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02/03/22 EDIT: Thanks to KumaZura for proof reading this chapter.

Chapter 6

Just a clarification

After breakfast two days later, Zoro saw Sanji go down into the hold with his arms full of empty bottles while he was sleeping with one eye open on the deck. Without thinking further, he headed for the stairs to follow him. They hadn't met again since the blond had given him his agreement in the bathroom and seeing him alone suddenly gave him ideas.

Now alone in the dark room, he knew the cook had heard him. However, he wasn't moving and was continuing to put his bottles down, turning his back to him. Zoro got close until he touched him.

For his part, Sanji shuddered when he felt the swordsman's hot breath against his neck and he closed his eyes. As the fencer turned him around to face him, Sanji pushed away his hot hands that were already making their way under his shirt. "We can't, Cactus-kun."

The fencer looked right into his eyes, surprised. "Why? I thought you knew what you wanted now?"

"I do but I can't, that's all,"The cook answered back.

"What's fucking going on again?" The swordsman grunted, annoyed.

"I can't today," The blond then clarified as he was creasing his clothes against his body, cheeks red.

"Really? What is it today, a special day?"

Sanji sighed deeply. Why did he need to explain everything to him? Absolutely everything? Anger suddenly burst into him at this sad fact and he glared at him. "I can't because you're a fucking bastard who doesn't know thoughtfulness! Do you understand better now?!" He hissed between his teeth so as not to risk seeing someone turn up.

Zoro took a few seconds to realize what he was implying and with horror, the blond saw a smirk stretch his lips. "I didn't think you were so delicate, cook."

Sanji sternly stared at him. Perhaps the swordsman thought it was fun to take advantage of his inexperience in this area but he wouldn't do him the favor of letting him believe he could do as he pleases if this little game was supposed to last between them. "You're gonna calm down a bit because there's no way it'll happen like this every time. I don't know how you're doing it usually but I won't let you!"

Zoro casually shrugged. "I never knew what the previous ones thought, I didn't ask."

"Maybe but with me, it's gonna be different."

The cook looked defiantly into his eyes. This brute better worry a minimum about his person because despite all the pleasure that could be, he was quite sure that the physical consequences could be less important if they were doing it better. He felt Zoro study him for a moment and didn't look down. At least, the swordsman seemed to take his speech seriously because he had lost his superior smile. "You seemed fine," The fencer remembered.

"I am fine."

"So what?"

"So I'm fine but that doesn't stop me from being in pain, you idiot!"

The swordsman frowned, preoccupied. "That much?"

Sanji made an irritated gesture with his hand. "Enough for me to say that we can't do it again like that every time."

The fencer was silent for a moment and the cook got annoyed. "Don't tell me you don't know! I'm a novice in this field, but not you!"

"Let's just say I can imagine but…" The swordsman brightly smiled at him and Sanji ran a hand over his face. Of course. He should have known.

"Okay, then I'm telling you. It hurts so if you want to continue, you'll have to adapt. And you'll have to learn to exchange too."

Zoro frowned. He was okay to make efforts but he had his limits. "If it's because your constitution is so weak, I'll see what I can do," He said.

The blond glared at him before walking away and leaving the hold. This decision was supposed to bring them only advantages but Sanji already saw one big drawback: the swordsman was an idiot even in the intimacy and he would have to ignore it to make the most of it.

"I have an important announcement to make."

The whole crew froze around the lunch table and worriedly looked at Sanji who had just spoken in a deep voice. Only Luffy went on devouring his share and those of the others.

"It's about food."

The captain stopped his fork in front of his mouth, suddenly looking frightened. He swallowed his last bite and stared at his cook with apprehension.

"We'll have to cut ourselves down a bit. We didn't buy any provision on the last island and stock has severely declined. I suggest removing the snacks."

A deathly silence greeted his statement as the looks slowly drifted towards the captain of the crew. "As long as we still have the ten o'clock and four o'clock snacks!" He happily replied.

"It means no more food and therefore no more meat apart from the three meals, Luffy," The blond translated for him.

"What?!" The straw hat boy stared at him, close to tears. "But I'm so hungry, Sanji! You can't do that!"

"It's not Sanji's fault, it's because of those pesky pirates who pillaged the last island," Usopp sighed.

"How soon will we reach our next destination?" Franky asked.

"A couple of days. A week at the most," Nami answered.

"It really shouldn't be that hard, we'll soon be able to get new supplies," Chopper pointed out to his still-unhappy captain.

"Besides, we can go fishing!" The musician said, excited.

"The restriction also applies to beverages so you're gonna put the brakes on your drinking habits, alcoholic swordsman," The cook added.

"Dammit…"

"Zoro, stop dramatizing," The navigator replied, grinding her teeth, "Everyone will make an effort."

"Fuck it."

While Nami was rolling her eyes, the fencer got up and took the bottle he had in front of him."You better keep it all day because you won't get any more, marimo man!" Sanji shouted as the door slammed behind him.

The rest of the crew left the table with less enthusiasm than usual while the blond sighed as he thought about the coming days. The atmosphere was going to be heavier now…

"Hi, Chopper! What's up?" Luffy asked as he entered the sick bay the next morning.

"I'm making new medicine from the herbs I bought at the pharmacy-boat," The little reindeer standing on his stool showed him.

"What is that?

"Bay leaf."

"And that?"

"Ginger."

"And that weird thing?"

"Usnea. It's an antiseptic plant." The captain plunged his hand into a mixture of green leaves before suddenly pulling it out. "Ah! It's burning! It's burning!" He cried out.

In his distress, he pushed the doctor's various pots which smashed onto the ground under the horrified eyes of their owner. "It itches!"

"It's nettle, it's no big deal!" Chopper tried to calm him down, "Put this soothing cream on."

The captain tore the tube out of the doctor's paws and spread a huge amount on his own hand. "Ah, it's better!" The straw hat boy noted after a few moments.

The reindeer wearily picked up his scattered mixtures and then turned towards his friend. "Luffy, would you mind getting out of the infirmary? I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself again…"

"Okay. Have fun!"

As soon as he was out, he caught sight of the gunner not far from him. "What are you doing, Usopp?"

"An explosive mix of red beans and gunpowder!" The sniper proudly explained to his captain.

"Wow!" Luffy ran his fingers through the mixture before bringing it to his mouth. "It's disgusting!" He got indignant.

"Of course! It's not meant to be eaten!" His friend dryly explained.

"But I'm hungry!" The captain whined.

"Let me work…"

The straw hat boy sighed and his eyes identified Robin on her deckchair. He propelled himself in her direction and landed on her lap. The archeologist looked up from her book before lowering her eyes again, indifferent to those which were scrutinizing her with interest. "What are you reading?"

"A book."

"A book about what?"

"A book about Bardia's runes."

"Bardia's ruins?

"Bardia's runes."

"Ah." Luffy scratched his head over his straw hat. "What is it?"

"An ancient writing on the legendary city of Bardia."

"Ah." The captain stretched his neck until his head passed in front of Robin's, blocking her view. "Is it interesting?"

"It's crucial."

"What does it mean?"

"It means I have to finish this book." Robin moved Luffy's head with a third hand and got absorbed in her work again. The straw hat boy let himself fall down beside her on the green grass of the deck, dying of boredom.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw a figure getting around and he jumped up. "Oh, Zoro!"

The swordsman froze before making a face when he saw his captain heading for him at full speed with one of his stupid smiles stuck to his face. Luffy had been insufferable since the day before and he was continuously going around all the crew members. All because the cook had made arrangements to reduce the portions of food. Now he was cursing him for not having kept this vital information out of reach of Luffy's ears.

"What are you doing?" His captain asked him with curiosity.

"I'm gonna train."

"Awesome! Can I come with you?!"

"Suit yourself."

Luffy jumped up and down as Zoro was stoically carrying on his walk to his dumbbells at the back of the Sunny. When he reached his destination, he grabbed one of them and began to strengthen his right arm while the captain was breathing like a whale to lift the other. "It's super heavy!" He complained, his face red.

The swordsman shrugged and Luffy focused on keeping the dumbbell balanced over his head. However, he began to pitch and, carried away by the weight, he crashed into the railing that Franky had just repainted, breaking it into a thousand pieces.

"What the fuck, my dumbbell!" Zoro grumbled, watching it sink into the water.

Without losing a moment, he dived into the sea while the cyborg glared at his captain a few steps away. "Sorry, Franky," He laughed, "It was pretty heavy! By the way, what are you doing?"

Around the dinner table that evening, a tense silence was stretching. Luffy had redoubled his efforts to steal food from his crew and everyone was looking at him in a bad mood. Unconscious of what was going on, the captain tearfully turned towards his chef. "I'm hungry…"

"Luffy, how many times do I have to tell you?" The blond sighed. "You won't have anything else."

"But I'm h-"

"If you repeat it again, I will make you eat your hat," The navigator seriously threatened him.

"And I'll throw you overboard," The shipwright added, glaring.

"But…"

"You need to calm down, Luffy," His first mate grunte,. "We're not gonna starve to death."

"You could find an occupation," Chopper suggested, "It would help you not think about it."

"I bought a new card game on Nerwa Island. You wanna test it tonight?" Usopp kindly offered.

"Oh, I know lots of card games!" Brook got enthused. "I had the time to learn them all when I drifted for fifty years on Florian Triangle! By dint of looking at the cards, my eyes were crossing!"

"It's too funny that you say that 'cause you don't have eyes anymore!" His captain laughed, banging on the table.

"Yohohohoho!" The two friends burst out laughing and the others exchanged disillusioned glances as Robin was softly laughing.

"Whatever, don't mind us, you can go right now," Nami offered them with a big smile full of hope.

"Oh no! We didn't have dessert!" The straw hat boy protested.

"Sanji-kun, don't make them wait," The navigator ordered him.

"Anything you want, Nami-san!" The cook hastened to bring a tiramisu and the young redhead woman sighed when she saw that the blond was still taking the time to serve her and Robin first. Fortunately, Luffy swallowed his share in a second and then dragged Brook and Usopp to the door, much to the relief of the rest of the crew.

Sanji thoughtfully watched at the endless horizon of the sea from the crow's nest to escape the gusts of wind. After tidying up the galley, he had wanted to enjoy the new quiet among the crew. The sky was starless, the waves were regularly stirring the ship and a storm couldn't be ruled out in the next few hours. However, the navigator had correctly pointed out to them that weather was coming up quicker on the Grand Line than in any other part of the world. Everything was therefore possible.

The blond lit a cigarette. A new day was coming to a close on the Thousand Sunny but he wasn't yet sleepy, the stress of the day still present in him.

"Are you still in pain?"

The cook slowly turned to the fencer and removed as calmly as possible the butt cigarette he had stuck on the corner of his lips. He then seriously looked at him before blowing the smoke. " Is that your best line?" He inquired with annoyance.

Zoro shrugged and moved closer. "You wanted me to adapt so I asked. And besides, with the shitty day I've spent thanks to you, you're lucky I'm even asking the question."

The blond rolled his eyes and sized him up for a moment longer. "It's not perfect yet." In reality, he was practically recovered but he didn't want to let the swordsman believe he was at his disposal so easily.

"Fuck but it's been three days!" Zoro exclaimed, disappointed. "And then if you're here, there's a reason, right?"

"What are you talking about?" The blond got indignant. "You implied that I want you to put your filthy paws on me?! I've got the right to come to the crow's nest if I want, it's not your private property!"

"Everyone knows it's my place!" The swordsman strongly replied.

"But I don't give a shit, the ship is for everyone!"

"And your galley, I've got the right to set foot there at every turn, maybe?!"

"Why, do you wanna go?!"

"If it's to see your ugly face of stupid eyebrows, no thanks!"

"Then what's your point, idiot swordsman?!"

The two men defiantly looked at each other for a minute, their veins popping out and their eyes overflowing with anger. Sanji felt the adrenaline running in his body. There was only Zoro to set him off in such a short time. For his part, the fencer thought exactly the same. The cook's insolence had a knack for making him lose his temper and his swords never itched him as much as in front of this fool's head.

"Anyway, we wouldn't be here if you knew how to take care of people, pseudo swordsman!" The cook went on with fury, "You should be ashamed of yourself for having treated your bedmates that way without even asking them if they were fine!"

The swordsman folded his arms, his face closed. "I wasn't gonna make small talk with them, I wasn't here for that."

"So what? It's just respect, marimo!"

Zoro sighed and leaned against a window in the crow's nest. He stubbornly stared at the open sea for a moment before speaking again. "I didn't think I came on too strong. Even so… we took the time, right?" He finally mumbled.

Sanji stealthily watched him, still dragging on his cigarette. "Took the time? Let me remind you, you didn't even have the patience to undress us without tearing our clothes. My shirt is fucked!"

"Yeah but I mean… I didn't go straight to it, you know."

"Sure, you had to hold out a good minute before getting to the point… To believe you can't hold back very long." The cook smirked as the swordsman straightened, his eyes dark. "Now that I think about it, does that mean you made an effort?" The blond suddenly spoke again.

Stopped in his tracks, Zoro grimaced, visibly uncomfortable. "A little…"

"Geez, I seriously pity those who haven't been entitled to your high-mindedness!" The cook sniggered.

"You're getting on my nerves!" The swordsman fumed. "If it was so unbearable, you could have stopped me, right? Unless that's your thing, maybe? You like being in pain?"

Sanji lost his smile in front of the fencer's sneer and stared into his eyes, furious. "If I had wanted to, I'd have embedded you in the wall, you moron!"

"So it wasn't that bad!" The swordsman triumphed.

"For a guy who says he has experience, I was expecting better, that's all." The cook finished his cigarette and crushed it in his ashtray while the swordsman stared at him, distraught. "Don't freak out, marimo. I didn't say you were bad in bed," The blond tempered as he smiled again.

"Shut the fuck up, you pervert cook!"

Sanji giggled in front of the red cheeks and the embarrassed look of the fencer. "I'm just saying there may be some improvement. And for that, we'll have to train…"

His suggestive proposal moved the man by his side. "And when is gonna start that training, huh?" Zoro grumbled.

"Tonight."

"Ton-?"

Sanji brutally grabbed his lips and after the initial surprise, the swordsman responded forcefully, squeezing him violently against him. As he was eagerly kissing him, he grunted against his mouth. "I thought you couldn't?"

"We don't need to go that far, do we?" The cook replied in the same tone.

The answer seemed to be appropriate because the swordsman didn't add anything and continued the battle he had started for the possession of his mouth before pushing him on a piece of bench that surrounded the crow's nest along its entire length.

"Have you checked no one's here?" The blond suddenly asked, panting.

"They've all gone to bed. Luffy's on watch."

"He won't come up?" He worried as Zoro was coming down to his neck.

"Don't think so. His new game's keeping him busy."

This prospect wasn't really reassuring but the cook was having a hard time keeping his train of thought consistent when he was feeling the swordsman's body squeeze up against his own in such a way. Running his hands under his tee-shirt, he clung a little closer to him, urging him to deepen their contact. They just had to pray that Luffy wouldn't go round here tonight and that no storms would break out in the next few hours…

I love Luffy's childishness and when Sanji is cocky!

Be warned, next chapter will be smutty…