Two Years Back

Zoro groaned loudly; his side in incredible pain. What had happened? He remembered carrying those heavy ass crates, and eating a tasty piece of fruit, which tasted like a pear. Something roughly jabbed him in his hip again, causing an unintentional whimper to escape his throat. "Oi, Marimo," Sanji's voice soothed him for some reason, despite the obvious annoyance in his tone. What was the cook doing here, where ever here was? Not realizing his eyes were closed, the swordsman dared to open them slowly and sat up, meeting the blonde's irritated expression. Half of a cigarette hung from his mouth as his glare gave Zoro an unpleasant feeling. What if the cook...kicked his ass while he wasn't looking? That would explain why he felt disoriented and bruised, but he would have sensed Sanji attacking, wouldn't he?

"Hm, C-cook? Damn, the hell happened?" Zoro questioned, standing up carefully. The pain in his side was clearly from the heartless blonde's lack of concern. Sanji didn't answer; perhaps because he couldn't. He was just as confused and frustrated as the other. One minute he's getting a cigarette, the next he's lying on top of an unconscious mosshead. Thank God Zoro wasn't awake. The damn blush didn't fade for ten minutes straight. Sanji hadn't felt those feelings in years.

Zoro scratched his head in thought. It was clear that they were below deck inside a ship. Had they went back to the Sunny at some point? No, he was sure they were still shopping, and plus the wood and structure looked nothing like Sunny. In fact, if Zoro hadn't seen Merry burn with his own eyes, he would have supposed he and the cook were in the storage room. They weren't kidnapped or else they would have been bound with chains from head to toe. Or the people that kidnapped them were stupider than Usopp's Legend of the Pineapples story. The swordsman headed for the small room's exit, but a heel crushed his fingers against the doorknob before he could pull. He grunted and retracted his newly broken bones, scowling at the blonde beside him. Sanji grimaced, "You fucking idiot. How do you know it isn't a trap?"

"If anything, it's an opportunity to leave," Zoro retaliated.

"Think about it, if you're even capable. We're not tied, we're not guarded; how the hell do you know marines or pirates aren't waiting outside that fucking door with rifles and shit? You can't just waltz around like you own the place; not while we're this closed in. Be fucking careful next time, moron," the cook pointed out. Normally, Zoro would have ignored him and walked out anyway, but unfortunately he was right. The room was to small to fight or even defend themselves in without hurting each other. Finding no other solution, Zoro quickly dropped to his knees and looked through the keyhole.

"Shit..." Zoro said in breathless awe.

Sanji raised a curled brow, "Well? What is it, Marimo?"

"The ship's hallway...It looks exactly like Merry." Zoro could hardly believe his own words, but his eyes didn't lie. The hallway consisted of the doors to the men's quarters, the galley, the bathroom, and leading onto the deck. It gave him a warm feeling; the thought of being on their first sea home. The thought of meeting majority of the crew on her. The thought of his first time seeing Sanji. His cheeks suddenly burned, much like that day the cook first laid eyes on him for a long time, almost as if taking him in as far as an amazing sight. That moment would forever be embedded in his brain. Footsteps approached the storage room, but Zoro couldn't tell what the person looked like. He only saw sandals. He told Sanji to stand back if he didn't want to break a fingernail, which earned him a venomous "fuck you". Readying himself, Zoro pulled Wado out silently as the door opened. What they saw calmed their uneasy nerves instantly.

It was Luffy.

Luffy gaped at Sanji, putting up his hands defensively and flailing around in panic, "Neh, Sanji! I-I-I-I wasn't gonna get any meat! I promise!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Luffy, but stay away from the goddamn fridge. How'd you find us anyway? Do you know where we are?" the cook questioned.

"ZOROOOO~! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR EYE? SO COOOL~!" The rubbery captain's attention was stolen away from him by Zoro. Luffy was beside the first mate in under a nanosecond, pointing and gawking at his left eye. There was some worry, confusion, and fear in the captain's quickly changing attitudes, but it always came back to the look of pure awesomeness. Sanji growled at being ignored and shoved Zoro's head to the ground, who was watching Luffy intently this whole time. Damn mosshead, standing around like an idiot.

The swordsman drew out Shuusui suddenly and aimed it across Luffy's throat. The captain's eyes widened in terror and he gulped, his Adam's apple moving visibly against the blade. Sanji glared at him for his stupidity, and then rolled his eyes at Zoro's question. "Oi, Luffy. What made you decide to wear your vest again?"

"Dumbass, was taking your butcher knife out necessary? He probably just wanted to-"

"What else would I wear?" Luffy asked, tilting his head to the side. Zoro knew something was off about him. It wasn't the clothes that threw him off; it was the fact that Luffy took pride in the X-shaped scar on his chest, and he refused to cover it up if it didn't need to be. Whoever this look alike was, Zoro didn't assume it was the actual Luffy.

Sanji seemed to take notice to this as well, his eyes narrowing slightly as he spoke, "You know...your red cardigan? WIth the sash?"

"Hm...? What's a carddragon? OHH~! Is it a-"

"It is not a card shaped dragon and/or a dragon shaped card. And no, it is not edible," Zoro claimed as the boy's face fell. He acted like Luffy, looked like Luffy, but it couldn't be possible, unless someone swiped his memories once again. That didn't seem like the case, so Zoro was at a loss for words or conclusions. Just what had happened in the market?

"Oi, Marimo! Get your lazy ass in here and mop the floor," Sanji bellowed.

Zoro turned to the cook and sent the deadliest glare he could muster, "What the fuck is wrong with you shitty cook?"

"Who the hell are you calling shitty, bastard?" The swordsman's eyes widened, resembling the cook's beside him. Sanji's lips weren't moving, but Zoro could hear his voice. Come to think of it, the voice was pretty distant.

"I'm not paying any attention to your dumbass, cook! You're hearing things!"

Zoro paled as he felt a headache coming on. No, this wasn't making any sense. That wasn't him talking, but it...was him talking? And he was certain Sanji wouldn't be trying a ventriloquism act at the moment. Luffy appeared just as confused, and after a while of failing to process what was going on, he fell back on his bottom with smoke sizzling out of his ears. "Neeehhhh, Zoro, Sanji! Stop throwing your voices around!"

"Why does it sound like you're in the storage room?!" The distant Sanji voice yelled.

"'Cause I'm not," Luffy whined.

"Yes you are! Don't make me come over there, Captain!"

"YO! Some people are trying to sleep and it's kinda hard when I have to hear your raspy voice bitching!"

"You're one to talk, Mr. Shitty Tuba!"

The puzzled swordsman glanced at the baffled cook, who was doing the same. They simultaneously asked, "You don't like my baritone?" but Luffy brought them back to the matter at hand. The captain slapped his forehead hard, still trying to understand the situation. Sanji was in the kitchen, and Zoro was on the deck. But Sanji and Zoro were both in the storage room, where he snuck to get a steak. Was this one of Sanji's tricks to keep him out of the food stock like the mousetraps on the cabinet handles? He briefly thought his cook was sick and twisted before a shoe slammed down on his chest, pinning him to the wall. Hands protectively in his pockets, Sanji scowled in Luffy's face, silently demanding answers. The incredibly loud thud he caused made Zoro cringe. Whoever else was on this ship was bound to check on the Luffy look-alike now.

"Damn it, I knew you were in...?" In the threshold stood Sanji, who stopped stirring the contents in the bowl he was carrying at the sight of someone holding down his captain. Sanji was so young; that was the first thing Zoro noticed besides the old Doskoi Panda apron he sported around his waist. There wasn't much fear in his expression despite the obvious fact that he'd just found random strangers attacking Luffy. The two Sanjis stared disbelievingly at one another while Zoro felt his brain do a backflip. Holy crap, like one wasn't enough.

"Oi...the hell is happening right now?" the younger blonde questioned.

XVX

The galley only contained Luffy, Nami, Usopp, Chopper, and Robin besides the look alikes. Zoro and Sanji sat as far away from each other as possible while the younger ones did the opposite. Nami was gaping, Usopp and Chopper were holding each other while whispering "monsters", Robin wore a creepy interested smile, and the captain continued to huff in frustration. "C'mon guys! It's not funny or cool anymore," he stated. Young Sanji scowled as he stood up to continue cooking regardless of the current problem. Zoro chuckled lightly; even in this predicament Sanji wouldn't let anyone go hungry. Robin cleared her throat, asking for attention. Both Sanjis fawned over her loveliness and spout nonsense while both Zoros scoffed and crossed their arms. This only made the archaeologist laugh at the uncanny similarities. "Allow me to help shed some light," she offered.

"YOUR BRILLIANCE IS ASTOUNDING, ROBIN-CHWAAN!" Sanji swooned.

"DELIVER UNTO ME YOUR BOUNDLESS WISDOM!" And there goes the younger one, Zoro thought bitterly.

It never ceased to piss him off how the cook, or in this case, cooks flirted so seriously. Jealousy bubbled in his chest, and he noticed his past self cringe slightly, but no one else saw it. Damn, he forgot how blonde obsessed he had been years ago. Every thing Sanji did, he secretly watched. He used to take pride in doing small things for the cook, though they were never appreciated or acknowledged. His proudest deed was taking inventory for the blonde then writing down how many things were in stock and what they needed to restock on in the next market. It stopped after the Sunny joined their crew, and Sanji never did find out who the culprit was.

Robin took a sip of her tea before beginning, "It seems that one of you ate the Time-Time Fruit. Depending on how large the bite is, you could stay in the past for days, weeks, or maybe even months."

Chopper made a strained sound, thinking of a simple way to ask his question, "But Devil Fruits...how can they...?"

"Ah, you're asking how it is possible for a Devil Fruit to have that ability? Well, it is neither a Zoan or Logia, but in the Paramecia category. See, it alters the atoms in the human body..." Things got a bit too sciency for Sanji. Though, as much as he could listen to Robin's soothing voice, he couldn't help but glance at the past Zoro. Why didn't he do what his conscience demanded that he do before he and Zoro separated? He didn't want to relive the countless times he debated on waking Zoro up in the middle of the night just to hear his voice. The younger Zoro listened to the lecture intensely, leaning his chin on his palm. Just thinking about the times he hesitated in shaking Zoro's shoulder, the times he didn't lean into those lips when he had the opportunity to, the times-

"Oi, shit-cook, the hell are you staring at?" Young Zoro hissed. It took Sanji a moment to realize that the question was directed at him, and that his blue orbs were boring into the younger's forehead for quite some time now.

"Shut up, shit-for-brains."

"Can it, dartboard."

"You wanna go?!"

"Bring it!"

Young Sanji grabbed Young Zoro's shirt collar as he lunged for the other blonde, causing him to choke and gasp for air. "Fuck up my kitchen and see what happens," he growled. Zoro's eyes widened as he reached for his neck. He suddenly remembered that; remembered the pain of it. Robin chuckled and smiled, "Did you space out as well, Kenshi-san? You look surprised when I presume you recalled that event. I said, everything that happens from now on will cause new memories for the both of you, but there is still a chance of the future getting changed. Time-Time Fruits won't allow the past to be drastically altered, like serious moments such as wars. The past will always go according to plan."

"So how long are we stuck here?" Zoro asked.

"Like I said," Robin glared, "it depends how large of a bite you or Cook-san took. A small nibble could send you back a second, but a large bite could be years and the effects could last for weeks; Time-Time Fruits don't last longer than that. So, which of you gentlemen ate it?"

Sanji scowled at the swordsman, whose cheeks flared a bright red from the annoyed gaze. "I-I was hungry!"

"YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO FUCKING GOBBLE IT DOWN THOUGH!"

"I thought you'd be an ass and swipe it from me!"

Sanji appeared to be offended. "You were hungry! How low do you think I am?!"

"You put your death sticks on my head while my hands were full. I'd say pretty fucking low."

"Says the guy that purposely tripped Usopp a few days ago and got caught and yelled at by Nami-swan."

"I-it was an accident!"

"Of course it was."

"Seriously! I mean, who the hell turns corners like that?" Zoro glanced at the long-nosed sniper, who was still uneasy about this future/past ordeal. "Usopp, from now on, look before you fucking turn. You hear me? 'Cause I'll be damned if I need to listen to Nami's voice more than I need to."

"I value your friendship too, Zoro," the navigator said flatly.

"Don't insult Nami-swan, bastard! You should be honored to hear that angelic song," Young Sanji scolded.

The one who put an end to this useless quarrel was the little reindeer, who banged his hoove on the table with visible determination, much to everyone's surprise. "If it's fine with you guys, I'd like to make sure nothing is damaged from the atom dismantle and collision. Follow me to the infirmary, please," Chopper ordered, completely in doctor mode. Reluctantly, the chef and swordsman stood and let the reindeer guide them into the next room. The rest of the crew stared at one another in silence, exchanging looks of worry and slight shock. Young Sanji stayed focus on the meal he prepared, and Young Zoro slouched in his chair with closed eyes. As the young blonde put the finishing touches on lunch, he spoke with an extremely calm tone. "Future you's an ass."

"Oi, I didn't put those death sticks on my head, did I?" Young Zoro yawned.

The look alikes gazed at each other and laughed genuinely.