The Sunny
Part Three
Neo shifted and pulled the cover tighter around her shoulders. She shifted again when she noticed the surface she was laying on wasn't the familiar bed of hers and Law's back on the Polar Tang. This place didn't even smell like their room. She opened her eyes. Confusion filtered into her groggy mind as she stared at the tiled floor laid out before her. She became even more confused when her eyes lifted to the hexagon shaped table in the middle of the floor with four green chairs surrounding it. Panic set in when she realized she was in unfamiliar settings. She sat up with a startled gasp.
"Are you all right, Neo?" a soft, caring voice asked.
Neo whipped her eyes to the person who spoke. She barely registered the owner of the voice as Nico Robin of the Straw Hats. She calmed down a bit when she felt Law wrap his presence around her. 'It's all right, my love. You're safe. We're aboard the Straw Hats ship. You feel asleep a few hours ago.'
"Oh, right. Sorry. I'm fine. I just forgot where I was," Neo replied to both Law and Robin. She adjusted Law's hat on her head then became confused again. "I…I fell asleep?"
"You did." Robin nodded. She closed the book she was holding, placed it on her lap and smiled at Neo.
"Huh? I don't usually take naps unless I'm stressed. That must be why," Neo mumbled, though she wasn't sure if she was speaking to Law, Robin, or herself. She bent her knees and tucked her feet underneath her legs while adjusted the blanket over her lap. She went silent for a moment. Locating Law, Chopper and Luffy on the deck of the Sunny, but unsure of where everyone else was. Law was, like always, keeping an eye on her as she came down from her little scare. But he wasn't going to come to her. He was letting her handle this moment on her own, for the most part. She studied his reaction and her own. She was fine. She looked out the nearest window, the sun had already set and the moon was starting to peak over the horizon. She looked over at Robin and asked, "How long did I sleep for?"
"About three hours," Robin replied.
"Huh? Really?" Neo tilted her head.
Robin nodded. "You fell asleep about two hours after you started reading. I asked Chopper to get you a blanket so you wouldn't get cold. Tra said you would be fine sleeping in here so we just let you sleep. You must have been worn out from your battles on Punk Hazard since you slept for so long. Tra also said you take naps after stressful events. And seeing someone you love getting their heart squeezed would be quite stressful for anyone."
"I suppose you are correct. That was not a fun thing to go through," Neo replied. "I hope I didn't cause any trouble."
"Not at all," Robin said. Her smile friendly and warm. "We made sure that everyone kept quiet if they came in here."
"That was nice of you," Neo said with a small smile. Just then her stomach rumbled. A light pink tinted her cheeks as she turned her eyes down to her stomach. She started to summon an earth crystal, to grow her an apple, but stopped upon remembering her promise to Law on not using her crystals until they arrive at Dressrosa. "Sorry."
"Nothing to be sorry about," Robin said as she stood up and tucked her book back on the shelf. "You probably haven't eaten in a while."
Neo nodded. She stood up and started to fold the blanket. She said, "I am rather hungry. Sea pig meat sounds so good right now. So does onigiri, cheese, pickles, honey…Oh! Cheese and honey really does sound good!"
"Cheese and honey?" Robin asked, slightly amused. "I don't think I've ever had that combination before."
"Neither have I." Neo blinked. "I don't eat honey too much. It's too sweet for me. I can only handle a small amount."
"I see." Robin nodded. She tilted her head slightly as Neo continued to mutter off things that sounded good to her.
"Tomatoes and corn also sounds good. Maybe chocolate and cheese?" Neo tapped her chin in thought.
"Well, we should get you something to eat then if you're that hungry," Robin said, her smile still present. She turned and walked towards the door. "Sanji should be in the kitchen about now. I'm sure he's about to start on dinner since it's late enough. He'll be happy to give you a snack to tie you over until dinner is done. You can just leave the blanket here for now."
"Oh, okay." Neo laid the blanket down on the bench then followed after Robin. The two women walked in comfortable silence as they made their way down to the kitchen. Rounding the corner, Neo's eyes automatically locked onto Law's. She paused and looked around the deck as Robin continued walking ahead of her. Everyone, but Sanji, appeared to be outside. Some of the Straw Hats were dressed in samurai garb that she wasn't very familiar, but has seen the style in some of her books. Chopper and Luffy were sitting on the railing of the ship with fishing poles in their hands.
"Hi, Neo!" Chopper called with a wave.
"Oh, you're awake now, huh?" Luffy said with a smile.
"Yeah. Hi." Neo waved to them before looking back at Robin. The black haired woman was already at the kitchen door, patiently waiting for her. She rushed over. "I'm sorry."
"No need for an apology," Robin said with a warm smile. She gestured to the open door of the kitchen, just like she did when they entered the library. And just like at the library, Neo twitched. "Go on in. I've asked Sanji to give you something to eat. He's waiting for you."
"Oh, thank you very much, Nico," Neo replied. She smiled before stepping inside the kitchen. She looked around, familiarizing herself with this room again. Familiar smells of garlic, onions, tomatoes and olive oil made her mouth water and her stomach rumble a little louder than she was prepared for. Her cheeks flushed red when Sanji noticed just how hungry she was.
Sanji chuckle softly as he stepped away from the pantry. He placed his hands on his hips. "Well, you really are hungry. What can I get for you?"
"Uh…" Neo shifted nervously. She wondered if this man was going to be loud and flirty again like he was before. She brushed her right hand on her left arm as if she were cold. Her heart taking a couple extra beats in realization she was somewhat alone with this man. She looked over her shoulder. The door was still open. It relaxed her a bit that she was close to the exit.
Sanji chuckled again. "You don't have to be shy. I'm not going to bite you or flirt with you or scare you. At least, I don't plan on doing that. I'll apologize in advance if I do something that makes you uncomfortable. How about I ask you this instead? What's your favorite snack to eat?"
"Cheese and crackers with lightly sweeten tea," Neo replied, cautiously. Turning her eyes back to him, she slipped her right hand behind her back and tugged on her hair.
"Well, that I can handle easily." Sanji walked over towards the fridge. He opened the door then paused and looked back over his shoulder. "Is there a particular type of cheese you favor over the others?"
"Uh, I like all cheeses so far. Coby Jack, I think would be my favorite. But I do like mozzarella, swiss, cheddar…," Neo said, listing off the cheeses she had. She tilted her head a bit and looked up at the ceiling. When she brought her eyes back down to the man, he already had a plate of assorted cheese slices, crackers and her tea sitting on the bar counter. She blinked at how fast he had moved. "Uh…"
"Please, sit down, relax and enjoy," Sanji said. He dipped into a bow and held out his hand towards the counter chair she was going to be sitting on.
Neo hesitated. Fingering Law's ring, she forced herself to calm down and reminded herself that the man's movements had nothing to do with her being a princess. She swallowed hard when she hesitated too long and he noticed.
"Is something wrong?" Sanji asked, lifting up from his bow.
"No, nothing's wrong," Neo replied. She shifted on her feet again when she could tell that he wasn't buying it. His eyes lowered to her fingers fiddling with Law's ring before rising back up to her eyes. "I'm sorry. It's just…I really don't like it when people bow to me. It makes me uncomfortable. I'm not use to it."
Sanji stared at her for a few seconds before straightening his body completely. He gave her an understanding and friendly smile. "Oh, I see. Forgive me then. If it makes you uncomfortable, then I won't do it again. Please, go ahead and sit down."
With that, Sanji stepped away from that spot and back over to the pantry where he started gathering up ingredients. Neo watched him for a few seconds before her rumbling stomach won over her uncertainty. She walked over to the bar and sat down. She picked up a slice of cheese and placed it over a cracker. She then picked up the treat and started nibbling on it as she watched Sanji move around the kitchen plucking out ingredients from the spice cabinet. A few minutes later, she was completely relaxed with being alone with this man. She watched him curiously as he pulled out a covered tray from the fridge. She asked, "What type of pizza are you making?"
"You noticed I was making pizza, huh? I'll make any kind that people want. I always make my food to suit each individual needs and make sure it's always nutritional." Sanji tossed her a smile over his shoulder.
"I recognized the ingredients you gathered," Neo replied. She took a drink of her tea then sat the cup back down. "I'm the main cook on the sub."
"Really? That's interesting," Sanji said. He turned to her and pressed his back against the counter. "Honestly, I never would have guessed you would be a cook."
"I really don't find that surprising. I tend to take a lot of people by surprised with a lot of things," Neo said. She crossed her right arm over the counter top then placed her left elbow on the counter while placing her chin in her hand. A momentary pause passed between them before she spouted out, "I would like to help you."
Both their eyes, and Law's, widened in shock at her open offer. Sanji then said, "That's sweet of you, but I wouldn't be a gentleman if I let such a lovely guest help in the kitchen. You just relax and enjoy yourself."
"But I want to help," Neo insisted. She locked her eyes firmly onto his. "It's the least I can do. You all have taken us onto your ship and accepted Law's alliance. I really would like to help you. I'm not the best cook in the world, I've only been doing it for a little over two years, but I do know how to make pizza."
"Well," Sanji said, considering her offer and her electric blue eyes, "if you really want to, I don't see why not. I think it might be nice to have such a lovely assistant helping me for a change." He then shivered from his head to his toes. His face faltered as his eyes slipped to the door of the kitchen, feeling Law's heated glower coming inside. He said, "That is, if Law doesn't come in here and pound me into oblivion for calling you lovely. How did he even know I said that?"
"Uh." Neo twitched. She gave the blonde man a half smile. "He won't hurt you. He's just extremely protective of me."
"I've noticed." Sanji turned his eyes back to her. "But why is he so protective of you?"
Neo twitched again, which Sanji noticed. After a moment of thought, she said, "Well, its kind of complicated. Please, don't let him scare you. He really won't hurt anyone that I like."
"So, you like me now?" Sanji asked, a bit shocked.
"You're…starting to grow on me," Neo replied, honestly with a smile. "I'm still not use to how flirty you are. I'm only use to receiving such affection from Law, the crew, and animals, since they're the only ones who have permission to flirt with me, but I'm starting to see that flirting and giving complements to women is just how you act. I just need a little more time to get use to it. As long as you understand that I am married to Law and love him, I think I can get accustom to the occasional compliments and flirting outbursts that you give. I'm beginning to think it's just an automatic reaction that you can't control."
"I see," Sanji said with a nod. He then rubbed the back of his head with a guilty chuckle. "Well, I do respect your marriage to Law. And I won't do anything to hurt that, I promise. I'll try to tone down the flirting outbursts and compliments. But, for that, I can't make promises. As you've clearly deduced, I really can't control it. Shall we proceed with our pizza making?"
Neo nodded. Standing up from her chair, she pulled Penguin's ribbon out of her pocket and tied her hair back with it.
"That's a very pretty ribbon," Sanji said, taking in the ribbon.
"Thanks. Penguin got it for me," Neo replied.
"Penguin? I assume he's one of your crewmates?"
"He is. But he's also like a big brother to me. In fact, all of the crewmembers are my brothers and sisters. I really miss them." Neo brushed the back of her hand over her eyes when tears started to gather. "I can't wait until we're back home with them. I'm sorry. I don't mean to cry."
"Hey, it's okay," Sanji said, soothingly, as he easily noticed how attached she was to her crew. "I understand that you miss them. You've been away from them for quite a while. You're really fond of them, aren't you?"
"I am." Neo nodded. "They raised me after all."
"They raised you?" Sanji asked, confused.
Neo swallowed. She focused her attention onto Law when she noticed he was waiting to see what she was going to stay to the Straw Hat cook. She decided she could at least tell him a little bit. Dropping her eyes to the floor and carefully choosing her words, she said, "I didn't have the best life before I came to live with the Heart Pirates. I mean, when my sister and I came to live with them. Our parents died when we were really young. I know it sounds weird saying that my crew raised me, but it's true. I didn't know anything before coming to live with them. They educated me, taught me how to fight, how to use my crystals…I really own them a lot. They're more than my family. They're my light. The reason I'm alive. The reason I live."
"I see." Sanji locked his eyes onto Neo. He noticed something about her story didn't quite ring true, but he could also tell there was a reason for that. That's when his mind couldn't help but lock onto her inhuman feel, how carefully she was choosing her words just now, the rumors he's heard and read about her in the newspapers. Hm…I'm getting the feeling there's a lot more to this young woman than we realize. I never put much thought into it before, but after spending some time with her, it's become so hard to deny the truth. She's not human. But she's very sweet, maybe a bit naïve and childlike, but sweet. No wonder Law's so protective of her. I would be too if I was in his shoes. Still, I can't help but wonder who she is exactly. Mindlessly summoning his haki, Sanji let his eyes drag over her body. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, but her spirit was still changing colors except for that one red spot. "Hey, Neo, are you…"
"Am I what?" Neo asked when Sanji didn't finish his question after a couple of seconds.
"Nothing. Never mind." Sanji turned away from her. Grabbing his cigarette from his lips, he smothered it out in his ashtray. He then turned back and pointed at the sink. "Let's get started, shall we?"
Neo stepped over to the sink and washed her hands before walking over to Sanji. By the time she got to him, he already had some of the dough out on the counter, dusted in flour and waiting to be rolled out. She asked, "Uh, where's your rolling pin?"
"In that shelf right there," Sanji said, pointing to the bottom shelf near Neo's left leg. "I apologize for not having it out. Usually, I don't use it."
"Oh?" Neo opened the cabinet door then paused. "Why not?"
"I use my hands," Sanji replied.
"You use your hands?" Neo lifted an eyebrow at him.
"I take it you've never seen other cooks work before," Sanji said. He watched as she shook her head and pulled out the rolling pin. He plucked himself out some of his premade dough he pulled out of the fridge. "Well, let me show you what I mean."
Neo placed the rolling pin on the counter. She watched him dust his hands with flour then placed the dough on the counter. She watched as he flattened out the dough with his hands until it resembled a small pizza. He gently pushed out the edges of the dough until he was satisfied with the size of it. Draping the dough over his fist and palm, he angle his arms then tossed it into the air. She gasped when the dough went flying up towards the ceiling. She summoned her wind crystals to catch it, but stopped when Sanji effortlessly caught the dough. She continued to watch him with peaked interest, letting her crystals disappear, as he finished up with his demonstration. She inspected the seemingly perfect pizza dough now lying on a pizza pan. "Wow! I had no clue people did that! Usually I just roll it out with the rolling pin or use my wind crystals."
"Hm? You use your devil fruit powers to cook?" Sanji asked.
"Yes." Neo nodded, finally lifting her eyes to his. "I'm not supposed to use my crystals for frivolous things. Law doesn't want me to get lazy just because I can do inhuman things with them. But I use them for cook. Taking care of my babies isn't frivolous after all. I'd give you an example, but I promised Law I wouldn't use my crystals until we get to Dressrosa."
"Well, since we're in an alliance now we should have plenty of time for demonstrations. I would love to see how you cook with your crystals. Those things must come in handy," Sanji said. He turned back to the counter and winced when pain shot through his right leg.
"They do come in handle," Neo said with a nod. Her eyes were darting between his face and his leg. "Are you injured?"
"No, I'm…" Sanji's voice trailed off when her eyes lifted to his again. He flinched at her large, innocent eyes starting at him. He suddenly found it extremely difficult to brush off his wound as nothing. "It's just a minor injury. I fought with some guy named Vergo back on Punk Hazard."
"You fought against Vergo?!" Neo's eyes lit up with alarm. She shot her gaze back down to his leg. "Shouldn't you have that looked at then? Is it broken? It shouldn't be if you're walking on it. Do you need me to heal you?"
"No, no! I'm just fine!" Sanji insisted. He held up his hands as if it would prove his point. "It really is just a minor thing. I'll heal in no time. And…Huh? Wait. What did you mean when you asked if I needed you to heal me?"
"Uh." Neo twitched. Her cheeks grew warm. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said that. I just meant that…Law or Chopper could heal you! They're the doctors after all!"
"That's true," Sanji said. He noticed her obvious panic, but didn't bring attention to it. "But you don't have to worry about me. My leg is fine."
Neo settled down from her panic and gave him a skeptical look.
"I promise that I'm fine. My leg doesn't hurt much at all. If it does, I promise that I will go see Chopper. Deal?" Sanji smiled, noticing how she genuinely worried she was.
"Deal." Neo nodded.
"How about I give you a lesson on flipping pizza dough?" Sanji then asked.
"Yes! I'd really, really love that!" Neo nodded enthusiastically.
"Very well then." Sanji laughed. "Let's get started then."
Neo nodded again and stepped closer to him. She watched as he picked up some more dough and went through how he flipped and twirled the dough in with clear, precise, step-by-step instructions. When trying to flip the dough herself, she asked, "So what got you into cooking?"
While they tossed dough, Sanji informed her of his past with cooking at the Baratie, how he came to join the Straw Hat pirates and how he spend his two years of training in the Kamabakka Kingdom. She enjoyed listening to him, especially when he talked about cooking. Eventually, she also got comfortable with tossing the pizza dough in the air, but she wasn't sending it as high as Sanji was. She only tossed it about three feet, he was getting his over twice that.
"You're not bad at all," Sanji complemented her while brushing olive oil over the dough. "You appear to be a fast learner."
Neo hummed. "I suppose so. For some things, at least."
"Looks like we're about ready to start putting on the toppings," Sanji said. He nodded towards the fridge. "Would you mind grabbing the two trays on the top shelf?"
"Sure." Neo nodded. She stepped over to the fridge. She grabbed the handle but paused when she saw the lock on the door. "Huh? Hey, Sanji? Why do you have a lock on the fridge?"
"It's to keep Luffy out of it," Sanji replied. "If I didn't have that, he'd eat everything up in one sitting. This way I can monitor our food supply better. There's one on the pantry as well."
"Does he really eat that much?" Neo opened the door. She scanned her eyes over the items inside the cool box before grabbing the trays filled with pizza toppings, pepperoni, onions, sausage, bacon, black olives, green peppers... "Oh, peppers! Those sound so good!"
Sanji laughed when Neo's stomach rumbled and her eyes remained locked on the green peppers on the tray as she walked it over. He said, "Well, you're more than welcome to have some. We have plenty."
"Are you sure?" Neo asked, setting the trays down.
"I'm positive. Please, help yourself to whatever you think sounds good," Sanji said with a bright smile.
"Thank you!" Neo said, cheerfully. I can always secretly grow more for him later with my crystals. She grabbed one of the peppers and took a bite. "So sweet! I love it!"
Sanji chuckled while watching her eat her treat. He started to apply his sauce onto the pizza dough when she swiped two peppers under the drizzling sauce. He raised an eyebrow at her when she stepped away and over to the honey sitting in the corner of the counter. She asked, "Mind if I have some honey?"
"Go ahead," Sanji replied. He lifted an eyebrow when she topped her pizza sauce peppers with honey. He became even more perplexed when she turned and walked towards the door of the kitchen. Four feet in front of the door, she paused and Law walked in. He watched as she held out one of the peppers for the warlord and they both ate them. Huh?! How did she even know he was coming?! And how did she know he would want that honey and pizza sauce covered pepper?! What did they have the same craving at the same time?! "Is that even possible?"
"Is what possible?" Neo asked, making Sanji jump.
"N-nothing!" Sanji replied with a nervous laugh. "I'm just talking to myself."
"Oh. Okay." Neo nodded and turned back to Law. "Did you need something?"
"No, I was just checking to make sure you were fine," Law said, despite not needing to. "I knew you came in here for a snack, but I was a bit concerned with how long you were staying in here."
"Sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. I was just helping Sanji prepare the pizzas for dinner," Neo said.
"I see." Law nodded. 'But do you really have to share your food cravings with me?'
'Sorry. I didn't mean to.' Neo smiled. She held up her half eaten pepper before finishing it. 'But they taste good.'
'They do. Since you're fine, I'll just leave you to…' Law shot a glare at Sanji's back, making the cook shiver despite not seeing the look.
'Law, behave. I like Sanji. He taught me a technique on tossing pizza dough with my hands. He's also told me a lot about the place he worked at before joining the Straw Hats. I think he could teach me a lot when it comes to cooking. He's been doing it for so long. And I want to get better. There's only so much I can learn from books after all. I want to be able to cook better for my wonderful husband and my wonderful crew.' Neo eyes sparkled at Law. Her eyes then grew round and very puppy like. She placed her hands on his chest and leaned into him. 'I want to learn from him while I can. Please? Be nice to him. For me?'
Law immediately caved to her pleading puppy eyes. 'All right. I'll back off on guarding you if that's what you really want.'
'I want you to trust me.'
'I do trust you. I don't trust him.' Law shot another glare at Sanji's back.
Neo rolled her eyes. 'If you didn't trust him, you wouldn't have let me be alone with him for this long. And I don't need our bond to be able to tell that. I know you well enough now.'
Law twitched then grumbled at how well she did know him. "Fine. I'll be leaving you to your cooking now."
"Would you like me to make you something other than pizza?"
"No. I'm not really hungry. I'll just eat some of your toppings. And I'm taking back my hat." Law pecked her lips and plucked his hat off her head before heading back out of the kitchen. "Behave yourself now."
"Don't I always?" She gave Law her most innocent look she could possibly manage when he shot a smirk at her over his shoulder. Both knew that, while it wasn't very often, she still could get into mischief or disobey orders on occasion. Law winked at her before disappearing around the corner. She smothered a chuckle before walking back over to Sanji. "Sorry about that."
"No need to be," Sanji replied. "If I was him, I'd be concerned about you spending time with a good looking guy like me as well."
"You are a very handsome fellow," Neo said.
"Why, thank you, Mrs. Trafalgar Law." Sanji smiled.
…
Law exited the kitchen. As he headed back to his seat on the mast bench, he let his guard on Neo lower. She was clearly comfortable enough with being on this ship and around this new crew that he decided to let her have some space. She knew where he was if she needed him. He looked over the Straw Hat crew as he sat back down and let his hat fall over his eyes.
"All right," Usopp said, tightening his hold on his slingshot as his eyes darted all over the place for enemies. "It's already so late. And no one has come after us."
Chopper marched up to the sniper. He saluted and said, "Yes, sir! I didn't see anybody either!"
"All right! Good job!" Usopp said.
"Thank you, sir!" Chopper chirped before walking away.
Usopp then turned and marched over to Law. He said, "Hey, do you think they can still find us? How many people will be looking for us anyway? Tens of thousands? I seriously haven't had a moment's piece of mind since you blackmailed Doflamingo!"
"Me, neither, you creep!" Chopper added from his fishing spot on the rail beside Luffy.
"Don't worry about it, Chopper. Kin gave us this cool armor and some helmets. Just let it go." Luffy smiled with his typical carefree smile. He felt a twitch on his fishing pole. He jerked it up and found a crab on his line.
"You told him to resign from the warlords or face a fight with one of the emperors," Brook said. "How can anyone choose from options like that? He'll come to kill us without a doubt. Oh, I'm scared!"
…
Back inside the kitchen, the two cooks proceeded to finish up their pizzas. Once they were all filled with toppings, Sanji slipped the first couple of pizzas into the oven. Neo said, "Sorry I can't use my crystals to help. I could have them done in seconds."
"Don't worry about it." Sanji closed the oven. Still without his cigarette, he gathered up the clean dishes and started to put their unused ingredients away. "We can relax a little while we're waiting for them to cook. You go on outside now. I'll be right behind you."
"Right." Neo nodded and headed for the door. Her eyebrows perched up on her forehead when she sensed fire on the deck. Kin'emon's voice then reached her ears.
"You heathen! Fight me squarely!" Kin'emon shouted. His sword was raised with its blade engulfed in flames.
"What's going on?" Neo asked as she stepped outside just in time to see the samurai charging at Zoro. She bit her bottom lip and bit back a giggle when she saw Kin'emon's fire attack almost striking Caesar, multiple times, as he swiped his sword at Zoro. Leaning her elbows on the railing, she placed her chin in her palms while she watched to see if the evil scientist would get hit.
"I said it's a long story!" Zoro snapped as he dodged Kin'emon's attacks.
"Hey! Stop that! It's dangerous to fight on the ship!" Nami said.
"Oh, are you two playing samurai?" Luffy asked, waving his fishing pole in the air, while he and Chopper walked towards the fight.
"You should be ashamed of yourself! The whole country was left heartbroken! The grave of the Wano Kingdom's hero, left plundered by a thief!" Kin'emon said as he kept swiping his flame-engulfed sword at Zoro. "That was you!"
"I said I didn't do it!" Zoro snapped, dodging to his right as the fire blade sliced the air by his ear.
"You must have! You have the legendary swordsman Ryuma's great sword Shusui on your belt!" Kin'emon said. He angled the tip of his sword at Zoro's right hip. He then swiped his sword at Zoro's neck again.
"Come on, come on! Fight, fight! Just cut him already!" Sanji cheered when he joined Neo at the railing.
"Do you really want him to be cut?" Neo asked, turning her eyes to the blonde man beside her.
"I'm just playing, sort of. That swordsman and I have a turbulent relationship," Sanji said. He looked at her and smiled. "Don't worry. We do this all the time."
"Oh," Neo drawled.
"So, who's all eating tonight?" Sanji then asked.
"What are we having?" Luffy asked.
"Pizza," Sanji replied.
"Pida?" Kin'emon asked, finally putting away his sword. He turned and smiled.
"Another fine meal concocted by that fine fellow no doubt. Where is Momonosuke? Has he retired to bed already?"
"He's in the bath with Robin," Nami replied.
"What?!" Sanji, Brook and Kin'emon shrieked, making Neo jump. The two men and one skeleton then bolted in the direction of the bathhouse.
"Uh." Neo tilted her head as she watched them disappear from her view. "What was that about?"
"You're a bit on the naïve side, aren't you?" Usopp asked, looking up at the blue haired woman from the deck.
"I suppose I am," Neo replied, honestly. She pushed off the railing and headed down the stairs. Nami met her halfway, as she was coming up them. Both women paused when Nami addressed her.
"Just ignore them, Neo. They're being perverted horn dogs," Nami said before continuing up the stairs.
"Perverted horn dogs?" Neo blinked. Thinking of the orange haired woman's words, she continued on down the stairs. She walked over to Law. When he lifted his eyes to her, with a mischievous smirk on his lips and in his eyes, she finally realized Nami's meaning. Her cheeks tinted pink. She placed her left hand on her hip and rubbed the back of her neck with her other hand. "Oh. I guess I should have known that right off."
"And you're married,"Law teased and let his hat fall back down over his eyes while crossing his arms and legs.
"Tease me some more and I'll turn my crystals on you whether I'm under orders or not," Neo growled, slightly annoyed, at him for teasing her. She plopped down beside him. She opened her mouth to protest verbally, but quickly shut it when she noticed the Straw Hats were too close for her comfort involving this conversation. 'So I still miss certain things. I'm still learning about life after all. Do you want me to have immediate perverted thoughts?'
'Only if they're about me.' Law flashed her a grin. She rolled her eyes at him before linking her arm with his and resting her head on his shoulder. "That nap seems to have done you some good. You look more refreshed."
"I feel refreshed," Neo replied. "Although, it might interfere with me sleeping later tonight."
"You know you don't have to worry about that. I'll rub your back for you," Law said.
"You're the best," Neo said, nuzzling against his shoulder before poking him in the ribs.
"Now don't start that again," Law warned, playfully.
Neo stuck her tongue out at him, but didn't poke him again.
"Hey! Neo!" Luffy then cried out.
Neo looked up to find the young captain right in front of her. She jumped, tightened her hold on Law and released a startled cry. "Ah!"
"Careful, Straw Hat!" Law hissed. "Don't get so close to her like that!"
Chopper jumped up and whacked Luffy on the head. He snapped, "Luffy! You idiot! You've already been told that Neo doesn't like it when people get too close!"
"Hey! You don't have to hit me!" Luffy snapped back. He readjusted his hat and pouted at Chopper. "I was just going to ask her a question! There's nothing wrong with that!"
"You can ask all the questions you want, but do not get so close! You startled her!" Chopper hissed. He then pulled out a needle. "So help me! If you startle her again, I'll sedate you!"
"Hey! That's not fair!" Luffy whined. "She's my friend now! I can ask her questions if I want to!"
"It's okay, Chopper," Neo said. She bent over and slipped her hands under his arms. She picked him up and placed him in her lap. "You can put the needle away. There's no need for sedation."
"You're so sweet," Chopper said, blushing. He put the needle away and settled into her lap. "But don't let Luffy get away with too much. Don't hesitated to just punch him if he gets too close to you."
"Hey!" Luffy protested.
"Chopper's right. We punch Luffy all the time for his stupidity," Usopp said. "And he deserves it every single time."
"I do not!" Luffy screamed. He plopped down on the deck. Crossing his arms and legs, he pouched out his lips. "All I wanted to do was ask her a question! There's nothing wrong with that!"
"What is it then, Straw Hat?" Neo asked. She looked directly at Luffy, willing her eyes not to drift up to his hat.
Luffy turned his attention to her and smiled. He blurted out, "My name's Luffy! And my question is, why do you feel so inhuman?"
Neo and Law flinched. All of the Straw Hats, that were still on the deck, turned their eyes to the couple. Neo dropped her eyes to the deck while Law's hat fell lower over his eyes. Chopper looked up at her, but she wasn't able to return the look.
"Why are you two suddenly so quiet?" Zoro asked. "It's a justified question. I think it's obvious to all of us that she feels different from everyone else."
"That's right. It's always mentioned when she's in the newspapers," Franky said. "What's up with that? There are a whole lot of people who has some huge interest in you. The Navy's probably the biggest one out there. And you know how they are."
"Now that you mention it…" Usopp said. He cupped his chin with his fingers and carefully looked Neo over a few times. "You do seem a bit different. I never noticed before despite having read about you in the newspapers."
"If we're really going to do this alliance thing, then we have a right to know who exactly we're teaming up with," Zoro said.
"Neo?" Chopper asked. "Is there a reason that you feel so different from everyone else? Is there a reason that you smell like nature and smell so sweet?"
Neo's heart pounded in her chest. Her mind spun so fast she felt like she was going to be sick. With her arms loosely around Chopper, she fiddled with Law's ring. She wanted to look over at him, but didn't dare. 'Law? What do we do? It's obvious they can tell, but…'
'We can't tell them.'
"Neo?" Chopper asked again.
"I'm sorry," Neo replied, softly. Her bangs fell over her eyes to hide her tears. "I…I can't answer that."
"Why not? Just who are you?" Zoro pushed. He placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
Law noticed and unfolded his arms. He took a hold of his sword.
"Yeah! Why can't you answer that?" Luffy asked. He scooted closer to Neo. Bending his neck, he looked up at her eyes. He smiled. "We're friends now. You can tell us anything."
"Straw Hat?" Neo asked.
"Yeah?" Luffy replied.
"If you really mean that we are friends," Neo paused before continuing, "then please don't ask me…don't ask us that. It's kind of…"
"It's personal, Luffy," Robin then said. Everyone looked up as the woman, and the rest of the group who headed for the bathhouse, walked down the stairs. Neo wondered how long they had been there and what all they had heard. "If Neo doesn't want to reveal her past, then you all shouldn't force her to do that. They have a right not to tell us. Remember, not everyone is as comfortable with their past as you all might be."
"She's right. You all are far too pushy," Usopp said. He crossed his arms and nodded philosophically.
"You wanted to know too," Zoro pointed out with a frown.
"Are you all bothering Neo?" Sanji asked. "Shame on you."
"Shut up, you stupid cook," Zoro said. "If you were here, you would have wanted to know too."
"Wanting to know something is completely different than trying to force the truth out of someone," Sanji retorted. He took his cigarette out of his mouth and pointed at each and every one of his crewmates on the deck. "I think it's obvious that we all noticed that there's something different with Neo. But that does not give any of you the right to try and force the truth out of her. She clearly doesn't want to lie to us about it. So don't force her to do that. Robin's right. It's personal. So let it go. If you don't, I'll kick every single one of your butts! Now get back to look out duty or whatever it was you were doing before."
Without another word, the Straw Hats wandered off. Luffy, however, stayed right where he was. He tilted his head to the left then to the right like a curious kitten. He looked at Neo then at Law then back to Neo. He chuckled. "All right! We're friends! So I won't ask again!"
Neo looked up just in time to see his bright smile before he jumped up and ran off. She dropped her eyes down to the reindeer in her lap. He smiled at her, which caught her off guard. She asked, "You…you're not upset with me?"
"Of course not," Chopper replied. "If you can't tell us, then you can't tell us. I trust you, Neo. I know we haven't known each other for every long, but I do trust you."
Neo blinked, unsure of what to think of his words. "Thank you, Chopper."
"No problem," Chopper said with a smile.
"You know, it's such a nice night tonight," Sanji said. He looked up at the bright, full moon. "I think I'll serve the pizza out here."
"That's a great idea," Nami said. Robin nodded in agreement.
"I'll go get them then," Sanji said as he turned and headed for the kitchen.
"Do you want me to help?" Neo asked.
"Naw. You just relax," Sanji said. He smiled over his shoulder at her. "I've got this."
"Okay. And thank you," Neo said. Sanji waved and continued towards the kitchen. She then turned her eyes to Robin. "Thank you too."
Robin just smiled and nodded. She then walked passed Neo and Law with Nami and Momonosuke following.
'Law, I think Robin knows.' Neo thought to Law while watching the two women walking away. 'Is that possible?'
'I was beginning to think the same thing. And there are Elementals living in among humans. So it is possible that she's met one. Or at least has come across one before.' Law watched the archeologist carefully from underneath the brim of his hat. 'If she did meet one, I wonder what all they told her.'
…
"So there really is something different about her?" Nami asked as she walked along with Robin. "I thought all those newspaper reports were just rubbish."
"I do not sense anything from the woman," Momonosuke said looking back at Neo. "She is a bit odd, but that is all."
"Do you know something, Robin?" Nami asked. She looked at her friend.
"Let's just see how things play out from here." Robin smiled and continued walking.
"What's that suppose to mean?" Nami hurried after her friend. "Hey! Robin!"
…
While waiting for Sanji to return with the pizzas, Neo couldn't stop herself from tickling Chopper. She started off by tickling him under his chin. He giggled. She bit her bottom lip with a smile then tickled his belly. He laughed and said, "Stop it! That tickles!"
"I'm sorry. You're just so cute," Neo squealed. She tickled him under his chin again. He laughed and fell back against her arm. She tickled him so much that he was crying and laughing. She had to stop doing it before she accidentally laughed herself. She pulled him into a hug. "You are just so incredibly cute! If only Bepo was here! Then I'd have two cute animals to cuddle with! You must sleep with us tonight!"
Law shifted. He saw that coming hours ago. He didn't might if the animal joined them while sleeping. It would make Neo happy.
"You're just as cute as I am! And sure!" Chopper nodded. He rubbed his cheek against hers, causing his samurai hat to fall off his head. It thumped on the deck and spun to a stop. "I'd love too! Though I'm on guard duty tonight! So I'll be up watching over you sleeping! But I'd love to sleep with you sometime!"
"Great!" Neo squealed happily. "I can't wait for you all to meet our crew. You all are going to get along so well."
"Some of us might," Chopper said, thinking about his crew. He then glanced over at Zoro. "But some of us might cause fights."
The swordsman was sitting on the deck, leaning against the railing with his hands behind his head. Upon sensing Chopper's glance, he cracked an eye open and frowned. "What?"
"Nothing," Chopper said turning his attention back to Neo.
"Oh, you all will get along just fine. If not, I'll order you all to," Neo said.
"I bet you could do that and everyone would listen," Chopper said. "You're too cute for anyone to deny. All you'd have to do is look at them and they'd cave."
…
"It's so weird seeing Chopper act like that with someone," Nami said. She sat down on the swing and pulled Momonosuke onto her lap. Her eyes locked onto Neo and Chopper.
"It is. But it's nice they get along so well," Robin said. She was standing beside the swing with her arms crossed over her stomach.
"Pizza is served!" Sanji cried out then. He tossed the pizzas out towards the crew and their two guests. "Catch!"
"Yeah!" Luffy cried. He threw his fist in the air and easily caught it then took a big bite. Steaming cheese strung out from the pizza to his mouth. "So yummy! And so h-h-h-hot!"
Neo watched, with a smile, as the Straw Hat crew easily grabbed the flying disks with their hands or devil fruit powers. Kin'emon fumbled when the hot pizza hit his hands but he managed to hold onto it. She clapped at their impressive skills. She said, "Hey, Law, do you think our crew would-"
"No! You're not tossing pizzas around the sub!" Law huffed. He had warped a pizza onto the bench beside her.
"You're being a meanie." Neo pouted. She poked him in the ribs, making him twitch, as Chopper walked back over to her with a pizza in his hooves. He smiled up at her. She smiled back and moved onto the deck so they could use the bench as a table. Shortly after than, Sanji came around with cups and drinks for everyone. They all then settled in and enjoyed the piping hot pizza. Some giving Neo complements on the pizza when Sanji informed them that she helped cook them. She blushed but graciously accepted their praise.
…
Neo sighed and looked up at the star filled sky. She was sitting on the deck, leaning against the railing. Law was sitting beside her with his head down low like he was sleeping. He said, "You don't have to feel guilty."
"And yet I do," Neo said with another sigh. She looked around the deck. Franky was looking out at the ocean with binoculars while Usopp and Chopper was strolling the deck looking rather worried about a possible attack. Her eyes drifted to Caesar. The scientist was sleeping about twenty to thirty yards away from them. She still felt angry with him and uncomfortable with him being so close. She shifted closer to Law. Readjusting the blanket over her lap, that Chopper brought to her when everyone else went to bed, she lowered her voice and said, "I think it's impossible for me not to. And I don't like that I'm on your left side. I'm supposed to be on your right and beside a wall."
"You can always move to my right if it bothers you that much," Law said. He peaked out from underneath his hat and smiled. "We could also move closer to a wall."
She frowned at him. "And be closer to Caesar? No thank you."
"He's not going to hurt you," Law said. "You know I won't let him. He's in sea prism stone anyway."
"I know. I just don't want to be close to him. If I get too close, I know I'll disobey you and use my crystals on him," Neo said.
Law couldn't help but chuckle. "I think that would be one time I wouldn't mind you disobeying me."
"Does that mean I can-"
"No!" Law reached over and tapped her nose, causing her to blink. "Now, go to sleep, little girl."
"I'm not tired. You shouldn't have let me slept so long earlier," Neo said. "And I ate too much. I feel so stuffed. I hope I don't get sick. That would be such a waste of good food."
"I noticed. You practically ate an entire pizza yourself," Law said. He raised an eyebrow at her. "It's not like you to eat so much."
"I know," Neo said thoughtfully. "It didn't help much that Sanji's pizza was so good. He's definitely a better cook than I am. I really hope I can cook again with him."
Law frowned.
"Oh, don't be jealous. You'll always be my favorite guy." Neo leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"Good. Now, come here." Law slipped his arm around her. "I'll rub your back."
"You're the best, Law," Neo said. She snuggled into his warm side with a relaxing sigh while he rubbed soothing strokes over her back. A few minutes later, she was on the verge of falling asleep when suddenly she perched back up and narrowed her eyebrows.
"What is it, love?" Law asked.
"Uh." Neo looked around. She turned and peaked through the railing of the Sunny before turning back to Law. "Nothing, I guess. I just thought I sensed something."
"Like what?" Law questioned.
"I think it was some kind of animal," Neo replied, tucking herself back into him. "It felt sad. But I guess it was nothing. I don't sense it anymore."
…
Author's Notes: Finally got Neo with Sanji! :D Then Luffy!
PuddyKatz: Same. I didn't notice her much either until after Water 7 and Enies Lobby. Now I really love her. I really like her as an older sister or mother figure to Neo.
Inazumame1997: Thanks. I think so too, but then I'm the one writing it so I'm biased. ^.^'
Rodinaashraf: We'll know soon what's up with Robin. It's Neo's instincts. She senses something from Robin, which will be revealed at the end of Breed Arc. It'll make sense then.
Apple Bloom: Thanks to you too. It's all good now.
KittyCCCC: I feel sorry for them at times. But they're funny. Neo's great in those aggressive moments, isn't she?
Loveanimation4life: It has been a while, hasn't it? Glad you're still with me. And bummer on losing your story. I've got mine backed up twice. I'm paranoid in losing it. Good luck on writing it. Let me know how it goes or when it's posted. I might take a peak. :3 I can't wait either on the reveal. Thanks. My issue has been solved.
