The door slammed open and Midoriya stumbled back in surprise, hiking his bag higher up on his back. There was clearly no ill intent since Danger Sense was silent, but if he had been any more tired, he probably would have lashed out on reflex.

"Who might you be?!" this Ivankov called out.

There wasn't any malice in the tone, perhaps some curiosity, but he wouldn't exactly describe it as entirely hospitable either.

Then he finally looked up at them. The first word that came to mind was tall. The second, flamboyant. That was the perfect way to describe that original tone of voice: flamboyant, dramatic, and shrewd. Ivankov's outfit was… outrageous and his demeanor certainly complimented it.

"Oh my, it's been such a long time, Sabo dear!" Ivankov purred, leaning forward to scan his eyes over the blonde man—Sabo, apparently.

Sabo's eyes flicked over to Midoriya for just a second—an unreadable expression on his face for just a moment before a genuine smile overtook it—before returning to sharing a look with Ivankov. Unlike with Josaphine, Sabo showed no formalities. Clearly they were closer friends than Sabo had made it seem.

"Thank you for bringing them to me, Josaphine, darling."

Josaphine just laughed, "Of course, I always love an excuse to stop by. Besides, blondie over here claimed to know you, so I just had to get the inside scoop."

Sabo sighed good-naturedly, as though this was some imposition on him rather than a joke he was clearly enjoying and taking part in. Midoriya felt incredibly out of place with these people who were obviously familiar with each other's mannerisms. Not to mention no one had pointed out his presence yet, so hew as just waiting for the other shoe to drop to deal with whatever came next. But clearly Sabo was happy to see his friend, so the teen wasn't about to interrupt their reunion just to relieve his own anxiety by getting it over with.

It took at least another minute of small talk before Ivankov seemed to notice him.

"Oh my, and who is this cutie?"

"That's what I came here for, actually," Sabo replied before Midoriya could even open his mouth.

Ivankov's entire jovial demeanor became far more serious in the blink of an eye. His eyes narrowed and he seemed to study Midoriya for a minute, letting him stew in his nerves before speaking.

"Josaphine, thanks again for bringing them. But it seems we have some important matters to discuss."

Josaphine seemed to take the dismissal for what it was and offered waved before turning on their heel to leave.

Ivankov gestured into the room and led them inside. Sabo entered without hesitation so Midoriya followed his lead with only a deep breath to soothe his fear.

Rather than a bedroom as Midoriya had been half expecting, the room appeared to be more like a library lounge. The walls were lined with bookshelves that were filled to the brim and several tables were scattered around the large room. They sat down at a circular table for three, setting down their bags at their feet as Ivankov wandered to a counter top that was clearly meant for preparing beverages.

"Coffee or tea, darling?" Ivankov called out as he fiddled with a kettle.

"Uh, t-tea?" he stuttered.

Sabo frowned at him, "And water for both of us, please. It's been a long trip."

"Of course. Though I'm curious how you got here? I didn't get any message about ships approaching."

His traveling companion turned to look at him, eyebrows furrowed but expression clearly asking an unspoken question. Midoriya bit his lip and shook his head. Luckily for him, Sabo seemed to catch on.

"I'm afraid that's a trade secret," he laughed.

"Did you harass poor Karasu?," Ivankov snorted, "Crows really aren't made for such hard labor you know."

"How would that even work?"

Ivankov, now halfway to the table carrying two glasses of water, dramatically froze before laughing, "I suppose I was thinking of him tying you up with ropes and carrying you, but I suppose that's not very effective."

And, what?

Clearly Midoriya was out of the loop because none of this made sense. Did this Karasu person have the power to control crows? Or was he a crow? Or…

He shook his head slightly, trying to get rid of the pointless train of thought that would no doubt spiral into a mumbling spree. At least Sabo had refrained from revealing his abilities, even if the man didn't fully understand his quirks. He was terrible at keeping his mouth shut, so the less information was shared, the better. If certain topics didn't come up in conversation, he would be less likely to say something that would unravel his whole cover story of amnesia.

Ivankov startled him out of his thoughts by placing the water in front of him, giving him a wink, "Here, darling."

"Thank you, Iva," Sabo sighed, "Long story short-"

He was cut off by the kettle whistling.

"Sorry, just a moment," Iva sang, strutting away to prepare the tea.

As they sat waiting for tea, Midoriya couldn't help but feel like the situation was… off. Everything he'd experienced since arriving in this world had been strange or off-putting, but this feeling wasn't that. He began thinking through everything he knew about Sabo.

They'd met running away from Marines in their base, he'd had a vessel waiting for him as though he had planned to escape before being captured, he hadn't left Midoriya behind even though it would have been advantageous for him, and Sabo had been upset when he'd refused to rest during their trip. None of that was particularly helpful, other than further hints that Sabo was likely involved in some criminal scheme and had connections. It was likely that this rich guy was also some kind of criminal.

That didn't necessary mean they were evil, especially given Sabo and Iva's behavior and attitude towards him, however, he might not be able to put his full trust in them. Even so, the sight of Ivankov's purple hair and potential criminal life reminded him painfully of Lady Nagant. He had to force down the urge to offer help, since he was by far in the more helpless situation than this man who owned such good real estate and lived on an island outside of government jurisdiction.

When Ivankov came back with the tea and sat back down across from him, Midoriya finally put the pieces together.

Everyone present at this table was hiding secrets from someone else sitting at this table.

That was where the odd tension came from. It wasn't malicious from any of the parties involved, but it put Midoriya on edge nonetheless.

"Right, where were we?" Ivankov began, with a smile just a bit too sharp to put the teen at ease.

"Our trip. Keeping it short and sweet, I was being chased by Marines, and unfortunately he got caught up in it all," Sabo closed his eyes and sank down into his chair a bit, "We were going to escape by ship, but we had to abandon it because they had sent a Vice Admiral after us."

Midoriya frowned at the way the man had framed it. Why was his own role in the chase omitted? He'd thought that Sabo had only wanted to know whether to openly discuss his quirk—or in the man's mind, Devil Fruit powers—or not. He had thought it was clear that they had both broken out of the base, but he was starting to rethink that assumption.

"Only a Vice Admiral? I doubt just any Vice Admiral would be able to take you down."

Sabo scoffed, "Maybe, maybe not. But I wasn't going to take any chances with a warship."

Midoriya thought that was a reasonable statement, if not potentially surprising to someone who hadn't been there to witness it, yet Ivankov seemed to take that differently. Instead, he leaned forward onto the table and stared at him intently. After a moment, Sabo saw fit to add more to the story.

"And I'm almost certain it was Vice Admiral Garp that had been sent after us."

"V-Vice Admiral Garp?" Ivankov finally screamed in shock, nearly launching out of his chair, "Why was someone of that caliber after you? Your exploits haven't been very public so far…"

Midoriya froze. Exploits...

"I'm not entirely sure," Sabo trailed off, frowning deeply.

On second thought, it had been a wild assumption to think Sabo was also an escaped prisoner in the first place. The man had been standing there leisurely, his movements only growing urgent once he noticed the soldiers chasing after Midoriya. After they collided, that was.

Had the man broken into the base and not been caught? Then Midoriya's escape had put him at risk and that shed a whole new light on their situation. It really had been his fault that Sabo'd had to abandon his ship and come here to ask a favor of his friend.

However, both men were staring at him expectantly, so he shoved the new realization away and resolutely ignored the growing weight in his gut to answer.

"I also don't know."

Both men seemed to take his response at face value and simply shrugged it off. Midoriya internally let out a huge sigh of relief. Even if they were also criminals, there was still a decent chance they might turn him into the Marines if they found out. Or possibly treat him as a threat rather than an unlikely traveling companion. He cringed at the thought of taking advantage of their ignorance, even though he had no other choice.

He could tell them, a part of his mind whispered. But he shoved that into the back of his mind to consider never. Midoriya refused to sign their death warrants when they'd shown him kindness despite his bevy of lies. While most of them were of omission, the made up story about amnesia was a nail in his moral coffin.

Deceit was often necessary; that didn't mean he was free from the consequences of his actions.

And it also didn't mean he felt good while doing it.

"Anyway, I don't need much. Probably just a boat and some supplies. Though I did mean to ask whether you plan to return to the Base or not?" Sabo continued on, as though Midoriya wasn't struggling to keep the guilt off of his face and all but squirming in place.

Kacchan had told him on multiple occasions that he was a terrible liar and, well… He had to give him that. It was painfully true.

"I see, well we can certainly provide that. On an unrelated note, I've just been dying to ask," Iva waited for Sabo to dramatically motion for him to continue, "What happened to your hat?"

Midoriya bit back a snort as the man finally realized that his hat was missing. His eyes got comically wide and both of his hands flew up to pat his bare head like it hadn't quite sunk in yet. Before he could panic, however, the teen leaned over and pulled said hat out of Sabo's bag. The man calmed down, but his frazzled look left Midoriya feeling more than a bit guilty.

The boy shot him an apologetic look as he explained, "It fell off while we were traveling, so I decided to store it away in your bag. I was a bit surprised you hadn't noticed, though. Sorry if it's a bit squished."

Sabo gave a defeated groan, but offered a grateful smile anyway.

"Actually, on a serious note, you said you wanted to stop by here first? Why didn't you contact any of our field members? Surely they would have had enough to get you back to the Base instead of here?"

If looks could kill, the judgmental look Ivankov gave Sabo as he looked away and whistled innocently certainly would have done the job.

"What happened to your Den Den Mushi this time?"

Midoriya frowned. Although that wasn't exactly a mystery he was concerned with in and of itself, that question certainly opened the door to further mysteries. Especially considering Sabo's reply.

"Oh, I left it at the base for safe keeping. I didn't want to be recognized or risk our security," Sabo paused after reflexively responding to the question, eyeing Midoriya with pursued lips, as though he immediately regretted speaking so openly in front of him.

Such as the two having a base and needing to not be recognized. Once or twice, he probably could have brushed that off as an inside joke. The constant references, however, all but solidified his criminal organization theory. It must be extensive and well connected, much like the Paranormal Liberation Front had been, considering Sabo had connections with men as out of the way as the tall man in front of them.

That would explain why he had been in that base nowhere near the holding cells for prisoners as well as why he hadn't introduced himself or even attempted to exchange names.

Midoriya wasn't all that affronted or upset by that, to be honest. It was better for them that they didn't get too involved with him, especially now that Shigaraki or All for One were likely here and tracking him down as they spoke.

He bit his lip at the thought.

Ivankov's hospitality was appreciated, but he really needed to take off again to keep the collateral damage to a minimum. Even if this was a hotbed of criminal activity, which given Josaphine's behavior seemed somewhat unlikely, they didn't deserve to get caught up in the crossfire of Midoriya's mess. So he needed to get these negotiations going sooner rather than later.

"I see," Iva smirked deviously, "Going on unauthorized missions again, eh, Sabo-boy?"

This time, Sabo glared in response to the man's slip up, though it was far too late to quell Midoriya's analytical brain from taking the golden nuggets of info and running with it.

Midoriya wanted nothing more than to ask what kind of organization they were in, to verify his extrapolations, but he held himself back. The sooner he extricated himself from the situation the better. Preferably with supplies and potentially several suggestions of where he should go next.

"It's not unauthorized," he argued, fighting back a smile.

The boy couldn't help but wonder how many times they'd had an argument similar to this. It made him think about all the playful fights and arguments his classmates used to have. Even though they had often made him anxious, it now was something he missed dearly.

"Somehow I doubt that, Sabo-boy."

"Ever since your capture… Well let's just say I've been doing well for myself."

Iva's eyebrows rose, "Oh? So you took over. I'm not exactly surprised. So what, you assigned yourself this mission instead of sneaking out? I hardly see the difference. Though if that's now your job, does that mean that this boy…?"

Midoriya narrowed his eyes as he tried to read between the lines of their converstaion, riddled as it was with implications only the two of them understood. Did they think he wasn't capable of deciphering their obvious words? Given everything he'd seen and heard, it only took a moment to realize that they were discussing recruiting him, though not in so many words.

But Sabo shook his head and the boy's shoulders relaxed in spite of himself.

"Oh, is this not a recruit? Color me surprised. What's your name, boy?"

He hesitated for just a moment. He knew it would be wise not to give out his name, but since Sabo and Ivankov had trusted him with their names (albeit likely unintentionally) and Sabo had blatantly denied trying to take advantage of his situation, it went against every fiber of his being not to return the gesture. His urge to be as kind as he possibly could at all times overtook his logical understanding that leaving as few crumbs for All for One to follow was optimal.

"I'm Deku," he muttered, shifting in his seat and taking a sip of tea to hide whatever expression he was no doubt making.

He sighed when the hot liquid washed over his tongue. It took more effort than he cared to admit to keep himself from sagging down in his seat as the comforting warmth settled in his stomach. His eyelides were beginning to droop on him and he began the familiar struggle to keep them open.

Iva studied Midoriya's face for a moment before turning back to the blonde, "Well, Sabo-boy. If that was a name you were expecting me to recognize, I'm afraid I don't."

Sabo nodded, "I'm not surprised. Though that's not really the reason we're here. We just needed a place to rest for a bit and this was our best option. Then we'll figure out where to go next."

"So you don't want to contact or return to the Base? Are you sure you're not just avoiding a scolding from Koala?" Ivankov asked with a teasing lilt.

Midoriya bit back his lip at the grimace the probing question elicited from Sabo. Though it was followed up with a frustrated sigh.

"You're out of practice, Iva. You really need to review protocols if you think I'd take a stranger back to the Base."

Another pointed look. It seemed secrecy was important to whatever it was they did. Luckily for them, it wasn't as if he could go tell anybody even if he had wanted to. The Marines were after him and he certainly wasn't going to go back to the Whitebeard Pirates. Though he wasn't convinced that they would care to meddle in whatever business these people were dealing with.

"Apologies," he sang, though it was clear he didn't mean it, "My time in Impel Down has left me rusty. But you know me, I'm quick to get back into the swing of things."

The teen wasn't sure if that was supposed to be some kind of innuendo or not. The tone made it seem that way but he couldn't think of what it was supposed to imply. Maybe he just needed some sleep.

Yeah, that sounded like a good idea.

"But you've clearly taken an interest in the boy, don't think I haven't noticed, Sabo-boy."

Sabo spluttered, though his cheeks were a bit flushed, so Midoriya could only assume that had been an accurate accusation. Was he some kind of charity project? The thought warmed his chest a little—though that could have been the tea—but how little he knew about the whole situation left him more than a bit unsettled. Given how they met, and the fact that they'd spent over two days avoiding exchanging names, it shouldn't have been all that surprising that there was still so much secrecy. But it felt like a stab through the heart nonetheless.

Not to mention how Sabo had been trying to take care of him rather than the other way around. He was a hero, he didn't need to be protected by a criminal. But he knew that here, he was considered no such thing.

To them he was just some child. Just like with the Whitebeards, he was just some kid caught up in their mess and ended up with a price on his head. After all the work he'd done to be treated as capable by the Pro Heroes he'd worked with, it felt like he was starting back again at square one. It was advantageous but frustrating beyond belief.

"He also… doesn't remember anything," Sabo admitted.

Midoriya clenched a fist under the table, gritting his teeth and ducking his head as though that would ward away the shame.

His mind caught on the word, also. Did that mean Sabo was an amnesiac? So when he'd blurted out his cover story, he'd inadvertently manipulated the man to draw out sympathy. Midoriya suddenly felt even worse, and he hadn't thought that to be possible.

It seemed no matter where he went, he was destined to hurt people. It's like he was cursed.

Sabo was a bit worried when Deku grew silent. He had figured admitting something like that would have been okay, but honestly he should have known better. Not knowing anything about yourself was one of the most vulnerable feelings in the world. And for two strangers—likely criminals from this kid's perspective—to know… It was probably unsettling at best and terrifying at worse.

Deku certainly did a good job at hiding it, though.

But before they could continue any discussions, whether that be an apology or trying to get the conversation back on track, Deku wordlessly rose from his seat. It was a gentle action, but it revealed a clenched fist that had been hidden underneath the table, out of sight.

Yeah, he'd fucked this one up, hadn't he?

"Excuse me, I'm tired. Is there a place I can rest?"

Sabo blinked. He hadn't expected that, but maybe that should have been his first consideration. The kid hadn't slept in two days and had been using his Devil Fruit the entire time. Not to mention he'd been outwardly exhausted before they'd even left Lulusia.

"Of cour-"

They all startled when the doors slammed open, heads swiveling around in sync towards the disruption. Sabo and Iva both prepared to fight, but a glance over at Deku confirmed that he was just as calm as he had been before. Was that a product of his fatigue or did the kid know Observation Haki? He couldn't tell and his curious nature itched to remedy that lack of knowledge.

"Ivankov you bastard!" the intruder yelled.

He was a well-dressed blone guy with swirly eyebrows and a comically exaggerated expression on his face. He looked utterly outraged, but the moment he realized there was more of an audience than he had expected, the guy froze up.

"Oh, Sanji-boy! What brings you here?" Iva purred.

The guy's eyes grew comically wide as he backed up a few steps. Apparently Iva's flirtatious nature was too much for him to handle.

"Who the hell are you? Is he kidnapping and brainwashing you too?!"

Sabo snorted and relaxed at that comment. This must be a very straight-laced, sensitive man who couldn't handle the thought of trying new things. Personally, he saw nothing wrong with Iva and the others on this island. They could do what they wanted with their lives. Although the man's silly accusations certainly weren't a good impression for Deku.

Luckily, the kid seemed to take it in stride and reluctantly sat back down with a sigh.

This stranger, Sanji, uncertainly backed up another step as Sabo slid out of his seat and strode forward with a hand outstretched.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sanji, was it?" he greeted.

"Like I said before," the man frowned, digging a hand into his pocket and pulling out a pack of cigarettes, "Who the hell are you?"

Iva smirked and also approached the guy, "No one important, Sanji-dear."

"And I could ask the same thing of yourself," Sabo smiled pleasantly, closing his eyes and raising his eyebrows in a way that he knew put people on edge.

The man clammed up and offered no response, so Iva cut in to explain.

"This is one of Strawhat-boy's crew members. His cook, if I'm not mistaken. His captain broken into Impel Down and stormed Marineford to save Fire Fist Ace-"

"His brother," Sabo cut in, a bit dazed.

After a moment, he startled out of the odd melancholic trance that had overtaken him.

Then he startled as a throbbing pain shot through his head and went away just as quickly. Sabo clutch at his head with his gloved right hand and shook it a bit, trying to figure out what the hell that had been without worrying anyone else.

Of course, he was doomed to fail consider the people in the room consisted of a man he'd known for over a decade, a kid that was far too observant and kind for his own good, and a stranger that was already suspicious of him and highly attuned to his every move.

So obviously Iva spoke up, "Are you okay, Sabo-boy?"

He grimaced at the name drop. This was the second time in less than twenty minutes, Sabo was damn near issuing a formal reprimand. But alas, he wasn't entirely clear as to whether he outranked Iva at the moment. Not to mention he partly wanted to reinstate the man to his former position, so abusing the power he was about to give up was a bit hypocritical.

"Yeah I just…" he winced as the pain flared again and faded all the same.

It had been a while since something like this happened. He wondered if it had to do with his memories, but he had no idea what had triggered it. It was like finding a needle in a haystack. Was it the situation? Or the people? Or the tea?

Who was to say? Not him, that was for sure.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

Sabo glanced up, letting his hand fall to his side. He was met with the kid's soft, concerned gaze and his heart melted a bit.

"Yeah," he reassured with a genuine smile, "I'm fine. Just a thing that happens, you know? Injuries and all that."

He pointed at the scar on his face and the kid accepted that answer easily. Given the scars that littered the kid's arms and collar bone, he had assumed Deku would. It... technically wasn't a lie, but he didn't want to rope more people into his personal quest to recover his memories. Especially since he had given up on actively pursuing that a long time ago in favor of working for the Revolution. He'd had to accept long ago that he would likely never recover his memories.

At least he could put his mind to rest, knowing it was only a decade's worth of memories. Technically less, considering infants and toddlers don't often make long-lasting memories. So he was missing a handful of years. Not a big deal.

It didn't do anything to help the giant, gaping hole left in his heart that was meant to be filled with something.

So Sabo waited for this Sanji character to open his mouth and reveal what the hell he'd stormed into the room for. But that revelation never came. Instead, the kid seemed to slump even further into his seat. Despite this, he shifted as though about to get up out of the chair. It was obvious that he was on the verge of sleep, ready to let go or leave whenever the opportunity presented itself. Unless he passed out first, which Sabo hoped to avoid.

But Iva was ahead of him on this one, "Sanji, would you be a dear and take Deku to a guest room?"

Sabo personally wouldn't have asked this stranger, but clearly Iva knew him well enough, so he left it alone. The kid glanced at him as if to confirm that it was okay, before staring intently at the stranger still standing in the doorway.

Then he simply got up in one smooth motion, despite his exhaustion, and strode towards the door, and in effect, both Sabo and this stranger. Sanji looked about ready to curse Iva out for the request and quickly thought better of it. One soft look at the kid later and he relented.

"Fine," Sanji grumbled, waiting for the kid to step right behind him before leading him down the hallway.

Sanji had been taken aback the moment he stormed into Ivankov's living room. He'd only been in there twice during his short but painfully long stay, but he'd yet to see anyone in this room other than that tall bastard. So when he barged in and was met with two others conversing with the man, he had frozen in surprise.

The room had been filled with the slight scent of echinacea tea filling up the room. That kind of tea was best for mild colds or soothing anxiety.

Given how the slight tension in the room had skyrocketed the moment he had obliviously walked into it, it was a good choice of beverage. He wondered if it had been an accident or deliberate on Ivankov's part.

But then he had looked closer and realized that the one standing up was just a kid, some teenager, looking ready to leave a room with two adults that were no doubt stronger than him.

Reflexively, part of him had burned with rage at the thought of these people trying to force their way of life on a child, but he shoved that anger down. Bothering him was one thing, but a kid? That was another thing altogether.

The blonde man that had been seated closer to the kid didn't seem to be his parent, given they looked nothing alike and were far too close in age. So that meant there was nothing standing in between this kid's future and these freaks.

And then the kid had slowly turned around. Their eyes had met and Sanji knew that this kid was just fine. He'd let himself relax a bit, the worry easily ebbing away.

There had been a determination in that gaze, hidden under the softness and the exhaustion. This guy was no doubt strong willed and confident in himself. No matter what, Sanji knew this kid would be true to himself. And if he felt like the kid's eyes reflected a bit of his own, that was for him to know and nobody else to ever find out.

It wasn't so much that he had thought these cross-dressers were bad people. At first glance, the three of them at that table, the kid standing and ready to leave… It hadn't made the best sight. He'd immediately thought of the slaves he'd seen not too long before, back at Sabaody. And while this kid wasn't in chains, he had strange red metal cuffs circling his wrists.

He blurted out something about brainwashing, but he wasn't really paying attention to their response, too caught up in his own head.

The sight of a tall adult towering over a downtrodden kid brought him back to his days at home with his own father. That disapproving look in the face of someone exhausted and distraught. The rejection and abandonment. These elements were split between Ivankov and the blonde guy, though he had no doubt been imagining any sign of the kid being upset.

Yet it still brought him back to that moment just before he'd left, when he'd brandished that knife and threatened that motherfucker he refused to acknowledge as a father. That moment when that bastard had abandoned him and forced him to promise never to associate with them again. All of that after forcing Sanji to try to conform to his ideal son: an unbeatable soldier.

Truthfully, any time he thought adults were forcing themselves onto children in any way, he couldn't help but get riled up.

It was incredibly unfair of him to push his reflexive feelings onto the people here.

So he had simply stood there for a minute, feeling utterly repulsed by himself, guilty and frustrated that his past had come back to haunt him no matter how far away from it he ran.

And then the kid had signed and flopped back down onto the chair he'd no doubt been sitting in before Sanji had barged in like a maniac. He seemed resigned almost, which rubbed the man entirely the wrong way.

The blonde guy quickly approached and introduced himself, but just like with everything else that guy did, it put him on edge. It also didn't escape his notice that he avoided introducing himself, instead clarifying Sanji's own name.

Instead of dignifying that non-introduction with a response, he'd pulled a cigarette from his pocket and slid it between his teeth. He had let himself chew on it as he stewed in the uncertainty he hadn't felt since he had first arrived on this forsaken island.

Iva had given away his crew status, which made him tense, but instead of appraising Sanji like he'd half expected, the blonde guy clutched at his head as though in pain.

It was just another mystery, however, since the conversation had simply moved on like nothing significant had happened. Though not after Iva accidentally dropping that guy's name.

And then the kid had wilted in his seat. Sanji had been about to step aside to let the kid through when he inevitably got up and tried to excuse himself once more, but then Ivankov had asked him to show the kid to an empty room instead. His knee jerk reaction had been to shout a refusal in Iva's face, but he had taken one look at the kid's face and immediately gave in.

The walk down the hallway had been painfully silent. He wouldn't go so far as to describe it as awkward, but it was certainly lacking considering the rambunctiousness Sanji had grown accustomed to on the Going Merry and then the Thousand Sunny. At least the kid—Deku, if he'd heard correctly—hadn't been giving him fake smiles and shooting him odd looks like that Sabo guy had. And before he' known it, they had arrived at the hallway of guest rooms.

It hadn't taken long for the kid to settle into the room next to Sanji's own and literally crash onto the bed face-first. Within seconds, he was out like a light and gently snoring. He hadn't even taken the time to change out of his clothes before calling it a day. Sanji couldn't hold back a small smile at the sight before he shut the door and headed back to the living room to harass Ivankov.

Unfortunately, with the distraction, he couldn't even remember what he had been planning to yell at the bastard for. But he could improvise. That's what he usually did with Zoro after all.

He could probably just yell at the man for trying to get him to wear a dress constantly, that was always an option.

Hell, he still couldn't believe they had managed to get him in that horrid dress with heels and makeup. He shuddered at the memory of it. Sanji was glad that Luffy had sent that message through the newspapers, otherwise he would have never snapped out of it. Though it was painful that it had been because of an attempted execution of his brother. He didn't know what he would have done if Luffy hadn't succeeded in saving his brother.

Normally he wouldn't even consider that a possibility, given how many miracles he'd personally witnessed Luffy pull off, but based on the article written, it sounded like it had been a close thing.

If it hadn't been for that mysterious masked guy, both brothers might have been slaughtered by that Marine Admiral. After their close call with Admiral Aokiji, Sanji was incredibly wary of anyone with that high of a rank in the Marines. Luffy had been right to wait two years. They needed to get stronger if all it took was a machine imitation of a warlord to kick their asses to hell and back.

He wouldn't let his crew, his captain, down.

Except that he was stuck in the hell! There was no doubt that these crazy people were incredibly strong, but was the constant teasing and flirting necessary?

People could do whatever they wanted, but he wanted to be left the hell out of it! They shouldn't have taunted him like that! Sanji was a lady's man, through and through. He wasn't going to entertain some cross dressers. Oh how he missed Nami and Robin's lovely figures.

...and faces.

He missed his whole crew, really, even if he would never admit it to their faces. He even wished for a moment of Zoro's obnoxious presence, if only for that sense of normalcy.

But he shoved that train of thought away as he finally arrived back at the living room and rudely shoved the doors open. This time, his arrival was met with small glances rather than the startled movements he'd garnered last time. He didn't bother greeting them, instead strolling up to the table and sitting down in the chair the kid had previously sat in.

He was met with two expectant gazes.