Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.
Nami tried her best to smile. It was tremendously hard. "So, you are saying that, that man said those last words and those words were something of a great significance?"
"Y-yes, Nami-san."
"And those words were, 'Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all, correct?"
"Y-yes. You are correct Nami-san."
"Mirror mirror." Nami lowered her head and giggled in a bright manner. "Mirror mirror." She repeated but the flowery aura was long gone, "Mirror mirror...where the hell is the mirror Luffy-kun?"She threw her demonic glare at the poor captain who was tied up from head to toe with coarse ropes. It was Nami's idea to tie their captain up, which probably had no affect whatsoever since the deed was already done. Franky, whose hand was made out of steel and nails, had collected the pieces of what used to be the bathroom's grand mirror. Now what was left were just shards, impossible for even Chopper to slip through.
"Luffy, why did you break the only hope we had to save Zoro?" Nami raised her voice almost to a shrill as her finger pointed to the sparkling mess.
"I thought breaking it would help." Luffy replied curtly. Nami was restrained before she got her chance to punch Luffy in the face.
Robin pursed her lips and turned to Franky, "Do you think it is possible if we could restore it by putting the pieces together?"
"As in a puzzle?" Franky rubbed his metal nose, "Maybe but we might have to use tape and glue, but I'll try."
"I'll help too! I like puzzles!" Chopper exclaimed, eager to do anything to get Zoro back.
"I want to participate!" Usopp called as he hopped to his feet.
"I want to, too!" Luffy yelled but everyone took no notice of it. Eventually, the captain used his inhumane powers to tear the ropes free. Robin and Nami exchanged glances and sweat dropped. What was done was done. The ladies took a weary look at the cook. After he had heard that Luffy had broken the mirror, the cook went crazy. It took Franky, human-formed Chopper, and Nami's 'heavenly goddess' voice to hold him down.
"Sanji-kun..."
"Cook-san..."
Sanji snapped out of his trance and his attention returned to the regal ladies."I-I'm sorry. I'm a little tired..."
Robin's eyes softened, "It's alright Cook-san. You had a long night. Please rest." Nami nodded silently.
"Thank you Robin-chan, Nami-san." The cook pulled his heavy lips to a smile. He slowly rose and stumbling past the dining table he left the kitchen. Nami glanced at the door and gave a worried stare at Robin. The archeologist returned a reassuring smile and placed her hand on Nami's shoulder.
"Only time will tell."
-.-.-
The next morning it was bright and sunny. The skies were blue with a few puffy clouds roaming past.
Sanji had trouble falling asleep. He had tossed and turned countless of times and forced himself to dream of wonderful things, splendid things. The ladies he had flirted during Baratie, the first encounter with Nami, the cluster of women in Whiskey Peak, all of those memories he had shoved into his mind to forget about what had happened in the last few hours. He woke up still feeling horrible. His body was stiff from all of the bandages Chopper had wrapped under his suit.
The tiny alarm clock read ten. He felt even worse.
I hadn't made breakfast yet.
He noticed that he was the only one in the room. He quickly got out of bed and quickly slipped in a new suit with a blue pin stripe shirt. He cleaned his face and trudged out toward the kitchen. The smell of food alerted his tired senses and his eyes boggled out of his sockets at the sight of the most beautiful living creatures on the Grand Line making breakfast.
Robin and Nami took their eyes off the stove for just a second to greet Sanji. "Good morning Cook-san."
"G-good morning." Sanji tried to raise his voice a few pitches but he didn't have the will to. "How's the mirror?"The two shared glances and Nami left the stove. She placed a tentative hand on his shoulder.
Nami was smiling her usual beautiful smile, but her voice was shaking, "T-they...they tried their best."
Sanji's eyes widened for just a fraction of a second before he narrowed them. Then he smiled, "I see." His voice was lifeless.
-.-.-
The cook stared with an impassible expression at the work the four male members had painstakingly done overnight. They had managed to put all of the pieces together into the form it once was, but it was barely visible with the tape and glue. The mirror was too fragile to even stand. Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper hid their bandaged fingers and bowed in an apology. Luffy bowed the lowest.
Sanji shook his head. He knelt down to gently touch the rigid surface of the mirror. No more mirror, no more Zoro. Chopper's eyes were rimmed with tears and he couldn't hold it any longer. The reindeer burst into tears and cried out loud. The ladies in the other room heard the wails and Nami felt tears falling onto her face also. Since the death of the Merry Go, the crew fell silent once again.
-.-.-
The remains of the twisted man were still scattered around on the deck, so the male crew silently swept it into one mound. The mirror shards were not like the glass from the mirror. Nothing reflected through; it was all black, empty like the dead. Sanji insisted of taking the job to throw away the shards off the ship. He wanted to see through his own eyes that the man was gone and to never appear again.
Zoro's swords were scattered around the broken piles of glass. Usopp and Franky picked at the tiny fragments from the hilts of the swords. Chopper brought out the sheaths so that the swords would return to their rightful homes. And probably forever would be.
The rest of the day, it seemed as if the Thousand Sunny would sink from the heavy mood lingered over the crew. The crew ate and talked little. Even Luffy had set his fork down with his plate barely touched. After Franky and Usopp washed the dishes, everyone sat outside on the deck and watched with distant eyes as the waves gently rolled against the ship.
Nami and Robin sat on their lounging chairs as usual, but Robin hadn't opened her book and Nami drew scribbles on her valuable mapping paper. Luffy had disappeared on deck, but everyone knew he was on the lion's head. It was the captain's mistake and everyone forgave him, but it seemed that Luffy was hit hard with remorse. Chopper took walks between Sanji and Luffy to check on their wounds and replacing the bandages. The thought that he was never going to wrap bandages around Zoro's head or arms made the reindeer's face wet with snot and tears. Franky paced quietly around the six crew mates and suddenly left to the kitchen, deciding that it was his turn to cook tonight's dinner.
Usopp brought out his portable workshop outside and was lifelessly working on a new invention. He glanced over to his right where he saw Sanji leaning against the railing. He noticed that the cook had his suitcase opened and had a hand mirror in his hand. The sniper wanted to say something but the words did not form. He closed his mouth and resumed tinkering with the device.
The last words the man said echoed in his mind. It was not the little poem Sanji had announced to the crew last night; the man's last words were to him and only to him. Hope formed like tiny bubbles in his chest. If he said that, there might be a chance that Zoro would come back. But how?
Sanji's eyes narrowed and his reflection mimicked him. He was not in good shape at all. He looked like he had aged a few years. He sighed and recalling what the fake Zoro had said, his lips parted and sang the poem in an inaudible monotone.
Usopp glanced up and if the mood wasn't heavy, he would have snickered at the lack of poetic feeling. The sniper stood up and peered over Sanji's shoulder to see his own reflection in the mirror.
"Feeling like Snow White?"
Sanji glared. "Haven't you read the story? It's the step-mother's line."
And then, the hand mirror began to glow.
-.-.-
Zoro swam his arms through the black air, hoping to find some kind of wall. A few hours ago, he saw a group of people. He remembered the orange haired girl he but the rest he could not recognize. They were trying to do something he could not recall when a young boy with a straw hat appeared out of nowhere. And then the window exploded into a million pieces, crumbled, and disappeared into the black abyss floor. He felt a sudden dread and he desperately wanted to meet him again.
He had abandoned his tattered clothing and started on walking. Only a few pieces of fabric stuck firmly around the curves of his shoulder. His haramaki, with only a few pieces of yarn bearing most of its weight, covered the swordsman's mercilessly violated areas. He didn't know why but his lower body felt so heavy and every walk strained his muscles. Zoro sat down for the third time in the hour to take a break. Why was he so tired? Wasn't he just a reflection?
"Zoro..." The swordsman called out his name.
A bright light formed behind him and he turned over his shoulder to see. It was not the room. It seemed that it was somewhere outside by the blue sky and clouds in the background. The person on the other side was not him, but Zoro sucked in a breath at the sight of golden hair. He felt himself absorbed by those glittery sapphire eyes. A thought snapped through his mind and he doubled over, grasping his hands roughly against the side of his head.
"W-what?" Zoro gasped out as he raised his head toward him, "What is this?" The memories the reflection forced him to have were hijacking his mind, attempting to destroy his old and true memories. But the swordsman saw flashes of a young girl with short black hair, flashes of a boy with a straw hat, flashes of a man with sharp golden eyes, and flashes-quite a few actually-of the same man who was peering through the mirror world. The swordsman cried out from the immense pressure pushing through the walls of his skull.
"S-stop!" Zoro screamed, "G-Go away!" The swordsman pushed himself off the floor and lunged toward the mirror, hoping to break it. The swordsman threw his arms back, ready to pound the wall when the man began to sing.
"Mirror mirror on the wall..."
"Urgh..." Zoro crashed onto his knees to use the rest of his strength to push the unbearable pain in his head away. What was this memory coming from? Who was this man? Did he know this man or did he not? Why was his heart pounding so fast? As he writhed from the massive headache, the blond man continued on singing.
"...who's the fairest of them all?"
There was a loud crack splitting the silence of the dark mirror world. Zoro sat upright with his eyes white from shock. Then pieces of glass tumbled off from his eyes and it twinkled like stars as it disappeared into the dark floor. A blink and another and the swordsman's eyes refocused. He stared at the image before him; stared at the blond man in the black suit.
It seemed forever until Zoro parted his lips to speak, "...Cook?"
And then the swordsman collapsed and the light from the image enveloped him.
-.-.-
"What the?" Usopp blurted out as the mirror stopped reflecting and was now glowing in a bright yellow color. The two gazed into the light, bewilderment filling their eyes. Then a sense of foreboding flickered through Sanji and he flipped the mirror away from him and toward Usopp. A thick liquid substance suddenly exploded out of the mirror and splashed all over Usopp's surprised face. They both realized, after they smelled it, it was vomit.
The sniper held his breath too late so some of it spilled into his mouth. Immediately feeling sick, Usopp darted to the rail to empty his own stomach. Screaming in a high pitch volume he rushed to the bathroom to clean.
Sanji recoiled at the reek of rotten vomit and cautiously peered into mirror. Next bundles of tattered clothes flew into Sanji's face. Anger burned like fire on oil when he recognized where he had seen the fabric. Finally, what everyone-even Sanji-had thought they would never see him again, the cook saw a fluff of green slip easily through the mirror wall. Sanji let go of the hand mirror and reached out his arms to catch the swordsman. The rest of the swordsman's body flowed out smoothly as the mirror distorted and the light shifted.
When the hand mirror dropped to the deck and its surfaced shattered, Sanji had fallen onto his back with Zoro sprawled on top of him.
Sanji couldn't hide his glee, "Zoro!" But the swordsman didn't respond. Panicked slightly, the cook sat up to scrutinize what was the matter. When his bare hand touched Zoro's skin, he froze on how cold the swordsman was. The bruises and the blood bored into Sanji's eyes. Quickly he shed his coat and wrapped around Zoro's naked body. With a little heave, he carried Zoro off the ground and into his arms.
The cook took a deep breath and yelled, "Chopper!"
The hobbling reindeer dashed upon hearing his name and rushed to the deck where Sanji was. When he saw what the cook was holding, the reindeer cried out in happiness. Tears were literally shooting out of his eyes as the reindeer leaped onto Sanji's shoulder to get a good look at Zoro. When the pigment on Chopper's face disappeared the same way as the cook, that was when the he became serious.
"We have to hurry and get him into the infirmary!" Chopper leaped off of the cook's shoulders and grew to his human form, "Do you want me to carry Zoro?"
"I'm fine Chopper! Just hurry!" Chopper hesitated for a brief second before shrinking into his animal form and galloping to the infirmary. At the commotion, the crew gathered to the source of the noise and their expressions were almost identical to Chopper's. Nami covered his hands over her mouth to suppress a sob. Franky's face was drenched in tears and his metal nose was rusting. Luffy arrived last and everyone had a chance to see the smile back on their captain's face.
Tears pooling out of his eyes, Luffy called to Chopper, "Can I help too? I-I'll do anything!"
Although Chopper usually declined the offer, this time he let Luffy in the infirmary. The others stood at the doorway of the infirmary, listening to the sounds of wires, and other gadgets whirring on. When the third hour passed, Luffy and Sanji walked out to rest, and gave a silent reply to their fellow crewmates. A few more hours went by and the crew dispersed away from the infirmary and to the dining room. They were still silent but there was a flicker of life in the kitchen. Sanji took over Franky's cooking and created dishes that the crew-mainly Luffy-salivated over.
Night had fallen and there were still no signs of Chopper leaving the infirmary. The crew waited and finally at the stroke of midnight, the doorknob of the infirmary turned. Everyone rushed to the door and Chopper nearly leaped out of his skin at the anticipating crew. The first question everyone asked was 'how's Zoro?'
Chopper fidgeted with his long doctor's coat, "Well, I um...cleaned him up so he should be okay...He's still unconscious but he should be awake by morning. In the meantime...can I ask someone to watch over him-"
"Of course."
"Sure."
"You can count on me!"
"I'll do it."
"J-just one is okay!"
Chopper yelled, but the way he was clapping his hands told everyone that the reindeer was happy for the help. The reindeer excused Sanji and Luffy to their dormitories since they had worked the longest assisting him. The monster duo protested but Robin used her arms to push the two into their room. The reindeer had retired to the dormitories as well, leaving a list of dos and don'ts for the crew who was going to watch over Zoro. Robin smiled while holding two novels in her hands and bid goodnight to the sleeping crew.
-.-.-
It was Franky's watch when Zoro stirred. The shipwright's booming voices made everyone abandoned their work. They crowded at the doorway and squeezed themselves into the narrow space between the wall and the bed. The swordsman turned his head to the side and groaned in a low voice before opening his eyes.
There was a cloudy gaze in those green eyes as the swordsman scanned his surroundings and the people.
"L-Luffy?" His voice was dry but the captain caught it. A grin spread across Luffy's face and he leaped onto the bed and hugged the swordsman.
"Zoro!"
"Zoro!" Snot drenched Chopper squeezed between the two and gave Zoro a hug as well. After a few long wails, the doctor lifted his head, "H-how do you feel?"
Zoro grunted as he tried to sit up, but he sank down in his sheets, "Fine." A shadow loomed onto Zoro's face and the others had caught it quite quickly. Chopper had told the others, omitting Luffy since he didn't understand then and probably wouldn't, that what the wicked man had said was true. The reindeer strictly reminded the others not to mention it for Zoro was still mentally wounded. There seemed to be a dark cloud hanging over the seven pirates and Zoro knew he was the one who caused it.
He lifted a smile and waved his hands to shoo the clouds away, "I'm fine you guys."
"A-Are you sure?" Nami asked, her voice shaking slightly. Happy that Zoro was alive or feeling sympathy for him, Zoro had no clue which one, but he gently laid his hand on the navigator's shoulder and nodded.
Usopp scratched at his head, "Um...we're sorry...about the mirrors..."
Zoro now understood the reason why the mood was so low. The swordsman shook his head, "Nah, I should apologize too, for not saying anything. Then all this stupid crap wouldn't have happened." The crew mates didn't think of it as lightly as the swordsman but because of his mood, the cloud drifted and the smiles were back on his crew's faces.
"So," Zoro asked suddenly, "Can I go and train?"
Chopper stepped off the bed and grew to heavy point, which caused a few groans from his fellow crew mates. The reindeer's eyes were sharp, " No. You should rest more. You haven't recovered...still." Simultaneously, everyone nodded in agreement.
Zoro rolled his eyes and brought his arms to the back of his head, "Okay okay, I'll rest." He then eyed Sanji for the first time in the hour, "Oi Cook, I want to eat."
Sanji raised his head and clicked his tongue, "Already acting like a selfish moron." Zoro had caught the lack of edginess in the cook's tone, but decided not to press about it. Soon, everyone followed after Sanji because they were getting cramped from the limited space. The only person who stayed behind was Luffy and Chopper. Chopper, noticing the look on his captain's face, made his leave also.
-.-.-
Sanji had already made a special soup he only made when someone was injured or sick. The cook filled up a fair amount into the bowl and placed it in a tray along with a loaf of bread, and a glass of water. He balanced the whole tray in his hand and headed back to the infirmary. He stopped at the sound of Luffy's voice. He didn't want to eavesdrop but he definitely did not want to disturb his captain. So he took a few steps away from the doorway and waited.
-.-.-
Luffy pulled up a tall stool from Chopper's desk and scooted it close to Zoro's bed. The swordsman sat up, avoiding the pain spots around his lower region by leaning to one side. The captain shoved some pillows underneath so he felt a little better.
The captain rocked back and forth and even twirled around on the stool. There was a tight frown on his face though.
Zoro pulled down a frown also, "What happened Luffy?"
"...I'm sorry Zoro."
The swordsman crossed his arms over his chest, "Luffy, I already told you. If it's about the mirrors, then I forgive you-"
"But it's not about the mirrors-wait, it is, but it's not!" Luffy shook his head, "I wanted to apologize that even though I'm captain, I didn't know that you were in danger." Luffy gritted his teeth and then pounded his fist against the mattress on a sudden impulse, missing Zoro's leg by a few centimeters. "I didn't know! No one realized he was fake!"
Zoro understood how much this hurt Luffy. Nakama was Luffy's first priority and he was not able to accomplish that. But this wasn't his fault, the man was too much like him. Even if Luffy had the keenest scenes in the world, he probably wouldn't catch it. "Luffy...don't worry it about it. I'm here now."
Feeling the heavy weight on his shoulders dissolving away, Luffy sighed in relief. He sat up to return to his chair rocking only to stop once again. "You know, for some reason Sanji was the only one who saw through the fake. I wonder why."
Zoro pursed his lips before replying, "I have no idea."
"Na," Luffy asked nonchalantly, tapping his sandals together as he did so, "You looked like you were beaten up by the fake, but you were really hurt badly around your ass." Luffy did not notice how red Zoro's face turned in the matter of seconds, "Oh yeah, you had some weird stuff down here so we cleaned it up."
"W-we?" Zoro managed to choke out.
"Uh-huh. Well, actually, Sanji did all the cleaning while Chopper and I were holding towels." Luffy, this time, caught Zoro recoiling into the bed sheets. "Zoro? What happened?"
The swordsman looked blue in the face so he turned away and asked, "Why Cook?"
"Because Chopper told him to. His hands were thinner so he thought it wouldn't irritate you as much." Luffy only saw the backside of Zoro's face but thanks to his short green hair, he was able to see the red color forming around the swordsman's ears. "Zoro, you're changing colors." The swordsman did not reply but sank further into the bed sheets. The captain sat up straight in his stool, "Sanji's probably going to come here with food so you better thank him."
Zoro nodded.
"No fights okay?"
Zoro nodded again.
Then, at the right moment, there was a knock on the door. Sanji entered, and Luffy saw the same blushed expression on the cook's face.
"Okay, I'm going. Get better Zoro!" When Luffy walked past, Sanji let his foot out and the captain tripped, crashing to the other side of the wall. "Ow! Sanji! What did you do that for?"
"Bite your tongue." The cook snapped and slammed the door behind him.
Thanks to Luffy's remark, the room had gone tense. Zoro rose out of the bed sheets but his eyes were avoiding his. The cook also noticed that Zoro had shifted his body around and squeezed his knees together. Sanji awkwardly scratched his head and finally after taking a deep breath, he stepped up to the bed. He set the tray onto Chopper's desk and he sat on the stool.
He took the bowl of soup and spoon and handed it to Zoro, "Here." Zoro nodded and quickly brought the warm bowl into his hands.
Zoro took a spoonful and slurped it. "Not bad." Sanji usually would've complained from Zoro's bad compliments but this time he let it slip. The room fell silent once again, minus the constant slurping. Sanji glanced around in the room, since there wasn't much to do. The room was left as it was when Sanji had last seen. Several opened bottles were left rolling on its side as the ship rocked against the waves. Bowls with used towels were placed in the far corner of the room, but the reek of blood and stale testosterone rafted in the small room. Sanji's nose wrinkled at the unfamiliar mix of smells.
"Uh, Cook." Zoro's voice broke Sanji's train of thought. The empty soup bowl was right in front of the cook's face. Without a word, Sanji placed it back into the tray and reached for the glass of water when Zoro spoke again.
"...thanks...for everything." Sanji nodded quietly. If Zoro had said, 'thanks for cleaning up my ass' or anything related to that phrase, Sanji's body would have melted into a puddle of goo.
The blond nodded for the second time before mumbling under his breath, "No problem." The silence was starting to become comfortable. Sanji relaxed his shoulders and almost involuntarily reached for a cigarette. When he glanced up, he was surprised to see that Zoro's green eyes were looking straight back at him.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
Zoro broke their eye contact and was now staring down at the bed covers, "Luffy told me," there was a sudden blush spreading through Zoro's face before the swordsman shook his face to get rid of it, "-that everyone didn't realize he was fake except you." Zoro's scrutinizing eyes were back on him, "I just wanted to know...how. I was honestly shocked that Luffy didn't find me first."
Sanji suddenly let out a shaky laugh, "Déjà vu. The impostor said the same exact thing."
Zoro waited but the cook did not say anything more. "Well, are you going to inform me?"
The blond scratched at his head, "I was extremely pissed so I just said what came to my mind first, so it'll sound all stupid-"
"I don't care, just spit it!" Zoro snapped.
Sanji sighed, remembering how short tempered Zoro could be at times, and continued on with his story. "He was just like you. Obviously, he looked exactly like you, but the way he acted was the same too. The time he took a nap, how stubborn he acted when I asked him to dry the dishes, and how he pushed away the peas from the pilaf and snuck it into Chopper's dish," Sanji shot a glare at Zoro, "Yes, I noticed that too. I'm never going to let you do that again.
"He was you. He knew you so much that he was able to mimic exactly. But..." Sanji would have taken a drag from his cigarette but since he didn't have one, there was an unnecessary pause.
"But?" Zoro pressed, getting irritated on how slow the cook talked, "Come on Cook. The man was exactly like me blah, blah, blah. That was why everyone didn't notice. I think I already got that."
This time, Sanji shot a glare that stopped Zoro's rant. His eyes clearly said, 'will you shut up for just a minute and I will tell you.' The blond frowned, "You know, the impostor had better listening skills than you."
"Stop whining. He was dying. I'm not."
"Anyways," Sanji cut Zoro off abruptly.
Idiot. Ruining the moment..."Just as I said before he was exactly like you but...I hated him." Sanji looked up, "I hated him, that's why I knew he was fake."
He expected the swordsman to ponder over the statement, but he didn't expect him to get it that fast. A sparkle, Sanji had never seen in the swordsman's eyes, flickered brightly. Zoro sat rigid in his bed, as if it was suddenly turned into stone and it was making the swordsman uncomfortable.
His lips parts slowly, trembling, and then whispered, "Are you telling me the truth?"
Sanji frowned, "Of course I'm telling you the truth! Why would I be lying at a time like this?" The wind was knocked out of Sanji's lungs when Zoro threw his arms around the cook and gave him a tight squeeze. The cook choked to bring back the air and then wrapped his arms around Zoro. Zoro's skin was warm against his own. It was nice to feel that he was alive.
Then, suddenly, Zoro pulled away. His face was pale,. "...T-that thing you just said, that meant you...love me right?"
Sanji almost fell over. "Yes Marimo-kun." He replied curtly.
And then they hugged again but this time, Zoro's hands were strong with life, strong with confidence. Sanji hugged him back with the same feelings.
"Cook, I," Zoro swallowed, "I love you."
Sanji smiled and brushed his lips through Zoro's hair, "I love you too."
To Be Continued
