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Chapter 8

The landscape Sanji had traveled through the latest thirty minutes was not very pleasing. Sanji let his gaze sweep over the ground he was swimming over.

'Lucky they didn't follow', Sanji thought. 'Or Usopp would have died of fright by now.'

The cliffs and underwater-rocks were all covered in black dust that had hardened by the water through the years. He could spot some underwater-volcanoes as well, and some were still acting.

When Sanji focused his gaze forward again he could see the cave that was their end station. A giant crocodile head was hewn out from the cave's stone. Sanji had never been there before, but it was obvious it was Crocodile's cave.

As they reached the entrance Sanji stopped, uncertain.

"This way", they crocodiles urged him on.

"Yeah, I figured", Sanji said dryly and swam in after them.

The tunnel they swam into really looked like some animals throat. The floor was covered in something that was swaying in the underwater current. Whatever it was, it gave Sanji the creeps. It was when he realized they had eyes and mouth that one of the polyps laced out and grabbed his fin. Sanji cursed and kicked himself loose easily. He sucked in a few deep breaths.

"Welcome in mr Prince."

Sanji turned his head to the voice. He had to turn around the corner to see the person talking to him.

When Sanji rounded said corner, he entered a cave. It wasn't so big in space, but the height on it was incredible.

"You mustn't lurk in doorways. That's just rude."

Sanji's attention turned to a huge man, sitting in front of him on a dark stone-throne. His boy was half of a man, just like Sanji himself, but the lower half was a crocodile's. Sanji shuddered when he saw the sharp claws on the feet and the big, swaying tail hanging over one of the armrests.

"Sorry, shitty croc", Sanji mutters.

"Crude language boy", Crocodile chuckled.

"It's mr Prince to you."

Crocodile rose an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

"It has come to my knowledge that I would be able to help you with a problem of yours", Crocodile began, motioning for his minions to lay down on each side of his throne. The bananawanis obliged obediently . "A certain human prince that struck your heart if I am correct."

Sanji huffed but didn't disagree and Crocodile smirked darkly. He went over to a coral-desk, picking out a roll of tobacco and started chew on the base.

"Well mr Prince, the solution to this problem is simple. The only way for you to get what you want, is to become a human yourself."

"You can do that?" Sanji said with a frown, but his interest was picked.

Crocodile's smirked turned into a grin. The merprince had taken the bait.

"But of course mr Prince, that's what I do."

"I thought what you do was scheming evil shitty plans to take over All blue, but failing every time."

"That was before", Crocodile said and waved the subject away. "Being sent to this depressing cave get you into other thoughts."

Sanji snorted.

"There are more than one of you merpeople who has turned to me to get helped", Crocodile continued. "And with my magic, I help them. Some mermaid wanted to be thinner and some merman wanted just that girl. A gave them what they wanted. Of course there sometimes merpeople who can't repay me when I've done my work, and they have to pay a different prize."

"What kind of 'different prize', ass " Sanji asked suspicious.

"Depends on the deal", Crocodile answered, sitting back on his throne. "But they usually end up like that."

Sanji followed the direction in which Crocodile's tail pointed. His gaze fell over the tunnel and the small polyps covering the floor.

"They... they're merpeople?" Sanji asked chocked.

Crocodile shrugged his shoulders. "They was, but that's what it ends like if you can't pay for your request."

Sanji understood the logic in the croc's reasoning, but he didn't like it at all.

"So here's the deal", Crocodile said and sneaked his tail around Sanji's waist dragging him along to the podium with the scallop shell. "I will make a potion that will turn you into human for one week, and one week only. On the seventh day, before sunset, you must've gotten the human-prince to fall in love with you. That is, he must tell you the exact word: 'I love you'. Nothing else count. No 'you too' or answer yes if it's asked as a question. And he must tell it to you personally. If he tells you this before the sunset on the seventh day, you'll remain human permanently. But if he doesn't, you'll turn back into a merman, and you'll belong to me."

"No way! As if I would ever let that happen!"


"It should be that cave", Smoker said quietly and looked over the hill he hid behind.

"N-no way!" Usopp hissed, tears flooding from his eyes when he too saw the cave. "I t-think I have the do-not-enter-the-crocodile-mouth-cave-disease."

The fishboy coughed up blood and lied down to die on the rock. Smoker just rolled his eyes and dragged the faking kid with him towards the cave's opening.

"W-We should go b-back", Usopp said in a pitching voice. "Sanji will be fine."

"Didn't you say he need us? Shut up now I hear Crocodile talking."

They had moved from their hiding place and was standing behind the tunnel wall, unseen for the people talking in the cave, and listened as Crocodile told Sanji the deal. Smoker couldn't believe it, of course Sanji would turn this down.

The last sentence got on Smoker's nerves and he refused to hid anymore.

"No way! As if I would ever let that happen!" Smoker shouted and shoot up from their hiding place.

Usopp shrieked as he was left alone and ducked behind Smoker, as the captain advanced into the cave.

"Sanji, if you do this deal, you will never be able to return to All Blue, or be able to meet your sister or father aga-!"

The two bananawanis shut Smoker up, one wrapping his body around the captains body and the other one wrapping his tail around his head and mouth. Crocodile turned his attention to the intruders, and that was too much for Usopp. The poor fishboy shrieked and fainted in fright, lying still so no one would care about him.

Sanji almost felt like chuckling, so typical Usopp; poor little fishboy. Sanji did however became uncertain at Smoker's worlds.

"Never be able to see my lovely sisters again?" he whispered.

"That is right", Crocodile answered with a shrug. "But you will have your man. Life's full of tough choices. Oh right, there's one more thing. We must discuss payment, you can't get anything for nothing."

"Don't you think that me going to belong to you if I fail is enough?" Sanji asked skeptical, crossing his arms over his chest.

"If you succeed I will get nothing right? I'm not that nice", Crocodile said. "What I want from you is your voice".

Crocodile said the last word slow, wording every syllable.

"My voice?" Sanji asked confused. "That means no talking." Or singing was left unheard. "Then how will I ever be able to talk to anyone, to Zoro."

"You have your looks, your pretty face. Don't underestimate the importance of body language."

Crocodile dropped his finger down in the shining liquid in the scallops shell. He swirled it around a few times before lifting it letting the liquid follow and form a mirror over the podium, letting Sanji see Zoro's face in it. Sanji rose his hand towards it. Zoro was smiling, the same lovely smile he had on the beach.

"Without a voice, I will be all alone. No one to understand or listen to", Sanji said mostly to himself.

Crocodile stroked his chin, and looked over to the royal captain who still struggled to get loose from the bananawanis.

"What if I let you take him with you?" Crocodile asked and motioned with his head towards Smoker. "I can make him human too, keeping you company or whatever you'll be needing him for. You will also be able to talk to him, through that special telepathy ability you merpeople got."

Sanji smirked. Yeah, talking to sea creatures were awesome.

"Of course", Crocodile interrupted his thoughts. "I cannot have him go around tell your prince charming about all this. It wouldn't be fair then, right? So if he's going with you, he cannot talk about your feelings or interfere. If he does, I win automatically. But I believe our solider knows how to keep his mouth shut."

Sanji looks over at Smoker. The tail around his mouth looses a little so he would be able to speak.

"Do as you wish Sanji", Smoker spoke slowly. "I trust you."

Sanji nodded. Usopp was listening with high-alert ears. Pretending to be unconscious was his specialty.

"What will happen to Smoker after this deal is over?" Sanji asked and turned to Crocodile, that had sat down behind the massive coral-desk.

"Let's give him a choice shall we? If you succeed and the human tells you he loves you, Smoker have 24 hours to choose if he wants to be a merman again. If he touch the sea within these 24 hours he will be a merman again, if not he will also be human permanently. If you fail you belong to me, and he," Crocodile got quiet and studied the captain that glared at him. "He has to return here and I'll decide then."

Sanji nodded to show he had understand and looked at Smoker again, getting a nod from him as well. Sanji turned to Crocodile with a serious face.

"I agree on this deal of yours."

"Excellent", Crocodile said, doing a twirl with his hand and a parchment popped up from nowhere. A pen made of a fishbone appeared and Crocodile laid it on the desk, in front of Sanji.

"Just sign and you and your friend will be humans in no time."

Sanji closed his eyes as he wrote down his name. He was not just risking his one life, but also Smoker's. Could he live with that?

'Well my name is written and there's no return' he thought when he laid the fishbone-pen down.

Crocodile snatched the parchment a little too fast for Sanji's taste. He laughed quietly as he made it disappear with another twirl of his hand, before he rose and made his way to the podium. From a cabinet behind it, he picked out half a dozen of stuff, tossing it inside the scallop shell. Smoke rose from the liquid and it turned red and blue and purple depending on what Crocodile threw in it.

" Beluga sevruga. Come winds of the Caspian Sea

Larengix glaucitis. Et max laryngitis. La voce to me"

Sanji rose his eyebrow to the slightly childish rigmarole or spell, didn't really go with Crocodile's image. A blue whirlwind rose from the shell and Sanji rose his arms to cover his face. The bananawanis quickly emerged from Smoker and Usopp hid behind another stone.

Crocodile rose his two arms, a pair of a gigantic hands raising from the potion in a sickly green mist.

"Now sing", Crocodile growled.

Sanji muttered some curses but started to take a tone, raising it and sinking it when the occasion arrived.

The green mist made its way toward the merprince and in his throat, a yellow orb started to glow inside the throat. The mist entered Sanji's mouth and removed the orb, taking it from Sanji and pulled it out. As soon as it left Sanji's lips, he got quiet, looking startled as the orb disappeared into a nautilus shell Crocodile wore around his neck. Two bubbles emerged from the liquid and trapped both Sanji and Smoker. Usopp shrieked but didn't fake-faint this time.

Lightning were sparkling around their fins, and soon the fins parted and became two human-legs instead. The bubbles broke with a bam and Sanji and Smoker were free.

But they were human now, and they couldn't breathe under water. Usopp quickly swam to their side to pull them up to the surface, through a hole in the roof of the cave. All while they swam, all three of them could hear Crocodile's icing laughter ringing through their ears.

Sanji felt as if his chest would explode, a painful feeling. When finally the water disappeared around his face, he took a deep breath with his mouth. Then he fainted.


This chapter was a little messy, but you guys are smart enough to keep up with the flow anyway. But just ask if there's something that was confusing or weird. And thanks for all the reviews darlings!