Angel of Death Fruit

Book One: Deadline

By Dixxy Mouri

Chapter Two – March 1, 3:16 pm

Despite the cook's odd behavior the day before, everything was running smoothly on the ship. Nami attributed it to the absence of some of the crew's more hyperactive members (their captain included). It was nice just being able to sit out on the deck and have a civilized conversation with Robin without the interference of the male crew members – sans the cook, who provided cocktails and snacks. And compliments.

"Navigator-san, don't you think we should do something?" asked Robin.

"Hmm?" Nami asked. The conversation had lulled, and she had turned her attention to a book. She had assumed the older woman had done the same, but Robin had a thoughtful look in her eyes that suggested otherwise. "Do something about what? Everything's been fine – is something wrong?"

"Cook-san's birthday is tomorrow," she said.

The navigator shrugged. The cook had made it pretty clear that he didn't want anything – Nami found it odd on a personl level, but she really didn't know enough about Sanji's history. Perhaps the region of North Blue he was from didn't have birthday celebrations, or maybe something Zeff taught him went against the practice. So, in theory, in the best present they could give him was, well, nothing. "Sanji-kun said he didn't want anything," said Nami.

Robin shook her head. "True, but don't you think we should at least thank him for everything he does for us? He treats the two of us like queens – possibly better than either of us deserves – and for what? You take advantage of Cook-san's kindness infrequently and he doesn't get very much in return."

"He probably thinks that he can sleep with one or both of us if he keeps up the loyal servant act" said Nami. She put her book down. "You know, on occasion I'll have a serious conversation with him, but before long he's suddenly back to his horny little self. Don't get me wrong – he's sweet, but sometimes I'm half-tempted to buy him a hooker just to get him out of my hair once in a while."

Robin nearly choked on a laugh. "Navigator-san, that's terrible!"

Nami smiled. "Come one, you know he'd probably like it," she said.

The archaeologist frowned. "I don't think he'd appreciate that."

"Are we talking about the same Sanji-kun?" Nami asked.

"Well, although it is true that Cook-san deeply admires the fairer sex, he also has a lot of respect for them. He was nearly killed back in Enies Lobby because of his chivalry – I don't think he would do anything with a prostitute except perhaps try and help her escape from her employer," Robin pointed out. Nami conceded the point, and the older woman continued. "There isn't much we can do on the ship – he controls the kitchen, although I supposed we could find a way to keep him out long enough to bake a cake."

"Do you know how to bake?" asked Nami.

Robin shrugged. "It can't be that hard."

"Famous last words," Nami said dryly.

"I'm sure if we read one of his cookbooks it'll explain it," said Robin. "I've done a little bit of personal cooking for myself – certainly nothing as spectacular as what Cook-san is able to do – but recipe books aren't that complicated to follow. They tell you what you need and how much you need to make, well, whatever. Although it's true our supplies might be limited, but perhaps if we look around long enough we'll find something we can use."

Nami frowned. "All right, let's say we do decide to do something for our overly amorous friend. It should be something we're good at. Like. . . ah. . . oh! I think there might be some sweets in the hull of the ship – we could dig into those tomorrow. Oh - even though we don't know what it looks like, I could draw some pretend maps of All Blue to hang around the ship! Or we could make little paper fish to hang up so it would look like they were swimming through the ship – maybe we could even have a little party down by the aquarium."

Robin sat up. "I recently discovered a book about the legend of All Blue in the library – I don't think Cook-san knows about it, so perhaps we could wrap it up and give it to him as a present. Certainly it would most likely end up back in the library, but the knowledge that the book is there might be good."

"Sadly, I've already read that book – twice."

Nami and Robin turned their heads to see a rather depressed looking Sanji standing behind them, his arms crossed and a limp cigarette hanging off his bottom lip. He was carrying a pair of cocktails that were decorated to the nines – even by his standards, they were extraordinary. "Nami-san, Robin-chan, I really appreciate the gesture but I don't want the two of you to do anything like that for me. Really, it's fine."

"Are you certain, Cook-san? Tomorrow should be your day," said Robin.

Sanji placed the cocktails on the small table between the women and shook his head. "It's just another day, that's all," he said. He laughed. "As long as I get to spend time with my Nami-swan and Robin-chan I'll be perfectly fine – really. Especially with Luffy and the others gone it'll be a nice change of pace."

"Aw, c'mon, Sanji-kun, it'll be fun!" said Nami. She grinned seductively at him (something she usually only did when she was trying to con him or another hormonal man into something). "For me? Robin and I would really enjoy it. We could sit out on the deck in our swimsuits all day. . . you could cover us in suntan oil. . ."

Sanji calmly shook his head. "The two of you shouldn't exhaust yourselves over me."

The navigator discovered she needed about ten seconds to process what he had just said. Sanji – SANJI, for crying out loud – had refused her. What. . . the FUCK? Nami stared at Sanji in surprise, who quietly told them dinner would be ready in a couple of hours before turning on his heels and returning to the kitchen. Nami turned her head back to Robin, who had a similar expression on her face. Since when does SANJI of all people turn down an offer for two girls to lounge around in skimpy bathing suits all day long?

"That was NOT our Cook-san," said Robin.

Nami frowned and turned her attention to the cocktails. "He pulled out all the stops this time," she said, picking up one of the cocktails. "He always does a nice job, but look at home much detail he put into carving these strawberries to look like flowers." She took a sip. "And I recognize the liquor – it's that really fancy stuff he picked up a few ports ago that he won't let anyone get near."

Robin raised an eyebrow. "Navigator-san, I don't like this."

Nami frowned, looking towards the galley. "Sanji-kun. . . is something wrong?"

"Perhaps his birthday harbors a sore spot for him?" Robin asked.

The navigator sighed. "Well, you might be right," she said. "He's only mentioned he's from North Blue once – before that we all just assumed he was from East Blue. And he was on a ship that sank when he was a kid. Maybe he misses someone for North Blue or that ship and he doesn't like spending his birthday without them?" Nami closed her eyes – her birthday was hard without Bellemere-san around (even if she wasn't sure it WAS her birthday).

"That is a strong possibility, Navigator-san," said Robin, crossing her legs and looking over towards the galley. "I remember Miss Wednesday was particularly homesick her first birthday as a member of Baroque Works – perhaps Cook-san misses the restaurant he used to work at?"

"Luffy did say that he and the other chefs had a rather tearful good-bye," said Nami, thinking this over. "From what I gathered about Sanji-kun's relationship with his boss, Zeff was basically a father to him. They both lost everything and didn't have much of a choice but to stay together. They didn't always get along, but the old man means something to Sanji-kun."

Robin stood. "I think it might be best to not push Cook-san on the celebration, but he's hiding something," she said. She took a step towards the galley and folded her arms. "We probably want to look into what it is. I have a very bad feeling about this behavior and we'll want to avoid trouble at all costs."

March 1, 3:20 pm

Sanji was supposed to be chopping vegetables, but instead he was crouched on the floor, listening to Robin and Nami talking outside. They must not be aware how well sound travels in here, he thought. He bit his bottom lip, fighting back tears. I'm a man – I can't let them see me crying. I have to be strong. Even if. . .

But the girls didn't appear to be ready to confront him, and he relaxed a little. He sat down and leaned against the wall, lighting a cigarette and taking a deep drag. He wiped the tears with the back of his hand – he'd have to wash them before getting back to cooking. No need to get his tears or cigarette ashes in the food.

He leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling, letting the cigarette hang from the corner of his mouth. I can't let them find out. . . I don't want them to see me like that. . . I wouldn't want any of them to see me like that. . . He put out the cigarette on the floor and stood up, looking into his reflection in the back of a frying pan.

For a minute, he saw himself thirteen years earlier – a happy six year old on the eve of his seventh birthday. Sanji smiled at the memory – that really had been the last birthday he'd truly been happy. It seemed like there was nothing wrong with the world on that day. Everyone he knew and loved was there with him.

And a year later, I was begging the captain of the Orbit to give me a job.

Though Sanji decided that he didn't regret a lot of things that happened after getting on that ship, he sometimes wondered what would have happened if his life had taken a different course. He certainly wouldn't have been a sous chef in a fancy restaurant by the time he had reached puberty, and he probably wouldn't have picked up his smoking habit (at least, not at that age). Most likely he wouldn't be a pirate – he'd probably have had some kind of apprenticeship back in North Blue, leading a quiet life, maybe with a young wife by then. Maybe he would have been a cobbler or – as funny as the idea was to him now – he would have enlisted with the Marines.

But that wasn't the way things had happened. Instead, he was now a wanted pirate working as a cook on a ship full of idiots trying to achieve some nearly impossible dreams – his own dream of finding the legendary All Blue included. It was almost laughable, but it was true. That's exactly where he had ended up, and there was little he'd be able to do to change that at this point in his life. Not that he was very interested in it, but it wasn't easy to get a bounty revoked like Zeff had.

He thought back to the days following his and Zeff's rescue from that rock. There had been some Marines on board that ship, and they kept a close watch on his mentor knowing who he was. Sanji hadn't quite understood at first – although both of them were being fed, Zeff's room was kept under heavy lock and key with Marines escorting him everywhere he wanted to go.

Of course, he had realized, they were going to have Zeff formally arrested once they reached a port. He would probably be executed for piracy. Sanji felt sick at the thought – true, he and the old man didn't get along very well, but that man had sacrificed so much for him. Even as a child he knew that he was indebted to that man, and he couldn't let him die like that. He had to do something.

So, unsure if a young child's word would do anything – especially a scrawny little nobody like him, Sanji somehow found the commanding officer of the Marines on board, managed to get an appointment with the man, and pleaded Zeff's case on his hands and knees, begging for the old man's life.

The Marine officer didn't take him seriously at first and probably wanted to have him committed for insanity. But Sanji told the officer everything – how Zeff had gone after him when he went overboard (mentioning the Orbit had been a huge help), how Zeff had given him all the food and made sure they had good coverage of the horizen line to look for ships.

How Red Leg Zeff had cut off and eaten his own leg so that little Sanji wouldn't starve.

Sanji's story had apparently made something with the Marine officer click – he told Sanji that he would work something out, and he felt relieved. There was a chance that Zeff was going to be okay. Sanji wasn't sure what he was going to do, but now at least the old man might be all right.

After a week-long trial, Zeff's bounty was dropped and he was allowed to open the Baratie (albeit under very strict probation). He was also made Sanji's legal guardian, a decision neither of them quite understood, but Sanji guessed it had something to do with re-integrating Zeff into normal society after a life of piracy.

And even though they fought a lot, there was an unspoken agreement that Zeff was a second father to Sanji and Sanji was the son Zeff never had. Once the restaurant began to attract more and more dangerous customers, Zeff began to train Sanji how to fight – he didn't want the kid to get hurt, and with his power significantly reduced because of the incident on the island, it wasn't a bad idea to pass on his fighting style.

But even then things weren't always easy at the Baratie. As a child, many of the new workers wouldn't take Sanji seriously because of his age despite his position as the assistant head chef. When he got older, they took him seriously until they learned that he didn't simply look young – he actually was young. It always took a while for them to accept him as one of the bosses, and it took Sanji a while to learn how to let it go quickly and get back to work.

It was what he had to do to survive. Things were a little different with the Straw Hat pirates – though he felt a closeness to the other chefs – especially Zeff – these were the first real friends he had ever had. Sure he and Zoro fought a lot, but sometimes the two of them would be able to get along very well after a few drinks. He liked to tease Usopp, but the long-nosed marksmen was a fun companion to celebrate with and was probably one of his best friends on the ship. Luffy, despite being a complete idiot at times, was actually a very good captain – he always had a way of knowing what needed to be done right away and just went ahead and did it. Simple, but somehow effective. Sometimes. Chopper and Franky were great to hang out with, too – he would never actually go ahead and cook Chopper and although the crew was still getting used to Franky being one of their crew mates, well, at least it didn't take a few drinks for Sanji to have a civil conversation with the cyborg.

And the ladies. . . oh the ladies! Robin was a smart, sexy, sophisticated woman who was polite if not a little morbid (though he really couldn't blame her, considering all that had happened to her) and was very good about keeping her head in a bad situation – possibly better that Zoro or Nami.

Nami-san. . . Sanji couldn't help himself – Nami was special. There was still something about the busty young navigator that he simply adored. Certainly there was a physical attraction, but there was something completely psychological about her that made his head spin. She wasn't like normal girls – she was more than just pretty. Sanji wasn't quite sure why, but he felt fairly certain that this was a little more than some school-boy crush.

Sanji had a very deep respect for her. She'd lived through a nightmare for a very long time as a part of Arlong's crew, trying desperately to save her village despite almost impossible odds. When she was stick, she still wanted the crew to press onward to Arabasta to help Vivi (and even Sanji had to admit that things would have gone a bit easier there had Nami not gotten sick).

Of course, Sanji didn't think he had much of a chance with her. He laughed to himself. No. Nami probably just saw him as the crew's silly dork of a cook who liked to wait on her hand and foot, and that was probably all she thought he might've been good for. He was her stepping stool, but even so, he didn't care.

Sanji was in love with Nami.

Then again, I guess that really doesn't matter now, does it? Even if I said to her that I loved her, she probably wouldn't care. She would probably just laugh at me and pat me on the head like some kind of little kid and go on with her day. Sanji stood up, washed his hands, and got back to work.

March 1, 3:47 pm

"Master Kenji!"

Kenji growled as he stepped forward. He and one of his subordinates were walking through the woods making sure that everything was running smoothly. "Borgat, I would suggest that you keep it down – let's not attract unnecessary attention from anything on this island," he said. "Even if a simple animal were to investigate us, that animal could bring Straw Hat Luffy or any of his crew to us when we aren't ready for them. Learn that - we don't know what a man with a bounty on his head worth three hundred million berries can do."

Borgat, despite being much taller and wider than Kenji, knew better than to argue with him. He was their mistress' second in command, and his authority wasn't to be questioned. "Yes sir," he said. He dropped the large battle axe he'd been carrying over his shoulder and leaned against it as he gave his report. "We've confirmed the location of all eight known Straw Hats – they've split into two groups. Three of them are guarding their ship, and the rest appear to be camping – our best guess is that they're on a hunting expedition."

Well, that made sense."Pirates need to eat as much as the rest of us, I would imagine," said Kenji. He scratched his chin and placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. He gripped it tightly and grinned. He closed his eyes and chuckled a little. "Specifically, I want to know more information about our target and his location."

Borgat raised an eyebrow. "I was told about this particular target. Even for you, I'm-"

"Borgat, shut up and just do as your told. It's just another target – got it?"

The larger man frowned. Perhaps Kenji's dedication to his work was why he was the boss' favorite. "I understand," he said. Whatever. Kenji could do whatever he wanted – just as long as he didn't stand between him and his barrel of grog at the end of the day, Borgat really didn't care. "What are our orders until then?"

"Stay AWAY from the target's location – spread yourselves across the island and keep a handful of our men and women at the base in case his crew falls under the delusion that they can stop us – capture and maim any of the Straw Hats who stands in our way, but only kill them if absolutely necessary – we could loose some of the bounty money that way. And don't go looking for a fight – although the Straw Hats would bring a fortune to the members of our group, I'd rather we not risk loosing some of them in the process unless necessary."

"Ah, so we'll be hunting the Straw Hats for their bounties?" asked Borgat.

"If need be. I'd rather stay away from Monkey D. Luffy and Roronoa Zoro – there's no telling what men with bounties that high are capable of – but the rest you can consider fair game. I'm especially certain the Marine scientists would have a field day dissecting the supposed cyborg on the crew," Kenji said coolly. "And of course the capture of Nico Robin would make us all heroes."

"And you will be. . .?"

"I'll be waiting at our base for our mistress' return," he said. He turned to Borgat and grinned, sending ice up and down the spine of his subordinate. Kenji looked ahead and grinned. "It's been a very, very long time since I've seen our target – twelve years now. It's going to be some reunion."

March 1, 4:50 pm

There it is – the ship of the Straw Hat Pirates.

Sanae stood on the edge of the shoreline, looking at the pirate ship bearing a jolly roger that must have belonged to Monkey D. Luffy and his crew. I know there's only three of them on that ship. But that won't make this any easier. She frowned when she saw the distance between the ship and the shore. She grimaced – ah, that was going to be a pain in the ass.

"Oh that's just great," she said. "Now how am I going to get on that boat?" She crossed her arms and stared at the boat incredulously. There had to be a way for her to get on that ship. She looked around – maybe there was a tree branch or something she could use to float over to the boat. Right now she needed to sneak onto the boat without anyone seeing her. Although she was somewhat convinced she could probably handle Burglar Cat Nami (provided she could keep her from calling in reinforcements) without much trouble, the other two would present much greater challenges.

But before she needed to worry about a confrontation with ANY of them, she needed to get on that boat! She sat down on a rock to think. The best thing she could do would be to wait for nightfall anyways – that would make her visibility low and give her some time to plan her next move.

Once she got on the ship things would get really sticky – she was going right into a hornet's nest and she needed to tread carefully to not get stung. Staying out of view would be a good idea. Right now she just needed to make some observations – she needed to know exactly what these pirates were like.

Sanae hadn't gone into this completely blind – she had done a little research by listening to the gossip around some Grand Line taverns to figure out where the Straw Hats were and possibly pick up some stories from other pirates about them. A particularly odd looking fellow with a large red nose had been particularly angry with Straw Hat Luffy – he was a pirate for sure, but he definitely didn't seem like he was an ally of the Straw Hats.

Then again, an attractive female companion of his was more interested in seducing Luffy.

There were also various rumors about Nico Robin's destruction of Marine ships when she was a child, or how the Straw Hats had an as of yet unidentified agent named "Mr. Prince" who specialized in espionage, and how Sogeking's mask was constructed from the bones of some of his former opponents. So many rumors and stories had traveled through the taverns that it was impossible to know what was true and what wasn't, so she decided she would take matters into her own hands and figure it out on her own.

That meant spying on the crew and sorting out the rumors from the truth.

From what she'd seen of the group in the woods, some of it wasn't true. The man she guessed to be "Sogeking" didn't look evil enough to construct a mask of bone, and there had been no mention of a "Mr. Prince". They didn't seem to be very evil pirates, but at the same time they were only with each other – things might change once a potential enemy arrived.

As far as getting on the ship, that would be the real challenge. Though her career as a bounty hunter hadn't been particularly long as of yet, she did realize that some bounty hunters like to swim to a ship, sneak on, and take the crew by surprise. It was a rather effective way to take down a large bounty, especially if you worked as a team. But Sanae was alone, and she had a much bigger problem to worry about.

Sadly, the Iron Butterfly sunk like the first part of nickname.

After all – being unable to swim was the main downfall of eating a Devil's Fruit.

Author's Notes

So based on the way things are looking with the spoilers for 443. . . yeah. Definitely takes place before that.

A note on Sanae's Devil Fruit – I know it was probably somewhat obvious she'd eaten a DF from the prologue, but I felt no real reason to hide that anymore (and I felt the need to add length to the chapter). I'm not saying what her ability is until later.

A note on money – I apologize if I keep spelling the currency in the One Piece world differently each time I make mention of it. Hopefully I'll regulate into something over time. Which would rock.

I won't lie – I love getting reviews! So please, by all means, leave me a review!

-Dixxy