For a freeloader and a thief, Ace turned out to be a surprisingly hard worker, without so much a a complaint. And when meal times rolled around, he was only too delighted to clear off a dozen or more plates with an appetite of a man starved. Even a few of the Baratie's crew were impressed/horrified at his garbage-disposal-like hunger.

That first day, Sanji left shortly after meeting Ace to work on some other, more important thing and the wayward pirate didn't see him for the rest of the day. It wasn't until late that night, when the barracks were filled with the din of the snores of a crew of ex-pirate-cooks that Ace noticed the blond through the dim moonlight coming through the portholes. Unable to sleep (as the young pirate often was at night) a soft sound that wasn't snoring made it to his ears and when he opened his eyes, he was just able to make out the light colors of Sanji's hair and clothes as he crept quietly through the bunks.

Zeff had made it quite clear that he disapproved of the boy's nicotine habit. It dulled the senses, most importantly taste, and he scolded Sanji for smoking anywhere near the kitchens. So it was only really during the quiet hours of late-night, when the kitchens were closed and the boat quiet that Sanji could get away with a secret smoke. And he'd long perfected the art of sneaking through the barracks and onto deck undetected.

Ace lifted his head as the door silently shut behind Sanji and stole a glance around the dark bunks. Barefoot and clad only in his shorts, he followed carefully and quietly. Maybe he was overstepping his boundaries a bit but he had a sense of curiosity about the other boy, how someone so young and well... soft-looking had ended up on a ship of ruffians. Slipping out of the barracks, he let the door click so quietly behind him and glanced around the moonlit deck.

Just as the dark-haired boy's eyes swept to his left, a foot, bare and quick, snapped up and planted itself against the wood a bare half-inch from Ace's head. Sanji leaned in, eyes narrowed, both hands shoved into his pockets and a cigarette, not yet lit, hanging from the corner of his mouth.

"What're you following me for?"

Ace blinked rapidly in surprise for a long moment before he was able to respond -- Sanji's stealth and quickness were impressive. As was the position he seemed to perfectly comfortable twisting himself into while still oozing intimidation. That surprise faded to chagrin though and Ace rubbed at the back of his shaggy hair.

"I uh... couldn't sleep," he said, side glancing at the ankle that was practically touching his ear before offering a weak smile at the other boy. "Want some company...?"

Sanji gave him one last long hard stare as though trying to determine the sincerity of the boy's explanation. Then carefully, perfectly balanced, he lowered his foot and stood back from Ace, leaning a bit on one foot and reaching into a pocket to pull a book of matches into view. He shrugged and turned toward the railing. "Jus' don't go telling kusojiji you saw me. He doesn't much like me smoking."

"Don't worry about that," Ace assured him, strolling after Sanji to lean against the railing. He looked at the other boy inquisitively. "Is he your grandfather?"

Sanji laughed, took a drag on the cigarette he'd finally got lit and offered it to Ace. "No, I s'ppose not. More like a pa than anything. Way he's always on my heels..."

It was difficult for Ace not to offer assistance in lighting the cigarette -- but there were things he thought better than to reveal around here. He preferred to keep his real nature and his true strength under wraps -- besides, nearly everyone on this ship were ex-pirates and he wasn't sure of the general consensus toward those who still were pirates.

He accepted the cigarette; though he didn't often smoke, he was hardly adverse to it. The tobacco was poor quality and bitter, he guessed that Sanji had difficulty in procuring it. Wisps of smoke wafted in the light breeze as he handed the cigarette back to Sanji. "Thanks." A silence passed but his curiosity got the better of him and he spoke up again. "Why in the world does he call you eggplant?"

Sanji took the cigarette and replaced it between his lips, rolling his eyes and sighing as he did so. "Probably cause he knows how much I hate it," he scowled and pinched at the filter, shrugging. "Why'd you try to eat and run anyway? You don't have money? Parents?" He tried not to sound like he was too interested, but in all honesty, he didn't often see kids way out here on the ocean, not ones so close to him in age either. And the boy smiled like he was friends with you even before you spoke your name. And well... he was curious.

Ace hopped up to sit on the railing, pulling his feet up to address Sanji between his bent knees. "Parents?" he repeated and stopped to think about it before offering a shrug. "Somewhere. Money, not much. I was supposed to meet up with a ship by now but I was delayed. Besides, I don't think I've ever had as much money as that meal I ate cost," he added sheepishly. "It's not so bad being caught though -- this place is funny."

Sanji laughed a quiet laugh and leaned out farther, letting the breeze tug at his hair a moment before answering. "Funny huh? Yeah, I guess you'd say that. Lucky though, that the shitty ol' man got to you before Patty tossed you overboard. He's done it lots of times before. Tossed people over without even half a blink." Sanji looked at the other boy from the corner of his eye. "You... alone then?"

"Guess I got lucky," Ace laughed, a little nervously. If he had been tossed overboard, it would have been very, very bad. He almost had to wonder if that old man had recognized him -- he was starting to find that he was making a name for himself even as a lower member of Whitebeard's crew. His fiery technique aided in the quickly spreading stories though he wasn't sure if it had traveled as far as East Blue. "Ah..." he said slowly. "Yeah, mostly, for now. I was delivering a message and now I'm heading back home. I'll have to send a message ahead to let them know I'll be here for a while." He cleared his throat, turning on the rail to let his bare feet dangle overboard. "On this ship... is everyone an ex-pirate?" he asked, casually.

Sanji wanted to ask where home for Ace was, but he didn't press the question. It wasn't right asking too much of a traveler; you didn't know who they might be or what they might want to keep to themselves. There was a brief moment of quiet before the young cook remembered to answer the boy's inquiry. "Ah.... hmm. Yeah, I guess lots of 'em. Most of 'em no one else'd hire. But the old man did. He don't have anything against pirates, that's for sure."

Ace laughed out loud at this, trying not to sound too relieved. "Oh really? What about you?" he inquired, still casual. "You must be used to being surrounded by brutes by now, huh?"

Sanji had to laugh himself at this. "Yeah, I guess you could say I'm used to it. Doesn't make it any less pleasant a fight breaks out or half the staff gets drunk and uses your bed to pass out on." Sanji snorted in disdain and flicked the butt of his spent cigarette over the railing.

Ace sighed and shook his head -- he knew that only too well. As the youngest member of Whitebeard's crew, having joined at age thirteen, he'd often been put in such a situation. Ace grinned at him then. "Seems like that old man of yours knows how to take care of 'em though. And you too maybe..." He studied Sanji for a moment, quizzical and leaning forward slightly. "You're stronger than you look, aren't you?"

Sanji smiled a bit at that and raised a brow. "Got a good eye then?" he figured, "Strong enough, I guess, to keep 'em decent. But not as strong at the old man. Not yet, anyway. One day though." He grinned and tucked a bit of hair behind his ear. "I got plans," he nodded to himself, but didn't elaborate.

"That old man..." Ace contemplated, now rocking on his heels with his fingers hooked beneath the railing. "He's Zeff the Red Leg, isn't he? That move you pulled... he taught you?"

Sanji's eyes left the sea and found the boy beside him, giving him a hard, calculating look, as though attempting to determine his intentions. After a long moment he nodded. "Yeah, that's him. And yeah, I've been decked by that move enough times to have learned it by now."

A boyish grin split Ace's lips, showing a Cheshire sliver of white in the darkness. "You pulled it off well. He must be proud of you."

Sanji blinked, then scoffed, returning the smile with a shake of his head. "The old bastard would sooner cut off his other leg than ever say he was -proud- of me." He shrugged. "Don't much mind. I'll kick his ass one day."

"Are those your big plans, then? To defeat your master?" He couldn't help but be intrigued by Sanji -- a cook with the stealth and prowess of a pirate, learned under one of the most infamous pirates outside of Grandline.

Sanji shrugged. "Isn't that something everyone aspires to? Nah, that's not so big." He eyed the dark-haired boy openly. "What about you?"

Ace's grin became a bit more candid, a bit more far away. He ducked his head slightly. "My goal? Mmm... my goal is to help my master achieve his goal," he said, shrugging a shoulder. "And to see everything there is to see in between."

Sanji's second cigarette had long since burned down to a nub and he stubbed it out absently, nodding at Ace's words. "Not much to see here, I guess. I imagine it'll be a dull month for you." He turned from the railing then and took a step toward the cabin. "Better get back to bed before someone comes out to kick my ass. Yours too," he added.

"I don't think it'll be too dull," Ace said, jumping lightly from the railing and trotting after Sanji. "Good company and good food? There's little more a man could ask for!"

As Sanji slipped back into his bunk, he cast a brief glance at the other boy's back before turning over and settling in. Perhaps showing him the ropes wouldn't be so bad. As long as he didn't drop any plates.