A blonde man hobbled from one side of the kitchen to the other. His skin a ghostly pale as well, as if his skin had never met the light of day. He was riddled with the determination to walk freely for one purpose alone. “You still look sick,” you frowned pointing out the most obvious of all things. Watching with pain as Sanji had a hard time walking, more he was a wobbly mess than anything else. Sanji wasn't really listening to either Chopper's or your own advice to get as much fresh air as possible. Usopp was smart enough to sleep outside the night before and is just fine. Then again, he went to Chopper first unlike someone else.

“I should be fine,” Sanji claimed, taking a seat, his breathing was ragged but most of all heavy.

“Sanji, clearly the drug has taken its toll on you, we should skip the date… Again,” you huffed standing up from the dining table.

Sanji choked, quick to open his mouth to retaliate. “(Y/n) I really want this date-”

“Nuh-uh not if you can't walk straight,” you snapped giving the blonde a cup of icy cold water straight from the faucet. “Your health comes first, and we have roughly twelve hours till sundown. If you're better by then, then I'll agree to the date,” you explained briefly, gladly Sanji seemed to have eased up hearing your compromise. It was achievable yet reasonable.

“When did you care this much about me?” Sanji grumbled sipping on his glass of water with a shy pout. He found you a bit annoying like a mother to her child at the moment. Now he understood how you felt around Chopper whenever you were hurt to some degree.

Sanji was a little out of character for you today. Wouldn't the real Sanji be all over the fact that you were looking out for him? Or maybe it was the drug talking… “I care because I understand how you feel,” you sighed finally digging an answer from the depths of your mind. You in turn dug through the cupboards standing upon your tippy toes to pick out pots and pans appealing to the eye. You set them down upon the countertop one by one then glanced at Sanji of whom still didn't look pleased in the slightest. “I was drugged when I was captive to the government, it isn't easy to bounce back from… like bouncing back from an evening of drinking-”

“I understand that you understand,” Sanji sat down his glass shooting you the look. “But why are you so willingly taking care of me and making breakfast? Like I know you care, but not to this degree,” Sanji made a valid point that opened your eyes quite a bit. You’ve changed a lot since the surgery but not so much as to act so selfless that you'd be easily mixed up with a person taking part in the community.

“I care…” You sighed.

“(Y/n),” Sanji called you out.

“I really do care though Sanji,” you emphasized your side. “I want to show that I am grateful for everything you've done for me Sanji. And… I'm still blown away from when you stood up to Kid for me,” you grew shy telling Sanji everything you've grown thankful for since joining the crew. Hiding your burning blush from behind your back while you cracked eggs into a skillet upon the burning stovetop. Sanji watched intently while you cracked the eggshells perfectly in half against the rim of the skillet to return them to their carton without getting any of the white mess stuck to your skin. For someone who hasn't made a meal for herself in years, you still had the skills of a cooking goddess.

“Earth to Sanji,” you sang, banging two pots together. Sanji shook his head violently snapping back into reality. His blue stared into you (e/c). “Where's the bread?” You asked nicely. It gave you chills asking such a question. After spending a few months with Law and his crew, you didn't dare bring up the subject of bread.

“Oh… In the wooden case by the fridge,” Sanji pointed out a small crate sitting atop the counter that had a small silver handle on its face. You mentally scolded yourself for the French lettering of bread was printed in a silver label just above the handle. Pain. At first you had no idea why pain was engraved into the box until now when before you assumed it was an inside joke towards Law and his hatred towards bread.

“Thank you,” you hummed stepping off to retrieve the bread. Sanji rubbed his eyes gently with the backs of his hands, still recollecting himself from his short daze.

Did I really zone out watching (Y/n) cook? She knows what she's doing, that's for sure. Something about how she unexpectedly took the wheel and started cooking and taking care of me that makes me just that much more attracted to her. She gets it from her brother if I'm not wrong.

“Is there anything I can help you with babe?” Sanji offered, you froze in place with a shiver.

“You want to make me barf?” You hacked to prove a point. Sanji scoots backwards within his seat to your sudden act of hostility. “Please don't call me babe,” you begged.

“Oh… Yeah no problem,” the blonde let off a reassuring smile before slapping himself across the face. “Get your shit together,” he cursed, getting to his feet.

“Where are you going?” You question with a piece of silverware tucked between your lips for your speech to come out in a childish murmur. You were juggling around twenty things at once, now you had a taste of what Sanji has to do each and every day, three times a day.

“Out for a smoke,” Sanji exclaimed, lighting himself a cigarette with a new lighter he had on standby based on yesterday's events.

You growled, spitting out the utensil from your mouth. “If you're recovering from a poisonous airborne drug… you really shouldn't be smoking,” you tut.

“Fine then… I'm going to sit outside, need any help?”

“No, you're good.”

“See ya!” Sanji waved, stepping outside and proceeded to pull out his tin package of nearly bought cigarettes. “Like one smoke would hurt, I'm starving,” *click* “Although I really should listen if I want that date,” Sanji contemplated between snuffing out his smoke or finishing it. As a compromise, he took a few intakes of smoke before tossing the butt into the ocean to fizzle.

-----

“You sure you're feeling alright enough to leave the ship?”

“I'm doing better than earlier,” Sanji exclaimed, straightening out his tie. “If you seriously feel that I shouldn't then we won't,” you heard Sanji sighed for he expected his hopes to be snuffed out beneath your shoe. You awed, you haven't seen him this upset since Law came into the picture months before.

“Sure,” you hummed. “If you stay close then why not?” Sanji's skin has retained some more of its original color and he seemed to be walking next to perfect now.

“Crap… I didn't expect that answer coming out of you,” Sanji stared at you in a daze for a second time in a day. This time he snapped out of it rather quickly on his own, taking you by the hand with a cute grin. “So, I might as well tell you now, our date is-”

“Shut it,” you pressed a finger to Sanji's soft lips. “Show not tell.”

“O-Okay,” Sanji quickly grew flushed. You were almost teasing him with how cute you were just by your words alone. It made him want to shout to the heavens how much he wanted to snatch you up and make you his.

“Lead the way Blondie,” you snickered and Sanji gladly led the way, coming to a stop before a small shop not so far into town.

“Sorry (Y/n), but I gotta pick up a few things that I planned to get yesterday. You mind?” Sanji asked all flustered, he was embarrassed admiring his screw up. You didn't mind however.

“Go ahead, I'll wait out here,” you hummed, leaning up against the wall of the small open door shop.

“Great, I'll be quick,” Sanji dashed in. But his absence welcomed another.

Three men, all differentiating in height and body shape. One tall and thin, another just slightly shorter but very muscular, and the last the shortest but very well the most appealing to the eye of the three. Like a man fresh out of teenage years. “Hey cutie,” the cutest man with torn clothing stepped before you. He smelt like the sea and cheap whisky. You looked in a little deeper to find that sitting within the inner pocket of his faded jacket was a half drank bottle of a golden brown substance. Drunk.

“Get lost,” you griped, whacking his hand away the second he tried to pet your face.

“What is a pretty little doggy doing out here alone?” The tallest man questioned, lying his hand upon your hip in which it made you jump and skip away with a look upon your face that spelled pure fury and disgust.

“My boyfriend will be out here soon, get lost before we hurt you all,” you warned, but it only fed into their hunger.

“Yeah right.”

“You're just playing hard to get.”

“Get lost!” You growled, releasing your hold upon the monster that lived within. A hazy black appendage reached out from your chest to crawl out like a spider that formed before the men with one menacing red eye. The men shrieked in terror before running with their arms flailing. You growled, happy to have them gone, angry to have dealt with them to begin with. Your shadow happily crawled back within your chest after flashing a satisfied smirk.

An applaud filled the atmosphere after your group of bullies dispersed in a rowdy panick. The claps were slow but kept a steady beat. This atmosphere felt like you were living within a movie; that moment the hero falls for the villain’s trap. The villain would come out of hiding and applaud the hero for their mistake. Looks like you were finally considered the hero. But that doesn’t help your position, the claps became louder and louder, till the sounds came direct from behind. You grab at the handle of your sword in secret to not alarm your potential attacker. “Bravo,” came a soft sophisticated voice that you've most definitely heard before.

“Who the hell are you?” You hiss, while also remaining a cool stance, maybe he was the head of that little gang of newbie pirates you just scared off. No matter the situation, you didn’t want bloodshed, not now at least when your hands were clean for the longest time. “Get lost, or else I’ll gladly beat you down like your cronies,” you warned for real, this man seemed to be quite stubborn. Can't he read a situation?

“Those weren’t my men,” the guy behind you lets off a shy snicker of amusement. “How you dealt with them were quite entertaining might I say. How they ran away with piss running down their legs-”

“Then get lost, you got to say your words,” you spun around holding the blade to your retractable sword to the man’s throat. Your eyes trailed up his body, he was in a white uniform, a white jacket thrown over his shoulders and a badge on his breast pocket, he was a Marine for sure. Pretty high rank to earn that jacket as well. Your eyes narrowed in on his face hidden behind a cap that had the word Marine printed across the face of the hat. “Who the hell are you?” You’ve found yourself repeating. “I… I haven’t seen you before today, here I was expecting Akainu or Smoker.” Then you second guess, he reminded you well of Akainu with that hat and bulky build. Nothing else matched though.

“What?” Then man snickered for a second time, reaching up casually to remove his cap, releasing a head of black locks that hung just low enough to cover his eyes. For what you could tell, he looked like he was still in his early twenties, maybe even late. But no older than forty. “You can’t recognize your big brother?” The man shook his head, revealing his face to its entirety. Those gentle maroon eyes gazed within your own, you found yourself tearing up.

“(B/n)?” You lowered your sword, dropping it upon the grass.

“Hey Lil’ Sis,” he smiled from ear to ear. It was him, your brother, that was his long lost nickname he always called you by. You fell forward into his arms for the hug you longed for since his depart years back.