Sanji despised small cuts. Bruises were fine, bruises healed up nicely without any fuss involved. Even with large scale injuries where there's enough blood to make you think ,"Oh geez that's a lot of blood", at least then you're allowed to put an ice pack on it, to numb the pain in some way. But he would never think about doing that with a small cut. He'd just end up looking like a twat. Well, he probably looked like a lot of things in that moment. Desperate, scared, drenched in sweat, and now bloody; it certainly wasn't the image he had set out to accomplish when he woke up that morning.
Sanji wiped away at the aforementioned tiny, miniscule cut, and looked over his shoulder. No signs of any armored forms running toward him, with fevered determination and loaded fire-arms. He might've taken that for a good sign if it weren't for the fact that he could still hear each offensive term they threw at him, even over his ridiculous panting. It was all well and good learning how to defend yourself in combat, but when it really came down to it, the best option was to just run. Unfortunately for Sanji, he hadn't had much experience in running for his life up to that point.
As a silver lining though, the first thing he stumbled upon when entering the Outside, wasn't a long stretch of scorching desert, or an active volcano (though that would be a pretty cool way to go). Instead he appeared to be running through an area overrun by trees; miles upon miles of trees that didn't even appear close to the ones he knew. He never would have thought that they could grow to such heights and widths, and in such close proximity to each other. There were probably more trees in this one area then there were people living in Meridium.
He took another risky glance over his shoulder and despite the fact that it had felt like he'd been running for miles, he was still able to make out the tiniest sliver of Meridium's chrome plated walls, radiating through the gaps between the trees.
Realising how close the city really was, he felt his gait increase in speed, but at the cost of his ability to stay upright. Tripping and scrambling his way further into the tree covered area, he couldn't help but let out his first panicked cry, once he heard the dreaded sound of Meridium's hounds, howling at the top of their lungs. The countless horror stories he'd heard about the man-eating animals suddenly resurfaced in his mind, and his heartbeat scaled up to an unhealthy tempo.
His lack of attention on what was in front of him allowed life to hand Sanji yet another shitty outcome; by placing a steep ditch directly in his path. His stomach dropped seconds before his body did, and he barely had enough time to wrap both arms around his head, before bouncing clumsily off of soft, spongy mud, and landing painfully on his rear.
"Fuck…" Sanji hissed through gritted teeth. His shirt sleeves squelched against the sodden mud, as he hurriedly clambered back into a sprint. The howls echoing throughout the area became louder, and more desperate. No doubt about it, those dogs had a keen sense of hearing. Sanji rubbed his behind as he haphazardly bumped into oncoming trees, not focusing on direction, but more distance between him and his pursuers.
He managed to spot a clearing about a hundred yards in front of him, and once reached, he crawled underneath a web of low hanging branches, taking half a moment to survey his surroundings. He'd stumbled upon a neat circular area devoid of any trees, covered in thousands upon thousands of yellowing leaves that he had to wade through.
Sanji couldn't help but take his time to be wary of each step he took, as he headed toward the middle of the area. Something about it felt slightly...off. It certainly had the appearance of something natural, but he couldn't help but feel that there was some kind of man-made element to the place.
A brutish, "HEY!", prompted Sanji to remind himself that he was not an expert on all things natural, and his overworked reflexes commanded him to run forward. That was, of course, the wrong decision. As one minute he was contentedly running upright (as humans do), and in the next, his entire body had shot up into the air, flipped upside down, and left to hang in midair; swinging uncouthly from left to right. Sanji strained his neck up to see what kind of contraption had wrapped itself around his leg, causing his suspension.
But like everything else he'd seen up to that point, he was completely stumped as to what it was. It looked like hair … or possibly some kind of undiscovered fibre? It had been woven together to create some kind of abnormally large thread. Whatever it was, if it was capable of suspending a fully grown person in the air without ripping at all, then it was definitely made of strong stuff.
Sanji depleted all his upper body strength as he strained his hand closer to his numbing leg, barely brushing his fingertips against the loose strands, before the sound of rustling leaves caused his body to freeze up, and drop back down like a heavy sack. His inverted view and rush of blood to the head distorted his vision, but he was able to distinguish the shapes of four human figures approach him, each clad in a black, hooded cloak.
"Oh shit …" Sanji whispered under his breath. They weren't Meridium soldiers, but that was no excuse to think that he was safe. These were Outsiders, inhabitants of this ungoverned land, and if the stories were anything to go by, then he might have found himself in a worse position than before.
"And you guys said this wouldn't gonna work," the largest figure said as he chewed on something gaudily. His face was completely hidden by the oversized hood.
"Well he ain't no soldier but...check out the blonde hair - ya think he's a noble?" said another, the smallest one in the group.
"Nah, even if he was, why the hell would a noble try and escape from the Shards?" said the figure closest to him. His tone was the most relaxed out of them all, and he rested a lazy hand against something shiny poking out through his cloak.
"Maybe he got fed up of being rich. Hey kid! What's the matter! You couldn't stand the sight of gold anymore, is that it?!" the tallest figure heckled, as the others laughed it up without a care. Sanji couldn't tell if this was just friendly banter, or how Outsiders treated their victims before they moved on to torture.
His eyes widened and his breathe hitched, as he saw the closest one to him march forward. "S-Stay back!"
The sandal-clad feet came to a stop and the rest of the group swayed their attention back to him.
"I-I'm warning you! I've got one hell of a trait! So don't you fucking dare come any closer!" he screamed. Shit...what the hell was he doing?
"Trait? Did he just say he had a trait?" said the large one.
"Holy shit, and I thought our luck had drained out this year! Man I told you guys not to make fun of that shooting stars thing!" said the small one.
Sanji ignored their excited cheers and focused his attention on the one closest to him, who had chosen to remain silent.
"I said stay back asshole! You have no idea the amount of pain I'm capable of! How the hell d'you think I escaped Meridium huh!? By sheer dumb luck!? If you take one more step, I swear I'm gonna-"
Sanji's veiled threat was cut short when he felt something sharp collide with his shoulder.
He swivelled his head round fiercely to see the smallest Outsider holding some strange flute-like instrument to his mouth. All of a sudden, a numbing sensation started to take hold of his body, flowering out from the impact-zone on his shoulder. As his vision succumbed to the encroaching darkness, he was just able to make out a fuzzy shape enter his field of view. The last thing he remembered seeing before passing out, was the distinct colour of red standing out against black.
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"We got any seasoning for this?"
"Oh well see, we ran out of saffron last week, so urr we're just gonna have to hold out for the time being."
"Shut. Up. I mean do we have any salt or anything like that, I'm getting sick of the same taste in my mouth."
"I'm getting sick of those ungodly noises you make when you eat. You know you're allowed to chew like normal human being right?"
Sanji's mouth felt dry. He heard multiple male voices converse with one another, and a sound that resembled keys being tapped on a keyboard. As his brain pushed its way out of unconsciousness, the pain around his wrists became more apparent, and he quickly realised that his arms had been placed behind his back, completely immobilized. His body instinctively jolted up into a sitting position once he recognized several of the voices.
As the dizziness cleared, he tried to process the scene before him. He was in a room that was so beyond what he thought of as decrepit. It had been stripped clean of any furniture or carpet, and was covered in things Sanji thought could only be grown outside. Before him lay a small fire that, compared to the one's used in holograms, looked so weak and primitive in comparison.
Four men were positioned around the dilapidated space, and once Sanji had seen the black cloaks hanging above the fire, he immediately propelled himself backwards, hitting his head against the cold, hard wall. "S-Stay back!"
"Woah, woah, woah easy kid, take it easy now, we're not gonna hurt ya alright?" a man with red hair said, as he made calming gestures with his hands. The three jagged scars running down from his forehead to his cheek, did little to dissuade Sanji from not panicking. He struggled against his bonds, as he looked for an escape route that wasn't already being blocked.
"W-where the hell am I? Get me outta this …" he looked down at his hands, they were wrapped in more of the thread from earlier "… this stuff right now!"
"What! Ha ha ha! You don't know what rope is kid? Man that makes me feel so old, say whaddya use to tie up your shoes, huh?" the smallest guy in the room mocked, as he adjusted a worn out bandana on his forehead.
A man whose head barely brushed against the ceiling, held up a pair of Meridium's 32nd edition shoes, "Apparently they don't even have to bother tying their shoes anymore, these just do all the work for you!"
Sanji looked down at his white socks, "H-hey give those back asshole!"
"Asshole? Man come on is that really the kinda language we deserve for saving your life back there?" said the red-head.
"Saved me? You fucking kidnapped me and tied me up!"
"Well goddammit kid, what the hell were we supposed to do? You were the one that said you had 'one hell of a trait'!? Those were your exact words right?! That...that is what you said right?"
"I … y… yeah …" Sanji lowered his head. Technically he hadn't lied, he really did have a trait. But it was so useless and weak that sometimes he had a hard time convincing himself that he even had one. Manifesting a trait in your early twenties was practically unheard of, and it was most likely still in it's early development stage. But perhaps he might not have a reason to use it after all.
"So … you're saying you saved me?" Sanji said as the tension in his body started to withdraw. "... You're not gonna like, eat me or anything?"
"What!? Bwahahaha! Hell naw we ain't gonna eat you, what d'you take us for? Just some blood thirsty maniacs tryna kill every innocent person we come across?" the red-head guffawed loudly as he smacked his knee.
"I'm sure that's what everyone in the shards is led to believe, Shanks," the tallest one said as he started to roll a cigarette. He looked down at Sanji with condescending eyes.
"Yeahhhh, I guess you're right," the red-head said. Unlike the rest of the Outsiders, he had opted to keep his cloak on, but instead had it draped over his shoulders.
Sanji had noticed it before but, secured to the man's hip was a sword, resting in a maroon leather casing. The only time he'd seen swords were in theatre plays, but he had almost forgotten what they looked like ever since the media prohibition. He found it strange that even though the other Outsiders carried guns, he had opted for a theatre prop as his primary weapon.
"I bet things haven't changed much in the shards, apart from footwear I guess. You … do still call it the shards right?" he asked as he poked at the crackling fire, staining the concrete beneath it with ash and charcoal.
"Well, it's kinda seen more as a curse word now … but yeah we still call it that," Sanji mumbled.
The Shards. An expletive used to describe Meridium's iconic towering skyscrapers, which bore a striking resemble to broken shards of glass, bursting out from the earth. At first glance, the sheer volume of light passing through each crystal tower's surface was enough to take your breath away. But the glistening spectacle had merely been built in order to hide the ugly truth. The truth that Meridium was, at its heart, a city of repression, a city controlled through an immoral, dictatorial regime, that sought to strip each citizen of their every human right.
In this world, you were given two choices. You can live out your days in peace in Meridium, or perish in the Outside. Though Meridium provided their citizens with lavish homes and jobs, it came at a great cost. To live in a totalitarian society like Meridium's, you were required to hand over your freedom willingly, lest you suffer the consequences. Cameras had been placed in every street, building, and home to ensure that even by cracking a joke about the city's government, nobles, or laws, it would be met with unrelenting opposition, and in some cases, the issue of a death penalty.
People only appeared content because they had to be, because they were in constant fear of the consequences they'd face should they appear otherwise. It was surprising how long it had taken for Sanji to attempt an escape. Though he wished it had been made under better circumstances.
"A'right I'm just gonna get you outta those restraints now cos it's starting to bug me," the red-head said as he scuttled over to Sanji, plucking a small knife out from a pouch attached to his belt buckle.
As he pushed his shoulder forward, Sanji noticed something strange about the way the man carried himself; realising quickly that the black cape hanging from his shoulders was there to deter from the fact that he was missing an arm. It made his choice in weapon even more mystifying. Why leave yourself so vulnerable to attacks, by depending on your skills as a close-range combatant, when you yourself have such a debilitating handicap? The man seemed comfortable with cutting away at his bonds however, and flung them onto the fire once he was done.
Though Sanji still kept a keen eye on all the possible escape routes, he felt his body relax even more once the tension had finally been lifted away from his wrists. Despite the fact that the amount of weapons in the room outweighed the number of people, and despite the odd menacing look thrown his way; the group of Outsiders had stopped giving him any real cause for concern. If they had wanted to kill him, then they would have done so already. He didn't even want to think about the kind of situation he'd be in if they hadn't showed up.
"So how 'bout some introductions then?" the red-head declared as he stood up. "Name's Shanks, the leader of this here mottley crew," he said, as he jerked a thumb over his shoulder.
"Then there's the fa-ahem, then there's broad-shouldered guy, Lucky Roo," Shanks announced, after a fierce growl from the large man behind him. The entire time Sanji had been there, Lucky Roo had been doing nothing but chomp his way through a roasted leg of venison. His getup had to have been the strangest out of them all: green goggles, a green and white striped shirt, a yellow jacket hanging from his shoulders, and some kind of handkerchief he'd tied round his head.
"Stern one in the back is Ben, he a...he's a lot to handle but, once you get to know him, he can be a real sweet-heart."
Ben was busy puffing away at his rolled cigarette, and looked up for just a brief moment, introducing himself by way of a grunt. In the afternoon light, the multiple jagged scars etched into his skin became more noticeable; no doubt there were probably more hiding under his shirt. This, along with his black, overgrown hair, and grey irises; matched the ideal image that came to mind at the mention of the word Outsider.
"And last but not least is Yasopp: he might be small, but he's one of the finest marksman I've ever come across. Trust in him, and he'll make every bullet count."
"Or every dart in your case," Yasopp said, as he held up a government issue dart for emphasis. His bushy eyebrows and patchy stubble gave him the appearance of being the oldest in the group. But he had a youthful energy to him, and he'd given Sanji the least amount of disapproving frowns.
Sanji smiled sarcastically. Judging by the scraps of plated armour incorporated into their outfits, and the government issued guns stashed into their belts, it was obvious to Sanji that this particular group of Outsiders were well accustomed to ransacking Meridium patrol squads, on a regular basis.
"I hope you're not gonna make this awkward by not giving us your name?" Shanks said, with a beaming grin.
Sanji cast his eyes to the side, and gathered up his knees. "I guess that's not really important anymore. My records are probably being incinerated as we speak. The only piece of evidence left of my existence will be my arrest warrant. It'll be like I had never even been born."
"Well duh! Of course you don't exist in the shards anymore. I mean that much is obvious!" Shanks said by way of an attempt to cheer Sanji up. "But out here!? Out here, in the real world, you finally have a chance to live the way you want, to really make a name for yourself! So, what's it gonna be?"
Sanji peeked his head up slightly to look at Shanks. "It's Sanji …" he mumbled into his hands.
"Ahh Sanji is it? Well then Sanji, it's nice to meet ya!" Shanks announced with an outstretched hand, which Sanji shook with hesitance.
"Well, now that we have the boring unpleasantries outta the way, we can move on to the real reason why we saved you!"
Sanji did a double take. "What?"
"Look, I'm sure it might have seemed like we were performing some kind of selfless act-"
"I'm sure from your point of view it seemed like we were your guardian angels sent to save you from a bittersweet end," Ben uttered with an oozing tone of sarcasm.
"I'd say it was more of a rock and a hard place kind of situation," Sanji replied bluntly, which seemed to annoy the hardened man.
Shanks cleared his throat, "Anyway, the truth of the matter is, we didn't just save you just cos we felt like it."
"Once you mentioned having a trait, we had to rethink what we were gonna do with you," Yasopp said.
"...What the hell are you talking about?" Sanji said, shocked by this sudden reversal of trust.
"Look we have a...job, that we'd like you to do for us kid...and this job, it requires someone who has a trait," Shanks tugged at his baggy trousers and knelt down so that he was at eye level with Sanji. "Sanji, have you ever heard of a place called Dressrosa academy?"
Dressrosa Academy? Of course he had. It had sat perpetually at the back of his mind the entire time he had tried to escape. For normal folk, Meridium and the Outside really were the only two options to choose from. But for the very select few who actually possessed a trait, for people like him, there was a third option: Dressrosa Academy.
He had first learned about it in his fourth year at highschool: one of the academy's scouts had been attending one of his assemblies, and had asked for every student with a trait to raise their hand. He told them that those with traits had all been given an equal opportunity to live a life outside of Meridium. That there was a school, an academy, that had been built specifically in order to house those capable of displaying 'unique gifts'; to help further their education, and to contribute to the fulfillment of their full potential.
Only five students raised their hands, and all five of them accepted his offer without a moment's notice. It was one thing to enter an institution free from harassment or discrimination toward people with traits, but to be able to freely leave Meridium's dictatorship without any ramifications toward you or your family? That was the stuff only dreams were made of. And Sanji had spent the better half of a decade doing just that, dreaming of the day he could raise his hand, and be whisked away from the hell that was Meridium.
Sanji eyed Shanks skeptically. "Yeah I've heard of it … why?"
"Well see, we've been keeping an eye on that place for … god years now, and it's urr well let's just say we've got our own personal affiliation to the place," Shanks said, his eyes diverting away from Sanji's. Behind him, Yasopp cleared his throat and shifted in his spot.
"You see we're concerned about the school's … shall we say, teaching methods … amongst other things."
Sanji's nose wrinkled. Why would a group of Outsiders concern themselves with the practices of a school?
"Now we've been trying to gather as much information about the place as we can but … it's difficult … their security it's-well it's not exactly what you'd expect from a school."
"Shanks," Ben said sternly, "stop beating around the bush, and just get it over with."
Shanks sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, I'm gonna level with you kid, we … we're on a bit of a tight schedule here. Recently we've been hearing some … some rumours that … several of the academy's top students have gone missing in the past year. Now, we realise that we can't base everything we know on just rumours but, frankly, it's not a risk I'm willing to take. So that's why we've decided that … that we need someone on the inside."
Sanji stared up at the four figures in the room incredulously, struggling to comprehend what he was being told, "Hold on, hold on are you … let me get this straight, are you asking me to be your spy?"
"What gave you the impression that we were asking?" Lucky Roo piped up, laying a heavy hand on top of the ridiculously large gun nestled in his belt. Sanji couldn't help but let his mouth hang open. First the lies … now he was being threatened?
"Look, kid...I really don't wanna have to do this to you but...if you don't cooperate with us then... then we're gonna have to turn you over to the authorities," Shanks said, with a fairly convincing ounce of human sympathy in his voice.
Sanji clenched his jaw, and squeezed his eyes shut. How could he have been so stupid? Of course there was a catch. Of course he couldn't have just been saved based on human kindness and empathy.
He sighed. Who was he kidding? Of course it was always going to turn out this way. He just felt anger towards his own emotions; towards the fact that it had felt like he'd been betrayed in some way. But these men were still complete strangers to him, still people who had their own goals and agendas. He didn't have any right to feel betrayed.
"Look it sucks to have do this, but … what we're doing … what we're trying to accomplish, it's important to us … and we can't afford to let some kid jeopardize that. You understand that right?"
He could call these guys assholes. He was allowed to do that now but … what Shanks said … it did make sense to him. And he hated that.
"Yeah...I understand..." Sanji mumbled, as he stared listlessly into the fire.
"Great!" Shanks cheered, as he leapt to his feet with a newfound energy. "So! How's about we fill you up with something warm, and then we can start thinking about heading out?"
Sanji looked up at Shanks. At his scarred face, and his laid-back posture. They both convinced Sanji that this man had seen the very worst of what the Outside had to offer. But his eyes told a different story. He had the eyes of a man with a newfound lust for life, an unhindered enthusiasm to take control of his own destiny, regardless of what those around him said. And those were the kind of people Meridium's government were really afraid of.
"Well...can I at least get my shoes back?"
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Sanji had always liked the evening time. Not night-time, not when the curfew had just started, but when the sun was still clinging to the last dredges of the day. It was the only time when it was entirely acceptable for people to travel together in large droves, once they had commenced their journey home after finishing school or work. A true sense of communion and camaraderie was shared by all, everyone received the same amount of joy and relief at the prospect of finally returning home. He could always sense the same overwhelming urgency to reunite with loved ones; the one true source of joy even Meridium couldn't tarnish.
Sanji had always been jealous of those who got to drive home. Strolling home from school, he would always conjure up a fantastical sense of purpose shared by each driver. That for just one brief moment in the day, they were the ones in charge of their own destiny. It was pretty sad to admit it but, sometimes he liked to imagine himself driving through the city, and taking a wrong turn, ending up on a road no-one even knew existed. And that road would lead him straight out of Meridium, to a better place, a better life. In a way, he had made it onto that road, but not in the way that he would have liked.
He was standing in the middle of another clearing, with both his hands raised in the air. Nearby, a stream carrying crystalline water flowed down a steady bank, keeping the plants and soil in the area moist and dewy. A loud rumbling sound echoing throughout the forest (a new word he'd learned from Yasopp) crept Sanji's panic levels back up to ten, but he made sure to pay close attention to it, as per Shanks' instructions. It was still hard for him to believe that in just one day he had not only escaped Meridium, but had also been chased down by man-eating dogs, had been kidnapped, then blackmailed by a group of Outsiders, and was now currently waiting for an armed vehicle to turn up and hopefully not shoot him on sight.
Shanks had assured him that at the first sign of danger, they would immediately abort the mission and help him escape via an ambush. But he had decided against disclosing their locations to Sanji, in the event that his nerves got the better of him. Normally he would find that kind of assumption about him insulting; but the rising volume of his own heartbeat drumming against his chest, confirmed to Sanji that there was at least some truth behind it.
Though he was unaware of whether the academy's guards were as cruel or as remorseless as Meridium's, it was certain to him that the upcoming encounter may result in either getting killed, or handed back over to Meridium authorities. Which also resulted in him getting killed.
It was so easy for him to have such little faith in his trait. It was barely capable of stopping a leaf from falling, let alone a bullet from piercing his skull. That was the image Sanji seemed to be unable to shake from his mind, as the rumbling noise grew louder and louder, so much so that he could even feel the vibrations resonate in the ground beneath his feet. This went on for another couple of minutes, before the source of the noise eventually decided to show itself, the sight of which sent shivers down his spine.
A 6x6 truck of colossal size and weight, rammed its way through the overhanging branches, letting out one last booming roar before coming to a stop. To see a vehicle that had been built to travel on wheels and powered by oil, was impressive enough when he saw it in a museum display. But to see one so up close and and so … alive was truly breathtaking. What was even more breathtaking was the amount of guards stationed both in and around the truck. As soon as they clapped eyes on him, every barrel of their outdated gun locked onto his head, and a chorus of the word "Intruder!" erupted from the group.
Sanji flinched and reflexively squeezed his eyes shut, willing his body to stay as still as a statue. He obliged the command to "Get on your knees!" in the quietest, calmest manner possible. He shakily peeled one eye open when he heard someone open one of the truck's doors and shout, "Sir, Commander Diamante sir! Wake up!"
He then saw a man with long brown hair, and peculiar red stripes running down his face, wake up from his apparent nap, and stare lethargically at Sanji, who was now shaking uncontrollably. He sighed in annoyance and poked his head out to the side. "Hey kid, I hope you plan on moving out of the way some time today."
"I-I want to join Dressrosa Academy!" Sanji blurted out. The guards gave each other sideways glances, and the commander sighed heavily, swinging his long legs out to the side and heaving himself out of the truck. He took three steps forward before stopping, and gave Sanji a quick once over. "You don't look like much of an Outsider to me ..."
"I … escaped from the city … t-this morning," Sanji said shakily. This prompted more confused glances from the guards, and the towering Commander raised an eyebrow.
"This morning? And your first priority was to come to us huh? Well I'm flattered … go on then, show us what you can do," he said sleepily, as he folded his arms.
"I urr … okay …" Sanji stammered as he slowly rose to his feet. He tried forcing himself to look away from the guns that were still pointed to his head, as he felt his body squirm under their gaze. The commander threw up a lazy hand sign, and the guards slowly lowered their weapons, still keeping a well trained finger on each trigger.
Sanji took a deep breath, and rubbed off the sweat that he had accumulated on his hands. Looking down, he picked out a small pebble hidden with the grass and roots, and aimed his quivering hand toward it. The method was simple: compel the pebble to float, and with time and effort, it should float. That was the only way he knew how to 'turn on' his trait, for lack of a better word. He tried moving the pebble. It stayed still. He tried again. And again, and again. No matter many times he tried, or how much he strained and squeezed his own brain, the pebble didn't move an inch. Tears started to stream down his face, as he clenched his hand hard into a fist, hoping that it would force the pebble to move. Move, godammit!
An irritated tut was all Sanji needed to hear. It was over. "Yeah I didn't think so kid," the commander said, as he turned his back on Sanji and started to walk away.
Sanji didn't dare move a muscle, his eyes were still fixated on the pebble. Time seemed to slow down, and everything around him became obsolete. The only thing that existed in that moment, was him, and that damn pebble.
He was so sick of feeling scared, sick of feeling useless, sick of feeling so weak, like anyone could walk all over him. Remember, he told himself, remember what it had felt like to stand up for yourself. There was a reason why he left Meridium, and it had nothing to with him being scared for his own life. It was because he had been given a chance to alter his course, to grab the wheel and take that wrong turning. He'd get into Dressrosa, and he'd do it for his own reasons. Not because he had to, but because he wanted to. More than anything.
A short, a furious "WAIT!" managed to stop the commander in his tracks, and his eyes visibly widened at the feat Sanji was performing.
The tiny pebble had finally bent to Sanji's will, gently levitating four feet up in the air, copying the same twisting motions his hand were making. Even for such a small feat, the boundaries of his trait were being pushed to their limit, and it took every ounce of Sanji's concentration to keep the pebble from falling.
A huge raucous of laughter erupted from the guards, as they pointed and jeered at Sanji, "That's it!? That's your trait!?"
The pebble fell significantly in height, and shook under the pressure of both gravity and Sanji's trait. It dropped completely when the commander shouted "SHUT THE HELL UP!" and the smiles of each guard were wiped completely from their face, as they quickly stood to attention.
The commander turned his attention back to Sanji, who was red-faced and breathless. "You ever lift up more than just a rock?"
"Not really...it was only till last year that...well that I even realised I had it."
The commander stepped forward, picking up the pebble, and inspecting it closely. "Yeah that can happen sometimes. It's rare but sometimes traits just, well they just take their sweet time to manifest. I'm sure there's some kind of science behind it, but to be honest I really I can't stand for that kind of shite."
He flicked the pebble away like it was a feather, and extended a mammoth-sized hand toward Sanji. "All I know is that the academy would be more than pleased to have someone like you attend."
It sounded sad and kind of pathetic, but Sanji honestly couldn't remember the last time he had smiled like he had in that moment. The subversion of a perpetual frown felt strange and foreign to him, but it felt so good to be both relieved and happy at the same time. His hand was overwhelmed when he dove in for a handshake, but he shook it with a newfound vigour and enthusiasm.
"T-thankyou sir … I … urr …" he fumbled, struggling to find the right words that didn't make him sound like he was a grovelling mess.
"Ahhh there's no need for all that," the commander said. "Why don't you grab a seat up top with us and we'll take you straight back to the academy, huh?" He patted Sanji's back rigorously, and marched on back to the truck. "Come on boys! Let's move out!"
Though they still appeared to be confused by what had transpired, the guards nonetheless scuttled back to their positions.
Before he took another step, Sanji had to remind himself that he was still being watched by the Outsiders, still being evaluated on what he was doing and saying. Just before setting off, he stole a quick glance over his shoulder. There amongst the shadows cast by the trees, and in the instilling darkness of the setting sun, he spotted the unnatural colour of Shanks' hair. He was leaning against one of the trees, smiling and sending him a thumbs up sign. So everything was fine according to him? He must already have a plan set in place in order to keep tabs on him while he was at the academy. Though he was at a loss at to what their methods would involve.
Sanji's relaxed composure stiffened up once again, and he walked rigidly over to the truck, still completely unsure of what the day still had in store for him.