Why did old castles have so many different passages, all of which looked the same? Zoro grunted in annoyance as he turned into another corridor that looked exactly like the one he had just come from. The damn cook couldn't have gotten this far yet! He had to be somewhere in here! After all, Zoro had been walking straight ahead the whole time... or... maybe not...?

Zoro stopped abruptly. Unlike the other corridors, he could sense the presence of other people in this one. None of them were Sanji, but maybe they would prove useful nonetheless. They seemed to be in a state of agitation, hurrying back and forth. It could be due to the arrival of the Straw Hat crew, but Zoro decided to follow them anyway.

The alternative was to continue wandering aimlessly through the castle in search of Sanji or Nami, and he had no intention of enduring his crewmates' ridicule over his nonexistent sense of direction again. Which, as he believed, was very much present, even if it often kicked in a bit late.

He followed them with silent steps until they entered a room. Zoro hid behind a corner of the corridor while the agitated voices discussed something inside. It seemed that the commotion was indeed caused by the arrival of his crew. He was already considering whether to ambush them and continue searching for Sanji when another voice joined the mix. A voice that sounded familiar to him, even though he couldn't immediately recall where he had heard it before.

»Could you please focus on your patient for a second?!«

The men Zoro had been following almost squeaked like submissive dogs.

»Y-Yes, Your Highness«, they assured the owner of the voice. Then there was a metallic clattering, presumably from medical equipment, as Zoro guessed.

»We can't do anything more, princess«, the second person he followed said.

He could hear the female voice inhale sharply. »Does that mean she'll die?«

»Certainly not, Your Highness. W-We've done everything in our power. But her body was subjected to extreme strain. Her awakening depends solely on her.«

Silence fell, during which Zoro noticed for the first time the steady beeping that apparently represented the patient's heartbeat. A bad feeling crept over him as the familiar voice spoke up again.

»Then leave now.«

»Of course, Your Highness!«, the two replied hurriedly and were out of the room the next moment, thankfully in the exact opposite direction of Zoro.

They had not quite disappeared from his line of sight when he had already started moving. He had had a premonition of what awaited him in there, but the sight still turned his stomach upside down.

»Nami...«, he managed to say. Only then did his gaze fall on the second woman in the room, the owner of the voice that sounded so familiar. Of course, Sanji's sister.

She didn't seem surprised to see him at all. There was even a hint of relief in her eyes, if he interpreted it correctly.

When she had suddenly appeared on the ship yesterday, he hadn't trusted her at all. In his eyes, she was an intruder, an enemy who had entered their deck without permission. Even after they had found their way to Germa only thanks to her and the Vivre Card, he wouldn't have trusted her 100%. But the way she looked at him while firmly holding the navigator's hand... something deep inside him whispered that he could trust her.

»What's wrong with her?«, he asked as he approached. Nami was almost as pale as the pillow on which her head rested. Strands of her orange hair clung to her sweaty forehead, and the sight reminded him a bit of when she had fallen seriously ill on the way to Alabasta. Only this time, her face looked peaceful, as if she were sleeping. Or as if she were...

»She gave birth to the child and lost consciousness right after«, his counterpart explained. »She seems to have lost a lot of blood, so they brought her some transfusions. But I don't know... it might have been too late.«

He could see her biting her teeth into her full lower lip.

Zoro gently placed a hand on Nami's sweaty forehead. When he felt the warmth of her skin, he breathed a sigh of relief.

They hadn't arrived too late. At least not entirely.

»Don't worry, Nami has survived much worse things. She's strong«, he replied confidently and looked back at Reiju. »Where did they take the child?«

She blinked. »Probably to the laboratory.«

Zoro cursed under his breath and stared down at the unconscious navigator. Nami would kill him - literally this time, he was sure - if she found out he had brought her to the ship without first ensuring her child's safety. But did he really have a choice? He didn't know where the child was in this damn labyrinth of castle walls and whether it was even still alive, while at least she was still breathing right in front of him...

No, his decision was made. He would endure any blow she would strike him with, as long as it meant she was safe.

»What are you doing?«, Reiju asked in shock as he began disconnecting the tubes from Nami's arm.

»What does it look like?«, he replied and then pushed aside the blanket. Nami was wearing only a white nightgown, which was, to his horror, covered in large bloodstains in some places. »I'm getting her to safety!«

Reiju had let go of Nami's hand by now and was also standing up as the swordsman lifted the navigator and pressed her to his chest. »What about her child?«

»I can't just leave her here to continue searching for the child«, Zoro replied, now somewhat irritated. »Sanji is still somewhere in this castle. He might have already found the child, I don't know. I'll get her to safety and return here if they're not on the ship yet.«

He hesitated for a moment and looked at her. The small voice inside him screamed that he had to trust her if they all wanted to leave this kingdom unscathed.

He swallowed hard. »Can I trust you?«

She met his gaze for a moment and then nodded, albeit hesitantly. »I will do everything in my power to help you.«

Not the answer he had expected, but good enough for the moment. »Then find Sanji and help him find the child. The sooner we disappear from here, the better.«

He would not give up so easily.

As long as he didn't hold her cold, lifeless body in his arms, she was still alive.

He had to believe that with all his might because otherwise, he would shatter.

And then neither Nami, the baby, nor he would ever escape from Germa.

If everything here was as he remembered it, there were two possibilities for Nami's location: the Germa 66 laboratory or the medical ward with better equipment, where his mother had spent her last days. Since he didn't think they would treat Nami like the late queen, he walked quickly in the direction of the laboratory. Every fiber of his being wanted to run in the opposite direction and far away from this hellish place, but the thought of Nami urged him on.

Maybe he wasn't too late.

He could still save her.

They would be together again.

A powerful kick with his foot shattered the heavy laboratory door and sent the remaining pieces crashing against the opposite wall with a loud bang. Inside the room were some people who froze in their positions at his loud entrance. The brief moment of shock gave Sanji enough time to locate the small bundle wrapped in blankets, surrounded by people in white coats.

Nami wasn't here. His disappointment was minimal because he had focused all his being on rescuing their child. »Away from the baby«, he growled. His own voice took on a deep, threatening tone he had never heard from himself before.

The scientists seemed to hesitate, but the flames engulfing his leg were enough to scare them into obeying his command. The baby squirmed and made an unhappy sound. Within seconds, Sanji reached the small being and cradled it in his arms. He felt the scientists around him leaving the room, probably to sound the alarm, but he didn't care.

»Hey, it's alright...« he whispered soothingly, gently rocking the child in his arms. The blankets were loosely wrapped around the little body. So, it was a little boy. Sanji ignored the warm feeling that spread in his chest and wrapped the baby tighter in the blankets. He didn't want to lose focus, but it was only the still-present worry for Nami that kept him from completely surrendering to the love that flooded him at the sight of the tiny boy.

It was hard to believe that the little one was the baby who had grown inside his beloved Nami-san. Just a few weeks ago, he had been nothing more than a fantasy, and now he held him in his arms. The baby seemed to remember him, or at least his voice, because he immediately stopped fussing and blinked up at him. His heart softened as he recognized the same warm brown hue in his eyes that he loved so much in Nami.

»Now we just need to find your mom, little man«, he whispered to the baby as if he could understand him. He considered whether to take the child to the ship first or continue searching for Nami with him, when he suddenly sensed another presence in the room.

»I didn't think you'd dare to set foot in this castle again«, the deep voice was so familiar that it almost made him gag. Somehow, he had known that a meeting with this man was inevitable, even though he had hoped he would never have to see him again in his life.

»Really? You didn't expect that after you ordered the abduction of my girlfriend?«, he replied coldly, holding the small bundle closer to him, so the boy wouldn't have to witness the man before them.

Vinsmoke Judge looked just as he remembered him. Only that Sanji watched him from a different perspective, now. He was no longer the helpless little boy he had been back then.

Now, he didn't have to look up to meet his gaze. They were at eye level after all these years.

»No. After all, we both know you're a coward and a failure. You've never achieved anything on your own. You didn't even manage to get into this castle by yourself«, he gestured towards the child in Sanji's arms. »You apparently couldn't even pass on your genes to this child.«

Sanji clenched his teeth. He didn't want to know what kind of experiments his father had planned or already conducted on the baby. The accusing tone suggested that so far, none of it had been successful, at least.

»It might be because he's not my child. Not biologically, at least.« Sanji replied coldly.

Judge's booming laughter filled the room. »You're going to all this trouble for a child that was foisted upon you?«

Sanji gently stroked the baby's head. A few blond hairs could already be seen. »There's more to being a family than a blood connection«, he growled in response.

Judge laughed again. »Are you saying you learned that from me?«

»No«, Sanji replied, thinking of an old man in a floating restaurant in the East Blue, far away. »My dad taught me that.«

»How touching«, Judge mocked. »So you are here to complain about your terrible childhood?«

Sanji shook his head. His mouth twisted into a grimace. »No. I'm here to kick your ass.«

Judge burst into laughter again, and Sanji wanted to give him a taste of what was coming, but footsteps echoed. Reiju stumbled into the room with wide eyes, staring back and forth between her father and her brother.

»Ah, Reiju! You've come just in time to witness the destruction of your worthless brother«, Judge informed her.

Sanji only looked at her. »Reiju«, he said, softly. Not a request, not a question. Just acknowledging her presence and waiting to see which side she would choose.

Her gaze shifted between him and Judge, then settled on him. »Your green-haired friend is taking Nami to your ship«, she told him.

Sanji felt a huge weight lift from his heart.

Nami was alive. And safe, if Zoro was with her.

Now he just had to make sure the little boy in his arms found his way back to his mother.

»Would you... take the baby?«, he asked Reiju, not taking his eyes off Judge. »Please, take him to his mother. He doesn't belong in the middle of a battle.«

Judge narrowed his eyes and almost seemed outraged as he watched his daughter nod and approach him. »Reiju«, he warned, but she ignored him. Sanji briefly leaned his cheek against the baby's head, silently saying goodbye, and then handed him over to Reiju. He wasn't sure if he would see him again.

»Reiju, there's something you need to tell Luffy for me«, he said, and whispered words meant only for her ears. She hesitated for a moment, then nodded, and his eyes softened. »Thank you.«

Whatever happened next, he was confident that Reiju would protect the child.

Nami was safe as well. His crew would surely leave Germa safely, no matter how things went for him from here.

As Reiju disappeared through the door, he turned his full attention back to his father.

Getting out of the castle had been surprisingly easy. The battle within the castle walls was almost over, and it didn't surprise him that they emerged as victors. In the distance, he saw Franky firing rockets at some Germa 66 soldiers, while Brook on another side of the battlefield brought down a whole bunch of them with a precise swing of his sword. Germa 66 didn't stand a chance of noticing him or the unconscious navigator in his arms as he crossed the battlefield and headed toward the Sunny.

»Nami!«, he heard Chopper's high-pitched voice as he reached the ship. Robin stood next to him, using her Devil Fruit powers to create arms at the edge of the ship that gently lifted him and Nami aboard the Sunny. He wasted no time and quickly carried Nami into Chopper's treatment room, with the reindeer following him and bombarding him with concerned questions.

»She's lost a lot of blood«, Zoro informed him gruffly, prompting Chopper to rush off immediately to get blood transfusions for Nami.

»Oi, Sanji's sister!«, he heard Luffy's voice from outside and quickly stuck his head through the door to see what was happening out there.

Reiju was flying over the battlefield in a pink suit, holding a bundle in her arms. Apparently, she had found Sanji faster than he had expected.

But where was the cook?

»Sanji asked me to bring him to you«, she explained, looking down at the little boy in her arms. Robin appeared beside her and took the baby to bring him to Chopper as well.

»Where's the cook?« Zoro asked, annoyed at himself that there was actually a hint of concern in his voice. Luffy swung from the mast and stretched his rubber arms until he comfortably landed on the deck.

»He asked me to deliver a message to you«, she addressed Ruffy, ignoring Zoro's question. The swordsman gritted his teeth while Ruffy looked at her with a questioning expression.

»What is it?«

»He says you should remember the promise you made to him. And that you should keep it no matter what happens from now on.«