji's dad had been skeptical, despite what Sanji had claimed, grumbling about his son's overly cautious nature, particularly when it came to East Blue. B.A.R.A.T.I.E. could handle things here, he'd said, and Zoro couldn't say he blamed him for his irritation. Sanji had also called Ace, after all, asking him to send boats out looking for the creature too. As if they needed all that. Apparently his husband had dropped the whole notion of subtlety.
Increased Navy activity was enough to draw the attention of the Coast Guard, as Zeff had bemoaned the night before, when Zoro had sat with him out on the docks of B.A.R.A.T.I.E., helping him finish a keg of beer and feeling utterly useless when it came to any talk of complications from the human world.
Sure, the old man was probably lonely without Sanji, wanted to see him more, but sometimes Zoro wondered if Zeff was testing his son on purpose with his criticisms. As if Zoro hadn't tried to drag his workaholic husband back to East Blue with him. It was Sanji who'd refused!
The old man was damn protective of his son though, and Zoro was loath to admit there was something about Zeff Red which continually made him nervous….if that was a feeling Zoro was even capable of.
"Are you still annoyed?"
Kuina's voice again, cutting through his thoughts, and yeah, maybe 'annoyed' was more the word. Hell if he ever got nervous.
He certainly had pride though so he was quick to mumble back, "No."
She merely chuckled in return, floating up beside him to punch him in the arm.
"Yes, you are, idiot. He's trying so hard to be a good father-in-law, and you can't even sit through drinks with him," she teased, and he glared at her amusement, resisting the urge to rub at his throbbing bicep.
"Yes, I can!" he shot back. "He just….goes off about human shit I don't understand. So we run out of shit to talk about when Sanji's not there…."
Again, she laughed, crossing arms over her chest and leaning back in the water.
"Well, I dunno if I had a better time with Ace to be honest," she replied. "Fucking Fireball shots all night. I don't know how he's still alive. Told him not to bother patrolling today if he's hungover."
Zoro merely snickered, knowing the probability for that was likely. How the man had risen through the ranks of the humans' warriors was sometimes a mystery.
"Human men…" Kuina muttered, shaking her head as if wondering the same thing and staring off once more towards the masses of swimmers. "Marco's got some fucking tolerance..."
"Ace is nothing," Zoro replied. "Luffy's way more annoying."
"I dunno how you can tolerate him."
He smirked, fondly wondering the same himself. But the younger guy's overjoyed smile and enthusiastic embrace upon their reunion that week was enough to justify said tolerance. It made him miss Chopper too…. He also owed a long-overdue visit to O.H.A.R.A...
Several minutes passed, the two of them falling into silence, nothing but the gentle rush of the currents and the faint sound of human voices above the surface. The only sea creatures to be seen were the schools of little tropical fish circling about, weaving amongst the coral that sprouted further down the slope in deeper water.
It took Zoro back to Sanji's first swim in his true form, watching the blond's fascination with every mundane thing under the sea, wondering if the fish could talk. Zoro smirked at the memory, which certainly hadn't been Sanji's last attempt to talk to undersea life.
Then again, Sanji tended to talk to everything, including inanimate objects, especially when he was annoyed. There had been more than one occasion where Zoro had found his crazy husband spitting curses in the kitchen with nothing but a bunch of cooking tools to hear him.
"How much longer do you think we should stick around….?"
He broke from his thoughts to see Kuina staring at him, a look of frustration beginning to tense at her features.
He knew that look. It was the look she got whenever he one-upped her during their this time, the training wasn't occurring, period.
"It's been days and nothing," she continued, confirming his assumption. "There's a difference between stealthy prey and nonexistent prey…"
"Until we find something out one way or the other," he muttered in response, scanning the shoreline again. "Sanji said a week anyhow."
Kuina snorted.
"Oh, are you the—fuck, what's the word—meticulous—type now?" she asked, fumbling for the right vocabulary for a moment.
"Hell no," he replied with a shrug. "But Sanji'll be pissed if we come back with no answers." He glanced her way teasingly. "...And you're the type to follow orders."
The annoyance on her face grew at that, drawing a pleased smirk onto Zoro's.
"You've been spending too much time on land lately," he said. "Your patience is shot."
She rolled her eyes, swimming closer to jab the white hilt of her sword into his side.
"Please, you're one to talk," she grumbled. "When was the last time you took a hunting trip?"
She had a point, but Zoro shrugged, because, to him, the reasoning for that was obvious.
"You can't drink booze underwater," he stated simply, as if that explained it all.
"You're just as insufferable as Ace…" she muttered, though he couldn't be too offended. After all, it was mainly Ace who'd introduced him to the wonders of good booze.
"Yeah, well, at least I'm not—"
But then, suddenly, the back of her hand slapped into his chest, interrupting him, her expression dropping and her eyes hardening into a predatory look he matched an instant later when he felt it too, the slight change in the currents that only came from something cutting through them. Something big.
Instincts kicked in, a hand flying to his swords, the prickling sensation of awareness creeping over the back of his neck, sending his own eyes darting fast towards open water, pupils widening as he strained to peer more clearly into the deep blue.
Kuina grabbed his arm, the two of them ducking behind a large rock on the seabed, watching silently until, sure enough, from the depths came a dark shape, a shape far larger than any of the fish they'd seen so far. In fact, it even looked to be larger than them…
They didn't move, merely slid themselves lower, only their eyes peeking out over the rock, seeing the shape grow sharper, more distinct, displaying not fins but—what were those?—tentacles?—as it propelled itself closer.
"What is that? An octopus?" Zoro risked murmuring to Kuina, though she shook her head.
"It can't be. It's fucking huge…" she muttered in response.
The creature hadn't noticed them, merely continued its slow but steady swim towards the shore, making its way up the sandy slope, cutting through curtains of glittering sunlight that bounced off pink skin.
And then, unexpectedly, a sudden, lightning fast pump of its many limbs sent the creature shooting forward in the water with terrifying speed, zooming up the slope far faster than Zoro or Kuina could react.
They realized a second too late that it was heading straight towards an unsuspecting human...
A long, surprisingly muscular limb snapped out, coiling around the ankle of the first human within reach, one swimming farther from the pack, and one that was helpless to escape when the creature gave a hard tug and dragged the human below the surface.
It was a young woman, that much was clear when her flailing form sunk beneath the surface, eyes squeezed shut, what was left of her breath quickly rushing from her mouth in a stream of bubbles.
Her legs kicked frantically, lashing at the limb that held her down until it miraculously loosened its grip. She scrambled for the surface, breaking it frantically, a loud scream erupting from her, audible even from Zoro and Kuina's hiding place. It was a scream that triggered chaos, the mass of legs all starting to thrash like a school of fish caught in a net, making for the shore as fast as they could amidst their own shrieks and cries of panic.
That was when the creature struck again, wrapping two limbs around the woman's waist and pulling her under again, this time dragging her deeper towards the seabed.
Neither of them wasted another moment.
As one, Zoro and Kuina darted out from behind the rock, closing the distance between them and whatever monster awaited, both drawing their swords.
Zoro slashed out before they'd even reached it, sending a sharp whip of pressurized water cutting straight through the currents for the beast.
It sensed them, turned its head, and Zoro found himself nearly shocked immobile by what met his eye.
For a moment, it looked human of all things. It wore clothes, head adorned with spikes of white hair floating with the currents.
But this was no human he'd ever seen before. Nor could he even consider it an animal...
This creature was completely unknown, significantly taller than him with a bulky form that sprouted two legs, but six pink arms, all peppered with huge powerful suckers. Its face too blurred the lines between human and monster, its mouth and lips hanging low, almost grotesquely elongated as those lips broke into a sneer.
Zoro's eyes focused on the strange red symbol of a sun tattooed on the creature's forehead...but only for a moment.
And then, a great cloud of blood diluted the water as Kuina landed a deep cut through the arm holding the woman, forcing it to release her.
Surprisingly, the cry of pain the creature released was far more human than expected.
And yet the rage that flashed in its eyes was not, and it actually sent a twinge of alarm straight through Zoro's chest when the beast quickly turned that enraged gaze right on his friend.
Zoro wouldn't allow it though, and considering Kuina had wasted no time grabbing the human, slapping her hand over the girl's eyes and pulling her towards the surface, it was clear she trusted him to handle shit.
So he quickly drew his sword once more, this time blocking the creature's path entirely when it made a grab for Kuina's tail, the back of his blade clashing with one of its meaty arms.
Above him, a flurry of bubbles, and he heard another high-pitched scream when the human broke the surface again, her voice entirely panicked as she croaked out a frantic, "Help! There's something down there!" which only sent the herd of humans into overdrive near the shore.
It couldn't hold his attention for long though before the creature pushed back against Zoro's blade with more force than he'd anticipated, sending him shooting back a few tail-lengths. He flicked his tail, righting himself just in time to see a fist hurtling right towards him. He had no choice but to catch it with his own hand, muscles straining as he barely stopped it from smashing into his jaw.
He quickly lifted his blade, clamping teeth tightly onto the hilt in preparation to draw his other sword, but another attack occupied his reflexes, the merman forced to catch the beast's second massive fist in his opposite hand.
He could have pushed it back, he knew. He could have mustered the strength to shove away even the strongest of arms. But unfortunately, this creature had six, and with both hands occupied, there was little he could do to escape the second and third pairs of arms that reached out to grab his torso and tail.
Those arms tugged him through the water, whipping him back with terrifying speed before he found himself being dragged towards the surface, powerless to fight back.
Zoro heard Kuina shout his name.
Then the creature tossed him up out of the water, his tail thrashing and twisting automatically, the light of the sun blinding as he flew into the air….
And the eyes of the human woman wide with absolute shock when they locked onto his arching form.
Time seemed to slow, dread stunning his senses, though, in reality, the moment lasted but a split second before he was crashing back down into the sea again, his heart threatening to beat out of his chest and his expression mirroring the human's in his own panic.
His gills took in a frantic gulp of water, his body swirling through the flurry of bubbles in anticipation of another attack.
Until, to his surprise, he noticed the instigating creature swimming away swiftly, wisps of blood trailing after it as it vanished into deeper water.
His limbs still trembling with adrenaline and now fury, he flicked his tail to race after it when he felt another set of hands clamp down on his arms.
He nearly fought against them, a low, threatening growl rumbling in his throat, already yanking his sword from his mouth to draw it back.
But then Kuina's voice broke through to him.
"Stop! Let it go!" she cried, pushing him back in the water and grabbing his chin, forcing him to look at her rather than their escaping foe.
Dilated pupils met hers, and though it took him a moment to register, he finally noticed the rare panic on her face, a look he hadn't seen for many years, not since they were children thrown onto the deck of a M.A.R.I.N.E.S. ship with no means of escape….
"You idiot!" she gritted out fearfully. "Did anyone—?"
A splash directly above them.
Both their heads shot up.
And there, at the surface, was the human, ducking beneath the water, her eyes fully open and wide with recognition when she finally focused directly on the two of them.
Fuck.