Chapter 32

"Luffy, we've got a super problem," Franky said as he climbed out of the docking system where he had been doing some minor repairs and tune ups.

"What kind of problem?" Nami asked.

"It's getting dark… there are eighteen people on the Sunny…."

"That is a problem…," Sanji said, who was sitting next to Nami on the bench around the mast. "We didn't think about where everyone was going to sleep…. Not as big of a problem as I was expecting but still a bit of an issue…."

"Let's just not sleep!" Luffy laughed. "We can have a party!"

"Absolutely not!" Chopper said. "Sanji and his siblings should be resting! But no! They think they have to act as bad as Zoro!"

"Anyone want some Venusian stew?" Sanji said staring at the reindeer.

The little doctor made a small yipping sound and backed away from Sanji and into Raiju's leg.

"Sanji, that's not nice!" She said picking Chopper up and holding him in her arms. "How could you say something like that to this adorable little reindeer."

"Stop it. Your compliments don't make me happy or anything, ya jerk! Put me down and go away." Chopper said in his usual way of pretending to hate compliments but failing horribly.

"Uhhh…? O-okay…?" Reiju replied not sure whether he meant what he said or what his expression said.

"Ignore him," Nami said.

"He does that all the time," Robin added with a chuckle.

"With him you have to go by his actions and not his words," Sanji finished.

"Okay… but still… how could you of all people threaten this adorable little animal with cooking him? Where's the sweet little boy that wouldn't even harm a fly?"

"He's part human, it's fine…."

"Sanji-kun!" Nami said smacking him on the arm.

"I'm joking Nami-San."

"But that doesn't answer my question…. Where'd my sweet baby brother go?"

"He died years ago… on a rock… in the middle of the ocean… never mind that…. I'd say he died the day he ran away but that Sanji was a royal brat who didn't understand the value of food, nor did he know how to treat a lady. Value of food he didn't learn until being on that rock. How to treat a lady he learnt after Zeff opened The Baratie. But in my opinion he officially died on the rock. This Sanji, however, was still learning that there are other ways of doing things."

"Took a few years to get threw the Little Brat's thick skull not to be fighting with his hands… as well as how not to cut himself when cutting ingredients," Zeff said to Sora.

"Shut up Old Geezer."

"I'll never forget the first time he cooked for me. He walked all the way from the castle to the hospital, by himself, in the pouring rain, regardless of the fact that his father would have been angry if he found out. His little hands were covered in bandaids."

"The food was completely ruined," Sanji muttered.

"It was not."

"Mom, the nurse threw it away."

"And I told her to bring it to me. Or did you forget that I knew instantly that what she brought me was not what you made?"

"No… but that don't mean what I made was any good?"

"I told you it was, didn't I?"

"Well, yeah… but… even I know, now, how bad my cooking was back then…. So…."

"Stop doubting yourself, Sanji. You know full well that I wouldn't lie to you. Your cooking was good back then... but now it's beyond extraordinary." Sanji's face lit up. "Even your brothers are looking past the fact that you're a royal and eating it, despite their 'royals serve no one' rule."

"I'm fine with revising that rule," Niji said, subconsciously looking at Cosette before glancing to his brothers.

"Mmm… why not?" Yonji said before turning to Sanji. "But don't you think that means I'm going to start cooking or anything like that!"

"Wouldn't dream of it," Sanji chuckled .

Niji and Yonji looked at Ichiji and silently waited for his response.

"Oh, what the hell?! I guess royals serving others a little won't hurt anything, at least until our enhancements are back."

"This conversation is not solving the current situation," Law said trying to bring the conversation back to sleeping arrangements.

"Does any of our conversations ever solve our situations?" Sanji said, causing Robin to chuckle.

"You know what I meant! What is wrong with you Straw Hats?!"

"The girls can sleep in the girls dorm…." Carrot stated.

"But there's hardly enough room in the boys dorm for all the guys," Nami added.

"There's the bed in Chopper's office, as well as the benches in the kitchen, aquarium, and crows nest. I'll sleep in the kitchen because I'll be up first to make breakfast, that way I won't be waking anyone up. That leaves a bed for someone in the boys dorm. Law has a habit of sleeping on the deck… if he even sleeps at all. Yonji is to tall for the beds, so Ichiji and Niji can decide who gets it."

"Niji can have it. He's closer to your height, shorty," Ichiji teased.

"I know that was meant for Sanji, Niji started, turning to his older brother, "but I also find that statement insulting."

Yonji lent in closer to his brother and slowly muttered just barely loud enough for everyone to hear, "Not as insulting as… Niji's afraid of thunder." He said in a childish teasing tone then waited for a moment as Niji glared at him. "Nope…," he said shaking his head, "it's just not the same as teasing Sanji."

"You're lucky I don't have my enhancement," Niji replied still glaring at his youngest brother.

"You three know what the Cook's afraid of?" Zoro asked.

"Marino!"

"Hundred barries that it's what I think it is?" Yonji said with a hint of a grin.

"Na," Niji said. "He's had to of grown out of that by now."

"Sorry Ni," Ichiji said slowly shaking his head.

"What? Ichi! How could you side with him! Have you not noticed all the things he's grown out of? You can't tell me that's not one of them?"

"WOULD YOU THREE STOP MAKING BETS ABOUT ME LIKE I'M NOT IN THE ROOM!"

"Yo-ho-ho. Well technically, Sanji-San, you're not in a room. You're on the deck of a ship."

"Shut up, Brook!"

"Hey Usopp, you discovered Sanji's fear…. You should tell them."

"AND LET SANJI KILL ME! ZORO, I'M NOT SUICIDAL!" Usopp gulped when Zoro placed a hand on Kitetsu's hilt and began to draw the sword. He turned and ran for the boys dorm.

"Well he's no fun," Zoro muttered.

"I'm going to kick your ass, Moss Head!"

"Not before that spider bites you in the face."

"Spi~?" Sanji turned away from the swordsman to find a giant, black, fuzzy, tarantula two inches from his face.

He and Nami jumped behind the mast, with remarkable speed.

"Wait a minute…." Sanji said before he and Nami looked up to find Usopp clinging to the mast with a fishing rod. He was looking down at them with a grin of fake innocents.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" They both yelled as Usopp jumped down, dropped the rod, and took off in a sprint. The two began to chase him as Nami took out her Sorcery Climate Baton.

Yonji and Ichiji held out their hands in front of Niji.

He sighed before handing them both a hundred berries. "Sanji, that's the last time I'm ever betting in your favor!"

"Shut up! It was only two hundred berries!" He said now pinning Usopp to the ground with his foot as Nami waked him several times in the head with the Climate Baton.

"Okay Sanji-kun, I think he's had enough," Nami said putting the Climate Baton away. "What about you?"

"I don't think he's quite learned his lesson yet…. Maybe a few more good kicks?" He answered applying a little more weight to his foot.

"Hmmm… sounds good to me."

"N-n-no! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please! No more! I didn't mean it! Don't kill me!" He cried in his quivering voice he typically used when he insulted an enemy.

"You know what? I think I'm going to wait and kick him as hard as I can when he's least expecting it."

"I like that plain! That way we can watch him squirm every time you walk by him!"

Sanji slowly removed his foot as both his and Nami's eyes seemed to glow with thoughts of revenge. It didn't take any time for Usopp to skerry across the deck, as far away from Sanji and Nami as he could.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to bed," Sanji said stretching. "I don't think you need me to decide where everyone else is going to sleep. Chopper, please tell me we don't have to sleep in these stupid raid suits?"

"I guess not, as long as you put it back on the second you get up in the morning."

"Oh think God, normal clothes," Sanji muttered before heading to the boys dorm to change.

As always hope you enjoyed this chapter! Can't wait to hear what you think!