Author's Note: Sorry, everyone, but this chapter's really long. I planned to make it five chapters, but I couldn't find a decent spot to put a break in, so it's going to be four.
Chapter 4
Sanji ran through the halls of the mansion, his mouth set in a grim line. Much to his surprise, he had found no guards on the gate, and had met no resistance even as he moved deeper in. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be anyone at all in the mansion, and that included Nami and Ichigo.
He hurried down a set of stairs and continued along a dim corridor, the only noise his running footsteps and harsh breathing. Turning a corner, he let out a gasp as a fist met his stomach coming the other way. He staggered back, and pivoted on one foot to bring the other down on his hidden opponent's head. Slightly dazed, his opponent stumbled before catching Sanji's incoming foot and twisting it to drop him to the floor.
Sanji got to his feet, his respect for his opponent increasing. "You're not bad," he called.
"You haven't seen anything yet," the man answered, and charged him. Sanji flipped himself into a handstand and brought a foot crashing down, then flipped right side up again and launched into a flurry of kicks that sent the man reeling backwards and knocked his hat from his head. Sanji spared it a glance as it floated down and came to rest in one of the brighter patches of light and turned back to his opponent. Suddenly, his brain caught up with his eyes and he looked at the hat again. Surely there couldn't be two idiots running around with an orange cowboy hat…
"Ace? Is that you?" he asked. "It's Sanji!"
"What, from my brother's crew?" came the reply, and the man straightened. He picked up his hat and put it back on his head, then flashed Sanji a grin identical to his captain's. "Good to see you!"
"Are you the reason there were no guards on the gate?" Sanji asked as the two of them continued on their way.
Ace grinned. "Well, there were some when I went through, but I left them… actually, I can't quite remember what I did with them."
Sanji shook his head at Ace's relaxed attitude. Then another question struck him. "When we fought, why didn't you use your powers?"
In reply, Ace made a face. "The guy who owns this place is super-rich, so he had the weapons of his guards coated in seastone. I was a little careless on the way in, and one of them got me. I guess some of the coating came off, and is still in the wound."
He turned, and Sanji cursed as he realised Ace was still bleeding from a large gash in his shoulder. "We should take you back to the ship and get Chopper to fix you up," he said in concern.
Ace shrugged. "It's not bothering me. Besides, I'm not leaving until I've got her back," he added, moving further down the corridor.
Sanji was about to follow when he heard a soft sobbing beyond a door they were passing. "Hey, Ace!" he called, beckoning to him. "Come here!"
"Sanji? Is that you?" he heard a female voice ask.
"Ichigo!" he cried. "Stand clear!" With a single kick, he broke the door in two, but before he could take a step, Ace was past him and had his arms around a tearful Ichigo, who was sobbing into his chest.
Sanji's mouth dropped. "Wha… what's going on here?" he exclaimed.
Ace turned slightly so he was facing Sanji. "Oh, sorry," he apologised. "This is my girlfriend, Ichigo. She's the girl I came here to find."
Sanji fainted dead away.
When he came to, Nami was leaning over him. "Thank goodness," she sighed. "I thought that shock was going to keep you out cold forever." She helped him to his feet, and he looked around wildly for Ichigo and Ace.
"They're already gone," Nami explained, noticing his face. "Ichigo and I forced Ace to go back to the ship for medical treatment while I stayed here with you. Thank you for coming to rescue me, though," and her voice became acerbic, "you didn't notice I was here when you saw what Ichigo was doing."
Sanji looked down at her in bewilderment. "What's going on?" he asked in confusion.
Nami ducked her head, but not before Sanji saw the smile she was trying to hide. "Ichigo and Ace are a pair, plain and simple. Now, we'd better follow them back to the ship, before any of those thugs turn up again."
With her head down, Sanji could see a large bruise beginning to discolour Nami's temple. His breath caught, and he reached out and gently touched it, ignoring her flinch. "Did they do this to you?" he asked, his voice dangerously quiet.
"I'm all right, Sanji," she said with a weak smile, then turned on the charm. "Let's just get back to the ship and…"
"No."
"Sanji?" Nami asked, looking up at him. Usually he did whatever she wanted, without question, especially when she used that tone of voice.
"No. I will not leave this place until I find the man who did this to you and make him pay," he said in a tight voice, and headed out of the door and back towards the stairs.
"But, Sanji…" Nami protested, then trailed off. She hurried after him, tugging ineffectually at his jacket. "There's no need…"
Suddenly Sanji stopped, and whirling around, caught Nami in his arms and pulled her to him. She stiffened, then to her surprise, realised that all he was doing was holding her. "Sanji…" she began.
"You're wrong, Nami. There is a need," he said quietly. "No one should treat a lady like that, and for someone to do that to you… Even if there is never anything more between us, you are my nakama, and I will always protect you."
Just as abruptly, he released her, and strode to the stairs. Nami watched him go, amazed, then shook herself and followed him up.
They were in the main entrance hall before they found someone, and by the way Nami instinctively shrunk back, Sanji knew that one of these three had been the one who had hurt her.
"So, you come in here, knock out nearly all my guards, then plan to leave without even saying hello?" the centre one asked lazily. He was dressed in an expensive suit, and reeked of expensive perfume. "Oh, and I see you're trying to steal some of my property too."
Nami gasped, and Sanji let out a small hiss of shock. "How dare you call Nami your property?" he demanded, his fists clenched tight. "How dare you!"
The man affected surprise. "But she is. Every girl on this island is my property, if I want her to be. That's why I sent these two to capture that Ichigo girl. This one was just a bonus."
Sanji lost his temper, and charged at him. "Goro!" the man snapped. His larger companion stepped in front of him and swung at Sanji, who simply ducked, then spun to land a kick in the middle of his back, sending him flying forward into a pillar.
"Cover your mouth, boss!" cried the other one, and threw something small and white so it hit the ground near Sanji. A thick white smoke billowed up, and Sanji began to cough and choke.
"Sanji!" Nami yelled.
"Stay back, out of the way!" Sanji coughed.
"Well done, Suko! Now he has no hope of defeating me!" the boss laughed, well protected by the handkerchief across his mouth and nose.
Ignoring his laughter, Sanji stumbled forward to where he had last seen Suko and aimed a kick through the smoke. With the smoke blocking his view, the henchman had no chance of seeing it coming and, like Goro, was sent flying.
"You're next, you shitty little worm!" Sanji spat, hoping to provoke the boss into speaking. The smoke provided a cover for the boss, but it would also cover any attack Sanji made if he could find where he was.
"Are you kidding? Nobody has ever defeated the great Yukio!" he answered, nearly screaming with laughter. "And you have less chance than most! Even now, Suko's poison is draining you of your strength, little by little. It won't be long before you are dead!"
"Same goes for you, you bastard!" Sanji snarled. Yukio's little speech had given away his position, so Sanji ran forward and launched himself in a flying kick. To his amazement, Yukio sidestepped, and Sanji went crashing into the pillar behind him, hitting his head so hard he saw stars.
"Is that it, blondie?" Yukio taunted. "I could kick better than that when I was four!" To back this up, he drew back a foot and kicked Sanji in the chest. Hard. Sanji bit back a moan as he felt bones break, and fought to stay conscious.
"Ready to die, loser?" Yukio whispered, raising his foot and preparing to bring it down on Sanji's head.
Despite the effort it cost him, Sanji turned his head and grinned at Yukio, blood running from the corner of his mouth. "Not today," he whispered. Sweeping his foot round, he knocked Yukio's feet out from under him, and before he had even hit the floor, Sanji was up on his hands and had delivered a massive double-footed kick to the underside of Yukio's jaw. Blood flew in all directions as it shattered, and Yukio landed some distance away, moaning.
"Still think you're better than me?" Sanji whispered, letting himself back down slowly. His chest felt like it was on fire, and his vision was beginning to blur. Through the clearing smoke, he could see Yukio's twitching form. Painfully, he dragged himself over to it, and stared down at his enemy.
"Never even think about treating any woman like you treated Nami today ever again, and I might let you live," Sanji said contemptuously. "Don't want to get your blood on my shoes," he added. "Otherwise I'd have killed you already. But if you haven't learned, well… I guess I can always get new shoes."
Yukio whimpered and nodded. "I pomithe," he babbled, hampered by his broken jaw. "Ne'er again, ne'er."
"Get out of my sight," Sanji said scornfully. Yukio rolled over and crawled away on his hands and knees, but Sanji was no longer thinking about him.
"Nami! Are you all right?" he called, coughing.
"Sanji! Are you OK? What happened? Where's Yukio?" she exclaimed, running through the last of the smoke. She had a handkerchief over her nose and mouth, but what could be seen of her face was set in a worried expression.
Sanji tried to explain, but the coughing fit that had seized him would not end, and he sank to his knees, trying both to stop coughing and hold his ribs together.
"Oh, Sanji! What's wrong?" she cried, dropping to her knees beside him.
"Smoke… poison," Sanji gasped, tears streaming down his face.
Tears shone in Nami's eyes as she watched him shake. "This never would have happened if it wasn't for me. Oh Sanji, I'm so sorry!"
She threw her arms around him and tried to soothe him. Sanji, his face buried in her chest, felt himself began to drift off, though whether this was the effect of the poison or merely the overwhelming joy he felt, he wasn't sure.
"Ready? Now!" Luffy shouted. They burst into the mansion, Luffy holding his arm threateningly, Zolo with all three swords out and bandana hooding his eyes, Usopp quaking with ammo in his sling, Chopper in his biggest form, Nico Robin calm as always, a bandaged Ace with fists ablaze and, ahead of them all, an extremely worried Ichigo.
"Sanji!" she shouted. Then stopped, as she saw what he was doing. "Oh!" she said, beginning to blush. "Sorry!"
Nami looked up as the rest of the crew spread out around a furiously blushing Ichigo to watch the scene before them. "Ah, this isn't what it looks like…" she began, hastily setting Sanji back on his heels.
"Oh, the crew's here," murmured Sanji vaguely, and passed out.
Sanji shifted restlessly, but stopped as a cool hand touched his brow. "Don't move, Sanji," said a female voice. "You've been hurt and ill."
"Ichigo?" he asked faintly, opening his eyes. His sister sat in a chair next to the bed, one hand on his forehead and the other holding his hand. As he let his eyes wander, Sanji realised he was lying in Nami's bed on board the ship.
"What happened?" he asked, trying to sit up.
"Stay laying down," she said, pushing him back down, and Sanji was appalled at how easily she did so. "Nami told us about your fight with Yukio. We arrived a little too late for it, though I hurried to the ship as fast as I could to fetch help. After you collapsed, they brought you back here, where Chopper wrapped you up and dosed you with something for the poison. He said it's probably lucky you smoke so much; it's made your lungs resistant to poison," she said with a faint smile. Inside though, she was remembering Sanji's too pale face as they brought him aboard, Chopper's serious expression while treating him, and the fever that had kept Sanji abed for two weeks.
Watching Ichigo's still and serious face and sensing some of the emotions behind it, Sanji quickly changed the subject. "So, what's between you and Ace?" It had started out as a normal question, but big brother instincts too long suppressed came to the fore, and Sanji found himself desperately reviewing the time he had spent with Ace for any clue as to his behaviour towards women.
Ichigo blushed. "Well, it wasn't really a long relationship; more of a fling. Anyway, he told me right from the start that he couldn't stay long and he'd have to leave to go after that Blackbeard man again."
She sighed. "He's decided that it's time for him to move on again, but I'm not that upset about it. It was nice while it lasted. Besides, I saw this gorgeous man in town the other day. Now that you're getting better, I can get back to him…"
She started chattering on about her new man, and Sanji relaxed. Same old Ichi. She still fell in and out of love like, like… Well, like I do, Sanji admitted to himself.
"Oh, and Sanji, you'll never believe how worried Nami's been about you. She's been by your side all the time," Ichigo added.
"Really?" Sanji said, pricking up his ears. "Oh, dearest Nami!" he cried, his visible eye becoming a heart. "Who would have thought that you cared so much?"
Despite Ichigo's protests, Sanji got out of bed and made his way unsteadily on deck. The first person he saw was Nami, heading his way with a concerned look on her face.
"Sanji!" she scolded. "You shouldn't be up!"
"But Nami!" whined Sanji, his eye becoming a heart again. "I had to see you! To hear your dulcet voice, smell your exotic scent…"
His list was cut short as Nami pressed a finger to his lips. "Not another word," she said sweetly, "or I'll take one of your precious kitchen knives and skin you with it!"
"This is just a friendly warning, because you're not fully better," she added, walking towards her orange grove. "Try it again, and I'll knock you out!"
From his snoozing spot further forward on the ship, Zolo heard the whole conversation, and smirked to himself. "Sounds like the pervert is back to normal," he muttered, and closed his eyes again.
That's it! The end of my first attempt at One Piece fanfic! I'm sorry to anyone who thought the characters were OOC, but I don't know much about Robin yet, and though I'm a little worried about some of the others, I think it all works out...
Please review! I want tips/ideas for next time!