A/n: EDIT: PLEASE READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END

Thank you all for reading! I was waaay too happy, so i decided to post an early chapter :D And thank you to everyone for reviewing! It just makes my day to see FF messages in my inbox haha.

This chapter is rather less torturing compared to the previous two. I decided that I would add some twists to the story cuz hey, who doesn't like a good twist or two? ;D

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Love~

Chapter 6

Zoro stared at the tattoo on Sanji's hip. He found himself reaching for his swords, intent on cutting the thing up. His irritation escalated when he found that his swords weren't where they were supposed to be. Rubbing his head in frustration, he slid off the blonde and sat on the edge of the bed. Amelia must have come and gone, he wasn't sure. She must have heard if not seen, the damn blonde could be loud as hell. He rubbed his face and wondered what the hell was wrong with him. He looked over his shoulder at the cook's limp form, thin and fragile under the bed covers. He sighed. It wasn't like this was the first time he was having sex. Despite what other people thought, he'd had his own share of trysts. Though they were neither romantic nor filled with love. Just pure, animalistic, mindless sex. Despite finding solace in training his body and fighting, sometimes he just needed the release to ward off all the irritations and frustrations.

But it was the first time his partner was a male. Except for the thing in between his legs and the toned body, Sanji could easily be a woman with his glossy golden hair and bright blue eyes, his petite physique and small waist- Zoro ground his teeth in frustration. What the fuck was going on?! Their main aim was to find their Nakama and get the fuck off this island. But instead, here they were, one broken and the other half dead and weaponless. He needed to think of a way to escape before Sanji's state worsened. The entire time they were at it, the blonde did nothing but drown himself in his illusion of pleasure. Whether it actually felt good or not was besides the point. The moans and grunts, the groans and shouts, the mindless screaming and grinding, it was like he was so used to all of them, they just became something of a habit than a reaction to the feeling.

Sanji had been completely broken. Zoro could finally see it. The blonde was obviously tied down by something that the swordsman didn't know of and that was leading him to slowly disintegrate. At this rate he would no longer be Blackleg Sanji, the feared cook of the Strawhat Pirates. He'd just be another whore strutting about, living and breathing sex like everyone else. The blonde had been completely dragged into the core of this whore hole and Zoro was the only one who could do anything about it.

Now you would wonder as to why Zoro was so determined to undo the damage done to the blonde, to go to the extent of sleeping with him just to break him out of the wretched spell he had fallen under. Maybe it was guilt, that he was the cause for Sanji's downfall; maybe it was the obligation of being a Nakama, knowing the others would do the same; maybe it was to repay the debt of his life being saved; or maybe it was something entirely different, something Zoro didn't want to think about or even begin to question. Those dark wicked feelings could rot in the depths of hell for all he cared. The last thing he needed was to fall under the same wretched spell. Zoro started when Sanji shifted beside him. He watched with bated breath as the cook slid off the bed, stood up and made to the bathroom like it was something he did on a daily basis. Which it just might be. Zoro stared hard at the floor as the sound of the shower turning on overruled all the other sounds. It was getting dark - meaning Sanji had to get back to work. The very thought caused a shiver of dread to pass down Zoro's spine. Would the blonde have to go through that mindless torture again? Just so some horny fatass could get his nightly dose of sex? And just after he had gone through the effort of bringing back the blonde. A stray thought wandered through his mind. What if Sanji didn't go back? What if Zoro kidnapped him and-

And what? And then what would they do? Sanji's stalkers were still prowling outside. Oberon's men were still on guard for him and Amelia's life was already in danger thanks to the two of them. Zoro sat pondering on what his next course of action would be. Obviously he could no longer just stay put and let his wounds heal. He couldn't play dead any longer. He had to do something before things took a turn for the worse. Not to mention it was well over two weeks since they got separated from the crew. He knew the others would be desperately searching for them. Maybe, just maybe, Luffy and the rest would come to the blonde's rescue before-

"Oi Marimo, if you keep staring at the floor like that, you're gonna burn a hole right through it."

"Shup up ero cook." Zoro looked up to see a naked Sanji, with nothing but a towel on his head, dripping wet, walking towards him. The swordsman immediately looked away, unable to stand the sight of those horrendous marks and wounds on the other's body. If it were battle scars, any man would wear them proudly. But this..

"What? You find me so disgusting that you can't even look at me for more than a few seconds?" Sanji's voice was jeering and taunting, yet it had a hard edge to it. Like the blonde had been hurt by the other man's rejection. He flopped down on the bed beside Zoro.

"Or is it that you find it disgusting that you fucked me so hard? Me of all people. Your mortal enemy. Who you would rather be dea-" Zoro growled ferociously and in one brash movement had Sanji pinned down underneath him, eye flashing, lips curled back in a snarl.

"Don't you ever fucking say something like that again you stupid dartbrow or I'll-"

"You'll what?" Sanji's face was expressionless, his eyes the same emotionless murky blue and his voice flat yet challenging. "You'll what Marimo? Fuck me senseless again while thinking you're doing me a favour? Go get your ass kicked by those bastards again and double my work for me? Put your life in danger and everyone else's? What will you do? Beat me? Since you can't cut me up with your swords? Kick me? Punch me? Body slam me? Pound me until I'm dead?"

The whole time Sanji was talking in his montone, Zoro's face just kept growing darker and angrier, his muscles convulsing from rage, his back arching from anger. But the entire time, Sanji spoke to him with the same tone of voice, the same face devoid of expression and the same eyes devoid of light. "Tell me what you'll do kussoyaro."

Zoro roared and reared back, as though he was going to head butt Sanji - considering the rest of his limbs were locked on the other's. But he brought his head down next to blonde's, the bed creaking from the impact, the wood groaning at the unnecessary force of the blow. Sanji's eyes widened and his breath caught, but he didn't move. Zoro lay panting next to his ear. The hot breaths causing the blonde to shiver. Then the other man groaned and pulled up so their eyes were aligned parallel to each other. And Sanji found his eyes brimming with unshed tears at the depth of emotion in Zoro's dark eye.

There was no pity, no sympathy, not even anger. There was simply a great helplessness, a desire to simply understand, to simply be able to share what the other felt, to simply be able to be a pillar of support, to be able to do something than just uselessly sit around. And Sanji shut his eyes, letting the tears fall. He understood what Zoro was feeling so well, because he had felt the same when he had stood beside an unconscious Zoro, completely bandaged and pale as death. He wished he could do something, anything, to help the man. Anything to get over the guilt of being unable to do something. Sanji understood it all too well. That feeling of extreme helplessness. He felt Zoro stiffen as he saw the tears roll down pale cheeks and onto the bed. He instinctively pulled the other man towards him, cradling him against his chest like he were a woman in despair. Though Sanji very well knew Zoro was anything but a damsel in distress. The swordsman relaxed against the blonde, both men simply reveling in the warmth of the other, glad to have the other's company. Finally Zoro pulled back and returned to sit by the edge of the bed.

"Shouldn't you be going back?"

Sanji grunted in response and began to dress. As he exited the room, Zoro followed. He followed down the stairs and out the back door. Just as Sanji began walking away, Zoro grabbed his arm.

"A little longer cook. I'll think of something." His voice was low and strained, not at all full of promise or hope. Sanji scoffed as he turned around and smirked at the man.

"Oi oi Marimo are you worrying about me? Don't worry your pretty little head off! There's no way I'll go down from something like this." Sanji's voice was playful, almost like how it normally was, albeit a little too high pitched and a little too forced. Zoro's eyes danced with that same expression and he pulled the blonde towards him and smashed their lips together, their single eyes staring at each other. The gesture had no kind of romantic significance. Actually it didn't have any sort of significance, physical or otherwise. Just a consolation that the other was there and alive and if not anyone else, there was atleast one person on the entire island they could trust. A twisted way of communicating what they couldn't put in words, what they couldn't express with emotions. Just that the warmth of the other was enough to reassure them that they could do what needed to be done and hold on for a little longer. They broke apart, both lightly panting for air and Zoro smacked Sanji in the chest.

"Don't lose cook. Or I'll just leave you here for Oberon's dogs to tear you apart."

Sanji smashed his forehead against the other's. "Don't get too ahead of yourself shitty Marimo. You can still die any second."

And the two men found their faces breaking out into long forgotten grins, no promises spoken, no oaths taken, yet the unspoken words and the undeniable presence of the other enough to placate their broiling emotions.

Amelia went from normal to pink to purple to blue and then to white. Zoro almost laughed at her rainbow of emotions. The doctor opened her mouth several times but never managed to speak. Finally, she turned away and asked slowly.

"Why? Are you doing this for Prince san? Is it so- Oh no! you can't! It's too dangerous!" Amelia spun around, fingers intertwined, knuckles white and face desperate. Sometimes Zoro was amazed at how smart she actually was. He sighed and walked away. Flinging on his cloak, he eyed the fake glasses he'd found in the boxes of junk and slipped them on.

"It's not really any of your business what I do or don't do. The only reason I told you is because you let me stay here up till now and saved my life." He slipped the door open and looked at the doctor from over his shoulder.

"And I'll find a place so you don't have to worry about me bothering y-"

"You aren't a bother!" Amelia looked like she was on the verge of tears and Zoro rapped his knuckles on the door in frustration.

"Ok fine I'm not a bother. I'm still finding another place-"

"It's too dangerous!"

"Look woman! Do you like sleeping on the sofa or on the table?! How many days have you gone without sleep?! I'm perfectly fine so I'm out of here!" He slapped the door open and began descending the stairs two at a time. Just as he reached the bottom, Amelia grabbed his arm. Zoro groaned and rolled his eyes. This woman was a major pain. But he had to be nice to her because she had endangered her life for him. He waited for her to stop sobbing long enough to speak.

"P-Please 'on't go.. There's 'o one else.. All alone all the –HIC- time.." Zoro found himself staring at the brown head beside him and sighing. Women were a real pain. Especially the straight forward ones. Amelia was bawling her eyes out, glasses long forgotten, one hand clenching her lab coat while the other vigorously rubbed at her eyes. She was paler than he remembered and once again he found himself reaching up and patting someone's head. She flinched and looked startled but immediately melted into his hand. He groaned inwardly and wondered why the hell he had to deal with this shit. Pushing her up the stairs, they trooped back into the large room. He looked around and nodded.

"Alright first you go and get some sleep. I'll be right back." He grabbed the keys and locked the door behind him even as Amelia shouted and banged against the thin wood. He pocketed the key and exited the building. It was late evening, the one time of the day that the town was in action. He spotted a store in one of the side streets and decided to investigate.

Two hours later, he had bought a futon, pillows and a blanket, a random assortment of clothes that included nightwear, beanies and caps and long coats with hoods, two bottles of good quality sake and he had himself a part time job. He couldn't really ask for more at the moment. Helping build one of the love hotels in the red-light district was the only one he could find. If the plan he had carefully plotted went the way he wanted, things might just turn around for the better. He unlocked the door and walked in. Noticing none of the lights were on, he walked into the bedroom to find Amelia fast asleep. He snorted. Finally the woman was doing something sensible instead of mindlessly flitting about. He eyed the bare area in front of the couch and next to the dining table and spread out his futon. After positioning things the way he wanted them, he leaned into the pillows propped against the couch and took a long sip from one of the bottles. It was well past dusk now and he was sure Sanji was doing whatever he was supposed to do. Zoro would start working tomorrow but right now he decided to sleep. His chest hurt more now since he had overdone it and he lay back, letting his mind wander.

Sanji got off the bed, had a quick shower, slipped on his yukata and shut the door behind him. The night had just begun and he had already gotten three requests. Two of them turned out to be women who honestly didn't mind a threesome. Well who the hell cares when some random stranger is fucking you anyway? The third person, who he was going to now, was the same blonde dude who had asked for him three days in a row. He opened the door to the room his guest was supposed to be in and slipped into 'work mode'.

"Prince! How nice to see you! You look fine as always!" Sanji always found it amusing that the man was able to converse with him like they were best buds. Sanji opened his mouth and faltered when he realized he was yet to remember the man's name.

"Good evening to you too. You are far too kind."

He chuckled at the cook and motioned for him to join him. "You know it's rather rude not to remember the names of the people who bought you for the night." The man smirked and Sanji resisted the urge to kick his face in. Instead, he smirked back and slid a hand slowly down his side. His smirk grew wider when the man's nearly hidden eyes hungrily followed it. "Forgive me for being rude, but I am quite new so.."

The man's lips twitched at the suggestive line and in one long stride he was right in front the blonde, an inch between them.

"That I know." He ran his hands through Sanji's silky locks and then fisted them tightly, causing the other to wince from the sudden pain. The man came close to his ear and the smell of beer was so strong, Sanji regretted eating the meager meal from before. "Zeher. And this time, make sure you remember.."

Zeher pulled back with a satisfied sneer and then eyed Sanji's parted mouth. Taking the hint, the blonde covered the small back between them and the two men concentrated on the burning kiss, all things forgotten as their lips and teeth and tongue clashed together furiously.

Before his eyes drew shut, Zeher's hair seemed to flash green for a second and Sanji found his mind being invaded by a certain moss-haired swordsman.

"Hah?! You've never done any manual labour before?!"

"No I didn't say manual labour, I said this is the first time I'm constructing a building."

"Will you look at that? Hasn't lifted a stone in his entire life and here he is acting all fine and prissy. Well princess, my boys here will show you the ropes so make sure not to break a nail."

The big worker guffawed with a bunch of other men as they jibed and mocked Zoro. The swordsman grit his teeth and for the first time found himself thanking whatever stars were watching over these bastards, that he didn't have his swords. One of the workers motioned towards him and walked away, still laughing. Zoro followed, pushing the fake glasses up his nose and fixing the beanie on his head. He really wondered as to what kind of men worked in the red-light district, if his scars and rippling muscles made him a princess. The corner of his mouth twitched when he imagined the fit Sanji would throw if Zoro were to call him a princess.

"Having fun are we? Well why don't you start by carrying this to the men on top then?"

Zoro found himself looking at a huge pail of wet concrete, filled to the brim. His eye then travelled to the make-shift lift that stood beside them. He then eyed the grinning man in front of him. Mentally sighing, he bent down, heaved the bucket up and started to climb the cobbled together steps that led to the upper levels. The roughly put together stairs were uneven and had bad footing. Climbing up while staring down and making sure he didn't tilt the bucket was growing to be a pain in the ass.

"Hurry up newbie, or no lunch for you!"

Three hours later, Zoro found himself staring at half a loaf of bread and a jug of some kind of murky looking liquid. He had successfully carried over thirty pails of concrete and by the end, it wasn't just his chest that burned. He was sure he had twisted both ankles more than once on those ruddy steps and his left shoulder was dislocated. The amount of work or the weight wasn't really a problem for someone who lifted several hundred tons on a daily basis. But for a heavily injured man, it was hell. His lungs were heaving for air and sweat poured down his body. He still refused to take off his beanie or full-sleeved shirt, though both clung tightly to him uncomfortably. One of the workers – slightly older than the rest, with a large bushy mustache and kind looking eyes - came up and sat on the crate opposite him. He motioned to the paltry meal that lay untouched and scratched his bush of a mustache.

"Not hungry then? That's all you'll be getting y'know."

The green-haired man pointedly picked the bread up and shoved it down his throat, nearly gagging in the process. The man nodded, satisfied. "The name's Freddy by the way. Those lads'll do anything for a good laugh. That's all we got to keep us going around here."

"What about the whores?"

The man made a face at Zoro's crass way of describing and shrugged one shoulder.

"Well most of us are either ex-slaves from here-abouts or slaves who were brought here or people like you who nearly got killed 'cuz of some robust customer. So there's no way any of us would actually put someone else through the same torture."

Zoro tensed and Freddy waved a hand dismissively. "Despite what they said, any one could tell you aren't quite healed yet. The workload should get lighter here on out so don't worry too much."

Zoro realized with a jolt that the pointless process of lugging a huge bucket of concrete up three levels of blasted stairs, was for the workers to determine where exactly Zoro ended up there from. Whether he was a weak whore who was found worthless in the trade, whether he had been abandoned there by a bunch of pirates, or whether he had survived going against the law of the island. Freddy stood up with a glint in his eye, as he twirled his bushy tash. "There's no need to worry about the boys either. After all, No one can not respect a survivor eh?" He winked at the swordsman and hobbled back to the others - who had long since given up pretending to ignore the two of them. When they met Zoro's eye, they nodded meekly and concentrated on Freddy.

Zoro eyed the mug one last time before downing it in three gulps. Whatever it was, it tasted like a bunch of plants crushed together and left a minty aftertaste in his mouth. It wasn't all bad, especially when it eased his fatigue and let him breathe easier. Pulling the beanie lower, he stood up and walked towards the men, bent on working as much as his body would let him.

"Huh?! Moved out?!"

Amelia shook her head vigorously and shrunk back from Sanji's looming figure. The blonde ruffled his hair in frustration and swore loudly. What the hell was that freak show of a swordsman thinking when he decided to move out?! A tick mark appeared on Sanji's face as he realized that the man had moss for brains. The cook nodded blankly and pushed past the doctor.

"Well maybe he left some clue behind so I'll just-"

"You can't!" Amelia stood in front of the door, arms spread on either side, a look of total horror on her face. Sanji nearly rolled his eyes from the obvious deception and then mentally berated himself for over reacting.

Of course he'd ask her to hide where he is or what he's doing.

He tsk'd and stuck the lollipop that was in his hand back in his mouth. Since he was forbidden to smoke, his need for something between his lips and fingertips were a constant source of irritation. Retta had found an extremely simple solution to the problem, by offering him a lollipop. He forced a smile towards the brunette – which seemed to appease her some – and turned to walk down the stairs.

The gears in his head were clicking into place and he knew pretty much where the stupid Marimo would be. After all, there are only so many places you could go on this stupid hell hole of an island.

A/n: Edit-

Sneak peak at the next chapter: Sanji finds his life in peril, how will he escape from his manic obsessor? Meanwhile Zoro's identity is in danger of being exposed?! The strawhats are desperately looking for their missing members and Luffy finds something strange? What secrets do they stumble upon and are they quite ready to deal with them?

Just- be prepared for some drastic twists and suspense along with all the torture!

Review, Follow and Favorite!

Love~