Chapter Text
Sanji’s day replayed through his mind; a relatively normal one, all things considered. It started with him being rudely awoken from his slumber by the regular “Gum Gum..” with only a few seconds of pure terror before he was yanked into the kitchen and dropped in front of his expectant Captain. One comically large meal later, it was time to feed the rest of the crew. They all milled into the kitchen gradually, Sanji busying himself with food preparation and listening to their conversations as he worked. Usopp was talking about his “grand adventures” while Chopper ate up every word, until Nami arrived and silenced him with a swift whack to the head. After she had a meal in front of her that was rather more carefully prepared than the previous two, her mood brightened and she joined in the morning chatter. Next came Robin and Franky, talking amongst themselves cheerfully and greeting the rest of the crew with a smile, and of course, a “super good morning!”. Brook came not long after, and last was Zoro, who had already managed to get in a couple hours training and a nap since he had woken up 3 hours earlier.
When everyone had been served and subsequently fed, Sanji worked on washing up. He loved mealtimes, they gave him such a sense of belonging and purpose. The rest of his crew, his family, in the room with him, all enjoying good food he had created. He paused, still forearms deep in the sink. It just occurred to him that he really felt happy, and good, about where he was right now. Something about the everyday experience of being surrounded by the people he cared about just hit him in that moment, and he smiled to himself.
Once everything in the kitchen was finished and done with, he joined the rest of the crew out on the deck, where everyone except Zoro and Usopp seemed to be there discussing something.
“Knowing Luffy, we probably have rations for maybe a couple days or so, right? Which means we should find somewhere to stock up soon.” Nami looked deep in thought. “But on the other hand, we need to reach Zou sooner rather than later to catch up with Kin’emon and the others…”
Luffy, who had been staring rather interestedly out to sea until this point, spoke up. “Yeah, Zou first! I want to see Momo again.”
“But Luffy, if we don’t stock up on food all we’ll have is fish… If we even catch any, that is.” Chopper looked at Nami for reassurance, who only sighed and massaged her forehead in response.
“I agree, perhaps you should listen to Chopper here, Captain.” Robin smiled.
Looking around at everyone’s faces only to be met with no sympathy, Luffy sank backwards and crossed his arms, frowning. He looked back to the ocean again. “Why should we have to catch fish when there’s a giant snail out there? Let’s just eat that and go straight to Momo.”
“Giant snail? What are you talking about?” The rest of the crew turned to see what Luffy was looking at.
Sanji felt for his cigarettes, suddenly needing one very, very badly.
“Yeah, there’s loads of them! Let’s just get Sanji to fry all those up and we’ll be set all the way to Zou!”
It was true. Out in the distance, a large collection of what looked to be enormous snails were heading towards them at a steady pace. If you looked closely, you could see that there were structures on top of them, forming a sizable kingdom.
“Is that…?” Robin faltered.
“I thought Usopp was meant to be on lookout?” Nami seemed unfazed, more infuriated with Usopp than anything. “How the hell did he miss something like that?”
Chopper and Luffy rushed to the edge of the ship, leaning over the sides, completely in awe of what was coming towards them. They both exclaimed in amazement.
“Usopp better have a good excuse for this… Sanji, could you go and get him? And Zoro too, while you’re at it. I assume he’s up there as well.” Nami looked back at the cook, only to see him white as a sheet, eyes fixed on the horizon.
“Uh, on second thought… Brook, could you get them instead?”
“Why, of course. I’d be happy to.” He left for the lookout tower, oblivious to the state Sanij was in.
Even at this distance, it was clear what those snails meant. The flag was unmistakable. Every painfully slow second that went by as he took in what was happening was another that his world grew closer to falling apart. Helpless to stop it, his mind filled with every memory he had repressed over the years, every moment he had tried to heal from, every time he had felt like nothing. His current life felt so far away to him right now, like it had all just been a distraction, and that it was always going to end this way. These thoughts affected him so severely that he could not stop his hands from shaking, the evidence of this being the multiple dropped cigarettes that he hadn’t been able to hold on to.
“Sanji? Do you…” She paused. “What’s going on?”
Barely noticing Nami’s words, he tried for another cigarette, but her hands closed over his own, stopping him.
“Hey, talk to me. If you know something about this, we need to know too.”
His voice felt distant, and weak. “We need to…We need to go.”
The last thing Reiju had done for him was on his mind now, it was almost like he was back there on that beach. He had to keep running like she had told him.
“What do you mean? You know that’s not going to happen, just tell me what’s going on.” Nami’s voice became increasingly concerned. It was obvious something was very, very wrong when Sanji hadn’t even reacted to her touching him, and his words just hammered that point home further.
He opened his mouth to talk again, but his voice caught in his throat. He swallowed, trying to get something, anything out.
His hands finally became still enough to let him hold the cigarette and he lit it quickly, taking the first breath like he was coming up for air. This gave him the little burst of resolve he needed, and he pushed past Nami focusing only on making it to Luffy, ignoring her calling after him.
The snails weren't close enough for even Luffy to reach, but it didn't stop him from trying. Every time his arms stretched to their limit, he let them quickly snap back, the momentum rolling him backwards a couple feet, to his and Chopper’s delight.
His most recent roll was mysteriously stopped, however, and when he looked up he was met with Sanji's strained face staring down at him.
“Stop that, both of you. Luffy, come on, tell everyone to go.” Sanji’s gaze kept darting to the snails anxiously, every time he looked they seemed a little closer.
“Why!? We need to catch all these snails, and then you can cook them, and THEN we can go see Momo! We can’t leave!!”
“Yeah, Sanji? Why do we need to leave? Are the snails… dangerous?” Chopper looked out to sea, now feeling scared upon seeing Sanji’s reaction.
“We just- We just have to go, okay? There’s no time for an explanation.” Sanji gritted his teeth.
Luffy eyes seemed to be boring into him. “Why?”
Why was everyone so intent on asking him questions? Could no one here just listen to him when it really meant something? There was no time anymore, if they didn’t leave now, if they couldn’t avoid coming into contact with the passengers of those snails-
He was interrupted from his spiral by Robin’s hand on his shoulder, which he flinched away from. She seemed surprised, but that emotion was quickly replaced by concern.
“I’m sorry Sanji, but I’m afraid that isn't a possibility. Our ship can’t outrun them with the current climate, and as we were discussing previously, we need to restock our supplies. Without cola, we cannot use a Coup de Burst. There simply isn’t any other option than to face them.”
Sanji opened his mouth, then closed it again. She had put it in the plainest terms possible. There was no escape. He stepped backwards, and then fell to the ground, his legs unable to support him as the truth hit him. Everything he had feared would surely come to pass now, and he was still just as powerless to stop it. He had never wanted anyone to see him like this, least of all his crew, and the thought of their eyes on him made his skin crawl.
"I can't believe it! I had assumed something would have to change, but he's as pitiful as ever, eh, Reiju?"
Sanji couldn't bring himself to look at where the voice had come from. Already? They were here already? He really hadn't meant to let himself react this way. Even in all his worst nightmares he'd still been more capable than this . Somehow, just being confronted with the reality of seeing the Vinsmokes again had transported him all the way back to that dungeon, and he hated himself for not being stronger.
"Wh- Who are you people? And what have you done with Usopp and Brook!?" Nami was the first to talk, while Luffy stared daggers at the intruders on the Sunny. Reiju was carrying Brook and Usopp over her shoulder, both of them incapacitated and unresponsive.
“I believe I’m right to call you Germa 66?” Robin narrowed her eyes.
Her words caused the penny to drop for Nami, and she raised her eyebrows, puzzled.
“Yeah, that’s it! I knew something about it was familiar… But they’re not real, right? Just a made-up story to make the navy look good?” Her eyes searched Robin’s for answers, but found none.
“I don’t care who they are! Give Usopp and Brook back, now.” Luffy shifted into a fighting stance.
“I suppose he does look the same, yes, Yonji.” She sighed, averting her gaze from Sanji on the ground a little ways from her. “We weren’t meant to capture anyone else, remember? So let’s just get him and go.”
“Hmm.” Yonji scanned the crew, and then turned back to Reiju, a show of his confidence that no one would attack him. “Yes, I guess you’re right. Come along, Sanji.”
He took a moment to walk over to his brother and crouch down to his level, grinning at him.
“Time to come home.”
Eyes blinking, adjusting to the sudden light, Roronoa Zoro awoke from his poorly-timed nap. There was nothing immediately in his surroundings that made it apparent why he had awoken, so the only conclusion left was that he had been left to wake up on his own terms. This was wrong. It was wrong for many reasons, not the least of which being that he had pushed his luck by falling asleep on Luffy’s seat at the front of the ship. Although, things being wrong were no reason for him to be too concerned, so Zoro stretched the sleep out of his arms, and hopped down onto the deck as if nothing was happening at all. Now he could hear what sounded like raised voices, and he stopped to listen. Nami, Robin, Luffy, and two people he didn’t recognise.
From where he was he couldn’t see exactly what was going on, but it was apparent that the crew weren’t happy with the intruders on the ship, so he kept one hand on his swords and moved closer. He came up to the edge of the deck, above the rest of the crew, keeping out of the two intruder’s sight, and took in the scene before him. The cook drew his attention first, looking considerably more pathetic than usual, although for once it didn’t seem to be the result of any of the women on the ship. The one to blame seemed to be some green haired idiot crouching over him. Zoro slightly unsheathed one of his swords with his thumb, preparing to take out the trespasser, but he never got the chance. Nami had somehow escaped his notice and managed to sneak up on him. She didn’t say anything, but her expression and hand motions made it clear that she didn’t want Zoro to move an inch. He opened his mouth to protest, but the events she threatened him with through hand signals made him close it again. Satisfied she had made it clear what would happen to him should he ignore her warnings, Nami turned back to watch the rest of the crew from her and Zoro’s hiding place.
“What are you talking about? Sanji’s home is here with us, as the cook of the Straw Hats!”
Yonji grinned upon hearing Luffy’s words.
“Still cooking for rats then, Sanji? I suppose it was all you were good at.”
“Yonji.” Reiju warned.
He let out an exaggerated sigh. “Yes, yes I know Reiju, I heard you the first time.”
Before he could make any moves, Robin spoke up.
“If I may ask, what do you want with him? You said it was time for him to come home, but he’s never spoken about you before, and I get the feeling that you aren’t particularly fond of him, either.” She spoke politely, but her distaste for the outsiders on the ship was obvious from her demeanour.
“I suppose it can’t hurt anything to tell them the good news, right, Reiju? No complaints?”
She gave no response other than slightly shifting Usopp and Brook’s weight on her shoulders and frowning, but that was all the confirmation Yonji needed.
“I’m happy to announce the union of the Vinsmoke and Charlotte families, through the marriage of Charlotte Pudding and Vinsmoke Sanji. In other words, Germa 66 and Big Mom are about to become the greatest alliance of this era.“
Sanji recoiled slightly at the mention of the Vinsmoke name beside his own.
“I’m sure you’re wondering, why Sanji? Why go through all of this effort to retrieve possibly the biggest waste of space on this planet? Well, we finally found a use for him, of course.”
Zoro looked sideways at Nami, trying to gauge whether he was allowed to move yet, but she seemed engrossed in coming up with a plan. He could almost hear the gears shifting as it fell into place. She returned his gaze, grinning at him. This did not bode well.
“Father didn’t want any of us to be stuck with one of Big Mom’s kids, so we were at a loss of what to do. This alliance is very important to us, you see. But he remembered you, Sanji. You’re expendable. So come with me and finally be worthy of the air you waste.”
Luffy looked just about ready to snap. His expression had been growing progressively more and more rage-filled as Yonji had continued to speak, and it seemed to be reaching a breaking point. Zoro and Nami joined the rest of the crew before he could do anything, and drew his attention away to see what they were doing.
“This is the dumbest fucking plan I’ve ever heard.”
“You still owe me Zoro, for Loguetown.”
“That was more than two years ago! How long are you going to hold that over me!?”
“I told you about the interest from the start. But fine, this is the last favour, I swear.”
“It better be, you witch.” Zoro grumbled, reluctantly walking forward towards Sanji.
“I did wonder where you were, Roronoa Zoro. Time to get the fun started?” Yonji stopped him before he could reach the cook, eliciting a disgruntled growl from Zoro in response.
“You can’t. Use him. For. Your plan.” Every word seemed to be harder and harder to get out.
“Oh? And why’s that?”
“He’s. Already. Mm.” Zoro looked back at Nami one last time, who glared at him threateningly.
“Come on then, get on with it. What’s wrong with our plan?”
“He’s. We’re. He’s already married.”
Sanji looked up at Zoro, trying to search his expression for an explanation, but Zoro offered nothing, completely avoiding eye contact.
“And who, supposedly, is he married to?”
“...Me. We’re. Married.”
Nami quickly performed damage control, trying to clue the rest of the crew in as quickly as possible. She managed to not let Luffy talk at least, which was more than she could have hoped for.
“Seems like Germa 66’s information gathering isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, huh? Everyone knows about them. Right, guys?”
“Y-Yes, I don’t see how you failed to realise our cook isn’t available to be a pawn in your scheme.” Robin added.
“You’re not serious. You can't honestly think we’re going to believe this?”
“It’s the truth. Take it or leave it. You aren’t leaving here with him.” Zoro readied his swords.
Yonji giggled and looked back at Sanji.
“This is what you’re going with? Sure, I’ll play along. Regardless of your so-called marital status, you’re coming with us. If it is true, you’ll have no problem staying with Germa until we can verify it. And if it isn’t…”
Yonji crouched down and whispered into Sanji’s ear. It was evidently something that shook him to his core, as Sanji’s face, which had regained some colour after Zoro’s announcement, drained back to white.
“Cook?”
Sanji was unresponsive again. Yonji seemed satisfied with this, and hopped back to his feet.
“Come on then, both of you. We came here to get Sanji, and we’ll be leaving with him, even if that means taking an extra idiot along as well.”
Before they had a chance to react, Yonji grabbed Zoro and Sanji and jumped into the sky towards the Germa snails in the distance. Reiju sighed when she realised she had been left alone, and looked at the Straw Hats with an unreadable expression. She dropped Usopp and Brook on the ground and followed her brother out of the crew’s reach.
Nami had stopped Luffy from reaching after them, and when the intruders were gone, everyone turned to her for an explanation.
“I’ll answer questions later. Right now, we have a lot of paperwork to forge.”