Author's Note: A couple of things I should mention, Sanji's got a last name! Apparently, so I used it. I don't know Robin well enough to make this a good representation of her, so I'm sorry! She's not a bad person! I don't own One Piece. I did a tad of research to know about the whole court thing but anyway, don't expect anything I write to be accurate, I'm sorry I'm so bad at accuracy!
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 TWO: GOOD FIGHT
Even in the road blocks (yeah)
Even through the rough spots
When you're feeling you've given all that you've got
I'm with you in the next step
Giving you in the next breath
I'll be the voice saying "You're gonna make it"
When you're out there on your own
You are never alone
-Good Fight, Unspoken
XX
What. The. Fuck?
Zoro's not sure what he's supposed to think, all he does know is that his mind has gone to some other place that isn't Earth and he's trying desperately to get it back.
"Roronoa, focus!"
Zoro is brought out of his mind just barely by the sound of a hand slamming against the table across from him. Finally let out of his cell and he's forced to cooperate with some dark haired woman who seems to be cold as fuck, with a steely gaze that even he can admit is a bit frightening.
"Your trial is in a week from now," she says. What's her name again? Oh right, Robin. Nico Robin. "I need you to tell me where you were on the night of the fire."
"They're charging me for arson and escaping jail, right?" Zoro asks. "They've already decided I'm guilty, because of jailing before, don't you think they'll be a bit biased?"
"They may have decided you're guilty, but I haven't made my decision yet."
She says her words with such conviction, it almost pulls Zoro out the other planet his mind's on. Almost. Being randomly kissed does that to you, hard to focus on anything really.
"Tell me. What were you doing?"
Zoro doesn't want to talk to her. He doesn't like her. Maybe she means well, but she unnerves him and she seems unfeeling to him. He doesn't trust her. He doesn't trust anyone really. Well … maybe Sanji. But that's just a maybe.
He hasn't known Sanji long, he knows that. A week maybe? Maybe it's been two weeks? He can't really tell. For someone who came and entered his life so abruptly, it seems as though he's left just as quickly. But not quite at the same time, his few visits keep Zoro certain that the past few days haven't been a dream.
He doesn't want to tell her his secrets. What's it to her that he was picked off the streets by the cook? What does it matter to her that he hadn't had a proper meal in months before the blond found him? Why would she care that he and Sanji have their own special method of communication and Sanji doesn't pry too much and he just leaves Zoro feeling just a tiny bit happier, almost comparable to the way he felt around her.
"Talk to me Roronoa," says Nico. "I can't help you if you don't help yourself."
"Who says I want to be helped?"
Her eyes narrow. She fiddles with a pen in her hand for a moment before she lets her hands drop to the table. Zoro doesn't like it. It seems she has a new resolve. "That blond … He seems awfully fond of you."
Zoro turns his head away. "So what?"
"Nothing, just …" Nico trails off.
"Just what?" Zoro snaps.
"Don't you think he's playing with fire?" Nico asks.
Zoro says nothing.
"You're a convicted criminal after all. I did some research on him, Sanji Vinsmoke. A cook at that restaurant, the Baratie." Don't do anything. Don't say anything. "He has a pretty good reputation. Well, he did until a few years ago …"
Zoro doesn't say a thing. He can't. He doesn't like the way Nico talks about him, like she knows Sanji personally, when all she did was a little research. Does she know about his favourite brand of cigarettes? Does she know about his liking for spices? He doesn't like the way she talks about his past like she knows him. It's Sanji's job to tell him about his past, not hers.
"Do you know what happened to him? Did you read the articles?"
Zoro doesn't like it. He doesn't.
"Well Roronoa?"
Stop talking. Please.
"Did you know about what happened to his parents? To his mentor?"
Stopitstopitstopitstopit.
"I'll tell you what happened, I'm surprised you haven't heard about it—"
SLAM!
"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP, I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT, BITCH!"
Zoro breathes in heavily, his fists curled on the table, his eyes cast downwards. He can't stand it, can't stand knowing that she's just talking so casually about this, as though she were there when it happened. Zoro knows that Sanji's been through hell. He knows that he's had a bad life, or something horrible happened to him and so he doesn't speak a lot, hasn't spoken in a few years and that's all he needs to know. He doesn't want an explanation, especially not one from this woman.
Nico frowns. "I can see you care about the cook."
Zoro grunts. "So what?"
"I just thought you should know that I wasn't going to tell you his story. That's something for him to let you know in his own time," says Nico. "But if he tells you or not, that doesn't matter. What matters is that they're going to make him testify."
Zoro stares ta her. "What?"
"He's considered a witness," says Nico in a calm voice that irritates him right to his core. "And they're going to make him testify against you. If I don't know your story, or if you're story doesn't match up with his, there'll be nothing I can do."
"I thought you said you haven't decided if you wanted to defend me."
Nico Robin bites on the tip of her pen. "I've made up my mind."
Zoro stares at her. He can see it, the playful look in her eyes as she analyzes him. She's determined. Perhaps Zoro can warm up to her. But wait—
"But Sanji won't want to testify."
"They're going to force him."
"Can they really do that?"
"There are few cases in which someone isn't eligible to testify. Some of those cases are being that they are married to the defendant, or are not mentally fit to testify to the court. Seeing as Sanji fits neither of these criteria, yes, theoretically, they can force him to testify."
"But … but that's not fair!"
"Life isn't fair, Roronoa Zoro." Nico sets her gaze on him with a fierce look in her eyes. "I have seen injustice be played out before and I do not enjoy it, I am not a spectator to the injustices of the world, I'm the one who will stand up and try to prevent them, so help me God, Roronoa Zoro, if you do not plan on cooperating with me, you can expect your cook to suffer for it."
Force him? They're going to force him?
Zoro falls into his chair silently and Nico Robin gives him a knowing look. "I'm not your enemy Roronoa," she says. "So how about you tell me where you were the night of the arson?"
Zoro answers her questions without a fight this time, but he can't help thinking of her words.
Your cook.
Possessive pronouns have never sounded more fascinating.
Author's Note #2: So I didn't hit the 20 I wanted, but whatever, I did get a lot of reviews.
Ashlielle: I'm really glad you're liking Beautiful Disaster, I'm also really happy that you think of it that way. I try my hardest to try and make my readers feel emotions and I think the easiest one to make someone feel is laughter, so I'm working pretty hard to depress you all. That came out wrong ... Uh, you get what I mean, don't you?
Tsukino Aisuru - A: Are you uh ... Okay?
HollyWoodFix: Yeah, I'm also really glad you finished Beautiful Disaster, I'll be sending you a PM soon to respond to your review for it. I know this story doesn't have as much development as Beautiful Disaster, but I still like it all the same. Even if it makes me bend over backwards, trying to get things somewhat accurate.
crystalbluefox: Well, I'm glad you got that off your chest and I hope you like this chapter. I've answered your review in a PM.
Tamul-chan9090: Yeah, I always wanted to do a sudden kiss-scene like that.
lilcutieprincess: TADA! I'm sorry it took so long for the chapter!
lonewolf: Um ... Is that a good thing?
ThePoliceLlama: Well I suppose this doesn't exactly answer that question but ... I tried.
Nara Kimidare (x7): First of all, yes, I do enjoy reviews even if they're after the chapters been posted. I didn't know that about Choro, I just chose it cause it was from a dj (fan-made manga, don't ask me to spell it). I always thought he had dyslexia, it was a theory of mine that I decided to use. I hope you don't hate Robin ...
Okay my question for the chapter: how do you think court will go down?
