2 months and 3 weeks later…

The devil knew what he was doing when he gave Sanji only three months to find a partner. At first the cook thought it was more than enough time to find Nami. He suspected that she was in her old village in East Blue, but traveling from All Blue to Cocoyashi would take nearly the full amount of time allotted.

At least the travel allowed him time to practice his new powers. The most difficult to master was his feeding technique. Even with a week between meals, Sanji found himself pushing his limit to find "souls of the living" at sea. His first attempt to feed ended up being a complete mess. The poor unfortunate bastard he fed off of, some loser from a pirate crew called The Barto Club, ended up with a broken neck. It wasn't a memory the cook wanted to keep. Quite a few weeks had passed since then, though, and he hadn't had any mishaps since that first time.

It had been years since Sanji had last seen Cocoyashi. Not much had changed, aside from the general happiness of the townspeople and the rebuilt houses and shops. It was daylight and while the blond could wander around in sunlight, he knew his horns would attract unwanted attention. He had tried to cover them up before with various hats, but none ever fit him right due to the position of the appendages. So he stuck to the shadows instead, trying to stay inconspicuous.

It was 1pm, four hours after the blond arrived in the village. He decided to stay under an overhang of one of the buildings in the corner of the town square. It seemed that all of the villagers were passing through at one point or another. If Nami-san was in fact there now, she would most likely pass through as well. Sanji lit a cigarette to calm his nerves. He was anxious to see her, but even more so to let her know the danger she was in. Would she even be willing to listen to a dead man?

While thinking about his question, a woman with ginger hair passed by him and continued to walk through the square. It was over a year since he last saw her, but he knew her measurements by heart, and he had no trouble seeing them under the loose fit of her sky blue sundress. … Loose fit? The dress showed off her long legs, but the way in hung on her body, it almost seemed like she was trying to hide her curves. That was different from her usual style. Then Sanji noticed what the former navigator was carrying in her arms. A shopping bag of groceries and… a baby with black hair?!

The cigarette nearly fell from the cook's lips. Nami-san… Nami-san had a baby? Whose baby? Who was the father?! Was he her husband?! The leather glove covering his right hand scrunched as he clenched his fist. What was he expecting? No one would expect her to wait around for a dead crewmate. Even if she was married and had a family now, he still needed to warn her. It had to be done.

Following her home, Sanji was surprised that she still lived in the same house she previously shared with Nojiko Onee-sama. Nami was in the kitchen washing dishes. The groceries were put away. The baby was laid down for a nap. And a demon snuck into the room without a sound. The former navigator dried a glass with a towel. Turning to put it away in the cupboard, she was startled by the man in front of her. She gasped, dropping the glass, and was on the verge of screaming. Too fast for her eyes to see, Sanji caught the glass in his left hand. Then he wrapped his left arm around her waist to hold her close as his right hand gently covered her mouth. Her brown eyes stared at him in terror. It nearly broke his heart. "Shhh, shhh," he tried to comfort her, but the dark tone in his voice almost sounded malicious. Desperate, he whispered, "I could never hurt you, Nami-san." I just want to murder you and turn you into a demon so that I can keep you forever, he thought. She blinked and he felt her breathing slow in his arms. Her right hand that was balled into a fist against his chest relaxed. She spread her open palm where his now still heart was. No heartbeat. Curiosity and disbelief replaced the fear in her eyes. Her left hand covered his right and he allowed her to peel it away from her mouth. He wished he could feel her breath against his fingertips.

"Sanji-kun…?" she questioned. He nearly cried at the sound of her voice. She reached up and touched his cheek. He was real. "What happened to you?"

…

The two crewmates sat at the kitchen table having tea. Well, Nami had tea. Sanji only held onto a cup because he enjoyed the warmth. Taking a sip, the navigator was still in disbelief even after hearing the barebones of what happened to Sanji. "So…" she awkwardly attempted to break the silence. "This Death guy… What's he like?"

"He's rough, but he's alright," Sanji replied. He wasn't ready to give her all of the details yet. With some apprehension, he switched topics. "So… the baby," he paused. "Whose is it?"

Nami smiled to herself. "Luffy's…"

Sanji felt like he had been punched in the gut. "Uh-Umm…" he interrupted her before she could finish. "S-So, you and uh… Luffy, huh…" Nami shook her head and giggled. "I.. I guess I should've known," Sanji continued. "I mean… Ever since he gave you his hat in Arlong Park, there's been all of these hints and everything…" Nami started outright laughing.

"Sanji-kun, stop!" she was crying from laughing so hard. "I have to catch my breath!" He had a confused expression on his face. "'Luffy' is the baby's name," she clarified. "Nojiko named him after our captain because he helped save this town from Arlong." Amused, she reached out for his gloved hand. "Do you honestly think that me and Luffy would've…" she couldn't even finish her sentence without giggling.

The cook blinked. If he still had the ability to blush, his face would be completely red with embarrassment. "So you and Luffy didn't…"

"No! God, no!" Nami laughed again. "I love him just as much as you do, but me marry Luffy? I would have either ended up crazy or killing him… or both!"

Somewhat relieved, Sanji smiled. He loved hearing her laugh again. It had been so long since he heard it. Looking down in thought, he quietly asked, "Well, then… Is there anyone that you…?" He couldn't say it. He was too afraid she would say "yes."

"No," she replied with a sad smile. "I couldn't move on…" She looked away to hide her tears. Taking a breath, she continued, "After you died, Pudding traveled with us to the Reverie. Part of the crew wanted her to replace you." She squeezed his hand. "I didn't want her to… because I could never forgive her for killing you."

"So… What happened?" He noticed she was starting to tremble.

Biting her lip, she answered, "Thankfully Luffy agreed with me. So we parted ways with her there."

"And you found another cook after that?" he asked.

"No…" she shook her head. "We took turns cooking after that." Unable to hold her tears, she started to cry. "We still had your cooking through your notes and recipes, but it wasn't the same without you, Sanji-kun." The cook quickly got up and pulled Nami to her feet. Holding her, he felt her tears soak into his coat. Her voice was muffled against his chest. "I don't understand why you came back, or why you're here," she sobbed. "Just please don't leave again. It hurt too much the first time."

Frowning, Sanji brought his left hand to the back of her neck, using just enough of his magic to calm her. He immediately felt her body relax. "Nami-san," he said quietly, "I have something to tell you… but I don't know how to say it."

A/N: Thank you for reading so far! ^^ Music for this chapter is Gotten - Slash feat. Adam Levine