New Life
folder
+M to R › One Piece
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
22
Views:
8,755
Reviews:
30
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
+M to R › One Piece
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
22
Views:
8,755
Reviews:
30
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own One Piece, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Chapter 5
Title: New Life, Chapter 5
Author: Genuinelie(s)
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Description: ZoSan. Post-Series, the remaining nakama start to come to terms with their new roles, while Sanji's dream of finding All Blue draws closer.
******************************
Chapter Five
******************************
Sanji extracted himself from his snoring, green-haired companion at dawn, brushing his lips in a private gesture across the top of his head. It was something he wouldn't yet dare to do if Zoro were awake; but in these quiet hours he felt the privilege of claiming the man as his own. Of demonstrating the feelings he couldn't yet speak aloud.
It was true what he'd told Zoro earlier. He had never felt as he did when he thought his nakama had died. He'd missed him when he left the first time - but he'd managed to channel his frustration with the swordsman into a healthy anger that he'd kept stoked for the past two years. He'd been planning to use it to kick the World's Best Swordsman's ass all the way to the ever-elusive All Blue.
But they'd found his haramaki, and all the anger had fled, leaving a hollow that filled the entirety of Sanji's being.
If he thought about it hard enough, he could identify that feeling as the absence of hope.
In the days following their crewmate's discovery, Sanji had withdrawn, using the time to analyze feelings he'd never imagined existed in the world. Surprise over what he was feeling almost overpowered the feelings themselves.
What he finally concluded was that if Zoro, the strongest person he had ever known and the most driven, even including Luffy, could not accomplish his goals, who was he to think he could ever accomplish his?
Then Zoro had returned to him, and he was shocked once more at his feelings. He didn't care whether or not the man was the best. He didn't care if he had achieved his goals, because in those few days that he'd thought the world was missing a piece of itself, he'd realized it was more about the search, the goal, having a purpose rather than ever accomplishing it.
Because having lost his direction himself, having lost the desire to continue on his own quest with the loss of their nakama, had made him question the purpose of going on anymore. His entire life on the Going Merry had begun to feel stale, like a dream that had gone too long. Without his goal to drive him, he had even begun to question the meaning of his very life.
And the fact that he'd still cared that the swordsman was alive shocked him to his core, because he didn't understand why finding him made Sanji feel like he was breathing again. He didn't understand why it had been about goals, and dreams, and purpose, and in the end it was only about one man.
Until the blade drew a graceful line through his skin, and Zoro had shown him, irrefutably, that they were connected. Their blood ran the same, ran together, and always had. They were a part of one another, a part that made them complete and had the power to make them broken.
A particularly loud snore shook Sanji from his thoughts. He grinned down at the swordsman, who was drooling on the pillow, his mouth stretched wide. The sheets were threaded haphazardly through his legs. A line of peach-colored sunlight striped across his face.
"Marimo," Sanji murmured, and pushed himself upright. Time to start breakfast.
*****
Luffy was already on deck when Sanji emerged, blond hair styled and suit freshly pressed. His captain was sitting on the figurehead, his back to him, facing the gentle warm glow of the rising sun. His straw hat was hanging down his back, and his wild black hair ruffled slightly in the breeze.
No one else was awake, and the ship was empty. Seeing Luffy in such a quiet, contemplative position was enough to make Sanji pause.
He hesitated, then walked forward slowly, careful to make his heels click on the wooden deck to herald his coming. He touched Luffy's arm gently, looking across the water to the sunrise rather than at his nakama's face, then leaned on the railing. He wouldn't force him to speak if his thoughts were private ones.
But Luffy drew his legs up to his chest, wrapping his rubbery arms around his knees, and rested his head. Sanji saw him move, so he turned to meet his eyes.
Luffy's face was serious in the glow of the morning. Not quite sad, but it wasn't really happy, either.
"This is really it, isn't it."
The fact that his captain had asked him a question threw Sanji off. He was - they all were - used to him being sure of everything. Finally Sanji recognized Luffy's expression. It was lost.
"What do you mean?" Sanji asked back, voice low.
Luffy didn't quite answer him. "I think I wanted you to stay with me forever," he said. He turned his face back to the water.
That tore something inside Sanji's chest. He automatically put a hand on Luffy's leg, gripping it. A moment later Luffy's hand came down to cover his own.
"It might not really be All Blue. After all, it is the damned -"
But Luffy shook his head. "We will someday, though. I promised you."
"I don't have to stay there -"
Luffy's chuckle interrupted him, but it wasn't the usual goofy giggle. Sanji was suddenly struck by how much his captain had grown. "That's like Zoro saying he didn't have to go off to find Mihawk. You wouldn't be you if you did that, and I don't want someone else."
It was confusing Luffy logic, but Sanji had had years of practice decifering it.
"Zoro came back." he offered. "You won't be short a first mate."
The fingers on his hand tightened, almost painfully. "He might stay with you."
That hit Sanji hard. The question of bare-bones loyalty had never arose in his mind. Zoro was always Luffy's, and that wasn't something he'd ever thought to question. His mouth worked a couple times, but he couldn't think of anything to say.
"And I don't really need a first mate," the Pirate King continued, "I'll be short a Sanji."
That made Sanji grin. "No, you won't."
Luffy turned to him. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, even if we do find All Blue - and I'm not so sure we will - you won't be short a Sanji, because I'll still be here. You can come and eat at my restaurant. It'll just be like -" Sanji paused, trying to put his thoughts into words. He finally found the right ones. "It'll be like having a home. A place to go to and rest. You'll be safe at my place, from bounty hunters and everything else."
The deck was silent for a moment but for the slapping of the waves against the hull as Luffy thought over his words. Finally, a burbling, happy laugh peeled through the air.
Startled, Sanji looked up to find Luffy grinning down at him. "It would be nice to have a home," Luffy said.
Sanji grinned back.
"I'm hungry, Sanji," Luffy mused. "Can we have meat?"
Life as usual. Sanji gave his hand one last, comforting squeeze, then went to start his captain's breakfast.
*****
Author: Genuinelie(s)
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Description: ZoSan. Post-Series, the remaining nakama start to come to terms with their new roles, while Sanji's dream of finding All Blue draws closer.
******************************
Chapter Five
******************************
Sanji extracted himself from his snoring, green-haired companion at dawn, brushing his lips in a private gesture across the top of his head. It was something he wouldn't yet dare to do if Zoro were awake; but in these quiet hours he felt the privilege of claiming the man as his own. Of demonstrating the feelings he couldn't yet speak aloud.
It was true what he'd told Zoro earlier. He had never felt as he did when he thought his nakama had died. He'd missed him when he left the first time - but he'd managed to channel his frustration with the swordsman into a healthy anger that he'd kept stoked for the past two years. He'd been planning to use it to kick the World's Best Swordsman's ass all the way to the ever-elusive All Blue.
But they'd found his haramaki, and all the anger had fled, leaving a hollow that filled the entirety of Sanji's being.
If he thought about it hard enough, he could identify that feeling as the absence of hope.
In the days following their crewmate's discovery, Sanji had withdrawn, using the time to analyze feelings he'd never imagined existed in the world. Surprise over what he was feeling almost overpowered the feelings themselves.
What he finally concluded was that if Zoro, the strongest person he had ever known and the most driven, even including Luffy, could not accomplish his goals, who was he to think he could ever accomplish his?
Then Zoro had returned to him, and he was shocked once more at his feelings. He didn't care whether or not the man was the best. He didn't care if he had achieved his goals, because in those few days that he'd thought the world was missing a piece of itself, he'd realized it was more about the search, the goal, having a purpose rather than ever accomplishing it.
Because having lost his direction himself, having lost the desire to continue on his own quest with the loss of their nakama, had made him question the purpose of going on anymore. His entire life on the Going Merry had begun to feel stale, like a dream that had gone too long. Without his goal to drive him, he had even begun to question the meaning of his very life.
And the fact that he'd still cared that the swordsman was alive shocked him to his core, because he didn't understand why finding him made Sanji feel like he was breathing again. He didn't understand why it had been about goals, and dreams, and purpose, and in the end it was only about one man.
Until the blade drew a graceful line through his skin, and Zoro had shown him, irrefutably, that they were connected. Their blood ran the same, ran together, and always had. They were a part of one another, a part that made them complete and had the power to make them broken.
A particularly loud snore shook Sanji from his thoughts. He grinned down at the swordsman, who was drooling on the pillow, his mouth stretched wide. The sheets were threaded haphazardly through his legs. A line of peach-colored sunlight striped across his face.
"Marimo," Sanji murmured, and pushed himself upright. Time to start breakfast.
*****
Luffy was already on deck when Sanji emerged, blond hair styled and suit freshly pressed. His captain was sitting on the figurehead, his back to him, facing the gentle warm glow of the rising sun. His straw hat was hanging down his back, and his wild black hair ruffled slightly in the breeze.
No one else was awake, and the ship was empty. Seeing Luffy in such a quiet, contemplative position was enough to make Sanji pause.
He hesitated, then walked forward slowly, careful to make his heels click on the wooden deck to herald his coming. He touched Luffy's arm gently, looking across the water to the sunrise rather than at his nakama's face, then leaned on the railing. He wouldn't force him to speak if his thoughts were private ones.
But Luffy drew his legs up to his chest, wrapping his rubbery arms around his knees, and rested his head. Sanji saw him move, so he turned to meet his eyes.
Luffy's face was serious in the glow of the morning. Not quite sad, but it wasn't really happy, either.
"This is really it, isn't it."
The fact that his captain had asked him a question threw Sanji off. He was - they all were - used to him being sure of everything. Finally Sanji recognized Luffy's expression. It was lost.
"What do you mean?" Sanji asked back, voice low.
Luffy didn't quite answer him. "I think I wanted you to stay with me forever," he said. He turned his face back to the water.
That tore something inside Sanji's chest. He automatically put a hand on Luffy's leg, gripping it. A moment later Luffy's hand came down to cover his own.
"It might not really be All Blue. After all, it is the damned -"
But Luffy shook his head. "We will someday, though. I promised you."
"I don't have to stay there -"
Luffy's chuckle interrupted him, but it wasn't the usual goofy giggle. Sanji was suddenly struck by how much his captain had grown. "That's like Zoro saying he didn't have to go off to find Mihawk. You wouldn't be you if you did that, and I don't want someone else."
It was confusing Luffy logic, but Sanji had had years of practice decifering it.
"Zoro came back." he offered. "You won't be short a first mate."
The fingers on his hand tightened, almost painfully. "He might stay with you."
That hit Sanji hard. The question of bare-bones loyalty had never arose in his mind. Zoro was always Luffy's, and that wasn't something he'd ever thought to question. His mouth worked a couple times, but he couldn't think of anything to say.
"And I don't really need a first mate," the Pirate King continued, "I'll be short a Sanji."
That made Sanji grin. "No, you won't."
Luffy turned to him. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, even if we do find All Blue - and I'm not so sure we will - you won't be short a Sanji, because I'll still be here. You can come and eat at my restaurant. It'll just be like -" Sanji paused, trying to put his thoughts into words. He finally found the right ones. "It'll be like having a home. A place to go to and rest. You'll be safe at my place, from bounty hunters and everything else."
The deck was silent for a moment but for the slapping of the waves against the hull as Luffy thought over his words. Finally, a burbling, happy laugh peeled through the air.
Startled, Sanji looked up to find Luffy grinning down at him. "It would be nice to have a home," Luffy said.
Sanji grinned back.
"I'm hungry, Sanji," Luffy mused. "Can we have meat?"
Life as usual. Sanji gave his hand one last, comforting squeeze, then went to start his captain's breakfast.
*****