Hey!

Yeah, I'm back! The holidays have been pretty busy for me and while I was able to get to my writing, it was taking forever to finish this chapter for some reason!

But here it is, hopefully, you enjoy it! We're actually coming close to the end of the first part of the story, which was mostly just introduction and setup.

Get ready for part 1 of 3, the other 2 to come out soon.

Chapter 4- Fratres in æternum, in æternum fratres: Pars I

Marguerite hurried on her way. Thankfully, there was little to stop her along the halls and everything began to look familiar.

As she approached the dank cells, she took a breath and stopped, glancing around for any guards. She thankfully only saw one, who was snoozing only halfway up the path. Taking out the blade she had retrieved from her assailant, she moved as silently and swiftly as possible.

Without hesitation, she struck the man in the side of the neck, coving his mouth to keep his death cries muffled. At this point, she was running on borrowed time so it didn't even really matter if she left a body or two.

Once the guard was dead, she extracted the knife, wiped the blood on the man's shirt, took his keys from his belt, and added them to her previous set.

She thought about talking to the other prisoners, to encourage them or something, but decided against it because of her lack of time. She needed to get the kid from her cell, look in on Sanji's friend, and then escape into the air tunnels before anyone decided to check in on the lone guard or their captives.

Looking down the rows of cell doors, she counted back to the one that had been her own, moving quietly and quickly, she unlocked it using the key Sanji had shown her. So far, so good…

Slowly opening the cell door, she used the dim light to look around. Seeing little change, she went to the hay pile where she had hidden the boy. Moving it aside, she breathed a sigh of relief to see the boy still unconscious and thankfully still breathing.

Checking over the apparatus of her makeshift tracheotomy, it was still in place but it was meant to be an emergency measure only. She hoped there were some medical supplies on the ship that she could steal in order to do something more. If not, she would have to find some way of keeping the child alive until her family came for her. She refused to let him die!

Taking the boy up carefully in her arms, she looked at his face and how peaceful he looked. The scar under his eye wrinkled ever so slightly as he grimaced, probably from the pain inflicted by the movement. Looking over him and his clothes and relative appearance, she was reminded that the boy clearly had someone taking care of him. Either his family was in one of these cells, or they were back at Larkspur and out of their minds with worry. Don't worry, mignon, I'm going to get you home.

(She didn't allow herself to think of any other option, even though she knew that the raiders had left a lot of bodies behind them when they left. If no one was left to claim her little patient, she'd figure something out.)

Keeping aware of the fact that she was short on time, she hurriedly moved the child out of the cell and back to the entrance of the air duct. Placing him further inside, she laid him on his back carefully, far enough out of sight before replacing the grate lightly back into the place, disguising it from immediate discovery.

Moving quickly, she had one last task to do before she could hide completely. Taking the lantern the dead guard had been using, she moved further into the prison, along the rows of cells, further and further back into the darkness.

The fact that there was no natural light down here, and the little light that was allowed to the prisoners would be enough to drive a man mad. A world of perpetual gloominess for months at a time? It would break even her spirit. She was in a way, happy she was able to get free so quickly, even if the circumstances had been far from ideal. After this, her priority was to find a transponder snail as soon as possible. The quicker she could call for rescue, the faster she could free her fellow captives from this neverending darkness.

She also had to think of Sanji and the other slaves on not only this ship but the other galleon as well. They were housed in another section of the ship, which would make things a bit tricky when it came time to attack. But she would think about that later. For now, one thing at a time.

At this point, she had moved far enough along, she was past most of the occupied cells and towards the far back of the row. Here, there was no light other than that of the lantern in her hand.

It was only by that light that she was able to see the grate covering the hole of the cell in the floor. It looked to be made of a sub-chamber in the very belly of the ship. She could smell the scent of rot, mildew, and refuse and she turned her nose up at the resulting stench. She could also hear the sound of water sloshing around below in the darkness. It reminded her of an oubliette of old, a hole where people were thrown and then subsequently forgotten. It may have once been a type of storage chamber or drainage tank for the ship, but it had long lost its original purpose. She couldn't stand the idea of anyone being imprisoned in such a lonely, dark, dank, and damp place, much less someone–a child!–Sanji's age having to spend who knew how long here.

Placing the lantern near the grate, she got to her knees to try and see into the darkness.

"Hello? Can you hear me? Is anyone there?"

Hearing nothing in return, she took hold of the grate and was happy to see that it wasn't locked in place, though it was indeed wedged and quite heavy. Heaving and shoving with all of her strength, she was able to move it to the side.

Taking up the lantern again, she placed it in the hole, lighting up the gloom. She gasped at what she was finally able to make out.

The chamber itself was narrow while deep. A pool of water lay at the very bottom, causing all manner of mold and algae to grow on the wooden walls. A ladder was attached to the opening where she was and chains were fixed onto the walls, looped into a pulley system in the ceiling. If she climbed down the ladder a bit to the lower deck, she would find herself on a small ledge that held the crank to the pulley system.

It was obviously designed to pull the prisoner in and out of the chamber, though she could see that if they wanted to, it could also act as a torture device, placing the captive higher or lower in the water depending on the desire of their tormenter. Depending on the depth of the water, the poor soul could even be completely submerged and drowned if their captor wished.

She could see why Sanji had referred to it as "the Tank". Such a horrible, hideous place!

Down below, she could see half submerged in the water, a figure hanging limply from the chains attached to his wrists, holding his arms up towards the ceiling. Bare pale skin could be seen and long green hair, that like Sanji's was dingy, dirty, unkempt, and lifeless around his head like a curtain. The boy looked to be the same height, age, and build as the blond, but she could tell almost instantly that this one was in worse shape.

Hiking up her skirts, she took the lantern in one hand and then carefully descended the ladder. Climbing to the ledge, she placed the light down while shivering from the chill. She called out again.

"Hello? My name is Marguerite, I'm here to help. Sanji sent me. Can you answer me?"

This time she got a slight moan (though no audible words) and reasoned the boy must be unconscious or worse, delirious.

Moving over to the crank that operated the pulley, she yanked on it as hard as she could. My goodness, it was heavy!

It took her a few tries and the help of good ol' momentum, but eventually, she was able to get it to turn at a steady pace. The chains creaked and she could only wince as she saw the metal shackles biting into the boy's flesh as it fought to raise him out of the water's pull.

Eventually, he was at a height that she was able to reach him and she placed the catch on before running over to his side. Worriedly, she had no idea what she was going to do without medical supplies.

She had to try. She had made it work with the devil-fruit boy, she could do this for Sanji's friend.

She reached for his arm and nearly jumped from how cold his skin was! The poor boy was freezing!

What clothes he wore were soaked through of course and his skin was pale. He was most likely under moderate levels of hypothermia…or would be if he didn't already have a raging fever.

She could feel under the clammy wet skin, the boy's skin was flushed and radiated the heat of illness. His breathing was shallow and ragged and thick. It made her think respiratory infection, though how bad she didn't yet know. Her nurse's demeanor shone through and she made conversation with the boy even though she knew at this point that he would barely be conscious at all.

"Hey, let's get you lying down here, and I'm going to try to warm you up as best as I can. You know, despite how hard it was to turn that thing, you're not all that heavy at all. You need to eat more, you're all skin and bones!"

She moved the chains to allow for enough give to be able to lie him down flat on the tiny ledge. However, because of how tiny it was, she had no room to move around and so ended up finding the best position would be to lay him across her lap.

Once she did this, she quickly felt for his pulse and then placed an ear to his chest to listen to his breathing and heartbeat. Scowling at what she heard, she then decided to check and see what she could of his throat and the dilation of his eyes.

"Alright, I'm going to be shining this lantern in your eyes. I know that that's not the most pleasant thing in the world, but work with me, okay? I don't have my penlight with me."

Moving up to his head she pushed the wet tangled mass of malachite hair from out of his face and then—

She stopped, a look of surprise forming.

Letting a breath out, her shoulders slumping, she beheld the unconscious face that looked both relaxed but also exhausted with sickness….before shaking her head with a gentle sad smile.

"Oh, Sanji…why didn't you just tell me it was your brother you were so worried about?"

It wouldn't have made any difference, but it would have provided a bit more context to the situation.

The face in front of her was quite familiar. So similar was it to Sanji's own, that without the small exceptions such as a difference in scars, the obvious difference in hair color, and the slightly different twist to those curiously curled eyebrows, she would have thought she was seeing things.

The resemblance was so uncanny, that if this boy and Sanji weren't identical twins, she'd be shocked.

She could see his throat was swollen and red, and his eyes showed slight lucidity, but she doubted he was very aware of the world around him. She could also see nothing had been done for his illness. If anything, the cold water had kept his fever at bay, but at the same time was aggravating the situation overall.

Rapidly and roughly, she rubbed up and down his arms, legs, and torso in an effort to warm him up. She tried to pull him up so that his back could lay against her front and she could warm him via body heat, but as she turned him around, he groaned and she gasped.

His back, like Sanji's, was a mess of scars of all kinds. Yet unlike him, his back was covered in several deep, relatively new scourage marks that were all festering and infected. No attempt at all had been done to treat them and they were all raging red with puss oozing from several.

Marguerite didn't think her wrath against her captors could rise any further, but they seemed determined to outdo themselves. But she couldn't even waste time thinking about that. If nothing was done very, very soon, the boy was going to die. As it was the risk of septicemia was already a very real thing, and that combined with his respiratory infection which might have advanced to the flu or even pneumonia, along with the hypothermia and the unlikely change to his surroundings told her that if nothing was done, he wouldn't last another couple days.

She looked over his chains and then at her stolen set of keys. She could at least release him from those. The slave collar was another story and she remembered Sanji's words about them being trackable. If she took him with her, it was very possible that the slavers would be able to track him to her. But she refused to leave the boy here and would sooner cut off her own hand than put him back into that fetid water. She looked back also to the ladder and how it would be arduous at best to try to get him up there under her own power.

But what choice did she have?

"Alright, we're going to try to do this together, okay?" She tried to reassure herself as well as him as she used the lantern to look through the keys.

Finding the key Sanji showed her, she made quick work of the shackles and rubbed at his arms to try to get the circulation going in them. The cuts that had been made into his wrists by them were noticeable, but it was probably pretty low on his list of issues that needed to be addressed.

Tearing parts of her skirts off, she ripped them into strips trying them together, dipping them into the water, and creating a makeshift sling out of them. Heaving the emerald-haired boy up onto her back, Marguerite wavered a bit before she could find a good position under the weight.

As she was tying the sling, she felt him twist and turn a bit and heard him groan, and this time, even speak hoarsely.

"R…Rei? Tha…that you?"

She had no idea who Rei was, but she wished that whoever it was could have been there for the boy instead of simply her, a stranger.

"I'm sorry, it's just me, Marguerite. I need you to be strong until we can get you some help. Can you understand me at all?"

After a few moments, she surprisingly heard him answer. "Mmm…y…you don't sound like…like Reiju…"

"No, She's not here, but your brother sent me for you, we're going to get you out of here, okay? What's your name?"

He turned a bit more, trying to nuzzle against her back. "Y…you're warm…warm…it's n-nice…"

Okay, maybe not totally aware, but at least speaking. Though it was plenty garbled because of his infected throat, she could understand him well enough. But she didn't want him aggravating his throat too much.

She decided to leave the lantern as that would be way too cumbersome in an already precarious situation. Holding onto him with a close grip around the back, she slowly struggled with one hand to get them both out of this horrible dungeon.

Taking her nearly three times as long as when it was her by herself she ended up having to drag him after a while, but she finally got him inside the air vent system right alongside her other patient, who was still thankfully asleep. And it was none too soon as she suddenly heard the blaring of alarms and yelling and running of guards.

She pulled the air duct grate closed firmly, determination showing plainly on her face. Her next priority was to get her patients warm, find a supply of food and water, a transponder snail, and what medical supplies she could find.

Let these dogs get between her and her charges. They would rue the day they had ever been born.

Vinsmoke Sanji tried to rub the cramps out of his wrung-out limbs. He was dog-tired, and his stomach was growling sharply at him, But like usual, he told all parts of his body to shut up. There was no answer to either problem, so there was no point in complaining to him about it!

Right now, he was supposed to be heading back to the cages to sleep until he was called on again. And he WOULD go there eventually. But no one said he couldn't go the scenic route.

Well, sure they could check the tracker in his slave collar, but he knew from experience that unless they really wanted something from him, they wouldn't bother seeking him out. They knew that he couldn't escape, and had made sure that he clearly knew that if he resisted, it would only mean pain and punishment for not only himself but for his brother too.

He bit his lip as he made his way quickly through the corridors. The Hiver Pirates turned mercenaries turned slavers were running all over the place looking for the Whitebeard Pirate lady. They'd found Jacque eventually, and then Lek had been killed while guarding the cells and her cell itself was of course, empty. And now everyone was on the alert, alarms being sounded to find the girl and find her now!

Sanji had to hand it to Marguerite, she knew how to disappear. He didn't know how long she could keep it up. He'd been enslaved too long and had seen too much to really hope that her "family" would rescue her, and even less so that she could somehow get him out of his situation. His faith in "family" was pretty much at an all-time low.

Well, his brothers notwithstanding. And if his mom and sister were still alive…you know what…okay, perhaps families weren't that bad. It was "fathers" he couldn't stand. Or at least that sad pile of manure that he—at some point that he'd long ago forgotten—called his "father".

He knew Niji and Yonji would probably have had even more colorful adjectives and metaphors to use, but he didn't feel like expending energy on using his imagination at present.

The thought of his brothers made him melancholy. He hoped that the lady was able to do something for Yonji. His brother was headstrong and probably would have been quite a rebellious hellion if he hadn't been nearly broken and traumatized after 8 years of slavery. As it was, he wondered if Yon was really still altogether there.

Ahh…who was he fooling?

None of them had been "altogether" in a long time.

Who would have guessed from looking at him now that he had once been a prince of all things? Not that he had really cared all that much for the title.

Worked to the bone day in and day out, but barely got enough food and sleep to maintain it.

Taking both his own and Yonji's punishments when he could for when they inevitably didn't do something right.

Trying to keep his brother's spirits up and making sure he didn't lose himself to the darkness, grief, and guilt.

Being passed around the ship like a cheap whore to those who thought they had a right and who fighting back would just mean even more pain.

Losing himself in working in the kitchens, but not having found actual enjoyment in cooking in a long time.

His elder brothers lost to the four winds, but also a younger brother who he had screamed in promises to Ichiji that he would protect, no matter how many sacrifices he had to make—and yet failed.

Trapped.

That's what it felt like day in and day out. Trapped with no future, and no hope of a tomorrow that wouldn't remind him of today.

He sighed, there really was no point in dwelling on it. Nothing was going to change by thinking about it.

He went over to an air grate and kicked it slightly knocking it off before crawling inside. Technically, Miss Marguerite could be anywhere on the ship using these duct tunnels, but he had a pretty good idea where she was going to end up.

He felt a few twinges in his body as his muscles pulled, and the cold of the air made the fresh bruises from when Dirk had slapped him around, start to tingle.

Once Jacque was found and the alarm went out, Sanji had been one of the first they had questioned, having been seen in front of the boiler room door. Sanji had expected it though. Had known it would happen the moment he had hidden Marguerite and distracted the men. Once given a chance to talk, he simply said that once Jacque had been "done" with him, the man was fine as far as he was aware. How was he to be responsible if the pirate lady beat the ever-loving daylights out of him afterwards? How was that his fault?

Jacque was too busted up to refute it, and the thought that Sanji could have attacked the man never crossed their minds. They saw him as cowed and weak, a slave who had learned his place as but a simple commodity, to be used and abused as needed.

Not quite true. Despite his slightly kinder nature and the fact that he was the most subdued of his brothers, Sanji was just as smart, and he was twice as observant. He had also learned the value of keeping his true feelings, nature, and self, hidden.

He played the role he needed to fill, and kept his real self away from the harsh outside world, only letting it show in the presence of his brothers and for the first time in a long time….to this new woman, Marguerite.

He couldn't say what it was about her and why he would risk talking to her or helping her. He knows Ichiji would have chided him for getting involved in the first place, telling him to keep his head down and not to make unnecessary waves. But then again, Ichi was the eldest of them all and the most practical and responsible It was a lesson that Sanji had gradually learned, having taken on the role. All that went into being the "eldest brother" in terms of protecting younger siblings.

And yet…

Something about seeing young women or children being treated that way triggered something in him that went beyond what was practical or pragmatic. He loathed the fact that he couldn't fully shield himself or his brothers from it, but they all understood what had to be done to simply survive in a place like this.

And yet, even then, somehow every time he heard a fair voice crying out for help, even if it meant more trouble or pain for himself, he always felt like it would destroy his very core if he only stood by and ignored them.

His brothers hadn't had the same intense feelings, but they understood. Ichiji would reprimand him and tell him not to bring trouble on them or on himself, but he never told him to stop either. He, like Sanji, had a pretty good idea of where those feelings came from, and probably felt them too to a small degree. But Ichi couldn't and wouldn't act on them for the sake of those he cared about. For Sanji though, even thinking about those things would send him into a dark spiral that he really didn't want to have right now.

He made his way through the tunnels pretty easily, having mapped them out a while ago. As he turned a few more corners he could begin to hear the banging and clanging of the boiler, air systems, and the other machinery used to run the ship. Here, the sound of any of the movements she made would be covered up, it would also be one of the warmest spots on the ship and would be hard to get to. It would be one of the first places that he would turn to, and he was pleased to see that Ms. Marguerite had thought the same.

He quickly came upon an area that was only barely lit with a small lantern. The air vents were far enough apart and the light dim enough to not be noticeable.

The lady had already been busy in the day since he'd seen her, the very small space was covered in old clothes, blankets, rags, and all sorts of things, giving the area a bit of a nest-like quality. There was very little room to maneuver and it was pretty quiet. He didn't see Ms. Marguerite so he assumed she must be away.

He hoped she was okay, everyone on the ship was on high alert looking for her. Some assumed she escaped somehow, but there were a few that thought she was still on board. He really didn't want her to risk her life unnecessarily.

He was moving carefully over the nest of materials, trying not to step on or crush anything that the lady pirate needed. And perhaps it was because of that, that he was able to spot the curious brown orbs staring up at him through the dark.

What the heck?!

Sanji's blue-grey eyes met two shiny pools of chocolate brown below him. He instantly froze in mid-movement, not having expected to find anyone else here other than Ms. Marguerite.

On the ground, nearly completely surrounded by blankets and other clothes, a young kid with huge bright eyes and a head full of fluffy black hair was looking up at him with interest. He wasn't scared at all, which was curious for any child that happened to be on this vessel. He wasn't one of the other slaves, so he immediately assumed that he must be one of the prisoners brought on board from the last raid.

He wore seastone bands and he remembered the lady asking if there was a key to remove such a thing. It must have been for this boy. Maybe he was her son or something?

The kid had yet to speak to him and as the silence continued Sanji began to wonder if perhaps the kid was mute? But then as he looked at him carefully, he saw heavy bruises and dried blood around the boy's throat, as well as a strange contraption made of straw and other things that seemed to be inserted into his neck?

He was confused about what he was looking at but he guessed that the kid had had his throat crushed at some point and whatever it was, was keeping him breathing and alive. If he had to guess, it was either an injury from the raid or his master's handiwork. It wouldn't have been the first time he'd seen a poor soul killed by the man's hand or boot.

Since the kid didn't seem to want to do anything but stare up at him and he had yet to shift from over him, Sanji decided to be the first to move and continued in his path through the duct, passing over the kid with care to not accidentally step on or jostle him. However, as he passed over him, he felt a small tug on his pants leg and sighed before glancing back.

Baby brown eyes blinked at him expectantly.

Shifting himself, he now knelt by the boy's feet and looked back up at those dark eyes which held such an open, friendly interest that it was honestly rather offputting.

One just didn't carry such bright innocence in a place like this. Even Lady Marguerite's eyes cared about the shadow of one who had known darkness and was capable of it. But this kid…

Annnddd, he was pointing now.

At him.

His mouth obviously wanted to move but it looked like he at least had learned the folly of speaking with that kind of injury.

He definitely wanted to communicate though, and Sanji decided it wouldn't really hurt to talk to him. He wasn't a threat and Marguerite cared for and trusted him, so it should be fine.

"Hey…um, I didn't mean to surprise you. I didn't hurt you did I?"

The boy thankfully didn't respond audibly, though it looked like it took everything in him not to. Instead, he smiled brightly up at him. Seemingly delighted at simply the acknowledgment.

Sanji wasn't used to such open smiles. It was bizarre, but he wasn't going to tell the kid to stop.

He was trying to shake his head, but he could see that even that movement greatly pained him.

"Hey, don't do that. Not if it hurts. I got it, you're okay, relatively anyway."

He moved his hand up close to the kid, and made the hand sign for "yes".

"Can you do this with your hand? Try it if you can."

The boy seemed to take to the interaction and did as he was told without hesitation, moving both hands up and copying Sanji's movements exactly. He was so enthusiastic that it made the corner of the blond's mouth rise ever so much.

"Okay, okay…only one hand is fine." He pushed one of the hands down. "Now, that sign means 'yes', okay?"

He mimicked it again, this time now also signing the word "No".

"This one is 'no'."

The boy tried that one out a couple of times before looking back up at him in obvious anticipation and hope for more.

Sanji smiled more despite himself, "Okay so let's see if you got it. Is the sea blue, yes or no?"

The boy signed yes.

"Good, is the sun up at night?"

The boy signed no.

"Good job, kid."

At this, the boy frowned a bit and then signed "no" once again.

He looked down at him in amused confusion, "No? What do you mean 'no'?

Moving up the raven-haired child raised a hand and pointed to himself before saying something with his mouth but without using his voice. Unfortunately, once again, even that small movement looked to be painful to him and Sanji was quick to censure him.

"Hey, none of that. Don't mess up Ms. Marguerite's hard work. I'm not very good at reading lips anyway. My older brother, Niji's the best at that, but I'm only okay."

The boy's eyes got even wider at that and he could see the interest practically written within them. He pointed at the blond once again, emphasizing the pointing a couple of times.

"What? Me? What about me?"

The kid pointed again.

Sanji looked back at him blankly for a moment before what the boy was trying to ask finally clicked.

"Oh, are you asking who I am?"

That bright wide grin was back again, and this time a vigorous "yes!"

It wasn't that he had forgotten the art of introductions, it was just that he was out of practice. Everyone on this ship made up their own names to call him, anyone that cared enough to use his real name already knew it. And like his thoughts and true self, Sanji tended to protect his name carefully. It was one of the few things left that was hisand his alone. He was very careful whom he shared it with.

And yet…

Like Ms. Marguerite, there was something about this boy.

Something….different.

He signed slowly as he spoke, letting the boy see the hand movements along with the sound of his voice.

"My name is S-A—"

"Sanji?….i-is that you…?" A weak, incredibly hoarse, but very familiar voice interrupted him, wiping the smile from his face.

No…it couldn't be…

The boy and everything else suddenly forgotten, Sanji turned in the direction of the voice and nearly flew over to the area a little further down the duct. He didn't trust that his ears had really heard what he thought they'd heard.

But no.

He had heard right.

To his horror, there laying on his stomach, also surrounded by several blankets and rags, his ravaged back covered in a bit of ointment, poultices, and wrapped in makeshift bandages, was his little brother.

"Yonji! B-but how?!"

He crawled over to his sibling, brushing away the green bangs from his face. How had his brother gotten here? He had asked Marguerite to look in on him, as he had not been allowed to see him since he had been taken to the Tank a week ago. She'd said that she would treat him if she could, but he hadn't expected her to actually do all this!

In the back of his head, he worried about what would the "afterwards". About consequences, explanations, and trackers.

And yet even with all that, that strong sense of relief won out.

Ever since Yon had been dragged away, the blame and fear had never left him. It had been his fault ultimately. He should have been more stringent in keeping his pain a secret from his volatile sibling. But like him, Yonji was too observant. The guilt of not having watched him more carefully. Of not having pushed harder to make sure he kept a lid on his anger. Of not protecting him as he had promised…

Sanji breathed out heavily, trying to release his building emotions before they burst. It was okay. They were together now and that's all that mattered.

Continuing to run his fingers through the viridian locks, he murmured. "Hey…how ya feelin'?"

Yonji's eyes were opened only slightly, but he didn't seem to really see him. His voice sounded like ground-up rocks and he could feel the heat from the fever under his skin. "S-Sanji? A-Are you there? ….wh-where's Rei…?"

The blond's heart sunk at the mention of their sister's name. Also of the fact that Yon was clearly out of it. He was delirious and not aware of what was around him. Fear and concern gripped him as he saw how pale he was. He had become even thinner and his breaths were shallow and shaky.

Spotting a bowl with some water and a cloth nearby, he went to work trying to cool his fevered skin. "Sorry, just me today. I can't guess how disappointed you must be."

He saw the other smirk just a little at that before a horrible wracking cough took him. His body shook so much that Sanji tried his best to turn him back around onto his back despite the wounds.

He helped him drink some water from a cup he found on the side, but felt his heart grow cold at seeing flecks of blood coming from Yonji's mouth. His eyes were now closed and he couldn't tell if he had passed out or had just gone to sleep.

Sanji's hand gripped the other's tightly. What was he going to do? Yonji was really sick, and hurt, and there was nothing he could do! There was no way anyone on the ship would bother to "waste" medicine on Yonji, and even if he stole some, he didn't think he would be able to get enough or give him the vast amount of care he needed. His brother needed a doctor or…

or….

he was going to die…

The frustration of the situation was bearing down on him and he could feel the pressure building up behind his eyes. He hadn't cried in a long time. Not since Nii and Ichi were taken away. But…

If he were to lose Yonji too…

He closed his eyes in order to try to hold back the intensity of the pain. "I'm sorry, Yon. I…I was supposed to protect you…and I failed…"

He was surprised to hear a slight laugh coming in response. It looked like Yon wasn't completely out yet. And this time he sounded more cognizant.

"Hey…at lea…huff…at least you're only a 3rd rate failure…right?"

The blond tearily chuckled, "Better than being a 4th rate one though."

"Ha-ha." Yonji smiled painfully at their little inside joke. He continued to cough, his breathing labored. It pained Sanji to hear it. Yonji, their youngest, had been more exuberant than all of them with the exception of Niji. The 3 eldest had tried their best to preserve his spirit even in this Hell, no matter what it took.

"Hey, stay with me, okay? I…I'm going to think of something."

He had to. Whatever it took, whatever he had to do, whatever he had to take or give or sacrifice—

Cold fingers reached up to touch his own, those hooded greyish-blue eyes, so much like his own, were looking at him knowingly and without mirth.

"Don't you dare…"

He gnashed his teeth in anger, "Yon, if you think that I'm going to stand by and watch you die, you're a bigger idiot than I took you for!"

"San…you can't—"

Before he could continue, he began to hack again and Sanji simply held him steady.

He was prepared to argue with his brother and ignore him if need be. It was his fault Yon was put in this situation in the first place. His fault! However, before he could say anything, another voice interrupted the both of them.

"Sanji? Is that you?"

From out of the shadows the concerned green eyes and lovely face of Ms. Marguerite appeared. Sanji noted on her approach that she had changed clothes into a simple grey long shirt and trousers. The bruises on her face were beginning to turn colors.

She was carrying a bag around with her and stopped crawling to sit a little in front of Yonji's feet. She smiled when she saw the two of them together. "I'm happy that you're safe and I'm glad you found your brother. I couldn't just leave him down there, you know."

She looked over at Yonji, reaching up to feel his forehead. "Hi? Are you awake now? Do you know where you are?"

Yonji tiredly looked up at him in question and Sanji ever so slightly nodded, giving him the okay. "I…I'm….cough…alive. The room…it's sp-spinning…"

She nodded, noting the fact mentally, "I've been trying to get your fever down, but it still rages despite my best efforts. I'm still trying to locate some medicine for you."

She straddled the emerald-haired boy's body and felt around his neck, armpits, and wrists before turning him slightly to look at the state of the bandages on his back. She looked up at Sanji, before frowning and quickly reaching up to take his chin, examining him.

Surprised at her action, he simply let her, not sure what she was looking for.

Her frown deepened, and her face darkened. "What's with these bruises? They weren't there last we met."

He raised an eyebrow, having completely forgotten about the new marks on his face. Bruises were an everyday affair. He barely remembered them unless they were really bad and interfered with his work. However, the concerned look on her face made him a bit more self-conscious.

He looked away, "It's nothing. They just wanted to know what happened in the boiler room. I made up something, of course."

Marguerite's lips curled into a bit of a snarl before straightening out firmly. "Let me get some salve for that."

But as she turned to reach for her supply bag, he heard a raucous whisper.

"Boiler room…?"

Glancing down at the question, he suddenly flinched at the look in his brother's eyes as they bore into him. They were opened wide, wider than seemed possible, his pupils constricting to almost nothing, leaving the frigid blue irises to stare at him like twin chips of glacial ice. His body had gone still and his features emotionless.

Sanji was immediately wary. His brother was pissed with a capital P, and this time his ire was aimed at him. Yonji didn't often get like this, but the last time he did…well—it ended with the situation they had now: a man dead and him in the Tank.

His voice was quiet, even more so than necessary for the infected throat. "What were you doing in the boiler room, Sanji?"

He inwardly cringed, realizing his words had triggered his brother's response. "Yon, again, it's my job to protect you, not the other way around. And this time it was—"

The younger ignored him, nearly snarling, "Was it Jacque again? Or Vel? Which–pig–was it?!"

The wrath in his voice once again sent him hacking, and Ms. Marguerite, who had been watching the situation carefully, stepped in. Helping him to sit up, drink, and massaged his throat and chest. As she did so, she spoke up to calm the boy down.

"Don't worry for your brother…'Yon' was it? Your brother only saved me in that room. Nothing else happened. You may rest easy. I'll make sure nothing else happens to him again, okay?"

His breathing sped up again as he struggled through the coughs, but he looked her in eye and she let the truth and promise be known there.

Taking her at her word, he visibly relaxed, whispering low enough for his elder brother not to hear. "I-I guess I… huff, huff…can leave him in your hands. He…can't disobey a pretty woman."

Almost instantly, he passed out in her arms and she set about settling him down. She smiled gently back at the blond.

"It's always good to have someone who looks after you."

Sanji sighed before running a hand through the unconscious boy's long, dirty tresses. "I wish he'd stop worrying me, instead of getting indigent on my behalf."

"He worries for you too, and for good reason ." She now reached back for his face and began to apply the salve.

He fidgeted a bit in her hold, but let her continue. She asked, "Who is the older twin between you? Or are you just lookalike siblings?"

He glanced at her. "Yonji's the youngest. And we're not twins."

Her eyes widened in surprise at that. "Really? I'm surprised, you look almost exactly alike with the exception of the hair color and—"

He lightly smirked, "We're quadruplets."

She stopped and then looked at him with an unamused arched eyebrow. "Seriously?... Wait a minute, there are two more of you?"

That of course brought back thoughts of Ichiji and Niji, which soured his mood and dropped what little smile that had formed. "Not anymore."

The ache in his chest burned at the thought of his lost siblings. A look at his unconscious, ill brother brought back the immense desperation of the whole situation. He reached into his pocket for the object he had brought with him.

Originally, his only desire was to help the lady pirate get off the ship and then continue to make sure he and Yonji survived as best they could. He had given no thought to her offers and promises to free him. The idea of freedom wasn't one that he could afford for himself. But for Yonji…

He needed to get him off the ship. Eventually, his disappearance from his cell would be found out and they would either find him using the tracker, or they would summon him using the electric shock part of the collar and it would eventually kill him. And if they were wanting to simply cut their losses…

No. He couldn't let that happen.

If Lady Marguerite could get off this ship and she had a valid plan, he would send him with her. She had medical knowledge, she just needed more supplies. And she was a good woman. She would care for his brother. The hardest part would be to find some way to deactivate his collar. But there had to be some way. Something he could do!

But one thing at a time. Let's get the lady what she needed first.

He took the brunette's hand from his face and opened it up, before placing the transponder snail he had stolen earlier in her hand.

It had cost him a few traded shifts and fewer pieces of bread from his daily meal, but he was able to get it.

"Here. I told you I'd get it."

Marguerite gasped at what he'd given her, clutching it close. "I hadn't been able to get to one! While constantly avoiding the guards and then getting food and supplies and—"

She looked up at him with excitement in those brilliant sea-green eyes. "Thank you, Sanji! With this, we can finally get out of here!"

He smiled briefly before breathing a steady breath out. Here it goes.

"I just did what I said I'd do. However, if your thanks really does have any meaning…could you…I mean, would you please take my brother with you? He won't be any trouble, and I'll carry him wherever you need to go. I'll do whatever you want of me, just save him, please."

A/N:

Surprise!😜

Yes, the green-haired teen locked up in the dungeon was indeed not Zoro, but Vinsmoke Yonji!

And yes, we will be seeing all of the Vinsmoke brothers in this story. No Reiju though, and there's a reason for that.

As you can guess, there was a huge shift in their backstory which is how they all ended up in this horrible situation. While I won't go into this at length, their personalities will be slightly similar to canon, but they all do have their full emotions and all 4 are close to each other.

To give an idea of the timeline, all of them were sold into slavery when they were about 8 years old (this would be about the time that Sanji left Germa originally in canon), and therefore Sanji never met Zeff or grew up with him. Sanji does still have an issue with fighting or hurting women, but it comes from trauma this time around.

We'll be seeing our ASL boys next chapter. I know it seems like a weird tangent in order to get back around to them, whom this story is about in the first place, but trust me, there's a method to the madness!

All questions and comments are welcome!😉