The slide of metal rang cold in the air, like a single claw scraping against stone as Zoro drew his blade, lowering himself to one knee in the sand.
They'd made their way to the Scabbards' Temple, the overgrown grounds still lying dormant and abandoned, deep in the forest, the magic of the place dulled by the overcast sky that seemed to mimic the clouded mess of Sanji's heart.
Zoro knelt before the line of waterfalls, each erupting from their respective dragon's mouth. Their carved virtues were almost invisible from where Sanji watched from a distance, near the entrance to the training yard. Komachiyo lay on the ground forlornly beside him.
The swordsman was silent as he laid his blade out before him, then curled over to bow low, his forehead nearly pressing against the sand.
He stayed that way for a long time, and Sanji didn't disturb him, lost in his own sorrow, his chest physically tight from the weight of Tama's death. His mind replayed it, over and over again. He saw her face, heard her weak voice no matter how hard he tried to block it out.
His fingers brushed absently through Komachiyo's fur, the beast letting out small whimpers now and then as he mourned the loss of his human, but Sanji's eyes stayed on Zoro.
Eventually, the swordsman sat up and took his blade in hand again, lifting it up towards his head.
For a moment, Sanji felt a twinge of fear, wondering what Zoro was going to do in his grief.
But Zoro merely grasped his topknot in his other hand and brought the blade up to slice through it, cutting it clean off, leaving an uneven mess of cropped hair behind.
He left the fallen hair where it was as he sheathed his sword and got to his feet again, heading back out towards Sanji.
He didn't stop though, just kept walking past until he reached the top of the stairs that bridged the waterfalls below, his shoulders tense.
Only then did he turn his head ever so slightly back over his shoulder.
Sanji took the invitation and made his way to his side.
His body was screaming to reach out and hold him, but he didn't know what the swordsman wanted right then, so he stood close but apart.
Zoro's face was stoic, though Sanji saw the torment in his eyes, that warm brown glazed over with pain and sadness. He was no doubt still blaming himself.
Sanji couldn't let him suffer alone.
"It's not your fault, Zoro," he murmured, his voice quiet over the roar of the water.
"It is my fault, Sanji," Zoro replied with resigned calmness.
He spoke with certainty and finality, but the blond still felt a protest bubbling up within him because he knew the fault didn't lie with Zoro.
"If Kawamatsu hadn't forced you to transform... If he hadn't ordered them to attack you—"
"Kawamatsu didn't strike her down—"
"But that's not—"
"Sanji, fucking—please."
Zoro's hand gripped his, and Sanji lost any retort he could have mustered as he felt the warmth of Zoro's calloused skin, his fingers linking with Sanji's.
The contact effectively lulled him, Sanji's focus returning entirely to this newfound connection between them, the fluttering of his heart picking up speed as he looked into Zoro's tired eyes.
"Kawamatsu was right," Zoro said after a minute. "He was right all along. He was trying to protect the kingdom. Because look what I do."
Just as Sanji opened his mouth to protest, Zoro's fingers slid up his wrist delicately, as if the swordsman knew just how much of a distraction his touch had become.
"I'm just as much a danger as Kaido was," he continued in the silence that followed. "I told you the beast deserves to die—"
But this time, his spell cracked with those words and Sanji tore his hand away to bring it forcefully to the swordsman's bicep, squeezing hard.
"Do not say that, Zoro!" he growled out, the air between them crackling with tension as his adamance sunk in.
He'd successfully claimed Zoro's attention, and he needed to hold it for what he wanted to say next.
Sanji brought his hand up to Zoro's face, no longer hesitant to touch him as he stroked his hand back over his cheek, through his hair to hold him there gently.
"Don't ever say that again, you idiot…" he murmured, his fingers sliding through the uneven strands of moss. "You didn't let me think that way, so I won't let you."
Zoro sighed deeply, but then slowly lowered his head to Sanji's shoulder, resting his forehead there. He said no more, and Sanji knew he was listening.
He kept his hand in Zoro's hair, the other finding the nape of his neck.
"The beast that protected me, saved my life, more than once," Sanji murmured in his ear. "The man who saved me, who put up with all my shit…tried to train a hopeless case like me. Even if you did berate me at every turn."
"I just wanted to be around you," Zoro mumbled, his voice muffled against the fabric of Sanji's robe.
The blond smirked, unsure when he'd last heard those words…if he ever had to begin with.
"You were the first one in so long who did…" he replied.
He felt Zoro shift, the man's hands pressing gently against his waist. Zoro tilted his nose into Sanji's shoulder in a soft nuzzle.
"It was easy with you. You didn't know who I was," Zoro said. "Where I came from."
"And why does any of that matter?"
"You didn't know…what I'd done…"
Sanji furrowed his brow, but he didn't pull away or stiffen, knowing it would likely upset the swordsman, who was already tense. When Sanji brought a hand to Zoro's chest, he felt the man's heart racing.
He'd vowed to be patient with him, and he would be. But part of him knew that Zoro's wall need not exist—not with him.
"You said you trusted me, right?" Sanji said quietly, wrapping arms securely around his shoulders, hoping to give Zoro an opening to keep talking.
Zoro didn't reply for a long moment. He just ground his forehead a little more into the crook of Sanji's neck, tightening his grip on his waist as if he were savoring the closeness before Sanji could push him away.
Sanji stayed right where he was but, finally, the swordsman took a deep breath.
"I was born with this Seal…" he muttered, not lifting his head. "But for the longest time, it was just a mark. My powers didn't…manifest right away.
"I grew up on a farm. My parents didn't even know what the mark was. No one in our village did. It was only when…I was six years old.
"One day, I was out by the river with my best friend. Her father was a master swordsman who protected our village. We liked to spar. I mean, I could barely keep up with her when we clacked shit around, but we pretended we were strong. Um…"
Sanji felt Zoro's hands twisting slightly in the fabric of his robe as he trailed off. He knew this was hard for the swordsman, perhaps immensely so. So he lifted his hands to his hair again, stroking softly to soothe him.
It worked, as Zoro seemed to muster up the strength to continue.
"So we were out there, trying to toss around the biggest rocks we could. A deer ran by and startled us. And suddenly…my Seal was glowing, and my whole body was ripping itself apart. I didn't know what was happening."
He sighed.
"Kuina got scared. Tried to fight me off. She ran away, back to the village. Next thing I knew, everyone was after me, and I couldn't change back. It's fuzzy… I just remember being terrified. She was my best friend. And she was looking at me like I was a monster."
His fingers clenched harder in Sanji's robe, almost sending their own silent plea for Sanji not to react badly.
"And I remember…" he continued. "I remember Kuina's face when I lashed out at her. I remember her face when my claws hit her… I remember how it felt. She was injured really bad. I don't even know what happened to her after."
Sanji let out a shuddering breath of shock, his fingers stilling in Zoro's hair as he tried to process this sudden toppling of Zoro's wall.
Just like that, it was gone. It was what he'd wanted for so long now, and his heart was breaking, hearing the truth of what Zoro went through. Zoro hated his Seal—maybe even hated himself—for something that had been beyond his control, as far as Sanji was concerned.
In that moment of silence, Zoro pulled away, as if scared by Sanji's lack of response, so the blond instantly grabbed him back, despite his shock. His top priority was to show the stubborn fool that he wasn't running, no matter what secrets Zoro revealed.
The swordsman still seemed resistant though.
"I meant to do it too," Zoro said, staring back at Sanji defiantly. "I meant to attack her. I was angry and hurt. I really was the monster she saw me as."
"You were a child, idiot," Sanji insisted, sliding his hands back through Zoro's hair where he gripped firmly. "You didn't know your own strength."
"I stole this sword from her! It wasn't a gift like I told you!" Zoro growled, gesturing to his white-sheathed blade. It was almost an argument now, a stupid one in Sanji's eyes. As if Zoro was going to force him away after everything.
"Are you trying to test me, Zoro? Because if you're looking to be punished, I think I can arrange a few ass-kicks. But you're not getting rid of me."
It was Sanji's turn to fix him with a defiant stare, the blond quirking a brow, daring the swordsman to protest.
The look on Zoro's face was a turbulent mixture of emotions—confusion, gratitude, frustration, grief. And yet, there was a layer of warmth atop all of that, something Sanji couldn't quite place with his mind, but certainly felt in his heart when it fluttered rapidly at the mere meeting of their eyes.
"Even after…Tama…?" Zoro said quietly, his voice struggling to remain stable.
"Especially after Tama…" Sanji replied, lowering his hand to trace over Zoro's Seal, his eyes falling to Zoro's lips.
Zoro let out a breath, turning his head and closing his eyes briefly.
"Something's wrong with you," he muttered eventually.
"That makes two of us then, huh," Sanji shot back, his smirk a little less pronounced than usual, given the circumstances, but Zoro still managed to make it surface.
The swordsman sighed, and though his eyes went to Sanji's lips too, he merely slumped forward to press his forehead into the blond's shoulder again.
"I didn't want to see that same look on your face…if you found out everything…" he murmured after a moment. "I was so afraid you would think—"
Sanji shook his head, fingers brushing Zoro's cheek.
"I've seen real monsters, Zoro. I lived with them. For years." He stroked his face gently. "I know what they look like. And so do you, don't you?"
Zoro was quiet for a long moment, but he nodded.
"The villagers captured me…a-after I lost it…" Zoro mumbled. "I was a freak to them—a dangerous freak. They captured me, but my parents begged them not to kill me. So instead, I was sold off to the first band of pirates that came around the island. Kaido's crew. And then—"
Sanji stopped him, tapping under his chin gently to get him to lift his head.
"I know what came next," Sanji said. "Wano…Kin'emon…Hiyori…" He met Zoro's eye when the swordsman finally looked up. "Me… Us…"
He saw Zoro's gaze flick to his lips again, his heart already beating faster for it. He stepped closer into Zoro's space, the heat between them increasing tenfold. Zoro's eyes hadn't left his mouth.
"Everything we've been through," Sanji murmured because he finally understood now. "It all led to us, Zoro."
It was sentimental, almost embarrassingly so, but Zoro took the bait, leaning in to crash his lips to the blond's again, this time with renewed ferocity.
Zoro's kiss was fire, no longer tentative and unsure. He pushed forward with certainty, and Sanji could recognize the melding of man and beast in that moment, in the most magnificent way. As Zoro's powerful kiss took over his senses, he felt every bit of the swordsman's raw emotion, for perhaps the first time. He felt how much he'd been holding back, how truly desperate he was for this connection.
Sanji had to be worthy of it, he knew. He had to prove to Zoro, as much as himself, that this would only make them stronger, would only make things brighter.
And it sure seemed that way when a single swipe of Zoro's tongue against his made his heart pound with renewed vigor, the swordsman's grip in his hair stirring heat within him he had never fully experienced.
He'd never imagined he would ever have this. He'd never even allowed himself to entertain a future where someone cared this much for him, where someone touched him with this much reverence and spirit—like his own skin was giving Zoro life.
Zoro's lips barely left his as his hands wandered to Sanji's waist, caressing his sides in gentle rhythm. Sanji caught the way his touch kept sliding towards Sanji's waist sash, though this was where he finally hesitated, approaching uncharted territory.
He pulled back when Sanji's breath grew a little shaky, the swordsman's own exhales ghosting over Sanji's lips in soft pants.
Sanji smiled a little sheepishly, his body feeling flushed, particularly when he saw a flash of a shy smile from the swordsman too, a smile he felt directly in his chest.
But that smile was fading before long, and Zoro's forehead was against his, leaning there for support.
"You know we have to fight," Sanji murmured. "For Tama…."
Zoro tensed a little, though he nodded silently in response.
"But we can't do it alone. We're going to need an army."
"We don't have an army," Zoro mumbled.
"True," Sanji replied. And while that problem might have terrified him once, it now only served to make his gears turn. His lips turned up a tiny bit. "But surely the man who trained you is worth several dozen at least."
Kin'emon's hut was warm, and Sanji was thankful to have a pot of steaming stew as a distraction, something to keep his hands busy, though they stirred absently, added meat and vegetables almost mindlessly.
Still, it was a distraction nonetheless, that and the sight of Tsuru tending to Zoro's wound across the small room. The woman was speaking to the swordsman softly as she cleaned away the blood where he'd torn his stitches.
Zoro's shoulders were slumped dejectedly, but Sanji could tell by the way Zoro's eyes flicked to her now and again as she spoke that her gentle touches and words of comfort were reaching him. Sanji knew the woman had to be devastated by the loss of Tama, her surrogate daughter in a way, with how deeply she'd cared for the girl.
But her expression, while tired, was ceaselessly patient and kind. Sanji knew she would grieve later, privately, but she exuded quiet strength in that moment, and unfortunately, his recounting of the events at the Capital had created an incredibly urgent problem. It was risky for them to have stopped here as it was, but they'd needed all the support they could get.
Zoro's eyes lifted to his, causing Sanji's heart to stutter. The swordsman's lips pulled up slightly in something that was too pained to be a proper smile, but it was an attempt, and for that, Sanji's gaze softened.
He itched to touch him again, to have a moment without stress.
To go back to their banter and not worry about anything beyond the feeling of each other's lips.
Nothing but the contours of Zoro's body that had somehow become so inviting in ways he'd never allowed himself to imagine before now.
"You say all the villagers were captured?"
To not think about all the lives that were still in danger, including his and Zoro's own.
"Prince."
To see Zoro smile without pain and not—
A sudden nudge to his shoulder, and he glanced up to see Kin'emon looking at him.
He blinked himself back to focus, finally tearing his gaze from where it had settled around Zoro's angular collarbones, watching his broad chest rising and falling as Tsuru worked.
"Hm?" Sanji said, turning to face Kin'emon.
"You said the villagers were captured," the older samurai said once more, his voice as quiet and patient as his wife's. "Were all of them taken?"
Sanji sighed.
"The Empress' guard was after them," he replied. "When I escaped, there were still some fighting. Though admittedly I wasn't paying much attention…"
Kin'emon nodded, his thick brows furrowed with concern.
Sanji believed it was wrong for any of the villagers to be captured on Kawamatsu's prejudiced grounds. Still, Orochi was not to be trusted, and he worried about any retaliation the man would organize if he was released. Retaliation that might very well endanger Zoro even more.
There was only one thing to do.
"You want to go back…" Kin'emon said, seemingly following Sanji's thoughts.
Sanji nodded.
"We have to. There were innocent villagers among them. We can't let them be taken on the principle of their Seals alone."
Kin'emon leveled him with a serious look, and Sanji felt the weight of his judgment.
"I trust that the Empress will do what's right," the man replied finally. "It is a wonder that you and Zoro were able to escape. Do you truly wish to tempt fate?"
"That's the thing," Sanji said with another sigh. "The Empress was… She had no sway. Kawamatsu wasn't listening to her. She looked like she'd…given up… She needs us…" Then his own gaze grew more serious as well, looking pointedly at Kin'emon. "She needs you."
Kin'emon bristled, predictably, his reluctance coming back at full force. His fists clenched over the short stumps of his thighs.
"Your Highness…"
Sanji's adamance only grew, and he leaned forward, setting down the stew ladle and lowering his voice to speak quietly but fiercely to the disgraced samurai.
"I watched a little girl die today because of this backwards war of prejudice," Sanji implored. "A little girl who wanted better for everyone in this kingdom. If that alone isn't worth fighting for, then I don't know what is."
Kin'emon's eyes were tumultuous and torn with indecision over something he'd likely never thought he'd have to face again.
Just then, Tsuru looked up sharply, her head swiveling towards the open window that was letting in some meager sunlight, muted by the clouds overhead.
She tilted her head, her hands falling to her lap.
"I hear horses," she murmured quietly, despite the fact that the air was completely silent around them. Sanji was about to ask how, when Zoro straightened as well, frowning deeply.
"I hear it too," he said, and Sanji's eyes fell to his Seal, half covered by bandages.
Of course. Their powers. Animals could hear far better than humans.
Almost immediately after, there was the sound of cracking branches and shifting dirt as Onimaru and Komachiyo came closer to the doorway, the two giant creatures whining with concern outside.
Kin'emon shuffled towards his wife, taking her hand to ask, "At what distance, my beloved?"
She closed her eyes, her red-painted lips pursed as she listened. "It's faint. I think, perhaps, they have just entered the forest."
"They must be looking for us," Sanji muttered, his heart already picking up speed, stomach twisting.
Zoro was already getting to his feet, his expression stoic and determined as he reached for his swords. There was a hint of that terrifying acceptance Sanji had seen when Kawamatsu revealed his powers.
The blond's head whipped to Kin'emon, his gaze insistent that he make his decision, but the man's eyes were trained on his wife, and he didn't make any moves.
A huff of frustration, then Sanji stood as well, one hand gripping his own sword, the other Zoro's arm as the two of them hurried outside in tandem without so much as a spoken word.
Zoro passed his three blades to Sanji, wincing a bit when he twisted his torso too far.
"Your wound…" Sanji murmured, flicking eyes to his bandaged chest.
"I'll be fine," Zoro replied dismissively. "Just…tell me what the plan is."
Sanji sighed as he secured Zoro's swords to his back for safekeeping. "The plan is, we get to Hiyori before anyone can capture us. After that…I'm working on it…"
"Better than nothing," Zoro mumbled.
Then, without warning, he leaned in to grab Sanji's face, kissing him hard as if it was the last thing he'd ever do. Sanji didn't want to believe it was.
He returned the kiss tenderly, drawing the moment out with a few added presses of his own. It was too easy to fall into Zoro's touch, his fingers sliding into his hair to grip there near the nape of his neck in a spot that was quickly becoming a favorite.
"I should be thanking you…" Zoro murmured against his lips when they parted for breath.
Sanji's turned up in a proper smile, his chest no longer fluttering with nerves but instead bursting with warmth, if only for a short minute.
"Still can't say it outright, can you?" he murmured, kissing Zoro's cheek and bumping his nose there gently.
Zoro let out a small huff, and he said nothing in reply, looking exasperated, but Sanji finally saw a glimmer of a smile on his lips too.
"It's okay," Sanji said instead, shifting to trail a thumb over Zoro's jaw. "It might make my skin crawl."
The swordsman smirked, and Sanji felt Zoro's hands slide over his waist smoothly, squeezing him closer.
"Then I won't," he said. Then, with one more squeeze and a final peck to Sanji's lips, he backed up. "Stand back."
Sanji did, reluctantly stepping away, giving Zoro space.
The swordsman took a deep breath, met Sanji's eye again for a brief moment, then, for the first time, willingly transformed in front of him.
It was fascinating, and yes, beautiful to see the way Zoro's robe seemed to shatter and reform itself in slow motion, like fallen petals that knew exactly where to land to paint the stripes of his fur.
Zoro changed much more smoothly this time, his body morphing and growing with a mere roll of shoulders that came far more naturally than when he'd been forced.
When he finally stood before Sanji in his full feline form, his eyes still looked a little wary, as if awaiting Sanji's judgment.
But the blond merely stepped forward without hesitance to slide hands through his fur, giving a playful scratch behind Zoro's ear.
"Is it weird if I say you're cute like this?" he murmured, and when Zoro gave an affronted chuff in response, he snickered. "Yeah. Yeah, it kind of is."
Zoro just headbutted him enough to lift Sanji off the ground where the blond was forced to scramble ungracefully onto his back when Zoro practically tossed him up there.
He caught a glimpse of Kin'emon appearing in the doorway, the man's expression stoic before Zoro bounded off into the forest.
Zoro's gait was smooth and long, his paws mere light thuds on the ground, far from the rumbling, crashing gait of Komachiyo, though Sanji still held on tight as they raced through the woods. He had to hope Zoro knew the way to the Capital because each clump of trees looked the same as the last. If it weren't for the sight of the river appearing now and again to their right, he would have assumed they were going in circles.
Zoro's ears were pricking left and right as he ran, clearly listening for the riders. Sanji still couldn't hear anything though…
…until, without warning, Zoro skidded to a halt. Sanji was thankful for the thick fur that cushioned the impact when he smacked forward into the swordsman's neck.
Zoro's ears were swiveling almost frantically now, and Sanji slumped a little lower behind his head.
"Zoro, what's—?"
The swordsman cut him off with a low growl, his head turning in a clear warning to be quiet.
Sanji's hands gripped Zoro a little tighter, his own eyes scanning the trees now for any sign of danger.
Zoro's body twitched, seconds before Sanji heard the faintest of rustles, and then Zoro dodged as a long arrow came shooting out of the woods, flying straight at them.
It missed, spearing the ground mere feet away from Zoro's front paws, but the subsequent shifting of the shapes between the trees was enough to give away the enemy's presence.
Suddenly, those shapes morphed from the shadows his eyes had first discerned, to dozens of riders on horseback, all with loaded bows aimed in their direction.
They began to let fire, and Zoro immediately leaped forward, Sanji's stomach lurching as the swordsman took off running again.
Sanji held on for dear life, the wind now whistling with the sharp whips of arrows flying past and the thunder of hoofbeats as the samurai gave chase.
Zoro was managing to avoid them, somehow, moving agilely through the trees, but Sanji could hear from his huffed breaths that he was exerting much effort to do so.
"Keep going!" Sanji urged through his own panic. "You can outrun them!"
But then, suddenly, another arrow flew from the front, one that Zoro nearly didn't see in time.
He jumped left, slamming into a tree by accident, the sharp weapon just barely whizzing past. Zoro took the brunt of the impact in his side, but it was enough to jostle Sanji off his back, the blond flying off with a yelp before he hit the ground hard. He tucked his arms in to protect them, rolling several feet as twigs and dirt scraped his skin.
By the time he came to a halt, he'd certainly suffered a few bruises and scratches, but was otherwise unharmed.
The next thing he knew though, Zoro was over him, his heavy paws on either side of his body and his giant nose at Sanji's chest, eyes wide with concern.
"I'm okay," Sanji grunted, lifting a hand to touch the flat of Zoro's nose. "Really."
Zoro closed his eyes, tilting his head into Sanji's chest for a brief moment. But then he whipped his head up and bore teeth ferociously at something behind Sanji.
Sanji pushed himself up, turning to see Kawamatsu's broad form approaching on horseback, a circle of riders also approaching from either direction. They were surrounded.
The closest rider notched an arrow, aiming it not at Zoro but at Sanji, still on the ground.
Zoro roared, furious, the sound rumbling through Sanji's chest at such close proximity as the swordsman stepped further over him protectively.
"Change back or we shoot," Kawamatsu warned quietly, and more than one samurai now lifted their bows, all aiming at Sanji.
Zoro didn't move though, just hunkered down lower over Sanji's body to shield him.
The second their aim shifted to the swordsman, Sanji's heart leaped.
"Zoro, just do it," he hissed under his breath. "I'm not about to watch you become a pin cushion."
Zoro released another growl of frustration, though after a moment, he heeded Sanji's words, and he shifted himself to transform.
Sanji scrambled up as he did, wincing when a sharp ache spread up his side, but he ignored it, grabbing Zoro's sleeve and pulling him close as soon as he was human again.
He noticed Kawamatsu's eyes drop to their hands when he reached out to hold Zoro's, but he couldn't care about that now.
"None of this needed to happen!" Sanji insisted, drawing Kawamatsu's attention back to his face, the man's expression half hidden by his scarf.
"You're right, prince, it didn't," Kawamatsu replied, his voice low. "But I'm afraid we only have the swordsman to blame."
"This isn't Zoro's fault!" Sanji shot back, though he feared his argument would only fall on deaf ears. Still, he pressed on. "It was Orochi who instigated the attack the other night! My sister and some of her troops snuck into Wano in search of me. Orochi thought he would earn your favor by going after her."
"So he told me…" said Kawamatsu, and then, a mere glance over his shoulder signaled the rider beside him to shift.
The rider gave a tug on a rope he was holding, his horse side-stepping away to reveal Orochi stumbling forward between them. The man's wrists were bound by that rope, at the mercy of his captors, but he still wore his ever-confident sneer.
"You might have fooled the Empress, whose affection clouds her judgment," Kawamatsu said, his scrutinizing gaze sliding back to fix on Zoro. "But I was right to be wary of you, swordsman."
Zoro's face was stricken when Sanji glanced at him, and yet, the blond wasn't worried.
"What is he talking about, Zoro?" Sanji asked softly, simply because he wanted to hear it from Zoro, not Kawamatsu, nor anyone else. He knew who Zoro was, could never doubt him again, and he wouldn't let anyone try to paint him in the wrong light.
But Zoro just huffed out a breath, looking pained, and the second he started to pull away, Sanji grabbed his hand back stubbornly. He wasn't letting him be alone.
"So you don't deny that your purpose for serving the Empress was to gain intel for Kaido's loyalists?" Kawamatsu asked, and it was this that finally earned him a reaction from the swordsman. Sanji finally saw a fiery spark come back to his eyes.
"That's what he wanted!" Zoro growled, gesturing dismissively towards the grinning Orochi. "When I swore to protect the Empress, I meant it!"
"You agreed to serve her. At my request," Orochi cut in with far too much glee.
"I–I just—had nowhere else to go—I—" Zoro started to stammer, clearly searching through his frustration for some explanation that wouldn't damn him.
Sanji reached out to touch his arm, squeezing gently in support before he stepped forward.
"Don't you see? Orochi was using him!" he nearly shouted, his own inner fire already blazing strong. He only wished it could consume everyone who wanted to hurt Zoro. "If the suspicion should lie with anyone, it's him! Not Zoro! Not the innocent villagers! Not anyone else!"
He hadn't realized how quickly he'd advanced towards Kawamatsu, fury in his eyes, before a pair of swords were drawn in front of him, angled towards his chest.
Zoro tugged him back quickly, moving in front of the blond to protect him.
Again, Kawamatsu's judgmental stare was drawn to that action, the man blinking slowly before he turned his attention back to Sanji.
"Regardless, the swordsman is, without a doubt, loyal to you," he replied. "You who apparently led Germa's troops right to our country."
"Sanji has nothing to do with any of this," Zoro growled, and Sanji had to suppress a wince when the swordsman's grip on his wrist turned painful, as if his fingers would snap his bones unconsciously.
Kawamatsu stayed infuriatingly passive, seemingly expecting the reaction. In fact, he nearly ignored it altogether.
"As we've discussed, prince, it is not your place to decide what is best for our country," he said, though Sanji wasn't put off.
"And it's not your place either," he hissed back. "Hiyori is the Empress."
"And I'm afraid both you and the Empress have much to learn about what it means to act for the greater good and a better future."
Sanji's anger mounted, threatening to bubble over in some way that would likely lead to their demise, considering their current disadvantage.
The greater good…a better future… His own father had locked him away in service of those things, and now Zoro was being threatened with the same prospect, or worse.
"A better future for who?" he spit back, words he'd never been strong enough to say to his father but wanted to scream now. No more would he let himself or anyone he cared about be silenced. Never again.
Kawamatsu didn't answer, and Sanji wondered where the real man was within him. Where was the compassion that had clearly once existed if he'd raised the Empress with such devotion? Was this truly what grief and loss could do to a person? Was this what Sanji himself might have become, in time?
It scared him to think about. And it scared him even more to realize that perhaps Kawamatsu, like him, wholeheartedly believed he was doing the right thing.
"The villagers will be questioned," Kawamatsu said after a long moment. "And if they are indeed deemed innocent and harmless, then they will be released."
Then he nodded to the samurai beside him, who suddenly pressed his horse forward towards Zoro, another rider dismounting and lunging from behind to seize the swordsman when he stumbled back, dragging him away from Sanji.
"Stop! What are you doing?" Sanji protested immediately. "I said this isn't Zoro's fault!"
"The decree to rid Wano of the Night Beast is still in effect. Signed by the Empress herself," Kawamatsu said calmly.
"Have you lost your mind?!" Sanji shot back as he felt hands clamp onto him too.
But Kawamatsu was no longer looking at him, his brow furrowed as his eyes fixed on a faraway point in the trees, seeing something that clearly didn't exist in this place nor time.
"Not at all," he breathed, a softness to his voice that might have perhaps lulled the Empress as a child, the softness of a man deeply buried. And again, Sanji felt that horrible sinking feeling. That realization that this man had never made it out of his own prison cell of shame and weakness.
"I remember clearly those days of harmony," Kawamatsu said, his words carrying the weight of a lived history. "I fought alongside many good samurai who possessed the power of a Seal. All of them are gone now…"
His eyes closed for a moment and he dropped his head, his hat dipping low to obscure his features.
But by the time he lifted his head again, his expression had hardened with determination.
"If we are to see that harmony again, sacrifices must be made, and the rotten fruit must be removed in order for this country to grow."
Sanji barely had time to react before Kawamatsu nodded to his guards again, and they began assaulting Zoro anew.
The blond thrashed, struggling to be free when a sudden impact to the back of his head sent pain exploding outward from the base of his skull. His vision swam as his brain seemed to fill with both cotton and shards of glass simultaneously.
He'd hit the ground before he was aware of it, dirt scratching first his knees, then his cheek.
He registered a moving shape with the white color of Zoro's robe, shoving the guards off, fighting to get to his side.
Something cold and metallic pressed against the back of his neck, followed by a voice with a chilling ultimatum.
"Fight back and he dies."
Zoro's movement stopped, though Sanji could hear him breathing heavily.
He thought he heard another scuffle as his eyes fluttered shut, a shorter form scampering away from the scene with a gleeful cackle, followed by a flurry of boots pursuing him.
But the blond couldn't be sure because his head was pounding—splitting in half, it felt like—and he only remembered Zoro's panicked face as he lost consciousness, the swordsman's last words to him seeing him through the darkness.
"Just hold on."
Just hold on…
It was what he heard in his mind when he first became aware of a hard, cold floor beneath him.
Just hold on…
When the dank, creeping smell of wetness and mold filled his nostrils.
Just hold on…
When his eyes flickered open to see the looming stripes of bars opposite him, cutting like claws through the dim lighting.
"Just hold on…"
The words came from his own lips this time, his own inner strength, when he slowly sat up to find himself in a familiar-looking place, a place that wanted to stab at his senses, drag him back into the suffocating hell of his past.
He was trapped in a dark cell, and the four swords he'd carried—Zoro's and his own—were gone.
The air was quiet, save for the steady dripping of liquid, the faint scratching of a rodent. It brought back a hundred swirling memories, ones he could have stayed stuck in if it weren't for one difference.
Someone else was whispering to him from the darkness beyond the bars.
"Mr. Prince… Mr. Prince, are you awake?"
He squinted into the darkness, trying to force his eyes to adjust as he crawled closer to the bars, searching the cobbled corridor. At the end of the hall flickered a single torch on the wall that barely illuminated anything but the moisture clinging to every surface.
"Over here. I've been waiting for you to wake up."
The voice again, and he turned his head, startling only slightly when he began to make out a tiny form dressed in a short robe. Her smile did more to brighten the space than any of the sparse torches.
"Hi!" Toko chirped, as if his situation were far less dire than it was. The girl stepped closer to the bars and slid aside a small hatch built into the bottom. "The Empress sent me! I brought you food. And maybe something else you'll like."
She passed a tray through with nothing but a small bowl of rice and a cup of something that looked too brown to be water.
"Don't drink the tea," she whispered. "It's from the same brew I used to knock out the guards."
Sanji jolted, raising his eyebrows. "You what?"
"Yeah! If you steep lavender in tea, it makes you real sleepy!"
"How do you know that?"
Toko shrugged. "Us servants all know stuff. In case someone tries to hurt the Empress. Anyway, here you go!"
And with that, she produced a key from the folds of her robe, giggling all the while as she swiftly unlocked his cell.
Sanji found himself rather stunned as she slid the door open, almost in a daze as his freedom was offered so easily.
Still, he couldn't let the rice go to waste, so he scooped out the meager amount, the undercooked grains crunching between his teeth as he threw the ball into his mouth and hurried out of the cell.
"Where are they keeping Zoro?" he asked as Toko took his hand and started leading him, without a care, down the dark aisle of cells.
"In the dungeon beneath the palace," she replied with a grin.
"Where are we now?"
"In one of the outbuildings."
Sanji sighed as they came across a pair of guards sitting against the wall, snoring softly, the shattered porcelain of teacups scattered on the floor nearby.
"The Empress has the master key to the palace dungeons!" Toko said cheerfully, bringing Sanji's focus back to the girl's bright smile.
"And where is she?" he asked.
Toko's expression didn't waver, but Sanji noticed a slight furrowing of her brow, her voice taking on a disappointed tone.
"That's the thing. Kawamatsu kinda locked her in her quarters."
Sanji nearly groaned aloud. It seemed Kawamatsu was past the point of caring about the Empress' feelings. He was taking matters into his own hands. Sanji could only hope that this would be the final wake-up call that Hiyori needed to realize that her retainer was no longer seeing straight.
"I don't suppose you can magically produce another key?" he muttered to Toko.
But the little girl merely grinned up at him toothily.
"Nah, not that one," she said. "So let's go pick up the Empress!"
"I thought you said she was locked in her quarters," Sanji replied, confused.
"She is! She sent me to help you."
She lowered her voice to a whisper then, which almost seemed to echo louder in the cavernous corridor.
"I know a secret way back," she said. "But you're gonna have to crawl."
It was no exaggeration, the girl leading him up and out of the building via a series of unassuming passages and more than a few shrubs once they reached the outer perimeter.
Moonlight now shone over the royal complex, the palace looming before them, thin windows shining with warm light in the darkness.
He wasn't sure how many guards Toko had incapacitated with her special tea, but their journey was unhindered. It wasn't until they grew nearer that Sanji noticed the lights of the palace were flickering, or rather being blocked by the silhouettes that continually passed by the windows, guards patrolling the corridors. It seemed they'd mostly been concentrated there. Clearly, they hadn't deemed Sanji worthy of much surveillance.
"There's more in the courtyard," Toko whispered, noticing his line of sight. "That's where they're holding the Seal people."
Still, his stomach now twisted, unsure how they were going to get to the Empress. But Toko didn't seem worried, the little girl still smiling to herself as she held his hand, circling to the side of the building, where she led him down a set of stairs that descended to the palace's base.
It hurt his heart to feel her small hand in his, a sudden reminder of the absence of Tama, but he pressed onward, somehow able to trust the child to lead him safely around the guards.
They entered the bowels of the building via an unassuming servants' entrance. From there, Toko led him through a veritable maze, opening hallway panels that Sanji never would have suspected, taking him through hallways behind hallways and doors behind doors.
This was the half of the palace that wasn't meant to be seen, belonging to the servants alone. As they made their way, Sanji was reminded once again of the castle in Germa, how these same claustrophobic passageways had been his salvation as Époni led him through the shadows to freedom.
He didn't know how far they'd been walking before Toko finally stopped in front of a section of wall that was glowing faintly from a light beyond.
She knelt down and knocked in a deliberate pattern, after which a responding knock sounded from the other side.
Then Toko produced another key from her seemingly bottomless robe, one she slid into a small lock near the floor.
And soon she was sliding open the wooden panel, nearly blinding light assaulting them as Sanji realized she'd led them directly to the Empress' personal chambers.
The room was ornately, but comfortably, decorated with low furniture, even the woven mats seeming to shimmer with gold-like fiber. Patterned tapestries hung from the walls, and Sanji noticed a somewhat messy cabinet full of well-loved books leaning against each other. Beside the cabinet hung a beautifully inked painting of a young boy standing proudly beside a stone statue of a dragon.
"Sanji!" the Empress' voice exclaimed, and he found himself dragged into the room, tackled by a flurry of colorful fabric and Hiyori's embrace.
"You're alright!" she cried, squeezing him tightly. "Toko, you did it!"
"Mmhmm!" Toko replied, crawling forward into the room too. "All the guards are watching you, the dungeons, or the courtyard, so it was easy!"
"Well, they haven't come in to check on me," Hiyori mused. "I did shout at them so that might have put them off, but—"
"Hiyori, we have to free Zoro," Sanji cut in, glad to see his friend was unharmed, but his heart was already pounding anew at the thought of the swordsman in danger.
She stilled, her expression turning serious as she looked away, dropping hands to her lap in a way that was far too similar to her response in the courtyard.
"Hiyori…" he said, his voice taking on a warning tone, his eyes drilling into her.
"Sanji, I…I don't know what to do…" she murmured, spurring a wave of frustration that washed over him.
"What do you mean?" he shot back. "We have to save Zoro!"
She sighed. "But I can't just…"
"Can't just what? You already freed me! You're the Empress! You can do whatever the hell you see fit!"
He was far beyond the threshold of formalities, but he was just as far beyond the point of caring. He reached forward to grab her arms, forcing her to look at him again.
"Hiyori," he said adamantly. "Kawamatsu is out of control. This can't continue. People are dying!"
At that, the Empress flinched, her gaze clouding over with sorrow. She bit her lip softly.
"I ordered the girl's body be returned to the village…" she murmured, but Sanji shook his head, jostling her slightly again.
"And who will receive her, Hiyori?" he hissed. "Who will be left when Kawamatsu has his way?"
"But he won't listen to me!" she shot back, her own frustration mounting.
"No! He won't! Which is why we have to act!"
"There's only one scroll left!" she insisted.
"So we take matters into our own hands! We don't need magic to do that!"
She went quiet again and averted her gaze, teeth still worrying at her bottom lip. This was far from the confident young woman who'd mischievously dragged him from the palace not long ago, eagerly leading him through the streets of her city that she knew so well.
He needed that Empress back, the one who would do anything for her people, the one who knew exactly the kind of Empress—the kind of person—she wanted to be, outside her retainer's shadow.
His voice softened as he lowered his hands to grasp hers.
"You're the one who history will remember, Hiyori," he said, and he realized he might as well have been telling his past self. "His actions will be a stain on your legacy if you let this continue. And he seems more than willing to let that happen for his own agenda."
Hiyori let out a shaky breath again, her pale fingers looking small within his.
"He's always taken care of me…" she replied quietly. "He's always been there for me."
"But now he's not," Sanji murmured, not taking his eyes from her face. "So you need to think about whose loyalty, whose interests align with yours."
Her gaze lifted, fixing on the boy's portrait across the room, the worry lines on her brow softening a bit as she studied it.
Sanji squeezed her hands again. "Zoro committed his life to you, despite everything. Are you just going to sacrifice him too?"
It took her another moment, but she turned to look at him, and Sanji felt a surge of relief to see conviction back in her eyes.
She squeezed his hands back, gripping tightly as she pulled him to his feet.
"Toko," she said. "Will you pass me my sword?"
They didn't bother with the servants' passageways this time, something Sanji was initially worried about. Hiyori had ordered Toko to stay behind, out of harm's way, but Sanji was still unarmed himself, and the two of them were racing boldly through the corridors.
But none of the guards near her chambers apprehended them, and he saw the grateful taps she gave to shoulders as they passed by. Clearly she hadn't lost all of their loyalty.
They made their way through the palace, down and further down to a lower level, wood floors changing to stone, which betrayed their echoing footsteps horribly, until they reached a massive wooden door flanked by yet more guards.
These ones, however, instantly looked perturbed upon seeing Hiyori, both stepping in front of the door.
"Empress, I'm afraid we cannot let you—"
Her sword was drawn before Sanji could register it, the Empress jamming the hilt hard into the first guard's head, sending him toppling. The second looked shocked, his hand trembling near his own sword's hilt, though he seemed unsure of whether to use it against the monarch of his country.
"You will let us pass," Hiyori said simply, and though the man hesitated, eventually, he stepped aside, then turned tail and rushed off down the hall.
"He's probably going for reinforcements. We should hurry," said the Empress, her voice straining somewhat as she shoved open the heavy door. Then she took Sanji's hand and pulled him through the doorway.
They whipped down a steeply spiraling staircase into a larger dungeon that sprawled out before them, almost deeper than the eye could see in the dim lighting when they touched down at the bottom.
The place was silent as death, save for the echoing slide of metal, a blade crossing their path to prevent their entry.
Another guard stood before them, the man saying nothing, but fixing the Empress with a cold stare, a stare that was only broken slightly when Hiyori's blade cut through the air to clash with his. She parried him back easily, giving Sanji room to slip by.
"Go look for him!" she said, her voice sounding surprisingly calm and focused, even as another guard rushed at them from further down the hallway.
She reached into a pocket of her robe, still holding back the guard with one hand, and pulled out a large brass key on a ring. She tossed it to Sanji, just before she pivoted gracefully to strike at her second attacker.
He didn't hesitate, trusting her to take care of them. He'd seen her skill with a blade, after all, so he took off down the corridor without hesitation.
Enclosed cells lined the space, wooden doors replacing open bars, with little but tiny slats to serve as windows. It was impossible to see inside them without wasting precious time to peer into each. Not to mention, those doors seemed to seal in any sound he could have heard from within.
He looked into a few, finding them empty, but soon gave up that idea, instead sprinting further away down the aisle where the hallway branched and turned.
The loud slap of his shoes was deafening. He only hoped there were no other guards waiting, but thankfully, none sprung at him when he rounded the corner, and he kept running deeper into the dungeon. Surely they would keep Zoro hidden far from view.
This was when he noticed, however, a slight glistening on the stone slabs beneath his feet, the flickering of the torches on either side illuminating a dribble of something wet that trailed off down the hallway.
A closer inspection confirmed his fears. It was blood.
But it was a blessing in that moment, as he followed it all the way to the end of the adjacent hall where the splatters abruptly stopped in front of one cell.
Sanji let out a shuddering breath and fumbled with the key Hiyori had tossed him, his hands practically shaking as he struggled to get it into the lock.
Finally, he managed, giving it a forceful turn. He heard the heavy clunk of tumblers within. Then he slid the unlocked door aside and was met with firelight glinting off a pair of eyes that lifted to his dangerously, but then immediately widened and softened with relief.
"Sanji," Zoro huffed out.
"Hey, mosshead," Sanji breathed, and he ran to him, his eyes roving over the swordsman's form frantically.
Zoro was kneeling in the center of the cell, but clearly not by choice, his arms wrenched behind him painfully, shackled and chained to the floor. His robe was stained with blood, as were his bandages, but he didn't seem to have any new injuries.
Zoro looked just as frantic as Sanji felt though, fixated on the blond when Sanji brought his hand to the swordsman's face.
"Are you okay?" Sanji asked. "Did they hurt you?"
Zoro just shook his head, tilting his nose into Sanji's hair when he came close. "I'm fine. You? Your head…"
"I'll live." Then, with another huff of relief, he leaned in to hug Zoro tight, feeling the swordsman's heart pounding against his, almost vibrating his whole form.
He'd been so panicked, but time seemed to slow the instant they were together, and despite the fact that Zoro was chained and the guards could come back at any minute, Sanji took that moment to appreciate that they'd made it back together yet again.
They wouldn't get separated anymore. He had to believe this. He didn't think he could take it if they did.
"My swords?" Zoro mumbled, his face now buried in the crook of Sanji's neck.
"I don't know," Sanji answered apologetically, sliding his fingers through Zoro's hair. "But we'll get them back."
He felt Zoro nod, still nuzzling close, his lips brushing against Sanji's throat tenderly.
That was when Sanji heard a footfall behind them, and his heart jumped, fully expecting an attack when he whipped around.
But it was Hiyori, still clutching her sword, her face a little flushed, her hair disheveled. She'd averted her eyes from them, studying the fascinating workmanship of the door.
When Sanji noticed her, she looked a little sheepish, but she held up another metal ring, this one with multiple dangling keys.
"I'm afraid they need to train more," she said primly.
Sanji wilted a bit, his lips turning up as she entered the cell.
Zoro had pulled back, watching her a little anxiously, as if awaiting judgment—over his Seal…what he'd done to Tama…perhaps all of it at once.
But Hiyori didn't say anything, merely circled around to kneel behind him, her fingers gently touching his arms to get a better look at the chains.
Sanji sighed, meeting Zoro's eye with a tiny smirk before settling beside him again, still stroking his hair.
The air stayed silent as Hiyori fiddled with the old padlock and started trying keys.
"You know…" she eventually said a minute later. "The first time my brother transformed, he knocked over an entire bathing tub in our family's quarters, nearly flooded the entire tea room." She smiled softly. "It smelled like moldy tatami for weeks afterward. But my father was so proud."
She trailed off, falling quiet again, her gaze on the open air for a moment before she shifted so Zoro could see her.
"I'm sorry, Zoro…" she said, touching his shoulder. "To you and to everyone in the village. I should have done more. I should have always done more. I'll see to it that the villagers are freed. And the girl…"
"Tama," Sanji cut in.
Hiyori met his eye and nodded softly. "Tama… She will be properly honored. I will lead the effort." She let out a breath then and shook her head. "I just…wanted so badly to believe that Kawamatsu would do the right thing."
The wary look in Zoro's eye had gone away, the tension leaving his shoulders as he gave her a small nod in return.
Sanji's fingers ran over Zoro's earrings gently, Hiyori's words bringing another question to mind.
"Where is Kawamatsu now?" he asked.
"Orochi escaped in the forest. As far as I know, he's leading a search effort," Hiyori replied, her eyes squeezing shut for a moment before she lifted her head again. "If you're both with me…maybe I won't be so afraid to confront him."
Sanji leaned forward to place a hand on her shoulder.
"You are the Empress, Hiyori," he implored. "Don't forget that."
She gave a deep sigh, nodding as if to convince herself.
"Maybe so," she murmured. "But…when all this is over, I think—"
Suddenly, a banging and then a clamor of footsteps echoed through the dungeon, growing louder as they neared the bottom of the stairs.
Panic filled all of their eyes, and Hiyori renewed her efforts, her fingers fumbling faster and more desperately as she shoved key after key into Zoro's lock.
"Here, give them to me," Sanji hissed when it became clear they wouldn't make it in time, the footsteps fast approaching. "Get your sword."
He took over the unlocking effort, Hiyori getting to her feet with her sword at the ready as those footsteps drew closer and closer. There was no escaping now.
The torches flickered as the pounding of boots came to a stop outside the cell. And it was Kawamatsu's silhouette that filled the doorway, joined by two other guards, including the man who'd run off at the entrance to the dungeon.
But Kawamatsu merely sighed, a disappointed sound, particularly when he laid eyes on Hiyori, whose sword lowered automatically, though she seemed to want to fight that instinct.
Kawamatsu didn't speak, merely jerkedhis head, and then one of the guards lunged into the cell to grab Sanji, the blond dropping the keys in the struggle.
"No! Stop!" Hiyori cried, and Sanji felt a surge of pride when she aimed her sword directly at the guard holding him.
"Let him go," she ordered, and though the guard looked back at Kawamatsu, he ultimately did as told, dropping Sanji's arms.
Kawamatsu was still in the doorway though, blocking any other escape.
"Kawamatsu, we must release him," Hiyori said, her voice surprisingly level. "We must release them all! They've done nothing wrong."
"You gave your word," Sanji cut in harshly, glaring at the man, putting himself between the guard and Zoro.
"And I will not go back on it," Kawamatsu said. "The villagers will be released if they are deemed innocent."
"Then release Zoro too!" Hiyori cried.
He turned to face her, and Sanji hated the way he looked at her. As if she was being a petulant child, defying his will, rather than an Empress with authority.
"The swordsman is the Night Beast, Empress," he said slowly, with almost infuriating calmness. "Your decree for his execution is in effect."
"Then I revoke it!" she shot back. "I didn't know it was Zoro! This was your plan from the start!"
She stepped closer to Kawamatsu then, and Sanji could see the sheen of tears in her blue eyes, her chest hitching slightly with her breath.
"What happened to the man who defied Kaido?" she asked, her voice wavering. "The man who told him that humans will never be currency in Wano. What happened to the man who loved my family as they were—Seals and all!"
"It is in their honor that I protect this country—and you—every day, Empress," Kawamatsu replied with near exasperation.
"Then why—?"
Sanji cut the Empress off gently, holding a hand out as he too stepped closer to the man.
"We'll leave," he said, resisting the urge to sneer as he said it. "Zoro and I…we'll both go. We'll leave your country and you can be at peace." He turned his head subtly, glancing down at the swordsman in a silent request for him to go along with it.
Zoro met his eye, sighing slightly, but said nothing.
He'd drawn Kawamatsu's attention, the man's eyes narrowing.
"And become a danger to another country…" he said. "Or a weapon against ours."
"Kawamatsu, enough," Hiyori insisted, but the man simply rounded on her.
"It is better to be rid of his power entirely."
"I won't let you harm him!" she cried, her stance straightening, and Sanji heard the strength returning to her voice. "You will spare him, and Sanji! That's an order!"
Kawamatsu was silent, and Sanji wondered if he would object further, if that soft spot for the Empress had truly hardened over completely.
But after a tense moment, he merely sighed heavily, his gaze flicking briefly to Sanji and Zoro.
"I was afraid it would come to this. I strongly disagree with that order, Empress," he murmured, lifting a hand to rub over his face, though he looked at her a second later with some measure of defeat. "But I will not disobey you. To do so under these circumstances would only stir more dissent than has already arisen."
"At your own fault…" Sanji muttered, though he reached out to subtly touch Zoro's shoulder, wanting to share this small victory.
The swordsman was staring solemnly at the man though, still tense, as if he continued to sense some impending danger. Yet again, Sanji noticed the way Kawamatsu's eyes flicked to his and Zoro's point of contact. The man had to be mentally noting something.
"There are other ways to protect our country that do not involve further bloodshed," the man was saying, but Sanji only saw Zoro's eyes narrow further at that, despite Kawamatsu's words.
He wanted desperately to ask Zoro what he was feeling.
"I swore to protect the Empress and Wano," the man continued. "No matter the cost."
"So did Zoro—" Sanji started to say, but Kawamatsu interrupted, anger flaring now.
"My duty is to my country!" he declared sharply. "My home! Those I love! What home—what love—does he have?"
He pointed dismissively at the swordsman, who flinched almost shamefully. Sanji slid his hand to the nape of Zoro's neck to comfort him, feeling Zoro lean into his touch.
He hated the way Kawamatsu's eyes flashed at that gesture, but he couldn't care. If he realized what Zoro was to him, so be it.
Hiyori's gaze was devastated as she looked upon her retainer, and Sanji's heart ached for her, having to hear this coming from someone she'd always trusted and revered.
After a long moment, Kawamatsu spoke again, almost to himself now with eerie restraint.
"It is a burden those with true honor must bear," he murmured. "The Empress' own mother shielded the world from her power for years to keep invaders from trying to steal it. She understood the meaning of sacrifice."
His voice was soft when he addressed Hiyori, reached up to wipe a tear from her cheek.
"Empress, I am truly sorry it has come to this. I never wanted to earn your anger. But we must do what's best for our country. Perhaps one day you will understand."
She shook her head, backing away from his touch.
"I ordered you to spare him," she replied, her breath shaky as her voice turned to a near whisper. "Kawamatsu, please. Forget duty. Forget everything. If you cared about my family, then spare him…for me."
Kawamatsu sighed again, closing his eyes for a long moment. Then he turned his head slightly to nod at the remaining guard, who hurried into the cell and restrained her, wrenching her sword from her grip.
Sanji was about to rush towards her when the other guard grabbed him, locking his arms behind his back as he struggled.
In the meantime, Kawamatsu had reached into the wide sleeve of his robe, producing a familiar-looking scroll, one that seemed to shine with untold magic within.
Sanji's heartbeat stuttered, then started up a rapid beat in his chest, his eyes widening.
"Kawamatsu! You can't—!" Hiyori was shouting, fighting against her own captor.
But Kawamatsu's hand was already scrawling across it, the golden quill gliding smoothly. Sanji could see the ink glowing golden through the parchment before the words sank in.
He couldn't move, an icy cold cracking apart his chest.
"No!" Hiyori cried.
Zoro's panicked eyes met Sanji's for one final moment, and Sanji could sense his own name unsaid on the swordsman's lips. But then, without warning, Zoro's eyes fluttered shut, and he started to slump forward, as if he were losing consciousness.
With a burst of strength, Sanji tore his way free from the guard's grasp, bolting forward to catch Zoro before he could fall, though he almost recoiled when his hands touched the swordsman.
Because when he did, light suddenly filled the dank cell, ripples of shimmering gold emanating over Zoro's form from where Sanji's hands had made contact with his body. He couldn't feel him properly, couldn't feel his warmth, that strange golden barrier that coated him preventing it.
Sanji's breaths came unevenly, Zoro's body heavy and limp in his arms, the ripples of magic spreading with his touch when he brought his hand desperately to Zoro's still face.
"Zoro…" he murmured, trying to wake the swordsman to no avail. "Zoro! Zoro, wake up!"
Nothing.
He vaguely registered Hiyori's voice, high with panic.
"What did you do to him?!"
"I kept my word, Empress. I spared him."
But Sanji's eyes couldn't leave Zoro, his hand still desperately stroking his cheek, trying to coax any sort of reaction from the unresponsive swordsman. Nothing…nothing…nothing.
He couldn't feel him breathing, couldn't see anything beyond the singular focus his frantic gaze had on the swordsman's closed eyes and slack lips.
There was some sort of scuffle happening to the side, Hiyori's robe in his periphery as she wrenched the scroll from Kawamatsu's grip. Her shocked fingers dropped it the instant she read it.
The paper floated slowly to the ground like a leaf torn from a branch, landing in the warm glow still cast by the magic coating Zoro's still body.
It was perhaps the only thing that could have grabbed Sanji's attention in that moment, the blond numb with fear and shock as he read the golden writing scrawled by Kawamatsu.
Eternal slumber,
This swordsman remains until
His one true love's killed.
Sanji's heart beat traitorously hard in his chest, and it brought him no relief—the realization that Kawamatsu would truly spare him from death now too.