Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, or Gin, or Sanji, though I'd love to. They belong to Eiichiro Oda. I do, however, own Port Piece. If you'd like to use it please notify me first and give me proper credit.

Ch. 1
Gin's POV:

Note: This takes place before they hit the Grand Line, but after they take Robin onto their crew. Seeing as I haven't seen much of what hasn't been released in America past what I've read on Wikipedia to keep up, it probably won't be completely time-line accurate. Please don't flame me, for the only reason I'm so far behind is because I don't want to take money out of Eiichiro Oda, Shonen Jump, or Funimation's pockets by downloading. Thank you.

We were so close to the Grand Line that I had to let out a shudder. No one blamed me, not even Don Krieg. Our memories of that place were almost unbearable. The port we were docking in hadn't changed a bit since we were last there. They called it Port Piece, because there were so many pirates looking for One Piece stopping there constantly. They ate, laughed, brawled, and got everything out of their system so they could be completely focused on the Grand Line.

We knew we'd see pirates we knew there. But we never thought we'd see the Merry Go, ship of the Straw Hat Pirates. "Well, waddaya know," one of my crewmates whistled. "The rubber kid actually made it."

I looked at Don Krieg. He had that look. The same one he always had thinking of Monkey D. Luffy. The look of hate and anger. A look reserved only for the little snot-nosed punk who kicked Krieg's butt. Man, that seemed both so long ago and yet as if it were only yesterday. It was when I met…

I stopped walking, the others pushing past me on the plank leading off the ship. If Luffy was here, that meant Sanji was too. If we saw them, Krieg would test my loyalty by making me kill Sanji. I couldn't let that happen. But how could I avoid it? I couldn't just tell Don Krieg that I wanted to leave. But maybe if I found Sanji…

That was it! I had to find Sanji, get him alone, and…

I swallowed hard. I hadn't thought of that. I'd convinced myself that I was okay with my strange, sudden feelings for the young cook. But was I ready to confront him? I shook my head clear. This wasn't about that. It was about keeping him safe. I had to tell him to convince Luffy and the crew to leave. I had to do it face to face…and alone with him. Luffy was too much of a loudmouth, I couldn't talk freely in front of him. And there was no way the others would trust me. I didn't even want to even think about Roronoa Zoro, that bastard swordsman.

"Gin!" Krieg's voice boomed. "Move it!"

"Yes, sir!" I called, running down.

"You know the rules!" Krieg boomed again, this time to the whole crew. "I don't care what you do with your time here, but if you're aren't on the ship at sunrise tomorrow we're leaving without you! Understood, men?!"

"Yes, sir!" we chorused.

"Dismissed!" As soon as the word left his mouth, we scattered. Most of the men when in search of the Three B's: Booze, Brawls, and Breasts. I, instead, went in search of a certain blond chef. I must have searched for a good half-hour before I heard that familiar voice.

"I don't ever want to see your sorry ass again!" I followed the voice to where a poor, bruised up pirate was scampering away from the only man in the world who ever gave a damn about me. And, oh, how beautiful he was, standing there as if nothing had happened, lighting a cigarette, and wiping blood off his cheek. I found myself almost entranced by the sight of him. His slim figure, gorgeous blond hair, and cool demeanor. The way he drew one leg up and placed his shoe on a crate, wiping off the other guy's blood from it with a handkerchief. The way he ran his hand through his hair in that 'cooler-than-thou' fashion, only to have it fall right back into place. The way he looked at me in surprise and walked…

Crap. I was so enthralled with seeing him again that I didn't even notice that he'd seen me until he was five feet away. I decided to play it cool and let him react first. He stopped two feet from me and we stared each other down in the usual pirate greeting. After a few moments I almost gave up hope that he'd say anything. But, sure enough, he took the cigarette out from between those tempting lips long enough to ask, "What're you doin' here?" Ouch.

I decided this situation called for me to be as natural as possible. "I could ask you the same question," I sneered back.

Sanji paused for a bit before breaking into that same smile that always greeted me in my dreams. That same smile he gave me when he was the only one who would feed me on the Baratie. "Nice to see you still have your lack of social ambiguity," he laughed.

Hearing his laugh was all I needed for all of the nervous tension to melt out of my body. I couldn't help but smile back, just happy that the months at sea with the Straw Hats hadn't changed him. I walked over to the crate he'd put his foot on before and sat down on it. He followed, instead leaning forward and putting his elbows on it. I saw a couple of pirates nearby give his ass an ogle, which I really didn't blame them with the way he was sticking it out, but I glared and sneered at them. Recognizing me as the commander of Krieg's pirate armada they quickly went back to whatever it was they were doing before, as if it hadn't happened.

I looked down at Sanji, who was smirking at me. "Not that I don't appreciate your trying to help," he said, "but I could have handled them. What did you think that other guy was doin' before I kicked his ass?" I didn't even realize he'd noticed those other pirates. He always had an attention to detail that made me smile. It came with being a cook, I figured.

"Maybe if you didn't tempt them, they wouldn't feel the urge," I growled. I couldn't help it. Sanji gave me this need to be honest.

I was expecting him to get mad. Offended, even. But he instead shrugged. "Not my fault every guy on this island is a dirty perv," he said, looking around. He spotted a group of girls and smiled, giving them a wave. They just rolled their eyes and went back to their conversation. He sighed a bit dejectedly. "Now, if only the ladies would give me as much attention."

I couldn't help but let out a guffaw. "Maybe if you sat next to me you'd be more handsome by comparison," I joked.

"What, are you saying I'm not handsome enough already?" he actually pouted.

"Of course not," I shrugged. I looked down at him again. He was still pouting a bit. I found myself wondering how he could hold a cigarette in his mouth and pout at the same time. "You're too good looking for any of them." I didn't know where it came from. It just sort of…came out. But I was glad I said it, because he smiled again. And, unless I was mistaken, there was a little bit of a blush there too. But it was probably just my imagination.

"Wanna go get a drink or something?" Sanji suggested.

I considered it, and then shook my head. "Nah, I don't feel like one." It was a lie, though. I did feel like a drink. But I didn't trust myself to drink with him, didn't trust myself not to do or say something wrong.

Sanji just nodded. He took a long drag from the cigarette and pulled it out, blowing smoke out into the wind. That movement alone was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen. He then dropped the butt, which was now a little stub, onto the ground and stomped it out. He pulled out the pack from his jacket pocket and opened it. He then frowned, holding it upside down as if that would make a cigarette magically fall out of it. "Shit…" he muttered. He turned to me. "Got a smoke?" he asked.

I shook my head. I never took up the habit, though the look on his face when he found out I didn't have one made me wish I did. "Come on," I said, jumping off the crate. He looked at me, puzzled. "I'll buy you another pack."

Sanji's face lit up. It made the Berries I was spending for him worth it. I would buy every pack of cigarette in the world if it made him happy. But for now, I suppose just a couple of packs from the locals here would do. "You really don't have to, I can afford my own cigarettes," he huffed, despite the smile still present on his face. It was part of his good nature; he didn't want me to spend my money if I didn't need to, especially if it was on him.

"I know," I simply answered. I wanted to add 'but I want to', but I didn't. The way his smile brightened at my own rare act of kindness made me afraid to lose that special bond I felt I had with him. It was what kept me from grabbing him and kissing him, the thing I'd been urged to do ever since I met back up with him.

It wasn't long before we arrived at a small store. The guy behind the counter was huge and burly, and didn't even bother to hide the large rifle next to him. Being a pirate port, the crime rate was through the roof, so shop owners had to do everything they could to "discourage" shoplifting in their stores. Even if it meant spending money on firearms, and hiring muscle to work the register that probably wasn't even smart enough to count as high as the numbers on it.

"Pick your favorite," I told Sanji, gesturing to the selection of cigarettes. It was a wide selection, the shopkeeper probably threatened enough times for not carrying pirates' favorite brands.

Sanji looked at them all, looking like a kid in a candy store. I had to smile. He picked up a couple of packs of the more expensive kind, looking at me to see if it was alright. I nodded and he threw them on the counter. The muscle man at the register was actually pretty good at working the thing, surprisingly. He had us rung up and out of there in what I thought was record time.

No sooner had we stepped out onto the street did Sanji practically rip open one of the packs. I laughed. The last fifteen minutes without a smoke must have been killing him. He took a cigarette between his lips and pulled out his lighter. I was a bit taken aback. Everything Sanji owned seemed so elegant, but the lighter was just a cheap plastic one that you could find in most convenience stores. On top of that, it was the most hideous color of green you could find.

Sanji looked at me, and I must have been giving it a disgusted look, because he quickly lit the cigarette and pocketed the lighter again. After taking a drag and sighing in relief from the feel of the cigarette smoke invading his lungs, he looked at me again. He then looked away, as if embarrassed. "I lost my old lighter in a battle…" he muttered. "I had just beaten this group of navy men who boarded our ship and I was taking the opportunity to light up a new cigarette. Zoro sent one of the guys flying toward me, and I didn't have time to react. The guy hit me and my lighter flew into the water. I was so angry I threw the navy guy in after it." He gave me this bitter, angry look. "I swear that moss-head, crap-swordsman did that on purpose. He's had it in for me ever since I joined this crew."

I felt two different emotions well up at the same time. I felt anger and relief. I was angry because that stupid swordsman made Sanji upset, and I couldn't forgive that. But I was also relieved that all of my worries, my insecurities about Sanji and Zoro's relationship, were all fruitless. Zoro hated Sanji, and Sanji hated him back.

"But anyway," Sanji continued, "I told moss-head that it was his fault that I lost it so he had to buy me a new one. We fought about it for a while, but Luffy finally convinced him that it was the right thing to do. Should have figured he'd go for the stupid, cheap ones." He took the lighter out again, and gave it the same disgusted look I gave it before. "I miss my old lighter. It was black, metal, and had these gold patterns across the top. It was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen." He sighed dejectedly and pocketed the new lighter quickly before anyone else could see it.

"Come on," I said, feeling bad for him. I figured that a walk would do him some good. As we walked down the street, we fell into a comfortable silence. This made me happy. The fact that we could have a comfortable silence was a sign that we really connected. I noticed a few pirates staring at him. I didn't blame them. He was a beautiful sight. And honestly, after months at sea without a woman onboard the ship, like in Krieg's crew, a pirate doesn't really care about gender as long as they're good looking.

I didn't really mind them looking, as he said before, he could take care of himself. He didn't need me to protect him. That is, I didn't mind until we passed by a group of them next to a bar. That was what alerted me first. They were absolutely plastered. Plastered pirates are not a good thing.

"Hey, blondie!" one of them called as we walked away from them. Sanji rolled his eyes, obviously getting too used to this, and kept walking without looking back. Normally this would be enough for someone on this island, which had plenty of nice tail to chase, to give up. Obviously this particular group didn't get that message.

"Hey, we're talkin' to you!" another one slurred out, staggering after us.

I knew not to look back at them. Confirming their existence would just encourage them. Luckily Sanji knew this too.

"Hey!" the others were now following, too. "Hey, come on, blondie!" "We won't bite!" "Why don't you give us a chance?" The persistence of this group was annoying. Other pirates walking by didn't even look at us or the drunken mass following us. This wasn't an unusual sight in Port Piece.

"I'm not interested!" Sanji said, not looking back. He'd moved onto the second step. If ignoring them doesn't give them the hint, then verbalize your rejection.

The drunken mass, as I came to like calling them, didn't seem discouraged by this. In fact, the fact that he talked to them seemed to give them the idea that he wanted to pay attention to them. "Come on, blondie!" one of them repeated, grabbing Sanji by the shoulder.

Before even Sanji reacted, I did. I grabbed the guy's wrist and twisted and squeezed so hard I was sure I could feel bones cracking. I turned around and gave them the best demon glare I could muster. The guy whose wrist I had howled in pain. "He said he's not interested!" I growled, twisting harder.

"I'm sorry!" the pirate said desperately. I felt satisfied by it, so I let go. He quickly cradled his arm, which had a huge purple bruise where I had held it.

I looked at Sanji. He was staring back at me. I hoped I hadn't offended him by stepping in. One of the other drunken pirates spoke up. "Hey, we just wanted to have some fun," he insisted, as if it made their harassment okay.

"Yeah, well I just want to kick all your asses, and you don't see me doin' that!" Sanji snapped back, finally turning to face them. The pirates were taken aback. Sanji's beautiful face and lean, graceful body, combined with the expensive looking suits he always wore, tended to cause his true nature as a fighting cook to become undermined.

"Let's go, he's not worth it," one of the others muttered, pulling the last one away. The others followed him, the one I had grabbed moving a little more quickly than his buddies.

There was a bit of silence between us as we waited for them to reclaim their place outside of the bar. Sanji finally spoke. "Thanks…" he muttered. It was a bit bitter though. It was what I was afraid of. I'd offended him.

I wanted to apologize for it, but what was there to apologize about? I was just helping him. So I kept my mouth shut. This was obviously the wrong move, because he gave up that half-expectant look after a moment and started walking a little faster than before. This silence, the one that followed that, wasn't comfortable. "Sanji, wait!" I called after him, following him. I reached out for his shoulder.

"What?" he snapped. I pulled my hand back as if he'd just bitten me. He might as well have for all the venom that was in that simple word.

"Nevermind," I replied, adding my own hint of bitterness. I couldn't help it. He was mad at me for the stupidest reason.

We walked in silence for a while longer, this time tension building up with every step. I looked at store windows, just looking for ideas. Then, something caught my eye. "Wait here!" I said, running into the store excitedly. I made my purchase and went back out. Sanji waited for me with his foot tapping impatiently.

"I'm not a girl," he huffed, seeing the little box I was holding. I rolled my eyes. I couldn't help it. He was acting ridiculous. "I don't need you to buy me cigarettes, I don't need you to protect me…" he looked disgustedly at the box, "…and I don't need you to buy me jewelry."

I sighed in frustration. "I wasn't protecting you, I was helping you."

"Well, I didn't need your help, either," he insisted. "I could have handled it myself. I laughed it off when you drove those pirates away back when we saw each other because I hadn't seen you in a while. But if this is going to become a habit for you then you can keep your cigarettes and your jewelry."

I had to try hard to keep my patience. I hated for him to be mad at me, and I didn't want to be mad back. "Fine then," I growled. "I'm sorry I was trying to be a good friend!" I finally just let go of my patience and shoved the little box into his hands. I turned around and stormed off. It wasn't until I lost him in the crowd that I realized that I'd forgotten why I was looking for him in the first place. I'd forgotten to tell him that Don Krieg was out for blood, and he had to get out of there before it was too late.