Again, please read and review!

Zoro watched Luffy's retreating back uneasily. He stood there at the top of the hill, even after Luffy and the double agent guy had disappeared into the foliage. The sun had reached its peak by the time he finally managed to get any of his thoughts in order.

Zoro had lied to Luffy, his captain, a total of two times in his life. This was one of those times. He felt guilt start to overwhelm him, like someone was ripping his heart out of his chest and stomping on the muscle right in front of him. There was only one thing he could think to do to make up for this.

He would make sure he would keep his damn promise.

"Moss Head?"

Zoro jumped and spun around on his heel, only to find himself face to face with the last person in any of the seas he would want to be stuck with.

"Damn love cook," Zoro growled in some sort of greeting. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Sanji shrugged his shoulders, shoving his hands into his pockets before sauntering up the hill to meet Zoro at its crest. With the sun right above them, Zoro was practically blinded by the light reflecting off of the cook's hair.

"Where's Luffy?" Sanji wondered a small crease pulling his visible swirly eyebrow down in worry at the rubber headed captain's absence.

"Gone."

Sanji's breath hitched and his body tensed at Zoro's answer. The blond chef looked his rival up and down with a hardened gaze, looking for all the world like he was going to murder Zoro.

Zoro backed up a step at the cook's intense glare of hatred, not fully understanding that loathing look in Sanji's eye. He had done nothing to Sanji's precious "Nami-swan" or "Robin-chwan". It was just Luffy. The rubber man was the capable pirate who had taken down dozens of enemies, gone through hell and wouldn't go down without a fight. Luffy could take care of himself.

You couldn't even take care of Luffy, a voice from the back of his mind piped up. What makes you think that that idiot can do anything to stop himself from completely self-destructing?

He told the betraying voice to can it. Unfortunately for Zoro, Sanji decided that was the moment to make him feel even worse.

"You bastard!" Sanji hissed, teeth grounding together. The cook grabbed him by the collar and pulled him closer to his face, cigarette dangling loosely from his lips. Sanji's pupils dilated in anger. Zoro resisted and instinctually reached for a sword. "How dare you let Luffy do something that reckless! I may not have been here with Luffy personally, but the captain's probably depressed, Zoro. You know how he gets sometimes! Why did you send him off alone?!"

By the end of it, Sanji was huffing from anger. Eye stared into eye, neither backing down. Zoro set his jaw. He didn't have to explain anything to the perverted chef. Besides, he couldn't disobey the captain's orders, especially when Zoro himself was the main cause for Luffy leaving.

Zoro had seen the signs. He knew exactly what he Luffy was going through, he just didn't know how to deal with it. Encouragement? Pushing Luffy in the right direction? It just didn't seem strong enough to make any difference. Luffy was supposed to be strong, always on the path to his dream, but now that Luffy had strayed, Zoro was supposed to fix it for him. The only question was, how the hell was he supposed to do that when he couldn't imagine what was going through the idiot's brain?

"Captain's orders," Zoro explained tersely.

Sanji's grip on Zoro's collar loosened and his eye widened in disbelief. The cook was speechless, his mouth gaping as he struggled for the use of words. Zoro's didn't know if it was anger or shock, but he sure as hell didn't want to be on the receiving end of those emotions.

"What the hell, Zoro?!" Sanji cried. "Why do you always have to do that?!"

That hit Zoro right where it hurt. It was his captain. Of course he would respect his captain's wishes. This crew wouldn't turn into another Water 7 incident.

"Orders are orders, Sanji," Zoro said, determined to not budge on this issue. "Luffy is our captain, or have you not learned anything over the past two years."

"Don't accuse me of not understanding anything. I know that Luffy's my captain, but I also know that sometimes, people break," Sanji said.

"I have faith in Luffy."

"He's still a person, Zoro! He's not some legend! Not to us! He has feelings! He has limits, just like everyone else!"

"I know that, you idiot!" Zoro yelled. He clenched his fists before taking a deep breath and saying in a lower, calmer tone, "Of course I know that. But think about it. We've only gotten this far because we've trusted him to be our captain. What happens when that trust fails? He's our captain and we, as his crew, need to know when to step up behind him and follow his orders."

"Why...Why do you always follow orders form him so blindly?"

"Because I made a promise to him."

Sanji was silent, remembering way back then, when they were stupid and naïve, facing the world and its vast seas with ignorance. The two rivals stared at each other, contemplating the other's words. Eventually, the cook sighed and Zoro knew that they had reached an understanding.

The wind whipped past them, showering Zoro with dancing leaves spring leaves. Sanji chuckled as Zoro attempted to wave away the leaves from his face. It was to no avail, though. The leaves were persistent and kept flying into his face until the breeze let up a few seconds later.

Scowling, Zoro led the way down the hill and towards the village, heading to the elder's house.

"Come on, eyebrow. We've got things to do."

To Zoro's immense surprise, Sanji didn't retort back, he just waved a dismissive hand. "Right, right. I'm coming, you over grown seaweed."

The walk back to the weathered, old house wasn't long, but with how awkward Zoro was feeling about Sanji's sudden change in attitude, it seemed like years before the two pirates finally saw Maki and the elder waiting outside.

Maki, as soon as she saw Zoro, ran over to him. Zoro's heart almost stopped at her teary-eyed, heartbroken expression.

"Did you find him?" she asked, even while peering around him, seeing him no one else save Sanji in sight.

Zoro shook his head and knelt down to meet her gaze at eye level. "I didn't. But I promised, didn't I? I'm not going to go back on my word."

"But what if he's gone forever?" Maki sobbed, hiding her face behind her hands. But Zoro didn't have to see her face to know that the waterworks were starting. The swordsman laid a gentle, calloused hand on the girl's shoulder, causing her to sniff softly and meet Zoro's one eyed gaze.

"A promise is a promise. We'll find him, okay?"

Maki nodded. She wiped away the remaining tears and gave the swordsman a shaky smile. "'Kay."

Sanji whistled after Maki had turned away to her grandfather. Zoro stood up from his kneeling position and scowled at the cook.

"What the hell do you want, love cook?"

"Who knew you were any good with kids, moss head?"

Zoro spluttered at that and whirled around quickly, looking for some sort of escape from this conversation. It was heading in a direction that Zoro did not feel comfortable with. On his list of Things to Avoid Talking to Annoying Cooks With, emotions and kids were in the top ten.

The elder walked over to the pirates, Maki two steps behind. Again, she looked just like a little puppy, and Zoro wasn't all too enthusiastic about watching the relationship between these two. He didn't know anything about seeing someone as an idol, and he sure as hell didn't want to.

"Who is this?" the old man asked, gesturing to Sanji.

"This is mine and Luffy's cook," Zoro introduced, jutting a thumb over his shoulder at the blond. "He's a pervert and his food tastes like shit."

Sanji's curled eyebrow twitched and he cleared his throat, fixing his tie in order to keep his anger in check. "You shitty moss head," he growled lowly, trying for some semblance of politeness. He turned to the curious villagers. "I'm Sanji."

"Maki! Dad!"

Zoro and Sanji spun around. A crowd of people were making their dirt road, the men dressed similarly to the double agent guy that Luffy had left with and the women dressed similarly to Maki—in spotless white dresses. They were getting closer, the man in front waving eagerly to the old man and Maki.

He was the only one who was enthusiastic, though. Behind him, fear, annoyance, or distress were the most evident looks adorning the faces of the crowd.

Zoro raised an eyebrow as he watched the crowd march closer. They stopped right before Zoro and Sanji—except for the man in the front. The one who had called out walked straight past the pirates as if they didn't even exist. Zoro watched warily as the man held out a hand to the elder and the little girl.

"It's been a while, right Maki?"

Maki was stricken with confusion. "Dad? What are you doing here?"

"Koji." The man turned his attention to the elder. "We don't have any significant bounties for you. I think you should go back to Avalo for now. We will send for you—and only you—when there is a bounty."

The man—Koji, Zoro figured—stroked his chin thoughtfully. His bright eyes stood out against his dark skin. Somehow, those eyes bothered Zoro. The man looked too cheery and happy to be normal. It unsettled Zoro. "Oh? But what about these guys?"

The elder shook his head. "They aren't pirates with a significant bounty, Koji. Listen to your father when he talks."

"Really?" Koji wondered, scratching his head, a small frown pulling the corners of his lips down. "That doesn't seem right. The blond one I don't recognize, but that's Pirate Hunter Zoro, isn't it?"

The elder sighed. "I have no interest in fighting you, son, but this man is here to help us. Let him."

"And then what?" Koji's gaze darkened, donning a malicious smile. There was a certain gleam in Koji's eyes that reminded Zoro of a madman; of someone who had been driven crazy from having seen too much of this cruel world. Zoro snorted. If this man was so weak-willed that he would let madness overtake him so easily, then he was a coward in Zoro's eyes.

"Dad," Maki begged, grabbing Koji's hand with her own. "Please don't hurt them. They're trying to help. The scarred man even said he would help look for Corvi!"

"I don't care about that stupid dog!" Koji yelled, smacking the girl's hand away. The bright-eyed man took a deep breath and formed a sickly sweet smile. "Maki, you know that the only way to save the village is to collect the pirates with huge bounties! And with the alcoholic poison, it's a cinch! Avalo and Blackbeard are so pleased with us right now!"

"B-Blackbeard? Alcoholic poison?" Sanji whispered, looking at Zoro, alarmed. Zoro just grimaced, focusing his attention back on Koji and the old man.

"Koji, listen," the elder said, "I want you to know that the village's safety does not rest on your shoulders alone. Look at how your friends and family look! They don't want to do this anymore! Why, when we finally have a chance to be saved, are you trying to drag this village farther into the dark?"

"The dark?" Koji asked. "You really think that pirates could help us right now? Pirates are what got us into this mess!"

"Don't act like we both aren't trusting pirates, Koji! It's just a matter of who you believe will actually stay true to their word? Do you trust the ones who imprisoned us or the ones who came here to save their friends?"

"I don't trust any of them!" Koji yelled, clenching his fists. His eyes narrowed. "They're pirates! All they do is take and steal in the name of adventure! They ruined our lives!"

"And we could save your sorry asses if you weren't acting so idiotically," Sanji muttered, pulling out a new cigarette. It took a few times to get the lighter to work, but eventually the cook managed it, putting the flame to the end of his cancer stick. Taking a puff and then releasing a puff of smoke, the cook looked the surprised Koji over. "What? You got something against accepting help? Because it looks like you're doing a bang up job by yourself."

"Sanji," Zoro said in a warning tone.

Normally the swordsman wouldn't interfere with Sanji's taunting, but after the reveal that Marshall D. Teach was involved in this situation, it was evident that Sanji was on edge. Zoro just sighed at the other's betrayed look and stepped forward to discuss the topic.

"We're not here to save anyone," Zoro said. Seeing Koji open his mouth, Zoro held up a hand, silencing him before he could say the silent I told you so. "When we landed on this island, Luffy and I, probably just like many of the other pirates that have come here before us, were only searching for a remedy to cure our friends."

"What do you mean we have to leave?" Zoro yelled. "We need that Kudzu Root! Didn't you say you would make a deal with Luffy?!"

"I said we would talk. I said nothing of a deal," the old man said, his voice colder than the tip of your fingers after a snowball fight.

"You can't be serious! We need to save our crew!"

"And I need to save my village," the man retorted. "As humans, we often are the most selfish when our worlds are crashing down around us, don't you think?"

Zoro shook his head. "I don't know what that's supposed to mean. 'When our worlds are crashing down around us?' I think humans always, always watch out for themselves and the ones closest to them first. Like now. In this case, we can both get what we need. I'm not an idiot. I realized why the village was so empty."

"Then you understand that we have had no choice but do as Avalo and Blackbeard have ordered."

"Blackbeard?" Zoro asked, freezing in place. "What does Blackbeard have to do with this?"

"This island is part of that emperor's territory," the old man sighed. "Avalo is a member of his crew, left to watch over this island and collect the bounties of those that land here."

"How do they do that?" Zoro asked, fearing the answer but hating not knowing the truth. "How would they collect the pirates' bounties if they're just going to fight back? Avalo can't be powerful enough to take on a whole crew."

"It's the poison."

"You sell it at the previous island," Zoro guessed.

The man nodded. "It's mixed into the alcohol, only sold to pirates who are headed here. It's a quick, easy way to incapacitate them without having to directly fight them."

"Blackbeard would want them alive."

"Ah," the man nodded. Silence reigned for a few moments as the old man contemplated their conversation. Something in his expression seemed to soften. "So you've figured it out, have you? Fine, very well. I'm tired of killing. You and your companion came here looking to save your friends. Judging by your appearance, you were affected and treated already, right?"

Zoro nodded. "But Luffy wasn't."

The man waved a dismissive hand. "You've convinced this old man already. I congratulate on you figuring it out. The village is under Avalo's control and we're forced to poison pirates so we can collect their bounties, hoping one day we can reach a thousand bounties and be set free. We need the pirates alive, though, you are right, so we have plenty of Kudzu Root. I promise, that in return for your services, you will be able to have our Kudzu Root."

"Selfishly, Luffy and I demanded that this village hand over the cure, but what we didn't realize at the time was this village was suffering, just like we were. I talked to the old man and struck a deal. If Luffy agreed, we would fight for this island in order to save our friends."

"Zoro..."

Zoroo looked over to Sanji. The cook was stunned, eye wide and cigarette dangling from his lips. He smirked before turning back to Koji.

"Don't blame the ones who are trying to save you, Koji," Zoro warned. "Luffy may have chosen to help you, but that doesn't change the fact that you are right. We are pirates. We're not afraid to take what we need if we have to. At the moment, Luffy and I are willing to die to save your village. Are you going to let us?"

Koji growled, fists clenched. "You damn pirate. You're not going to ruin our lives again!"

Koji brought up a fist, aiming clumsily at Zoro's cheek. He swiped past, Zoro inching back a little to avoid the hit. The stumbled forward, having overcompensated how much weight he put into the swing. He growled and swung again. And again. And again. Each time, Zoro dodged easily, hardly having to move an inch. The strikes grew clumsier in Koji's frustration and after a couple more swings, Zoro had had it. He caught the next punch in his fist easily. Koji struggled, but Zoro refused to let go.

"You're lives are already ruined!" Zoro yelled. "How many times have you and the rest of the villagers had to lie in order to keep up this hopeless quest! Everyone else has had it. They're willing to give us a chance, so why aren't you?"

Koji was silent for a moment before he finally spoke in a sad, low tone. Zoro thought of a rainstorm, clouds blocking the sun from lighting up the day with its brilliance. This man had closed the curtains on that rainstorm, all hope of seeing the sun again lost.

"My wife..." the old man said. "My wife, she was killed by Avalo when Blackbeard's crew first landed here."

"So shouldn't you hate Avalo? Despising him instead of killing him?"

"It's not that simple," Koji growled. "I do hate him, but he's the only way this village will be liberated. What chance do you and your crew have, especially when half of them are poisoned?"

Sanji sighed. "You really don't get it, do you? This is Monkey D. Luffy we're talking about. As soon as he hears the name Blackbeard, he won't be able to rest until he takes that shitty bastard down."

"Strawhat Luffy?"

Zoro snorted, releasing Koji's hand. Of course this man hadn't put two and two together. "Yes. Strawhat Luffy. Our captain."

The elder walked forward, placing a hand on his son's shoulder. "Koji, I think you should let these pirates help us. In return, we and the rest of the villagers will take enough Kudzu Root to your ship to help make the remedy. I'm sure your doctor has his hands full."

Sanji and Zoro stared at the man in wonder.

"Really?" Sanji asked. "You would do that?"

The man nodded. "Go find your friend. I'm sure he would want to hear the good news. Besides, you can back him up in his fight against Avalo."

Zoro grinned, a hand on Sandai Kitetsu. "Thanks, old geezer. Take care of our crew." Zoro turned to look at Maki. "And when I get back, I promise I'll have Corvi with me."

Sanji and Zoro turned and ran towards the forest, running into the trees bickering back and forth about who could get to Luffy the fastest.