Chapter 2 - Priorities
Zoro wasn't sure how long he had been sitting by that tree, possibly 15 minutes at most. It felt like a lot longer.
He was on edge, tension aching in his limbs. Zoro knew the cook was more than capable of taking care of himself; he'd never had to worry much about the idiot in battle. Despite that, he still found himself staring at the clearing where the blond had entered the forest below.
The sky was darkening above him, red and orange tinting the thinner foliage at the top of the trees. The forest was unnaturally quiet, the occasional chirp of birds and rustle of leaves almost grating on Zoro's senses as he listened intently. He anticipated the blond to come out of the forest any minute now. He wasn't sure if he was expecting Sanji to be smiling or frowning.
The swordsman sighed and leaned his head back against the tree behind him. His grip on the Wado tightened as he stared up into the branches above him.
The burning orange sky flickered through small jagged holes in the blanket of leaves. Of course Sanji was going to take a look at the book when he retrieved it. The blond was curious and way too prone to sticking his stupid nose into Zoro's business.
Zoro sighed as he closed his eyes. Would Sanji be angry that Zoro had assumed he wanted proof? Living without proof for so long might have made the blond bitter; Zoro hadn't meant the book to be an insult. He shook his head, clearing his mind of all these negative thoughts. Damn, all this silence was starting to get annoying. He couldn't even nap.
The breeze rustled the leaves above him, clattering his earrings as Zoro tried to relax a little. He would have heard any danger coming in all this silence. But the damage was done if Sanji didn't like the book. If the blond hated it, he could just say it was for Robin and he hadn't known what it was about.
He wouldn't even be lying. He knew the book had a couple of pages about the All Blue in it, but he didn't know what else was concealed in those pages. He hadn't even glanced over the All Blue part himself, how did that Captain Belon even describe it? Zoro tensed up, cursing himself for not looking the book over himself.
What if the cook didn't find the book? What if the thief threw it away and Sanji couldn't find it? The idea alone stung. If he'd read the All Blue description, he might have been able to come clean about what the book was and describe it to the cook. Describe some of it, at least.
Zoro kept his eyes closed and tried to imagine it; a clear blue ocean, rippling with life and glittering like a carpet of jewels in the sun. Maybe there was an endless variation of spices and fruit, growing on the banks of some strange island located in that legendary ocean?
The idea was wonderful; Zoro could barely wait to taste all the different things the cook could make with all those ingredients and bizarre fish. The swordsman grinned. Luffy was going to eat until he capsized the Sunny.
It would be a blast to catch all those fish too. They could throw out a net, or maybe Usopp could make everyone a fishing pole. Sanji would probably want to swim in it. He'd be yanking off his dress shoes and shirt and throwing himself overboard with that beaming smile on his face.
Warmth spread through Zoro's body when he pictured it: the cook's blond head surfacing, decorated by a giant grin and a soggy cigarette. Curled brow arched in joy when he waved them from the ocean below with his hair sticking to his face like an idiot. Zoro wouldn't be able to resist jumping overboard either. Swimming in the All Blue with Sanji sounded like too much fun. The devil fruit users were missing out.
Suddenly a loud, high-pitched scream tore through the silence of the forest, ripping apart his daydreams and startling Zoro into alertness with a jolt.
He stared at the clearing where Sanji disappeared, his heart hammering in his chest, wildly, when nothing moved around it.
That scream had been too masculine to be a woman, but too high-pitched to have been Sanji. It couldn't have been the cook, the cook didn't shriek. Especially when he knew Zoro could hear him.
On instinct, Zoro began running. His feet carrying him into the clearing where Sanji disappeared and down a branching path.
He had no idea where he was going. Branches pulled at his clothes and adrenaline pumped through his veins. He could hear slight rustles, crunching of leaves and broken branches a little further onwards.
He could also hear breathing; soft, controlled breathing coming from the clearing before him. Zoro saw a flash of gold in between branches and the familiar smell of tobacco lingered in the air before him. His nerves settled slightly, blood rushing inthrough his head.
"COOK!" Zoro burst in through the branches, into the clearing and paused right before Sanji's fancy dress shoes crushed his jugular. Sanji had whipped around, his expression deadly and determined, and the long leg was hovering less than a toe-length away from Zoro's adam's apple.
The blonde's face eased slightly when he recognized him, but he didn't lower his leg. Zoro waited, hand resting on his sword as he watched the other man's expression carefully.
It was the same strange expression the blond had had when he ran off, so why did it still give him that strange warm feeling in his chest?
"I thought I told you to stay, Marimo!" Sanji hissed, finally lowering his leg and flicking the ashes off his cigarette, "Don't tell me you sleepwalked here."
Zoro huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and grinning toat the cook. "I thought I heard a woman shriek. So I thought you'd had your ass kicked."
"THAT WASN'T ME, YOU BASTARD!" Sanji half shrieked and took a few large steps towards the swordsman, invading his personal space and glaring at him in a way that made Zoro's gut tighten. "And even if it WAS me, I wouldn't need help from a moss-brain!" The blond yanked the cigarette out of his mouth, getting much closer than usually.
Zoro didn't move, staring the blond in the one visible eye as they had their glaring contest.
"So who was it then? The thief?" Zoro arched a brow, feeling Sanji's smoky breath linger on his lips before the blond pulled away with a groan.
The heat must have been getting to the blond, since his ears were reddening slightly and the cook shook a little as he brought the cigarette back to his lips.
"Maybe. I didn't manage to catch up to him before that scream, so it could be that we lost his trail." Sanji looked away while he said that, and Zoro could feel his heart sink a little at the words.
It was gone then? The book was lost?
Now he'd never get to know if the cook would liked it or not. Or get to ask the bastard how that Belon guy described the All Blue. Maybe it was for the best, not knowing was half of the adventure after all. Still… the book had been the old man's treasure. Losing it like this was shameful.
"Don't make that face, bastard Marimo."
Zoro tore himself from his thoughts, looking up at the blond who was standing across the clearing. His expression was peculiar, a little pained and still soft.
Was the cook pitying him? No, it wasn't pity. Was it guilt? The blond was clearly upset, but why did he look like Zoro was tearing out his heart?
"What face?" Zoro challenged, still trying to figure out the meaning behind Sanji's strange, husky tone of voice.
"The mossy-idiot face" Sanji once again avoided eye contact, instead staring out into the forest before them. "Let's look for your stupid crap a little more; the scream came from somewhere around here. If we're lucky, the thief broke his leg or something."
Sanji walked into the forest, hands in his pockets and his lips puckered tightly around the cigarette. Zoro followed, looking the blonde's stiff posture over as he easily caught up in a few large strides. Sanji was feeling guilty, probably for losing the thief, and consequently, something Zoro had cared about.
Zoro grimaced a little. How would the blond react when he found out that they were going through all this trouble, getting themselves even deeper into the forest, for a gift Zoro intended for him?
What if the cook didn't even like the book, he'd probably try to kick off Zoro's head and scream at him. 'You got us into this mess over a shitty book like that?!' or something.
"Zoro?" Sanji was looking at him, his one visible eye still holding that guilty look that Zoro didn't understand completely. The swordsman shook his head, taking his position beside the cook and keeping up with his pace.
"I was just thinking." Zoro mumbled, glancing at the darkening skies above them. There was only a hint of sunlight left at the edge of the obscured horizon.
"Must be hard with a moss-brain like yours." Sanji teased, crushing his cigarette against the top of the packet.
"At least my brain doesn't shut off around women" Zoro spat back, grinning to the blond who grinned back. They kept walking in comfortable silence, both listening for any sounds and looking for any trail the thief might have left.
"Hey, Zoro?" Sanji asked low, almost like he was hoping Zoro didn't hear him. Zoro looked at the cook, noting how he wasn't looking at him again, staring into the opposite direction instead. Zoro made a mental note of mentioning this to Chopper when they got back.
"What?" The forest was extremely silent and Zoro could swear he couldn't even hear Sanji breathing. Was the blond getting sick?
"Were you in love with her?" Sanji turned to look at him, eyes dark and cold as he gestured to the white sword at Zoro's hip. "The previous owner of that sword?"
Zoro jerked slightly at the question, running his thumb subconsciously along the hilt of the Wado. He contemplated the answer for a few seconds, heat pooling in his face as he wondered how much he should tell the cook. Sanji's expression was serious and intense. Was the damn cook going to give him shit for fighting a girl 2,001 times as a kid?
"Maybe." Zoro groused, looking down at the Wado as he spoke. "We were kids; she was my rival. I didn't think about anything other than her and getting stronger back then." Zoro felt the ache come back: the familiar ache of regret. "When we spent time together, we only fought. We rarely did anything else."
Zoro looked up at the cook, who still looked like he was holding his breath, forgotten cigarette dangling on his lips. He pulled Wado from its home, the last rays of the setting sun reflecting in it as he thought.
"Yeah. I think I loved her. As much as a kid was capable of at least." With that, Zoro sheathed his sword, and glanced back to Sanji who was looking at him in a strange way. His eyes were slightly widened and a small smile was curling at the corners of his mouth. Zoro's stomach twisted uncomfortably from the look.
"Let's go find that thief, Marimo. We don't have time to chit-chat." Sanji tossed his head towards a few broken branches to the side. "Don't get lost."
"I don't get lost!" Zoro huffed, the serious mood gone and the tight feeling in his gut unwinding a little.
The cook was walking a little faster now, requiring slight effort on Zoro's part to keep up with him, as his long legs seemed to bounce him forward. The silence was comfortable, but there was something about the cook's gentle humming that kept breaking Zoro's concentration.
The swordsman's mind was in overdrive, trying to make sense of Sanji's behavior. The cook was suddenly much lighter in his step, that strange, weird-ass smile lingering on his lips as they walked.
A few times Zoro glanced at the blond, only to catch the other man's face turn away from him, his golden hair flying sideways at the sudden movement and there was that weird reddish color at the tip of Sanji's ears again.
Zoro knew that the odds of finding the book were slim-to-none now that they had completely lost the trail. He still wanted to try, they had the time and since they had come this far into the forest, they didn't have much to lose. It definitely didn't have anything to do with him enjoying Sanji's company. Not at all.
It would also give him some time to figure out why the cook was acting so strange. Just to make sure the blond was up for the next battle. The cook was usually less annoying when he wasn't fluttering around some female, but he was still annoying. The silence was shattered by a low, demanding grumble and Zoro glanced down to his haramaki.
He was hungry; he hadn't been hungry for weeks, the cook always made sure to feed them regularly or give them something to eat on the go. He glanced up at the blond, who was staring at him with a mixture of annoyance and anger. Zoro winced at the look; he could kiss his alcohol supply goodbye.
"You only bought alcohol with your money today?" Sanji accused, teeth grit in anger as he crushed the remnants of his cigarette threateningly underfoot. "You haven't eaten a single thing since breakfast then?"
Zoro grimaced, feeling overly conscious about his still rumbling stomach. "I wasn't hungry at the time." Zoro rationalized. "I was planning on coming back to the Sunny for dinner anyway."
"Zoro, LUNCH." Sanji hissed, rummaging through his suit pockets angrily for his cigarettes. "If you weren't planning on buying anything in town, I would have made you a packed lunch! I made some for Franky and Robin-swan!" Sanji pointed his unlit cigarette at the swordsman, who rolled his eyes and started walking again, passing the blond without a single glance.
"It's not a big deal cook. If I had been hungry, I would have bought something. I wasn't, so I didn't." Zoro listened to Sanji's angry footsteps resume, catching up to him in large angry strides. He could picture the expression the blond was wearing right now.
"I'm not letting you go first! You'll get us even more lost than we already are! Nami-swan is going to have to spend her precious money to feed that shitty-rubber!" Sanji lamented, stopping by a tree while he searched for his lighter. "The bastard better not upset her!"
The swordsman sighed, it was very unlikely Nami was going to feed Luffy with her own money. She'd probably force Usopp to cook something. He wasn't about to point this out to the cook, seeing as how the blond was babbling something about the unfairness of the world behind him. Instead he ignored the blond, walking into a shady clearing.
In the center of the clearing, back in the shade so it was almost impossible to make out, was a dark blob of some kind. Zoro narrowed his eyes, staring at the crumpled heap in the grass. Was it the thief? It was not big enough to be a whole person, but it wasn't moving either. Had the thief been killed?
"What are you looking at, Marimo?" Sanji joined him, stretching his neck to look over his shoulder and directly at the heap. "Is it the thief? Is he dead?"
Zoro drew out Wado, slowly making his way to the shadow on the ground. Maybe the book was in there, or maybe it was the mangled remains of the thief. The bad feeling Zoro had before returned, his nerves were strung tight. The swordsman glared down at the tattered fabric as he flicked the object over with the tip of his sword, preparing for the worst.
"Is your stolen shit in there?" Sanji asked from the edge of the clearing, flicking the lid of his lighter open with a loud click before closing it again. "If it is: grab it, and let's get something to eat."
Nothing happened and Zoro sheathed his sword, crouching down to pull up the fabric. Something wasn't right.
"It's not here." Zoro grumbled and raised the cloak to shake it thoroughly, still clinging to the hope that the book was concealed somewhere between the folds of the cape. "The bastard must have discarded his cloak because it was getting snagged on branches or something-"
"ZO-!" Sanji's sudden yelp was cut short by a thump.
Zoro turned around instantly, Wado drawn again as he glanced around the clearing for the cook. The blond was gone. Completely gone.
"OI! COOK!" Zoro called out, a chill creeping up his spine as nothing greeted him but the complete silence of the forest. Not even the grass rustled, leaving Zoro with nothing but the sound of his own breathing and thumping heartbeat in his chest.
"COOK!" Zoro yelled out louder, walking to where the cook had been standing moments ago. The scent of Sanji's shampoo and cigarettes still lingered in the air. There were no obvious signs of a struggle here and not even the cook was capable of getting lost this fast while standing still.
Something must have gotten the jump on him, right there behind Zoro, close enough for him to watch the blonde's back if only he'd been paying attention.
Zoro's grip on Wado tightened; if something managed to grab the cook AND silence him it must have been strong. Glancing around frantically for a clue, ANY clue to what happened, a small glimmer caught Zoro's eye.
It was Sanji's lighter, lying out in the open on the muddy ground. Zoro crouched down, picking it up with his free hand and dusting it off gently with his thumb. It was golden and intricate, covered in swirly patters and lines. Zoro rubbed the dirt from one of the larger grooves, investigating the ground thoroughly for more clues.
There was clearly something here. Sanji's cigarette was still burning on the ground, half covered in dirt and barely halfway burned out. Zoro stubbed it out, narrowing his eyes as he noticed strange ridges in the dirt.
Claw marks?
Zoro's eyes narrowed slightly when he counted ten relatively deep engravings in the dirt, each one the size of a thin finger. His heartbeat drumming in his ears, the swordsman followed the trail for three steps, before it disappeared into a mound of dirt and rocks.
A secret door?
It only took one good yank to rip open the strange organic lid on the large hole and Zoro recoiled slightly when he was greeted by a stench of rotting plants and…
Something else. He brandished all three of his swords before he jumped into the large tunnel that snaked under the surface.
There was only one possible way to go, so Zoro started running through the pitch black of the hole, letting his intuition lead him more than his sense of direction. He could feel the presence of the dirt around him and smell the horrible stench of some dead animal as he passed it.
The tunnel was silent, but not the same dead silence as the forest. There was something alive here… Something big, and dangerous.
Zoro picked up speed, making his way down a narrow path when something attempted to yank Kitetsu out of his grip. Reclaiming the sword from whatever had caught it, the swordsman had to stop running, backing up a few steps as he peered through the darkness.
Something snagged on his foot, sliding along the dirty floor before him. Zoro paused, sheathing one of his swords as he fished for Sanji's lighter. It took two or three tries with his thumb on the wheel before the soft flame flickered across the tunnel.
The dirt was soft and looked worn. Whatever had made these tunnels wasn't human. It looked like it had been nudged or clawed away and thick and large silken thread stretched from tunnel to tunnel, now slightly marred from where Kitetsu had damaged it.
There, tangled in the web just before Zoro's feet, was the book that had been snatched from him earlier that day. The swordsman crouched down, pulling the book free from the stubborn sticky web and brushing off insects. He'd gotten the book back!
-But lost the person it was meant for, meaning that he really hadn't managed to achieve anything by this. He still only had half of the whole. He tucked the old book into his haramaki, rising back to his full height as realization dawned on him.
Spiders. Zoro suddenly grew hyper aware of the soft clawing sounds from somewhere further down the tunnel.
This was the burrow of a large tropical spider of some kind, judging from the width and height of the tunnel, this spider was easily the size of a horse. Zoro started running again, his blood running cold at the idea of such a large and possibly poisonous spider.
There was no way someone as strong as Sanji could have been poisoned or eaten this easily.
Normally Zoro wouldn't be this concerned; but he could faintly remember Usopp talking about Sanji being scared of spiders once. Or, at least, that was what the sharpshooter had started saying before he'd gotten a kick to the head and Sanji started yelling at Zoro that the long nose was lying.
If the cook was truly scared of spiders, he could have gone into a panic or frozen in shock. Even people that WEREN'T scared of spiders would probably panic if one larger than themselves yanked them into a dark tunnel.
Zoro held his breath, trying to inhale as little of the horribly stale and pungent air around him. He sheathed his sword; trying not to get it caught on the sticky web again.
His thumb was getting warm from holding up the lighter as he made his way past animal remains and thick spider webs, each step brought him closer to the muffled echo of something familiar.
He could hear the uncomfortable crunching of insects under his feet, swarming around his boots and fluttering from wall to wall, some of them drawn to the flame of his lighter.
An occasional bug landed on his hand; crawling up his fingers towards the flame until its antenna burned off and it fell on the ground with an agonized squeak.
The air was getting thinner and the stench was growing stronger. It was the stench of death; Zoro could tell from the horribly acidic scent that lingered around his nostrils and down his throat. Zoro wasn't a squeamish man; he'd seen plenty of death in his relatively short life.
Half eaten animals dangled from webs and stared their maggot ridden eyes at Zoro, who only got more determined to ignore them each step he took.
Oddly enough, the flame of the lighter was growing brighter, the long tongue of fire stretching almost completely up to the ceiling now.
Zoro grimaced from seeing all the rotten animal corpses and watching the light flicker off of the viscous pools of blood and bodily fluids. Zoro tried his best not to step in them.
None of the remains seemed to be human. Either the spiders ate them completely and left nothing to rot, or they brought them to a specific place to eat.
Maybe to feed their young? Was that where they were taking Sanji?
The smell was getting worse and the sounds were getting louder, the occasional echo of the cook's voice reached his ears, urging him forward almost desperately.
He wanted to get out of here and NEEDED to get the cook out of here. The tunnels split into multiple ways, each one as dark and pungent as the other.
Zoro squinted into the darkness, listening as close as he possibly could for Sanji. He needed something, anything. He couldn't make a wrong turn here. It could cost the cook another shred of sanity and he didn't have much to begin with-
"GO AWAY! YOU HORRIBLE HAIRY MONSTER! GET YOUR SHITTY WEB AWAY FROM-"
Zoro's heart jumped at the sound and he started moving again, choosing the leftmost hole and relying on his instinct. Sanji was in good enough condition to scream, even if the abrupt stop to his insult was rather alarming.
He wanted to yell out; call out for the cook to tell him he was on his way. He grit his teeth, holding back, in this case it could be crucial to at least have the element of surprise.
He was hunting another predator after all. One that could see in the dark and handle the rapidly dwindling oxygen supply better.
The tunnel air was possibly more gas than oxygen now, and the flame of the lighter was still getting dangerously long. The insects were getting larger and more aggressive about climbing his hand to swarm the flame.
Zoro grimaced and put the lighter out, shaking the bugs off as he focused on following the muffled sounds of the cook's voice.
It took a few seconds for Zoro's eyes to adjust to the dark again. He slowed his pace slightly. Sanji's muffled yelling was getting louder with each step he took. He could hear the anger and fear in Sanji's tone from where he stood.
Then, when he rounded a corner, he could see the uncomfortable silhouette of something large and eight legged in the tunnel, carrying something long and squirming. The white of the spider web contrasted the darkness.
As silently as he could, Zoro drew his swords, holding his breath and hoping the spider couldn't smell him through the pungent odor around them.
The tunnel was dark enough, and the spider was struggling to wrap a web around Sanji's mouth with the slow, unnatural movements of its forelegs.
One slash. This was only an insect after all, a giant insect, but still probably just an insect. One slash to cut it wide open, then he'd snatch the cook and get out of this horrible place.
Zoro placed the Wado into his mouth, trying to inhale as little as possible as he did. Some sort of insect crawled over his shoulder, but Zoro ignored it, getting the cook back was his only thought now.
Zoro crouched, staring at the slightly brighter silhouette of the wrapped up blond. In a second, it would all be over.
"Oni-" Zoro groused and the spider paused, turning clumsily in the narrow space. "-giri!"
The hairy beast barely managed to turn halfway before Zoro sliced his way through its hairy midsection, cutting it into three writhing and twitching parts as it shrieked in agony.
Thick green liquid oozed from the cuts, legs clawing at the tunnel around them before they twitched and drew towards what was left of its torso.
"MMH-HM!" Sanji screamed through the thick web around his mouth and Zoro had to squint to see the blonde's pale face through the dark. He looked panicked and relieved at the same time, kicking and struggling to raise his head from the insect covered ground.
"Sshhh- be quiet idiot cook-" Zoro hissed, running his fingertips down Sanji's face as he tried to slide his fingers under the web to rip it off. Sanji was cocooned all the way up to his nose, leaving only half of his face exposed. "I'll try to get these off and we'll get out of here-"
"BMMFH! HMMPFHH!" Sanji struggled, staring at him wide eyed as insects crawled through his golden hair. "GMMHH- HMMM OPFFFF MHP!" The cook shook his head frantically, giving Zoro a pleading look as a large beetle crept up the side of his face.
"Don't be such a wuss-" Zoro huffed as he brushed the insects off Sanji's hair and face and tugged on the web around him impatiently.
He raised the blond up and rested him against his knee as he struggled to get his fingers under the web. It was too tight and was sticking to the cook's face, making it impossible to get any grip without his hands getting stuck to the blond.
" Hold on- I need to see what I'm doing." Zoro stopped yanking for long enough to raise Sanji's lighter, the flame rising almost completely to the ceiling of the tunnel. Sanji gave a muffled whimper when the light illuminated the giant hairy spider. Its dozen eyes stared at them with a morbid red glisten.
A few more minutes Zoro struggled, one hand yanking at the web as another one held the lighter. After a lot of struggling, Zoro managed to grab hold of a patch of web at Sanji's side, yanking it out and stretching it enough to free Sanji's hand up to his wrist. This web wasn't sticky and somehow slid together into a thick rope while in Zoro's grip. Strangely, it was slick.
Oil?
"THERE." Zoro grinned in satisfaction when Sanji's free hand started clawing at the web it could reach. "Hold on or you'll get it stuck again-" Zoro hissed, slapping the cook's wrist as he started investigating the oily substance he'd contracted from the web.
Magnolia?
"HMM-HF!" Sanji's hand suddenly grabbed Zoro's hand, yanking him forward as the blond stared past him into the dark tunnel.
"What are you doing crap coo-" Zoro's sentence died in his throat when he could see the long hairy legs appear around a corner at the edge of the illuminated hallway. The hairs at the back of his head stood on end, the cook looked terrified, arching his neck as much as the web allowed to stare down the other end of the hallway.
Zoro listened for a few seconds, hearing multiple hisses and the crunching sound of heavy legs crushing bones and dirt coming from all directions. It sounded like more than one spider, it actually sounded like a dozen.
"MMMHM." Sanji stared at Zoro with extremely determined expression. His eyes were wide with fear and anger as he let go of Zoro's wrist and pointed to the ceiling of the cave. "MMHM!"
"Up?" Zoro repeated and the blond nodded, squirming to sit up with his cocooned torso. Zoro put the Wado back into between his teeth, taking a few steps away from the blond so any dirt from the ceiling wouldn't bury him alive. Zoro looked up, trying to remember how far down the hole had been.
"HM-HM!" Sanji urged as the sounds of spiders got closer.
"I know, be silent, curly bastard-" Zoro grit his teeth, sending all his strength into a 300-pound cannon into the earth above them.
The dirt collapsed and fell around him, piling at his feet, yet there was no sky in sight. Zoro sent up another one, glaring up at the collapsing roof as the tunnel started shaking and crumbling around them. The walls wouldn't be able to take another hit without them being buried alive.
Luffy would never forgive them if that happened.
The spiders were hissing loudly a short distance away, trying to make their way through the crumbling walls. Sanji was struggling to shake the dirt and insects from his hair as Zoro stood still in the tunnel, staring up as the dirt hit his face and piled on his shoulders.
Open.
Zoro's grip tightened on the Wado, his knuckles whitening as he grit his teeth around her.
Come on. Open.
Sanji huffed behind him, falling to his side when the walls started caving in, dirt piling on his wrapped up legs.
It can't end like this.
The soil closing the large hole Zoro had created sagged, tearing apart as the layer of grass gave in and fell into the hole. Zoro grinned, air pouring into the tunnel and the stars glittering through the thick canopy above them.
It wouldn't end like that.
"COOK! WE'RE OUT." Zoro sheathed his swords, running to the blond and yanking him from the tunnel floor and tossing him over his shoulder.
The cook gave an insulted howl and hit Zoro on the back with his one free hand while Zoro began climbing, pulling himself up on the thick tree roots and staring up at the inviting night sky above them.
Each grip on the tree's massive roots brought him closer to the surface, each new gulp of air was cold and fresh. The hissing of the giant spiders didn't matter now, he could kill them all later when he was away from the stench that made his eyes water. When the cook was free and could fight with him.
His fingers clawed at the grass as his head broke surface. Green was level with green for a moment before Zoro hauled the blond out of the hole, pulling himself up and groaning with the effort. Sanji rolled to the side of the hole, propping himself up with his one free hand and staring at Zoro angrily.
"MHMM! MHNN- MPH!" He gestured to the hole that was sinking towards the opening. Long hairy legs rising from it like some sort of tentacle.
"I KNOW ALREADY!" Zoro huffed, drawing his sword and cutting down a nearby tree, watching it fall for what felt like an eternity until it hit the ground with a loud, earth shattering thump.
The hole caved in further, the spider legs withdrew for a second before rising again with an angry hiss.
Zoro cut up the tree, jumping over the massive trunk and bracing himself at its side. His heels sank into the dirt as he started pushing, the bark grating the skin on the back of his shoulders as he pushed with all his might. Rolling the giant piece of wood over the opening in the ground and breaking off the one protruding spider leg.
The ground under them sank a little. The giant piece of wood disappeared halfway into the ground before it stopped, closing off the hole and blocking any of the multiple spiders from following them. The night stilled again as the sounds of hissing died out and the heavy breathing of the two lost Strawhats filled the cold night air.
Zoro looked over to the cook, watching him lie on his back and stare up at the sky. He looked paler than usual; his skin glistened with sweat in between the thick webbing. Zoro let his eyes linger on the blond, adrenaline rushing through his veins and sending a strange warm tingle through his chest and all the way to his fingertips.
Zoro got to his feet, shook dirt out of his green hair, and rubbed the back of his neck as he made his way over to the cook. Sanji turned his head, dirty golden hair fanned out in the grass as the cook looked at him, one visible eye resting on him as he came closer.
The heavy feeling in Zoro's gut returned as he crouched next to the blond. "You got lost."
Sanji tossed back his head and let out a muffled laughter, soft wrinkles forming at the bridge of his nose as his giant grin stretched the sticky web it was hidden under. Zoro grinned at the sight, watching the cook struggle to breathe through his nose as he laughed.
Zoro chuckled when he noticed the blonde's nostrils flaring madly at the effort, his chuckles eventually breaking into an all out laughter.
The tension drained from his body as he watched Sanji attempt to pull his arm free from the spider web. He had the book now. They could get back to the Sunny now. Home sounded so good, a long hot shower to clean off that smell.
"You can't get it off like that curly-brow." Zoro hummed as the laughter died out, grabbing hold of Sanji's wrist and pulling it towards him to examine the strange oil lathering the cook's coat.
The blond didn't put up a serious struggle, barely trying to yank his hand out of Zoro's grasp as the swordsman ran a thumb over it to gather the slight slick of oil between Sanji's fingers.
Zoro smelled it carefully, recognizing the scent of Magnolia oil. "It's oil, it makes the spider web less sticky for some reason." Zoro pointed out, glancing down at the cook who was looking away from him, staring out at the pitch black forest.
The blond didn't do anything; his hand not making any advances towards the web. Zoro rolled his eyes, attempting to slide his own oil-slicked fingers down the side of Sanji's face to pull on the spider web.
It worked! His fingers slid under the white webbing with ease. Zoro could feel the cook's pulse quickening in his grasp as he pulled at the web, feeling the contours of Sanji's lips at his fingertips. Maybe it was uncomfortable? Like tearing off a band-aid slowly? His fingers stopped at the corner of Sanji's lips, oil gone as he pulled back his fingers.
"The oil's all spent, I need more of it if I'm going to get these off." Zoro grumbled, forcing the blond to look at him with a determined yank on the mouth-web. "Got any more on you?"
Sanji stared at him, nostrils flared slightly before the cook let out a low groan, possibly of defeat before he started pulling at the web around his pants' pocket. The action only tightened the web around his arm, immobilizing the previously free appendage.
"You're just going to make it worse by struggling, you idiot-" Zoro grumbled, receiving a venomous glare from the blond and a spirited attempt at a kick to the knee. The struggling only made the web around Sanji tighten and Zoro pushed the blond down into the grass to stop him from strangling himself.
"It's just in your pants pocket, right?" The swordsman pulled gently at the oil-covered web at Sanji's pocket, lining his hand up with the cook's thigh and trying to slide his fingers into the pocket. It was tight, but the fabric seemed to be soaked enough to transfer some oil to his fingers. He could feel the outline of the bottle through the web.
Zoro arched a brow when Sanji's entire body seemed to stiffen under his palm. Sanji's face paled considerably as the cook stared at him wide eyed for some reason. Was the cook really that much against Zoro helping him out of this tangle?
"It's the only way to get you out of there-" Zoro paused, grinning in challenge. "-Unless you want me to carry you back to the ship like a big sack of particularly stupid potatoes?"
CHAPTER 2 - END
Special thanks to A3shFaerie, the lovely beta for this story!
Please tell me what you think! (I had to study spiders and ... decomposition... for this story. Ugh.)
-BBB!