Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

If there was one place in the East Blue that she hated, it was Lougetown. The bustling city was a hotspot for pirates as it was the last port before the Grand Line. Naturally, not all of those pirates had been kind. Especially not to a small girl who no one cared about.

Akemi had sworn she felt her breath catch in her throat when she had docked. But there was no way she could have gotten further in just the tiny lifeboat. It wasn’t like she had taken food or water or even berri with her when she had run away. It had been the heat of the moment, which meant Akemi hadn’t been thinking whatsoever.

Her crimson hair was tied up in a plait behind her head, her freckles standing out on her face after three days of sailing and an additional three days of playing in the streets of Lougetown for money. She had known it was either selling her body or praying to every god she knew that her music would earn her enough coin for a meal.

Thankfully, the Marines had found her music charming.

Akemi held her flute, the only instrument she’d been able to take with her, to her lips. She played a merry tune, capturing the mood of the sunny day. The sound carried, wandering down to the docks and to the ship that had just made port.

On the deck of one of those ships was a blond man. His head tilted up as though he was following the sound. A small smile stretched across his features, causing his blue eyes to sparkle in the afternoon sunlight. Anyone would have been dumbstruck by the sight and he didn’t even realize it was happening. He never did.

“Sanji!” A loud voice interrupted his thought. “I’m gonna find the execution platform! Do you wanna come with me?!” He could practically hear the excitement in his captain’s voice. It brought another one of those soft smiles to his face.

Luffy was a good man. Even if he did happen to get overly excited and stop thinking about the consequences of his actions. It had already gotten them trouble countless times since Sanji had joined the crew only a few weeks prior. But he couldn’t deny that it made his life far more interesting.

“Sorry, Cap,” Sanji said, looking over at the man. His blond hair fell over his left eyes, showing off only one of his signature curled brows. The same brows he often thought about shaving off. Just so he wouldn’t look quite as much as his family. But … he couldn’t give away that last piece of his mother. “I’ve got to do some grocery shopping. We need provisions if we want to make it through the Grand Line alive.”

Luffy laughed, his eyes closed and his scar standing out underneath his eye. Sanji hadn’t asked how he got it. He didn’t think it was his business. “Just remember to bring back lots of meat!”

Sanji laughed lightly, unable to help himself. “You got it.”

He headed off of the ship, following the sound of the music in the air. Music was normally a good sign of a busy market. At least that’s what he kept telling himself. He didn’t know how he’d explain it to the mosshead if he managed to get lost. Not when he already gave that idiot enough shit over getting lost whenever they did anything.

As he neared the marketplace, he found he was right. The music was coming from there. More specifically from the lips of a beautiful girl.

She was shorter than him. He could tell even from this distance. Her hair was the brightest crimson, shining like the sun at dawn. Her eyes were closed, but he could still make out the way her lashes laid upon her cheekbones. He also was quick to notice the pallor of her skin. The way her blue veins stood out on her hands, the way the circles under her eyes were so dark they looked like bruises.

His heart ached at the thought of any woman in danger. Especially one so beautiful.

Akemi, however, didn’t note the man watching her. Too lost in the delicate song she played. No longer one of joy, but one of loss and guilt. Her feelings for leaving her father’s ship wrapped up in song.

It was only one she heard footsteps approaching that she finally opened her eyes.

The man nearing her was beautiful. But Akemi knew far too well how beauty could be a mask for danger. She’d used her own as a shield multiple times. She didn’t doubt that a man would be smart enough to wield his the same damned way.

Still, she painted a pretty smile on her face. She needed to be ready to use her body for beri if her music wasn’t enough.

She prayed her music would be enough.

“You play beautifully.” the man said, his voice slightly raspy and sounding older than he looked.

“Thank you,” Akemi said, smiling so wide her dimple appeared in her cheek. She could practically see the man’s pupils turn into hearts. He’d stopped walking towards her, as though the very sight of her had stunned him.

Maybe this wouldn’t be as hard as she thought.

“Your playing is almost as beautiful as your eyes,” he said, his voice taking on a breathless tone. “Like emeralds and the sea combined to create you.” There was a reverent tone in his voice. One that Akemi quite enjoyed.

Now wasn’t the time for lust though. No, now was the time of survival. Once she had made sure she was safe she could worry about love and lust and all the things that made life worth living. It was unfortunate that she had to wait for that. Why was it that she could never be afforded a life of comfort? Why was it she had to be forced into this life of hurt and pain and suffering?

She knew that she had been the one to run from home. But if she hadn’t, her inaction would have killed her just as surely as a life on the streets of Lougetown.

“That’s very kind,” Akemi looked up at him through her lashes as she slipped her flute into the small bag she carried. “Do you have a name, sailor, or are you just a really pretty face?”

His cheeks turned a light shade of scarlet. Akemi had a hard time hiding her amusement. At least she knew she hadn’t lost her touch when it came to flirting.

“Sanji,” he said softly, taking her hand in his and bending low over it. He brushed the faintest of kisses to her knuckles.

It was Akemi’s turn to blush.

“Sanji,” she repeated, finding that she quite liked how the name rolled off her tongue. It helped that he was pretty. Pretty like a prince from a storybook that her father had read to her when she was a child. “Well, Sanji, I’m very glad you liked my performance.”

“It was enchanting,” he said, a dreamy tone in his voice.

“Hey cook!” A rough voice startled both of them out of their reverie.

Akemi hadn’t even noticed the man approaching. Stupid. She should have known better. She should have known not to just ignore her surroundings. Especially not in Lougetown. She may have been gone for over a decade, but she doubted that it had changed that much. Not when she was certain that her blood still covered one of the back alleys.

Even if it wasn’t there physically, it would always be there. A stain on this town that had caught her in its net and had torn her into several pieces.

The man that stood over them was an inch shorter than Sanji. But he was a bit broader in the shoulders. His hair was green and cropped slightly, almost military but she could tell it had started growing out more than he probably preferred. He kept brushing back the slight strands at the front of his face. His eyes were hardened, as though he had seen the hells of the world. He didn’t smile either.

He was just her type. Far more than his little prince friend.

“Can’t you see I’m busy here, mosshead?” Sanji snapped, his eyes burning with a fire Akemi hadn’t thought him capable of.

Stupid, stupid girl. She’d grown far too comfortable while under her father’s protection.

“Stop flirting and get to work. Luffy’s missing,” the mosshead huffed, one hand moving to rest on the hilt of his sword.

“He’s headed to the execution platform.”

“Yeah, and he’s lost again. Nami’s already heard several Marines talking about him.”

“Wait,” Akemi interrupted the two men against her better judgement. “Did you say Luffy?”

“Yeah,” Sanji said, his defenses raised as he looked at her. “Why?”

“Straw hat? Kinda stupid, full of energy, always hungry?” Akemi crossed her arms in front of her chest, a hopeful smile starting to spread across her features.

“Sounds like our Luffy,” she didn’t imagine the possessive note in the swordsman’s voice.

“Do you know him?” Sanji questioned her, his eyes showing the war he was having with himself. He clearly didn’t know if he trusted her or not. That was fine with Akemi. She didn’t trust him either.

“Let’s just say, he’s an old friend.” Akemi stated, her mind already racing.

If she found Luffy then she would at the very least have a ride out of there. She didn’t think he’d be happy to know about the fight between her and her father. But she also knew that he would understand.

If there was ever a person to understand dreams, it was Monkey D. Luffy.

She didn’t wait for the men to say anything. She slipped out of sight, using those same back alleys she had once spent lifetimes hiding in. Six years was a long time for a child to be alone. Especially on the streets when the winters were harsh and the summers too long.

At least she knew these backways like the back of her hand. She knew each path, knew each rock and each brick. She’d carved her name through these streets with blood. She wouldn’t ever go back to the girl she could have been. Not when she had done what it took to survive. Not when it was in every piece of her soul.

Most people would have assumed a girl of six years wouldn’t have been able to live.

Akemi still wasn’t sure how she’d done it herself.

Blood, sweat, tears, and fear had been the only things she’d known for so so long. It had taken her even longer to unlearn her habits.

She refused to go back. Luffy would be her salvation or she would find some other captain that was desperate for either a musician or some pussy.

Akemi drew the hood of her cloak over her head, hiding herself from view, before she stepped out of the shadows.

The execution platform still stood like a beacon to all pirates, telling them to run off and find the One Piece. Akemi didn’t even know if it was real. She thought it was just a story told by her father when he was too drunk. That or just a myth that would forever send men to the sea.

Her eyes scanned the crowd, cheeks paling slightly when she recognized a few members of Buggy’s crew. Her blood drained faster when she recognized men from her father’s crew as well. How in the hell had they found her so fast?

Desperately, she searched for Luffy’s straw hat. She had to find him. She had to get the fuck out of there before it was far too late.

Akemi loved her father. She adored him. But she couldn’t continue on like this. She couldn’t continue to hide like this, to be forced into the background. Worse, she couldn’t keep disappointing him. Not when he had saved her.

She spotted the hat first. Then the boy who wore it.

Luffy stood on top of the execution platform, his hands on his hips and his eyes shining with a brightness that Akemi couldn’t place. For a second, she could see him as he always dreamed of being. The King of the Pirates. The boy who would one day run this whole world.

Was this really the person she wanted to sail with?

Was this really the world she wanted to be part of?

Yes. Yes, it was.

“Found you, Straw Hat,” Buggy the Clown growled out as his limbs wrapped around Luffy’s. “You won’t get away so easily this time.”

Akemi watched in horror as Buggy put Luffy down onto his knees, locking him there.

Sanji and the mosshead entered the square, crying out in horror at the sight of their captain on his knees.

“Zoro! Sanji!” Luffy called out, smiling as though it was an ordinary day. “I’m sorry. I’m dead.”

Just as Buggy’s blade came down, a lighting bolt hit the platform.

Akemi gasped as the rain hit her face, as the platform went up into flame. She clutched her cloak tighter to her frame, ducking through the crowd as she headed towards the downed platform.

Chaos had broken out.

Marines flooded the area, pirates meeting them beat for beat. Sanji and Zoro stood in the middle of it all. Each of them fighting with a skill that Akemi was almost shocked by. She shouldn’t have been. She knew that Luffy would only want the best for his crew.

Akemi dodged past men fighting, ducked under arms and sword blows. She reached the platform, her hood having fallen off and rain drenching her hair making it cling to her face.

“Luffy?!” She yelled, no longer caring if her father’s men heard her. The Marines were worse than going back to her father. The Marines would use her as a weapon against her father, they would make her execution public.

She wasn’t even dangerous.

“Kemi!?” His voice rang out like a shining bell, one signaling that everything would be alright.

“Lu!” Akemi rushed to him, shoving boards of the platform out of her way.

Luffy jumped forward, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into the tightest hug she’d ever felt in her life. She wrapped her arms around him, nearly crying as she did.

“What are you doing here?” Luffy asked as he pulled away.

A bullet whipped past them.

“Maybe now’s not the best time to talk!” Akemi pointed out as she took his hand in hers. “Come on, we need to go!”

“Right,” Luffy agreed as he quickly straightened his hat. “Sanji! Zoro! Let’s go!”

Luffy had always been faster than Akemi. They’d spent two years of their childhoods together, with her always following him and his brother around as though she was a little lost puppy. Luffy had always made her feel welcomed. He’d called her his sister, he’d kept her from feeling alone whenever her father left the island for weeks at a time.

Ace, on the other hand, had been a bastard towards her and hadn’t taken kindly to her utter infatuation with him.

She’d missed them terribly during their years apart.

Luffy led her through Lougetown, dodging Marines as best they could.

At least, until they got to the docks and were surrounded.

Akemi took her dagger out from her belt, twirling it in her hand.

“Your dad let you use that?” Luffy asked in excitement as he geared up for a punch.

“A girl has to know how to protect herself,” Akemi grinned as she parried a blow from a Marine.

Before she could land her own blow, a leg shot out. The Marine went flying. Akemi looked over just to see Sanji standing there with a cigarette between his lips.

“Only a crook tries to hurt a lady,” he said as he glared down at the Marine. He called out another move before taking out the next group all by himself.

“What the hell kind of crew do you have?” Akemi called to Luffy.

“A great one,” he said with a grin.

The Marines just kept coming.

Akemi swung her dagger as they got close to her, but often was interrupted by Sanji protecting her. She didn’t know if it was annoying or not.

“If we don’t leave now, we’re gonna miss the ship,” Zoro snapped as a large ship with a sheep figurehead started to sail past them.

“Right,” Luffy said as he stretched one arm to wrap around the three of them. “Sorry about this, Kem.”

Without another word he launched the four of them into the air. Akemi screamed as they flew towards a ship.

She closed her eyes, focusing on Luffy’s arm around her to keep from worrying about her impending death. She landed on something softer than the deck, though still firm and hard to the touch.

“Am I dead?”

“No, princess,” Sanji’s voice assured her. “We’re all still very much alive.”

Akemi opened her eyes then, looking down to see the green haired man sprawled beneath her. Her cheeks turned nearly as crimson as her hair as she hurried to scramble off of him.

“Luffy what the hell is this? Who the hell did you just bring onto our ship?” Zoro yelled as he stood up, facing Luffy with the wrath that Akemi had only ever seen on captain’s when their crew had betrayed them.

“Oh, that’s Akemi. My sister.” Luffy said as he picked his nose.

“Sister?!” Sanji said, looking as though he was about to faint.

Chapter Text

He stood on the rooftop of the inn, watching as the Going Merry took off into the storm. His heart ached at the realization that it was taking away the only thing that had ever mattered to him. He could stop it. He could take the Red Force out and get her back. Even if that would mean driving her further from him.

The fight had lasted for nearly three hours. She had cried and he had thought about doing the same, if only to feel like less of a monster for making her cry. He knew that fathers fought with their daughters all the time. Especially when they started to get older. But that was never supposed to happen to them.

For so many years, Akemi had looked at him like he was the sun.

He hated that she now looked at him as though he was a stranger.

“We need to head out now if we want to catch up to them,” Benn’s voice brought him out of his thoughts. A good thing, considering that he had been spiraling. But a terrible thing as he now had to face the reality of the situation.

“We’re not going after them,” Shanks said with a soft sigh.

“What?” An incredulous tone slipped into Benn’s voice.

“Akemi needs space. She’s … She’s growing up. Even if I hate admitting it to myself most of the time.”

“You’re finally learning then,” the voice made Shanks nearly crawl out of his own skin.

He turned quickly, his hand reaching for the hilt of his sword. It wouldn’t matter though. Mihawk had always been better with the blade.

“You’re here,” his voice was breathier than he had wanted it to be.

“Of course I’m here,” Mihawk looked just as bored as he normally did. Leaning casually against the chimney, his eyes as bright yellow as they’d always been. His guard always up, even when Shanks had begged him to let him in. “Limejuice called to let me know about the … Situation.”

Situation was one word for it.

Three days ago, he’d woken up to Akemi being gone. None of the food stores had been touched, nor had their supply of water. She hadn’t stolen a single coin from him. No, all she’d taken was her flute, a couple of dresses, and a lifeboat. He’d been more afraid of her drowning or getting eaten by a Sea King than anything else. His plan had been to find her and force her to come home. He didn’t ever want to leave her alone again.

His plan had been the same until he had seen her on that shore.

She’d been smiling. She’d laughed while fighting Marines. God, his daughter was so much like him that it killed him.

“I had it handled,” Shanks said softly as his fingers gripped the hilt of his sword. It was more for comfort than anything at this point.

“You let her run away,” Mihawk stated, his bored tone slowly leaving his voice. “She’s just a child, Shanks.”

“You haven’t even seen her since she was twelve!” Shanks snapped, unable to help himself. “You don’t get to tell me how to raise her. You gave up your rights to her when you left.”

“She’s just as much mine as she is yours,” Mihawk snapped. “I might not have fucked that bar maid but I was there when she was learning to speak. I was there when she needed to be held at night.”

“Not always.” Shanks sighed softly.

They’d had this fight before. Multiple times actually. Sometimes, Shanks wondered if it was what had led to their separation. He would never blame Akemi for it. Akemi was just a child, she had no power over her fathers fragile relationship.

“I was there when I could be. It was more important to keep her hidden from the government.” Mihawk tried to argue. They both knew that the World Government would do all it could to bring down an Emperor of the Sea, if only to prove that they were powerful enough to do so.

Akemi would have been an easy target. Shanks would have risked everything for her. He still looked like he might.

“They found out about her regardless, it doesn’t seem like you helped much in that matter,” he snapped, his temper running high as his heart broke over and over again. He couldn’t help it. Akemi was gone and Mihawk was only reminding him of everything that he had lost.

He headed towards the rooftop’s small entrance. He couldn’t exactly climb the wall as he was sure the others had. But he didn’t let that stop him from being as dramatic as he possibly could be.

Mihawk stepped in front of him, stopping him from walking away. Shanks supposed that was a good thing. After all, he was best at walking away from the things that hurt him. Maybe that was why he wasn’t rushing off after Akemi. It would hurt too much if she decided that she was happier with some upstart pirates than she had been with him.

“You’re not going after her?” Mihawk asked, his voice almost deadly quiet.

“No. Let her find her own way for a little while,” Shanks sighed in defeat, turning his gaze to the sea again. The Going Merry was almost completely out of sight.

Did she know that he was there? Did she know that he wished she’d come home? Even if it was just to gather the rest of her things and tell him how much she hated him. His heart ached at the thought of his little girl turning into a young woman, into someone he didn’t know. How was he supposed to protect her now?

“She’ll come home when she’s ready,” Shanks spoke softly, his voice tense with his pain. “I just have to be there when she is.”

Mihawk stared at him. “They’re going to the Grand Line. That captain wants to be the one to find the One Piece.”

A small smile crossed Shanks’ features. “I know.”

He stepped around Mihawk, heading down to the inn. He didn’t bother leaving, instead heading to the bar. He ordered the strongest drink he could, needing to just forget for a while. Maybe forgetting would allow him to breathe for once. Maybe it would give him a chance to think about anything beyond his missing daughter and the way his life had turned upside down in a single night.

The only good thing about this was knowing that she was with Luffy. The leader of the Straw Hats would keep her safe. He’d always done so when they were children, had never let her get into any trouble without being right there beside her. Maybe that was why he didn’t want to go after her.

Maybe this was his own way of developing trust again. They had spent so long together that he had taken it all for granted. He’d taken her for granted.

He still remembered the last time she’d called him daddy. The last time she had crawled into his bed, her Bu-Bu tucked into her arms. He recalled the last time he had picked her up and the last time he’d tucked her and Bu-Bu into bed. He remembered every last just as clearly as every first.

This wouldn’t be their last goodbye. Shanks wouldn’t allow it to be. He’d have her back soon enough. He just had to survive until then.

Chapter Text

“Your sister?!” An orange-haired woman said, an incredulous look on her face. She looked at Akemi, her eyes roving over her features.

Akemi smirked playfully at the other woman. “Don’t worry, we’re not biologically related in any way. Luffy just tends to cling onto people. Give it a year and he’ll be saying the same thing about you.”

“I don’t think so,” the girl said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“Nami,” Luffy whined, his lips turning into a pout. “Be nice. Akemi’s my sister and she was alone. She needs us.”

“I’m not a puppy, Luffy,” Akemi groaned as she walked across the deck. She looked around with a critical eye. “Nice ship. Please tell me you haven’t tried to destroy it.”

“He hasn’t been exactly kind to it,” a man with a rather long nose grumbled under his breath.

Akemi smiled at him, her dimple popping out. “Sounds like my big brother.”

“Big brother?” The rest of the crew looked at her in shock.

“Why is that shocking?”

“Have you met him?” Sanji snorted slightly. “Luffy doesn’t exactly act like a big brother.”

“He acts like my big brother,” Akemi pointed out as she leaned against the mast. “Besides, he’s like a year older than me. I can’t exactly be his big sister, can I?”

Sanji’s eyes traveled down her form, causing a deep scarlet blush to cover her cheeks. What in the hell was wrong with her? It wasn’t like she had never been checked out before. If she was honest, it happened a lot. It was why Shanks had started refusing to let her off the ship on her own. She’d always had to have an escort. Either Benn or Limejuice, sometimes Bonk Punch, would follow her around as though they were some sort of big, scary dog. Men were at the very least less likely to approach her that way. They couldn’t stop the looks fully but they could definitely intimidate anyone.

Akemi still didn’t know if she appreciated it or not.

“I guess not,” Nami said as she kept her eyes on Akemi. “But that still doesn’t explain why you’re here. Do you even know the first thing about being on a pirate ship?”

Akemi tossed her red hair over her shoulder, the strands already wet from the rain they’d been forced to sail in. “I was raised by pirates. I know how to sail, I know how to survive and how to fight. I’m not going to be a hindrance.”

“You were raised by pirates? How do we know you’re not still loyal to them?” Nami questioned, venom in her tone.

Akemi didn’t mind the overly harsh way that Nami spoke to her. She would have done the same damn thing if someone had just appeared on her father’s ship and claimed to have a bond with him. She was shocked it hadn’t happened to her when she’d been brought onto her father’s ship in the first place. Although, she had just been six.

“I ran away from home,” she admitted, not looking at Luffy. “My father and I got into an … argument.”

“An argument?” Luffy interrupted them, concern in his eyes.

“Yeah,” Akemi said softly as she looked up at her brother. “He doesn’t want me performing anymore. He thinks I’m attracting the wrong sort of attention.”

“What does that even mean?” He asked, confusion furrowing his brow.

“I don’t know!” Akemi sighed softly as she ran her fingers through her wet hair. “He just wants me to stop performing and stop going after my dream.”

Luffy’s expression hardened slightly. “You don’t have to stop, Kem. You’re coming with us and you’re gonna be the best musician ever!”

Akemi smiled slightly as she looked up at him. She brushed her hair out of her eyes, the storm causing the green to look more muted. “Thanks, Lu. But maybe we should let your crew vote on it. I don’t want to make them uncomfortable.”

Nami’s expression softened slightly.

“Alright,” Luffy said with a sigh. “Sanji?”

“I think Akemi should stay with us,” Sanji said, looking over at her with a slight smirk. He brought a cigarette up to his lips, taking a long drag. Akemi watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed, the sight of it making her mouth dry slightly.

She quickly looked away from him, her cheeks a bright red. She hoped that the storm would hide it.

“Zoro?” Luffy asked.

Akemi felt the swordsman’s eyes on her. The scrutiny of his gaze made her feel like she was being stripped bare and being seen for everything that she was worth. She didn’t know if he found her lacking or not.

“I don’t trust her. Besides, why do we need a musician? We don’t even have a doctor.” His voice was gruff, as though he hadn’t slept in six years.

Akemi tried not to let his words upset her. He was doing his best for the crew. Shouldn’t that have been all that mattered? He was supposed to look out for the crew, not for some girl that had appeared out of nowhere. She didn’t blame his distrust.

“What the hell mosshead? She obviously needs our help!” Sanji snapped, his eyes burning with rage.

“You just want another girl to leer at, curly brow!” Zoro snapped in return. “Use your head for once!”

Nami stepped in between the two men before fighting could begin. “Knock it off you two! She’s clearly already freaked out!”

“I’m sorry, mademoiselle,” Sanji said as he moved to gently take Akemi’s hand. “How about I make it up to you with a fine meal?”

“I could eat,” Akemi said, giving him a lazy smile. She swore she saw hearts in his eyes as he released her hand.

“Great, now he’s going to go off all night,” Zoro grumbled, crossing his arms in front of his rather large torso. Akemi looked away from him, fearing it was her fault that he was in such a mood.

“Nami?” Luffy questioned, looking at the girl. “What do you think? Should Akemi stay with us or should we send her back?”

“I …” Nami looked at Akemi. Their eyes met. The two regarded each other, looking as though they were exploring each other’s souls in that one glance. Nami nodded her head ever so slightly at Akemi. “I think she should stay. We’ve got too many guys on board, I need someone to have girl talk with.”

Akemi gave her a timid smile.

Nami smiled back.

“Alright,” Luffy grinned as he turned to the man with the long nose. “Usopp, what do you think? Should Akemi stay with us?”

Usopp hesitated, looking between the crew and Akemi. She gave him a smile, nervous and unsure. She truly didn’t know how to prove herself to this crew. She didn’t know how to make it obvious that she wasn’t there to cause trouble.

She just wanted a home. She wanted somewhere that she actually belonged. Somewhere that was for her and her alone. Akemi didn’t want to feel like a burden. She didn’t want to feel stifled, to feel like she couldn’t follow her dreams and her goals. All she wanted was a place where she could be who she was. She wanted the freedom of the sea, she wanted the comfort of her brother being by her side. She wanted it all. Maybe that was impossible, but she would fight for it. Even if it meant making her father hate her.

Usopp looked at her then, as though he was seeing a part of her that he hadn’t anticipated. A smile crossed his features. He looked kind.

“What the hell, let’s let her join,” he said, his smile brighter as he looked at the others.

Akemi noted how Zoro’s jaw clenched. He clearly didn’t like how the others didn’t vote with him. She wondered if that happened a lot. The others deciding to go against him. She wondered if they even realized how he was trying to protect them.

He acted a little bit like Benn. Benn had always been trying to convince Shanks of different dangers, of not trusting certain people. Most of the time, her father had listened. But then again, Shanks didn’t always enjoy being told what to do. Akemi had seen the two men fighting more than once.

She shoved the thoughts out of her mind as she looked up at the sky.

The rain was breaking. The sun coming out from its hiding place behind the clouds.

Akemi closed her eyes, letting the break in the storm provide her with strength. With hope. She would get through this. She would befriend the crew and find a home here. Maybe she wouldn’t find a home with Luffy. Maybe she wouldn’t find a home on this ship. But she would find her place in the sun one day. She would find her spotlight, her happiness.

“Come on,” Nami said from beside her. “I can show you around.”

Sanji’s face fell, as though he had been hoping to give the girl a tour of the ship himself.

“I’m right behind you,” Akemi said as she looked at the girl.

Nami led her up a small staircase, showing her the grove of tangerine trees that had come from her orchard back home. She then led Akemi into the galley. Akemi wasn’t shocked to see the fridge had been padlocked. She knew of Luffy’s insatiable appetite.

“I take it that Sanji’s the cook?” Akemi said softly, her fingers tapping a staccato beat along the dining table.

“Best in the East Blue,” Sanji said from the doorway. He leaned against it, every bit the cool and confident man.

Akemi tried to ignore the way her stomach fluttered at the sight of him. She knew this was just lust at first sight. She knew that it was nothing to worry about. Soon enough, he would give her a reason to ignore him. She was almost certain about it. “If you’re the best then why aren’t you in some restaurant making a name for yourself?”

“I was for a bit,” Sanji admitted as he slipped into the galley. He put his cigarette out, snuffing it with his fingers, before he slipped it back into a silver cigarette case that he kept in the pocket of his jacket. “But then your brother wrecked the place and recruited me.”

“Sounds like Luffy,” Akemi stated, her tapping growing in pace. “But he can’t be the only reason you left.”

“He’s not,” Sanji said softly, stepping just a few steps closer to Akemi and Nami. “Have you ever heard of the All Blue?”

His eyes lit up, a passion in them that Akemi knew all too well. It was the same one she felt whenever she spoke about music. The same one that came over her whenever she got to discuss her hopes for what she could create or when she was showing someone a new song. She’d never seen her passion so clearly reflected in someone’s eyes.

“No,” she said softly, despite knowing that she’d been told stories about it from Lucky Roux all her life. She just really wanted to hear Sanji speak about it.

“It’s this place where all of the seas meet up. There are rare fish and spices and seaweeds,” Sanji said, his excitement growing as he spoke. “No one’s ever found it before. It’s a cook’s dream to find it. To taste those spices and seaweeds, to find those fish and make delicacies out of them. I want to find the All Blue. I want to be the one to taste it.”

He looked younger when he spoke about the All Blue. He looked like someone who had life inside of him, a fire that no one could ever hope to tame. She liked it. She liked the way he spoke with his hands, showing her how excited he was with every thoughtless movement, every flick of the wrist. His slender fingers danced in the air with his excitement. A story and a dance all their own.

She understood why Luffy had found him. She understood why Luffy had brought him on board. She wouldn’t have been able to leave him behind either.

“Luffy’s going to be King of the Pirates,” Sanji sounded so sure of it that it made her heart clench. “He’s my best bet to finding the All Blue. Besides, the captain understands having a dream. He’s … He’s a good guy to have in your corner.”

“I know,” Akemi spoke softly, a fond smile on her face. “I’m glad I found him again. And I’m glad that I’ll be here when you find the All Blue,” she told him.

Sanji looked at her then, his eyes meeting hers. Blue and green.

Her heart fluttered in her chest. But Akemi was brought back to earth as she felt Nami’s hand slip into hers.

Nami squeezed her hand once, causing Akemi to look over at her. “We should finish the tour.”

“Yeah, that sounds great,” Akemi smiled at her.

The two bid Sanji a quick farewell before they headed down below decks. Nami led her to the cabins first, showing her the men’s cabin first. It wasn’t nearly as bad as she thought it would have been. There were some clothes strewn about and it smelled like a brig, but it was cleaner than the one on her father’s ship. Then again, there were only a few men on board the Going Merry, especially compared to the Red Force.

“And this is our cabin,” Nami said as they stepped into the women’s cabin.

There was a singular mattress, clearly they hadn’t expected to grow the crew much more. But there were also shelves filled with books and maps. A small desk held navigational tools and the basic outline of a map in progress.

“It’s nice,” Akemi said softly as she stepped further inside, her fingers lightly running across the spines of the books.

“Sorry there’s only one bed,” Nami said softly, her cheeks turning a light shade of red. “We can pick up another mattress once we’re in the Grand Line.”

“It’s alright, I don’t mind sharing,” Akemi turned her head, giving Nami a sweet smile. “Besides, I like sleeping outside most of the time. I know it’s stupid but I like the stars being above me.”

“That’s not stupid,” Nami said as she moved to take a seat on the edge of the bed.

Akemi sat her bag down gently beside the bookshelf. Nami was quick to notice how light it sounded.

“Is that all you brought?” She asked curiously.

“When I left home, I didn’t really take much. I was … Upset with my father and wasn’t thinking clearly.”

Nami gently patted the space on the mattress next to her, a clear invitation. “What happened?”

“He caught me performing in a bar after we’d made port,” Akemi admitted as she sat down on the bed beside Nami. “He was so mad that I went against his order. He’s my father but he was also, technically, my captain. I never felt like a member of the crew though. It was more like being on a ship with my dad and his brothers. They all treated me like their kid. They didn’t … I don’t think they realize I’m eighteen now. They still see me as this little girl they took in.”

It felt almost good to speak about it all. She knew that Luffy wouldn’t fully understand it. She doubted anyone would really. She and Shanks had such a complicated relationship, one that involved probably too much hero worship and too much delusion on both sides.

“Anyway, we got in a fight. There was so much screaming and I … I said I hated him,” Akemi looked down at her lap, trying to fight the sob that was threatening to overtake her. “He looked like I’d torn his heart out or something. And then I just … I packed a bag with as much as I could and stole one of the lifeboats from his ship. I didn’t even think twice, I just left. I didn’t even leave him a note.”

“That’s …” Nami sighed softly, gently resting her hand on Akemi’s back. “I’m sorry, Akemi. But I’m sure he doesn’t hate you. He can’t. You’re his daughter.”

“I know,” Akemi sighed softly as she relaxed into the touch. “I just hate that I hurt him. I know we’re fighting but that doesn’t mean I hate him. I just can’t be stifled like that anymore. Do you think that makes me a bad person?”

“No,” Nami said softly, brushing a strand of hair out of Akemi’s eyes. “I think that makes you human.”

The two girls stared at each other, Nami offering a small smile and Akemi looking at her as though she was seeing the sun for the first time.

“Thank you,” Akemi broke the silence after a moment.

Nami smiled at her before she stood and offered her hands. “C’mon, let’s finish up that tour.”

Akemi took her hands, letting Nami pull her up.

Nami showed her the rest of the ship. The brig, where they were keeping their treasure and extra supplies instead of any sort of prisoner, and then the weapons area. Akemi couldn’t help but be impressed by the amount the Straw Hats had.

“Usopp makes most of our stuff, he’s kind of brilliant. Just don’t tell him I said that. I have an image to uphold after all,” Nami said with a grin.

Akemi laughed lightly, her smile brightening. “I won’t say a word.”

Chapter Text

A swell hit the ship, causing it to tilt dangerously. Nami looked over at with a terrified look on her face, one that made Akemi’s heart ache in her chest.

“Come on!” Nami said, taking hold of Akemi’s hand and leading her back up to the deck.

The storm had returned in full force. The wind howled and the sails flapped dangerously. Already barrels were starting to fly across the deck.

“Zoro! Sanji! Drop the sails!” Nami yelled out, the wind nearly carrying her voice away. “Akemi, Usopp start tying things down!”

She didn’t have to say a word to Akemi. The redhead had already started tying things down to the deck, her knots even and tight. Her father may have kept her inside during most storms, but Benn had thought it best to teach her what to do if she was ever caught in one. She’d been outside for a few in the last couple years, Shanks hadn’t caught onto them in time. He’d been forced to let her help out. It was that or they would all die.

“Careful,” Usopp called as he watched Akemi nearly slip on the soaked deck.

“I’m fine,” Akemi assured him, a soft little pant escaping from her lips.

She had crossed the Grand Line a few times in her life, always with her father. Always hidden in the brig, just in case something started going wrong. He’d never let her on the deck, it didn’t matter how old she was. He was certain that she’d be blown away in the storm.

He was probably right about that.

Akemi had always been small for her age. When Shanks had found her, she’d been about the size of a four year old. She had a hard time gaining weight and an even harder time gaining height. She didn’t let it affect her though. She fought as ferally as she had once lived. Sometimes, her daggers were not enough. Sometimes, she had to use teeth and claws and screams. She’d do it though. She would always.

Akemi ground her teeth, sinking into a crouch as she tied down one of the barrels full of water. She felt something hit her back, jolting her forward.

Her chin hit the barrel, her teeth going through her lip.

She spit blood onto the deck, coughing as she did so.

“Akemi!” She didn’t know who had shouted her name. She could barely hear it over the wind in her ears. Over the blood rushing in her skull.

She finished tying off the knot and went to stand. She heard something crack as she did.

Instinctively, she braced herself as though the mast was about to crumble and send her falling down, down, down. It had happened twice before. Both times had Shanks worried that she wouldn’t survive a life on the sea. Both times had Shanks sure that he should give her up.

He never had. He’d saved her every single time.

And she’d paid him back by running away. What a worthless daughter she was.

The mast didn’t come down on her. The railing was in tact. Everything seemed fine. At least until the barrel Usopp had been tying down hit her directly in the back.

A cry left her lips as she was thrown off her feet. She flew through the air, fighting to find purchase on anything she could. Struggling to grab onto a rope or a handhold.

It seemed like the gods were paying her back for her insolence. Running from her father just meant that she would never get to see him again. She would die on the sea. Just as he had always worried about.

Akemi would never even get to say goodbye.

Arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her into a solid chest. Warmth flooded through her at the hold.

She wrapped her arms around her savior, her eyes closed as she shook for a moment. The adrenaline of the moment washing over her until she felt like she couldn’t even breathe. She’d been so close to death so many times before. And yet … It never seemed to get easier. She would always find herself in this position, overwhelmed just by the feat of still being alive.

“I’ve got you, sweetheart,” his voice was steady, as though the storm wasn’t raging around them. “You’re safe now. You’re okay.”

Akemi looked up then. Sanji’s bright blue eyes peered down at her, a slight smile on his lips. She found herself giving him one back.

“Told you we didn’t need her,” Zoro grumbled from behind them.

“C’mon, we need to get inside,” Sanji said, ignoring Zoro. He helped Akemi into the galley, taking his spot beside Nami.

She yelled navigational terms to him and he urged the ship with the steering shaft. Akemi couldn’t deny that they made a good team. Nami clearly knew what she was doing, knew how to make this group of men listen to her.

Akemi sank down beside Luffy at the dining table.

Luffy wrapped his arm around her shoulder, tucking her into his side. A protective aura around him, one that she had never exactly noticed before. Akemi hadn’t noticed a lot when they were children, though. She had only noticed how Luffy could be. Overly energetic and selfish, but selfish in the best possible way.

“You alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Akemi assured him as she rested her head against his soaked shoulder. It didn’t matter. They were both soaked. “Just exhausted. I wasn’t thinking clearly out there.”

“Mistakes happen, Keke,” Luffy said softly, turning his head to look down at her. “But next time you’re this tired, maybe don’t try to do something that could get you killed.”

“Only if you promise to do the same,” Akemi countered with a slight smirk.

Luffy flicked her on the nose. She laughed.

“Can you two knock it off!?” Zoro snapped at the two of them.

Akemi wondered what exactly she had done to piss off the swordsman. She understood wanting to protect your crew, but the way he treated her was getting a bit beyond that. He acted as though she had done something unforgivable. She didn’t know what exactly that could have been. At this point, she wondered if she even wanted to find out.

“Sorry,” Akemi grumbled, pulling away from the one comfort she had felt in nearly a week.

“Don’t listen to him, he’s just pissed he hasn’t gotten his nap,” Nami said, glancing over at her. “You’re staying with us, Akemi. This is your home now.”

Akemi was almost shocked at how easily it had been to get Nami on her side but it felt … Nice. She felt like she had a friend for once. Someone who wouldn’t turn their back on her. She hadn’t had a friend since she had left Foosha village when she was ten. Sure, she had her father and his crew but it just wasn’t the same.

Adult men didn’t play children’s games well, especially not with the little girl they had all sworn to protect with their lives. Every scraped knee, every bruise had been met with panic and worry about their own demise from her father. Even if they had all known he never would have laid a finger on them, not for that.

Akemi gave Nami a shy smile.

“Be ready for the reverse mountain, it can be a bitch to get across,” she offered, unsure how else to show her appreciation.

“You’ve crossed it before?” Nami asked, shock in her eyes.

“My father has dealings in the Grand Line a lot,” she admitted with a faint blush. “I’ve made the crossing a couple of times, but he never actually let me watch how it happened. He was worried that I’d get hurt or something stupid.”

“I mean, he was right,” Nami said with a sigh. “I don’t know how we’re going to survive this.”

“We will,” Akemi assured her as she moved to stand. She stepped over to Nami, standing between her and Sanji. “You’re really good at your job. If anyone can make it up that mountain, it’s you.”
A blush crossed Nami’s cheeks, but she was quick to look away from Akemi. A fierce look of determination crossed her features instead.

“Right. We’re going to get through this. Sanji, do exactly as I say. Zoro, you might need to help if the tide gets too rough. Akemi, I want you to keep a look out and yell if any of the clouds above us change. Luffy, Usopp, get ready to get the sails.” Nami instructed the five of them.

“On it,” Akemi grinned as she stepped over to the window in the kitchen. She looked above them, watching as the storm clouds churned. She heard the others repeat their own acceptance of their roles, each of them so determined to do whatever it took to get to the Grand Line. To follow their dreams and find their voices.

A sense of urgency filled her, a sense of rightness. Maybe she had found the place she’d belonged. Maybe this ragtag group of idiots could be hers.

She felt as though a warmth was spreading through her, despite how chilled she still felt from the rainwater still soaking her clothes and hair.

“Mountain’s coming up! Starboard side, Nami!” Akemi called as she spotted the reverse mountain.

“Hold on to something!” Nami called out as Sanji began to steer towards starboard.

A grunt of strain left him, his weight bearing down on the shaft. Zoro stepped up behind him, his arms wrapped around Sanji’s. Together they began to push the shaft down. The sounds that left both of them caused a faint blush to cross her cheeks.

It was none of her business. Akemi didn’t particularly care if the two were up to something in the dead of the night. She didn’t care if the two men cared for each other.

She’d grown up with two dads. With Shanks constantly bringing home men and women whenever he and Mihawk broke up. She was used to men being stupid with their feelings.

After all, from the way the cook and the swordsman looked at each other she could tell that they didn’t even realize their own feelings. They probably thought they hated each other. Maybe that was the swordsman’s problem with her. Maybe he just really didn’t like seeing Sanji flirting with anyone.

Maybe he really didn’t like anyone flirting with Sanji.

Akemi smirked ever so slightly to herself, keeping her gaze on the mountain instead of the crewmates behind her.

Was it wrong to plot like this? To imagine earning Zoro’s favor by playing with his emotions and his heart? Maybe. But she liked being a little bit of a mess. Especially when it came to games such as these.

Akemi didn’t think she was a master matchmaker. If she was, her fathers would still be together. They would be happy. But she could at least figure out how to get Zoro jealous enough that he finally pulled his head out of his ass and admitted his feelings.

She wasn’t sure how long it would take, but she was willing to play the game. After all, Sanji was quite pretty. He had already given her butterflies. She just had to be sure she didn’t screw up and fall in love herself.

The prospect of falling in love was not one that Akemi had ever thought of. She knew that it would hurt, she knew that it would mean having to trust someone. But that wasn’t something she could do so easily. Not with every part of her at least. The darkest parts of her had been hidden away, locked underneath a very strong layer of apathy and music and laughter. Of pretending to be happy.

Akemi was certain that whoever saw that part of her would run as far and as fast as they possibly could. It was why she was so determined to hide from everyone. Not even her father knew of this pain that she carried. He was so certain he knew everything about her.

“Hold on!” Nami’s voice brought her out of her thoughts.

The ship tilted upwards as the current dragged them up the mountain. Akemi gripped onto the countertop, holding onto it as though it was the only thing keeping her steady.

They climbed the mountain with gritted teeth, each of them straining to keep their balance and keep the ship on target.

Akemi felt jostled as the ship shook from the strain of it all.

“Luffy!” Nami’s voice came out strained as she yelled to the captain. “Drop the sail!”

Luffy’s laughter was a little too bright for a comfort as he did as told. The sail unfurled, catching the wind.

“It’s gonna be bumpy!” Sanji yelled out. “Get down, now!”

Akemi closed her eyes tightly as she gripped the countertop tighter than before, her knuckles turning a bright white.

The ship sped down the mountain, the wind and the currents doing nothing to slow them down. If anything, it only made things faster.

On the brightside, Akemi didn’t have to worry about losing her lunch. She still had yet to eat anything.

“Luffy, slow us down!” Akemi yelled, her eyes going wide as she spotted the bottom of the mountain and what looked like a giant rock sitting down there. “Now!”

“Okay, okay, Keke! You don’t have to yell,” Luffy’s arms stretched, grabbing the mountain walls on either side of them. His arms stretched further and further as the ship continued to go down.
His face began to turn red, his heels digging into the deck. He let out a cry of frustration, his grip growing tighter with each inch.

Akemi worried for a moment that his arms would break, that they would all end up dead. Maybe running away from home hadn’t been the best decision of her life.

But the ship slowed. Luffy’s cry of frustration turned into a whoop of joy.

Akemi took a breath, her grip starting to relax. She could hear the others letting out small sounds of relief. It seemed that she was not the only one who had worried about dying during the whole damned event. She was just glad that they’d survived this. Even if she knew that the reverse mountain was nothing compared to the rest of the Grand Line.

She had watched as her father’s crew had been attacked by bands of pirates, by Sea Kings and other monsters. She had known for a very long time that a life at sea was going to be the way she died. There was only so much luck that one person could have.

The Grand Line was not made for luck. It was made for skill and for power. It was the pirate graveyard for a reason. Akemi had to hope that the Straw Hats could handle it. That they could handle the things that lie in wait for all of them. Akemi hated that she didn’t know. She hated that she didn’t know if she was sailing into death with her brother or not.

But she knew his dream. That same one he’d been talking about since they were children. He’d be the King of the Pirates, even if it killed him.

His way of dreaming had always made Akemi want to dream just as much. He was the reason she had found her voice. He was the reason she understood why music spoke to her as it did. He had helped her to find the parts of herself she didn’t know were missing.

Akemi didn’t even know if he realized that.

She definitely wouldn’t be the one to tell him.

“Is everyone alright?” Sanji questioned as he slowly let go of the steering shaft.

“Just fuckin peachy,” Zoro grunted in response, straightening with the slightest hint of a wince. Akemi’s gaze dropped to his chest, which was more heavily bandaged than she realized. Blood was seeping through them.

“You’re bleeding,” Akemi pointed out, her eyes never leaving the spot.

Zoro looked down, a slight grunt leaving him. “It’s fine, it’ll quit in a second.”

“You should let me … someone bandage it for you.” Akemi doubted that he would allow her anywhere near his wound.

Zoro glared at her, his gaze dark and menacing. She looked away from him.

“I said it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“Can’t you be a little nicer, mosshead?!” Sanji snapped at him. “She’s just trying to help you, you idiot! You’re not going to be any use to us if you bleed out before we even really get anywhere!”
“What do you care, curly brow!?” Zoro snapped back, the two of them nearing each other as though a magnet was pulling them towards each other.

Akemi tried not to smirk as she watched the two of them. They really didn’t see it, did they? It seemed obvious to her, and probably to Nami and Usopp as well. She doubted Luffy had even realized it. He hadn’t even realized her childhood crush on Ace, despite her forcing Ace to play marriage countless times.

She slipped out of the galley and headed out to the deck to check for damage. She figured that Sanji and Zoro would need some time alone just to figure out whatever the hell they were going to do about Zoro’s wound.

Part of her wanted to stay back and watch. But she wouldn’t interrupt a private moment between hopeless idiots.

As she stepped onto the deck, she noticed that Luffy was staring ahead at the giant rock. She stepped over to her brother, stopping when she was just behind him.

“What the hell happened to it?” She asked softly as she took in the markings on the rock’s face.

“I don’t know,” Luffy said softly, his eyes roaming over it curiously. “But it looks like something hit it. A lot.”

“I wonder if it’s taken down ships,” Akemi said softly as she stepped closer to the figurehead of the ship, trying to get a closer look at the thing.

It was only as she got closer that she noticed something about the rock. It was breathing.

“I don’t think that’s a rock,” she said softly, fear lacing her tone.

“What the hell is it then?” Luffy asked, his head tilting to the side as though he were a curious puppy.

“I think … I think it’s a whale.”

Chapter Text

The whale was far larger than any other whale she had seen before. To be fair, Akemi didn’t spend much time around whales. Her father wasn’t exactly an animal person, especially not after he had lost his arm to that Sea King attack. She wondered if he would ever be an animal person after that. Would anyone?

That didn’t seem to matter though.

The whale made a loud noise, as though he was planning on attacking them. Akemi looked to Luffy, hoping that he would be more serious now than when they had been children. Unfortunately, he looked just as excited by the sight of the whale. She should have known that he would never actually grow up. Luffy wasn’t that kind of person. She was certain that he would more than likely never end up growing up.

Luffy was far too selfish to do that.

“Guys it’s a whale!” Luffy yelled to the rest of the crew.

“A whale?” Zoro responded, sounding dubious.

“What the hell is a whale doing here?” Nami asked, gripping onto the rigging as she tried to make her way down to them.

“No clue, but he seems pissed,” Akemi stated, looking between her brother and her new crewmates, fear in her green eyes. “We should probably find a way past him.”

“Whale!” Luffy shouted, rearing his arm back. “Gum-Gum Pistol!”

“Or not,” Akemi mumbled, watching in horror as Luffy tried to beat the whale. The creature opened its mouth, letting out a loud cry.

Water rushed towards it, the ship right alongside.

“Hold on!” Akemi screamed, feeling an arm wrap around her waist. She was pulled back from the front of the ship, just as the ship went down the throat of the wall.

Luffy cried out but Akemi didn’t see where he was.

She was pushed down onto the deck, a larger body landing on top of her own. She winced ever so slightly in pain but it was better than being chewed up by the whale. She knew whales weren’t always carnivores, but with one this big there was bound to be a little slip up. She wasn’t sure that she could handle her bones being crushed by molars the size of her head. It didn’t really seem to be her preferred way of spending the day.

The body over hers didn’t move until the ship stopped.

She opened her eyes then, looking up to see her savior.

It was not Sanji, like she had anticipated. Nor was it Luffy, but she had figured it wouldn’t have been.

Oh no. It was none other than Roronoa Zoro. The bounty hunter that even her father’s crew had heard whispers about, although they had often joked that the bounty hunter seemed to be more trouble than anything else. Akemi wasn’t shocked to realize they were right.

Benn Beckman was almost always right.

“Thanks,” she said softly, her voice a slight tremble of fear.

Zoro was quick to step up from her, a glare on his face. “I didn’t do it for you.”

“Well, thanks anyway,” Akemi stood, brushing dirt from her skirt.

“Kemi!” Sanji stepped over to her, taking her in his arms and inspecting her for damage. “Did this brainless oaf hurt you?”

“What? No, he..”

“Who you calling brainless?” Zoro snapped, his hands on the hilt of his swords.

“You dumbass! You don’t just shove a lady to the ground! You could have really hurt her!” Sanji snapped, gently moving to place Akemi behind him.

“He didn’t…”

“Oh so you would’ve preferred letting her get washed away?”

“No! But there were a hundred other things you could have done!”

“You’re just mad I was on top of her,” Zoro said, a gleam in his eyes that felt dangerous.

“Where’s Luffy?”

“You shouldn’t have been anywhere near her! You should just leave saving the damsels to me,” Sanji said, his teeth bared in what could have been easily considered a snarl.

“Hey, guys.”

“Oh yeah?” Zoro questioned. “I think you’d be too much of a creep if we did that, shitty cook.”

“At least I know how to treat a lady, mosshead.”

“Curly brow!”

“Clumsy oaf!”

The two men were head to head, fire in both of their eyes and their foreheads nearly touching. Akemi wondered how often this was going to happen. She also wondered if they’d ever thought about kissing each other. It seemed like they were heading well within that direction.

“Um, guys?” She tried to interrupt them yet again.

“What?” Zoro snarled at her.

“Where the fuck is Luffy?” Akemi asked, nearly making a show of looking around the ship for the captain.

Zoro and Sanji both blinked twice before they stepped away from each other, settling into their anger as though it was a plush mattress. Did they wear it often? Did they lounge in it? Or was it just their way of relieving the stress that came from being a pirate?

“That idiot must have gotten himself washed away,” Sanji groaned, running a hand through his carefully styled blonde hair.

Akemi had to look away as the strands fell lazily across his forehead.

“So what the hell do we do?” She questioned, trying to sound less anxious than she felt.

“We wait for him to find us, he normally does,” Zoro said with a sigh.

“Yeah, but he normally gets us all in trouble,” Usopp grumbled from behind them.

Akemi sighed softly, knowing that she should just try to relax. Luffy disappearing had been normal when they were children. She supposed it shouldn’t be so abnormal now. He may have been a pirate captain but he didn’t know the first thing about being responsible. Akemi loved him for it. After all, he wouldn’t be her big brother without that horrible streak.

“Is that … An old man?” Nami asked, squinting ahead at the water they were surrounded on.

“I think the better question is … is that an island?” Akemi said softly as she neared the railing. Her brow furrowed slightly as she looked around them. “What in the hell is going on here?”

“Yeah, this doesn’t look like the inside of a whale at all.” Sanji said, stepping up behind her. He placed his arm on the other side of her, caging her in against the railing. She should have hated it, should have threatened to break his bones and his body.

But she kind of liked it.

“I don’t know,” she admitted softly, a frown on her lips. “But I have a pretty bad feeling about all of this.”

“You should,” a voice from behind them said.

Akemi turned then, the rest of the crew turning with her. In front of them stood a woman with blue hair and a smile that seemed almost cruel and a man in a really stupid crown.

“Who the hell are you?”

“Ms. Wednesday,” the woman said with that cruel smile. “We’re after the whale.”

Chapter Text

“If you’re here for the whale, you’re kinda on the wrong side,” Akemi pointed out to the blue-haired woman. “Besides, what the hell do you want with the poor guy?”

“That poor guy just swallowed us,” Zoro pointed out from behind her.

Akemi ignored him, instead staring down the two individuals.

“This whale could save our village!” The man in the crown said, sounding a little too overwhelmed for it to be false.

“He could keep us fed for a year!” The woman continued.

“You’re going to eat him!?” Akemi asked, her eyes widening. She felt Nami come up behind her, looking every bit as annoyed as her.

“You can’t just eat him for no reason!” Nami shouted, her eyes alight with a fire that Akemi hadn’t seen before. She couldn’t deny the woman was beautiful.

“Besides, how the hell are we supposed to get out of here if you hurt it?” Zoro questioned, his large arms crossed over his chest. It would be a struggle not to stare.

The blue-haired woman looked almost taken aback by his question. She and the man stared at each other, as though quietly communicating with each other.

“I don’t … I don’t know,” the woman was the one to speak, sounding just as aggravated. Akemi wasn’t certain that she believed it. Clearly the woman and the man understood something that the Straw Hats didn’t. She was a little bit concerned about the reasoning they had for wishing the whale any sort of harm.

Something lurched underneath the boat. The Straw Hats stumbled slightly.

Zoro’s arm reached out, wrapping around Akemi’s waist and keeping her steady. She supposed she still looked unstable from her few days without food. It didn’t help that they had been too overwhelmed with getting rid of the Marines that had been chasing them and then getting to the actual Grand Line to even think about a meal.

Akemi would ask for something later. When they didn’t look as though they were going to have to fight their way out of something’s stomach.

Part of her wondered how often they would be in situations like this. How often would her brother get them into situations where they were fighting for their lives?

“What the hell was that?” Sanji snapped, his grip on the railing white-knuckled. A flash of pain crossed his features.

“The whale moved,” Nami pointed out. “We probably pissed it off.”

“Hopefully he’s okay,” Akemi said softly as she moved to step out of Zoro’s grip. She stepped over to Sanji, taking his hand off the railing.

She looked it over for a moment, noting the small scars and the calluses on his hand. Her cheeks flushed ever so slightly as she realized that the man was beautiful everywhere, not just his face. How in the hell Luffy found him would never make sense to her. She noted a small red nick in the middle of his palm. It was probably just a splinter, but she was sure he’d be in pain until it was gone.

“I’m fine,” Sanji grumbled once he realized what she was doing. “Don’t worry about it.” He gently slipped his hand out of her grip, looking away from her as though he was embarrassed.
How often did he take care of people? How long had it been since someone had taken care of him?

Akemi watched him for a second before she looked away. She would force him to let her take care of him later.

A noise above them brought their attention upwards. Akemi’s eyes widened as Luffy began to fall through the air, yelling as he did.

“Luffy!” She cried out, realizing how he wasn’t near the ship.

“Luffy!” Zoro yelled, rushing to the railing beside her and Sanji. He held his arm out. “Grab on!”

Luffy did. His arm stretched out until his hand found Zoro’s. Zoro walked backwards, giving Luffy more room as he pulled him onto the ship.

The captain barreled into the ship, knocking the blue-haired woman and the man off of the Going Merry.

“You bastard!” The crowned man yelled. “How dare you do this to us?”

“What I do?” Luffy asked, confusion in his voice. “Oh, sorry.”

“They're trying to kill the whale,” Akemi mumbled to her brother.

“But he’s a great fighter,” Luffy said, his brows furrowing as he looked down at the two people floating in the mild stomach acid. “You shouldn’t hurt him just because you want to! What kind of people do that?!”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” an older man called out from his island. “Those monsters keep coming after my Laboon no matter how often I fight them back.”

“Who are you old timer?” Luffy asked, his voice not filled with the respect that Akemi thought the older man deserved. He winced as she hit him across the back of his head. “What the hell, Keke?”
“Be nice!” Akemi hissed to her brother.

The two glared playfully at each other, Luffy rubbing the back of his head and Akemi crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“Crocus,” the older man stated as he made his way down the beach. “Now, let’s get you kids out of Laboon’s belly.”

“That would be great, thanks old timer!” Nami said, her hands clasped together beside her head.

It seemed Luffy was not the only one who would have to learn how to respect their elders. Akemi wondered if it would even be worth it to try and get them to respect others. It might be easier said than done.

Crocus led the Straw Hats through the whale, through the different hatchways and pathways that he had built inside of the whale. How it was possible was not something that any of them would question. The Grand Line was a weird place. There was no way in hell for anything to actually make sense all of the time.

Akemi had lived most of her life in the New World. She knew just how weird things could get, she knew better than to question anything.

“What’s with all these passageways, old timer?” Sanji questioned, making Akemi realize that it was perhaps the entire crew that needed lessons in respect.

“Laboon’s a big whale,” the man said with a sigh. “It gets hard to care for him from the outside, so I made it easier to care for him from the inside.”

He opened up a hatchway for the crew, allowing the ship to sail right through. Another island appeared in the distance.

Nami directed them to the island, letting the ship dock in the singular harbor.

“Sanji, can you meet me in the kitchen for a second?” Akemi asked, sensing that the danger had passed.

“Sure,” Sanji said, giving her a smile that made a dimple appear. She hadn’t realized he had one. It was on his right cheek, a mirror to the one that was on Akemi’s left. She tried not to think of how perfect that was.

Akemi led Sanji into the galley, taking a seat at the dining table. Sanji sat down across from her.

“What’s this about?” He asked, a curious tone in his voice.

“Give me your hand,” Akemi said, looking up at him through her lashes.

“Akemi, I’m fine.”

“Give me your hand,” she repeated, holding her hand out for him.

Sanji hesitated for a second before he slowly gave her his injured hand. Akemi’s fingers were gentle on his hand, her eyes going over every small little piece of his hand. She was certain that she’d never looked at someone’s hand this closely before. But he was hurt and her new crew mate. She was supposed to take care of him, wasn’t she?

It wasn’t like they had a doctor on board. The least she could do was give any knowledge that she had. It wasn’t much, but she’d spent enough time with Hongo to pick up some little things.

“How long were you gonna leave the splinter in?” Akemi asked as she moved to stand up. She stepped over to the small pantry, doing a quick search through it before she found a small jar of honey.

“I was going to take care of it once everyone was in bed,” Sanji admitted. “I didn’t want to worry anybody.”

“Would’ve hurt like hell to cook,” Akemi said as she took her seat once more.

“What’s with the honey?” Sanji asked, watching her unscrew the cap.

“I used to get splinters all the time when I was a kid,” she admitted as she dipped a spoon into the jar. She took a small amount of the honey, watching as it dripped off of the spoon for a second. “I was the worst about not letting anyone touch them. My father had to hold me down while the doctor worked.”

“Sounds like you were a handful,” his voice was soft as she spread the honey over his palm.

“Still am,” she teased, looking back up at him for a second. Their eyes met, she blushed before looking away. “But after a while, they got annoyed and started figuring out better ways to get them out. The honey should draw it out, without as much pain as you digging in with a knife or however you were planning on doing it.”

“I’d never take a knife to my hands,” Sanji told her with a teasing smile, not even wincing as she started to wrap his hand with a small thing of gauze. “I can’t cook if they’re hurt.”

“But you’d leave a splinter in?” Akemi questioned, giving him a raised brow.

“...Fair point,” Sanji said as he made a quick fist with his hurt hand. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” Akemi said softly, standing up to put away the small jar of honey. Sanji stepped up behind her. She could smell his cologne, the tobacco and spice scent of him nearly making her heart beat too fast.

“I really do appreciate it, Kemi,” his voice was soft, nearly a whisper as he spoke so close to her ear. She could feel goosebumps rising on her arm, could feel her breath catching in her throat. “Why don’t I make it up to you with a meal? Anything you prefer?”

“I, um,” Akemi had to take a deep breath just to calm herself down. “Miso soup?” It was the first thing her mind could come up with.

“Miso soup it is,” Sanji smiled at her in that dazzling way of his. His eyes bright and his dimple showing.

He really was far too pretty for his own good.

“Thank you,” she said softly as she turned, her back against the pantry. “Just maybe wait a little bit? At least until your hand isn’t hurt.”

“Have you eaten in the past few days?” Sanji questioned, his brow raised and his expression turning serious.

Akemi didn’t bother to answer him. She didn’t want him to feel as though he was responsible for her and her eating habits. After all, she hadn’t joined the crew until recently. She hadn’t been under his care for that long.

She would argue she wasn’t under anyone’s care. The Straw Hats probably still didn’t trust her. Not when she had yet to prove herself, not when she had only really been in the way so far.

How the hell was she going to prove herself? All she could really do was sing. She doubted they were in dire need of a musician when they didn’t even have a doctor. Just being Luffy’s childhood friend wasn’t enough of a reason for her to be part of their crew.

She would figure something out soon. If she didn’t … She might have to find herself a new place to be, a new crew to exist.

“Go make sure Luffy’s not causing trouble for the old man,” Sanji said softly, his hand gently resting against her hip. His thumb moved in lazily circles, sending sparks running up her spine. “I’ll bring you something to eat soon.”

“You shouldn’t … Not with your hand,” Akemi said softly, trying to ignore the gentle touch and the way he was looking at her.

Did he even realize she couldn’t breathe?

“You took care of me, let me take care of you.” Sanji gave her that smile again, the one that made her breath catch in her throat.

“Fine,” Akemi breathed out, looking up at him with a little smile. “Just please be careful? I don’t want to have to patch you up twice in one night.”

“I don’t think I would mind,” Sanji said with a slight smirk.

Akemi gently shoved him away from her, a laugh escaping her. “You’re a flirt, San-San,” she said as she moved to step past him. “I’ll see you in a bit then.”

Akemi headed back to the deck, looking out at the sea. Maybe proving herself wouldn’t be as hard as she thought. After all, it seemed like the only one who had a problem with her was Zoro. She figured he had a problem with anyone.

Besides, she was having far too much fun with Sanji.

Chapter Text

Akemi jumped off the ship, landing in the crystal clear waters. She sighed happily as she felt the water lapping against her shins. It felt like coming home in a way. She’d always been drawn to the sea, she just never understood why. Shanks being a pirate couldn’t be the only reason for her love of the sea. There had to be another reason why it felt like the waves protected her, why it seemed like the sun shone down on her a little bit brighter when she was in the sea instead of on a ship.

But that was a topic of thought for another day.

She stepped over to the other Straw Hats, climbing out of the water and onto the sand. She had always loved the way the sand shifted underneath her feet, had loved the way it felt as though she was floating. She didn’t think anything else could ever feel this way.

“Where’s the cook?” Zoro questioned, glaring down at Akemi as though she were some sort of bug.

“He’s in the galley, he said something about lunch.” Akemi answered as she moved to tie her red hair up in a loose plait.

“Lunch!?” Luffy asked excitedly, nearly bouncing. “I hope there’s meat! Lots and lots and lots of meat!”

“You certainly haven’t changed,” Akemi teased him, elbowing him playfully in the side. “Just be grateful for whatever he gives us.”

“I will, I will,” Luffy huffed as he brushed her off of him.

Akemi hummed softly to herself as she began to walk forward, exploring the island with her eyes. She doubted they’d be allowed to go further in. Not when she was certain that Crocus wanted his privacy. At least considering how those two creeps had already given him enough hell.

“So what’s your story, sir?” Akemi asked curiously as she looked over at Crocus. “How did you wind up all the way out here?”

“I used to be a doctor on a ship,” Crocus stated as he stepped out of a small hut. He held supplies in his hand, medical tools that he would need to see about Laboon. “But then I found Laboon nearly fifty years ago. He’d been abandoned by his friends once they entered the Grand Line.”

“Abandoned?” Luffy asked, suddenly growing serious. Akemi took hold of her brother’s hand. Both of them knew how it felt to be alone.

Neither of them had ever known their mothers.

Luffy squeezed her hand back. Grounding the two of them in this moment, in the knowledge that they were no longer alone. They’d never be alone again.

Most people assumed that Luffy didn’t have deep feelings. That he was just a selfish kid who only thought about was going to bring him happiness. They didn’t realize that Luffy had already been broken and discarded by the world time and time again. They didn’t realize that his positive attitude and the way he looked at the world was his own way of fighting back against the things that haunted him. They didn’t realize he’d lost more than he even knew before he could speak. It was why he and Akemi had gotten on so well when they’d first met. They’d recognized those haunted eyes.

Luffy was the reason Akemi had begun to speak when she did. Her father had been so certain that she’d only ever say those three or four words that she knew. But Luffy had brought her into the world. He’d held her hand while helping her learn how to form the words she knew but couldn’t say. They’d spent two years working together just so Akemi could speak.

She’d never forget it.

She’d never let anyone hurt him because of it.

Luffy was her brother. Perhaps not in blood but in all the ways that counted.

“He was only a baby whale when they set out,” Crocus sighed as he looked at Luffy. “They found me here and asked me to watch after Laboon. After all, the Grand Line was no place for a child.”

Akemi could attest to that. The amount of times she’d nearly died on these seas was a little overwhelming. But she was ready for it now, ready for whatever life could throw at them.

“So what happened?” She asked, slowly rubbing circles in the back of Luffy’s hand to keep him calm.

“They either died out there or they ended up running away from it all,” Crocus sighed, looking forlornly at Laboon. The whale was pounding his head against the rocks, crying out in pain. “I’ve tried to tell him but he doesn’t believe me. They promised they’d come back from him, ya see? So he keeps trying to break through the mountain to get to them.”

“That’s horrible,” Akemi watched Laboon, her heart breaking as the whale cried out.

“That whale’s pretty stupid, huh?” Luffy squeezed Akemi’s hand once more before he released her. A look of determination on his face that she really didn’t like.

Akemi had seen that look on his face several times before. She knew for a fact that he would more than likely end up breaking his bones or breaking the rocks himself. She didn’t think he’d hurt the whale. Why would he? Luffy wasn’t a cruel person.

“Hey Laboon!” Luffy yelled, climbing back onto the ship so he could be closer to the whale. “Knock it off! You’re only going to hurt yourself and then your friends are going to be mad at the old guy!”

Laboon let out a loud, beseeching cry as though begging to be saved by anyone or anything.

How could anyone have done this to him? How could anyone be so cruel? He didn’t deserve this. No one did. But especially not the sweet little whale that would need to be loved back to health.

“Fine!” Luffy yelled, as though he could understand what the whale was saying. “We’ll fight! If I beat you, you can’t hurt yourself anymore. Got it?!”

“Luffy!” Akemi yelled, moving to try and get close to her brother.

Zoro’s arm shot out, blocking her. “You’ve got to let him do this. He’ll blame himself if that whale gets hurt anymore.”

“But he’s going to really hurt Laboon,” Akemi argued, moving to walk past him. He only grabbed her, dragging her into his side.

“Laboon’s a man. He’ll fight with honor and so will Luffy.” Zoro told her, looking out at his captain and Laboon.

“Laboon’s a whale, Zoro,” her voice had grown softer, fear in her eyes.

“If you want to stay with us, you have to learn to trust Luffy,” Zoro stated, looking down at her with those eyes that were so intense that she thought she might drown in them. She was the first one to look away.

“Fine. But I don’t have to enjoy it,” she stated, finally relaxing in his grip.

She almost hated how nice it felt to be within his arms.

Akemi couldn’t think like that. Hell, she shouldn’t even be flirting with Sanji as much as she was. She knew dating crew members could get more than a little messy. She had watched her father nearly eviscerate a cabin boy just for flirting with her once. Although, she had been sixteen and the cabin boy had been twenty-one.

Akemi couldn’t make things messy here. Not if she wanted a home.

Instead, she watched in horror as Luffy wound up his fist. She had to cover her mouth with both hands as he landed punch after punch on poor Laboon.

Laboon could barely fight back. He was a whale after all. Although, the way he thrashed in the water nearly caused the ship to capsize a few times. Akemi worried about Luffy and what would happen to him if he fell into the water. She also worried over Sanji and how he was even continuing to work. Surely, he wouldn’t appreciate the boat moving so haphazardly while he was cooking.

“Hurry up and finish him off,” a woman’s voice said from somewhere just beyond the Going Merry.

Akemi looked over, her eyes widening upon seeing the blue-haired woman and the crowned man.

“I thought we got rid of you freaks!” Nami shouted, looking every bit as annoyed as Akemi currently felt. Hadn’t those two done enough?

“We’re not leaving without the whale,” the woman said. “Now, have your friend here finish him off.”

“Lu,” Akemi called out, stumbling as Zoro released her. “We’ve got a problem here!”

“Take care of it, I’m in the middle of something!” Luffy called back as he hit Laboon once more.

Akemi tried not to curse, she really did. She turned her attention back to the blue-haired woman and the crowned man. “Listen, we really don’t want to hurt you.”

“Speak for yourself,” Zoro grumbled from beside her.

“But we really can’t let you interfere with our captain’s duel,” Akemi slipped a dagger from her boot, taking up the fighting stance that her uncle had taught her. “If you would be so kind and fuck off, that would be much appreciated.”

“You little brat!” The man snarled as he looked at her.

“I’ve been called worse by much scarier men,” Akemi said, a feral grin on her face.

The man leveled a pistol at her, a look of pure hate on his face.

Before she could even manage to blink, the pistol went flying through the air. Sanji appearing from nowhere to stand beside the man. His leg outstretched from the kick he must have done.

“You shouldn’t point a weapon at a lady,” he said, taking a drag from his cigarette. “Let’s hurry this up before I burn lunch.”

Akemi wondered if there had ever been a more attractive man in the history of mankind. Surely, there was something special about this one. She tried to keep that opinion off of her face, instead focusing on the woman in front of her.

“I’ve got this,” she told Zoro. He only grunted in response.

She didn’t know if he believed her or if he just didn’t give a damn.

Akemi raced forward then, her heels dancing across the sand. She took a breath through her nose before she went on the offensive, trying like hell to take the blue-haired woman by surprise.
The woman tried to block the attack with a long wire attached to some jeweled spikes. Akemi moved her arm, going underneath the block and leaving a shallow slice on the woman’s collarbone. Akemi didn’t want to actually hurt her. She didn’t want to hurt anyone. But she wanted to make sure that Laboon didn’t have to deal with these creeps after the Straw Hats had left.

“Shame I don’t know your name,” Akemi said with a grin. “I hate fighting with beautiful women.”

The woman blushed lightly before shaking her head, as though she was unsure why she was blushing at all. Akemi had that effect on people.

It wasn’t her fault that she just like to flirt. It helped that the people she liked to flirt with were often the most beautiful people she had ever seen before. Even if she was technically a bad guy, the woman was definitely one to fall in that category.

“Wednesday,” the woman said as she blocked another of Akemi’s attacks.

“Wednesday? Pretty name for a beautiful girl,” Akemi grinned. “Shame we’re fighting right now. I have much better ideas for how we could be spending our time together.”

"Just shut up and fight!” Zoro yelled, distracting Akemi for a second.

A blow landed on her face, blood spurted from her nose. She winced in pain, hoping that she wouldn’t have to deal with a broken singing voice for the next few weeks. If she did, well, Zoro would be the one paying for it.

“Don’t be jealous, Zo, it’s not a good look on you,” she called back as she brought her knee up into Wednesday’s abdomen. “Sorry about this, love. We just can’t let you hurt Laboon. He deserves to live every bit as much as you do.”

Wednesday fell to the ground, coughing in pain.

The two women looked at each other, Akemi felt a surge of guilt at the pain she had clearly caused. But it wasn’t like she just couldn’t fight their enemies. She knew that she’d have to fight a lot more the further into the Grand Line they got.

She could no longer be the protected little princess who only ever had to learn self-defense. No, she had to learn how to be a weapon. How to defend herself and her new friends. She wouldn’t let anyone take her away from them. Not even if she had to feel this upset and guilty every single time.

Akemi stepped away from Wednesday, knowing that the fight was done. She was the one standing.

The crowned man collected Wednesday before the two rushed away. They left something behind on the beach, something that Akemi recognized from traveling on the Grand Line for so long.

She stepped forward, taking the Log Pose in hand. She thought about going to find the two and give it back to them, but she realized it might be safer to keep it. She slipped it into her bag, determined to keep it to herself unless necessary. She thought Nami would’ve already had a Log Pose of her own, thought that the crew would’ve learned how to navigate the Grand Line before they entered it. That’s what most sailors would have done, at the very least.

Akemi stepped back over to the crew, her eyes going instantly to Sanji. But he seemed as though he was fine. Not even a speck of sand on his suit.

“Lunch should be ready soon, princess,” he said to Akemi, giving her a smile that would make any woman swoon.

“Thanks, prince,” she teased him, a playful smile on her own lips.

“Knock it off,” Zoro grunted as he cleaned off his sword. Akemi hadn’t even seen him pull it, but she had a horrible feeling that he had used it against the crowned man. Why else would they have run so fast?

“Sorry, we won’t flirt in front of you,” Akemi stated as she patted his arm casually. “I’m sure your jealousy can’t handle it.”

“I’m not jealous,” Zoro snapped. “I just think it’s disgusting that you two keep doing it.”

Akemi tried not to laugh. She didn’t bother pointing out that Zoro sounded jealous. Instead, she turned her attention back to Luffy and Laboon. It seemed as though their fight had ended while she had been dealing with Wednesday.

Luffy laughed happily as he painted on the whale’s face. A symbol of the newfound friendship, their new hope.

A Straw Hat jolly roger.

Chapter Text

The crew joined around a large table set out by Crocus. Luffy and Usopp already laughing together as Usopp told tall tales that no one but Luffy would believe. They seemed so happy, so carefree. Even Nami was laughing at their joy.

So why didn’t he feel the same way? Why did he keep looking over at Akemi and Sanji? Why did he care so much when Sanji laughed?

Zoro shouldn’t notice the way the corner of Sanji’s eyes crinkled. He shouldn’t notice the way that Akemi’s cheeks dusted a light pink. He definitely shouldn’t notice the way they both had dimples nor how they seemed able to bring them out in each other. Would he ever be able to do that? Care so much about someone that he could bring out this joy? This happiness?

It didn’t matter.

His job on the crew was to protect the others. He was supposed to be the one who made sure they weren’t threatened, they weren’t in trouble. Unfortunately, Luffy seemed to like everyone a little too much. He was overly eager to get himself into some sort of trouble. He didn’t care what that meant for the crew. He didn’t care what that meant for anyone but him.

Luffy was so selfish that Zoro sometimes wondered why he cared so deeply for his captain.

Akemi was an unknown to him. Sure, she and Luffy had apparently grown up together but that didn’t actually mean anything. Things changed. He knew for a fact that she could easily have started working for some crew that had it out for the Straw Hats. He wouldn’t trust her until she proved she could be trusted.

He knew he was still paranoid because of the whole Nami situation.

Luffy could have gotten himself killed. Zoro hadn’t been in any shape to do much, even if he did far more than he should have. The fact that they were all still alive was nothing short of a miracle.

He glared daggers at Akemi, watching as she placed her hand gently on Sanji’s arm. His spine stiffened as he could basically see the hearts in the bastard’s eyes. Why in the hell did he have to go completely lovesick over every woman that looked at him? Why did he have to prove that he could have anyone he wanted?

“You alright?” Nami asked softly as she moved to step up beside him. He hated that he hadn’t even noticed her leaving Luffy and Usopp. Maybe he was more lost in his thoughts than he had realized.

“I’m fine,” he grunted, knowing that she would more than likely see through the stoic act. He would try to be the swordsman that he wanted to be, but he found it hard sometimes. Especially around his crew. They made him want to let loose, to have fun. Even if he knew that meant mistakes and meant not protecting them like he should.

“She’s pretty, isn’t she?” Nami questioned as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, looking at Akemi.

Akemi’s hair fluttered around her, like crimson waves. Zoro thought it looked like blood.

“She’s fine,” he said as he tore his gaze away. “What do you think of her?”

“I think she’s been through something, just like we all have.”

“That doesn’t mean we should trust her.”

“But it means we can.”

Zoro looked at Nami then, feeling a sense of crushing defeat. He had hoped that Nami would be on his side of this. He had hoped that she would see Akemi as the threat that she was. Had the vixen really played temptress well enough to seduce Nami? Or was he just far too anxious to realize that Akemi was nothing but a scared girl looking for a home?

He really hoped it was the first. He didn’t know how many hopeless cases the Merry could carry.

“Do you trust her?” Zoro asked, his hand moving to rest on the hilt of his sword. He didn’t feel like he was going to need it, but he liked having a hand on it. It brought him a sense of comfort. One that he didn’t want to give up any time soon. Not when his heart was racing too fast.

“I think it would be stupid not to,” Nami admitted as she looked back at Akemi. “She’s like all of us. Besides, Luffy isn’t about to let her leave us. No matter what any of us do.”

Zoro knew it was far too true. He knew that his captain would more than likely end up putting them in some sort of danger over this girl.

“Fine, but I don’t have to be nice to her,” he grunted as he moved to join Usopp and Luffy. If he kept watching Sanji and Akemi, he knew he would lose his mind.

The whole situation was enough to make him want to scream. He didn’t even know why. But looking at her made something inside of him clench uncomfortably. Her voice was also grating to his ears for reasons he couldn’t quite place. He had promised himself that he wouldn’t talk about it. He had promised himself that he would ignore the horrible feelings that she had caused in him. Except, he’d made those promises in regards to Sanji.

Sanji made his stomach clench whenever their eyes met. His voice made his teeth grit in frustration and he felt like he was going to strangle someone when he heard Sanji laugh.

It was more than a little confusing.

Zoro wasn’t completely stupid. He’d known for a while that he liked men. But he had decided to focus on his dream rather than carnal pleasures. How could he become the world’s greatest swordsman if he was too busy getting his dick wet?

What he hadn’t expected was to have these same sorts of feelings about a woman. It had happened a few times, but it was normally killed as soon as he realized that they only saw the demon. Not that he’d ever gotten that far with most of these romantic feelings. He crushed most of these hopeless little infatuations under his boot, shoving them so far down that he could just ignore them and move on.

But that was before he had begun sleeping only five feet away from the curly browed pervert. That was before he had helped wash dishes, their fingers brushing against each other every single night. That was before he had seen Sanji grab his head whenever he grew too anxious to speak.

He hated himself for how much he noticed.

He hated Akemi for being able to touch him.

“Lunch is served,” Sanji said suddenly, drawing Zoro out of his thoughts. “Miso soup as requested by our lovely new songbird.”

Zoro felt his eyebrow twitch.

Akemi blushed lightly at the compliment. Zoro wished it wasn’t so intoxicating. “Thank you, San-San.”

Nicknames? They had fucking nicknames already?

Sanji nearly swooned as he made Akemi a bowl of soup, setting it down in front of her as though she were a princess. “Of course, Aki.”

Zoro watched with barely covered rage as Sanji’s fingertips brushed against her shoulder. He watched her blush deepen.

How the hell was he the only one who noticed this? How was he the only one getting upset? If she was Luffy’s sister, wasn’t the captain supposed to notice this sort of shit? Or was this just another way that Luffy was incompetent?

He couldn’t blame Luffy. It wasn’t his fault that Sanji was weak to women.

It wasn’t even Sanji’s fault.

Akemi was the one who he should blame. She was the one who was tempting Sanji, who was trying to ruin things in the crew. She should have known better than to flirt with a crew member. She should have known it was fucked up and messy.

He tried to ignore it as he ate his meal.

“So how do we get to the next island?” Nami asked Crocus curiously, clearly intimidated by the idea of navigating the Grand Line while also being so excited that she could barely conceal it.

“The Grand Line has such strong electromagnetic fields that it’s nearly impossible to navigate it in the normal way,” Crocus began to explain. Zoro wondered how in the hell Nami understood any of this. It all sounded like confusing jumble to him. “You have to use a log pose in order to navigate it.”

"A log pose?”

“It’s a navigational tool that locks onto the strongest electromagnetic field, it can help you find the next island. Without one, you’ll be lost for sure,” Crocus said with a nod of his head. “They take time to reset at each island, depending on different factors. Could take a day, could take a year.”

“But we don’t have a log pose!” Nami’s voice sounded anxious.

Akemi reached out, taking hold of Nami’s hand. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Crocus placed something on the table.

“I’m not leaving the island for a long time,” he said as he pushed the log pose over to Nami. It was a glass ball with three little compasses connected to a leather strap. It looked old, worn. “I haven’t worn this since I was on Roger’s crew.”

“Roger?!” Luffy asked suddenly, excitement in his eyes. “Like the king of the pirates?”

“Yes,” Crocus said with a soft laugh. “That’s him. I was the doctor on his ship.”

“No way…” Luffy looked off into the distance, his eyes shining with hope.

Zoro smiled slightly, glad that his captain at least seemed to be excited. He just had to hope that excitement didn’t lead to them all getting into trouble.

A loud crashing noise interrupted Zoro’s thoughts. He looked over, seeing a sheepish looking Usopp and the box he and Luffy had been messing with for the last twenty minutes. The lid was on the table. Glass shattered underneath it.

“You idiots!” Nami yelled as she kicked Usopp and Luffy. “You broke the log pose! How are we supposed to go anywhere now? We can’t even get back to the East Blue without it!”

“Nami,” Akemi’s voice was soft, almost twinkling. Zoro really hated her voice. “I was trying to tell you earlier but I found something.”

Akemi slipped her hand into her bag. Zoro was shocked to see her pulling out a log pose. Had she actually found it or had she had it with her this whole time? He wanted to confront her about it but there would be a time and place for that.

He doubted Luffy would like watching him interrogate her.

“I think I love you,” Nami squealed as she wrapped her arms around Akemi, hugging her tightly.

Akemi laughed, hugging her back.

“Alright, in the morning we set sail, for the Grand Line!” Luffy announced, causing the rest of them to cheer.

Zoro never took his eyes off of Akemi.

Chapter Text

Crocus had told them they could spend the night on his ship, but the crew had decided they wanted to spend the night on the Merry. It would prepare them more for leaving in the morning.

The ship gently rocked back and forth, Laboon’s tail setting a gentle pace as he splashed beside them.

Akemi stood out on the deck, her face turned up towards the stars. It had been so long since she’d had a chance to just sit outside and watch the stars. Once upon a time, it had been her favorite pastime. Her father would sit with her in the crow’s nest, pointing out constellations and telling her stories that barely made sense. He’d hold her until she fell asleep, the two of them against the rest of the world. He’d promised to be there forever.

She’d thought he’d meant it.

“It’s beautiful,” Sanji’s voice spoke softly from behind her. He stepped beside her, two steaming mugs in his hands.

“It is,” she agreed before she glanced down to the mugs. “Is one of those for me?”

“I thought you could use one,” Sanji grinned at her, passing her the mug of hot tea. Their fingers brushing together caused a feeling of electric shock to run through her. But she didn’t mind it. It was … Nice.

“Thank you,” she said softly, taking a sip to avoid embarrassing herself further. A soft sigh left her, the taste of the tea making her feel safe, comforted. Sanji seemed to understand just what she needed, even when Akemi didn’t know it herself.

“Don’t mention it,” Sanji said softly as he leaned against the railing, his head tilting upwards to watch the stars.

Akemi wondered what he thought about. Childhood stories or his dreams of the future? The need to know everything? What was he doing on board the Merry? She had so many questions for all of them, but she knew it wasn’t time to ask. Not yet. Not until they trusted her.

Akemi knew that would be easier said than done. Zoro definitely didn’t trust her. She could see it in his eyes whenever he looked at her. She could feel it in his touch whenever he accidentally pressed against her. That tension running through both of them as though it were a knife. She knew that he would never trust that she didn’t have some ulterior motive. She couldn’t even blame him. She would believe the same thing if she were him.

“I didn’t think you’d like stargazing,” Sanji admitted, breaking the comfortable silence.

“It’s better in a crow’s nest,” Akemi said softly, holding her tea close to her as though just the mug was enough to warm her. “My Uncle Benn used to get so angry with my father when I was little. He’d keep me up all night just so we could watch the stars together.”

Sanji reached over then, gently taking her hand in his. The touch warmed her far more than the tea could hope to.

“What happened?” He asked softly.

Akemi had already told Nami, she’d told Luffy as well. It was her own fault for thinking the rest of the crew would have heard the story. She knew that she would have to tell everyone eventually. She knew she’d have to explain who exactly who her father was the further into the Grand Line they got.

But for now … She could just try to keep things to herself.

It wouldn’t help Zoro trust her, but it would allow her to be herself for once. Not just her father’s daughter, not just the girl with crimson hair. She could be Akemi, future pop superstar.

“We fought and it was bad,” Akemi said, deciding to give him the less intrusive version. “He didn’t want me following my dreams anymore and I couldn’t agree to it. So, I left. I’m never going back either.”

“You sound like a child,” Sanji said with an amused smile.

“Oh, shut up.”

“I ran away too,” he admitted, rubbing small circles into the back of her hand as he did. “When I was a kid, I ran as far and as fast as I could. I still feel like I’m running half the time.”

Akemi looked over at him, studying the way the starlight lit his features. His hair was less yellow in this lighting, more of a muted gold. His lashes cast shadows on his cheekbones and his eyes seemed to shine like the depths of the bluest ocean. He was beautiful. But did he even realize it? He walked through spaces as though he was shrinking in on himself, only appearing confident when he realized someone else was with him. He acted as though he had everything under control, as though he understood his purpose and his place in the world, but his eyes were so incredibly sad.

She wished more than anything that she could be the one to change that sadness in his eyes.

Getting romantically involved would be a bad idea. She knew that. She’d been telling herself that since their first moment alone. But … There was a hint of something there. Something that was better left unsaid, something buried in lowlights. She’d never have a chance to explore it. All because she was afraid of telling him she felt even the slightest hint of a spark.

“Does that feeling ever go away?” She asked him, moving to take his hand in hers. His gentle touches stopped, but it still felt good. Safe.

“Sometimes,” Sanji said as he looked over at her.

Green eyes met blue.

He smiled, a shy sort of one that only showed a hint of his dimple.

“When?” Akemi asked, not taking her eyes off of that hint of a dimple.

“When I’m with the crew, when Luffy laughs or Zoro snores, when Usopp lies or when Nami yells,” Sanji admitted, his cheeks flushing with the slightest hint of a blush. “Don’t tell them but … They’re my home now.”

“That’s beautiful,” she smiled at him, her own dimple appearing fully. “I didn’t realize you were such a poet.”

“I’m not,” Sanji took a silver cigarette case out of his pocket. He took one out, placing it between his lips before slipping the case back into his pocket. His lighter was gold, covered in intricate swirled designs that she thought matched his eyebrow a little too well. He took a hit from the cigarette, pulling it from his lips and exhaling the smoke into the air.

Akemi watched, nearly dumbstruck by the beauty of the action.

She normally found smoking repulsive.

Sanji just looked too damn beautiful.

The wind blew then, taking the smoke and creating a small heart with it. If Akemi had been superstitious, she would have seen it as a sign. Instead, it just made her shiver from the cold.

“I should get inside,” she said softly, pulling her hand away from his. “Thank you for the tea.”

“Of course,” Sanji looked at her, that gentle smile on his lips. “Sleep well, Akemi.”

“You too, Sanji,” Akemi gave him a shy smile of her own before she slipped away like a thief in the night.

She made her way downstairs and to the cabin that she and Nami would be sharing. She tried not to think of Sanji, of the way he smiled at her and the way she had felt so … Seen around him.

It was stupid of her to think of any of this.

She slipped into the cabin as quietly as possible, shutting the door behind her with a soft click.

“I was wondering when you’d come in,” Nami said from her spot at the desk.

The lamp light was low. Nami had ink on her hand, a pair of glasses perched on the bridge of her nose, and a look in her eye that made Akemi smile. She looked so happy, so peaceful. Had that come from sailing with Luffy? Had her brother been the cause of so many’s happiness?

She wouldn’t put it past him. Luffy had a spark about him. One that was going to make his dreams come true. Akemi had known it since they were children.

“You weren’t waiting for me, were you?” Akemi asked as she moved to sit on the edge of the bed to remove her shoes.

“Nah,” Nami said as she sat her glasses down on the table. “I was getting some work done while everyone else is asleep. It’s easier to concentrate.” She explained as she stood up, stretching her back until a very soft pop was heard.

“If you want,” Akemi said hesitantly, “I can teach you some stretches. It’ll help keep your back from hurting if you sit for too long.”

“I’d like that,” Nami gave her a reassuring smile. It felt as though she were trying to soothe some sort of wounded animal. Akemi didn’t know if she liked that or not.

As Nami gathered clothes to change into for the night, she spared glances at Akemi. Akemi hadn’t moved from the very edge of the bed, unsure of what she should do in the space.

“You don’t have any other clothes, do you?”

“No, I didn’t take much when I left home,” Akemi admitted with a slight blush. All she’d grabbed was another dress in case the one she wore got torn or too dirty to wear any longer and her flute. She hadn’t thought about sleepwear or anything else. She hadn’t thought about anything but running as fast and as far as she could.

A T-shirt was thrown onto the bed alongside a pair of shorts.

“You can borrow those,” Nami said with a shrug.

“Are you sure?” Akemi questioned as she reached for the clothes.

“Sure, but it’ll be a thousand beri a night. Don’t worry, I’ll give you time to pay me back,” Nami said, a glint in her eyes that Akemi didn’t trust.

She didn’t see much choice either.

“Thank you,” she said softly before she stripped out of her dress and shoved the shirt on.

The shirt was a bit big on her. Nami was taller than Akemi, the hem fell to her upper thighs. The shorts fit better, the two seemed to share a pants size at the very least. The hem of the shirt hid the shorts from view, but Akemi felt comfortable. More like herself.

“You look pretty cute,” Nami teased her as she climbed into the bed, wearing a tank top and a pair of shorts of her own.

“I can sleep on the floor, if you want,” Akemi said quickly, her cheeks heating as she turned her face away from Nami. She’d never actually had to share a bed before. Not since she was a little girl. Her nightmares had often sent her running into her father’s bed. He’d been the only one to keep her safe.

Sometimes, she missed that feeling of safety.

“Stop it,” Nami said as she lifted the blankets. “Just get in here before I change my mind.”

Akemi didn’t hesitate. She crawled underneath the blankets. The bed was just large enough that the two didn’t touch.

Nami reached out first. Their hands touched in the low light of the lamp.

Akemi entwined their fingers.

Each holding onto each other and the idea that they weren’t alone.

“It’s nice,” Nami whispered softly as the light began to flicker, the wick slowly dying.

“What is?” Akemi’s voice was just as soft, as though she was frightened of breaking the soft tension.

“Not being the only woman on the crew. I love the guys but …” Nami trailed off, staring at the back of Akemi’s head as though it held all the answers.

“It can be lonely.” Akemi finished for her, giving her hand the gentlest squeeze.

“Yeah,” Nami agreed, her head falling forward until it touched the back of Akemi’s.

“We don’t have to be alone anymore.”

Chapter Text

The morning sunlight streamed through the porthole. Nami’s arms were wrapped around her waist, hugging her close as though she needed comfort. Akemi found that she didn’t mind it. It gave her that feeling of being safe. That feeling of being okay for once.

It had been far too long since she had felt safe.

Slowly, Akemi peeled herself out of Nami’s hold. The orange-haired girl still slept soundly.

She grabbed her bag from the floor before she slipped out of the cabin. She explored for a bit, hoping to find the baths. Most ships had some form of washroom. Shanks’ had a private one just for himself and later for his daughter. She almost missed it.

Akemi would refuse to admit that she missed anything to do with her father and his ship. She didn’t want to keep feeling guilty for leaving. Not when Shanks hadn’t given her much of a choice. Not when he had made sure that she would always feel as though she had to choose between him and her dreams. What sort of father did that?

She pushed open a large wooden door, grinning when she realized it was the bathing chamber.

Steam filled the room, as did the scent of lemon verbena. Movement caught her eye, her cheeks heating when she realized that she wasn’t alone.

Sanji ran his hands through his wet hair, bubbles hiding him from view. Which was probably a good thing in the long run.

“Akemi?” He asked curiously, turning her head to see who exactly was at the door. “What are you doing up so early?”

“I, um, normally wake up early?” Akemi said, her blush nearly the same shade of crimson as her hair. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude.”

“Don’t worry about it, I’m almost done anyway,” Sanji gave her a grin before he moved to dunk his hair in the water. She turned around quickly, not wanting to watch as he came up. She wasn’t sure her heart would be able to take it.

She was being so stupid. She’d seen men before! She’d grown up with a ship full of men who hadn’t thought twice about being idiots. She shouldn’t have been so easily distracted by Sanji. But she was. She feared that just meant things were going to get incredibly complicated.

She heard him get out of the bath, heard the gentle sloshing of the water.

“If you want to bathe, I can get more hot water for you,” Sanji offered, his voice so soft that it caused goosebumps to rise on her skin.

“That’s fine, I can handle it,” Akemi spoke, hating the way her voice trembled. How embarrassing could she be?

Sanji stepped closer to her. She could feel the heat of his body pressed against her. He wasn’t even that close to her. But God, she wanted him to be.

No. She couldn’t do that.

Romance between crewmates was dangerous. She’d always been told horror stories about Shanks and Buggy from when they’d been together as young pirates on the same crew. She’d never been able to feel anything other than a sense of tremendous loss for the two young men they’d been. She didn’t want to be a horror story of her own later on.

“I’m sure you can,” Sanji said softly, stopping only a few feet away from her. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to help.”

She turned her head to look at him. His hair was wet, sticking to the sides of his head. It was the first time she’d seen both of his eyes. She hadn’t realized just how stunning the blue was until now. She found it hard to look away from him. Even if she knew that she should.

“I…” Akemi found her words trapped in her throat. Frustration welled within her. She had been trapped within silence for so long. Growing up on the streets left very little time for learning how to communicate. Everything had been about survival. Shanks had spent so long teaching her how to speak, how to communicate. But she hadn’t gotten the hang of it until she was eight, when Luffy had demanded so much of her. She was grateful for him. However, she still found her words leaving her when she grew too frustrated or just overwhelmed. It was embarrassing.

“Let me help, Kemi,” his voice was soft as he took a small step closer to her.

Akemi’s eyes fell to the towel wrapped around his hips, her cheeks flaming. She didn’t answer him, just turned on her heel and fled.

It was the wrong choice and she knew it.

But what else was she supposed to do?

Romance wasn’t what she was after. Especially not with a boy that she barely knew. One who also happened to be her new shipmate. She would regret turning away from him later. For now, she needed to focus on getting as far away from the situation as possible. She couldn’t focus on anything but the way his torso had looked, the way his arms had looked. God, she was so stupid.

Akemi headed up to the deck, scanning for anyone else who might be up. Usopp was dozing on the deck, a fishing pole in his hands. Zoro also snored on the deck, his head against the mast and his arms crossed against his chest.

A very small smile crossed her lips at the sight of them. They looked so at peace. As though they were happy here, content. She hoped that she would feel the same way soon enough. Hoped that she wouldn’t always feel as though she was one mistake away from being let go.

Akemi knew she was being stupid. Luffy would never abandon her. He would never abandon anyone that he loved. She was just lucky enough to be one of the ones he loved.

She climbed up the rigging, heading into the crow’s nest. There was something so comforting about being up so high above everything. It was the most free she’d ever felt. There was nothing to keep her from soaring into the clouds if that’s what she chose to do. Nothing to keep her from falling into the sea to be one with the mermaids. She could do anything, be anything.

Akemi had always been a dreamer, had always been trapped on a plane of existence that seemed destined to chew dreamers up and spit them out. Perhaps that was why she needed the Straw Hats. She’d needed to find dreamers just like her. People who understood what it meant to want something so fiercely, to need it just to be able to breathe.

This could be home if she tried hard enough.

If she could just stop making a mess of things.

Akemi settled into the crow’s nest, bringing her flute out of her bag. She began to play, softly and gently. She kept it as quiet as possible, not wanting to disturb the two dreamers down below.

The music wove around her heart. It played with the notes of her soul, creating a melody that felt as though it were lifting her above the ship. She felt as though she could feel the cold kiss of the clouds, as though she could feel the deepest depths of the sea on her legs. She closed her eyes as she played, seeing the light in the darkness of the water. She could see the rainbow kaleidoscope of the light reflecting against the clouds. Everything was possible as the gentle melody swirled around her.

Music had always felt like an embrace to her. Like something that she would never be able to give up. How could Shanks have asked that of her? How could anyone think she could ever want anything more than to show the world just how beautiful music could be? How could she ever want anything more than this? It was impossible and she knew it.

Akemi didn’t hear the movement underneath her. She was too lost in the melodies that she was creating. Too lost in her own beautiful mess.

Luffy grinned up at the crow’s nest, looking between a now awake Zoro and a newly dressed Sanji. “What did I tell you guys?”

“She’s not bad,” Zoro admitted gruffly.

“Looks like we’ve got our musician.” Luffy smiled, his eyes bright. One step closer to becoming the King of the Pirates.

Chapter Text

He was an idiot. He’d always been unable to help himself around women. He had Zeff to think for that. The old man would have killed him had he been anything but a gentleman to the women that came in Baratie, it didn’t matter who they were or what they looked like. Sanji had been taught that they deserved better than the idiots they came in with.

Akemi deserved better than his stupidity. He knew that he was coming on much too strong. He knew he had to tone it down. But she just made his head swim whenever she was around him.

Maybe that was just the fact that she was the Captain’s sister. There was nothing more forbidden than that. That had to be the only reason he wanted her.

It had nothing to do with the way she laughed. Nothing at all to do with how she smiled at him, how she looked as though she were thinking of something that was beyond him. He wished he knew her. He wished he could know her, without her pulling away from him. Sanji knew that he’d keep trying, and ultimately failing.

Maybe Nami would have some ideas.

He bent over the counter in the galley, trying to focus on getting the carrots even. He was focusing more than he normally would, trying like hell to keep his thoughts as far from Akemi as possible.

Sanji couldn’t deny that it had hurt him when she had rushed out like that. But he knew he couldn’t take it to heart. After all, he had been naked.

The door to the galley opened, the wind blowing in and sending a chill up his spine.

“You’re not getting fed until breakfast is ready,” Sanji snapped, figuring it was his captain who had slipped in.

“You need to leave Akemi alone,” Zoro’s voice was just as gruff as normal. However, there was the slightest hint of challenge in his tone. It was enough to make Sanji straighten up.

He wiped the blade of his knife with a washcloth as he turned to face Zoro, a bored expression on his face. “Why is that? You have a thing for her, mosshead?”

“No,” Zoro’s cheeks heated just a tiny bit. No one else would have ever noticed it. Unfortunately, Sanji seemed to notice everything about Zoro. He noticed the little things. The way Zoro’s brows would furrow when he was confused, the way he would try to act like everything was fine when he was hurt, the way he hid himself away from the others as though he were still afraid to get close to any of them. He knew that Zoro’s trust was hard to earn. He didn’t think he had it yet. He didn’t think he’d ever have it.

But they both trusted Luffy. That was enough for now.

“I just … I don’t trust her,” Zoro said gruffly. “It doesn’t make sense for her to just find us like that. Besides, you’re wrapping yourself around her finger. That means when she betrays us, you’ll probably either be blindsided or go right along with her.”

“You’re paranoid,” Sanji scoffed, his long arms crossed elegantly in front of his chest. “What’s she done to make you think we can’t trust her?”

“She pulled that Log Pose from nowhere,” Zoro pointed out.

“She probably got it from one of those creeps that were harassing us,” Sanji argued. “Is there anything else or should I just trust your judgments?”

“I don’t like how she looks at you,” Zoro admitted, turning his head to avoid looking at Sanji.

Sanji stared at him, a mix of shock and bewilderment in his gaze. Since when did Zoro care about how anyone looked at him? He thought the swordsman wanted him gone half the time. What did it matter how a girl looked at him?

“How does she look at me?”

“Like she’s about to devour you,” Zoro sighed, his eyes hardening as he glared at the carrots that Sanji had been preparing.

“I don’t think I’d mind that,” Sanji smirked, trying to bring this conversation back to a place he was comfortable with. He didn’t know how to handle Zoro feeling concern for him. He didn’t know how to handle anyone really caring for him.

Sanji was so used to being discarded. Sometimes, it seemed as though he was searching for ways to be tossed aside. If only to keep hold of those mindsets he’d grown up with. He knew it was wrong, he knew he deserved better than that. But he couldn’t stop it. He couldn’t fight the tides inside of him, couldn’t run from how he felt. How worthless he thought he was.

God, he was fucked.

“Dammit Curly! Just leave her alone, alright? Until she proves she’s one of us,” Zoro snapped at him, his hands clenched into fists at his side. His frustration nearly bubbling over. Sanji always liked seeing Zoro like this. It meant he cared.

“Don’t worry, I probably ruined her daydreams about me,” he said with a sigh, leaning against the counter as though he could no longer support his own weight.

“What did you do?” Zoro looked as though he didn’t really want an answer.

“She walked into the baths while I was taking one, probably wasn’t the best idea to start trying to flirt with her,” Sanji admitted, running a hand through his messy blonde hair.

Zoro’s face shifted from annoyance to anger and back again. “You really can’t be around women, can you?”

“I’m not that bad!” Sanji argued, ignoring the laughter in Zoro’s eyes.

“You’re the worst,” Zoro grunted, keeping up his facade of being tougher than tough.

“Just shut up.”

“Make me,” Zoro smirked at him. Sanji felt his cheeks turning a bright shade of red.

Sanji turned away from him, focusing once more on the carrots. “I’ll stay away from her, alright? I won’t seek her out at least. But … I’m not going to make her feel like she’s not part of this crew. She needed to find us. Just like we all needed to find each other.”

Zoro stood behind him. Sanji could feel his presence. It was overwhelming in its way. As though nothing he ever did or said would be worth anything. It always felt as though Zoro saw through him. Maybe that was why they fought so much.

Zoro was the one person who knew that everything about Sanji was faked. His charm, his confidence, his way with words. All fake. All a show to make sure people didn’t hurt him anymore. He wasn’t sure he could take being hurt again.

“Just be careful.”

With that, Zoro walked away. Leaving Sanji with more questions than answers.

Chapter Text

“There’s an island!” Akemi’s voice carried down to the rest of the crew. The others came out of their hiding places, the galley and the grove of tangerine trees, forming a circle around the mast.

“Let’s go!” Luffy said excitedly, early bouncing on the balls of his rubber feet in his excitement.

“It would give us a chance to resupply. Crocus was kind, but what he gave us won’t last more than a couple days,” Sanji said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

“But we have to be careful. We’ve got bounties now,” Nami pointed out, her voice carrying a hint of her anxiety.

“Trust me, Nami,” Akemi jumped down from the crow’s nest, a grin on her lips. “We’re on the Grand Line, no one’s going to think twice about pirates.” They hadn’t thought twice about Shanks at least. Her father’s crew had commanded respect wherever they went. They’d done it by being kind in some places and ruthless in others. It depended on what was needed in certain areas, certain islands.

Hands steadied her waist as she landed on the deck, keeping her firmly upright. She didn’t have to look to know who it was.

Sanji definitely wasn’t shy in his affections.

“I’m fine,” she assured as she turned her head. Embarrassment colored her cheeks.

“Didn’t say you weren’t,” Zoro said gruffly, his hands squeezing her waist once as though to check that she was actually still there. “I just didn’t want the Love Cook yelling if you got hurt.”

Akemi rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the quick stutter of her heart. She turned her face away from him, gently brushing his hands aside.

Zoro withdrew as though he’d been stung.

“Be that as it may,” Nami interrupted, shooting Zoro a quick glare for interrupting their conversation. “We still don’t know what we’re walking into. We should be careful.”

“And we will be,” Akemi assured her, trying not to think of what Luffy was likely to do. She wasn’t stupid. She knew that Luffy would rush head first into any danger he found. He’d done it when they were children. Why wouldn’t he do it now?

Nami seemed to share that opinion. Her gaze went right to Luffy. “I highly doubt that.”

They docked the ship just along the outskirts of the island, Nami’s advice at least being followed for that.

Akemi felt a flutter of apprehension in her stomach. Her gut telling her that something wasn’t right here. But she’d ignore it.

After all, it was probably just because it was the first time she would be out with a crew that was not the one she’d grown up with. She was anxious about being without her father’s guidance, without his backup. She knew that she’d needed to leave home. If she hadn’t she probably would have ended up living the most miserable life known to man. She didn’t want that. She didn’t want to hate her father.

Shanks had kept her safe, he’d found her and protected her. Even when she was far too much work, he’d never once given up on her.

But she had given up on him.

Akemi didn’t think she’d ever forgive herself. She didn’t think their relationship would ever be the same either.

“Let’s gooooo, Kemi,” Luffy whined from beside her, taking hold of her shoulders and pulling her close to him.

“Luffy!” Sanji’s leg came out of nowhere, landing on Luffy’s head in a rough kick. “Leave her alone! You could hurt her!”

“Sanji!” Akemi had to fight to hold back her laughter. “He’s fine. I’m tougher than I look, promise,” she winked at the cook before linking her arm with Luffy’s.

Sanji’s eyes widened, a lovesick expression crossing his features. “Of course, Akemi, I just didn’t want this idiot ruining your day.”

“That’s very sweet of you, Sanji,” Akemi giggled softly before she let Luffy lead her off the ship and onto the island.

As the crew headed into town, Akemi’s apprehension grew. What was wrong with this place? Why was her stomach clenching? Why was she so worried about nothing? None of it made any sense to her. But maybe she’d have a better idea of her feelings after she’d had a drink. Maybe there was even a bar that would let her give an impromptu performance. It had been far too long since Akemi had performed.

People stared at them out of windows, soft murmurs making Akemi’s anxiety grow.

“Pirates!” A call went up.

Nami stiffened, Zoro’s hands went to his swords, and Luffy’s smile only seemed to grow.

“Welcome!” Townsfolk shouted as they poured out of their homes. “We love pirates!”

“What the hell?” Akemi murmured before a large man with blonde hair in a wild curled style approached them.

“Welcome to Whiskey Peak,” he said with a grin. “I’m the mayor of this town. Please, feel free to eat and drink your fill! We adore pirates here!”

Akemi looked at the man, not seeming to trust him in the slightest. Why in the hell were they so enamored with pirates? Who would be? Akemi had never come across this island in her travels with Shanks. However, that wasn’t that surprising. Shanks often revisited islands, he’d been more than happy to spend his days on sun-drenched beaches getting drunk and making damn sure that Akemi didn’t get into any trouble.

His biggest dream had been his daughter taking his title as Emperor of the Sea one day. But that had never been Akemi’s dream.

The two couldn’t seem to figure out how to navigate the treacherous seas of growing apart.

“Sounds good to me!” Luffy said eagerly, already starting to run towards the nearest bar.

“Luffy!” Akemi tried to call out for him. But he only ignored her.

“C’mon, Akemi,” Zoro said with a slight grin. It only made him look more beautiful. She hated him for it. If only because it was going to work on her. “Calm down, we’re going to be fine.”

Akemi hesitated for a moment before she nodded her head slowly. “Fine. But if something goes wrong, it’s your damn fault.”

Zoro laughed lightly at her words, the first one that she’d caused for him. Maybe they weren’t so far from being on the same page.

Maybe Akemi could find a home here.