A/N: So I know you are all ready to rip Zoro a new one, so this chapter is his POV. Also, I'm not very good at action scenes, so I kind of rushed through this...I just didn't want to mess it up by going into extreme detail.
Zoro hasn't been able to find Sanji since he left chasing the pink-haired woman. He really needs to find her, if he wants a copy of those pictures.
"He probably already erased them," Ace tells him. The firefighter has been trialing him in his search for the blonde, and Zoro is pretty sure it's because Ace wants a copy of those pictures, too. Where the hell is Marco when you need him?
"Hey, isn't that hottie his friend?" Ace says, and Zoro turns around to see the same red-head he saw dancing with Sanji a while ago walking towards him.
He immediately knows something is wrong, but before he can ask if Sanji is okay, the red-head punches him in the face. Zoro tastes blood in his mouth as he hits the floor, hard. God fucking damn it! That fucking hurts!
"Whoa! What the hell is your problem?" Ace snaps, pushing the red-head away—Zoro thinks his name is Kid or something like that—before he can punch Zoro again.
"You're fucking dead, grass-head!" Kid snarls, pushing against Ace. "I'm gonna fucking kill you!" The guy looks completely serious, despite the panties and floppy dog ears.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Zoro growls, getting to his feet. He stumbles a little bit—damn, that metal arm of his sure packs a punch—and feels his cheek throbbing like crazy. He's going to get some ugly swelling, and Chopper will probably give him hell about it. His son hates it when he gets injured.
"What is wrong with me? What the fuck is wrong with you!?" Kid exclaims angrily. He finally pushes Ace off him, but he doesn't attack Zoro again. Maybe it's because of the crowd they've attracted.
"Kid, what the hell are you doing?" the pink-haired girl from before—Bonney?—snaps, parting the crowd to get to her boyfriend. "You can't hit the clients!"
"Fucking piece of shit, that's what he is!" Kid says. "He fucking cheated on Sanji!"
"What!?" Zoro isn't the only one to exclaim the word, and Bonney suddenly looks like she wants to rip his head off, too.
"Don't 'what' me, asshole!" Kid continues, shaking in his anger. "You were fucking making out with that bastard Jordan and then you disappeared off into the private rooms. How could you do that to Sanji?!"
"I didn't do anything!" Zoro exclaims desperately. What is this man talking about? And where the hell is Sanji?
"We saw you!"
"No, you couldn't have," Ace interrupts before Zoro can punch Kid for being a fucking liar. "Because Zoro hasn't left my side since we got here. And he hasn't kissed anybody."
"Then who the fuck was the guy sucking face with Jordan, huh?" Kid demands. "Because unless you have a twin brother, Sanji just saw you cheating on him."
"Where's Sanji?" Zoro asks quickly, worry starting to gnaw at him now that he's beginning to understand the situation.
"He left, obviously!"
"Zoro, wait!"
Zoro doesn't listen, pushing past Ace to get to the exit. He needs to talk to Sanji. He doesn't know who the fuck it was Sanji and Kid saw, but it wasn't him. He would never cheat on the blonde. Not only because it goes against his ethics, but because the very idea seems ridiculous.
Why the fuck would he cheat on Sanji when the guy is the fucking perfect package? It honestly makes more sense that Sanji would cheat on him.
He needs to talk to Sanji. He has to fix this mess. He can't let Sanji go another second thinking Zoro cheated on him.
It takes him a minute to realize he doesn't know where he is. The streets are dark and he can see a couple of cars parked on the other side of the street, but even the loud music of the club has died down. Shit, he doesn't even have a car. Sanji was his ride, and the cook already left. He doesn't even know where Sanji went.
There are some options, like his home or the Baratie, but he suddenly realizes he doesn't know much else about the cook. What if he went with Robin? Where does Robin live? Who is she, even? He knows Sanji works with her—used to work?—and worked with her husband, so he might have gone with them. There's also that doctor that helped them out with the Amiudake. Sanji said they were friends, but he doesn't know how close they are. He didn't even know Sanji and Kid were friends—and apparently close enough for Kid to want to kill him for thinking he cheated on Sanji.
He knows nothing about Sanji.
"Zoro!" The shout startles him, and he turns around to see Luffy, Ace, and Usopp running towards him.
"Where are you going?" Luffy asks while Usopp tries to catch his breath.
"I was trying to go after the cook," Zoro says, realizing how stupid he sounds as soon as the words leave his mouth. "But I have no idea where he might have gone."
"Why don't you call him?"
Shit. That's so obvious, he wants to punch himself. The throbbing on his face stops him from actually doing it. "I don't have my phone. Luffy, let me get yours."
"Usopp has it!"
"He always loses it," Usopp explains, taking out the phone from his back pocket. It rings before he can pass it to Zoro, and they're all surprised to see Zoro's name flash across the caller I.D.
Zoro frowns, knowing Chopper took his phone before he left with Kobato. Maybe he wants him to pick him up? But why wouldn't he call Sanji first? Shit—maybe he did and the blonde rejected him. If Sanji thinks Zoro cheated on him, will he throw them out?
Suddenly very apprehensive, he answers the phone. "Hello?"
"Zoro?"
"Sanji!? Hey, listen, I need to talk to you—."
"527 Nim Street. Meet me there."
"What—." The line dies before Zoro can get another word in.
"That was Sanji? What did he want?" Ace asks curiously.
"He gave me an address. Told me to meet him there," Zoro says, confused. The whole exchange was weird as fuck. And Sanji sounded weird, too. Not angry, more like...curt?
"What address?"
"Um…527 Nim Street."
"That's in Alabasta!" Luffy exclaims happily. "It's like, four hours away."
"Why would Sanji tell you to meet him there?" Usopp asks curiously.
"I don't know…but something's not right," Zoro murmurs. "Can one of you give me a ride there?"
"Yeah, I'll do it," Ace says quickly. "But I need to go tell Marco. C'mon, the others were looking for you, too."
They quickly find the others, who took off in the opposite direction trying to find Zoro. It turns out he didn't go too far away from the club, but he had been going back towards East Blue, instead of Joha. Once Zoro explains what happened, they agree with him that the whole thing with Sanji sounds strange. For some weird reason, Nami insists in coming with them and Vivi backs it up.
"I know exactly how to get there," Vivi says. "It's in the bad side of town, Zoro. I don't know why Sanji would tell you to go there, but that place is dangerous. Nim Street is in Erumalu, one of the older cities now in ruins. Almost no rain falls there, so it's been taken over by thugs and ruffians—nothing good ever happens there."
That only gets Luffy fired up, so in the end, it's Nami and Vivi who give him a ride to Alabasta, with Usopp and Luffy going along for the ride. Kaya has work in the morning, so Ace and Marco decide to stay behind and give her a ride home.
Zoro tries to meditate through the long drive, knowing that if he lets himself think, he's only going to worry about Sanji. He's never heard the cook sound so…cold. Not even when they first met and Zoro stole food from him.
He tries calling Sanji back, but it goes straight to voicemail. He even calls Chopper, since his son's voice always help him relax—unless the kid is in a tantrum, which does happen every once in a while—but it goes to voicemail, too. He's not too worried, though. It's pretty late, and Chopper is probably already asleep.
Once they get to the edge of Erumalu, the asphalt street turns to sand. Vivi had made them stop at one of the gas stations farther back to buy water bottles, and Zoro is suddenly glad for it, since it seems Nami is going to make them walk the rest of the way.
"Like hell am I driving through there," she snaps. "My car is gonna get all dusty."
Walking, however, is hell. Not only is it extremely cold—the desert is always cold during the night, not to mention it's mid-December—but it's completely dry as well. Vivi makes them keep the water bottles close to their bodies to keep them from freezing, and they're only allowed to drink when it's absolutely necessary.
It takes them about forty minutes to find Nim Street. The sign is faded, and most of the wooden houses have been knocked down by the strong wind. There's absolutely no one around, and Zoro thinks that has nothing to do with the lateness of the hour, but with the complete decrepit state of the town. It looks like the last time anybody lived here was in the 1400s or something. How in the hell does Luffy even know this place? With Vivi, it makes sense since she's the Princess of this country, but even Zoro didn't know this place existed and he comes to Alabasta once a month to pay Crocodile.
Why the hell did Sanji call him here?
527 Nim Street is the only building that still has all four walls—and a visible address. They huddle close in front of the wooden door, and after a moment of hesitation, Zoro knocks.
Nothing happens, so Zoro knocks again.
They all jump back as a slate opens at eye level—Zoro didn't even notice it—and a pair of brown eyes look back at them.
"Name?"
"Uh…Roronoa Zoro…?"
The slate slams close again, and Zoro only gets the chance to share a confused look with Nami, before the door slams open and they're all dragged in.
The room is completely empty but for the man standing in front of them. He's dressed all in black, a machine gun in his hands. His face is hidden by a black mask and thick goggles, but his voice is still recognizable when he speaks.
"Down the stairs," he says, and it isn't until he nods to them that Zoro sees the hole in the ground where stairs lead down.
"What is going on here?" Zoro demands, not moving a muscle. Nami grips Luffy's shirt to keep him from bouncing down the stairs, like the man ordered. "Where's Sanji?"
"Down the stairs," the man repeats, no infliction in his voice.
"Listen here, you asshole—."
"We have to go down the stairs!" Luffy exclaims excitedly. "It's an adventure."
"Luffy! What if it's a trap?" Usopp yelps fearfully. "I think I'm coming down with I-can't-go-down-the-creepy-stairs-disease!"
"It'll be fun."
"Down the stairs," the man repeats, and Zoro gives in. He has no idea what is going on, but he at least trusts Sanji enough not to lead him wrong. Unless Sanji is fucking pissed at him and is planning to kill him 'down the stairs'.
He's confident, however, that the cook won't win in a fight against him. Yeah, he's stronger, but Zoro already proved who the better fighter is. Sanji makes himself to vulnerable by refusing to fight with his hands.
Still, he hopes they can talk things out before it comes down to a fight. He rather not hurt the blonde.
As they walk down the stairs, the walls begin to change. They switch from rotting wood, to packed sand, and then to steel. When they reach the bottom, they are stopped yet again by a door, this time made of reinforced steel.
When Zoro knocks, the sound echoes, and the metal slate opens much quicker.
"Name?"
"Roronoa Zoro."
The doors open again, and warm air rushes out. They quickly walk through the door, if only to get near the warmth. Zoro sighs happily when the feeling returns to his toes and fingertips, and it takes him a while to realize that the room is entirely made out of concrete and steel. There are five men, all dressed in the same black uniform, standing in front of the five passages extending from the room.
"Follow me," one of the men says, and this time, Zoro doesn't argue. The bad feeling in the pit of his stomach gets worse as the follow the man. The passage has multiple openings, and Zoro gets a view into the different rooms inside what he now realizes is an underground base. He sees more of the same men, all heavily armed. There is a room filled with guns and explosive, another one bare except for a few boxes creates, their contents hidden with tan tarps.
The man leads them to yet another steel door, but this one is bolted to the wall and reinforced with a metal slate over each edge. The man types in a quick sequence in the small digital pad on the left, then presses his thumb to the screen. The three dark bulbs above the wall turn green, and the door opens.
Nami gasps at the security room. The room is brightly lit, empty but for the dozen of screens that cover the far wall and the panel underneath it. There are four men seated behind the large table facing the screens, but none of them turn around or give any indication that they heard Zoro and his friends walk in.
"That's Rain Dinners," Vivi murmurs, and Zoro nods.
He recognizes the imagines inside the screens. They cover every inch of Rain Dinners, the hotel Crocodile owns. It's where Zoro goes every month to pay his fee, and where he met Robin for the first time. The sound of the steel door closing startles him, and the hairs in the back of his neck stand on edge when he hears a distinct feminine chuckle.
"Hello again, Mr. Roronoa."
"Robin," Zoro growls, glaring at the woman. He still doesn't like her, despite Sanji reassuring him that they're friends. His whole body is screaming at him to distrust this woman, and he can't comprehend how Sanji can stand being around her.
"Ah, I see you brought Princess Vivi with you—and friends," Robin says, her voice friendly. But Zoro has learned not to trust her voice. It's the eyes you have to watch out for, and Robin's eyes are cold. They stop briefly on Luffy, then return to him. "I'm glad to see you made it here alright."
He really doubts that. He can feel her killing intent from where he's standing, and part of him worries that she thinks Zoro cheated on Sanji, too. Maybe the blonde told her and Robin planned all of this. Maybe Zoro just walked in on a trap, leading all of his friends to their doom. He's not sure whether he can defeat Robin in a fight, though he's confident he and Luffy can take care of every other person in this base.
"Where's Sanji?" Zoro asks, crossing his arms and scowling. He only succeeds in amusing her, and his pride gets a blow. But he's smart, and he knows not to anger the lady that can very well kill him with a spoken word.
"Ah yes. I seem to have lost sight of him," Robin says, her eyes turning to the screens behind them. Zoro turns, too, trying to see if Sanji is in one of the screens. "Oh well. I'm sure he's fine."
"What's going on?" Nami asks suddenly, her shoulders straight despite her wavering voice. "Who are you? Why did Sanji tell us to come here?"
"Well, he asked Zoro to come here," Robin corrects politely. "I don't think he expected for all of you to follow along. But if I'm correct, then you must be Miss Nami. And Usopp. And Monkey D. Luffy. And how could I not recognize Princess Nefertari Vivi."
"Hey, you know my name!" Luffy grins. "Do I know you?"
"You'll remember soon enough," Robin says mysteriously.
"I'm seriously getting pissed off here," Zoro growls. "Just tell me what the fuck is going on!"
"Very well," Robin says simply, and walks past them to stand closer to the images. "Five hours ago, Sanji received a text message with this picture attached to it."
To Zoro's horror, one of the screens changes to the image of Chopper tied down to a chair, blindfolded and gagged.
"Chopper!" he shouts, and he isn't the only one. Even Luffy has lost the goofy smile, his anger palpable. But it's nothing compared to the fury inside Zoro. "What did you to him, you bitch!?" he snarls, rushing to attack. But before he can do so, he's knocked down to his knees, his hands pushed back and locked into immobilization.
"Aargh!" Usopp yells in fear, and Zoro swallows hard when he realizes he's being held down by bodiless arms. They sprout from his own body and the ground, all of them holding him down.
"Please, wait to hear the entire explanation," Robin says, and two arms sprout from Zoro's shoulders and force him to face her. She looks entirely unconcerned, except for the crossed arms.
Devil's Fruit User, his mind uselessly provides.
"When Sanji received this text message, he immediately realized Crocodile had kidnapped your son," Robin continues, and the image changes to a room in Rain Dinners again. "The men protecting your son were killed, but they did manage to send the coordinates to Chopper's location before their demise. Those coordinates lead to Rain Dinners. Luckily, we have been able to infiltrate their security feed and we have eyes on the ground as well. Sanji entered the hotel about an hour ago to try and track down your son. He's the one providing the new camera feeds."
She points to the few blank screens on the far right. The hands holding Zoro's face turn him, and he sees one of the screens flicker to life to reveal Sanji's face. The blonde frowns at the image then leans back to reveal a dark hallway. He puts out his cigarette, then brings a black radio to his lips.
From Robin's waist, where a similar radio is strapped, comes Sanji's voice.
"How's it looking, Robin?"
"Sanji!" Zoro exclaims, but Sanji seems not to have heard him.
Robin smirks and pulls out the radio. A hand covers Zoro's mouth, then she holds down a button on the side of the radio and speaks. "Perfect, Sanji. Have you tracked down Chopper's location?"
Sanji's scowls and looks somewhere off screen. "No. I've only come across three guards, and they all had cyanide pills. Have you gotten enough evidence to bring everything down?"
"Oh, not quite yet," Robin says. "Mr. 0 is a slippery one. But thankfully, it seems like our contingency plan will be able to help us out," she adds, smiling down at Zoro.
"Ah." Sanji's expression darkens, and he takes out another cigarette. Zoro can tell he's angry by the quick flick of his wrist, the way he rolls his cigarette between his teeth before he lights it. "Zoro, are you listening?"
"Sanji, what is going on?" Zoro asks as soon as the hand on his mouth disappears, leaving only behind the smell of flowers. "Where is Chopper? What are you doing?"
"I'm looking for Chopper," Sanji says curtly. "I need you to speak to Crocodile, Zoro."
"Wait, what? I need to be out there, looking for my son!" he exclaims angrily. He tries to get loose from the hands, but only more appear and hold him down. "Tell her to fucking let me go, cook!"
"I'll make sure Chopper stays safe, Zoro," Sanji says, ignoring his demand. "But if you want Crocodile to be sent to Impel Down, you need to get him to admit he kidnapped your son. That's all Robin needs to put him away."
"I don't care about that bastard! I want my son! Fucking let me g—mmff!" Again, Robin's hand covers his mouth and muffle his words. He sees a flash of movement from his right, but Nami doesn't even get close to Robin before she, too, is being held down by bodiless arms.
"He looks very unwilling to cooperate," Robin tells Sanji. "And he's brought friends with him. You didn't tell me he was so well connected, Sanji."
"Ah, yes. I apologize for that, my dear Robin. He does tend to be a bit stubborn, but he can listen to reason. I'm sure Vivi will make him see sense."
"That's not what I meant. But I understand. Good luck." Robin silences her radio, and Sanji disappears from sight, walking down the darkened hall.
At once, the hands holding Nami and Zoro down disappear, but before Zoro can rush forward and break Robin's neck, he's stopped again. This time, by Luffy.
"You need to listen to Sanji, Zoro."
"Luffy, what the hell?" Zoro growls. "I need to rescue my son!"
"Sanji is doing that," Luffy says. He looks serious, and that is enough to hold Zoro back and make him listen. "He'll take care of Chopper. And once Croc is down, we can beat him up!"
"Do you trust this woman?" Nami exclaims angrily, pointing at Robin.
"Yes. Robin's great," Luffy says, smiling at the dark-haired woman. "I remember now."
Robin returns the smile, and it looks strangely sincere. "I'm happy to hear that, Luffy. And as soon as we hear Mr. 0 admit his hand in Chopper's kidnapping, you can definitely beat him up."
"Yosh. So Zoro, what do you say?"
Zoro knows to listen to Luffy when he gets that serious aura around him. He trusts Luffy with his life—and he trusts Sanji as well. If the cook says he'll rescue Chopper, then Zoro has to believe that he will. And he really wants to see Luffy beating the hell out of Crocodile. Besides, he has a feeling that he's not getting out of this room unless he agrees with the plan. He can always sneak away as soon as he gets Crocodile to confess—it shouldn't be that hard.
"Alright," Zoro gives in. "What's the plan?"
It's surprisingly easy how quickly he can discard any distraction when he's in this type of mindset. It's been a while since he worked a full-blown mission, and he's surprised by the small feeling of nostalgia. He never realized how much he likes this.
Sanji rolls his eyes as he looks down at the two guards. They're talking about the baseball game that aired last Saturday, and it looks like they're about to get into an argument. Sanji personally agrees with the one with all the acne scars—it's not unfair that Elbaf giants get to participate. If you're too weak to play against giants, how can you call yourself a professional team?—but he's not here to talk sports. He waits another minute, trying to make sure no one is close around to hear him take these two out, before he drops down and quickly knocks both of them out with well-placed kicks. He's glad Robin doesn't need any more camera feeds; it takes too long to set them up.
He briefly wonders if Zoro is already inside the hotel, talking to Crocodile. He hasn't heard anything from Robin, but radio silence is always good news. She won't call him unless it's absolutely necessary since she doesn't want to give his position away in case someone is close enough to hear.
He's pretty sure he's closer to where they keep Chopper, the gradually increasing number of guards a dead giveaway. It's either that, or they have noticed his infiltration and raised a silent alarm. He hopes it's the former; he's getting tired of knocking out the weakly Billions.
He hears the sound of thudding feet around the corner, and he quickly plasters himself against the wall, straining to hear any news.
"…pissed off. Mr. 2 still hasn't…kid killer. I have my own kids, you know….safer down here. It's a massacre up…"
Ah. So Robin already sent in the dogs. He's pretty sure Lucci was allowed to go loose, if the men are talking about a massacre upstairs. And these two probably know where Chopper is, if the tidbit about kid-killing says anything.
He can hear the footsteps growing fainter, so he quickly turns the corner. There are three men—he's surprised, he thought there were only two—walking away from him. None of them hear him, so he's able to knock two of them out before the third one reacts.
This man is clearly stronger than the other two, but he's hardly a challenge for Sanji. He finds it more difficult to keep him from swallowing down the cyanide pill than actually defeating him, but a foot pressing down on his throat is enough to keep the carrot-haired man from killing himself.
"I can't believe you're making me do this," Sanji mutters, looking down at the choking man. He hesitates, but the image of the bound Chopper quickly gets him to pry the man's mouth open and dig around until he can grab the false tooth containing the lethal poison. "Ugh, gross," Sanji gags, wiping his fingers on the man's jacket. He looks around, but the other two man are too far away to be of any help, so with another annoyed sigh, he takes off his tie and gags the man with it.
Then, very deliberately, he moves his free foot down until he can step on the side of the man's knee. He sees realization in the dark eyes before he presses down—the muffled scream and the snap of bone is enough to tell him he shattered the man's patella bone. It's not too much damage—the man will be able to walk away if he's not afraid of pain—but it's enough to let the man know he's serious.
"I'm going to ask you some questions, and I need you to be completely honest with me," Sanji says clearly, looking at the man's eyes. He sees some defiance, but he's not too worried. He knows for a fact that the reason these men swallow down the suicide pills is because they cannot handle torture. "I'm going to move my foot away now. Don't scream."
He waits until the man nods, but as soon as the pressure on his throat lessens, the man screams. Immediately, Sanji presses down and cuts him off. With slight pressure of his foot, he dislocates the man's shoulder. He's being nice right now, but if the man doesn't talk soon, he's going to have to bring out the big guns.
"Now, we can do this all night," Sanji says, tapping the shoulder again and sending a shudder of pain through the man. "I just need you to answer one little question: where's the kid?"
He lessens the pressure again, and this time the man doesn't scream. He gasps for breath for a few precious second, then very gingerly, talks. "Down…three halls…blue…d-door."
"Thank you very much. You're service was much appreciated," Sanji says primly, then knocks him out.
So he's close. And this man was tough—compared to the others at least. He's pretty sure Crocodile at least has a number agent guarding Chopper. Sanji doubts anyone but Mr. 0 can put up a challenge, but he's pretty sure Zoro and Robin are taking care of him. He sighs and hopes he can at least fight Mr. 1.
He briefly wonders who Daz Bones is as an agent, before he remembers Zoro kissing that dancer, and quickly wipes the thought away. This is about Chopper, not Zoro. He and Zoro aren't a thing anymore. He needs to stop thinking about him so much.
He walks down until he passes three halls and sure enough, there's the blue door. And two men guarding it. They both look up at the sight of him, and Sanji only stops when two guns are pointed at him.
"Who are you?" one of them exclaims. "What are you doing here?"
"What are you talking about? Didn't they tell you I was coming?" Sanji says, feigning confusion. "They need all of you upstairs! Cipher Pol is attacking!"
The two man give each other a glance, but that's enough for Sanji to make his move. With a silent burst of speed, he breaches the few feet between them—a gunshot rings out, but Sanji doesn't get hit, having dropped to the floor to knock the two off their feet. He kicks one of them in the face—he's not too sure whether the guy is dead or not—and the other one gets stomped in the chest. Sanji hears bone break, but the door slams open before he can finish off the guy.
He feels a sharp stab of pain on his side, and he quickly moves back before whatever stabbed him can get any deeper.
"Oh my, what a handsome man."
Shit. Not a woman. Fucking shit.
"And what are gorgeous woman you are as well," Sanji answers politely, studying the blue-haired woman. His eyes wonder down her shapely body, body warming at the sight of her naked navel. Damn, she's hot. But she's also a Baroque's Agent, and the only thing standing between him and Chopper.
How is he going to get out of this one?
"Mr. Prince, I take it?" the woman asks, leaning against the door frame, her hip jutting out sensually. "Now, what does a man as powerful as you want with such an unfortunate family?"
"I could ask the same of you, mademoiselle. Such a beautiful woman hardly seems to fit inside this horrid little gang."
The woman's eyes narrow. "We're more than a gang. You have no idea who you're messing with, do you?"
"Baroque Works. Nothing much, really," Sanji shrugs, turning on his radio with a quick tap. The beautiful woman seems not to notice. "A group of thugs working under a corrupt man. A man now under the custody of the World Government."
"Ah, another Government dog!"
"Isn't that what they call your master, my dear?"
Sanji is just barely fast enough to evade the spike that impales where his head used to be. He twists away from the second attack, which forces the woman into the perfect opening—but he doesn't attack.
He will never hit a woman.
She, of course, has no such concerns, and she continues to attack him. She clearly has the upper hand, not only because Sanji will not go into the offensive, but because her powers allow her to turn her entire body into a weapon. And in the narrow hall, Sanji can't always avoid getting hit.
"Goodness! What a perfect gentleman," she says, giving Sanji a break. "You won't raise a hand against me?"
"A real man does not harm women," Sanji replies breathlessly. He's been able to keep most wounds superficial, but she did get him pretty good on the side the first time, and breathing is starting to hurt. "I do thank you for the brief respite. It's nice to see such a beautiful body without all the spikes."
"You little—."
Sanji turns around as soon as he sees the first hand bloom. The sound of breaking bones it's the only thing he hears, before a loud thud tells him the woman is dead.
"I apologize for the wait," Robin's voice comes from the radio in his pocket. "It took me a while to find you."
"You were perfect, Robin-chwan," Sanji praises. "How's the upstairs?"
"Mr. Roronoa is a violent man, Sanji."
"Ah," Sanji steps over the dead boy and opens the door. The room is bare except for Chopper and the chair where he's tied. The bastards have put a fucking bag over his head, but he can see the little boy's trembling body, so he knows he's alive. "Can you clean him up a bit? I rather Chopper not see him in a bad light."
"I'm sure I can work something out. Is he safe?"
"Yes," Sanji says, smiling. "I'm coming up."
"Take the back door. The décor isn't all to pretty up front."
"Roger that."
Sanji turns off the radio and approaches the little boy slowly. Chopper jerks away when Sanji touches him. When he takes off the bag, Sanji is pissed to see that they taped a pair of headphones to the boy's head so he wouldn't hear anything. A quick look through one of the unconscious men's belongings gets him a knife that quickly cuts through the tape.
"Chopper, it's me, Sanji," he says as soon as the headphones are off. He quickly takes off the blindfold and Chopper's wide eyes find him. He sees them quickly fill up with tears and the boy hugs him tightly once Sanji frees his hands.
"You're okay now, Chopper," Sanji promises, hugging him back. "I'm here. You're okay. Shh. Everything's okay." He continues to comfort the kid until time presses him to continue working the rest of the ropes off. He waits to take off the tape over his mouth last, not wanting to hurt him—but it's necessary.
"This is going to hurt a bit," Sanji wars, holding the corner of the tape. "But I'll be quick. Ready?"
Chopper takes a deep breath through his nose, then nods. Quickly, Sanji tears off the tape, leaving a red mark behind. Chopper lets out a small whimper, but he looks stubbornly at Sanji, forcing himself not to cry out.
"It was…nothing!" he finally exclaims bravely, despite the fat tears rolling down his cheeks.
"That's right," Sanji praises. Chopper lets himself be carried easily and wraps his legs and arms around Sanji. He can feel his shirt getting damp with tears, but he doesn't even care. He's just so glad Chopper is fine.
He presses Chopper's face into his chest to keep the little boy from seeing the dead bodies outside of the door, and he tries to keep away from halls where he knows he left behind dead guards. He recalls the blueprints of the hotel Robin had him check out before sending him in, and he's quickly able to find the back doors.
Outside, the sound of sirens is loud. Sanji can see a couple of firetrucks near, but most of the parking space is taken over by ambulances. Most of the people around are civilians, probably people that were in the hotel when CP9 rushed in. He doesn't see anyone wearing the familiar CP9 uniform, though he's sure they're around. They don't like calling attention to themselves, but they never leave a scene before it's completely wrapped up.
"Chopper!"
The scream is definitely feminine, and Sanji quickly traces it to Nami. Zoro, sitting next to her in the back of an ambulance, quickly looks up. His eyes meet Sanji for a moment, before they fall on the huddled figure in his arms. He's up and running towards him before Sanji can blink.
"Chopper!" Zoro exclaims, taking him from Sanji. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"Daddy," Chopper cries, hugging Zoro just as tightly as he did Sanji. "I'm fine. I'm really fine."
"Shit, I'm so glad," Zoro exhales. "Fuck, I'm sorry, Chopper. I'm so sorry. Fuck."
Sanji leaves the pair alone. Neither of them notice him walking away, too concerned about each other. Sanji just wants to go home and licks his wounds, but Robin catches him before he can leave the area.
"You should get that checked out."
"It's just a couple of scratches," Sanji shrugs. "I'll be fine."
"I'll send you an email with today's briefing. We only managed to capture six number agents, so five are still in the run, and I need you to be informed."
Sanji nods, and quickly leaves. It still hurts to breathe, but he's sure he doesn't have any broken ribs. She must have pierced a muscle close to his lungs—but she definitely didn't go in far enough to puncture his lung. He remembers how that feels, and this is nothing like it.
He parked his car five streets away from Rain Dinners, far enough that no one noticed him climbing out of it, but too far to be kind to his wound. He lays his torn jacket on the seat before he climbs on. It's very hard to explain the stains of blood to the cleaning crew.
He has to stop at a gas station to pick up ace bandages and gauze, which he uses to stop the bleeding of the biggest wounds. He's not too worried about any of them—no need to call Law—but he's definatley going to have to check them and make sure they don't get infected.
It's morning when he gets home, well past the Baratie's opening hour. He called Zeff before he left last night, though, so the man knows why he's absent. He takes a shower to clean his body of the dried blood, then takes out one of the few black towels he bought a couple of years ago when he got tired of ruining his pretty white ones. After he's dried, he takes out the large first aid kit he keeps under the second kit and starts patching himself up. He needs stitches in a couple of the wounds, and he has to do some serious twisting around to get to a few on his back, but he manages to make them look okay. They're not as perfect as Law's, but at least he's not going to get any heavy scarring like Zoro—shit he did it again.
It is really so fucking hard to go an hour without thinking of the other man?
He takes out his phone to check the time, the curses at loud when he realizes he still has Zoro's phone. Shit. Well, it's not like he can avoid Zoro forever. They live together. Zoro's clothes are in his closet, Chopper's stuff is in the other room. Zoro's swords case is leaning against the wall next to the bed.
He needs to think about what's going to happen in the future. He definitely can't allow for Zoro to stay with him. And he's sure Zoro's pride will prevent him from getting any help from Sanji, so the other man will probably quit the Baratie whether Sanji wants him to or not.
Maybe, he can find Zoro another job. A recommendation from the Baratie will open doors to any of the restaurants around the area. He won't get tipped as well in there, but he will get paid a salary. And he doesn't have to worry about paying Crocodile anymore.
But he can think about all of this later. He's hungry, he's tired, and he still needs to check Robin's email.
He makes himself a cup of oatmeal with berries and quinoa, then brings it back to his bedroom. He sits cross-legged on the bed and turns on his computer. He checks out some of his older messages first. He has a couple emails from the bank asking about his sudden expenses—he didn't spend much on Zoro and Chopper, but the bank is bound to be worried when Sanji starts purchasing things that aren't kitchen supplies or suits—and a few others from cooking magazines asking for an interview. He turns those down, since Zeff doesn't like appearing on them, no matter how good they are for advertising the Baratie.
Finally, after deleting most of his inbox, he opens Robin's encrypted email.
It only takes about twenty minutes for his program to decrypt it—he and Robin have their own code, outside of CP9's—and he finishes his breakfast during that time.
The email shows the report Robin is required to send back to Marine HQ. It has all of the evidence Sanji managed to get—keeping his name out of it, of course—and the recording Zoro took of Crocodile admitting Chopper's kidnap.
There's a file attached that shows the name of the agents that were captured, the ones that were killed, and the ones that are still missing. Sanji is glad that the whole organization is broken, though he feels bad that Chopper's kidnapping is what brought it on. But this was the first time Crocodile attacked someone that wasn't afraid of snitching to the Marines—it really was a sloppy mistake, since Crocodile knew that Zoro was protected by Robin.
Sanji reads the information about the five missing agents: Mr. 1, Mr. 3, Mr. 7, Mr. 9, and Mr. 13. His eyes narrow when he sees the picture labeled 'Daz Bones', showing a large man with a shaved head. Mr. 1. This is the man that dated Chopper's mom. This is the man who got Zoro involved with Crocodile.
He quickly reads over the other files, and frowns when he comes to the one labeled The Unluckies.
It takes a moment for it to click—if there are thirteen number agents, and only six were captured, then how come there are only five marked as missing?
He opens the last folder, which holds the information for the last two remaining members.
Mr. 8, also known as Igaram, was a double agent for King Cobra, and the captain of the Royal Guard.
Mr. 2, Bon Kurei, was Robin's inside man. Sanji studies the man. He looks so familiar—and it isn't just the make-up, though that does remind him of—shit, of course! Bon Kurei is the man that works with Ivankov, Luffy's friend! If he works with Iva, then he's obviously part of the Revolutionary Army as well.
Shit, he can't believe he didn't know Bon worked for Robin. Well, she does keep a few secrets from him, but not that many. He must have been in pretty deep for Robin to keep his name from Sanji. He curiously looks over the file, and his eyes widen when he reads about the man's Devil's Fruit.
The Clone-Clone Fruit allows the user to change his appearance to that of the person he touches with his right hand. It not only changes physical appearance, but also abilities and voice. It is impossible to tell the Clone from the real person. The Fruit's real power lies in the ability to 'remember' the person it has touched, so no matter how much time has passed, the user can still turn into that person.
It doesn't take a genius to put two and two together. It actually makes a lot of sense.
Of course Crocodile knew about Sanji. He knew that Zoro had someone tied to Robin, and he tried to take care of him. He also knew that none of his number agents were strong enough to take Sanji out, so he did the next best thing: he made Sanji take himself out.
By having Bon turn into Zoro, he made Sanji think the other man was cheating on him. If Sanji thought Zoro had cheated on him, then he wouldn't help out when they all found out Chopper had been kidnapped.
It was a perfect plan. If, you know, Sanji were a heartless bastard.
Crocodile never took into account that Sanji would still go rescue Chopper even while thinking Zoro had cheated on him. Nor would he ever think that the message would get to him first, not Zoro.
He flops back on the bed and allows himself a smile. Holy shit, he owes so much to Robin. Not only did she kick-start his relationship with Zoro, but she also saved it. This is why women are so much better than men.
He only allows himself a quick minute of praise for Robin before his mind turns to Zoro. Zoro, who did not cheat on him. Zoro…who he left alone.
Fuck! He quickly sits up, ignoring the sharp sting of pain, and dials his own number from Zoro's phone. He feels weird holding a flip-phone to his ear and resolves to buy Zoro a new phone. And maybe Chopper, too.
"Hello?"
"Chopper? How are you?" Sanji asks quickly, feeling a little guilty that he left the kid alone.
"Sanji! I'm great! Where did you go? You just suddenly disappeared!"
"I know, I'm sorry," Sanji says, already expecting Chopper's chiding when he sees the stitch work he did. "I'm home actually. Where are you?"
"We're at Nami's! Robin gave us a ride home—she's super nice, Sanji!"
"She is," Sanji agrees. He winces a little as he rubs his chest, and quickly spits out the next question. "Is your father around?"
"Hmm? Oh, Dad's asleep. The doctor gave him some sleeping pills because he kept pulling on his bandages. He said he'll sleep for most of the day."
Damn. That means Sanji won't get to talk to him until later on tonight. He knows Zoro already knows Sanji thought he had cheated on him. Zoro had wanted to talk to him when he called him and told him to head to Nim Street—they're going to need a new base in Alabasta by the way, now that the Princess knows the location of that one—but Sanji had cut him off.
He grins, thinking of how happy Zoro is gonna be when he finds out Sanji knows what really happened. They can't even blame Bon, since he had to obey Crocodile to keep up appearances.
"Do you want me to try and wake him up?"
"No, that's fine!" Sanji says quickly. "Just tell him I'm looking forward to seeing you guys tonight."
"Okay. Bye, Sanji!"
"Bye, Chopper."
Sanji hangs up and smiles. He should really buy Robin a bouquet of flowers.