"For the last time, we're not lost," Law snapped. He tugged at the feathered collar of his shirt, making sure that it concealed the emblem on his neck.
"I dunno," Luffy sighed, "We seem pretty lost to me." He walked lazily after Law with his arms slung behind his head.
"You're insufferable," Law hissed.
Luffy snickered, "Yeah, I get that a lot."
Three hours into their journey through the Mid, and the two of them were already hopelessly lost. Whether Law was willing to admit it or not. After they woke up on the top floor of the abandoned building, Law had teleported them across the barrier and into the capital of the Mid.
The place was just as maze-like on the inside as it looked from the outside, and it seemed that the two of them would walk themselves to death before they found someone to get them across the border to the Clear. Though Luffy didn't mind being lost. The upper corridors of the capital were much more interesting than the labyrinth of blood stained tunnels down beneath.
The floors were made of glass and the walls alternated between gold and stained brick. There were more lamplights concentrated on one street than there were on the entirety of the Dregs and the Shade combined. The entire capital was indoor, which was truly astonishing. Luffy never would have noticed if he hadn't seen the place from the outside! The passages had arching ceilings of glass that shot dozens of feet into the air. Bright, white lamplights bathed each and every street and passage with an ethereal glow.
Spiral staircases dozens of feet across corkscrewed from one level to the next, and wide, railed bridges shot across chambers the size of factories and city streets choked with Shifties dressed in fabrics of all colors under the sky. There wasn't dirt or smoke or rust anywhere, everything in sight was spotless and clean. The enormous air compressor fans lurking overhead didn't make a single sound as they filtered the streets and indoor city blocks.
The crowds were dense, denser than any Luffy had ever seen in his life. If the street market had been crowded then the capital city was jam packed. Every street and backroad was lined with stores, markets, businesses, trade of every kind. It was hard to fathom, seeing so much concentrated wealth passing from hand to hand. Law had said that the Mid's capital was the economic hub of the entire Layered City, not that Luffy had any idea what any of that meant.
He was simply interested in swiping as many wallets as he could before their owners (or Law) could notice. Luffy's pockets felt heavy with berry for the first time since he could remember… ever. He didn't care if it took Law three months to figure out how to get to the damn Clear, he and his brothers would be set for life if he could spend even a day up here stealing!
Luffy snickered maniacally as he swiped a silken pouch from the inner skirts of a rich lady's dress. He tossed the thing in his hand before slipping it into his pocket. He could almost smell the gold coinage lurking within.
Law shot him a disapproving glance out the corner of his eye. "You know there are soldiers everywhere, don't you?"
"Yeah," Luffy shrugged, he saluted a pair of officers in crisp white uniforms as they passed. They returned his gesture, completely ignorant to the fact that Luffy was robbing the entire square blind. He didn't bother to hold back his laughter.
Law sighed heavily and dragged his hand down his face.
The two of them continued walking for a time, until foot traffic carried them down a side street with a downward incline. They trotted along with the current of bodies, Luffy grinning like a fool and Law trying his best not to lose his troublesome companion in the crowd.
When the collective shoving finally died down, the two of them found themselves on a circular street that marched the circumference of a cluster of buildings in a tight ring. The floor was different here, made of glittering white marble rather than glass. The lamplights above were stained a faint rose gold, and the ceiling overhead was made entirely of sheer glass panes boasting a view of the dozens of crisscrossing streets overhead.
Luffy craned his neck as he walked, making sure to commit everything he saw to memory so he could rub it in his brothers' faces.
"Where the hell are we," Law grumbled. His fingers dug into the scabbard of his sword as he wandered aimlessly with Luffy.
"Thought you'd been up here before," Luffy teased.
"I have," Law snapped. "Just not… this… particular area."
"You're lost, admit it," Luffy replied.
"I know exactly where we are," Law shot back. He ripped a hand-drawn paper map from his pocket. The poor thing was crumpled to all hell from being rage-stuffed in and out of Law's pockets.
Luffy grinned, "Oh? Where are we then?"
The taller man shot him a glare over his map. "In the shopping district," he mumbled.
"This entire Layer is a shopping district," Luffy countered.
"No," Law corrected, "There are military outposts, underground smuggling rings, the factory processing unit is on this Layer, sophisticated businesses have sprung up on the higher floors, then of course there are the–"
"-Oh come on, I didn't mean literally," Luffy snorted. He elbowed Law in the ribs, "Loosen up a little! Enjoy the journey, we'll find the place when we find it."
"You're awfully relaxed for a man with his brother's life on the line," Law muttered as he shoved his map back into his pocket.
"Ace is fine," Luffy declared without hesitation. "He's got, like, a week at the minimum. We have plenty of time. We only really need to be worried when they put him on the execution schedule." Luffy burst out laughing, but Law didn't join in. Merely watched him with a concerned expression on his face.
Luffy's laughter didn't reach his eyes.
The two of them shifted back into a comfortable silence as they followed the current of Shifties, darting from storefront to storefront with money pouring from every orifice. All was at peace until a terrible monster awoke from its slumber: Luffy's appetite.
His stomach ripped with a ferocious growl, and after running on nothing but pure adrenaline and rage for almost seventy-two hours, Luffy suddenly became very aware of how hungry he was.
"Gods dammit," he whimpered, immediately stopping in his tracks and allowing himself to fall face first into the street.
"Wha– Luffy, the fuck?!" Law sputtered as he instinctively caught Luffy under the arms with the scabbard of his sword. "What are you doing?" he demanded. "Can't you walk?"
"Hungry," Luffy whined dramatically. "I haven't eaten in, like, forever. I'm going to starve."
Law frowned, his golden eyes flickering as he thought. He hadn't worked lunch breaks into his grand scheme, apparently.
On the turn of a dime, Luffy suddenly shot to his feet and marched down the street with a new purpose in his stride. Law startled and hurried to catch up with him, suddenly struggling to keep up with Luffy's short legs.
"Where are you going?" Law panted as he jogged at Luffy's side. His eyes flitted nervously to the surrounding crowd, which was giving the two of them odd looks.
Luffy marched along with his fists clenched at his sides and his hat casting deep shadows across his face. "They've gotta have food around here, somewhere. The meat can't hide forever. I'll find it, dammit, just you watch."
"Is this really necessary?" Law griped. He tugged at the brim of his cap as he hurried after Luffy.
"Yes," Luffy deadpanned. He stopped in the middle of the street without warning. Law grunted as he ran into his back. He glared in annoyance, opening his mouth to retort. He shut up, however, when Luffy turned his nose to the air and sniffed. Like a damned animal.
Law watched on at an utter loss for… everything, as Luffy enthusiastically scented the air.
What… the fuck.
"There!" Luffy gasped, his eyes snapping open. Then he was gone.
Law gaped in horror, and then sprinted after him. "Luffy!" he yelled, "Get back here, dammit!"
He darted down back alleys and sprinted across wide city streets. Flights of stairs were taken within matters of seconds, and Shifties leapt out of the way as Luffy tore ass across the Mid's capital.
After two minutes of chaotic chase, Luffy arrived at his destination. It was a shaded street, with the lamp lights turned low and the ceiling dark, constructed of metal rather than glass. Luffy had gone several floors downwards on his hunt for food, and made his way to the center of the capital, where the buildings were stacked close and streets morphed into a nest of deadends and endless loops.
It was a wonder that Luffy managed to find the place at all. It was a hole in the wall, with no signage or advertisement. You'd have to stumble across it by total accident to find it at all, yet Luffy had found the place by following the scent of meat that had wafted through the ventilation shafts.
A slanted storefront lined in white painted wooden planks, with a wide porch jutting out into the street covered by a maroon awning. The doors were propped open by worn red bricks, and the word "Baratie" was lit up in enormous, neon red lamplights over the entrance.
Luffy stood and gawked from the street. This place smelled amazing.
The clatter of Law's heeled boots on the cobbled street arrived before he did. He stumbled to a stop beside Luffy, immediately doubling over and panting as if he'd just run a marathon. Which wasn't entirely inaccurate.
"What," he gasped for air, "is wrong with you."
"What is this amazing place and why does it smell so good," Luffy said in a rush, his eyes still blown wide and trained on the storefront.
Law rose to his full height and inspected the front of the building Luffy had sprinted halfway across the capital to find. "It's a restaurant," he replied, slowly. Had Luffy never seen one before?
"What's that?" the raven demanded, answering Law's question.
"It's like a store, but you sit down and the owners serve you food–"
Law couldn't finish his explanation before Luffy had sprinted through the doors.
He marched directly up to the host stand, sandals smacking against expensive wooden flooring. A man in fancy black clothes quirked an eyebrow at Luffy. The restaurant was low lit within, with dark floors, walls painted a lovely red, and ceilings mimicking the patterns of paned glass that dotted the capital in droves. Neat tables veiled in white clothes were scattered about, where finley dressed Shifties sat and sipped at wine while waiters in black darted about, meeting each and every frivolous request.
Law hurried in after Luffy, still wheezing as he struggled to catch his breath.
"May I… help you?" the host asked. He didn't seem very pleased to see them.
"Give me food," Luffy said.
Law slapped him upside the head. "Table for two, please," he bit out.
"Of course, right this way," the host murmured. He ducked his head and scurried off with two leather booklets in hand. Luffy followed closely at his heels, rubbernecking as he scrutinized the food on his fellow patrons' tables. When he tried to swipe entire plates from innocent bystanders, Law quickly flicked him in the back of the head and growled at him to behave.
The two of them were seated at a table tucked away in the very back corner. Luffy plopped down on a cushy chair and watched in confusion as the host placed a leather booklet before each of them. "Your waiter will be with you shortly," the host said tersely with a fake smile.
Law flipped him off as he turned away.
Luffy stole his wallet and added it to his collection.
Candles burned in the center of tables and finely trimmed floral bouquets glistened with droplets of filtered water. The quiet din of chatter and clinking silverware broke the silence. Luffy curiously cracked open the leather booklet he'd been given, and gasped when he discovered drawings of delicious food and descriptions that made his mouth water.
"What are we even doing here," Law whispered to himself. His eyes darted about nervously. The surrounding Shifties were giving himself and Luffy curious glances, whispering behind their hands and scrutinizing their dirty clothes and disheveled hair. It was easy to blend into the crowded streets, but laying low got far more difficult in such a confined area. Law kicked his sword under the table.
"Eating!" Luffy chirped as a response to his question. He was already drooling.
"We have to pay for this, you know?" Law muttered. He frowned as he cracked the menu open and found prices with an alarming number of zeros. It was doubtful that even Luffy would be able to cover the bill, and he'd been stealing wallets all day long.
"We're smugglers," Luffy giggled over his menu. "We'll eat, and then slip out before they can milk us dry."
"So we're dining and dashing," Law deadpanned.
Luffy grinned at him.
Astonishing, that he'd stumbled across that concept when he'd only just learned what a restaurant was moments beforehand.
The older man buried his face in his hands and tried not to scream.
Before Luffy could shatter any more of Law's sanity, their waiter drifted over to the table. A lanky man in a tight fitting black suit stood before them with a small tray in his hands. "Good afternoon," he said pleasantly, though his voice was gruff. Luffy and Law perked up, taking a look at the man. He had blonde hair that fell across one eye. His eyebrows were curly, which was weird.
Luffy narrowed his eyes, why did this guy seem so familiar…
"I hope you gentlemen have had a pleasant day thus far," the man said as he placed a basket of bread (cringe from Law) onto the table and two glasses of water with weird bubbles swimming around inside. "My name is Sanji, and it would be my pleasure to serve the two of you today."
He placed two rolls of silverware onto the table, then finally took a look at the men he would be serving.
Sanji immediately froze.
Luffy cocked his head to the side as he met the blonde's widened gaze. His eyes were blue. Dark blue, almost black–
"Obby!" Luffy yelled.
Law spat a mouthful of water across the table.
Sanji's jaw dropped open in horror, and he immediately slapped his hand over Luffy's mouth. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" he hissed. The surrounding customers glanced over at the table in the corner, where a waiter was wrestling with Luffy while Law struggled to laugh through a violent coughing fit. Sanji glanced frantically around to make sure he wasn't making a scene, only to discover that their table was the center of attention.
He ground his teeth, a frantic panic flashing in his eyes.
"Well if it isn't Obsidian Black," Law drawled, making an absolute ass of himself. Sanji's gaze snapped to the tattooed man, who was smirking like a complete total dickhead. "Didn't expect to run into you again so soon," Law continued. "Small world, huh?"
Sanji's eyes flashed with pure rage.
"If you don't stop talking right now then I swear I'll stick my foot so far up your ass that it pops out your eyes," he growled.
Luffy's muffled voice perked up from behind Sanji's palm.
The blonde startled, giving Law one last threatening look before tentatively releasing Luffy from his hold.
He immediately regretted that decision.
"It's so good to see you again, Obby!" Luffy declared. "Where'd all your hair go, did you cut it off? It's funny, Obby, I seriously thought you were a lady–"
Sanji slammed his palms down on the table, cutting Luffy off. "Do not call me that," he hissed. "If either of you speak any word about what happened last night then I swear–"
"Oh, I see how it is," Law interrupted. He made a dramatic show of stroking his chin, before fixing Sanji with an expression of overly exaggerated pity. The blonde seethed. "It's alright, princess," he cooed. "You don't have to hide it around us, we're supportive. Take pride in who you are."
Sanji faked him out, though Law didn't flinch, just busted out laughing. "I am going to kill you," Sanji growled. The threat was genuine. He hunched over the table with his hands balled white-knuckled in the tablecloth. His eyes darted about nervously, following the other waiters who were giving him scrutinizing looks.
Luffy watched Sanji with a curious gaze as he shoved warm rolls of bread into his face.
Unfortunately for Sanji, Law was incredibly perceptive. "What, don't want your coworkers to know about your talents?" he teased.
Sanji snapped his head in Law's direction with violence written all over his face. "Will you please shut up about that, do you know what the guys would do– what the old man would do, if they found out I was sneaking onto the Shade?! Half these psychos would pay to see me tortured to death–"
"Are you like Iva?" Luffy asked. "A girl sometimes and a guy most of the time?"
Sanji choked. He looked panicked, his eyes darting about to make sure no one had overheard Luffy's words. "What?! No- No! And will you please lower your voice–"
"It's chill, princess, just be yourself," Law drawled. He looked like a cat with a bowl of cream.
Sanji turned on him, "You shut the fuck up! I am a perfectly normal man, I just happen to… crossdress sometimes."
Law snorted. "Performing drag at Iva's club is a pretty extreme form of 'crossdressing.'"
"Will you please stop talking about this," Sanji begged, beginning to look desperate. "What do you want, money? Free food? You psychos are trying to get to the Clear, right? I can give you information, if you want it. Anything, just shut up about Iva."
Law's face set into a frown. He immediately turned serious. "You know how to get to the Clear?" His eyes flashed with desperation.
Sanji nodded, "Yeah, yeah, of course I do. I can point you guys in the right direction if it makes you shut your goddamn mouths."
Law shared a glance with Luffy, then nodded. He leaned back in his chair with his arms folded across his chest and one leg tossed over the other. "Deal."
"Also we eat for free," Luffy added around a mouthful of bread. He grabbed for another roll but found the basket empty. "And give me more bread."
Sanji sighed in relief, though his eyebrow twitched in the utmost aggravation. "Fine. Fine. That's fine. I'll give you what you want, just stop fucking talking about what you saw last night."
"Relax, princess," Law chuckled, fixing Sanji with a smirk. "So long as you uphold your end of the deal, our lips are sealed."
"Yup! Just give me more bread," Luffy added.
"Right," Sanji managed through gritted teeth. "More bread. Are there any other orders you'd like to put in?" He sounded like he'd rather strangle himself with his fishnets than be stuck with Luffy and Law.
Luffy turned on Sanji with glittering eyes. He pointed at the menu, "Everything."
…
Sanji kicked the door to the kitchen open and stormed inside with his lips drawn back in a snarl and his fists clenched tight at his sides. He stomped through the kitchen, through rows and rows and counters, lines of stovetops, ovens, and chilled cases of every food imaginable. While the restaurant on the other side of the wall was peaceful and high class, the kitchen lurking deeper within was pure chaos.
Pots clanged, dishes shattered, and chefs screamed obscenities. Knives were thrown across the kitchen with deadly intent, and scuffles between cooks broke out in the allies every other minute. Punches were thrown and ingredients were diced. Heads were slammed against countertops and cuts of meat were slung onto well oiled grills. The roughest, toughest, downright scum on the entire Layer gathered in one kitchen from ten in the morning to ten in the night cycle to prepare the most delicious food to touch a table.
And at the helm of it all, was the biggest, ugliest, oldest dick for brains of all time.
"Sanji!" Zeff screamed the second he stepped foot in the kitchen. "Where's that glazed salmon?! I asked you to cook it half an hour ago!"
"Urgh!" the blonde groaned, stomping his foot and tossing his hands in the air as he arrived at his station. "I don't fucking know!" he yelled. "I'm not making that shit, I told you that I have my own godsdamn tables to take care of!"
A peek of Zeff's comically long, braided mustache could be glimpsed between the hanging pans that dangled from everywhere imaginable. "Then are we going to watch this guest starve?!" the old man demanded. "It was a single fucking salmon, the least you could have done was throw it on the damn stove!"
"I told you that I don't have time!" Sanji screamed as he flipped a knife in his hand and grabbed six different vegetables from his cold drawer at once.
"Oh, too busy with your tables?" Patty, the man at Sanji's neighboring chef station, taunted. The surrounding chefs cackled and whooped like a band of hyenas.
"Yes," Sanji spat through gritted teeth, determined not to give Patty the satisfaction.
"By the gods!" Patty gasped sarcastically. "Pray tell, how many tables do you have?!"
The blonde glared at the man from under his fringe. Patty was tall, built like a bus and wearing a finer suit than Sanji was. He had warm, chocolate skin and a neat fade of pale blue hair atop his head. He also wore a shit eating grin, and had the audacity to make a better chicken parm than Sanji could no matter how much cheese he added.
Sanji fucking hated him.
(He hated everyone who worked with him at the Baratie. Though hate was a strong word.)
"One," Sanji bit out, answering Patty's question.
The man proceeded to bust out laughing, and half the kitchen followed suit.
"Oh no!" Patty cooed, "Poor baby Sanji is preoccupied with one table! He can't handle the workload, someone change his diaper! Quick! He's sure to shit his pants any minute now from the pressure!" The kitchen was losing their shit.
Sanji chucked a knife directly at Patty's skull.
The taller man dodged without so much as a blink, already loading plates onto a tray and lofting it high over his head. He shot Sanji a smirk, then whirled on his heel to deliver his tables their food. Sanji shot his retreating form the bird and returned to his work, smoke all but pouring from his ears.
What made the Baratie stand out from other restaurants one would find in the Layered City was the absence of servers. At this over achieving restaurant (because the stupid old man had far too much fucking ambition), the chefs preformed the duties of a waiter, taking orders and forming personal connections with the people they would be cooking for, before diving into the jungle that was the kitchen to prepare delicious food with just the right person in mind.
Sanji would have fucking hated it, if it didn't mean that he got to serve and bask in the presence of the lovely ladies that graced his fine establishment.
He did not love it, however, when two psychotic men he'd met while dressed in drag showed up and did all in their power to grind his sanity into a million tiny pieces.
Sanji ground his teeth as he cut carrots, potatoes, and squash and tossed them into a saute pan. He squirted vegetable oil over the mixture and pretended that he was spraying Trafalgar-fucking-Law in the eyes with hot sauce.
"Gods damned, no good, bitch ass, mother fucker. I should poison his ass, see how he likes it with foam pouring out of his mouth as he twitches and chokes on his own–"
"Sanji, if you poison one more guest then I'm throwing you out of my restaurant."
The blonde jumped clean out of his skin when Zeff materialized beside him. "Gods! What the fuck, old man, say something next time!"
Zeff rolled his eyes and flipped the vegetables in Sanj's pan, before tossing a mixture of spices inside.
"Hey!" Sanji snapped, quickly slapping his hands away. "Back off!"
Zeff rolled his eyes, "Your vegetables are bland and overcooked. And I hope that's not mutton you're cooking, yours always tasted like pickled foreskin."
"Hey!" Sanji roared, "Get the fuck out of my station!"
"I'm just helping," Zeff bitched. He sounded like a fucking child. (They both sounded like children, for the record.) "Fine! Do everything on your own! You won't see me trying to help you!" the old man griped as he stomped off in a huff to find another chef to micromanage.
"Yeah, fuck you too! Go die in a hole!" Sanji shouted. He scoffed and returned to his work. He had an entire gods damned menu to cook, the rest of the kitchen could go collectively fuck themselves on a cactus.
Today was a horrible day. Sanji didn't know how the hell his karma had gotten this bad, but he'd be damned if he was going to sit back and let a couple of assholes out him in the middle of his own fucking restaurant. He couldn't have the others finding out that he was performing at the Kamabakka at any cost.
Patty would jump at the opportunity to turn him in to the military ring that monitored the capital, the entire kitchen would. (It was run by some jerk off named Smoker. Guy was a complete psychopath.) If they saw Sanji on the guillotine then they'd pull out chairs and popcorn and laugh as his head rolled.
But that wasn't all… if Iva's safehaven got busted because of him then Sanji wouldn't be able to forgive himself. There weren't many clubs that took Uppers, Lowers, Layer jumpers, smugglers, and Devil Born all in one place. Everyone was welcome at the Kamabakka, and there weren't many places like that around anymore. Iva was a man among men, a woman among women, a queen among queers. If they saw death row then Sanji would sooner kill himself then sit back and watch it happen.
Iva was… they meant a lot to him, okay? It was… complicated.
Sanj shook himself. Here he was, getting all fucking sentimental.
The most important reason why he couldn't let himself be outed was because he'd never be taken seriously again. If Patty knew that Sanji was a drag performer every other week then he'd never let him live it down.
How the fuck had this even happened? Sanji had never had a scare like this in his entire life, and all of a sudden he was scrambling to keep his whole world from crumbling to pieces!
"Trafalgar Law," Sanji hissed under his breath as he pounded a steak with his fists. "I'll kill that guy. Fucking with Iva and now fucking with me? I'm going to chop him up and feed him to that ditzy twink of his. What's his name, Lucy? I bet he'd eat it with a smile on his face. Fucking smugglers. Stealing from my establishment. They're lucky to sit at that table, they should be kissing my feet for not throwing them out the second I saw them! They're trying to out me? I should out them, I'm sure Smoker would piss himself to get his hands on the Surgeon of Death. And whatever the fuck that Lucy guy is. What is he, made of rubber? Fucking freak. I've seen a lot of Devil Born but none as fucking weird as that guy, I bet he has brain damage…"
Sanji cooked with malice in his heart while muttering a string of curses and insults under his breath, all directed at Luffy and Law, promising that he'd murder them sooner than he'd serve them… all the while he dutifully prepared their meals and tried to decide who was the safest criminal to refer them to.
…
With a loaded tray balanced on his shoulder Sanji kicked the door to the kitchen open so far that it was a wonder it didn't fly off of its hinges. The tray was loaded with dozens of plates, steaming and piled high with dishes delectable enough to make a grown man cry. He was still bitter that Trafalgar-fucking-Law would be the one privileged with eating his masterpiece.
When Sanji stopped the tray beside Luffy and Law's table, the rubber man immediately cheered loudly and began clapping.
"Food! Yes! I haven't eaten in three days!" Luffy wailed.
Now that caught Sanji's attention. "What? Why not?" he huffed. His mind sparked back to a time ten years prior. When he'd wandered the streets alone, shivering in the cold with nowhere to sleep and a stomach so empty that he craved death. No one should have to starve to death.
Not even assholes like Trafalgar-fucking-Law.
"Feeding yourself is important," Sanji scolded. He selected a plate piled high with thin cuts of pork and mashed potatoes softer than clouds. Luffy's mouth watered - literally, trails of saliva began dripping down to puddle on the table. He replaced the third empty bread basket, and then set a plate in front of Law.
The urge to spit in his food was great, but Sanji was far too dignified of a chef to stoop to such low levels. Even if it was Trafalgar-fucking-Law.
"When's the last time you ate a proper meal?" he asked gruffly, peeking at the tattooed man through his fringe.
The guy was a guarded bastard, but even he couldn't entirely conceal the way his eyes lit up when he saw the delicious plate of grilled fish and rice balls that Sanji placed in front of him.
"A proper meal?" Law mumbled to himself. "Had to have been, what… a month? Two?"
Sanji blanched, though he quickly recovered. He continued passing plates onto the table, as well as clearing the empty ones that Luffy had already licked clean. Holy fuck, that guy ate fast as hell.
"Well, you better eat every last bite of this shit," Sanji ordered as he stacked the last plate on the table. "You ordered a fuck ton, and I won't tolerate wasting food."
"Mphf hwuh wuftw," Luffy said around a mouth stuffed full of six different dishes at once.
Sanji blinked at him. Slowly. Fuck, he knew a starved man when he saw one. He suddenly didn't feel as pissy about being forced to feed him.
Luffy swallowed his enormous mouthful of food as he pounded his fist against his chest to work it down. He gasped victoriously then shot Sanji a dazzling grin. "Oh, I'm eating all of this!" he cackled, before lurching across the table to swipe a chicken breast from one of Law's plates.
"Save some for me," Law snapped in annoyance.
Luffy smirked at him and proceeded to cram two entire plates of food into his mouth at the same time. Watching him eat was… an experience to say the least. But Sanji couldn't even bring himself to be disgusted, he was far too damn touched that Luffy was enjoying his cooking so much.
The blonde sighed and blew his fringe out of his eye. He tossed his empty tray under his shoulder and cocked his hip as he stood before the table. "Just make sure you eat every last bite of that before you leave. That's my only condition."
"So, we don't have to pay or anything, right?" Luffy asked around a glass of sparkling water. He then gagged and spat an enormous mouthful of the stuff onto the floor. "Gah! What the hell– Why's the water all sharp?!"
Law snickered into his napkin.
Sanji rolled his eyes and snatched the half empty glass from Luffy's rubbery grip. "I'll get you tap water instead," he sighed. "And no, you don't have to pay."
"Aw, thanks, Obby!" Luffy cheered.
Sanji's eyebrow twitched. "It was part of our agreement, remember? And don't call me that." Luffy snickered, and Sanji seriously doubted that he'd be calling him by his actual name any time soon. He rolled his eyes and turned on his heel, only to be stopped by Law's gruff voice.
"Hold on. How do we get to the Clear?"
Sanji's lips flicked up in a humorless smile. The asshole sure was persistent, now wasn't he? He turned on his heel to face the table again. "You'll find nothing but trouble on the Clear, but nothing I can tell you will convince you to turn back."
Law just stared at him, his eyes hard. His face cast into shadow beneath the brim of his cap.
Gods, who had hurt that guy?
Sanji rolled his eyes. He really needed a fucking cigarette. "I know a guy, not personally but I know of him."
Law set his fork down and leaned slightly closer. Luffy's eyes were trained on Sanji as he continued to stuff his face.
The blonde sighed heavily and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "His name is Franky, he's a smuggler. He runs a mechanic shop on the Shade, and he makes frequent runs to the Clear to sell all kinds of weird shit. He's got his shop set up on the street market right now, he'll be here for a few days making sales before he heads up to the Clear. If you guys can find him, then he'll probably let you hitch a ride."
Law's formerly rigid posture slackened by a fraction. "Franky, a mechanic on the street market. I know that place."
"Me too!" Luffy perked up. "I was there the other day! Right before… before… yeah." He trailed off, his eyes flickering with shadow. Sanji didn't know the guy well enough to ask.
"That's good," the blonde continued. "Franky is gonna be your safest bet. He won't care if you're Devil Born and he's been making runs for years now. Hasn't gotten busted once. Fair warning, though. Word on the street is that he's a bit of a pervert."
Law snorted. "That's fine. Whatever gets me to the Clear."
"Yeah!" Luffy added. "Thanks so much, Obby!"
Sanji prickled. "It's Sanji! San-ji! My name is Sanji! Not Obby, not Obsidian! If you ever call me that again then I'm going to kick your head off!"
Luffy giggled, "Can't wait!"
"Thanks, princess," Law added, sensing Sanji's aggravation and deciding to throw more fuel onto the fire. "You aren't as useless as you seem."
Sanji fumed. Ugh. Just… ugh. Fuck those guys. Fuck them both to hell. He turned on his heel and stomped back into the kitchen.
If he never saw those fucking dickheads again, then it would be far too soon.