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Chapter 55

Twilight

Sanji smoothly bend down and his opponent's blade missed him by several inches. Straightening up immediately, the cook kicked him in the stomach powerfully enough to send him back to his own ship. The blond then clenched his teeth on his cigarette butt, irritated.

A small Marine ship had attacked them earlier this morning. Their captain didn't have a very high rank and more than fifty officers, but he still had wanted to throw them against the straw hat crew. He had now probably realized his mistake as his men were flying all over the place but it was too late. This fight was almost a picnic and a welcome distraction for the crew who had been sailing without a hitch for almost two weeks.

Not far from him on the deck, Luffy was laughing like madman while he was chasing two terrified officers on the ship, Franky was punctuating each of his attacks with a ridiculous pose, Zoro was enjoying pushing back his enemies by spinning his swords threateningly and Brook was scaring them to death just because of his appearance.

Robin, Nami, Chopper and Usopp were more serious: the archaeologist was grabbing the officers within reach with her multiple hands and Nami was quickly electrocuting them. Beside them, Usopp was launching war cries and bombarding his adversaries with smoke and explosive balls while Chopper, in his human form, was knocking them out without losing an instant.

Sanji sighed when he bent down again to avoid a shot, bored. These officers only had their courage for weapon and although it was honorable, the cook was more concerned about his cherry plum pie still in the oven than their desperate attempts to take them prisoner. Deciding to put an end to this farce, he jumped forward and knocked out four at once before casually dragging on his cigarette. He mustn't forget to put a little red chili for Robin and Franky's sauce or to remove the salad from the fridge early enough so that it isn't frozen during the meal...

The blond warded off a new attack in his direction by stopping it with his only right leg, not even deigning to move. However, a sound of boots was heard a few steps away and he quickly turned, frowning. He then had just enough time to see the commander in chief lift a heavy ax behind the back of the ship's doctor busy repelling three officers who were surrounding Usopp.

Without thinking, Sanji rushed towards them, furious. He was about to pulverize the coward who was attacking the little reindeer from behind when the ax in question was stopped by two sharp blades. The commander brutally stopped in his tracks groaned and the fencer's smile in front of him widened, ready to start the fight.

Sanji stopped dead, suddenly undecided. What should he do? Zoro would easily take care of this Marine so he didn't really have a reason to stay there. However, logic would have wanted him to position himself on the other side of his crewmate to guarantee him some security while helping Usopp and Chopper who were struggling to repel their own opponents.

Banishing his uncertainties, he swept the rest of the officers around them, and the sniper and the doctor thanked him with their eyes as they were catching their breaths. At that moment, a sword fell just inches from Usopp's hair and the latter screamed. The cook rushed over and was about to rid his friend of the new threat when he noticed that it was actually the swordsman's blade who had stopped a shot in the direction of the gunner.

Sanji shook his head and took a deep breath. He had to pull himself together. He couldn't rush to his crewmates because he wasn't attentive enough to his environment. This lack of focus could cost each of them dearly.

Throwing away his cigarette, the blond positioned himself next to Nami and Robin to bring their last attackers down. The sooner they got rid of this trouble, the faster he could take care of his meal.

As expected, the fight had quickly ended and the losers had got back to their ship to join their leader, who was heavily bloodied by the swords of the fencer. Then they had set sail under the disappointed gaze of the straw hat crew captain and Sanji had resumed his preparations.

He hadn't taken long to call his crewmates and everyone was now enjoying a well-deserved meal. There were conversations left and right and appetites were visibly deepened after these unforeseen energy expenditures.

"Sanji-kun, is there any bread left?" the navigator asked.

"Of course, sweetie. Help yourself."

The cook handed her the basket and Nami took a piece.

"I'm worried about the Marines", Franky said at his side. "They're attacking crews much stronger than them without thinking. They're never gonna make it that way!"

"Stop worrying about enemies", the sniper sighed. "Too bad for them if they're stupid."

"We should never underestimate an opponent", Chopper added. "Even the most insignificant attack can be fatal if we're not careful!"

Listening to the conversation with half an ear, Sanji weaved in and out among his friends and put down his salad, then gave his captain a second helping before he took on the plate of his crewmates. He then went back to the oven to make sure his pie was still hot.

"There's no more bottle", Zoro growled, looking for his drink.

"Maybe they didn't know we were the straw hat crew", Brook suggested.

"In that case, they'd be really stupid", Usopp muttered, finishing his share of gratin. "They just have to watch the flag..."

In front of his counter, the blond was busy cutting his dessert and he didn't move. The swordsman therefore repeated his remark, raising his tone.

"Hey, cook! Where are the bottles?"

Sanji finally heard him and he quickly put down his knife before searching through his stash. He then grabbed a bottle and tossed it absent mindedly to be able to resume his task as soon as possible.

Zoro looked at his new bottle gloomily. The cook had made a mistake and had given him a bottle of white wine instead of his usual sake. He then watched his focused gestures and when he brought the pie a few moments later, the swordsman made sure to conspicuously drink from the bottle in order to make him pay for his carelessness. He knew the blond hated it.

This one stared at him for a second when he saw him and the fencer was beginning to smile victoriously when the cook left him speechless by simply placing a glass in front of him before leaving to serve their friends. Zoro clenched his teeth and got absorbed in his plate. He didn't notice the sudden deafening silence in the room, except for Luffy's enthusiastic forkfuls, nor the curious or worried glances of his crewmates between them around the table.

The last piece of pie swallowed, Nami delicately placed her napkin on the table.

"Thank you for this meal, Sanji-kun, it was delicious. Zoro, you help him clear."

"What? Why me?!" the concerned person got indignant.

"Because I'm telling you to do it", the navigator calmly replied.

"I'm delighted that the meal was to your liking, Nami-san! But concerning the washing-up, there's no need", the cook showed her. "I've already started cleaning the dishes and..."

"Zoro will help you clear, period", she cut him short.

Sanji bowed to her decision and went back to his sink. The young woman then quickly got up and sharply glanced at her other crewmates.

"Let's go."

Although some of her friends looked questioningly at her, her surly air dissuaded them from further questioning her intentions and the fencer frowned when he saw everyone rushing towards the exit, Franky dragging Luffy in his wake while he was finishing licking the dish. Shrugging, he got up in his turn and started stacking the plates.

The chore took place in silence but without animosity. As he was finishing tidying up, Zoro grabbed his bottle again, determined this time to demand an explanation.

"You gave me a bottle of wine earlier. What's your problem, curly?"

The blond looked up from his dishes and turned to look at the bottle the swordsman was waving under his nose. He finally shook his head.

"I wasn't paying attention."

"You're out of it right now", the fencer noted. "If you think I didn't notice you almost mistook me for one of the Marines earlier..."

"I said I wasn't paying attention, don't make a big deal out of it", the cook simply replied, taking back his dishes.

Zoro just stood behind him, his bottle in hand, while Sanji was rinsing the plates.

"You need anything else?" the cook asked after a moment.

"Uh... no."

Satisfied, Sanji continued his task and he heard the door close behind the swordsman a few seconds later. He finished his dishes, dried it and cleaned the table almost serenely.

He couldn't believe he was able to converse that normally with the crew's fencer today. The first days had been a dreadful torment and the blond had thought for a moment he was going to lose his sanity but his mind had finally found a compromise: he had purely and simply locked all emotion concerning the swordsman in the back of his mind and the cook had started breathing a little more slightly.

Nevertheless, Sanji couldn't help but sigh as he got rid of his apron. He could sense the interrogative looks of his crewmates on him and he was even aware of appearing a little detached and elsewhere but there was nothing he could do about it. He knew he was far from coming to terms with anything and his attitude was more about a defense mechanism than his ability to overcome the events. Never mind. For the moment, he was greatly satisfied because he didn't feel ready to reopen the door to the flood of feelings in him.

Nami saw the swordsman rush towards the crow's nest then heard the trap door closing loudly behind him. She shook her head, put out. Beside her, Usopp had also followed the outline of the fencer with his eyes and he frowned.

"They're both really weird right now", he mumbled.

The rest of the crew taken by Nami had gone down on the deck and they were quietly resting, apart from Luffy who had started hunting butterflies.

"They're almost civilized towards each other and strangely, it's freaking me out", the sniper spoke again. "It's not like them."

"Clearly", the cyborg who was holding the helm agreed. "It's way too quiet."

"They must have had an argument", Chopper sighed, sitting on the green grass. "And they're so angry they ignore each other..."

"They're not really ignoring each other, they're even very courteous to one another and that's the most disarming", Brook noted.

"Yeah... They must have fallen asleep one night and one had wanted to kill the other in his sleep", the gunner suddenly claimed. "As a result, they distanced themselves."

A series of jaded looks turned towards him.

"Seriously? That's what you're imagining?" Franky asked him.

"It's plausible, guys!" the sniper persisted. "Have you seen how they look at each other most of the time?"

"I think it's a misunderstanding", the little reindeer explained. "That's often the way things turn out in relationships."

"You really think they have a love life in the normal sense of the word?" Usopp pointed out to him, disillusioned. "They take turns beating on each other, Sanji flirts with everything that has a feminine form and Zoro looks like an assassin as soon as we talk about their relationship. Maybe they're not even really together in reality!"

"They have an unusual way of communicating but their feelings aren't less strong", the archaeologist who was reading a book besides Chopper softly stepped in.

"Anyway, they must be really twisted to alternate love with hate so much", the sniper sighed. "Probably emotional deprivation in their childhoods..."

"In the meantime, they're not doing anything at all now", Chopper sadly reminded them. "They don't even fight anymore and it's really worrying..."

"They're arguing every other day, maybe that's one more argument", Franky suggested, shrugging.

At these words, the navigator looked down. She hadn't yet spoken to her crewmates about the strange discovery she had made on her return from their last call two weeks ago.

"It's more than that", she finally sighed. "They... They gave me back the key to their room..."

The news was like a cold shower to her friends. Usopp stared at her, gaping, while Chopper's eyes instantly filled with tears.

"Shit, it's true that was really weird but I didn't think they got to this point", Franky winced after a few moments. "They never agree on anything, what could have happened this time?"

"The heart has its reasons, of which reason cannot know", Brook replied laconically.

Usopp bit his lips. His two crewmates appeared to him like UFOs, but he still didn't want to resign himself. He couldn't believe this unseemly relationship ended this way. It was so unlikely that it necessarily deserved a little attention.

"Perhaps we can reconcile them", he offered, unsure.

"If I were you, I wouldn't interfere", the cyborg dissuaded him, sighing.

"But they can't stay like this", the little reindeer that the intervention of Usopp had given hope insisted. "They're not themselves anymore!"

"Franky's right, that's their business", Nami chimed in.

The sniper brutally turned to her, not seeing things that way.

"I'll have you know that's mostly thanks to them if you're still with Luffy!" he pointed out. "Sanji imagined the meal and Zoro spoke to Luffy! Okay, the both of them are weird and knowing them together is downright scary but we can still return the favor! It's their happiness above all!" he fervently declaimed.

Nami shook her head.

"I'm not against the idea itself, Usopp. Believe me, I'd really like to help them, that's why I told Zoro to clear the table, but obviously, it didn't work."

"Oh..."

"Look at them, they have nothing to do with Luffy and me", she sighed again.

"It's true", the doctor sadly noticed. "I don't see what we can do..."

"They will surely come to terms on their own", the skeleton then lightly said. "The youth is fiery but it doesn't lack common sense!"

"Maybe", the navigator agreed. "But they're so stubborn..."

"Robin, you got an idea on what to do?" Franky asked, turning to her.

"No, I agree with our musician's opinion", the archaeologist replied, turning a page of her book. "Our friends are proud and they wouldn't allow us to interfere in their privacy."

Silence softly fell on the audience and Nami finally decided to shake the crew.

"Let us trust them; they'll manage to find common ground sooner or later whatever the status of their relationship. For now, it's better to leave them alone; we'd only make matters worse. Let's behave as usual and give them time."

Her friends slowly nodded and the group finally dispersed to its occupations.

The swordsman rolled his dumbbell which cracked the floor of the crow's nest and he winced. Damn, Franky was going to make a fuss again...

He picked up the weight and carefully put it up before leaning on it to sit down. He sighed then, wiping the sweat that was beading on his forehead with a wave of his hand, frustrated. He wasn't progressing from the focus' point of view. His physical training was satisfactory but his composure connected to meditation was too quickly unraveling and he couldn't visualize his fighting techniques for more than a few seconds. Yet he had redoubled his efforts in recent days.

In front of this sad state of affairs, he sighed heavily. He was beginning to really worry: sleep had started to flee from him, something very unlikely since he was born, and during those long hours, lying alone in the night his mind was swirling in all directions. He was almost coming to question his latest decision which seemed to have resulted in all of his new problems. Fortunately, at the first sight of dawn, his reason was taking over again.

Suddenly, the fencer got up, terribly angry. He knew to whom he owed his perpetual nervous state which prevented him from completely focusing on his objectives: to that goddamn cook who hadn't been shooting him a word or a look for days.

At first, his attitude had suited him because he had feared endless scenes from him and past the relief he had naturally imagined their old rivalry would reappear between them. And he had looked forward to this moment, eager to come to blows to finally exchange something, pour out their respective resentments and resume their life where they had left it a few months before.

But since he had left the room, the blond was continuously displaying an indifferent attitude towards him. He wasn't responding to his provocations and the fencer had the clear impression it wasn't because he was containing himself but rather because he had absolutely nothing to do with it. He had simply crossed Zoro out of his life since that day.

All the better, he should have thought. Unfortunately, things never being so simple, Zoro found it more and more difficult to bump into the cook without wanting to yell that everything was his fault if they were in this situation in the first place. However, he knew it wasn't exactly true.

The swordsman clenched his teeth. He couldn't go back on his decision, it wouldn't make any sense. He had chosen to slam the door for a good reason so he had to stick to it. If he didn't stick to his resolutions, what chance did he have of becoming the best one day?

Determined, he took up his dumbbells again and set himself a new series of exercises. 10,000 for a start.

That night, Nami was tapping her pen on her map thoughtfully. Settled at her desk, it had been more than ten minutes since she had drawn anything. Much to her despair and despite her own speech earlier, she was concerned about the attitude of the cook and the fencer. She knew it was none of her business and most of all, she didn't care about the state of their relationship so far between their endless fights and their terrible nights that were getting on her nerves as much as anything. But for the past few days, it was no longer anger or indifference that she was feeling, but rather sadness. Sadness to see Sanji retreating into silence when he was usually so quick to liven up the Sunny or to offer to help her. Sadness to see that Zoro was even more taciturn than before and that he was spending his time locked up because of his too intensive training. Sadness at last to not hear them overturn the furniture and destroy the Sunny at every turn. Whatever she says, the atmosphere was no longer the same and she had to admit that their noisy presences were playing a part in the special and so warm atmosphere of the crew.

Everyone was affected now. During dinner, she even had to kick Usopp under the table to stop him staring at Zoro, and she had thought Chopper was going to cry when Sanji had ignored a remark from the swordsman. She didn't think the crew would come to split by taking sides for one or the other but at the same time, she didn't remember such a gloomy climate between them since the start of their trip.

The navigator sighed and opened the drawer of her desk. Inside, a glowing ruby necklace was sparkling. She stroked it with her fingertips before gently closing the furniture compartment. Of course, she knew that the risk of a relationship among the crew was mainly the breakup. The breakup of the couple but also the breakup of the team spirit. She herself had embarked on this dangerous game with the captain and she feared that it would prove devastating in the long term.

"Nami, come look! There are shooting stars again!"

The young woman looked up and noticed that Luffy was waiting for her on the doorstep, excited. As usual. As if he were impervious to the heavy atmosphere that had settled on the Sunny.

"I'm coming."

She slowly put her equipment away and went out on deck to join the straw hat boy.

"Did you see that? There are even more than the last time!" he showed her, stretching out his hand to the sky.

"Yes, it's the season of the year", she replied. "It'll last three nights."

"This is so cool!"

On deck, only Franky was still tinkering. Zoro was keeping watch and the others were nowhere to be seen, perhaps already asleep or in the library.

"You wanna go to the roof like last time?!" the captain then asked her, his eyes bright with excitement.

The navigator couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm.

"I'd love to."

Luffy immediately put his arm around her waist and raised them with a gum-gum to place them on the roof of the crow's nest, as close as possible to the celestial vault. They lay down and gazed at the brilliant objects of fleeting light streaking the clear sky. The show was magnificent.

However, after a few minutes, the straw hat boy turned his head towards his navigator.

"You look sad, Nami", he said, watching her curiously.

The young woman slowly shook her head.

"Don't mind me. I'm just a little worried about Zoro and Sanji, that's all..."

"Really, why?" he asked, straightening up.

Nami straightened in her turn before softly shrugging.

"You know... They don't talk anymore. Sanji has become completely indifferent to what surrounds him and Zoro spends his time pushing the limits of his body. And then, they gave me back the key to their room..."

"That's fine, they're just angry! It happens all the time!" Luffy pointed out to her.

"Maybe but either way, I noticed it's really weighing on the mood of the crew..."

"They'll get over it", the straw hat boy stressed, obviously not worried.

"But what if they don't?" the navigator then whispered. "What if they keep that attitude and what if that changes things between them? Between us?"

"Nothing will change. Whatever happens, we'll all stay together!" the captain firmly replied.

Nami let out a small sigh, her eyes lost in the dark waters of the sea.

"Imagine if it happens to us one day", she whispered again. "We've got to face the facts, we took a risk..."

"What risk?" Luffy wondered.

"The risk to change our relations."

"That's quite a chance, you mean!" the young man exclaimed, laughing.

The navigator looked back at him, obviously surprised.

"You think?"

"Of course! Links are even stronger! I wanted the best crew to become the Pirate King and now we're a real family!" he explained to her in a matter of fact tone.

Nami smiled at the determination and simplicity of his statement. The way Luffy was seeing things was natural, logical, unshakeable.

"I hope you're right", she whispered, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You'll see", the captain replied with confidence. "Nothing can break us apart!"

This moment is a reference to the one where Nami made a bet with Zoro and the crew believes she debauched her captain when they just gazed at the stars :)

I love the way Luffy can find the right words with his friends, he's often right.

Well, that's it; next chapter is the one for explanations between our heroes...