Breath

by Karaleyn Raberba

Luffy just wanted to be the pirate king. Zoro just wanted to be left alone. But when a dangerous revolution arises, the prince and the bodyguard must go on a journey to seek safety and discover where they truly belong. AU, ZoLuZo. COMPLETE, of sorts.

10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"This is my domain," Usopp proudly proclaimed. "I've been here for years seeing to everything. In fact, this place would've gone under a long time ago if it hadn't been for my magnificent managing skills. Everyone knows me here and nobody questions my authority."

A tall waiter rushed past Usopp and the disguised prince, apparently in too much a hurry to even utter a small apology to the curly-haired man.

"Uh…see? He was so scared of me, he could barely speak!" laughed Usopp.

"Amazing!" Luffy exclaimed, looking at the man that passed with wide eyes. "You're really a great guy, huh?" He slapped Usopp on the back, "But I don't see why they're scared of you!" He continued to laugh happily, closing his eyes as he did so.

"Yeah!" grinned the long-nosed fellow, but then his smile faltered momentarily. "Yeah…a real swell guy…"

Luffy stopped laughing and peeked his eyes open, noticing Usopp's change of body language and looking at him oddly. "You're pretty strange too but I like you," he declared, grinning brightly. "So this is your place?" he asked, looking around with wide eyes. "It's amazing! I've never seen such a big restaurant... and it smells so good too! Do we get food soon?" He turned to look at Usopp with huge, hopeful, shiny eyes.

Looking over at the boy, Usopp's smile quickly returned. "Food? Are you kidding me?" Gesturing grandly around them, he tilted his face into the air with pride. "You'll discover the finest food at arm's length!" Holding that position for a moment, his voice became a little quieter and he gave Luffy a sheepish grin. "If you have money, anyway."

Luffy's expression was growing more and more excited as Usopp talked, to the point that his jaw dropped and his eyes were practically sparking as he imagined all the food he would eat—but his expression fell to one of confusion at the mention of money.

"Eh? Money?" he asked, looking bewildered. He scrunched his face up and looked away, putting one hand to his chin thoughtfully. "I had some of that once..."

Ever since the market incident, he had begun to understand the importance of money. The more he thought about it, the more he missed the huge vault back home. How many times had he run past that door uncaringly when trying to hide from Coby or someone else? How many times had he walked past mountains of gold, not even realizing what that meant? He sulked. It wasn't fair that he had so much money but it was so far away and he couldn't use it or even talk about it and... He looked at Usopp with a tragically sad expression. "...If I don't have any then I can't get food?" he asked, rather pitifully.

Usopp stared at Luffy for several moments in silence before his eyebrows rose to his dark bangs. "You mean you came to eat at a restaurant without any money?" he asked incredulously, the pitch of his voice rising with the question.

Luffy sighed. This was turning into just another market thing, wasn't it? What was with people and money, anyway? "I forgot," he pouted, looking away. "I keep forgetting I don't have any."

Frowning, the curly-haired man placed a hand on Luffy's shoulder. "O-oi, don't let that get to you." Eyes darting around the room, his voice lowered so he wouldn't attract any attention to themselves. "I'm sure we could work something out…"

"Really?" Luffy asked, excited. "We had some but then the bandits came and we lost everything and then Kaya helped us and she gave free food but then we left and bandits came again! I can get some later and bring it back—or! Do IOUs work? Can we eat before we decide?" He grinned happily.

"Bandits stole everything from you?" asked Usopp, his voice growing softer still as his eyes widened. "Why didn't you say so earlier?" He was about to address the IOU question when suddenly he was shaken by a jolt of surprise. "Wait, you know Kaya?"

Luffy blinked, then grinned. "Yep! She's blonde and nice and fixes people when they're hurt? I know that Kaya—she's our friend. Hey, if I know Kaya does that mean I can eat here for free too?"

Lightly whapping Luffy upside the head, Usopp looked at him seriously. "Oi, don't get your hopes up so high." Pausing for a moment, his eyes lit up. "Anyway, I used to live in Kaya's village a long time ago. We still write each other letters. In fact, I'd just sent a letter to her via the mail lizard when I came across you guys."

Luffy laughed. "You lived in the same village? Wow! What are the odds we'd run into both of you? I wonder if the lizards will get there faster than we took getting here." He paused, thinking about the clinic and the last state he had seen it in. Usopp probably didn't know about that... Looking at him a little more seriously, he continued, "Do you think it'll know not to go to the clinic? It burned down. But Kaya's okay and she was helping everyone and no one was hurt."

Upon hearing this news, Usopp seemed horrified. "The…clinic burned down?" he managed after a moment. "But how? And when?"

Luffy wondered briefly if he should have let Usopp find out later, but he didn't want him to hear through some rumors on the street first and have to worry about if Kaya was alive or not. He shrugged, though his expression remained serious. "...It might've been bandits." He really didn't know. "It was right before Zoro and I left—I don't know how long ago. Just a few days. I lost track of time in the desert... But they had a shelter and I think they were gonna rebuild and everyone seemed okay." His hands still hurt from the heat and glass but he had removed the bandages the other day in the desert after he kept dropping his walking stick. Although they were still damaged, he was hoping Usopp hadn't noticed. Maybe Usopp would just think anything else that still remained from the fire (like the sunburn he thought he still felt on his face) was from him being in the desert...

"I hope my letter gets to her okay," Usopp mumbled to himself. Then, looking Luffy up and down, his tone abruptly sounded impressed. "And you've traveled all the way from Syrup to here? That's not an easy journey. Especially after having an encounter with bandits." Managing a grin, he jerked a thumb towards the kitchen. "I'll go check to see if we can't find something for you to eat. Stay right here, okay?" And with that, Luffy's new friend turned and quickly exited the room.

Luffy watched as Usopp left, wondering why it was supposed to be so impressive that he made it so far, even with the bandits. He had Zoro as his bodyguard; to him, that meant it would've been more surprising if they hadn't gotten as far as Baratie because Zoro was really good at what he did. But he was happy to be so far away going on adventures and now he was in a huge restaurant and there was lots of food around and—Luffy's eyes popped wide open as he saw one of the most delicious looking meals he had ever seen carried by a waiter as he passed.

He stared after the food, entranced, and didn't even realize that his feet had moved on their own as he ended up following the waiter. The food was too quickly dropped off at a table, but then Luffy saw something else that caught his attention—a hallway! Maybe the kitchen was back there and Luffy could see what they were making and maybe they'd give him something if he stood there long enough!

Besides, he wanted to see more of the restaurant. He wandered down the hallway, forgetting to wait for Usopp. He had only passed two doors when he suddenly smelled something delicious. Not thinking, he ran over to the door and threw it open, bursting into the room with no warning.

A blond man reclined on a bed in the far corner, his right leg in a cast and extended before him on the bed, his hand just lighting a match. He jumped slightly and looked up, and Luffy could see that his hair hid his left eye. His one visible eye widened in surprise as he stared. "—Thehell? Who're you?"

Luffy looked around excitedly but it was only a bedroom. "What!" Luffy said with disappointment instead of answering the question, "This isn't a kitchen." He looked at the blond man accusingly, as if he was the one responsible.

The man narrowed his eye, staring at Luffy rather incredulously. "I never said it was! What're you doing in my room anyway? Can't you read the signs? The restrooms are at the end of the hall and anyway the kitchen's not open to guests." Striking the match again, he lit a cigarette and brought it to his lips.

Luffy frowned, looking around until he finally spotted the source of the smell. A plate was resting on the table on the other side of the bed, but the food had not yet been touched. His stomach growled loudly at the sight and he slumped to his knees, his hands at his waist. "I'm so hungryyy..." he said instead of answering the questions, and just stared pathetically at the food.

Suddenly, the door flew open again and Usopp poked his head into the room. "I'm really sorry to bother you, Sanji, but Carne told me he saw a friend of mine-" His eyes had already located Luffy before he had a chance to finish his sentence, however, and the curly-haired man sputtered indignantly. "Luffy! I told you to wait for me beside the kitchen!" The man had nearly had a heart-attack when he discovered his guest had disappeared, especially with Zoro's parting words looming over him.

Stepping completely inside, Usopp's arm snaked around Luffy's, lightly tugging at him. "C'mon, Sanji doesn't need to be bothered. He gets cranky."

"Hey!" Sanji protested, glaring slightly at Usopp. "I do not get cranky..." The effect was rather lost by the fact that he sounded cranky when he said that.

"Sorry, sorry," Luffy said lightly to Usopp as he stood up, "I didn't know where the kitchen was and got lost. And then I smelled his food!"

Eyes trailing down to the warm plate of tender chicken, steamed rice and a cup of soup, Usopp gave a soft frown. "You better eat up before it gets cold, Sanji." As an afterthought, he assured him, "Don't worry, I didn't make it this time, either!" Laughing, he pulled Luffy away as his companion had begun inching hungrily towards the food. "This guy just might take it from you!"

Sanji dragged a breath through the cigarette then exhaled slowly, letting the smoke drift from his mouth to float lazily in the air. He watched the new person Luffy, noting his desperately hungry expression.

After a moment of thought, he shifted his gaze to Usopp. "You know I'll always eat your cooking, Usopp," he answered, smirking slightly, "no matter how poor the presentation is. Even if this isn't from you, I'm just not hungry right now." He drew in another breath, then reached over to pick up the plate and held it out toward Luffy. "I can't stand that sort of pathetic expression around me; if you're not gonna take him to the kitchen right away then he can have this."

Luffy's eyes widened at the thought but he didn't move for the plate until he knew what Usopp wanted. It was taking all his willpower not to just jump on the food, though. It looked so good!

"I thought my presentations were okay," muttered Usopp, eyebrow lightly twitching. Upon seeing the extended plate, however, the curly-haired man's frown deepened. "You hardly ate anything last night either. Something wrong?"

Sanji shook his head. "Nothing's wrong, I'm just not hungry. I'll eat later. As for your presentation," he grinned, "you just get carried away. I can tell it's from you when there's too much garnish and not enough food."

Luffy eyed the food still being held out to him, then frowned slightly. He didn't reach for the food, though, and instead just waited for the other two to stop talking.

"Hey, I never claimed to be a chef. I just work here for the roof and the bed," he reminded the blond with a wry smile. Sensing Luffy's impatient pause, however, Usopp waved a hand. "Go ahead, take it if he doesn't want it. Sanji can't stand to see anyone hungry."

Luffy grinned widely, jumping forward and practically ripping the plate out of Sanji's hands. He dropped to the ground, crossing his legs and devouring the food at an alarming rate. "Ah!" he managed between mouthfuls, "this is so good! Thank you so much, I was starving..."

Sanji watched him calmly for a moment, then grinned. "Good, isn't it? That's because it comes from Baratie, the best restaurant you can find. Everyone here's an expert at what they do."

Luffy just mumbled something appreciatively and finished what was on the plate.

"What would that make me an expert in?" asked Usopp with a grin. "Being witty with the guests? I mean, we all know what a handsome devil I am - I probably draw in most of the clientele with my charm."

Sanji snorted, shaking his head to himself. "If you say so," he answered, amused. He reached over and snuffed his cigarette out in the ashtray near his bed, then leaned back against the headboard, watching the other two.

Luffy suddenly bowed his head, holding the empty plate toward Sanji with both hands. "Thank you very much for the food," he said to the floor, "It was delicious."

Usopp had been caught up in indignation from Sanji's comment until he saw Luffy gratitude. His frown melted into a wide grin and he placed a playful arm around the boy's shoulder. "You should try some of Sanji's stuff. It's a hundred times-no a million times better than that stuff you just ate there!"

Luffy's head snapped up and he almost dropped the plate as he stared up at Usopp with huge eyes. "Really? But this was already as good as food back home!" He was nearly drooling at the thought of not only more food, but better food as well.

Sanji smirked and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Well, can't be helped then," he murmured, reaching with awkward grace for his crutches. When he had first been confined to the bed from infection, he found it difficult to get out without nearly falling on his face, but he was getting better at it. Weeks in a cast certainly gave him practice with balance and working with his crutches, if nothing else. He shifted his weight and adjusted the crutches so he could better stand.

"O-oi!" The long-nosed fellow sharply looked at his blond friend. "Where do you think you're going?"

Sanji looked at Usopp with an expression that said he thought that it was obvious. "To the kitchen," he answered as he shifted his weight and pushed himself to stand. "He's still hungry," he tilted his head toward Luffy, who had turned to watch him silently.

"Wha-a-at?" Usopp's jaw dropped for a moment at the blunt answer, and he abruptly shook his head. "Sanji, there are plenty of other people to make food for him. Granted, he doesn't have any money, but-" Breaking that train of thought, he took a step towards the bed, his voice carrying disbelief with underlying concern. "Your leg's broken…"

Sanji shrugged, unconcerned. "So? I've been in here long enough today. Besides, someone's gotta check on Zeff-that idiot can barely run the restaurant when I'm not around."

"So?' Usopp poked the blond in the forehead, eyes narrowing. "Doesn't mean you have to do it!"

Sanji rolled his eyes and shifted to move past Usopp. "If I lie in bed all the time I'll never get my strength back," he said, moving his right crutch forward so he could start to leave. It was a little awkward walking with one leg in a cast, even with the help of crutches, but he had gotten better at it over the weeks. By now he was almost as adept at walking on crutches as he had been walking normally.

"S-Sanji!" The curly-haired man gaped as he watched the injured chef calmly pass him. "Wait!"

Sanji made his way to the door but paused in the doorway, his back to the room. He didn't turn around, but he tilted his head slightly in Usopp's direction, the fall of blond hair on his left side hiding his expression from view. "I'll be fine, Usopp. I know you mean well, but I was getting bored in here anyway. But thank you." He paused, then tilted his head a bit more so a huge grin could be seen to form. "Besides, I had a great idea for a new recipe I wanna try out. I have to get ready for when I go full-time in the kitchen again... those shitheads've probably been practicing without me."

Usopp stared at his friend for a moment, disregarding Luffy's burning stare, a soft frown on his face. Then, turning towards the closet, he rummaged through the wall of clothes that hung on an assortment of coat hangers. "At least don't go out in that night gown. Carne and Pattie would never let you hear the end of it."

Finally emerging from the closet with a soft, white, fluffy robe, Usopp made his way over to Sanji and helped fit it onto the blonde's body and over his current attire.

Sanji looked down at himself, having forgotten he was just wearing a nightgown. The cast was too large to comfortably wear sleeping pants with, so ultimately the only choice he had was the plain open-bottomed sleepwear he had gotten from Zeff. Good thing Usopp noticed; he was right, Carne and Pattie would have teased him relentlessly for years. He paused for a moment after Usopp had helped him into the robe, then smiled at his friend and reached out to rest his hand on Usopp's shoulder, squeezing lightly. "I'll make you something too, don't worry. I know you were feeling jealous." His smile became a teasing smirk.

"Jealous? Me?" Usopp tried to feign surprised and gave a pout of mock indignation. But his stomach suddenly gave a distinct, low growl and the darker man's cheeks flushed with mild embarrassment, his façade melting into a sheepish smile. "Actually…if you're up anyway, something to eat would be nice," he admitted.

Sanji laughed and, leaning against one crutch and balancing the other against his body, shifted his hand from Usopp's shoulder to noogie his head. "Dork," he answered, grinning, "you know I'll always make you food."

"Hey, hey, hey-!" Usopp playfully batted Sanji's fist as it messed up his hair, but he was mindful not to knock the man off balance. "Yeah, yeah, I know…I'll never starve as long as there isn't any girl around to sway your attention," he shot back with a teasing smile.

Sanji let his hand be pushed away, returning it to his crutch where he shifted his weight to balance with both again. "What can I say?" Sanji answered, smirking with amusement, "I'm a lover of fine beauty."

"Why, thank you, Sanji," responded Usopp with an exaggerated bow, grin still plastered on his face. "I couldn't be more flattered, really."

Sanji snorted and shook his head. "You're imagining things," he said, but he was grinning in amusement as he turned to leave. "Give me a bit," he called over his shoulder as he started to make his way down the hallway, "and I'll have something ready for you both." The sound of his crutch striking the floor and his cast sliding against the ground faded as he neared the main room, where the sounds of conversations and glasses clinking muffled it.

Sometime during the conversation, Luffy had set the plate to the side and stood, walking over to stand beside Usopp and stare after Sanji. "Hey," he said, turning to look at Usopp with an intently perplexed expression, "that man wore strange pants under his dress! Why would he do that if he couldn't even walk?"

"Strange…pants?" Blinking, Usopp turned to the boy and quirked an eyebrow. "You mean a cast? I mentioned earlier his leg was broken. Didn't you hear me?"

Luffy frowned, bringing one hand up to his chin and looking toward the ceiling thoughtfully. "Hmm... yep. You mentioned a broken leg," he said, nodding. He looked at Usopp intently again. "Is that what the pants are for? I've seen casts—they don't look like that. They're smaller and nicer and people write on them but then the person with the casts gets mad and anyway his cast-pants had a shoe!"

"That's 'cause it covers his foot, too," spoke Usopp in a somber tone, giving a knowing nod. "Zeff made sure it was that way so Sanji wouldn't go walking around on it anyway."

Luffy frowned thoughtfully. "Why'd he break his leg if he wanted to walk around, then? He should've just kept it unbroken in the first place!" He laughed, no malice in his voice or laughter, just simple amusement at Sanji's strange ways.

Taken aback by the blunt question, Usopp gave several, hard blinks at Luffy as he processed such an odd query. "He didn't do it on purpose!" he exclaimed at length, eyebrows raising. "It was-an accident…"

Luffy slowed his laughter and looked at Usopp oddly. "Are you sure? One time Ac—umm, a friend—he didn't wanna go to a really boring party-thing so he climbed up a tree and fell out, and when he was asked about it he said it was an accident." He paused, thoughtful. "I guess it sorta was, since he was only s'posed to sprain his wrist but then he broke it and then he wore a cast and I drew some fish and stuff on it and he yelled at me." He leaned toward Usopp conspiratorially, "Have you tried drawing on Sanji's cast? I bet he'd yell too—I guess cast-people don't like fishes on their arms."

Usopp was quiet at the idea. "I never thought of that," he spoke, a grin suddenly eating away his grave demeanor from before. "I should try it!" Laughing, he shook his head slightly. "Your friend sounds like a strange guy. What happened to Sanji wasn't anything like that, though..." He seemed to hesitate a moment, as if debating on elaborating.

Luffy blinked. "Ace isn't strange, he's just weird." He paused, then slammed one fist into his other hand, palm open. "Oh! Sanji tried to fly then and when he couldn't he kicked at the air a lot and then a cloud came over and lightning'd him and broke his leg!" He paused, then gasped and leaned toward Usopp. "Amazing! He was hit with lightning and didn't die? So strong!"

"Yes! Sanji's very strong, but-" Usopp stared at Luffy like he'd grown an extra head. "Where'd you get all that stuff about him flying and getting hit by lightning?"

Luffy looked at Usopp like that was a stupid question. "If he didn't fall off a tree he must've tried to fly," he said seriously, as if that were the only other answer.

"Sanji? Trying to fly?" The notion was nothing short of ridiculous, and Usopp would have laughed it weren't for the subject at hand. Instead, he softly frowned, apparently finding the floor more interesting than Luffy's curious face. "…actually, he broke his leg while saving m-me…"

"Ohhh," Luffy said, finally understanding. "So you tried to fly..."

"No! Stop jumping to conclusions!" snapped the curly-haired man, lightly shaking Luffy by the shoulders with exasperation. "I was mugged by some bandits and then Sanji-he-"

"There were bandits in the clouds?" Luffy asked, confused. "So Sanji jumped through the clouds to save you."

"Will you just stop talking and listen for a second?" Running a hand through his hair, Usopp lightly clenched his teeth in irritation. "Bandits came to town-and …and it was late. I was coming back to Baratie with some supplies I'd picked up at a store when I got attacked by them." Sitting down at the unmade bed, he looked down at his feet with a vague sense of guilt. "I don't know how, but Sanji suddenly showed up on the scene and…I don't remember the rest real well. There was an explosion - I think one of the bandits had some bombs - and then there was all this shrapnel flying through the air. Sanji shielded me, so I was okay, but…" He trailed off, unsure of how to continue.

Luffy just watched Usopp silently, waiting to see if he was going to continue on his own, or if that was the end of the story.

Deciding to plunge onward with the tale, Usopp spoke again: "…he was hurt pretty bad. All this shrapnel and debris hit him." Clenching his fits in his lap, he was quiet for a few more moments. "Instead of backing down, though, he just kept at it and continued fighting 'cause they weren't gonna leave us alone. I don't know how we managed to make it out alive..." Hastily wiping something from his eye, he took to shaking his head. "If he'd have backed off, he probably wouldn't have broken his leg like that. But he didn't. And now he's been like this for such a long time…all 'cause of me." He gazed ruefully at the empty plate Luffy had been eating from. "I'll be glad when that cast is off…"

Luffy found his hand unconsciously moving up to his straw hat, so he pulled the hat off and looked at it thoughtfully. "You let him fight for his goal, how is that something to feel bad about? In life, we find things that are precious to us, things we want to protect, and we will do anything for that goal. If you're someone precious to him, then just breaking his leg won't change anything. If he were to have stayed down, what would that say about his conviction or strength?"

He looked up at Usopp, expression calm and serious. "A person's true self can be measured in their dreams and how much they'll risk for them. He could be your friend by protecting you, and you were his friend by letting him show how much he was willing to risk. Maybe the cast make it hard for him to walk, but isn't it a badge of his honor, too? All who see him and know the story will say he's a good man. Maybe he's partly proud to need those crutches."

Stunned speechless, Usopp's eyes were firmly fastened onto Luffy by now. They were wide and almost brimming with moisture. "It wasn't fair for him to get hurt because of my weaknesses," he answered hoarsely after several silent moments.

Luffy shook his head slightly, but didn't break eye contact. His expression remained as calm and intent as before. "Weakness has nothing to do with physical strength or being unable to break free from captors. The truly weak ones in your story are the bandits, attacking innocents and setting off bombs. Don't underestimate the power of a person's conviction—Sanji getting hurt had nothing to do with a failing of yours and everything to do with his own absolute belief in his dreams and his wish to protect someone important. You shouldn't blame yourself for his actions. If you do, it's like you're saying you didn't expect him to care about you, and after he went to all that trouble to keep you safe and happy, if you're still hurt on the inside it makes it seem like he failed somehow. You should be strong yourself and see that what happened was Sanji's choice and Sanji's decision, and even if he got hurt, he got hurt for something important. That's not something to feel ashamed of. Even dying for your dream is an honor in itself, isn't it? It means you cared and had the strength to reach for it, and no one could fault you for your decision." He looked down at the hat again and continued, with a slightly softer voice, "A person could lose everything while reaching for a dream or protecting those important, and they would still be the winner in the end."

Roughly wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt, Usopp managed a nod. "I just…feel like I've let him down somehow," he admitted softly. "That's why…I acted the way I did when I met you guys today. I thought you were bandits, and I wanted to show everyone what I was made of." Eyes widening lightly, he stared at Luffy. "Don't mention anything to Sanji, though. He'd be pretty upset if he found out."

Luffy smiled softly, slipping his hat back on his head and looking back up at Usopp. "You haven't let him down," he answered with complete confidence, "the fact that you tried on your own to attack bandits, even if we weren't them, means you were protecting him back." His smile slid to a brilliant grin so large he closed his eyes in the movement. "I won't tell Sanji but I bet he knows anyway, at least about you caring enough to try. You should stop worrying so much—things always turn out all right in the end." He laughed lightly, confident in the truth of his words.

"Sanji's always been a good friend to me," explained Usopp. "…I just wish he knew how much I appreciate it."

Luffy shrugged, not seeing why this part of the conversation was necessary. "So just tell him and then he'll know for sure, and you'll know he knows," he said, as if it were completely obvious.

Usopp laughed lightly, rubbing the back of his head. "…I…I guess so. It's kind of embarrassing, though. It might make Sanji uncomfortable." Shifting awkwardly in his seat, he stared outside. "I wonder if I should go in the kitchen and check on him."

Luffy blinked at Usopp, then burst out laughing and waved a hand at him. "You're so strange! You worry so much about everyone else then worry about how they'd feel knowing you cared enough to worry!" He continued laughing for a bit, finding Usopp to be hilarious. Soon, he was able to bring it back down to chuckles, though he was still grinning and his eyes were bright from laughter. "I think he'd probably be happy to know you cared. But more importantly! Food! Let's go!"

Usopp mustered a laugh, leading Luffy out of the room. "Right this way, right this way! It's the once-in-a-lifetime trip to the amazing Baratie kitchen! Don't push now, one at a time!"

Luffy was about to get excited about getting food when he realized what Usopp had said. He blinked, following Usopp at a fairly sedate pace and looking around in confusion. "Eh? But there's only one of me... How else can I go if not one at a time?"

"It's easy if you have a hat on," replied Usopp casually as the two ambled down the dimly lit hallway. "I once had a magical hat from a kingdom far away from here, and it let me split into thirty men!"

"Wha-?" Luffy put his hand unconsciously to his hat, his eyes widening and his jaw dropping. "Ooh, really? Thirty men? Were you all you or did you become different people too? Could you control all of you at once? Wow! You must've been really hungry!"

"Of course I could control all of them." The curly-haired man waved his hands grandly about himself. "They don't call me The Great Captain Usopp for nothing! All thirty of me brought down a giant dragon within ten minutes!"

"Woww!" Luffy exclaimed, running up to walk next to Usopp. "And then what? And then what'd you do?" He hunched and bounced a bit in interested excitement, "Did the dragon have friends?"

"Yes!" Usopp promptly responded, a smug grin spreading across his face as the pair entered the bustling dining area. A couple of chefs pushed past them, apparently in a hurry to be prepared for the coming lunch hour. "That dragon had thirty friends!"

"Thirty friends?" Luffy yelled, astounded. "One for each of you! Did you beat all them too?" He couldn't believe how strong his new friend must be to have become thirty men who could kill one dragon, let alone thirty! Luffy had never met a dragon, of course, but he had heard all about them in storybooks. They were supposed to be really powerful!

"Of course! Within ten minutes." Usopp grinned as he opened the door to the kitchen.

The long-nosed teen suddenly bumped into a strong, square chest as he was about to enter the next room. "Ten minutes?" came a gruff voice. "I hope you're talking about how long it'd take you to clean all of the toilets. 'Cause if you don't get back to work right now, that's exactly what you'll be doing."

Usopp visibly paled as he stared up at a burly chef, his hat towering far above his head, long mustache braided tightly. "Z-Zeff…"

Luffy peered over Usopp's shoulder up at the man, quiet a moment as he considered the new arrival. The man's blond moustache was impressive as it defied gravity, but even more impressive was his towering white chef's hat reaching toward the ceiling. Luffy stared up at the man for a moment before his eyes popped wide open and he pointed up at the hat, turning to Usopp with panicked excitement. "Ahh! Lookit his hat! How many men can he become, Usopp? What if he thinks we're dragons?"

Zeff peered down at the two, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at the scrawny boy behind Usopp, but before he could say anything Sanji had appeared at his side. "Ah? Making so much noise already?" he asked casually, leaning on one crutch with one arm, while with his free arm he balanced one plate on his hand and another on his forearm. Both plates were steaming with freshly cooked food, looking and smelling as delicious as Usopp had promised it would be.

"Sanji!" Usopp sounded almost relieved, his posture perking up as if a huge burden had been lifted. He chose to ignore Luffy's barrage of questions, giving Zeff a brief, nervous glance. "We were coming to see if you needed any help, but it looks like you managed just fine."

Zeff merely crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes. "Seems odd you're cooking meals for these two and not for customers," he spoke pointedly to Sanji as he jerked a thumb to Usopp and Luffy.

"Does it, now?" Sanji replied calmly, not even glancing up at Zeff as he slowly made his way past him. "There're plenty of cooks working on the other orders right now, and Usopp's a worker on his lunch break. As for the other guy, he is a customer." Pausing just in front of Zeff, he looked over his shoulder up at the head chef. "So maybe you should get some facts before you start assuming things, old man."

Zeff snorted. "I overheard them talking earlier. This guy doesn't have any money."

"Aah, if what you say is true it's a shame I didn't realize that when I made the food." Sanji answered blandly, balancing as he reached for a new cigarette with the hand that had been on the crutch. Placing the cigarette in his mouth and lighting it, he dragged a breath in and, pulling the cigarette away, blew the smoke into the air. "Well. Now that it's made no need to waste it, hmm?" Placing the cigarette between his lips once more, he held onto the crutch again and started to move away, his other arm still balancing the two plates of food.

The mustached chef chose not to respond as Usopp rushed towards Sanji, mustering an uneasy smile. "O-oi, you'll drop one of the plates like that. Let me take them…"

Sanji glanced over at Usopp, looking at him seriously a moment before he smirked. "What, you don't trust me, now? I could balance these plates in the middle of an earthquake." Despite his words, however, he paused before they had left the dining room. "Besides, it's not up to the customer to hold his own food. Where do you wanna eat? Here, or in the room? I can carry the food however far we need."

"I'd feel kinda bad taking up space in the dining area," admitted Usopp, rubbing the back of his head. "We'll be pretty busy in a few minutes, I think, since we'll be opening for lunch. But I don't wanna make you hobble around so much. You get cranky like an old man." The last statement was uttered with a teasing edge.

Sanji laughed. "Yeah, well, no one gets crankier than that shitty old man back there. We'll be fine out here. If we need more room then you two can just move." Shifting his crutch, he moved toward an empty table, glancing at Usopp over his shoulder. "And anyway, who says I 'hobble'? I'm just as graceful with crutches as I am with anything."

Luffy, who had been trailing along behind the two, distracted by Zeff's giant hat and the food balanced on Sanji's arm, watched Sanji make his way to the table. "He's right y'know, Usopp," he said suddenly, obliviously, "I'd never be able to balance anything like he is, with or without crutches. Maybe you're just jealous." He started laughing, surprising Sanji who started laughing too, amused that Usopp's own teasing had been turned back on him from an unexpected source.

"Jealous? Phhhft." Usopp waved a hand, a gesture to dismiss the comment. "The Great Captain Usopp has no reason to be jealous, my friend. Whereas Sanji possesses obvious grace, I have him beat in charm and wit."

Luffy continued to laugh. "Ahh, is that so?" he replied easily, grinning. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't realize."

Amused, Sanji just shook his head with a grin and placed the plates on the table. "If you say so, Usopp," he said, straightening and shifting a step back with his crutch. "Now take that charm and wit of yours and eat the food before it gets cold. I'm not reheating it up just so you can tell your newest tall tale."

"They're not tall tales," replied Usopp with mock indignation as he seated himself and promptly began to eat. "You just need to stretch your imagination more," he continued, his mouth partly full. He gestured for Sanji to sit down. "And why aren't you eating?"

Luffy jumped on the food the moment Usopp sat down, and he was well into his plateful when Usopp asked the question. Luffy, continuing to shovel the food into his mouth, stared between Usopp and Sanji.

Sanji watched the two calmly, smoke drifting around him as he dragged in and let out a breath. "I'll have to check for more orders, but if there's no need for me I'll be back. Besides, I only made food for both of you. Didn't I say earlier I wasn't hungry? I'll eat a little later."

Although he looked skeptical, Usopp gave a slow nod as he stuffed a bite of succulent shrimp into his mouth. He was startled, however, as the door abruptly slammed open.

"I can't believe we just bought my swords from that guy. I shouldn't have to pay a single beli for something that's mine." Roronoa Zoro stomped into the room, his teeth gritting. One of his calloused hands rested upon the familiar swords that hung at his side.

"Oh, put a sock in it!" Nami was trailing close behind, her eyebrows furrowed with irritation. "You're the one who was so insistent on finding those stupid swords of yours. And you got them back, didn't you?"

"Yeah, and now I'm 10,000 beli in debt!"

"30,000 beli," corrected the orange-haired girl pointedly.

"What? But the swords were selling for 10,000!"

"I charge 300 percent interest," she grinned, giving the swordsman a wink. "You should be grateful I even bothered to loan you the money at all."

"300 percent-Out of all of the idiotic things I've ever heard-"

"Oh, hey Zoro!" Luffy called out cheerfully, raising a hand as he grinned around the food in his mouth. "You got your swords back!"

Sanji had looked over at the sudden noise, but at the sight of the two his eye widened and the cigarette dropped from his mouth. Staring at Nami, he nearly forgot to hold onto his crutch as he swooned, "Ahh! Who is this lovely vision—so full of strength and poise, as equal as her beauty?"

Faster than should have been possible he was already at her side and, gracefully with his free arm, he held his hand out to her. "Come, allow me to seat you and offer you the finest food Baratie has to offer. Anything your heart desires, simply tell me and I, Sanji, the Assistant Head Chef, will do my best to see it fulfilled. Ahh, if only I could offer more for such a beautiful woman, but this is all I can do...!" The last was murmured to himself, full of the sort of dramatic tragedy he only displayed when dealing with beautiful women.

Nami blinked at this strange man, eyebrows raising at his sudden attentions. But, recognizing a good advantage when it presents itself, the orange-haired girl gave a coy smile. "Actually, I'm rather thirsty," she admitted. "And a little hungry, too."

"Hey," growled Zoro. "You told me we were too strapped for cash when I wanted some food earlier."

"Ahh, anything you desire is yours!" Sanji replied, his eye shining as he leaned toward Nami almost desperately. "Even if you have no money, it's free for such a lovely woman!" Turning to look at Zoro out of the corner of his eye, his disposition changed dramatically as he growled, "But you're gonna have to pay. And stop growling around a lady—don't you even have any manners?"

"What?" snapped Zoro, eyes widening at the rude chef. "Why does she get free food? She's the one with all the money-"

"I'm still giving out loans, Zoro," cooed Nami, an impish grin overtaking her features.

"Those aren't loans." The swordsman folded his arms over his chest, scowling. "They're rip-offs."

"She gets free food because she's beautiful and a lady," Sanji replied coolly, ignoring their bickering as he lead Nami toward Luffy and Usopp.

Luffy, listening in and watching, stopped eating halfway through his plate and grinned as they stopped by the table. "Ohh, really? I'm not a lady but I must be pretty beautiful too then, huh?" he asked, thinking of how he just got two free plates of food, and there had to be some reason for it.

Sanji just stared at Luffy, not even knowing what to say to what he saw as such a random question.

"Are you kidding me? You're gorgeous," gushed Usopp playfully, a hand lightly combing through Luffy's bangs. "You'd look stunning in curls, if I do say so myself." He promptly busted into a fit of laughter, all seriousness in his face melting away.

"Hmm, curls?" Luffy asked curiously, trying to look up at his own hair. "But if Nami and Usopp and I all get food because we're pretty, why can't Zoro too? I think he looks just as pretty as us." He grinned hugely, knowing that Usopp had been kidding but still thinking that prettiness had something to do with their free meals.

"Pretty?" Zoro's lip curled, and he rolled his eyes. "I don't think that has anything to do with getting free meals if long-nose over there isn't paying anything."

Usopp seemed to take mild offense. "Hey. I'm devilishly handsome and you know it."

"Hmm?" Luffy asked, turning to eye Usopp. "But his hair is so curly," he replied, as if that was all that needed to be said.

"Hey! Stop talking about stupid things," Sanji said firmly, pulling a chair out for Nami and smiling at her as he continued, "She isn't paying because she's a lady, Marimo-head's gotta pay because he was rude to her and came in like a normal customer, Usopp doesn't pay since he works here, and you, Straw Hat," he turned to look at Luffy, "you didn't pay because you looked starved and had no money. However, from now on, I ain't giving you free meals. That second one was simply because I'm a generous guy, but generosity stops when it looks like we'll be taken advantage of." Straightening, he eyed the newcomers. "This is a restaurant, and we gotta make a living. You don't get everything for free."

"I'm starved and have no money," Zoro blandly stated, as if ignoring Sanji's small speech. "I should get free food."

Sanji tilted his head toward Zoro. "Weren't you listening to me, shithead? Besides, you don't look very starved to me." He looked him up and down, noting how calmly he stood and the strength in his posture. He didn't look nearly as weak as the kid with the straw hat had earlier. Besides, that was his own food he was giving away.

Luffy, meanwhile, grinned at Zoro. "Hey, Zoro! You can have the rest of mine if you want," he offered, pushing his plate toward his bodyguard. There was still half a plateful of delicious looking food steaming in the center of it.

"Take your food?" The green-haired man stubbornly eyed the plate, resisting the urge to allow his mouth to water. Lightly shaking his head, he looked away. "It wouldn't be right for me to take it from you," he growled under his breath, almost reluctantly.

Luffy raised his eyebrows, staring at Zoro. "Huh? Why? Here, come sit down and eat it. I already had some food earlier and it was really good, but not as good as this is! Sanji's the best cook ever!" He turned to look at Sanji with starry eyes, who grinned back in response.

"He cooked it?" Zoro jerked a thumb in Sanji's direction, frowning. "It could be poisoned or something."

Sanji glared at Zoro. "Did you just insult my food?" he growled, irritated. "I take the time to cook for your penniless friend over there and this is the thanks I get? Would you rather I let him starve?"

"What?" Luffy asked confusedly, almost overlapping with Sanji, "but it tastes really good. I don't think poison tastes like this and anyway, Sanji's a good guy." He grinned again, scooting the plate toward Zoro encouragingly.

Eyeing Sanji warily, Zoro sat down at the table and picked up a fork. "It's not that I'm not grateful," he growled, "I just don't have any reason to trust you."

Usopp blinked. "You act like you're fugitives on the run or something."

Sanji watched Zoro warily but didn't answer, thinking something along the lines of what Usopp said.

Luffy almost choked on the water he had just decided to drink. "What! Fugitives? We're not fugitives," he said, laughing a little though there was the slightest of strange edges to it. "We're just, umm, going to see a friend of mine." He grinned at Usopp, closing his eyes in the movement.

"A rich friend," added Nami with wide grin. "I can't wait to meet him."

"Who said you were gonna get to meet him?" growled Zoro.

"I said so, especially since I'm the ones taking you there," replied the woman briskly. "Honestly, Zoro, you shouldn't act so secretive."

"Yup…I think they're fugitives," Usopp muttered to Sanji.

"You shut up!" growled the swordsman, catching the curly-haired man's words. Usopp promptly squeaked and shielded his face with an empty plate.

"Really, though, Usopp," Luffy added, laughing, "do I look or act like a fugitive? We're gonna see my friend! I can't wait either, but not 'cause he's rich. I just haven't seen him in a long time." He smiled happily, his eyes sparkling excitedly at the thought of Shanks.

Sanji watched the three of them, his visible eye narrowed at their interactions. "Hmm," he said casually, "so why decide to see this friend of yours so suddenly, and with no money? Usopp's right, you're a pretty suspicious group when you get together."

"We had to leave in a hurry," grumbled Zoro, finishing up the last of the food. "And we've been on the move for awhile."

"But you're not fugitives," Usopp spoke slowly, eyeing the man's swords for a few moments.

"Exactly."

Nami smiled as she sipped some water. "And I have money. I'll have 30,000 beli as soon as Zoro coughs up."

"I don't owe you anything, except for maybe 10,000." Zoro leaned back in his chair. "And that's final."

Usopp pointed a finger at the two. "Oi, quit changing the subject."

Luffy watched Zoro, wondering why he didn't mention the bandits. Maybe they weren't supposed to say they'd been attacked? After all, why would the bandits have attacked them if Luffy wasn't who he was? But the first time they attacked them, it was his own fault... wandering right into their campfire circle and demanding money while Zoro was bleeding back by the horse. And Luffy had already told Usopp...

Looking down at the table, Luffy finally spoke up again, his tone more serious than usual. "Don't you remember, Usopp? I told you bandits attacked us on the way here and they stole everything we have. It's true we left in a hurry, but it was the bandits that made it so difficult for us. I guess we must seem suspicious, but I will tell you right now that Zoro and Nami are good people, and I can tell that you and Sanji are good people too. Does it really matter what happened in the past if we know that much about the present?" He looked up at Usopp, his dark eyes intense but sincere.

The curly-haired man stared at Luffy for a moment, blinking. "You're one of those 'here and now' guys, huh?" Giving an uneasy smile, he rubbed the back of his head. "I can understand that. Sorry for prying."

Luffy stared at Usopp with the same intensity for one long moment, as if considering something, before he suddenly grinned brightly, chuckling so cheerfully it was as if he didn't even have such a serious side. "No worries," he said, turning to smile at Sanji. "Thank you for the food, Sanji. It was really delicious and I'm glad Zoro doesn't have to be hungry anymore either."

Sanji made a soft dismissing noise, though he was smiling as he leaned against his crutch and reached for a new cigarette. In retrospect, he was a little annoyed he'd let the earlier one fall from his mouth so soon after he'd lit it. What a waste. Lighting a new cigarette and drawing a breath through it, he let the smoke curl from his lips and drift in the air. "Well, I am a cook, after all. It'd be embarrassing if my food was anything less than delicious, though I dunno if that guy actually deserves such a wonderful recipe," he said, tilting his head toward Zoro. Still, he was smirking and his tone seemed more of a light barb than anything.

Zoro snorted, opting not to comment to what he felt was an idiotic remark.

"Sanji, aren't you going to sit down?" Usopp's eyebrows were furrowed as he watched the blonde. "Do you need me to pull a chair out for you?"

Sanji turned to Usopp and shook his head. "I'm fine," he said, but he pulled out a chair and sat down anyway. May as well stop Usopp from worrying for awhile, and the crutch was beginning to annoy him. Carefully balancing the crutch against the chair, he leaned back and relaxed.

Luffy watched Sanji sit down, then turned to stare at Zoro. He wanted to make sure he ate the food and wasn't hungry anymore. Maybe they could convince Sanji to make them more food anyway if Zoro wasn't full. This having-no-money thing was really starting to get old... he wondered if there was some way to get money somewhere. It was pretty funny to think that he was a Crown Prince wandering around penniless, though.

Zoro had long finished what was left of Luffy's meal, his eyes staring down at the empty plate for a few moments. Then, his dark eyes looked up and met the prince's stare. "What is it?"

"Are you still hungry? Maybe we can find you some more somewhere..." He continued to watch Zoro, his tone somewhere between curious and concerned.

The swordsman lightly shook his head. "We don't have any money, so it doesn't really matter if I'm hungry or not," he stated simply.

"It still matters," Luffy insisted, leaning forward slightly. "If you're hungry, you're hungry. I didn't ask if we had money, I just asked if you wanted more."

Sanji watched the two, blowing out smoke calmly. Really, he didn't know why he'd bothered to sit down in the first place. He knew the green-haired man was still hungry and it was only a matter of time before the topic came up. He supposed he just didn't want to keep worrying Usopp like that... the guy was always pretty watchful of Sanji, but ever since Sanji had broken his leg, he'd been even more aware of everything Sanji did. It was like he was waiting for Sanji to fall over and die from such a little wound, but Sanji knew he wasn't acting that way to insult his strength or to doubt his recovery. He felt guilty; Sanji could see it in his eyes and the nervous movements in his body language. There was no reason for him to feel guilty, but Sanji didn't know how to make him stop short of continually showing Usopp that he was perfectly fine, that the only thing a broken leg gave him was a bad mood, a cast, a crutch... and maybe one more reason to avoid Zeff. Heh. That, at least, was something to be appreciative of. Reaching for his crutch, Sanji shifted his grip and pushed himself back up. He dragged a breath through his cigarette, letting his breath out in the form of smoke as he turned to leave.

"Sanji, where are you going?" called the curly-haired man, a soft frown creeping across his face. Zoro looked up at the cook as well, a mask of irritation clouding his face as he gazed at him.

Sanji didn't even bother pausing as he started to make his way slowly from the table. "The kitchen," he answered casually.

At the answer, Luffy looked at Sanji hopefully, but said nothing.

Usopp blinked, suddenly standing up. "You could get Carne or Pattie or someone to make that girl a meal," he suggested. "I mean…you just sat down! Wouldn't you rather be entertaining… entertaining uh…"

"Nami," spoke the orange-haired girl smoothly.

"Yes!" Giving a grateful nod to the girl, Usopp turned back to Sanji. "Yes, wouldn't you rather be entertaining Nami?"

Sanji turned around immediately, somehow managing to tilt with both hands at his heart and still balance on the single crutch he was using. "Ye~s! Of course I'd rather spend my time with someone so beautiful and demure! Ahh, how could I choose anything different with such a beautiful smile awaiting me~?"

His love-filled grin and visible eye were replaced quickly with a serious expression, though. "But Pattie and Carne would never be able to get my Macedonia Surprise delicate enough for such a beauty," the love-sick expression returned momentarily as he looked at Nami, "and they definitely wouldn't make anything for Marimo-head," he finished, tilting his head in Zoro's direction with his expression back to serious and calm. "So, I'll be back soon." He turned, preparing to leave again.

"What?" snapped Zoro, his eyes widening. "I don't need your sympathy, cook!"

Sanji turned, looking at Zoro like he was an idiot. "Who said anything about sympathy? I'm a cook; I feed the hungry. Whether or not you have money is of no concern to me, and I frankly don't care how you pay us back except that you do. But if you didn't want food, you shouldn't have come hungry into a restaurant."

Nami had been eyeing Sanji's cast for the past few moments, a soft frown on her face as she ignored Zoro's grumbled threats. "…What happened to your leg?" she asked suddenly.

Sanji looked down at his cast, startled at the sudden question. "Just a slight mishap with a wall," he answered casually, moving his hand in a dismissive gesture. "I miscalculated and here I am." He shrugged, as if it wasn't a big deal. And to him, it wasn't.

"Are you sure you'll be all right?" she asked doubtfully. Usopp, meanwhile, had taken to staring at his own boots, growing silent.

"Nami-san is so beautiful when she's concerned! She cares so much about a stranger!" Sanji couldn't help the slight outburst, smiling happily at her. She really was beautiful when concerned-honestly, how did a lout like that swordsman manage to get such a companion? The world worked in strange ways... "I'm fine, it doesn't even hurt. They only have it in a cast to keep me in bed, but you can see how well that tactic's been working."

He grinned, putting as much confidence and amusement into the comment as he could. He saw Usopp staring down out of the corner of his eye, but he didn't do anything about it; it would just draw attention to his friend's discomfort. And anyway, it was true... mostly. Initially, he really did need the cast, and it hurt like hell at first, but by now if anything it would only ache, and the cast was due to come off within a week or two. It was supposed to be that week, but he had a feeling Usopp or Zeff would say how much he'd been out of bed, and the doctor would insist on one more week to be certain. Still, within the month he could go back to his regular schedule. It was something to look forward to.

"Just as long as you don't hurt yourself," said Nami at length. "That wouldn't do at all."

"He can do whatever he wants," stated Zoro, turning his head away from the cook.

"You should be grateful he's even bothering with you at all," snapped Nami. "Because I certainly wasn't going to!" Zoro gave the woman a surly look, but he gave no reply.

Sanji beamed at Nami, turning the happy smile into a slight smirk as he glanced at Zoro right before he shifted and started toward the kitchen again.

Luffy watched Sanji leave, his expression blank. Turning away, he looked at Usopp, then Zoro. The mood seemed a little strange to him, with Zoro being too irritated to seem grateful, Nami being irritated at Zoro, and Usopp seeming downtrodden. Luffy tilted his head, then turned back to Usopp. "Hey, Usopp! Where can we get money in this town?"

"Money?" Usopp looked over at the teen, blinking lightly. "I guess you could find a job if you needed to…"

"Or steal something," chirped Nami. "But I really don't think that'd be in your best interest."

Luffy looked at Nami, startled, his expression odd and caught, before he turned back to Usopp. The glance at Nami was so brief it almost could not have existed. "What kinds of jobs are there?" he asked curiously. He'd never had a job before... he wondered how hard they'd be.

"I dunno. I'm sure they'd need help at the market place," mused Usopp aloud, lightly rubbing his chin. "Then again, maybe you could work here."

"Ohh?" Working around food could be exciting! "Really? What would I do? How long does it take? Do we get money right away?"

"You could probably wait on tables or do dishes or clean toilets or something," said Usopp. "That's pretty much what I do."

"Hmm..." It didn't sound all that fun, but if they didn't get any money soon... Luffy looked over at Zoro, wondering what he thought. They were supposed to be getting to Shanks' quickly, but how could they do that if they kept running into trouble because they had no money? Luffy really was a 'here and now' guy like Usopp had said, but at the same time, having no money almost got Zoro killed in Syrup Village, and could have let them starve in Baratie if Sanji wasn't there to help. Luffy firmly believed it would all work out in the end, and even if they had no money here some would just come along sometime in the future, but if there was a chance he wondered if they should take it.

Zoro had taken to yawning, his head resting itself onto the wooden table. His eyes were partially open, and he didn't seem to be paying much attention to the conversation.

Luffy frowned then turned back to Usopp once again. "Where do you sleep? In that one room with Sanji? Do you know where we can stay too...?"

"Umm...good question." Usopp rubbed the back of his head. "I guess you guys can't stay in a hotel if you don't have any money."

"We have a tent," muttered Zoro nonchalantly.

"Correction - you mean I have a tent. If you think I'd share sleeping quarters with a couple of men, you're out of your mind."

The swordsman's eyebrows shot up and he glared at the orange-haired girl. "Excuse me? Last time I checked, that tent belonged to me."

"Not anymore since you need me to get to wherever it is you're going and you owe me 30,000 beli."

"You're going to hang that over my head until the day I die, aren't you?" hissed Zoro, eyes narrowed.

"Or until you pay back the debt," added Nami in a sing-song voice, becoming rather interested in her nails as she spoke.

Luffy looked at Nami, surprised. "But Nami, he owes you beli, not a tent, right?" He paused, then blinked as something occurred to him. "So, wait! You own everything now? Does that mean you own our clothes too?" Luffy sounded startled and alarmed, as if she would suddenly demand they run around naked in the heat.

Nami almost snorted into her water. "Don't be ridiculous! Why would I want your clothes?" Grinning, she stirred the ice around with her straw. "I'll let you keep them...for now anyway."

Jerking a thumb towards the girl, Usopp gave a wary glance at the group. "Remind me not to play poker with her."

Luffy was staring at Nami with wide eyes. "Yeah, she's scary," Luffy replied, unnerved.

Sanji appeared behind Usopp, several plates of food balanced on two large trays on his free arm. "I'm back with food for the beautiful Nami-san!" he cried happily, his approach surprisingly quiet considering he was hobbling around with a crutch.

Setting one tray on the table, he kept the other tray and made his way over behind Nami, leaning in and setting it down. He picked up an exquisitely created fruit dish and placed it in front of her, smiling at her over her shoulder as he balanced against her chair and poured her some wine with his other hand.

"I have created the best of the best for you, with the freshest ingredients we had in the kitchen," he murmured smoothly then glanced up at the others and continued in a more flat tone, "The rest's for all of you-but leave a plate for me, got it?" Although Nami's tray of food was obviously prepared with more flair, the rest of the food looked equally as delicious and was prepared with as much care. Resting on the second tray there were three large plates of food, a few smaller plates, and several empty plates in case anyone wanted to share.

Zoro's eyes lightly bulged at the sight of so much fine cuisine, his nose lightly twitching as the rich aromas floating through the air around them. "You made all this?"

Usopp laughed, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Sanji's the greatest cook you'll ever meet!" he excitedly told them. "But," he turned to the blonde, giving him a mildly concerned look, "when are you gonna sit down and actually eat something?"

Sanji ignored the two at first and instead watched the wine glass, making sure he didn't overfill it. After a moment he straightened with another lovestruck smile Nami's way. "If you need anything else, just ask!" he swooned, reaching for his crutch and dropping down into his chair, leaning back and relaxing for a moment. He glanced at Usopp, then reached for a plate and began to select food for himself. Eyeing Zoro, he said with slight irritation, "Well, don't just stare at it."

Luffy was staring at the food himself, his eyes wide and his mouth drooling. He looked at Zoro quickly, but couldn't stop himself from reaching out and grabbing some for himself. He was already exclaiming, "This tastes great!" as he made his way through his plateful of meat.

"Hey, hey!" growled Zoro. "That's mine!" But he didn't make any move to steal his claim from Luffy, instead opting to swipe as much food as he could for himself. "Don't be so greedy!"

Nami only laughed as she sipped her beverage, sending a soft smile Sanji's direction. "You have fine taste in wine," she said with a smile.

Sanji beamed at Nami, blushing lightly at the comment. "Only the best for you, Nami-sa~n!"

Luffy looked at Zoro with his mouth full of food. "But you were being so slow!" he cried, managing to shove more food in his mouth until his cheeks ballooned out slightly. Swallowing it all at once, he peered at Zoro as he continued to eat the rest on his plate.

"No, I wasn't!" growled Zoro, spooning hefty amounts of pasta onto his plate in order to make up for lost time. Usopp only watched them, slowly eating his own food as his eyes regarded them with fascination and curiosity.

"Yes you were!" Luffy protested, grabbing the food on his plate and shoving it all in his mouth at once. Again, he barely chewed before he swallowed it all in one gulp. "You were staring at it all for at least ten secondsbefore you reached for any!" Though from anyone else that would be sarcasm, Luffy was serious.

Usopp only shook his head as he continued to eat. "If you guys do stay with us, it'll be really interesting," he said aloud.

"Oh, can we?" Luffy asked immediately, hopefully, rounding on Usopp.

Sanji looked up from his own food, which he was eating more sedately. "Stay with us..?"

Usopp blinked, turning to the chef. "Yeah, they were thinking about applying for a job here," he spoke with a nod.

Sanji eyed the Luffy's quick movements as he jerked more food his way. "A job? All of them?" Judging by the rate at which Luffy could make food disappear, he wondered if there would even be anything left for the customers if he ended up as a waiter.

"Yep!" Luffy answered, grinning cheerfully as he finally stopped stealing food from the trays. "Well, I dunno about Nami... Or Zoro, really." He blinked, looking at the two curiously.

Zoro gritted his teeth as he took to spooning some peas onto his plate. "I dunno. I might look to see if there are any bounties in the area."

Sanji raised an eyebrow. "In Baratie? You'll probably find plenty right now. We usually have a fair amount of pirates and renegades running around since we're the largest port town anywhere nearby, and it's the best place to stop for supplies before or after crossing the desert. After the bandits came, though, there've been even more. Trust that type of people to wait until a city's down before they come to leech off other attacks." The last was said slightly bitterly and annoyed.

Luffy had looked up immediately at the mention of Baratie, and had turned to peer excitedly around the room. "Wow! All those people in here right now?"

"All those-what?" Sanji asked, staring at Luffy in confusion.

"You said there're lots of pirates in Baratie!" Luffy didn't see anyone that looked like a pirate, though. They all looked like normal boring people. How disappointing.

"No, Baratie town," Sanji said, gesturing with his hand toward the city beyond the restaurant's main doors.

"Yeah, that's another thing," Luffy turned to look at Sanji with a strangely serious expression, "I've been meaning to ask-why'd you name the restaurant after the town? Doesn't that get confusing?"

Sanji chuckled, shaking his head. "The restaurant's not named after the town, the town's named after the restaurant." Seeing Luffy's bewildered expression, he leaned forward and continued. "Zeff built this restaurant years ago, when there was nothing but the river here to save people from the desert. When he realized that almost certain death awaited anyone who tried to cross that desert without proper supplies or protection, he made plans for a moving restaurant that could roam the sand dunes... to save people from starvation."

He paused, his expression darkening slightly before he shrugged and leaned back. "Eventually, he realized this was the best place, though-between the river and the desert, where those who have been at either place for any length of time need supplies, and where providing food for people was the most needed. The location worked well; so well, in fact, that a town quickly grew around it. So now there's Baratie the town, and Baratie the restaurant."

Luffy stared at him, wide-eyed. "Wow," he murmured, impressed.

Usopp nodded vigorously as he emptied his plate. "Baratie is the best place to eat for miles around! People have come from all the way across the country to eat here." He laughed, finishing the last of his water. "Why, I'll bet Gold Roger's been here before!"

"Gold Roger is dead," spoke Zoro blandly.

"True, but his spirit lives on," spoke Usopp sagely, giving a knowing nod. "And I'm sure his spirit would love a place like this."

Luffy stared at Usopp with huge eyes, completely captivated. "Gold Roger?" he whispered reverently. He leaned forward, his voice getting louder with excitement. "Really? I bet he'd like it here too! A place between all the adventures, with lots of food and lots of people..." He trailed off, looking around the restaurant with shining eyes.

Usopp nodded with great enthusiasm, a thumb pointing to his own chest. "I'll bet I've met him here at least 20 times," he boasted.

Luffy nearly fell out of his chair as he threw himself at Usopp, reaching out to grab his arms in excitement. "What! Really? When? What'd you do? What'd he say? Was it his ghost-wait!-is he alive?"

Usopp laughed, making vague attempts at swatting Luffy away, but he seemed to be enjoying the barrage of questions. "He always sits..." Dramatically, Usopp pointed his index finger towards a table in the far corner of the dining area. "...right there." Grinning widely, he looked down at Luffy's shining eyes. "I doubt he's alive, though. They say it's his ghost, coming to check on the happenings of his pirate kingdom."

Luffy stared at the table Usopp had pointed to, his eyes wide and slightly glazed over as he got lost in his own world. Gold Roger... his ghost, sitting right there, across the room. Luffy tried to imagine what he would do if Gold Roger appeared there right then as he stared. He'd go meet him, of course, that was a given. But what would he do? What would he say..? He had no words to express his admiration for Gold Roger, for all he stood for and all he'd done.

Ever since Luffy had been a boy, he'd been captivated by the stories. It didn't matter to him who told the tales, but he'd come to love Ace's and Shanks' renditions the most. Shanks especially told stories about Gold Roger so vividly that Luffy felt like he'd been there, right there, at Gold Roger's side, sailing the oceans of the world freely, turning the ship in whatever direction he chose and just going. What could he say to someone like that?

How could Luffy ever tell him how much he meant to him, how much his stories had inspired him and had shaped his dreams for the far future? ...There were no words, really. If Gold Roger's ghost appeared right there... maybe Luffy would just walk over, and sit by him, and let the reverence and admiration in his heart speak for itself.

Sanji watched the interaction, narrowing his eyes slightly when Luffy stared dreamily at the table Usopp had probably randomly picked. Why the kid believed Usopp in the first place was beyond him, but what Sanji found to be even more surprising was how excited he was about it. There weren't many who cared about Gold Roger anymore, and of those who cared, Sanji couldn't remember ever seeing or hearing about someone being so reverent about it. What sort of person felt that way anymore? He shifted his gaze to watch Zoro and Nami, trying to figure out who these people really were.

Zoro's dark gaze met Sanji's stare in silence, eyebrows lightly furrowing as if to say, What do you want?

Sanji glanced at Luffy once, pointedly, then looked back at Zoro with his eyebrow raised slightly, as if saying, What's with him?

Zoro smirked, lightly shaking his head as he leaned back in his chair. "Luffy wants to be the Pirate King," he simply said.

Sanji would have spit out his drink if he had been sipping his wine at the time instead of just reaching for it like he was. Instead, he nearly choked on his own saliva. "What?" he said incredulously, looking at the scrawny guy with the floppy straw hat, "Him?"

Zoro nodded, a serious expression on his face. "Hard to believe, but he's very insistent he'll make it someday."

Sanji stared at Luffy. Stranger things had happened, he supposed, but it still seemed like an extremely odd goal for someone like him. Then again, it was an odd goal for anyone anymore as far as Sanji was concerned.

Luffy, meanwhile, had slowly blinked back to the present. Noticing Sanji's stare, he blinked and grinned. "The food was great!" he said cheerfully, thinking maybe Sanji was expecting more feedback.

Sanji just shook his head to himself, looking away. Whatever. If he wanted to go for that with his life, he could. Turning to Zoro, he smirked slightly. "And you? What's your goal, then, if you have the future Pirate King as your travel companion?"

"Greatest swordsman," grunted Zoro, a hand falling to the blades that hung at his side. "...and make sure this guy doesn't die along the way." He motioned towards Luffy.

Luffy grinned brilliantly at Zoro, saying with complete confidence, "Yep! He's gonna be the strongest too! As the Pirate King, I'd be in trouble with anything less." He laughed cheerfully, leaning back in his chair.

Sanji smirked at Luffy, amused. "You'd be in trouble as the Pirate King if you died on the way, too. Guess that's why you need a swordsman at your side, hmm? Though most people I've heard of going for that title seem to think they're strong enough on their own..."

Luffy just grinned and shook his head. "That's because they're too stupid to know when they need help," he answered cheerfully, smiling a little wider when Sanji just chuckled.

Nami eyed her ragged, stolen robes with disdain. "I need to buy new clothes," she announced to no one in particular.

Luffy perked up, turning to her with excitement. "Hey, are you going into town? Let's go explore!"

The navigator nodded lightly, but her eyebrows furrowed. "Stick with me then, okay? And don't you dare go picking up things in the market like they're yours to play with."

Zoro's eyes snapped towards Nami, a suspicious frown crossing his face. "How do you know about that?" he demanded.

Blinking lightly in surprise, the orange-haired girl stared at the swordsman. Then, taking upon an air of complete innocence, she blinked. "Know what?"

Luffy looked between the two, rather startled. It certainly seemed like she was referring to the market incident in Syrup, but he didn't remember seeing her there, and if she had been there then did that mean she knew Zoro and him from before? If so, why didn't she say? Was it even possible she somehow knew who he really was...? No, there's no way she'd know, right? He looked at Zoro briefly then jumped up from the table with a grin. "Let's go! I really wanna see the town and I bet there's lots of places Gold Roger was."

Sanji watched them calmly, but his eyes narrowed at the interaction. What was that comment of Nami-san's about? And what was with that shithead's response...? As much as the group insisted they weren't fugitives, they certainly had enough strange quirks to make that seem unlikely.

Slamming his hand on the table suddenly, Zoro growled, "You know what I mean!" But Nami only waved a feminine hand at him in blatant dismissal, serving to make the swordsman even more irritated.

"Don't get up in a wad about it," she spoke in an exasperated tone. "You can't possibly try to convince me that he wouldn't go picking up things as if they were his." She jerked her thumb at Luffy, as if looking at his face would prove her point. "Anyway, I don't have time to argue with you." She stood from her chair, brushing some orange bangs from her face. "I need a new outfit."

"U-um, I won't pick anything up," Luffy said, staring at Zoro with wide eyes. "I just wanna look around and it's okay if I say with Nami, right?"

"No, it's not okay," hissed Zoro. "You can't possibly tell me she won't try and jip you out of your money." He jerked a calloused thumb at her face. Taking the hint that she was being mocked, Nami folded her arms and glared at the swordsman.

Luffy blinked, not really certain what was happening. He couldn't tell if Zoro was angry with him too, or if he was just mad at Nami, or what. "But... where will you be? Are you going somewhere too?"

"Me?" asked Zoro.

"Yeah," Luffy said, tilting his head. "You staying here or you going into town?"

"I was gonna take a nap," replied the bodyguard before giving the navigator a pointed glare. "But if you're going with her, I have no choice but to go with you guys."

Luffy looked between the two, frowning slightly in confusion. "She's not so bad, Zoro, really!" But he didn't bother putting much effort into convincing him; Zoro probably had some reason to feel that way. He trailed off briefly, looking outside to the town that seemed to be inviting him to explore. He supposed Zoro didn't care about going around since he'd already been around before when Luffy was stuck in Baratie. He turned back to his bodyguard, smiling. "We can all go out together and if she's being okay you can come back and if not I can leave early with you and you can sleep. Does that work?"

"Fine, whatever." The swordsman made to stand, but his eyes seemed heavy and his face was slightly haggard.

"You sure?" asked Nami. "You haven't slept hardly at all on the way here. You kept worrying I'd pull a fast one on you."

Luffy frowned at him, moving next to him and putting out a hand as if to steady him. "C'mon Zoro, just go to sleep. I won't be gone long and Nami'll be there with me." He paused, and added so softly that only he would hear, "Who cares about money? I can pay her back and more later. Don't worry about it. I'll come right to you the minute I'm back, too."

Pausing, Zoro stared into Luffy's eyes seriously, his own gaze somewhat glazed with the tolls of keeping a constantly vigilant charge over the prince. "You promise?"

Luffy nodded, staring back completely seriously. "I absolutely promise," he answered, reaching out and placing his hand on Zoro's shoulder, squeezing lightly. "I won't be gone long. I just wanna look around. Go to sleep-I just need to know where you'll be so I know where to go when I come back."

Having witnessed the conversation unfold, Usopp turned to Sanji. "He could nap in our room for a little bit, couldn't he?"

Sanji glanced over at Usopp then turned to eye the two seriously. He was quiet a moment, then shifted forward and shrugged. "Fine with me, as long as that idiot leaves things alone and doesn't destroy our room." He looked at Zoro with a hard expression. "You either take Usopp's cot, or you sleep on top of my covers and don't touch anything, got it?"

Zoro stared at the chef with an irritated gleam in his eye. "What, afraid I have lice?"

"Something like that," he said, irritated as well. He didn't exactly like lending out his room in the first place, but he was willing to do it. Somehow, though, the idea of that guy messing up his bed annoyed him. He'd probably get the covers all dirty and would ruin the perfect indentation in the mattress that had built over the years. He turned toward Luffy, who was smiling at him cheerfully despite the argument happening. "There's a spare bedroom next door to our room. I'll have it prepared while you're out. Marimo-head can move over there when you guys get back. I don't wanna have to deal with him all night too..."

"Sounds great, thanks!" Luffy said cheerfully, happy to have it figured out. That way he and Zoro also had a place to stay the night, since it seemed like Nami already had other plans and he really didn't want to sleep in the tent.

Snorting, Zoro got up to leave. "Don't worry, I won't ruin your precious belongings," he spoke casually before ambling his way out of the dining area and towards the back.

Usopp immediately shot up from his chair. "Don't go wandering around when you don't know where you're going!" he called after him, perplexed at Zoro's fiercely independent nature. Within moments, he, too, disappeared into the back as he chased after Zoro.

Nami, on the other hand, gave Sanji a quizzical look. "Well, I'm not sharing a room with those two," she stated sweetly, although her voice had a firm tinge to it. "I could probably get myself a hotel room or something… I know of a guy who runs a nice place that might let me stay for a discount."

"You can stay with me~!" Sanji said immediately, leaning toward her with his one visible eye sparkling happily. "I'll even share my bed with you~!"

"Thanks, but no thanks," said the orange-haired girl as she turned to leave.

"Wha-Wait!" Sanji reached for his crutch and pushed himself up, holding one hand out to her. "Don't go, Nami-san! You can have the room all to yourself, those guys'll just stay with us. Just wait a moment, I'll go tell them." He was already moving as fast as he could down the hall after Usopp and Zoro, calling out to them.

Luffy blinked after the cook, staring down the hallway. He didn't really care, as long as he had a place to stay. Sanji and Usopp's room was nice; he was fine with it. That Sanji sure was strange sometimes, though...

Watching him leave, Nami gave an amused grin. "I get to stay for free!" she exclaimed happily. "That has to be at least a 200 beli savings!"

Luffy cocked his head toward Nami curiously. "So does that mean the money goes off Zoro's tab? Or can we use that money toward something fun in town?" He smiled brightly.

"Maybe something fun," replied Nami. "Like a new outfit. But Zoro's tab stays the way it is until he pays me back."

Luffy turned to her completely, blinking and placing one hand on his hat out of habit. "Really? A new outfit? Weren't you already getting one?"

The girl eyed Luffy for a moment, her dark eyes scanning his unsavory apparel. "Well, you can never have too many clothes," she stated firmly. "And looks like you're in need of some newer clothes. We can't have a rich kid like you running around in rags like that."

"What!" Luffy said, startled, "Why would I be rich? I'm just, I'm going to see my friend..." He stared at her, wide-eyed, his other hand unconsciously splaying against his stomach at the thought of his clothes. They really were pretty grimy by then, she was right about that much... But why did she keep making the comments that made it seem like she knew who he was? It was a little unnerving. He didn't even know how to interpret it.

Shaking her head, Nami grabbed his arm. "I know you're really not that clueless." She lightly tugged him along. "C'mon."

Luffy stared at her, wide-eyed, starting to walk along with her. "Wait, do we need to wait for Sanji?" He looked back toward the hallway, a little confused. He was beginning to see why Zoro didn't want him alone with her. She was kind of scary.

"Why are we waiting for Sanji?" she asked, perplexed.

"I dunno," he said, getting even more confused. "Didn't he say to wait?" What the hell was going on here? He shook his head, not wanting to care about any of it. "Nevermind. Let's go!" He grinned at her, suddenly striding toward the door. "I wanna look around! Hey, do you already know good places to go? You were in town with Zoro earlier... Is there anything really cool we can see?" He looked at her hopefully, excited.

"Sure, I know my way around Baratie all right," said Nami with confidence. However, a sly smile appeared on her face. "I'll be glad to serve as your tour guide," she continued, an arm slipping around Luffy's shoulders. "At a price, of course…" Her chatter died as the pair exited the restaurant.

Luffy gave her a strange look at the comment of a price but otherwise just grinned and nodded, unperturbed. They soon disappeared into the crowd on the streets of Baratie, moments before Sanji hobbled back excitedly, calling out for her. When he saw Nami was gone, he looked highly disappointed. Looking around, he also noticed the other guy was gone too. Hmm. Shrugging, he sat down to eat for awhile before the noon rush could arrive. It was a long day he had ahead of him, and he needed to be ready for it. Not being able to think from hunger was not exactly high on his to do list...