It wasn't all that early in the morning, maybe two hours before noon. For days on end, cooped up within the sickbay lied an assassin, ensnared within the cold embrace of death just days before. She'd stare up at the ceiling of the sickbay, one of her eyes were as red as crimson while the other remained closed. She saw the world through the eye(s) of her shadow that roamed the Thousand Sunny at her own request while she remained immobile. The assassin had learned that the kitchen was overwhelmed with countless wonders.

There was a peaceful strumming of a wooden spoon against the rim of a large glass mixing bowl, the simmering bubble of the mouth watering contents that lied within the oven. The one thing that enchanted her the most was Sanji who'd hummed while he worked; smooth and sweet like a song, which was very... Different even for a man. Nobody, not even Sanji knew why he was in such a good mood, he just woke up feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the day. Little did he know, you had plans of your own.

Sanji felt a knock at his shoulder, the action had completely wrecked his train of thought as the blonde glanced over to his left for a brief second just to find absolutely absolutely nothing. Something told him not to take the action lightly knowing the people who occupied the same home as he. "Luffy," Sanji groaned sitting down his kitchen utensil against the rim of the mixing bowl pinching the bridge of his nose. "Leave me alone you nimrod, I'll tell you when lunch is ready."

Another tap, Sanji simmered with a waking anger for he clenched his fist tightly spinning around with his leg at the ready. His sapphire eyes widened with a jump to his heart as he fell backwards into the counter and kicked at the large shadow mass before clutching onto his chest. The blow Sanji had dealt upon the shadow rematerialized within the second. "Is giving people heart attacks funny to you as well?" Sanji groaned taking deep breaths in as the shadow snickered with a disembodied voice of a young child.

Sanji called you out, so you felt that you had no other choice but to finally step into the room from behind the door, leaning against the wall with crossed arms. "I didn't mean to scare you that much. Really. I meant it," you had a cocky grin plastered across your face. You were trying all too hard to hold back your laughter. All you wanted to do was get his attention

Sanji's anger melted away the second he saw you. "Whoa (Y/n)," Sanji spoke almost in disbelief and soft features. "It looks like that intense treatment Chopper put you through over the last few days had actually worked. You look almost brand new, maybe even better than the day we met. As if the poison accident never happened."

"Chopper... Said the same thing," you admit although you never really wanted to.

"What's with the glum attitude?" Sanji pursed his lips. "I haven't seen you in days, I see a new you. And you sound as if all this isn't that a good thing?"

"Eh," you shrugged. "I used to be in an even better state up until a few years ago, I'm always in poor health so I've learned to not get my hopes up. Plus, I wouldn't look or feel as good as I am now if I didn't agree to the treatment in the first place."

"Well why wouldn't you agree to the treatment? I heard Chopper explode on you when you got out of bed that one day because I think you still had A LOT of poison in your system. Wouldn't you be dead?" Sanji was now pestering you for a legitimate answer, besides Zoro, Sanji hasn't met anyone be so careless over their own body. It might explain why you never really cared to find the true culprit over who had poisoned you, how you bounced back so quickly, why Chopper felt the most insecure out of everybody. Medical attention wasn't your concern, more a burden than a blessing.

"I hate doctors more than I hate the World Government, so of course I refused the treatment at first. I'd choose death over an operation anyday," Sanji frowned to your words realizing his assumptions weren't one bit false. "After Luffy kicked my ass to and back, and my near death experience, I learned that I could trust Chopper with my life and let him do that operation on me to expel the rest of the poison from my system. Since he wanted to heal me just because I needed it, not because he wanted something out of it." Sanji begun to smile once again hearing your open confessions. It was nice to finally see that you're opening up; that day you just broken down and cried yourself to sleep within Sanji's arms, somebody had opened the gate to change. And it looks like you have finally crossed over. But all at the same time, it created room for more concern.

Sanji had began to put all the hints together. You're the most dangerous woman in the world, you've survive breaking your spinal cord, you've also survived poison that 99.9% of the time kills the host, you recognized said poison, even admits that you were built, now you claim to hate doctors because they did things to you for personal gain, not to forget all of those scars that littered almost every square inch of your body, and that claim you made as well. You could destroy the World Government single handed. Sanji wishes that he never put the hints together cause you were, no doubt, a pet to the government; and they wanted you back.

"That's nice to hear," Sanji admits with a great big smile like a mask to hide the pain of his sudden discovery. "But nowhere near as nice as being able to have a real conversation with you (Y/n)."

"Eh," you shrugged again noticing just how fake Sanji's voice had came to be. Instead, you ignored it, since you had no clue as to why he was acting different. "You just have to be on my good side. You see," you began a whole new conversation to cover up the old. I hate that ally of yours, Law. But at the same time, he only works with the World Government for personal gain. He only chases after my ass for show. Therefore I have no reason to hate him, unlike here where I was kidnapped and poisoned... I'm pretty sure you get the hint."

"Trust me, I do," Sanji reassured with a true voice. "I think we all understand-"

"(Y/n)!" Chopper busted the door to the kitchen right open nearly breaking the hinges off the door. To Sanji's surprise, your eyes were enlarged with a vast variety of potential emotions: shock, fear, even he couldn't distinguish what was going on through your mind. "(Y/n), you aren't supposed to be out of bed! You're still healing! Why can't you listen to me for a change!?" Chopper barked question after question at you, all you did was wear a look of complete and utter disgust.

"I listened to you for a while..." You pout with an elongated sigh. Glancing over at Sanji with eyes that pleaded for a call to rescue. "An entire day of surgery and another three days of recovery... You weren't allowing visitors & I was bored out of my mind in that crapped doctor's office," anyway he looked at it, Chopper was still fuming.

"Give her a break Chopper," Sanji stepped in taking your wordless call for help to heart. "(Y/n) looks good as new. Plus she's making her shadow do everything for her, so it's not like (Y/n) is overworking herself," for the first time, Sanji had seen you genuinely smile. He took in the sight, taking a mental picture because it was beautiful, you were beautiful. Sanji also regrets to think he'd never see your smile again for a long time. Maybe even never again. That was until your shadow poked its head through Sanji's chest flashing a smile at Chopper, giving both the doctor and the cook a good fright as them both jumped backwards falling onto their behinds.

You couldn't help but laugh into the palm of your hand. "(Y/n)!" Chopper sniffled as the little prank was a little too much for him to handle.

"Sorry," you snapped your fingers and your shadow disappeared altogether out of thin air to join the floor at your feet where all shadows belonged. "For your information, I never told my shadow to do that. One of the downsides to my devil fruit..." The small apology was more than enough, Chopper waddled over to you and hugged one of your legs, sobbing into your pants. You just stood there completely frozen unable to react to his worthless sobbing.

"Kn-Knock it off! It wasn't that scary" you felt unbearably uncomfortable, kicking your leg to somehow get Chopper away from you. But alas your actions went wasted.

"Yeah Chopper," Sanji agreed. "I know you're a kid and all, but it really wasn't all that scary." The cook tugged on Chopper but all it did was cause him to tighten his grip upon your leg. Nothing was accomplished.

"Pardon me, I couldn't help but overhear the mess," Robin stepped into the kitchen hugging a book to her chest. "Maybe you should hug Chopper in return," the archaeologist suggested.

"Fuck no," you hissed with panicked eyes.

"Maybe you should," Sanji agreed once again. "I mean it wouldn't hurt, right?"

"Maybe if he wasn't all snot faced and crying!" You griped and snapped at your unfortunate situation as Sanji knelt down and successfully pried the reindeer from your leg. "Sanji you better not!" You shaked with anger as the cook closed in on you. Chopper leaped out of Sanji's arms and clung to your neck weeping into your chest. You tried pulling Chopper from you, till you knew to give up, hugging Chopper in hopes that you could shorten the duration of this unfortunate event. All the while sending death glares at Robin and Sanji who adored your misfortune.

"Just wait..." you whispered. "I'll kill you both after this." But you never did, Chopper did eventually calm down with his waterworks under control. Sanji finished lunch, and Robin had read a good portion of her book in the meantime. It was however unfortunate once Sanji called everyone for lunch, you had left the group to eat alone.

"Why'd (Y/n) leave?" Luffy asked tilting his head almost completely upside down in curiosity.

"We had a little too much fun with her," Sanji sighed gesturing towards Robin while he served his crew.

"Yeah, I think she hates us," Robin regrets to inform the crew.

"How so?" Franky asked with not so much interest in the subject. He already knew you hate them, it can't get any worse right?

"She pulled a prank on Chopper and Sanji, we forced her to hug Chopper to make him feel better," Robin went ahead to explain seeing as to how Sanji was already preoccupied with other matters.

"That doesn't sound all too bad," Usopp foretold his personal opinion on the subject. "But then again she doesn't come off as the touchy kind of person. Did she at least apologize?" Usopp pointed out some valid key points.

"Yup," Chopper sniffled into a tissue.

"Better than nothing," Zoro tagged in.

"Maybe we did go too far," Sanji sighed.

"She can't be that mad," Robin shrugged.

"How about you all quit arguing and somebody fetch her or bring the poor girl some food," Nami suggested getting up from her seat to do the deed herself.

"I guess I will," Usopp took a stand. "I haven't even held a full conversation with (Y/n) yet, now is a better time than never."

Sanji quickly prepared a plate of food setting it down upon the counter. "See if you can at least get her in here, if not then come back and give her this."

"Will do," Usopp saluted to show he'd follow the order exactly as spoken before taking an exit. He automatically assumed you went to the sick bay to shut everyone out, so he decided to check there first. The long nosed liar knocked on the door peeking his head in, and there you remained. "(Y/n), why don't you come to the kitchen? Everybody wants to see you," Usopp tried to sound as cheerful as possible. When really he was internally dying pleading that you won't injure him in one way or another.

"Really?" You spoke almost lost as you turned to face Usopp still standing within the doorway. "Are you sure Luffy didn't just put you up to this?"

"As sure as can be! Just because you're not happy with Sanji and Robin, doesn't mean you should dodge us all together. Trust me, I came here on my own accord. Luffy has nothing to do with this," you had began to ease up as Usopp began giving himself what looked to be a pep talk to his own self to congratulate on being so 'brave' or else 'my name isn't God Usopp!'

"NIce to know," you sighed patting Usopp on the shoulder as you passed by. "By the way, I'm not pissed at Sanji and Robin. I only left because besides them and Luffy, I'm pretty sure you all wished I never joined this crew. What's the point in being somewhere you're not wanted? Correct me if I'm wrong," Usopp turned as stiff as a board for he could not reply to your words just like you expected. However it did take you by surprise once he began to speak again.

"Sorry if I came off as a jackass (Y/n)," Usopp sincerely apologized from the depths of his heart. But you felt no remorse, continuing your stroll down to the kitchen. "(Y/n) really I am!" You stopped in your tracks. "I'm pretty sure you understand how it feels to be rejected, I understand, I was kicked off this crew for a little while believe it or not," Usopp felt as if he were talking to a brick wall, really you were actually listening to each and every word he said taking them to heart. "This will come off as rude to you (Y/n), but can you really blame me for not liking you? You're a serial killer who almost killed a good friend of mine. It took some time for me to get used to the fact I was sharing the same home with a killer such as yourself, I was hoping we could be friends... If not, I don't wish for there to be any tension between us."

"You seriously went out of your way to tell me this?" You were at a loss for words. I mean how could you react?

"More it was all made up on the spot. But I meant every word," Usopp spoke without faltering. He wasn't lying. You wanted to deny it, so you walked away leaving Usopp in the blues.

Everyone lit up in surprise as they truly expected you to eat alone, that was until you stomped your way through the kitchen and stopped before the table everyone ate their lunch at. You looked distressed, like you were about to cry. "Got any more pathetic speeches you want to tell me?" This was directed at everyone. More specifically those of whom you never talked to before today.

"(Y/n) what the hell just happened out there with Usopp?" Sanji was the first to ask jumping over the counter, resting his hands on both side of your body. You didn't reject this action, but more the fury was catching up to you little by little. "(Y/n), did you hurt him?" Sanji asked a different question since you remained silent.

"NO!" You felt offended that he would assume so. "That long nosed freak thinks he can just insult me over and over and assumes that an apology would make everything alright?" Silence. "Yeah... He assumed wrong." You shifted your attention onto Nami, Brook, and Franky. Sanji refused to let you run free, which was a great idea on his part. "Forgive and Forget they all say! If any of you dare to apologize for the way I was treated the day we all met, expect me to blow up again. I'm trying to get along with you all without recalling everything bad. I try to forget everything horrible that happens to me, SO DON'T BRING IT UP AGAIN!!!" Your legs gave out from beneath you as you collapse upon the floor taking Sanji with you, breathing fast and hard. You clearly got the point across, even Luffy had a better grasp on the event that just unfolded than some. However this event just made Sanji worry for you even more than ever before, it just made his assumptions of you as a government pet even more realistic.

"Do you feel better (Y/n)?" Nami hummed from where she sat. You looked up from the floor, giving Nami a questioning tilt of the head. "Sometimes letting out your pent up anger is the answer. Maybe even crying depending on who you are like Franky here," the redhead nudged the cyborg with her arm.

"Yeah... Guilty as charged," Franky snickered rubbing the back of his neck. No other words were really exchanged as you returned Sanji's loose embrace.

"I hate everyone here," you hissed. "But I can't help but love you all at the same time."