Chapter Text
It was just another day in Roronoa Zoro’s life in the coastal stronghold that was Port Jeruma.
Like every other day, he had to get up at the crack of dawn. Get out of his moldy bed, in his rat infested chamber, and make himself presentable to run errands in parts of town where his chamber wouldn’t even pass for an outhouse.
But today he didn’t mind, because one of his first stops was the Vinsmoke’s residence. The house of the governor himself.
Where he was glad to be immediately led to the younger Mr. Vinsmoke, instead of the unpleasant old fellow.
Whenever he delivered a new sword to the Vinsmokes, Zoro hoped for exactly this: Sanji testing the blade out with him. Even if that meant landing on his ass when he let the other beat him.
Because obviously Zoro had to let the governor’s son win. They both knew that if the game was fair, if life was fair, Zoro would have won.
As it was, Zoro would have loved to lie here all day, looking up at that blond gentleman who was putting the masterfully crafted sword to his neck and playfully forcing him to surrender.
But suddenly there were footsteps on the marble.
Sanji’s face fell and he hastily pulled Zoro to his feet, standing straight up as the governor approached.
The Vinsmoke patriarch had a distaste for Zoro, but he did appreciate the craftsmanship of his swords. The presentation of this one went over as well as one could expect, mostly due to the fact that the governor was in a hurry.
Some captain’s promotion or other. Zoro couldn’t give enough of a damn.
Zoro bowed in greeting, “Good day, Governor!”
The old man gave him the slightest bow in return, but did not try to hide the open disdain on his face.
“...Mr. Vinsmoke,” he turned to Sanji and bowed.
„I told you to call me Sanji!” the blond rolled his eyes at him.
„Just one more time, Mr. Vinsmoke, as always,” Zoro answered dutifully with another slight bow.
Sanji flinched and looked like he was swallowing bile.
When Zoro risked another glance, Sanji was glaring down at him. „Good day, Mr. Roronoa,” he said coldly and turned away, not sparing him another look.
Thus missing the way Zoro mouthed his name to himself, once Sanji was out of earshot, desperately wishing he could have called him by it before.
But that was not his station. It was not his choice.
He didn’t decide what was right or wrong. Richer and more powerful men got to make the rules. Zoro was just a blacksmith ...well actually, he was just the blacksmith’s apprentice… trying to survive one day at a time.
That he had been standing here for several minutes, looking ruefully at the tracks of the chaise was not proper either. So he straightened up at once and began his long walk home.
The moment he lost sight of Zoro from the coach window, the Vinsmoke heir’s mood changed for the worse. He’d really been glad for the distraction Zoro always brought him. A little chance of being carefree when it was just the two of them. He needed that...especially on days like today.
But, of course, the moment he was in the presence of his father, it all turned to dirt right in front of him. Everything did.
“Stop!” his father ordered.
“What?”
“Your endless fidgeting!”
The younger Mr. Vinsmoke scoffed. “You’re leading me like a lamb to the slaughter and I am supposed to just grin and bear it?!”
“You are supposed to do what is expected of you!”
Sanji shut his mouth. There was no use in protesting anyways.
He was going to have to propose to a stranger today and she was going to have to say yes.
He and Miss Vivi had met a few days prior. Not that they’d had time to get to know each-other between all the engagements they attended. There was too many social rules to mind for them to speak more than two words altogether.
How ironic how in only a few short weeks they would call each-other husband and wife when now they were not even officially allowed to call each-other by their first name.
Then again, not as strange as being friends with a mossheaded blacksmith for the better part of a decade and him still not being able to utter the two syllables of his name.
Vivi, on the other hand, had allowed him to call her so in private. So to him she was Vivi. A beautiful, sweet, smart woman, who did not deserve any of this any more than Sanji did.
This wasn’t a marriage, this was a slave trade.
The only people benefiting from it, were their fathers, feeding their political interests.
“I do not understand why you are complaining! When you so admire any young lady you see...even lowly commoners on the street.” His father turned up his nose.
It was not that Sanji did not admire Vivi, he admired her enough to know that she deserved better than a forced marriage.
He did not say any of that, only silently stared ahead, waiting for their inevitable arrival at the captain’s promotion ceremony. Which was also to be the scene of the proposal of the governor’s son to the rich tradesman’s daughter. Oh, what a joyous day. He might vomit from the sheer cheer of it all.
The sun was glaring down at them for the better part of an hour as they watched the whole procedure. Sanji had witnessed many like it and was bored out of his mind, while Vivi at least had some interest in the proceedings.
Sanji asked himself if she was as aware as him, of what was to await them right after the ceremony.
If she was burdened by it, she hid it well.
Finally, they both stood at a balustrade overlooking the shore. Their chaperon, Mrs. Ansley, standing only a few feet behind them. Their fathers a few more paces off, out of earshot.
A few dozen feet below them, the unruly waves of the wide sea.
Sanji looked towards the water for a moment, then turned to Vivi. Her blue hair was bellowing wildly behind her and her gaze seemed transfixed by the far off horizon.
When she felt his gaze on her, she smiled faintly and turned slightly towards him.
Her hand unconsciously wandered to her neck, nervously toying with the pendant of her gold necklace.
“Miss Nefertari,” Sanji started, “...Vivi, let me speak plainly.”
She nodded with her usual composure.
“We are both aware of the expectations that were placed by our fathers on these last few days of courtship.”
She nodded again.
“My own feelings towards it, which I have not yet made known, I am now laying before you.”
Sanji opened his mouth again and the words he wanted to say almost made it out.
He wanted to break both of them out of their roles. Confide in Vivi his true distaste for their parent’s scheme. Be truly honest with her. But he wasn’t sure how far their mutual understanding of the situation went. He could not risk miss-stepping and angering his father. All he could do was play his part.
“You are an extraordinary woman, who’s beauty is only paralleled by her kindness.”
When she looked at him now, her gaze turned icy below her polite mask.
Sanji’s gaze went to his feet for a moment, wishing the earth beneath them would swallow him up.
She’d looked right through him, of course she had. She knew that he was a coward.
But that didn’t matter now, he had no other choice.
So he faced her again. “Although I have not yet proven myself to be worthy of your affections, I would be honored if you would accept …”
In that moment everything seemed to happen at once.
The latch of Vivi’s necklace gave out under the strain of her constant fidgeting. She gasped as it slid from under her fingers and fell.
Both of their gazes followed it, as it plummeted into the dark waters below, instantly disappearing without a trace.
The next moment they noticed something else in the water.
The otherwise calm ocean was bubbling and splashing white sea-foam into the air in one certain spot.
It looked like someone was struggling amidst the waves.
When Vivi’s concerned gaze met his own, he was sure he hadn’t imagined it.
Before he could think better of it, Sanji had already thrown off his jacket and kicked off his shoes. Taking the plunge into the cool water below.
The mumbling and shouting from above the surface was lost on him.
His eyes burned as he tried to orient himself in the water and locate the person in distress.
Finally he spotted a red shirt and pale skin in the deep.
Knowing he only had one chance, he used all the strength he could muster to reach the stranger.
When he reached him, the boy’s eyes were closed and he was completely motionless, at the mercy of the ocean.
Sanji’s hand closed around a cold, lifeless limb and it was all he could do to pull the boy to the surface before his air ran out.
His lungs burned as they finally filled with much needed air.
Extending his final ounces of energy he swam towards the wooden pier, pulling the boy’s lifeless body with him. There were two figures standing on the pier, who pulled the body off of him. He recognized their marine uniforms as one of them reached to pull him up too.
Once on dry land, it took Sanji a few moments to catch his breath.
What on earth are you thinking?!
He ignored his father’s voice in his head and pushed himself onto his knees.
“What happened?” he rushed out.
Neither of the two young navy officer’s gave any answer, both just looking at each-other with panicked expressions. One of them clutching a transponder snail to his chest, the other holding a tattered looking strawhat an arms-length away from himself.
Sanji ignored them and crawled a few paces to get a better look at the boy.
He held his ear to his blue lips and could just feel the faintest breath, which gave him hope.
Without really knowing what he was doing, Sanji started shaking his body. Which is when he realized there was something wrong with it. At least he thought he would have heard about it, if seawater usually made people’s bones this flexible.
The two marines didn’t seem as surprised as Sanji was.
Still leaned over the strange boy’s body, Sanji suddenly felt a warm touch on his shoulder. Vivi had hurried down the pier and made it to his side. Her speed promptly explained by her bare feet peeking out from under the hem of her dress.
Without a moment’s hesitation, she lay her ear to the boys chest.
“We have to get the water out of his lungs!” she concluded.
Sanji nodded. “What do I do?”
“You push,” she lay one hand on the boys chest,“right here!”
Sanji followed her instructions. He pushed, hard.
So hard that he was sure he had broken bones, or at least should have felt them by now, as he pushed into the boys sternum. Instead there was surprisingly little resistance.
“Miss Vivi, this is anything but proper!” the voice of their elderly chaperon carried down the pier, as she came rushing towards them, completely out of breath.
Neither of them moved.
Sanji kept pushing downward, feeling his already strained arms and shoulders burning. Vivi checked for the boys breathing periodically.
Then, finally, the boy coughed and spat out half the oceans worth of water onto Sanji’s already soaked trousers.
Vivi sighed in relieve and Sanji finally remembered to breathe.
As the boy lay there, taking in deep breaths, his hair stuck to his forehead like strands of seaweed, a familiar image flashed in front of Sanji’s inner eye.
That of a green-haired boy that had just been pulled from the water onto the deck of a gigantic ship.
Panicked, gray eyes looking up at him from a scrawny, starved looking face.
Those stormy eyes telling a story of misfortune and mistrust that still remained a mystery to this day.
Sanji got shaken out of his thoughts by the boy abruptly sitting up.
“Huh, what’s going on?!”
“Stay calm, everything’s fine!” Vivi assured him.
“I fell into the water again, didn’t I? Oh man!” he whined.
Sanji and Vivi shared a glance. This seemed to be a regular occurrence for the stranger.
“Thanks you guys, for saving me!”
Before Sanji could even open his mouth to reply, more unpleasant company had reached them.
“What is going on here?!” the governor demanded to know, while Cobra assured himself of Vivi’s well being.
Thankfully the two marines saved Sanji from having to find an explanation, by trying to recount the events. Trying to, because all their interrupting and stumbling over their words made the whole thing an incomprehensible mess.
“We’ve already called for backup, Sir!” was the only helpful thing the smaller one with the peach hair could provide.
Great. Sanji thought. As if this wasn’t already spectacle enough.
By means of the marine captain's infalible talent of making Sanji’s day as difficult as possible, that was the exact moment he made his entrance.
He saluted the governor and they exchanged a few hurried words.
Then many more heavy footsteps followed, as a swarm of marines came towards them, all armed to the tooth.
Before he could collect himself, Sanji felt a hand on his shoulder, pulling him up.
“Sir, we’ll take it from here!”
Sanji was still too dazed to protest, as he was gently but firmly pushed aside.
As soon as the commodore turned his attention away from the governor and towards the boy, his whole demeanor changed. Suddenly he was no boot-licker, but a cat toying with its pray.
“What an interesting hat,” he said with a hidden grin as he plucked said strawhat from the young marine’s clammy fingers. The already pale boy went so white in the face, his freckles disappeared.
“Hey, give me that!” Luffy stretched his arm and pulled the strawhat out of his grip.
An uproar went through the present party, but to Sanji everything made more sense now.
“What a neat little trick too,” the commodore mocked. Then without missing a beat turned and barked his orders. “It’s Strawhat, seize him!”
Dutifully, the newly arrived marines marched towards them.
“Hold on, he needs dry clothes and rest!” Vivi protested, stepping in front of the boy.
The eyes of all present gentlemen shot to the lady.
A small condescending smile appeared on the commodores face as he addressed her. “Please Miss, let us do our duty.”
“Monkey D. Luffy, you are under arrest!” one of the officer’s called out.
Vivi did not move. Ignoring the incessant nagging of her caretaker and her father alike.
“Why didn’t you tell me you’re the bad guys?!” the boy pouted at Sanji and Vivi.
Sanji finally snapped back to the moment and pushed the marine off Vivi. Leaving the both of them standing between the navy and the stranger, who was still sitting on the floor.
Sanji folded his arms in front of his chest and cleared his throat, like his father often did when he was about to scorn him. “What is he being arrested for?”
“With all due respect Sir, you have no right to question my authority here.”
Sanji was almost impressed. Usually the captain’s ass-kissing of the governor had always extended to Sanji, but it seemed that now that he had made it to commodore, it was beneath him.
“Sanji,” he heard the forced restraint in his father’s voice as he addressed him, “let these men do their jobs!”
Sanji ignored him and focused on the man in front of him instead.
“And you have no right, with all due respect, Commodore, to order me around!”
“Of course not...Sir,” the man awkwardly cleared his throat and finally went on.
“This man is a pirate and a wanted enemy of the crown!”
Sanji took a skeptical glance towards the skinny boy on the floor, who just shrugged his shoulders at him.
“Now step aside Miss Nefertari, Mr Vinsmoke...please...”
Again the voices of all of their wardens blurred into eachother. A strange mixture between Mrs. Ansley's pleas and his father’s threats.
“It’s alright you guys!” the young pirate spoke up, “thanks for saving me, I owe you!” the boy grinned and firmly placed his ragged hat back on his head.
“Now, gum-gum…” the last part of that sentence was no longer audible, as the boy shot through the air, having anchored his stretched out rubber arm in a far off palm on the shoreline.
A grin stole itself onto Sanji’s face, before the reality of the situation set in.
“Are you out of your mind?!” his father hissed as his grip tightened on his arm. “This will have dire consequences!”
Sanji let himself get dragged a few paces, before once again Vivi came to his side.
“Thank you, Mr. Vinsmoke!” she swooped in, “is he not very valiant, father?!”
Cobra came to a halt a few steps behind his daughter and gave her a humouring smile.
“Indeed,” he nodded, “one could not have known that the person in need was such a scoundrel, nonetheless, it was very commendable of you!”
Sanji, finally feeling the bruising grip on his arm loosening, gave a thankful smile and a small nod.
“And I am sure the good men of the marine corps will find and bring this criminal to stern justice,” the elder Mr. Vinsmoke chimed in, still staring daggers into Sanji.
Then, suddenly, it was Vivi’s hand that clamped to his arm, as she tried to steady herself.
“Oh my, all this commotion in this heat...I fear I have to withdraw to my quarters for the day.”
Cobra nodded. “Certainly my dear...and Mr. Vinsmoke will be glad for the coach, will he not?”
“Indeed, I’ll have to excuse myself too… I’m in dire need of dry clothes.”
In fact Sanji was sure that he looked like quite the mess.
“Of course…” Cobra agreed, and turned to the old lady, “Mrs. Ansley please be so kind as to accompany the young people!”
“Certainly Sir,” the old crone answered dryly.
And just like that, from being the rescuer, Sanji became the rescued. He smiled gratefully at Vivi, and for the first time he thought maybe this wasn’t so bad after all. At least he felt like he had gotten back into Vivi’s good graces. He guessed bringing all his fathers wrath down on him had the upside of no longer looking as spineless as he really was.
They didn’t speak on the way, but they were both thinking of the strange boy.
Had he made it far? What would happen to him when they eventually caught him?
And most crucially: Had they turned his fate for the better or worse by being by the water today?
His errands kept Zoro busy for the better part of the morning, but they couldn’t take his mind off what had happened at the governor’s house.
It annoyed him just as much as Sanji, that he couldn’t even call him by his name. It made him feel like a stranger, when that was the last thing they were.
When, in reality, the Vinsmoke heir had played such an important role in his life.
The first time they met, it was Sanji who saved his life, it was Sanji who fed him and made sure he was clothed.
He would never forget how his eyes were the first thing he saw when he woke from his unconsciousness. How they had seemed the dark blue of the ocean in the dim light but he later learned they were much brighter, more like a mirror of a bright blue sky.
That day was the darkest day of his life and yet somehow he felt warmth when he thought back on it. It was the last day he ever felt cared for in such a way. That hot meal and the blanket was a kindness he would have to fight for every other day of his life since.
“Get it together moss for brains!” he scolded himself, sounding a little too much like his master.
But it did get him out of his thoughts just in time to narrowly avoid the oncoming chaise, rattling down the road in the opposite direction.
As he made it to the lower town and finally spotted the familiar sign above the smithy, his steps quickened. He couldn’t wait to get out of the heat for the day and back to training.
So he skillfully avoided any of the other tradespeople trying to strike up conversations. There seemed to be some kind of commotion going on, since along the way he picked up some excited murmurs here and there.
He’d almost made it to his door, when someone stopped him.
It was a low ranking marine, rushing along with a piece of paper in his hand.
“Have you seen this man?”
Zoro not so much as glanced at the wanted poster. He really could not care less about who the marines were trying to get to the gallows today. At this point there was a different pirate on the loose here every day anyways.
Pirates and marines, they were one and the same to him. Neither one of them had ever treated him like more than a street rat. Zoro didn’t get involved in any of that, he was a blacksmith, nothing more.
He shook his head no.
“Are you sure?”
Again the poster was pushed into his face. All Zoro’s attention was caught by, was the very large number at the bottom of it. A three with a bunch of zeroes.
He shook his head again and pushed past the man, making it the final distance towards his destination.
When he entered, he was glad to find that the master blacksmith had been knocked out cold, probably from poisoning his liver, as usual.
Zoro was about to undo his sword-belt when he noticed a light draft grazing his face.
He was sure he had spotted a movement from the corner of his eye, but when he turned, there was nothing but the fire flickering in the hearth.
A cold shudder went down his spine. Something wasn’t right!
He glanced vigilantly around the room and his eyes narrowed on something unfamiliar.
A shabby looking strawhat with a red border.
Definitely not his style, and not the master blacksmith's either.
Before it could all click into place, he suddenly felt something heavy on his back and his mouth was tied shut. It took him a few moments of struggling to realize, that someone had wound their legs around his torso and that the rubbery ropes around his mouth were in fact someone’s arms.
“Get off me!” only a muffled sound came out as he pulled on his restraints without success.
“Don’t wake him up!” someone whispered. With some effort Zoro managed to stop struggling.
“Alright!” still only mumbling made it out, so he nodded his head violently until he felt the ties on him unwinding.
In an instant he was faced with the creature that had captured him, sitting in front of him on the floor. Strangest of all, it looked like a normal boy.
“What the...”
“Hey, you said you wouldn’t shout...liar!” the boy pouted.
Not knowing what else to do, the blacksmith pulled his sword and pointed it at the stranger.
“Wha...who are you?!” Zoro hissed.
“My name is Monkey D. Luffy, I’m a rubber man,” the boy waved his hand with a wide grin.
If he had any reaction to having a sword pointed at his chest, he didn’t show it.
“You’re a devil fruit eater…” Well that would explain at least some things. But not why he was in here.
“Mhm, I ate the gum-gum fruit...tasted pretty gross”, he pulled a face, “talking about food...I’m really hungry!” he said with a pitiful look.
Zoro believed it, he was a pretty scrawny kid.
“I came here ‘cos there was smoke in the chimney so I thought you were grilling meat, but there’s only these stupid swords!”
“They’re not stupid!” Zoro couldn’t help protesting.
“Are too!”
“Are n…”, Zoro stopped himself and finally lowered his sword. “Well, there’s no food, so you can get lost!”
“No, I can’t,” Luffy decidedly shook his head “...they’re looking for me.”
“Who’s they?”
“The marines,” the boy shrugged.
Zoro stopped at that and frowned.
“Wait, you’re the one everyone is looking for,” Zoro couldn’t hide his sheer disbelieve, “the pirate?!” he hissed, now very cautions to not wake his master.
“Mhm, that’s me.”
This was not some odd kid, this was a wanted pirate with a bounty of 30.000 gulden on his head.
Zoro wondered...with a sum like that…could even a good-for-nothing blacksmith turn his luck?
For an instant a million pictures floated through his mind.
Fancy suits and fancy houses. Having those fancy people not look down on him, but floating through the corridors as one of them. Then no one could tell him what he could or couldn’t do. What he could or couldn’t say.
Sanji he’d call his friend. Sanji… in front of everyone, and no one could stop him.
“I’m starviiiing!” the boy whined.
Which managed to snap the blacksmith back to reality.
He’d had a lot of dumb ideas in his life, but this must make the top of the list.
No way was he going to do the marine’s job for them!
Besides, this boy didn’t look very dangerous now, but Zoro was sure he didn’t get that bounty for nothing. How well would his swordsmanship hold up against...rubber?
All he could hope for was to somehow get him out of here, before his master woke up from his booze induced slumber.
“Are you sure you don’t have any food?” the boy squinted at him suspiciously.
For the second time in as many minutes Zoro thought about Sanji.
Sanji would feed this stranger! Even if he was a wanted pirate…maybe especially because he was. Air-headed, honorable Sanji…Zoro couldn’t afford that kind of generosity and trust. It could mean ruin for someone like him.
Then again, how much could so skinny a guy even eat, right?!
Zoro crossed his arms in front of his chest. “If I give you food, will you get out of here?!”
The boy nodded incessantly, without even thinking about the question.
Zoro doubted he’d even heard anything beyond food.
Curses on Sanji and the whole Vinsmoke bloodline. He had made him too soft.
And now, before he knew it, he was standing in the half empty pantry watching a weird boy devour about two weeks worth of his hard earned food.
“Alright, that’s enough, get lost!” Zoro barked, for what felt like the tenth time already.
Finally the boy begrudgingly took his last few bites out of a loaf of bread and stuffed some pieces of dried meat into the pockets of his trousers.
Then he finally went to retrieve his hat.
“Might want to take that off,” Zoro suggested.
“What...what’s wrong with my hat?” Luffy piped up, highly offended.
“They have pictures of you, you’re too easy to recognize!”
“You didn’t,” the pirate countered.
As if Zoro didn’t feel stupid enough already...
He cringed. “I was a little distracted by you trying to strangle me!”
Luffy scratched his neck awkwardly, his grin never wavering. “Heh, yeah sorry about that!”
“Whatever…” Zoro scoffed.
Against Zoro’s advice, Luffy placed his hat firmly on his head as he was getting ready to leave.
“Thanks for the food, moss man!”
“Don’t mention it!” it was somewhere between a plea and a threat, but both went over the boys head.
It didn’t matter in any case, Zoro was going to feel the consequences of his stupidity soon, no matter what.
“I’m so dead…” he mumbled under his breath, glancing towards his sleeping master.
When he didn’t find him in his designated spot, Zoro’s gaze shot to a sudden movement behind the boy and he realized what was about to happen.
The boy, on the other hand, did not.
“No wait, don’t…”
It was too late.
With a splash, the old blacksmith emptied a bucket of seawater on the boy’s head and followed it up with the bucket itself.
Within an instant the devil fruit eater melted to the floor and was out cold.
Zoro could do nothing but watch, as within a few minutes the marines arrived and took the unconscious boy with them.
“Mr. Roronoa,” a man addressed him with distaste in his voice, “three swords and still not able to hold off one man?” the marine captain asked with a raised eyebrow.
Zoro tensed at the familiar condescending voice.
“He’s made of rubber,” he gritted through his teeth, “Sir” he added unwillingly.
“And you couldn’t think of that little trick with the seawater yourself?” the man asked skeptically, tutting at him, the corner of his mouth turning up in a slight grin.
Zoro had to keep himself from digging his nails into the palms of his hands out of frustration.
The tension was palpable and so was the marine captain’s wish of just getting SOMETHING on Zoro that he could put him in the brig for.
“I’ve always said he’s got moss for brains, that’s why it’s coming out of his head!” his drunk master supplied, surprisingly helpful for once.
“Yes...totally useless,” Zoro said flatly, tapping at his own skull with his knuckles, chest still so tight he thought he would break a rib any moment.
The marine scoffed and turned to leave.
Only now Zoro could finally rest his hand comfortably on the hilt of his sword again.
If this whole thing hadn’t been the old man’s fault in the first place, Zoro would have had to thank his master. Without the old drunk this could have gotten very ugly.
“Get back to work!” the blacksmith barked at his apprentice, the moment the last marine soldier stepped out the door.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he sat back down against the wall and dozed off.
“On it,” Zoro muttered.