Peeling Off the Layers, Until You're You (a One Piece Fanfiction) by Seth's Kiss:
A/N: Hello again, I'm back, YAY! I'm not going to complain too much, but I will say that lately my life has been one big, hectic mess, so, yeaaah. Not fun, at all T-T Anyways, as promised, I wrote this little what if epilogue, yeah? That's really all I have to say about it, honestly XD Thank you all for sticking around till now, hope you liked this fic! Much love, stay awesome, please stay safe and take care! Bella Ciao!
Note: Side note, I don't know if I said this, but while I'm very open to shipping and pairings, when it comes ZoSan or SanZo especially, I do prefer the bromance between these two than there being any romance. A personal preference, is all. I do like the whole ambiguity of it though. Is it one or the other? Who knows? X3
Epilogue: Honestly, I Truly Think Neither
3 months later.
Over the calm, beautiful blue seas sailed a Marine's galleon, vast and intimidatingly majestic, as it cruised on forwards, its crew set on a course, on a hunt, the solider within the crow's nest squinting against the breeze and sunlight.
Their searching had proven more or less fruitless, given how elusive the Mugiwara could be. Not to mention how insanely fortune this pirate crew was in general. Was it some divine intervention? Or was it devil's luck?
Speaking of the devil, actually, as if they had been summoned, the barrelman caught sight of a superb ship in the distance. Such a shame that it was one cruised by a filthy bunch of pirates...
"ENEMY SHIP SIGHTED! CAPTAIN, THEY'RE RIGHT THERE, STARBOARD SIDE!"
"THE MUGIWARA PIRATES ARE HERE! FINALLY! LET US GO, MEN! READY, ARMS! THREE, TWO, O-!"
"ONE!"
A gigantic explosion was quick to follow that joyful, gleeful shout, as the Marines' deck was all of a sudden hit dead centre, with the crashing force of a cannonball, the wooden surface splintering in cracks like an earthquake.
The Marines, superiors and soldiers alike, were all sent into a wave of startled and confused frenzy, shouting and running about, some grabbing weapons, others grappling for grip as their ship rocked cruelly back and forth on the very still waters. What the devil had just happened?!
As the dirt and the debris from the commotion settled, the Marines squinted their eyes against the clouds of dust, only to see nine figures emerging from them, carrying weight in their step. The Mugiwara Crew, in all the glory.
"CHARGE!" bellowed the Captain at the top of his voice, boosting his men's deteriorating moral at sight of the Mugiwara, prompting them all to run at the pirates, weapons at the ready.
The deck soon descended into absolute chaos, dust rising up higher again, as gunshots fired, blades clanged cruelly against each other, yells became louder and louder, deafening, roaring. Lightening descended from a clear, blue sky, gigantic robots emerged from the sea, immense hands bloomed from nothing and crashing down brutally, and vines sprouting out of nowhere. It was full-on out pandemonium. And the marines were not winning. At all.
One of the soldiers found himself fighting against a blonde woman with very thick make-up, high heels and in a flowery, pink dress, kicking away at him with fine precision and strength. The Marine tried his best to evade her, not exactly wanting to hit back. This was a woman – he had no clue who she was though, he hadn't seen any wanted posters for a blonde woman. Pirate or not, he had principles. He was a man of justice after all. And it wasn't just to hit a w-
"You gonna fight back or what? Don't fuckin' waste my time, bastard!"
The Marine's brain froze. That voice had come from her. But that, was not a woman's voice. What.
"Wait. The hell?! You a woman or a man?!"
Blinking his long lashes, Sanji pursed his red-coated lips thoughtfully, before setting a hand upon a jutted hip, and tilting his head, with a wide, smug smile, coated with fake sweetness: "Honestly? Truly think I'm neither."
"The fuck? That's messed up."
Rolling his eyes, Sanji was about to walk away, but upon, catching the blatant confusion, and disgust, on the Marine's features, the blond grit his teeth, swirled on his heels and kicked the other, square in his judgmental face: "And what's it to ya, huh?! Shitty bastard! FUCK OFF!"
Sanji sent the man crashing face first into the desk, sweeping several other Marines along the way, before sending himself and his fellow soldiers flying off into the ocean like small stones.
Huffing in irritation, Sanji slammed down his high heel on the wooden floor, flipping his hair. Really, the nerve of some. How absolutely rude.
"You're doing great, honey!" called out Nami cheerily as she came up running towards him, leaving a quick peck upon his cheek as she reached him, before very quickly, swiftly ducking out of the way of those chasing after her, armed to the teeth.
"Thank you, Nami-swaaaaaan!" cooed Sanji, all sparkles, hearts and glitter, before his aura was deadly and dim the next, raising his leg up high as he held out a hand for Nami to take "Mind your head, darlin'!"
Right as she heeded his lead, grabbing his hand, drawing near to him and stooping down low, Sanji sent a large sweeping kick, ridding Nami of all her pursuers. All, except one Marine, who had the quick incentive to drop down, exactly when Sanji attacked.
But the soldier was way too close. And Sanji, still mid-attack, was wearing a bloody dress. And the man glanced up under, breathing heavily.
The bleeding pervert didn't get to even peek, what with a punch aimed straight at his face, nose breaking as Zoro pummelled the guy with righteous fury, a dangerous glint in his eye, as he grinned with violence: "It ain't gentlemanly to look up a lady's skirt."
Sanji blinked, staring wide-eyed at the swordsman, temporarily distracted as Nami patted him. Snapping his attention to her, she smiled and winked at him, before wagging her eyebrows, and then sauntering off to re-join the battle.
Tucking stray hair behind one of his ears, Sanji slowly redirected his focus on Zoro, who had by now finished his righteous punching, and was wiping off the blood messily on his trousers. Completely unbothered, the swordsman locked eyes with the cook then, arching an eyebrow: "Yeah?"
"Thought you didn't know anythin' about bein' a gentleman, Marimo Bastard," uttered Sanji with a light, playful tone, before he smiled with coy levity "Full of surprises, aren't ya, hm?"
Zoro's only response was to merely smirk and shrug, brushing it off lightly. Turning away, the swordsman was about to head back to battle, when Sanji lunged forwards to grab his hand, keeping him from leaving.
Locking dark eyes with the blonde's blue ones, Zoro arched his eyebrow then, questioningly: "What up?"
With a faint flush to his cheeks, Sanji appeared to be mulling something over, biting his lip, before he uttered out gently in a single breath: "Thank you. Ya know, I never did thank you."
"But you just did," deadpanned the swordsman, unblinking, as Sanji scoffed at that "Twice."
"Oh, shush. Not what I'm saying n' you know it, baka," muttered the blond half-heartedly, with a roll of his eyes, absentmindedly patting himself down, a frown to his features when he couldn't find what he was looking for "Shit. I don't have a light on me."
At that, the swordsman wordlessly glanced around and about the fallen and beaten-up Marine soldiers strewn around the deck, before grinning triumphantly upon finding what he had been searching for. Crouching down to pick them up, Sanji tiptoed closer and peered curiously over the other's shoulder, only to catch Zoro snatching a pack of cigarettes and light, from the man. Intrigued, the cook watched on as the swordsman took his sweet time to approach him, both fully unmindful albeit uncaring, maybe even oblivious, to the chaos and carnage around them.
Reaching his fellow crewmate, Zoro held out the pack for Sanji, who gingerly tucked his hair behind his ear and bent to capture a cigarette between his lips, before smoothly pulling back, and holding out a hand, waiting patiently, expectantly for the other to hand him the lighter. But he didn't.
Instead of that, Zoro slid a cigarette into his own mouth, taking Sanji aback as the swordsman casually lit it up all sizzle and ember, then took a swig, puffed a good cloud of smoke, before he locked eyes up with the other, and gestured for Sanji to come closer: "Gimme 'ere, Sanji."
Blinking his long, thick lashes, wide blue eyes glittering with surprise and bright emotion, Sanji then smiled softly, drawing near till the ends of their cigarettes touched, Zoro's igniting that one of Sanji's. No words were exchanged, the whole world around them ceased to exist, it was but the two of them, staring each other deep in the eye. Sanji's heart fluttered, stuttered. He didn't want this moment to end-
"For what you're thanking me for though, hm?" intoned Zoro then all of a sudden, breaking the magic between them and bringing Sanji back to reality, confusion clear upon his features "You just thanked me. What for?"
The cook stared wide-eyed at the swordsman for a moment or two, not moving, not blinking, and right when Zoro was about to considerately tell him to drop it, Sanji eventually spoke up.
"For bringin' me back to everyone. For makin' me believe," trailed off Sanji, straightening up, looking away, and blowing out smoke, the faint flush to his cheeks somewhat darker now.
"You thanked me for all that already, Cook."
Zoro had said and meant that with complete sincerity, so he was confused when Sanji shook his head stubbornly, his brow low and knitted tightly, and with his features now entirely pink: "I didn't. Not really, no. So, I'm going to. Right now."
"What are you-?"
Zoro's entire being halted breathing, as Sanji's shakily yet firmly pressed his lips to his cheek. And time just stopped, their surroundings, if not the whole world just ceased to exist. All Zoro was aware of, was Sanji. Right now, it was all Sanji. Only Sanji at the moment. Nothing else. His long, thick lashes fluttering against his cheeks with eyes scrunched closed, his skin faintly tanned but flawlessly cared for, his long, wavy gold sunshine hair, having thrown out the wig.
The swordsman could tell his cheeks had flared a semblance of pink, with the heat emanating from underneath his skin, exactly where he was receiving a kiss from Sanji. He inhaled softly. Zoro didn't want this moment to end.
But, just like that, all too soon, the cook pulled away, his lips less glossy and red than earlier- Oh. Sanji must have left lipstick stains on his cheek. The thought made Zoro turn even redder.
The conclusion he came to seemed to be accurate as the cook sheepishly glanced up his way, his eyes going wide while a hand flew up quick to his mouth, stifling an embarrassed snort: "Oh! Oh. My oh my, ooops! I left- Gosh, hahaha, I'm so sorry. I made a mess. Here, lemme-"
Quicker than a flash, Zoro intercepted Sanji's hand, preventing him from wiping it all away. Taken aback, the blond parted his lips, ready to ask away, when the other gave him a grin: "Ya gonna wipe off the thank you ya just gave me? Really? Aw, come now. Don't be stingy."
They both stare on at each other for a moment or two, before they fell into a fit of laughter. Sanji eventually twirled on his heel, a hand bunching up the hem of his dress right as water splashed near them, before he turned back to face back Zoro with a pretty wide, bright smile, blue eyes glittering: "Betcha ya you can't take down more of 'em than me, Marimo."
Before he could respond or react at all, Sanji pulled his tongue out at him and lunged back into battle. Zoro blinked, his gaze trained as Sanji glided over the desk, brutally kicking away. The swordsman then grinned, crouching down low and reaching for his three beloved swords.
"Oh, you're ON, Shitty Cook."
A/N: Yay, I finished this fic, WOO! Finally, gosh, I thought I'd never get to finish this fic XD So, there we have it, I sincerely hope you enjoyed this story, and that it was coherent in spite of how messy it feels to me T-T I am too hard on myself, I know this. Will I be more lenient? Nope. Clearly not T_T
BUT, thank you so much for taking the time to read this lil' here fic, have a lovely day/night, ya'll take care, be safe, stay awesome, ladies, gents and everyone else in between and beyond! Bella Ciao!