Every once in a while Sanji would talk in his sleep.
It wasn't very often, thank God, and it was rarely coherent. But when he saw the shitty swordsman or his moronic captain look at him oddly as he served breakfast, Sanji would know that, annoyingly enough, he had spent the night mumbling and moaning.
Zoro would have the audacity to look at him as if he were some perverted freak—as if he thought no one saw how he touched that white sword of his—but Luffy only would look curious. Sanji didn't mind that as much. Curious was much better than accusational.
And even if his crewmates realized he suffered from bad dreams—which Sanji didn't think they did, the men were much to thickheaded to process thought and the women slept in a different room entirely—there was no way for them to know what griped his mind.
It wasn't dreams of the past, of hunger and starvation, although in a way that was part of his fears. No, Sanji had nightmares were much, much worse.
He dreamed of being alone.
Food brought people together. Parties, weddings, celebrations, funerals, baby showers, birthdays…they were all commemorated with food. Sanji would know; he had catered enough of the damn things while on the Baratie. It was why his idiotic captain enjoyed post-adventure celebrations as much as he did. They brought together his two most treasured things: people and food. Enjoying a good party was the one thing Sanji could truly say he had in common with Luffy.
Famine turned brother against brother. For God's sake, he had tried to kill the shitty geezer all those years ago because there had been no food. Even before those fateful days shipwrecked on that forsaken rock, Sanji had experienced the togetherness that came with sharing a meal.
But his nightmares were more than starvation. Sanji feared the day he would wake up an old man, companionless. Despite his superior charm and sophistication he had yet to find someone to share his life with, if only for a night.
To be lonely was a terrible thing, and Sanji sought to avoid it as much as possible.
Which is why he endured the company of the boorish, uncultured swine; jumpy, excitable idiots; and childish, irritating fools. And the ladies. The ladies were welcome any time.
So when the shitty swordsman would look his way, Sanji would glower and raise one foot threateningly, but not say a word. After all, it didn't matter if he found All Blue if there was no one to share it with.