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Red is all he can see. It’s dripping down his face and his hands and his swords. He can smell it, creeping into his nose and under his skin. It’s everywhere.
He remembers hearing that Sanji got taken by some sadistic cult to be their human sacrifice and thinking no, not his Sanji, they can’t take Sanji, they can’t hurt Sanji, they can’t kill Sanji.
Then everything turned red.
He can hear screaming, pleading, people begging someone to stop, but then there’s silence. And red, everywhere.
“Zoro?” Someone says, but it’s muffled, distant, barely able to penetrate all the rage and fear and red.
Then there are hands on his face, steadying him, grounding him, and it’s Sanji, “Zoro, look at me.”
His swords clatter to the ground and he falls to his knees in front of him. He’s breathing heavily, can’t seem to focus on anything but Sanji’s hands on him, on Sanji’s face as the red slowly clears from his vision.
Sanji’s here.
Sanji is wearing a white robe and nothing else. There are cuts around his wrists and ankles, and another across his stomach, the red from it dripping slowly down his skin.
Did they hurt him?
He turns his head to look around the room and sees even more red. Bodies are littering the floor, throats slit open, limbs sliced off, red leaking out of all of them. He starts shaking.
Did he hurt him?
“No, don’t.” Sanji turns his head back to him, his thumbs rubbing circles into his cheeks, eyes focused only on him.
He opens his mouth to speak, to ask Sanji if he’s hurt and what they did to him and if he needs anything. To tell him he loves him and he’s sorry. But nothing comes out.
“I’m okay,” Sanji must see his questions on his face and is quick to reassure him, “They didn’t do anything, I’m okay. I’m here.”
He turns to look again, but Sanji pulls his head against his chest, “Don’t look. Just stay with me, okay?”
He clutches at Sanji, staining his robe with the red on his hands as he holds him tight. He breathes in his familiar scent of the ocean and cigarettes, drowning out the red smell as he tries to calm down.
Sanji is here. Sanji is safe.
“Shh, I’m okay, it’s okay,” Sanji kisses the top of his head and strokes his hair, “You’re okay.”
He's okay.
He closes his eyes, and lets everything fade to black.