Thanks a lot to xiggymatsu who did a wonderful job beta-ing again!

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

Chapter 5

"Shit! They got him! Franky, they fucking got him!" Zoro yelled as he rushed back into Franky's home. He threw his sheathed swords onto the couch and began to pace in the middle of the room.

"This place is practically in the middle of nowhere!" Franky said. "How did they find him so fast?"

"I don't know! We underestimated them... Shit!" Zoro said. He ran both hands through his hair, messing up those green strands even more. "Shit... Shit, Shit! Shit! This is all my fault."

"Don't be stupid, bro. You can't keep an eye on him all the time." Franky lay a hand on his shoulder but Zoro pushed it away.

"But I should have!" he yelled. "Damn... and that guy, Gin. He doesn't seem like those bastards who came to my apartment."

Zoro went around the couch to drop down on those soft seats beside his swords.

No, Gin hadn't been some brainless thug. The way he had carried his body reminded Zoro of an assassin, a trained killer who didn't hesitate in the slightest to slit a throat or two.

Did he belong to Joker's elite? He didn't have a weird codename... at least not one that sounded like something sweet and, according to Sanji, those kinds of guys were stronger.

Zoro draped an arm over his eyes. "How are we going to find him now?"

When Franky didn't say anything for a while, Zoro removed his arm and turned to look over the couch's backrest at him. Franky was smirking. "What's so funny?"

"Not funny, you can call it smugness, I guess," Franky said. He reached into the breast pocket of his shirt and pulled out a little device that looked like a remote control. "To be honest: I didn't do it because I thought something like this could happen, but rather... because I expected Sanji to run away from here."

"Run away...? What are you even talking about?"

"Ha! It's a suuuper coincidence that I managed to plant the sensor just before he was kidnapped. I did it because curly-bro seemed so worried about you... This couldn't have gone better!"

Zoro stared. "Franky, you don't mean-"

"Yeah, baby!" Franky said and held up the device where a point blinked on a small display. "I planted a bug on that sweet piece of ass!"

Sanji looked out of the car's window. The beautiful landscape flew past him unnoticed as they made their way over the lonely country road. He hadn't said a word since he had stepped inside that car.

The time he had spent with Zoro and Franky... it had been nice while it lasted. Joking around with friends and being relaxed enough that he could sleep soundly at night without even worrying what would be tomorrow... Would he ever get to experience that kind of freedom again?

There was no way Joker would let him out of his sight again, not this time. Not when he had come so close to running away, so close to happiness.

"Don't be like that, Sanji. You know, I don't have a choice," Gin suddenly said, eyes fixed on the road.

"Kill or be killed, that's the shitty way it's always been, huh?" Sanji rested his chin on the ball of his hand. Eyes glazing over, a chill rocked his body as he saw the city in the far distance.

"They won't kill you."

"With the fate that awaits me... they might as well."

Gin stayed silent for a while. His hands gripping the steering wheel tightly, he shot short glances at Sanji from the corners of his eyes. "Y-You know..." he began hesitantly after some time, his voice growing quieter at the end. "Joker has been very satisfied with my work lately and... well, he might want to give me a reward soon. He often does that to... to encourage his men."

Sanji already knew where this was going. Shifting in his seat, he turned his head to look at Gin. "So?" he asked, a crease forming between his eyes as he stared hard at Gin. Rain had begun to fall again, the big drops hammering against the glass at irregular intervals.

"So... if I ask for you, then maybe-"

"You want me to become your bitch," Sanji concluded.

"No! Shit... I didn't mean it like that. I owe you my life, Sanji," Gin said, an almost desperate tremor in his voice. "I just-"

"Gin?"

"Yeah?"

"Please stop talking."

Thankfully, he did as he was told and an unbelievable drowsiness came over Sanji. Like unforgiving waves during a storm, it numbed his body, leaving only a feeling of emptiness in its wake. Turning his head back to the glass, Sanji rested his forehead against the cool surface as the car continued to fly over the bumpy road and towards his new workplace.

Zoro rushed around in Franky's garage, throwing everything back into his bag he had unpacked in the past two days while Franky typed something on his notebook.

Shirts, pants, underwear and sword polish entered his bag one after another. It would only be a matter of time until Franky found out Sanji's destination and then he had to be ready to rescue the blonde and vanish from the surface of the earth again. He had done it before, he could do so again.

After throwing another pair of socks carelessly into the bag, Zoro reached for a carefully folded shirt that lay on a chair. Slowly, Zoro picked it up and held it out in front of his eyes. Sanji's shirt... the one Zoro had given him to sleep in.

As the only one whose face wasn't known, Franky had gone and bought the blonde a few more clothes, two suits and some underwear, but Sanji had still slept in this shirt at night. His heart skipping a beat, Zoro ran his thumbs over the soft fabric and swallowed at the lump inside his throat.

He still saw that desperate look on Sanji's face. Why had he given up like that? Why hadn't he fought for his freedom?

"If you start to sniff that damn thing then you really take that stalker role too far, bro," Franky said.

Feeling his right eyebrow twitch, Zoro threw the shirt into the bag. "Oh, shut up. Any news?"

"They are driving to Tokyo and that is as much as I can tell you for now," Franky answered. The device that detected the signal from the bug on Sanji's clothes displayed coordinates he was able to check on the internet.

"Can't we just follow them already?" Zoro asked. "They can't be that far yet! If I use my bike, then-"

"You can do what? Watch how that ass takes off with your blonde again? Not cool, bro."

"And what are you saying I should do? I can't let them take Sanji away from me!"

"Oh, you sure are passionate," Franky said but an intense glare from Zoro made him cave in. "Geez, no use looking at me like that. I have a plan, okay?"

"What plan?"

"Did you already forget how these guys work, Zoro-bro?" Franky asked. "Money is everything. I'm sure they'll take Sanji directly to his new workplace."

"So?"

"So, we'll wait until he gets there and then start our rescue mission."

"They can take him to a brothel for all we know!" The mere thought disgusted Zoro.

"And you think Blondie will just do what they tell him to do? No chance, man. That one seems pretty feisty. I think he can hold out until we get there."

"If anything happens to him, then I'll get your ass for that, Franky!"

"I hope you don't mean that literally..." Franky said and at a beep, he looked down at his device. "Ah! Seems like they stopped."

Sanji took a long drag from his cigarette while he pulled back his leg. He sighed as the smoke invaded his lungs, soothing him and his fucked up mood from the inside out.

"If you think I'm going to wear this thing, then you are dead wrong," he said to a guy who lay on the ground and clutched his stomach where a kick had landed before. A blue costume was lying next to him, a few drops of blood spreading out to form dark splotches on the fabric.

Sanji placed only the top of his toes back on the ground, ready to kick the bastard several more times should he try something funny again.

"Damn you!" the man pressed out between coughs. His dark, curly hair slid over the floor as he writhed in agony. "Joker will hear about this."

Sanji's eyes were dark, unforgiving. He looked down at the man as if he was vermin, some nasty bug that ought to be crushed. "And you think he cares about small fry like yourself? No chance."

The man grimaced as a bit of blood trailed out of the corner of his mouth. He sat up, his face twisted in pain. "You damn whore-"

"That's enough, Biscuit. Go and do your damn rounds in the club," Gin said as he entered the room. His eyes weren't any friendlier than Sanji's as they looked at the man on the ground.

"But Gin, I have orders to-"

"You've new orders now. Go."

Gritting his teeth, Biscuit dragged himself up and left the dressing room, closing the door behind him with more force than was necessary.

"Returning to old habits now?" Gin said, bending down to pick up the costume that had been left behind.

"What? You thought I would be all meek now that you've got me again? I won't let that scum touch me!"

"He might be scum but he's following Joker's orders," Gin replied.

"I'm not wearing this," Sanji said, pointing at the hideous oriental costume in Gin's hands. "I'm not some shitty princess and I won't dress up like one for any reason!"

"You should be glad that you can work here for now, Sanji."

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Sanji spit out. He crushed his cigarette between his teeth before he let it fall to the ground and stepped on it. "This 'establishment' is just the first step. As soon as a customer gets interested, you'll sell my ass in no time. I know how this works, alright?!"

"I don't want this either, I-"

"Shut it, Gin," Sanji said. "Let's just get this over with... and I'm not wearing that thing."

"I'm sure he's kicking ass right now," Franky said while tinkering with some small robot in his hands. He was regularly checking Sanji's position on the other device.

Stopping to stuff his old clothes into the bag, Zoro looked at Franky. "You don't even know if he can fight."

"Don't give me that, bro. He has got the look of a fighter... and those legs of his, don't tell me you didn't notice."

Zoro grinned. "Not as out of practice as I thought, eh?"

"Kidding? I've replaced more body parts than you cut off in your life, man. I know almost as much about the human body as Chopper and those legs could crush a fucking wall!" Franky said. He then lay down the robot and typed something on his notebook. "But enough of that. They have been in the same place for more than ten minutes now and their destination is... ah, Kabukichō! Well, still better than Shinjuku-ni-chōme..."

"You think that's better?!"

Kabukichō was the red-light district in Tokyo while in Shinjuku-ni-chōme most of gay bars and clubs were situated.

Franky shrugged. "Thought you would like it more if Blondie gets touched by some woman than dude... Geez, put those sharp things away! I'm looking, I'm looking," he said and looked where exactly Sanji and Gin had stopped. "Seems to be a mixed host club. Oh, they have an oriental theme tonight... nice!"

Zoro sheathed his swords again. "What sort of host club?"

"Seems pretty posh... and it won't be easy to get in there. Only VIPs are allowed."

"Damn... what are we supposed to do?"

Franky grinned. "Well, I know one person who goes in and out of clubs like this."

"...no. You can't be serious! You know how she is, she will most definitely-" Zoro said but Franky had already picked up the phone and dialled a number.

"Robin? We could need a bit of your expertise."

Sanji glared at the man who had been leering at him for a whole of twenty minutes. After kicking three more thugs, he had managed to keep his suit on but that didn't seem to ward off any perverts. On the contrary, they seemed to be even more turned on by the skin that was hidden from them.

"What's the matter, sweetie?" the middle-aged woman who had appointed him asked, touching his arm gently and sliding even closer to Sanji on the soft booth.

She was nowhere near his type but Sanji always knew to behave in front of a woman. "It's nothing," Sanji said with a blinding smile. "I'm sorry if I seem a bit distracted. I haven't done this in a very long time."

The hand on his arm slid to his thigh as the woman sidled up even further. "Oh, how come?" she asked, her deep-red coloured lips puckered up in a way she most likely thought to be seductive. Three big and heavy rings adorned the hand on his thigh and Sanji swore that even one of those rocks could reduce his debt by a high amount.

Too bad he wasn't a thief.

Beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable, Sanji decided on a rather risky move. He looked down to his hands, clasped them in his lap and willed his voice to sound sad, even depressed. "Well, you see... I- I met this guy."

"Guy?" the woman asked, her hand moving back to his arm.

"Yes, and you wouldn't believe the body he has!" Sanji said, his expression turning dreamy and then sad again. "Well, one day, I decided to approach him and then-"

Five minutes later, the woman had put a bit of a distance between them again but she practically hung on his lips.

"And you kissed him just like that?" she asked him, her revealing cleavage bouncing as she clasped her hands in front of her chest.

Sanji chuckled sadly. "Had to, didn't I? Some people just don't get a hint." The woman nodded in agreement. "And he became all hot from just that kiss! Makes you want to imagine the real thing..."

A heated look appeared on the lady's face and Sanji leaned back on his chair, putting a glass of wine to his lips. He might have just found a way of making a ton of money without even having to lose his shirt.

The delivery boy trembled as a green-haired man looked into the bag he had been instructed to bring to this place. The whole house... garage or whatever else this was, looked like some big junk yard. Only a few normal pieces of furniture gave the impression of someone living there and the two men in front of him didn't seem to be too friendly, either.

"That's ridiculous, Franky! This will never work!"

The boy jumped when the green-haired guy yelled at his friend. He had pulled out some emerald dress from the bag and was clutching Miss LeFleur's letter in the other hand.

"Come on, Zoro bro. It's the only way," Franky said. "You won't get in like this! They know your face... And I'm not exactly the club type."

"But this is humiliating! Robin is just doing this to get a good laugh."

Remembering the smirk with which Miss LeFleur had sent him off, the boy had to silently agree. He had gotten quite a few jobs from that woman and not even one of them could have been considered 'ordinary'. In fact, he began to ask himself if the extra bucks were even worth the danger, he kept getting in. Those cannons in that corner looked deadly.

"Well... maybe she is," Franky admitted. "But look at the bright side."

"That is?"

"...a new experience?"

Zoro grimaced and then looked at the shoes in distaste. "I'll never be able to fight in those."

"Geez, that guy did a number on you," Cracker said to Biscuit as he came back to the entrance from doing his rounds in the club.

One of his eyes was swollen enough that he could barely see and his lip had a deep cut. "Fuck you! That bastard only got me by surprise!"

"I'm not so sure about that... from what you hear about him, he is quite strong. Rumours say that Joker wants him to join his ranks."

Biscuit laughed humourlessly. "Don't be ridiculous. That bitch might be able to raise some nice money in a whore house but he isn't cut out for our business."

"Yeah, maybe... he chats just like a damn pussy. Did you see him with that pig in the club?"

Biscuit and Cracker shook with laughter as slowly, a strong presence came their way. Feeling a shudder, both of them stopped abruptly as a woman approached them. Her appearance was... mighty, one could say. She wore a long, emerald dress that did nothing to hide her muscular body. A green cloth was draped over her shoulders and the long, green hair swayed slightly as she looked at them with a grim expression.

Without saying a word, she pressed an id card into Cracker's hand and readjusted the bright pink bag that hang from her shoulder.

Biscuit stared up at her while Cracker looked at the card's name. "I'm sorry, Miss, but Robin LeFleur is a regular here and you look nothing like-"

An icy glare stopped him as a letter was pressed into his hands. Cracker read it quickly and said, "I- I see. You're a foreigner who wants to see our establishment but Miss LeFleur can't accompany you?"

The woman nodded and Cracker frowned. "Well, it's unusual but Miss LeFleur is a very good costumer. I think we can make an exception... if you would follow me, Miss...?"

"Green?" the woman pressed out in an unexpectedly low voice.

"Green, right. This way, please."

Biscuit stared after them, clutching his chest when they were out of sight. "I think I'm in love."

"This is ridiculous! I gained more money with my stories than I'll ever do in that room!" Sanji yelled as he was dragged to one of the back rooms.

"But this lady is a guest from our best costumer and she requested a prissy blonde. Just shut up and do as you're told!" Cracker said and pushed Sanji through the door, closing it quickly behind him.

Sanji stumbled a bit but caught himself just in time. Looking up, he spotted a green-haired woman standing with her back to him. His gaze stopped at that wide back and broad shoulders then went back to the unusual hair.

"If you laugh, I'm gonna fucking kill you, understood?" a gruff voice said and Sanji's mouth opened in shock as the 'woman' turned around.

"Z-Zoro?!"

It was indeed Zoro who glared back at him, a deep crease forming between his eyes as he crossed his arms.

Zoro grimaced at Sanji's disbelieving look. "Was the only way to get in... still can't believe it worked, though. Are all of them that stupid?!"

"B-But... you are..."

Looking down at himself, Zoro gritted his teeth tightly. "I talked to Robin on the phone and she said this was the only way to get you out," he said. When Sanji just kept staring at him, Zoro went on, "Will you just say something?!"

"...I'm strangely turned on," Sanji said. When Zoro glared at him, he held up his hands as if to defend himself from that piercing look. "N-No, really! You are like the ugliest woman ever but it's still kinda hot... seeing you go that far for me."

Zoro looked away and scratched the back of his neck. His green-coloured wig moved in time to his touch and a faint blush across his cheeks made Sanji smile. "We better hurry..."

"Well, it's not like anyone will come back any time soon."

"No, but I don't like how you're lookin' at me. This experience is traumatising enough as it is."

Sanji grinned but decided not to say anything about Zoro's appearance anymore. The simple fact that he had come for him, that he went far enough to dress up in this ridiculous outfit to avoid detection and bring Sanji away from there... it was unbelievable and simply amazing.

Swallowing against the knot that had formed inside his throat, Sanji said, "W-We can't just walk out of here, though."

"Funny, that's exactly what I have in mind."

With a dirty grin that couldn't mean anything remotely good in Sanji's eyes, Zoro opened his big bag and pulled out some hideous pink dress and a blonde wig.

Realising at once what this meant, Sanji yelled, "You're fucking kidding me!"

"Not at all. Be ready, Princess. Our diversion will start in five minutes."

Cursing and not even bothering to ask, Sanji loosened his tie and then wriggled out of his suit. His cheeks flushed when Zoro kept watching him and he could only see the shameless behaviour as payback for his earlier amusement. Now standing in only his boxers in front of the green-haired idiot, he cursed again when Zoro handed him that dress.

"This is the shittiest, most fucked up rescue mission the world has ever seen!" Sanji said as he yanked the fabric out of Zoro's hand and threw it over his head, fidgeting so it would fall over his body. Once the dress had settled, Sanji was surprised how well it fit.

"Don't just stand there looking pretty! Put on the wig! We still have to shave your chin," Zoro said impatiently.

"What?! Hell no!"

"Don't be such a fucking priss. Do you wanna get out of here or not?"

"This is humiliating," Sanji said but obediently put on the wig and took the razor Zoro had just tugged out of the bag. With practised ease he removed the bit of stubble on his chin.

"All gone?"

"Pretty much," Zoro answered. "Now only the shoes," he pointed at a pair of pink heels he had placed on the ground, "and some make-up. Then we're ready to-"

"Make-up?! Are you fucking kidding me?!"

Cracker chewed on a piece of gum as he checked his phone for messages. He had been told to watch the door where that feisty blonde served the weird green-haired chick. They often had people in that place who needed special watching. Indebted businessmen, drug addicts and anyone else who thought they could make a fool out of their boss were forced to work in this kind of environment if they looked remotely good.

Cracker didn't know that blonde's story but he had given Biscuit and some other punks quite the beating and that didn't seem like something one of those office sitters or junkies could do.

But whatever the guy's occupation had been or what he had done to get that debt, it didn't really matter here anyway. They all ended up the same way.

Grinning as he discovered a new message from one of his girlfriends, Cracker noticed neither the cursing nor the bangs and clattering that suddenly came out of the room he was supposed to watch. He was too engrossed in sweet promises of skimpy lingerie and cheap champagne.

What he did notice, though, was the smoke that suddenly exploded out of a room to the right. Holding his arm in front of his face, Cracker slipped the phone back into his suit pocket and ran to the source of the commotion.

Several people had begun to panic, running aimlessly around in search for the exit.

"Calm the fuck dow- I mean, dear customers, please don't panic! We have everything under control!" he yelled against the stream of people but was completely ignored.

Just as he helped up a plump lady that cursed at him in French, the door behind Cracker opened and two well-built women slipped out.

Carefully, they made their way through the crowd, walking slowly so no attention would fall on them. When they reached the exit, however, the green-haired woman was stopped by a hand on her muscular arm.

"Y-You are going already?" Biscuit asked and Sanji quickly looked down to hide his face. "I- I mean, there isn't really a fire! I know what fire smells like, s-so there isn't."

"'Course you know what fire smells like... you're usually the one to start it!" Sanji thought but kept his head down.

"Can't you stay a bit longer?"

The longing in the thug's voice made Sanji look up a bit. Damn... did that bastard really develop a crush on Zoro? He suddenly liked the bruises he had placed on Biscuit's face even better.

"We've places to be," Zoro said and Sanji nearly keeled over. The idiot didn't even try to change his voice.

Biscuit didn't seem to notice anything, however. He kept staring at Zoro with admiration. Maybe even more than before...?

"Then let me escort you and your friend to your-"

"No need. Fuck off," Zoro said and now Sanji really stumbled. Only Zoro's hand on his shoulder kept him from falling down.

"Too bad," Biscuit said, his eyes unusually bright. "See you later?"

Zoro didn't answer but just kept walking with Sanji close to his side.

"You sure you don't want to give that guy your number?" Sanji asked. Thanks to the adrenaline rushing through his body, the whole situation seemed even funnier to him.

"One more word and I'll cut you up," was Zoro's short reply as he dragged Sanji along behind him.

"You don't have your swords, Marimo."

"You would be surprised at what I can do with my bare hands."

"Well, you sure break hearts with your female side," Sanji said, cracking a smile.

"Oh, just shut up. Don't make me regret saving your ass," Zoro said. When they reached an alleyway that was out of sight from the host club, Zoro pulled off the wig and rummaged in the bag for his cell phone. Once he had found it, Zoro typed a short message to tell Franky where he was supposed to pick them up. "Damn that Franky... he went too far with the smoke. I bet someone called the fire department."

"How did he even do that? And how did you find me in the first place?"

"He built some small robot. I dropped it on the floor just before I entered that room. As for how I found you..." Zoro said and reached into the bag again. He pulled out Sanji's suit jacket and ran his fingers under its lapels until he found a small device. "Franky bugged you," he said, holding up the small sensor for Sanji to see.

His eyes widening, Sanji felt his heart drop to his stomach all of a sudden, followed by a strong wave of relief. Everything suddenly sank in. Every fucking thing.

He was out... safe. Zoro had saved him.

"Franky will pick us up in a bit," Zoro said after checking his phone again. He gave Sanji a concerned look when he got no reply. "You alright?"

"I-"

"Watch out!"

Zoro pushed Sanji out of the way and against the wall as a tonfa flew past him, missing his head by only a few inches. His heart racing, Sanji followed the weapon to its owner. "Gin! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he cried out.

"I can't let you get away again! Not this time!" Gin's face was distorted in an angry grimace. He glared at Sanji and then began to attack Zoro, his tonfa crushing against Zoro's arms as he protected his body.

"Stop it!" Sanji yelled when he saw Zoro gritting his teeth together to keep from shouting out in pain.

"Fuck you! I'm done with playing nice!" Gin yelled back and kept attacking the unarmed swordsman. Relentlessly, he slashed out, the attacks strong enough that deep gashes appeared on Zoro's arms. Blood dripped to the ground as Zoro tried to find an opening.

"Stay back, Sanji. I'll deal with him," he said but Gin's attacks kept pushing him back.

Gritting his teeth together and clenching his fists tightly at his sides, Sanji glared at both of them.

How dare they... how dare they...!?

His dress flaring up, Sanji's leg shot through the air and was only barely stopped inches away from Gin's face by one of his tonfa.

"Don't," Sanji pressed out, putting more and more force behind that kick. "Treat me." Gin's arm began to tremble. "Like." His eyes widening, Gin used his other arm as well to wield off the attack. "A fucking Princess!" Sanji cried out and Gin was pushed back. He crashed into the wall, his head hitting hard stone and body slumping to the ground.

Taking a deep breath and placing his foot back to the ground, Sanji glared at the wide-eyed Zoro. "Got anything to say, Marimo?"

Zoro looked down at the motionless form of Gin on the ground and then back at Sanji, his mouth forming a small 'o'.

"I- I think I want that duel now."

Eyebrows raised, Sanji slowly went to retrieve one of his cigarettes out of Zoro's bag and immediately lit it up. Head turned upwards, he blew out the smoke. "Let's get out of these shitty dresses first. Then I'll play with you as long as you like."

To be continued...

Do I have to apologise for this chapter?

... nah XD

And before I get more desperate messages: Yes, there will be smut very very soon.

Thanks for reading! :)