Chapter 16

Update

Zoro suddenly opened his eyes, his senses on alert. In less than a second, he had sat up on the bed and reached for his swords which rested against the wall not far from him. Eventually, the voices that had roused him from sleep died away and the swordsman realized that they were only inhabitants passing in front of the house. He then glanced out the window and noticed that the day was slowly breaking outside.

The fencer fell back on the bed, reassured. Amid the almost surreal quiet of the island, the slightest noise grew louder and in these unfamiliar surroundings, it was no surprise his instincts kept him on high alert.

He turned his head to his left and watched the quiet breathing of the blond next him. Obviously, Sanji had got used to this atmosphere and he still slept peacefully. Zoro smiled appreciatively as he recalled the events of the previous evening.

After the first round in the kitchen, the cook had dragged him upstairs for them to take a shower before continuing the festivities. At least, that's what he had told Zoro before pushing him under the hot water, but the fencer had started to have doubts when his companion had joined him, a mischievous smile on his lips. Zoro had immediately understood that the blond intended to take charge again and he had beaten him to it, pressing his lips against his with fury, and not forgetting they had challenged themselves.

The skin of the cook under his fingers was still pale despite the three summer months he had spent on All Blue and the swordsman had lost track of time while his hands had powerfully traced the contours of his slender figure. Free of their clothes and the urgency of their desires, Zoro had been able to let his fingers slide over Sanji's firm shoulders, his perfectly defined chest and stomach up to his formidably muscular thighs. He had increased the pressure of his tongue in the mouth of the blond who had fought him for a moment before yielding to his insistence. The fencer had then stepped into the breach and his hands had settled on the cook's face to better hold him.

Zoro had thought he was holding his companion in his power but he shouldn't have relaxed. He should even have been wary of his apparent docility but at that moment, he had been intoxicated by the contact of his lips and hands which played to make him shudder, moving slowly towards their goal then freezing on his hips.

Suddenly, the blond's mouth had torn from his and Zoro had taken a second to understand the reason. A second too long. The next moment, the tongue he had just left had wrapped around his virility which had regained all its vigor after these last minutes and the swordsman had realized he was trapped. Sanji held him firmly and his lips exerted a delicious pressure on his manhood. The fencer had tried to regain control of his own body but when he had opened his eyes, the image of the blond between his legs had taken his breath away. His hair waterlogged and his skin dripping, the cook was panting around his member and the almost inaudible moans escaping him had changed Zoro's mind.

To hell with it, he would catch up later.

Surrendering to the gestures of his lover, he had leaned heavily against the cold tiled wall and his fingers had slipped awkwardly between his soaked blond strands. Zoro had closed his eyes. The feeling had been intoxicating but it wasn't just about his desire being satisfied. It was also about the presence of the cook at his side, his crewmate whom he hadn't seen for months. The physical absence hadn't been the only one to finally be filled, there had also been the inner world that he had forged with the blond that had reformed.

Zoro had been enveloped in this feeling of plenitude and the ecstasy hadn't taken long to catch up with him. Sanji hadn't commented on his relative stamina and his lips had trailed up his chest and neck sensually before kissing him passionately. The swordsman would have liked to return the favor or even take his revenge, but the lascivious rhythm of the cook's caresses and his two orgasms of the evening had made him sleepy. The blond had guided him out of the shower and wrapped him in a towel and even helped him dry off, clearly aware of his lethargy.

The fencer still remembered how slow the blond had been when he had wiped Zoro's body and how reverent he had been when he had briefly rubbed his wet hair. Sanji had seemed absorbed in his task and the swordsman had let him do it, strangely satisfied with being the object of such care. In the end, he had landed in this bed and his eyes had closed less than a second later. The last thing he remembered was the softness of Sanji's lips on his own.

Zoro ran his tongue over his lips. Remembering all of this while the cook rested a few centimeters from him awakened his instincts. He observed his naked body hidden by a simple sheet revealing his shoulders and part of his back. Sanji was sleeping on his stomach and his face wasn't turned towards him but the ample movements of his breathing confirmed that he was still well settled in the land of dreams.

The swordsman had a predatory smile and leaned towards his companion, his breath brushing the blond hair of his neck. Zoro then noticed that the cook's right hand rested not far from his face and he placed his own on top, wrapping it completely. Sanji's hands were his treasure and the fencer ventured to caress his skin with his fingertips, honoring them while taking advantage of the fact that nobody could see him. He pressed his lips on Sanji's shoulder, kissing him ardently along his back while his pelvis began to move against his lover's hips.

Zoro stifled a moan against the warm skin of the cook's back. The rubbing of his member against the plump shape of the blond's butt for a few minutes was no longer enough. He sank his teeth languidly into his shoulder and felt Sanji shudder. He knew that his companion was now well and truly awake. Under his right hand, that of the blond had tightened on the sheet and his whole body was trembling, trying to meet the caresses of the swordsman.

Without a word, the fencer slided his hand under his lover's waist in order to position him on the side, with his back to him. His hand then immediately slipped to the cook's manhood and noticing his excitement made him smile. Sanji moaned plaintively when the swordsman's fingers left him as quickly as they had appeared, but Zoro had another idea in mind. So he pushed his companion's right leg back on the mattress while keeping his body against his own chest, allowing him to have greater access to his private parts. Sanji shivered and Zoro nibbled his neck again, reveling in the scent he hadn't breathed in months.

It was his turn. His turn to possess the cook lying in his arms. Despite his words, the swordsman had often dreamed of it in recent weeks.

Quickly, the blond's heavy breath turned into gasps because of the fencer's fingers and Zoro decided he didn't want to wait any longer. His member pulsated against the back of his companion who responded to each movement of his pelvis to add to his pleasure. Eyes clouded with desire, the swordsman pushed back his lover's leg again to slide inside him while he leaned on his left arm and his right hand was wrapped around the chef's waist. Another advantage of the flexibility of the cook who raised himself slightly on his forearms to make the most of the feeling the fencer was giving him. Sanji then let his head fall forward and Zoro immediately moved at a steady pace, savoring the hoarse moans of the blond with each of his thrust.

The swordsman pressed his mouth on his lover's shoulder blades, his eyes closed. How he liked to feel the cook's muscles contract around him. Those of his back which accompanied his gestures, those of his stomach which tensed under the pleasure, those of his butt which tightened on his own virility to send him towards the stars.

Feeling the imminence of his climax, Zoro tightened his right hand on his companion's waist before quickening the pace even more. Sanji gasped in surprise and threw his head back, offering the skin of his neck to his lover's lips who hastened to seize it.

A few moments later, their movements finally slowed down and their breathing gradually resumed after the final explosion that had taken their breath away. Zoro fell back on the bed and dragged Sanji with him, panting against his shoulder. He then turned his head towards him and brushed back the lock of hair that was obscuring his view, amused.

"I like this kind of wake-up…"

"If you got up before noon, you'd enjoy it more often," His crewmate replied, definitely out of breath.

"Speaking of which…" The swordsman nodded toward the window behind him. "... Aren't you late, cook?"

The blond followed his gaze before straightening up suddenly, panicked. The light was already invading part of the room and he jumped out of bed to grab his things while the swordsman sank back into his pillow with satisfaction. Zoro was about to close his eyes when his pants landed in his face.

"Hurry up, mosshead, you're coming with me. You'll never find your way back to the Sunny otherwise…"

Sanji turned up in the ship's galley in record time, dragging the swordsman who was struggling to keep his eyes open behind him. As he abandoned him on a chair and the fencer's head hit the table when he fell back to sleep, the blond just shrugged. His whole being was absorbed in the contemplation of the room he loved more than any other: his galley. At first glance, his utensils were pretty much in their places and he quickly opened his drawers to check. He then replaced a few wooden spoons and his beater before looking at the contents of the fridge.

The cook smiled when he noticed the perfect arrangement of the stored food. He had no doubt that Nami and Robin had been in charge of this part. In a flash, he assembled in his head the different foods available to form a hearty breakfast and then grab the ingredients. He then opened his cupboards with a sure hand and, with a few exceptions, quickly found all his work tools.

About twenty minutes later, a tantalizing smell of grilled bacon drew the crew around the table and everyone sat down, sniffing the air with delight. Luffy woke up his first mate when he screamed with joy as he received his share and the girls marveled at the profusion of fresh fruit and hot buns offered. Chopper didn't know which way to turn between his chocolate milk and raspberry tartlets while Brook was humming merrily, pouring himself a cup of tea. Usopp and Franly weren't left out and while they were discussing the sea scooter's performance, the cyborg uncapped a new can of cola to go with his omelet as the sniper hungrily ate a huge bowl of cereal.

Sanji leaned against the sink and looked at his friends, a smile on his face. There was nothing like being surrounded by your loved ones again…

After breakfast, the cook had time to do the dishes and take a look at the supplies before Lily and Liam arrived on deck. The scientist went to Franky's workshop to retrieve the data that hadn't been sent and the young woman came to inquire about the fish the blond wished to prepare, meeting him as he finished his cigarette.

"What about sardines?" The blond said after taking a few moments to think.

"Okay. How many?" The fisherwoman inquired.

"Oh, a good fifty."

Lily stared at him, her eyes wide, and Sanji scratched the back of his head, sheepish. "It's because, in addition to the meal for the harvesters, I was planning to make some for the crew but I understand it could be too much work," He apologized.

"Wh-What? No! But are you sure you want to continue taking care of the meals for the villagers? Your friends are back and those evening meals are a gigantic task!" She pointed out, astounded by his attitude.

"No problem, sweet Lily!" The blond reassured her with a dazzling smile.

"You're gonna make meat, Sanji?!" Luffy immediately inquired, tumbling upon hearing his cook mention food.

"Later," The man eluded, his gaze fixed on the surprised figure of the young fisherwoman.

At the same time, Nami, Robin, Franky and Liam emerged from the cyborg's workshop, their arms full of papers, and Sanji unfolded a table and chairs on the grass of the deck. "Nami-san, Robin-chan, sweet Lily, come sit down! I'll make you a delicious fruit juice!"

"Perfect," The redhead approved, "We can talk about everything we have learned." Everyone nodded and took a chair while Brook, Usopp, Zoro and Chopper also appeared after taking advantage of the beach to train or rest.

When Sanji came out of his galley a few minutes later, he gave personalized fruit juices to everyone before settling down at the Sunny's table with them.

"So, have you been able to make any progress in your research?" Usopp asked the scientist, looking at the wads of papers on the table.

"Yes, the data you sent me was very useful. I haven't had time to look at them all in detail, but what I saw has already allowed me to answer a few questions," The dark-haired man replied with a broad smile.

"What did you discover?" Chopper inquired immediately, his tiny paws around his glass of strawberry juice.

"I was first interested in the simplest subject: trying to understand how the radio waves of the Den-Den Mushi filter through the sound waves of the doors to allow communication."

"That's the simplest subject?" The sniper grimaced.

"It doesn't look easy when you don't know it," Brook agreed. "How did you do it?"

Liam patted the headset around his neck. "It wasn't so complicated because the method is widespread and I just lacked data. Actually, to study a sound, you generate acoustic signals whose characteristics are known and then you examine what they become when they go through the system you're studying. Telecommunication waves are the best known, so I followed them every time you went through the doors and I just studied what was happening."

"What did you find?" Zoro wanted to know, his pleasantly alcoholic drink almost gone in his glass.

"I was able to confirm that the sound waves from the door are made up largely of extremely low infrasound which has the ability to pass through obstacles more easily than high frequencies," The scientist explained excitedly. "This often results in a very long range of acoustic energy and that's what I observed here: they carry the communication with them through the door!"

"Were you able to determine the cause of the interferences we noticed?" Robin asked.

Liam nodded strongly. "Actually, it's quite logical," He continued. "The difficulty for this radio wave is to be picked up by classic relays because in the middle of the ocean, they lose power before reaching them. That's why communication goes through the door but then it's hard to reach our interlocutor."

"Why do they lose their power?" Franky asked, frowning.

"Because of the atmosphere," Nami answered, "Radio waves are attenuated by rain and can also be reflected or guided by the upper atmosphere."

"Exactly," Liam agreed, "It's quite a common phenomenon."

"What can we do about it then?" Sanji inquired.

"The most obvious would be to modulate the radio waves at the beginning of the signal so that they escape natural disturbances," The scientist answered. "Using a repeater transmitter could also help keep the wave going to the receiver."

"You can do that?" Chopper asked, impressed.

"I've already started to work on a prototype of wave modulation," The dark-haired man affirmed, "Regarding the transmitters, it won't be complicated but we'll need to position them as close as possible to the doors each time and this part is likely to take the most time."

"What a huge progress!" Brook got enthused.

"All these hours weren't in vain!" The sniper agreed with satisfaction.

"You're really smart!" Luffy exclaimed, his huge smile on his face.

"It's thanks to you," Liam thanked them, raising his glass to them. "In three months, I had more data than in two years so you're the ones I owe these unexpected discoveries."

The crew happily raised their glasses in turn to toast and after enjoying their sip, Nami spoke up as well. "For our part, I think we also started to understand some things," She announced, meeting Robin's gaze at her side.

"What did you think about, Nami-san?!" The blond immediately rejoiced.

"We thought about the Rossby waves," The young woman said.

"The what?" Usopp repeated, puzzled.

"Liam noticed that some doors are more stable than others, right?" She reminded them. As everyone nodded in approval, she continued. "Well, Rossby waves are the ocean's main response to large-scale disturbances created by wind variations or whirlpools for example. These waves have a very low propagation speed, of about one centimeter per second, so they can take months or even years to cross the oceans. Results suggest that in some cases, they may even be able to influence the climate several years later and at very long distances from their point of origin."

"It's very interesting," Liam murmured, fascinated.

"I didn't understand anything!" Luffy chimed in, his eyes wide.

"It is a hypothesis, Captain," Robin explained. "It has been proven that the Grand Line's climate is very random and often causes violent weather phenomena. These phenomena are all consequences for these ocean waves which circulate all around the Earth and which take them at the same time. By meeting the acoustic waves of the All Blue, they probably create these doors as an expulsion of too much matter."

"Like an… impossibility to co-exist?" Franky suggested.

"Or in relation to their own characteristics," Nami replied, shrugging. "I think the weather has a key role in where doors appear."

"How so?" Zoro asked her, curious.

"I don't know exactly yet but it must be some kind of a cycle," The navigator explained. "For example, on Vorgo Island, the weather is very intense and the door is among the most stable ones listed by Liam. Since the ocean waves are fueled by the climate, why wouldn't they appear where these manifestations are the strongest?"

"We have collected many present and past climate records on the various islands we have crossed," Robin added. "The aim will be to compare them with the properties of the doors to note possible similarities."

"But why are there so many acoustic waves on the All Blue?" Brook suddenly asked.

"No idea," Liam admitted, "Many mammals use infrasound to communicate and it's possible to create it artificially but it remains very rare."

"Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, thunder and other natural phenomena also produce infrasound, sometimes at an extremely high level," Nami pointed out. "Another track concerning the links between meteorology and these sound waves."

"What animals use them?" Chopper asked, interested.

"Giraffes, cetaceans, okapis, elephants," The scientist enumerated.

"It reminds me of a legendary island," Lily then remembered, "In some books, it is said that an island grew on the back of a huge elephant that suddenly appeared and that's moving on the Grand Line."

"That's so cool!" Luffy got enthused.

"Maybe it's walking using infrasound from the doors," Liam agreed.

"Anyway, our understanding has progressed well even if there are still many unknown elements," Nami concluded, raising her glass to her lips again, delighted.

"You did an admirable job, Nami-san!"

The navigator ignored the blond who was now twirling round beside her to look out at the sea, determined. "My publication will have a worldwide impact and my articles will be snapped up at exorbitant prices…" She closed her eyes and a sigh of joy escaped her. "Finally, I'm gonna be rich…"

At the time, I did some research on sound waves, electromagnetic waves,...

I didn't want to be boring and I tried to keep it light but it seemed useful for credibility.

Next chapter will be much lighter and quirky!