"Wrench…."
No response.
"Wrench."
Nothing.
"Oi! Are you listening? I said wrench."
"Get it yourself."
"Urgh!"
This was how the past forty-five minutes had gone, handcuffed to the stupid blond bastard who refused to help with anything.
After breakfast, where he'd actually displayed a glimmer of kindness, if only towards Nami, the greedy witch who hardly deserved it half the time, Zoro had slapped the blindfold back on him and dragged him to the other end of the camp, to the garages where he didn't risk giving too much away about their faction, save for what trucks and motorcycles they had.
It wasn't many, though they'd procured more from Rayleigh over the past year or so, but when Zoro had first set off on his own, made it to the abandoned camp, he'd come with only seven people. It had been him in a pick-up with Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper in the cramped back row and far too much energy.
Franky, their resident mechanic, had followed in a larger one, with his girlfriend, Robin—a brilliant researcher; Nami—cartographer extraordinaire, and Brook, a great musician and even better friend who'd lived an entire lifetime before the world had broken apart.
The stories he told of freedom, of buildings with real walls, warmth and air conditioning, of supermarkets stocked full, and beautiful wealthy cities where the possibilities were endless….
They were things that were fleeting memories for most of them, fading quickly with childhood and with the hope that those in the Grand Line would help their country.
Robin always said that the rest of the world was aware of what had happened in East Blue. That there were relief efforts put forth, and yet none had found their way to them.
Zoro vaguely remembered TV commercials from when he was little, with depressing shots of starving children, barren landscapes, and dried-up rivers, all while a celebrity walked calmly through the dilapidated streets, urging people to donate money….
He knew he'd be kicking the ass of any foreign bastard who tried to pull that shit in East Blue. If the Government would even let someone like that in….
It was them against the world. The Government had deemed itself oppressive and never looked back. And though Zoro had left Rayleigh's compound with a small number of people, looking to lessen the supplies burden, his group had grown to the dozens Emerald Peak had now, and why he'd been chosen as their leader he'd never know, when he had hardly any of the charisma Luffy had, wasn't even a fraction as smart as Nami or Robin.
But he would take whatever burdens that brought, and that included lugging around stupid blond intruders all day if it meant protecting the people for whom he was responsible.
Zoro gave a rough yank on Sanji's hand, with the intention of slamming him into the open hood of the truck he was currently checking, eager to wipe that bored, indifferent look off his face as he did nothing but lean there against the front bumper, left arm limp as Zoro worked.
Sanji seemed ready though, because he braced himself with his right hand and used the momentum to lift a flexible leg, swing it around, and nail Zoro in the middle of his back with the hard toe of his boot.
"Ow, what the fuck!" Zoro yelped stupidly, nearly falling face first into the tangled mess of metal parts inside the car. If the idiot blond slammed the hood on top of him, he'd murder him right there in cold blood.
"Quit demanding shit of me!" Sanji screeched, even though the tool box was resting on top of the engine right in front of him, hardly a demanding task to take out a fucking wrench. "This is your job, not mine!"
"This is your punishment, dammit!" Zoro justified. "I said you're not leaving my sight so make yourself useful or I'll kill you!"
"M'gonna die of boredom before you even finish!" Sanji complained dramatically. "Or freeze to death! It's fucking cold in here!"
"Cry a little louder," Zoro snapped through gritted teeth. "You've got no right to complain when you're the one who—"
"Alright, alright, we know," Sanji shot back, clearly done with Zoro's shit as he turned his back to Zoro and automatically fumbled in his pocket for a cigarette….before remembering he didn't have them. Fuck this.
Zoro glared at him for a long moment, then gave an annoyed snort and grabbed a wrench out of the tool box himself, pulling Sanji's wrist extra hard as he dove back into his work.
Sanji decided to ignore him once more, instead letting his eyes drift around the garage.
It was big, and rather well-maintained given the circumstances. It could probably fit ten vehicles, side by side, and indeed there were several pick-up trucks and jeeps lined up, in various states of repair.
Clearly, whoever maintained them knew what they were doing, and judging by the fact that Zoro had been turning the same knobs and screws the whole time they'd been there (or so it looked to the blond), Sanji had to imagine it wasn't him in charge of this shit.
He said nothing though, instead calculating how much effort it would take to steal one of these and drive it back to Obsidian Shadow.
He could catch Zoro off-guard, whip a leg around and give him a good crack to the back of the head, knock him out as the bastard had done to him the previous night.
Then he'd have to drag him around until he found a saw….or search him for the handcuff key, something he did not have any interest in doing.
Even if he did manage to escape, managed to hijack a car, got it started, and made it out of the camp without being apprehended, well….that would still leave him with the shame of returning to his own faction without food. Nothing would await him but a harsh reprimanding...or worse...
It wasn't fair. Why should he be punished for trying to help? When no one else had done a fucking thi—?
"So how bad is it…?"
Zoro's voice interrupted his thoughts, and Sanji didn't understand why. Didn't Zoro want nothing to do with him? Weren't they enemies? Why the fuck was the idiot trying to make conversation?
Sanji knew what he was talking about, but didn't answer, merely kept his gaze stubbornly fixed on a tool bench against the wall, thinking about all the creative ways he could get rid of this bastard if he so wanted. Those screwdrivers looked enticing…
"Oi."
Zoro nudged him with his elbow, as if he deserved an answer, and when Sanji still didn't reply, just rolled his eyes, the blond had to admit he was a little satisfied at the frustrated growl that left the mosshead.
"I'm just asking…." Zoro muttered sulkily, whipping his bandana (the same one he'd been using to blindfold Sanji) off his arm and reaching in to wipe some grease off the truck's engine with it. "'Cause if it was that bad in your faction, maybe I'd be willing to help out. Thought maybe Judge would finally be willing to make trade agreements if he's that desperate—"
"We don't trade," Sanji snipped over his shoulder, only then noticing the grease-soaked bandana with horror. "Oh, that is not going back on my face, you pig!"
"It will if I want it to—" Zoro gritted back childishly, and straightened to snap the fabric at Sanji's face, splattering some foul oily substance onto his cheek. "Why don't you trade anyway! It's like you guys don't wanna cooperate with the rest of us! Aren't we in this together?"
"Where the hell do you get that rosy idea?" the blond growled, wiping his face frantically. "It was Rayleigh who left us out of his agreements! And I know all of you split from White Amnesty!"
"What are you talking about? It's obvious Judge is a shitty Government dog! It's no fucking wonder with all the damn weapons you're—!"
"A Government dog?! Look, pal, if that were the case, we'd be living in a fucking palace by now, and not scrounging up the last of our rice just to—"
The cook's eyes widened and he hastily cut himself off, snapping his mouth shut and turning away, embarrassed to find that, at some point, he'd gotten right up in the other man's face, close enough to practically mingle breath.
Zoro stared at him hard.
So his faction really was on its last leg….
Zoro had seen that look in the blond's eye, that flash of fire and fear above all else, and whether Judge worked with the Government or not, there was still something very real and very troubling happening in Obsidian Shadow.
Zoro had never considered himself to be a particularly empathetic person, especially not now. He was protective of those he cared about, immensely so, but even as a leader, he didn't see himself as kind. He did what needed to be done, upheld his responsibilities. Nothing more…and nothing less.
But, of course, that was his own view of himself, and the third man who'd just entered upon the argument knew otherwise.
Franky caught the tail end of the dispute, impossible not to with all the yelling, as he ducked under one of the half-open garage doors and immediately zeroed in on the pained look on his leader's face. That concern and indecision was easy to see, crystal clear for someone who'd known Zoro for years, that familiar look that showed the "heartless" Zoro Roronoa was mislabeled. That look that showed a hidden desire to help people he'd never met, even people that lived in a hostile, uncooperative faction.
Franky had a smirk on his face as he crossed over to the two, gave a pat to the hood of his favorite red jeep as he passed it, admiring the good polish job he'd given her the day before.
He forced himself to tear away from his own super reflection in the shiny metal after a minute, finally coming up beside Zoro, who'd shot him a look the second he heard the slap of flip-flops on the concrete floor. They were so ratty, duct taped in places, the taller man might as well have gone barefoot.
"There you are, Zoro-bro~ So this is the prisoner, huh?" Franky said, tugging down his sunglasses to get a better look, and flashing a friendly grin. "Funny. Way Usopp described him, thought we'd be stuck with some crazy monster~"
Sanji scoffed, not enjoying the fact that he had to look up and up at this stranger, who wore the most ridiculous cut-off jean shorts that were very nearly underwear they were so short, and an open tropical-printed shirt that looked like something straight out of two decades ago. How the man managed to look comfortable when it was clearly too cold for that summery get-up was beyond him.
That didn't even cover his long flop of blue hair that was slicked back on the sides, with engine grease for all Sanji knew, hair products as rare as they were.
He said nothing, just stood there trying to look as dignified as he could manage, handcuffed to a patch of grass.
"Name's Franky," said the man, reaching out a large hand towards Sanji, who stared at it sulkily for a second, but eventually reached out to take it reluctantly.
Franky proceeded to give it a vigorous shake, enough that Sanji had to scowl and yank his hand away before the guy tore it off.
"Sanji, right? That's what Nami said. Interesting name," Franky jabbered on, wiggling eyebrows at the blond, who narrowed his eyes warily. "I'm the mechanic around here. Zoro-bro's been my little apprentice lately. Teachin' him maintenance stuff. He's not a natural, but he'll get there."
A wink at the mosshead, who looked thoroughly mortified, much to Sanji's silent amusement.
"Anyway, I took a look at your bike," Franky continued. "You're lucky you stopped here. Any farther and you'da run out of fuel!"
Sanji sorely wished he had a cigarette to roll irritably between his lips in that moment.
"Lemme guess, you're not filling it up for me as part of my punishment," the blond muttered bitterly, but Franky frowned in response, tilting his head quizzically.
"Nah, she's good to go. We got a pretty good store here. Gave the tires some air too and tightened up the sidecar. Why would we punish—?"
Eyes flicked to Zoro then, his mouth forming a small 'O' of realization.
"Ahhh, I gotcha. Zoro-bro have ya in time-out or somethin'?" He chuckled. "Well, just be patient. If he didn't kill you yet, it means he likes ya~"
"Are you fucking kidding me, Franky?" Zoro hissed, ears tinted a brilliant red, but the older man merely laughed and patted a large hand on his shoulder.
Sanji watched the exchange with the same stony expression, but he couldn't help but notice something odd about it. In fact, there was something different about everyone here, and the way they'd conversed with Zoro.
The long-nose scaredy-cat he'd run into first had seemed respectful and rather subservient, but the way Zoro had looked at him was fond, almost like a younger brother.
The gorgeous woman in the mess hall had even called Zoro an idiot, teased him and urged Sanji not to take him seriously. She hadn't been intimidated by him in the least, despite the brooding glares he shot her way, an absolutely brutish show of disrespect to such a beautiful creation of nature. He'd never resented Zoro more than the moment he put that blindfold back on him, leaving Sanji with but the memory of Nami's glowing skin and dulcet voice.
And now there was this man, who seemed damn comfortable with embarrassing his leader of all people, and Zoro wasn't doing shit about it. He wasn't ordering him to spend a night in the dungeon, wasn't threatening him, pulling a gun and making him back off.
Sanji realized, with a rather painful clench of his chest, that the people of Emerald Peak treated Zoro, their leader, like family, or a close friend at the very least. There was genuine care here, despite how much Zoro seemed dead set on playing the unfeeling card.
In a way, Sanji had assumed real love had been lost in this world, all those years ago when the chaos had erupted. When suddenly, his world had changed and he'd been carted off by his family amidst violent attacks on the city, away from his mother, whom he could barely remember now, save for the sterile smell of a hospital, her pale skin nearly translucent in the harsh overhead lights…
Or maybe it had been a dream…. He remembered sleeping...a lot….. And hurting….
"You alright there, bro?"
Sanji blinked, the sound of quickening breaths in his ear that, in reality, belonged to him. His hand was clutching at his stomach as if some phantom pain had taken hold, and both Zoro and Franky were staring at him.
"I'm fine," he muttered automatically, wanting more than anything to tear away from the two and get the hell out.
Instead, he mumbled the first thought that came to his mind, that seemed to consume him suddenly with urgency. He shouldn't be here. He should be getting back, with food.
Fuck, he needed food.
"Look, I'll give you whatever you want, just let me take food," he all but hissed out quickly, and his tone was desperate enough that it caught Zoro off-guard.
Gone was the stoic demeanor he'd been trying so hard to keep up, even in the face of questioning, replaced with an almost pleading tone. The blond had started to sweat as well, his face pale, and Zoro didn't understand the change.
He heard Franky shift uncomfortably beside him, like he wanted to say something, but couldn't, knowing Zoro was the leader…
Fucking hell…
Was he really going to cave and let the curly brow go?
Was he really going that soft? That one guy—who was maybe kind of interesting and fun to banter with, even though he was a thieving bastard from the worst faction out there—could break him?
Not in that moment at least, because, suddenly, the garage door in front of them lifted higher to reveal Nami, who peered in, a hand propped on her hip.
"Hey, Zoro, we got some Gatecrashers out front looking to 'make amends' for yesterday?" she mumbled skeptically, hitching a thumb over her shoulder. "Luffy's out talking to them. You might wanna get your ass over there before anything disastrous happens."
Instantly, Zoro's eyes narrowed, and he shared a silent exchange with Franky, who clapped him on the back and pushed him towards the door, Sanji too, by default.
Nami, satisfied that he was following, stepped away from the garage door and set off towards a small ATV waiting for her on the gravel road outside.
She threw a leg over it, revved its small engine, and drove off towards the larger compound of buildings, the pitter patter of tiny rocks displaced by her tires raining down in her wake.
Zoro watched her go for a moment.
It wasn't an uncommon occurrence that they dealt with Gatecrashers. They made frequent runs to the city where they were rampant, and he knew they took their residence within old buildings, that their leader, if he could even be called that anymore, lived somewhere in the bowels of the broken city.
But to think a group had traveled all the way out here? To make amends?
It was strange. Clearly, they wanted something, and despite having dealt with the curly brow all night and morning, he felt unsettled, in a way not even Sanji had drawn from him.
Still, ignoring them and sending them away altogether would surely anger Blackbeard, who'd no doubt sent them in response to his and Luffy's raid the previous day.
There was no way around it. He'd have to confront them.
But that look that had been in Sanji's eyes, that look that he was already trying to wipe away, almost as if he'd lost control of himself before…. That was something else he would have to confront.
Only when both Nami and Franky were out of earshot did Zoro turn to the blond, stop fully and look him right in the eyes.
"Let me deal with this, Curly. Then we'll talk, okay?" he said seriously, and despite the nickname, Sanji sensed his sincerity. It was, again, surprising to see, something Sanji was hardly used to these days. Not from his family at least. Such earnestness…
He found he could do little but nod, even feeling a little ashamed of his own odd behavior. He hadn't known where it had come from, and he hoped it didn't resurface again...
Zoro nodded too, thankfully not mentioning it more, and tugged him along to follow in Nami's wake, dust still clouding from her departure, coating the sparse grass.
Neither noticed that Zoro completely forgot to blindfold his prisoner.
East Blue City - Hours earlier
"Gatecrashers" was not a moniker the group that dwelled in the ruins of East Blue's capital had dubbed themselves. They had no name. They were Blackbeard's crew and that was all that was necessary to intimidate.
They belonged to no faction. But they didn't need to, as far as Blackbeard was concerned. He'd been the mayor of East Blue City for a year before there hadn't been a city to govern, taking over, with a heavy heart, after the untimely death of Edward Newgate, the much-beloved, but unfortunately elderly, previous mayor.
Yes, he'd refused to follow the Government when the chaos started, but that didn't mean he was going to fall in line with the rest of the desperate fools who'd tried to rebuild their factions after riots and uprisings tore their cities apart.
East Blue City was his, and it would remain so until it was pried from his cold, dead hands, just like he'd done with Whitebear-but no, those circumstances hardly mattered.
His latest term was currently thirteen years unopposed after all, and his popularity had never been higher. Of course, there was no one to vote against him, but that was because the opposition would rather live in slum-like conditions far away...
They were the Gatecrashers. Those rats in Emerald Peak in particular, who regularly made trips to the city to steal from him.
Blackbeard, or rather, Mayor Teach as he'd once been called, raided for no reason other than to teach lessons, show that opposing him was more trouble than it was worth.
The amount of medicine the Emerald leader and his fellow bandit had stolen from an abandoned pharmacy was small, and it would hardly be missed considering the unknown bulk quantities that were still located in the vaults deep below city hall, courtesy of obsessive hoarding on his part when the Government began to seize it all.
It was a small amount stolen, but it still warranted punishment.
But that supposed punishment would now have to grow, in his eyes, and the reason for that was what the burly Teach stared at now.
One of his carefully guarded warehouses in the former meatpacking district, full of meat stores, now left with nothing but dozens of unconscious guards and ransacked storage rooms, contaminated by a pair of grubby, rubbery hands.
The call had come in shortly after some of his panicked grunts had rushed his office to tell him of the missing medicine, high atop the impressive tower of city hall, after the first of the warehouse guards had finally awoken to shakily alert the others.
It was too late.
Roronoa and that damn gluttonous Monkey of his (because Teach was certain it was that boy, after an incident with some cherry pies a few years back) were long gone, and there was nothing else left to do but stand there, fists clenched, in front of a pilfered freezer, not even the frigid air able to chill his boiling blood.
Whether the kid had actually eaten the meat raw was another question entirely, and one Teach didn't particularly care about the answer to, even if there'd been another mysterious report of a fire close to the docks, the smell of barbecue lingering in the air…
What mattered was that the two Emerald goons had managed to wreak far more havoc in the city than it had first appeared, and it was infuriating to think that it had all happened right under his round nose.
He was a sight to behold standing there, teeth bared, his dark curly hair a frizzy mess over his shoulders, the buttons of his too-tight shirt straining around his heaving chest, thoughts of a tailor (or whether they still existed) far from his mind.
"Sir, your orders?" said a tall, thin man, Van Augur, a sniper and former councilman skilled at reading both a clear shot and his boss, stepping up beside him in the freezer's doorway, barely able to fit there beside Teach's wide, robust frame.
Teach merely growled, bushy eyebrows low over beady eyes as they scanned the shelves of the room, took in every open container, every hanging piece of meat now missing from the hooks lining one wall of the room. His breath puffed small clouds in the cold, like steam from an angry dragon's nose.
"Sir….?"
Finally, Blackbeard reacted, turning abruptly and shouldering past the man back through the bare concrete hallway, a few flickering fluorescent lights illuminating the way unevenly.
"Call Lafitte," he grumbled over his shoulder, several other accompanying men scurrying out of the way as he passed, boots echoing in the dank space. "And Doc Q. I want 'em both out at Emerald by tonight."
"A raid, sir? With just the two of them?" Augur asked, sounding about as skeptical as he dared in the presence of his often impulsive boss, the lights revealing tired eyes behind his glasses as lanky legs caught up with Teach easily.
"A negotiation," Blackbeard corrected, shoving open the heavy pair of swinging doors when they reached the end of the hallway, feet crunching onto gravel as they exited the building, the smell of pungent gasoline in the air, most likely leaking from his rickety pick-up truck that still idled near a chainlink fence tangled with tall weeds.
"Let's try things their way," he muttered.
After all, once a man of the people, always a man of the people, he was.
"We'll offer Emerald a proposition, to show them just how charitable I can be," Blackbeard continued as they neared his truck. "I know that little doctor of theirs is skilled with herbal remedies. But it must have been more serious if they needed medicine. Otherwise, they wouldn't have risked such a reckless suicide mission. So I'm willing to let them keep it, if they replace the meat they took."
He slipped a hand through a tear in the clear plastic tarp that covered the busted window on the driver's side, reaching in to unlatch the door from the inside, bypassing the broken latch on the truck's exterior.
Blackbeard swung the door open and climbed in, the truck sinking several inches beneath his weight. Even the large vehicle seemed a little smaller with its hefty driver squeezed tightly in the cab.
"Sir, with all due respect, I don't believe Roronoa will accept," said Augur calmly, leaning an arm against the open car door, expressionless. "Perhaps-"
"If he doesn't accept, then we attack," Blackbeard replied simply, more preoccupied with fiddling with the air vent, which seemed to be blowing uncomfortably hot air from its dented slats when the man got a blast of it to the face.
"I'm afraid I have yet to see the purpose of a vanguard, even if it is those two..." Augur mused, mind drifting to the unlikely pair of henchmen.
Blackbeard made a noise of frustration, drew back a fist and punched the vent, hopelessly mangling it further to the point where it blew no air at all.
"It'll be a break from the monotony," he grunted. "Besides, Lafitte can observe the layout of the place; Q can pull his pathetic act, make 'em feel bad. They can get the work started for us. I think I'd like to get rid of Emerald for good this time."
That last bit had a smirk coming to his face, the first flash of yellow teeth cracking beneath his bushy beard.
Without warning, he reached out to pull his car door shut, Augur backing up so as not to get fingers crushed.
"I'll alert them, but where will you go?" Augur asked before he could drive away, knowing Blackbeard could still hear him, even over the purr of the engine.
"To suit up," answered the man, revving the engine before tires crackled over the gravel, rocks pinging off the metal of the fence as he pulled away from the warehouse.
The day was bright, but his chuckle to himself was entirely dark, imagining the sweet revenge he'd be tasting before the night was up.
A mass of clouds slid their way over the sun as he drove back towards the city.
Emerald Peak Faction - Now
"Roronoa."
Zoro studied the man's grin suspiciously, saying nothing as he approached the group of men, Luffy amongst them, outside of Emerald's gates where a beat-up white SUV was parked among the weeds, the word 'Stronger' crudely spray-painted along the side. In its prime, the thing no doubt packed a lot of horsepower, but now looked hardly capable of making it a mile.
Sanji allowed himself be tugged along forcefully, not calling Zoro out on it, knowing it was best to stay quiet given the situation. He glanced at the mosshead, noting his change in form. He now looked determined and serious, when not long ago this very man had been blushing madly from Franky's teasing.
"Lafitte," Zoro bit out.
Sanji knew this man, along with the other beside him, Doc Q. Everybody did.
They were Blackbeard's closest cronies after all, both having killed just as many innocent civilians and faction soldiers as their fearsome leader, a fact that may have been surprising given their appearances.
Lafitte was a pale man, his purple lipstick and wide eyes the only thing giving his blank face personality. He was often seen wearing a collared shirt decorated with crosses and a top hat over his head, a formal facade complete with a cane.
Doc Q was a much dirtier-looking man, his long gray hair hanging loosely over his shoulders, facial hair making him seem as though he hadn't shaved in ages, unsurprising given the times. But it was the two tattoos drawn over his eyelids that largely contributed to his rough demeanor.
Wherever they went, they both held the same irritating confidence, despite Doc Q looking ready to keel over at any moment. They enjoyed the fact that those very civilians had quivered before them, intimidated.
And yet, as Sanji once again glanced at Emerald Peak's leader beside him, glowering just as confidently at the two, he noted, with a smug sort of satisfaction, that Zoro was anything but intimidated.
"Why are you here?" Zoro asked.
"Well," Lafitte said smoothly. "We heard you and Straw Hat here took a load of our medicine, and we'd like to know if you'd be willing to talk about a... negotiation. Of course, this precedes the mention of the stolen meat stores as well."
The man pointed his cane towards Luffy, then dropped it to his side, where he gripped its handle, notably tighter than necessary.
Zoro had expected Blackbeard to be furious with him after discovering some of his precious medicine had been stolen. He even expected a raid to get thrown Emerald's way, was even prepared for it. But what the hell was this?
"We didn't steal any meat," Zoro said levelly.
"Yeah, I did," Luffy piped up beside him, raising his hand casually. "I wanted a snack."
Zoro resisted the urge to cringe visibly.
"Oh," he muttered instead. "Dammit, Luffy."
Luffy merely shrugged.
"Sorry."
"No, you're not," Zoro shot back under his breath, ignoring the blinding grin on his friend's face that flashed in the corner of his eye and the pleased reply of, "Nope!"
Zoro scowled, shook his head, and focused his attention on Lafitte once more.
"Anyway, we're still not negotiating!" he asserted.
Blackbeard, that bastard, always raided factions out of spite. He knew he didn't have to, but Blackbeard's ego was so incredibly big that in order to prove just how powerful he was, he had to kill the innocent to do it.
What Zoro hadn't expected, however, was for two of Blackbeard's associates to arrive here, offering him a negotiation.
"What type of negotiation?" Zoro questioned a few seconds later, his interest quirking as he crossed his arms over his chest, tugging Sanji's left arm painfully in the process, much to the blond's annoyance.
"Let's speak in a more private location, hm? If you don't mind."
Lafitte smiled wickedly, glad the man had changed his mind, and glanced over Zoro's shoulder at Emerald's wide-open gate.
"Yes, yes. I'll freeze to death if I stay here any longer," Q said beside him, voice raspy and weak, as if he really was on the verge of death.
Zoro frowned, then looked behind him, spotting the growing crowd his people had formed as they tried to peek and see just who their Leader was talking to, some even trying to listen in. Bringing an enemy into their faction was a rather great risk, he knew, but if anything, he and Luffy would take them down instantly if they were to pose a threat.
Turning around, he nodded towards Luffy and held his arm out, signaling the men to proceed and follow him, completely unaware of the amused exchange shared between Blackbeard's two lackies.
Their boots crunching softly against the rubbled ground filled the almost deafening silence of the courtyard as the five men walked through, eventually arriving at the entrance of the watchtower.
The two men guarding the metal doors, one on each side, nodded towards Zoro and opened them, leading them inside.
The watchtower was frequently used for planning raids, Franky arranging the inside to resemble a conference room, a rectangular table placed in the middle, used to spread out maps or blueprints. While the borders of each wall held technological equipment, buttons used to activate small missiles from narrow alcoves in the side of the tower, sound the intruder alarm, and other such tasks, if necessary.
Of course, the system, left over from the settlement's days as a military camp, was rather antiquated now, but they maintained it as best they could, sometimes resorting to using whatever scrap metal they could find as projectiles.
Few people were allowed in the watchtower, only those sufficient enough to actually risk their lives to join Zoro and the others in combat.
Usopp was the only one almost always up there, usually alone, which was why, as the group made it to the top room, the long-nosed man jumped an estimated foot in the air in surprise. He landed back on the ground, his right hand positioned firmly on his forehead while the other stationed itself behind his back.
"Zoro," he said sternly, though the shakiness in his voice was clearly present.
The leader shook his head lightly, small smile on his face, already used to his antics.
"It's okay, Usopp. We're gonna talk in here, alright?"
Body relaxing, Usopp's demeanor changed into a more serious one, as he quickly pressed a green button on one of the control panels, turning on the motion sensors surrounding the outside of the building, the autopilot of the watchtower.
That done, he made his way to the door, while using all of his power to avoid making eye contact with Lafitte and Doc Q, then exited the room with the soft click of the lock to follow.
"What type of negotiation?" Zoro repeated, getting straight to the point, as he stood by the middle of the table, Sanji on his right side, Luffy towards his left.
"Our Leader wasn't quite pleased when he heard the news that you invaded our territory and stole from our medicine supply. The stolen meat pushed him over the edge. But, he was willing to make a compromise," Lafitte said. "That being, in exchange for what you've taken, provide us some food."
Zoro's brow rose in suspicion, and he glanced towards Luffy to see that his friend held the same expression, irritating as fuck considering the idiot had instigated a large part of this.
He hadn't expected a compromise from Blackbeard in the first place, and now actually hearing what it was had Zoro wondering if they thought he was an idiot.
"We took four containers. For children," he deadpanned, ignoring the meat crisis to focus on what was important.
"And you think we don't have children in our ranks? That medicine could have gone to them," Lafitte said in a sickeningly sweet voice, as he grinned once more.
"Or to me," Q cut in, lifting a shaky finger.
Was this man serious?
Zoro couldn't help but let out a scoff, not even trying to hide it.
"Oh no, you're right. Blackbeard, a murderer, has kids prancing around his turf," he said sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest again, but this time in slight agitation above anything else.
"The children here were sick and they needed medicine," he continued as he stepped forward, knocking his fist lightly on the table. "I wasn't going to just stand around and watch them die. I'm willing to risk anything for my people, even if I have to go and ransack your boss' hellhole. I've done it before and I'll do it again."
Lafitte and Doc Q looked a bit fazed after such a low blow at Blackbeard, but still maintained their composure.
"I'm not fucking stupid," Zoro bit out. "I know you don't need foo—"
He was cut off by the strongest tug on his right arm, pulling him until he was face to face with his forgotten prisoner, who glared at him menacingly, pure anger radiating off him.
"Don't you tell anyone they don't need food while you're in my presence, you jackass," the blond bit out as he shoved Zoro back.
Clearly caught by surprise, almost forgetting Sanji was still there, despite being handcuffed to him, Zoro only held his state of confusion for a few seconds before annoyance took over and he glared just as heatedly in return.
"What're you doing, you idiot? Stay out of this."
"I can't stay out of this! You can't just fucking deny someone food when they need it—!"
"This has nothing to do with you! Shut up, or I won't even considergiving your faction any," Zoro threatened, with a finger pointed sharply towards the man, almost as if confirming his promise.
Instantly, he regretted the outburst though, knowing how it must sound to the two Gatecrashers in their presence. If Zoro was considerate enough to work with other factions, then surely it would be no problem for him to negotiate with Blackbeard.
Except it was. It was a big problem. Blackbeard, as far as Zoro was concerned, had dangerously selfish intentions.
Sanji too bit his tongue, stopping himself from saying anything else that might jeopardize his ticket out of here and getting food back to Obsidian Shadow.
"Fine," he grunted and moved away from Zoro, seething as he looked away from the group, almost childlike.
He wanted nothing more than a cigarette, and the thought that he still had to suck up to this idiot in order to get his back only riled him up even more.
Ignoring the blond, Zoro turned towards Luffy and gave him a stern and small nod.
Luffy nodded too and stepped forward beside Zoro, as if the dispute his leader and his prisoner just shared never happened.
"Look. We stole only four thingies. And you guys had steak. It was real good too," Luffy affirmed seriously. "But you guys have lots of food and medicine, and we needed it more. So Blackbeard shouldn't be mad."
Despite being an overly excited and energetic man most of the time, when it came to serious business like this, Luffy knew what he had to do, even if his methods were a bit unorthodox.
"Tell Teach we don't agree," Zoro dismissed, ending the discussion then and there.
The two Gatecrashers exchanged looks, small grins plastered on their faces despite the insolence Zoro had displayed towards their leader, using his old name with clear sarcasm.
"Right. This won't be an issue. We were merely giving a suggestion," Lafitte assured, once again assuming his calm demeanor automatically. "Well, I suppose we'll be on our way."
Luffy instantly moved to follow him, giving Zoro a glance that read for him to stay, knowing he had to deal with a certain prisoner.
"You can stay, Zoro. I'll lead them out," he said.
Zoro only grunted as he brought his left hand to his temple and rubbed slightly, his thoughts all over the place.
Dealing with this shit hurt his brain, not that he would admit that to anyone, and especially not idiot thieves who ran their mouth at the worst times.
"Are you stupid?" he asked Sanji, as soon as the men left.
He turned his head to look at the blond, who was looking away from him but immediately faced the green-haired man as he processed the question.
"Excuse me?"
"I asked if you were stupid, because even a fucking monkey could tell that negotiation was complete bullshit."
"How would you know!" Sanji barked. "What if they did need food, huh? You greedy bastard!"
Zoro let out a mean chuckle at that, catching Sanji off-guard.
"You really are an idiot. Teach has loads of stuff that all of us don't have," he said, wondering if he was going to have to keep explaining the obvious to this oblivious guy. "He doesn't need to raid other factions for food and medicine like we have to, to survive. Do you know how much emergency shit the Government buried in that city? In case of nuclear wars and shit. The bastard has it all. He was the mayor. Don't you know that?"
Zoro laughed bitterly as he shook his head because everyone knew that. Across all factions.
However, when he heard no confirmation, he looked up at Sanji, his sarcastic smile dropping into a confused frown when he saw that the blond was glowering at his shoes, a slight flush on his face.
"You did…know that, right?" Zoro hesitated.
"Shut up!" Sanji blurted out immediately. "I knew that!"
Zoro's brow furrowed deeply, lips turning down into a frown.
Obsidian Shadow Faction
When the curtain of twilight fell over the sky, the people of Obsidian Shadow settled in the courtyard beneath a blanket of stars, their breath more visible in the crisp air than their meager meals.
There was a heaviness felt by the lightness of their plates and the disappointingly lackluster service they received in the continuing absence of Sanji.
Increasingly concerned mutterings, inquiries about his health….all of it served to grate on Zeff's ears, enhance what was already far too much worry pulling and twisting at his chest, drawing his gut as tight as their food stores.
He'd left the serving to Patty and Carne, descended to the dark kitchen to brood alone, where no one could see the tremors in his aging weathered hands and no one could hear his constant uneven pacing.
It certainly didn't reach the upper floor of the fort, where Judge Vinsmoke again dined with only four of his five children. The only indication that he'd even noticed the extra place setting was the hard glare he gave Yonji when his son gleefully kicked the empty chair, sending it clattering into the table loudly.
Niji had laughed spitefully with him, Ichiji responding with an amused smirk.
Reiju sat quietly beside her father through the whole dinner, trying to ignore the fact that the rice she picked at was barely quelling the dull hunger in her stomach, the small amount of chicken obviously from a can, not fresh.
Her brothers complained, her father grumbling about how they should have more, being the Leader and his family.
Their living conditions aside, things had been different when they'd had Mother.
They'd been happy, a real family, and though her three brothers were always loud and active, more so than Sanji, they hadn't shown him the same horrible disdain and belittling they now tormented him with.
It was their father's fault, she knew. Following their mother's death….he hadn't wanted to look at the little blond reminder of what they'd had, nothing but a tiny fraction of Sora's warmth and love. Not the real thing.
Her brothers had been young. They'd actually believed there was something to hate about Sanji….
She finished her dinner in silence, then abruptly asked her father to be excused.
It wasn't unlike her to retreat to her room, preferring to spend time alone rather than with her brothers, so there wasn't much incident when she left the room.
Of course, her intent was not to disappear for the night when she left for her quarters. She merely entered the room and emerged a minute later wearing an old blue peacoat of her mother's, warm and fashionably oversized, perfect for carrying and concealing the pistol, knife, and two vials of arsenic she'd slipped into the inner pockets.
By the time she made her way down the cold stairs to the kitchen, she opened the rickety door to find Zeff alone, ignoring the dirty dishes piled in a crate beside the wide metal sinks.
He was alone, but dressed in a heavy coat of his own, the fabric worn and torn in places, the butt of a gun sticking out from one of the pockets as he pulled on a pair of black gloves that were equally tattered.
He looked up, a little surprised to see the woman standing in the doorway. He'd wondered if she'd actually show up. But there was ferocity and determination in her gaze.
Zeff said nothing, merely grunted and gestured for her to follow him out the door.
Being who they were, no one questioned their exit through the front gates, even if the two of them together were a bit of an odd pair, both of them rarely interacting in day to day life.
They made it past the guards, three men standing outside the gates to the fort with visible firearms, dressed in black and trying to hide their shivering in the cool evening air, no doubt quietly put in place by Judge after Sanji's little escape.
One stood closer to the small metal shed by the overgrown parking lot, keeping watch over the structure that held the keys to Judge's small army of vehicles. No one was allowed to take them without Judge's permission, and it was incredibly rare he granted such permission to ordinary civilians.
But Zeff was no ordinary civilian, and neither was Reiju. Thus, the guard stepped aside immediately after Zeff came into view, the old man reaching into his coat pocket to retrieve a small ring full of several keys, one of which slid perfectly into the heavy lock on the shed door.
Reiju waited outside in silence, ignoring the guard's questioning eyes on her, most likely wondering what she, out of all the Vinsmokes, was doing accompanying her father's right-hand man. Normally, she preferred not to involve herself in the faction's affairs, at least not as prominently as her brothers.
Zeff emerged a minute later with a set of car keys and a nod to the guard, brushing past Reiju after locking the door.
She followed his limping form across the cracked pavement to a large boxy Hummer, one of their best cars, good for adverse weather and practically a tank in its own right.
In the dark, it almost looked impressive, black paint like a sleek cloak in the night, tires big enough to crush most anything in their path.
But what the spotlight revealed when it ran its sweep over the grounds was a glimpse of chipped paint, exposed rust and dents that they couldn't repair, tires that were large, but overused. It was a testament to where time and technology had stood still for their world, advancing no further and left to crumble and deteriorate right where it was when they'd lost everything.
The key's unlock button no longer working, Zeff manually unlocked the driver's side and climbed up several feet to slide into the high seat, unlocking the passenger door once he was inside.
Reiju too got into the car, settling herself onto the yellow spots of exposed foam in the seat, standing out nearly as much as the stars in the night sky against the badly torn black leather.
The car roared to life when Zeff started it, the empty static of the radio blaring for a moment until Zeff turned it off. It wasn't as if there were any radio stations left to listen to anyway.
There was, thus, silence in the car as they drove out of the compound and onto the wooded road beyond.
They'd driven for a few minutes, Zeff turning towards the mountains when they reached the first crossroads, before Reiju asked, "Where are we going? You seem to have a course in mind."
Zeff replied with an affirmative grunt.
"The hunting rifles were still in the shed," he explained. "And he took a bike. He wasn't going into the woods."
Reiju looked out the window at the passing trees, the black void weaving between the tall shapes swallowing them up.
It was probably true. If Sanji had gone hunting, he would most likely have been back already. But instead, he'd been gone an entire night and day. This was no ordinary trip.
"You don't think he went into the city?" she asked, but Zeff shook his head, wringing hands on the steering wheel.
"That takes a few hours at most. And he wouldn't know where to start there. You know he wasn't thinking straight, which means he went to the closest place-"
"You think he went to Emerald?!" Reiju interrupted. "There's no way in hell he'd be able to negotiate with them! He knows that! They'd sooner let us starve to death before giving us anything!"
Zeff was quiet, but his silence was judgmental, hearing her father's exact words spouted out mindlessly.
He knew better. He knew Judge's paranoia and need for power, to the point of isolating his own faction from the rest of the broken world, wasn't normal. He knew other factions traded, cooperated with each other, allied in times of need.
And he also acknowledged, at least to himself, that he'd made the wrong choice following Judge, thinking that, just because he had the most money, he'd be able to provide the best living conditions.
But Judge's character had changed entirely after the death of his wife, and now, he would rather his followers struggle alone than let anyone else in or out.
There was a lot Judge's children didn't know, even Sanji. There was only so much Zeff could tell the boy about how the world really was without risking his very life and what little favor he held with Judge.
"The fault for that lies with your father," Zeff finally replied, prompting Reiju to turn and face him, her visible eyebrow raising.
"What do you mean?" she asked, but Zeff didn't answer, just fell into silence once more, bushy brows furrowed over eyes fixed on the shadowy road ahead.
Reiju tried not to let the frustration well within her, the frustration that Zeff would talk to Sanji but not her. She'd never had any desire to be close to the man before. She didn't know anything about him, hardly, besides his history with her father.
But the fact remained that Sanji had someone to talk to. Even as much as her father and brothers tortured him, he still had Zeff, who'd protected the boy countless times, seemed to understand and support him.
She, meanwhile, didn't feel comfortable with anyone, she thought as she too turned her gaze back to the road, and she hadn't since she'd lost her mother.
And maybe it was a little lonely….if she fixated on it too much.
"I know my father isn't a good person," she muttered a minute later, unsure why. "Or rather, not anymore. But is anyone these days?"
A few moments passed before Zeff replied, "Perhaps not. But that's something for you to decide yourself."
She nearly scoffed.
As if there was any way for her to decide. She knew almost nothing anymore beyond Obsidian's walls.
She remembered, vaguely, a world in her childhood that hadn't been cutthroat.
But it had been a sorrowful world, a world in which bad things happened to even the best people, and honestly, what was even the point of being a certain way if one's actions didn't matter in the long run.
Death didn't discriminate.
"Did you pity my brother?" she found herself asking the man. "Is that why you took him under your wing?"
Surely, he had. There was no other explanation for why he'd become so attached to Sanji.
But Zeff surprised her when he answered, "There are others I pity more," his words vague but heavy.
She frowned, unsure of what to think beyond her father's constant disapproval for Zeff and Sanji's relationship, the fact that, as the years had gone on, he'd expressed his upset more and more.
Sanji didn't love him as his other children did. Sanji no longer thought of him as his true father.
But as their mother's death faded in their family's memory over the years….perhaps, Reiju wondered, their father wasn't aware of how much he missed and desired the love he'd lost...and how much pushing away what was left had robbed him of his happiness...
"If they've captured him, what's the plan?" Reiju asked, and though she caught Zeff's shrug out of the corner of her eye, she also caught that deep frown that drew concerned wrinkles around his mouth.
"We make sure he's not dead," the man said. "The rest will happen as it happens."
She snorted. "That's hardly a plan."
"Did you have a better one, girl?"
She opened her mouth for a moment, but then closed it.
"I suppose not…" she admitted.
Just as quickly, Zeff's frown tilted into a wry smirk, which Reiju noticed when he let out an amused breath through his nose, prompting her to look over.
"Is something funny?" she insisted, annoyance nagging at her once again when he didn't reply, his pauses growing more and more irritating the more the conversation dragged on.
She huffed, shaking her head.
"Stupidity and recklessness will get you nowhere," Reiju said haughtily, because as far as she knew, she was right. "You've followed my father's orders in the past. You know the importance of a well-executed plan."
"And yet you came with me," he shot back, and just like that, she was at a loss again, not liking that knowing tone to his voice, as if he knew what she was thinking when she, admittedly, didn't even know herself.
"This is….different," she eventually replied quietly, knowing that she hadn't come out of foolishness, but some sort of desire to…..again, she didn't know what.
Was it that difficult to admit that Sanji's fate mattered to her? Was it so hard to live with the burden that, while she'd remained passive for so many years, she didn't resent him as her brothers and father had come to?
Zeff's smirk grew, though this time, she didn't look over to see it, eyes stubbornly fixed on the treeline once again.
"There's more of your mother in there than I thought."
Reiju felt her chest clench hard, something that hadn't happened for many years, not since she was still young and the loss of her mother and the life she'd once led was still fresh and confusing.
When she'd grieved alone without knowing she was grieving...
But despite that, Zeff's words….
They felt just a little good.
Emerald Peak Faction
Never in his life at Obsidian Shadow had Sanji seen this.
Back home, the civilians of his faction hardly interacted. The courtyard, the fields, the cafeteria, almost everywhere was empty because virtually everyone preferred being cooped up in their huts.
The reason why was simple. Sanji's father.
Sanji knew the bastard did nothing for them. The only thing Judge was good for was constantly bringing in weapons, and they proved to be completely useless. He would sooner let his followers die of an illness or starvation than cease his habit of collecting various weaponry.
No one liked Judge or Sanji's three brothers. They were merciless and Sanji resented them for it. Reiju wasn't included in this resentment because, while she may have followed their father and his orders, she wasn't heartless. Sanji cared for her, the only one he was able to tolerate out of all of his siblings.
At Obsidian, Sanji would watch when, as soon as he handed someone their meal, the person would give him a grateful smile then turn and walk straight to their hut, passing the cafeteria dining tables as if they didn't exist at all.
He expected the other factions be in a slightly better social condition. Just slightly.
But not like this. Definitely not like this.
The remaining hour of sunlight had passed following a quietly agitated Zoro around the camp, ultimately watching as the brute obsessively insisted on a round of target practice, shooting at a pyramid of old cans out behind the garage they'd visited earlier. His shot was on point, his gaze stoic as his grip formed naturally around the butt of a rather beautiful white pistol.
Sanji's father would have set his eyes on that piece surely.
But Sanji's eyes had watched Zoro's face, watched the clench of his jaw and the intensity in his eyes….the way he breathed, almost meditative, each time he took a shot.
He hid it well, but it was obvious the events of the day had affected him, maybe even confused him, which wouldn't be surprising considering how small the mosshead's brain was proving to be.
Yet it was somehow affecting Sanji, this man's dedication to his people, his friends, and the fierce protectiveness that seemed to be ingrained in his very nature.
Was it really okay? Was it okay, in this world, to let oneself go? To love and trust as maybe the world used to….?
The two of them didn't talk, and yet the thought stuck with Sanji right up until Zoro dragged him into the dining area of Emerald.
The first thing Sanji was greeted with were the booming voices of its civilians. He stopped in his tracks when he saw how wild the room was now, compared to earlier.
The room was practically filled, laughter sounding from almost every corner. People were standing on tables, some singing.
Hearing the melodic harmony of a piano, he searched for it and spotted a tall old man with an afro and top hat playing one towards the back. He appeared to be the lead singer, singing a song Sanji recognized as a popular tune, "Bink's Sake."
Difficult to miss, he saw the same man from earlier—Franky, as he remembered—also on top of a table, along with a younger man (perhaps a teenager) with curly brown hair, their arms connected over their heads, elbows locked together as they yelled, "Super!"
Beside their table sat a dark-haired beauty with her chin in her palm as she laughed at the charade of the two.
The coward from that morning, Usopp, was also nearby as he and another civilian linked arms, swinging each other in a circle, laughing all the while.
And, from the meeting he was forced to attend, he saw Luffy, grossly eating some meat, ridiculous considering he'd apparently eaten his fill in the city, a huge smile on his face as he did so.
Sanji couldn't move. He was utterly shocked by what he was seeing.
Regaining his senses, he turned to gawk at his moss-headed captor, who only looked at him with the biggest shit-eating grin he had ever seen, a sudden surprise considering how serious he'd been just a short while earlier.
Was this normal?
"C'mon."
He was dragged to a table where he sat down, Zoro to his left.
"Don't ask, Question," Zoro muttered. "This is just how Emerald is."
Not completely hearing the insult, he continued to stare mindlessly, baffled and confused. This was how it was?
His faction was practically dead most of the time. He had never experienced this type of behavior. And given the circumstances of their society, he assumed the social gathering of people like this was completely gone. Many had suffered the loss of friends and family all those years ago, and this changed those people.
No one had the heart or the energy anymore to celebrate. For those people, there was no point. Who would want to anyway? Living in such terrible conditions killed that for them.
They were surviving, but they weren't really living.
Losing his mother at such a young age, and spending his life with a family — if he could even call them that — that spent their lives killing and collecting unnecessary armament… This completely changed Sanji, and not for the better.
He had lost all hope of ever regaining a connection with them, and that hope had been gone for a long time. Under the care of Zeff, Patty, and Carne, he at least had a small amount of happiness. Zeff was able to grant him that, along with the knowledge of cooking.
Judge wasn't his father. Zeff was.
Judge was the Leader of Obsidian Shadow. Zeff wasn't.
And this made him wonder exactly what type of Leader Zoro Roronoa was.
"Oi! Question! Snap out of it!"
The blurry image of a hand waving in front of his face pulled him out of his thoughts, Sanji blinking to see the ugly mug of that very Leader, staring at him in confusion. Fuck, he was really losing his mind today and this damn faction was at fault for that.
It took about five seconds before he finally processed the insult shot at him for the second time.
"Question!? Why I oughta—!"
"Hey, you guys are back!"
Nami laughed as she appeared before them, food for them already in hand, cooked meat and rice with potatoes and carrots, topped with a rich-looking sauce.
"Ah, Nami, darling!" Sanji screeched, his arms flailing in the air like noodles, Zoro's right arm going up with them, forcing the man to punch the blond in the arm to sit him back down.
"You idiot!" Zoro yelled as he rolled his strained shoulder in circles.
"How'd the meeting with Blackbeard's goons go?" Nami asked Zoro, ignoring Sanji and instead placing the plates in front of them.
"Okay, I guess. Their 'negotiation' was jack shit, so I refused. Found out Luffy had a damn feast for himself while we were there, to make matters worse," Zoro replied, shrugging before wasting no time digging into his food.
"And this surprised you? You should really keep better tabs on him when you go out there," Nami muttered drily. "Anyway, I thought it seemed odd he'd send them. He never has before." Her finger tapped lightly against her chin.
So cute, Sanji thought as he swooned internally, listening to the exchange.
"Oi! Luffy, you're making a mess! Quit fooling around over there or I'll pummel you! You hear me!?" Nami suddenly yelled over Sanji's shoulder, swinging her clenched fist at the approaching man threateningly.
Sanji paled, watching her aura completely change in a split second, from an adorable beauty to a terrifying monster. Her eyes were so intense they looked almost red, as if flames could surround her any second, her grip on the waiting tray almost deadly.
Nami said nothing more as she stomped away, grumbling curses under her breath as she did so.
Shaking his head a little, Sanji faced forward again and, guiltily, also raised his fork.
But as soon as he did, that earlier feeling came to mind, seeing that food on his plate...that moment in the garage when he'd panicked.
He stopped, his fork just barely touching a piece of meat before he set it down.
"Hey, mosshead," he murmured to Zoro, looking a little shaken at the memory, and also unsure why he felt the urge to discuss it. It wasn't like this idiot would even listen to him properly. But dammit, maybe….maybe it would feel good to acknowledge, out in the open, every surprising thing he was experiencing here…
"Can we go and talk somewhere…?" Sanji asked quietly.
Zoro stopped chewing and swallowed, turning to look at the blond, quirking a brow.
"Talk...?" he shot back, sounding confused.
Sanji sighed. Of course the fool wouldn't understand.
He took another look at his plate, so full when he remembered clearly the empty space on his own people's.
That heavy guilt filled his chest again.
He sighed, wishing he didn't have to admit it.
"I can't stay here," he mumbled. He wanted to eat. He wanted to desperately. But how could he…?
"I have to go."
Zoro stared at him, and though it took him a few moments, a look came over his features, one that told he'd come to the realization of what Sanji meant.
He needed to go. Back to Obsidian Shadow.
A sudden guilt assaulted him as well. He'd been keeping Sanji prisoner here, and why? Selfishly? To assert power? To punish?
Was he any better than Blackbeard…?
Zoro continued to stare with hesitance...until finally, he sighed.
"Alright," he murmured. "Just let me—"
The piercing noise of an alarm cut Zoro off mid-sentence, his eyes going incredibly wide as he swiftly shot up, abandoning his meal and their discussion completely.
Everyone in the room stopped moving, the non-combatant men, women, and children quickly huddling together, while the practiced soldiers from Emerald immediately freed their concealed weapons.
Instantly, Zoro's mind switched into battle mode, sparked by the slightest hint of violence.
He knew what was happening.
They were being raided.
And no, Zoro thought in answer to his own question, as he immediately pulled his pistol from his vest, eyes scanning the room with murderous intent.
Perhaps he and Blackbeard had more in common than he thought.
The road to Emerald Peak was predictably lonely in its emptiness. Even with the last glimpses of purple sky flitting through the surrounding forests, it was dark and it was far too quiet once Zeff and Reiju's conversation ceased.
Reiju watched the treeline, looking, rather foolishly, for any sign of her brother, or at least of his bike, some clue that he was out there and not lost to the elements or harmed by other humans, who were far more sinister than nature, made so by years of learning to live with very little.
The heat in the car would only blow on the lowest strength, thus the temperature began to drop right along with the sun, and she buried hands in the deep pockets of her mother's coat for warmth.
Reiju remembered doing so for the first time since her mother's death, sliding her nose against the collar and her hands into the pockets, only to come up with a delicate silver watch, forgotten by her mother.
It made sense. Her mother would come home from work, shrug off her coat and immediately roll up sleeves, slipping the jewelry off her hands to start getting busy in the kitchen for whatever delicious meal their family would share that evening.
Sanji would help her, and her other three brothers would poke around curiously, asking if they could cut stuff while Reiju sat nearby at the table with her homework.
Even their father would join them, laughing and insisting he could design a more efficient knife that could chop multiple carrots simultaneously.
Those days, before their mother fell ill, before their whole world fell ill, had been content and warm.
Now there was nothing but the chill of the satin that lined those empty pockets.
They drove for a while, for longer than Reiju had ever gone in that direction over the mountains, and she realized how truly isolated they were, if the closest faction was hardly a quick trip away.
That was probably how her father liked it though. He would rather be isolated, living in his own protective bubble, than face just how broken the rest of the world was.
Still, when they crested a particularly steep slope, the view in the valley below was hardly what she expected.
Lights twinkled below, illuminating at least the outskirts of what looked like a large camp.
Reiju could just make out a few long buildings that seemed to also have lights within, while the smaller structures peppered in the fields beyond were dark.
A tall watchtower rose several stories above the front of the camp, and it was almost odd to see how similar it looked to Obsidian, at least in the dark.
It was a reminder, certainly, that with the demise of their major cities and towns, everyone left was in the same plight, hardly thriving in meager living conditions.
In fact, the camp cruising closer as their car descended down the winding slope of the road seemed even more similar to Obsidian when she noticed the red of flashing alarm lights, the sweep of a spotlight illuminating a dozen or so haphazardly parked cars outside the front gates….the scurry of bodies rushing into the camp….
And then there was the unmistakable sound of gunfire.
"What the hell's going on down there?!" Reiju cried, lurching forward in her seat to try and see better.
Zeff didn't say a word, the only evidence that he'd noticed at all the slight wringing of his hands around the steering wheel. He turned down the Hummer's headlights.
They could keep driving, both of them knew this. If it was a raid of some sort, it was none of their business. It wasn't their faction. They knew no one down there….
But both of them also knew that they couldn't be certain of this. Not while Sanji was missing.
A long moment of silence, Reiju with her eyes fixed on the chaos slowly being obscured by trees as they neared the bottom of the mountain and the road that would turn towards the camp.
Zeff slowed down, nearly to a stop, at the crossroads, turned to look at Reiju.
She let out a heavy begrudging sigh.
Then she slipped her hand into her coat to pull out her pistol.
"If he's not in there, I'm gonna kill him," she muttered as she cocked it.