Chapter Text
What is in a name?
Sanji’s been wanting to know ever since he realised their true power. Ever since he realised what they could do, what they could break, what they could mould. It all began on a rock in the middle of the ocean with a pirate who refused to tell him his name.
It had been days without food. The pirate who survived the sinking with him hadn’t come over once. Sanji doesn’t know why but he feels a sense of unease every time he thinks of the man.
There’s nothing visibly wrong with him but dread still curls around his spine when those cold eyes meet his. Weeks, months go by. Still, not a peep from his saviour. So Sanji - little, starving Sanji - decided he would go to him instead.
“What are you?”
Surprisingly enough, it wasn’t Sanji that had asked that. The strange, fear-causing man was asking him . Sanji tilted his head and the man flinched. What did he think he was ? How could someone like Sanji - weak, pathetic Sanji - scare a man like the pirate?
“I’m Sanji.”
He says this like it explains everything, like his name is the key to the very universe. He doesn’t quite understand where that inflection and tone came from. All the same, the moment the word left his mouth, the air grew thick.
The pirate tilted his head down, avoiding Sanji’s eye, “I acknowledge you, Sanji .”
And, Seas, that felt incredible ! He wasn’t quite sure what the man had done but suddenly he felt rejuvenated, he felt alive . Sanji tries to remember the last time somebody said his name. With a sickening horror at the thought, he realises it was his mother.
To Judge, he had always been ‘ failure ’ and to his brothers, he was merely ‘ weakling ’ or ‘ punching bag ’. To Reiju, he had been ‘ brother ’. He liked that one the most but it still wasn’t his name.
Sanji’s eyes widen and he can feel everything . He can feel the ocean rushing through him, can hear the fire in his bones. He can understand the stars as they sing, can taste power and blood on his tongue. He can see the beating heart of the earth.
Sanji giggles and is shocked at the fact that his voice has been multiplied. It is not just him in this body. The others there are. . . strange. He knows they’re not meant to be there but he feels as though they’re meant to be there at the same time.
Without meaning to, Sanji looks once more at the man and gasps. The man no longer looks human. There are golden runes carved into his skin and an impossibly bright light emitting from his chest, where his heart should be.
There’s a slight point to his ears and his hands have curled themselves into claws. Sanji only now realises that one of his legs is missing, the blood spilling from the wound as golden as the sun. There’s a desperation, a fear, in his eyes that Sanji is all too familiar with.
“Thank you. I’m not sure what you did but thank you.” His voice is still braided with many.
“It is deserving of no thanks.”
Sanji smiles and the man flinches once more. Electing to ignore the stiffness of the man’s body, Sanji kneels beside him. With a softness Sanji didn’t know he was capable of, he allowed himself to trace the rune right above the wound.
Listen. It speaks. What is it trying to tell him?
Without warning, Sanji is attacked with an onslaught of information and images. There is so much pain that his head spins and he hates it. He grasps onto that pain without thinking, pulling on that little string he knows he’s not meant to touch.
When he opens his eyes, the wound is fully healed. Where once there was gore and blood and pain now lies a smooth expanse of skin. He wasn’t expecting to bring the man’s leg back but it was a comfort to know he managed to stop him from bleeding out.
“Then take this as a token of gratitude. Red-Leg Zeff .”
Sanji watches what a name does to a person. Zeff’s posture relaxes, he inhales and exhales with a sigh, eyes fluttering shut. His hair and moustache shine with health and the bags under his eyes fade noticeably.
He cracks open a singular eye to analyse Sanji’s still-kneeling figure.
“You’re just a kid, ain’t’cha?”
“Mhm!” Sanji nods.
“Anyone ever told you about names?”
“No, sir.”
Zeff stiffens and all the relaxation drains from his body. He leans forward and his arms latch on to Sanji’s arms, dragging him impossible close until their noses touch. Sanji’s going a bit cross-eyed but Zeff looks serious.
He had been so terrified of Sanji mere moments before but now he was manhandling him without a care in the world! Zeff was weird.
“You listen to me, you never give someone a title, not even something as small as that. Whenever addressing someone, you use a nickname, a meaningless one. Only use a name with allies to grant them power. Got it?”
“Yes, Zeff.”
Zeff releases him and leans back with a sigh, “Good.”
They sit there for a while, silence enveloping them. Taking the opportunity, Sanji inspects the man once more. His eyes are always drawn to that glowing light in his chest, without fail. He needs to know what it is, what it means.
“Zeff, why do you glow?”
Zeff sighs and Sanji is beginning to think it might be his favourite thing to do, “‘Course you could see something like that.”
“What do you mean?”
“First, answer me this. What are you?”
“I. . . I’m Sanji.”
Zeff groans this time, “Oh, for fuck- you don’t even know ?”
“Am-am I meant to?”
Zeff scrubs a hand down his face, “Okay, kid, you’re mine now.”
“ Huh?! ”
“I, Red-Leg Zeff, Pirate of Cook Pirates, Fae of the East, Weaver of Taste, take Sanji, Nameless, Spirit of Spirits, as my own.”
A shiver runs up Sanji’s spine, “What did you do ?!”
“You’re mine now, kid.”
“What, so just anyone can take me as their own?!”
Zeff shakes his head, “No, of course not. The ritual is only half complete. You’ll have to agree to it for there to be any real power. But by my pledge, the Spirits know of my intentions.”
“Huh. That’s weird.”
“Not as weird as you, kiddo.”
“ Hey! ”
They stayed on that rock for a while. When the hunger got too much, they’d whisper each others names in the night. It became a ritual of sorts. They’d both decided to turn their back when speaking their name, to keep that rush of power a private display. It became sacred.
Eventually, they got off that gods-forsaken rock. They built a restaurant together, named it the Baratie and got to work. Zeff taught him about names, about offerings and gods, about all the creatures that roamed the earth and ocean and sky.
They never did figure out what Sanji was. But that didn’t matter to Zeff. A few years into knowing each other, Sanji completed his half of the ritual. It was now acknowledged and known by any magical creature that Zeff was Sanji’s and Sanji was Zeff’s.
Patty and Carne were strange things because despite all their quirks, they were entirely and utterly human. It had thrown Sanji the first time they had called him by name so carelessly. Zeff had had to sit them down and teach them the basics.
The Baratie had become home. He couldn’t imagine it differently. That was, until, a rubber boy with a straw hat crashed into his life. Literally.
—
“I’m Monkey D. Luffy and I’m gonna be King of the Pirates! Join my crew!”
“I refuse.”
“I refuse your refusal!”
“Wha- that’s not how it works !”
Strawhat snickered and grabbed his hand. Sanji found himself being dragged through his own restaurant to be introduced to a crew he wasn’t joining . Spirits, he can practically hear Zeff laughing at him and teasing him.
“Hey! Guys! I found us a cook!”
Sanji grumbled and tried to pull himself away from the rubber man’s tight grip, “I’m not your cook!”
A long-nosed man trembled slightly, “L-luffy, did you just kidnap someone?! ”
Sanji glared at Longnose and snarled, “Tell him to let me go. Now.”
Longnose squeaked and hid under the table. The lady seemed on edge at the mere sight of him and was subtly trying to press as far away from him as she could. The mosshead looked him up and down before scoffing and continuing to chug his beer.
“Oi, Luffy. We can’t take that one.”
Surprisingly, it had been the mosshead to say it. Lady sighed in relief, not nearly as silently as she hoped she’d been. Longnose, however, didn’t even try to hide his sigh of relief. Rubber pouted and whined.
“But Zoro !”
“No buts. He’s not human. Whatever he is, it’d be bad luck to bring him on board.”
Sanji writhed in Rubber’s grip, “Listen to the Mosshead or I’ll curse you to Hel and back.”
“Shishishi, that sounds fun! Let’s do it!”
Sanji groaned. Suddenly, the tell-tale drag of a wooden leg on floor came from behind him. Seas, he wouldn’t be able to thank Zeff enough for this. He tried not to laugh at the absolute beating Rubber was about to get.
“Oi. Chore boy. What do you think you’re doing to my Sanji.”
This time, Sanji did giggle. The use of his name flooded him with glee and he knew he had a slight glow due to the gasps from Rubber’s crewmates. Not only that but Zeff had staked his claim with his emphasis on ‘my’ and Rubber was about to get his ass beat.
“Oh, hi, chef-guy! I want him to be my cook!”
“Not happening.”
Zeff then picked Sanji up by the ankle and threw him gracelessly over his shoulder before stalking off to the kitchen. Damn, he’d thought he’d get to see Rubber at least a little bruised and bloody before being escorted away.
“Why won’t you let him come with me, chef-guy?” Rubber called after him.
“Because. He’s bonded with me , not your silly crew. If you truly want him, then show me.”
“We will, chef-guy!”
“No, we won’t! ”
And that was the end of that. Or at least, that's what Sanji had thought.
–
It was not the end of that. Rubber had saved Baratie and made a stupid pledge to Sanji’s dream that meant he practically had to go with him. Tch, shitty Rubber. Then Sanji was dragged into fighting a bunch of Fishmen.
This should’ve been a piece of cake. However, the golden cuffs on Sanji’s wrists were drowned in magic suppressants. Sanji was terrified to show the crew his true power, show them what he was capable of. So he’d sealed his magic away.
Now, they were having a party in celebration. Sanji had cooked for the whole village but when Mosshead had finally gotten up to get food, the air grew thick with tension. Mosshead sniffed at the food and quirked a brow.
“Is this gonna put me in debt to you?”
Sanji scoffed, “No. Food is food. Eat it.”
“Prove it.”
“ Pro- how the fuck am I supposed to prove it ?!”
“I know there’s a spell to reveal magic. Do it.”
“No.”
“Then I’m not eating.”
“Oh for Spirit’s sake, I. . . I can’t.”
“Why not?”
Sanji wordlessly lifted his hands and tapped at his golden cuffs. Mosshead tilted his head.
“Did you suppress your own magic?”
“Duh. Everyone’s scared of it. Why would I put them through that fear? As monstrous as you might think I am, I’m not that mean.”
“You’re kinda pathetic, aren’t you?”
“Yup. Pathetic as they come.”
Mosshead took a huge bite of food before chasing it down with - you guessed it - alcohol. He chewed on it slowly, lazily. Then he leaned forward, gaze locked onto Sanji.
“What’s your name?”
Sanji stiffened. He still didn’t trust them enough to give them his name. A name was a powerful thing. It was even more powerful when wielded by someone like Rubber, like Mosshead, like Lady, like Longnose.
Did he even know what he was asking? They could enslave him with his name. They could make him tear himself apart with his name. They could do so much wrong with his name
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you that.”
“You’re weird. Nami’s weird too, I think. You should go find her.”
Sanji frowned, “I don’t think she’d be comfortable with me witnessing her in a vulnerable state.”
“Maybe. But I’m pretty sure her mother was like you.”
Mosshead walked away after that, bottle in hand. Sanji stayed frozen there for a little while longer. He made sure everyone was fed before taking a deep breath and deciding to check on Lady. Gods, he hoped she wouldn’t kill him.
He found her curled into a hospital bed, bandages wrapped around the brand on her skin. She was shaking with tears, her hair covering her face. He could practically smell the pain, the fear, the despair. But above all, the relief .
Sanji sat in the chair beside her. He waited for her to say something before remembering that he was rather proficient in the art of silence and she likely hadn’t even heard him come in. He cleared his throat.
Lady stiffened immediately. Her head whipped round so her teary eyes could stare at him, wide with fear. She clutched onto her brand like it could save her. Like the ownership someone else had over her would be enough to stop him from making his own claim on her soul.
“I have some food for you. Non-magical.”
There was silence as she inspected him and the offered food. He wondered what she saw. So far, she’d seen him hold a beaten man up by the face, snarl at her crew and captain like a beast and give a thorough beating to a bunch of Fishmen.
“I understand if you wish for me to leave. I only came to give you the food. Well, that and the Mosshead thought you would find my company enjoyable. I disagree with him. I will leave as soon as I make sure you’re eating.”
Lady blinked and gulped before reaching for the food. She took a small, delicate bite out of the offered meal. The second she swallowed it, Sanji stood. He began to make his way out of the room, almost at the door.
Then Lady called out.
“Wait!”
Sanji stiffened. He prepared himself for insults, for slurs and curses and fear, for her blame, for anything she could possibly throw at him (verbally and physically). He could feel his magic itching at its suppressants but he fought against it.
“Why. . . why are you suppressing yourself?”
Sanji turned his head over his shoulder to look at her. She had crawled to the bottom of her bed, hand outstretched like she could reach him and pull him back. There was a desperation in her voice that hadn’t been there before.
“Because. I don’t much fancy being burned at the stake or drowned in a barrel.”
Lady flinched, “That wouldn’t happen here.”
“Of course it wouldn’t.”
Lady shook her head, “No, no, I swear it wouldn’t! We-we used to have a protector. She was like you. Or. . . I think she was.”
“Yes, I know.”
“What? How?”
“I can sense her. Her soul was rather bright and protective, it’s still staining this village. A powerful Guardian. I believe she used to be a pledged Valkyrie before her retirement, was she not?”
“A-ah, she never told me. I knew she was a Marine and that she was magic. You can sense her?”
“Mhm.”
“Is. . . is there a way to tell if she’s happy?”
Sanji’s eyes softened. He held his hand out, palm up and allowed her soul to collect in a cluster around his fingers, weaving between them. Her soul was fuchsia in colour, and vibrating with pride.
“She’s happy. And quite proud of you.”
Lady began to sob quietly.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you-”
“It is deserving of no thanks.”
Lady leapt from the bed and rushed at him. Sanji stiffened once more, rallying himself for a punch or a slap or a kick. Sure, she might’ve thanked him but maybe she was thanking him for giving her the opportunity to hit him.
Lady threw her arms around Sanji’s neck and squeezed, pulling him down into a. . . a hug?
“Lady. . . what are you doing?” Sanji whispered.
“Showing you my gratitude.” She whispered back.
They stayed there for a while, simply breathing in each other’s space. Lady smelled of tangerines and magic and blood and so much relief that Sanji almost keeled over. But he didn’t because it would be rather rude while she’s still attached to him.
“You. . . you called me lady. Why? I’m sure you know my name.”
“That I do, Lady. But name’s are a powerful thing. Even now, just by giving you a title, I am granting you power.”
“I think I’d trust you with my name. Use it.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“To gain a name, I must give you one in return. You are unaware of the power you’d hold over me but I do not much like the thought of it.”
“Hm. That’s alright, I guess. But whenever you get comfortable enough to give us your name, I want to be the first.”
“Understood, Lady.”
–
That marked a strange friendship blossoming between Lady and Sanji. Lady’s food was always served first and Sanji was always the first to know about a change in weather. But it went deeper than that.
When Lady woke screaming from nightmares, she’d politely drag Sanji from sleep and into her room. There, he would strip himself of the magic suppressants and allow light and strength to dance over their skin.
It was a strange ritual but it never failed to calm her and lull her to sleep once more. Longnose had tried to tease Lady about it but she had immediately shut it down. Mosshead had been suspicious at one point but he didn’t care enough to comment. Rubber was clueless as ever.
Longnose was still terrified of Sanji. Even now, he would sniff and poke at his food before devouring it. Whenever Sanji entered the room, he would straighten and keep a wary eye on him. Sanji didn’t know what he could do to make him stop.
Mosshead would follow him. Weird, yes, he knows. Mosshead would always open his mouth like he was about to say something, something important. But then he’d second guess himself and goad Sanji into another spar.
Rubber was by far the most normal around him. He treated Sanji like any other crew member. There was the occasional strange question or request to do with magic but Rubber never forced him to show him his magic. So he didn’t.
Life was good on their little ship.
What Sanji had forgotten was that a full moon was quickly approaching. Shit. He didn’t want to scare his crew but there was something he needed to do. He’d been doing it for years now and the last time he missed a full moon, he’d been sick up until the next moon rotation.
Sanji sighed. The only solution he could think of was to wait until everyone was asleep to do it. But Lady might have another nightmare. Or Rubber might want to cuddle. Or Mosshead’s weird sixth sense for Sanji could activate. Or Longnose would wake up as soon as Sanji went on deck.
Seas, so much could go wrong but he needed to do this.
He waited until they’d all gone off to bed, using the excuse of doing the dishes to grant him time. Hovering outside Lady’s room, he confirmed she was asleep before doing the same for the boys.
Then he went about gathering everything he needed.
A small platter, painted with whorls and runes. A candle. A spoonful of honey, rich and golden. A jar of salt. A bowl of water. And finally, a small knife, crystals embedded in the hilt. A gift from Zeff.
Sanji took his collection up to the deck, letting the full moon gaze upon him. Gods, he could practically feel the power oozing into the night. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. Best to get this over with so he isn’t caught.
He shucks the magic suppressants and sets them down in the platter. With a small swish of his wrist, the candle lights itself. The salt is distributed in a circle around him and Sanji whispers to it, telling it to keep him safe while he does this.
He offers the honey to the moon and a beautiful silver light envelops it before it disappears. Light giggles and whispers of thanks echo around him. Sanji cleanses the water with the moon’s offered help.
Then carefully, he lets the knife rest in the water. Slowly, almost cautiously, the dark spirits lurking on the ship and on his crew come forth. Enticed by such a promise, they try to take the knife. Only to be sucked into it.
Sanji has been cleansing evil spirits for years but he’s never been as scared as he is now about it. See, by spending a certain amount of time with a magical creature, humans become beacons to evil spirits.
Humans are influenced by the presence of magic so as thanks for not throwing him overboard, Sanji cleanses them and protects them from it. Under the light of the moon, he sheds part of his disguise.
He never used to be able to do this, stuck in his more mortal form. But with Zeff’s nurturing and the growing of his magic, he managed to peel away that disguise. He only fully revealed himself in front of Zeff and that was only once.
Now, Sanji only ever shows the least monstrous parts of himself when shedding. The whites of his eyes have turned black and the blue is no more. Now his eyes are glowing and golden, animalistic even.
The runes on his legs and arms shimmer in the moonlight as he reveals them. His hair unravels itself from the bun at the base of his neck and weaves through the night, like strings of sunlight.
It’s as far as he’ll go with his form. The rest of him is too monstrous or too vulnerable. He lets his magic free as much as he can. Gods, he probably looks a sight. Every part of him is glowing like an ember in the dark.
He lets himself sit in the peace of his magic.
A gasp from behind him draws him out of his thoughts. He swivels on his heels to find the crew all crowded around the doorway leading to the deck, still in their sleepwear. Ah, shit. How did he not hear them?
Lady’s jaw is practically on the floor as she takes in the obvious display of power. She’d grown naive, only seeing the smallest amounts of his magic and growing used to it. This was something else entirely.
Rubber looks as though this has made his entire day, bouncing on his feet. He looks like he wants to reach out and touch. There’s no fear in his eyes but the fascination might just be worse.
Mosshead’s brow is furrowed as he looks between Sanji and the sword in his hand. Wado Ichimonji if he recalls it correctly. He looks confused but at the same time as if everything has become clear to him.
Longnose. . . Longnose is staring at him like he is a divinity. There are stars in his eyes as he looks at Sanji and his knees tremble but not in fear. Similarly to Rubber, he looks as though he wants to touch the power.
Sanji is so fucked.
“Wah, you look so cool !”
That’s all it takes for Rubber to launch himself out of the doorway and onto the deck, running at Sanji before stopping in front of the line of salt. He squats down in front of it so he’s eye level with Sanji - Sanji who was kneeling in front of his offerings.
“Is this your true form?”
Sanji slowly, cautiously, shakes his head. This only makes Rubber’s grin widen. Lady is the next to approach them. He sees her out of the corner of his eye, unwilling to look away from Rubber.
“You’re. . . Are you saying that what you’ve been doing for me is- is similar to a party trick?” Lady asks.
Sanji shrugs slightly, sheepishly. Having the light dance was relatively simple but he didn’t want to humiliate Lady like that. So, giving her an answer without answering was the best he could do.
Mosshead tilts his head, “You’re not what I thought you’d be, Curly.”
Sanji copies his gesture, “What did you think I would be?”
His crew gasps once more and Sanji’s hands fly up to cover his mouth. When he’d spoken, a thousand others had spoken with him. He’d forgotten that part, and how eerie it was. How did everything keep getting worse?
“I thought you were a Soul Spirit. Guess not.”
Sanji’s eyes widen in realisation. That’s how Mosshead had known so much about the mythical. He’d known one. A Soul Spirit. Soul Spirits were people that could sense souls and even influence them.
They tended to be very passionate and the most powerful Soul Spirits would embed their soul into an object before passing so they’d live on to see their goals achieved. Sanji looked at Wadou Ichimonji and it looked back at him with the eyes of a young girl.
Longnose has a tight grasp on the doorframe. He looks Sanji over, taking in all the differences, all the power. Sanji rallies himself for shrieking, for fear, for him to start begging Rubber to kick him off the crew.
Instead, a small trickle of blood comes from Longnose’s nose, trailing down to his lip. A shiver goes through the man and he continues to stare at Sanji. Then, in the smallest of whispers, as if afraid to be heard, he speaks.
“You’re beautiful. ”
And he says it like he believes it. Like it’s the only truth he knows. Sanji knows he’s blushing, that the literal heat of a fire has settled in his cheeks. He moves his hands from his mouth to his face in hopes of covering the evidence.
He elects to ignore the Longnose’s words, “Sorry you had to see me in such a state.”
He begins to pull on his more mortal skin, letting the runes fade away from his skin. He lets his hair settle itself back into a bun and lets the moon leech all the excess magic away from it. With every blink, his eyes return back to blue and his whites return to being, well, white.
Longnose suddenly stretches out a hand like he can stop him, “Wait! Why can’t you stay like this? Or maybe even in your true form?”
The rest of the crew nods.
“Ah, uh, well. . . it’s dangerous for unmarked humans to be around me in such a state. I wouldn’t want to hurt you.”
Mosshead cleared his throat, “I’m marked. You’d be fine with me.”
“What does marked mean?”
“I’m hungry~!”
“I’ll die?!”
“You’re marked?”
Mosshead sighs and pulls down the edge of his trousers enough to reveal his hip. There, on his left hipbone, sat a rune. Sanji read it quickly. A Soul Spirits rune, done by a youngling by the name of Kuina.
“I’m afraid Kuina and I differ greatly, Mosshead, and that rune will do little to protect you.”
Mosshead jerked slightly, “How did you know her name?”
“She embedded it into the rune. She must’ve been pretty young to leave so much of herself on you.”
Now they all look confused, “Left herself?”
Sanji nods, “When performing any type of magic, magic-users will usually leave traces of themselves. Lady’s mother had performed a protection spell over the village so remnants of her spirit remained.
“Kuina marked you and subsequently left part of her spirit in you. But she also managed to transfer her soul to your blade. She is almost completely whole and one day you might even be able to channel her.”
“Channel her?”
“Quite similar to possession, I believe.”
Mosshead plops himself down in front of Sanji, cross-legged and focused, “What’s the difference between a spirit and a soul?”
“Everyone has a soul, even humans and plants. A spirit is the equivalent of the magic’s soul. Magic and magic-user are two separate entities. You have to work with it and it has to allow you to work with it.”
“Magic sounds complicated.”
“It is.”
Lady jerks her head towards the salt, “So what’s all this for?”
Sanji sheepishly rubs the back of his neck, “Ah, well. . . I’ve grown accustomed to cleansing the evil spirits from the Baratie. Whenever I fail to perform a cleansing, I get rather ill until I do perform it.”
“Will I die if I touch the salt?”
“Unless you’re an evil spirit, no.” Sanji tries not to laugh at that question.
“Great!”
That’s all the warning Sanji gets before Rubber is launching himself at him. Rubber wraps long limbs around Sanji and Sanji falls back from the impact, wheezing slightly. Rubber laughs and only holds him closer when Sanji tries to protest.
“You should show us your true form, Cook!”
“I’m afraid I’m rather terrifying in that form, I would not wish to give any of you nightmares.”
Mosshead scoffed slightly, “Come on, you can’t be that terrifying.”
Sanji raised a brow at him, “The only person that’s seen my true form is Zeff and he pissed himself and then couldn’t sleep right for a month. Didn’t look me in the eye for two.”
Longnose’s eyes widened and blood continued to trickle from his nose.He hadn’t said anything during this whole exchange apart from, ahem, the compliment . Sanji was a little worried for him if he was being honest.
“Are you. . . alright?”
Longnose nodded quickly, eyes still locked on to Sanji’s. Lady looked at Longnose for the first time that night and snickered. Rubber joined her. Mosshead smacked Longnose upside the head and wrinkled his nose at him.
“You’re disgusting, you know that?”
Longnose only sighed, still not looking away from Sanji, “Mhm.”
Rubber grabbed Sanji’s face, “Oi, Cook, why do you call Zeff by his name but not us?”
“Because he was the first to say mine in years. And, by magic law, he’s my father.”
Lady frowned slightly at that, “Okay guys, I think that’s enough questioning. Let’s head to bed, yeah?”
Everyone began shuffling awkwardly away before Lady called out once more, “Oh, and Cook?”
He turned to face her, “Yeah?”
“You don’t need to hide from us.”
His eyes widened. Around him, he could see the rest of the crew nodding along to her words. It was strange. The only person to accept him for who he was was Zeff and he wasn’t exactly human.
He ducked his head, blushing, “Thank you.”
“Shishishi, Sanji’s glowing!” Rubber grinned widely.
Shit. His magic was always more responsive during a full moon and it seemed that it had responded to the comfort and reassurance offered to him. His hair was the most noticeable, coming undone once more and transforming into strands of pure light.
Mosshead huffed, “Do I need to start carrying hairbands around for you, shitty Cook?”
Lady smacked him, “Don’t be mean, he’s obviously overwhelmed!”
Longnose sighed, “He’s pretty.”
Rubber whined, “I’m hungry~!”
Sanji smiled to himself. Maybe this could be home.