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People think he's unobservant or socially inept, but he wasn't. He just didn't like to draw attention to things not needed discussing or act in a way to make someone else feel better.
He knew something was up. He'd seen the deep changes in the Cook. Things that should've been red flags going unnoticed by his crew or unsaid by his captain.
It wasn't his place to say anything because he knew with each day the defense the Cook had built up since reuniting once again was cracking. Crumbling more and more till on its final leg.
And now the others were seeing it too.
So, Zoro sat "asleep" against the mast, listening to everyone go over what they'd experienced on the Sanji retrieval mission.
Giving the crew some insight to what they experienced and encountered.
And it was making him angry. Angry how they were doing it without Sanji here. The man busy cooking while the crew exchanged the tale in secret.
To not make him face the music. To not hold him accountable?
Nami painted it as similar to Robin's situation but it wasn't.
With Robin everyone knew what the hell had happened. Was happening. They'd been united, all on the same page.
Sanji hadn't done that. The man was always an enigma, prone to disappear only to pull some strategically flawless countermeasure or such that saved the crew.
He'd disappeared like always, only this time what they got back wasn't the cocky, foul-mouthed cook that would kick a person's head in for wasting a speck of food.
No, what they got back was a stranger. A man who apparently had a twin, and a poison-eating sister.
"Yep, she ate the poison, I almost died! shiii- ACK!"
"YOU'RE BEING TOO CASUAL ABOUT IT ALL!" Nami yelled, leaving a bump on Luffy’s cranium.
"But green hair? And here I thought Zoro was the only one with such strange a hair color." Usopp remarked
"Oh! And we learned Sanji has a weird last name, Vinsmoke!" Chopper said while Luffy finished while rubbing his aching head.
Robin gasped, the glass falling and the sound of glass shattering on the deck echoed.
All eyes turned to her, as a bead of sweat ran down her face. Her eyes shot to the gallery door, where the cook was, the man absolutely clueless of what was transpiring.
"Did…Was there any makers or symbols on any of the giant ships or flags or…"
"Sanji's sister had two six tattoos. One on each leg."
"I thought they were but a fairytale." Robin said staring at her lap in contemplation
"Robin…what's wrong. What was a fairytale?" Nami said hesitantly, now her eyes shifting periodically to the Gallery door.
"You guys ran into Germa 66…" She said with a shiver.
Almost like the world was responding to the words, the surrounding area seemed to be deafened. Like some sort of sin was committed by simply saying the name Germa 66.
Franky spat out his cola, "oh……." The man was unusually quiet.
Brooks had stopped playing
"What is that? What's Germa 66…" Chopper asked, looking around and not liking the dread and fear on some of his crewmates’ faces.
"It's a not-so-common tale, as they likely tried to halt its spread and such. But…. it's a floating kingdom that nations and leaders called in to squash revolts, revolutions, wars."
"Okay….so they have an army. Big deal so did Vivi." Usopp said semi-confidently, his eyes stuck blatantly staring at where Sanji was.
"They are more effective at eradication than the Buster call." Robin said hauntedly, "It's a kingdom of great assassins. They're efficient and leave no survivors behind…regardless of age or sex. The only difference between the two is the land is left behind."
"Their technology is said to be advanced beyond its years…solely because they had no morals holding them back." Franky spat out
"Hmmm…that explains the insults and why he kicked me so hard,” Luffy said, scratching his chin, only to see Zoro’s eyes burst open at that sentence.
He saw Nami shiver and her eyes start to tear almost like she was seeing what happened all over again
“The cowardly detractor attacked you?” Zoro struggled to keep the growl out of his voice.
Everyone flinched at that, “No need to be that harsh Zoro…” Usopp said as he fiddled his thumbs.
“No. we aren't taking this harshly enough. Not only did he jump ship and have no faith in not only us but Luffy to help…he’s keeping some major secrets.”
“Now, let's no…listen, we've all kept secrets, myself included, so we shouldn't ostracize Cook-san."
“And we got confirmation the Vinsmokes or Germa won't come after us?”
He continued before he could be cut off, “this isn't Arlong or the Navy, this is an entire kingdom of assassins. Did you see how big their armies are? What technology they had? Who will they side with?” Zoro was getting madder with the more silence there was.
He opened his mouth when he saw the Gallery door open and Sanji was coming down with food.
He had cooked all their favorites. Even though half were “out of season” or whatever Curlybrow said before. He knew the Cook could sense the awkward vibe despite Luffy behaving like he usually did.
When Sanji got around to Zoro, he didn't move to get it, having returned to lounging back on the mast, cross legged like usual.
“Hey, Mosshead. Food.” the typical gruff/snap in Sanji’s voice was gone.
Zoro looked at the man, seeing the tired husk of his rival, before looking at the premium quality meal he was offering him as peninance. But he wasn't gonna let the man go without answering some questions.
“Were you ever gonna reveal you were a Prince of Germa or nah?”
Nami was just digging in when she heard Zoro’s tactless question, ripping open the barely sewn up gaping wound everyone knew Sanji was carrying.
They were waiting, letting Luffy decide when or where to get the details…and the stupid swordsman had blown that up.
Literally dropped it like Sanji did Zoro’s dinner. The platter falling out of his hand and landing on the deck. A delicious mess and huge waste.
Sanji wasted food….
Sanji stared at him with wide eyes, his eyes rapidly swapping between the food and Zoro. His brain failing to figure out which one to focus upon.
"Swordsman-san..." Robin said slowly, still looking at Sanji with pity and morbid curiosity as to what they may do.
"I…Marimo that's…" His eyes shot towards the others and Nami saw how some avoided making eye contact.
"How about the fact you attacked our captain? The crew nearly starved and died when you jumped to gallivant with some chick!"
"C…clean I" Sanji went to turn as if to get a mop, but they knew the truth. It was to escape as they could see Luffy had already swiped it up. Their captain was still eating calmly, as if nothing was happening.
Zoro grabbed Sanji's wrist, somehow towering over the blond man, "Stop focusing on your goddamn cooking and speak coward!"
He heard the sound of a body Shifting and braced for a kick.
Only for nothing to happen.
"Y-Y-Yonji…let go." Sanji said as his breathing got worse. Yanking his arm away as he struggled to get out of Zoro's grip.
"Wha…the hell you say curlybr- URK!" The moment Zoro leaned in, Sanji punched him. All while simultaneously, with all his might, yanking himself backwards.
"LET GO YOU EMOTIONLESS ASSHOLE!!" Zoro let go and all The force Sanji used resulted in him careening backwards, right over the deck's railing.
"SANJI! OH MY GOD!" The crew rushed over, hearing the chef hit the water
Usopp quickly threw over a ladder, remembering how cold the water was.
They offered assistance, only for the cook to completely ignore it, heaving himself over.
The cook's clothing stuck to his skin and turned see through. Which was expected, what wasn't expected was the slow spreading red patch
"OH MY GOD! YOU'RE BLEEDING! GET A DOCTOR!" Chopper shouted but before typical dialog could happen he was cut off
"Don't need it. Water washed away the bandages." His eyes looked dead almost, "Waste of supplies anyways." He pulled out a cigarette, not surprised they were ruined.
"Sanji…what happened at Cake Island?" Brooks asked seriously.
"Not much." He shrugged, knowing he was likely to be exposed and the last small shards of the image he'd painted. He couldn't control their reaction but he could his. Numbing himself like he'd learned as a child. Learned as a child but mastered as an adult.
Sanji's face remained neutral, "I like this shirt…if quick enough you can get blood out of fabric, right?" He asked as he simply pulled his shirt off and turned to head to the laundry room.
The moment his back was turned, they saw. He knew they had as he heard the various reactions of his crew mates.
"Sanji…where….what did you…" Nami struggled to voice as she stared at the man's back.
From the base of his spine up to the base of his neck. It looked like a Lichtenberg figure, a twisted path with many areas in which the thing broke off into long spindly branches. It spread across his back, one section almost wrapped around his ribs to his front. Around the base, showed scorched marks. Some flesh warped and showed signs of burns finally healing.
But the more blaring one was angry red, indents in barely healed flesh.
A brand.
66.
"Sanji…what happened?" Luffy asked again, "the truth and that's captain's orders." Luffy knew he had to pull rank to get the truth. It was the only way.
"May I at least get dried off before having storytime." The bite in the snarky reply was more venomous than playful.
Sanji was already walking off not waiting for Luffy’s nod. The man purposely dodged Nami's outreaching hand, and Chopper's attempt at offering aid.
As soon as the men's quarters door shut, Luffy’s gaze landed on Zoro, but before he could say anything Sanji was back.
The blond walked back like nothing had happened, "I'm gonna disappoint you and say Germa 66 would never fight with us nor offer aid because I've continued to commit the abhorrent crime of simply existing." He said casually, like one talks about the weather.
"However I'd be lying if I said Judge wouldn't send my siblings out to murder me at any given moment. Mistakes should be erased…not continue to possibly achieve their dream."
He took a drag of one of his smokes from his new pack of cigarettes before continuing, "but your question, "why didn't I tell you I was a Prince?" Well, because I never was one to begin with my father and I didn't mesh and I was disowned once I ran off."
Silence echoed and Sanji just let out a sigh, "What did you ask captain…oh what happened? Well, not much really. I was there…got beat up, blackmailed with Zeff's life and you guys'. threatened…and then rescued and did a rescue and here we are." He took a deep breath before glaring at the deck.
"So, no there's no riches to be taken or extorted, Nami-san." He sideeyed her.
"No, I'm not telling you the fucking technical advances they have, Franky." He growled
"No, I'm not telling you the history of Germa 66. Robin-San." He couldn't meet her eyes.
"NO, I don't want some lamentful song made for me, Brooks." He jabbed a finger in his direction
"No, you may not mention them in your stories, Usopp." He said dismissively
"No! I don't need medical treatment." He yanked away from Chopper
"And no, I'm not going to allow you to lighten my workload, Luffy!" His tone told the rubber man he'd die before allowing that.
"And no your precious Nakama aren't IN DANGER, ZORO!" He rounded on the swordsman and yelled in his face.
He dusted himself off before making his way to the Galley, "I'm going to the pantry to take inventory."
He walked off the door to the Galley shutting with a loud slam.
The silence was only broken when Luffy finally spoke,"I like it more when you two's fights are petty." He took another bite of his dinner before staring at Zoro.
"Luffy I w-" "I'm captain and I forgave him. I'm the one Sanji fought but Sanji is the one that got hurt. Nami and I escaped the dungeons…Sanji is still there. Brook AND Sanji were Big Mom's toys." The surprisingly insightful boy said. "Sanji was forced from his home, the Sunny. DONT make him leave willingly."
He wasn't gonna let Zoro get a word in, the man needed to know his handling of the situation wasn't good nor appreciated.
"You're mad he didn't believe in us…didn't trust me to handle it…but you didn't trust me either.
"Lu-""you didn't trust me to handle this." Luffy’s hat hid his eyes from Zoro but everyone could feel Luffy’s haki pushing down rising. Whether intentionally or not, like a lion showing off its superiority to a challenger, Luffy only realized his doings when he heard a gasp from someone.
"I can't become King of the pirates without all of you. I refuse to." With that last word he went back to his goofy self. "Think Sanji made desert?" He grinned
The mood Semi-returning back to normal.
Zoro retreated to the crow's nest. While the others hung out in galley eating dinner and having a merry time.
His appetite was ruined, just like his mood. So, he decided to train, as it usually made him feel better.
He wasnt surprised when the cook eventually came bearing food, he was surprised by the preemptive call from Nami.
"Listen Mosshead, eat the food. You can't sustain on only alcohol."
Zoro looked at him over his shoulder, eyes narrowing as he listened to Nami screaming not to say anything stupid Or offensive.
He turned, forgetting completely to hang up.
"You aren't gonna bolt?" He said un-enthusiastically
"Can't leave. Haven't been given the right to by damn rubber."
"Are you saying you'd leave if told? Not fight it?"
"Not really my place. Though Luffy likes my meat too much at the moment."
"Why do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Just…dismiss it all? Like nothing that happened matters or something!" Zoro cursed the other man for the stupid emotional shit he was being forced to confront. He'd rather be using his fist and not words. Barbaric? Maybe but it wasn't complicated or possible to be misconstrued like words could.
"Does it matter though?" Sanji said with a huff of annoyance
"Yes, because unlike the others I don't want "this" back, I want the Ero-cook!"
"Are you drunk? I am me!"
"No you aren't! This spastic subservient shit! The constant cooking, dishes so fancy and shit! The lack of snapping at people! The avoiding Franky and the flinching at quick movements!" He listed off with his fingers.
"Well don't! Stop caring and everything will be just fine!" Sanji threw his hands up. "No one needs to care!"
"Why are you so adamant about us not caring?
"Because I don't deserve it!"
"Why don't you deserve it?!" Zoro screamed
"Because…," he bit his lip, "just eat your stupid food!"
"No! Answer the question. Why don't you deserve it?" Zoro growled
"EAT THE FOOD! BEFORE I STUFF IT DOWN YOUR DAMN THROAT!" Sanji roared.
"Eat!"
"Why don't you deserve it?"
"Eat!"
"Why don't you deserve it?"
"EAT!!"
"WHY. DON'T. YOU. DESERVE. IT!?"
"I don't want you to care because those kicks weren't all fake!. In fact, some of those strikes were real. I really wanted Luffy to leave! Because deep down I know it solely wasn't the blackmail or the chance that they would murder all of you that drove me to go back! It was the fact that for the 1st time since I was born I was wanted by my family!" He finally screamed
"In a perverse way I secretly reveled in the fact that I was called a Vinsmoke. That, when he said I wasn't acting like a prince he admitted I was one! For once in my miserable existence I was just like my brothers!"
"I wasn't the outlier, I wasn't a botch! Me…. The failure, I was the center of attention. I was being seen by my family. Acknowledged. It took 21 years but I was finally useful! The disgusting waste and too much of a burden to raise, WAS FINALLY A VINSMOKE!"
"because as a child I certainly wasn't one! Growing up, I was a walking disgrace and nothing I did was good enough. no matter how much I studied, worked, trained, and fought I couldn't catch up. I couldn't keep up, fall in line, stop feeling things and for that he erased me. I was too weak to own my true birthname!"
"Want the truth? Want to know all that's repressed and buried? Hear shit not even Zeff, my dad, knows!" He threw his hands up in the air, "At 8, Judge faked my death and threw me in a dungeon because although my sperm donor is a bastard, he couldn't kill his own children. But that didn't mean he wanted to look at me. He loathed the fact I had the same face as his 3 perfect sons: my brothers! So he put an iron mask on me." Sanji was walking in circles, spewing it all.
"Imagine a metal helmet and mask that never came off. It's so heavy it'd throw your balance off. Its foolish to frown, Only your eyes and brow are visible. But the holes/gaps are just big enough that bugs can crawl in. AND THEY WILL. SO! You're left to just feel them skittering and touching your face and lips!!" He shuddered, dragging his hands down his face, "imagine being helpless as you have to wait for a guard to unlock the jaw piece! Which only happened so you could eat and when, Not if! When! They forgot to come and do so… No one reminded them or reprimanded them."
"The reason I survived that rock, the 85 long days of starvation, wasn't only because of Zeff's sacrifice. It's because it wasn't the 1st time I had been starved!" He threw his hands up,almost like he wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. "But hey! The meaner rats left me alone for a bit at least!"
Zoro remained silent, he could see the conflict, the burden of all the secrets had finally hit Sanji. They weighed him down and it didn't matter how well he swam he was drowning.
"Only when my sister finally decided to pity me and let me out…well I could have literally walked out the front door. No one cared. When Judge caught me stealing the key for the damn helmet he didn't stop me. In fact, he was glad I was leaving and swore me to never mention he was my father. Because I was the biggest disgrace he had ever made and done. The ONE mark"
Zoro couldn't tell if Sanji was telling him all this to get forgiveness or to give him reason to condemn him more.
"For years…years…he didn't want me only to be told if I marry…I'm actually worth something?" He stared at Zoro, looking on the verge of tears.
"I loved it so god damn much I didn't care. I didn't care, I was helpless. I didn't care I had hurt y'all! I didn't care that I was being hurt! SO! BADLY!" Sanji said, gasping for breath, " you wanna know what happened!? My brother electrocuted me daily LIKE I WAS 6 AGAIN! They held me down and gave me a "forever tattoo" like the sacrificial cow I was. I was belittled and watched as they treated innocent people like shit. Wasted food galor! Lived in constant worry one would just decide to kill my Dad, Zeff, for fun! They…they put…they put explosive cuffs on my hands! They were gonna take my hands with the same thing they put on the slaves of the Celestial Dragons!!" He was sobbing, "I beat up one of my bestest friends, betrayed the woman I love, had my heart ripped out and played with! Nearly had the Vinsmoke lineage snuffed out by my fiancé and Big Mom. Helped save my siblings and Judge! SAVING THEM FROM DEATH…" he dropped his head, "even after that…I still was the failure."
"But hey, what else do I deserve after the shit I caused, right?! You're right Zoro, I was a deserter! I did betray you all! I endangered everyone! I split the crew up. I almost killed Luffy! I was weak! Worthless! Useless! So no, I don't get why you care! Stop fucking forgiving me!! I'm disgusting! Finally realize I'm not worth it! HATE ME LIKE I HATE MYSELF, GODDAMN IT!" Sanji pulled at his hair. He was falling apart at the seams and with every attempt made to stitch him back up he was being ruined quicker.
"None of you see do you? Here, I'll spell it out and say what you'll should be asking! What use is Sanji anyways!? I'm not an inventor like Usopp. I can't build or repair shit like Franky. I can't heal or help medical-wise like Chopper. I'm not cunning or able to navigate storms like Nami. I'm not smart or able to keep calm in disastrous situations like Robin! I'm not interesting like Brooks. Oh wait! I'm a great swimmer? Face it, If one of devil fruit users falls overboard, who do you get? Me?" He paused, gesturing to himself before letting out a laugh. A shill broken laugh that would haunt Zoro.
"Nooo!!! You get our new member Jimbei! You know, the water manipulating FISHMAN! And after what happened don't you dare say I'ma good fighter, I see I can't protect anyone!"
Sanji was left panting after explaining. "In the end, Judge was right…I couldn't do anything by myself. Without my siblings…Luffy and I would be dead. I give and I give, I bend over backwards but ultimately I'm still a failure. And I always will be."
Zoro didn't know what to do or say as the blond finished. The man was sweating and gasping for breath.
"Now…please eat…they actually need you in the long run."
Zoro opened his mouth to argue with the Chef but the blond was already leaving. Heading off to bed as fast as possible.
The crew then knew what needed to be done.
Sanji’s eyes opened to see he was the only one left in the men’s cabin.
I slept in…guess I should add lazy bastard to the list of things or descriptions that fit me.
He figured, well he went to bed dressed, and not like anyone should or did generally care about the work he put into his outfits he just decided to pat down some of the wrinkles and head to the gallery to cook.
The crew filed in and ate but without any of the yelling that usually happened at breakfast,but then again Zoro hadn't even looked at him the entire meal. Not that Sanji blamed him, given the whole emotional vent he'd given him.
Like some whiny bitch.
He knew something was up when Luffy didn't ask for seconds.
His heart began to beat too fast, a nervous sweat beginning as he waited, "Nami-swan! Your juice is empty let me- URK!" Sanji mentally cussed Zoro out as he was dragged back down.
Noone said anything, or seemed to react.
"Luffy what's h-""sit." Luffy said sternly
Sanji did as demanded.
"I was thinking of how to handle Cake Island and the Big Mama incident. Actually I've been thinking back…before this or the two years separation. Really thought about a lot of things that've happened because of what's happened recently."
Everyone could see Sanji turning white and beginning to shake, their hearts hurting when they looked into there cook's eyes. The fear but also the acceptance Sanji's eyes held within them was devastating. It was like he'd been waiting for this to happen from the very beginning.
Sanji braced for it when he felt a certain hat placed on his head
"Wha…" he began to lift the hat but had it pushed back down.
"Sanji, why do you think I asked you to join my crew?" Luffy asked his tone serious.
"Y-Y-You needed a cook so…" Sanji struggled to say, his hands twitching with nervous energy.
"NOPE!" Luffy shouted, scaring Sanji
He doesn't want me?!
Sanji felt his heart stop and tears barely held back. Feeling stupid for assuming the All Sunny was his home. That they'd want him, a massive liar and failure like him.
However his spiral was broken by Robin's hand touching his shoulder.
"When did I ask you to join me, had I even tasted your food?" Luffy said with a serious tone.
Sanji thought back and realized Luffy hadn't. In fact he hadn't until he'd made the soup.
"I asked you before I had even tasted your cooking. I asked you, I asked all of you not for your skills but because of the person you guys are. The person you are, Sanji. I said it before and I'll say it again. I can't become a pirate king without All of you. Sanji…I'm sorry.
"Wha? I-' "Stop." Luffy said killing anything Sanji was about to say, "I made you think…all I wanted from you was your chef abilities. I don't want you here. I NEED you here, because you are my Nakama."
"Wait…tha-" "Plus if we hadn't had you around…we would've been dead…long ago." Nami said, speaking up.
"Wha…no, I-""The Mr.Prince, which is funny when you think about it. In Alabasta, those bars were too thick and were made of seastone. Then there were the banana gators." Nami said, cutting off his dismissal.
"You played big into my rescue" Robin said, "from what I'm told there were a ton of times it would've all failed. And if you hadn't taken out the CP-9 Wolfman, who knows what would've happened." Robin said giving him one of her rare smiles
"Actually…Cook-bro, you kinda even made the whole thing possible.…did you know if he hadn't snuck on the Puffing Tom, Usopp and I would've been screwed! Really saved us! Heck, Robin would also be gone without any way to trace her! Three in one, SUPER RESCUING!" Franky did his pose causing a few crew members to sweatdrop.
"Heck, he really saved us when Nami got sick" Luffy said with a smile, "We met some rabbits that started an avalanche and if he hadn't pushed me off…Nami wouldn't be here! We'd be so lost and never have met anyone after Chopper! Maybe not even Chopper! Shishishi!"
"I…uh never said this but when you kicked me off that lightning asshole's ship…I…I don't think I could've survived the zapping. It…thanks." Usopp said heartfeltly
"Actually, the rescue team never would've made it to Wado if Sanji hadn't made that cake. It stopped Big Mama…saving the ship and us and even the undeserving King." Brooks said the word king with such venom it had Sanji do a double take.
"Sanji…if…if you hadn't come at that last moment and kicked Queen…I'd be dead." Chopper stared at him with gratitude and awe emanating from his eyes.
All was silent for a bit before Zoro cleared his throat, "In Wado…if you hadn't carried me and…stalled that pink boa dumbass" Zoro looked away but continued when he saw the look Nami was directing at him, "saved OUR Nakama…not that I ever have any doubt. Never have, since Arlong Park…still don't." He said flushed at speaking so sappy-like.
Sanji sat there stunned, seeing the hopeful and apprehensive looks his Nakama were giving him, waiting to see his reaction.
He did a double take as he realized what he'd thought, his nakama.
His family.
God, I've been so fucking stupid.
"I…" He stuttered, "I…my sister, she said to me once, "the world is a really big place. One day…you're definitely gonna meet people who'll treat you like you deserve to be treated." He stared at the table, eyes watery, "I still…I don't know if I deserve you guys. I'm s-sorry it took me so long to realize she…she was right. That I-I…I finally found them…finally found you guys. That I've always had a family r-r-right here." He knew he was crying. "Can…Can…will you guys please…" he couldn't finish, he was too choked up. Tipping the hat in an attempt to hide his crying.
"Why do you think I called you cook-bro! You're my brother!" Franky said, tears in his eyes but a big smile on his face.
"Blood means nothing really," Zoro said leaning back, only to get spooked by Brooks
"That's good, cause I'm all out of blood! Yo ho ho!" Brooks said.
"I'm surrounded by morons.." Nami said, wiping her eyes.
"I'M STILL HUNGRY! IS THERE MORE MEAT!?" Luffy bellowed, still making no move to get his hat back.
And just like that the air was filled with laughter, bickering, jokes but most importantly
It was filled with love.