Peeling Off the Layers Until You're You (a One Piece Fanfiction) by Seth's Kiss:
A/N: Hi there! I'm Seth's Kiss and I have been writing here for a bit more than three-ish years now. Two things that you should preferably know about me. I adore Manga and Anime series more than life itself, hence most of my writings are about them; and most (not all, but most) of my fics are of a dark nature, because it's a lot easier for me than writing anything too schmaltzy. But, I do have my moments. Anything else you wish to know about me, just check my profile out, or PM me :) Fear nothing, for I cannot bite you via the Internet. So, until I figure out how, you're safe. ...That turned creepy real fast *clears throat* Uncanniness aside, on with the fic!
Warnings: This fanfiction will be rated M, 'cause what I write is not for the underage realm (and like NO way am I taking the risk of rating lower and any of you seeing my other fics, only to be shocked by the DARK content I typically write and favour by this point). Though in all seriousness, this fic won't have anything too drastic (as in no violence, no blood, or stuff like that). Hints of BL/Yaoi if you squint, otherwise you can shrug the whole thing off as a bromance (which is what I'm attempting to aim for actually). Also, I'm not fond of writing with cuss words, yet do expect to find one or two, here and there within the fic (especially from characters who are known to have a rather crude tongue, aka Sanji or Zoro for example). Again, if these themes or anything else doesn't appeal to you, either because it offends you or you are still underage, please, do NOT read... Thank you for your consideration.
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or its characters (they all belong to the amazing Eiichiro Oda-sensei). I do own everything else however (just plot, ideas and stuff) which all comes from my eccentric and endless imagination (I honestly wish there was an off-button at times). I'd like to apologize beforehand if the characters are in any way O.O.C, so do let me know when you believe they are. I mean, I try as hard as I can to keep them in character (as we all attempt to do as fanfic writers), but I tend to let my writing take over my imagination at times.
Official Summary: Canon Divergent. Sanji never came back to the crew after the two years of separation, so Luffy sends Zoro to find him. The swordsman does eventually find him, but no longer as the Sanji that the Mugiwara once knew. Rated M for reason. Full warnings inside. Proceed with caution.
Note: If I were to give a timeline for this, let's say it is right before the Fishermen Island Arc.
Chapter 1: Missing
In the heart of the vast seas and alone on a small boat, Roronoa Zoro was scowling, infuriated beyond belief and mentally cursing a certain blond with every single swearword he knew of.
And why was our dear green-haired swordsman in such a state, as well as in such a situation? Well, it all began when the aforementioned blond, never made it to the crew's grand reunion...
Heck, even Zoro was - as all the others would often nag on and on and ON about - 'direction-retarded', and he made it to the rendezvous point. Yet, in all hindsight and honesty - but Zoro would never admit it, not out loud anyway - he probably wouldn't have, had he not gotten a sliver of help from that one annoying, little ghost girl.
Regardless, not only did the swordsman make it before the scheduled date, but before anyone else from the crew had steadily disembarked on the Sabaody Archipelago, one after the other. All of them, but the cook.
At first, the crew, unworried, had brushed it off, thinking that he was just running a little late. Probably, because he was buying supplies to concoct them the finest of meals as they sailed. Or declaring his undying love to every single woman, beautiful or just pretty, he came across. Either way, it was totally like Sanji to do one or the other. Or both.
But, when they could no longer delay their departure, with the Marines hot on their heels - prompting them to set sail in haste - then they began to truly worry about their absent nakama.
Why wasn't Sanji with them yet? Where was he? ...God forbid, did something happen to him?
After arising questions, came the theories...Which were all totally absurd. Or just implausible.
Franky suggested that Sanji decided to venture off on his own, going solo, which would more than likely allow him to attain his dream of finding All Blue, much quicker - given that their captain's need to deviate from their actual itineraries tended to slow things down. By a lot.
Only, this was fiercely denied by Luffy, Nami and Usopp - three out of the five original crew members - saying that their near impossible dreams was what kept them together, for so long.
Chopper then frightfully put forward that Sanji, maybe fell severely ill to an incurable disease.
That was swiftly waved off by the members of the crew who knew, without a doubt, that none of the guys even knew the meaning of being sick - if Vivi were here, she would confirm it too.
Robin came up with the idea that Sanji finally got married...and then his young, gorgeous wife then stabbed him to death on their honeymoon, laughing manically in his face as she did so...
Needless to say, everyone was horrified by her usual, ghastly imagination - except Luffy, who couldn't help but burst out laughing - and were quick, and eager, to cross out that hypothesis.
Nami then imagined that Sanji decided to tranquilly settle down, and open his own restaurant somewhere, following in his adoptive father-figure's footsteps.
They then concluded that, even if it were the case, he wouldn't dream of leaving the two girls behind 'alone' to fend for themselves - in spite of them being quite able and capable to do so.
Brook, not knowing the crew all too well, given he was the last to join, could only suggest that the Marine somehow got a hold of their one and only cook.
That suggestion was immediately disagreed with by everyone else. Very unlikely. If anything, Sanji would probably be the last one amongst them to ever get himself captured. By anyone.
As for poor Usopp, he was told - made - to keep quiet before he could even open his mouth. Everyone was pretty certain that their ideas were already crazy and far-fetched enough as it was, so they didn't need to also hear one from the expert liar with a never-ending imagination.
And Luffy honestly couldn't come up with anything, since overthinking tended to make him inaner than usual. The Mugiwara captain could literally only state reasons for Sanji not being able not to come and join them, such as him being able to fight - so he could defend himself; to cook - so no chances of him starving...etc.
And Zoro just honestly didn't care that much to come up with a theory, shrugging the others off as they protested that he wasn't even trying. He truly was NOT trying. Nor did he want to.
After a while, they all eventually came to the conclusion that no amount of talking was getting them anywhere, as Sanji had yet to magically appear out of thin air.
Given that Sanji was Sanji, he would be with them. ...Unless, if something very bad happened.
It was then that their captain decided they wouldn't continue their journey any further - hence putting on hiatus their 'trip' to the Fishermen Island down below - if they weren't all together.
Understandable.
He then added that, not only were they family, nakama - a very heart-warming and touching thing to hear from their beloved captain - but they would also most likely starve without Sanji.
Not that likely, but if they ended up far from land for a while and Nami decided to make them pay in order for her to cook at all, then their captain had a point there - the glint of gold and berry that shone in her eyes as that fact was brought up literally said it all.
Also, Luffy declared that they'd sail in the area or preferably stay hidden on the next, nearest island, as to keep out of the marine's reach, whereas one of them went out to search for Sanji.
Acceptable.
HOWEVER.
When every single head on the Sunny's deck turned towards Zoro and stared at him intently, he STOPPED agreeing with them.
With strong refutation, the green-haired swordsman VEHEMENTLY voted against the idea. But, regrettably, no one sided with him on this. And here were their reasons each as to why, long story short, he was the best choice for this.
If Robin went, she would be far more preoccupied with keeping a low profile, which wasn't all too helpful when on a scout mission.
If Franky went, no one else would be able to patch up the Sunny Go like he could if anything were to happen to it. And no, Usopp was SO done having to deal with that.
If Brook went, he would most certainly draw too much attention to himself, given that he was now known worldwide as the Soul King and all.
If Chopper went... Well, Robin made it pretty loud and clear that he wasn't going anywhere, and no one wished nor dared to argue with her on that. Not even the little reindeer himself.
If Usopp went, he outright wouldn't succeed. Or just wouldn't make it back. At least, that was his excuse, his 'chronic disease' flaring up again at the mere idea of being out there, all alone.
If Nami went, she admitted herself it'd be likely that she'll get kidnapped, for she was a 'poor frail damsel, constantly in distress', earning a few unconvinced looks as she said those words.
And if Luffy went, there was a pretty high possibility that he'd go and bring all their enemies back along with him. ...Simply saying.
And when Zoro - still strongly in disagreement and desperate to find a way out of the situation being imposed upon him - argued that he might get lost or something. A last resort.
To which the others instantly countered with the fact that he himself was always denying that he lacked a sense of direction. So, everything should be and go perfectly fine for him, right?
...Well, shoot. There went that.
Thus here he was, nearly a whole week later, sailing out to find Sanji. And steadily closing in.
Rather than state that he was a level-headed person - which he was most certainly not - Zoro was actually someone who would attempt to remain as cool and composed as possible, giving in to irritation, annoyance and even anger at the very last minute.
But right now, he was angry. Suuuuper angry. Hopping mad. Fuming livid even. SEETHING.
To be honest, the idiot cook should NOT and should NEVER be his problem. Sanji already was a problem as it was - what being a complete buffoon - and to make it his was pushing it. In all perspective, the swordsman should not be doing this. Not. At. ALL.
Why should he? He and Sanji never got along. Why would now be any different from before? How the heck did Luffy and the others think this, was a good idea? And what the hell made them think that Sanji would follow or even listen to Zoro? Did the crew expect that blond dolt to go 'Oh, hey, Zoro. You came to pick me up? Swell of you, man. Let's roll,' that easily? With him of all people? That'd be the day. Or the end of the world. Or one of them. ...Or both.
Redirecting the sails a little to follow the gentle flow of the wind, the swordsman then settled down again, cautiously eyeing the log-post for the umpteenth time, but doing it begrudgingly.
Nami had been screaming his ears off, engraining forcefully in his head, for hours on end, to attentively follow the device and the device ONLY...and not some cloud or fish. Or something.
Gently kicking the image of their screeching navigator right out of his mind, Zoro noted that, by the looks of it, he actually wasn't that far away from his destination now.
As if to confirm that, just a few moments later, Zoro could make out an island in the distance, appearing through the thinning mist, which according to the Shichibukai, Kuma - the culprit behind their accursed separation in the first place - was the place was where Sanji was sent to.
Momoiro Island, it was called. And that was about all the green-swordsman knew about it, given that he, Robin, Usopp and Nami had attempted a little research before he had to leave. And the four found close to nothing, apart from its coordinates.
Upon first glance, and this from afar already, the island seemed totally and entirely ridiculous.
Pink pebbles, pink plants, pink animals, it was like every single Disney Princess' dream place. Shaped mostly by hearts, from the shells on the beach to the fruits in the trees, with pink and other bright, gaudy and girlish colours all over the freaking place, the not-so-large island truly looked like something straight out of My Little Pony - and Zoro was being pretty 'polite' here.
Many moments later, after touching ground and finally setting foot on solid soil for the first time in seven days, Zoro carefully, sharply looked around, wondering where the hell to begin.
As disorientating and very strong, sickly fragrant aromas of cloying perfume saturated the air, he had to hurriedly wrap his faithful, black bandana over his nose and mouth, as he warily ventured forwards, walking along a road of dust pink sand and rich rainbow-coloured pebbles.
Eventually, after ambling around for what felt like hours, the green-haired swordsman, upon seeing that he wasn't getting anywhere with searching on his own, opted to ask for directions. And no less than seconds later, quite conveniently, he happened upon the pathway of a house.
There it stood, eccentric and by its lonesome, surrounded by hedges and hedges of tangerines. And with but a few additional steps, the swordsman could make out some pretty distinctive and much more soothing smells, such as coffee beans from bushes here and there, sweet yet discreet aromas like roses and so many other flowers he wouldn't be able to name by himself.
If Zoro didn't know better, this quaint place felt almost...very familiar. And somewhat homey, immensely reminding him of the atmosphere on the Sunny Go for some reason...
Shaking off that odd impression for now, he weighed his options, before eventually choosing to go knock at the door and ask whoever lived there if they'd know who and where Sanji was.
Zoro was not going to waste his time wandering around hunting for that damned, idiot cook. The quicker he got this over with, the better.
Now standing upon the doorstep, the green-haired swordsman, readjusting both his cape and hood (the weather had a slight breeze to it), was about to rap his knuckles against the pink wood, when the door was suddenly thrown open, the resident apparently right on the verge of walking out, who stopped there and then at the sight of a complete stranger on their doorstep.
Pausing as their eyes met, Zoro slowly took in the other's appearance, stilling at what he saw.
Roughly about his age, if he guessed it right, a young woman stood there, clad in a red blouse over a pink, short-hemmed dress, revealing long and lean, but somewhat strong, smooth legs, finishing in polished, bright red, high-heeled Mary Jane's at her feet.
Other than her outfit, Zoro noticed that she owned sweetly, sun-kissed skin and rather lengthy, golden blonde hair, cascading down past her shoulders in heavy and generously curled locks.
She also had some pretty thick make-up, as if she was attempting to hide something about her original features, with dark red to luscious lips and misty eye-shadow framing her long lashes.
She literally looked like an adult version of Goldie Locks, jutting straight from the book itself.
As Zoro kept on staring at the young woman who appeared to be petrified at the sight of him, his initial thought was that she was rather pretty...
Until he sharply realized that the person who stood in front of him...looked awfully like a certain someone. And this because of just one key feature he hadn't bothered to notice earlier.
A single ridiculously curled eyebrow - since the other eye was hidden, beneath golden bangs.
...NO FREAKING WAY.
However, before Zoro could even open his mouth to express the incredulous shock he was in, he became well acquainted with a large frying pan, bashing ahead and straight into his face. And just like that, the totally unsuspecting - and still relatively shocked - swordsman was sent flying high, in a perfect mid-air summersault of dissonant grandeur, before he came crashing down in a graceless heap in the nearby bushes, dust and leaves soaring all over upon impact.
For a moment, nothing occurred, birds chirping away happily as the rest of the world was still.
Readjusting their firm hold on the pan, the golden blonde slowly, very cautiously made their way over to the messed-up shrubs, before peering ever so carefully to see-
The other male already seated there, glaring the darkest of daggers at the blonde, leading the latter to shudder, go still and then: "KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!"
"THE FUCKIN' HELL ARE YOU SCREAMING LIKE A FREAKIN' WOMAN, COOK?!"
Apparently, while Zoro had recognized him a moment earlier, 'Sanji' hadn't. Hence the whole pan-in-the-face story - why yes, this blonde person here was justifying themselves.
It was only when the swordsman spoke up - or rather shouted bloody murder - that the golden-haired paused, scream dying swiftly in his throat as his eye went so much wider than wide, a gaze of blue flickering repeatedly between the other's earrings and the three swords at his hip.
"Z-Z-Zoro? Is that really you?"
With the swordsman giving him a look that could only be translated as 'are you kidding me', Sanji, lowering his arms, then genuinely looked just as flabbergasted as he seemed flustered: "How did-? Why are you here? Nope, scratch that. Why are you dressed like some killer ninja, hood, cape and all, huh?!"
"That's beside the point," grumbled Zoro as he snatched both the bandana off from his face and rid himself of his hood "Why the fucking hell are you dressed like- Like a- Like THAT?!"
Because 'THAT' was the only way he found he was able to describe the other's...appearance. What Zoro was seeing was surreal. Impossible. Nonsensical. It didn't make ANY sense at all. Sanji was a man, a ladies' man...right?
And then, before he could reign it in, Zoro's temper snapped, a series of veins popping across his forehead: "I CAME ALL THE WAY HERE, WITH THE OTHERS EXPECTING THE WORST AS TO WHY THE FREAKING HELL YOU DIDN'T COME TO MEET US ALL IN THE FIRST PLACE, TO FIND...THIS?! GET YOUR FUCKING ASS MOVING, NOW!"
"Ano, ano. Chot~to, Sanji-poo~! Is this handsome, hunk of a fellow bothering you, darling~?"
Zoro's eyes flew wide open as his thoughts came to a loud screeching halt. ...Sanji-POO?!
Both young men snapped towards the voice that had addressed the maybe-Sanji, only for them to see an actual horde of burly-looking women- Hold it. No. It was burly men, also in dresses. The swordsman stared, dumbfounded. What the ever-loving-hell was going onin this place?!
And as if Zoro wasn't stunned enough, nothing would have readied him for the next moment.
Facing the advancing mob with a flashy twirl, Sanji shone a wide, glamorous smile at them, batting his thick, long eyelashes as he put his pinkie to his lip and struck a flamboyant pose: "Why no, honey, but thank youuuuuuu~! I'm fine, really."
Zoro blinked, quite staggered. What the hell was wrong with the cook?! Had he lost his mind? ...That HAD to be it.
"Did-?" started the green-haired male as he stared, jaw dropping with every passing second "Did you just- flirt? With a fucking dude? In a dress?!"
There was so much wrong in that one simple sentence, Zoro didn't even know where to begin.
Sanji? SANJI?! Who would continually profess his undying love to every woman he'd meet, and resort to murder whenever a guy would praise him or just look at him funny, was all of a sudden not only dressed as a woman, but also flirting with men? Was the world about to end?!
When the blond male pointedly ignored him in favour of the others, Zoro opened his mouth to speak again, but was hurriedly kept mute by Sanji with a dainty hand settling upon his lips, effectively shushing him. More so by shock than the gesture in itself however.
"You sure, dearie~?" inquired one of the glammed-up individuals, trying to peer at the swordsman from over the cook's shoulder.
But Sanji stood taller in front of Zoro then, blocking him from their view, tone still sugary, but gaze turned threatening, spelling out a warning: "Yes~! You're SUCH dears. Tea, later?"
"Of course~!" the group all chimed in together, before letting out an odd, pitched laugh which Sanji was quick to imitate, smoothly having the EXACT same one.
Zoro really had no way to accurately describe it, other than it sounded like they were laughing like incredibly posh women would, with a dainty hand held to their mouths, pinkie held out. Again, what on earth was happening here?
The group left then, waving at Sanji as they did, who returned the gesture with exuberant elegance, waiting until they all vanished out of sight, before snapping his head towards Zoro.
"You saw nothing," muttered Sanji warningly, features losing all the niceties from just before.
"I hope not. Wait. Is this some sort of...foreign training, specific to this island? And the...these over-the-top garments you wear here, are some dress code? Like...belts are in martial arts? Following that logic, then...a plain dress is a white belt, and the full-on glam is the black belt? Why the ever-loving heck am I even MAKING this analogy? I've got bleach my brain now..."
Clicking his tongue, somewhat amused by the meltdown the other male seemed to be having, Sanji then sassed haughtily, along with a hair flip: "Didn't know you had a brain- Ow! HEY!"
"Payback," grinned Zoro, dangerously irate now as he clenched the fist he had just used to punch the other in the side "Plus, you're no girl so I'm still hitting you."
"As long as you don't hit on me, darling~" cooed the blond with a saucy wink, before Sanji's jaw dropped there and then, realizing with whom he had just openly and blatantly flirted with, in that tone of voice to top it all 'Oh Heavens above, kill me now.'
Blushing dark red in absolute mortification, the blond all of a sudden really felt like crawling into a hole, burying himself six feet under, and just disappear, and die, and-
Luckily, Zoro ignored it, either choosing not to comment on it at all or just simply acted like it never happened, getting back to business now he had found who he had been sent to look for: "Come on, Pervy Cook, let's roll."
Sanji blanched then, backing away: "Wha-? NO. I am not rolling anywhere. Leave me alon-"
"And I'm so not taking your bullshit, Cook."
"Wha-?!"
Before he could retort or even register the other's intentions, Sanji found himself hoisted over Zoro's shoulder like he weighed nothing. And so he furiously began banging on Zoro's back, legs kicking out rather uselessly in the air.
"HEY! BAKA, BRUTE OF A MARIMO! Put. Me. DOWN! RIGHT NOW, MARIMO!"
"Nope," responded the swordsman simply, but with amusement to his tone, as he walked on, paying the other no heed.
Sanji glared dark murder. The damned direction-retard was enjoying this, eh? Having fun, eh?
"Just-! Listen to me! Just wait a minute! ZORO! I CAN'T-!"
That however made Zoro stop, instantly halting in his tracks with a fairly unsettled frown at the high desperation in Sanji's voice.
"...I can't go back."
Weird-ed out, and a bit worried, by how distressed and just...defeated Sanji suddenly sounded, Zoro glanced the other's way, but couldn't see the blond's face underneath all that extra hair. But he did catch sight of Sanji's shoulders trembling, like his bones were about come undone.
Oh, hell no. He wasn't-? Was he-? Was Sanji CRYING?
"Oi, oi, Shitty Cook. Cut the shit out," snapped Zoro, looking away awkwardly "If I go back empty-handed, imagine what Luffy's gonna say, huh? 'Eh? No Sanji?! NO! SANJI! FOOD!'"
When nothing but silence met him, the swordsman attempted a glance at the other only to find Sanji already staring at him. There was deep dread in the latter male's blue eyes, but no tears. "...Did you pass these last two years working on impressions?" he drawled out dryly "Oh, so you've been training as a clown? Must have been so easy for you, since you already are one."
Zoro saw blood red - and here he was actually concerned about the other. Well, screw that. Nobody mocked his training. It was serious business, damn it.
Tossing him onto the ground tactlessly, Zoro's ire flared as he pointed at Sanji with vigour: "I'm gonna KILL you!"
"Ow! Such a bloody brute," hissed Sanji as he rubbed at the soreness now present within his backside, before fixed his rumpled dress and glared "I'll have you know, I'm NOT a sack of potatoes!"
"You cook them, don't you?"
"...WHERE is the bloody connection?" deadpanned Sanji, before he grimaced and shuddered, rolling his eyes and looking away "Ugh, so empty-handed was it? What am I - some object? Bleh, such an ugly thing to suggest."
"Speak normally, would you?"
"Oh, dear me. I do apologize. Let me that amend that then. Such a SHITTY thing to suggest."
Zoro narrowed his gaze, irritated: "Tch. I really, really fucking hate you right now for making this difficult."
That had honestly not been what Sanji had assumed or had been expecting Zoro to say when the 'I fucking hate you right now' sprung and jutted from his mouth. Like a scalding weapon.
So Sanji quickly masked his surprise by using sarcasm. Misplaced sarcasm. Which he realized too late, having spoken them already: "I'm not surprised. You don't like anyone but yourself."
That seemed to surprise Zoro, as evident by his stunned features: "Is that what you believe?"
Rather than reply, the cook looked away, biting his lip. No, it wasn't. And Sanji knew better.
Zoro cared, more than he'd ever care to admit, true, but he did care. Sometimes, all too much.
Sanji's mood unexpectedly dimmed then, a twinge of sadness along with hints of deep regret touching his features. And suddenly, he was on Thriller Bark once more. He could only shudder in horror.
Once again made uncomfortable by the other male's air of distress, Zoro made an attempt at lightening the mood, or at least try to change the subject: "So, the ladies' man is now a lady?"
Sanji gave him a long look after that, and Zoro couldn't understand why, mentally going over what he could have said wrong.
"Out of everyone I know, I never would have thought you'd use the word 'lady'," eventually said Sanji with an air and tone of disbelief, leading the swordsman to break into a smug smirk.
"There's a lot you don't know about me."
"...I guess," laughed the blond mirthlessly, before he let out a quiet sigh "I'll be very clear, Moss-head. I am NOT going back to the crew. Please, apologize to Luffy and everyone else-"
"Do it yourself. Because I'm going to bring you back, no matter what."
Sanji's eyes narrowed as he stood up and took a step back, chin out defiantly: "You can try."
"Watch me," challenged Zoro with a grin, crossing his arms but respecting the other male's need for distance "You WILL be sailing out of here with me, in a week. You hear me, Cook?"
"Such a fucking stubborn bastard you are, huh?" groaned Sanji as he let his face fall into his hands, before he went silent, clearly pondering over this unfair trouble Zoro was causing him.
It wasn't the swordsman's fault per se, so Sanji didn't feel it right blaming him - it would just be the easy way out of a dilemma he and he alone was facing at the moment. It wasn't even a dilemma to be honest, at least not here on this island. But it would become one should Sanji return to his crew. If Zoro's reaction was any indication. What would the others say? Think? He didn't want to know, or try and risk it. Even it meant never seeing any of them ever again.
However Zoro was not the type of person to give up as easily. Or go back on his word. Never. His captain had asked him to bring back Sanji and that was exactly what he would do, come hell or high water. Which the cook didn't condemn at all - had Luffy asked the same of him, he would have carried out their captain's orders in a heartbeat...
So, Zoro wouldn't back down. That much was clear. But Sanji refused to go back. No way. He couldn't. Hence, here they both were, at a standstill. What to do? What to do? ...Oh. Idea.
"Fine," voiced Sanji then, smiling wide and beaming bright with sudden confidence "I'll play your game. Seven days, Roronoa Zoro-san. Let's see you attempt to convince me. And fail. You lose, I'll stay. But if you come up with a convincing argument, I'll relent and tag along."
Zoro blinked, before his grin widened: "Heh, challenge accepted. Bring it on, Blondie Locks."
To be continued...
A/N: Ta-da! Gosh, I am literally laughing my head off right now! I've legit always wanted to read a fic like this one, and yet, no matter how hard I searched, I haven't found any. LE SIGH.
Truth to be told, if Sanji had never read about Ace dying (right in front of Luffy's eyes might I add...I'm going to cry now), he'd still be under whatever influence that transformed him into one of the Newkama in the first place (which was SO interesting, btw, I adored seeing Sanji, of all people, being that way). So I went like 'Whoa. Ok. But that would mean he would have never gone back to the crew, right? ...Then what?'
What then indeed, gave me the brilliant idea of having lovely Luffy send our dear handsome, direction-retarded Zoro searching for Sanji (yeah, I ship them...don't you?). In addition to the cover picked for this fic, I thought it was a pretty wicked and grand idea. Like why not, right?
Now, as stated in the Author's Notes above, I'm more into the dark genre, but if this fic ever does have a continuation, it'll remain just as light-hearted - with maybe a bit of DRAMA to it.
Please feel free to check out my other fics (if you dare or if you can bear them, do beware). Again, my writing IS mostly dark, though you might find several few 'sweet' fics like this one (I mean, we kind of do need a break every now and then, I guess).
Furthermore, please do not hesitate to send PMs to forward me any questions you might have. Thank you for giving this fic a little of your time. Stay safe and healthy, ya'll. Until next time!