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“Psst, psst, Sanji.”
Sanji looked up from his book to see his knight hanging from the window of his tower.
“Luffy,” he hissed, hurrying over and pulling Luffy into his room, sneaking a glance at the hundred-foot drop and shuddering.
“Why can’t you use the door like a normal person?” he sighed, nevertheless unable to keep the grin off his face at the least knightly knight in Germa Kingdom.
“Because they’ll search me, and I wouldn’t be able to give you this,” Luffy said, rummaging around in his pack and coming up with a handful of what looked like crushed blackberries. Luffy frowned, “Oh, they got smushed. I’ll go get some more.” Before he could leap out the window, Sanji grabbed his hand and examined the berries, salvaging the most intact one he could find and popping it in his mouth.
“They’re perfect, Luffy, thank you,” he said softly, pulling Luffy over to the small kitchenette in his room. He carefully dumped the blackberries into a pitcher and began washing Luffy’s hands in the sink.
“You should pick berries with gloves,” he lectured, running his thumb over Luffy’s stained fingers.
“Next time you should come with me, to remind me,” Luffy replied.
“You know I can’t do that,” Sanji sighed. He dried Luffy’s hands and began preparing a drink for his knight with the fresh blackberries. Luffy sat on the edge of the counter, eyes fixated on Sanji as he worked.
The first time Sanji had seen the unusual knight was at a tournament held a year ago to choose the Crown Prince’s replacement knight after his previous one met an unfortunate (and suspicious) end. During the jousting matches, Luffy had fallen off his horse before the match even began. As the stadium erupted into jeers, Sanji kept his face neutral, feeling horribly for the young amateur, though his brothers booed and levied insults next to him. Luffy had stood up, dusted himself off, and smiled at the incoming knight with a lance pointed at his chest. Somehow, he dodged to the side, latched onto the lance, and used it to swing himself onto the horse, unseating Knight Cavendish. After dismounting, in one swift movement, he slammed Cavendish’s lance into the ground, shattering it and threw the remains in front of King Vinsmoke.
“That counts right?” he had grinned, “My lance is unbroken.” As Judge hemmed and hawed, Luffy’s eyes turned to Sanji and suddenly widened. Swiftly, he ran back to the horse, plucking off one of the unnecessary roses Knight Cavendish braided into the horse’s mane and sprinted back, leaping up on the platform where Sanji sat and offering the rose to him with a grin on his face and stars in his eyes. Sanji had flushed scarlet when his brothers and father began snickering. Not from their laughter, but from the promise in Luffy’s gaze.
“Fitting. An embarrassment of a knight for an embarrassment of a prince,” Judge had barked out.
And so, Luffy became his knight.
“Luffy,” Sanji asked, squeezing lemon juice into the pitcher, “Why… why did you choose me?”
“What do you mean?” Luffy asked, swinging his feet.
“I’ve seen you fight. As the quartermaster says, it’s… unorthodox, but you could have become the Crown Prince’s knight.” Sanji recalled a training session where Zeff had watched Luffy incapacitate several other knights with a broom and dustpan, pride flaring in his chest at the quartermaster’s begrudging compliments of his knight.
“I don’t like that guy,” Luffy frowned, “He’s cruel and boring. I like Sanji. When I look at you, the world makes sense. And plus, I didn’t just choose you. You chose me too.”
“I didn’t have much choice,” Sanji laughed.
“Would you choose me if you had a choice?” Luffy asked, voice serious.
A dangerous topic. Sanji never had a choice. Instead of answering, Sanji busied himself finding a glass and fussing over the presentation, despite knowing that Luffy never cared how food or drink looked. When he handed the glass to Luffy, the knight downed it all at once, holding the glass upside down over his face to catch every last drop.
“Good?” Sanji asked.
“Everything you make is good,” Luffy grinned, hopping off the counter and giving Sanji a tight hug, “I have to go to training now, but I’ll try and sneak out to get more blackberries after.”
“If you can bring me back whole blackberries, I’ll make you a pie,” Sanji smiled.
“Deal,” Luffy said, and, ignoring Sanji’s protest, ran and jumped out the window. Sanji looked down and watched Luffy gracefully leap from open window to open window, a chorus of screams and cries following him all the way down when he surprised occupants in floors below. When he safely landed on the ground, he waved up at Sanji before jogging toward the training grounds, hands in his pockets. Chuckling, Sanji returned to his desk to continue reading a book about ocean currents that Reiju had sent him from Kuraigana Kingdom, some solace in otherwise monotonous days.
---
Sanji sat stiffly at the dining table, staring down at the whole pheasant on his plate. It looked horribly dry. Nobody in Germa seemed to understand the benefit of brining. As he waited for the minister to finish his prayers, his mind turned to how he would have prepared this meal. A dry salt rub, pads of butter under the skin, stuffing the cavity with garlic and thyme.
When the long prayers for the continued success of the Germa Kingdom finally ended, Judge stood, causing the rest of the table to stand as well.
“Tonight, we welcome our comrades from Totto Kingdom. We cherish the opportunity to strengthen our bonds during your stay.” A huge fake grin plastered on his face, he raised his glass to Prince Katakuri, “And who knows, perhaps we can look forward to continued relationships through the sacrament of holy matrimony.”
Sanji looked down at his plate and rolled his eyes. Judge would never give Ichiji away, but Niji had been crowing for the past few weeks about the princesses of Totto. Finally, Judge sat down and began noisily stuffing food in his mouth. Sanji picked at his meal, not wanting to waste it, but finding it difficult to stomach the food. His meals were usually brought to his tower; his father disliked having his failed son eat with him. But at least that gave him the opportunity to improve the food in his small kitchen, using spices and ingredients Luffy smuggled to him, and to have dinner with his knight, laughing about Luffy’s hapless trainees and marveling over beautiful stones and feathers Luffy found on his patrols.
He heard a soft cough and looked behind him to see his knight standing at attention a few feet away. Luffy stuck his tongue out at him and mimicked eating, his cheeks ballooning out with each motion. Sanji covered his mouth with a napkin to hide his giggles, then began to eat with renewed determination, already planning what he could cook for his knight when he was able to be excused from dinner.
“I’ve not seen you before.”
Sanji looked up and saw one of the Totto representatives staring at him from across the table. He swallowed quickly and tried to smile. Before he could respond, Ichiji cut in, “Minister Perospero, my younger brother, the third prince, Prince Sanji. He is unwell, so he does not attend diplomatic events.”
“Does he speak?” the minister asked.
“I-I do, minister,” Sanji managed to croak out.
“Hm,” he responded, clearly unimpressed, “Mother does like blondes, but his manner is timid, and he does not seem particularly sharp.”
Sanji heard a muffled yelp and a commotion behind him that quickly quieted. He didn’t dare turn around just yet until the minister returned to chatting with Yonji. Sanji peered behind him to see Luffy was nowhere in sight, replaced by the quartermaster. Zeff glowered at him, and Sanji turned forward, grateful for his interference. His knight was often overexuberant in his duties of protecting Sanji’s honor.
After dinner, Zeff exited the dining hall and Sanji wordlessly followed to find Luffy sulking in one of the side rooms, handcuffed to a banister. Zeff unlocked him and hit Luffy lightly over the head before leaving. Sitting down next to him, Sanji massaged Luffy’s wrists, frowning at the evidence of him pulling at the constraints.
“I’m going to beat that guy up,” Luffy said.
“You can’t do that,” Sanji replied evenly.
“I don’t like him. He looked at you all funny.”
“They’ll be gone soon, Luffy,” Sanji sighed, “Come with me, I’ll ask for some food from the kitchen and make you dinner. You haven’t eaten yet, right?”
At the mention of food, Luffy’s demeanor returned to his usual happy self, and he nuzzled his head into Sanji’s neck.
“Stop it, that tickles,” Sanji laughed, pulling Luffy to his feet. They walked through the halls, hand in hand, until Sanji heard voices and released Luffy’s hand quickly. Ichiji walked past, a contingent from Totto Kingdom behind him. Prince Katakuri paused and bowed his head to Sanji.
“I didn’t have a chance to greet you earlier, Prince Sanji,” he said calmly, “Forgive my neglect, there has been much to learn about Germa.”
“N-not at all, Prince Katakuri,” Sanji stammered, “I hope you have had a pleasant stay.”
The prince turned to Luffy.
“Your knight?” he asked. Luffy looked back at him, gaze steady.
“Lower your head to the prince,” Ichiji snapped.
“Unnecessary,” Prince Katakuri said, holding up a hand, “I’ve heard rumors about this knight. It would be an honor to spar with you, should you have time.”
“Sure,” Luffy grinned, “Sounds fun. How about tomorrow? Can Sanji come? He’s not usually allowed outside.” Sanji froze, looking anxiously at Ichiji, whose face was a mask of rage.
“Your… prince may come, of course,” Prince Katakuri said slowly.
“Prince Katakuri, we’ve still much to show you,” Ichiji said quickly, “If you’ll come this way.” They disappeared down the hall, and Sanji let out the breath he had been holding in. Luffy grabbed his hand again and continued toward the kitchen as though nothing had happened.
“Luffy,” Sanji said, trying to decide what to say, “We’ve been able to get away without formalities because no one usually pays attention to us. But you should bow your head to a prince and address him—”
“I don’t bow my head to anybody, not even you, Sanji,” Luffy smiled.
“Yes, and that’s fine, I don’t care,” Sanji said, frustrated, “But it’s the appearance for visitors.”
“My duty is to make sure you’re safe and happy,” Luffy said, “Why should I care about anything but you?”
Sanji opened his mouth, prepared to lecture Luffy about Ichiji punishing the knight, which would make Sanji sad, about ramifications of resistance to his family, about how complicated it was to be a prince. But, as usual, the smile on Luffy’s face cut through the layers of complexity, leaving behind the simple reality that all Sanji cared about was Luffy as well.
“Let’s feed you,” Sanji said, clutching Luffy’s hand tight, “If you’re going to spar with a prince tomorrow, you should eat real food.”
---
Ichiji’s face spelled trouble when Sanji joined him in the stands.
“Rein in your damnable knight,” Ichiji hissed, “That we have to put on this show is ridiculous.”
“Prince Katakuri famously enjoys a good fight,” Yonji shrugged, “And I, for one, want to watch.”
Sanji sat rigid in his chair, watching Luffy nervously. The knight had been forced into ceremonial armor for the battle and was now painstakingly stripping most of it off, leaving only the sleeveless hauberk and his favorite gauntlets on. Sanji watched him stretch. His knight, with his thin arms and legs, did not look like a formidable fighter, but Sanji knew of the power in his body, coiled like a spring.
“Weapon?” Prince Katakuri asked, similarly lightly-armored.
“Just these will be enough,” Luffy said, raising his gauntlets in the air, “Oh and I have spiky shoes.” He lifted a foot in the air, his sabatons glinting. “You can use whatever you want though, I don’t mind.” Katakuri nodded, twirling the trident in his hands.
“Your knight fights like a commoner,” Niji said scornfully to Sanji.
“Do we even know his background?” Ichiji asked, “He behaves like riff raff, fights without honor.”
Sanji tried to hide his smile as his knight ran around the stadium, rousing the crowd into chanting his name. Prince Katakuri stood silently, more than twice Luffy’s size, an imposing figure.
“What will you do when your knight is killed, or worse, humiliated?” Niji jeered at Sanji, “Will you go crying to your tower? Who’s going to protect you from your scary brothers then, weakling?”
Sanji ignored him, heart fluttering in his chest. This was supposed to be a simple spar, but the tips of Katakuri’s trident looked sharp and his knight was only human.
When Judge waved his hands, the two sprang into action. Sanji watched as Luffy catapulted toward Katakuri, ducking under the trident, and landed a blow that merely glanced off Katakuri’s armor. He leapt back and circled Katakuri, eyes focused. Sanji had never truly seen Luffy fight. Gone was the happy-go-lucky knight who brought him sweet honeycombs and pretty flowers, begging for snacks in return. Nor was this the knight who giggled as he knocked the feet out from under trainees, finding joy in blowing raspberries instead of landing harsh punches. The man fighting in front of Sanji now was a warrior, no trace of levity remaining.
The two fighters were evenly matched, Luffy fast and lithe, attacking weak points in Katakuri’s armor, managing to avoid most of Katakuri’s swings. Sanji winced when one of those blows slashed Luffy’s shoulder, sending a spray of red blood in the air. Katakuri, sensing his opportunity, turned the trident around and stabbed at Luffy with the blunt end, sending him flying backwards. Sanji stood, peering desperately at the cloud of dust. When it cleared, Luffy lay on the ground unmoving.
“Ouch,” Yonji said, “Guess we have a winner. That was fast.”
“Pathetic,” Ichiji muttered, “An embarrassment for Germa.”
Filled with rage at his brothers’ words, Sanji shouted toward his knight, “Luffy, rise.”
“Don’t humiliate us any more with your theatrics,” Judge said, stone-faced.
“Luffy,” Sanji repeated, “Rise for me.”
And then, he was, slowly, shakily. Luffy stood, clutching at his chest. In one swift motion, he pulled off the hauberk and the shirt he wore underneath it, revealing a huge scar across his bare chest, then steadied himself into ready position.
Niji swore under his breath, “Was that from—”
“It’s an old scar,” Yonji said, frowning. Sanji stared at the scar as well, gnarled, twisted skin, a deep self-loathing rising in his body that he did not know about this pain from his knight.
“This is indecent,” Judge barked, “Stop this battle this instant.”
“No,” Prince Katakuri roared, eyes bright, “It’s only just begun.”
Luffy bared his teeth and wiped a trickle of blood from his chin, then leaped forward, faster than before, a bolt of lightning. His body wove through Katakuri’s furious trident strikes like an artist on a loom, landing a series of punches on Katakuri’s legs that brought the huge man to his knees. Luffy swiftly climbed Katakuri’s body, latching on like a leech to the taller man’s shoulders and neck with all four limbs.
“Yield,” Luffy shouted, veins crawling on each of his straining muscles as Katakuri tried to shake him off. Katakuri gasped for breath as Luffy’s gauntlets dug into his neck. Finally, he tapped Luffy’s arms, who immediately let go and landed on his feet. Battle over, Luffy sat back heavily and smiled up at Katakuri, holding out his hand. Katakuri shook it solemnly. They spoke to each other, too quiet for Sanji to hear, and then Luffy pointed to Sanji, a smile on his face. Katakuri looked toward him as well, then clapped Luffy on the back.
The knight bounded over to them, placing his arms on the platform and putting his chin on them as he grinned up at Sanji.
“I heard you, Sanji,” he said, “I was almost asleep, but I heard you.”
“You’re hurt,” Sanji said quietly, pulling out a handkerchief and reaching for Luffy’s shoulder.
“I’ll take care of that later,” Luffy said, grabbing the handkerchief before Sanji could use it to dab at the drying blood. “I’m keeping this though,” he continued mischievously, holding the handkerchief aloft, “A reward.”
“A lady’s favor,” Ichiji sneered.
Luffy turned to him with a smile, “I feel bad for you.”
Ichiji stared, “You… you feel bad for me?”
“That you can’t see everything wonderful and kind and perfect about Sanji,” Luffy said simply, “It’s very sad.”
“Let’s go, Luffy,” Sanji said quickly, seeing that Judge had already stormed off, “I’ll fix you up.”
He set off toward his tower, feeling simultaneously giddy about the expression on Ichiji’s face and nervous about what his brother might do. When they reached his room, Sanji pushed Luffy down onto a chair and retrieved his medical kit.
“Luffy,” he said, as he began dabbing at the wound with alcohol, “The scar on your chest…”
“From a fight that I lost,” Luffy said.
“Where did you get it?”
“On the ocean. I’m better now, don’t worry, Sanji.”
Sanji’s hand froze, “You’ve been to the ocean?”
“I was a sailor, Sanji,” Luffy laughed.
“What happened?”
“Big storm broke my ship. Ended up here. Saw the flyers for the tournament and thought maybe I could make enough money to get another ship, so I entered.”
“So… you’re not a knight at all.”
“I don’t know what it means to be a knight,” Luffy shrugged, “But I saw you and I wanted to be by your side and now I am. Zeff says being a knight means caring for someone more than you care for yourself. So I guess I’m a knight.”
They fell into silence, the weight of Luffy’s devotion somehow a weight off Sanji’s shoulders. Sanji tried to keep his hands steady as he stitched Luffy’s wound closed, the knight—the somewhat-knight barely blinking as Sanji worked.
“What’s the ocean like, Luffy?” Sanji asked.
“It’s big and fun,” Luffy said wistfully.
“Do you miss it?”
“A lot.”
“Do you… do you want to go back?” Sanji asked, voice a whisper, afraid of the longing in Luffy’s voice that might one day take him away from Sanji.
“Only if you’ll come with me.”
“I can’t do that, Luffy.”
“You always tell me what you can’t do, Sanji,” Luffy laughed, “But I never see what’s stopping you.”
“You don’t understand, Luffy,” Sanji sighed, “I’m… I’m a prince, I can’t just—”
“Sanji,” Luffy said, raising his hands and placing them on Sanji’s cheeks, giggling, “You’re not just a prince. You’re a man and a dreamer and a chef and you cry sometimes at night because you don’t want to be a prince, so why don’t you just stop being one? Come with me. To the ocean.”
Sanji saw the promise again in Luffy’s gaze, the same one he’d seen when the knight first ran to him with a rose in his hand. I’ll take you away from this.
“How?” Sanji asked helplessly.
Luffy’s eyes brightened, “We’ll just walk out the gates, find a ship, and set sail.”
“It’s never that simple, Luffy.”
“If you don’t let the world teach you what’s difficult, everything is simple,” Luffy responded. He stood and rolled his shoulder, “You’re a good healer too, Sanji.”
“You’re just… indestructible,” Sanji sighed.
“Let’s go out to sea, Sanji,” Luffy said, pulling Sanji onto his feet and spinning him around, “We’ll catch fish and you’ll cook it and we’ll count stars at night and dance in the water and see the world.”
“When?” Sanji asked, getting caught up in the whirlwind that was Luffy.
“Now,” Luffy grinned, “What better time than now?”
Sanji’s eyes widened, “I-I haven’t packed. And I’m expected at dinner. And you’re injured.”
“Everything we need is here,” Luffy said, beckoning at the space between them with a grin that stretched wide as riptides, “And sneaking out when everybody’s at dinner is the best time.” He looked around, “I’m not injured, but I do need a shirt I guess.” He ran to Sanji’s wardrobe and retrieved a red shirt with yellow buttons, leaving it open over the X-scar on his chest, and one of Sanji’s yellow scarfs that he tied around his waist. He carefully tucked Sanji’s handkerchief into the makeshift sash. Grabbing a pair of scissors from Sanji’s medical kit, he cut off the portion of his pants below his knees, lifting his leg high and grinning at his newfound mobility.
“Ready?” he asked.
Nodding numbly, Sanji allowed Luffy to pull him into the hallway, down the stairs, toward the Kingdom of Germa gates. They closer they got, the bigger Sanji’s own smile grew, matching the one ever-present on Luffy’s face. Freedom. The ocean. Luffy.
“Sanji.”
Cold water down his back. He froze, legs nearly giving out, Luffy holding him up as they skidded to a stop in front of the imposing figure that emerged from the shadows just outside the castle doors.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Judge asked.
“I’m going to get out of this kingdom,” Sanji blurted out, finding strength in Luffy’s grasp on his hand.
There were shards of ice in Judge’s eyes. “That’s a relief. Don’t ever admit that I’m your father in front of other people.”
Luffy grabbed Judge’s hand and shook it, “Thank you for giving us your blessing, Tall Guy. And that’s a good idea, if people know Sanji is a prince, they’ll keep trying to take him from me.”
Sanji stared at him, trying to hold back a laugh, “No— Luffy that’s not what he meant—"
“Why are you doing this, Knight Luffy?” Judge asked, turning to Luffy, “Sanji is Germa’s failure. His body isn’t unbreakable. He cooks in secret because he has no pride in his royal blood. He’s easily moved like an idiot. And his soft mind makes him put his life on the line for the weak. A failed solder who is far from perfect… That’s all he is.”
Luffy turned to Sanji, confusion on his face, “I hate your dad, but he’s being awfully nice now that you’re leaving. Why did he suddenly start listing all the good things about you?”
“Luffy, he didn’t mean it that way,” Sanji said helplessly, “Those are not—"
“Get out of my sight,” Judge roared, face red as he stomped away, “Good riddance.”
“Goodbye to you too,” Luffy called after him. “That went well,” he grinned at Sanji.
Sanji began giggling as Luffy pulled him along. Years of feeling less than erased by the man next to him in an instant. They ran through the open gates, through fields full of blackberry bushes, until Sanji saw a glimmer ahead of them. Luffy whooped and leaped high, grabbing a straw hat from a nearby scarecrow and placing it on his head.
“The ocean, Sanji,” he laughed, “Do you see it?”
“I see it, Luffy,” Sanji replied, gasping for breath but feet moving even faster when the breeze began to carry the scent of salt and discovery. When they reached the beach, Luffy didn’t stop, pulling Sanji behind him as he ran into the tide.
“I can’t swim, Luffy,” Sanji gasped when he could no longer stand with his head above the water.
“I can, and I won’t let you drown, Sanji,” Luffy replied, treading water and holding Sanji tightly around the waist. Another promise.
Sanji hooked his arms around Luffy’s neck and looked down at his knight.
“Luffy,” Sanji said quietly, “You love me.” Not a question, but a truth.
“I do, Sanji,” Luffy smiled, “And you love me.” Not a question, but a truth.
“I do, Luffy.”
They floated in the waves, Sanji tasting salt in water for the first time and finding it altogether unpleasant. “We are going to get a boat, right?” he asked.
“Soon,” Luffy laughed, “Soon we’ll have everything, my prince.”
Art by the wonderful Maddy!
