Hey Everyone!

The last chapter is here. I do apologize I haven't updated for several months. I was struggling with writing this chapter. It deepened my appreciation how Oda did it in the manga. I feel it's justified that Sanji and Zoro effortlessly fell back in-sync in Wano but I wanted conflict in this chapter.

When I first started writing, I liked the idea that Sanj reconnected with his crew members over a bowl of soba and thought it was hilarious if Sanji and Zoro fought over a bowl of soba (sort of). You'll have to read and see.

10/24/2021

STRENGTH

In the coming days before the raid began on Onigashimas, allies gathered in the forest. Many friends were reunited. including the Strawhat crew, and such a reunion called for a party in celebration.

Or that was Luffy's reasoning and everyone else went along with it.

Sanji prepared gallons of soba for the occasion and served everyone as the partying went into the night. Throughout the time of the party, he would scan the crowd for one certain patch of moss to make sure it hadn't come too close to him.

They had met much earlier during Yasui's execution when both of them stepped in to save Otoko from a horrible end by firing squad. It was so natural to be fighting alongside each other and bantering as they escaped. Sanji attributed it to the heat of the moment: there had been a little lady in danger after all. That moment had passed down and the fighting was over.

In retrospect, Sanj should have thought through how he would have approached the remaining member of his crew. It wasn't like Sanji was avoiding Zoro. Not at all. It wasn't like he excepted Zoro to give him an indignant reprimand for abandoning the crew when they were facing off against a Yonko only to get them mixed up with another one. It wasn't that Zoro had said something to Sanji that bothered him. It was the fact that he acted like nothing had changed.

Nami joined him and seamlessly aided in serving the group. It was strange when he didn't stop and encourage her to enjoy the party. She suspected he didn't notice her. That wouldn't do. "Sanji~"

Sanji's head snapped to her attention "N-n-Nami! Don't worry about serving these idiots!"

Nami smiled. That's a bit better. "I'll add it to your bill."

"Yes Nami-swan!"

Quiet settled between them too quickly for Nami's liking. With Sanji's not too subtly glancing in a certain swordsman's direction, it was obvious what was on his mind. "Have you talked with him?"

"What!?"

"Something more than 'Hey' or 'Idiot'" Nami said in her best, gruff, Zoro voice and gave him a reprimanding look, "Well?"

"There's nothing worth talking to Moss-for-Brains about." Sanji grumbled. Nothing at all.

He just didn't understand why the swordsman acted no differently than when he left. After everything that happened with his family and the Big Mom pirates, Sanji couldn't go back to how things were. He caused the crew so much trouble and yet nothing has been said about his fault it the whole debacle, not even from the swordsman. It was frustrating. If Zoro tried to talk with him like they had done before Zou, Sanji just might explode on him.

To his credit, the swordsman hadn't approached Sanji since the execution, taken to training with his swords in the nearby forest.

Zoro watched Sanji serve soba out of the corner of his eye and drank his sake. He was well aware the cook was avoiding him, he just didn't know why. The answer probably laid in what transpired in Big Mom's territory but Zoro wasn't keen on teasing out the details so he let the cook stew until he got himself out of whatever funk he was in. Once the cook was back to his old self, then Zoro could bring his grievances to him but it's been over a month since he left and Zoro was feeling impatient.

Luffy chased Otama and Otoko around the party, the girls shrieking in joy. The two girls had bonded over the past couple of days, improving Otoko's mood tremendously. Luffy abandoned his chase and joined his swordsman, squatting down next to him. Not thinking much of it, Zoro made room for him and passed him a drink. They went about eating and drinking.

"Zoro have some soba!" Zoro held out his hand and Luffy shielded his bowl. "Get your own."

Zoro grunted in annoyance and glanced over to the cook who was fawning over their navigator, contemplating for a moment. "Hey captain?"

Luffy, mouth full of noodles turned, turned around. "Mm?"

"You beat some sense into the Cook?" Zoro asked.

Slurping down his food, Luffy gave a wide grin. "Yup!"

Zoro returned the grin, abet a bit more devilishly. So the cook had no excuse for being in whatever mood he was in. Zoro grabbed his swords and walked right up to the serving line. Since Sanji was distracted by Nami, he didn't notice the swordsman until he was standing before him, shoving an empty bowl into his chest.

Sanji stared at him for a long moment. Zoro grunted and impatiently shoved the bowl closer to him. Sanji snatched and filled it before shoving the food back at him, figuring it was quickest way to rid him of the swordsman. Zoro didn't move on. "Guess we're stuck with your cooking again."

After seeing the disaster Luffy and the others inflicted upon his poor kitchen, Sanji perished any thought that his crew could make a halfway decent meal without him, besides the women and maybe Usopp. Sanji scoffed and walked away. "Complain all you want, don't waste any."

"I'm not done with you!"

"Like I give a crap," Sanji said and flipped him off.

Zoro frowned when the cook did not rise to banter with him. Nami had a look of concern as well. Without taking his eyes off of the cook's back, Zoro downed the soba in one large gulp.

Nami grimaced, "Can't you just enjoy it?"

His response was to hand her the bowl. "Fill this with water, would yeah?"

She gave him a critical look, "You owe me one."

"Put it on my tab."

Sanji pointedly kept his focus on talking with the samurai he was serving and fumed that the stupid swordsman wouldn't move away from Nami.

"Hey Pervy-Cook!"

Against his better judgment, Sanji turned just in time to make eye contact with Zoro as he held up the bowl and poured the contents into the dirt. Sweet Nami's shocked expression could not convey the whirl of disgust building in him at the swordsman sheer audacity to intentionally waste his cooking in a land where people have known starvation and thirst.

Sanji was going to kill him.

Zoro had a large toothy grin as he drew out a sheathed sword and blocked a kick that would have crushed his nose –he wasn't planning on getting his face rearranged. Sanji wasn't going to let up his assault, following with the momentum, he swung another powerful kick for Zoro's temple but he jerked his head back. With one pop of a sky walk, Sanji drove his knee right into his chin. Knocked off his balance, Zoro crashed back into a table much to the displeasure of the some of the samurai. Zoro was unfazed at all the shouting samurai and wiped the blood away from his split lip.

Sanji felt a little satisfied and walked away. "Who's the nosebleeder?"

"Where do you think you're going? We're not done." Zoro grinned right back at him. "Come at me, unless you're scared?"

Sanji bit through his cigarette. His pride wouldn't let him back down from this fight anymore. Sanji dashed forward and Zoro was ready for him. He unsheathed his sword, sending the handle into the cook's gut. Shifting on his knees, he unsheathed his other sword and swiped but Sanji jumped over his blade. He came down with an axe kick to disarm Zoro but the swordsman pushed forward. Sanji back flipped away but Zoro was already closing the space and slashing with both blades.

"Is this all you got!?" Zoro challenged, swinging his swords down together. "We're taking on Kaido. Are you going to go at him half-ass?!"

Sanji turned sideways so that the blades passed by him. "I want to defeat Kaido! Just as much as everyone else!"

Zoro clamped down on Sanji's leg, pinning it between his forearms. "You went galivanting off over a woman!"

Sanji shifted his weight onto his trapped leg and drove his other knee towards the swordsman's face, forcing him to let go. "It was not over Pudding! It's more complicated than that!"

"Because you make it complicated!"

It wasn't Sanji's fault he was put into an impossible situation of trying to protect the crew, keep the Vinsmokes alive, not anger Big Mom to the point she would go after the Baratie in retaliation and not lose his hands in the process. It was complicated. He didn't mean to leave or run away. He wanted to protect the crew and return but the longer he stayed, the more trapped he became in a large web of schemes. He got in over his head.

"I was trying to protect the crew." Sanji declared and then lowered his voice to say. "You should understand."

"Yeah right." Zoro scoffed. "There's a huge difference between us."

As the blunt end of Wadou dug into his side, Sanji figured that was the distinction between them. Zoro didn't have to be saved from protecting the crew. For all the time that Sanji's known the swordsman, he found him to be a frustrating and uncivilized asshole. They weren't rivals in the typical sense but they pushed each to be better than who they were. Under all the antagonize there was a strong sense of trust. A trust in their capabilities. To protect the crew. To accomplish their goals. To lead in their captain's absence. To fight.

Was he no longer on equal footing with him? Even now, Zoro only used two swords. Sure, he hadn't received his replacement for returning Shusui but fighting him not a full potential left a bitter taste in Sanji's mouth. When had Zoro gone beyond his reach? It was insulting that Zoro didn't acknowledge the change.

Luffy happily ate his soba and listened to Brook tune a Wano instrument he salvaged, blissfully ignorant of the disruption his two crew members were causing as their fight carried them all around the party.

O-Kiku, carrying Chopper, walked up to him to express her concern. "Is alright to leave them like this?"

"Who?"

"Sangoro and Zorojuro," O-Kiku clarified. "They've been fighting for a while."

"Yeah, Zoro and Sanji fight all the time" Luffy assured.

"There is quite a bit of yelling..."

Chopper peered over her shoulder to watch the two combatants. "They do look madder than normal."

"I agree with Chopper." Nami said as she joined O-Kiku's side. "Zoro baited Sanji in the worst way possible."

Luffy frowned, "Why are you worried now that they're fighting?"

O-Kiku frowned right back. "The eve of the raid is at hand. I would not wish for dissent amongst our own ranks." Especially since, as much as the Scabbards did not wish to believe it, there was a traitor among them and they did not need their allies to be in conflict with each other.

"It would be weirder if they weren't fighting." Luffy said.

Nami sighed.

"Yohoho. I believe what the captain is saying is there's no need to worry now that they're talking with one another." Brook said.

"Can you really call that talking?" Chopper asked as Zoro's next strike set Sanji crashing into a tree, knocking it down. "It looks painful."

"Okay, I get it. We should have been more worried before because when they're not fighting, they're not talking," said Nami as she rolled her eyes.

"Yes, that about sums it up." Brook replied. "They haven't seen each other in a while. I'm sure they have plenty of to talk about."

"I'm not sure if this little party will survive their talk." Nami noted as both men grabbed each other and simultaneously threw the other into a table, once again forcing samurai to scatter. If the fight went on for too long, the samurai would join the fray.

Zoro landed another blow that sent Sanji sprawling over their food and into Nami. He took a moment to appreciate being able to rest his head on Nami's lap but the swordsman wouldn't leave him be, "Giving up!?"

Sanji would rather lay on Nami's divine lap but he refused to give Zoro the satisfaction of a win. He refused to believe he had fallen that much behind. "Never!"

Running forward, he unleashed a series of kicks, a trail of flame licking at his heel. Zoro weaved and parried. The longer the fight went, the larger Zoro's grin grew and added fuel to Sanji's frustration. Seeing an opening, Zoro and knocked Sanji down again.

"You're getting sloppy, did the royal life make you soft." Zoro taunted.

"You're one to talk. Master of the three sword style with only two swords." It was a Luffy-level insult, but at this moment, Sanji couldn't care.

Zoro's eye flickered over to where the tengu man sat. He glared back at Sanji. "Don't change the subject. You still have to answer for ditching the crew."

"I left the crew to protect everyone." Sanji repeated.

"If Luffy didn't go get you, were you going to come back?"

Sanji frowned, he had thought about it over and over in his head. At first he had every intention to come back but the longer he stayed away, the less likely it become for him to solve his problem on his own. He accepted that he would never return to the crew but at least they would be safe. "Like you're one to talk. You risked your life to fight Kuma."

"It's different!"

"Are you that self-centered only you can sacrifice your life!? You were willing to give up you goal of being the greatest swordsman!"

"I had no intentions of dying. You're the one who gave up on their dream!" Zoro shot back. "Your dream is part of the crew! You can't selfishly give it up!"

"Selfishly?!" Sanji exclaimed in incredulity.

But something about Zoro's words made him think back to what Luffy told him as the carriage took him to Big Mom's castle. Their dreams had become so intertwined with one another, so much so that Sanji couldn't say that finding the All-Blue was just his anymore. Nami and Franky are excited to sail and map a fabled sea. Usopp and Brook are sure such a sea would be inspiration for their stories and songs, and Robin has spent late nights with Sanji looking over tales of the All Blue in an attempt to find clues to its location. Chopper has wondered if there are unique flora and fauna that could hold secret medical properties. And Luffy, well. Sanji was originally drawn to him for he's equally impossible dream. "Just you watch! I will find the All Blue! Way before you become the greatest swordsman!"

"I'll become the greatest swordsman and find your stupid ocean before you!" Zoro replied.

Sanji scoffed. "You can't even find the bathroom!"

Both men lunged and everyone in the surrounding area could hear the skull rattling headbutt that knocked them down. Sanji laid on his back, taking in in deep breaths. A draw. He didn't beat him but Sanji felt all of his pent up frustration leave him. He was able to feel at ease for the first time since arriving at Wano. He didn't realize how much he missed their fight up until now. No wonder Zoro was grinning like a loon.

Zoro sat up and rubbed the aching welt forming on his forehead. Sanji kicked him in the gut.

"What was that for?!"

"Wasting food." Sanji said with a huff. "Don't think you're off the hook yet."

"It was stream water. Duuuuumbass."

"You baited me." Sanji realized.

Zoro shrugged. "You kept running away like a chicken."

"I wasn't running away!" Just tactfully avoiding.

Zoro picked up a stray bowl, held it towards Sanji and said with a grin, "Seconds."

Nothing had changed. Zoro didn't consider Sanji weaker than him. He didn't say it but Sanji knew. It was never a question of strength. Zoro was annoyed that Sanji gave up his dream. It was him who was worrying over nothing. Sanji rampaged through his pockets and lit up a new cigarette. "I'll serve you up a can of ass kicking for that stunt."

Nami glared at them as she tried to comprehend the levels of idiocy she was witnessing. "Did they make up while fighting?"

Luffy just laughed into his bowl of soba.

Whenever I thought about this chapter, I felt like I was overcomplicating so I rolled with it and incorporated that feeling into the chapter. Between the two, I figured Sanji would be the one to overthink things and think there's a problem when there really wasn't.

In this chapter, Sanji was still feeling guilty for the Whole Cake Island incident and that manifested in him unconsciously believing he wasn't on equal footing with Zoro. Sanji and Zoro are the some of the strongest fighters on the crew and fulfill that role of protecting the crew. I wanted to convey that Sanji didn't feel like Zoro should have that faith in him anymore but he's too prideful to say that. Through their fight, Sanji realizes these feelings are unfounded.

Zoro carries the spirit of what Luffy said during Whole Cake Island, "Without you, I can't become the Pirate King." Each of the Strawhats' dream have joined together with Luffy's, just like on Thriller Bark where Zoro would only accept a future where he and Luffy accomplished their dreams together. Of course he's annoyed when Sanji was willing to sacrifice his dream without considering how it would affect the rest of the crew.

Thank you for your patience!

-DigitalGuardian