Thanks to BIGT707 for your review.

Enjoy your reading.

04/21/22 EDIT: Thanks to KumaZura for proof reading this chapter

Chapter 18

Wadô Ichimonji

Two days later, at dawn, the Sunny reached a small island with sparkling colors. Tree leaves draped in their Autumn colors were reddening the landscape and basking the white walls of houses grouped together in a country village.

The welcoming atmosphere prompted the navigator to give a night on shore to her friends who screamed with joy. "Remember, we must first stock up," She reminded them, giving a few berries to all of her friends. She sent Sanji, Brook and Zoro to fill the food reserves, Usopp and Franky that of cola, Luffy and Chopper that of medical supplies and herself with Robin in search of a nice hostel.

As the cries of joy were scattering through the streets of the city center, Usopp and Franky quickly found what they needed to fill the ship with cola. So they had time to wander around the city and quickly found a junk shop. Delighted to get their hands on pieces to tinker new inventions, they both searched with excitement among the overflowing rows of metal pieces of all kinds. Usopp triumphantly took out a spare part for his Kabuto and Franky, several pieces of metal to repair the Shark Submerge that Nami was straining at every opportunity.

When they came out of the store a little later, they saw Luffy and Chopper a few tens of meters away and approached.

"That's not okay, they won't get away with it!" The straw hat captain seemed furious.

Facing him, two young boys, one dark-haired and one red-haired, and a blonde girl were looking at him sympathetically. "You know, we're used to it," The young woman sighed, "We'll get over it..."

"No way! You worked very hard for this machine, they have to give it back to you!" Luffy angrily insisted.

"What's happening?" The cyborg asked Chopper as they came up to them.

"A competition is set up in a few days between several inventor schools of the region. These people have been robbed by a group of the opposing school right in front of us and they won't be able to compete. Luffy tried to catch up with them but they were too fast," The doctor explained, saddened.

"This is an absolute scandal!" Usopp got indignant. "Where are those thieves, we're gonna take back what doesn't belong to them!"

"Oh no, it's too dangerous!" One of the young men stopped him. "They're part of a gang and the whole village fears them. I'm almost sure their leader is a pirate!"

The sniper boasted in front of the group of panicked friends. "Don't worry. As a Great Captain, my crewmates and I are traveling on the most dangerous seas in the world," He recited with confidence, "I was personally raised by sea monsters on the Calm Belt and then I initiated my crew to the sudden death attacks of those creatures in one shot!"

"Wow, amazing!" The redhead guy gushed.

"We're really lucky to have bumped into you!" His friend added.

"Usopp, I didn't know you grew up on the Calm Belt!" Luffy got enthusiastic.

"You're amazing!" The little reindeer admired him.

While Usopp proudly continued to recite his role, Franky examined the cart that had been robbed behind them. Large black marks were visible on the paved road and a piece of metal had fallen, probably torn off during the theft. The machine seemed wide and its weight should be consistent with the use of a cart to carry it. The engineer then deduced that the thieves had certainly planned their move and had organized themselves accordingly. It showed their determination and they would have to be careful if they decided to attack them.

"Do you know where they're hiding?" He asked them afterwards.

"Their workshop is at the top of the village of the north hill," The young dark-haired man told him.

"Perfect! We're gonna get your invention back!" Usopp exclaimed, determined.

"How brave!" The girl marveled. "I never thought someone would ever make a stand against Stan's group, there are so many of them!"

"How many?" The gunner casually inquired, pretending to continue to re-enact an old epic battle.

"At least a dozen!" The red-haired guy answered. "Some of them have eaten a devil fruit, they're really strong!"

"I can't wait to see you kick their asses!" His friend approved with satisfaction. "You won't even need your crew because of how strong you are!"

"Uh... Yes, yes, of course!" Usopp carried on illustrating his daunting fights being a little more tense but he kept smiling. Especially since Luffy and Chopper were glorifying his initiative and encouraging him with loud cries and applause.

"And I will save those young people by returning to them their machine stolen by those infamous scoundrels this very afternoon!"

Usopp was telling the rest of the crew about their encounter this morning with theatrical poses and moving statements.

"What an incredible magnanimity!" Brook marveled.

"And he told them he was going to beat them alone!" Chopper raved at his side. "You're so strong, Usopp!"

"Eh-eh!"

"Really? All alone against ten people including several devil fruit's users?" The swordsman inquired, surprised.

"Of course, buddy!" The sniper exclaimed, wrapping his arm around the fencer's shoulders. "But I see you'd like to take advantage of my experience so I allow you to accompany me in my noble enterprise!"

"What? But I've nev-"

"And you, my brave Luffy, I know the lack of exercise can be harmful for your body so I'm ready to let you come for your own health!" The gunner continued as if granting him the greatest privilege.

"Awesome! Thank you, Usopp, you're too nice!" His captain cried out, delighted.

"As for you, my dear friends," He said, turning to Brook and Chopper, "You can join us but I would ask you to use caution because I won't be able to protect you at all times..."

"Don't worry, Usopp, we'll be careful!" The little reindeer solemnly promised as the skeleton was nodding.

Usopp, Chopper, Brook and Luffy then began to talk cheerfully about their next adventure while Zoro moved closer to the others, refusing to take part in this burst of useless joy.

"Well, now that our coward by trade has built up his personal army, can we get down to business?" Nami asked the rest of the group.

"What's going on?" Franky asked her.

"We found an inn with Robin, it's also the only one in the village. The problem is we don't have cash anymore and the trading bank is on the other side of the island."

"Do you want me to go with you down there, Nami san?" Sanji offered hopefully.

"Actually, I was wondering if you could go, boys," The redhead said, pointing at the shipwright and cook, "I'm really tired and I think I'm getting sick. Winds on this island are swirling and drafts are everywhere..."

"Don't worry, Nami-san, we'll take care of the bank and you'll be able to rest!" The blond decided immediately.

The navigator thanked him with a smile. She had two invitations for the city spa and she was looking forward to enjoying this afternoon with Robin to stay warm. "It's really nice of you, Sanji-kun, but there's still a little problem..."

"What is it, my dove?" The cook exclaimed.

"We need to reserve rooms and as we don't have money, the owner doesn't want to guarantee them. There's a risk that there won't be any left tonight..." The young woman sighed. "I managed to negotiate but we'd better hurry back to see him. We'd need to leave him a valuable item on deposit until we get back with money," She explained.

"A valuable item? Like what?" The cyborg inquired.

"I suggested Zoro's swords and it seemed to suit him," She replied with a shrug.

Getting over his initial surprise, the fencer glared at her. "Wait, are you serious?! That's not gonna happen, you witch!"

"Watch your mouth when you talk to a lady, you're rude!" Sanji threatened him.

"I don't give a fuck, nobody touches my swords!" Zoro snarled, tightening his hold on them. "Why not give him one of our treasures on deposit, anyway? It's just as valuable!"

Nami clenched her teeth. She didn't want to take the risk of being ripped off of any hard-earned berry. She then went over to the second part of her plan. "We're really very short on money, I think we'll unfortunately need to exchange all that's left against berries," She said, falsely miserable.

"Marimo, give us one of your swords, you're not gonna die!" The cook ordered him, turning to him.

"Think again! There's no way my swords will be used for a common deposit for a fucking inn!" The fencer roared, eager to fight.

"What if we use the Shark Submerge?" Robin chimed in with her quiet voice. "It is massive enough to make it difficult to disappear and it is indisputably of great value."

All turned to Franky who eventually shrugged. "That's fine with me. Anyway, he's out of service right now."

"In this case, you'll leave it at the inn on the way and I'll give you a list of prices that you'll ask at the exchange bank," Nami decided, satisfied with the turn of events.

The tension dropped and his friends nodded. Quickly then, the crew parted ways to fulfill their respective missions.

"Lead Star!" Usopp lay flat on the ground in the bushes as soon as his salvo was fired. The thieves' group was ruthless and three of them actually owned a devil fruit. He glanced at Chopper and Brook in the background who were reassuring the three young people they had met in the morning about the sniper's condition. He forced himself to straighten up to put on a brave face but a huge rock thrown in his direction nearly hit him. With a strangled cry, he fell back to the shelter of the bushes and took a big breath to analyze the situation.

Usopp was in charge of the fight against the five thieves armed with catapults since he had offered the others to stay away. Unfortunately, all had eagerly accepted and were encouraging him from afar. Because he had sent Zoro and Luffy to take care of the other five - including the three devil fruit users - he was left alone, totally scared. His friends seemed to be doing well judging by the blades' noise and gum-gum of the rubber man so he had to hurry to get rid of his enemies so as not to lose face.

He glanced through the leaves to gauge the position of his opponents and focused. They were all more or less grouped together and they were protecting the machine they had stolen in the barn of their lair behind them.

Usopp was literally scared to death. These guys had created formidable inventions. One was throwing pieces of rock as large as a table and another one was cutting wood at lightning speed before throwing it in the form of giant sharp pencils. He had already been close to death twice: when a gigantic stone had landed two centimeters away from him and when a pencil had stuck into his bag rather than his back.

The gunner adjusted his glasses, trembling. He was going to use a concealment technique, pretending to be hurt and so draw Zoro or Luffy's attention to come to help him. Even if it wasn't glorious, he didn't see how to get by otherwise.

"Smoke Star!"

A thick smoke immediately enveloped the group which began to cough. Usopp took advantage of the decline in visibility to melt into the smoke and remain hidden from the eyes of his crewmates. He was going to take a ketchup bomb out of his bag to simulate an injury when one of Luffy's opponents flew in front of him in the direction of a barn pillar that maintained the courtyard sheltering the team of smoky thieves. Under the force of the impact, the man lost consciousness and the wood cracked.

Usopp froze. He had just had the best idea. "Triple Exploding Star!" The missiles ricocheted against the weakened pillar which cracked before breaking with a sinister sound. In the midst of the smoke, the thieves noticed too late that the roof of the courtyard was collapsing and they got buried under the pieces of wood without having time to escape.

The gunner jumped for joy and turned to his friends with a triumphant look but they were staring at the building with horror without giving him any interest. Puzzled, he turned to follow their looks and screamed.

"Aaahhhh! Fire!" Obviously, his explosive balls had set fire to wood and dry leaves that covered the island and the barn was going up in flames while the machine was still inside.

"What did you do, Usopp?" The swordsman, who had come closer after getting rid of his enemies, grumbled.

"I didn't plan on having the explosive balls cause that effect!" His friend bawled, on the verge of hysteria. "Do something!"

Zoro rolled his eyes and positioned himself. "Two Sword Style. Hawk Wave!" The combination created two parallel air gaps the swordsman hit successively in all directions. The breath spread in an instant to the barn and the air power blew the flames at once. However, this new attack damaged the barn a little more and it cracked again.

The three young friends as well as Chopper and Brook ran to Usopp and Zoro and they all rushed to get the machine out before the barn collapsed for good. For his part, Luffy freed the five unconscious bodies from the courtyard's remains to set them down next to the rest of the band, also knocked out by him and the swordsman.

As his friends were catching their breaths after having saved the invention, Luffy walked to them with a broad smile. "How about we eat to celebrate?!"

Behind them, the barn crashed down in a loud creak.

"You're not sleeping, cook?" The fencer noticed when he saw Sanji lean back against the tree in front of him.

"I fuckin' can't stand it! Usopp keeps on telling his prowess, Brook encourages him by singing and Chopper applauds them with stars in his eyes! On top of that, they don't allow smoking in their shitty inn!"

A smile stretched Zoro's lips. The victory of the straw hat boy and their new friends over the thieves' clan had unleashed passions all night long and the crew hadn't heard the last of the huge success of the proud Captain Usopp. Even if they had finally returned to their rooms, excitement wasn't falling back and the hard cash Sanji and Franky had brought back wasn't enough to calm down the innkeeper who had already threatened to kick them out several times.

"What about you? Don't tell me you got a problem with sleeping," The blond spoke again, lighting his cigarette.

"I needed to take care of my swords and I just wanted to be alone. Luffy is jumping all over the mattresses, I could never sleep anyway."

"Never figured it'd stop you given the few naps you had today," The cook pointed out with a mocking smile.

The swordsman shrugged. "I rather enjoy being under the stars."

"That's a new one. I've known you less enthusiastic at the idea of keeping your eyes open after certain activities," The chef remembered, giving him a look full of innuendo.

Zoro gave him a predatory smile in return and the blond took a deep drag on his cigarette before releasing his breath at the same time as the smoke. Finally...

"Speaking of which, don't you wanna..."

Sanji glanced questioningly at the green-haired man who was already putting his swords down next to him. In a split second, he understood the intentions of his crewmate and stopped him by stretching his long leg as he was about to pounce on him. "Do you mind, Cactus-kun? I need this cigarette."

Held back by the chief's foot, Zoro scowled. "Fucking addict," He grunted.

"Come on. You're not that eager, are you?"

The fencer reluctantly sat back on the ground and finished cleaning his swords in the light of the moon. His fight hadn't been very hard but he rather made sure of their perfect integrity and he carefully examined them, caressing their edges with his fingertips and polishing the surface from every angle.

"You're totally sensual with your swords, marimo," Sanji suddenly pointed out, watching him for several minutes.

"What are you talking about?" The swordsman muttered, immediately on the defensive.

"Chill out. I mean you take good care of them and your focused face makes you fucking sexy, if you must know."

"Sexy?" The fencer smirked.

"Yeah. I can tell you care about them like the apple of your eye. By the way, it's incredible you're able to show so much gentleness with them. Yet, it's not for lack of asking you..."

"You're so fragile," Zoro slyly replied.

"Idiot. Treating objects better than human beings is creepy, you know."

In the end, Sanji finished a new cigarette and got closer. He randomly grabbed one of the swords to examine it and turned it in front of his eyes to observe it. He was wondering what it was about his precious swords that make the swordsman behave like a bloodthirsty killer as soon as it was suggested to take them off of him for five minutes.

The cook didn't miss the swordsman's tension at his gesture but he continued his observation as if nothing had happened and he opened the sheath. "Relax, I won't damage it."

"It's not that. The Sandai Kitetsu is cursed. She's famous for causing her owner's death."

Sanji froze before carefully putting her back down. "And you're keeping her?" He asked, sighing.

"I tested her and she didn't touch me, I took it for a sign. She's still a blade of superior quality."

The blond rolled his eyes. The marimo really liked taking unnecessary risks. "Which one is it?" He asked, pointing to a white sword.

"Wadô Ichimonji."

Zoro handed her to him so he could look more closely. The handle was pure white and the hilt wide and circular. Sanji had already noticed Zoro's particular care for this sword and he glanced at the fencer to ask permission to remove the katana from her sheath. He accepted with an imperceptible nod and the blond gently slid the sword in the open air.

The blade was bright, like new, and Sanji watched the perfect sharpness of the cutting edge without daring to put his finger on it. Zoro's swords were sacred to him and he had already been lucky when grabbing the first one without the swordsman's permission. In addition, he didn't want to take the risk of cutting himself and damaging his hands.

"She looks... solid."

The fencer looked down at him with a superior air. "She's one of the twenty-one O Wazamono, among the best swords in the world."

"No less."

"She's an extremely powerful and resistant blade.

"She's the one you always put in your mouth, isn't it?"

The swordsman nodded, surprised Sanji had noticed. "She's the only one which stood up to my first encounter with Hawk Eyes."

"Oh yes, I remember. It's also where we met when you turned up at Baratie."

"She belonged to Kuina."

The cook stopped his observation of the katana and looked up. Zoro never talked about his past and his swords were probably one of the most personal topics for him. He suddenly burst out of curiosity at the thought of knowing more about this man who fascinated him without wanting to admit it.

"Kuina?"

"Yeah. It was in her father's dojo that I grew up. She wasn't much older than me but she always beat me with swords."

"Seriously? You got knocked out for years by a girl?" Sanji wondered with a mocking tone.

"Wadô Ichimonji belonged to her, you really think she wasn't capable?!"

"Calm down, I was just joking."

The swordsman rolled his eyes and continued. "We were training every day. I only lived for our fights but she was always the strongest. On the night of her two-thousand-and-one victory, we swore one of us would one day be the best swordsman in the world. And then she died and her father entrusted the Wadô to me at my request."

Sanji held his breath in front of the dark glare of the fencer at his side. This simple sentence seemed to contain all his loneliness and determination. "How did it happen?" He softly asked.

"A fall down the stairs."

There was nothing to say. Such a banal, unexpected death was maybe even more painful and surely more dishonorable than if she had died fighting and Sanji just kept silent as he watched the blade he was still holding. In the end, he wanted to break the gloom that was overcoming them both and he returned her to her owner. "What about the other sword?"

"Shusui is also an O Wazamono sword. She's my most powerful blade, I can't control her completely yet."

The cook grabbed and turned her over. "She's the one you got at Thriller Bark from that zombie samurai who had Brook's shadow?"

Zoro nodded. "Ryuma was a legendary samurai from Wano. He controlled his blade perfectly. His fencer's soul was still untouched despite his transformation."

"She's black," Sanji noted.

"Shusui is the clear autumn water. She's extremely resistant and the national treasure of Wano."

"And he gave her to you?" The blond wondered.

The swordsman nodded with pride. "When a fencer is beaten, it is fair to give their blade to the winner. Ryuma knew he was gonna die and he wanted Shusui to find a new worthy swordsman."

The cook examined the sword again for a moment with curiosity before slowly putting her down and lighting a new cigarette. The atmosphere was no longer about flirting or even fighting and he took advantage of just being quietly sitting with the swordsman.

From the corner of his eye, he observed Zoro who seemed lost in the contemplation of the Wadô. This episode of his life seemed to be a keystone in his story and Sanji was slowly assimilating everything it could contain. Kuina seemed to be the central mainstay of the swordsman's wish for his goal and the cook regretted not being able to meet her, if only to admire the woman who had managed to take his crewmate down so many times. For sure, he would have loved to worship her in the same way as Nami and Robin and he hoped to have the opportunity to learn more about her one day.

Finally, he got up and stretched. "I'm going back to bed. With any luck, they'll all be asleep by now."

"Okay."

The blond shrugged but a tiny regret ran through him and he dared to admit he would have preferred Zoro to join him or try to spend a few moments with him again. As he closed the door of the inn behind him, he saw that the swordsman was examining his blades once more and he looked away quickly.

The scene between Zoro and Sanji is one of the first I wrote for this story. I think characters' determination for their dreams is a great way to create bonds between them.