Chapter Text
Their journey to the Germa castle was definitely less than comfortable, considering Yonji could barely contain his laughter and wasn’t trying particularly hard to make sure he was even holding Zoro securely. This problem could be rather easily solved by just getting rid of him after all, however that would surely take more effort than just dropping him into the sea, so Yonji mostly refrained from this course of action. Zoro wasn’t paying attention to the Vinsmoke’s half-hearted attempts to get rid of him though, instead being much more focused on the state of Sanji. The cook hadn’t so much as looked at Zoro since the events of the ship, and Zoro’s less than inconspicuous attempts to get his attention had yielded no results. Sanji’s face wasn’t visible behind his hair, but the rest of his body language was enough for even Zoro to discern that something was terribly wrong. There was no fight in him at all, his body swaying limply with every move Yonji made through the air. Although the only response he was receiving for his efforts was Yonji's continued laughter, Zoro didn't stop trying until they reached the Germa Kingdom.
“Right. The original plan was to throw Sanji in a room until Father was ready to see him… That’ll still work well enough.” Yonji looked over at Reiju.
“You deal with that, I’ll fill the others in on the ‘happy couple’.'' He laughed to himself as he dropped the two Straw Hats and walked away.
Zoro got to his feet and dusted himself off, glaring after Yonji as he did so. He looked down once he realised Sanji still hadn’t gotten up, and yanked him upwards by his suit jacket.
“Get the hell up, idiot.”
Sanji made no response, which caused Zoro to raise an eyebrow, but Reiju interrupted them before he could question him.
“Follow me.”
Sanji was already walking right behind her before Zoro even had a chance to pull him aside, so all he could do was follow along. They made the journey in silence, Zoro having learnt his lesson from their previous trip, though that didn’t stop him looking over at Sanji every few minutes. The cook never returned his gaze.
The door they eventually arrived at was large and wooden, but not lockable from the outside, Zoro noted.
“We’re free to leave?”
“You’re free to try.” She gestured to the door. “Someone will fetch you when it’s time to meet Father.”
Zoro watched as she stared at Sanji, her hand slightly outstretched towards him, but she left without another word, disappearing into one of the many hallways of the Germa Castle.
“So, you wanna fill me in on all of- '' He stopped when he realised there was no one there to listen to him. Sanji had already entered the room while Zoro was watching Reiju, leaving him outside on his own, talking to nothing. He frowned, shoving open the door to reveal a lavishly decorated space, probably filled with things that could clue him into some idea of Germa’s history, but he only had eyes for Sanji.
“You’re really starting to piss me o-” Again, Zoro stopped himself. Sanji had flinched when he started talking. Definitely not the right course of action. He walked towards the bed and flopped down next to the cook, lying down and looking up at the ceiling. Arguing was probably not going to help him here, so he needed some other way to get through to Sanji.
"Could really do with some booze right about now…" He made a feeble attempt at conversation, to little avail.
The silence continued for a few moments more before he gave it another try.
"You, uh, used to live here, right? Any idea where the drinks are?" He looked over at Sanji, who was still sitting on the side of the bed, head buried in his hands.
"...Why are you here?"
"Hm? What are you talking about? You saw me get carried over here, same as you, dumbass."
“You don’t need to do this for me.” Sanji’s hands balled into fists over his face. “Just go back to the others.”
Zoro sat up and folded his arms, furrowing his brow and frowning as he tried to think of a suitable response. You were meant to be tactful or something in these kinds of situations, but that wasn’t really his strong suit.
It only took a few seconds of thinking before he resigned himself to being unable to respond, and so he stood up and nudged Sanji’s leg with his foot.
“Come on. I need something to drink if you’re going to be acting like this.”
There were no signs that Sanji was going to move any time soon.
“Shitty cook… Fine, I’ll just find it myself. Can’t be that hard to navigate this place, anyway.”
With that, Zoro left the room, but not without looking back at Sanji once he had reached the door. Seeing that the cook hadn’t even removed his hands from his face to look at him only made his expression sour further, and he exited the room grumbling to himself.
Once Sanji was certain Zoro was out of earshot, he allowed himself to let out what he had been holding in since they arrived. Silent tears soon became restrained sobs, and he sank down the side of the bed until he reached the floor, covering his face with his hands, not even able to look at the room he was in.
“You’re sure this’ll work?”
“...No. But it’s the best we’ve got, alright?”
“I still don’t see why we aren’t just fighting them right now…”
Usopp winced. “I don’t know, Luffy, these Germa guys seem kinda tough… Probably better to just let Zoro and Sanji handle it, right??”
“Do I really have to go over this again? ” Nami looked about ready to collapse, surrounded with various sheets of paper and covered in ink.
“No, allow me. I’m not completely certain, but I believe that Germa must have some sort of leverage over Sanji. Rushing into battle without thinking it through could cause more damage to our situation that could have been avoided. We’d have to at least know what Sanji is being threatened with before we try to save him in that way.” Robin yawned, staring at books she had open on the table. They had scoured their library for any information on Germa 66, but there was nothing of much use.
“We could just beat them all up before they can even do anything to Sanji…” Luffy grumbled.
“It’s not an option, Luffy, and if you bring it up again…” Nami rubbed her eyes, and laughed, the lack of rest getting to her. “I don’t even know what I’ll do, but you better believe it will hurt.”
Franky frowned, looking around at the remaining members of the crew, all of them in various states of disarray and exhaustion. Chopper had been leaning over the railings, staring off at the Germa snails since Zoro and Sanji had gone. Every couple of minutes he would start to doze off, startling back awake when he realised he was falling asleep.
“We aren’t gonna get anything done like this. Everyone needs to get some sleep, so we can get back to it and come up with a super plan tomorrow.”
Nami opened her mouth to protest, but Franky stuck his hand out, which then extended a smaller hand, which shushed her.
“I won’t take no for an answer.”
Everyone seemed persuaded by this, and started to retire to their respective quarters. Franky picked Robin up and carried her with him, while Usopp grabbed Chopper and left with Brook. Nami staggered to her feet, barely avoiding tripping over one of the many stacks of paper surrounding her.
“You coming, Luffy?”
He had walked over to the railings where Chopper had been previously, staring at the distant snails.
“Yeah. In a second.”
“Alright, then. See you tomorrow. “
The lights from the kingdom were easier to see now that it had gotten dark, although it was now also easier to see that they were definitely moving away . Luffy’s stomach growled, and he stared for a little while longer, before following the rest of his crew into the ship.
Zoro stood at another dead end in the long list of dead ends he’d already come across. In fact, they could all have been the exact same one that he had kept finding his way back to, though he had no way of knowing. Regardless, as it was a dead end, his only other option was to go back the way he came, in hopes that this time it would be different. And luckily enough, it was. When he reached one of the main hallways he was met with another of the Vinsmoke siblings, who turned to face him when they noticed his presence.
Zoro grimaced at the prospect of having to engage with another Vinsmoke, and tried to turn around in the opposite direction.
“Roronoa Zoro… You are aware that is a dead end?”
“If you're aware, why does it exist in the first place? What is the point in having so many damned pointless corridors here?!”
Vinsmoke Niji looked slightly taken aback. “There’s… only one of them.”
Zoro turned to face Niji slowly, and the two of them stood in silence for a couple of seconds.
“...Sure. Sure. Just show me where I can get a drink.”
“I think it would be best for you to return to your room. There will be plenty to eat and drink when we bring you to meet Father.”
Zoro barely listened to the rest of the sentence when he realised he wouldn’t be getting what he wanted, already having started down one of the corridors in search of something to drink.
“I’ll just get it myself.”
Niji folded his arms, scowling. “Not that way, either. I’ll show you the way, but you’re returning to your room afterwards.”
Zoro stopped, grinning. “Sounds good to me.”
Their walk was not particularly long, definitely slowed down some by Zoro’s inability to follow directions, but they did eventually reach their destination. Zoro pushed open the door, only to be greeted by the sight of his and Sanji’s room. He whipped around, but Niji was already gone. No longer having the willpower to wander through the seemingly endless hallways, Zoro entered the room having been unsuccessful in his quest. At least maybe Sanji was in more of a mood to talk this time.
“...I thought I told you to leave.”
A portrait Zoro didn’t remember the contents of had been removed from the wall and turned around in his absence, and Sanji was now standing by the window smoking.
Zoro narrowed his eye.
“Why should I listen to any of that crap? You haven’t listened to a word I said since we got here.”
“It’s none of your business. I don’t-” Sanji faltered. “I didn’t ask for your help with any of this, so just go. And… Tell Luffy I’m not the cook of the Straw Hats anymore.”
“What?”
“...You heard me. It’s not like you’re losing much anyway.”
There was no room for being tactful anymore. Any delicateness Zoro possessed was lost along with his temper. He closed the distance between himself and Sanji in seconds, forced the cook against the wall, and finally trapped him by stabbing two of his swords into the wall crossed against his neck. Sanji’s cigarette fell from his mouth onto one of the blades, but Zoro swiped it off onto the floor and stomped on it before it could cause any damage.
“Now, you’re going to explain everything, or you’re going to stay there until you do.”
Sanji stared at him incredulously. The swords were close enough to his neck that he couldn’t turn his head for fear of injury, and now there wasn’t even the relief of his cigarette because he had dropped it in surprise.
“You can’t be serious. Let me go, mosshead.”
Zoro only stared him down, sitting on the edge of the bed and folding his arms.
“You can’t just keep me here.”
“I won’t repeat myself.”
Sanji opened his mouth, and then closed it again, the arguments dying in his throat before they ever made it out. He struggled internally for a few minutes, his eyebrows furrowed, unable to look at Zoro. Eventually though, he sighed, accepting there was no other way out.
“I can’t do it. Not without a cigarette, at least.”
Zoro raised an eyebrow.
“Let me out and I’ll get one so I can tell you everything.”
“No chance. You can’t be trusted.”
Sanji glared at him.
“Fine! They’re in my back pocket. Lighter’s in there too.”
The swordsman only stared back.
“Come on, catch up, idiot. Light it for me. I’m not doing this without one.”
“You aren’t really in a position to be bargaining here, cook.” Zoro frowned.
“You want me to talk, don’t you?”
There was silence for a moment, but eventually Zoro reluctantly got up from the bed and walked back to Sanji.
“If you don’t keep your word here I’m cutting the rest of the box into pieces.”
“I’ll keep my word as long as you keep yours.”
Although it had been his idea in the first place, Sanji had not been altogether prepared for what he had asked Zoro to do. It was a relatively quick interaction, and if it had affected Zoro at all he didn’t show it, so neither did Sanji. Or at least he tried. In actuality, the swordsman’s hand in his back pocket made him jump slightly, and he winced after the sharp movement caused him to graze his neck on one of the blades.
"I'd prefer it if you didn't bleed all over my swords."
"Let me go then! It's your fault I'm in here."
"No. Deal's a deal."
Zoro pulled a cigarette out of the box, noticing there couldn't be more than a few left inside, and raised it to Sanji's face. There was a brief pause, short enough that neither of the two could even be sure it happened, before Zoro unceremoniously shoved the cigarette into Sanji's mouth.
“That was unnecessary.” The cook scowled.
“All of this is unnecessary. You could have just talked when we first arrived.”
Sanji didn’t have any response to that, so he just averted his eyes and waited for Zoro to light his cigarette. Once it was lit, Zoro slipped the lighter and box into his pocket and sat back down on the bed.
“Go on then. Get on with it.”
There was a brief silence, in which Sanji took a few drags on his cigarette, before he began talking.
“I mentioned a while ago that I grew up in the North Blue. At the time, that was where this… kingdom was located. The two people that brought us here, they’re my brother and sister.”
“Yeah, I guessed. Think I saw another one while I was wandering around earlier, too. Blue guy. Didn’t like him much.” Zoro’s face soured upon remembering how he’d been tricked out of a drink.
“...Right. I have another brother as well, but I assume we’ll see him soon enough.”
Sanji looked at Zoro hopefully.
“What have you stopped for? Carry on. You’ve barely explained anything, not even how you were acting earlier.”
“How I was- Oh! I was, uh, just a little tired from everything that happened. Yeah, I got some rest while you were gone, I’m all good now.”
Zoro frowned.
“What?”
“Do you enjoy being trapped there? Or do you really think I’m that stupid?”
Unfortunately, Sanji didn’t get an opportunity to defend himself, or comment on the fact that Zoro definitely was that stupid, as that was the moment one of Germa 66’s many henchmen chose to knock on their door. His presence was obvious to both of them as being somehow wrong, not entirely human but not entirely inhuman either. Sanji felt a slight sense of relief at the appearance of a distraction from his interrogation, although it was short-lived.
“Vinsmoke Judge, Ruler of the Germa Kingdom, requests your presence in the dining hall immediately. Do you require assistance to get there?” His voice was flat, with no variation in his tone.
“No, I remember the way.”
“You are expected immediately. Be there as fast as possible.”
Sanji’s eyes glazed over as he listened to the sound of receding footsteps, his mind clouding as he tried not to think about who he would have to see again. He flicked his index finger with his thumb repeatedly, the same motion used for his lighter. The pain, although minimal, served to ground him a little, although not enough. His thoughts still swirled overwhelmingly in his head. The life he’d built without them was going to end, now.
He flicked his finger slightly harder.
He’d known really, that it had been too good to last. He’d known.
His thumb snapped past his finger again. It was starting to hurt now.
It was better off this way, he reasoned. There were other cooks, other sons in the world. He wouldn’t be missed, at least not for long. They would keep going without him.
Zoro grabbed his hand before he could scratch it again, rough and insensitive, and when Sanji looked back from the door he had expected to see annoyance, or exasperation, or anything other than concern, but right in front of his own, Zoro’s face was furrowed with it, his eye searching Sanji’s for any kind of answer. One he couldn’t give.
He turned his head away from the swordsman’s, twitching his hand out his grasp. “We should go.”
Zoro’s hand remained a little away from Sanji’s for a brief moment, considering whether to push further, but ultimately he withdrew it and ripped his swords from the wall, with definitely more violence in the action than necessary, conveying his mood.
Sanji exhaled smoke, releasing more tension than he’d been aware of carrying. His fingers felt blood from his… accident, earlier, and he sighed, reluctant to show up in his current state, but there wasn’t really any other choice. He flicked his finger.
“Ok. Come on, mosshead.”
Zoro didn’t reciprocate his name-calling, barely responding to Sanji at all save for an affirmative grunt.
“Don’t… Don’t, uh, wander off. You don’t know the way.”
It seemed he was getting the silent treatment. It was probably deserved, all things considered. It was slightly bad timing, as with Zoro’s… directional weaknesses combined with his current silence, it would be very easy for Sanji to lose him. Looking for solutions, Sanji’s mind drifted to when Zoro had grabbed his hand earlier, and his fingers twitched slightly before he brought them up to his cigarette, dismissing the thought before he even had a chance to form it.
He really did have enough on his plate without bringing that up again.