Thanks for all the support and comments you've been giving me! It really means a lot! And sorry in advance for any typos!


Luffy was in his dressing room, chugging down a large bottle of water while resting on the luxurious velvet couch, when he heard a knock at the door. He perked up, guessing it was either his bodyguard or his cook, either of which he'd be happy to see. On second thought, he'd rather it not be Zoro… He was pretty sure the man was still cross with him after Luffy had slipped past him that morning to go out exploring the city on his own. It was just too easy when his bodyguard had the tendency to fall asleep on watch! Though Luffy never tattled on him since Zoro was the best bodyguard he'd ever had and he was always there when it really mattered. It was sort of a mutual thing they had going on, Luffy let Zoro slack off all the time and Zoro wouldn't tell his manager or brothers when he got caught sneaking out or doing something he wasn't supposed to. But after the incident earlier that day when he was recognized and nearly mobbed in public, Zoro had been pretty mad. And Luffy had felt bad about it too, knowing that if anything happened to him while he was in Zoro's care, the man could lose his job. But he wanted to see the city a little and he was so, so, SO bored sitting around in his dressing room. He'd never been to America before and he didn't know when the next time he'd have the chance to see it was so could they really blame him?

The knocking came again but Luffy was already at the door, opening it to find Sanji standing there with his fist held up to knock again. Next to him was a cart filled with assorted foods and Luffy's mouth was already watering as the aroma hit him. He reached for one of the pork buns on the top tier of the cart but was intercepted by Sanji swatting his hand away.

"Oi! At least let me bring the food into the room before you start inhaling it!" Sanji scolded, pushing his way past the younger man.

Luffy followed closely after the cart as the chef wheeled it over to the table. "Thanks, Sanji! Man, I'm starving, I hope there's lots of meat today!"

"Of course," Sanji assured, unloading the food onto the table. "But you have to eat the vegetables too. You need to keep your energy up for the performance tonight." Luffy dug in without hesitation and the cook let him this time. Once he'd finished placing the food in front of the younger man, he pulled out one of the stools at the bar and made himself at home. "So where's mosshead at anyways?"

Luffy shrugged and tried to speak through his mouthful of food, which only ended up making a mess. He quickly swallowed before trying to speak again. "Dunno. Haven't seen him since earlier, but I imagine he's got his hands full with the crowd of fans I may have led here."

Sanji raised his eyebrow at that. "What sort of trouble did you get yourself into this time?"

"I just went out for a bit, that's all!" Luffy whined defensively. He didn't need another boring lecture about being responsible and all that lame stuff. "Oh and I'm gonna need your help sneaking out tomorrow too. Zoro's watching me super closely now and there's no way I'm getting out of here on my own."

"Not that I'm against making that shitty bodyguard's life harder, but what's so important that you need to sneak out twice in one trip? Robin-chan won't be happy if she finds out."

"Kinda met someone this morning," Luffy replied through bites of food. "And I promised him a coffee to make up for the one I made him spill. And I always follow through on my promises, you know that!"

"Alright, alright, I'll help you out." Sanji agreed as he got up from his seat and the bar and collected the dishes Luffy had already licked clean. "So who is this guy?"

"Torao!" Luffy answered, pieces of his sandwich falling out of his mouth.

"That's a weird name. Sounds gang related or something… You sure it's a good idea to go find him? You don't really know what kind of person he is or what his intentions are."

"Nah, s'okay." Luffy grinned and wiped his face with his sleeve. "He's a good person, I can tell!"

Sanji placed a cigarette between his lips before lighting it. He took a long drag as he watched the boy skeptically for moment, but then smiled. Luffy was gullible and kind of stupid most of the time, but he also had this ability to see the good in people and not only that, but to bring it out as well. He'd shown his ability to so in the past. Zoro had been travelling with the crew since before Sanji was employed, but he knew that Zoro had been a bounty hunter who found himself in trouble a little too often. He was basically working for the government, bringing in criminals and collecting the rewards, but it was a job that didn't offer him much protection and he seemed to make enemies easily. When he found himself in too deep, targeted by the Japanese mafia, Luffy had found him. He'd gotten Zoro a job as a general security guard for him and his brothers, even though everyone had doubted him at first - good people weren't usually hunted down by an organized crime organization, right? But the two quickly became close and Zoro had proven his dependability time and time again. It was only natural for Zoro to be Luffy's private bodyguard and he'd been by his side ever since. That mosshead annoyed the shit out of Sanji, but he knew he wasn't a bad guy. Hell, he even trusted the guy to some degree (not that he would ever admit it). So if Luffy said someone was a good person than Sanji would trust him on that.

"Whatever," The blond said finally. "Just don't be an idiot, got it? If anything happens to you, I'll be out a job." He grabbed the last few empty dishes and threw them on the trolley before rolling it out the door again. "Anyways, good luck with the show tonight. Break a leg and all that."

Luffy thanked his cook and shut the door after he left, then returned to his place on the couch. His full stomach was making him feel comfortable and sleepy, and since there was still a few hours before he had to go in for makeup and wardrobe, he decided it was plenty of time for a nap. He closed his eyes and let himself drift slowly to sleep, his dreams filled with food, adventure, and a certain tall, dark-haired man with cool grey eyes and a surprisingly warm smile.