Edit July 9th, 2018: A/N:
On July 9th, 2018 Minecraft Guardiansaiyan wrote:
I am SURE Luffy cares about one of his crew...cursed or NOT!
I cut that part out because I was over the word limit (trying to stick to 1k per chapter), but you're right. Luffy needs to say something because this is important. So I'm adding it back in (near the end).
BTW, sorry Lama for ignoring your request to see the little chat between Zoro and Kuina. I was in a hurry to post this one because all hell was breaking loose in the background as I was finishing up, so I skipped the author's notes. Lemme put that in next time.
Sanji Kitetsu Chapter 8
"Would you please mind not pointing such dangerous weapons at me?" the intruder hums as Carmen and Usopp are sent flying over the rails onto the lower deck. Then Sanji is spun out of the swordsman's grip and lands disgracefully next to Nami's Clima-Tact. A few more loud clatters inform him that his fellow swords have joined him on the wooden deck.
"Shit! Is it a devil fruit? What ability does she have?!" Zoro doesn't sound like he's enjoying this battle as much as the ones they just faught on the last island.
"No need to get so riled up." the intruder hums again in a strangely mesmerizing voice, "I haven't come here on any orders, nor do I have any reasons for fighting you people."
Sanji, being drawn in by such a soothing voice, finds himself gently floating past the green head of his master toward the dark haired beauty. Ah, this must be what the voice of a goddess is like. Maybe that's what she is.
"You have an interesting sword here, Swordsman-san. I suppose you are aware that it's cursed." A cool soft finger runs teasingly along Sanji's hilt, making him shiver in delight.
"Don't touch him!" The swordsman's growl snaps Sanji out of his trance. He's now curiously perched on the upper deck rail by his hilt.
"I do hope you're not feeding it too much of your blood, but by your current situation I suppose it's already had enough to offset the Kitetsu curse. How unfortunate for small-time pirates like you to have to look after a princess targeted by the entire Baroque Works organization, and how unfortunate for your log post to point to Little Garden as your next destination. A Kitetsu blade. A true bringer of misfortune. How fitting of its name that its master's entire crew would reach the end of their lives like this." The lady says with the faintest smile pulling at the corner of her lips.
Sanji looks around at his master's crew and finds that almost all eyes are on him. Usopp is hiding behind the mast and pulling out a cross necklace from his backpack. Nami wears a serious expression, no doubt considering the possible consequences of his curse. Carmen glares at him with clear disgust. The princess is on the verge of tears as if Sanji's blade itself is draining all her hope. Luffy's hat blocks his eyes from view, and Sanji's master is as expressionless as ever, drilling holes on Sanji's blue gem with his eyes.
For a moment, Sanji considers the possibility of leaving the scene before he has to hear from his moss head master that he's no longer needed. It's doable. He just needs to make a couple calculated bounces on the deck below until he flies off the side and into the sea. But he's never left a master on his own accord before. Regardless of whether or not he got along with his masters in the past, he has always stuck with each of them until their death, although the death itself is often the result of his own efforts. He considers it part of a sword's code of honour to watch his master until the end, much like a swordsman's code of honour to never use underhanded attacks.
He's not attached of course. Good swords almost always outlast their masters, so it's not uncommon for swords to be left behind. Sanji's heard enough stories about what happens to swords at their master's death if they become attached. They rip apart their own consciousness so that their master's soul has room to live on in sword form. That's probably what happened to Wado. Sanji knows better than to become attached to a single master.
This is different though. While he understands that humans will often do extreme things to protect their bonds to other humans, being abandoned when the master is still alive and well is admittedly much harder to swallow than being parted in death. Maybe he can plot the moss head's death early? But the man hasn't done anything that warrants a murder...
"Give him back before I cut you." Zoro picks up his remaining swords from the deck. He sheathes Yubashiri and gives Wado a whisk to his side.
Hey shithead, I was just plotting your murder, so watch your manners and don't give me more reasons to go through with it!
Shut up and get back here already. I know you can at least make yourself fall. The swordsman snaps back with impatience.
Sanji tries to lean over the rail and soon finds that he's held in place by something he can't see. The intruder tosses a sheathed sword over the rail instead. Zoro raises his free hand and catches it by the sheathe.
"Maybe you'd be able to avoid your future troubles with this. Kashu, one of the 50 Ryo Wasamono blades. It used to belong to one of our agents before he was captured by the Marines. How about it? Not a bad trade if I say so myself. It's a better grade than your Kitetsu here, and unlike this one, it's not cursed."
"What, is she not a bad person after all?" Nami eyes the sword in the swordsman's hand.
"It's a trap. It's definitely a trap." Usopp mumbles from behind the mast. Carmen opens her mouth to chime in, but before she speaks a word, Kashu hits the water with a splash.
"I said give me back my sword!" Zoro growls again and points Wado at the intruder.
"Are you an idiot?" Carmen digs one of her hot pink heels into the back of swordsman's head. "She came all the way out here to warn us about your cursed sword! What are you going to do if that sword of yours is really going to curse us to death?!"
"What makes you think I'd let someone else choose my swords for me? Oi Luffy, can I cut her already?"
"Just what I was thinking. I've decided I don't like her!" the captain huffs.
"I see. How unfortunate." the woman smiles. With a snap of her fingers, Sanji tips and falls to the deck below, planting his blade into the wood to make himself stand. When he looks up again, the intruder has vanished from the ship.