Chapter 39! I know, I love cliff-hangers :P I hope all the characters are realistic like they are not too OC :) The next chapter will be the last, but it will be also the longest in this story! :)

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Sara stepped out of the kitchen to see the unconscious chef laying on the deck. Chopper had turned him around to lay on his back, checking his wounds quickly. Well, as if he was going to strip the blond out of his clothes in front of everyone.

Sara couldn't bring up the courage to step closer. She stood there, staring at the scene with wide eyes. It was her fault. She knew that everyone should blame her for the events. She didn't have the right to smile to the blond, not anymore. She bit her lip not to let tears escape her eyes, not before she would be back in the kitchen.

"Is Sanji-san going to be alright?" Brook inquired from the small doctor.

Chopper swallowed hard but nodded. "He has lost a lot of blood again but his wounds are not serious. They will just hurt a lot and take some time to heal, that's all," Chopper explained and relieved sigh escaped everyone's lips.

"So I guess I should go and hunt down more people with this rare blood type?" Zoro grinned slightly. He stared at the blond, worrying over the pale figure.

"We don't want you getting lost, Zoro!" Nami hissed. "Besides, I don't want to scare these people off because of our crazy blood hunter again!"

"Yosh! Leave it to the great Usopp-sama!" Usopp vowed and raised a thumb.

"I will come with you, Usopp-san!" Brook offered and the long-nosed man smiled slightly.

Chopper lifted the blond off the deck and headed towards the infirmary with their chef in his hands. "Could somebody help me out a bit?" he asked nicely.

"I will come," Zoro volunteered immediately and everyone around them gasped loudly. Everyone expect Luffy who started to laugh.

"I told you, they get along pretty well!" Their captain laughed while Robin chuckled behind his back.

Chopper barely had time to lay the blond down on the infirmary bed before Sanji regained his conciousness. "Sanji! You scared us out there!" Chopper hissed and Sanji managed a weak smile.

"You alive, Ero-cook?" Zoro inquired and Sanji stared at the green-haired man with wide eyes.

"Not expecting to see you here, Marimo," Sanji chuckled slighty but ended up coughing slightly. There was some blood stuck to his throat.

"Sanji," Chopper called out for their chef seriously. "I have to clean your wounds and put some stiches on but because of your loss of blood, I can't give you any anaesthetics or pain killers."

Sanji gulped slightly but ended up nodding anyways. As if he had any options.

"You can use my hand," Zoro offered but Sanji didn't understand what he meant.

"Eh?" Sanji voiced out.

"You can hold onto my hand and squeeze it as hard as you can when it hurts," Zoro stated and Sanji started to laugh.

Isn't he ashamed to say things like that in front of Chopper? Well, it's not like I care and besides, our secret is going to be revealed sooner or later anyways...if they don't already know...

"You sure think big of yourself," Sanji chuckled but grabbed the swordman's outreached hand.

...

Sara prepared a meal for everyone but she didn't want to join them to eat. She didn't deserve their company. She didn't deserve to be on the same ship with everyone.

"Hey Sara!" Luffy stepped out of the kitchen, mouth and hands full of meat. "Come and eat!"

Sara stared at the foolish, grinning captain before turning her head away. "I can't."

"Of course you can! Why not?" Luffy hissed slightly.

"Because I...I...hurt your nakama..." Sara staggered. She felt like crying again.

"Don't worry about it! We are pirates, after all!" Luffy grinned widely at the woman.

"I hurt your friend!" Sara raised her voice a bit. "Can't you understand?!"

"I understand it pretty well!" Luffy noted seriously. "But you also did your best to save my nakama which means that you are my friend!"

Sara managed a small chuckle and a lonely tear escaped her eye. She looked at the kitchen which door was open and saw everyone staring at their direction. Nobody seemed to despise her, nobody seemed to push her away. Even the idiotic swordman stared directly at her.

"Come on, Sara-san," Robin advised. "Your food will get cold or our captain-san will eat it before it does."

"Sara-san!" Nami waved at the woman, smiling brightly.

Sara couldn't understand what was going on but he wiped the lonely tear from her eye and laughed slighty. "Thank you, everyone!" Sara thanked them but remembered something which made her swallow hard. "And I am sorry! I lied about the log setting in ten days! It has already set!" Sara apologized, bowing her head deeply.

"Don't worry about it, Sara-san! We have a lot worse liar on board!" Nami grinned and stared at the long-nosed man who gulped.

"Nami-san is harsh!" Brook laughed and everyone relaxed, enjoying their meal.

...

Sanji stirred a bit after others had went to sleep. He had managed to stay conscious during Chopper's treatment but after that, he had lost his conciousness due to exhaustion. His vision was slighty blurry and there was a blood drip in his arm. He sighed deeply, staring at the white roof.

He felt the stiches itching his skin but Chopper had bandaged them so heavily that he couldn't scratch them. His torso was almost covered in heavy bandages and he couldn't move properly thanks to them. Well, it had probably been the small doctor's purpose to prevent any unnecessary movements.

He tried to remember the events of the day.

Ah, that's right...Sara lured me into the mansion and pirate hunters attacked us...I was captured, interrogated and saved by the shitty swordman... All of this makes me look somehow weak!

His savior knocked the door after seeing that the blond was awake from the small window.

"Come in," Sanji adviced and Zoro opened the door carefully.

"Are you alright?" The swordman inquired. He was seriously worried about the blond but at the same time, he seemed somehow annoyed and even slighty angry.

"I am fine," Sanji hissed and didn't even bother trying to sit up.

"You are an idiot," Zoro mocked: he was angry.

"I know!" Sanji admitted, chuckling slightly. "But you know me, I couldn't abandon her just like that."

Zoro raised his hand to slap the man and Sanji closed his eyes but opened them when he felt warm lips pressing against his instead of feeling a hand hitting his face. The kiss was more gentle than their earlier kiss: Zoro was probably trying not to hurt the blond.

"How are your wounds?" Zoro asked when their lips finally parted.

Sanji hesitated to answer for a while. "They are nothing serious, just normal puncture wound and normal broken bones and bruises," Sanji explained honestly.

"Good," Zoro stated and grinned slighty."Then you can have a sparring match with me."

Sanji blinked heavily but understood the message when the man crawled on top of him, an evil grin on his face. "Oi Marimo, you can't be serious!" Sanji hissed and tried to argue with the man before rough lips pressed against his lips.

Well, I might as well go along with his plan...but I might have trouble explaining my condition to Chopper tomorrow morning...

...

Author's note:

How did you like it? ;) I am working on the last chapter and I will try to finish it during the next week :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter ~