Notes:
I really struggled with this one, between the holiday and the stress of being back at work it's been hard to focus, also I don't just want to keep recounting the events of the anime and I didn't feel like much would change in this fight as I think Luffy would understand how important the little events in this were for Sanji.
In other news I've started the Manga I'm currently on chapter 124 and very quickly making my way through.
(See the end of the chapter formore notes.)
Chapter Text
Sanji awoke with a silent scream on his lips, the haunting laugh of Blackbeard taunting him even in his sleep.
Desperately glancing around the small camp he ensured he could see what little remained of their crew and allies, he could see his captains broken form curled up feebly facing the fire, his vacant eyes staring into the flames.
Sanji crawled painfully to his feet, the days of war making each movement more of a task then it should be. Stretching his worn muscles he nodded to Law, who was rigidly sat nearby, his narrowed eyes constantly flicking around the camp, hungrily watching the trees around them, Sanji observed the man closely notting how his hand was held out his devil fruit power active so he could feel the space around them, ready to react at any approach.
Sighing Sanji approached the man, he lit a cigarette as he walked taking a drag before coming to a stop to lean on a nearby tree.
"You should get some sleep" Sanji muttered. "I've got watch."
"Thanks for the offer, but if it's all the same I'd rather keep my eyes open Black leg-ya. We'll stand more of a chance of escape with a room." Law's eyes flickered around the space taking in the thin group of allies that remained, all unsettled even in sleep. However his hand did release its hold allowing his power to go dormant, trusting in Sanji's elite observational Haki to warn of any company.
Sanji shrugged; he understood the fear, one that grew more unsettled with every passing day. "Suit yourself, don't become too exhausted, you may be the only trained medic on the island." Sanji pointed out, raising his smoke to his lips before his eyes surveyed the space, coming to a stop on his broken captain. "Has he moved at all?"
Law shook his head slightly, eyes narrowing. "It's shock, nothing we can do but hope he comes back to himself. Robin-ya tried to snap him out of it, but he's in too deep. I've never seen him so still, back on Dressrosa I probably would have paid good money to see it, now though, it feels... wrong."
Sanji's lips upturned slightly at the hint of affection in Law's voice. "He has a way of worming his way into your heart doesn't he."
Law side-eyed the cook. "I don't care for him, it's just we've all been fighting to give him time, but now he's just... not there."
"Keep telling yourself that, you know Robin-chan told me. we're close to the once piece, I couldn't stop you if you wanted to go seek it out for yourself." Sanji raised one of his curled brows.
Law glared at the cook, who smirked back knowingly. Law groaned before raising his hands behind his head and shutting his eyes "Go try and reach your captain, this will all be for nothing if he doesn't come around."
Sanji smiled a sad smile as he threw the stub of his smoke to the side, stepping forward towards his captain.
Sanji sighed as he walked over to his broken Captain, sitting down beside him looking into the flames.
"Luffy..." He began slowly, tentatively, his eyes blinking over to observe the man who lay before him. As he observed his anger grew inside, a beast he couldn't control, he understood, he really did, but the crew had died for this, because they believed in Luffy, yet here he was hiding in his own head. The beast lashed out, his foot hitting his captain rolling him over to face him. "Is this really how you want it to end? Huh, here I thought you were ready to face death, to give your everything for your dream, fuck, maybe we were died for you! Is this how you repay them? Laying here feeling sorry for yourself? They believed in you!"Sanji seethed rising to his feet in anger steam flowing from his ears.
"Sanji." Robins firm voice carried across the small camp, a hand appearing from Sanji's shoulder coming to close over his mouth stopping his tirade. "Do you think this is helping? Or are you truly trying to tell the island our location?"
Sanji's hands came up to grasp at the hand covering his mouth pulling it free, turning to face the dark haired beauty, tears rolling freely down his face, his voice torn with raging emotion. "Robin-Chan you must understand they're dead, they all died, we are the only ones left and he's giving up, and I don't understand it, were their lives not worth it? If Zoro was here, he'd smack some sense into Luffy, and Nami-Swan – she'd – well she'd hit him so hard that-" Sanji broke off with a sob his voice broken as he fell weakly to his knees, water pouring from his eyes.
Sanji heard Robin gasp slightly as he felt a weight drop on his head. He glanced up to see his captain stood there his eyes dark as he looked down at his chef, his straw hat held to his head.
"Your right." The boy muttered. "I won't let their deaths be in vein,YOU HEAR ME WORLD, I AM MONKEY D LUFFY AND I WILL BE KING OF THE PIRATES, I WILL ACHIEVE MY DREAM, FOR MY CREW!"
Robin put her hands up to her mouth as she heard the captain's passionate cries, before she allowed them to drop, nodding her head in determination.
Sanji looked his captain in the eye as a phantom smirk appeared on his lips, a smoke in hand as he lit it standing tall at his Captains declaration, the straw hat dropping slightly darkening his eyes.
"I thought we were laying low." Smoker blinked awake instantly alert as he took in the scene around him.
"I doubt Straw hat-ya know the meaning of the word quiet, but hey, at least this is better that then what we had before." Law grinned placing a hand on his sword.
"I don't know, I was enjoying the quiet." Smoker grumbled but smirked all the same.
The small group stood tall suddenly revitalised at Luffy's declaration, they had all placed their belief in the boy with the straw hat and knew he would see it through to the end.
Sanji looked around the field desperately his tired legs moving on instinct as he hopped around the field, they had found the cave that Robin had assured them would hold the ultimate treasure, but as they had approached, they had been discovered.
In the end there were only Seven people who remained at the final stand, Luffy and Law stood ready to face the Fleet Admiral as he approached from the left; as Sanji, Robin and Smoker held their ground against a laughing Blackbeard on the right. They were so close to victory and yet as tired as they were they had to face this final hurdle.
Each survivor bore the scars of the war, their movements stiff and tired after days of fighting and sleeping rough and yet each gave their all to their cause. Smoker fell first his body falling limp under Blackbeard's blackened grip as the floor below them shook and cracked in anticipation. Sanji thanked whichever gods were listening that Blackbeard had to hold back his tremendous second devil fruit out of fear of damaging the treasure that rested nearby.
As the manic pirate grabbed Robin he licked his lips asking if she would sing as lovely as the other little bird as she fell.
Robin squirmed desperate in his grip before she was launched from the field as an enraged Sanji bared his full strength down on the rival pirate. His attacks were flurried and desperate, eager to avenge the crew he had lost to this villain, finally his leg made purchase hisrevenge falling like a building on the pirates neck, feeling the bonessnap under his foot, but even as the pirate fell, he took a part of Sanji with him. Delayed Sanji realised he had gotten sloppy, the relief he had felt at finally putting a stop to the formidable foe was momentary as he felt the pain of his stomach being ripped apart, heard the screams of his Captain.
As his time ticked out, he turned to the person that had changed his destiny, that had saved him from himself time and time again. Meeting his captains' eyes he muttered 'Thank you' as he fell to the ground.
Numbly he watched as Luffy reached out to him watching the final wing of the pirate king fall a scream ripping through the air as a call of his Captains name tore through the final arena. The last thing Sanji saw was the red of his Captains blood as Sakazuki fiery arm ripped through him.
Luffy woke screaming his cooks name, the taste of iron mingling with the salt water in his throat he gasped, coughing desperately to clear the taste.
As he spluttered a glass of water was held out to him.
He gripped the glass with shaking hand tipping the liquid to his throat he greedily gulped it down.
"Careful there Chore boy, we won't rescue you from drowning twice!" A gruff voice sounded from his side. Luffy let his eyes survey the elderly man at his side as breathing returned to normal.
Zeff's eyes surveyed the boy in front of him, cutting through the crap and seeing the struggling soul within. He knew the boy had been holding himself back during the battle with the Krieg pirates, could see the boy had allowed his plunge into the deep sea, even as he sent his eggplant after him. Zeff had travelled the Grand Line and could see those who had been touched by its cruel waters, and though this boy looked young he could tell he had seen the horrors of the world.
"I'll give your performance a 6/10, I was impressed with how you held yourself as your swordsman fell, but you fumbled for a moment there, that was some impressive haki for one so young, but then maybe you're not so young?" Zeff raised a brow in suspicion. "You really let yourself down during the fight with Krieg, I could tell you were holding back a mile away, but I'll admit letting yourself fall to the ocean, now was that brave or stupid?"
Luffy blinked up at the man owlishly, surprised he had been caught so easily.
"Curious how the first name on your lips when you woke up was my little eggplant, now, are you ready to explain yourself?" Zeff stroked his beard curious, was this boy connected to Sanji's past, the thing the boy had spent years running from?
Luffy closed his eyes sighing, he knew Zeff was a formidable pirate, but he had never expected to have to explain himself to him. Luffy extended his Haki ensuring they had privacy for the conversation that was to be had.
"My name is Monkey D Luffy, I am the king of the pirates. My crew was the greatest crew on the seas, in four years we travelled the grand line and found the One Piece, but by the time we found it we were too late. My crew was a crew of dreamers, they died trying to achieve their dreams." Luffy broke off to wipe at his eyes. "My chefs dream was to find the all blue, he died in front of me."
Zeff gasped as Luffy met his eyes a storm of pain swirling behind the boy's gaze.
"Sanji was the greatest chef of all time, and he deserved to see his dream, I want him to see his dream!" Luffy cried passionately.
"What are you saying?" Zeff asked confused.
"The one piece grants the person who finds it a wish, and all I wanted was my family back, so I came back to try again, to make it so we are stronger, so they can achieve their dreams!" Snot dripped down Luffy's face as tears flooded from his eyes.
"You came back? In time?" Zeff asked contemplatively, it wasn't outside of the realm of possibility, after all he had seen a lot in his day.
Luffy nodded his face screwed up. "But now I've messed it all up because I changed everything, and you'll stop Sanji coming with me!"
"Kid, if there's one thing I know it's that you can't stop that boy doing something he wants, beside I would never stand in the way of the boys dream." Zeff advised his brow raising.
"But you'll tell him about me and then he won't be my Sanji!" Luffy continued to cry.
"Pull yourself together, are you a king or not?" Zeff challenged.
Luffy took a few moments to calm down his lip still wobbling.
Zeff nodded acceptingly once Luffy had managed to gain enough composure. "Now, if you're to catch up with the rest of your crew you'll need to hurry and convince that boy to join you, he's a stubborn brat after all, but I'm sure you can handle it!"
Luffy's lip wobbled more, and the tears returned as he looked to Zeff. "You mean you won't tell him!" he cried.
"I've been trying to get that boy to chase his dreams for years, and if you're the person who will lead him there then who am I to stand in his way, that boy is a stubborn sacrificial fool but I put my faith in him a long time ago and I'll be damned if I'm the reason that boy doesn't make history."
Luffy cried out his thanks, wrapping his rubber arms around the now flailing man who tried to escape the stretchy limbs.
"Am I interrupting something?" Sanji asked confused as he entered the room to the sight of Chef Zeff being accosted by rubbery arms.
"Just this fool being overly thankful that I'm giving him a cook." Zeff grunted batting at Luffy's arms.
"Hah, what fool are you going to convince to join this idiot, please tell me its Patty." Sanji snorted, his brow raising as Zeff turned to him a brow raised. "Don't tell me Shitty-Geezer, I already told him no and I'm not changing my mind!"
"Come on now Little Eggplant, this is your chance to find something better, to finally try and prove the all blue is real!" Zeff grunted.
"I can do that anytime I want, you really want to sell me to this child, to throw me away like that, this place would fall without me!" Sanji snarled, bitter anger rising in his heart as the second family he had ever known tried to exchange him like it was nothing
"Sanji..." Luffy began softly ready to ease the tension, but it was too late, the damage was done, Sanji stormed from the room kicking the door closed behind him breaking the thing in two.
"Well, that went well." Zeff grunted looking at the air where his boy had once stood.
"You should go after him." Luffy advised looking at the older man knowingly.
"Heh, he'll be okay, he'll blow off steam then realise I'm right, that he'd be better off joining you then wasting away here." Zeff snorted.
"No, he'll think he's a burden" Luffy's fist closed his eyes darkening. "He'll join us thinking he's doing you a favour by getting out of your way, believing he's easily replaceable. I won't betray his trust, but he needs to hear how you feel, he needs to hear what he's worth."
Zeff contemplated what the young captain was saying with what he knew of his charge. He sighed as odd behaviours he had observed over the years clicked into place, his boy had been suffering and he'd never even noticed, he wasn't equipped to deal with emotions, but he could try for his Eggplant.
Zeff found the boy on the deck kicking the remaining wreckage of the fight into the ocean watching how far his powerful kicks would send the rubbish flying.
"You've grown strong my boy!" Zeff observed his wooden leg clanking against the floor as he approached.
"Yet I'll never be as strong as you were." Sanji grumbled scuffing his feet against the floor.
Zeff chuckled. "If I'd have remained in one place I wouldn't have grown as strong as I did."
"So, is that why you're sending me away, you think I'm weak huh?" Sanji challenged.
"Don't be a damned fool, I'm not sending you away, I'm setting you free." Zeff grumbled.
"That makes no sense stupid geezerI am free!" Sanji shouted angrily.
"Here I thought I had found someone who shared my dream, who was willing and ready to search the world for the All blue!" Zeff countered. "But maybe I was wrong, maybe I found a fool who wants to wither and die at a restaurant as a Sous Chef!"
"I won't abandon you, not after all you gave up for me." Sanji deflated embarrassed as his eyes burned a hole into the floor.
Zeff laughed bitterly as the weight of Sanji's words fell on him, the rubber boy had been right, his Eggplant was suffering.
"You're a fool Sanji, even after all these years you think you owe me for my leg, but you saved my life that day." Zeff sighed taking a seat against the cold deck patting the space beside him inviting Sanji to join him.
Sanji gingerly took the offered seat his gaze weary as he glanced to Zeff.
"That day when we boarded the Orbit we had just returned from the Grandline, we were tired and foolishly unprepared to weather a storm on the sea, in fact had you not gone overboard I would have gone down with my crew and never got to live the life I've had, never would have opened this restaurant and been a safe haven for the hungry."
"What did me falling overboard have to do with you surviving, stop spouting shit geezer." Sanji snapped confused why Zeff would be rehashing this history.
"I never told you how you survived, did I? You see when you fell overboard, I couldn't help it, I felt myself moving before I could process what was happening, see when you fell, I dove in after you, see if I hadn't had been with you at that moment, I never would have made it to that damned rock." Zeff looked to his protege. "See even before I knew you Eggplant, I couldn't help but try to keep you safe, and that very action saved us both. From that moment I realised that it was fate, that I was meant to find you and teach you, so that one day you could find the All Blue, for us both."
Sanji looked up locking eyes with his mentor as his mouth fell open in shock.
"But you, you stubborn fool want to waste that dream and your talent, here. That boy in there is a true dreamer one who won't let death stand in his way, I think you could learn a thing or two with him, please Eggplant, don't let life pass you by, find the All Blue, for both of us! You deserve it." Zeff's eyes burned with passion, lighting the flames that lay dormant within Sanji.
"Fine, Shitty-Geezer you win, I'll be a pirate, and find the all blue, butwhen I do, I'm coming back here and we are setting sail together and the Baratie will find a new home, one where Fish from each sea meet, where we can create the best food, the world will ever know!"
"Yay, Sanji is joining the crew, so can you make me some meat?" Luffy cried emerging from his hiding spot.
"What you Shitty Captain, that was a private conversation!" Sanji scalded.
"Sorry, but Sanji... meat?" Luffy begged turning his puppy eyes on the chef as Zeff chuckled at the antics, it was almost strange how quickly Sanji seemed to fall into the rubber boys flow, almost like it was destiny.
After they had been fed and watered Luffy and Sanji prepared to set sail to rescue their navigator but before they set sail the rubber boy handed Zeff a package quietly asking him to open it in privacy, as they waved the two away the chefs crying at the loss of their youngest member Zeff silently wished them luck, he prayed that fate would be on their side this time around. As they faded from the horizon Zeff retreated to his quarters looking at the package the young captain had left as he opened it a black fabric fell to the desk along with a letter:
Old man Zeff,
Last time the government took offence to anyone who had connections with us. They destroyed many in their task to stop us reaching Roger's treasure. We were stupid, trying to do everything alone, but this time I know war is coming.
This time we won't be alone.
If your ever in trouble, please know you are under our protection.
Monkey D Luffy
King of the Pirates
Zeff smiled as he unfurled the pirate flag before carefully folding it up and placing in the top of his chest beside his logbook from his own adventures.
"Good luck kid, you'll make a great king."
Notes:
So next few chapters are mapped out I know where I want to go with Arlong however I have a conundrum with Loguetown, the chapter will be around a mixture of Buggy, Dragon/Sabo and obviously Smoker, now I know what I want to happen in the modern day but wondered who's flash forward you want to see between Buggy and Dragon/Sabo as I have the mapped outline of what happened with both but wanted to know which you'd rather have first, unless I have enough content once written up to split the chapter.
I also just wanted to get some opinions on the flash forwards, I have it noted what happened to everyone and the important bits but wondered if it was coming off as too disjointed where it jumps from person to person and isn't in chronological order, for example Nami being not in this chapter but was in the last Sanji flash forward, although you won't have to wait long for that story.