Chapter 20 Memories of the Meetings

Sanji stared at the ceiling of his room. He had come home and completely ignored everyone in the restaurant. Patty and Carne had bugged him about being late but Zeff instantly shut them up when he saw the look on Sanji's face. After that Sanji had completely ignored them and locked himself in his room.

He took a final drag of his cigarette that ended it and reached for another. He realized that the pack was empty and that he was out. Usually Sanji would have instantly gone out and gotten another but didn't. It reminded him of the first day he ever met Luffy. Because he became friends with Luffy the same day he started smoking.

*Flashback*

Sanji sat on the ground under the large tree of the grade school he attended. None of the other kids came close to him. He was in third grade and was one of the strongest students in the school. Girls thought he was cute but always ran away from him because he was flirt.

Sanji's eye fixated to a rather nice looking car that drove up to the front of the school. They still had a while before school started so most of the students were out in the courtyard playing games and such. Sanji had been reading through a cooking book his father had wanted him to read.

The front door opened and a small kid with scruffy black hair hopped out of the vehicle. Large brown eyes stared at the group of kids in front of them. A man with bright red hair came from behind the small kid who was probably entering first grade. The school year had started about a month or so ago so new students weren't all that unusual.

The kid gripped onto the pants of the red haired man. The man looked down at the kid and smiled before patting the kid on the head and walking towards the front of the school. The small kid looked at Sanji revealing the scar that was underneath the kid's left eye.

Sanji smiled and the kid instantly turned away. Sanji smiled again and watched the back of the kid who was disappearing. What a cute little girl and she was shy too. Sanji stood up and decided to follow the two of them and find out which class the girl was going to be in.

Sanji followed them to the principal's office. The door was closed and the kid stopped right outside it putting his ear next to it and listening closely. The conversation could be heard clearly to the blonde haired boy.

"So your son, Luffy Beckman will be in class A16." The voice belonged to the principal. Wait, son? Sanji backed up and hid behind the receptionist's desk as the door opened and the man and kid came out.

The one called Luffy looked over at Sanji and turned to follow his father. Sanji furrowed his swirly eyebrow and bolted forward to the classroom number he had heard. There was no way he could be wrong. He was never wrong when it came to girl detection.

The two of them made it to the door and opened it. When they were in the room they closed the door and once again Sanji eavesdropped on the conversation. The sound of the man came through the door.

"Luffy is scared of others easily and has a fear of fire." The man said. The next voice was softer and defiantly the kid's.

"Magma." It said in a small whisper that Sanji barely heard.

"Oh yeah, you love fire but not magma." The man said in an apologetic tone.

"You said something about if he is scared." The voice belonged to a woman meaning it was the teacher speaking.

"If he's scared, Luffy will usually climb into a high place or under something that he thinks is secure and won't come out until nobodies around." The man said. Sounds of footsteps that were small and light came from the other side of the door. "Luffy don't look for places to hide." The sound was almost a laugh.

The conversation droned on and the door began to open. Sanji panicked knowing he was going to be caught. He quickly opened his book and got ready for the door to hit him. When it did the man who had been with the kid instantly turned around and looked at the boy.

"Ah, I'm sorry, you okay?" the red haired man knelt down and helped lift the boy up with little effort. Sanji looked up at him and noticed three rigged scars going across his left eye. The little kid came from behind him and stared at the blonde as well.

Sanji waved at the boy. Luffy moved back but the red haired man pushed Luffy forward. The kid looked at him sheepishly before smiling slightly. "My name's Luffy." The kid said quietly. The red haired man smiled at the kid's cooperation.

"Sanji." the blond said.

After that the two of them saw each other at lunch. Even though they were all in different grade levels, everyone ate lunch and had recess together. Sanji found the boy by himself. Even if his father had called him a boy, Sanji refused to think that Luffy was one.

Sanji usually sat by himself as well but where he found the kid was not expected. "Oi Luffy why are you up in a tree?" the blonde called up the large apple tree that was in the courtyard where they were allowed to eat. The boy flinched at the sound but looked down to see Sanji.

"I like being in trees." The boy said looking down. He had begun to talk louder with the kid.

"But isn't it dangerous?" Sanji asked. His lunch was in the bag he carried and it seemed that Luffy's was in the tree.

"Not really." Luffy had flipped upside down and was right in Sanji's face. Sanji jumped back.

"Fine but move over so I can come up." Sanji said as Luffy sat back up and Sanji began to climb the large tree. It had been hard when he first tried but after a while he had gotten better at it and was finally able to get up by himself.

Sanji put his lunch down and the large mass of food Luffy had. The kid could eat more than the adults and still be hungry. Sanji pulled out a white box from his lunch and lit the end of his cigarette. Sure he was only ten but he had gotten started on the things. Luffy never cared much. He always said that the people in his house would drink and smoke all the time.

"Have the teachers ever caught you?" Luffy asked the blond. Sanji shook his head.

"My dad was angry when I started but I told him this makes me look like an adult." Sanji said exhaling the smoke. "Anyway, have you seen that orange haired girl in the grade below mine?"

Luffy shook his head. He saw a lot of girls in the school. "Her name is Nami-swan and she is absolutely gorgeous." Sanji said with a heart in his eye.

"You really like girls." Luffy said taking another bite of his food. Well actually Sanji's. His had run out and he was still hungry.

"Of course. I'm a man and I love the ladies." Sanji said as if it was a matter of fact.

"Sanji, Luffy how many times do I have to tell you not to climb the trees?"

The two looked down at the teacher who was looking at them not pleased. The man was frowning and staring at the two kids. "I don't know but it's kinda annoying." Sanji said quickly hiding his cigarettes.

"Get your stuff and I'll help you down." The man said putting his arms up for the kids to jump down into them. Luffy's food had already been gathered into his bag but he flinched at the offer that was made to him.

"We can get down on our own." Sanji said noticing this and getting his own stuff ready to get down. Before the teacher could get to them, Sanji and Luffy had jumped down the other side and were running towards the school while laughing.

*End*

Sanji sighed and sat up as his phone buzzed telling him he had a message. Sanji opened the phone and saw that it was from Zoro. The text sounded like an order but Sanji got up and followed suit. Even if Luffy had told them to disband, that didn't mean they weren't still friends.

Nami stared out her window. She had gotten the message from Zoro and agreed with what he said. This would have to happen. She stood up and stared at her sister who was sleeping on her bed. Nami inwardly sighed and looked back out at the night sky. Luffy saved her; it was time to save Luffy.

*Another one*

Nami stared at the pile of broken building in front of her. She was a scared twelve year old who was looking at beat up eleven year old boy. Somehow he had beaten them. He had beaten a group of mermen that had been tormenting her family and killed her mother. Two others were with the boy.

They had helped beat the pirates. Luffy stood on top of the building. He was smiling down at her even though he was covered in wounds. A smile grew on Nami's face as she saw what the boys had done for her. She had tricked them and stole from them, yet these three saved her. She could never forget that she owed them.

*End*

Nami opened the door to her house and left, running down the driveway towards the road where a vehicle waited for her. She got into the vehicle and it drove away. Nami glanced back at the warm safe home she had always been in and sighed once again.

This time she might not be coming back from it. But this time she would gladly throw away her life. This time, she was going to give it her all and not stop until they succeeded.

Sanji stared down at her and Nami smiled. "We're going to have to find him and tell him first. We will decide what to do after that." The girl said quickly. "IT's all up to him on whether or not we go after her."

Okay, sorry that this one was really short and that it had two flashbacks in it. I'm trying to get to all the crew and what is going through their heads right now so expect a lot of flashbacks for the following chapters. I know this one was pretty boring and all but i'm trying my hardest to make them sound right. Sanji started to smoke when he was really little so I added that into it as well.