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03/11/2022 EDIT: Thanks to KumaZura for proof reading this chapter.

Chapter 11

Facing reality

A few days later at nightfall, Zoro watched the light shine behind the porthole of Sunny's galley. He went and opened the door with confidence. "So now, you make me wai-"

The swordsman swallowed his provocative smile as he fell on a figure he didn't expect. Robin was reading her book at the galley table, using a third arm to drink her cup of coffee. She didn't look up from her book and Zoro took a second to find an excuse for his late presence. "I came to get a bottle."

One second too long.

"The chef went to the observation room. I think he was looking for you too."

The swordsman felt his jaw tense. He was suspicious of her and even though her presence among the crew was beyond any doubt, this woman was too weird in her way to guess everything she shouldn't have. "I don't know what you're talking about," He replied, shrugging.

Robin didn't answer and Zoro took the opportunity to get the first bottle he found in the storeroom. He was going to slip away without further ado when she spoke again without taking her attention from her book. "I suggest you don't use the crow's nest when it's not your turn to watch. Or at least, you should lock it."

The swordsman froze. The implication was perfectly clear and he turned to her again. "What do you mean?" He grumbled.

"It could have been Chopper or Luffy, it's not wise," She answered, turning a page.

Zoro remained perfectly still for a moment. It was useless to deny in front of her, the archaeologist was far from stupid. "What exactly did you see?" He asked, folding his arms.

"More than I wanted but don't be alarmed, one of you still had his underwear."

This time, the fencer felt all the muscles of his body tighten. He didn't care what Robin or the others thought but he knew it wouldn't be the same for the cook. He wondered if he should threaten the young woman for her to keep silent and he put his hand on his swords. "If you tell anyone about this…"

"I don't think it will be necessary," She interrupted him quietly, "Privacy is hard to keep on a ship."

She had a point.

"Yeah, well… We'll lock the door."

Robin didn't look at him but she gave a hint of a smile that sent shivers down Zoro's spine and he hurried out of the galley.

"What are you doing with that bottle, marimo?" Sanji wondered when the swordsman joined him in the observation room a few moments later.

"Nothin'."

Zoro put the bottle in a corner, wondering if he should tell the blond what had just happened with the archaeologist. Actually, maybe it wasn't worth mentioning. Apart from seeing the cook freaked out, what would it bring him? Yet he didn't like the idea of hiding information from his shipmates, even though it was a special situation. Whatever the blond's reaction, he made it a point of honor to remain honest.

Decided, he was going to speak when he felt Sanji's hands caress his back sensually. He then preferred to postpone the conversation until later. After all, a few hours wouldn't make a difference…

"I have something to tell you," Zoro said as the cook buttoned his shirt up near him.

"Hm?"

"Robin. She saw us."

"What?!"

Sanji dropped his cigarette, which he hadn't yet lit, and fixed his gaze on his. "H-How do you know?"

"She told me. She was in the galley just now."

"And you're telling me now?!" The blond got indignant.

"I could have not told you. What difference does it make?" The swordsman calmly pointed out.

"I don't know, it's just…" The cook made a face and grabbed his lighter. "What could she possibly think now…"

"Meaning?" The fencer grumbled, putting his swords away to his hip.

"You know very well," The blond said, glaring at him.

"No."

Sanji rolled his eyes. "I don't want her to imagine anything!"

"She doesn't have to imagine. She saw."

"No, you moron!" The cook got annoyed. "I don't want her to believe that anything is happening between us!"

"You mean you're afraid she won't fall under your spell anymore because you get laid with a man?"

"Yeah, something like that…"

Zoro frowned. He had expected that type of reaction from the cook but it pissed him off anyway. The way he was ducking out on his attraction after all these last weeks made him want to throw up. Sanji was working very hard to make sure his little scandalous secret never reached the ears of their friends and even if he didn't care, he didn't like to realize the blond didn't own up to his behavior. He was losing his respect at this simple thought.

"Anyhow, you didn't have a shot with her or Nami," He said harshly.

"What do you know, huh?"

The swordsman didn't bother to answer and fastened his belt. "If you're so ashamed of what we're doing, we'd better stop. I have no time to lose with cowards," He spoke again.

"What did you say?" The blond grumbled, feeling the anger rising.

"You heard me."

"What the fuck is your problem, idiot marimo?!" Sanji didn't understand the sudden change of mood of the swordsman. It wasn't because he enjoyed their new hobby that he didn't think about the future. Before he could think more about it or even respond to his provocation, Zoro went to the door.

"Forget it, I'm going to bed."

The fencer left the crow's nest and the cook smoked his cigarette thoughtfully. There was something not quite right about the marimo but he had no worries, he would get over it.

He didn't get over it.

It had been five days since Zoro had started avoiding Sanji, throwing the blond into perplexity and growing annoyance. He couldn't understand why their little conversation had gone such a way or such proportions. The cook hadn't dared to speak about it with the beautiful archaeologist either and he really hoped that she would be kind enough to never mention it in front of him because he was feeling he wouldn't be able to justify himself properly.

He then welcomed their arrival on a new island with relief and enthusiasm. He was going to be able to clear his mind and think about a strategy to discuss with the swordsman away from prying ears.

As soon as the crew had disembarked, they had shared out the usual tasks between themselves and Sanji had gone to the market with the cyborg. After two hours of bargaining and buying, they had practically gone over everything and they headed for the last produce merchants.

The cook suddenly leaned over a stall and grabbed an eggplant to test its quality. Satisfied, he bought a good twenty and moved on to the next stallholder. "Do you like lemon, Franky?"

The engineer next to him shrugged. "I like it but it doesn't nourish me so much anymore."

"Maybe it could liven up the taste of your cola?"

"It'll mostly mess up everything. Don't you dare do that," He grumbled.

"As you wish."

Moments later, Sanji saw the swordsman a little further dozing at a bar table, an empty beer mug in front of him. He glanced around but didn't see Luffy anywhere. Yet it was him that Nami had chosen to stay with the fencer "even if they were the two worst idiots" according to her. Looking further, he saw the captain inside the bar, busy devouring a huge plate of meat at the counter. He would surely leave all his money on it.

Sanji smirked. Zoro was alone and hadn't spotted him. It was an opportunity to clear things up and he turned towards Franky not far from him. "You can go back to Sunny, I've still got a bit of shopping to do then I'm coming."

"Super!"

The cyborg moved away quickly despite the weight of the shopping bags and the cola, and the cook grabbed a chair and brought it to the table of the swordsman. "This time, you can't run away," He pointed out, putting a cigarette to his lips.

Zoro looked up and grumbled when he recognized him. "What d'you want?"

"I want you to explain to me why you're running away from me since last time," Sanji said quietly as he ignited a flame from his lighter.

"I ain't running away from you!" The swordsman replied immediately, straightening himself up.

"Why are you pissed then?" The blond took a long puff from his cigarette, patient.

"I don't wanna continue this bullshit, that's all."

"And since when?" The cook asked, surprised.

"Since you'd rather worry about what others think."

Sanji blew smoke from his cigarette and frowned. "You get it all wrong, marimo."

"Don't take me for a fool," The swordsman replied aggressively, "You're so scared of turning gay you'd rather die than admit what we do. Especially in front of Robin and Nami."

The cook pulled the cigarette out from the corner of his mouth and looked at him with annoyance. He took a moment to think despite the urge he had to scream at him all the insults he knew. He didn't deny that the opinion of his princesses mattered to him but it didn't dictate his behavior. The worst was that Zoro just proved to him that he had no idea what he was going through lately. He looked at things from his small world and quite selfishly without thinking about him. At the same time, what could he have hoped for from him?

"You want me to tell you the truth?" He finally hissed. "I don't even ask myself about my sexual orientation anymore. I'm completely lost and I review the checkboxes in which I thought I could trace my entire life. So excuse me if, from time to time, I react a little excessively but it seems to me that it is not quite illegitimate."

He then gave him a venomous look before putting his cigarette back to his lips. "You're right, I'm not used to finding guys attractive yet but if it's the case one day, I'll make an announcement so everyone knows it. This way, you'll feel more comfortable."

Sanji stared at the swordsman whose cheeks had flushed with anger. If they hadn't been in public, there would be no doubt that they would have clashed and they glared at each other over the table.

"I don't give a shit about your state of mind, you idiot cook!" Zoro ranted. "That wasn't part of our deal!"

"Apart from fucking, what interests you in this deal anyway?" Sanji fumed. "You could just as well find anyone else and it wouldn't have to be a pain to me anymore!"

With these words, the blond got up and disappeared into the crowd, perfectly furious. Saying that he had come to the swordsman to settle this fuss. In reality, Zoro and he were absolutely not on the same page and he should have seen it coming a long time ago.

Sanji was enjoying the silence on the ship. In front of him, the city's lights were twinkling in the dark night but the port was far enough so that the noise of the party-goers didn't reach them too much. His watch was promising to be quiet.

The rest of the day had gone smoothly. They had stocked up with food, medicine, cola and clothes for the girls. The island was calm, without a naval base or patrol to disturb them and they had spent the evening quietly in an inn before returning to sleep on the Sunny.

Suddenly, the swordsman jumped nimbly onto the deck from the dock and landed beside him, causing him to jump. The cook bit his tongue so as not to berate him immediately. Zoro had disappeared from the face of the earth since they had argued and everyone had ranted and raved about his bad sense of direction but the blond knew that maybe, it wasn't the only reason for his absence.

"You managed to find the way back to Sunny?" He couldn't help but ask, taunting.

"I had things to do," The fencer evaded before looking at him with a superior air, "By the way, you were right. You're easily replaceable."

Sanji rolled his eyes to such arrogance as the swordsman was walking past him with a smile on his face. "All the better, that makes two of us."

Zoro stopped and turned to look at him, amused. "You're a bad liar, darts eyebrows. You'd never get laid so fast with a man, you got too many "states of mind" for that."

"Who told you it was with a man?" The blond calmly replied, dragging on his cigarette provocatively.

The swordsman frowned. He could hardly believe it but it was more plausible. "Congratulations then, you officially turned straight again."

He turned on his heels and the cook watched him disappear before sighing. He had been stupid to stoop to Zoro's level. He had indeed had a good day but he had implied he had slept with the first girl he met and it was shameful to have come to this. He was worshiping women so much… What did he need to prove to this fool anyway?

With the return of the swordsman and the Log Pose reloaded, the navigator decided to go back to sea the next morning. She had found an old map in a dark shop suggesting an underwater treasure in the nearby waters and after having studied it all night, she wasn't standing still.

She spent the whole day looking for the designated site on the map among the seafloor. She ran the Shark Submerge at full capacity and it eventually came to a standstill because of overwork after several hours, leaving Franky on the verge of tears. Then the crew members who didn't eat a devil fruit were sent to the water to sound the reefs and the rest of the team took turns to send them air through a machine built by the cyborg.

However, time went on unsuccessfully and the exhausted crew met in the galley in the evening to enjoy a well-deserved meal despite the captain's monkey who kept trying to steal their belongings regularly. Nami wasn't giving up and she announced to her friends that research would resume the next morning in a wider area. Everyone agreed, not daring to contradict the navigator when it was about a treasure and Luffy took watch with his animal.

This is how at dawn, the young redhead maneuvered and calculated with determination, transcendent at the prospect of new wealth. While she was working conscientiously, the rest of the crew was free and the usual activities were heard again on the ship.

For his part, Sanji had decided to classify and tidy up his new foods, thinking about new recipes that kept him busy all morning. When it was almost lunch time and the meal was ready, he grabbed a pot of dried mushrooms and several spices before mixing and putting them down on his shelf. He was going to do the same with rosemary and chervil for a future marinade when the swordsman appeared suddenly into his galley, panting and sweating. He walked straight at his supply of bottles and the cook grimaced.

Sanji was seeing the glimmer of provocation in Zoro's eyes from the other end of the room and he didn't want to reply. The fencer had been taunting him since the day before and they spent their time fighting and insulting each other.

"Stop strutting around, moron. Take your bottle and get out," The cook snapped.

"And what if I don't want to?" The other man answered, emphasizing his smirk.

"You want me to kick you out myself?" The blond growled.

"Because you think you can do that, swirly swirly?"

The cook clenched his teeth. Nami had already told them off twice this morning and he knew she needed peace and quiet to find the treasure's site. So he did his best to ignore this new provocation.

"Quitter on top of that," The swordsman snickered.

Sanji glared at him. "It'd make you too happy if I answered you but I decided I don't need you. In every sense of the word."

"Poor little clueless cook who's afraid of who he is," Zoro sneered.

"Why do you need to be such an asshole?!" The blond hissed, losing patience.

"Because I decided it."

The cook looked daggers at him, furious. "You're not gonna get on my nerves like that all the time, marimo!"

"Or what?" The swordsman provoked him again.

"Or you're gonna regret it."

"I'd like to see that."

Overwrought, Sanji grabbed his kitchen knife and threw it towards his target who, surprised by his gesture, didn't move quickly enough. The blade stuck into the wall, holding back the fencer's tee-shirt at the level of his belly.

"Fuck!"

Mad with rage, Zoro struggled to free himself but the cook's knife didn't move and just tore his clothes a bit more. The blond approached, a smile on his lips. He grabbed the handle and took the opportunity to look into the eyes of the swordsman a few inches away. "You know I don't like using my tools to fight but if you're asking for it, you're going to get it."

Zoro gave him a murderous look and the cook tore the knife out of the wall with a satisfied smile. He knew the swordsman wasn't going to slink away quietly after this so he left on his own accord, leaving the fencer a way out.

A few minutes later when he came back, he found that Zoro had cleared off and he got on with arranging his dishes in good spirits.

"Move it, I'm sure it's here!" Nami said, getting impatient.

She looked at the three divers of the moment, namely Usopp, Sanji and Zoro. The sniper was crying silently at the thought of being devoured by a Sea King and the two others were glaring at each other beyond their diving suits. No longer able to wait, she pushed them into the water and they fell with a cry of surprise.

Satisfied, she then took up her map again and stared at Luffy who was watching her. "What are you doing, you idiot? Go pumping!"

"Oh, yeah!"

The navigator sighed. She was surrounded by a bunch of good-for-nothings and she wondered by what miracle they were still alive. Fortunately, Robin was raising their pathetic level and she headed for her. "Franky and Chopper are watching over the divers to make sure they don't have a problem but I'd feel better if you supervise them," She explained to her as she was coming close, "For my part, I'm gonna make certain Luffy and Brook don't stop sending them oxygen."

"Of course."

The archaeologist leaned close to Franky who seemed to doze against the rail. On the other hand, the little reindeer was staring at the ropes connected to their friends with all the concentration he was capable of. "Is everything all right?" She asked them.

"Super," The cyborg yawned.

"The ropes of Sanji and Zoro keep moving. I'm sure they're fighting," The doctor noted.

"You really think there's a treasure down there?" The engineer inquired, turning toward the young woman.

"This is our navigator's conviction."

"I hope we'll find it quickly 'cause it's starting to piss me off…"

"What is taking them so long?" Nami grumbled, glancing at her watch. It had been more than thirty minutes that they were underwater and no sign of getting back so far. What a bunch of idiots…

"Nami, I'm tired!" The captain complained.

His swollen arms reddened by the sun testified to his condition and the navigator sighed. "Okay, Brook and you swap with Franky and Chop- Hey, wait!"

The two idiots darted towards the front of the deck, letting the machine stop. By the time the cyborg and the doctor realize they had to take their places, the three divers' ropes were panicking and Nami rushed to pump in their place. "You knuckleheads!" She yelled as they grimaced a few feet away.

Suddenly, the ship was shaken from all sides and the navigator froze. Everyone flickered on the deck but Franky had the reflex to keep the oxygen machine in balance and they started turning the wheel again as soon as possible.

"Shit, what was that?" He grumbled after calm had returned.

"A monster!" Chopper panicked beside him.

"No, I don't think so," Nami said, anxious.

A little further, Luffy, Brook and Robin were checking the ropes. They still seemed securely fastened and no one had pulled for coming back.

A second, longer and more intense jolt was felt. Robin stopped Brook and Luffy from going overboard thanks to her multiple arms as Usopp's rope was breaking under the impact. Chopper and Nami flew against one of the walls of the Sunny and Franky held the machine with all his might to prevent it from falling into the sea.

"Usopp's rope gave out!" Brook worried a few seconds later.

"What do we do?" Franky screamed as he and Chopper were taking up the wheel of the oxygen machine again.

"Oh, no." The navigator rushed towards the rail and leaned over the water with concern. "This isn't good," She muttered.

"What is it?" Robin, who had approached, inquired.

"It's not a monster. It's…" Nami glanced at Brook and Luffy who were staring at the sniper's piece of rope, eyes wide. "Don't panic," She said, "Usopp still has his oxygen tube. You're gonna reboard Sanji-kun and Zoro right now."

"What? What about the treasure?" The captain wondered.

"Forget the treasure, we gotta get out of here!"

The whole crew stared at her, dumbfounded. If Nami was giving up the prospect of wealth so close to the goal, now was the time to really panic.

If you have any assumptions about what's going on, I'm all ears!