Bonjour Friends!
AN/: Another long one! So happy how this chapter came out but admittedly, I had to cut it even shorter because it was getting way too long. This is all Sanji centric but there's different things going on so let me know what you think. P.S. the chapter updates on Sanji and One Piece have been great and it's great material to incorporate for this story—speaking of which, I started this story way before learning about the Vinsmokes' hair color dynamic and I've debated for the longest time if I should keep them all blond or keep their hair color canon. I've finally decided to go canon but you can let me know too if you like that idea or no? Alright then, enjoy the chapter and have a good mother's day!
If you do like this fan-fic (or not—but still), then please check out my other fics on my page such as Always a Sin and Not the Same as Them which are Naruto fan-fics. Once again, if you like this story, let me know, send a review my way and follow it up. Thanks so much!
Eggs and Bacon,
CrimsonNi
~*Page Break*~
Chapter Six:
Sanji started with her appearance. It wasn't the first time Luffy heard Sanji speaking about women with reverence, shouting about how they were descendants of angels and other deities and how they needed to be treated like royalty—blah blah blah. But this time, Sanji's voice sounded soft, smooth like butter and he spoke with a weight Luffy had never heard before. He should have known that when Sanji loved something or someone, he truly loved them with an intensity stronger than any haki. He mentioned her sense of humor, how naturally animated she was with everything she did even when sick. He mentioned her kindness, how she ate some disgusting plate of food that had been thrown about and soaked in the rain but ate the entire thing with a large smile and a shout of how good it was. Luffy was sure it was delicious but Sanji insisted that it was pretty terrible. Finally, he trailed off with a mention of her courage, how she withstood her illness for as long as she could, encouraging Sanji every chance she had no matter how it costed her energy and strength.
"She sounds amazing," Luffy said breathlessly, amazed from the story. Honestly, he was hoping to hear more, especially if Sanji was going to continue speaking in that tone.
With a little wistful smile, Sanji nodded. "Told you."
"…Can I ask how—"
"She passed? She was…sick from a drug she took." Sanji sighed, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with the truth of his words. "I didn't know it at the time but it was…for us—my brothers and me—but it took a toll on her health."
"I'm sorry."
"It's alright, actually thank you. You know, for everything."
"What?" Luffy asked, puzzled.
"I didn't get a chance to say so before but I guess now is as good as time as any; for everything with Big Mom and the wedding, for kicking my ass when I needed it…and for right now. I've never said so much about something so personal but I don't regret it and I want to thank you.
"Stupid, of course I'd help you, we're naka—"
"But that word doesn't mean anything unless someone like you comes along to prove it. Before becoming a Strawhat, I lived for 19 years only trusting two people—my mother and the Old Geezer. Now in just 3 years, I've come to trust friends across the sea, 5 supposedly "regular" humans, a cyborg, a reindeer, and a skeleton with my life."
"Sanji," he began, clasping Sanji's hand in his with a gentleness that was greatly appreciated. "You don't have to thank us for anything, especially for loving you. I hope you know that now, that you can't quit or leave us because I'll kick whoever's ass to get you back."
Especially for loving you. Those words rang in his ears and like the greedy pig he was, he was hungry to hear them again. Love. In poems and music, he thought it to be a simple feeling, something that could come and go in passing like lust, anger, sadness, but no, sitting here with Luffy looking into his soul made him realize that love was by no means simple. It was overwhelming, intoxicating, terrifying—and that was just in reference to friendship! That's when Sanji suddenly sobered up a little bit; right, not everyone can love you in that manner. There was proof of it too, just look at his "friendship" with Zoro. Despite living on an intimate ship, Sanji trying to be nice, giving a little more alcohol from time to time, letting some touches linger here or there, the first thing Zoro does is fuck the nearest swordsman. Granted, Sanji was still Sanji so that didn't mean the disputes and harsh insults were suddenly gone, but still, he figured that was just part of their dynamic, dammit! No, love was not simple, in fact, it fucking sucked. It made sane people feel mad and depressed.
"Hey, do you have to poop?"
Sanji sputtered and blushed with an unknown embarrassment. "What the hell, Luffy?! No!"
"Well you squished your face and you looked really mad for some reason! What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he replied immediately, desperately not wanting Luffy to know what he had been thinking.
"Hmm, are you sure?"
"Luffy, I'll kick your ass far off this bed if you keep thinking that nasty shit!"
"Fine, alright already, let's get some sleep anyway. Chopper and Torao are gonna be mad if they see you so tired."
"What? But what about Dadan? You said you tell me who she was."
"Shishishi, don't worry, Sanji, I will, but let's sleep first."
"But I'm not tired," he said with a childish pout that he was sure he should have felt embarrassed about.
Although, Luffy smiled instead, finding a disputing Sanji somewhat endearing as opposed to annoying. Sanji wasn't usually a complainer—he'd pretend to be annoyed or inconvenienced by things but he wasn't one to whine about unfairness—so seeing him throw a fit amused Luffy. Deciding to actually indulge Sanji, Luffy took a more comforting position by laying on his back so that he could stare at the ceiling; he could feel Sanji's eyes on him.
"Once upon a time—" he heard Sanji scoff but he continued on, paying no heed. "there was this kid who wanted to be the King of the Pirates! He wanted to go out to sea but his friend Red Hair said no 'cause he was too young. So the kid decided he was gonna wait until he was older before going out to sea. But then his grandpa—a marine—came back and was mad that the kid was friends with a pirate. So his great idea was to send the kid to live with the mountain bandits—"
A thump on his shoulder halted Luffy from continuing the story. Sure enough, Sanji was quietly breathing, sleeping like a rock. Good, maybe the heavy sleeping and warmth would give Sanji good dreams and despite having a nap earlier himself, Luffy felt beyond comfortable. Perhaps he was being too selfish in basking in the perks of a comfy bed and Sanji's physical company but I'm the captain! Selfishness was part of the details. Not thinking twice about it, he closed his eyes and fell away to dreamland.
~*Break*~
Somehow, he found himself in the aquarium room even though he was pretty sure he was still on the Germa ship, sleeping. But no, here he was in the company of his crewmates of all except Luffy and Zoro. Surprisingly, even Law was there, sitting in one of the seats reading a medical book. No one looked up to moved, just going about their business as if this was an everyday thing. Sanji wanted to ask why they were all in here, even himself, but he didn't want to alarm them or bring attention to the fact that he couldn't remember things again. Instead, he chose to stare at the aquarium, watching as the school of fish swam in circles back and forth, dancing to the music that they somehow could hear Brook playing. Their shadows jittered as well, cascading all over the floor and walls of the room and Sanji's face, emphasizing how dark and blue the room was. Again, why was everyone in here when clearly it was too dark to read or play games?
Suddenly, Sanji noticed something large swimming wildly in his peripheral. Taking a closer look, he came to the realization that it was none other than his idiotic captain!
"Luffy?! Wha—whatever, just hold on, you shitty captain!"
Sanji was surprised no one so much as blinked but too preoccupied with wanting to save their captain from drowning, he figured he'd ask questions later. However, right as he went to run towards the exit, he was halted by a commanding voice.
"SHIT COOK!"
Turning around, Sanji saw Zoro standing with his arms crossed and a furious expression. The second question Sanji wanted to ask was where the hell Zoro had come from because seriously, he wasn't there two seconds ago. "What the hell do you want, Marimo?! Don't you see Luffy drowning?"
Zoro didn't answer immediately, but instead, turned his frowning into a slight scowl and extended an open hand towards Sanji. "Come here."
"What the hell are you talking about? Have you lost your mind, grass head?"
"Come here," he said again, his hand still extended. Although this time, Sanji got a better look at him, noticing that Zoro was blocking the exit of the room. Sun cascaded down Zoro's form, coloring him in yellow and gold and a slight shimmering of white that bounced off of his clothes and tanned skin. He looked like what one would imagine a guardian angel to look like. And that realization made Sanji want to grab at the hand held out to him. Somehow, Sanji remembered nothing of his original goal but to now latch onto that lifeline as if his life did depend on it. Taking a step forward, he listened and reached out with his own hand—
"Sanji," another voice called.
He turned again, back towards the aquarium where he then remembered Luffy was previously drowning! Except, looking at him now, he could see that Luffy was merely hovering in the water with a serious expression of his own. His strawhat was tipped low but there was no mistaking the striking brown piercing through. But unlike his eyes, the rest of Luffy was covered in shades of blue, as if the aquarium was displaying Luffy like a painting of sorts.
"Luffy," Sanji muttered softly in return.
Luffy then extended his own hand, despite there being a glass wall between them. "Come here, Sanji."
The urge to grasp Zoro's hand dissipated instantly but the urge to grab onto Luffy's was completely different. Sanji felt starved for Luffy's hand and there was almost no hesitation to go and grab it.
"Cook, don't! Come here."
Sanji halted, almost whining from having to restrain himself from grabbing onto Luffy. He turned and saw the light around Zoro growing brighter. It was only a flicker, but still strong enough to call back to Sanji and have him develop distance between him and Luffy. As if annoyed by Sanji's delay, Zoro began stepping closer, bringing along his brightness and shine.
A loud crack caught both of their attention; once again, Sanji turned and saw Luffy punching the glass of the aquarium with his dominant hand. The school of fish hovering near by scattered in fear but as for the crew, they remained still, continuing on with their business as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Luffy took another swing, forcing the crack to increase all throughout.
"Luffy, stop, you're gonna hurt yourself."
His expression wasn't one of kindness, however, it wasn't directed at Sanji. Luffy looked over Sanji's shoulder, glaring a fury at Zoro that was never expected. "Sanji, come here."
"But—"
"I'll kick whosever ass to get you back. I'll kick his ass to get you back."
The glass finally gave in and water came rushing out that filled the entire room instantly.
~*Page Break*~
With a gasp, Sanji shot up from his bed and instantly felt cold sweat coating his skin. What the ever-loving fuck was that about?! That seriously had to have been the weirdest dream Sanji had ever had but that wasn't including the nightmares. Looking around, he instantly remembered that he was in his room but there was no sign of Luffy—his side was even cold. Not wanting to dwell on it, Sanji shot out of bed and swung the door open only to almost slam into Hiniku.
"Ah, Sanji-sama, how are you?"
"Uh, hey," he stammered, feeling off guard. "How long have I been sleeping?"
"It's almost evening."
Then no wonder Luffy wasn't in the bed, there was no way that guy would miss dinner and knowing him, he thought it'd be best to let Sanji get as much rest needed—and he was probably threatened by Chopper too.
Doing his best to gather himself together, Sanji tried recalling the last time he spoke to Hiniku and the memory didn't stir anything kind. "Right, we need to talk," he said with a frown.
A nervousness began crawling under Hiniku's skin upon seeing her lord's expression. She figured Sanji would want an explanation eventually, but that didn't mean she had to look forward to it. "Of cou—"
"You said you didn't want to inflict any harm on me or my crew."
"And that still hold very true, Sanji-sama."
"Then explain to me what it is you are hiding because in case you are unaware, I am someone who finds omission just as faulty as actually lying. Who are you torturing and hiding on that ship?"
"No one is being tortured, I don't even know why you would think us capable of that."
A sarcastic smirk managed to stretch Sanji's lips just a bit before he shook his head and another frown replaced it. "It isn't your fault for not knowing but just so you do know, on the Sunny, I live with Robin-chwan and for those that don't know her, I always say there's just 2 things to keep in mind: that she tends to say the most dreadful things at the most inopportune times, and that she can be very vague when she wants to. In other words, I'm a bit of an expert in knowing when someone is avoiding answering a direct question."
Again, Hiniku looked nervous, almost scared as her eyes widened. "It isn't what you're thinking."
"Who are you hiding on that ship." It was a question that sounded as like a demand.
Looking pitiful, Hiniku furrowed her brows and exhaled loudly, as if internally debating on whether what she'd say next would be her downfall. "I cannot say."
The blackened instinct that plagued Sanji's nightmare, the bloodlust ones, somehow made a conscience return. Now Hiniku was a female so there was no way Sanji would actually inflict harm, physical or otherwise, but he was surprised he even felt the want to. Taking a deep breath of his own, Sanji quelled the hidden demon trying its best to claw its way out. "What do you mean—"
"Yet, Sanji-sama, I cannot say anything yet."
"Why not?"
"I…I've been given orders not to say anything until their return."
Finally snapping, Sanji lost the control of his voice volume. "You've been bragging how loyal you are to me because I'm so much better than the rest of them but now you're following someone else's orders? Who the fuck?!"
"Please, Sanji-sama, calm down."
"Don't tell me to calm down! I am pissed off and instead of telling me what the situation is or answering any of my questions, I'm being looped around in circles. I'll admit, I have a shitty-ass memory of my recent events but that's no right to fuck with me!"
"I'm not try—"
"WHO is on that ship?!"
Finally gathering her wits, Hiniku straightened her back and thrusted her chin in the air. She still looked dreadfully nervous of Sanji, especially with the aura he was currently emitting, but she had no choice.
"I was instructed not to say and no matter how much you continue to yell, I will not change my mind. As for who gave me the orders, it was given by your sister, Reiju-sama."
"R-Reiju?!"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Wha—Then where's Reiju?!"
"That I am actually uncertain of. All she said was that the main ship had to be guarded and she was going to do something that might take a while before returning."
Somehow, the new information managed to calm Sanji down. The murderous energy ebbed away, leaving only some fatigue and confusion in its wake. Still, Sanji wanted more answers.
"And my brothers? What of them?"
"That as well I do not know. After you were found, Luffy-san and Chopper-san grabbed you while Reiju-sama grabbed Ichiji-sama. I have heard nothing of his status or of Niji-sama and Yonji-sama."
"That implies he's alive."
"I think he might be but then again, his condition looked a lot worse than yours."
I doubt it. "Okay, so no known whereabouts of my siblings and the main ship is holding some suspicious-ass secrets. Sounds about fair."
"If I may ask, what made you leave to go on the main ship?"
Sanji's expression took on a more somber note. Right, he had a reason for wanting to take a look at the ship all because…of those damn nightmares. They meant something, said something in between the lines that caught Sanji's interest. He needed to take a look at the ship to figure out the missing puzzle piece that had been missing his entire life. What he wanted was to get the chance to do some proper investigation before being distracted in the manner that he was when he first hopped on the ship. According to Reiju's orders, the ship needed to be guarded, clearly to avoid the chance of Sanji learning who was hiding on the ship but that should not include anywhere else—like the labs.
"I want to take a look at the labs."
Hiniku looked curious and surprised. Not that she knew what to expect but it certainly wasn't anywhere near the laboratories. "Why do you want to go in there?"
"I remembered something that Niji and Yonji said when I first got here. I put it on the back burner since we were all too busy worrying about other things but now I want to figure it out."
"Figure what out? What did you remember?"
There wasn't a perfect way to describe the look that crossed Sanji's eyes. Surely determined but also uncertain, confused, as if Sanji couldn't answer the question all that well. That was why when he didn't reply, Hiniku respected that perhaps the lack of answer was the point; whatever he was looking for, he'd figure it out once he actually got the chance to look.
"Okay, well before you—we—head off to the main ship, I think it wise to freshen up and get some food into your system."
"No, it's alr—"
"Sanji-sama, humor me, hm? Not to mention that your captain gave me quite the scolding after he woke up; he is not pleased with how much you've been injuring yourself upon your awakening. If we head over there now in the condition you're in and you so much as get a nick, he's going to have my head."
"I'll tell Luffy to cool it."
"Thank you but he is right and honestly, it's worrisome how much blood you've lost in the span of a day. All I ask is for you to wash up, get in a good meal, and then we can go to the labs to look for whatever it is you need to find."
Sanji pouted but relented and realized that Hiniku was speaking from a good place. Not liking the fact that he gave in so quickly, Sanji huffed and headed towards the exit to find the nearest shower. "Fine, I'll be quick. But uh, is it possible for you to bring a meal here instead?"
Suspicion made an instant appearance. "…Okay?"
"I just don't want the crew to know I'm awake yet. Chopper and maybe Law will start pestering, the women will tell me to sleep some more, and Luffy will probably agree to all of that."
"I already told you that your captain is on high alert. What if he finds out that I knew you were awake and didn't say anything?"
"Let me worry about that, I just want to quietly take a look at the labs and then I'll come straight back."
"Sanji-sama," Hiniku pleaded, really not wanting to go through with any of this.
"Hiniku, I'm gonna go anyway even if you say no. Plus, do you really want anyone else involved? What if they want to tag along and board the ship and end up coming across the basement where you're hiding Mr. Whoknows?"
She gasped. "Are you blackmailing me, Sanji-sama?!"
"No, I'm just trying to get you to realize that there's a lot more risk trying to follow all of the rules when we can simply get it over and done with quicker if less people know about it."
A painful groan came out loud and desperate but unfortunately, Sanji was still adamant about his plan. She really didn't want to piss off the Strawhat captain. Weighing her options, Hiniku groaned again and nodded, doing her best to convince herself that this was the best course of action. They'd be quick. Go in, take a look, get out. No one would have to know…crap. "Sanji-sama, you better plead for me when Luffy-san decides to kill me."
Somehow, Sanji had the nerve to chuckle. "Alright, let me go wash up and then we'll go."
Before she could respond, Sanji left and she had to quickly leave herself to go and find a suitable meal. At least Luffy-san couldn't say that she neglected in caring for Sanji-sama's basic needs. It would be a grave mistake to go on the Sunny and sneak a meal from there since no doubt everyone would instantly find out about Sanji-sama's plan, so instead, she had to wait for one of the alternative cooks that had been helping out on the Sunny to come out. It was a female cook, a tall brunette with doe eyes—well A doe eye; her right eye was covered by an eye patch and she had a couple band aids on other areas of her face too. She looked like she had better days so it was a wonder why she was cooking in the first place when she could have been resting but now wasn't the time for Hiniku to wonder. As silently as she could, she crouched in nearby blindspot and waited for the young cook to get close enough, like a spider to a fly. Before the poor thing could even squeal, Hiniku had her wrapped in a paper cocoon and carried her away as far as she could from potential prying ears.
"Don't scream, I'm Hiniku. I'm not trying to do anything funny, I swear, please don't scream."
The more she pleaded, the more the young cook calmed her breathing although fear was still very much etched onto her face. Still, the girl nodded and Hiniku slowly began removing the paper that had been covering her mouth.
"I know who you are," she said shakily with unshed tears starting to brim in the corner of her eyes. "You're a soldier. Part of the Unmodified."
"Yes."
"What do you want?"
"Without any of the Strawhats knowing, I want you to cook a meal." The girl was surprised. "Sanji-sama has woken up but long story short, he wants to look for something before the rest of his crew finds out. However, he hasn't eaten practically all day so I need someone to make a meal for him."
"Sanji-sama is awake?!" The girl went from frightened to confused to now genuinely excited. "You could have spared me the heart attack and simply told me that!"
"I—what? Look doesn't matter, can you make the meal or not?"
"Of course, I'll whip up something quick."
And with the speed of light, the young girl raced off into the kitchen of the Germa ship. Whereas Sanji was done showering in ten minutes, the girl was done in 20. She held a tray with a bowl of what appeared to be soup. That's all? When Sanji saw who it was that had made the meal, he smiled wide.
"Is that Cosette?"
The girl in turn blushed so hard that it reached down to her knees, which were also wobbling in place. She nodded quickly and thrusted the tray towards Sanji. "Sanji-sama, I'm so glad to see you again—doing well, I mean!"
"Yes, likewise and I'm glad to see you doing better as well."
"It's all in thanks to you and your crewmates, Your Highness. Your doctor did an amazing job in helping me; he even provided me this eye patch."
Cosette leaned her face closer so Sanji could get a better look at the eye patch, but instead of feeling impressed, Sanji felt a horrible sense of guilt.
"Cosette-chan, I am so sorry, will your eye be okay?"
It was her turn to smile sadly. "It's still too early to tell. I was told that there was a chance I'd lose my sight but I'd have to give it more time to tell."
"I'm sorry," he said again.
"Don't be, Your Highness! You don't have anything to apologize for, you actually saved my life, in more ways than you can say. I have so much to thank you for, even for complimenting my food when no one had ever before."
"But I still couldn't—because I interfered—"
"This unfortunately would have happened in some other way even if you didn't intervene. Please don't feel sad on my behalf, Your Highness, this won't hold me back from cooking. I'd still cook even if both eyes were missing."
Sanji felt the passion in her words. At least in respect to cooking, Sanji and her were the same. He smiled at her, feeling inspired and more motivated than ever to get back into the kitchen. Until then, Sanji had to rely on others in handling the meals, including his own; he gestured towards the bowl, instantly noticing that there were a variety of proteins in it. The broth shimmered and different vegetables (mostly carrots) were buoyed at the top. There was no hesitation in taking a hearty bite. Sanji moaned and felt envious that he couldn't have been in the kitchen to witness how she made such perfection.
"Is it good, Your Highness?"
"Sanji," he corrected. "And it's amazing. Thank you so much, Cosette-chan."
Because he was so tuned into his meal, only Hiniku could witness the dazed but admiring look on Cosette's face. Oh boy, without trying, Sanji was winning over the opposite sex as easily as he could cook. The trio remained silent, except for Sanji's eating, but it wasn't a long lasting situation because of how fast Sanji devoured his meal. It was almost as if he licked the bowl clean. Cosette blushed again when Sanji thanked her for providing such a fantastic dish and thanked him in turn for the compliments. When all was said and done, it was time to move.
"Cosette-chan, in case anyone asks, you didn't cook me anything. At this time, no one can know what I'm up to, otherwise they'd all throw a fit."
"Yes, Y—Sanji-sama, you're secret is safe with me. I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for."
"Thank you," he replied, feeling intensely warmed by her words. And just like that, Cosette ran off quietly leaving Sanji and Hiniku to their own devices. "Are you ready?"
"No, but I'll be following you anyway."
There was no reply—verbally—but a handsome smile and a wink before they both copied Cosette and ran off towards the direction of Roi, the main ship.
