Author's note: This story has spoilers through at least chapters 1035/1036. Read at your own peril. Also note that I take no responsibility if this story ends up (once again) accidentally having spoilers beyond that point =P

Sanji gave the stew a good stir before taking a glance at the pot of rice simmering behind him. They would both be ready in just a few minutes, plenty of time to replenish the food that had already been eaten. Perfect.

The cook took the tranquil moment to glance around at the combined party, festival, and feast celebrating the downfall of Kaido. Citizens from all around Wano had travelled to what was left of the Flower Capital to celebrate. As usual with one of Luffy's parties, it promised to last well into the night. That was fine. This was the kind of environment Sanji thrived in; the battle won, the crew recovering and mending but safe, and the grateful citizens ready for a warm meal, a good drink, and a chance to take their minds off their former troubles for a while until they began rebuilding.

Sanji lit a cigarette, looking around at the softly glowing lanterns and the other stalls lining the streets. He couldn't wait to try some more of Wano's cuisine and learn some new recipes to take with them as they continued their journey. So lost in thought was he, that Sanji didn't notice the petite woman walking up to his stall until she spoke up.

"Um…excuse me…" she said in a shy, quiet voice.

"Hmm?" Snapped back to the present, Sanji turned to the young lady, a bandage wrapped around her forehead and a small mouse perched on her shoulder. Her eyes were lowered. A bright smile lit up the cook's face as hearts began filling his eyes.

"Osome-chan! I'm glad to see you're doing well." The mouse squeaked. His eyes returning to normal, the cook raised a finger and gave the mouse's furry head a stroke. "And Chuji as well."

"You too. Er, that is, I'm glad you are alright as well…" the meek girl replied, finally looking up. Her eyes widened. "Oh! Your injuries!"

Subconsciously, Sanji raised a hand to his face, where Chopper had removed the bandages the geisha had used to treat his wounds. There wasn't a scar or mark to be seen from his intense battle with Queen. He gave the shy girl a nervous smile. "Yeah, I'm a pretty fast healer."

"Oh. I see." Osome said, lowering her eyes again. "I'm glad."

An awkward silence formed between the two. The cook decided to diffuse it.

"So what brings you over here, Osome-chan?" Sanji asked.

"I…er, that is…" The girl's face flushed pink and she simply wouldn't look at the blond chef before her. Sanji waited patiently as the girl stammered over her words. She was so cute when she was flustered! Then he realized the time.

"Ah! The food should be ready!" the cook said, throwing the stumbling girl a lifeline in their conversation. Removing the lid from the rice, he scooped some into a bowl then ladled some stew on top of it. Placing a spoon into the bowl, he held it out towards the geisha. "Would you care for some, Osome-chan?"

"Oh! Th-that… that is…um…thank you," the girl stuttered, as she took the bowl in hand. The mouse on her shoulder squeaked indignantly. Sanji chuckled before retrieving one of the small dishes he used for taste-testing food while he was cooking it.

"Don't worry, I didn't forget about you, Chuji," the chef said, putting some rice into the tiny bowl and setting it on the counter. Osome raised a hand to her shoulder, waited for the mouse to step onto it, and then lowered it to the counter so her pet could enjoy his meal.

Chuji settled, the girl began to eat her own food. After her first bite, Osome's eyes opened wide.

"Oh my! It's so good!" the geisha cried out, her previous shyness all but forgotten. "I've never had such a delicious meal in my life! It's amazing! The Shogun's best chefs have never even…" Upon looking at Sanji's excited expression, his mouth spread in a wide grin, the girl suddenly felt shy again, her gaze once more turning downward. "Er…that is…thank you. For the food."

"You're very welcome."

"And also…"

"Hmm?"

"For saving me." The girl said the words quietly, her face red with embarrassment and her hands gripping her bowl tightly. "And…I'm sorry…for accusing you…" Tears began to fill the girl's eyes. Sanji rushed around from behind the counter.

"Now, now, please don't cry," he said, placing his hands on the girl's shoulders. "You have nothing to feel guilty for, Osome-chan! He tricked you. You couldn't have known. Heck, for a while there, even I…"

He ran down the halls of Onigashima, trying to clear his head, trying to come to terms with what was happening to him, trying to be anywhere but near the Beast Pirate who kept demanding over and over to see the raid suit, shoving the name Vinsmoke down his throat.

So lost in thought, he hadn't noticed the small petite figure before him until he was almost on top of her.

"Wait!" the girl cried out. "I'm not an enemy! I'm just a geisha! We were brought here from the capital for the festival!"

He paused…

Zoro leaned against a barrel, his arms crossed as he stared at the cook a little further down the lane. The swordsman had been watching folks walk by, a pleasant buzz going through his system (grateful citizens always provided plenty of booze at these things), but that had disappeared as he watched the cook suddenly trail off mid-conversation and stare off into space instead of focusing on the woman before him. Behavior that was very unlike the Love Cook.

"Hey, Marimo, I want you to promise me…if I ever lose my mind, if I'm no longer myself, I want you to…"

"Hey, Chopper," Zoro said to the little reindeer perched on the barrel next to him, drinking juice and munching on some treat or another a stall vendor had provided. The swordsman's eye never left the cook. "Did something…strange happen after that winged guy knocked me out of the Live Floor?"

"Strange? You'll need to be more specific." Chopper replied. The swordsman grunted.

"With Twirly Brows," Zoro clarified, lifting his chin towards the cook.

"With Sanji? …Yeah?" Chopper answered hesitantly, putting one hoof to his chin in thought. "I'm not entirely sure I understand what happened though."

"Try to explain it."

"Well…that big guy, Queen? Sanji was dodging him, but seemed to be having some trouble. Queen used some…really strange technique. He shot out of his own body like a snake. It was weird." Chopper paused for a moment. "In any case, he managed to grab Sanji with his snake body. Broke most of his bones. He looked terrible. I honestly thought Sanji was a goner. But then, Sanji's bones…"

"His bones…what?"

"They just… snapped back into place somehow. Physically, Sanji was perfectly fine, like nothing had happened. He was looking down at his body when Queen hit him in the head with a sword. The sword shattered. And Sanji was still fine."

"Wait, what?"

"I mean, Sanji's face was a little dented in, but he was able to pull it back into place. I'm…I'm not sure what exactly happened, Zoro. Was that haki?"

"Not any kind of haki I've ever heard of. Haki doesn't heal you, Chopper. Trust me, it definitely doesn't fix broken bones. He might have used it against the sword, but you said the cook was distracted. Haki requires concentration. And his Armament's never been that good."

"Queen said he didn't use haki anyway. And he kept talking about Sanji's family, the Vinsmokes. Germa 66. Said Sanji must be like them, and wanting Sanji to use his raid suit. I still don't know what it all means." Chopper said. "But two things happened after that. Sanji looked scared and ran from the Live Floor. But as he was running, one of the Beast Pirates shot him in the head. But…Sanji was still fine."

"I see." Zoro didn't, not really. But until he knew more, all he could do was keep an eye on the blond idiot, keep his promise, and hope he didn't actually have to carry it out.

"Are you alright?" Osome asked, concern lining her features. Sanji shook his head, his mind coming back to the present.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Spaced out for a moment there." Sanji apologized.

"Did you hit your head?" Osome asked, a hand going up to the bandage wrapped around her own. "Maybe you should have your doctor check you…"

"No!" Sanji snapped, before catching himself. "Er, no, that's quite alright. I'm fine. Was just remembering something. So sorry for worrying you, my dear."

He gave the girl a smile before lifting a hand and gently wiping the tears from her eyes. Then he turned away and headed back around the counter, sparing a glance at the little mouse as he did.

"Ah, looks like Chuji finished," Sanji noted, lifting the dish. "Care for some more?"

The little mouse squeaked an affirmative as Sanji scooped some more rice into the small bowl. Osome let out a small laugh.

"You're so kind. I'm sorry I ever accused you of such a horrible thing."

Sanji smiled back at the girl.

He paused, staring at the petite girl before him, the myriad thoughts flying through his mind, his heart beating steadily in his chest. And suddenly, they were gone, his mind was clear, his heart frozen. The cold feelings must have shown on his face because suddenly the girl was closing her eyes, afraid. He lifted his leg, swung it until she went flying across the room, out of his way. He didn't even have to make contact; he was so strong and she was so weak and pathetic.

And then Sanji came back to himself. And the now-injured girl was staring up at him with terrified eyes…

Sanji blinked, then shook his head to clear it. The beautiful geisha before him was just finishing her food happily. He smiled at her gently, pushing the unpleasant memory to the back of his mind. No, of course that wasn't what had happened. That had been Queen who'd struck Osome; he'd never do anything so horrible to a woman. He must have been misremembering. Shaking his head again, the kind chef turned and scooped out another bowl of rice and stew, holding it out to the girl.

"Care for seconds?" he asked warmly.

Author's Note: Despite the title, this story actually has more in common with "The Suit Makes the Man" than "A Heart Hotter than Magma." But it's completely separate from both those works.

-That plotline with Queen actually being the one that hit Osome still feels…weird to me somehow. It could just be some clunky writing (like Oda wasn't quite sure how to resolve Sanji hitting a woman without actually being the one to hit a woman), but something about it being Queen still feels off. But that and the promise Sanji had Zoro make to kill him if he loses his mind makes me think this storyline with Sanji's Germa mods is going to be revisited in the future. But probably not during Wano.

-While I have a good portion of this story plotted out in my mind, I don't have the entire thing written out yet. But I'm going to do the crazy thing and post the first chapter anyway! Madness!