WARNING: AHOY!!! FOUL LANGUAGE AHEAD!!! (You have thus been warned...)

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the previous two versions, and sorry!!! I wanted to update, and read, more stories...but life doesn't seem to want to cooperate with me. However, I did want to rewrite the 'Zoro' version of this story (Santoryuu-Zoro, I hope you like this version! Otherwise, uh-oh!)

Anyway, here it goes...

Alternative Zoro Version

"His lips are turning blue!"

Sanji felt his heart racing as he stared down at the semi-conscious form lying on the bed, struggling to take in each breath of precious oxygen.

"Shit! Shit! Shit! Leave it to the stupid Marimo to get himself drugged, and possibly poisoned by some half-assed bounty hunter out to score a quick buck."

Tipping the green haired head back, Sanji cringed as he forced himself to take a deep breath and clamp his mouth over Zoro's. Watching as the swordsman's chest rose as he exhaled, Sanji paused a moment before removing his lips and allowing the alcohol laden breath to hit him in the face.

"Bastard Marimo! You owe me BIG TIME!!!"

Another forced breath into the swordsman. This time Sanji didn't cringe as he tried to focus more on saving his nakama's life, and less on the fact that he was placing his mouth over another man's lips.

A third breath. A fourth and a fifth. Soon desperation began to take hold as Sanji began to face the reality that he may lose his friend, here and now.

"Don't you give up on me, you bastard!" Growled the cook as he looked down into the unconscious man's face. "You hear me, Marimo! Don't you dare give up!"

XXXXX

It was rapidly approaching the time that the Mugiwara's navigator had asked the crew to return to the ship, and so far the Zoro was still not to be found.

"Baka!" Hissed Sanji as he ducked into various establishments that served liquor. "That Shitty Swordsman has to be trying to get drunk somewhere!"

As Sanji slipped into the pub, he scanned the faces of the customers, until his blue-eye settled on a familiar green-haired covered head.

"Oi, Marimo. Time to return to the ship..."

"I'll come when I'm ready..."

"No. You'll get lost when you're ready, and Nami will kill us both. You for not coming back on time, and me for allowing you to be late!"

"'Allowing me?'" Hissed the green-haired marimo. "I do what I like! I don't have to listen to Nami!"

Just then the waiter came to the table, carrying a newly opened bottle of rum. Neither man noticed the unsure side-glance that the waiter gave to the pub owner behind the bar, who merely shrugged.

Already seething from Zoro's last defiance of Nami's wishes, Sanji extended an arm for the bottle, but was not fast enough to stop Zoro from reaching the bottle first.

Downing the entire contents in record time, the swordsman smirked as he looked up at the cook. "Okay. Now we can go."

"Bastard." Growled Sanji as he turned to leave. Only stopping as the sounds of a toppling chair and table assaulted his ears. Swinging around to face the swordsman, Sanji was surprised to see Zoro stumbling, entangled in the remains of the chair that he formally occupied a moment earlier. "Baka! What the hell are you doing?"

"Sumshin...wrung..." Slurred Zoro as he tried to get to his feet. "Thu...drin...drug..."

"Baka! What the hell are you saying?"

Ignoring the blonde's angry words, Zoro looked around the room, until his bleary-eyed glare settled on the waiter who now seemed to be trying to melt into the walls.

"Waitur..." Zoro's head lolled in the direction of the waiter, "drug me..."

Finally comprehending what the intoxicated bushido was trying to tell him, Sanji's own eye took on an angry glint as he sprang forward on his hands, sending a kick that shattered the bar directly in front of where the waiter was now standing.

"It wasn't my fault!" Screamed the man who was now confronted with a furious cook. "They wanted the bounty on him!"

"What did you do to him?" Scowled Sanji, his right thumb gesturing back towards Zoro.

"The marines are coming, if you don't want to be caught..."

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!?" The angry threat in the blonde's voice was unmistakable, it screamed 'answer my question or die a horrible death.'

"...a knockout drug..." the waiter was barely able to squeak his answer.

Kicking the waiter in the stomach, Sanji hoped to leave the waiter with the lesson of 'NEVER treat my nakama in such a way ever again.' (After all, if anyone would slip a drug into any of their food, it would be Sanji...and no one else).

Attempting to half-drag, half-carry, the very heavy, muscle-bound swordsman, Sanji found he was making very slow progress through the city streets.

Finding a small hotel, the blonde pushed the swordsman into the establishment, hoping that they would be safe there for the night.

XXXXX

Scowling from his seat on the other side of the room, Sanji watched as the marimo's chest rose and fell with each breath he took.

No matter how many times Sanji had washed his mouth out with soap and water, or how many cigarettes he tried to suck down, he could still taste that stupid bushido on his breath. The taste of that horrible, stale alcohol...and the bitter bile that was still too horrible to contemplate.

"NEVER AGAIN!!!" Thought Sanji as he thought about the night before. Having to suffer the nightmare that a few suffer when trying to resuscitate an individual. Of having Zoro do that to him. Of having THAT fill his mouth. It was just too unbearable!

"Bastard, Marimo!" Spat Sanji as he waited in his chair.

Oh, he would pay. Once the stupid swordsman was back on the Thousand Sunny, and Chopper had checked him out, he would pay dearly...


XXXXX

Hope you guys liked this version. (I am actually thinking about continuing this version at a later date--a WAY later date, since I left my other stories hanging, and have no signs of my schedule lightening up in the near future). Mahalo and Aloha!