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Title: Promised Farewell
Theme: Set #3 - Goodbye
Claim: Zoro
Words: 2725
Rating: PG
Warnings: Swearing. Future fic.
Disclaimers: Didn't break it, don't own it.
A/N: I feel bad for putting the crew through this right after I brought 'em together again, but I've run out of inspiration. So, I am recycling an old fic idea from before that I had scrapped because I didn't think I could do it justice. It's...fairly angsty.
Zoro's eyes blinked open in the dark of the Thousand Sunny's infirmary, and a smile unfurled across his face as he recalled the events that had landed him there. Finally. Finally, his dream had come true. He'd kept his promise.
His smile faded slightly when he recalled what he now had to do. He pulled himself painfully into a sitting position - as usual, Chopper had gone overboard with the bandages - and looked around.
The crew were all there, Luffy curled at the foot of his bed like a puppy, Nami and Robin sleeping in their arms on the table, Franky and Brook snoring soundly, leaning against each other's backs, while Sanji and Usopp seemed to be using each other as makeshift pillows. He looked around for Chopper, and saw him sleeping against a makeshift bed, where the former greatest swordsman in the world lay. So Mihawk hadn't died after all. Zoro was glad. It had been a good fight, and there was no dishonour in losing.
Chopper still had a thermometer clutched in one hoof, and even as he slept, Zoro could see the lines of exhaustion in the young doctor's face. It had probably not been an easy job keeping Zoro and Mihawk alive, he knew. They'd each done their level best to destroy each other, and he knew the deserted island where they'd fought had probably been wiped off the map. Nami would be mad. His glance drifted to her, and his face softened as his eyes lingered on her for a moment, then on each of his crewmates in turn.
Finally, with a suppressed sigh, he crept out of the infirmary and into the boys' quarters, where he hurriedly dressed himself. The only way he'd be allowed to do what he had to do, was if he did it quickly and stealthily. He was glad to see that they were docked at an island with a town, probably to replenish their supplies - no need to make off with the Mini Merry, then. Maybe the town was even large enough for a Marine base. He jumped off the ship, wincing a little when the bandages scraped against his skin as he landed. For a moment he debated taking them off, but then he decided he wouldn't undo Chopper's hard work. Not when these were the last bandages the little reindeer would ever put on him.
Zoro took one last look at the Thousand Sunny, then spun on his heel and strode into town, never once glancing back at the shadow silently following him.
An uneasy feeling grew in Sanji's mind as he followed Zoro through the intricate maze of narrow streets, though he was at a loss for why. Finally he realised: Zoro hadn't brought them in a circle once. He actually knew where he was going. He always acted like he knew, the stubborn idiot, but this time he really did. Had the victory with Mihawk suddenly gifted the marimo with a brain? Or was it something else?
Not to mention that Zoro wasn't supposed to be walking around anyway. Chopper would have a fit if he knew. Sanji hoped that he'd still be asleep when they returned to the ship. Come to think of it, he didn't know why he was spying on Zoro anyway, when he could've just stopped him when he got off the ship. But he needed to know why Zoro was up to, slinking away in the dark of the night. Zoro was the secretive type, and Sanji knew he'd never find out if he confronted Zoro directly. So he kept quiet, and crept after his nakama.
Finally Zoro turned in at an ornate archway, and Sanji recognised it as belonging to a shrine. He scratched his head, puzzled. What was Zoro, the least religious person in the world, doing at a place of worship?
Instead of following the swordsman into the narrow shrine where he could be easily spotted, Sanji clambered up a wall and found himself a good vantage point, from which he could see Zoro striding up towards a small altar. He knelt before it, removed the white katana from his haramaki and laid it across the altar, then sat back on his heels, clapped his hands once and bowed his head in prayer.
For the dead friend to whom he'd promised he would become the greatest swordsman in the world, Sanji realised. He thought back to the moment when Mihawk fell under Zoro's blades. Zoro's face had been stony, but Sanji knew it had to be a mask. All the years of fighting, of heartache, of endless training, had culminated in this moment of triumph. He'd kept his word, and Sanji knew there was nothing more important to Zoro than that.
So that was what this was all about, Sanji thought, a smile of relief spreading across his face. Maybe Zoro was just embarrassed to be seen entering a shrine. Like they'd care. They were all just eager for Zoro to wake up, so they could congratulate him - they hadn't had the chance to do even that yet, since he'd collapsed right after the fight. Luffy had been saying something about a grand party when Zoro woke up. They'd be able to have it today, since Zoro was up and walking. Sanji thought about the food in his larder. No, it would never be enough for a party, not with Luffy around. He'd have to go shopping today. Too bad they didn't have any sea king meat left in the freezer, Zoro would like that. He didn't think he could get any of it in town either. He'd have to buy the largest, freshest fish available in the market instead. Nami-san would surely spare him the money...
Sanji was so preoccupied with planning his menu that he only noticed the huge figure looming behind him when its shadow fell across his perch on the wall. "Shit!" Sanji bit down on his cigarette and leapt from the wall, rolling to safety behind a large boulder. His jaw dropped, and the cigarette with it, when he recognised the gigantic man clad in black and white. The Pacifista. The original, most dangerous one, going by his sudden, noiseless appearance and the Bible he carried in one huge hand. He glanced over at the shrine and saw that Zoro was getting to his feet, prayer evidently over, unhurriedly picking up the katana and tucking it back into his haramaki. Idiot...had he even noticed the appearance of the cyborg? If his battle senses were this dull, no way could he fight Kuma and win. For that matter, the marimo had just woken up after a duel that lasted three days. Chopper would kill him if he got into another fight so soon, and against one of the most dangerous opponents the Strawhats had ever faced.
It was up to him, then. Sanji opened his mouth to yell to Zoro to hide himself somewhere, let him take care of it, when Zoro strolled out from the shrine and looked up without surprise at Kuma.
Of course, Zoro was the greatest swordsman in the world now, Sanji reminded himself. There was no way he wouldn't have noticed the presence of the gigantic cyborg. Any moment now, he was going to open that loud mouth of his and make some snarky remark to Kuma -
"That was fast," Zoro commented, his voice calm.
If Sanji's jaw were physically capable of dropping any further, it would've hit the floor and rolled away.
The Pacifista made no reply, and Zoro raised an eyebrow. This Kuma projected a different aura from the one who'd made him take all of Luffy's pain long ago at Thriller Bark. This one felt more like one of his clones, like a soulless machine, more robot than human, incapable of the sigh he once gave when he realised the extent to which Zoro was willing to go for his captain. Zoro shrugged. Not like it mattered. He shut his eyes, composing himself, then he looked up. "I'm ready."
Kuma wordlessly peeled off a glove, extending a large padded palm towards Zoro, and Sanji remembered that terrible day when he'd watched his nakama disappear one by one under its power. Like hell was he going to let that happen again! And what the fuck was Zoro doing, just standing there? Had he frozen again, paralysed by the sight of the machine that once inflicted so much pain on him? "Zoro! What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he yelled, ducking out from under his cover and launching a flying kick at the cyborg.
Twice he'd tried this before, and both times his leg had reeled from the blow as if he'd been kicking steel - and, from what little he'd managed to pry out of Zoro after Thriller Bark, that's what it was. But now he was surprised to feel the cyborg's exoskeleton crumple a little under the impact, and he landed lightly on the ground. If Zoro was capable of defeating a Shichibukai now, so was he, he thought with satisfaction.
"Oi! Marimo! We can take him down together!"
Zoro shot him an irritated glance, and shook his head. "It's useless, Sanji."
"What? You're the greatest swordsman in the world! You can beat him!"
"I know that," Zoro said.
"Then what the hell are you doing just standing there?"
Zoro heaved a sigh, and he looked up at the Pacifista. "Give me five minutes."
Again, Bartholomew Kuma said nothing. He only inclined his head slightly and let Zoro lead Sanji a short distance away.
Sanji let Zoro push him to a corner of the shrine, then shrugged off the heavy hand. "What the fuck is going on?" he demanded. "You leave without a word to anyone after Chopper's worked his ass off for days saving your life, then you give in to this Shichibukai without a fight?"
"I'm not going to fight him, and neither are you."
"Then what's all this talk about being ready? Ready for what?"
"Sanji."
Sanji. He'd called him that twice now. Not that he never had, but never in so serious a tone of voice, and in that moment Sanji knew that something was about to happen that would change their lives forever. He swallowed, and fixed Zoro with a sharp stare, but Zoro was gazing off into the distance, as if lost in memories.
Finally he spoke. "You know what happened at Thriller Bark, don't you?"
There was no point concealing it any longer. "Yeah, I know," Sanji admitted.
"Kuma was supposed to take my head that day."
"Yeah," Sanji said, suppressing a shudder when he remembered those terrifying moments between waking up from Zoro's blow to see his three katana lying master-less on the ground, and finding Zoro covered with blood in the clearing.
"The only reason he didn't was that we made a deal."
"A deal," Sanji repeated, his mind slow to process the horrible implications of that statement.
"He would let me go on one condition - that I would surrender myself once I'd accomplished my dream."
"And you agreed?" Sanji exclaimed, anger and dread rising within him.
"If I hadn't, I would've been captured at Thriller Bark," Zoro replied calmly. He looked at Sanji now, and there was a wry half-smile on his face. "You see now why I have to go."
Zoro's quiet response only enraged Sanji all the more. "You fucker," he snarled. "Why didn't you tell us? What the hell was up with that 'nothing happened'?"
Zoro shrugged. "There was nothing you could've done. And I never thought I would be the first to fulfill my dream."
"Then why didn't you postpone the duel with Mihawk? It wasn't like you would've got any less strong! You could've told him you didn't want to fight him yet!" But even as Sanji suggested it, he knew Zoro would never have done such a thing. Stupid swordsman's honour. Besides, it was already done.
"Tell the others not to come after me. And tell them to make sure they accomplish their own dreams."
"Why the hell should I do your dirty work for you?" Sanji demanded hotly. "If you're too much a coward to face them..."
"I'm not being cowardly," Zoro said, his eyes narrowed.
"Then tell them! Tell Luffy, at least! You owe it to him to let him hear your reasons for leaving from your own mouth!"
Zoro shot him a look that said, you should know better. "If Luffy knew, d'you think he'd ever let me go?"
"That's the fucking point, dumbass! What you're doing is idiotic!"
"I'd be breaking a promise if I did otherwise," Zoro replied, folding his arms in a familiar obstinate pose, and Sanji knew then that all hope was lost of persuading Zoro to come back. But he knew that if he didn't do everything he could now to prevent Zoro from turning himself in, he'd never forgive himself. Even if it meant beating the shit out of an injured man.
He grabbed a handful of Zoro's shirt and punctuated each point with a punch. "You're a pirate! Pirates aren't bound by ridiculous notions of honour! A promise made to the World Government means nothing! Think about Robin-chan, how they twisted their promises to her!" He paused, his hand stinging a little from the blows. And from Zoro's expression, none of them had even hurt. Fucking stupid hard-headed swordsman. "And why the hell aren't you even fighting back?"
Zoro shrugged as best he could. "I'd be angry too. I was too weak back then."
Sanji released the hold on Zoro's shirt with a sigh. He could have tried explaining that it was Zoro's stupid self-sacrificial attitude that made him mad, but he knew it would take the patience of a saint to drill that into this meathead.
"Besides," - and this time Zoro's voice sounded weary - "becoming the greatest swordsman in the world would mean nothing if I disgraced the title by breaking a promise. I couldn't do that to Kuina. Not when it meant so much to her."
Kuina? Her? Sanji had never realised this was a promise made to a woman...no, to a girl, probably, for he knew Zoro had clung to this promise for years. Zoro watched as Sanji's shoulders slumped in acceptance. It had been a promise to a girl, and that was enough for Sanji.
"Tell the others not to be sad. Especially Chopper. I've accomplished my dream. I've no regrets...well, maybe one."
"What's that?" Sanji asked, and he cringed at how broken his own voice sounded.
"I'm sorry that I won't be there to see you all reach your dreams." He rested a heavy hand on Sanji's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Take care of them for me," and Sanji was surprised to hear the emotion behind the words.
He watched numbly as Zoro turned and walked back towards Kuma, a trace of a swagger still in his step despite all that had happened, and what he had to know he was walking into. Prison. Torture. Death.
Dammit, he couldn't just let Zoro walk to his doom! Sanji launched himself blindly into the attack, but Zoro seemed to have anticipated his reaction. His sword was already drawn and now he rammed its hilt into Sanji's side, knocking the wind out of him.
It might have worked once, Sanji thought, but only because he'd been exhausted from a long fight back then. He was fresh now, and -
As he picked himself up, he saw Kuma's palm touch Zoro.
"ZORO!"
As Zoro and the Shichibukai vanished before Sanji's horrified gaze, Sanji knew one thing. He was never going to be able to explain this to Luffy.
.....
BTW the idea of Zoro and Kuma making a deal isn't mine. This is kinda a fleshing-out of another fic I read wherein Zoro left after defeating Mihawk to be taken by Kuma. Unfortunately I can't remember the title or author of that fic. (I know. I have no originality. *hangs head*) But Sanji wasn't involved and the conversation here is original. Also, this is just the basis for next few fics. So yes, this is to be continued.
Theme: Set #3 - Goodbye
Claim: Zoro
Words: 2725
Rating: PG
Warnings: Swearing. Future fic.
Disclaimers: Didn't break it, don't own it.
A/N: I feel bad for putting the crew through this right after I brought 'em together again, but I've run out of inspiration. So, I am recycling an old fic idea from before that I had scrapped because I didn't think I could do it justice. It's...fairly angsty.
Zoro's eyes blinked open in the dark of the Thousand Sunny's infirmary, and a smile unfurled across his face as he recalled the events that had landed him there. Finally. Finally, his dream had come true. He'd kept his promise.
His smile faded slightly when he recalled what he now had to do. He pulled himself painfully into a sitting position - as usual, Chopper had gone overboard with the bandages - and looked around.
The crew were all there, Luffy curled at the foot of his bed like a puppy, Nami and Robin sleeping in their arms on the table, Franky and Brook snoring soundly, leaning against each other's backs, while Sanji and Usopp seemed to be using each other as makeshift pillows. He looked around for Chopper, and saw him sleeping against a makeshift bed, where the former greatest swordsman in the world lay. So Mihawk hadn't died after all. Zoro was glad. It had been a good fight, and there was no dishonour in losing.
Chopper still had a thermometer clutched in one hoof, and even as he slept, Zoro could see the lines of exhaustion in the young doctor's face. It had probably not been an easy job keeping Zoro and Mihawk alive, he knew. They'd each done their level best to destroy each other, and he knew the deserted island where they'd fought had probably been wiped off the map. Nami would be mad. His glance drifted to her, and his face softened as his eyes lingered on her for a moment, then on each of his crewmates in turn.
Finally, with a suppressed sigh, he crept out of the infirmary and into the boys' quarters, where he hurriedly dressed himself. The only way he'd be allowed to do what he had to do, was if he did it quickly and stealthily. He was glad to see that they were docked at an island with a town, probably to replenish their supplies - no need to make off with the Mini Merry, then. Maybe the town was even large enough for a Marine base. He jumped off the ship, wincing a little when the bandages scraped against his skin as he landed. For a moment he debated taking them off, but then he decided he wouldn't undo Chopper's hard work. Not when these were the last bandages the little reindeer would ever put on him.
Zoro took one last look at the Thousand Sunny, then spun on his heel and strode into town, never once glancing back at the shadow silently following him.
An uneasy feeling grew in Sanji's mind as he followed Zoro through the intricate maze of narrow streets, though he was at a loss for why. Finally he realised: Zoro hadn't brought them in a circle once. He actually knew where he was going. He always acted like he knew, the stubborn idiot, but this time he really did. Had the victory with Mihawk suddenly gifted the marimo with a brain? Or was it something else?
Not to mention that Zoro wasn't supposed to be walking around anyway. Chopper would have a fit if he knew. Sanji hoped that he'd still be asleep when they returned to the ship. Come to think of it, he didn't know why he was spying on Zoro anyway, when he could've just stopped him when he got off the ship. But he needed to know why Zoro was up to, slinking away in the dark of the night. Zoro was the secretive type, and Sanji knew he'd never find out if he confronted Zoro directly. So he kept quiet, and crept after his nakama.
Finally Zoro turned in at an ornate archway, and Sanji recognised it as belonging to a shrine. He scratched his head, puzzled. What was Zoro, the least religious person in the world, doing at a place of worship?
Instead of following the swordsman into the narrow shrine where he could be easily spotted, Sanji clambered up a wall and found himself a good vantage point, from which he could see Zoro striding up towards a small altar. He knelt before it, removed the white katana from his haramaki and laid it across the altar, then sat back on his heels, clapped his hands once and bowed his head in prayer.
For the dead friend to whom he'd promised he would become the greatest swordsman in the world, Sanji realised. He thought back to the moment when Mihawk fell under Zoro's blades. Zoro's face had been stony, but Sanji knew it had to be a mask. All the years of fighting, of heartache, of endless training, had culminated in this moment of triumph. He'd kept his word, and Sanji knew there was nothing more important to Zoro than that.
So that was what this was all about, Sanji thought, a smile of relief spreading across his face. Maybe Zoro was just embarrassed to be seen entering a shrine. Like they'd care. They were all just eager for Zoro to wake up, so they could congratulate him - they hadn't had the chance to do even that yet, since he'd collapsed right after the fight. Luffy had been saying something about a grand party when Zoro woke up. They'd be able to have it today, since Zoro was up and walking. Sanji thought about the food in his larder. No, it would never be enough for a party, not with Luffy around. He'd have to go shopping today. Too bad they didn't have any sea king meat left in the freezer, Zoro would like that. He didn't think he could get any of it in town either. He'd have to buy the largest, freshest fish available in the market instead. Nami-san would surely spare him the money...
Sanji was so preoccupied with planning his menu that he only noticed the huge figure looming behind him when its shadow fell across his perch on the wall. "Shit!" Sanji bit down on his cigarette and leapt from the wall, rolling to safety behind a large boulder. His jaw dropped, and the cigarette with it, when he recognised the gigantic man clad in black and white. The Pacifista. The original, most dangerous one, going by his sudden, noiseless appearance and the Bible he carried in one huge hand. He glanced over at the shrine and saw that Zoro was getting to his feet, prayer evidently over, unhurriedly picking up the katana and tucking it back into his haramaki. Idiot...had he even noticed the appearance of the cyborg? If his battle senses were this dull, no way could he fight Kuma and win. For that matter, the marimo had just woken up after a duel that lasted three days. Chopper would kill him if he got into another fight so soon, and against one of the most dangerous opponents the Strawhats had ever faced.
It was up to him, then. Sanji opened his mouth to yell to Zoro to hide himself somewhere, let him take care of it, when Zoro strolled out from the shrine and looked up without surprise at Kuma.
Of course, Zoro was the greatest swordsman in the world now, Sanji reminded himself. There was no way he wouldn't have noticed the presence of the gigantic cyborg. Any moment now, he was going to open that loud mouth of his and make some snarky remark to Kuma -
"That was fast," Zoro commented, his voice calm.
If Sanji's jaw were physically capable of dropping any further, it would've hit the floor and rolled away.
The Pacifista made no reply, and Zoro raised an eyebrow. This Kuma projected a different aura from the one who'd made him take all of Luffy's pain long ago at Thriller Bark. This one felt more like one of his clones, like a soulless machine, more robot than human, incapable of the sigh he once gave when he realised the extent to which Zoro was willing to go for his captain. Zoro shrugged. Not like it mattered. He shut his eyes, composing himself, then he looked up. "I'm ready."
Kuma wordlessly peeled off a glove, extending a large padded palm towards Zoro, and Sanji remembered that terrible day when he'd watched his nakama disappear one by one under its power. Like hell was he going to let that happen again! And what the fuck was Zoro doing, just standing there? Had he frozen again, paralysed by the sight of the machine that once inflicted so much pain on him? "Zoro! What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he yelled, ducking out from under his cover and launching a flying kick at the cyborg.
Twice he'd tried this before, and both times his leg had reeled from the blow as if he'd been kicking steel - and, from what little he'd managed to pry out of Zoro after Thriller Bark, that's what it was. But now he was surprised to feel the cyborg's exoskeleton crumple a little under the impact, and he landed lightly on the ground. If Zoro was capable of defeating a Shichibukai now, so was he, he thought with satisfaction.
"Oi! Marimo! We can take him down together!"
Zoro shot him an irritated glance, and shook his head. "It's useless, Sanji."
"What? You're the greatest swordsman in the world! You can beat him!"
"I know that," Zoro said.
"Then what the hell are you doing just standing there?"
Zoro heaved a sigh, and he looked up at the Pacifista. "Give me five minutes."
Again, Bartholomew Kuma said nothing. He only inclined his head slightly and let Zoro lead Sanji a short distance away.
Sanji let Zoro push him to a corner of the shrine, then shrugged off the heavy hand. "What the fuck is going on?" he demanded. "You leave without a word to anyone after Chopper's worked his ass off for days saving your life, then you give in to this Shichibukai without a fight?"
"I'm not going to fight him, and neither are you."
"Then what's all this talk about being ready? Ready for what?"
"Sanji."
Sanji. He'd called him that twice now. Not that he never had, but never in so serious a tone of voice, and in that moment Sanji knew that something was about to happen that would change their lives forever. He swallowed, and fixed Zoro with a sharp stare, but Zoro was gazing off into the distance, as if lost in memories.
Finally he spoke. "You know what happened at Thriller Bark, don't you?"
There was no point concealing it any longer. "Yeah, I know," Sanji admitted.
"Kuma was supposed to take my head that day."
"Yeah," Sanji said, suppressing a shudder when he remembered those terrifying moments between waking up from Zoro's blow to see his three katana lying master-less on the ground, and finding Zoro covered with blood in the clearing.
"The only reason he didn't was that we made a deal."
"A deal," Sanji repeated, his mind slow to process the horrible implications of that statement.
"He would let me go on one condition - that I would surrender myself once I'd accomplished my dream."
"And you agreed?" Sanji exclaimed, anger and dread rising within him.
"If I hadn't, I would've been captured at Thriller Bark," Zoro replied calmly. He looked at Sanji now, and there was a wry half-smile on his face. "You see now why I have to go."
Zoro's quiet response only enraged Sanji all the more. "You fucker," he snarled. "Why didn't you tell us? What the hell was up with that 'nothing happened'?"
Zoro shrugged. "There was nothing you could've done. And I never thought I would be the first to fulfill my dream."
"Then why didn't you postpone the duel with Mihawk? It wasn't like you would've got any less strong! You could've told him you didn't want to fight him yet!" But even as Sanji suggested it, he knew Zoro would never have done such a thing. Stupid swordsman's honour. Besides, it was already done.
"Tell the others not to come after me. And tell them to make sure they accomplish their own dreams."
"Why the hell should I do your dirty work for you?" Sanji demanded hotly. "If you're too much a coward to face them..."
"I'm not being cowardly," Zoro said, his eyes narrowed.
"Then tell them! Tell Luffy, at least! You owe it to him to let him hear your reasons for leaving from your own mouth!"
Zoro shot him a look that said, you should know better. "If Luffy knew, d'you think he'd ever let me go?"
"That's the fucking point, dumbass! What you're doing is idiotic!"
"I'd be breaking a promise if I did otherwise," Zoro replied, folding his arms in a familiar obstinate pose, and Sanji knew then that all hope was lost of persuading Zoro to come back. But he knew that if he didn't do everything he could now to prevent Zoro from turning himself in, he'd never forgive himself. Even if it meant beating the shit out of an injured man.
He grabbed a handful of Zoro's shirt and punctuated each point with a punch. "You're a pirate! Pirates aren't bound by ridiculous notions of honour! A promise made to the World Government means nothing! Think about Robin-chan, how they twisted their promises to her!" He paused, his hand stinging a little from the blows. And from Zoro's expression, none of them had even hurt. Fucking stupid hard-headed swordsman. "And why the hell aren't you even fighting back?"
Zoro shrugged as best he could. "I'd be angry too. I was too weak back then."
Sanji released the hold on Zoro's shirt with a sigh. He could have tried explaining that it was Zoro's stupid self-sacrificial attitude that made him mad, but he knew it would take the patience of a saint to drill that into this meathead.
"Besides," - and this time Zoro's voice sounded weary - "becoming the greatest swordsman in the world would mean nothing if I disgraced the title by breaking a promise. I couldn't do that to Kuina. Not when it meant so much to her."
Kuina? Her? Sanji had never realised this was a promise made to a woman...no, to a girl, probably, for he knew Zoro had clung to this promise for years. Zoro watched as Sanji's shoulders slumped in acceptance. It had been a promise to a girl, and that was enough for Sanji.
"Tell the others not to be sad. Especially Chopper. I've accomplished my dream. I've no regrets...well, maybe one."
"What's that?" Sanji asked, and he cringed at how broken his own voice sounded.
"I'm sorry that I won't be there to see you all reach your dreams." He rested a heavy hand on Sanji's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Take care of them for me," and Sanji was surprised to hear the emotion behind the words.
He watched numbly as Zoro turned and walked back towards Kuma, a trace of a swagger still in his step despite all that had happened, and what he had to know he was walking into. Prison. Torture. Death.
Dammit, he couldn't just let Zoro walk to his doom! Sanji launched himself blindly into the attack, but Zoro seemed to have anticipated his reaction. His sword was already drawn and now he rammed its hilt into Sanji's side, knocking the wind out of him.
It might have worked once, Sanji thought, but only because he'd been exhausted from a long fight back then. He was fresh now, and -
As he picked himself up, he saw Kuma's palm touch Zoro.
"ZORO!"
As Zoro and the Shichibukai vanished before Sanji's horrified gaze, Sanji knew one thing. He was never going to be able to explain this to Luffy.
.....
BTW the idea of Zoro and Kuma making a deal isn't mine. This is kinda a fleshing-out of another fic I read wherein Zoro left after defeating Mihawk to be taken by Kuma. Unfortunately I can't remember the title or author of that fic. (I know. I have no originality. *hangs head*) But Sanji wasn't involved and the conversation here is original. Also, this is just the basis for next few fics. So yes, this is to be continued.