Chapter One: The Restaurant of the Sea
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Heels clicked upon the wooden floor boards as the figure glanced around the bustling restaurant. Your E/c eyes nervously wandered around, noting the lack of waiters, being handled effectively by one particular person. Blond hair and strangely familiar swirly eyebrows... the man was undoubtedly apart of something well known for you to have such a familiar feeling towards it. Exactly what that was was the question. You tensed up, when his eyes gazed into your own, raking down your body near the entryway.
Master had spoken of people like him, men who only want women such as yourself to fulfill their pleasures. You remember how he would scold you about how you should be careful around men, especially when you were constantly surrounded by a certain King, always coming and barging in when you were supposed to be training. At times he would even kidnap you, only to take you out to a nice restaurant or ice cream parlor.
He was certainly fulfilling his pleasures alright.
Whatever, you didn't really care. Besides, your Master didn't even bother answering your questions about what kind of pleasures those people even wanted. King never did anything bad, and you trusted him. He was a good man after all, albeit intimidating with his muscular and lanky structure. And the fact that he could literally destroy a whole island without breaking a sweat.
The waiter that you saw earlier was now before you, eyes turned into large pink hearts, and nose flaring up at the sight of you. You gave him a small, awkward smile. "U-um... hi?" When you've been isolated on an island with minimal social interaction, it's kind of difficult to interact with new people that aren't ones that you know.
"Hello there mademoiselle," he greeted sweetly, a noticeable blush apparent on his face. "Are you waiting for someone?"
"Oh, um. Yes actually," you spoke softly, meeting his eyes. Disappointment crawled within his heart, but Sanji kept up a joyous facade. He didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable. The young man began to guide you around the restaurant to an open seat, glancing back ever so slightly to see if you were following. He made mental notes about you, especially on how quiet and nervous you seemed to be.
Perhaps you haven't talked to much people?
He pulled out a chair, ushering for you to sit. Sanji could feel his heart melt at your grateful smile. Just who were you? He couldn't stop thinking about you, even as he went to serve the other customers, always finding his eyes wandering back towards your relaxed form. You kept your hands on your lap, somewhat hiding the expensive gem engraved bracelets. The giddy smile on your face was enough to make even the coldest of people happy.
You were so radiant. Such an enigma.
His heart throbbed in his chest. This feeling was so different from the other beautiful ladies he'd seen in his life.
Were the two of you meant to be? He shook his head at the thought, pouring wine in the Marine Lieutenant's glass. You were just another female customer who came to his restaurant. You were going to leave soon. And yet a sliver of his heart kept repeating the same words:
Love at first sight.
* * *
The sea was a vast and endless place. And yet somehow, there are those who will always find their way.
Hawk eyes scanned the horizon, slightly unnerved at the fact that he couldn't spot the boat. Worry and dread filled his stomach at the thought of the one person he cared about, drowning in the endless sea. They had to be alright, they had to be.
There aren't many things the Great Mihawk is scared of. But if he had to name one, it would be you.
Well... not necessarily you, but everything that could harm you. Oh god did you cause him such paranoia. The man was starting to regret every decision he made that lead up to this moment. He could feel his heart pounding in his ears. You had to be safe, you were fully capable of defending yourself.
...who was he kidding, you can't even jump in the damn ocean.
Curse the gods for the storm. Curse that buffoon of a pirate for trying to kidnap you.
At that, Mihawk frowned. Yes... speaking of that pirate, he still hadn't quite finished him off, though the swordsman was sure that Krieg and his crew wouldn't survive much longer, especially being deprived of forty-nine of their ships and other resources. It wasn't like that man didn't deserve it- oh no, far worse.
Don Krieg should burn in hell and tortured to insanity for trying to taint your purity. And all those who follow should do the same. Rape was a word he so despised. Such a disconcerting thing of which only the lowest of low commit, something that Krieg was planning on doing to you. And the price of tainting something he valued, was non-other than death.
With all this stress building up, he just wanted to see you, his precious student. His gaze casted upon the Vivre card in his hands.
Oh my dear Y/n. The stoic man felt his lips twitch into a small smile. He just could bear to be apart from you any longer. You, the cure to his loneliness.
* * *
You eyed the blond in curiosity, not minding the fact that he was currently beating up a Marine Lieutenant at all. In fact, that man kind of already had it coming. In the corner of you eye, you spotted a phoenix, and you let yourself smile. You nodded at him in thanks, to which he reciprocated and took off.
So they were here. You could feel the excitement in your body, completely forgetting the fact that your waiter was currently beating up someone, until yelling from one of the cooks drew your attention back.
"You again Sanji!" Ah, so Sanji was his name. "What are you doing to our customer?! Of all people, he's a Marine Lieutenant!"
Sanji is pretty strong then, or the Lieutenant isn't anything much.
"What is it you damn cook? Don't call my name as if you were my friend!"
They aren't friends? You frowned at that. Looking at the doorway, you noticed a few people standing there, watching the scene unfold. A girl with orange hair... moss head man with three katanas... and a pinocchio?
You smiled. They looked like good people. You focused your attention back on Sanji and the sorry excuse of a Marine Lieutenant, opening your bag to look for a certain communication device. The bag opened, with a screen popping up, revealing all the items within.
"No restaurant should treat its customers like this..." the pink haired man growled. You rolled your eyes at him, selecting one of the Den Den Mushi you owned. "I'll shut down this restaurant... I'll shut it down... I'll shut it down! I'll contact the government immediately, and..."
"Then I'd better finish you off here then," Sanji spoke, teeth biting hard on his cigarette.
Oh dear.
"A stuck up asshole like you-"
"What are you doing?!" The other chiefs were holding Sanji back now, arguing at the fact that he shouldn't make the situation worse. You sighed at how immature the Marine was being.
I suppose I'll step in... You shivered. Or not... social interaction isn't really my thing... oh well... You sighed.
"You're very immature." The voice was small, and yet it managed to shut the whole restaurant up. Sanji stared at you with widen eyes as you took a long sip of tea (or some other beverage, but preferably tea). There goes his perfect plan of being the perfect guy... He felt ashamed that you saw him that way.
You gently rose from your seat, stepping towards the commotion. Fullbody watched you with hopeful eyes, happy to see that someone was on his side. You knealt down to his level, before smacking him across the face. Shock radiated around the room at what just transpired. "Fullbody, I could easily strip you of your rank at this very moment."
Tears were in Sanji's eyes as he watched your form.
You were on his side. You were on his side. You were on-
Nami watched you in confusion. 'Easily strip you of your rank'. Did that mean you were a marine too? A high ranking one?!
Fullbody asked the question that everyone was thinking. "W-what do you mean strip me of my rank? You're not a marine-" His face grew pale at the sight of you dangling the transponder snail in his face. "W-wwhere ddid yyou get that?"
You chuckled softly. "I'm not going to tell you that. I'm just going to let you off on a warning, okay?" The joyful tone in your voice unconsiously sent shivers down his spine. Were you seriously that strong? What kind of authority did you have?! The pink haired man watched you in confusion as you tilted your head up, staring into the ceiling with a smile plastered on your face.
Before he could question it, the ceiling broke, crashing down onto the floor. Two figures fell through, and you rushed over, opening your arms to catch the two, despite the vast difference in size.
"Boy, that startled me..." Gasps echoed around you, questioning what just occured. You thought nothing of it, meeting eyes with the strawhat wearing boy. His mouth fell open as he dumbly stared at you, and you nervously waved at him.
"Y-y/n..." he mumbled, not believing what he was seeing. "Y/N!" He launched himself upon you, wrapping his appendages around your frame.
"Luffy! It's good to see you too!"
The people in the restaurant could only stare at you with 'what the fuck, you know each other' expressions.
"I am very sorry for the trouble my captain has caused." You bowed towards Zeff.
"He's your captain?"
"Y-yes. I've been looking for him for a few weeks since I left my Master." You were feeling extremely nervous with all the eyes upon you. When it comes to standing up for other people, you barely have a problem. And yet when it comes to you, you can barely form a sentence. Wow.
Zeff tched. "No amount of sorry is going to fix my restaurant."
"I-I understand." You jumped at the feeling of a hand running through your hair. Meeting eyes with the owner of the restaurant, they looked soft and kind.
"You have manners, I'll give you that much." Heat creeped up onto your cheeks, and you buried your face into your hands in embarassment. Sanji was currently glaring at the old man, something Zeff didn't fail to notice. A small smirk fell upon his lips before he strided over towards the Sou Chief. "Are you going on a rampage in my restaurant again, you idiot?" By now, the said man was really struggling against the cooks, desperately attempting to break free.
"Shut up you damn geezer!" he growled in response. Knowing that those guys would be alright, you slipped your transponder snail that had a dog head into your pocket, eyeing the door. Some would say it was intuition, others would call you a psychic. It was really just a bond between a human and a firebird.
Mostly.
Possibly.
Actually, she didn't really know. Maybe she really was a psychic...
"Lieutenant... Lieutenant Fullbody!" Ah, just in time. The bloodied marine stumbled into the resturant, clearly scared at what just transpired. You began to make slow strides towards the marine, seeing bits of the future, yet enough to make out what would happen. "Pirate Krieg's underling escaped!" Boy did he look scared. "After the seven of us finally captured him to get a lead on the Krieg Pirates..."
"That can't be!" Fullbody exclaimed, sweat dripping down his forehead. "When we captured him three days ago, he was close to starving! And we haven't fed him at all since!"
How cruel. No one deserves to starve.
"Krieg Pirates...?" You glanced around as people murmured about the so called "Krieg Pirates" in fear.
"They're said to be the strongest pirates in the East Blue," a man spoke up. Were these pirates really that powerful? They couldn't be as strong as King or Master, especially when you've never even heard of them. Either that, or you've been living under a rock.
"I'm very-" A gunshot rang behind the marine, and he yelped in surpise. Screams rang throughout the builidng as people rushed to get away. When the man realized he didn't get hurt, he looked up to see you smiling kindly down at him. "H-how...?"
"Are you alright?" God, your voice. He could listen to it for an eternity.
"Y-yes."
"Good! I don't want to see people dying on me. Now..." You turned your attention towards the new comer, smiling gently up at him. The gun was now pointed at your face, but you weren't fazed by it in the slightest. Now if it were a sword on the other hand... "Um... please don't point something so dangerous. You might hurt someone."
The man before you could only stare in shock at how he didn't seem to have hit his target. Did you have something to do with it? Who was he kidding, of course you did! Who exactly were you? He didn't even know that someone as powerful as you existed in the East Blue! But there was no doubt that Captain Krieg could defeat you... right?
He reloaded his revolver, pressing the point straight at your forehead.
"Miss!" Sanji yelled, but was silenced by Luffy. Luffy knew that you were capable of holding your own, especially with how calm you were being. A little part of him itched to know just how much you grew in the last time the two of you saw each other, and yet he couldn't help but feel like he wanted to murder pummel the man who was pointing the gun at your head.
"You think you're so smart and strong, don't you?" The starving man spoke.
"Uh... not really. I just like to help people." And that was the honest truth. You made an O face, remembering something. You held up the small bullet in your hand. "Here, this is your bullet. I thought you might want it back."
"How..."
"Um... I caught it?" you said confusedly. "Oh! You must be hungry! Here!" You began to pull the man towards your table, even though he was still pointing the gun at your head, albeit more reluctant now. You pulled out the chair for him, and watched him as he just stood before you, feeling very bemused. "Uh... are you going to sit?"
Why were you treating him so kindly? It had to be because he was pointing a gun at your head, it had to be. Who in their right mind would treat someone like him like this? He slowly took a seat, and you happily pushed him in, causing his heart to jolt in shock at how strong you were.
The people around you could only stare at your anatics in a dumbfounded manner, causing you to feel slightly self consious. You shook it off, trying to play it cool. You wanted to help this man, and that is what you were going to do.
Sanji felt his heart lift at the sight of your confidence, and willingness to help the man before you. Even at the sight of a gun, you still wanted to help him, even if he was pirate, a Krieg pirate no less. Eagerly, he made his way towards the two of you, asking the man before you his order.
You took a small sip of tea from your porcaline cup, humming softly as you stared at the man before you. "So what's your name?"
Sanji let his eyes fall upon yours, a questioning look within them.
"The both of you," you specified, despite already knowing the waiter's name.
"My name is Sanji, madamoiselle."
"...Ghin."
"It's really nice to be your aquantances!" You were so excited. The two of them were some of the first people you interacted since the day you left to be on your own. Though you didn't exactly know how to communicate with them, you tried your best to have a good impression. "I've never actually talked to many people before, so this is kind of new for me..."
"Ah, so my suspicion was correct," Sanji mused.
"So what would you like to eat, Ghin? You can have anything you want! I'll pay." You craned your neck to look at Luffy. "Feel free to join us Luffy, and your friends too!"
"Shishishi! I was starting to think you forgot about me!" Luffy laughed as he smacked Sanji's back.
"Hey!" Sanji grumbled.
"Luffy, this is Sanji. You're looking for a cook right?"
"Yeah! You're right like always, Y/n!"
"Well what do you think of him? I think he'd be a good crew member," you inputed. "He's very kind and gentlemanly. Besides, I see a future with him."
"Really?! Hey cook! Join my crew!" Luffy exclaimed. "Be the cook on my pirate ship!"
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Author's Note:
Sometimes I wonder if overloading myself with creating FanFictions really is the right decision...