Skates clacked against the tiled floors of the Baratie. Tani burst through the kitchen doors, plates stacked in her hands. Skating through the rush of chefs, passing hot pots and polished plates around the counters. Tani would be forever grateful for her evasion skills.

"Girly! Plates for table 16 and 24 are ready!" one of the chefs called out. Slapping the plates on carrying trays for their female coworker.

"On it!" Tani called out, rolling over to the plates, and scooping them into her hands. Flying out the doors with a customer service smile.

It had been four days since the Straw hats had boarded the Baratie. They'd refused to leave without Tani on the ship, much to the girls' protests. The only reason Tani had swapped with Luffy, was to give them an out.

Luffy refused to let her stay behind, because she was "Nakama". A term Tani had never heard before, but it must be important if it's keeping him from leaving. She would have to ask about that one when her shift ended for the day.

The staff on the Baratie were quite the strange bunch. She'd heard the rumours that the Baratie was notorious for its staff, that were willing to beat the ever loving daylights out of customers if they disrespected the food, ship or workers. It was something that Tani found herself enjoying. Some customers really deserved it. Hell, full-body had his ass handed to him by Sanji on her first day.

Speaking of Sanji.

He's been the saving grace of this entire "selfless sacrifice" as he liked to call it. Sanji made sure that Tani was settled into the life of a Baratie employee. He's also made it very clear that he disapproved of her "selfless sacrifice", to swap with Luffy. Tani would shrug it off. He was just being Sanji.

Sanji's like an 11/10 on the chivalry scale, he would constantly pop up out of nowhere, offering to do (sometimes even taking over) tasks that were given to tani. Not that Sanji should have the time to help her with everything.

He was one of the higher ranked chefs, something called a sous chef? Which was meant to be pretty important. Too important to be helping Tani with every single obstacle she came across. Tani would protest, but the man was as stubborn as a rock.

Doesn't change the fact that Tani really appreciated his assistance, even if the doting got... Overbearing. At least she got heaps of snacks out of it. Sanji was the greatest chef, Tani ever had the pleasure of meeting.

Honestly, she wouldn't have minded staying here for the next year. Even if it meant she'd need to learn how to defend herself in a fight.

A skill she would have to learn, much sooner than later...

It was the afternoon of day four.

The day started out pretty normal. The Straw hats came into the Baratie to have lunch, and greet Tani.

The girl rolled around the restaurant, serving customers via rollerblade. She felt like one of those 60s diner girls you'd find in a pinup magazine. Tani knew how to utilize the skill, and it turned out to be one hell of an efficient method of transport.

Zeff even praised her skills at service and ingenuity, which was meant to be near impossible. Patty said it was because Zeff is softer on girls, but Tani could eat any praise she can get.

"Tani, come back," Luffy complained, the top half of his body sprawled out on the top of a table. Much to the annoyance of the crew, who all had to lift their plates.

"For the 26th time, I can't do that." Tani responded, "Do I need to do the 'I'm paying off your debt, so you can leave' speech again?" Luffy groaned into the table cloth again.

"Maybe this will cheer you up," she placed a plate of barbeque meat skewers in front of the captains head. It took a nanosecond, Luffy's mouth unhinged like a snake. One moment the plate was there, the next, Luffy's cheeks were stretched out. Tani snorted at the sight. The novelty of Luffy's rubber body, slowly wore off with every encounter.

"Oi! Girly, quick your yapping. We have lunches to serve!" Zeff scolded.

"That's my cue," Tani twisted on her heels and glided back into the kitchen. The crew looked among each other, one question on most of their minds.

"So... How long until we leave?" Usopp questioned. All eyes landed on their captain, who had just spat out the plate. He looked at everyone with confusion.

"What? Did I eat a fork again?" the crew sighed

"Luffy, how much longer are we gonna wait for Tani?" Usopp repeated. "We can't wait here all year, and it's obvious that she's happy working here-"

"We aren't leaving without Tani, and Sanji," Luffy declared.

Nami rolled her eyes. She knew for a fact, that the idiot would be too stubborn to leave without those two. Her patience was running dry, she couldn't be caught lollygagging when she had important business to attend to.

The folded page of Arlong's wanted poster crumpled under the red heads tight and angered grip. Soon she might need to take some... Drastic measures.

The front door of the restaurant burst open. This was followed by the cries of a man's voice, filled with panic and desperation.

Tani skated her way over to the entrance. Only to find the same man she'd seen on day one, the guy who had been starving. This time he held a man on his shoulder, who looked to be about twice the starved man's height and weight.

Tani approached cautiously, the vube of the big guy... It felt off, her gut didn't trust him. Her approach was halted, a hand blocked her from getting any closer. Sanji stood by her side, his gaze locked on their new arrivals. The starved man spoke first.

"Sanji, please... He's starving," he begged the blonde. After the words left his lips, the larger threat dropped to the ground in a pathetic slump. His head held down in a bow.

"My fleet won't attack, I swear!" his voice hoarse and starved. Pity and guilt filled Tani, that sick feeling in her stomach refused to leave. She never let her eyes leave the large man's form.

Patty and the other chefs on the other hand all scoffed at the display... Well.

Everyone except for Sanji and Zeff. The pair looked at each other, Sanji giving a nod. Zeff walked away.

"So you really think we're gonna feed the likes of Don god damn Krieg? This is a restaurant, not a comedy club," Patty mocked. The others laughed with the chef.

"He's so pathetic, I almost feel bad kicking him out... Almost," another chef barked out. A pang of sympathy struck a chord with Tani. She didn't know why, she knew nothing about these men. The tall one made her feel wrong, but they were still human.

"Are you guys serious? They're begging for food." she defended. Her back to their two newest arrivals. "Everyone should be fed, isn't that one of the Baratie's most important rules?" she snapped.

Patty narrowed his eyes at the girl, and pointed at the large man. He was still bowing his head. Begging for a meal.

"I would rather watch the likes of Don Krieg, rot in hell for all I care." Patty glared at the man behind Tani. "He's a danger to the entire East Blue!"

Silence reigned over the room, whisperings of the name Don Krieg popped up here and there. However that name meant nothing to Tani, she had no idea who he was... She really needed to start reading the newspaper or something.

The clack of a bowl hitting the deck, echoed through the somewhat silent room. Attention being drawn to the bowl of fried rice, steaming in front of Don Krieg.

The man wasted no time shoveling the contents of that bowl into his mouth, with his bare hands. It was gross to watch the man desperately inhale the contents of the bowl. Zeff huffed, stepping back from the man he'd fed. Tani decided to move back too, standing behind Sanji.

Now, after being fed for free. You'd expect an expression of gratitude, a thank you at least. That's what most people would do...

Don Krieg is not most people.

His movements were too fast for a man who was barely moving, seconds ago. Don Krieg's fist collided into Sanji's stomach. Sending him flying back into Tani. The girl dropped down hard under the blondes weight. After a beat of silence, where nobody knew what to do.

"Don Krieg's attacking!" a woman shrieked. All hell broke loose.

Panic ensued, customers fled from the restaurant in a flurry. Don Krieg ignored their mad rush to leave the establishment. Revelling in the chaos he'd created. It didn't take long for the restaurant to be occupied by the Baratie staff, the Straw hats, and Don Krieg.

"I need food for my starving crew. There's roughly 100 men on that vessel, all are on the verge of starvation," Krieg demanded. Standing at his full height, all the Baratie employees huffed at the demand.

It took a moment for Sanji's head to catch up with him. The surface he'd been tossed into was far too soft. He'd been kicked into every surface of this establishment, at least twice... Oh no.

Sanji pulled himself away from the girl he'd been knocked into. Tani laid in the ground in a daze, unharmed. Guilt flowed into the chefs chest. He should have paid more attention, Tani couldn't have been knocked over if he wasn't so careless.

Tani snapped out of her daze. Sanji hovered above her with concern, brimming in his blue eye. Tani huffed, pushing herself into a sitting position. Sanji kept his hands on her back, for support.

"We can't feed them!" one of the chefs protested. Tani looked up at the conversation she'd missed. Zeff turned to his subordinates.

"We'll serve anyone who needs to be fed," there was a finality to his words. That golden rule is still in place. "No matter who they are. Everyone deserves to be fed." with that. Zeff turned away from his men, and headed towards the kitchen.

The other chefs didn't move from their spots, keeping an eye on Krieg. Sanji kept himself close to Tani, if Krieg so much as breathed in her direction-

"This boat would make a fine replacement for my own," he observed. Turning to the guy beside him. "Better than the wrecks we've been sailing on." his face took on an expression that Tani didn't like.

Her nerves took the reins to her brain. This ship, the history behind it. Zeff and Sanji built this place from the ground up.

Her body acted on its own, ignoring the screaming in her mind telling her to keep to herself. This wasn't her fight... No.

This fight became hers, when she took the job.

"You can't have this ship!" Tani called out, Don Krieg snapped his attention to her. Tani swallowed the lump in her throat.

"This ship... It belongs to these hard working men," she motioned to the chefs, all of them standing proud. "You can't have it!"

Don Krieg's expression soured. Looking at Tani with disdain, a scowl pulled at his lips. Tani felt her resolve crumble to dust.

Krieg stepped forward, each step shook the ground. Tani couldn't move, her legs refused to obey the screams of her brain.

Each step he took. Don Krieg would raise his fist higher in the air, balling his fist. The shadow of Don, dwarfed Tani. She couldn't move, no words would form.

She'd been here for less than a week, and was already speed running her own death.

"Don't tell me what I can and can't have. Brat!" Krieg's fist came swinging at Tani. The girl closed her eyes, arms flying up to protect her face.

A second passed... Then two... Three and four.

The impact never came... Well, not to her at least.

Tani felt her body being pushed away from the impact zone. Her eyes flew open, the world slowing as her gaze found Sanji.

The blonde flung Tani out of the way, a comforting smile on his face. Don Krieg's fist came crashing into Sanji's stomach, for the second time that day. Launching the blonde into the mast of the Baratie.

"Sanji!" voices shouted. All eyes jumping from the limp body of their comrade, to the perpetrator. Collective outrage in all their faces.

"You asshole! I'm gonna kill ya myself!" Patty snarled. Being held back by a couple of chefs.

Tani recovered from the push. Wasting no time rushing to Sanji's side. The man laid there with an unclear expression.

"Sanji?" Tani kept her voice low, any attention was bad attention. He looked at her, a smile bloomed on his features.

"Thank god, my darling angel is alright." he sighed with relief. There was no regret in his words. Tani shook her head.

"Chivalrous idiot," she got up, holding a hand out for Sanji. He looked at the offer with hesitation. Tani rolled her eyes, snatching Sanji's hand. The blonde was yanked into a stand, Tani giving him a cheeky grin.

"Eat this!" Tani turned to the war cry, only to be met with a face full of bright oranges and whites. A loud bang, burst the girls ear drums. Tani covered her ringing ears, a wince on her face. Smoke filled the room

Tani's ears may be ringing, but her vision was clear enough.

Patty stood front and centre, a large bazooka resting on his broad shoulder. The gun looked like a comically large shrimp. Patty's chest shook up and down, the sound of his laughter broke through the ringing in Tani's head.

It was clear to everyone in the room. Patty thought he'd defeated the terror of the East Blue. He thought he'd defeated Don Krieg.

Note the word thought.

The dust cleared. Instead of finding a large man, knocked out or dead. The smoke washed off a golden shimmer, armour plates coated the body of Don Krieg. His smug smile, couldn't have been wider. He knocked a fist against the golden coat. A heavy thunk, echoed back.

"Is that really all you've got?" he mocked, "This will be easier than I thought," his words struck a nerve. All reservations to not start fighting, vanished in an instant. The other chefs readied to attack-

A loud smack broke the tension.

Everyone's attention turned to the large sack of food that had been thrown to the ground in between Krieg and the chefs. Zeff dusted his hands off.

"There's enough there to feed a hundred people," he informed. Crossing his arms, he glared at Krieg. "Now get off my ship," he demanded.

Tani wished she could say that the kindness Zeff showed, would be enough to change Don Krieg. Show him the error of his ways, and send him packing...

Life was never that easy.

"Once my army has recovered. I will take over this ship," Krieg declared, grabbing the huge sack of food and hauling it out of the Baratie. The smaller guy lingered for a moment, sadness in his eyes as he looked at Sanji.

"Gin, hurry up." Don snapped at the smaller guy. He turned away from Sanji and followed his captain away.

The room fell into silence.

"Hey! old guy," Luffy called from his spot on the stairs railing, which he had been perched upon the whole time.Tani had forgotten he was in the room.

Zeff turned to face the rubber captain, raising a brow. What could Luffy be planning-

"If I kick that guy's ass. Can we have Tani back?" Luffy requested, giving of a childish grin. Tani gawked at the suggestion.

Luffy. A scrawny teenager, with barely any muscles on show. Had offered to put himself on the line, against Don god damn Krieg. A man with an army of one hundred men, and a suit of armour made entirely out of gold!

All for the sake of paying his debt off... No it was more than that. This was to get her back on the crew.

She couldn't let him do that.

"Luffy, you idiot!" she protested on deaf ears. "You'll die if you take that guy on!" Luffy didn't bother acknowledging her. His attention, still on Zeff.

The head chef held Luffy's gaze, the boy's eyes held a determination that Zeff hadn't seen in many pirates. He broke contact with Luffy, a smile quirked at his lips.

"Go for it, brat." Zeff accepted the proposal. Tani couldn't believe her ears.

"You can't-" Tani was cut off by Luffy running towards her. A big grin on his face.

"Tani! We're gonna get you back." he cheered, "I'm gonna kick that guys ass!" Luffy declared. Tani felt herself believing every word. Why?

How the hell was Luffy gonna defeat Don Krieg... Why did she believe that he would?

"Perhaps we should raise the battle fins?" Sanji suggested. Cigarette dangling from his lips. "It would be a shame if they trashed the place now. Wouldn't it?" a smirk curled up his lips. Zeff huffed, humour in his tone.

"I spent too much on this place to watch it get destroyed by a bunch of low lives." the head chef grunted. "Raise 'em. Keep that garbage out of my restaurant."

"Yes, head chef!" the Baratie crew roared. Running around the restaurant, preparing for the battle to come.

Tani turned to her own crew mates. Luffy was already stretching his limbs, bouncing from one leg to the next in an attempt to loosen them up.

Zoro stood beside the captain, untying the black cloth around his left arm. Which Tani now realised was a bandana. The swordsman tied it around his head. A grin on his face. The opposite could be said for Usopp.

The poor guy was shaking in his boots, clearly nervous. Not at all reflecting the brave warrior he portrayed himself as in his stories. Tani understood the feeling. This was terrifying.

Nami was the only one, not preparing to fight. A dark look had been on her face for the last few days. The crew had failed to notice the inner conflict within their navigator.

Tani stated at her... Friends. That's right... They were her friends. She'd only known them for a few days, but they had every opportunity to leave her behind.

Yet they stayed, they've chosen to fight against someone they have no obligation to fight. All to get her back onto their crew.

It was crazy, she knew it was, but there's no way she can stand by and do nothing. Not when they were throwing themselves into danger like this.

Tani had no training in the art of combat, she's never been in a real fight. Her only experience are the performances she'd watched on the silver screen. Tani felt her heart racing.

Sanji placed a hand on her shaking shoulders. Tani stared up at him, fear, determination, hope, and whatever else she couldn't identify. Overwhelming emotions that made it hard to think.

Sanji didn't say a word, his presence was more than enough to ground Tani.

The small voice in the back of her mind broke through the swirling chaos of her mind. Assuring her that everything would work out fine. That the outcome of this battle, would be in their favour.

Tani turned towards Luffy. He noticed her staring, and with a large grin, gave her a thumbs up. Tani couldn't help but smile.

Everything would turn out alright.

...

Moments had passed, the occupants of the Baratie were lined up upon the battle fin. All ready to defend the place they called home.

Tani found herself among them. Tightly clasped in her hands, were two yo-yo's. On her feet, she still had her roller blades.

"This is so stupid," she whispered to herself. The idea that she was fighting with these plastic toys? Against an army of armed men? Yeah this was stupid.

That little voice in her head wouldn't stop pestering her. Telling her that this was the right thing to do... Maybe she needed to check her brain. Then again, it doesn't help that this world appears to be just as insane.

Honestly, Tani was running on movie logic at this point. It's all she has. There's at least a decade's worth of information crammed in her noggin. The worst that can happen is... Death.

Let's not think about that option.

Nami, Johnny and Yosaku had left the battlefield. Steering the Merry away from the Baratie, so she can't accidently be destroyed during the fight.

Luffy and Zoro stood in the front lines of the group. A bubbling excitement on their faces. It was obvious the pair enjoyed a tough fight. Usopp wasn't so keen. The sniper planted himself towards the back, standing on the second level of the ship. He was very easy to see, but too high up for short ranged weapons. Unless someone throws something at him.

Tani stood closer to the back, near Zeff. The head chef was protecting the entrance of the restaurant. Sanji stood next to Tani, the blonde made it very clear. He didn't like the idea of her fighting.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he questioned the nervous girl for the thirteenth time.

"Yes." she answered simply. Any more words, and she'd probably convince herself otherwise. Tani didn't want to consider herself a quitter. Sanji looked away from her, puffing away at his cigarette.

"I'll stay close by" he promised, "Don't hesitate to call for me." Tani nodded. Silently thanking him for the reassurance.

The roar of a hundred men rang throughout the sea. The deck below the Baratie staff's feet, vibrated with the force of the call.

Tani's attention turned to the Don Krieg army. Now fully fed, and ready to fight for their captain. The swarm of no name pirates, charged towards the Baratie.

This was it. Tani's hands clutched harder around the plastic in her hands.

A loud battle cry sounded from the chefs, and straw hats. The allied forces rushed ahead to meet the Don Krieg army head on. One objective on their minds.

Protect the Baratie.

The clanking of Tani's skates sliding across the smooth wooden deck of the battle fin, were masked by the loud grunts, and clashing of weapons from those around her. Friend or foe, there was always someone close by, swinging something sharp.

Tani once again, thanked every deity she could think of, for her evasion skills.

She twirled her yo-yo's, flowing with an almost dancer like rhythm to the battle. The strategy was a simple one. Rush in, smack some enemies upside the head, skate away. Tani had mastery over her skating, and yo-yo tricks came easier to her than walking. Keeping the momentum of the spinning yo-yo's, Tani looked at herself with just how well she was handling herself.

Taking out the enemy side was way too easy. She wasn't complaining, since it meant she wasn't a burden on her peers.

Her attention would every so often flick towards her comrades.

Usopp, from his perch on the railing. Fired shot after shot, not one projectile missed its mark. Whatever was in those little pallets, must have been combustible. Flames would consume his enemy, before they knew what hit them.

Zoro was slicing and dicing his way through the tougher enemies. Using not one, not two, but three swords. Yeah! He uses all three of the swords on his belt. One word in each hand, while the third was placed between his teeth. Zoro moved with surprising speed and grace, kinda like a samurai warrior from the movies.

Sanji was probably one of the coolest fighters to watch. He didn't use his hands, in fact he hid them away in his pockets. Not that he needed them, he had other means of combat. No, instead he utilised his extremely long legs. Flying around the battlefield in a blur of black, and gold. He kept his word, never straying too far away from Tani. Surprising, since she moved around at speeds a regular human shouldn't be able to keep up with his foot.

Then again... Nobody was normal in this world. Especially Luffy.

The captain's rubber body made his movements bouncy, mixed with his flexibility, and the difficulty all his foes had when it came to landing a hit. Luffy was a formidable enemy.

Hell. She saw him take bullets directly, and deflect them back!

Luffy's rubber arms made for some great weapons too. She would know, her side still hurt from that punch. Watching Luffy fight, was seriously like she was in a Saturday morning cartoon. All that was missing was a giant mecha robot and magical girl transformations.

The battle had hit a stalemate.

Krieg's crew made no progress towards the Baratie, but the chef's hadn't pushed back enough. The battle remained on the outer half of the battle fins.

Tani held her ground way better than she thought she would. Her 'hit and dip' strategy worked wonders. She'd even managed to knock out a couple guys. Who would have thought a yo-yo could cause such a harsh blow.

Suddenly, Tani's ears caught something. A sound that stood out against the battle field's chaos. A noise that Tani couldn't identify-

First came the shattering of wood, a crackling scream from the boat that Krieg's crew had used to sail here in the first place.

Then the sound of planks, metal, and other items crashing into the ocean below. A scream or two, from any men that were still aboard the barely floating vessel.

The sounds went unnoticed by most. With attention being drawn to the intense gust of wind, that blew through the air. Many of the chefs, and Krieg's crew were swept off their feet, flying into the water.

Tani felt herself lifting from the ground, with nothing to hold. Her arms flailed in the wind.

"Shit!" She called out, her voice lost in the choir of distressed cries, within the wind howls.

"Tani!" the girl's heart picked up speed.

A tight grip clasped around her wrist. She looked through blurry eyes to find Luffy had caught her. Tani's fingers curled around Luffy's wrist. Both parties held expressions of relief.

Luffy whipped his arm back, dragging Tani through the air. The rubber man must have overestimated how much Tani weighed, or maybe the wind had died down too much. Either way, Tani was pulled back, way too fast.

Tani slammed into Luffy with the force of a bullet train, and Luffy wasn't quite braced for that force. The pair toppled over, with Tani flopping on top of Luffy. Tani felt her face heat up with embarrassment-

"It can't be!" one of Krieg's men stated in a panic. Tani's fluster drained from her body. That sound was back.

"He... He followed us!" Don Krieg's voice cracked with fear. Everyone present, stared at the shadowy figure floating in the sea. Switching from looking at the shadow man, and the sliced up remains of Don Krieg's already busted up ship.

Krieg and his men were frozen in fear, while everyone else was stunned at the sheer damage this shadow man had caused.

Like seriously, he cut an entire boat in half! Tani had never seen anything like it. Not a single human being, would ever be able to do so much as 10% of the damage this... Monster had done it in the span of 5 seconds.

Again, she was in a world where captain's could stretch their limbs like rubber bands and restaurants floated on the sea.

The wind had managed to wipe out almost everyone on the battlefield. Excluding Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, two guys from Krieg's crew, and Tani herself. The ocean surrounding the battle fins was full of both Krieg's army, and the Baratie's staff.

Only the strong remained... And Tani.

"Hawkeye Mihawk..." Zoro whispered to himself, the swordsman had a serious look in his eyes, his grip on his three swords tightened.

Tani wondered who this Mihawk guy was. Zoro seemed very interested in him-

"I'm going after him," Zoro declared. Leaving no room for protest. The swordsman had a goal in mind, and anyone who stood in his path. Would be cut on the spot.

That left Luffy, Sanji and Tani on the main deck. Usopp had mysteriously disappeared from the second floor.

"I'm going for Don bastard," Luffy declared, before running off to pursue the man in question.

A task that would be difficult, since Krieg was prone to launching explosives in Luffy's direction. Knocking him back to the beginning of his pursuit. Luffy's a persistent bastard though. He continued running along the broken mast that connected the Baratie, to Don Krieg.

Tani couldn't watch Luffy's battle. Not when there were still two threats standing on the deck. It was Sanji and herself, against Gin, and a man with two round plates of armour on his front and back. A pearl adorned his head, a smug grin on his face.

Gin was the first to move, twirling the balled batons in his hands. He charged forward, sights set on the blonde beside Tani. Sanji spared one last glance at Tani, before back flipping away from her. Creating distance between her, and the weapons that Gin held in his hands.

That left Tani with Pearl guy.

"Hohoo," he laughed. "They left the little zippy one for me? This will be easier than I thought," Pearl mocked.

Tani let out a tense sigh, just relax. 'Zip and dip' your way in and out. Chip away at his defense until an opening arose.

Tani began skating, building up speed whirl keeping an eye on Pearl. If she could roughly calculate the man's height and weight in comparison to her own. There's a chance she can play to her strengths-

"I'm growing bored, Zippy," Pearl whined. Breaking Tani from her line of thought, shit where was she? Weight? No that was earlier-

She didn't have time to recall before the guy charged towards her, faster than anticipated.

Luckily her skates were faster, skidding her out of the way. The shock waves from the impact sent her flying. She barely had time to recover, before he rushed at her again.

Fear and adrenaline coursed through her veins. Fight or flight kicked into high gear, her lungs were on fire as she slipped, and glided away from the man's insane attacks. Scraping away by the skin of her teeth.

Tani shakily whipped her yo-yo's towards him. The plastic disks, smacked into his armour with a comical *bonk* noise. Pearl looked at her with amusement.

Shit.

She wasn't aiming right. Her hands wouldn't stop shaking. Adrenaline filled brain signals, firing mixed "Run away!" and "Fight back!" messages to the rest of her body.

The man slammed a fist into the ground right in front of her. The deck shattered beneath her. The wheels of her blades spun out of control. Tani screamed, as she smacked bodily into the deck.

"Nobody has ever drawn a single drop of blood from my skin before," Pearl gloated, looming above her.

Tears prickled in Tani's eyes, her throat swelling from the rapid intake of breath. She was going to die.

In one last ditch effort, shaking limbs clutched at her yo-yo's tight.

Just one hit, that's all she wanted.

"You were boring," Pearl sighed. Raising his fist to end the girl before him.

Tani was hoping for a hero's triumph moment. Where she would knock the villain out in a single hit. Through the power of plot armour, or protagonist magic.

Instead, her yo-yo's whipped up... *bonked* on Pearl's armour, and plonked back onto the deck.

This was really how she was going out. Wasn't it?

"Tani!" a voice called out. Like the heavens had aligned to give her a second chance at life.

She felt hands grip at her shoulders. Yanking her backwards, away from the wood shattering punch that Pearl had intended for Tani.

Luffy whipped Tani back to her feet, giving the girl no time to breath. He pushed her forward, kick starting the flight command in her brain. Tani skated ahead, building up as much speed as she could.

It built up to be fast enough for Luffy to take flight. How? Because he's weird! That's why. Luffy the human kite.

"Gum gum battle axe!" Luffy called out, barely enough of a warning for Tani.

The weight on Tani's shoulders shifted, the girl moved to quickly counter balance. Accommodating for Luffy's outstretched leg, which lifted high in the air, and slammed down.

The heel of Luffy's foot, collided with Pearl's stupid head. Knocking the man to the ground with a thunk. Tani hit the brakes on her skates, skidding to a grinding halt. Luffy landed beside her with ease.

Pearl wasn't moving. Tani didn't know if that was a good, or bad thing. Hopefully he wasn't dead.

"That was cool," Luffy grinned. Turning to Tani, his hand slapping against her back.

"Thanks for the help," Tani's voice rasped. Her skin felt sweaty, and gross. "I would've died." she nervously huffed. Luffy shrugged.

"Bl-bloo-od?"

Tani's head snapped back towards Pearl. The man's body rattled, one hand lifted from his face. Red liquid coated the digits.

"I'm bleeding?" he jumped to his feet, "I'm bleeding!" Pearl screamed.

Pearl's nose dribbled blood, his eyes wide with terror... Over a nosebleed. Had the guy really never bled before? Imagine if he accidentally scraped his knee.

"You made me bleed my own blood!" Pearl screamed at the pair. Luffy snickered.

"Wow, you're lame." he mocked the wailing baby. Pearl's face morphed into one of hysterics.

"This can't be! This can't!" Pearl grabbed at his belt. Tani kept an eye on his movements. "I can't live with this..." the weapons clicked to life.

"Run," Tani warned, taking off in the opposite direction of Pearl. Who had just lit his hands on fire. Luffy got the message, bouncing out of the flames range.

Pearl wallowed, spitting fire everywhere within three feet of himself. Flailing around in a panic.

"I'm bleeding!" Pearl roared in pain. "You made me bleed!" he set his sights on the straw hat captain.

"Shut up!" Luffy snapped. This guy was really annoying. He needed to beat up Don Krieg, not this crybaby.

Pearl's face grew red with rage. A blood curdling shriek escaped the man's lungs. Hitting a pitch that shouldn't be possible for someone with that much testosterone in their body. He charged at Luffy, faster than the captain had time to react to.

Luckily, Tani was faster. The girl sped towards Luffy, arm curled in a hook shape. The boy looked towards her at the last second. Tani's arm hooked around Luffy's waist, handle-barring him out of Pearl's flaming punch. The deck splintered, and crackled under the attack.

Not even Luffy would have been safe from that.

Tani kept her arm hooked around Luffy, who lifted his legs to curl around her hips. They sped away from the fiery attacks of crybaby Pearl.

"What's the plan?" Tani hopped over a trail of flames. Her skin felt red with burns. Luffy remained silent, keeping his eyes on Pearl.

The deck was an inferno of oranges and yellows. Tani was having trouble evading the attacks-

Luffy snapped his attention back to Tani. It was time to finish this. Without a word, Luffy grabbed Tani hands, and unlooped his legs from her waist. She glanced at him with a questioning gaze.

He simply grinned back.

The cogs turned in Tani's head. Luffy wasn't holding on tight anymore, which meant he wanted to get off. That contradicted the holding of hands. He wanted her to do something. Probably using him-

Oh.

That's something so comical, it would have to work!

She gave Luffy a nod. Tilting weight onto one of her legs, the pair began spinning around. Luffy released his legs from her completely, letting the momentum of Tani's spinning build up. Luffy's arms stretched up, similar to the human kite form he'd taken earlier.

Tani bent her knees, lowering to the ground. Spinning faster and faster. Tani kept her grip tight, waiting for just the right moment.

"I'll kill you!"

Not yet...

Pearl charged towards them, screaming at the top of his lungs.

Almost...

"Die!" he lifted his arm. Opening himself completely.

Luffy let go of her hands. Tani responded in kind. Releasing the speeding projectile that is Luffy, straight into Pearl's torso. Knocking him backwards, the man baby fumbled. Hopping, and burning on the patches of fire, he'd set on the deck. Finally hitting the end of the deck, and falling backwards into the water.

The bastard was finally defeated!

Luffy bounced back onto the burning deck with a thunk. Turning to Tani with a grin. Tani held him a thumbs up. Her heart pounded against her chest, exhausted from the battle. Her limbs begged for a break, head nagging to take a breather.

Unfortunately, now wasn't the time for that. What with the whole deck being on fire, and the main boss still gallivanting around like he owns the place.

"I'm gonna go kick his ass now," Luffy beamed. Tani gave a tired nod, watching him run back into the encounter with Don Krieg... And getting knocked back, with explosives.

Tani wobbled on her legs, attempting to focus on what needs to be done, and how to do it.

Sanji was still fighting with Gin, both men had sustained injuries. It looked like Sanji was gaining the upper hand, so Tani wasn't needed there.

Zoro was having a hard time with that Mihawk guy. Though Tani couldn't see what was happening there.

Usopp had vanished, and Nami was sailing Merry away. The boat could still be seen in the distance.

What does that leave Tani to do?

Maybe, she should focus on the fires. Does sea water work? It's water sure but it's also got salt in it... Is salt flammable? Who knows.

Tani decided to take the gamble. She'd grab one of the big soup pots that she'd cleaned that day, to use as a makeshift bucket. Zeff can yell at her later.

She hobbled towards the opening of the restaurant, her legs ached from over-working the limbs. The burns on her legs weren't helping either.

Tani wasn't paying attention to her surroundings, her first mistake. The second mistake was not avoiding the hand that yanked onto the collar of her shirt.

"Leave her out of this!" Sanji roared. Tani looked up at Gin, who held her up with one hand. His other hand held a gun to her head.

You've got to be kidding...

Zeff, who was sitting in the doorway, giving no damns about the situation. Huffed at Sanji.

"Pipe down, Eggplant," Zeff grunted. Gin shifted his attention to the old owner, turning the gun at the chef's head. Zeff didn't flinch.

Sanji on the other hand, was panicking on the inside, though his outer shell displayed suave nonchalance.

"Now, I don't wanna hurt anybody." Gin's voice sounded sincere. "Just hand over the ship peacefully, and nobody has to die," Gin pleaded. There was a shake in his hand, hesitation.

Zeff huffed the closest noise he could, to a laugh. Sanji simply tapped the toe of his shoe, on the burning deck.

"Like we'd let you take our dream away," Sanji chuckled without humour. "Now drop our darling Tani, and stop pointing that piece of shit at the old geezer," the blonde spat, venom laced each word.

Tani could easily slip out of her shirt right now, since Gin was only holding onto the collar of it. That does mean she would be running around in nothing but a bra and shorts. At this point, being a prude would only get her, or Zeff killed.

She waited until Gin was focused on talking with Sanji about "There being another way," before setting her plan into motion-

"ZORO!"

Everybody froze in place. The sound of Luffy screaming bloody murder, sent chills down Tani's spine. The thick smell of blood, coated the air. Tani felt her heart sink at the sight.

Zoro stood in front of Mihawk, both arms held out. Two of his swords were nothing but hilts, with the white one being sheathed. Red blood sprayed across the planks beneath them. That same red stained the green haired swordsman's off-white shirt. The man fell backwards, the blood from his wound wouldn't stop gushing from his chest.

Luffy, abandoned his attempts to face Krieg. The captain was pissed. Zoro couldn't die, he's not allowed. Luffy needs the future world's greatest swordsman on his crew.

"Zoro, bro!" Johnny and Yosakus' voices could be heard. Tani looked away from the horror show that was Zoro. To stare at the people, who shouldn't be here.

What were they doing here without Merry? Where was Nami? And why was Usopp with them on the small boat? At least she knew where the sniper was.

For now... She needed to focus on her own problem. Thanks to Zoro, Gin lost his grip on Tani's shirt. The girl taking advantage of the distraction, to slip out of danger. Gin didn't notice, until she was too far away for him to grab her again.

That didn't mean his gun wasn't. Which he turned on Tani, the girl held her hands up in surrender. Frozen on the spot. At least it wasn't pointed at Zeff. That gave Sanji one less thing to worry about.

"Gin! What's the hold up?" Krieg called from his position on the other side of the broken boat. Gin looked at Krieg, then back at Tani. His eyes shaking as much as his arm was. That hesitation grew stronger.

"Shoot the girl,"

Tani stared back at Gin, holding her breath in anticipation.

Gin closed his eyes, shoulders shaking. Holding the gun towards her for a moment longer.

"I... I can't do it," Gin admitted. Lowering the weapon.

"What!" Don Krieg shouted. Bubbling with anger.

"I-... Th-They haven't done anything wrong," he called to his captain. Krieg narrowed his eyes, "These men fed us without hesitation. The three of them defended us when the rest of their crew was against them!" Gin turned himself to completely face Don Krieg.

"I can't follow this order,"

A beat of silence passed.

Don Krieg went quiet, his face obscured by the glimmering of his armour. He slowly moved his arm up, checking it over.

"Those who question my authority." The armoured man lifted his arm up to reveal a gun of sorts. The weapon looked like a small cannon. Gin froze in a panic.

"Don't deserve to live." Krieg said with absolute certainty.

"No, you can't!" Gin freaked out. "You'll kill everyone!"

Tani noticed the movements of Krieg's crew in the water. All of them started to pull masks from their bags, or pockets. The masks looked like... Gas masks.

Toxic gas? He was gonna poison them all!

None of the people on deck, save for Gin. Had masks to defend from the attack. Tani could dive for the water, but that still left Sanji and Zeff behind-

A mask was shoved onto Tani's face, harshly. Knocking the girls head back. Her hands snapped onto the mask, adjusting it so the eye holes aligned with her vision.

She fixed herself just in time to watch Luffy shoving a mask onto Sanji's face. The blonde reacted the same way she did.

"Phew, now you guys won't get poisoned." Luffy grinned. His... Smile... Out in the open...

Idiot!

"Luffy! You don't have a mask," Tani panicked. Luffy's smile dropped, the captain grabbed at his face. Sure enough, he had no mask.

Tani heard the clicking of Don Krieg's weapon. His finger was pulling at the trigger.

Tani didn't hesitate to rip her mask off. Luffy ran around the rims of the battle fin, looking for another mask to snatch. Swiftly, she slapped the mask onto Luffy's face. His hands held the mask in place, readjusting it. Tani didn't have a moment to spare, inhaling as much air as her lungs would let her. She dived forward.

The poison gas was fired. Just as Tani's body broke the surface of the ocean.

An explosion went off, muffled by the water around her. Tani kept herself under the water, despite the burning of her lungs. Thirty seconds passed, then forty, she was hitting the fifty mark when her body begged to resurface.

She didn't know if she should risk it.

Not that she had much of a choice. An arm hooked around her, dragging her back to the surface. Tani's mouth opened wide, inhaling the second her face breached the surface.

"That was real stupid of ya girly," the man who'd pulled her out, scolded. Tani looked up to find Patty, he didn't look mad. Tani smiled, ruined by the sputtering of her breath. Salt water being spat out of her mouth, and throat.

"I mean," she coughed. "It worked right? I didn't die," she grinned sheepishly.

Patty shook his head and swam her back to the deck. Luffy was missing, Tani didn't need to look, to realize he was fighting with Krieg. She could hear the conflict from that direction.

Zeff was sitting in the same spot, a mask by his feet. He looked just fine.

Sanji on the other hand, looked pissed. His hand pressed against the mask on Gin's face. Beads of sweat poured from the blonde's face.

"Don't you dare die, shit head." Sanji muttered to himself. Gin's eyes fluttered, breathing unevenly spaced. "Just breath," the blonde barked.

Tani wobbled towards her companions. Coughing on the air around her. It was hard to breath, probably the remnants of the poison... Or was she tired?

Whichever option it was. Eyes drooped, limbs felt like lead with every step she took. Almost... There.

Tani's legs buckled under her. The sound of her hitting the deck, drew Sanji's attention. The blonde dropped his attention from Gin.

The last thing Tani saw was Sanji running towards her. Worry present in his bright blue eyes.

The girl was out like a light, exhaustion claiming her from the world of consciousness.

...

Consciousness clawed its way back into Tani's mind, said consciousness also brought a truck load of exhaustion induced aches to her limbs. Arms, and legs felt numb. Her head pounded like a drum, just as she was getting used to not having a headache.

Tani slowly opened her eyes, groaning as the light from outside hit her retinas. She moved one of her arms to block the sun. The limb was still numb though, and refused to move.

"Oi, you're awake!" Luffy? Tani turned her head as much as her head would let her. Sure enough, Luffy was sitting cross legged on a chair beside the bed.

"Wha-where am I?" Tani's voice wasn't as scratchy as she expected it to be.

"Um... Sanji's room I think? Smells like him." Luffy shrugged. Tani snickered.

"You're so weird." she tried to sit up, once again forgetting her limbs didn't work. Luffy frowned.

"Don't move. Sanji said he'd kick my ass if you hurt yourself again." Luffy huffed, arms crossed. Tani rolled her eyes.

"Like Sanji could stop you from doing what you wanna do." she teased. Luffy hummed in thought. While she waited for her limbs to wake up...

"So...Did we win?"

Luffy launched into the story of his incredible win against Don Krieg. Tani still found it insane that he managed to take out the biggest of the threats. It was actually because of that poison gas move, that Luffy had finally had it with Krieg.

"See all these bandages," Luffy pointed up his arm. The whole thing was covered in thick, white bandages. "Don bastard shot me with these pointy bullets, which didn't even hurt that much." of course they didn't hurt. Tani at this point, believed Luffy was indestructible.

"These ones on my fist," he ran a finger over his right knuckle. "Are because I punched this spiky shield that Krieg put up. I hit it so hard, I punched him through the shield!" Luffy cheered. Tani would have loved to see that.

"After I punched him really hard. He attacked me with this electric spear. Which kept exploding because I would punch it." Sorry, what? Tani lifted herself into a seated position. Just to stare Luffy in the eye.

"You... Punched the spear? An electric spear? One that's all zappy zap?" Luffy lifted his hand, holding up five fingers.

"Yeah, five times," he wiggled his fingers. "And it broke because I'm stronger than a stupid spear," Tani snickered.

"Of course you are Luffy," he wasn't wrong. That's just something you don't hear every day. Tani was definitely impressed.

"You should have seen his face!" Luffy chuckled, clutching his stomach while kicking his legs out. "It was all 'Bwah!' when the spear broke!" Luffy pulled a face, which morphed into a sputtering laugh.

"What happened next?" Tani egged on, through her own bouts of laughter.

"Uh... Oh! So I beat Krieg up with my fists. The guy's golden armour looked cool, but it broke really fast under my powerful punches," Luffy lifted his arm, showing off his fist. "So I punched him really hard. Right into the air," Luffy's fist pumped into the air.

"Then he shot out a steel net that caught me." Luffy clapped his hands together. "And threw me in the air with him, but he was stupid."

"How?"

"Because the net was still attached to him. So I just grabbed the bit that he was holding, and did this," Luffy lifted his arms, both hands holding each other. He slammed them down in a whipping motion. "And he went into the ocean first."

"First, implies you fell in the water too," Luffy nodded.

"Yeah, the net wouldn't let me move. So Sanji saved me from drowning." Well that was lucky.

"So we won," Tani confirmed. Luffy nodded with his whole head.

"Now we can leave!" Luffy cheered. That's right, she was free of Luffy's debt now. "But first, we're gonna eat to celebrate winning!" he declared. Standing up, his sandals slapping on the floor.

Looks like it's time for her to get up.

Tani's body hadn't quite woken up yet, her legs wobbled like jelly the moment she put her weight onto them. Luffy caught her before she smacked into the ground. Tani looped an arm around Luffy's shoulder.

"Sorry," she sighed. Luffy shifted one of his arms to hold under her armpit. "I've never had to move so much in my life." she admitted. Luffy laughed.

"Your life must have been super boring," he teased. Tani shrugged.

"Compared to this? Everything would be boring." the pair laughed on their way down to celebrate.

The pair arrived, to a full blown feast in the works. Men gloating about their victory over the Krieg army.

Luffy let go of Tani, zooming ahead to the serving tables and shoving whatever he could get his rubbery limbs into his mouth. Tani was both disgusted and fascinated.

Tani found herself being drawn to a lone table. There was food on it, untouched by the other patrons of the feast. Each item was covered in yellow sticky notes.

"Only for the darling Tani! Any other shit head that touches this food will feel my foot up their ass."

It had Sanji written all over it. He'd made her a fruit parfait and everything. Speaking of the blonde.

"Tani my dear~" Sanji cooed from across the room. She could hear the twirling of his shoes as he approached her. Tani turned to face him with a smile, parfait in hand.

"Hello Sanji," she greeted. Spooning a mouthful of her desert into her maw. The blonde watched with delight as her face lit up at the taste. "Man, you never fail to impress. This is better than the first one." Sanji melted under the praise.

"Who the hell made today's soup?" Patty asked aloud. Sanji looked over, lifting his hand.

"Oh! that's mine," he declared with pride. "It's good isn't it? It's probably my best batch yet-"

Patty spat the soup out, holding his mouth open in disgust.

"This is the shittiest soup I've ever tasted in my life!" Patty barked at Sanji. The blonde's smile instantly dropped, replaced with a look of anger.

"What the hell do you mean, it's shit?" Sanji snarled. Stalking towards the other chef. Patty stood up from his seat. Holding the bowl of soup in his hands.

"I'm saying," he lifted the bowl. "You're soup," the bowl tilted. The contents slowly dripped onto the tablecloth. "Tastes like shit." Patty held the bowl at an angle that prolonged the pouring, adding insult to the blondes wounded pride.

"He's right! This tastes awful!"

"Worst soup I've ever tasted!"

"Sanji's lost his touch. Bleh!"

All of the chefs jumped on the 'insult Sanji' train. Which rightfully pissed the chef off.

"You're taste buds are all shit anyway!" Sanji snapped. Clenching his jaw slacked hard, he bit his cigarette in half.

"Eggplant," Zeff called out. Sanji looked at the old geezer, his eyes hopeful for some form of praise-

"This tastes worse than a pair of month old socks."

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Sanji kicked a leg out, slamming it into the nearest table. Fumbling, he ran out of the dining room. Slamming the door shut on his way out. Tani narrowed her eyes at the men.

"What the hell is wrong with all of you?" she pushed off the table she was leaning on. The men didn't say a word, Tani huffed.

"You're all a bunch of jerks." she held her parfait, and walked towards the door Sanji left through. Failing to notice the looks of guilt on all their faces.

Tani found the blonde, leaning over the outdoor railing. Sanji's shoulders shook with tension, his fists clenched tight. He didn't look up at Tani, as she approached.

"Don't listen to them," she said gently, he whipped his head around to find her standing beside him, the parfait still cupped in her hands.

"In all honesty," she offered him a soft quirk of the lips, "I think you're probably the best chef here." she complimented.

He breathed out, wisps of smoke danced through the air. His lips lifted slightly, eye dazzling in appreciation. Sanji turned away, looking out to the ocean with longing.

Sanji was lost in thought. Tani remained silent by his side, slowly eating the treat he'd made for her.

"Have you ever heard of the All Blue?"

Tani turned her attention to Sanji's most dazzling expression yet. Eye wide with wonder, a smile wider than the sea. Tani shook her head.

"It's a legendary ocean, home to all types of fish from all around the world," he began, "The place is every chef's dream. I've always wanted to find it, just to prove to the world that the All blue really does exist." Sanji spoke with a child like hope. Offering that wide smile to the world around him.

The dream was a simple one, but it meant the world to Sanji.

"You should join the crew then," she piped in. Sanji looked back at her.

"We're going to this place called the Grand-line. I don't know much about it, but it might have the All blue." that, and Tani really wanted him to join the crew herself. He cooked food like a god, he could fight, and he was a pleasant person to be around.

There's just no other chef that would fit into the crew, like Sanji.

It looked like Sanji was starting to think the same thing.

Laughter could be heard from the dining hall. Tani gave a snicker.

"Hey, why don't we go tell all those jerks to shut up," Tani suggested, hooking her arm around Sanji, dragging him over to the door.

Tani's hand grazed the door handle when-

"The soup is really good though," Luffy's voice chimed. Sanji tensed in Tani's hold. They were talking about him.

"We know,"

Sanji's eyes widened.

"It's probably the best soup we've ever had," the chefs all muttered, and complemented themselves.

"We just needed to find a way to piss him off enough so he'll leave." Patty stated.

"Too bad your acting skills suck ass!" one of the chefs mocked. Patty gawked, leading to everyone bursting into laughter.

Surprise was present on Sanji's face. Why would they want him to leave? Did they hate him that much?

"Luffy," the voice belonged to Zeff. "Please take him." the geezer requested.

Tani and Sanji looked at each other, the blonde lost his breath.

Did the geezer really hate him that much?

"The brat's too stubborn to leave on his own. Even though it's obvious he wants to." he continued. "The shitty Eggplant thinks he owes me," Sanji waited with baited breath for Luffy's reply.

"I can't," Luffy stated bluntly. The chefs in the room all stopped their laughing.

"What? Why!" they asked in shock. Luffy stuffed his face with a squid.

"If he doesn't want to leave, then I can't force him." Luffy swallowed the squid, only to shovel another one into his mouth. "Sanji's gotta decide for himself."

Sanji had had enough.

The blonde kicked open the door. Tani stood back and watched Sanji go off.

"You assholes!" Sanji flew into the room, legs flying at his fellow Baratie crew. The men all jumped to their feet and fought back. Save for Zeff, who watched them with his usual grumpy expression.

"Oi Luffy bro-" Yosaku paused, staring at the brawling chefs. Luffy looked up at the bounty hunter, quickly slurping up the squid in his mouth.

"What?" Yosaku snapped his attention back to Luffy.

"The boat's ready," he informed with a salute. "Just say the word, and we'll be on our way to Cocoyashi island." Tani found her curiosity peaked.

"Cocoyashi village? Is that place important?" Was it on the Grand-line? Yosaku turned to her.

"Didn't Luffy tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Tani glanced at Luffy, the boy was busy stuffing rice balls into his mouth.

"Nami betrayed us."

Nami... What?

"Why would she do that?" it didn't make sense, Nami had been talking about the Grand-line with them. She was the one who suggested recruiting a chef. Nami was a pseudo leader for the crew. Why would she have any reason to betray...

Pirates. Tani reminded herself. They were pirates, and pirates are known for being dodgy bastard.

"Johnny, Zoro and Usopp have all gone ahead. In case she makes a change in course." Yosaku informed. That explains the lack of those guys. "We have reason to believe that Nami is after a pirate captain, by the name of Arlong."

"Then let's get her back, and beat this Arlong guy up." Luffy piped in, spitting pieces of rice out. "We'll leave after the feast," Luffy declared. Yosaku nodded in agreement, turned to the table of food, and wandered off to grab a bite.

Tani looked at Luffy with concern. There was still one more thing they needed to confirm, before they set off for Nami.

"Fine!" Sanji relented, silencing the brawling around him. "If you shitty bastard can't recognise my talents. I'll just leave," Sanji shrugged. The blonde shifted his attention to Luffy. "Oi, Luffy. Mind if I join your crew? At least you lot will appreciate my cooking," Luffy's response couldn't have been happier.

"You bet!" he cheered. Throwing both hands in the air. "Yahoo!" Luffy jumped to his feet, arm hooking around Tani's shoulder.

"So you quit?" Zeff asked. Giving Sanji a questioning look. Sanji stared at the man who gave his life meaning. The man who saved his life, when he didn't need to.

The man he considered a father.

"We've got a chef!" Sanji looked at Luffy and Tani, the pair chanting together. "We've got a chef!" the blonde let out one last, shaking sigh.

"I quit," Sanji declared. Lifting his gaze to stare at Zeff. The man didn't react, it was like he didn't care.

"Well... " Zeff grunted. His thumb lifted, pointing to the stairs that lead to the staff bedrooms. "Pack your shit, and get the hell off my boat."

It didn't take long for Sanji to come walking from the Baratie entrance, suitcase in hand. The staff of the ship all gathered around with expressions of indifference.

Sanji walked down the path his peers had created. Not one of them said goodbye. Tough as nails...

"Oi Eggplant," Sanji froze in his trek. His visible eye widening. The blonde refused to face Zeff.

"Take care."

Those two words opened the floodgates for everyone.

Sanji turned around to face them all. Tears adorned his pale cheeks, as he dropped to his knees to a full body bow. Screaming to the men he considered his first family.

"Thank you for everything you Assholes," the blonde's voice cracked "I'll never forget any of your ugly faces!" Sanji cried to the ground.

Everyone was a sobbing mess, weeping and blubbering. Zeff shed a tear, smiling the largest anyone on the crew had ever seen.

"We'll Miss you, shitty Eggplant!" the choir of burly men shrieked to Sanji. The blonde couldn't face them, if he looked at them, he'd never leave.

Sanji sprinted to the boat. Jumping onto the vessel. Luffy gave Yosaku the signal to "Set sail!" before Sanji could regret his decision.

The sobs of the Baratie staff echoed back to Sanji, the blonde couldn't stop his own tears from shedding.

He was gonna miss those barbaric morons, but he wasn't alone. Sanji turned to find Luffy contorting his face in an inhuman fashion, while Tani sat down and laughed.

No, he was already on his way to making a new family. Looking towards the Baratie one last time, he smiled.

So long, old geezer.