Okay, here's part three. I didn't quite make my 'before Wano starts' deadline, but I made it work anyway.

Enjoy.

"I'm sorry," Nami said, face buried into Luffy's chest so Zoro could barely hear the words, "Sanji is, gone."

Zoro felt his insides turn to ice. How could Sanji be gone? It'd only been a week since they'd parted in Dressrosa. The only echo he'd gotten from him since was from setting his foot on fire, and that had only happened once. He had received no injuries, major, minor, or in between. How could Sanji just be gone without even a fight?

"What do you mean 'gone'?" Zoro asked, trying to keep the panic out of his voice, but he wasn't sure he was successful, "Where did he go?"

From where he was in Usopp's arms, Chopper looked down at the ground, tears welling up in his eyes as he bit his lip. Nami pulled away from Luffy and wiped away her own tears as she reached into her dress and pulled out a piece of paper. She handed it to Luffy and said, "Here."

Zoro came up behind Luffy and read the note over his shoulder.

"'I'm off to see a woman, I'll be back,'" Zoro read aloud. He scoffed and turned away, "Idiot."

Trust that dumbass to go off chasing girls when they were supposed to be gearing up to take on Kaido. Zoro was almost worried for a second, but if he could be that casual about it, then it was probably no big deal.

"I'm sorry," Chopper's tears had spilled over and he couldn't seem to look Zoro in the eye, "We were there and we couldn't even…" he sniffled and buried his face against Usopp's shoulder.

"It's okay," Luffy said as he pocketed the note, "It's no big deal, right? Sanji said he'll be back, so there's nothing to worry about."

Zoro glanced between Nami, whose eyes were tearing up again, and Chopper, who was doing his best to disappear into Usopp's arms. Sanji's note had seemed pretty laid back, like he had just stopped over at another island and would be back in a few days, but their reactions made it seem like he had died. That was a cause for concern, but if Sanji really was in trouble he knew he could rely on them.

He shrugged, "It doesn't seem like that big of a deal."

Nami shook her head and looked away.

"We can discuss this matter later," Wanda said as she stepped forward, "Right now, you are our guests and the friends of our saviors, and we would be poor hosts if we didn't give you a proper Zou greeting."

Food and drinks were always a good idea in his book. He pushed the uneasy feeling down and followed the Minks inside.

Zoro was furious.

He'd been mad at Sanji before, he's spent most of his time being mad at Sanji, but that was only over little things, inconsequential stuff that didn't really matter. This though, this was different. This was big.

Sanji had left them, left him, to run off and marry Big Mom's daughter. And that wasn't even the worst of it.

Sanji had left them to go back to his family, back to the people who had hurt him so cruelly when he as a child. Even putting the crew and their relationship aside, how could Sanji do that to himself?

The timing of the whole thing, forcing them to get involved with Big Mom right before going to face Kaido, was just the icing on the cake.

How could he do this? Did he even think about what this would mean, to the crew, to him personally? Did Sanji really have no other options? Did he know how much this was killing him, or did he just not care?

So many questions buzzed through his head, and the only one who could answer them was gone.

"Oh, there you are," Zoro opened his eye and saw Luffy standing in front of him, "Did you hear all that just now?"

"Yeah, I heard it," he couldn't stop himself from listening in on Luffy's conversation with Pekoms. He understood Sanji situation a little better, but even with the explanation of how terrifying Big Mom was and just who these Vinsmokes were, Zoro was too blinded by rage to even consider forgiving him.

Luffy grinned, "You're pretty worried about Sanji, aren't you?"

Zoro leveled him with his fiercest glare, "Do you want me to kick you or something?"

Luffy's smile grew as Zoro rolled his eye. As the silence stretched between them, Luffy's grin slipped from his face, and he said, "I'm going to get him back, Zoro."

Zoro shrugged, trying to maintain a nonchalant appearance while inside he was steaming with rage, "Do what you want."

"Do you want to come with me?"

Zoro blinked as he glanced up at him. He was serious, and the offer was genuine. Zoro sighed and closed his eye, "No, that wouldn't be a good idea."

"I think Sanji would appreciate it," Luffy said with a nod, "And if you're worried you should come."

Zoro shook his head, "You want this to be a stealth mission, right? To go in quickly and quietly, pick up the cook, and sneak back out again?" Luffy nodded again, so he opened his eye and continued, "I'm not gonna be able to do that. If I go, I'll march right through Big Mom's territory, slice up anyone who gets in my way, and when I see him again, I'm gonna punch him right in his stupid face."

Luffy laughed at that, "Okay then," and tilted the brim of his hat back, "You'll take care of the others, right?"

He nodded, "Of course, Captain."

"Good," Luffy grinned, "Me and Sanji will be back before you know it."

Zoro looked away. It's not that he doubted Luffy, he wouldn't have come this far if he doubted Luffy even for a second. Rather it was his previously unshakable belief in his soulmate that he doubted. But that was something that would have to be settled between him and Sanji if, no, when he saw the bastard again, so to Luffy he only gave a passive, "Whatever."

That seemed to be enough for Luffy.

Zoro was holding up a wall, helping out one of the dog Minks who was trying to rebuild the area after Jack's most recent attack and the elephant's minor rampage.

"Just a little longer," she said from on top of the wall as she hammered in another nail, "Thanks for doing this, by the way."

Zoro grunted in response. Luffy was off scrounging up supplies, while Nami, Brook, and Chopper were preparing for their voyage in their own way. He hated sitting around doing nothing while all this activity bustled around him, and helping out like this was the least he could do.

Besides, the work was distracting him from certain other things that had been on his mind.

Suddenly a clawed hand joined his in helping to hold up the wall. Zoro looked over and saw the jaguar Mink that Luffy had been talking to earlier.

"Oh, Pedro," the dog Mink said, "What are you doing here? Aren't you leaving with the others?"

"We still have some time," Pedro said, "I'd like to help as best I can before then."

She grinned, "Well, the more help the merrier," and continued hammering.

Zoro glanced over at Pedro. He was frowning, forehead furrowed as if he was deep in thought, or contemplating something. The wind shifted, fluttering his hair a bit, and Zoro noticed a jagged scar sealing his left eye shut. Pedro turned towards him, and Zoro looked away.

The dog Mink was right, if Pedro was going to Whole Cake Island, then surely he had better places to be right now. He couldn't say why, but Zoro got the feeling that the guy wanted to talk to him about something.

"Okay," the dog Mink said as she wiped her brow, "All done with this one," she jumped down from the wall, "Thanks for your help!"

Zoro nodded and walked away. Pedro spared her a few words before following after him.

They walked around the forest in silence for some time before Zoro eventually said, "Did you want something?"

Pedro nodded, "You, are Sanji's soulmate, yes?"

Zoro closed his eye and grit his teeth, doing his best to suppress the rage that began boiling in his chest at the mention of the cook's name. He really didn't want to talk about him right now, "Yeah."

"I wanted to apologize to you about how the situation with him went down."

Zoro stopped walking and opened his eye to find Pedro staring right at him. He shrugged, "You don't need to apologize to me for that."

"He was on our island, helping us out, when he was taken," Pedro said, fingering at a very familiar necktie draped around his neck. Zoro recalled what Nami and Wanda said about trading clothes being a sign of friendship among the Minks, and absently wondered what Pedro had given in return, "I can't help but feel partially responsible."

"Don't," Zoro clenched his jaw shut and looked away, gripping the hilt of his sword tight, "There was nothing you could have done."

"We should have done something," Zoro could hear the frustration cracking his voice, "After everything he had done for me, for us, I couldn't even," Pedro closed his eye and took a deep breath, exhaled it slowly before saying, "I am sorry that Sanji wasn't here when you arrived."

He recalled Zou's condition when he first arrived, the whole population either injured or dead with their cities in ruins. And he'd only met them after they'd had time to heal and recover a little. The others had arrived when they were at their worst, had helped to kick start their recovery. He stared at the tie draped around Pedro's neck and knew that if Big Mom's entourage had wanted to start a fight on Zou, the cook wouldn't have hesitated to throw himself in harm's way to save his new friends.

"Don't blame yourself," Pedro opened his eye as Zoro continued, "Once he decided to go with them, there wasn't anything you could have done to stop him. He's as stubborn as he is stupid."

He smiled at that, "You know, he said the same thing about you."

Zoro blinked, "He talked about me?"

"All the time," Pedro nodded.

"Only good things I hope."

"None of it was," he laughed, "But it was obvious he cared about you very much."

If he'd really cared he would have stayed, but Zoro's issues with his soulmate weren't Pedro's problem, so he only grunted in response.

"Sanji's a good guy, and I think you are too. I'm glad you found each other," Pedro took a step forward and placed a hand on Zoro's shoulder, "Please, forgive him."

Zoro glared and brushed the hand off, "That's not your concern."

"My apologies," Pedro conceded with a nod, "I didn't mean to overstep."

"Whatever," Zoro said as he walked off towards the village.

"The village is this way," Pedro said, pointing in the opposite direction, "Unless you're heading somewhere else?"

Zoro turned on his heel and marched off in the direction Pedro was pointing, "I knew that."

"Sure," Pedro said as he followed after him.

They walked in silence for a bit, before Pedro broke it, saying "Master Nekomamushi is letting me go with Luffy and the others to Whole Cake Island."

"Good for you," Zoro said between clenched teeth.

"If you want-"

"Listen, I appreciate what you're trying to do here, for me and for him, but I really don't want to talk about it anymore."

"I understand," he said, "Sorry for-"

"And if you apologize one more time for anything, I'm going to slice your other eye shut."

Pedro stared at him for a moment, then laughed, "Alright then."

Their conversation back to the village was much lighter and thankfully Sanji free.

Zoro glanced at his face in the mirror, touching the bruise over his missing eye. The cheek around it was swollen to a point that would have been uncomfortable if he'd still had it, his forehead a mess of semi-healed cuts, his good eye surrounded by a patchwork of bruises.

He'd woken up earlier to the tune of a lightning bolt directly to his spine. Considering he was currently on the Polar Tang some three hundred feet below sea level and none of the Heart Pirates had an electrical attack they could hit him with from another room, Zoro could only assume that Sanji was the one who got shocked.

That was followed up by a series of blows that Zoro recognized from his childhood, from Sanji's childhood. At one point in their lives, the bruises were almost a permanent part of his skin, and now they were back again as if nothing had changed.

He glanced down at his feet. Throughout the beating, Zoro did not once feel Sanji's feet burn. Yesterday he had fought, properly fought, with fire and everything, but today there was nothing. He was just sitting there taking it.

"C'mon," Zoro said to his feet, willing them to ignite, as if he could do it for Sanji if he just tried hard enough. He closed his eye and leaned his head against the mirror. Sanji wasn't a child anymore. He was stronger now, he could handle these bastards with ease, yet here he was, not even raising a foot to stop them, "Fight back."

The seconds ticked by, but nothing happened, nothing changed. Zoro gripped the sink tight in his hands until it started to crack. When it did, he took a deep breath and let go, stepping away from the sink and the mirror. Law probably wouldn't appreciate it if he started destroying his ship.

Zoro glanced down at his chest. The bruises there had already faded, but the ones on his face still remained, as if to taunt him further and accentuate just how powerless he is to help his soulmate.

Whatever, he decided as he pulled on his shirt and left the bathroom. It was Sanji's problem, and he had nothing to do with it.

He made his way to the kitchen, where Law, Bepo, and Penguin were talking.

"It's still not safe for us to surface," Law was saying, "Once the samurai can secure us a safe landing on Wano, then we'll…"

The conversation trailed off as Zoro walked over to the counter to grab a piece of fruit, ignoring the eyes that followed him around the room.

Law stood up and made his way over to him. Zoro looked away, but Law took his chin in his hand and forcefully turned his head to face him. He studied his face closely for a few seconds, eyes lingering on the bruises, before he said, "Who punched you?"

Zoro tried to brush the hand away, but Law's grip was like steel and wouldn't be budged, "No one, I'm fine."

Law jerked his face around more, staring at the bruises on his forehead, "Several people punched you."

"No one touched me," Zoro muttered as he looked away, biting the inside of his cheek as he continued, "They're not my bruises."

"I see," Law said as he turned his face again, gently this time, "Did Black Leg get punched anywhere else, or only the face?"

"Why do you care?" he said, jerking his head out of Law's hand and turning away.

"We've received no word from the Whole Cake Island team since they've left," Law stated as he leaned against the counter, "By the time the situation is resolved, we'll already be on Wano and unable to receive anything. Your echoes from Black Leg are the only information we have about what's going on with them."

Zoro ground his teeth and rested his closed fist on the counter. He knew that, but it was still frustrating. Law was the kind of guy who used all the information he could get his hands on, but all Zoro wanted to do right now was ignore everything the echoes were telling him.

"Captain," Bepo whined from the table, "We're supposed to be friends now."

"Yeah," Penguin agreed as he leaned back in his chair, "Be nice."

"It's just an alliance, we don't have to be friends," Law sighed, but he still placed a hand on Zoro's shoulder and said, "This situation must be difficult for you, and I am sorry for that. If I can look at your echoes I can tell what's happening to Black Leg."

He shrugged off his hand, "I don't care what's happening to him."

Silence gripped the room, and Zoro felt three pairs of eyes staring at him as he shifted. Eventually he sighed and said, "There were bruises on his chest too, but they've faded already. The ones on his face don't seem to be healing."

"Let me see again."

Zoro closed his eye and turned back around. He felt Law turn his head this way and that with the tips of his fingers.

Eventually he said, "It looks like his face wounds have been put into stasis. That's why they're not healing."

"Why would you wanna stop face wounds from healing?" Bepo asked, "Aren't those the ones you'd want to go away?"

"I've heard of a way to hide injuries instantly that involves putting them in stasis," Law said as he released Zoro's face, "It's only supposed to be a theory, but if he's really on Germa then who knows."

"Hiding them seems like a hassle," Penguin said, "Wouldn't it just be better to let them heal naturally?"

Zoro opened his eye as Law shrugged and looked away, "It's hard to say for sure. There are countless reasons to hide injuries."

"Like for your wedding," Zoro muttered and clenched his sword hilt.

"Maybe," Law conceded, "Or maybe he doesn't want anyone to know he was punched."

"Maybe," Zoro shrugged, not quite believing it. After all, Zoro always knew when Sanji was punched, and Sanji knew that. Of course Zoro was here and Sanji was there, and if he was trying to show off to his fiancée, she would never know the difference.

Zoro felt that mix of rage and jealousy he was becoming quite familiar with settle in his gut. He quickly excused himself from the kitchen and tried to find a corner of the submarine where he wouldn't have to think about Sanji.

All the while, the bruises on his face throbbed.

The Polar Tang had an extensive library that the Straw Hats had unofficially claimed as their meeting place while they stayed on board. The vast majority of the books were medical books, so many that Chopper would have had a field day if he ever saw them, but Robin, Franky, and Usopp managed to find something to entertain them during their stay. Zoro was never one for reading, but he did like being around people who knew him well enough to not constantly ask about things he really didn't want to talk about, so he hung out in the library too.

"Tra-guy says we'll be landing soon," Zoro said as he entered the library. The others looked up and glanced at the bruises on his face as he continued, "Kinemon secured an area somewhere inland that should be safe for us to surface."

"Super," Franky said, "I'm getting sick of this sub."

"Yeah," Usopp sighed, "The novelty wore off like three days ago. I miss the sun."

"Fresh air would be good," Robin said, "Lest we all succumb to cabin fever and start murdering each other for entertainment."

"Thanks for the mental image," Usopp said as Franky snorted in laughter.

Zoro sat in an armchair by the door to observe his crew mates. He touched his face around his missing eye. It didn't feel as swollen anymore, but with an echo it was hard to tell.

"It's still there," Robin said, not looking up from her book, "If that's what you're wondering."

"Oh," he lowered hand.

The room went quiet once more, so Zoro glanced up at the bookshelves. Law was a swordsman too, so there should be some book here about swordsmanship that he could look at to pass the time. He spotted a book near the top shelf with the word sword on it and stood up to take a closer look at it.

As soon as he set his foot on the ground, he felt his leg burst into flame. The familiar heat crawled up his leg, almost to his knee, and relief filled his chest as he touched the bruises on his face again. Finally, the idiot was fighting back.

"Something wrong?" he heard Usopp ask.

Zoro shook his head, "Nah, its fine," and sat back down.

Over the past two years, Zoro had gotten good at reading Sanji's emotions through his fire. The angrier he was, the more fire he produced, the more intense the emotion, the hotter the flame. Right now the fire had crawled up to his thigh and was hot enough to melt steel. The cook was furious.

He was glad that Sanji was finally fighting back, but the more he thought about it the less sense it was making. Sanji had gone from zero to a thousand, from punching bag to blinding fury, in the span of a few hours. He had received no new injuries between his earlier beating and now, so what had finally made him snap? Why was he fighting back now and not earlier?

Was he defending someone, a girl maybe? Did his family hurt someone else that Sanji felt he needed to defend? It was possible especially with his personality, but there were no other echoes from Sanji, no new injuries from this fight. Considering how brutally Sanji was beaten earlier, and by several people no less, that didn't seem likely.

The flames grew even hotter, and still he remained uninjured. Sanji was strong, and Sanji was fast, but he also threw himself into every fight. He had to, his body was his weapon, and it was a rare fight that he walked away completely unscathed. So Sanji was fighting an opponent strong enough to require Diable Jambe but was too weak to actually get a hit in?

Zoro rubbed at his burning knee. That didn't make a lot of sense, unless his opponent wasn't fighting back for whatever reason. But the Vinsmokes had already shown that they had no qualms with hurting him, and Sanji would never raise a leg against a woman, let alone a burning one, so the fiancée and Big Mom herself were out too. Who on that island would bother fighting Sanji if they weren't going to fight back?

Or, if he flipped it, who on that island would refuse to fight back if Sanji struck first?

Who there cared enough about Sanji to not want him hurt? Who there was stubborn enough to not raise a fist even after taking some of Sanji's strongest hits? Who was strong enough to even last this long against the cook without fighting back?

Zoro ground his teeth and clenched his fist against the arm of the chair. A cold feeling filled his chest as if trying to drive away the flames that only grew hotter. He didn't want to think about it, didn't even want to consider it a possibility, but the more he tried to deny it the more sense it made.

Sanji was fighting Luffy.

And the only reason Sanji would fight Luffy was if he was leaving the crew.

"Shit," he shouted as hit slammed his fist on arm of the chair, cracking it.

The others looked up at him, and Robin asked, "Is everything alright?"

Zoro closed his eye and inhaled deeply. He didn't want to tell them, didn't want to worry them with this, was afraid that saying it out loud would make it real. Instead, he exhaled and said, "Yeah, everything's fine."

"Doesn't look fine, bro," Franky said as he put his book down, "What's up?"

"Nothing," Zoro stood up and left the library, "Just need some air."

"We're still underwater!" Usopp shouted after him, but he ignored it and walked away.

Zoro found his way to an empty corridor and leaned his head against the wall. The fire on his legs had finally died out, leaving him feeling cold and empty all over.

He didn't want to think about the possibility of sailing without Sanji. He didn't want to think about Sanji on another crew, with another person. He didn't even want to consider Sanji being happier that way, but the thoughts swirled around in his head anyway.

Suddenly he felt a sharp smack across his injured cheek. That startled him enough to stumble back a few steps. He recognized the slap as one of Nami's, having been on the receiving end of more than a few himself, and absently rubbed at his cheek. At least someone was there to put him in his place.

How could Sanji do this? If he was here, Zoro could demand either answers or a fight, and Sanji could either talk to him or they could beat the shit out of each other until everything was okay again. But Sanji wasn't here, he was gone, and that was the entire problem.

Zoro felt the frustration build up inside him until it finally reached its breaking point. He curled his hand into a fist and punched the steel wall as hard as he could. His hand throbbed as he pulled away, leaving a large dent in the wall. It was definitely broken, and he grinned sadistically knowing that Sanji would feel it, knowing that Sanji would know why.

"Hey," he turned to find Law frowning at him, "Don't go around punching holes in other people's ships."

"Sorry," Zoro said as he backed away from the wall.

"This is a submarine, Roronoa," Law growled as he inspected the dent in the wall, "We need to maintain a certain pressure or else we'll all be crushed."

"I said I was sorry," Zoro huffed as he cradled his hand.

"Luckily we're surfacing soon. I'll have my shipwright look at it then," he turned to Zoro, "Let me see your hand."

"S'fine, don't worry about it," Zoro said as Law grabbed his hand and started gently pressing on the bones.

"Yeah, that's broken," Law sighed as he let go, "C'mon, let's get you patched up."

"Just leave it," Zoro said, glaring at the dent in the wall.

Law didn't say anything for a few moments, simply leveled him with an intense look, before finally speaking, "There are better ways to get his attention."

Zoro growled, "This has nothing to do with him."

"Clearly," Law said, "but if you don't get it treated, it won't heal properly. A fucked up hand means fucked up swordsmanship, is that what you want?"

Zoro scowled and looked down at his hand, flexing it a little before he said, "No."

"Okay," Law grabbed his shoulder and started guiding him, "Then let me fix it for you."

"Whatever," Zoro let himself be guided, "Can you do it in the most painful way possible?"

Law smirked, "That's the only way I know how."

"Good," Zoro said as his hand throbbed once more for good measure.

Law worked on his hand in silence, not asking for an explanation or offering any words of comfort. Zoro appreciated that, and took the time to try and ignore his own thoughts, but images of Sanji sailing under Big Mom's flag with a beautiful woman at his side kept flashing through his head.

The idea of Sanji leaving them was unbearable at best. The thought of Sanji actually wanting this stung worse than any betrayal he'd ever experienced. He couldn't see how Sanji could want this, but neither could he deny the possibility.

Zoro grimaced. He should have gone to Whole Cake Island.

"Okay," Law said as he finished wrapped up his hand, "You're done."

Zoro grunted as he flexed his hand, staring at it as Law started cleaning up his medical supplies.

"Sanji fought Luffy," Zoro said, unable to keep that fact to himself anymore.

Law stopped and looked over at him, but didn't say anything.

Zoro shrugged, "Don't tell the others."

Law placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed before going back to cleaning up.

Zoro left without another word.

Zoro wanders into the Polar Tang's galley, looking for some food. The rest of his crew is seated at the table, already in the various stages of breakfast.

"Morning, Zoro," Usopp greets. Zoro grunts and heads straight for the fridge, opens it and finds it empty.

"Where's the food?" he says. The three at the table shrug and continue eating. He sighs and walks over to the table, "At least share, you assholes."

As he steps forward, he suddenly feels a sharp pain in his chest, as if someone reached into it, took a hold of his heart, and started squeezing. He gasps, leaning a hand on the counter as he clutches at his chest.

"Everything okay?" Franky asks.

He wants to say yes, wants to assure his friends that everything's fine, but there's a long, hard tug at his heart that leaves him gasping and breathless, and suddenly there's nothing. Just emptiness where there was once life and an aching throb without an end.

"S-Sanji," he manages to gasp out. He stops, swallows to get his bearings, and continues, "Sanji's dead."

A heavy silence falls around the room, almost pressing into and suffocating him before Robin says, "Well, that's what you've always wanted, isn't it?"

Zoro turns to glare at her, barely able to catch his breath as he snarls out, "What?"

"You've always hated being held down by your soulmate bond," she explains, stirring her coffee, "And now you're free. Isn't it better like this?"

"I," he exhales, panting as he tries to catch his breath, "I didn't mean-"

"Yeah, now you don't have to be tied to him anymore," Franky says, taking a sip of his coffee, "You can just be free, unattached you, right?"

"No!" He shouts, stumbling back against the counter as another piercing throb radiates through his chest, "It's Sanji! Sanji is-"

"Needy, right?" Usopp says, picking at his toast, "And a little bit selfish, honestly. He asked for all this attention and affection from you and ran off at the first sign off at the first sign of trouble. Did you really need someone like that in your life?"

"Sanji is important!" He screams at them, "Sanji's important to me and I," he gasps, sinking to his knees as he grips the counter top as tight as he can.

"Maybe," he looks up and sees Sabo sitting on the countertop, glaring down at him. He takes a bite out of an apple, blood pouring out of his own chest, and says, "but now he's gone. And there's nothing you can do about it."

Zoro woke up to a punch to the face.

He looked around and saw Usopp sitting next to him, back against the tree he was sleeping under, fiddling with something in his hands. A few feet away he saw Robin and Franky sitting together, talking to each other in hushed whispers

"Hey," Usopp said when he noticed him staring, "You're awake."

"Yeah," Zoro rubbed at his cheek, trying to get the emotions from his dream sorted out, "Did you just punch me in the face?"

"Uh, no?" he glanced over at him, "Do I look like I have a death wish?"

Zoro shrugged and glanced around the riverbank where Law had dropped them off a few hours before. There wasn't anyone else nearby, which meant that, unless someone snuck up, punched him, and snuck away without any of them noticing, the punch was an echo.

Good, the bastard deserved it. If he was within punching range Zoro would've done it himself.

His hand moved to hover just over his heart. He couldn't feel anything there right now, but he could still remember the anguish from the dream, could still feel the cold stares from everyone and the aching throb in his chest that meant Sanji was gone forever.

He pushed these emotions aside. They were supposed to meet up with Kinemon soon. He didn't want to deal with this right now.

"Hey so," Usopp said, still focused on the device in his hand, "Do you wanna talk about Sanji yet?"

"No," he closed his eye.

He sighed, "Well, I wanna talk about him."

"Great," he turned on his side away from Usopp, "Go talk to Franky or Robin."

"I have, but they haven't known him as long as we have," he shuffled around a bit before saying, "What if I just talked, and you don't have to listen or chime in at any point?"

Zoro shifted back onto his back and pillowed his arms under his head, "Whatever."

"It's just," he fidgeted, "It's weird, you know? Sanji's been here since almost the beginning, and now he's just, gone. I thought he'd always be there, that we could rely on him forever, and now it's like," Zoro opened his eye and stared at the canopy as Usopp sighed and leaned back, "Is this how you guys felt after I left?"

"No, you had a disagreement with Luffy and left on your own accord. None of us were happy about it, but we could understand it," Zoro said, absently rubbing at his cheek. It was still throbbing, but unlike yesterday morning there had been no follow up echoes, no beating, just the one punch. He tried not to think about what that could mean, tried to convince himself that he didn't care, but his mind kept racing with the possibilities, "He just left."

"I guess," Usopp hugged his knees to his chest, "I can't even imagine how you must feel, considering he's your soulmate and all that. To me he's just a good friend," he ran a hand through his hair, "And now I may never see him again."

The echo on his cheek faded, and still no new echoes appeared. He could tell the swelling from before was gone too, and knew instinctively that it hadn't been a punch from a place of hatred. From anger maybe, but it wasn't a punch to keep Sanji down, it was a punch telling him to get his shit together, "We'll see him again."

"How do you know that?" Usopp said into his knees, "After all this how can you believe he'll come back?"

"If you can't believe in him right now, that's fine," Zoro sat up, "He did fuck up by leaving. But Luffy said he'd bring him back. You can still believe in Luffy."

Usopp leaned back and grinned, "That's true. Luffy would never accept another chef for this crew."

"Like another chef would put up with this crew," he said as he leaned back against the tree trunk.

He was more sure than ever, despite everything, that Luffy would return with their wayward cook. Luffy had promised him after all, and Luffy did not break promises he made to his friends, especially to him. What he was growing less sure about by the day was if he'd bring Sanji back alone or with his new wife. If Sanji had fallen in love with her, maybe it was better for both of them if he stayed away.

As he stared up at the canopy and listened to Usopp continue his fiddling once more, he realized he really missed Sanji. The anger and hurt about the whole thing was still there, but it was muted and buried under a longing to see his stupid face, for that easy smile that always put him at ease, for the light and tentative touch of his hand on his, for the even lighter press of his lips. He missed their banter, their fights, the quiet moments in between when they could just be them.

He missed his lover, but more importantly he missed his friend.

More than anything, wife or no wife, he just wanted Sanji to come home.

"Hey," Zoro said to the group of girls lingering outside the tea house, "Is O-Robi here?"

The girls giggled as he drummed his fingers on the hilt of Shusui. Eventually the younger of the Geisha apprentices, Maiko Robin had called them, in a blue kimono said, "She's not here, Ronin-san."

"Huh," he glanced off to the side. It wasn't urgent, he just wanted to see how Robin's plan to infiltrate the Shogun's palace was going, but he did want to see her before the end of the day, "Do you know where she is?"

The other girls giggled again as the Maiko responded, "I think she's off with another suitor."

"That carpenter, I believe," an older Maiko in a red kimono said, "You know, the big one." The girls all giggled again.

Zoro frowned. If she was off with Franky then it was probably best to just leave them alone for now. He could always try and find his way back here tomorrow.

"Don't look so down, Ronin-san," the oldest Maiko in a purple kimono said, "O-Robi nee-san is very beautiful and quite popular, but there are plenty of others out there."

"Huh?" his brow furrowed, "What do you mean?"

"I think it's silly, preferring a carpenter over a samurai," the blue Maiko pouted, "There's nothing more romantic then falling in love with a wandering Ronin."

Zoro froze, his cheeks turning red as he sputtered out a quick, "What."

"You're still such a child," the red Makio sighed and rolled her eyes, "O-Robi nee-san is an adult. An adult. If she's going to get married and stop being a Geisha, she'll only do it for someone who can support her with a steady job. A Ronin can protect you sure, but he can't support you," she glanced over at Zoro, "Ah, no offense Ronin-san."

Zoro could feel the heat in his face rise all the way to the tips of the ears, causing the girls to giggle again, "I, think you have the wrong idea."

"Sorry, Ronin-san," the purple Maiko covered her mouth with her sleeve, "We didn't mean to embarrass you."

"I'm sure you'll find someone," the red Maiko said.

"O-Robi and I are just friends," he insisted, and the girls giggled again, "We are! Besides I already have," he paused, swallowed down his emotions, and rephrased, "Had. I already had someone."

The girls gasped. The blue Maiko covered her mouth with her hands and said, "Oh no! Were they killed by the same villain that killed your former master, and now you're forced to roam the countryside with a heart full of ice and vengeance now your sole purpose in life?"

"What? No! He's still alive!" Zoro's hand rested over his heart as if to confirm it to himself, "He's just, it's complicated."

"Oh?" the three girls leaned over, smiles on their faces, "How so?"

He gave them his best glare, but it didn't dissuade them in the slightest, "That's a private matter."

"Oh please, Ronin-san," the red Maiko said, "We've finished all our music, dance, and etiquette lessons for today, and we have nothing else to do. We'd love to hear about your woes."

"We're not actually involved in anyway," the purple Maiko pointed out, "and telling someone else about it might make you feel better."

"Oh, I bet your story is heartbreakingly romantic," the blue Maiko sighed, "I want to hear it!"

Zoro rolled his eye, "There's not much to tell," they leaned forward some more, their eager eyes fixed on him as he rubbed the back of his neck, "We've been travelling together for a few years now. We'd just started being like, together together, but we had to split up for a bit."

"Why?" the blue Maiko asked, "Were you in danger?"

"Well, yeah," he tried to recall the specifics of Dressrosa. Had it really only been a few weeks since he'd last seen Sanji? It felt like longer, "I had one enemy to fight and he had another, and we promised to meet at a certain place. But by the time I'd gotten there he'd already left," he crossed his arms and looked away, "To get married."

"What?" the red Maiko's eyes widened, "He left you? Just like that?"

"Well, I mean," he rubbed the back of his head, "His family made him do it, they needed the marriage to seal an alliance or something," he scowled, brow furrowing deeper as he thought about all the bruises the Vinsmoke's had given Sanji, "They've never been very nice to him, but he went with them anyway."

"If they're so bad, maybe they threatened him?" the purple Maiko said, "Maybe they threatened you?"

"Oh, I know!" the blue Maiko bounced, "They must have threatened to kill you and he only went with them to save you!"

He grimaced, "I can take care of myself, and he knows that."

But he remembered the threats that Big Mom was capable of launching. Sure, Zoro and the rest of the Straw Hats could handle themselves against an Emperor, but that restaurant back in East Blue was a different story.

"But, maybe it was something like that."

"I knew it!" she beamed, "I'm sure he still loves you very much!"

"Maybe," he sighed and leaned forward. Sanji had said he loved him a few times, but that was before he left. What if things were different now? "But what if he doesn't? What if his new wife makes him happier than I ever could?"

"It's always very sad when you love someone but they love someone else," the purple Maiko bit her lip and looked away.

Zoro blinked. Love? When did he say he loved Sanji? Yeah, he liked the guy and he cared about him a whole lot, but that wasn't the same as love. Sure, they had been dating, and they were still soulmates, but none of that meant they had to love each other, "I'm not in love with him."

The girls looked at him, giving him various looks of confusion and bewilderment, "What?"

"But you said you were together," the blue Maiko pouted.

"Well, yeah," he shrugged, "He loved me, and I've always wanted him like, happy and taken care of and stuff," he crossed his arms, "But I'm not in love with him."

"Huh," the red Maiko tapped her chin, "But you're all broken up he's gone, yeah?"

"Well, yeah." He'd been upset when Nami, Usopp, and Robin left too. Granted Sanji's leaving was more personal, a bit more like a sharp stab to the heart then the punch to the gut the others were, but he had assumed that was because he had known Sanji for longer, "But that's anger, not love."

"Love can feel like a lot of things," the purple Maiko explained, hiding her smile behind her sleeve, "Sometimes it can manifest as anger."

That didn't seem right to Zoro, but then again he didn't know enough about love to dispute her, "Well, how do I know its love?"

She smiled, "That's something you have to figure out for yourself."

He growled, "Apparently I can't."

The girls giggled, and the red Maiko said, "Well, how about this: if it turns out he is happy with his new wife, how would you feel?"

"Terrible," Zoro closed his eye and pictured it, Sanji standing next to some pretty girl, grinning at her like an idiot with that soft look in his eyes that he only gets when he's truly relaxed. It felt like a wrench on his heart just thinking about it, but all he ever wanted for Sanji was for him to be happy, "But, if he's really happier with her, then I'd let them be."

"And if he wasn't happy with her? How would you feel then?"

"Still terrible, because after all this, he's still suffering," he grinned, "But then I'd get to steal him away."

"And you care about him, right?" the purple Maiko asked, "You respect and trust him?"

He cared about all his friends of course, but even before finding out Sanji was his soulmate, Sanji's wellbeing had been in the forefront of his mind. And while his trust and respect for Sanji was shaken by this incident, it certainly wasn't broken. Except for maybe Luffy, there wasn't anyone in the world he trusted more than Sanji, "Yeah, of course."

"Despite everything, would you rather have him in your life or not?" the blue Maiko asked.

That was obvious, considering he didn't have a choice in the matter, what with them being soulmates and tied together forever and everything. But he was starting to realize that he didn't really mind that anymore, especially since it was Sanji, "In."

"It's love," the girls decreed, "You love him."

Zoro opened his eye and stared at the girls' grinning faces. It was love. He loved Sanji. He had loved him for a while, "Huh."

That explained a lot about how he'd been feeling lately, but now what was he supposed to do about it?

"There he is!" They all turned and saw someone shouting down the street, pointing right at Zoro, "That's the vicious street murderer that's been terrorizing our fair city!"

Damn, he promised Kinemon he'd lay low and not get in trouble, but these things always seemed to happen to him. He turned back to the girls, saying a quick, "Please tell O-Robi I stopped by," before taking off down the street at a sprint.

"You could eat, like, anything on the island," Luffy explained as they made their way back to the beach. They'd left the little girl at the tea house for now, but decided to go check on the Sunny and see if they could track down the rest of the crew with the help of her giant dog.

"Seriously," Luffy continued, "There were parts of the island were you could just pick up a handful of dirt and have it be marshmallows or something. It was so cool!"

"Huh," Zoro had leaned back as he listened to Luffy tell him about Whole Cake Island, "Fascinating."

"Yeah! And I fought this biscuit guy with a weird sword and I had to eat all his biscuits," he counted off on his fingers, "Nami helped, not with the eating part but with the fighting part. And I fought the mochi guy, Big Mom's top guy. He could see into the future and everything."

"What?" Zoro raised his eyebrows, "How'd he do that?"

"His Observation Haki was just that good, but I beat him. It'd be cool to see him again, he turned out to be a pretty good guy."

"You making friends with the enemy again?" Zoro rolled his eye as Luffy laughed, "Did you fight Big Mom at all?"

"A little bit," he shrugged, "The others fought her more though. Brook fought her the most."

"Well, Soul Fruit, Soul King, it's an interesting matchup," he glanced over at Luffy, who had finally stopped talking and seemed to be waiting for something from Zoro. He looked away and clenched a fist over his sword, "How's, uh, everyone doing?"

"Everyone's good," Luffy nodded, "I told you about Jinbei, right? He promised to meet us here, so keep an eye out for him, okay?"

"Okay," he nodded and glanced back over at him. Luffy hadn't made any mention of Sanji or the wedding other than a brief description of Bege's plan and the cake. Zoro didn't know if that meant something bad had happened or if he was just waiting to see if Zoro brought it up first, "And, how's the cook?"

Luffy's grin grew, "He's doing good, very glad to be back, apparently he had a real tough time of the whole thing."

"I see," Zoro looked away again.

"He missed you a lot."

"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow, "Told you that, did he?"

"Not in so many words," Luffy frowned, "But he's really worried that you hate him now 'cause he left and we fought and stuff."

Zoro glared at the ground, almost boring a hole in it, "And what about his fiancée?"

"Pudding? She was so weird," he grinned, "She started out all nice and helping, but then she turned around and tried to kill Sanji! Then she came back and helped him bake the cake."

"Did you bring her too?" Zoro couldn't help but ask.

"Of course not," Luffy laughed, "She made some good chocolate, but we already have a chef!"

Zoro felt a weight he didn't realize was there leave his chest, "And what about his family, the Vinsmokes. What were they like?"

"The sister was nice, she saved my life on the way in. Didn't really talk to the brothers that much, they kinda seemed like dicks, but they did help us escape so," he shrugged, then frowned as he drummed his fingers against his knee, "I don't like the father."

Zoro hummed in acknowledgement and closed his eye.

"Nami said Sanji finally got closure, whatever that means," he continued, "But he's happy, so that's good."

"Yeah," Zoro shrugged and opened his eye, "I guess."

"It'll be nice to have the whole crew back together again. It feels like it's been ages. Oh hey," he leaned over the dog's mane and pointed out a stretch of beach, "I left the Sunny over there."

Zoro glanced over and indeed saw their ship lying on the beach. Surrounding it was about five hundred of Kaido's enforcers, "Looks like someone else found it first."

"Huh," Luffy got off the dog and cracked his knuckles, "Well, let's go kick their ass."

Zoro grunted as he jumped down too, and heard Luffy say to the dog, "Stay here, okay?"

As Zoro and Luffy stepped onto the beach, a bolt of lightning struck the group of enemies. Several appeared frozen, and several more were sent flying.

"Ah, looks like the others are already here," Luffy grinned.

Zoro had two swords drawn already as he scanned the now chaotic group. There, closest to the ship, was a blur of blond and black, ferociously kicking back the enforcers that approached.

Luffy was shouting something, but Zoro had tuned him out as he entered the fray, slashing and hacking his way through the enforcers, creating a bloody path that led straight to Sanji. One final cut felled one of the pirates, and as he dropped Zoro's eye was locked with a pair of blue eyes that he hadn't seen in weeks.

Sanji stared back at him, shock and surprise at his sudden appearance clear on his face. "Marimo," he said as rubbed behind his ear and looked away. He sheathed a sword as Sanji continued, "Hey."

Zoro stepped forward and punched him in the face.

Sanji reeled back from the blow, clutching his face. Zoro felt the bruise form on his own face and reveled in the fact that this was definitely Sanji, Sanji was finally here, Sanji was finally home.

Sanji looked down at the ground as he lowered his hand, "Yeah, I deserve that."

"Yeah, you fucking do," Zoro growled as he reached forward, grabbed the back of Sanji's head, and brought him forward until their lips crashed together in a searing kiss.

Sanji froze, and Zoro worried for a half second that he'd overstepped, that this wasn't something Sanji wanted anymore, but then Sanji melted into it and kissed him back, opening his mouth and deepening it. One of Sanji's hands came up and cupped his face while the other tangled in his hair, pulling them even closer together.

Zoro sensed someone coming up behind him and quickly raised his sword and took them out without pulling away. He felt Sanji lift his leg and knock out a few more people behind him.

Eventually the need for air broke them apart. Sanji's lips were still right next to his, and he could feel his breath across them every time he exhaled.

"I thought you'd be mad," Sanji said, stroking his face as he kicked someone behind Zoro, "I thought you'd hate me."

"I was mad," Zoro said as he stabbed an enforcer over Sanji's shoulder and touched his forehead to Sanji's, "I thought you'd be married."

Thunder sounded as dark clouds formed overhead. Lightning shot down from them, zapping the surrounding enemies.

"Really?" Nami shouted from somewhere to their left, "You're doing this now?"

Sanji grinned before kissing him once more and pulling away, "Let's go."

Zoro's grin echoed his as he pulled out another sword. They turned around, pressed their backs up against each other, and quickly fell into their usual deadly pattern.

After a few minutes, because Zoro couldn't help himself, he asked, "Was she pretty?"

"Huh?" Sanji said as he kicked a guy over their heads, "Who?"

"Your fiancée," Zoro said as he slashed someone's gut open, "Was she pretty?"

"Pudding?" Zoro glanced over his shoulder and saw a blush spread across Sanji's cheeks as he touched his lips, "Yeah, I guess. But I was never going to marry her."

"Didn't you propose to her at one point?" Carrot asked as she flipped out of the way of a sword slash and punched her attacker in the face.

"You what?" Zoro snapped as he stabbed the next guy with a bit more force than necessary.

"Oh, you jealous?" he could practically hear the smug smirk on his stupid face.

"You're my soulmate!" he growled, "I think I'm entitled to a little jealousy when you ask the woman who kidnapped you to marry you!"

"Pudding didn't kidnap me, and don't be jealous," he reached his hand behind him until he found Zoro's clutched around his sword and gently stroked his knuckles, "It was a terrible proposal, made in a fit of despair and desperation. My next one will be much better," he pulled his hand away, "So prepare yourself, Marimo. I'm gonna knock your fucking socks right off."

Zoro stopped, eye going wide as he looked over his shoulder, "You're proposing to me?"

Sanji froze, his cheeks flushing a dark red as he scratched the back of his neck, "Ah, well, yeah, at some point, I guess. I figured, you know, since we're soulmates and everything, the next person I propose to would be, you."

Zoro stared at him, heart beating hard and fast in his chest as Sanji continued, "I mean, if you want to. With the wedding stuff and all I was just," he scowled and turned fully away, "Just forget it."

Before Zoro could stop himself, he responded, "I accept."

Sanji turned back around, "What?"

"Your proposal," Zoro said as he slashed another guy, "I accept it."

"What, no!" Sanji said as he kicked a few more guys, "This isn't the proposal! I'm going to propose to you at some point, not right now!"

"Why bother, I've already said yes."

Sanji's next kick came for his head. Zoro blocked it as Sanji shouted, "You are so frustrating!"

"Same to you!" Zoro scowled, sheathing one of his swords as he grabbed Sanji's wrist, "These past few weeks have been some of the worst of my life. I hated not knowing if you were coming back or not, or if I would ever see you again. I was so mad and frustrated and helpless to do anything about it. I never want to feel like that again."

He let go of his wrist and gently cupped his face, "Sanji, I love you. I never want to lose you like that again, and if that means marrying you so no one else can, then I'll do it gladly and without hesitation."

"You fucking, selfish Marimo bastard," Sanji said, lifting his hand to place it over Zoro's as he looked him in the eye, "You just said everything I was going to."

He leaned forward and kissed him, slower this time, more careful, making sure to put everything he was feeling in that moment into it. Sanji returned the kiss eagerly as more lightning went off around them.

Zoro pulled away first, "I'm kinda the most wanted criminal in all of Wano right now, so finding someone to marry us might be tricky."

"I can't take you anywhere," Sanji sighed, "We don't have to get married right now."

Zoro frowned, but at that moment Brook passed by, slicing the enforcers left and right with icy slashes, and said, "As the captain of a ship, Luffy would be able to marry you whenever you wish."

"Really?" Zoro's hand slid into Sanji's. He squeezed it as he shouted, "Hey! Luffy!"

"We don't have to get married right this second!" Sanji hissed at him as he squeezed back.

"What's up?" he heard Luffy shout somewhere behind him as bodies went flying.

"Get over here and marry us!"

"Who's us?"

He raised their hands, "Me and Sanji! Marry us!"

"Oh, yeah! Sure," his arm stretched out and grabbed onto the Sunny's railing. Luffy went flying and let go once he spotted them, dropping down into their circle of destruction.

"Okay, so," Luffy began as the enforcers circled around them. He turned to fight them off, "Zoro, do you wanna marry Sanji?"

"Yeah," Zoro answered, fighting off attackers with one sword, his other hand still holding Sanji's.

"Cool," he dodged an enforcer's punch and retaliated with a hard smack of his own, "Sanji, do you wanna marry Zoro?"

Sanji squeezed his hand tight, kicking his own attackers away, "Yeah."

"Great. Congrats, you're married," Luffy turned to grin at them, "Now kiss."

Zoro and Sanji turned and met each other halfway, lips crashing together almost desperately. Another round of lightning went off around them, and a little further away he could hear the smaller sparks of Carrot's electro, Brook's musical laughter, and the shouts that accompanied Chopper's kung-fu point.

By the time they broke apart, all of Kaido's men were down for the count.

"You two have the worst timing on the face of the planet," Nami said with a sigh.

"We should have a feast," Luffy said, still grinning wide at them, "A huge wedding feast, with some more of that wedding cake."

"Absolutely not," Sanji said, leaning his head down to rest on Zoro's shoulder, "I am so done with cake for a while."

"What would we even eat?" Chopper said with a frown, "Didn't you tell me that all the water and animals around here were poisoned?"

"Good point," Luffy nodded, "First, we find the others, because feasting should happen together. Then we beat up Kaido and take his food, and then we have the greatest wedding feast of all time."

Carrot cheered as Nami turned to their captain and started tugging on his ear, lecturing him about alliances and obligations and priorities. Zoro felt Sanji exhale a laugh against his neck and he lifted his hand to gently stroke his hair.

Sanji turned his head a little so his eyes looked up at him, a soft, pleased smile gracing his lips.

Zoro smiled back, squeezing his hand as a light feeling filled his chest.

Zoro sat at the back of the ship, watching the clouds roll by into the orange sunset. He'd just finished his post dinner workout, despite Chopper's warnings against it with his still healing injuries, but he'd left the bandages on so he couldn't really complain, and was enjoying the beautiful evening as they sailed further away from Wano.

He felt a sharp prick on his finger and looked down. A small cut appeared on his pointer finger. He stared at it as the blood collected at the tip and dripped down onto the deck.

There was a point when he was younger when he'd often get little cuts like that. At the time, since he'd incorrectly thought his soulmate had died, he assumed he'd cut himself cleaning his swords. Now he realized they must have been from Sanji learning how to use a knife, and he really was an oblivious dumbass for not figuring the whole thing out sooner.

The echo vanished as quickly as it appeared. A few minutes later Sanji appeared on deck, a plate of onigiri in one hand and a bottle of sake in the other, and made his way to the back of the ship.

Zoro lifted his now healed finger, "Since when do you cut yourself in the kitchen?"

Sanji handed him the food and showed him his bandaged finger, "Luffy," he said with an eye roll, leaving that to explain everything.

He hummed in acknowledgment as he started eating his snack. Sanji sat down next to him, wincing as he aggravated his own injuries, and lit a cigarette, leaning back as he exhaled a puff of smoke towards the sky.

Zoro reached over and gently stroked his side, "How're your ribs?"

"Better," he replied, glancing over at Zoro as he reached out and lightly tapped his chest, "How's your chest?"

"Getting there," he said with a slight wince. They both pulled away and Zoro turned instead to his food.

When he was done eating, Zoro rested his head on Sanji's shoulder. His hand wandered across their laps until he found Sanji's and tangled their fingers together. Sanji relaxed and began stroking his thumb as he watched the ocean pass by.

"Hey," Zoro mumbled into his neck. Sanji turned to look at him as Zoro smiled, "I'm glad you're here."

Sanji smiled back and placed a soft kiss on his temple. He rested his head on top of Zoro's and said, "There's no place else I'd rather be."

They fell into a peaceful silence, taking comfort from each other's presence.

Around them, the ship sailed on.