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Zoro and Sanji glared at each other from opposite sides of the table in the galley.
While that wasn't surprising to any Strawhat and indeed they were more likely to walk around the two than be alarmed by the glares, what was unique on this day was the wedding rings on both their hands.
It had been barely a day since the actual wedding had taken place, with Luffy being the happiest man ever and honestly quite unaware of when the two had even gotten married, as focused as he was on the feast.
Nevertheless, the marriage had occurred, the Navy was informed and they were soon awaiting the newer bounties. (No one commented on how Sanji would look eagerly and with trepidation at any Newscoo-looking birds flying by).
Which brings us to now.
"Shitty Marimo! No way are they going to increase my bounty just because of your name! If anything, my bounty will increase because of how I fought in Fresdom." Sanji said, a tick forming on his forehead.
"Psh. As if. That was barely a fight. If anything, they might decide to decrease your bounty because of it."
"What did you say to me?!"
This, too, was not surprising to any of the Strawhats and Frankly simply SUPEEER moved away the table while the rest relocated to continue doing their work peacefully even as they knew that neither Zoro nor Sanji would ever damage their work.
"Oh look. I see a bird coming. I hope it doesn't fall to the sea out of dehydration." Robin felt slightly sad (and secretly touched) at how her crew barely reacted to her statement. Even Usopp-san hadn't reacted beyond a shudder! Maybe she's losing her touch.
The Newscoo, for that was the bird Robin saw, however squawked in fear and flew closer to Nami if only to stay out of reach from Robin. Though if the bird knew of Robin's powers he might have just dunked himself into the ocean.
"Sanji-kun! Your new bounty is here!" Nami's call brought the 2 newlywed's dance fight to a standstill before they both silently called truce and Sanji rushed to Nami. He, of course, was twirling all the way to her even as his widened eyes showed his conflict regarding the bounty posters.
On the one hand if the bloody Navy decided not to change his poster after all he would be constantly dodging claims of being a part of that family. But on the other hand, if they had made the change, then he would forever be considered in the same sentence as that dumb mosshead. Not to mention how so many beautiful ladies would think he would stoop so low as to actually like the moss.
Zoro didn't care. It was time for his nap by the mast anyways. It just so happened that they were all talking closer to the mast than anywhere else.
Luffy was taking this opportunity to try and sneak into the abandoned kitchen and by relation the abandoned fridge.
"What does it say Nami-san? And also can I see your panties?" asked Brook, and getting a half-hearted punch to his face-ahem I mean skull. He yohoho'ed from the floor.
"Well Sanji-kun, you are officially no longer a Vinsmoke." Nami said, a smile on her face as she turned to give him the new bounty poster. Even as most of them knew he wasn't entirely happy with the marriage to Zoro, they also knew just how glad he was to no longer see his family name on the damn poster.
Staring at the picture and the name going along with it, Sanji couldn't help but hide a smile behind his fringes. He looked happy, if he did say so himself. And he hoped as all hell that the shitty geezer and the cooks at Baratie noticed his designs. Not like they could make anything as intricate as his designs anyway.
He'd often dreamt of being called Red Leg Sanji when he was a child (though he would never tell Zeff about it) and was ecstatic when he had begun to be called Black Leg Sanji. To see it changed to Vinsmoke Sanji had devastated him. Roronoa Sanji... had a ring to it. He wouldn't say if it was a nice ring or not yet though.
Speaking of rings, made him remember how they picked up their rings.
"Okay, our next order of business: rings. Sanji-kun, I think Saphhire will go well with your eyes." Nami-san said, flipping through a catalog. Sanji, who had been caught between excitement at looking through rings with Nami-san and despair at the fact that it was for him and Marimo, could only stare at the increasingly gaudy and elaborate rings in mild horror.
"Or what about a barbed wire wound around their fingers, slowly cutting into their blood circulation?" Robin-chan asked, already twirling a wire (which no one wanted to ask where she got it from).
"Oye witch, I have already picked out the rings." As one, everyone turned to look at Zoro, who till now everyone believed was asleep on the sofa, even as Sanji got ready to Diable Jamble him to hell for daring to call his precious Nami-san a witch. He stopped with his leg midway however when the words registered.
"What do you mean you have it picked out already moss?!"
Zoro just stared at him for a minute before walking out of the galley. Before Sanji could go and shear off some unnecessary grass on their ship, Zoro returned with 2 plain but somber gold rings.
"The girl who pierced my ears gave me these for free. Apparently they were left over. Problem solved."
So saying, the marimo went back to sleeping on the sofa as if he didn't just make Sanji's face turn as red as his legs on fire. Whether it was out of indignation or... something else was yet to be decided.
And how he got the ring on his finger.
Sanji was in the crow's nest with one of the rings twirling in his hands. Tomorrow they would reach the Island of Love and his preparation for the feast was already ready. But there were still a lot of people things missing and he couldn't help but think of the kind of reactions the world (and his true family) would have about their decision.
He was caught between determination to see this through, and wondering if he should run away from another wedding after all when th e stomping of heavy boots precluded the entry of an overgrown moss and brought him out of his musings.
"I could practically hear you thinking all the way to the bunks."
"Yeah well if your brain is empty any sound would become amplified in the echo."
"What did you say Swirly brows?" Zoro glared at him and they continued their usual dance until both of them tsked and looked out into the sea.
"Anyways, what are you doing with that ring there? If you lose it, I'll make you wear barbed wire."
"If it's Robin-chan making it, I'll wear whatever."
"Shit cook."
"Why did you give me the ring anyway?" The sudden break in their usual routine made Zoro look at Sanji only to see him fiddling with the ring again.
Zoro sighed and looked up at the top of the crow's nest. "I had it. We needed it. I gave it. As simple as that."
Sanji turned to look at him and was almost mesmerized by the realisation that it really was that simple for this Neanderthal. Of course he wouldn't care for romantic reasons. Just like this marriage they were going to have; Sanji needed it, Zoro will do it.
Zoro was like that for near everyone in the crew and that's something Sanji could very much relate to. That was one of the only things they had in common and one of the only reasons why their fights never turned serious.
"So stop thinking so loudly and just wear it cook." So saying, Zoro neatly plucked the ring from Sanji's fingers and put it on, all in the gap of a second. Sanji didn't know whether to be incredulous and knock him off the nest or to stare at the gold band around his finger. All he could think about was how different the gold looked on his finger as opposed to around his wrists like his earlier wedding.
Of course, Zoro couldn't let the moment be and immediately followed it up with; "Besides, if we bought rings the witch will somehow increase my debt for sure."
Their fight after that continued on till dawn when the rest of the Strawhats noticed the new addition on Sanji's finger.
Oh well. Now that everything is said and done, he can probably admit to himself that he is happier with the new surname. But all that happiness evaporated when he noticed something that would surely come to haunt his many days.
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Zoro, who was peacefully sleeping throughout the excitement, was suddenly woken up by a screech from the crowd around Nami. Worried for the worst but knowing from the tone of the cook's scream that it was just something mildly irritation for him and immensely amusing for Zoro, he made his way through the crowd, idly scratching his ear. Luffy peeked from the kitchen, thinking that he was caught as he mildly munched on meat.
Zoro yawned as he reached the group, and smirked when he saw the change on the cook's bounty. Now everyone will know Sanji didn't belong to the Vinsmokes but to Zoro and by extension the Strawhats and that's where he'll be.
But he still couldn't see what made Sanji screech so much until he saw the headlines of the newspaper:
ZoSan is real! The Strawhat Pirates' Love Story on Page 3
Attached below was Sanji's new bounty poster and a clearly drawn picture of their marriage.