Fullbody glared up at the two people towering in front of him, tears streaming after having duct tape ripped off from his mouth and eyes. He watched as their outlines seemed to dance before him, as he came to terms with the blinding light of the storehouse. What kind of situation had he gotten himself into now? Did this mean he wasn't going to get extra frisky with that ginger?
"Who the hell are you?" He barked, furrowing his brows at them.
What the hell did they want? He frantically looked between the two men. He was trying to remember if he owed them any kind of currency that he could recall. Admittedly, it wouldn't be the first time he found himself in this situation. Or perhaps, one of these were with the ginger?
His eye's however stopped at the smaller man's head and a particular straw hat. Who wore straw hats anymore? There wasn't even a beach around. Something clicked in his memory. Someone had mentioned that Krieg, his comrade in arms, had been defeated not long ago by a man in a straw hat. He had shrugged it off as impossible, but then again here he was.
"Oh." He said after his deductions. He grinned, feeling smug. "You're that straw hat."
Zoro glared the man over, his fingers playing at the hilts of his swords. He had expected someone a little more intimidating to be coming from a group of people that could take Sanji down. His dark eyes gazed to his Captain. Luffy hadn't moved a bit, he continued to stare into Fullbody skull. Zoro turned back towards Fullbody and crossed his arms.
"Oi. We aint here for small talk." He said.
Fullbodies eye's jumped to Zoro, and he swallowed thickly. Alright this guy looked a bit more frightening than the beach guy. For one, he held swords at his sides. The pink hair on the back of Fullbody's neck rose. If only he could move his arms and break free.
"I'm sure you aren't." He sassed. He figured he should play along with this game for now. After all, these guys must not be to bright for catching him and keeping him captive. Didn't they know what kind of hell they were unleashing for themselves? Not to mention their already blacklisted names.
"You guys are those idiots who threw themselves to the All Blue, yeah?"
His tone was just daring them to say something, to grab the bait. He received silence though and that confused him. He narrowed his eyes. Why weren't they saying anything? It was unsettling. Isn't this when they should be asking him ton's of questions? Amateurs.
"All for what? That shitty blonde guy?" He rolled his eyes obnoxiously, remembering what he could about the event. There was a small warmth in his chest at the idea of a certain blonde he unfortunately knew, finally being gone. "He had that coming. And now you all get to join him." A chuckle followed his words.
Zoro's fingers twitched, and he had to fight himself from unsheathing his swords. For the moment it seemed their plan of just standing still and letting the silence sink in was working. The loud mouth had already started talking. Though hearing him refer to Sanji as shitty... It was one thing if he got to do it, but no one else. He took a deep breath. He had to keep his cool, let this guy spit out what he wanted. He was free to dig his own grave.
However as always, it didn't work as planned. Luffy made an annoyed noise and went to roll up his sleeve as if he was going to punch him.
"I'll kick your ass!" He growled. Zoro grabbed him and yanked him back
"Luffy!" This idiot was going to ruin everything. "Not yet."
Luffy looked at his swordsman disappointingly. "Eh? But Zoro!"
Zoro took a quick peek at their hostage again. He was enjoying every minute of this. At this rate Luffy would just keep wanting to beat the guys ass, and they'd end up with no information again. He'd have to do something.
"Hey Luffy. Leave this one to me." He suggested finally, releasing his hold on his captain.
Luffy, who already was a little discouraged at not being able to punch him already, seemed to damper even more. But the seriousness in Zoro's tone, and a determination in his eye confided in Luffy. He straightened himself up and nodded.
"Alright." He said, regretfully. He really wanted to get Sanji's legs back as soon as they could. And of course, rid his friends of any threats that could now be lingering around them. "But next time's my turn."
He turned around on the heel of his sandals, letting them make a small squeak before heading back to the room where Robin and Nami were. He let himself in, heading straight for the mini fridge.
Nami tilted her head at Luffy's entrance. "Eh? You're not going to help?"
Luffy shook his head. "Zoro can handle it."
Robin, who was at the indoor window watching the scene as it unfolded, nodded. She moved to the side of the window and pulled it's blinds down. It was better they didn't see this. Although, just because they wouldn't, it didn't mean she didn't keep her own ear on the wall inside.
Fullbody let out a little hum of amusement watching Luffy go. He felt rather confident now since the one he knew as Krieg's killer was gone. He looked back up at the green haired swordsman. Suddenly he wanted to shrink, falling under a harsh gaze.
"Tell me about the All Blue." Zoro asked monotonely.
He wasn't quite sure what he needed to be asking here, so he just went with the simple straight forward questions he needed to get out of the way.
Fullbody snickered. "Yeah like I'm just going to tell you about it. It's an organization that thrives on secrecy, do you really think I'll just tell you?"
Zoro remained silent, which only made Fullbody tremble slightly.
"Why? Planning to go and avenge blondie?" He grinned at catching a slight twitch of Zoro's eyebrow.
"Ah.." Fullbody rested back to the seat he was strapped on. He cocked his head to the side. "So that's why. He was your..." He paused, putting a more harassing tone on his next word. "Friend."
Zoro took another deep breath. He knew what this bastard was trying to do. He was going to find something to trend on his emotions with. No, he wouldn't give that bastard the satisfaction.
"Whose in charge of the All Blue?" He questioned this time.
Fullbody seemed to ignore him. "You know, I bet I knew him better than you did." He continued on. He rolled his head over on his shoulder lazily. "Cocky little shit he was. Always trying to smart talk me." His eyes rolled to the floor as he reminisced. "Always crying out. Feed me! Feed me!"
Zoro's eye's widen.
"They left me in a room for months without anything to eat. It was absolute hell."
The words Sanji had spoken to him before came flooding back to his mind. So then this bastard was there? He was one of the ones who had starved Sanji. Zoro clenched his teeth.
"Shut up." He growled.
Fullbody fed off his growing anger. "He'd just beg and beg. It was so annoying. It was like, holy hell kid. Just shut up and die already."
Zoro moved quickly without giving it a second thought. He snatched Fullbody up by his shirt, pulling him along with the chair he was trapped to up into the air. His face was only inches away.
"I told you to shut up!"
Fullbody's face paled and he tried to lean away. He swallowed nervously. "What did he never tell you about that? And here I thought you guys were best buds."
Zoro dropped the imbecile, letting the chair slam back down on the floor and almost loose its balance. Fullbody had yelped in surprise. Zoro glared away towards the window to the other room. The blinds were down, good. He didn't want anyone see him go off his hinges like that. He wasn't one to go after someone one sidedly when they couldn't defend themselves.
"Or wait... you love him don't you." There was something sinister to his voice now. Like he had something over Zoro. Zoro ignored it though. He unsheathed one of his swords and glared down at the body of the man before him. Fullbody shivered at the sight.
"Don't be hasty, don't forget you need me for questions-" He began, but already the swordsman had made his move, slicing towards him in the air. His eye's widen and then the feeling of restraint vanished. Fullbody suddenly had more feeling in his arms. He looked down, shocked. Zoro had cut him free of his duct tape prison.
An expression of confusion painted his face. Why was the swordsman letting him free? Especially after he had played on his emotions like that?
"Get up." Zoro ordered.
Fullbody rose to his feet with no protest, his smile returning again. "You know you're going to regret doing that-" He nearly choked on his own spit. In a matter of moments Zoro had moved forward like lightening, slamming him against the wall. He rested the blade of his sword against his neck.
"Tell me everything you know." He hissed. There was a dark aura that seemed to surround him.
Fullbody wasn't exactly sure if he'd be able to hold his bowels any longer. He stared down at the unforgiving blade of Zoro's sword.
"Listen I only take what orders I get. I don't really know anything about the people up top."
"Bull shit." Zoro pressed his sword harder and Fullbody gasped.
"I'm serious! My job was to make sure Krieg didn't screw up. And he didn't, objective number one complete. That blonde bastard is dead!"
Zoro withdrew his sword, feeling the rage grow inside him. "Stop talking about him like that."
"Oh? Like he's worthless? Cause' you know that's all he was. Pretty good at sitting and rotting though."
He drew back his fist and slammed it into Fullbodies face. He watched as he slid down the wall to the floor in agony. It was a strong enough punch that even a metal fisted Fullbody couldn't have known what to expect.
"Ah! You son of a bitch!" Wailed the coward. He stumbled with his hand on his nose away from Zoro. But Zoro wasn't going to let him get away. He reached up and grabbed him by the shirt, making him face him again.
"Tell me everything." His eyes were demonic.
Fullbody's hand was covered in blood from his nose now. He looked up at Zoro's face and studied it. Part of him, the coward part, told him to tell the truth and run for the hills. But the other, oh the other just couldn't help but be angry at this whole situation. And he knew now how to get under his interrogator's skin. Could he really pass that up?
"You know. I used to go and sit with him everyday and eat my lunch." He pressed his lips into a thin line. "And that little shit would cry every night. Praying for a day when the suffering would end."
Zoro's hands shook and he threw Fullbody out and aross the room, knocking him back into his chair. He followed angerily. God how much he wished he could slice into this man, to make him scream. But he wouldn't, and could not. Not yet at least. He had obligations. He needed to find out this information, for everyone, and mostly for Sanji. Sanji needed to be free of this terror that never seemed to stop stalking him.
Fullbody coughed, wiping blood away from his face again as he turned himself over to watch an approaching Zoro.
"You've seen it right? His scar?" For emphasis, Fullbody moved his arm and touched at his leg. "The one on his leg?"
Zoro glared. Yes, he knew Sanji's body quite well, and was more than aware of a certain scar on his leg. He could recall even pondering it's existence once. There was a churning feeling in his gut. Unfortunately it would seem he'd be getting his answer, and from the situation and who it was coming from, he knew he wasn't going to want to hear it.
"Little shit tried to eat it. Wanted to cut it off." Zoro began to unsheath another sword, now holding two.
"They say you don't really know a person until you see them with their life on the line. I knew him better than all of you. He was nothing but desperate and selfish. We did the world a favor."
Without saying anything Zoro crossed his swords infront of him, whispered something to himself, then sliced them outward and at Fullbody. Only a loud yell and the dripping of blood off his swords followed.
Robin dropped her arms from across her chest and picked up the notepad and pen she'd set aside. She flipped to a page quickly and began to scribble.
Nami perked up from where she was watching Luffy indulge and tried to spy what she was writing. "He's finally talking?" She wondered out loud. Both of them, her and Robin, had been a little worried after hearing so much banging and screaming come from the other room and no answers.
Robin offered her a small smile. "Yes." She answered sweetly.
Sanji woke up when the air in his lungs escaped him, a large amount of pressure pushing down on his chest. His eye widen and he moved his chin, looking for the source of the problem, only to be met with a head full of green. His heart began to race. Zoro? When had he gotten home? A glance past him he could see their surroundings.
It was dark, so still late at night, he assumed. They were out on the couch, alone. The guys had left Sanji hours ago and he'd fallen asleep on the couch where he was settled. Now, Zoro lazily had climbed over onto it, laying himself down so that his head rested on Sanji's chest. He could feel him breathing on top of him. It made Sanji's cheeks want to tingle, but of course he brushed it off by narrowing his eyes.
"The hell Marimo? Do you know what time it is?" He hissed quietly. Although he didn't need to be, there was always something about a dark room at night that made him want to whisper.
Zoro just grunted. He was exhausted. Not physically, hell no there was no way the day had made him break a sweat, but mentally. He turned his face and looked up at Sanji, who was staring at him curiously. That face he found so handsome. He outlined it with his eyes, from Sanji's eyebrows to the scruff on his chin. Then the things Fullbody had said earlier, about what they did and what went down flooded back to his conscious. His eyes fell.
"You look like shit Zoro." Sanji whispered again. He moved his hand and placed it against the swordsman's forehead. "How hard did they work you?"
Zoro reached up and grabbed Sanji's hand off his forehead, he brought it down to his lips and nuzzled it before placing a kiss on his knuckles. He couldn't let what that guy say get to him. None of that mattered now, because Sanji was here and with him. He was safe.
"Sanji." He said softly, following the trend of speaking in quiet tones. "Don't ever leave." His eyes looked back at the cook's face that had already began to blush. "Stay with me and I'll fight along beside you. Always."
Sanji's heart was rolling around in his chest. Now he was really concerned. Something didn't seem right. What could have possibly put the swordsman in this state of mind. He turned his face away.
"Damn shit head. If I didn't know any better I'd think that was a proposal." He remarked, though it lacked any venom. Really he wasn't sure how to respond to that.
Zoro seemed to contemplate that for a minute then nodded his head slightly. He locked his fingers with Sanji. "In a way, yeah."
Sanji's gaze snapped back to him. So he was being serious? Did he fall and hit his head again? The swordsman couldn't be in his right mind. What was he thinking asking Sanji something like that? Didn't he understand what that meant?
Zoro picked up on the tenseness that spread in Sanji's upper body. He squeezed his hand roughly and shot him a glare. "You're doing it again Curly. Quit that shit out." He was referring to Sanji's belittling of himself.
Sanji wrinkled his nose. Damn bastard calling him out like that. "You're a moron. What's gotten into you all the sudden?"
The marimo shrugged against his chest. "I don't know. Just.. I feel like I keep almost loosing you. I don't want to let you slip away. Stupid Cook."
Sanji stared at the swordsman's clump of green hair in disbelief. He really couldn't believe what he had been hearing. Even though they had been together for a long amount of time now, it'd never crossed his mind that Zoro might actually propose to him somehow. He frowned. And if he had, he only hoped it could have been done when the circumstances seemed more favorable.
"Oi." He said softly again. Zoro watched him silently. "If I give you a yes in advance..." He turned his face away, trying to hide it all behind his bang. "Will you ask me again after all this is over?"
Zoro grinned. His own heart had been racing in fear of rejection. He dug his arms into the couch so that they'd wrap around Sanji's back, bringing him in close. He rejoiced in the smell of flowers and nicotine that met his nostrils.
12 years earlier.
Sanji's eye's opened when he heard the door to his room close. It surprised him. It didn't feel like any of the meal times so why would Fullbody be coming to see him now? He gently removed his skeletal hands from the bandage around his leg and glanced up at it. The sight made his body tense.
It was the broad man from before. He'd recognized him from everyday. He was the cook, or so he assumed, as the man brought Fullbody his meals. The man stroked his mustache, gazing down at Sanji like he was some side show. Perhaps he had never fully gotten a look at the tyke until now? Sanji shivered under his gaze and glanced off towards the ground.
There were still blood stains from his injury. Just looking at it made his leg throb, and his body feel tired. He closed his eyes for a long moment. He was so tired. And hungry. The man took a few more steps then bent down. There was something sincere in his eye that Sanji could see. Though, he wasn't sure he'd allow himself to believe it. It wasn't worth getting his hopes up only to have them later crushed.
"What..." He started, his throat still considerably dry. "What do you want?"
Zeff offered his hand out to Sanji. It seemed so much bigger and fuller compared to the skinny lad. "I'm going to get you out of here eggplant." He whispered.
Sanji's eye's darted around the older man's face. He snickered softly at the nickname, but just shook his head. Out of here? That was impossible. It felt like he had been trapped here for months, there was no way they were just about to let him out. Sanji might have been young and naïve, but he knew he was being left here to die.
"Why?" Was all he said in return.
Zeff's eyebrows lowered. He hadn't really expected there to be much protest. One would usually assume that if they were in trouble and were being offered a way out that it'd be taken in a heart beat. Apparently, this boy was more stubborn than he let on. Dying or not.
"I'm leaving here and heading for East Blue. You know where that is?"
Sanji nodded his head. Yeah of course he did. It was one of the four continents that made up the world, how could he not know. That was one of the first things children were taught in school.
"They wont be able to reach us if we go there. Do you want to come with me?"
Sanji stared a moment longer, thinking this over. This perfect stranger wanted to take him out of his personal hell? The same stranger who worked for the men doing this to him, and fed them everyday while he got to sit back and watch? His lip began quivering on its own. Even though he kept saying all the worst possible outcomes in his head, something inside him was happy.
Finally someone wanted to help him. No, someone was going to help him. His eye's somehow managed to produce tears again and they streamed down his face. He nodded. "Yes please." He squeaked.
Zeff smiled a small reassuring smile, then scooped the frail boy into his arms. It was frightening how light he had become with his weight loss. It made Zeff want to throw up, the amount of cruelty that had been planned out just for a single child. An exceptional child at that. Although he had been treated so wrongly, he still seemed very controlled. He was smart, and had a cook's touch.
Zeff knew this from all the times he had to come in here and serve that asshole fullbody. Before things got really bad, Sanji would pinpoint a lot of what Zeff had made just from the smell alone and announce it smugly. It was something that reminded Zeff of himself, and a dream he once held as a young man. He wanted nothing more than to settle back and open a nice restaurant, where no one would ever go hungry. It was his dream. So, knowing he could no longer stand by this organization at that moment, his determination reignited. All thanks to a little boy being held captive.
It was then that Zeff automatically decided what he had to do. He would break this little punk out and take him with him and they'd run off to a different part of the world. He felt guilted enough that it was the least he could do for Sanji. That and Zeff could help the boy learn and teach him everything he knew. He'd give him a life he deserved.
"Took you long enough to reply." He teased to Sanji, trying to lighten up the mood.
Sanji wiped away at his eyes with his boney fingers. "Shut up old geezer." He whined.
Zeff laughed then turned back towards the door. He had to be quick, there was only so much of a time window open for him to do this. He opened it and stepped out into the hall then out into safety.
Author's note: I'm so embarrassed that this chapter and the last one are so short. I tried to make this one reach the usual 4k or more mark but it just.. didn't happen. I'm sorry! I'll try to make the next one longer in compensation! So what are you looking forward to next/ want to see next in the story? I'm kind of fighting off a sudden writer's block and I'd love to hear you want to see!