Ameliorate ✦ One Piece

55

It all happened so fast. Far faster than one would expect it to take to beat a dinosaur. But surprisingly enough, it didn't take much. One kick, one slash of a sword, and one dagger and soon enough Sanji, Zoro and Akira were all forced to jump back to keep themselves from being squished beneath the T-Rex's fallen body.

"Okay..." Sanji let out a heavy breath as they all stood together, watching it, waiting to see if it really was dead or just playing some trick on them. "I guess there's dinosaurs on this island."

"One less now." Zoro decided. There was no rise and fall of its chest to suggest breathing, one eye was closed while the other remained forced open staring back at them emptily. All signs pointed to it really being dead.

"And I guess this thing," Akira walked back to where she'd dropped her things when they all sprung into action, "is not actually fiction." She picked up her book from the ground, dusting off its cover and making sure it hadn't gotten damaged.

"This thing could feed a village," Sanji let out a whistle as he moved around the body, checking out its size and body. "I've never cooked a dinosaur before."

"I've never killed on before," Zoro replied drily. "Big day for both of us."

"You?" Sanji scoffed out a laugh. "You didn't kill anything, okay?" Akira's eyes snapped back to them at once, praying to whoever could hear that this wasn't going in the direction she was pretty sure it was going in. "I killed this dinosaur."

"Oh my god!" She couldn't contain her annoyed groan when it did go exactly how she anticipated.

And she knew Zoro better than to think he'd just ignore Sanji's competitive jab. "You think you killed a Tyrannosaurus Rex with a kick?" He questioned the declaration with doubt strung through every word.

"You just saw me do exactly that."

"Look here." The swordsman pointed the tip of his sword to the dinosaur's stomach and the very large gash slicing across it and still seeping blood. "This is where my sword, an actual weapon, sliced through. Do you see that?"

"A flesh wound, maybe, okay?" Akira debated saying all the curses going through her mind out loud in an attempt to cut Sanji off as he continued on challenging Zoro on who the victor between them truly was. "But here is where my kick made impact," he motioned to the head, making a noise to add effect when mentioning the kick, "actually bringing the beast down."

"Are we not gonna mention the dagger in its eye?" Her unamused question had both of their eyes focusing on the head and the eye still pried open by the black blade embedded in it down to the hilt. "Maybe I'm the one who killed it and you both lose."

"You hear that?" Zoro didn't even respond as he moved on, eyes turning back to the jungle and missing the glare he received from Akira in response to his lack of acknowledgement.

"What?" Oblivious to whatever Zoro might've heard, Sanji continued to admire the fallen beast. "The sound of me winning the bet? Yeah."

"I am so sticking Nami with you two next time." Akira groaned out, muttering more to herself than either of them as she shoved the book back in her bag and shook her head as she watched Zoro walk off to investigate whatever noise he'd heard to save him from having to be in this situation.

"I can't wait to see Nami's face when I make her a T-rex tartare." Sanji on the other hand didn't even notice the swordsman walking off as he just stayed focused on the thought of food and cooking, mind already making up all the things he could do and create. "You, my lovely, will find it delicious, I have no doubt."

"You don't get to call me lovely right now," Akira said firmly, crossing her arms over her chest and sticking her nose up in the air in refusal to look at him. "I'm mad at you." The proclamation had the cook looking back at her, letting out a small chuckle as she made her stance clear.