03/20/22 EDIT: Thanks to KumaZura for proof reading this chapter.

Enjoy your reading.

Chapter 12

Pride and prejudice

Luffy was the first to react and he started pulling Sanji's rope to pull him back up. Robin rushed to help him as Nami was sending Franky to help Brook pull Zoro's. She took his place next to Chopper and they turned the oxygen wheel, her teeth clenched.

"What's going on, Nami?" The little reindeer asked her, frightened.

"A tsunami, Chopper. We gotta get outta here as soon as possible."

The doctor felt the fear creeping deep into his entrails but he forced himself to suppress it. He had to keep sending oxygen to his friends until they came back among them.

"Why doesn't he keep still?" The cyborg grunted, tightening his hold on Zoro's rope which was moving in all directions.

"I have a bad feeling," The skeleton grimaced.

Sanji came out of the water a few moments later with a frantic look. He struggled to get rid of his diving suit and turned towards his friends after climbing onto deck. "We have been rocked," He explained, catching his breath, "What happened? Is that why you got us back?"

"Sanji-kun, at the helm, get ready!" The navigator shouted from afar. "Brook, stand in for me. Franky, if Zoro's not here in two minutes, go get Usopp. Luffy will take care of the rope."

"Usopp?" The cook repeated.

"His rope broke."

"Shit!"

"Everybody to your stations!"

The crew ran, sensing that the situation was serious. The navigator took the binoculars and turned her gaze to the sea, searching for the murderous wave. "There she is," She whispered after a moment.

Time was flying dangerously and Zoro was still struggling underwater, much to the dismay of his crewmates who were trying to pull him up. "There must be something wrong," Luffy said, concerned.

"Maybe he's trying to reach Usopp because he's not going back," The archaeologist mused.

"Or there's a Sea King down there!" Brook panicked.

Suddenly, the rope went slack between the hands of the cyborg and he pulled up a ripped out end. "He broke free!" The captain exclaimed.

"I'll get them," Franky decided, diving.

Minutes went by and Franky wasn't reappearing, just like Zoro and Usopp.

"Dammit, we gotta move!" The navigator was impatient, her eyes on the coming wave.

"Nami-san, what are we doing?" The cook shouted from the helm.

"Prepare to turn to starboard," She replied, "Brook, Luffy, lower the sails! Chopper, keep on pumping. Robin, you don't see them?"

"No, still nothing."

"Goddammit..."

Finally, Zoro came out of the waves a little further, Franky at his side. They were holding Usopp's unconscious body and they swam toward the ship but the strong current was drifting them out to sea.

"Zoro, Franky!" The little reindeer yelled.

"They're getting sucked up by the sea," The archaeologist noticed, "And so are we..."

The Sunny was drifting faster and faster, attracted by an invisible force. The floor swayed beneath the feet of the crew. "What's that thing?" Luffy said, wide-eyed, as he clung on to the edge.

"The sea is withdrawing," Nami explained, her jaw tight, "Sanji-kun, get out the paddle wheels! We'll need to use a Coup de Burst to get off the hook..."

"We have to wait until they get back!" Chopper begged.

"What the hell is going on here?!" The cook shouted at their backs, totally unsteady.

The navigator pointed her finger to the west and all followed her gaze before freezing, horrified. "Wh-What is it?" Brook stammered.

"A tsunami," Robin understood with dread, "The shakes were earthquakes."

"Exactly," Nami confirmed, "We better not hang around here."

Determined, Luffy turned towards the archaeologist. "Robin, hold me while I go get them. The current is too strong, they won't be able to get back!"

"What?" The doctor exclaimed. "Luffy, you can't-"

The captain had already climbed to the edge of the figurehead and he threw his elastic arms forward in search of his crewmates. Robin positioned her arms all around his body to prevent him from slipping, the suction getting stronger and stronger.

As for her, Nami rushed to the hold to make sure the cola stocks were ready and sufficient. Then she prepared to engage their master card and only hope of survival. She glanced again through the porthole and turned pale. "Luffy, hurry up," She whispered.

The Sunny was gaining speed. Despite the powerful paddle wheels running at full capacity, she was dragged by the considerable ebb of the giant wave that was rising higher and higher to the sky.

Perched on the figurehead, the captain stretched himself as best he could and managed to catch the body of his first mate. He wrapped his arm around him and pulled him towards the ship at a mile a minute, making him crash against the mast on his arrival. His arms then set off again in search of Franky who was holding Usopp against him. He brushed against his hand but a bump diverted him. "Man, I'm not gonna make it that way!" The captain fumed, leaning forward.

Robin kept focused and tightened her hold to maintain Luffy's balance. She was struggling to keep her own stability but she couldn't move because the straw hat boy was leaning more and more on her multiple arms.

"Heavy point!" Chopper grabbed the archaeologist with one firm hand while he was clinging with the other at the rail, giving them a grip. For his part, Brook dragged the swordsman inside when he noticed blood dripping from his diving suit along his leg.

"Luffy!" The navigator screamed on the deck.

The wave was only a few meters away from them and it was racing at a vertiginous speed.

"Got them!" With the speed of the impact of his arm, the cyborg and the gunner hit Luffy in the head, ejecting him in his turn, and they went sprawling against the galley's door.

"Hang tight!" Nami yelled again. "Sanji, helm hard to starboard!" For her part, she engaged the Coup de Burst and the Sunny took off towards the wave in front of them. Nami then managed to raise herself alongside the blond who had turned the rudder as much as possible and who was clenching his teeth. The ship had to rise quickly enough or they would be lost.

"Come on, come on!" The navigator chanted, her eyes on water. "Come on, go higher! Higher!" Finally, Nami saw the blue sky on the other side of the wave and Sunny passed it in a spray of sparkling water. "Yes!" She yelled, ecstatic.

For a few seconds out of time, the cook and the navigator watched the raging landscape of the Grand Line which was twisting under the effect of the tsunami beneath them. The force of nature was always a breathtaking sight. "We're going down!" The blond warned the others.

The landing was rather brutal and shook the whole crew who then rose slowly, still groggy from the various accelerations. Chopper rushed to Franky who was spitting water as he was straightening up. Usopp was still unconscious and he examined him quickly before taking him to the infirmary. At last, the musician went out, holding the fencer whose leg was still dripping with blood.

"What happened?" Luffy asked, getting close to his first mate.

"We felt jolts and a whirlpool formed between two sea beds," Zoro explained, wincing, "You tried to get us back but Usopp got dragged so I went to get him."

"And your leg?" Franky asked him.

"A rock fell on me 'cause of the whirlpool."

"Go to the infirmary," Nami ordered him, "Chopper will take care of you. I'll see where we landed."

It turned out that they weren't so far from their original course and the Log-Pose was pointing out their next destination toward the south. During the meal, Usop showed up again, as well as the swordsman whose wound had been treated. Luffy's air monkey was terrified and he had been howling continuously since the ship had taken off, much to the dismay of the entire crew.

"Luffy, he was really scared," Chopper translated with compassion.

"That's weird, I told him it was over now!" The captain wondered.

"That's enough, you need to release him," Nami chimed in, annoyed.

"But it's my pet!"

"He won't be happy with us," Sanji showed him, "Look at him..."

Luffy watched his monkey who was leaping in all directions, visibly still distraught. He sighed and looked into his eyes. The animal stared at him for long seconds and the straw hat boy believed he could guess his thoughts. "Okay, if that's what you really want, Vanilla-Strawberry."

Nobody made comments about the name the captain had given his monkey and he caught him before taking him outside.

The sniper took the opportunity to tell his embellished underwater adventure under the admiring eyes of the little reindeer. He then took his bag and looked through it. "I found some trinkets before I saw myself die," He grumbled.

"You found the treasure?" The navigator asked, her eyes bright. He handed her crockery and objects with golden gleam. Nami scratched the mold and examined it with interest before sighing. "It must have been part of a much larger treasure. What a shame you didn't take everything..."

"Yeah, don't thank me, I just almost died! And don't count on me to go back there!" The gunner rebelled.

"In any case, the whirlpool must have swept everything away," Robin said, "It's useless to look for it now."

Nami sighed once again but the captain returned at that moment, smiling. "Vanilla-Strawberry flew away with his friends! Hey, we still had fun today!"

Sanji had settled in front of the Sunny for his watch. In fact, it was the navigator's turn but the gentleman cook had gallantly offered to take her place in light of the grueling day they had spent. Nami had thanked him with a bewitching smile and the blond had slowly melted with happiness at her feet.

With the latest twists, the ship was already quiet. Everyone went to sleep quickly after the meal.

The cook suddenly felt a presence behind his back and he turned around. In front of him, Zoro had unsheathed his swords and prepared himself, determined. "Maybe you think I forgot what you did this morning?" He said in a cold voice. "You and I have unfinished business."

Sanji grimaced. Even under water, they had tried to hit one another and it was obviously not the swordsman's injury that prevented him from continuing to fight. "I'm gonna blow your freakin' head off."

The blond had barely enough time to move as he felt the blade brush against his cheek. "It's you who keep picking fights with me!" He fumed in his turn, kicking him.

"I can't stand your stupid lovesick face!"

"Yet you were comfortable with it so far!"

Zoro threw himself at the cook who avoided his swords before launching an attack that grazed the fencer.

"I never liked quitters of your kind!" Zoro spoke again, lowering his sword in front of him.

"Neither did I like morons of yours!"

The uninterrupted blows continued for long minutes. Without the intervention of the navigator, their fight went wild and the accumulated tension of the day finally poured out.

However, despite his fury, the blond soon felt tired by their incessant struggles. They couldn't fight until the end of time because of such a futile argument. He then went away a bit to catch his breath. "Listen, marimo, you need to move on. I love fighting with you but you're overreacting."

"Is that your excuse to duck out?" The swordsman retorted, amused. "Definitely, it really is your thing..."

"Don't get smart, you know very well what I'm talking about," Sanji said, getting annoyed.

Zoro knew but he didn't care. All he could see was that the cook was struggling for two days not to respond to his provocations and he wanted to show him how much he couldn't do without him, no matter what he said. A sneaky idea then emerged in his mind and he lowered his swords, falsely remorseful. "Okay, darts eyebrow, what do you suggest?"

"Why don't we calm down a bit, huh?" The blond began. "We need to breathe."

"Breathe?" The swordsman moved closer, his swords in hand, until he faced the cook at a few inches. He didn't dominate him much in size so he accentuated the weight of his gaze. "You talk about breathing but what we need is to be separated by a hundred miles. Then, I could breathe."

Sanji sighed. "You're exaggerating, we managed to co-exist until then."

"Yeah. Until then."

The swordsman's voice was hoarse and he had fixed an eager gaze on the one of the blond. Sanji was surprised for a second before feeling himself caught by his fierce eyes that never left him. He thought he could read an invitation. He wanted to lean over to get hold of his lips but Zoro stopped him, a victorious smile distorting his features. "Too bad, cook, you've been a nice hobby but I've found better."

Sanji realized the swordsman had once again provoked him to better humiliate him and he flushed with anger. "I'm sick of your fucking ego!"

He pushed him away violently and Zoro crashed into the mast with an insolent laugh. "Are you already caving in with your new resolutions?" The fencer said disdainfully.

The blond straightened his shirt and glared at him. "And what about yours? Hadn't you moved on?

"Of course I have and about that, it seems I have a head start on you," He replied with arrogance.

Sanji rolled his eyes. He was really tired of this whole thing. "What's the point? I tried to be honest with you, I told you what I thought but you didn't like it," He pointed out with a sigh, "Now you can do whatever you want without me annoying you so what's the big deal?"

Zoro stepped closer to look him up and down. They were both serious now and he was going to hurl the truth the blond didn't want to accept. "No matter what you want me to believe, you still want me, cook."

"So what? That never was the problem," Sanji calmly replied.

The swordsman lost his confidence for a second and the cook continued with irritation. "I was sincere with you from the beginning, marimo. I told you it was unknown to me and you never said it was a problem for you!"

"Yeah but I didn't know you'd be such a wuss about it!"

"But what did you expect?" Sanji said, indignant. "That I forget I've spent my whole life being attracted to girls?!"

Zoro moved, suddenly uncomfortable. His convictions were slowly cracking in front of the blond's speech and his real motives hit him hard. Yet he wasn't ready to admit it so easily. "You're afraid of what others will think about you!" He spat contemptuously.

"No, you moron! I'm only afraid to find myself different from what I was the day before every single day!"

The swordsman frowned and Sanji sighed before lighting a cigarette and staring at him. "I always imagined myself surrounded by women! Feeling desire for a man, acting on it and asking for more, that wasn't the plan. What will happen next time? I'll draw a line under All Blue and join the Navy?"

Zoro stared at him, stunned. "You've discovered another side of your personality, it doesn't mean you're gonna turn into someone else!"

"It may be obvious to you but me, I have no clue." The cook leaned against the rail and lost himself in his thoughts among the smoke swirls. The night was almost entirely dark, casting a ghostly shadow on the ship amidst the cold brightness of the stars.

The swordsman stared for a moment at his crewmate and finally put his swords at his waist. He sighed loudly in his turn and moved closer to face him, his face closed. "So what're we gonna do until you sort it out in that idiot head of yours?" He muttered, folding his arms.

Sanji looked up, surprised. "I thought it was clear and you already had made up your mind about that? It's you who have a problem with it. You find my state of mind stupid, I remind you."

Zoro scowled. "It's rather that if you refuse this part of you, I don't see why you'd like to continue."

The blond stared at him for a moment in astonishment. "But I don't refuse it, damn it! I just need time to control what's happening to me! I'm not able to ignore it and shrug by telling myself that I'd find out! I tried but I'm not like that, that's all!"

"So what we did wasn't a problem for you?" The swordsman asked him.

"If I had been gay my whole life and you were a woman, I'd ask myself the same questions. That clears it up for you?"

The fencer nodded slowly and Sanji crushed his cigarette butt into an ashtray. "Anyway, it doesn't change anything for us," He continued, "If we started it, it was to enjoy and keep it casual so you have the right to decide to end it, it makes sense."

Zoro remained still while gazing at the cook. He had felt deeply disappointed by what he had taken for a form of cowardice from the one he was thinking more highly of than he was willing to admit. Because of his volcanic character and his permanent insolence, the swordsman had both the urge to slice him open but also a certain admiration for his will to never flinch before him. His exaggerated resistance got him tired but it was also proof that the blond was sticking to his principles more than anything. Zoro had assumed that Sanji wasn't as reliable and worthy of his respect than he had always thought. He had believed the cook preferred to deny himself rather than accept who he was.

Now that he had understood his reasoning, his anger was dwindling. He could be honest too. "I'm still in."

Sanji frowned, skeptical, before giving him a mocking glance in front of his serious look. "I thought I was easily replaceable?"

The swordsman shrugged. "Probably, but I'm too lazy to look."

The cook smiled indulgently at this half-confession. In the end, they both had changed reality. "Same here," He then admitted.

"I knew it," Zoro said with a satisfied smile.

"No, you didn't. You had no idea," The blond reminded him, "You even congratulated me for my return as a str-"

"Shut up, you idiot cook."

The swordsman brutally grabbed his lips and Sanji found again with delight the feeling of his skin against his own. He hadn't been aware of the lack he was feeling before tonight when Zoro had provoked him. This simple fact was giving him an additional indication: he didn't know if he would be attracted to other men one day but regarding the marimo, it was clear. Perhaps it was because of their rivalry born from their dissimilar personalities but emotions were always devastating in his presence, either way. The cook increased the pressure of his hands and raised them along the back of the fencer. It caused a new wave of passion on Zoro's part since he put his swords down awkwardly a little further to press against him.

Zoro was kissing the blond with voracity. He dragged him against the nearest wall and used his hands to hold him before giving in to the temptation and slipping them feverishly under the half-open shirt. His fingers traveled with delight to the cook's finely muscled chest while he was resisting the urge to tear purely and simply all his clothes off. The wind was blowing gently between them, pleasantly cooling down their already hot skin.

He moved away from his mouth for a moment to catch his breath but didn't stop his strokes and he heard the blond sigh contentedly against his ear. His desire intensified immediately and he got one of his hands down to the manhood of his crewmate whose hips accompanied him in his movement.

He wasn't going to last, he was too aroused. The cook's stifled moans made him crazy and he suddenly stopped his motions to calm them both. Against him, Sanji tried to control the erratic beats of his heart for a few seconds before taking possession of his mouth again. This time was far too short to allow the swordsman to take the pressure off and he let himself get caught up by the tongue of his lover who was wrapping around his own. Before he knew it, the blond's hand had settled around his manhood under his pants and he barely held a grunt of pleasure that Sanji's kiss came to muffle against his lips.

"We should find a quiet place," He whispered to the cook.

"I'd like that but I'm on watch," The cook reminded him, panting.

"Oh?"

"I offered Nami-san to take her turn, she was tired."

"Idiot." The swordsman nodded towards the crow's nest. "From up there, we can do both."

"You sure?" The blond hesitated.

"You'd rather stop?" Zoro asked him, kissing his neck again.

Sanji softly shook his head and the fencer dragged him firmly to the crow's nest with a satisfied smile. As soon as they arrived, he glanced at the wide windows to check that no threat was in sight. Then again, he ran his hands under the cook's shirt. In front of him, Sanji was unbuckling his pants, his eyes feverish.

The fencer swore that he wouldn't have the stupid idea of depriving himself of those exhilarating sensations on his own initiative ever again.

I hope you find the characters realistic.

Nami and Luffy will be back in the next chapter!