Thanks to KittyCooljade & TheMasterSushi13 (my regular reviewers) for doing what you do best. I always enjoy what you have to say about the story and your reviews are always hilarious. Demanding updates and all. Like I promised, Here is a new chapter. Will try working on the next one immediately. Can't promise having it up by tonight, but will have it up tomorrow morning or afternoon. U.K. time anyways. Hope you enjoy:

Shanks was resting peacefully. The worst part was finally over. He was still having trouble walking, but with Chopper's therapy it was all going to come to pass. The words "I am craving a chocolate cake" continued ringing inside Zoro's head as he trained in the crow's nest. But he was no baker, nor did he know anything to do with baking. He was a swordsman, not a cook.

He jumped down and wiped the sweat off his face to find Mihawk reading away.

"I will not let him go without a fight," Zoro said which earned him a hearty chuckle from Mihawk, "I will take everything you hold dear Mihawk –your title and your pride. Without that you are nothing. Just a mere pirate-"

"Having dinner with Red hair," Mihawk cut him short, "jealousy is such an ugly thing Roronoa. Very unattractive trait to have. Now be gone. You're such an eyesore."

"Watch the way you speak to him," Sanji replied as he walked on deck with bags of food, "also never forget that I cook your meals. Those words might just be your last."

The rest of the crew members walked up with sacks of food and barrels of cola and sake. Mihawk had the mocking expression he loved so much, "saving your damsel in distress."

"Shut up you shitty cook," Zoro growled.

"Your comeback was too slow shitty swordsman," Sanji growled back, "you looked so pathetic."

"Sanji! Stop your lollygagging and get the food in the kitchen. Usopp, you come up with another one of your diseases and I swear I will make you taste my fist," Nami shouted, "where is Franky, Brook and Luffy? They need to help put away the things. Is Chopper not done with the operation yet? Just how long does it take...Usopp! Quit slacking off. Zoro, you don't seem to be doing anything productive, help everyone else."

She rubbed her hands together and smiled at Mihawk, "you just keep on reading or doing whatever it is you were doing. It is your beli's that paid for all this food after all."

Mihawk scoffed and turned the next page. Zoro glared at Mihawk for a while before he went to help everyone else.

Nightfall came.

Franky and Luffy were still nowhere to be seen. Everyone had eaten. Usopp and Chopper were playing a game together whilst Brook took this time to go searching for Sanji's diary. Nami was in her room, drawing the island they had been on onto her large map. Shanks was having dinner with Mihawk. It was rather romantic. Robin smiled as she looked at how far Mihawk had gone. There was a table that Mihawk had actually set up with his own two hands. Roses were in a vase Robin had bought with her money. The white table cloth was immaculate, with polished silverware. Sanji used only the best plates he could find to serve their meal. He even placed the Straw Hats finest wine in the middle of the table for the both of them.

Zoro took a peek and found Shanks at the peak of his happiness. He had never seen Shanks look as radiant as he did at that moment. He looked at his rough hands that knew only to hold a sword and decided it was time they learned to do things differently. It was time he baked his first ever chocolate cake. Swallowing his pride, he walked into the kitchen to find Sanji washing the dishes.

"Oi, shitty cook," he said as Sanji wiped his hands and looked at Zoro.

"What do you want from me marimo head?"

Zoro looked into Sanji's eyes. He could not help but remember their kiss. That was the first time he had inhaled in Sanji's true scent. He had smelt of fruit salad and something else. Something he could not quite get his finger on.

"May-you-please-teach-me-how-to-cook," Zoro said quietly and hastily, but Sanji heard every single word.

He placed a cigarette in his mouth. He had never thought in his wildest dreams that he would hear Zoro saying such...words.

"What? I did not hear that."

"I SAID!" Zoro said loudly before his tone and volume dropped low, "teach-me-how-to-cook."

"What?"

"MAY. YOU. PLEASE. TEACH. ME. HOW. TO. COOK?"

"No," Sanji said as he continued doing the dishes, holding in his laughter. Zoro seemed rather desperate. This was not something seen every day. So he was going to sever the moment.

"Fine," Zoro smiled, folding his hands, "to think I wanted to kill time with you."

He waited for a reaction and when he got none he began to walk out. Sanji stopped him when he had opened the door, "maybe we could cook this one cake."

Zoro smirked as he closed the door behind them, "very well. Where do I start?"

"How about washing your filthy hands marimo," Sanji smiled.

Shanks looked at the food. He could not help but feel guilty. He had not even given Zoro a chance to explain himself. From the looks of things, Zoro seemed to have a reasonable explanation for what he had done. Maybe he could give him the benefit of a doubt. He had acted immaturely and it was time he handled it like a man. Truth was, as much as he enjoyed the company of Mihawk, he enjoyed Zoro's company twice as much. Just seeing his face made him feel all fuzzy inside, staring into Zoro's eyes came with a tingle. He did not have that with Mihawk.

"Excuse me," Shanks smiled as he got up, "I'm going to the rest room."

"Do you need an escort?" Mihawk winked but Shanks politely shook his head, "do not take too long. I am missing you already."

Clingy. Zoro never missed Shanks when he went to the toilet. In fact, Zoro gave Shanks some time to breath and do as he wished. He looked into Zoro's room to see if he was there but he wasn't. He saw a flash of green walk past the little window on the kitchen door. Zoro was in there. He began to walk towards the kitchen door. Zoro deserved a second chance.

Sanji watched as Zoro mixed the cake mixture and laughed at him, "you are too rough with it. Mix it properly like so..."

Sanji stood behind Zoro, his hands over Zoro's hands as he helped Zoro mix the cake mix. Zoro felt Sanji's hair tickling his face.

"You got some of the mixture onto your cheek Zoro," Sanji whispered.

Shanks could not hear what the two were saying, but they seemed to be rather intimate. He watched as Sanji licked some chocolate off Zoro's cheek and he closed his eyes. He could not bear it any more. Zoro did not deserve his sympathy. He was done with him. Completely. He walked towards Mihawk and pulled him up, "I know what you want Mihawk! Take me. I'm all yours. You don't have to pretend that this was just a friendly meal."

Mihawk smiled as he took Shanks on his offer, "is that really wise Shanks? I will not be able to hold myself back. You are already struggling to walk."

"Not to brag, but I am a Yonko," Shanks grinned at Mihawk, "if this is all it takes to take me down, I certainly do not deserve the title."

"I'm going to make you eat those words, Red hair," Mihawk replied. Robin smiled as she watched the two of them walk away, still worried about he incident between Zoro and Sanji in the kitchen. Were they going to recover? She was glad, however, that Shanks had not seen Zoro's reaction, or they would have patched things up too easily.

Zoro felt a hot tongue against his cheek and pushed Sanji away, "hey! What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry," Sanji apologized as he took a step back, "I just thought-"

"It's okay," Zoro sighed, "let's just finish the cake okay."

Sanji nodded as he looked at Zoro, "again. I am very sorry."

Zoro just shook his head. He could not let such trivial things get between the way of him and getting the cake ready for Shanks. He had to make things right between them. Truth was that the last few weeks with Shanks had been better than his whole two years with Mihawk. He could not just easily brush them off. Like he had told Mihawk, he was not going down without a fight.

Robin chuckled as she flew down from where she sat. It was all so fun to watch. Everything was going according to plan. Yes, a few hearts were going to be broken along the way, but it was all essential. Brook watched Robin. He knew she was up to no good and the relationship between Shanks and Zoro was the way it was because of the collaboration between her and Mihawk. He could not let them get away with it, but there was no explaining how he knew what he knew. Furthermore, he wanted to finish reading Sanji's black book. It was too funny. It was almost as good as reading his hentai books which Zoro disapproved of.

He had known something was wrong with him the moment he had asked him if he wanted to go peeking on Nami bathing, but never had he thought that he was the type who enjoyed peeking on Usopp and the others. No wonder why he had asked Luffy what other parts of his body he could use the gear third on. The pervert.

"Yohohoho," Brook laughed as he turned onto the next page, "your hair is like a field of green grass..."