On Jan 12, 2018 Lama wrote:
Also I hope you'll write out the conversation between Zoro and Kuina, I'm a little curious about how it went x)
Sorry this came a bit late. I was trying to figure out how to put this part in ithout jumping back on the timeline... and real life got in the way. This is not exactly what you asked either, but it's as close to it as I can get without feeling redundant.
Sanji Kitetsu Chapter 9
Sanji is leaning on the rail of Merry watching the moss head go through his post-battle sword cleaning routine with the lady in white. His calm and gentle focus on the sword in his hands makes a stark contrast against his rowdy crew mates obsessing over a duck's ability to drink from a straw in the background. A small chuckle escapes the swordsman's throat from time to time.
They must have years of catching up to do. The cursed blade can tell just how eager his master was for some time alone with his childhood friend. He even chose to clean the white sword first even though all she cut on the last island was an explosive booger or two. Sanji on the other hand is drenched in blood along with Yuki, who's also leaning on the rail, seemingly forgotten.
Not that it bothers him though. Of course not. And he's definitely not feeling left out. Not at all. No, he's happy, really, for Zoro- for both of them, and himself, that the annoying misunderstanding's been resolved, thanks to himself, mostly. In fact he's so happy about it he can still see the exact moment Zoro first heard Kuina's voice. It's been in an infinite replay loop in his mind ever since they set sail from Cactus Island.
His master was dashing up the flights of stairs to the rooftop while his crew mates were fast asleep downstairs and the bounty hunters were outside studying the rubber captain's wanted poster. The swordsman almost tripped before coming to a halt.
"Kuina?" He called tentatively. His eyes frantically searched up and down each narrow wall of the staircase. Then he paused and slowly shifted his gaze to the white sword in his left hand. His right hand on Sanji's hilt trembled. His sharp inhale sounded a little like a sob. Just a little.
After a minute or so of silence, the swordsman held up the sword horizontally and rested her blade on his right hand in front of him. He spoke again, this time with the finality that was so often present in his voice.
"Do you remember our promise?" The swordsman asked, sounding like he already knew the answer. "That's good enough for me. You're the only Kuina there is, and you will fulfill that promise with me."
Without another word, the man sheathed the sword and began dashing up the stairs again. His lips pulled back to a wicked grin. Whatever reply the lady in white gave him, he seemed more than satisfied.
"You're quiet today." The master's voice jolts Sanji from yet another replay of that moment in the staircase. "Something on your mind?"
The cursed blade finds himself unsheathed and resting on Zoro's lap. The swordsman takes a piece of wiping paper and begins wiping the dried blood from the blade.
Nothing. Sanji replies idly. Maybe he's just not used to sharing a master with another blade. He never noticed before, but it's an odd feeling hearing- or rather, seeing his master having a conversation with a sword without knowing the content. His previous masters rarely had other blades, and the one or two that did couldn't talk to their blades without saying the words out loud.
"Oi," The swordsman calls in a mocking tone that's only ever directed at Sanji, "I'm trusting that you won't curse my crew to death on the next island, so don't worry about what others think. You're my sword after all."
The clueless master must think that's what's bothering Sanji. It's a rather touching gesture by a brute like Zoro, but it's still rubbing the cursed blade the wrong way. He presses his edge ever so slightly against the swordsman's passing thumb. The man pauses with a sharp hiss this time.
"What's that for?!"
What do you mean you're "trusting" that I won't? It doesn't sound like you're trusting me at all.
"What kind of logic is that? If I say I'm trusting you it means I'm not trusting you?"
Oh stop the fussing. It's only a bit of blood. You said you'd let me have some anyway.
"I said I'll think about it."
And what, you decided not to because it might "trigger my curse"?
"Say what you will, but you're not having any more of my blood today." There it is again, the finality in his voice. He sure makes himself sound like a master to someone who's easily ten times his age.
Sanji huffs and settles back in the swordsman's grip. That moment in the staircase resumes playing in his head. He wonders what the brute and his childhood friend promised each other. It must be something important for him to use it to identify Kuina herself. He studies the man's face of concentration.
Oi Mosshead,
"Hmm?" The man hums absentmindedly, choosing to focus on the work of his hands.
Sanji bites his tongue (figuratively) before the question can be heard. What if it's something personal? Zoro was a boy, and Kuina was a girl, a human girl. Sanji knows what sometimes happens between a human boy and a human girl. They become... attached. It's similar to when a sword becomes attached to a master, and that's a personal matter, meaning the ones involved have the right to be angry at others for asking about it.
Nothing. The cursed blade says instead. The swordsman pays him no mind and continues scrubbing.