Law's soothing voice was the first thing that told Sanji he was conscious again. For a fraction of a second the cook thought he was back in college, passed out on the floor of some club after a drunken brawl, with his friend talking in hushed tones nearby, waiting for him to wake up. It was funny how memories came to you at the most irrelevant times.
His eyes flickered open, squinting and blinking until the bleary surrounding focused into the sharp clarity of the wrecked tiger room. The table was kicked aside. Shards of green glass swam in pools of yellowy liquid. The chessboard lay broken and useless with its pieces scattered around it, and the collar and chain lay empty and slack on the ground.
Zoro escaped.
Sanji pushed himself up, but stopped and winced at the sharp pain stabbing at the base of his skull. He rested, propped up on his elbows, hands clutching his head. He felt the scratchy material of a bandage over his hair.
"Good, you're alive," said Law. "Was beginning to think I needed to find myself another cook."
Sanji couldn't even get his mind together to work on a witty reply. Only when he felt cloven hooves press lightly on his forehead, did he realise Chopper was with them too.
"How are you feeling?" asked the Companion.
Sanji groaned. "Shit… Zoro-"
"We're looking for him now," answered Law, as he started to pack away a small med kit. "Jean and Bepo are covering the western work districts and Main Terminal. Shachi and Penguin have split between the northern Living quarters and eastern docks and work districts."
"Robin's searching this area," added Chopper. "With Brook watching from the skies. We should find him soon."
"Fuck," Sanji breathed out, finally finding the energy to sit up. His head still felt like an inflated balloon about to burst, so he kept his hand pressed against his temple. "Sorry. I didn't mean for him to…"
"No," Law cut him off. "I shouldn't have let something so dangerous stay here in your home in the first place."
He got up and began another sentence, but the beep of a transponder interrupted him. Sanji and Chopper watched with anticipation as the tattooed doctor raised the grey device to his ear.
"Yes?"
Silence. A frown danced across Law's features. "The Warehouses?"
Sanji struggled to push himself up on his feet. Chopper offered to help, but the blonde only shook his head. His legs felt shaky, and his stomach lurched at the movement, but he managed to stay standing.
"I'm on my way," said Law, clicking off the transponder and pocketing it.
"I'll go with you."
Law and Chopper exchanged glances.
"You should probably take it easy, Sanji," said the littler reindeer. "You hit your head pretty hard…"
"I let him get away, the least I could do is help you guys bring him back."
He strode passed the sliding door, trying to ignore the cracked glass splattered with blood that was no doubt his. The rest of his flat looked slightly disturbed, but the most damage was done to his front door, popped off its hinges and embedded against the wall on the far side of the hallway.
"Alright," said Law, following close behind him. "But if you pass out, we're leaving you on the ground."
"Fine by me," said Sanji with a nod, as the three made for the lift.
The warehouses were by the docks on the eastern work district, right on the opposite end of the Main Terminal, which was the only way off the Company Island. Either Zoro had the worst luck in the world, or the most backwards sense of direction.
Sanji's breathing was shallow as he jogged alongside Law and Chopper. He felt light-headed but not enough to slow his pace. Soon, the large, metallic blue roof of warehouse 61-B loomed into view. The worry gnawing away at his insides gave Sanji a sharp bite when he spotted the swarms of Company security, armed with dart and net guns, surrounding the warehouse.
Sanji kept his eyes peeled for Zoro, but followed the doctor without a word as they approached Law's main group, stood fifty meters away from the entrance.
"We've trapped him inside," spoke Shachi. "We haven't sent anyone in yet, but we've blocked all the exits. We chased him all the way out here from the Weapons district. He's probably injured somewhat."
"Probably injured?" wailed Chopper. Sanji placed a hand on his horns to calm him.
"I shot at him with a dart gun," added Penguin. "I'm sure I got him, but he just kept running. I saw the other's get him too."
Law glanced at the heavy iron doors of the entrance. "How many darts roughly?"
Penguin scratched the back of his head. "Three… Maybe four…"
"Shit," muttered Law, running a hand over his face.
Sanji moved beside him, casting a glance over the solid block building. "How bad is it?"
Law shook his head. "With the way he is, it's hard to tell. He could be passed out in there already, or he could be waiting to slice open the first person that walks through the doors. But if he's still moving after having three shots of tranquilizers… He's gonna be sick tomorrow."
Folding his arms, Law turned back to the rest of the group standing by.
"We'll need to get in there and get him out as quickly as possible. No darts, either. I don't want him drugged up anymore that he already is."
"Wait," said Sanji, clasping a hand on Law's shoulder. "Let me go and get him."
"On your own?"
"If we send in a whole army of people, he'll just panic and it'll be more hassle than necessary. He's probably anxious now, just hearing us all standing around out here."
"Sanji, that tiger nearly killed you."
"Nearly, but didn't." It was only when Sanji spoke the words that he realised how significant that fact was. The tiger could've killed him, ripped his cold, dead hand from his arm and got the collar off that way. There really was no other reason for Sanji to live, but he chose not to kill him anyway. He just wanted to get away.
"Let me go in there myself."
"And then what?" said Law. "How exactly are you gonna get the tiger to come out?"
"I'll think of something."
"Very convincing."
"Let me try, at least," said Sanji. "Give me an hour."
"An hour?"
"Or enough time for me to get him to calm down and talk to him."
Law shook his head. "That's too long. What if something happens to you in there and we don't know about it?"
"I'll go with him," squeaked Chopper, making both men look down at the little Companion. "H-he won't see me as a threat, so he's less likely to attack. Also… if he's injured, he's gonna need treatment. A-and I'll help Sanji if anything bad happens, so…"
Laws sighed and glanced off towards the warehouse again. Sanji kept his words to himself. Whenever Law mulled things over like this, it was better to let him come to conclusions himself.
"Take a transponder with you," said the doctor, passing the flat, grey disc to Sanji. "If I don't hear anything from you in fifteen minutes, I'll call. If there's nothing again by thirty minutes after that, I'm sending some else in to check on you. But other than that… You have an hour."
Sanji nodded his thanks and strode towards the Warehouse. Chopper, retaining his long-legged, long snout and large antlered form, plodded along silently beside him.
"Let me talk to him alone, okay?" said the cook. "Even if he's hurt, don't get close to him unless I call you over."
"Okay," Chopper answered with a nod.
The two of them pushed their way passed the iron doors. The creaking hinges filled the quiet, hollow space before groaning into silence. Judging by the few metallic torsos and arms lined in a row on steel shelves, glinting in the moonlight streaming in from the high windows, Sanji assumed the warehouse stored robot parts.
A good half of the large space was covered in shadow, and despite containing an aggressive tiger, it was eerily quiet.
"Zoro?" Sanji called out, his voice carrying into an echo.
Chopper stepped a little further into the building, blue nose twitching in the air. His ears tilted towards the right hand side of the building, gesturing Sanji to that direction with a nod of his antlers.
They walked slowly. Partly so they wouldn't bump into anything in the low light, and partly not to startle Zoro from wherever he was. The only noise that came from them was the clopping of Chopper's hooves and the thudding of Sanji's leather shoes on the cement.
Chopper stopped twice to smell the air and turn corners, following Zoro's scent. Eventually, he halted mid-aisle of metal shelves containing crates of wires and cables.
"He's near," whispered Chopper, tilting his antlers towards where their aisle crossed with another.
Sanji crept towards the edge of the metal shelves and peered around the corner. Sure enough, there was Zoro, crouched on the far side of the room and hidden in shadow. A beam of moonlight illuminated the bottom half of his features and the top half of his chest, which rose and fell erratically.
At this distance, Sanji could hear the tiger's shallow breathing, mixed with a dry, gasping rattle. The silhouette of Zoro's ears twitched forward, before the tiger glanced up. His eyes, pure white circles reflecting the moon, pierced right through the darkness and hit Sanji with a shudder.
The cook turned back and passed the transponder to Chopper. "Stay here," he whispered, before taking a deep breath and stepping out into the aisle.
"Zoro," Sanji called out as gently as he could, holding his hands up as he took slow step after step towards the tiger. Zoro growled, striped tail lashing from side to side.
"It's alright," said Sanji. "It's just me. Just me and Chopper. No-one else."
Sanji stopped when he was close enough to make out Zoro's features. The reflected film was gone from his eyes. One pupil was completely dilated, and the other eye twitched as he struggled to focus on Sanji. The tiger shook with effort as he tried to keep his eyes open and his body upright. Salivating and almost foaming at the mouth, his muscles tensed, hands with claws drawn griping the wall behind him.
Blood trickled from a wound on his head. There was an open dart-wound on his arm that was also bleeding, and a third dart was still lodged on the back of his left shoulder. Except this dart seemed to have cut into his flesh and was know knotted into the muscle.
"Zoro…" Sanji began. But all words left him at once. All he could do was stand and stare at the rasping tiger.
Zoro managed to smirk and a short, rattling laugh tumbled out of his lungs.
"I didn't get very far then," he muttered, his body sagging against the wall behind him.
"No, you didn't," agreed Sanji. He watched Zoro push himself off the wall, groaning in the effort, before finally slumping to sit down on the floor.
"You're hurt," said Sanji. "Let Chopper treat you."
He took a step forward but paused when a growl rose in Zoro's chest.
"Fucking stay away from me."
Sanji took a step back. He crouched, getting eye-level with the Companion, watching as his face contorted into a pained snarl, eyes screwed shut.
"Well?" grumbled Zoro. "What the hell are you waiting for? You found me. Come and drag me back to that prison of a room."
Sanji choose his next words carefully. "No-one's gonna drag you anywhere."
"And what exactly were you planning on doing once you found me?"
Silence. Zoro started to chuckle, but cut it off in place of a wince. Sanji tried to stop himself from wincing at the sight of the pink-feathered dart pushing against the wall too.
Zoro's arm moved to claw at his shoulder. "Can't reach the fucking thing…"
"Let me get it."
"Come one step near me and you're dead."
Sanji pushed a smirk on his face. "Really? Because you've been unsuccessful the past two attempts."
Zoro smiled, his head lolling backwards. "Don't push your luck."
His eyes drooped closed.
"Zoro?" Sanji called out, wondering if the drugs had finally taken effect.
But the amber eyes flickered open again. Zoro groaned, his head falling forward and his other hand reaching up to clutch at the stripes on his forehead.
"Shit," he said, breathing out through gritted teeth.
"Let me help you," urged Sanji once again.
Zoro gave him a lopsided sneer. "So that you can lock me up in that room again?"
"Listen, we have to keep you in that room just to monitor you."
"For what?"
Sanji cast a glance to the floor for a moment, piecing the words together in his mind before he blurted them out. There was no reason to keep it a secret from Zoro. The more he knows what he's in for, might make his mood better.
"Zoro," began the cook. "The reason you were transferred here from Vegapunk's lab, was so that we could… well… There's just something unconventional about you. Your rebellious nature, your tantrums, your violence, it's not something Companions should have."
"So, what? You're trying to fix me?"
"That's not what I said."
"You're trying to get me shut my trap and be an obedient house cat so you can sell me to the next asshole that'll lock me in another room and tell me what I can and can't do."
"No, it's not like that."
"Oh yeah?" Zoro's raised his voice and averted his gaze past Sanji. "Hey, kid. You belong to that Robin woman, right?"
Chopper jumped and squeaked as Zoro addressed him. The little reindeer leaned towards the metal shelves, as if to hide himself but not quite succeeding. Zoro continued.
"I bet you follow her around everywhere, doting her every step. She probably told you to come here, didn't she? If she told you to stab your eyeballs out with a fucking pen, you'd do it, wouldn't you?"
"Zoro!" Sanji yelled, matching the level of the tiger's voice. Zoro roared in return, but it was short lived. He slumped back against the wall, a growl rumbling in his chest.
The beep of the transponder cut across them. Chopper, morphing back into his smaller form, pressed the transponder to his ear and gave Sanji a nervous glance.
"H-hello?" he whispered. When Sanji heard the faint mumble of Law's voice, he shook his head at Chopper.
"N-no, we're fine…" spoke Chopper, he walked behind the metal shelf and disappeared from view. Sanji turned back to Zoro, finding him leaning his head back against the wall with his eyes closed.
He took the chance then, getting back up on his feet and taking slow tentative steps towards the Companion. Zoro's eyes opened slowly, focusing on the cook as his face contorted into another sneer.
"I'm gonna get that dart off your shoulder," said Sanji, crouching beside him. "Hold still."
Zoro kept growling, but he didn't move or make any motion to bat Sanji away as the cook gripped the tiger's shoulders firmly and pulled him from the wall. Inspecting the dart lodged deep in flesh, Sanji gave it a test nudge. Zoro hissed, but again made no movement other than the slapping of his tail against the floor.
Taking off his jacket, Sanji scrunched it up and held it close to the wound.
"I'm gonna yank it out," he said. "It's gonna hurt. Try not to hit me back."
"'M not making any promises," muttered Zoro, his words dragging out and drawling.
Sanji gripped the end of the dart firmly and took a breath. Counting to three in his head, he pulled the needle free from the knot of muscle in one go. Zoro hissed as Sanji replaced his jacket back on the wound to stop the bleeding.
"There, better?" he said.
Zoro huffed. "Doesn't make a difference."
Sanji rolled his eyes. Stubborn as ever. Zoro's weight suddenly pressed onto his hand, as the tiger slumped back against the wall, head lolling to the side. His eyes scrunched shut again, brows furrowing and lips pulling in a frown of discomfort, as his body sagged like all the energy he had left drained from his muscles.
Sanji placed another hand on Zoro's other shoulder, holding the poor bastard up.
"Hey, just come back to the flat," he said. "Just for now, until you feel better. You won't have to stay there."
Zoro growled. "Like I can trust you."
"You can," urged the cook. "I'll speak to Law, we'll sort something out for you. Something a little more comfortable."
"Great, a more comfortable prison. Just what I wanted."
Sanji watched him then, amber eyes flickering like fading embers behind half closed lids.
"What do you want?"
A pause. "I don't want to be here," he answered.
"You don't have to. This is just temporary. Just… play it out. Okay? Just bear with it for a while."
"Fuck that. Why do I have to bear with something I don't want to do? I do whatever the hell I want."
"Sometimes you've just gotta put up with something you don't like. That's just the way the world works."
"What a shitty world."
Sanji chuckled. "Well, that's something we can both agree on."
A silence fell over the two of them then. It was odd, but it struck Sanji as a sort of comfortable silence. The knot on Zoro's brow eased a little, and Sanji could feel his muscles relax under his palm. The clopping of Chopper hooves nearby snapped the blonde from his thoughts. He glanced over to see the reindeer peeking out cautiously from behind the shelves again.
"Zoro," Sanji began again. "You're hurt pretty bad. Let Chopper look over you, then we'll just take you back to the room, alright?"
"By tying a chain to my neck and dragging me there?"
"No. We'll just walk right out of here and back to the flat."
"How do I know those guys out there won't pelt me with a hundred darts the moment I step outside?"
Sanji gave it some thought. "Just walk right behind me, they won't try to shoot past me."
He shifted to try and help Zoro to his feet but the tiger pushed him away with a harsh huff. Sanji backed up and watched as Zoro exerted effort into trying to pull himself up from the floor. He swayed a little, his face completely glazed over, but he stood nonetheless.
Sanji gave him a nod. "Right, just follow me."
He started to make his way out of the aisle, trusting that Zoro was close behind. Chopper, who watched them with caution this whole time, stepped a little further into the aisle. He stopped, eyes widening and jaw dropping as the fur around his muzzle rose.
"Sanji!" he cried in warning.
The cook turned around but felt Zoro fall on top of him before seeing the bulk of green and black stripes fall forward. Instinct kicked Sanji to catch the tiger, but the sudden weight caught him off, toppling both cook and Companion to the floor with a grunt. Chopper pranced around in panic, wailing.
"Chopper!" yelled Sanji. The little Companion stopped and stared at him with eyes wide like saucers and trembling. "It's alright. He just passed out."
Sanji pushed the tiger off him and laid him carefully on his back. "Help me get him outside."
Chopper nodded and plodded closer. "C-can I treat him first?"
Sanji gave him a nod and took the transponder, as the reindeer took off his blue medical bag and started to look over Zoro's wounds. Sanji sat back and watched, flicking the transponder on.
"We got Zoro," he spoke into the device. "He's passed out, but Chopper's seeing to him now."
"We're coming in," said Law.
With a sigh, Sanji continued to watch Chopper clean off Zoro's wounds.
The reindeer glanced at him for a moment. "The people he was with before… They weren't nice to him, were they?"
"What makes you say that?"
"What he says and the way he thinks. It's… different."
Sanji chuckled. "He could just be a regular asshole."
Chopper's face remained serious, cloven hooves dexterously working on patching up the bigger wound behind the tiger's shoulder.
"Robin says a person's psyche can be affected by their surroundings and situations," said the little doctor. "There's a reason why Zoro behaves the way he does."
Sanji glanced at the calm expression on Zoro's face, stripes no longer jagged by a sneer. Chopper might be on to something.
His train of thought was broken by the sound of echoing footsteps approaching them from the next aisle. Law rounded the corner, followed by Bepo and Jean carrying a stretcher between them.
"How is he?" asked Law.
"Fine," answered Chopper. "His wounds weren't too bad. But with all those tranquilizers, he's gonna be woozy for a while."
Sanji got up and stood back with Chopper as Bepo and Jean placed the tiger into the stretcher with care.
"You were in here for a while," said Law, turning to the cook. "What happened?"
"We talked about politics," muttered Sanji. "And the weather."
"Funny."
With the tiger securely on, the small group made their way out of the warehouse.
"We'll take him back to the labs," said Law.
Sanji's eyes widened. "What?"
"It's too dangerous to keep him somewhere residential. The lab has better security too."
Sanji felt a twinge in his gut. His mind scrambled for any reason that Zoro could stay in the tiger room.
"You can't."
Law shot him a narrow eyed glanced. "Why?"
"I told him I'd take him back to the tiger room. If he wakes up anywhere different, he might panic again."
Law stopped and turned to stare at the blonde. "And he agreed to go back with you?"
"Well… I guess. But he passed out before he could agree verbally."
Sanji let the silence draw out between them, trying not to shuffle under Law's scrutinizing frown. Eventually, the doctor sighed and walked over to Bepo.
"Take him back to the tiger room," he instructed. Sanji did his best to hide the look of relief on his face.
"We'll tighten the security in your flat," said Law. "You'd probably want a new door too, right?"
"Yeah, that would be pretty amazing, actually," replied Sanji with a chuckle.
He began to follow the others making their way to the tube tracks, when Law's hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"Don't drop your guard, Sanji," he said. "He may seem calm most of the time he's been living with you, but we can't treat him like a regular Companion. He's a wild animal. He'll always be unpredictable."
Sanji matched the solemn look on Law's face. "I know."
After a pause, Law began to walk again. "Always knew you were a masochist."
"Sorry, what was that?" groused Sanji as he caught up with the doctor and gave him a sharp nudge with his elbow.
"Nothing, princess," grumbled Law, batting away Sanji's arms. "Let's just get the tiger back and get some sleep ourselves."
It was only when Law yawned that Sanji felt the ache of fatigue seep into his bones. He was weary, but at the same time, he felt more awake than he'd ever been in a very long time.