Sanji came back from his expedition in much better spirits than Chopper had dared to hope. With him he brought food and a Zoro who looked much happier than he had in the past week and was dragging behind him rather more plastic bags than Sanji himself. The boy seemed extremely proud of having been entrusted with that task, so Chopper refrained from commenting that it seemed a bit unfair.

Zoro dropped his bags on the fine sand beach they'd docked at, and started emptying them as Sanji went straight to the galley to put his own bags away.

"Uh, Zoro," Usopp said from the railing, "I don't think you should do that there. All this goes on the ship."

A hard kick caught the sharpshooter in the head, and within half a second the sharp glare the kid had been sending at Usopp turned into a smug grin.

"No it doesn't," Sanji commented lightly, patting himself for a lighter. "The log pose will take four days to set, so we can relax a little, and I thought we could have dinner on the beach for a change."

"I was only trying to help, no need to hit me!" Usopp half-protested half-whined, rubbing a bump on his head. Sanji barely glanced at him before he easily jumped down on the beach to help Zoro unpack.

"I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to think before you help, then," he commented off-handedly. Then, as an afterthought and with a sharp, meaningful smirk: "Well, it wouldn't hurt as much, at least." The threat in his tone was much more subtle that the previous kick to the head, but from his safe observation spot behind the open door of the galley, Chopper could tell that Usopp got the point.

Seeing that the relationship between Zoro and Sanji seemed to have improved considerably in the last few hours, the reindeer was happy enough with the unspoken order not to interfere between the two of them.

In all honesty, Chopper was growing a bit uncomfortable with the children. From a strictly medical point of view, Devil Fruits and their properties remained a mystery. Logia-type powers were hard to explain away but followed a certain logic, and Chopper had studied his own case enough to understand quite a lot about the Zoan type as well. As for Paramecia types, it really depended. Luffy's case, for example, could be said to work on the same basis as the Logia types in that it probably worked on a molecular level, but there seemed to be no logical explanation to Robin's powers.

Chopper would never dare demand that his disquieting nakama submits to examinations in order to make science take a further step in the understanding of the Devil Fruits, but it didn't mean he didn't think about it. As for what could possibly revert a fully functional adult body back to a younger and arbitrary age, including artificial modifications of the body (all of Zoro's scars had vanished, and Chopper couldn't wait to see if they would reappear when he turned back) and, more importantly, memories, well... he was curious, very much so, and sometimes he caught himself thinking of his friends as study subjects instead of crewmates. He managed not to feel guilty about it by thinking that it was a professional deformation, like Sanji thinking of him as an emergency food supply. It wasn't real. And there were other things to worry about.

Since Usopp had assured him that their memories would come back at the end of the thirty days, Chopper was less worried about the possibility that they wouldn't remember than about their reactions when they did. According to most studied cases of amnesia, when someone regained lost memories after some time, they tended to forget everything that had happened since the loss. In which case Luffy and Zoro would remember being attacked, then waking up on Merry's deck, and nothing would be left of the last month except for a few pictures that Usopp had shown the doctor two days ago under a vow of absolute secrecy.

It might be the best thing that could happen, in the circumstances. Chopper firmly believed that nothing but potential harm to his nakama could sway Luffy, but Zoro's pride would not take well the memory of having clung to Sanji for a whole month. Worse, if his memories got mixed up somehow, he might decide that this was his normal pattern of behaviour. Chopper wasn't sure that Sanji, who was wound rather tight already, would appreciate that.

But at the moment there was no need to worry. Despite the fact that Usopp was very obviously and awkwardly keeping out of Sanji's reach, everyone worked in harmony to prepare the party, and by the time the sun set Luffy's stomach was growling continuously at the delicious smells emanating from the barbecue.

The party lasted long into the night and involved a little bit more alcohol than was really reasonable. Nami, despite the lack of obvious signs of drunkenness, was the first to yawn and declare that she was going to bed. Robin followed soon after, and it was only when Sanji was sure that they were safely tucked in their cabin that he offered, with a sly grin, to give the children their 'first' taste of alcohol.

Chopper didn't think it was a very smart thing to do, but his brain was in a nice fuzzy state at the moment, and he only pointed out that it wouldn't be good for them to get too much of it.

"Of courshe," Sanji slurred, filling a shot glass with apple liquor as the two kids watched with anticipation, "it's jusht a taste." He walked to the log Luffy and Zoro were sharing next to the bonfire. "Captain first," he declared as he gave the glass to Luffy. The boy took it carefully and dipped his lips in the liquid. He grimaced a little, but took another sip, and another, and another until the glass was empty. Then he hiccuped loudly and misjudged the distance between his hand and Sanji's making the glass fall in the sand with a totally unconcerned "woooooops".

It was Zoro who bent down to retrieve the glass, wiped it up, and gave it back to Sanji with an impatient look. The cook grinned, and filled the glass again with rather less care than he had the first time. When he had it in his hands, Zoro looked at it for a long time as if steeling himself for something, then brought it to his face and swallowed everything in one go.

They all watched as he tried to pretend it was nothing while going through various shades of red, until finally he gave up on his pretense of control and started coughing loudly.

Usopp and Chopper shared a glance and burst out laughing. They were slightly drunk themselves and so used to seeing Zoro in perfect control when it came to alcohol, that it seemed incredibly funny that he couldn't take it at the moment. "Oi, guys, that's not nice," Sanji chided, but Chopper thought he was doing a very bad job of hiding his wide grin.

When he was done coughing, Zoro seemed to consider the option of sulking the slight humiliation off, but that was when Usopp offered to play cards again, with the slight drawback that five players were still a bit too much. Wordlessly, Zoro got up and went to sit so close to Sanji that he was almost in his lap. Luffy grinned, and declared that he was with Usopp. Chopper would have felt slightly rejected if he hadn't been half-drunk and rather confident that Little Luffy liked him a lot, and not as prospective food either.

They played and played until the fire died; by that time both children were asleep, Zoro with his head comfortably propped in Sanji's lap and Luffy clutching one of Chopper's legs as he was wont to do every night since they'd started sleeping in the same hammock. Usopp finally declared that he was too tired to go on and plopped down right there on the beach. Chopper collected all the cards and gave them to Sanji to put away safely in a box that was within his reach, then both human pillows laid down and tried to make themselves comfortable without waking up the kids.

Sanji was the first to admit that he tended to be less strict with his work when they were at an island. The last night before the predicted change back, he realized that he'd let too many dirty dishes pile up and wouldn't be able to cook comfortably in the morning if he left things that way. He spent the next few hours cleaning and was in no way surprised when, as he finally climbed down the mast at two in the morning, he found Zoro fast asleep in what he now thought of as their shared hammock.

He stood there for a moment, watching the kid sleep peacefully and somewhat wondering how the next day would change the tentative balance they'd worked out. Then he hung his jacket carefully and tossed his shoes away before climbing in; it required some acrobatic skills as he didn't really want to wake Zoro up, but finally he was settled, and warm and comfortable, and it wasn't long before he fell asleep.

It was the heat that pulled him out of his slumber too few hours later, and the weight at his side that forced him into real awareness of his immediate surroundings. The snores that were sent right into ear were deeper than they'd been, and the arm loosely wrapped around him longer and heavier. Didn't they say thirty days? Sanji wondered hazily. But then, twelve hours more or less really didn't mean much after a month, he supposed.

Zoro had gone back to normal, and it was just Sanji's luck that the bastard had done so in the middle of the night and Sanji's hammock.

The same bastard was also catching up on a month of midnight erections, by the feel of it. Which answered Sanji's unvoiced questions about Zoro's supposed impotence (anyone who was as uninterested in girls as he was had to have a reason for not paying attention), but didn't exactly make the situation more comfortable. While the chances were high that Zoro's hard-on was nothing more than the result of having a warm body next to him and his hormones finally unlocked after a month of nothing, Sanji was feeling the start of a similar reaction that he wouldn't be able to blame solely on the circumstances.

It was way too hot in here anyway; Little Zoro had been warm, but as an adult he was a fucking furnace. It was no wonder that he didn't seem to feel the cold like normal people did. It was for this reason, really, that Sanji didn't really want to fall back asleep and pretend he hadn't noticed that he was now sharing his hammock not with a rather sweet kid but with the stupid swordsman. The question now was how to get rid of him, since kicking was made impossible by the position.

But then, there were two nice things about elbows : they were extremely convenient when the target was too close to kick, and they weren't hands. Zoro's stomach, despite being all rock-hard muscle, made a very nice target.

"THE FUCK?" the moron yelped as he woke up, and threw helpless glances around himself.

"It's the middle of the night, stupid," Sanji hissed, elbowing him again just because he could. "And you're back to normal. Shut up and go away." He was tired, and not really feeling like helping the moron regain his bearings. That was what 'back to normal' meant, and Zoro's tacit permission to be in Sanji's hammock had run out as well.

Not that he wouldn't get it again if he asked, but it didn't take a genius to tell that that wasn't happening any time soon.

Zoro finally got the message, and with a muttered curse and a ripping sound climbed out of the hammock. Curiosity got the better of Sanji's resolution to look away, and he let out a snort. Because of course, they hadn't expected the boys to turn back to adult size so early, and they'd gone to bed with clothes that were turning out to be way too tight. It was a wonder that Zoro had even managed to breathe in that T-shirt, but now that he was moving it was ripping apart, just like the trousers that had once hung loose on his childish hips.

Zoro cursed in annoyance and ripped the remnants of the clothes off, unknowingly giving Sanji a very nice view of how much he'd grown. "Oi, shithead," he barked, his voice somewhat lowered for his crewmates' sake, "clothes?"

"Storage room," Sanji groaned, and turned on his side to clearly indicate that the conversation was over and let me sleep, dumbass, or I'll kick your naked ass and enjoy it much more than you'd be comfortable with.

Zoro walked to the storeroom on automatic pilot mode, not bothered in the slightest by his own nakedness. It was a nice night, and the warm breeze would have felt pleasant on his skin if he'd noticed it. But as it was he stared straight ahead, in a daze, unaware of his surroundings.

There were too many things in his head, too many memories, all jumbled together and he would have to concentrate to make everything make sense again, but that was not what mattered at the moment. Not the mess that was his memory, not the clothes he wasn't wearing or the fact that he'd woken up all snuggled up to the most annoying shithead he'd ever met. Nothing mattered at the moment but the path to the storage room, climbing on the stool to get to the higher shelves and finally getting his hands on the bundle that was a mix of his and Luffy's possessions. He discarded the hat and the carefully folded clothes without even looking at them, and reached for the Wadou Ichimonji. He clutched it with both hands, put his forehead on the hilt, and let out a long, heartfelt string of curses.

He'd forgotten. He'd been so certain that he would never forget. Her, that night, that sword and the reason it was his, the weight behind his determination. It had all been carved too deep in his mind for him to ever believe that he could be rid of the memory, even if he had wanted to.

And he'd gone and fucking forgotten. Wasted a month of his life trying to teach himself to kick (of all things; now he regretted not having really cut off his feet back in Little Garden) instead of striving towards his goal.

Unforgivable.

He spent longer there than he cared to know, naked and on his knees in the storage room, clutching Kuina's sword against him like a lifeline, vowing over and over to himself, to her, to sensei, that he wouldn't forget again, ever, until the tears of shame were dry on his cheeks and the words he was whispering made no sense to him anymore.

When he felt a bit calmer he rose, got dressed and attached the three swords back where they belonged. The pendants weren't that important really, but he reached to touch them all the same, and felt a little better when they clinked against each other.

Only then did he remember his current allegiance, and he grabbed Luffy's things before sliding back down in the bunk room. As expected, his captain had turned back as well, but that wasn't stopping him from using Chopper as some sort of breathing fluffy plushie. It brought an indulgent smile on Zoro's lips as he put the clothes on the deserted couch and the straw hat on top of them, immediately in sight of anyone going from the hammocks to the stepladder.

It was so early in the morning that it was still night really, still time to make himself a comfortable sleeping spot on the ground, but at the moment he felt like he didn't deserve to sleep ever again, and if he did he'd have to face her, and he wasn't quite ready for that either. So he went back to the storage room, spent the next five minutes dragging all his weights onto the stern deck, and started catching up on thirty days of neglected training.

Sanji was leaning on the railing, slowly smoking a cigarette as a personal reward for a job (preparing breakfast before a now adult and famished Luffy awoke) well done when from the corner of his eye he saw Usopp sliding down the mast. It was uncharacteristically early for the long-nose to be up when he wasn't on watch (and the nice thing with being docked at an island was that watch duty was temporarily suspended), but apparently there had been some kind of repairs to do in the crow's nest.

"Marines!" Usopp told him when he was safely back on the deck. "They've caught up to us! Three ships-"

Sanji ignored the details as he pulled contentedly on his cigarette for a moment. Merry had been properly docked and wasn't immediately recognizable from a long distance, and all he could see at the moment was a big black dot at the horizon. There was time to consider. Ah, Marines. Always in the right place at the right time.

Too fucking bad for them. He hated doing the swordsman a favor, but three ships were just what they needed at the moment.

"The seaweed-head is on the stern deck," he told Usopp who was halfway through the process of talking himself into a panic. "Go tell him the good news. I'll get Luffy."

Usopp blinked at him. "I understand you want them to see the great role model you are in action," he said with exaggerated care,obviously not wanting to get kicked again, "but is it really worth waking them up? It could get nasty, and we don't really-"

"They turned back in the middle of the night," Sanji answered, rolling his eyes. For a moment Usopp seemed about to say something, then he spotted Sanji's expression and decided that maybe his smart comment would be better left for a more appropriate time - like whenever the cook wasn't looking at him like cold-blooded murder was a perfectly acceptable answer to smart comments.

When Sanji got to Chopper's hammock, he was mildly impressed that the reindeer was still breathing, considering how tightly Luffy was clutching him. The drool that came steadily out of Luffy's mouth and was dripping on Chopper's face couldn't be that comfortable either, but somehow the doctor was still sleeping. They made a rather cute tableau and he hated to spoil their sleep with news of an attack, but it was probably better to get rid of the Marines as long as they were far away and hadn't had time to tell their Headquarters of the location of the Straw Hat pirates.

While he wasn't quite as bad as Zoro, waking Luffy up was always something of a trial, but thankfully Sanji had found out the best method early on. He bent down slightly. "If you don't wake up now all the meat will be gone," he whispered in Luffy's ear, and pulled back immediately after, only narrowly avoiding the brutal uprising of his captain's head.

"SAVE ME SOME MEAT!" Luffy shouted. Chopper, woken as much by the movement as the noise, winced, and was about to say something when Luffy's eyes widened and his mouth made a silent 'oh' for a second, then-

"Hathathathathathathathathatwheresmyhat?"

Sanji sighed and wordlessly pointed towards the couch, where Luffy's hat and clothes had somehow migrated during the night. He had no doubt who was to blame (or thank, maybe) for that, but stopped the thought before he could think that Zoro's loyalty to Luffy was, well, cute. He'd been using the word way too much these past weeks, even if it was only in his mind.

Only when the straw hat was back where it belonged did Luffy notice that the clothes he was wearing were rather tight, and he looked curiously between Sanji and Chopper.

"What..." he said, a tight look of concentration on his face. Then realization came. "Oh! I remember! But it's all confused..." Sanji sighed. He didn't want to waste time with recollection at the moment.

"Luffy. Marines outside. Then breakfast. Then thinking."

His captain seemed to agree.