Annd… as I promised before.. I'll try my best to finish what has been started. Yeah, I should.. Hahahah!

Is there any suggestion or opinion from you guys about this story? I'm open to any suggestion or idea 😉

Eiichiro Oda- sensei still own One Piece, Hail Oda...~~ \(^o^\)

CURSED or BLESSED [21] : What is it That You Still Have?

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The Vampire bit his lower lip, He knew that feeling of guilt. That was why he wanted to comfort the beast, he needed to, but he couldn't gather enough courage.

"Sorry.." Zoro suddenly coughed and sat back, his face was reddened either from the bursting anger towards himself or he was crying seconds ago. Seeing such dismayed on the green haired were-wolf, Sanji felt sudden stinging bitchy feeling in his heart. Something he couldn't explain, but whatever he felt was bothering him so much he wanted to rip his heart out of his body. It might be what the Vill felt right now. Sanji huffed and squeezed Zoro's shoulder softly, giving him a little courage to go on.

Zoro gave into the sudden contact and let himself savored the warmth even for only seconds.

"So yeah, they chased us. They wanted me dead, but they had another plan for Luffy. They realized his power was tremendously important and they wanted to keep Luffy for themselves. Sabo tried to protect us, but as soon as they discovered Sabo was too a Razlet, he also became their target, they wanted him to be their collection. And that was where Garp-san showed up and protected all of us. He used all of his power to seal each and every one's memory who knew about this, but only some of us still know the truth. The other reason was.."

"The other reason was to stop Luffy falls into his current condition. Luffy loves him so much he knew it and he didn't want Luffy to suffer, so he also locked his memory." Sabo butted in.

"But Luffy has the right to know about this." Zoro huffed.

"I know. I don't blame you on this. You only did that to protect us." The dusty blond head smiled, hoping the beast would stop blaming himself.

"He over-rushed his power, asking us to go as far as we could."

"And that was how we met, Trafalgar-san. We ran to hide in your Village, Flevance because this idiot here was nearly losing his legs." Sabo cut then continued the story.

"Losing… his legs?" Sanji repeated.

"He was shot several times in his right leg, the other was harpooned down, but he refused to stop and we keep running."

"Uhh.. you don't need to recall that thing." Zoro cringed remembering the sensation, he shivered.

"That explained why he was nearly died losing blood." Law huffed, responding to the past.

"You are beyond salvation, and you seriously have to tend your brain, if not you will turn into a moss somewhere in the future for sure." Sanji added.

"Ahahahah! Turn into moss? That's funny!" Ace laughed.

"Not funny!" The green head snorted, exasperated. But the other joined Ace, laughing at Sanji's sneer.

"He will! He always like that." Sabo joined the laugh.

"Wait, wait… Where was that Shanks?" Law cut to dig more info to quench his curiosity.

"He helped Garp, but he survived. He was the one who tell us about Flevance and the townsman was expertly skilled with medical. After that he set everything and helped us to stay together with Zeff and his daughter. He himself had to hide from the world, the reason I can't tell now but.. he had too."Zoro answered.

"Then tell me one more thing. This Garp-san who locked our memory up until now, how could you unlock it?"

"His name itself was the key to unlock it. So yeah, from now on, you just couldn't for whatever reason mention his name to other people. And I got extra job to make sure Luffy didn't randomly shout his name." Zoro sighed in utter defeat. Keeping the boy shut his mouth was the hardest indeed. He preferred to be drowned in deep mud over and over again than had to keep Luffy shut up.

"So that's why everything was so hazy up until now…" muttered a voice. Everybody quickly fixed their gaze to the source of the voice.

"Luffy!" they shouted in unison, relieved that their youngest was now awake.

"How do you feel?" Law asked, helping the little noirette to get up. Luffy didn't reject the help he got from the lanky man. He sat still trying hard to stifle his sobbing.

"I feel-.. hollow..." He answered, coughing a bit. He didn't lie. He felt like shit and didn't want to know about anything anymore. He felt like his world crumbled in an instant, be it from the sudden loss and the fact that his very best friend hid something so essential like this. Luffy felt betrayed.

"Luffy.." The beast gruff voice called him. Luffy stole a glance, but quickly averted back, but Zoro didn't miss his gruesome features on his face. The green head twitched, sudden lump on his throat, he couldn't continue whatever he intended to do. Luffy was showing his animosity towards him, and it froze the Farligenete on his spot.

"I don't… I-" Zoro stuttered. He wasn't ready for this. He would never be ready to face Luffy hostility, because for Zoro, Luffy was his first best friend, the one who gave meaning to his life in the dark world, the first who accepted him without any intention behind it. And when Luffy acted like this, he couldn't describe it well but, he felt his world had been taken from him.

"Luffy! Why are you acting like this?" Sabo barked to his little brother.

"Acting like what?" the younger Razlet barked back.

"It's not his fault!"

"I don't blame him!"

"Then what? Why are you mad?" Sabo voice was two octaves higher. Luffy eyed him sharply, gritted his teeth.

"You aren't different, Sabo." He scoffed. With his trembling legs, he shoved the thin sheet, trying to stand up.

"Where are you going?" Law asked, blinking in confusion. Why the hell it turned into this chaos.

"Cooling my head." Luffy deadpanned and trying to walk from whatever the place was, but a hand suddenly hindered him.

"You don't need to. I'll go." His voice was faltering, though he still acted tough, Zoro was trying hard to rein himself.

"Marimo!" Sanji called, trying to stop him, but he didn't budge. Without second to waste, the Farligenete was gone.

"The hell with you, Luffy?!" Sabo hollered, couldn't fight back his anger inside. All of these were nonsense, especially the little noirette.

"The hell with you?! Why are you keeping this by yourself? How long do you plan to keep this anyway?! For the rest of your life?! Don't you think I have the right to know about this too?!" Luffy roared, he just couldn't control his raging emotion any longer. Although he knew they meant for his well-being, but this was not something they could decide without him, because it was also his problem, it was his grandfather for fuck sake!

"I.. I'll try to calm him down." Sanji said, knowing he had no use here. He couldn't do much for the noirette, he knew nothing about all these things, so he chose to do something he could, which was calming the green head down.

"Please. I appreciate that." Sabo responded almost pleading. The vampire nodded and swiftly spread his bat wings, flying away to chase his bond.

"Luffy! Don't go!" Sabo called him. Said boy took a peek from over his shoulder but he had no intention to stop.

"I need time to cool my head, Sabo." Luffy hissed then walked away out from the cave.

"I'll accompany him." Law initiatively gave the idea, so it would ease the older brother. Well yes, Luffy's stubbornness was problematic and for things like this was underlined arduous. Sabo heaved, pinching his nose bridge, exhausted.

"Yeah. Thank you for your concern." Sabo finally voice his thought. Law nodded in silent and leaved, following his little friend.

Yeah, they might need time to cool their head down. It wasn't easy to compromise with a stubborn head Razlet, a high pride Farligenete and a psychotic Razlet as himself.

"I'm drained." Sabo bemoaned, in which he was pulled into a warm – hot would be the perfect word though – embrace.

"I'm here." Ace murmured, giving his blond some loving stroke to calm his jumpy nerve down. The freckled demon caressed the ivory cheek of his love then placed a loving kiss on his forehead.

"Give them time. You need it too. You can talk about this later." He whispered, getting a weak nod in the crook of his neck.

"Yeah. You right." Said the voice languidly.

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"Stop following me, Torao." Luffy said flatly. He was still pissed. He just didn't understand why they had to hide a significant truth like this, and it was about his grandfather to double the churn he felt inside.

"As much as I understand that you are angry and yes, you have all reasons to be mad on them, don't you think they couldn't do anything? It was your grandfather wish, his dying wish?" Luffy stopped on his track, immediately set his gaze to the taller man behind him.

"Oh, don't tell me you just realize that now, do you?" Law arched one of his eyebrow. Luffy blinked several times.

"You do."

"But- it's..."

"They didn't have any choice, did they?"

"Then why Zoro told me?"

"You will find out eventually."

"Then why didn't he tell me sooner?" Luffy stayed stubborn.

"Oh c'mon Chibi, You have all the right to be angry or mad or anything you want. But I'm just guessing. So whatever reason they have with them, you have to ask them directly." Luffy's forehead creased while chewing his lower lip.

"I know you were upset, and you still are. But do you really wanna leave the problem like this? As far as I know, they just trying to protect you, or.." Law let his words hung in the air, trying to rile the smaller noirette's attention.

"Or what?" Luffy caught the bait.

"Or you are practically just a stubborn jerk?"

"I- I am not!" Luffy retorted.

"Well, it's yours to answer."

"… I just…" Law waited for Luffy to continue whatever he had in his mind.

"I- just… I just hate it! I hate it when they keep the burden by themselves. I know they don't want me to hurt but, but the way they keep the burden was just… I just hate it! I'm not a fuckin child anymore so why-"

"Because for them you are still their little brother, you dense idiot. And it won't ever change." Law deadpanned. Luffy's night orbs widened, stupefied. He never thought of that, he would never ever notice that. Not if nobody told him this.

"Even that is their reason, I still can take care of myself. I can decide what's best for me."

"Yeah, I know you can, Chibi. But isn't it normal for your older brothers to want to protect you? Just like you don't want to see them keep that burden by themselves, they don't want you to be hurt either." Law replied, crossing his arm in front of his chest, holding his long sword in the crook of his elbow, keeping their eye contacts on one another.

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"Are you crazy? We can't do that!" squeaked one of the three shadows in the tree. Its shape was round and had legs and wings.

"Yeah! Don't you remember we tried and tried and tried and nothing works on him!" added the other one, with a pumpkin shape head, with a short body like a doll.

"But then, then Lord will-"

"Ju-just told him that he has a demon guardian with him!" cut the winged one.

"Well, he sure has. Look, It's the death surgeon of hell! How can we fight him?" the pumpkin cried.

"There are three of us!" the third shadow whined, it was a flying object which look like a reaper, a small reaper.

"Yea? Consider there are only the two of you! I don't wanna die yet." The pumpkin hissed.

" which one do you prefer? Killed by the death surgeon, or by our lord?" asked the small reaper exasperated.

"N-… none! I- I don't want to choose!" the winged one answered, trembling.

"Wh-what if… pr- just pretended we didn't see any of this, uh…" the pumpkin in the shadow gave an idea.

"Th-That's a great idea!" the round one answered in relieve. The third just rolled his eyes, and before it could do anything else, he was already dragged by the others.

"Come, le- let us go. I- I'm sure lord had been waiting for us…" the wing one said while pulling its friend, while the pumpkin was pushing the reaper so it would go, leaving their spot before the death surgeon noticed their presence.

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The vampire found the grass head, sitting on the edge of a waterfall, staring onto the small lake in front of him. Flying closer to the beast's place, Sanji could smell the water-saturated air was so thick around them, far behind was a thick forest. Sanji landed behind the green haired man, ignoring the fact that his wings were still on display, he stepped closer to the beast.

"Oi Kuso-marimo." Sanji called the Farligenete who was facing him with his broad back. Zoro's wolf ears perked up and twitched.

"What do you want?" he asked without turning back.

"Why the sulking?"

"Who's sulking?"

"Is there anyone else here?"

"I am not."

"Oh c'mon. It's written all over your body."

"I am not, and how did you find me?"

"… Eh? I d- I don't know. It's just instinct."

"Ridiculous."

"I am not lying, baka-yarou*1!" and Zoro didn't respond him anymore.

"You know, he didn't mean that." The Vampire sounded his mind again, stopping on his track, in the back of Zoro's form.

"No. He has all the right. It's my fault."

"It's not. You're just trying to protect him. He knows that."

"It doesn't eliminate the fact that I'm afraid to tell him the truth."

"You just don't want him get hurt." Sanji was only several inch away from the dispirited beast. He was trying hard not to encircle his hand around the beast, hugged him. Zoro's dejected form looked so outcast, it suited him well, but in a way Sanji didn't like it. His ears were slumping down, but not his head, and definitely not his broad shoulders, they were still in their staunch form of manliness. The usual cold and strong aura he usually emitted was distorting into loneliness and dejected. As much as Sanji hated the fact that Zoro wasn't in his usual disposition, he couldn't help but to share his feelings.

"Hey…" The Vampire called Zoro while petting his head beneath him. The Farligenete instantly jerked, jingling his triple earrings. Sanji then brought his body to the same level as the green head sitting form, "Look, I know you're blaming yourself, but hear me this. Luffy doesn't blame you. He just needs time to cool his head from the news. He loves you to the point he doesn't like knowing you had to bear everything alone or the fact that you kept the secret up until now. He knew it perfectly, so that's why he chose this. Oh well, that's also apply on Sabo though."

Zoro shifted to face him, and giving a stare of disbelief. He blinked several times even after Sanji finished his speech.

"What? You don't believe me?"

"N-No.. I just.. it's just… amazing to hear things like that from you." The beast replied still with utter awe written on his face.

"Heeyy! I also have some advice to be told you know!" Sanji pouted, slapping Zoro's shoulder softly. The beast let out a weak smile as a respond.

"Hearing it from you, somehow it makes me feel a little relieve."

"seriously? A little? Only a little?!"

"Yeah, yeah, I feel relieve. Is that what you want?" Zoro snorted, rolling his only eye.

"Yeap! That pompous irritating demeanor suit you better."

"Hey, I'm not!"

"Oh c'mon, even a second grader knows this fact, why are you trying to deny the fact?" Sanji grinned and squeezed Zoro's shoulder, giving him some spirit to face whatever problem he had right now. Sanji wanted to help, but he didn't know what or how, so he did whatever he could, sweet-wording the beast wasn't not a bad idea, was it? And he was relieved that finally Zoro let out a small smile even he was snorting in between.

The blond fished out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took one out and lit it up. After some good minutes of sucking and puffing his cigarette, he broke the comfortable silence that was surrounding the two of them.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah. Thank you for your time."

"Whew~ Am I allowed to be giving a consultation now?" the blond puffed out another cloud of smoke.

"Kinda." Zoro answered curtly, chuckling.

"I believe I can have something in return then." Sanji smiled, a gleam of mischievous sparkling in his blue amber orbs. The beast blinked several times.

[This Nesatios really had what you called a pleasant surprise .time] and Zoro couldn't help but looking forward to it, somehow.

"Well, I can't refuse now that I had already used the service, can I?"

"You can be smart sometimes."

"Kuso-cook! What do you want in return then?" The Farligenete asked, keeping his wavering cold face, because he couldn't hold the exciting feeling bubbling inside him.

"Your sange. I'm kinda hungry." The vampire licked his upper lip in such suggesting manner.

"Well, serve yourself." Zoro huffed, bringing his hand towards the blond.

"Hey, it's not that cheap you know."

"Huh?"

"Well yes, I want to drink your blood, but this time I want to suck it from another part, can I?"

"Another place?"

"Your hand is too muscled, is kind of.. hard to suck from it."

"Hee~ So which part you want to suck from then?"

"Here..." Without giving Zoro time to think, Sanji was already moving to the beast's neck. Zoro flinched but he didn't back down. Instead, he let the Nesatios to do whatever he wanted. The blond reached Zoro's tanned neck, upon digging in, he could smell the pleasant smell again, the pure sweet, tantalizing scents.

"Is this actually your scent all along?"

"What sce- hhnn..." Zoro quickly grunted when he felt Sanji's teeth sunk into his sturdy neck. Well, he was muscled all over his body no less his neck, but it was still the most delicate part on him, uhh.. maybe. The beast shivered pleasantly when the Nesatios was starting to suck his blood off.

"O-...oi Kuso.. do-dont... Kkh..."

"You are delicious." Sanji teased, licking the oozing blood before he dug in again, sucking more of Zoro's blood to satisfy his hunger so did his lust in which he won't ever ever admit it. The Farligenetes savored the sensation, from the bit, the licked, the swirling tongue on his skin, everything were so tempting he had to focus all of his self-control not to jump on the clueless blond. Because you see, these past days, the more he saw the blond, the more he felt to pounce onto him and rode him, giving him all of his… uh wait, what was he thinking again?

"You like the sensation?" Sanji smirked sexily, making Zoro's tenacity crumbled in pieces.

"Shut up and eat guru-guru yarou*2!" the beast gritted his teeth, trying hard to hide his sudden awakening, well in a certain part of his lower body.

[Damn devilish cook!]

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"What do you know about losing someone important to you anyway? And totally forgot about them. Being left out like I was nobody? and being protected like an idiot?!" Luffy cried with voice rouse an octave higher.

"Hnnh you have no idea, Chibi." Law answered coldly. His usual calm face changed into something else, something painful, something excruciating. In that exact time, Luffy felt guilty for bringing the topic. Whatever happened to him right now, wasn't related to the lanky noirette, no less to blame him. The young Razlet realized that he had no right at all, to judge Law just the way he did, Luffy didn't even know his past. He was such a selfish bastard!

"So-sorry… I shouldn't say that…."

"I don't care. It's not that you know what happened to my past. But I tell you what, I once suffered your feeling and kept dwelling in it, and so this is what I become. I don't… want you to suffer the same." Law said softly, still with his trademark cold ice tone. Luffy immediately fell into silence, averted his gaze to the soil beneath him, he just couldn't say anything back. He knew he was just being stubborn, he knew one time somebody would fed up on his ego. He was afraid to be left alone to the point he couldn't understand himself anymore. His eyes were starting to sting, tears started to gather on his eyes, his vision was becoming blur and more blur.

"I know you lost someone precious, yes you have the right to mourn over him. But don't just think about the one you've lost. You can't get back what you've lost! Look around you, what is it that you still have?" Law continued when he saw Luffy stood still. With that last words, Luffy couldn't hold back his tears, his desperation. Everything burst out in an instant, flowing like a broken dam, fell on his knees, crying his distress out of his mind, out of his heart.

Yeah, he lost his grandfather, but then another one came with an addition of a beautiful mother and his brother was still beside him, his first best friend still around him, and then a lot of them were coming into his lonely life, and so did this particular person in front of him, so that he seemed to forget how was the taste of loneliness before they were around him.

Unconsciously Law pulled the little noirette into his hug. He just couldn't let him crying without someone whom could offer him a chest.

"I-.. I still have my naka-..ma.. I still have Jiji and Maki-chan… and..- and I found you-…." Luffy stuttered in between his uncontrollable outburst.

* HnO HnO HnO HnO – To Be Continued – HnO HnO HnO HnO *

*1 idiot bastard

*2 Bastard

Dammit! I have to re-read the Big Mom arc and try my best to catch up the last episode… I want to cry already.

And so how was it? Good bad? Haha~ please do review so, I could do others better.

Jyaa~ 'till next time ~o^/

HnO