Sanji's face turned perplexed before his eyes widened.
"Marimo?" Quickly, the assassin jumped back, looking at his friend and rival on the ground.
"What... what the hell is this?! You're... you're a fucking prince of the underworld?!" Sanji jumped up too, glaring furiously at the swordsman.
"And you're the fucking King of Hell!" Zoro tore off the black bandana covering his mouth to yell at the blonde.
"How could you lie to us all this time about you and your family?!" Sanji laughed bitterly at these words.
"Oh sorry, would you prefer I said: 'Hello, I'm Sanji Vinsmoke, the third prince of the underworld. My entire family controls the dirtiest businesses in the country. Interested in a slave? I'm sure my brother can get you one!'" He said sarcastically before pointing a finger at the swordsman. "Besides, you haven't been honest either! You're supposed to be a cop, Mr. King of Hell! You're not innocent either, so you have no right to judge me, and between the two of us, at least I can say I've never killed a human!"
"But it doesn't bother you to kill all the animals on earth? The rarest and most precious species? Do you know that because of you, some species are disappearing due to selfish desires!" Zoro spat, stepping forward menacingly.
"You think it makes me happy, maybe? I'm just meeting the demand! Besides, I don't make any money from those sales; I donate it all to animal protection organizations! The little money I have comes only from my job at Baratie!" The blonde spat back, also stepping towards his rival.
"Oh really? If you don't like poaching, why do you continue?!"
"You think I have a choice?! You think my father would accept a 'no' as an answer?! Of course not, and your presence here proves it!" The green-haired man frowned.
"What do you mean by that?" The blonde's anger slipped from his face, and he looked away. "Cook?"
"It's... it's my father who's your client for this mission. It's a setup to get rid of me... but if I kill you in the process, it would suit him. I know this because... my sister warned me of his plans..." He sighed in exhaustion, taking a step back.
"Why does your father want to kill you?" The cook grew increasingly uncomfortable, stubbornly keeping his head down.
"There's no shortage of reasons. But... a few days ago, an important client for my father... asked me to prepare something for his next meal... something I refused to cook..." Zoro frowned, but his voice was filled with sarcasm.
"Oh! What a surprise! You suddenly grew a conscience?" Furious blue eyes glared at him vehemently.
"I've always had a conscience, you idiot! I just told myself that the meat I was cooking was beef or chicken, not panda or golden eagle. But this... this was something far too vile for me."
"And what was it? One of the Queen of England's dogs?" Sanji fixed his rival with a silent, increasingly uncomfortable gaze under the emerald stare. His body trembled with nervousness, and he looked away.
"It's none of your business. Just leave." He turned his back on the assassin and went to sit on his bed, his head in his hands, wondering what to do now.
"I'm not leaving here without an answer, Shitty-Cook." The swordsman said, crossing his arms after sheathing his katanas and removing the bandana from his hair. He watched the blonde grow increasingly nervous, his fists clutching his black pants, almost tearing the fabric. But he remained obstinately silent.
The anger started to boil in the King of Hell at his silence.
"Answer me!" He shouted, grabbing the collar of the dark shirt to force him to look at him. But despite this, the blue eyes refused to meet his. "Look at me!" The prince's jaw clenched, and he closed his eyes, refusing to speak.
Furious, Zoro pushed him onto the bed, climbing on top of him and grabbing his jaw to force him to turn his head.
"LOOK AT ME, COOK!" The sudden movement forced the blonde to open his eyes, and he now stared into the angry emerald eye above him. His throat tightened under the intensity of the gaze. But he still refused to speak.
The two men stared stubbornly at each other, oblivious to the situation they found themselves in, one above the other.
Zoro's breath was quickened by his anger, and the blonde's silence only made it worse.
"I order you to answer me, shitty cook, or I swear I'll kill you." A shiver of fear ran down the cook's back at this low, menacing voice so close to him. He was fully aware that he had an assassin right above him, someone whose hands were stained with the blood of many victims. But he refused to be afraid of him; he was part of the underworld, and he had seen many horrors in his short life and had been around people with even dirtier hands than his own. So no, he wasn't afraid of the assassin in front of him but of Zoro himself.
The blonde swallowed, expecting at any moment to hear his former friend curse and reject him after what he was about to say. This prospect hurt more than being beaten to death.
"If that's what you really want... They... they asked me to... to cook a human." A heavy silence fell between the two men, one staring wide-eyed at the cook, the other looking aside, waiting apprehensively for the other's reaction.
Slowly, Zoro released Sanji and moved away from him, leaving the blonde sprawled on the bed, looking at the wall, expecting at any moment for the mosshead to explode with anger, but nothing happened.
Cautiously, he sat up on the bed and looked at the swordsman's back, whose fists were clenched and seemed to be trembling with rage. Sanji began to feel something stir in his stomach, seeing Marimo like this, so angry he couldn't even express it. He had seen him in this state before when they learned that a bunch of idiots from another high school had beaten Chopper in an alley. Upon hearing the news, the trio had beaten those kids, but Zoro was clearly the worst. Luffy and Sanji had to work together to restrain him and prevent him from killing the group's leader.
That day would remain etched in his memory. He had already seen people die in front of him, killed by his own brothers, whether it was under torture or a bullet to the head. But it was entirely different to see a friend do the same. Seeing his hands covered in blood, a mixture of his own and that of his victim who lay on the ground. It was a miracle that guy didn't die, or else Zoro might be in prison or on the run at the other end of the country, even if he was still a minor at the time.
Sanji felt his heart tighten as he carefully sat on the edge of the bed.
"Marimo?" His voice was uncertain, expecting Zoro to explode and unleash all his hatred on him and the underworld. But instead, it was a cold and terrifying voice that responded.
"Who?" A shiver ran down the cook's back.
"Huh?" Slowly, the swordsman turned and stared at the blonde with such a cold gaze that Sanji's breath stopped.
"Who was supposed to go on the table? Don't make me believe any human would do." The mobster stared at his rival with a blank gaze before a nervous laugh escaped his lips.
"What makes you say that?" His voice was shaky, but he didn't look away.
"Don't take me for a fool. The leaders of the underworld are eccentric people who can kill anyone to make what they want. Organ trafficking isn't that rare in the Underground. Besides, there's something that's been bothering me for a while." He moved forward to be just a meter away from the blonde and loomed over him, leaning slightly forward.
"If you knew I was coming here. Why didn't you hide for a few days with one of us? You seemed very nervous tonight, as if you knew you were walking into the lion's den. So I'm asking you again. Who is supposed to go on that table?" Sanji looked up at the King of Hell. He felt his heart race, and an acidic taste filled his mouth, disgusted by what he was about to say, but he remained silent, not wanting to reveal what was going to happen.
"It's none of your business. Leave and continue your life." He said in a voice that seemed to fade at the end. The emerald gaze grew even harder, but a hand gently touched his cheek, totally destabilizing him, just as the blue eyes seemed so sad. "Leave me and forget about me." He whispered before that hand fell to his chest and pushed him forcefully, making him step back.
Those sapphire blue eyes no longer looked at him and were turned towards the ground as the hand that pushed him fell limply.
"Get out of here and don't come back, shitty Marimo..." Zoro was somewhat disconcerted by that voice, so smooth and detached but seemingly ready to break at any moment. For while Sanji tried to stay stoic, he couldn't stop his body from trembling and his breathing from becoming a bit louder, as if air had trouble passing through his throat. The anger that had been boiling in the King of Hell disappeared entirely.
"Hey Cook, what's going on?" He asks uncertainly as he approaches his friend, who tenses up and stares stubbornly at the floor. "Hey?" Zoro kneels down to try to see the blonde's face. "Look at me, Cook." He says softly.
Sanji shakes his head and tries to calm down, but he can't, knowing what awaits him in a few hours, with no escape possible.
"Cook?" The blonde feels a warm hand touch his own, and he looks up in surprise to see the worried face of the swordsman.
Zoro's heart skips a beat at the sight before him. His rival, enemy, and friend is devastated, trying hard to hold back tears. His eyes are red, and his face shows so much sadness and despair that Zoro acts on instinct.
With a leap, he grabs the blonde and presses him onto the bed, which bounces softly from the sudden but gentle movement. He doesn't know why he did it, but he wants Sanji to stop crying, trembling, and especially being so empty.
"I'm here, I won't let you go, and I won't leave you alone. Cry as much as you want, I'll be here to listen, I promise."
Sanji's eyes widen at the sudden embrace and the comforting words. His heart tightens more and more, and he finally breaks down. He grabs the kimono with both hands and buries his head in the broad chest before crying and weeping like he has never done in his life.
He is so fed up with this shitty life, with all the lies he's told others and himself. He wants so badly to be free and not to lie anymore, but it's impossible! He is like a butterfly surrounded by devouring flames that will burn him at the slightest attempt to escape.
He lets his tears flow without trying to stop them for a single moment, nor to block his voice. For once, just once, he will not wear a mask, no pretense, no ego to spoil his life or his decisions. He doesn't want any of that anymore, so for his last night, he won't hide anything, especially not from the man who holds him, caressing his hair to reassure him, telling him he can cry as much as he wants, that he won't go anywhere.
Zoro holds his friend close, trying to comfort him. Something breaks inside him as he hears the blonde's sobs and feels the tears on his skin. He understands that Sanji is trapped by something he can't control or escape from and that he is currently terrified.