Chapter Text
The galley bathed in the golden glow of the rising sun, its gentle rays filtering through a small porthole and painting warm patterns across the countertops. The steady slosh of waves against the ship’s hull blended with the faint trickle of running water, sizzling of sausages cooking on the stove, and the occasional clatter of dishes, filling the space with the unmistakable rhythms of morning at sea. Sanji glanced at the clock on the wall, a crooked, battered thing that was more for show than timekeeping, and caught the distant sound of footsteps and muffled voices drifting from the crew’s quarters.
A weary sigh slipped from his lips as he leaned against the counter-
“MEAAAT!”
The shout shattered the morning calm, making Sanji’s shoulders go rigid. He groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. As much as he cared for his captain, Luffy’s endless appetite and booming voice were the last things he wanted to deal with at this hour.
“LUFFY PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!”
Nami’s sharp voice sliced through the commotion from just outside the galley. Usopp bolted through the doorway after her, yelling, ducking whilst protecting his head as if avoiding a hit.
Sanji shot Usopp a look that said, “Are you serious?” just as Luffy’s rubbery arms whipped wildly through the room.
Luffy slammed into the back wall between them, ricocheting off with a slap and landing in a heap at their feet. Usopp gave a worried, sweaty grin, while Sanji’s frown showed he’d already had enough for one morning.
“Tsk.” Sanji shook his head, turning away and tensing his shoulders. “Idiot.”
“FOOD!”
Luffy’s drawn-out cry was quickly followed by him lunging forward, latching onto Sanji’s shoulders and making a desperate grab for the sausages sizzling on the stove, completely ignoring the billowing steam.
The sudden weight nearly knocked Sanji off balance, forcing him to clutch the counter to avoid burning his hands. Luffy, oblivious, smacked his head on the cabinet above before Sanji finally pried him off and sent him sprawling.
“HAVE SOME PATIENCE, YOU IDIOT!” Sanji snapped.
Luffy let out an exaggerated scream as he toppled onto his backside, milking the moment for all it was worth.
Sanji just rolled his eyes and shook his head, grabbing a fork from the drawer. Without missing a beat, he speared a sausage from the pan and handed it to Luffy—never even glancing in his direction—before turning back to finish cooking breakfast.
“All right, you got what you wanted. Now shoo.”
He waved Luffy away with a sharp gesture, brow furrowed and lips twisted into a mock frown.
Luffy glanced down at the fork, then back at the back of Sanji’s head, a mischievous smirk spreading across his face before he darted out of the galley—no doubt off to pester Chopper or Franky next.
“Shishishishi, thanks, Sanji!”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Sanji replied, brushing him off—though he couldn’t quite hide the small smile tugging at his lips.
The door swung open again, and Nami strode in, her vibrant red hair catching the sunlight. She held a well-worn map in one hand and her trusty Grand Line compass dangled from her wrist, both testaments to countless adventures.
“So-”
Sanji basically cut her off with a movement of the pan sliding off the stove and onto the side where no heat would get it.
“Ahhhh! Good morning, Nami-swaaan!” Sanji practically sang, his eyes sparkling and posture instantly straightening as if to impress her.
“How did you sleep, our most amazingest navigator!” Sanji gushed, flapping his arms around, his eyes practically sparkling with adoration.
Nami didn’t even flinch at his usual theatrics. A smirk tugged at her lips, her ego clearly soaking up the praise—something Zoro definitely didn’t need fueling. Honestly, none of them did; if she got any more confident, she might become unstoppable.
“Is ‘amazingest’ even a word…” Usopp muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes and shooting Sanji a glower. He’d been unusually quiet all morning.
He immediately shut up when Sanji fixed him with a sharp glare.
“Anyways..”
She continued speaking
“was gonna say, before I was cut off.”
With a sidelong glance at Sanji, Nami spread her faded map across the countertop. Intricate markings and notes crisscrossed the paper, charting their journey with ptch black ink and tiny sketches of each island they'd visited—a living record of their travels.
“We should reach the next island in about an hour. Honestly, I can already see it clearly—so maybe even sooner than that.”
With a casual shrug, Nami picked up her map and moved to the dining table, settling into the seat across from Usopp.
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One by one, the crew wandered into the galley. Luffy bounded in first, grinning ear to ear, followed by Franky, who hummed a tune and adjusted his sunglasses. Robin smiled softly at the chaos that was soon to erupt. Chopper scampered to the table with eager eyes, and Zoro arrived last, rubbing sleep from his eyes. The galley buzzed with friendly chatter, playful teasing, and laughter that echoed warmly around the table.
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Somewhere with a green freak..
Heavy footsteps thundered through the ship’s dim hallways as he marched, shoulders squared and jaw set. Servants bowed low and whispered anxiously in his wake, wary of the frustration that seemed to crackle in the air around him. He’d been sent on a wild hunt for a devil fruit, the trail winding across seven islands of the Grand Line.
If he had any real say in this, he’d have abandoned the mission ages ago. This was already the fifth island he’d scoured, and the whole thing was starting to feel like a sick joke. He wasn’t about to call the buyer a liar, or accuse the king outright, but every instinct told him he was being strung along on a pointless wild goose chase. He’d met with the buyer a month back, gone over every excruciating detail, then set out a week later, and now, with only a week and a half left before the deadline, he could already see how this would end: he’d return empty-handed, the buyer would throw him to the wolves, and Judge would have his head on a platter.
Emerging from the dim corridors and stepping onto the main deck, he let his eyes sweep over the familiar lines of his own ship, a masterpiece he’d designed for himself and himself alone. Every inch reflected his vision: sleek enough to vanish from enemy sight, strong enough to weather any attack, and packed with storage. The floors, set with seastone, would leave even the most powerful devil fruit user helpless. It had cost well over a billion berries to build, but as he looked around, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride at every flawless detail.
The delusion of his thoughts tugged a smug smile onto his lips, but reality snapped him back as he peered down at the island below, sunlight glinting off the water far beneath his vantage point.
“Sir!”
The smile was almost immediately replaced with a grimace, not that the clone noticed. Rolling his eyes, he turned to face the clone, surprised to see it be a quarter of his body shorter than him, making him have to look down.
A sigh and a quirked eyebrow are what left him.
“Yes?”
“We've finally arrived at the island!”
Seriously? How dense are these things?
“No… REALLY?” He spoke with a strained smile, his eyebrows rising higher than they should.
He couldn’t help himself; the sarcasm slipped out before he could stop it. He swore, these things were only good for fighting, nothing else.
“Wow, thanks. I never would’ve noticed this massive island right in front of us.”
He swept his arm toward the shoreline he’d already been glaring at.
“Always a pleasure to assist you, your majesty,” he added, his voice dripping with mock courtesy.
I am going to kill this thing.
He stared at it like it was the dumbest thing he’d ever seen—because, in his mind, it was.
With a groan, he squinted and rubbed his eyebrows, frustration etched across his face.
“Get… get out of my sight,” he sputtered, aggressively shooing them away with one hand while sliding his hand down to rub the bridge of his nose with the other.
“Yes, sir!”
It bowed before stomping off in the opposite direction.
He glared at the soldier until it finally disappeared from view below the deck, then turned his attention back to the island ahead. Behind him, the low murmur of movement and conversation drifted from the crew. They’d chosen to dock at a quiet, out-of-the-way stretch of shoreline—anything to avoid drawing attention. He was more than ready to get this mission over with, especially knowing there were still two more islands waiting for him after this.