Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters. I am not responsible to any harm you do to your electronic devices while reading this fic.
Pairings: Zoro x Sanji
A/N: Okay. Before you complain to me profusely about getting things wrong I will tell you now that I am only up to the English Dubbed is. That is still the Thriller Bark arc. I still know a bit that happens like Brook joins the crew and there's a two year gap but not much.
I also want to clarify some facts before I write it into my story. Their ages are the second number in their actual age. Since Nami is 18 her character is now just 8. Robin is 28 but her character is just 8. Brook is 88 but his character is just 8 if that makes sense. Luffy and Usopp are both 17 so that makes them both 7, Chopper is 15 so that makes him 5 and lastly Franky is 34 so that makes him 4.
I will also change their childhoods a bit to make it more dramatic.
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Sanji stared at the green haired idiot in front of him. He had stupidly left the man in charge of the kids while he went shopping for adorable outfits for the little ones and he comes back to a disaster.
Luffy and Chopper were running around completely naked. Chopper was okay naked, he had fur, but Luffy was not. There was a burning smell in the kitchen and Nami was walking around with black ash he assumed was food. He couldn't help but be reminded of Apis.
Actually, Apis' food looked a lot better than whatever Nami had made.
Robin and Usopp were glaring at each other. Usopp's oversized clothes made him look less intimidating while Robin looked downright adorable in her oversized leather jacket.
Brook was chasing a butterfly that had landed on the ship in childish amusement.
"Enough!" Sanji yelled, glaring softly at each and every one of them. The kids froze and stared wide eyed at the blond cook.
He took a deep breath before continuing.
"Where is Zoro?" He asked evenly, his mind was already thinking about the best way to murder the marimo.
Robin pointed to the bathroom.
Sanji sighed and followed her finger to the bathroom. Slowly he opened the door and froze when he heard sobbing.
He peaked in and saw Franky crouched over the toilet dry heaving. Zoro was gently rubbing his back and whispering soothing words in his ear.
"What happened?" Sanji asked quietly as he closed the door behind him. He kneeled next to Franky and felt his forehead. "He's so warm." he frowned.
Zoro shrugged, "At first I thought it was your shitty cooking giving him food poisoning but I think it has more to do with these clothes."
Sanji glared at the first bit but eventually nodded. He eased the boy to a standing position and removed his clothes. He turned on the shower and filled a bucket with warm water. He lifted the boy into the tub and gently cleaned the boy.
"I'm going to check on the other kids." Zoro made an attempt to leave but Franky grabbed onto him and shook his head.
"I'll go. I have to start dinner anyways." Sanji sighed.
Franky looked like he was about to protest but he didn't say anything. Sanji put down one of the bags in his arms and took out some long sweatpants and a long sleeved red and black shirt. He pulled out socks, underwear and shoes.
"These are for him. I'll leave them on my bed," Sanji said. Zoro nodded. He turned his attention back to Franky and finished washing him. He took out a towel and patted the boy dry before wrapping him in the towel and carrying him to Sanji and his room.
Franky was plopped on the bed, earning a delighted but weak giggle. Zoro quickly located the clothes Sanji left out and dressed the boy. Franky frowned at the uncomfortable clothing but didn't complain. He follow Zoro out of the room and watched as Sanji struggled to dress Luffy in clothes that actually fit.
Nami and Robin were in leggings and long sleeved dresses. Nami's was pink and Robin's was blue. Usopp wore green pants and a brown shirt. Brook was dressed in a white shirt and blue pants. Chopper got blue shirt.
Franky giggled and lifted his small hand into Zoro's. Sanji finally managed to put Luffy in clothes and sat up proudly at his accomplishment.
"Mommy? What's for dinner?" Franky asked sweetly. He had recently puked his lunch up and he was hungry.
The rest of the kids froze at that.
"You can't call Sanji that! He's not your mother. And besides, he a guy. I think." Nami pointed out.
"I am a guy," Sanji confirmed.
Franky shook his head. "He cooks for us. He brought us clothes. He tucks us in. He's our mommy."
"I already have a mommy." Usopp shook his head.
"But this is our new mommy."
"I don't want a new mommy though."
"Usopp, if you don't want me to be your-uh- mommy then I don't have to be." Sanji said.
Usopp nodded and looked at his feet shyly.
Luffy stared at Sanji shyly, something completely new to Sanji. The boy looked so unsure about something.
"What's wrong Luffy?" Sanji asked.
Luffy looked at his feet and frowned, "I never had a mommy before. Or a daddy." He admitted.
Sanji froze at that and exchanged glances with Zoro.
"What do you mean?"
Luffy shrugged and twiddled his fingers, "I never met my real daddy and my mommy gave me away when I was really little. I don't remember them at all."
"Who raised you then?" Zoro asked confused. He felt bad about extracting information from such a vulnerable Luffy but his curiosity won out.
"Makino raised me!" Luffy smiled. "She worked at a bar and she would let me stay with her there whenever I couldn't find a place to stay for the night."
"You grew up in a bar?" Zoro asked.
Luffy nodded, "I got to meet so many cool pirates! They would always come and drink so much alcohol and laugh and fight and it was cool!"
"Well that explains a lot." Zoro mumbled to Sanji. The blond just smiled at that comment. He couldn't help but feel bad for Luffy though.
"I'm going to be the best pirate ever! The Pirate King! I promised." Luffy touched his hat and grinned. He pointed at the scar under his eye, "See! I stabbed myself here to prove that I had what it took!"
"Wait a second. You gave yourself this scar?" Sanji asked.
Luffy nodded proudly. He suddenly looked shy again.
"Anyways, since you get to be Franky's mommy can you be my mommy too?"
Sanji frowned. Luffy looked away as if preparing himself for rejection. Just how many times was this boy rejected in his life to have such a look on his face? Sanji didn't like it.
Sanji offered the boy a smile. He didn't have the heart to tell the boy 'no'. "Of course I'll be your mommy." He winced at himself for saying that outloud. The expression on Luffy's face made it worth it though. Luffy's eyes started to water and he flung himself into Sanji's arms. Sanji lifted the boy onto his hip and frowned at how light he was.
"Come on. I need to make dinner. Do you want to help me?"
Luffy grinned and nodded.
"Okay, but you're not allowed to eat anything until its all done. Promise?"
Luffy pouted and gave Sanji sad, puppy eyes.
"Damn, he's cute." Zoro whistled.
Sanji had to look away. "You can eat after we finish. In the meantime you can help me mix."
"I want to help too!" Franky giggled. Sanji offered Franky his free hand and took both boys to the kitchen.
Zoro sighed and stared at the remaining kids.
"Why is your hair green?" Robin asked boredly.
Zoro frowned at her. "Genetics." he replied.
"Can I touch it?" Robin asked. Before Zoro could respond a bodiless hand was on his head, petting him.
"It's soft." She said surprised.
Zoro nodded and sat down. "We're going to meditate until Sanji finishes cooking." He instructed, closing his eyes.
"That's boring!" Usopp complained.
"It makes you stronger."
At that note all the kids sat in a circle and closed their eyes. Less than thirty seconds later half of them were bored.
"I think he fell asleep," Chopper squeaked as he poked Zoro in the face. He shrieked and giggled as Zoro pulled him into his arms and tickled him. The little reindeer kicked and squirmed until he was safely behind Brook.
"Can we go on a walk?" Nami asked, blinking up at him innocently.
"No, you are not allowed to steal from random citizens." Zoro said automatically.
Nami looked at him shocked. How could he know what she wanted?
"Don't look at me like that. Don't worry. Arlong is gone. He can't hurt you anymore." Zoro said.
Nami went from shocked to confused to scared. "H-How do you…?
Zoro kneeled in front of Nami and smiled, "We rescued you and your town. See up there? Those are your oranges."
Nami blinked and smiled. She still looked utterly lost and confused but the oranges calmed her. They seemed to be in good condition and they were definitely the ones from her farm.
"Tangerines." Nami said smiling.
Zoro blinked at her, "What?"
"They're not oranges. They're tangerines."
"What's the difference?"
Nami opened her mouth to explain but Zoro quickly shook his head, "Nevermind. I don't care."
Nami giggled. "Can I go see them?" She asked shyly.
Zoro nodded, "Go ahead. Don't get lost."
Nami scrunched her face confused. "How do you get lost going up the stairs?"
Zoro blushed, "It's harder than it looks! Okay?"
Nami relaxed and giggled at that. She grabbed Robin's hand and dragged the girl upstairs.
Zoro looked down at a fluffy puffball and frowned. "What's wrong Chopper?"
"I don't get it." The reindeer admitted. "One day I am at a winter island with my master and the next I'm here on a boat in a whole different place."
"Don't worry Chopper. We'll take good care of you. I promise."
"It's not just that though. It doesn't make sense."
"I don't know how to explain it to you but I promise it will make sense soon, alright?"
Chopper looked like he wanted to say more but he didn't.
Usopp and Brook looked at Zoro expectantly.
"I'm bored." Usopp told him.
"Hi Bored. I'm Zoro."
Usopp blinked before bursting into giggles. Brook smiled and laughed a bit as well. The dark skinned boy looked up at Zoro and smiled shyly at him.
"Thank you." Brook said.
Zoro blinked at that. "Why?"
Brook looked at his feet and shifted awkwardly. "You know. For the clothes and taking care of me. I don't even know you and yet I feel as if you're familiar in some way."
Zoro blinked at the little boy surprised. "Familiar? Does Sanji feel familiar too?"
Brook nodded. "A bit."
Zoro nodded at him. So it seemed as if they didn't forget everything. If Zoro felt familiar then maybe…
He decided not to think about it too much. He didn't want to hurt his brain.
"Come on. Lets spar before dinner. Work up an appetite." Zoro offered as he tossed each of the five kids a stick.
Back in the kitchen Sanji watched amused as Luffy carefully and painfully slowly stirred the sauce he had handed him. It was adorable how his captain stuck out his tongue to the side as he concentrated and it was amusing to see how even though Luffy was being extra careful stirring he still ended up covered in flour. Sanji hadn't even given the boy anything with flour in it!
Franky had the job of rolling a dough into little circles and putting them on a plate for Sanji to cook. Sanji had decided to make breadsticks and a sauce for the kids. Something fun and exciting. He never really had to cook for kids before so he was enjoying it.
"Is this good?" Luffy asked shyly. When Sanji nodded Luffy perked up and grinned. He looked so proud of himself that Sanji couldn't help but smile back. He took the bowl and poured the sauce into a pan to warm up.
He took Frankies rolls and placed them in the oven. "You guys can go wash up while I finish up here. Okay?"
"Okay mommy," The two boys said obediently.
Sanji didn't know why but his heart felt funny whenever they called him that. He quickly finished and brought the food to the table. He quickly put food on each plate before putting them in front of their correct seat and called everyone in to eat. He waited until the kids were all fed before clearing the table. Zoro was put with the duty of putting the kids to sleep.
He looked up as the kitchen door opened and an exhausted looking Zoro walked in. Sanji put a plate in front of Zoro before sitting across from the marimo with his own plate.
Zoro raised an eyebrow, "This isn't what the kids ate."
"Did you want what the kids had? I would have thought you wanted grown up food."
Zoro huffed and crossed his arms. "It's not that."
Sanji watched carefully as Zoro took a bite of chicken and chewed it.
"So?"
Zoro looked up confused, "So what?"
Sanji scowled, "How is it?"
"...Good."
Sanji's heart fluttered a bit at that. Not that he would ever admit it of course.
Zoro helped Sanji wash the dishes.
"You look tired. You know we really don't need you to stand guard tonight." Sanji said quietly.
Zoro just shook his head. "We do though. I can't let someone hurt you or the kids because I fell asleep. And if you think I look bad you look worse."
Sanji glared at him. "Asshole."
"Bastard."
Sanji sighed and pulled out a cigarette. He lit it up and took a deep, well deserved drag.
"We should leave this island tomorrow." Zoro said quietly.
Sanji huffed, "How. We have no crew. Our navigator is eight and our captain is seven. Even though we're strong there is no way, in these parts of the ocean, that we can defend ourselves, our ship and our crew. We would be sitting ducks."
"So you just want to wait out the three months?"
Sanji sighed. "I don't think we have much of a choice in the matter." He confessed.
Zoro thought over it for a second. He sighed and grabbed a beer from the fridge. Once he felt a familiar buzz he nodded. "Okay. We'll hide the ship tomorrow and get a house."
"Why do we need a house?" Sanji asked.
"We can't live on the boat! You saw the kids. They're bored and cramped in here."
Sanji took another drag before tossing and stomping on his cigar. He licked his lips and nodded. "Can we just deal with all of this in the morning. Please?"
"Sanji?"
Zoro and Sanji spun and blinked at Usopp as the boy enter the kitchen.
Sanji kneeled by the boy and lifted him into his arms, "What's wrong? Can't sleep."
Usopp shook his head, "I feel sick," he mumbled. As if to prove his point the boy puked all over Sanji's shirt and started crying.
Zoro would have laughed at Sanji if circumstances were different but he just sighed. He took Usopp from Sanji and rubbed the boy's back to sooth him a bit. Zoro didn't want to be upchucked on as well.
Sanji peeled his shirt off and tossed it on the ground. He would burn it later. He knew the stains would never get out.
Zoro couldn't but eye Sanji's tone but thin chest. Sanji didn't notice as he took Usopp back into his arms and carried him to the bath so he could wash the boy. Zoro followed and helped Sanji bathe and dress the boy in fresh clothes.
They went back out and sat on the grass. Sanji sat next to Zoro and Usopp laid on their laps. He had his head on Sanji's thigh and his legs over Zoro's. Zoro had placed a blanket around the boy and Sanji was carefully stroking his head.
"That's two of them today who threw up."
Sanji frowned and nodded. "This cold ship probably isn't good for them."
The two men sat in silence. Zoro closed his eyes to meditate. He took a deep breath and rested his eyes a bit. He was jarred into reality as a head fell on his shoulder. He looked up to see Sanji had fallen asleep on him. Zoro frowned, that probably would be bad for his neck.
He shifted so Sanji's head on his lap. Usopp was cuddled in Sanji's arms and a blanket was spread out on top of them. Zoro smiled a bit before closing his eyes so he could meditate again.
xXxXx
Thank you guys for so many positive reviews :)
I've decided I will continue this story as long as you guys still want me too.
Lilac ;)
