Author's Note #1: So hello, good to be back, once again. But by GOD is school stressful. With labour day I had a shortened week and it felt like eternity. Anyway I don't own One Piece. Funny thing, I've been doing everything (watching shows, reading fanfiction, writing stories, playing video games, doing homework, going to school) except watching One Piece. Gotta get through Tennant, he's killing me ... WHY DOES HE HAVE TO REGENERATE? Sorry, that was a bit of a Doctor Who rant. Moving on. The story.
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
XXIII
There's a new witness on the stand and Sanji realizes it's that girl who works for the officer with the two cigars.
"Witness, state your name and occupation."
"Tashigi, I work for Captain Smoker."
Sanji's fidgeting, he knows he is, but he doesn't want to show it. The judge still unnerves him and he doesn't feel like he can breathe and it's not nice and it's unpleasant and Zoro's sitting so far away from him in comparison and he'd feel much better if they were just a bit closer and—
"On the night of arson,—"
"This isn't about arson, this is about a criminal escaping jail—"
"But the arson pertains to Mr. Portgas," says Tashigi and Sanji can see Zoro's squirming too, looking highly uncomfortable. "Mr. Portgas is a friend of Mr. Vinsmoke's, thus Mr. Vinsmoke is involved in Roronoa's escape. Besides, we found Roronoa in Vinsmoke's apartment—"
"That means nothing," says Nico Robin. "This is pure conjecture—"
"The defence looks highly uneasy, Your Honour," says Tashigi. "Are you sure it's not because he's guilty?"
"Defendant, care to comment on this?" asks the judge.
"Your … your face …"
"My face?" repeats Tashigi, sounding dumbfounded, not that Sanji can really blame her. Zoro's not making any sense.
"Get a new face!"
"What?!"
"Is the defendant threatening the witness?" demands the judge loudly, looking ready to smack down his gavel just because Zoro's gotten a bit unnerved. The trust Sanji has in the court system (which isn't much because of the way they treated his case) is not rising in the least.
"Your face … is unnerving!"
"I was born with this face, you insolent little—"
"Roronoa you will cease pestering the witness—"
"She looks weird!"
"I take offence to that!"
Sanji's head hurts and he can't think straight. Insults are being thrown left and right, the judge and prosecutor are not acting very diplomatic, nor are they acting very professional and all he can see is the way Zoro's turning red in the face and he just wants everyone to be quiet and shut up and there's too much noise, someone's going to die.
Someone's going to die and it's going to be his fault and his lips open in a silent scream and then he falls and is surrounded by darkness.
Author's Note #2: You know the drill. And you should know by now Speechless has really frigging short chapters. But I am happy, Ten Count (a manga I ADORE WITH EVERYTHING I HAVE BECAUSE I CAN RELATE and also something I considering doing for Zoro and Sanji, when I get around to it) has it's 5th volume out, FINALLY! Moving on.
sweetkakes35: Yeah, it's been about 8 months.
lilcutieprincess: Tada, weekly updates!
Blackdraumdancer: I'm glad you like it. The story actually doesn't have much to offer anymore, got about ... 8 more chapters? Something like that. And the rating was kind of stupid, so I changed it when I realized nothing too serious was going to happen.
Ashlielle: The amount of times I hit my head against a keyboard and wonder why the hell I publish and where the hell did the plot come from and does it have a plot and why are they acting like idiots and why, why WHY?! But anyway, yeah, I totally get it.
lost green tiger: I just had a really funny image in my head of someone being slapped by an eel ...
Miss Meep - A: Yeah ... Speechless does have really short chapters. For some reasons, that makes it even more stressful. I hate short chapters cause if the author is good, I want more, like, TONS more. So Beautiful Disaster is usually the type of stories I write (I had a policy that no chapter could be below 4 thousand words after chapter 13, which is why it's so frigging huge. if my heart was a house will be like, 10 times Beautiful Disaster's size though ...)
Megenehason ZOSAN-LAWLU LOVER (x2): Well yeah ... Isn't that what One Piece is all about? Question authority when they question you and your motivations/dreams? Question society, wonder why you're being put down, decide whether or not their words mean a single thing. What I love is how deep One Piece's underlying message is, and how it just keeps making them, characters representing so many things. I think I hang out with my English teacher too much that I think everyone is an allegory. Like, Nami is an example of those who aren't so much greedy as they are needing to feel secure, needing to know what it's like to lose everything and try to get it back, but having to submit (Argon's pirates). Sanji is symbolic (in my mind) for those who chase dreams no one thinks can come true, no one thinks are even existent really (since the All Blue is a legend, not an actual fact) and how you still have to chase it, even if it may not even exist, you have to do it with all your passion. Zoro to me is a representation of honour, of doing things for honour, about how working hard can help you achieve things and how having others around him help boost his abilities with something to protect. Usopp is what everyone is, someone who is terrified but doesn't want you to think it so he'll act and pretend it's okay but really it's not, but he's more man enough to admit when he runs away. Furthermore I also think he's the part of everyone who will learn slowly that he doesn't have to run and to use his own abilities instead of envying what others can do. Just to name a few. God I got deep.
Moving on. Why do you think Zoro's freaking out?
