The Dark Knight of GLU

Chapter 20
Facing One’s Fears

The six of them left the training room filled with fumes to sit around the front desk and enjoy their munchies. Zoro eyed his father wearily as he nibbled on the beef jerky he had found in the bottom of the bag. Sweets were not his thing. They were too much for him. As an afterthought, he hoped their parents wouldn’t be too upset with him for hyping up the kids and ruining their appetites. He’d just blame it on his father anyways.

His father…

Zoro looked over to the tall man sitting on the long bench and chatting with his Horsemen. The boys were asking him everything they could think of and Frank answered each one of them as best he could. Zoro sighed and wondered what it would have been like to be on good terms with his old man. For starters, he wouldn’t be sitting here like this trying to think of the best way to tell his father he would never have any grandchildren. Maybe he could adopt the Horsemen and let Frank spoil them to no end. Zoro let a small grin escape onto his face as he pictured them all sitting around the table getting ready to eat the meal that Sanji had prepared for them.

“Sanji? Really? So what’s he like? I haven’t heard anything about him yet.”

Zoro smacked himself in the forehead not caring how stupid the action looked, and began an inner rant with himself about how he should stop drifting off into fantasy land with these hellions around.

“Mr. Sanji is really cool! He showed us how to knock Zoro-sensei off his feet, but we’re not strong enough to do it ourselves yet.” Mark had jumped up in his excitement, before deflating at the end.

“You should have seen it, Mr. Roronoa! Zoro-sensei went flying up in the air just like in the kung fu movies we watch sometimes.” Brian lifted a foot off the ground and leaned as far back as he could, trying to animate his description of what happened. Sam tried to catch him before he fell, but was laughing too hard and they both went to the ground in giggles.

“His eyes got really big! I thought they were going to pop out of his head.” Chad used his fingers to open his eyes as wide as possible.

“That’s enough. MR. Sanji,” there was an added emphasis to the mister part, “trained in something called Savate for most of his life. After you guys practice that long, you’ll be able to pull of the same moves, though I’m not going to guarantee that you’ll ever be able to knock my feet out from under me.”

Frank was laughing with the boys as Zoro tried to defend his honor. “So he did literally sweep you off your feet!”

Zoro had about enough of being laughed at for the day. He picked up a busted bokken and reached out to smack his father atop his head. He wasn’t planning on hitting him hard, since the man was much older than him and had never trained with any weaponry outside the Navy. But if that were true, then where did the weird looking sticks come from that were currently in Frank’s hands and wrapped around the wood at the broken end of his sword?

“You’re about 20 years too young to be able to land a hit on me, boy.” Frank’s eyes gleamed with excitement as he forced the wooden stick away from his head. He admired the strength that kept increasing the harder he pushed and silently praised Zoro for his muscle training. “Do you really think I caught your mother’s eye with my brilliant mind? I met her here while I was a student with her father. In fact I was his best student.”

“Really?” Zoro’s mouth quirked into a cocky grin. “I thought she married you out of pity. Besides, Jigi just said the same thing to me the other day.”

The Horsemen had backed off and were watching in a mixture of fear and awe. A lesson would be learned today, but who and in what they had no idea. Hopefully it wasn’t teaching them how to get blood out of the floor as well as all the nasty paint.

The air in the room had begun to thicken with anticipation as the two men stayed with their weapons locked. Zoro’s grin was mirrored and then suddenly they broke apart. Frank crouched, ready to spring as he noticed Zoro searching the room for something. Not about to let the boy get the upper hand, the older Roronoa attacked. He swung wide with his kama, testing Zoro’s range with his makeshift weapon. The sudden glint of satisfaction in his son’s eyes caused him to reassess his surroundings and try to understand the change.

Mark, the biggest of the four boys but still a small fry compared to adults, had run and slid across the floor, wrapping his legs around Frank’s ankles and causing the man to lose balance. While Frank was focused on why a child would be willing to do this, he noticed two of the others running towards Zoro with something in their hands. The broken sword was thrown towards his head and he leaned back to avoid the blow. Amazed, yet impressed with their teamwork, Frank watched them both hand over a new weapon to their sensei.

Frank forcefully, but without harming the boy, shoved Mark to the side so he could fight his son properly. A spin of each kama in his palm and his confidence in them began to return. While he had handed over his fighting weapons, he had purchased a set of practice kama after seeing Zoro one day training with his katana. He had no one to spar with so he would definitely be rusty, but he had kept up with the basics every morning before waking his grumpy son. It wasn’t his fault that Zoro had never seen him use them; it was just because the boy was not an early riser like he was. That was all about to change.

“Here Sensei!” “We know you can take him!” “Show him you’re the best!” “Kick his ass!”

“Aa,” Zoro agreed, testing the weight of each sword in his hand pleased with the ones his boys had chosen. “Things have changed since your time, Tousan. Let me show you how us kids do it.”

Frank chuckled and watched his son’s movements with pride. The boy had definitely inherited his grace and sense of balance. The footsteps were light and measured as he moved in a fluid motion. Slowly, Zoro began to back into an empty room since the foyer was obviously too small to fight in. Frank followed him, step for step and watched his body movement with intense scrutiny. Kureha said he was injured, but nothing in his moves showed any weakness. Then again, those damn keikogi hid so much. He wanted to go all out, but he also didn’t want to incur the wrath of a mad woman. He didn’t have any time to ask though because the fight had just begun.

Zoro charged at him, swords crossed in front of his face and sporting a predatory grin. Frank brought his kama up and hooked one on each wooden blade forcing Zoro’s arms out and exposing his chest. He gave a somewhat gentle kick to Zoro’s sternum, still angry that he didn’t know exactly how hard he could attack. It was enough to send the younger man back and separate their weapons.

“Auntie said you’re injured… What happened?” Frank watched the right side specifically, wishing that he had asked more from the doctor before he left.

Zoro lunged again, a downwards swing with his left that nearly got the tip of Frank’s nose, followed quickly by a thrust to the kidneys with the right. Frank used the shaft of his kama to deflect the hit to his midsection and brought the ‘blade’ of the other down towards the vulnerable jugular that his son failed to protect. Zoro’s speed was unfathomable as he spun out of harm’s way and landed a blow to Frank’s chest.

Zoro narrowed his eyes. “It’s not a problem. The stitches are already out.”

Frank coughed and gasped for air, angry for both getting hit and knowing that the blow was not full force. “Does Dr. Chopper know this? Apparently if I break you, Kureha is going to give me to him for medical practice.”

Frank wasted no time in launching another offensive strike. He aimed at Zoro’s face, hoping to wipe the grin off of it, but was met by crossed blades protecting his target. Frank smirked as he hooked both blades in the joint of his weapon and yanked them to the side. He drove the butt of his kama in the other hand hard into Zoro’s gut, making sure the hit was more to the left than right.

Zoro’s eyes went wide as the force of the impact knocked him back several feet. He watched his father shift his feet slightly as he spun the strange weapons again in his hand. “I had a checkup this morning with him. It healed, just like my chest.”

This time Frank was a little more prepared. Zoro’s vicious barrage of swings and thrusts were met with admirable defense. Frank vowed not to let his son land another hit on him, since just that one was going to earn him a severe tongue lashing and who knows what kind of punishment from Yuu. He watched the flawless footwork and perfect control, looking for his opening. He knew if he was patient enough, something would appear, and he was not disappointed to see how long it was taking. His son really was an exceptional student.

“That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t explain how you got injured in the first place. You weren’t out playing around on the dark side again, were you?” Frank almost let a smile break through when Zoro’s right hand faltered. He wasted no time in breaking through and swiping at the exposed right side. He felt the tip of his wooden blade catch on the fabric, ripping through the uniform and revealing the tanned skin beneath. They separated and Frank stood there staring at the new pink flesh just above Zoro’s waist. A movement to the side caught his attention and Frank remembered they had an audience. “You probably got it at your night job, huh?”

Zoro sighed in defeat. He was completely screwed. Might as well go out with a bang. Zoro placed one of his swords between his teeth and held out his hand. Instantly, Brian came running with a third bokken and handed it over, beaming with pride that he had been able to help. Zoro wanted to laugh at the confused look on his father’s face.

A week ago, the boys accidentally happened upon him training in this style early one morning. They had been bugging him to show them properly how it was done, but he had firmly refused. The only ones to see him use this were the people in the underground back in Japan. Not even his father had ever seen this method. Zoro took a deep breath and looked over at his old man. He ran a thumb over the scar and looked briefly at the Horsemen. They had no idea what was going on and he hoped to keep it that way. “Utaremashita.” [I was shot.]

Frank’s jaw dropped. The boys began to giggle at the silly look on the older man’s face.

“How the… Why do… You were… Damn, I don’t know what to ask first,” Frank mumbled.

Zoro chuckled and shook his head. “How about a demonstration? That will answer the second one. If you beat me, I’ll answer the others too.”

Frank didn’t have a chance to answer as Zoro quickly crossed the room. Right, left, left, shit! He was barely able to keep up with two blades, how in the world would he fight against three? Small turns of Zoro’s head kept Frank from gaining any control and allowed him to perfectly guard every vital point. Frank fumbled in his defense and nearly had his head taken off too many times to count now. The image of a hard black sole coming at the side of his face reminded him of the blonde that had knocked him for a loop earlier. Blonde… feet… knock… Well it was worth a try. Frank ducked under the next attack and swiped a leg out hard at Zoro’s calves.

The unexpected move caught Zoro off guard and he barely jumped in time to avoid the blow. Frank rolled to the side to avoid the blades that were aimed at his head. Unfortunately, he didn’t move fast enough and was pinned by a sword on each side of his throat and Zoro standing over top of him. The boys erupted into cheers of victory but Frank just shook his head. He grinned and gave a tug of his left hand. The Horsemen noticed and the cheering turned into groans of disappointment. Frank let out a boisterous roar of laughter as Zoro paled when the tip of the weapon was felt against his groin.

“Well, I think we both lost.” Frank said after he was able to contain his laughter.

Zoro frowned and nodded, releasing his father from the debilitating hold. He took the sword from his mouth and handed all three to the waiting boys. He ruffled Mark’s hair when the boy started pouting for being left out. Suddenly the wooden Kama was in front of his face and he looked up to see Frank smiling down at him.

“Here, see if you can find a safe place for these. I think they belong around here somewhere.”

Mark’s face lit up instantly and he ran off after the others, calling out to them about his new prize. Zoro and Frank watched them chatter excitedly and disappear around the corner. Suddenly the tension returned a hundred fold.

“Shot, huh?” Frank raised an eyebrow in question as he looked at the torn uniform. “Looks like I’ve missed out on a lot.”

“Yah, you have.” Zoro agreed.

The Horsemen were told to go home and Zoro joined his father back in the empty training room. They both sat cross legged next to each other, staring at the newly repaired walls.

“I’d like to know a little more about this Sanji.” Frank thought that if maybe Zoro talked to him about the blonde it might give him an opportunity to bring up everything else.

It took Zoro several minutes before he began to speak. “He’s annoying, foul mouthed, stubborn, smokes like a chimney, is able to bend himself in impossible ways, flirts with anything that catches his interest, never minds his own business, cooks the best fucking food I’ve ever tasted and yet somehow he’s impossibly skinny, oddly powerful in his legs. He can’t seem to use his upper body for much in a fight, but those kicks of his are deadly.”

“I like him already.” Frank rolled his eyes at the description he was just given. It sounded like the typical love/hate relationship. He placed an arm around Zoro’s shoulders and gave him and encouraging squeeze. “How’d you meet?”

“In class.” Zoro looked up into Frank’s eyes and saw nothing but a father’s love and understanding mingled in with the ever-present sadness. “You’re not mad…why?”

Frank ruffled up Zoro’s hair and kissed his son on the top of his head. It was time to tell his son the truth. He could only hope that the boy wouldn’t kill him in the end. “What do you remember of me before your mom and I split?”

Zoro swatted him away and gave him a slight growl. “Nothing. You never even came around after that. Mom said that you guys had a major fight and that she asked you to leave.”

“Yah, she did that for you. I messed up really bad back then. When we met I was just a nobody training in her father’s dojo. She was the unattainable daughter, and I wanted her.” Frank backpedaled quickly when he noticed the angry tic in Zoro’s jaw. “Don’t get me wrong, I did love her. She was the first woman I had ever had sex with, and the last. No other woman will ever take her place.”

Zoro sat there in silence for several minutes, causing Frank to grow nervous again.

“Zoro, she was the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known, both inside and out. What I did was unforgivable, that’s why I left. She didn’t want you raised around someone who wasn’t honest.”

“Just what did you do? Mom would forgive someone for murder if they had a good reason. What could you have possibly done to hurt her so bad she couldn’t forgive you?”

“She caught me having sex with someone else.”

“You just said she was the only woman y-“ Zoro’s jaw dropped and he just stared at his father.

Frank ran a hand over his short hair and gave him an awkward smile. “Now you see why I’m not mad.”

“You… You’re… “

“Are you ok with that?” Frank braced himself for the worst.

“No… not really.” Zoro’s fist collided with his father’s jaw and sent Frank flying. “You stupid son of a bitch! You mean I’ve been sneaking around for all these years, pretending to be fucking those damn whores when I could have just been myself?! No wonder she left you, you lying sack of shit! Do you have any idea how many times I had to pull out of Johnny when you’d come home early? I’d have to run to the bathroom and finish myself when I could have just stayed where I was and fucked him senseless like I normally did!”

Frank curled into a ball on the floor and covered his ears to try and drown out the sound of his son’s voice telling him about screwing one of his best friends. Wait… Johnny? Frank scrambled back into a sitting position and glared at Zoro. “You mean you’ve been having sex in my house?! Fuck! I haven’t even had sex in that house. That’s seriously messed up.”

Zoro’s anger began to recede and it was replaced with amusement as the two of them tried to stare each other down. “We’ve lived there for almost 10 years. Are you trying to tell me you haven’t had sex in that long?”

“What? No… Well, maybe… Not exactly.” Damn, how many times would this boy embarrass him today? “It’s not that simple. You know, this isn’t exactly the way I imagined this conversation going.” Frank frowned when Zoro just scoffed at him.

“Me neither. I really expected you to get pissed off and turn your back on me.”

“Zoro, you’re my son. We may not have gotten along very well, but I love you. Even if I wasn’t gay, I wouldn’t turn my back on you for something like this.” Frank crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. “However, I do think a gunshot needs a little more explanation.”

Zoro frowned, almost in a pout if you could imagine, and tried to decide just what he needed to tell his old man. If he lied, he’d be caught for sure. Yuu was acting too weird lately to believe the man didn’t know everything that was going on. Logan promised he wouldn’t tell anyone, but that didn’t mean if he was asked, he would lie about it. Then there was Sanji.

If his father met him, he would be sure to ask about what the blonde did, and the newspaper would definitely be brought up. One mention of the word sword, and Frank would see right through him. OK, so lying was out, but what if he just omitted most of the details. Like the missing finger, his stalking habits, the reoccurrence of certain idiots, the threats, the making out in the alley, the sex in some unknown kitchen… He couldn’t leave out the gunshot now, though. All he could do was just wing it. Frank drummed his fingers against his bicep in impatience and Zoro knew it was time to begin.

Zoro gave a brief recount of his adventures as the Dark Knight, stopping a few times to lash out at his father for laughing. Apparently the guy thought that Zoro’s encounter with the cross-dressing freak was hilarious. He also got a kick out of Nami attacking him for trying to save her. Frank would frown when he spoke of the various weapons and fighting styles, but drank in every word like it was vital evidence in a case. Zoro skipped around and saved the incident in the warehouse for last.

“A while back, I was sitting in the parking lot outside Sanji’s apartment when I saw him come out of the building. I notice a couple of shady guys fall in behind him and decided I should tag along to make sure he was ok.” Zoro closed his eyes and recalled everything he could about that night. “There were four guys. Sanji was tied to a chair, blindfolded in the center of the building. I cut the lights and one of them shot off a couple rounds. I took out the first guy pretty easy by breaking his leg. He gave up his weapon immediately. The second one went down just as fast. I had to move shitty cook when they started shooting wildly. The third fell into a snare and dropped his gun as he was drawn upside down.”

Frank chuckled at the image of a guy hanging from the ceiling, swinging back and forth.

“The last guy was a bit of a problem. He decided to be cowardly and held a knife to Sanji’s throat. I had to mislead him and make him think I was unarmed. I dropped Yubashiri to the ground and kept my other hand on Sandai Kitetsu.”

“Wait, you’ve named your swords?”

Zoro glared at his father and refused to answer. “As soon as the knife was lowered, I planned to attack. Unfortunately, he pulled out a gun and got a shot off first. I didn’t move fast enough and it took out a chunk of my side.”

“Did you kill him?”

“What? No! I wanted to, but I didn’t want to dishonor Jiji.” Zoro fisted his hands tightly, trying to reign in the anger that threatened to take over. “Besides, the cops were on their way. I just took the cook and got out of there.”

“So he found out who you were then.”

“No… I kept the blindfold on him. I can’t believe he hasn’t figured it out yet, honestly.”

“Even after you nailed him in the kitchen? Wow you’re good.” Frank whistled lowly, clearly impressed with his son’s stealth.

“How did you know about that?”

Frank knew it would be easy to tease the poor boy about this, but he needed Zoro cooperative for when it came time for his own confession, though the heated blush on his son’s face was very entertaining. “Let’s just say for now that I know the owners, and they had surveillance cameras capturing your every move.”

“Oh, fuck.” Zoro fell back onto the floor and covered his face with his arms. “He’s going to kill me.”

“Probably.” Frank chuckled softly and patted his son’s shoulder. They stayed like that in silence for a long time. The darkening sky reminded Frank of the impending meeting and he realized he still hadn’t confessed everything to Zoro. “There are a lot of things that I’ve done in my past that I am not proud of, but they were necessary at the time… or so I thought.”

Zoro woke from his light nap, that he hadn’t realized he was taking, and peeked out from under his arm to study his father’s hardened features.

“We are more alike than you realize; both in our taste in lovers and in our night activities.” Frank turned away, refusing to look at him. “Your mom was one of my biggest supporters. She would wait patiently for me every night and make the call to Auntie if I was injured badly enough for stitches. She smoothed things over between her father and Garp when they had their arguments, and gave up her kitchen to Uncle Zeff every time he came over. We had our own little team back then, somewhat like you do now, or so Yuu-sensei says.”

Zoro sat up now, his jaw slack with shock.

“I’m really sorry I got you into this mess. You see those guys you’ve been fighting… They belong to a man named Buggy. He and I have some nasty history.”

Zoro could do nothing but listen as his father’s past was finally revealed.

“Almost nineteen years ago, I happened upon him during a drug deal. That’s where I first met Red.”

“Red?” Zoro asked.

“His name is Shanks. He was Buggy’s partner. Shanks didn’t want to deal with drugs and told the clown he was stupid, but Buggy insisted. Things went sour and a lot of people were killed on both sides of the trade. Buggy blamed Shanks and put a hit out on him. I interfered, cut off his hand and sent him to jail. A few months ago, Buggy was released. He came back here and started up his old tricks again, this time encountering you as resistance.”

“Does he know who I am? Wait; does he know who you are?”

Shanks’ words echoed in his head. ‘Buggy knows who Zoro is Frank, and he’s out for blood… All of ours.’

“Yes. He was the one responsible for the damage done here at the dojo. There’s a meeting scheduled here soon. You should call anyone you have ties with and make sure they show up. We can fill everyone in on the details then.”

Zoro watched him stand up and leave as the mass amount of information he had just received still filtered through his head. His father was a gay, ex-hero, and had chopped off someone’s hand because they had tried to kill some guy named Shanks. Could it be… was Shanks the man his father was having an affair with?

Shaking his head to clear it, Zoro got up and quickly walked to the locker room to find his phone. He placed his first call to Ace, not surprised when he got voicemail. He left a quick message to hurry up and get to the dojo ASAP. The next call was to Logan, and a similar message was left. After that, he called Luffy knowing that he was extremely trustworthy and oddly insightful. Besides, Zoro still needed to ask him about his friend Usopp.

A crash was heard as soon as the phone was picked up, followed by laughing. “Oops. Hi!”

“Luffy, is everything alright?” Zoro asked hesitantly, not really sure if he wanted to know the answer.

“Oh, hi Zoro! Yup! Usopp and I were just working on this new invention of his and it kinda exploded in the microwave. I think we’re going to have to buy a new one. Don’t tell Ace okay?”

Zoro chuckled and allowed a smile to escape. If nothing else, this kid was great for lifting his spirits. “I won’t. Have you seen him yet?”

“No, but Marco stopped by and said that he got picked up by his boyfriend, so I figured that he is still over there.”

A mischievous grin took over the contented smile and Zoro couldn’t wait for tonight. “Are you and Usopp free this evening? I want you to come meet my father.”

“Yah! Sure! What time?”

“In about an hour, we’re down at the Dojo.”

Zoro gave him directions and said goodbye. He needed to get a shower before people started showing up. As soon as he was dressed in his new clothes, he hurried out to the lobby. He wanted to catch his friends before they had a chance to encounter the interrogator. Two large men were carrying a low table into the room he and Frank had occupied earlier. They each gave him a brief glance before returning to their task.

The tall blonde with the outrageously long moustache seemed familiar, but he couldn’t place where he had seen him. The other man he recognized from the police station. They hadn’t been introduced, but he had an idea that he was part of his father’s old group. This man must have been somewhat like what Logan was for him. Kureha came through the door a moment later carrying a box with several bottles of sake in it. She gave Zoro a disapproving glare and continued on without a word. The two men began to squabble about where the table should be set and soon they were in an all out fight. One look at their styles and Zoro knew exactly who they were.

The one with the strange dog hat was Chief Garp, Ace and Luffy’s grandfather, and the tall blonde had to be Sanji’s foster father. Why that man was here, he had no idea. Yuu came in a moment later to separate the men, scolding them both. He lectured them that they should be ashamed and it was time to put petty arguments aside. Zoro spun around in surprise when he heard the loud bellow of his two best friends.

“Zoro-aniki!”

Johnny and Yosaku caught him up in a crushing sandwich hug, depriving him of air. They were both crying and babbling about how sorry they were and that they would do anything to make it up to him. A quick glance around the room and his face grew red. Everyone was staring at them with amused looks on their faces.

“Oi, get off.” he grumbled.

The Tweedle-twins loosened their hold, but didn’t back off quite yet. At that moment, Luffy came wandering in with Usopp and Chopper right behind him. The happy teen gave a panicked yelp when he saw Garp standing across the room.

“Gramps! What are you doing here?” Luffy squawked and hid behind Usopp.

“I could ask you the same! This meeting has nothing to do with you. Go home and study. And if you see that good for nothing brother of yours, tell him not to run. I’ll find him wherever he goes.” Garp gave Yuu, Kureha, and Zeff dirty looks as they began laughing. “You just keep your nephew away from him and I won’t have to kill you too.”

This only made them laugh harder. Zoro and the others looked at Luffy, who shrugged his shoulders to show he had no idea what was going on. Unfortunately, at that moment the men in question appeared at the door. The laughter was combined with hoots and catcalls as the group in front of the door parted to give them ample room to enter.

Ace limped in wearing a happy grin while the oversized t-shirt showed several bites along his neck and shoulders. Even his shorts seemed too big for him, like they were borrowed from someone with a larger frame. Smoker was right behind him with his normal grouchy expression and a cigar clamped between his teeth. The edge of a similar purple mark was peeking over the top of the collar on his dress shirt. If he was nervous, it didn’t show as he crushed out his cigar in the ashtray on the desk.

Garp shook with rage at seeing his grandson in his current state of disarray. The scowl deepened further when Lt. Smoker put an arm possessively around Ace’s waist to assist the younger man into the room. Zoro and his crew joined in and slapped them both on the back congratulating the new couple. Garp couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“Get your goddamn hands off of my grandson or I’ll have your badge for this Lieutenant!”

Yuu was laughing so hard he was crying. Zeff’s laugher died down to a deep chuckle as he helped Kureha set out the sake and cups. By now, any tension in Zoro had dissipated and the mood in the entire place went from ominous to amused, with the exception of Garp and his subordinate, whose eyes widened slightly at the threat. Ace had the decency to blush and try to adjust his ill-fitting clothes, but refused to allow the large hand to leave his hip.

“I like him right where he is, Gramps. Besides, you have no right to tell me what I can and can’t do. YOU were the one to kick us out.” Ace gave him a ‘ha, I told you so’ smirk before turning to place a kiss on his lover’s lips. Smoker covered the freckled face with his hand and pushed the eager brat down, still concerned about the threat to his career.

Garp launched himself across the room and tackled his oldest grandchild, knocking him out of Smoker’s grasp and to the ground. In a flash Luffy joined in, thinking it was a game like the ones they used to play when Garp was still speaking to them. While Zoro, Johnny, Yosaku, and Chopper looked on with concern, the others including Usopp, just rolled their eyes and stepped around the wrestling family. It was obvious from the joyous shouts from Luffy that this was not a strange occurrence at all. Yuu gestured to the table and insisted that they all take a seat.

Zoro sat in the center on one side, flanked by Chopper and Smoker with an empty space left for Ace at the end. Usopp sat behind him a bit with an extra mat for Luffy, since they were not even sure what was going and didn’t feel the need to be right at the table. The center spot across from Zoro was left empty. On the right were Yuu and Kureha, who kept stealing little kisses and turning everyone’s stomachs with their idea of sweet talk. On the left was another empty space for Garp and then Zeff, who kept glaring at Zoro as if he knew everything the boy had done to his precious son. It made Zoro shift uncomfortably in his seat. Johnny sat at the far end of the table with Yosaku in his lap, nervous as hell about the information they were about to deliver.

A sharp whistle from Kureha gained Garp’s attention and he looked to the table where everyone was ready to begin. He knocked Ace and Luffy’s heads together one more time for good measure and then took his place next to Zeff. Luffy, the ever-inquisitive one, broke the silence and asked the question that was on everyone’s mind. Well, everyone except Zoro.

“Hey Zoro, who are all these old guys?” Luffy plopped down next to his best friend and started playing with a Brain Teaser that Usopp had handed him.

Kureha had to be held back by Yuu, which was a funny sight while Zeff placed a firm hand on Garp’s shoulder to keep him in his seat. The light changed in the room and everyone looked to the doorway. Two figures were backed by the setting sun, causing their features to be shadowed and unrecognizable.

“Zeff, refuge assistant, cardio trainer, and nutritionist,” the taller man stated. Zeff nodded his head in greeting. “Garp, damage control for the police and inside informant.” Garp merely huffed and turned away. “Kureha, medical advisor and dexterity trainer.” The old woman raised an eyebrow at her title, but seemed pleased. “And Yuu… my sensei, father to my wife, and grandfather to Zoro.”

Frank stepped further into the room and all of Zoro’s friends gasped in surprise, while Johnny and Yosaku cowered in fear. He bowed to the elders and gave a cockeyed grin to his son. Unfortunately, Zoro never noticed as his attention focused on the man still standing in the doorway. Frank held out his hand to the man and it was quickly taken as the redhead came to his side. “Shanks, former partner of Buggy, Uncle to Ace and Luffy, also known as Red.”

Shanks grinned at the surprised look on the boys’ faces and decided to take over. “This is Frank Roronoa, for all of you who don’t know him, also known as Green. Honored student of the Higa Dojo, father to Zoro, lover to me, and prior Dark Knight.”

The lover comment earned him a stern glare from Zoro, but the others focused only on the last comment.

“What?” Smoker practically shouted.

“Roronoa-san is a Dark Knight too?” Johnny’s jaw dropped and Yosaku’s eyes looked like they would pop out of his head any moment.

“So Zoro really is the Knight? Oh Sanji’s gonna be pissed when he finds out.” Usopp mused.

“Hey Zoro, I guess you really don’t dye your hair do you?” Luffy laughed as Zoro’s cheeks colored.

Chopper’s mouth opened and closed several times, but nothing came out. He kept looking back and forth between his mother and Frank. He jumped a foot when Zoro cleared his throat.

“Logan, my cousin and inside man at the downtown precinct,” Zoro began, pointing to the man at his side. Smoker grinned as Garp grumbled something about ungrateful youths. “Ace, coworker, sparring partner, and standing alibi.” Ace waved to Frank. “Luffy, garbage disposal, monkey, and comic relief.” The said young man looked up from his tangled fingers and metal, unsure of what had just been said, but happy to be included. “Usopp, Luffy’s best friend, and somehow linked to forensic evidence though I don’t know how, yet.” Usopp gulped when the yet was emphasized. “Johnny and Yosaku, best friends, partners in crime, and occasionally training dummies.” They laughed at the last label they were given and nodded to everyone. “Chopper, project partner, sidekick and the best surgeon I’ve ever seen.”

“Shut up you asshole! I don’t want your compliments. They don’t make me happy.” Chopper sat there blushing and trying to pull his pink top hat down further over his head to hide his equally pink cheeks.

“Holy shit! That kid is your medic? Damn… How come you ended up with a cute one?” Frank let out another curse when an empty sake bottle came flying at his head. In an instant he had a chrome kama out, knocking the glass to the side and sending it shattering against the wall. “I’m not cleaning that up, Auntie.”

Yosaku was up in an instant and offering to take care of the mess since he knew where the broom and such was located. Frank took his spot across from his son and Shanks went over to sit with Luffy and Usopp. Serious expressions were settled back on the elders faces and everyone knew that the meeting was about to begin.

“I’m sure you’re wondering what exactly is going on and why we have asked you all here.” Frank looked around at the nodding young men. “You’ve all been pulled into this escapade with my son and his fun with playing hero. Unfortunately, the men he’s been fighting with all belong to the same group.”

“About six months ago, a man by the code name Buggy was released from prison. Even though I was the arresting officer, he blames the man who caused him to be caught and wants revenge.” Garp opened a folder and tossed a few pictures onto the table. “This is the man in question.”

Zoro and Logan studied the pictures closely before passing them on to the others.

“He’s had his left hand reattached after his last meeting with our brat here. It’s not functioning completely, but he has some minimal use of it.” Kureha began pouring sake for those that were old enough to drink. A shrug of her shoulders and she went ahead and poured one for Zoro as well.

“We really didn’t know what to expect, so we sent a couple of spies in to assess his ranks.” Yuu looked over to Johnny and nodded a silent request for him to share his findings.

Johnny cleared his throat and shifted nervously at the angry scowl he was receiving from his best friend. He knew that Zoro would be upset and he would get it later, but this information was important. He only hoped that something of the city would be left standing when Zoro found out about their plans for Sanji. “He has about thirty men that we know of, maybe more. He even has a swordsman.”

“As long as he’s not Mihawk, I could care less. I can handle anything they throw out.” Zoro’s confidence began to filter into the others.

“This one cheats Aniki. He uses dirty tricks and fights with no honor.” Yosaku returned to the table and settled back into Johnny’s lap. “They also have this guy with a huge dog. He seems to be high in the ranks, but I don’t know what he can do as far as fighting. He does seem to have a weird relationship with the dog though.”

Johnny gave them a recap of the fight, describing footwork and swings with great detail. Yuu was impressed with their analysis and made a note to remember to ask the boys where they had studied. A few laughed at Yosaku for getting sat on, but sympathized when the boy pulled up his shirt and showed them the bruising from the sheer weight of the dog. Chopper jumped up immediately and rushed over to check him. While the two were busy, Johnny decided to let them know about the task they were given.

“Zoro… where is Sanji right now?”

“Work, why?” Zoro gave him a look that indicated he be very careful about what he said, least he get beat half to death. Zeff leaned forward as well.

“These guys are going to use him to get to you. We were told to go to his apartment and look for any of his interview notes from the Dark Knight cases and bring them back. If Sanji was there, we were supposed to get him to talk, b-by any m-means necessary.” Johnny shook beneath the glares of four angry men. “If we don’t do it, they’ll send someone to kill us and him as well.”

Zeff slammed his fist on the table hard enough to crack the wood all the way across. Frank looked over to his lover with a familiar pain in his eyes. They were both thinking about how Buggy had tried to do the same to them. Zoro’s shoulders were literally shaking with rage as he remembered how close he had been to losing Sanji to one of the gangsters once already.

“Did you find out where they hang out?” Garp asked Johnny. The raven handed over the slip of paper with Sanji’s address on it. At the bottom was an address where he was to take any papers he could find on the Knight. “I’ll keep the patrols out of that area tonight and deter any calls coming from there by at least 15 minutes. Will that be enough?”

Frank thought for a moment and nodded, knowing that it would be close, but they could do it. Frank bowed his head to Yuu and spoke softly. “Sensei, I know that I vowed to never do this again, but please grant me your blessing tonight. If it’s not ended, more lives will be torn apart.”

Yuu placed his hand on Frank’s green hair and mumbled a prayer for luck. “Fight with honor, my son.”

Zoro looked to his cousin first and then Ace. “I cannot ask you to do this. It’s not your fight.”

“Someone has to cover your ass,” Smoker scoffed.

“Bullshit! I’m going. Besides, the detective is stuck with me now, so it practically makes us family, and family stands behind each other, no matter what.” Ace reached out to Zoro and the two clasped forearms. “I’m just a little sore. Give me a couple pain pills and I’ll be good to go.”

The thought of pills made Zoro think of the youngest one in the room. He turned to look at Chopper who had tears in his eyes. “I need you here at the dojo, ready for us when we get back. Everything should go smooth, but if it doesn’t I want you here out of harm’s way. If you get hurt, who will patch us up when we get back?”

Chopper could only nod as he began crying and wrapped his arms around Zoro’s neck. Zoro hugged the boy tight and ruffled up his hair, sighing in relief when he gained an approving look from the boy’s mother. Kureha lifted her glass in a toast and smiled.

Luffy was bouncing excitedly and chatting with Usopp about how cool this was going to be. He began flailing helplessly when Zoro picked him up by the back of his shirt and lifted him to eye level. “You’re not going either. You will be stationed at the apartments to watch Sanji. Keep him safe for me.”

Luffy had started to protest when Zoro told him to stay behind. But the task he had been given was of great importance and the skinny, energetic guy was happy once again. He and Usopp began talking about what kinds of movies they were going to rent.

Johnny and Yosaku stepped forward with solemn faces. “Where do you want us?”

“Normally I’d say right next to me, where you always are,” Zoro pulled them both into a hug, “but tonight I need you to protect him.”

“Do you love him?” Yosaku whispered softly into Zoro’s neck.

“I need him. That’s all I know.”

DK*DK*DK*DK

They were set to meet at two o’clock at the Red Force.

Zeff headed to Baratie to let Sanji off a little early, since it was a school night and the kid had been left in charge for the first time tonight. Kureha and Chopper headed over to their house to gather up any possible needed first aid materials. They would be back at the Dojo at 0300 at the latest. Smoker and Ace left with them to get some mild pain medication that would allow Ace to function upright. Garp pulled out of the driveway, already on his phone making arrangements for patrols that evening. He only used the contacts he was sure of just in case. Yuu and Shanks were stationed as getaway drivers and were refused to be allowed to participate no matter how hard they protested.

Zoro would be taking Sanji’s car back to him and making sure the blonde was ‘well rested’ for the night. Jokes were made, threats were issued and in the end, Frank smacked him upside the head and told him to grow up and please his lover right. Poor Zoro was too shocked to say anything and the discussion moved on to the next topic. Johnny and Yosaku planned to make sure they were followed and show up at the apartments, pretending to be searching for the information. They would be instead going to stay with Luffy and Usopp to keep an eye on Sanji’s apartment until the fight was over.

Currently, Zoro stood in the locker room looking at the clothes he had just been given. Black jump boots, black pants that looked like military issue, a long-sleeved black t-shirt and a black cotton bandana. He glanced over to the second box that held nothing but leather and wondered just how much more there was to learn about his father. He watched Frank eye the clothes with longing and started to laugh. Apparently, the man had put on a bit of weight and didn’t want to accept the fact that the clothes wouldn’t fit. Knowing that they were close in size and that the waistline of the black slacks he was holding were adjustable, he took pity on his father and tossed the pants in Frank’s face.

“Here old man. At least you’ll be wearing black.” Zoro chuckled and packed the rest of the clothes in his bag. A pair of leather pants was thrown in as well and he paused to look up into Frank’s amused face. “I don’t think so…”

“Oh, but I insist. Beside, you need to wear black as well. I’d loan you the mask, but you seem to like your hood instead.” Frank slapped him on the back and walked away.

Zoro had worn leather before and aside from not breathing, it was great for a little added protection when sliding across the ground and molded to you like second skin so there was nothing for your opponent to grab onto. If they fit, he might as well use them. Half laughing at himself, Zoro packed them into the bag properly before heading out to Sanji’s car. He stopped to drool at the beautiful bike that Frank had just climbed on. It was then that he noticed that Shanks had only one arm. He watched them kiss lightly before putting on their helmets and the redhead climbing up behind the driver. When they noticed him watching, they waved.

“Win tonight and she’s yours. The only girl you’ll ever need between your legs ever again.” Frank laughed and pulled the throttle hard, lifting the front wheel off the ground as he sped down the street.

Zoro stood there grinning for several minutes, thinking about how it would feel to have Sanji plastered up against his back as they sped off into the night just like his father had done. With a heavy sigh, Zoro chided himself for such whimsical thinking and instead began to refocus on what he was planning to tell Sanji. Truth or lie. By the time he got to the apartment building, he’d made his decision.