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Chapter Text

The Whitebeard's newest guest falls ill two weeks after he arrives. Usopp's temperature is high and he's barely conscious most of the time. For some reason, both Marco and the rest of the medical staff is at a loss on what to diagnose him. Disregarding the conflicting feelings towards the new arrival, suspicion or curiousity, his condition creates a tense veil on the Moby. Thatch thinks its just stress.

Thatch and Haruta visit the sniper often after he was forced to reside in the medbay, Ace tags along to be annoying sometimes. Most of the other commanders give the boy some space to recover.

Haruta only comes because she wants information. A sniper this skilled has got to have a story, she tells Thatch one day. And I'm going to figure it out.

Ace is just happy that he's no longer the greatest mystery Haurta wants to solve.

As Thatch makes his daily visit to the medbay, he waves to some of his siblings. The ship is always filled with family. Its nice that Thatch is never lonely. Maybe that's why he makes an effort to visit Usopp so much. He feels a bit sad for the boy who may not have enemies on board, but he certainly doesn't have friends right now.

As he approaches the room that Usopp resides in, he spots a figure in the darkness. Thatch's hair immediately stands on edge, but he doesn't know why. It's just another one of his brothers.

The man stalks out of the darkness and into the light. His back is turned to the commander, attention elsewhere. Thatch isn't that familiar with the man, cons of having such a large family, but he thinks that its someone from Ace's division.

Treat, Teet, something with a T.

"Teach."

The man whips his head to where he hears the voice. For a second, Thatch thinks he sees a deep scowl on his face, and then its gone. The man raises his eyebrows in surprise and gives a lazy smile. Thatch's hackles are still raised for some reason. "Commander! What are you doing here?"

Thatch gives a grin of his own, "I'm just checking on the little sniper. I don't want our newest guest to be lonely."

Teach's smile gets tense around the edges, "I didn't know you were so kind. The marines really slander your name."

"Ha! Well, they slander everyone. Nothing you can do about that." Thatch shrugs, because its true, "What brings you to the medbay? The doctors are gonna be pissed if you got injured while at sea. Ace could tell you all about it."

At the mention of the division commander, Teachs fake smile drops completely. "I bet he could." Teach gives a a small laugh, it grates against Thatch's ears. Thatch has to fight the urge to grab his sword. "I just wanted to see Whitebeard's new guest in person. But he's asleep right now, and won't wake up."

"Ah, I see." Won't wake up? He should get Marco to do a check up. That sounds serious. "I'll ust pop in the room to see for myself."

Teach nods, "I'll leave you to it commander." A pensive look passes over his face, "Truthfully, I don't trust the guy that much. He could be a spy from the navy. I'm afraid he could hurt the family." Teach then turns to leave, "but I trust the commanders' judgement."

Thatch just hums in response. The chef didn't get to this position in life by being a naive fool, and he trusts his own judgment. So Teach's words roll off him like water on a hill, although Usopp's dramatic appearance does raise questions. But Thatch is sure Haruta will get to the bottom of it soon.

Thatch waits till Teach rounds the corner and disappears from sight before opening the door to Usopp's room. The boy truly looks terrible. But one think he is not is unconscious.

In fact, Usopp is wide awake.

He stares at Thatch, a bit deliriously he notes, and rasps, "Is Blackbeard gone?"

Thatch has never heard of a 'Blackbeard' on board. That seems like a jab at Pops, "You mean Teach?" Because that's the only man who was here earlier, "Yeah he left. Probably to make sure his stupid commander doesn't get into trouble." The 2nd divison works hard to ensure Ace doesn't start an international incident.

Usopp's fist clenches his sheets. Thatch watches as his fists turn white. "Please," Usopp pauses as if he's trying to find the right words, "be careful. Especially around that man."

Thatch considers what Teach has told him about the little sniper. And what the little sniper advises him to do. Interesting. There's a story there that Thatch is eager to know. But for now, he'll play the part of the fool.

"Teach is harmless, Little Sniper! I know we're all scary, being an emperor’s crew and all, but we're lovers at heart."

The long nosed man mouths the word 'harmless' in his feverish haze. "That's what you thought the first time." He says, completely out of it.

"What do you mean by that?" Maybe the boy is a spy. But that's okay, it just makes Thatch more eager to get him to join the Whitebeards. Usopp doesn't present himself as malicious, and something in his gut is telling him to trust the sniper. For now.

That same gut is saying the opposite for Teach. So maybe Thatch's judgement really has dulled over time. God what a terrifying thought, being old.

Usopp looks at him with cloudy eyes. Thatch knows he only has a few more minutes in this visit before the boy passes out again. Thatch begins to clamor to his feet to leave.

Suddenly, the boy clasps onto Thatch's sleeve, "Stay." His voice is grave. "You have to stay. Stay away from him." Who? Or maybe why is the better question, "Stay alive. I have to-"

"Okay," Thatch interrupts the other mid spiral, maybe the other commanders have a point when they say he has a soft spot for kids, "I'll stay." But Thatch likes to think they would make the same decision.

Usopp's voice teeters off as he slowly winds back down in the bed. Thatch grabs the boy's hand and gently puts it back in his lap.

Thatch stays in the infirmary for a while. He loses track of time and hopes the other chefs have lunch preparations ready. Usopp fitfully sleeps, every so often hed call out a name. However, more often hed just be gasping for air.

The sight makes something break in Thatch. If he was one of Whitebeards sons, they would be able to help him more. But the commander will try his best with what he's got.

-

Ace pops his head into the room late in the afternoon, in the process he slams the door to the infirmary. Thatch shushs him because the man doesn't know how to be quiet. Ace flips him off but still lowers his voice, "You're still in here? Thatch, it's been hours. You missed a whole Commander Meeting."

Ah shit. Marco's not going to be happy. Maybe he can get Haruta to back up whatever excuse he comes up with.

"Haruta’s also pissed. So I wouldn't go to her for an excuse." Goddammit.

Thatch sighs, What is she mad about now?"

Ace moves to perch on Thatch's chair. He messes with his pompadour like a cat who saw a toy. "Big Mom’s going on a rampage again. Its all over the newspaper."

"What? Why?"

"Dunno. I fell asleep and I guess it wasn't that important since nobody woke me up."

Chances are it was very important, but the other commanders figured that they needed someone who's solution wasn't going to be 'punch that thing till its no longer a problem,' so all the responsibility fell onto Haruta.

The boy in the bed starts to stir and both commanders freeze like they've been caught doing something bad. "Lu-," Usopp coughs and then corrects himself, "Captain?"

"Nah its just us, kid." Thatch gently informs. Ace does a little wave.

Usopp huffs, "You guys look so much alike, I forgot where I was for a second."

Ace and Thatch share a glance at each other. This kid is worse off than Thatch thought.

Usopp seems to recognize what they're thinking because he gives a deadpanned stare before saying, "I meant Ace and my captain."

Thatch practically jumps at the conversation starter. He already doesn't like Usopp's captain, so any information he can get about the elusive man is basically gold. A man who gives up such a capable crewmate deserves no respect in Thatch's book.

Ace beats him to the punch, though. "Your captain looks like me? Why do you say that?"

"Yeah," the boy says hesitantly, like a deer caught in a light. "its uhm. Its because you both have hats. Yeah, that's why." Usopp fumbles through his explanation. Thatch doesn't believe him for a second.

Ace, however, lights up like a firework. He takes off his orange cowboy hat and runs a hand along the brim. He breaks out into a goofy grin, "My brother gave it to me before I set sail." Oh God, Thatch doesn't know if he can handle if Fire Fist goes on another tangent about his kid brother. "Its one of my treasures."

At the word 'treasures' Usopp huffs. "Of course," the sniper gives a small subdued smile. But its the most genuine one Thatch has ever seen on his face. "What was- is he like? Your brother?"

Ace raises an eyebrow at the stutter, but chooses to ignore it. Because Ace will never pass up a time to talk about his kid brother. "He's so fucking stupid. Which makes it even worse the rare times he's right about something." Ace tilts his head in thought, "Surprisingly, he's always right about the important things. But don't tell him I said that, I'd never live it down." Usopp actually snorts at that.

Ace eyes him for a second before saying, "He sets sail in a few years, but I'd think he'd like you."

Usopp turns his gaze to the ground, "I hope so." He says quietly, but not quietly enough. There's an underlying meaning there that Thatch doesn't know. But he's going to figure it out. "My captain is the same way."

"Stupid?" Thatch can't help but be concerned. Usopp's captain sounds worse and worse, in his opinion. But he still notes this conversation, because any info on this man is valuable.

"Hah, yeah." Usopp has a wistful look in his eyes. But also a glint of something humorous, "But he also doesn't like it when someone touches his treasure."

Usopp talks to them for a few more minutes before a nurse tells them to leave. Apparently conversation is not that good for recovery. But Thatch isn't going to argue with the professional, Marco might beat his ass. And he's already in deep water for missing the meeting, so Thatch doesn't want to make his odds worse.

-

Thatch tries to find Haruta and tell her what he's learned about the little sniper's captain, but the 12th Division Commander does not give him the time of day.

When he walks into her office, she practically throws papers at him, "How don't they fucking know?" She grabs him by the lapels and pulls him close, "How the fuck does Big News Morgan know but not the goddamn Revolutionaries?!"

And then Haruta rushes out the door in the direction of Fossa. Thatch blinks, temporarily stunned, before making the decision to tell her about his chat with Usopp tomorrow.

Whatever happened in that commander meeting must have been bad.

-

Thatch chooses to make his way to the kitchen instead. He knows that's a safe place, free from whatever the hell Haruta's going through.

The kitchen, however, is not a safe place from their gluttonous 2nd Division Commander. Thatch spots Ace shoving three turkeys down his throat and just sighs at the fact this is his life. Marco watches in amusement from the seat to the right of Ace.

Thatch takes the chair on the left of Ace and makes himself comfortable. Marco glares at him before asking, "Where were you?"

Right. Commander meeting. Oops. "I was keeping our guest company."

Marco clicks his tongue, "Don't get to close to that kid, Thatch. I know how you are."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you have a soft spot for kids, especially when they're obviously playing you."

"Name one example."

Marco motions to Ace sitting inbetween them. In the time they've had this conversation, Thatch has cooked four more turkeys and a seaking so the flame man can keep eating. Ace watches their discussion like a ping pong match.

"That doesn't count. I'm simply caring for one of my brothers."

Marco rolls his eyes, "if it was Jozu asking for more food, you would have called him a fatass and thrown him out the kitchen.

"Its important to be honest among family."

"Thatch."

"...okay, fine." The chef sighs, "I just think he needs some support. He keeps talking about his captain but he's all alone. I can't imagine being betrayed by someone you pledge your life by."

Marco studies him after his mini rant. The tension leaks out of his shoulders before the first mate says, "I trust you. And I trust your judgment. But you need to also look at the facts-"

"Well we don't have any facts yet. Usopp's a total unknown. So for now I say we trust him till he gives us a reason not to." Thatch crosses his arms and stands his ground.

Marco meets his gaze just as stubbornly. After a tense moment, "Alright, whatever. I didn't come here to argue with you." Marco placates.

Ace watches the both of them in silence like he's watching two divorced parents go at it. He hums before tacting on, "What harm can he do, anyway? He's completely surrounded by Whitebeard pirates."

"Yeah! And if he somehow manages to injure all of us, then Pops will strike him down." Ace grimaces at the statement, "So why worry?"

Marco considers his words carefully before admitting, "He doesn't bow."

"What?"

"Wait, is that seriously why you're mad?"

He motions for them to shut up, "A person who doesn't bow to an emperor is not someone to be taken lightly." He takes a deep breath, "Especially when conquers haki is involved."

Thatch understands where Marco is coming from. To withstand the pressure is no easy feat, but, "Aren't you just being paranoid?"

Before Ace puts another piece of seaking in his mouth, he snorts, "He totally is!"

"I am not. You two can believe whatever you want. But I am not that easily fooled."

"Yeah, yeah." Thatch drawls. He puts a plate of food in front of Marco. And puts a fifth plate infront of Ace, "We get it. It's your job as first mate to have a stick up your ass. Try to relax a bit, Marco."

Thatch can practically see Marco's ruffled feathers. So he tries his best not to annoy their valued first mate too much. They eat in content silence for a little bit. Or more like Thatch and Marco eat, and Ace faceplants into his food for a quick nap.

The 4th Division Commander mulls over Marco's words. He acknowledges how many unknown factors are at play around the sniper, but something in his gut is telling him to trust the man.

The more he thinks about his gut feelings, the more his mind travels back to that encounter with the man from Ace's divison.

As if on cue, Ace pops his head back up and continues to stuff his face. Thatch thinks there's no one else in the world who can eat as much as the flame man.

"Hey, Ace." He starts. Thatch doesn't look at his company, opting to stare straight ahead. As if figuring out a puzzle in mid air, "What do you know of Teach? From your division."

"Teach?" Ace puts a hand under his chin to think, "I don't know much about him, but he seems okay. Weird guy." He picks up another piece of seaking, "Very quiet. Why do you ask?"

Thatch considers telling Ace and Marco about his conversation in the medbay. He could say that the man sets his nerves on edge. That there's tension in the air, but Thatch doesn't know why. Between Teach's stilted advice about Usopp and Usopp's fearful expression about this 'Blackbeard.'

Between one of Whitebeards loyal sons and a stranger that has somehow endeared himself to Thatch. The commander is put in a situation where he doesn't quite know what to do.

But its just as Marco said, he doesn't have all the facts. So instead recounting the events of the day, Thatch says, "No reason. I was just wondering because I saw him earlier."

Marco eyes him cautiously, but Ace just rolls with it no questions asked, "Hm, that's weird. My division is not supposed to be on the Moby this week. Maybe he forgot something on board."

"Maybe." Was Teach looking for something? Thatch pushes his worries to the back of his mind, "If the rest of your divison is as forgetful as you, then we may have a problem."

"Hey!"

Before they can truly get into an argument, the door to the kitchen pushes open. In comes more commanders and brothers. Thatch spots Haruta looking like she needs straight vodka and starts to get to work with feeding his crew.

Thatch wilfully distracts himself from the anxiety stewing in his gut.

The next day, Thatch makes his way to Usopp's infirmary room once again. He doesn't see Teach in the hallway. Thatch thinks its a good think because he's on a mission this morning.

Haruta is out of commission because she has to deal with the fallout of Big Mom’s tantrum. Thatch still hasn't seen the recent newspaper. But apparently, something happened in Big Mom’s territory right under her nose and the emperor is going ballistic.

The reason Haruta wants to drink herself into oblivion is because it happened under everyone's noses. Including the revolutionaries, surprisingly. Which is apparently a nightmare for the underground information networks. Or so Thatch has heard.

All the chef has gained from Haruta’s dilemma is that he is going to be solo investigating Usopp. Which is fine by him. Oh and to restock the vodka, because Haruta’s burning through their stash.

-

Thatch cracks open Usopp's room and is greeted by the boy being wide awake again. His eyes still have that hazy glint to them.

The first thing out of his mouth is, "I want soup."

Now Thatch's desire to 'interrogate' the boy is now at odds with his principles as a chef. This feared commander will not be swayed by the demands of this random stowaway. In the middle of his musing, Usopp lets out a rib rattling cough.

Twenty minutes later, Thatch stands in front of Usopp's door with a bowl of soup.

-

He enters the room again and tries to convince himself this is all part of the plan. Its important to make people comfortable before they get questioned. Thatch sets the soup down in front of Usopp and the boy shakily brings a spoon up to his mouth.

Now, Thatch doesn't want to toot his own horn, but he will say that he makes a mean soup. No other chef on board has come close to-

"This is wrong."

What? Thatch whips his head to Usopp, where the boy is half conscious and completely unimpressed with his dish.

"Its wrong." He repeats like the problem was that Thatch didn't hear him the first time. "Its not the best. I won't waste it though."

Thatch shoves down his pride as a chef and takes a deep breath. Criticism is welcome as someone who has to feed people different tastes. It doesn't sting. Not at all. "What's wrong with it?"

"I don't know." Usopp slurs his words. The boy is about to settle back down for another nap.

Thatch knows that the nurses are getting pissed at him for disturbing patients, but he can't leave until he knows what's wrong with this soup. Usopp continues, "its just not how you usually make it. It's all...nervous."

"Nervous?"

"Yeah," Usopp yawns, Thatch doesn't know if its because he's bored or just genuinely tired, "No matter what you eat, it will always taste the way the chef feels."

Usopp waves his hand lazily, "You told me this, yourself. You can't forget it." He eyes the bowl once again, "Soup's nervous, Sanji. I don't like it."

Usopp then pulls the covers over his shoulders and goes to sleep. He leaves Thatch with broken pride and the determination to perfect his soup craft.

Usopp also leaves Thatch with a name. But the chef is too distraught to notice.

Three weeks after the sniper had arrived on board, two weeks after the same man feel sick, and one week since Haruta tried to murder Fossa when he drank all the vodka; finds Thatch in the kitchen. Making soup.

On Monday, his crew thanks him for dinner as usual, and Thatch tries to calm the inkling of nerves he has in the stomach. He makes sure to ask every single sibling what they think of the soup. They all sing his praises and one of the other chefs asks for his recipe, which he happily gives.

He gives a bowl to Usopp, who is starting to gain some color back in his face, and the boy eats the entire serving.

When Thatch asks how it tastes, he says quietly, "It was good. Thank you."

Its a dammed lie.

-

On Tuesday, Thatch serves the entire crew soup. A few people are a bit surprised at the repeat, but when paired with alcohol, nobody says a word. Thatch makes sure to ask all his brothers and sisters what they think of the soup, and they shower him with compliments.

He gives a bowl to Usopp, who is able to stay awake longer in the day, and the boy eats the entire serving.

When Thatch asks how it tastes, the boy shyly responses, "It was good. Thanks."

-

On Wednesday, Thatch serves the entire crew soup. Vista jokes that they've resorted to eating their rations. They haven't, but Thatch gives everyone a bowl of soup anyway. He makes sure to ask everyone what they think of it, and the crew responds with less and less enthusiasm.

He gives a bowl to Usopp, who can now walk around on deck because his fever is gone, and the boy eats the entire serving.

This time Thatch begs him to be honest. And the boy meets his gaze for a moment before sighing, "It was good. its just not my favorite, but I can't waste food. The soup just tasted empty."

-

On Thursday, Thatch serves the entire crew food. Each of them dutifully take their bowl with a certain resignation. Their attitudes are reminiscent of marines during wartime. When Thatch makes his rounds asking for their opinion, Ace finally breaks. The flame man holds on to Thatch's shoulders like a life jacket and begs for meat. It takes four commanders to pry him off.

He gives a bowl to Usopp, who eyes him worriedly, and the boy finishes the entire serving.

As Thatch opens his mouth to speak, Usopp beats him to it.

"Are you okay, Thatch?" Thatch waves him off and begs for his opinion on the soup, Usopp eyes him carefully before saying, "It was fine, but still you don't look so good."

-

On Friday, Pops himself bans Thatch from the kitchen. He also bans soup for a month.

They stop at a little seaside village to replenish and stretch their legs, and essentially the entire crew kicks the chef off the ship and tells him to relax.

"Go find inspiration or some shit." Izou tells, well more like commands, him.

Ace doesn't even look him in the eyes as he leaves. The flame man is too devastated at the lack of meat in his diet.

Usopp stays on the ship, doctor's orders. Thatch doesn't know if its because Marco cares for his wellbeing or Marco just wants the sniper somewhere he can see him.

So Thatch takes off his chef hat and dons clothes that will not make him recognizable and wanders into town. He stumbles across a restaurant with a long winding wait line. Curiousity gets the better of him, so he decides to join.

Four excruciatingly long hours later, Thatch makes it to the front of the line. It better be worth it, because if it's not, Thatch is going to burn the place down. As soon as he enters, a man shows him to an open seat.

The man gives him a menu but pauses for a brief moment, "Do I know you?" He asks.

Thatch turns his gaze to the server. He takes in the man's pristine suit, his steel toe shoes. The man has blond hair and a swirly eyebrow, which cannot be natural, Thatch thinks. He blows out a puff of smoke from his cigarette.

Thatch has never met this man before.

He says as much, but he doesn't introduce himself. The last thing Thatch wants is someone recognizing a Whitebeard Commander and then kicking him out of the restaurant.

The man holds his gaze for longer than necessary, and Thatch hopes his wanted poster hasn't been circulated recently. Luck must be on Thatch's side because all the server does is take a drawl of his cigarette and ask, "What would you like to order?"

"Surprise me." Its been a long time since Thatch has appreciated a fellow chef. But the commander is not easily impressed, especially when it comes to his craft.

However, he will not deny that he has been in sort of a rut lately.

The waiter, who is also the restaurant's cook, just stares at him with one eye, the other is covered with blond hair. He replies after a stilted moment, "You got it, boss."

After about twenty minutes, the man sets down a bowl infront of Thatch. Its soup. Because of course it is. Thatch shoves down a sigh, and picks up a spoon.

-

Its delicious in a way Thatch can't even begin to describe. Thatch had assumed that he would be tired of soup by now, but the dish before him proves otherwise. When he tells the chef as such, the blond man preens under the praise.

"I'd be happy to compare notes, but you'd have to wait till closing." The man motions to the bustling line eager to get a seat, "I don't let anyone go hungry, so excuse me." The man flits to the next customer.

Thatch doesn't mind, he'll wait here all day if he has to.

-

As Thatch asks for another serving of soup, another pirate crew makes themselves comfortable in the building.

They hackle the other servers and slam their drinks down. People start to leave as the pirates grow more rowdy.

To make matter worse, a group of marines have stumbled into the restaurant for their lunch break. As soon as the groups make eye contact, all hell breaks lose.

Thatch holds on to his drink and ducks his head as a chair flies over him. He debates if he should intervene but so far the marines and pirates haven't drawn weapons. So its just a bar brawl, and Thatch is a bit desensitized to those.

However, Thatch speaks too soon, because in that moment the pirate captain draws his sword and the marine Sergent cocks his gun. Their little tussle reaches its peak.

At the height of tension, the restaurant chef slash waiter burst through the door leaving the kitchen. If Thatch was less experienced, then he wouldn't have seen what had happened in that split second.

But Thatch is an experienced pirate. So he watches as the man throws the plate full of food and drink into the air. The waiter rushes over to the commotion and slams his foot down on both the pirate and marines head.

He catches the food platter on his knee. Not a drink out of place.

He takes a slow drawl of his cigarette, before threatening, "When you come to a restaurant, you behave. If I catch you doing anything else, I'll kick your ass to Wano." He sets the plates of food down infront of the rambunctious patrons. The cook glares them into submission and orders, "Eat."

All the patrons quickly turn to their food without complaint. Not a sound is uttered from their area of the restaurant for the rest of night.

It takes everything in Thatch to stifle his laughter.

The sun starts to dip below the horizion. When dinner service is all done, the blond chef plops into a seat at Thatch's table. He lights a cigarette and looks at Thatch with an expression he can't quite parse.

Thatch is immediately intrigued, "You know, most restaurants don't serve pirates." He rests his head in his hands, "You might get yourself killed if you continue."

The chef gives him a carefully blank, closed off look, "I'm a cook. I feed people who are hungry. Besides," He takes a drawl of his cigarette and grins, "I'm a pirate too."

Thatch lets out a chuckle, he likes this man more and more. Pops might like him too. "I've never seen a pirate owned restaurant."

"You'd be surprised at how many there are. My old man runs one." The man, who thatch should really ask for his name, continues, "but I don't actually work here."

Wait what?

The man shrugs, "The owner's a piece of shit towards his staff so I kicked his ass and took over for the day. I think the sous chef is gonna take charge from now on."

The blond runs a hand through his hair, "I have bigger things to worry about anyway. But you don't want to know all that. You just want my recipe." He gives Thatch a quick grin.

Thatch returns the smile, "The name's Thatch."

"Of the Whitebeards'?" The man asks nervously, and Thatch is grateful for his disguise. Because the man before him seems to be losing color to his face, "Oh, shit."

"Yeah. You still gonna serve me now that you know who I am?"

The man shakes off his shock and takes a puff of his cigarette, "I will serve you as long as you're hungry. That's the rule I live by."

Thatch hums. Hes intrigued by this mysterious pirate cook. Thatch considers trying to get him to join the whitebeards. "You're a pirate right? Where's your crew?"

At that, the man's face turns sour. Like he's greatly annoyed by something. The look passes by and is replaced by a certain sort of resignation, "Who knows? I'll find them eventually." He then eyes Thatch up and down, "but I'm sure a Whitebeard Commander such as yourself has no need to be concerned."

"True, true." Another abandoned pirate. It seems there's a trend going on.

"Anyway, do you want the recipe or not?" He taps his feet on the ground impatiently, "You being here just reminded me of all the shit I now have to do." He clicks his tongue and whispers to the side, "Damn that rubber bastard."

"Oh right." What an interesting guy. "How'd you make your soup not nervous?"

"I'm sorry?"

"I've learned recently that no matter what you eat, it will always taste the way the chef feels."

The man sitting across from him freezes. "Ha, my old man says the same thing. What a coincidence."

"It seems I missed this part of culinary school." He cheekily says. The blond snorts at the statement.

He sighs before saying, "Everything I make is nervous." Thatch actually makes a noise of surprise at that, "We're chefs. Our job is to take care of the health and happiness of who we feed, so how can I not be nervous?"

He closes his eyes for a moment, lost in thought, "If your food is not nervous, then I don't think you're doing it right." He shrugs, "But that's just how I see it."

The blond man with the swirl eyebrow gives him a pensive look, "The people I love trust me with their lives, so I learned to trust my gut to the same degree."

Thatch mulls over this man's words for a brief moment before asking, "What did you say your name was again?"

In the early hours on Saturday, Thatch wakes up Marco, Ace, and Usopp and begs them to come to the kitchen. He debated asking Haruta to come, but when he stepped into her office, she threatened to cut his head off with a fishing line, so he chose not to.

Apparently whatever newspaper about Big Mom the news coo brought was so bad, Haruta has to reconfigure her entire information network. She and the Revs are also ghosting each other now. Scary stuff.

But he wakes the other three up and tells them to take a seat in the kitchen. Thatch flits from station to station to prepare a dish. At the sound of food, Ace shakes off his drowsiness and has a burst of energy. Usopp sleepily watches him shuffle place to place with pots and pans. Marco just looks pissed at being woken up for a non-emergency.

But this is an emergency. Because Thatch needs to replicate that man's soup right now.

After a few minutes, he sets three bowls down infront of the pirates. He then crosses his arms and eagerly awaits their reaction.

Ace immediately chows down. He gives Thatch a quick 'Thanks!' Then buries his head in the food. Usopp hesitantly picks up his spoon. Marco just sighs in resignation at having to eat soup for the fifth time this week, but he also doesn't refuse the dish.

All three of them stop eating at the same time, Ace with his bowl three quarters empty, Usopp with a spoon still in his hand, and Marco mid swallow.

They all open their mouths to speak, but Usopp practically yells at him, "Where did you learn this recipe!?"

"I found my inspiration in town earlier today." Thatch huffs proudly. He's happy he finally got a good reaction from the little sniper.

"From who? Who taught you?" Usopp frantically presses.

"I think his name was," Thatch thinks back to that mysterious cook, who's actually a pirate. The man gave off the impression that he was too big for the seaside town, out of place. The blond chain smoker who was hiding brutal fighting precision, "Sanji."

At the name, Usopp completely freezes. And then suddenly bursts into a flurry of motion. He runs out of the kitchen onto the deck, forcing the three Whitebeard pirates to follow.

They catch a glimpse of the man causing panic for the brothers who happen to be lounging on deck. Thatch makes it to the door of the kitchen just in time to watch Usopp swan dive off the Moby and start swimming toward shore.

Ace noisily slurps the rest of his bowl and watches the commotion from right next to the chef and first mate. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, "Thatch, what the fuck did you put in this soup?"

Three weeks ago, the cook of the Strawhat pirates plummets to the ground from the sky. The seaside village he is found in nurses him back to health. When Sanji comes to after his big fall, he doesn't know what to be more upset at.

The fact that hes been separated from his crew and sent to gods know where, or the fact that this isn't the first time this exact thing has happened.

But what does take the cake on the shitshow Sanji is experiencing back to back, is that the place he's been transported to is five years in the past.

Which means even if he wanted to find the past version of his crew, he doesn't know how productive that would be. Because as of this moment, the strawhat pirates don't exists yet.

So Sanji is torn between sailing further into the grandline; stopping on Drum Island for Chopper; maybe to Water 7 to see if Franky's there; possibly going to Alabasta to check up on Robin. Or sailing to the East Blue, because that's where most of his crew grew up.

Because that's where his captain is. But that past captain doesn't know who Sanji is, so Sanji is still stuck.

As he debates what his next course of action is, he ends up taking odd jobs as a cook for little restaurants. He flits from place to place, as the owners beg him to be a permanent worker.

Although Sanji cooks for everyone, he will only bow to one person.

So in exchange for a roof over his head, Sanji is a freelance chef. The people croon that he could be successful if he settled down and make a restaurant of his own. And he knows for a fact that he will be, but Sanji also knows that that is an unsatisfying life. He will always be the cook of the future pirate king. There's no other option.

He watches the newspapers and any rumors that make it to the town. And on the day news finally reaches the town about what Big Mom is doing in the New World, the Whitebeard pirates dock at the seaside village.

And a dejected man with an orange pompadour walks into the restaurant that Sanji just so happens to be at.

Sanji doesn't recognize him at first, its not like he ever met the guy before. But that doesn't change the fact that 4th Division Commander Thatch asks for his soup recipe. And well, its been a while since he's had a good conversation with a fellow pirate chef.

But it also puts things in perspective. Mostly how Sanji has to get the hell out of here. So far, nothing groundbreaking has happened in the news. Sanji can assume that either his crew is out of commission or they're not in the past with him. Or, they're just lying low, which is the most nuclear choice, because that usual makes things worse.

Especially when it comes to his captain.

-

When the restaurant closes for the day, Sanji packs his things and plans on which island to travel to next. He figures that he should just continue to Drum and hope that there's no storms on the way. Especially since he's going to be skywalking the entire time.

Damn that rubber bastard. And that shitty mosshead, just because. Man, he really hopes Nami and Robin are alright.

As he walks the path towards the dock, bustles of marines push past him. These ones don't look like theyre the local force. Some of them he recognizes from earlier in the day. And Sanji's hunch is proven correct when he spots a Vice Admiral's ship in the coast line.

Things start to get worse when he also spots Whitebeards ship. The pirates appear to be leaving after docking here for the day, but the marines have no intention of letting them have a safe passage.

Sanji rolls his eyes at the sight, and decides to wait out their stupid little battle. He wants to get going as soon as possible, but there's no need to get involved.

Or, that's what he thought, but the whitebeard pirates seem to be calling for something in the sea. Sanji thinks he spots a man in the ocean frantically swimming to the island as cannons fire overhead.

The logical thing would be to turn away and try to leave the island tomorrow, but a feeling in him roots his feet to the spot.

As the man gets closer, the marines start to turn their attention to this random Whitebeard pirate in the ocean.

No, Sanji corrects belatedly as he too squints to see who's in the water, they start to turn their attention to this strawhat pirate in the ocean.

And before Sanji can think, he's already running through the air and twisting his entire body to gain momentum. Flames lick his feet as he slams his heel straight down into the Marine galleon.

*CRACK*

The force is so strong that the ship heaves a final sigh, before snapping in half and beginning to sink.

Sanji then turns his attention to the swimming crewmate, his crewmate, and picks him out of the water like picking a dog up by the scruff of his neck.

The relief that floods him at the sight of Usopp is unmeasurable. He wants to ask if the sniper is injured. What was he thinking, does he know how they got here? He wants to know if the other man had been eating regularly, is he fed till he's full?

He wants to say thank you for finding me.

But he doesn't. The words bubble up until they choke him, his mind is running hundreds of miles a minute. And the first words Sanji actually says to Usopp are, "You know I only carry women, right?"

And Usopp laughs so hard tears form in his eyes. And somewhere in between his laughter, it actually turns into sobs. Sanji suit is disheveled but he can't quite find himself to care. Usopp is akin to a drenched cat but shoulder shaking laughter still rolls through him.

Usopp looks at him with such unrestrained happiness. And as the sniper cries, he takes a deep breath and says, "Fuck you, Sanji."

And Sanji's world makes a little more sense.

When Sanji touches down on the Moby Dick, he expects hostility from the crew.

What he does not expect is the chef from earlier in the day to rush Usopp and hold him in a blubbering embrace, "Was the soup really that bad?!"

Usopp's laughter is bordering on hysterical so Sanji tugs him behind himself. This action does not go unnoticed by the commanders onboard.

It also does not go unnoticed by the ship's captain.

The strongest man in the world booms from his throne upon the sea, "What are you doing with my son?"

He lets the words hang in the air as he futile tries to process them. "Son?" Sanji slowly cranes his head to where Usopp stands. The man avoids his gaze.

"I'm not your son, Whitebeard!" Usopp snaps.

"Not yet anyway," Thatch murmurs.

What the fuck?

Sanji stares at Usopp in complete disbelief. What the hell had the liar been up to?

"This is Sanji," Usopp clasps a hand on the cooks shoulder, "one of my crewmates." He introduces Sanji to Whitebeard and the little crowd they'd gather breaks out in murmurs.

Someone whistles from the peanut gallery, "I say we keep both of them! Look at what the blond guy did to the marine ship."

"I call dibs!"

"No he's coming to my division!"

"Pops, the blond guy is a really good chef, he should come with me!"

"Oh great, another one."

An argument breaks out among some of the commanders and Sanji is starting to feel faint. Whitebeard laughs at his children's bickering.

"You may have proven your strength, but there is no reason for me to take you in." He talks down to them, Conqueror's Haki embedded in his words.

Sanji bristles at the audacity. He doesn't give a damn about his title as Emperor or Strongest Man, the only thing stopping him from antagonizing the entire crew is Usopp. And maybe a certain division commander.

Sanji doesn't know where this man got the impression he was up for crew adoption, its probably Usopp's fault, but Sanji is not interested. "I don't want you to take me in. I already have a captain." He sneers.

Silence floods across the ship. Thatch makes a distressed noise, and the commanders eyes the two with something akin to pity. Sanji doesn't know what that's about, but its probably also Usopp's fault.

"I like the fire in your eyes, kid." Whitebeard thunders, amused, "And since your captain has abandoned you-"

"Oh my God, Pops has no tact."

"I thought we weren't supposed to say the obvious?"

"Might as well rip the bandaid off now, I guess."

"-I will happily let you join the family."

Usopp's mouth falls open dumbfounded.

Sanji blinks once, twice, three times. He very slowly reaches into his pocket, a few commanders tense at the action, and pulls out his lighter and a cigarette. He gets the thing going and then taps his foot gently on the deck wood.

He takes a deep breath and acknowledges that, yeah this is actually happening right now.

A few things happen all at once. One, flames bloom from Sanji's feet in a threatening spiral. Two, Sanji bites down on his cigarette and shouts, "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUS-"

Simultaneously, Usopp slams his shoe down on Sanji's foot, fire and all. Then he shoves his hand over the blond's mouth with frightening strength.

Usopp yells over the equivalent of Sanji's declaration of war, "WE'RE NOT JOINING YOUR CREW!" He continues at normal volume, "Sanji stays on the same terms as I do."

And for the second time that night, the deck is silent. And again, Sanji doesn't know what hell he's fallen into but he's so done with it.

Why the fuck does Whitebeard look sad at that statement, Sanji doesn't know.

After a tense moment, Whitebeard speaks again, "GURAHAHA! It would be a shame to get rid such strong loyalty." He smiles down at them, "Alright, Sniper. Have it your way. Sanji stays on your terms. For now."

Usopp gives a sigh of relief, removing his hand from Sanji's mouth, and it takes every bone in Sanji's body not to kick his ass right here and now. Seeing the dismissal for what it is, the tension on the Moby seeps away.

"Yes!" Thatch scoops both of them into a hug, "This is going to be great."

A few people make their way over to the two strawhats, and Sanji just has so many questions.

"Next time you want to find a crewmate, don't jump into the sea during cannon fire." Marco smacks Usopp in the back of the head. Sanji thinks he deserves it. Marco mutters, "It looks like all your old crew has a habit of defying Conqueror's Haki."

Marco eyes Sanji up and down and Sanji has to remind himself that this isn't his Marco. To be completely honest, these Whitebeards are too trusting. In the future, the remains of this crew are not nearly as kind.

"Wow," But the most stark reminder of how much Sanji is not supposed to be here comes from one person, "your captain must have been a pretty respectable guy for you two to hold him in such high regard." The man grins, "I'm starting to think he doesn't deserve it though, since you two have ended up here."

Portgas D Ace makes his way to their little crowd and Sanji's breath hitches in his throat. Sanji logically knows that the 2nd division commander would be around and doing things. But its entirely different seeing it in person. "Ace?"

"Oh, do you know me?"

Sanji can't even form a word. What is he supposed to say anyway? Yeah, you're my future but present captain's brother? And you're going to save my captain, you're going to-

Usopp looks between the two before injecting, "Sanji, here, is a fan."

"He is?"

"I am?"

"Yes," Usopp grits out. His eyes say to just go with it, "You see, Sanji is a big fan so he's a little nervous talking to you. He even fights with fire, like his hero."

Usopp motions to his feet and to keep up the bit, Sanji stomps his foot on fire. The Whitebeards around them make noises of amazement at the sight.

"That's no fair! How come the firecracker gets fans before I do!"

"I don't know how I feel about having fans."

Sanji mumbles, "I don't know how I feel about being a fan."

"Well Sanji here is really tired, you know fighting marines and all that-"

"Yeah, did you walk on air by the way?"

"-so I'm going to go show him to his quarters, right now."

The three Whitebeards watch as the two make their exit. Thatch is relieved that the little sniper has found one of his family at sea, and that person being such a knowledgeable chef. Its only a matter of time before they get used to being onboard the Moby, and only a matter of time before they officially become part of the family.

Marco turns his gaze to the galleon that this newcomer has destroyed. Its no surprise that Paradise creates explosive rookies, one glance at Ace proves it. But the blond didn't move with just power: experience and precision bled through his every action. So Marco can't help but wonder, why take shelter in this quaint little town, if you're obviously on par with a New World Veteran?

Ace just wants more soup.

(A fourth Whitebeard pirate watches from the shadows of the Moby. He watches the way the blond man dispatches the marines with ease. He remembers the accuracy of the sniper from when he first arrived onboard. He knows these types of pirates very well, they are people with big dreams.

And he knows that they will do anything to achieve their dreams. Just like he will. After all, what good is loyalty in the face of power? In the face of freedom?

But for now, he'll play this stupid little game of family.

The man turns to make his way back to where the rest of the 2nd division pirates reside.)

Usopp barely makes it through the door of his cabin aboard the Moby before a foot slams him into the wall.

"Yeah, I deserved that."

"No shit. Now explain."

One very, very detailed explanation later, as Sanji refuses to move his foot from Usopp's face, the cook is now completely up to date with the situation. Its still a shitty situation, seeing as Usopp also doesn't know how they traveled to the past, but beggars can't be choosers.

"So let's just take one of the Whitebeard's ships and leave tomorrow."

"I can't." Usopp turns his gaze away. He takes a seat on the only bed in the room.

"What do you mean, you can't?"

"I have to stay here."

"Why?" Sanji waves his hands, trying to get the gravity of the situation through Usopp's head, "You can't stay here! We have to find the rest of the crew! Don't tell me you're actually thinking of joining Whitebeard."

"What?" Usopp looks offended that Sanji would think that, "Of course not! God what would Luffy say if I did that."

"Forget about Luffy. Imagine how that dumbass algae we call a swordsman would react."

Usopp's hands raise to cover his throat and a small shiver racks through his body. He shakes his head, "But that's not why I'm staying. I'm going to save Ace."

...save Ace?

"Think about it, Sanji. Do you honestly think you can leave the Moby knowing what you know?"

And Sanji has been trying not to think about it. Because coming face to face with a dead man is something that he doesn't want to acknowledge. Coming face to face with another way he has failed his captain is a different type of torture.

His captain, who is somewhere along the seas, doing who knows what. Sanji's captain who has placed his unwavering faith in him since meeting at the Baratie.

Luffy who, while holding Sanji's dream so gently in his hands, coupled with his fears and anguish and past, still looks at him with such pride.

You want to find the All Blue? That's a good dream.

Luffy, who has been unwavering in his love in the face of Sanji's demise and scorn. What has Sanji done to repay the favor?

I can't become the Pirate King without my crew! Without my cook!

Somewhere across the sea, is the rest of the strawhats. Just as lost and alone as he was a few hours earlier. It would be smart to immediately set out and search for them, especially with Whitebeards' resources. They would be able to get home faster. It would be logical thing to do. He and Usopp shouldn't get involved, there would be no benefit.

Can he leave the Moby knowing what he knows? Sanji has a feeling it will only make things more complicated further down the road if he doesn't. Are the Whitebeards truly a lost cause?

What would Luffy do?

Sanji collapses on the floor next to the bed. He closes his eyes and debates. But, its not actually a debate, and Sanji thinks Usopp knows that as well. There are no pros and cons to weigh. There are no choices to make.

Because after all, the Strawhats aren't exactly known for making "smart" decisions. Especially when it comes to the people they love.

Sanji takes a slow drawl of his cigarette and when he opens his eyes to look back at Usopp, he sees the same steel resolve reflected back at him.

"Alright," he says resigned, Usopp gives him a shit eating grin, "What's your plan?"

"Ah," the other strawhat takes a deep breath, forcing the words into existence and all the consequences that will follow it, "I'm going to steal the Dark Dark Fruit."

A woman reclines in her lawn chair and studies the book in front of her. Her sunglasses hide how her eyes eagerly search for information.

She sighs and snaps the book closed and picks up the next from a gigantic pile. The other people on the beach give her a wide berth, but the woman pays them no mind.

She runs a hand through her silk black hair in frustration. Even though she's under an umbrella, the sun still seems to sap her energy. As she reads, the beach clears out completely. Its as if there's a shark in the water.

The crunch of boots on sand fills her ears as a group of marine soldiers approach her. Her eyes do not wander from the page she's studying.

A news coo flies overhead and drops its papers onto the shore. A burst of flower petals take the form of a hand. The hand grabs the paper and brings it to where the woman sits.

The man incharge of the group stands before her, but the woman only glances at the newspaper before turning back to her book.

Suddenly, the woman does a double take at the newspapers headline. She says breathily, "Oh, that's not good."

The peoples footsteps stop right infront of her chair. A man clears his throat, "You are here by under arrest for the destruction of government property, piracy, and being a danger to the public. Devil Child Nico-"

"Clutch!"

The sound of several bodies hitting the soft sand fills the air. The woman doesn't pay them a single glance. She only has eyes for the newspaper, her book abandoned.

She reads the whole thing one, twice, three times, before slaming the paper shut. Robin takes a deep breath and grits out, "That's not good, at all."

On the newspaper it reads: