Hey everybody,

I have nothing to say. Things have been somewhat all over the place lately and I just wasn't able to go online to upload the nex chapter. So even though it's monday, I just do it now, and hopefully I will be able to upload during the upcoming weekend again.

A huge 'thank you!' to all of you, who kept reading, waiting, and commenting (thank you Susan!). I really appreciate all your words and I hope you will enjoy the last chapters of this fic as well.

Thank you guys 3

Chapter 11

-Zoro-

He missed the mast by a few inches as he flew through the air, thinking about a thousand different ways of revenge for the cook. The next moment he hit the surface of the sea. Within a split second the soft waves took him in and salt water soaked his clothes.

"Zoro?" From the deck he could hear that idiotic cook as he broke through the surface again.

"What the hell was that, you bastard?!" Zoro yelled, spitting water as he tried to stay above.

"Don't worry, I'm..."

"No, just stay there and... and too late."

He sighed while Sanji dived into the water just a few feet next to him, way more elegant than himself few seconds before. Cold seawater splashed in all directions.

Unnerved, Zoro repeatedly slapped his flat hand against his forehead and waited for the other to surface. He certainly wouldn't go diving for this idiot.

"Are you okay?" Just at that moment, the blond came back up just an arm's length away.

"Of course," Zoro grumbled, "but what the hell did you just do? Are you stupid or what? Do you have any idea how we should get back on board now?"

Surprised, the other looked at him. "What...?"

"Everyone else is inside and we both are on the open sea; with this fog nobody will be able to see us."

He could see Sanji's eyes grow big.

"Why did you jump in, you stupid idiot? Why didn't you just throw me some fucking rope?"

"I thought you were drowning," the chef muttered, ruffling through his wet hair.

"And whose fault would that have been?"

The sea was calm and the swell was not particularly strong, but they probably wouldn't be able to keep up with the Sunny the whole day. Zoro pondered, but he didn't come up with anything useful. Even if they would scream at the top of their lungs, as long as none of the others went outside, nobody would hear them. Of course at some point somebody would hopefully come look for them, the question was just when; last time it took relatively long for Nami to check on them. How the hell did they end up in such a situation?

"What the hell, cook?!" He growled, grabbing the other's soaked collar with both hands. "Why the hell did you just throw me overboard?"

"I thought you were going to land on the meadow," murmured the other, lowering his head like a puppy that got scolded. "I thought you were going to land reflexively on your feet like a cat or something, so..."

"Reflexively?! Are you really that stupid or are you just doing...?"

He broke off.

For a moment, he looked at his hands, which still grabbed the other's shirt, almost tearing it. The water swept back and forth between them.

Slowly, his gaze slid down.

Under the clear surface of the water, he could see Sanji's hands casually in his pockets and only with his legs defying the waves. If it weren't the cook, he would almost look cool, like he wouldn't take Zoro's attack seriously. However, it was the cook and therefore he did look ridiculous.

But then Zoro looked at his own legs.

Just like the cook's, his own feet moved back and forward within the water. Just like the cook, he kept himself afloat with nothing but the movement of his legs, the movement of his fucking legs.

"I knew it," Sanji whispered almost humbly, while Zoro was still holding onto his collar, "it worked." Then he sneezed.

"I can move them," Zoro muttered, note really believing it despite seeing it with his very own eyes, ignoring the other.

For days now he had tried like a madman to move at least a toe and suddenly his legs did what they were supposed to do as if it were the most normal thing in the world. As if everything was how it used to be.

Slowly he let go of Sanji and used his arms to keep himself above water before he stopped paddling with his legs. The movements had been slow, fluid. None of them said anything while both looked at his now calm legs in the clear water.

Quietly he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, tried to stay relaxed, not to put himself under pressure. Tried nothing more than to imagine the movement that was actually so easy in front of his inner eye.

He could hear Sanji gasping for air and laughing softly. He could feel the water writhing around his lower body as the movement of his arms became unnecessary. He could feel how boots and trousers, soaked by cold seawater, wanted to pull him into the depths, fighting his movements, but could not stop him.

He could move his legs!

They were back!

He was no longer paralyzed!

Relief, gratitude, and simple joy flooded his body.

Luffy had been right. He was fine. His nightmare was over.

Slowly he opened his eyes and faced a grinning cook.

"Didn't I say so," the blond bragged, "now would be the perfect time to thank me."

Zoro rolled his eyes. He would certainly not give the other that much satisfaction.

"Now would be the perfect time to think about getting back on the Sunny," he replied, trying to sound as blunt and calm as always.

But he knew that the chef had already seen through his farce. He could act all cool and superior, the other had to be able to see it in his eyes. With strong fingers, he patted Zoro on the shoulder, like he was a toddler who had done his first steps without falling face forward.

"Everything is good, from now on everything will be fine again," Sanji grinned.

"Not if we drown here, then your whole plan was in vain."

"But you can walk again."

Now he took a closer look at the all smiley chef. Why had he just jumped after him? Why had he acted so ill-considerately and why did he grin all the time like a drunken sea cow?

His blue eyes glowed just like Luffy would look when he faced freshly fried meat. A slight pink shimmer had crept onto the cook's pale cheeks despite the cold.

"Say," Zoro murmured, grabbing the other by the forearm, "are you drunk?"

"What? No, why...?"

"How much of the Sake did you have?"

"No idea, two-three cups, not more. I'm not drunk."

Zoro only raised his eyebrows and shook his head. The cook probably hadn't had breakfast, then the short skirmish with the Marines and then the cold Sake. Maybe he wasn't wasted, but he probably wasn't sober anymore either.

"Where the hell are these idiots?" Out of nowhere, he could hear Nami's annoyed voice.

"Look, there's the wheelchair, but without Zoro," Luffy said helpfully.

"I can see that myself, thanks Sherlock."

"But where are they?" Chopper sounded concerned.

"Well, since Zoro can't get far without the wheelchair, I suspect he went overboard," Robin replied a trace too calm.

"Don't say something like that," Usopp disagreed in a frantic tone, "don't tell me Sanji did kill him off after all?"

"Not like he could!" Zoro roared upstairs, trying to draw attention to them. "However, he activated the slingshot seat and voluntarily jumped overboard himself."

"But..."

"Don't talk, cook. You'll only make it worse," he said quietly afterwards as other tried to object.

"Here! They're here!" Brooks Afro popped up above the railing.

"Yeah!" Zoro was really about to lose his cool. "We know that, too. Just throw down a ladder."

"Rope ladder," Sanji said.

"What?"

"Yes, it's not a simple ladder, it's a rope ladder."

Zoro sighed, while the others on deck apparently spoke to each other; the cook had to be drunk to act even more stupid than usually.

"You remember when I told you I sometimes want to kill you," he growled quietly.

"Yes," Sanji muttered innocently.

Finally a rope ladder rattled down.

"Right now is one of those moments."

"Oh, is this Marimoic for thank you, Sanji, thanks to you I can finally walk again?"

"No, that stands for thank you, Sanji, now I can finally kick your stupid ass..."

"Are you guys coming up or should we pull the ladder back in?!" As always, it was Nami who interrupted their argument.

Quietly grumbling under their breaths, they both swam towards the ship, which was not as easy as it should be. Above them, cheerful voices discussed what had happened and why they were both in the sea.

Reaching the ladder, Zoro looked again at his legs, which were still slowly moving back and forward.

"You go first," he muttered.

"What?" Sanji looked anything but happy. "But Zoro, what if...?"

"You go ahead, I'm right behind you."

He could see the other looking at him in doubt before reaching for the ladder.

Zoro knew that his arm muscles alone would be enough to get him safely back on deck. But he didn't quite trust his legs and he should be right. He barely managed to move them within the water, but he had even more trouble trying to bend his knees, not even talking about actually putting some weight on those muscles. The first two rungs went quite well, but then each movement became heavier and more strenuous, as he left the gentleness of the water behind.

"How are you doing down there?" He heard the chef above him.

He avoided looking up, the view of the other's butt was the last thing he could use now.

"Just shut up. At least this once," he only grumbled in response, hoping that the other had understood him.

Only with his arms he eventually pulled himself up, but continued to try to put one foot after another on one of the rungs, but even if he succeeded, his knees kept giving way under his weight. Compared to now it had been almost easier to move them under water.

Quietly, he sighed. So he wasn't back just yet.

-Sanji-

With ease he climbed over the railing and grinned at his friends. He would never admit it, but Zoro was right. A warm lightness clouded his thoughts, and everything seemed somehow better than usual.

Damn it! He really couldn't handle too much alcohol.

He tried to control his facial features, as he had understood Zoro's last statement, but how could he hide from the others what had just happened?

"What the hell?" Nami yelled at him. "The ambush happened less than ten minutes ago and you're fighting again?"

"We didn't fight," he said, defending, trying to settle the issue.

"You didn't? The two of you alone on deck? Ending up overboard? What did you do if not fight?"

"We drank Sake."

"WHAT?! Zoro did what?!" The reindeer interrupted.

"Cook! What the fuck?!"

Finally Zoro grabbed the railing with his huge hands, pulling himself up. It was easy to see that he wasn't using his legs, maybe he couldn't. Sanji recalled the moment when Zoro had realized that he was able to feel again but it hadn't been more than a dull sensation, maybe it was similar right now as well, maybe it took more time.

"Zoro! Did you drink alcohol?!" Chopper's voice was somewhere between a wistful mother and a worried doctor, while the little reindeer grabbed the former pirate hunter by the collar and pulled him halfway over the railing. "You know exactly how dangerous this can be! It could..."

"Chopper, let me get on board first."

"What kind of kink of yours is that to always spend time in the cold water, Zoro?" Nami grumbled. "You can't keep doing that, you'll be sick by next week!"

Sanji could feel Zoro's angry glare as he searched for his cigarettes. But the pack was gone, presumably lost in the ocean. Shit, he had just opened it during the fight with the Marines, and it had been his last.

What should he do now?

Zoro continued to hold onto the railing with both arms and thus continued to hang in the air above the ocean. Both Nami and Chopper were still scolding him, while the others watched it more or less curious. No one really seemed to notice that Zoro was not hanging there for fun, but simply because he was not able to move his legs over the railing. If necessary, he would probably have no choice but to fall face forward onto the deck. Even for the Marimo this would be an extremely inelegant solution.

Sanji was just trying to point that out when Usopp got involved.

"Here Zoro, I got you the wheelchair. Unfortunately, the cola supply is totally empty. We have to replenish it, Franky."

"Can't. We barely have enough left for one single Coup de Burst; I would prefer to save that for an emergency."

"Could you guys move aside," Zoro grumbled at Chopper and Nami.

"Zoro, maybe I should..."

"Keep your mouth shut, cook. You've already said enough bullshit today."

Robin had secured the Sake and Luffy looked at the whole situation unusually calm. Only now Sanji realized that Zoro was slightly swinging from side to side. How strong did he have to be, to keep this position with his heavy body for that long?

"Zoro, what are you...?"

The moment Nami was about to ask him, Zoro seemed to swing even faster and then threw himself over the railing.

Half intentionally, half unintentionally, the swordsman swirled through the air and ended up on all fours on the meadow.

"Wow! That was cool, Zoro," Luffy shouted impressed, and forgotten was the unusual calm facial expression.

"Are you hurt?" Chopper asked worried.

"Couldn't have just asked for help," Nami said.

"Couldn't just keep shutting up," Zoro replied.

"Marimo, don't be so rude..."

"Say, I'm no expert in such things, but..." Franky stood behind the kneeling Zoro and pointed to his legs. "Do they work again or why are you squatting on the ground like that?"

They were all quiet for a moment.

"What?" Brook showed up from somewhere. "That's great!"

"Cook!" The swordsman growled, still on all fours and without looking up.

"What? I didn't say anything."

"Where's the Sake?" Zoro grumbled, dropping on his butt as if the alcohol had a more important meaning than Sanji was aware of.

"No, no, no! Absolutely not, Zoro! I have to examine you, right away! And this stuff is nothing but poison..."

"Chopper, calm down." It was Luffy who interrupted the young doctor with a laughter and sat down on the meadow next to Zoro. "Let Zoro have a drink first."

"Certainly not!"

"What are y'all doing out here? Didn't you want to eat or something?" Zoro asked calmly, ignoring the angered doctor.

"Well, after Sanji left to look for you and we heard you screaming, we were worried," Usopp muttered.

"I didn't scream!" Zoro replied with a growl.

"Oh yes, I heard it very clearly. Sounded like a... Uff!" Brook slammed face forward onto the grass after Zoro had hit his knees.

"I didn't scream, understood?!"

"Understood," the skeleton replied with a muffled voice.

"Could we please come back to the actual topic?" Nami demanded unnerved and leaned against the railing. "Why did you go overboard? And are you fine again or what?"

"I've already said it. The cook activated the slingshot seat and threw me overboard. And instead of just throwing a rope ladder down for me, that idiot followed me."

"Because I thought you were going to drown," Sanji said, slightly insulted. Somehow, this conversation went way too fast for him.

"If I were drowning, you think I would waste my breath to insult...? Nah, let's be honest, yes I would."

"But seriously, Zoro. Are you okay again?" Usopp sat down next to the swordsman.

Sanji joined Nami at the railing and watched the other. He wouldn't say anything, otherwise Zoro would just blame him again.

But he noticed that Robin was still standing at the heel of the stairs, the Sake in her hand, her icy eyes on Zoro, an unreadable expression on her face. Something told Sanji that she seemed rather blue. He didn't know what it was but knew Zoro had noted it as well, because he met Robin's clear eyes and ignored the others who kept asking about his state of health.

"You should go now," he said suddenly surprisingly soft.

"What? But Zoro, I have to examine you."

"Besides, you and Sanji are soaking wet, you should change clothes."

"I have to talk to Robin. After that you can examine me, Chopper."

All eyes glided back and forth between the swordsman and the archaeologist, who met Zoro's cold glance. Slowly, she walked towards him.

"Help me get on that wheelchair, Usopp." Zoro still spoke with this unusually soft voice.

One glance was enough to show Sanji that he wasn't the only one concerned about this soft request. Despite the last days it was a rare thing for Zoro to ask for help this clearly.

"Oh yes, of course."

Usopp jumped up. For a moment, he seemed a little confused, while Franky pushed the wheelchair closer.

"Uhm and how?"

Zoro sighed slightly unnerved.

"Just…"

"Oh, get out of the way, Usopp. I'll do it."

It wasn't until he had pushed Usopp aside that Sanji realized that he was the one who had said that. Confused, he looked down at Zoro, as if he had been the one who had driven him to do so. Zoro looked at him just as confused, his head slightly tilted and then he grinned.

"You really can't handle alcohol, cook."

"Just shut up, will you?"

He could feel the eyes of the others on his back. Was he really behaving odd? Was it really that unusual for him to help Zoro? Seeking support, he looked to Nami, but her way of saving him did not please him at all.

"Okay guys, let's go inside", she said, shrugging her shoulders.

"What? Why?" Luffy lamented.

"Well, you wanted something to eat, right? Sanji will follow us after he helped Zoro and then Zoro and Robin can discuss whatever has to be discussed."

More or less approvingly, the others went towards the galley.

"I could help Zoro, too," Robin politely offered.

"Oh, not necessary, my dear Robin. Don't worry. Wouldn't be the first time that the Marimo and I..."

"No matter what you're about to say, just don't."

"Quiet in the cheap seats," Sanji growled, looking down at other, who was still sitting between Robin and him on the ground.

Carefully, he bent down with a sigh and reached out for Zoro.

"Do you remember when I told you that I would do anything to keep you on board," he hissed towards Zoro, who grabbed his shoulders with strong hands.

"Mh?"

"I'll take that back!"

Zoro laughed softly as Sanji pulled him up. Once again, he was surprised what a heavyweight the other was. However, he seemed to try to help with his legs. Not that it made it easier in the least.

"My God, you are heavy!"

"Maybe you're just weak."

"Would it be too much to ask you to shut up just this once?"

"Funny, I just wanted to ask you the same thing."

He stumbled one step forward and nearly fell over Zoro's huge feet, before dropping him like a sack of potatoes right onto the wheelchair.

"So!" He clapped his hands. "I've done my part and I'm leaving now. Behave, Marimo."

"And even if not, would be none of your business."

But Sanji had already turned towards Robin.

"If he behaves like some uneducated swine just press the red button, Robin my dear, that's the slingshot seat."

She laughed quietly but tension was written all over her face. He would like to know what was going on between her and the Marimo but eavesdropping over a lady's worries was not his style.

With quick steps he went to the bedroom and changed, another ruined suit. If this kept up he would soon run around half naked like this idiot of a swordsman.

It wasn't until he had changed that he realized that he had to go back on deck to get to the galley. For a moment he was worried about getting into an embarrassing situation, but then he saw a great chance to find out what was going on, without it technically being prying, because it wasn't his fault he had to cross the lawn again, right?

However, he should be disappointed. Because there was no one left on the meadow. Sighing, he headed for the galley. Arriving at the door, he once again let his view wander over the deck, and suddenly his jaw dropped.