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By all rights, Sanji should be having the time of his life. Some noble on the latest island the Straw Hats have stopped on is hosting a party, there's good music, incredible food, and wonderfully gorgeous company—Robin and Nami included of course.
There's even a silent auction for some of the host's late wife's jewelry, a wish from the woman herself. The money would go towards funding agriculture for another town on the island. Advertisements were hung around city, and seeing some of the earrings and necklaces, Nami decided that the Straw Hats were going to attend, and they were not leaving empty handed. Meaning of course, that Nami was going to steal everything she could while the others distracted the host and his hired security regardless of what their captain said.
The reason Sanji's grumbling to himself in a corner is due to the fact that everyone on the crew attending had to disguise themselves.
Robin was a recently widowed duchess from another land—the wide-brimmed black hat and dark jeweled veil helped obscure her face from any bounty hunters—and Franky stood nearby as her late husband's best friend, who had taken it upon himself to be her bodyguard.
Their beloved navigator had slipped away already—probably halfway through the safe's combination by now—but had been introduced as the consort to a distant royal, here to bid on some pieces on their behalf. Sanji would love to see the look on Vivi's face when that was announced.
Sanji was pretending to be a waiter. He hated it except for when a lovely woman approached him—even though they barely looked twice at him and never said a word. He might as well have been the tacky green wallpaper. What he wouldn't give to be back guarding the Sunny and make Mosshead take his place here. Yeah, he;d have to deal with Usopp and Luffy's antics, but Brook and Chopper's company balanced it out from time to time.
Then again, its not like he would appreciate the chance to see such wonderful company.
"Hey there," A young woman laughed, stepping close beside Sanji. "This is fun, huh?"
"Incredibly," His smile came softly and he bowed lightly, holding a tray of hors d'Oeuvres out between them. "A snack while we await the winner's announcement?"
"Don't mind if I do!"
Sanji can't help but notice how lovely she is outwardly. He can only imagine how wonderful of a person she must also be. Though she's here, at this charity auction, so really he needn't imagine.
Everything she wears is a deep wine-red, from her floral-laced dress to the elbow-length gloves she's using to snatch meatballs doused in a cilantro and parsley sauce. Her brown eyes light up like fresh soil touched by the morning light.
"These are incredible! Did you make them?"
"Of course not, mademoiselle. If I had, I'd be back in the kitchen making you as many of these as you'd like. Although, I wouldn't get to see your lovely face."
She blinks as if nobody has ever said those words to her, complemented her appearance in any way. It breaks Sanji's heart to see her shift awkwardly as a warm flush creeps up her neck and cheeks. Sure, people tend to like short girls more, with smaller muscles on their arms and bigger curves, but Sanji isn't picky with who he flirts with. Her gloved fingers—satin now stained with the sauce—fidget with the chain of her necklace, then press her bangs down over her face in an attempt to hide. Short curls are pinned in a bun at the back of her head, a gold leaf headband braided into it.
Whoever this woman is, she's not a noble. She may not even be rich. The party unnerves her, or else she wouldn't strike up a conversation with her guy pretending to be a member of the staff. Sanji watches her eyes drift to where Robin and Franky are flirting—it gives their story some added drama at least, to an outside perspective—and starts to make her way over only to twist her ankle on her shoes.
Sanji's quick to toss the plate in the air and wrap an arm around her waist before she can hit the ground. The rest of the attendees don't even seem to notice what's happening, even when Sanji catches the plate once again and smiles down at this nameless beauty.
"You alright?"
She laughs, like a fall could really hurt her in any way. "Of course I am! although, it's way more fun to watch that trick you did than to be part of it."
"Just making sure you stay safe, miss," He says, pressing a kiss to her gloved palm.
Again a laugh. Loud and clear, but still soft. Then he notices something off.
Her earrings are clip-ons, a familiar gold and ruby pair that Nami picked up back in Skypiea. Maybe they're from a set of ancient relics, or maybe they're replicas. Or maybe…
That necklace too. A gold chain with a simple round ruby hanging from it. Another of Nami's, usually saved for events like this.
This isn't the place for questions. Sanji rights her on her feet and she's still laughing as she reaches where Robin and Franky are across the room. Robin greets her like an old friend and invites her to sit beside her. Franky says something that makes her glare and cross her arms with a grumble and has Robin laughing softly.
There's a very high chance that Nami and Robin recruited a third lady to this heist, one local to the city perhaps. Sanji decides that's the case and heads back towards the kitchen to refill on hors d'Oeuvres.
When he steps back out, Nami is back, curls cascading down her back from a waterfall braid. The dress she wore tonight resembled one Vivi wore years ago. A pink floor-length gown, embroidered with gold leaf and thread and tied at the waist with a pink-rose sash. The armband around her left bicep depicts the crest of Alabasta's royal family.
"Hello princess consort," Sanji holds the tray out with another bow. "A snack perhaps?"
"Sure," Nami smirks, a familiar mischievous glint in her eyes. "I'll take some for the road. I'm afraid I've been outbid, so there's no reason to stay."
That meant the jewelry was secured. Sanji straightened up once Nami stabbed a toothpick into one of the meatballs, popping the whole thing in her mouth.
"Who's the other girl you brought tonight?"
"What girl?"
"Over there, the one borrowing your jewelry." Sanji pointed to where the woman was still sitting with Robin and Franky, more upset than before somehow. "Now that I'm looking, that's one of your dresses, too."
Nami coughs hard, then slams her palm against her chest a few times. She's choking and Sanji wraps his arms around her from behind, forcing his fists upwards towards he ribs until the meatball flies out of her mouth.
"Are you alright?"
Nami's face is flushed and she coughs a few times, rubbing at her throat.
"Who is she? Did she steal from us when we weren't on the Sunny?"
That makes Nami laugh hard enough for a few stray glances to reach them.
"What?"
"Nothing, nothing," She got that mischievous smirk back—the same one she had when she confirmed the jewels were stolen, and the one when she first announced this job—and grabbed Sanji's forearm, dragging him across the room. "Let's go do introductions!"
By the time they reach Franky and Robin, the woman's run off, chatting with some eligible bachelor by the looks of the guy. He's taller than Sanji, clearly physically stronger, and his suit is a matching wine red. He's pretty handsome, so Sanji wouldn't be surprised if the woman over there decided to spend the rest of the party with him instead.
"Robin!" Nami smiled wide and pushed Sanji forward a bit. "Sanji has a question for you."
Nami seems to know the woman, so he isn't sure why she didn't just answer once she recovered, but Robin can do so instead. Sanji doesn't mind talking to her either.
"Who's the girl in Nami's clothes?"
With that, Robin's mouth falls open and her brown eyes widen. She glanced at Franky who had to clamp his hands over his mouth to hold back a laugh. Nami isn't even trying to hide it.
"What?" Sanji looks at the three of them, but finds no answers in their smiles.
"Her name is… Lily I believe," Robin stands with a calm smile. "We met her today. She comes from Amazon… Lily… It's a strange coincidence, I know."
Franky laughs harder, loud enough that his hands aren't even muffling it. So what if she's named after the island she's from? It would at least explain why she's so uncomfortable at this party, and how she's so strong.
"And you recruited her for this?"
"I did," Nami said. "We brought her to the ship to help get ready after you'd set off to join the wait staff."
"Just rub that in," Sanji grumbled. "She's lovely, why didn't you tell me about her?"
Nami and Robin shared a glance, then laughed. Franky was wheezing so hard he was nearly doubled over. Sanji couldn't blame them really, he knew he got a little… intense from time to time.
His eyes darted back over to Lily, who barely embodied her namesake. Flowers were meant to be delicate and soft, put on display and admired. Instead she seemed unfamiliar to dresses and high heels and glamour.
The man had one hand on Lily's waist and fished a handkerchief from his pocket. A plate of cake was in one of Lily's hands, a clump of frosting stuck to her cheek. If only he'd been over there with her.
"Hey, Robin," Nami pointed towards the soft moment, her voice suddenly as serious as death.
Nami's worry spread to Robin and Franky. Sanji didn't understand why they were so freaked out, the guy was just wiping frosting from her face, but Franky hurried over and dragged her back towards the group.
"Come on Franky!" Lily tugged against his metal grip. "I was just starting to have fun!"
"No can do, it's super late. The dowager duchess doesn't want to be out much longer."
"Oh, does that mean we're all done with the other thing?"
"Yep," Nami smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they started for the door. Franky helped Robin to her feet with a dramatic bow, and she returned with a curtsey. They were having too much fun with this
The man Lily had just been with smiled wide in a way that sent chills down Sanji's spine. His hand closed around the ribbon tied around Lily's waist, yanking her out of Nami's grip.
Sanji stepped forward and threw an arm between Lily and the tall guy. He turned his best glare up at him and readied to kick him across the room if need be.
"The lady's not interested in you, back off."
The guy smirked like he knew something Sanji didn't. He took a step back and cleared his throat. "Pirates! Pirates are here!"
The guests gasped, women held the purses and jewelry closer to themselves, the hired security started towards where Sanji and Lily stood. He didn't waste a second wrenching the guy's arm off of her and dragging her towards the door.
Nami, Robin, and Franky were already halfway down the front steps once Sanji and Lily got outside. Everyone was running like hell. Somehow, Lily was able to keep up like she did this every day. Sanji wouldn't know, Luffy never talked about how the warriors of Amazon Lily trained. He probably didn't even know. Well, it was something he could ask Lily when they got somewhere safe.
The gate to the property was barely fifty feet away, and once they passed through Lily tripped onto the stone street. She growled and glared as Sanji turned back to see twenty security guards closing in.
"Nami!" Lily screamed. "I can't run in these stupid shoes!"
"If you drop them you're buying me a new pair!" Nami called back. Her eyes went wide at the sight of the mob coming after them. "Run!"
Sanji crouched in front of Lily, his back to her. "Hop on, quick."
She didn't hesitate, wrapped her arms around his shoulders tight and her legs around his waist and soon they were off. Sanji could skywalk to the Sunny, but it wouldn't be fair to the others. That, and some of those guards had guns and if they shot Nami or Robin he'd never forgive himself. They could even take Franky down like this, all of them running with their backs to danger.
The gunshots ring out as if on cue, and Sanji pushed himself faster. Franky stops, readying his Weapons Left and Sanji keeps running.
Something slams Lily hard into Sanji's back, he stumbles and turns his head as much as he can. "You hurt?"
"Keep running!"
"Did you get shot?!"
"Obviously not!"
More running. Sanji's watching Nami lead them back to the docks and can hear Franky catching up behind them. By some miracle they lost the mob and reached the docks where the Sunny swayed gently with the lapping of waves.
They land on the lawn hard, and Brook and Zoro are quick to unfurl the sails. Nami ran for the helm, fishing her Clima-Tact out of her dress pocket to give them an extra burst of wind.
"What happened?" Usopp shouted as he burst out from the kitchen.
"We got found out," Franky took a heavy breath. "Had to bolt."
"So…" Brook called down from the crow's nest. "The jewels?"
Nami fished around in her other pocket and held up a leather bag. "Safe and sound of course!"
A cheer rose up, even from Lily. Sanji couldn't bring himself to celebrate just yet. There was a chance she really had gotten shot, but hadn't realized due to adrenaline, or maybe she had simply lied so Sanji wouldn't fret. Admirable, but he set her down quickly.
"Usopp! Go get Chopper!"
Lily stretched out on the grass with a sigh. "I am not wearing these shoes ever again, Nami!"
"Fine by me!" She replied.
"Guys," Sanji swallowed the growing fear in his throat. "I think Lily was shot!"
"I already said I wasn't," Lily shrugged.
Franky burst into more laughter, and when Zoro looked over, he covered his mouth but was also, clearly laughing. Assholes.
"Shot?!" Brook scrambled down the mast and knelt on Lily's other side, taking her hand in his bony one. "A lovely lady such as yourself wounded all for some jewels—oh, it's you. Yeah, you don't need to worry Sanji."
"What do you mean?!"
Brook joined the laughing idiots.
Chopper darted out from the inside with Usopp in tow. "What happened?!"
"Lily got shot!"
"It's a false alarm," Robin said calmly. "Look carefully Sanji. Do you see any blood?"
"No, but, something hit her while we were running—"
"It was a bullet," Lily said simply.
"So you were shot?" Sanji sighed and covered his face. He'd screwed up tonight, let a woman get hurt because of his mistake to carry her on his back and not in his arms. He felt sick.
Lily groaned and climbed to her feet. "Nami can you help me get this thing off? It's kinda getting annoying."
"You're the one who wanted to dress up with my and Robin!"
"Yeah but the straps are hurting my shoulders!"
"I can't until we're clear of the island! Sanji, you do it!"
His mind goes blank at the implications. Help Lily—a woman—out of her dress?! He can't do that! Before he can protest Nami's insane request, Robin drags both of them to the Sunny's bathroom.
Robin stood behind Lily while she sat on the closed toilet lid, carefully removing the pins from her hair. Her curls fell past her shoulders and then Robin reached up into them, and pulled most of the hair away. It took Sanji a moment to understand. Hair extensions.
While Robin did that, Sanji stood awkwardly by the door. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to be helping, but he could at least make sure nobody barged in.
"Alright," Robin said softly once all the hair extensions rested on the counter. "I'll go get you a change of clothes. Sanji, help out."
"Uh sure," He blinked, staring at Lily as she turned and gave him a wide smile. It's familiar, but something about the air around her is keeping him from figuring out where he's seen her before. Robin slips past him. "Wait! Help with what?"
Robin pauses in the doorway, stares at Sanji with a blank look, then glances at Lily. "The dress, of course."
And then she shut the door.
Sanji swallowed and turned to look back at Lily. She doesn't seem at all upset or uncomfortable with the idea of him helping her out of her dress. Carefully he steps closer and Lily stands, turning her back to him and revealing nearly two dozen buttons down the back of the dress.
He got to work, pulling each one free, the two edges of the dress opening further and further like a crack in a piece of glass. Even with his hands shaking, he kept working at the buttons, hoping Robin would hurry back.
He's halfway done when Lily inhales and takes a step away from Sanji, messing with the chain of the necklace again.
"Do you want me to go get Robin instead?" He asked.
Lily shook her head. "Question for you, Sanji."
"Anything for you."
"You like kissing girls, right?"
Where the hell is this going?
"Well, I've never—I haven't—" His face feels way too hot but it might be too forward to unbutton his jacket now. Lily shifts on her now bare feet and stares at him, waiting for the answer. "I mean, I'd—it'd be an honor to have the chance—if you kissed me—"
Her hands are warm against his face as she pulls him in, tilting her face so their noses don't crash together, breath hot and sharp. Sanji stumbles before hesitantly wrapping an arm around her waist, his other hand in her curls.
He stops himself from running his fingers down her bare back. This is just one kiss. It's not something he's really good at, and there's no way in hell he's pushing Lily's boundaries.
She pulls away and the cold air against his face is sobering. She's facing away again and staring out the window at the black waters, lit up by the pale moon.
"Okay, finish up with the dress. This thing's starting to bug me."
Sanji can't bring himself to speak properly, so he just keeps undoing the buttons. A light knock comes an instant before Robin steps back in. Sanji doesn't turn to look, he's too focused on the annoyingly small buttons.
"It's way too quiet on board," Sanji noted as he finished up with the buttons. "Where's Luffy?"
Robin smiled and helped Lily out of the dress while Sanji looked away.
"Robin, is he joking?" Lily asked.
"I'm afraid not. Nami's disguise worked a little too well."
Lily laughed harder than she had all night. Sanji placed a cigarette in his mouth and flicked his lighter. The flame didn't spark, so he kept flicking and flicking.
And then Lily threw her arms around his shoulders again, still laughing. "Dang Sanji, I only kissed you cause I thought you knew!"
"Knew what?" He lowered the lighter and slowly turned around, covering his eyes quickly when he caught that Lily only wore a bra and shorts now.
"Open your eyes," She still smiled. "You gotta see this."
Sanji peered out from behind his fingers and watched as Lily pulled the clip-on earrings off. Her face changed slightly, jaw widening ever so slightly, becoming sharper. Her eyes got bigger, a scar shimmering into view under the left one. Robin helped with the necklace and once it was off, a thick burn manifested itself on Lily's chest.
Sanji dropped his hands. "What the hell?"
"It's one of Nami's tricks!" Luffy smiled. "Isn't it cool?"
He blinked. "What?"
Robin took a pair of pants and one of Luffy's usual vests from the towel rack on the wall. "It's something similar to her Mirage power. Luffy didn't want to be stuck on the ship all night, so she let him use this disguise. There's small vents in the jewels that change the air around a person's body."
"So the whole time…" Sanji lifted his lighter again and flicked it until the flame sparked. He inhaled, then opened the window and blew a cloud of smoke out. "It was Luffy?"
"Yep!" Luffy announced. "It was fun for a bit, until we had to run. It's not easy to do that in a dress and heels."
"Indeed it isn't," Robin sighed. "It's late, I think I'll turn in for the night."
In an instant the two of them were alone again. Sanji blew another cloud of smoke as Luffy pushed his way into the space beside him.
"Was that some kind of joke?" Sanji asked.
"What?"
"Kissing me like that. Did you do it so that you can tell everyone that I finally thought a cute girl was kissing me only for it to just be you in a dress?"
"No."
"You're gonna tell them all regardless, aren't you?"
"Do you want it to be a secret?"
Sanji watched smoke drift off from the cigarette and sighed. "Why'd you do it, Luffy?"
"Cause I wanted to."
"Why didn't you just do it normally then?"
"You only like girls!"
Sanji's hands gripped the windowsill so tight he could feel splinters in his fingers. "I don't… only… like girls. There's just not enough guys around worth my attention."
"So… I'm one of those guys."
He's not sure what to say to that.
"That's why I kissed you as a girl! You never turn down a girl."
Sanji inhales again and blows the smoke out. The cigarette's burnt down to the end. He presses it out on the windowsill and Luffy steps away.
"Hey, Captain?"
Sanji watches him stop at the door and slowly turn around.
"You were a pretty girl but… you can kiss me as a guy. Anytime."
"Do you mean that?" Luffy isn't smiling for once.
"I've never lied to you."
Then his face returns to normal and he pulls his hat onto his head, hiding behind his hair and its brim. A chorus of laughter erupts from the distant deck and Sanji hopes that something else had caught the crew's attention.