~~~~~~~~~~~ Epilogue

A/N: *SPOILER ALERT* If you have not seen all of the Thriller Park Arc you might wish to stop reading … nnnn-now!

For my encore performs of "Desperation" I take you to Thriller Park, (Episode 377) the story already in progress. The crew given a choice to live or hand over Luffy of course refuse and stand to fight. Kuma attacks with Ursus Shock and a huge explosion goes off knocking out everyone so it seems. Kuma then goes to take Luffy and Zoro attacks him and they battle and talk. I bring you now into the story when Sanji wakes up…

Pain … pain through out his whole body is the first thing that makes its self known to the cook as slowly he comes to. His eyes strain to open and near by he hears voices but sounds are muffed at the moment as his ears are still ringing. Luffy ...Luffy and the others are in trouble I have to help. He yells at himself with in his mind as he lays there. Finally sound and sight come in clear once again.

"I am what is called a "Pacifista"..." Says someone with a voice Sanji somewhat recognizes.

If Sanji thought the pain was bad before it's ten times worse as he tries to rise. The most he can do at the moment is turn his head towards the sound. The sight that befalls him makes his visible blue eye widen in shock and fear.

"Part of a yet-to-be-completed project of the World Government..." Kuma goes on to say as he stands tall like nothing can move or affect him.

"A Pacifista …?" questions the swordsman breathing hard and on his knees a few feet away. …

Sanji's eyes searches around but everyone else seems to be knocked out and it's just Zoro… Zoro on his fucking knees!

"A human weapon. I was created by the Government's genious scientist... Doctor Vegapunk... The man with the greatest intellect on the planet. It is said that his scientific knowledge has already reached the level humanity is likely to reach in five hundred years' time." Kuma went on to explain to swordsman.

"A body like that ... What's more, he's an ability user!" spoke Zoro aloud. "It's like there's just no chance of beating him...!"

Bastard of course there is a chance, didn't you make Luffy a promise you would never be beaten again! Sanji grinded his teeth in thought.

"Just as I thought... My body won't even obey me anymore...!" Zoro then added.

Sanji's heart started to beat faster. He refused to believe the swordsman words. It had to be a trick to get Kuma off guard… yes that was it…

"But no matter what... You're still going to take Luffy's head, aren't you?" Zoro questioned Kuma.

"That is as far as I am willing to compromise." Kuma simply stated.

"I understand...I'll let you have one head!" Zoro agreed.

Sanji frowned. Dammit, what is that bastard up to?!

Zoro then used what strength he had saved up and sat formally before Kuma and placed his hands palms down onto the ground as he bowed deeply with his head lowered. "But… In exchange...Please take my life instead of Luffy's!"

Everything seemed to stop for Sanji like if the world had suddenly decided it didn't want to spin anymore. He had to have herd Zoro wrong. His hearing must still be messed up from the explosion.

"I'm begging you!" breathed out Zoro.

Sanji was not hearing him wrong!

"I might not be that famous yet ... But this is the head of the one who will eventually become the world's greatest swordsman! Surely that should be enough!" Zoro went on to add.

No, no, no, no! Not my Zoro, not my shitty marimo! I have to get up, I have to stop this! Sanji willed himself and his body only gave himself pain as reply.

"Despite your remarkable ambition... You wish to take this man's place... And go to your death?" Kuma questioned.

Fuck! That shitty bastard was going to take Zoro up on this trade! Sanji looked down to his legs and shouted with his mind at them, MOVE! Yet only more pain coursed though out his body. No! I have to move, I have to! Zoro can't sacrifice himself he just cant he can't die! Zoro was strong and powerful. Nobel in his own shitty marimo way, he was what a man was sups to be, a man he, Sanji admired…a man …a man Sanji loved!

"I don't see any other way..." answered Zoro. "To save my crew...!"

There is another way and I swear I will give it to you! Sanji growled within himself. His leg then twitched and Sanji fought against the pain.

"If you can't even protect your captain, your ambition is pointless! Luffy is the man who's gonna become the Pirate King!" Zoro spoke with conviction.

This was it, it was now or he would not get another chance. MOVE! His leg twitched again and Sanji gritted his teeth. I will give up my dream, I will give up All Blue, I will give up everything I have just give me the strength to move to jump in the way just one more times please! Sanji preyed and gave it everything he had and this time he raised himself up and got to his feet somehow. The pain was near blinding but Sanji stuffed his hands in his pockets like he always did keeping himself cool and calm so no one could see or be the wiser the pain he was in and he stumbled forward.

"Wait, wait, you damn bastard!" Sanji called out and nearly toppled over, just barely getting his foot down in time to stop himself and kept on trudging forward.

At the voice Zoro turned his head and stared in shock at the blonde coming up towards him. It didn't even seem like Sanji at first he was so beat up.

"What good is dying gounna do you?" asked Sanji breathing hard with a glare on his face to the swordsman as he slowly kept coming. "What about your ambition, you idiot?"

"You...!" Zoro said in surprise as Sanji kept coming. That baka cook what did he think he was doing coming in the middle of this and saying those kinds of things? The idiot looked like he could hardly stand.

Zoro seemed out of it. Best get this other asshole's attention and things in motion thought Sanji and turned away from Zoro. "Hey, big guy!"

"Hey?!" Zoro called out his heart pounding. Sanji couldn't seriously mean to fight him with the way he was… or could he mean to...

"Rather than this moss-head swordsman..." Sanji said giving Zoro the full of his back and putting himself standing between Zoro and Kuma.

Stop it, stop it don't you dare say it! Zoro stared in disbelief.

"...Take my life instead!" Sanji stood up straight as he said this though his body trembled in pain that he could not fully hide no matter how hard he tried. "The navy might not consider me a threat yet..." Sanji moved past the pain, let his body feel it if it must but he would fully focus on what needed to be done. "But in the end, the one in this crew who will cause the most trouble..."

Zoro's mind flashed back to that morning in the kitchen he had found the cook with a bloody kitchen knife in one hand and gash across his other arm, the blood oozing and dripping down it into a pool on the floor while the cook just sat there as if waiting to die. The flashed then ended and he was staring at Sanji's back in the here and now once again.

"...Is me, Black Leg Sanji!" Sanji finished his speech with fervor.

"Why you...!" Zoro glared at the back of the cook. How dare he do this again!

Sanji stood there taking in shaky breaths using sheer will power to keep his body standing and ignored the swordsman for the moment. Fucking marimo needed to shut up so he could keep this big guy's attention on him till he had a deal with him.

Does he still think I want him dead that it would be better for the crew? Zoro questioned with in his mind and frowned. No the baka cook was sups to be over that.

"Now... do it...!" ordered Sanji as he felt the tears prickle at his eyes but they were not enough to make his eyes watery. Probably dehydrated, somewhere in the back of his mind thought and he gritted his teeth. There would be so many things he would miss out on in life. Like seeing the shock on the baka-swordsman's face when he finally got the courage to kiss him. His lips quivered as he spoke his next words, "Rather than this guy... I'll let you have… My life!"

Bastard didn't you say you would not risk your life for me? Why do this, why? You were the one out of the crew I wanted to save the most! Zoro panted breathing hard growing more pissed by the seconds.

Sanji could tell just by the sound alone of Zoro's breathing how mad he was. Yet he could not let the bastard butt in. The shitty marmio was probably thinking by letting him, Sanji take the sacrifice on his own it would make him, Zoro less of a man. Maybe if he could just sugar coat it the bastard would keep his mouth shut and just go with it and accept it, after all Zoro could not be the world's best swordsman if he was dead. He had to think about his dream. "Both of us are perfectly ready to lay down our lives here if we have to! Let's make this a glorious death!"

Bastard if you know I'm willing to die for you and the others then why butt in?! Are you that much in a hurry to die?! Fumed Zoro his breath coming in pants still as a gust of wind blew past the cook's leg caring on it a cloud of dust from all the rubble about.

"Hey, tell everyone ..." the cook now spoke up to the swordsman making it clear out of the two of them that he, Sanji would be the one to die.

Zoro straighten himself at the cook's words to him as the anger with in him helped give him strength he had not had moments ago. Like hell he would let the shitty-cook go through with this!

"To have a good journey..!" The cook said as the poke of tears pressured at his eyes again while he looked up to the sky.

Somehow Zoro found it within himself to move his body and he was on his feet glaring at the cook. Baka-cook…

Sanji's bottom lip trembled, there was so much he wanted to say to the swordsman but the best he could do was, "Sorry, but... I guess you'll have to... Find another cook...!"

That had done it. Those words only fueled the fire burning now with the swordsman and he acted with out haste. Zoro moved in one solid fluid movement to the cook's side in attack and used the butt of his sword to smash into the cook's gut figuring that would be all that was needed due to the idiot was hardly holding on as is.

The hit took the cook by surprise and his head spun to look at his attacker his eyes wide and the few drops of tears he had been holding back dislodging themselves and flew past the swordsman from the motion.

Sanji's hand slapped down on his attacker's shoulder as his other hung limply to his side. The added pain to him the attack had brought was so much to bear to what he already had been feeling. Sanji's eyes then glared at seeing his attack was none other then Zoro. "W...why you...!" he got out but could feel himself now losing consciousness as his view started to get a black fuzz around the edges.

Zoro stood there letting himself be a support hold for the cook but didn't say a word as they stared into each others eyes.

Bastard don't you know life is not worth living with out you, thought Zoro.

Bastard don't you know life is not worth living with out you, thought Sanji.

Sanji was quickly losing his battle to stay conscious and his hand slipped down the tone firm muscle that made up the swordsman's arm. With in the next moment the cook found himself to his knees with out even knowing how he had gotten there having blacked out for a moment and could feel the darkness tugging at him to return. Sanji refused and held to Zoro's arm as tightly as he could not ever wanting to let go of the shitty-swordsman but he no longer had any say in it and his hand slipped the rest of the way down the other man's arm as he fell back and to his side in a crumpled heap out cold.

Zoro watched Sanji fall, his heart aching with in his chest more then any other pain his body was feeling at the moment but turned icy eyes to Kuma as his breathing shifted heavy once more. He could not let this bastard think that Sanji's deal was still existing. Though he felt like collapsing himself he took a breath in and shut his eyes and remembered the cook's smile, the reason why he was doing this. Strength came again from some hidden place within himself and he opened his eyes, "This is my last request ...!" and he removed his swords tossing two then the other half way to Kuma. It was he who would make the sacrifice no one else, especially not HIS Sanji!

A/N: Annnnd we all know what happened after that xD

Hope the bonus bit was worth it. That episode (377 Zoro Fights, Prepared to Die) was what gave me the idea for this story to begin with so thought it only fitting I add it in like this. I think I might start on the sequel "These Hands" after I finish "You're Mine" as the other main project I have in mind I still have no clue how to go about doing it buut you will all hear more about it later sometime. Yeah but anyways "These Hands" will be taking place after Thriller Park so yay Brook will be in the story this time and I will have to work around a injured swordsman xD

I want to thank you all again. Your reviews/comments really made this story such a pleasure to write. Such a wonderful first experience for my first chapter story even though it was a short story. I promise the sequel will be long xD

But most of all I'm just happy I could give enjoyment to others with my story. I hope to see you all on my other stories and up coming ones. ^.^

Review Replies:

tazx x x – Yay thank you for your praise! Already have another san/zo going btw just has Ace as the main lead love interest as being Ace/San hehe but yes there will also be straight san/zo stories coming too!

dandy wonderous – Wow! *bows graciously* that's a huge compliment! Thank you so much. I know how some people can feel over certain couples and for that to be over looked cause of the enjoyment of the story means a lot to me so thank you again!

As to the drug bit …yeah with out it being an AU I just can't see Sanji killing himself with out there being a good reason and to sacrifice himself for his nakama is the ultimate after all its so much a part of who he is. His intro arch even showed that about him, on how he was willing to die for Zeff and the man's dream refusing to back down even a bit.

Hehe I was debating on if I should have had Luffy or Robin hit Dr. Morin and knock her out with one punch but then I thought ... nahhh that's not enough after all the shit she caused and thought a tribute attack to Sanji was just more fun!

Woot Luffy and Sanji ftw! xD

Thank you on the heads up on my common mistakes. I will try to watch out more for those. In theory I can only get better ... so here is to hoping xD

I don't know if I will see you again as most my stories will most likely be yaoi but maybe when I make some great epic-ness of wow story I will see ya then ^.^ Thanks so much for reading once again.

AllBlueChaser – Lol I had tons of free time with no net so all I could do was write and once I started the action scenes it just all flowed out which is really weird cause am not really an action fan xD well mildly I 'm but it turns out its really fun to write xD So might try my hand at some more of that.

Yush I know there were no hot cook and swordsman loving but I will be taking my first swing at that in "You're Mine" Ace/San & Zoro/San nookie so we will see how it goes but am happy you liked the story anyways. Hehe just think of it as a fun 'filler' xD

datErdbeerschn – For sure a sequel will come thank you so much for being interested in it. ^.^

Yes I didn't think it right for him to be all better again just cause of some 'happy pills' anything one goes through leaves its mark on us, thus one of the reasons why he got suicide watch even after the medicine. Some things can only be healed with some human contact and a bit of love of ones nakama.

*gigglesnorts* Yay I finally got someone to fall for one of my twists! Yeah I'm not a San/Na fan but the idea of almost kisses I just love.

Yay again! I can't wait to see what you think of my other stories!

Final Thoughts: Well that's it. Thus ends my suicidal story... maybe I will do an AU one. I always loved the hospital stories also feel free to send me messages with ideas I love getting attention and new ideas. Humm anything else I want to say?

Zoro: How about, The End?

Lolly: Oi! Get back in your box!

As I was saying….The End!