True Desire: A One Piece Fanfiction

Chapter 13: Deliverance!

Sanji: (as though in a trance) 'So why am I not back to my original form yet?'

Without answering Zoro placed the kitsune mask on the child's face.

After tying the strings firmly, Zoro continued in a calm voice.

Zoro: 'Well, according to Reina it takes a lot of energy to suppress both the mental and physical strength of a person. Particularly to subdue someone's will and keep their mental age as that of a child. That is the reason why her cakes stopped working after a few times.'

The swordsman stopped here for a moment to let out a sigh. Then he continued.

Zoro: 'What I am about to say now is all hypothetical but may be close to the truth. According to Reina it takes energy to suppress someone's will. So, what if the person in question no longer has the will to return to his original state? .... What if the person himself wants to continue as a child and therefore clings to the diminishing energy of the cakes?'

The swordsman's eyes pierced into the chibi cook's through the holes in the kitsune mask. The child remained quiet and motionless as he looked at his nakama.

Zoro: 'If this theory were to be true there could be two possibilities. Firstly, the person in question is a coward and has chosen to evade a situation using the devil fruit's powers..... However, you do not strike me as an escapist Cook! If anything the Cook I know would face any situation head on!'

A smirk played on the corner of the swordsman's lips as he continued.

Zoro: 'And that brings us to the second possibility. The person in question finds this situation advantageous. He wants to gain something that he can only achieve in this condition thus, he wants to remain a child.....'

The swordsman gave the child a piercing look.

The chibi cook had started to tremble. He bent his head down and gripped the sides of the kimono in his tiny fists.

Zoro: (calmly) 'I find it intriguing that you only choose to stay close to me in this state. So Ero Cook..... What is your goal? ......What does the ladies' man hope to achieve by sticking to me at all times as a child?......'

Trembling the child took a step back. He stepped on the kimono itself and as a result fell on his back.

Zoro: (calm but serious voice) 'What is it that you truly wish for Cook? .... You know the answer.....Just embrace it ...... I'll help you ...... You know that you can count on me right?' (there was a sense of urgency in the swordsman's voice)

Sanji quietly got up into a sitting position. The swordsman looked on as the child sitting in front of him slowly changed.

The dangling sleeves of the kimono filled up with an adult's hands, the chest rose, the legs lengthened and the child started growing taller till he was completely replaced by the sitting figure of the older cook.

Sanji: (internal thought) 'T-Teme! What the hell does he mean? .... Even I know that .... It's not like I didn't notice it........ I should e-embrace it ...... is it that easy to accept it! And what the hell does he mean by he'll help me?'

The cook had been shaking quietly in front of his nakama when suddenly he mumbled.

Sanji: 'Kusoyaro! What do you mean by embrace it? Can you embrace it?'

Even before he finished the sentence with one hand he threw away the kitsune and with the other he gripped the swordsman's collar and pulled the man close to himself. In a flash he planted a soft peck on his nakama's right cheek.