Hi guys!

I forgot to talk in the last chapter, so, this fanfic will not have any couple, they're just a family, a strange family, but a family. So I'm sorry if you expect any kind of couple to happen in the course of the story, but it will not happen.

So! This is the second chapter already and I'm SO surprised to see it as well received, me being a new writer and everything.

You made me a very happy person!

Anyway, guys, I do not have a beta reader, and English is not my native language, so inevitably there may be some mistakes and I'm very sorry for that but it's not something I can totally control ... if anyone wants be a beta of this story, send me a PM and let's talk! I would greatly appreciate it :)

Now without further delay, be free to read!

When The Cook Broke

Usopp saw Zoro being the next to go to the infirmary behind Nami and frowned a little annoyed, it was not time for others' concern to end up choking Chopper in his treatment if someone was injured, many people inside that little infirmary would only complicate the whole situation.

He also registered, Brook approaching Robin to help her up, slowly leading her towards the women's room so she could rest, not coming in for respect, wishing the woman good rest before she left and Usopp more once she did not understand, if she did not feel well, she should go to Chopper, right? But he did not say anything as he made his way to the cyborg, watching as his hands were tense as he held the helm, his broad chest also filthy with blood made the marksman shrink slightly.

"Franky ... What happened? Why are they all in the infirmary? They'll end up choking Chopper like that, right? "He asked almost shyly, watching as the cyborg seemed to get even harder in his place, if he did not know it, he knew that Franky could end up breaking the helm of so much force he was doing to hold it, but he knew well that Franky would never intentionally hurt Sunny.

"Brook came first with some of the food and I thought everything would be fine, but then Robin-sis fell from the sky ..."

Franky was distracted, pulling the musician to the ship when he saw something falling from the sky, too familiar to be an enemy attack, and staring wide in surprise and fear he rushed to catch the frail woman before she fell on the deck, watching as she seemed weak and letting her sit gently against the mast, turning back to Sunny's side and seeing Brook help Nami in, was when something else came from the sky, bigger and more threatening, but still familiar. When two large packages began to fall with speed on the deck he almost thought it was an enemy attack before realizing that the packs were the same as the bags Robin, Nami and Brook had swallowed.

"What the hell ...?" Franky barely had time to curse when something heavy fell directly on his chest, not knocking him to the ground for very little and by pure reflex he grabbed whatever had fallen into his arms, his eyes widening at first realizing what he had held, and then with all the red that should not cover both his captain's body and the fur of the little doctor the way he did.

"We don't have time ... Luffy needs ... To be treated ..." Sanji spoke between breaths, his eyes glazed, his forehead wet with sweat and his body trembling, he couldn't tell whether it was fear or pain, but judging his wild, imploring gaze, could be both.

"You also need a doctor bro, what happened to ours?" He asked, gently lowering the cook on the grass, trying to get Luffy out of Sanji's frenzied grip that seemed to be finding it safe, but finally gave in and Franky was able to pull the rubber boy from the cook's arms and lay him gently on the deck.

"It had a strange gas on the ship ... it did not affect me, but ... it made Chopper faint and left ... Luffy weak ... Damn Marines ..." Sanji continued to curse the Marines faintly, thinking how they dared to leave Luffy so vulnerable, it was unforgivable, that look should not be on his captain's face.

"We have to get them to the infirmary," Nami said taking the reins, swallowing hard and not letting their emotions speak louder. They couldn't relax yet, they were surrounded by enemy ships, it was only a matter of time before them "But we're not going to be able to treat you now, we have to get out of here fast, we don't know what that gas you're talking about, but it's dangerous enough to let go if it can even affect Luffy who is poison resistant."

"I understand ... Nami-san ..." Sanji tried to smile to reassure her, but was deformed by the pain he was feeling from the hole in his belly, he could barely believe that the damn bullet really went through his stomach, the worse it was that no matter how hard he tried to stall from the front, it still leaked from behind. The loss of blood was reaching levels where even looking a meter ahead was already impossible so blurred was his vision.

Franky took the cook as Brook lifted his captain as gently as he could in his bony arms, sadly seeing his wounds, his own burning desire to come back and defeat the people who did this to his friends being shaken only by the will he had to help them to survive and get through it, revenge was never the answer.

Sanji insisted that they leave him in the chair, since he had only one bed in the infirmary and he would not occupy it when Luffy was in much worse shape than he, holding a towel in his belly to stanch the bleeding while Brook put others to Luffy, knowing where to put it with all that blood.

"I have it, go help others get us out of here ..." Sanji said weakly, holding a towel on Luffy's back and using his own body to push, to the stomach and thigh, pressing his belly with the free hand and cursing softly for how quickly the towel soaked with blood. "How much more can he still lose?"

"After Sanji-bro began to press on Luffy's wound I left, and then you and Zoro-bro were begging for the ladder." Franky finished counting, glancing at the sniper and seeing how he shook in his place, white as a paper, but her eyes showed pure and unbridled rage.

"Justice my ass ... The Marines are worse than the pirates ..." Usopp muttered, turning his back on the carpenter and going to the infirmary, pausing at the door not knowing whether to enter or not, listening to the frenetic conversation of the inside as he held out a trembling hand to the doorknob.

"Oi, Nami! Sanji just fainted!"

"Of course he passed out! He lost a lot of blood and you wore it without an anesthesia!"

"How would I know he needed this damn woman ?! I'm not a doctor!"

"Me neither!" Nami spoke in a frenzy. "Argh! Leave him there for now, Luffy needs a blood transfusion, I remember how Chopper did this in Ryugu Kingdom. Look in the refrigerator for an F-type! Hey-"

"Nami, he's not breathing… your heart stopped! Damn Luffy! If you die on me now I swear I'm going to hell to hunt you down and kill you!"

"Keep doing CPR Zoro! I'll put him in the oxygen!" Usopp felt the tears coming down his cheek and he raised his hand quickly to dry them, it was not the time to cry, he had to go in there and try to help in any way he could, but the fear of seeing what was happening inside prevented his hand turning the knob and the legs to take any step forward, it was then that the door opened.

"Usopp! Good hour, get Sanji-kun and take him to your room, he need to get some rest." The redhead used to say entering the room and pulling the cook to the door.

"B-but Luffy…?"

"Me and Zoro can take care of Luffy until Chopper wakes up, don't worry, stay with Sanji." She said at last and slammed the door again when she saw that the sniper had Sanji fastened securely in his arms.

"Nami, There's only one F-type!"

"It'll have to serve! Chopper still hasn't time to refuel!"

Usopp turned away, pushing the half-naked cook on his shoulder and walking carefully into the boys room. He couldn't do much to help when it came to injuries, but that, at least, he could do because he would never leave a nakama alone.

It was late at night when Robin felt strong enough to get out of bed and go to the deck to look for her companions, only the lights in the crow's nest were lit and she was too disoriented to know who took the turn today. Looking for a little more she saw lights in the kitchen too, deciding to go there knowing it was the most likely place to find the others.

Her memories were a mess, she remembered stealing food from a marine galleon, and then feeling very weak, she heard someone shouting, no… It was Luffy, Luffy was screaming for someone and then she couldn't organize herself anymore enough to know exactly what had happened.

All eyes on the kitchen turned to her as she walked through the door, Nami behind the counter seemed to prepare a coffee for the other presents, only Franky, Brook and Usopp.

"It seems our super archeologist is feeling better!" Franky cheered, but Robin could tell easily that his tone wasn't as lively as usual.

"I'm better, thank you Franky." She smiled gently and saw how a bit of the weather eased. Still, she could see in Usopp's features that something was wrong. "Were are the others?"

"Chopper, Luffy and Zoro are in the infirmary, Sanji is on the lookout, that little shit…" Nami murmured, sitting wearily at the table, joining the others.

"What happened?" She asked seriously, sitting down next to her friend and pouring herself some coffee, was by no means any better than Sanji's, but it was still good and she would not refuse some sips of coffee stayed all day without.

"Something happened between Sanji and Luffy… but Sanji doesn't want to tell me" Nami said disgustedly, she never imagined that the cook would soon be declining something for her. He didn't even fall under his charm! "They come back very hurt, Luffy and Chopper are still unconscious…"

"Zoro, I'm going to need help caring Luffy and Sanji-kun!" Nami screamed as she ran to the infirmary, she didn't even have to ask or give any orders, the swordsman would go anyway she wouldn't.

"Where's Chopper?" He asked worriedly, standing in the front of the infirmary door with Nami in front of him.

"He's also unconscious, fast!" It was all she had to say to the first mate, swallowing hard as she opened the door and felt her blood freeze at the sight inside.

Sanji sitting in Chopper's chair leaned against the bed, pressing Luffy's stomach lightly with a towel soaked with blood, his hand on his own stomach was wet and the dripping red on the floor at intervals, shit, they had already lost a lot of blood , he just hoped he had a damn cook's replacement bag in the doctor's little refrigerator, he knew that because of Sanji's nasal bleeding outbursts, Chopper always kept more of him.

Sanji at the sound of the door stared at the swordsman, and if Zoro was not seeing for himself he would not believe the fear he was seeing in that ocean blue iris, or the request for help implicit in his pale face. Now this he couldn't let go. Sanji never asked for help, not for him at least, and that look he begged for help should not be addressed soon to him, not to Sanji of all people.

"I swear, if you don't save him ... I'll kill you and him when I get better ... shit marimo." Sanji threatened weakly, but Zoro knew they were empty words, threats grounded by a desperate man, and the immediate one felt his blood boil at the thought of what had made his rival look so damn pathetic. Whoever it was would pay.

The intense gaze between the cook and the swordsman disintegrated as Nami approached with a new towel to replace that soaked in Luffy's belly, gently taking Sanji's hand from there and handing him a new one as well, but Sanji had no more strength to try to stop the bleeding. Nami bit her lip.

"We're going to do everything we can for you three, Sanji-kun. Zoro wash your hands and pick up the sewing material next to wet and antiseptic towels in the closet by your side and clean Sanji-kun's wounds before sewing that hole in his belly, Sanji-kun takes off his blouse, Zoro will help you. " Sanji was ready to protest, thinking that the marimo would do the same, but was surprised to see him nod and do exactly what the navigator ordered, deciding to cooperate too, releasing as fast as his trembling hands could, the buttons of his social blouse. "What happened?"

"The damned marines ... They dropped some gas on the deck ... Chopper fainted and Luffy tried ..." Sanji spat curses feeling the antiseptic make contact with the wound and bit his tongue so as not to curse the whole next generation of Zoro: "He tried to get us out of there ... but a Marine shot him with ... those fucking Kairouseki bullets ..." Sanji spoke breathlessly, it was becoming difficult to focus on anything, his body was numb and he barely felt the swordsman wiping the blood on his belly. "You have to get the bullets ... They still ... Ah, son of a bitch! Shit marimo! let me know when to sew the people!"

"Keep quiet Sanji! Fucking cook! I don't want to do this as much as you do, but either it's or bleed to death, your choice." Just to have the swordsman call him by name was enough for Sanji to shut his mouth but only the visible concern in his voice made him keep it closed, he knew he and Zoro had this relationship of contempt and hatred, but they were still nakamas, they were still a family, and they believed in each other and cared for each other, but it was still strange to see him demonstrate it so blatantly.

Sanji thought it was not just his captain who had changed some attitudes in the past two years, Zoro was also acting more responsible, as a true and reliable mate. Sanji bit his lips, holding the pain inside as he felt the needle come in and out of his skin. His vision was starting to darken, he had to warn Nami.

"Nami-san ... The bullet ... You have to take out ... Bullet Luffy ... Kairou ... Seki ..." It was getting harder to form coherent words, even more so to be aware now that he knew things would improve and Luffy would be out of danger, in addition, Zoro was now sewing the hole in his back and he could no longer contain the pain, letting out short sore sighs as it became increasingly difficult to keep his eyes open by the loss of blood.

"I know, Sanji-kun, thank you. I'm working on it now." Nami was talking about finishing Chopper next to Luffy, taking advantage of the fact that the teenager was already shirtless so he could finish cleaning all the blood and carefully pulling the bullet with tweezers. Her hands were shaking, and her eyes were a little blurred with tears, but she had to be strong if she wanted to save Luffy now, her captain depended on her, and she would not disappoint him.

The first bullet fell on the tray and Nami was already exhausted, two were still missing and she wanted to cry, not believing that Chopper could do it so calmly and so professionally even when it was one of them dying in their small hooves. Nami made a mental note to tell the little doctor how amazing he was when he woke up.

Trying to calm down as much as possible Nami with her hands still a little shivering sewed the little hole there, putting on a bandage hoping it would be enough to finish staunching the blood before moving on to the next on Luffy's thigh.

"Zoro, help me get the rest of Luffy's clothes, this way I can't get that bullet." Nami asked tremulously, but not out of shame, but out of fear, Luffy had already lost a lot of blood, and she was still in the second bullet, it couldn't be any longer.

"You don't want me to do this? Just tell me what to do-"

"No, I don't care, I spent two months in a little boat with you, two idiots besides all this time in Going Merry and Sunny, do you think I have not seen them naked at least once? take his goddamn clothes off and I'll finish this. " Nami spoke earnestly and Zoro nodded with a new respect for the navigator, not much, but enough to obey her without questioning anymore. He would apologize to Luffy afterwards for this, but he knew the captain would not mind them doing it, it was to save his life after all.

After the swordsman's help and a little embarrassment - she would never admit it - Nami was able to take the second bullet that was too close to her crotch without much trouble, dressing there too, and wrapped the entire place with bandages before , with Zoro helping her again, turning Luffy on his back. The last bullet was so deep that it had snaked right under her collarbone and Nami cursed softly for not having the position to pull it.

"I can't ..." she murmured tearfully, a single tear descending on either side of her face, catching the swordsman's attention that ended the dressing and the semi-conscious cook.

"You need to, we don't have Chopper, Robin is disabled too, and you're the only one who has a clue what you're doing. Swallow the cry and save our captain. " Zoro spoke harshly but with a confidence and hope in the navigator she couldn't bring herself to deny again, wiping her eyes with her forearms and taking a deep breath she thought of what to do.

"Zoro, I need you to make a neat cut here." Nami pointed from where the bullet hole was a couple of inches above him, handing the scalpel into his hand. "In this position I can't get the bullet so I need to create one. I ... I can't do this, but I know you can. "

Zoro looked nervously at the navigator and then at the unconscious captain at the table, the scalpel in his hand shuddered slightly but he took a deep breath and concentrated, it was to help Luffy, he was not hurting him, it was not on purpose, he would be fine , and with clean hands and avoiding any nervousness he cut the meat as far as Nami had asked, seeing the woman smile shakily at him and take it from where he had stopped while Zoro walked away with sweat covering his forehead and shaking hands. He thought he would never be a doctor, even an improvised one like now, and then he turned to his real patient, seeing as Sanji was lying in his chair, soft limbs, eyes closed and loose mouth, he had completely lost consciousness.

"Oi, Nami! Sanji just fainted!" Zoro spoke with some desperation, the damn cook needed a transfusion, right? He had literally created a small pool of blood on the floor just minutes away.

"Of course he passed out! He lost a lot of blood and you wore it without an anesthesia." Nami spoke absently, finishing cleaning the injured area after finally getting the last bullet.

"How would I know he needed this damn woman ?! I'm not a doctor!" Zoro spoke so worried and angry that if the moment was another she would laugh and still mock him a little, but she was too nervous and scared to pay attention to this, turning to him for a moment to scream.

"Neither am I!" Nami screamed in frenzy. "Argh! Leave him there for now, Luffy needs a blood transfusion, I remember how Chopper did it in Ryugu kingdom. Look in the refrigerator for an F-type bag!" Nami spoke at last closing the last hole in her captain's body, pressing the gauze gently and trying to staunch what was left of the blood that slowly stopped coming out. She looked at Zoro when he did not move. "Hey-"

"Nami he is not breathing ..." Nami had to move away when Zoro without warning turned Luffy head on and bent down to try to listen to his heart, widening his one eye with fear as he moved away and began to press Luffy's chest , blowing air into his mouth soon after. "Damn Luffy! If you die on me now I swear I'm going to hell to hunt you down and kill you!"

"Keep doing CPR Zoro, I'll put him in oxygen." Nami dropped the blood-soaked gauze to feel her pulse, weak, very weak.

It was after a minute or a bit more, that seemed to last for hours, that Luffy fought for air, Zoro turning his head aside so he would not choke on the blood that came out, stopping all his movements to feel the pulse of Luffy, was weak, but better than before. The scare passing Zoro grimaced, he thanked Luffy for being rubber, or he would have inadvertently broken some ribs there in their desperation. Taking a deep breath he took a sheet to cover his captain, he did not know if Luffy would feel embarrassed being in all his glory that way, but it was disconcerting with Nami in the same room with them.

"Chopper is also having a hard time breathing ... his pulse is also a little weak," Zoro warned, watching Nami nod in acknowledgment.

Nami looked in the closet for the cylinders she would need to put both boys in oxygen, the well-kept, well-kept masks were in a drawer and she turned it all on before putting the mask on the face of her captain and doctor, watching as they slowly returned to breathe better, weak and erratic, but breathing. Nami hoped they would not need it for long, it was disturbing to see her friends that way, even more so now after meeting after so long, she just wanted to spend time with her captain and companions, all happy and healthy, but one thing after another began to prevent them from such, and now they were in that situation.

"I saw Chopper using this in Luffy after the transfusion after the fight with Hody ... He did not use it for long, just enough to not feel so tired after all the blood loss, but it was still scary, as it is now . " Nami remarked absently, she did not think Luffy had already lost so much blood to the point that he needed more, except, perhaps, in Alabasta where Crocodile actually impaled him on the chest with the hook in his hand. It was gloomy days those of Luffy's recovery and Chopper had a lot of work in the days until Luffy woke up. Remembering this made her smile, Luffy had already been through it, there was no way he couldn't get out of it now.

"They'll be fine," she said confidently, looking at Zoro and watching the swordsman immediately relax under her confirmation. "Luffy will not fall like this, not after everything we've been through."

"Usopp took Sanji from the infirmary after that, I put Luffy in the blood and serum, then I also put Sanji-kun, and then we waited." Nami finished, folding her arms across the table and lowering her head to them, hiding her face there.

"Sanji stood up a few hours and said he was going to be watching, Zoro is still in the infirmary with an eye on Chopper and Luffy, and we are here ... not knowing what really happened." Usopp mumbled, elbows on the table and his face hidden in his hands. Robin wanted to say something and try to take all the hold of her friends' shoulders, but she herself felt down now that she knew what had happened, her captain was injured and her doctor couldn't treat him because he was also unconscious, for those who barely knew what they were doing. Nami looked ready to faint so tired, but she did not do it out of concern.

It was at that moment that Zoro decided to enter the kitchen, calm as whenever the lives of his friends were not being threatened, but it was visible how a small weight seemed to have left his back.

"Chopper is awake."

Chopper felt tired, exhausted if he was to describe his condition better, his chest aching, as if his lungs had been compressed and then expanded again beyond the limit several times. His vision was blurry and his head looked like it was going to explode, he could barely move a hull but he still did, he needed to know why he felt so bad, he did not remember what happened after they boarded the navy ship and was worried, someone could be hurt, someone could need your help, he couldn't get rested right now.

"Chopper?" He knew that voice, it was familiar, he was worried, demanding and stern, but with subtle kindness, and he called him, he answered, or he thought he answered, his voice kept ringing.

"Zoro? ..." His voice was weak and hoarse and it hurt to speak too but finally he managed to speak, yet he needed to drink some water.

"Yes, how do you feel? Do you think you can get up?" the Swordsman asked approaching the doctor and helping him sit down when he saw the fight he was having trying to do it himself.

"Not very well ... What ... What happened?" He asked, blinking his eyes a few more times trying to clear them, tried to take a hoof to his muzzle, rub his face might help, but was stopped by whatever it was attached to it. "What...?"

"You couldn't breathe alone, so Nami put it to help you." Zoro explained vaguely, he did not know if it was safe to take, did not want to see the little reindeer suffocating again.

"Oh ..." That was all he could say, without really knowing what had caused it, it was impossible to get a complete diagnosis in his state. "I remember smelling ... it was a little familiar, but it made me very weak, and my chest ached ..."

"How do you feel now?"

"Still weak, and it still hurts, but not as much as before." His strength slowly returned and his vision brightened after the minutes, and when he felt well enough to take off the mask he breathed in the fresh air, choking on the strong scent of blood. "Who's hurt? I smell blood."

He asked, looking around, discovering that he was in the infirmary, and then lying there in bed with an oxygen mask helping him to breathe, just as he had been before, his captain.

"Luffy ..."

"He's getting better, I think. At least he's not as pale as before, but he's still breathing better with the extra oxygen, he's lost a lot of blood and we couldn't replace it all because there was just one more of his kind of blood bag." Zoro explained helping the reindeer to stand on the improvised bed to look at Luffy better.

"What happened?"

Zoro explained everything he knew to the reindeer and Chopper listened intently, especially when he said something about Luffy's condition, noting what he could do to help now that they had done everything, he needed to cleanse the wounds again and change the bandages, see if any were infected and treat quickly before it became more complicated, measure the temperature and pressure, change the serum that was already ending and keep an eye on it to see if its condition deteriorated. Thinking about all this made his head hurt a little more.

"Luffy's fine for now, Chopper, you, on the other hand, need to rest."

"But Luffy ... Zoro, I can't, I'm your doctor ..."

"Which is also hurt, Luffy is strong, he will be fine."

"Zoro, you don't understand ... I am your doctor, I need to take care of him." Chopper spoke earnestly, a determination in his words that he had not yet seen in the little doctor, a conviction so strong that it did not give rise to complaints. Zoro almost gave in.

"Chopper, how would you take care of him being sick too? It's okay, Luffy is strong, you more than anyone else should know this, he can take a few more hours to you rest. We can't sail without a real competent doctor on this ship. "Zoro appealed to the compliment, he couldn't see because of all the hair, but he knew Chopper blushed at his words.

"You call me a competent doctor does not make me happy, you bastard ..." Chopper murmured, hiding his face in the hoofs as he did not have the strength to dance with joy, not seeing the little victorious smile of the mate.

"He's resting now, but he's much better and asked you to come see him, Nami, said he needed you to do some things with Luffy, he'll explain when you get there." Zoro spoke as he sat down beside the archaeologist at the same time that the navigator, on the other side, got up and left the kitchen in a hurry.

"Zoro-bro, and Luffy?"

"Same ..." It was enough to let everyone's spirit down again. Usopp, trembling, slammed his hands on the table and left the kitchen then he couldn't handle all this sad mood, he was going to rip Sanji out of that observation post even if he was kicking.

When Sanji entered the kitchen a little flustered and locked his eyes with Robin's, he smiled faintly, sighing relieved and pulling a cigarette to his mouth, lining it up with the lighter before going behind the counter, he still had to catalog everything. who brought in supplies and see what they could prepare for dinner, even if it was past 3 o'clock in the morning.

Franky and Brook subtly rose to leave, and Robin soon followed, leaving only the mate and the cook in the kitchen. Zoro had his arms crossed in front of his chest, his one eye following the hawk-like blonde in the kitchen, his intentions quite explicit, and the longer he spent in that situation, the more he seemed to make Sanji anxious.

"If you're not going to do anything then get out of here! Damn marimo ... Shit swordsman ... "He muttered irritably at the last parts, turning his back to Zoro who did not move a muscle from where he was, he knew that the cook was just annoyed at the situation, not having anyone else to do it; he did not want to say half of what he said.

"Oi."

"What you want?"

"A drink."

"Lift up your lazy ass and get yourself then." Sanji snarled, but nevertheless carefully selected the ingredients he would use for dinner, seeing from the corner of his eye the swordsman did exactly as he ordered, opening the refrigerator and looking for a moment he sighed and closed it. "What is it now?"

"I can not find the damn drink." Zoro's sullen, almost childish tone almost made Sanji laugh, as someone of that size, with that look, could be a softie child sometimes he couldn't figure out. But Sanji was not in a good mood.

"It's practically in your face, you idiot!" Sanji fumed, stamping his feet to the refrigerator and taking the drink from the door before handing Zoro roughly. "Are you blind?"

"Partly, yes." Zoro shrugged and Sanji noticed now, looking better at the immediate, what he had said. Zoro was indeed one-eyed at last and had more difficulty locating things on his left side if it was not in a fight. Sanji cursed softly, walking to the table where the others were before to sit on the chair and resting his elbows on the wood he hid his face in his hands.

"Luffy will be angry with me when he wakes up ..." Sanji muttered, it was not usually a problem to have the idiot captain upset with him, but also, he had to take into account that Luffy would only be nipped at him when he refused food only.

He did not have to look to detect the sounds Zoro made in his kitchen, his purposefully noisy walk to the sink, the cups he took from the drainer, and then his walk to the table to sit, the dragging of the chair before he sat down and the glass that was placed in front of him, the bottle placed in the middle of the table, and the voice calm and cold, but with an unusual softness that disarmed Sanji completely.

"What happened?"

"I've already told you what happened." Sanji growled, he did not like to feel that way, even though Zoro was putting it on like that, it was like a little trapped animal, or like a child trying to lie uselessly to his parents.

"I did not hear it," he said simply, shrugging. Sanji lifted his head to look directly at the swordsman, eye to eye, daring him to continue with that shit, in the end to be himself giving up looking away and sighing resignedly he accepted that he would not get away with this easily.

"Like I said, they released some kind of strange gas on the deck that made Luffy weak and Chopper unconscious. Luffy tried to get us out of there, but that fucking son of a bitch shot him with kairouseki, when things got out of hand I picked them up and went back to the ship, end. "

Sanji recounted the story still unable to face the swordsman, feeling his gaze burning on his face, seeing from the corners of his eyes as his posture had grown more rigid, his arms crossed had veined veins and brows wrinkled. He couldn't keep his gaze, Sanji knew that Zoro knew he was lying.

"No, try again." Zoro spoke more severely, knocking some of the drink into his glass and drinking it in a few sips. Sanji clenched his fists, so strong that his nails almost cut through his skin, knowing that the swordsman saw over his lie did not make the situation easier to swallow.

"What? I've already counted! "Sanji fumed, clapping his hands on the table hard, demonstrating the pain that traveled all over the body to the wound in his belly with a single shudder. Zoro continued to stare, not wavering once, not blinking or looking away, his expression returning to his stoic common. Sanji shivered angrily. "What do you want from me?!"

"The truth." The answer was simple and straightforward, and only served to finish throwing Sanji away from the edge.

"Why do you think I would lie damn marimo ?! I'm telling the truth early! About the fucking gas and the damn sailor who shot Luffy, you want me to give details of how I got on the fucking ship? "Sanji screamed, gesturing with his hands in the air, pushing the chair that sat violently behind him standing up, pacing back and forth, the enervating gaze of the first companion following him wherever he went.

"I want the whole truth. You're leaving some things aside, like how you got that hole in your belly, and why Luffy called for you like you're dying when you look so good to me. "Zoro said losing his own patience, stopping to take a deep breath and compose before continuing. "Look, I just want to understand what happened, and if you don't want to tell everyone, tell me at least, whenever we try to hide things or do them alone it doesn't work."

Sanji stopped walking and thought about it, he hated to agree with Zoro, but the fucking swordsman was right about that, he remembered Nami trying to deal with Arlong herself, and Robin trying to save them alone too, in addition, Luffy. .. the shit captain that invaded an impenetrable prison and fought a war alone.

"We're all a team for a reason." Zoro finally spoke and Sanji finally relented, coming back now head down to the table, rearranging the chair he'd knocked over and then sitting back where he was before, picking up the bottle from the table to fill his own cup to his mouth.

"If I see that Marine again, I'll kill him."

When Sanji fell on the deck next to Luffy and Chopper he couldn't for a moment think about what had happened, after all his captain is bullet proof, right? There was no way any bastard could hurt him, not with a simple weapon, but then what was that blood? And why did Luffy look so disoriented?

Sanji watched him sit slowly, grunting in pain as he pulled Chopper against his chest, breathing hardly for a moment before taking his hat to the reindeer and covering his face, it was then that Sanji remembered to smell a strange smell before Luffy but apparently had no effect on him more than enough to make him lightheaded, but if he was leaving Chopper and Luffy so badly, it could be something created specifically to weaken users of the devil's fruit.

"Luffy, hey!" He screamed as he saw the Marines approaching, they had to get out of there, needed Luffy cooperating and at least a little lucid so they could get off that damn ship, but the captain seemed to give no clue what he was hearing.

Grunting in frustration, he stood up to be able to fight to defend them and create an opening to be able to pull them out, shouting at Luffy expecting some reaction, even threatening to take his flesh even when they had one, but the captain's glazed look did not even he shifted from his forehead and his already difficult breathing seemed to grow worse and worse, yet he smiled hopefully when he saw Luffy rise slowly and carefully, Sanji was almost ready to grab him and get out of there when he heard more sounds of shooting and with a sore cry Luffy returned to the ground.

"Luffy!" He called now more worried, looking from the captain to the one he had thrown, the man's smile taking away the rest of the cook's poor patience, and the smug way in which he slowly pulled the lock from his pistol, pointed without any hesitation at the heart of his captain, managed to make Sanji's legs move and yet he was too far away to stop him, but close enough to Luffy to stop that bullet from hitting him.

"That bastard was trying to kill Luffy right there, he looked at his heart, I had no way to stop him otherwise." Sanji finally revealed, getting up to erase the cigarette butt on the ashtray on the counter, just to pull another to the lips and ascend, swallowing a large amount of the soothing and toxic smoke to his lungs before expelling it. "He called me that way because he was out of his mind to see that my injury was not fatal, I think he couldn't see right ..."

Zoro was silent, his single eye still faithfully following every movement of the cook, but he no longer looked so calm, the corner of his lips vaguely curved down and brows furrowed, not as if he had internally judged him, but more as if think meticulously in what to say now.

"Spare the sermon for the shitty captain, you have no right to berate me in any way." Sanji spoke and then frowned, thinking technically the marimo had a right to reprimand him, being the immediate and all, but he did not want to hear that shit just about Zoro. He stood up when Zoro took his time to answer, lost in thought, finishing the last drink of his drink and returning to the recovered supplies, stopping when he finally heard the swashbuckler's calm, deep voice.

"Luffy's heart stopped for a minute yesterday," Zoro said, watching as the cook froze his hands, shuddering at the words. "It could have happened well sooner if you had not done anything."

"Are you complimenting me?" The question itself, directed mainly at Zoro, was so wrong in his conception that he couldn't help but laugh, however nervous, turning to face the swordsman again and seeing that his expression discontent had not changed. "I did not do this to be thankful or congratulated, my captain ... my friend was in danger, I just did what I should do to protect him, and I know you know what I'm talking about."

Sanji spoke implicitly leaving what he really meant. Thriller Bark gave him nightmares for a few days, especially the part where an idiot swordsman offered his head in return for all of them, as if he wanted to be saved by Zoro from all people. He stared at Zoro seriously, watching him stiffen momentarily in his position, his disgruntled expression getting even worse for a moment and if looks could kill, Sanji would be lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood now. Zoro closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself, dealing with Sanji when he was literally a wounded bitch was a test of patience greater than the cook being his normal self.

"But you don't seem pleased to have done that, anyway." Zoro commented, shifting his position and pouring more liquor into his glass, he sometimes did not want to be so resistant to alcohol, maybe if he was drunk now, this conversation would be much easier. He could, however, try to get the cook drunk a little, bending a little further to knock the liquid down in the second glass as well, a subtle implication for the cook to sit down again, and in very bad taste he did, frowning his curly eyebrow and taking the glass firmly he drank it all before he spoke again.

"I don't regret it, if that's what you mean." Sanji mimicked Zoro's position, arms crossed, heel over his knee, one single eye staring at the other, waiting for the swordsman to give way at once. leave him alone, he did not want to talk about it, he did not want to remember that much less, Luffy ... That horror, his hands trembling, his tears, this was not his captain of two years ago.

Sanji remembered the war, from when he found out about it at least, he was not there with his captain, none of them were, but he particularly felt guilty about it, while Luffy was fighting a monster war, he was creeping in and just having fun discovering his "true self," and participating in a reality clash over Ace's death, and Luffy's involvement in all of it.

"I did not say that," Zoro said casually, tearing the blond from his memories, horrible memories if he were to think about it. Sanji felt tired, aching, his head seemed to want to explode and he had a nervous itching all over the body that he knew very well to be his nervousness and anxiety, he needed to smoke more; he wanted to go to Luffy, see if he was all right, but he didn't know if he could face him now without seeing the same expression of fear and anguish in his memories. He couldn't think how much damage that war had given Luffy to overthrow his unshakable captain the way he did.

Sanji was tired, he just wanted to get it over with.

"I'm not sorry, I just can not stop thinking about how he reacted when I protected him ..." He finally released, bringing a hand up to his face to cover his eyes as he lowered his head a little, his fringe preventing Zoro from to see his expression better, but he could tell from the cook's trembling lips that he was still not doing it very well. His own hard and unshakable stance, just as his stoic face dissolved into something more relaxed and gentle seeing Sanji finally break. He was silent, knowing that if he said anything now, the cook would close again.

"He was so scared and distressed, and I could understand if it was the situation, but he was like that for my sake and it did not look ... Right." Sanji continued without changing his position, his hands shaking now. "He cried and called me like he'd just lost me and I ... He should not be like this, you know ... Luffy is ... He was so cheerful and carefree all the time, spontaneous and hyperactive and a real damn confident and unwavering sun, and seeing him the way I saw it was ... scary. "

Zoro understood now what was making the cook so anxious, he had not yet seen the vulnerable side of his captain, and it was not a real surprise, Luffy had given strict orders so he would not tell anyone about it when he saw him break a day.

It was in the middle of the night, a few days after they knocked out Z's group, he was on watch and saw Luffy leave the dormitory a little hurriedly to lean on the railing next to Sunny and vomit what should be the whole meal of the day . Zoro immediately approached and did not let Luffy go until explaining what was happening, it was then that the captain finally broke. He was surprised for just a moment watching the thick tears and hearing Luffy's loud sobs, but soon understood what was happening. No one comes out of a war without deep scars.

Now here was the cook freaking out for that too, and he finally understood why Luffy did not want them to know. Now it was late, though.

"Luffy is still the same Luffy we met two years ago, with just too many things in his head right now ..." Zoro sighed, pouring more drink to both of them, he really wished he could get drunk now. "He has nightmares, a lot of them ... He does not tell everything about them, but it's from when we parted, when he went to Impel Down, when he went to Marineford, and Ace ... usually he can handle it alone, but when it's a little too much he comes to me, preferring to have someone around. "

The new subject made Sanji truly uncomfortable now, none of them had really spoken about it, and before long it was established as a taboo even Ace's name on that ship, they were afraid of what it could generate, so they never addressed the subject.

"Do you know anything else about Ace?" Sanji asked quietly and Zoro thought about it, did he know? Maybe not much more than the others, but it was something.

"Yes I know."

"It was a hell of a war ..." Sanji said, because it couldn't be anything worse than hell to leave Luffy as he is.

"It was, but Luffy is still the same, but with many scars that have not yet healed and traumas that have not been overcome." Zoro drank all the drink in his glass and stood up, leaving the bottle to the cook and slowly following to the door. "We might not be with him when he needed us two years ago, but we're here now to help him when he needs it. We will not change the past regardless of how much we regret it, but we can do better now that we are all together again. "

At the moment Zoro finally left that Sanji let himself sob, pressing his eyes hard with his palms and biting his lips to let no more sound come out. It was no time to cry, it was no time to mourn something that ever happened, no matter how guilty he felt about it. It was time to heal his captain, none of them could close their eyes to his pain anymore.

Wiping his eyes and taking a deep breath a few times he pulled out the bottle Zoro had left for him, never thinking of thanking the accursed swordsman - not in words at least - as he drank in the bottleneck and stood up when he was finally done. It did not even bother him, but the intention was worth it, and with a few steps he stepped out of his beloved kitchen. His captain needed him.