"LAND HOOOOOOOO~!" Luffy shouted at the top of his lungs from his seat on the head of the Thousand Sunny.
Finally, Sanji thought to himself. Sailing through the insane waters of the New World, the weather always seemed to be changing from severe snow to searing sun and right back to snow all day every day, not to mention the whirlpools that they ran into the other day. Using Coup de Burst certainly got them out of there quickly but set them off course and they ended up heading to a completely different island.
Not like it was a bad thing though, from the looks of it, the island they were currently landing at was covered in lush, forest, but there also seemed to be a small town right on the edge of the water. It wasn't a tropical looking island though, which, although are nice, there seem to be a lot of on the seas. The trees looked like oaks, mixed with birches, elms, maples and pines as well. The island looked to be a fall island because the leaves were a mix between oranges, yellows, and reds along with the dark greens of the evergreen trees that were scattered around the island.
I'll have to pull out the jackets and scarves then. Sanji walked down to the storage room and pulled out coats for all the crew members. They would also need their mittens and hats and maybe even their boots.
"Would one of you shit-heads come down here and help me pull out all the winter clothes!" Sanji called out and was almost immediately answered by a grouchy swordsman making his way down. Zoro gathered up all the mittens and hats before making his way up onto deck with Sanji tailing behind.
"Oh my! It looks like you really CAN hear me! Bravo!" Sanji mocked.
"And WHY wouldn't I be able to hear you?"
"Cause of all the moss in your ears."
"Why you-"
"Tut tut marimo, if you put too much stress on plants, they won't grow properly."
Zoro growled angrily at Sanji, which caused the cook to laugh loudly. Those faces he made whenever he got angry were truly a sight. Especially when he gets REALLY angry. His face will blush a deep, angry red, his eyes go bloodshot, sweat forms around his hairline, and it's almost as if his teeth themselves change shape and go jagged to make his point even clearer. It was truly a treat whenever the cook could get a rise out of the swordsman.
Zoro and Sanji dropped all the thick clothing on the deck of the Sunny and soon everybody was ready to go. Once the ship was docked, Nami gathered the crew together to hand out allowances as well as choose who would have to stay and guard the ship.
"I wouldn't mind staying on the ship. This doesn't seem like the type of island to carry much archeological value so I'll just stay back here with our ship wright. As long as you're okay with that." Robin smiled gently at Franky, who blushed slightly before turning to the crew.
"Of course! You guys go have a SUPEERRR time, everything back here will be fine!"
"Ah, it's a bit chilly, I hope everybody has bundled up properly. I can practically feel the cold in my bones! Then again, that's all I am! Yohohohoho~!" Brook laughed before following behind Usopp and Chopper, who had begun to make their way to the forest, no doubt in search for any plants or medical herbs that could aid them crew. Although it was unlikely they would find any, it really didn't look like that kind of island. It was beautiful, yes, gorgeous even. But nothing seemed special about it in the least.
"Luffy and I will be heading off to look for treasure and cute clothes! Isn't that right Luffy!" Nami shouted, Beli signs appearing in her eyes as she practically drooled at the word treasure.
"AWWW! But I don't WANNA go shopping!-ow-ow-OW!" Luffy whined before being dragged by his ears by Nami's slender fingers.
"Oh shut up! We'll get something to eat right after!"
"Yay! Meat, Meat, MEAT!" Luffy shouted, ripping himself out of Nami's grasp and instead, walking beside her.
"Guess that leaves you to help me pick up supplies! Come on Marimo. OH wait, I forgot, do you want to hold my hand? We don't want you getting lost and running into traffic." Sanji gave a face of feigned concern which further fuelled the rage bubbling up inside the swordsman.
"You wanna fight dart-board?! I'll cut you up into tiny pieces!" Zoro was almost screaming he was so mad, but he followed behind as the cook lead him into town. Once there, Sanji almost IMMEDIATELY found the market, picking out the ripest looking foods and the juiciest looking fruit. Zoro didn't much mind hauling the cart. If anything, it helped with his training. And once the cook was busy shopping, he tended to keep his mouth shut so he didn't bother Zoro too much. Zoro watched as Sanji grinned widely at some spices that had obviously been imported into the city. Although, that didn't make them any less rare, and judging from the smile on the cook's face, he was happy with his find. Once their cart was full and Sanji was satisfied with his choices, they started to head back to the ship to drop everything off.
"HELLO GOOD SIR! Would you like to buy a wish?! Only 5000 Beli!" A man called out to the two. Sanji look at the man and grinned. The owner of the 'wishing' stall looked shifty in a way Sanji couldn't quite put his finger on. It wasn't his eyes or his hair or his clothes, not even his posture. Just, a feeling.
"Oh really? Only 5000 Beli? For any wish I want. And what if my wish doesn't come true? What then?"
"If you can PROVE that your wish has not come true, I will pay you back double! NO, TRIPLE! Listen, it doesn't matter how much I offer you in return if your wish doesn't come true because I know it will. There's a man on the island who ate this thing called the 'Garden-Garden fruit'. He can grow the most beautiful flowers you've ever seen but he can also grow very SPECIAL flowers. He calls them 'Wishing Flowers'. They will grant you any wish you want for a short amount of time as long as the wish carries no ill will. You can't wish to harm or kill anybody. I know it works! I've seen it with my own two eyes."
"You certainly are sure of yourself, alright then, I'd like to buy a wish." Sanji looked rather amusedly at Zoro, who just scoffed and leaned against the cart. Waste of time.
"YES SIR! Okay, now, here is your wish flower, just blow the petals off and your wish will come true!"
The flower the man held out was small, about the size of a buttercup, but the petals were much longer and heavier looking. The stem was a dark green and it had tiny fern-like petals sprouting from different points along the stem. There were two layers of petals, the top layer was a pale violet colour and the bottom layer was a pale orange, almost yellow. Both layers of petal transitioned into white at the tips. The petals all looked very loosely held to the flower, almost like the seeds of a dandelion. Sanji took the small flower into his hands and looked at it questioningly before glancing back at Zoro.
"What do you think marimo? Should I wish for a smarter mule to carry around my supplies, hahahaha!"
"I wish you were a helpless toddler." Zoro deadpanned before blowing out the petals of the flower, watching as they danced in the wind. Sanji growled angrily and swung his legs at Zoro's head but lost his balance when his hat suddenly fell over his eyes and he came crashing to the floor. The hell-? That hat fits perfectly, there's no way it could do that…
Zoro stared down in horror as he watched Sanji shrink and shrink and shrink until finally, he was just gone. Replaced by a puddle of clothing. Zoro bent down and reached into the thick coat and pulled out a-a… no. No way had that actually worked.
But it had.
Zoro wrapped his hands around the tiny waist of the baby as he pulled him out of the coat. His hair was now short, just like the way Zoro used to cut it before his two years of training with Mihawk. Short blond hair, big blue eyes, and..
Eyebrows. Curly eyebrows. Now in full view thanks to the lack of hair in front of his face.
The baby stared blankly at Zoro as the swordsman held him up by his arm pits. Not even blinking at each other.
"CHANGE HIM BACK NOW!" Zoro yelled, his head snapping back to glare at the shop owner.
"You wished for it! I cannot change him back! Although, a wish such as this cannot last for very long. Maybe two, three weeks..?"
"WEEKS?!" Zoro screamed, to which Sanji burbled happily as he watched Zoro's face contort with rage. He reached out his small arms, his fingers grasping at the air as he leaned in to grab at Zoro.
"OH would you LOOK at the TIME?! I have a wedding to attend! Bye now, thank you for your business!" The man practically jumped out of the stall before sprinting down the market roads and away from the swordsman.
"Oh no you- shit!" Zoro was just about to reach for his swords when he noticed that Sanji was still in his hands. Now, he was no saint, but he knew better than to leave a baby and go chasing after some random shop owner. There was absolutely no way he could take Sanji with him either. Shit…
Two weeks.
Zoro pulled Sanji towards him, holding him awkwardly in his arms. Sanji stared up at the swordsman with wide eyes. Damnit, when this was all over, Sanji was gonna kill him. It's not like he actually meant for this to happen! That's not even one of his usual insults! It was just the first thing that came to mind. Why would he wish for that?! Shit!
Zoro dangled his fingers in front of Sanji's face lazily and watched as Sanji grasped at them with his small hands. Pulling one of the fingers to his mouth and gnawing at it.
"Oi! You ass… don't bite me." Zoro smiled down at Sanji as the little cook giggled and kicked his feet around. "Watch out, those things are dangerous. Hahaha." Zoro bent over so that he could throw Sanji's clothes onto the pile of supplies on the cart before heading back to the Sunny. How was he going to explain this to the crew? They'll probably blame me. Even though it is kinda my fault…
-0-0-0-
"Zoro."
"Yes, witch?"
"Why is Sanji a baby?"
"Aww, you could tell? Damn, you saw right through me." Zoro bit back sarcastically.
"The eyebrows kinda gave it away! Shishishishi!" Luffy chimed in.
"He certainly is cute though, isn't he? Hello cook-san, do you remember me?" Robin playfully wiggled her fingers in front of Sanji as she spoke in a soft voice. Sanji reached out, pulling the backs of Robin's fingers against his cheek. He leaned into her touch and she smiled.
"It seems like he still remembers us! That's SUPER and all, but if he remembers us, why is Zoro holding him without him crying or getting mad?" Franky stared questioningly at the tiny blond.
"How the hell should I know?! All I know is that some guy in the market tricked the cook into wishing himself to be young again and then turned him into a baby."
"That doesn't make any sense, why would he want to make Sanji into a baby?" Nami questioned.
"Damn, you got me again." Zoro replied, dripping with sarcasm.
"It wasn't that hard you moron!" Nami screamed, and Zoro, almost instinctively, covered Sanji's ears. That didn't stop the little cook from tearing up though. Zoro couldn't blame him. Nami was SCARY when she wanted to be. You didn't have to hear her to FEEL she was mad.
"Okay fine, I was the one who wished he was a drooling toddler. He's stuck like this for a few weeks while the wish wears off. Now if you could NOT scream while I'm currently holding a BABY, that would be great." Zoro said, half distracted as he stared down at the small creature currently trying to tear at his coat. Eventually, Zoro zipped it open just enough for Sanji to rest his head inside on the soft inner lining. He snuggled in between Zoro's chest and coat tightly while sighing happily.
"He's so cute, my eyes might dry out staring at him! OH, but I don't have eyes! Yo-hohoho~!" Oh shit, talking skeleton. Zoro had almost forgotten. Thankfully, Sanji was too busy falling asleep in the swordsman's jacket to notice Brook looming over him. Zoro knew he had the best intentions, but he IS a skeleton, so nobody would be surprised if Brook upset the little tyke.
"Well, if he's stuck like this for a few weeks, I suppose somebody is going to have to watch him.." Nami looked around the crew. NONE of them were NEAR responsible enough to handle a child. None of them except herself and Robin of course. Nami heaved a heavy sigh as she reached her arms out to take Sanji from Zoro. Oddly though, Zoro backed away.
"..I got him into this mess… I'll take responsibility for him. Besides, you might cast one of your evil spells on him, witch." Zoro almost muttered as he kept his gaze focused on Sanji.
"Zoro, this isn't really about TAKING responsibility so much as BEING responsible. This is a human life we're talking about! I can't have you falling asleep when you're supposed to be watching him, or drinking booze when you should be feeding and burping him. Just give hi-" Nami's sentence was cut short when Zoro practically cut her with just his angry glare. He opened his mouth to tell her off but was stopped when Robin suddenly stepped in and Oh shit Zoro knew EXACTLY what she was about to say.
"Actually, Miss navigator, our swordsman is well practiced in the art of child care, I've seen so myself." Robin looked over to the swordsman, asking permission with her eyes before continuing her explanation. Zoro sighed and used his free hand cover his eyes before he began to speak.
"Back at Water-7… I… babysat a bunch of kids while their mom was busy-SHUT UP!" Zoro's face turned beat red with rage as he turned to glare at Usopp and Luffy who were barrelled over laughing their asses off. "It's not like I had a real CHOICE! I'm not just going to LEAVE them! The cook may think I'm a heartless bastard but for your information-I SAID SHUT YOUR MOUTHS BEFORE I CUT YOU!"
"Yes DAD!" Usopp and Luffy both said in unison before bursting out into another fit of laughter, tears forming in their eyes as they held on desperately to their stomachs. A vein popped in Zoro's head and he was just about to lay a beating down on the two buffoons when he remembered exactly WHY he was telling this story. You're trying to show responsibility here. Killing the captain and the court jester is NOT responsible. Just let him fall off the ship on his own, Zoro. It will happen soon enough and then who will save him? Not you.
While most of the crew was now laughing hysterically at him, Robin's plan seemed to have worked and Nami was now working on a list of baby supplies that would be needed for the next few weeks and how best to budget it. She mumbled something about taking it out of Zoro's allowance but at this point, the swordsman really didn't care. He had his Sanji so he was content.