Zoro never thought he'd find anything that he'd like about the institute, after all he was a prisoner in a creepy brothel/finishing school. However, he always had to wake up at a certain time and wasn't interrupted before then. Since moving to be with Sanji however he's been unexpectedly or rudely awakened far more often than he'd like.
He's innocently snoozing the morning after Revolution's fundraising ball when Usopp bursts into his room at a million miles an hour and literally pulls him by his arm out from between the covers and onto the floor. He's about to yell at Usopp for disturbing his rest when he catches his expression; it's terrified, and not the usual yellow bellied Usopp scared, but flat out terrified.
"Come on!" He hisses and pulls Zoro out of the room. They sprint across the corridor and burst into Sanji's room, startling the blonde into messy-haired and bleary eyed wakefulness as well.
"Wha?" Sanji asks unintelligibly at he blinks owlishly at them.
"Your father is here, act like you belong together!" Usopp whispers urgently. He gives Zoro a shove in Sanji's direction and flees the room, shutting the door behind him as quietly as possible.
There's a split second of panic as he and Sanji stare at each other, neither quite awake enough to deal with this. Zoro realises just what Usopp is trying to do and leaps into Sanji's bed next to the blonde. Sanji squeaks and shuffles up.
He and the blonde squirm against each other under the bed covers, trying to get themselves into a believable sleeping position before both shutting their eyes and pretending to be dead to the world. Zoro lies curled into the warm spot on the bed that Sanji was sleeping in mere moments ago.
Usopp knocks loudly at the door and calls for Sanji in what, to Zoro, sounds like a very over-acted voice. His head is resting on Sanji's chest with the cook's arm around his back, their legs are tangled together under the sheets, and it would be perfect and wonderful if it wasn't for the thundering footsteps of Spandam coming down the hallway towards them. Beneath Zoro's ear Sanji's heart is thundering.
"S-sir!" Usopp calls again, knocking on the door.
"OUT OF THE WAY!" Spandam roars, from the other side of the door, there's a squeak and a thud that reverberates through the wall – Spandam has shoved Usopp away. Sanji leans up onto his elbows just as the door flies open, revealing a wild eyed and furious Spandam. Zoro stays frozen on the bed, curled up around Sanji and watches Lord Spandam shaking with rage. He feels glad that the cook is between him and the older Prince, Spandam's wrath is rolling off of him in waves and Zoro knows enough about the man's tendency to take his temper out on people to want to be out of his reach.
"I ought to KILL you boy!" Spandam screeches. Zoro feels Sanji wince ever so slightly at his side.
"Morning to you too father." Sanji says flatly as he rubs his eyes.
Spandam snarls and hurls several newspapers at the two of them, they hits Sanji's pillow and skids towards them, enough so that Zoro doesn't have to stretch too far to see the covers. On one it is a picture of Sanji standing next to him smiling, the same picture is repeated on almost all of them but the headlines are different.
"SIR PRINCE CONDEMNS ROYAL INSTITUTE" Screams one headline.
"INSTITUTE INCOMPATIBLE WITH LOVE SAYS SIR PRINCE!" Another proclaims.
"INSTITUTE HEIR FUNDING PROTESTERS!" Another declares. They all continue on in that vein, inflammatory headlines speaking the truth more or less but mostly misquoting Sanji. The actual articles at first glance seem to be more or less fair and a few even look questioning about the institute being right at all, which pleases Zoro. He keeps his face neutral though and stays by Sanji's side. He touches his hand reassuringly to Sanji's side and feels the blonde relax a little next to him.
They had both known that this was going to happen, it was what Sanji's big show to the press had been all about after all. But it's another thing to see it completely in motion and to see Spandam so furious.
"Ah." Sanji comments.
"Ah? AH?! That's all you've got to say for yourself boy?! You're funding the enemy, dragging our name through the mud and all you have to say for yourself is 'ah'?!" Spandam screams, storming towards them. Zoro isn't sure if Spandam is going to try to hit Sanji again, or what he'd do if he did. He briefly contemplates running into his own room again, fetching his swords and just straight up murdering the man. But, Sanji would go to jail for that, if not for murder then for manslaughter. As Sanji's property Sanji is responsible for him and his actions. Zoro would no doubt end up in Blackbeard's hands and Sanji wouldn't inherit the institute, overall a bad move. Tempting though it is to imagine Spandam's agonising death at his hands.
"The Revolution hates the institute and us, mostly you." Sanji says, picking up a newspaper and looking at it casually as if he's planned all of this. Perhaps the blonde had been thinking about this encounter all night, surely he must have known that it was coming? After all yesterday he was incredibly stressed about what his father would say when he found out.
"So I thought that it might do us good to get them on side, I spoke to Nezumi the other day about possibly making some welfare changes for the mates. You want positive press don't you?" Sanji says calmly and reasonably.
"Besides, you were the one who wanted me to start taking a more active role in the institute, that's what I'm doing." The blonde adds innocently.
Spandam is visibly shaking with rage but Sanji hasn't really said much that he can disagree with. The masked man glowers at Sanji and takes a breath through gritted teeth.
"Don't you ever do anything like this again without my approval. I will be having words with you later. The whole family is going to the island to get away from the press, pack your bags, my servants will be here in one hour to take you and your whore to the airport." Spandam declares and stomps out of the room.
"Hey, he's not-" Sanji calls after him but Zoro squeezes Sanji's arm and shakes his head. He's angry at the insult, but it's hardly worth getting Sanji in a fight for.
Sanji grumbles and falls back onto the bed, crumpling several of the newspapers underneath him. Zoro pulls a newspaper out from under them and curls up at Sanji's side to read it. On closer inspection it seems fair, he's pleased with the idea of the media talking about the idea of mates as a concept and perhaps starting to debate if they're a good idea.
When he finishes the first article he glances up at Sanji to offer the paper to him, he notices that the blonde is wearing a strange expression on his face. Zoro realises with a start just how intimate this seems, wrapped up in the same bed together reading the newspaper. It made sense when Usopp was getting them to pretend for Spandam but they're still here. Feeling awkward Zoro sits up with an embarrassed cough.
"Hey, sorry about just throwing myself at you just now but Usopp was smart enough to realise that seeing us sleeping in separate beds would probably piss your father off." He smiles. Honestly he doesn't mind at all, he'd be happy to crawl into bed with Sanji any day of the week, especially as the slender yet muscular cook apparently sleeps shirtless.
"Well, convincing my father is always a good thing I suppose." Sanji shrugs and the cook's head tilts back at he glares at the ceiling, Zoro fights down the temptation to pin him to the bed and lick the man's adam's apple.
"I'm so sorry about what he said." Sanji apologises as he tilts his head to look at Zoro who manages to shake the aroused expression from his face just in time.
"Didn't I tell you not to apologise for him, you've not got anything to do with him." Zoro frowns, and really Sanji doesn't, he just has the misfortune to be related to him.
"So, where are we going? What island was that slime ball talking about?" He asks curiously, moving on from telling Sanji off.
"It's an island called Mirage, it's a tropical island. It's owned by my family, they sometimes let other people use the island and the resort that they've built there but mostly it's just us. It's pretty remote and since everyone there is employed by my family it's somewhere that my father likes to retreat to if he ever has to avoid the press or anyone else. I guess he wants me out of the press spotlight for a while until what I said dies down." Sanji explains. The blonde gets up and heads to his wardrobe lazily and starts pulling out clothes to take with him.
"I guess I'll go pack then." Zoro sighs and heads off to his room.
Less than three hours later he's standing on the runway on the island of Mirage, sand is blowing across the tarmac and over his exposed toes. He's wearing sandals and shorts with a t-shirt, all very muted in comparison to Sanji's frankly hideous giant purple flowered Hawaiian shirt which is so offensive to look at that Zoro is tempted to burn it for the sake of everyone around with eyes.
Scenery wise the island is a picture perfect paradise with lush palm trees and beautiful greenery, there are flowers and hummingbirds abound. The sand is a snowy white which makes the ocean gently lapping against it look even more impossibly sapphire blue. The air is warm and pleasant without being too dry or too hot. If it was just him and Sanji it would indeed be perfect.
Unfortunately it's not.
Sanji's father storms past them, as angry as he had been that morning and deliberately slams into Zoro's shoulder as he walks by, knocking him into Sanji's shoulder.
"Don't just stand there, bring your pet up to the mansion. Stupid boy." Spandam growls over his shoulder at Sanji. Zoro feels his eye twitching in tense irritation and his mind calls back to his swords, he wishes that they were in his hands right now to cut Spandam open like a fish. Instead they're in Nami's possession for safekeeping, neither of them trust Spandam enough to refrain from sending lackeys into Sanji's home while they're away to steal personal things and snoop.
He's not sure if he initiates it or if Sanji does but the cook's slender talented fingers find their way into Zoro's hand and twine comfortingly around his own until they're holding hands. The cook tugs him towards the sloping sandy hillside and with a weary sigh Zoro falls into step with him.
Sanji's room… their room… is big of course and familiar of his room at home. The large blue bed faces the glass doors and off to the side is a door that probably leads to a bathroom. Everything is island themed with blue walls, wicker furniture and bare wooden floorboards. Zoro can see that this room has been Sanji's for several visits beforehand, the room has his feel to it which can be seen in everything from the familiarly signed paintings by Usopp on the walls to the cookbooks stacked on top of the chest of drawers.
The room is easily the size of Sanji's room back home, of course it would be with how rich Sanji's family is, they own the whole goddamn island so space is hardly an issue. Sanji seems to like glass and natural light as, just as with his room at home, one wall is entirely glass in the form of a huge sliding door. It leads out to a beechwood deck that overlooks the beach and the ocean, frankly it's beautiful.
Sanji begins to unpack his clothes and things into the room, Zoro knows that he should do the same but he wasn't granted a seat on the plane, what with not being a person and all. He spent his time on the flight sat on the floor at Sanji's feet with his head on the blonde's knee. It's given him an awful crick in his neck and an ache low down on his back. He crumples onto the bed with a low groan and moans in happiness at the comfort.
"Poor marimo." Sanji sighs sympathetically. He trails a hand up Zoro's back, gently pressing on every sore muscle as he goes. He whines in pleasure at the sensation and his mind instantly snaps back to the last time this happened, when Sanji pulled him apart with his touch as Zoro's system sang with bliss. Sanji seems to remember the same thing at the same time and snatches his hand back with an embarrassed cough.
"So- um, if we just unpack then we'll probably be done in time for dinner and you can meet the rest of my awful family." Sanji says with forced brightness. Zoro tilts his head to see that Sanji is looking desperately at anything in the room but him.
"They're all that bad then?" Zoro questions him, shrugging the memory off and deciding to just ignore the awkwardness as he rolls onto his back on the bed and stretches deeply.
Sanji seems to consider this for a moment as he threads a shirt onto a coat hanger, Zoro can practically see him flipping through the mental rolodex of his family.
"My cousins aren't too bad. One of them is a good kid but the girls are pretty selfish and ambitious, but… I think they've got good hearts in them." Sanji remarks as he folds shirts and puts them into his drawer.
"Talking about us again Sanji?" A voice challenges from the door. Zoro snaps bolt upright on the bed, his hand instinctually reaching to his hip for his swords that aren't there. In the door is a glasses wearing kid, perhaps in his early teens, he flinches away from Zoro's expression which makes Sanji laugh loudly. Puzzled Zoro looks up at Sanji who seems completely unfazed by this kid's sudden appearance at his room.
"Zoro, drop the death glare. This is my cousin Coby, Coby, this is Zoro." Sanji laughs introducing them both.
Zoro narrows his eyes and looks at the kid, he's clearly related to Spandam, the pink hair and slight build is enough to tell him that. That fact alone instantly drops the stranger down in Zoro's estimation but… well… Sanji said that this kid is one of the good ones. He has an innocent looking face and, honestly, he looks a little scared of him.
"H-hi." Coby stammers, practically trembling under Zoro's gaze. Zoro feels himself weaken a little inside, the semi pathetic nature of the kid reminds him of Chopper somehow.
"Hi." He grunts in response.
"Are you Fullbody's kid? I thought he killed his mate after six months." Zoro frowns, surely Fullbody couldn't have had time to have a kid, especially not this age. Fullbody was a good deal younger than Spandam too so it seemed unlikely for this kid to be his son.
"Fullbody? No, he's my uncle." Coby answers, shaking his head.
"My father is one of three siblings. My father is the eldest, his sister Carmen is in the middle and Fullbody is the youngest. Coby and his sisters are my Aunt Carmen's kids." Sanji explains from the dresser as he shuts the draw.
Zoro looks back at Coby in time to catch the kid staring at him, the boy leaps back in fright when Zoro locks eyes with him.
"What?" Zoro challenges.
"Nothing!" Coby squeaks, shaking his head timidly.
"I just… I was trying to work out what was so special about you. Sanji's got himself in a lot of trouble for talking about you to the press. We had to come here too because there were paparazzi surrounding the mansion gates trying to get interviews from any of us about the institute." Coby adds meekly, his eyes straying up to look at Zoro curiously again.
His cousin's words prompt a sigh from Sanji and the blonde morosely sits at Zoro's side. He shoots his cousin a meaningful look and the pink haired boy nods and shuts the door, leaving the three of them in the privacy of Sanji's room.
"It's that bad huh? I figured something major must have happened with the press for my father to flip out quite that badly. I saw the newspapers but they don't tell the story of interviews that they were trying to get from you guys and didn't. He was furious the whole flight over here." Sanji murmurs.
"Did you really say what the papers said that you said? About the institute needing to change and that mates should be set free?" Coby presses, his eyes wide with excitement. Zoro isn't sure he likes how excited the kid looks, it's less the enthusiastic optimism that he might see on Luffy's face and more the expression of someone watching a particularly impressive train wreck.
"Yeah, and I meant it too." Sanji answers, Coby whistles in awe at the blonde's actions.
"You're brave. Crazy, but brave." The kid remarks with a shake of his head.
"I… I wouldn't be alone with any of the grown-ups right now if I was either of you, especially you." Coby says secretively to Zoro. Zoro wonders just what it is that Coby's heard to make him say that. It's okay though, he doesn't have any intention of getting separated from Sanji if he can help it.
"Coby? Coby where are you?" A male voice calls down the hallway. The boy perks up at the sound of the voice and Coby pulls the door open, revealing a tall well built man. Despite the warm weather he's wearing a heavy coat, even that doesn't disguise the big heavy looking collar at his throat and the black padlock hanging from it. Zoro's eyes widen, this man is a mate like him.
"Coby, your mother is looking for you, you'd better go find her and don't let her know you were here." The man says gently. Coby gasps and sprints past the large man back out into the corridor, calling a hasty goodbye over his shoulder as he does so.
"Sir." The man nods respectfully at Sanji and turns to leave as well.
"Dalton, wait." Sanji calls, standing up suddenly. The tall man, Dalton by the sounds of it, pauses and turns back obediently to face Sanji.
"Sir." He says with the practiced blank face of a well trained mate. Zoro winces, he knows that's just how he looks when he's feeling that tense around someone as powerful as Sanji. And Sanji is powerful, Zoro forgets it sometimes, but Sanji is rich, connected and even has a knighthood. He could get away with murder.
"Dalton, you don't need to call me Sir, I've told you that before." Sanji sighs with a gentle smile. Dalton's face remains impassive, clearly he doesn't believe Sanji but he is going to comply anyway.
"My apologies, how can I help you Sanji?" He asks formally instead, he's not saying 'Sir' but he might as well be.
Zoro's eyes hover on the padlock at the man's throat. His neck is so thick and well muscled, just like the rest of the man, he's clearly physically powerful. It's so stupid that someone so physically capable can be reduced to the whim of someone else because of threats and that stupid electric shock collar. In fact, that one looks like an older model of collar, the one that both had the shock device but also could explode at the push of a button. It was an escape failsafe, unfortunately it failed too often and many mates were decapitated and generally blown to pieces regardless of whether or not they tried to escape. They were removed after a master was injured in an accidental detonation that killed the mate in question. Zoro can't help but wonder if this collar still has that detonation device in or whether it was fixed.
"I thought that you might like to meet Zoro. Zoro this is Dalton, my Aunt Carmen's mate and Coby's father." Sanji smiles, gesturing to Zoro who has unconsciously got to his feet.
Dalton's dark brown eyes meet his and Zoro sees a reflection of his own life. A life lived within the confines of the institute, a life lived oppressed by the tyranny of others and the threat of violence. He sees the life that he could have had if he'd been far less lucky than he was in ending up with Sanji. Dalton has children and Zoro would bet that Sanji's Aunt Carmen has no more charitable an attitude to mates consent and wellbeing than her brother Fullbody did to his.
His fingers touch the cold metal ring on his own collar, a mark of respect, a salute to those who have been chosen and an acknowledgement of the horror that is certain. Regardless of who you were in the institute, regardless of whether you liked another mate in training or whether you fought with them bitterly, when they were chosen you saluted. Because no matter what, they were still the same as you were, every mate was a slave.
Dalton's hand touches the ring of his own collar ever so briefly as his eyes meet Zoro's and a current of understanding and solidarity passes between them, as silent and instantaneous as electricity.
Dalton drops his hand and his gaze flicks back to Sanji, his face falling back into a polite neutral.
"Was there anything else Sir? My mistress will be angry if I'm late to get back to her." Dalton asks in a polite voice.
"I said you didn't have to- never mind. Don't let me hold you up." The blonde sighs with a frown. Dalton bows and disappears from sight.
"What was that all about?" Sanji asks with a frown, gesturing to Zoro's hand which still lingers on the ring to his collar. He drops his hand and frowns at the thought of Dalton and the chilling thought that it could have easily been him in that kind of situation, as bad as putting up with his lack of true freedom was and having to deal with Spandam at least he didn't belong to someone like that.
"It's a sign of respect, something from the institute. Whenever someone was taken we all did it." He answers sadly.
"God, it sounds like something you'd do if someone died." Sanji snorts. Zoro glares at the blonde, he's sure that Sanji understands intellectually how awful it must be to be a mate but he still doesn't really get the idea. He hasn't lived it, he doesn't understand the way it feels to be less than a person, to be sold like meat and facing abuse, rape and death.
"We should be so lucky." He snaps back angrily. Sanji flinches back, clearly realising the impact of his words.
"I didn't mean-" the cook apologises quickly.
"Drop it." Zoro growls, stalking past Sanji and grabbing his own bag to unpack.
He can't help but be angry, not so much at Sanji's thoughtless comment but at this whole situation. At seeing yet another mate clearly in a dark place, at being kept one this island against his will, at being forced to stay on the floor on the plane, at his aching muscles, at Sanji's fucking father, at the stupid extravagant wealth of the people here made off of his suffering. It all just makes him so angry. He wonders if he could sneak out in a small hours of the morning, slip into the kitchen, grab a knife and end Spandam's horrible life. He wonders whether he will regret not taking the opportunity, but equally he has a lot to lose. He glances at Sanji over his shoulder, Sanji is only here because he's done what Zoro wanted by taking a stand, he can hardly act so selfishly after that, even if Sanji does talk without thinking.
"Dinner is probably ready any minute now, I'll show you where everything is if you like." The cook says quietly.
"Sure." He agrees and follows the slightly more placated blonde out of the room. When Sanji leads him to a large ornate dining room though Zoro hesitates at the doors, he remembers from his training that there were plenty of people that didn't think it appropriate or seemly to eat around low life forms like mates. When he considers just how strict Spandam was with him by making him sit on the floor of the plane he'd bet that the other man doesn't want him eating with them. The oblivious blonde doesn't seem to realise this though and saunters right into the room, only hesitating and returning when he realises that Zoro isn't following him.
"I'm not sure I'm allowed in there, have you ever seen Dalton eat with you all in there?" Zoro questions before Sanji can even ask. The blonde looks surprised at the question but Zoro watches the other man's curly brow furrow in thought before the blonde's eyes widen and he shakes his head.
"I never even thought-" Sanji murmurs. Zoro sighs and shakes his head, Sanji has probably known Dalton since he was a child and simply accepted that the other man just never ate with them all when they were together. The guilt flashes across the other man's face as clear as day, he feels terrible for not noticing, for taking his position for granted again, but it's not his fault it's just human nature.
"Don't worry about it, kitchen this way?" he smiles, pointing off to his left.
"That way." Sanji corrects, pointing him the other way with a small smirk.
If they were at home Zoro would flip Sanji off for having another dig at his poor sense of direction but not here, he's not safe here. Instead he just settles for rolling his eyes and follows his master's directions like a good mate.
Before long he finds the kitchen and Dalton sitting in the small service room off to the side with a bowl of soup. It's quieter in there away from the hubbub of noise from the kitchen staff. Zoro doesn't really want to eat in there with them anyway, they all look at him like something the cat dragged in, clearly they too think that he's just a whore. Zoro grabs his own bowl from the kitchen and joins him.
He stirs his soup to cool it and stays silent. One part of him wants to ask Dalton if it's really as bad as he always imagined it to be, whether you get used to it or not. For a moment he wonders if it's as bad with a woman forcing you as he imagines it to be with a man, he smacks that thought aside though, it makes no difference. It was done with just as little consent, just as little dignity and regard for the human soul, it doesn't matter. Dalton is probably wondering just the same about him, probably wondering if Zoro has broken yet, wondering what bruises from Sanji that Zoro could be concealing under his clothes.
"Sanji… Sanji isn't like people think he is." Zoro says quietly, so that only Dalton can hear and none of the staff in the next room are any wiser. He glances up to see Dalton's dark eyes watching him with interest.
"People think that…. That he must be like all masters. He's not…. He's not like that, he's not laid a finger on me. He thinks that the whole thing is wrong." Zoro explains quickly and quietly. He looks up at Dalton who's face is unreadable, will he think that Zoro is bragging or rubbing his good fortune in.
"Never say that again boy, not to anyone." Dalton says quietly as he puts his spoon down and stares at Zoro with big black eyes.
"But-" Zoro frowns not understanding.
"But nothing!" Dalton hisses angrily, snagging the padlock at Zoro's throat and yanking Zoro closer. Zoro's skin crawls at anyone touching his collar and much less his padlock, it raises a sick feeling in his throat. He hates it and no one does it to him, not until this.
"You aren't a person, you aren't free, you're property." Dalton growls in his face.
"You belong to Sir Prince and I belong to Lady Prince. I've been hers for twenty five years, for all you know I've broken, for all you know I don't remember what freedom was even like, for all you know I'm going to run out of here and tell her every word that you just told me." Dalton snarls at him, Zoro feels all of the blood drain from his face at the idea.
The older man shoves Zoro back and releases his padlock, causing Zoro to stumble back into his chair again.
"You don't have the luxury of being stupid boy, not if you want to live. Rose was stupid, she died. Shakky was stupid, she died too. Do you see the pattern here?" Dalton sighs, looking at the empty places at the table. Zoro's eyes flick over to them and he remembers Fullbody's cruel words about his mate Rose.
"Who's Shakky?" Zoro questions weakly as he rubs his throat.
The taller man looks at him strangely with a curious tilt of his head.
"Your master's mother." He answers.
"Sanji never told me her name." Zoro elaborates. Shakky huh? Odd name.
"It's not Sanji while you're here boy, people are out to get you here, don't give them anything. Remember everything you were ever taught and live it like you'll die otherwise, because you probably will. It's master from now on, got it?" Dalton reprimands him and picks up his spoon again, starting to eat.
Zoro winces, as much as he hates to admit it Dalton does have a point, he simply assumes that all mates are on his side but that's not true. Some break, some rat on others just to keep themselves safe. It happened at the institute too. He supposes that Dalton is partly on his side, or else he wouldn't have told him that but still, it's a wound to his pride to be brought up so harshly.
Zoro sits in silence and eats his soup, it's pretty good but even in the short time that he's been with Sanji his palate has been spoilt and this seems poor in comparison. He swallows thoughtfully and glances up at Dalton and searches for a less dangerous topic of conversation.
"Coby seems nice." Zoro comments quietly.
This brings a genuine but small smile to Dalton's lips and a look of genuine love into his eyes. Dalton genuinely loves his kids, they must have been conceived out of something horrible but… Dalton loves them all the same.
"He's a good boy, my daughters are smart and honourable too. Good kids." Dalton smiles gently. Zoro wonders morbidly whether loving people who came from something horrible being done to you rips you up inside. He smartly decides not to ask and continues eating.
The silence that settles over the small side room that they're in is far from comfortable but it's not hostile at least and before too long Dalton gets up and leaves him. The older man hesitates at the door for a moment.
"Shakky was here before me, she was smart but made a stupid decision, her death was an accident but if it hadn't been she would have been killed anyway for her actions. Rose was stupid and got herself killed because she didn't serve properly and cried too much. I don't want to see anyone else die. Don't do anything stupid, give up this dream of freedom. Let Sanji go back go being kind and blind, it will be better for both of you." Dalton advises him gently from the doorway.
Zoro considers this for a second, Dalton is right, it would be easier on him and Sanji to back down, to stay quiet. It would be easier to look the other way, to allow everything to continue as it always has, to pretend it wasn't their problem.
"It would be better for us, but what about every other mate? What about everyone the institute has hurt? Everyone they're going to continue to hurt? Don't they deserve a life too? I won't step down, neither will Sanji." Zoro answers challengingly. Dalton's eyes are sad as he looks at him.
"There are old men and bold men Zoro, but there are no old, bold men. Do you want to live or do you want to die?" the other man tries again to persuade him.
"I would rather live, it's better to live than to just survive. Even if it means that I die at least I lived." He argues back. Dalton smiles at him sadly.
"Go back to your room when you're done and wait for your master." Dalton says finally with a shake of his head as he leaves.
Zoro finishes his own meal and takes Dalton's advice in his destination at least. He gets into the room and it takes him a moment or two before he senses that he's not alone. Suspiciously he looks around but sees no one. Some instinct makes him look up and he jolts out of his skin when he sees a woman sitting on the chandelier on the ceiling! How on earth the thing is supporting her weight he has no idea.
The woman is slender and blonde with a lemon yellow dress on and a yellow hat, her dress is patterned with orange slices and at her ears are orange slices too. A memory flashes in his mind, of being shocked by his collar when looking for Nami, a flash of an orange patterned dress.
"You were…" He frowns up at her.
"Miss Valentine. I belong to Baroque works, lead by Miss All Sunday. You know her as Nico Robin though. We are watching you, but we're not the only ones. Lord Prince has his own spies, CP9, who intend to stop you in your mission and destroy you. Watch your back." She announces, dropping lightly to the floor. She strides past him casual as can be to the bay doors.
"Wait- you can't just leave. What are they planning? What can I do?" Zoro demands as he follows her.
She slides the door open and steps outside, she fiddles with the clasp on her lime green umbrella as she opens it.
"I think that's your problem. I'm only here to tell you that." She says haughtily. With one smooth movement she opens her umbrella and leaps twenty feet into the air before then drifting on the breeze with her umbrella like some demented Mary Poppins.
Zoro stares up at her disappearing silhouette in bafflement.
"What the actual fuck?" He mutters to himself, retreating back into his and Sanji's room, shutting the door after him. Robin needs to get better staff, the ones she had all seem to be recruited from the loony bin.
He throws himself onto the bed with a sigh and shimmies so that his head is resting on a pillow. He rolls onto his side and faces a bedside table. Resting on that bedside table is a photograph in a bamboo frame, in the picture is a small bright eyed blonde boy, clearly Sanji as a child, and a woman with her arm around him. Zoro grabs the picture and inspects it closer. The woman is tall, slender and pale, much like Sanji is. Her eyes have the same familiar shape to them as Sanji's but they're dark brown, and instead of the blonde hair that Zoro had expected her to have her hair is jet black. She's holding a cigarette between her long thin fingers, a gesture that reminds him of Sanji, her mouth is also quirked with that clever smile he's seen on the blonde's face a hundred times. He frowns deeply, this must be Shakky, the collar around her throat is an obvious clue as well as her clear relation to Sanji.
But… he'd expected her to look like Sanji, she was his mother after all. But really he'd expected her to look like a female version of Sanji, especially as the blonde looked nothing like his father. Perhaps he had the other man's build, but Shakky was slender too. His mind flashes back to Fullbody and his pink hair and then to Coby with his own rose hued hair, they both had that Prince family look. But Sanji… Sanji didn't and he didn't look like a carbon copy of his mother either, though he had some of her features. Zoro shrugs and puts the picture down, poor Sanji, it seems like he doesn't fit in anywhere.