Unrecognizable Feelings
NOTICE: I have updated this fic and fixed this first chapter up a bit/AGAIN/for those who read it before today (February 28, 2014).
Hey there! I'm finally back with another fanfic! Wahoo~~! :P
I decided to pair Sanji up with a character I created. Sorry if they ever seem out of character to you guys.
Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. It's all Oda's. He's the genius, not me. However, I DO own Dahlia and her friends. Thank you! Come again!
Chapter 1:
First Taste
"Secure our gold! No money means no food! Hurry up men-!" A club slammed into the back of the captain's head. The pirate grabbed her dark red hair and threw her over board. She landed in a dingy with a loud thud, water splashing inside the boat..
"Captain Dahlia! Urgraah!" The pirates slew the man as well as his fellow sailors and dumped their bodies into the water. Taking the gold as well as the ship, they again set sail onto the unforgiving waters. Unknown to them, the line to one of the dingys was cut as the sailors and the thieves continued to fight; sending the former captain of The Ancient Ferri on her own; lost at sea.
-Four Days Later-
The blonde chef stood in the kitchen frying seafood and sauteing vegetables while some of his friends screwed around outside. The smoke from the food sifted through the air, filling the room with a delicious aroma. He swiftly switched around the room from the pans, to the fridge, to the oven, to the cutting board, and back again. He continued this cycle expertly until he heard a disturbance from beyond the kitchen doors.
Sanji quickly shut the heat off of the stove and rushed out. Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, Franky, and Nami were standing over something and were chatting loudly. Robin and Brook stood next to the railing from where whatever it was was pulled up while Zoro was slouched against the mast. Sanji decided to join the crowd to see what it was they were all so worked up about. Just as he was about to see, Nami yelled, "Look! She's waking up!". Zoro walked over to get a better look at their new arrival, but was pushed to the side by Sanji, who only heard "she".
"Oi! Watch it!" Zoro growled at him as he stepped forward again.
Sanji ignored him; he was too busy gawking at a beautiful woman who was slowly waking up, her eyes wincing at the sudden light. Her hair was a dark tuscan red, wavy, and fell a little past her shoulders.
Wiggling his hands and bottom, the blonde cook lit up at the thought of having another woman on board. "Another mellorine!" His eyes traveled down her body, his arms and hips relaxing as he noticed something. Grabbing his shirt and pulling it with his teeth, he cried out with tears pouring down his cheeks.
"What is it Sanji?" Chopper asked him.
"Such..."
"Such what?! What is it?!" he worried.
"Such small breasts!" Sanji cried harder at the mere thought.
Usopp smacked him upside the head. "You idiot! That's not important right now!"
Sometimes, I wonder why I even worry about him... Chopper thought.
As her eyes opened, the people around her saw that they were a dark shade of brown and were quite large compared to the rest of her facial features. Her vision was a little blurry at first, and the bright sunlight made her squint. She blinked a few times before they adjusted. All the sounds around her began to make sense and she could hear different voices speaking. She soon realized that she was surrounded be at least five or six people.
As everyone came into focus, she realized she could recognize them by their appearances. The marimo-like man with the cocked eyebrow must be Roronoa Zoro, I remember that hair and those earrings from his wanted poster. As well as...She glanced around at the others. An orange haired woman was smiling down at her. Cat Burglar Nami. A raven haired man stared at her blankly. Monkey D Luffy. An adorable tanuki knelt worriedly next to her head. Cotton candy-loving pet. A blue-haired man peered down at her curiously. Cyborg Franky. A long-nosed man. S-Sogeking? There were a few missing from the bunch, like the Demon Child Nico Robin and Humming Swordsman Brook who were out of view. She couldn't figure out one person though. He looked so much different than his wanted poster. She wanted to call out, "Black Leg Sanji?!" but her voice failed her. She had been without food and water for four days and her throat was killing her. She coughed instead.
"Quick! Someone fetch her some water!" Chopper yelled.
"Roger!" Sanji ran into the kitchen. Everyone was silent for a couple minutes, until he came out with a full pitcher and a glass. He filled the cup and handed it to Chopper, who carefully held it in his tiny hooves and lifted her head. Nami stepped in to helped her drink it and then laid her head back down. The fluid soothed her throat and cooled her stomach. She felt better; well enough to talk, at least.
"Thank you."
"Aaah~~! Her voice is so sexy~!" The blonde danced around in a circle like an idiot.
"But her voice is hoarse!" Usopp argued.
"It's still a lady's voice!"
"The moron's hopeless." Zoro mumbled.
"What was that, moss head?"
Leaning closer, Zoro yelled, "I said you're a hopeless moron!"
"Ah! What the heck, marimo!" Sanji covered his ear.
"Oh, I'm sorry was I too loud for you? Or could your puny brain just not understand me?'
"Wanna go?!" Sanji raised his leg.
"Yeah, let's go!" The swordsman unsheathed two of his katana.
BAM! The men fell to the ground with multiple large lumps on their heads. Nami stood to the side, her fist shaking in anger. They heard a small giggle and turned their attention back to the girl. She was smiling at them. The rivals stood up and Sanji put his hands together, eyes the shape of hearts once again. Zoro glared at him in annoyance.
"Even her smile is sexy!" His nose began to bleed.
"Whatever. You guys take care of her, I'm gonna go take a nap." The lazy swordsman walked towards the mast. He began snoring loudly just after he sat down on the wood.
"Well, there's no use in us leaving her here. Especially since she's awake and we know she's not dead." Nami commented.
"Nami's right. Can you stand?" Chopper asked the girl.
She tried to move her body, but she was so weak from the blow she took a few days ago, as well as her lack of nutrients, she could barely lift a finger.
"No. Sorry."
"No, it's alright." The doctor assured her. "Luffy, Usopp, I need you to take her to the infirmary. I'm going to get medicinal herbs." They nodded. Sanji returned to the kitchen as the two walked to either side of her and lifted her up. Once in the infirmary, they laid her down on a soft bed. Nami turned to Franky as they carried her inside, "Franky, can you make her a bed and put it in mine and Robin's room?"
"How about I put it in the guest room?"
"We have one of those?"
"Yeah, its a recent addition."
"Hm. Well, that sounds fine to me."
Brook had already made his way up to the crow's nest to finish his turn as look out, taking his violin with him. Robin grabbed a book during the commotion and was now reading it on a lawn chair. After Chopper entered the infirmary with some herbs he stored under the deck, Usopp and Luffy decided to play on the swing. Nami ventured to her tangerine grove to harvest a few fruits for a snack.
Once he entered his office, Chopper set his herbs down on his desk and took out a thermometer. After checking her temperature, he found that she had a slight fever. He wet a washcloth and applied it to her forehead. Next he jotted down a few notes and asked her a couple of questions.
"What happened to you? I-if it's alright to ask..."
She shook her head, "No, it's fine. Ask me anything you want." Chopper nodded gratefully and the young woman continued. "My ship was attacked by pirates. I.. don't really remember much about what happened to me except that I felt a lot of pain in the back of my head. I woke up in a dingy and my ship was gone, but then I passed out again and woke up here. I've no idea what happened to my crew... or exactly how long I've been unconscious."
"So you have been through a lot..."
"Mmm..." She thought for a moment. "More or less."
"So can you guess at how long you were drifting?"
She paused briefly in thought before answering again, "Not really sure... maybe.. a few days...? I've woken up randomly so I don't think that's an exact estimate."
Chopper's eyes widened. "Wait a minute! Did you have any food or water at all?!"
"No. It hasn't really been that long thou-"
"You really need to drink some water! Humans don't usually live more than three days without it!"
"Well, I-" she began, but Chopper was already out the door.
"... What a cute little raccoon dog."
Soon enough, Sanji came into the room with the short doctor trailing behind him. He carried a platter with a piece of bread and a tangerine on a plate; a cup was set beside it. His other hand once again carried a pitcher of water. The girl tried to sit up, but as soon as she did, a sharp pain shot through her head and nausea took over. She cringed and swallowed hard, cringing and quickly laying back down.
"Are you okay?!" Chopper rushed to her side.
"Yeah, it's fine. My head just hurts a little."
"From that hit you took?!"
"WHAT?! WHO HURT THIS BEAUTIFUL LADY?! I'LL KILL HIM!" Sanji had set down his platter and pitcher and curled his hands into fists. The wide-eyed young woman only stared at him. Then her expression softened and she reassured him that she was okay.
"I'm fine, really!" She smiled warmly at him.
"But...but.." The chef couldn't resist her charm, or what little she had at the time. "In that case.." He handed Chopper a second piece of bread and the glass full of water to give to her. "I wish I could do it myself, but since Chopper here is the doctor of this ship, I'll leave it to him."
Looking confident, Chopper began to prepare her a small meal, breaking the bread into bits. "Since you haven't eaten in a while, you can only eat a little bit at a time."
Sanji smiled at them, then left. The red-head stared after him.
He seems... kind of weird... but nice. She thought.
As Sanji made his way back to the kitchen, he thought to himself, cheeks pink, Haaah~~ She's adorable! Finally, another woman to accompany us! Although, she's only a guest, so it's not like she'll be here for very long...
He was finally able to return to his cooking. The moment he began again, Luffy burst into the room, fists on his hips, looking annoyed.
"Sanji! Where's my snack?!"
Sanji scowled at him. "Just hold on a freakin' minute! It was delayed because we got a guest!"
Luffy looked as if he completely forgot. "Oh... That's right!" Then he turned around and ran back out the door.
"Sheesh... It's not just for him, that pig." Sanji mumbled to himself.
After lunch a couple of days later, Chopper called everyone out to the deck to make an announcement. He looked excited.
"Okay you guys," his eyed everyone, "She is a little shy and really wants to come out and introduce herself! She's been through a rough few days and I want you to be nice to her!" He threw a glance at Zoro, who gave him raised eyebrows. "Her head still hurts from what happened and she's a bit weak since she was drifting for a couple of days without nutrients...just don't get too excited or she might pass out again."
He walked into the infirmary and came out again, followed by the new stranger. Blushing in embarrassment, and in shame for making a scene, she stepped in front of everyone. Bowing, she said, "H-hello! Nice to meet you!" Scanning her eyes over everyone, she noticed that Black-Leg was missing. She figured he was busy doing something important. She continued, "It's a shock to be welcomed onto a pirate ship, but I have come to find you all are very kind! My name is Dahlia Ferri. I'm a sailor from Poppy Village. Please take care of me!" She quickly bowed again. Surprising her, the entire crew smiled. A grinning and enthusiastic Luffy walked up to her.
"Hey, Dahlia! I'm Luffy! I'm gonna be king of the pirates! So. What do you do?"
"Yeah! I wanna know too!" Usopp poked his head out from behind his captain.
"W-well.."
"C'mon! You can say it, we won't laugh!" Nami patted her on the back.
Gaining courage from their positivity, Dahlia told them. "I'm a sailor who ships goods, and I like to fish," Luffy and Usopp shouted in excitement, "but I also make money as a seamstress."
Nami looked impressed, "Wow, that's amazing! You should show us some time!"
Taken aback, she answered, "Of course. If that's alright."
"Of course!" Robin moved in. She had left her book on her lawn chair.
"I think she sounds pretty SUUPEER myself." Franky struck a pose making Dahlia giggle.
"You good at fishing...?" Zoro stood against the mast.
Blushing, Dahlia replied, "Um.. I wouldn't say good."
"Hm. Too bad."
"You idiot! She's obviously being humble!" Nami yelled at him.
Zoro tsked, turned around, and climbed to the crow's nest. She never really got a good look at the deck she woke up on, until now. She looked up at the crow's nest and around at the tangerine grove and swing. She was amazed that there were trees and grass on the deck. Franky saw her expression and grinned.
"It's all Franky's handy-work." Nami explained.
She stared at him with widened eyes, "You're amazing!"
"Yeah," Franky rubbed his metal nose, "I'd say I'm pretty super."
Dahlia laughed and continued to glance around the ship. Luffy grew tired of the quietness that followed and spoke.
"So, you wanna join my crew?"
Everyone within earshot, except Robin, was caught off guard and gasped.
"Luffy! We just met her!" Nami protested.
"So? Just look at Brook!"
Everyone cast their eyes to Brook who threw his hands into the air.
"Yohohohoho! I'm very happy that I joined, too!"
"Shishishi! See, Nami?"
Nami slapped her forehead and sighed. "That was different! ...Nevermind. Do what you want." Giving up, she left to go work on her maps.
"Well?"
"Are you serious?"
Luffy frowned. "I'm always serious!"
Dahlia grinned and nodded. "Sure! But only until I find my ship."
Slightly confused by her answer, Luffy asked, "Your ship? You have a ship?"
"Yes. Well... I had one until some pirates stole it. I was the captain of a small group of sailors from various islands. I want to find them so we can chase after our dreams again."
Dead serious, Luffy exclaimed, "You're dreams?! You mean you can't go after your dreams until you get your ship back?!."
"...More or less..."
Horrified, Luffy looked her intensely in the eye, making her blush. "Then we have to help you get it back."
"Might I ask what you wish to accomplish?" Brook approached her, carrying his cane and cup of tea.
"After my parents died, I decided to take it upon myself to fulfill their dreams." At this time, Nami re-emerged to grab the drink she forgot on her lawn chair. "My father wanted to be a sailor, finding wealth and happiness by trading and shipping goods while sailing on the open sea as a free soul. I inherited his caravel, The Ancient Ferri, which is named that because we come from a long line of sailors with the last name of Ferri, and decided to use it. My mother wanted to be a successful seamstress, so that's where I get my knowledge and passion for it; although, as much as I could make, I'm perfectly fine with a low income."
During her story, Franky began to bawl. "That's... so .. t-touching!" Overhearing her story, Nami also cried, "How can you be okay with that kind of money!?" Robin smiled and made her way into her room, grabbing the book she set down earlier on the way.
"Excuse me, Miss." Dahlia turned around to come face to face with the skeleton.
"Oh, my." She seemed mostly unfazed by the empty sockets staring back at her. She was feeling wonderful, despite the distant throbbing in her head.
"May I... see your panties?"
The young woman blushed and stuttered, "W-well..."
"SHUT UP AND CONTROL YOURSELF!" Nami gave the tall man a roundhouse kick to the head. Astonished, Dahlia hurried over to the fallen swordsman. "And you!" Nami pointed a finger at the girl on her knees at Brook's side. "Don't answer him!" She stormed off, huffing.
Dahlia turned back to the skeleton and asked, "Are you alright?"
Without bending his knees or using his arms, Brook stood up in one swift movement. "I'm quite alright, thank you." After sipping his tea and bowing to her, he laughed while walking towards the railing on the far side of the deck; a large bump now on the back of his skull. He grabbed his violin, went to the grove of trees, and began to softly play his instrument.
"Well since you'll be returning to your crew, you don't wanna be seen with pirates, right?" Usopp asked.
"I'm not concerned about that. You seem like good people to me." She shrugged.
Luffy snapped upright and yelled, "Oh that's right! What are we gonna do?! She can't follow her dream if she can't be a sailor!"
Dahlia tried to calm him down, "It's okay! I can, I can!"
"Really?!"
She nodded. Luffy sighed in relief.
"But we can come up with a plan or something so you won't have to worry about the marines...?" Usopp added.
Dahlia shook her head and said, "There's really no need. The World Government doesn't scare me too much."
"Hahahahahaha! She doesn't seemed worried about it, so why should we?" Luffy gave her a wide grin.
"Alright. If it's really not a problem..." Usopp smiled at her and went to go fishing. Now it was just her, Luffy, and Franky. Franky, however, wanted to set up her room. He told her and Luffy that he was going to finish her bed and would show her to her room after it was completed. He assured her that everything would be taken care of before nightfall, so she didn't have to worry about where to sleep. Then he took off to his workshop.
After he left, Dahlia remembered that Black-Leg hadn't really spoken to her yet. She turned to Luffy, who's large eyes stared back at her. Fidgeting and nervous, she asked him, "So... um... about the blonde man... who is he, exactly? I haven't had a chance to speak with him yet..." She blushed and looked down.
"Eh? Oh, you mean Sanji? He's our cook! He's great at fighting too! He saves his hands for cooking and uses his kicks to beat up our enemies! And what's even better, his food his GREAT! Plus, he makes a lot of it everyday!" He looked so excited, Dahlia couldn't help but laugh. "He's got really funny eyebrows and Zoro calls him a pervert a lot. I'm not really sure what that means, but Franky and Brook are called perverts, too!"
"Pervert?!" Dahlia was stunned. Who could have guessed? He was the first person to walk away from the group after she came on board the ship, and he had hardly said a word to her.
"Yeah..." Luffy became distracted by Usopp who had gotten a bite from what he claimed to be a 'fish larger than any caught before'. It was as if sparkles emanated from Luffy's face when he heard that. "Later!" The rubber man ran to Usopp to see what kind of fish he caught. Chopper was already there standing next to the sharpshooter, staring into the water.
Dahlia watched them for a bit as they struggled with the fish, which only turned out to be a few pounds - far from what Usopp claimed it to be. She giggled as Luffy laughed at his disappointed crew mates. Pirates, huh? She thought. They're so much different than the one's I've encountered...
Her thoughts were distracted by others. Wait. That cook named Sanji... I saw him go into that room. Her eyes shifted to the kitchen door. She hesitated for a moment before finally deciding to enter. She scanned the dining area and kitchen until her eyes fell upon the man she wanted to meet.
Sanji stood with his back to her, finishing up everyone's - mainly Luffy's - snack. Luffy was right - there was a ton of food, and it looked delicious. Her mouth started to water at the smell. She could tell one of her favorite things was included: sweet, juicy, delectable watermelon. Taken by the sweet aroma, she silently glided to the counter next to Sanji and stared at the giant fruit. Sanji didn't notice she was there until he turned to cut it.
He jumped and yelled out in surprise. Dahlia snapped her head up, realizing that she startled the man. She backed up and bowed apologetically.
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" Sanji relaxed. She turned her eyes to the fruit. "I recently finished my self-introduction, and I came in here to speak to you and saw this watermelon sitting here. I guess I just..."
Sanji smirked. "It's quite alright Miss..."
"Dahlia!" She grinned at him.
"It's quite alright Miss Dahlia. I'm sorry that I missed your introduction." He gestured to the melon. "Would you like some?"
"O-oh, it's okay, I mean, I don't really need-..." She waved her hands as to gesture that he didn't need to give it to her.
"Heh." Sanji took a knife out of a block nearby. He dug it into the watermelon and sliced it into 10 pieces. Since it was so large, each piece was more than enough for one person. He picked out the largest and ripest slice. Her eyes grew to the size of the melon itself as he handed it to her.
"Thank you..." She looked up at him with tears of joy in her eyes. He blushed and clapped his hands together, eyes taking on the shape of hearts.
"Anything for you, Dahlia-swan~!"
She blushed as well and bowed again. She bit off a chunk and squealed in delight before skipping happily to the table to eat it. Bite after bite, the sweet juices pleased her pallet. While she was eating, Sanji had taken the other's snacks to them. She ate all of her;s, grinning the entire time. Once finished, she picked up her melon rind and walked to Sanji who was now making preparations for dinner.
"Um.. What should I do with this?"
"Let me have it, I can find a use for it." He took the rind out of her hand and set it aside.
She stood there, watching him for a short while before he noticed. "Do you need something, Miss Dahlia?"
She made a throaty noise and shook her head, responding, "No... I was just wondering... If I could be of any help, sometime... Since I'll be staying for a while... I don't want to be a mooch...I..."
His face became soft. "I don't want to make a lady do work."
"But I must insist! I'm not very good at cooking but I think I could do something. Please let me help you! I really want to!"
He paused. "Maybe tomorrow, then."
Her face lit up. "Thank you!"
At once, Dahlia suddenly felt like she might upset her recovering stomach and puke in his kitchen, so she hurried to the door, "Well, I think I'll leave you to your work. I'm going to go lay down for a little while. I think I will explore a bit tomorrow. I really look forward to working with you." She winked at him, which turned into an arrow and shot across the room and into his chest. At least, that's what it felt like to Sanji. "SO WONDERFULLY 'FALL-IN-LOVE!'"
She giggled before exiting. After a breif nap in Chopper's office, she began a short exploration on the deck. The only people outside were Luffy and Usopp who were still fishing. She approached them, still wearing the smile Sanji gave her. "Hey boys, what's up?"
They turned to see her peeking over their shoulders.
"Oh, it's you! Hi!" Usopp grinned.
"Hi!"
"We're still fishing; I wanna catch a sea-king!" Luffy looked excited. Too excited.
Her eyes bugged out of her head. "A-A S-S-S-SEA KING?!"
"Shishishi! Yep!" He turned back to the sea with his rod in hand.
"I once caught the biggest Sea-King ever! It was so huge, that it wouldn't fit on record! Hehehehe!" Usopp fibbed.
The young woman's bugged eyes turned to him, "EEEEHH?!"
"Don't listen to that idiot." Nami had emerged from her room and stood behind the three.
"Why not?" Dahlia titled her head in confusion, eyebrows raised.
"Usopp is well-known mainly for his huge lies."
Dahlia looked back at Usopp who was already engaged in another fish-fib with Luffy – who was believing every word. Nami grabbed her arm.
"C'mon! I'll give you a tour of the rooms that are most-used. You'll probably end up finding the rest of the ship on your own." She started towards the galley.
"Uh.. I've already been to the kitchen."
"Eh? Really?"
"Yes... I wanted to meet the cook..." She blushed.
Nami raised a brow before continuing on to explore her and Robin's room, the aquarium/lounge, Nami's tangerine grove, underneath the deck in the storage and fuel area, and back outside to the deck. She explained each room and then Dahlia gave her comments or compliments; she was especially impressed with the lounge. Once back on deck, Dahlia glanced up at the crow's nest where Zoro was hiding out again. She pointed up and asked Nami, "What about up there?"
Nami followed her finger and said, "Oh, that's just a regular crow's nest, except that it smells like sweat half the time and is lined with Zoro's training material. Don't worry about it too much; you can always check up there later. It's not very interesting anyway, but it does have a nice view. We take turns acting as look out. But as a guest, you won't be sent on duty up there."
"Please don't think of me as a guest! I would like to help around as much as possible! Sanji-san is-..."
"He's what?" Nami looked confused.
"Oh, it's nothing. Just please tell me if you need help with anything." She gave the woman a warm smile and Nami returned it.
"I'm curious. What is your job around here?"
"Me? I'm the navigator. I also try to keep the idiots in line. Luckily, I have Robin to keep me sane." Nami threw a glare towards Luffy and Usopp who were fighting over a good piece of bait. "Also, if you would like a tangerine from my grove, please come ask me and I'd be happy to share one with you!"
Dahlia bowed and thanked Nami for the tour and the offer.
"You're welcome! And you don't need to be so formal with us. Just act like you would with your own crew."
"Yes, Ma'am." After grinning at Nami and watching her walk off, Dahlia was approached by Franky.
"You're room is finished! I think it'll suit your tastes." He took a swig of cola and led Dahlia to the dining room. Sanji was too busy mumbling to himself, while standing over a few pans of sizzling food, deciding what to do for up coming meals and trying out new recipes, to notice them enter.
"Is my room through here?"
"Through here? It's in here!"
"...What?"
Franky walked to the far right corner of the room and took out a key. He stuck it into an unseen hole in the floor and turned it, unlocking an equally unseen trapdoor. Dahlia peered into the dimly lit room. A ladder seemed to be the only way inside.
"Go take a look."
The sailor followed Franky's suggestion and climbed down. The room was exquisite. There were no windows but the walls were decorated with beautiful pictures of the sea and fields of flowers. Her bed was twin sized but the head and foot boards were elegantly hand crafted into the shapes of flowers and thorns. A dresser and vanity took up one side of the wall, while the other had a desk, sewing supplies including cloth and lace, and a large lantern.
She returned to the upper floor with a huge smile on her face.
"It's gorgeous! I love it! I'm so excited to sleep and work in there; I can't wait! You're a genius!"
Pleased with her reaction, Franky blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, if you insist!"
"I do! Thank you so much!"
"Aw, it's nothing!" He giggled.
She bowed deeply in gratitude and took off back down the ladder. Franky returned to his workshop, happily drinking his cola. Sanji still hadn't noticed that anything had taken place; he was deeply engaged in his work.
Wow, these sewing tools are great! Dahlia thought while she rummaged through it. She picked up and felt the soft fabric that was given to her. This is top-of-the-line fabric...Why do they have this anyway...? On second thought, I probably shouldn't question these things. She set up her tools to start sewing and decided on which cloth to use first. She decided on a light-weight, peach-colored cotton. She grabbed her measuring tape and went upstairs. She walked past Sanji and out the door, turning right. Dahlia knocked on the women's door a few times before Nami answered.
"Sorry to bother you again..."
"Of course not! What is it?"
Dahlia held up the roll of tape to Nami, who looked at it and gave a wide smile. "Are you gonna make me something?!"
"Y-yes..." Dahlia blushed.
"That's great!" Nami tensed." What do you charge?"
Dahlia looked taken aback, "Ch-charge?! I'm not going to charge you anything!"
"Really?! That's even better!" Relaxing, Nami clapped her hands together and ushered her new friend into the room. Nami stripped into her underwear and stood at attention, keeping her face straight.
"Please hold your arms out."
Nami nodded. Dahlia walked around Nami's body, measuring her bust, legs, arms, waist, and height. After they finished, Nami got dressed again and asked, "So what are you gonna make?"
"It's most likely going to be a loose dress with some embroidery. Is that okay?"
"Yes! That sounds great!"
Smiling in response, Dahlia wrote down Nami's measurements on her arm and left. She decided to start on it later since she knew dinner would be ready soon, but she could at least sketch it out. Hunched over the desk in her room, she had already drawn out most of it when she jumped at a voice from over her shoulder.
"Hey, you're good at that!"
"Thanks but...H-how did you know where I was?! Only Franky-san and I.."
"I found it myself." Luffy leaned over her, staring down at the paper. "Who is that for?"
"N..Nami-san..." She answered with a slightly pink tint in her cheeks, embarrassed that someone had called her mediocre artwork 'good'. Stars formed in his eyes as he looked at her.
"Make me something, too!" He demanded.
"Uh, alright."
"Yahoo!" Luffy gleefully stretched out of the room. She could hear Sanji yelling at him to stay away from the food, followed by loud noises that sounded like pans smacking against rubber. She rushed up the ladder and poked her head out of the hole. Jumping out and closing the door behind her, she walked to Luffy's body which laid sprawled out on the floor. Apparently, Luffy had emerged from her room, launching himself towards the fridge. She crouched down and stared at him worriedly.
Sanji appeared from behind the counter. "Don't trouble yourself with him Miss Dahlia. He's made of rubber, so regular hits won't damage him." She looked up at him as he spoke and then back down at his captain.
"Are you sure?" She poked a lump on his head. Luffy sat up quickly, lightly hold the lump and yelled, "OUCH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
Dahlia fell to her backside in surprise. Sanji side-kicked his head and Luffy flew out the door. "Like I said, don't worry about him. He's perfectly fine. That guy just likes screwing with people."
She gaped at the door, then at Sanji who smiled, cigarette between his teeth. He bent over and held out a hand. Dahlia took it and stood up.
"Dinner is ready, would you mind calling everyone in here?"
Dahlia nodded and did as he said. With everyone inside, the room almost seemed larger instead of smaller with the way they moved around in it. Luffy stole food from almost everyone, Brook danced in his seat singing. Zoro and Usopp fought away their captain's hungry hands and yelled at him to keep away. Robin chuckled at them a few times and then engaged herself in conversation with Nami. Chopper ate his food quickly to try and escape Luffy's hands before they found him. Sanji refilled the ladies glasses once in a while and shouted at Luffy and Zoro. He stopped every now and then to watch everyone eat or chat with someone. Dahlia could only gawk as parts of the meal hurled through the air and the crew filled the previous silence with shouts, laughter, and conversation.
Realizing that she was being rude by not eating, she took a bite of her pork cutlet. Her eyes widened and her mouth watered for more. After swallowing, she turned to Sanji and exclaimed, "Fantastic! This has to be the greatest thing I've ever tasted!"
Sanji smiled at her and nodded. "Thank you."
Luffy gave her his attention for a second, exclaiming, "Told you!" Then he went back to stealing the men's food and yelling and laughing.
Once everything was eaten and the crew was full, they stuck around to chat for a bit. They asked each other questions and spoke about what kind of islands they wanted to visit next. Finally, someone turned their attention to Dahlia. It was Robin.
"Tell me, Sailor-san, what kind of people were on your crew?" The room grew silent as every straw hat pirate turned their heads, making the girl in question a bit anxious; but remembering her friends helped her relax and brought a smile to her face.
"Well, I had about fifteen or twenty, and I watched a few of them die when my ship was stolen... but my closest mates were some men whom I grew up with and befriended in Poppy Village."
Sanji interrupted, "Men?! How close were they, exactly?!"
Luffy got up and walked around to her. Leaning in closely so that his nose almost touched hers, making her face turn red. He asked, "Were they this close?" Usopp laughed and Sanji kicked the rubber man back into his seat.
"You're thinking of the wrong meaning, idiot!" Nami yelled.
"Oh?" Luffy placed his straw hat onto his head.
Nami growled and turned back to Dahlia. "I'm sorry. Please continue."
The young woman's face became soft as she did so, and recollected. "They were my best friends." The crew returned her smile with sad ones. She turned her gaze to the table as she explained, "First there was Nero. We met once while he was playing with the other children in the village. I... Well, let's just say the other children weren't fond of me... " A few gave her confused looks. "Anyway, he was the first one to really talk to me outside of my family. When I told him of my dreams, he said he wanted to join me. We were around fourteen or fifteen at the time, but he stuck to what he said and became my first mate. After he spoke to me, other kids came, although there were only boys, but I've always been fine with that." She looked up, her lips formed into a wide grin. "The other boys turned out to be my other best friends and crew mates." She lifted up fingers as she listed them, "There's James, our main source of muscle, Treff, our navigator, Botchy, an excellent doctor and fighter, and Nero - my closest friend of all – is my first mate and chef. We can all fight well, of course, but James is the strongest of the bunch."
"Stronger than you?" Zoro asked.
"Well I wouldn't say that!" Dahlia scratched the back of her head.
"..Hmf." Zoro turned away.
"Don't underestimate her, moss-head!" Sanji launched his leg into the air towards Zoro's head.
The swordsman unsheathed his katana and blocked."What are you doing, lousy cook?!" Swords and legs swiftly darted back and forth.
"Ugh, they're at it again." Usopp complained.
"Hahahahaha!" Luffy clapped his hands above his head and laughed.
"Morons..." Nami sighed and stood up. "I'm sorry for the interruption, Dahlia."
"No, its alright! I'll continue later. I need to finish eating anyway."
Nami looked at her apologetically and stomped towards the men. Dahlia watched as the orange-haired navigator grabbed the men's heads and threw them together, resulting in a loud thumping sound. Dahlia cringed and glanced worriedly at the two before setting her sights on Nami again, who came back to her seat and grabbed her dishes, taking them into the kitchen and leaving the room. Robin followed after also giving Dahlia an apologetic smile. Dahlia did the same with her plate, but instead of going outside afterward, she stuck around inside for a bit, watching the others converse or argue.
Chopper approached her. "I don't mean to be rude, so please don't take this the wrong way..."
She bent over to speak with him better, "What is it?"
"You may want to shower, you're a little dirty from the sea."
"Eh-...?" She straightened out and looked down at herself. He was right. Her clothes were torn in more than one place and just looking at her skin made her feel dirty. She didn't even want to imagine what her face and hair looked like. She was glad that she had at least remembered to wash her hands before helping out with the snacks earlier. She smelled her sleeve and was confused. It smelled like...flowers. She didn't have perfume with her.
"Um, Doctor-san, why do I smell like flowers when I'm this dirty?"
"Oh, that. I cleaned your hair and face up a bit while you were unconscious so you wouldn't look so bad. Robin was nice enough to come in and spray you with her perfume as well."
"Oh, that was nice of you two! But have I... have I really been walking around like this all day?!"
Chopper answered, "Do you want me to show the way to the bath?"
"Yes, please." She nodded and made her way to the door, trailing behind the little animal. Sanji noticed her leaving and stood up.
"Where are you off to Miss Dahlia?"
"The bath. Chopper is showing me the way."
Hearts formed in his eyes. "May I join you?!" He inched closer.
Dahlia's face turned red. "U-uh... I-I..."
"Sanji, give her some space! Don't forget, she just woke up from a bad experience." Chopper held his hooves up as if that would block the pervert from approaching the small woman any further.
"Right. Sorry, Dahlia-san." He bowed.
"N-no I'm-"
Chopper dragged her out of the room before she could finish. "Sorry about that Dahlia. Sanji gets carried away sometimes."
"It's fine!" She glanced over her shoulder at the kitchen door. "I can see he really likes women."
"Yeah.. You really don't need to worry about apologizing to him." The doctor led her to a large bath area. "Well, here you can get washed up and feeling better. Don't forget to dry off well, or you'll catch a cold and your fever will come back."
"Thank you Doctor-san, you're very kind." She bowed. When she looked up, she saw him wiggling his arms and dancing, obviously pleased.
"Don't thank me, jerk!"
Dahlia giggled as Chopper skipped back to his room. I'll need to grab some-... oh, right.. I don't have any other clothes.. She looked down at her clothes again. Her black shirt was stained and ripped and her brown jeans were riddled with tears and holes. She went to a large mirror and sighed. It was true what Chopper said about him cleaning up her hair and face. Her skin was dried from the salt water, though, and a little dirty.
The young woman blushed at the thought that nine new friends had to spend the entire day looking at her horrible appearance. She ventured to the women's room to ask Nami a favor. She didn't have to go far when she noticed the young woman watching the sunset. Approaching her, Dahlia softly cleared her throat, making Nami turn around.
"I hate to ask you this, but may I borrow an outfit? I need to wash up, but … I don't have any clothes..."
"No problem! Be right back!" Nami winked at her and ran into her room. A few minuets later, she came back out with a white tank-top and a pair of dark green jean shorts, complete with a black belt that had a gold-colored buckle. "These should fit!" She exclaimed, holding them out. "I'll give you shoes tomorrow. You won't be needing them for the rest of the night."
"Wow, this is nice! Thank you!"
"Don't worry I won't charge you anything."
Sweat beaded down the back of Dahlia's head. "Um.. Okay...?" Nami smiled and returned to watching the sunset. Dahlia made her way to the bath house again.
I'm really glad I ran into these people. They're nice. She turned on the water and stripped, setting Nami's clothes on a rack. While the massive bath was filling with water, she washed up in the shower area. After the tub filled, she turned off the water and placed her towel to the side for later use. The warm water felt good on her skin and soothed her stiff muscles. She leaned her head back against the wall of the tub and sank in deeper, blowing air out of her mouth, creating bubbles.
After a little more than fifteen minuets of soaking herself, the hot steam was starting to make her dizzy, so she decided to get out. She wrapped herself in a towel and dried her hair. Remembering Chopper's words, she made sure to dry herself off completely and then got dressed. Nami's clothes were more comfortable than she expected.
She stared at her old clothes for a minute before picking them up, and stepped outside. These are ruined. No point in keeping them.. Dahlia slowly walked to the edge of the ship, held the clothes at arms length, and paused for a moment, staring at them, before dropping them over the side. She watched as they steadily floated downward, carried away by the rhythm of the water. Looking up, Dahlia saw the sail blowing with the wind and studied the flag that nearly blended in with the dark sky. The men had already gone to their room; all except whoever the look-out was for the night.
Watching the stars as she walked, the sailor made her way to her room. Walking into the kitchen, her face bumped into something soft, but sturdy. She raised her eyes to stare into Sanji's, who's face was merely a foot from hers. They both apologized. Dahlia blushed as he took a step to the left to let her pass. She gave him an apologetic half-bow before saying good night; he did the same. As soon as he left, she walked to her trapdoor and lifted it open. After shutting it, she wearily slumped onto her cozy bed, and drifted to sleep.
Thanks for reading and sorry for any mistakes! Please leave a review so I'll know how I did and whether or not you liked it! So far, this is my longest fic (even though it's only the first chapter), and (surprisingly) I really like this one!
See you in chapter 2! 3