Here goes the second chapter of this fanfic! I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I do! :) I will publish these chapters maybe a little slower than I usually do but I promise that I will release at least one chapter a week! I usually have the habbit of releasing a chapter/day :D

Sanji thinking

...

The pirate mansion was bigger than they had thought. Apparently there were many underground floors but that wasn't the only reason the place looked so big: everything was pure white.

"What an amazing mansion!" Nami took her time to admire her surroundings and Robin was checking a bookshelf just next to the front door.

"This mansion is at least two hundred years old and every generation has worked hard to keep the mansion in a good shape. It's sort of a tradition, actually,"Sara chuckled slightly but covered her mouth.

"What was the pirate flag on top of the building? We thought this was some sort of pirate mansion,"Robin inquired and tried not to be too curious.

"Ah, that flag!" Sara laughed a little, genuine laugh,"It's a part of our family history. This pirate mansion was build by a famous pirate around two hundred fifty years ago. He retired from his career as a pirate and wanted to have a peaceful place to stay where nobody could find him."

"A pirate getting retired?" Brook wondered,"But isn't it every pirates' dream to die fighting for his life?"

Sara tensed for a while but then relaxed again,"Well, he was a little different from the others. He was...forced to live as a pirate and he just wanted to be free, just a normal human who could get a family on his own and live a peaceful live without all the fighting."

Sanji blinked at the story,"That was a beautiful story, my lady!" Sanji praised and Sara blushed again.

"So how comes you live in this mansion and continue the tradition?" Nami inquired carefully: she didn't want to raise suspicions.

"Actually, captain Dess is ruling this place",She explained and saw the suspicious looks around her," He is a distant relative of the pirate's brother who was just a commoner!"

"Then why is such a beautiful lady greeting us instead of the owner?" Brook asked. He was well aware of the old habits.

Sara blushed again but this time at the guestion of a certain skeleton,"I am engaged with the owner," she finally admitted and everyone heard the dissapointed breath which escaped Sanji's mouth.

...

Black haired man stood steadily on the deck of the Strawhats ship. Even thought the man had a relaxed gesture, Zoro was ready to attack anytime.

"Hello there, Strawhat pirates!" the man spoke out,"I am captain Dess from that pirate mansion your friends went to investigate!"

"Wha-Wha-What do you want with us?!" Usopp staggered which caused captain Dess to laugh a little, loud laugh.

"Don't worry, I am not here to cause any trouble!" Captain Dess tried to reassure the restless members of the crew,"I just wanted to invite the rest of you to a party at our mansion!"

"A party?!" Chopper cheered. He was feeling better because of the cooler Franky had built.

They decided to go to the party, everyone expect their shipwright who decided to stay on the ship,"Sorry, but I can't leave our Sunny-Go alone. You guys go and enjoy the feast!"

Zoro had his suspicions but he decided to go to the mansion. He just needed to keep an eye on their surroundings. Besides, maybe he could get a chance to drink sake as much as he could this time.

...

The party was hilarious as always when Strawhats were included. Luffy forced five chefs to work at the same time to keep up with his appetite and Zoro drank almost all of their sake. Chopper enjoyed sweet deserts to his heart's content and Usopp bragged about his adventures with a pride of a pirate. Robin and Nami taste-tested everything carefully and Sanji inquired about the new flavours he couldn't recognise. Brook took care of the music when nobody refused and offer coming from the famous Soul King.

Party had started immediately after captain Dess returned to the mansion with Chopper, Usopp and Zoro. Luffy had wondered why Franky had decided to stay out of the party but everyone else realised somebody had to take care of their ship and guard it in case something happened.

Captain Dess had introduced himself to Luffy and they got along pretty well from the start. Captain Dess was somehow a fool comparable to Luffy, actually: really laid-back person who didn't worry about all the dangers too much. He was really enjoying himself.

Sanji paid attention to how Sara behaved when captain Dess was around her. She tensed every time the black haired man touched her and kept her distance. It was somehow weird and Sanji couldn't miss it.

When he saw the chance he pulled Sara out of the crowd and used his gentle smile to reassure the young lady,"Is there something wrong with you and captain Dess? Aren't you engaged?" He wanted to help a lady whether she was single or taken.

Sara blinked at the guestion and turned his face so that Sanji could not really see what kind of face she was making,"We have our own problems but it's nothing we couldn't solve!" she admitted and sighed deeply,"My destiny lead me here!" She was smiling happily but Sanji could see it was not a genuine smile: it was not a smile of a happy woman. He decided to stay quiet, however, because he didn't want to push it.

Sanji took Sara back to everyone else and the party went on. At some point of the evening he noticed Zoro getting closer to him and finally he was so close that he could whisper something to the chef's ear,"Keep an eye on your surroundings. They are watching you."

The blond couldn't figure out what the swordman meant but he nodded slightly. It paid nothing to watch out for any trouble.

...

*An hour ago*

When Dess had returned back to the mansion, one of his close crewmembers came to him and asked Dess to listen to him.

"What is it, Dennis?" Captain Dess asked quietly because Strawhats were pretty close to them and he didn't want to raise any suspicions. He had decided to be the nice guy, after all.

"I don't know if I should be worried about this but...one of the Strawhat crew, that blond with a suit, was acting pretty...weirdly around Sara..."

"Oh, Blackleg Sanji, I assume? How did he act exactly?" Captain Dess inquired. He didn't want to get angry for no reason.

"Well, he was probably flirting with her and I think by the looks of it, Sara found it pretty awkward..." Dennis told his suspicions.

"Well well, that's not to be accepted, is it?" Captain Dess smirked before he signaled to Sara to get a little closer to him.

"What is it, captain Dess?" She asked, trying to hide her worry.

"Did that blond man flirt with you?" Captain Dess inquired and saw Sara blushing,"You have no reason to feel ashamed, it's not your fault!"

"You are going to do something to him, aren't you? I can vouch for him, he is not a bad guy!" Sara tried to smile a little but then she felt a strong grip on her shoulder.

"Look, Sara. I can't let anyone get you, okay?" Captain Dess said, grabbing harder on the delicate woman's shoulder, causing Sara to wince a little. Then he took his hand away and touched her cheek gently,"I love you and you know it, don't you?"

Sara tried to stop her body from shaking and hide how scared she was,"Yes, I know, and I am ready to do everything for you!"

"Good", Captain Dess smirked and headed towards the crowd. He stopped after a few steps and smiled at Sara,"I trust you can take care of that blond guy."

Sara gulped but luckily Captain Dess couldn't see it,"As you wish, my captain."

...

*Back to present*

It was already dark outside when the Strawhats decided to return back to their ship. Even though Luffy would have liked to party all night long, everyone else wanted to have a good night's sleep.

"You can sleep here in my mansion if you want to!" Captain Dess offered. He was slightly drunk because he had tried to compete with Zoro.

"No need to, we don't want to cause any trouble for you and your lovely fianceé!" Sanji reassured but Captain Dess was not going to give up so easily.

"Please, it's my pleasure!" He insisted,"We have got empty rooms for every member of your crew, comfortable beds and nice peace and quiet!"

Luffy was the one to give in to the idea. He wasn't ready to cross the desert again even though they knew deserts got cooler during the night. Besides, it couldn't be half bad: these people had given them lots to eat and lots to drink so what bad could happen to them during the night?

What, indeed?

...