This is my effort of making a long-term One Piece fanfiction, which starts from the end of Whole Cake Island arc. I hope this fanfic would be finished until the end of my version of One Piece storyline. And i hope you enjoy it.
One Piece Fanfiction
The Path of King
0. Prologue
He was enveloped in darkness, somewhat comfortable with the way his body drifted by calm ocean outside of his consciousness. The gentle rumbling of the seas in his ears was like a mother's lullaby. But after a moment, he couldn't deny the sun's afternoon glare that forced its way into his eyelids.
Then, memories came rushing like a waterfall. His brain gave electric visions of enormous biscuit soldiers marching to him, his breath being choked by sticky substances, forcing him to chomp and gulp without stopping, giant arms with jagged thorns breaking him apart-
And a giant woman, creating a miniature sun on earth, chasing him and his crew while scorching all things in her way.
Monkey D. Luffy opened his eyes as his body snapped into the great black form of Gear Fourth.
"Big Mom! Mochi Man! I'll never let you take my cook!"
A girl hugging his waist. That brilliant, silky orange hair.
"Nami?"
His bulging shoulders seemed to hesitate, before they slowly went into relaxation.
"Luffy. It's okay."
That bouncing beast began to release his force of Armament Haki from inside of his muscle fibres. His massive posture gradually became smaller, smaller. Until he was not any taller than an average boy.
His body shrinked like a deflated balloon to become a figure normal proportions. Then the boy looked around. There were no sign of Mochi Devil Fruit Awakening. No sound of the air pierced apart by a lightning-fast spear named Mogura. And certainly, the portions of ocean surrounding him was not evaporized by some soul demon made by a devil fruit. Instead, the sea was blue and smelled like always of salt and laughter and invitation, swaying the Sunny in relative peace.
He by then realized. It was safe.
Luffy's Observation Haki tingled, it was about someone behind his back. The boy turned around and find Sanji standing awkwardly, his shirt torn from Big Mom crew's various assault, and his nervous eyes not quite able to look other way than the wooden deck beneath his shoes.
"Captain."
And that call, a sign of him returning to the crew. Luffy took a quiet look at the blonde guy. A longer look than usual. Then Luffy's breath clenched a little.
"Sanji. So you're back."
Something in that reply brought the cook to focus and look at Luffy. At that moment, The air began to ripple slowly. Sanji's gut told him that the ripple was emanated from his captain, unseen yet demanding. And at the moment Luffy's gaze met his, Sanji felt his own body getting smaller in front of the boy.
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Although Sanji's blood came from Germa 66's Vinsmoke Family, he would never be a part of those morale cretins. His biological father created so-called perfect soldiers in his sons, but he remembered his brothers cut off a child's fingers one by one while laughing in front of the parents, to ensure business payment. Apparently their empathy was switched off as one of the criterias of successful genetic engineering, leading them to be uncaring towards victims or bystanders in war.
And even to their own kin, they were indifferent and cruel. They made a pact to marry Sanji without his consent. A marriage to a daughter of Big Mom, one of the four fearsome Pirate Emperors reigning in The New World.
Sanji found no way out. Refuse the marriage, and an army of pirates strong enough to decimate the whole East Blue would surround Baratie Restaurant, kill his old Man Zeff, then burn the restaurant along for laughs. Nothing would be left.
So Sanji swallowed his dignity and left the Cook position of Strawhat Pirate, permanently. He was packed and brought by the Vinsmokes to Whole Cake Island. He was dressed and displayed like a doll at the wedding ceremony.
He wouldn't ever find All Blue, since his fate was to be locked forever as an ornament of Big Mom Pirates. But his family, his real family in Baratie Restaurant, bound not by blood but instead by dreams and passion of their life's calling, they would be safe. It was a worthy sacrifice.
Then Luffy came. He fought against Charlotte Cracker, the Commander capable of creating infinite number of Armament-coated biscuit soldiers, and blasted Cracker away through a mountain. Shortly after, he struggled against an entire army of veteran pirates.
And after all that, Luffy proceeded to beat even the strongest Sweet Commander. Charlotte Katakuri, who was said to be untouchable in battles.
Sanji found him. The boy with the Straw Hat walked with his legs wobbled like jelly, the stench of blood from his body filling the air around him, but his eyes were victorious. Inches away from getting killed, Luffy had ran against a hurricane of enemies just to take Sanji back. It ached to watch him. Sanji piggy-backed the falling boy while evading attacks from a blue, floating humanoid half-giant and another half-giant with powers of heat.
As Sanji ran to bring Luffy to a safe place, it still hurt. Because it was really Luffy who saved him from the sin of betrayal. It was Luffy who come with persevering willpower, strength, but most importantly trust, just to take him back. Sanji was forcefully reminded by then, why this boy with the straw hat was the one to be Pirate King.
With their combined effort, along with Germa 66's weaponry and Sun Pirates who could control the sea and making alliances out of its creatures, Sunny and them finally escaped the waters of Big Mom Pirates. A moment after, the Strawhat Boy went unconscious and slept for days, unable to take so much toll of battles to his rubber body.
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"Never do all that again, Sanji."
The rippling air suddenly fell heavier as Luffy uttered those words, his eyes not childish like usual but instead piercing, like a pair of bullets ready to be fired. Nami, Chopper, Franky, Brook, Carrot and the others felt an urge took a few steps away without realizing, but the weight of the unusual air nailed their body to the spot they stood on. They knew, this rarely seen side of Luffy meant Sanji had messed up big time. And Sanji recognized it the most. This kind of influence over the environment could not be anything else but Haki of The Conquering King, a physical
manifestation of spirit so strong that is able to invade other's senses and mind, possessed only by people with highest potential and willpower.
There was only one thing Sanji could do.
"Yes, Captain. I am really sorry for my foolish and rebellious behavior. I regret it deeply, and i apologize to you personally for verbal and physical insults, all of abuse inflicted from me back then. I also apologize to the crew as a whole. Please forgive me, for i would take any punishment deemed fitting by the crew for this matter. I plead to once again become a nakama of Strawhat Pirates. I will never again betray, or try to solve large-scale life-and-death circumstances involving the crew, without consulting you or the others."
That is, to apologize properly.
"Oh." By those words, Luffy's steel-like stare were quickly dimmed away, until all that was left were eyes similar to those of a child. The air felt refreshed as if it followed Luffy's mood. Sanji had said such big words, really smart and serious.
"I swear it on my life." The blonde cook finished what he had to say, his voice rasped with nicotine and regret. Already glad from hearing the words, Luffy nodded a few times jumpily.
"Mm-hmm! Okay then! It's great that you're back again! Then i'll have no problems becoming The Pirate King!"
It was enough, right? Sanji's words felt to Luffy like he mean it. Then, it was all in the past. Luffy's smiled widely like he wanted to show his teeth to the entire crew. Sanji, feeling some weight lifted from his chest, huffed a relieved breath alongside Nami and the others.
That was, before the weight of a staff called Clima-Tact suddenly slammed at Sanji's crotch with full intention of crushing his balls.
"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING KICKING LUFFY IN FRONT OF YOUR FAMILY USING FULL FORCE OF YOUR FUCKING FIRE KICKS HUUUH!?"
"Nooo Nami-Swan forgive meeeee~~"
That night, Sanji allowed himself the exclusive experience of sleeping naked.
...While being roped and hanged to the Sunny's mast, upside down.
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As fulfilling as the punishment may be, they couldn't afford to slack. Nami predicted the weather, sea currents, and with her guide the Caravel known as Thousand Sunny slip through the calm waves between the ridges and ocean. Carrot helped Chopper who did splinting and bandaging procedures to the broken bones. Franky was checking the Sunny, his hands repairing the core structures and redesigning the weaponries at the same time.
Sanji had just finished placing the the breakfast menu in their common table. All the while, the blonde cook's eyes scanned the surrounding seas, anticipating of being tailed by Big Mom Pirates ship, or ambushes from other enemies and sea animals.
"Wait," Luffy pointing at Sanji, "What are those moving pictures of you?"
Overlapping with Sanji's actual body, Luffy could see another Sanji. It was images of him fighting and avoiding large men, the sons of Big Mom, his successive kicks shrouded with glowing fire.
"Sanji, why didn't you spin-kick the blue genie's wrist to to disarm him?"
Sanji tried to catch on to what Luffy was talking about. But in that moment, the images faded abruptly from Luffy's vision. The boy tried to catch the lingering shapes he watched tenths of seconds ago.
"You can kick his head with right foot right after. More rotating speed. A two-shot kill. The genie's armament was weaker in the head at the moment, and-"
"What did you-"
"-Oh, nevermind. The strain is too much. Need to toughen your waist and ankle first." Luffy nodded to himself. Then he cringed, "Wait, what did i just say?"
Sanji's face went pale. "Did you just...look into the past?"
"Urrrmm...no?" Luffy mumbles, clearly unable to explain it better than how a five-year old teaching a class on how to ride a horse. "Not the past. Just the yourpast, and uh-"
"Did you just, by peeking into the past, also find out the method to beat Sanji's opponent?" Nami interrupted this time, seemingly dumbfounded. Luffy said defensively, "I dunno! I stared at Sanji and found Sanji's images moving about and i listened at his body's 'voice' and i found out about it, how to win against the genie if i use Sanji's kicks!"
"You stared and listened?" Sanji slowly confirmed what was going on. "Luffy...Is it haki? You can learn things from the past on how to strengthen my Kick Course?"
Luffy looked at Sanji, while his eyes seemed to be curious about himself instead, "I think so. Maybe it's because i got a different view from Katakuri."
"View?"
"He's such a strong Observation user. He can see into the future, predicting everything about everyone. I learned that too, while fighting him. But i suck at that. I picked up something else, though. My own view of using Observation. It's different. It's more specific to the person. It feels like, by Observing them, i can..." Luffy's voice trailed thinner into the air, lost into a thought of his own. The sky was blue and the sun was partially hiding in the bulbous clouds but its rays still reached, basking Luffy's face and eyes. The warm sun. Luffy liked the sun a lot.
The others began to look at the boy, his hat was like a natural part of his body. Sitting alone on the top of Sunny's lionhead figure, at the moment Nami felt like he was somehow being inside of a painting, framed by the skies around him.
"Sanji. Nami." Luffy suddenly called out, making both of them jumped in surprise. "We will go to Wano, right?"
They nodded then Nami began to answer, "Yes, Luffy. Robin and the others have infiltrated Wano to lay low, gain information and possibly rescue whoever they can from Momonosuke's family. My estimation is two weeks and three days at most. The waves are challenging, but in five hours we would arrive at a spot with calm winds to determine the best water currents."
"But Nami," Sanji interrupted after blowing his cigarette smoke, "We have to transit for food at the nearby island for maximum 40 miles. Our protein source is abundant from fishes and Seakings, but we begin to lack vegetables and fruits. How about-"
Chopper brought a white box, nearly empty, "I agree with Sanji. Medicine supply is short, too. Luffy has abnormal recovery rate. Maybe it's due to the factors of his abnormal appetite supporting the healing process, and his bones and muscles being made of rubber. But the others like Sanji, Carrot, they need antibiotics, screws and plates for operation. The infection, displaced fractures, burn trauma…"
"I trust you all. Decide the best." Luffy said shortly while returning to his cabin.
"What?"
"You're the captain! Usually you decide from the all available options how to idiotically make us sail and jump away to the most painful death, don't you!?" Sanji and Nami shouted, angrily obsessed to their Captain's usual behavior for some reason. But Luffy just turned around for a while and glanced at them without saying anything. He looked sideways and up, to the flocks of
orange birds each the size of a rabbit hundreds of meters away from Sunny, with their long neck and loud screech.
"You're so much smarter than me. Figure things out to prepare for Wano. Routes, supplies strategies, whatever."
Sanji couldn't guess the meaning behind the Luffy's curious grin while his figure disappear into his own room.
"I must figure things out on my own."
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It happened two weeks later, and Nami was the first one to detect it by her skin. The others noticed it much much later, since they just saw the ocean waves getting as high as multiple houses stacked together.
"Tighten the ropes! Luffy, tie the rudder! Make thick knots with your arms but leave enough space for me to steer!"
"What's a rudder?"
"THAT ONE, BLOCKHEAD!"
"Oh the wheel! On it!"
The ship shook with vibrations from the angry ocean. The winds started to blow faster and heavier by the rain droplets that followed. The Strawhats Pirates and allies wondered about the sudden change. But Nami had a prediction already. It was possible that they had already enter the magnetic field of an island.
Then, jumping to the air from inside the waters, were Koi fishes bright red and white, bigger than the Sunny itself.
"Sanji, roll the front sail! I need just two-third of its full length! After that, switch with me and maintain the 60 degrees, north-west direction! Carrot and Chopper, the rigging needs some control! Franky, cover them up and supervise! Coordinate with me!"
Nami continued to yell as the skies darken and became murky. But the sea by contrast went clearer, more transparent, like it was no longer saltwater but a part of some giant river or waterfall.
"The waters are suuupeerrr!"
"May i play some upbeat melody to motivate us in order to get-"
"Guard the hull first you prick! Freeze the waves!"
The sky was similarly black as coal, signing an ominous future. As the waves pushed them to a corner, it shook them some more. The ship was helplessly pulled forward when the waves formed three diagonal whirlpools at the same time, swallowing them along with the Sunny.
"AAAAaaaa-!"
Their scream did next to nothing to reduce the sea's ruthlessness. But Sunny, Sunny tried and endured all the burden of being hit hy the waves, being pulled by one giant Koi fish just like an absurd water cart. Their screams, tears and vomit mingled together while the whirlpool enclosed upon them, and seawater forced the way into their lungs and guts.
And that was how they arrived at the coast of Wano Kuni.