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English
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Published:
2025-09-19
Updated:
2025-10-09
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6,176
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5/8
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The North Blue Advance Scam

Chapter 2

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

“Bullshit.” The word flew out of Sanji’s mouth before the chef even fully processed what the man was saying. When it finally did, a dry chuckle followed with a flabbergasted, “What the fuck?”

 

“I know,” Stealth Black put his arms out placatingly, his voice becoming airy, “It’s hard to believe that you would meet royalty like this, but it is what it is. You could call me SB if you prefer, you did save my life, after all.”

 

“Woah, royalty?” Chopper and Usopp gasped in unison, and when Sanji took another glance around the deck, Nami’s eyes had already turned into Beli signs and Luffy had already lost interest.

 

“Stay back.” Robin’s cold voice cut through Sanji’s wandering thoughts and the whispers amongst the crew, and the archeologist pulled Chopper behind her. Her wary eyes pierced through SB with more vigor than before. “Germa 66, the notorious military force from the North Blue? I thought they were just legends.”

 

SB shook his head lightly, “We’re very much real, and our home base is closeby! I was just on my way back to them.” He gestured to the log pose on his wrist, which was showing a trajectory slightly off where Nami had the ship headed.

 

What?! Sanji’s heart skipped a beat, and he shifted on his feet unsteadily as he tried to regain his bearings. While it was possible for Germa’s fleet to be in the Grand Line, he’d always thought it would be highly improbable to run into them. 

 

It felt like a bucket of cold water had been thrown over him. After not sparing a single thought about Germa for the past decade, he was suddenly facing the possibility of seeing his renounced family again. The impossibility of it was like a slap to the face, and Sanji simply stood there dumbfounded. 

 

But what about the man standing in front of him? He obviously wasn’t Stealth Black. There was still a possibility of him lying about the whole thing.

 

What if Germa replaced him? What if he really was Stealth Black? Sanji’s eyes raked down SB’s body, looking for weak points which would have definitely been exploited. 

 

Sanji opened his mouth to speak, but he held his tongue when Robin took a decisive step forward.

 

Robin looked just as displeased with the information as Sanji did. “Having worked for Baroque Works recently, and knowing the negative influence Germa has, even as a work of fiction, I recognize that we have a moral obligation to kill you where you stand, seeing as you are a real assassin.” Her mouth curved into a cruel frown, “I happen to be an avid reader of Sora, Warrior of the Sea, and I have never once agreed with Germa’s side.”

 

The Straw Hats seemed alarmed by Robin’s sudden seriousness, but no one made any move to get in her way. Sanji took a moment to sift through her words, then internally shrugged. He agreed with her wholeheartedly, but still the unintentional rejection of his true identity stung a little. He supposed there could be an exception-

 

“Surely you could make an exception for my case?” SB looked both astounded and fearful when Robin crossed her arms, replying with a decisive “No.”

 

Ah, Robin-chan is so beautiful when she is decisive~. Sanji pushed down his growing concern for his well-being.

 

“Wait! Wait! Please!” SB shouted before he crashed onto his knees, begging the crew with tears forming in his eyes, “I was abused and forced into that life by my father. And I can get you hundreds of thousands of Beli, I promise.” He clasped his hands in front of him and banged his forehead against the floorboards, sobbing pathetically into the ground.

 

Robin’s hands faltered at the pitiable display, ultimately putting her hands down when Nami stepped in front of her with interest. “What did you mean by ‘getting us Beli’?” She asked pointedly, and SB stopped begging immediately, tilting his head away from the floor.

 

“Ah. Well, there’s a reward for returning me, obviously. Half a million Beli, to be exact. I can give you direction there, as long as you give me…” He sat up, placing a hand underneath his chin in thought, “A thousand Beli advance! I get money from you, and you get money from my kingdom, it’s a win-win deal!”

 

Nami’s eyes turned back into Beli signs, but the ridiculousness of the words jarred Sanji out of his stupor. “No one is actually believing this, right? He’s obviously not a prince of Germa.”

 

Sanji’s incredulous tone carried more weight than he had originally intended, but no one seemed eager to back him up. Nami was still calculating profit margins behind her wide grin, Chopper clutched the towel to his chest uncertainly as he looked at Zoro to see what he thought, and Usopp tilted his head as though he couldn’t quite decide whether SB was a lunatic or the most exciting thing to happen for the past week.

 

“It would explain how he knows so much.” Robin’s voice was quiet, but it carried a surety that the rest of the crew appreciated. “Perhaps it isn’t impossible.”

 

Sanji’s heart gave an unsteady thud, though his face twisted into a sneer before anyone could notice. “I’m with Robin on this.” Zoro added, and Sanji veered towards him at the man’s laid back attitude.

 

“Tch. Come on, Marimo, don’t tell me you’re falling for this idiot’s act. I grew up in the North, too, so if he’s really Germa, then I’d know a thing or two about it, wouldn’t I?” He let the words hang there, and he smiled deliberately smug, even as the inside of his chest burned.

 

Robin tilted her head at the confession, and for a moment Sanji swore she was studying him instead of SB. That faint, knowing glimmer in her eyes made his throat tighten. But she remained silent, only stepping back with her arms folded.

 

The pressure in Sanji’s lungs eased a little.

 

“I think he’s funny!” Luffy announced, breaking the tension as he grinned widely. He crouched down to SB’s level and poked at the man’s soaked shirt. “If he says he’s a prince, then he’s a prince. We’ll just beat up his old man if he was mean to him!”

 

SB blinked at Luffy in wonder before clapping his wet hands together, bowing his head quickly. “Th-thank you, stranger! I swear you won’t regret this.”

 

Nami's eyes practically sparkled as she edged closer to him. “Half a million Beli, huh? Then it’s settled. If he gets us that payout, it’s worth it.” She squinted at him and poked a finger in his direction. “But you won’t get a single Beli from me until after you give the reward money.”

 

“That’s… not how an advance works.” SB muttered under his breath, but he didn’t look ready to argue with anyone just yet.

 

Sanji dragged a hand down his face and exhaled sharply through his teeth. He wanted to continue his disagreement, but all eyes had already shifted back to the stranger dripping seawater across the deck. The crew had accepted the story- whether out of curiosity, profit, or sheer stupidity- and Sanji could feel the decision slipping from his grasp.

 

He shoved his hands into his pockets and forced out a dismissive laugh, though his shoulders felt heavier than they had been before. “Fine, but don’t cry to me when he turns out to be some cheap con. I’ll keep an eye on him; North Blue scams aren’t new to me.”

 

The words bought him cover, and they gave him the excuse he needed. However, beneath his casual smile, Sanji’s mind ran circles around itself.

 

If SB was a liar, then he was a damn convincing one.

 

But what if he wasn’t a liar?

 

Sanji’s grip on his lighter tightened imperceptively from beneath the fabric of his shirt.

Notes:

Sorry for falling off the Earth for so long! I got swamped with work and lost a bunch of time.