Three

Zoro and Sanji were fighting.

It was not as though they normally existed in a state of bliss—they were far from being that sort of couple. Instead, they would trade barbs and insults and then meet in a cupboard later to sort one another out, except now… the tension was worse than any of their crewmates had anticipated. It was a lovers' spat, plain and simple, and the rest of the crew was privy to it by virtue of being… well… not many places to hide on the ship.

"You're late," the cook growled as the swordsman strolled into the kitchen for the already-late dinner, just as everyone else was finishing. "What makes you think that you have special permission to be late for meals?"

"I didn't realize it was a law," Zoro fired back. He sat down at the table as the rest of the crew grew quiet, not wanting to get entangled in the fight.

"It's been over an hour," Sanji said. "Your food is cold and dried out."

"My food is exactly how it was intended to be."

"Here." Sanji slammed down a plate of fried rice in front of Zoro, fire in his eyes. "You can clean up your own mess, moss-brain."

"Whatever, princess."

At that, Sanji stormed out of the kitchen and off towards the stern of the ship, wanting to put some distance between the two of them. He sat underneath one of the mikan trees and shakily lit a cigarette, sucking half the thing down before he realized that someone else had followed him out there.

"Go away," he scowled. "I'm not in the mood."

"What are the two of you even fighting about?" Mara wondered. She sat down next to the cook and rested her head against his shoulder. "I would think it's a bad thing when the Pirate King's Wings are fighting with one another."

"He's just being a bastard—give him time to come around," he scoffed. He took a deep drag of the cigarette and held the smoke in his lungs for a moment before slowly letting it pour out of his mouth and nose. "It's just a matter of time."

"I wish you'd stop doing that," she mentioned. "It is an awful habit."

"I know, I know, you don't need to tell me. That's the crap-geezer's job." He glanced over at Mara and she looked at him incredulously. "You know… the two of you would probably get along super fucking well, and that's not a theory I want to test anytime soon."

"He'd probably kneecap you before you even have a chance to explain why I exist," she chuckled. He shivered at that.

"Fuck… yeah… I really don't need the crap-geezer meeting you."

"...but he's your dad, yeah? The man who made you, well, you…? Isn't that what a dad is?" He nodded cautiously. "I think it'd be nice to meet your dad. It's probably safe to say that you can figure out why dads aren't exactly a stable concept in my family." She paused, contemplative. "It would be nice to meet an even semi-decent one… one that's not Bege or Gotti, of course."

"Maybe after those papers," he nodded. They sat like that for a while in silence, letting the quiet sounds of the sea punctuate the air around them. Sanji finished off his cigarette and snubbed it, and did not light a new one—if the lady was going to sit with him, then the least he could do was make it worth her while.

"Ah, there you are." The pair looked in the direction of the stairs and saw Zoro standing there, weight cocked to one side and his arms folded in front of his chest. "Was wondering where the fuck you ran off to."

"Did you clean up?" was Sanji's response.

"Yeah."

"Then fuck off."

"Can't—this is where I train."

"Nami-swan's trees are here—you can't be that big of an idiot."

"I train where I train." Zoro took his shirt off and unsheathed the white-hilted sword at his waist, going through motions and stances that the other man knew was just for show, irritating him beyond belief.

"Ugh, fine, wave around your stupid sword in the dark," Sanji said as he stood, helping Mara to her feet as well. "I'm going to go to bed, where I shall sleep with my wife!"

"Have fun sharing a bed with a kid, you perv!" Zoro called out as Sanji stomped away, dragging Mara along by the wrist. He did not let go until they were below deck, where he groaned loudly and went to the wall, allowing his head to thump against the lacquered wooden surface.

"You two are really bad at messing with each other, aren't you?" Mara sighed. She watched as he continually thunked his head against the wall, not wanting to address the situation. "Come on—you're being ridiculous."

He stopped hitting his head and glanced at her, expression so incredibly tired. " Can I stay with you, Mara-chan? I don't think I can stay in the same room as his dumb ass right now. No funny stuff—promise—right after I finish the last of the cleanup."

"Then it's a good thing I haven't moved in with Nami and Robin yet, isn't it?" she chuckled.

Sanji perked up at that and kissed the top of Mara's head before disappearing towards the kitchen. She went into her room and changed into her pajamas, slipping underneath the bed covers to read as she waited for him to join her. He eventually appeared wearing a pajama set and slippers, carrying a blanket over his shoulder. The very sight of her sitting up in bed, waiting for him, threatened to give him a nosebleed right then and there, even though she was fully clothed herself.

"Thought I'd at least make it so if someone walks in…" he shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. He put the blanket down atop the bed, laid down on it, then folded it so that it was open away from Mara. "See? No 'green-haired idiots who lets Chopper bunk with him after a nightmare' being scandalized."

"We're still technically married, you know. That's what you pulled to be here."

"Hush—you're ruining it," he teased. Sanji closed his eyes and let out a breath. "Goodnight, Mara-chan."

"Night."

It took Mara longer to fall asleep, which meant that she smiled to a dark room when she felt Sanji unconsciously put an arm around her waist and pull her close.

"Mara-chaaaaannn~!"

The young woman glanced over her shoulder to see Sanji coming up towards her, Nami, and Robin. The women of the ship were sitting together on the deck, enjoying the good weather while they could, as the navigator was predicting storms for later on. She smiled brightly at him, nearly causing him to drop the tray.

"What is it, Sanji?"

"I just wanted to say, the chocolate you left for me to use is absolutely divine," he said. He placed the tray down on the table between the women, complete with a fancy drink each and a plate of croissants. "The pliability as a filling is beyond anything I could have done."

"That's our Mara," Nami chuckled. She took a bite of her croissant and hummed in delight. "Oh, that is delicious, you two!"

"Why thank you, Nami-swan!" Sanji beamed. "I couldn't have done it without Mara-chan's masterful work. What about you, Robin-chan? Is it to your liking?"

"It is very delicious," the eldest woman nodded around some croissant. "You both have outdone yourselves."

"Thanks," Mara and Sanji said in unison. Nami and Robin watched as they smiled almost the exact same way, and it was difficult to not laugh.

"Oi, what'cha got there?" Zoro asked, stomping over from the other side of the deck. Before Sanji could react, he took one of the croissants and popped all of one in his mouth. "Not bad, but tastes better than normal."

"I made the chocolate to be not too sweet in case you had some," Mara said. He nodded at that, chewing crudely before swallowing hard. "You like it?"

"Still better than nothing," he claimed.

Mara took it as a compliment… yet Sanji, on the other hand, sent a kick flying in the direction of the swordsman's head. It wasn't although the ladies expected anything less, after all.

Chopper was acting odd.

Granted, he was odd before, but there was a distinct break in his demeanor that made him a bit odder than normal. He avoided talking to people and kept to himself at an increased frequency. The rest of the crew noticed that even visits from Robin—usually the one who could coax him out of odd moods the best—was unable to bring him to sorts. His behavior was a mystery to everyone, until the reindeer quietly slunk into the kitchen late one evening as its two-person staff was cleaning up for the night.

"Sanji, Mara, I need to talk to you both, because it's crucial you have this information," Chopper said seriously as he entered via the infirmary one day. Sanji chuckled at that, amused by the unusual tone of his friend.

"What's so earth-shattering that you've been hiding yourself in the infirmary all this time?" he asked. Chopper simply sat down in his usual chair and looked terrified.

"I got permission to tell you both just today: Robin is pregnant and I need you both to change the foods that she's going to be eating for the next few months," he stated. "She's about ready to show, so I need you both to know that it's not that she's overeating, but creating a new life."

Sanji and Mara both stopped what they were doing and stared at Chopper. Robin? Pregnant? With a baby?! Neither of them really knew how to broach the subject, until Franky came strolling into the room, a grin on his face.

"Hey, got anything hanging around ready to eat? I'm feeling super-hungry this week…"

"What the hell did you do to Robin-chan?" Sanji growled. Franky looked at Sanji, then Mara, then over at Chopper, piecing everything together.

"Oh, so Chopper-bro told you? I'm going to be a dad!" He watched as Sanji smacked his forehead in frustration and Chopper sank further in his chair. "What…?"

"That's wonderful, Franky," Mara said, "but is it really a good idea to have a baby on a pirate ship?"

"There were little kids on the Oro Jackson, so why not on the Thousand Sunny?" Franky shrugged. "I can't wait to tell Luffy-bro, but we've been holding off on most people because… well… you know how they get just when the Fire Tank Kids come over—can you imagine them realizing we'll have one of our own?"

"A baby is going to mean adjusting a lot around here, you dumbass," Sanji deadpanned. "Locks and latches everywhere, anchoring things down, making sure whomever is watching the ship can handle a kid…"

"You talk as though my kid would be anything less than the most super addition to the crew," Franky chuckled. He heard the door slam open behind him and he turned, seeing Luffy standing there. "Oh hey, Luffy-bro—what's up?"

"Your kid?!" the captain asked excitedly. Sanji and Chopper both opened their mouths to give a cover story, and yet…

"Yeah, might as well tell you: Robin and I are having a baby!" Franky beamed. Luffy's eyes got big and he gasped as everything finished clicking into place.

"That's so neat! Guys, did you hear that?! We're gonna be aunts and uncles! Hey Usopp!" At that, Luffy ran out of the kitchen, completely having forgotten his original mission.

"Great job, moron," Sanji scoffed. "Now everyone'll know."

"It's better this way, anyhow," Franky shrugged.

"...and you didn't think Robin would like a say in this?" Mara half-giggled. Franky grabbed a bottle of cola from the fridge and cracked it open with a shrug.

"She was fine with saying something weeks ago. Gotta go make sure Luffy-bro doesn't fall overboard in excitement!" He retreated from the kitchen as though he had absolutely nothing to worry about within the coming months, let alone the coming minutes and hours.

"This is a really tough one," Mara scowled. She placed the paper down and palmed her eyes as she tried to ward away the headache that was coming on. It was a quiet evening in the kitchen, with just her and Robin sitting there with some herbal tea and their Poneglyphs. Most of the rest of the ship was too noisy, as their crewmates were excited for the incoming baby and therefore engrossed with their own projects to prepare.

"Is it now?" Robin asked. She plucked the paper from the table and furrowed her brow at it. "Yes, the conjugation is a bit difficult, but I know you'll get there."

"This could be so much easier…" the younger woman whined.

"I thought we were doing this because you didn't think this would be something which you could take the easy way out." She looked at how her student grimaced, as though she said to much, and something in the back of her mind began to nudge at her. "Is there something else you're not telling me, Mara?"

"I… erm…" Mara avoided eye contact for a bit, then relented, knowing that Robin wasn't going to let it go. "I know you've figured out I have a Devil Fruit ability."

"Since how you don't go swimming? It's easy to figure out."

"Well… no one else knows about this, but… I could go into your memory and pull out what this glyph set means," Mara explained. "I could copy your memories into mine and instantly know what everything means, what it all translates to…"

"...and yet you don't."

"I haven't used my abilities in over three years… not since I came aboard the ship," Mara claimed. "It was just another thing that Big Mom had on me."

"It's not surprising that you've kept this secret for as long as you have," Robin nodded. "So, no one else on the ship knows?"

"Not a one."

Robin considered that and made a noise in acceptance. "There are worse secrets for you to hold, I suppose. Everyone on this ship has something about them they don't want to share at first—just don't be shocked if it comes out eventually."

"Oh, don't worry—I won't."

It was a well-known fact throughout the New World that the Straw Hat, Fire Tank, and Big Mom Pirates were all related through the tenacity of arranged marriages. Despite the feud going on between "Mugiwara" Monkey D. Luffy and "Big Mom" Charlotte Linlin, they were still a fearsome trio to encounter, even when their numbers were divided. Any potential meeting amongst them was beyond anything the World Government wanted, let alone wanted to go awry, and their movements were monitored as close as possible.

So when the Fire Tank Pirates approached the Straw Hat flagship Thousand Sunny one day, seemingly out of nowhere, a high alert was put into place. Cipher Pol assassins watched from afar as the potential meeting of the up-and-coming titans commenced, wishing that there was no fallout that they would have to clean up. They looked through their binoculars and scowled at the scene, which seemed almost comical in nature.

"It's a birthday party," the one agent realized.

"No, sir, it's a child's birthday party," the other noticed. "The Fire Tank heir is turning four, it seems. They're throwing a family birthday party."

Feeling extremely foolish, the first agent kept observing the scene, noting the decorations, food, and colorful atmosphere. There was no pretense—it truly was a child's party. The Fire Tank heir tried to swipe a cookie and was caught by the Straw Hat baker and gently scolded; her chef husband indulged the lad soon as her back was turned.

"Do we really need to watch this?"

"It's our assignment, so yes," the first agent bristled. The Straw Hat marksman and doctor proceeded to perform magic tricks for the toddlers, their little eyes going wide. "Parties are an excuse for adults to get drunk, and who knows what sort of explosions will happen in the meantime. We're here to monitor the situation and make sure things don't get too out of hand."

"That doesn't change the fact that the cake looks good, sir."

A pause.

"Yeah, you're right. It does look damn good."

Another pause.

"You think we can get away with Rokushiki-ing our way down there and…?"

"...no."

Both their stomachs squelched in want—this was going to be a long day.

"Uncle Sanji?"

"Yeah, Pez?"

"Why don't we all live together?"

It was late on the morning after the child's birthday party. Most of the ship was still sleeping off their fun, with the only other ones awake being Nami and Jinbe as they both took watch. The pajama-clad child had found his way down to the kitchen and was happily sipping milk as Sanji put together breakfast for the both of them.

"We have a lot of different things to do on the ship here than on your dad's," Sanji noted. "Uncle Luffy has a lot of stuff to take care of first."

"Oh." The child kicked his legs in the air, pensive. "Then why does Uncle Gotti and Auntie Lola live with us?"

"Uncle Gotti knew your dad before either of them met your mom and Auntie Lola—that's a bond that's hard to break."

"…like you and Uncle Zoro…?"

Sanji raised a curled eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Mom says you and Auntie Mara don't have kids because you're busy with Uncle Zoro. Is that true? Why is that? What are you busy doing?"

"I don't know if your mom knows exactly how to explain what happens on the Thousand Sunny," Sanji stated. He brought two plates to the table and sat down, placing one in front of himself and the other in front of Pez. "That's alright, though. Sometimes adults don't always have the right answers, just like I can't answer all questions about your dad and Uncle Gotti."

"…but Mom says she's always right."

"Your mom is right in many ways, but not necessarily about Uncle Zoro and me."

"Then what is?"

"I doubt even Uncle Zoro and I could explain properly," Sanji assured gently. He watched as the boy gobbled down his eggs and potatoes, showing the potential for a voracious appetite in his teenaged years. "Sometimes people don't want to have children, or just not right away, because they're having a lot of fun being good aunties and uncles instead. Does that make sense?"

"I guess…" Pez nodded. "I like when we visit each other. It's really fun. You're all very nice aunties and uncles."

"That's great to hear."

"Mom says that she has a lot more sisters than just Auntie Lola and Auntie Mara, and a lot of brothers, too! And some of my cousins live with them! When do you think we'll get to have a party with everyone? That would be a lot of people, wouldn't it? Is it a lot of people? How many people is it?"

"Just know that it's a lot," Sanji chuckled. His leg began to bounce as his nicotine crash was hitting him—if the boy's father was tasked with no longer smoking around the child, then he would as well, no matter how that would end up.

"Oh." The child grew quiet, contemplative. "Uncle Sanji?"

"Yeah, Pez?"

"Why are you a cook? And Auntie Mara a baker?"

"We love feeding people."

"Even bad people?"

"We're pirates—most pirates are bad in one way or another—but that doesn't stop me from wanting to feed a hungry person. Even bad people have the right to a full stomach, because if they're not starving, then you know anything bad that they do is more because they want to and not because they have to be to survive."

"…and if they decide to be bad, then you wait until they're done eating and then kick their butts?"

"Quite literally, yes." He ruffled the boy's bedhead and took note of the empty plate. "You finished?"

"Yes! Thank you, Uncle Sanji! It was tasty!" Pez slid down off his chair and gave the man a hug before running out the door. The boy's nominal uncle chuckled to himself, glad for the fact the kid was growing up inquisitive and kind despite being raised by pirates and gangsters and all manner of violent thugs. At least, he knew, there was hope that he could possibly choose a different way of life, if those who made their lives miserable were taken down a peg or seven.

He finished the remainder of his breakfast in silence—with any luck, of course.

They stopped at an island when it was nearly time for Robin to have her child, making it so that Chopper had someone else with him who was more comfortable with the event of childbirth when it was time for the newest crewmate's arrival. It was an occasion that called for a reluctant Franky to wear real pants, which irritated him beyond measure, but it was required to wear long pants in the hospital if he was going to be there for the birth of his child, and that was an event he was not going to miss for anything.

The rest of the crew was banished to the ship, to make sure they did not cause any havoc whilst they were waiting on the news of the child's arrival. Three stress-filled, absolute maddening days passed before Chopper brought back the new parents and their tiny, newborn daughter.

"Her name is Floe, but we want Iceburg to figure out why on his own," Franky beamed. "I think I'm gonna wait to take a picture until her eyes are open more often, so I can send that with the letter breaking the news to him that there's a new member of the family."

"You mean, you never even told Iceburg?" Sanji questioned flatly. "He's like your brother. One that you don't hate. That makes her his niece."

"We thought it best to wait until she was born to let him know what Franky's been up to in his personal life, considering the terms he and I have been on haven't always been the best," Robin chuckled. She bounced her daughter in her arms, the girl gurgling happily. "Rip the bandage off when there's such a sweet remedy to ease the shock."

"This will be a shock alright," Usopp quipped. He leaned down and gently poked Floe's cheek, causing her to grunt. "You kind of don't go back from making a whole other person together, don't you?"

"Not exactly, no," Robin replied. She glanced over at Mara and a thought crossed her mind. "I guess you're no longer the youngest on the ship, huh?"

"Ha, no… I guess not." Mara stared at the baby and frowned. "Can I hold her?"

"We can hold her?!" Luffy gasped. "I wanna hold her!"

"Mara asked first, Robin said, using the best mothering tone she had in reserve. The captain pouted as the youngest of his crewmates was passed to the next-youngest, the young woman marveling at the baby now in her grasp. "You girls doing alright?"

"Yeah." Mara let out a laugh and glanced over at Sanji next to her. "You know, for all the kids in my family, I don't think I've ever held a baby?"

"Now that I find hard to believe." He placed his fingertip in Floe's hand, watching the child with wisps of blue hair and features already severe. "She's absolutely wonderful, Robin-chan, Franky."

"Thanks, Sanji-bro," Franky beamed. "Maybe one day you and Mara-sis can bring aboard a baby as super as Floe is!"

The entire crew went quiet at that, with Sanji and Mara growing red in their faces. Over in the corner, Zoro scoffed at the notion, which honestly only made it worse.

"Mara and I… aren't… like that," Sanji insisted.

"Well, if next week you change your mind, your kids will be super-cute as well." Franky took his daughter back as his chest changed into a papoose, holding Floe against him as she went to sleep. "What…? It's the truth."

Just because it was the truth did not mean that it needed to be said.

It was a grand meeting of the Straw Hat Fleet, organized by the most fervent of the sub-captains. The Straw Hat himself was not eager to attend, though his crew was becoming increasingly annoyed with his avoidant and irritable behavior.

"Whether you like it or not, Luffy, these people look up to you!" Nami scolded. "Would you rather have these people pissed at you for blowing this entire thing off, or would you rather have them be your allies? I'd think the choice is simple. You have all the potential to be one of the Emperors one day, if you'll just take it."

"They can do what they want, I don't care," Luffy whined. He was draped over a railing, as though he had melted on the sunny day. "I don't want an empire. That's not me."

"It's not many people who come into empires and ruling who are meant for it, but at least you're one of the better ones," Mara reminded him. He made a gurgling noise in protest, which she did not take lightly. "How many people on this ship have experienced first-hand the hardships brought on by poor leadership? By horrid people who think that they can wield power simply because they can? What about the stories I hear about you laying down your lives at the feet of a friend who was actually doing the right thing? You've quelled a false revolution that saved countless lives, and yet this…? This is too much bother…?"

"Vivi's meant to be the Queen of Alabasta one day! I'm just a pirate."

"Different sorts of rulers are born in different ways," Nami added, glad for her backup. "We wouldn't follow you if we didn't believe in you, yeah?"

"Well, yeah…"

"…then the same goes for them," Mara added. "Pirates under strong leaders are able to do great things. Otherwise they're just playing by the rules."

"Screw the rules."

"Exactly." The two women looked at one another, then at their captain, and decided to take matters into their own hands. One grabbed his hands, the other his feet, and they tied the rubbery, petulant man into a series of knots as much of the remainder of the crew watched on cautiously.

"What is this for?!" Luffy screeched.

"Your own good," Nami stated. She shot a glare towards the rest of the crew, who had shivers go down their spines. "What are you morons looking at?"

"If he doesn't want to go, then he doesn't want to go," Robin reminded her gently while soothing the baby in her arms. "We don't follow Luffy because he does what he should, but what's right by him."

"Robin, not you too…" Nami groaned. "All we need is for Luffy to make an appearance, tell them to follow their dreams, and then leave! It's not much to ask when you think about it."

"Oh no you don't! Mara-maker!" Mara hit Usopp square on the jaw as he tried to rescue their captain from the almost-certainly-boring doom. "Don't even think about it, Usopp! We're all going! It's not for long!"

As the discussion became increasingly heated, Sanji watched from the safety of the other side of the deck as he leaned on the railing with Zoro. A smirk went across his lips as he watched the scene unfold, which unnerved his (off-again?) paramour slightly.

"What's with that look?"

"I was just thinking—Mara-chan's really come into her own, hasn't she?"

"I guess—it's not good knowing the witch has an ally." Zoro glanced at the other man and furrowed his brow; he knew that look. Oh, he knew the expression that Sanji was wearing as he stared over at the young woman he was wed to and it was not good. "Stop it."

"Stop what?"

"Looking at her like that. It's creepy."

"She's a woman, for fuck's sake; can't I enjoy the fact we sail with three of the most gorgeous women on the seas?"

"Keep it in your fucking pants, or I'll take you out back and ride you myself," Zoro scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"It's been a bit—think you'd remember how it goes?" Sanji sniped.

"Yeah, me slamming your hips into the floor while you look like you're about to explode." The swordsman relished in the irritated glare he got from the cook—at least that mission was accomplished. "Besides, we need to keep in mind what's good for Luffy right now, and the fleet he accidentally gathered that's on the horizon needs to be watched, not ignored because we're too busy making sure you don't jump anyone's bones."

"The only bones worth jumping right now is jumping over or around Brook's corpse because he's blocking the doorway again," Sanji snorted. "Bastard needs to stop angling himself everywhere—it's getting annoying."

"We're in the weirdest goddamned crew, aren't we?"

"Think about it: could be worse."

Actually, neither of them really wanted to think about that.

Zoro opened his eye to something heavy being placed upon his chest. He looked and saw Floe laying on him, the child wiggly and alert, with Sanji towering over them both.

"Be useful and watch the baby, dipshit," the blond ordered. "I got to go into town."

"It'll ruin my nap," the swordsman claimed. "Why don't you watch her? How about her parents?"

"Robin-chan and Franky are both already in town and I can't drag the little one here around shopping with all the stuff I need to haul back," Sanji deadpanned, gesturing towards the town. They were stuck in port for an entire fortnight, which meant that most of the crew was taking their time exploring the island.

"Get Usopp."

"Mosshead, you're literally the only other adult left on the ship. Take the baby."

"What if I don't want to?"

"You have to—rules are rules."

"This has been the most annoying development on the ship, and that includes your crush on Mara."

"I'll be back in two hours—make sure she doesn't spontaneously combust and I think we're good."

"She won't if you just take her with you."

"...and last on the ship keeps Floe with them unless stated otherwise."

"Then I guess I won't be the last." Zoro stood and scratched at his scalp as he left the ship, hopping down onto the pier sourly. Sanji glared at the other man as he walked away before sighing in resignation.

"I guess it's time for a day out with Uncle Sanji," he told the baby. She looked at him with her wide eyes and his heart melted—how the fuck could Zoro be such a dick about needing to watch over such an innocent angel as their niece?

Okay, he knew how: watching over Floe meant that the swordsman had to pay attention to something other than napping or training or eating or drinking his favorite booze. Would he act the same had it been his kid? Possibly…? Probably. He knew it was a lot for Franky and Robin to allow the rest of the Thousand Sunny crew to help raise their child, but when it came down to it, it was going to happen eventually. Now it was just on the twenty-something-aged uncles and aunties to step up… and it did not mean that they all wanted to do so.

Resigning himself, Sanji went and packed Floe's things into a bag and slung her into a papoose that Robin had recently bought—Doskoi Panda, even—and set off into town. There wasn't any way someone could steal the ship without Franky there to fire it up and Jinbe to steer it, so he didn't care as long as the doors were locked. All he wanted was to get this errand run over with before he ran into Zoro and the two of them began to fight.

Can't let too much happen with a baby strapped to his chest, now could he?

Luckily, as Sanji went along in his quest, most of the stores were willing to either do a pickup or delivery to the docks later on in the day. It meant that he didn't have much problem with the couple bags he needed to carry anyhow, plus the eight-month-old attached to him… at least not to start. He was barely halfway through his round before needing to sit down, finding a bench in the square to rest on.

"Don't tell me I'm getting old just yet," he chuckled at Floe. The baby giggled at him as he sat her on his knee, allowing her to eat some of the twice-baked biscuits he brought for her. She gnawed sloppily at one with her two barely-there teeth, the snack soon becoming more drool than anything.

Sitting there, Sanji let himself bask in the calmness of the town square. It was still a busy and bustling port—that much was clear based on the amount of people and the variety of things that were for sale—yet the sort of commotion that was going on was peaceful. It was a New World port that was not in the middle of anything disastrous. All it was doing was existing, and that was enough for him.

"Oh! Look at the baby!"

Sanji's attention snapped up to some women that were approaching him and Floe. He was excited to get to flirt without strings attached for the first time in a while, though the way the women were looking at the baby made his heart freeze momentarily—he did not like it.

"...and to what do I owe this lovely surprise?" he asked, keeping the charm on. The women, all roughly his age or a slight bit younger, held their attention on Floe, who simply stared silently at her admirers.

"Your kid is soooo cute!" one of the women exclaimed.

"She must look like her mommy, with those eyes and that hair!" mentioned another.

"Oooh, I just want to hold her!"

"No," Sanji said cautiously. He pulled Floe a bit closer to him, keeping his senses sharp. The port was too quiet for being in the New World, now that he thought about it, and the last thing he needed was to be caught off-guard by someone knowing exactly what his weak points were. It was a foreign feeling, not wanting to flirt with the women before him, and he did not like it. All his internal alarms were going off at once. "I think you ladies need to go now."

"...but we just want to play with the little darling!" the woman who seemed to be the ringleader said. She crouched down to look at Floe directly in her eyes. "What do you think, sweetie? Does Daddy need a break?"

"I think she needs to go with her aunt and uncle back to the ship," a voice cut in. Sanji and the women glanced over to see Mara walking towards them, an irritated expression on her face. The ringleader stood up straight and folded her arms across her chest as Mara approached.

"Her aunt and uncle, hmm…?"

"Of course she is," Mara replied firmly. She took Floe from Sanji and the baby nestled into her affectionately, with the sort of calm that showed it was not the first time she had held her. "I think you need to leave my husband and niece alone now."

"Oh, husband?" the woman scoffed. "That sounds more than a little bit like wishful thinking."

"Why would you say that to my wife?" Sanji asked. "She has nothing to prove to you."

"So, then you are married?"

"Yes…?"

At that, the ringleader seemed to measure up her options and decided to walk away, the rest of the group following her stead. Sanji stood there slightly perplexed, only to be broken of the spell by Mara pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"What just happened?" he wondered, blush rushing to his face. "I feel like I'm missing something."

"Never mind, dear," Mara tutted. "Now let's get our little niece back to her bed so she can take a nap." Floe seemed to agree with this, as she yawned exaggeratedly. The triumphant auntie insisted on carrying the child back with them as they went to the ship, where they found Franky loading up some repair supplies up onto the deck.

"Ah! There you are!" he beamed. He saw that Floe was asleep on Mara's shoulder and he quieted, allowing his daughter to be put to bed. Soon as she was out of sight, the shipwright grinned at the ship's cook. "So, took the kid out on the town to be popular with the ladies and got caught?"

"No—I took your daughter out because I needed to do errands and no one else would take her," Sanji defended. "Why don't you and Robin-chan ever take her out? You know? Her parents?"

"We take her out into ports plenty of times—it's just you always seem to forget when it doesn't benefit your complaints, Sanji-bro." Franky watched as his younger crewmate divested himself of the papoose, not placated by the claim. "That doesn't explain why you came back playing Happy Family with Mara-sis."

"I don't know what the fuck you're on about," Sanji snapped. He handed Franky the papoose and rolled his eyes. "I told you: we're not like that. Why don't you just quit it?"

"Just calling it like I see it," the cyborg claimed with a shrug. "What can I say? Guess I'm just observant this week."

There was no way in all of hell, Sanji thought as he stomped his way back to town, that Franky was simply being observant. He went back on his route of all the other stores that he'd missed the first time around and tried to put himself back into his work, refusing to let his crewmate get under his skin.