Author's Note: So I got an e-mail from France and it totally blew my mind and I decided to update because of it. I don't own One Piece. Also if you're the one who e-mailed me, I kinda am working on the response. Since you wrote the email to me in my mother tongue, I want to do the same and therefore lots of editing and fixing and finding the right words. I LOVE getting e-mails so PLEASE E-MAIL ME!
Speechless
By: Setkia
Full Summary
Sanji is a cook at the Baratie who, for a reason not fully understood by all the other cooks, has not spoken a word in three years. He goes through his life normally, communicating through paper and pen. He hasn't felt the urge to speak since he's decided he would never speak again. Things change though when one day, while taking out the trash, he accidentally runs into the "Demon the Streets".
Roronoa Zoro, the "Demon of the Streets" is a mystery but he's feared by everyone who hears his name. He's on the run from the police with a wanted poster and a big prize if he's found and captured. With an accidental wrong turn, he encounters a strange man with long legs and blond hair. Zoro learnt pretty early on that in his line of work, you don't get attached to people and yet somehow this cook is working his way through his barriers.
PART ONE: BATTLE SCARS
VIII
Convincing Roronoa Zoro to stay put inside the apartment while Sanji went to work was almost impossible. Ignoring the fact that he couldn't yell his point out to the idiot about how while yes, staying under house arrest isn't preferable, it beat being stuck in a jail cell, which was where he was bound to end up should he ever dare to leave the apartment. For some inexplicable reason, the Marimo had Sanji feeling bad for being so strict with him, digging his bitten — but no less harsh— nails into his flesh, causing the green-haired man to wince.
Sanji was in the middle of making the latest order from one of their morning customers when a loud voice boomed throughout the restaurant. It was incoherent and he couldn't distinguish it from the people yelling and sudden scrambling. Who was causing such a ruckus?
The doors to the kitchen were swung open harshly and in the doorway stood a man who seemed to overpower even Zeff, wearing a thick jacket with rough shoulder-blades, smoking what looked like two cigars at once. His senpaku eyes narrowed and scanned the room before him.
"Is that ...?"
"He's part of the police, isn't he?"
Police? Sanji started to worry suddenly. He didn't put much trust in the police, not after how they had dealt with that incident years ago, but he was grateful for every arrest that they rightfully made. Yet being in the presence of an officer, it hadn't happened since that day.
"Who are you?" demanded Zeff loudly in that booming voice of his that commanded respect.
"Smoker," declared the other man. "Officer Smoker. I'm conducting an investigation for the police department regarding the location of a recently escaped convict," he said in a prideful voice. "Last we heard, he had been seen within about a thirty mile radius of this restaurant."
"What makes you think our restaurant is hiding a criminal?" asked Zeff.
It almost felt like a shouting match between two wrestlers, who would let the other overpower their voice? Who would be heard when it came to the end? Who would get the last word?
"When you make fish your main decorating point, your joint becomes a very easily identifiable location," said Smoker. "We're just covering the area."
"And I suppose your other troops are going into other random shops within your fancy 'thirty mile radius'?" Zeff laughed gruffly. "Don't make me laugh!"
There was a moment of tension when Zeff mentioned troops and Sanji realized that perhaps this guy didn't have much back up. Maybe he was doing this off the grid. It was completely probable. He was a very fierce man, visible not only through his voice, but the way he held himself and his very presence. Sanji wouldn't be surprised if he made an entire military unit on his own.
"Um, Officer Smoker?"
Sanji's attention was drawn towards a girl who was standing just a little behind the large man for the first time. She wore rectangular glasses and had a short hair cut, a sword at her waist. What was it with Sanji and sword-people? Did he just attract weirdos?
"Do you want me to start the questioning?" asked the woman. It was different to see a female in a position like this and Sanji found that rather than disrespecting her like he supposed most officers tended to do to their female subordinates, Smoker had a respect for this woman. It was refreshing.
That still didn't change the fact that he was looking for Roronoa and wanted him behind bars though.
"Has anyone seen a green-haired man named Roronoa Zoro?" demanded Smoker. "Has ear piercings, tanned, blood type XF, carries three katana, the most famously known one Wado Ichimoji." Sanji noticed the lady in the glasses stiffen at the mention of the sword. "He's about that man's height," here Smoker pointed to Sanji.
"Sanji saw him a few weeks ago, didn't he?" asked Carne. "Said he was lost, ain't that right?"
Sanji's eyes widened a fraction, the only emotion showing on his face while he was internally freaking out. Shit, he should've kept his mouth shut— more accurately, his pen down—, why had he told them? His curiosity over a few scars, was it worth it to send a man to jail? Then again, would Sanji have even been waiting for him if he hadn't known who he was? Would Roronoa still be at his apartment had he not asked? Shit, yes he would've, had he still collapsed on the pavement in the back of the Baratie. But would Sanji have been waiting there? Had it been someone else, he'd have been handed straight over to the authorities. Damn Marimo, causing him trouble without even being there.
"You?" asked Smoker, approaching Sanji, taking a long strides. He towered over the blond and squinted. "Did you meet with Roronoa?"
Sanji hit s lip and said nothing. He tired not to blink, but his eyes were watering quickly.
"What's your name?"
"Um, sir?" said Taijo, "you're not going to get anything from him."
"And why not?"
Taijo gave Sanji an apologetic look, knowing Sanji hated it when others "outed" him so to speak. "He doesn't talk sir."
"Can he write?" asked Smoker, looking at him with a scrutinizing gaze. "He's not deaf, is he?"
"No, only ..." There was a pause. "Only mute sir."
Smoker nodded. "Listen up. I'm not going to force you to talk, but if you know anything at all, you need to tell us. I don't give a shit how you do it, if you say it, write it, fucking mime it to me if you want to, but if you're hiding something we can charge you for withholding crucial information that can lead to a dangerous person's arrest."
Sanji took a pen in hand and, with a shaking arm that trembled more than he'd dare admit, he wrote.
I saw him for a second. And then he ran away. Haven't seen him since.
Smoker nodded slowly. "Okay," he said. "I'm trusting you're not lying to me, but I ever found out you did ..."
There was no need to finish the sentence. It was obvious.
Carne and Patty looked confused, as though they knew something Sanji didn't want them to. Did they know he had taken in a criminal?
"You're telling me no one but this man saw Roronoa?" asked Smoker, addressing the room now.
Zeff glanced at Sanji, asking a million questions. Sanji just pleaded with him silently to keep quiet. He owed the head chef so much, for forgiving him, for continuing to employ him, for standing at his defence and now he was asking him to do even more and without knowing all details, back him up.
"He's the only one," Zeff said. "Eggplant's in charge of garbage detail."
Smoker nodded.
It took a few more tense moments before he left the room and Sanji felt like he could breathe again.
Zeff gave Sanji a look that spoke volumes.
Don't make me regret that.
It was times like these that Sanji wished he could break his own rules, just to utter a single word of gratitude.
Author's Note #2: The thank-yous!
Random Person: I don't think so, maybe?
NaruHinaLuvr: Yay for Ace! I'm slowly getting better at writing him.
lilcutieprincess: The D Brothers are a very protective bunch in my opinion in general, but yeah, they'd be even more protective after what Sanji went through,
bronze andromeda shun(x2) : Yup, nightmare chapters are always interesting and fun to write!
SmAc: I really do want to write that after I'm done Speechless.
sanzaya: Yes! I forgot to mention it, but yes, Choro is from that dj that I read (God that sounds weird) and because I take too many screenshots, I totally made my friends' heads explode staring at the cuteness of those djs! I loved the part where, in the after story thing, Sandi slaps a fly on Choro's forehead and he gets upset so Sandi rubs his forehead awkwardly. I actually hadn't thought of that, but I do like the idea there, yeah.
crystalbluefox: Tada, hope you liked it!
tenshuni: Don't worry, I can't multitask, there's no way I'll be writing two stories at once. I like getting e-mails, it makes me feel like I'm not so unpopular ... I'm kidding, I have friends, but I'm old fashion and like e-mail rather than texting ...
Azurai Wolf: Yup, the joys of writing and taking control of people's minds! (Uh, character minds, I meant characters)
Okay my question for this chapter: we've met Smoker for the first time! What do you think of him? Did I do him right? PLEASE TELL ME I DIDN'T SCREW HIM UP!
