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Chapter Text

Day 76 or 78 (Earth Surface Time)

He watched the sky with wonder. The electrical surges through the clouds quickly changed color, from white to blue to orange, disappearing in unpredictable arcs that Sanji imagined to never end so they could come back to form a full circle around the underground world.

Technically, it wasn’t the real sky, or even clouds, it was only a series of chemical reactions above their heads that gave them a warm light behind a smoldering smoke during the long day. Right now though, the warm light was gone, replaced by electric currents, and in the relative darkness, they looked absolutely beautiful.

Not everything here made sense and Luffy wasn’t the kind to bother himself with semantics, so they decided early on to call this moment night. They didn’t always sleep in the dim light because a day lasted at least 36 hours, and the night only 5, but tonight their sleep schedule and the night coincided for once so they decided to turn in early to enjoy a real full night of rest.

The blue moss under them felt like a soft mattress and the large branch was high enough to protect them from most of the predators, making it the perfect sleeping place for them. Sanji rubbed lightly Luffy’s back with his hand, his lover sleeping soundly with his head on his chest, the warmth coming from their comfortable position lulling him slowly to sleep.

He still watched the sky a little longer, wondering if he would be able to see shooting stars like on the top side of the Earth. Luffy moved slightly, curling against him even more and Sanji smiled. He kissed his forehead, truly happy to be here with him. He put his cheek against the soft dark hair and sighed, content.

He finally closed his eyes and relaxed completely, feeling safe in the arms of the man he loved.

Chapter Text

Day 11 (Earth Surface Time)

“Luffy! You shitty bottomless glutton! Why don’t you think twice before eating anything that looks like food?!” Sanji shouted while running away from the gorgeous but very angry women with spears in their hands.

Luffy made a face and almost tripped. Sanji grabbed him by the arm to put him back on track, lowering his head just in time to avoid another spear thrown in their direction.

“How was I supposed to know it was a sacred fruit?!” Luffy shouted back, running alongside Sanji through the blue vegetation. “It was not even good!”

For Luffy to make that kind of comment, Sanji didn’t want to imagine what the fruit actually tasted. He put that thought aside and focused on staying alive.

The dangerous natives who were chasing them came from a village of women, exclusively, true warriors who spent their life to train and fight, like the Amazons of the old legends. They had been friendly when they met, their warm welcome a respite from all the dangers they came across since they entered the famous but very well-hidden door to the center of the Earth.

Sanji had thought at first that he had finally found paradise.

All these women were curious about them, touching them almost too intimately, for the simple reason that they were men looking very differently from the men of this side of the Earth, and if Sanji hadn’t been so in love with Luffy, he could have fallen for one or ten of these lovely ladies.

But he was in love with Luffy and he would never let him go for anything or anyone in the world, so he politely declined the kind offers and sat closer to his lover. Luffy even smiled knowingly at him between two huge bites of food, making Sanji roll his eyes with exasperation… and tenderness.

Maybe they shouldn’t have gotten so comfortable so quickly. The Queen, Boa Hancock, the most beautiful woman underground, rivaling even with Nami’s beauty who was the most beautiful woman on the surface of the Earth, had been curiously intrigued by Luffy who was completely oblivious, as always.

Sanji wasn’t jealous. And he never doubted his lover when the woman put herself between them and tried to woo him by offering food. A lot of food. Something Sanji had a hard time to provide since they came down here because so many things were different from what he knew.

Maybe they were in this mess because he couldn’t do the only thing he was supposed to know how to do: feed Luffy.

Everything here was new. The leaves of the plants were blue and anyway, he didn’t recognize any of them, the creatures were weird and extremely big and dangerous, the rain was hot and charged with electricity, so every time Sanji had to cook something he had no clue if it would sustain them or kill them both.

At least now, he had a few ideas of what was really edible, from fruits to way to cook the meat and even how to collect water properly.

Luffy really tripped this time and Sanji started to worry. Whatever was that sacred fruit that he ate without permission and brought the fury of their hosts was making his body slow and uncoordinated.

Sanji really hoped it wasn’t poisonous.

He went back to pick up Luffy from the ground, trying to keep his calm while the angry women were getting dangerously closer to them, when he realized that something was very wrong.

“Luffy!” He called the man in his arms who was barely conscious. “You… you… Are you feeling okay?!” He asked between two shaking breaths, because the well-being of Luffy was always going to be his first priority.

Luffy’s legs were still on the ground, his foot way too far from the rest of his body to be normal, as if it stayed where it was when he fell while the rest of his right leg had become longer than it was humanly possible. The upper half of his body was in Sanji’s arms, his chest elongated so his hips were still on the ground, giving the blond a very disturbing view of a body stretched unevenly.

He heard the cries of their pursuers but all he could think about was that Luffy wasn’t answering him. Worse, his head started to fall from Sanji’s chest and his neck was starting to stretch too.

“Shit!” He cursed, panic bubbling under his skin.

He needed to put Luffy to safety before anything else so he turned him around and managed to cradle him in his arms, noticing that if his body could stretch, it could also get back to his normal size and even squeeze to become smaller.

“I’ve got you.” He whispered between his teeth while running away.

Luffy was still, his eyes closed and a frown on his face, not helping Sanji to keep his worries at bay, but right now, they needed to escape the armed women.

After that, and only after, Sanji would deal with whatever was happening to Luffy.

Chapter Text

Day 35 (Earth Surface Time)

“Look! Look!” Luffy jumped in place, excited, his smile so big that Sanji couldn’t help but smile back at him.

He watched the shorter man grip his own shoulder just before launching his arm behind him. It stretched for a few meters before it quickly came back to the front, and Sanji saw the moment Luffy let go of his shoulder to launch his arm in front of him. His hand went up, the arm stretching again, and he caught a large branch easily.

“Shishishi!” He laughed and Sanji knew he was going to do something incredibly stupid. Or dangerous. Or both.

Or it could be so unpredictable that it would be called clever in the future, but right now, Sanji was more inclined to bet on stupid and dangerous.

Luffy didn’t let go of the branch while his body tried to go back to its normal shape, and Sanji was beginning to understand Luffy’s terrible idea.

“Luffy… Let go.” Sanji said, a bit worried.

He saw Luffy’s feet start to slide on the ground but the smile on his face was proof that the idiot wasn’t going to listen to him. He was on his tip toes now and clearly not decided to let go. The branch was very high and very large so between Luffy’s lightweight and the sturdiness of the tree, the tree was going to win, and after, what would happen to Luffy?!

Like in slow motion, Sanji saw Luffy’s feet leave the ground.

“Wait!”

Before he could think about it, he grabbed Luffy from behind, but instead of keeping him in place and safe on the ground, they both suddenly flew upwards.

They screamed at the same time, Sanji with fear, Luffy with excitation. If he wasn’t clinging to him right now, he would have kicked his lover and cursed at him for being so reckless and stupid.

And no, he wasn’t a bit reassured when he felt Luffy’s hand on his back to keep him close. Nor did he feel a warmth spread in his chest by the thoughtful attention. Not at all!

The large branch was getting dangerously closer. Sanji didn’t want to close his eyes from fear but the impact seemed inevitable and he couldn’t do anything except trust Luffy that his rubber body would be able to cushion them from harm.

Then, Luffy did something and they were above the branch, their speed slow enough to allow them to land almost delicately on their feet.

Sanji’s heart was beating extremely fast. He could feel himself shaking, his clutch on Luffy so strong that he was pretty sure he was hurting him. His eyes remained close, unable to regain his calm from the fright of flying so high without anything to protect them if they ever fell.

“Shishishi! We made it!” Luffy laughed but when he realized that Sanji wasn’t relaxing, he slowly turned around to face him.

Luffy’s body had become strange since he ate the sacred fruit, allowing him to twist and stretch himself without effort or pain, something Sanji had made sure to check thoroughly when he realized that it was going to be their new normal.

He had been afraid at first, not of Luffy of course, but for him, especially the first day when he didn’t wake up and Sanji had to keep them safe from literally the rest of the world. His body wouldn’t come back to normal easily, stretching or compressing on itself, the skin less tender and feeling like rubber under Sanji’s fingers. He was still the same though, the same Luffy he loved with all his heart, the same man who did stupid and reckless shit the moment he thought about them.

Now with this new body, his ideas were limitless.

Sanji had to admit that it was pretty cool. He was helping Luffy train so his body could move the way he wanted to, but he was clearly not prepared to be launched into the air like that!

He felt Luffy’s hands on his face and finally opened his eyes to meet his lover’s.

“It’s okay. We’re safe here.” Luffy whispered with a soft smile on his lips.

Sanji forced himself to look around, his heart slowing down only because of Luffy’s confident words. It was so easy, sometimes, to simply trust him and lean on him like that. Luffy’s chest was twisting a little so he could be face to face with Sanji and he relaxed his grip, giving some room for his lover to turn around all the way, never letting him completely go however.

The tree branch were they were was so large that if they wanted to, they could lie down next to each other and not be afraid to fall even if they moved carelessly. The moss was blue, like all the vegetation here, soft and a bit fluffy under his shoes, and the ground was very very far below.

Sanji quickly looked up, where Luffy was, steady like a rock. He took a deep breath to calm his heart while Luffy’s thumb was caressing his cheek to chase away the last remnants of his fears. Luffy’s eyes sparkled with joy and he came closer, touching Sanji’s forehead with his own, never leaving Sanji’s eyes.

“Sorry, I didn’t want to scare you. But I didn’t expect you to tag along!”

“I didn’t want to tag along! How was I supposed to know that you were trying to launch yourself into the trees?” He protested, but there was no real heat in his voice.

Luffy laughed and rubbed his nose against his.

“I’m glad you’re here with me.”

Sanji blushed, understanding the double meaning. This wasn’t just about being on that tree branch, even if it was already an insane move from both of them. He had almost let Luffy go alone in this crazy place and he was glad he had followed his heart and been selfish for once.

Sanji smiled, happy, and rubbed Luffy’s back instead of clutching to his shirt like a mad man. He was still wondering how the hell they were going to get down but he guessed that at least, they could relax a little without fearing about a predator waiting in ambush.

“You know…” Luffy spoke with a soft tone. “When you said that you’d chase me wherever I’d go, I didn’t think you were going to literally climb a tree on my back to follow me.”

He smiled, falsely innocent, and Sanji rolled his eyes.

“I still mean it but yeah, next time you decide to pull off something like that, a little warning would be nice.”

“Shishishi! No promises!”

Sanji was about to make a complaint when Luffy’s lips shut him up instantly. His body completely relaxed and he allowed himself to forget the world around them just for a moment, enjoying the loving kiss.

Chapter Text

Day 98 or 100 (Earth Surface Time)

The village was small, surrounded by wooden walls with only one big door, and when Luffy and Sanji were brought inside, they noticed the cave at the center immediately. The darkness coming from it made Sanji shiver uncomfortably and he wondered not for the first time why the caves from here always creeped him out so much.

“Ah, my saviors!” A man with a black beard welcomed them with a smile, revealing one of his front teeth replaced by a golden one.

He didn’t look like the mindless men from down here and Sanji tensed. Next to him, Luffy frowned, taking a step forward, ready to protect him from harm if anything happened. He didn’t mind, actually a bit reassured by Luffy’s protective behavior.

It hadn’t been always like this. Sure, Sanji could defend himself, his kicks were strong and reliable and he knew how to keep a cool head in the face of danger, and there was a lot of danger here, but he was only human. Luffy, on the other hand, was stronger and faster than him thanks to the powers he gained months ago. They even found out that he was bulletproof, by sheer luck.

And well, it didn’t hurt to have Luffy take care of him sometimes. Sanji would even find it cute, if they weren’t in front of a potentially dangerous man.

“Oh come on, don’t be like that! Relax, relax! My name’s Teach by the way. I’m from the Massachusetts. And you?”

The man wanted to look harmless, even telling the other men to give Luffy and Sanji some space, but they had learned the hard way not to trust people from top side. They still weren’t sure how much time they wasted inside Krieg’s maze, the trap that almost killed Sanji for the only reason that they made the mistake to trust the guy and what was left of his expedition.

At least, the Amazons from their early days had been genuinely friendly and it was their own mistakes that turned the natives against them. But those who managed to come here before them and survive all this time always tried to kill them, sometimes only because they were from the surface of the Earth.

So Teach, as much as he seemed happy to see them, wasn’t going to win their trust so easily.

Luffy’s stomach grumbled and they winced at the same time. It had been a few difficult days and even if Sanji was an expert to ration their supplies, there wasn’t so much he could do with what they had left.

Teach’s eyebrows perked at the sound and smiled knowingly.

“I see you two find yourself in a pickle. Let me help you. Tak tak! Nuk!” He said to the villagers and they scattered around before bringing a basket full of fruits.

Sanji saw the moment Luffy hesitated and he couldn’t blame him. They shared a quick look and Sanji walked to the man who was holding the basket. He knew how to recognize comestible food from poisonous ones now and he checked the fruits thoroughly, but everything seemed normal. Teach eyed him, letting him do as he wished however.

If he survived long enough to be part of a community then it wouldn’t be surprising if he was aware of how dangerous people from the surface could be. Sanji nodded to Luffy and took the basket in his arms. Luffy put one blue pear in his mouth without hesitation and smiled at Teach.

“Thanks! You’re a nice guy!” He said, his easy-going nature back now that he could calm his hunger.

Sanji wasn’t sure if Teach was really a nice guy but at least the fruits were fresh and it was always better to think with a stomach full, so he took another blue pear and bit it, barely keeping from moaning when the delicious juice touched his tongue.

“I’m glad you think so!” Teach laughed, his eyes sparkling with joy and nothing else suspicious.

Maybe he was genuinely a good guy? Sanji was still on his guard, watching the villagers to see if something was amiss. They were mostly young people, but this part of the world was a very dangerous place so it didn’t mean anything. A few of them seemed skinnier than others though, as if they hadn’t been able to eat for a few days.

Sanji really hoped that they weren’t eating the share of these people because even if they were both hungry, no one deserved to starve only to be on their good side.

“Is this really okay?” He asked.

“Of course, of course! We harvested them this morning and there are plenty more.”

His eyes followed Sanji’s to the three women sitting on the ground, the flesh of their arms so thin that he could almost see their bones.

“We took the habit to ration ourselves, just to be safe.” He smiled to reassure him and Sanji could only believe him.

Because now that he looked for the signs, he noticed that even Teach’s body was on the skinny side. So he chose to trust his words, for now.

Luffy, for his part, had already eaten half of their food, leaving Sanji’s share at the bottom of the basket. He felt immensely privileged, knowing very well how hard it was for his lover to restrain himself when food was concerned. He picked up another fruit while hiding his smile, not unaware of the way his heart was beating faster, his cheeks warmer than normal.

If he had any doubt about his love for Luffy, his reaction to the little attentions proved time and again that the young man didn’t let him indifferent. It still surprised him though because loving Luffy was very different from loving women. It was easy, and frustrating, and liberating, and he wouldn’t change it for anything in the world, but it didn’t mean that he wasn’t in a completely unknown territory.  

Sanji didn’t feel the need or the want to swoon at him, and he didn’t hang on his every word, but he knew in his bones that Luffy’s kindness and love for him were real, and just the thought alone always made his heart melt. Even after more than two months of being together as lovers, and not as friends anymore, Sanji was still not used to this feeling. He also knew that he would never get tired of it however.

Being with Luffy was the best thing to happen to him and he never regretted following him, to chase after their dreams in a strange and terrifying underworld where almost everything wanted to kill or eat them.

Right now though, it didn’t seem like Teach and the villagers were cannibals, and Sanji finished his meal quietly while Luffy was talking with their host.

They had been running for days and it was nice to find a safe place to rest, but as much as the villagers seemed friendly towards them, Sanji was pretty sure they were hiding something. Plus, if the village was already rationing the meals, it meant that food wasn’t endless and hard to come by.

They would leave soon enough anyway. Luffy wasn’t the kind to want to settle down somewhere, whether top side or here, his hunger for adventure as strong as his love for food. There was no way they would part from each other either, so wherever Luffy went, Sanji would follow too.

This way, maybe he would find what he was looking for. The legend of the Cornucopia probably came from this underground world and even if no one seemed to know anything about it, Sanji had hope that he would find it one day.

Luffy laughed and Sanji was happy to see him so carefree. Teach offered them to sleep in one of the huts not far from the door and Sanji relaxed a little. Being close to the door meant that they could leave faster in case of danger, and the hut looked comfortable. No one tried to take their stuff, nor did they tried to separate them from each other, and maybe, this place wasn’t so bad after all.

Luffy and Sanji went to sleep on the mattress of leaves and moss, sharing their opinion about Teach and the village while they snuggled up against each other.

“I don’t think these people are bad.” Luffy whispered, his hand loosely on Sanji’s hip, his thumb making little circles under Sanji’s shirt, soothing and warm.

“If you say so. But I don’t think we can stay here long. We’re two more mouths to feed for them.”

Luffy hummed, thinking.

“Alright, we’ll stay tomorrow and see what we can do to help in exchange for the food. And then, we’ll leave.”

Luffy didn’t seem convinced, and Sanji knew why. They were tired. Food wasn’t the only problem out there, finding a place to sleep safely wasn’t easy either. The more they climbed the mountain, the more the predators were huge and tough. Sanji was starting to become useless against them so hunting was totally out of question. At least, the river was an inexhaustible source of water, but they couldn’t continue like that.

Maybe Teach knew of a safer passage, or at least where the most dangerous creatures lingered in this part of the world so they could avoid them.

Sanji wanted to reassure Luffy. He knew that not everything should be easy but he was confident that they could do anything as long as they were together. He tenderly put his hand on Luffy’s cheek, sinking his fingers in the dark locks to caress the head of his lover, and smiled.

“It’s going to be fine. Now sleep.” He kissed Luffy’s forehead, feeling him relax against his chest, his head falling in the crook of Sanji’s neck with a content sigh.

“… ’night Sanji.” He said in a tired voice.

“Good night Luffy.” Sanji answered before closing his eyes.

Chapter Text

Day 1 (Earth Surface Time)

“Everything here is blue! So cool!” Luffy exclaimed loudly.

Sanji was next to him, in awe before the forest in front of them. Like Luffy said, all the vegetation here was blue. He still hadn’t wrapped his head around the fact that they really found it, they really found the door to the center of the Earth, and what was behind it was incredible, weird and completely unknown to the rest of the world.

He was smiling, his cheeks painful under the strain of his muscles, the fatigue of the last few days almost vanishing at the thought that they made it.

Luffy was, predictably, extremely excited. This was his dream after all. Sanji watched him laugh while touching the blue leaves of some ferns.

“Luffy! Be careful! We don’t know if these plants are toxic!” He warned him and he was glad to see his lover listen to him.

“Right, sorry.” Luffy laughed. “I’m just… really happy, you know?”

He smiled and stepped closer to Sanji to kiss him, a chaste kiss that Sanji wanted to deepen, but Luffy was already gone. He walked to the lake and washed his hands, before coming back to hug him.

Or more like to dry his hands against Sanji’s clothes.

“Luffy! Stop that!” He protested and Luffy laughed, not letting him go.

Not like he really tried to get free.

“We made it!”

Luffy took his hands and drew him closer a bit forcefully, beginning a weird dance on his own and wanting Sanji to join him. He rolled his eyes with a smile and finally surrendered to the whim of his enthusiastic lover. They laughed while jumping in place, the uncoordinated movements not graceful at all, but they didn’t care. It wasn’t like there was anyone to watch them anyway.

Sanji had enough to turn stupidly in circle, and Luffy was too cute with his smile and the sparks of joy in his eyes to resist, so when the opportunity arose, he grabbed his lover by the hips and brought him closer to him. Luffy managed to step on his foot, ouch, but Sanji quickly forgot about it when he was so close, barely an inch from his lips.

Sanji bent forward, ready to kiss these tempting lips to ravish them when he heard something coming from the forest.

“Is that… your stomach?” He murmured, not sure why but in that moment, it seemed important.

Luffy looked at him with round eyes and before he could say anything, the growl started up again. They both froze before turning towards the very scary sound.

Sanji first saw the eyes, yellow and glowing through the blue leaves of the vegetation that moved with the wind, or more likely because of the creature’s breath. Then the thing took a step forward, revealing scales and very big teeth, while he felt Luffy’s fists clench in his leather jacket.

“Di-” He said in a cut short breath.

“Di-” Sanji repeated in the same tone.

“DINOSAUR?!” They screamed at the same time, stunned by the appearance of the creature.

The next second, Luffy pushed him abruptly away from the weird-looking raptor’s attack and Sanji fell on his back, but he quickly stood up again, seeing as the raptor was trying to viciously bite Luffy. He dodged, barely, and Sanji couldn’t just watch his lover be in danger without doing anything.

“Hey, shitty lizard!” He shouted at the raptor who only glanced at him before turning his attention back to Luffy.

The raptor had the nerve to dismiss him and think that he wasn’t worth his time, and Sanji forgot his fear for a second, fueled by a surprising rage to kick the creature.

No one tried to hurt Luffy and get away with it!

Sanji ran towards the beast and launched himself forward, his foot connecting violently with its flank. He hadn’t trained enough lately and he knew he wasn’t going to break its bones, but it was still a powerful kick, sending the raptor on the ground with a painful cry.

It growled and turned around, his full attention now directed to Sanji.

The beast wasn’t very big, no more than one of these big shepherd dogs he saw once on TV, but the long teeth looked very sharp and Sanji didn’t want to check if they could easily cut his skin or not. The rest of his body was covered in blue scales, a long horizontal tail, pointy at the tip, moving like a whip behind the creature.

The yellow eyes were terrifying and Sanji fought the need to flee, still feeling his body shiver in fear uncontrollably. He had to focus and not lose his mind to that fear right now or he would die. Or worse, Luffy would die and he would never forgive himself.

The raptor was fast, but not as fast as Sanji. It started running towards him, mouth wide open, ready to bite him, and Sanji quickly stepped back from the assault.

“SANJI!” Luffy shouted and managed to grab the tail of the raptor, cutting its momentum short.

It was all Sanji needed and his kick struck the head of the raptor. It didn’t like it, its left eye already bleeding, almost losing its balance on its two feet. Sanji didn’t wait for the raptor to regain its senses and he kicked again, sending it on the ground. Luffy released its tail and ran to Sanji’s side, the both of them ready to defend each other if it came to it.

The raptor bawled and tried to get back on its feet, but Sanji couldn’t let this happen. He quickly approached it and landed a kick on the injured eye, crushing it to the point that it would become utterly useless in the future. Even if he wasn’t going to be able to break its skull and kill it, he could at least make sure that the dinosaur wasn’t going to be a threat for the time being.

The creature screamed, panicking, and managed to stand up on its wobbly legs. It didn’t seem like it wanted to attack them anymore and was already making its way back in the forest.

He and Luffy watched it retreat, on high alert. Once they were sure the raptor wasn’t going to come back and attack them again, they shared a look and sighed, relieved.

Chapter Text

Day 103 or 105 (Earth Surface Time )

Sanji entered the cave, leaving behind him the two unconscious men on the ground who dared trying to stop him. Restless, he refused to lose more of Luffy’s precious time to deal with them. Teach was at the bottom of the cave, where he kept the cone-shaped shell safe. He seemed to expect him, his face showing no surprise when Sanji appeared in front of him.

“What did you do to him?!” Sanji asked without waiting, his body vibrating with rage.

He took one more step towards the man, ready to use violence if he didn’t answer quickly.

“I didn’t do anything.” Teach replied while putting himself between Sanji and the altar where the light brown shell rested. “It just seems like Luffy’s time’s up already.”

Sanji wanted to punch the guy. It wasn’t often when the urge to use his hands for violence rose but right now, he felt like kicking Teach wouldn’t be enough to calm his anger.

“HE’S STARVING!” He outright screamed in Teach’s face.

The man didn’t even frown, he was looking at Sanji like he was but an insignificant small setback in his very well-charted plan. It made Sanji even more angry. He was about to grab his collar to shake him out of his calm demeanor, but the man raised his hand in front of him and Sanji stopped all at once.

His body couldn’t move.

What the hell?!

“I didn’t think it would happen so soon.” Teach sighed, clearly bothered. “He’s so young but it seems like fate has already claimed him.”

Sanji gritted his teeth, unable to even move a finger.

“What are you talking about?!”

He was starting to feel a pressure against his chest and it was easy to put two and two together. Teach had probably powers like Luffy, something he hid from them since they met, some kind of telekinesis or something else keeping him from moving, and that was why Sanji couldn’t move his body anymore.

His rage started to shift into fear because it meant that Sanji had probably made a big mistake and Luffy was going to pay for it.

Teach sidestepped, revealing the Cornucopia behind him. His head tilted to the side, his eyes never leaving Sanji’s.

“Did you really think there was not a price to use the Cornucopia?” He asked rhetorically. “That you could grab food inside, anything you wanted, without any cost?” His eyes glared at him, furious. “Nothing’s free down here! Or did you think I would willingly starve myself when I need all my strength to survive in this hellish place?!”

Sanji was beginning to understand that now, slowly putting back the pieces in place. Luffy’s body was withering quickly and Sanji had recognized all the signs of starvation, as if he hadn’t eaten for days, which was impossible because Sanji always made sure he ate every day. Maybe not enough but it didn’t explain his recent bad state.

The image of Luffy with his sunken cheeks and visible bones under his thin, unnatural turned grey skin flashed before his eyes. It was Sanji’s worst fear, a nightmare he wished upon to no one because he knew what it felt to have a hollow stomach, muscles thinning day by day for lack of nutriments, in addition with the headaches and the dizziness that prevented to do anything else but wait for death to claim him.

Sanji knew all about starving, slowly decaying from the inside, and he hated seeing Luffy go through the same hardship as him. It had been a long time ago but he was never going to forget what it felt, even if he tried.  

Teach took the mythical shell in his other hand, the very same Cornucopia of his dream that was responsible for Luffy’s pain. They had been so happy when they discovered it, enjoying the food that it provided as much as they wanted, and they shared with the rest of the village for a few days, not even suspecting that they were going to pay a heavy price for carelessly trusting Teach.

“When you two first appeared, I called you my saviors, remember?” The man looked at him with an unsettling glint in his eyes, a small smile on his lips. “I thought I was done for but seeing you, young lads with years of food ahead of them, I hoped again.”

Sanji frowned.

“What do you mean?” He asked, barely refraining to insult the guy.

Despite himself, he had hope again thanks to Teach’s words. The man knew the Cornucopia better than him right now and he needed as much information as possible to save Luffy, so he had to bite his tongue for now. Teach glared at the Cornucopia before continuing.

“When I arrived here, I was hurt and starving and the villagers welcomed me with open arms. They gave me food without asking for anything in return and I didn’t need to risk my life to survive in this hell anymore so when I was told the truth, it was already too late.” He sighed and turned his gaze towards Sanji. “You see, the food coming from the Cornucopia doesn’t come from nowhere. It’s like eating your last meal, but in advance.”

He let the words sink and Sanji was starting to understand. He held his breath, wanted more than anything to be wrong about what Teach was implying.

“Everyone here is destined to die from starvation.” He finally said gravely, crushing all Sanji’s hopes.

No, he couldn’t give up so easily. Luffy counted on him after all. His anger came back as fiery as before.

“Bastard! If you knew what happens to those who use the Cornucopia, why didn’t you stop us?!”

Sanji wanted to kick him, to hurt him for keeping this precious information from them but he still couldn’t move because of the mysterious Teach’s powers.

“Don’t you understand?!” Teach growled and put his hand inside the seashell, but his hand came back empty. “When you keep eating your last meal every day, you’re bound to catch up at some point! Eating outside of the Cornucopia doesn’t help to stave off my hunger and my body keeps starving! It’s a curse and the only way to survive it is to have someone else give me their last meals.” He showed the Cornucopia. “So, no hard feelings, but I wasn’t going to pass up this opportunity, boy.”

Sanji felt sick. His mouth was dry and the despair was gripping at his heart, cutting his air short. It had been Teach’s plan all along to use him and Luffy until they wouldn’t be necessary. It was clear now that the villagers were under the same curse and instead of putting a stop to this madness, end the circle with themselves, they would rather cling desperately to life by condemning others to the same fate.

“What… what about Luffy?” He stuttered in a whisper before continuing with a studier voice. “We’ve been here for less than a week but he’s already…”

He didn’t want to finish his sentence, the idea of Luffy dying too scary that he couldn’t say it out loud.

“It’s his fate.” Teach answered, his calm demeanor back again. “One way or another, he was supposed to die in a few days. I’m just making the most of the rest of his life, for me and my people.”

Sanji heard footsteps behind him and three men appeared with ropes in their hands. Teach made a move with his hand and Sanji was on the ground, still unable to fight back when the men grabbed his arms to tie his wrists together behind his back.

Sanji glared at Teach, fury in his eyes.

“I don’t believe you.” He said between gritted teeth. “There’s no way-“

“That the Cornucopia doesn’t know when our life comes to an end?” Teach cut him and his words shattered Sanji’s last hope.

Sanji knew he shouldn’t believe everything Teach was saying, he had every reason to lie to him, but somehow, he knew that the man was telling the truth. It was even worse because it meant that Luffy’s fate had always been to die soon, and Sanji couldn’t do anything about it.

In a fog, he noticed Teach walking away, but when he reached the entrance of the cave, he continued to speak about Luffy’s ominous fate.

“Accept it, Luffy’s death is inevitable. So I’m going to make him use the Cornucopia until there’s nothing left to take from him and then I’ll end his life quickly so he’ll stop suffering, at last.”

Sanji’s eyes widened and he tried to free himself but Teach’s powers were still holding him down on the ground.

“You can’t!” He cried. “I won’t let you!”

He pushed against the invisible force, with no luck. He kept struggling against it however, refusing to abandon Luffy to the death that Teach had planned for him.

“There’s nothing you can do. But don’t worry, even if I plan to use you in the same way, I’ll be careful not to drain you from your last meals all at once.” He smiled, making Sanji shivered from fear and disgust. “I’m going to make sure you live a very long life.”

He laughed, leaving the cave and finally releasing Sanji’s body from his hold. Sanji felt numb for a second, but he couldn’t ignore the urgency any longer. Luffy was in danger and he needed to stop this madness. Two of the three men who tied his wrists grabbed him by his armpits to lift him up from the ground and that’s the only thing Sanji waited to begin his counterattack.

He started with a kick to the knee to the man on his left. The man groaned and stumbled, letting him go, making it easier for Sanji to kick him in the face afterwards. Before he even fell on the ground, unconscious, Sanji turned to his right and gave two quick kicks to the face of the man still holding him, breaking his nose at the impact. He fell too, wheezing and clearly not a threat anymore. Sanji jumped on the third man, knocking him out with his knees. For good measure, he kicked the one with a broken nose again and the guy went to sleep like his friends.

Sanji stood up, hissing from the burn against his wrists, and tried to think. Saving Luffy was his first priority. He needed to get to him before Teach did something irreversible. He would think about the curse of the Cornucopia and Luffy’s fate to die in the near future later.

He jumped and brought his hands back in front of him in a swift movement. With the knife of one of the men, he cut himself loose and ran out of the cave. Teach was walking towards his own hut followed by two men who were dragging Luffy by force. His heart clenched when he saw how weak Luffy was, his protests barely audible, and he sped up to reach him.

“Luffy!”

He kicked the closest man in the face but then, he was thrown back hard on the ground. The pressure grew against his chest, so heavy he couldn’t breathe, while the rest of his body was unable to move, again.

“… Sanji?”

He immediately recognized Luffy’s small voice, even when it was only but a whisper, and it gave Sanji the strength to fight against Teach’s powers. He didn’t have much chance of winning but he wasn’t going to lie down while his lover was in danger. It hurt, and because he tried to get up against the pressure, he felt like his bones were creaking, ready to snap at any moment.

Suddenly, the pressure disappeared and Teach let a cry escape him. Sanji didn’t ponder about what happened and stood up quickly, kicking the man who was now carrying Luffy on his shoulder. Instinctively, he caught Luffy in his arms and checked his body for injuries. He felt relieved when it seemed like he was fine, leaving aside his advanced state of starvation.

“Sanji…? What’s going on?” He asked, his brown eyes unfocused.

Before he could answer him, Sanji felt a sharp pain on his cheek. He hissed, but another raindrop touched his bare skin and he quickly understood what stopped Teach. In fact, the man was already hiding in his hut, protected from the painful rain.

“It’s okay Luffy, I’m going to protect you.” He tried to reassure his lover through his teeth, ignoring the pain from the static electricity while running to their hut.

He shielded Luffy from it as much as he could and once inside of the hut, he put him on their bed, for now. They couldn’t stay in the village, of that Sanji was sure, and the rain would be the best cover for their escape.

The rain wasn’t dangerous par see, but a long exposure was painful and the many little electrical shocks could paralyze him enough to hinder his movements. In that state, if they were met face to face with one carnivorous dinosaur, they would be done for, since, unfortunately, the creatures here were practically immune to the side-effects of the rain.

At least, Luffy’s straw hat was enough to protect his lover’s head. He wasn’t going to walk by himself however, and Sanji had already resolved himself to carry him all the way. He suspected that he was probably in a better shape than most of the villagers and that only a few could actually walk on their own, so, once he and Luffy managed to get out of the village, they would probably be safe with no pursuers on their tail.

Sanji grabbed their stuff, put covering clothes on Luffy and himself to protect them from the rain, securing the straw hat on his lover’s head one last time, and prayed that the hood of his sweater would be enough to protect his own head. In Luffy’s bag, he added with the rest of their stuff his wallet, the one that his dad offered him before he left to keep his beloved kitchen knives safe. He then put the bag on his back.

Luffy was breathing slowly, eyes closed, and it hurt Sanji to see him so weak. He obviously lost the last remnants of his strength when he had to fight against Teach’s men and Sanji swore to protect him at all costs.

He took him in his arms and left the hut, running away at full speed in the rain, leaving behind what he once called his dream.

Chapter Text

Day 101 or 103 (Earth Surface Time)

Luffy laughed and Sanji couldn’t stop his smile from widening. It had been a good day. Teach and the villagers were really friendly and the fact that Luffy managed to hunt a big dinosaur made everyone in a very good mood. Teach told him that it had been a long time since they ate meat and between Luffy’s strength for hunting and Sanji’s skills for cooking, they could finally break their fast with a big feast.

Luffy had a huge piece of meat in each hand, fully enjoying his meal, and Sanji could finally relax. Seeing his lover so happy and eating to his heart’s content was all he wanted. His own happiness depended on Luffy’s well-being and now that they were safe with good food in their bellies, all his worries were slowly but surely washed away.

Teach seemed to be a good guy and Sanji wanted to trust him. He was tired of always being on his guard, and as much as he loved Luffy, because he trusted people way too easily for his own good, Sanji had taken upon himself to be extremely vigilant. Luffy had a good instinct, and it saved them more than once from dangerous situations before, but it wasn’t always enough to determine if the villagers had any ill intentions towards them.

For now though, it seemed like they only thought about feeding themselves, and Sanji was happy to provide for so many people, receiving warm compliments about his cooking skills coming from left and right. He saw the prideful glint in Luffy’s eyes and Sanji tried to hide his blush, with no luck.

While the feast was in full swing and everyone was having a great time, some of them even playing weird flutes accompanied with drums, Sanji sat next to Luffy and watched their hosts dance. As reassuring as Teach had tried to be, it was apparent that they hadn’t eaten enough lately. Maybe fasting was their own way to have enough food for everyone as long as possible and not because it was their way of living.

The creatures here were way more dangerous than down the mountain, and it took half of the village with Luffy and Sanji to hunt down one without risk. They didn’t have weapons, because wooden sticks were useless against the tough skin of the dinosaurs, and Teach admitted that he used up all his ammos for his old gun years ago. Not like it would be very effective, but then the only way to successfully kill a dinosaur was a well-placed punch from Luffy.

Sanji helped to make a trap with the villagers before luring a creature in, making sure that when Luffy attacked it, he would stay safe. Everything went smoothly, obviously, but Sanji couldn’t help to worry anyway. He felt useless, now more than ever, and even if Luffy assured him that he would always be careful, Sanji feared that one day, his powers wouldn’t be enough to protect him.

He wondered, not for the first time, where they would be if Luffy hadn’t eaten the sacred fruit early on during their journey. Probably dead. And now, with massive creatures around and more perilous dangers ahead, Sanji couldn’t just hope that everything was going to continue to be fine. He needed to get stronger, maybe find another sacred fruit so he could take down a dinosaur on his own, something he couldn’t do anymore since they started to climb the mountain.

Except, they never encountered anyone who would willingly talk about the sacred fruits. It seemed taboo, and when Luffy showed his powers, they were whether greeted with cries of joy or with weapons to their head. The fact that they were from top side didn’t help either to be easily accepted.

But here, with Teach and his people, they finally found a place to rest. Luffy’s powers were regarded as a blessing, and now with all the meat they brought today, everyone seemed to fully trust them. They were nice and the village was safe so Sanji understood Luffy’s reluctance to leave this place. But they couldn’t stay here forever.

At first, the idea to climb the mountain came from one of Luffy’s whims, and Sanji couldn’t resist him for long, but after a powerful earthquake, the ground split in two, and a long and large fissure cut off their way back. They could only go up now. Sanji wasn’t sure if it was really a good idea, seeing as there was smoke at the top of the mountain, but it wasn’t like they had another choice.

He felt Luffy’s head fall on his shoulder and looked down.

“I’m full.” His lover said with a satisfied sigh.

Sanji smiled and his nose softly brushed the dark locks when he tilted his head against Luffy’s.

“It’s been a while since I haven’t heard you say this.”

Luffy hummed, a bit sleepy.

“I don’t want to leave yet.” He whispered.

Sanji didn’t sigh, but he expected it. Well, it wasn’t like they were in a hurry right now.

“Then let’s stay for a few more days.”

Luffy raised his head, surprised.

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Sanji kissed him, so chaste that it was more like a peck on his lips. “We deserve it.”

Luffy beamed and Sanji was blinded by his smile. They were about to kiss again when Teach broke the moment by stepping foot in front of them.

“Sorry for disturbing you but there’s something I want to show you.” He said with an apologetic smile.

Sanji and Luffy looked at each other. They didn’t need to talk to know what the other thought. It was a bit suspicious but Teach was alone and didn’t look like he was up to something. Luffy tilted his head and Sanji shrugged.

“Okay, lead the way.” Sanji finally said.

He almost regretted it because Teach entered the cave and he really didn’t like caves. Luffy took his hand to reassure him and they walked inside together.

There was a stone table at the bottom of the cave with a corned-shape shell on its center. It was a warm light brown under Teach’s torch, big enough that someone could put their hand inside if they wanted to.

“This is the village’s treasure.” Teach said with reverence. “It feeds us and helps us to survive when we need it the most.” He added before smiling. “You helped my village and for that, I’ll always be grateful to the both of you. That’s why I think it’s only fair to allow you to use our treasure whenever you want.”

Sanji frowned, not sure what use a seashell could have, but Luffy was excited, his sleepiness completely gone.

“Really? What can it do?”

Sanji could feel him vibrating with impatience next to him, jumping in place with a smile on his face.

“Well, it can give us all the food we want.” Teach explained, and Sanji’s brain stopped working.

Luffy looked at him now, eyes widened, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the weird-looking shell.

“This is the Cornucopia. Ever heard of it?”

Chapter Text

13 Years ago

Sanji heard something and opened his eyes with difficulty. His body was nothing more than a twig, a very thin twig, and he didn’t have any strength left to do more than breathing. His hiding spot was perfect at first, until he realized that he couldn’t get out of the small cave, a hole in the ground really, not on his own at least.

He didn’t know how long it had been, the small stream of water against the stonewall the only thing that was keeping him alive. His stomach wasn’t even growling anymore, the hunger feeling so far away. Deep down, he knew he was dying. He had thought he had finally found a good place to hide, but then, the days passed, and the truth hurt more than the beatings his brothers liked to give him daily.

No one had bothered to look for him. He had been missing for so long and yet, no one came to his rescue. Not his father, who hated him, nor his brothers, who enjoyed to hurt him so much, nor his sister, who had to pretend she didn’t care about him to escape the same fate than him.

Neither did his mother, who was dead and buried in the far end of the garden of their huge propriety.

He was going to die like her, all alone. For the simple reason that he was weak. Emotional. A crybaby.

A failure.

He tried really hard to make his father pride but everything he did seemed to anger him. He never touched him, whether in a kind or a painful way, but the look his father was always giving him was enough to understand how much he hated him.

Unlike him, his mother had only showered Sanji with kindness. She had been sick his whole life, yet, she had been there every time he needed comfort and even taught him how to bake his favorite cake. They read together in his room, his favorite story being about the Cornucopia. It was for a silly reason, something that made his mother laugh, because if he had the Cornucopia, he wouldn’t need to climb a footstool to get the ingredients he needed every time he cooked for her when no adults were around.

Now, if he had the Cornucopia, he could survive long enough for someone, anyone, to find him. Or maybe to live long enough to grow up in that hole until he was tall enough to reach the edges and get out of here.

In the beginning, he dreamed about food, but the more time passed, losing his strengths and the capacity to think properly, the more he dreamed about a horn that he could blow to fulfill all his wishes. Not just escape from this cave, but also to have people who loved him for who he was, despite his flaws. To have someone who would bother themselves to look after him if he didn’t come back home after dark.

His family didn’t love him, of that he was sure, and he didn’t want them to love him anymore. Maybe it meant that no one would ever love him, and maybe they were right because he was a failure, but it didn’t stop him to hope that one day, he would find someone kind enough to accept him anyway.

The noise came closer and now Sanji couldn’t ignore it. There was something close-by, but with his luck, it could very well be a wild animal. In his state, anything could kill him. He tried to move but it hurt and he let escape a painful moan.

“Someone’s there?” A low voice froze Sanji in place.

He felt his heart starting to beat faster and hope bloomed in his chest. The surprise made him speechless however, and it took him a long moment to find his voice back.

“In… in here…” He whispered, despaired by his weak voice.

The noise, footsteps he finally recognized, moved away from him and Sanji panicked. He let a terrified little squeak escape his chapped lips and the person stopped.

“Sanji? Little Eggplant, where are you?”

Sanji felt tears welling up in his eyes before gathering all his strengths to scream.

“ZEFF!”

He was wheezing, his vision blurring on the edge and all these efforts had completely drained him. He didn’t know if it was only in his head, if it was the last thing he would do before closing his eyes and never opening them again, but he didn’t care.

The old cook with his peg leg appeared at the top of the hole and Sanji saw his eyes widen.

“Shit, Sanji!”

The last thing he remembered was Zeff’s worried voice.

-

Zeff was his savior in more ways than just finding him in that hole that day. He fought Judge for Sanji’s custody, not caring about the fact that in result he made a very powerful enemy for life, only caring about Sanji’s well-being.

He had to quit his job as Head Chef of the Vinsmoke family and for a time, they had to live in a very small apartment, but from then onwards, Sanji’s life only got better. He managed to get his strengths back while listening to Zeff talking about the Cornucopia, the dream to find it still vivid in the old man’s mind.

The Cornucopia was a legendary item that no one had ever seen, so no one knew if it really existed or even what shape it was, and if the legend spoke of a source to provide endless food, it was only the most famous tale about the Cornucopia’s powers.

Sanji only cared about food though. He learned the hard way how precious food was and he wished to never experience hunger ever again. He wished that to no one either, even his former family. And if he worked hard to become a cook as good as Zeff, it wasn’t only because he remembered his mother’s smile when she ate his awful cooking, or because he owed Zeff everything and wanted to repay him.

He cooked for the love of cooking, because there was nothing else that made him happier.  

Chapter Text

Day 104 or 106 (Earth Surface Time)

Sanji wanted to smoke. He had been forced to quit at some point when he realized that there were no tobacco stores in the center of the Earth and with everything he saw down here, he couldn’t risk to smoke some weird shit to feed his addiction. But then Teach offered him to use the Cornucopia, and he was able to conjure some cigarettes that he chained-smoked like the addict he was.

Now he had to go through the withdrawal, again, but the symptoms were far less bothersome this time around. There were other things way more stressful to think about right now after all.

Luffy was sleeping again, the few fruits that Sanji gathered earlier not enough to calm his hunger. It wasn’t just because it wasn’t enough though, and Sanji knew it. It was because of the Cornucopia’s curse and whatever fate it had decided for Luffy.

Sanji looked outside through the blue leaves, wary of any suspicious noise. They were hiding under the roots of a very big tree where Sanji had added huge leaves to conceal the entry, so there was no way they could be easily spotted, but he was still worried. The rain had forced them to stop not that far off the village and he wished they weren’t on the ground, but Luffy was in no state to carry them up high.

He pinched the bridge of his nose to try to sooth his headache, to no avail. He was hungry and he knew he shouldn’t have given all the food to Luffy, but his lover’s condition wasn’t improving and if even one more fruit could stave off his hunger a little, Sanji would give his share any time without hesitation.

“Sanji…?”

Sanji turned towards Luffy immediately, taking his hand in his owns before squeezing it to reassure him.

“I’m here Luffy.”

His lover gave him a weak smile and Sanji’s heart clenched. Luffy was trying to be strong but it was obvious that he was suffering.

“Have you eaten?” He asked and Sanji winced.

It was an answer on its own and Luffy frowned. Before he could say anything however, Sanji spoke.

“You need more food than me.”

Luffy shook his head.

“You can’t stop eating because of me. I’ll be fine in a few days and-“

“You won’t.”

Sanji lowered his head and closed his eyes to avoid the look of surprise on Luffy’s face but he couldn’t keep the truth to himself any longer.

“Teach told me how the Cornucopia really works.” He explained in a low voice. “He said that everything we took from it, all the food, it was supposed to be our last meals. If you’re starving now… It’s because your fate is to die… very soon.”

He bit his lower lip, refusing to look at Luffy. He had no idea how he could feel right now, and Sanji blamed himself for not being more careful around the Cornucopia. He just didn’t think there was a catch for its wonders, and a heavy price at that.

He felt Luffy trying to pull their hands towards him to draw Sanji’s attention, and it worked. He couldn’t resist Luffy. He didn’t want to, ever. He watched as Luffy put his other hand on top of their clasped hands and rubbed his thumb in a circle on his skin to comfort him.

Sanji felt even more like shit because Luffy was the one who was supposed to be comforted right now, not him.

“I’m not going to die.” Luffy said with confidence.

His face didn’t show any doubts and his eyes never faltered. He couldn’t hide his fatigue from him but Sanji could see the assurance, powerful and unyielding, that only Luffy could exude when he was speaking of truth, as if the rest of the world could only bend to his will and do nothing else. Sanji wanted to believe him, he really did, and yet…

“Your fate-“

“I’m not going to die.” Luffy repeated, adamant. “If it’s really my fate then I’ll rewrite it.”

His expression softened and his hand brushed Sanji’s cheek, wiping one lost tear that he hadn’t even noticed escape him.

“I promise you. I’m not going anywhere without you.” Luffy smiled and kissed the knuckles of their joined hands.

Sanji couldn’t accept this promise so easily. It was too simple. It was only Luffy’s careless wish, nothing more, and in the end, his selfish words were going to lose against his fate, making him break his promise to Sanji.  

He couldn’t let Luffy break a promise, ever, because if Luffy was anything, he wasn’t a liar. He couldn’t lie after all, even if he wanted to. Sanji was about to tell him that he couldn’t make this kind of promise, because Luffy didn’t know the future and the Cornucopia was probably more powerful than two mere humans, but when he looked into his lover’s eyes and only saw determination, Sanji’s doubts suddenly vanished.

Maybe he was making a mistake. He was being emotional, weak to the hope that Luffy had still a chance, but who cared? Sanji had never been known to be rational when it came to his loved ones anyway, especially when they were in danger.

Especially when Luffy looked so serious and wanted Sanji to trust him.

“I can’t lose you.” He whispered and Luffy’s smile grew bigger, relieved to see that Sanji believed him.

“I know. And you won’t.”

Sanji wanted to know how Luffy could be so sure of himself. If only he could be as strong as him, he wouldn’t feel so terrified and lost in these circumstances. He squeezed their hands, comforted by Luffy’s simple presence, and sighed. He had to stop brooding over things he couldn’t control and, more importantly, he couldn’t worry his lover any longer.

“What should we do? Do you have a brilliant idea?” He asked, a small smile on his lips, the first one since they fled the village yesterday.

Luffy frowned, clearly thinking. Sanji worried that it was going to deplete him from the last remnants of his strength but then, his face lighted up.

“If we took food from the Cornucopia, then maybe we should give it back?” He suggested, looking at Sanji’s reaction.

He blinked, speechless, and Luffy tilted his head before frowning again, gradually losing his confidence the more Sanji remained silent. Except his idea wasn’t that bad, it was great even!

“Luffy, you’re a genius!” Sanji exclaimed and laughed, his lover smiling again.

“You think so?”

Sanji bent forward and kissed his forehead, his cheeks, his nose and his lips, the man he loved so much laughing and screaming because his marks of affection was tickling him.

“Absolutely!”

Now that he had a solution, Sanji wasn’t going to lose any more time. Luffy was in no state to go back to the village and he was Teach’s primary target, so there was no way that Sanji was going to let Luffy come with him. He protested, obviously, but the truth was that he couldn’t even walk on his own right now and had no choice but to stay behind, safe.

It didn’t stop Luffy from pouting and Sanji could almost believe that he was only on a grocery run while Luffy had to wait on the couch of his apartment back home, before making dinner. Gosh, it felt like forever ago...

“I’ll be careful, don’t worry.”

Luffy’s frown disappeared and he smiled at him. Sanji felt a bit reassured and left their hidden spot, almost light on his feet.

He came up with a plan, a very dangerous plan, but he had to take a few risks if he wanted to steal the Cornucopia from Teach. He had powers and Sanji had none, so he had to be creative. And ready for everything.

He couldn’t fail. For Luffy, he had to come back with the Cornucopia no matter what or he was going to lose him. He readjusted Luffy’s empty bag on his back and looked in the blue forest for what he was looking for.

When he reached the river, he couldn’t believe his luck. A herd of weird-looking triceratops were enjoying their bath. They weren’t carnivorous, or at least, not that Sanji knew, but their horns on their head made for terrible weapons. The beasts were very protective of their own too, and Sanji would only need to anger one to anger them all.

They weren’t really far from the village, plus Sanji was faster than the creatures, so he knew it was his best chance for his plan to work.

“Hey, shithead!” He called the closest to him.

He took a stone and threw it at the beast. It missed the eye. Sanji was about to throw another one when the dinosaur turned suddenly around to face him, as if the beast was in a bad mood already, and howled.

He gritted his teeth under the powerful cry and saw the other beasts looking at him now.

“Come on! Follow me, you ugly bastards!”

They couldn’t understand the meaning of his words, obviously, but it felt right to anger them by insulting them. For good measure, he threw the stone to the same beast, hitting the corner of his mouth, and this time, he didn’t wait around to see if it worked.

As soon as he started running toward the village, he felt the ground shaking. He glanced quickly behind him and was dreadfully terrified by the furious herd following him. He forced his legs to go faster and was relieved when the tall wooden walls of the village appeared already in sight.

The man on the lookout saw him, then he saw the dinosaurs, and he made the mistake to freeze in place with fear instead of alerting the others. Sanji knew he had only a few seconds to escape the fury of the herd behind him and was glad for Luffy’s insistence to teach him how to quickly climb anything, whether it was a tree or a wall, because the wooden walls surrounding the village were very high.

He jumped and put a foot on the trunk of the nearest tree, before jumping as high as possible towards the wall. He grabbed the top of it, three meters above the ground, and didn’t lose any time before launching himself on the other side. He landed almost gracefully on his two feet before resuming his sprint. The next second, the walls broke under the force of the herd.

Everything became chaotic very fast. Sanji ran inside the cave, ignoring the screams and other things he didn’t want to see, because he knew that everything happening right now was all his fault. He had made his choice, to save Luffy, and by destroying the walls around the village, he was condemning everyone inside, whether it be now or later on.

He couldn’t think about it. He was in the cave and hoped that the Cornucopia was still there. He reached the altar and smiled, relieved, but then he was slammed against the stonewall by an invisible force.

“YOU?!” Teach raged behind him. “DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’VE JUST DONE?!” He continued to yell, when the wall of the cave started to shake, same as the ground.

A beast destroyed one of the walls of the cave, breaking Teach’s concentration at the same time, and it allowed Sanji to free himself from his grasp. Teach turned towards the creature, pushing it outside the cave, and Sanji wasn’t going to let this opportunity go. He grabbed the Cornucopia in his hand so when Teach was about to strike him again with his powers, he hesitated.

Sanji didn’t and kicked the man to throw him off balance, another kick landing immediately behind his neck. He felt the crack under his foot, Teach’s body going limp while his eyes remained open, no trace of life in them anymore.

Sanji couldn’t spare any thought about what he just did because the dinosaurs were still wreaking havoc in the village. He quickly put the Cornucopia in his bag and avoided to be crushed or empaled by the enraged beasts while he fled the cave towards the still standing walls. He jumped on the roof of him and Luffy’s former hut before climbing over the wooden wall. He had to make a somersault to land on his feet so as to not break the Cornucopia in his fall, but after that, he was in the clear.

The commotion in the village could be heard for miles around and the area would soon draw more dangerous creatures than just a herd of triceratops. Sanji needed to get the hell out of here as quickly as possible. He needed to move Luffy too from their makeshift hidden camp but now that he had the Cornucopia, he had hope again that everything was going to be alright.

Luffy wasn’t awake when he pushed the blue leaves under the huge roots and entered the hidden spot, so Sanji first put their stuff in Luffy’s bag. He was careful with the Cornucopia, not putting anything inside just yet even if he really wanted to try their theory as soon as possible.

He and Luffy didn’t have a lot of intact shirts and pants left, plus it was probably not wise to give the Cornucopia something other than food.

He secured the bag on his back and didn’t try to wake Luffy before carrying him in his arms. He was so light that it didn’t even slow him down when he started to run. He followed the river, always going upstream because they couldn’t go on their way back anymore, now more than ever, and finally, a few hours later, he found a cavity high enough on a cliff to hide.

He checked the surroundings, making sure that there was nothing dangerous around, and put Luffy on the ground. He groaned in his sleep but didn’t stir from his slump state. Sanji worried, he would always worry at this point, but he had to put them to safety before he could check on Luffy.

With a powerful jump, he reached the cavity easily and apart from a few leaves, there was nothing inside. It was bigger than he thought too. He put the bag on the ground and took out the only rope they had. He went back to Luffy’s side, secured him on his back with the rope and managed to safely lift them up.

Luffy was still sleeping, but his state didn’t seem to be worse than yesterday. It didn’t improve either but now with the Cornucopia, Sanji could hope that it was going to only get better from now on.

He had to make a few more trips to hide the cavity from outside with blue leaves and small branches, and then he looked for food. With Luffy’s bag again on his back, the Cornucopia left next to his lover with the rest of their stuff, he walked where he had seen a tree with fruits not so far. His headache was getting worse and it wasn’t his recent exercise that helped him with his hunger either. Still, he felt lighter now that the Cornucopia was with Luffy.

He recognized the tree and the fruits, high above the ground. With Luffy, it had become easy to pick them up because of his powers, but now, Sanji had to be careful while climbing the tree. He took the rope and circled it around the trunk, then secured the end of it around his wrists. He didn’t really like it but he couldn’t jump high enough to reach the first branch, and at least it was safer this way.

It wasn’t until he sat in front of the fruits, his legs dangling on either side of the branch, when he thought about Teach’s death. He stopped picking the fruit and looked at his hand.

It was shaking. It could be the hunger, or the tiredness, but deep down he knew it was neither of those. He remembered Teach’s face when his eyes lost their light, the terrified screams in the background where he knew people were crushed to death or empaled onto heavy horns. He had ignored the blood on the ground and the unmoving bodies scattered around him because he couldn’t think about it at the time, and now, it was coming back all at once.

What would Luffy think?

They had been in dangerous situations before, and people had died because of their decisions, something they had to accept because their priorities would always be each other, no matter what, and sometimes it meant fleeing without looking back and ignoring everything else.

However, they never willingly killed people. Luffy would punch and Sanji would kick, but it was only in case of self-defense. Sanji had never taken a life on purpose. And certainly not with his own foot breaking a man’s neck when he couldn’t even fight back.

Teach had powers, he was dangerous and if Sanji hadn’t stopped him when he could, he would have probably chased them to the end of the underworld because he didn’t have a choice if he wanted to survive. Instead of letting a problem walk around and become a threat to deal with in the future, it had been logical at the time to make sure that Teach died right there in the village.

But logic wasn’t on Sanji’s mind right now. No logic could convince him that what he had done was right. He was a murderer now and it filled his chest with a disgusting emptiness that he knew would never leave him. Nothing could, or should, ever make it right again.

He clenched his fist, once, twice, trying to stop the shaking. He looked at his hand and Luffy’s face appeared in his mind. No, he couldn’t regret it. He had made his choice a long time ago to always protect his loved ones, and Luffy would have been in great danger if Teach had continued to live.

That thought helped, a little, because the simple fact to think about Luffy always lifted his spirits up. He knew he shouldn’t feel better so soon, because he still had killed a man, but maybe, it was better this way. Now he could focus on saving Luffy and not look over his shoulder all the time, afraid about Teach coming back to act his revenge.

Sanji picked up a fruit and started to eat it, high up on his branch, the blue forest in display before him.

Now that he was calming down, he knew that Luffy wouldn’t blame him. He would probably even agree with his decision if Sanji took the time to explain his reasons, because he trusted Sanji’s decisions, the same as Sanji trusted Luffy’s. Maybe he would tell him one day, if it ever came to it, at the very least to reassure his lover that no one was chasing after them, but not now. Not today.

Today, Luffy had to feed the Cornucopia to see if their theory worked, and it was more important than the guilt Sanji could still feel in his heart.

Chapter Text

Day 109 or 111 (Earth Surface Time)

Luffy laughed in Sanji’s arms, his back against Sanji’s chest, and put his head in the crook of Sanji’s neck to look at him. His eyes lit up with mirth and Sanji felt his worries wash away instantly. He took another piece of fruit and put it in Luffy’s mouth, smiling when his lover licked the juice from the tip of his fingers.

Feeding the Cornucopia worked. Luffy was regaining his strength little by little and Sanji was relieved to see his body recover quickly, but he was still very tired, and even if he was able to walk on his own now, Sanji had to make him promise to always be careful when Sanji had to leave their hidden place to find more food.

The problem was and would always be the lack of food.

Sanji had to find enough to feed himself and Luffy twice, even if he usually ended up giving his own share for the Cornucopia to Luffy. They didn’t have enough right now to completely lift the curse and the trees with fruits were getting rarer around the cliff. Sanji had been able to catch a few fishes before the river was taken over by a freaking giant bug, of all things, and now, they were eating the last remnants of what Sanji had gathered yesterday.

Luffy often insisted that Sanji should eat his full before him, and he only lost the battle because Sanji was too stubborn about feeding his lover until he wasn’t hungry anymore. In the end, Luffy would give him a strange smile, sad and happy at the same time, and he would eat what Sanji would give him without protesting anymore.

Sanji ignored his own hunger. He was eating enough to save his strength and careful not to exert himself too much while he was gathering food, because if he couldn’t move anymore, Luffy and Sanji were both dead.

He knew that, he knew he shouldn’t take any unnecessary risks, but today, he had to make a choice. He could ask Luffy if he felt strong enough to travel so they could look for food somewhere else, with all the dangers that lurked around, or Sanji could try to fish again.

Or hunt. Hunting a beast all alone was suicide, but even a young one would be enough to sustain them for a few days. It would be like killing two birds with one stone since the rest of the carcass that Sanji wouldn’t be able to preserve could be given to the Cornucopia and help fight the curse.

Luffy poked at his cheek, his eyes never leaving Sanji’s.

“What are you thinking ?” He asked, curious.

Sanji let his smile fall and he sighed.

“We need more food.”

Luffy nodded. It wasn’t the first time Sanji brought up the subject. In fact, it was so common since they stepped foot in the center of the Earth that Luffy had learned to read between the lines. Apparently, Sanji’s expression was very different when they needed food because he wanted to cook something specific but didn’t have the right ingredient at hands from when they needed food because without, it could quickly become dangerous for their health.

Sanji was pretty sure his face only showed the last one since Luffy started to starve in the village.

“What about the river? We could fish together, I feel better now.” Luffy suggested carefully.

Sanji frowned and he knew he was a bit unreasonable, but he didn’t want Luffy to risk his life by coming out of their hidden spot when he wasn’t completely back on his feet. Before he could say anything though, Luffy continued.

“Or we could leave. We can’t stay here forever anyway.”

It wasn’t the first time Luffy wanted to leave, but the problem remained the same. He was still too weak to venture outside on his own and Sanji wasn’t strong enough to protect him from the dangers of the wild. He knew he would do everything in his power to protect him, obviously, there was no hesitation in his mind about that, but there was no guaranty that he would succeed.

He could barely take care of himself, how was he going to make sure that Luffy stayed safe?

As much as he hated to admit it, Luffy was a liability for their survival right now. He had to stay behind so Sanji could focus on his own survival and bring enough food for the both of them.

“No.” He finally decided and Luffy looked at him with attention. “We can’t leave yet, and I don’t know if the huge bug left the river, so fishing is out of question.”

Luffy frowned and turned around to completely face him.

“Then, what do we do?” He asked and his eyes were determined, as if he knew that Sanji had already planned to leave him behind today too, and refusing to simply accept it.

Sanji wanted to give up, to listen to Luffy and do whatever he wanted to do, like they used to, because as much as Sanji loved to take care of Luffy, he’d rather yell at him for being reckless and go along with his last new terrible and amazing idea, because Luffy was supposed to be free and drag Sanji along with him. Except Luffy’s recovery wasn’t over yet and it showed. He was slow in his movements and his face betrayed his fatigue. The act to climb down the cavity, even with the help of the rope, was a hard task for him.

Running away or fighting creatures was completely impossible for him.

So Sanji held on, kicking himself when he saw Luffy’s sad expression on his face the moment he realized that, once again, Sanji wasn’t going to let him follow him.

“You, you keep the Cornucopia safe.” Sanji said, resolute. “I’m going to hunt.”

Luffy’s eyes widened but he quickly recovered.

“Then I’m coming!”

“No, Luffy-“

“You can’t hunt alone!” Luffy protested. “Last time we needed a whole village and I was-“

“I’m not going to hunt something that big, idiot!” Sanji raised his voice this time, because he knew how stupid his idea was, but they didn’t have a choice nonetheless. “I’ll just go for a young and you know I can do it!” He calmed down, putting a reassuring smile on his lips. “Please Luffy. Trust me. I can do it.” He repeated.

Luffy was shaking, and it wasn’t only because of the lack of strength in his body. His lover was scared, scared that Sanji could get hurt while he couldn’t do anything to prevent it. Hunting together had become a habit since they arrived here, they became good at it, but it was still very dangerous. It was even more dangerous with the thougher creatures on this stupid mountain.

Sanji was a good hunter but alone, the hunt was going to be extremely dangerous, even if he remained cautious. And Luffy knew it. That was why, even if he never doubted about Sanji’s strength, he was shaking with fear of losing him.

Sanji cupped Luffy’s face in his hands, warming his cheeks to sooth his lover’s worries. 

“I’ll be back. I promise.”

Luffy took a deep breath and nodded.

“You promised. I don’t care if you can’t bring back meat. Just come back.” Luffy insisted and Sanji smiled.

“I will.”

Luffy suddenly kissed him with a desperate passion that Sanji immediately reciprocated. This wasn’t a goodbye kiss, he told himself, because it wasn’t. He was coming back, and with enough meat for Luffy’s stomach to stop grumbling all day.

When they broke the kiss, they were a bit out of breath, their lips brushing against each other, and Sanji really wanted to stay longer. Luffy put a strand of Sanji’s hair behind his ear, the caress light against his skin. His eyes lingered on Sanji’s face, staring at him with a small frown, but when their eyes met, his expression softened.

“I love you.” He whispered.

Sanji would never get used to these little words, especially coming from Luffy, and he smiled, ignoring the blush spreading on his cheeks, his heart beating quickly and his chest blooming with happiness.

“Me too.” He answered as low as his lover. “I love you too Luffy.” He kissed him again, and again, and again.

Luffy laughed, finally, and Sanji gave him a last kiss before standing up. He turned around at the entrance of their hidden place and smiled at his lover.

“Stay safe.” And he jumped.

Finding a prey was, surprisingly, very easy. He was lucky too. Away from anything else were a small green tiger, with two tails and a wavy fur, and its young, alone and ready to get kicked on the face. He had to be careful though because even if he somehow managed to kill the young beast quickly, he would need to flee as fast and far as possible from the mother with his prize and hope that she wouldn’t want to get revenge against him.

Still, it was probably his best opportunity today. So he took a deep breath and prepared himself for taking his prey by surprise.

Except, nothing never went well in this shitty world.

What he called a small tiger was, in truth, way bigger than a normal tiger from the surface of the Earth. The tigress was smaller than the other beasts around here, but she was still bigger than any prey Sanji would try on his best day. She was at least two meters tall and five meters long, without the tails, its huge fangs sticking out of its mouth while its claws were at least as big as twice his own head. Fortunately, he wasn’t going to fight it, so all he was thinking about was how to kill the younger one in one blow, when suddenly, the tigress just… disappeared.

Not disappeared, he realized, frozen in fear. Eaten. Swallowed all by the giant mouth in front of him, where the tigress had been a few seconds ago. So close he could see the nostrils flare, his mind slowly registered that it looked a lot like a tyrannosaur, but frankly, who cared? He was in real danger right now and he had to move, and fast!

His legs trembled and it only got worse when it was clear that he couldn’t move them. He felt a cold sweat running down his back, noticing a labored breathing not far from him, until he realized it was his own.

The young tiger was the first to react to his mother’s disappearance. It wailed and the giant creature headbutted the little beast against a tree behind him, killing it instantly. The huge head then went up… and up… and up…

Sanji swallowed heavily. His mind was blank, his feet rooted to the spot where he was hiding in the vegetation, and somewhere far away in a corner of his mind, he knew that any mistake could cost him his life. He pinched his thigh hard enough to leave a bruise until the pain finally broke him out of his state of shock. Because he had to move.

He had to move!

He fled from the monster, barely taking the time to grab the young tiger in his flight. It was clearly a bad move because the huge creature went after him immediately, and Sanji was only saved by the row of big trees between them.

One of the trees bend forward and fell, and after that, all Sanji could think about was running. The monster howled loud enough to force Sanji to protect his ears with his hands, with the prey unbalanced on his shoulder, not stopping, never stopping, not even when his body shook through the sheer force of the low sound.

It was almost painful. Sanji didn’t know if it was because of the cry or because of the fear, but his body ached all over, his heart beating too fast in his chest, his mouth dry and everything around him looking like a potential danger. The footsteps made the ground shake and they were following him!

Shit!

He couldn’t continue on his path because it would lead the monster right to Luffy and he couldn’t risk that. So he took a turn and completely ignored the noises behind him. It would only slow him down and he didn’t need to look to know that the monster was still on his tail!

The river was in sight, at last, and he was almost relieved to see the herd of triceratops. Surely, they looked more appetizing than him, right?

He jumped in the river, right in the middle of the herd, and the dinosaurs started to growl at him, but well… not like he really cared right now, because soon enough, the monster appeared out of the line of the tree. The herd started to panic and Sanji was suddenly pushed by tons of hard muscles. He lost his footing and had the quick thinking to hold his breath when he went under water.

He kicked the ground, away from the creatures, and swam as fast as he could. He had lost his grip on the young tiger a long time ago, but right now, surviving was his first priority.

What the hell was that thing? Seriously, why couldn’t he have one easy win for once?

He took a deep breath as soon as his head was out of the water, but he almost choked when he saw the carnage the monster was doing with the triceratops. The river was red, the blood coming from the herd in flow, while the tyrannosaur was feasting on them.

One lucky triceratops tried to escape and swam in the middle of the river. Sanji had already stepped foot on land, far away enough to think that he was safe, but he was wrong. The monster didn’t like to see his prey flee and it followed the triceratops. In one step, its head was in range and it bit the smaller beast’s back, before sending half of the body towards Sanji.

In pure reflex, he threw himself on the ground to avoid the tons of muscles and bones from the carcass, the blood spurting everywhere and probably covering him from head to toe. He didn’t even have the time to curse that the giant monster was coming his way!

“SANJI!” He heard, but it wasn’t possible, it wasn’t, because if it was, then it meant that…

He looked where the cry came from and Luffy was there. Standing on his two feet, a determined look on his face, strong as if he hadn’t been starving for days because of a stupid curse.

In his short moment of hesitation, he failed to notice something coming towards him again, violently knocking his head, and he blacked out.

Chapter Text

Day 110 or 112 (Earth Surface Time)

Sanji took the Cornucopia and turned it in his hands. Blood now smeared the corned-shape seashell, usually a glowing light brown, the same way as it smeared his precious and unscathed hands. He bit his bottom lip, keeping his tears at bay, refusing to be drowned by his sorrowful emotions again.

He looked at his lover, his chest slowly moving up and down, a ragged breath escaping his lips, which was weakening the more time passed. Sanji had tried to stop the bleeding with what he had at hands, but he didn’t need to be a doctor to know that only a miracle could save Luffy now.

He saved him. He saved Sanji from the monster, but in doing so, he took a hit that was going to kill him. And it was all Sanji’s fault. If he had been stronger, if he hadn’t passed out, Luffy wouldn’t be dying in their hiding place on the cliff right now.

He looked at the Cornucopia again. Sanji couldn’t help but think that maybe, it was its fault too. Giving a short life to Luffy as fate, what utter bullshit! And yet, fate or not, Luffy was dying. However, Sanji wasn’t going to give up that easily, and he had an idea.

The Cornucopia was known as the horn of abondance. Abondance of food, obviously, but also abondance of treasures, capable to give what people needed the most when they needed it the most. Like when Sanji took a pack of cigarettes from it, when he didn’t know how wrong everything would turn out in the end.

So technically, for the right price, the Cornucopia could grant any wishes.

Sanji wished Luffy to live. More than anything, he wanted him to be happy, and it couldn’t happen if he was dead. It didn’t matter if Sanji had to sacrifice a leg, his precious hands or even his life so as to make sure that Luffy lived.

He had no idea if it could work. He had no idea how to make it work. He only knew that, if he didn’t try something, anything, Luffy was going to die.

Sanji placed carefully the Cornucopia on Luffy’s chest, looking at his face to see if the new weight bothered him but he didn’t even stir from his sleep. Sanji took a deep breath to calm his frantic heart before taking his shoes off. He pulled up the end of his pants to the knee and looked at his leg like it didn’t belong to him.

In a way, it didn’t. Not anymore. Because now, his leg belonged to Luffy. His whole body belonged to Luffy. Whatever he needed, Sanji was ready to give it to him.

He knew, if it worked, Sanji wasn’t going to be the same anymore. Even if he lost only a leg, and he doubted it would be enough to save Luffy’s life, he was going to be crippled for life, but it was nothing compared to the thought of losing Luffy forever. It was a question for later anyway. He didn’t even know if it was going to work, so there was no need to ponder about his own future right now.

Sanji took Luffy’s hand in one hand, caressing his hair with the other, before kissing lightly his forehead.

He wanted to see his playful eyes again, a beaming smile on his lips, and hear his name be called in a happy voice while telling him how good his food was. Sanji swallowed with difficulty, hoping that the Cornucopia worked because it was his last resort.

He refused to think about the possibility that it could not work. It had to.

Sanji took another deep breath, steeling his will. Then, he put his foot inside the Cornucopia.

It immediately burned. The pain was unbearable and Sanji bit his tongue to stifle a cry, looking at his foot disappearing inside of the shell. It started to glow, a soft golden hue, so something was happening at least. He continued to push his leg inside until it reached his knee, feeling his skin, muscles and bone burn, the pain absolutely insufferable. Tears escaped his eyes and he squeezed Luffy’s hand so hard that if he hadn’t been made of rubber, Sanji would have probably broken his fingers.

The glow from the Cornucopia spread on Luffy’s chest, and despite the makeshift bandage, Sanji saw the flow of blood finally starting to slow down.

It worked! Sanji wanted to laugh but it hurt too much. At least it worked and that was the only thing he cared about. The pain was finally recessing, his leg throbbing but now it was tolerable.

When he pulled it out, he almost screamed.

All was what left of his leg was a burning black stick. He didn’t even have a foot anymore, fallen into ashes inside of the Cornucopia.

“… Sh-shit!”

He panted heavily, trying, and failing, to remain calm, but how could he?! His leg had turned into ashes!

He felt Luffy’s hand in his and looked at his lover’s chest. It was still bleeding, meaning it was still not enough, and Sanji started panicking.

In a fog, he knew it was because of the pain and the shock, and he tried not to get overwhelmed by the panic, but it was hard. The only thing still keeping him sane was Luffy’s hand in his, and the fact that the blood on his chest had somehow slowed down.

He had to keep going. He couldn’t stop and think about the consequences right now. Even if the blood had slowed down, Luffy wasn’t out of the woods yet and he was running out of time. Ignoring what was left of his left leg, Sanji rolled up the end of his pants of his right leg and without waiting a beat, he put his entire leg inside the Cornucopia.

He felt the same excruciating pain burning him and this time, he couldn’t keep his voice down. He closed his eyes for a few moments, his head dizzy, but he had to look to see if it was working.

His vision was blurry, his tears falling down from his eyes without stopping. He blinked through gritted teeth to chase them away. The Cornucopia was glowing again and the golden light spread to Luffy, stopping the bleeding at last.

Sanji smiled painfully, realizing what he had to do in order to save Luffy’s life.

It was Luffy’s fate to die today. Maybe, by giving one by one all his limbs, Sanji could postpone Luffy’s death for a few days but eventually, his fate was going to catch up with him and he would die, leaving Sanji with nothing but a broken heart and a useless body.

If he wanted to save Luffy, he had to get rid of his fate to die from his wounds. And for that, Sanji needed to give everything he had to the Cornucopia.

Sanji pulled out his leg and didn’t even acknowledge its awful state. He could only look at Luffy. Luffy, with a painful frown on his face, a ragged breath and cuts on his chest so deep that it was a miracle if he was still alive.

There was no other way.

Sanji dragged himself closer to his lover and burned his face into memory. He didn’t need to, he would always be able to recognize Luffy anywhere, but it was probably the last time he was going to be able to watch his lover’s face, and there was nothing more precious to look at right now. It gave him courage, at least, because truth to be told, he was absolutely terrified.

He bent forward and pressed a kiss against Luffy’s lips. He imagined giving all the love he felt for him in this kiss, because if he had to sacrifice himself to the Cornucopia, he also had to leave something behind for his lover to hold on.

“I’ll be back.” He said in a whisper. “I don’t know how but I promise you, I’ll find a way.”

Luffy didn’t answer and Sanji sighed, aching, both physically and emotionally.

This was it.

He managed to lie down in front of the Cornucopia, still in place against Luffy’s chest, trying not to hurt his lover while crawling above him. He hoped it worked because he had only one shot at this.

He had only one life, after all.

He grabbed the edges of the opening of the shell, the window to the Cornucopia, and even if it seemed narrow, barely the size of his head, when he pushed himself forward, his body went inside smoothly up to his hips.

Then the pain began and he screamed. He noticed absently how his surroundings were made of gold before he felt every part of his body burning. His skin was smoking and melting, but even under the pain, he never stopped moving until he was completely inside the Cornucopia. He watched with horror his hands becoming less and less recognizable until he couldn’t see anything anymore. He didn’t even know if he was still screaming at this point because the agonizing pain was all he could think about.

Still, even while suffering beyond imagination, in the back of his head, he thought about Luffy. He thought about the chance of knowing him, to feel alive and free, thanks to him, to love him and be loved by him. Being part of Luffy’s life had been, by far, the best thing to happen to him, making his life exciting and making him truly happy.

So, even if he had to suffer and die for him, there was no way he would ever regret his decision. And if the Cornucopia could grant all wishes, then maybe, there was a chance Sanji could keep his promise and come back one day to the man he loved.

Luffy…

It was his last conscious thought as his body crumbled into dust inside the Cornucopia.

Chapter Text

Day -9 (Earth Surface Time)

Usually, Luffy was fast to fall asleep. His stomach was full with delicious food, even if it hadn’t been cooked by Sanji, and he was on his way to fulfill his dream, to find the door to the center of the Earth and discover all its mysteries.

Plus, Sanji was there by his side, sleeping soundly next to him, after promising to follow him wherever Luffy wanted to go.

Maybe it was the reason he couldn’t sleep. He watched the relaxed features on Sanji’s face, the moon casting its light on his blond hair through the small window, hearing his soft respiration in their cabin. Luffy couldn’t keep himself from watching him, captivated. It had been a very long day, from sleeping in the night train to wait his boat to the moment Sanji called after him before he embarked.

Sanji, who looked like he just ran all the way from their hometown just to catch up with Luffy in time.

Sanji, who loved him as much as Luffy loved him, and not just as a friend like he thought all these years until two days ago.

Sanji, who decided to come with him on a whim because he refused to let Luffy go so easily.

They spent the day with their hands locked, smiling and enjoying their time together while the boat sailed towards their dreams. Sanji had brought almost nothing with him except for his kitchen knives in his wallet’s dad and a bag with a few clothes and a toothbrush. Zoro had been the one to predict Sanji’s sudden decision to leave with Luffy and take him to the port on his bike in the middle of the night because it was the only way to reach Luffy’s boat in time.

Luffy never really planned anything in his life but even he had prepared his own journey! The way Sanji chose to just drop everything for him did something in his chest, where his heart was. He thought he couldn’t love Sanji more than he already did and yet, he felt his love bloom and grow with every second more he spent with him.

Maybe he couldn’t sleep because he didn’t want to close his eyes and wake up tomorrow to realize that it was all a dream. He still had a hard time to believe that his feelings were accepted and reciprocated by Sanji, since he never showed any interest other than for girls before, but Luffy knew it was real and he was starting to get used to the idea that from now on, Sanji was his.

The person he loved, the most important person in his life, loved him back, and Luffy smiled in the dark at the thought. He wanted to touch Sanji, to cuddle against him and feel his warmth under his hands, and if Sanji never protested before to share the same bed with him from time to time, when they were just friends, now it was like Luffy had opened a door he never knew existed, and he had no idea if he would be able to refrain himself to go too far once he started to touch Sanji.

He had never thought that he would feel this need for anyone, like other people talked about, but Sanji had always been the one to make him want things he usually couldn’t care less with others. Kissing Sanji had been one of the few things he dreamed of for a very long time, something he could do as often as he wanted now, and it was even better than he imagined.

So it wasn’t surprising if he wanted to do more, touch more, feel more. He only had a taste of what it felt to be on the receiving end of Sanji’s love, and it was amazing already, but now there was no stopping his thoughts to wander anymore. He didn’t really know what exactly he wanted from Sanji, just that he never wanted to be separated from him even for a moment.

He was possessive, he knew it because he always had been, especially with the things he loved, but this time, the feeling was so strong that it almost terrified him. The urge to just keep Sanji for himself, to be the only one allowed to touch him and… he didn’t know! It was so new and violent that he barely remembered to restrain himself, because Sanji wasn’t a thing to be owned, and Luffy never thought he should, because Sanji was the most beautiful when he was free.

Sanji was his own person, a handsome, kind and strong man who he loved so much, free to do anything he wanted in this big wild world. Luffy knew that it took him a long time to realize it so it was even more special knowing that he chose Luffy of all people, to follow, to love and cherish. He felt privileged, making his heart flutter, and he was never going to get tired of this feeling.

Luffy watched Sanji sleep without touching him, lying down so close that he could feel his warmth through his shirt, but he couldn’t keep his hands to himself any longer. He placed one on Sanji’s chest, where his heart was beating, the serene bump-bump making Luffy smile. He felt bold enough to crawl closer to Sanji’s side until he could hug him, putting his head above Sanji’s shoulder to look at him and breathe his pleasant scent, a mix of the remnants of aftershave and cigarettes with something so distinctly Sanji he couldn’t quite describe.

He had never been shy, not really, so it wasn’t the first time he dared to cuddle with Sanji, but usually, they were both awake, and Luffy’s heart had never beaten so fast. He was aware of their intimacy, of their bodies touching, and even through their clothes, he could feel their skin getting warmer at the contact.

Sanji suddenly moved, and Luffy thought he was waking up, but then he turned on his side, wrapped his arms around Luffy and settled in a content sigh, his nose in Luffy’s hair. Luffy felt his cheeks and ears become hot, frozen on the spot with wide open eyes. His hand was still against Sanji’s chest so he knew that the blond was very much still asleep, the bump-bump steady against his palm.

Luffy put his head next to it and he smiled, happy. He finally relaxed in Sanji’s arms, comfortable in the warmth surrounding him, and closed his eyes, falling to sleep soon after.

Chapter Text

Day 55 or 57 (Earth Surface Time)

Luffy groaned, the pain in the back of his head pulsing like crazy. It had been a while since the last time he had felt pain like that. His body was stronger and more resilient now, it could stretch like a rubber band and do a lot of other amazing things too, but if he was feeling pain, it meant that he had taken one hell of a hit.

He frowned and when he opened his eyes, he saw light. His vision adjusted quickly and he recognized a tree with blue leaves, meaning that he found the exit of the cavern, finally!

Sitting on the ground against a wall, hungry and thirsty, he looked around him, but he didn’t see Sanji anywhere. His head hurt and he touched it, feeling only a big bump under his fingers. At least, he wasn’t bleeding.

More importantly, where was Sanji?

It was then that he noticed his left arm disappearing under the wall made of pile of big rocks and he realized that he was stuck. Still, he could move his fingers. He could feel his arm being stretched very far, compressed under the weight of the stones, but when he tried, he couldn’t free himself at all.

He felt something in his palm then and when he ran a thumb on it, it moved.

“… Luffy?” A very weak voice said behind the wall.

“Sanji!” Luffy cried, turning around completely to face the stone wall. “You’re okay? I’m going to get you out!”

He immediately used his free hand to try to push the big rocks away but it didn’t work. He didn’t have a good grip, the stones slipping under his hand. He knew he was being impatient, but he was worried, Sanji’s slow answer not reassuring.

“… You’re finally awake.” He heard Sanji sighed with relief and Luffy wondered how long he had been out.

He only remembered them escaping Krieg’s men in the cavern, getting completely lost in the maze for a very long time before a sudden earthquake provoked a cave in. He winced when he tried to remember more, his headache not helping him to recall his memories.

“I’m fine and I found the exit!” He said to reassure Sanji, his fingers searching for him on the other side of the wall.

His hand was taken and squeezed, Sanji’s cold palm proof that he was alive, and it lessened a little the weight compressing his chest. He was still very worried so he tried to dig under his left arm to free it from the rocks, with as only result bruised fingers and broken nails.

He was starting to get frustrated. He didn’t know if Sanji was hurt and his lack of answers was not a good sign. He could feel his hand in his at least, the pulse strong and steady under his thumb.

“Talk to me, Sanji!” He tried not to sound too desperate but he couldn’t help it, restless as he was, and he listened carefully for a reply. “Are you hurt?”

His hand was squeezed again, and he felt another hand encased it.

“… I’m okay. Just… thirsty… and hungry.”

Luffy felt relieved. Sanji was still trapped but at least he wasn’t hurt. He heard Sanji’s voice again without understanding the words.

“What?”

“I said…” Sanji took longer to speak. “… I don’t think I have much oxygen left.”

Luffy froze from the revelation. He looked at the wall and if he saw a few gaps between the rocks, they were slim and probably not enough to let a lot of oxygen pass through.

It only strengthened his resolve to get Sanji out as quickly as possible.

Digging under his arm wasn’t going to work, neither was trying to clear a path by moving the rocks one by one. The only way he could think of was extremely dangerous and could kill Sanji if he wasn’t careful or fast enough. Still, he had to try. Sanji hadn’t said anything, but Luffy knew him. He hated closed spaces. Caves, in particular. He didn’t know why and usually, Sanji would try to hide his discomfort, but Luffy had noticed his fear a long time ago and he refused to let the man he loved suffer any longer.

“Sanji, hold tight. I’m going to do something crazy.” He warned while he stood up.

He had only one shot at this and he had to get it right.

“… What kind of… crazy?”

Luffy ignored the way Sanji’s breathing was starting to become short, choosing to focus on his own body instead and testing his strength. Nothing really hurt except for his head, feeling weaker than usual because of the hunger, but he knew he could do it.

He had to.

“I’m going to punch the wall to create a path for you.”

“You’re crazy?!” Sanji immediately shouted, and he felt a flick against his hand. “Do you want to… bury me idiot?!”

Luffy knew it was risky and if he had more time, he could maybe have found another way, but Sanji was in danger and there was no telling when something or someone found them, trapped and defenseless as they were.

“Do you trust me?” He asked, his heart beating heavily in his chest while waiting for Sanji’s reply.

The answer wasn’t long in coming.

“Always.”

Luffy smiled. He had no doubt but hearing the trust in Sanji’s voice gave him a little boost of confidence.

“Then be ready.” He squeezed their hands. “Let go. I’m coming for you.”

For a few seconds, nothing happened. But then he felt his hand being pulled and something soft brushed his knuckles. Luffy realized it was Sanji’s lips and he blushed, his heart leaping in his chest.

“I trust you.”

Sanji let go and Luffy had a hard time to get his calm back. Sometimes, he forgot how lucky he was to have Sanji loving him. He always managed to surprise him with spontaneous gestures of affection like this and Luffy was never going to get used to it. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted to, because it felt amazing every time, even if now wasn’t really the best time to be flustered.

He took a deep breath, ignoring the warmth on his cheeks, and focused on his difficult task. First, he needed to free his arm. He took a few steps back, his arm stretching thinner, not moving yet. At some point, the pull was strong enough to force him to stop. He launched his right arm to the tree outside, succeeding to encircle the trunk completely until his hand could grab his own arm, and then he continued to pull his left arm.

He felt it move finally, and at the same time the rocks above it started to move too, a few small stones falling on the ground. Suddenly, his arm was free and Luffy was sent flying out of the cavern. He managed to hold on the tree and quickly came back in front of the stone wall.

His arm was red, scratched and a bit numb with the unpleasant feeling of the blood coming back slowly in his veins, so he massaged it to bring his strength back faster. When he felt ready, he took a deep breath and launched both of his fists behind him. They came back and hit the stone hard enough to shake the wall, a few rocks crashing down around him. It was working! When he pulled his hands back, other rocks fell again. Luffy needed to do it again, stronger this time.

He took a few steps back before launching his fists behind him while running towards the rocks. The force of his punches was so powerful that the whole wall shattered at once. Luffy saw Sanji’s form curled up on himself in a corner and he didn’t wait for the rocks to stop falling before grabbing him with his stretched arms.

He pulled him out and they crashed on the ground, outside of the cavern which started to collapsed on itself, the fallen rocks forming a new wall where Luffy was a few seconds ago. Sanji was in his arms, safe and sound, and Luffy took the opportunity to hug him tighter.

It had been close. Now that Sanji wasn’t in danger anymore, he could completely relax. He hadn’t wanted to think about it, refusing to imagine the worst-case scenario, but the fear to lose Sanji had been very present in a corner of his mind.

“Luffy, I can’t breathe.” He heard the muffled voice in the crook of his neck.

He reluctantly loosened his grip, not letting the blond go however. Sanji showed no sign of leaving his side anytime soon and sighed, taking slow and deep breaths. It made Luffy smile, his hand lightly caressing Sanji’s back to comfort the man, or himself, he wasn’t sure.

“Thanks.”

Luffy laughed softly and he wished they could stay like this for a little longer, but then his stomach rumbled.

“I see some things never change.” Sanji said with a small smile on his lips.

His stomach rumbled too and the blond’s cheeks became red, making Luffy laughed out loud.

“Shut up idiot. Help me get up to find something to eat.”

Despite his tone, Sanji’s smile grew bigger and Luffy found him suddenly extremely captivating. Before he knew it, Sanji had closed the distance and they were kissing slowly. The kiss was too short in Luffy’s opinion but their stomachs made noises again and they really needed to move if they wanted to eat something.

Luffy helped Sanji get up as he asked and he couldn’t help but hug him one more time, happy to see him alive and unscathed, although he looked too pale for his liking. The blond hugged him back and gave him a light kiss on the top of his head.

“I hate caves.” Sanji said in a whisper.

Luffy looked at him with a serious face.

“I know. But we’re okay now. And I’ll always pull you out no matter what.”

Sanji frowned, searching for something in his eyes, clearly debating about something. Luffy waited, patient. He knew Sanji wasn’t always comfortable with the idea of relying on someone else, so he felt a bit privileged every time he let Luffy help him. He just hoped that someday, Sanji would stop hesitating so much. 

“Promise?” The blond asked at last.

“Promise!”

Luffy smiled and it seemed to do the trick because Sanji smiled right back at him.

Chapter Text

Day -4 (Earth Surface Time )

Luffy couldn’t get the thought out of his head.

Sanji was washing his teeth in their tiny bathroom, not even aware of the storm he provoked behind him in Luffy’s mind. He was only wearing his pajama’s pants, barefoot and shirtless, getting slowly ready to go to bed.

There was no way Luffy was going to be able to sleep anytime soon.

It didn’t seem like the blond noticed the odd silence, and it was a blessing on itself because Luffy didn’t know what to do, what to think, or if he even should say something about his internal turmoil.

It was their last night on the boat and since Sanji had followed Luffy with barely almost nothing but what he wore on his back, he had needed to buy a few things. Useful and essential things. He already had a toothbrush, two shirts, one pair of track pants, one pair of shoes, his leather jacket and his jeans, plus the wallet with his kitchen knives, all packed in one too small bag, and it was clearly not enough for a journey like theirs.

The first night, Sanji had been so tired that the moment he lied down on the bed and shut his eyes, he fell immediately asleep, jeans and shoes still on. Luffy had watched him sleep with awe before cuddling with him, and the morning after, Sanji had greeted him with a sleepy smile and a content sigh.

Luffy had almost thought he was still dreaming because it felt unreal to wake up next to him like this.

Anyway, usually, Luffy never really bothered himself with a pajama to sleep. He always used an old t-shirt and shorts, sometimes comfy pants when it was cold, nothing thought through. Sanji, on the other hand, preferred to be comfortable in real pajamas, so he bought one at the boat shop. Nothing fancy, just a white t-shirt and blue pants. Luffy could admit that it clearly looked more comfortable than the jeans.

Sanji bought a real backpack too so he could add two more t-shirts, a second pair of shoes, another pair of pants and a sweater, because they had no idea how the weather would be in a mythical land. Right now, they were sailing close to the South America’s coast and it was hot outside, even during the night, but maybe it snowed in the center of the Earth, who knows?

Luffy had packed everything he needed in his compact backpack but they were things he didn’t think were essential to have that Sanji thought were vitally important. Luffy had his toothbrush and a soap, with one towel and a wash mitt, but it was unthinkable for Sanji to use the same soap for his body to wash his hair. So he had a toiletry bag now, to put away his soap, his shampooing, his toothbrush, his toothpaste, the box of condoms and the tube of lube.

The box of condoms and the tube of lube.

Luffy had seen the items just a few minutes ago, when Sanji opened his bag before going to the bathroom, and now it was all he could think about.

He didn’t know if it was because of what they could use them for, the idea of touching Sanji more than just for kissing coming to the front of his mind once more, wondering if Sanji had the same idea, the same want to touch Luffy like Luffy had to touch Sanji, or if it was because, apparently, the blond thought they were vital for their journey.

Luffy’s mind was breaking a little either way.

Thinking about sex was not foreign to him, as much as his friends seemed to think. It was just that he had never felt the appeal unless it was Sanji. They started to kiss and cuddle and spend whole days together as more than friends only a few days ago, and he was still getting used to have Sanji for himself like this, free, happy and carefree, so even if the thought of touching him more had crossed his mind from time to time, he hadn’t really thought about sex yet.

Even less about condoms and lube.

And now, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. About doing more than just kissing Sanji’s lips, more than hold Sanji’s hands, more than just sleeping in each other’s arms in their bed.

Sanji closed the tap and finally noticed Luffy’s silence. He glanced at him while putting away his toothbrush and closing his toiletry bag, hiding the items responsible for making Luffy feel so confused and well… very interested.

Sanji sat next to him, tilting his head as to ask what was going on in his head of his. And Luffy had no idea what was going on in his own head.

Should he ask Sanji about the condoms and the lube?

Should he just kiss him and ravish him, like he imagined to do since he saw the culprits in Sanji’s bag?

The only thing he knew was that he wasn’t going to ignore this feeling and bury it, like he used to before, when Sanji wasn’t his yet, but he didn’t want to look too eager either and scare him away. Or maybe because he had no prior experience with anyone, he didn’t want to screw things up with Sanji by being clumsy and going too fast.

It didn’t help that Sanji was shirtless, showing off his abs on white skin, a few dark blond hairs visible on his chest, sitting so close yet so far from Luffy.

“What is it?” Sanji asked, more curious than worried about his silence.

Luffy’s eyes automatically zeroed in on the moving lips. He swallowed, barely refraining from licking his own, and saw the smirk forming on Sanji’s lips. When he looked up, Sanji had raised one of his eyebrows, clearly intrigued by his strange behavior.

Luffy opened his mouth, then closed it. He usually had no filter between his brain and mouth, but right now, his mind was blank, and as result, he had nothing to say that could even make sense.

Sanji frowned now, losing his smile.

“Luffy? Something’s wrong?”

There was nothing wrong, and Luffy should say it, but then he blurted the only thing that was on his mind since like forever.

“Do you want to have sex?”

He realized too late what he had just said and felt his cheeks becoming hot. His heart was beating at an impossible rate, the sound so loud to his ears that it wouldn’t be surprising if everyone on the boat could hear it. He couldn’t take his words back, and he didn’t really want to take them back, but they kind of came out of nowhere and the look on Sanji’s face revealed first his surprise before a sudden blush spread from his cheeks to his ears and even to his neck.

His own hands overed towards Sanji’s bag, as if to explain everything, and Luffy shouldn’t be so dumb and just talk to him, but he remained speechless, still shocked by his own boldness.

He was a mess and it was all Sanji’s fault, with his condoms and lube!

Fortunately, it seemed like they didn’t need to talk for this, because the realization showed on Sanji’s face, his eyes looking back and forth between his bag and Luffy before they stayed on him.

“Yes. I mean… I don’t know?” He said, clearly unsure and probably embarrassed for being caught unprepared.

Luffy had heard a positive answer though, and now his thoughts were going wild. It clearly showed on his face because Sanji swallowed slowly, tensing ever slightly.

He knew he should be more patient. The thing they had between them was still new, so even if they already confessed their feelings to each other, and spent all day holding hands and kiss, and slept literally together the last few nights, they hadn’t talked about the next steps yet.

Luffy didn’t even know what to call Sanji. His boyfriend? The love of his life? The first seemed too mundane and his love for Sanji was far from it, while the second was maybe a bit too revealing even for him, even if it was absolutely true. He had thought asking Sanji about this, before any talk of sex happened. But now he was trapped because he had opened his big mouth before he was even ready, and worst of all, before Sanji was ready.

Luffy knew the blond preferred girls, he had watched him on the sidelines for years so he knew, he wasn’t exactly what Sanji fantasized about. Luffy was a man, and proud of it, and by some miracle he somehow managed to win Sanji’s heart over, so now that he had the blond for himself, Luffy was going to do everything to make him happy.

That was why the subject about sex should be discussed beforehand, as much as Luffy wanted to just go for it and roll with it. Sanji had more experience than him but only with women, and Luffy didn’t really know what the blond thought about having sex with a man, with him. Sanji told him he loved him, and there was no room for doubt about that, but still he could see the apprehension in his eyes.

Luffy swallowed slowly, his own eyes never leaving Sanji’s, looking for signs, any sign. He took the hands of the blond in his, feeling the small jolt barely held back from the touch, and Luffy knew that even if Sanji had bought these very interesting items himself, it didn’t mean he had planned to use them so soon.

Still, it also meant that he was thinking about taking the next step with Luffy and it made him extremely happy. He couldn’t resist to smile at him.

“Let’s take it slow, okay? We don’t have to do anything tonight.”

Sanji frowned a little, hesitant.

“Are you sure? I mean…” His face became even more red and he looked everywhere but at Luffy’s face. “If you don’t want to have sex, I’ll understand-“

“Nah, I totally want to have sex with you!” Luffy laughed to hide his own shyness, squeezing their hands to ease Sanji’s doubts at the same time.

Suddenly, beautiful blue eyes looked at him with surprise and something else he couldn’t quite describe, making his heart hammer in his chest, his breath cut short abruptly. Sanji was beautiful, he realized, as if it was the first time seeing him like that.

It wasn’t, far from it, but the moment felt precious and intimate. It gave him the courage he didn’t think he had.

“I want to kiss you. Not just your mouth, your whole body too, but only if you want me to of course! I want to touch you with and without your clothes on just to feel how warm you are under my hands and find out what you like and not. I want-“

“Stop.” Sanji’s voice broke and he was clearly out of breath, the fire on his cheeks matching the one in his eyes. “Damn it Luffy, stop it.” He said in a desperate whisper.

The next thing he knew, Sanji was kissing him, earnest and hungry, the warmth of his tongue making Luffy pleasantly shiver, and they started a passionate ballet he wished would never stop. Sanji’s hands were on his hips directly against his skin, possessive and hot, lighting up an inextinguishable fire in his whole body. He lost his own hands in Sanji’s hair, pulling lightly the blond locks before gently releasing them to touch the naked skin of his back, and without knowing how or when, they fell on the bed, Sanji’s hair sprawled magnificently on the white sheet.

Luffy broke their kiss only for a moment and looked at the handsome man under him. His flushed cheeks and his bright eyes looking back at him with desire was going to be the death of him. He couldn’t resist to kiss Sanji again, more slowly than before, but still as eager.

They shifted, and Sanji was now on top of him. His mouth went to kiss his jaw, then his neck to his revealed shoulder when he pulled Luffy’s shirt away a bit forcefully, before coming back to take back Luffy’s lips, his tongue hot and expertly trying to render Luffy’s body completely soft and pliant under his amazing administrations.

Luffy moaned and Sanji pulled out, breathless. His pupils were so blown wide that his eyes looked black in the dim light, mesmerizing. Luffy raised his hand to touch his face and the blond closed his eyes while leaning at the contact. When he opened them again, they showed so many emotions at once that Luffy couldn’t recognize them all.  

He let himself fall and hid his face against Luffy’s shoulder.

“Sorry…” The blond sighed softly.

“Shishishi. I said we could take it slow but I’m not against a good surprise.”

He caressed Sanji’s hair, feeling him going limp against him. It felt right to have him so close to him, warm and relaxed only for him. Sanji moved and managed to look at him at eye-level, his blush still present on his face.

“I don’t want to rush things.” He said and Luffy nodded, understanding.

What they have, what they were, was special. Plus, they had all the time in the world. They could go at their own pace, one step at a time, and if sometimes they decided in the spurt of the moment to skip to the good parts, Luffy wasn’t going to complain.

“I wanted to be ready, just in case.” Sanji explained and then he had a satisfied smile on his lips. “I didn’t know it was going to make you completely speechless though.”

Luffy remembered his silence, his mind blank for a few minutes after recognizing the box of condoms and the bottle of lube, unable to wrap his head around the fact that it was Sanji’s idea of essential stuff for their journey. He had probably looked completely stupid but it was all Sanji’s fault, and he didn’t have the right to mock him like that!

“I wasn’t speechless.” He mumbled, absolutely not pouting.

Sanji chuckled and Luffy didn’t find him cute, not at all!

The silence that followed was comfortable and his heart was finally beginning to beat at a normal pace. Maybe tonight wasn’t the night, but it was a very good night nonetheless. Sanji was still half slumped on him, showing no signs of leaving his side any time soon, his warm body against him like a lovely blanket surrounding him.

Sanji’s thumb was under his shirt, making circles directly on the skin of his hip, provoking pleasant shivers down his spine.

“You know, I want to touch you too.” The blond whispered in his ear, sending a sudden jolt of desire in Luffy’s entire body.

He felt his cheeks warming up but it wasn’t only because of shyness this time, his mind imagining Sanji’s hands on his skin, unrestrained by clothes or hesitation. Luffy was fully aware of the thumb against his skin now, the feeling too much and too little all at once, and he stopped resisting the urge to want more.

He caught Sanji’s lips between his, surprising him, and he made a delicious sound to Luffy’s ears. He sank his fingers in the blond locks again while Sanji deepened the kiss with his tongue, the hand on Luffy’s hip now grabbing avidly at him, making its way up on his chest.

Luffy moaned when he scratched his nipple and it made Sanji groaned against their mouths. He had never felt like this, hot and impatient, the desire to get closer to Sanji, to touch him until there was no space between them anymore. His heart was pounding again like crazy and he felt his shorts becoming tighter, aroused by another brush against his nipple.  

They moved, changing their position to lie on their side, and now Luffy could feel how hard Sanji was against his own thigh. He was a bit relieved in fact, until he completely forgot about his doubts and focused solely on Sanji. On Sanji’s hands and Sanji’s mouth and Sanji’s skin, everything feeling so good that he was losing his mind a little.

Sanji did something with his tongue and Luffy wanted more. He chased after the sensation with his own tongue, again and again, until the blond let escape a moan and turned his head away to breathe. Luffy jumped at the occasion to attack his neck with kisses, nibbling the offered skin without restraint. His hands roamed all over the smooth skin of his back, never getting tired of touching Sanji so freely, provoking shivers wherever he touched a particular place on his body.

Luffy gasped when Sanji’s hand came between them, lower and lower, until it brushed the top of his shorts. Their eyes met, ardent with desire, reflecting the same burning love they felt for each other, Sanji silently asking permission to go forward. Luffy couldn’t speak, but he absolutely didn’t want him to stop, so he nodded eagerly, an open-mouthed kiss coming to immediately close the deal.

He didn’t hold back the pure whine of pleasure that slipped from his lips when he felt Sanji’s gentle hand going under his waistband to grab his dick and start pumping it slow. It was very different from when he touched himself, unpredictable but in a divine way. Knowing it was Sanji’s hand, his precious and treasured hands, currently caressing him so intimately, was only making him lose even more of his already very poor control.

Each new stroke brought a new wave of amazing sensations he couldn’t describe. Sanji was watching his every move, as breathless as him, but it wasn’t enough. Luffy didn’t want to be the only one lost in pleasure. He wanted Sanji to fall apart as much as he was, if not more, wanted to hear his moans and see his flushed cheeks turn redder, wanted to feel him shiver uncontrollably because of him.

Luffy’s hands went down his back and breached the waistband of Sanji’s pants to cup at his butt, fondling the round cheeks a little before pushing the pants lower to reveal Sanji’s cock. He watched him close his eyes and bite his lips to keep his voice down when Luffy took his dick in hand. It felt wet and hot, endearing in a way impossible to name, and Luffy came closer so their bodies could tangle themselves with each other even more.

It was absolutely chaotic, and Luffy loved it, his mind set on Sanji’s reactions, his frown, his biting lips, the sounds he couldn’t help letting escape, and everything just sent delicious waves of pleasure directly in his body. He knew he was close but he really wanted to see Sanji come first so he held back as long as he could. His movements were a bit erratic but Sanji didn’t seem to mind at all, and when the blond opened his eyes, blue eyes lost in lust, Luffy kissed him, devouring his lips like a starving man.

Sanji moaned in his mouth and Luffy couldn’t hold back anymore. The pleasure was intense, exploding suddenly, and for a few seconds, all he saw was white. When he came back to himself, Sanji was still against him, kissing his face and neck with eager, love in his eyes. Luffy’s hand was sticky and his shirt was a mess but he had never felt so content in his whole life.

He smiled happily, wide and open, and Sanji smiled back before giving him a soft kiss on his lips.

“I love you.” Sanji said in a whisper, his heart beating so fast and strong in his chest that Luffy could feel it.

It made Luffy’s smile grow bigger.

“I love you too.”

Chapter Text

Day 108 or 110 (Earth Surface Time)

He was finally starting to feel like his old self again, his strength coming back now that he wasn’t actively starving anymore. He could see the Cornucopia in his bag next to him, never far from him. Sanji always made sure that Luffy could reach it whenever he needed it, the fear in his eyes never truly leaving him.

It had been a close call. Luffy had felt it in his bones, the death making its approach with every new passing day, without any way to stop it. He had been hungry in his life, truly hungry, lost in the wild, abandoned and all alone. It hadn’t been easy to survive on his own when he was just a child, but even then, he had never experienced anything like the starvation caused by the Cornucopia.

Sanji had looked desperate, still looked terrified, and Luffy knew it wasn’t solely because he almost died.

They both had issues with food. Sanji was a wonderful cook, the best even, always making delicious food, whether with priceless ingredients or scraps from previous meals. It was one of the things that Luffy loved the most about him. Sanji never wasted food. He would do anything just to be sure that no one went hungry on his watch, and no plate was allowed to be washed if there was still something edible on it.

Luffy loved eating his food. It was made with love and care, carefully crafted for his loved ones, and Luffy had never left the table without having his stomach pleasantly full.

At first, the wilderness had been both a blessing and a curse for his favorite cook because unknown ingredients meant new ways of cooking unique meals, but they also meant trials and errors to get it right, and they learned early on that this place, as amazing as it was, was full of dangers. Sanji had learned very fast how to recognize edible food from poisonous one and Luffy knew that without him by his side, he would have never made it this far.

Without him by his side, he sure wouldn’t have enjoyed this place so much either!

In the past, he had thought he had to find the door to the center of the Earth alone, because it was his dream and his friends had already their own to follow. Yet, he wouldn’t be here without them. Without Nami in particular, since she was the one who managed to compile all the info that they all gathered together for years. He didn’t think someone would come with him however. Maybe Zoro, if asked, but Luffy knew he couldn’t get in the way of his dream to become the greatest swordsman in the world.

As for Sanji… Luffy hadn’t dared to ask. They were at odds for a few days before leaving, then the day before he left, they made up pretty quickly with the best outcome possible, with Sanji’s lips on his own, his feelings completely accepted and reciprocated, but Luffy hadn’t wanted to push his luck for more.

Sanji was and would always be the person he loved the most in the world, and because of that, Luffy had been afraid of his refusal. It would be predictable since Sanji wasn’t prepared for such a journey at all, plus he had his work at Zeff’s restaurant, and there was no reason for him to follow Luffy to a mythical place of all places, even if the blond loved him from all his heart. It would have hurt though, and that was why Luffy never asked.

Fortunately for him, Sanji had decided for the both of them that they couldn’t be apart, and Luffy was more than happy with this unpredictable turn of event.

Especially because since they started their journey, they were always together. They were spending their days enjoying themselves, eating next to each other, discovering new things side by side, and if there were setbacks, some more frightening than others, they always overcame them together.

Like now, with the curse of the Cornucopia. Luffy was so glad that his idea worked. Sanji was still very worried, unable to stay in place to the point that even Luffy was getting tired just by looking at him, more obsessed about food than he had ever been before. It was understandable given the situation, but Luffy didn’t like to see him so restless. He knew that even if he was finally feeling better, Luffy couldn’t help the blond to gather food yet.

Still, as much as it was important for their survival, Sanji had to rest too.

“Sanji.”

At Luffy’s voice, the blond immediately dropped whatever he was doing to join him by his side, his attention now fully on him. Luffy smiled and patted the ground next to him. Sanji complied easily and sat before letting a sigh, seemingly realizing that what he had been doing wasn’t helpful. He looked at Luffy with a sheepish smile.

“Sorry. I told you to get some sleep and I’m making all this noise.”

Luffy moved to sit on his lap and hugged him, feeling the tension in his blond slowly but surely leaving him. They stayed silent for a moment, comfortable in each other’s presence. Luffy was making small circles with his hand on Sanji’s back, head in the comfortable crook of his neck. He could hear Sanji’s heart like this, strong and steady. Soothing.

He closed his eyes, lulled to sleep by the regular thump-thump against his ear, when Sanji spoke.

“I still have them.”

“Huh?” He intelligently said, making Sanji chuckle softly and his chest rumble agreeably against him.

“The lube. And the condoms. I still have them.”

It completely awoke Luffy and he sat straighter to look at Sanji who had a small smile on his lips.

“I wasn’t really looking for them but, I don’t know…” He shrugged, faking nonchalance, though Luffy could see the blush on his cheeks betraying his real thoughts. “You’re probably feeling like shit right now and it’s a bad idea…” He then cut himself, hesitant.

Luffy didn’t have the time to answer anything before Sanji suddenly started to ramble on with an anxious expression on his face.

“It is a very bad idea, oh shit, I’m sorry! Just forget it, I shouldn’t have-“

“Let’s do it.” Luffy stopped him before he could say something he obviously didn’t mean.

Sanji shut his mouth abruptly, loss at words. They were looking into each other eyes, a myriad of emotions in the blue of Sanji’s for Luffy to see. He was surprised, and unsure, and overjoyed, and looking at him with love. With doubts too.

With everything happening since they went through the door to the center of the Earth, it hadn’t been really safe enough to really think about sex, even though they still touched each other from time to time while hiding from the privy eyes of the rest of the world, their hands on their skin a pleasant comfort in this very dangerous place.

“Let’s have sex.” Luffy said softly, confident enough to reassure him.

Sanji hesitated one second, then devoured Luffy’s lips the next, eager and desperate. Luffy didn’t mind, knowing very well how scared he had been to lose him a few days ago. He answered the kiss with the same impatience, feeling his body waking up with the familiar warmth of Sanji’s touch against him. It was a bit overwhelming and Luffy was starting to lose his breath, almost light-headed.

It could be the pleasure, or it could be his lack of strength, but either way he refused to stop now. He broke their kiss to take a deep breath, enjoying the way Sanji nibbled kisses at the crook of his neck, his hands going up his back. His shirt was quickly discarded on the ground and he let himself fall in their makeshift bed of soft blue leaves, appreciating the view of his Sanji kissing and scratching the skin of his belly with the brush of teeth.

When his hand went to Luffy’s pants, so close that the blond could feel how hard he was if he wanted to, Luffy grabbed him by his hair to focus on something else than his own pleasure. Sanji sucked a quick breath and became even more eager to map out Luffy’s skin with his tongue. After the blond finally got rid of his pants and boxer, revealing his complete naked body in plain sight, Sanji stopped suddenly, looking at him with flushed cheeks and blown wide eyes.

Luffy was a bit breathless and spoke with a panting voice.

“What is it?”

Sanji just went back to his lips and kissed him tenderly before finally answering his question.

“I just realized that you’re really beautiful.” He confessed and Luffy blushed, not used to receive this kind of compliments.

To hide his embarrassment, he kissed Sanji again, wrapping his arms around his neck to bring them closer. Sanji let him do as he pleased, as always, and their tender kiss quickly turned into a passionate one. Their tongues were hot against each other, provoking delicious shivers from head to toe, the light touches of Sanji’s clothes against his naked skin lighting a fire in his belly and below.

It wasn’t fair for Sanji and Luffy was already starting to pull on his clothes to take them off. Suddenly, the tongue of the blond did something in his mouth and Luffy couldn’t hold back his moans anymore, his brain shutting down on his own for a few seconds, the pleasure intense and overwhelming. He chased after it, his own tongue curling around Sanji’s who let a surprised muffled cry that brought a satisfied smile on Luffy’s lips.

He managed to finally strip him from his shirt without too much trouble and because he could, his hands caressed possessively the firm abs, enjoying the way it made Sanji shiver and his movements a bit less coordinated. They had to break the dance of their tongues to breathe but Luffy was relentless, biting lightly the side of Sanji’s jaw and neck. The way he heard him suck shaky breaths was endearing, even more so when their eyes met and Luffy saw how lost in lust the blond was.

He was probably no better. His skin felt like a furnace, Sanji’s touch tickling in a very pleasant way as if Luffy had never been touched before and sending waves of pleasure in his entire body.

Sanji caught his hand before he could get to the fly of his pants and Luffy looked at him with a silent question in his eyes.

“I…” Sanji took a deep breath to calm his heart a little. “I want… you.”

His face was becoming so red that even the tip of his ears and the back of his neck darkened under his blush. Luffy wasn’t really sure what he meant though, his mind still very much in a fog of pleasure.

“I’m here.” He said, touching the red face with his other hand as to ground the blond.

Sanji smiled with fondness before shaking his head and looking at Luffy more intensely.

“I want you. In me.”

Luffy was suddenly acutely aware of his inexperience but the determination in Sanji’s eyes was reassuring, at least. It wasn’t like he hadn’t thought about the how before, he just assumed that for their first time, Luffy would be the one on the receiving end. Both ways looked very appealing though, and he liked when Sanji was the one to take the lead, so even if Luffy was still a bit apprehensive, if it was what Sanji wanted, then Luffy wanted to try it too.

“Okay…” He whispered, his face probably as red as Sanji’s.

His blond made a pained happy face, before capturing his lips to kiss him with desperation, the mixed feelings confusing Luffy. He wasn’t sure what Sanji could be thinking right now but one thing was certain, he wasn’t going to let go of him anytime soon. He held onto him, hugging him tightly against him as to shield him from the world and what plagued his mind with his own body, letting him take whatever he needed from the comfort of their intimacy to feel more at ease.

After ending slowly their rapturous kiss, Luffy smiled while caressing the soft blond hair, Sanji smiling back at him with more confidence, his body now less tense. There was a short awkward moment when Sanji left his side to get the box of condoms and the tube of lube from his bag, surprisingly unscathed after months into the wild and not so safe encounters, before completely undressing himself, naked at last. 

Luffy devoured him with his eyes because even if it was far from the first time that he was seeing him stripped of all his clothes, Sanji was a very handsome man that Luffy couldn’t and didn’t want to take his eyes off. He was hard too, and Luffy was very proud to be the reason of his arousal. He wanted to touch him more but the small knowing smile on Sanji’s lips made him curious and he stopped himself from moving towards him.

“You’ll need this.” His blond said while throwing the box of condoms at him. “Think you’ll manage?” He was taunting him, playful.

Luffy looked at the cardboard box in his hands and his smile widened. Sanji was watching him with his eyebrow raised, waiting for an answer.

“Sure!” He barely kept his laugh down for what he was going to say next. “And you, need a hand?”

Sanji stared at him with disbelief, his mouth lightly open. He suddenly snorted and tried hard not to burst out laughing, hiding his face by running a hand in his hair, cooling his expression with a frown, or so he thought, the corners of his lips still going up.

“Where did you even learn that?”

“Shishishi!”

Sanji rolled his eyes and ruffled Luffy’s hair, rough and gentle at the same time. He kneeled in front of him and Luffy’s mouth was abruptly ravished by hungry lips, the only and best way to shut him up. When Sanji finally let him go, he kissed him softly one more time on the nose.

“I’m going to prepare myself, okay?” He whispered in his ear, the hot breath making Luffy shiver.

“…’kay.” He swallowed slowly, feeling his heart pounding hard in his chest with excitement.

Sanji tried to look confident but Luffy knew him too well and didn’t fail to notice the small tension coursing through his body. Still, if it was how he preferred to do things today, Luffy was going to listen to him. He fidgeted with the box in his hands a little, watching with curiosity and desire the way Sanji opened the lube and put some in his hands, warming it up by rubbing them together.

Their eyes met and the blond bit his bottom lip, his cheeks so red that it shouldn’t turn darker even more and yet… Luffy should look away to let him have some privacy with how shy Sanji looked but he couldn’t detach his eyes from him and he really wanted to see. It seemed like his blond resigned himself, knowing him perfectly, because he sighed and decided to just ignore the stare while putting one of his hands behind his back.

Luffy almost moved just to see where, exactly, but Sanji turned his head at that moment to see what he was doing, suddenly looking utterly breathtaking and Luffy was stunned in place by how pretty he was.

How cool and strong and perfect his Sanji was.

He was definitely too horny to think straight right now. The only thing clear in his head was that loving Sanji was a wonderful feeling and his love for him had only grown bigger through the years, but now, it was because he had him for himself that the growing feeling was cutting his breath short and short-circuiting his brain. He clenched his fist and distantly heard the box burst open under the pressure, never taking his eyes off Sanji.

The blond glanced at him with a frown and dared to smirk for his clumsiness.

Luffy was going to die on the spot just because of this smile.

He took a deep breath to slow down his heart when Sanji turned his head again, and then fumbled with the condoms, picking one and opening it a bit forcefully. He hadn’t really used one before but he wasn’t completely clueless either and he carefully rolled the condom along his dick, holding back a groan from the waves of pleasure that the simple touch provoked.

When he raised his head, Sanji was looking down with a hand on the ground, eyes closed and lips pressed together, his other arm slowly moving from back to forth, making Luffy’s mouth dry.

It was hot to watch.

Before he could stop himself, he opened his mouth.

“Can I help you?”  

His hand was already reaching, bold in his eagerness, but when Sanji rose his head and opened his eyes, he welcomed the touch on his cheek without hesitation. Luffy brought his other hand to cup his face and asked again.

“I want to help you. Can I?”

His blond nodded and Luffy rushed his hands along the handsome body before possessively grabbing the back of his neck and caressing his back, his other hand staying on his hips, his fingers freely running on his skin. Sanji gasped when he brushed his dick and Luffy didn’t hesitate to take it into his hand and start to slowly go up and down. His blond turned his head just so they could kiss, and if Luffy couldn’t see what Sanji was doing right now, the simple thought of imagining his fingers slide inside of him and moving to prepare himself only for Luffy was maddening.

Sanji turned abruptly his head to take a breath, panting loudly against Luffy’s shoulder when he moved perfectly his hand the way he knew Sanji liked it.

“Wait-” He moaned in his ear.

Luffy was proud to make him sound like this and he pressed his thumb right there again, loving the way Sanji cursed at him. Fingers scratched his thigh when Sanji tried to stop him again and it was only when his blond raised his head and looked right at him with these beautiful blue eyes lost in pleasure that Luffy finally listened to him.

“… Stop. I… I think I’m ready now.”

Luffy swallowed heavily, hot and impatient, pushing his last doubts into a faraway corner of his horny mind. He felt a bit lightheaded again but it was okay, he didn’t really need to think about anything else but Sanji and their pleasure right now.

Luffy let his blond manhandle him to their bed, sitting the way he wanted where he wanted to, and watched with curiosity Sanji kneel in front of him as if to sit on his lap. He wasn’t going to just sit though, and Luffy bit his bottom lip when he felt Sanji’s hand put more lube on his protected dick before leading it between his long legs.

Luffy held him while he lowered himself and he felt a pression on the top of his cock, not exactly like he expected it but it was his first time and he was totally out of his depth right now, plus his thoughts were a little too excited about what he was doing with Sanji to really focus clearly.

Sanji was completely seated on his legs now and the pressure was really weird, as if his dick was compressed on itself rather than by something around it. The new sensation didn’t feel too bad but not really great either.

“Do you think it’s in?” Sanji asked, perplexed. “I don’t- Ah!”

Luffy groaned with him and closed his eyes, surprised to feel himself suddenly inside of something warm, soft and tight. It felt good, the pleasure almost too much, gritting his teeth to try to not get overwhelmed too soon.  

“Shit… Your body, it’s-” Sanji took small breaths and Luffy felt him shaking in his arms.

He held him closer, kissing him gently a little at the corner of his lips to give him the time to adjust himself with their new and sudden position.

“Are you hurt?” Luffy asked, a bit worried.

“No.” Sanji shook his head quickly. “Just feels weird.”

Luffy wasn’t completely satisfied by his answer because on his side, it felt absolutely amazing, but he was glad that at least he wasn’t in pain. When the blond moved, slowly, as if to test the new sensation, he used Luffy’s shoulders as leverage, pushing with his legs while Luffy held him upright, watching his face carefully for any sign of discomfort.

His rubber body was definitely weird and now his own dick was stretching inside of Sanji, the feeling unexpected but amazing at the same time. There was no way to describe it and Luffy simply stopped trying, drowned in the incredible sensation. He had to bit his bottom lip when the rubbing feeling finally came, not wanting to lose himself so soon.

Because Sanji’s pleasure was very important to him. Simply knowing that Luffy was the one to make the man he loved moaned could give him as much pleasure as the physical touches he received from him, so right now, he watched closely the small changes in Sanji’s expression and the movements of his body to see if he was at least enjoying himself a little. He was still shaking, and maybe it was because of the position that didn’t look easy for him, but Luffy really wanted to be sure that he wasn’t forcing himself and didn’t hide what he truly felt for Luffy’s sake.

Sanji lowered himself on him and once again, Luffy felt the pressure on his dick build up before it was suddenly released, the sensations incredible, even better than before. Sanji had closed his eyes and sighed loudly, biting his bottom lip to keep his moans down.

Damn, that was hot!

He refrained a groan from escaping his lips but he knew he was going to lose his mind if they kept doing it this slow. He wanted to be closer to Sanji, he wanted him to feel good too, as much as him if not more, so he kissed him with hunger, swallowing the surprised cry in his mouth when his hips went up on their own, his dick going even deeper.

“Lu-”

Their eyes met again, mirroring the same burning desire, and Luffy knew instinctively what his lover wanted. He took the initiative to stretch his arm and wrap it several times around Sanji’s chest, his own hand ending behind the head of the blond where his fingers disappeared in the soft hair. Sanji gasped at the new position and Luffy took his lips again.

Holding him close against him like this and without even breaking their kiss, he used his other arm to wrap it around Sanji’s right leg, pushing it off the ground. Only Sanji’s natural flexibility could allow him to put his foot on Luffy’s shoulder, while Luffy’s arm continued to stretch and encircled the waist of the blond until he could reach his hard cock, immediately starting to pump it eagerly.

Sanji moaned loudly at the first touch and Luffy couldn’t hold himself back anymore, moving his lover like he wanted to so they could both feel pleasure at the same time. Sanji was letting escape delicious sounds to his ears, completely feeling safe and relaxed in his arms, his body accepting more and more the presence of Luffy inside of him. He wasn’t shaking anymore, not like before at least, and Luffy enjoyed the twitching of the muscles around him every time his arms moved his lover up and down on his dick that now slid easily inside of him.

Sanji broke the kiss and hugged him tightly, his hot breath right next to Luffy’s ear, making him lose his already very thin control. He tightened his grip on the warm cock while giving a more forceful push with his hips than intended, feeling his own pleasure building up, ready to burst at any moment.

The cry of pleasure of the blond combined with his body clenching around him was enough to bring him to the edge before Luffy could stop himself. He just had the time to use his last remaining braincells to quickly roll his thumb on Sanji’s cock just right to not leave his lover unsatisfied. They both tensed under the pure feeling of pleasure that flooded their bodies and Luffy saw white for a few long amazing seconds.

When he came back to himself, his arms were slowly starting to go back to their original shape, allowing Sanji to sit more comfortably on his lap, but Luffy made sure to keep him carefully in his arms. The blond was breathing loudly, out of breath but still kissing his shoulder and the crook of his neck, sometimes nibbling his skin with his teeth that Luffy recognized as his own way to show his love and possessiveness.

He was also shaking. In truth, Sanji was shaking so much that Luffy started to worry, until he heard a muffled sniffle, immediately putting him on high alert. He immediately caressed his hair to try to comfort him, not knowing why his lover was crying.

The blond stopped kissing his skin and hid his face on his shoulder, holding him so tight that if his body hadn’t been made of rubber, it would have probably hurt.

“I can’t lose you.” He whispered and Luffy closed his eyes for a second, sudden realization hitting him.

His caress in the blond locks never stopped while his other arm curled tighter around Sanji’s waist to prove that he was right here with him, alive and safe.

“Shh… I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.” He said as gently as possible.

New sobs answered him and he continued shushing Sanji as long as he needed, reassuring him with his presence and soothing words in his ears.

“I can’t lose you.” The man he loved repeated, making his own heart clench with pain.  

“You won’t.” He said confidently.

Sanji finally looked at him, his blue eyes so beautiful despite the tears, a few unkempt strands of hair  and cheeks still flushed from their previous act of love making him even more handsome than usual in Luffy’s eyes.

Luffy put back in place the unkempt locks and Sanji closed his eyes, leaning towards the warm touch. When he opened them again, his trust was back and he gave him a genuine happy smile.

“I believe you.” He said before kissing Luffy tenderly, their tongue loosely entangling themselves. “I believe you.” He whispered one more time and Luffy was so happy to hear him say it with so much trust in his voice that he laughed, his heart full of joy and love.

Chapter Text

Day 110 or 112 bis (Earth Surface Time )

There was a warm sensation on his chest that started to spread in his entire body, easing the pain a little. Breathing was hard and his thoughts swirled in a fog, making it impossible to think.

“I’ll be back.”

Sanji.

“I don’t know how but I promise you, I’ll find a way.”

Luffy couldn’t understand the words but the sadness in Sanji’s voice was enough to trouble his sluggish mind. He tried to clear his head but the fog was too dense. It was like he was drowning in an invisible misty lake, his mind never listening to him. He tried to move his fingers but couldn’t, his body not responding to his will either.

The warmth came back, stronger this time, and his skin prickled from head to toe, putting his thoughts even more in disarray. His heart started to hurt a lot more, an endless pain impossible to ignore, while the rest of his body was becoming less and less painful. Then, all the pain stopped abruptly, and Luffy fell back in a dreamless sleep.

Luffy woke up slowly, blinking several times to get rid of the last remnant of his sleepiness. He recognized the ceiling of their hidden place, the same old cold stones surrounding him wherever he looked around, their bags and stuffs discarded in a corner, his precious straw hat next to him.

He was alone.

He frowned and started to sit when he felt something fall from his chest. He took it in his hand, a light-brown shard that looked awfully familiar, and he turned it over and over, wondering how it was possible that he could have a piece of the Cornucopia in his hand. And why only this one piece remained when the rest seemed to be missing.

And why was it resting on him in the first place?

He immediately brought his hand to his chest to touch his wound, or more like, where it was supposed to be, because there was no wound anymore. A huge scar replaced it, a cross carved on his skin, proof that he had been injured at some point but now, all he could feel was a negligible stretching of his skin, almost imperceptible and certainly not painful.

Luffy had the ominous thought that it wasn’t normal and he stood up on his feet in one jump, vaguely aware that he shouldn’t be feeling this great right now. He remembered the huge dinosaur threatening to kill Sanji, even hurting him and knocking him out of cold before Luffy could step in to protect him. The fight had been hard, harder than any fight he had to go through before, but he had won, at last.

After that… his memories were fuzzy, at best. It had been painful to simply breathe and he had lost consciousness only when he had been sure that Sanji was going to be alright.

But now, he was alone, a piece of the Cornucopia in his hand and a completely healed scar on his chest.

Alone, with no trace of Sanji anywhere.

He hoped that he was only gathering food outside but deep down, he knew he was fooling himself. There was no way Sanji would leave him without even making sure to reassure Luffy somehow, like by leaving a noticeable writing note close to him. And if he was really gathering food, he would have taken his bag with him, but he did not.

On contrary, Luffy could more easily imagine him freaking out by his side because the Cornucopia was broken, being inconsolable and worrying himself sick while looking closely after Luffy. And yet.

And yet he wasn’t here.

Sanji wasn’t here, the Cornucopia was broken and Luffy was completely fine.

“Sanji?” He called, alarmed by the silence that answered him.

He looked for clues around him, only seeing bloody clothes and some ashes on the ground. The blood was not completely dried yet, and Luffy’s mind froze. He felt a cold sweat falling along his back and his respiration quickened, the rising panic in his chest impossible to ignore anymore.

He ran to the exit of their hidden place and stopped at the edge of the hole on the cliff but all he could see was the blue forest completely devoid of other living beings besides himself.

“Sanji!” He cried out loud again, receiving the same dreadful lack of answer.

He wasn’t worried anymore, but truly and utterly afraid. His heartbeat became hectic and it was hard to control his breath, the panic rising from within as time passed with still no sign of life from Sanji.

He had a feeling that he was missing something, something very important, and as he looked for this feeling in his mind, his eyes wandering in the forest for a sign, any sign, he slowly remembered pieces of a dream.

Not a dream, exactly, a distant memory, because Luffy knew, it had been real.

He had heard Sanji’s voice telling him something and now he was trying to recall what he had said. It was extremely important, he could feel it, squeezing his eyes shut to help him think, gritting his teeth together to force him to remember.

Sanji’s voice filled with sadness. Excruciating pain and a warmth spreading to his whole body. It didn’t make sense and Luffy grabbed his hair, tugging a little as to force the memory out of his head.

“Come on, come on, remember…!” He said to himself, his heart pounding in his ears.

“I’ll be back.”

Luffy opened his eyes, looking at nothing, his hand touching his chest where his heart hurt.

“I don’t know how but I promise you…”

“… I’ll find a way.”

Luffy remembered. Tears blurred his vision but he ignored them. He felt cold all over, realizing the meaning of Sanji’s words.

His hand suddenly stung and he looked at the last piece of the Cornucopia, Sanji’s dream, Sanji’s doom.

“No… Sanji, no…”

He closed his fist over the shard, the pain from the new bloody cut on his palm insignificant compared to the one tearing his heart apart and making him choke on air. Sanji’s absence felt surreal yet was unbearably true. He had used the Cornucopia, without a doubt, sacrificing his own life to save Luffy from his death.

From his own freaking fateful death!

“… no… no…!”

He didn’t know when he fell on his knees but he started to punch the ground at some point, cursing at himself for his foolishness, cursing at his own fate…! It was his arrogance that forced Sanji to make this choice, and now he was gone and all that was left of the Cornucopia, the thing that took him from him, was a single piece of light-brown shard and there was no way Sanji could come back anymore, there was no way he was still… that he was…

Luffy cried and screamed, hitting the ground with his full body, fists, feet, head… everything, expressing openly his pain to the world, except it wasn’t enough to quench this awful feeling of pain in his heart, it would never be enough, because Sanji was gone, and it was all his fault, he couldn’t accept that it was over but it was, because of him!

Because he didn’t believe in fate, when all the signs were there, in plain sight, but Luffy couldn’t believe that something beyond his own will could decide his life… could decide his death!

And Sanji had paid the price, because the man he loved, the man he chose to love and cherish until the end of his life and beyond, would obviously always choose to protect his loved ones at all costs, even if it meant to give his own life to a mythical seashell in the slight chance that it could save Luffy from his deadly fate.

And Luffy, who selfishly promised him that he wouldn’t die from his fate, that he would rewrite it… If he knew what it would cost him, he would have never made this promise to Sanji. It was too high of a price but there was no coming back.

Sanji wasn’t coming back.

“NO!” He screamed

He threw a punch towards one of the trees outside and his stretched hand brutally embedded itself in the wood of the trunk. He didn’t even try to free himself, tears smearing his face and blurring his vision, cut-short breaths echoing in his ears, as if far away. His heart was bleeding, hopelessly impossible to heal, never to feel whole again. He screamed again, punching with his other fist the same tree, again and again, ignoring the cuts and bruises slowly forming on his knuckles.

All this noise attracted a beast, but who cared? Certainly not Luffy.

The dinosaur was slender and tall, like a lizard, if a lizard could be as big as a car, too many sharp teeth sticking out of his mouth, and it tried to bite the young man completely lost in his grief.

And really, it tried, several times in a row, but the arm of its prey moved too fast in unpredictable trajectories. Even when it climbed the tree where one of the hands was still embedded in the trunk, he couldn’t bite its prey.

Because its prey wasn’t really a prey at all and it shouldn’t have underestimated the young man. Luffy was drowning in sorrow, the endless sadness so painful that it slowly turned into madness, and now his fists had a target, his furious rage absolutely merciless towards the beast.

When Luffy came back to himself, his fists were drenched in blood, the body of the giant lizard curving in an odd position under him, its chest and heart pierced by a hole weirdly shaped like his own fist. Luffy took a few shallow breaths but he couldn’t calm himself, not with this broken heart in his chest that continued to beat despite Sanji’s absence.

He started to shake from head to toe, and he screamed at the sky, too tired to punch anything anymore. His tears had stopped falling after so long when his voice finally broke, his throat dry, and he let his head fall.

He could die right now, on the spot, for all he cared. He shouldn’t die though, he knew he shouldn’t, because it would mean that losing Sanji was for nothing and he refused to ruin Sanji’s efforts to keep him alive. His sacrifice was out of love and Luffy couldn’t throw away his own life simply because it hurt.

And hurt it did, oh it hurt, it hurt so much, but wasn’t it proof that Luffy loved Sanji that much, if not more?

Lost in thought, he didn’t notice when the shard of the Cornucopia started to glow a golden hue. It was the whispers that brought his attention back to his hand, and he blinked when he realized that the lizard was starting to crumble into dust.

He opened his hand and the whispers became louder, almost unintelligible, making impossible for  Luffy to understand the words. A thread came out of the shard, a golden and beautiful thread that floated in the air, towards the forest, as if to show a path.

Luffy was stunned in place, a new hope blooming in his chest. He shouldn’t trust the Cornucopia, after all it did, after all the pain it caused, after taking Sanji from him, and yet, hope was all he had left right now. If he was wrong, this hope would crush the last remnants of his sanity, but if there was even one chance to see Sanji again, he would take it.

“Save him…” He heard a feminine voice begging him in a whisper.

“Hello?” He called, hesitant.

No answer. He took a deep breath, more determined than ever, ignoring his doubts and the pain in his chest.

“Can I save Sanji?” He asked, hopeful.

“Save him… save him…” The voice became weaker and the golden thread started to disappear in front of his eyes.

“Yes, that’s what I want too, just tell me what I have to do!”

The silence was deafening and Luffy held his breath in wait.

“Throw the Cornucopia in the magma and save him…” The voice said at last. “Save my child…”

The shard stopped glowing suddenly and the connection with the thread was completely cut off.

“I will.” Luffy promised, hopeful. “I will.” He repeated for himself, determined.

Whoever wanted to save Sanji had his thanks. Whether it was a trap or not, now Luffy had something to do at least, giving him hope.

He looked towards the top of the mountain and swore to reach it, as fast as possible.

“Wait for me Sanji, I’m coming to save you.”

Chapter Text

8 Years Ago

Living in a city was not hard, per se, because he didn’t have to worry about his next meal or where to sleep safely anymore, thanks to Ace. Being with his big brother made his life easier but there were still things Luffy didn’t really understand.

Money, by example. He didn’t really know why people wanted piece of papers more than food, or useful tools, but they always became furious when Luffy took them without giving money in exchange. Ace had tried to explain to him what money was but gave up pretty quickly and simply bought him what he wanted, cleaning Luffy’s messes behind him with a genuine smile.

Luffy wasn’t used to someone taking care of him like that. Garp usually let him fend for himself for a week in the wild, telling him that it was to make him stronger. In rare times, when Luffy was allowed to stay in Gramps’ cabin, he would be taught new survival tricks but when he would eventually mess up something, Garp would yell at him and leave him fix whatever it was on his own.

In rarest times, Gramps helped him when Luffy was in real danger, but more times than not, he had to learn how to survive the hard way.

Ace was amazing. He was tall and strong, an eight-teen firefighter that fought their grand-father to keep Luffy with him, and if Luffy wasn’t sure why Ace wanted to protect him, he wasn’t against it. That was why he was now living in a small apartment in the big city and going to school to learn weird things on a board.

Ace was very busy and seemed bothered to let Luffy alone most of the time, especially when his duty called him in the middle of the night, but Luffy didn’t mind. He was used to be alone and it was completely different than when he was with Garp. Ace always came back, bringing delicious food with him every time, and Luffy was happy, truly happy, for the first time in his life.

Still, his adventures in the big city were very different from when he was in the jungle. Ace told him to be careful of the dangers of the city, and at first, Luffy didn’t understand. There was no hidden beast in the bush and the stream was just deep enough for him to have the water to his knees, the current not strong enough to get carried away. His big brother was not a liar though, so if he said danger existed in the city, Luffy believed him.

Cars, bikes, the rush of people in busy streets or in the closed spaces of the subway. The automatic doors in the subway that closed after the loud bip, of the supermarket that closed on him because he was too small to be recognized by the sensors. People, in general, but in that department, Luffy was surprisingly good at reading their intentions.

In the end, the city became his new playground and he loved exploring it. Ace was tolerant with his escapees, never shouting at him even if he had bruises and cuts all over his body for spending his time climbing walls or trees and running in the streets on his free time, looking for the door to the center of the Earth, instead of doing his homework.

Ace was nice, and fun, and Luffy really wanted to make him proud, but he hated homework and as much as his big brother tried to convince him to do them, he still preferred to explore the world. Ace never laughed about his dream, as crazy as it seemed to other people, and even taught him how to ride his old bike so he could go farther to look for it than by foot and still come back home in time for dinner.

That’s how he found Zoro, actually. They hit it off pretty quickly and Luffy loved to spend time with the older boy in the old dojo.

But then one day, he got lost. He was hungry too. He had almost forgotten what it felt like because Ace always made sure to put a snack in his bag every day, every meal ready whenever Luffy came home, whether on the small dinner table or in the fridge if Ace was still working.

Tonight, Ace had to work the night shift, so he wasn’t going to notice Luffy’s absence, but it still didn’t solve his hunger problem.

Luffy’s nose picked up a good smell and he followed it. He was lost anyway and food was his first priority right now. That was why, despite Ace’s warning to not enter random places on his own, he gave up the bike against the wall and pushed the door of a small restaurant.

The place was really busy, people talking loud and waiters walking fast between tables with big plates in their hands. The smell was amazing! Luffy was already drooling and he found an empty stool at the bar.

“What do you want?”

Luffy turned towards the voice and was met with an angry frown on a boy’s face. He had a notebook in his hands, waiting for Luffy’s answer, clearly annoyed to be here.

“Food!” Luffy said with a wide smile.

The boy raised his eyebrow, curiously curled at its end.

“Duh.” The boy sighed. “What kind of food?”

“Meat! A lot of meat because I’m very hungry!” Luffy happily answered, jumping on his stool, until he realized something and stopped. “Oh, but I don’t have money.”

The boy opened his mouth but a tall man with a red heart tattooed on his arm spoke before him.

“No money, no food. Now shoo, go back to your parents!”

No money, no food. Luffy knew it and yet, it still made him sad. And it smelled so good too! But without money, he couldn’t have what he wanted. Well, he would just have to come back with Ace later!

Since he couldn’t stay, he jumped from his stool when the boy from earlier grabbed his arm.

“Wait, are you really hungry?”

“Sanji!” The man shouted but the boy only glared at him.

“I’m not talking to you, shithead!” And then he spoke to Luffy with a slightly less angry voice. “If you’re hungry, I can cook something for you. You don’t even need to pay.”

“You’re still forbidden from the kitchen, you little shit! Don’t think I won’t tell Boss about it!”

“Shut up Patty!” Sanji, the boy, shouted, his face red. When he turned towards Luffy again, his eyes looked furious. “So?”

For all answers, Luffy’s stomach grumbled and Sanji’s face softened.

“Are you alone?”

“Yeah, Ace’s working the night shift!” Luffy nodded, intrigued by the boy and his offer of free food.

He even said he didn’t have to pay! Surely, he was a nice person!

The boy sighed.

“Okay, follow me.”

He took off his apron and threw the notebook on the counter. When Patty insulted him for skipping his shift, Sanji sticked his tongue out and Luffy laughed. They entered the kitchens but Sanji opened another door and they quickly went up the stairs to a small apartment.

“You said you wanted meat, right?” Sanji asked and Luffy nodded, excited.

The boy put a new apron on and started to take out things from the cupboards and the fridge.

“You’ve got a name, hungry kid?” He said while cutting vegetables with a little smile.

“I’m Luffy! I’m going to find the door to the center of the Earth!”

Sanji stopped his movements and looked at him with surprise. There was something else in his eyes too, something Luffy recognized immediately.

Wonder.

“Really? That’s so cool!” Sanji smiled and Luffy laughed, happy.

The boy resumed his cooking.

“I have a dream too.” His voice was softer and Luffy listened attentively.

When Sanji looked back at him, face bright with joy and shining eyes, Luffy held back his breath, intrigued.

“I want to find the Cornucopia! Do you know what it is?”

Luffy shook his head and Sanji started to talk about the miracles that the Cornucopia could do. Luffy hung on his words, fascinated, both by the horn of abondance and the passionate boy. The smell of delicious food was filling the room nicely and Luffy was impatient to taste Sanji’s cooking.

When, finally, he took his first bite, a million of flavors hit the back of his mouth and he couldn’t hold back a pure cry of joy.

“Sanji, it’s delicious!”

He didn’t miss the blush on the boy’s cheeks.

“Of course it is! I’m a Chef after all!” Sanji said, proud.

“Shishishi!”

It was the first meal that Sanji cooked for him, and by far the last.

Chapter Text

Day 1 bis (Earth Surface Time)

“It’s… AWESOOOME!!”

Luffy jumped with excitement, dragging Sanji behind him towards what it was definitely the door to the center of the Earth. They made it, they found it in the middle of nowhere, in an abyss so deep that it took them a while to reach the bottom, but now that he could see the huge black door, Luffy felt all his fatigue fly away.

Smile impossibly wide, he turned towards Sanji who was looking at the door with awe, mouth slightly opened and his cigarette completely forgotten on the ground. Luffy hugged him, laughing in his arms, so happy to be here with him. He heard Sanji laugh too and he felt lightheaded, the blooming love in his heart impossible to contain anymore. He kissed his neck, his jaw and his mouth at last, never wanting to let him go ever again.

The kiss was sloppy but their laughs echoed so loud in the abyss that Luffy decided it was the best one ever.

When he was a little calmer, their forehead touching, Luffy met Sanji’s blue eyes, reading love and joy in them, and it made his smile grow bigger.

“We made it!” He said, uncontrollable.

“We did!” The blond said with the same energy, then he murmured. “I still can’t believe it…”

“Shishishi!”

They reluctantly parted from each other, Luffy not letting go of Sanji’s hand though, before they began to investigate their surroundings with the help of their flashlights. The black door was impressive, so tall that it was hard to see where it ended, but there were other things lingering around on the ground that caught their eyes.

Old ropes and some climbing gear, probably from people who came here before them. Who they were, where were they now and when they came here would remain questions without an answer, unfortunately. Their own gear was also going to join the rest since they only bought it at the last minute to climb down the abyss and wouldn’t fit in their bags.

Luffy had a feeling that they didn’t need it anymore anyway.

“Luffy! Come here!” Sanji shouted, his voice resonating in the dark.

Luffy ran and jumped on Sanji’s back, kissed his neck and laughed when Sanji kicked him off, playful.

“How can you have still so much energy?” He tried to complain but the raised corner of his lips betrayed his good mood.

“Shishishi!”

Sanji sighed while shaking his head and directed his flashlight toward one of the stone walls.

“Look.”

The wall was covered with dates and letters, some full names too.

“1876. 2002. 1951. Some of them are really old too.”

Luffy touched the 1758 carved in front of him, followed by R. D. X., but there were dates that went back to the 12^th century, next to drawings that looked even older. This place had been a myth for centuries so it was no wonder that people from so many generations apart looked for it and managed to find the door to the center of the Earth.

The question was, why did no one ever come back to reveal it to the rest of the world? Or did anyone even come back?

Luffy wasn’t worried though. Somehow, deep down, he knew it wasn’t going to be a one-way trip, for him or for Sanji. It was his dream to go through the door, to see with his own eyes what was behind it, to marvel at the wonders hidden in the depths of the Earth, and with Sanji by his side, he felt like they could take on everything and always come up on top.

Plus, there was no way they weren’t going to come back to share their adventures to their friends and family.

“Do you want to write something too?” Sanji asked, a weird expression on his face.

Contrary to Luffy, he was probably thinking about the dangers they were going to face and Luffy quickly tried to reassure him by squeezing their hands.

“Let’s write something cool then!” He smiled, melting into fondness when the blond gave him a more confident smile back at him.

They looked for a place not too far from the door, because Luffy wanted to make it big, and while reading the dates and names, he stumbled onto something odd.

Odd, but familiar, and Luffy reached instinctively for his straw hat on his back.

“Luffy? What is it?”

“Shanks…” He replied in a whisper, his gaze never leaving what caught his eyes.

Let’s meet again, as promised. See you soon my friend.

S.

The message was clear and well-written, as if the stone had melted against something extremely hot and sharp, standing out among the other carvings on the wall.

“Shanks? You mean, the guy who gave you your hat?” Sanji asked and Luffy nodded, clenching his most precious treasure into his hand, the familiar strands of straw rough against his skin.

Sanji eyed him, curious, and Luffy couldn’t ignore him any longer, turning away from Shanks’ message at last.

“Yeah! It’s him, I’m sure!”

Sanji ruffled his hair with a big smile.

“That’s great! Let’s put our names next to his then!”

Luffy smiled, unable to contain his feelings of joy, and with an old hook and a pickaxe, they started to carve a huge COMING! next to their names and date. It was hard work but when they finished, Luffy was very proud of it.

He read Shanks’ message again, remembering their old promise. His friend didn’t forget and was now on the other side, waiting for Luffy to join him and give back his straw hat. It made him smile and he put the precious hat on his head.

Sanji held out his hand and Luffy hurried to take it, loving the way their hands intertwined naturally.

“Ready?”

Luffy’s smile grew bigger and he nodded.

“Let’s go on adventure!” He screamed, happy.

Luffy pushed the door to the center of the Earth with ease, Sanji by his side, and their journey finally began.

Chapter Text

Day 114 or 116 (Earth Surface Time )

Above him was the night sky, with its electrical surges through the clouds, changing from white to blue to orange, something Luffy remembered that Sanji loved to watch whenever he could. It was beautiful, but it would never be as beautiful as the dim warm light reflecting on Sanji’s skin or the wonder in his mesmerizing blue eyes.

Luffy smiled for himself before going back to his gruesome task. He knew it was probably not something he should do, but it worked once and he didn’t have anything to lose, except a good source of food maybe.

At this point, he was running on hope alone. He ate while rocketing himself through the forest, grabbing fruits in mid-flight, rarely stopping except for a few hours of sleep and even that, he almost tried to do without at first, until he fell hard on the ground and closed his eyes for a few seconds that turned into hours, lying defenseless against every carnivorous beast that might have passed by at any moment.

So now Luffy slept a few hours before hitting the road again, swinging from tree to tree with his rubber arms. It wasn’t even fun anymore, just plainly mechanical movements with only one goal: to reach the top of the mountain.

He was getting closer and the trees were getting thinner and rarer, the blue leaves turning into red needles, the moss now dry and brown while the temperature was getting too hot for comfort. If nothing else, it reassured him. Magma was supposed to be hot after all and the voice had told him to throw the Cornucopia inside, so the hotter it was, the closer he was.

Or so he hoped, but Luffy had a lot of hope in reserve these days.

The little dinosaur struggled under him, wailing weakly in pain and Luffy didn’t want to make it suffer any longer. He took the shard of the Cornucopia in his hand before steeling his resolve. His punch was quick and sufficient, breaking skin, bone and organ at once, the Cornucopia now immersed in the blood of the beast, where its heart was.

He waited, forcing himself to stay still while inside he felt impossibly restless, hoping for the thread to appear again, hoping for the voice to talk about Sanji again, hoping again and again and again because that was the only thing keeping him going right now.

“Come on…” He gritted his teeth and heard them grind against each other. “Come on, come on…”

Finally, the body of the dinosaur started to glow and the golden thread reappeared, showing him the way. He followed it with his eyes, burning the path into memory, even taking the time to climb a tree to see just how far he still had to go, where the land was the most barren.

Then he looked at the piece of the Cornucopia in his hand, glowing under the blood.

“I’m close.” He said to it as if someone could hear him. “I’m really really close.”

He quickly shut his eyes to keep the sudden tears that wanted to fall and took a deep breath. He couldn’t cry when he hadn’t done anything yet, when Sanji wasn’t saved yet. He heard inaudible whispers coming from the Cornucopia and opened his eyes, holding his breath with impatience for what he knew was about to come.

“Throw the Cornucopia in the magma...” The same voice than last time said, before it started to beg. “Save him… save my child…”

Luffy frowned but he didn’t hesitate long before speaking to the mysterious voice.

“Are you Sanji’s mom?” He asked, curious.

Only a long desperate and sad sigh answered him.

“Start the quest and save him… save him… save him… my child…”

The connection cut off after that and the golden thread faded into thin air while the ashes of the little dinosaur scattered on the ground. Luffy was still a bit perplexed by what the voice said but the woman on the other side seemed to genuinely care about Sanji and that was why he wanted to trust her.

He was pretty sure this was really Sanji’s mom asking him to save her son, even though it seemed surreal, especially since he had never met her before. Sanji never really talked about her so Luffy didn’t even really know how she really had been, except that she had loved him unconditionally.

In his book, it made her the best mom ever, because Sanji deserved all the love in the world, even if in truth he had no way to compare.

Still, he hadn’t known her personally. She had died when Sanji was young and still living with Judge, but Luffy knew that Sanji’s dream of finding the Cornucopia was something they have shared together, even before he met Zeff, so maybe it wasn’t too farfetched to believe that she would be the one to guide him through what was left of the Cornucopia to save Sanji.

He sat on his branch and looked where the path lead to, playing with the shard in his hand, thinking. He should sleep, be ready to leave in a few hours, but even with hope in his heart and a clear goal in front of him, his mind was still troubled by what the voice said.

In video games, he loved quests. They were made to be followed but there were always unpredictable obstacles on the path to overcome, and some speed-runs were even more fun to play than the boring straightforward initial quest. Failing the quest could also be very interesting too and Luffy had broken a few games a few times like that… along with Usopp’s patience.

But this wasn’t a game, this was the real life, and as much as he loved adventures, Sanji’s life was at stake and he refused to risk it.

Luffy watched the cloudy not-sky above him with the pretty lights, remembered the immense clear lake at the beginning of his journey and all the strange things he encountered in the blue forest. He could stretch his body after eating a fruit, the Cornucopia was real and granted food and wishes for a terrible price, and everything here seemed possible, so if he had to follow a quest to save Sanji, he would do it and succeed, no matter what.

With a new unfaltering determination, he looked at the shard in his hand, now completely clean from the blood of the beast he had sacrificed for it earlier.

“Don’t worry Sanji’s mom, I’m going to save him. I promise.” He smiled, confident.

He settled comfortably on the branch and closed his eyes to get some rest, not hoping anymore but knowing with certainty that he was going to see Sanji again.

Chapter Text

Somewhere in between life and death

Sanji followed Ace in a long dark red corridor, still wondering about the how and the why he was even here, wherever here was, because frankly speaking, he was completely lost.

He wasn’t dead, or so Ace told him, not like it seemed reassuring coming from Luffy’s dead brother, but well, Ace had always been honest so it couldn’t hurt to trust him on this, at least. He also said that Luffy was well and truly alive, safe and sound on the side of the living, and Sanji’s heart clenched at the thought that if it was true, then Luffy was probably crying his heart out all alone because of him.

Ace was clearly happy, light on his feet, and it was hard to see him like that when Sanji remembered how heartbroken Luffy had been when he died, years ago, without even a body left to bury. He was wearing red pants and black boots, his naked back showing his huge familiar tattoo, not a single scratch on him.

It was weird to think that Sanji was a year older than him now. He had always admired Luffy’s big brother, looking up to him for tackling all his, Luffy’s and his little brother’s friends’ problems with the same confident smile, never showing doubts even when there was so little hope.

And now he was here, in front of Sanji, when the blond thought that everything was over for him. Though even if it was strange, Sanji would gladly accept this unexpected help.

“So… how are you doing?” He asked, immediately wincing at his own question.

Way to go, Sanji, asking a dead man how he felt. It was probably one of the stupidest questions he had asked in his whole life, alive or whatever meant not dead in this place.

Ace turned around to walk backwards and smiled, clearly unbothered by the weird question.

“Me? I’m great, thanks for asking!”

He then joined him and encircled his arm around Sanji’s shoulders, grinning.

“I should also thank you for everything you did for Luffy! We had a whole plan to help him after his death but you broke his fate and that’s even better!”

Sanji ignored the relief flooding his body when he heard the confirmation that Luffy’s fateful death had been completely prevented to focus more about other details.

“We?”

Ace’s grin became softer and he patted his shoulder before releasing him.

“Yeah. She’s a fierce woman, your mother.”

At these words, he froze in place. He looked at Ace whose smile grew bigger, a happy glint in his eyes.

“As soon as you stepped through the door with Luffy, she volunteered to help you both when Luffy’s fate would inevitably happen.”

“My mom?” Sanji asked to confirm Ace’s words and he nodded, serious.

“She’s not the only one, but she took the most risks.”

Ace hesitated, guilt starting to show on his usually very carefree face, and now Sanji was worried, about his late mother of all people, something he shouldn’t have to feel anymore, and yet, here he was.

“What? What risks?”

Ace put his hands on his shoulders to calm him down, but it didn’t have the same soothing effect when Sanji was now taller than him, and the kind-of older man winced at this new reality.

“Well, Luffy was supposed to die and I was supposed to pick him up while she had to talk to you, on the living side, with the help of the Cornucopia.”

Sanji raised his eyebrows with surprise, his mind still trying to process what Ace was saying, and came up with a freaking realization.

“Did I screw up everything?”

To his defense, Ace did try to look confident, but the hesitation to answer him was enough for Sanji to confirm his doubts.

“Oh god, I screw up your plan to save Luffy!”

He stepped back from Ace’s grip and grabbed his hair, rubbing them in a frantic manner, until Ace took his hands in his to stop him.

“Hey, hey, that’s okay! That’s better like this, I told you!”

He was trying to reassure him but it wasn’t working.

Ace suddenly hugged him very tightly, and Sanji couldn’t hold back his tears anymore. He broke, releasing all the fear and pain he had accumulated since he heard about Luffy’s fateful death in this shitty village. Ace shushed him, warm and kind, not bothered one bit about the grown man crying in his arms.

“You did well.” He said with assurance. “In fact, I couldn’t be more proud of my brother-in-law.” He added in a lighter tone.

It didn’t stop Sanji’s tears from falling but he snorted, realizing a bit late that Ace knew about him and Luffy. It brought more questions into his already confused mind but the only thing that really mattered to him was that Ace wasn’t against his new relationship with his precious little brother. In truth, knowing that did help him to calm down a little.

“We’re not married.” He had to clarify, as if it was the most important detail right now.

Ace chuckled in his ears and ruffled his hair before letting him go to look at him.

“Does that really matter?” He smirked and Sanji couldn’t hide his blush.

He quickly tried to kick him to divert his attention away from his red cheeks but Ace still laughed at him and Sanji couldn’t hold it against him. He tried to hide his own smile with a frown, except Ace knew him too well and ruffled his hair again. Sanji ticked and missed when he tried to slap his hand away, taking the opportunity to wipe his face discreetly.

He took a few deep breaths, feeling a little better after that.

“So, what’s the new plan now that I screwed up the old one?” He asked, patting his pants for a pack of cigarettes that he didn’t have in his pockets anymore, but sue him, habits die hard.

He sighed. Even if he still had one before coming here, there was no way it could have survived the burning inside of the Cornucopia. Or maybe it could because thankfully for his modesty, Sanji’s clothes had remained intact, who knows?

Knowing Ace, if he had found Sanji naked earlier, he would have laughed his ass off until Sanji kicked him to shut him up. He was so glad that he avoided this kind of awkward moment.  

Sanji looked at Ace who still had a small smile on his lips, waiting for him to answer his question.

“The same but with you and Luffy switching roles. Start the quest and make sure you can go back to the living side.”

Sanji’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Then what changed? Why did you say it was better this way?”

Ace’s grin grew so big that it was taking half of his face when he answered.

“Because contrary to Luffy, who was destined to die and come here and get stuck with a lot of boring things to do before starting anything, you’re not dead.” And he added almost dramatically. “Yet.”

“… Great.” Sanji sighed, but he couldn’t lie to himself, it was a very good news to hear. “So let’s get started with this shitty quest before Luffy worries too much during my absence.”

He was about to walk past Ace when he gently stopped him with a hand on his chest. He had a more serious expression on his face and it made Sanji a bit uneasy.

“Luffy is the one who has to start it. He has to throw the Cornucopia in Akainu’s magma and make the wish to bring you back before it’s too late.”

“Okay… There are so many things I need to ask right now because I only understood half of what you just said.”

“I bet. So let me answer everything while we go to Akainu’s Court.”

“Yeah okay, first, who’s that guy?”

Ace’s frown deepened and it didn’t really reassure Sanji. He talked while they walked side by side, all casualness gone.

“He’s one of the four rulers of this place. You know Hades?”

“You mean… the God of the Underworld, the Greek one?”

“The God of the Dead and the King of the Underworld.”

“… That’s what I said.” Sanji stubbornly assured.

Ace rolled his eyes but didn’t insist.

“Okay, well, that’s Akainu, one of his several alias I mean. He hates people from the Surface and does everything he can to screw them up when they come here. He’s probably furious because you prevented Luffy’s death.” He glanced at Sanji before adding. “He’s the one who created the Cornucopia, too.”

At the revelation, Sanji gritted his teeth and ignored the worried expression on Ace’s face. Finding the Cornucopia had been his dream since even before his mother’s death but the more he learned about it, the more he started to regret even having heard about the thing.

“So, the Cornucopia is a fucking honey trap?” He asked, but he already knew the answer and his anger showed.

Ace sighed.

“Yes and no. It granted all your wishes, right? And you managed to use it in a way that no one expected it, not even Akainu.” A small smile appeared on his lips. “I don’t think you realize what you did. You broke a fate… That’s no small feat!”

Sanji could hear the pride in his voice, see the hope in his eyes, and it made him wonder what could have happen if he hadn’t decided to offer his whole being to the Cornucopia to save Luffy’s life.

He tried to imagine himself giving up, watch his lover die like fate had planned from the beginning, but he couldn’t. There was no way Sanji wouldn’t have tried everything in his power to save Luffy, he loved him too much for that, and he had the Cornucopia with him, so for him, what seemed completely unexpected for everyone else was the only path he could have taken.

The pain had been horrible but the fear of losing Luffy had been stronger, so even if he hadn’t known that it was going to work, he hadn’t hesitated, and he would do it again if he needed to.

Right now though, he was just glad that it worked at all.

“I don’t care about breaking fates, I just wanted Luffy to live.” He admitted and Ace laughed, truly happy.

“And you succeeded!”

He encircled his arm around Sanji’s shoulders again and leaned on him, carefree. His joy was contagious and finally brought a smile on Sanji’s lips.

“I have to say, Luffy knows how to choose his people.” Ace said before adding in a sadder tone. “I wish I could have been there for him but I’m glad he didn’t come to the Underground world alone, at least.”

Sanji stayed silent for a few moments, in thoughts.

“I almost let him leave without me, you know?” He confessed softly, honest. “We were barely a thing before he decided to leave, and I made a lot of shitty mistakes even before that. That’s why I didn’t think I could ask him to stay with me just because I love him.”

He blushed at the confession but Ace only smiled, reassuring. Sanji never intended to take back his words anyway and continued.

“Luffy never asked me to come with him but I didn’t want to get separated from him so I just…”

“Followed him to the center of the Earth?” Ace said while raising an eyebrow, a knowing smile on his face.

“Yeah.” Sanji smiled too, knowing how it sounded but he had never regretted his choice, and he never would.

Ace let him go and they walked in a comfortable silence for a while before Ace broke it.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Sanji asked, curious.

Ace sighed and scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.

“You could have talked to your mother but instead, you’re stuck with me.”

“Oh.”

Sanji shook his head with a small smile to stop him from worrying.

“Don’t be. I’m not going to say that I don’t miss her, she’s my mom after all! But I’m glad that I’m able to talk to you too.”

He thought about his mom, her gentle smile and her kind touch when he was little and even if he would have loved to see her again, he wasn’t lying to Ace either.

“Plus, I’m pretty sure Luffy will listen to her.”

Ace’s lips went up.

“Yeah, I don’t know if he was going to listen to me. I knew it was going to be a hassle to follow the plan, that’s for sure!” He laughed and Sanji snorted.

They talked a little more about Luffy, what he and their friends had been up to all these years, and Sanji noticed how Ace avoided to talk about himself, but he guessed that being dead wasn’t pleasant and he didn’t press him to share more about himself after he died.

His own death, or what was closed to be called that way, had been so painful that Sanji preferred to forget it entirely.

They finally arrived in front of two big doors, red and smoking, the heat coming from them so hot that Sanji could feel it against his skin. It wasn’t painful but a flash of memory of his own melting skin and burning bones still made him tense.

Ace took a deep breath, his carefree expression now replaced by a serious one.

“Alright, follow my lead. Don’t worry about Akainu, he won’t touch you.”

Sanji nodded, feeling his throat suddenly too dry to speak with ease.

“I’ll protect you. I swear.”

Ace’s face softened and his smile reappeared.

“Luffy would kill me if I failed to protect the man he loved.”

Sanji pressed his lips in a quick smile but even Ace’s words didn’t help him relax completely.

He jumped when the doors opened on their own, revealing a huge courthouse, people whispering while he and Ace walked on the red carpet toward a throne made of… magma?

A man… no, Akainu, the God of the Dead and the King of the Underworld, was seated on it and the pressure emanating from him was making Sanji’s knees shake. He pushed on, forcing himself to keep a straight face and not show how scared he was.

Even though he was absolutely terrified right now.

There was something deep down, in his very soul, that told him that he should be afraid of the being in front of him. He could ignore the others whispering behind him, and as much as he tried to take strength from Ace’s presence alone, Akainu’s aura was slowly closing on him and choking him from the inside.

Ace put a hand on his shoulder and stepped in front of him while a soothing warmth suddenly enveloped him like a shield, allowing Sanji to breathe again. He looked at Ace’s back, focusing on the familiar tattoo to get his bearings back and only when he was pretty sure that he wasn’t going to keel over when he would look at Akainu did he raise his head.

The god had a mean scowl on his face and Sanji couldn’t help but hide a little more behind Ace to escape his gaze. He looked furious and his cold glare reminded him of Judge, as much as he tried not to think about it. The temperature of the room was unbearably too high, suffocating, and Sanji could feel it even in the cocoon of Ace’s warmth.

“Ace. What are you doing with this guilty soul?” Akainu’s voice boomed and the whispers stopped all at once.

Only Ace seemed to not shiver under the frightening aura.

“He’s not guilty of anything until he hasn’t been judged by a fair trial.” He declared, glaring back at Akainu.

It was like these two was used to this little dance and Sanji just hoped that Ace knew what he was doing. He hadn’t really explained the plan and it was the first time that Sanji was hearing about a trial.

“The charges against him are pretty straightforward. There’s no need to bother ourselves with a trial when we all know the outcome.”

Sanji tensed and clenched his fists. Only then did he realize that he wasn’t sweating like he should. The hot air against his skin and the scary aura were beyond enough to make him sweat, and yet, he wasn’t. Maybe it was because of the place itself, or maybe because of himself, of what he was now and wasn’t anymore. He gritted his teeth in silence, realizing now that not being dead didn’t automatically mean that he was fully alive either.

“This is an unprecedented case and it should be treated with caution and equity.”

“It is NOT an unprecedented case!” Akainu shouted, the ground shaking and melting, smoke smelling like rotten eggs starting to fill the courthouse.

Ace only smirked.

“He didn’t break his own fate but someone else’s with the help of one of your creations. As far as I’m concerned, you’re the last person who should judge his soul.”

Akainu was clearly not pleased by the statement and rose from his seat. The throne melted in a puddle of lava at his feet, and when he walked towards them, the ground hissed and melted with every step he made.

He stood in front of Ace, looking down on him with his imposing stature. Sanji felt Ace’s warm shield tighten around him and he was glad for it because everything else around them had turned into pure bubbling magma.

“This is my Realm, my Cornucopia, and therefore, my soul. Back away now. Not even your status as Commander of the God of the Seas will save you from my wrath if you try to stand against me.” He turned his gaze towards Sanji and snarled. “You shouldn’t have meddled with Monkey D. Luffy’s fate! You’re not even supposed to be here in the first place and it’s my duty to punish you for breaking things that are beyond your own understanding!”

Ace took instantly a fighting stance and bright flames appeared on his hands.

“No can do! You can’t have him, not without an official trial! Or are you afraid that he’ll be somehow found not guilty?”

Akainu growled and the room melted. People started to gather together to the few unscathed spots with a barely silent panic, but Ace stood his ground and Sanji felt safe in their warm cocoon, the ground solid under their feet and the air almost fresh compared to their surroundings.

“Alright! Let’s have your trial!” Akainu conceded, at last.

He turned away and sat on his newly formed throne and the room stopped melting.

Sanji was still not completely reassured, especially when Akainu looked right at him.

“Soul that belongs neither to the Underground world nor to the Realm of the Dead.” The God of the Dead and King of the Underworld said in an authoritarian tone. “You’ve been charged for the crimes of trespassing to the Underground world, breaking the Cornucopia, one of my godly creations, and meddling with the Fate of a Predestined. What do you plead?”

“What are you even asking to the poor guy? He probably doesn’t even know half of the terms you used.”

Ace had spoken before Sanji could with a smirk that would eventually get them both killed if he continued on this road. He had a point however. Sanji knew a few things about Greek mythology, but it seemed that it wasn’t enough to really grasp his situation right now.

Curiously, it didn’t look like being educated was Ace’s real goal though, as if the whole thing was just a shit-show to buy time.

Oh crap! Ace was trying to buy time!

Why wouldn’t he just say so before? Was it because he wanted Sanji to look frighten in front of Akainu, because even if he had known the plan, he would still be scared shitless!

And now the God was looking at him with suspicion. Sanji wanted to agree with Ace about how clueless he was but when he opened his mouth, he found himself utterly speechless. Frozen in place by the furious glare, his mouth shut itself in a loud clap.

“Ignorance doesn’t mean innocence.” Akainu declared, his finger tapping the throne with annoyance. “However, I want this trial to be conducted as flawlessly as possible.” He made a gesture towards Ace who finally relaxed. “Since you seem so invested in this soul’s affairs, be my guest and explain to him in what mess he got himself into!”

“Sure thing, Your Majesty!”

Akainu grumbled but didn’t add anything else.

Ace turned his back from him and his smirk softened when he saw Sanji barely keeping his shit together. He even dared to wink at him!

It actually helped to reassure him a little because if he seemed so confident, surely it meant that Sanji wasn’t going to be melted or something by Akainu any time soon, right?

“First of all, let me explain where we are.” Ace started while his smile grew bigger.

Sanji knew he was going to draw out his explanations as much as possible and he prepared himself to look dumb and ask stupid questions to help him out.

He still learned a lot. They were in the Underworld where the Souls of the Dead ended up, but not all souls had the same value here. Some were very old and became powerful enough to rule over part of the Underworld, and Akainu was one of the four rulers for this reason, same as Whitebeard, the God of the Seas for whom Ace had a lot of respect.

Sanji quite did like hearing Ace proudly describe how the God had taken care of him and the other souls of his realm. He seemed happy and eased Sanji’s worries about what happened to him during his afterlife.

Unfortunately, Akainu had to cut Ace’s story short, arguing that it wasn’t relevant knowledge for the trial, and Ace quickly changed the subject because even if he needed to buy time, he also needed to make sure that the God didn’t catch on his plan.

The Underground world in the center of the Earth was a very special place for very special people, only because their soul had a fate. They were called the Predestined, and Luffy was one of them.

Obviously, Sanji wasn’t a Predestined and that was why his case was so complicated. He had entered the Underground world without permission but this kind of transgression was usually overlooked because the fate of the Predestined couldn’t be thwarted by one mere human soul from the Surface.

However, since Sanji had meddled with Luffy’s fate by using the Cornucopia and entered the Underworld without being dead, his presence couldn’t be ignored anymore. However, his case was unprecedented and that was why he had to go through this tedious trial.

In short, Sanji had pissed off a lot of people and was going to pay the price for his actions, but Ace still looked confident and Sanji trusted him to get him out of this mess.

“I don’t know what you’re playing at Ace, but you covered everything possible for this soul to understand the importance of this trial, so we may start.” Akainu finally intervened, utterly bored by the long introduction.

“Sure.” Ace agreed easily.

The God was about to talk when Sanji felt his feet burn suddenly. He looked down and paled, a whirlpool of hot magma slowly forming and sucking his body to the ground. The heat wasn’t painful but he started to panic when he realized that he couldn’t get out of his own.

“Ace!”

Akainu rose from his throne, furious again, and Ace glanced at him with a sheepish smile as if to apologize.

“Say hi to Luffy when you’ll remember!” He said before turning towards Akainu to block the fist aimed at Sanji’s head.

Sanji didn’t have time to wonder what he meant because then his body completely disappeared in the whirlpool, the magma immediately suffocating, too hot for comfort now that Ace’s warm protection was gone. He struggled to breathe but it only burned his throat, and he wondered if it was how he was going to die.

He couldn’t give up yet, not now, not when there was still a chance that he could go back to Luffy, like he promised he would when he didn’t even know it was possible. Ace knew what he was doing and Sanji trusted him, even if the magma was starting to sting his skin uncomfortably.

He had closed his eyes at some point but when he felt a shock wave through the magma, he automatically opened them to see Ace and Akainu fighting above him while he continued to sink further in the magma. The God tried to grab him several times but Ace managed to stop him every time with his fists covered by bright flames. The rest of his body was radiating a warm light and Sanji couldn’t take off his eyes from the man who was risking his life… his soul, to protect him.

He gritted his teeth when the prickles started to hurt and as much as he attempted to take a breath, no air came to fill his lungs. The burning sensation reminded him of the Cornucopia and as on cue, the pain escalated exponentially. He screamed but no sound came out of his mouth, no tears escaped his eyes, but the pain was real and it burned, making it hard to have any coherent thought.

When he was about to pass out, he felt more than saw a pure white light enveloping him, appeasing the pain and soothing his mind.

“Sanji. Be strong my son.” He heard the soft voice of his mother tell him, like if it was a dream, but deep down, he knew it was all real.

He wanted to call her, to hold her in his arms, except he couldn’t move. Instead, she hugged him with love and kindness and he imagined her smile in the light that was protecting him.

They were then pushed by two balls of heat and everything suddenly became a blur.

Chapter Text

6 Years ago

When Luffy finally reached the collapsing building, he immediately spotted Ace in his full uniform, protective gear and oxygen tanks on his back, ready to go inside at any moment. Firefighters and policemen were trying to coordinate the evacuation of the neighborhood, pushing people to leave the area as fast as possible. A man told Luffy to follow the safety measures but he ignored him, staring at his brother instead.

He should be helping him. Luffy felt useless standing there among the other civilians while Ace was about to risk his life to save people.

Zoro had followed him when it became obvious that Luffy wasn’t going to change his mind about seeing Ace when the sirens had started to scream in the whole city. Luffy knew it wasn’t an exercise and that the danger was real, but he still wanted to find his brother and help him. He wasn’t a weak little boy anymore, he could help and that was what he intended to do.

When Ace noticed him however, instead of being happy to see Luffy, he looked furious and walked towards him and Zoro.

“Luffy! What are you doing here?!” He shouted, clear worry in his eyes.

“I want to help you!”

“Then follow the instructions and go to a shelter!”

“No, I’m going with you!” Luffy declared, determined.

Ace looked at him with a frown, then quickly glanced at Zoro who straightened under the scrutiny, but before he could answer, someone called him to go back to work. Ace waved behind him to show that he was coming and when he turned his attention back to Luffy, he had a very serious expression on his face.

“You can’t go with me. It’s dangerous-”

“That’s why I want to help you! I’m sure there’s something I can do!” Luffy started to plead and Ace sighed.

“Luffy, listen to me. I’ve trained for years for this because all it takes is one mistake and it could be all over. So you have to promise me you’ll go to a shelter because the last thing I need right now is to worry about you. Understood?”

“But-”

“There’s no ‘but’. Please, Luffy, do this for me.”

Luffy shut his mouth at the sudden soft tone and clenched his fists, knowing when he had lost the battle. Ace’s eyes then went to Zoro.

“Can I trust you to make sure he doesn’t get hurt?” He asked and Luffy was almost offended by the request.

Zoro’s hand on his shoulder stopped whatever he was going to say and he rolled his eyes when his best friend answered.

“I won’t even let him scratch his knees if he falls.”

Ace smiled and ruffled both of their hair to their utter embarrassment.

“ACE! WE’RE GOING!” One of Ace’s fellow firefighters yelled behind him.

“Alright, now go.”

Luffy didn’t move immediately, not until Zoro grabbed him by his arm and pulled him away.

“Come on Luffy, let him work.” His friend said and Luffy finally followed him.

He glanced one last time behind him to see Ace enter the building and burned the memory in his head, as if it was important.

Little did he know, it was the last time he would ever see his brother alive.

Chapter Text

Day 116 or 118 (Earth Surface Time )

His foot slipped on the loose stones and Luffy barely avoided to smash his head against the hard ground. As rubbery as he was, the gravel could still probably hurt him and he would rather not lose his time stupidly like that.

He was almost there. Now that he was so close to the top, he realized that what he thought was just a mountain was, in reality, an active volcano. It explained the smoke and the heat suffocating him, but to Luffy, as long as he could find a pool of magma somewhere, he really didn’t care where he was.

He clenched his hand around the shard of the Cornucopia, feeling it scratch his skin, just to make sure that he still had it.

He didn’t know how long it had been since Sanji…

He didn’t know how long it had been since he started his journey to bring Sanji back to him but he was tired and his vision sometimes unexpectedly blurred to the edge. He wasn’t hungry, much, but he was exhausted. Without any trees around, he preferred to keep going instead of sleeping vulnerably on the open field, and keep going he did. His body protested a lot and he knew that only the thought of reaching the top in a few hours helped him to continue to move forward without stopping.

Soon, very soon, he would be able to see Sanji again, and that was why he was pushing himself forward so hard, one foot after the other, slowly but surely closing the distance to the top of the volcano.

He entered a hot white fog and his eyes started to cry on their own because of the smelly vapors. He held his breath as long as he could to not inhale the smoke, knowing how dangerous it could be. He saw something glowing in front of him and without hesitation, he ran towards it.

He emerged suddenly from the fog and had to stop himself abruptly on the edge of a cliff to not fall, like the rocks he had disturbed with his feet. Luffy took a few cautious small breaths before noticing how pure the air seemed to be here, and without doubt, he knew he was at the right place. The top of the volcano was like a huge hole surrounded by a tall cliff, itself surrounded by the white fog he just crossed, magma steaming hot in the center.

Luffy filled his lungs with good warm air, so different from the burning air during his ascension, and it only fueled him with more hope. The place was special and it had to, if he wanted to save Sanji.

He jumped and smoothly landed on his two feet next to the well of magma, keeping the shard of the Cornucopia carefully in his closed hand. He remembered the instructions of the voice and didn’t wait to throw the last piece of the Cornucopia in the pool of magma.

He waited silently, impatient, but nothing happened for a few minutes. He started to pace, worried that he messed up somehow, but Sanji’s mom had only said to throw the Cornucopia in the magma to start the quest, nothing else.

Maybe it wasn’t Sanji’s mom at all and he had fallen into a trap, but he refused to give up yet.

He stood in front of the magma, bubbling red and black where he threw the shard, but still nothing happened.

“Come on Sanji.” He begged, uncaring how he sounded right now. “Come back to me. You promised you’d chased me wherever I’ll go and I don’t see you here, you idiot!” He taunted, desperate, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. “I just want you to be okay…”

Still nothing and Luffy let himself fall on his knees, tears free to fall with him on the ground.

“Please, come back… I love you too much to lose you.”

He quickly wiped his face and tried to pull himself together, because, as long as he had hope in his heart, he was never going to give up.

“Your mom asked me to save you but she didn’t need to, you know? I’m going to save you, no matter where you are, I don’t care, I’ll just go find you if you can’t come back to me, in heaven or in hell if I have to, because I can’t live without you!”

He waited for an answer, anything, while his heart was beating hard and fast in his chest, ready to shatter into pieces with each passing second without sign that his plea was working.

“DO YOU HEAR ME, SANJI? COME BACK!” He shouted finally at the sky, hoping that Sanji could hear his voice.

Nothing. Still nothing and Luffy’s heart broke and he let out a cry of despair.

“I threw the Cornucopia in the magma like you said!” He screamed, anger replacing the hopelessness he felt. “I started your stupid quest! GIVE ME SANJI BACK!”

He was ready to throw himself in the magma to take the shard back, uncaring of the consequences, when the magma started to glow, stopping him in his tracks.

Luffy’s eyes opened wide, the corners of his lips going up, knowing that he had been right to never give up hope. He still had to shield his eyes with his hand because the magma was unbearably too bright but he knew, he knew, Sanji was coming back!

The magma bubbled and boiled over its well, forcing Luffy to step back quickly, but then, a pure white light appeared above it, the shape similarly of a woman and Luffy swore he saw her smile at him.

“Thank you.” The familiar voice whispered before the silhouette plunged in the magma.

The red glowing lava suddenly came towards him faster than Luffy expected and he had to precipitately climb back the cliff where it was safer to watch it filling the entire hole. He waited, restless, his eyes now adjusted to the bright light, and that was why he immediately saw the white silhouette come back with something burning in golden flames in her flimsy arms.

The ground started to shake and Luffy had to hold on the stones to not fall while something else burst out of the magma, two hot balls of fire smashing against each other, pushing violently the white silhouette and her precious passenger.

Because, as much as the golden flames burned strong and hot, Luffy would recognize Sanji anywhere, and apparently, in any form. The flames became more tamed, taking the form of Sanji’s body, and the white silhouette hugged him before releasing him on the ground not so far from Luffy.

She turned towards him and even though she didn’t have eyes, Luffy was certain that she was looking straight at him.

“You have successfully started the quest. Now you have to-”

Something hit her and sent her in the fog. It was the red ball of magma which started to change shape, taking the form of a very angry middle-aged man.

“I won’t allow it!” He growled, making the ground shake with his voice.

“Luffy!”

Luffy froze. He hadn’t heard this voice in years, for good reasons. It wasn’t possible and yet, when he looked at the second ball of fire, he immediately recognized Ace’s face in the licking orange flames.

He had admired his brother, worshipped him even, like the hero he was, believing that he was invincible.

But he wasn’t.

When he died, Luffy realized how being a hero sucked. Ace had saved a lot of lives the day he died but at what cost? Luffy lost his brother, the only family who truly cared about him, all because as a hero, Ace had the duty to save people without any regard for his own life.

That was why Luffy refused to die in face of danger and why he was so protective of his friends. He knew how painful it was to lose someone he loved and he would never put his loved ones through this if he could help it. He didn’t know what would happen to him if he had to lose one of his friends, and even less if it was Sanji, so he got stronger over the years and managed to keep his friends safe without dying, only risking his life when it was really necessary.

His childish wish to become a firefighter like Ace died with him, but it wasn’t like Luffy didn’t like what he became. Becoming a firefighter wasn’t his dream after all, and now, because he had followed his heart, both his childhood dream and the love of his life, he could meet Ace again.

At the worst timing ever, obviously, but still! It was him!

“Luffy! You need to help Sanji to complete the quest!” Ace screamed while stopping the other man made of magma from approaching Sanji. “Just go to the storm and find-”

The ball of magma smacked Ace in the face, cutting him in the middle of his sentence. Luffy wasn’t really sure what was happening right now but clearly, the guy in the magma was not their ally. Luffy ran towards Sanji who hadn’t moved from the ground, kneeling next to his golden body of liquid flames, uncertain of what he was supposed to do. He wanted to make sure that Sanji was okay but when he approached his hand to touch him, a scream stopped him.

“Don’t!”

It was the white silhouette again, and now that she was closer, he noticed the resemblance with Sanji. He had been right all along, she really was Sanji’s mom!

“You can’t touch his soul!” She said urgently.

The fight between Ace and the angry guy above them created a rain of fire and magma that she tried to protect Luffy and Sanji from, but Luffy could still feel the heat intensify uncomfortably around them.

“What can I do?” He asked and she smiled at him with fondness.

“Find the Guardians. The closest should be in the storm, he’ll help you find the others.”

Luffy nodded and looked at Sanji’s… face? His body didn’t even seem solid, as if the ever-moving flames were liquid and flowed on his skin to give him a physical shape. The way the gold shined was almost mesmerizing and when Sanji opened his eyes, Luffy was met with the purest blue he had ever seen in his life.

He had always thought that Sanji was a very attractive man but right now, he was even more handsome than he remembered, and he didn’t even have a physical form! Luffy was looking at Sanji’s soul right now!

He couldn’t help but fall in love all over again.

Luffy smiled to Sanji to reassure him but he only received a very confused look in return. An explosion forced him to look away from the man he loved and he watched as Ace and Sanji’s mom was pushing the other guy into the pool of magma.

“Ace!” He called his brother, not wanting to be apart from him again now that he was back.

“Go, Luffy!” Ace said without looking back, a confident smile on his lips.

The one that always boosted Luffy’s courage and helped him lift his spirits whenever he needed it.

“Make me proud!” He added and Luffy felt tears gathering in his eyes, knowing that it was his way to say goodbye, again.

The ball of magma howled and the ground shook, but neither Ace or Sanji’s mom let him go. Luffy saw them fall all three in the magma in a loud splash, and all the lava was sucked where they disappeared until all what was left was a dry black soil, without any trace of heat or magma whatsoever.

Luffy looked at where his brother had been a few seconds ago but he knew that whatever miracle he had just been a witness of was already over.

“Thank you.” He whispered, letting his tears escape at last with a small smile on his lips.

He turned towards Sanji who was now sitting and looking at his hands with curiosity, a black mark on the scorched ground behind him where he had been lying down a few moments ago. He was still burning gold, bringing out his dazzling blue eyes even more. Luffy wondered if he was going to stay like this forever. He hoped that whoever were the Guardians, they would be able to help them get Sanji’s old body back.

Not like he didn’t like this new form, but Luffy really wanted to touch him right now to make sure that he was here for real.

Sanji suddenly looked at him and Luffy quickly wiped his tears, his smile growing bigger at the thought that they managed to find each other again, truly happy to see him back alive after so long being separated.

Except, when Sanji finally spoke, Luffy realized how the situation wasn’t right at all, and his heart clenched painfully at Sanji’s confused voice.

“Who are you? And who am I?”

Chapter Text

6 years ago

22 days. It had been 22 days since Ace died. People had told him that he was a hero and saved a lot of lives 22 days ago, that they were honored to have known him, that he was never going to be forgotten.

Luffy just wanted his big brother back. All these hero stuff? They didn’t matter anymore. He wasn’t here anymore!

Luffy wanted to hate heroes, to have someone or something to blame, but he could never hate Ace. He was so proud too, even though the pain was breaking him apart.

It was just not the same anymore.

At least, he was back to their old apartment and wouldn’t be forced to leave their home. Gramps had been compliant, surprisingly, when all the legal stuff started to pile up even before Ace’s funeral. Luffy had stayed with Zoro in his small room in the dojo but it became obvious pretty quickly that Luffy couldn’t impose on him like this for too long.

Zoro, although he wasn’t his son, was kindly taken care by his sensei, Usopp’s mom was very sick, Nami was already struggling with her single mom and her big sister while Sanji’s situation was a bit difficult right now with his biological family. Luffy knew that if he asked, they would all accept him completely, with his problems and all, but he couldn’t do that to them.  

Fortunately, Ace had thought about everything, even in case of his own death, always prioritizing the well-being of his little brother, and he had made it clear that Luffy was the only one who could decide about his own life.

Luffy hadn’t known how much he was prepared until his testament came up. Luffy was still minor so he couldn’t touch the money Ace had left behind just for him yet, but he had put a few conditions if Garp wished to be his legal tutor, making sure that his Gramps didn’t force him to go back to his old cabin in the middle of nowhere.

And that was why, at the age of 13, Luffy could live on his own in the city without worrying too much about house rent or money in general, allowed to focus only on his own future. The judge had been nice, explaining that she was there for him if he had a problem, and in the moment, he didn’t realize that he was going to spend the rest of the day all alone.

And the day after too. And probably more days, after school, when he wasn’t exploring some new exciting places.

Ace was never coming back, and it hit him harder than when he saw the empty casket during the funeral.

Luffy was lying down on his bed, awake and unable to sleep, listening to the too quiet apartment, so different from when Ace had his night shift, but he must have fallen asleep at some point because the next thing he knew, the doorbell was furiously ringing, the buzz loud and unpleasant in his ears.

Luffy groaned, feet in the air and head on the ground, not happy to wake up so brutally. He stood on his feet at last and went to open the door with the doorbell still buzzing loudly.

“What!” Luffy said but the anger immediately disappeared when he recognized his visitor.

“Finally! I’ve been pushing this button for hours!”

Sanji sighed, and Luffy had no idea what he was doing here, not expecting anyone to come over today.

“May I? It’s kind of heavy.” Sanji asked while showing the boxes and bags in his hands.

Luffy frowned, still half-awake.

“What are you doing here?”

Sanji gave him a light smile and looked at him a bit more shyly.

“It’s Sunday, remember?”

Oh.

Luffy remembered the few Sunday mornings when Sanji had come over to bring his failures from the day before, when he was training to prove to Zeff that he was good enough to cook in the kitchens with him in the restaurant. Luffy had loved eating Sanji’s delicious breakfasts every Sunday for a few weeks, but Zeff had eventually recognized Sanji’s skills and their little early rendezvous naturally stopped.

Luffy knew that Sanji wasn’t training anymore, that he had no reason to make so much goods yesterday, unless he wanted to spend time with Luffy this morning, and he didn’t know how it made him feel. He wasn’t hungry, not since Ace’s death, and he wasn’t sure if he should be happy that the blond was making so much effort to comfort him, as if it was a betrayal if he felt anything good right now when Ace couldn’t feel anything anymore.

“I even made your favorite, the meat pie with extra slices of ham!” Sanji tried to be cheerful, clearly a bit troubled by his silence.

“I’m not really hungry.”

Luffy winced at his own words, knowing how uncharacteristic they sounded coming from him, but contrary to what he expected, Sanji’s face softened.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to eat everything. I’ve made things that last for a few days too.”

Suddenly, Luffy wanted to cry, so he turned around and let Sanji enter. The blond went directly to the kitchen and started to unpack all the food he brought, even heating up the meat pie without asking, and Luffy watched as his apartment went from a cold place where he slept to a warm home with mouthwatering smells where he could see himself live in again.

Sanji was doing the dishes. They kind of piled up on their own all this time, but the blond didn’t even made a comment about it, and Luffy sat at the table to watch him, unable to take his eyes off his familiar back. It was almost like Ace was still there, he was about to open the door and marvel at Sanji’s food, ruffling their hair while they protested, and he would fall asleep in the middle of a sentence, snoring with his face in his plate.

When Sanji finished to clean-up everything, even the countertop, he put the meat pie in front of him, hot and ready to be swallowed whole. Luffy felt a knot in his stomach, not knowing whether it was from hunger or something else, but he didn’t want to waste Sanji’s food, especially if it was made just for him.

So he took a bite, and another one, and another one, until he felt the salt of his tears on his lips, licking them with every crumb left of the pie. Sanji sat next to him and didn’t say anything, letting him savor the meal that he had made for him with love, and Luffy knew then that he wasn’t alone, not really, and that he hadn’t been for a long time.

“It’s good.” He sobbed, not leaving any scrap of food on the plate. “It’s so good!”

He sniffled while eating the whole thing and when there was nothing left, he turned towards Sanji and hugged him as if he was afraid that he was going to leave him.

Sanji shushed him, calm and warm, like he had never done before, and Luffy cried a little harder in his arms.

“It’s okay Luffy. You’ll never be alone. You’ve got me and all of us. If you need anything, we’ll always be there for you.”

Sanji continued to sooth his worries and promised that Luffy didn’t have to go through this all on his own. He made sure that Luffy knew he could count on him and their friends whenever he needed to. He was welcomed in their home and assure that he would never be a bother to them every time he would want to spend time with them.

Sanji had never been so open and honest before and Luffy loved the confidence in his voice, believing everything he said. Usopp, Nami and Zoro weren’t there but he could feel their presence too, and the thing that prevented him to take a deep breathe until now loosened until it became so small that he could easily ignore it.

Luffy had his head against the blond’s shoulder, slowly calming down, not wanting to let Sanji go, but even when he didn’t have any more tears left, Sanji didn’t pull back. Luffy looked at him, not happy exactly, but feeling a bit better than these past 22 days.

“Thanks.”

Sanji smiled and ruffled his hair.

“Anytime.”

Luffy knew he truly meant it and it was almost too much, so he buried his head in the blond’s shoulder, relishing in the familiar scent of flour and cigarette, his warmth comforting.

He could have stayed like this for hours, forgetting his pain for a moment, but his stomach seemed to disagree with him and rumbled.

Loudly.

“Still not hungry?” Sanji joked lightly, squeezing his shoulder when Luffy didn’t answer.

His stomach did it for him anyway.

Luffy groaned but he was smiling when he looked at Sanji again.

“I guess I am. What have you prepared?”

Sanji’s smile grew bigger and he listed all Luffy’s favorites, making him drool with hunger.

“I want them all!” He shouted at last while Sanji laughed, and he wasn’t even lying.

It wasn’t the same without Ace, but Luffy wasn’t alone and he knew that with friends like Sanji, he was going to be okay someday.

Chapter Text

Day 117 or 119 (Earth Surface Time )

Luffy ate without real appetite, watching Sanji looking around him with curiosity.

Everything was new to him now that he had lost all his memories. His body was still burning bright magnificently, covered with golden shorts because even if Luffy loved to see his naked body, it was a bit too distracting and right now he needed to stay focused.

Never did he think he would ever shyly ask someone to cover themselves, even less Sanji, but at least they knew he could use his flames to shape his body like he wanted.

No, not his body.

His soul.

Luffy was pretty sure that the quest was supposed to help Sanji regain his memories. He hoped it would. It wasn’t because Sanji didn’t remember him, or didn’t remember loving him…

Well, maybe a little.

It hurt to be looked at by the beautiful glowing eyes without any love in them, but the worst part was that Sanji wasn’t himself without his memories.

Sanji smiled when a weird pink butterfly landed on a purple flower, amazed by the life in front of him.

Luffy frowned. Sometimes, he could almost recognize his Sanji, because, as much as he refused to think about it, it was still Sanji’s soul in front of him, pure and unrestrained by any fear, scar or expectation, past or present. He was free to express everything he was feeling on the open, and Sanji had always loved life itself, so right now, he was overjoyed, and his smile was the same as when he still had his memories.

At first, Sanji had been confused and curious about everything, asking who he was, who Luffy was, where they were, and why, but he hadn’t been bothered by his own body, or by Luffy’s body for that matter, and it was probably because he had completely forgotten how a human body should look like.

Luffy was, for once, the down-to-earth one of the two of them, and it didn’t feel right. He was used to Sanji cooking for him and making sure that they were on the right track, while now Luffy had to always keep an eye on him so as to not lose him in the wild.

Not that he could really lose his golden shining form anywhere, but Sanji’s span of attention was worse than his and he sometimes wandered in the wrong direction just to satiate his irrepressible curiosity.

Luffy wanted to believe that it was only temporary, but he couldn’t easily ignore his own sadness every time they talked or when Sanji looked at him as if he was a complete stranger. He would rather see him angry at him for one of his stupidities than receive this look of indifference one more time.

Luffy threw the last of the fruit in his mouth. Sanji didn’t need to eat apparently, and even if he did, he wouldn’t be able to, burning everything he touched like he was a walking sentient torch. Luffy had been careful though, asking if Sanji was hungry and even giving him one of his fresh fruits, but Sanji had no idea what hunger was and the fruit turned into black ashes as soon as his finger brushed it.

Luffy wasn’t afraid of Sanji, he would never be, but now he kind of had an idea of what could happen to him if a soul ever touched him without caution.

Sanji’s golden form noticed his gaze and tilted his head towards him, looking questioningly at him, making Luffy’s heart melt and shatter at the same time, love bursting out of his chest but since when love had become so painful? Since when couldn’t he enjoy being Sanji’s center of attention like this?

“You look… upset?” Sanji asked uncertain, stumbling for words. “The fruit wasn’t good?”

He frowned, and Luffy had hope suddenly that it was because he didn’t like when someone, Luffy especially, wasn’t enjoying a meal fully.

“It was good, but not as much as the delicious meals you cook for me!” Luffy smiled, warm and easy, because it was the truth and Sanji had to know how much he loved eating what he cooked for him.

Sanji’s blue eyes shined more brightly, completely wide open, and the golden flames of his body flared up for a second before taking back the usual form of his body.

Luffy blinked, not sure if he had seen correctly.

What was that?

Sanji himself seemed surprised and looked at his own body, but his flames were steady once more. When he looked back at Luffy, he was frowning again, his expression more serious than before.

“Do it again.”

“Do what?” Luffy asked, curious now.

Sanji opened his mouth but nothing came, and he closed it slowly, confused.

“I… don’t know.”

Luffy wanted to hug him, reassure him and get rid of the lost look in his eyes, but he couldn’t. Even if it frustrated him a lot, he tried to stay calm as to not worry Sanji more, giving him a small smile he hoped looked comforting.

“It’s okay. We’ll figure it out together.”

“Why?”

Sanji was looking at him with something like anger, and maybe he felt the same frustration as Luffy about his lost memories.

“I don’t understand. Why do you stick with me when I don’t even remember you?!”

“Because you’re Sanji!”

Sanji paused for a long time, lips pressed together, eyebrows furrowed, the silence stretching between them.

“You always look sad when you look at me…” He finally said in a whisper, his voice low and heavy.

So he noticed. Even so Luffy was happy to have Sanji back with him, the lack of memories was concerning and very painful to think about, something Luffy had failed to hide, and now, the Sanji in front of him, the very soul of the man he loved, was sad because of him.

Lying wasn’t an option. It had never been one anyway.

“I really really love you.” He said softly, hoping it would trigger something in Sanji’s memory, but when it didn’t, he continued. “I wish you’d remember how much because I liked the way you looked back at me. Your eyes looked at me with happiness.” He hesitated a second. “… and love.”

Sanji’s frown eased a little, and Luffy wanted it completely gone.

He opened his bag and found Sanji’s wallet, the old leather smooth in his hands. He put it carefully on the ground in front of Sanji. Intrigued, he watched Luffy open it and reveal a full set of knives, sharp and ready to be used.

“It’s your knives. You only use your hands to cook, because you love cooking!” Luffy smiled at him, glancing at Sanji’s soul, bright and beautiful, golden flames flaring up from time to time along his body. “Zeff, your dad, offered you his wallet to keep them safe.” He added, watching Sanji’s hand hovering above the knives, not touching them but clearly drown to them, before retracting it to his side.

Sanji’s eyes were on Luffy again. Not sad anymore but hopeful.

“There’s people who loves you, Sanji, and you love them back.” Luffy said with confidence. “That’s why I’m a bit sad, because you don’t remember it, but it’s only temporary!”

He smiled and Sanji stared at him, blue eyes in brown, looking for a lie, but Luffy wasn’t lying. He knew with certainty that Sanji was going to remember everything, like he had known that Sanji would come back to him one day.

“It’ll be okay, I promise.” He added and Sanji’s body burst out with golden flames higher than earlier, his glowing eyes the only thing really visible on his face.

It made Luffy laughed loudly, holding his belly and rolling on the ground, happy.

Because what he read inside the beautiful eyes was joy and trust.

Chapter Text

6 years ago

Luffy knew something was wrong. Sanji looked tense, with heavy bags under his eyes as if he hadn’t slept in days, his words harsher than usual. It wasn’t against him, of that he was certain, or against Zeff as he complained while putting the chocolate cake out of the box, and it was pretty obvious that whatever happened this Wednesday was still weighing on him.

Luffy had still not heard what happened exactly, except that it had something to do with his biological family, but unless Sanji talked to him, he couldn’t really help him.

Sanji sighed and cursed at the burned cake, too black to mistake it for a new kind of dark chocolate. The angry frown was hiding his real feelings and Luffy knew him enough to recognize when he was on the verge of crying.

And he knew that Sanji would never, ever, let himself break in front of anyone. That was why he was putting an angry front right now instead of showing his true feelings and relying on him, but it had nothing to do with a lack of trust. Sanji was probably thinking that he couldn’t bother his loved ones with his own problems and chose to bury everything to not worry anyone, except Luffy could perfectly see through his fake anger and loud curses.

Talking wasn’t going to help him. Neither fighting, as much as Zoro thought though. With Sanji, Luffy knew only one way to ease his worries, and fortunately, it was as easy as breathing for him.

He took the cake in his hands to eat a big chunk immediately, crunching loudly the charred pieces between his teeth, and swallowed everything before Sanji could say anything.

Luffy then smiled happily at him.

“It’s so good! Sanji, you’re the best!” He exclaimed honestly.

Because, as much as Sanji hated when he failed something, Luffy always enjoyed his food, and this cake was no exception. Plus, what Sanji called failure nowadays was already better than anything an average professional could make. It was a bit burned, sure, but Sanji had made this for him, thinking about making Luffy happy, and Luffy could feel the love in every bite he took, enjoying eating every last bit of the cake.

Sanji was staring at him now, his frown still visible but less pronounced, the tension slowly leaving his shoulders, and Luffy wondered what he was thinking right now. He licked his fingers, making sure that nothing was lost, only stopping when he noticed the hurt in his friend’s eyes.

Sanji quickly looked away but there was no mistaking about the tears falling on his cheeks.

“I have to go.” He suddenly said, already putting back his coat.

Except, Luffy wasn’t going to let him flee so easily and grabbed his wrist, gently but firmly. Sanji didn’t turn around, he didn’t try to free himself either, and Luffy watched as he lowered his head while his shoulders trembled.

Luffy had never seen him so fragile. Whatever was plaguing his mind, it was bad enough for him to break, when all Luffy had done was eating happily a simple scorched cake to light up his spirits.

Clearly, Sanji didn’t want to be alone right now and had come here not just because it was Sunday and failed to bake his cake to perfection, but as always, he couldn’t say what he truly wanted by fear to become a hindrance.

That was why Luffy tugged at his arm and spoke with confidence.

“You don’t have to. You can stay here as long as you want.”

He meant in his apartment, and Sanji stayed that day, drying his tears without a word. He baked a new cake just for them, perfect like everything he cooked, and they spent their day together leisurely slumped on the couch, watching movies and playing video games until the sun set.

Luffy knew something was troubling Sanji if he didn’t complain not even once about the amount of time they stayed in front of the TV, but the blond never shared his worries out loud, and the only sign that he finally relaxed was when he let himself fall asleep on his shoulder, under Luffy’s protective gaze.

He only found out days later that when Sanji had chosen to stay with him that Sunday, he had also decided to stay and live with Zeff despite his biological father’s threats to force him to go back to his old house.

There would still be tears and fights and arguments, painful words exchanged and promises made and re-made until Luffy was sure that Sanji knew how precious he was for him, for his dad and for all their friends.

Not everything was exactly the same after that, but in the end, Sanji stayed, and Luffy promised to himself that he would never let him down, no matter what.

Chapter Text

Day 119 or 121 (Earth Surface Time)

They both exchanged a look of disbelief before turning their attention back to the Guardian.

“You want… what?” Luffy asked again, because surely, he could have only misheard.

Yet, the Guardian, a man with skin as black as ink, two huge wings and fire on his back, said the same stupid thing again.

“Present me a piece of his body in exchange for his memories.” He repeated with his mouth in shape of a beak.

Sanji’s soul was hot next to him, the warmth familiar now even if it had been only three days since Luffy met him in this form, while behind him were the footprints scorching the ground in black. His flames were beautiful, the gold impossible to miss when they were in the middle of the storm where the visibility was almost null, bringing out his brilliant blue eyes, but it didn’t change the fact that he couldn’t touch anything tangible without burning it to ashes.

Plus, it wasn’t like Sanji had left a body behind when he used the Cornucopia to save his life!

Luffy knew the quest wasn’t going to be easy. He didn’t know what would have happened if he hadn’t found the shard of the mythical seashell when he had woken up alone in their hidden place, and it was obvious that without the help of Sanji’s mom and Ace, Sanji wouldn’t even be here with him at all.

Still, how were they ever going to find a piece of Sanji’s body now? Luffy had packed up everything he could in his bag before leaving their hidden place, but he would have known if he had seen a hand lying around somewhere when he started to climb the volcano!

He glanced at Sanji and with his head down and shoulders slumped, Luffy could see him gradually lose hope, something he couldn’t let ever happen. There had to be something, anything, that could help them get Sanji’s memories back.

Sanji raised his head, showing a sadness so pure in his eyes that Luffy wanted to cry in his place.

“I’m sorry, Luffy.”

He then looked at his untouchable hands, closed and opened them, but he could try as many times as he wanted, he knew he couldn’t hold anything without destroying it, even if he had something to give to the Guardian.

When he looked at Luffy again, he tried to smile to comfort him, as if it wasn’t him who was suffering the most right now.

“No.” Luffy said in a final tone.

He wasn’t going to give up so easily, not after everything they went through, and certainly not if it made Sanji so sad.

And, anyway, he had an idea.

He put his bag on the ground and started to rummage through his and Sanji’s stuff.

“Luffy?”

Sanji was looking over his shoulder, now curious, a tiny little hope coming back in his eyes when Luffy gave him a quick smile, reassuring, before going back for what he was looking for.

“Where is it? I’m sure it was there…” He mumbled.

Luffy took out clothes, Sanji’s wallet, his lighter, and finally…

“Ha ha!” He cried with joy and grabbed the toiletry bag in his hand.

Before opening it though, he had to make sure his idea could actually work.

“You only need something that belongs to Sanji, right?” He asked to the Guardian.

The man looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here and kept quiet, his hard glare less and less friendly, but Luffy’s inflexible look won in the end and he sighed.

“Yes.” He reluctantly confirmed. “But he’s the one who has to give it to me. Not you.” He smiled with a dangerous glint in his eyes. “And since he was never supposed to complete the quest, he will never be able to, no matter what you try.”

Luffy ignored the taunt and turned towards Sanji who had a frown on his face again.

“This is yours.” He said, showing the toiletry bag in his hand. “And contrary to me, you use a lot of products and you even have…” He opened the bag and found immediately the comb. “… this!”

There were a few strands of hair stuck between the teeth and Luffy smiled, relieved.

“Look, look!” He exclaimed, jumping on his feet to show the blond locks to Sanji.

“It’s… mine? You’re sure?” He tilted his head, uncertain.

Luffy nodded fervently.

“Of course it’s yours! I don’t carry just anyone’s stuff!”

Sanji’s flames flared up and by now, Luffy knew it meant that he was happy, and with the way he looked at him with wonder, Luffy could even imagine a blush hidden behind the golden fire.

“Shishishi!

Sanji might have lost his memories but his soul apparently liked Luffy a lot, and it showed, much to his great pleasure. Luffy never doubted Sanji’s love for him, not since he reciprocated his feelings months ago, but it made Luffy even more happy to see how deep Sanji’s feelings went for him.

Luffy took out the few strands of hair between his fingers and looked at them, hit by a strange feeling of nostalgia. He remembered how soft the blond locks felt like, even though Sanji hadn’t be able to take care of his hair as much as he wanted in the wild recently, hygiene becoming second priority when dinosaurs wanted to eat them at every turn.

Now it was all it remained from the man he loved, physically at least, but not for long he hoped.

The Guardian eyed him and held his hand, palm up.

“Remember, you can’t be the one to give it to me.”

Luffy stood up and nodded. Clearly, there were rules impossible to bend but he really didn’t care. His goal was still the same, to give Sanji back his memories, to bring his Sanji back to him, whole, safe and sound, no matter what.

He looked at him, the man with the most beautiful soul he had ever seen, and it didn’t matter if Sanji’s soul was the only one he had ever met, he was still the only one for whom Luffy could feel so much love just by looking at him.

“Ready?”

Sanji wasn’t, and it was probably what Luffy regretted the most about this whole situation, because if the love was still there, the complicity and the easy way to know exactly what the other was thinking with only one look had been lost with his memories.

It was okay though, because they were going to get them back.

“Put your hand above his and trust me, okay?” Luffy said to a very confused Sanji, but he did what Luffy told him without question.

“I still can’t touch- Wait!”

Luffy had already let the strands of hair fall on Sanji’s hand when he cried, and he retrieved his hand as quickly as he could but he had already brushed a blond lock, still slowly burning when it touched the skin of the hand of the Guardian.

Guardian who was now frowning at the simple trick but still kept the blond hair, unbothered by the scorching heat against his palm.

Luffy smiled, proud of his little mischief, and Sanji had a matching smile on his face, in awe.

“I received a piece of his body.” The Guardian said before crushing what was left of Sanji’s hair in his fist. “In exchange, I’ll give back his memories.”

Without any other warning, a gust of wind hit them, pushing Luffy back three steps and forcing him to close his eyes for a second.

“Holy shit!”

Luffy immediately reopened them, surprised by the familiar tone in Sanji’s voice and the loud curse he had let escape. When their eyes met, Sanji smiled, a beaming smile so warm that Luffy’s heart stopped for a second, entranced.

“It actually worked!” Sanji exclaimed, happy. “Luffy, I remember!”

When he noticed Luffy’s lack of answer, his face softened and there, Luffy saw love in his eyes again, directed at him and only him, and he felt the corner of his eyes starting to water, immense relief suddenly flooding in his body.

Sanji raised his hand before stopping himself mid-air and drawing it back, his golden soul still as untouchable and dangerous as before.

“I’m back as promised, Luffy. Sorry it took me so long.” He said with a soft voice and a shy smile.

It made Luffy laugh actually, unable to stop himself, while ugly tears fell on his cheeks, and all his worries, fears and doubts which he felt since Sanji’s disappearance seemed to vanish instantly.

“Luffy…?” Sanji was looking at him with a bit of concern now, clearly resisting from touching him to comfort him, and it made Luffy’s heart jump in his chest, in a very good way.

“I’m so happy!” He said between two hiccups to reassure his Sanji. “I’m just so sooooo happy!”

The frown on the golden face changed into an amused expression and it almost looked like everything was back to normal.

“Yeah… Me too.”

“And I’ll be happy when you’ll leave.” The Guardian butted in, clearly not moved by the fact that Sanji just recovered his memories and what it meant for the both of them.

So they ignored him, sharing a look full of love and joy, grinning at each other. Until the Guardian sighed and Sanji took pity on him and turned his attention to the man.

“I guess we should thank you for helping us.”

“Yeah! Thanks Birdman!” Luffy said enthusiastically with a tap on the birdman’s back.

“I’m not a bird, I’m a pterodactyl!” The guy shouted at them and Sanji snorted, the sound a beautiful melody to Luffy’s ears.

It had been a long while the last time Luffy heard him laugh like that, so carefree and relaxed, and Luffy enjoyed the moment even more.

“So, what do we need to do for the rest of the quest? Is Sanji going to have his body back? Do we need to bring something from his body again?” Luffy started to question the Guardian, restless, oblivious to the fact that the man was starting to lose patience.

“Why do you even ask me?! You already cheated for the first task, I’m not going to help you! Plus, he’s not even supposed to complete the quest, he’s not a Predestined!”

“Hey, shitty Birdman.”

There was an underlying anger behind Sanji’s calm voice and Luffy noticed that his eyes were shining brighter than usual.

“Who cares about Predestined and stupid fates, we’ll make our own path, together, whether you like it or not.”

Luffy nodded, even though he wasn’t really sure what a Predestined was, but he didn’t need to know that to agree with the rest of Sanji’s statement.

“And if I wasn’t supposed to complete the quest, then why did my memories even come back?”

The question seemed to shut the birdman up and the way his wings flogged showed how unhappy he was. 

“Now,” Sanji’s flames on his body flared up and burned stronger than it ever did before, but as much as Luffy knew how hot they were, he didn’t feel like they could hurt him anymore, as if a bubble of warmth was hugging him and protected him from harm. “I’d like to kiss the love of my life so how the hell do I get my body back?”

Luffy suddenly turned red, not expecting Sanji to be so straightforward in front of someone else, but he was also extremely happy and couldn’t nor didn’t want to hide his growing smile.

Sanji had the same smile on his face and winked at him, playful.

If only he could kiss him like they both wanted to…

Luffy was really looking forward to the moment when the man he loved would have his body back.

Chapter Text

6 years ago

“GET OUT!” Sanji yelled, furious, his face so red that Luffy almost believed that he was going to release smoke from his ears like in these old cartoons on TV.

He was not going to stay around to see if it was going to happen or not because Sanji kicked him out of his own kitchen and slammed the door behind him, but Luffy probably deserved the kick this time.

Maybe it had been a very bad idea to try helping out Sanji when he was cooking dinner for everyone, but Luffy had thought it would be a nice gesture since Sanji was all alone to cook for all of them.

Except Luffy had never been patient around food, even less when he was hungry like right now, and eating the sliced pieces of ham had pissed off the blond so much that he had violently banned Luffy to enter the kitchen.

Also, he did kind of stuck Sanji’s favorite knife on the countertop and started a fire, so maybe it wasn’t a bad idea to make himself scarce this time.

“I told you it was a bad idea.” Usopp said when he went to sit next to him on the couch.

The rest of his friends laughed, clearly amused by one of his many defeats against the blond whenever food was involved. They were gathered around the TV, waiting for Sanji to finish the snacks before starting the movie, when Luffy’s stomach chose this moment to make a lot of noise.

“I heard that!” Sanji shouted through the door, and everyone could hear him curse about Luffy’s bottomless pit, but it only made Luffy sigh with impatience while his friends talked among them, ignoring both the grumbling and the curses.

In any way, as much as Sanji was complaining, and sometimes threatened to not feed him when Luffy had made a mess in the kitchen, Luffy knew that the blond would never deny him food, and that was why he tried to patiently wait, not worried about Sanji’s anger at all.

Finally, the door opened and revealed a mountain of plates with snacks of every kind, some very colorful and looking very tasty, making Luffy drool immediately. Sanji was almost completely hidden behind them, unbothered by the amount of things he was holding, a huge smile on his face.

“And here you go!” He cheerfully said while putting the plates on the small table in front of everyone.

Luffy had already bitten half of the pink and green thing on a square grilled bread and smiled back when the amazing taste exploded in his mouth.

“It’s so good! Thanks Sanji!”

“Of course, I’m the best!” Sanji proudly said back, his grin wider than ever, and Luffy was suddenly hit by the thought that he looked absolutely stunning.

He wasn’t even wearing anything special and his hair were a little messier than usual, but his smile was radiant and Luffy couldn’t take his eyes off him anymore. He put the rest of his fancy snack in his mouth and followed the discussion – or more like the heated argument – between Sanji and Zoro, noticing not for the first time how expressive the blond could be, but there was like a glow around him, and Luffy wondered why he never noticed it before.

Until it clicked and Luffy smiled, happy, back to stuffing his mouth with Sanji’s delicious food.

The only reason why Sanji was glowing today was simple, really.

Sanji was happy.

Chapter Text

Day 120 or 122 (Earth Surface Time )

“No, no, you have to turn it more slowly.” Sanji told him and Luffy really tried to do as he was told, but it was hard, especially with how much Sanji wanted it to be perfect.

Sanji was cross-sitting in front of him and his meal cooked à la broche, like he said, but Luffy just wanted to eat his meat rather sooner than later, knowing that even with Sanji’s instructions, it would never be as good as when the blond was the one to cook for him.

At least, it was Sanji who was the one to control the fire with the golden flames of his own hand, because with Luffy, it would have already turned into a disaster. The rare meals he had to cook himself when he was all alone had been too raw or too burned to really appreciate them, so he could try and make an effort right now, but still.

Luffy’s stomach rumbled and he sighed, impatient.

“Is this done?” He asked.

“A little longer.”

Luffy didn’t pout because he never pouted, but he was close to just give up and eat the whole thing along with the wooden stick if he had to wait one more minute than just a little longer.

The corners of Sanji’s lips went up slowly, knowing very well how hard it was for Luffy to restrain himself from gobbling the uncooked meat right away, and it strengthened his own resolve to wait just a little more.

Sanji was finally back, because even if Luffy could still not touch him, he had this special spark in his eyes that made him him, and it was making everything about this cursed situation way better than before.

Still, Luffy wanted more, greedy as he was, impossible to be satisfied with just Sanji stuck in his soul form, even with all his memories. Sanji hadn’t said anything but it was obvious that he was a bit worried about his own condition and wanted his body back as soon as possible too. 

But now, they were cooking together, and Luffy could admit that it was pretty cool. It wasn’t something they did a lot, probably because Luffy would always make a mess in the kitchen, making Sanji angry before he yelled at him and kicked him out, sometimes quite literally. Right now though, Sanji was patient with him and Luffy enjoyed the simple task, loving the way Sanji looked at him with this warmth in his dazzling blue eyes that he was so familiar with, so different from the confused look when he didn’t even remember his own name.

He really hoped that this new arrangement was only temporary. Luffy loved the way Sanji’s golden face flared up every time Luffy managed to follow his instructions, but as beautiful as his soul was, he missed watching Sanji when he was cooking.

“Done.”

Sanji retrieved his hand and smiled when Luffy ate the roasted meat in three bites. It was good, probably the best thing he ever cooked in his whole life, and he knew it was only thanks to Sanji.

“Thanks Sanji! It was delicious!”

Luffy gave him a beaming smile and small golden flames started to burst all over Sanji’s body. Luffy couldn’t keep himself from laughing at his embarrassed face when he realized that he couldn’t stop them.

“Why can’t I control this shit?” He complained while smacking his arm to snuff out the flames, with no such luck. “This is ridiculous!”

“It’s because you’re happy!”

Sanji rolled his eyes then sighed, a not very well hidden smile on his lips nonetheless.

“Yeah, I’m happy.” He admitted finally. “I’m glad I’m alive but above all, I’m really happy that you’re okay.”

Luffy saw the worry, the sadness and the pain in his eyes and it made him lost his smile. If they were in this situation, it was because Luffy hadn’t been strong enough to protect Sanji and himself. He didn’t really remember what happened after he got hurt, only how painful it was to simply breathe, and then he had woken up completely fine, without Sanji, and it was not a good memory to recall.

“I don’t regret it.” Sanji said, resolute. “And if I had to do it again, I would.”

He moved his hand towards Luffy and stopped before touching his cheek. Luffy didn’t move, looking straight at him, not afraid by the hot flames so close to his skin.

“Then I’ll make sure you won’t ever need to do it again.” Luffy said with unyielding determination.

Sanji drew his hand back, his expression unreadable.

It was frustrating to not be able to smooth the frown off his face with a kiss, to not be able to hold him in his arms to reassure him. Luffy didn’t say anything though, knowing very well that Sanji felt the same, if not worse.

“I saw Ace.” Sanji suddenly said, changing the subject abruptly, but Luffy couldn’t blame him.

“I saw him too.”

Ace had been there to help Sanji’s soul to get out from wherever they came from and Luffy was curious to know why.

Sanji had a quick smile before continuing.

“He explained a lot of things about this place and about… your fate.” He ran a hand in his hair, golden flames swirling together before going back into place, clearly nervous. “Ace had a plan to save you after your death and I kind of fucked up everything when I used the stupid Cornucopia. He said it was for the best but…”

He hesitated and Luffy encouraged him with a nod. If it was about screwing fates, he was pretty sure that it was for the best too, especially if it meant that they could both live, together.

“Apparently, I broke your fate.” Sanji revealed, guilt in his eyes. “You were supposed to do the quest, not me, I’m just… I’m not supposed to even be here.”

“Who cares?” Luffy said, a bit angry. “I don’t. I want you here, with me, alive and whole. There’s no one else I want to spend my life with.”

Sanji furiously blushed, eyes wide and mouth open, uncaring about the flames that suddenly licked the ground in a beautiful dance around him, and then warm joy and love replaced the guilt, a smile slowly coming to his lips.

“Plus, if my fate wasn’t to be with you, then I’m really glad that you broke it!” Luffy added.

Sanji burst into laughter.

“Yeah, me too!”

Luffy laughed with him, taking great delight seeing how Sanji’s flames happily twirled around him, not realizing immediately how they slowly surrounded them both, shielding them from the cruel outside world.

“How do you do that?” Luffy asked, amazed by the beauty of their blazing bubble of kind warmth.

“I’m not sure. I just… wished that I could hold you.”

The golden flames came closer without touching Luffy before retreating. It was weird, as if Luffy could feel Sanji’s touch through the heat of his flames, while it felt also very intimate, because it wasn’t with his body that Sanji wanted to touch him, it was with his soul. And it was like Luffy’s own soul wanted to touch him back, resonating with each other. It was almost too much until Sanji took his flames back and let Luffy breathe.

He missed the loss because the sensation had been amazing, but the aftermath was great too, as if the bubble had soothed all his worries all at once.

Exactly like when Sanji hugged him.

“That’s so cool!” He exclaimed, overjoyed.

“Yeah, and I think I can do more than just roast meat too.”

Sanji stood up and winked at him before bursting into hot flames, his soul flying off the ground at high speed, bright gold against the grey clouds.

“So cool!”

Luffy watched him fly like he owned the sky, free as the wind to go where he wanted, before coming back to him, a huge smile on his face.

“Did you see?! I can fly!”

“That’s awesome!”

Sanji’s expression softened before he spoke.

“I think I’ll miss that, when I’ll have my body back. But I miss touching you more.”

“Me too.”

They stared at each other, unable to reach the other, and when it was dangerously becoming too frustrating, Sanji sighed and took a step back.

“I forgot to tell you. Ace says hi.”

Luffy perked up at his brother’s name.

“Really?! Is he okay? I mean, he looked fine when I saw him but I couldn’t really ask him so…”

“He looked… happy, I think. He found people who cares about him as much as he cares about them in the Underworld, and he seemed to be doing pretty well, even if he had to fight the God of the Dead because of me.”

“The guy made of magma?”

Sanji nodded stiffly, as if he was afraid of the guy, and Luffy could easily see why. The living talking ball of magma had been terrifying, his voice loud enough to shake the ground, and it was a relief to know that he couldn’t hurt them anymore, thanks to Ace and Sanji’s mom.

Speaking of which…

“Oh right, I saw your mom!”

“Ace told me.” Sanji paused, hesitant. “What did she say?”

Luffy smiled.

“She couldn’t talk a lot but she was nice! She really wanted to save you!” And he added, more softly. “She seemed like a good mom.”

Sanji had a pained expression, hiding it behind a quick smile.

“She was.” He said, low, his voice tense with emotion.

He took a deep breath.

“I’m glad you two met.”

Sanji kept a small smile on his lips and his blue eyes shined with a bittersweet glow for a second before looking at Luffy with familiar warm love. Luffy wanted to take him in his arms to hug away the sadness completely and make sure he knew he wasn’t alone, but he couldn’t, so instead, he took a step forward, closing the distance between them.

He looked him in the eyes with tenderness and they stared at each other like this for a moment without saying anything, as if they were the only ones in the world. Luffy could feel the heat of Sanji’s flames on his skin, warm and soothing, slowly surrounding them both in a protective cocoon.

“You’re really not afraid of me?” Sanji whispered.

Luffy’s hands twitched, eager to hold Sanji’s, but he calmly stayed put, his eyes never leaving his face.

“I trust you and I know you’ll never hurt me.” He affirmed with confidence.

He then approached even closer, almost touching the golden soul in front of him, their faces so close that Luffy’s breath brushed against the flames and made them dance on Sanji’s face. He wanted to kiss them, to feel Sanji against him and convince himself once and for all that he was really back.

He closed his eyes, focusing all his senses on Sanji only, trying to reach him through his own soul. He didn’t know if it was even possible, but Luffy wanted to try nonetheless. When he felt a pull in his chest, he didn’t resist and heard Sanji take a sharp breath, before everything became fuzzy and warm. He slowly opened his eyes and was met with Sanji’s beautiful eyes looking at him like he was the most precious person in the world.

He could feel the love and the joy in his eyes, not just by reading them like he was used to, but more like he could feel Sanji’s emotions themselves. It was amazing, as if they were connected by a special bond that allowed them to share their emotions to each other, and Luffy’s heart swelled up with happiness at the thought, because all Sanji was feeling right now was really really good. He had a huge smile on his face now, and Luffy beamed at him, euphoric.

Luffy couldn’t wait to find the second Guardian and complete the quest for Sanji to be his old self again, but he would be lying if he said that he didn’t love this new kind of embrace, shamelessly enjoying to bask in Sanji’s love like this as long as possible, almost wishing for the time to stop so he could engrave this moment in his memory, and in his soul.

Chapter Text

5 years ago

The crowd was roaring when Luffy jumped on Zoro’s back with joy, his best friend easily carrying him as if he weighted nothing. Zoro had a huge smile on his face, clearly happy, as he well deserved. He was now the new national kendo champion in junior category, and the title of the best in the world was starting to become just one step closer.

Everyone was here to cheer on him and they obviously had to throw a party after his win, so they all went to the Baratie where Sanji helped his dad to cook a feast. Luffy couldn’t be more proud of his friend’s victory, and he couldn’t stop laughing and smiling with Zoro by his side while eating delicious food.

It was probably one of the best days of his life and Luffy enjoyed it fully with all his friends. Everyone was congratulating Zoro over and over, raising toast after toast, never tired of listening Usopp while he narrated the last winning match out of many of Zoro, the story becoming even more fabulous than it already was because everyone enjoyed adding their own little detail to Usopp’s show, but that in no way diminished Zoro’s incredible feat, on contrary. He was strong and amazing and Luffy was very happy to be his friend.

It was late when people started to leave, and only because the next day was a school day, but Luffy knew tomorrow wasn’t going to be a boring Monday. It was going to be a fun Monday, and every person would know how extraordinary Zoro was, he would make sure of it!

Luffy stepped out of the Baratie with Zoro, being the last ones to leave, and immediately spotted Sanji talking with his girlfriend. He was just about to call him, a big smile on his lips, when Zoro grabbed his arm to stop him.

Luffy didn’t really have any notion about personal space or timing, so he didn’t expect the moment Sanji smiled before kissing the girl in his arms. Luffy watched, not knowing why he felt so weird, because he found Sanji really attractive like this, with a smile reaching his eyes, the same eyes that brightened with happiness and love, but it wasn’t directed at him, and it suddenly hurt.

Zoro pulled his arm, again, to step back a little further away from the couple, breaking Luffy out of his strange trance. He still couldn’t take his eyes off Sanji’s lips, and when the kiss ended, Luffy felt a bit relieved.

When Sanji finally let his girlfriend go and turned towards him and Zoro, Luffy looked away, oddly embarrassed. He didn’t know what was going on with him, it wasn’t really the first time he had seen people kiss in front of him before, and it wasn’t even Sanji’s first girlfriend, but his heart was doing uncontrollable weird things in his chest and he wasn’t sure if he liked it or not.

As time went by, Luffy noticed that it only happened when Sanji was physically close to his girlfriends, and he wasn’t as oblivious as his friends thought. He knew he was possessive with his loved ones, it wasn’t a secret that he saw Sanji as one of his closest friends, but it was completely different from what he felt for Zoro.

Zoro was his best friend, and he adored him, but he never had the desire to hold his hand, or caress his hair, and certainly not kiss his lips before. Something Luffy wanted more and more to try as he continued to spend time with the blond.

Except, Sanji didn’t feel the same as him. He loved girls, a bit too much actually, and if before it was just one of his quirks that Luffy and his friends made the habit of laughing about, now it made his successive girlfriends jealous, and Sanji often made a fool of himself in front of everyone, being dumped more or less harshly by them, just before he tried to woo another girl.

And Luffy… well, he watched this circle, trying not to get too jealous about the girls, even though at every opportunity, he would spend as much time with Sanji as possible. He didn’t hide his feelings that grew in his heart, feelings that he didn’t have a name for them but were always there whenever he thought about Sanji, whether he was next to him or not, but he didn’t reveal anything either, not out loud at least.

He wasn’t going to say anything, because the most important thing for Luffy was for Sanji to be happy. And he looked really happy, at least at the beginning of his relationships, and internally, Luffy wished him luck every time, because what else could he have done otherwise? It wasn’t like he really had a chance in the first place.

And so, time passed, and Luffy took whatever Sanji gave him, no matter how small it could be, and never showed any disapproval when it came to his many girlfriends, even if more than once he wished to be the one on the receiving end of Sanji’s love instead of them.

Chapter Text

Day 121 or 123 (Earth Surface Time )

Luffy was the first to hear the music. His curiosity picked, he shared a quick look with Sanji before running towards the noise, already smiling. Sanji wasn’t far from him, now able to match Luffy’s speed easily, flying behind him in a trail of golden flames. If he was a bit more reserved about the unexpected human presence, he still didn’t protest against Luffy’s decision to change their course to meet whoever was filling the forest with clear bright notes.

The music had a slow rhythm, as if in a slumber, but it was also very beautiful, and the more he got closer, the more Luffy was eager to meet the person playing it.

He landed in a clearing with tall blue grass and was not prepared to see what he was seeing.

“What the hell?!” Sanji barely whispered when he noticed the skeleton who was standing on a big rock while playing the violin.

They watched as the bony fingers moved smoothly on the wooden instrument, never missing a note, the sound clear and soothing. Luffy even started to hum the song, not really bothered by the fact that the musician was only made of bones, wearing a wrecked suit with a big dark afro crowning its skull.

Even if he wanted to, the sight wouldn’t be able to surprise him anyway, not anymore, not after everything he had witnessed since he came here.

The skeleton turned around and the violin screeched, the song ending brutally.

“Oh my! I didn’t notice that I had an audience! Yohoho!” The skeleton said in a deep voice, his laugh contagious.

Luffy’s smile grew bigger, excited by the fact that not only the skeleton had an afro and could play the violin, but it could talk too!

“What the hell!” Sanji shouted this time, not as thrilled as him by the strange meeting. “What the hell?!”

And maybe he was a bit more stressed about the situation than Luffy had first thought, too.

“I know, I know, my appearance might be a bit surprising, but don’t be afraid! I hope you’ll pardon me, it’s hard to find a good dry-cleaner around here, so I gave up trying to look nice a long time ago, especially since I don’t have a lot of occasions to see new people nowadays, even though I don’t have eyes, yohoho!”

Luffy laughed at the joke, giving a reassuring smile to Sanji who was clearly trying to not freak out even more.

“You can talk! How can you talk?” Luffy asked, jumping closer to the skeleton. “Oh, I’m Luffy by the way, and this is Sanji!”

“Nice to meet you Luffy, Sanji. I’m Brook.” The skeleton replied before bowing his head to greet them more formally. “Is seeing me speak what surprises you the most?”

Luffy tilted his head, looking at the skeleton more closely, and now that he mentioned it, he had a thousand of questions popping in his head.

“Of course!” Sanji answered before him, not hiding his uneasiness. “Since when it’s normal that a skeleton can speak? And play music!”

Luffy felt the heat of his golden flames against his skin as if they wanted to protect him from harm, and he felt safe in their warmth, but he didn’t think that Brook was really a threat. It wasn’t just because Luffy thought they could take him if he ever tried anything, it was in the way he was looking at them with his hollow eye-sockets, as ridiculous as it sounded.

Luffy wasn’t sure how he knew, but Brook looked very happy to see them, and because it had been a long time since he had a good feeling about someone, he wanted to trust his guts about this.

“Are you even alive?”

Sanji’s voice was hushed, almost afraid, and Luffy wished he could erase his fear entirely. The question looked a bit silly, especially coming from him when he was but only a soul, and maybe that was why Luffy felt like the answer was so important for him.

Brook might look like a dead man walking, but at least he could touch things without destroying them.

The skeleton watched them for a moment before jumping on the ground from his big rock without a sound, taking his time to dust off his clothes with care, and answered in a soft voice.

“Well, I did die once, a long time ago, and not unlike you, my fate was to complete a quest so I could come back to life.”

Luffy saw him tighten his grip on his violin before forcing himself to relax.

“As you can see, some fates don’t always end the way we hope.”

Luffy and Sanji froze at these words. Luffy observed attentively Brook, and if his used clothes needed a little clean-up, in comparison, his bones looked almost pristine while his afro stood proud on his skull.

Was this what Sanji would look like once they completed the quest? Was it really worth it to continue it or would Sanji rather put it on hold and stay in his soul form forever instead?

Luffy looked at the beautiful soul next to him, Sanji’s golden flames shaping his face exactly like when he was still made of flesh and bones, with the same mesmerizing blue eyes as in his memory, albeit a bit more glowing. Between this and a skeletal Sanji, Luffy wasn’t sure what he really preferred.

Even if he was given the choice, and as far as he was concerned, it was Sanji’s choice only, he didn’t want to choose. He was too selfish to only be satisfied with only half of his favorite person after all. He wanted Sanji to be happy more than anything and for that, Luffy knew it wasn’t possible if Sanji stayed in his soul form or became a talking skeleton.

“This is… I’m…” Sanji struggled to speak his mind, and both Luffy and Brook waited for him to continue with patience.

Sanji looked then at Luffy with such a pained expression that it felt like his own heart was breaking.

“Sorry…” He said so low that Luffy almost missed it, just before he flew off who knew where.

“Sanji!”

Luffy was about to follow him when Brook cleared his throat to get his attention.

“I don’t want to overstep but maybe it’s best to leave him alone for a bit.”

Luffy clenched his fists, gazing at the sky one more time to where Sanji had disappeared, and took a deep breath to calm himself. He was worried but Brook was probably right. Sanji needed space and if anything was stupid enough to try hurting him, he could easily overpower them with his flames.

Luffy still didn’t like it. But since he couldn’t help Sanji right now, he should learn a little more about their new friend.

“You’ve really completed your quest?”

Brook nodded silently, playing nervously with the hair of his bow with his finger.

“It was my fate.” He said in a defeated voice.

Luffy’s frown eased a little, finally seeing a ray of hope in Brook’s statement.

“Sanji doesn’t have a fate.”

Brook’s mouth opened, as shocked, before closing it in a loud clack.

“It’s impossible! Maybe you don’t know, but only Predestined with the right fate can start the quest to come back to life!”

Luffy smiled at him, even more convinced that not everything was really set in stone like everyone else seemed to think.

“Sanji’s not a Pre-thingy.”

Brook stared at him, dumbfounded. Luffy wasn’t disturbed by the black holes looking straight at him and he kept a small smile on his lips. It seemed to appease the skeleton because his body visibly relaxed.

“I see.” He looked at the sky and sighed. “I didn’t know it was possible.”

He stayed quiet after that and Luffy didn’t mind. He was starting to get hungry anyway and it wouldn’t hurt to find something to eat while Sanji was away. He informed Brook that he was going to hunt and told him to let Sanji know if he returned before him.

Sanji was nowhere to be seen when he came back so Luffy started a fire on his own in the outskirt of the clearing. He was still a bit worried but he was trying not to show it, and while talking with Brook a little more, he cooked his meal.

He was more than a little proud of his cooking skill, and he knew it had everything to do with Sanji’s teaching, making him smile a little at the thought. The meat was a bit crisp but not burned, and it smelled good, so Luffy wasn’t surprised when Brook suddenly looked interested, even though he had been adamant that he didn’t need to eat. Luffy offered some and they both enjoyed their meal peacefully.

After eating, Brook played the same song again, but this time the tune was more cheerful and Luffy clapped and sang with him, his heart filling with joy.

It was only now that he realized that he really missed music.

It was getting darker and the electric surges in the clouds started to light the sky, the view as beautiful as the first time Luffy saw it, while Brook began a new song that followed the rhythm of the electric arcs.

But as beautiful as the whole scenery was, his eyes were immediately drawn to Sanji as soon as he came out of the forest. Luffy smiled and waved at him to join them, Brook never stopping playing as he sat next to him. He seemed tense but there was a determined look in his eyes that reassured Luffy.

When the song ended, Sanji spoke.

“I have questions about the quest. I need to know if it’s as shitty as you say it is.” Before adding quickly. “No offense.”

Brook nodded.

“None taken.”

He then put his violin and bow into its case and sat in front of both of Luffy and Sanji, the fire slowly dying between them.

“I guess you already met the King of the Air, am I right?”

Seeing their questioning eyes, he clarified.

“The very stern Guardian, half man, half pterodactyl, who gave back your memories.”

“Oh! Birdman!” Luffy exclaimed and he swore he could see Brook smiling.

“Yes, well, then you know that to retrieve your memory, you had to give something else in return?”

“A piece of my body.” Sanji answered, a frown on his face.

“Yes. It took me a long time to find my own body and all what was left were bones, as you can see. But it didn’t really matter at the time because…” His voice trailed off, suddenly more hesitant, then he continued with a more cheerful tone. “Because the Lady of the Lake, the next Guardian who you’ll see, will give you a new fresh body of flesh and bones.”

“Oh, that’s great, right Sanji?” Luffy tried to cheer up the blond but all he got was a quick smile.

“And what will I have to give up this time?” Sanji asked, perfectly calm on the outside, but Luffy knew he was really nervous right now.

“The Lady of the Lake doesn’t ask much. She’s quite really nice and she helped me when no one else could.”

Even Luffy noticed the way he was avoiding to answer Sanji’s question and he felt a bit uneasy, while Sanji stared at him with impatience.

“Yeah, so?”

Brook sighed.

“Please, don’t be mad at her. The poor soul doesn’t have a lot of liberties when it comes to her duty as Guardian.”

“We won’t.” Luffy promised without hesitation.

Once again, he had the feeling that Brook was smiling at him.

“She will need one of Sanji’s memories, good or bad, it doesn’t matter. It only needs to come from a moment when he was still alive.”

Luffy didn’t know if he should be glad or not about this trade. On the one hand, Sanji had lived a lot of things in his life, both good or bad, and one missing memory wasn’t going to change him, not like when he didn’t have any memory at all, but on the other hand, Sanji was still going to lose something that belonged to him and Luffy really didn’t like it.

“I see.”

Luffy looked at Sanji who seemed less tense. His expression softened when their eyes met before turning his attention back to Brook. Luffy searched for a sign, a doubt that the idea bothered him, but he found none.

“What happened to you then?” Sanji asked.

They both watched as Brook dusted off his pants with his long bony fingers, knowing very well he was stalling, but considering the state of his body, they could be patient with him.

“It’s a very sad and pitiful story. Do you still want to hear it?”

Luffy nodded while Sanji frowned.

“I was fated to die here and start the quest but, as I told you before, it took me a long time to find my body. As only a soul, it’s almost impossible to give what the Guardians need, especially when I didn’t even remember who I was.”

Brook sighed and took his violin in his hand, brushing the strings lightly.

“I first met the Lady of the Lake when I was still wandering aimlessly and she told me what she knew about the quest. I couldn’t really give her one of my memories yet, so I was still a soul when I found my body. It was… I was… I didn’t expect it to be in that sorry state.”

He held his breath for a second, struggling to continue.

“There was someone else too. It was only when I gave a piece of my body to the King of the Air that I remembered who he was."

Luffy didn't like where this story was going. Given how heartbroken Brook sounded, he had the ominous feeling that it hadn’t ended well for everyone involved.

“He was my best friend. He was waiting for me to come back and help me complete the quest, but… I took too much time.”

Luffy felt Sanji’s flames hugging him and he leaned in the ethereal touch. Brook suddenly jolted on his seat, and Luffy smiled when he saw the same golden flames surrounding Brook’s skeletal body.

Brook didn’t say anything for a long moment, overwhelmed by their silent support but clearly welcoming it.

“I failed my quest.” He finally confessed in a hush voice. “We always have to give up something to get something else in return. A piece of our body in exchange for our memories. One memory for a body. But I couldn’t give the last one.”

He looked at the violin with fondness and Luffy quickly understood what he meant. Even if he had met Brook only a few hours ago, it was obvious that the instrument was very dear to his heart.

“My fate was to complete the quest, not necessarily to succeed. I didn’t know what would happen if I gave the wrong thing on purpose but… I’m not sure if I really regret my choice now.”

“What do you mean?” Sanji asked. “You got your memories and your body back, what else did you still need?”

Brook laughed in a sad way but quickly regained his seriousness.

“Our humanity. Our mortality. Maybe you can say it’s our own existence. It’s hard to explain but, the moment I had my body again, I felt like there was something missing. I had to get it back and the price… I refused to pay it fully. In the end, as punishment, my soul was sent back into my old bones, but I didn’t have that awful feeling anymore at least.”

Brook wanted to look confident, but the way he was caressing the wooden instrument showed that it had still left a scar.

“I wish you to succeed, Sanji. I really do. But in case you fail, at least you know that you won’t die.”

“But Sanji doesn’t have a body to get back to if he fails!” Luffy realized with fear, remembering the empty hidden place all too well. “And I don’t want him to fail!” He came closer to Sanji, almost touching his flames in his haste. “I won’t let you fail! I’ll make sure we both go back home, I promise!”

The flames flared up and the blue eyes glowed brighter, the smile on his Sanji’s lips starting small and growing bigger as they stared at each other. Luffy almost expected Sanji to kiss him right here, right now, be damned the consequences, but he knew that the last thing that the man he loved would want would be to hurt him in any way, so he didn’t move.

“It’s okay. With you by side, I know I can do anything. I’m not going to fail this stupid quest! That’s my promise to you.”

“You promised.” Luffy whispered, his heart in his throat.

“Yep.”

They barely noticed how intimately close they were until Brook started to play a soft-toned song, pinching gently the strings next to them. They shared a smile and Luffy felt all his worries lessen until he could ignore them completely to enjoy the moment.

Chapter Text

5 years ago

Sanji was talking. He didn’t know about what, and he should feel a bit guilty for not listening to him, but Luffy couldn’t think about anything other than the white cream spot on Sanji’s cheek, so close to his moving lips.

Maybe he was becoming a little crazy, but he wished to wipe it clean, whether with a tissue or his own mouth, it didn’t matter, but it was all he was able to think about right now. He didn’t even know why, or maybe he did, and it had absolutely nothing to do with his love for food.

Sanji squinted at him, suspicious.

“You’re not even listening.” He realized with a sigh, not even mad at him.

Luffy finally took his eyes off the stain and met Sanji’s eyes instead.

“No. You have cream on your face, it’s distracting.” He said honestly.

Sanji blinked several times then puffed, his finger finding easily the small drop of cream on his cheek.

“You’re an insufferable glutton, you know that?”

Luffy opened his mouth to say something, but he lost his words when Sanji used the tip of his tongue to casually lick his finger clean. He felt his face suddenly heating up and his mind went blank long enough for Sanji to notice.

“Don’t tell me you’re disappointed that you couldn’t eat that. You already ate almost all the cake by yourself! You can’t possibly still be hungry!”

Luffy stared at him, absolutely speechless. Sanji sighed and then stood up, already rolling up his sleeves.

“I guess I don’t have a choice. I can start dinner earlier than planned, you shitty bottomless pit.”

Luffy nodded eagerly, jumping at the easy way-out that the blond was offering him. As he watched him cook, he tried to regain his cool but he couldn’t stop thinking about Sanji licking his finger, and the memory haunted him for a very long time after that day.

4 years ago

Luffy immediately spotted Sanji and Usopp waiting in front of the movie theater’s doors and ran towards them. Luffy didn’t even slow down when he jumped on Sanji’s back.

“Sanji! Usopp! I’m here!” He shouted very loudly.

“Luffy, you moron! Be more careful! I almost fell!”

“Shishishi!”

Sanji complained but, as he was cursing, he was also readjusting Luffy on his back and didn’t force him to get down.

Luffy had a big smile on his face, always happy whenever Sanji went along with one of his whims. He rested his chin on the top of the blond soft hair and listened to Usopp and Sanji’s conversation that he had interrupted a few moments ago. When the rest of their friends arrived, no one was even surprised to see Sanji carrying him all the way to their seats because it was a well-known secret that Luffy loved to be carried on his friends’ back.

Usually though, Luffy wouldn’t bury his nose in their hair to breathe in their scent, but Sanji was really special to him and Luffy really loved the smell of his shampoo and of the little something that only belonged to Sanji.

Luffy had to let him go at some point and he reluctantly did so. But then Sanji put him down on his seat very gently, and when Luffy rested his head on his shoulder during the movie, he didn’t push him away.

That was more than he ever hoped, and Luffy had a large smile on his face all the rest of the day.

3 years ago

“Come on, come on! I want to see the parade!”

Luffy pulled on Sanji’s arm and the blond reluctantly followed him after letting a heavy sigh. Luffy didn’t take it personally, knowing very well why Sanji was in such a sour mood, and that was why he had made his mission to cheer him up while they were at the amusement park.

Luffy hadn’t even been his first choice as his plus-one, or his second, or his third, and when Nami turned his offer down because she was busy with her part-time job, Sanji had even suggested to just not come here at all, but Luffy had heard “Amusement Park” and had insisted to go with him because it would be a waste to not use the tickets he had already bought.

He was trying very hard not to think about the fact that he was a substitute for Sanji’s girlfriend, nor did he want to acknowledge the feeling that she wasn’t going to be his girlfriend for much longer with the way she was avoiding Sanji. He didn’t think it was fair to his friend who did nothing wrong to her but, as always, he kept his own thoughts to himself.

It was maybe selfish of him to enjoy their unexpected time together, except Luffy had decided a long time ago that he didn’t have to hold himself back when it concerned Sanji. He slid his hand on the arm of the blond to circle his wrist, pulling him more gently through the crowd, and Sanji let him.

He knew that there was no meaning behind it. Everyone knew that Sanji only loved girls, that he was never going to look at Luffy like he would his girlfriends, that he only let Luffy do as he pleased because it was easier than arguing against him. Plus, if Sanji really hated it when he suddenly touched him or invaded his personal space, he would have said something by now, or kicked him like when other men pissed him off.

Luffy took what his friend could give him that way, preciously carving the fleeting moments into memory, and he intended to make this day at the amusement park memorable.

They finally managed to reach the front of the crowd, squeezed on all sides, but at least this way they had the best view of the decorated floats where people in costume were dancing along with the music.

“Look, look!” He cried over the noise, pointing out a fire breather on the next floater and when he glanced at Sanji next to him, he saw the first smile of the day on his lips.

Luffy glowed with pride at the sight, not even hiding his joy, and he laughed, jumping with excitation whenever something cool caught his eyes, carelessly bumping Sanji’s shoulder from time to time, enjoying the way Sanji’s face slowly starting to relax.

Today was going to be a good day, Luffy would make sure of it.

2 years ago

Usopp’s drawing was beautiful and everyone was watching him put more colors on Luffy’s cast, his tongue out, completely focused on what he had called his masterpiece.

Luffy liked it a lot, he liked all his friends’ drawings actually, and it did make him feel better. His arm didn’t hurt anymore but the cast was uncomfortable and he almost succeeded to get rid of it as soon as the doctor turned his back, only to be reprimanded by everyone afterwards, even by Zoro, the one known to tear off his stitches as soon as he was left alone!

But now, he had a promise to keep and he wouldn’t be the one to ruin their drawings, not until he was fully heal at least.

The door of his room opened and he immediately recognized the smell of his favorite food, his stomach automatically rumbling with hunger.

“Hello there!” Sanji entered the room with a smile and boxes of food in hand. “Someone ordered food for fools? And for the most beautiful girl who walked the Earth, of course!” He added when he noticed Nami.

“Food!” Luffy almost jumped from his bed but Usopp predicted his reaction and held him in place, still drawing with precision.

“But Usopp, Sanji brought food!” Luffy whined.

“One more second Luffy.”

“Whoa! You outdid yourself this time.” Sanji said when he saw the huge monkey with a straw hat on his head displayed on the cast. “I’m almost jealous.”

“Then break a leg or two, I’m sure he’ll find something to make you feel all pretty for once.” Zoro taunted him, and sure enough the two started to argue.

Luffy didn’t mind the noise, he wasn’t a quiet person himself after all, but the medical staff didn’t appreciate their loud presence and threatened them to throw everyone out if they didn’t calm down immediately. After that, Nami made sure that everyone would behave, threats of every kind hanging in the air for everyone, and when his doctor came back to check on him, she invited him to eat lunch with them as a thank you for treating Luffy.

Chopper was small, and young, but apparently, he was already a skilled doctor, and when Luffy thanked him personally, he looked really funny, insulting him and dancing on his toes with a huge smile on his face. That made him laugh and he spontaneously offered him to draw something on his cast, something he eagerly accepted.

“What’s this? A flower?” Nami asked.

“It can’t be. It’s a tree. Don’t you see the branches?” Usopp added.

“It’s a reindeer!” Chopper shouted, and the nurse appeared almost out of nowhere to reprimand him, not letting the doctor get away from it even though they were colleagues.

When she left, they all snickered as quietly as possible behind their hands, and Zoro rubbed his head with amusement.

They ate together, trying to bribe the nurse when she came again to shush them, and Luffy knew when his friends won the right to be a bit louder than allowed when her face lighted up with one of the delicious snacks prepared by Sanji.

No one could resist Sanji’s food after all.

Time went by quickly and the visit hours were already almost over, so his friends left one by one, leaving him all alone in his hospital room. He knew it was only for one night, but it didn’t mean that he liked it.

Luffy jumped when the door opened all of a sudden, revealing an out of breath Sanji, his hair messy, and he didn’t need to be a genius to know that he had run to get back here.

“Sorry, I totally forgot!”

He was next to his bed in three big steps and Luffy couldn’t take his eyes off him, not knowing why Sanji was back, even so he wasn’t going to complain about it. He felt better with only his presence in the room, making it a bit more comfortable, and a small smile appeared on his lips.

Sanji uncapped a black pen and started drawing on his cast.

“There.” Sanji beamed.

Luffy was totally caught off guard by his carefree smile, his heart now starting to beat faster in his chest at the beautiful sight. The look of pure joy in his eyes and the unkempt hair added something to the whole view that made Luffy want to touch him even more than usual, and so he took Sanji’s hand with his free one, squeezing it once, his touch lingering when he let him go.

“Thanks, Sanji.” He said softly, happy.

Sanji’s smile grew impossibly bigger before he roughly stroked Luffy’s hair.

“Glad you like it. Now time to go. See you tomorrow Luffy!” Sanji waved at him and had already disappeared in the hallway before Luffy could say anything back.

He looked at the now opened door of his room for a few moments, his smile never leaving his lips while he remembered the last few minutes with Sanji. He finally lied down with a content sigh, raising his arm in the cast above his head to retrace his friends’ drawings with his finger.

He ended with Sanji’s one, a simple fish with bubbles around it, and when he fell asleep, he dreamed of the most beautiful ocean he had ever imagined.

A year ago

They were laughing. Luffy didn’t remember why, nor did he care, because he loved hearing Sanji’s laugh. It was rare and precious and he should do it more often.

“What?” Sanji snorted, his cheeks red from the wine and their shared body heat sitting so close in the old couch.

Luffy looked at him, unable to look away from the handsome man in front of him.

“You’re so drunk.” Sanji laughed again, patting his head with more or less good coordination.

He didn’t move his hand afterwards, caressing the messy black hair with his finger.

Luffy closed his eyes and leaned against the touch. It felt good.

“I knew you’d like it.” Sanji said while yawning, his body becoming heavier against him.

Luffy felt Sanji’s head fall on his shoulder, the fingers slowly stopping their nice administration, Sanji’s respiration deepening in his sleep. Luffy resisted to sleep just yet to savor the moment a little longer, burying his nose in the blond hair, going as far as leaving a gentle kiss on his head, so light that his lips barely touched the soft locks.

Neither of them ever remembered that night.

Chapter Text

Day 122  or  and 124 (Earth Surface Time )

Luffy liked Brook. He was a great musician and despite his unfortunate life, he was a very cheerful person.

They talked for hours through the night, enjoying sharing their experiences in this land so peculiar, laughing, eating and singing together. Brook revealed how this place couldn’t be understood fully from a logical perspective, that some things were just supernatural and should be left at that.

Like the time-dilated maze that caved in on them, a few months ago. It made sense now why Sanji had told him that he had been trapped for two days while Luffy only felt like he had blacked-out for a few hours, at best.

Luffy didn’t even question Brook’s explanation. Too many things here were just impossible to understand, between the Sacred Fruit that gave him a rubber body or the bottomless Cornucopia that could offer food out of thin air.

It was because of these impossible things that he never lost hope to bring Sanji back to him, alive and whole. Plus, he didn’t care if it was logical or not. All that matter in the end was that Sanji was by his side, happy, with a shot at life once again.

They parted with Brook in the morning as friends, following his directions to the lake where the second Guardian lived. They had to come down the volcano a little more before they could see the lake, small and sparkling under the bright light coming from the white clouds in the sky.

Brook had been very protective of the Lady of the Lake and warned them not to be rude to her, and Luffy heard the unsaid threat loud and clear, making him smile, having the feeling of listening to a very caring big brother.

If Brook liked her so much, she was probably someone they could trust. Sanji had agreed easily with him on that point when they tried to guess what kind of person she was, and now Luffy was even more looking forward to meet her.

They left the forest and reached a shingle beach, the small round pebbles all turquoise, making the water of the lake looking like a very vivid blue green.

He didn’t wait and cupped his hands to shout.

“Hey ho! Lake lady, we’re here for the quest!”

“She’s called the Lady of the Lake, idiot.” Sanji sighed, but then, the surface of the water rippled and they both watched as the biggest wave took a solid shape.

Luffy’s eyes widened and he quickly put himself in front of Sanji to hide the sudden apparition from his view.

“Shit Luffy! You almost touched me!” Sanji cursed a little more, his way to hide his fright, but Luffy ignored him and cut abruptly his flow of insults.

“Sanji, close your eyes! Turn around! Don’t look!” He cried, trying to stay calm but how could he with her looking like this? “And you!” He pointed to the very naked woman slowly making her way towards them as if nothing was wrong. “Stop right there!”

He glanced behind him to see if Sanji had listened to him, raising his hand in front of his eyes because he hadn’t, probably deserving the last curse throwing at him with how careless he was, but he refused to let Sanji see her.

Even he could recognize a gorgeous woman when he saw one.

He trusted Sanji. He didn’t doubt about his love and there was no way Sanji would abandon him for a naked woman, as beautiful as she looked, so he knew it was unnecessary to prevent him to see her so forcefully.

He still didn’t have to like it.

“I said ‘turn around’!”

Sanji sighed very loudly and finally turned his back to the naked woman who hadn’t moved from her spot, like Luffy had told her to. She was watching them, her wet long dark hair sticking to her shoulder when she tilted her head to the side, curious. She was still ankle-deep in water and there was nothing, absolutely nothing, hiding her perfect feminine curves, forcing Luffy to look away from her with shyness.

They couldn’t stay like this forever, so he put his bag on the ground and took off his own shirt before walking clumsily towards her, his feet unstable on the rolling pebbles, eyes looking anywhere but at her.

“Sorry.” He said while blindly holding out his shirt to her and she took it without a word. “Brook told me not to be rude but…”

He waited for her to put the shirt on before raising his eyes, relieved that most of her body was now covered by his old red shirt.

“Brook told you that?” She asked with a soft voice, surprised.  

“Yeah.” Luffy confirmed and she chuckled as if there was an inside joke somewhere that he hadn’t caught on, making her eyes shine with mirth.

She had blue eyes, he noticed, a deep blue darker than Sanji’s, and Luffy could read an underlying sadness hidden behind her laugh. Brook hadn’t said much about her, except that her fate hadn’t been kind to her and continued to hurt her nowadays, and now that Luffy was in front of her, he wished to help her, if he could.

“Can I turn around now?”

Luffy and the woman looked at Sanji’s golden back, small flames burning higher than usual. They both shared a cheerful smile.

“Yeah, it’s all good!”

Sanji turned around, a knowing smile on his face. He glanced at the woman for only a second, his attention immediately back to Luffy, an eyebrow raised at him with amusement.

“Were you jealous?”

Luffy furiously blushed, almost tripping over his own feet at the sudden question.

“Well, you like women! And she’s like… beautiful and stuff! And naked!” Luffy tried to justify himself, his hands vaguely pointing at the still barely clothed woman next to him without looking at her.

Sanji’s smile only grew, as much as his own embarrassment.

“You know what? Fine! I’m jealous!” He shouted, feeling his cheeks burn.

Sanji chuckled, the woman’s soft laugh echoing behind him.

“Sorry about that, my lady.” Sanji finally said. “Luffy can be bad-mannered sometimes, but he means well.” He put his hand on his chest, now covered with a flaming shirt contrary to usual at least, a small smile on his lips. “I’m Sanji. May I inquire your name, or should we just continue to call you beautiful?”

Luffy rolled his eyes. He knew it was only Sanji’s way to be polite with women, and he wasn’t Zoro, he usually didn’t care when Sanji was soapy with them, but it was the first time that they were meeting face to face with a woman who wasn’t wearing a single item of clothing, so it bothered him a little to hear Sanji giving her overly sweet compliments when he was right here.

Yeah, he was totally jealous.

“My name’s Robin.” The woman kindly smiled at them both and Luffy’s sour mood receded.

She clearly didn’t plan to steal his man with her gorgeous body and now that his mind was clearer, he realized that she was dripping, still ankle-deep in water.

“Do you need more clothes? I’m pretty sure Sanji’s sweater is still in good condition.” He offered, seeing Sanji’s nodding to agree to his suggestion.

Robin smiled but there was no joy in her eyes anymore.

“Thank you for the offer but I’m quite alright.”

She didn’t add anything else and Luffy didn’t insist, while Sanji was looking at her with a thoughtful face.

“You’re here for the quest, I presume?” She asked after she sat on a big rock on the edge of the beach, never getting her feet out of water.

“That’s right! Brook told us you could help us to give Sanji his body back!”

“I can do that.” She pinched her lips but quickly cooled her expression once more. “Sanji needs to give me one thing in exchange. A memory from his life before his death.”

Brook had told them about the price, but it still seemed so unfair. Luffy looked at Sanji, his beautiful soul bright and warm next to him, his handsome features so familiar even if they were made of flames only, and he remembered the lost look he had when he had no memory whatsoever while looking at Luffy, a few days ago.

Memories were precious, they shaped them into who they were right now, so the one Sanji was going to give had to be unimportant enough to not change him at all.

But who did remember things that didn’t matter in their life?

“It doesn’t have to be a life-turning event or anything like that.” Robin explained, her voice soft, but she looked tired, as if it pained her too that Sanji had to give up a part of himself. “It can be a way to forget things we don’t like to remember.” She paused, looking straight at Sanji whose frown was slowly deepening. “But once you tell me your memory, you’ll never get it back. So choose wisely.”

Silence followed her warning. Sanji and Luffy shared a look before the blond spoke.

“I need some time to think.”

“Take all the time you need.” Robin calmly said, a kind smile on her lips once more. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Sanji nodded, walking back to the edge of the forest, and Luffy followed him, but not without looking back at Robin first. There was something in the way she was sitting, alone like this with her feet hidden in water, that gave him an odd feeling. She was smoothing out the shirt with care, uncaring about the dirt and probably the awful smell it carried, the shirt having not been properly washed for a while now. She had a perky smile, as if she was holding the most precious thing in the world in her hands, and Luffy wondered how he had missed it.

Robin couldn’t leave the lake.

It bothered him a lot. She looked nice, and not just because Brook had said so. She had been kind and patient with them, not pressing Sanji to choose his memory right away, unlike Birdman, understanding how important it was for him to take his time.

She couldn’t be comfortable sitting on that hard rock, wearing only a shirt to cover herself. She didn’t seem to mind, but Luffy had the feeling that she was used to this lack of comfort and saw no point to complain about it anymore.

But Luffy had seen the sadness in her eyes and he couldn’t unsee it. It was the same sadness he had seen in Brook’s eyes, their fates clearly hurting them. However, if there was something Luffy knew, it was that everything was possible, especially here. And if he had to break this place into pieces to free them from their unfortunate fates, he would without hesitation.

He would have to talk with Sanji about it, but later, once the whole quest was over and finally behind them. Right now, Sanji was passing in front of him, his flames scorching the ground until it began to hollow from the heat.

When their eyes met, he stopped, his frown very present.

“I thought a lot about this.” He said quickly, pained and worried. “I thought I could give up one shitty memory with… with Judge, and the Vinsmoke, because I’m not going to miss it, but…!”

Luffy immediately understood what he meant. Giving up the pain from his childhood, something he didn’t like to remember, something that still hurt him nowadays from time to time, just so he could have his body back, it wouldn’t be a bad trade, except that there was the possibility of forgetting why he hated his family, why he had left them and never came back to them, why he had chosen to stay by Zeff and his friends’ side, or maybe he wouldn’t forget, but there would be something missing, and Sanji wouldn’t know what.

It would drive him crazy, and what if it changed him in the end?

“Then let’s think about a good memory. You’ve got a lot of them and we’ll make more, a lot more, a thousand more so you’ll never miss it!” Luffy easily answered, a big smile on his face.

He saw the way Sanji’s flames flared up, his face finally relaxing.

“Yeah…” He paused, thinking. “It can’t be something too important though.” He sighed. “It’s so hard.”

Luffy wanted to comfort him, to hold his hand and make sure he knew that, no matter what memory he would choose, Luffy would always be there to remind him that he wasn’t alone. Instead, he closed his eyes and tried to find a good memory with Sanji that didn’t hold too much importance for him.

How ridiculous it was. Every memory was important!

He released a heavy sigh of his own.

“I can’t give up one with Zeff.” Sanji whispered low with a guilty face, clearly having something already in mind. “I can’t forget something that I’m the only one to know, and I can’t forget memories with our friends or other people. I mean, except…”

Luffy blinked, his mouth slowly forming a silent “o”.

“You’re right!”

“I am?”

“Yes! I mean, Robin said that she needed a memory from when you were still alive, she never said that I couldn’t give one of mine too.”

“What?!” Sanji said with a confused look.

It toned down Luffy’s excitement a little bit but the idea didn’t look totally farfetched the more he thought about it.

“Let’s give her one of our good memories, together. It’s easy, we have tone of them!”

“But… you’ll forget it too.” Sanji winced at the way his voice faltered.

Luffy’s eyes softened with affection but his determination remained as strong as ever.

“I know and it’s okay. I don’t want to remember something that you don’t remember. I’ve done that before and it was awful.”

Sanji’s eyes widened with understanding and he gave up trying to change Luffy’s mind.

“Okay, but then, what memory do you want to give Robin? I mean… if we only think about the two of us together, even if there’s a lot, we can’t choose something that could change us.” Sanji pondered, mindlessly digging a hole in the dirt with his foot, ignoring the way it melted under the heat of his flames.

“What about our Sundays together?” Luffy suggested and Sanji perked up at the idea.

“Right! Maybe one when I was training to show Zeff that I could work with him in the kitchens?” He shook his head. “No, maybe one from later, after the whole shitty mess with the Vinsmoke?”

Luffy thought hard too, his index against his forehead, slowly remembering their Sundays through the years.

“What about the day you ate three quarters of the strawberry and cream layer cake just by yourself and stopped listening to me because you were still hungry and I had to cook dinner earlier?” Sanji suggested after a while. “It’s not like it was the first time and it was years ago, I’ve mastered that cake by now.”

Luffy was a bit proud to say that he loved everything Sanji cooked, even more when it was made especially for him, but it happened often so it was normal if it took him a bit of time to place that memory in particular.

“You were like 13? 14?” Sanji added to help him.

A flash of Sanji’s tongue licking white cream from his finger popped in his mind and Luffy shook his head with horror.

“No no no! Not this one!” He shouted with red cheeks and panicked eyes.

It made Sanji raise an eyebrow at his unexpected reaction.

“Why are you looking like that?” He asked, curious.

“Like what? I’m always looking like this!”

He turned away to hide his treacherous face, embarrassed by his younger self who hadn’t been able to think about anything else but Sanji’s tongue for weeks after that day, making this memory too important for him to forget.

“Are we really talking about the same thing? I mean, it was just one cake and I made enough to feed our entire neighborhood, at least, so why does this one bother you so much?”

Luffy sighed and slowly turned around, looking at Sanji, stunning, handsome and his, and realized that it was maybe a bit ridiculous to feel so shy about something that happened years ago, especially since they were together now.

“I’ve never told you before but I’ve been in love with you for a very long time. I didn’t realize it right away but there were moments… And this day is special to me. I couldn’t get you out of my head for weeks, I was a bit confused and…” He blushed, playing with his hands, looking away for a second.

Should he be honest? It was a long time ago but maybe Sanji wouldn’t like to learn that Luffy wanted to touch him all this time.

When he looked back at Sanji again, his golden flames were high, his blue eyes sparkling, and there was a huge smile on his face.

“Shit, I want to kiss you right now.” He said in a breath.

It made Luffy’s laugh, nervousness gone in an instant. He wanted to kiss him too, and his resolve to give Sanji his body back grew even stronger.

They talked a lot more, reminiscing their memories together, and if they didn’t have to erase one of them later on, it would have been a simple but very good moment just between them, sharing old secrets, bad recipes and funny anecdotes.

“What about the steak with rice you do every time you don’t have a lot of time to cook for me?” Luffy asked, now more interested to talk about the first meal Sanji would cook when they would come back home. “The meat is always rolled up, it’s funny!”

They were seated on the ground now, so close they could almost touch each other, and if it wasn’t for Sanji’s dangerous burning soul, Luffy would have leaned on him already. Instead, he occupied his hands by pushing pebbles with a stick.

“The veal tenderloin and rice with Bolognese sauce.” The blond hummed, staring at nothing for a second. “We should choose this one.”

Luffy nodded, knowing that he wasn’t talking about their homecoming meal anymore. It was a snack Luffy loved that Sanji cooked often without any particular reason, but it was always a good moment spent together, and just like that, the memory they were going to forget was chosen.

They went back to the shore where Robin was patiently waiting, greeting them back with her kind smile.

“Are you ready?” She asked and they shared a smile before nodding.

“Yes! We’re going to give you a memory now!”

She frowned at Luffy’s declaration.

“You too?”

“He doesn’t want to remember something I won’t.” Sanji explained. “Is that possible? To give you one of our shared memories?”

Robin slowly went to her feet, scrutinizing them with a serious expression.

“I can only receive memories from Predestined.” She said, clearly still in disbelief by their strange request.

“Finally! This whole Pre-thingy is useful for once!” Luffy shouted, relieved.

Robin’s shock didn’t go unnoticed and Luffy laughed softly, while Sanji had to explain why he was doing the quest instead of him.

Her eyes lighted up with something like hope when Sanji revealed how he had broken Luffy’s fate, and almost everything else in his path at this point to save him, and how loved ones had helped them start the quest despite him not being a Predestined.

Robin listened closely and her expression visibly relaxed, her kind smile back on her lips.

“I never thought it was possible. I guess some things are still unpredictable.” She said in the end.

“Unpredictable is Luffy’s second name. Nothing goes as planned with him around.” Sanji grinned.

“Shishishi!”

Robin chuckled before her face became more serious, although her eyes still sparkled with joy.

“Then I’ll be honored to receive your shared memory for this quest. If the offer still stands, I mean?”

“It does!” Luffy exclaimed.

He and Sanji shared a knowing smile before they started talking in turns about one of the best snacks of Luffy’s life.

The occurrence was far from uncommon, obviously, and it made for a very good memory to share with Robin who listened and even laughed at Luffy’s antics. Sanji wouldn’t stop looking at him with annoyance to hide his own smile, and Luffy called him on it, making his flames flared up when he let go of the pretense and revealed his huge grin.

Luffy wondered if they would remember this afterward, and he wished they could, because he was having a really good time right now.

“Thank you for such a joyful memory.” Robin said before walking further into the water until it reached her waist. “It’s time now that I fulfill the end of our deal. Sanji, could you join me in the lake, please?”

Luffy saw him tense so he gave him a quick smile to reassure him and Sanji entered the water with determination.

The lake started to boil at the contact of his flames, steamy vapor rapidly surrounding his golden soul, forcing Luffy to step back from the shore so he could breathe. Robin didn’t seem bothered at all and when Sanji was in front of her, she touched the top of his head with a smile.

She didn’t turn into ashes and Luffy squinted his eyes to try to see better through the smoke, but it became too thick to even recognize the gold of Sanji’s flames anymore. He waited with a beating heart, pushing away all second thoughts coming into mind, hoping, believing, that everything was going to be alright.

The wind suddenly rose and cleared the smoke, revealing only Robin in the middle of the lake.

“What happened? Where’s Sanji?!” Luffy ran towards her, almost splashing his face against the water when he tripped over the pebbles, looking frantically around him for Sanji’s form, golden or not.

“WHERE IS HE?!” He shouted and Robin finally looked at him, her face tired.

“It’s okay, it just takes a bit of time.”

Luffy relaxed a bit, relief washing over him, and he felt slightly ashamed for lashing out at her so quickly. But as much as he wanted to look confident, this whole quest still put him on edge since it concerned Sanji and his well-being.

“Now it’s your turn, Luffy.” Robin held her hands to him and he took it without hesitation.

Her skin was cold, and wet, and when he squeezed her hand, it melted a little, water falling in the lake between his fingers.

Before he could question her about it, he felt something being snatched inside of him, leaving a small hole in his chest behind, until the awkwardness completely disappeared.

“It’s done.” She whispered in disbelief.

Luffy looked at her with an inquisitive look and she tiredly smiled, her face starting to become translucent, as if she was made only of water. Only her deep blue eyes could be seen clearly and they reflected her joy and gratitude.

“You don’t know how much it means to me. Thank you.”

“Wait! What’s going on?”

He tried to hold her back but her hand wasn’t solid anymore and fell into drops of water.

“It’s okay. I’ll wait until Sanji’s back.” She said and Luffy swallowed with difficulty, her sudden new appearance making him a bit uneasy.

“What’s happening to you?”

Robin was smiling. He didn’t know how he knew without a face, but she was, and finally, it settled something in his chest. Whatever was happening right now didn’t frighten her nor did it hurt her and Luffy relaxed at the thought.

“I’m sorry for not telling you before. I couldn’t. There are rules… But it doesn’t matter anymore. You freed me, Luffy. You gave me a memory from your own will, without getting anything else in exchange. Thanks to you, I can finally…” She gasped, looking down. “Luffy, quick! Go get Sanji!”

There were bubbles in front of her and he took one more step to reach them, just to fall into a hole, his feet not touching the bottom of the lake anymore. The bubbles grew bigger and he took a deep breath before going under water.

He wasn’t the best swimmer, far from it, something his friends used to tease him about while they all reassured him that they would save him if he ever was in danger, but he wasn’t completely clueless either. He opened his eyes and ignored the sting, recognizing Sanji immediately in the dark waters.

He swam towards him to grab him and pull him up as fast as he could until both of their head breached the surface. He swam with difficulty until his feet finally touched the bottom, helping him to carry him better in his arms.

It wasn’t until then that he realized that he could touch him.

Sanji had a real body again!

But the joy was quickly replaced by worry when he noticed that he wasn’t conscious.

“I have to go.” Robin informed him.

She seemed conflicted, as if she didn’t want to leave them on their own, but her body had already mostly fallen into water.

“I know someone who can help you. If you say that I sent you, I’m sure Franky will gladly show you the way to the last trial. His house is very easy to find, if it doesn’t find you first.”

Her face was now on the surface of the water and when she closed her eyes, the last ripples stilled.

“Thank you.” Her whisper carried through the wind and Luffy nodded with a light smile, keeping her explanations in a corner of his mind.

He hurried to carry Sanji on the dry shore, lying him down on the pebbles, and checked his pulse. He was breathing, a frown on his face and very naked.

Luffy opened his bag and took out Sanji’s clothes and towels, making sure that he wouldn’t freeze just right after getting his body back. He was about to start a fire when Sanji suddenly opened his eyes and sat up, taking heavy breaths while looking around him, completely disoriented.

Luffy was immediately by his side and hugged him as tightly as he could.

“Shh… It’s okay, you made it. You made it!” He reassured him with a gentle voice, kissing lightly his temple while rubbing his body to try to warm him up a little more.  

Sanji shivered and leaned on him, looking at his hands, his hands made of flesh and bones, flexing his fingers as if to try to move them, before turning to Luffy with watery eyes.

“Luffy…” His voice broke and Luffy hold him closer, his own tears of relief slipping silently on his skin.

“I know, it’s okay, you made it.” He repeated but Sanji was still shivering in his arms and his breathing was beginning to become quicker and uneven.

Luffy shushed him to calm him down, taking his hands in his to shelter them, using his own body heat to try to chase the cold away. Sanji still looked lost, squeezing their clasped hands hard as if they were his lifesaver, before burying his head in Luffy’s shoulder to cry, loud hiccups escaping him a few times.

Luffy put his head on the top of the soft blond hair, the same softness as he remembered, never letting go of the man he loved would never be able to live without. His Sanji was back, alive and real, even if he still felt too cold for his taste.

Sanji shivered, and he never really stopped shivering even when his cries calmed down, even when his body became warmer, and Luffy could see in his eyes that something was terribly wrong with him.

“What is it? Sanji, talked to me.” He asked with the softest tone he knew.

Sanji shivered again, his eyes red when he met Luffy’s own.

“I don’t know. It just… It doesn’t feel right.”

Luffy wanted this fear in his eyes gone but even curled up like this in his arms, knowing that Luffy was here and would protect him from the rest of the world if he had to, the fear remained.

“That’s like what Brook said yesterday. I can’t… I can’t stay like this!” Sanji closed his eyes and bit his lips, holding Luffy tighter while he continued to shiver from head to toe.

Luffy hated this. He hated seeing him like this, clearly hurt by something impossible to fight with his own fists. He felt useless, and not even the fact that he was finally able to touch Sanji could bring him joy anymore. They had to get going and finish the quest as fast as possible, the feeling of urgency even stronger now more than ever.

“Robin told me that a guy will lead us to the final trial. We just need to find his house.” Luffy whispered in Sanji’s ear and he felt him nodding.

“Okay, let’s go.”

He tried to get up on his own but fell right back in Luffy’s arms.

“Shit.”

He shivered. He tried to move again and it was obvious that he hadn’t fully recovered his strengths after getting his body back, so Luffy stopped him.

“We have… we have to go now, please Luffy, it’s too-” His voice broke before he could finish his sentence.

“Shh. Don’t worry, I’m going to carry you.” Luffy said and it seemed to reassure him at least.

It worried Luffy even more however, because Sanji hadn’t protested the slightest against the suggestion.

Luffy rapidly packed their things, putting his old red shirt very wet that Robin had left behind in his bag too, not even bothering himself with another shirt. He put his bag on his back and refused to show his concern on his face when he noticed how small Sanji looked on the ground, curled into a ball while visibly shivering.

Except Sanji knew him too well and tried to reassure him with a small smile.

“I almost wish I still had my flames right now. At least I wouldn’t feel so shitty.”

“You won’t feel like this for long, I promise.”

Luffy crouched in front of him and put one lock of hair behind his ear, letting Sanji lean on his hand to chase after the warmth, closing his eyes with trust.

The peaceful moment broke when Sanji shivered, his face now adorned with a painful frown.

“Alright, put your hands around my neck.” Luffy told him with seriousness and Sanji complied immediately, letting himself be lifted up from the ground with ease, burying his nose in the crook of Luffy’s neck.

Luffy took a deep breath and squeezed him, once, just because he could, unbothered by the added weight on his arms. Maybe it would have been smarter to carry him on his back, but Luffy wanted to keep an eye on him at all time, and now that he was able to finally touch him, he wanted to feel him against him as close as possible. His heartbeat and his warmth helped him get his head straight and focused on the road ahead.

Now, where could he find this guy called Franky?

Chapter Text

Day 123 and 125 (Earth Surface Time )

He was exhausted, famished and worried sick about Sanji who could now walk on his own but still shivered from time to time, refusing to let go of his hand even for a second, too pale and frightened to be okay.

So, when Luffy finally saw a moving house, he didn’t even feel excited about it.

The house was on wheels, making its way through the forest easily, a big smiling sun placed above the door, but the weirdest part was probably the mechanical arms on all sides that were collecting wood, fruits and other resources with great precision before putting everything inside big baskets nailed to the exterior walls.

Luffy squeezed Sanji’s hand in his and rubbed the soft skin with his thumb when he felt a new wave of shivers coursing through him. He brought it to his lips to leave a butterfly kiss and at the caring touch, the blond finally relaxed a little.

“Let’s go.” Luffy said and Sanji nodded, even though he reluctantly let go of his hand so Luffy could encircle his waist just before rocketing them to the front of the door of the moving house.

The moment they put foot inside, chaos ensued. The mechanical arms immediately stopped whatever they were doing and tried to force them out but Luffy was too tired to play with them. He crushed several arms before he heard a loud “Go to sleep!”, and all the arms quickly retreated at once and stopped moving.

“Wow, wow! That’s not super! You don’t have to destroy everything man!”

The guy who appeared in the now destroyed living-room had light blue hair with sunglasses on top of his head and raised his muscular arms in front of him in sign of peace.

“You’re Franky?” Luffy asked, impatient, not even bothering himself with an apology for the mess he just created.

“Yeah, who’s asking?” The guy frowned, on his guard.

Luffy sighed with relief and gave him his first real smile since he and Sanji had left the shore, hours ago.  

“Robin sends us!”

Franky looked surprised and observed them more closely.

“She did?”

“Yeah! She said you could guide us to the last trial of Sanji’s quest!” Luffy explained, feeling more energetic now that he had finally found Franky.

The guy tilted his head on the side, apparently not really convinced.

“Why? I know her, she’s too super to leave whoever needs help on their own so why didn’t she explain the road to you directly?”

Luffy kept his smile on his lips, remembering the peace in Robin’s eyes before completely vanishing in the lake.

“She couldn’t. She just had the time to tell me to find you before she left.”

“Left? She can’t leave the lake, unless…” His face lighted up, looking at them both with hope in his eyes.

Luffy’s smile grew bigger.

“She said I freed her. And she seemed so happy too! But she couldn’t stay long and told me to find you.”

At the news, Franky’s mouth broke into a huge smile, his whole demeanor immediately becoming friendlier.

“Oh man! That’s super! Well then, of course I’ll guide you! Come on in!”

He welcomed them warmly, carelessly pushing the debris away in his path, and suggested to make themselves at home while he would turn the house in the right direction and put it on autopilot. Luffy found that very cool but when he turned to Sanji, the blond looked really tense, clenching and unclenching his hands repeatedly.

He was about to say something when Sanji spoke first.

“I’m so glad we finally found him.”

He took a shaky breath, trying to hide his anxiety from Luffy’s keen eyes, probably to not worry him, but Luffy wasn’t going to let him face whatever was hurting him right now alone. He tightened his grip on his waist and drew him closer, forcing him to look him into the eye.

“It’s going to be okay, I promise.” He said confidently, not letting go of him until he was sure Sanji believed him.

He only received a quick smile before they heard Franky clearing his throat, forcing them to break their embrace.

“Soooo… It’s going to take a while before we arrive to the cave but I’ve got plenty of food in stock if you’re hungry. And there’s a bathroom if you want to fresh up a little!” Franky pointed behind him, a bit embarrassed for interrupting them.

Sanji forced a smile but it did the trick and Franky relaxed.

“I don’t remember the last time I was able to take a real shower!” Sanji said with a cheerful voice, slowly releasing his grip on Luffy to take a few steps ahead. “That’s nice of you to offer. You don’t mind if I go first, right Luffy?”

He didn’t even wait for an answer before going presumably through the bathroom’s door in the corridor. It was odd and made Luffy frowned. After so many hours refusing to let him go, it felt weird to see him so quick to leave him behind, but Luffy had the feeling that he needed some time alone, at least to check his own body now that it was real and tangible.

“Let me show you the kitchen then.”

Luffy followed Franky and was pleasantly surprised by the well-build kitchen. It had been a while since he had seen a modern kitchen and it reminded him of his own in his small apartment, where he had so many good memories with his friends and more particularly with Sanji.

He thought about the memory he had lost but didn’t dwell about it very long. It wasn’t really lost if he entrusted it to Robin, plus, he and Sanji were going to have a lot more of good and happy memories together to compensate the loss.

“Want me to prepare you something?” Franky asked, watching him with a glint of curiosity in his eyes.

“Don’t bother, Sanji will probably want to cook himself. He’s a chef and he can make everything taste good!” Luffy assured proudly.

“I see!” Franky laughed. “Well, that’s super because I’m not really a good cook!”

They talked comfortably on the stools while they waited for Sanji to come out of the bathroom, and Luffy learned that, even if Franky had heard about the quest, he had never met anyone who had to do it before. He admitted that if Robin hadn’t sent them personally, he would have probably sent them away without hesitation.

Franky didn’t say it out loud, but Luffy could imagine why he didn’t trust strangers easily. After what happened with Teach, he knew he had to be careful too, but he couldn’t help himself and got attached to the weird people he had met since the beginning of Sanji’s quest.

Maybe not Birdman, because he was too uptight to his taste, but he considered Brook as his friend, same as Robin. Franky looked cool too, and his house was definitely something he was starting to admire now that he had the time to take a break. He was even more impressed when Franky told him that he built it on his own thanks to his engineering and architect skills, and Luffy really wanted to get to know him even more.

“If you know Robin then do you know Brook too?”

“The skeleton? Yeah, he’s cool, but… hum, I’m not sure if I should tell you this.” He hesitated, uncomfortable. “I get why Sanji had to start the quest, I really do, but I don’t understand why he has to follow a script and risk to turn into… you know. Brook and Robin’s fates don’t make them happy, so why care about what destiny has in store for them? I just think they should use their time and energy to fight against it instead of trying to complete it.” He sighed. “Well, I guess it’s too late for them now, but your boyfriend should think about it.”

Luffy felt a bit strange to hear someone call Sanji his boyfriend, but in a good way, and a warm feeling spread in his chest. He didn’t care what other people could call them, Sanji was his and he was Sanji’s, that’s all, but maybe sometimes it could be nice to hear people use the more traditional ways to refer to them.

In truth, Luffy really liked the idea that Sanji was his boyfriend and the thought made him smile.

“I’m like you, I don’t think fates are that important. And don’t worry about Sanji, he’s not following a script, he doesn’t even have a fate!”

Franky looked surprised and Luffy laughed.

“I see we’re talking about me.”

“Sanji!”

Luffy jumped on him, loving the way Sanji cursed at him because Luffy was still dirty and was ruining his efforts to look presentable to their host, the familiarity comforting. The blond damp hair hid part of his face so Luffy wasn’t sure, but he seemed less on edge than earlier.

“Go take a shower while I make up something good.”

“Yeah, food! I want a lot of meat, Sanji!” Luffy said while running to the bathroom, or more like trying to, because Sanji stopped him by grabbing him by his bag and took out his wallet where he kept his kitchen knives.

“Yeah yeah, I know. Now go, and don’t come back until all traces of dirt on you are gone!” He said when he released him.

Luffy left and barely heard Sanji asking permission to use the kitchen before closing the door behind him, and the idea of eating Sanji’s food motivated him to wash himself real quick. He still enjoyed the hot shower and scrubbed his skin until he felt clean, but gave up washing his hair thoroughly. It was a little longer than he was used to and it was a bother when the locks untangled themselves with his fingers, making it hard to free them without pulling painfully at his hair.

Finally, he put a not-too-dirty t-shirt and shorts on. Of all the things Luffy hadn’t thought that he would have to worry about was his clothes, but the journey hadn’t been kind to them and they didn’t look like much anymore. Even Sanji’s leather jacket that he had decided early on to tuck at the bottom of Luffy’s bag to protect it from the weather had seen better days.

The only things that were almost as good as new, even though they were really old, were Luffy’s straw hat and Sanji’s leather wallet.

He had a quick thought about Shanks when he put his hat back on his head, wondering briefly if he would ever meet him here, where they promised to see each other again, but he pushed the thought away. They would definitely meet again, he was sure of it, even though he didn’t believe in predestined fates or whatever, because he trusted his friend to keep his word and that was enough for him.

He pushed the door quietly and yawned, his fatigue catching up to him. He felt safe and when he smelled the delicious meal that Sanji was cooking, he started to lick his lips with anticipation, his mouth watering.

However, his good mood immediately soured when he caught pieces of Sanji and Franky’s conversation, unknowingly slowing his steps to listen more closely.

“… I don’t know how to tell you.” Sanji’s voice was strained, making Luffy’s heart clench. “It’s like… if I don’t often remind myself who I am and what I love, I’ll lose myself.”

Luffy watched him discreetly and noticed the way he was clenching his hand on the handle of the knife, his grip so hard that his knuckles had turned white. He could see how tense he was, gritting his teeth, while Franky was frowning at him, thinking about Sanji’s admission.

Luffy was thinking about it too, remembering all the little details of Sanji’s discomfort… no, fear, since he got his body back.

Brook had said that he had been missing something important that he needed to get back, no matter what, and clearly, Sanji couldn’t live without it either, whatever it was. It meant that Sanji had to finish the quest if he wanted to feel like his old self again, even if failing could definitely kill him.

“I didn’t know.” Franky said with sincere sympathy. “I guess with or without fate, this stupid quest is as hard to endure as it is to complete it.”

Sanji sighed and Luffy couldn’t watch from the sidelines anymore. He took a deep breath and placed a smile on his lips, stomping the floor with his sandals so as to make sure that Sanji and Franky knew that he was coming.

“It smells so gooood!” Luffy hugged Sanji’s back and was pleased to feel him relax against him.

After breakfast, or lunch, Luffy wasn’t really sure, Franky offered them to rest in the guest room, assuring that they wouldn’t reach the cave of the last trial before nightfall.

The bed was too soft to his liking but it wasn’t the only reason why Luffy struggled to fall asleep.

Sanji was restless. He hadn’t said anything but he seemed afraid that Luffy would disappear while he was sleeping, and more than once, he sat suddenly on the bed and frantically looked for him, inevitably waking up Luffy too.  

It was only when he cuddled up to Sanji and the blond held him tightly in his arms that his breath finally slowed down and calmly evened out. With everything they went through, it was really comforting to be in each other arms like this, but the way Sanji was curling around him and still shivered made Luffy extremely worried.  

He listened to his respiration for a long time, noticing how Sanji’s body still flinched from time to time.

Sanji had been fine in his soul form after getting his memories back. They hadn’t talked about what he had gone through to save Luffy’s life but he doubted that it had been very pleasant or even painless. Sanji wasn't the kind of person to complain about his own pain though, or to admit fear, preferring to rely on anger instead to hide his true feelings, and if he was more honest with Luffy now, it didn’t mean that it was normal to see him so openly afraid.

He didn’t mind the clinginess if it wasn’t the only way to reassure Sanji. Something was wrong, something that Luffy couldn’t fix right away, and he hated feeling so powerless. Sanji didn’t deserve to feel like this and he wished he could share his burden with him, but he didn’t know how, so he moved even closer to Sanji and hugged him in his sleep to make sure he knew that he wasn’t alone.

After they woke up from their nap, more or less well-rested, they enjoyed the peaceful trip to their next destination. Franky liked to show them how his inventions worked, and he proudly took out a wild dinosaur that passed by in one hit, his fist pulled by a chain coming back to his arm after flying all the way to the creature’s head to crush his skull.

It was only then that Luffy realized that the man wasn’t only made of flesh and bones, but contrary to himself who had eaten a Sacred Fruit, or to Sanji when he had been a flaming soul, every bit of metallic parts were his own craft, something he had chosen. Franky revealed that he was like Sanji and didn’t have any fate of his own, but didn’t go into details of why he was here and had made all these changes to his own body.

It was cool though, especially when Luffy noticed that he could shred off his false skin at will to show him his metallic hand. And it did make Sanji curious, his frown disappearing from his face for a while, his smile easy on his lips.

The house stopped at the bottom of a hill and they all went out on the ground, but if Franky hadn’t pointed out the entry of the cave to them, Luffy would have missed it.

“A cave, huh?” Sanji sighed and Luffy took his hand to squeeze it.

“And not the kind you’ll like, unfortunately.”

Franky didn’t come nearer, uneasy.

“I guess that’s where I leave you two.”

“You’re not coming.” Sanji stated, not surprised.

“I don’t have good memories going down there and it’s pretty much straightforward from here so you can’t get lost.” He sheepishly admitted. “But I hope you’ll succeed! You guys are super!” He quickly said with a big smile and his thumbs up.

Luffy laughed.

“Thanks for everything! You’re super too!” He said while waving goodbye to him.

Franky watched them as they walked towards the hidden hole behind the blue vegetation, but before they entered the small cave, Luffy offered a confident smile to Sanji whose eyes became more determined, and he finally smiled back at him with ease, their hands comfortably clasped together between the both of them.

However, the moment they put foot inside of the cave, a freezing breeze washed over them, making Sanji shiver next to him, and Luffy clearly heard him gasp. Luffy’s hand was now crushed inside of Sanji’s hand, and if he couldn’t feel any pain thanks to his rubber body, all carefreeness definitely left his mind in an instant.

Luffy could feel it too. The cave was trying to take something from him, something within him that made him feel warm and loved, but Luffy wasn’t going to let some stupid cave take anything from him, or from Sanji for that matter.

He remembered the way Sanji would protectively spread his flames from his own soul around him and Luffy wished he could do the same for him. There had been a moment when it was like their souls could touch each other so maybe, if he concentrated enough, he could do it too.

Sanji shivered again, almost taking a step back, but Luffy forced him to stay in place.

“It’s going to be okay, Sanji.” He whispered softly.

He remembered the way Sanji’s warmth had surrounded him not that long ago, how he felt happy and overwhelmed by Sanji’s love, how they hugged without physically touching each other.

The cold feeling was quickly replaced by his own warmth, and his determination strengthened. It was working but, despite this knowledge, he failed to expand his own soul to reach Sanji’s.

And Sanji shivered, his face becoming paler and his skin colder. He didn’t let Luffy’s hand go but it was clear that he wanted to be anywhere but here.

They didn’t even made two steps inside of the cave that they were already stuck, but Luffy wasn’t going to give up that easily.

“Do you remember the way you used your flames to hug me?”

Sanji closed his eyes and bit his lower lip, but he nodded, sign that he was still fighting against the scary cave.

“I wasn’t afraid at all because I knew you’d never hurt me, and it was like we could touch each other without touching! It was awesome and I loved feeling your warmth.” Luffy smiled when Sanji risked a glance at him. “Just do it again. I know you can.” He said with confidence, hoping he could give him a bit of courage to face his fears.

Sanji’s blue eyes never left his and little by little, Luffy saw determination win against fear, his eyes growing brighter visibly. Luffy didn’t notice the heat in his hand, but he couldn’t miss the way small flames suddenly flared up from Sanji’s blond hair. His smile grew bigger as he saw Sanji straighten on his own, no more shivers coursing through his body anymore.

Luffy’s hand became suddenly very hot and he looked down, not even afraid when he saw golden flames covering their clasped hands, licking his skin without burning it.

“So cool…” He whispered when they vanished quietly.

He looked at Sanji and he seemed to feel better, his eyes glowing in the darkness while small flames sprinkled his body here and there. He loosened his grip on Luffy’s hand to interlace their fingers in a gentle way and offered him a sincere smile, but even though he tried to hide it, it was obvious that it was still hard for him to relax completely.

“I’m not sure how long I can keep that up.” Sanji said in a hush.

“Let’s go then.”

Despite the darkness of the cave, they managed to go deeper without problem, helped by Sanji’s little flames that lighted their way. The dry ground was made of very large stones, so they didn’t need to worry about slipping at least, making their progress easy.

At some point, the cave narrowed until it became a long corridor flanked by torches on the walls that mysteriously ignited when they passed next to them.

It didn’t really reassured Luffy, seeing that the flames were black, an ominous feeling crawling under his skin when he looked at them for too long. He wasn’t going to try to touch them but he was pretty sure that if he did, they would feel cold to his fingers, as cold as the strange breeze in the cave.

Sanji’s flames appeared less and less until they were completely gone, the only visible thing in the dark besides the torches being his bright blue eyes. The air was freezing and even Luffy shivered, feeling his own strength of will waning.

The corridor finally opened into a small round room without any way to go further, a weird looking bathtub in the center. Something was moving inside and when Luffy looked closer, he recognized the same black flames of the torches.

“It’s been a while.” A voice suddenly said from nowhere and everywhere at the same time, making Luffy and Sanji jump.

The black flames from the well grew bigger, unpleasantly taking the form of someone Luffy thought he would never see again.

“Teach!” He growled between his teeth. “What are you doing here?!”

The man smiled, showing his missing front tooth to them, but there was a dangerous glint in his eyes that wasn’t joyful at all.

“Your little quest isn’t to everyone’s liking, you know. You two made enemies of beings you could never even begin to understand and I’m here to make sure that Sanji fails his quest and turns into ashes, his soul shattering in million of pieces that he’ll never piece together ever again!”

The more he spoke, the more his voice became angrier while the black flames of the room became menacingly bigger, almost surrounding them completely.

“What?! No! Why would you do that?!” Luffy shouted, furious, putting himself in front of Sanji who hadn’t said anything yet, frozen in place.

“Oh, you didn’t tell him?” Teach smirked, looking at Sanji behind him with a dark look. “You didn’t brag about the way you killed me when I was in your way, breaking my neck with a quick kick like I was nothing?!”

Luffy’s eyebrows twitched. He didn’t want to take his eyes off Teach for a second so he didn’t look back and simply squeezed Sanji’s hand in his to reassure him, not even doubting one moment about him.

Maybe Sanji forgot to mention how Teach died, but it was certainly to save him, to save them both, and if their places had been reversed, Luffy wouldn’t have hesitated to stop a dangerous man from harming his favorite person in the world either. Teach had tricked them, used them for his own gain, knowing full well the deadly consequences of using the Cornucopia, so if he believed for one second that he could turn Luffy against Sanji, then he was really stupid.

Sanji could turn the world upside down and burn it to the ground, Luffy would stay by his side nonetheless. Because Sanji was the kindest person he knew, with his heart of gold made only for love, that if he thought that it was necessary to destroy something, then he was probably right.

It would be to protect his loved ones, after all.

So whatever happened between him and Teach didn’t matter. Luffy trusted Sanji with everything he held dear and he refused to let an evil man make the man he loved doubt about himself.

Luffy slowed his breathing, trying to bring forth his soul again, chasing away the coldness in his limbs until it became nothing more than a fleeting feeling.

“I’m not letting you get in our way.” He declared resolutely.

He could almost feel Sanji looking at him with relief, and their hands became agreeably warmer.

Teach shook his head, his unpleasant smile still on his lips, dark flames creeping on his skin.

“I’m not here to stop you from completing the quest. I can’t, even if I wanted to.”

His eyes darkened and the air became suddenly colder but Luffy refused to show any weakness, the same for Sanji.  

“Then what are you doing here?” Sanji spoke confidently for the first time.

“Well, every trial needs a Guardian, and it kind of happens that my predecessor went suddenly missing.” He played with a small black flame on his finger. “I took the liberty to redecorate. Do you like it?”

“Yeah, I’ve always loved to visit assholes in their creepy cave.” Sanji snarled. “But since you’re the shitty Guardian of my last trial, then tell us what to do. I’m going to succeed even if you try to get in my way, whether you like it or not.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” Teach laughed, the sound sinister to Luffy’s ears.  “But you’re right, we should get down to business.” He smirked. “Sanji, aren’t you missing something important right now? I’m sure you’re desperate to get it back, no matter what you’ll have to give in exchange. The thing that still gives you comfort, even now… Throw it inside the well.”

Sanji stilled, his hand suddenly becoming colder to the touch. Luffy risked a glance towards him and when their eyes met, the blond had a heartbroken expression on his face that finally shook his own determination.

Luffy slowly realized that what comforted Sanji the most since he got his body back, and every time he needed to be comforted in fact, was not other than him.

If Sanji wanted to feel whole again, he had to sacrifice Luffy.

“Never…” Sanji whispered, tears surprisingly welling up in his eyes.          

He took his hand back and backed away from Luffy, hiding his face behind strands of hair.

“Then I’m afraid you’ll stay like this forever, stuck as a half-man, until you lose yourself completely.” Teach casually explained, enjoying Sanji’s turmoil too much.

“Shut up!” Luffy shouted.

He grabbed Sanji by his shoulders, trying to make him look into his eyes, but his head remained irremediably down.

“Don’t listen to him! He’s good at lying, I’m sure he just wants-“

“Oh no, I can’t lie about this. The rules won’t let me.” Teach cut him, laughing when Luffy glared furiously at him.

Sanji shivered, and when Luffy was finally able to see his face clearly, any light from his blue eyes was gone, replaced by a despair that he knew was going to be hard to overcome.

“I can’t do that.” His voice broke with sorrow.

He cupped Luffy’s head in his hands when a sole tear rolled on his cheek. He brushed Luffy’s old scar under his eye with his thumb, lips going up in a very sad smile, heartbreaking love in his eyes.

“I died for you. I’m not going to kill you now. I refuse.” He said before adding in a steadier tone. “I’d rather die again.”

No…

Luffy imagined a world without Sanji, but he already knew what it looked like. It was ugly and hopeless, a monochrome land where everything was black, a bottomless pit from where he could never escape, all joy vanishing from his life. It wouldn’t be a life anyway, only a rightful punishment for not protecting Sanji like he swore he would, but Luffy refused to let it happen again.

He placed delicately his straw hat on Sanji’s head, a new determination arising in him. He saw the way Sanji’s eyes widened at his action and Luffy smiled, his heartbeat speeding up in his chest. Sanji looked good in everything but seeing him wearing his precious treasure was something that he found even more breathtaking. It fitted him, and the possessive part of himself roared inside of him.

Sanji was his. His love, his everything, his, and he deserved to be happy, now and forever. Luffy was confident to believe that he could make him happy, now more than ever, almost regretting the years when he only watched Sanji on the sidelines, too afraid to lose what he already had, but now that they were together, Luffy couldn’t die yet or it would break Sanji’s heart.

Sanji’s hands went to his hat, clinging to it like it could save him, not even trying to hold his tears anymore. His golden flames were back, stronger than ever, hugging his body like a blanket, and Luffy’s heart skipped a beat, finding him absolutely beautiful.

“Tch… What a crybaby!”

Luffy froze in anger, then quickly turned around to send a furious look to Teach. The dead man was gloating over Sanji’s pain and fear and Luffy wanted nothing more than punch him in the face but he was pretty sure that Teach was only made of black flames and he knew what a soul could do to living beings, so he forced himself to keep his cool.

It was only then that he realized that even if Teach couldn’t lie, it didn’t mean that he couldn’t mislead them however he wanted to.

Luffy looked back at Sanji who was a mess, still hanging tightly on to his straw hat, and he remembered the evil Guardian’s words.

“The thing that still gives you comfort… Throw it…” He murmured, the solution of Teach’s riddle now obvious. “Sanji!” He smiled, wiping delicately Sanji’s tears to help him refocus. “Sanji, Sanji! I figured it out!”

Sanji’s tears slowed down while his flames flared up, but he still looked confused at Luffy sudden enthusiasm.

“It’s not me! It’s a thing! Like the previous trials, you just have to give up something that belongs to only you!” Luffy tilted his head on the side, thinking. “I mean, I belong to you only, but I’m a person and I’m pretty sure it doesn’t count.”

Now Luffy was starting to doubt about his own epiphany, worried that if he was wrong, Sanji could very well disappear into nothing. But Sanji had already hope in his eyes and Luffy was almost sure that he hadn’t just spouted the first good answer that he had found to make him feel better.

“Cooking…” Sanji said, blinking the last of his tears away. “When you’re not with me, cooking is what comforts me the most.”

He took a deep breath and Luffy watched as he slowly let go of the straw hat, a new resolve burning in his eyes, matching the strong flames around him. They shared a look and Luffy nodded, handing his bag to the blond who immediately took his wallet with his kitchen knives.

He then glared at Teach and Luffy followed his gaze, matching Sanji’s anger and determination.

“Seeing how unhappy you are, I guess Luffy was right.” He said while opening the wallet, but he didn’t throw his knives just yet.

Teach looked absolutely pissed, his dark flames going wild around him, and Luffy sighed internally. He knew for a fact that it was hard for a soul to hide their emotions, good or bad, and it appeared that the kitchen knives were the real items that Sanji had to give up to succeed the quest.

The black flames looked dangerous though, and it made Luffy a bit uneasy. He was ready for anything at this point, and he trusted Sanji to have his back, but there was no way to know what was going to happen after they completed the quest.

Luffy was certain that if Teach ever saw a moment of weakness, he would jump at the chance to hurt them, or worse. So if Sanji needed time to adjust after throwing his knives in the well, Luffy was ready to step in and protect him.

Except Sanji was still hesitating, a deep frown on his face, looking at his leather wallet as if it held the world in it.

And Luffy realized how wrong he was, again. It wasn’t the kitchen knives, dear to Sanji’s heart, sure, but the wallet, offered by Zeff, his dad who raised him and loved him without condition, a gift representing their common dream, that Sanji had to part with.

And maybe it was harder than throwing away easily replaceable knives.

But when Sanji looked right at him, he smiled, serene, and threw the leather wallet with the kitchen knives in the well.

Luffy didn’t have the time to rejoice that Teach howled and darkness drowned everything around him.

Chapter Text

Day 125 and 127 (Earth Surface Time)

For a moment, Luffy couldn’t hear, see or feel anything anymore. It was like time had stopped, darkness surrounding him, as if light could never break through, as if it had never existed in the first place.

He should be afraid but he wasn’t. Because, as much as the emptiness tried to oppress him and suffocate him, he knew he was never truly alone.

He grinned and, as if on cue, a fire started to burn the darkness away before it ultimately completely disappeared. Right after, Sanji threw himself into his arms and hugged him as tightly as he could, his golden flames burning fiercely all around them to protect them from harm.

Luffy felt suddenly warm and safe, a laugh bubbling in his chest that he didn’t try to hold back.

Sanji pulled slightly apart, showing a real smile without any doubt or fear in his eyes, only love and joy, at last.

“I know it’s not the time but…” He said right before stealing his lips for a long-awaited kiss.

Luffy was taken by surprise for a second but quickly kissed him back, his interrupted laugh turning into a joyful smile against Sanji’s lips, while he clung to him with relief. The man he loved was fully back now and that meant that he could finally relax and happily enjoy the moment.  

The kiss was light and short, but it was enough for them to feel the love they shared for each other, deep and unbreakable, and Sanji ended it with a last peck brushing his lips, still making Luffy’s heart flutter at the soft touch.

Sanji beamed, eyes shining with happiness, golden flames hugging him perfectly while he was gently caressing Luffy’s cheek with a finger, and Luffy found him absolutely beautiful, unable to take his eyes off his radiant face, framed with his familiar straw hat.

“I really wanted to do this.” He chuckled and Luffy joined him, happy.

“So sweet! I could almost tear up from this beautiful sight!” A voice they really didn’t want to hear came from the dark flames, Teach’s eyes glaring at them menacingly while the low half of his body was engulfed in the dangerous fire.

Without a word, Luffy and Sanji turned towards him, immediately on their guard, smiles replaced by a more serious expression.

“Unfortunately for you, now that you finished the quest, I can do whatever I want without these stupid rules holding me back!” He let a raucous laugh out and they saw the black flames going over the edge of the well and becoming bigger and darker.

“Shit! We need to get out of here!” Sanji said, already pulling Luffy’s arm to retreat quickly, right before pushing him to start running towards the exit of the cave.

Luffy didn’t hesitate and pushed forward, Sanji right behind him, his warm flames protecting them from the cold dark flames that tried to encircle them. He was grateful for the golden fire because he was pretty sure that without it, their body would already have turned into ashes in seconds, or worse.

Sanji’s grip on his arm was strong and reassuring, but as much as they tried to outrun Teach in the long tunnel, it was like the cave itself didn’t want them to leave. Luffy had to smash the walls closing on them several times, knowing very well that if they stopped for even a second, Teach would catch up with them and it would be all over.

Sanji’s flames were beautiful and protectively warded off the black flames following them, but Teach was clearly to his advantage here, and Luffy didn’t want to risk fighting him right now. So when he saw a glimpse of the exit, he threw a punch towards the outside and grabbed the first thing he found.

“Hang tight!”

Sanji immediately hugged him from behind and Luffy thrusted them out. He had to hit a stone wall on his way to break through but then, he was finally out of the cave, flying until he crashed on the grass, shielding Sanji from the impact with his own body.

He didn’t let his guard down just yet and rapidly sat to look at the cave’s entrance that was crumbling before his eyes. Sanji did the same, his flames now visibly smaller, but when Teach and his dark flames tried to leave the cave, he was abruptly stopped by an invisible wall.

“NOOO!!” He screamed out of his lungs, hitting the barrier with all his strength, to no avail.

Luffy was almost relieved, not even caring about the reason that kept Teach from following them to the outside, when the ground started to shake and the sky rumbled furiously.

A loud explosion made them look up towards the volcan, where smoke and fire twirled together in the sky, joined by electric flares that didn’t bode anything good.

“What the hell?!” Sanji exclaimed, a bit out of breath.

Luffy wasn’t better, taking a deep breath before standing up, and helped Sanji to get on his feet. Their hands stayed linked afterwards, the familiar intimacy reassuring them both. Luffy only glanced at Teach one more time before completely ignoring the dead man, along with his outburst and the curses he was throwing at them.

The ground shook again and that, he couldn’t ignore it. Even the clouds were becoming menacing, the lightning falling on the top of the mountain quickly followed by the sound of impressive cracks, as if nature itself was on the verge of breaking apart.

“Maybe we shouldn’t stay here.” Sanji suggested when a tree branch fell not so far from them after a very short but strong earthquake.

Luffy looked around and didn’t recognize the area where Franky had dropped them off earlier, but he could see the lake at the bottom of the mountain, and it seemed calmer there than where they were.

“Let’s go back to Robin’s lake!”

Sanji nodded before they both ran far away from the screaming Guardian, and it felt like they were leaving all the bad stuff they’ve been through since they met him behind too. Luffy couldn’t help himself and laughed, Sanji’s warm hand in his, a weight he didn’t know he was caring being lifted off his shoulders.

His laugh was contagious because soon after, Sanji was laughing with him, as if they weren’t fleeing from basically the end of the world.

“Hey, Sanji! I love you!” He shouted and flames burst alive from Sanji’s body while his big grin ate up his whole face.

“I love you too, Luffy!” Sanji shouted back.

They were running as fast as they could but the ground didn’t stop shaking, the lighting still fell behind them, and when Luffy glanced back for a second, he saw lava coming their way, all the way from the top of the volcan.

As much as he was happy that Sanji was finally completely himself, both in mind and body, it didn’t seem to be the best moment to rejoice and let his guard down. Whatever was happening right now looked dangerous, so the only way from here was forward, where the lake was still sparkling prettily.

“We have to go faster!” Luffy said, but he was already at full speed, and he knew Sanji was only matching his pace so as to not let their hands go.

“I have an idea…I don’t know if it’ll work but we won’t know unless I try!”

Sanji’s flames became a whole lot bigger and he kicked the ground to jump very, very, very high, taking Luffy with him. But then Sanji’s feet flailed in the air and they both quickly fell towards the ground.

“Shit shit shit!” Sanji kept repeating and Luffy knew that Sanji wasn’t going to be able to fly like when he was a soul soon enough to prevent their imminent crash.

He launched his hand to the farthest tree away from them, and he saw the moment Sanji realized what he was about to do.

Their fall was abruptly short cut when he flanged them both towards the lake. It was going to be a rough landing but Luffy wasn’t worried, his body could easily take the brunt of the impact and protect Sanji at the same time.

He laughed when he heard Sanji curse at him while desperately clinging to him, and they crashed in the lake in a huge splash. The lake was colder than he remembered, and he gasped, a mistake that made him swallow water against his will. He thrashed a little before Sanji helped him come to the surface where he finally took shallow breaths, coughing water at the same time.

“You big idiot!” Sanji yelled, but he also helped him reach the shore with extra care, making sure that Luffy didn’t swallow any more water. “Be more careful next time!”

“Does that mean there’ll be a next time?” He asked mischievously, managing to laugh before coughing again.

Sanji rolled his eyes but his smile never left his lips. He took the straw hat that was still hanging on his back by its thread and put it gently on Luffy’s head.

“Maybe, if I still don’t know how to fly and I need someone to catch me.” He said with a wink, his wet blond locks shining with the lightning behind him.

It shouldn’t make Luffy blush so easily but a playful Sanji was always enticing to see and it was proof again that whatever had been wrong with him before was well and truly over now.

They couldn’t relax though, because the sky rumbled and the ground shook, the lava and the lightning visibly coming towards them.

“Yohoho! You’re still alive!”

They turned their attention towards the familiar laugh and noticed Brook, Franky and even Robin’s presence not far from the shore, Franky’s house hidden a little further in the forest.

“Guys! What are you doing here?!” Luffy asked, enthusiast to meet with his friends again. “And Robin, you’re back too!”

“Hi Luffy, hi Sanji.” Robin greeted them with a smile.

She was wearing clothes too big for her but at least she wasn’t naked, and she looked better than when he saw her last time, her expression softer and very much less sad.

“How did you get here so fast?” Sanji asked Franky who only raised an eyebrow.

“Dude, it’s been two days since we last saw each other!”

“Yohoho! Time and space are a real mystery in that cave!”

Luffy took the information in and simply accepted it. It wasn’t like it really mattered because as long as he was with Sanji, time could fly by or slow down, he would never get bored. Life with Sanji was fun, and joyful, and every hardship they faced off and would face off later was never going to win against them. They were stronger together and could overcome anything, even fate or death apparently.

The loud crack of a lightning made them all jump.

“Damn, the gods are super pissed off!” Franky raised his sunglasses, frowning at the destructive lava slowly but surely coming their way.

Robin hugged herself, her eyes never leaving the angry sky while she pursed her lips.

“That Akainu is a real piece of work.” Sanji grumbled. “Why does he care so much about me completing this shitty quest? He even sent that asshole after us to make sure I fail!”

“It’s not only the God of the Dead.” Robin sighed, and now Luffy could see fear in her eyes. “Eneru, or the one you know as Zeus, is clearly not pleased that my curse has been broken.”

“Seriously?” Sanji’s angry voice softened, his eyes gentle when he spoke to her. “Why would he curse an angel like you?”

He smiled to reassure her and it seemed to soothe her fear a little because her lips went up in a small smile.

“Long story short, he’s an egocentric bastard who can’t take no for an answer.” Franky replied in her stead with anger while Brook vehemently nodded next to him.

Luffy didn’t know exactly what this Eneru had wanted from Robin, but he had a feeling that it wasn’t something pleasant and understood Franky and Brook’s anger on her behalf. Sanji sent a glare at the sky, furious too, and Luffy took a decision.

“That’s okay because he’s never going to hurt you anymore.” He declared confidently, looking at his friends with a serious face. “None of you.”

Robin, Franky and Brook looked at him with stupefaction, but Sanji offered him a smile to show his full support to whatever wild idea he had. It boosted his own confidence, his remaining doubts completely vanishing from his mind.

He glared at the lightning and the lava, a smile slowly growing on his lips, his hands almost shivering with anticipation.

“If it’s a fight the gods want, I’ll beat their ass and make sure they won’t ever try to meddle with our lives anymore!”

When Luffy looked at his friends again, they were smiling and he could see a new hope shining in their eyes.

“I’m super done for it! It’s been too long since the gods are playing with little old mortals like us!” Franky said with a grin.

Brook laughed, the skeleton even more energetic than usual.

“How could I refuse such a wonderful idea? Count me in!”

Robin chuckled, fear no longer in her eyes, and Luffy was glad that his friends seemed to accept his suggestion so easily. He felt Sanji take his hand, squeezing it once, and when Luffy looked at him, his blue eyes were slightly glowing, almost imperceptible small flames dancing in his golden locks.

“So, how do we beat this?” Sanji asked, pointing with his thumb to the hot lava scorching the ground and the powerful lightning frying everything in its path. “I believe in you Luffy, and our friends too, but I’m not against a real plan here.”

And it was where Luffy’s idea hit his first wall. He hadn’t really thought about a plan, he just believed that they could win against anything together, and he knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but he also knew nothing could ever stop them if they really put their mind into it.

Luffy could stretch his body after all, and Sanji could apparently still conjure his flames, warm and comforting to the touch, but Luffy was pretty sure they felt like this only because Sanji had made sure that they would never hurt him.

Plus, they weren’t alone anymore. Their friends were awesome, between Brook who was a skeleton but still kept his love for music alive all these years, Franky who had rebuilt himself to become a cool cyborg and made a cool house with ingenious inventions with his own two hands, and Robin, kind and generous, who might be more than meet the eye at first glance.

So maybe, there was a way to punch a god through lava, who knows?

He was about to speak when a whirlpool suddenly appeared right in the center of the lake and the wind picked up violently above them, forcing Luffy to take hold of his hat so as to not lose it.

“How many gods did you piss off?!” Franky had to shout to be heard above the whizzing of the wind, his strong arm grabbing the nearest tree to keep his balance.

Luffy felt his feet slide and he had to kick the ground to bury one of his feet so as to not be pushed further away. Next to him, Sanji hugged him as tightly as he could while one of his hands shielded his eyes to look at the whirlpool, and Luffy secured him even more with an arm around his waist.

Robin lost suddenly her footing and Franky quickly caught her with one hand, making sure that she didn’t fall anymore, but Brook, with his skeletal body, was so light that he couldn’t fight against the force of the wind on his own and was blown away.

“Brook!”

His friend screamed, holding his violin case like his life depended on it, but before Luffy had the time to throw a hand towards him, he saw multiple hands blooming from Robin’s body until they caught the flying skeleton in the air. She pulled him towards the ground and when he was finally secured with her against Franky, she looked at Luffy and Sanji’s direction with apprehension.

Luffy was just in awe at what he just witnessed and he grinned, seeing the moment Robin relaxed when she smiled back at him.

But now they were kind of stuck, the wind too strong to even try to move and take refuge inside of Franky’s house, even though it wasn’t that far away.

“Luffy, look!” Sanji shouted and Luffy turned his attention to the whirlpool.

It was huge now, as big as the lake itself, and it started to go over the edge, looking like a gigantic moving wall of water that was dangerously coming closer to them.

“We can’t stay here!” Sanji said but it was already too late.

Luffy expected to be hit by a strong wave and closed his eyes, clutching Sanji’s shirt as strongly as he could, but the hit never came. He opened his eyes and saw the wall splitting in two, small drops of water falling on him, Sanji and their friends, while small calm waves went to lick their ankles. When they were all inside of the calm whirlpool, the wall of water closed behind them, and the wind dropped.

It was like the gigantic wall of water was shielding them from the lava and the lightning, and Luffy wasn’t so sure that all the gods hated them right now.

Because, clearly, if the one controlling the whirlpool wanted them dead, they would be already.

Luffy looked around, sensing a presence near him, while Sanji and their friends were trying to find a relatively logic explanation to whatever was happening right now.

“What the hell just happened?!” Sanji kicked the water at his feet but the whirlpool wasn’t as threatening as earlier, barely reaching their knees while its current was almost inexistant.

“I think the God of All Seas is protecting us.” Robin said while her many extra hands still holding Brook fell beautifully around him like a waterfall.

“Yeah but… why? The gods usually don’t fight among them.” Franky looked at his house to check for any damage, satisfied to see none.

“It’s not unheard of. I’ve seen it before but I’ve never seen so many Gods using their powers outside of their Realm.” Brook patted his violin case, relieved that it was still intact and dry.

“Guys.” Luffy said to draw their attention, on high alert. “Someone else’s here with us.”

As soon as he finished his sentence, a cheerful laugh echoed in the air. Everybody tensed, looking around them to spot whoever was probably coming for them, but not Luffy.

No, Luffy was smiling, because he would recognize this laugh anywhere.

“Shanks!”

“Shanks? Your Shanks?” Sanji looked at him with bewildered eyes.

“Are we talking about the new God who took Hermes’ place a few years back?” Robin asked, clearly more curious than afraid by the surprising presence of yet another God among them.

“If it’s him then we’re probably super safe!” Franky said, showing a cocky smile on his lips.

“Most likely.” Brook nodded. “But I’m more interested about how Luffy knows him.”

All of his friends looked at him as one and he grinned.

“Shanks is my friend! Shishishi!”

Sanji sighed and shook his head before sending an apologetic smile to Robin, Franky and Brook.

“That’s right.” Shanks’ voice echoed again, and the air around them started to swirl until Shanks appeared in front of Luffy.

Or, at least, a vague shape of what Luffy remembered to look like the Shanks he knew. His body seemed to be made only of air, his red hair moving magically as if they were carried off by an imperceptible breeze, but he was smiling the same, making his scarred face look comforting, exactly like in his memories, and it made Luffy grin even more.

“Hi Luffy! I see you made a mess of this place, as usual!” Shanks laughed and the wind caressed gently his skin, oddly warmer than a second ago.

His friend then looked at him with fondness, glancing at the straw hat that cemented their promise and friendship, and Luffy’s heart beat more strongly in his chest, forgetting everything around him.

“You made it.” Shanks whispered, pride in his eyes when he looked straight at him.

Luffy couldn’t speak, and he knew this was the moment he had waited for his whole life. Shanks, the man who offered him a glimpse of what the world could offer when all he knew was only a scary forest, who carved his love for adventure in his heart and promised to meet him again, here, in the Center of the Earth which no one believed to exist. 

Luffy didn’t believe in fate, he never had and never would, even less now, but he knew their meeting hadn’t been by luck only. It was because Luffy never gave up that he was face to face with his old friend today.

“You’re so grown up now.”

Shanks’ eyes left his to look at the person next to him, and Luffy followed his gaze, his heart finally calming down once he saw Sanji by his side who was watching Shanks with a puzzled face. He couldn’t resist to push him forward by his waist to introduce him to Shanks.

“This is Sanji, my boyfriend!”

Sanji’s flustered face made him laugh, pleased to see the blush blooming on his cheeks, never letting the blond go as he sighed, one hand hiding his red face.

Shanks laughed and the wind briefly picked up, the breeze warm against them. When it died away, he looked at them with mirth in his eyes.

“The outsider who broke your fate. Well, I wouldn’t expect anything less from the person you chose to stand by your side!” Shanks grinned and Luffy laughed, feeling weirdly proud that his old friend approved the man he loved without hesitation.

“Hum… hi.” Sanji said almost timidly, surreptitiously coming closer to Luffy for reassurance, clearly a little bit impressed by Shanks’ presence, cheeks prettily still a little pink from embarrassment. “I’m sorry for causing you so much problem.” He added politely, before straightening more confidently. “But if anyone try to hurt Luffy again, gods or not, I’ll kick their ass!”

His blond looked stunning like this, and when his arm circled Luffy’s waist possessively, Luffy blithely snuggled closer to him, loving the way they fit perfectly together like this.

The warm breeze, or more like, Shanks’ himself, touched his hat in a familiar way, pleasantly appeasing.

“I see. That’s a relief.” Shanks then smiled mysteriously when his attention was drawn to Franky, Brook and Robin.

“Oh, I forgot to introduce you to my friends! This is Franky, Brook and Robin! They’re so cool and nice, you know, they helped me and Sanji complete the quest!”

His friends waved timidly at Shanks, a small smile on their lips, or at least it looked like it for Brook, and Shanks’ greeted them with a soft breeze towards them.

“I know them.” He didn’t add anything more but Luffy knew he liked them too.

The ground shook, creating small waves that lapped at their legs, and Shanks’ easy smile turned into a frown.

“Luffy.” He said with a more serious tone. “It’s time for you to make a choice.”

Luffy felt Sanji’s grip tighten imperceptibly, protective. He didn’t know what choice Shanks was talking about but whatever it was, he knew that with Sanji with him, he didn’t have to fear anything, because Sanji would gladly help him choose the right one.

“Even if your fate is broken, I can help you claim your rightful place in the Underworld to become a brand new God. You’ll be more powerful and free than any other God before you and you’ll be able to unite all the Realms in one to rule over every soul, just like you were fated to do.”

Luffy frowned, not really ecstatic to learn about his former fate. He had never sought out power for power, and he was already the freest man in the whole world thanks to Sanji.

And really, him, a god? To do what? Ruling a bunch of people was really not his thing, he would rather continue living of his own free will and enjoy the rest of his life with Sanji by his side, going wherever they wanted to go, unrestraint by anyone’s expectations.

“Thanks!” He said with a smile. “But no thanks!” He stared at Sanji lovingly, resting his head in the crook of his blond’s neck, and he felt him finally relax. “I already have everything I want.”

Sanji’s smile was the best gift in the world he could receive, with his blue eyes sparkling with joy and love, his golden locks framing beautifully his handsome face.

Shanks had a knowing smile, as if he knew from the beginning that Luffy was going to refuse his offer.

“I can respect that.”

The ground shook again and this time, there were ripples all along the wall of water protecting them.

“Unfortunately, some Gods want to seize this opportunity to steal your fate for themselves. And you all did piss off a few grumpy Gods along the way with your quest.”

He glanced at Robin but she stood proud under the gaze of his godly friend.

“You can stay here and fight against them, but even if Whitebeard and I help you, I can’t guarantee the safety of your friends. And even if you win, it’ll be like you accepted your fate and you won’t be able to leave this place anymore.”

Luffy didn’t even need to think about his offer. He refused to put Sanji and his friends in danger, even though he had the feeling that they could win without being hurt, unlike what Shanks suggested. He talked about this Whitebeard with respect, and Luffy had never heard of him before but if Shanks vouched for him, he couldn’t be too bad.

And maybe, by staying here, he would be able to see Ace again, but Luffy was pretty sure it would happen anyway no matter what choice he took right now.

He wasn’t afraid to fight, but if he had to stay forever here and never go back home, where all of his friends lived, he wouldn’t feel like he won, not against the Gods nor his own fate. He loved his friends and when he thought about them, he missed them a lot. Zoro, Chopper, Usopp, Nami, even Kaya and Vivi, they were like the family he ever wanted, filling the void of Ace’s absence in his life with their kind and joyful presence, and he refused to be part from them forever.

And Sanji, obviously, would never leave him behind, even though he would be heartbroken to never see his old man ever again.

Luffy watched his new friends who were ready to follow him, accepting to place their fate, no, their lives into his hands, as if there was no doubt that Luffy was the one who could protect them from the whims of the Gods.

At last, he looked at Sanji who looked back at him with adoration.

“Whatever your decision, I’ll be with you till the end.” He whispered in his ear, rubbing gently his nose against Luffy’s temple, comforting in a way that Luffy couldn’t describe.

Hearing his words made all of his remaining doubts vanish, and Luffy felt lighter, stronger even, knowing that Sanji supported him completely.

“What’s the other option?” Luffy asked then.

He might not beat a god’s ass today but he wasn’t going to let his loved ones get hurt either. They obviously couldn’t just stand here forever, with how the ground shook and the wall of water shivered, the cracks of the lightning becoming louder and louder behind it, and he hoped that Shanks had a plan or he wasn’t sure if they would be able to survive the fury of nature itself.

“Leave this place and don’t come back unless you’re prepared to fight for your Throne.” Shanks declared solemnly.

Luffy nodded, not even surprised by his answer. He already felt like he couldn’t stay here anymore, anyway. With Sanji now safe and sound by his side, and with everything they went through during their journey, from witnessing magical sights to experience really hard times, he couldn’t complain about leaving this place.

He had seen more than he wanted, his head filled with good memories, others bad but he didn’t regret them because he wouldn’t be here with Sanji and his new friends if he hadn’t lived through these hardships, and well, if he really wanted to come back to the Center of the Earth, he only had to get stronger and make sure that no god would ever be able to endanger him or his loved ones.

He still turned towards Sanji, Robin, Brook and Franky to know what they felt about it.

“Are you sure you want to leave?” He asked them and he was immediately answered with nods and smiles.

“I could finally see a clear blue sky again!” Brook added, enthusiast.

“And green forests! I could use some of the sturdier trees that my master always gushed over!” Franky added with a click of his fingers, jumping in place with anticipation.

Only Robin remained silent but the hope in her eyes was very present.

“I guess it’s time to go home.” Sanji grinned happily, his joy contagious, and Luffy could only smile back.

Their carefree expressions turned into fear when another earthquake split the wall of water and a lightning zigzagged in the air in front of them. Lava crossed their protective barrier, immediately hitting the water, making it boil, and poisonous smokes started to fill the air, making them all tear up and cough.

The wind blew everything away and the wall of water closed again, but time was clearly not on their side. The water was slowly but surely becoming more vapor than liquid and Shanks was using the wind to make sure that it didn’t asphyxiate them.

“Luffy!” Shanks’ tone was urgent. “Throw my hat in the lake!”

They looked into each other eyes and Shanks nodded, confident.

Luffy didn’t even hesitate, he took his hat and threw it in the middle of the lake. It had been his treasure for as long as he could remember, but he always knew he would have to give it back to Shanks one day, so he wasn’t sad when the straw hat disappeared completely under water.

It was fitting too, that he had to give it up to leave the Center of the Earth, the place he had dreamed about since he was just a kid.

“Maybe you should find shelter in the house, the ride back is kind of bumpy.” Shanks warned them and they all ran to Franky’s house immediately.

Luffy turned back once to watch his old friend one last time. Shanks noticed him and tilted his head towards him, not as a farewell, because Luffy truly believed that they would meet again in the future, and he tilted his head back to his old friend, a big smile on his face.

Once inside the living room of Franky, already less messy than the last time Luffy had left the house, they looked through the windows, watching the storm born from the gods’ powers clashing together.

“Now what?” Franky asked, a bit worried.

The house suddenly moved on its own, sucked up by the whirlwind growing in the center of the lake.

“Shit! Is this our way back?!” Sanji’s face became paler when the house trembled under the force of the wind.

“I built a safe room especially for this kind of things! Follow me!” Franky said, keeping a cool head despite the hurricane trying to kill them.

They all quickly followed him and Sanji took Luffy’s hand in his, refusing to leave his side. Luffy was more than happy with this, the familiar warmth reassuring.

The safe room was small but Franky got rid of the useless chair and table and they all fit inside at last, Brook in the middle with his violin case tucked carefully against him, Robin and Franky behind him, while Sanji took Luffy in his arms. Luffy buried his head in Sanji’s chest, almost enjoying their impromptu hug.

“Alright, listen up.” Franky said after securing the door. “These walls can survive almost anything and even if we’re a little bit jolted around, they’re super soft.” He touched the wall to show how his hand sank easily. “There are several hidden places with food, water bottles and first necessities, as well as an inflatable lifeboat and even a parachute.” He winced. “I wasn’t really expecting to have company when I prepared it so there’s only one, sorry.”

Sanji raised an eyebrow and Luffy couldn’t hold back his laugh. Brook’s soft and familiar yohoho joined him and Robin chuckled behind her hand.

“What?” Franky bristled a little.

“You realize that you built the best safe room possible in the middle of nowhere? That’s way more than enough!” Sanji explained, his stern tone ruined by his lips going up.

“Oh guys!” Franky suddenly brought them into a big hug, crying dramatically with joy. “You’re super too!”

It made Luffy laugh louder even though not everyone was pleased to be crushed by big strong arms, when they all heard a loud crack and the house shook violently.

“Hang tight!” Franky shouted, serious again.

Luffy held Sanji who refused to let him go either, but he lost his balance when the room suddenly flipped them all over, and he hit the soft wall hard enough for his body to flatten at the impact. At least, the others weren’t hurt, but the safe room never stopped trembling, tossed in every direction by the hurricane outside.

Something struck the safe room, leaving a crack in the wall, and now it was obvious that Franky’s house had already been ripped apart by the raging storm, leaving only the walls of their small room to protect them from the danger.

The wind whizzed loudly but Luffy still heard Sanji curse between his lips, his pupils dilated by fear, and Luffy knew why. The crack wasn’t too big but with the force of the wind, and probably other dangerous things hitting the walls, it was only a matter of time before it split the wall in two.

“Let me!” Brook shouted.

He put his skeletal hand against the wall and ice spread from the tip of his fingers, closing the hole in a few seconds. The noise outside quietened and Luffy could only watch his friend with awe in his eyes, the ghost of a smile on his lips.

Before he could rejoice though, the room shook again and they all lost their balance, hitting each other and the walls hard enough for Luffy to lose his breath, weakening his hold on Sanji. A deafening noise blasted out and a strong gust of wind hit his face when the weakened wall broke completely in half and opened a hole large enough for him to see a faraway spot of blue sky.

Luffy didn’t realize right away what it meant because less than a second later, Robin screamed and disappeared through the newly formed hole.

“ROBIN!”

Without hesitation, and only after sharing a look with Sanji, he jumped out of the room, one arm firmly held by Sanji who stayed inside. It took him a few moments to find Robin falling, or going up, he wasn’t sure, and he threw his free arm to catch her in the air. With luck, he grabbed her hip in one try and pulled her towards him.

The wind was still going strong around them and dust clouded his view. He just knew that Robin had placed her many hands around him to secure herself against his chest and that Sanji’s grip was painfully still keeping him from getting blown away in the whirlwind, his stretched arm whipping the air furiously.

Going back to the safe room wasn’t going to be easy, Luffy knew that much.

But then, the wind dropped, and he found himself so high in the sky that he didn’t know where was up or down, the cold air freezing his lungs while dizziness took him by surprise. He didn’t close his eyes but he couldn’t see anything clearly when his view started to blur. His ears were ringing loudly and he had a hard time to simply focus on his breathing.

Still, he felt the moment when his body stopped moving in the air and started to fall down, and when he finally was able to look down, all he could see was the immensity of the ocean in the night sky.

“LUFFY!”

Sanji screamed, burning bright in the darkness, flying towards him and Robin, but when he finally caught up with them, his warm flames fighting off the cold air and helping them to breathe, he was only able to slow down their fall a little.

“Shit!” He cursed, trying to kick the air while he continued to pull Luffy’s arm that inevitably could only stretch even more.

Their eyes met and Luffy circled his stretched arm around his waist, making sure that if he fell, Sanji would fall too.

But that was okay, because even if they fell, they would be together, and together they could do anything.

Robin added her own arms, unafraid by the golden flames surrounding the blond, and the three of them irremediably continued to fall towards the dark sea. When it was obvious that the impact was going to hurt, Luffy had an idea. He inspired a lot of air, more than he thought he could, and was pleased when his idea started to work, his body swelling up like a balloon. He held his breath and hit the cold water hard, deflating almost immediately.

Sanji and Robin helped him reach the surface, and he coughed up the salty water while smiling because, his idea worked!

“We’re alive!” Sanji’s laughter echoed in the dark, his flames tamed by the water but still flaring up from his blond hair.

“Maybe not for long.” Robin mused with a glint of amusement in her eyes.

With no light and no sign of land anywhere, she was not entirely wrong, but Luffy chose to believe in his and Sanji’s luck instead.

“Where are Brook and Franky?” Luffy asked, looking around them until he spotted a lifeboat not far from them. “There!” He pointed with his finger, regretting his movement immediately when he drank a mouthful of salty water.

He was grateful when Sanji placed an arm around his waist to support him and help him stay at the surface of the water.

Franky was pulling Brook on the boat, right next a weird ice bridge, but even if he squinted his eyes, Luffy couldn’t see more than this in the night. Robin helped them cross the distance from their friends in no time, her arms holding them while she pulled them all three towards the boat, and only once they were all tucked safely inside of the lifeboat, Luffy noticed that the ice had prevented the safe room to sink in the depth of the ocean immediately.

Franky finished to empty all of his hidden place just in time before the ice melted and the safe room disappeared under water.

He sat with a sigh of relief, expressing what they were all thinking.

“We made it!”

“Shishishi!”

Sanji rubbed his hair with a smile and Robin chuckled next to him, Brook’s laugh echoing with theirs.

For a moment, they didn’t talk, appreciating the quiet sound of the waves hitting softly the boat, looking at the stars shining in the dark sky.

There would be no more cloud with electric surges to watch, no blue leaves and grass to touch, no dinosaur to eat… or trying to eat them.

The wind was cold though, and Luffy shivered. Franky gave them blankets to protect them, while Sanji spread his flames to try to warm them up, drying their clothes and body at the same time. Franky was watchful of his flames at first, but when he realized that they were completely harmless to them and the boat, he basked in the fire like everyone else.

The question of how they were going to be able to move the boat as they wanted, and not just drift to the whim of the current, was quickly resolved when Franky put together a small sail, and if being carried away by the wind wasn’t enough, they still had two sets of rows to help them.

“That’s good and all but, does anyone know where we’re going?” Sanji asked, a bit anxious.

“Did I ever tell you that I was a pirate in another life?” Brook said proudly. “Leave it to me!”

Luffy watched as he looked at the sky again, this time with a thoughtful expression.

“Ah, I see. Fortunately, the stars don’t change much through the ages!” He laughed, helping Franky to redirect the sail, and Sanji relaxed against him.

Luffy snuggled against him, sighing with content when he settled his head comfortably in the crook of Sanji’s neck, tucked under the same blanket as him. Sanji had put out his flames already but he felt warm and alive, and it was all Luffy needed right now to feel safe.

Sanji kissed the top of his hair, casually nuzzling his nose in his messy dark locks.

“It’s weird.”

Luffy hummed, his eyes slowly closing from fatigue. He knew what the blond meant. it was going to take him a bit of time to adjust with not having his old straw hat anymore, but he didn’t really miss it. It had fulfilled its purpose and could now rest right where it belonged, in a mythical place where only a few lucky ones had gone to.

Luffy knew there were even fewer that came back to tell what they had seen there.

“Won’t you miss it?” Sanji asked.

Luffy’s lips went up slowly and he looked up to meet with the mesmerizing blue eyes.

“Don’t you remember? I already have everything I want.”

Sanji smiled back, love and joy in his eyes. His face came closer and Luffy couldn’t resist anymore.

They kissed softly with the blue sky and the stars shining bright above their heads.

- Day 128 (Earth Surface Time)

Chapter Text

Zoro took a sip of his beer, watching his friends enjoy the party from the corner of the living room of Luffy’s apartment, right where all the drinks and snacks were stacked on the table.

The perfect place, in short.

Luffy and Sanji were back from their trip, so obviously, they had to throw a welcome back party as soon as they were rested enough. They didn’t come back alone, and Zoro looked at Luffy’s new friends who meddled easily with the rest of their friends.

They were all a bit weird but it wasn’t like it really mattered, plus, to be friend with Luffy, it was almost expected. Still, Zoro couldn’t help feeling like he was missing something and so he watched them from afar, alcohol pleasantly burning down his throat.

Brook was a very tall guy with a big afro and ha was really funny. He was also an amazing musician who could sing and play violin at the same time, even though Zoro never recognized any of his songs, except for one drinking song, but still in a different version that he knew, using very old words that he didn’t even know existed.

His laugh was loud and contagious, so Zoro’s lips went up in a small smile when he heard it while the man was talking to Nami and Vivi. He never took off his big sunglasses, even inside, nor his weird skeletal mask, as if he had to always be ready for a Halloween party, and despite the pile of clothes he was wearing, he still looked extremely slim, but overall, Zoro found the man really nice to talk to, and because he wasn’t the kind to pry about other’s quirks, he let him be as weird as he wanted to be without question.

His eyes went then to Franky who was less tall than Brook but still taller than anyone else in the room. His blue hair looked natural and Zoro was almost pleased to not be the only one with an odd color anymore. The guy had become fast friend with Usopp while talking about inventions, and they were throwing impressive new ideas at each other head without even breaking a sweat. He was really loud though, but he made Kaya and Usopp laugh easily, taking the time to explain the technical terms that his friends didn’t understand immediately with patience.

The only odd thing about him was that Zoro swore that he heard a loud clang when Franky bumped his arm against the counter earlier, but he could be wrong. And even if he wasn’t, he wouldn’t be really surprised if the guy had made a prosthetic arm for himself, as ingenious as he sounded.

The last of Luffy’s new friends was a gorgeous woman with deep blue eyes and a very dark humor. Zoro didn’t really mind the gory jokes and had even laughed at Chopper’s grimace of horror earlier before patting his head to comfort him.

Among the three newcomers, she seemed to be the most normal, but Zoro wasn’t fooled by her beautiful looks. She was hiding something behind her playful eyes, and he hoped that one day, she would trust them enough to share her secret with them. Luffy trusted her and he trusted Luffy’s judgement, and that was why he wanted to believe in her goodwill too.

All in all, Zoro thought that Robin, Franky and Brook were nice people, and he only heard bits and parts of Luffy and Sanji’s adventures so there was probably more about them that he didn’t know yet, but that was why they were gathering all together tonight, after all.

His attention was drawn to Luffy who was talking, laughing and eating at the same time, a possessive arm around Sanji’s waist. The cook yelled at him for being so messy but he quickly gave up, already cleaning up Luffy’s face with a paper napkin, and Zoro could see the beginning of a smile on the lips of the blond.

He had known about Luffy’s feelings for the cook for a long time, probably even before Luffy himself, and after years of seeing Sanji being stupid around girls and hurting his best friend, Zoro had pretty much giving up the idea to see them together like this. Luffy had always been weird around the blond, cautious in a way that didn’t resemble him, and that cook was even worse, being anxious about things that Zoro would never understand, so seeing them so close, laughing and enjoying the moment without a care in the world was a nice change for once.

The doorbell rang and Sanji went to open the door, Luffy’s hand still attached to his hip while his arm abnormally stretched between them. Zoro knew about Luffy’s odd body already, much like everyone else in the room, so it wasn’t really a surprise, but he still felt weird to look at it.

He wasn’t the only one. Nami and Vivi stopped talking when the stretched arm passed in front of them, Luffy strolling casually behind while finishing his snack in one big bite. Nami’s gaze went from Luffy to Sanji who was smiling as if everything was normal.

And maybe it was, at least for them. They had time to get used to this and clearly took advantage of it to never get separated wherever they were. It was almost cute, even if Zoro would never admit it out loud to either of his friends.

Zoro’s eyes met Nami’s and she sighed, clearly giving up from saying anything at all, an easy smile on her face. Vivi was less disconcerted by the whole thing and chuckled, winking at him before she whispered something in Nami’s ear that made her laugh.

Zoro had a small smile too and shook his beer, before his attention was drawn to Sanji’s beaten leather jacket hanging on the coat rack on its own. It was the only piece of clothes that had survived the trip intact, and apparently only because Sanji had stopped wearing it early on during their journey. Not Sanji’s wallet which had been gifted by Zeff to the cook nor even Luffy’s familiar straw hat had made the trip back with them.

It was odd because both of them would never abandon these precious treasures without a good reason but they didn’t seem really upset about losing them.

Zoro had the feeling that Luffy without his hat was a turning point in everybody’s life, somehow. He already knew why Luffy didn’t have it anymore, when he told Zoro about meeting Shanks and fulfilling his promise to the man, handing back the straw hat to its rightful owner, but he had let a lot of things unsaid too.

Sanji and Luffy wanted to introduce the friends they had made in the Center of the Earth and tell everyone their adventures during the party, so Zoro wasn’t really worried. He would know soon enough.

Luffy laughed and Zoro looked at him, now hugging Sanji from behind, his chin resting on the blond’s shoulder, a huge smile on his lips. Zeff had just arrived, wrapped up in a big coat to fight the freezing cold outside, and he was smiling too, clearly looking less grumpy than usual. The blond was holding a new leather wallet in his hand, a box of brand-new kitchen knives in the other, his smile a bit watery, and Zoro almost rolled his eyes.

Well, seemed like he was finally going to stop complaining about having to borrow his old man’s knives every time he had to cook something in Luffy’s apartment.

Or maybe, their apartment. Zoro was pretty sure that Kaya had completely taken over the cook’s space in Usopp’s apartment after he left, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the blond chose to live with Luffy from now on instead of trying to get his room back.

Luffy would be more than happy about the new arrangement, that was for sure.

“Zoro!” Luffy waved at him to join him, and because he was apparently too slow to his taste, he grabbed Zoro’s arm and pulled him towards him.

Zoro was not weirded out by the long stretchy arm, not at all.

Okay, he was, but it wasn’t easy to acclimate to his best friend’s new body, as much as he wanted to. Luffy had a rubber body and nothing in the world could have prepared him for this reality. But he was trying, and so he went along with Luffy’s antics, and that, it was something he was used to.

Sanji and his dad were talking and Luffy clearly wanted to let them have some time together, so he wrapped his arm around Zoro’s shoulders, a big smile on his lips, and Zoro could only smile back.

“Zeff brought gifts! There are slices of roast beef, ham, baked chicken, one leg of lambs… That’s sad, he could have brought the other three!”

Luffy continued to list only the food, leaving out the new wallet and kitchen knives, his mouth drooling with each new dish, but it was no wonder. Zeff’s food was delicious, probably almost as Sanji, even if Zoro would never tell them this, so the other gifts never stood a chance in Luffy’s mind.

Or at least, that was what he thought.

“Oh, and he gave knew knives to Sanji! I can’t wait to taste his food the next time he’ll cook with them!” Luffy beamed, and Zoro blinked.

Luffy had never looked so happy before, and Zoro had seen him happy, really happy, usually with their friends while doing stupid things, but his eyes now where sparkling with something that Zoro couldn’t really name, and it made Luffy’s face shine even more than usual.

Zoro would be almost jealous that the simple fact of talking about Sanji could make Luffy look like this, but he knew better. He couldn’t blame the cook for making his best friend happy, on contrary. He was happy himself that the both of them had managed to sort out their feelings and left to achieve their dreams together, especially if as a result, their relationship became so strong and made them look so gleeful.  

“I see everything’s fine between you two.” He said with a knowing smile, raising his drink to take a sip.

"Shishishi!"

Luffy came closer, cupped his hand against Zoro’s temple to hide his mouth and barely whispered in his ear, excited.

“I’m going to ask him to move in with me tonight!”

Zoro’s eyebrows rose up before he burst into laughter.

“I thought you were already living together?”

Luffy shushed him with a glare and lightly bumped his shoulder with a fist to quiet him, grinning again the next second.

“I know but I want to make it official.” He said in the softest tone that Zoro had ever heard.

It was becoming more and more surprising by the day.

“We don’t really talk about the future, we just do whatever we want whenever we want and I’m fine with that, but I feel like it’ll make him really happy if he knows that my home is his home too, you know?” Luffy lowered his eyes and blushed a little, a small smile on his lips when he looked up again.

Zoro could only marvel at the sight that Luffy, childish, impatient, reckless Luffy, was thinking ahead for once. He didn’t really need to make anything official with the cook, they seemed really happy with what they already had, and it wasn’t like Sanji didn’t know that he would always be welcomed in Luffy’s apartment, but maybe it was the thought that counted.

If the cook ever learned that he was almost turning Luffy into a responsible person, he was going to become insufferable, wasn’t he?

“He’s not going to be happy.” He said, just to mess with Luffy who frowned. “He’s going to be ecstatic!” He laughed at Luffy’s pout, but his best friend quickly laughed with him.

“What’s that smell?” Chopper suddenly asked, and everyone started to sniff the air, smelling the unmistakable scent of something burning.

“Shit, my pie!” Sanji exclaimed, rushing immediately to the kitchen.

He opened the door wide and albeit a stronger burning scent, there was no smoke, which was good. Zoro and the others saw then Sanji open the oven’s door and take out the plate with his bare hands.

“EGGPLANT!” Zeff shouted, and for good reasons, everyone shocked by the rookie mistake of the cook.

“It’s okay, it’s not even burned!” Sanji said as if he wasn’t holding a scorching hot plate in his hand without protection, apparently more worried about his pie than by anything else, cursing while he put the plate on the hotplate next to the oven.

Zeff was already in front of him and took his hands in his to look at them, the fear in his eyes quickly replaced by incomprehension.

“Sanji! We forgot to tell them!” Luffy smiled, as if nothing was wrong, and Zoro really wanted to believe him, but he had to admit that right now, he was completely lost.

And he wasn’t the only one.

“What- How-?” Zeff sputtered, flabbergasted.

“Oh. Right. That.” Sanji winced, realizing a bit late that he might have frightened everyone with his little stunt, with the exception of Luffy, naturally, and their three new friends, more intriguing. “I guess it’s too late to tell you not to freak out?”

Zoro wasn’t sure why, but the way Zeff looked at his son at that moment made him shiver. He wouldn’t be surprised if the old man smacked Sanji’s head with his hand instead of kicking him with how furious he looked. But the tension quickly deflated and the old cook pointed at the pie with his chin.

“Explain.” He said with a stern tone that even Luffy straightened, his smile no more than a ghost on his lips.

Zoro was a bit impressed when Sanji remained calm, taking his hands slowly away from Zeff’s strong grip.

“That’s also why we gathered you all here but… fine.” He said not unkindly, trying to reassure everyone with a small smile while showing his unscathed hands. “You know Luffy came back a bit different? Well, I did too.”

Luffy came to stand next to him, calm and confident, and Zoro noticed the way the cook leaned a little towards him, his shoulders visibly relaxing. They shared a look that only them knew what it was all about before they turned their attention to the rest of the room with a matching smile.

“Maybe it’s time we tell you what happened to us in this shitty Center of the Earth but before that…” Sanji rose his hand in front of him and it burst into flame without warning.

“Holy crap!” Zoro heard himself curse loudly, but he wasn’t the only one to react strongly at the fire suddenly burning the cook’s hand.

Luffy’s rubber body was already hard to believe, but this? The blond even seemed unfazed by the phenomenon, and when Zoro forced himself to look closer, it appeared that his skin was completely fine while basking in the golden flames.

Sanji stopped burning his own hand and Zoro sighed internally, relieved. He had no idea how it was possible but the sight was even more unsettling than Luffy’s arm stretching across the entire room. Zeff grabbed the counter with one hand and Luffy and Sanji both made a move to catch him in case he fell, but the old man was stronger than this and he waved their worries away.

“That’s a hell of a change, eggplant.” He said, still a little shaken.

The cocky smile that the blond offered then was enough for Zoro, and probably the entire room, to know that this was not the only thing that changed about him and Luffy.

Maybe he should expect the unexpecting from now on, at least his heart would stop jumping out of his chest every time something impossible happened.

“Let’s sit. We’ll tell you all about it while we eat.” Sanji said, still with his stupid grin on his face.

“Food!” Luffy exclaimed, already running to the dinner table, his mouth watering and his eyes shining with stars when he saw all the food displayed in front of him.

They all quickly gathered around the table to sit and eat, and true to their words, Sanji, Luffy, and occasionally Brook, Robin and Franky, shared their experience in the Center of the Earth. Tales of an underground world with blue vegetation, of creatures that looked like dinosaurs, of Sacred Fruits that granted unimaginable powers and of a seashell capable of feeding an entire village filled the room, every new detail more unbelievable than the last one.

It was like one of Usopp’s made-up stories except that everything was true. Luffy showed them a big tooth from one of the dinosaurs – turned into a meal, apparently – that he had managed to bring back, but Zoro didn’t really need proof to believe him. Even if he didn’t have a body that could stretch like rubber, or Sanji couldn’t light himself like a human match, he would still believe them. He had always trusted Luffy – and no one should know but he trusted the cook too – so it was easy to picture this strange and dangerous world under the surface of the Earth while listening to them.

Zoro wondered, if he had gone with them, would he have become stronger? He quickly pushed that thought away however. It was Luffy and Sanji’s journey after all, and he wouldn’t have wanted to get in the way of their dreams.

Plus, he would have been like a third wheel to their not-quite-but-very-long first date and he knew it would have driven them all crazy in the end.

So no, Zoro wasn’t jealous of their adventure, or of their powers for that matter. Luffy was bad at telling a story, and it was sometimes hard to know what he was talking about exactly, but the cook was clearly hiding some parts, probably to spare them the more gruesome details of their many life-or-death situations.

Zoro didn’t want to read between the lines too much because if they didn’t want to tell everything, it was their right, but he had the feeling that something really bad happened to the both of them at some point.

Talking to dead people was most likely not as easy as they made it out to be, but he let it slide. He was just glad that they came back alive, safe and sound, from a world were danger was everywhere.

“So you can use fire at will?” Zeff asked, less tense now that he had accepted the impossible.

“Pretty much.” Sanji shrugged. “Luffy and I found out by accident that I couldn’t get burn easily, so now I don’t even use pot holder and I totally forgot to warn you beforehand.”

“That’s handy!” Zeff laughed and it made the blond smile, cheeks red from a light blush.

If Zoro didn’t know him, he could have believed that it was due to the wine, but he knew it was because he was simply very pleased and relieved that Zeff was accepting his powers so easily.

Talking about powers, Luffy was very exciting to share everything he could do with his body, making everyone laugh when he pulled his nose to mimic Usopp’s.

“And you have powers too?” Usopp asked then to Robin, Franky and Brook.

“Oh yeah, Brook’s a living skeleton!” Luffy revealed with a wide grin, excited to share the happy news.

“You mean, because of his mask?” Usopp laughed, a bit uneasy, doubting, like everyone else, that they were prepared for the truth, whatever it was.

“What mask?” Luffy tilted his head, frowning.

Sanji smacked him on his head but it was already too late. Brook became suddenly the center of attention and he chuckled nervously.

“Well, I guess there’s no point hiding it anymore.” He took a gentle tone to reassure them. “I’m indeed only made of bones but I’m very much still alive, even though I died years ago!”

The joke was followed by a soft laugh and he took off his sunglasses to reveal two hollow eye sockets.

Zoro was ready for anything, or so he had been telling himself for the past few hours, except that he was not. It was like looking at death itself, but then Brook put his sunglasses back and Zoro was pretty sure that he was shyly hiding himself from everyone’s stares.

Yeah, the guy was weird, he was a skeleton after all, but he was very nice too and it actually explained a lot about the musician’s weird quirks, so Zoro offered him a confident smile.

He could have sworn that Brook’s expression relaxed, and he wasn’t going to question his own guts, not about this at least.

“That’s a miracle!” Chopper exclaimed, his mouth opened wide in awe. “And you can eat?”

“He can poop too! Shishishi!”

“Luffy!” Sanji glared at him for being a bit too honest.

“What? It’s true, Brook told me!” Luffy smiled, clearly missing why everyone sighed.

“Oh, he also made a super ice bridge to keep the safe room afloat until I could put the lifeboat in the water and take all our supplies!” Franky added.

A loud whoa followed the revelation, making Brook blush under the attention, and yes, Zoro knew it was supposedly impossible, but he couldn’t ignore what he knew was true when he saw the skeleton fidgeting on his chair with contentment.

“Well, if we’re revealing our super powers…”

Franky took off his glove made of very realistic fake skin, showing a metallic hand that looked very high-tech. Zoro could even see electric circuits disappearing behind his Hawaiian shirt.

“So cool!” Usopp and Chopper shouted, making Franky smile with pride.

“I can shoot laser beams with my nipples too!”

Luffy was as impressed as his friends, the three of them with shining stars in their eyes.

“A living skeleton, a… cyborg, I guess, and…” Kaya’s eyes went to Robin, the natural calm of the blonde not really hiding the curiosity on her face. “An ancient Guardian, the Lady of the Lake.”

Robin smiled mysteriously.

“Among other things. I can also do this.”

As soon as she finishes her sentence, new arms bloomed on her arm, like a very weird enthralling flower, before they vanished in a small waterfall, leaving in its wake drops of water that barely left a trace on the table.

“That’s beautiful.” Namy whispered, impressed, and Vivi nodded, a huge smile on her face.

“Thank you.” Robin smiled, very pleased.

Zoro caught her eyes and read true joy in them, as if the quick and easy acceptance was all she needed to feel completely at ease among them. Zoro raised his glass towards her to make sure she knew that he was happy to have her and their new friends with them tonight too, and she thanked him with a warm smile.

The rest of the evening went extremely well, with a lot of laughs and shared anecdotes, delicious food and thirst-quenching drinks, and people danced to the rhythm of the music, whether from one of their playlists or from Brook himself. Zoro even let himself be convinced to dance too, truly enjoying the moment with his friends as they laughed at his weird moves, but he was not the worse when he saw Chopper, Luffy and Usopp goofing off not far from him.

After a while, Zoro went back to his seat to drink and talk with Franky who let him poke at his arm and was thrilled to answer his many questions about his body and his former ingeniously built house. Brook’s violin then began a beautiful slow dance and Zoro watched with soft eyes as his group of friends started to break into pairs.

Except for Robin and Chopper, who was clearly learning the dance steps of a valse of some kind with her, only couples were still on the dancefloor, taking each other’s hands and whispering sweet things with loving eyes.

Nami had placed her head on Vivi’s shoulders with her eyes closed, a smile on her lips, while Vivi lead the dance with her gentle touch, her own head resting on the top of the red locks, soothingly humming the song in her ear.

Kaya laughed at something Usopp said and his smile grew visibly bigger before continuing to entertain her with another tale of his own invention, and now it wouldn’t seem as surreal as before with everything they had learned thanks to Luffy and Sanji.

Speaking of, Zoro looked in their direction and saw Sanji slowly spinning Luffy while he laughed, a huge smile on his face. Luffy put then his arms around the blond’s neck to bring him closer, his eyes shining with that same something that Zoro had seen earlier, and he noticed that Sanji was looking at Luffy the same way.

Zoro held his breath and realized, a bit late, that this was what his friends looked like when they were truly happy. They had completely forgotten everything around them, their feet matching the slow rhythm of the music, forehead to forehead, looking into each other’s eyes as if nothing else but them existed. Luffy’s smile was warm and soft, so different from his usual goofy smile, and it was probably the first time that Zoro could see this radiant smile on Sanji’s face, small flames strangely mixing up with the golden locks, but his only thought was that they looked really good together.

He didn’t look away right away when they started to kiss slowly, but when he did, he couldn’t keep himself from smiling, a warm feeling spreading in his chest. Zeff had the same expression as him and when their eyes met, they shared a knowing smile.

They didn’t need to talk to know what the other was thinking. Right now, in that moment, Luffy and Sanji were the happiest, and they would always be as long as they stayed together, in each other’s arms and hearts.