Midoriya startled awake, his heart already racing. As he leapt from the bed, the remnants of what had been a nightmare began fading from his mind. His head swiveled from side to side as he surveyed his immediate surroundings for a threat.
Even when he found none, the adrenaline still flowed through his veins and kept his heart pumping. Just because he wasn't the target didn't necessarily mean there wasn't a threat to neutralize, he rationalized.
He refused to believe that he was this wound up over nothing, so he stumbled from his room—grimacing at his nasty clothes for neither the first nor last time—and peered out into the hallway. The rest of the doors remained closed and things were quiet, so he decided the hallway was secure enough for the time being. The teen remained still for a moment; he listened and picked up the slight pounding. If anything, it sounded like footsteps. Several people's worth: all running, given the rapidity and lack of care for the noise.
Midoriya turned to follow them. Danger Sense had yet to go off, so he trusted that investigating the ruckus was his best decision.
While trailing after them, his frantic mind began to slow to a more reasonable rate. His focus widened and he finally realized that it was once again bright. The space was filled with sunlight, harshly illuminating the space.
"Damn it!" he spat, curling his hands into fists and shaking them in the air, if only to dispel some of his pent up frustration.
He should have known that sleeping like he had the day prior would result in the same situation. It was midday and he had once again failed to leave when he'd intended. In fact, he still had supplies that he'd failed gather the evening before.
Nevertheless, he continued on, trudging after the rushed footfalls. If something were to happen, he wouldn't feel right keeping himself out of it. They had offered him hospitality; Midoriya refused to give them only trouble and worry in return, given the opportunity. And this opportunity was presented to him on a silver platter. He'd never forgive himself if he let this chance slide.
He simply resolved to finish collecting things today and leave at the crack of dawn. The teen couldn't afford to sleep and risk his last chance of leaving without the chance of being dissuaded, accompanied, or followed.
But when the footsteps grew dull and a turn around one last cornered revealed the entrance, his gut churned with anxiety.
Even so, he stepped over the threshold and continued trailing after the footsteps, even as they were far less audible than before. None of them seemed to care about maintaining stealth, so it was fairly easy to follow the footprints in the dirt whenever the footsteps grew too faint. It was only once they reached a clearing close enough for the shore to be in view that they halted. The panicked movement that he'd had a hint of difficulty keeping up with rapidly evolved into shock.
Midoriya himself wasn't spared from such a reaction, especially once he'd overheard what Ivankov had said.
If anything, once the initial surprise wore off, he was angry.
It'd had been a while since his emotions had felt so raw and grating. It took everything he had to keep his mouth shut tight while the group he'd followed discussed the situation in front of him. They had yet to notice him, but only by virtue of his teeth tightly shut—desperately clenched and ground together until his jaw ached.
It was only when he heard their plans for their incoming guests that an enraged shout left his lips without permission.
All five heads swiveled around to stare at him, astonished.
Personally, he thought his approach had been far from stealthy, but he guessed they had been too preoccupied to take notice of his presence. Which he'd been banking on until his feelings had boiled over and he'd inadvertently exposed himself. (Midoriya couldn't help but wonder if this was how Kacchan felt most of the time. If so, he owed him an apology or ten.)
No words, however, were exchanged before their new guests landed just in front of them.
Midoriya shifted a bit, hoping to hide himself behind the group. Maybe then he wouldn't be spotted until he found an opening to make his escape. Unfortunately, he'd accidentally taken a few steps backwards after shouting an expletive, so he was hardly hidden, even behind the fairly large or tall forms in front of him.
Two pairs of eyes locked onto him and his mind went blank.
After the audacity that Blondie had showed yesterday stealing the brunch and dinner he'd prepared for the kid, Sanji wasn't keen to sit down and have another chat with him. Especially since he wasn't actually mad because there was so much and he helped to keep the food from going to waste. Otherwise a nice long chat would be nice; he'd give the asshole a real dressing down. Because he had to be civil, however, Sanji was keen to avoid a conversation with the man.
Make that both him and Ivankov.
Yet here he was, once again sitting with the two of them, nursing a nice cup of tea while his teeth ached and fingers itched to pull out a cigarette. Instead, he took another sip from his cup, pleased by the smooth herbal flavor, absentmindedly identifying each individual herb mixed with the tea leaves and where they came from.
"Sanji-dear, are you even listening?"
He scowled. He hadn't been, but he wasn't going to admit that.
"He wasn't," Sabo replied, matter-of-factly, "But I don't think he'd say yes either way."
"Say yes to what..?"
Iva sighed, "I was asking if you wanted to train with Sabo-boy, here."
"Isn't he leaving tomorrow…?" he wondered aloud.
"Exactly," said man shot Iva a dirty look.
"You have time today, it's not that strange of a request!"
"What time? I need to gather supplies for our departure."
Ivankov seemed to consider this.
Sabo slumped into his seat, "Besides, he has his hands full with your ladies. He doesn't need more on his plate."
"I suppose you're right."
Sanji grimaced at the look of disappointment on the freak's face. He didn't particularly want to know what they'd been hoping to get out of making him spar with Sabo. Well… there was a hint of curiosity, but not enough to risk whatever had had Ivankov excited.
His training just yesterday had been plenty, thanks.
"Well if we're done here, I'd like to prepare some food so I can figure out what Deku's favorite is."
He downed the rest of the tea, noting that he should recreate the blend for his Robin-chan, except with one extra ingredient to complete the flavor palette. Without a care for proper decorum, he stood up from his seat and glanced away, prepared to leave. He had long since reached his limit on dealing with weirdos.
Then the doors slammed open, startling all three of them.
"Iva! There's an unmarked vessel approaching us!" one of the islanders shouted, looking frantic, but not quite alarmed.
Sanji froze in place, unconsciously turning back to look at the other two. Far from alarmed, they seemed to be contemplative. (Though Iva was busy being outwardly dramatic, Sanji could tell that this was indisputably for show.) He mentally chastised his naivety. They were a part of the Revolutionary Army that opposed the World Government. Of course they would be equanimous in the face of an unknown threat.
Drawing from Sabo's calm nature to keep himself level-headed, much as he normally would with his beloved Robin-chan, he considered the situation. He drew the cigarette and lighter he'd been avoiding from his pockets, lighting the tobacco with a flick of his thumb on the sleek metal.
Sabo frowned, "If it's unmarked, I doubt it's the Marines. We got far out of their range so there's no way they followed us directly. And I doubt they have a Vivre card for either of us. Who could it be? CP9? No, last I heard they were in recovery…"
Sanji smirked and puffed his cigarette, "Yeah, they may be relentless fuckers, but they don't like to hide who they are. I'd be surprised if took down their flag just for a sneak attack like this, especially since it's easy to spot an incoming ship from a distance."
The blonde gave him an odd look, but brushed him off, "You're right. So it's definitely not Marines… is it a civilian vessel? Or pirates…"
"I doubt it's a civilian vessel," Iva chimed in, finally halting their superfluous theatrics, "Those tend to follow strict routes and they raise flags for distress. Outside of unforeseen circumstances, there's no reason for a civilian ship to chart a course here. Sophia, dear, any flags?"
"Nothing at all! Just plain sails and no signals."
"Unmarked pirates then…? Hmmm."
"Are they looking for a fight?" Sanji wondered aloud.
Iva just laughed, "I doubt it. Like I said, this is hardly a common destination and the only pirates powerful enough to risk a fight with us are all busy in the New World. They don't tend to hang around Paradise."
Paradise? Did she mean the first half of the Grand Line? What kind of oxymoronic nickname was that? Sanji grimaced. Was Iva suggesting that the second half was somehow worse? He hoped the appellation alluded to the pirates and not the weather conditions.
"Foolish pirates then? Or maybe they stumbled upon us and plan to pillage the island?" the other blonde proposed.
"Then why would they remove their Jolly Roger?"
Ivankov frowned and locked eyes with the messenger, Sophia, "Are you certain they are headed our way?"
Sophia nodded.
The two Revolutionaries shared a look and immediately stood. Before Sanji realized what he was doing, he followed the two out the door and down the hall.
Not a minute later, another native ran up, alarmed.
"There's an unidentified object flying towards us from the ship!"
All three of them froze in place. Sanji himself nearly tripping over his own feet from the sudden stop.
Without a single word exchanged, the five of them—Sanji, Sabo, Iva, Sophia, and this person whom he was fifty percent sure was named Leann—sprinted out as fast as possible. Unlike in his training, he managed to keep up with them all. Perhaps it was the adrenaline or even the fact that this could be a real dangerous situation that got his blood pumping, but he supposed it hardly mattered.
By the time they made it outside and into a clearing not too far from the western shore, whatever was in the sky was plainly visible. Whatever lookout post these two had come from was no longer needed to spot the intruders.
After another minute, it became patently clear that the two unidentifiable objects were—in fact—people.
"Why the hell are Fire Fist Ace and Marco the Pheonix here?!" Ivankov shouted, both hands shooting up to cup their face.
Sabo stood there, equally shell-shocked, though he kept his comments to himself.
Sanji couldn't help but frown.
Nevertheless, they all wordlessly stared up at the sky as the pair of Whitebeard pirates flew closer.
"Wh-what should we do, Iva…?" Sophia meekly looked towards them for guidance.
Ivankov finally lowered their hands and genuinely pondered for a moment. They all stood with bated breath as the gears turned in the freak's head.
"Well…" a long pause, "Absolutely nothing. Hee-haw!"
Sanji just barely stopped himself from reflexively kicking the man as he raised a knee and both arms in that ridiculous pose. The shout had startled him, but the unhelpful response was equally infuriating. It would have been damn therapeutic to kick the shit out of them, however he had to remind himself of their hospitality.
Hospitality, hospitality, hospitality.
Somehow repeating it three times in his head didn't make his teeth magically unclench.
Sabo, on the other hand, seemed to roll with Ivankov's antics with a fond smile to show for it, "I don't know what business they would have here. Are the Whitebeard Pirates aware of our bases and connections? If so, we might just be compromised…"
"You worry too much, Sabo-boy. They're still regrouping after the fiasco at Marineford and because I assisted in Portgas' rescue, I'm certain they hold no ill will."
"I suppose we will simply wait until they land to ascertain their intentions," he sighed.
Sanji frowned but didn't disagree. Even if there was a conflict, Ace was a reasonable man. He let his frayed nerves settle down a bit. He had nothing to be alarmed about.
"Shit!" a shout came from behind them.
Or so he'd thought.
The five of them spun around only to see Deku backing away from them. Had he followed them out here?
But before any of them could get a word in edge-wise, demanding to know why he was there or how he even knew something was going on, the pair of pirates landed and strode forward with determination.
Sanji was still uncertain of what the Whitebeards could want here, though he didn't consider Ace a threat. It was entirely possible that Ace was here for him, for whatever reason. Perhaps to pass on a message from Luffy or maybe just to check on him. Though there was the issue of how they knew he was here. However now that Deku emerged from hiding and put himself in front of dangerous pirates, he decided to keep himself between the kid and the new arrivals. No matter how genial their relationship, Sanji wasn't blind to reality; this kid didn't need to be involved in further illegal matters through no fault of his own.
He could see the moment Ace's eyes landed on him. They widened in surprise, though his face lit up the same way Luffy's did. Although it was slightly dimmer than his captain's jolly grin, he could see the resemblance between the two despite their lack of blood relation.
But just as the man's mouth opened for a greeting, Sanji watched his pair of eyes slide to the right and lock onto the kid slightly hiding behind them. Ace's whole demeanor brightened even more, if that was even possible.
"Deku!" Ace called out, a grin practically splitting in face in two.
Sanji's jaw dropped. They knew each other? Sabo and Iva looked equally taken aback, so at least he wasn't the only one out of the loop.
"Why are you here?" Deku demanded, still half-hiding behind their little group.
Sanji spared a glance back at the harsh tone and was utterly taken aback.
The burning glare directed at the pirate took Sanji by surprise. Even a hardened pirate like Fire Fist looked shocked at the response. Somehow, while it was reassuring to not be the only one confused, the fact that the only one who seemed to know what was going on was the boy in question, was concerning.
"What?" his captain's brother breathed out, flabbergasted.
Deku ignored his question and pressed on, "How did you find me?"
The Phoenix stepped forward with a hand on his crew mate's shoulder, lifting up a scrap of paper in explanation. Sanji thought it looked like the one Ace had given to Luffy. Did it mean something? What was so special about some piece of paper?
Evidently it did, since Deku grit his teeth and slammed his lips together to hide his obvious anger. It was a miracle that the kid wasn't balling his hands into fists and shaking to contain his rage. His eyes gave away how strong the kid's feelings were, but his locked-down expression was somehow the only physical manifestation of those bubbling emotions.
"I thought I told you to get rid of it," the kid growled before shaking his head, "But that still doesn't explain why you're here."
"What do you mean?" Ace looked stricken, "In the newspaper, it said you got captured! We were going to come rescue you!"
The kid looked utterly conflicted as he directed his glare at his feet.
Next to him, Sanji saw Sabo's eyes widen. What part of that had surprised him? It wasn't expected, but a reaction like that… Hadn't Marines chased them? Was it really that off-unexpected that the kid would be in some kind of trouble as well? People don't often trust strangers like Deku had with Sabo if they could help it.
Unless Sabo had thought the Marines were following him and not this kid, which is what Sanji himself had assumed. It would have only taken a quick conversation with Deku to learn otherwise. Had the kid kept it a secret for a reason? Or were they just oblivious fools? Something was still fishy here and Sanji planned to get to the bottom of it.
"Well, clearly you see that I'm fine. I escaped on my own, I didn't need your help. So you can leave now."
Sanji was struck by how cold the kid was all of a sudden. He had been so kind and gentle, if not exhausted. What was this? No...why was the kid lashing out?
"Thank you, but I don't need your help. Please leave," the kid looked back up and his face was utterly blank, void of any expression that would betray his emotions.
It reminded Sanji of Robin back in Water 7, when she had convinced herself that the only way to save their crew was to sacrifice herself. When she was trying to convince Sanji and Chopper that she had used them and was about to abandon them just like she had with every other crew she had joined. It was the same blank look, the same haunted eyes that screamed help me even as the words that left those lips said otherwise. Hell, even Nami had done something similar. However long ago that predicament felt to him now, in reality, it had only been a few months.
Sanji grit his teeth and looked away from the depressing scene in front of him. He was here to train, to become stronger so he could protect his crew and so they wouldn't ever have to be separated like that again. But in this moment, he wanted nothing more than to help this kid. He was conflicted, his kind nature at war with his selfish instincts.
However, it only took the thought of what Luffy would do for him to make his choice.
"You clearly do," the tired-looking guy replied, resting his hand on Ace's shoulder reassuringly.
The kid's eyes shifted to him for a moment, raking over his figure once before return to stare him directly in the eyes. The bird guy matched the intensity of Deku's gaze despite his half-lidded eyes.
"I'm not some child for you to coddle. You've seen me fight, I can handle myself. It's better if you stay away from me."
That last part left Sanji's mind reeling.
"Yeah, and you passed out surrounded by Marine soldiers, so I don't think you have a right to complain about us being worried."
Sanji stole another look at Sabo's face, frowning as he watched the other man's own lips curl downward as his eyebrows raised. What part of that was surprising? Deku was just a kid after all. Perhaps that part where he could handle himself in a fight? Sanji himself had grown up fighting, so he wasn't the best frame of reference for what a normal childhood was supposed to look like.
Then the words finally clicked.
Delayed as it was, the words slipped from his lips without his consent, "Wait, you fought against Marines? You're just a kid!"
He stared the kid down, both concerned and confused. If he fought Marines, it made sense… but that didn't explain why Whitebeard Pirates knew of it and came all this way to check on him. Unfortunately, Deku looked beyond incensed with the way his words had no effect on their outrage. Even Sanji could tell that they wouldn't be getting an explanation out of the boy. So the man watched silently as Deku stormed off, noting how his angry steps were as delicate and quiet as they had been during his earlier approach (which was to say, damn near silent).
The kid was quite taciturn. He'd been far from forthcoming even at the most genial moments, but this was different. It was almost as if Ace's presence had him clamming up.
His big, green eyes looked as though they should radiate childish innocence and enthusiasm, but all he could see were two dull eyes that looked more worn-down glass, mere seconds away from shattering completely.
Although his eyes were empty, the anger was clear as day on his face. Just beneath that was anxiety, and if Sanji had to guess, under all those layers was a miserable foundation of guilt or shame. The chef wanted nothing more to tear away those layers and tell this kid that he was allowed to just be a kid, but such a thing felt hypocritical.
Deku, oblivious to Sanij's internal strife, seemed far more inclined to brush off his remark than to indulge his concern. Hell, it was almost as if the kid had tuned the rest of them out entirely. At the moment, to him, it was just Ace and Deku having a face off. One fighting for the other's safety. Sanji was still unsure of what exactly Deku himself wanted, even as Ace made his own intentions clear.
But the kid refused to indulge the man, much less entertain him with protests. He must have realized that simple words wouldn't be enough to break through Ace's obdurate resolve. Such steadfast stubbornness must run in the family, even though the brothers weren't related by blood.
Instead, Deku turned on his heel and sauntered off with his head held high and his shoulders back. There was assuredness dripping from his every movement that left them all reeling as they stood by and watched him leave. Only Ace seemed to get himself together fast enough to stumble after him.
Yet even he only made it a handful of steps before Deku rebuked his efforts with three crushing words.
"Don't follow me."
The tone of voice alone forcefully halted the Division Commander. All seven of them were hesitant to move even an inch out of place, no less, with such a bold utterance.
Sanji could only imagine what the look on the kid's face must have been like to produce such an unsparing order. For as much as his imagination ran wild, he didn't particularly want to see it. The sight of Ace's devastated expression was more than enough.
They only recuperated once Deku was well out of sight and hearing range. Although Marco had seemed to recover, Ace was still stricken. Sanji was more than a bit out of the loop, but he wasn't dense enough to ignore how Ace seemed to care about the kid. And to have that heartfelt attachment spit on and discarded so flippantly must have been soul crushing.
The moment of tense silence, nearly thick enough to cut with a knife, was instead broken by brazen words.
"What the hell was that about the kid passing out in front of Marines?" Sabo inquired, deliberately ignorant to the pirate's undisguised emotional distress as he recovered his wits enough to answer.
Why his companion refused to answer for him, Sanji didn't know.
An odd look overtook Ace's face as he finally turned his attention to Sabo. A mixture of the devastation—which he assumed returned from before—an odd longing and disbelief sprinkled in for good measure. But as readily as Sanji had taken notice of it, it was covered by a half-hearted smile. An askance glance at the other blonde man revealed an equally odd, yet undecipherable expression.
"Why don't you ask Ivankov, here," Ace scoffed.
Sanji (and Sabo, he realized) both turned towards Iva in disbelief.
Iva, for their part, simply shrugged; that was as good as an admittance that they knew scant details as the rest of them did.
The Phoenix finally stepped in, "At Marineford there was a sudden appearance responsible for covering our retreat."
It was phrased as a statement, but it was obviously more of a question intended to check Ivankov's memory. And partially an insult to their intelligence, but the asshole refused to take the bait. Sanji was half-heartedly disappointed. Such a fight would have been entertaining, if not satisfying. However, his curiosity and concern held back his prideful resentment for the moment.
Ivankov blinked as several pairs of eyes regarded them expectantly.
"I'm afraid I don't know what you are trying to insinuate here," they dropped their usual extravagance in favor of being straightforward for once, much to Sanji's relief, "What does the so-called Green Devil have to do with anything?"
Sanji was equally as confused. He'd read in the newspapers how that new bounty had stepped in to save Luffy and Ace, but there was no reason to bring that into this.
Except when he glanced sideways, intending to exchange confused looks with the other blonde, Sanji was instead greeted with a look of dawning realization.
"You mean Deku is the Green Devil?" Sabo blurted out just as Sanji was about to inquire as to what he'd uncovered.
Once it was said aloud, it seemed far more obvious than he liked. Although he never would have figured it out on his own. How could he, when Deku had such a small stature and generally maintained a subdued, if not gentle demeanor. Except when he was provoked, Sanji supposed.
The real question was why people looking out for the kid set him off so readily.
"Wait, didn't the newspaper a few days back claim that the Marines had captured the Green Devil?"
Sanji's revelation was immediately followed by Sabo's two cents, "I ran into Deku in the Marine Base, I had thought he was some kid pulling a prank or accidentally stumbled onto a Flagship and ended up there. But if the newspaper reported as such, then he somehow managed to escape on his own."
Rather than relieved at his escape, Ace looked utterly perturbed at the notion of the kid being locked up. Honestly, Sanji felt similarly. The thought alone made him sick. (It hit a bit too close to home.)
Marco sighed, "I suppose questioning Deku's capability was foolish."
Ace whipped his head around, a scandalized expression directed his crewmate's way, "We didn't mean it like that! We were… I was worried!"
"I don't think Deku sees it that way," Ivankov pointed out, bluntly, though not unkindly.
Even so… if they'd retreated with Deku from Marineford, how'd the kid get taken by the Marines in the first place?
As if reading his mind, Sabo voiced Sanji's thoughts, "I thought the Green Devil had escaped with your crew. Are you saying you let him get captured?"
Ace shot him a dirty look that could rival the nastiest of criminals any day of the week. The Revolutionary, for his part didn't seem phased in the slightest. But in place of offering a reply, Ace crossed his arms and frowned deeply.
Marco rested a hesitant hand on the Second Division Commander's shoulder. Sanji stared at the way he relaxed significantly under such a small gesture. If not for that, he wouldn't have even noticed how tense Ace had become since their conversation began.
"Originally, he accompanied Rayleigh and Luffy to train," the pheonix clarified, "Apparently, after a few days, he disappeared. We only discovered he'd left them once we saw that story run in the newspapers."
"I see," Sabo acquiesced, raising his hands as if that would placate Ace's blatant agitation.
Perhaps counter-intuitively, Sanji was more concerned about the fact that Deku had been the Marine's target rather than Sabo. Regardless of who he'd been with, the habitual smoker knew that things happened regardless of how hard one tries to make things go their way. Ace's own capture despite being a high ranking member of one of the most feared pirate crews on the seas was a perfect exemplar of that. Especially considering the kid had been out of their hands at the time, and—if he was understanding correctly—had deliberately run away from them, it was no surprise that he'd managed to get himself caught.
He was just a kid, after all.
"Do you think the Marines will try to track him down?"
Ace looked even more upset at Sanji's inquiry, but he had to know. If anyone knew what the Marines were thinking, he figured two members of the Revolutionary Army would be well suited.
With far more uncertainty than he would have liked, Sabo speculated, "I doubt it. They have no means to track us down, and if they were indeed after Deku instead of me, then they have no reason to suspect our current location."
"And besides, even if they had known about Sabo-boy, here, I still doubt those buffoons know about this place," Iva reassured.
Though neither reply made him feel much better.
"That's why we should take him back with us," Ace interjected, disregarding their optimistic deductions.
"If he doesn't want to come with us, we can't force him, Ace," Marco reminded.
"All that coming from you? That's rich."
Sanji, though he liked Ace's company, was more than a bit uncomfortable at the obvious conflict between the two. Did Marco oppose this half-assed rescue mission? It made sense, considering how their crew and allies needed to regroup and build up their forces before the Marines decide to take advantage of their weakness. Having two missing Commanders was a gaping weakness. It was practically an invitation to attack, offered up on a silver platter; arguably it was even more so than the deliberate spectacle that had been Ace's scheduled execution.
Marco, instead of taking the bait and bantering back, simply took whatever negative insinuation Ace had intended in stride and continued on. It was admirable; it was something Sanji could never bring himself to do whenever Marimo was around.
"Is it alright if we stayed until we convince Deku to depart with us?"
Iva shrugged rather blandly, though their grin belied their amusement, "I don't see why not. As long as you don't cause trouble, you could even help with Sanji-boy's training."
"Hey!" he shouted, despite himself, "Stop pawning me off onto random people!"
His outburst seemed to break the tension, so he wasn't all too mad at the teasing remark. They discussed where to dock or anchor their vessel, explaining that there were two other commanders on board, but Sanji was only half listening. (Although, Marco's hint of disapproval towards their little rescue mission made a lot more sense now that he knew there were four commanders missing rather than just two.)
His mind was a bit too preoccupied with Deku to worry about whatever the Whitebeards were up to. Besides, this wasn't even his island. He had no say in their discussion.
Even as the Whitebeards' unmarked vessel landed and the remaining two pirates disembarked, Sanji repudiated the sense of foreboding which lingered.
He may have owed this kid for saving his Captain's life, but that didn't mean anything if he turned out to be a threat. However, knowing his Captain's—and by extension, Ace's—ways, Sanji felt inclined to make an ally out of the kid instead of an enemy. The audacity of his shitty rubber captain to allow such silly reasoning to rub off on his made his feet itch to kick something. (He would never admit that these particular feelings arose from his own nature; his captain's impossible amicability had only encouraged his own kind inclinations.)
Sanji reigned himself in. After all, he still had a self-imposed mission to complete.
He wouldn't stop until he found the kid's favorite food, even if it was the last thing he did.
Luffy would understand.
Midoriya put all his focus on his feet. It took everything he had to keep his posture in check as he strode away from the group of unlikely conversationalists. He knew he wouldn't like whatever they would inevitably talk about while he was gone, but he couldn't bring himself to stay for even a second longer than he already had.
Over the past few weeks—nay, months—he'd been delicately keeping himself together. It was like walking on a tightrope trying not to fall, only for the crowd to jeer at him, occasionally throwing things to disrupt his precarious balance. He was in a perilous position, he was well aware of the dangerous odds stacked against him. However, his heart had shattered before his feet had had the chance to slip out from under him and catch him by surprise.
He had almost made it out with everyone unscathed. Alas, he couldn't let his feet slip now, just because his resolve had broken his heart into a million pieces.
And if he had to wipe away his tears while keeping his back facing the people in this world that had shown him such kindness, then that was no one's business but his own.
This world was beyond idiotic. The sheer lack of landmass was annoying, since he couldn't fly like All for One. The best he could do was leap and launch himself into the air, but unlike the brat—Midoriya—he couldn't keep himself airborne. Hence why he was drenched and exhausted from struggling through the water as best he could. (Learning how to swim just hadn't been on his to-do list. He'd been far to busy planning the downfall of Hero Society to care about such a useless activity.)
He could still feel the tug of the Search Quirk, guiding him in the right direction despite the vast horizon of water stretched out in all directions. His whole life, he'd been surrounded by cities full of useless people, all ignorant and apathetic to the pain and misery he experienced. Now he was annoyed by the circumambient sea water. It was maddening to have to walk alongside them as though nothing was wrong. He could always feel their gaze on him, judging, hating, rejecting.
They knew he didn't belong. Once, he had wanted to, but no longer.
Instead, he had this itch to inflict the pain he felt onto others that went through the motions of daily life without a care in the world. All for One had simultaneously fostered and stifled his resentment.
He had claimed it was right; he had forbidden him from acting on it.
Now Shigaraki knew what that bastard had been doing to him. It was all to control him—to keep him a willing puppet on strings—and he'd happily complied. What a fool he'd been.
But now, on his own supposedly following his former Sensei's orders, he found himself alone once more. Although he'd felt alone all his life, now that he was well and truly on his lonesome, the world felt so crushing yet so free. The open waters in all directions felt endless. It was terrifying. It was elating. It was cruel.
Truly alone though he may have been, Kurogiri had been by his side for many years. All for One had been there, yet distant. Now it was him and his own mind and this stupid world.
Logically he knew that the waters beyond the urban hellscape that was Japan were likely just as vast. However, Shigaraki was drawn to the world around him for the first time in his life. It was a reflection of himself, terrible, but true. He looked. He saw. He understood.
One for All was pulsing in the sixth sense provided by the Search Quirk. Although the monotony of the deep blue oceans persisted, he grinned. At last, he could fulfill his desires. It was almost time to get revenge and destroy the worthless society once and for all.