The Dark Knight of GLU

Chapter 22
The Beginning of the End

Smoker was currently on his way to check on his boyfriend’s little brother. The affectionate man was adamant that Luffy be safe, so he found himself somehow agreeing to make sure the kid was ok. After the third set of lights rushed past him, he grew curious as to why he hadn’t heard anything yet. He looked down and found that the volume on his police radio had been turned off. Next time he would make the freckle faced fool run more than just a few blocks to get to where he needed to be. Flipping the switch, he listened to the dispatcher call for the bomb squad to show up to check the remaining vehicles in the parking lot. The address given caused him to panic. He flipped his lights and siren on and grabbed for the mic. He was patched through to Lieutenant Hina and was filled in on what was going on.

It took him less than five minutes to cross town with no traffic. He pulled into the parking lot sideways and almost took out two officers that hadn’t been paying attention.

“Shit! You fucking asshole! Just who the hell do you think you are? I’ll see your badge is re- oh, shit, Lt. Smoker. I’m so sorry. Excuse me. I didn’t know it was you.”

“Get the fuck out of my way idiot. Where is Hina?” Smoker shoved the man hard into the side of the patrol car. “More so, where is Sanji Black.”

“Lt. Hina is speaking with some of the witnesses and Mr. Black’s over there getting checked out by the paramedics.” The man cowered beneath the overbearing stance of his superior officer.

Smoker shoved his way through witnesses and officers alike as he stormed over to where the blonde was being examined. Sanji sat there with the sleeves of his black shirt rolled back to his elbows and half of the buttons undone. A medic was having him breathe through an oxygen mask while they checked his chest and back with a stethoscope. His face was covered in smudges of ash and grime, and a few bandages were wrapping his hands making the detective wonder if the cook had tried to get into the car at some point while it was burning. One hand played with the silver dog tags that were dangling from his throat. The other hand was tightly gripping his thigh just above the scuffmarks on the knees of his black Levis where he had gone down earlier. The vacant look in the normally bright eyes gave Sanji a haunted appearance, especially with the contrast of his pale skin and dark clothing.

Smoker looked over to the smoldering car and saw the charred remains of what appeared to be a human male. It was approximately 6 foot tall and of broad build. Dread set in further when he saw the two idiots that were friends of Zoro from Japan, huddled together and crying. Luffy was standing with the long nose guy he met earlier at the dojo. They both had sad, troubled looks on their faces as they waited their turn to speak to an officer, but fortunately neither looked like they were hurt. Smoker approached the cook and was relieved when the young man looked up when his name was called.

“Mr- Sanji.” Formality would probably not be the best way to get him to come out of his stupor. “What happened?”

“He told me we would talk in the morning. He said he’d tell me everything. How am I supposed to know now?” Sanji’s visible eye was troubled and dull. His hand tightened around the metal ID. “We had a fight. I told him not to come back. I didn’t mean forever.”

Smoker might not have much compassion, but he knew that if Portgas didn’t return to him tonight, he would be near the same state as this pitiful blonde sitting on the bumper of the EMS vehicle.

“He was keeping secrets from me. I couldn’t stand to be lied to anymore. I just wanted to know what was going on. Do you know?” Sanji pleaded with the detective.

Smoker cursed the day he set eyes on a certain freckled man with the ability to push every one of his buttons in the wrong way. In just one weekend, the brat had made him soft. If this were just some unknown John Doe, he wouldn’t have even been here contemplating an answer, but since his little cousin had developed a certain affection for the man, he found himself compelled to do something. “Yes, I do… as does Frank, your father, Chief Garp, Uncle Yuu, Shanks, his wife, Portgas, his brother, Zoro’s friends from Okinawa, that long nose guy over there, Dr. Kureha and her son.”

Sanji’s jaw went slack in surprise. “Fuck! Everyone around me! But how in the hell is my father caught up in all of this?”

“I’m still a bit shady on that myself. You’ll have to ask Frank,” Smoker answered honestly.

“Wait, Frank knows? Then if they knew, what did Zoro have to take care of with his father?”

At Smoker’s confused look Sanji continued.

“He said he couldn’t talk yet because he had to take care of something with Frank.”

The gruff detective narrowed his eyes, but Sanji knew the man had answers. When he refused to give them, Sanji’s anger flared. The whole fucking family was full of tight-lipped shitty back stabbers. Zoro said that he was supposed to be taking care of something with his father, but instead left tonight looking like he was ready to head off to battle. Surely, he wasn’t going into a fight with his father. That would be too ridiculous. Why would Frank be teaming up with the Dark Knight? A light went off in Sanji’s mind as more pieces of the puzzle fell into place. His words came out in a small soft voice so unlike his normal lively tenor. “They tried to tell me. They said that Frank was the original-“

“He is,” the detective quickly interrupted. It would be catastrophic if anyone overheard them discussing this topic. If another police officer heard him talking about another Knight, IA would be all over his ass in hours. He’d be out of a job, not to mention that Garp would be found out. Oh Hell… He’d be completely screwed if that happened. Hopefully his tone and guarded look were enough to deter the blonde from saying anything else for the moment. Smoker looked over to where they were removing the smoking carcass from the vehicle. Something about the dead figure didn’t sit well with him. The height and build were right, but there was something completely wrong about the whole thing. Maybe it was the lack of any metal attached to the dead man’s hip. There was just no way that that the person in the driver’s seat of Sanji’s car when it blew was his little cousin. “Did you see him get into the vehicle?”

Sanji shook his head. The explosion happened when they were in the elevator.

“Did you try calling him?” Smoker pulled out his cell to search for a recently acquired number.

“No good. He handed the shitty thing over to Johnny.” Sanji pointed over to the distraught couple.

“What about Frank or Yuu?” Smoker pulled out another cigar and fumbled for a moment when it wasn’t lit immediately. Damn Portgas. The boy already had him spoiled. A pack of matches was tossed at him and he nodded in thanks to the passing officer who had supplied him with the needed light. When he had his lungs full of smoke again, he pressed send on the keypad.

“Frank, its Logan… Oh, it’s you. Where’s my uncle? I see. Is Zoro with him? Thanks.” Smoker looked into Sanji’s anxious face and debated on just what to tell him. If he told the blonde the truth, he’d be heading after his boyfriend immediately. That would only cause disaster and possibly risk the lives everyone involved. It would be best to say as little as possible. “It’s not him. He and Frank are together.”

Sanji felt the tears beginning to roll down his face. Emotions that he didn’t realize he had been holding in rushed through him. The others had come up when they saw Logan making calls and began crying again and hugging each other as relief flooded them. Sanji found himself yanked up into the middle of a very emotional group hug, being kissed on the cheek from more than one person. He had to yell several times before he got the fools to calm down enough to listen.

“Someone wants one of us dead. If they didn’t get me, they might go after him. We need to warn Zoro of what’s going on.” They five of them looked over to Smoker who turned his head in defiance. Sanji shoved everyone away from him and stormed over to scream at the rigid man. “You have to be shitting me. You’re not going to tell us? Why the fuck not?”

“He doesn’t need you to come charging in and screwing up their plan.” Logan began walking to where Hina was arguing with another witness. “I’ll stay here with you and make sure nothing else happens.”

Plans? That shitty-swordsman and his father were going to do something stupid. Sanji just knew it. As soon as the detective was out of earshot, Sanji grabbed Usopp roughly by the collar. “Tell me you can hotwire a car, more specifically that truck.” Sanji pointed to Smoker’s Dodge.

You could almost hear the gears turning in the analyst’s head. Usopp thought for a moment and nodded reluctantly.

“Let's go.”

Sanji began dragging the poor man towards the truck, keeping an eye on the busy detective the whole way. Usopp stumbled along trying to protest, his pleas falling on deaf ears. Inside the truck, Usopp bent down and began messing with the wiring under the dash. It took a couple tries but soon the engine fired up. Sanji’s eyes shot over to where Smoker had been standing only to see him running for the truck.

“SHIT!”

Sanji shoved Usopp over to the passenger seat and hopped in, slamming the door as he threw the truck into drive. Usopp curled up in a ball on the floor muttering prayers to every god there was that he would arrive safely at wherever they were headed. The tires squalled as Sanji tore out of the parking lot and headed for the only place he could think of; the Higa Dojo.

DK*DK*DK*DK

Zoro stared out the open window of the Bronco into the night sky. His chest hurt every time he closed his eyes and pictured the cook’s face when they met in the hall. Why did he have to wake up? Didn’t he tell the asshole that he had something to do tonight? Maybe he should have left a note by the clock with his old tags. He wore that chain for every fight, including the one with Mihawk though Johnny had to back and search for it after Frank took him to the hospital. He hadn’t worn it since then, but instead put it in his puzzle box with his spare earrings. Apparently, that was where his trademark dangles had disappeared during his move back to the states. Zoro wished that he had remembered to grab them out of his bag before he left Ace’s place. At least he had been wearing the hoodie. It came down just low enough that it kept from drawing one’s attention to the snug fit of leather across his firm backside. If Sanji had seen that, there’s no telling what he would have thought. The vehicle slowed down to a stop and drew him out of his thoughts.

Kureha pulled up outside the Red Force and glared over at her passenger. She could tell that something was off, but decided it wasn’t her business to ask. Still, she needed to know he wouldn’t do anything too stupid. “Try to stay in one piece. I don’t want my little Chopper to get all upset because he’s lost his big brother.”

Zoro nodded slowly, his mind still trying to overcome the uneasy feeling that he hadn’t been able to shake since she picked him up outside the apartment building. He looked up at her and was startled to find as kind of a look as he would ever get from her. That cute little kid meant the world to her, he could tell. He remembered how hard Chopper had cried when they were back at the dojo earlier. Just one more reason he was glad he didn’t have to tell his Horsemen the truth. “I’ll try.”

Taking a deep breath, he tried to clear his mind of everything outside the fight. He needed to be focused and alert if he wanted to survive. Kureha was already standing on the sidewalk waiting impatiently when he opened his door. She shoved him, none too gently, towards the heavy wood door of the bar. Zoro had gotten a glimpse of what happened when she got angry earlier with his father and had no desire to be on the receiving end of her wrath anytime soon. He squared his shoulders and stood tall as he pushed the door in, it’s old hinges creaking in protest.

Zoro paused at the sound and took another look around again. He knew this place. He had been here with Ace a few times for drinks during the summer. They carried sake here and actually served it warm like it should be. Zoro wondered why Ace never mentioned that his uncle owned the bar. That would explain why he had never been carded. Zoro worked with Ace, Ace was the redhead’s nephew, the redhead was his father’s old lover, and his father cut some guy’s hand off, said guy was now after Zoro. How ironic it was that everything had come full circle in his life. Another push and the door opened completely.

The smell of Cuban cigars hit his nose and he searched out the room for the source. The only man he had ever known to smoke them was one of the event organizers back in Okinawa called Crocodile. That man never did a legal thing in his life. Zoro was surprised to see the stub of the Vegueros nestled between the teeth of a grumpy looking Police chief. Garp was frowning over the pieces of ivory laying between him and his opponents, clearly at a disadvantage in available moves. Zoro had learned to play Mah Jong, but it never held his interest long enough to sit through an entire game.

Zeff was stroking the long blonde braids in concentration as he watched Yuu make his move, occasionally narrowing his eyes while trying to discern the logic behind his friend’s strategy. The chef was still dressed in his double breasted chef’s coat and black slacks, the toque laying on the floor at his feet. A table to the side was littered with empty take out boxes from the Baratie, signifying that the man had supplied them with a late night snack at the very least.

Yuu had on what the Horsemen liked to refer to as pajamas. His Shaolin wuseng robes had beautiful hand stitching done around the edges of the top, the blue dragons standing out proudly against the silver fabric. The full cut pants were tucked into thick white over socks that were kept secure with black leg ties crisscrossing up to his knees and tucked into black slippers. He looked every part the Master he was, but it worried Zoro greatly. Did this mean that his grandfather would be going against his wishes and trying to fight anyway? Surely Jiji was a man of his word and could be trusted, right? Nothing like he and his father, thought Zoro bitterly.

Kureha patted him awkwardly on the shoulder as she walked by to sit with her new companion. Her skinny jeans and too tight t-shirt made Zoro’s stomach roll in disgust. She wrapped her arms around the little man and smiled wickedly at the other men at the table. Everyone visibly shuddered at the action.

The door to the back swung open and in walked the remaining two of the original group. A few beads of water still clung to the tips of Shanks’ hair and dripped down to his white shirt that stuck to his damp body across the shoulders. His cheeks were slightly flushed, whether it was from the heat of the shower he had obviously just gotten out of or something else, Zoro didn’t care to know. Either way it was obvious what the two men had been doing. Between the marks on both Shanks and Frank’s necks and the sickening glow of happiness that radiated from there was no doubt in anyone’s minds.

Frank had on the black cargo pants that Zoro had exchanged with him earlier. They hung low on his hips and accentuated his firm developed abs perfectly. Of course, it also helped that the sleeveless black Lycra shirt he was wearing didn’t quite meet the waistband. The muscles in Frank’s arms stood out in contrast to the dark shiny fabric. Large silver hoops dangled from each ear in holes Zoro never realized his father even had. Zoro had to admire his father’s physique, though, and made note to continue to keep in shape. If his father could look like this at that age, Zoro would damn well do the same. Frank took the holsters and belt from Shanks gently, caressing the redhead’s hands as he removed the heavy, thick leather. With practiced ease, he buckled it around his hips and began securing the leather straps to his thighs to keep it from flapping around when he ran.

Zoro cleared his throat and scowled annoyingly at the lovey-dovey pair. He received a cocky grin from his father, but Shanks had the decency to step away from his lover and give the two men space. Zoro had to fight the urge to pull up the hood on his jacket when Frank’s eyes were drawn to his neck.

“Looks like things went well,” Frank said pointing to the purple mark showing above the collar on Zoro’s shirt.

“Up to the point when he saw me leaving, I’d say it went really well.” Zoro’s voice was petulant, his shoulders dropping slightly as did his confidence.

Gone were all the snarky comments and gloating, and instead Frank became concerned. “You gonna be ok with this tonight?”

“I’ll try and sort it out after this is over. What happens if Jiji is there next time this clown’s lackeys come for a visit?” Zoro’s shoulders drew back and his eyes narrowed, conviction strong in his voice.

Frank nodded approvingly and clasped him on the shoulder. “If it’s meant to be, he’ll understand.”

The older Roronoa gave his son’s shoulder a light squeeze and then walked over take his seat at the table. Seeing that there was only room for one more chair, he pulled Shanks down into his lap and wrapped his arms tightly around the protesting redhead’s waist. He silenced the arguments with a kiss. Shanks frowned at him and reached back to pinch the grinning man on the ass. Everyone at the table snickered at his undignified yelp.

Zoro decided it wasn’t worth the effort to be upset with them. Just because his father was able to have his fun fighting, and his lover too, should not be reason for Zoro to act like a spoiled child who wasn’t getting their way. The young man fell heavily into his chair and held his aching head in his hands. A heavy glass landed with a thud in front of him and he looked up into the warm face of the tavern’s barkeep and owner. Makino smiled down at him as she placed a plate full of leftovers next to the mug of soda. She wiped her hands on her apron and bent down to kiss him atop his messy green hair. The action reminded him so much of his mother that it caused his heart to skip a beat. He suddenly felt like he was 9 years old again and had just gotten home from a hard day at Jiji’s.

“Here you go sweetie. You look like you need to wake up a bit. I take it you didn’t get a quick nap in, did you?” Makino ruffled up his hair affectionately. “Poor thing. You look just like your father. Too bad, Haruka was absolutely beautiful.”

Zoro furrowed his brow in confusion and studied her for a moment. “You knew Mom?”

“Your mother and I were close friends. We used to get together every week for lunch while you were in school. You were always busy with something else and I really didn’t get to know you very well.” The sadness was evident in her eyes. “Shanks and I went to every one of your tournaments though. We were both glad to hear that you continued your studies when you moved in with your father.”

“I remember now. You’re Makino, right? I thought you didn’t have a brother.” Zoro looked back and forth between the cuddling couple and the vaguely familiar woman.

“I don’t. Shanks is my husband.”

Zoro would have fallen down if it weren’t for the seat beneath him. He sat there wide-eyed, trying to get a grasp on what was going on. Married? Did it happen before or after Shanks and his father? Is this how Frank rationalized his adultery? How could she be so nonchalant about it? Her husband was just a few feet away in the lap of another man that he had obviously just had sex with earlier that day and yet here she was smiling and serving them as if it were a normal occurrence. Shouldn’t she be pissed? He’d be pissed if it were his spouse that was committing the ultimate betrayal right in front of him. Zoro ground the heel of his hand into the bridge of his nose to help alleviate the headache that was constantly building. His father, who was married and had a child, had an affair with a man who was also married to his mother’s best friend who just happened to be not only fine with everything but completely happy right now as well. Holy Shit, Jerry Springer here we come.

“Frank is the one who holds his heart. I just get his name. When your mother died… Let’s just say we helped each other cope.” Makino patted Frank on the shoulder as she passed him on her way back to the kitchen.

Everyone else in the room ignored the explanation like it was old news. Zoro drank down the pop and decided to keep any further observations to himself. He had no desire to know any more about his father’s past now. They needed to get this over with so the old man could return to Japan and he could go crawl back in bed with… Sanji. Would he ever forgive him for this? Ace burst through the door, breaking his thoughts and startling everyone.

“Logan said he’s going to stop by and check up on Luffy for us. He’ll be handling all the calls going to the area of town we’ll be in, so he can head off any trouble.” Ace was panting, like he had just run for several miles. A mischievous grin spread across his face as he looked between Zoro and the door to the back. Shanks smacked him upside the back of his head before he could open his mouth and say anything.

“I’ll go pick up Chopper from the house and wait for you at your place then.” Kureha kissed Yuu obscenely before turning to Zoro. “Remember what I said, brat. Make sure to keep him happy.”

Garp stood up from the game he was obviously losing and gathered his coat and hat from the hooks by the door. “I’ll head over to the precinct and keep an eye on things from that end. Try not to make too much of a mess of my city.”

Frank nodded to the Chief and the elder of the Monkey family left right behind the doctorine without another word. Frank began to gather the dirty dishes from the table but was stopped by a small hand on his arm.

“Leave it. You guys have more important things to do. That man took my family’s business from me. I want you to make him pay.” Makino took the glass from Frank’s hands. Tears threatened to spill when the military man wrapped her in his arms. A small sob escaped as she tried to speak. “Don’t you dare not return! And make sure you bring that buffoon with you.”

Shanks came up and hugged her from the back, sandwiching the woman between their hard bodies. She leaned up and kissed Frank on the cheek quickly before turning and doing the same to her husband. They both released her and she turned to look at Zoro.

“You need to come back too. I owe you a good thrashing for what you did to my kitchen, and you owe me a bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.”

Ace burst out into laughter and fell out of his chair. Shanks and Frank stared at her in wonder, though a slight grin was on both of their faces, showing that they knew what she was talking about. Yuu and Zeff looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders, neither having a clue what was going on and not interested in finding out either. Zoro, however, was a little slower at figuring it out. It took a moment to put things together before he burst into a brilliant shade of red and began sputtering an apology.

“Gomen, gom- S-sorry. I really had no idea this was your place. I-I didn’t even mean for it to happen. Just one thing lead to another, and then he gave me an ultimatum and…” Zoro bowed deeply, humiliated that she knew and angry that apparently so did Ace. His so-called friend was wiping the tears from his eyes as he continued to roll on the floor and laugh. Zoro rose to look into her disapproving glare.

“You know, I really thought that since he was a cook that you would have known better than to do that in my kitchen. Just promise me that the next time you guys decide to have sex that no one is standing in the doorway watching.” Gasps were heard from everyone in the room and she turned to them innocently. “What? It was hot.”

“Well that sucks; I only got to see the video.” Ace sat up on the floor and pouted.

“Yah, me too,” Shanks agree, earning him a smack on the ass from his lover. He tried to appear innocent, but failed miserably, a perverted smirk ruining the effect.

Zoro chanced a side-glance to Sanji’s father. Zeff had just risen from the table and was glaring at him threateningly, clearly not pleased with what he had heard. Unlike Frank, Zoro was pretty sure that Sanji’s father knew of his son’s interest in men, but this was not the way one should be introduced to their child’s lover. The way Zeff looked at him was almost identical to the way Frank would scowl when he had screwed up really bad and was about to receive a severe beating.

“We’ll have our own discussion later,” Zeff assured him.

Zoro could only nod, knowing that anything he said would be futile. Besides, there was always the chance that it wouldn’t matter anyway. The look that Sanji had given him was full of anger and distrust. He would need a miracle to fix things now. He watched the old cook hobble over to his grandfather and speak to him quietly. Yuu nodded sullenly and shook hands with his old friend. When Zeff was gone, the remaining men went through the back to where the cars were parked.

Ace rubbed his hand across the countertop where Zoro had first sat Sanji, giggling at how well the area could be seen from the door. Zoro noticed and planted his foot in Ace’s swollen backside, grinning at the raven’s yelp of pain. Zoro held back and was the last to leave the pristine workspace. He ghosted his hand over the flat surface of the table where he had mercilessly fucked the blonde only a few short weeks ago. If he could go back and change everything, would he? The memory of Sanji screaming in release echoed in his mind. No, he wouldn’t change everything.

They loaded up into separate vehicles; Frank and Shanks in Shanks’s Land Rover and the others in Makino’s BMW for the twenty minute drive to get to the harbor. Since Zoro had left his phone with Johnny, they talked through CB radios the entire way there, ironing out details of their plan and hoping that Smoker and Garp would be able to cover their asses this time.

DK*DK*DK*DK

Frank could feel Shanks stiffen in his seat as they neared the nostalgic warehouses. He looked over to his lover and had a feeling that they were about to have problems. A frown was set in the redhead’s features and his grip on Frank’s hand tightened.

“Baby, you can’t. Not this time.” Frank spoke softly, hoping not to say the wrong words.

“Why the hell not? By hurting you and Zoro, do you think he’s not hurting me? I may have lost an arm, but I haven’t lost my fight.” Shanks shoved the other man’s hand away and turned slightly in his seat to look out the window. “My life was in danger by that maniac once too. It’s not right that I stay behind while you take all the risk. I have just as much right to be there as Zoro… maybe more.”

“Shanks, it isn’t open for discussion.” Frank tried to make his voice harsh and final so there would be no discussion. Unfortunately, the man next to him wasn’t so willing to submit.

“WHY? It only takes one hand to hold a gun.” Shanks held up his hand in a gun shape to emphasize the point.

“And it only takes one bullet to kill.” Frank put his hand between them with one finger up, trying to keep his eyes on the road and his lover at the same time. “I’m not going to put you in that risk.”

Shanks forcefully knocked Franks hand down, anger pouring into his voice. “But you’ll put yourself, and your son! You’re even bringing my own nephew with you.”

“Ace is coming of his own free will.” Frank took the turn sharp and mentally chided himself when he felt the top heavy SUV sway.

“So will I! Just let me fight!” Shanks began yelling, no longer concerned with trying to keep the peace between them.

“No.” Years of training allowed him to keep his voice steady and not start screaming at the smaller man.

“Damn it Frank! Don’t shut me out like you did her.” The instant the words were out of his mouth, Shanks knew he had fucked up big time. The car screeched to a halt by an abandoned building. “I’m sorry, that was out of line. I just don’t want to lose you again. Eighteen years is long enough.”

Frank slammed the SUV into park and threw open the door in rage. He started around the front of the vehicle before Shanks climbed out and called to him.

“Frank!” When the man refused to stop, Shanks ran after him. He grabbed the fuming Navy pilot by his upper arm and fought to turn him around. “Shit, Frank. I’m sorry. Look, I just want you to trust me. I’m not weak.”

The air was still around them, the only sound the set of two engines idling in the night, making Shanks remember that the others were right behind them. He was surprised that none of them had exited the car yet, but maybe they realized that this was exactly what it looked like. A lover’s quarrel. Frank’s voice cut through the night like an icy blade to the redhead’s heart.

“Every night I close my eyes and see that demented fucker holding a gun pointed at you. Sometimes you survive, sometimes you don’t. It’s on the nights that you don’t that I have problems finding the will to go on. Here we are, back at that same place that I visit every night.” Frank turned towards the most important man in his life, the intensity in his eyes almost bowling Shanks over. “I refuse to let this be the night you die.”

Shanks nodded in understanding, but he still refused to back down. “I have no intension of dying. You still owe me payback for what happened in the shower.”

Frank’s mouth dropped open and he fumbled for a moment to find his train of thought. The jump from such a serious and dramatic topic to a pervert’s ideology was a giant leap and his mind was having problems processing it. Giving up, he just started laughing and pulled the fool into his arms, holding him tight.

Suddenly, lights hit them and they squinted in the brightness, holding up their arms to shield their faces the best they could. The headlights had been turned on in the BMW and there walking through the high beams was a fearsome sight. Zoro’s silhouette showed a powerful man with a confident swagger in his stride. Three swords hung from his hip and bumped his thigh as he walked. Frank’s chest swelled with pride at how commanding his son looked tonight. Sadly, he knew that this opportunity came with a high price. A smile touched his lips when he noticed the green at Zoro’s waist. Frank had been the one to help get the material to create that unusual accessory though he had no idea what it was for at the time. It seemed that maybe those two idiots had a little bit of intelligence in there yet. The hood was pulled up and over the lush green hair and covering Zoro’s features nicely. Frank admired his son’s choice in disguise.

“Let’s do this.” Zoro growled out, avoiding looking at Shanks completely.

Ace stepped up behind him and clasped Zoro on the shoulder. “Let’s go fuck up this Jack-in-the-box.”

“Hell, yah!” Frank cheered. He hooked his finger under Shank’s stubbly jaw and forced the shorter man to look at him. “Stay here. Please. If we’re not back in an hour, you can call for backup. I know those boys of yours are just dying to join in.”

Shanks’ shoulders slumped in defeat and he nodded sullenly. “An hour, not a minute more.”

Yuu appeared at Ace’s side and chuckled when the freckled man jumped. “I agree Frank-kun. If you’re not back soon, we will bring the others.”

Zoro cocked his head to the side, unsure of whom these others might be. It really didn’t matter though, because he didn’t plan on sharing. “Keep them, Jiji. This is going to take some time.”

“Don’t do anything stupid, gaki.” Yuu scolded his grandson. “We will be waiting where we planned to pick you up.” Yuu pulled Ace down to whisper in his ear. “Ace-kun, make sure Zoro finds one of us.”

Ace tried to stifle a giggle and winked at the old man, silently assuring him that all would be fine. He looked over to his friend and a worried frown replaced his amusement. Though Zoro hadn’t said a word on the ride there, he knew that something bad had happened with Sanji. He couldn’t ask directly with Yuu in the car, but he’d been around the guy long enough to sense the trepidation in his persona. He could see the green haired man fighting with his emotions and finally getting a solid hold. When Zoro stepped out of the car, his entire demeanor had changed. Gone was the uneasy, worried man Ace had climbed in with, and in his place was a deadly killer. Ace didn’t know if that change was a good thing or not.

Shanks slipped a small bag over Frank’s shoulder before he finished assisting Frank with his mask, then kiss the man deeply. Zoro looked away from the sight and began rolling his shoulders to loosen the muscles when the time came.

“It’s time,” Frank called out and the younger fighters turned to look at him. “We’ll go on foot from here.”

Yuu and Shanks stood side by side watching the trio leave towards what was sure to be a bloody battle. When they were out of sight, Shanks pulled out his phone and hit the speed dial.

DK*DK*DK*DK

Frank crept around to the backside of the guard shack and motioned for Zoro to give him a leg up. He peeked over the edge to make sure it was empty and then hoisted himself the rest of the way up. A moment later Zoro followed and the two reached down to pull Ace up with them. The small building was attached to the side of the warehouse and offered the perfect opportunity to gain access to the roof. Frank led point and signaled for the younger two to stay put while he scouted ahead.

With years of training experience, he silently followed along the roofline watching the ground below. He made it to the edge of the first building before running into trouble. There, surrounding the old warehouse, were roughly three dozen men, all armed with automatic weapons. Buggy was going to be prepared this time. Too bad they were going to miss all the action. Frank grinned and looked around for a way to cross between the roofs without being seen. A thick conduit pipe spanned the gap, offering the needed pathway, though he hoped neither of the boys were afraid of heights. For safety reasons, Frank decided to try it out first. Besides, he needed to be sure of what was going on anyway.

There was a little give in the pipe, so only one of them crossing at a time would be possible. Voices could be heard already when Frank reached the broken window. Down below he could see two men arguing over paperwork while guards for each kept their hands near their weapons. Less than fifteen people total to deal with. This would be easier than he thought, as long as the others outside didn’t rush in and overwhelm them. Satisfied with his preliminary findings, Frank hurried back to his son.

Ace wiped the sweat off his forehead and began to grumble about the heat. With a frustrated grunt, he began peeling off his jacket and shirt. Zoro watched him in amusement as various marks on his neck were displayed, slightly concealed by the red bead choker he wore. When Ace started to remove his pants, Zoro reached out and grabbed him harshly by the upper arm.

“What the fuck?” The green haired man whispered as loud as he dared.

“If I’m gonna fight, I have to be comfortable.” Ace shook off his hold and continued what he was doing. A moment later, he was still again, dressed in only a pair of cargo shorts and heavy hiking boots. A bowie knife was laced in his belt and secured to his thigh with a leather strap. From somewhere in the folds of his jacket he produced that silly looking hat with a happy and sad face attached to the band. Zoro swore the thing was orange even though Sanji insisted it was persimmon. Who gave a damn, the point was that his head was now more covered than the rest of his body.

“What is it with you Monkey’s and your hats?”

Ace didn’t have time to answer before Frank dropped down beside them. He looked from the pile of clothes on the ground to the half-naked man to his son, amused but clearly confused. Zoro shrugged his shoulders in a noncommittal answer and looked up to where his father had come from.

“It looks like they’re a bit overboard in their security tonight. That or they know we’re coming and have taken precautions.” Frank studied them both to see if they showed any sign of reluctance in continuing. “We can postpone this for tonight, but it needs to be done soon. The longer we wait, the more chance there is that someone will be hurt… or worse.”

“Who said we’re waiting.” Zoro adjusted the haramaki and his hood to a more comfortable angle.

“You just haven’t told us the plan yet, Pops.” Ace dodged the cuff to his head and made sure to keep more than an arm’s length from the annoyed older man. He grinned and mockingly made the motion for Frank to continue.

“It looks like he’s having another meeting and it’s not going well. There’s a set of walkways on the upper level. We’ll enter through the skylight and observe exactly what’s going on. Most of the men are stationed outside. Lets keep it that way.”

“I’ll slip around and secure the doors from the inside. That should give us enough time to get back up to the roof if all this goes sour.” Ace’s face lit up when Frank reached into the bag and tossed him a large spool of 550 cord.

“I know that our time is limited, but I think we should wait until the other group leaves before we make any further moves. We’re outnumbered enough as it is.” Ace and Zoro nodded then followed him up to the roof.

Frank signaled for them to wait as he looked over the edge of the first building. Seeing the men occupied with drinking and whatnot, he pointed to the pipe and indicated for Ace to cross. When the lively man had reached the other side, Zoro was quick to follow. Frank stopped them both at the glass to issue a final warning. “Keep your heads about you and your eyes open. These guys play dirty.”

Getting through the skylight was easy; it was deciding what to do once they got there that was hard. A large amount of boxes and crates filled the vast space, some open and showing their contents to the uneasy intruders. It was a wide array of items, ranging from basic machetes to rocket launchers. Some containers were filled with high-powered sniper rifles, mines, and even a few to one side were marked EXPLOSIVE. Frank’s stomach dropped when he realized the extent of Buggy’s new enterprise. He could see his feelings mirrored in the two boys with him and for the first time, he began to rethink his decision to bring them along. This wasn’t the lowly little black-market peddler that he remembered from the past; this was high-level treason with a side dish of insanity. Angry voices drew their attention to the brightly lit area near the front of the building, and silently they snuck across the catwalk to investigate. Down below they watched as two men disagreed heatedly on either side of a long table.

Zoro thought back to Johnny’s descriptions and assumed that the one on the right was the swordsman he had fought against. His entire demeanor screamed aristocracy though his clothing would disagree. You could be eight feet tall and still feel as if this man were looking down on you. His straight black hair hung just below his shoulders and had three light brown stripes on the right side. It was combed so that the left side of his face was mostly hidden, similar to the way Sanji would wear his. A floor length, blue and white checkered scarf was wrapped around his neck, covering the lower portion of his face for the most part. Only when he became animate in his actions did the disapproving frown become visible. A faded duster floated around him as he paced back and forth. The arms had been ripped off and he wore nothing beneath it in a vain attempt to make himself look more impressive than he actually was. The man’s long legs were accentuated by the tailored white slacks he wore. A pale blue sash had been tied around his waist to hold his sword at his hip. What little Zoro could see of the blade, it looked to be a piece of antique junk. Ace snickered and pointed to his 70’s style, white, high heeled and very pointed, ankle boots.

The other was a grim looking figure. He looked around six feet but his shoulders sagged a bit taking away an inch. Judging by his looks, he was a few years older than Zoro and possibly even Ace. His body language presented itself as one that was roughed up by hard years. The man's skin was darker than Zoro's and his face was a bit ruggish. Dark circles surrounded the man's eyes, emphasized more with the shadows that the striped headband caused as it wrapped around a mop of untamed short black hair. The man wore light grey jeans with an army green t-shirt that stood out against the faded out aura presented. A grey jacket with what looked like an oriental dragon on the back, hung loosely in the man's grip as his other hand tapped a tonfa distractedly against his shoulder. Zoro was more than a little intrigued to see what that weapon could do in this man’s hands.

Frank tapped Ace on the shoulder and motioned him over so they could speak quietly. “I can’t allow this merchandise to hit the streets. We need to destroy it.”

Ace’s eyes lit up and immediately flew to the C-4. “Oh I think I can handle that. I’ll just pick up a few things on my way to secure the doors.” He was practically wringing his hands in anticipation of blowing something up. “If they have the detonators anywhere nearby, I can rig this whole place to blow. If not, then there was a box of dynamite over there somewhere. Either way, I’ll make sure nothing survives.”

"Ace... don't get all ecstatic and think that lighting one for fun will be okay,” Frank warned the giddy, almost bouncing idiot. He took the bag off his shoulder and tossed it to the distracted man. “You might find something useful in that. Ace! Are you listening to me?”

“Yah, yah… I’ll behave. Don’t worry. Just leave it to me.” Ace never took his eyes off the prize while he tried to pacify their impromptu leader. He barely had the bag over his shoulder when someone reached for him.

“Ace,” Zoro growled and grabbed him by his choker, “Blow us up and Logan will never forgive you.”

The sound of his lover’s name caught his attention and Ace sadly tore himself away from ogling the explosives. “We’re family. Trust me. Besides, we need to get you back to your sweetheart and patch things up.” Zoro’s hood had been pulled back just enough so that Ace could see the displeased look on his friend’s face. “Zoro he loves you just as much as you love him. When he’s done blowing off steam, he’ll sit down and listen. We’ll all be there to help tell the story.”

Feeling the boost of confidence he needed in knowing that he would get Sanji back, Zoro switched his hold from the choker to the back of Ace’s neck. “For luck.”

He pulled Ace in and brought their mouths together in a short hard kiss. Either Johnny or Yosaku would always do that to him before he stepped into a match, and it felt odd to go into battle without the traditional gesture. Besides, it wasn’t as if they hadn’t kissed before, or would ever again for that matter. When their lips parted, he gave the stunned raven a shove towards the connecting catwalk that would take him to the back set of stairs leading down to the main floor. Zoro turned to look at his father and groaned. The man just crouched there watching with a shit-eating grin on his face. Even though Frank couldn’t see, Zoro rolled his eyes and turned to catch up on the argument below.

DK*DK*DK*DK

“Shit, Gin. The deal was that you supply us with the weapons and we split the profit 60/40, our favor. How do you expect me to accept this?” Cabaji’s face was red with anger.

“The Don thinks that 30/70 is more to his liking. All you have to do is hand it out, whereas we have to risk much more in bringing it into the country.” Gin was tapped on his shoulder by one of his men. He listened intently to what the man had to say, nodding in understanding. “Besides, you still have yet to prove your aptness in the business. I hear that the vigilante is still running lose on you. If you can’t catch a single man, how can we expect you to run a proper business?”

“If you had seen this man yourself, you’d think different,” a man stepped up beside Cabaji to show off his battered form. Zoro recognized him as the one who had been using his blonde for a punching bag.

“I’d like that… maybe you could ask him to come down.” Gin looked up and would have met eyes with Zoro had the younger man’s face been visible. “So, the Dark Knight has shown up at last.”