Chapter Text
That day, Zoro saw a very strange sight, so strange that at first, he didn't even know what it was. What he was thinking seemed impossible, especially in this colosseum. It shouldn't be possible.
Until he saw those happy, utterly sincere smiles, the tears of unending emotion. The affectionate kisses, "love," the nod, and the firm vows. Only then did he realize what he was witnessing.
In a dark, dusty storage room reeking of mold, a cloud of grime rising with just a wave of the hand. He saw a wedding.
It was Jancee, one of the strongest axe-wielding warriors Zoro knew. Someone he absolutely did not want to be matched against. She was strong, steadfast, her eyes cold as a corpse, never showing the slightest opening to an opponent. She had long, blood-red hair, wore crude iron armor, was missing one ear, and her skin was covered in jagged scars. The huge axe was always slung across her back, exuding the aura of a bloodthirsty warrior just by its look.
But that day, she seemed like a different person. Her eyes brimmed with countless emotions, sparkling with tears yet shining as if she had found a beautiful hope.
That was the moment he saw the man beside her slip something like a ring onto her finger. It was a wedding. He knew it was a wedding, or a proposal (Kuina had told him about them). Jancee had just married some new soldier.
He stood dumbfounded, peeking from the doorway to watch the scene. Honestly, that scene seemed to contain the definition of the word "happiness." For the first time, he witnessed "love" in this rotting prison.
"Hey, little green-haired brat, what are you doing out there?"
He startled at her call, even though she had just been crying rivers. Her voice was still as strong as hardened steel.
"Want to come in and give your blessings, kid?" she said in a teasing tone, but without any threat at all.
He clambered in awkwardly, seeing the groom looking embarrassed, a bit scared and shrinking back, stammering something to Jancee. He had no impression of this guy at all. Hiding behind his wife was really unimpressive; he felt contemptuous inside. But seeing Jancee's indulgent smile, he swallowed his comments.
"What are you doing? A wedding?"
"Oh, a brat like you knows what a wedding is?" she smirked.
"Ja-Jan, what do we do? If this gets out, will it be bad?" the guy stammered, cold sweat already beading on his face.
"Ha, it's fine, honey. Nothing will happen. And if it does, this brat here is no match for me anyway." Her voice was full of confidence as she looked down at Zoro, arms crossed, as if challenging what he could do.
"We'll see about that, old hag," he stuck out his tongue mockingly, not backing down. He wanted to provoke her.
"You little brat!" Jancee started getting angry, looking as funny as Zoro thought.
"Calm down, Jan." the guy suddenly restrained her. He smiled as he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"I just came to see. It's the first time I've seen a wedding in here. Really weird," he said bluntly, without any courtesy. Suddenly, Jancee laughed out loud, putting her hands on her hips.
"So, you wanna be our witness, kid? There's a first time for everything," she suggested, completely ignoring her slightly panicking husband beside her.
"Sure," he said, genuinely a bit curious.
That day, he witnessed their wedding. He saw them recite vows, saw Jancee also slip a ring onto the guy's finger (he didn't know where they got them). Then finally, they kissed passionately. When Jancee yelled at him to clap, he reluctantly complied.
That day was quite fun. It was the first time he'd seen something like that. Love, a wedding, and things like "never parting." It was all filled with nameless happiness. He blessed them without even realizing it.
'I want to go tell Curls right away.'
________
"Why did you marry him?" he asked, in the communal weapon-cleaning area, where he happened to run into her, and he asked. Couldn't blame him; this seemed to be the only "love" he had found in this place. If he couldn't learn about it from her, he wouldn't have any other chance to understand his own feelings.
"Huhh, kid, you're pretty curious, aren't you?" she answered, eyebrows raised as if probing, puzzled by Zoro's motive.
After a moment of falling into thought, her eyes stared straight ahead.
"Dunno. Maybe 'cause I love him," she replied as naturally as possible, succinct despite thinking for quite a while.
"Is that all? I mean, how are you sure you love him?" Love him enough to marry him. He spoke with a confused tone.
"You're too young, you little stinker," she smirked.
"Whatever. Seems like you can't explain it. You're probably just caught up in a temporary emotion." For some reason, he spoke accusatorily. Somewhere, it seemed, he was jealous of their "love," of those who knew about "love."
"Hmm. You know, it seems I... changed. Got changed. Whatever. Because of him." She said, smiling gently.
"Is that a bad thing?"
"Dunno. Before I realized it, I'd started thinking about more than just winning in the arena. I thought about the future, all about happy things. Doesn't sound like me at all." She closed her eyes, her voice soft as if confiding in herself.
"Is that love?" he asked.
"No one can explain what love is, kid," she looked at him with understanding, as if she knew something. Still leaning against the wall, arms crossed over her chest, facing him.
"When did you know you loved him?"
"From a certain moment. Or from my whole experience with him. It just piled up, the happiness and hope. Then I knew I loved him." She said, suddenly her gaze caught sight of a figure ahead. Her eyes softened, staring at that figure. A gentle, loving smile spread across her face.
"Maybe it's when I want to be with him for life, never let go. Want to see his smile more than anything. Want to protect him from dangers. When I find myself thinking of him after a victory, or when I see a delicious slice of apple pie and want to give it to him. Maybe that's love." She answered calmly, her eyes not leaving the man before her, whom Zoro now knew was her husband standing there.
"Heh," he was somewhat impressed by that answer.
"What if you two get matched in a fight? Aren't you scared?" he asked casually, quietly recalling the image of his own fight with Kuina.
"Then we'd fight each other, then stab each other's hearts at the same time. Isn't that romantic?" she said calmly, her voice rising at the end, making a weird wriggling motion that made Zoro grimace in disdain.
"What if he betrays you? He'll use your feelings, then kill you and go on living."
"Deep in my heart, I hope he does that." A gentle expression appeared on her face as she looked down at the bricks under her feet. Her lips curled into an indescribably sad smile.
That answer surprised Zoro immensely. For many reasons. He thought of Sanji, thought about the simple daily things they did together, and how often he thought of Sanji in a day. And imagined a scene where he and Sanji were opponents on the arena floor. A cold shiver of horror ran down his spine, his stomach twisted as if wanting to vomit. Just seeing Sanji standing on the other side of the arena, he could draw his sword and cut his throat instantly. Thinking about it was unbearable.
"You damn brat, you're in love, aren't you?" she suddenly smirked, speaking in a mocking tone.
As if his weakness had been discovered, he flinched. His face heated up, and he was quite sure it was turning bright red. Being read by others wasn't good at all.
"Shut up," he growled at Jancee.
"Haha, you're hilarious." She stood up straight, stretched before picking up the axe beside her and slinging it over her shoulder.
"When you're in love, you'll be surprised by what we can do for love." She said as she walked forward, giving a slight wave without looking back, heading towards that man.
His eyes followed the two of them. Jancee wrapped her arm around the other man's neck; he looked a bit flustered. But they were both smiling very sincerely. It was the first time he had seen "love."
__________
"Waa, that's a wedding. Zoro, it sounds so romantic. I wish I could have been there to bless them too," Sanji said excitedly, his eyes shining with his beautiful daydreaming expression.
Zoro had told Sanji about the wedding and that love, and he became interested beyond imagination, constantly asking for more details, listening with admiration and sighs.
"You really like that kind of stuff, huh?" Zoro asked bluntly after getting too tired from Sanji's storytelling demands.
"Why wouldn't I? Isn't this love blooming on a bloody battlefield? They are willing to sacrifice for each other, willing to hold hands and go to the very end, even death can't separate them. Wow, it sounds just like a novel." His voice rose excitedly as he clasped his hands together, that familiar, impressively exaggerated wriggle.
"Anyway, it's surprising they can fall in love here," Zoro replied flatly, not too impressed even though he himself also admired that love.
"There's love everywhere, Mossy. I love you a lot too." He said, grinning widely, their hands still intertwined since a while ago squeezing tighter.
Every time he smiled like that, it gave Zoro a feeling like being pricked by needles. Especially recently, it made him shiver, and he couldn't control his face from turning as red as a ripe tomato. He'd have to learn to control his emotions soon.
"I know," he replied, still wondering if his and Sanji's "love" were the same.
Lately, he had also been dreaming often. Since witnessing the wedding, he dreamed that he too put a ring on Sanji's finger, and he jumped into his arms happily, cheering. So stupid.
"Ah, I need to use the restroom. Wait for me, okay?" Sanji said before darting out of the room. Zoro watched him go.
He began to close his eyes, letting the soaring images in his head drift away, gradually falling into his familiar meditative state.
But after a while, he realized Sanji had been gone for quite a long time. It made him a little worried.
'Did he finally get lost?'
He should have gone with Sanji in the first place. Usually, Sanji's evasion skills were very deft, as was his ability to disappear into crowds. So in almost a year, he hadn't encountered any trouble.
But that was "hadn't." Something felt off. He stood up and decided to go look. Reaching for the three swords leaning beside him, he headed out.
After walking through a bunch of winding corridors, trying to remember where the bathroom was, he heard what sounded like two people arguing up ahead.
His heart pounded when he recognized it was Sanji's shouting voice. He ran faster towards the sound.
"LET GO, LET GOOO!" Sanji yelled, trying to break free from the man's grip.
"You little brat, stay still. You damn kid, where did you get all that food? Tell me now. There's no way you earned that much money!"
"I cooked it myself, damn it! Get off me!" He struggled harder, though still held tightly.
Zoro arrived panting. Before him, Sanji was being held tightly by the arm by the man he had fed the other day. He grimaced as the man gripped him tighter, a few tears threatening to spill from his eyes.
"HEY, YOU BASTARD!" Zoro shouted, immediately drawing his sword, pointing it straight at the man.
"Zoro!" Sanji's face relaxed with relief when he saw him.
Just then, the man also noticed Zoro. He yanked Sanji closer, pulling a short knife from his person and pressing it against Sanji's neck. Sanji's face turned pale.
Zoro's jaw clenched tight, his chest heaving violently. It was as if the air had been sucked out around him. An uncontrollable fury was burning him up.
"Cooked it yourself? Then from now on, you'll cook for me. Become my slave. Kid, watch it. My hand might slip," the man threatened, showing a sick, triumphant smile.
When the knife pressed close enough to Sanji's skin that a drop of blood trickled out, Sanji let out a soft cry, trying to suppress his sobs. His whole body shook uncontrollably.
That sight seemed to rob him of all reason. He would kill that guy. He would kill him. How dare he lay a hand on Sanji? His vision almost blurred with anger, but he had to stay calm and focus on the man, try to find a weakness. He was threatening Sanji. He couldn't be hasty.
'Damn it, damn it, don't even think about hurting him.'
While the man was still laughing madly like a lunatic, muttering nonsense, Zoro knew this guy was nothing. Just wait a little longer, the man would let his guard down.
'Don't be scared. Wait for me just a little longer.'
He seemed to want to transmit those words to Sanji as he looked into his eyes. He didn't know what Sanji was thinking, but suddenly, Sanji delivered a sharp kick to the man's kneecap.
In that split second when the man was startled, Zoro lunged forward with his sword, slashing a horizontal line across the man's arm. He hurriedly let go of Sanji, who broke free and ran out.
As the man tried to lunge at Zoro to attack with his bleeding arm, Zoro finished him with a slash across the throat. The madman collapsed immediately, blood soaking the stone tiles into a puddle. It reflected Zoro's face clearly as he looked down at the corpse.
The feeling of fury still pulsed in his chest, unceasing. That bastard. He wanted him to die again. Damn it, now he was covered all in blood. Emotions were still surging within him. He suddenly realized Sanji was still here. He was too used to scenes like this in the arena and had forgotten, this wasn't the arena.
"I don't like violence."
Sanji's voice echoed in his head. He stared at the puddle of blood at his feet. It reflected his face clearly, a scary, frightening face, full of fury. Like that of a bloodthirsty demon.
He froze. The emotions gradually calmed, but his heart still pounded heavily with anxiety. Not from anger anymore, but from fear. He suddenly became too afraid to look up at Sanji. He feared the expression on his face would be something he couldn't bear.
His ears rang as if the whole world had just let out a loud scream, isolating him from everything and sinking him into swirling thoughts. What if? What if he's scared of me? What if he sees me as a disgusting monster?
But isn't that what he was? He was too accustomed to killing like drinking water every day. Wasn't that terrifying already? He let out a self-mocking laugh.
All his streams of thought were suddenly cut off by a figure crashing into his chest.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt? Why are you just standing there? Where are you hurt?" Sanji's voice was full of frantic worry. He pulled back and looked all over Zoro, checking all the blood on him that wasn't his own.
"Want to protect him from dangers."
"What's wrong, Zoro? Answer me." Sanji's two hands touched his cheeks, cupping Zoro's face, looking straight into his eyes without the slightest hesitation.
"Maybe it's when I want to be with him for life, never let go."
"I'm okay," he replied softly, still feeling as if he were floating.
"Oh, my Zoro, you idiot, hic—you scared me to death, damn it." Sanji laughed even as tears continued to stream down.
"It just piled up—the happiness and hope. Then I knew I loved him."
Jancee's voice from earlier kept echoing in his head. He wrapped his arms tightly around Sanji, who also hugged him back tightly. Gently rubbing his arm on Zoro's back, threading his fingers through his hair. Comforting him gently without saying a word. He should be the one comforting Sanji, not the other way around.
He couldn't ignore it anymore. He loved Sanji. Loved him more than anything. It couldn't be stopped.
Sanji took his hand—now his own body was also smeared with the stinking blood. Gently leading him away.
"Let's go," he said, as if nothing had happened.
Zoro turned his head to look back at the motionless corpse. Jancee's voice echoed again.
"What we can do for love."