Chapter 14

Dropping a Hint

Zoro sat on the grassy slope of the village plateau, the golden grass swaying around him elegantly as he watched the sun sink lower and lower towards the horizon. It was intense and bright, but he didn't look away, staring stubbornly forward even as his eyes burned. Chopper may have wanted him inside to rest after all the events that had past, yet the swordsman was compelled to sit there in the natural silence. Seeing, hearing, smelling, it was like an old memory coming back to him. He could feel his body again, no matter how painful it was; he almost relished the broken rib that the cook had given him while resuscitating him. The sharp stinging and dull ache was a reminder that he was alive, that he could still fight, and that he could still achieve his goal.

The swordsman took a breath and ran his hand along the three hilts at his side, feeling the texture of the stingray leather under his fingers. From what the others had told him, the thing that had possessed him, Drop, had been rather careless with the weapons. He wouldn't admit it out loud but he was thankful that his crewmates and removed the swords and kept them aside in order to preserve them from any damage.

"There you are, idiot mosshead," a voice said from behind him and Zoro didn't even need to glance behind him to know it was the cook. The blonde came to stand level with him as they looked out over to scenery, puffing at his cigarette lazily. "We'll leaving in a couple hours once Chopper's gotten all the medical supplies together… You better start heading back now so you have time to get lost."

Zoro didn't even react to the slight jab and kept looking onwards. Sanji grumbled and fiddled with his smokes. "You put us through lots of trouble with being so reckless," he said under his breath after some time.

"You would have done the same thing," Zoro said simply, words heavy and they both knew what was subtly being referenced to.

Sanji shifted his weight and glared at the ground. "If you keep doing such idiotic things… how do you expect to reach your goal?"

Zoro stayed silent which aggravated Sanji even more and he harshly bumped the swordsman's shoulder with his shoe. "Oi! I'm talking to moss head! What you have algae in your ears now?"

The green haired man batted at the cook in annoyance. "Like I need to listen to you, curly brow." He glanced at the blond then back to the horizon. "We all have our own goals that we're working to, but does that mean we can't protect our crew at the same time?" Zoro said.

Sanji stayed silent, smoking his cigarette slowly.

"In that moment, I could save Chopper. When there is the option to save a crewmate, you take it," Zoro said plainly. "But you don't do it simply to sacrifice yourself, because you think your goal isn't as important as everyone else's."

The cook paused and then slowly discarded his cigarette, his hair shading his eyes from the sun. "What are you getting at? Do you really think that's what I do?" he said with an edge.

"You sure act like it," Zoro shot back.

A foot lashed out and kicked the swordsman in the shoulder harshly. "Shut your mouth, you absolute hypocrite!"

Zoro reacted to the kick with a wide swing of his sheathed swords, standing up even as the movement made his torso ache. "I'm the hypocrite? What are you the only one allowed to make sacrifices?" he snarled.

"You're the one that keeps doing it, idiot moss head!" Sanji snapped moving out of the way of the sword.

Zoro glared. "Because if I didn't you would," he said making the cook bristle.

"What you don't think I can handle it?"

The other man scoffed. "You think that? Jeez you're the stupid one here." Zoro turned away again, putting his swords back into his belt. "If I don't do it you would, that's all there is to it, but I'll be damned if I let you show off before me."

There was a moment of silence between them.

"Show off?" the blond said darkly. "You think this is all showing off? You could have died."

"Worried about me?" Zoro sneered.

"As if," Sanji scoffed looking away. "Just don't want to have to deal with your useless corpse getting possessed again."

The air shifted, and the tension mellowed down as the two stood there on the hill.

"It wasn't possession," Zoro said softly after some silence. Sanji glanced to him curiously. The green haired man was looking out over to the horizon again as if in thought. "It was… like sharing something. Like I was there but not."

"What like sleep walking?" Sanji asked, unable to hold back his curiosity.

"No, not that," Zoro said dismissively. "I was simply there, existing…. I could barely feel my body, it's like it wasn't even there. It was like my body was there but spread out, as if it covered the entire world, in every place at once yet not."

Sanji took in what Zoro was saying. "Drop said something really similar," he said finally.

"Yeah?" Zoro turned to face Sanji.

The cook nodded. "I just thought they were spewing nonsense, they didn't make much sense anyway."

"It makes sense to me," Zoro said slowly.

"Well we know you already make no sense," Sanji jabbed with a grin.

"Oi!" Zoro scowled.

"But really, what a story," Sanji laughed, "a drop of water that is everywhere at once, part of every lake and sea…" The cook trailed off, his own words suddenly knocking his thoughts into place. "A water that is a part of every sea…. That combines them all…"

Zoro cocked his head at the cook curiously as he began to mumble to himself. And gave a small start when Sanji burst out an exclamation.

"No way! You have got to be kidding me!"

"What cook? I didn't even say anything," Zoro barked.

"It was right there in front of me, I didn't even know!"

"Know what, shit cook? You're freaking me out," Zoro snapped.

"All Blue!" Sanji exclaimed.

"What about it?" Zoro asked with annoyance.

"What Drop was saying, about all the water, about everything being connected…. It was about All Blue!" Sanji rambled. "Shit I should have talked with them more, I had the clue right there, I can't believe I let it get away!" he wailed.

"Oi cook, calm down, you can find it again," Zoro dismissed.

"Oh shut up moss head, why did you have to go and wake up? Drop left because of you!"

"That makes no sense!" Zoro said in offense.

The cook kept rambling and cursing, talking about 'what ifs' and 'could haves'. He was only pulled out of his ranting when he heard laughter. Sanji blinked and looked over to see the swordsman chuckling and gripping his side. "This isn't a laughing matter idiot!" he said angrily.

"You're the idiot," Zoro smiled, his shoulders shaking. "Stop whining shit cook, you got your hint already right? You'll get your goal."

Sanji made a noise between a groan and a scoff. "As if you'd understand."

"I understand," Zoro said before turning away and walking off.

The cook stayed stewing in his dilemma. He had been so close to an actual hint to the All Blue, that had to be what Drop was talking about. But he had missed it. He had squandered his one chance. Sanji threw a glare at Zoro's retreating back. Did the idiot even grasp how serious this situation was? Zoro's goal was easily attainable through training and sheer stubbornness, while his own goal was merely chasing a legend. How could the swordsman say he could reach it so easily, was he mocking him?

It's because he believes you.

The one small thought intruded on his mind for barely a moment but its impact made the cook stagger. He looked back to Zoro. The muscle headed idiot that was too reckless for his own good, the man that couldn't be trusted with his own sense of direction, believed that Drop was a hint towards Sanji's goal. Admitting it would be no end of embarrassment for the cook, but he found the thought comforting.

"Oi moss head!" Sanji called. "The village is in the other direction!"

Zoro paused in his walking and glanced back at him with a grumpy expression before turning back around and heading in the correct direction this time.

"Idiot," Sanji scoffed with no real bite.

"Idiot is the last person to join the others," Zoro shot at him under his breath before breaking into a run up the hill.

"No way that's gonna be me!" Sanji roared running after him in a race to the finish.

As they ran neck and neck with each other Sanji glanced to Zoro. He felt at ease seeing the challenging and happy smirk on the swordsman face. Everything was going to be fine.