A/N: This story contains a ZoLuSan pairing, a FemLuffy and a bit of OOC.
Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. It belongs to its creator, Eiichiro Oda. The story's plot belongs to Pen-Woman.
Warning: No lemons or character death detected in this chapter. There are some foul language, name-calling and mentions of violence in the honourable and dishonourable ways detected.
Please enjoy the story.
How do you face him? When you are facing me, you see two, forgetting there are three. You look at him but you look at me. You have access to the door handle, believing you are inside the right angle. I make up the numbers in this triangle and you know I can not open the doors. So you come to my side, when he doesn't come to yours. You have put him in a place he doesn't know he's in a love triangle. It's a game, the cheater doesn't win.
Blow out your unlit candle, because there are three sides to a love triangle. Oh, before you go. Wash your hands with the finest soap. He can't see me and I can't see him, but you can see us both. You can't love two people. You can't. If anyone says you can, I'll still say you can't.
I don't want to touch you, making sure no one sees.
I don't wanna be sixty... making up one hundred and eighty degrees. You still don't understand, do you? Because even if we were in this triangle alone, there would still be another corner. Because this triangle is a three-person home.
Love Triangle by Daniel McCann
Chapter 4: Enter Little Garden! The Competitors of Love
~On the open sea in the Grand Line~
The Straw Hat Pirates were able to escape from Whiskey Peak. They stumbled upon many interesting encounters. It turned out that Miss Wednesday was really Nefertari Vivi, Princess of Alabasta. She was working as an undercover agent to find out the identity of the man, who was behind the disarray in her Kingdom. The man – she was searching for – called himself Mr 0, the leader of Baroque Works. It was an organization that is packed with bounty hunters with a mysterious goal. She tried to uncover what that was. She explained to them that her Kingdom was on the brink of war against their own people, unless she found out what Mr 0's plan was.
They got the help of Mr 8 – whose real name was Igaram, Captain of the Alabasta Royal Guard. He was also undercover to aid his Princess. He even personated as Princess Vivi, which he was nowhere close to a resemblance to the real Vivi. Anyway, once he took off to lure the enemy away and to give the Straw Hats and Vivi the time to escape. Shortly after, Igagram's ship exploded.
After they had reached their ship, Luffy brought Usopp ad Sanji with her in a rather rough manner. Sanji wasn't complaining. They then met Miss All Sunday, a woman with a mystifying aura around her and the person who killed Igagram. Despite all that, Miss All Sunday gave them an Eternal Log Pose that would lead them straight to Alabasta. Only for Luffy to crush it because she didn't trust her. She would find Alabasta on their own. Once she had said it, Miss All Sunday left smiling.
So now the Straw Hat Pirates were escorting Princess Vivi and her giant pet duck Carue to Alabasta to stop Baroque Works. However, they must first get past an island called Little Garden, the second island of the Grand Line.
As the Going Merry sailed through the calm waves, the Straw Hats with the addition of Vivi and Carue, they have their usual normal day. Oh, who was I kidding? Since when did they have a normal day?
"YOU DAWM PERVERTED COOK, IF YOU DON'T STOP OGLING ON LUFFY, I'LL CHOP YOU UP TILL YOU'RE NOTHING BUT MINCED MEAT!" That was the 'sweet' sound of the very ill-tempered future World's Greatest Swordsman.
"THAT'S IT! I HAD ENOUGH OF YOU BASHING MY FACE EVERY FUCKING MINUTE, YOU DAMN MOSSHEAD!" Sanji yelled as he bared his sharp teeth like a raging Sea King.
"You should thank me, curly brow. It appears to be an improvement." Zoro said smirking.
That smirk disappeared when Sanji used Flanchet to aim at the stomach. Zoro managed to block it, using only one sword, his Waso Ichimonji.
"Get ready, mosshead, because I'M GOING TO FILLET YOU!" Sanji said as he landed on the deck. He was ready to fight, tapping his foot.
"BRING IT ON, SHITTY COOK!" Zoro said as he brought out all of his swords. He put his Wado in his mouth.
Then the two men engaged one another.
As both men exchanged a kick and slash, Vivi was watching the spectacle with big eyes. She was standing near the kitchen, resting her cheek against her hand with her elbow on the railing. She was thankful that Luffy was taking a nap without having to see her First Mate and her Cook fighting over her. She observed them for a moment till Nami and Usopp came out of the kitchen galley and joined her in watching the fight.
"Are they always like this?" Vivi asked, breaking the silence.
"24/7." Nami replied.
"Well, they seem to care an awful lot of their Captain." Vivi spoke.
"You have no idea." Usopp said, never turning his gaze away from the fight.
"I can't imagine Luffy's state, since she has two of her crewmates fighting over her." Vivi said worried.
To her surprise, Nami and Usopp started to laugh wholeheartedly. It was as if they heard her tell a really good joke.
Vivi blinked confused and a frown marked her face.
Soon the laughter died down, but they were still giggling a little before Nami spoke.
"Sorry Vivi, but Luffy doesn't know anything about them being lovestruck fools." Nami said snickering.
Vivi blinked in wonder.
"Wait, she doesn't know?" Vivi asked surprised.
"Trust me when I say this. When it comes to love, Luffy is completely, utterly and downright clueless." Nami said, sighting at her Captain's naivety.
"She's right. There was one time when we were in the bar. A big, bulky guy just winked at them a couple of times. And do you know what she said? She told him that he should go and see a doctor, because she thought that he was sensitive to the light." Usopp added. He sweat-dropped as he remembered.
Vivi's face fell, but Usopp wasn't finished.
"Luckily for him, Zoro and Sanji weren't with us at the time. I can't imagine how angry they were going to be if they found out. He would've died in a heartbeat." Usopp shuddered at the thought of it.
Vivi giggled a little. She went back to watch Zoro and Sanji still fighting each other. Then it came to her.
"If she doesn't know about this, did any of you tell her?" Vivi asked curiously.
"Are you kidding? Where is the fun in that?" Nami exclaiming.
"Huh?" Vivi said shocked.
"This love triangle has become my special entertainment. Usopp and I have made a bet to see which one of these two idiots will win Luffy's heart." Nami explained.
"You guys made a bet!" Vivi cried out in shock.
"I'm betting on Zoro and Nami on Sanji." Usopp said.
"Just imagine how much Berry I'm going to make. I'll be fabulously wealthy." Nami said excitedly with Berry marks in her eyes.
Vivi sweat-dropped.
Nami then turned, coming face to face with the Princess. She had a sweet smile, that clearly spelled trouble.
"So Vivi, on who are you going to bet?" She asked innocently.
"Eh?" Vivi made a startled noise.
"I said on who are you going to bet? On Sanji or Zoro?" Nami said frowning, but was still smiling that started to look devious.
Vivi got what she was saying. She quickly got flustered and shook her hands.
"Oh no, thanks. I'm not a gambling person. As a matter of fact, I'm bad at gambling?" She said quickly, trying to get herself out but she didn't know Nami like we all do.
"Come on now, Vivi. Whether you're a good gambler or a bad one, it doesn't matter. But since you're now part of our little crew, it's only fair that you participate in our little wager." Nami said in an almost eerie tone. She stepped forward, causing Vivi to step back.
"But... but I..." Vivi stammered unsure.
"And since you're part of a big royal family with the majority of a mountain of priceless treasures, then the special entertainment will become even more special. If you catch my drift." Nami said, itching closer to her helpless prey.
Vivi was now trapped and scared out of her wits. She tried to come up with a plan to get herself out. Only she was now in the middle of the ocean, which meant no way she could escape. So she did the smart thing that any Princess would do, she ran.
Like a lioness chasing a gazelle, Nami chased after Vivi. She tried to ingratiate with her by saying if she votes for Sanji, she could have one percent share while she kept three hundred percent to herself. But Vivi kept telling her that he didn't want to gamble. Her words fell to deaf ears, as Nami ganged up on her. She quickly gained her speed to get away from the god digger Navigator.
Usopp watched the most bizarre display ever. Sanji and Zoro were still fighting one another, ignoring everything around them.
Meanwhile, Nami was chasing Vivi like a maniac.
Just like I had said before, the Straw Hat Pirates would never and will never have a normal day. If they did like any normal pirate crew, it would like to be an armageddon that had been unleashed. Anyway, onward to Little Garden.
~Little Garden, Grand Line~
The Going Merry was anchored at Little Garden, despite Usopp's protest. He started to cough up fake blood and said: "I-Can't-Enter-Scary-Jungle-Disease."
Everyone ignored him as they checked out the vast and abnormal vegetation they had ever seen. An abnormally large man-eating tiger with killer eyes made Nami freeze on the spot and Usopp squeal in fright. For the others, they were unfazed. It was as if they had seen this tiger a thousand times before. To absolute horror, the large man-eating tiger then just... spat out blood and fell dead on the ground. To make matters worse, they heard a booming explosion. That almost sounded like a volcano eruption.
Whoever named the island 'Little Garden' was the biggest moron that ever lived. Anyway, Sanji made an adventure bento box for both his angel form above Luffy and his beautiful desert flower Vivi. For Carue he made a special drink. Then the three were off to explore the vast jungle.
Zoro and Sanji then set off, competing against each other on who would get the biggest catch. That left a very scared and weepy Nami and Usopp alone on the Going Merry. At least they were safe and not in the scary jungle.
~With Luffy, Vivi and Carue~
Meanwhile, Luffy was running side by side with the speedy Carue. She was having the time of her life.
Vivi, on the other hand, was deep in thought. She side-glanced at the female Captain of the Straw Hats and pondered if the girl will ever notice that two of her crewmates were madly in love with her. But after knowing the black-haired girl for quite a while, she wasn't one of the girls that love to have two guys fight over her. By the looks of it, she didn't seem to have any slightest interest in love.
"Say Luffy, may I ask you something?" Vivi asked.
"Hm, okay, shoot." Luffy replied without taking her eyes off the trail, while still grinning. "Well, I know it may sound random but... what do you think of Mr Bushido and Mr Cook?" She inquired, trying not to be suspicious.
"Hm. Oh, you mean Zoro and Sanji. They're great guys. They do all those cool moves, and they're super strong too. They're the best crewmates. Why do you ask that?" Luffy said happily.
"Oh, no reason." Vivi said lightly and innocently.
'Hm, the way she said that, Luffy clearly has a deep respect and admiration towards them, like heroes. She doesn't have any slightest interest in love.' Vivi thought.
"Okay, I've another random question. Who do you like best?" Vivi asked, causing Luffy to skid to a halt.
When Carue saw her stop, he stopped, surprised by her sudden cease.
"Huh?" Luffy said confused.
"I mean between Mr Bushido and Mr Cook, which one do you like best?" Vivi asked again.
Luffy looked up at Vivi frowning suspiciously. Well, more like pursing her lips like a three-year-old.
"Why do you ask these strange random questions, Vivi?" Luffy asked suspiciously.
"Ah-uh, n-no reason. I-I just thought since I'm going to be with you guys for a while, I-I thought that maybe... we should um... get to... know... each other... better." Vivi fidgetted and started to sweat as she quickly came up with an excuse.
Luffy kept frowning till she smiled again.
"Well, shy didn't you say so, Vivi? You don't need to be shy about it. You're part of the Straw Hat Pirates." Luffy giggled.
Vivi sighed in relief, thankful that Luffy's gullibility didn't catch up with what she meant.
"The answer is simple, Vivi." Luffy said.
Vivi waited for her answer when she saw Luffy smile softly. Not the big pearly grin or the madman grin. No, it was a soft smile that graced her face.
"I like them both equally." Luffy revealed.
"Eh?" Vivi made in confusion.
"I like them both equally. Each of them has their own special trait. So that's why I don't need to like one I already like both of them." Luffy said.
Vivi was surprised to hear such an insightful and most considerate thing being said. She couldn't help but smile as well.
'Now I understand why Mr Bushido and Mr Cook adore her so much. Those two are really lucky to have a girl like Luffy in their life.' She thought fondly.
Her trail of thoughts was abruptly ended when Luffy called from afar: "C'mon Vivi, or you'll be left behind."
Luffy then took off, causing Vivi to blink twice and chuckled.
"Wait up, Luffy. Let's get moving, Carue." Vivi said smiling.
Carue let out a quack, before running off to join in on Luffy's adventure.
~With Zoro and Sanji~
In the meantime, Zoro and Sanji were walking side by side. Their attention was focused on the vast jungle in front of them, avoiding eye contact from each other.
Sanji was smoking his sweet nicotine while he side glanced at Zoro, making sure not to get caught by the green-haired Swordsman.
'Tch. That moss-headed idiot thinks that with all the muscles on his body, he can beat me. He's all brawn but no brain. He's like a savage wild-man, who is about to claim poor sweet innocent Luffy-chan. That bastard has no idea on how to treat a fair lady like Luffy. No, scratch that. He never treated a lady before. With all those muscles, he'll break her like glass. Don't worry, Luffy-chan. I won't let this brute corrupt you.' Sanji thought.
'That shitty cook. That no-good pervert keeps always ogling at Luffy like she's some piece of meat. He has no self-control whatsoever. All those sweet talk are nothing but rubbish. I have to lock him up in a cage and throw away the key. Then he'll never be able to escape.' Zoro thought at the same time.
"Hey moss-headed bastard, have you lost all your remaining brain cells? You didn't hear a word I just said." Sanji said, snapping Zoro out of his thoughts.
"What's you say, you crappy cook?" Zoro snarled.
"Fine, I shall speak to you in the language you understand." Sanji said calmly, before putting on some kind of gorilla pose. "We... hunt... big meat... big win... ugha, ugha. Did you understand?"
"DO YOU WANT TO DIE THAT BADLY, CHEESE HEAD?! BECAUSE I CAN PERSONALLY GUARANTEE I WILL!" Zoro yelled with shark teeth.
"Chill, mosshead. You sure don't take a joke very well. All right, as I was saying. This will be our starting point." Sanji said, pointing at the split road that would mark the beginning of their competition.
"Our main event is whoever catches the bigger catch by kilo, wins." Sanji clarified the condition for the competition.
"Don't you mean by ton?" Zoro asked puzzled.
"It's not about the weight of the catch, idiot. It's about the size of the meat." Sanji explained.
"Tch." Zoro made annoyed.
"Stop snorting. Oh, I almost forgot. To determine the winner, who has the most meat will be provided to Luffy-chan." Sanji said, putting his hands over his heart.
"Hm? Why does Luffy have to be involved?" Zoro asked frowning.
"Because my Luffy-chan deserves the best meat she can get. At the same time, she'll be like a judge to announce the winner. She'll be showering me with kisses once I get all the sweet meat for her." Sanji said.
He began to noodle dance, as he imagined being kissed by Luffy.
Zoro only sneered, looking annoyed.
"I knew it!" Zoro exclaimed.
Sanji immediately stopped his dancing and turned around to face him.
"Knew what?" Sanji asked surprised. This was the first time he ever saw this side of Zoro.
Zoro's face had turned into what people always refer to him: a Demon. His face was filled with a hatred glare. His lips were thin-lined, looking very demonic. Just like people always referred to him as the Demon of the East Blue in the shape of a human being. But why was he seething with anger and about ready to punish him for something he did?
Sanji got his answer when Zoro spoke again.
"You are just like them. Ready to pounce when the chance is presented to them." The Swordsman hissed Sanji was both afraid and confused by the unexpected from the green Swordsman.
"You're just like those twisted sick perverts to take whatever advantages to get to Luffy. I would never have thought that you would sink so low to treat Luffy like some kind of... trophy to win, you twisted sick cook." Zoro spat the words out like there were a bad taste in his mouth. His body was boiling with anger, that could explode at any minute.
Sanji was shocked to hear those poisonous words coming from Zoro's mouth, that they rendered him speechless.
Zoro watched as Sanji slouched and thought that he had figured out his plot, when he saw the cook's shoulder began to shake.
Sanji then glared with hot steam of rage, that equally matched Zoro's. He crushed his cigarette between his teeth in the process, before he too started to his.
"How dare you. HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME OF SOMETHING SO ATROCIOUS!?" He bellowed at the Swordsman.
Now it was Zoro's turn to be surprised, as he didn't expect a reaction like that.
"You may call me fucking names I can take it. You can break my fucking face as much as you like and want, I can take it too. But don't you ever accuse me of something that I would do to hurt Luffy-chan, because I would never hurt my beautiful Captain. I'd rather die than hurt her, you got that, you idiot Swordsman." Sanji declared strongly. His words were maybe foul, but were honest and true.
Zoro looked into Sanji's eye to see if there was any sign of deception. All he could see was the truth. That made him both relieved and more jealous. He felt a slight, tiny, itty bitty bad that he framed the love cook. So he came up with an apology.
"Sorry if I made you cry, curly brow." He said nonchalantly.
"HEY!" Sanji snapped like a shark.
"I was only protecting my Captain. That's all." Zoro reasoned calmly.
Sanji snorted at the so-called apology, but he calmed down a little.
"Don't you mean overprotective? You've been like this ever since you left the Baratie to go after Nami-swan." Sanji stated with a smirk.
"What're you talkin' about, love-cook?" Zoro frowned.
"Huh! Don't tell me you forgot. What, are your muscles that thick that you can't store your memories in that damaged brain of yours?" Sanji asked surprised.
"Watch it!" Zoro snapped.
"Maybe this will refresh your memory." The Cook said, sucking on his marred cigarette. He removed it from his lips and blew smoke out. He then looked into Zoro's and uttered the name of the person that he wanted to spit in the face: "Hawk-Eye."
That was the very name of the man that Zoro want to rip him up into pieces. How could he forget of what that man had done?
~Begin Flashback~
After Zoro had declared to Luffy that he'll never lose again to Mihawk or anyone else, Mihawk's face was expressionless. But the young Swordsman had earned his respect a little.
"You two make a very good team." He said to Luffy, while his gaze remained on Zoro.
Luffy turned her head to stare at the dark man.
"Your journey ahead will be difficult and life-threatening. No one has ever come out of the Grand Line alive." He continued.
"I'm not afraid of anything. I'll surpass the Grand Line till I find the One Piece. And I'll be the Queen of the Pirates!" Luffy declared.
Mihawk glanced at her and smirked almost devil-like.
"Then you'll have to surpass me first." He said before disappearing. He suddenly reappeared in front of Luffy and did the most unthinkable.
Hawk-Eye Mihawk kissed Luffy on the lips!
Just by witnessing this caused everyone's jaw to drop to the ground in thunderstruck. As the most powerful man in the Grand Line was passionately kissing the soon-to-be Queen of the Pirates, Sanji and Zoro were much worse. Those two were simmering with fury like a blazing inferno. That cursed man had stolen Luffy's first kiss.
If Zoro wasn't injured, he would have jumped right in and sliced the cursed man's head off with his white sword.
Sanji could've killed the man if Patty and Carne didn't hold him back before he committed suicide.
After Mihawk parted his lips from Luffy's, he stared at her bewildered face. He walked back to his boat like nothing had happened. Just as he was about to sail away, he glanced over his shoulder and said: "Until we meet again, Monkey D. Luffy."
With that Dracule 'Hawk-Eye' Mihawk left the scene, never knowing when they would meet again.
~End Flashback~
"Ever since then, you've been constantly hanging over her like glue. You never left her side for one second." Sanji finished, tapping his cigarette.
Zoro gritted his teeth like a saw. He'll never forget that day. If he ever met that bastard Hawk-Eye again, he'll make sure that he regrets that he ever kissed Luffy.
The same went for Sanji.
'Luffy is mine.' Both men thought.
Zoro and Sanji stared in a challenging way at each other. They remembered they have a competition to play. They turned around, their backs facing each other as they walked away from the splitting road to begin their hunt.
Sanji went right, while Zoro went left. Each of them glinted with a strong determination in their eyes, as they both thought: 'Luffy is mine.'
~With Luffy and Vivi~
"AAACHOOOOOO!" Luffy sneezed for the third time.
"Bless you." Vivi said.
"Thanks." Luffy said.
With what just happened between Zoro and Sanji about all the arguing, reminiscing and challenging, Luffy and Vivi have stumbled with Carue on a new and unusual friend. His name was Dorry, a giant from Elbaf. He rescued Luffy from being eaten by a long-neck Dino. They had witnessed a life-and-death battle against another giant, that goes by the name of Brogy.
Apparently, the giants have been fighting against each other for hundred years for no real reason. They only fight for honour, which mattered the most in Elbaf.
Usopp and Nami were there as well, witnessing a great battle too from Brogy's side. Usopp wanted nothing less than to be like his master Brogy one day.
On Dorry's side, they were enjoying their meal and drinking booze that Brogy so kindly offered to him. He had said that he had gotten it from his new friends. Dorry happily took his gift and drank all the booze till it was gone.
"It appears someone is talking about you." Dorry said.
"Talking about me?" Luffy asked, tilting her head to the side.
"That's right. When someone talks about you, you sneeze when it happens." He exclaimed.
"It's sort of true, Luffy. It happened to me once, when someone talked about me." Vivi told them.
Vivi then remembered something that she needed to ask.
"Mr Dorry, is it true that the Log Pose will take a year to set?" She asked.
"Yes, I'm afraid. People, who have been here, have been waiting for about a year to pass. Sadly, none of them has ever survived this harsh island. They would either be eaten by Dinosaurs or be killed by Mother Nature. The Grand Line is a merciless sea." The giant said.
They all became grimly silent, before it was broken by Luffy's laughter.
"No matter what danger I face, I'll conquer the Grand Line, obtain the ultimate treasure and become the Queen of the Pirates." Luffy exclaimed excitedly.
Her speech lifted the mood, causing Dorry to laugh wholeheartedly.
"You truly are a courageous girl. You remind me of the female warriors back in Elbaf." He exclaimed, laughing.
"Really! There are warrior girls in your village?" Luffy said awed. Her smile glittered like stars.
"But of course. In Elbaf there is no shame to see a fearless woman fighting for honour and pride for the sake of Elbaf. My fellow warriors, whether they are men or women, they are valiant and honourable. I respect them for that." He said, raising his fist to his face to show that he wasn't ashamed to see a woman fight like men. He respected these fine warriors.
"Shihihihi, I'm happy to hear." Luffy said.
Then to everyone's shock, Luffy's happy smile turned into a sad one.
"Luffy, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Vivi aksed concerned.
"I'm fine, Vivi. It just..." She began, turning her head to the blue-haired Princess. "I'm kind of envious of them."
"Who?" Vivi asked frowning.
"Those girl warriors from Elbaf." She said, confusing everyone around her.
Luffy then proceed: "Back in my village, most people laughed at me because of my dream. They said that girls should stay at home and become housewives like the good girls they are."
She then turned to Dorry.
"When you told me how female warriors from your island can fight and battle without people nagging about what girls can or can't do, they can do and be whatever they want to be without being forced by anyone." She said.
Dorry remained silent and understood what the girl was feeling. The puny humans living in this world had strange laws, especially for women. These laws were very strange to him and unfair.
Vivi knew that feeling too. Around the globe, women didn't live a luxury life. They can't pursue their dreams because the world was controlled by men. These bitter thoughts ran through her head, when she heard Luffy's laugh, surprising her, Carue and Dorry.
"But that will all change when I become the Queen of the Pirates. When I do then I'll prove to the whole world that girls can do anything." She laughed, causing Vivi to smile. The Princess prayed for her friend's successes, while Carue quacked and Dorry laughed as well.
"Well said, my friend, well said." Dorry said.
They enjoyed the happy atmosphere.
Suddenly, an explosion erupted from within Dorry's stomach, spitting smoke and blood out of his mouth.
It appeared that the Straw Hat Pirates are about to face another challenge with another enemy.
~On the Going Merry~
After a long and tiring – but also bizarre – fight, they'd won the battle against Baroque Works. Dorry was thank goodness all right. The bomb, that was planted in the barrels by Mr 3, didn't kill him. Mr 5, Miss Valentine and Miss Goldenweek were also defeated by the Straw Hats and were never heard of again.
To add to their victory, Sanji came with an Eternal Log Pose that would lead them to Alabasta. That way they didn't have to wait for a year for the Log Pose to set onto the next island. Things were turning out better for them in the end.
As they got ready to leave, Zoro and Sanji were arguing for the hundredth time about which dino was bigger.
Zoro got a large rhino dino, while Sanji got a T-rex. As they were about to tell Luffy which dino was bigger than the other, Nami threatened them to get on the ship before they were left behind. She had a look that could scare a Sea King. They quickly obliged rather than facing Nami's punch of pain.
Once the dino meat had been cut and put in the refrigerator, they said goodbye to Brogy ad Dorry. As the Going Merry set off to Alabasta to stop Mr 0, everyone was doing their usual routine.
Nami was reading and studying the map and the new Log Pose, that she borrowed from Sanji.
Usopp was inventing a new bomb, using the super hot sauce to make his enemies cry in agony.
Zoro was out on the deck taking his nap.
Vivi and Carue were relaxing on the deck.
Sanji was about ready to cook dinner for his crewmates, when Luffy entered the kitchen. She greeted him with a bright grin.
"My angel from above, your very presence has brightened my life with your sparkling beauty." Sanji praised her.
"Thank you, Sanji. Say, can I help cook too?" Luffy said, surprising Sanji.
"You can cook, Luffy-chan?" Sanji asked in surprise.
"Not much. Back in my village, I used to help Makino in the kitchen at her local bar. So I know a thing or two about cooking." She said.
"Well, as sweet as your offer is, I don't want my beautiful Captain to burden herself with work." Sanji said, but Luffy already got on her frilly pink apron.
Sanji had no idea where she got it from, but shrugged it off. Everything was possible.
"C'mon Sanji, I'm really bored. I want to hang out with Sanji today, please." She said, making an irresistible puppy face. That would have made the meanest pirate awed with her cuteness.
Sanji blinked once as his mind went into emergency shutdown.
'Luffy-chan... wants to... hang out with... me! Oh God, my heart is bumping so fast, it will explode. She is so cute.' He thought, before coughing a bit.
"Yes! I-I mean if this is what you want, then how can I refuse a lady." He then said, almost squeaking.
Luffy's smile widened.
"Thanks, Sanji." She said happily.
An hour later, Sanji was cutting the vegetables while Luffy was whisking chocolate mousse for dessert. As she whisked the delicious chocolaty goodness, she accidentally dropped the egg beater. It landed on the ground, making a mess.
"Oops! I'm sorry, Sanji. I slipped." She apologized sheepishly.
"That's alright. It's not your fault. I'll get it for you." He said.
"Oh no, let me." Luffy said, as they both bent down on their knees to pick it up.
At the same time, they both reached out to get the egg beater. Luffy's hand reached it first, while Sanji's landed on top of hers. They both looked up and surprised themselves by how close their faces were.
Luffy's breath hitched as she took in a closer look at the cook's face. His skin was pale like the moon. It was probably soft, despite that he was a man. His hair was like pure gold. It was so shiny and smooth. His eye was as blue as the ocean.
Then a weird and funny feeling surged from within. It was spreading quite fast like a plague but in a good way. Luffy had no idea what was going on or why her body was acting this way. She quickly reacted and stood up from her kneeling position, followed by Sanji.
"Luffy-chan, are you all right? What's wrong?" Sanji asked her softly. He was concerned about his Captain, while holding the egg beater.
"I-it's nothing, haha. I'm... I'm fine, hehe." She stuttered, still blushing.
Sanji eyed his Captain in confusion. This was a whole new side of Luffy that he never had seen before. Even Luffy surprised herself. She never stuttered... ever. Let alone being shy.
Sanji was about to ask Luffy again, when she cut him off.
"Hey, we should... you know... get back to cooking." She said.
"Eh? Oh right. Well, the chocolate mousse is done whipping. It's ready to add another flavour. Tangerine will do well with chocolate." Sanji said thoughtfully.
"I'll go get them for you." Luffy quickly volunteered.
Before Sanji could say anything else, she had already left the kitchen with a whoosh, leaving a trail of smoke. The door closed with a loud thud.
Sanji looked at the door for a minute, before heading back to work.
Once Luffy was out of the kitchen, she leaned with her back against the door. She let out a shaky breath, that she had been holding for who knows how long. This was... well, new. She certainly never felt like this before towards Sanji. It was like her body acted on its own without her controlling it. A sudden urge made her want to touch him. She quickly shook that thought out of her head and walked to the tangerine field. Too bad, she didn't see the person that was coming her way and bumped into the ground.
Luffy groaned as she landed face-first on something soft.
'Wait a minute. The deck is supposed to be hard. How can it be soft?' She thought confused. She got her answer when someone groaned very loudly.
"Say Captain, would you mind getting off... like now." That someone said.
Luffy blinked a few times, till she looked down. It turned out to be her First Mate, Zoro.
"Oops. Shihihihihi. Sorry Zoro." She giggled.
Zoro rolled his eyes at his silly Captain. He then began to lift himself up but made sure to hold Luffy by her waist. When his calloused hands touched her waist, she felt lighting struck. It lingered in her body the moment he touched her. Just like before, she began to blush again.
Once Zoro was up, he lifted Luffy up with ease at the same time. It surprised him that his Captain was as light as a feather. He put her back on the deck.
"Better watch where you're going next time, Luffy. Otherwise, you'll get hurt." He said.
"Yeah yeah, I'll... I'll b-be careful." She grinned sheepishly, while that annoying stubborn blush remained on her cheeks.
Zoro raised an eyebrow at his Captain's unpredicted shyness, stutter and redress on her face.
"Hey, are you okay?" Zoro asked worriedly, as he put a calloused hand o her forehead. "Your face is all red. You're not sick, are you?"
Luffy's heart went into overdrive when Zoro touched her again. She got this weird and funny feeling again. She needed to get away before something happened.
"I'm fine. I'm about to get some tangerines. So see ya!" She quickly said, before taking off with a whoosh again, leaving a trail of smoke.
Zoro looked back at the retreating Luffy as he scratched the back of his head.
"What's bugging her?" He asked to no one in particular. He stood there for a moment, till he shrugged it off and went back to the task at hand, booze.
Once Zoro disappeared into the kitchen, multiple courses were unleashed between the Swordsman and the Cook. That even I don't dare to say.
As for Luffy, her mind was racing like crazy. The weird and funny feeling won't go away. That confused her.
"What's going on with me?" She asked.
I hope you enjoyed it.
Please review.
Next: The Straw Hat Pirates meet Wapol the Pervert and gain a new crewmember with mad medical skills and a lot of cuddly cuteness.