The crew set off into the dark village as a group, looking for any blue houses.
"You really don't have to do this," Sanji said to the rest. "I mean, you all need your sleep too."
"Bull crap," Franky said. "You've been sacrificing your sleep for us, so you don't have any right to protest at all, Bro Sanji."
"Besides," Robin added, "one night won't kill anyone."
Sanji smiled a bit. "Thanks, guys."
"Hey, Mr. Bitey!" Luffy said eagerly, falling in step next to him. "What does blood taste like?"
"Oh, yeah," Zoro said. "Kinda forgot the obvious, but where have you been getting blood?"
"Where do you think?" Sanji asked irritably. "There's an entire village right next to our ship. It's not difficult to get someone alone."
"You make them forget it, right?" Chopper asked curiously.
"Ya-huh," Sanji said, nodding.
"Did you really drink from Usopp?" Luffy asked. He bounced with every step he took; he still seemed elated that he was talking to an actual vampire.
"Uh—yeah, I did," Sanji said, trying to stop himself from looking longingly at his captain's neck. "He told you?"
"Yeah!" Luffy said happily. "He said that you swooped down on him like a bat and he tried to fight you off—"
"That's a lie," Sanji said flatly.
"Oh . . . really?" Luffy asked, pouting. "Hey, Usopp, is that true?"
Usopp didn't respond.
"Usopp?" Sanji asked, tapping him on the shoulder. Usopp turned, saw Sanji, and grinned.
"What?" He asked, taking out one of his earplugs. "Did you say something, Mr. Bitey?"
Sanji rolled his eyes. "I suppose that's your latest and greatest tactic?"
"Yep!" Usopp put the earplug back in. "If I can't hear you, it won't work!"
Sanji reached over and pulled out one of the earplugs. "I could always do that."
Usopp sighed and took the other one out. "I can't hear anything anyway with these things in . . ."
"Hey, Mr. Bitey," Luffy said eagerly, "can you make me a vampire?"
"No, and quit calling me that."
"What?" Luffy whined. "Why?"
"Luffy," Sanji said, "if you become a vampire, you won't be able to eat meat."
Luffy gasped.
"Sorry to interrupt," Robin said, "but I think this is the place."
The rest of the group backpedaled to where she had stopped and looked at the house she was staring at. It was indeed a house painted blue, and it was indeed nestled between a green house and a red house.
"Let's hope this is the guy," Nami said. Sanji, meanwhile, was trying not to look at his crewmates as his next meal.
Franky strode forward and pounded on the door. A minute later it opened to reveal the same red-headed, freckled man Sanji had met the first night on the island.
"What . . ." he said. "Wait a minute, weren't you all that one group at the restaurant? If you're here to complain, you did enough of that already."
"Not exactly here to complain," Nami said. "We're here for two things. First, here." She tossed him his wallet, which he barely managed to catch.
"What—hey!" he snapped. "When—"
"Doesn't matter," Nami said, shrugging. "I'm giving it back, aren't I?"
He opened it up. "Where's the money!?"
"Oh, that's mine now."
"Moving on," Robin said firmly before the red-haired man could retort. "Sir, we have reason to believe that you've done something to change a friend of ours."
"What the hell are you talking about?" he said. "I didn't do anything to any of you."
"Still being rude to the ladies, I see," Sanji said with a scowl. "She means me, you damn jerk."
The red-haired man looked at Sanji. "Who . . . oh. Oh." He grinned. "How d'you like that new life of yours, brother?"
"So it was you!" Franky exclaimed.
"Get him, Sanji!" Usopp yelled.
"As much as I'd like to kick his ass," Sanji said, "I can't do anything if he stays in his house."
"Oh," Chopper said disappointedly.
"But we don't have to be invited in," Zoro said menacingly, advancing forward. The others (minus Sanji) followed suit, the last shutting the door behind him.
Crashing and smashing sounds came from inside the house. A minute later the red-haired man opened the door, covered in bruises and bumps. "C . . . come in . . ."
"Thanks," Sanji said, stepping inside. The others were standing off to the side, looking as innocent as possible. "Now then . . ."
He seized the red-haired man by the collar and lifted him up. "You are going to reverse what you did to me and you are going to do it now."
"W-Why should I?" muttered the man.
Sanji kicked him.
"Ow, okay!" he yelled. "But, listen . . . the thing is . . . I don't actually know how to change you back."
This response resulted in another round of beating.
"B-But . . ." muttered the red-haired man. "I . . . know someone . . . who might know how . . ."
"And you're going to tell us where this person is, correct?" Robin asked with a hint of a threat in her voice.
He looked at her nervously. "O-Of course! He's . . . in a town . . . on the other side of the island . . ."
"Okay," Sanji said. He let the man drop to the ground. "Get some paper and write the name of the guy we're looking for and the town name, now."
Once the red-haired man had written these down, Sanji grabbed the paper, studied it, and stowed it in his pocket. "Good job. We'll leave you now."
The Strawhats left the house—but not before Sanji gave the man one last good kick.
As the group headed back to the ship, Sanji's stomach growled again.
"Hey, everyone?" He said. "Uh, go on ahead, okay? I need to take care of something . . . I'll meet you back at the ship."
"Are you gonna suck someone's blood?" Luffy asked eagerly. "Can I come watch?"
"Yes, I am," Sanji said. "And no, you may not."
Luffy pouted. Sanji went off down an alleyway; the others watched him go.
"Did anyone else notice," Robin said, "that he was looking at us like fine cuts of meat?"
"Don't say such creepy stuff!" Usopp whimpered.