Reactions to a Sacrifice

Spoilers: You should be familiar with the events of Thriller Bark.

Disclaimers: Standard ones apply: I don't own One Piece, etc.

Chapter 1: Sanji

"Oi, Zoro. What're you doing in my kitchen?"

"Shut up, ero-cook. I'm just getting a bottle of sake and I'm outta here."

Zoro reached out a hand to open the fridge, but Sanji's leg shot out past him and kept it shut.

"Oi," Zoro growled. "You're in the way."

"Did Chopper say you could have alcohol?"

"Don't remember." Which basically meant yes.

"He told me to watch your diet and cook especially nutritious meals for you. Not that you deserve so much consideration."

"So? Sake's good for you."

"In what way, stupid marimo?"

"You pour it on wounds to clean them, right? So, it's good for your body."

Sanji sighed. "You're a damn idiot, you know that? Listen, much as it pains me to be NICE to you, you're following Chopper's prescriptions. No sake. That's final."

Zoro turned away with an annoyed growl. "Fine," he rasped. "But you owe me one."

"Speaking of which..." Sanji began. Zoro half-turned, and his eyes widened in surprise as Sanji landed a kick in his side. He coughed, and stumbled, but he caught himself and his eyes narrowed at Sanji.

"What the hell was that for?"

"You owed me one. For Thriller Bark." Zoro remembered how he'd hit Sanji in the side with the hilt of his sword, preventing him from making himself the sacrifice.

"I'll let you get away with that, since you managed to hit the one spot on my body that wasn't already injured."

"You should be getting a helluva lot more than that, idiot swordsman." Sanji's voice took on a hard edge.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zoro scowled back.

"What you did on Thriller Bark...was damn stupid, you know?"

"What did I do that you didn't offer to do yourself?"

"I was trying to save you from your own stupidity!"

"By doing the exact same thing? Nice thinking, shitty cook."

Sanji flushed. "At least I did think, unlike you, moss-for-brains. About the consequences of my actions."

Zoro's eyes took on an even more hooded, menacing aspect. "All right. How much do you know?"

Sanji paused, then admitted, "Everything."

Zoro's frown deepened still further. "You won't tell Luffy."

"If you wanted it kept a secret, you should've thought first before letting yourself get into such a mess."

Zoro reached out and grabbed Sanji's collar. "You're not telling anybody," he repeated. "If anyone else comes to me asking about it, I'll kill them, and you too."

"As if you could in your current condition, shitty swordsman."

That was more than enough of a spark, and they were immediately at each other's throats. To Zoro's surprise, Sanji's kicks were faster and more powerful than ever before...but he soon realised that that was nothing to do with Sanji. Zoro's weakened condition was altering his perception.

Damn, he thought. Shitty cook's right...I am weak. This is all wrong...I'm the one who's supposed to be kicking his ass! I really need to train. But he wasn't one to concede defeat. He lunged forward desperately. Sanji's eyes widened, and he tried to pull back a kick he'd been aiming at Zoro's uninjured thigh, but it came into contact with Zoro's chest instead. Zoro choked, and he tasted blood in his mouth. He instinctively knew his wounds were ripping back open. Sanji immediately stopped, a concerned expression on his face, and Zoro turned away to hide the stain spreading across his shirt.

"You should see Chopper about that," Sanji said, a tad nervously.

"I don't need to go running to Chopper over every little cut."

"That's no cut, that's one of your old wounds opening up. It needs re-bandaging."

"How much is Chopper paying you to be a nag?" Zoro was already heading for the door.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Training," Zoro said shortly.

"What? But you're injured!"

"So?"

Stupid suicidal swordsman! Sanji cursed mentally. He leapt into the air and jammed the door closed before Zoro could reach the knob.

"Trying to see how annoying you can get before I get rid of you for good?" Zoro asked sardonically.

"You're seeing Chopper, whether you like it or not." And before Zoro could even launch an attack, Sanji yelled, "Chopper!"

"You - you cheat!" Zoro raged, but he already knew Sanji had won. Within seconds they heard the reindeer's squeaky footfall and Sanji opened the door to let him in.

"What is it, Sanji?" Chopper began, but then he saw the wounds. "Aaaaaaaaaaaugh! Zoro! You're hurt! Again!"

"I'm fine, Chopper," Zoro said, but his voice had a tired, defeated ring to it.

"Did you two fight? Zoro, I told you to rest! And Sanji, how dare you attack Zoro while he's still recovering?"

"Sorry, Chopper," Sanji said, leaning against the counter and lighting up a cigarette. "But this marimo-head started it."

"All I wanted was a bottle of sake, shitty cook!"

"Zoro, no sake until you're recovered."

"What! But, Chopper!"

"No buts! You know you got really drunk after we kanpai-ed the other day...which means that your liver was damaged more than we thought! Now, come to the clinic, I'll change your bandages."

With one last murderous glare at Sanji, Zoro left.

"Sorry, Chopper," Sanji said again, "but he wouldn't listen to me."

"Zoro's stubborn, isn't he?" Chopper said sadly.

"When it comes to me, yeah. You might have more luck with him."

"I'll see what I can do."

Author's Note: This was inspired by a fic called "Our Choices" by drakyrna at [drakyrna . livejournal . com / 8392. html ], which focuses on Sanji's immediate reaction upon seeing Zoro injured at Thriller Bark. I decided to write a fic looking at the whole crew's reactions. Reviews are welcome.