Lambo has no idea how long he was gone.
He just knew that his Dying Will Flames have just saved him from death by poison gas, and he was in someplace that looked like dark murky smoke, like cloud, a storm cloud if he was being more specific, he wasn't all that sure. And then the next minute, he was stumbling on the deck of the Baratie, Zeff walking into the restaurant.
Lambo looked around to see that everything seemed to be all wrapped up.
If Creed's bloodied and unconscious body embedded into the deck was any indicator. Lambo stared at the body in disappointment. He really wanted to watch Luffy kick Creed's ass.
"What'd I miss?", Lambo asks, a little confused on what's going on despite his deductions, causing Zeff to halt and turn to Lambo with a raised brow.
"There you are.", he said stoically, "We've been wondering what happened to you."
"Yeah, still not all that sure myself about what happened.", Lambo says with furrowed brows as he stared in space in thought for a moment before coming back to the present, "But besides the obvious, what the hell did I miss?"
Before Zeff could answer, Lambo heard a loud gasp from behind him, causing the young teen to whirl around to see Sanji swimming in the water while holding on to an unconscious Luffy.
"Hey, Chore boy.", Sanji calls out worriedly, "Don't you die on me!"
Lambo stiffened as he stared at Luffy's limp form with wide eyes.
"Sanji!", Lambo shouts, gaining the cooks attention as he waved wildly at him.
Sanji eyes widened at the sight of Lambo, the young teen looking just as he did before Sanji saw him disappear in a flash of green lightening, the kid's face looked unsure, even scared, before he disappeared. It honestly worried him when he didn't come back after the poison gas was gone.
"Where've you been!?", Sanji shouts as he swims towards Lambo and Baratie's ruined deck, "Are you okay!?"
Lambo grabbed Sanji's hand and helped pull him and Luffy up on to the deck with a small grunt.
"No idea, my Dying Will Flames saved me at the last second.", Lambo replies as Sanji sat down with a huff and Lambo laid Luffy down next to him.
"Well, warn me next time your Dying Will Flames decide to do something like that, will yah?", Sanji says exasperatedly.
Lambo sweatdrops at the cook.
"Sure, yeah, I'll let you know when my Flames start to act freaky and will do something that I will absolutely be unable to predict.", Lambo says, his words dripping with sarcasm before turning to Luffy worriedly, "Is he okay?"
The two hovered over him worriedly, both afraid that the Straw Hat wearing Captain may be dead.
Sanji kneeled over Luffy and began to shake his shoulders in hopes of waking him up.
"Chore boy! Chore boy, can you hear me!", Sanji calls out urgently, "Don't die. You still have a lot of things to do with your life. Get up right now! Please. Please!"
Lambo wanted to say something too. To scream at Luffy to get up, push Sanji out of the way and shake him like a madman until he woke up. The fear felt like a bucket of ice-cold water was poured down his back. He has no idea what to do!
"Just open your eyes.", begged Sanji, "Please don't die!"
Sanji paused, waiting over Luffy. And that's when Lambo heard it.
A loud snore.
"No way.", Lambo mumbled, his body relaxed as he deadpanned at his Captain.
His amazing lucky Captain who is alive. His childish idiotic Captain who is asleep and snoring.
Sanji clicked his tongue irritably sitting down next to Luffy with irritation, yet there was immense relief in his eyes as he did so.
"Are you kidding?", Sanji asks in disbelief as he hit Luffy on top of his head with a closed fist, then he smiled, "You really are something else."
Lambo groaned as he sat down as well, Luffy's prone form resting in between the two.
"Giuro a Dio.", Lambo said with a relieved chuckle, "Che l'idiota sta cercando di darmi un attacco di cuore." (I swear to God. The idiot's trying to give me a heart attack.)
Sanji looked at him curiously with a raised brow.
"Italian?", he asked.
"It's my first language.", Lambo explained the unasked question, "Learned English just before I left and found the boss."
"Him?", Sanji asked incredulously as he pointed down at the still snoring Luffy.
Lambo shook his head, "No. The Vongola Mafia is, was, my famiglia. I found Luffy just a little over a week ago. He announced I was a part of his crew. I was too confused to protest. It wasn't long after that I mad the easy decision to leave the Vongola and go out to sea with Luffy."
Sanji started at Lambo for a second before turning his gaze out to the sea.
"Huh."
There was a pleasant silence between the two as they just sat there, lost in their own respective thoughts.
"I'm not a big fan of my family either.", Sanji said, looking like he said that in a split-second decision.
Lambo looked to Sanji, but immediately looked away upon seeing the look on his face.
"It shouldn't happen, shouldn't even be a thing...", Lambo says carefully, a thoughtful look on his face.
"...But sometimes it's nice to know there's someone else who knows what it feels like.", Sanji finishes with a small comforting smile.
He reached over and ruffled Lambo's already messy hair, with a wide grin at the teens disgruntled expression over the action.
"I know.", the chef says, his eye twinkling with understanding and fondness.
"NO! I'M THE STRONGEST!"
The two looked up and behind Lambo in surprise to see Creed somehow getting back on to his feet, as if he is possessed.
"I! WIIN! I'M THE GREATEST! I'M THE BEESST! NO ONE CAN BEAT MEEE!", Creed shouts, refusing the fact that he lost.
"No! Just stay down!", a Creed pirate shouts.
"Stop him!", exclaims another, "He's not even conscious!"
Creed made no indication to having heard anyone from his crew, still screaming as if he was still in battle.
"Please stop it Don Creed!", one pirate shouts as multiple Creed pirates jumped on top of Don Creed, trying to pin him down, but he stayed uprigth, still screaming.
"I HAVE TO WIN! I HAVE TO!", Ceed screams as he began to throw off the bodies on top of him.
Kicking and punching his own crew that is trying to keep him down. Making Lambo actually feel bad for the Creed pirates.
Not Don Creed himself though. That guys is a major jerk.
"KILL!", Creed shouts, "ENEMY!"
Lambo watched as Gin slowly walked forward, his headband and jacket discarded somewhere else, nowhere to be seen. Calm and emotionless as if Creed wasn't acting like a raving lunatic mere feet away from him.
"NO MATTER WHAT THIS SHALL BE MY VICTORY!"
Gin struck a fist right into Creed's gut. Creed gasped from the air he lost by the blow, the Creed pirates gaped in shock as Creed tumbled forward and Gin caught him and easily slung the giant man on to his shoulder with ease.
"Don Creed.", Gin spoke, his voice sounded loud in the heavy silence, "We lost."
"Commander!", the Creed pirates shout in shock and with respect to Gin's new authority, "Let's leave now, while we still have a shred of dignity."
Lambo was honestly proud, in such a short amount of time, Gin has changed so much. And all because a cook gave him some food when he was starving. Some things differ for people. For Lambo, it was words, for Gin, it was actions.
"Thanks for everything Sanji.", Gin calls back to the cook, without even turning around to face him.
"Sure.", Sanji accepted casually, "Now leave and never come back."
Gin turned and gave Sanji a wide grin.
"Hey, Sanji, you don't owe me any favors.", Gin tells him, "But when the kid wakes up, tell him I'll see him on the Grand Line."
Sanji stares at him in shock, "But you-!"
Gin huffs a laugh, "That's where I want to go with the time I have left. It's the only thing I care about. The only thing that keeps me going. It would seem that Don Creed's obsession with the Grand Line as become mine as well."
Gin chuckles in amusement before coughing loudly into his hand, Lambo bit his lip worryingly, wondering what happened, what Gin meant we he said 'the time he had left'?
But he knew, it wasn't hard. Lambo doesn't know how, but, sadly, Gin inhaled some of the poison gas Creed had fired when Lambo's flames made him leave. He has a very limited amount of time left before he dies now.
Despite the coughing fit, Gin still smiled. Honestly, it's the most content Lambo has seen of the pirate throughout the hole day.
"It's silly, I know that.", Gin said, not looking like he thought it to be silly at all, "But, it's my dream. With this poison in my veins, I may only have a few hours to live. But I finally feel free somehow. I can live those last few moments to be on my own terms."
The world around Lambo seemed to fade away as he stared at Gin, a small bittersweet smile growing on his face. Because he understood, out of a lot of people, he understood.
For Gin wasn't the first person with a ticking clock to his end that Lambo has known.
"To hell with loyalty to Don Creed. My devotion to him was just an escape from forging my own destiny.", With Gin's next words, Lambo saw a ghost of Ms. Motina standing proudly next to him, wearing her usual sundress, her determined smile matching his as well as the bright light that lit both their eyes, despite the fact they both knew it was only a matter of time before they perish, "Once your heart is set, and you risk all your dreams with every last fiber of what you are, you'll never again feel lost, or hopeless, or afraid. I learned all that from a brave chore boy."
And not for the first time, nor the last, Lambo felt proud to have Luffy as his captain. He was proud to be a part of his crew. Because he knew, deep inside, he knew that he would find no place else, where he would as perfectly, live as happily, and as proudly, as he does with Luffy and his crewmates.
"Hey you guys!", Sanji shouts to Patty and Carne, whom Lambo didn't even notice were there, "Give him the boat we use to go grocery shopping."
"Come On!", Carne shouts in exasperation.
"Are You Stupid Or Something!?", Patty shouts in protest.
"Or something.", mumbles Lambo with a smile, earning himself a shove from the curly-browed cook.
"Why do we have to give up a perfectly good boat to a bunch of pirates!", Carne demanded.
"And What's Going To Happen To All Our Grocery Shopping!?", Patty demanded, "Jackass!"
"Patty's right! Let them swim wherever they're going!"
Sanji whirls to the two cooks, a dangerous angry look in his eyes, glaring them down.
"Go Get That Grocery Boat NOW!", Sanji shouts, successfully getting the two to do as he said.
Patty and Carne turned around, both crying at the thoat of losing their grocery boat.
"Alright, fine.", sniffles Carne.
"Stop shouting.", cries Patty.
Wow, they must really love that grocery boat. Lambo watches them run off miserably with a raised, amused, brow. Fighting back the giggles that wanted to overtake him at the sight of the two chefs.
"Ok, ok, we'll go get it.", they said in sync as they left.
It wasn't long Patty and Carne came back with the boat in the front, and none to gently, Gin tossed in Creed's unconscious form. And then proceeded to throw in the rest of the crew.
"It's gonna sink!", Lambo hears one shout over the many complaints, groans, and panicked shouts as the small boat bobbed dangerously low in the waves.
Gin stood next to Lambo, the trio staring at the boat and wiggling crew with wide smiles, all for different reasons.
Gin's excitement for a bright exciting future in the Grand Line, Lambo's hopes that the crew will turn around and Sanji may join Luffy's crew, and Sanji just happy that the Baratie is now safe and sound, still in their possession.
"Why did I hesitate? What was I so worried about?", Gin wonders as he basks in the weight that he no longer feels on his shoulders, "When I think about it, I can't help but feel stupid."
Lambo shrugs, knowing exactly how he felt. Having wondered practically the same things after he finally left Vongolia.
"There can be many reasons.", Lambo comments thoughtfully, "But when you think about it, they all stem down to fear. It's hard to take that jump, and not many do. But you can't help but feel alive once you did it."
Gin chuckles, his smile widening, "Yeah... Still feel stupid though."
Lambo couldn't help the snort as he soon bursts out laughing for a short while.
"You and me both."
The trio looked down to Luffy, Lambo now no longer laughing, at the sound of his snores getting louder. The two older males chuckled at the rubber Captain before Gin stepped up on the last remaining space available on the boat.
"Well then, we gratefully accept this boat.", Gin declares to Sanji, his smile just growing wider as he spoke, "Am I right to assume there's no need to return it?"
"It's yours.", Sanji replied light heartedly, "Don't ever come back here. Not for anything. Not even to return this boat."
"He's right!", exclaims Patty behind, causing Lambo to jump from the unexpected shout.
Lambo turned, eyes and smile widening at the sight of Patty, Carne, and the rest of the cooks standing out on deck, some wielding knives threatenly. The large group stood protectively in front of their restaurant.
"And don't you ever forget! This is the restaurant where the cooks fight! The Baratie!", Patty announced proudly, followed with proud cheers of the cooks in agreement.
"Hmph, the cooks there sure mean business.", Gin muses with a smirk as he and the rest of Don Creed's crew finally sailed off.
...
"Hey, Lambo! You're okay!"
Lambo turns away from the railing, his arm in a sling to keep him from jostling the arm he dislocated earlier, to see Luffy standing behind him smiling happily at the mere sight of him. Sanji stood next to the Straw Hat Captain, a pleased smile on his lips as well.
"I see that Patty and Carne managed to get the sling on.", Sanji says casually, his teasing poorly hidden by his nonchalance.
His smug smirk didn't help Sanji at all, not to mention the fact he was hardly hiding it.
Lambo deflated at the reminder, pouting a little, causing Sanji to burst out laughing at the teen's disgruntled expression.
Despite Lambo's insistence that he was fine, Zeff insisted on the sling, he was little scary as he did so. Patty and Carne practically forced him to sit down so they could work on his sore arm anyway. Both prepared to work with or without his permission.
Lambo will never admit it, will always deny it, but he was totally pouting the entire time they placed his arm in the sling. Sulking over the fact that they wouldn't leave his arm alone.
It's not the first time it's been dislocated, honestly. And Lambo has been just fine without a sling in the past.
Of course, the two chefs weren't hearing any of it.
Lambo just decided not to argue and let them get on with it mostly for the sake of his ear drums. He likes his hearing as it is, thank you very much.
"Did you break your arm or something?", Luffy asks with a curious tilt of his head.
"...No.", Lambo answers, making no move to elaborate.
He'd cross his arms. But one, unfortunately, is in a sling at the moment.
"So, what's with the sling?", Luffy asks bluntly.
"To help my dislocated arm heal.", Lambo says in irritation.
"You really don't like that sling, do you?", Sanji asks with a smirk.
Lambo just glared, causing Sanji's smirk to widen into a smile, completely unbothered by the glare Lambo is throwing at him. Which just made Luffy start laughing, causing Lambo's irritation towards the teasing and the stupid sling to grow.
"Ha, ha, laugh it up you two.", Lambo said crossly, his eyebrow twitching with his annoyance.
"Don't tempt me.", Sanji replies, laughter clear in his tone, but he didn't laugh, nor did his shoulders shake, suggesting that he was about to.
Lambo just groans as he fiddles with the sling uncomfortably.
"I don't like it.", Lambo mutters.
Sanji just shook his head, clearly amused towards Lambo's irritation of the sling.
"Like you just said, it's just for today.", Sanji reminds.
Then, suddenly, there was a loud ringing from a bell, causing Lambo to jump in surprise.
"Guys, Soups On!", the trio hear Patty shout from inside the restaurant.
"Ah yeah! Meat!", Luffy exclaims excitedly followed along with a giggle.
Lambo and Sanji both shared twin looks of fond exasperation, before Sanji just chuckled with a shake of his head, jerking his head as an indication to follow.
"Come on you two, let's go grab some food before it gets cold.", Sanji orders the two as he led the way.
Luckily it wasn't that far down the ship, Sanji opening the door to see all the other cooks seated and already helping themselves to the large spread. Lambo would've drooled if he wasn't so self-conscious of the looks, he may get from the action.
Sanji, on the other hand, sighs at the sight, noting the lack of empty seats.
"Really?", the chef says flatly before adding on a sarcastically, "Oh good, they saved us some seats."
"They did?", Luffy asks, looking for said seats.
Lambo is starting to wonder how he's still not unsurprised from Luffy's cluelessness to people.
"No Luffy, that was sarcasm.", Lambo says exasperatedly, "There are no seats."
"Oh."
Between him and Luffy, you'd think Lambo was the older one here based on the two's maturity levels.
"No chairs left for you.", one chef announced with a smug tone.
Another laughed, as he waved uncaringly at the trio, "Just sit on the floor and eat."
"Such hospitality.", Lambo deadpans, sweat dropping at the entire scenario he found himself in.
"There are no chairs? That doesn't seem right.", Sanji says incredulously, "This is a restaurant."
But having been met with only silence, the trio just grabbed some plates, piled them with food and walked to a separate corner to eat.
"Alright, fine.", Sanji sighs tired as he sits down with his plate.
Lambo struggles to try and sit down on the floor without spilling his drink and food he has precariously balanced on his plate. He only had one hand, and it held his lunch.
Without even saying a word, Sanji took Lambo's plate from his hand, setting down the drink and food on the floor, while motioning with his head for Lambo to sit down.
Too tired to argue, Lambo just sighed as he thanked Sanji gratefully, sitting down cross legged, pulling his food closer. Lambo can already tell the sling is going to get old fast. He is already annoyed by the stupid thing.
"They sure are acting strange.", Luffy comments as he sit's next to Lambo and across from Sanji.
Sanji chuckles while staring at the other chefs irritably.
"Well, that's nothing new.", Sanji gritted, "Bunch of jerks."
He wasn't wrong, Lambo also couldn't help but internally call them jerks. But that was only Lambo being petty about the sling. He cannot stress enough how much he hates the stupid sling.
What's more, Lambo noticed pink smoke starting to appear. Luffy saw the smoke, but shut up because Lambo quickly shoved a large slab of meat down his throat.
"What the hell is the matter with you?", Sanji asks at the boy's frantic action.
"Sorry, gotta take care of something really quick.", Lambo says in a rush as he gets to his feet.
Sanji noticed the sparkly pink smoke in confusion, concluding that it is, or has a part, in the reason why Lambo is acting the way he is.
"Be back in five minutes!"
And with that, Lambo barely made it out the door before disappearing with a loud poof. And there stood Lambo ten years from the past, studying his surroundings in confusion. Completely oblivious to the raised voices coming from behind the wooden door that the kid had no idea he stood in front of.
"Huh? Where is Lambo-san?", Lambo wondered, "Where are the funny people? They're usually here?"
Suddenly there was a loud crash from inside that causes Lambo to loudly squeal as he jumped several feet up in the air.
He didn't know where he or anyone else is, but there is trouble, and until he finds either long nose, grass head, rubber boy, or candy girl, Lambo is staying out of it.
But where can he hide!?
(Meanwhile Ten Years in the Past)
Lambo coughed a little as he waved the left-over pink smoke away, taking in his surroundings.
"Hospital room.", Lambo notes with a hum.
"Oh thank God, you're okay!"
"Hm?", Lambo hums as he turned to see Tsuna in a hospital bed, surrounded by his guardians, par Chrome, Hibari, Ryohei, and Mukuro.
They all looked relieved by the fact the future cow looked fine and was now back on his feet.
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine now.", Lambo assured the group, "Just had a little trouble is all."
Speaking of Mukuro, if Lambo had to guess, this was after fighting the said illusionist and Tsuna gaining his gauntlets courtesy of Leon. They are getting closer to the war for the rings against the Varia then.
"WHY IS YOUR ARM IN A SLING!?", shrieks Tsuna.
Lambo sweat dropped as he eyed the accursed sling with a twitching brow.
"I dislocated my shoulder.", Lambo answered irritably at the reminder, "They made me wear the stupid thing."
"Ne, what's going on in the future Lambo?", Yamamoto asks, "Is this a different battle then last time?"
Lambo opened his mouth, ready and about to answer, when a terrifying roar, scared him to his very soul.
"ROMEO!", the unmistakably angered roar of Bianchi.
"Shit. Bye!", Lambo manages to call over his shoulder as he literally runs for his life from the woman currently throwing various poisonous foods at him. Intent on murdering the poor teen.
(Back to the Present)
"I'm not a little brat anymore!"
Whirling around, Lambo turns to see a blonde man in a clean black suit leaping high in the air. He looked angry, and hurt.
Brat. That word again, Gokudera calls him that a lot, along with stupid cow. Something that, noticeably, has become less frequent since last he used the bazooka.
Lambo, unsure on what else to do, decides that maybe he could help the blonde man, after all, he may have an idea how the man feels.
The Bovino family threw him away. And the only thing Lambo knows how to do, can do, is pretend that it's all okay, pretend that it never happened.
That Mama had always been his mother, Tsuna always his big brother, and the Sawada household is always his home. Pretend he was never hurt by the Bovino family, a family he'd been born to and was soon thrown away as if nothing.
He just had to pretend.
Pretending is fun anyway. Made everything so much easier.
So, he ran down the stairs to the deck to see the man sitting on the ground, panting harshly, wooden debris surrounding him that wasn't there before.
Without even thinking twice, Lambo smiled brightly as he ran over to the sad looking man and tapped him rapidly on the leg. Successfully, and quickly, gaining his attention.
Honestly, Lambo had no idea what he originally was going to say, but whatever it was, he quickly forgot at the intriguing sight of the man's single brow.
"Woah!", Lambo gaped before jumping up and down in excitement, "Curly Brow! Curly Brow!"
"Wha-? When did you even get here kid?", Sanji asked, looking very confused.
But the young boy didn't like being called kid. He wasn't a kid! (Yes, he is.)
Lambo is a great hitman! Great hitmen aren't kids!
"I'm not a kid!", Lambo shouts with furrowed brows and a large pout on his lips, stomping his foot as if to prove his point. (He proved the opposite actually.)
Not allowing Sanji to say another word otherwise, Lambo clambered on top of the man's lap and proceeded to pout as he crossed his arms, sulking pointedly.
Unable to help himself, Sanji chuckled as he petted the kid's giant afro.
"Sure, you aren't.", the chef appeased, looking very amused throughout the entire situation.
"Lambo-san is great hitman.", Lambo pouts, but his words caused Sanji to pause as he was hit with the realization of who this kid just might be.
"L-lambo?", Sanji asks confused.
"Yep.", Lambo chirps happily, shaking off his depressive aura, no longer sulking, "I'm Lambo!"
"Holy shit.", was all Sanji was able to say, standing up, picking up Lambo has he did so, "Hey Lambo, my name's Sanji. What brings you here?"
Lambo suddenly turns shy, tapping his pointer fingers together, refusing to look the chef in the eyes. His cheeks turned a little red, which honestly made the little boy look absolutely adorable.
"I got upset, so I used the bazooka to find my friends.", Lambo finally admitted.
Sanji raised a brow, "You used... a bazooka... in order to find your friends?"
Yeah, the chef knew there was more to the story, and something told him that this kid's name being the same as the introverted young teen that just sprinted out the restaurant minutes prior, just before Sanji did, with pink glittery smoke coming from him, is no coincidence.
"One of your friends wouldn't happen to be a pirate made of rubber wearing a straw hat?", Sanji asks, testing his theory.
"You know rubber man?", Lambo asks, his eyes lighting up, "Yay! Rubber man~! Rubber man~!"
Sanji chuckles, "Yeah, I know where he is. I'll take you to him."
And with that, Lambo cheerfully hums to himself while Sanji walks back to where he had fled minutes earlier, now much calmer thanks to the little kid in his arms and throwing off some steam before that.
But just as Sanji was about to open the door, Lambo suddenly stopped humming staring at the door intently, causing Sanji to pause and listen.
"But that thick-skull headed idiot wouldn't listen to us if we tried to reason with him.", Zeff's voice can be clearly heard through the door.
Sanji gritted his teeth and snarled at the door while Lambo just curled in further into Sanji's hold, trying to wipe the angry and hurt look Sanji had on his face. It was too much like the look Lambo knew he had when he was kicked out of the Bovino Famiglia.
"Hey, listen.", Zeff's voice caused Sanji to pause once again, "You were saying you needed a cook on your ship, right? Well, this isn't something I want to be asking of anyone, but would you mind taking that brat along with you? Take him to the Grand Line. That would be best for him."
"The Grand Line is his dream.", Zeff says confidently.
"Geez Boss, you sure made us put on quite the show.", Patty shouts, a teasing lit to his voice.
Carne chuckles, "Man, I thought he was going to figure it out because of your bad acting."
There is loud boisterous laughter.
"C'mon, your acting was way worse than mine."
With those words fading off into mumblings in the background, all the fight and anger drained from the cook. He made a noise that was a mix between a groan and a sigh as he slowly sat down, leaning his back against the door. Lambo slipped from his hold, but stayed next to him. Going so far as to lay his head tiredly on Sanji's lap while the man just stared into empty space in shock.
Neither noticed the pink smoke quickly over taking Lambo. Sanji didn't even noticed when his lap became empty while present Lambo reappeared, sitting next to Sanji.
The cook placed a cigarette in his lips and struggled to light his lighter, hands shaking during his struggle before he finally gave up. Resting his head on his arms, drawing his knees up to his chest.
Lambo didn't need much more incentive before he comforted Sanji the best he could. Rubbing the older man's back as everything became clear to his eyes.
"I can hear everything you dumbasses.", Sanji mumbles.
Lambo couldn't help but chuckle. He doesn't think they care all that much. Sanji needed a push, but he also needed to see. And Lambo couldn't help but think, their circumstances may be different, but the two both needed the same thing before they decided to join Luffy's crew.
Oh yeah, Lambo knows that Sanji is coming. He can feel it in his bones, and the anticipation is almost killing him.
"So what do you say kid?", Zeff's voice cut through the speculative silence.
And Luffy just said two simple words.
"No way."
Lambo had to slam a hand over his mouth to prevent the guffaws that wanted to burst out. He doesn't know why Luffy said that, but he likes to think he knows his captain enough to know that his thought process is both simple, logical, a so Luffy.
Honestly, Lambo wanted to laugh because he could only imagine the looks on all those cooks faces. And the imagery is hilarious!
"But earlier you mentioned you needed a cook for your ship.", Zeff replies, sounding rightfully baffled, "Just what are you trying to say? That he's suddenly not good enough for ya?"
"Oh, he's good. And I'd love it if he'd join my crew and came with us.", Luffy replies brightly.
Lambo shook his head, able to clearly hear Luffy eating his food, his next words sounding garbled as he spoke with his mouth full.
"But it seems like he really wants to stay here and cook with all of you guys.", Luffy points out, "You can ask me all you want, but I'm just not gonna take him."
Ah, there it is. Lambo knew there was something. He wanted Sanji to make his own choices.
Lambo couldn't help but smile tentatively over at Sanji, who still hasn't once looked over at him, but has, at least, acknowledged his presence.
"So you're saying you can't agree to it until he tells you himself, is that right?", Zeff asks thoughtfully.
"That's right. More food please."
Please, for the sake of everything that is holy, never change Luffy.
"Well, I suppose that's fair enough.", Zeff agrees, still sounding thoughtful.
But Lambo has to wonder, there's this rhythmically boing sound that happens every time Zeff speaks. What even is making that sound? (Unbeknownst to Lambo, the sound is coming from Zeff's mustache X'D You figure it out 😜)
Zeff adds, "But who knows if that hard headed little brat will ever agree to join up with you."
"Yeah, once that guy makes up he's mind, there's nothing anybody can do to change it.", another chef pipes up.
Lambo disagrees. Luffy is the most stubborn person that Lambo has ever met in his entire life. Somehow, Lambo knows Luffy will be leaving the Baratie with a certain curly browed cook.
"More please!", Luffy asks again, obviously still wanting more food.
Lambo chuckles as he shakes his head.
"He's going to eat out all your stores you know.", Lambo comments good naturedly, "I swear, he has a black hole for a stomach. Nothing can fill it."
Sanji nudged him, his movements were light hearted and teasingly, but like Lambo thought, the cook didn't say a thing. Just continued to hold the unlit cigarette in his mouth as he thought everything over.
Lambo thought that this just meant Sanji needed to be alone for a little bit to think through everything. But just as he got up to his feet. There was something in the distance.
He narrowed his eyes as he tried to see what was coming, but still was unable to identify it. But Lambo could tell, he knew, this thing is wicked fast in the water.
It was heading right for them!
Sanji just stared blankly, almost unseeing, before the thing dove deep beneath the water with a big splash. The two boys gaping at the sight in complete puzzlement.
"Huh!?", shouts Sanji, his cigarette falling from his mouth.
The fish, which looked like a zebra-shark, jumped high out of the water, holding a screaming man in its mouth.
"Santo Inferno!", Lambo shouts while Sanji let's a horrified noise as the fish and man flew through the air right towards them! (Holy Hell!)
There was a loud crash, both Sanji and Lambo laid there, unmoving, with the fish-man, laid dazedly on top of them. Sanji managed to pull himself out from underneath the fish-man thing, Lambo remained dazed, his eyes becoming dizzy swirls as he stares up at the ceiling unseeingly.
"Sanji-!", one chef calls out worriedly.
Lambo was only snapped out of it when Sanji tugged at Lambo until, he too, was no longer underneath the fish.
"Bleh...", groans Lambo as everything started to clear up for the boy, hand reaching up to his now aching shoulder.
For once, and the only time it will ever happen, Lambo was grateful for the sling. If it weren't for the stupid thing, Lambo's shoulder would be feeling a lot worse. Maybe even dislocated again.
That wouldn't have been all that fun.
"What is that?", another chef asked, tone a mix of disgust and confusion, "A fishman?"
With Sanji's help, the two crawled away from the two organisms that lay limply in the whole it had just created with Sanji and Lambo's bodies, along with it's own.
"You'd think one would really come all the way from Fishman Island to eat here?"
"You dope! It's a human and a pan shark!", one chef cleared up in exasperation.
That makes more sense... What's a Fishman?
"What's this?", Luffy asks curiously, pushing his way through to the front, "Hey it's Yosaku."
"Huh-?", Lambo groans, finally able to get a good look at the heavily dazed man in the pan shark's mouth, "Oh, you're right! Where are the others though?"
"Oh hey... Big Bro Luffy, Lil Bro Lambo.", Yosaku greeted tiredly.
Lambo deadpanned at the reveal that two more have claimed him as a little brother of sorts. Oh Lord.
"Why're you alone?", Luffy asks unworriedly, crouching next to the bounty hunter's unmoving form, "Where are the others? Didja find Nami?"
All Yosaku did was twitch, grunt, and croak before falling to the floor.
"Maybe we should help him before questioning him about what's going on.", Lambo sweat dropped as he stared down Yosaku's prone form, sometimes twitching here and there.
With that said, the cooks set the shark free, tossing it back into the see, watching it swim away at high speeds, while Yosaku sat on top of a barrel, a blanket, that Sanji brought out from the depths of the restaurant, wrapped around his shoulders as he dried off.
"We never actually caught up to her, but from the direction Big Sis is headed, we think we figured out where she's going and we she plans to do.", Yosaku explains to the two pirates and the other cooks.
"I see.", Luffy says thoughtfully, surprisingly, before continuing determinedly, "Then we can get her back."
"Maybe.", Yosaku agrees slowly.
Lambo's eyes narrowed at the skeptical look on Yosaku's face. Even though he agreed with Luffy, the bounty hunter didn't sound too sure.
"It's just...", Yosaku said, sounding a little worried, "If our suspicions turn out to be true, then the place she intends to go to, could mean certain death for all of us if we follow her. The point is, we need your help Big Bro Luffy. Please. Come with me."
Luffy didn't need to be asked twice.
"Okay. I don't really get it."
Of course you don't.
"But I got it. Let's go."
Luffy stands up, turning to Lambo with a questioning look.
Lambo nods, "Ready when you are."
The trio all walked outside, ready to leave, passing by Sanji, who is smoking a newly lit cigarette. Just as they were almost past the curly browed cook, his voice caused both Lambo and Luffy to freeze.
"Wait."
He hoped maybe this was when Sanji would decide to set sail with them.
"Your dream is foolish.", Sanji said coldly, his words mostly aimed at the Straw Hat Captain, "Then again, so is mine.
There was a short pause of silence, Lambo curiously turned around to face the cook while Luffy kept his back to Sanji.
"Now is a good time as any.", Sanji stated nonchalantly, "Might as well start my quest now."
Luffy moved, tilting his head in the cook's direction, "Sanji..."
Sanji stepped forward, fully facing a Lambo and Luffy.
"I'll be joining your crew. Help you on your journey to become King of the Pirates.", Sanji declared.
Luffy gasped, turning to Sanji is shocked awe, while Lambo couldn't help but smile. He knew Sanji was coming. Luffy always gets what he wants when it comes to his dream and crew.
"You here?", Sanji asks, almost sounding nervous instead of put-off, like he's trying be, "I want to be the cook on your ship."
As if still in disbelief, Luffy just blinked, still staring. Lambo doesn't blame him. Out of every one of the crew thus far, besides Nami, Sanji has proven to be the most stubborn. Adamat about not joining Luffy's crew throughout the entire adventure.
"Alright? What do you say?"
It was practically no time at all that Luffy finally realized that Sanji agreed to be his cook. His eyes lighting up as his lips spread out into one of Luffy's wider grins.
"Yah! Of course!", Luffy shouts excitedly, throwing his fists up in the air.
"This is great Big Bro Luffy!", Yosaku exclaims with him.
Lambo just chuckles, shaking his head, but unable to keep the happy grin from his face. The two shouting happily as they spun in a circle together, shouting nonsense about getting a cook and tasty food.
"Glad you finally decided to join.", Lambo says cheerfully, ignoring the chaos besides him.
Sanji raised a brow, a smirk twitching on his lips, "Finally?"
"With that Captain?", Lambo hitched his thumb over at Luffy, "When he wants someone on his crew, they are going to be a part of his crew. Doesn't care who they are. Zoro and I are very good examples for that."
"Why you?"
Lambo shrugged, "Before him, I was a part of the mafia. Highly ranked in the Vongolia Famiglia in fact."
"You're fourteen.", Sanji deadpanned.
"Fifteen.", Lambo corrected with a grin, "Been part of the mafia since I was five."
Sanji just shakes his head with an exasperated sigh, but unable to keep his own smile from his face before turning to the other cooks.
"You guys happy now?", Sanji asked rhetorically, he smirked, "Really, I'll leave now."
Patty scoffs, crossing his beefy arms, "I don't like it. To tell you the truth, I was hoping to give you the boot from this restaurant personally. But it seems you don't have a problem almost straight up abandoning us."
The way this sea faring cooks show affection seriously throws Lambo's head for a loop. It's a little difficult for the Guardian to take the chef's words to each other with just a grain of salt, trying to remember that they never meant it and cared deeply for each other.
"I'm especially sorry for making all of you resort to bad acting.", Sanji dead panned.
"Hey wait! How'd you know!?", Patty exclaims in a panic.
"I heard everything.", Sanji said smugly, "Bunch of jerks."
"What!?", Patty shouts angrily.
"Stomping on my pride?", Sanji asks incredulously, "The best plan you could come up with? Was it? You damn geezer."
"Every little thing has to be a fight with you!", shouts Patty.
You're no better. Lambo deadpans at the hot-tempered cook.
"I'm sick and tired of it! Bring it on!"
Zeff held an arm out in front of Patty, then turned to stare down Sanji.
"I've never liked children.", Zeff told Sanji, "As a matter of fact I hate children. There wasn't a day passed when I didn't regret letting a useless little brat like you live Sanji."
Lambo doesn't know how to think about that.
Sanji's smirked widened as he returned Zeff's glare with one of his own, "Fine by me, old man. Enjoy the rest of your miserable life."
...
A couple chefs led Luffy to the kitchen in order to stock up on food for their trip, while a couple of other cooks led Yosaku to the ship the quartet would be using.
Lambo wisely choose to follow after Yosaku. Knowing Luffy, he's going be taking forever stacking up their stores with more meat than they most likely need. If Luffy had a normal stomach that is.
"Woah! This is a nice ship!", Yosaku praised.
Lambo whistled appreciatively, "Sure is a beuat. Although I may be biased, I like the Going Merry better."
"You sure it's okay to use her?", Yosaku asked.
"Of course, it's Sanji ship.", the chef said with a shrug and a grin.
It took a little bit, no more than a half hour thankfully, but both Yosaku and Lambo had packed the ship up and got her ready to sail. Luffy joined them when they were just about done with two giant bags full of food.
Isn't hard to guess most of it would be meat. It's Luffy.
With everything ready, the trio just stood on the ship's deck, waiting for Sanji, who was still inside, packing and most likely saying good bye to his home.
"Big Bro cook sure his taking his time.", Yosaku says quietly.
"Yeah.", agrees Luffy softly.
"He's probably saying good bye to the place.", Lambo says, leaning on a railing, hands in his pockets as he waited patiently, "Give him time. It's his home."
After that being said, as if summoned, Sanji walked out, stopping just outside the Baratie's doors. He scanned over all the chefs gathered first before his eyes found Yosaku, Lambo, and Luffy. Then he mutely began to make his way to the ship.
But the cook barely even taken a step when two shouts broke through the heavy silence that had fallen over everyone.
"Now's Our Chance!", shrieks Patty.
"It's Payback Time Sanji!", shouts Carne.
The two high in the air, weapons in hand, ambushing an unbothered Sanji. Who just easily dropped his bags, flipping behind them, spinning on his hands as kicking Patty and Carne. Then walked away, stuff in hand, as if the entire thing didn't happen.
"Really guys? That was just dumb.", a cook comments next to the twitching bodies.
Lambo laughed quietly. Something told him that Patty and Carne couldn't stand the quiet and wanted to see Sanji off under as normal of circumstances as they could make it.
It was very nice of the two hot tempered cooks.
The heavy silence fell around everyone again while Sanji walked the rest of the way to the ship. It was almost suffocating to Lambo. His eyes kept flitting to every cook, Sanji, Luffy, and Yosaku, flying to each person repeatedly to make sure he wasn't alone.
Sanji placed his bags in the ship, looking up at Luffy, his face stoic.
"Let's get going.", Sanji said emotionlessly.
"You don't need to say goodbye?", asked Luffy.
Sanji smiled, his face finally softening, "No, it's fine."
The cook was just about to hop in when a certain head chef's voice cut through the air.
"Sanji.", Zeff called out, causing Sanji to freeze, "Take care of yourself, okay."
Lambo watched as Sanji's face changed from calm and collected to emotional and gratitude. His lips trembling, Lambo could hear quiet whimpers as Sanji tried not to cry, to let the emotions get to him.
The Guardian wondered if Sanji felt like a kid again, because for a moment, he looked like one.
Lambo glanced up, and saw Zeff looking down at Sanji with fond smile and soft eyes.
Luffy and Lambo both shared knowing looks and smiles just as the tears finally spilled over and fell down Sanji's cheeks.
He cried for a couple of seconds, maybe even a minute actually. But Sanji cried softly before he finally let it all out.
"Chef ZEEFF!"
The next thing Lambo knew. Sanji was down on his hands and knees, head pressed firmly against the deck.
"Thanks, you geezer.", Sanji said, his voice cracking as he was still crying, "I'll never forget your kindness. I owe my life to you old man. So thank you!"
He remained in his position, but you could still hear the cook crying as he said what he needed to say, lifting a weight from his chest. Sanji cried freely, and soon, tears fell from Zeffs eyes, and he began to cry too.
"You asshole~!", Patty shouts as he sat up, trying in vain to wipe his tears away.
Carne sat up too, slamming his fists on the deck, tears falling from under his sunglasses.
Sanji sat up, tears still falling down his face, but his expression turned into one of shock.
"I'm going to miss you so mu-hu-huch~!", cries Patty, no longer trying to hide his tears as he sobs loudly.
"I'll miss you too~!", Carne shouts.
And like that, Sanji started to cry even harder, all the chefs joined him. All crying for their sou chef. The kid they watched grow up as he worked with Zeff over the years.
Zeff sniffs loudly as he wipes at his eyes, but the smile still on his face showed how little he actually cared.
"You damned wusses.", Zeff scolded half-heartedly, his voice trembling as he spoke, "Real men should part without a word, let alone tears."
Lambo's heart, hell, his whole chest warmed at the sight.
"Che famiglia.", Lambo sighs happily as he held back his tears. (What a family.)
"LET"S GOO~!", shouts Luffy, his entire being radiating with excitement, "Set Sail!"
Yosaku and Lambo both did as they were told. Lambo released the sails while Yosaku steered the ship as it sailed away from the restaurant.
"I WILL SEE YOU AGAIN!", Sanji declared as they sailed farther and farther away, waving his arms wildly above his head, still crying, "I'LL COME BACK SOMEDAY!"
And he smiled. The Baratie chefs all shouted their goodbyes just as loudly as their pirate cook. Tears never stopped, not even once.
Lambo couldn't help but smile and wave along with Sanji, Luffy, and Yosaku. The ship, those cooks, are definitely something else. No doubt about it.
Author's Note:
I'm Baaack~
Ha Ha! I've finally did it! I've updated! Screw you writers block! Screw you time management! I've done it! I beat you both and finally got this chapter done! Whoo-hoo!
The ending man. I always cry when I see the ending of the arc. Almost did this time two. My only saving grace was the fact I had to keep pausing it so I could write the best descriptions for the mood and everyone's expressions. Hope I got it down.
Now, the next arc, Fishmen Arc, is a coming. Oooo~ I've been excited for this one! Time to get Nami back and meet a new character and watch as Lambo learns new skills with his dying will flames while Reborn is just behind them. He will catch up if they don't get Nami back, kick Arlington and his cronies asses and soon. Or else Lambo will be dragged back to Vongola kicking and screaming.
I hope you guys like the next arc!
Be You Best You! Bye!