A/N: I don't own One Piece or any of its characters.
The events of this story take place after the Fishman Island arc.
Chapter 1: Crisis in the Port Town
Sanji had just finished a supply-shopping trip into the latest port town. The budget Nami set aside for him this time had been unusually generous. It was rare that he had leftover funds.
"Nami is going to be so pleased that I have leftover money," thought the Straw Hat Pirates' chef. "She may even kiss me for doing such a good job!" Sanji couldn't control his excitement and started blushing profusely while thoughts of Nami showering him with affection poured into his mind.
"SANJI!"
Sanji was suddenly broken out of his train of thought by the cry of Chopper, who had accompanied him on this particular trip. Chopper carried the supplies on his back on these trips, and was just glad to help out in any way he can when the crew didn't need medical attention.
Chopper then said, "What's going on over there?"
Sanji looked and saw a small crowd around a small booth in the middle of the street. This piqued Sanji's interest, so he decided to see what the fuss was about.
"Sanji, what about the supplies?"
"Those supplies can hold out for another two hours without refrigeration. That's plenty of time to see what's going on over here."
Sanji and Chopper made their way through the crowd to see what the commotion was all about. In the middle of the crowd, they saw an old man being beaten up by three young men.
"You bastard!" yelled one of the men. He had a bandana on his head and wore a sleeveless coat that exposed a well-developed body. "This is probably the leader of this little gang," thought Sanji. "You said that crap you sold me would make me stronger!"
"I-I did. That's what Devil Fruits do. It's common knowledge," said the old man, obviously struggling just to draw breath.
"Well, guess what? When I ate that fruit, the only thing I got in return was this!" The man then held out his hand and pressed his palm on the street. When he lifted his hand up, a patch of flowers grew where the hand had been.
"Wh-what's wrong with that? That's the power of the Bloom-Bloom fruit. It can make you grow flowers and other plant-life wherever you touch. It can help rejuvenate a barren wasteland or provide you with a source of food where you wouldn't normally find anything edible. Think of the possibilities."
"SHUT UP!" The man hit the old man in the gut. "How am I supposed to be taken seriously as a pirate if all I can do is grow plants? You ripped me off saying these fruits of yours could grant great power. Now, I'll make sure you'll never rip off anyone else!"
"Stop it! Please!"
Before the old man could get hit again, a young girl stepped out of the crowd. Sanji took a serious interest in the matter at hand after the girl appeared. This girl had shoulder-length brown hair, was wearing a pink and yellow sundress, and had a serious expression on her face.
"Why should others have to get hurt because you're upset? Grandpa didn't know what fruit he sold to you. He only knows what fruit it is after he sees its powers in action. You can't blame him for not knowing what fruit you got ahead of time. Just leave us alone!"
"I can't do that! This old man has to pay for taking away my dignity. And now that I know you're his granddaughter, I can't think of a better way than by taking away the one thing that's important to him. Boys, get her!"
The other two moved in to get the girl. She hung to her grandfather for fear as he did the same to protect his only living relative.
Suddenly, a small tremor rocked the square. The crowd looked to see Sanji removing his foot from the crater he just made to get the attention of the young pirates.
"You know, I can't just stand by when a young lady is threatened, especially one who is strong enough to stand up for what she believes in. So, you bastards wanna apologize to the old man, or do I have to make you?"
Chopper just stood off to the side, trembling in fear. "Why did he have to do that? Nami's gonna kill us for this!"
The gang's leader looked at Sanji and smirked. "You think you can take all three of us on by yourself? I'd like to see you try. Boys, tear him apart!"
The two sidekicks immediately went after Sanji with knives in their hands. The chef just smiled and proceeded to beat the living daylights out of the two would-be assailants. After taking care of the associates, Sanji focused his attention on the leader. The young pirate tried to protect himself by growing a tree, but Sanji kicked right through the tree and knocked him out. After that, the two sidekicks grabbed their leader and ran for their lives.
The crowd cheered for Sanji as Chopper rejoined his friend after the commotion had died down. The girl then went up and hugged Sanji, much to his surprise.
"Thank you very much! I don't know what I would've done if those mean men took me away."
Sanji looked at the girl and smiled. "No problem, ma'am. Like I said, I can't ignore a damsel in distress."
The old man then approached Sanji. "In any case, I would like to show my appreciation to you. And I think I know just the thing."
The man went through his pack and pulled out a fruit that looked like a cross between a coconut and a mango. Sanji and Chopper stared at the fruit with a confused look. Chopper finally summoned the nerve to ask what it was.
"This, my friends, is a Devil Fruit. I had purchased six of them from a friend and decided to sell them to the highest bidder. My friend told me what each fruit could do, but forgot to tell me which fruit was which. This happens to be my last Devil Fruit, and I can definitely say that this is the Switch-Switch fruit."
Sanji raised an eyebrow at this. "The Switch-Switch fruit? What is it supposed to do?"
The old man explained. "Well, say there are two people. One wants a skill or trait that the other has. If he had the Switch-Switch fruit, the user could switch the other person's skill with a skill the user thinks he could live without. All the user has to do is say something along the lines of, 'I wish I had this person's skill,' and it's done. Also, this fruit makes it so that everyone but the user thinks that the change is how they've been their whole life."
The girl continued. "I heard that only animals are immune to this effect, so your cute pet would notice any changes." Chopper couldn't help but blush at the cute pet remark. "But Grandpa, are you sure you want to give that away so quickly?"
The old man smiled. "There are more important things to be thankful for than a few Belis. I'm just glad you're safe, my dear. And for saving both me and my granddaughter from that terrible mess, I'll give this fruit to you free of charge."
Sanji, uneasy about accepting a Devil Fruit so easily, tried to talk his way out of accepting the gift. "Thanks anyway, but I really can't. It's not right to take something so valuable from…"
"HEY! SANJI!"
Sanji didn't even have time to turn around before Luffy crashed into him, scaring everyone else with his sudden appearance.
Luffy immediately got up from the crater made from his impact with Sanji, turned to Chopper and said, "I felt Sanji warming up. Is there a fight?"
Chopper, still recovering from his shock, told Luffy, "N-No. Sanji took care of them quickly. Sorry, Luffy."
Luffy got a little upset. "Aw, man! I really wanted to have a fight." Then he remembered that Sanji was beneath him. "Oh, yeah! Sanji, are you okay?"
Sanji got up, but was visibly disturbed about something.
"No, Luffy. I'm not okay."
Chopper then noticed something. "Um, Sanji? What happened to the fruit?"
Sanji then glared at Luffy and angrily said, "Thanks to this idiot I swallowed it whole. Now I'll never swim again!"
Luffy, in a panic, said, "Oh, man. I'm so sorry."
Sanji calmed down a little. "It's alright. I'll get over it. I can still see the All Blue through the Shark Submerge. My dream isn't crushed."
The old man smiled. "Well, in any case, I'm glad that you saved my granddaughter and myself from those awful men. I wish you well in your travels."
The girl then gave Sanji a small box. "This is a gift from me to you. I'm sure you'll like it." With that, the girl gave Sanji a small kiss on the cheek and ran off to join her grandfather. After suffering a small nosebleed, Sanji hurriedly left to go back to the ship with Luffy and Chopper, who had gone ahead of him.