08/04/22 EDIT: Thanks to KumaZura for proof reading this chapter.

Chapter 24

A serious problem

Next morning, the cook opened his eyes and noticed the sun was starting to filter through the window. It was time for him to get up. He wanted to get out of bed but the swordsman had put an arm around his stomach and when he moved to free himself, he was sucked into a possessive grip that pinned him on the back, Zoro's arm hugging his waist tightly.

"I gotta get up, marimo swordsman. I don't have time for photosynthesis."

"Stay a little longer..."

"It's my job to feed the crew. Imagine if Luffy gets up and doesn't see breakfast? He's capable of eating the ship."

A grunt answered him and Sanji got amused. At first glance, Zoro may have had other ideas in mind but his tiredness was the strongest this morning. "Five minutes," The sleepy marimo pleaded.

"Five minutes? What you gonna do in five minutes?" The cook sneered.

"Five minutes for sleeping. Pervert."

"I ain't buying it." Sanji raised an eyebrow before suppressing a laugh when he noticed the swordsman wasn't moving anymore. Obviously, Zoro hadn't lied and Sanji thought he had gone back to sleep that fast until the fencer lazily ran his fingers over his stomach. He was clearly fighting against sleep and his moves were slow and irregular.

Sanji grabbed his pack of cigarettes and lit one. He was feeling strangely good while smoking in his bed beside the marimo. He noticed that the fencer was continuing to stroke him with his fingertips and his gaze lingered on the scene as he dragged on his cigarette butt. It wasn't Zoro's habit to indulge in such gestures and he suddenly felt a strange thrill running through his skin.

What was this new sensation? A deep concern came over him at this thought. The clumsy touch of the swordsman's hand on his stomach and his sleepy face was a different picture than the one of two lovers linked by a simple carnal attraction. There was something else. Something else was stirring inside the cook when he was watching Zoro this morning.

His eyes began to look over the fencer's manly body with curiosity. He was powerful and dominant. The cook could see his muscles perfectly drawn under his tanned skin which followed the rhythm of his slow and deep breathing. When he was sleeping, the swordsman displayed a peaceful look that contrasted with that he usually showed, sullen and indifferent at the same time. His ruthless will, that was springing as soon as he was opening his eyes, was contained behind the mask of sleep, making him more human. More approachable.

Sanji frowned. Of course, he had already seen all of this but he hadn't paid attention to it before. Or, not in that way. Not with this surprising need to rave about this beauty the swordsman was emitting in spite of himself.

Sanji tensed slightly but the swordsman didn't notice. His fingers had finally ended up on the blond's hips and he had gone back to sleep.

The cook quickly put his cigarette out and slipped out of the sheets before grabbing his things and heading for the galley. He was a little late but above all, he didn't want to extend his thoughts.

The crew ate breakfast voraciously, as usual, and Sanji was busy enough for several hours to forget his morning torments until a burst of voices was heard outside. He poked his head out and saw the navigator beat time with her foot on the deck, glaring at Chopper, Usopp and Brook.

Puzzled, he came down towards them and saw Zoro emerge from the waves and then clamber aboard by their side, Luffy on his shoulder.

"What happened?" He inquired as Franky and Robin were approaching as well.

"It happens that those idiots are never short of ideas to invent the worst stupidities!" Nami huffed, fists on her hips. Indeed, Sanji noticed a long trail of mud on the deck and fragments of equipment and he gave his friends a questioning look.

"We used Franky's latest invention to imitate birds," Chopper began, lowering his head, "It looked like a jet-pack, we thought it wasn't dangerous..."

"We did a test but compressed air was too violent so we thought an attenuation system would absorb the rebound effect," Usopp admitted, grimacing. "We mixed soil from the garden with water to obtain enough soft mud and we locked it up in a large balloon."

"It was fixed to the jet-pack and everything seemed to work but unfortunately, after a few moments, the power of the compressed air made the balloon explode in full flight. Our captain had wanted to test it first and he fell into the ocean," The musician concluded with guilt.

"It was...t-too cool," Luffy coughed as he was spitting water from his lungs next to the swordsman who was silently dripping.

The cyborg picked up pieces of his invention, shaking his head. "I suspected cola power mixed with air would be too important to handle it properly." He sighed when he quickly wiped the mud puddles on the ship. "My poor Sunny, it's you who paid the price. Don't worry, I'll fix it..."

The naval engineer went away and came back with his arms full of cleaning products. He was about to start scrubbing when Nami stopped him. "Wait, Franky."

The cyborg froze, surprised, and Nami looked daggers at the troublemakers before returning her attention to the entire crew. "We're all going to take care of Sunny. It's so dirty I can hardly believe it," She showed them. "It can't go on like that and Franky doesn't have to be the only one to clean up."

Without waiting, she distributed buckets, mops, cloths and products to the crew members who tried to hide their resentment. "If we all work together, it won't be long," She firmly continued, "Franky and Usopp, you take care of your workshops and the engine room. Sanji-kun, the galley and storeroom. Chopper, the infirmary and the hold. Zoro, the crow's nest and the boys' bathroom. Luffy and Brook, the front and back decks. Robin and I take care of the library and the garden."

"Robin could take care of it!" Luffy chimed in. "She could do it all at once!"

The navigator turned to him, furious. "Robin isn't a maid! Besides, we must all make efforts for the Sunny. She's our ship but also our home and we must show her a little respect!"

Everyone agreed with her words and Nami put a hand on her hip. "Come on, get to work," She curtly ordered them. "I'll come by to check the result. And Luffy, don't forget the figurehead. You've put footprints everywhere when sitting on it all the time!"

The rest of the morning quickly passed in the middle of chores and Sanji gave sandwiches at lunchtime because Nami didn't want them to use the meal as an excuse to stop their tasks. And at the end of the afternoon, the young woman went to do an inspection.

"Chopper, how is it going?" She asked, poking her head around the door.

"It's all right," The little reindeer showed her. The infirmary was shining and he had spent a good part of the afternoon reorganizing the hold and dusting it off. Nami nodded with satisfaction before heading to the galley next door.

"Sanji-kun, are you done?" She asked as she entered the room.

"Of course, Nami-san!" The blond whirled. "I made you a tangerine juice after all your efforts!" He handed her a drink and the navigator took it with pleasure. She then took a look at the reserve room to check his claims and confirmed he had done a good job.

Although he was frolicking around her as usual while she was inspecting his work, the cook didn't add that this entertainment hadn't been enough to make him forget the strange feeling he had felt this morning in the presence of the fencer.

Unaware of his torments, Nami had her drink and resumed her tour to the workshops. She checked the neatness of the rooms Usopp and Franky had cleaned and went towards the deck in a good mood. So far, everyone had played the game and she was delighted about it. Robin and she had also taken special care to dust off the books in the library, polish the large windows and weed the garden.

She then went to the back deck where the skeleton was still scouring the ground. "That's good work, Brook," She noted. "I think the deck has never been so clean."

"Thank you, Nami-san!" The skeleton answered enthusiastically.

The navigator then walked to the front deck but quickly froze when she saw the captain's figure, deeply asleep on the figurehead. "Luffy!" She yelled, throwing his mop in his face. "How dare you let your crew do all the work?!"

"I just fell asleep!" The young man assured her, frantic. "I cleaned so much since earlier, it tired me out. I need to take a very small break, that's all!"

"Scrub, and be quick about it!" She roared as the captain was slowly picking up his mop.

The young woman went up to the crow's nest to complete her inspection, ranting, and when she entered the room, she cursed again. "You have to be kidding, you all got a problem or what?!" She flung the water bucket she hoped was dirty on the sleeping swordsman and the man sat up, dazed.

"I bet you didn't even start the bathroom yet, you bear!" Nami yelled in his ears. "Look at the state of the windows, you barely did half here!"

Zoro put up with a grunt in front of the reproaches avalanche and he narrowly avoided being hit by the brush. He didn't have much to say for his defense. He actually hadn't cleaned the bathroom and had just started that of the crow's nest after lunch when an irrepressible need to sleep had seized him. Apparently, his nap had exceeded the few minutes of rest he had wanted to take...

"You won't get away with it, I promise!" The redhead roared again when she finally left. "I want the crow's nest to shine by tonight and you'll do the bathroom during the night if you have to!"

After she left, Zoro sighed before stretching for a long time. He was going to hurry up to finish the crow's nest and he would have finished the bathroom well before dinner, he was sure of it.

Unfortunately for the swordsman, that didn't happen and Sanji called them for dinner before he even approached the bathroom. At least, the crow's nest was sparkling and he was quite proud of his work. He then hoped for a moment that the navigator would be lenient before facing reality: Nami would never show any compassion to anyone.

And as he had foreseen it, she caught the captain and his first mate at the end of the meal. "Those who fell asleep earlier won't go to bed before they finish their chores," She reminded them, glaring. "Luffy, you still have the figurehead and Zoro, the bathroom."

"Oh, please, Nami!" The straw hat boy pleaded. "We can do it tomorrow!"

"No way," The young woman barked. "Tomorrow, you'll fall asleep again!"

The captain sulked while the swordsman was grabbing some products before heading for the bathroom. The sooner he would finish, the faster he would go to bed.

When Zoro entered the room, the size of the task appeared to him and he sighed. The boys' bathroom was a real mess. Apart from Sanji who was making a point of putting his things away, all the others were leaving them lying around and no one was thinking to rinse or wipe when water sprays were splashing on the floor or walls.

The fencer was already feeling tired but he shook himself. He then decided to start with the tub and generously applied cleaning products. However, he quickly realized he had put too much and was left with an infinite amount of lather he couldn't rinse. Annoyed by this extra work, he dropped it for a moment to clean the toilet and sink, this time paying attention to the amount poured. When he came back to the tub, the lather was still present in large quantities and he decided to leave the water running to make it disappear. Meanwhile, he wiped the two large mirrors but to his utter despair, marks were reappearing at the same rate as he erased it.

At last, he was reaching a satisfying result when he noticed steam was beginning to invade the room, and thus the mirrors. He rushed to turn off the hot water that was still pouring into the tub and sighed again. He then began to profusely rinse but combined with the heat, he splashed water all over the floor which soon became an ice rink.

When he finally got rid of the lather, he prepared the mop in his bucket and scrubbed the floor vigorously before flushing it with plenty of water.

He suddenly heard the door creak on its hinges and saw the cook poke his head through the half-open door. His mocking look immediately irritated him. "What?" He barked.

"It's been two hours you're here, cactus head. I was afraid you drowned."

"Whatever," The other grumbled, unable to hide his quickened breath.

The blond entered the room and watched him for a moment. "Looks like you two fought and the bathroom won," He then pointed out to him.

Zoro shrugged and rinsed then wrung his mop while Sanji let his gaze linger on his half-naked body. The swordsman had taken his tee-shirt off in his fight and humidity had stuck his hair on his forehead and neck. The blond bit his lips to not find him attractive but it was a lost cause. Zoro was sexier than the devil himself at that moment.

The fencer finally put the mop down in the bucket and washed his hands before grabbing a towel to wipe his face. Sanji didn't miss the movements of his muscles back and shoulders that suddenly gave him the need to slip into his powerful arms to be kissed and stroked. The cook mentally slapped himself. He looked like an idiot completely enamored of another idiot with such thoughts. However, if he put aside the almost sentimental nature of his reasoning, he didn't deny the devouring desire that was growing in him.

"What now?" The swordsman brutally asked, noticing his eyes on him.

"Come here, marimo," He then ordered him. His smooth voice and eyes on fire no doubt dissuaded the fencer from protesting and he approached with a smirk.

Sanji threw himself onto his lips and pressed against the naked swordsman's chest who responded in kind, immediately playing with his tongue in the blond's mouth. Sanji ran his hands behind the fencer's neck to bring him even closer and Zoro did the same behind his back to deepen their kiss. Very quickly, the cook ran his fingers in his crewmate's special hair while he was catching his breath, slightly moving away from his lips to better dive again a second later.

Eyes still closed, Sanji let his hands firmly slide down the fencer's chest who muffled a sigh against his lips. The cook then put a hand on the bulge that was already stretching the swordsman's pants and Zoro seemed to redouble his kisses and caresses against his back. Terribly excited, the blond fumbled until he found the belt to undo it.

"You're in a hurry tonight," Zoro pointed out between passionate kisses.

"Don't keep me waiting then," The cook whispered back.

"Just a sec." The fencer moved away from the warm body against his and smirked when Sanji glared at him, panting and cheeks red. "I just wanna..."

Zoro then quietly applied himself to unbuttoning the cook's jacket and Sanji stared at him in disbelief. "What are you doing?"

"Every time, you sulking 'cause I'm being too rough. Now I do this right so don't complain," The other man mumbled, focused.

Sanji continued to stare at Zoro's clumsy hands, a few inches from his chest, and held his breath. This moment seemed infinitely delicate and it impressed him coming from the fencer. Finally, Zoro finished his task and slid the jacket off his shoulders before taking aim at the shirt. When he undid the last button, Sanji released his breath and looked up at him, confused. Zoro then moved a lock of his hair that was falling in front of his only visible eye with an amused smile and the cook felt himself shudder at his touch.

"Here you go."

Sanji realized he didn't know how to behave anymore, but fortunately Zoro took charge of the situation. "We should go to the room, it'll be better," He suggested to him with a knowing smile.

The blond only nodded and tightened the sides of his shirt when the fresh air made him shiver outside.

The swordsman didn't linger and abruptly closed the door behind them as soon as they entered. He hadn't bothered putting his shirt back and he grabbed the blond before brutally kissing him. Sanji felt he was coming to his senses as the fencer's fingers were now gripping his bare skin under his shirt and he finally began to remove the belt that was in the way a little earlier. Immediately after, he untied the button from the fencer's pants and dived inside, getting a sigh from the swordsman who pressed his hips towards him in response.

Now confident again, Sanji pushed him firmly against the left wall and massaged the hard member impatiently over the last garment. Zoro began to gasp while continuing his caresses and kisses before suddenly coming to a stop. "Ea-Easy, cook. I ain't gonna last at this rate..."

"I don't care," The cook replied, kissing him back fiercely. "I just feel like it."

He sharply removed the last clothes that bothered him and the breathing of the swordsman quickened further when he felt the blond's fingers wrap around him. His hands tightened instinctively around the cook's shirt and then directly on his hot skin. In response, his crewmate immediately applied rapid moves and Zoro grunted against the mouth that kept claiming him.

Sanji was feeling his own excitement soar and he used his other hand to loosen his own pants. The swordsman noticed his game and helped him take down his pants and boxer a little, seizing his erected member. The cook sighed softly before speeding up his own moves, forcing Zoro to lean a little more against the wall behind him, gasping for breath. Sanji then buried his head in the hollow of his right shoulder and began to kiss it feverishly.

The blond couldn't keep up. He didn't know if the muffled groans he was hearing were his or Zoro's, but what he was sure of was he had rarely experienced such pleasure with so little contact. He wanted to melt into the hot muscle mass that was surrounding him and to become soaked with the swordsman masculine scent forever.

Suddenly, he straightened slightly and saw that the fencer was now out of breath. His body was gleaming under the dim light of their room and his contracted belly was showing the pleasure he was feeling while the hand of the blond was hurrying up faster and faster, making him close his eyes. Sanji found this image of the swordsman incredibly erotic and he brutally set his lips down against his again, making their teeth rattle through frantic kisses. Pleasure was rising from all sides in him, the swordsman's hot hand around his member following the rhythm he was imposing on his.

Sanji then felt the fencer's hand go up to the back of his neck when Zoro tensed in a hoarse groan, bringing their two faces together for a last fiery kiss. The sensation was enough for the cook to catch him up and they freed themselves almost simultaneously in the hand of the other, short of breath and legs shaking.

"Fuck... We didn't last long," The swordsman whispered as he was catching his breath.

Sanji vaguely nodded. He was slowly coming back from his orgasm and adjusted his eyes to see Zoro wasn't moving either. He enjoyed the sensation for a few moments before slowly getting out of the grip of the swordsman while he was relaxing his own grip. Their pants were still hanging to their hips and his crumpled shirt had been stained. He grabbed a pack of tissues with his fingertips and took one before handing the pack to the fencer while avoiding his gaze. He didn't know why he was feeling so strange all of a sudden, both overwhelmed and uncomfortable, and he took a cigarette and his lighter.

For his part, Zoro quickly got rid of his last clothes and fell on the bed, a satisfied smile on his lips. Sanji removed his own more slowly before settling down by his side and watching the ceiling as he blew smoke from his cigarette. Outside, the night was pitch black and the wind was rising, gently rolling the Sunny on the waves.

The cook shivered and adjusted the sheets on him while enjoying the warmth of the body next to his own that was catching his breath. He then glanced curiously at his crewmate. He would have imagined wanting to go at it again, but tonight, after the satisfaction of this passionate desire, it wasn't what he was looking for. "Tell me about Kuina, marimo."

"What, now?" A sleepy voice answered him.

"We never speak except in these moments." The blond turned his head towards the swordsman. Zoro already seemed ready to fly to dreamland so he shook him a little. "Tell me," He urged.

"What you wanna know?" The fencer grumbled.

"How was she?"

The swordsman shrugged. "Remember when we finished the Davy Back Fight with this crazy Foxy and we came across this island where a sort of seahorse dragon stole our memory?" Sanji nodded and Zoro continued. "She was one of the people who appeared when it finally let go of our memories. You didn't see her?"

"I think I was staring at my own memory about this old Zeff," The blond remembered.

"Well, she was there."

"I got it," The cook sighed. "Describe her to me."

The fencer took a few seconds to think. "Determined. Merciless. A true warrior."

"And physically?"

"Short, dark hair. Cold face. Big dark and proud eyes. A bit like Tashigi, minus glasses. Better fighter too."

Sanji tried to imagine the girl by thinking about a younger Marine officer.

"Why do you wanna know?" The swordsman then asked, turning to him.

"Don't know. She was important to you so I think I wanna know her."

The cook bit his tongue as soon as the words had escaped him but Zoro didn't seem to notice his confession. The fencer settled on his back again, staring at the ceiling and focusing on his memories. "At first, I hated her 'cause she was stronger than me. She was putting a beating on everyone arrogantly and it drove me crazy. And then, bit by bit, she became the reason for my commitment to become the best. The fact that she was beating me every time with her only sword made me wanna surpass myself and she became my model."

The blond attentively listened to the swordsman telling him his story, his cigarette in the corner of his lips, hypnotized. He didn't know why but this confidence was touching him particularly. Maybe because Zoro was never talking about him to anyone.

"On the night of her last victory, she was caving in," The fencer continued, "She believed she wasn't gonna fulfill her dream of being the best swordsman in the world because she was a girl so we promised one of us would do it no matter what."

As the fencer was becoming silent, Sanji blew a little smoke and turned his attention back to him. Zoro had his fighter gaze, the tough, proud one he was displaying before slipping his bandana on, before throwing himself into battle.

"So it comes from back then, your idea of becoming the best swordsman in the world."

Zoro shrugged. "Let's say it strengthened it. When she died, her father gave me the Wado to make her dream come true and I swore to keep that promise as I've done it to Kuina. And I'm a man of my word."

Sanji let his cigarette butt die down without thinking. He didn't doubt his lover's determination and he shivered without wanting to. Perhaps he would have liked to embody as much as this girl for the fencer, he suddenly realized.

"When I think about it, she wouldn't have tolerated you dancing in front of her with hearts in your eyes," The swordsman added with amusement before closing his eyes to sleep.

The blond didn't move to wake him up again and he breathed in deeply as he was feeling the swordsman falling asleep beside him. He stared at the ceiling once again. He knew he wouldn't sleep because his brain was bubbling up. He stood up noiselessly, put on clean clothes, and escaped from the room to stand against the nearest railing. A little further, Chopper was struggling against sleep to watch the sea.

Sanji sighed deeply. He couldn't deny he had a problem anymore. Maybe this problem had been there for a while and he had bottled it up but it was now coming back in all its vigor.

A problem named Roronoa Zoro.

Here we go, I hope you liked it!

We'll be experiencing turbulence from now!