Chapter Text
It was a few hours after dark before Sanji was finally able to leave the restaurant. As much as loved his mentor, Zeff, he was a brutal, no-nonsense taskmaster, and he demanded perfection.
“Hey!! Just where do you think you're off to, Eggplant?!” Zeff was still pretty fast for a man with only one working leg. “We're not finished yet!!”
“I'm exhausted, old man!! I'm not gonna try to cook while I'm half asleep!! That's an insult to the food!!”
Okay. Fair point. Zeff crossed his arms and grumbled, but didn't argue any further. He turned to go back inside, giving a half hearted wave. “Just get here early, Eggplant. We gotta prepare for the breakfast rush.”
“I'll be here, old man.” Stifling a yawn, Sanji turned to head back to his apartment.
The sound of muffled sounds of distress caught Sanji's ear while passing by a dimly lit alley. He shouldn't have stopped. He shouldn't have. But he did. A shadowy, imposing figure stood over a man on the ground, trembling and pleading for his life.
Pleas that fell on deaf ears.
The figure held up his hand and made a small gesture with his fingers. The begging came to an abrupt stop when the man's flesh suddenly serrated. His head detached itself from his neck. Blood. So much blood. His arms fell off next, followed by his torso. His legs were severed. The body parts were raised off the ground, and then they all collapsed into a bloody heap.
“The weak don't get to decide how they die.”
Those words seemed to spear Sanji directly through the heart, anchoring him to the spot. How could anyone be..so ruthless..? And enjoy it..? He remembered then. Learning about strange murders on the tvs at the restaurant. Men and women's bodies carved into pieces with a clean edge on every limb. As if it had been done with surgical precision. A scalpel, causing the police to give him the name. 'Surgeon of Death'. A soft gasp escaped from his mouth. Unfortunately for him, it was still loud enough to be heard. The killer was on him in seconds, holding a blade against his throat.
“Bad timing, Blondie.”
“I..I didn't see anything! I swear!”
“Why don't I believe you?”
The killer's face was inches away from his. It was impossible not to focus on it. Especially those intense golden eyes..
Wait, what?!
Sanji shook his head. What the hell was he thinking?! He literally just saw this guy dismember someone!
“You feel it too, don't you?”
“H-huh..?”
“That heat. That desire. That..tingling feeling at the base of your spine.”
“I…I don't..”
“You're not scared of me, are you? I turn you on~”
He was insane! A psychopath! Sanji huffed and turned his head to the side. “You're crazy.”
A twisted grin spread across the killer's face. “Am I? Your body clearly disagrees with your mouth~” Sanji felt a hand between his legs and he shuddered.
“You know you want this~”
“I..” Words stubbornly wouldn't cooperate. Moans however, could. The killer's husky laugh echoed in Sanji's ear. “Maybe what you need..is a little excitement in your life~”
“B-being a surgeon..you must be really good with anatomy..”
“You can't imagine how good~ You should let me show you~”
Internally, Sanji wanted to smack himself. What was he saying? What was he doing? One step away from letting this murderer into his pants, that's what! It took every ounce of willpower he had to grab the killer's shoulders and push him back. “I can't!!”
A small hesitation, then that same grin again.
“Hm. You're right. A dirty alley really isn't the best setting, is it? We'll have to try again somewhere else~” The sound of police sirens made him stiffen. The cops were getting a little too close for his comfort. “Guess we'll have to take a raincheck, Blondie. See ya when I see ya~”
Sanji blinked, and he was gone. He grabbed at his chest in an attempt to calm his racing heart. Shit. Sirens! He was lingering at the scene of a murder! He had to run! Back to the safety of his apartment. But would it also keep him safe from the Surgeon of Death?
There was no possible way to know.
Signs pointed to ‘absolutely fucking not.’