Chapter 2

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Sanji stared at the door that had 207 on it. He wondered if he should knock. Zoro made an impatient noise behind him, voicing what the blond felt. He checked his watch again. 9:13. They had waited for thirteen fucking minutes already. What the hell was burly-tattoos doing?! Neither of the two wanted to dine with this guy. Sanji was debating whether to kick down the door, when it swung open. Burly-tattoos stepped out wearing half a yukata – he'd pushed the top off his shoulders so the fabric fell loosely around his waist – showing off his tattooed torso. Sanji found himself wearing a tightly stretched smile on his face, even as the man heartily made his way towards the pair.

"Nice to see you two! Shall we?"

'Atleast apologize for being late bastard.' Sanji growled in his head. The man walked down the stairs, two at a time. He called over his shoulder,

"That's right, I haven't introduced myself yet!"

'What a revelation.'

"My name is Oberon. You can call me Ron-san if you want!" The man 'hohoho'd like he was Santa Claus, making Sanji want to kick him in the back and send him tumbling down the stairs. The trio existed the building and Sanji found himself gaping at the sight.

Everywhere you looked, bright neon signs shouted out names of pubs, bars, strip clubs, love hotels and the like. Every adjacent pole had coloured lights running across them and every sign blinked, winked or blared. Sanji had to blink several times to get his eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness. Every corner had a scantily clad woman or man trying to woo in a likely customer. Every alleyway had the normal group of shady people lurking about. Oberon called to the two and they made their way down the street. If the lights weren't shocking enough, the sheer number of people who were crowded on the streets was enough to make Sanji feel nauseous. The cook wouldn't have even guessed that there were so many people in the town. Oberon laughed heartily again at the duo's expressions.

"I know it's a little too much to take in all at once, but you don't have to worry. This is the only street that's lit up and has this much activity at night. Simply put, we're in the red-light district of town!" Oberon explained jovially. The sinking feeling started to increase exponentially, when Sanji heard what the man said. All his fears came true, as the gears clicked and he guessed what both Oberon and Ravena had to talk about.

"Oi cook! You'll get lost if you stand around!" Sanji yelped as rough hands grabbed his wrists and pulled him through the overflowing street. It seemed as though the entire town's population had gathered there. People pushed, pulled and shouted around Sanji, several times at him, as they made their way after the burly man. To their surprise, he walked into a normal looking restaurant. Sanji and Zoro followed him to a back room and they sat down around the low tables. Several tattooed men joined them and after brief introductions, Oberon ordered for food and drink. A group of dancing girls came to their table and the mafia men hooted and danced with them. Zoro and Sanji sat quietly behind their table, both refusing to be part of their raucous behavior. Oberon finally settled down beside them. He laughed merrily and raised his mug of beer. Sanji had had just about enough of this shit. He could tell that even though Zoro didn't mind the free booze, the racquet was getting to him. Sanji bent close to Oberon and spoke loudly to make himself audible over the din,

"Ron-san! Is there something in particular you wanted to discuss with us?" Oberon's eyes sparkled at Sanji's question. He stood up slowly and motioned for the two men to follow him. Sanji sighed and followed. He turned around to see that Zoro had decided to bring the whole tankard with him. Sanji blanched but when the swordsman raised an eyebrow, didn't comment. They followed Oberon into a side room and when the man slid the door shut, Sanji was startled at how quiet it was in comparison.

"So, it looks like you boys get right down to business huh? Alright then let's start with the most obvious matters. How much?" Sanji's heart sank even as the question left the man's mouth. He knew it. He finally understood what Orwin had meant by 'other places'. They had ended up in a real red-light district. When neither men replied, Oberon raised an eyebrow.

"Don't tell me you two are new?" Sanji gave him a tight smile, his mind racing to come up with some way they could escape from this situation. The heavily tattooed man hohoho'd again and waved a hand.

"Don't worry about it. My boys will show you all the ropes. All you have to know is that we do whatever the customer asks.. for a price." Sanji swore in his head. He saw the same sparkle in Oberon's eyes as he had so often seen appear in the eyes of his beloved navigator at the sound of money. Sanji groaned. They sure as shit weren't getting out of this without a fight. Before he could say anything, Zoro was the one who spoke.

"Oh? And what exactly does 'whatever the customer asks' mean?" Sanji wanted to bang the tankard on Zoro's head. Oberon wagged his eyebrows.

"Exactly what it sounds like." Zoro shrugged.

"Why not? We have nothing to do anyway." Sanji gawked at him like he'd grown another head. The cook stood up and yanked Zoro with him.

"Ron-san would you excuse us for a second?" When the man waved his hand, Sanji dragged Zoro out of the room. Once he was sure they were out of earshot, the blond pulled the other man towards him by the collar and spat in his face,

"What the fuck are you thinking?! Do you even understand what he was saying?! He meant we had to-"

"I'm not an idiot dartbrow. I know exactly what he was saying." Zoro interrupted evenly. Sanji stared at him, a mixture of emotions flitting across his face. Finally Zoro smirked and lazily ran a hand through his hair.

"Besides, isn't this the perfect job for you ero-cook? You can flirt with women to your heart's content and even do 'whatever the customer asks'. And the best part is you'll get paid!" Sanji's eyebrow twitched and he rammed the swordsman into the wall.

"Are you mocking me Marimo?! When have I ever been the type to-"

"So what choice do we have?" Sanji's retort died in his throat at the validity of Zoro's question. The same thought had been running through his mind.

"Whether we have a choice or not isn't the point here! We can simply get ourselves out of this with a fight if we have to! Why the fuck would you rather be a-a play thing for people's entertainment?!" Zoro made an annoyed sound in the back of his throat.

"Let's get two things straight here nosebleed kun. First of all, I wouldn't be here if we had a choice. Did you see how packed the streets were? If we somehow offend this dude then we'll have much bigger problems to worry about. This whole island is a whore hole.-" Sanji winced at how bluntly Zoro said everything that was going on in the cook's mind. "-And our only means of survival till we can get out of here is this. When you're in Rome do as the Romans do." Sanji almost shat himself when Zoro made the old but efficient reference. He slowly nodded.

"And what's the other thing?" Zoro's eyes hardened.

"I'll take care of this guy and you can take care of the next job." Sanji almost asked Zoro what he was talking about.

"I know you were roped into agreeing to work for some big shot female. Shitty cook can't keep his damn pants on when women are involved." Sanji growled, but said nothing. Then he nodded slowly.

"Worst case scenario, you can scare away all the customers and they'll fire you." Sanji said. Zoro smirked.

"It isn't me I'm worried about cook." So saying, the duo made their way back to the room where they had come from. Oberon ushered them in warmly and Sanji noticed a slight edge to his voice when he asked them about their decision. Again, Zoro was the one to answer. He had told the man that since they were new they'd like to take it slow, preferably doing things behind the scenes than upfront and to Sanji's surprise Oberon had agreed.

'Is he that desperate to get us under his wing or are we missing something entirely?' the bad feeling had settled itself firmly in his stomach by now, causing him to feel constantly edgy and nauseous. They had left immediately afterwards and Sanji had trailed behind Zoro as they stepped onto the streets. Just before they hit the crowd, Zoro called over to Sanji,

"It's almost time for your meeting and I'm in need of some booze. So we'll meet up at the apartment by dawn." Before Sanji could say otherwise, Zoro had disappeared into the sea of people. Sanji cursed loudly. He had lost the stupid Marimo again with no hope of finding him. Sanji's anxiety seemed to heighten now that Zoro was no longer by his side. The sense of danger and foreboding clung to him like a thick veil shrouding his senses and making him extremely on edge and on guard for the slightest sign of danger. So obviously Sanji jumped three feet in the air and assumed a defensive stance when a hand clamped down on his shoulders. Ravena simply raised an amused eyebrow. Sanji found himself relaxing and the flirtatious smile once again found itself on his face as he spoke to the woman. They disappeared into one of the side buildings and Sanji desperately tried to prepare himself for the worst.

Aoaoaoaoaoaoaoaooa

Zoro raised an eyebrow as Sanji slammed the bedroom door shut and collapsed on the bed. A moment of silence followed.

"That bad huh?" Sanji sat up abruptly and thrust his face in front of Zoro's. His single visible eye was wide with despair.

"This whole fucking place is like one big sex store! Every fucking person is either buying themselves sex or selling themselves for sex! And the worst part is all those people who work here are considered sex slaves." Sanji's voice choked out the word as he tried to tell Zoro the extent of danger their lives were in.

"We'll be sex slaves Marimo! How the fuck did you decide to agree to this?!" The blond's voice had been steadily increasing in volume and by the time he finished speaking, he was nearly screaming and tearing at Zoro's clothes. The swordsman's face hardened and he shoved the other man off him.

"I fucking told you I wouldn't be doing this out of choice! Were you not seeing anything?! Every fucking building has atleast fifty people who are ready to take us out the second we do something unlikely! Every alleyway has another dozen and I'm sure those crowded streets have a hundred or more! Now that we're here, our only means of survival is to do what everyone is doing, unless you want to be shot in the head by an enemy you weren't even aware of?!" Zoro shouted back. Sanji's brain was screaming. He couldn't understand why Zoro was acting so cautious. He never for the life of him would have imagined Zoro would accept to be a sex slave rather than fight for their lives. The green-haired man growled and clutched at the empty space next to his waist. And Sanji understood. From the very beginning, Zoro had been the one on guard the most. He realized that the swordsman must have followed him when he came down to get a pack of cigarettes – how he had managed to get out of the locked room was beyond him. Possibly he had jumped out through the window – and overheard his conversation with Ravena. Zoro must have then snooped around the town while Sanji was pondering to himself and found out about the security. And he realized that the whole reason for Zoro's acceptance of everything so easily was the simple fact that the man's swords were on the Sunny and not with him. Sanji had assumed that point was Zoro's weakness but instead the cook was coming to realize that the very fact that Zoro was unarmed and vulnerable was causing him to be so alert and aware. Zoro must've realized the extent of danger their lives were in long before Sanji had. And that was the very reason he had forced the cook to accept and go along with their captors. Because the two of them had effectively been captured the second they had ended up on the island. Sanji cradled his head in his hands. Even the very idea of hunting for his Nakama seemed hopeless now. He knew for sure they weren't anywhere close to this island. Or atleast he prayed for the sake of Nami and Robin that they weren't.

"Don't worry yourself to the point of seeming weak kusso cook. We'll get out of this some way or the other. If we can somehow manage to gain the trust of our employers then maybe they'll give us enough freedom and we might just be able to escape." Zoro's voice was low and the swordsman might have been trying to convince the both of them even as he spoke. The very thought of what their lives would be till they somehow managed to escape from this place was enough to make Sanji tear at his hair and cower in a corner. Finally he let out a shaky breath he hadn't realized he was holding in.

"We're being kept under watch aren't we?" Zoro nodded once. Sanji had guessed as much. The fact that they had simply gotten food and a place to stay in without so much as raising a finger had seemed extremely suspicious to him.

"Ah that's right." Zoro's gruff voice interrupted Sanji's thoughts of despair. "My name is Roroan." Sanji didn't react.

"Nice name."

"Yeah it's definitely better than Prince."

"Hey! I couldn't think of anything on the spot!"

"Because you were too busy ogling at that witch."

"Don't call her a witch! She's a beautiful, delicate flower with a little more authority than the others!"

"You're still playing along with the 'weak woman' act?! Do you want to die nosebleed kun?!"

"Shut the fuck up Marimo! Atleast I don't go around readily agreeing to get raped by some horny stranger without a second thought!"

"I already told you the reason behind that! You wanna go at it ero-cook?!"

"Bring it on you national treasure!"

The two men breathed heavily as their roaring fit subsided. Zoro flumped back on the bed and shut his one good eye.

"You better get some sleep cook. You're not going to get any from tomorrow."

"I don't need you to tell me what to do moss-head!" Sanji expected an indignant retort, but Zoro simply snorted and tuned his back to the blond. Sanji lay back on his side of the bed and stared at the ceiling. His stomach hurt from all the anxiety and he was feeling sick to the bone. After what seemed like hours, he turned to his side and stared at the green spiky hair in front of him.

"You better not roll over onto my half of the bed in your sleep kussoyaro or I might accidentally smash your face into the floor."

No response. Sanji watched the steady rise and fall of Zoro's torso and wondered how the fuck he could fall asleep. Sanji muttered under his breath and the other man twitched slightly.

Sanji continued to stare at the broad back as he realized Zoro must be pretending to be asleep, hoping that maybe at some point his mind and body would be too exhausted to protest and play along with his farce. Sanji didn't know for how many hours he stared at the mop of green hair. But at one point he felt himself drift off, his tired mind finally shutting up.

Aoaoaoaoaoaoa

"So you're the new guy? Prince was it? Nice to meet you." Sanji wanted to flatten the cocky smile off the face of the man in front of him.

"My name's Retta and this is Lon. They're obviously not our real names. Don't expect us to tell you our real names though."

'I don't fucking wanna know what your real names are.'

The teen laughed as if he had said the world's funnies joke. He was of average height, had an olive complexion and piercing green eyes. Sanji stared at the smooth skin of his face and wondered to what painstaking extent the brunette went to keep it that way. Sanji thought that he looked to be about 19. The male he had introduced as Lon turned out to be a child. He was at the most 15 or 16 years old. He had wavy blond hair that any woman would adore and a small petite figure that any older woman would want to crush. His bright innocent smile made the bile rise in Sanji's throat. And he knew that there were many more of the same in every second shop, club and love hotel. As Sanji hadn't made a move to speak yet, Retta rambled on.

"We heard that the boss had found the perfect person to add to the starters and he really chose well! I love your goatee Prince! It's very cool. The boss has a very keen eye for people who can make the starters. And I'm sure you can make your way to the top in a matter of day if not weeks. You really look like a smooth talker-"

"Hey kid, do people pay to listen to you talk or do you just do it out of habit?" Sanji's voice was cold and hard and the boy seemed to pale slightly. The blond hadn't meant to say what he said. He knew these kids were in the same situation he was in if not worse. He wasn't here to make their lives miserable. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath.

"Sorry.. I didn't mean it that way.. So I was told you'll show me the ropes?" Retta seemed to brighten up in an instant and Sanji wondered how the kid hadn't broken down yet. The brunette rattled off a set of rules and tips and what not and Sanji found himself mutely nodding but not actually paying attention to a word he said. As they walked down the brightly lit corridor, Sanji reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. For a minute he wondered what seemed off and then he realized Retta had stopped talking. He glanced sideways at the kid and looked at the expression of awe as well as fear on his face. As he exhaled a plume of smoke, Lon finally spoke. Sanji was shocked at how soft and young his voice was and his stomach clenched painfully.

"Smoking isn't allowed in here Prince san." Sanji took a couple more drags and then smashed the butt under the carpet.

"Is that right? Well that's going to be a slight problem." And it was. If he didn't have his nicotine, Sanji was sure he would lose it. Retta perked up immediately.

"I'm sure the boss would let you smoke if you asked her! She personally picked you after all!"

Sanji didn't know what the whole deal with 'the boss' was, but he assumed Retta was referring to Ravena. He wondered if these kids were the hosts that saw to the customers every day. When he voiced this question, the brunette confirmed that there were many other hosts who were currently at work.

"We're not called out very often. The starters do most of the work. We're in the list of hosts that are asked for. We don't go out until someone specially requests for us." Sanji found the thought of that even more sickening than simply going out and flirting with a bunch of horny women. Sanji managed to get away from the pair and find a bathroom. He looked at his reflection in the mirror.

'What the hell is wrong with me?! I can do this stuff in my sleep. Courting beautiful women, tending to their every need, that's exactly what I was born to do!' Yet the person who looked back at him didn't seem convinced. Superficial love was fine. But to actually get down and.. Sanji splashed his face with the cold water and stopped himself from thinking any farther. As long as he managed to be part of these so called 'starters' who apparently did the job of hosts, he didn't mind. He was actually pretty sure he'd pull it off without a hitch. But if he had to be part of the group who worked behind the scenes… The very thought unnerved Sanji greatly. He couldn't imagine himself having sex with some random stranger whose name and face he'd probably never see or hear of a second time – as Oberon had mentioned that people of both genders came to 'play' with the hosts – who he'd probably never even remember when he woke up in the morning to find that they had paid for his living expenses for that particular day, Sanji just wanted to dig a deep hole and bury himself inside. Things kept getting worse and he found that his mind was too preoccupied to have any thoughts of escape. He heard several voices outside and Sanji slipped out and past a group of striking young men and down the long winding corridor. As he turned a corner, he came across another group of men, they seemed to be around his age, who varied from heavyset with muscular arms and bulging abs to tall lanky men whose only possible striking feature were their sharp angular jaws and their talent for speech. Sanji bent his head as he swiftly walked past them. Whatever conversation they were having ceased the moment their eyes fell on Sanji and continued the second he disappeared around a corner and out of view. Sanji's chest tightened and for the first time in his life he found himself wishing Zoro was by his side. He regretted having taken separate jobs, the likeliness of seeing Zoro during work was zero. Sanji turned another corner and found that he was lost. The place was a fucking maze and everything looked the same. He didn't know if it was to keep the hosts from escaping, but he sure as hell would never build a place with every second corridor looking the same. Somehow he managed to reach the entrance to the front of the shop, where several hosts were seated around several tables, flirting and drinking the night away with women of different statures and personalities and ages.

"I'm afraid your job is different Prince." Sanji twirled around to see Ravena standing beside the door, in the shadows. Sanji found himself smiling and reaching for her slender hand as he kissed her knuckles.

"Is that so? I shall gladly take on any job you give me my beautiful lady." Ravena smiled coyly. Her reply mirrored her smile.

"That's good to hear. I almost worried you wanted to work as a plain simple host." Sanji had an aghast expression on his face.

"It was sheer bad luck and lack in my sense of direction that brought me here madam. You do not have to fear as I shall do exactly as you tell me to, being the loyal servant that I am." He bowed with a flourish. Ravena seemed impressed by his performance.

"Well then I am sure you will be gladdened to know that someone has already requested for you. Your guest is waiting in room number 305 on the third floor. Make sure to give her exactly what she wants. She is an extremely important guest." Sanji's heart began to thump painfully against his rib cage. What his employer was saying was obvious. He'd hit it off big and if he screwed up, the consequences wouldn't be something he'd want to face. Sanji understood. He smiled again and after kissing her hand, turned to find room no. 305. He could feel Ravena's eyes on his back till he entered the elevator and the doors pinged shut. He watched the floor numbers increase and instead of panic, a sense of calm settled on him. He could do this. He would do this. His very life might be at stake. He had nothing to lose, but as Nami and Robin's faces flashed across his mind, he steeled himself and decided to go through with whatever was awaiting him in room no. 305.

Sanji straightened his suit and made sure his hair was perfectly set before he knocked smartly on the door. Several agonizing minutes passed and finally there was a click and the door slowly opened. As Sanji's eyes adjusted to the lack of light in the room, his eyes fell upon the person standing at the door. His breath caught in his throat and he found a slow, sexy smile form on his face. The woman in front of him was drop dead gorgeous. She had a perfectly voluptuous figure and the red dress she was wearing clung to her body in all the right places. She had rich creamy brown hair that poured down her shoulders in thick curls and her heavily lidded eyes and long eyelashes bordered large piercing brown orbs. She had one hand on the door and a deliberate smile was playing on her face. Sanji watched as her lips moved, forming words as she spoke,

"Prince I assume?" Her voice was light and fluttery, yet there was a commanding undertone to it. Immediately he surmised that she was the kind who wanted to be the one in control. Sanji reached for her hand in one fluid motion and brought it to his lips. He raised an eye to look into her mesmerizing brown ones and said in a deep, husky voice-

"That would be me, at your service my lady." The slow answering smile that spread on her face as she led him in, was enough for him to momentarily forget his true purpose there.

As she turned around and walked farther in, Sanji took those few seconds to observe his surroundings. It was a luxurious single bed room. The wallpaper was a deep blue with silver accents and a chandelier hung from the centre off the dark ceiling. The facing wall had wall length windows that faced the other side of town, away from the neon lights and throng of people. Heavy navy blue drapes hung on either side of the wall length window. She walked up to the window and placed a delicate hand against it's smooth surface. Sanji came to stand at a respectable distance behind her. His posture gave away nothing, but his visible eye was half closed and he had a teasing smirk on his face.

"I must say I'm surprised." The same silvery voice said, as she met his eyes in their reflection on the glass. Sanji raised an eyebrow. She turned and walked towards him. She stopped half a foot away from him. Far enough to have control over the situation, but close enough to set a suggestive atmosphere. She placed a hand on Sanji's forearm and continued to speak,

"My name is Callista and you are far more handsome than Lady Ravena said you'd be." The blond swooned at the compliment.

"It pleases me greatly that I have exceeded your expectations my lady." He answered smoothly, his eyes never leaving hers. Then she suddenly laughed, her musical voice echoing in the large room. Sanji's eyes danced with amusement as he wondered after the cause for her mirth. She sat down on the bed and pulled him down next to her. Sanji reached out to the bottle of wine on the tepoy in front of them.

"May I offer you some delicious wine to accompany your merriment my lady?" Callista shook her head yes and the blond poured two glasses. He offered one to the brunette and took the other for himself. She raised her glass in toast and Sanji gently clinked his glass against her. To his surprise she downed the glass in one gulp. Of course the cook followed suit, so as to not seem rude. As he filled the glasses, she began to talk. They sipped on the crisp wine and spoke in low tones. Though their topics of discussion were random, the air around them seemed to gain a sensual quality. By the time they reached their fifth glass, Sanji could feel a buzz in his head as the lighted headedness settled in. he was surprised he was getting drunk off a couple of glasses of wine and realized with alarm that the bottle must have been spiked. Callista set her glass down and slowly reached towards Sanji. He made no move to stop her or encourage her. He let her take control and initiate the kiss. As their lips met, Sanji found himself staring into dark pools of brown. He wasn't sure if it was because of the wine or something else, but he saw a strange flicker of emotion pass through her eyes. And Sanji could feel his mind shutting down as he leaned into the kiss.