"'All Blue'?" Luffy echoed, starting to grin as he noticed Sanji's demeanor changed entirely, a small smile tugging at the chef's lips.
"It's a story that sea chefs share on drunken nights…" he hummed, smiling wider as he took another drag from his cigarette. "It's about a part of the oceans where all marine life congregates, be it from the East Blue or the West Blue, a paradise of ingredients…"
"Woah…" Luffy breathed, before breaking into a wide smile. "You wanna find it, don't you?"
Sanji shook his head with a chuckle. "Do you know how many people ridiculed me for wanting that? And here you are, asking me as casually as you please…"
"Feh," Luffy huffed, rolling his eyes. "It is obvious, but I wanna hear it from you!"
Sanji couldn't help but laugh. "You're an eccentric one…"
Breathing deep, Sanji held the smoke in his lungs, before letting it all out slowly, smiling dreamily. "It's the one thing that keeps me going."
"That's what dreams are!" Luffy cheered, bouncing on his spot on the railing excitedly. "But- you can't find the All Blue here, can you?"
Sanji flinched, scratching his oddly swirled eyebrow with his thumb. "I can't leave yet. I've still got a lifetime debt to the owner."
"Eh?" Luffy's face soured. "Is he holding something against you? Do you want me to kick his ass?"
Sanji jumped to his feet. "Over my dead body! You won't touch owner Zeff!"
Luffy pulled back, before leaning in with a smile. "Ohhh! He saved your life didn't he?"
Sanji grumbled and faced out to sea, turning his back on the straw-hatted man. "He gave up so much for someone he just met. Showed me kindness when no one else did…" He shot a glare over his shoulder to the man on the railing. "I'd die to repay his sacrifices for me."
Luffy blinked "...so you'd spit on everything he did to save you?"
Sanji's body shuddered, the man turning around with anger so concentrated, Luffy could almost see the flames behind him. "What do you mean by that, shitty vest!?"
The young captain huffed, looking up to the darkening sky, before gazing into Sanji's single visible eye. "I don't understand what he did, and honestly I don't need to."
Sanji was ready to jump up there and kick the fucker in the head, but something kept him stuck on the ground.
"If you give your life up to repay him, wouldn't that make everything he did for you moot?" Luffy offered, shrugging. "I'm sure he didn't save you just so he could have an older corpse."
Sanji took a drag from his cig, breathing in the pirate captain's words. "You don't know what the hell you're talking about."
Luffy rolled forward, off the railing, and did a flip before landing on his feet, hands intertwined behind his head, staring at Sanji for a bit.
He shrugged, enraging the cook further as he walked back into the restaurant. "If you owe him so much… maybe you should respect his wishes too."
Sanji opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't find the words to argue.
"Oh, there you are Luffy." Robin calmly stated, first to notice him walking back to their table, turning to face the young pirate captain. "Did you find a cook you like?"
"Mmmnn…" the man hummed, taking his seat between Robin and Nami and pinching his chin. "Got a real good one in mind, but I think it's gonna take some work to get him to come."
"...I- I don't mind spending another day docked here." Nami offered, a little bit more flustered than usual, attracting raised eyebrows from the rest of the crew. "...The breakfast menu looked nice, anyway."
"Wait, did you actually lay the witch…?" Zoro mumbled, gently placing his sake bottle down on the table, earning a smack upside his head from Nami.
"Eh? What are you saying, Zoro?" Luffy mumbled, playing with the food on his plate before digging in with the vigor of a starving man. "She didn't need to lay down." He managed to speak out between mouthfuls of meat.
Nami was almost steaming with a blush. "You- utter dumbass…"
Yosaku and Johnny just blinked while watching the crew. "...lively bunch, aren't you?"
"Nah, you're just boring." Buggy shot back, grinning maliciously.
Usopp slapped the empty air. "Don't bully them, Red Nose!"
"Who you calling 'Red Nose', Long Nose!" the clown pirate screeched, wiggling to face the sniper.
Luffy reached out a hand suddenly, leaning over the table, and grabbed Buggy by the nose.
Everything stopped, the crew lost on how to respond to the sudden move.
"Honk," the captain chuckled, squeezing the bulbous red nose at the same time.
The table lost it, Zoro almost falling over from laughing too hard as Buggy screamed in indignation, trying to bite his captain's hand before the man pulled it back, roaring with laughter while grabbing another hunk of meat.
Robin smiled, shaking her head gently. "I don't think a captain should bully his subordinates like that, Luffy."
Buggy grinned evilly. "Yeah! Listen to the adults, Straw Hat!"
Luffy blinked, turned to Robin and shot her a shit-eating grin before giving Buggy his best poker-face and gesturing with his thumb. "...did you just call Robin old?"
"I- wait!" Buggy broke into a cold sweat as the hooded figure slowly turned to face the dismembered head. "I didn't mean it, please!"
Robin shot him a fake smile and tapped her temple. "I wonder how many pieces Zoro could cut you into, eh, clown-san?"
"Pleasehavemercy…"
Robin burst into giggles at that, Luffy slamming the table while howling with laughter. Zoro let go of his sword with a disappointed huff.
Johnny blinked, then faced his partner. "We are boring."
The laughter only stopped when Sanji brought the check, Nami managed to get a ninety percent discount with a well-placed wink and a roll of the shoulders that made her bust jiggle. Even after all of that, she shot Luffy a nasty glare at how much she had to pay for his eating habits.
"Seriously!" she screamed, as the crew filed back onto the Merry, poking him on the chest. "Where does that go! You're not fat!"
"Thanks, Nami!" Luffy answered, smiling widely, making the navigator blush a deep red.
"Wasn't a compliment! " She argued, huffing and facing Zoro. "You're more muscular than him! How are you not eating as much?"
"Booze is filling," Zoro hummed, shrugging as he paced to his favorite napping spot right at the end of the stairs.
Usopp and Buggy blinked. "That's not how nutrition works!" they screamed at the same time.
Robin smiled, shaking her head. "I'm sure it has something to do with our captain's devil-fruit, Nami."
Nami tossed her head back with a dramatic wail, hugging the older woman by her waist. "But it'll cost me so much money, Robin!"
Luffy laughed, jumping onto Merry's figurehead and lying down on it. "I'll make it up by getting us more treasure, I promise!"
She huffed, walking up and stuffing his hat back onto his head. "Well, you bette-"
She paused as Luffy grasped her hand and rose to a sitting position, the man pulling her close and gently placing the hat back on her head.
"Luffy?" she mumbled, looking up to him with confusion in her eyes, the rest of the crew watching curiously.
"Take care of it for a bit," he told her with a smile. "It's my greatest treasure, I want you to keep it till we can save yours."
Nami nodded mutely, laying a gentle hand on it. "Fine… and thank you."
"Thank me after it's done," he grinned, looking behind his navigator to the rest of the crew. "Maybe we should explain what's going on to them first though, eh?"
Nami nodded slowly and turned to face the rest. "So… Can you help me save my village?"
The crew blinked, and Zoro took another swig from his bottle of sake.
Dawn came, and the hustle and bustle of the kitchens ramped up, Sanji dragging his feet more than usual as the chefs started preparing for the breakfast rush. He still had the words from that monkey of a pirate echoing in his ears.
'Respect his wishes' huh?
"Taking my smoke break," he announced, ignoring Patty's angry scowl as he walked out to the balcony of the kitchen. He also didn't notice Zeff shooting him a curious glance.
Sanji lit his cigarette, slowly pulling a drag. It had been years since he had managed to escape from the the Hell he was raised in and end up in the kitchen of the Orbit. Only for the red leg pirates to attack, ruining his one chance at a normal life.
Then, the wave came and swept him and the captain off, almost drowning them both, trapping them on that godforsaken island.
He let go of the smoke in his lungs, looking out to the deep blue sea in front of him. Remembering the hunger eating him inside out, alone on that rock outcropping for so long.
His stomach growled at the memory, and then he let the rest of it wash over him, trying to attack Zeff in his hunger-frenzied state, thinking the other man had food he wasn't sharing.
Then he'd found out that he was given all the food Zeff got his hands on, the pirate eating his own leg in his desperation rather than letting the boy starve.
He could still remember his dry, tired answer to the simple question of 'why?'
It's cause we had the same dream.
The old man had sounded like the last gasp of a mummy, but for Sanji that was still the most father-like a person had ever sounded.
"What the hell are you doing, you little eggplant."
Zeff's voice pulled Sanji out of his musings, the blonde turning to face his fatherly boss. "Someone reminded me of something. Reminiscing with the waves."
Zeff scoffed, peg leg clunking as he took a spot next to his adoptive son. "Are you still on about what I did on that island, ya shitty cook?"
Sanji bit his cigarette and huffed. Fuck it. "It was the first time someone thought about my wellbeing… and you gave up your leg for it."
Zeff shot him a glance and grinned. "What got into you, don't tell me you're getting soft on me, boy."
Sanji pulled another drag on his cigarette. "Someone invited me to join their crew, they wanna go to the Grand Line, find the One Piece."
"Another aiming to be the Pirate King, eh?" Zeff mused with a smile. "You going with them?"
"I want to stay here and repay you." Sanji grumbled, facing out to sea. "But just this once, I'm gonna listen to what you have to say instead, old fart."
Zeff scoffed. "Must've been a hell of a sweet talker if yer' willing to listen to me now." A hand clapped Sanji on the back, a smile blooming on the older chef's face. "Go on, get outta my hair already, lil eggplant."
Sanji huffed, his shoulders sagging. "That's what I thought."
Zeff wanted to kick himself because he couldn't really say what he wanted. Instead, he grumbled, walking back to the kitchen. "Don't take too long out here."
"I know, bastard."
Nami gasped, snapping awake as she gripped her covers, shuddering and sniffling as her conscious mind raced through the memories she'd relived into her dreams. Bell-mere telling her how much she loved her, her and Nojiko running to her side before…
She flinched, recalling that explosive gunshot against Bell-mere's stomach, hugging herself tightly.
"Everything ok?" Robin asked quietly, rising up from the other bed Merry had managed to stuff into the women's quarters, her blue eyes glinting in the early morning light.
"Memories…" Nami huffed, rubbing her eyes. "I'll be fine. It'll all be fine."
She almost jumped as the little handle of the escape hatch connecting the men's quarters and theirs wiggled, Luffy's head poking through with curious eyes locked onto her. "You ok Nami?"
Nami blinked, fighting the urge to punch him on the head. "How much can you guys hear from the boy's room?"
"Not much when everyone else is asleep." Luffy shrugged, pulling himself into the room before closing the hatch behind him silently, rolling onto the floor. "Thought you sounded like you had a nightmare."
"Right… light sleeper" Nami shook her head with a groan. "Just remembering bad stuff. Don't make a big deal out of it."
Luffy hummed, sitting on the ground and leaning his head against Nami's bed. "Here to listen, if you need it."
"Luffy…" she grumbled, rubbing her forehead. "I'm serious, don't push it," she huffed, hugging her legs. "I'm not a pity case…"
Luffy snorted, face twitching a bit. "It's not pitying, I care about you."
Nami smiled, blushing slightly. "Dumbass."
Robin looked between the two. "As sweet as this all is, Captain," she hummed, pulling her covers tighter against herself, "I'm quite underdressed."
Luffy blinked, turning to face Robin. For a moment he was lost at the image of the older woman looking back at him, her light blue eyes reminding him of the ocean, black silky hair messed up from sleep. The covers pulled against her shapely body threatened to drag his usually simple thoughts into rosier depths. He blinked once more, then turned to Nami.
"She's really pretty, it's not just me right?"
His navigator blinked, looked up to Robin, and blushed with a nod in agreement before turning and smacking him with her pillow. "Stop being a perv, you dumb captain!"
Robin laughed behind her hand.
"It's you again?" Sanji hummed, lighting a cigarette, face stony and sporting a scowl. "What will you be having today, bastards?"
Luffy blinked up to him "...Nami?"
Nami gently coughed, and Sanji's demeanor shattered; twirling on the tip of his shoe he landed on his knees next to the woman. Smoke billowed out from his nose, forming into little hearts.
Robin stared at the sight, curious about how the cook was managing to do that. Turning slightly, she noticed that Luffy was doing the same, mumbling about possible abnormalities in his nasal passage.
Zoro didn't seem to care at all, grumbling about wanting more beer for his headache.
Usopp and Buggy glared at the swordsman and slapped at nothing, declaring it was too early to drink; Zoro didn't pay them any attention.
The little back and forth broke apart as someone slammed open the doors to the restaurant, Gin carrying a massive man inside.
"Is that… Don Krieg!?" One of the customers screamed, shooting to their feet. "The highest bounty in East Blue!?"
That's when chaos broke loose.
Every other customer panicked and attempted to rush out from the nearest door or window of the ship-turned-restaurant. The Straw Hats on the other hand just blinked, watching the people jump ship like there was a fire, looking between Sanji and Don Krieg who was panting on the floor, begging for food.
"Ah, Nami-swan, give me a second." The cook hummed, rising to his feet and puffing a cloud of smoke. "I've got a stomach to fill."
Buggy snorted, cackling like a madman. " Real cool line, ya flashy cook!"
Usopp flicked him on the forehead, unimpressed with the jab. In turn, the clown pirate hissed and whined, complaining and promising to maim the sniper when he least expected it.
"Sooo…" Luffy hummed, looking between the rest of his crew. "Wanna get involved?"
"Do we need to?" Nami asked quietly, leaning towards Luffy and looking worriedly at the man on the ground. "I'm sure he's too dangerous to mess with."
Buggy grumbled, racking his brain trying to remember anything about Krieg. "Oh yeah… He wears some flashy gold-steel armor with built-in weapons… pain in my ass. Wait, I don't have one right now. Head joke!"
On a haunted galleon, a skeleton's violin string snapped.
"Armor with built-in weapons!?" Usopp shot back, his eyes glinting, ignoring the attempt at comedy. "I bet it's super coooool!"
"Damn." Zoro huffed, palming Wado's hilt. "I can't slice through steel."
"Yet." Luffy added with a shit-eating grin. "I'm sure you'll figure it out soon!"
"Ah, Cook-san fed him," Robin noted, watching the infamous pirate down the plate of food before almost drowning in the glass of water. "Do you think he's going to try anything?"
"Who, Krieg?" Nami mumbled, looking back at the sight. "I'm sure he would but not right now, starvation takes a bit to wear o-"
Don Krieg roared, backhanding Sanji into the wall as he shed his cape and shirt, golden armor glinting in the morning light, "I like this place. I'll be taking it now." He jabbed a finger towards Zeff. "You there, prepare a meal for a hundred men."
Zeff looked less than amused, but rolled his shoulders and headed to the kitchen.
Nami pinched the bridge of her nose with a grunt. "At this point, I think my logic is the issue."
Usopp and Buggy nodded silently, contemplating this new reality of their life.
"Guys, where's Luffy?" Zoro asked, breaking the silence.
Nami blinked at the empty space that used to house one Monkey D. Luffy in it mere seconds ago. "H-how…?"
Then the sonic boom hit, the crew blinking and slowly turning to face where Krieg used to be, only to see Luffy standing there with his arm malformed into one of a mantis shrimp's. The club-like tip was still smoking from the immense impact, the young captain's eyes hazy and mad.
And, as suddenly as it happened, the look disappeared from his eyes, Luffy's eyes sliding down and noticing his transformed hand with visible shock, his other hand scratching his head as it tilted, as if trying to figure out what was going on.
It took him a few seconds to realize that he wasn't alone, looking around and frowning at the sight of the chefs of Baratie looking at him with eyes as big as the saucers they cooked with.
Ever the smooth criminal, Luffy hid his hand behind him as it transformed back, avoiding the looks of the chefs and whistling a broken tune nonchalantly as he speed-walked back to his table, quietly taking a seat.
Everyone blinked, and the chefs shuddered and decided to not start a fight with the guy who casually got rid of the most wanted man in this sea.
"...what was that?" Nami asked, blinking and trying to comprehend that her captain had managed to remove one of the highest bounties on East Blue out of reality, seemingly before he, himself could think about it.
"Uh," Luffy scratched the scar under his right eye, acting really bashful for someone so utterly overpowered. "Animal instincts, I guess?"
"That animal was the mantis shrimp, correct?" Robin asked, really intrigued by the revelation, "Perhaps Krieg's armor made him close to a crab in your eyes?"
"... you tellin' me Straw Hat's got the predator instincts of a flashy shrimp?" Buggy mumbled, before bursting out into belly-aching laughter.
"You better get that under control!" Nami fumed, gently punching Luffy on the shoulder. "How do you even function with animal instincts wired in you like that?"
"It's not like that!" Luffy argued, crossing his arms like a child with a huff. "I got it under control! He just had a really punchable face! And I just-" he punched the air weakly. "You know! What does it matter anyway? I took care of it!"
"Right!" Usopp cheered. "All according to my plan!"
The whole crew blinked, and Usopp puffed his chest up higher, not even realizing that he was lying.
Gin finally broke out of his stupor and wailed, punching the deck about losing his Don, but the Straw Hat crew didn't pay him any heed, Zeff stepping over him while delivering the food to the Galleon at the door.
"You can't just punch whoever you want, Luffy!" Nami argued, pinching his cheek. "What if it was a king or something?"
"Wouldn't change a thing! I'm a pirate, I do what I want!" he argued back, pouting harder.
Robin watched the entire interaction with a smile growing on her face. "I suppose that's accurate to your beliefs, Captain."
Luffy nodded, and Nami sighed, letting go of his cheek. "Whatever, at least the problem is gone."
"I-I'll say." Sanji wheezed, readjusting his tie and walking up to the crew, ignoring his cheek growing darker with a bruise already forming. "Thank you for saving Baratie, Red Vest."
Luffy smiled at the cook. "If ya wanna thank me, then join my cr-" The words died in his throat as he felt something wash over the ship.
Zoro perked up, feeling the same sensation, even Sanji seemed to shake off whatever damage Krieg had given him and faced the doors, his cigarette falling from his lips and onto the ground.
Nami was already on her feet with a squawk. "What the hell was that air pressure!?"
"Not sure- Usopp, Nami, pull the Merry out from the dock. Robin, grab Buggy and go with them, they'll need the extra hands." Luffy ordered, rising to his feet. The other two were already rushing out the back door, Robin following their trail at a calmer pace, Buggy in her hands, the clown screaming about death coming to greet them.
Nodding to Zoro, Luffy walked out with him onto the front deck of the Baratie, Sanji limping slightly behind them as they walked out to the open air.
The scene that greeted them was out of a nightmare.
The sea was sliced in two, for the lack of a better term, a deep wake painting a trail leading to a diced galleon, its cleanly cut pieces slowly sliding apart as the waves ate at it.
Finally, the pieces were pushed too far apart and cubes of wood toppled over like a house of cards, littering the surface of the ocean with debris.
Luffy gasped in awe at the destruction, Sanji looking back at the Baratie, trying to see if there was any damage to Zeff's treasure. Zoro, unlike the other two, slowly turned to where the slice began, starting to smile.
At the start of the path of destruction, a coffin awaited him. Floating on the waters without even swaying, carrying a single occupant. A man, wearing elegant clothing and a wide-brimmed hat shadowing his face, a large cross on his back.
The only thing the three-sword swordsman could see of the man's facial features was his two golden eyes, glowing even in the shadows, peering with boredom towards the catastrophe of his own making.
Zoro's hand went to his bandana, smile growing feral. He knew who that was.
"Dracule Mihawk!" He uttered, the words cutting through the carnage like one of his blades.
" I challenge you to a duel."
