Sanji walks with Zoro and Megumi in the supermarket as they walk past the long lines of the other check out, even the self checkout has a long line. He watches with curiosity as Megumi and Zoro walk to a check out with no one there. Zoro puts down the basket at the end of the conveyor belt and helps Megumi get on top too. What are they doing? Megumi stands up and reaches for the light switch for the number to let others know that it's open. She flicks the light on and off three times before leaving it off. Megumi then sits down on the conveyor belt waiting. Sanji puts down the gallon of milk and the small carton of chocolate milk. Sanji feels uncomfortable being there with no worker at the cash register. He stands there waiting with Zoro and Megumi awkwardly not knowing what to do. Is this even aloud? He doesn't think so.
"Well if it isn't my favorite mom and worker." They all hear a voice coming towards them. They see a big woman, with dark skin coming towards them. Her hair up, her lips deep red with a smile. The worker vest doesn't seem to fit her. "Glad to see you both." She says as she turns the computer on and starts scanning all the items.
"Hi, Tisha. Are you working on Monday too?" Megumi asks.
"Of course my little mermaid, you'll be there." She says with a smile. "What about you big mama." She looks at Zoro. "What will you be doing?"
"Sleeping, probably." Zoro says as he takes his wallet out. "Who's working?" Zoro asks.
"Lulu, Josh, the twins, Henry, Lola, and some new guys. It was a battle on who was going to be working Monday."
"Why, no one was willing to work?" Zoro asks.
"No, everyone wanted to work that day, after hearing my mermaid princess will be here. It almost turned into the hunger games. We ended up drawing straws." She starts typing things in when she gets to the vegetables, that's when Sanji sees in the basket a bottle of birth control pills and the morning after with some condoms too. Something inside him twists. "Well mama bear don't forget to pack her lunch and don't hold off on the snack. You know we love it, the other reason why everyone went so crazy, the poor new guys had no idea what was going on. And when they won, as the others put it, the others were so mad." Zoro chuckles at that. She looks over at Megumi who is organizing the the gum and sees Sanji behind them. "Sorry sugar, but the line is closed after them." She says.
"He's with us." Zoro says.
"He's Mr. chef. He cooks for other people." Megumi says looking at Tisha. She get closer to Zoro.
"Is he the one?" She asks kind of whispering but Sanji had a feeling she was doing it on purpose.
"Yup."
"Well took you long enough playboy." She says with a hint of venom in her voice. Sanji is guessing she knows.
"You know it's not his fault." Zoro says.
"I know but still, took him long enough." She puts all the object and food in a reusable back that Zoro seems to have brought. Again she starts typing some things on the computer and Sanji sees the price go down. "Alright go ahead." She says and Zoro takes out his card and puts it in the machine, puts his pin number then takes the card out. He helps Megumi get down then grabs the bags. The conveyor belt moves sliding the milks over.
"Wait for me." Sanji says, "I'll give you a ride." Sanji explains further after seeing the look Tisha gave him. She quickly scan the milk and puts it on top of the triangle, where the plastic bags are.
"Go ahead." She says, the tone in her voice changed from perky to monotone. Sanji pays, full price. He takes the milk and goes to Zoro and Megumi who seem to be talking to each other. "Bye mama, bye princess." She waves bye as they also wave back before she walks away.
Sanji leads them to the car and helps Zoro as he puts the bags away he gets Megumi seated. The car ride is mostly silent except for Megumi humming some song. Zoro hums along with her here and there. When they get there, Sanji parks before they all get out. Sanji and Megumi help Zoro with the groceries, not that there was a lot. They all ended up holding one bag each. Zoro opens the door letting everyone in before he goes in himself. They all take their shoes off and go into the kitchen. Megumi struggles to put the bag on top of the counter but when she does she says, "I'm going to read." She then runs off into her room.
"I'll call you when dinner is ready!" Zoro shouts after her. He starts taking things out of the bags, he glances at Sanji before looking back at all the things he's set on the counter, "so what do you want to talk about this time?" Zoro ask folding the reusable bag and putting them in a cupboard below the sink where he saves the others.
"First, I would like to say sorry for running out. I was shocked and remembered hearing you and Zeff talking about her dad and had to talk to him." Sanji explains.
"What did the old man say?"
"That he knew and didn't tell me because you told him not to." Sanji watches as Zoro nods as he puts things away. "I really do want to talk to you about Megumi but have been to busy lately." Again all he sees is Zoro nodding.
"You must have been busy," seeing as it's been two weeks since he figured it out. "And?"
"And," Sanji stresses the word out, "I want to be in her life. I want to be her dad?" Since he'll never have other kids with Lohan.
"Ok, if that's what you want. But before we tell her the truth let's get her use to you before we tell her."
"Really?" Sanji questions. He's there, he could tell Megumi about him now.
"Well considering she calls everyone but you by your first name I think she needs to get use to you more. She even call Ace and Sabo by their names. Well she calls them big brother Ace and uncle Sabo."
"That's true." Sanji's heart breaks a little that his own daughter call him Mr. chef while she calls everyone by their first name. "Even Luffy?"
"Yup, she wants Luffy to babysit her again."
"Really?" Again Sanji's heart breaks a little that his own daughter wants someone else to babysit her. "Are you going to? To let him babysit?"
"Hell no. After he came over not only did he eat all the food but Megumi got a stomach ache and couldn't go to school."
"That idiot." Sanji sighs. The chef can't believe Luffy got his only child sick. "So how long do you think it would take for her to start calling my name?"
"I don't know, she's always been calling Luffy by his name, and at first she called Nami 'the witch' or 'Ursala' from the little mermaid until she learned that Nami wasn't as mean as she first seemed. It will either be quick or it'll take time." Zoro pours himself some water and starts to drink it as he leans against the sink facing Sanji and thinking. "Are you free this Saturday?" He asks pouring some more water.
"Yeah, all day and most of the night, why?"
"We are going to the aquarium, I thought that would be a good time for the two of you to hang out, for her to get use to you, if you could have come with us."
"I wish but I already promised Zeff." Sanji furrowed his eyebrows as he explained himself. Zoro raises a hand to stop him from continuing.
"I get it you're busy. I trust you, you don't have to explain yourself. We'll just try again some other time. The next time we decide to go out somewhere I'll check with you. Once she knows who you are you can take her out yourself." Sanji feels relief that he didn't have to explain himself to much, he usually does when he can't make it to Lohan's dates.
"Then all this week, can I babysit?" Sanji asks. He needs to spend some time with her somehow and right now that's the only way he can.
"Well, I don't have to work on Sunday or Monday night but Tuesday through Friday night I do." Zoro informs. "Do you want to stay for dinner?"
"Yes!" Sanji shouts. He already missed two week, and he's going to miss the aquarium on Saturday, he can't miss more.
