The Dark Knight of GLU

Chapter 12
DNA & Dating

‘A Man for All Seasons’ rang out, letting Sanji know that one of Luffy’s friends was calling, probably looking for the goofy boy. Usopp was annoying at times, but the guy had a good heart and was great for laughs. Somehow, he had wormed his way into the blonde’s life and became a good friend. Maybe he was calling to let Sanji know about a party or something. That would be a welcome distraction for sure. Still carrying his shirt, he detoured and answered it before it could switch to voicemail.

“Sanji are you OK? What in the world is going on over there?” The long nosed man shouted over the phone, obviously panicked. “I got called in to help with a big case and was reading about the attack last night on one of the files. I called Luffy and he said you were out there when it happened?”

It took Sanji a moment to remember how being called in to work would lead to him knowing about the attack. Then it hit him. Usopp had just started an internship at the logistics lab in the police department a few months ago. Ace had pulled a few strings, and gotten him in earlier than most people would ever dream of. While the creative man had almost zero common sense, he proved to be quite intelligent around electronic and scientific equipment.

“Oh, yah I’m fine Usopp. A few bruises, but nothing big.” Sanji sat down, still fingering the collar of the gold shirt. “Those fuckers that attacked me a while back decided to pull some shit again, that’s all.”

“You were actually involved? I thought you were just a witness or something… Wait, if you were a victim then why don’t I have any evidence to process from you?” You could almost hear the wheels turning in the long-nosed man’s head.

Sanji wanted to beat his head against the wall for letting that slip. He had forgotten that he was just taking a rest in the detective’s vehicle and not interrogated as a part of the investigation. He needed to do some fast-talking to get out of this one.

“Look, I got out of there just in time before the cops showed up. I didn’t need that kind of publicity again. If people knew that these guys were after me, it might hurt business at the Baratie. I can’t afford that to happen.”

“Yah, but there was a lot of gunfire and everyone keeps talking about swords and stuff. I’m glad you got out of there, but that still doesn’t tell me what’s going on. I’m your friend, Sanji, trust me.” Usopp pleaded with Sanji, worried that somehow the flirtatious blonde had gone too far with some gangster’s woman and was paying the price.

“Maybe later. I’ve got to try and get the blood out of this shirt now.” Sanji brought the shirt up to study it and almost dropped it in excitement. “Wait! Usopp, you need to do me this really big favor!”

Sanji’s shout startled the guy and he jumped, almost falling off his stool at the worktable in the lab. He scrambled with the phone, trying not to drop it and looked around sheepishly at the disdainful looks his co-workers were giving him. “Ok, ok, um, sure. What do you need?”

“I need you to run an analysis for me. I need you to check out the blood on this shirt and see if you can tell me anything about the person it belongs to.” Sanji practically danced across his room at the brilliant plan he had just come up with.

“It really doesn’t work that way, Sanji. I mean, I can look for specific things, but it’s not like I can run it through a machine and tell you what the person looks like. But why would you want me to analyze blood? All the attackers were arrested, right?” Usopp kept his voice hushed so the conversation would not be overheard. It would be a major breach of policy to do any lab work for personal reasons, not that he was conceding to doing it mind you.

“No. Yes. Well, it’s complicated. I don’t care what you can tell me, anything would help. Is there a specific trait or quirk that stands out; what nationality he is; how old is he, anything like that,” the blond pleaded.

Unable to dampen his friend’s good spirits, Usopp decided to just humor him. “I guess I could see if the DNA is in our database. But seriously, I don’t know what else I could possibly do without risking my job.”

“Anything, Usopp! Please!”

“But you owe me! I want to know what’s going on.” Usopp said in a stern voice. “And I want a free dinner every anniversary and birthday for Kaya and me.”

“Done!” Sanji couldn’t believe how lucky he was to get off that easy. That was only three meals he would have to dish out for, compared to having to possibly host a party and feed the bottomless pits he called neighbors. He had planned on telling his close friends everything anyway, so that was doable as well. “When can you come and get it, or do you want me to bring it to you? Wait, I’ll bring you dinner and give it to you then. How long are you going to be at work?”

Usopp began to grow nervous at the thought of breaking the rules at his new job, yet an unusual rush of excitement coursed through his veins at the same time. Sanji had some good stories, nothing like his of course, but they always entertained them. This one had to be especially good if the famous cook/reporter was this desperate to get some answers. He told his friend he’d have a break in about two hours, but couldn’t promise he would be able to get any testing done on the sample that night. It might have to wait until the caseload had lessened.

Sanji was only too happy to comply with the terms; just knowing that it would be getting done had put him on cloud nine for the rest of the weekend. In a brief meeting, he handed over a delicious large dinner, packaged in Baratie catering box, and a small brown parcel that secretly contained one bloody shirt.

A quick call to Brooke, whose shouting scared the neighbors, and Sanji was ready to hand over his final draft on the new article. What had started as one average sized bit about the school’s new hero turned into a massive full-page story. Both editor and reporter couldn’t keep the grins off their faces as everything was sent to press late that night with a few new sketches thrown in for good measure. Mondays were starting to become Sanji’s favorite day of the week.

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Poor Zoro. His date Friday night had been with Conis, the timid girl from his study group, at the Fine Arts Theater to watch ‘Les Miserables.’ Even though she blushed like crazy and shied away from his every touch, it had been the best night in his life compared to the horrors he was forced to endure today. Porsche turned out to be a 17-year-old hyperactive child that was obsessed with cute and fuzzy things. Yuu would die for this one. She had insisted on them going to the carnival that had just opened outside of town and demanded that he win her every stuffed animal that resembled a raccoon or fox. Her favorite one reminded him again of the statues of tanuki back in Japan. Maybe he should introduce her to Chopper. Thinking of the little guy brought a smile to his face and he began making plans to kill Jiji so he wouldn’t have to endure any more of this humiliation.

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While Zoro was suffering, Ace was having the time of his life. His date Saturday night consisted of dancing at a local club with a feisty girl he had gone to college with named Nojiko. Apparently, she had a younger sister in college right now with Zoro who was convinced that the two guys were screwing each other or at the very least dating. Ace had a blast feeding her all kinds of lines and bogus information to pass on to the nosey redhead. Zoro would likely kill him, but that was fine. Ace loved seeing the scowl on his friend’s face. It was really quite amusing.

His next date was with the beautiful woman he’d employed to take the photos the other night. They originally met in the coffee shop one morning buying the caffeinated beverage for Zoro and took to each other immediately. While waiting in line they’d exchanged names, hers being Robin, and laughed that they should get together and chat again some time. When she called him Saturday to view the proofs, he decided to meet up at a local park just outside of an art museum. When he finished picking out his prints, she invited him to join her in checking out the aspiring artists work. In truth, it probably wasn’t that much of a date as it was just a friendly outing, but it fit the criteria so Ace planned to count it.

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In a small flat on the other side of town, a frustrated man sat on the floor surrounded by several books laying open everywhere. Bon Kurei had been searching for days, but had yet to find the information he needed. Those eyes, along with that strange colored hair, should be easy to find one would think, yet he had gone back five years and nothing. There wasn’t a picture of him anywhere in any of the photo albums. He knew he had seen that face somewhere and it was killing him to not remember where it had been. Not once had he forgotten a face since starting his position as Theatrical Director at GLU. He prided himself in being able to recall every person he had personally met and shook hands with, which was nearly every male on campus. There was no way he would have passed the opportunity to touch someone that good looking. Sanji was very lucky indeed.

Sighing, he rubbed his lower back to ease some of the tension out, having been in the same hunched over position for way too long. Ever since that night, the Dark Knight’s face plagued him. The hero could not have realized that he had been watching when he pulled back his hood. What was the connection between him and the detective? They obviously knew each other very well, and somehow the Knight had the upper hand. Maybe the hero had saved the officer and he was indebted to keep his identity secret now. This was definitely interesting, and so cliché that it actually worked. Maybe he could start looking into making this a play for next season. He would figure it out later. Tomorrow started a new week and he needed his beauty sleep.

DK*DK*DK*DK

“Zoro what are you doing!?”

The panicked cry had him frozen in his tracks and the green haired male looked around for the impending attack. All eyes in the classroom turned to him as Chopper ran over and grabbed his heavy messenger bag off his shoulder.

“What did I tell you about lifting? I said you have to wait till the stitches come out! You’ll just end up ripping them and doing more damage. Idiot! Don’t you ever listen?” Chopper struggled under the weight of Zoro’s laptop and books as he drug it over to an empty chair. “Let me see.”

“Iie.” Zoro scowled down at him and crossed his arms, the light reflecting on his glasses unfortunately hiding most of his glare. No matter, it wouldn’t have worked on the boy who had already switched into doctor mode the instant he saw his patient disobeying orders.

“I have to make sure you didn’t do any damage. Now lift up your shirt.” Chopper started reaching for Zoro’s clothes causing him to step back and bump into someone behind him.

“What’s going on?” A familiar female voice sang out. To anyone who didn’t know her it was sweet and innocent, but to Chopper and Zoro it was a carefully concealed threat that if they didn’t speak soon, they were done for.

“Good morning, Nami.” Chopper tried to call her attention away from Zoro but knowing the stubborn, and very intuitive woman, it was a pointless gesture.

Zoro edged around his friend and sat down in the seat next to his bag. Trying to ignore the intense stares, he prepared for today’s lecture. Nami continued to attempt to bore holes in his head with her eyes as he pretended she wasn’t there.

“Why does he want you to lift your shirt up? Don’t tell me you’ve pulled him into your clutches too? I swear! Even Luffy said he’s kissed you!” Nami slammed her hands down on the desk in front of Zoro and leaned down to eye level with him, not realizing that he now had a perfect view down her shirt at the something he really had no desire to see, no matter how amusing it was.

“Did he tell you that before or after the sex?” Zoro smiled innocently as he listened to Chopper giggling next to him.

Nami’s face blushed heavily before paling. “He told you? Oh my God. I can’t believe he did that… He swore to keep his mouth shut.” She closed her eyes and looked as she were about to cry.

“Actually, I took a guess. The unpleasant view down your shirt gave you away.” Zoro narrowed his eyes at her and she jumped back holding her hands to the front of her blouse. His voice took on an amused tone as he continued. “So the date went well? I haven’t had the chance to talk to him since last week.”

“He called me Saturday night. I got to hear all about it!” Chopper cheered, but quickly ducked behind his new defense when Nami balled up her fists. “But he didn’t mention the sex part. He just said he crashed at your place after you got back from the park.”

“A sleepover on the first date? Sounds pretty serious to me, you think they’ll make it official or try to keep it a secret?” Zoro teased. “Oh wait, I guess we just made that impossible.”

“Oh I hate you!” Nami screamed and stormed off.

“Oi, Tanuki, you need a ride after school? You can check out your needlepoint then.” He knew he would need to pacify the doctor side of the little guy if he wanted to keep the boy quiet. Zoro couldn’t help but grin at the stars in Chopper’s eyes as he gave his conflicting answer.

“It doesn’t make me happy that you like me. I don’t care at all, asshole.” Chopper clasped his hands together behind his back and swayed side to side as if in a little happy dance. As always, his actions made Zoro laugh and Chopper quickly took the seat next to him thinking about the tense situation they had just been in.

“We should probably be careful with her, she gets really vindictive sometimes.” Chopper said as he took out his books. “And she’s good at getting inside information on just about anything.”

Zoro stiffened at that and studied the redhead for several minutes. Chopper realized the implications of his words and gave him an apologetic smile. Sudden shouting from outside the doors had them both turned in their seats. A young woman flew into the room with the newest print of the college paper, waving it madly. All Zoro could make out was a large picture and the letters DK. That was all he needed to know and he turned back around to finish booting up his laptop. He would get his hands on the article later and see just how much information the sexy reporter decided to give out.

Remembering his weekend escapades, he allowed a satisfied smile escape the confines of his controlled features. He didn’t even pay any mind to the chatter about the rescue until a gasp was heard from his new sidekick. It was then that he realized they were talking about the gunfight and the injuries the attackers had sustained. He could see the pieces fitting together in the little doctor’s mind and almost laughed at how long it took him to figure it out. Large brown eyes looked back and forth between the people talking and Zoro’s face.

“You?” Chopper whispered and then clamped his hands over his mouth to prevent any further incriminating words from coming forth. He had read all the articles and kept up to date with the Dark Knight’s activities, but never in his life did he think that it could possibly be his friend. It was just assumed that Zoro had gotten into a gang fight to protect some girl and left it at that. Now that the teen thought about it, it made sense. The multiple scars, the fighting, the physique, the baggy clothing, the glasses; Zoro was trying to hide his true identity. Chopper wanted to squeal with delight at the knowledge that he was helping someone fight crime in such a mysterious way. So many questions, yet…

Zoro nodded and placed a finger to his lips, a sign that he needed this information kept quiet. The boy’s brown eyes were wide with excitement and he nodded vigorously. The secret hero breathed out a sigh he didn’t realize he had been holding, thankful that luck was on his side for once. He knew he could trust the boy to not turn on him and having a doctor on hand would prove very useful.

He chuckled as he pictured an underground lair with all kinds of equipment and an assortment of select individuals working for him. The idea was so absurd that he began to elaborate in him mind the different gadgets he could have as well as vehicles, costumes and maybe even his own private cook. He began laughing, much to the horror of everyone around him. The sound was slightly demented and insane as the thoughts of his costumes turned into ideas for maid’s outfits to fit his favorite blonde. He was still snickering and wiping the tears away when the professor entered the room. Chopper began checking him for fever and mumbling about spreading infection and tetanus shots. He assured the guy he was fine and he’d explain later.

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Sanji was surrounded by a combination of angry and excited readers. Many of them were demanding to know who the rescued people were and if there was any supporting evidence that this wasn’t all just a hoax. He did his best to answer questions as well as he could without saying anything to incriminate himself and soon waved down his editor to assist in the inquisition. Together they assured that all information was given first hand and that the reports by the police could be verified at the downtown station. For the first time, Sanji began to have second thoughts about writing a piece. Maybe he should have stuck with just Bon Kurei’s rescue this week. The masses were getting out of hand now that there was talk of gunplay.

The blonde hurried to his last class and paused as he watched his classmate and neighbor looking at the newspaper and chatting quietly under the shade of a large tree. Ace had reached out and touched the green-haired man’s side tenderly with a worried look. Sanji saw the annoyed expression followed by a look of guilt before Zoro shook his head and removed the raven’s hand. Curiosity got the better of him and Sanji walked over to where they stood in silence.

“Hey, Ace. What’s up?”

“Sanji, how are you feeling? Did you have any luck with getting your clothes cleaned?” Ace plopped down on the grass and leaned back against the tree trunk. He ignored the glare his co-worker sent him.

“I took them in to the cleaners Saturday. I’ll know today if they could salvage the suit. The shirt was a lost cause. I donated it to research.” Sanji tried to laugh it off, but he could feel the questions ready to pour out of Zoro’s mouth. “So what’s up with you two? A lover’s spat?”

“Fuck you, shit-cook. It’s none of your business. Why don’t you go back to playing hide-and-go-seek with your Knight?” Zoro said lazily.

“At least I have a bitch, Marimo. You already sent your fuck buddies back home so you’re stuck with self service again.” Sanji smirked and crossed his arms when he saw the red flush of color, which he assumed was anger, dust the larger man’s cheeks.

“Bitch? Is that so? Cause from here it looks like you were the one flat on your back screaming.” Zoro took a step towards him unconsciously and lowered his voice. “You might as well be wearing a sign that says ‘I’ve been fucked out of my mind.’”

Ace sat there bug eyed watching the chemistry play out between the two mule headed men. It finally clicked as to just why Sanji would have that much blood all over him. The idiot had sex with the bigger of the idiots severely wounded. Though he should be mortified, he was strangely turned on by the entire idea. Hot, mind-blowing sex, right after a major fight where you got shot, with a gorgeous seductive man who is bound and blindfolded. Ace had to draw his knees up to his chest to hide the evidence of his arousal.

“Yours should simply say ‘Fuck me’ and leave it at that.” Sanji dropped his voice as well as he closed the gap between them and they stood mere inches from each other.

Zoro was fighting against every fiber of his being from tackling the blonde to the ground and reminding him just what his position had been the other night. “You’re not man enough.”

Sanji grabbed the front of Zoro’s shirt and yanked him forward the last few inches bumped noses. “I’m not offering jackass.”

“You’re too prissy for my taste anyway.”

Sanji shoved the larger man back a step, trying to get his heart to slow down. The close contact had his senses in overdrive and for some reason all he could think about was how inviting those thin lips looked as they curled into that fucking annoying smirk yet again. The blonde wanted nothing more than to wipe that arrogant look off the moron’s face. The haphazard way the oversized t-shirt hung off to one side showed the edge of a deep purple bite on Zoro’s shoulder. Sanji stared at it completely transfixed until the spell was finally broken when Zoro adjusted the shirt to hide the mark yet again.

The reporter tried to recall everything he could about his intimate encounter with the Knight. He searched for anything that would refute the idea that had just formed in his mind. The height was right, as was the large frame; but while the Knight was graceful and fierce, Zoro was only lazy and annoying. The way they carried themselves was completely different and so was their manner of speech. Zoro was mocking and the Knight was… Well, he taunted, but when he did it, it was more like foreplay than verbal banter. The only thing that bothered Sanji was that the mark appeared right after his encounter with the Knight in the exact same spot he remembered sinking his teeth. It could be just a coincidence, but he had to know for sure. Testing his theory, Sanji shoved past Zoro and made sure to stick out his elbow. The angled arm hit just above the waist on Zoro’s right side causing the green-haired man to hiss and grab the injured area. Sanji raised his brow in question as Ace jumped up and ran to Zoro’s side.

“Something wrong?” Sanji asked cautiously.

“No. I’m fine.” Zoro growled and shoved the freckled man away before storming into the classroom.

“He’s not fine. He had an accident this weekend and got stitches. Yuu told me it was something to do with a project he had going on in the backyard.” Ace whispered.

“I didn’t say shit about it. I didn’t know he was injured.” Sanji looked at him confused.

“No, dipshit, not ‘you’… Yuu, his grandfather,” Ace chuckled. “Apparently Zoro’s been working on this traditional Japanese style garden for him every weekend and got a little carried away with it. He took a good chunk out of his side somehow, but tries to act like it’s not bothering him. I think he’s just mad because he messed up and got hurt.”

“Is that right? Hmm.” Sanji did his best to hide his skepticism as he walked off to class.

He sat there the entire lecture trying to watch the green-haired man’s body language. He had to be mistaken, that was all there was to it. Sanji had officially lost his mind, because there was no way that that ugly, fashioned-impaired, smartass, overweight, barbarian could even possibly be the Dark Knight. Was there? He took one last look at the abomination and frowned. What did he really know about either one? Who were they? Where did they come from? What were they both hiding? This called for deeper investigation. If he couldn’t learn more about the Knight to discover his identity, then he would learn more about Zoro and rule him out as a suspect.

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Commander Roronoa stood there in the hanger looking at his jet and wondering if there was any way he could make it all the way to the US before being shot down. He had just finished checking his e-mail and saw the update for the Grand Line Grit’s newest print attached to a letter from his ex-father-in-law. He had found the first article by accident when looking up the information for Johnny and Yosaku when the boys were talking about going to the States. Apparently, his son couldn’t keep his ass out of trouble no matter where he went. He sighed and thought back to his childhood days when he played superhero with his friends. Sure, it was fun, but back then, they used wooden swords and plastic guns, at least for a while.

Even before he called and talked to Yuu, he knew that the Knight was Zoro. It was too much of a coincidence to dismiss, and exactly what he would have expected the pain in the ass to do. He shook his head again and thought back to the phone call from Zoro a week ago. It was the first time in many years that his son had called him ‘Dad’ instead of ‘tousan.’ Pride filled him even as worry seeped in to his heart. His son was too much like his old man to have any good come of this. It needed to stop and soon, because there would be no bailing him out this time. Moreover, if that didn’t work, at least he could show the boy how to do it right. It was time to put in for some leave.

DK*DK*DK*DK

Monday night Sanji worked at the restaurant late, but made plans to start his investigation the very next day. Unfortunately, the green-haired man had classes at a different time and he couldn’t follow him home. Ace was also elusive as well and again the day ended in disappointment. Wednesday, he waited next to the doors for Zoro to leave after their shared class. He followed him around as the man ran errands to the grocery store, lumberyard, and pharmacy. Unfortunately, Sanji had to head to work before he could follow him home.

Thursday, he watched Luffy’s new friend Chopper snatch up the grinning fool, talking all excited about some new technique he had learned from his mother the day before. It irked him to see the drastic change in the normally grumpy man when he was around the teen. Zoro was relaxed and smiling, genuinely enjoying the young man’s company. Why was there such a difference in the way the stoic man acted towards the little guy and the reporter? Sanji followed them back to Chopper’s house and realized that this must be a study session when two other students soon arrived as well. Frustrated, and running out of ideas, he decided to forget the quiet investigation and just talk to the asshole.

Zoro had been dreading Friday all week. Yuu had informed him Monday night that he had a set up yet another date for the boy, and this time he would need to dress appropriately. If he refused, his grandfather threatened to bury his swords beneath the koi pond in the back yard. Knowing that the old man wouldn’t hesitate to follow through on the idea, Zoro reluctantly agreed.

So, here he was, pulling on a brand new pair of black dress slacks and a midnight blue silk shirt, compliments of Ace who was standing on the other side of the room watching him. His only satisfactory retaliation was that he had been able to find three small gold hoop earrings and place them in his left ear. They weren’t his favorite dangles but it was better than the nothing that he had been sporting for the past several months. He had missed the chiming sound when he trained, but sadly the trademark earrings had been lost with several other small things during his journey to the states. Sliding the last button into place, he debated on if he should leave the tails of the shirt in or out.

“Oh, come on, it’s just a dinner date. At least this time she’s a more mature woman and not a little kid like that last weekend.” Ace crossed the room to help him tuck the soft material into his slacks. “You could be headed over to the arcade with Porsche again. She has been leaving you messages every day.”

“Don’t fucking remind me. Hey, no copping a feel.” Zoro snatched the raven’s hand as it inched around to his front.

“Spoilsport. You know, I’ve been trying to find out exactly what happened between you and Sanji all week. I know there was sex involved and I’m not going to be patient much longer. If you don’t spill soon, I’ll just have to ask him. Oh, and you know he works at the restaurant you have reservations at, right?” Ace continued to assist in Zoro’s dressing, mindful of his hands now, and watched for any reaction to the piece of information he just revealed.

A slow smile spread across Zoro’s face as he narrowed his eyes at his friend. “But he’s not working tonight. He requested time off for personal reasons. Probably trying to follow me around again. He’s been at it all week.”

“You’re kidding? Wait! That’s bad. You think he knows?” Ace began to worry.

“No way. I’ve been too careful. Besides, he hates me. If he knew the truth, he’d be trying to kick my ass for fucking him in that kitchen… Shit.” Zoro groaned as he realized his slip.

Ace fell back in the small desk chair laughing. “In a kitchen? Oh, shit do you have any idea how fucked up that was? A kitchen is like a temple to him. That bordered on sacrilege in his books I bet.” Ace took a deep breath and closed his eyes as if trying to picture the whole thing. All of the sudden his face lit up. “You fucked him? I thought he swore he’d bottom for no one.”

“I guess I changed his mind,” was Zoro’s cocky reply. “See, if he knew, he wouldn’t hesitate kicking the shit out of me just for proving him wrong.”

“You have no idea how hard this is to keep quiet now, do you?” Ace pouted. “Here one of my best friends has been made to eat his words and I can’t give him shit about it. This is wrong. Can I at least call and tell the detective?”

“Hell no! He’ll probably add breaking and entry to my list of crimes. That and if you tell him, Jiji will find out and he still doesn’t know I’m into men instead of women. Even if he was ok with it, can you imagine what kind of dates he would send me on after that?” A shiver went up both of their spines at the thought.

“That’s scary.” Ace giggled, “And he’d probably find someone like that weird cross dresser you were telling me about.”

Zoro paled and turned to grab his friend up by the front of his shirt. “I swear if that happens I’ll do everything in my power to cut off any chance you have with my cousin to begin with telling his mother he’s never going to give her a grandchild and blame it on you.”

“That’s fighting dirty.” Ace looked wounded and lowered his eyes. “Fine, I’ll keep quiet.”

Feeling a bit guilty for such harsh words, Zoro released his grip and pulled Ace into a gentle hug, nuzzling his nose in the older man’s neck. It always shocked him to realize the raven had a good inch or so on him in height. He smiled when he felt Ace’s arms wrap around him as well.

“I’ll tell you when it happens for real; no blindfolds, no hoods, no secrets. Deal?”

Ace nodded and squeezed. “But I want details… hey do you think there was surveillance equipment in that kitchen?”

Zoro began beating his head on Ace’s shoulder in frustration. On one hand, the idea of having the whole thing on video was appealing, but on the other hand, it would be physical evidence to connect him to the crimes. “Um…”

Ace let him loose and raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t even look? Man you really are stupid as shit sometimes, you know that? Can you at least remember where… never mind. I’ll try and see if I can find out anything for you.”

“Thanks.” Zoro tried to relax, but now he had even more to worry about.

“But if there’s video, I get to watch it.”

Ace ran as various objects were thrown at him from the angry man.

DK*DK*DK*DK

Zoro pulled up outside a coffee shop a few blocks from the Baratie. As per instructions from Yuu, he made sure to bring a red rose so she would know who he was. Zoro assumed that it was so she could leave if he didn’t meet her standards. As much as he wanted that to happen, he knew that the next woman might be more like the last one and he didn’t know if he could go through that again. If this one was mature, he might be able to make it through this evening without the urge to kill anyone even.

For the first time in several years, Zoro pulled off his glasses and shoved them into the strap on the visor of the truck. He needed this to work so next weekend he could be free to do whatever he wanted; like search out a certain blonde and do a repeat of their last meeting. Using the image of Sanji’s naked body as a reminder for why he was doing this, Zoro stepped out of the truck and walked into the café to meet his date for the night.

Carmen was a beautiful headstrong woman with wild pink hair and an affinity for cooking. When Zoro handed over the rose, she seemed genuinely impressed and her opinion of him increased a hundred fold when he informed her they would be dining at the Baratie that evening. From that moment on, she spoke of nothing but her desires to one day have the head chef position at the famous restaurant. Zoro tried to remember what position Sanji was in, but was sure that there was no way in the world that this woman could come anywhere close to his level of expertise. Too bad the blonde wasn’t working tonight. Maybe he could rub it in her face how disillusioned she was.

They walked arm in arm, much to the man’s dismay, down the sidewalk as Carmen chatted on aimlessly about her culinary wins in various competitions. He wondered if she would be impressed if he began to tell her about all the men he had sliced and brought to their knees in the underground rings of Japan. If she didn’t shut up soon, he’d go into details about the fight between he and Hatchi where they both ended up broken and bloody. Fortunately, the blue doors of the establishment came into view and he was able to shift her focus to the present.

The maître d' gave Zoro a strange look when he was given the name for the reservation. The pink-haired woman preened at the lavish compliments given to her by the snotty little man when he read the note beside the name written in the bold handwriting of the boss. Mr. Roronoa is a personal friend. He and his date will be treated accordingly. While the green-haired man looked nothing like those that Zeff would associate himself with, they couldn’t go against what was clearly written in front of them.

To any outsider, they looked like an attractive couple on a quiet date. Her elegance and grace combined with his raw power and sex appeal made them the center of attention as they walked to their seats. A small table for two gave them just the slightest hint of intimacy and the lighting would have been perfect had this been an actual date either was interested in. Knowing that all eyes were on him, and any mistakes would be immediately reported to his grandfather, Zoro played the part of the proper gentleman and made sure to pull out her chair and even let her order first. Soon the topic came back around to her desire to run the kitchens.

“I have been studying and training for ten years now with the sole purpose being to be named the best chef in the country. So far, I’ve beaten out everyone except the head and sous-chefs here at Baratie. Soon, I will have them at my feet as well,” Carmen swore fiercely.

“You must be out of your mind if you think you can do that. I’ve eaten the food from here a few times and I don’t think you could ever top it.” Zoro leaned forward, challengingly.

“Oh, I’ll beat him, and when I do, everyone in the world will know my name.” Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

“I happen to know one of the cooks here personally and if you can beat him, you’ve learned how to make ambrosia itself, because his food is enough to make the pope moan with enjoyment.” Zoro smirked wickedly at her shocked look and sat back in his chair.

DK*DK*DK*DK

The man was gorgeous. He had watched him walk in… well, he watched his ass as he walked across the room; Sanji couldn’t seem to take his eyes off it. When they got out of sight, he hurried to finish what he was doing and searched them out again. The green hair threw him off, but knowing that Zoro and Smoker were cousins could mean there were more men in the area related to them. How Sanji had missed such gorgeous specimens he didn’t know, but there would be no way he was going to pass up the opportunity tonight.

Sanji stood just outside the kitchen doors trying to get a better look at the man sitting at the table with the beautiful rival chef Carmen. She had been chasing him for several months now, trying to get him to test his skills against hers in a competition. He had a feeling it was because she was interested in him on a different level, but as close as those two were leaning in to each other over the table, he knew something more had to be going on. Suddenly her face went from challenging to shocked and her date sat back in his chair, giving Sanji a better view of his face. The man turned his head and piercing black eyes met a single bewildered blue one.