skygem: hey there and thanks so much for clicking on this fic, i really hope you enjoy it! big thanks to my beta, soccersarah01 over on ao3. be sure to go and check out her fics, they're fantastic!
Zoro knows that his crewmates don't like him.
Not that the fact of it bothers him at all.
Because they adore Luffy, and that's all that really matters in the end.
Monkey D Luffy is the man that will become the King of the Pirates, and there's no room on their crew for anyone that doesn't share completely in that belief.
The king of the pirates deserves only the best of the best, and as the first mate, it's Zoro's job to make sure that his crew measure up to those expectations.
Sometimes, that means doing things that will make him unpopular with the rest of the crew.
Sometimes, that means refusing to accept Usopp back onto the crew unless he gets on his knees and begs for forgiveness.
Sometimes, that means advising Luffy not to go after the idiot cook into Big Mom's territory, because they already have Kaido gunning for them and they can't afford to antagonize Big Mom any more than they already have. (Sometimes it means supporting Luffy even when he ignores all of Zoro's completely reasonable suggestions, because Luffy's the captain, and the captain's word is law.)
But that's okay.
Because Zoro doesn't need his crewmates to like him in order to carry out his job properly.
Because they love Luffy, and Luffy trusts Zoro.
"What in the goddamn hell are you going on about, you idiot moss for brains?" Sanji demands one day, when Zoro mentions this to him.
It's the early hours of the morning, and Zoro had just gotten off his night watch shift, relieved by a bright-eyed and entirely too energetic Chopper. When he had stumbled into the galley to see if he could scrounge up a bottle of sake to unwind before crashing into his bunk, he had run head first into the shitty cook, who was starting preparations for breakfast.
"I said that this is the only second chance you're getting, and if you ever treat Luffy the way you did on Whole Cake Island again, no matter how noble your intentions, you're not getting off with just a few tears and a half-baked apology," Zoro repeats himself, glowering over his mug at the blond.
Sanji flinches slightly, but waves away his words dismissively.
"Not that part," he growls. "What the fuck do you mean that you 'know no one likes you'?"
Zoro squints suspiciously at him, wondering at the obvious deflection from Sanji's wrongdoings. "Hey, focus," he snaps irritably. "We're talking about you right now."
"What?" Sanji demands, taken aback as a look of dawning realization crosses his features. "Oh my god," he says. "You actually believe that, don't you? That no one else here likes you?"
"Why are you so hung up on that?" Zoro demands, ignoring the unpleasant little twinge at how Sanji seems so strangely focused on this one insignificant fact.
"Because I knew you were stupid," says Sanji, "But not this stupid."
(Because what else is he supposed to say, really, to this idiot first mate who doesn't realize just how very adored he is by the people around him?
How is he supposed to describe the way Nami's face just absolutely lights up in this beaming smile when Zoro compliments her for how well she had led them through a particularly bad storm?
How is he supposed to make Zoro understand the way Usopp puffs up with pride whenever their monstrously powerful swordsman trusts him enough to watch his back?
How is he supposed to explain that the only reason he felt comfortable even leaving the crew in the first place was because he knew that Zoro would be there to pick up the pieces of Luffy's broken heart and push him tirelessly towards his goal, just like he's been doing from the very beginning?)
"What he fuck is that supposed to mean?"
Sanji doesn't answer him immediately, instead taking a moment to try and figure out the best way to tackle this frankly ridiculous conversation.
He could just let it go, just decide that it's not worth the trouble to try and change the bull-headed Zoro's thoughts on anything. But for some reason it bothers him, so much more than it really should, that Zoro really seems to think they only want him around because he's...what, good at fighting?
"Why the hell would you think none of us like you?"
Zoro avoids his gaze by looking down into his booze.
He really doesn't want to be having this conversation, and especially not after a long night watch when all he wants to do is crawl into bed for the next several hours. There's an unpleasant twinge in his chest, and he hates that he has to discuss this with the idiot cook of all people, the one person who hates him most on the crew.
He shrugs.
"I know what I'm like," he says. "I'm not all happy-go-lucky and emotional like the rest of you. I'm an asshole. I don't care about people the way you all do."
"And you think any of that matters?" Sanji demands. "No one gives a shit if you're not the type of person who's willing to die for someone just because they fed you once."
"You got mad at me when I wasn't upset about Vivi leaving," Zoro says in a challenging voice. "You called me a heartless beast."
"I say all kinds of bullshit to you!" Sanji retorts. "That's what our relationship is like! It doesn't mean I believe all of it! You really think that after sailing with you all this time I don't know what kind of person you are? You pretend to be all hard and tough to everyone around you, but you actually care more than anyone! You care so much that it destroys you when people leave, so you only let people in when you know they're here to stay.
"That's why you got so angry when Usopp left. Because you had let him into your heart, you loved him so fucking much, and when he threw it all away on a whim, it hurt you."
"Stop it," Zoro growls, feeling raw and vulnerable. "Why are you getting so worked up?"
"BECAUSE I'M ANGRY!" Sanji yells. "I'm angry that you really, truly think that everyone on this ship hates you when it couldn't be farther from the fucking truth. You would think that after sailing with us for all this time, you'd have a better handle on who the fuck your crewmates are. Do you think that if Brook hated you, he would always set aside time to train his swordsmanship with you, even though you both have such different fighting styles?"
"We're the only two swordsmen in the crew. Who else would he spar with?"
"And what about me? Would I really keep 'hiding' the alcohol in the same place every time if I really didn't want you to find it?"
Zoro has nothing to say to this one.
"Do really you think that if Chopper hated you, he would crawl into bed with you whenever he has nightmares? Would Nami-san keep lending you money, even though she knows you never pay her back? And Luffy? Do you think he doesn't like you either?"
"Of course not!" Zoro immediately bites out.
Sanji nods, satisfied. "And why not?"
"He would never let someone join his crew if he didn't like them," says Zoro.
"He also wouldn't make them his first mate," Sanji adds.
Zoro's brows furrow at that. "That's not-"
"It is," Sanji interrupts. "Did you think it was just because you're a good fighter? Everyone on this crew can fight, you idiot moss head. But you...you understand Luffy in a way none of us do. You're the one he relies on to keep the others in check, you're the one that helps him be the kind of captain we need. He loves you so fucking much. Do you think he'd ever let anyone join his crew that couldn't love you the same way we love him?"
Zoro doesn't answer him.
Instead he leans back in his seat, his expression open and vulnerable in a way that Sanji doesn't think he's ever seen before.
The silence between them grows long, the seconds ticking by into minutes, and what starts off awkward and stilted slowly settles into something more comfortable. More familiar.
Sanji turns back to the food he had been preparing in order to give Zoro a chance to put himself back together.
In the end, ten minutes of silence pass between them before Zoro finally sets his mug down on the table with a heavy thunk, and scrapes back his chair to stand up.
"You're still a dumbass for thinking that leaving would work," Zoro says in an imitation of his usual, cocky tone.
Sanji rolls his eyes fondly.
"Yeah, yeah, I know, shut the fuck up."
skygem: thanks for reading this far! please leave a comment below letting me know what you thought and i'll see you all next time!