The Rover scrunched to a stop on the sand. In front of them lay the sea, and the rising sun.

They stepped out, the sea breeze cold yet gradually warming up. The waves barely moved. It'd been so long since Sanji had tasted the saltiness of this air.

"Sanji," Zoro beckoned. Sanji went up to him and leaned on the car, inhaling deeply and filling his lungs with the sea air, then letting it out with a whoosh. It felt therapeutic. Healing, almost. He should visit the sea more often.

"Thank you," he murmured, looking at the glistening water.

Zoro grunted in acknowledgement. They stood in comfortable silence for a while.

"I... Cannot see Weather." Zoro began, after a while. Sanji turned to look at him, but did not say anything, waiting for him to go on.

"But I can sense it, more or less, " Zoro continued, staring straight ahead. "When I saw you for the first time, you... had the most intense storm I've ever sensed, and I've sensed a hell lot of storms." He paused, crossed his arms in front of him, then went on. "I thought for sure that you wanted to kill me or something, before I realized that the storm wasn't directed outwards towards me, it was directed inwards toward you. You... were angry at yourself. " Zoro stopped and glanced at Sanji. Sanji was still looking at him, the sun reflecting off his pristine blue eyes. Zoro's breath hitched and he quickly looked away. "Now I know why. And," he paused, as if searching for words, "And it's not your fault."

Sanji blinked, the words on his lips forgotten. "What is?"

"All of it. And none of it. None of it is your fault."

"None of what?" Sanji asked, as if afraid to know the answer, as if he knew it but was terrified of hearing it out loud.

"Whatever happened, be it back then or now- none of it is your mistake. None of it. Absolutely none. So you can stop beating yourself up about it. Let it go."

Sanji's soft laugh caught Zoro offguard.

"Why did you cross your arms?" Sanji's asked, smiling.

Zoro stared. No use beating about the bush, eh.

He shrugged. " So I wouldn't pull you in my arms, that's all."

Sanji didn't know if it was the dawn or Zoro's own sunshine or both, but whatever doubts he had, crumbled away and dissipated in the face of that radiance.

Without a word, he stepped into Zoro's space, leaning in and placing a soft, enquiring kiss on Zoro's lips, testing waters. He needn't have been so cautious- Zoro yanked him closer, arms curling around Sanji's slender waist and pressing him flush against his own body, mouth capturing his lips in a searing kiss. To Zoro's delight Sanji reciprocated in full measure, bringing his hands up and cupping Zoro's face, moving his lips in rhythm with Zoro's. Zoro let Sanji decide the pace, let him probe and explore- he had all the time in the world to unravel Sanji later.

II.

When they got back in the car Zoro was vaguely aware of having forgotten something important. He brushed it off, thinking it'd come back to him sooner or later.

Sanji cursed under his breath, checking his phone. "So many missed calls..." He dialled Patty's number first. No response. Cairn's number too was unresponsive.

"What's up?" Zoro asked.

"No one's picking up the phone..." Sanji's replied, apprehension rising. Zeff didn't have a phone. It was Conis' day off. He scrolled down. Ah, five missed calls from Nami. His gut churned. But thank goodness, Nami picked up almost immediately.

His relief was cruelly short-lived. Nami's words froze the blood in his veins.

"Where the hell are you?!" She cried," The Baratie was attacked and..." Her voice broke.

" And they took Zeff away!"