His Fault | Monster Trio

47

The Captain's confession made Sanji tumble over Zoro's boots, leading the Swordsman to unintentionally catch him in his arms.

"Stop messing around!" The Swordsman dropped the Cook against the hardwood floor when he was three inches off of the ground.

"Sorry Luffy, I tripped over something stupid just now." The blonde man brushed himself off.

"Luffy, choose wisely: Who do you really want in this room, me or number three?"

Zoro asked, referring to Sanji as "number three", in a humorous way, and mainly to annoy the blonde man.

"Number three." Zoro's eyes widened.

"Huh? Really?"

He questioned, slightly jealous over the fact that Luffy chose Sanji and not him.

"You heard the man." Sanji said, wearing a proud smile on his face.

"Run along now! Don't break your butt on the ice, Victorrrrr." Sanji grinned, twirling around like a ballerina.

"Shut up. Keep yourselves safe in here, I can't protect both of you and guard the Sunny all at once."

"Yeah right, like we're gonna need you. Luffy and I are capable of handling ourselves on our own."

Through discussions and disagreements, the stubborn trio solved their differences and worked together to create a plan.

"Take your snail transponder with you, I'll keep mine in my pocket." Sanji handed Zoro a small snail transponder.

"Bye-bye!" The sound of Luffy's voice lead Zoro right back to him, before he left the room.

He cupped the Captain's face in his big hands and placed a kiss on his forehead, then he headed back outside.

His trip to the deck was delayed by the sound of Franky hammering the wall from nearby.

"Are you fixing the wall?"

The Swordsman asked, watching as the Shipwright put his hammer down to face him.

"Nah, I'm makin' biscuits! Want some?"

He sarcastically spoke to the Swordsman, clearly frustrated over the damage that was done to the Sunny.

"Sure, save me a few. Put some of your leg hairs on them." Zoro replied, walking away from the bathroom.

"I'll sprinkle in some of my ass hairs as well!"

"Even better!"

Though both of the men were angry and frustrated about the same situation they were in, they chuckled at their lighthearted jokes.

In the meantime, Sanji and Luffy were staring at each other with a crooked grin across their faces, after listening to Zoro and Franky's offensive conversation.

"Yep, those are my buddies. Wouldn't trade 'em for the world!" Luffy stated, crossing his arms.

"I'd trade 'em for a big steak and fry it for us." Sanji replied, taking a golden lighter out of his pocket.

"Can it be grilled instead so that it could be crispy?"

"Crispy? You wanna break your teeth biting into him?" The other questioned, giving his Captain a judgemental look.

"..'kay, I have to agree that biting into Franky's metal bits is gonna be hard, but it'll have a good flavor!"

"I was talking about Zoro. A bite of that concrete skull of his and you'll break your damn jaw."

"I already broke mine. Wouldn't wanna break it again."

Sanji's mind went blank for a second after he realized what Luffy was referring to.

He let out a puff of smoke through a small opening in his mouth, then sighed deeply.

"Sorry." The man said.

"Was it your fault?"

"No."

"Then don't apologize."

Luffy's voice was beginning to irritate Sanji.

And not because of the way it sounded, but because of his choice of words.

"Don't make it sound like it was my fault then."

"What?"

The blonde man got closer to the younger.

"Don't make me feel guilty about everything I say. It's as if I have to sensor myself around you, or make my existence less noticeable just for you to be happy, all the time. And I'm sick of it."

Sanji's heart clenched. He wanted to hold back on having this conversation with Luffy, but he was already beyond his limit in keeping everything bottled up.

"I never said it was your fault! You just don't get it!"

"But that's what you feel, don't you? Say it, come on."

The ambience around them soon got heated.

"I understand that you get triggered pretty easily, so why don't you just write down a list of what triggers you? I can't even speak properly anymore."

"Well, sorry you feel that way then! Know what? Get out!" Luffy flung the door wide open with rage, causing a loud bang to echo from his room.

"I really should've just stayed on the other side of the ship. But you know why I didn't do it? Because I wanted to be here for you!! You're so ungrateful!"

The blonde man argued, stepping out of the room.

"I don't need your help! I've never needed anyone's help. I can help myself!"

"Let's see you help yourself out, then." A sinister,  voice whispered menacingly, behind the Captain.

Both Luffy and Sanji felt their blood run cold. They were instantaneously paralyzed with fear.

"Sanji!"

Before he could swing his fist at a figure that was stood behind Sanji, the Captain was captured and restrained by a group of abnormally strong men.

The touch of their hands around Luffy's arms cause the boy to collapse, being drained of every last drop of energy in his system.

"LUFFY!" Sanji's heart dropped as he watched the brunette being brutally pinned down to the ground.

He was then met with his own reflection through a man who was using his face, but who was wearing a different set of clothing than his.

"It's him! Isn't it!? You're the son of a bitch who's been doing this to my Captain!"

Sanji went ballistic, coming face-to-face with his Captain's enemy.

The mere look in his eye let the other man know how much evil was stored away inside of him.

"Thanks for coming to our little "get-together" but our quota isn't accepting any more applicants for this job. So you'll just have to apply somewhere else."

"I won't go down without a fight. It's time I get my identity back and free Luffy from this living Hell."

~~~