Five
It was late at night, after much of the ship had either gone to bed or taken watch duties. Sanji and Mara were finishing the remaining cleanup in the kitchen, as things had gotten fairly sloppy when Luffy somehow tracked mud through the entire galley after dinner. The freshly-mopped floor seemed to be nearly all dry when Brook walked in, carrying a Tone Dial.
"I've got something here that I think you might enjoy," the skeleton said. "Usopp's been tinkering with this Tone Dial to make the sound clearer and do things like repeat and shuffle songs. It might help fill the time as you're working in here away from the others."
"That's a tall order," Mara chuckled. She accepted the Tone Dial and placed it on the counter. "Did you want a snack before you head to bed?"
"No thank you—I'm actually turning in a little early, since I'm bone-tired!" Silence passed, ending with him letting out a sneeze. "How cold…"
"See you in the morning, dumbass," Sanji said, no malice to his voice. Brook nodded and left the kitchen, the two occupants now staring at his gift. "I was hoping he'd do something like this eventually."
"It's a sweet thought," Mara agreed. She pressed the button on the Dial and the sound of Brook's violin began to slink out of the shell. It was a slow, meandering melody that they had never heard before, and it was something that the pair both found pleasing. "I don't know if this is work music or dancing music."
"Then let's test that theory," Sanji offered, holding out his hand. He led her to the empty spot of floor that had just been cleaned and twirled her around before pulling her in close. "Mademoiselle."
"Monsieur." She placed one hand on his shoulder whilst the other held his hand as they glided across the floor. "I'm always amazed at how good you are at dancing."
"I took lessons as a young teenager," he admitted. "Zeff thought I was an idiot, but it's come in handy, now hasn't it?"
"It's definitely been a perk." The pair twirled around slowly, allowing the music to take their minds away from the kitchen for at least a little while. "Can definitely tell it wasn't Judge who made you do this."
"...and how can you tell that?"
"Have you seen your sister dance? She's about as bad as Luffy."
Sanji let out a laugh as he thought about their mission to get the Poneglyph—Reiju was terrible at dancing, worse than even Zoro. "The moss-brain really had it out for him, didn't he?"
"I didn't expect that he would be the one out of the pair to know how to dance."
"It wasn't by accident—I did work on him a bit." He gingerly twirled her and continued the steps. "That was going to be one of the last things he'd embarrass me with."
She considered that, contemplative. "So, it's safe to say I'm an improvement?" He led her into a dip, allowing the ends of her hair to touch the floor before hefting her back up into his arms.
"There's your proof," he teased. "Never did fully teach him how to go the appropriate amount of limp for that."
"To think of Zoro and the word 'limp' together isn't exactly anything I'd had in mind," she smirked. "You were fighting a losing battle, not that there was anything wrong with it. He did try it for you though, yeah?"
"Yeah—that was what counted." The Tone Dial began to skip, causing the couple to stop. Sanji picked up the Dial and began to fuss over it, ultimately turning it off and replacing it on the table. "I guess the Sniper King has to give it at least one more go."
"It seems so; let's finish cleanup. I'm beat."
They went back to their chores, the song now stuck in their heads. Before long, they were both humming the tune, moving about in a manner a bit more exaggerated than earlier. When they were done, she popped up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his lips, her hands on his chest to brace herself.
"Until we can dance another time," she claimed.
"Yeah, until then."
Sanji watched as Mara left, then immediately took care of himself in the pantry. He was not going to return to the men's bunks with such a need… unaddressed… not again, at least.
Honestly, the Straw Hat Pirates could not remember an encounter that had been so… anticlimactic, for lack of a better word.
It was a bit of a mess—a complete non-starter—from the very get-go, and that was part of what made it low-key hilarious to boot. They were all relaxing on what was supposed to have been an abandoned island, with no Log Pose entry nor noteworthiness that made it eligible for most maps. The Straw Hat Pirates all took turns with their communal toddler as they enjoyed the beach, making it so that it was a simple day out for the unconventional family.
A rumbling could be heard within the trees, with animals beginning to squawk and chitter as they ran away from the noise. The underbrush rumbled for only a moment before nine menacing, mechanical caterpillars came thundering out. Each of them had a set of handlebars and was driven by a teenaged boy with a pompadour and black leather jacket. They all faced the Straw Hat Pirates, with the tall and lanky leader grinning at them devilishly.
"There you are, sis," the teen smirked. "Ma's been besides herself that you bailed."
"Anglais? Is that you?!" Mara gasped. She marveled at her younger brother, now taller than her by nearly an entire foot. "What are you doing?!"
"My first assignment as the captain of the Mechapillar Pirates," Anglais said, trying to puff himself up as something more than a few sticks and some hair product. "I'm to bring you home, Pudding. Ma says enough is enough."
"You can't have her," Luffy stated. "Mara's our friend now—you don't tell her what to do."
"Damn straight I can—word comes straight from Big Ma herself."
"Like hell." Mara folded her arms across her chest and glared at her brother. "I don't need Big Mom anymore. She doesn't have any control over me."
"No one leaves the crew without Big Ma's permission, and you did not have permission."
"Then this is your only warning: leave now, Anglais, or I'll take drastic measures."
"Not as drastic as what Ma'll do to yous."
"I, uh, think you might want to listen to her," Usopp suggested. He and several other Straw Hats tensed, ready to fight if necessary. "You shouldn't mess with Mara."
"Her name's Charlotte Pudding, you square, and she's comin' back where she belongs."
From her perch atop Brook's afro, Floe babbled rather importantly, waving her arms as though she was cross. Chopper nodded sagely.
"Yeah, you're right; we did warn them," the reindeer agreed.
"You can speak to the baby?" Anglais scoffed. "It's a fucking baby."
An awkward silence settled over the two groups of pirates. Without warning, a hand sprouted from Anglais's chest and smacked him across the cheek, leaving him absolutely stunned as the appendage disappeared just as quickly.
"What the fuck was that for?!" Instead of an answer, he watched his elder sister widen her stance.
"Memory Filament!" she shouted, reaching out towards the other crew. "REWRITE!"
Within seconds, threads emerged from Mara's fingertips and connected with the foreheads of her younger brother and his crew. They panicked, trying to get them off, and she tugged at the strings, triggering her ability. Memories were yanked out of the opposing pirates, leaving them stunned.
"What the fuck was that?!" Anglais wondered as he caught his bearings. He looked at the Straw Hat Pirates and scoffed. "Come on, gang; let's ditch these losers. Big Ma's got a job for us to do and we won't complete it wasting time here with a bunch of squares."
At that, the Mechapillar Pirates zoomed off, heading back in the direction that presumably contained their ship. Most of the Straw Hats stood there awkwardly, staring at their crewmate with caution.
"Uh… since when can you…?" Nami wondered.
"This entire time," Mara stated. She was breathing heavily, the act of using her Devil Fruit abilities after so long more draining than she originally anticipated. Suddenly Sanji was at her side, helping to brace her. "I just temporarily altered their memory of what their mission is, and what Big Mom said. When they get back to Whole Cake Island and present her an actual pudding dish, their memories will return intact."
"That's a little scary that you can do that and none of us noticed," Usopp noted.
"So that was the power your mother was threatening with," Jinbe said. "She used to say we would change our tune after visiting with you… I guess that is why."
"No wonder she wants me back now," Mara huffed. "It's probably been tough molding people to her will without me."
"That power's perfect for gaslighting, so it doesn't surprise me," Reiju said gravely.
"Indeed," Brook agreed. "Someone's memory is a precious thing. It's what makes them and shapes them—to alter them for a personal gain like that is… I'm very glad we've stayed clear of your wrath."
"Maybe not steered clear of Big Mom's anymore, but that's not a problem," Mara said. "Anyone who comes after us will get the same treatment as Anglais: a temporary blip in their memory, though still strong enough to drive them fully back to Whole Cake and Toto Land." She gave them a dazzling smile, one that made Sanji's heart melt and the others' stand firm. "If we had met under different circumstances, maybe I would have gone with Big Mom's plan… but now I can't even imagine doing something like that to you all."
"Shishishi—that's great to hear, Mara!" Luffy laughed. "Hey, don't we have a watermelon somewhere? I want to crack it open!"
"You make it sound like a cask of booze," Usopp noted. The Straw Hats went back to their beach vacation, knowing full-well that nothing was getting in the way of their fun—their crewmate was going to make certain of that.
In the end, the Mechapillar Pirates' mishap didn't even really make the papers.
Well, it sort of did. There was a small blurb, towards the bottom of the spread, on an inner page of the newspaper. Mara only really found it because she was looking, because she was wondering what happened to her younger brother.
BIG MOM GOES ON RAMPAGE – YOUNG TOTTO PRINCE AND FRIENDS ESCAPE WITH MINOR INJURIES
Well, at least he was able to escape. She kept a note of the papers after that, wondering when it was that her siblings might finally rise up against their matriarch and take hold of the nation previously held by fear. Perospero was well into his fifties now; Smoothie would be an excellent commander; Katakuri could be an excellent figurehead, able to delegate properly so that he might be left in peace for most days. With Anglais being one of the favored younger siblings, it felt like only a matter of time before the feared Charlotte Linlin was toppled by the very force she bred to not betray her.
Then again, it wasn't as though that was her problem anymore. What was her problem was that a new bounty poster for her came in, the Marines finally having connected many, many dots.
CHARLOTTE MARA OF THE STRAWHAT FLEET – THREE HUNDRED MILLION BERI
DEAD OR ALIVE – FOR CRIMES OF HEINOUS NATURE – CONSIDER ARMED AND DANGEROUS – APPROACH WITH EXTREME CAUTION
At least the photo was one of her at the ball before she blacked out, she figured, where she appeared to be little more than an elegant partygoer. Being able to both read and tell her mother "no" certainly did come at a high cost.
The invitation had come via a special mail bird, which cooed and waited patiently as the crew read the contents and gave a response. All twelve adults and their troublemaker-in-training were invited to attend a ball in celebration of a former member, for she was to marry her long-suffering fiancé and ascend to the throne of her ill father on the same day in the tradition of her people. The fact they were all pirates did nothing to deter the invitation nor the acceptance, which was how the Straw Hat Pirates found their place in a palace full of dignitaries under the auspices of a marriage-truce.
It was a lovely ceremony, when all was said and done. The princess took a childhood friend as her consort, the man blushing intensely as he accepted his place at her side, cementing a joke their fathers had made for fifteen years into a reality. Soon as they were wed, they accepted the crowns of their people—the kind queen and the outspoken minister-turned-consort, both with unwavering dedication to now not only the country, but to each other as well.
Ah, the feast that followed! It was a true treat for all those in attendance. The small pirate crew knew this was their time to relax and not worry; as their captain and several others stuffed themselves silly, others made to enjoy themselves in other ways. Without his usual duties to attend to, the cook made his way across the ballroom, ignoring the chaos that was at the buffet as he attempted to dance with his sister. He eventually found the queen standing by herself, her mind clearly lost in thought. Leaving the former mercenary to mingle (and his toes to recover), he approached their hostess completely unnoticed.
"What is the matter, Vivi-chan?" he smirked. As she turned to face him, he gave her a dazzling smile. "You should be beaming with pride."
"You caught me off-guard, Sanji-san. Where is your wife, speaking of?"
"Off somewhere—I don't need to watch her every move," he shrugged. "We enjoyed the ceremony—it's the first wedding we've attended since our own."
"I have to say, when I read the news a few years ago, I didn't think it was true," Vivi smirked. Her eyes flit across the ballroom for just a moment, taking survey of not only the rest of her former crew, but other guests as well. "You brought so many surprises this time around—having two Vinsmokes and a Charlotte in attendance is… interesting… no matter how disgraced. It still carries substantial weight. The next Levely will be interesting."
"What can I say? Never play all your cards before you know the situation." He fidgeted with his hands, circling his thumb with one fingertip, then the next, and the next. "Despite all the hardships you've endured, Vivi-chan, you're one of the lucky ones, it seems. Not only does your country love you, but your father does as well. Alubarna is not a city that resents her monarch and Alabasta is a country not living in fear or jealousy."
"A balance that is always precarious, for what did we do to deserve our lofty position? What did our parents and grandparents do? What shall our children accomplish? At what point are things up for us to decide, and when is it in the hands of the people?"
"You haven't even been queen for an entire day," Sanji chuckled. "What will your bride think if you bring him to your chambers and are unable to concentrate?"
"There are worse things to do than worry about the state of the nation you reign over," she quipped. "Our pillow talk will already be the woes of Alabasta—he knew that from the start." The Alabastian queen's gaze landed on the Germae prince's wife—laughing at one of Brook's jokes—and she frowned. "What about you? I know you've always been a flirt, but your situation…"
"We manage," he replied. "I'd rather be married to someone I'm courting in an uncharacteristically chaste fashion while she is learning how to be herself than to have her regret a decision others made for her with ill intention. Linlin and Judge had no right to do any of what they did to us."
"…and yet, it made you the people you are today. That's at least worth something, even if you still hate them."
"Lola and Chiffon were by far better mothers, and Zeff a better father," he scowled. "I would argue that they are who made us, not the ones who have done dubious things to gain and keep their powers, the ones who did not earn all the titles they believe they bear."
"There's plenty at play, that much we can agree on," Vivi said. It was then that the King Consort came over to the pair, the Straw Hats' historian on his arm. "Have a good dance?"
"I'd rather dance with Miss All Sunday than fight her," the king replied, face turning red.
"Khoza, please, I told you: Miss Robin is no more Baroque Works than I am—neither of us were loyal to them to begin with," the queen scolded. Robin chuckled, however.
"You have a good man for your arm, Queen Vivi," she replied, allowing the newlyweds to step towards one another. "Go dance and be happy—if anyone decides to ruin your wedding, then they have to get through more than just Luffy to do so." The king and queen joined the waltz on the floor, which allowed the historian to corner the cook. "They are not the only couple who should be dancing tonight. In lieu of disrupting someone else's drinking contest, I'm certain your wife would enjoy some company."
"Mara's entertaining herself just fine," he replied, choosing not to draw attention to the complications that marred that statement. "What is it with you and Vivi-chan wanting to make sure I go dance with her? Tonight is appearances for Alabasta's sake."
"...because you are still her husband, and what would you be if you were not doting on all the women in the crew the appropriate amount?"
Sanji considered that before holding his hand out to Robin, blush creeping up his face as he offered to dance. She accepted with a smirk and the two swayed throughout the room along with the others. He relished in the act, not even realizing where the historian was leading him until he twirled them about, coming out of it with Mara in his arms. The young woman giggled, watching as Robin sprouted hands from his shoulders to force him to look at her.
"I guess I'll have this dance," he sighed in resignation. The hands vanished and they continued on, allowing the music to whisk them away. "Are you having a good time, Mara-chan?"
"I am," she assured him. "With as comfortable as you are with the Queen, I'm surprised that it's taken us this long for us to be introduced."
"Vivi-chan has to be careful with how often she's seen with us, despite the fact Luffy's technically claimed Alabasta as being under his protection. She has her people to think about, you know."
"...and she doesn't want the World Government to come down on a people whose suffering she already is trying to ease?"
"Precisely. Vivi-chan is a good person, and good people often need to make sacrifices to prevent bad people from getting their way." The song ended and everyone clapped politely, giving the orchestra proper recognition. "After this, it could be years before we see her again. She could have multiple children running around and one still in her lap."
"Their traveling band of uncles and aunties will come ready to spoil them, without a doubt," Mara chuckled. She popped up on her toes and pressed her lips against Sanji's. "Thank you for the dance."
"You're… welcome." He paused for a moment, his brain processing what happened, before returning the kiss. Warm and soft, it lasted more than a couple seconds before they parted, completely and entirely unsure of what they were doing. He looked into her two visible eyes and tried to read the expression on her face, yet all he could gather was confusion. "Is that strawberry lip gloss?"
"Ha… yeah…"
"Tastes good; let me know what brand it is and I'll keep a look out for it when I go on supply runs." A small voice in the back of his head warned him to look for their crewmates, to make sure they had not seen too much. All of them seemed to be either eating or drinking or caught up in the new dance or laughing and joking… except one. "Shit, Zoro looks pissed."
"Let him be—we have to keep appearances for the sake of the Queen and King Consort of Alabasta, yes?"
"Yes, but…"
"Then let us be the Charlotte-Vinsmoke, representatives of not only the Straw Hat Pirates, but of two of the most powerful families in the world. He'll get over himself soon enough."
"Is that you volunteering to butt heads when he finally stops being an emotionally-constipated lump of moss? 'Cause it sure sounds like it." Movement low to the ground caught his eye and he saw their niece stomping up to them happily, her arms outstretched towards them. "Oh, would you look at who's here?"
"Malla! Jiji!"
"Sanji; Aunt Mara and Uncle Sanji" he gently corrected as he scooped the child up into his arms. The front of her dress was suspiciously stained and her face sticky-sweet, as though she had tried to eat without supervision and ultimately failed. "Where is Mama and Papa?"
The little girl pointed towards where Robin was smirking as Franky showed off his battle modifications to some less-than-enthused, more-horrified-than-anything nobles. Sanji sighed and pulled a kerchief out of his pocket, sticking out his tongue so the child copied him. He then wet the kerchief with her spit and began wiping off the girl's face. "Mama and Papa are simply being themselves, I suppose."
"Let them," Mara chuckled. "Auntie Malla and Uncle Jiji have their little darling." She kissed her husband's cheek again, causing their niece to giggle mirthfully.
Sanji could have sworn he saw Aunties Juju and Bee looking at them and tittering from across the ballroom. Where were Uncles Whoa-roh and Koh when you really needed them?
Early in the morning, the Straw Hat Pirates made their way out of Alubarna before there was much of a force to keep them. With the marriage-truce officially expired, they were in danger of the varying other groups that were in attendance, making it so that the only ones who saw them off were the new Queen and King Consort. They made haste for Tamarisk, having decided to lay anchor there instead of the further-out Nanohana, with the Thousand Sunny filling its sails by dawn.
Once they were all out to sea and had a good laugh about their getaway, everyone began to resettle into their routine as they prepared for the long journey back to the New World. The cook went below deck to the kitchen and began his work, allowing the others to have fun as they watched the run rise and laughed as the bounty hunters futilely attempted to catch up to them.
As he worked, the cook noticed there was a defined lift in his step. He knew what it was—he and Mara had stayed in the same bed overnight, and the experience of waking up next to another person was always cause for him to enjoy life the remainder of the day. Nothing had transpired other than cuddling, yet it was still enough to bring up his spirits more than was usual. He was eventually joined by someone who walked in wearing heavy, hulking boots, sitting down at the bar with a sort of irritated resignation.
"Booze," Zoro requested. Sanji turned around and saw the other man was glaring at him implacably.
"What's the magic word?" A grunt. "For fuck's sake, marimo; if we all don't act like human fucking beings, then how do you expect Floe to learn by example?"
Zoro considered that for a moment—the girl was beginning to mimic all their personalities with alarming accuracy. "Please."
"That's better." Sanji pulled a bottle of sake out of the cupboard, along with a serving cup. Zoro pressed the palms of his hands together in thanks and downed the drink Sanji served him before pouring himself another. "Did you want anything to eat with that?"
No answer.
"Mosshead, I'm talking to you."
"Ignore him, dear." Both men looked towards the door to see that Mara had also come into the kitchen, heading straight for a cupboard where she pulled a cookie tin out. "Remind me later to bake a double-double batch of cookies—Luffy, Chopper, Usopp, and Floe were having a contest for who could eat the most in a minute."
"But of course, my lovely," Sanji crooned.
The couple shared a light peck of a kiss before Mara patted Zoro on the shoulder in friendship before leaving. Looking down at the counter, Sanji saw that sake was all over the lacquered surface, the cup Zoro was using having cracked in his hand.
"The fuck happened here, moss?" he scoffed. He plopped a rag down on the counter for his crewmate before trying to take a look at his hand. "Think you'd know your own strength by now…"
"Will you stop it?!" Zoro growled.
"What?! You're bleeding!"
"I'm fine!"
"No, you're not!"
"Not from where I'm sitting!"
Sanji furrowed his brow in a frown. "What in the hell do you mean by that?"
"Why the fuck are you acting like this?!" the swordsman snapped, gesturing to the cook, then towards the door. "You're letting yourself get suckered in by her! It's worse than when Nami had you wrapped around her little finger all to herself!"
"I thought we were done with this back and forth anyhow!" the cook spat. "You've moved on, I've moved on… fuck, you never even used to care about what I did when we weren't together before!"
"Yeah, and we were on breaks, you weren't enjoying being married to a piece of jailbait, cozying up to her like you actually want in her bed!"
"For fuck's sake, Zoro! It's been years! She's been working through some massive shit the entire time she's been here! I'd be a shitty husband and friend if I didn't try to give her an outlet!"
"You just don't fucking get it," the swordsman scoffed. He stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Sanji stared at the counter that was a mess of booze and blood and grumbled to himself, picking up the ruined ceramic and keeping in mind the disinfecting he was going to need to do.
What was there to get? Sometimes it was like he really was attempting to reason with a talking houseplant, for all that he had to struggle with. It made him wonder what he ever saw in the man—aside from the sex, of course—and baffled him as to what his sister was currently seeing. Taste was an ever-evolving thing, after all.
Zoro continued seething for days.
Everyone avoided him for the most part, not wanting his agitated state to bring down the rest of them. He took most of the watches and stayed up in the crow's nest, sulking and avoiding contact with the rest of the crew. Luffy seemed to be the only one able to really get anything out of him, and at that point the captain simply shrugged when asked about their friend's status.
"Not my place to say," is the reply, and they keep going.
Life continues and the Straw Hats make it their duty to head directly towards Sabaody again so they can reenter the New World quickly. They're nearly a week out from Alabasta when they make an uncomfortable discovery, however.
"Sanji-kun, where's Reiju?"
The cook looked up from the pancake batter he was mixing to see Nami leaning against the bar, worry creasing her forehead. Something's not right and it made the small hairs on the nape of his neck stand on end.
"What do you mean, Nami-swan?"
"Her bed wasn't slept in last night, and I can't find her anywhere on the ship," she replied. "I wanted to go over some further chart courses with her, since she knows the waters from sailing there, but…"
"Maybe she's just hiding?" he offered. He looked over her shoulder at the remainder of the crew and brought out a scowl more appropriate for the rest of them (aside from Robin, Mara, and Floe, of course). "Alright, who wants what in their pancakes?"
There came a reply of varying different kinds of fruits and confectionery being verbally lobbed at him. He took a quick survey of what he already had on the counter and scowled—Usopp wanted raisins and there's only some in the pantry, because of course it wasn't all there and it had to be Usopp and his shrively bits of weird.
"If any of you goons touch this you will die," he barked before ducking into the pantry. He rifled about in the shelves, wondering where it is the aforementioned dried fruit had gone, only to find something very different instead. Picking up the folded piece of paper, his fingers trembled as he read the elegant script.
'Sanji, 'Thank you for giving me the opportunity to stay with you as I adjusted to the shock of not being with Germa any longer. I never deserved any of the kindness you showed me, and yet you still were there for me more than I ever was for you. By the time you read this, I will have made my way to Nikori, where I plan on resting before making my way back to Alabasta. Queen Vivi offered me a position in her Cabinet and I shall take it, but it could only be after the Thousand Sunny was far enough away to not cause any commotion. She knows how stubborn Luffy can be, amongst others, and it's not something I do lightly. Sailing on the Sunny was one of the best things for me and… who knows… I might do it again someday, if things are… different. 'Tell everyone that I love them and that you're all welcome to come and visit, especially if Aunt Reiju has some new faces to spoil. Maybe, if the crew will have me after all this, I'll come visit you on the Sunny. 'You've always been the best of us. The wife you still have is proof of that. No matter what anyone says, you were Mom's ultimate success. 'Love, 'Reiju'
Sanji sank onto the stepstool and began to cry, the fact breakfast was only partially-finished going to the back of his mind. It's ugly and shakes his entire body, making it so that he's frozen in the pantry, unawares of the goings-on in the rest of the kitchen. He eventually feels a pair of arms wrap around him, bringing him into an embrace where he is rocked gently and his hair is stroked.
"Don't worry about it," a voice cooed. He knows that voice—her voice—and he allowed himself to melt a bit more. "What happened?" He holds out the letter and a hand takes it from him. The voice tutted and he could feel her shake her head. "I think you can handle it."
"Sounds good." Another voice—whose voice? "Not now, sweetie. They need to be alone."
"Jiji cwy! Unca Jiji no cwy! Beckfass, Unca Jiji!"
"Come on now, let's go make sure Uncle Luffy's behaving…"
"Oh! Yes! Bee-hayf, Uffy Hat!"
The door to the pantry shut and Sanji's tears began anew. He could feel his wife's fingers card through his hair as she held his head against her chest. Shuddering, old memories resurfaced of being a small child, stowed away on a cruise liner, sobbing amongst the ship's stores until they were clear out of port. He had been so much smaller then, covered in so many bruises and gashes that the crew had thought him a tortured war orphan, pitying him with a job and passage across the East Blue without question. They allowed him refuge in the galley, taking on the job that would lead him down a dangerous, terrifying path.
Except this time, as he cried between bags of rice and potatoes and onions, he was not alone.
"Talk to me," she murmured, pressing a kiss into his hair. "What about that letter makes you this upset?"
"She left… she left and didn't tell us before…"
"You know Reiju doesn't always care for being fussed over," Mara reminded him. Sanji hiccuped as he attempted to calm himself, which only caused her to hug him tighter. "What was it?"
He stayed silent for a while, the pair letting the question sit in the air as he contemplated how to word it. Before long, there was a gentle knock at the door before it opened, Robin's arms sprouting from the floor in order to bring in a tray with tea, toast, and jam. Mara poured them both some tea before gently sitting Sanji upright again, passing the steaming mug into his hands.
"The first eight years of my life, Judge took great lengths to drill into me that I was the… failure of his experiments," he said quietly. "I wasn't like my brothers, and he hated that. Mom and Reiju were the only ones who understood. Now, it's just Reiju, and even she's not used to saying it openly, since it was never exactly a pragmatic move in our family."
"That's not what the note said."
"No… Reiju knows that I'm Judge's greatest… that I'm his greatest failure…" he choked out, "but she wrote something I'd never known anyone to acknowledge."
Mara took the note and read it over again.
No matter what anyone says, you were Mom's ultimate success.
"Oh…" she whispered. He nodded quietly, holding the tea to his face so it might help clear his sinuses. "I think you knew that for a long time, now didn't you?"
"Coming to that conclusion on your own and knowing someone else acknowledged it are two entirely different things," he claimed. "We weren't really allowed to talk about her."
"It's not an exact thing, but I don't know my dad, and asking about our varying fathers was a sore topic," she offered. "You were right, you know: we really are the same."
"Took you long enough," he smirked. He put down his tea as she climbed into his lap and draped her arms around his neck, leaning lovingly into a kiss. It was deep and lasting, with him growing hard beneath her and breath leaving the both of them as they shared their strength.
When they parted long enough to get back to their breakfast, they found the tea was cold and the kitchen was empty and clean. There was even a scribbled drawing of the Sunny stuck to the fridge, with a smiling sun and thirteen varying stick figures in and around the ship.
"I know Robin and Franky will help a lot, but Floe really has come a long ways," Mara giggled. Sanji smiled when he saw the drawing, dragging a pointer finger over the figures as he identified them. "She even got the moss and me pulling Luffy out of the ocean—it's bad when babies know how stupidly reckless he acts."
"At least you can tell what you're doing—my best guess is that I'm holding a pie."
"A pie or a plate of shit."
"I prefer a pie."
It did not take long for the rest of the crew to begin to miss Reiju. Despite her quiet and aloof nature, she had still been a presence on the Thousand Sunny that the rest of the Straw Hat crew could not deny. She had been another ally for the women, a person for the men to trick into laughing, a new friend for Luffy whose concept of friendship was so intense that it was probably a good thing he was unable to process anything more romantic or sexual than a hug. Even Floe was wondering where she had gone, crying for her Auntie Juju when she held up a storybook while out on the lawn deck.
"I can read that to you," Usopp offered. "I am good friends with the descendant of the book's subject, after all."
"No Pupu! Need Juju!"
"How about us girls, hmm?" Nami offered, attempting to pull the book from the toddler's hands.
No dice.
"No Mimi! Need Juju!" She plopped down on her rear end and began to sob unintelligibly. Everyone who normally helped offered to read in the absent woman's place, but they were all turned down. No Uffy Hat, or Mama, or Baybay, or Papa, or Tony, or Malla… no one was able to get her to calm. Not even Yoho's music could help, wounding the skeleton despite the lack of body and flesh and other such wound-able things.
That was, until a blond chef came out the galley door with a tray of drinks. He passed the tray to his wife to dole out to the adults before collecting the child and carrying her into her room, rolling his eyes the entire way. Setting her down on her bed, he waited for her sobs to peter out before gently taking the book from her tiny hands.
"Jiji not Juju," Floe pouted.
"Auntie Reiju and I had the same Mama—if I say words like her, will you let me read to you? As you take your nap early, perhaps?"
The girl considered the offer for a moment before reluctantly nodding. She let her uncle help her blow her nose and change into pajamas, settling down into bed with her yagara bull stuffie. Floe was passed out well before Noland the Liar was put on trial, allowing Sanji to leave a gentle kiss to the girl's forehead before slinking out to report on the success.
"It is rather unusual for her to be like this," Robin pondered in regards to her daughter's tantrum. "Goes to show how a child can play favorites when it comes to their routine."
"Indeed." Sanji looked at the tray sitting on the table, seeing that there was one drink remaining. "I'll take this up to the mosshead and see when he's willing to show his face next."
Everyone else agreed it was a generally good idea, now that their communal child was down for a nap, and decided to let Sanji continue doing what ultimately was his job. He brought the drink up to the top of the crow's nest and, once there, wrinkled his nose in disgust. It smelled worse than usual and was covered in Zoro's undone laundry and varying used dishes.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" he snapped. Zoro put down his barbels in acknowledgment that someone else was talking. "This place is a mess and smells like an orgy of sweat and farts."
"I'll open a window," Zoro shrugged. He accepted the drink from Sanji and watched as the other man gathered the dishes from varying points in the room. "What's got your panties in a twist?"
"Not that you were paying attention, but I just had to calm our niece's temper tantrum, spurred on by the fact that Reiju isn't around to read her favorite books anymore," Sanji huffed. "I was only able to do it by letting my Northern accent out and I don't know how long that will work."
"She's a baby—she'll get over it."
"You know, for being the one who she was sleeping with, you seem completely at ease with the fact that Reiju simply vanished off the fucking ship." The cook took back the now-empty glass from Zoro and placed it with the others on the tray. "You wouldn't happen to be able to shed any light onto the matter, now would you?"
"…on what matter?"
"…on the reason why Floe's favorite storytelling adult is now headed towards Alabasta with the notion to stay there." The two glared at one another, neither wanting to back down. "This seems to be affecting everyone but you, Moss. Did your emotional constipation finally get the better of you?"
Zoro did not answer, causing Sanji to roll his eyes and throw up his hands in defeat.
"Fine, forget I ever said anything. Not like you'd fess up to shit anyhow."
"Don't know why you even came up here then."
The rubber band that was Sanji patience stretched thin.
"Excuse me?! I'm here because it's my job, because you're my crewmate… what the fuck are you getting at?!"
"All you want to do is talk about feelings, aren't you? I'm sick of it."
That piqued Sanji's interest. "What…?"
"You're here to talk about feelings, like Reiju. It was bad enough when I had one of you doing it…"
-SNAP-
"When you had one of us doing it?! You mean Reiju tried to talk about feelings to you?!"
"Yeah, and I hated it."
"Oh my god, you did this!" Sanji growled. "You fucking drove her away!"
"I did nothing of the sort!"
"Then why the fuck did she leave?!"
"She said in the letter that Vivi offered her a job! Don't you think it's normal for her to want to get a job?!"
"Except why did she leave without saying anything?! With leaving only me a note?! You don't do that sort of thing unless you don't want to confront something!"
"You're getting too worked up over this!"
"No, I think I'm getting worked up the appropriate amount!"
"You're fucking impossible!"
"Oh, I'm the one who's fucking impossible?! When you're literally the most hard-headed, sword-obsessed, oblivious fucking swordsman on any of the seas we've sailed?! Don't make me laugh."
Zoro reached out and stepped towards Sanji; during many other fights they'd had, it was the precise movement he made in order to pull the cook into his arms so that he could kiss the other man with a fervor that they could only reach through annoyance and vitriol. He had only moved half a step, however, before he was slapped across the face.
Sanji hit him… with his hand.
"Don't touch me," the blond hissed.
He had used his hand to land a blow.
"That part of our lives ended a long time ago, Zoro."
His hand.
"I'll see you at dinner. Promptly, this time."
Sanji broke his vow of never using his hands to fight, just to send a message to him. Trembling, Zoro sat down on a weight bench, his stare reaching out into the distance.
Not wanting to continue the argument any further, Sanji went back down the stairs and into the galley with the dishes, almost slamming the door behind him. He tried to busy himself with pulling recipes he wanted to use later on in the week when he felt a hand on his arm. Turning, he saw that it was Mara, staring at him with concern.
Oh, good, it was his wife.
In one smooth motion, Sanji picked Mara up and set her on the counter, bringing her closer to his height as he kissed her desperately. She reciprocated, her fingers working the buttons on his shirt before attempting to slide his belt out of place. He twitched away as he heard the metal of the buckle. The sight of her instead was a thing to behold; breathing heavily, pupils blown wide, hair an absolute mess, she was a vision of feminine perfection. He placed his hands on her waist as he buried his face in her shoulder—of course this was simply him lashing out, grasping at anything he could.
"Are you sure you're alright?" she asked.
"No…" he croaked out. "Can I stay with you tonight?"
"…to finish this…?"
"…to just be in your arms." He took a deep breath in, then out. "I don't know if I have it in me to do much more than that."
"Then an evening of kissing and cuddling it is," she declared. She refastened the buttons on Sanji's shirt and gave him a gentle smile. "Just let me know when it's otherwise, alright?"
He nodded—of course.
Later on that evening, Sanji brought his things from the men's bunkroom into Mara's tiny cabin, where she still slept after all these years. They changed for bed in front of one another, eyes lingering and actions pausing, and slid underneath the bedspread together, no sheet or blanket between them. Cuddling together, they fell asleep to the sound of the other's breathing, which was honestly better than any lullaby.
Sanji would never sleep in the men's bunkroom again.