Chapter Text

Chapter 1

One deep breath in, one last look at his precious cargo, then Sanji presses onto the doorbell. As some cheerful music is turned down, the door opens a crack to reveal Nami, a pissed look on her face as she warns the room.

"I swear if one of you got in trouble with the neighbors again—" she freezes, words dying on her lips as she takes in the vision in front of her.

Sanji meets her gaze, opening then closing his mouth, not knowing what to say. He's spent the last half hour rehearsing in his head, turning the words over and over again, but nothing feels right now that he's in front of her.

She's not doing any better, staring at him like she's seen a ghost. And to be honest, he kind of looks like one. With how much his eyes are burning, they're probably red and puffy, he knows his hair is a mess from nervously pushing his bangs away too many times, and what he's wearing is a far cry from whatever nice expensive suit he wore back in the days.

Adding to that the large suitcase and travel cot down beside him, a huge backpack on his shoulders and a baby carrier safely tucked beneath his two-sizes-too-big jacket, yeah, he must be something else too look at right now…

Behind Nami, no one is talking anymore, either from her warning or because she didn't get to finish her sentence, Sanji couldn't tell. A rush of warm air ruffles his hair, the aroma of curry and onions drifting from the large room, reminding him of meals from a long time ago and his chest tightens.

"Nami, did anyone get in trouble?" an enthusiastic voice calls from inside.

Luffy's question is enough to snap Sanji out his mutism. "Good evening, Nami." His voice is hoarse and he clears his throat, a hand rubbing at the back of the baby carrier before talking again, searching for his words. "I— uh— I know it's been a while…"

He's interrupted by Luffy, who fully opens the door to look at their visitor, his ever-present smile plastered on his face.

"Sanji!" he exclaims, beaming. "What are you doing here?! Come on in! Have you eaten already? We were just about to sit down to have dinner, wanna join us?"

Nami steps aside without a word as Luffy grabs Sanji's wrist to pull him inside.

"Wait," he protests, shaking the other man off to take his luggage before entering the large room.

"I'll add a plate for you," Luffy says, moving quickly to the table, as if seeing Sanji on their doorstep on a Monday evening at 8 p.m. was the most natural thing in the world.

Though it doesn't seem natural to the others, who react more or less the same way Nami had. The silence is heavy while everyone just stares at Sanji, his own eyes glued to the floor.

A pair of fluffy black slippers comes into view, and Sanji dares to finally raise his head. Robin takes a few more steps toward him, a gentle smile on her lips, her hand settling on his arm, squeezing lightly. "Good evening, Sanji," she says softly. "It's good to see you again."

He offers her a faint smile, setting down his backpack, suitcase, and travel cot. His arms wrap instinctively around the baby carrier, and he draws a breath before speaking, adverting his gaze once more. "I… need your help," he murmurs.

For a split second, all Sanji can hear is his own blood rushing through his ears, worry slowly creeping up inside him, eyes burning again, then Robin's hand slide to his back, and she hugs him lightly, careful not to touch his precious cargo. The warmth of her embrace is all it takes for Sanji to collapse in her arms, his forehead resting on her shoulder, tears falling without his consent.

It only takes a few seconds for Nami to join them, hugging him from his left side, her hand stroking his hair gently. Then it's Vivi's turn to wrap her arms around them. They stay like this for what feels like forever, the three woman whispering reassuring words to his ear, soothing him little by little.

Around them, the others have begun to move again, and they approach carefully as Sanji raises his head, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. He already feels lighter than minutes ago, even if the shame of crying in his old friends’ arms tries to get in the way. But it doesn't linger, as he sees no judgment in their eyes, just worry and concern.

Luffy's smile has vanished, and Law's firm hand on his shoulder prevents him from joining the group hug — to Sanji's relief, giving what's beneath his jacket. His vision is still blurry as he takes in the rest of them: Brook and Jinbei, putting the last plates and cutlery on the table, Franky extinguishing the fire under a steaming pot while Chopper drains some rice in the sink, and on the couch, gaze unreadable, is Zoro.

"Come sit down," Nami offers. "What happened?"

They move to the living room, and Sanji takes off his jacket to sit on the couch, revealing fully the baby carrier. As they take place around him, the ones in the kitchen coming forward, he glances at the little girl against him — she's still asleep, lips parted in a little sigh — so, he gently takes off her pink hat before looking up at his friends again.

The anxiety rushes back through him, his heartbeat racing, his palms sweating, but he tightens his embrace around the baby and braces himself. "I found my wife in bed with her secretary this afternoon," he says, his voice breaking slightly.

Saying it out loud is both frightening and freeing at the same time and he has to take a deep breath before adding anything else.

"I know you don't owe me anything… Damn, you must be mad at me for disappearing from your lives like that… But— I didn't know where to go." He pauses, gathering his thoughts. "Zeff lives in a two-room apartment above his restaurant… And my family— well, you know— I couldn't go there… So, I— I thought maybe…" His throat tightens, and he doesn't even try to stop the tears that are streaming down his cheeks again, wiping his chin before they could fall on the baby.

"Sanji," Luffy says confidently, "You're always welcome here. You always have been. You've—"

"Of course you can stay," Nami interrupts, her voice trembling with emotions. "As long as you need, right?"

She turns to the others, seeking confirmation, and everyone nods silently. Robin smiles at him, and Sanji's about to say something, but he's cut off by a whimper.

The woman's smile widens, little wrinkles appearing at the corner of her eyes as she peers at the baby, a glint in her eyes. "Could you introduce us?" she asks softly.

Sanji smiles faintly in turn, unfastening the carrier with slow movements. He takes the little girl in his arms with infinite tenderness, and she opens her big blue eyes, eyelids fluttering as she fully wakes up, looking around the room with curiosity, a soft gurgle escaping her lips.

"This is Sora. She'll be six months old on Friday. She's my daughter," Sanji says, a hint of pride in his voice.

Then, more softly, he whispers to the little girl. "Sweetheart… I’d like you to meet your uncles and aunts. Not by blood, but by heart. And it was about time you met them."

Everyone coos at the little girl, comments about her eyes, how pretty she is or how tall she's already grown, sentences overlapping each other.

Before he can understand what's happening, Sanji is swept over to the large table, and life resumes in the vast room. The delicious smell of curry and spices fills the kitchen, mingled with the aroma of toast and tomato sauce. Franky and Chopper are back behind the stove, adding the final additions to tonight's dinner while Jinbei and Brook add an extra plate for Sanji with almost ceremonial care. A few minutes later, Vivi returns with Kaya, Usopp and three children in tow. She must have put them up to speed, because no one seems surprised to find Sanji and Sora at the table.

Once everyone is settled, a hubbub immediately rises. The kind of nonsense that only happens when you're among family members: everyone is talking at once, interrupting each other, exclaiming, recounting their day. Several conversations are taking place at the same time, and it's hard for Sanji to keep track of who's talking to whom. Among the noise of cutlery on the plates, voices blend, familiar and reassuring. It's almost like he never left — almost. A gentle warmth spread through his chest as he realizes he's missed that, he's missed them, and even if they are not forgiving him yet for what he did back then, they're still willing to help him and Sora.

Sanji hardly speaks, he prepares a bottle, gently warming it between his palms before giving it to Sora, his finger absently stroking his daughter's soft cheek. No one is rushing him, and he's deeply grateful. Instead, they recount some stories from when the children were younger, all eyes drifting back to Sora as she makes little contented noises while drinking her milk.

Lili, Nami and Vivi's daughter, is five years old. She's the oldest of the three children, lively and already a bit of a leader. After looking at the baby for a little while, she's declared that Sora is now under her protection and everyone in the room should behave in her presence, or else, they'll suffer her wrath.

Once they are done with their plates, Tom and Olivia — Franky and Robin's twins — approach Sora, their eyes sparkling with curiosity. They are almost a year younger than Lili and seek her approval before taking Sora's little hand with shy laughter. As they show her their cuddly toys, the baby girl babbles in response, fascinated by their faces.

Sanji eats slowly, while the children are distracting Sora. Little by little, he relaxes, this strange feeling of belonging settling inside his chest.

When the plates are empty, and the conversations have slowed down, Nami is the first to get up and stretch, a gentle smile on her lips.

"Come on, let's get you settled," she offers. "This little princess needs to sleep. And it's bedtime for everyone under six years old anyway."

The three children grumble, trying to negotiate for a little bit more time downstairs, but to no avail.

"Lili, sweetie, I'd like you to take Sora and Uncle Sanji to our guest room, will you do that for me?" Nami asks, in a serious tone. "It's a very important mission, you know."

As Tom and Olivia keep trying to convince their parents that they earned at least ten more minutes downstairs, Lili takes Sanji's hand to guide them toward the stairs.

"Zoro, can you bring their things upstairs?" Nami asks, signaling Sanji to follow her daughter.

Zoro nods and stands up without a word. He slings the backpack over his shoulder, grabs the large suitcase and the travel cot in one swift motion, his muscles rippling beneath the dark fabric of his t-shirt, and then heads up the stairs. The steps creak softly under his feet as he surpasses them, and Sanji follows his movements as he disappears around the corner.

They go up to the second floor, Sora almost already asleep against her father's shoulder, her cheek pressed to his neck, warm and soft.

The entire floor has been converted into one large apartment. Sanji knows it was not the original plan; he'd seen Luffy's designs. At first, every floor was designed to have two separate apartments. But as the relationship between Nami and Vivi grew stronger, then with Robin and Franky, some changes have been made.

The entire crew was on board with this plan, of course, even Sanji had been included in the first brainstormings, way before his departure. At eighteen, Luffy had won the One Piece, the largest reward of an international treasure hunt. With that money, he had this building designed and constructed. What had been a dream from their teenage years became this beautiful home: the Sunny, a large, modern, six-story building, bright and welcoming, designed to bring the crew together.

On the ground floor are the shared areas: a spacious living room, a dining room opening into a large kitchen, and a colorful playroom — originally designed for the crew to enjoy movies or video games. In the basement, there's a laundry room and a huge garage where Franky and Usopp have set up a workshop. The upper floors are divided among the crew members: Brook and Jinbei each have an apartment on the first floor, Nami and Vivi on the second, Robin, Franky, and the twins on the third, Kaya and Usopp across from Chopper on the fourth floor, Zoro on the fifth, and Law with Luffy at the very top. Each apartment is fully equipped, but almost no one cooks alone, at least in the evenings, as everyone gathers downstairs for a shared meal, like tonight.

Once on the second floor, Lili dashes off toward a room, her small footsteps echoing on the hardwood floors. Sanji enters, followed by Nami, and he pauses for a moment, taking in the space around him. The apartment exudes life and warmth. The soft light illuminating pale walls, a few framed group photos hanging on the hallway. There's the gentle scent of cold coffee lingering in the air, a colorful blanket draped over the sofa, a few forgotten toys on the rug, and a mug abandoned on the coffee table, still bearing a lipstick stain. Everything feels peaceful, lived-in — a world away from the emptiness of his own home.

But Sanji's mood doesn't have time to darken, as Lili's already coming back in the hallway, clutching an enormous plush rabbit almost as big as herself. "It's for Sora!" she exclaims with a wide smile, her cheeks flushed with excitement.

Sanji smiles fondly.

"Thank you, Lili," Nami says softly. "But I think Sora is still a little too young to sleep with such a big plush toy in her bed."

The girl shakes her head vigorously, her red curls flying around her face. "That's okay! We can just put it next to her bed. That way, Mr. Bunny can protect her while she sleeps."

"Thank you, Lili," Sanji murmurs, his voice a little hoarse.

Lili nods, satisfied, then disappears again, this time into another room. Sanji hears her talking, explaining very seriously the plush toy's role as a bodyguard for Sora. Zoro's replies come in a serious, patient tone, and Sanji finds himself smiling — he didn't expect Zoro to be so soft while speaking to a child.

"Your daughter is adorable," Sanji tells Nami who's also listening to Lili and Zoro's conversation with a smile on her lips. Their eyes meet, and he adds, "Thank you… for letting me stay here."

"Of course," Nami replies. "You two can stay there for as long as you need. The bathroom is right here. Tomorrow, I’ll bring out the changing table and the baby bathtub; it’ll be more convenient. You also have a toilet and a sink in the bedroom. It’s right there."

She leads him to her guest room, stepping aside to let him in. The room is large and tastefully decorated: light-colored walls, curtains matching the sheets in soft shades of blue, and a light scent of laundry detergent and cinnamon. Zoro is already there, crouching beside the travel cot, which he is finishing setting up with almost military efficiency. His movements are precise, quick, and controlled — it's not his first time doing this, Sanji's quite sure; he himself had to watch a video tutorial the first three times he had to use it. Lili, sitting on the bed, is making the stuffed rabbit talk, her soft voice filling the room with a childlike warmth.

"Done," Zoro says, standing up. "If you need anything, just ask. I'll let you put the girls to bed; meet you downstairs."

"Thanks," Sanji nods.

As Zoro walks past him, their arms brush against one another, a brief, almost accidental touch that has Sanji shiver for no reason. Then, with an awkward but sincere gesture, Zoro pats him on the shoulder, the warmth of his palm sipping through the fabric of his shirt, the weight almost welcome. It only lasts a second, fingers softly squeezing Sanji's shoulder once before releasing him, a mixture of embarrassment and affection showing on the other man's face. Then he leaves the room, and his footsteps fade into the distance down the hallway, heavy and steady.

Sanji's almost startled by Nami's voice when she addresses her daughter. "Alright, Lili, time to brush your teeth now!"

Lili lets out a sigh so deep it makes Sanji chuckle, but she obeys her mother anyway, waving at him as she exits the room.

Nami watches her walk to the bathroom, then turns back to Sanji, "Do you need anything else?"

"No, thanks, I think I've got everything."

"Perfect. We'll meet downstairs once they are in bed, okay? I think some of us have questions that we couldn't ask with the children around. If you're willing to answer them tonight, that is."

Sanji nods, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Yes, I think you deserve to know more. I'll be there in a moment."

Silence gently falls back to the room as Nami closes the door behind her, leaving Sanji alone with Sora breathing peacefully against his chest, almost asleep. He closes his eyes for a moment, savoring the calm — as much as he loved sharing a meal with the crew, fifteen people can be a lot to handle. In the other room, he can hear Nami and Lili talking as the girl is done with the bathroom and probably heading to her bedroom. Silence falls again, broken only by the sounds of Sora's fingers fiddling with her bunny plushie, chewing on the ear of the poor animal.

Sanji takes a deep breath in, the scent of Sora and her milk filling his senses, calming him like nothing else could at the moment. The baby girl is startled by his sudden movement, and she gazes at him with her big curious blue eyes, letting out happy gurgles.

Smiling at her, Sanji sighs, releasing some more of the tension that has been building up over the past few hours, then he starts to move.

He lays Sora on the large bed while he opens their suitcase. The fabric rustles softly under his fingers as he searches for their things. On the duvet, Sora rolls onto her stomach and reaches for the stuffed rabbit Lili left there. She clumsily grabs it and bursts into a clear little laugh, a pure sound that melts his worries away. A genuine smile stretches across Sanji's lips as he grabs a diaper, some wipes, and a soft, lavender-colored pajama set. His movements are precise, practiced — the quiet expertise of a father who learned to do everything with one hand. Sora wiggles, grabs his finger, then slips into the sleep sack, peaceful and already half asleep.

He's still sitting on the bed, Sora in his arms when a light knock at the door makes Sanji lift his head. "Come in," he says softly.

The door opens a crack, and Lili pokes her head in, her eyes sparkling with a mixture of excitement and shyness. "Can I give Sora a goodnight kiss?"

"Of course."

The little girl tiptoes forward, clutching her own plushie close. She leans down and places a light kiss on Sora's forehead, who makes a soft sleepy sound, eyes fluttering to stay open, her little hand trying to reach Lili. Nami, leaning against the doorframe, watches the scene with a tender smile, as does Sanji.

"Goodnight, baby Sora," Lili whispers. "Goodnight, Uncle Sanji."

Then, to Sanji's surprise, she plants a kiss on his cheek before leaving the room quietly. Her sweet, childhood scent lingers for a moment as she runs down the hall, and Nami gently closes the door behind them, a smile still playing on her lips.

It takes Sanji a few seconds to go back to his senses, Lili's affection toward him and Sora a bit foreign. The baby girl is still trying to reach out to Lili, happily squeaking in her father's arms. So, Sanji stands up slowly, cradling her in his arms, rocking her gently. He hums a lullaby without really thinking about it, an old melody, a little hoarse, a little broken. She calms down immediately, her eyelids heavy, her breathing slowing down.

He places her in the travel cot, adjusts her sleep sack, then sets up the nightlight and the baby monitor. A soft, amber light spreads through the room, casting reassuring shadows on the walls.

Gathering his thoughts, Sanji sits at the edge of the bed — he knows he must go back downstairs, but he needs a minute. He watches Sora as she grabs her cuddly toy, rubbing it against her cheek, and then turns onto her side, drowsy.

The silence is only disturbed by the baby's breath.

Now certain that she's asleep, he leans down, places a light kiss on her warm forehead, then stands. Before leaving, he casts one last glance at her — a tiny silhouette in the golden light — then carefully closes the door, the second baby monitor in his hand and heads to the living room.