Chapter Text
Ace could feel his life waning. It wouldn’t be long until he bled out in his brother’s arms, leaving him and breaking his promise all those years ago.
He had so much left to do… so much life left to live, and yet…
He didn’t have any more life to live. He had to pass on his will to Luffy. That was the only way.
“L-Luffy,” he coughed. “Silver Fox… he’s… he’s someone you know.”
Shakily, Luffy muttered, “Huh?”
“I need you to do something for me, Luffy…” Ace coughed again, more blood trickling from his lips. “Find him…”
“Ace! What’s his name, if he’s the one who hurt you—”
“I can’t tell you,” Ace interrupted, “or else you’ll go after him with malice. I need you to know that it’s… it’s not his fault…”
“What—What do you—”
“Please, for me, Luffy.”
Ace knew deep down that his lover never wanted to hurt him. The reason he knocked Ace down that day… was something else. It had to be.
And he knew Luffy would have mercy on his crewmate.
----
Sanji lounged in the beach chair and sipped languidly at his drink. The hot midday sun blared on his pale skin, and the calm, blue ocean twinkled under its light.
Flipping through the newspaper, a certain headline caught his eye:
Rookie Monkey D. Luffy makes a bang by defeating Warlord Crocodile!
Monkey D. Luffy? That was new. Sanji began to sit up as he read.
Crocodile now faces major charges that place him in the tower prison Impel Down as well as his Warlord title revoked. The rookie named Monkey D. Luffy, leading a crew of pirates named the Strawhats, is placed at a bounty of 30,000,000.
That… was nothing to sneeze at. Sure, Sanji had gotten far more from far worse criminals, but… it could be worth a try. It could hold him off for a bit longer as he continued fleeing from the Whitebeard Pirates.
Sanji closed the newspaper with a shuffle and stood up. The beautiful white sand was soft under his feet, and the palm trees swayed in the wind like slow dancers. It was all so beautiful, like a sight only meant for the rich that he was infringing on.
Before, he’d never get the chance to go to a high-end hotel. Being stuck on Whitebeard’s ship, a little run-away prince, prevented him from any luxuries. Now, he could go anywhere he’d like. Not like anyone would recognize him. No one was looking for the runaway prince Sanji anymore. People were more focused on his other title:
Silver Fox.
Ever since Rorona Zoro’s sudden disappearance, he’d usurped the title as the most infamous bounty hunter. Although he wasn’t the World Government’s lap dog, he sure as hell scared them enough to not mess with him. When he came into an office with a criminal beaten to death, no questions were asked.
Nobody knew Silver Fox was the long-lost prince of the Germa Kingdom. Of course they wouldn’t. Supposedly, no one has seen his face. He was always covered in a black silver suit and mask. The suit was mostly black, but silver designs and swirls interrupted it. He eventually decided to play into the title and added a fox tail, ears, and claws. He even modified his mask into a fox’s muzzle. His masculinity cried a bit at it, but it did attract many ladies. He had no idea why.
Sanji adjusted his tropical button-up’s collar and trotted up the path toward the hotel’s entrance. He had work to do tonight.
---
Sanji slipped onto the pirate ship lithely, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce. They were a classic bunch, faces red and mumbling in a drunken stupor. Rolling his eyes, he pounced, pinning the captain to the ground. Digging his claws into his scalp, he leaned down and snarled, “You’re taking me to Alabasta, you hear me? Or I claw your fucking faces off.”
No one questioned it, especially when they learned he was Silver Fox.
---
Surprisingly, they were rather close to the island, making it there in only three days.
Sanji slammed his foot against the back of the captain’s head, shoving his face into the wood of the boat’s flooring. “Now get the fuck away from here. I don’t want to see your stupid ass faces again,” Sanji spat. “You’re lucky I didn’t kick your faces in and throw your dead, bloody bodies against a Marine’s front door.”
Alabasta was hotter than he thought. Sure, he knew it was a desert island, but he wasn’t expecting the need to change entirely into new clothes. Thankfully, there was a store on the island’s port.
This would pose a problem. Either he’d sweat to death in his costume, or he defeats the Strawhats undisguised.
The answer was obvious: he’d kill them before they could tell anyone his face.
---
It wasn’t long until he found the Strawhats’ ship. All he had to do was scale the island’s edges. Of course, he slipped on while looking around, but it was clear they hadn’t returned yet. He went through the entire ship and found no one.
He decided that he’d wait for them here and take a quick doze.
---
“Hey, who the hell’s this blondie on our ship, Luffy?”
“Heh? Oh! Haha! Look at that!”
Sanji groaned, delirious. The fuck…?
Before he could even come to, he felt a large smack against his cheek.
“Ow— What the fuck?!”
“Ha! Look, he’s awake!”
Sanji rubbed his cheek. “Who are—”
His eyes widened.
The guy from the poster.
Instinctually, Sanji squawked and fell backward. He heard a boisterous laugh from somewhere.
“How long has he been here? Since we left the island?”
“I’d imagine. He’s in Alabasta clothes,” a feminine voice said.
Sanji sat up. “Holy shit—Oh my god—I can’t believe that I—”
“What’s your name?” Luffy said, tilting his head. He then grinned widely. “Wanna join our crew?”
“Luffy!” A beautiful woman with orange hair smacked the back of Luffy’s head.
“Whaaat? He has curly brows! Look!”
“Don’t fucking—” Sanji grabbed Luffy’s wrist and squeezed. His eyes widened when he saw, instead of breaking bones, he was… he was… squishing? him?
“Owwww, ow, ow, ow! Stop that!”
“What is the fresh fuck.”
“He’s rubber,” the masculine voice said. Sanji looked over to see a large, tanned man around his age with moss for hair.
“The fuck does that mean?”
“I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit!”
Devil Fruit.
Sanji let go. For some reason, the fight faded from him.
The beautiful woman sighed and crossed her arms. “Okay, we need you to explain. Why the hell are you on our ship?”
To kill you. “Uh… I was um… Looking for a place to stay, and I found your ship.”
The woman squinted, suspicious. “Right. Well, we’ll drop you off on the next island. What’s your name?”
Fake name fake name fake name fake— “Sanji.” FUCK!
“Aww… Drop him off? Can’t he join.”
The man—he now recognized as fucking Rorona Zoro—said, “We don’t even know if he’s competent, Luffy.”
“Can he cook? Ohhhh I’ve been wanting a cook!”
“I can, actually.” Fuck him and his stupid mouth!
Luffy’s eyes lit up. “Really?!”
“I’ve always had a passion for cooking.” Sanji crossed his arms. Might as well tell the truth and play along until he can get the chance to kill them all. But now that he was seeing Zoro… He wasn’t so sure. He must be their guard dog.
“Yes! We can get some cooking other than Nami’s!”
“Hey—What’s that supposed to mean?!”
“Don’t insult the lady, Luffy.”
Zoro squinted.
The woman beamed. “Thank you! Call me Nami, by the way.”
Sanji’s eyes might as well have become hearts. “Oh, Nami-san! I’m looking forward to cooking for you!”
Zoro rolled his eyes and walked off. “You better give me booze too.”
“Meat! Meat! Meat!” Luffy chanted.
Sanji felt an enormous guilt coil in his gut.
-----
“Ahh! I’m stuffed! Thanks, Sanji!” Usopp exclaimed.
Chopper, the little reindeer doctor, beamed. “We have a cook now! This is great!”
“Now, now, It’s not official guys. He hasn’t agreed.”
“I’m still not so sure what you’re doing here,” Sanji lied.
“We’re pirates! I wanna be the pirate king!” Luffy beamed.
“Well, I got that but…” Sanji leaned back in his seat, faking uncertainty.
The woman sitting far away from everyone suddenly chimed in. “They’re different from other pirates,” she said. “You’ll want to join.”
Everyone went silent, except for Luffy. “Yeah! Robin knows!”
Zoro glared at Robin. Sanji frowned. “Why is everyone treating her like an outcast?”
“She is one,” Zoro snarled.
Robin looked a little hurt, and all Sanji wanted to do was wipe that from her face. “I sort of sneaked onto their ship like you did. I… was one of their enemies.”
“Oh.” Sanji squinted… Robin… Oh my god. That’s fucking Nico Robin. Sanji buzzed with excitement at the possibility of catching her. He could seriously forget about Luffy and kick her face in but… She was so beautiful. Go, her beauty emanated.
Robin looked like she was boring through his soul. “I think you should join. I thought your cooking was divine.”
Sanji beamed. “Oh, thank you, Robin-chan!”
Robin smiled softly.
Zoro rolled his eyes. “Two new crew members in a day… One’s an idiot, and the other’s just a fucking enemy.” He threw back his booze.
Sanji snarled and slammed the table. “Who are you calling an idiot?!”
Zoro scowled. “You heard what I said, Curly Brows.”
Sanji growled and spat, “What did you call me, Marimo?”
That surely kicked Zoro. He stood up. “Wanna fucking fight?”
“Oh dear.” Nami rolled her eyes.
Everyone cleared out instinctually as they tussled. They were on equal ground, surprisingly. Well, they were both infamous bounty hunters, after all. However, he had dumbed himself down a bit and let Zoro win to not clue anyone in.
---
Night flew over the horizon, and Sanji leaned against the sides of the ship, contemplating.
He could take both Luffy and Robin’s heads and continue fleeing from the Whitebeard Pirates, or he could join these guys and flee that way. He’d probably end up with a bounty on his head as Sanji, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t continue as Silver Fox. He’d just have to find a way to sneak past them to do his work.
Sanji sighed and took out his pack of cigarettes. He felt lonely, lighting it with a lighter. The familiar face of his lover flashed in front of his view like a cloud of smoke, only for a split second, as he imagined a finger lighting his cigarette instead of some clunky piece of metal.
Tears nearly pricked his eyes before he sucked in the intoxicating smoke. Then, he relaxed as he hit his head against the wood behind him. Opening his eyes, he looked at the stars and imagined they were little islands as he ghosted his fingers across them. He used to do this as a kid, imagining escaping the grasps of his family. Then Pops saved him… Let him journey across the seas with them. But he still felt trapped.
Would he feel free with the Strawhats? Or would he feel free as Silver Fox?
He was still lost in thought when he noticed someone sitting next to him. He turned his gaze to see… Zoro. He immediately tensed again. “The fuck you want?”
Zoro looked surprisingly calm. “You were holding back.”
“What?”
“I said, you were holding back. When we were fighting.”
Sanji crumpled the cigarette in his hand, ignoring the sting. “What makes you think that?”
Zoro rolled his eyes. “I can just tell. Why?”
Sanji bit his lip. Zoro… bounty hunter… “Why did you join the Strawhats?”
Zoro seemed confused at first, but then he answered, “Because I wanted to follow Luffy. In a way, he showed me the path to my dream clear as day.”
“Your dream, huh?”
“What’s yours?”
Beautiful dishes flashed in his mind for a moment, but then he saw it. He saw himself, standing on top of the world, proving everyone wrong. “To be free.”
Zoro’s eyes widened. “That’s a bit broad.”
Sanji shook his head. “I know.”
“And subjective. But…” Zoro leaned back, laying his swords on his lap. “You can do that if you follow Luffy, you know.”
Sanji looked down. “You think so?”
Zoro huffed. “Yeah.” He then scowled. “You didn’t answer my question before, why did you—”
“Great, infamous bounty hunter Rorona Zoro, what made you change your mind?”
Zoro tensed. “What?”
Sanji let darkness trickle from his fingertips. “I could claw your face off and present you to the Marines as a traitor to the World.” He felt his voice take on a different tone. “You had it all laid out for you—Everyone revered you. What made you change?”
Zoro’s expression was unreadable, but Sanji saw the way his chest heaved. “Who the fuck are you?”
Sanji smirked. He then let darkness completely bloom from his hand and engulf them both. “Take a guess.”
Zoro shot up and grabbed his swords. “Don’t fucking tell me—”
Sanji rose from the ground and let the darkness engulf his hands, forming claws. He stared directly at Zoro, carding his fingers through his hair and pushing it out of his eyes.
“Silver Fox. You’re fucking—” Zoro snarled. “It wasn’t a coincidence you were on our ship. You were after Robin, weren’t you?”
“Luffy, originally. I’m sure you’ve seen his new bounty. I just happened to stumble upon a bigger fish here too.” Sanji shrugged. “I have no reason to attack you… Although, you seem to be their guard dog, so… He sprouted more darkness from his hand, aiming it at Zoro, who attempted to slash it, but of course, it didn’t work. Instead, it wrapped around Zoro’s neck and shoved him to the wall, sounding a large crash and cracking the wooden sides of the ship. “You wanted my full power? Here it is.” Zoro winced and clawed at the darkness choking him.
Sanji felt a gross pride rise from his stomach and engulf him. It was Silver Fox. Silver Fox was his pride, his dream, it was him. Sanji was weak, a prince, a pathetic womanizer. Silver Fox was strong. He was the strongest bounty hunter, taking down pirates left and right because pirates were weak. Sanji covered his face and laughed hysterically.
“God, dreams! Pirates can’t help me get my freedom. I decide that! I choose my own destiny. I will not bow to anyone… Especially not to that pathetic weakling you call a captain!”
Zoro choked and grimaced, yet a fire Sanji didn’t recognize rose in the swordsman’s eyes. Then, weakly, he said, “You’re wrong—”
“Shut the fuck up!” The darkness snaked up his legs as his heart pounded through his chest. “You’re weak! You bowed to a pirate! You could’ve been so much more! You could’ve been a Warlord!”
Zoro desperately struggled, but Sanji kept pulling him toward the ground – toward the black hole. “I gave up everything for this! I’m not fucking going back to—” Sanji stopped himself. He inhaled deeply and stared at Zoro’s disappearing form. “I will be set free. This world will be mine and no one else’s.”
Zoro’s eyes weren’t angry anymore. He looked… sad, and it made Sanji fume. “You fucking—”
“Treinta Fleurs!”
The last thing Sanji remembered was water -- salt water.
----
Sanji shot awake, coughing up sea water. “Fuck!” He quickly noticed he was on a cot, but it wasn’t enough time before he stumbled right off. “God—”
“Ah!” He heard Chopper’s voice shout. He then heard a vwoomp, and large hands were picking him up and placing him back on the cot.
Sanji grasped at his chest. It still felt like his entire being was burning, and he groaned in pain.
“Calm down! You breathed in a lot of water; you still need to—”
A different emotion then rose inside of him. “FUCK!” He was still on the Strawhats ship, even after—
“Could you shut the fuck up?”
That was…
Zoro rolled his eyes in the corner of the infirmary, staring at Sanji with that same unreadable expression. Sanji froze. Zoro was holding a bottle of booze, and he knocked it back before approaching Sanji.
“You should know better than to fight me at night. I’ll do petty stuff like throw you in the water, you know.”
“Wha—”
Why was Zoro protecting him?
Zoro flashed Sanji a look before he could say anything. Then he was gone.
Chopper sighed and reverted to his tiny form. “Zoro’s right.” He shook his head. “You two really don’t get along, do you?”
“I—” Sanji paused and relaxed. “Yeah…” Somehow, the fight in him was gone, like a flame smothered.
----
Zoro and Robin closed the door behind them. They both looked at him with the same emotion plastered all over their faces – sympathy. It made Sanji snarl and roll his eyes. “I feel like I’m in trouble with my parents,” he spat.
Zoro glared. “This isn’t—”
“Cut the shit. Tell me why the fuck you’re protecting me.”
Robin sighed. “Because we get it.”
“Like fuck you do—”
“Of all people, I would.” Robin interrupted. Sanji shut his mouth. “I felt the same way as you for years. I would do anything to have met people like these at that point in my life.”
Sanji flicked his gaze toward Zoro, who was just leaning against the wall with his eyes closed.
“Cook-san, just give it a try. Try to forget Silver Fox and be yourself. I saw the way you looked cooking. I saw the way you looked serving everyone food.”
Sanji curled his hands into fists.
“A few days. Come to an island with us. You don’t have to stay. Go back to being Silver Fox. It doesn’t matter.”
Zoro finally piped up, “And don’t use your Devil Fruit. That’s a dead giveaway. Use those damn-good kicks you got.”
“It’s not like I use it that often anyway.”
“Is this a deal then?” Robin inquired.
Sanji closed his eyes. He could see a bright path next to one tinged in darkness. He knew it was metaphorical, but he still felt like he could see it. He could see himself sitting at the top of the world, but he wasn’t alone this time. He had several people next to him, and one of them stared at him with that fucking freckled smile and—
Sanji shook his head. “Fine. One trip.”
Sanji had no idea that one trip would be a trip into the sky.