"Mom…"

The cigarette dropped from Sanji's trembling hand as he stared at the woman before him. She was exactly as he had remembered her. Her crystal clear blue eyes, her long golden hair that matched his own, and a smile that warmed the entire room.

"You've grown up so much, my love." The woman replied, putting her hand over her heart and smiling at him. Sanji sputtered in confusion and shock, but his feet moved for him. In a second he had already crossed the room and had wrapped his arms around his mother tightly. She hugged her son back, rubbing his back. A few tears dropped quickly onto her shoulder as Sanji's emotions overwhelmed him.

"I.. I missed you so much…" Sanji whispered, his voice trembling. Sora reached up and stroked her son's hair.

"There, there… It's okay my love…Everything will be okay…I'm here now."

"I just… I don't understand. I mean, you died… I… I visited your grave." Sanji said as he held his mother's hands. After the initial reunion, Sora brought him to her room. She was living in a large castle on the Island of the Germa Kingdom.

After meeting at the docks, they rode a carriage back. It was almost surreal to Sanji, seeing the kingdom he had abandoned in his youth pass by his eyes while he sat next to the mother he had thought dead for so many years. It was too much for him to handle and every few seconds had whipped his head back around to look at her, as if expecting her to disappear. But every time she would smile back at him.

"You died too." His mother Sora responded simply as they sat on plush cushioned chairs in an elaborately decorated room. Sanji's eyebrows scrunched up as he remembered his 'death' from childhood.

"That was a ruse just to hide my worthlessness from the public." Sanji replied, stung. His voice came out bitter as he recalled the incident.

"You're not worthless, love." Sora said softly, gripping her son's hand. "I've been watching… your bounty is quite impressive, isn't it?" Sanji looked at her surprised and flinched slightly.

"Um, yeah. I suppose." He replied, looking awkward at the mention of something like that. He didn't know if a large bounty was something his mom would exactly approve of.

"It's amazing, dear! You've grown so much since you were a child… I'm sure your father is so proud of you!" She giggled. Sanji pulled his hand away from her, frowning now.

"Father… Father doesn't give a damn about me. He never has." Sanji replied coldly. "Is he here? I haven't seen him or the others yet…" He looked around the room as if expecting his father or siblings to jump out at any moment. Sora shook her head and grabbed the teapot on the table, pouring her son a fresh cup of lemon tea.

"I think they are out at the moment. Oh Sanji, is that what you've thought all this time?" She frowned and shook her head again.

"What I thought? What are you talking about?" Sanji asked, reaching over and taking the teapot from her hands and pouring a cup for her as well.

"Sanji dear… he was protecting you." She explained, looking him in the eye. His curly brow shot up.

"Protecting…? Mother… he locked me in the dungeon…"

"Because you weren't ready… Sanji dear, you know you are so different from your siblings." She smiled sympathetically. "The others were already achieving so much. It would have been dangerous to keep training you all together. He had to take a different approach."

"How is being locked away a different approach?" Sanji asked, his anger rising.

"Look at you now dear, aren't you so amazingly strong now? And capable?"

"Wait, are you implying that he planned all this? That's preposterous! I escaped! He was going to keep me in that dungeon forever, hiding away the one child that he couldn't stand!" Sanji's voice rose with indignation. Sora stayed perfectly calm, however. Her face was full of sympathy.

"It must have been so hard for you dear… I know. You poor thing… just a child. I know it wasn't the best method… but you could have been killed if you kept up with all that training with your siblings. I know he's regretted it ever since. He's always telling me what a huge mistake it all was." She said, frowning. Sanji stared at his mother, confused. His father was never one to regret anything, nor one to ever think of apologizing. Wasn't he…?

"He said that? Father? Judge?" Sanji asked, still skeptical. "Please don't lie for my sake, mother…"

"Dear, I would never lie to those I love… " Sora replied, smiling at her son.

Sanji hesitated outside of the large set of doors. His mother had told him to join the family for dinner. It would be the first time he had faced his family in almost a decade. While his mother had been extremely welcoming, he didn't think the same would happen with his father or siblings. His mother was always able to see the good in a person, but there was very little good in the rest of his family. He lit a cigarette and took a drag of it before pushing the door open in front of him.

He was greeted with the sight of his mother and siblings all seated at a long wooden table that was elaborately set with fancy looking silverware and adorned with flowers and candles. The first thing he noticed was that his father wasn't present, and there was no place setting for him as well.

Sanji tilted his head to the side as a knife came flying through the air, aimed at his head. It flew past him as he easily dodged it, and it dug itself into the wall.

"Nice to see you too, Yonji." He greeted his green haired brother who smirked back at him.

"Hey pansy. Shouldn't you be in the kitchen cooking our food for us?" Yonji sneered at his brother.

"Don't waste your breath on him, Yonji." The older brother, Ichiji said. He didn't even glance in Sanji's direction as he sipped his tea. Reiju, his older sister, glanced at him before turning her attention back to a butler that had appeared to serve them bread. Of course his siblings hadn't changed. He didn't know why he had started expecting something from them. He caught sight of his mother smiling at him and waving him over. She patted the seat next to her.

"Come love, have a seat. Don't worry about their teasing." She said. The younger two, Yonji and Niji twitched at her words, but Ichiji eyed them and they stayed quiet. Sanji walked over to his seat and sat down, stiff. Sora reached over and patted his arm lovingly before turning her attention back to the food being served. Sanji glanced over at his mother and relaxed slightly, seeing her cheerful expression before turning back to his siblings. They were all quiet, and ate in silence, not exchanging even a word as Sora chatted about her day.

Though extremely awkward at first, Sora's bright personality was able to capture Sanji's attention and he soon forgot all about the others at the table. He started chatting with his mother, asking her about her stories.

There was a moment or two when one of the boys looked about to interject but were silenced by their oldest brother's glare or stomping of a foot.

"Sanji dear, is something bothering you?" Sora asked one afternoon as they sat out in the garden. Sanji had been given full run of their kitchens, surprisingly, and had made his mother a cream cake for their afternoon tea. Sanji didn't see much of his siblings besides the odd dinner here or there. They seemed to be busy working for their father, whom Sanji had still yet to see again. Sanji didn't mind this though, he felt much more comfortable around his mother and would be happy if his father never came home at all.

"Why do you ask?" Sanji questioned as he cut a piece of the cake and placed it on a dainty saucer for his mother.

"You've been getting this far away look in your eyes… like you're going off somewhere else in your head." She answered before slipping her fork into the moist cake for a bite.

"Have I? Hmm… I guess I've been thinking of my crew-mates…" He said, looking a bit nervous. "I've been thinking… I should get back to them." Sora dropped her fork and it clattered onto the table noisily.

"Go back? To be a pirate? Why?" She asked, looking upset. Sanji looked away from her and rubbed the back of his neck.

"They're my crew-mates… my friends. I can't just abandon them. And… and I miss them a lot." Sanji replied, reaching over and picking up her fork, replacing it on her plate.

"I would miss you a lot…" His mother countered, frowning at her son.

"I…. Um… yes I would miss you too… but! Everything is going so well here. I was worried when I got the letter but you seem very comfortable. It wouldn't be goodbye forever, and I'll visit a lot!" Sanji explained. But Sora's face had already darkened for a moment before she smiled again.

"There must be some reason why you are so insistent… I know you are such a loving and wonderful son." Her eyes narrowed slightly but she kept the smile on her face. "You can tell me what's going on. I want to understand you."

Sanji hesitated.

"Well I suppose…" He picked at his own slice of cake, thinking. He didn't know why he was so reluctant to talk about his crew with his mother.

"I love you, Sanji dear." Sora smiled at him. "You love me too, right? You can trust me." She reached over and touched his wrist. Something welled up in the cook. When was the last time someone had told him they loved him? The last person to say so… was his mother, when he was a child. The only one to say so.

"Of course I love you…" Sanji replied, staring back at her and smiling. He shook his head, he didn't know why he had hesitated. "Well… if I'm honest… there's also a girl waiting for me on the ship. Her name is Zoro… and I told her I'd come back to her. She said she wanted to tell me something…" Sanji grinned, obviously pleased.

"What is she like?" Sora leaned her head against her hand, listening.

"She's… tough and a bit of an idiot… but very warm and she loves her friends very much. She would do anything for any of us, even sacrifice her life. We used to fight a lot when we first met, but over time we got to know one another…" Sanji reminisced, his eyes lighting up as he described the swordsman. Sora watched him patiently. Sanji told her all about their journeys and how their relationship developed over time, always smiling from ear to ear.

"It does seem like you really love this girl." Sora noted.

"Of course I do! So that's why I have to return… oh! But I'll definitely, er, introduce you two someday. I promise. I'm sure she'll love you too!"

"But dear, now don't misunderstand me here, she sounds incredibly lovely, but… are you sure she feels the same way as you?" Sora asked, looking concerned. Sanji stared at his mother a moment.

"Of course! I mean, she hasn't said it right out. But it's only because she's not very good at those sort of things. She grew up disguised as a man after all, so she didn't really have any experience with love or anything like that. When I left… I think she was going to confess to me. Uh, I don't mean to sound so arrogant but… I could tell. She's not very good at hiding things. She's pretty straight forward." Sanji defended.

"Oh dear, you're probably right. You know her better after all. I just am worried about you and I don't want you to get hurt, you know? I just want you to be careful… you know hearing all this from an outsider position, it does sound a bit odd. I mean… it almost sounds like she's playing with you… " Sora finished off her cake. Sanji frowned and scrunched up his eyebrows slightly.

"No… she wouldn't do something like that." He was sure. Pretty sure. Wasn't he? But his mother made him think again about their interactions.

"Sometimes we are clouded by our own love and can't see reality, dear." Sora gave him a sympathetic look. "Now, I might be wrong… I just want you to be careful. Guard your heart."

"I don't know if I can do this…" Sanji admitted, staring down at the paper and ink before him. He was sitting in the drawing room at a desk, with his mother sitting down beside him.

"Of course you can dear. You can do anything. Sometimes we just have to be a bit brave to protect those we love, right? You don't want to get your friends involved in our matters, do you? Let's let them go forward on their own journey." Sora placed the pen in front of Sanji and gestured to the paper. Sanji was concentrating on breathing. He didn't want to break away from his friends. He didn't want to say goodbye to Zoro, even if it was temporary. He didn't want to quit his adventure as a pirate and his dream to find the All Blue.

"Mother… I can't…." He whispered, hanging his head.

"Sanji… it's for the best… please, do it for me." She encouraged back. Sanji's heart was pained.

"Please mother…."

"Sanji… are you going to abandon me again?" She questioned, her voice cutting. Shocked, Sanji jerked his head up to look at her, his eyes wide.

"Abandon you… I never…"

"Sanji… didn't you? When you were just a child… leaving your poor mother, all alone with this unfeeling family." Tears started welling up in her eyes. Sanji was getting confused and started panicking at the sight of his mothers tears. He quickly pulled her into a hug.

"Mother, don't cry! I won't leave you, I promise…" He held her tightly.

"Father…" Sanji stared up at Judge, his face devoid of any emotion. His father, Vinsmoke Judge, looked down at his son with the same blank expression. They stood facing each other at a large clearing just a ways away from their mansion. Sanji's siblings were off to the side, watching the two.

"Your mother tells me that you're ready to restart your training." Judge said, staring down at the cook. Sanji scowled up at the man but looked extremely tired with bags under his eyes.

"For now, yes." Sanji admitted, but clearly wasn't happy with this arrangement.

"Good. We will reveal you to the public next week. The return of the third son of the Vinsmoke family."

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Zoro asked Nami as they stood at the wheel of the Thousand Sunny, looking out to the sea.

"Of course, you can even see it a bit in the distance." Nami handed her the telescope. Zoro took it and peered through it.

"I can't believe we're just going to walk through the front door. This is practically suicide…" Law complained, rubbing his temple as they got closer.

"Yeah yeah, if you had a problem with this plan, you should have given your own idea." Nami replied.

"I did. No one listens to me here. It's like no one wants to follow rational-" Law argued back.

"Hey, I see a ship." Zoro cut him off and handed the telescope back to Nami. She frowned and looked through it on her own.

"What is that… it's a big flag with a 66 on it." She murmured as she looked through the telescope. It was quickly snatched by Law though.

"That's one of their ships… they call themselves Germa 66."

"A welcoming party, eh?" Zoro grinned.

"Maybe it's Sanji!" Luffy surmised, grinning as the ship grew closer.

"Let's be prepared to fight, just in case." Franky added, checking his soda reserves.

"That would be wise." Brook also watched with caution as the ship approached them. It lowered it's sails as it came up beside the Thousand Sunny. Two figures stood on the deck of the larger ship, peering down at them.

"Oi! Sanji!" Luffy shouted, waving his hand at the green haired, curly-browed figure.

"Luffy… I don't think that's Sanji…" Usopp told his captain, squinting at the green haired man who scowled down at them.

"Of course it is, he just dyed his hair. He looks like Zoro now." Luffy laughed hysterically at this. Zoro looked up at the green haired figure, confused, also thinking it was Sanji for a moment. Nami hit them both.

"He doesn't even look like Sanji! Look at his face! Maybe he's a relative?" She wondered out loud. Yonji, said green haired, curly-browed man, gasped as he took in Nami's form-

"Heeey! Beautiful!" Yonji called out, completely enamored by her.

"Definitely his brother…" Nami sighed.

"Where's Sanji?" Zoro called up.

"I'm Yonji!" The man replied.

"Where's Sanji?"

"I said, YONJI!"

"Oh for crying out—"

"I like his hair."

"Don't his eyebrows swoosh the wrong way?"

"Is Sanji on the ship?"

"Sanji is my brother."

Everyone was talking at the same time and the distance wasn't helping. A quick flash of color from above distracted them, however, and a new figure landed on the deck of the Thousand Sunny. This figure also retained the curly brow of Sanji's family, but this man was wearing a deep red that matched his hair color. Everyone immediately turned to the man, whose presence commanded attention. His eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses but they could feel the pressure of his stare.

"Why are you here?" The red haired man asked.

"Another one! What's your name? Itchy?" Luffy asked, intrigued.

"I am Ichiji, the eldest of the Vinsmoke brothers." He replied, obviously not amused by their circumstances.

"That was pretty close, Luffy." Usopp approved, giving his captain a thumbs up.

"Where's Sanji?" Zoro asked again, this time directing the question to Ichiji. Ichiji scoffed in her direction then suddenly paused, looking her over.

"You're a woman…" He noticed, his cheeks turning rosy upon seeing the swords at her side, he walked over and took her hand. "A powerful woman at that….Enchanté." He kissed her hand.

"Hey bro! Are you trying to take all the women?!" Yonji called before jumping down to the Thousand Sunny himself.

"Get your head on straight, brother. We don't have time for women!" Ichiji scolded, while still holding Zoro's hand.

"B-but brother—"

"Now… straw-hat pirates…. I see you have decided to butt into our family business. Well its best if you just leave now. Sanji doesn't want to see you." Ichiji told the crew. He started walking back towards his ship, now absentmindedly pulling Zoro along with him. Zoro flashed the others a thumbs up and obediently followed.

"Wait, if you're getting that girl, can't I take the other one?" Yonji questioned, pointing towards Nami.

"What are you talking about? That's absurd. Don't let women cloud your judgement, brother." Ichiji scolded, then used little jet packs on his shoes to jump back over to his own ship, pulling Zoro along with him. The straw hat pirates watched as the two brothers continued bickering as their ship started pulling away.

"Huh. Well. Zoro's in. What's our plan then?" Nami asked, watching the ship head back towards the island.

"They are weak to women, aren't they?" Robin asked, looking amused. "I think our Swordsman will be quite capable of causing chaos from within."

"I think I see our plan coming now." Law spoke up and gestured to another ship heading their way to cut them off. It was sporting the marine's sail proudly blowing in the wind. "Ever disguise yourself as a marine, eh Straw-hat-ya?"

"Sounds fun." Luffy replied, grinning.

AN: As always, thank you all. I am so happy to finally be able to write this final arc, as it's been in my mind since near the beginning of this story. I can't believe I've made it this far, and I really thank everyone for their loving support.