Chapter Text
The wind rushed past Zoro as he ran through the thick brush, stinging his cheeks with cold. He saw a pillar of smoke rising in the distance and locked his eye onto it, fiercely determined not to lose sight and get lost again. He had been trying to find his way to the place where Usopp had said the others were fighting. It was just that these woods were dense and confusing and the sun was nearing the edge of the horizon. He hurried towards the smoke as the sky grew dark around him, but the distance glowed as another explosion sounded from his goal.
~~
It had seemed like a normal island when they landed less than eight hours ago. There were signs pointing to a market along the dock, and people were carrying crates onto their ships. There was a gentle crisp breeze in the air of the fall island, and it smelled like pine trees. Sanji had dragged Zoro away while still mulling over the list that seemed longer every time they restocked. Sanji had promised he would buy Zoro the good booze if he helped, and that was enough to get the swordsman off his ass, even without the silent promise of a quiet walk with his partner.
The sun was warm as they walked, brightening the day with liveliness. Sanji seemed content, laughing softly at the half hearted complaints Zoro muttered occasionally as Sanji piled supplies into his arms.
A vendor a few yards away called out about samples, and Sanji paused and looked towards the stall before turning his head to grin at Zoro. He walked Zoro over to a grassy field where wooden tables and chairs were scattered around under the shade of maple trees. Zoro set down the few boxes of supplies they had already picked up and Sanji made him promise he wouldn’t go anywhere until he got back.
Zoro leaned on his elbows, watching his crewmate, his lover, walk with that air of confidence he got when he was on his way to negotiate a good deal. Zoro’s gaze wandered down as Sanji’s hips shifted with the stride. He grinned stupidly wide, eventually catching himself as a family walked past his view to settle onto another one of the tables. As much as he would stare at Sanji’s ass all day, they were on an island they didn’t know much about, and he needed to be aware. But when he looked around there was nothing out of place, no one looked suspicious, so he let his eye fall back onto the man who was leaning with one hand casually on the counter, talking the other man into the best deals he could. The sun peeked through the wooden slats of the stall and shone onto Sanji’s golden hair. It curled loosely around his ear and Zoro let the world fade away again as he watched, until Sanji handed the man some berri and turned back to walk over to Zoro.
“I got a bit of anything that uses the local produce and herbs,” Sanji said once he was close enough for Zoro to hear. “And a proper meal for you, my pack mule.”
He set down a plate with three greasy skewers of meat and vegetables, dunked in a sticky orange sauce. Zoro dug in immediately, ignoring Sanji’s disgusted chiding at his messy habits. Sanji shook his head and set down his own long rectangular plates, which contained a variety of bite-sized foods.
“Here, I bet you’ll like this one.” Sanji held out a piece of poultry that was seasoned with dark spices.
Zoro wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his robe and opened it for Sanji to place the food inside. Sanji’s finger lingered on his chin and he looked deeply into Zoro’s eyes as he waited for a response. His ocean blue eyes briefly darted down to his lips as he watched Zoro chew, and Zoro felt something like fondness well up inside of him.
“It tastes pretty good,” Zoro finally said after he swallowed. Sanji nodded and lifted his hand to try it himself. “Not as good as you, though.”
Zoro snickered as Sanji sputtered and nearly choked, cheeks blooming into red as he smacked Zoro on the shoulder, but there was a genuine smile hidden in the embarrassment.
A sudden crash to their right made both of them jump, the moment quickly forgotten as they saw Usopp scrambling over a bush and rushing towards them. Zoro’s arm jerked back towards his swords and his elbow knocked against the boxes. Sanji barely caught them before they tumbled to the ground.
“What the fuck, Usopp?” Zoro swore. “What the hell do-” He stopped when he noticed the panic on the sniper’s face.
“It’s Luffy,” Usopp panted, looking wildly over his shoulder. “He found trouble.”
Sanji rolled his eyes while Zoro smirked. “The hell does that have to do with us?” Sanji demanded.
“No, guys, it’s really bad.” Usopp insisted. “There’s some, like, scientists or something? They said they want to ‘make the world a better place’,” His tone was shrill with mockery. “But they’re definitely cooking up something bad. Really bad. Luffy needs help, at least one of them has a devil fruit.”
Sanji sighed and folded up the list he had been about to check over, tucking it carefully in his breast pocket. “You,” Sanji said, packing up the leftover food into a bag and placing it into the box balanced on top of the stack. “Get the mosshead back to the Sunny with our supplies. I’m not letting anyone steal what we already picked up. I’ll go see what’s going on.”
Usopp nodded fervently. Zoro crossed his arms and grounded his feet. “Hey, why do I have to go back to the ship? I wanna fight.”
Sanji glared at him and picked up the boxes and shoved them into the swordsman’s arms. “Then you’ll have to stop pouting and hurry up.”
Zoro swore as Sanji listened quickly to Usopp’s directions and took off running. “Fucking… Let’s go.” He stomped towards the shore but Usopp’s grip on his sleeve pulled him in the right direction.
–
Zoro didn’t wait to put away the supplies, abandoning Usopp with a confused Jinbe the moment he set them down on the deck. Usopp called something after him, but Zoro was intent on finding the fight and having Luffy’s back. And Sanji’s, too.
He realized that maybe he should have listened to the sniper, because he had left the town a long time ago and was now pushing his way through thick bushes, with no sign of a fight. But he finally heard the explosion of a battle, and was heading in the right direction.
He burst into a clearing right as the sun dipped below the treeline. He saw a stark white building nestled between the trees, and there were flames and dark smoke pouring from a window near the top, a distinct contrast against the polished bland walls.
“Damn it, I’m late to all the fun,” Zoro muttered to himself. He drew two swords from their sheaths and ran inside, kicking the front door in when it didn’t open automatically at his presence. He stepped in over the shattered glass, and the bright fluorescent lights flickered ominously in the room void of people. It seemed to be a lobby. There were chairs lined up in a waiting area, desks on either side of a smooth staircase, and closed doors behind the desks. There was no sign of a fight in here.
“Luffy?” He called, standing still and straining to listen. It was suddenly quiet, and all he could hear was the distant crackling of flames. “Curly?”
A sudden crash pulled his attention quickly to the stairs as a body crashed down them.
“YOW!” Franky pulled himself up off of the floor, and held a hand up to his bleeding head. “Oh, Zoro! You’re here!”
“What’s going on?” Zoro tightened his fists around his swords.
“Eh, some assholes doing science-y stuff. I don’t really get it, but Chopper said it smells really bad. Super harmful stuff or something.” Franky rolled his shoulders and shook out his arms. “Luffy doesn’t like the way they talk about the citizens of the town, I think they use them as unknowing test subjects or something.”
Zoro frowned, gut suddenly aching with dread. “And we’re fighting them?”
Franky grinned. “You know Luffy. Someone probably offered him a meal and told him they needed help. He can’t say no to that!”
Zoro felt both pride and annoyance at his captain’s empathy. “Where are they?”
“Hey, we gotta be careful, man. Things aren’t looking great, there’s a man with some kind of devil fruit. He’s got Luffy and Robin fighting hard. I think Brook is with them, too. Nami and Chopper are still dealing with those guys who just hit me, and I’ve got to get back there.” Franky started to turn but paused and looked at Zoro with an eyebrow raised. “Then there’s that swordsman lady Sanji is fighting. Well, I think he’s just distracting her until someone can come give him a hand.”
Zoro huffed. “Where’s the shit cook?”
“Somewhere on the third floor, last I saw.” Franky turned when he heard Nami and Chopper shouting in sync. “Shit. Gotta go.” His hand turned to the side and revealed a gun, which he aimed in front of him as he ran back up the stairs and skidded to the left.
“Okay. Third floor.” Zoro ran up after the cyborg, watching him turn and start shooting through an open door in the hallway. “Which means I need to go up two flights of stairs.” He looked around and noticed a sign that showed a staircase. He ran over and shoved open the door, smiling to himself when he saw the stairs. “Two flights.” He ran up and passed one door and continued to the next. He pushed it open, ignoring the clear number ‘four’ painted on the wall.
“Oi, eyebrows, you here?” Zoro called into the echoingly silent hallway. The pristine colorless design continued on this floor. The whole place looked the same, which gave Zoro a dizzying sense of confusion. Zoro’s boots clicked against the shiny floor as he started down the hallway. He heard a crash further down the hall and his footsteps quickened into a sprint towards the sound.
Someone crashed through a door into the wall in front of him, and Zoro stopped when he saw Luffy slowly standing to his feet. His eyes caught Zoro and he turned and waved, but his arm was weirdly straight.
“Zoro!” Luffy called.
“Hey, Luffy! You need any help? I’m looking for the cook.”
“Nah, we got this guy.” Luffy’s face contorted in effort for a moment, and his rubber arm bounced back into a curve. “But Sanji needs help. He’s downstairs, fighting with the sword lady!”
Sanji must’ve moved, damn idiot, Zoro thought. “I heard. I’ll head down there.”
“Zoro, wait!” Luffy laughed and Zoro felt his hand grab his shoulder. “That’s not the right way. Here, I’ll send you to him!”
Zoro’s eye widened as he felt Luffy’s arm start to pull. “Wait wait wait-” He barely had time to brace himself with armament haki before he crashed through a window and out into open air. He came to his senses as he swung through the air for a moment, then kicked his feet out and shattered the window one floor down with more intent. Luffy’s cackle met his ears as the rubber arm snapped back up to its owner.
Zoro shook broken glass off of himself as he turned, suddenly face to face with a middle aged woman whose eyes were wide with shock. Her dusty brown hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, and she was holding a snail in one hand. In the other, she gripped a sword tightly. She didn’t have a single scratch on her and Zoro rolled his eyes.
“You must be the lady the cook was supposed to be fighting,” he sneered at her.
She regained her composure and raised her sword. “What, are you not gonna hit me, either?”
“In your dreams.” Zoro raced forward and slashed quickly, eyebrows furrowing as she deflected his attacks with ease.
“Now here’s a fight.” She smirked as she pushed back, forcing Zoro to defend as she sliced with attacks of her own.
Zoro grunted as he strained against her strength. He pushed her away suddenly and rushed past her, but her block became a strike and Zoro was pushed through an open door and his shoes squeaked as he skidded to a stop against a steel table.
She really knew how to use a sword, and as a bead of sweat dripped down Zoro’s temple and he took a moment to tie his bandana around his forehead, he felt a sudden surge of worry.
“So where’d you leave the cook?” He asked as she stepped in after him and they circled each other slowly around the tables covered with heating mantles and beakers bubbling with strange colored liquids. He wasn’t sure Sanji made it out of this one unscathed.
Her grin confirmed his anxiety. “He’s somewhere safe. I found his body to be quite… interesting. I know our scientists will be very curious to see how he takes to our tests.”
Zoro snarled and leapt forward, attacking with one sword and bringing a second around at the last moment and slicing across her shoulder. “You won’t touch him,” he said sharply as she hissed in pain and regained her footing.
“You don’t understand what good our work will do for the world…” She paused and shook her head lightly. “Oh, what the hell. You guys aren’t making it out of this anyway. Our work,” she moved to attack and their swords clashed together violently, sending sparks flying. “Will be the greatest weapons the Government could ever dream of.”
Zoro rolled his eye at the drama. “Good thing we got here in time, then.” Zoro unsheathed Wado and gripped her tightly with his teeth. He moved fast enough she barely had time to block his first attack, and she was too slow for the next ones and fell several steps back. “As pirates, we don’t need the government having any more weird fucking weapons.”
Her eyes widened for a brief moment, and he caught her glancing past his shoulder. His eye darted to the side and he saw a video camera in the corner of the room. He smirked around his sword as he heard the clicking of heels running towards him, and he didn’t break eye contact with the device when he countered her attack and cut straight through her torso. She fell limp onto the floor as Zoro sheathed his swords.
Just in time, Zoro heard the slapping of sandals running down the hall outside. He turned as Luffy skidded to a halt when he saw him, grabbing the edge of the doorway and launching himself back when he ran too far. Robin and Brook were right behind him, smiling as they saw their swordsman untying his bandana after a successful fight.
“Zoro!” Luffy shouted, opening his mouth wide in triumphant happiness. “We sent him fly-”
“Cook’s gone,” Zoro cut him off. “Dunno where he is.”
Luffy’s head tilted in confusion and Robin and Brook’s mouths opened in surprise at Zoro’s serious tone.
“He’s probably just staying away from the lady! We can find him, right Robin?”
Robin nodded and crossed her hands, but Zoro shook his head. “She said they took him. They want to do experiments on him or something. It didn’t sound good.”
“Oh, dear.” Brook broke the tense silence with a soft voice.
Robin closed her eyes, brow furrowing after a moment. “I don’t see him or anyone else in the building. It appears the others have also won their fight.” She tilted her head lightly to the side. “I can’t go beneath the building, I don’t think there’s anything there.” Her eyes opened and they were filled with worry. “I’m not sure where he could have gone.”
“He’s probably somewhere else on the island,” Zoro said gruffly. “They just took him outside.”
Robin shook her head. “Usopp-san got here before you did, and offered to keep watch outside to make sure nobody left the building. He just told me no one did.”
Zoro’s head turned sharply towards the sudden sound of a door slamming and footsteps clicking on the tiles, but he heard Nami’s voice calling for Robin and his shoulders dropped.
“There may be somewhere in this building I am unable to access,” Robin noted after greeting Nami, Chopper, and Franky who were in various states of injury. Chopper was trying to wrap a bandage around Franky’s head while he was walking.
“You know where that goes?” Zoro gestured to the camera in the corner of the room. There was a red light blinking on the side of it. Franky, with a concerned Chopper still balanced on his head, walked toward it.
“Huh,” the cyborg said after examining it. “It’s not built for long distance, but I can’t tell you much more than that.”
“So likely still in the building,” Robin reiterated. Her eyebrows furrowed in frustration, likely because her devil fruit wasn’t helping. “We’ll have to search by hand. Keep an eye out for any seastone, that would nullify my abilities.”
Everyone nodded, and Chopper followed Franky back into the hallway after making sure no one else needed medical care. Robin and Nami headed towards the stairs after Luffy jumped out the already broken window, climbing rapidly while calling for his crewmate. Which left Brook and Zoro alone in the empty room.
“Where the hell is anyone else in this place anyway? Don’t they have, like, scientists?” Zoro muttered, looking carefully around the room.
“Yohoho,” Brook laughed lightly. “I guess it’s confusing since you came late. Although, it’s not much better for me. There were lots of people here, but unfortunately our rather loud captain gave them a heads up when we came back to fight. You see, we weren’t quite aware of the operations of this building on our first visit. It wasn’t until a local informed us of the truth that we came back, and by then only the fighters remained.”
Zoro hummed in acknowledgment, staring death into the lens of the camera.
~~
Pain.
Pain was the first thing Sanji registered. Starting in his eyes, as he struggled to blink them open against the bright light.
He groaned slightly as he shifted his head and the rest of the pain became known. His knee ached. Why? He tried to remember. A glint of steel. Was this a fight with Zoro gone wrong? No. No, he hadn’t been fighting. He’d been running. Long brown hair. That’s right. That woman. She fought with a sword. The sharp pain in his shoulder made sense now. He tried to lift his hands up to rub at his forehead, but a cushioned restraint held them down. A rush of adrenaline tried to jolt him awake, but he couldn’t get himself to focus his eyes. His skull felt like it weighed a million tons. He heard a beeping that was getting faster. It matched the anxiety that grew within him.
“Awake? How is he awake?”
“I don’t know!” A second voice hissed.
He felt pressure on his shoulders, someone was trying to hold him down. He couldn’t stop the whimper of pain that left his lips. Didn’t they know he couldn’t move anyway? That shit hurt.
“Increase the dosage!”
“Yes, sir!”
Sanji’s senses faded out again, despite his effort to stay aware.
~~
“Any luck?”
Zoro watched Usopp walk into the room, the dread in his gut increasing as Usopp shook his head in response to Nami’s question. She sighed, her folded arms and tapping foot a clear indicator of her worry. Jinbe and Brook stepped into the lobby with the same unfortunate news.
Over twelve hours had passed since Zoro had defeated the woman, and the sun was rising high into the sky. The Straw Hats were antsy with anxiety. They had already looked the large building several times over. All six stories had been meticulously searched, but whoever worked there covered their tracks well. All the while, the beeping red lights of the multiple cameras remained on.
Luffy landed outside the shattered front door with a thump, his eyes dark under his hat. When he stepped inside and the bright lights illuminated his face, his expression was grim.
“Where could he be?” Nami whispered. Like most of the crew, her undereyes were dark with exhaustion.
Luffy walked across the room and stopped next to the staircase. He brought his hand up and set his knuckles against the sleek wall.
“Nami?” His voice could barely be heard. “I’m gonna knock this building down.”
“Wait, Luffy-” Her voice broke. “Let me get everyone outside.”
Her, Usopp, and Brook ran up the stairs, calling loudly for the rest of the crew. Zoro drew his swords, eyeing the wall on the other side of the stairs. Jinbe walked over and rested his hand on Luffy’s shoulder, wordlessly offering comfort. He knew first hand just how much Luffy cared for his crew, and that to have someone missing left a gaping hole in his heart.
Once Nami informed him everyone was out, Luffy reeled back, stretching his arm back before it came crashing into the wall. He broke clean through, and panted lightly before reeling back again. Zoro had all three swords out, and he grit his teeth around Wado as he prepared to slash forward. It was his fault Sanji was missing. He needed to get him back. His muscles tensed to a stop as they heard an angry yell from outside.
“STRAW HAT-YA!!!”
Luffy’s fist stopped midair. His eyes were wide with both recognition and confusion. “Traffy?”
A chatter of confusion rose up from the crew outside. Broken glass crackled as Law stomped forward, pointing an accusatory finger in Luffy’s direction.
“What the absolute fuck are you doing?” Law shouted.
Luffy’s face darkened. “Traffy…”
Zoro’s attack turned to face Trafalgar. “What do you have to do with this place?”
Law glared at him. “I’ve been running a stakeout in this place for weeks, trying to figure out what they’re doing and how I can reverse it.”
Zoro lowered his swords and Luffy spoke up, and his voice was much lighter. “Oh. You want to fight them, too!”
Law shot Luffy a disbelieving look. “No, I have a plan to stop them! Or I did. That’s definitely out the window after whatever shit you just pulled.” Law looked around the room, exasperation clear on his face.
Luffy frowned. “They took Sanji. We can’t find him, but he’s somewhere in the building. I’m just gonna break it down until we find him.”
Law’s anger dissipated slightly, and he looked empathetic. “Blackleg-ya? Shit.” He gestured to a door over Zoro’s shoulder. “You even checked the basement?”
Everyone froze. A chunk of stone fell from the wall behind Luffy and crashed to the ground. Law turned at the sound of glass crunching as Robin stepped forward. “Basement?”
Law stared vacantly into the middle distance for a moment, before focusing his eyes on her face. “...Yes. The basement. Where they run the experiments.”
“I’m afraid I didn’t see a basement when I searched with my devil fruit.”
“Well, yeah,” Law waved his hand in front of him. “There’s a seastone layer between down there and up here. They’re not idiots!”
“Hey!” Usopp called in offense. The rest of the crew had followed inside after Robin. “We searched everywhere, we didn’t see an entrance to a basement.”
Law stomped past Zoro, barely shooting him a glance. Everyone followed him into the room where furniture had been strewn about.
“I already checked in here.” Zoro’s voice was gruff. “Luffy was with me.”
“Zoro!” Usopp whined. “There’s a goddamn fireplace!”
“And?”
“That’s not a gas burning fireplace! Do you see a chimney? Where’s that smoke supposed to go?”
Zoro looked closer at the burnt wood inside. It did look old, but he had assumed it hadn’t been used. “Thought it was decorative,” he mumbled.
Law rolled his eyes and pressed against one of the pale bricks on the side. The whole fireplace lifted slightly from the floor, and Law motioned for Zoro’s help to push it to the side. There was a dark staircase leading down into a torch-lit hallway.
“That’s where your crewmate is.”