The head of the group

After that terrible night and three more nights, Sanji assumed it been three or four days because he felt more weak, his body started to hurt in weird places and his head spun like crazy.

The three guys come back to the room again during the four day. They didn't seem happy, but more frustrated for some reason. Sanji tried to ask them some questions, but they ignored him, so he just sat and observed them from his cell.

They seemed even more miserable now in Sanji eyes, which made him a little happy. There was nothing sweeter than to see the ones that locked you up suffer. Sanji wasn't a person that liked to see suffering people, but in this case, he was enjoying every minute of it. But with that, the curiosity rose in him, what had happen to make them like that? Had something gone wrong? Did that mean that Sanji hope to get out of this would come true? He wasn't sure, but he wanted to believe someone would come to save him.

Not his father for sure, but maybe someone else. Maybe? He hoped with all his heart someone would come for him. Maybe his mother would finally notice he'd gone and send some soldiers after him. That would be awesome. But, for some reason, Sanji doubted she would. She never was the one in control at the palace, and was never the person that gave orders to anyone. She liked to dance, drink and have fun, most of the time with her admirers.

His father was the one that made all the decisions, and his mother just agreed with him on everything. She never once argued with him, so Sanji doubted she do something. Then again, he could hope she would. Maybe she did care about him enough to do something, and he had just never noticed it before. At least that was what Sanji wanted to believe.

These guys were really starting to piss him off, all they did now was sit around in self-pity, it was disgusting! What the fuck had happened?! Had someone died or something? Couldn't they just tell him or did he need to ask questions only to himself. Losers, god it was so ridiculous he might as well go to sleep…

Suddenly the door was slammed open by a big man Sanji know very well. He had the same wooden leg too. He stood in the room with a frown and angry eyes staring at the other guys and Sanji. He was the only person Sanji did not want to see here or to discover was part of all this. Sanji's eyes grew wide and he couldn't breathe anymore. His legs moved without his will. This was the old man he had gotten to know so well, and now Sanji could finally see why he had felt danger from him. Sanji wanted to think he had come to save him, that he cared about him, that he could not be capable of something like this and that all of this was just his crazy dream.

But reality was harsh, especially on Sanji's part.

"What the hell are you doing you bunch of lowlifes!? Stop wasting my time and get back to work, now!"

"But boss, you've seen how the king was…it will never work…"

"I said, come back to work before I kick your asses to death! The king will come for him, and even if he won't, we can still kill him!"

"Yeas boss," they answer in unison.

Immediately all of them were energized, and started to collect their things. Sanji felt sick. They called him "boss" just like the cooking staff in his castle. No wonder he could never get him, he was part of this criminal gang, and their boss no less.

Sanji's feelings started to get messed up and all over the place. He wasn't sure what he was feeling anymore. A small, bitter laugh escaped his lips, and at the same time tears escaped from his eyes and his hands turned into fists. He didn't know why he was laughing, it was strange and uncontrolled.

So it was like that from the start…all this time. He'd never thought the old man had such a "nice" plan for him. He should have listened to his instincts and never gone back to that kitchen, he should have never trusted him at all! He was such an idiot! Why did he have to be such a moronic shit?!

His little hope of coming back home was completely gone, crushed somewhere in his mind. Maybe it was good, that false hope would only slow him down. What was left for him was anger, hatred, despair, the want for revenge, deep sadness and betrayal. Why he was feeling betrayed? He never was close to the old man in the first place, he never really knew him either. But still, he felt so betrayed by him right now, it hurt so much and he felt so injured, even though he wasn't physically wounded at all. Maybe he was finally losing it completely? Well, that wouldn't be a big loss to anyone would it?

The weird, bitter laugh kept coming out of his mouth and grew into an empty one. That laugh scared him, not just because he could not control it, but because that laugh was something so alien to his ears. It wasn't his laugh, or maybe it was, but totally different.

The next thing he know, his legs moved him to the bars and he hit them with his fists hard, until he could see blood from them. He didn't want to act like this or be so pathetic, but he was so angry! He didn't know what he was doing, anger was just bubbling out from him, like bubbles from the water.

"You stupid old asshole! You think your stupid plan will work against my father?! You pathetic old fart! He will never come for me and he'll find all of you assholes and destroy you! Do you really think he gives a shit about anyone around him or his so called family?!" Sanji's empty laugh grew and, with it, his panic. It was so scary, what was he going to do? He wanted to stop, but he couldn't.

"But don't worry old fart, I will kill you first! If you think you won over me, you're wrong! I'm going to crush you so hard that you'll regret what you did to me! I will never forgive you, you hear me old fart?! You will pay for this or my name is not Sanji!" His harsh scream and glare made the three guys shiver, but the old man just looked at him seriously and stroked his long mustache in thought.

"That's a lot of big words coming from a little eggplant like you, you little shit. You're a hundred years too early to be threatening me punk, so shut your big trap or I'll shut it for you!" he finished and glared back at Sanji. Both of them glared at each other for a long moment, and then Sanji hit the bars again.

Sanji hit the bars again and again with his head and growled at the old man. He really didn't know what to do anymore with his feelings. It was too much to bear, he felt so overwhelmed by them until it turned into a physical expression. Why couldn't the stupid old fart see it, why couldn't he just stop being such an asshole! He hated him so much! Too many things exploded in him, so he just continued to hit the bars with his body. He didn't care how much it hurt and he didn't feel it…he just wanted to disappear so badly. He just wanted to become the air and not exist in this world anymore.

He was tired…so tired. He started to see black points everywhere and his head spun so much until he felt himself falling to the floor. He was so pathetic in front all of them, he should really die. He wished he would. At that moment, he prayed to never wake up again.

Zeff sent his deadly glare towards the three men, to let them know he was very, very angry, and one of them should be prepared to die today. They tried to stay away from him as much as they could, but Zeff didn't let them.

"What the hell was that?! You did feed the little brat, didn't you scum?!" Zeff yelled and hit the floor with his wooden lag.

"O..of course we did boss…I mean, I let him do it," one of them pointed to the guy next to him, that pointed to him in return. Zeff kicked them both in the stomach and made them fly across the room right against the well. Zeff huffed and glared at the last one that was left standing, the one with the long hair.

"The next time you disobey my orders, I will kill every one of you! Now go and take care of him."

"But boss, that kid is part of that family, why should we care about him?"

"Yeah, yeah! They should all burn in hell!" the others chanted.

"Shut your trap!" Zeff yelled and glared at them until they could not move or speak anymore. That glare paralyzed them.

"We didn't take him as a hostage to kill him, we need him alive! So you scumbags batter take care of him or I take your heads! You got that?!" With his final threat, Zeff left the room.

The other men got up to their feet, recovering slowly. They looked at each other and then at the kid on the cell floor.

"I guess we have work to do," the long haired man said, walking over to the cell and taking out his keys from his pocket.

"Can't we just strangle him now and say he died by accident?!"

"You could if you want the boss to send you to your grave."

"Damn it! Fine, let's just get it over with!"

After opening the cell, they lifted Sanji's body and put him on the couch. He was still breathing after his all-out attack. The long haired man raised his head a little to make him drink from a bottle he had taken from his bag. Slowly, after wetting Sanji's face with the water, he bandaged the bad wounds he had gotten from the bars.

"What are you doing?" the tattooed man asked the long haired man.

"I think he's dehydrated, so a little water should fix it."

"How much time do we have to spend babysitting him anyway? What a nuisance!"

"Yeah, but you seen him? the boss…"

"Ehhh?!" his eyes widened in questioning.

"He's got a soft spot for him. Have you ever see the boss care about anyone before?" the long haired man asked, smiling as if he understood something the others didn't.

"Now that you mention it…he's never been so pissed off over someone else before."

"The boss is getting soft, don't you think it's interesting for our plans?"

The tattooed man looked at the other man and nodded. He got what he meant, this was their chance to act.

"Yeah I got you…" he smiled back as he got the message.

TBC