-So- Sanji licked his lips a little, approaching and directing his gaze to that one of the navigator, who seemed careful to observe the Log Pose and the map at the same time -How long will we need to get to the next island, Nami ~ Swan?-

The girl smiled at him, briefly putting the map down -I'd say three days, if the weather allow us. It does not seem that there will be a storm for the moment, but in the event that weather changes drastically, from three days it will probably become five.-

The blond tried to hide the discomfort of the idea of ​​having to support his mind and his thoughts for more than forty-eight hours on the ship, in fact he smiled slightly, putting his hand in his pockets, always looking for a cigarette.

-What is it called, exactly, the island? -

-Inunomachi island- answered the redhead, returning to look briefly at the Log Pose -It is a spring island. Robin inquired and said that there are many natural caves, waterfalls and lakes.

The blond nodded, already imagining in some ways a breathtaking rural landscape.

And then, Sanji found himself for a few seconds wondering if moving away now was the best or the worst of choices, limiting himself to staring at the sky and losing himself in the white clouds that were beginning to fade into blue where they ended, trying to shake off the fact that that particular afternoon was a total torture for him and was flowing at a disarming slowness.

He had almost broken a plate and three glasses at the end of lunch: he had managed to get them back on the fly, recovering them with a mastery he had accumulated through years of work, but he had definitely not gone unnoticed, a detail that had left him to curse himself internally.

He didn't want to worry anyone, really, but he seemed, apparently, to be unable to do it.

And all because Zoro's thoughts were added to those already present in his family and ... It seemed that his mind had turned into a labyrinth in which as soon as it turned, it slammed against a wall.

-Sanji ~ kun- the navigator in turn approached him, after a few seconds - Can I ask you something? -

-Sure, my dear flower, ask whatever you want- the blonde replied, putting his cigarette to his lips and preparing to light it.

He didn't know why, but he was already tense, probably because he felt that some question would come to which he would struggle to offer any kind of answer.

There was fifty percent that it would have been an uncomfortable question, a slice of about thirty, thirty-five, on a half-awkward question and a twenty or a fifteen on a normal request that he would not have suffered too much.

So yes, it would probably have been a not much appreciated question, to which he would have answered, of course, but ... With a lot of effort.

Or maybe ... Maybe he was the only one to make himself tense?

Maybe it was just his nerves that bandaged his head before anyone could even have the chance to give him a shot.

- Will you answer sincerely? - the girl widened her smile, looking at him.

An 'Ouch' sounded in the blond's mind.

Yes, most likely it wasn't just him who made it look worse than it was.

He forced himself to swallow and nod, which led Nami to move his head in the direction of the door, which clearly said "Follow me"

Sanji simply did so, following the navigator as she headed for another part of the ship.

The aquarium.

Another bad sign.

Everyone knew that that part of the ship was his second favorite after the kitchen , as the boy ended up mentally diving himself in the nuances of the water and non-stop watching the fish, letting his imagination wander, his body relaxing a little.

Immediately his mind went to rework the scene of the exact moment when he had kicked Luffy at Whole Cake Island, under Nami's terrified eyes.

His stomach bent over, making a flip.

Here it was again.

Nausea.

He swallowed it, closing his eyelids and pulling from his cigarette, inhaling and exhaling.

He threw his nervousness on one side of his head, shifting his thoughts to the color of the ship's wood and how the veins of the boards were more or less evident, appearing almost like swirls or shapes.

One looked almost like a stain, looked at it and stared at it for a long time.

A stupid distraction, but still a distraction ... Although destined to end at the very moment when it crossed the threshold, entering the aquarium room.

Beautiful water slightly rippled by the movements of the tails and fins, green algae that rose up, hinting at the inattentive rocking and lacking any kind of rhythm, they attracted his full gaze.

Sanji already felt his attention swarming, dispersing.

He had no idea why, but it hadn't been in this part of the ship for months.

Perhaps because he thought he didn't deserve to enter it?

It could be.

Perhaps because he still felt too dirty and the perfection of that visual made him feel too much?

It also could be.

Both?

Definitely.

Just when they were both inside, Nami gently patted the bench, asking him to sit up.

The blond did it, sensing his nervousness skyrocketing, so much so that he barely breathed decently: he wouldn't be surprised if he'd suffocated himself with cigarette's smoke.

-Tell me, Sanji ~ kun.- the navigator started, putting one of her hands on his shoulder, giving him some delicate pat -Me and the others... We are your Nakama, aren't we? -

Sanji assumed a somewhat confused expression from the question, looking at the girl, perplexed.

-Yes- he answered anyway, occasionally blinking.

-And the Sunny is like our home, isn't it? - Nami added again, still smiling, not letting him know what she was thinking.

The cook was sweating cold, wondering if maybe those almost rhetorical questions would lead to something else, to another much heavier one, to an another that he wasn't sure he wanted to give a voice to.

-Yes- he said again, his voice twitching a little, his hands going back into his pockets to tighten the fabric.

-So it is as if we were a family ... And one of the family does everything for the other components, right? -

This time Sanji just nodded.

-Would you do something if I asked you to?-

-Of course, Nami ~ swan. I would do anything for you-

- And you would do something if the others asked you? -

There was no tone of malice in those words; Sanji really couldn't understand where the girl was going to go ... And that scared him. It really did.

-I... I don't see why I won't have to- he said, trying not to stutter or to show the anxiety that was stirring in his veins instead of blood.

-Perfect.-Nami pushed her hair back a little. -Then you will allow your nakama to let you have a vacation.-

-Ah ...- the cook, for a moment, could not connect what the navigator had said, a frown on his face, then the sentence seemed to light up in his head and he realized it in all of its meaning, so that his eyes opened wide, staring at Nami as if he had seen a ghost.

- Wait, what? -

- A holiday.- the redhead continued, with a satisfied expression that said a lot about the assurance of this sentence.

- You will take a break from anything. You will let us do what you usually only ever do for us. You always spoil us, now, at least for a while, leave us the task of giving you the change. No cooking, no dishes to wash, no watch, no washing of clothes. Your only job is to relax-

-B-but ... N-Nami ~ san, I don't think ...-

-... we need it? Oh, I believe so. We all believe so. And we've already decided -

Sanji found himself literally speechless, looking for something to argue, a phrase like any other to erase that sudden scenario that seemed totally wrong and too strange to even be partly plausible.

In exchange, he only managed to hold on to that bit that the navigator had mentioned without specifying its duration.

-Vacation... how many days? - he asked therefore, swallowing with difficulty.

-Two weeks-

Two weeks.

It seemed an infinite time for the blonde.

What was he supposed to do, all those days?

If the kitchen was one of the only things that distracted him from his thoughts, in those days he wouldn't even have been able to have it, so he simply feared that he would explode, anything but a period of relaxation.

He would have eaten himself internally, corroded his own mind to the point of no return.

-Are ... Are you sure? - he said in a whisper, not even realizing how his voice had abruptly subsided, almost hiding in his own throat.

The navigator stroked his shoulder fondly - More than sure. You need it. Consider it as time to discover hobbies, have some fun or to ... clear up some question marks - Nami winked at him.

Sanji immediately opened and closed his mouth, sighing and scratching his head, looking at the young woman as she grabbed his hand and held it briefly in hers, as if to reassure him of any disturbance.

The cook limited himself therefore to hinting at a smile, initially drawn and a little tense, but which became more realistic every second a little more.

-All right. I don't think I can choose, in any case, so if you really want ... I will accept this vacation-

And finally I'm here! Wee

• w •

If you have to suggest - request scenarios for the 'two week break', go ahead.

I already have some, but if you propose them, I will be happy to try to satisfy you: 3

Small thing. I decided that, yes, this story will be mainly pov. Sanji -- obv? -- but obviously some pov.Zoro will be there ... And in the end, if you will, I will also put his versions of certain chapters.

Like, are you interested in his view of Chapter 3? You ask, it will be done: D

I don't know exactly where in the story theyìll be ... I'll put them a little randomly.

P.S

I'll put Sanji's interactions with everyone in the crew. Because every mugiwara deserves lovehhh

P.p.s

I really hope Carrot becomes a nakama too! In my opinion it will be so, I even have theories ... Then I will calculate it as such : 'D

P.p.p.s

Frobin, NaVivi and LawLu scenes could appear randomly too. Maybe. We will see.

P.P.P.P.S

This chapter has been translated on pc. So it looks a little bit weird xD. Hope you did like it and, as always, if you tell me my writing mistakes I'll appreciate it