It took everything Bakugou had to keep his lips from curling downward into his signature scowl. If anything, now was the time for such expressions, but he'd spent so long with it plastered to his face that it had lost most of its effect. After all, he wasn't stupid. He knew that at times like these, having a blank expression as he stared someone down was far more unnerving. Hence why he'd been shuffling through different blank expressions in an attempt to decide which one to use once they arrived.

Luckily, navigating back to UA was far easier a task than his stint walking in circles in an unfamiliar—not to mention destroyed—place. The bastard behind him at least learned to shut the hell up and not bother him aside from asking for breaks for his feet or for hydration.

And if Bakugou had tossed a granola bar or two in the man's face during one of said breaks, no one was there to comment on it.

While he was glad to finally be back at UA—in spite of the resentment he held towards the pros—the large, looming gates only represented his next big challenge. It was time to figure out whether the pros really respected them or if they were still just children to protect until things got too tough to handle on their own.

Without giving himself time to second guess himself, nor the man to say something stupid wanted to comfort him, he strode straight up to the main entrance with his shoulders back and his head held high. Despite the obvious nerves, the man followed suit. At least he held enough confidence to convince even sniveling cowards to follow his lead.

"B-Bakugou?!" Thirteen stuttered at the sight of him.

Despite all his practice and the ultimate decision of long-winded thought process, his lips curled back down into a scowl. It was just another reminder that the heroes all leaned on them when it was convenient and brushed them off when it was not. It pissed him off to no end.

As he glowered at the hero, Thirteen quickly recognized the mistake, "A-apologies, Dynamight? Where have you been?"

Assuaged by the attempted correction, Bakugou choked down any insults. Instead, he ignored the stupid question.

"Take us to Nezu."

The man behind him flinched, but he paid him no mind. He let his eyes do the talking as they bore into Thirteen's own. During their silent stare-down, Bakugou half expected that Nezu's voice would arise out of nowhere and interrupt them with either a denial or an invitation in. Instead, they continued to face each other, both unwilling to give up any ground. It seemed that Nezu had his hands tied and no longer had the free time to mess with the students under his care in such a way.

It felt very fitting, yet also a bit upsetting. It served to be another indication that everything they had taken for granted was so easily slipping away.

At the very least, he could respect Thirteen's stubborn determination, but this was hardly the time for thoughts like that. He had a personal mission to fulfill and he'd be damned if he let a pro stop him part way through.

It seemed his intimidation—or perhaps his persistence—paid off. Thirteen finally relented with a subtle nod.

"I'm going to need to see your ID."

Bakugou scowled and stepped in front of the man who looked mere seconds away from turning tail and running.

"No need. Trust me, this is important," he insisted, eyeing the pro carefully.

He only spared a short glance behind him, but the man was noticeably more relaxed now that Bakugou was verbally on his side. Which meant he needed to push just a bit more and this might just work out.

On the bright side, which was something nobody seemed all too familiar with these days, Thirteen's clear hesitation didn't appear to be true resistance. Everyone was just afraid. And, however rightfully so, it was holding everyone back from getting things done. At least, as pro heroes, people like Thirteen had lots of practice in overcoming their own cowardice. And considering the amount of pros that resigned, they'd at least abandoned the weak links. All that was left of the group were those willing and able to stand up and fight back.

And so when Thirteen finally acquiesced, Bakugou felt ever more confident than he had in days.

No...

Weeks.

Walking through the entrance to UA once Thirteen had swiped their ID card to let them in… well it was an uncomfortably familiar feeling. He could only think about the time they'd returned to UA empty handed, when they had planned to drag Deku—Izuku—back, kicking and screaming if they had to.

Now that he thought about it, letting in a stranger even on his word alone was dangerous. Though perhaps they were desperate enough to prefer detaining an intruder by playing along rather than trying to keep all threats out. Given their utter lack of intel, it made sense, even if it meant putting civilians at risk.

Frankly, everyone was at risk. It was absurd that all these people thought that UA would be less of a target than before, but with nowhere else to go, the extras couldn't think of better alternatives.

Then again, he wasn't too upset about that, considering the ones who had convinced themselves they'd come up with a better plan ended up forming gangs, assaulting pro heroes, and injuring themselves with make-shift support weapons sold on the black-market or created by hand. They weren't wrong, per se, but in times like these it was more important to work together than to fracture off into hostile factions.

As much as the phrase "work together" made him feel like a naive child, he'd come a long way and realized that while it was a banal ideal, it was the cornerstone of society.

By the time they reached Nezu's office, the man behind him was quaking in his boots. Bakugou himself was a little nervous, but he shoved the offending affect aside. He kept his head held high as Thirteen reluctantly knocked on the door.

"We're busy in here, I'm afraid!" Nezu called out through the door.

No one made any move to open the door, given the lack of footsteps from inside the room and the rigid posture which Thirteen maintained. It pissed him off to no end, however he waited just a moment.

Only a moment.

Thirteen offered him a semblance of an apologetic glance.

He kicked open the door.

Bakugou was more than a bit surprised at the sight of All Might and Nezu seated across from one another at his desk. Well, it was perhaps less about All Might's presence and more about his two classmates seated on either side of the retired hero.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" he blurted out.

Heat flared across his cheeks as he realized instead of flustering the people around him by doing something as outrageous as kicking his way into the office, he ended up as the one feeling gaffe.

Nezu's beady eyes bore into his own, almost accusatory, "We're discussing important matters."

"Oh, so now you're willing to let students get involved, after everything. What did you fuck up to finally need our help?"

The principal simply smiled at him, as though he were mistaken. As though his point of view was that of an ignorant child's and not someone who has fought and bled for their cause.

Bakugou scoffed.

"We did not make any major errors, but rather some new information has come to light as a result of their… disobedience."

Disobedience, huh? Even when doing something helpful, apparently the bastard still found it prudent to highlight their rule-breaking and treat them like children. How infuriating.

But he had no energy to argue further. After all, he had the opportunity right in front of him to finally be involved as he wanted. He'd be damned if he screwed it up for two of his classmates as well.

"Well make that three of us then," he growled, striding over and flopping down onto an empty chair in across from the principal.

Bakugou reveled in the surprise plainly written all over the principal's face. His classmates only looked taken aback, not so surprised. He was relieved by their faith in him; at least his classmates and him were on the same page. All Might, on the other hand, looked gobsmacked. What an idiot.

With a sigh, Bakugou tilted his head back and stared at the man, who was pathetically hiding behind the door frame, as though that would protect him.

"Are you coming in, or what?"

The man reluctantly shuffled in, gently closing the door behind him. At least he had some sense.

He couldn't hold back a grin. Finally, they could get something done.

Sabo's head was pounding fiercely.

Although he'd had his own half-baked suspicions before their uninvited guests had straight-up exposed Deku to be the Green Devil, Sabo was still taken aback by the revelation. It gave him a new perspective on the kid's behavior. Not only could he understand some of the odd looks in hindsight, he also realized the kid must have been prepared for the worst when they were running. Being an outlaw, even as a child, would certainly explain all the skills and intelligence he'd displayed while they'd been on the run in town. It reminded him of Nico Robin; the comparison made his teeth grind.

The only big question on his mind was how the kid had gotten caught in the first place, if he was truly strong enough to earn such a big bounty.

It was possible that the price on his head was the result of screwing up the event of the century for the Marines, much like the Strawhat Pirates he'd been hearing whispers about. But Fire Fist had made it sound as though he'd truly held his own.

There had to be something else he was missing; there was something Deku didn't want them to find out. Given the mordant words he offered the Whitebeards, Sabo doubted either of them were aware. That left him with few options. Perhaps he could tail the kid to try and find out, but he had a feeling that would not end well.

So he would have to start with context clues and read between the lines of what had been said. As Sabo wandered back to his temporary quarters, he tried putting the pieces together. When a puzzle was in front of you, all the pieces scattered around in a jumbled mess, it was always best practice to find the corner pieces and construct the framework.

The Whitebeards and Deku were acquainted. Likely not for long, given Deku's closed off attitude and their utter loss at what to do once he'd turned and walked away. Yet it seemed they'd had enough time to not only get a sense for his stubbornness, but also to make a Vivre card for the boy despite his misgivings. Deku had a closed off nature, thought it almost looked stressful, if not tiring for him. He always seemed more natural when being kind.

He backpedaled.

Those types of observations, however compelling, were always biased and likely to lead a person astray. The odd pang in his chest certainly didn't help with remaining disinterested in his analysis.

Although there was something to be said about how easily Deku had people wrapped around his finger. Not only a Strawhat Pirate and a Revolutionary, but also who knows how many Whitebeard Pirates. At the very least, Whitebeard himself must have been enamored with the kid to allow such a risky rescue mission with their current vulnerability. He could only imagine the mess that would have occurred had they managed to catch up to the kid back when he had still been stuck in a cell.

Sabo finally reached his room and entered, putting a temporary stop to his overthinking. Koala would never let him hear the end of it if she were here, whining about him pushing himself or being dramatic or who knew what else.

He sat down on his bed with a sigh. If only the deep throbbing at his temples would just go away. But he decided to ignore it in favor of continuing his theorizing.

Not that he had much time to his self as the Strawhat obnoxiously walked through the open doorway with a polite knock on the door frame.

"What do you want?" he grumbled.

Sabo wanted nothing more than to stew in his thoughts (and wallow in his painful misery, but that was neither here nor there). Sanji's presence made him want to throw himself out of a window. Which he would have genuinely considered, had there been a window in this room.

"I made lunch. You should have some."

They stared at each other for a moment. That was far from what Sabo had expected from the man, but his stomach betrayed him and grumbled loudly just moments after the prospect of food was introduced.

"Well, I suppose I haven't had breakfast yet…"

Sanji's eyes lit up at his acceptance, so Sabo sighed and let it happen. The man all but dragged him to the dining room they'd been in yesterday with Deku, his pace oddly enthusiastic despite their open dislike of each other.

Or perhaps it was less dislike and more… playful animosity. It felt familiar in a way that left his chest feeling hollow. But that sensation was far from new and had become increasingly more common as of late, so he shook it off and did his best to avoid stumbling as he kept up with Sanji.

As they stepped into the room, Sabo jerked his wrist from the loose grip, his jaw nearly agape in shock.

"I see we weren't the only ones tricked," the Phoenix commented, the mirth in his words evident by the slight quirk of his lips.

Sabo sighed, "How on earth did you manage to get them all to stay?"

Deku, looking incredibly uncomfortable, shot him a pleading look. A look which Sabo pointedly ignored. It was not his job to deal with the kid's interpersonal issues, plus he had a sneaking suspicion that this lunch might just answer some of his questions.

Sanji simply grinned and gestured towards an empty seat. With an amused huff, Sabo acquiesced and took his place at the table as the man wandered off, most likely to bring an impressive spread as he had the day prior.

The awkward silence was excruciating. It made him want to interrupt it, however the headache from before had only intensified since entering this room. Perhaps he just needed some sleep. But now was hardly the time for that. As a Revolutionary, he was used to pushing past his bodily needs to complete a mission. The world was at stake, and somehow, this mess seemed just as significant, even as it involved a handful of pirates and some kid.

As such, despite his disinclination towards contributing to the silence, it continued until Sanji returned with an even more extensive assortment of dishes than he remembered from yesterday.

With a small laugh he hid under his breath, Sabo thanked the man and immediately reached for a dish that, while he would swear he had never seen before, he was inexplicably drawn towards it. With that simple motion, the stilted atmosphere shattered.

The four Whitebeard Commanders followed his lead and thanked Sanji—Ace, far more enthusiastic about it than the rest. Perhaps because he seemed more acquainted with Sanji than his fellow crewmates. Sabo kept an eye on Deku as the rest of them began to dig into the food, each person sparing their own quick glances towards the kid. It no doubt made him uncomfortable, but once again, he got what he'd given.

"...thank you."

They all froze—some with food raised halfway to their mouths—and stared at the kid, who immediately looked away. There was a slight redness to his cheeks… was he embarrassed? Sabo found it cute despite himself. Deku was almost like a stray cat, shying away from care and attention even though he himself was drawn towards it all the same.

"You're absolutely welcome, Deku," Sanji beamed, "Let me know if there's something here that you really like and I'll be sure to make it again!"

Sabo couldn't help but smile at the approving gaze Ace offered Sanji. It was almost like he'd passed some test about treating the kid well, which was silly considering how poor their current relationship appeared to be.

Or well, he supposed it would have been silly had Sabo not been in essentially the same predicament.

With a sigh, Sabo dug into the food with gusto. He could practically feel the eyes on him, but he ignored them. It was a bit odd that his manners so easily slipped away from him, especially with how tightly he managed him image around strangers. But for some reason, his subconscious continued to act as though he was in the presence of old friends.

He didn't like it.

He only stopped shoveling food into his mouth when a loud snort cut through the amiant sounds of silverware clinking on plates and loud, obnoxious chewing and slurping coming from…

Two people?

He stared at Fire Fist with wide eyes, taking in the fact that they were eerily similar in the way they ate. Sabo's head was throbbing at this point, his eyes feeling as though they would pulse right out of his head from the pressure.

Not to mention the odd, unreadable expression that once again graced his features—nearly identical to when he'd first arrived that morning. It set him on edge.

His entire job was intelligence gathering and managing the members of their organizations by understanding interpersonal relationships and skills and assigning people accordingly. Yet since he'd met the kid, it felt like he hadn't understood a single thing he'd witnessed. Not Deku, not Fire Fist, and certainly not himself. It would have been infuriating if it hadn't set him on edge.

Sabo was waiting for the other shoe to drop and for the consequences of all the subtle hints and glaring warning signs that meant nothing to him to rain down upon him.

He offered Fire Fist an amused smile and went back to his meal.

He was on a deadline and couldn't afford to worry about extraneous issues. With how eager the kid was to leave, he had a sneaking suspicion there was a looming deadline to the mystery that was the boy's intentions. His miserable headache and the crescendo of deja vu he'd been dealing with… well, as he'd told himself before, this was far from the first time and would likely not be the last. He had his whole life to figure out what the missing memories were trying to tell him, assuming they would ever return, but this kid…

Sabo had the sinking feeling that something bad was in his future.

It seemed a bit ridiculous, considering the kid had dropped himself in the middle of the culmination of a decade's long crusade and been targeted, but his instincts had yet to steer him wrong.

Unfortunately, his racing thoughts prevented him from noticing the way that Ace froze at Sabo's smile, looking utterly stricken and confused simultaneously. Instead, his attention centered on Deku's miserable expression. And though the kid caught his gaze, the Revolutionary simply offered a supportive smile. And while Deku looked away as a rejection, his features noticeably softened.

It was one step forward and two steps back with this kid.

Regardless, the impromptu meal continued with little other conversation. The Phoenix chatted with the other commanders, especially with Fire Fist, but the logia user only offered noncommittal responses. It was a bit sad to see, honestly, but at least the First Division Commander didn't seem too put off by it.

Sanji had only abandoned his vigil and joined in eating their meal after a pleading look from Deku. It should honestly be illegal how easily the kid could bend them to his whims, but he didn't comment, since it was for a good cause. Plus the mirthful expressions exchanged between the Whitebeard Pirates were entertaining to witness.

Their familiarity made his chest ache, but Sabo brushed it off. He had plenty of close friends, Koala, Iva, Hack… there was no reason for him to be so upset at the sight.

Just what the hell was up with him?

"What's up with you?" Sanji echoed his own thoughts.

Sabo grimaced but refused to dignify the question with a response. If someone he'd met so recently was able to tell he was not having a good time, he was obviously off his game. Which was the last thing he needed, to be honest.

The smoking addict frowned, coming to the entirely wrong conclusion, "Don't tell me you don't like any of the food here?"

He shot him an incredulous expression. Hadn't he just been scarfing down food by the plate just moments ago? How on earth had the idiot come to that conclusion?

"It's a genuine question!" Sanji defended.

Sabo simply raised an eyebrow.

"Would you quit that!"

He offered a smug smirk.

"You're just as annoying as that Marimo!"

Even Deku had looked over at them, puzzled by the interaction. Though that confusion quickly turned into mirth, so Sabo decided to keep it up. Even the Whitebeards looked mildly entertained by it, so it was a win all around. If it got their guests a bit more comfortable while also contributing to Deku slightly lowering his guard, it was worth it.

However just a few minutes later as they finished eating, he wondered if that had been a bad call.

Sabo, though he continued the playful one-sided argument with Sanji, took notice of Deku silently slipping out of the room without so much of a word. He frowned, since the kid seemed too polite to leave before giving his thanks for the meal. Though a quick glance at the kid's spot at the table revealed a small note that no doubt conveyed the message.

Not long after the kid left, the rest of the room seemed to finally realize. Though Fire Fist had a deep frown on his face, he'd clearly noticed about the same time Sabo had.

At the very least, it appeared that he was the most invested in the kid out of all of the Whitebeards present. Deku had been especially harsh to him in particular, so that clearly meant something. And given the kid's tendency to go off on his own, Sabo decided there was only one way to find out.

So he offered Sanji a placating reply—verbally this time—and excused himself.

He hadn't realized, though, that following Deku would lead him outside and trudging through the trees and underbrush. Sabo was grateful that his sudden ability to not trip on tree roots and holes in the ground as he continued to trail after him; he hardly wanted to alert him to his presence. The kid was unfortunately not the type to talk to himself when he thought he was alone. He'd been hopeful, but sometimes his hunches were simply off the mark. No surprise there.

What was intriguing, however, was the way he studied his surroundings as he wandered aimlessly.

Was he looking for something? Or was he simply exploring?

The latter seemed improbable, given the kid's heavy-handed desire to leave as soon as possible, but the former also felt just as unlikely. As per usual, the kid was a bit of a mystery; one that Sabo couldn't make heads or tails of. Unfortunately, he didn't have much more than a couple of minutes to ponder it further, as the kid suddenly stopped walking.

"Why are you following me?" Deku asked without even turning around.

Staring at the boy from behind, with the setting sun creating a faint silhouette around his figure. His muscular physique disguised by his timid posture.

He decided to offer a question of his own in return, "Why wouldn't I?"

Deku didn't seem to have an answer to that, opting to continue walking as though no words had been exchanged at all. Sabo shrugged it off and proceeded to follow him once more.

After another few minutes of wandering around the forest, the kid ground to a halt.

This time, he looked over his shoulder, "Am I not allowed to have privacy?"

Sabo simply smiled at him, "It depends on what you're going to do with that privacy."

Deku scowled. Clearly he had opinions on that, but he didn't offer up a rebuttal. Apparently keeping his secrets was more important than winning this verbal spar. It was smart; it revealed the kid was not driven by pride in the slightest, or at least had the ability to rein his pride in when necessary. But that only made Sabo more invested in figuring the kid out.

"Why are you running away?" a voice cut through the near silence, disregarding the rustle of leaves.

Sabo flinched, internally cursing his own obliviousness. He hadn't expected to be followed as well, though he really should have seen it coming. Yet he'd been so focused on keep his own presence hidden from Deku that he hadn't been watching his own back. But that had been a pointless endeavor, apparently, since the kid had noticed him fairly easily. Fire Fist'd had his sights set on the kid all day. Of course he'd refuse to leave him alone given the chance to do otherwise.

Once again, while Sabo felt a little bad about incidentally enabling this, it was another opportunity to dig for information.

Ace had been grateful for Sanji's lunch intervention. Although it had been anything but successful at bridging whatever this newfound gap between them and the kid.

Relief and concern had been warring in him. To some extent, Deku had been right; he was more than capable of looking after himself. He had held his own despite being malnourished and exhausted the first time they met and now, despite being captured, he had managed to escape with minimal help.

He thought that blonde (that looked like… h i m, but he forced that dangerous thought away) might have been an accomplice in the escape, but given the utter shock written all over their faces when Ace had stupidly told them the kid had a bounty. Immediately, he'd realized his mistake. Obviously the kid had wanted to keep something like that a secret. Ace didn't fully understand such a thing, but he could acknowledge that he'd spent all his life either hidden away, surrounded by infamous criminals, or being said infamous criminal himself.

Ace wasn't so dumb to think that everyone was as proud of bounties as the Whitebeards were. Especially not some kid like Deku who hadn't intended to go against the government in the first place.

What irritated him surprisingly little was how Deku seemed increasingly more comfortable with that blonde.

As such, when the blonde tilted his head towards the door about halfway through their lunch, Ace found himself doing the same. Only the deep frown it elicited from him was far more welcome than the realization that Deku had slipped out of the room nearly without his notice.

So of course, when he saw the suspicious blonde do the same, he followed suit. Luckily, while stealth is hardly his strong suit, the man seemed far too focused on concealing his own presence from the kid. It was almost funny, if it hadn't been so off-putting.

They wandered through the trees as though no one was around. Not that there were. But the confidence in the kid's stride was a bit… unexpected. Though given how sternly he'd reminded them of his independence, it shouldn't have made such an impact on his already raw nerves.

And damn, when the kid stopped and addressed the blonde guy without even turning around, Ace wanted nothing more than to hug the kid. Was he turning around to show disrespect? Possibly.

He had a feeling the kid was simply trying not to cry.

Maybe he was a fool for wanting to believe such a thing, but he felt that his family wouldn't entirely blame him. They'd likely join him in such assumptions, whole-heartedly and with a reassuring smile on their faces.

The blonde guy, on the other hand, seemed to interpret it as the former, though he brushed it off. That took a lot of guts—guts that Ace clearly didn't have, since all it took was a well-aimed verbal jab for him to lose his shit.

So the kid continued walking. They followed suit.

He let his gratitude towards the blonde guy's resilience remain silent as their trek lead them past another clearing and onto a well-trodden path surrounded by undergrowth and shaded by trees.

Deku seemed far from content with his tail, for as oblivious he was to the his second. His comment about privacy made Ace want to offer up a smug retort, but he bit his lip and held it back. The hardened look on the kid's face made Ace want to scream. He was so clearly conflicted and the frown looked painful rather than truly angry. Deku was… upset.

But why? He was the one doing this to himself.

It made Ace want to scream instead of holding his emotions back. His efforts—despite the honest effort—failed him in the moment.

"Why are you running away?"

They all froze. Hell, he could see the surprise written all over their faces. He himself was equally surprised.

He hadn't meant for his opening question to apply so easily to the lunch they had just abandoned, not when this was supposed to have been solely about his departure from the Whitebeards without much of a warning and Rayleigh without so much as a word.

Well, he hadn't meant for this to be a conversation just yet, if he was being honest, but he'd never admit that his feelings had gotten the best of him again. Just like before, he blurted out things based on his feelings instead of using his head. Marco would give him that resigned sigh, which would hardly be as benign as it used to be. Ever since the stunt he pulled at Marineford… it had almost cost everyone's lives, and for what?

But he couldn't just let things go. It wasn't in his nature, even as it went against everything good in his life. It often made him feel as though he wasn't meant to have such things.

The contrary had been beaten into his head instead.

Yet…

"Would you want to be stared at when clearly no one wanted to be there?" Deku retorted, his voice a bit more bitter than Ace had expected.

They hadn't done anything wrong, so he almost wanted to believe that bitterness originated from somewhere—or someone—else. But that was a fool's hope. The kid couldn't have made it more obvious whom the acerbity was directed towards. Not to mention the way the kid purposefully replied to the surface-level meaning of that question instead of what Ace had actually meant.

"That's not-"

He shook his head, "-what you meant to do, but it happened. And… I don't like being stared at."

Ace offered a sympathetic wince, but the grimace he spotted on the blonde's face as he strode up to stand next to him told him everything he needed to know about the kid's intentions. Deku seemed to be an honest, earnest, kind kid, however it appeared he'd played them all like a fiddle.

It didn't change how he felt, didn't affect how he wanted to protect the kid, but it was… frustrating.

Unfortunately, the kid seemed keen to cut the conversation short.

"Well, I would to go back now, if you'll excuse me."

Such clipped words took them by surprise, despite all the warning signs leading up to it. Deku trudged away, not bothering to look back to check if they followed him. It was as though he simply trusted that they would respect his feelings. And if that wasn't one hell of a guilt trip, Ace didn't know what was.

The two men standing alone, unless one counted the trees as company, stared at each other. The discomfort was plain as day on each of their faces for both to see. Ace wanted nothing more than to say something—anything—either to clear the air or to address the fact that simply the sight of the man in front of him tore up him with waves of painful nostalgia and guilt and regret.

Instead, the moment the words caught in his throat, he turned away and trudged back through the forest to find his way back to the main building.

Ace ignored the deep-seated foreboding practically aching in his bones and resolved to leave Deku alone for as little time as possible.

He had a hunch that the kid would run for the hills the moment the opportunity arose. At the very least, he knew he could ask Izou and Jozu to also keep an eye on the kid. That blonde man that turned his stomach inside out would probably also watch out for him. Not to mention Sanji.

Sanji was trustworthy, especially since he'd done his best to make sure the kid was fed. Ever since learning from Makino, the subtle pressuring from the expectation of pleasantries had weighed down upon him. Clearly the kid was no different and Sanji'd had no qualms with using that to his advantage.

While his plan was doable, something told him that things wouldn't go his way.

Time would tell whether that was a good thing or something utterly bad.