A/N: A somewhat dark story that popped into my head. Slightly AUish? due to time travel shenanigans. This might end up having parings in it but that's currently undecided. I'm sort of just following the plot bunny down the rabbit hole at the moment.

There was a slight rustling in a dark narrow tunnel. Glass clinked against a hard metal surface and was followed by a distinctive click. A small flame struggled in the dark before managing to move over to the wick of the oil lantern. The glass was lowered back in place and the light was enhanced enough so that the rough hand carved dirt walls were more visible.

A skilled hand carefully took the lantern by the thin wire handle and lifted it from the old crate it had been sitting on. Uneven steps made the lantern swing slightly but, with how claustrophobic the passageway was, the moving light still illuminated both walls.

The tunnel went down at a steady slope and occasionally dirt would crumble from the ceiling to get caught in a head of blonde hair. After several hundred feet, a pipe cut in from the ceiling and followed the edge of the tunnel. The pipe was rusty and had been patched countless times with scrap metal. Even with the patches it dripped in places creating muddy patches on the ground to possibly slip in. Scuffed dress shoes stepped around these puddles with the ease of practice.

Finally, the light shone on a door. The blonde shifted the lantern carefully before lifting a hand to trace the front of the door. Though it was quite a bit smaller than the original this mini sculpture still had the smile that was so intensely happy. The lion with the almost petal-like mane continued to smile despite the cracks in the cheery yellow paint and the bits of the mane that had been broken off.

The blonde patted the lion on the head. "I'm home, Sunny," came the soft alto voice. He let his hand trace the curve of the lion's head to gently pull Sunny Jr.'s mouth down. Inside her mouth was a black hole but the blonde slid his hand inside it without hesitation. He fiddled with something for a moment before there was a click of a lock unlatching. Narrow hips nudged the door and it obediently swung open to welcome him home.

Inside was only a little bit better lit than the tunnel had been but it did at least have wooden floors and walls. Well, most of them were wooden anyway. With a sigh, the blonde closed the door and relocked it before putting the lantern down and dousing the flame. "I'm back," he called as he reached up to pull his cloak off.

"Oi, Sanji, what took you?" came the reply from further inside the shelter.

The blonde smiled a little and wandered to the back room. "Just got caught up," he answered as he studied his long time friend. "What are you working on?"

There was a big grin in response. "My best invention yet! I call it the Usopp-Frankie Ultimate Super Drill!" he said holding up the strange machine he was putting together. Sanji felt a pang but kept smiling anyway. Usopp needed to see the smile, even Sanji could tell that much.

"A drill, eh? That's good. You can fix the damn sink with it when you're done!" Sanji said before walking past the long nosed sniper to sit down on the edge of the bed that was tucked into the corner. He undid a few ties that were holding a gauzy net draped over the bed closed so that nothing got in. "Eh, Coby. Are you awake?" Tired eyes opened some and looked over at the blonde. Sanji smiled a bit and reached over to adjust a thick bandage. "You hungry or anything?"

Coby shook his head ever so slightly. "… 'm fine, Sanji-san," he managed to mutter.

Sanji nodded and carefully checked over the rest of the bandages. Several were turning red and would have to be changed shortly but for now they were alright. The poor guy still looked exhausted after all. "Rest then. Usopp, I need your help in the other room," Sanji said as he got up and pulled the netting that covered Coby's bed closed again.

Usopp looked over from his work before nodding. "Right." Sanji led the way to the main area of their shelter and sat down heavily on the many times patched couch. The blonde sighed and lifted one leg to rest on an old chest. "What's wrong with it, Sanji?" Usopp asked as he instantly rolled up Sanji's trousers to expose dented, unpolished, metal.

"Damn thing's sticking again," Sanji muttered as he let his head fall back while Usopp adjusted his goggles to better see what he was doing. "Piece of shit's not holding up very well."

"Well, what do you expect with how you beat it up all the time?" Usopp grumbled. "You've got to use your left leg more, Sanji."

The blonde scowled. "I can't help it. I've always been better with the right," he complained. "Just fix it best you can, Usopp. It just has to work a little longer and then it won't matter."

Usopp scoffed and reached for a screwdriver from the bag beside him. "I'm not a miracle worker you know." There were several minutes where there was no noise but Usopp fiddling with mechanical parts. "How bad was it this time?" Usopp asked in a whisper though he knew that if Coby cared enough to listen he'd hear no matter how quiet they were.

Sanji didn't respond right away but after several minutes he opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling where a grinning skull wearing a Strawhat was holding back loose dirt. "Aokiji is dead."

Usopp froze for a minute before sighing heavily. "That's pretty bad…"

Sanji nodded. "Paulie and Zambai too," he nearly whispered, knowing that those would hurt more. Zambai had been one of Frankie's. "… We're running out of Nakama…"

"Don't say things like that, Sanji," Usopp said harshly despite the fist squeezing his throat so painfully. "We'll always have Nakama!"

There was a long almost painful pause between them. "I know, Usopp," Sanji whispered finally. "Has that bastard Moria contacted us yet?" he asked as he continued to study the flag he'd sailed under for so long.

"Yeah, but he still hasn't had any luck," Usopp answered. "He says the poison is just too strong. It even eats through his zombies."

"Damn it," Sanji hissed as he sat up slightly. "Makes me wish Vegapunk was still around to help us out." Moria had been the last 'scientist' around that had even a vague shot at coming up with an antidote. Not even that psychotic Clown had managed to figure out an antidote to Pestilence. They didn't have that option anymore. "I guess we have to fall back to that plan then…"

"Sanji… if you do that you won't come back," Usopp said.

The blonde hesitated for a minute before looking over at his friend. Despite not wanting to, his eyes drifted downwards to the chair that Usopp was sitting in. The wheels squeaked and weren't perfectly round anymore and the entire thing was laden down with various tools and pouches full of Gods knew what. Sanji leaned back again and forced his eyes away from the sight and instead swept over the dimly lit room.

A white sword with dark red stains on its sheath was hanging on the wall above the sink. A small mikan tree was struggling in a pot in the corner. There was a bookcase full of long untouched books and resting against it was a violin case. A backpack hung on the back of the door and on top of the icebox was a battered Strawhat with a massive gash straight through it. "Usopp… This isn't the way it was supposed to go. We need to save our Nakama however we can," Sanji managed to say though that relentless fist had now clenched tight around his own vocal chords. "Once you fix my leg I'm going."

"Sanji, you just got back," Usopp protested.

"I don't give a shit. I can't stand this anymore. You stay here with Coby. He's banged up pretty bad," Sanji said before glancing at the wall that divided the two rooms. Banged up was an understatement. Coby was terribly injured. Sanji had seen the injuries before. They all had. Not even Law and Chopper would have been able to save Coby with how bad they were, even if they were around to help. It was just a matter of time.

Usopp fiddled with his screwdriver. "Are you sure it'll work?"

"Robin-chan was sure of it. That's good enough for me," Sanji answered firmly. He would never doubt his brilliant Nakama. She had researched so long and hard to find a possible solution. It wasn't perfect but they had run out of other options. "I'll fix this Usopp. This 'Eden' is shit."

The sniper tightened his grip on the metal still propped up against the chest. "Sanji… wait until tomorrow," he murmured. "It's too late to go now."

The blonde studied his friend for several long moments before sighing. "I'll get us some glasses… we could both use a drink," he said before carefully getting up and going to the nearby cupboard. He didn't hesitate to get out nine mugs and fill them all even though it would only be him and Usopp drinking. He would give the sniper his one night. It was the least he could do for his Nakama.