A/n Unfortunately, I don't own One Piece. I only own my OCs.
Regular text - Story
Italicized text - Thoughts
Chapter 7 - Sanji
5:30 pm
We followed Louisa and Chagrin through winding paths slicing through the forest and back alleys. Nobody spoke a word for several hours. Anger and stress had caused me to chain smoke most of my cigarettes, and even still, my hands were shaking. I'd tripped several times over loose gravel and caught my elbow on a branch that whipped behind Chagrin as I followed him down a twisty path. The moon had long been hidden behind clouds, and the only light I'd had the whole time we'd been walking was the occasional glow of my lighter. The sun had gone down far sooner than it should have—its strangeness added to my unease. Something was off, but that was a problem for after we rescued Nami.
The island hadn't seemed this large from the shore but traversing it was proving taxing even with my level of stamina. I was briefly concerned about Louisa with how hilly and uneven the ground was and irritated that her husband hadn't even thought of her comfort. Still, she kept pace with Chagrin's longer strides, barely even breathing hard.
Behind me, Robin hadn't spoken since we had left Tinkerers, that hat clutched so hard in her hands that the brim had bent, and the threading was coming loose. Now and then, I would cast a glance at her, and every time I would open my mouth and start to say something, the words never came. What could I say that would make her feel better? Until Nami was safely back with us and this island burned to the ground, none of us would be able to settle. And I hated to admit it, but I wished that dumb moss-head was here. He was annoying as hell and a lazy lout but damned if he wasn't reliable in a fight. He always had my back, and I knew he'd fight tooth and nail for any of us.
Sighing heavily, I reached up and rubbed my temples. My head was pounding, and I felt jittery from the insane nicotine buzz I'd given myself. My thoughts were with Nami, dozens of scenarios on repeat behind my eyes. Maybe I could have saved her? If only I'd kept my eye on her, paid more attention. If I had only spoken faster with the merchant and noticed she was missing sooner. A billion things could have, should have, been different. Guilt was ripping me apart, and I was forcing nausea down at the thought of my precious Nami in the hands of these thugs. I stumbled again on the loose rocks and fell hard on my knee, scratching my palm on the rough stone. Breathing hard, I sat there for a moment, watching Chagrin and Louisa get a little ways ahead of me. I need to get myself together. I can't help Nami if I'm stumbling around this island like a goddamn idiot. I see Robin looking at me with concerned eyes; I offered her a tight smile that I knew wasn't as reassuring as I'd hoped it would be and wobbly got to my feet.
"I'm fine, Robin, my sweet, just fine." I offered her a tight smile that didn't quite reach my eyes. Her worried gaze didn't change, but she did nod and turn forward again. Pulling a baby blue handkerchief out of my breast pocket, I tightly bound my hand to staunch the bleeding. I stared at the spreading purplish stain on the cloth with disdain—just one more thing to kick someone's teeth in over.
It felt like we had circled the whole island when Chagrin began to steer us toward a warehouse. It was made of sheet metal in various sizes and states of disrepair. A faded sign that might have once said Otto's Textiles was almost completely falling off the building, each letter being held on by a few nails of rusting solder. All the windows were shattered, and glass littered the sand and soil all around the building. All appearances seemed to give the impression that the building was abandoned except for the sliding metal doors ajar and a bright yellow glow leaking from the crack.
"What is this place?" I said, eyeing the place suspiciously. It'd be just our luck that they turned out to be psychos and had brought us here to this sketchy place to murder us.
Louisa turned toward me, her pupils blown wide to let in as much moonlight as possible, "Our current headquarters. We move it around frequently, but one of our members owns this property. Before the war, it was a textile factory. After, well, King Pin came for Otto's wife and daughter, and after that, the business fell apart, and he lost everything."
Fresh, hot anger boiled in my gut. This bastard destroys everything he touches. As loud screeching filled the air, we were quiet as Chagrin pulled the door farther open. Warm air poured out, chasing the evening chill. We quickly ran in, and the roar of dozens of voices washed over us. I placed myself a little in front of Robin and turned to face the room. It was cavernous with vaulted ceilings and sidewalls. The building had been gutted; any textile equipment or supplies had long been removed. A large table about 12-15 feet long 8-10 feet wide took up most of the space, with various folding chairs and benches crowded around it. The people were varied. Rich and poor, young and old, and every demographic in between, all were arguing from what I could tell about the best way to break into the castle. At the head of the table, yelling louder than everyone else, stood Luffy, hatless and looking murderous. He stood next to a tall man with piercing gold eyes and a scowl that must have been permanent with the lines that had worked themselves into his face at such a young age.
In front of them on the table, various photos, schematics, and letters were in front of them. Luffy was gesturing sharply at something in front of him, his voice somehow growing in pitch as he grew more agitated. Luffy turned as if to make a point and caught sight of us by the door.
He grinned a feral kind of grin and hollered, "Sanji! Robin!" Throwing one of his arms up and over a beam by the ceiling, he swung himself towards us, landing hard beside Chagrin; he looked confused, and looking at both of us, he asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Nami is missing. I'm guessing that's why you're here." Luffy nodded sharply, his mouth turning down and his hand going up as if touching the conspicuously absent hat. He sighed and dropped his hand and turned his eyes toward the people we came with—a question in his eyes.
Quick to catch on, I said, "This is Louisa, Chagrin; they said there might be someone here that could help us find Nami." Luffy briefly nods their way, holds his hand for Chagrin to shake, and then turns to Robin and me. "Robin, the guy at the head of the table, Al, has a plan to get into the castle. Can you go over the details with him? I need to have a word with Sanji."
Robin nods, "Yes, Captain." and walks toward King Al, clutching the hat.
Luffy then turns a fierce gaze my way. "Sanji, can I speak with you outside for a moment?" His tone made my spine stiffen, and I was nervous about letting Robin out of sight, but Luffy seemed to trust these people, so I nodded and stepped out the still cracked door into the chilled night air.
We were silent for several seconds, only the wind howling around us and the air full of tension. Finally, Luffy said in a clipped voice, "Tell me what happened."
I swallowed hard, nerves I had never felt in Luffy's presence suddenly making themselves known. "I-I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know? You were supposed to be with her!" He swung my way, balled his fists in my shirt, and pushed me against the steel wall of the warehouse, my head cracking hard against the corrugated metal.
A lone tear slipped down my cheek, "I know! You don't think I know that! I was getting food for the ship and she... she left the store without telling me. By the time I finished having everything wrapped up, she was gone!"
Luffy was shaking, and I could see he was fighting tears. "You were supposed to watch her, keep her safe. You know how she is! She isn't a fighter like us. We have to get her back." His voice cracked slightly at the end and he briefly rested his head exhaustedly on my shoulder. I was somewhat shocked by this statement. Not because I didn't think Luffy would be relentless about getting our Navigator back, but because of the deep emotion hidden in his words. Is he... does he realize he's in love with her? I push that to the back of my mind and nod once, my head scraping against the steel of the warehouse wall, "What can we do?"
He releases me and runs his hands roughly down his face wiping the unshed tears from his eyes and turning away toward the forest beyond the warehouse. In the distance, I could see a well-lit tower. "The guy in there, Al, he's supposed to be the real king of this place. The guy who has Nami has his sisters, and apparently, many children of the people on this island. He takes girls for his harem and the boys he forces to enlist in his guard." The word harem sets my blood boiling, and my vision goes red.
After a few deep breaths, I ask, "How do we do this?"
Luffy puts his hands on his hips and stares at the forest for several long moments. He gnaws on his bottom lip before turning back to me. "We follow Al and his militia. They have been planning an invasion for a while; us being here to help is just dumb luck. They have been canvassing the castle, learning routines. Our best bet to get in is with them."
"When are we going in?"
"In an hour. The castle is only about five miles from here. Once inside, we split up: Al will look for his sisters, we look for Nami, and help each other when we can." We stand in silence for several more seconds. "We have to find her, Sanji. I-We can't lose her."
I nod, pretending not to hear his slight slip.
Luffy looks thoughtfully for a second. "Hey, where's Zoro? You told him right. I know you guys don't always get along, but please don't tell me you left him asleep on the Merry."
A harsh laugh bubbles out of me. "No, I told him when I got Robin. That dumbass got lost almost as soon as we left the ship. But I'm sure once the fighting starts, he'll show up. Marimo always tends to show up right when we need him. And he'll be relentless about getting Nami back." I must be more frazzled than I thought. Giving Zoro the benefit of the doubt?
Luffy nods and fully turns to face me. Again she asks, "Usopp? Chopper?"
"I sent them to the ship. They're getting it ready if we have to make a quick getaway."
"Smart," Luffy takes a deep breath before continuing, "No side quests or diversions. We go in, get Nami, and get to the Merry. Ok? Got it?"
Hearing that from Luffy was almost enough to make me laugh again, but I just nodded in agreement. "Yeah, deal. The only thing that matters is Nami."
"Let's go get our Navigator back," Luffy said with finality before gripping the door again; he pulled it open with a loud scrape and headed inside with me following closely behind.
A/n Enjoy. The next chapter will hopefully be up by Saturday. -CL