This is my first One Piece fanfic and my second fanfic on fanfiction. I can't say it's the best writing I've done, but I had to share my idea before the next chapter came out to more than likely make this entirely false.

There will be spoilers from the manga, so if you want to avoid that you shouldn't read this fanfic (at least not yet).

Panting heavily from the run, he reached the spot. He could see Luffy lying on the ground, probably exhausted due to hunger. He silently walked the rest of the way to Luffy.

Hearing footsteps approaching, Luffy tried to turn to see who it was, but he stopped once he heard the voice.

"Here..." Sanji placed the basket on the ground. He stopped himself before he could say 'Luffy'.

Looking over at the basket, Luffy reached for it, grabbing it and pulling it closer to him. He opened the basket and grabbed the first thing he felt. Pulling it out, he saw it was meat, but it was covered in dirt. It also felt sticky.

Running through the castle, he could hear the shouts of the guards chasing him.

"Restrain Sanji Vinsmoke!"

"Don't let him escape!"

Sanji only had one thing on his mind, and he wasn't about to let anyone stop him.

I have to get this to Luffy.

"Hold it right there!" Somebody had gotten in his way, forcing him to stop. "The only place you're going is back to your room, Sanji Vinsmoke!"

"Get out of the way." The obstacle blinked in confusion. "I said get of the way damn it!" He charged forward, kicking him hard with a diable jambe that sent him flying out of his way and into others sent to reinforce the guy.

He continued, ignoring the pursuers behind him.

Sanji watched silently as Luffy ate.

It wasn't long before he had eaten all of the food. Now with renewed energy, Luffy stood up, turning to face Sanji.

Smiling wide, he said, "It tasted great! Thanks Sanji!"

Sanji's eyes began to widen, suddenly seeing his mother instead of Luffy.

The food must've been terrible. It had been completely ruined on the way here, but he ate it anyway. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but...

Busting through a wall, Sanji raced away, still being chased by the guards.

He was getting exhausted from running, but one glance at the basket was all it took to find the strength to keep going.

When he looked up, he saw a group of stronger enemies had blocked his path.

"Wherever the hell you're going, we're stopping you here, Sanji Vinsmoke!"

They quickly surrounded him. Sanji defended from one and dodged another before the third landed a solid blow on him, sending him flying. The basket slipped out of his grip, falling a few meters away from him. One of the enemies bent down, looking at the basket. Seeing the food, he laughed. "Where'd you plan on going with this? Camp in the woods or something? Well, I'll eat this for you, even though it'll probably taste bad!"

"Don't." He was glaring dangerously at the enemy.

He ignored him, grabbing the lunchbox and taking the chopsticks.

"Keep your filthy hands off of that!" Sanji was suddenly covered in flames, burning the two who had been holding him down. Desperate to protect the food, he ignored the fire and kicked the enemy as he was about to take the first bite, sending him flying much farther than Sanji had thought he was capable of.

In his moment of confusion, the flames died. What the hell?

Before he could question the strange occurrence any further, the lunchbox fell on the ground, the food inside spilling.

"Shit!" He quickly began to pick up every scrap he could, putting it back in the box, but the guards from before caught up.

"We've finally got you, Sanji Vinsmoke! Makes things easier for us and come back to the castle peacefully."

Sanji paused, standing up to face them. The guards began to charge.

I'll have to take them all out. Otherwise, I'll end up leading them straight to Luffy.

With a burning resolve, Sanji charged at them.

Tears spilled from his eyes, a small smile on his face.

"Thank you... Luffy."

Luffy's smile only widened.

"I'm sorry it took so long..." He lifted his arm and wiped the tears off of his face.

Panting hard, he turned back to the lunchbox that had been sitting out in the rain.

It must be gross by now...

He forced himself to focus on repacking the food, which was now sticky and covered with dirt.

He had several injuries from the clearly outnumbered match against all of his pursuers.

Picking up the basket, he continued running.

This, for Luffy? This sad excuse of food? I screwed up again...

A tear streamed down his face.

It's not much, but it's all I have... I still have to get this to him.

When he removed his arm, Luffy was no longer smiling, instead waiting for the cook to finish.

He smiled confidently, a new fire in his eyes. "...but I'm finally back."

And there we have it! I'm aware this wasn't the best writing, so feel free to give me some constructive criticism. I really appreciate it.

I couldn't help but notice the similarity between Sanji's current situation and the time he made food for his mother. That was the main inspiration. In both it's raining, Sanji's traveling alone, and there's someone who doesn't want him to do it. As a kid, Sanji didn't want his father to know, and Sanji now is doing something that interferes with Big Mom's plans by not staying in his room. So I thought, what if these events are supposed to be similar? In that case, something would have to get in Sanji's way, like the dog. And when Sanji finally got to his mom, he was hurt (although not severely). We can be pretty sure Sanji will be chased on his way to Luffy unless he manages to sneak away and lose them, so I thought maybe he would be injured a little, but nothing that would take him out of the picture later. And then there's the food being ruined on the way, which, assuming the first part happens, is also very likely to occur. And finally, that smile telling Sanji his food was good when it really wasn't makes more sense with Luffy than his mother, so I wouldn't be surprised if something along the lines of this happens.

As for Sanji suddenly being covered in flames... that was just a speculation about Sanji's modified genes. Sanji, as we know, is a very emotional character, so I wondered if diable jambe was triggered by strong emotions. I also wondered if Sanji's modified element, since the Vinsmoke seem to have powers based on elements, could be fire, maybe explaining how diable jambe doesn't seem to affect Sanji. Basically, the idea is that Sanji's emotions release the superhuman capabilities that his genes were modified to possess. This is more than likely not going to happen, but I found the thought interesting.

Also, Sanji is my favorite character in One Piece, so the Whole Cake Island arc is constantly on my mind. Who knows what'll happen next? Well, I'm definitely enjoying this ride/journey/adventure/whatever you want to call it.

Thanks for reading!