#( but also grinning with the cigarette between his lips is also the best sanji-- )

[melpcmene-arch]

I should hop off but-- I can't wait for someone to make Sanji this flustered to the point where he's frustrated like this!

[gardens-light]

Cooking Up Some Desert

Sometimes working at the Baratie became dull and mundane. Sanji could only stand so much criticism from Zeff.

Therefore you and Sanji would make your own fun, by confusing the staff and annoying Zeff with your flirtatious compliments towards one another. Occasionally pairing them with a cheeky ass grab, or a peck on the cheek. Causing the restaurant to mutter, "are they?" or "aren't they?"

But it was nothing but a game. You and the charming cook has been friends for years, there's no way this silly, harmless game between the two of you could blossom into something more. Right?...

Content: Live action Sanji x GN Reader. Fluff.

Word Count- 900. (Short but sweet)

As the doorman bid the last customers of the night a "Good Evening." Quiet and calm finally settled over the restaurant, a heavy sigh leaving you as you looked around, seeing the multiple plates stacked across the tables.

"Want some help?"

You looked up at the doorman, giving him a kind smile as he approached you. "Thanks, but you don't have to." You assured, "besides doesn't your shift finish now? Y'know, old man Zeff wont pay you over time."

"It's a lot of work for one person, Y/N." He spoke, starting to already pile up the plates onto your cart. "It's not fair-"

"Go home." You took some plates off him, "before you cause some trouble."

Your co-worker sighed, rolling his eyes while quietly admitting defeat. "You work too hard, Y/N. Try and not stay up too late." He spoke over his shoulder, making his way towards the restaurant doors.

"Well..." you lowly muttered, gathering the last remaining plates from nearby tables. "This mess isn't gonna clean itself..."

Pushing the cart into the kitchen, approaching the sink to start your usual washing routine. The sound of a faminular voice snapped you out of your daze.

"Stuck cleaning the dishes again?"

"Stuck waiting tables again?" you teased looking over your shoulder. Seeing Sanji light up his cigarette, as he sat at the table in the corner of the kitchen. "You should really stop pissing the boss off."

"He's just jealous." Sanji scoffed, before taking in another breath of his cigarette. "I'm the best chief in all of the East Blue. Besides, we both know I should be running this place. But the old man is so stubborn, it would never happen!-"

"What would you do so differently?" your curious tone interrupted. "Besides from changing the menu, and giving Patty the kick in the ass he finally deserves."

A small smile teased his lips, as Sanji watched you return to your chore. His blue eyes tracing over the curves of your body, that the uniform failed to hide, "I would have you where you belong."

"What's that supposed to mean?" you kept your attention on cleaning the plates. Trying to hide your blushing features.

"With you beside me, of course." A cheeky grin came to Sanji, as he put out his cigarette. "Or rather... you beneath me."

Your heart skipped a little, as the cook's charming attitude matched his sultry tone.

"You don't have to be Head Chief, to get me beneath you." A shy smile spread across your face, as you heard Sanji cough on his own breath. The cook taken aback from your flirtatious words, yet also puzzled by your seemingly oblivious tone.

"Is that so?" Sanji asked, testing to see if he heard right. "You would... let me indulge in you?"

"Something wrong with your hearing, Sanji?" Your smile widened, knowing your innocent tone confused the cook even more.

Sanji couldn't help but sit at the table for a few more moments, as your words slowly sunk into his thoughts. His heart fluttering slightly, as he slowly approached you.

"My little souffle`?"

"Hmm?" a little hum was all you gave him. Not breaking away from your chore, as you could feel Sanji's love struck gaze upon you.

The cook tilted his head to the side, as your sweet giggles came to his ears. "What's so funny?-"

Your giggles rolled into laughter, as you splashed water onto Sanji. Causing him to stop mid-sentence, as he stood a few inches away from you. Feeling the soapy water soak into his stripy button down shirt.

"You cheeky minx!" Sanji chuckled, trying to put his hand into the sink. But only to receive another splash from you, this time soaking his shirt a little more and getting bubbles into his hair. "Come here!"

You slipped from his grasp, as you moved away from him. The kitchen being filled with laughter, as you both weaved in and out of the benches, like children playing a game of 'Tag'.

Standing still for a moment, trying to catch your breath as Sanji briefly dipped from your line of sight.

"Sanji?" you breathed, looking around the seemingly empty kitchen. Your cheeky grin briefly fading, as you called his name for a second time.

"Bend over!"

A surprised yelp escaped your lips, as Sanji's voice broke the temporarily silence. Jumping out of his hiding spot, and leaning you over a nearby bench. His hands caressing your back, soothing your shaky breath. As you propped yourself up slightly, looking over your shoulder only to be greeted by his charming grin.

"This is you get for teasing me."

A small moan slipped from you, as Sanji's hand struck your behind. His hand moving down your spine, taking a gentle hold upon your hip and his free hand landed another spank. Your trousers not proving much shield, as you could already feel your ass slightly throb by the third strike. Knowing fair well, that you're gonna see Sanji's handprint on your behind tomorrow.

The cook slightly stepped away from you, allowing you to fully face him while rubbing your behind.

"Did you had to spank me so hard?"

"What's the fun in going softer?" he teased, trying to adjust his soaked shirt, which was now clinging onto his torso.

"Take this off." Your hands ran up Sanji's chest. A loving sigh escaping him, as your fingers slowly undid each button. "You'll catch a cold-"

"If we're removing clothes, my cherry tart." He moved slightly closer to you, his hips trapping yours against the bench behind you. "I'm assuming you don't have plans on sleeping much tonight."

"Well..." you matched his cheeky grin. Your hands fully undoing his shirt and peeling it off his broad shoulders. Pulling the item down his arms, and lightly dropping it onto the floor. "It would be nice to have you in my bed, rather than in my dreams."

"Oh mon chéri!" (Oh my darling.)

[tooweirdforyou]

Hi! I hope you're doing fine, so I was wondering if you could write "not replying I love you in response", for the tik tok event ? With Sanji, Zoro and Luffy 🌼☀️ please

hello, I’m doing okay, and I hope you are too! :> hope you enjoy! (( added a read more bc its a bit long! ))

Monkey D. Luffy :

— literally becomes pouty, childish and demanding. Please give him the attention and love he wants and deserves because our clingy, stretchy boy loves it. He always says I love you, to everyone, but he means it romantically when he says it to you. Why aren’t you saying it back? >:((

“Alright, Luffy, let’s get going to get the wood.” Usopp stands off to the side, hauling a basket as he makes his way off the ship.

Luffy calls out loudly to you, waving his arms as he stands on the edge to jump down. “I’ll see you soon, [Name]! I love you!”

“Okay, see you when you get back, Luffy!” You reply from the other side of the ship, waving your arms while your free hand holds a glass of Sanji’s special drink of the day steady.

. . .

Luffy stands still for a moment before shouting again. “Okay, I love you!”

“Luffy, let’s go already!” Usopp shouts from below the ship but the Straw Hat ignores him. “I love you, [Name]!”

You didn’t answer him, which causes Luffy to stretch his neck over to the upper deck, to you, face a feet away. “Oi, say it back, [Name].” Luffy demands, eyes narrowed as he stares straight back.

“Hm? Say what?” You question, brows furrowed as you giggle at how close he was, also wondering why he had yet to leave.

“You love me.”

Giggling, you just lean forward to peck his lips. “I love you, Luffy. Now, go get us some wood, mkay?”

Roronoa Zoro : 

— Most definitely stubborn, easily annoyed, and kind irritated, especially if he doesn’t often say it, and the one, of a few, times he does, you don’t say it back.

“Would you just say it?”

Your laughs that fill his ears makes Zoro click his tongue as he turns away from you on the hammock, his back to you as his eyes shut. “You’re an ass.”

“You like my ass, though. Last night is proof.” You tease, the swordsman flushing at the memory just a bit before he scoffs. “Stupid woman..”

“Okay, okay,” You calm your giggles a bit and wrap your arms around his torso, arm rising up under his shirt. “If you say it again, I’ll say it back. I want to hear you say it again, Zoro.”

“No, I already said it once, it’s your turn.”

“Come on, please?” You rub his chest and sit up, resting your chin on his shoulder and staring at his shut eyes. “Babe, pleaseee?”

Zoro grumbles just a tiny bit as he mutters out under his breath. “.. I love you..”

Satisfied, you kiss his shoulderblade and pull him so he turns to face you. “I love you, Zoro. See, was that so hard?”

Vinsmoke Sanji :

— literally becomes so heartbroken, his whole world is crushed and he’s all sulky and mopy until you say it, kind of like tamaki from OHSHC to Haruhi? yeah, that.

Sanji tells you he loves you, very often. As often as he can, because he means it, he truly does love you with all of his heart. Even more when you say it back to him every single time. So when one day, you don’t, he’s taken back.

“Hello, my beautiful angel! Did you enjoy the special snacks I made earlier for you today? I tried something new, using a recipe I learned from your native land, doing my best to treat and make it with as much care and love as I can.”

The corner of your eyes wrinkle as you smile, beaming at him when he mentions them. “Yeah, I loved them, Sanji. They were incredibly tasty, almost better than my family making them.”

His eyes widen at the compliment, feeling his heart warming up knowing he did good and he grins. “Great, I’ll make some more later for you! I’m glad to hear they were delicious.” Sanji hums, his cigarette between his teeth as he grins.

“Sounds great. I can’t wait!”

“I’ll get started on dinner preparations right after I get you some more refreshments. Be right back, my dear. I love you!”

“Mkay, take your time, Sanji.” You lean back in your lawn chair, opening back up the pamphlet you had in your hands, which surprises him and causes him to repeat. 

“Of course, angel. I love you.”

“Mmh hm.”

“Darling? Did I do something wrong?” Glancing over, you see Sanji staring at you with a mixed look of confusion, lost and sadness. “What do you mean, Sanji?”

“You.. aren’t saying it back..” Sanji mumbles and you blink, feeling the confusion spreading through you before you realize. “OH! Sanji..”

You just giggle and sit up, smiling at him lovingly and tilted your head. And when those words come out of your mouth, he can feel the relief going back into his system as he smiles back with warmth.

“I love you, my prince, Sanji.”

Mkay, finally finished a OP one :’). I’m like really reluctant to do OP ones, haha...

Back to Tiktok Trend Event!

[lawxbread]

hiya!!!can I ask for a scenario with some angsttt?😂😂I was thinking maybe sanji got hurt in a fight and was hiding his injuries but his fem!s/o found out? thanks so much in advance!! (I don't rly like nsfw smut stuff I just love angsty stuff for some reason loool)

(´• ω •`) ♡ Hey yo!! Thanks a bunch for requesting! I got so upbeat reading your ask since we all love Sanji, so I couldn’t wait to write it! Like you, I find myself appreciating writing/reading angst stuff lately so... your request came in handy !! I hope you enjoy it, have a nice and safe day! <3

I’d never think of you as a failure

Sanji x fem!reader

  Summary: Sanji has been acting weird since he came back from an exploration mission. Thanks to that, an excruciating event happened between you and Sanji. Obviously, you couldn’t help but try to figure out what’s going on with him. Sanji’s cheeling past with his family certainly has to do with it. Well, at least he has you to count on.

 Warnings: angst, disagreements, troubled past

Word count: ~1.7k

"I miss him..." You mumble to yourself as soon as you wake up, seeing the left side of your bed empty.

 It's been a few days since Sanji, your boyfriend, left the ship with Luffy, Robin, Franky, and Law's crew to explore an island. The band split into two groups to streamline the process of going in search of the blue poneglyphs. Consequently, you and the rest of the crew are in charge of keeping tabs on the ship, while the other group is using  Law's submarine since all of you agreed to meet at the next island.

 You and the others have been waiting for the rest of the crew as you already arrived on the encounter island four days ago.

  "Good morning, Nami." You greet the Straw hats' navigator while you approach Sunny's aquarium. She is sitting on the bench, "Morning, Y/N!". You both start a conversation, then you bring up the subject of the rest of the crew's members comeback, showing your worries about Sanji's safety. "I can't stand it anymore. I miss him so freaking much." You say as you cross your arms, with your hands gripping upper them. "I guess I've been used to be by his side." Nami can't help but give you a sad look. She tries to comfort you by saying they will arrive when you least expect it.

  Suddenly, You hear someone yells, "THEY'RE HERE!! LUFFY AND THE OTHERS!!"

 "Oh my god. And I want to earn a hundred million bellies!" Nami jokes as soon as she realizes the amused fluke. You don't hesitate a second and run towards the room's door in an attempt to check if it's true, with your heart pounding out of your chest, utterly desperate.

  You see Usopp in the ship's mainmast, with his hands screening his eyes from the sun's light as he tries to get a better view of the group coming. He can't stop smiling and screaming about the other group's return, giving you a glad feeling.

 "Oi!! Oi, oi, oi!" It's Luffy, happily waving at all of you. Your eyes automatically start looking for Sanji in the crowd. As soon as you see your boyfriend, without a second thought, you run towards him, immediately jumping out of Sunny, "Sanji!!".

 When Sanji notices you, a smile from ear to ear on his face appears. He opens his arms, implying to give you a tight hug.

 Quickly, you hug him. The warmth you feel when you both embrace each other is incomparable, "I missed you." Sanji whispers as he holds you. 

 When you are about to let go of the embrace, you slowly rub your arm over Sanji's right shoulder, "Ouch!" Sanji unintentionally lets out, as if he was in pain. "What happened??" You worriedly ask. "It's Nothing, Y/N-chan." Sanji grins while he tucks a lock of your hair behind your ear, "I'm okay. Don't worry." You can't help but fret about him. Still, you pass this matter over for a while.

Thereabout eight hours have passed since Luffy's group return. Since then, you've been spending this whole time with Sanji. 

 You are sitting on a bench in front of the kitchen countertop while you watch Sanji cooking the banquet for the celebration later, "You look tired.", you say with a concerned voice tone as you fold your hands together on the countertop. "How long has it been since you've slept decently?" Sanji scratches his neck with his index finger, "I'm not tired, Y/N-chan." Sanji replies while he puts some flour on the tip of your nose, leaving it entirely white. So then, he chuckles. "I've been sleeping well, don't worry." Afresh, he smiles, but you know he's hiding something from you. Sanji is unsettled, for sure.

  The big celebration starts, lots of food all over the dinner table, which follows the Straw hats' classic menu: basically, the favorite dish of each one of the members. All of these, prepared by your sweet boyfriend and, also, the best cooker you've ever met, Sanji. 

 Luffy approaches the table, his mouth drooling for complete. Expectedly, he starts eating a piece of meat. When suddenly he asks with his mouth full, "Where's Sanji?" He's right. Sanji said he was quickly going to go to the room of you both about 45 minutes ago. You lean back and look up, wondering why Sanji is taking so long. Owing to that, you get up from your seat, "I'm gonna go call him."

 An anxiety awareness comes as you walk towards your room. You don't know why, but you are having an awful feeling about Sanji's absence; a quickened breath takes over your lungs. Perhaps this is due to his behavior since he arrived. Genuinely, you know that he is not well, and it worries the hell out of you.

 Even though it's also your room, you try to respect Sanji's privacy, considering that you don't know what he is doing inside there. 

 In reason of that, you knock on the door. No answer. You try it again. Still no answer. You do it five more times, and Sanji doesn't reply. 

 So you decide to come in.

  You gradually open the door as you murmur, "Sanji?" 

 You take slow steps on the wooden floor. Sanji is not in the main room, so you call on his name using a louder voice, "Sanji!". Suddenly, a noise comes from the bathroom. 

  You immediately head over there. Hence, a feeling of shock erodes your body as you see Sanji failing to try to hide a big bruise on his right shoulder. You can't stop looking at the wound as you put your hands over your mouth in shock. The wound is really bad. It looks like it was an extremely strong punch's blow or something like that. Apparently, the injury has been there for about a week, so it's not recent. That is, Sanji was hiding it from you. 

  Sanji freezes and stares at you with wide eyes and raised eyebrows, " Y/N-chan..." His voice, a stuttering timbre. "Why didn't you tell me?" You ask him as you crease your brow and twist your mouth, trying to think of a logical reason that explains why he'd done that.

  Sanji is simply shocked. He presses his fingers firmly against the palm of his hand. As if he is holding on to the urge to do something he doesn't want at all. Unexpectedly, his eyes flood with tears. Sanji was holding back the urge to cry. Cry in front of you.

 "No, don't cry!! I hate it when you cry!!" You give him the saddest look you've ever had. He's paralyzed from head to toe. The only movement you see as you look at him is the tears running down his cheeks. 

 "Sanji!!!!" You shout to him while you fight back the craving to cry. Hands lead to your forehead as you feel your bloodstream on fire. Sanji is not saying a thing. He is doing nothing but cries and staring at you while he does so. "God...This is breaking my heart." Your voice is in a whiney tone, implying an inevitable shedding of tears. Then, eventually, your eyes well up.

  "J-just talk to me...Please." You beg. Sanji shakes his head slightly as if he is trying to take a kind of stupor away. He glances at you with a fake smile, "I'm sorry for not telling you." He wipes his tears with his left hand, "I don't know why I cried." Sanji artificially chuckles, "I'm okay."

 The cooker is lying to you again, so you confront him, "Stop telling me you're okay!!!!!" You exclaim. Sanji looks surprised at you. Then you add, "I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong." And when he opens his mouth to answer you, you interrupt him, "And don't try lying to me again." You give him a severe look.

  A bleak silence takes over the bathroom for about 10 seconds. Sanji keeps staring at you, hesitating to speak the truth.

  But then, he decides to blow off steam to you. "I got hurt in a fight." He looks down, avoiding your glance, "I didn't wanna you to think..." A line appears between your brows. "To think I'm weak." He looks back at you, "Damn it! How pathetic am I for crying like a baby in front of you??!" Sanji sighs as he palms his forehead.

  You give Sanji a once-over, "Sanji!!!". He wide-eyed stares at you, "Why would you think that??" You can't help but be nervous, "I can't..." You cross your arms, "I can't just sit by and do nothing when obviously you're suffering." Further, Sanji is hesitating again. He lights a cigarette as a down look fills his face. When, finally, he confesses, "My family... used to treat me like..." Sanji blows a cigarette smoke, "... like a failure because they thought I wasn't strong enough."  Sanji admits as he squeezes his eyes shut, fighting back his tears. "I don't wanna you to think I'm a failure and to doubt my strength as they did." He adds, "That's why I hid my injuries from you." Sanji quivers his lips as you gradually approach him.

 "Sanji..." you mumble his name while you walk towards him. He opens his tearful eyes and gazes at you. When, suddenly, you hug him like you're never going to let him go, "I'd never, under any circumstances..." You look up, trying to maintain eye contact with him, "...Think of you as a failure." You smile with your eyes and mouth at him. 

 Sanji is shaken. Now he's crying again. But with joy. He can't stop smiling and crying at the same time. He holds you even more tightly in his arms; even though it is painful for his injured shoulder, he doesn't care. It's like he's anesthetized at the moment. 

 "Mmm...You're warm." He says.

  The words you just said ended up comforting Sanji's traumatized and troubled soul.  "Now, let me treat your injury properly." You ask him with a grin.

 Later, you're sitting on the edge of the bed with Sanji as you bandage his injured shoulder. When, suddenly, you stop bandaging and then, you kiss it, "If I could..." You say as you look at Sanji's profile face, "I'd kiss away all of your scars." Lovingly, you smile at him. At last, Sanji looks back at you. 

  A pleasant silence fills the room as he presses his forehead against yours, "I love you." Sanji whispers.

[yukipri]

On the Baratie, Part 4 - a One Piece Mermaid AU Text Story

Fourth part of the Baratie story!

This concludes the part on the Baratie, but there’ll be a 5th and final Epilogue part after this!

Warnings for: minor Sanji x Luffy, Thatch x Luffy, hint of bg Ace x Luffy

Continues off of past parts!

👒🐟On the Baratie, Part 1

👒🐟On the Baratie, Prologue

👒🐟On the Baratie, Part 2

👒🐟On the Baratie, Part 3

~~

In the calm after the battle, after Luffy's been bandaged up by Deuce, Sanji tells Luffy about his dream, about All Blue, and she listens with eyes that sparkle brighter than even the gleaming jewels in her tail.

"You'll find it," she says. "Come with us."

She's amazing, Sanji thinks. Luffy is far more amazing than he could have ever imagined when he first saw her. Because she isn't just the most beautiful woman he's ever met, nor is she just the embodiment of every sailor's most fervent fantasies come to life. She's strength, she's determination, she's conviction.

She's going to become the Pirate King.

And Sanji thinks maybe, maybe he could follow someone like that.

"Not bad," a voice says from behind them, and Sanji spins, because he hadn't sensed the man joining what he thought had been a private conversation with Luffy.

Sanji flushes, because he knows Ace doesn't have a good impression of him. Sanji grits his teeth and braces himself for the mocking to come, because it always does when he says he wants to find the sea that's more myth than destination for most. Even if Luffy didn't, that doesn't mean her co-captain won't.

Except he doesn't, and Ace slowly smiles, and he looks...strangely gentle. "You'll do," he says, before turning around and disappearing back inside.

He hadn't even bothered to warn Sanji about his proximity to Luffy.

~~

The next person Sanji talks to is Thatch, who's helping clean up the kitchen after the fight outside had shaken everything out of place. Sanji finds the man with a mop, complementing some blushing cooks on the care they've put into maintaining their work stations.

"Hey, you...Thatch, was it?"

Sanji still doesn't know how to act around the man. He doesn't feel intimidating, not like Ace does, and it's hard to believe that this seemingly ordinary stranger created the insane food Sanji had tasted before Krieg had come.

"Oh, Zeff's kid, what's up?" Thatch passes the mop off to another cook, and leans against a counter, looking perfectly at home despite this being the Baratie's kitchen.

Sanji doesn't bother correcting him. It feels nice, being called Zeff's kid, he thinks. Much nicer than being called that man's child. He likes it.

"Your cooking...it was incredible," Sanji manages. Awkward, he thinks, awkward, and utterly insufficient in describing it.

"Aww, glad you liked it," Thatch says with a bashful little grin, as though he hadn't effortlessly created the best food Sanji's ever had in his life. And maybe to him, it really was nothing. Sanji feels more respect than bitterness.

"You like Luffy," are the next words out of Sanji's mouth, and he winces because he hadn't meant to say that, but it's a love letter, had crossed his mind again.

Thatch's eyebrows go up. "Well, yeah? How could anyone not love Seastar? Or do you mean..." Thatch laughs then, but it's not at all mocking, just incredulous. "Wait, is that what you got out of my cooking?"

"Am I wrong?" Sanji shouldn't feel so defensive, but he does. This man loves the girl who's stolen Sanji's heart, and at the moment, Sanji knows he's not even competition. The least Thatch can do is admit it.

"Mmm...I suppose you aren't," Thatch concedes, "but if that's all you got from it, you can dig a lil deeper."

Sanji frowns. He doesn't think he read wrong, and he had sensed love love Love. But he also doesn't think Thatch would lie.

"Could I learn how?" Sanji doesn't just mean tasting, and he knows Thatch knows, and also hears the unsaid from you.

Thatch smiles.

~~

Zeff and the other Baratie cooks had apparently been preparing a scene for Sanji, in which they insult his cooking to make him feel like he needs to leave if he continues to refuse to join the pirates.

Luckily there's no need for it.

"You may already have a cook, but there's no demerit to having multiple, especially out at sea," Sanji begins, and Luffy's eyes light up, but for once Sanji's trying to focus more on her co-captain. "I'd like to join your crew."

"Yes!!!...right, Ace?" Luffy peers eagerly into the face of the man whose shoulders she's currently back to hanging from.

"Hmm, I dunno..." Ace pretends to think, and Luffy viciously chomps his ear. "OW, just kidding. Welcome to the ASL Pirates."

~~

Sanji's packing, trying to only gather the essentials but occasionally pausing to soak in the nostalgia of the room that had been his home for so long, when his hands still.

He's spotted a bundle of old, worn magazines wedged between much thicker books. They were among the first of their kind that Sanji had ever gotten his hands on. Sanji read cookbooks Before, but seeing cooking magazines, with stories about the people and culture behind the cooking, had been new to him when he first encountered them after joining Zeff.

It was a piece of the world from Outside (outside the confines of a hostile, military mobile fortress), and Sanji had been fascinated. He certainly hadn't cared that the magazines were published decades before Sanji had obtained them, second hand at a used bookstore they'd passed by on a little island before the Baratie had been completed. And Zeff indulged him, collecting more, claiming that it was to build up his future restaurant's cookbook library, though they were all hoarded in Sanji's room.

None of the other magazines captured Sanji's interest like those first ones though. Because in them was a column tracking the story of a boy, who at the time the magazines had been published, had been around Sanji's age. A boy prodigy who had won multiple international cooking competitions, even had his own restaurant and soup kitchen, but who left it all behind to travel the world to further polish his craft.

To Sanji, who had only ever encountered adults interested in cooking, the column on the boy was more fascinating and inspiring than any fictional story could ever hope to be. And even though he had no objection to helping Zeff with his dream of completing and running the Baratie, at night, Sanji would escape into the articles, imagining himself traveling alongside the boy to different countries, exploring and studying different environments and ingredients and the culinary cultures that had evolved in them.

While the columns were written by some professional journalist, there was always a clip included of the boy's personal notes. Scrawled and messy, they showed the child behind them, and Sanji always imagined them as something like personal letters addressed to himself.

Sanji's brush with death and starvation is forever engrained in his mind, but he has little experience exploring other less developed islands, certainly none by himself. He knows little about the hardships of travel, nor the joy of adventure. Reading the columns, he experiences them through the boy, learning through his words without ever leaving his own bedroom.

Don't waste anything edible, ever, or you'll regret it once you're stuck on a tiny boat, the boy wrote. In another article, you might think it tastes bad, but know who its friends are and it'll usually work out. In yet another, sometimes you don't have the right money, or any money at all, but you still gotta eat.

The boy's words influenced many of Sanji's beliefs, that he otherwise likely wouldn't have held so firmly, having never personally experienced their applications himself.

But magazines, especially out of print ones, are hard to obtain out at sea, even more so when they don't even originate from East Blue. Despite years of hunting, Sanji never managed to collect all of the boy's stories, and eventually, he realized that they were no longer being published. He never found out if the column was cut, or if it had a conclusion in an issue he was missing, or if something happened to the boy.

It's been years since Sanji's last flipped through them, but on a whim, he takes one, feeling oddly sentimental and wanting to say goodbye to this important part of his childhood memories at the Baratie.

And as he opens the weathered pages to the article, and looks at the photo of the familiar smiling boy, he sees something that he'd apparently forgotten, and it makes the cigarette fall from his lips.

The boy's name.

Thatch.

~~

~~

Again, one more Epilogue part after this, though they’ll have moved on from the Baratie! Next part contains my personal headcanons for Thatch’s past <3

As always, thank you so much for reading! If you had any thoughts while reading, I’d love so much to hear them! ;A;

❀ ❀ Send YukiPri an Ask! ❀ ❀

Read the next part: 👒🐟On the Baratie, Part 5 Epilogue

~This ask has been added to the Mermaid AU Text Headcanons Compilation post~

[luccislegs]

Idk, I think it might be bc you're early on in the series/are a new blog? Just a guess, since a lot of people like Ace/Law/Kid or whoever. Anyhow, could I have some headcanons of Sanji with a crush who hides their mouth under a slip-on mask? They were told were told by their village elders that they have a disturbing grin and the mask doubles as a partial disguise while going out. Hope you get more requests soon!

i can appreciate that actually. also if that’s the case i should probably dip lmao i hate having to beg for asks. i do however appreciate you trying to help! also explain to me where you get these ideas bc they are stellar

–

“Hey.”

You jumped a little as a voice sounded from above you. Out of pure habit, you reached up and adjusted your mask, making sure it hadn’t slipped. When you looked up, you found a young man in a straw hat hanging upside down from the lowest branch of the tree you were seated under.

“Hello,” you said hesitantly. He wasn’t blinking as he stared, which would have been unnerving enough, but the straight line frown he wore made the whole of his upside down face downright disturbing. Closing the book in your lap, you prepared to run.

“Why doesn’t your mouth move when you talk?” he asked. His voice was deadpan, with little to no curiosity, which was in opposition to the fact that he had asked you a question that bordered on too personal.

You weren’t sure what possessed you to answer. Maybe it was that he seemed a bit dense, maybe it was the fact that he made you feel normal, but whatever it was, it made you say, “It’s…a mask.”

With that, he flipped out of the tree, landing on his feet in front of you. His mouth stretched into a wide and silly grin, instantly putting you at ease. “Why are you wearing that?” His question, though asked with no malice, set off alarm bells in your head, and you began to shut down.

“That’s none of your business, straw hat. I have to go.” But that wouldn’t be the last you saw of him.

You met the rest of the crew later on in the week, at the same time you found out they were pirates. It didn’t take them long to realize that the villagers seemed to avoid you unless absolutely necessary, and that you wore that mask like it was a defense against them. Each of them asked, at least once, and though you were less frosty than you had been with Luffy, you still made it abundantly clear to them that the topic was off limits.

They took the hint, and took it well, which maybe attributed to why you agreed to join their crew the day they decided to leave port. That, and they didn’t act like you were a freak for wearing it, even though they had only ever seen half of your face. They didn’t pressure you to remove it, to let them see it. They accepted that you may never show them, and invited you anyway.

You didn’t turn around to wave goodbye to anyone on the island, you knew that no one would be there waiting to see you off. It was likely only your imagination, but you thought maybe you could hear the whole island breathe one collective sigh of relief as you sailed away on a boat full of relative strangers. You did, too.

One person that seemed to care less than any of the others was Sanji. He treated you just like any of the others on the ship, except maybe Zoro. You weren’t sure what that was all about, but the others seemed to ignore it, so you did too.

You had been on the ship for a few months when you began to notice a change in his behavior, however. It was such a gradual change that you didn’t notice it at first, in fact, you weren’t really sure why you noticed it all of a sudden. You just did.

A big tell-tale was less flirting with Nami and Robin. Not that he didn’t still freak out periodically, but it was just…less.

A less obvious tell, and one you thought you were imagining at first, was that he began to watch you. More than he was before, and in a different way than before. It wasn’t suspicious, maybe concern, maybe confusion, you weren’t sure. But the more you watched him, the more he watched you.

It wasn’t long before it began to bother you, and you began to grow paranoid. Maybe he was finally wondering what was wrong with your face that you had never shown it, maybe he was going to demand you reveal yourself. Panic filled you at the thought, and you began to contemplate jumping ship at the next port of call. You wondered how long it would take them to notice you hadn’t come back, and that thought made you feel so lonely it was almost unbearable. It was the first time you had actually felt like you belonged somewhere, with no one judging you, no one casting dark looks over the shoulder as you passed, not ducking down alleyways as you approached.

The idea of leaving left your head swimming, and it was as you were starting to drown in it that Sanji approached.

The call of you name snapped you out of it, just enough that you could respond, but realizing that it was him sent you spiraling again. He wore a serious, contemplative look, the cigarette between his lips casting a strange shadow across his face.

“Woah, what’s wrong?” he asked, stopping just shy of your personal space.

“Nothing,” you said, a little to quickly, and even to you it sound hollow and untrue. But you couldn’t think of anything to add, too lost in your own negativity as you were, and you were content to stay there, until he spoke again.

“So, uh, we’re going to be landing soon. I was wondering…I have to go shopping so…do you maybe want to go into town with me?” he asked, his cheeks a flaming red that only grew brighter the more words tumbled out of his mouth. He was scratching the back of his head, his eyes flicking towards your face but never quite meeting yours.

Whatever you had expected him to say or ask, it wasn’t that, and you began to gnaw at your bottom lip as you considered his request. Throwing caution to the wind in the wake of the relief that filled your chest, you nodded, allowing a small, shy smile to creep up onto your face.

You shut it down just as quickly, slamming the happiness down as hard as you could before it could really manifest itself. It was too much to hope that he would go any further, too much to hope that it was more than it seemed. But still, you couldn’t help the tiny spark that lit in your chest.

From that moment until the time the anchor dropped at the dock, your heart fluttered against your ribs like a trapped bird, hope and despair playing tug-of-war with your nerves the whole time.

They eased a little when Sanji looked to you and offered his arm, which you took hesitantly but quickly came to enjoy. As you strolled through the square, he chatted amicably, like you were his best friend, and you found yourself reciprocating with ease. It was easy to forget for a while that you weren’t like everyone else, Sanji just treated you like that.

The facade was broken by a child screaming out, “What is that freaky mask your wearing? Are you ugly?”

As soon as you registered what was said, you deflated and sunk in on yourself, hunching your shoulders as you used your hair to hide your face. On the verge of tears, you yanked your arm from Sanji’s, wanting nothing more than to run back and hide on the ship. A strong hand on your wrist prevented you from escaping, and to your astonishment he began to yell at the child, calling him rude and demanding he apologize.

Unable to look up, you missed the terror on the boy’s face, followed by his mother ushering him away in a hurry, casting scathing looks back at your companion.

The grip on your wrist relaxed, and his thumb began to rub circles on your skin. “Hey, don’t listen to him. I don’t have to see your face to know you’re beautiful.”

It was such a typically Sanji thing to say you couldn’t help the snort of laughter that escaped your lips, but you quickly clamped your hand over the mask covering your mouth and cast a quick glance at Sanji.

“You can laugh. I’m not offended,” he said with a shrug. His hand slid further down, linking his fingers between yours before he began to pull you along in the direction you had been heading before the rude child called out.

You let him, watching the back of his head in bewilderment.

That initial outing didn’t establish a pattern exactly, but it quickly became apparent to everyone that something more was going on between the two of you since that day. Gentle hand brushed, a hand on your lower back as he passed by you, and soft smiles in your direction were too obvious to miss.

He still had his outbursts about Robin and Nami, but now they seemed reactionary rather than attention seeking, and even they could see the difference. Something about you had enamored him, and all without him ever seeing your full face.

The idea that he ever would filled you with dread. So you began to pull away.

He didn’t give you very long to try, though, and approached you about it exactly one week into your avoidance scheme. Naturally, you tried to duck away from him, but his hand around your wrist stopped you. It reminded you so strongly of that first day, that date, as you had begun to think of it, that you wanted to cry. It hurt to be so afraid of something as natural as this, but you couldn’t take the rejection if he decided, like your village had, that your smile was too unnatural to be normal.

“What’s wrong? Why are you suddenly avoiding me? Did I do something wrong?” he demanded, but he didn’t sound angry. Just hurt.

It twisted your heart, and you stopped trying to pull away. He was so kind, and funny, and charming, and all that coalesced into as strong a pull as you had ever felt towards someone before, and that frightened you. “No, Sanji. It’s– I–” You sighed in frustration at the words that wouldn’t come. You wanted to let him down easy, but it was impossible when you didn’t want to let him down at all. “I think– it’s better this way. I have a lot of…problems, from my past. I don’t want to drag you down.”

“It’s about that mask, isn’t it?” he asked, pulling at your wrist so you would turn around to face him. You went willingly enough, but wouldn’t look him in the eyes. “I don’t care about what’s under it. If it’s a scar or– or you have big lips or–”

You snickered at that, placing the back of your hand to the mask to stifle the noise. A flicker of a smile appeared on his face as well, but fell quickly.

“I mean it. I don’t care what’s under the mask. I like you, I want to get to know you better, if you’ll let me?” It was more question than statement; he was asking permission, and that endeared him all the more to you. For such a flirt, he sure was polite.

You looked up at him, trying to gauge whether he was lying at all, even though you knew from his tone that he wasn’t. He was only every this serious about food and fighting. And you, it seemed.

Trying to tamp down the rising panic in your chest, you began to reach up towards the ties that held your mask in place, your head starting to swim as your breathing became more shallow. Hands on yours stopped your progress though, and through the fog you could hear Sanji say, “Hey, you don’t have to show me. Not until you’re ready.”

Tears sparked at the sincerity, but you shook your head, words coming out in a hoarse tumble. “I need to know you’ll accept me as I am, before I get too attached and you hurt me. It’s better this way. Believe me.”

You could hardly see him, but thought you saw him nod, and the hands slipped from yours. The ties came loose a second later, and you cradled the mask gently in your hands as you brought it down from your face. It was the first time in many, many years that you had allowed someone to see you without it, and it felt like you were standing on the deck naked without it.

Sanji remained quiet as he stared at you, drinking in your face in it’s entirety like it was his first sip of water in a week. “Well, I don’t see any big lips, or a mustache, so–“

You cut him off with a snort, your lips curling up in a smile before you could stop it. Immediately, you clapped a hand to your mouth, barely daring to look at him but needing to know what his reaction was.

His brows furrowed, and his hand came up to tug gently at yours. You reluctantly allowed him to pull it down, clasping it in his like he was afraid you were going to hide behind it again if he let go. “Is that what you’re so afraid of? Your smile?”

The nod you gave him was a forced one; it felt like a weakness admitting it. The villagers never expressly made you wear the mask, but they made it clear they liked you better behind it. It became an unspoken rule that you had to wear it, and pretty soon you began to believe something actually was wrong with your smile, and with you. But the way Sanji was staring at you, not with disgust but with confusion, made you believe, just for a second, that maybe nothing was wrong.

“I don’t see anything wrong with it. Maybe it isn’t exactly like mine, but that doesn’t mean you have anything to be ashamed of.” His free hand came up and pushed a curl of hair out of your face, his fingers tracing a gentle path down your cheek afterwards. “I understand if you’re afraid, but my personal opinion is that you’re gorgeous. Wear the mask if it makes you feel better, but you don’t need to be ashamed of anything.”

More than anything, besides the fact that he didn’t outright run from you in horror, you were relieved that he didn’t diminish your fears. They were long kept and deep rooted, and they weren’t going to be conquered in one night. But even with just one person on your side, by your side, you felt better already. Like maybe one day you would be able to face everyone without your mask.

“Thank you, Sanji,” you whispered, your voice thick with unshed tears.

“You’re welcome, princess. You gonna stop avoiding me now?” he asked, flicking you gently on the forehead.

You giggled, and before you could even consider lifting your hand to hide it, it was already coming up. But then his was wrapped around it, squeezing gently. “We’ll work on that,” he said, leading you into the kitchen. “I think it’s time we celebrate to seeing that pretty face of yours.”

–

let me explain something to y’all it is 11pm here and this got wildly out of hand and it’s too mushy and i have an extreme paranoia of characters being ooc without meaning for them to be event tho sanji is hella easy but this was also super fun to write

also i suck at endings but tbh this one is like, top 5 for me so kudos me ima pat myself on the back. i’m posting this now bc idk what a schedule is :^)

also x2 i realized i didn’t edit this stupid thing, then i reread the ask for the third time and realized you asked for headcanons so long story short no headcanons, just scenario, and one very tired, incapable of reading admin

[anubislover]

Welcome to the Heart Pirates, Nami-ya Chapter 6: Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

“The Grand Ballroom” was certainly an apt description. The marble dancefloor was inlaid with veins of gold and sparkling quartz, its flat surface so polished it hurt to look at. Plush, wine red carpet lined the perimeter, perfectly matching the cushions of elaborately carved loveseats and couches. Six-foot tall, solid gold candelabras were scattered throughout the room, the flickering flames dancing as gracefully as the guests. Enormous, stained-glass windows depicting hedonistic scenes stretched from floor to ceiling, the colored glass obscuring the view of the outside world. Burgundy velvet drapes trimmed in gold were artfully hung throughout the room, their heavy material casting deep shadows in private nooks perfect for illicit rendezvous.

To the side was a massive buffet, the tables straining under trays of assorted meats, exotic fruits, decadent pastries, tartlets, brie, beef wellingtons, deviled eggs, and more. A literal fountain of wine stood at the center of the smorgasbord, cherubs pouring the intoxicating liquid out of decanters into the guests’ crystal glasses.

The ceiling was the most impressive aspect, though. Above the crowd hung eight massive, golden chandeliers in the shape of octopi, each winding tentacle clutching a light the size of a human head. Multi-faceted crystals dripped off their bulbous bodies like drops of water, making it appear they’d just emerged from the sea and casting shards of light and prismatic rainbows dancing about the walls and floor.

Not to be outdone, the guests that milled about wore their finest costumes, with ballgowns, doublets, tailcoats, hats, capes, masks, and jewelry made from silks, satins, chiffon, precious gems, and exotic furs and feathers. Maids clad in short, tight, copper uniforms wove through the crowd, offering drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and petit fours. A small orchestra was set up in the far corner of the room, filling the air with their slow, elegant music.

It was exactly the kind of party that had Nami salivating. Rich men with thick wallets and wealthy women wearing expensive jewelry were laid out more temptingly than the food.

Still, the décor did bring up a few questions. “If the Baron hates seafood so much, why all the octopi?” she asked curiously, studying the ceiling.

Behind the mask, Law looked thoughtful. “I’d assume it’s a vanity thing; according to my intel, he was touted as ‘The Golden Octopus’ during his time in the Navy.”

“Why?”

“Probably a reference to the number of organizations he was involved in, though there were also rumors about him having an octopus-related Devil Fruit. That seems unlikely, though.”

“What makes you say that?”

“No Devil Fruit user would keep his important files in a Seastone safe. Just touching the damn thing would drain his energy. Besides, don’t you think the World Government would have made that common knowledge to strike fear into pirates? They’ve never exactly been shy about bragging about their officers’ powers.”

Nervously checking her cat mask to ensure it was tightly secured, she said lowly, “You’d better be right; if it turns out he can turn into an octopus or something I’m charging you for shitty intel.”

Casually, the pair meandered through the crowd, giving polite greetings and sizing up potential prey. The Cat Thief had already picked out a few marks; men who’d cast her salacious leers, despite her being on another’s arm. They’d be easily distracted by her cleavage and flattery and wouldn’t even notice their pockets getting progressively lighter. Even better, Law’s presence would also give her the ideal excuse to turn down their inevitable, unwanted advances. Nothing fended off creeps like a jealous boyfriend, after all, and in high society, you never wanted to risk causing a scene. She’d just have to make sure he knew when to step in.

As if he could hear her thoughts, Law murmured in her ear, “I don’t plan on letting you out of my sight, so if you need me, adjust your hairpins and I’ll come to your rescue.”

“‘Rescue’ is a strong word, but I appreciate it,” she responded, tone dripping with false affection as she straightened his lapels, acting as the ever-attentive beau. “Tell me, Adrian, are you the type to tolerate other men flirting with your girlfriend?”

“Of course not. What’s mine is mine, and men challenge that claim at their own peril.” His reply was smooth as polished obsidian, one hand possessively resting on her waist as he steered them over to the side of the dance floor. The thick leather of the black glove shielded her from the heat of his palm, but the weight and press of his fingers into her delicate flesh made up for it.

Teasingly, she tapped the tip of his beak. “That doesn’t sound very doctor-like. Isn’t there a Hippocratic Oath you’re supposed to be following?”

“There are exceptions to every rule.” Long fingers gently lifted her chin so he could gaze deeply into her eyes. “There’s no oath I wouldn’t break to keep my woman at my side.”

Damn, that line should not be so hot, she thought, the faint blush painting her cheeks visible just beneath the bottom of her mask. It was surprising how easily Law managed to turn on the charm and hide the far creepier meaning of his words. If she were an average woman with no knowledge of his criminal activities or identity as one of the most feared up-and-coming pirates of the current generation, she might swoon a little bit.

Nami really needed more practice dealing with handsome men flirting with her. She was far too used to friendly, harmless perverts like Brook and Sanji, or disgusting lechers like Absalom. Besides being physically attractive, Law’s flirtations were harder to brush off because she completely believed him when he said he was pickier about his women than the rest of his crew. Perhaps that was why he got her so flustered; he didn’t wear his desires on his sleeve, so his attention felt more…focused, like sunlight through a magnifying glass, burning away her defenses.

“And what about you?” he coaxed, lifting her hand to delicately press the tips of her fingers to his lips as his eyes bore into hers. Electric shocks tingled up her hand as heat coiled within her belly. It was way too easy to imagine him giving her that look in a dark bedroom as he slowly stripped off her clothes. “Are you the type to play with a man’s heart? The type to stray? Or are you just so naturally charming you don’t realize the kind of thoughts you put in men’s minds?”

It took her a moment to realize he was asking for the sake of the cover; to establish his reaction when he barged in on her flirtations with other men.

His interest and sensual actions were solely for the sake of the cover. For business, not pleasure. None of it was real, and she grasped that fact like a lifeline. It was so much easier to remain in control if she remembered that it wasn’t Law that was flirting with her, but Dr. Goodheart Adrian, Chaton Bellemere’s surgeon lover. Hell, he was wearing a mask—she could easily pretend that he wasn’t her dangerously attractive temporary captain, but another mark she could tease and deceive with no consequences.

Lips quirking in a saucy, mischievous grin, she leaned in close, breath ghosting across his throat as she replied, “I’d never cheat, but I am the kind of woman who likes to see if she can get her boyfriend jealous. There’s something so arousing about seeing such a normally composed doctor so worked up over little old me.”

Her response made Law pause, blinking owlishly in surprise before his grip on her hand tightened ever-so-slightly, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. “How jealous do you want?” he rasped, giving the pad of her middle finger a light nip. “I’m happy to break a few jaws before I carry you off.”

A tiny hiss of pleasure escaped between her teeth before she regained control. Pressing a chaste kiss to the corner of his sharp jaw, just below his ear, she murmured, “I’m sure these men don’t want any trouble; just come up with an excuse to lead me away. A little decorum goes a long way, after all.”

She’d planned on flouncing away and getting to work mingling and stealing, but her whole body froze as she caught a familiar scent.

Tobacco smoke, thick and sweet wafted up her nose, and as her heart stuttered in her chest, Nami slowly turned her head to the side, following the grey trail to a large, imposing figure glowering at the crowd as if he’d like to arrest half the people in the room. His formal suit was as white as his hair, his forest green tie and matching domino mask the only pop of color. With the long scar down his face and signature cigar, the mask did nothing to hide his identity.

“What the hell is he doing here?” she squeaked, panicked and already trying to figure out the best way to escape.

“Hina, what the fuck am I doing here?!” Smoker growled, not bothering to keep his voice down.

Beside him, a beautiful woman with long, sakura pink hair and a cigarette dangling from her full, red lips sighed. She was dressed in a stunning, form-fitting silver gown embroidered with fluttering blackbirds, the silk flowing down her figure like mercury. Her mask, also silver but with a black feathered plume, hung absently from her fingers. “Because you owe me. After all the strings I’ve pulled over the years to keep you from getting demoted back down to Chore Boy, this is the least you can do.”

“Look, Hina, I know I owe you, but you could have asked me to do your paperwork for a month or something. Fancy crap with stuffed shirts isn’t my thing, especially when it means playing nice with that bastard. Why couldn’t you take someone Fullbody or Django? They’d be happy to shower you with attention and ask you to waltz and that other gentlemanly shit.”

Shoulders tense as she carefully observed the crowd, she stated, “Precisely because this isn’t your thing. I need you to stand next to me looking grumpy and miserable to keep stupid ass-kissers and perverted old octopi from asking me to dance. Hina hates that old creep.”

Though his teeth ground against his cigar, the corner of his mouth lifted into the barest hint of a smile. “Well, when you put it like that, I guess I am the perfect man for the job.”

“Did you know they were going to be here?” Nami asked under her breath, pressing close to her partner. Smoker was only about fifteen feet away, but the din of the crowd and orchestral music helped mask her voice. Her every instinct screamed for her to run, but she knew any sudden movement around the pirate hunter would capture his undivided attention, like a rabbit trying to escape a wolf. Inwardly, she seethed; if Uni had managed to modify the guest list, surely he would have known a certain Marine was coming, right? Why didn’t anyone warn her? Everybody knew there was nothing Smoker would like better than to capture and imprison the Straw Hats.

Her anger ebbed slightly as Law pulled her a bit closer, doing his best to shield her with his body. Though his poker face was still in place, she could feel the tension coiled in his muscles. “I knew Black Cage was invited, but her RSVP was a ‘no.’ I’d assumed she was cleaning up the mess of the war or helping track down the prisoners Mugiwara released from Impel Down. White Chase was definitely not on the guest list.”

“What do we do?”

“Keep calm. It’s a big party, and it shouldn’t be too hard to avoid them. Even if they notice us, our disguises should allay suspicion, and there’s no way they’d expect the two of us together.”

He was right; even if they did somehow recognize Law, they’d never expect the navigator of a rival crew on his arm, meaning she might be able to make a break for it. She wasn’t too worried about his safety; he was a strong fighter and could teleport himself to the other side of the island in a heartbeat. She was the one who would be screwed if she caught a Marine’s eye.

Surreptitiously, Nami peeked around Law’s chest to watch the pair, hoping for some sign they’d move on to another part of the ballroom, but soon found herself staring at the beautiful captain. Bad as her experiences with the World Government were, she couldn’t help but admire a strong Marine woman. And though the hairstyle was different, the color and cigarette briefly brought visions of her adoptive mother, and she wondered if Hina had heard of Bellemere. There weren’t too many female officers in the Marines; had she been renowned enough for someone like Hina to look up to? Or was her decision to give up military life to raise two orphaned girls treated as a disgrace? The Navy hadn’t offered any financial assistance or seemed to care when she’d been murdered by pirates, so the latter seemed more likely.

Of course, a trained soldier would sense she was being watched, and Hina inclined her head towards the incognito couple. “You’ve been staring at me. Why?” she asked suspiciously, taking a long drag of her cigarette as her dark eyes narrowed.

Luckily, years of swindling, being a member of Arlong’s crew, and generally always needing to get herself out of trouble had made Nami a pretty good actress, even under pressure. “I was just admiring your dress. It’s absolutely gorgeous!” she gushed, making her voice as airheaded and overexcited as she could under the Marine’s scrutiny. “Wherever did you get it?”

Apparently, her ruse worked, as she gave a small but pleased smile. “Thank you. There’s a shop in Alabasta that carries beautiful silks. I stumbled across it while on a mission and decided to treat myself. When I learned I’d be attending this…party, a dressmaker on Sabaody made them into a custom gown for me.”

“Alabasta! How exotic! Oh, darling, can we go there on our next holiday?” she asked, looking up at Law, wide brown eyes begging him to play along. “I simply must have a dress like that!”

Catching on, the doctor once more pulled her close, dropping a kiss to her hair. “If that’s what you want, that’s what you’ll get. Nothing’s too good for you, sweetheart.”

She gave him a dazzling grin, wrapping her arms around his waist in an enthusiastic hug. “Really?! Oh, thank you, cuddle bear!”

Internally, Nami cheered in victory as his jaw tightened and blue tint came to his cheeks. She might not get to kick his ass, but she could still make his night hell in all the little ways. “You’re…welcome,” he ground out.

“Hina-chan!” a loud, overly cheerful voice called out from the crowd, and an older, obese man strode over. His tuxedo was gold silk and embroidered with scarlet octopi, a long, crimson cape trailing behind him. His grey hair was thin, braided into eight little rattails, and slicked back with so much oil it gleamed like grease on the water. A gold octopus mask hung from his neck, the tentacles a writhing mass and encrusted with rubies for suckers. “How marvelous! You were able to make it after all!”

Both Marines noticeably stiffened at his approach. “Well, after your call, my superiors were convinced that attending your party was more important than attending to my duties,” she said, tone so frosty it made Drum Island seem like a tropical paradise.

“Oh, don’t be that way, Hina-chan,” Baron Harpin chuckled, giving her an appreciative leer. The way the captain tensed further made it clear the feeling wasn’t mutual. “Always so serious, even back when you were a trainee. Really, you should be grateful I pushed so hard to get you a night off—it pains me to think of such a beautiful flower wilting on the battlefield. I swear I’ll never forgive Sengoku for denying my request to have you as my personal secretary.”

“Hina’s too damn good a soldier to waste on some pathetic desk job,” Smoker’s deep, rough voice cut in, muscular arms crossed tightly over his massive chest. “And she ain’t wilting—she thrives out there.”

The Baron regarded him with undisguised disdain. “I don’t recall inviting you.”

“I’m Hina’s plus-one, or did you not notice that on the RSVP? Pretty sloppy for the head of Navy Intelligence. Sorry—ex-head of Navy Intelligence.”

The pirate hunter’s biting comment struck a nerve, as disregard turned into outright hatred. “Careful, Smoker; I may be retired, but I’ve still got plenty of pull with the Admirals, plus several other organizations. One word from me and your career is over.”

A threatening step forward was all Smoker was able to take before Hina held him back. “He’s not worth it,” she murmured before insistently leading him away.

“Just one moment, Hina-chan,” their host sing-songed. When the woman in question acknowledged him over her shoulder, he gave a haughty grin. “I know I permitted you a plus-one, but that’s because I’d assumed you’d bring along someone with more…class. I surround myself with only the finest things, after all. I’m rather inclined to have him escorted out for the sake of my invited guests; trash like him tends to ruin the ambiance.”

Turning fully towards him, though still keeping a restraining hand on Smoker’s bicep, she stated, “What do you want?”

His returning leer was as greasy as his hair. “A smile. Surely such a rare and radiant thing will counteract your…date’s foul appearance.”

“Oh, that fuckin—” Smoker growled, but Hina’s silent glare stopped him. Taking a deep, fortifying breath, the Marine captain plastered on a bland, completely hollow smile for their former superior before dragging her old friend out to the gardens to smoke in peace.

“Be sure to save me a dance, Hina-chan!” he called after them, entirely too gleeful to have the last word. As he beamed at his guests, his black, watery eyes fell on Nami, and she swore she could feel his gaze creep over her like a writhing mass of tentacles.

Not wanting to hang around lest Harpin decided to come over and introduce himself, she gave Law’s elbow a slight tug, and he willingly let her lead him away towards one of the little alcoves. “Well, he seems…yeah, he’s a total creep.”

“I feel like I need a chemical shower just being in his presence,” Law conferred lowly, grabbing them both a glass of champagne before ducking behind the curtains. The drapes mostly hid them from view, but he strategically positioned himself so his shoulder blocked the slight gap in the heavy velvet, yet still allowed him to notice anyone approaching. “Pity Black Cage didn’t deck him in the jaw.”

“I was hoping Smoker would make him eat his own mask.” She swiftly changed the subject, unwilling to risk one of their fellow guests overhearing them badmouth their host. “I was not expecting those two. I mean, not just here—do you think they’re dating?”

Law rubbed his chin in consideration. “I hope not. Any progeny they might produce would be an absolute nightmare to pirates the world over. The tobacco industry would be thrilled, though.”

Unbidden, a giggle escaped her as an image of a tiny Marine with Smoker’s scowl and Hina’s pink hair popped into her head, an oversized cigar comically protruding from the child’s mouth.

“Of course, that’s assuming they don’t both die of lung cancer before then,” he added absently, sipping his drink. Grey eyes swept the room over his shoulder, noting that most of the guests had the tact to look away from the alcoves, especially those occupied by couples engaged in private moments. A long arm wrapped around Nami’s tiny waist, pulling the gorgeous woman against his hip so he could murmur in her ear, “But enough about that. What else should I know about my lovely Bellemere? How did we meet?”

Playing along, she ran the tips of her fingers along his chest beneath his jacket. They should have discussed this earlier, but in the craziness of the mission prep, it had fallen by the wayside. “At an auction, of course,” she supplied easily. “There was a wonderful mermaid piece that I had taken an interest in.”

A low chuckle caressed her as he wound a lock of purple hair around his finger. The easiest lies to keep up were ones based on truth, and there was no hiding his amusement at how she’d spun the debacle at Sabaody. “Of course. You and your companions got separated, and I graciously offered to keep you company until you could be reunited. Not long after, I performed life-saving surgery on your friend, and you’ve been at my side ever since.”

His arrogant tone made her roll her eyes. “Does Dr. Goodheart have any notable achievements to his name? I can’t imagine I’d be interested in a mediocre doctor, and you must have gotten your medical license somewhere.”

“Gotten a what now?”

When she stared at him in open horror, jaw dropping to the floor, he couldn’t stop himself from laughing. “I reattached a girl’s leg during my first year at Serenity Hospital in the North Blue,” he stated with a grin. “I was accepted into med school at fifteen and finished my surgical residency in only three years, and I also have several published papers on the effects of lead poisoning in children.”

“Really?” she replied, skepticism dripping from her lips.

“Of course. I could only learn so much through books and practicing on my friends, so I took on the identity of Goodheart Adrian so I could perfect my skills. ‘Trafalgar Law’ was a name I didn’t want gaining notoriety until I had the power and skills to protect myself.”

Well, that was quite the revelation. Frankly, she’d always figured he was only a doctor in the back-alley sense, since no hospital would be crazy enough to give him an actual license. But to have had a second identity for so long…

“Why?”

Grey eyes narrowed behind his mask at her inquiry. “Focus on questions relevant to our current situation, sweetheart.”

Cheeks puffed out indignantly, she let the topic drop, mostly out of irritation that he was right. Besides, she didn’t want to get to know the real Law, did she? “Fine. Where’d you take me on our first date? I’m sure a doctor’s salary could afford a fancy dinner, at least.”

As if a switch had been flipped, his charming persona returned. She knew it was all for show, especially given how the alcove didn’t completely hide them if someone really felt like being a voyeur, but did he have to rub those distracting little circles against her spine? “Since you have such expensive tastes, we went to the En L’iar Rose restaurant on Chardonnay Island. It’s known for its exquisite wines and decadent foods. You ordered the Pane Caldo while I had the stuffed mushrooms, and we shared a plate of assorted artisan cheeses, fruits, and chocolates for dessert.”

“That’s…an acceptable choice, I suppose.” A small, irrational coil of envy tightened in her belly. She wasn’t mad that Law had probably taken some other woman on such a romantic outing—just that no guy had put that much effort into a date with her.

His smirk was decidedly wicked. “You were such a tease with that fruit, eating it so seductively I nearly lost my mind. It took all my willpower not to pin you down and have my way with you.”

Memories of how she’d teased him with the mikans made her thighs clench, as she was suddenly all too aware that she’d been playing with fire that day. He’d definitely enjoyed her attentions and it so easily could have been turned on her. The tips of her ears turned pink as she instinctively tried to push him away, but his muscular arm kept her anchored to his side. “Too bad I’m a classy lady who doesn’t just give it up to a guy because he bought her a fancy dinner,” she snapped quietly.

“Of course you’re not; I wouldn’t have taken interest in you if you were,” he assured, tilting her face to the right and pressing a kiss to her masked cheek to hide her pissed expression. “I’m a man who likes a challenge—a woman easily seduced would bore me. And it’s intriguing how you’re so flirtatious one moment, yet easily flustered the next; makes me wonder what you’ll be like once I finally do get you in my bed.”

Face flushing to match her ears, Nami wasn’t sure if it was due to anger or embarrassment. She also wasn’t sure if he was speaking as Adrian or Law, and it was playing havoc with her sense of control. “Well, you’ll be wondering for quite some time—at the very least until you’ve gotten me a 300-carat diamond.”

A low chuckle rumbled deep in his chest as he released her. “I think we’ve got enough of the basics down to pass as a new couple. Ready to get to work?”

It took a moment and a few deep breaths to regain her composure. Her heart was beating too quickly for her liking, and she desperately needed some distance. “Hell yes. Time is money, and right now, I don’t have nearly enough of either.”

XXX

Over an hour later, Nami was immensely pleased with her haul. She’d swiped the wallets of six dance partners, along with a gold wristwatch, emerald-studded cufflinks, and some rings. She’d been extremely careful not to steal more than one thing from each target, and plenty of her dance partners had left unscathed; after all, if every man she came in contact with found their wallets missing, she’d be the prime suspect.

Finding dance partners and wealthy marks alike had been easier than getting Sanji to bring her tea. Men had practically swarmed her the moment she’d broken away from Law, and though she could feel his piercing gaze on her back, he stayed out of her way so she could work her magic.

So far, he’d only had to step in once, when a man with a face like a horse and a unicorn mask to match had gotten a little too handsy, swooping in like a bird of prey and sending her victim scurrying off with nothing more than a sharp glare and a couple cutting remarks. Still, the way he’d clutched his cane told her he’d wanted to do a lot more, reminding her that the Surgeon of Death was not a man to be messed with. While a jealous boyfriend was a great creep deterrent, too much could put off her potential marks. For the sake of that evening’s profits, she vowed to only call him in as a last resort.

She would swear until her dying breath it had nothing to do with the thrill she got at hearing Law defend her honor in his deep voice or the way she could feel the muscles beneath his suit flex when he clutched her to him possessively.

It was nearly nine-thirty when a skinny man in an elaborate peacock mask and flamboyant suit to match lead her onto the dancefloor. He’d approached swinging an emerald and sapphire-encrusted pocket watch like a pendulum, strutting about in a way that instantly practically begged her to rob him. Only men with more money than brains walked like that.

“So, Ms. Chaton,” Kujakumaru began as he pulled her close, “what do you do for a living?”

As easily as Zoro drew a sword, she turned on the charm. “Oh, I’ve done a little modeling,” she replied, fluttering her eyelashes. “Mostly swimsuits and the like.”

“Really? You?”

She blinked, brows furrowing behind her mask in confusion and mild annoyance. “Yes. Not in any big magazines, but I’ve only just started, after all.”

“Ah, no wonder I hadn’t heard of you,” he stated, looking her up and down, eyes lingering on the swell of her chest. “I’ve dated quite a few models, actually. I suppose when you surround yourself with the most gorgeous women in the world, you don’t notice those who are less than a perfect ten.”

An annoyed tic formed on her forehead, thankfully hidden by the cat mask. Sure, he couldn’t see her face, but the way his eyes were practically glued to her cleavage proved he didn’t find her hideous. And what right did he have to call her less than a ten? Her bounty poster was ogled by pirates all over the Grand Line! “Well, sorry I’m not up to your usual standards, Mr. Kujakumaru,” she ground out as politely as she could.

At the brief display of temper, he quickly backtracked, “Oh, I never said that! Of course you’re beautiful, but I’d only rank you less than a ten because you’ve still got a few more years to go before you’ve fully bloomed!” he insisted, gaze flickering between her face and breasts pointedly.

Oh, nice save, she thought sarcastically. It was all too easy to catch onto this idiot’s game; he was trying to bring down her confidence in hopes preying on any insecurities. Women who knew their worth were much harder to lure into bed, after all. “Well, my boyfriend hasn’t had any complaints,” she stated matter-of-factly.

“I’m sure he hasn’t; after all, looks aren’t everything.” When her hazelnut eyes narrowed, he continued, “You misunderstand me; I mean that modeling is just as much about who you know as what you look like. Making friends with the right people and whatnot.”

“Of course.” It was almost funny; the whole night, she’d put up with men looking to get into her pants without so much as blinking, yet this guy was making her lose her cool. Then again, none of the others had tried negging her. People like that deserved a very special place in hell as far as she was concerned. If they’d been in a bar instead of some fancy party, he’d be unconscious on the floor for his comments.

“If you really want to be a model, I have some connections to the West Blue’s top agencies. Of course, I only pass along the names of people I’m personally close to.”

Though she plastered on a smile, inwardly she rolled her eyes. He was the third man that night offering to help her “modeling career” with his “connections,” but they’d at least done their best to stroke her ego first. He hadn’t even waited for her response before slipping his hand off her waist to slide across her rear.

That little grope just cost him eighty million belli, she thought, using his moment of distraction to carefully undo the chain of his pocket watch from his doublet. To disguise the action, she pushed him back slightly, looking away coyly. “Oh, that’s so sweet of you! Unfortunately, it’s more of a hobby than anything else; if I became some big star, I wouldn’t have as much freedom. I love traveling and shopping too much to waste my time in some studio.”

“Sounds like an expensive lifestyle,” he pressed, undeterred by her refusal, just like she’d anticipated. Nami was plenty familiar with men like him; born with a silver spoon in his mouth, raised to believe that he was entitled to anything he wanted and when a woman rebuffed him, she didn’t really mean it.

He was the kind of guy she would love to have Sanji kick into the sun.

Lacking the chivalrous love-cook, however, Nami settled for her current bodyguard. “It is, but Dr. Goodheart has been an excellent provider. His research takes him to so many interesting places, and he’s been adamant about bringing me along. He gets lonely without me.”

“Then I’m surprised he’s letting you dance with another man.”

A mischievous smirk touched the corner of her lips. “We have an arrangement—he doesn’t like to dance, but I simply can’t get enough of it. So, he lets me have as many partners as I please, so long as I never dance with anyone more than once.” As the last notes of the waltz floated through the air, she knew now was the time to make her getaway. Pushing up onto her tip-toes, she murmured in his ear as she carefully lifted the watch from his pocket, slipping it into the tight cuff of her billowy sleeve, “Otherwise, he gets terribly jealous. Normally, he’s so cool and collected, but he’s got a dark temper. It’s hot, if I’m perfectly honest.”

She felt Kujakumaru shudder against her as her hot breath caressed his skin. “Is dancing the only thing he gets jealous about?” he croaked, staring at her with obvious desire, hands impotently grasping at empty air as she stepped out of his reach. “Perhaps we could find a nice, quiet corner and continue our discussion about your modeling career; a beauty like you deserves to be shared, not hoarded away for one man to enjoy.”

Relieved that she could finally turn around and roll her eyes, she strolled towards the wine fountain, calling back over her shoulder, “I appreciate the thought, but I really must get back to Adrian.”

She halted as a thin, sweaty hand wrapped around her wrist. “At a party like this, a man’s never lonely for long. I’m sure he’s found some pretty young thing to keep him company, so why not do the same for me?”

Lifting up her free arm, she allowed the cold metal of the stolen watch to slide down her sleeve into her bodice, grateful that he’d grabbed her left wrist. It would have been disastrous if he’d stumbled upon the payment she’d taken for putting up with his bullshit. Absently, she played with the shimmering barrettes in her hair, making sure they caught the light like an emergency beacon. Surely Law would be there any moment; this was definitely serious enough to get him involved. “Adrian’s quite adamant that I’m the only woman for him, so I doubt it. And if a man’s not lonely for long, I’m sure you’ll find yourself in pleasant enough company soon enough.”

“I want your company. Your little boyfriend can wait until I’m finished with you.”

“He’s hardly ‘little.’”

“He must be if he can’t satisfy a woman as obsessed with ‘dancing’ as you. In fact, how about I invite a few friends to join us?’ You said he doesn’t care how many ‘dance partners’ you have, right?”

Brown eyes darted about nervously, desperately trying to catch sight of her raven companion. She was certain she’d left him by the window next to the fountain, so he should have been at her side already. What, had he wandered off to take a leak? If he didn’t show himself in the next five seconds, she was going to have to do something drastic, like pluck the peacock’s feathers herself.

“What was that you were saying about him not looking at other women?” Kujakumaru crowed, roughly turning her towards the dancefloor.

Her jaw dropped. His height made him easy to spot on the dancefloor, casually leading Black Cage Hina in a foxtrot.

That absolute bastard! Nami thought, rage bubbling up inside of her. He abandoned his partner to deal with some clingy creep so he could dance with a Marine? Was he trying to get them caught?!

“Well, since your boyfriend is otherwise occupied,” the man beside her sniggered, pulling her against him, “what say you and I go someplace private—”

The hard point of a cane slammed into his foot, causing him to yelp ungracefully and release Nami from his clutches. Gratefully, she turned to her liberator, hoping Law had abandoned Hina to finally come save her, only to find herself face-to-face with a rotund, yet rather elegant-looking gentleman dressed as a knight, complete with silver shoulder pads, royal blue cape, and plumed helmet. The faceplate was up to reveal piercing black eyes and a disapproving frown made even more exaggerated by his bushy grey mustache.

“I believe this young lady made it quite clear that your time with her is over, nephew,” he said sternly.

Kujakumaru looked like he wanted to argue, but when he reached for Nami again, the knight brandished his cane like a sword. “Oh, please, do try. Beatrix may spoil you rotten, but I’m certainly not above turning you over my knee right here and now.”

That threat was all it took to send the peacock flying off into the crowd, managing nothing more than, “I’m telling mother!” over his shoulder before he disappeared.

Relieved to finally be free of such sweaty clutches, the Cat Thief studied her wrist to ensure no perspiration had leaked into the luxurious fabric of her sleeve. A handkerchief entered her field of vision, and she smiled thankfully.

“So, did you pick your costume intending to go about rescuing young ladies, or was that just a happy accident?” she asked, wiping off her hand.

He savior’s hard frown morphed into a smile as he offered her his arm. “I had hoped such services would be unnecessary, but it never hurts to come prepared, especially with my family is involved. He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

She allowed him to lead her away from the whispering crowd. If she gathered too much attention, it’d be harder for her to sneak away once the plan was in motion, and until Law finished his little dance with Hina, she’d rather not risk being confronted by more creeps who couldn’t take a hint.

Her natural suspicion only briefly entertained the thought that her hero could turn out to be just as bad. Whether it was his protective aura or his mustache, he reminded her of Genzo, and that would always earn a man the benefit of the doubt. “I’m fine. I suppose I should have been clearer that I wasn’t interested.”

“From what I overheard, you made yourself plenty clear,” he huffed. “That boy’s never learned a speck of respect. My sister spoils him, and he takes entirely too much after my brother.”

“Eh, men like him are hardly rare. I appreciate you scaring him off, though.”

“Happy to be of assistance. I hope you don’t mind if I linger a bit? I’d rather avoid the inevitable argument Beatrix and I will have for a little while longer, and I think I should have a talk with your boyfriend about leaving his lady undefended.”

“Oh, no need for that,” she growled, clenching her fist as a murderous flame crackled in her eyes. “I’m happy to do it myself.”

Surprised, the knight let out a full-bellied laugh. “I’m starting to think my rescue was unneeded; you seem plenty capable of handling yourself!”

“Damn right I can!” she snarled before remembering herself. Swiftly plastering on an innocent smile, she amended, “I mean, I wish I could, but a delicate thing like me wouldn’t stand a chance without a big, strong man looking after her.”

Laugh simmering down to a chuckle, he waved off her excuse. “Relax; a lady with spirit is a great thing. You remind me of my granddaughter, actually!” With a deep, proper bow, he introduced himself. “Harpin Reginald, at your service.”

“Harpin?” she asked, suddenly nervous. “Are you related to our host?” If he was, she was in so much trouble. Puzzle pieces began to connect in her head, and the picture they were forming was not pretty.

His massive mustache waggled side-to-side in distaste. “Alas, he’s my elder brother. I don’t particularly like either of my siblings, but our mother asked us on her deathbed to try to get along, so he’s bound to invite me, and I’m obligated to attend. The rest of the time, I put as much of the Grand Line between the three of us as possible.”

“So, was that the Baron’s son?”

“No, my sister’s, though Gerald was the one to teach him such wonderful manners.” He glared disdainfully across the room to where their host was casually groping one of the maids. “I swear, he threw a masked ball simply because he knows how much I detest these things.”

“What, you don’t enjoy the opportunity to dress up as a white knight?” she managed to tease. Her heart was still quaking at the revelation that she’d inadvertently pissed off a former Navy Intelligence officer’s nephew—when she found Law, she’d have to warn him that she’d earned some problematic attention.

After she kicked his ass for abandoning her, of course.

Whether her was ignoring her nervousness or simply failed to pick up on it, Reginald chuckled at her comment. “Well, that I don’t mind, but you’ve seen how outrageous these people get when they have anonymity—Kujakumaru is a perfect example. I doubt you’re the first woman he’s tried to coerce tonight.”

“You have a point, but I’m starting to think every high-class party is a masquerade in its own way.”

A grey eyebrow raised inquisitively. “How so?”

She shrugged, adjusting her cat mask so it rested more securely on her face. “Everyone’s still putting on a disguise; pretending to be more important than they really are, acting like they don’t despise each other with fake smiles and forced politeness, putting up with some creep’s innuendos because if they slap him like they really want to, the illusion’s broken and everyone will hate them for it.”

Reginald rubbed his chin, but a small, approving smile curled his lips. “You sound like you don’t enjoy these kinds of affairs.”

“Honestly, I always thought I would, but I guess I’m a simple girl at heart. I like expensive things, but this,” she pointed at the ballroom, “is disgusting. How much of the buffet is going to go straight in the trash? My friend’s a cook, and he’d have an aneurism over so much food waste.”

“I agree. I wish Gerald would at least send the leftovers to the town; every year, I swear those people look worse and worse. I tell you, I’d much rather be at one of the shindigs my wife’s family throws. Everyone comes for miles to sing and dance and share food, and it doesn’t matter what your status is; you’re welcomed with open arms.”

Nami smiled wistfully. “Yeah. I wish I was back with my friends—Brook’s music is way better than some stuffy orchestra, and Franky would show off some bizarre new move or hairstyle, and Lu—” she caught herself, realizing that she was getting too close to outing her identity as a Straw Hat, “—cy would make up ridiculous games and do stupid impressions, and we’d drink and laugh until dawn.”

“That sounds a hundred times more fun than any affair my siblings have thrown. Perhaps next year I’ll claim to have a prior engagement and seek out your friends’ party,” he joked.

She grinned, elbowing him playfully. “If you can find us, you’re welcome anytime. Heck, you can even say we kidnapped you if you need a better excuse. Consider it my thanks for the daring rescue.”

The playful glint faded from his black eyes. “Speaking of excuses, you’ll probably want to come up with one to leave—even if Kujakumaru doesn’t go crying to his mother, by midnight, this place will be nothing short of an orgy.”

She nearly choked on her own spit. From his dry tone, she doubted he was exaggerating. “Good thing my boyfriend and I already planned to be out by then.”

“See that you do. Why the Navy ever employed a hedonist like my brother, I’ll never know, much less as head of Intelligence.”

From what she’d seen that night, she couldn’t help but wonder the same thing. “Well, you don’t get rich enough to own your own island by not having connections; maybe the Navy felt they were useful enough to excuse his…lifestyle.”

With a huff, he nodded. “Probably, though I also have no doubt that’s why he was eventually convinced to ‘retire.’ He never would have left on his own volition; they would have had to pry it from his sticky, greedy grasp. Gerald’s always hated giving anything up, even if he doesn’t really want it.”

Nami wanted to pry further—this was a goldmine of intel on the man she was about to rob—but she was distracted by a certain man in a raven mask approaching.

Rage once more bubbling up like a geyser, she whirled on Law. “Oh, have you finished dancing already?” she asked sarcastically. “Good thing I didn’t need your help fending off some creep!”

Behind the mask, she could see an array of expressions cross his face; surprise, annoyance, guilt, anger, before finally settling on mildly apologetic. “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he said, reaching out to gently run his fingers across her cheek. When she jerked back, glaring harshly, he sighed, “I saw another lady in need of rescuing and got distracted.”

“Yeah, sure, because Black Cage Hina would ever need to be rescued,” she scoffed.

“Actually,” Reginald said from beside her, “if it’s from my brother, then yes, she would. He’s always had a…thing for her, ever since she was a recruit.”

Law nodded, though he did give the older man a suspicious glance. “I was simply helping her avoid the Baron. But I truly am sorry,” he murmured, hooking Nami’s fingers with his own and carefully drawing her to his side, brushing a kiss across the corner of her mask. “I should have made sure you weren’t in harm’s way, first; you’re always my top priority, and I promise not to leave you alone again.”

Nami really wanted to stay mad at him, but for the sake of both their cover and the job, Bellemere had to forgive her boyfriend’s chivalrous stupidity. The Cat Thief didn’t, though, and she vowed to give him an earful once they were alone. So, she forced herself to wrap her arms around his waist, giving him a tight squeeze as she grumbled into his vest, “Apology accepted, but only because I was lucky enough to have a knight in shining armor to rescue me.”

“I guess so. Care to introduce me?”

Gratefully pulling away from Law’s heated body, she turned to her new friend. “Adrian, this is Harpin Reginald. Reginald, this is Dr. Goodheart Adrian.”

“Goodheart?” the old gentleman asked, eyes lighting up in recognition. “From Serenity Hospital?”

“Yes?” the surgeon replied, immediately on guard. He’d made the connection to their host even more quickly than she had, and the fact that her new friend could identify him didn’t bode well.

“You were the one who reattached my granddaughter’s leg!”

Law blinked in surprise. “Melody-ya was your granddaughter?”

Nami’s eyes widened at both the connection and the way the surgeon’s accent slipped. Even when it was just the two of them, he hadn’t added -ya to anyone’s name since they’d arrived.

Grasping Law’s hand in both of his own, Reginald shook it enthusiastically, tears of joy practically streaming down his face. “Indeed! I honestly can’t thank you enough!” He turned to Nami, smile shining brighter than his armor. “You have no idea how much I owe this man. Melody was involved in a terrible accident that tore off her right leg. The doctors were able to stabilize her, but they said she’d need a prosthetic replacement, and possibly never be able to walk again. But Dr. Goodheart was able to reattach her leg so perfectly, there wasn’t even a scar when they removed her stitches! It was practically a miracle!”

If you count the powers of a Devil Fruit as a “miracle,” she thought wryly, though she found it hard to stay cynical. As unlikely as it seemed that Law would meet the grandfather of one of his former patients here, she’d learned that fate had a funny way of bringing people together. She’d never expected to meet Brook, Laboon’s long-missing friend, on Thriller Bark, and yet he was now a member of her crew, sailing with them to the end of the Grand Line to fulfill his promise.

“I simply did what I could to the best of my ability with the tools I had at my disposal,” Law insisted, though his lips did lift in a slight smile. It was strange to see him acting humble, and somehow, it felt authentic. “How has she been? Any problems with the leg?”

“She’s well on her way to becoming a marathon runner, I can tell you,” Reginald said proudly. “Quick as the wind and eager to see the world! And it’s all thanks to you!”

“Any surgeon would have done the same in my position. I’m just glad she’s made such an excellent recovery; it’s the greatest reward any doctor could ask for.”

Reginald looked like he wanted to sing “Dr. Goodheart’s” praises further, but there was a sudden screech of “WHERE’S THAT WORTHLESS LITTLE BROTHER OF MINE” from the other side of the room, and the knight went rigid.

“Ah, it seems I can’t delay my argument with Beatrix any longer. Keep your heads down while I try to lead her off. Better yet, hide until some other drama occurs—maybe then you could sneak out more easily.”

Law frowned while Nami gave an appreciative smile. She was more than happy to run rather than get pulled into some family spat. “Thanks again for your help, Reginald. Best of luck with your sister.”

Pulling her partner deep into the crowd, the thief refused to stop until they were safe at the far end of the ballroom, the sound of the orchestra covering up their conversation.

“So, exactly what kind of trouble did you get yourself into while I was gone?” Law asked.

“Long story short—the Baron’s nephew propositioned me and wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer, so Reginald put him in his place.”

Anger flashed in the Dark Doctor’s gaze before simmering down to annoyance. “Of all the people you had to piss off…”

“Well excuse me for being a loyal girlfriend,” she snapped. “Unlike you! Why were you really dancing with Hina?” she whispered harshly, poking his chest.

He raised a black eyebrow, and Nami blushed as she realized just how jealous she sounded. “You’re the one who thinks acts of kindness are a weakness,” she insisted, “so there’s no way you helped her out for chivalry’s sake. If it affects the plan, I deserve to know!”

“White Chase had to take a piss, and I noticed our beloved host making a bee-line for her. In the interest of the night not suddenly going to hell ahead of schedule, I figured I’d offer her a temporary escape. Entertaining as it would be, my plan doesn’t factor in the Baron getting murdered this early in the evening.”

“What if she had recognized you?”

“Worried about me, sweetheart?” he teased, stroking a gloved finger down the smooth side of her mask. “I’m sure you’d be able to make an easy getaway in the confusion.”

“If anything happened to you, your crew would be heartbroken and I’d be roped into breaking your ass out of Impel Down,” she argued half-heartedly. “And in case you haven’t noticed, I’m not some powerhouse with more luck than brains like Luffy. You shouldn’t have taken such a risk!”

“Then I promise not to dance with another woman for the rest of the night,” he replied, pulling her close, hands resting gently on the small of her back, rubbing those distracting little circles along her spine. Leaning down, he whispered, “Seriously, I was doing it for our sake; Black Cage apparently has a rather unpleasant history with Harpin, so I dropped a few hints that she and White Chase should call it an early night. Things will go much easier with them out of the way.”

It was funny; despite the knowledge that Law was a sadistic, dangerous pirate and potentially one of Luffy’s greatest rivals to become Pirate King, being in his arms was beginning to feel…not comfortable, but almost normal. If anything, she should be more eager to escape his clutches than any of the handsy men she’d endured that night; at least they were weak enough to clobber if they got her alone. But she didn’t feel gross when Law touched her.

It dawned on her that, despite playing the role of her lover, his touches throughout the night had been relatively innocent. His hand went nowhere more inappropriate than her waist. His eyes stayed locked on her own instead of falling to the plunging neckline of her dress. Even though he’d kissed her several times, for the most part it had been to her wig or mask.

Deep down, she’d expected him to take advantage of their situation; to grope and kiss and tease her, using their cover as a couple as an excuse, secure in the knowledge that there was nothing she could do to stop him.

Why the hell did Nami feel so disappointed that he didn’t?

Shaking herself free of such confusing thoughts, she replied, “How much longer until phase two?”

Taking a glance at his pocket watch, he said, “It’s currently 9:40pm. Shachi’s team will act at 10:25pm, Ikkaku’s at 10:31pm, and Penguin’s at 10:37pm. Be ready to move no later than 10:15pm.”

“So we’ll just waltz into Harpin’s study?” She’d been sure to memorize the mansion’s blueprints, so she knew it was three floors above the ballroom. No matter what route they took, getting there would take time, and Law seemed fairly against using his powers unless strictly necessary.

“When we leave the ballroom, head towards the foyer but take the first right; about fifteen feet down that hallway, behind the red drapes between the painting of Dionysus and the statue of Venus is a hidden door the servants use. Those passageways lead all throughout the house, so we should be able to get around more easily. I’m sure there are guards or at least servants positioned to deter guests from wandering into certain parts of the mansion, but once our little distractions hit, it’s unlikely to be a problem.”

Even with his reassurance, Nami couldn’t help but be nervous. So many things could go horribly wrong, and even if Smoker and Hina left, she doubted they’d ignore the “distractions” Law had in mind.

Either he could see the tension in her shoulders or feel it in her spine, because he immediately set to taking her mind off such concerns. “We still have over a half-hour; I bet you can’t steal ten more wallets before showtime.”

Eyes flashing with greed and pride, she replied, “What’s the prize?”

“Me and the crew always have a party to celebrate a successful job, but I also take the time to treat myself to a nice dinner as a personal reward. Since you’ve been so instrumental to my plan, I was thinking about inviting you along.”

Immediately, she knew what he was proposing. “Loser pays for dinner?”

“Damn right.”

“You’re on.”

To the Dark Doctor’s surprise, she didn’t run off to find a new dance partner; instead, they milled about, wandering past small groups of guests, Nami occasionally stopping to apologize for bumping into someone or to compliment a particularly elaborate costume. By the time they reached the other side of the ballroom ten minutes later, she pulled him towards one of the stained-glass windows, turning them away from the party under the pretense of studying the elaborate scene of a satyr ravishing a forest nymph.

Reaching into the slit of her dress, the Cat Thief pulled out her haul, fanning herself haughtily with the wallets. “Seven down; three to go.”

Impressed at how quickly and subtly she worked, he smirked, patting his pocket to be sure she hadn’t added his to the collection. “Saying this now; my wallet doesn’t count.”

She rolled her eyes in mock exasperation. “Fine, but only because I already know how easily I could take it.”

“Careful, Nami-ya, or you’re going to find out how easily I can take everything you’ve stolen tonight.”

A strange, pleasant shiver ran up her spine as his dark baritone caressed each syllable of her name. Had he always said it like that? Or was she just noticing now because he’d been calling her “Bellemere” and “sweetheart” all night?

None of that mattered at the moment, as a shrill, angry shriek from behind them quickly soured the mood.

“You! You’re the wretch who insulted my precious Kujakumaru!”

Nami barely had time to slip the wallets back into her gown before five long, sharp, acrylic nails buried themselves into her clavicle. She let out a yelp of pain as she was aggressively spun around, coming face-to-throat with a tall, thin woman with a severe frown, red cheeks, and the same black, watery eyes as the Baron. She was dressed in a chartreuse silk gown, her hair done up in a tight updo, and she clutched a domino mask adorned with yellow and green sequins. But Nami barely noticed that, as her eye was immediately drawn to her necklace; three rows of small, exquisitely cut white diamonds hung around her neck like a collar, framing a heart-shaped yellow diamond the size of a peach stone.

The sharp sting of yellow-painted talons scratching the skin of her collarbone brought the thief’s attention back up to the woman’s face. “I’m sorry; I don’t think we’ve been introduced,” Nami ground out through the pain.

“That’s because trash like you doesn’t even belong in my presence! You should be honored my perfect son even glanced your way you harlot!” Looking the younger woman up and down, she scoffed. “I mean, look at the way you’re dressed. Kujakumaru, did you ask this girl to dance out of pity? Such cheap, ugly jewelry for a cheap, ugly girl!”

“Yes mother,” the man in the peacock mask sneered, pushing his way to the front of the crowd, a look of righteous glee in his eyes. “It was an act of charity, and when I refused her advances, she made uncle Reggie beat me!”

Furious at both the insult and the blatant lies, Nami struggled to pull away, but that only made the claws sink in deeper. “Your son’s the one who came onto me,” she snapped, “and maybe if you’d bothered to teach him to respect women, he wouldn’t get so butthurt over a girl rejecting him.”

“How dare you?!”

The woman looked as if she might continue to berate her, but she shrieked in surprise as Law wrenched her hand from Nami’s shoulder, his large fist clenched around her scrawny wrist so tightly she could hear the leather creak. Or maybe it was the bones.

“Lady Beatrix, I presume?” the Surgeon of Death asked, voice cold as chipped ice as he glared with murderous intent. “Regardless of however your son was insulted, I’d appreciate it if you kept your damn hands off my woman.”

As the Baron’s sister trembled under Law’s scrutiny, Nami inspected her shoulder, dismayed to find that the psychotic bitch had drawn blood. No wonder he’d stepped in; regardless of whether or not the Cat Thief could handle herself, he’d paid for her dress, and it already stood to get ruined. Bloodstains were not easy to get out of gold satin, after all.

“U-unhand me, you brute!” Beatrix screeched, writhing about like an eel. “My brother—”

“—would only care if I got your blood on his million-belli carpet. If he actually did give a shit about you or your worthless son, he’d be confronting me himself.” With predatory intent, Law’s eyes swept over the small crowd that had gathered, landing squarely on the man in the peacock mask. “Speaking of, I’m not exactly pleased that he propositioned my lover. She did tell you she was already spoken for, right?”

Smug triumph melted off his face like candle wax, and Kujakumaru looked ready to piss himself. “Sh-she said you had an arrangement! That you didn’t mind her having as many partners as she wanted!”

“Dance partners!” Nami insisted, frowning at Law’s raised eyebrow. “I specifically said ‘dance partners;’ he’s the idiot who took it the wrong way!”

Nodding in understanding, he turned back to the trembling man. “Even if I was the type to share, a lady has every right to refuse a man’s advances. Either you don’t know how to handle rejection, or you’re so pathetic that you couldn’t even pay a woman to sleep with you. I’d put my money on the latter.”

Nami shrieked as Beatrix’s claw-like free hand lashed out at him, but Law managed to catch it mere inches from his face, his cane dropping to the floor with a dull thud. The look in his eye turned sadistically amused at the attempted assault, and Nami had the feeling that if she didn’t put an end to this now, their cover would be blown as the Surgeon of Death decided to find out if the mother and son really did have blue blood.

Grabbing his arm, she yanked as hard as she could, forcing him to release Beatrix’s left wrist. “Darling, that’s enough!” she insisted. “It’s not worth it!”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” he replied calmly, thought the dark aura failed to dissipate.

More people were gathering to watch, and Nami knew she needed to do something drastic before they managed to catch the Baron’s, or even Smoker and Hina’s, attention. Grabbing his chin, she yanked his face down to her level, cutting off his protests with a desperate kiss.

Law’s lips were softer than she’d expected. Life on the sea was rough, the salty air and burning sun resulting in chapped lips for almost everyone, but perhaps he was one of the few men smart enough to use lip balm. On top of that, they were dry and warm, the smooth skin pliant beneath her own. The man himself didn’t move for a moment, completely caught off-guard by her actions, but after a few agonizing seconds, he tilted his head to better slant his mouth over hers.

It was clear her plan worked when she felt both his hands cup her shoulders, and the harsh click of Beatrix’s heels as she scurried away, not wasting the opportunity to put some distance between herself and the man who dared threaten her.

Part of Nami was tempted to drag the kiss out, especially when she felt Law’s blunt teeth nibble at her bottom lip, requesting entrance. Heat pooled in her belly as his tongue swept over the seam of her mouth, but the sound of the clock striking ten doused it in ice water as she remembered they didn’t have time to waste.

Drawing on every shred of acting ability in her repertoire, she forced tears to well up in her eyes as she shoved him away. “I thought you were different, Adrian!” she sobbed. “You know how much I hate violence!”

“Wha—”

“I can’t believe you’d even consider harming someone, especially a defenseless old woman! I—I never should have come out tonight. I wish we had just stayed home!”

Tears streaming out of her eyes, she gathered up her skirts and sprinted away, weaving through the crowds, effortlessly dodging the concerned hands that reached out for her. Behind her, she heard another shriek, followed by exclamations of “Fire! Put that curtain out you fools!” and in the chaos, she managed to escape into the hall, guests and servants alike paying her no mind in favor of the ruckus that broke out. Nami chanced a glance over her shoulder, bright eyes widening as she saw not one, but at least four fires of varying sizes had sprung up throughout the ballroom, candelabras apparently having been knocked over by the panicked guests.

Not one to look the gift horse in the mouth, she dashed into to the hallway Law had spoken of, eyes quickly locking onto the curtain hiding the servant’s entrance. Hopefully, she’d be able to hide in there and wait for her companion. Not that she was particularly looking forward to being alone with him now; god, what had she been thinking, pulling him into a kiss? A slap would have been better, or maybe a swift kick to the shin!

Hand trembling with fear and adrenaline, she grabbed the corner of the drape, only to be halted by an arm coming out of nowhere to wrap tightly around her waist. Another hand clamped over her mouth, cutting off her startled scream.

“You didn’t think you’d escape me that easily, did you?” came a dark voice at her ear.

[your-iron-lung]

Mixed Up 6 | Oceanographer’s Choice |

Chapter Word Count: 3924

Pairings: Zoro/Sanji

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Chapter Warning: Strong Language, Recreational Drug Mention

Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 

Next Chapter: 7

Though he was only asleep for about an hour, when Sanji woke up, he felt as though he'd been asleep for days.

Momentarily out of sorts, he continued to lie on the couch for a moment, attempting to regain a sense of place before he tried to sit up. His thoughts were disorganized and felt thick, as though they'd congealed into a soupy mass and were unable to maneuver through the thin passages inside his brain. Staring up at the ceiling, he attempted to navigate through them with little success.

Overwhelmingly groggy, he grunted and sat up, trying to make sense of the odd sensation circulating inside his head. It was like he had a headache, except his head didn't actually hurt; the absence of the pain still left his mind feeling like it was being compressed and impounded upon with either gauze or fuzz, and no matter how he rubbed at his forehead, it wouldn't clear. The sensation was unpleasant, leading Sanji to decide that if this was how smoking weed felt every time, he probably wouldn't do it again.

He shut his eyes and tried to clear his head, but the fuzzy, soupy feeling persistently remained. Sighing, he opened his eyes and immediately went to grab a cigarette, only to find that his pack and lighter had gone missing.

Confused, he patted down his pants pockets and even went through his coat, but all he found was an absence of his things. Setting his coat aside and aware now of his surroundings, he glanced around and saw that both Zoro and Nami had disappeared. The bong was still on the table, but when he turned in his seat to look into the kitchen, he saw that neither one of them were present in the immediate vicinity.

Rubbing his head to try and clear it once more, Sanji stood up, noticing that the bass was in its stand and Nami's boots were lined against the far wall, but Zoro's were gone.

"Hey," he mumbled, shuffling in his socks towards the short hall he'd seen Zoro go down earlier. He'd forgotten he'd taken his shoes off prior to falling asleep, and was almost taken by surprise at the way he slid across the floor. He caught himself and stopped at the halls entrance and blearily looked down its depths, wondering if his host and guest had retired into the back. "Anyone home?"

He waited by the entrance for a moment before turning away when he got no response. Unwilling to snoop into Zoro's private rooms, Sanji wandered into the kitchen to get himself a glass of water, hoping to rid himself of the cotton-mouth he'd woken up with. Smacking his lips lazily, he began to search through the cabinets to find where Zoro kept his cups, and found them stored on a high shelf.

The height was no challenge to Sanji, who helped himself to a plain green glass. When he turned around to access the tap, he was surprised to see the plate of food he'd brought sitting empty on the counter amidst other dirty dishes beside the sink.

Excited, he wondered what Zoro had thought of his cooking and brightened up considerably, thinking about how he wished he'd been awake to see him eat it.

Looking around the empty apartment again, he wondered where they might've gone. He really wanted to ask the punk's opinion of his cooking, but with the both of them gone, he was left only to speculate. He looked back down at the plate, and felt his old work habits begin to pester him. Zoro had a multitude of dirty dishes scattered around the sink, and Sanji knew that, if this were the Baratie's kitchen, this sort of thing would have gotten a chef fired instantly. A dirty workstation was unprofessional, after all.

Shrugging to himself, he glanced around for a sponge and some dish soap, figuring he'd pass the time constructively until the punks decided to show themselves.

He crouched down and opened the cabinet under the sink and saw an almost entirely unused bottle of Joy and a dried out old sponge sitting among various discarded grocery bags. Grabbing hold of them, he shut the cabinet and stood up, setting them aside on the countertop as he rolled up his sleeves and turned on the water.

As he waited for it to warm, he thought he heard Nami giggling, but couldn't pinpoint where he'd heard it from. He looked around what he could see of the apartment, but it was as devoid of other persons as it was when he'd last checked. Wondering again where they could have gone, and why they'd bothered to leave him alone, he set about washing Zoro's dishes.

He scrubbed the dishes as thoroughly as he would have if he were on the job. Each plate and bowl and piece of silverware that went under the water came out cleaner than Sanji thought they had probably ever been under Zoro's ownership. Popping open the dishwasher, he loaded the dishes he'd cleaned by hand into the racks one by one as he worked until the counter was cleanly rid of the mess. Satisfied with his job well done, he shut the dishwasher and turned off the tap, shaking his hands to dry them out before running them down the length of his pants.

At a loss as to what he should do now, he checked his phone to see if he had any new messages from Zeff, when he heard the sound of a door being opened from down the distant hallway. He heard Nami laugh as the door closed, and hurriedly put his phone away as she came out of the hallway.

"Sanji! I was just coming to see if you were up yet, come here, come on!" she said happily, and took him by the hand.

She began to lead him back down the way she'd come before, walking them past a closed door and then turned into what was apparently Zoro's bedroom. Sanji wasn't at all surprised to see how messy it was, but noticed that it was host to several other guitars besides the white one he'd known of, and a few amplifiers.

The punk's bedroom walls were covered with numerous other band posters, covering so much of the wall that hardly any of the original space could be seen between the cracks left between the posters. In addition, Zoro had several large banners and tapestries advertising anarchy and a general dislike of authority hanging around and down from the ceiling, coming down so low that they almost brushed the top of his head. Sanji paused to admire them all, scanning over each of them briefly before noticing the one banner that seemed to take priority over them all.

It was a very, very large tapestry of a jolly-roger wearing a straw hat that Zoro had hung above the headboard of his unmade bed. It was much larger than any of the others he had around, and almost looked hand-printed.

He wondered about its meaning as he stared at its broad, grinning face, just as he wondered why Nami had lead him into Zoro's bedroom. He was about to ask her about her motives when she let go of his hand and opened a door that was tucked along the left-hand side of the far wall. Sunlight spilled in from the opening, and Nami stepped through and gestured for Sanji to follow her.

Confused, he walked to join her and saw that Zoro was one of the few tenants who was gifted with an apartment that had an oddly placed balcony. He stepped out into the sun and looked down over the railing at what she was cheerfully gesturing at, and saw Zoro sitting in the driver's seat of his car with a blue-haired bodybuilder fiddling with his engine under the hood.

"Hey! Look who's up!" Nami called down to them, and they both turned to look up at him, making Sanji feel suddenly embarrassed.

The blue-haired man waved at him enthusiastically, but Zoro just looked bored. He'd left the driver's side door open with the window rolled down, and sat at an angle so that his feet were propped up using the opening. He twitched one of his booted feet at him in greeting before closing his eyes.

"How'd they get in my car?" Sanji asked when they'd looked away, and Nami gave him a catty grin and a wink.

"I borrowed your keys from you while you were sleeping," she explained, dropping to sit in one of the two lawn chairs that were set up on the deck. "That guy down there is Franky, he owns the store Zoro and I work at, but likes to work on cars in his free time. We called and asked him to come over."

"So what's he doing to mine?"

"Fixing it, hopefully."

Sanji peeked over the railing again to get a better look at whatever it was Franky was doing, but from four floors up, couldn't see much of what he was working on. When he looked back at Nami, he saw that, in addition to having swiped his keys earlier, she'd also nabbed his cigarettes and lighter. She popped one out of the pack and placed it in her mouth before lighting it, giving Sanji another wink as she passed his things back to him.

"Sorry," she said, inhaling and exhaling slowly. "It's a bad habit."

Sanji immediately forgave her.

"It's alright, my darling; I could never be angry with you."

She giggled cutely, and he felt his heart flutter. Following her example, he sat down in the other fold-out chair that was set up and took a cigarette out to smoke with her.

The outside air was refreshing and cool, and Sanji thought that it felt nice to be sitting in the sun with a girl as beautiful as Nami. They sat smoking in silence, listening to the slight murmurings of Zoro and Franky below as they worked on his car. Occasionally, one of them would try the engine, but each time they tried, they were met with the same failed results Sanji had gotten Saturday morning. The car would sound hopeful for a brief moment, and then gag and roll over. Sanji couldn't say he was surprised by this, but hoped that, by some miracle, Franky would be able to solve his car troubles before he actually needed to go somewhere.

"So," Nami said, breaking the silence as she leaned down to stub out her cigarette on the balcony flooring. "How'd you like getting high with us?"

Sanji sat contemplating how best to answer her question without offending her.

"I don't think it's for me," he said slowly, taking a long drag off his cigarette. When he exhaled, he saw her nod along to what he'd said.

"I really wish we hadn't used the gravity bong," Nami said, and then sighed. "It's really overwhelming for newbies, so I'm sorry about that."

"Don't be! It's not your fault, I've had a good time with you regardless."

She smiled at him, giving him a curious look of approval when she cocked her head and leaned forward to stare into his eye. Sanji sat still as she looked.

"Wow, your eyes are totally shot," she said, standing upright with her hands on her hips.

"Are they?"

"Yeah, come on, we got some stuff for that."

Sanji stubbed out his cigarette and pocketed the butt before standing up and following after Nami, who opened the balcony door and stepped back inside.

He shut the door behind him as he followed her back into Zoro's disorganized bedroom, and joined her in the hall as she stood in front of the closed door they'd passed earlier. She seemed to hesitate with her hand on the handle, and bit her lip as she turned around to face Sanji.

"Have you met Chopper?" she asked slowly.

Frowning slightly, Sanji answered, saying, "Er, kind of. I saw him with Zoro this morning."

"How was he?"

"He tried to eat me." Nami paused and sighed, and then turned back around.

"Chopper's a baby," she said, finally opening the door. "He only acts mean because he's afraid."

She stepped inside, and Sanji noticed that the room already had the lights turned on. He followed after her, wondering why she'd made mention of the dog when they were in the bathroom, when he saw him.

Chopper and Sanji's eyes met at the same time, and the dog immediately rose up from his position of rest inside his crate to growl lowly in his direction. Sanji froze, but Nami looked cross and stood between them.

"Chopper, no," she said firmly, and to Sanji's surprise, the dog's demeanor changed completely.

He whined pitifully, still looking angrily in Sanji's direction, but sat down at Nami's direction. His hackles were still ruffled and raised, but he remained silent when Nami gestured for Sanji to come closer.

"I know he looks really big and mean, but he's honestly a huge baby when you get to know him," Nami explained apologetically as they stood in front of the sink counter.

"I believe you," Sanji said, but wasn't sure he meant it.

She smiled at him and then began to go through the drawers that lined the front of the counter. Sanji stared at himself in the large mirror and leaned forward to inspect his eyes. He ignored the stickers that Zoro had haphazardly slapped across the surface, and saw that, true to Nami's words, his eyes were incredibly bloodshot. He frowned and leaned back, looking around the small bathroom as Nami kept looking for what he assumed were eyedrops.

Usopp must have been a very prolific artist, for in addition to the other prints scattered around the apartment, Zoro had even hung a few in the bathroom. Sanji really admired his use of line and minimal colouring, and was so caught up in appreciating the prints that he hadn't heard Nami's victorious 'Ah-ha!' of discovery until after she'd tapped him on the shoulder.

"Oh! Thank you Nami, you are incredible!"

"Two drops in each eye should clear them up," she said, smirking as she gave him the small bottle of drops.

She watched him unscrew the cap as she hoisted herself up to sit on the sink's counter, and glanced over to the art print she'd seen him staring at.

As he began to apply the drops to his eyes, she asked, "So, you like Usopp's work?"

"Yeah," Sanji replied, distracted. "He's very talented."

Nami nodded.

"He's having an art show this Wednesday; you should get Zoro to take you."

"And you, my darling?" he asked, blinking his eyes rapidly against the droplets as he applied them. "Will you be there as well?"

"I got banned from going," she said with a sad sigh and a shake of her head. "I borrowed a piece of art and they totally over-reacted. But I didn't like going anyway, it's super skeevy."

"Skeevy? How?"

Sanji set the eyedrops on the counter when he was done with them and turned his head to focus on Nami, who appeared thoughtful.

"Well, no one can figure out if they're actually legal or not," she explained. "The people who organize the shows, Baroque Works, are some kind of super underground art movement. Usopp is actually scared shitless to exhibit with them, so he gets Zoro to go with him and pose as his bodyguard."

"Huh," Sanji said, frowning. Nami hopped off the counter and crouched down to stick her hand through the bars of Chopper's crate to pet him.

"Yeah, skeevy, like I said; but it's also pretty fun. You have to dress up really fancy, but Usopp's so afraid of them, he goes dressed up as 'Sogeking' so they can't figure out who he really is. It's hilarious; he's got this super extravagant costume he wears around with this ridiculous mask, and Zoro goes dressed up like Sid Vicious in My Way. He's such a punk; they can't get him to dress any better than that, but I bet Usopp'd really like it if you went along with Zoro as his second body-guard."

"I'll certainly think about it, my darling," Sanji said, to which Nami smiled and stood up, withdrawing her hand from Chopper's crate.

"Let's go check on the boys," she said, and Sanji nodded as they both left the bathroom, shutting the door behind them as they navigated back through Zoro's bedroom and onto the balcony.

Peering over the ledge, they saw neither Franky nor Zoro; the hood of Sanji's car was shut and the driver's side door was closed, and neither one of them was within eyesight. Frowning, Sanji hoped they'd had the grace to lock the doors when Nami turned and went back inside as the sound of the front door being opened reached them.

After she'd left, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the spent cigarette butt. He flicked it over the edge of the railing before following after her, making sure to shut the door behind him. He could hear Nami and Zoro talking, and as he came out of the hall, saw them standing by the front door.

"So, did he fix it?" Sanji asked, to which Zoro looked at him and shook his head.

"Nah, he said you drained the battery beyond saving, so he went out to get a new one."

"Oh."

Zoro continued to look at him contemplatively before Nami drew his attention away.

"Sanji wants to go with you to see Usopp's show Wednesday," she said, shooting Sanji a secretive wink as Zoro frowned and shook his head. "I'll waive Wado's fee if you do," she sang lightly, and Zoro groaned.

"You don't have to-" Sanji began to interject, but it seemed as though Nami had already won.

"Fine," Zoro said around a sigh, moving past them both to take his boots off by the wall. He turned to give them both a mean look before he walked into the kitchen, leaving Nami to shrug at Sanji.

"I have to be going soon," she said. "I really didn't plan on staying so long, Nojiko's really gonna chew me out when I get back. I was only supposed to drop Chopper's food off, then head back to help her with the oranges."

She winced, already imagining the lecture she was sure to get. Sanji was about to ask her who Nojiko was, when Zoro came out of the kitchen holding the undrunk glass of water and a look of confusion on his face.

"Did one of you do my dishes?" he asked, looking incredulously at the two of them.

"No," Nami answered, moving towards where her boots were to put them on. "I wouldn't touch them with your own hands, let alone my own."

Zoro leered at her briefly before he turned his gaze to Sanji, who felt embarrassed again as he tried to shrug it off as something casual.

"Work habit," he said in response, stuffing his hands into his pockets as though it'd help him avoid scrutiny. "I can't stand to see a dirty kitchen."

Zoro still looked surprised, but ended up with an expression of respect as he took a sip of water.

"So you're leaving?" he asked Nami, turning away from Sanji to watch her as she walked past him into the kitchen to collect her cooler.

"Yeah, Nojiko's going to be pissed," she said as she hefted it in her arms and walked back to stand in front of Sanji. "It was nice meeting you; I'll see you around!"

Sanji beamed at her.

"Likewise, it was a marvelous, life-changing event for me to have met you here today! I will keep you in my thoughts, always!"

He could hear Zoro groan at his comment and turned to glare at him before opening the door for Nami. She stepped through it, and gave him one last smile before a look of remembrance dawned on her face.

"Don't forget you have hockey practice tonight," she said, leaning back inside to yell and give Zoro a stern look. "If you forget again you're gonna get cut from the team."

"Yeah, yeah, I won't forget," Zoro grumbled, to which Nami huffed and then did finally depart.

Sanji blew a kiss after her and shut the door. He stared at it blankly for a moment before realizing that he was alone now with Zoro, who he could feel staring at him from the kitchen.

"I think I should be going too," he said, turning around to see Zoro shrug.

"If you don't want to wait on Franky, that's fine by me."

"Shit," Sanji said, having forgotten about him.

"I don't care if you wait around, either, though." Sanji heard him open his fridge, and the sound of bottles clanking peaked his interest. He ventured into the kitchen to find Zoro holding two bottles of beer, and held one out to Sanji, who took it.

"For washing my dishes," Zoro said with a shrug. He pulled a magnetic bottle opener off the front of the refrigerator and opened his own bottle before then passed it on to Sanji.

Relaxing back against the countertop, Sanji popped the top off his beer. He took a starting sip as his elbow slid back and rustled the discarded saran wrap he'd brought his food with. He sat up, remembering that he'd wanted to ask Zoro's opinion on his cooking.

"How'd you like it?" he asked. "The food I brought, I mean," he clarified when Zoro looked blank.

Zoro paused and glanced away, looking to Sanji as though he were thinking up a grand way to describe the cooking he'd eaten. Of course, anything Zoro said, Sanji knew to be true; his cooking was his pride, and he knew it's quality was beyond superior. So it came as a shock to him when Zoro shrugged again, and simply said, "It was okay."

"'Okay'?" Sanji repeated, baffled. Zoro nodded and took another drink. "Just 'okay'?!"

"Yeah," Zoro said slowly, recognizing a fight slowly brewing in the depths of Sanji's one visible eye. "I liked it; it was okay."

Sanji's grasp over the bottle of beer tightened as he tried to keep himself calm.

"My cooking is not just 'okay', okay? It's mind-blowingly delicious; it's melt-in-your-mouth wonderful; it's panty-dropping amazing! What it's not, is just 'okay'!" he exclaimed, bristling as he defended his practice.

To his immense hatred, Zoro shrugged, only saying "Okay", in response.

They stood staring at one another angrily in the middle of the kitchen, each of them waiting for the other to make a move. Sanji silently assessed their surroundings, noting that it wasn't optimal for any sort of a fight that might break out between them. Zoro's stance appeared calm, but Sanji could sense the tension building in him as they continued their stand-off.

"You really piss me off," Sanji said, relenting his anger in a long, drawn-out sigh. He drank deeply from his beer as Zoro snorted and rolled his eyes, relaxing.

"I'm not in the business of making friends," he retorted, even as they both moved out of the kitchen and into the living room.

"Clearly," Sanji said as Zoro turned on the television.

Their disagreement with one another was put on pause as they each sat down on the couch, mindlessly passing time as they waited for Franky to return with a new battery for Sanji's car.

[onepieceimagines]

So I'm 22 and have been out for awhile, but I'm sorta in a depressed mood partly because of it and wanted 'support' from the characters of my favorite anime. Could you possibly do one where the reader confesses to the entire Straw-hat crew, and Shanks and Benn that he's gay? I'd like to see their reactions and possibly have them comfort the reader if he's upset about it. It seems you're closed for requests but you posted a couple things, so I thought I'd try asking. I'm sorry to bug if you are.

(You’re not bugging me! I’m sorry its taken a while to get this out. I admire you for being out. I don’t have the courage to come out yet to my family ._. I hope this helps you fell a little less lonely at least! I used ‘you’ for the story since I think that will help best)

Monkey D. Luffy: He had been looking for you for a while now. A pout formed on his lips as he couldn’t find you anywhere. He liked hanging out with you the most since you always were free to play games with him or just hang out with him. The last place he had to look in was the aquarium. He peaked in through the window on the door and grinned as he saw your form. He didn’t notice the zoned out expression you had on your face nor how you were curled up.in the seat. You almost jumped out of your seat as he slammed the door open.

“(Y/N)! I’ve been looking for you!” He bounded over to you and threw his arms around you, his head tilted to the side. “What’s up? You’ve been kind of gloomy lately.” You could only smile faintly at the curiosity in his voice. 

“I… I should really tell you something, Luffy. Mind sitting down?” He blinked and sat down with his legs crossed on top of the seat, facing you. 

“Sounds serious.” You let out a breathless chuckle and scratched the back of your head.

“Kind of…” You sighed at how his eyes were looking at him wide-eyed. “Luffy… I’m gay.” Silence filled the room and you were too nervous to look at him.

“Uh, (Y/N)? What does that mean?” He muttered hesitantly. You glanced at him and gulped, already feeling your confidence fading.

“It means… I’m not attracted to women and I’ll fall in love with a man one day.” The rubber man blinked and his mouth turned to a small ‘o’ as it clicked. You watched his expression and cracked a small smile as you could literally see the cogs turn in his head. 

“So… Kind of like the opposite of Sanji?”

“Please don’t compare me to Sanji.”

“Okay so like a little bit of Sanji?”

“If it’ll help you process this, then yes.” He grinned at you but it soon fell as a question raised up from the depths of his head.

“So, why do you look so upset?” You clasped your hands in front of you and fiddled with your thumbs.

“A lot of people don’t find it acceptable. I couldn’t help but be nervous when I was telling you.” He blinked and his cheeks puffed out.

“That’s dumb. You love who you love.” He raised his fist up. “And if anyone says anything to you, you got me and everyone else to back you up.” He grinned again. “So, don’t worry about it anymore. I’ve got your back. Always.” You felt a smile lift your lips and a sting behind your eyes. You gently bumped your fist against his, relief hitting your body like a wave.

Roronoa Zoro: You watched as he slumped down on the floor and prepared to take a nap. You stepped over him to sit on the couch. After countless spats in the past, you let him sleep wherever he wanted. He was the most comfortable in his own space anyway. His arms were resting behind his head and he had his eyes closed. You looked at him from where you were sitting and sighed.

“Hey.” He hummed in response, not even flinching. “I have to tell you something.”

“Go ahead then.” He mumbled.

“… I’m gay.” He opened his eye to look at you and closed it a while after some silence.

“Thanks for telling me.” You blinked, surprised. Your best friend wasn’t really great with words but you expected more of a big reaction from the swordsman.

“That’s it?” He opened his eye again and raised an eyebrow.

“What do you mean?”

“You aren’t going to act shocked or ask a bunch of questions?” He shrugged and put his arms down.

“Well, I do mean it when I say I’m grateful for you telling me. It’s your thing to tell so I’ll keep my mouth shut about it.” You grinned and crossed your legs on the seat.

“You’re such a softie on the inside.” He rolled his eyes and went back to his resting position.

“Shut up, will ya?” After a moment of silence, you couldn’t help but voice the question that’s been nagging at you.

“So… It really doesn’t bother you?” He sighed softly and looked at you again, raising an eyebrow.

“Why would it bother me? It’s your life. Who you find attractive is your choice.”

“It bothers a lot of people…” He glared at you and reached over to flick your forehead.

“You care too much about what other people think. Who cares? It’s your life and you’re gonna find someone to like or love or whatever.” He closed his eye and grumbled. “Let me sleep now.” You smiled slightly and nodded.

“Right. Sorry.” You laid down against the seat, thinking that a nap would be a good idea for now. As you were drifting off, you heard his voice grunt.

“(Y/N).”

“Hmm?”

“If someone says something to you, let me know. I’ll beat their ass.” He grumbled, making you smile sleepily. 

“Overprotective softie.” He grunted again before snores filled the room from him. You curled up against the seat and dozed off yourself.

Nami: You sat next to the orange haired girl as she tended to the tangerines. The two of you finally found a calm day within the crew to step away and look over the tangerine trees. You were gripping the bottom of your shirt tightly as you glanced in her direction. ‘She’ll accept me… She will… Right?’ You kept thinking as your heart raced against your chest.

“Nami?” She looked at you and smiled.

“What is it, (Y/N)?” She asked, brushing her hands off of any dirt and leaves.

“I… Okay… What if a close friend of yours told you that… that they were gay?” You cursed at yourself for not just letting the words come out but your courage left as quickly as the words left your mouth. She stayed quiet for a bit, thinking before smiling and sliding closer to you.

“Then, I’d give them a hug and let them know that I still love them. They’re my precious friend and that won’t change.” You felt your eyes stinging, urging the tears to not flow.

“So… It wouldn’t bother you if this friend was gay?” She giggled softly and hugged your arm gently.

“Nope. They love who they love. I have no say in that. I’m here to support them.” She smiled up at you. “They’re still my precious friend and I’d feel honored that they trust me enough to tell me something so important.” Your tears finally showed themselves but you hugged her tightly to hide them from showing. 

“Even if other people hate it?” Your voice came out muffled against her shirt. Her eyebrows furrowed before her expression saddened. 

“If anyone dared to hurt for something you can’t control, I won’t accept it. I’ll always back you up.” She cleared her throat before stroking your hair back. “I mean your friend.” You could barely contain the tears that you felt from the overwhelming support you got from her.

“… Your friend really is grateful to have you as their friend.” She giggled and hugged back, patting your back.

“Just know, (Y/N). You don’t ever have to be afraid to tell me anything. I mean it when I say that I’ll be there to support you.” You sniffled and rubbed at your eyes, looking at her.

“Nami… I’m gay.” She smiled at you, giggling as she helped you to wipe your tears away.

“Thank you for telling me. I will always support you.” You let out a breathless chuckle and hugged her again.

Usopp: You don’t know how the phrase left your lips but you just knew that the silence between you was tense and you didn’t want that. You hung around Usopp a lot since he didn’t mind your presence and he also liked that you complimented his work once he was done with it. You don’t really know how the phrase left your lips but it put a halt to your conversation.

“Uh… That’s not the way I wanted to tell you…” You mumbled, gripping the sides of your head in frustration. Usopp looked at you with wide eyes.

“You’re gay?” You peaked at him and nodded slowly.

“Yeah…” You saw how a smile bloomed on his face and he put his hand on your shoulder. 

“What are you worrying about? That’s great news, right?” You blinked, taken aback by his reaction.

“You’re not… Freaking out about it?” He raised an eyebrow, already packing his tools and chemicals away. Once he was done with that, he looked over at you. 

“Freak out? Why would I?” He plopped down in front of you and tilted his head.

“I don’t know… Some people are uncomfortable with this kind of stuff…” He shook his head and placed his hand on your shoulder.

“Listen. You’re still the person that I wanted to be friends with. You’ve discovered something about yourself but that doesn’t change who you are. If you love guys, it doesn’t make me stop wanting to be friends with you.” He grinned and got up. “So that’s why this is something we should celebrate! Let’s get the others too! They’ll definitely want to party about this too.” He said as he stood up, holding his hands out to help you up.

You put your hands in both of his and pushed yourself up with his help. You caught him by surprise when you moved your hands to wrap around him in a hug.

“(Y/N)?” When you didn’t respond, he hugged back just as tightly as you held him and patted your back. “You were really stressed about this, huh?” You sniffled, your voice muffled from the fabric of his shirt.

“I didn’t want you to hate me….” He let out a soft huff, gently ruffling your shoulder.

“You’re my friend. Through thick and thin.” You smiled and raised your hand to rub at your eyes, nodding.

Sanji: You literally thought you broke him. His cigarette was hanging loosely between his fingers and his visible eye was wide as he stared at you. You checked the time and saw that he’s been quiet for about a minute and a half. You reached forward and snapped your fingers in front of his face. He snapped out of it and blinked a couple of times.

“Wait, you’re-”

“Gay. Yeah. I’m gay.” You could see that the wheels were turning in his head.

“So, you like-”

“Men. Yes.”

“Not women?”

“Not romantically or sexually.” He stayed quiet for a bit again and took a drag of his cigarette. You raised an eyebrow, waiting for his response.

“Are you going to be okay with this information?” He nodded a little, pushing the plate of small sandwiches in front of you that he just finished making before you had entered the kitchen and leaned back.

“I’m perfectly fine with it. That means I won’t have to keep an eye out on you when you’re around Robin-chwan and Nami-swan.” You let a breathless chuckle, your tense body finally relaxing as you could tell that he was half-serious.

“I thought you’d be the least understanding.” You quickly shook your hands. “No offense! Your love for women is so strong! I didn’t know how you would react!” He pouted slightly but it disappeared once he realized that you were right.

“Makes sense.” He rested his elbows on the table and looked at you in the eye. “(Y/N). I love women.” You felt a sweat drop forming on your forehead.

“Yeah, we all know that.” He nodded before gesturing to you.

“You love men. I know that now so just as you let me be, I’ll let you be. I have no say in what you do but just know that as long as we’re friends, I’ll support you.” Your smile made a smile lift his lips up too and you nodded.

“Thanks, Sanji.” 

Tony Tony Chopper: The cute expression on his made you feel ridiculous that the little reindeer would judge you. He blinked his big eyes and tilted his head.

“Gay?” You nodded.

“Yeah… It’s seen as ‘normal’ for a man to love a woman but for me and a lot of people, we like the same gender.” He held his cheeks in his hooves and puffed his cheeks out.

“So you’re gay? So that means that you like men?” You nodded.

“You got it.” You smiled slightly. “It’s pretty serious for me. Your reaction is pretty positive but there have been people I’ve told who have reacted badly…” Chopper crossed his arms and closed his eyes as he tried to make sense of it in his head.

“Hmm, that’s ignorant. I remember the reindeers I was around back on Drum Island looked for a female mate but it was rare when it was two males.” He looked at you and smiled. “But love is love, right? If you love someone, it doesn’t matter what others say! It’s between you and the person you love! Regardless of gender!” His grin made you sweep him up and hug him tightly. He was flustered at the sudden show of affection but smiled happily at you.

“It doesn’t bother you?” He shook his head.

“Of course not! You’re my friend and I still love you!” He grinned at you. “So if anyone says something to you, I’ll back you up!” He thought for a bit and his grin became sheepish. “Or get Luffy and Zoro to come help.” You laughed and gave him a final squeeze before putting him back down.

“Thanks, Chopper. I won’t hide something from you again.” He smiled at you and held up his hoof, making you smile and bumping your fist against his hoof.

“Thanks for trusting me with something so important!”

Nico Robin: She peaked over her book to look at you as you entered the library where she had planted herself in for the night. She smiled at you and patted the spot next to her while moving the blanket away from her so you could sit next to her. You smiled slightly and sat next to her, getting under the blanket as well. It was almost as if she was expecting you since she had a second cup of tea ready on the table. She was skimming her eyes on the page but she could tell that you were nervous from how you rested your head against her shoulder.

“What’s on your mind?” She asked as she flipped a page.

“… i wanted to tell you…” You took a breath. “I’m… I’m gay.” The silence that followed made your eyes turn to look at her. She had a soft smile on her face as her eyes skimmed the page. 

“That’s amazing, (Y/N). I’m happy that you told me.” 

“It doesn’t bother you? Or surprise you?” She closed her book and looked at you, smiling gently. 

“I had an inkling that you were but it wasn’t my place to assume.” She tilted her head slightly. “Why would it bother me?” You shrugged slightly and took a breath through your nose.

“I don’t know… People’s views get in the way of friendships sometimes.” She shook her head and smoothed her fingers through your hair.

“(Y/N). I know a thing or two about being judged. I would never do that to you. I’ll be here to support you. Always.” She smiled as she pushed the tea saucer closer to you. You wrapped your hands around the cup and smiled softly. Robin would be the most understanding from her past. You took a sip of the tea and put it down.

“Thanks for not hating me, Robin.” She giggled gently before opening her book again. 

“I should say the same to you.” You both rested in silence, you enjoying your tea and Robin enjoying her book. She broke it with a teasing tone behind her question. “So, anyone on the ship catch your eye?” You felt your cheeks heat up and rolled your eyes playfully.

“Already teasing me?” She giggled and nodded.

“What? You wanted tonight to be serious?” You smiled at her sly smile and poked her cheek.

“Go back to reading.” She giggled and nodded, looking back at her book as you continued to relax on her shoulder.

Cyborg Franky: You had to cover your ears from how loud and excitedly he yelled.

“(Y/N)! That’s awesome! It’s SUPER!!” He was grinning at you as you slowly lowered your hands. You smiled, his enthusiasm was contagious.

“Really?”

“Of course! It’s an honor knowing that you trust me so much to tell me something so personal!” You smiled but it soon fell as your insecurities came back up your throat and out in a flurry of words. 

“But won’t you be uncomfortable if I have a boyfriend around here eventually?” He blinked and shook his head.

“Why should I be? It’s your life, right? I would never be uncomfortable if you’re happy and have someone to love.” He grinned at you. “By the way, have you found someone that’s caught your eye?” You blushed lightly and shook your head quickly, making him let out a chuckle. 

“Franky, thanks for not pushing me away. I really do appreciate it.” He placed his much bigger hand on your shoulder and looked at you seriously in the eyes.

“(Y/N), you are my friend, more like family. I would never abandon you. None of us on this ship will.” He moved his hand to your hair and gently ruffled, smiling. “No one is going to say something rude or mean to you while I’m around. I’ll protect you and so will the rest of the crew.” You smiled, reaching up and patting his hand with yours, your head moving a little at the movement you caused.

“I couldn’t ask for a better friend if I tried.” You grinned up at him as he laughed.

“That’s good to know. You can trust me with anything from now on.” He smiled and patted your head. “Let’s go get some cola.” You chuckled and nodded.

“I’ll give you my share.” As the two of you made your way to the kitchen, you looked up at the cyborg. “By the way, Franky... Could you please keep this between us for now?” He gave you a thumbs up and grinned.

“You got it. But when you do tell everyone and you need back up, you got me.” The tension in your shoulders relaxed and you laughed again, this one much more relieved.

Dead Bones Brook: He was humming along to the tune of his violin as he was writing another song when you walked in. He smiled at you before playing the last string and putting the violin down. 

“What brings you here, (Y/N)-san?” You smiled slightly as you stepped over to sit down at the seat, putting a tea saucer down. 

“I brought you some tea.” He smiled and stepped over to take a seat next to you. 

“Thank you so much, (Y/N)-san.” He took a gulp of the tea before turning to face you. He tilted his head slightly as you bit your lip, looking lost in thought. “The tea isn’t the only reason you came here, is it?” You took a breath and shook your head.

“No... I came here to tell you something that’s pretty important.” He laid the tea cup down and gave you his full attention. He stayed still until you decided to speak up. Taking a deep breath, you opened your eyes back up. “I’m... I’m gay.” He smiled at you as he picked his tea cup back up and took a sip.

“That’s great. You didn’t have to be nervous to tell me.” You smiled slightly.

“I know that you wouldn’t react badly but there was still that fear.” You closed your eyes, releasing another shaky breath. “You’re a precious friend of mine and if you reacted badly... I wouldn’t know what to do.” You confessed, curling up into a small ball. Bony fingers stroked through your hair as he smiled.

“I support you, (Y/N)-san, and I’m grateful that you told me. It’s something to be proud of! You’ve accepted a part of yourself and now you can be honest with yourself as well.” He reached over and grabbed his violin. “Thank you again for trusting in me.” You opened your eyes to look at him and smiled.

“You accepted me for who I am. That’s all I’ve ever wanted from you and the rest of the crew.” He did a soft version of his laugh and he positioned his violin 

“It’s the least I could do. You accepted me for who I am as well.” You smiled as he started playing again. You leaned back and closed your eyes, your head swaying a little to the music. 

Red Hair Shanks: You wanted to let him know this part of you but there was that small chance that he would freak out and react negatively to your news. After a night of partying, the rest of the crew was passed out across the ship, hungover and in a deep sleep. You were laying on the deck next to your captain, looking up at the stars. He would doze off any second now so you wanted to let this itching thought out as fast as you can.

“Captain...” Shanks looked at you and smiled, he had sobered up long while ago but the drowsiness was finally getting him. 

“What’s up, (Y/N)?” He saw the serious look from just your profile and raised an eyebrow. “Hmm?”

“What if... What if I told you that I was... gay?...” He didn’t look away from your profile.

“... Then we would celebrate this.” You looked at him with wide eyes.

“What?” He smiled at you.

“Yeah. What? Did you think I would kick you out of the crew or something?” You shook your head slowly, still in amazement.

“O-Of course not but... You’re taking this surprisingly well...” He chuckled and nodded, looking back up at the sky. 

“Our crew is very diverse. I don’t judge those for something they can’t control.” He looked at you and smiled. “Just like everyone on the ship, I still respect you and am grateful that you’re trusting me with something so important to you.” He reached over and patted your head. You smiled, feeling relief go through your body.

“I was afraid you’d freak out.” He pouted slightly, glancing at you. 

“Hey, I can be serious sometimes.” He stretched his arm above him and let out a yawn. “Let’s get some rest, alright?” He grinned at you, more sleepily than before. “We can throw another party to celebrate.” You chuckled and rolled your eyes, looking back up at the stars.

“I think you’ve had enough talk about parties today.” You murmured, hearing the snores already coming up from next to you.

Benn Beckman: He was a bit surprised when you wanted to talk to him in private but he tried to find some time from his first mate duties to talk with you. Finally sitting together, he waited patiently for you to start talking.

“There’s something important I wanted to tell you.” You murmured, throwing him off. Usually, when someone in the crew wanted to rely their secrets on someone, it would be the captain. He guessed that it was his stoic expression most of the time that scared people off. He nodded a bit, focusing back on you.

“What is it?” You took a deep breath, a bit nervous at how you were going to confess a big part of yourself to the first mate.

“You’re the first one I’m telling this to but... I’m gay...” Your voice quieting down towards the end. Even though your voice was quieter than a whisper, he still caught it. He silently looked at you, unsure of what to say. After a while, he noticed the flustered expression on your face. He realized how much courage it took for you to say this to him. A small smile lifted his lips and he patted your head gently. You looked up at him, surprised a bit at his sudden actions.

“You’re very courageous to let me know this about you. It’s an honor to know that you rely on me enough to share something so personal.”

“You’re taking this really well...” He nodded.

“It’s not my place to judge you nor do I want to. You will love who you love and you’ve got the crew and I to support you from now on.” He gently patted your head.

“You really think so?” He nodded and a genuine smile filled his face.

“Yes I do. So thank you so much for relying on me again.” He murmured before hearing his name being called. He sighed softly and patted your shoulder. “I gotta go now but if you need someone to talk to or to support you, come find me. We have your back through everything.” He smiled at you one last time before leaving the room. You took a deep breath and slouched down in your seat, unable to believe how easy that was and how understanding he actually was.

(I’m sorry if these aren’t that well written. Half-way through they got repetitive it seems ._.)

[tooweirdforyou]

Ily and I'm so proud of you 🥺👉🏼👈🏼💙 keep up the good work my child 🍪

With that being said, ima request for the first time 😈

Can you hit me with that Luffy, prompt 16 ? Do it however you like 😚

Holiday Prompt #16 With Luffy

A/N : I hope I didn’t already use this pic- thank you for requesting!!! 🥰🖤 ilyt :DD thank you for being proud of me, 🍪 🥺 hope you enjoy this! :))

H.P. #16 : “I pray Santa doesn’t give me coal this year..”

Summary : In which, Luffy decides to cheer up his significant other and shine the positivity of Christas spirit. not good with summaries

-

“Do we really have to do this?”

Hearing the Christmas music being played and sung by Brook in the background, you sigh softly at the sight of Usopp, Chopper and Franky cheering and singing the lyrics loudly to their hearts content.

Sanji was in the kitchen, whipping up a special feast for dinner, Zoro was napping on the deck and light snow falling down upon him.

Robin was currently on the upper deck, unboxing the many decorations that the two girls, Usopp and Luffy bought to hang around the ship, while you and Nami were setting up the decorations on the Christmas tree.

“Why not? It’s a tradition and plus, it’ll be fun to celebrate with the crew.” Nami smiles as she hangs another ornament up onto tree.

You only sweat drop at the sight of Luffy screaming the lyrics with a huge grin.

“NEXT SONG! YO-HO-HO-HO~

Chopper the Blue-Nosed Reindeer

Had a very shiny nose

And if you ever saw it

You would even say it glows

All of the other humans

Used to scream and call him names

They never let poor Chopper

Join in any human games!

Then one foggy Winter day

One human came to say

"Chopper, with your nose so bright

Won't you come home with me tonight?"

Then how the humans loved him

As they shouted out with glee

"Chopper the Blue-Nosed Reindeer

You'll go down in history!””

You smile slightly at the lyrics and just shake your head at Luffy’s weirdness and hung up another decoration.

“I don’t know, I guess I just think it’s so.. over the top. Especially with Luffy begging to invite everyone we’ve met to celebrate with us..” you mutter, trailing off as you thought back to your memory from yesterday.

Nami scowls at the memory and you could see the tense aura radiating off of her. “He’s seriously insane..” Nami suddenly turned back to her cheery mood and smiles at you.

“So [Name]-“

“[NAAAAMEEEE]!”

Before you could react, you suddenly felt yourself be shoved down onto the deck, Luffy on top of you with a wide grin. “[Name]! [Name]! I have a question! Are you listening?!”

Hearing his words and his eagerness level of a child’s, you grunt a bit and look up at him hovering over you. “Yes, I’m listening. What is it, Luffy?”

Nami just stares in shock, Robin giggling a bit to herself and the others just ignored and continued to sing or do whatever they wanted.

“What do you want for Christmas?”

Taken back, you furrow your bows at him and his random question. “Uh, I don’t know.. why?”

“Because, I wanna know! Can you guess what I want for Christmas?” Luffy smiles brightly and you couldn’t help but smile at how excited and joyful he was about this holiday.

“Meat?” You mused, slowly pushing Luffy off so you could sit up properly. Luffy slides off of you and laughs. “Shishishi~,”

“Yeah! But also, I want to spend Christmas with all of you!” He grins widely with closed eyes.

The others, who were listening, were surprised before they relaxed and smiled at their Captain, hearts warming at his words.

You smile softly at Luffy and his pure heart and just shake your head, getting up and dusting off your clothes. “Looks like you’re getting everything you want for Christmas then. Your list is all checked off.”

Luffy smiled softer towards you, about to speak before Sanji interrupted him. “Oi, dinner time! Feast is all ready!”

Luffy quickly snaps his head to the kitchen with stars in his eyes and drool coming out of his mouth. “MEAT!”

You laugh at Luffy’s actions and ruffle his hair slightly, bringing his attention back to you. “Let’s go, Captain.”

“Yeah!”

-

“[Name], you didn’t answer me. What do you want for Christmas?”

Hearing Luffy, you glance towards him, sitting on the ground with his legs crossed and his straw hat resting on top of his head.

You two were currently alone in your room, you rummaging through your clothes while Luffy watched you.

“I already said I don’t know.. I never thought about it.” You shrug before turning away with a pout. “Though, I pray Santa doesn’t give me coal this year..”

Luffy seemed interested in your statement as he tilts his head curiously at you, confusion running through his head.

“Why would you get coal for a Christmas?” He then thought about what Makino taught him as a kid and he gasps dramatically, eyes widening.

“Have you been naughty, [Name]?!”

You blink a couple times at Luffy’s genuine shock and laugh heartily aloud, which confused the poor captain further.

“I suppose I have been..” you shake your head playfully and continue to go through your clothes, organizing your things.

“But, I don’t know, every year, I either would find myself with coal to warm myself up during the winters or I wouldn’t get anything at all.”

Luffy listens intently as he leans back on the floor before he stretches his arms and propels himself onto your bed.

“It never really bothered me whether I had something or not, but I’m not looking forward to coals anymore.” You glance back to Luffy, to see he moved and was now laying down comfortably on your bed.

He seemed to be in thought.

You close your drawer and walk over towards the bed, taking a seat at the edge and smile lightly. “What did you use to get for Christmas, Luffy?”

Luffy hums softly, staying quiet for a moment before smiling softly. “The same thing every year as a kid. Just a fistful of love punches from Gramps, and then meat and clothes from Makino and the old mayor in my village!” He laughs a bit at the memory of his childhood.

You giggle lightly and place a hand on his arm and rubbed it gently. “Sounds like a fun time.” You hum and Luffy nods with a better smile.

Soon, a lightbulb went off his head as he grins childishly. “I have an idea..”

Your smile quickly fades as a brow was soon raised towards him. “...what is it?”

Luffy didn’t answer you and only chuckles to himself as he gets up and rushes out the room, calling for Usopp and Brook.

You sigh at Luffy and stared at the doorway. “He’s a weird one.. but he’s my weird one.”

-

“HO, HO, HO!”

“Why?..”

You deadpan at the sight of Luffy in the all too familiar red and white outfit, a fake white beard over his face and the proper red hat to go with.

“Luffy, what are you up to..?” Usopp and Nami sigh and Luffy clears his throat. “I’m Santa!”

“Don’t be stupid.. who would actually-“ Sanji was interrupted by a yell.

“WOAH, ITS SANTA CLAUS!!” Chopper shrieks in awe, eyes widening with stars inside, at the sight.

“Never mind..” Sanji sighs, exhaling a puff of smoke from his lit cigarette.

Franky, Brook, Robin and you stood from the sidelines and watched, before you walk over to Luffy and grabbed at his exposed cheek.

“Wow.. who knew Santa was so stretchy?..” you joke, pulling at his skin and watching it stretch out, Luffy grunting a bit.

“Oi! Stop that!” He shouts before clearing his throat again. “I’m Santa Claus, and I have presents!”

“PRESENTS?!” Chopper and Usopp yell in unison and you sigh once more at them and their gullibility.

“Yep! And I have a special one for [Name]!”

Now this piqued your interest. “For me?” You question with brows furrowed as Luffy reached into his bag and pulled out a box.

“Mmh! Someone told me you were afraid of getting coals this Christmas! So I came to give you something else instead!”

You eye him suspiciously before opening the box and widening your eyes.

Reaching in, you grasp the item in your hand and pulled it out, staring at it closely.

Then, a small smile broke from your lips.

Luffy stared at you closely and waited for your reaction. “Wellll? Do you like it?” Luffy was no longer doing his deep voice and was now back to his regular self.

The others stare in silence and curiosity, wondering what it was.

A snort escaped your lips as you smiled wider. “You’re so.. weird, Luffy.” You mumble, staring at the object in your hand and held it tightly.

Luffy grins as he pulls down his fake beard to show his warm smile.

“This is much better than coals. I love it, thank you Luffy.” Clutching it tight in your fist, you wrap your arms around Luffy and hugged him tightly, to which he gladly returned.

“Shishishi!~ I’m glad you like it!” He smiles warmly with his eyes closed and faint blush appearing on his cheeks.

You gave a light peck to his cheek and took a look at the item once more, a genuine smile embracing your features.

...

“Wait, what is it?” Usopp asks, interrupting the sweet moment between the two of you.

You chuckle and held it up in between your fingers. “It’s a rock with a smiley face on it.”

Silence overtook the crew.

“HAH?!”

-

a/n : I feel like this wasn’t my best work— but I still really liked this, even if I couldn’t think of anything 😅 but I hoped you all did too!! So sorry this took a while and if it’s not what you expected either! :(