Creighton Quarry tore deep into the earth on Crystal Cove, a mile wide and two miles deep. A single winding road cut into the steep face of the quarry. Scaffolds and platforms braced against the walls for drilling work. Large diggers, loaders, and haulers dug and moved payloads. An enormous rock crusher stood like a monolith in the quarry, accessible by a diversion in the road. Run by a cyborg mafia, the quarry exploited its employees with long hours, low pay, and dangerous conditions. As it was the only major employer on the island, the mafia had a captive workforce. At least, it did, until the Straw Hat crew docked at the island.
Sanji flipped backward, narrowly dodging the grappling hook launched by the mafia cyborg facing him. He’d toppled about a dozen cyborgs so far, with abilities ranging from Franky-style weaponry to lasers and sonic screams. The rest of the Straw Hats were scattered around the quarry, fighting their own opponents. Nami was closest to Sanji, near the rock crusher, using her Clima-Tact against a female cyborg intent on pummeling her. Sanji kept half-an-eye on Nami, not because she needed saving, but because he needed her to be safe.
When they docked that morning, they’d arrived in time for a mass funeral in the town of Crystal Haven due to a landslide at the quarry. Inquiries led to questions that led to a pissed off Luffy and crew, and they set out to do something about the mafia. Word travelled fast, however, and the Straw Hats walked into an ambush while investigating the quarry conditions. The leader of the mafia, an enormous devil fruit-using cyborg called Thresher, had cackled about collecting their bounties before launching their attack.
Luffy was currently battling Thresher and his devil fruit ability to manipulate gravity. Usopp sniped opponents from the top of a hauler, while Chopper rammed anyone who tried to get close to Usopp. Robin was tossing mafia members off the road into the quarry’s lower pit. Jinbe, Franky, and Brook battled at the bottom against a mass of robotic assailants the mafia had built to keep employees in line. Zoro was dancing along the scaffolding, fighting a multi-bladed second-in-command.
Sanji spun, foot aflame, and kicked through the links of the chain of the grappling arm, shattering them, costing the cyborg to lose the lower half of his limb. The cyborg roared in outrage, unleashing a barrage of rockets from his shoulder at Sanji. Sanji nimbly leapt into the air, out of the way. The rockets exploded into the ground, sending enormous shockwaves of energy outward and rubble flying into the air.
Sanji saw Nami teeter when the shockwave hit her. The female cyborg she was fighting took advantage by picking up a boulder and heaving it in Nami’s direction. “Nami-san!” Sanji shouted, heart leaping into his throat. He didn’t think; he never did, when Nami’s safety was concerned. Another assault of rockets screamed in his direction, but Sanji was already moving, putting on a burst of speed, running for Nami.
Nami dodged, but the boulder clipped her shoulder, causing her to fall over the edge of the rock crusher with a shattering scream. Sanji jumped after her instantly. The second he snagged her by the arm, relief coursed through his mind. Before she could reach the crusher’s jaws, he spun to fling her to safety back on the road. The female cyborg was at the lip of the crusher, another boulder over her massive shoulder. Nami sailed over the cyborg’s head with a flip to land behind the cyborg as the cyborg threw the boulder down at Sanji with all her might.
Sanji kicked the boulder mid-air, standing a centimeter above the crushing jaws. The rock shattered – and behind it came the female cyborg, hurtling down. Nami must’ve shoved her. With nowhere to dodge, she slammed into Sanji. They crashed into the crusher’s jaws. “Shit!” Sanji shouted as the female cyborg screamed in his ear and scrambled up his body like a ladder. The machine caught his legs, grinding them mercilessly as it pulled him deeper inside.
The cyborg tried to use him as a platform to make her escape, stomping him down further into the machine. Sanji’s legs were useless and his pelvis was currently being crushed. It fucking pissed him off. He felt violence coil in his chest. He wanted to grab the cyborg and smash her from side-to-side against the walls over the hopper, but she was female and Sanji’s moral code would never allow him to do it. Zeff’s face flashed in his head, the memory of his threat to slit his throat if Sanji ever harmed a woman reverberated through his mind.
“Sanji!” Nami appeared at the rim and aimed a shot of lightning at the cyborg, who lit up like a holiday tree before collapsing into Sanji’s arms. Sanji pushed the cyborg’s body above him as the crusher kept grinding him downward. He spotted the male cyborg that had been fighting Sanji appear behind Nami with an evil grin. Sanji’s eyes widened and panic seized his chest. “Nami, look out!” he shouted. He saw her whip around and dive out of the way as the cyborg tried to grab her.
The male cyborg looked down at Sanji, cradling the scorched female cyborg, and launched his remaining arm down to retrieve her. She shot up to him and he caught her in his arms.
“Cyclone Tempo!” Nami’s cry rang out a heartbeat before both cyborgs were hurled past the rock crusher and into the quarry pit.
“Nami-san is great!” Sanji breathed a sigh of relief. She was safe, that was all that mattered to him.
Nami’s frightened face appeared at the rim of the rock crusher. “Sanji-kun!”
Sanji dropped lower, the crusher at mid-chest level now. He would be in excruciating pain, or dead, if he wasn’t himself. But he couldn’t feel anything, so mostly he was annoyed at being caught in a machine. He might be extremely fast, but he wasn’t infallible. “Find an off switch!” Sanji yelled up at her. “Preferably before I become pasta!”
Nami nodded frantically and disappeared from sight. Sanji snagged his cigarettes and his lighter from the inner breast pocket of his suit coat before that part of him sank into the machine. He drew a cigarette from the pack, lit up, and inhaled the soothing smoke. Maybe this was how things ended for him, flattened, smoking, curious if he could survive his head being crushed.
Sanji dropped more, his upper chest being ground like a rock into a smaller shape. It was more difficult to breathe now as his lungs were smashed. This wasn’t the first time he’d been chewed up by the world for trying to protect someone. It probably wouldn’t be the last. “Any day now,” he muttered, taking a shallow drag on his cigarette.
He wondered how the others were fairing in their fights. The mafia had a large number of cyborgs, plus the robots. Victory was inevitable, but he worried about the cost of injury to his friends, especially when it came to that idiot swordsman. They’d just come from another island where Zoro had gotten slashed up in a fight and he was still healing from it. He didn’t need any more holes poked into him.
The rock crusher ground to a halt mere inches from Sanji’s neck. The silence that followed seemed deafening. He took the spent cigarette from his lips and flicked it into the dead, grinding maw beside him. Good thing he’d pissed before they’d left the ship. Getting crushed was bad enough. Wet trousers would’ve added insult to injury.
Nami reappeared a few minutes later, along with Zoro, Franky, and Usopp. Zoro immediately jumped into the machine, landing with his feet braced on either side of the hopper before he hit the jaws. Zoro’s face was pale, his eye wide with alarm. “Cook…”
“I’m fine, pet,” Sanji rasped quickly, barely audible. He couldn’t take much of a breath to speak. He was relieved to see Zoro uninjured, for once. “Just caught. Here, take my cigarettes.”
“You saved your cigarettes?” Zoro sounded both bemused and on the verge of panic. He took the pack and lighter from Sanji, tucking it into the pocket of his olive-green long coat.
“Of course I saved my cigarettes.” Sanji snorted as if it would be any other way. “Now cut me out of here.”
Zoro nodded, his face still pale. He drew Wado and glanced upward. “Franky, send down a hand to hold onto the cook.”
“Got it.” Franky shot his detachable hand on a chain at Sanji, catching his wrist. Sanji curled his fingers tightly around the chain.
Zoro studied the hopper and the crusher jaws for a moment, took a steading breath, and made several quick slices that, at first, appeared not to do anything. Then, the back side of the crusher fell apart, crashing to the quarry below. Zoro jumped at the last second, latching on to the rim of the hopper so he didn’t fall as well. Sanji dangled freely from Franky’s mechanical hand, eyes fixed on cyborg bodies sprawled in the pit below.
Slowly, he was reeled upward. He had to rely on Franky to pull him to safety, as he was numb from the shoulders down. He was dragged over the rim of the hopper and onto the solid ground. Four sharp gasps echoed as Franky released his grip. Nami, Usopp, Franky, and Zoro stood over him, mouths agape with horror.
“S-Sanji-kun?” Nami whispered fearfully.
Usopp wrapped his arms around himself and shuddered. “How are you alive?”
“That’s not good, bro,” Franky commented, wincing in disbelief.
Sanji flicked his eyes from one face to another, a knot forming in his crushed chest. Nami, Usopp, and Franky shrank back in shock, dread etched on their faces. Zoro spun away, took a few steps, and then vomited. The sight hit Sanji harder than any crusher could. He didn’t need a mirror to see himself, he could see it reflected in their faces. He looked like a monster. A wave of despair crashed over Sanji, heavy and cold.
Franky started to turn. “I’m gonna go and get Chopper.”
“Don’t bother,” Sanji said in a shallow voice. He shoved his arms down, gritting his teeth as his shoulders snapped back into place. Then, he began pounding out the kinks, realigning what the crusher had twisted. Under their stunned gazes, he slammed his fists into his ribs until his chest expanded in the right direction. He took a deep breath. He felt his heartbeat go from sluggish to steady.
No one spoke. They only stared, frozen, horrified, helpless. Zoro was still turned away, hands on his knees, shoulders heaving. Not even Zoro would look at him.
The truth struck deeper than any injury he suffered. Shame and self-loathing curled in Sanji’s gut. He wished they would look away. Or scream. Or run. Or do anything but keep watching him. But they didn’t, so he kept going. He reshaped himself under their silent, disbelieving eyes.
Once he got his pelvis knocked together again, he was able to sit up and actually see the extent of the damage. His normally muscular legs appeared to be about three or four inches wide. His suit was a wreck, ripped and dirty. The visible skin beneath the tears was pristine, however, as there’d been no injury to it.
Sanji ignored everyone’s weighted gaze and fixed his legs. They knew about his genetic modifications. He’d told everyone enough about them, about how he couldn’t really get hurt. But this was the first time they’d seen it. Seen what he’d meant. How unnatural it made him. Only Chopper had witnessed this. But now, they also knew. Bile coated his throat from self-disgust. He was a freak. An abomination. Even his pet had turned away and thrown up. Sanji’s shoulders were tense as he reset the final joint. Then, he stood, dusted off his suit, and forced a bright, easy smile onto his face. “Right as rain,” he said. “No concern necessary.”
Nami, Usopp, and Franky continued staring at him with wide eyes. “Um, that’s great, Sanji,” Usopp said, sounding unsettled. Nami had tears in her eyes. Sanji’s stomach churned with anguish. His monstrous body had made Nami cry.
“Sure you don’t want Chopper to check you over?” Franky asked, his tone wary with worry.
“I’m good.” Sanji turned his back to all of them before they could say something else, or express any more aversion. He walked over to Zoro, still hunched over. Sick spattered the ground at Zoro’s feet. Sanji tapped Zoro’s shoulder. “Oi, marimo. Give me my smokes.”
Zoro straightened slowly, dragging a hand down his face. Dirty tear tracks streaked down his cheeks. Sanji flinched. His body – his freakish, disgusting body – had caused Zoro to cry. Fuck. He wasn’t worth any tears. He wasn’t worth anything, at all. “Cut it out,” he said sharply. “You’re embarrassing yourself.”
Zoro reared back slightly, then scowled. “Fuck you. You don’t get to decide how I react to seeing you nearly flattened like a fucking pancake.”
Sanji’s smirk was hollow and cruel. “That’s where you’re wrong, pet. On your knees.”
Zoro stared at him angrily for a long, drawn out moment. Then, he dropped to his knees, right in the puddle of puke.
A bomb of hatred directed solely at himself detonated in Sanji. His stomach twisted and his lip curled as he started to self-destruct, spitting out ugly cruelties. “Fuck, you’re pathetic. Look at you, kneeling in vomit. Why do you let yourself act like a whipped pussy? Don’t you have any self-respect?”
Franky cleared his throat. “Uh, I think I hear Robin calling me.”
“What’s that, Chopper? You need my medical expertise? I am on my way,” Usopp added, and the two of them bolted. Nami simply walked away.
Zoro ground his jaw, but said nothing. The retreat of their friends made the bile rise further in Sanji's throat. He wanted to scream, but all he did was laugh bitterly, jaggedly. “I have broken you too well. I bet I could tell you to lick up that puke and you would.”
Zoro didn’t flinch. He just stared at Sanji with something unreadable in his eye. It was starting to piss Sanji off. Didn’t Zoro realize that Sanji wasn’t worth being in a relationship with? That he was a disgusting, toxic mess? “Do it, bitch. Lick up your sick.”
The shift in Zoro’s demeanor was so sudden it knocked the wind from Sanji. Zoro’s anger melted. It was replaced by understanding, sadness, love. “Yes, Sanji,” Zoro said quietly.
Zoro scooted backward, lowering forward toward the puddle of vomit. Sanji’s breath caught, the horror over what he was doing to his pet surging through him. “Zoro, no! Stop!”
Zoro stilled and raised his eye. He was calm, steady. Full of patience that Sanji didn’t deserve. It broke Sanji. His whole chest ached as if he’d been put through the crusher again. He finally remembered what he was supposed to do, what he’d promised to do, if his body became too much. “Eirik,” he whispered brokenly.
Zoro was on his feet immediately. He gathered Sanji in his arms, pulling him close, drawing him in tight. “I’m here. I’ve got you,” he comforted softly. “It’s okay. What’s going on in your head, love? What do you need?”
Sanji clutched Zoro’s coat, pressing his forehead against Zoro’s shoulder. His voice trembled as shattered emotions rushed through him. “Why were you going to do that? Why didn’t you say the safe word?”
Zoro’s strong arms held him with steady tenderness. “Because at that moment, you didn’t need me to stop. You needed my love, unconditionally. Not for me to reject you.”
Sanji blinked hard against the sting in his eyes. “Stupid swordsman,” he muttered. “You shouldn’t love me so much.”
“Not for you to decide, either.” Zoro cupped the back of Sanji’s neck, thumb rubbing back and forth against his skin. “Tell me what’s going on.”
In the distance, Sanji could hear Chopper berating Luffy – another sign that the fighting had ended, since four of the crew had already come to gawk at the abomination. Despair dragged him down again. “I’m a freak,” he said hollowly.
“Why do you think that?” Zoro’s voice was quiet, patient. He didn’t let go, arms still securely wrapped around Sanji, anchoring him.
Sanji shut his eyes, trying to block out the memory of them recoiling upon seeing him. A bitter chuckle escaped his lips. “You puked when you saw me. Franky, Usopp, and Nami were horrified by me. This body is an abomination.”
“No, it’s not. It’s what saved your life.” Zoro trembled briefly in Sanji’s hold. “You don’t understand how badly you looked. I knew that I should have lost you and the grief hit me so hard that I threw up. I don’t…,” Zoro’s throat hitched, “...I can’t function without you.”
Guilt crept into Sanji. “You can’t say that, asshole. You have your own life to live and a dream to fulfill, whether I’m here or not. I’m just a diversion for the in-between times.”
“No, you’re not just a diversion,” Zoro said, tone rough with emotion. His arms tightened around Sanji. “Kuina put me on my path to my dream, but you’ve freed me in a way that I didn’t know was possible. If I had to choose between you and it, I would choose you every time. But you would never make me choose, and so I strive every day to reach my goal, knowing that you are behind me, supporting me, taking care of me, loving me in the way that it turned out I needed. You are my Dom and I cannot be without you.”
Sanji’s throat burned and his heart squeezed achingly in his chest. “Zoro…”
Zoro shifted, took one of Sanji’s hands, and placed it against the moxibustion mark behind his left ear. “You own me and I will not spend one second doing anything but submitting to your will. No matter how dark or bleak things get, I will not leave you. Because I know that you are worth loving, even if sometimes you have trouble with loving yourself.”
Sanji’s breath hitched as he rubbed his fingertip against the raised mark behind Zoro’s ear. The familiar texture grounded him. Zoro’s words were like a lifeline, steadying him against the tide of self-hatred and anguish threatening to pull him under. “You’re such an idiot,” he whispered, voice wavering with feeling.
“Yours.” Zoro turned his head and pressed a kiss to Sanji’s inner wrist. “Let’s go back to the ship. We’re done here. The others can take care of the rest.”
Sanji nodded against Zoro’s shoulder. He didn’t want to see any revulsion or fear on his friends’ faces again. He wanted to be alone with Zoro, to be held and taken care of as Zoro had promised many moons ago. Until his mind settled. Until he no longer felt like a monster. Until the disgust in his own chest dulled and he could remember how to feel human again.
The walk back to the Thousand Sunny was made in silence. Zoro kept his hand cupped against the back of Sanji’s neck, a warm, comforting weight of suggested guidance. Zoro had given him back his cigarettes and Sanji used the crutch to keep himself tethered for now. The spring weather on Crystal Cove had a slight nip to the breeze. Soft clouds drifted across the sky, occasionally blotting out the warming rays of the sun. Locals strode along the dusty streets, attending to their business. The remnants of the mass funeral, flowers, pictures, and letters of love, still stood in the main square of the town.
Zoro unlocked the ship when they returned, giving Sanji quiet instructions. “Get a change of clothes for us both and meet me in the bathroom. I’m going to make us some tea.”
“Don’t mess up my kitchen,” Sanji warned, but his heart wasn’t in it. He went into the shared men’s quarters on the ship. The men’s quarters held eight hanging bunks, a sunken kotatsu-type table and sofa seating, individual lockers for their belongings, and a sink beside the door for them to wash up in. The toilets were located beneath the stairs to the upper decks outside.
Sanji walked over to his locker, opened it, and pulled out a solid black, three-piece suit along with a mauve shirt and darker purple tie. He felt the need to be covered completely, his body kept from everyone’s eyes. After grabbing a pair of black socks, he retrieved a long-sleeved blue shirt from Zoro’s locker as well as a change of trousers.
Sanji carried the clothing out of the men’s quarters, across the deck, and up the steps to the back of the ship. He climbed up to the library and then onto the bathroom situated at the top of the observation tower. The bathroom was divided in half by a privacy wall. One side housed the water closet, sink with mirror above it, a small storage cupboard for cleaning supplies and towels, and cubbies to house their belongings while they bathed. On the other side of the wall was the bath, with a large-onsen style tub big enough for the crew to share, a shower with a bench that ran along the wall beneath it, a window to let in the sea air, and bubble-patterned tile on the floor.
Sanji placed his and Zoro’s clothing in separate cubbies and utilized the water closet. After washing his hands, he began stripping out of his dirty clothes, depositing the items in the laundry basket kept near the cubbies. His face was creased with displeasure at the state of his suit. He might have to throw it out. Too bad he couldn’t throw his body out with it.
Zoro came through the ladder hatch, barefooted and bare-chested, carrying two cups and a teapot on a small tray. He’d washed his face, no trace of his earlier tears evident. Setting the tray on the bench just inside the bathing room door, he leaned his katanas beside it, safely out of the reach of the shower spray. As Sanji wrapped a towel around his naked waist, Zoro quickly shed his dirty trousers.
“Wait,” Zoro said as Sanji went to pass him. He caught Sanji gently by the shoulders and turned him to face the mirror above the sink. Sanji could see his entire reflection from where they stood. Zoro stood behind him, his face calm and steady, visible above Sanji’s shoulder. “What do you see?”
“An idiot making me look in the mirror.”
“Ass,” Zoro said without heat. “Look at yourself. Tell me what you see.”
Sanji didn’t want to do this. He wanted to sink into the bath, smoke another cigarette, and have Zoro hold him for a while. “I see blond hair, pale skin, and a body that I really don’t like right now. Can we please take a bath?”
“No. Let me tell you what I see,” Zoro said, ignoring Sanji’s protest. “I see the beautiful body that saved my Dom’s life. I see a strong body that withstood a brutal force and didn’t break. I see a powerful body that refuses to fall to physical pain.”
Sanji met Zoro’s gaze in the mirror. “You don’t have to do this. I get it.” His words held some defensiveness, reflexively shielding himself from the vulnerability.
“I don’t think you do.” Zoro pressed a kiss to Sanji’s bare shoulder. “If you did, you’d know that this body of yours is not an abomination.” Another kiss followed. “You’d see that your body is made for protecting people.” He kissed the side of Sanji's neck. “You’d understand that the physical changes only reflect your inner strength.” His lips moved higher. “Your body, even now, was made to give love.”
Sanji wanted to deny Zoro’s words. Wanted to fight back with the truth of how he felt inside – disgusting, monstrous, a Vinsmoke.
But Zoro kept going. “This is the body that shows kindness to everyone.” Soft kisses trailed along Sanji’s neck. “This is the body that cares so deeply.” He pressed kisses over Sanji’s nape and the other shoulder. “This is the body that gives everything and takes nothing in return.”
Sanji met his own reflection, watching Zoro’s gentle touch. “You’re being dumb.”
“I’m being truthful.” Zoro pressed kisses down the length of Sanji’s arm. “Your body is the one that faces danger head on. This is the body that nourishes us. This is the body that creates masterpieces with food. This is the body that keeps ours healthy and strong.” Zoro’s lips moved over Sanji’s forearm, his wrist, his hand, and each finger. “This is the body that toils all day in the kitchen for the benefit of others. This is the body that finds joy in cooking. This is the body that bakes happiness into every meal.”
Sanji swallowed the thickness in his throat as Zoro continued to kiss every inch of his skin. “This is the body that brings me such pleasure,” Zoro went on between kisses. “This is the body that sets me free. This is the body that makes me feel safe in so many ways. This is the body that I know will always have my back. This is the body that I can entrust my entire being in and this is the body that will catch me if I fall.”
Zoro was getting to Sanji. The body worship. The tender words. Those parts of himself that had broken again were being coated once more with gold. “This is the body that can make me sing,” Zoro said, lips moving along Sanji’s side now. “This is the body that can make me cry without worrying about my pride. This is the body that dares to push my boundaries and make me crave it all. This is the body who twists me up with dark delight and doesn’t fear my masochistic side. This is the body that takes care of me so tenderly after we play, that makes sure that I am okay.”
Zoro didn’t stop. He placed layers of kisses over both of Sanj’s sides, his other arm, across his entire back. In between, he continued praising Sanji’s body, telling Sanji everything it did for him, for the crew, for their other friends, and anyone they’d meet. “Your body is the first to stand when you see something wrong. Your body does not hesitate to jump into action. Your body pushes past your limits to rescue friends and defeat foes. Your body is filled with the will to fight against the toughest of enemies. Your body helps you beat insurmountable odds.”
Zoro loosened Sanji’s towel, allowing it to fall to the floor. He spread soft, tender kisses on Sanji's ass, in between, down each leg, and over both feet. “This body can kick an enemy into pieces. This body can shatter solid walls. This body can light itself on fire and become a whirlwind of destructive power. This body can deliver devastation or healing hugs. This body can provide hope to the downtrodden and despair to the wicked. This body embraces differences and fights against hate. This body will not allow injustice and prevents unkindness when met.”
Sanji had a hard time seeing past the blur in his eyes as Zoro worshiped his way up the front of Sanj’s body. He was no longer looking in the mirror, but at Zoro himself, on his knees, giving Sanji the solace that he couldn’t give himself. “This is the body that loves with all its heart. This body would do anything for our nakama. This body will help everyone reach their dreams. This body has so much to offer and never expects to receive. This body is selfless, devoted, and carries us without being asked.”
Zoro pressed kisses over Sanji’s thighs, his genitals, over his belly, up his chest. Never pausing, never hesitating, never faltering in his actions or words. “Your body deserves to be worshiped every second of every day. Your body can send me to my knees with a word or a well-placed kick. Your body can make me beg for anything you want. Your body owns every piece of me. Your body is the one who I will supplicate myself to, to give you everything your dark heart desires. Your body is the one who I will lay myself bare to, to trust in, to support me with or without need.”
Zoro rose up to his feet, kissing along Sanji’s collarbones, up his neck, over both ears, and his face. “This is the body that I adore. This is the body that I will love forever. This is the body that I will never let go of. This is the body that I can no longer function without. This is the body to whom I belong as a pet, as a sub, as anything you desire me to be.”
Sanji sucked in a shaky breath, tears falling freely, his heart swelling with love. Zoro’s mouth hovered over Sanji’s, voice low as he whispered his final words. “This is just a body. It’s the man within it that I kneel to – as yours.”
He pressed his lips to Sanji’s, sealing their mouths together with a tenderness that stripped the last remnants of Sanji’s defenses bare. Sanji sobbed into the kiss, tangling his hands in Zoro’s hair, pressing his body flush against Zoro’s. Zoro’s unwavering love soothed the deep wounds of Sanji’s self-hatred, knitting his fractured soul whole again.
Sanji broke away first, needing a tissue, needing to breathe. He rested his forehead against Zoro’s, trying to pull himself back together. “I’m the one who’s supposed to make you cry, asshole,” he sniffed.
Zoro’s lips curved softly. “Hn. Guess you’ll have to punish me.”
Sanji laughed, and this time the sound was with genuine affection. His hands twisted in Zoro’s hair. “You’re such a pain slut.”
“I am a slut for anything you want,” Zoro corrected in a low, affectionate tone, his hands warm and grounding on Sanji’s back. “Always.”
Sanji sniffed again, kissed Zoro on the lips, and released him. Sanji scrubbed a hand over his wet face. “Fuck, I hate crying,” he said. “Grab me a tissue.”
Zoro checked the shelf near the sink where the tissue was kept and picked up the box. “Empty.” He tossed the box in the trash bin, opened the storage cupboard for a replacement, and frowned. “None up here, either. I’ll run down to the hold and grab some boxes.”
“There should be six down there,” Sanji informed him. He ducked into the water closet for toilet paper as a substitute.
“Be right back,” Zoro told him, wrapping a towel around his waist before descending the ladder.
Sanji blew his nose, dropped the used tissue in the trash, and splashed cold water on his face. He caught his damp reflection in the mirror when he raised his head. Red, blotchy eyes stared back at him. No Vinsmoke would ever wear emotion like this. Proof that even if his body had changed, he was still not one of them. “I am not an abomination,” he told his reflection. “And I will not let you win.”
Whether he was talking to himself or to Vinsmoke Judge, it did not matter. Sanji retrieved his towel, dried his face, and stepped into the bathing room. The tea had cooled, but he still poured himself and Zoro a cup. He carried them on the tray over to the bath, setting it on the wide ledge. He retrieved his cigarettes, putting the pack and lighter on the edge of the tub as well, before stepping under the shower to wash.
Zoro returned just as Sanji was settling into the heated water of the tub. But he wasn’t alone. The entire crew suddenly barged into the bathroom, tossing their clothing aside, chatting loudly as they stepped beneath shower spray to clean off. Even Nami and Robin were there, wearing bathing suits. Sanji flushed bright red, and he folded his hands tightly over his naked lap.
“Sanji!” Luffy exclaimed, throwing himself nakedly into the tub with a splash. He began poking and prodding at Sanji’s torso. “Usopp said you got squished, but then you un-squished yourself. So cool!”
“Uh, yeah.” Sanji searched for his towel, but it was too far away to reach.
Chopper hopped into the water, sans shorts, and walked on the bench seat that circled the entire tub over to Sanji. “Sanji, you should have told me that you got hurt. It’s my job as a doctor to check you over, even if you don’t require anything!” Chopper scolded before hugging him around the neck. “I’m so glad that you’re okay, though! Your body is amazing!”
Jinbe slid into the tub, pausing to touch Sanji briefly on the shoulder. “The formidableness of your physical form to resist permanent injury is admirable.”
“I wish my body would reform as easily as yours does, Sanji-san,” Brook said, bare bones clicking as he stepped into the tub after Jinbe. He tapped Sanji on the tip of the nose teasingly. “But I don’t have a body, because I’m a skeleton! Yo-ho-ho!”
Chopper released Sanji and followed Brook to the other end of the tub, as twenty arms suddenly erupted around Sanji to hug him. Luffy floated off. Robin smiled at Sanji as she joined them in the water. “I am very glad that you are able to survive such devastating injury,” she said. “I do not wish to lose any more people that I care about.”
“Robin-chan, your words are too kind,” Sanji said, feeling overwhelmed by the people and the sentiments. Plus, he was naked in front of her. Not that she hadn’t seen his dick before, but still.
“Words can never be kind enough,” Robin told him, before moving on. Her devil fruit arms disappeared in a shower of petals that dissolved in the water.
“Bro! You scared the soda out of me.” Franky sloshed into the tub, bent down, and squeezed Sanji hard enough it made Sanji think he’d gotten dented again. “If you ever need to borrow my tools to fix yourself, let me know. I have specialty made ones for banging out body parts. Use them all the time, on myself. Hey! That means we’re banging bros!”
Sanji heard Robin’s titter and Brook’s melodic laugh at Franky’s wording. “We are not banging bros,” Sanji said, embarrassed.
“Sure, we are.” Franky winked at him. “We’ve both banged Zoro.”
Sanji didn’t know whether to laugh or cry again. He glanced over at Zoro, who stood near the door to the bathroom, wearing a grin. Zoro likely had told everyone that he was feeling shitty and needed a hug. Stupid, wonderful, caring marimo.
Franky let go of him, only to be replaced by Usopp, who clasped Sanji tightly around the neck. “Please don’t get squished again. I don’t think my heart can take it.”
Sanji patted Usopp’s back. “I’ll do my best.”
“I’m sorry I freaked out, but it was scary seeing you so crushed up. It’s amazing that you survived. No one would believe me if I told them. They’d think I was lying!”
“And you never lie.”
Usopp released Sanji and gave him a wobbly smile. “No, Captain Usopp would never lie.”
As Usopp sank beneath the surface to swim to the center of the crowded tub, Nami stepped into Sanji’s line of sight. He felt his face turn brilliant red again as he covered himself beneath the water. “Nami-san. I apologize for being in such a disreputable state. I hope your eyes are not offended.”
Nami punched him across the jaw, then threw her arms around his shoulders. “You asshole! You scared me! I thought you were going to die! I’m going to fine you a million beli for my trauma.”
The sensation of Nami’s breasts pressed against Sanji’s chest made his nose start to bleed. “Nami-san, I will pay you a thousand times over for making you worry.”
“You’d better.” Nami sniffed, releasing him. “Because I have to buy a thank you basket for Vinsmoke Judge and I don’t want to pay for it myself.”
Sanji’s brows furrowed. “Why would you send something to that asshole?”
“Because he gave you the body that saved your life,” Nami said, then promptly punched him again. “And that’s for thinking we’d be repulsed by you because of it! Zoro told me why you were being a jerk to him. Stupid, stupid Sanji-kun.”
“Sorry, Nami-san! Won’t happen again,” Sanji swore, reeling from her love taps.
“Good.” Nami stomped away, water sloshing around her hips. She took a seat between Robin and Jinbe. Sanji swiped the blood from his upper lip.
Conversation hummed in the bathroom. The water lapped the edges of the tub as bodies shifted and relaxed. Chopper sat on Luffy’s belly as he floated. Only Usopp’s nose peeked above the surface as he darted around beneath the water. Brook told a terrible joke, prompting a loud laugh from Jinbe. Franky toyed with Robin’s hair, while he chatted with her and Nami.
Zoro slipped in the tub last, sinking down in front of Sanji. His eye sparkled with mischief as he hovered in the water, his hands on Sanji’s knees, drawing his full attention.
Sanji leaned forward and hissed quietly at him. “If you make me hard, so help me, I will end you.”
“So I shouldn’t give you a blowjob in front of everyone?” Zoro stuck the tip of his tongue in his cheek lewdly.
Sanji debated it for half a second, but Chopper was here and Sanji wasn’t about to do anything in front of him. “No, shitty marimo. Stop being a brat.”
Zoro grinned, then turned around to nestle against Sanji. Perched on the edge of the bench between Sanji’s thighs, he scrunching down and leaned fully against Sanji’s chest, rubbing his hair against the underside of Sanji’s jaw like an overgrown, green cat.
Sanji wrapped his arms around Zoro’s broad frame, resting his hands loosely on Zoro’s stomach. He pressed a quick kiss to the top of Zoro’s head. “Rotten pet.”
Zoro glanced up, his voice soft as he asked, “Feeling better, my Dom?”
Sanji’s eyes drifted around the crowded bathtub, his nakama relaxed and laughing, and a warmth settled in his belly. He looked down at Zoro again and the warmth turned tender, laced with a different kind of love. “Yes. Because you’re mine.”
Zoro’s smile was slow and sure, his gaze steady and full of promise. “Yours. In any way that you need me. Always.”
End