Chapter 2
The hallway was long and winding and circular. Zoro absolutely hated it. The ceiling was way too high, the floor was an annoying checkered pattern, and worst of all, nearly every object was freakin' alive! They all had faces and they all wanted to sing and say hello. It was creepy as hell. Zoro was starting to be glad he hadn't come with Luffy the first time he'd been here.
"This way please," the large man—who had been walking just ahead of them—said. Zoro was surprised to discover the man, one of their guides, was now much further down the hallway with the others, somehow having left Zoro behind by several yards. The large man, clad in black leather and spikes, was gesturing down another hallway. Growling, Zoro rushed to catch up.
"Sanji's this way?" Luffy was asking their two guides as Zoro caught up. The large man nodded.
"He is," the man stated simply, his mouth covered by a massive scarf. Charlotte Katakuri. Had Luffy not assured Zoro that the man could be trusted, Zoro never would have done so. There was something suspicious about a man who always kept his mouth hidden. But Luffy had a knack for knowing a person's deepest nature. And had previously met this Katakuri guy to boot. So Zoro followed. Besides…
"Is Sanji-kun alright?" Nami asked. Katakuri looked at her for a long moment, but remained silent. As he turned to walk down the hallway, their other guide, Katakuri's brother, Charlotte Mont-d'Or, answered instead.
"Eh, it's probably best for you to just see him." Mont-d'Or looked profoundly uncomfortable as he said it. Granted, Mont-d'Or just seemed like an anxious person regardless. But Nami gave a small gasp in fear and Zoro felt a little—just a tiny smidge, mind you—worried himself. Luffy on the other hand simply nodded and turned down the hall after Katakuri.
…this was their only chance of getting the cook back.
Jinbei had been partially right. It had only taken the Big Mom pirates about two weeks after the fleet admiral's call to contact the Straw Hats. But the caller had definitely not been Big Mom.
"Straw Hat." The caller had a deep voice, one Zoro had never heard before. But Luffy had definitely recognized it. So had Jinbei. "I imagine you know why I'm calling."
"Katakuri," Luffy had answered. "How's Sanji?"
There had been silence on the other end of the line for several minutes. Then, "We need to talk. I'll send you coordinates. Bring along two people you can trust and we'll sneak you three past security."
"There's no way we're going to-!" Jinbei had begun, but Luffy had cut him off.
"Does Big Mom know?" Luffy had asked.
"She doesn't. And she won't." Had come the answer.
Luffy had paused for only a moment before he had replied, "Send us the coordinates."
Between Zoro and Jinbei- the only two present for the call- there had been a lot of questions and protests afterwards, but Luffy had shut them all down.
"I know him," Luffy had stated simply. "If he says he'll help us, I believe him."
Zoro had been even more surprised when Luffy announced that he, Zoro, and Nami would be the ones going into Big Mom's territory.
"Jinbei will be in charge of all of you and the Sunny while I'm gone," Luffy had explained to the crew. "If anything goes wrong, Jinbei, you're to lead the others out of there as quickly as you can."
"Aye, Captain," Jinbei had replied. But Zoro could tell what the fishman was thinking- And then mount a rescue operation once we've done so- without him saying anything.
And now the three of them—Luffy, Nami, and Zoro—were being led down the halls of this large chateaux by their two guides from the Charlotte family. Katakuri's voice Zoro recognized from the call.
"So, I don't know much about navigation, but does it normally take the Navy two weeks to get from their headquarters to this place?" Zoro asked casually. Apparently not casually enough; Nami and Mont-d'Or's faces both had freaked out expressions in response to Zoro's accusing question and insulting tone. Katakuri stopped walking and looked back at Zoro before turning his gaze to Luffy.
"Very well, Straw Hat. Your swordsman's correct; your cook arrived over a week ago," Katakuri answered before continuing to walk down the hallway.
"Wait! So you've had Sanji-kun all that time? Why didn't you call us then?" Nami asked, moving quickly to keep up.
"Word got out to me that your cook had a big hand in making the wedding cake that finally put a stop to Big Mom's cravings after the wedding," Katakuri explained.
"Who's word?" Luffy asked.
"Pudding's." Katakuri answered.
Zoro was completely lost following the conversation at this point. What cake? Who was Pudding again? And what did any of this have to do with the delay in calling them about the damn cook?
"I won't lie to you, Straw Hat. I was planning to keep your cook for six months to a year before we returned him to you," Katakuri stated, still leading them down the hall.
"Eh? Why?" Luffy asked.
"Big Bro Katakuri was hoping your cook might be able to train our chefs in cooking and baking and keep Big Mom's cravings under control," Mont-d'Or explained.
"So why the change of heart?" Zoro asked bluntly. No matter how he felt about the damn cook and no matter that Luffy trusted this Katakuri guy, Zoro was not okay with someone planning to kidnap a member of their crew, even if temporarily. Big Mom's cravings weren't the Straw Hats' problem.
The two Charlotte brothers traded a look. Finally, Katakuri answered, "Not long after we received him, we assessed his condition and decided it was better if he went back home to your crew."
"Is Sanji-kun that badly hurt?" Nami asked, her eyes beginning to form tears. Perhaps wondering again why Luffy brought her along instead of maybe Chopper.
"How is he?" Luffy asked.
"Straw Hat. All of you," Mont-d'Or said. "Look. Rest assured his physical injuries have already been attended to. But it really is better if you see him for yourselves."
"Not much further now," Katakuri said, still walking down the hallway.
They rounded another corner when Zoro first heard it. The cook's excited sing-song voice. The one he used whenever he was cooking and serving.
It sounded happy.
"That's Sanji-kun!" Nami said excitedly. Luffy grinned.
"It is! Let's go see him!" their captain declared, rushing ahead with the navigator right behind him.
No. Something was wrong. Didn't they see it?
"Hey! Hey! Luffy! Nami!" Zoro shouted. He glanced over and noticed the horrified expression on Mont-d'Or's face. From Katakuri's half-covered face he couldn't read anything. "Tch!" the swordsman grunted before rushing after the other two. How could they not realize?
The cook shouldn't sound happy.
"Hey, Sanji!" Luffy laughed as he opened the door where the cook's voice was coming from. Zoro and Nami entered the room right behind him. And all three froze at the sight of their crewmate.
The room they were in was a small dining room. A long rectangular table sat in the middle of the space. Chairs surrounded the table, each with a stuffed animal in it. Against the far wall was some kind of elaborate toy kitchen—adult sized, but definitely a toy. And walking around the table was their cook.
Physically, the cook looked fine. He was dressed in a light colored dress shirt with his usual black slacks and shoes. He wasn't wearing a tie, but that was probably because of the bandages that poked out above the collar of his shirt and just past his long sleeves. There was another bandage on his cheek just visible under his fringe of hair. He was thin, but otherwise didn't look too much the worse for wear.
What stopped everyone in their tracks were his actions; their cook was twirling and moving amongst the chairs and stuffed animals, placing things before them and keeping up a chattering conversation as he did so.
"Now, here's your tea, Robin-chan! And some for you, Brook. Yeah, yeah, Luffy, hold your horses. I'll get your seconds in just a minute. I gotta serve everyone else first." the cook declared happily. "Here's your sake, Mosshead. And some mikan sherbet for you, Nami-san! Usopp, here's your fish platter. Another cola for Franky... Okay, Luffy, now here's your seconds. Jinbei, I have your mozuku seaweed. Don't worry, Chopper, I have treats for after dinner..."
"What is he-?" Nami began.
"There's no food," Luffy noticed immediately.
Their captain was right. The cook was placing random objects before the "crew" he was feeding: wooden blocks, balls, toys, pencils, boxes. Even the "tray" the cook was using was some kind of thin wheel that looked like it had come from a large toy car.
"I don't understand. Why is he doing this?" Nami asked, close to tears again.
That's when Zoro noticed it. He wasn't the greatest at directions and orienting himself in a space (Because the world kept moving, thank you very much!) but he'd recognize this room's layout anywhere.
"The Sunny," he said. "It's laid out just like the Sunny's kitchen and dining room. He thinks he's on the ship."
The cook was still continuing his rambling conversation to the "Straw Hats" when the two Charlotte brothers entered the room. Mont-d'Or looked incredibly uncomfortable and Katakuri was staring at Sanji, giving the blond a look that Zoro could almost take as pity.
"Katakuri," Luffy asked immediately, "What happened to him?"
The tall man was quiet for a moment before answering. "When we first got him, he wasn't like this. He was either completely quiet and staring at nothing or shaking and muttering. We treated his burns and tried to feed him. Pudding finally managed to coax him into eating some broth, but he won't touch anything else. We tried to rouse him, but nothing worked. He wouldn't talk, even to women. We even tried putting him in a kitchen and letting him cook, but he wouldn't touch anything." He took a deep breath. "Then one day, one of the nurses brought him into this playroom. They thought it might relax him. He looked around and then suddenly got up and started acting like this. Outside of sleeping in the hammock we hung over in that corner," Katakuri pointed to one of the corners opposite the kitchen said hammock hung, "and the few times we can get him to eat some broth, he's been doing this ever since."
"He's crazy!" Mont-d'Or declared, shaking his head, "Stark-raving mad!"
"Sanji-kun!" Nami called, rushing towards the cook.
"Is he violent?" Zoro asked, belatedly. It was almost unthinkable; Sanji didn't attack women. But, the swordsman reminded himself firmly, Sanji didn't appear to be home right now.
Zoro was relieved when Katakuri shook his head. "No, he's surprisingly docile, considering…" He let the sentence hang.
"Oh, Nami-san!" The cook declared, noticing the red-head coming up to him. Zoro frowned. There was something…odd about the cook's interaction with Nami. He couldn't quite place what it was.
"For you my dear!" With that, Sanji smiled and placed a ball in Nami's hand.
"S-Sanji-kun?" Nami said, trembling, taking the ball in both hands.
"Now, now, Nami-san. I gotta get back to the others!" the cook declared, gesturing at the table behind him.
That's when Zoro noticed it. The cook's visible eye looked clouded over, like it wasn't quite focused. Furthermore, there were no hearts for the beloved navigator, no excitement, no passion. Zoro didn't think he'd ever seen the cook look at a woman, especially Nami, so indifferently in his life.
"This is why you decided to call us?" Luffy asked Katakuri. The tall man nodded.
"As I said, we decided it was best if he went home to his family. Especially since he seems to miss you all so much," Katakuri answered.
"Thank you," Luffy said. "You didn't tell Big Mom?"
Mont-d'Or gasped. "Er, that is…"
"The Navy happened to reach out to me. I decided it was best if the Big Mom Pirates didn't get involved in a war with another pirate group. Particularly at the Navy's behest. We're not the Navy's dogs. We're still pirates and we have our pride," Katakuri answered. Then, after a pause, "I also decided such a prisoner exchange was below Mama's notice and wasn't worth informing her about."
"Thank you," Luffy said again and Zoro could hear the sincerity in his voice. Zoro understood. Even if it was to the Navy's advantage, Big Mom hated the Straw Hats and would have played right into the Marines' hands had she gotten her claws on Sanji, no matter what condition the Navy had sent him in.
Zoro looked at Katakuri with new eyes. His respect for the large man went up by a few notches. He was taking a big risk by keeping this information from his captain and mother. No wonder Mont-d'Or seemed so nervous.
"Especially when the Navy sent us a prisoner in such a condition," Katakuri continued, shaking his head. Zoro could hear the disgust in the man's words.
"Sanji-kun!" Nami cried out, gently grabbing onto the cook's sleeve. "Please, Sanji-kun! Let's go home, okay?"
"Hmm?" The cook looked confused for a moment, then gave the navigator a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "What are you talking about, Nami-san? We are home!" The cook spread his arms wide, indicating the room.
Katakuri cleared his throat. "We'll leave you alone to talk with your crewmate. We'll be right outside. Come, Mont-d'Or."
The second Charlotte brother looked relieved to be leaving. Zoro couldn't blame him. Just looking at the cook's empty expressions while he played in his fantasy world was making the swordsman's flesh crawl.
"Sanji," Luffy said, walking up to stand next to the navigator. "Nami's right. It's time to go-"
"Ah, ready for thirds already, Luffy?" the cook asked with that wide, vacant smile. "Alright, alright, I'll go fix them right up."
With that the cook twirled over to the kitchen, humming a little song under his breath as he "cooked." Just like he usually did when they were on the Sunny.
"Sanji," Luffy tried again, "Where do you think we are right now?"
"Hmm?" Sanji glanced back at Luffy with a slightly confused look. Then the smile returned. That empty, awful smile. "Stop being silly, Luffy! We're on the Sunny of course!"
"No, we're not," Luffy continued, pressing on.
"Sure we are! We're on the Sunny," Sanji insisted, turning around holding a ruler like he would a chef's knife and a ball like a vegetable. He gestured over at the table with the hand holding the ball, "Everyone's sitting right over there. Everyone's safe. Everything's fine."
"Sanji-kun…Don't…don't you remember?" Tears streamed down Nami's cheeks. The cook didn't seem to notice.
"Remember what, Nami-san?" he asked. Zoro saw Luffy take a deep breath.
"Sanji," their captain asked, "How's the old man?"
Nothing. Not even a flicker of reaction from the cook. In fact, the idiot was still smiling, "Still running the Baratie last I heard. Finally decided to get the place remodeled. Maybe he'll finally fix that damn hole you put in his office roof, Luffy…"
Zoro had heard enough. He crossed the room in a few steps, walked right up to the cook…
"Hey, Mosshead! As soon as I finish Luffy's food, I'll get you some more-"
…and socked the other man straight in the face, knocking him back into his pretend kitchen.
"Pathetic." Zoro growled.
"Zoro!" Nami shrieked. "Sanji-kun, are you-!" The navigator was stopped by Luffy's hand on her shoulder.
"Nami," Luffy stated simply. "Let Zoro do this."
Sanji was picking himself up from his sprawl, wiping his split lip and bloody nose with a shirt sleeve. Zoro leaned in and grabbed the blond by his shirt collar with one hand before he had a chance to recover himself. Sanji didn't even give him a glare, just a confused look.
"What was that for, Mosshead-?"
"Look at you! Too afraid to even face what happened!" Zoro shouted in Sanji's face, giving the cook a shake. "Even spitting on your mentor's memory! You're not our damn cook! He's not a damn coward too afraid to face the truth!"
With one last shake, the swordsman released Sanji from his grip and let him fall back against the collapsed counter. The cook slowly stood, shaking, his wide eye staring at Zoro. With fear. Not with the anger and fire and passion the swordsman was hoping to coax out of him. Zoro could see it written all over his face; the coward still didn't want to face the truth. And even worse, he was afraid Zoro was going to force him. Fine.
"Stay in your fantasy kitchen and keep pretending that everything's just fine, you damn bastard." Zoro snarled, glaring at the man before him. Then he turned to Luffy and Nami. "Do what you want with him. Talk it out, if that's what you want to do. But I'm not watching him be like this."
With that, the swordsman stomped out of the room, too angry to think straight. He was pretty sure Nami called out to him during his blind rage, but once again, the captain stopped her. He reached the door, opened it, stepped out of that stifling room, and slammed the door shut behind him.
Katakuri and Mont-d'Or were leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the hallway. Mont-d'Or looked like he was about to say something but thought better of it when he saw Zoro's expression. Katakuri merely gave Zoro a pitying glance, then looked elsewhere, giving the swordsman what privacy he could given the situation.
Zoro leaned against the wall next to the door leading to Sanji's room and then collapsed against it. He released Wado Ichimonji, still in her sheath, and leaned forward against her, his back still to the wall, his head lowered, his beloved white sword pressed into his shoulder. To any passerby, Zoro would merely look like he was sleeping or meditating. In actuality, he was holding back the tears that threatened to fall. If the two Charlotte brothers weren't there, he would have let them.
Nami watched as Sanji shook his head, the fear finally starting to leave his face, only to be replaced by a confused, yet blank, smile. "What was up with Mosshead? He seemed more tense than usual."
Looking at her broken friend, Nami again couldn't understand why Luffy brought her along. If Zoro couldn't get through to Sanji in this state, what hope did she have? Jinbei would have been a better choice; after all, the wise former ship's captain had helped Luffy deal with the loss of Ace. Their only hope now was Luffy getting through to their cook. And if Luffy couldn't do it…No, she wouldn't let herself think like that. Of course Luffy could do it.
"Sanji," Luffy said, walking up to the blond. "We need to talk."
"Hmm? What about, Luffy?" Sanji asked. "Ready for fourths already?"
"No. We're not on the Sunny."
"Pfft! Don't be ridiculous, Luffy. Of course we are."
"No, Sanji, we're not. You're confused right now, but we're gonna help you," Luffy pressed on. He glanced over at the large toy fridge in the corner. "What's the code to the fridge?"
"Heh. Nice one, captain. You know I'm not telling you that. We'd starve."
"Okay, then. Is it locked?" Luffy asked.
"Of course it is." Sanji replied, confidently. Their rubber captain nodded and then unceremoniously stretched his arm to the fridge and opened it. The cook scratched his chin. "Huh, must've forgotten…"
"Sanji," Luffy said more firmly. "We're not on the Sunny."
"Luffy, what are you-?"
"We aren't on the Sunny. You haven't been on the Sunny in weeks," the Straw Hat captain continued.
"That…that doesn't make any sense…I…" The cook continued to protest, but he sounded decidedly more unsure.
"When was the last time you had a cigarette, Sanji?" Luffy pressed. The blond brought his fingers to his lips, as if just noticing that there was no cigarette there.
"I-I don't…" He stared down at his hand as it started to tremble. Nami watched Luffy take a deep breath, bracing himself for what he was going to say next.
"The old man. Zeff. He's dead."
Sanji's face shot up, his eye wide, his breath coming in short and shallow breathes. "N-no…no, he's not…he's…just…"
"He's dead, Sanji. The lava guy-"
"No! No, he didn't! He-!" Suddenly, Sanji stopped, his wide eye just staring at Luffy. The hand he'd been staring at earlier slowly raised up to Sanji's hair, grabbing the blond strands in a death grip as he slowly shook his head, the other arm tightly grabbing his abdomen, as if trying to force the memories making their way to the surface back down. "No, no, that didn't happen. It's not real! None of it's real! I'm on Sunny! I'm home! I'm safe! Everyone's safe!"
The cook's voice was steadily rising, becoming more and more hysterical. He shook his head to clear the tears that were beginning to form.
"Sanji, the lava guy—Sakazuki—he called the Sunny. Made you tell him the Transponder Snail number. He killed Zeff. Then he hurt you," Luffy said bluntly. "We're at Whole Cake Island. He gave you to the Big Mom Pirates. Was hoping to start a war…"
"No! Big Mom would never-!"
"Look around. It's never this dark in your kitchen. This isn't the Sunny's ceiling, is it? And there's no porthole on the door." Luffy pressed on. "I'm sorry, Sanji. I know it hurts. But…you can't stay like this. You have to remember."
"It's not true. It can't be true! It was just a bad dream—a nightmare! It didn't-!"
"If you don't believe me, that's fine," Luffy cut off the cook's rambling. The Straw Hat captain turned towards Nami. "But you'll always believe Nami, right?"
As the cook's eye sought her out, as though seeing her for the first time, Nami suddenly understood exactly why Luffy had brought her along.
Sanji always instinctively trusted women. Especially Nami.
"Nami-san," Sanji said quietly, his voice so full of hope, Nami could feel her heart break. The chef choked back a small sob and forced a smile on his face before continuing, "Nami-san, it's not true, is it? Tell this shitty captain of ours to stop joking around."
The cook was walking towards her, his face so sad and pleading and hopeful, and Nami just wanted to hug him and comfort him and tell him that of course it wasn't true, everything was just fine. But she couldn't. Internally, Nami was cursing Luffy for making her do this. But she knew what she had to do, even as tears began to stream down her own cheeks.
"Sanji-kun, I'm sorry," she said, forcing herself to look her friend in the eye as she said it. Sanji's hands gently gripped her shoulders. "But you know Luffy's a terrible liar. It's true. It's all true. I heard the call. The whole thing."
"N-no…it's…come on, Nami-san." He gave her shoulders a small shake. He was still trying to deny it, desperately, looking away from her as he said it. "Tell Luffy this joke isn't funny anymore. There's not…"
"After you find the All Blue, Zeff wanted you to bring wine to his grave." Nami forced the words out quietly but firmly.
Sanji's hands clutched her shoulders as his head snapped up, looking her in the face again. He was silent for only a moment as he sank to his knees in shock, the truth finally sinking in. Then his eye filled with tears and he began wailing. Without thinking about it, Nami got down on the floor herself and then pulled him in and held him close, her hand stroking his hair. Sanji's hands gripped the back of her shirt, his face buried into her shoulder as he continued to sob uncontrollably.
"I-I told them…I told them the damn number…and they still…they still…!" Sanji was shaking, his whole frame wracked by sobs. Nami held him tighter. "Th-the shit-ty geezer just stood there! H-he just…he just…"
Nami understood those feelings—losing someone close to you and somehow wanting to put some of the blame on them. Or yourself. Trying to see if there was something different either of you could have done, even if there wasn't. She understood those feelings all too well. But still she said, "It wasn't his fault Sanji-kun. You know it wasn't. And it wasn't yours either."
Suddenly, Nami felt a rubber arm wrap around her shoulder. She glanced up to see Luffy holding them both.
"It's not okay right now, Sanji. But it will be," Luffy assured their cook as he continued to cry. "I promise. But for now, cry as much as you want. It's okay."
Nami wasn't sure how long the three of them stood there but it felt like an eternity—Sanji bawling as he mourned, Luffy saying quiet reassurances and supporting his two crewmates, and her just stroking Sanji's hair, not saying anything. Her shirt was damp on her shoulder by the time the cook had cried himself out, but she didn't comment on it.
Finally, Sanji lifted his head, his eye red and puffy, but clear. "L-Luffy, Nami-san. I'm ready to go home now."
They collected Zoro as they walked out of the room. The swordsman didn't say anything, simply glanced over at Sanji and then looked ahead as he put his sword away. If he noticed the blond's puffy and tear-streaked face or had heard the cook crying and screaming earlier, he didn't comment on it. Sanji, for his part, just quietly stared at nothing, his head lowered, lost in his thoughts. Their two guides pushed themselves off the opposite wall and walked over.
"Mont-d'Or, I can walk them out from here," Katakuri stated. The relief on the other Charlotte brother's face was palpable as he scurried off. Katakuri watched him go for a moment and then turned and led the way down the hall with the Straw Hats following.
It was slow going. Unlike earlier, when Sanji was waltzing around the dining room sure-footed and without a care in the world, this Sanji moved as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He walked slowly and kept trying not to stumble. Katakuri would get to the next turn then patiently stop and wait for the Straw Hats to catch up before proceeding onto the next leg. Luffy would grin and say something encouraging while he and Nami coaxed the cook down the corridor. If Zoro, who was walking behind them in a read-guard position, was annoyed by their pace, he didn't say anything about it.
Sanji remained silent, outside of an occasional "Thank you, Nami-san" when the navigator helped him when he stumbled. Luffy was honestly worried about him, watching the normally hot-tempered and passionate man be reduced to such a subdued state. And Luffy's stomach had nearly turned at the sight of his realistic, honest, and intelligent chef being completely unhinged from reality. But he was careful not to let it show. This was going to be tough for the crew, so he had to be strong for them and for Sanji. They had to be able to rely on their captain for things like this.
Besides, Sanji was strong. This loss would be a hard thing for his cook to deal with. And truth be told, Luffy wasn't sure what else Sanji had gone through in his weeks as Sakazuki's prisoner. Nothing good, he was sure. But still, he believed in his crewmate.
"Sanji! How do you do the fire thing without burning yourself?" Luffy remembered asking once.
"Pfft! Shitty Captain. A cook can't be afraid of fire," Sanji had replied. "Besides, my heart burns hotter."
Luffy felt the smile pull at his mouth of its own accord. Yeah, he might be heart-broken, subdued, and utterly exhausted right now. But Sanji's heart would burn hotter in the end.
Author's Notes: The title of this work was taken from one of the SBS's (basically a Q and A) that Oda does for the volume releases. In this particular one, a fan had asked how Sanji doesn't get burned by Diable Jambe. Oda's reply was that Sanji's heart burns hotter. The answer makes absolutely no logical sense whatsoever, but it's so poetic, I just love it.
