Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When you live in the East Blue, or any of the Blues really, you learn a few things, especially when you’re a street kid. You learn to steal, to fight, and most importantly, you learn to steer clear of pirates. Pirates were the ones who would have no mercy if you pissed them off. They could take your hand, steal your stuff, or even make you be part of their crew. Which doesn’t sound so bad at first, but a forced life on a ship could mean you were at the mercy of your master. A terrible job on a task could be a one ticket trip to Davy Jones’ locker. And if you were in the middle of the ocean, you had no way out.

So us street kids have our own rules of the road, so to speak. Run when you can, fight when you have to, and steal what you need. There are those who take more than what they can carry, which is stupid, in my opinion. You lose more stuff that way! I learned to take only what you can carry a long time ago. Seeing a kid lose a hand for stealing one too many apples changes a person. Especially when that kid was someone who was stealing for his siblings. No, it’s not me. It was someone I knew years ago, when I was just 10 years old. I ran and never looked back after that.

I’ve been a kid on the streets for as long as I can remember. Food was something you stole, warmth was something you longed for, and love? Well, love was out of the question when you were fighting for your dinner. Love was for children who still had their moms around to give them a hot meal. Love was fairy tales told by the Marines who took love rather than earning it themselves.

Childhood on the streets was the pits unless you figured out something to earn your way. Pickpocketing was always popular, getting a job as a cabin kid on a boat was steady, and then you have me. I didn’t care about fishing, or delivering, or even trying to steal from someone’s wallet. What I cared about were fireworks. Those sparkly things in the sky that only came out a few times a month. Someone could be celebrating a birthday, the Marines could be lighting them for a government sanctioned holiday, or someone could use them to cause a little chaos, and more importantly, a distraction. Someone like me. I’m Ruby, the Firecracker of the East Blue. And stealing fireworks and setting them off is what I like to do to take what I need. That is where my story begins, and it’s also where I met a boy who would change everything. A boy named Monkey D. Luffy.

Chapter Text

Setting off fireworks and sparklers may seem like an odd choice as a weapon. After all, they're loud, you yourself could get burned in the process, and they aren’t exactly subtle in taking someone out. And you would be right, if you weren’t me. You see, I made a mistake when I was a kid. I took a box from the docks with something that wasn’t meant for me. A box of what I thought was exotic fruit. I was starving and desperate and didn’t read the label on it. If you haven’t figured it out, yep, I ate a Devil Fruit. With one bite of it, very sour by the way, I lost the potential and ability to swim. I was dumb and I paid the price for my desperation.

I didn’t notice any change in abilities at first. I went on as normal, continuing to steal food and taking shelter in what alleys I could find in my town. That was until I ran into trouble with a sailor who happened to look in my direction when I took a slab of cooked meat he had waiting on one of his crates. As soon as he locked eyes with me, my heart dropped immediately to my ass. All I could think was, Shit.

After hearing his shout of anger, I took off. I didn’t even know where I was going; I just needed to get away! I ran and I ran and I ran until….SMACK! I ran into a wall. Rookie mistake. I was cornered. The guy knew he had the upper hand as he was clearly taller than me and he had also pulled out a knife. I looked around for something, anything, that could give me a way out. There was nothing except some crates stacked up. If I could get over them, I could get over the wall. I ran over to them and began trying to climb up. I couldn't find a place to grip onto, so I did the only thing I could think of to try to get up. I jumped!

And BOY did I jump! I jumped so high that not only was I over the wall, but I was over the building too. I had landed on top of the roof! I looked down over the edge and just stared as the sailor looked around in utter bewilderment. What just happened?! I backed away and shakily looked down at my feet. They looked normal to me. I muttered to myself, “What just happened?”

What had happened to me? I stayed on the roof until nightfall, not wanting to run into the same sailor who had been chasing me before. I looked back down into the alley then back at my feet. Could I do it again? Honestly, even if I couldn’t, I had nothing to lose. I jumped again and actually opened my eyes as I fell. I had lept a lot further than I intended. I was at least two buildings over from where I jumped! It was only seconds before I realized that what goes up comes down. I fell and I fell until I landed, rather clumsily, on top of a couple of crates on the docks. Sometimes I can still feel the bruises I received that day. I slowly got up and groaned at the aches in my back from the landing.

I made my way back to the little hovel of belongings I had accumulated in my years on the street. Just some scraps of clothing, what little food I could store before it turned rotten, and a few boxes. I scrambled looking at each of the containers that used to house my food until I found it. The container that had that sour fruit I had eaten only a few days before. On my walk back from the docks, through the aching of my back, I could only think of one thing that could make me jump the way I did. It was something I could overhear some sailors talk about during their ghost stories. Fruit that would take away the ability to swim, but grant you a power unlike any other. Slowly, I opened the container looking for any scrap left from that fruit and sure enough, all that was left was just a little peel of the green fruit I had mistaken for an apple. The peel had the same swirl that all the sailors said were the telltale sign of the cursed foods. I dropped it in horror as I realized what my desperation had cost me. No more days swimming at the beach when it was too hot to steal. No more diving to scoop up clams or mussels to be cooked over a small fire. One step in the water was a death sentence, the sailors would say.

But how could I let that hold me back?! I was a child of the street! I couldn’t afford to be careful for the rest of my life! I couldn’t avoid the docks for one thing; they were the biggest source of food! They could also be my ticket out of here if I had enough money…eventually. Devil Fruit or not, I couldn’t let it dictate how I ran my life. Being careful would only lead me to starvation and surviving. I didn’t just want to survive. I wanted to live. I knew I couldn’t stay here forever. So there I was, a twelve year old contemplating my new predicament in the dark. Clearly, the power it gave me was one that could give me an escape. Jumping from building to building like a frog could allow me to be faster than anyone else in the village. It could also allow me to have more of a hiding place than just the small box I had.

My thoughts were cut off as I heard a loud BOOM! Then sparkling lights. My blue eyes drifted over to the lights in the sky. Someone was lighting them off one of the boats in the distance. I could hear cheers over the open water. Silence for a moment, then again BOOM! Followed by more cheers. Again and again the fireworks went off. I noticed as more were fired off, more people came out of their homes to look at the lights in the sky. Mesmerized. Happy. Distracted. A smirk came onto my face as I realized what I could do.

I slowly came out of the alley my box was in and ran to stand next to a few of the food stands in the market. They only covered the food at night but shopkeepers kept watch over their stands in shifts overnight. But not this time. Everyone, including the grocers, were mesmerized by the loud sparkles decorating the black sky. As each BOOM went off, I grabbed a different fruit off of a stand. No one noticed. It was the perfect scheme. I ran back to my box dropping the food I had stolen off before running back out. As people filed out of their houses to watch the lights, I made my way to the stand that held them. There were a few crates of the small boomsticks left. I grabbed the smaller ones I could get away with along with a box of matches and booked it back to my alley. As I ate a tangerine I stole, I looked down at the fireworks and sparklers. I began hatching a plan.

~Five Years Later~

Time goes by when you’re having fun and causing chaos and disruption. Especially when you’ve built a reputation as someone who uses fireworks as a distraction for stealing. I was a rebel, a menace, a one girl riot. Fireworks could mean one of two things now. Either a celebration or someone’s going to see lights, a flash of red and black hair, and their jewels or food would be gone. And the robber would be too fast to be caught, either by regular civilians or by the Marines.

Don’t get me wrong, becoming this wasn’t easy. It’s taken a lot of bruising, twisted ankles, and bad landings to figure out the best way to jump towards the rooftops. I’ve built up quite the horde of stuff since I started. The plan is for me to trade some of the jewelry for a passage to a pirate crew that had come through, but they hadn’t been seen for awhile. From what I could hear, other pirate crews had stopped coming to our side of Dawn Island once the pirate Alvida had started patrolling the waters. But what hadn’t stopped coming from the other side of the Island were pleasure cruises. Families and travelers stopping to repair their own vessels and get a taste of the local cuisine. That, my friends, is how it all began.

It seemed like any other day for me. I’d already taken some fruit for breakfast and had been scoping out the tourist boats that had come in for the week. At least four different boats had docked last night. Looming over the rooftops, my red and black hair being blown to the side by the wind. Sometimes I felt like a gargoyle with how much watching and staring I do. I could see loads of people just wandering the market. This was it. The last score I needed before I could stow away on a vessel or buy my way out of here. I just whispered to myself, “Time to go to work.”

Jumping down into an alley is the easy part. Now, for the fun part. I opened my jacket and took a look at my stash I had on hand. My trusty lighter, of course. A couple of comets, a box of snappers, a few cracklers, and one big brocade. The cracklers were my best bet with a crowd this size. Like I always did, I casually made my way towards the boats before spotting my way onboard. The crew were repairing the outside, which meant the inside was ripe for the taking. It had slowly become apparent to the tourists that frequented our little harbor that pickpockets were rampant, so no one would be bringing their jewelry or valuables off of the boat. A mistake on their part, as they clearly hadn’t heard about the Firecracker.

The gate was open on the ramp leading to the dock, which one would think would be the way to go. Well, you would be very wrong on that. I went over to the dock next to my target, a large boat no doubt making its way to Shellstown from Windmill Village, which was on the other side of the island. Glancing around, I pulled up my hood on my black and red jacket before pulling a few snappers out of my pocket. The little bags of firecrackers were the size of a fingernail, but the popping noise they made was the perfect distraction. I tossed them in the direction of the crowd on the boardwalk and the little CRACK CRACK followed by yells of confusion let me make my move.

With a quick leap, I was on the large vessel. All of the crew were on the outside checking for repairs, which left me with empty rooms and bags to search through. The door to the inside was unlocked, no doubt for any tourist that wanted to come back for something. I was met with a large seating area on one side and a large pile of suitcases and bags on the other. I smirked, “Jackpot.”

I began searching through the large pile, finding a few pocket watches and bracelets. Stuffing them inside the inner pocket of my jacket, I made my way through the top part of the pile of bags. No cash, just a few more jewelry pieces. I grabbed just one more bag and began rifling through the pockets when I heard the unmistakable sound of a creaking step. I froze, slowly turning around and locking eyes with a sailor who had come in and was holding a glass of water. His eyes were like saucers and I dropped the bag I was holding and ran forward shoving him to the side. I could hear glass breaking and his cry of, “Stop! Thief!”

I continued running out onto the deck and found a few members of the crew there waiting for me. One of them leered at me, “Easy, girlie. Just come quietly.”

I just rolled my eyes and pulled out one of my small cracklers and my lighter. Time to unleash my sparks. I lit the end of the fireworks and dropped them on the ground. I didn’t hesitate and jumped as high as I could to get to the boat next to the vessel I was on. I landed with a grunt on one knee. Man those landings suck on the kneecaps! I looked over at the boat and the last of the crackling had just finished. The sailors were covered in soot and a few parts of their clothing were on fire. Smirking, I waved over at them taunting them, “Sorry, boys, I don’t go quietly!”

My laughter was cut off by another yell for more sailors coming my way. Shit! I looked around the boat I was on and there were some making their way down after seeing the display on the other boat. They started running at me and I dodged their hits, but I was definitely more of a runner than a fighter. I kept dodging to the point where I was getting close to the edge. Looking down, the water would be far too deep for me to run through, much less even stand. I gulped thinking the only way out of this was a watery grave. I kept stepping closer and closer and all I could see was just sailors reaching out towards me, “You don’t want to do this, little lady.”

That was until I heard a loud yell coming from the dock below, “GUM-A-GUM…WIPEOUT!”

All I could see was just…flesh? Wait-was that an arm?! I watched as it knocked over the sailors in front of me. What the hell?! I ran to the edge and looked down at the dock and saw the very long arm retreating back to someone. A boy, wearing a red vest, sandals, and a straw hat? He called out to me, “Come with me if you want to live!”

Seeing no other options, I nodded and jumped, going to a great height before landing on the dock with a grunt. He didn’t hesitate and just grabbed my arm, “Come on!”

“Wait, who are YOU-”, He didn’t answer as we just started running through the docks and dodging tourists. I could hardly process what was happening as all I could think was, Who was this guy and why did he help me? I looked at the direction we were running and saw a few sailors up ahead. Glancing back, there were already more chasing us. I pulled his wrist to get his attention, his head turning. He had the darkest brown eyes I had ever seen. I heard the yells of the sailors calling out, “Over here!”

I glanced to the side and found an alley. Much like he did with me, I didn’t hesitate and just grabbed him by the vest and dragged him into it. He let out a small yelp of surprise before I pushed him against the wall. He started to say something but I just covered his mouth with my hand, shutting him up. I watched the entrance to the alley and saw the sailors run past our little hiding place. After a moment, I was sure they were gone and I let go of his face and backed up a few steps. Catching my breath, I got a good look at him. Tan skin, chocolate eyes, curly dark hair sticking out from under his hat. I gulped and just stared, “Thanks for the save…back there.”

He just smiled back at me and spoke cheerfully, “I’m always happy to help a fellow pirate!”

“You’re a pirate,” I couldn’t help but laugh a bit. He certainly didn’t look like any of the pirates I’ve seen. They all had long coats, giant hats, and big flowing shirts. He just leaned against the wall looking at me. From my dark black boots, to my matching pants and red belt, to my black and red jacket, and up to my red streaked black hair. He kept his cheerful demeanor, “Yes, aren’t you?”

I snorted a bit, pushing a few stray hairs out of my face, “No, I’m not. I’m what you call…a disruptor.”

“A disruptor? You like to cause trouble on purpose?” He looked intrigued. I just smirked, “You could say that. I like to make trouble if it helps me steal what I can.”

I opened my jacket and pulled out one of my comet firework canisters, turning it to show to him before putting it back in my pocket, “These are my specialty, as you saw on that ship.”

“Fireworks…you’re the Firecracker,” he asked excitedly. He had a spark of recognition in his eyes, he must have heard about me in one of the other villages. I nodded and bowed dramatically, “In the flesh. And thanks to you, I live to cause chaos another day.”
He stuck out his hand towards me, “I’m Monkey D. Luffy.”

I gently reached out and shook his hand, “Ruby.”

He let go and looked out back into the market, “You got any food? All that running has me starved.”

I thought about it for a moment. I’d never shown anyone my horde of food and goods. Could I trust Luffy? He did save my life. But he claims he’s a pirate. Though he’s not like any pirate I’ve seen. But still, he saved my life. He also just risked his own life too. I looked over at him, “I have a place. Follow me.”

I walked down the alley and quickly jumped up to the rooftop. I looked down at him and he had a slight grin on his face, “Well, Stretch, are you coming or what?”

He just laughed a bit and stretched his arms up to the edge of the roof and hoisted himself up. I was still amazed at his ability and made a note to ask him about it later. He looked around and I could tell he had never been as high up as this before, “Wow…”

“Welcome to my side of the village. Come on,” I began leading him towards the roof of an abandoned building that was only a few blocks over. There was a small shack on top that used to be a large birdcage for Messenger birds, but it had long been abandoned. I opened it and Luffy followed me inside. When I first found this place, I put wood on top of the perches to turn into a shelf for my horde of stolen stuff. On the bottom was an old mattress and pillow I had found. I looked on the other side and there was the crate of food I had accumulated to have when the weather wasn’t good. I grabbed the crate and pushed it towards him, who looked like he had stars in his eyes as soon as he saw it, “Grab what you want. We’ll stay here until it’s dark.”

Boy, did he not have to be told twice. Luffy had grabbed at least four mangoes and five apples before sitting down on my small mattress. I grabbed a few apples of my own and sat down next to him. I took a few bites of my own and looked at him. He definitely had an optimistic demeanor about him. He was nice, cheerful, and did not exaggerate when it came to his hunger. I laughed as he almost swallowed the core of the apple, “Hey, don’t overdo it.”

He started to slow down a little and leaned back against the side of the cage. He looked over at me, “You live here by yourself?”

I just shrugged, “Yeah, but it’s all I know. Been a street kid all my life.”

He just nodded and didn’t speak for a moment. I could tell he was trying to figure out what my deal was, “You can jump really high. Like a frog.”

I shot back at him, “And you can stretch further than a natural human. So, what’s your story, Luffy?”

He straightened himself up and slowly started telling me his story. As a kid, he had been trying to prove himself to a pirate that he looked up to. Well, that involved him intentionally cutting himself to try to prove that he could take the pain of being a pirate. It hadn’t gone well and he ended up taking out the box of what his mentor called the most valuable part of the treasure his crew brought back. A Devil Fruit. The Gum Gum Fruit, one that turned his body into rubber. He was like me, in a way. He didn’t know any better and he ate the whole thing. He was a kid and made that mistake. When he finished, he looked at me, “What about you?”

“Same as you. Ate a Devil Fruit that allowed me to jump higher than anyone. The Jan Jan Fruit, I believe, is what it’s called. I use it to get away when I get caught for causing chaos,” I explained. He nodded and leaned back against the wall, “Is stealing all you want to do?”

I shook my head, “No, I want to get off of this island and see the world. I only steal because I don’t know how to do anything else. That and fireworks.”

He smiled in response, “You know, you could join my crew. Then you could travel the world. Plus, I’ll need someone to operate the cannons on my ship.”

I raised an eyebrow, “You have a ship?”

“It’s a small one, but it helped get me from Windmill village to here.”

“Do you have a crew?”

“No, not yet. But I will soon. Once I have a crew, then we can travel to the Grand Line and find the One Piece!” He looked so excited talking about what he wanted to do. It was kind of adorable. He really knew what he wanted to do. Gold Roger’s treasure was something most people dreamed of. I looked over at him, “You think you can find the One Piece? Everyone wants to find that, and no one has!”

“But I will! I’ll find it and then I’ll become King of the Pirates!” He sounded very passionate about what he wanted. He really, truly did want this. And he seemed determined to get it. I laughed a bit, “Stretch, you really gotta want that if you’re this determined.”
He looked over at me, “Why don’t you join my crew? You’d be the first one! I saw you out there. You can jump your way out of any spot.”

I went silent at that. He didn’t even know me and he wanted me to join his crew. He was unlike any pirate I’d ever seen. And certainly sweeter than any I’d heard of. Alarm bells were going off in my head. All the lessons I’ve learned being a street kid were running through my head. Pirates are dangerous. Pirates will kill you if you piss them off. Pirates meant no mercy. But Luffy wasn’t anything like that. He was sweet, he saved my life with no expectations, and he hadn’t said one word about me being a street kid. But there was a sinking feeling of being out on the water constantly. Both of us ate a Devil Fruit. If something happened to either one of us, we couldn’t save the other. He seemed good, kind, and was willing to help me. But, I couldn’t risk it. His offer was so tempting. He could be my ticket out of here…or we could both end up underwater with no way out. Jumping from dock to dock was one thing, but being out on the open water? My gut was telling me no. It was too dangerous. At least, right now it was. Finally, my blue eyes connected with his brown, “Luffy, it’s very sweet. Hell it’s a great offer, but I can’t. Not right now.”

I felt bad for turning him down, but it didn’t seem to phase him that much. He just kept that goofy smile on his face, “It’s okay. Maybe someday you’ll change your mind.”

He had this look in his eyes that I couldn’t quite place. One that seemed to say that this wouldn’t be our only encounter. His words echoed that sentiment. I don’t know how he could see that, but maybe the East Blue was smaller than I thought. Maybe I will see him for more than just today.

I looked outside and saw the sun was setting. I slowly got up and looked down at him holding out my hand, “Come on. You can show me your ship.”

He smiled and he started leading me back towards the docks. We kept jumping from roof to roof until we came towards the edge of the island by the docks. The sky had turned from blue to orange and pink as the sun set over the water. I stopped to watch the sun set into the water. I didn’t get to do this that often. Just pause and watch. Not when you’re constantly running and stealing. Luffy was a little ahead of me, but turned around when he noticed I hadn’t followed like I had been. He came and stood next to me, “Ruby?”

“I don’t get to do this that much,” I remarked watching the colors change in the sky. He looked out onto the water too for a moment, “Do what?”

“Just watch.”

“Oh,” he replied. He stayed right next to me as we watched the sun go down together. It was….nice. It felt good to not be alone for once. Luffy wasn’t bad company to be in, either. He didn’t judge me at all for what I’ve done to survive. This day started boring, then chaotic, then…nice. Luffy cut me out of my thoughts, “I bet that will look even better on the water.”

I laughed a little, “You’ll be under the open sky every night, I imagine.”

He started leading me back down towards the ground. I jumped down off the building and landed hard on the ground. I looked up and Luffy had started to stretch his feet down towards the ground, rather shakingly. I smirked up at him, “Afraid of heights, Stretch?”

“No! Just trying to find the right balance,” he called back down. I rolled my eyes, “Just jump! You’re made of rubber; it’s not gonna hurt you!”

Not a moment later he quite literally flopped onto the ground with a grunt, which in turn made me laugh, “I told you.”

He just cheerfully stood up and started leading me to where I presumed his boat was docked. And….I was not impressed. It was a tiny sailboat with some barrels of food. It could have passed for a kids boat to play in. He laughed at my expression and said, “Isn’t it great? I bought it off a nice guy in my village.”

I silently nodded, “Uh huh.”

He jumped in and held out his hand to me wanting me to get in it with him. I looked unsure at his encouraging expression, “Can it even hold both of us?”

“Sure! Come on!”

Slowly, I took his hand and he guided me down into his very small “ship”. I felt it sink a little under my added weight and nervously looked off the side. The water was at least 6 feet deep, taller than both of us. If we fell in, we’d be done for. That much I knew. I swallowed and moved my eyes back to Luffy’s. I swallowed as I glanced down realizing he was still holding my hand, “Um, Luffy?”

“What? Oh, right,” he dropped my hand and I hadn’t realized just how warm the appendage was until he let go. He smiled and sat down on one of the barrels, “It’s great, right?”

I really didn’t want to insult him. He looked so excited, but this boat was clearly not going to last him that long. I don’t even know if he would make it to Shells Town with this. “It’s…functional.”

He continued to keep up that goofy smile he seemed to always have. He really thought this was going to work. That this tiny little boat was going to help him find the One Piece. I looked at him and watched as he sat down on one of the barrels and looked out to the open sea just beyond the docks. He looked so happy. He looked over his shoulder at me, “You’re not ready to leave, are you?”

I bit my lip and looked down. I wanted to be honest with him, and that was not a feeling I often had. I walked over to him and looked out over the ocean, “Luffy, of course I want you to find the One Piece. Out of all of the pirates I’ve seen and heard of, you definitely seem the most deserving of it. But…”

I felt something on my hand and looked down seeing he put his hand on top of mine. It felt...nice. I raised my blue eyes to meet his brown. He tilted his head curiously at me, nodding for me to go on. I swallowed, “We’re two Devil Fruit eaters. If something happened to one of us on the open water-”

“I know,” he replied. He understood, and knew I was afraid. I looked down at our joined hands. He was sweet and didn’t judge me once. I looked around us. The sun had set and the stars were coming out now that night had fallen. He looked up too, smiling a bit, “You’re right, I’ll be under the open sky every night.”

I smiled back and stood up, still not letting go of his hand. He followed me to the edge of the boat. Slowly, I stepped out of it and back onto the far more stable stone dock. I looked down at him, seeing our two hands still being held together, “I hope you find it, Luffy. I hope you find all the treasure and a crew that's loyal and good for you.”

I started to finally let go of his hand, not wanting to but knowing he should get out onto the water as soon as he could. Not a lot of ships traveled at night given the lack of wind here, but his boat could manage, I was sure of that. It may have been very small and not stable, but if anyone could get it out there, he could. My thoughts were cut off as he spoke, “Ruby.”

I looked down at him, brown meeting blue, “I’ll look for you. When I get a crew, and when you get out of here, I’ll help you travel the world!”

I smiled at his enthusiasm, my hand fully going back to my side, “Something tells me this isn’t the last time I’ll see you, Monkey D. Luffy!”

He grinned, which even I could see in the darkness of the new night. I backed up further onto the dock, “You better get out there, Stretch. Boat traffic starts at dawn.”

I nodded towards the open ocean. He looked out towards it and his eyes seemed to brighten up even more. He started to push out from the dock, untying the ropes he had attached to the metal pegs on the small stone dock. He sent a little joking salute before making the final push out onto the water. I watched as he began to sail away before hearing him excitedly call out, “Now…TO THE GRAND LINE!”

I laughed and watched as he pulled out a small paddle and began rowing out to sea. I just whispered to myself, “I’ll find you, Luffy. And I know you’ll find me again.”

With that, I walked off into the night, back to my little shelter. Just a little more time and some more scores, and I would have enough to get out of here. Shouldn’t take that long, right?

Chapter Text

Actually, it would be exactly two weeks before I had enough to have a decent horde that could get me a ticket out of here. I carried a sack of all of my little treasures on my back, walking all over the docks looking for a ship that wasn’t just a tourist cruise. I needed something that was definitely going to make more stops than just this one, but also wasn’t going to be a group of pirates. No pirate was like Luffy, at least in my experience.

I hadn’t stopped thinking about the day we spent together. He had been so sweet to me, listening to me when I told him why I couldn’t be on his crew and watching the sunset with me. He was unlike anyone I had ever met. I wondered what he was doing right now. Had he found a crew yet? A new ship? He definitely needed a new ship. I’d be shocked if that thing made it to Shells Town. I’m cut out of my thoughts as I came upon a group of sailors getting their ship ready to leave. I walked up to one of them, a young man with blue hair combed neatly under a black hat, “Could I talk to your captain?”

He turned around and looked at me up and down before looking at the sack on my back. He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. He spoke in a deep voice, “What about?”

“Seeking passage to one of your stops on your way,” I spoke back before dropping the sack down with a large thud. I pointed down at it, “Whatever he deems as sufficient payment is in here. I’ll pay extra for no questions on how I got it.”

He looked up and down at me again. No doubt thinking I didn’t look like much. I probably looked like a skinny young woman who couldn’t do much around a ship. He nodded after a moment, “Stay here, I’ll talk to him.”

He walked off and went aboard the ship speaking to someone at the helm. He was an older man, no beard but a dark purple mustache above his lips. He wore mostly black except for a long green coat over his shoulders. He leaned over as the sailor spoke to him before pointing at me. I waved slightly, watching as the sailor gestured down to the sack in front of me. The captain listened intently the whole time, glancing at me every few seconds. The sailor pulled away after a moment and looked at the captain expectantly. The captain looked at me before raising his hand and gesturing forward. I grabbed my sack of jewels and watches putting it on my back before walking forward and up the gangplank onto the ship. The captain walked down to meet me on the deck. He spoke in a soft, kind voice, “You wish to board my ship and get off at one of our stops.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you know where you wish to stop?”

“I’ll look at your map and go upon your recommendation of a destination,” I replied. They saw a lot more of the world than I ever did and if they were good men, they could recommend a good place for me to go. He nodded looking at me with green eyes that almost matched his coat, “We’re just fishermen here, young lady. No funny business, you hear that?”

I could tell he meant business. I raised my black gloved hands in a surrendering gesture, “You’ll hear no protests from me, sir. I just want to get out of here and go somewhere else.”

He nodded before looking down at the sack of my loot. He kneeled down and untied it, looking inside. His eyes widened and the sailor from before jaw dropped. I crossed my arms as the Captain dug through it seeing nothing but bracelets, necklaces, rings, and watches. He looked up at me, “You never traded any of this for berry. Why is that?”

“The pawn shops here charge tourist prices, they’d rob me blind if I trusted them,” I replied. That was my first mistake when I started collecting. Taking some rings and bracelets to one of the pawn shops with a sleazy owner, who only wanted to give me less than half than what it all was worth. They were more concerned with marking up the prices tenfold to make a profit. The captain nodded, understanding what I meant, “Smart girl.”

“How much in there is worth the journey to wherever I go?”

“Well, that depends on where you want to stop. Come, I’ll show you the map and we can pick a place to drop you off,” he gestured for me to follow him towards the helm. I grabbed the sack of treasures and followed him. I didn’t want to leave anything behind if this wasn’t going to work. There was a large crate next to the helm that had a map nailed down on it. The Captain leaned over it and pointed at a path that had been drawn on the map. I set down my horde and stood next to him, “So, what’s been your journey, sir?”

“We started here in Shells Town…we’re stopping for some supplies here as well as Kumate Island and we’ll be making our final stop here,” He pointed at what looked to be a drawing of a floating boat. I raised an eyebrow, “You’re stopping at a boat? How’s that possible?”

He chuckled, shaking his head, “Not a boat, lass, a restaurant. The Baratie. We’re one of their food suppliers. Sturgeon, mahi-mahi, cod, and shrimp if we can find them. After we stop there, it’s back on the ocean fishing for them.”

I nodded realizing that they weren’t dangerous, just men making their living in the world. I felt a lot of relief at that. No pirates or Marines here. Just ordinary people. I looked up at him, “Where do you recommend I get off your ship?”

He didn’t hesitate in answering, “The Baratie, of course! The head chef there is always looking for new workers. If you behave yourself on our journey, then I’ll personally recommend you to him.”

I nodded before gesturing to the sack at our feet, “And how much of this will be worth the journey to the Baratie?”

He looked at me for a long moment before looking down at my bag of treasures. He then looked around the deck of his ship, seeing a few places where the wood could use some replacing and fresh paint on the railings. Looking up, I could also see some patches sewn into the sails. Those could use some replacing as well. After a moment of silence, he looked at me, “We’ll take two-thirds of the weight of your treasures. The ship needs repairs and some of our nets need replacing. You can keep the rest. We’ll get you some actual berry once we get to the restaurant, so you won’t have to lug around that cumbersome thing all the time.”

He stuck out his hand to me, “Deal?”

My eyes widened and I grinned before shaking his hand firmly, “Deal! Thank you!”

He smiled down at me, “What’s your name, lass?”

“Ruby,” he smirked at my name, no doubt seeing the coincidence to my sack of treasures. He let go of my hand and gestured to the ship and crew, “Welcome to the Cod Clipper. I’m Captain JoJo Sincro, but you may call me Captain JoJo or sir. Understood, Ruby?”

I nodded, “Yes, sir.”

He smiled and grabbed the sack of treasures before lifting it onto his own back, gesturing to me to follow him. He walked down the stairs to the main deck and whistled, getting the attention of the crew. They all stood looking at the both of us. Captain JoJo nodded to the men, “Gentlemen, this is Ruby. She’ll be accompanying us to Baratie. She’s paid us handsomely to repair the Clipper and replace our nets. You will treat her with respect, and you will help her learn the ways of our ship.”

He looked at me, “I won’t have you lazing about when we could always use an extra set of hands, lass. Understood?”

I nodded and he turned back to the crew, “Now, finish preparing our ship for departure. I’ll be taking Ruby down to the cuddy cabins to prepare her quarters. Reni, you’ll be on crow’s nest duty once we depart.”

The sailor he had addressed nodded and they all said a chorus of, “Yes, sir.”

I followed Captain JoJo to a door in the wall dividing the lower deck and the upper deck where the helm was. There was a long hallway and various rooms I saw as he led me deeper into the boat. A kitchen, a larger room with long tables and chairs, a room with a large vaulted door, and finally, he opened the door to a room with three rows of bunks. He pointed over to one bunk in the corner with a chest next to it, “That’ll be yours for the journey.”

I nodded and walked over to it, sitting down on it. It was only a few inches from the floor but it was already miles better than the bed I had in my little bird cage. I watched as he opened the chest and put the bag of loot inside it before closing it, “Only you are allowed to touch this chest, lass, understand? If you see anyone else open it, you tell me and I’ll deal with it.”

“Yes, sir,” I nod as he stands up to his full height. He looks down at me, “You’ll get the night off tonight as it’s the start of the journey. But when the dawn breaks, you’ll be helping my crew pull up the nets and tying the ropes. No lazing about.”

“Yes, sir,” I replied as he started making his way back to the door. I slowly stood up and looked around. Most of the beds looked used but some, like mine, were all neatly kept up. After a moment, I was sure I was alone. I let out a shaky breath of relief. This was it. I was finally leaving that island I once called home. I opened the chest and there was a bit of room next to the sack of loot. Slowly, I unzipped my jacket and began taking off layer after layer of shirts and throwing them in. The same went for my pants.I didn’t have a bag and that sack was all I had to carry my treasures, so layering clothes was the solution to that issue. Maybe one of the crew has an extra bag for me when I leave but for now, the chest would do.

I stripped down to the last layer, a red tank and black shorts. My old worn black boots I laid between the chest and my bed. I looked down and my only thought was, I had a bed. A real bed. Not some dingy old mattress that I threw a blanket on. Slowly I laid down and stretched out on it before pulling back the covers and laying on the sheets. They could have been made of stuffing and burlap but they felt like clouds to me. I wasn’t on the rooftops anymore. I wasn’t braving the cold or rain. I had a real ceiling over me. I laid my bed on the pillow and it felt just as soft, maybe even more. It also seemed that my body had caught up to the relaxing I felt for the first time in a long time. I could hardly yawn before my eyes shut and I was dead to the world around me in the deepest sleep I had ever taken in my life. My last thought was of what work would await me on the Clipper in the morning.

~Two Days Later~

Well, work me to the bone, Captain JoJo Sincro did and continued to do. I was learning far more than I ever thought I would. Knot tying, sewing patches into sails, wind directions, and pulling the nets up while others gathered the fish up to put in the freezer room. Turns out that was what the room with the vault door was for. I slowly learned my place as a guest among the crew. I was a friend, one that couldn’t gut a fish for her own good, but a friend that could tie a knot to the mast and mop the deck when asked. Being on the open sea was something that was both thrilling and terrifying. I hadn’t told anyone that I couldn’t swim, but the need had also not arisen yet. We were two days from Kumate Island, where Captain JoJo said they would go fishing for clams and scallops.

Evenings were nice as I got to dine with the crew and learned more about each of them. Reni was an orange haired sailor who had been with the crew for five years, and he would always find a way to make me laugh. Danklyn was the dark skinned blue haired sailor I spoke to when I first came to the ship. He had been with the Captain for seven years, becoming one of the top navigators on the ship, and the go to person to help me when I messed up a knot. The rest of the crew was more of the same. Good men with good consciences who only wanted to make a living in a world where pirates roamed free and the Marines were corrupt. It felt good to know that not everyone was out for themselves. Tonight was a night with clear skies and we could all see the stars. I stood at the bow of the ship looking out at the stars and watching for any of the constellations the crew had told me about. The wind kept my black and red hair out of my face as I kept my eyes out for the North Star. Captain JoJo told me it would always help me find my way. I smiled as I spotted it after I turned around. We were clearly heading south, based on that, I gathered.

My thoughts were cut out by the whistle of one of the crew members. It was Romy, one of the kitchen boys I met on my first day. He, Danklyn, and Reni were all sitting on some barrels and it looked like Romy had pulled out a small guitar. I walked over to them, “What’s going on?”

Reni smirked and looked at the others who nodded, “We were wondering if you had any other hidden talents in that black and red head of yours?”

I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms over my chest as the others were smirking, “Oh yeah? Like what?”

“Singing, dancing, playing guitar, that kind of thing,” Danklyn said. He was the oldest amongst our little group but sometimes he could be as immature as Reni, if given the right material. I rolled my eyes and put my hands on my hips, “Yeah, I can sing. Sailors on my island taught me…well I could sing along with them.”

Romy clapped excitedly, “Hell yes! Come on, sing something, Ruby!”

I rolled my eyes, “What do you want to hear? A sea shanty?”

“No,” Reni looked at me, for once his face was serious and not joking, “Sing something you feel. Whatever you want.”

After a moment, the other nodded, agreeing with him. This must be another way for them to get to know me. I sat down on the deck of the ship looking up at the sky. I thought about everything in my life. Being on the street, being hungry, gaining my abilities…Luffy. I thought about Luffy. I thought about him a lot since I got on the ship. Would I see him again? Did he have a crew now? His own ship? Did he still want me on it? The words just…came to me, I guess.

“All I ever wanted
Was the open sea and sky
Freedom from the life I always knew..
Now all I am is haunted
As days and hours roll by
All I ever think about is you…”

The men’s eyes widened as they realized I was singing about not something, but someone. Someone I had grown to care for deeply. I only ever had a day with him, but he hasn’t left my mind since I watched him sail away. I stood up and walked over to the side of the ship, looking out to the sea and stars, remembering when he saved my life.

“There you are, over me
Taking me with your song
To wild uncharted waters
Miles beyond the sea
I was darkness-bound, I had almost drowned
'Til you came around, and you found me…”

He was so sweet, talking about his dream of being King of the Pirates, watching the sunset with me. I didn’t realize how cold my hand felt until after he let go of mine. I hoped he still remembered me. I didn’t know it at the time, but the men had been following and listening to my every word. A few more had come onto the deck as well, seeing what all the noise was about.

“Now I am on the shoreline
But I'm still lost at sea
In these wild uncharted waters
Come find me again…”

I wanted him to find me, or for me to find him. Whichever came first, I didn’t care. I stepped away from the side of the ship and went over to some crates and sat down on them looking up at the sky, reaching up to trace them in the air with my fingers.

“All I do is wonder
Who you are and where you'll be
In my mind, your melody goes on
Stronger than the undertow
The night you rescued me
Silhouetted by the rising dawn…”

I jumped off the crates and smirked upon seeing even more of the men listening intently. I glanced up and it even looked like Captain JoJo was listening from the helm. Did they see this as me being honest with my heart or as entertainment? Who knows? My mind drifted back to the memory of Luffy sailing away, without me on his boat. Did I regret not going with him? Maybe, I did, just a little.

“Oh, over you
I cannot get over you
In wild uncharted waters
Beyond where man can see
When your eyes outshine the horizon line
And you're finally real, here beside me…”

I leaned against the wall near the men as they watched me. I looked up at the stars and continued to think about what would happen next time he saw me. Could I still join his crew if I saw him again? Would he still want me to? He said he would help me travel the world. He seemed to mean it. Just as much as he meant to find the One Piece.

“Now I'm right here on the shoreline
I'm right where you left me
And your voice is like
A siren that guides me
To wild uncharted waters
Alone, just you and me…”

His voice did ring in my head, much like the sirens of old did in their victims. Luffy’s attitude had stuck with me since I met him. His enthusiasm, his heart, his honesty. It was there inside me as plain as the day I spent with him.

“And I hope you're there in the open air
There's no map or compass to guide me, no
Time may change the shoreline
But time will not change me…”

I hadn’t changed that much since I met him, even if he plagued my thoughts. I still caused chaos to get the last of my bounty ready for my departure. Fireworks were still my go-to, even if I had to hide them on the ship. I was still just as disruptive as I was before, I just had less cause to do it as I was now on my way to wherever I ended up. Maybe I would stay at Baratie, maybe not. I turned my head and looked over at the sea as the last words my head could come up with were sung.

“If it takes my life
I will finally find you again
In uncharted waters
Come find me again…”

There was silence for a moment before I heard clapping. I turned my head and it would seem that the entire crew had come onto the deck to hear me. They also seemed to really enjoy what I had said. Some of them were even cheering. I smiled hearing their praise before another much louder whistle sounded. Everyone went silent as we saw Captain JoJo come down from the helm as another person took control. He came down and we all looked at him. He had a thoughtful expression on his face as he walked up to me. I gulped a little nervously, unsure if I would be scolded or praised. He answered that question for me, “Good job, lass. You’ll be a hell of an entertainer at Baratie.”

Everyone then went back to their clapping and I nodded in thanks as he clapped my shoulder jovially. The rest of the men started going back to their normal tasks or headed down to the cuddy cabin. I, however, stayed on the deck looking out to the sea and occasionally looking up at the stars. Captain JoJo stood next to me, watching me from the side. After a moment, he spoke, “That person you were singing about, who are they?”

“He’s a boy I met shortly before I came to you and your crew,” I replied. He moved to lean over the railing and stared out to the sea as well, “And you care about this boy?”

I nodded, “I do. I don’t know where he is right now, but I hope I find him again.”

“Sounded like you want him to find you. Are you looking for him? Is that why you wanted to leave your village,” he asked. I paused, thinking for a second, “No, I left because I want to see the world, eventually. If I happen to find him along the way, then I’ll be happy.”

He makes a sound of acknowledgment and we both stand there in silence for a while. He stands upright and I look at him. He’s almost a foot taller than me, but he doesn’t feel that intimidating when it’s just us. When he’s giving orders to the crew, however, he can be very intimidating. He looks down at me, “I hope you find what you’re looking for, lass. Traveling or this boy, or both.”

I smile up at him and he gently squeezes my shoulder before leaving the deck to go down to his own quarters. I stay and look out at the sea and stars. The world was so much bigger than I ever thought it could be. Here on the open ocean it seems never ending. If this is just the East Blue, then who knows how large the other Blues were. Not to mention the Grand Line. Maybe that’s where Luffy is right now, working to find the One Piece with a crew of his own.

Chapter Text

Fishing for clams and scallops at Kumate Island wasn’t very eventful. The crew was lucky to bring in a bucket of each. Captain JoJo said this time of year isn’t the best time for either but the owner of Baratie would pay based on how much they could bring in, so they never stopped to make sure they got a profit. Every little fin and shell helped keep their ship afloat which I understood more than they knew. Stealing every scrap of food I could was what kept me alive for my entire life. I never told the crew exactly what kind of life I lived back on Dawn Island. They knew I was alone, that I had obtained my sack of loot most likely through illegal means, and that I ate rather quickly in comparison to everyone else. Even Captain JoJo would stare sometimes when I ate like it was my last meal. No one made any outright comments, but they most likely could guess that I was a child of the streets.

Today was supposed to be the day that we would arrive at Baratie, which left me with anticipation. Could this place become a new home for me? Would the owner even hire me to be an entertainer or waitress? I suppose being a waitress wouldn’t be a bad life, but being an entertainer had become something I realized I could do. I could sing, yes, but my fireworks could put me at an advantage. A seaside lightshow during dinner service? It could be another way to get more people at the restaurant, and for me to get paid more. Captain JoJo said he would recommend me since I had been so helpful to the crew during our journey. My thoughts were cut off by the man himself, “Ruby!”

My head turned and he waved me over to stand next to him on the upper deck. I stood to his left while he continued to control the helm. He leaned over to me and pointed out into the fog we had been experiencing for a few hours, “Look that way, lass.”

I looked out and couldn’t see anything, but I certainly could smell something. Something spicy….cooked meat…salt? I was about to say something when the fog started to clear out. My eyes widened as a building came into view. It was shaped like a fish towards one side with a lot of floors. My jaw dropped and Captain JoJo laughed, “Welcome to Baratie, Ruby!”

The rest of the crew whistled to everyone on the boat to start bringing up the crates of fish and buckets of shellfish and prepping dropping anchor towards the back of the restaurant. Once we were tied down and dropped anchor, I walked down to join them, carrying the buckets of scallop shells and clams. Captain JoJo gestured for me to follow him, which I did, carrying the buckets down the newly set up gangplank while the rest of the crew worked on taking the crates of fish down. I followed the Captain towards the back door as it opened.

Out stepped a very intimidating man dressed in a chef’s outfit, minus the hat, with a peg leg. He was tall, very tall, and had a long blonde mustache braided down both sides of his face. He glanced over at the crew bringing the crates of fish and nodded, “Sincro, bringing in the normal amount, I see.”

“As promised, Zeff, though we do have a few bonuses we managed to catch on Kumate Island,” he pointed down at my buckets. I held them a bit higher for the chef, Zeff, to see. He looked down at them and nodded, “Lucky catch, there. Not that many this time of year. Should be able to whip a few things up with those.”

Zeff then looked at me with a raised eyebrow, “And who’s this?”

Captain JoJo smirked and crossed his arms over his chest, “Someone I think you need to hire.”

Zeff glanced at me once more and I gulped as he looked me over, “Is that right? We’ll just have to see about that, won’t we?”

He looked over at the crew seeing that they were almost done unloading the crates of fish, “Have your crew come in through the main entrance once they’re done here. We have some leftovers from brunch service that I don’t want clogging up the inventory.”

With that, he left and went back inside, shutting the door behind him. I looked over at the Captain who was just smirking, “He doesn’t look like he wants me here.”

He looked down at me and took the buckets of shellfish out of my hands, “Oh he'll want you. Soon as he hears those pipes of yours. Now, go get your sack of goodies and bring it here.”

I nodded hesitantly and ran back onto the ship opening the chest. I saw my clothes were still there and intact, then grabbed my sack of treasures. Carrying it on my back once again, I went back down the boat gangplank and back to the door where the Captain was standing. The buckets were gone and the crew was making their way towards what I assumed was the front of the restaurant. Captain JoJo didn’t hesitate and had me follow to the front as well. I kept the sack on my back as we walked inside.
My eyes widened as I realized just how nice this place was. White table cloths, dark wood decor on the walls and people in suits. I suddenly felt very underdressed in my red and black hooded jacket, black pants and boots. We made our way down some stairs and met Zeff in the middle near some doors that I assumed led to the kitchen. When the Captain stopped walking and stood in front of Zeff, I watched as another boy, just a year or two older than me, came out wearing another chef’s outfit. He came up and stood next to Zeff and spoke in a smooth accent, “You wanted to see me?”

Zeff glanced at him then looked at me, raising an eyebrow at the sack on my back, “Sincro says this one wants to work here.”

The boy looked at me and smirked upon really noticing me, “Apologies, miss, didn’t see you there. Care for some help with that?”

I shrugged and dropped it onto the floor with a loud thud, just as I did when I showed it to Captain JoJo when we met. Zeff’s eyes widened at the large bag, “What the hell is in there?”

“Captain JoJo’s payment for bringing me here. He gets two thirds of the weight, I get the rest,” I explained as the boy kneeled down and opened the bag. His jaw dropped upon seeing the amount of jewelry and watches inside, “Zeff, look at this!”

Captain JoJo smirked while Zeff leaned over and his eyes widened seeing the loot. His head moved to look at me, “You get all of that yourself?”

“I don’t think I need to explain how. And before you ask, no, I don’t plan on robbing customers blind. I did what I had to do to survive back home,” I explained with a pointed look. Captain JoJo put a hand on my shoulder, “I can vouch for her, Zeff. The lass has been nothing but helpful on the Clipper. In fact, that’s what brings me to my next point: give the girl a job here, as I've said and it’ll be worth it.”

Zeff raised an eyebrow and glanced at the boy, who had since gotten up and held the sack on his own back, only with a hint of struggle in his eyes. Well, the one eye I could see well, as he had some of his blonde hair hanging in his face. The chef raised an eyebrow at the Captain, who just nodded, “And what job would you exactly want here, little miss?”

“Entertainer, singing, mostly. I can also put on firework shows when the mood calls for it,” I replied with a smirk. Captain JoJo was a bit surprised when I mentioned fireworks, but definitely was beaming with pride when I said I could sing. Zeff, on the other hand, didn’t look convinced, “You’ll have to prove that you actually can, little miss. I don’t do handouts here.”

“What do you want to hear,” I asked. The chef looked at the boy, who shrugged and raised an eyebrow. The Captain gestured for him to hand over the sack, which he did, before he walked over to one of the empty tables and pulled out two chairs. Captain JoJo stepped back towards one of the tables, where the crew were eating the leftovers Zeff mentioned. I trusted him with my bag of treasures. Zeff sat down in one chair, his pegged leg more prominent now, and the boy sat in the other. Zeff looked up and down at me, “Dealer’s choice. Impress me and little eggplant here and you have a job. Make sure it’s something worth remembering.”

I nodded and took a breath, thinking for a moment. He didn’t look like someone who was easily impressed. The boy, on the other hand, had been eyeing me since he first saw me. Maybe I just needed to let the words come to me again. That seemed to work the first time with the crew. Then again, they seemed to be the type to not get that much entertainment. I decided to go with something more well known. At the very least, they would be familiar with it. I took a breath and tried to channel the same enthusiasm the crew had when they heard me sing that night on the ship.

“Don't wanna live as an untold story
Rather go out in a blaze of glory
I can't hear you, I don't fear you
I'll live now 'cause the bad die last
Dodging bullets with your broken past
Well, I can't hear you, I don't fear you now…”

The boy’s eyes widened and he sat back in his chair. Zeff still looked unimpressed. He wanted someone the customers would pay attention to, right? So why not engage with the audience I had? I was lucky that Captain JoJo’s crew was here and they were already listening intently. I walked over to one of the tables and leaned over looking at them with a smirk on my face. They all laughed as I had a playful stage demeanor.

“Wrapped in your regret
What a waste of blood and sweat
Oh oh-oh…”

I kept up the energy as I ran around the other tables, making the other crew members smile. I glanced over at Zeff and the blonde boy. He was full on smiling while the chef merely raised an eyebrow. I noticed a large column close to where they were sitting and put my hand on my chest, getting a longing look on my face.

“I wanna taste love and pain
Wanna feel pride and shame
I don't wanna take my time
Don't wanna waste one line
I wanna live better days
Never look back and say
It could have been me
It could have been me, yeah…”

I smiled as I said the last word leaning forward making the boy smirk at me and wink while I rolled my eyes. I ran over to the staircase making my “judges” turn around in their chairs. Running up the staircase, I leaned over the railing leading down the staircase to the main area. I kept up the playful attitude.

“Don't wanna wake up on a Monday morning
The thought of work's gettin' my skin crawlin'
I can't fear you, I don't hear you now…

I looked at the railing and got an idea. I jumped onto it and sat down and started sliding down it and keeping up the smile as I sang. Zeff’s lip started to twist upwards and I grinned at the anticipation as I slid down. I heard the blonde boy laughing as I slid down the railing.

“Wrapped in your regret
What a waste of blood and sweat
Oh oh-oh…"

I landed at the bottom and jumped off. Keeping it simple, I just kept up the attitude and took the key I was singing at higher. Just a bit, not too much. Didn’t want to strain my voice if I was going to be working tonight. I looked over at Captain JoJo and he was beaming with pride. I walked around the dining room, looking at each of the crew members and seeing their smiles made me even happier to be here. It felt good having them all support me.

“I wanna taste love and pain
Wanna feel pride and shame
Don't wanna take my time
Don't wanna waste one line…"

Here it comes, the finisher! I walked back over to the column I used before and wrapped my hand around using it to spin myself around it and keep up the performance. I put my other hand on my chest keeping the passion in the lyrics up. I looked over and Zeff had one side of his mouth curled upward and the boy was full on grinning with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Never look back and say
It could have been me
Oh, it could have been me
It could have been me…”

I raised an arm on the last note and took a few breaths before looking at the chef expectantly. The boy was clearly won over as he started clapping with a big smile on his face. The rest of the crew was clapping and smiling but my focus was on Zeff, the man who held my possible job in his hands. He leaned back in his chair and looked at me, “You’re a little rough around the edges, little miss, but…”

I gulped and clenched my fists. It was like I could feel the anticipation in the air itself. Zeff raised an eyebrow at me and just spoke plainly, “You have me impressed.”

I smiled and released the tension from my hands, “So, does that mean I’ve got the job?”

After a moment, he nodded and I could hear the crew cheering from their seats. The Captain came forward with my sack still on his back and he clapped me on the shoulder, “Good job, lass.”

I smiled, reached up and squeezed his hand back, “Wouldn’t have gotten here without you, sir.”

Zeff stood up from his chair and looked at both of us, “I’m assuming she has stuff on the Clipper?”

“That she does. I was also hoping you’d cash her bag of goodies into berry so she doesn’t have to lug this around Baratie,” the Captain replied. The chef glanced at the bag for a second, “We might have some stuff down in the vault. You’ll be needing your payment anyway.”

He turned towards me, “Get your stuff off the Clipper and bring it here. We’ve got lodgings for staff upstairs.”

Captain JoJo gently squeezed my shoulder, “Your goodies are safe here, lass. Don’t worry about leaving them. I’ll get your third of the berry.”

I nodded and started heading towards the door we came in, until I heard the voice of the boy, “What’s your name? Can’t just be calling you little miss.”

I laughed, “It’s Ruby, like the gem.”

“Funny. A pretty jewel brings in more pretty jewels,” he smirked. I laughed and walked out the door, “In your dreams, chef boy!”

With that, I walked out to the dock where the ship had been anchored and ran up the gangplank. I headed inside and ran down the halls to the cuddy cabin. In my own little corner, I opened the chest and grabbed what clothes I did have. I paused thinking for a moment. I couldn’t walk in while carrying a pile of clothes. I was a street kid, but they didn’t need to know that. I looked over at my pillow and took the case off, stuffing my clothes inside. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. I took one last look around the ship walking down the gangplank to the dock. To my surprise, the young blonde chef was there on the dock waiting for me. I raised an eyebrow as I met him, “Did I take too long?”

“No, just wanted to see what mystery I could uncover on our walk back inside,” he replied with the smirk that had been present on his face since he saw me. I rolled my eyes, “I already told you, chef boy, in your dreams if you think anything is gonna happen here.”

I gestured between us as I began making the walk back to the front entrance. He kept up the pace next to me, “The name is Sanji, not chef boy. And I’d appreciate it if you called me by my name.”

I looked at him. Sanji. He certainly knew what he wanted, that was for sure. I turned around and walked backwards looking at him, “Okay, Sanji. What’s your role here? Clearly you’re in the kitchen judging by that outfit.”

“Yes, I’m a chef, the best here in fact. Even if the old man doesn’t seem to think so,” he replied, keeping up the pace with me. I smirked, “He doesn’t keep up with your standards or you don’t keep up with his?”

He stopped and chuckled under his breath, “You catch on quickly.”

I shrugged and turned back around as we got to the door, “I have my moments.”

I understood where he was coming from. Not seeing your full potential was something I couldn’t live with either. At least, not for long. Now that I was here, I could at least get started. We made our way down the stairs and saw that both Zeff and the Captain were standing waiting for us. Captain JoJo no longer had my sack of goodies but handed me a thick envelope, “A third of the weight of your loot, as promised.”

I opened the envelope and a very large pile of berry sat inside. I smiled knowing my years of stealing on the streets could finally be over. The relief was clearly present on my face as I looked up at the Captain in the green coat, “Thank you. For everything.”

He smiled down at me and gently clapped my shoulder, “You’re on your way now, lass. We’ll see you next time we drop off our catch.”

I smiled up at him and just threw my arms around his middle. He helped me get out of there. He helped get on the first step of traveling the world, and maybe even finding Luffy again. His arms came around me as well, holding me close. Saying goodbye. Zeff cleared his throat and I pulled away from the Captain, “Ruby, you better unpack and get ready for dinner service. Your first night is tonight.”

I nodded and waved to the crew who all were getting ready to leave out of the front door. I stood still for a moment as the Captain followed his crew up the stairs and out of the front door. This was it! I turned to my now boss, Zeff, and Sanji, who stood next to him, “Let’s get started.”

Zeff crossed his arms over his chest and went back to the gruff personality I had first seen him with, “You get paid at the end of every week. You are granted one bowl to keep for tips when you’re singing. Keep your lodgings clean and stay out of the kitchen when lunch and dinner services are running. Meals provided are leftovers from previous services. If you want something else, make it yourself. And it goes without saying but given the amount of morons here, I need to say it anyway, no pickpocketing the customers. Understood?”

“Crystal clear, sir,” I replied. I could tell this man ran a tight ship and would be even less tolerant of my normal amount of chaos. He nodded and looked at Sanji, “Take her upstairs. Room 5.”

With that, he walked through the doors and back into the kitchen. Sanji turned to me and gestured to a door that said “Staff Only”, “Shall we?”

He didn’t give me time to answer and just walked towards the door. I followed after him and we walked into a stairwell. We went up only one floor before coming to a hallway of just doors. Sanji explained that these were the rooms the staff stayed in. The chefs (with the exception of Zeff) had a bunkroom, as did the wait staff, but my room used to be the accountant’s. He brought me to a door with a number five painted on it. I pushed it open and it was…cozy, to say the least.

Stepping inside, it had a simple set up. Bed in the corner, chest next to it by the wall, a sink by the door, and a large wardrobe next to it. I walked in, opened the chest, and threw my pillowcase of clothes inside. I noticed Sanji leaning against the doorframe, “What?”

“You’ve never had your own room before, have you?”

I looked down, a bit embarrassed, “No, I…let’s just say that I didn’t exactly have a space that was really mine.”

He nodded and didn’t ask anything else. He moved to stand upright and looked at me, “Everyone’s got a story, Ruby. I’m certainly not going to judge.”

I looked back up at him, smiling in thanks. He moved to crack his neck, “Well, lunch service will be starting soon. Come on down when you’re ready and I’ll whip you up something. You look like a girl who likes sautéed and grilled shrimp, or perhaps white wine garlic scallops?”

I took a breath, thinking for a moment before looking unsure at him, “I….I’m honestly not sure. I didn’t exactly have a lot of home cooked meals where I came from.”

His expression froze as he stared at me for a moment. I cleared my throat and turned around looking at the chest next to the bed. I just didn’t want to think about the look in his eyes. He was figuring out what kind of life I had before the Clipper picked me up. I could feel it. Getting ready for the night ahead would be the perfect distraction. I unzipped my jacket and threw it on the bed without thinking, leaving me in my black tank. I pushed one of my red streaks out of my face and bent down to start digging through my clothes and find something that was okay enough to sing in at dinner service. I grabbed one of my mesh shirts with a black and red rose print on the front and held it up to him, “Think this is okay for tonight?”

He was still frozen, but his eyes weren’t on my face. They were on my collarbone and it felt like he was burning a hole into my chest. I gulped nervously before clearing my throat. It didn’t do a thing. Yep, he had figured it out. I snapped my fingers, “Sanji!”

He blinked and shook his head for a second before looking at my shirt, “Looks fine to me, but Zeff will probably want you to get something nicer as time goes on.”

“I don’t exactly have anything nicer. I don’t even own a dress!”

He held up a hand to calm me down, “It’s fine, I’ll talk to him about getting you some nicer things. It’s fine for tonight, trust me.”

I paused for a moment then looked at him. He seemed sincere and I relented, “Fine. I’ll be down in a bit. Surprise me with something, okay, chef boy?”

He laughed and made his way out of the room completely, heading down the stairs, “It’ll be good, I can promise you that!”

I heard the door close and I threw the shirt on the bed before walking over to the sink. I turned one of the knobs on and grabbed the cloth that hung on the side and the bar of soap by the faucet. I slowly started to wash my face of the salted sea air I picked up on the Clipper. It wasn’t until I fully rinsed my face off that I really saw what Sanji was staring at. My jacket did a good job of hiding it, but there was no hiding how thin I was. A life on the streets and constant jumping from roof to roof would do that to you. That’s exactly what it did to me. Pronounced collar and shoulder bones, slightly sunken in eyes, but only slightly toned legs. No wonder Sanji looked worried. I took a breath and ran my fingers through my hair trying to fluff it up for tonight. Well, this was as good as it could get, right now, at least. I grabbed my shirt and threw it on before heading down the stairs to the kitchen.

There were a few chefs running around making things and prepping dishes. It smelled really good, even better than the kitchen on the Clipper. I looked around and spotted Sanji at one of the stoves. I walked over across from him and leaned over, “So, what do you plan on surprising me with?”

He chuckled a little and poured a little bit of what I thought was olive oil into the pan, “Well, that would ruin the surprise, now wouldn’t it?”

I smiled and watched him for a few minutes as he threw various spices into the sauce he was making in the pan. It honestly smelled so wonderful, I’m surprised I’m not drooling. I felt him occasionally glance up at me through his bangs and smirk seeing me. I rolled my eyes and looked around the kitchen. There was a small table and chairs on one side and we stood at the island in the middle that had a few stoves in the middle. A door near the seating no doubt led to the pantry with more food. Sanji cleared his throat and I looked over at him. In his hands held a plate with a few rolls of bread with butter melted on top, “Here. Main part will be done in a moment.”

I nodded and took the plate, walking over to the table and sitting down. I grabbed one of the rolls and took a bite. Oh my gods, my eyes widened and I heard him laugh from across the kitchen. It was so soft and buttery with just a hint of some kind of spice, I didn’t know what. I didn’t hesitate and started immediately going to town on them. I swallowed the last one, “Sanji, if you give me more of these, I’ll be your best friend forever!”

He smiled as he brought over another plate with what I was assuming was the main course and a glass with water, “Well, I’ll be a very happy man if you keep up that praise. Here, scallops with white wine cream and butter sauce.”

I looked down at the plate and it looked like the scallops that the crew on the Clipper caught on Kumate Island. He handed me a fork and I reached for it but he stopped. At my questioning look he looked down at me, “Don’t eat too fast, jewel. You’re not in a hurry.”

I was about to retort back snarkily but I saw the look in his eyes. He was trying to tell me I didn’t have to fight for food anymore. Not here. Not with him. I gently grabbed the fork and looked at him, “I promise.”

He nodded before grabbing one of the rolls I didn’t eat and sat down in front of me. I took the fork and cut up one of the scallops with it before scooping one up. It basically melted in my mouth and I had to keep myself from cheering in delight. I almost started inhaling the damn things but one look from the chef boy had me slow down. I nodded and silently ate slower so I could actually taste what I was putting in my mouth. Sanji just watched me as he nibbled on the roll he grabbed. A few minutes later, and for one of the first times in my life, I actually couldn’t eat another bite. I took the plates and fork over to a sink with other dirty dishes, adding them to the pile. I was almost overwhelmed with the feeling in my stomach, leaning over the sink. I muttered to myself, “Is this what being full feels like?”

I looked over at Sanji and he had that same look in his eyes that he had when he saw my collarbone. He read me like a book and said nothing. Just fed me without another word. There must have been a story behind that, like he knew exactly what it felt like. There’s no way he didn’t know what it felt like. I cleared my throat and walked back over to him, quietly sipping the glass of water, “You’ve surprised me, chef boy. And it takes a lot to surprise me.”

That smirk he always seemed to have came back to his face, “Well I hope to continue the trend.”

He stood up and walked back over to his station in the middle of the kitchen. He reached below and pulled out a bag of apples, looking at me, “Care to help with dessert for dinner service?”

I shrugged and got up, heading over to a spot next to him but he held up his hand, pointing to the sink, “That first, jewel.”

I rolled my eyes and did as he asked, washing my hands so I could come help. He handed me a knife and asked me to cut up the apples into slices for pies. I started cutting them up, watching my fingers. Gods know how many splinters I’ve gotten from my jumps over the years, so I definitely knew to be careful. I slowly made my way through the bag while he prepared his own ingredients, standing silently while the other cooks worked to prepare lunch service. After a few minutes, I heard the half-steps of my new boss storming into the kitchen to see progress. Zeff immediately set his eyes on me seeing what I was doing, “Little eggplant put you to work before your official start, did he?”

“You said she doesn’t start until dinner service and we could always use the extra hands,” Sanji answered with his own attitude. I nodded, smiling a bit, “He said these are for pies for dessert tonight.”

“It is pie night isn’t it,” the older man remarked, stepping over to see my progress. There were only about five apples left to slice in the bag. He just nodded seeing the bowl I put the slices in, leaving the cores in a pile on the cutting board I was using. He looked over at Sanji, “And you? You’ve got that salmon risotto tonight?”

Sanji nodded, continuing to mix ingredients to what I assumed was a sauce in the bowl he was using, “Patty swapped with me. He’s on steaks, I’m on fish tonight.”

Zeff just nodded looking down at the bowl of spices, “Use the pink salt.”

Sanji just narrowed his eyes down at the bowl and said nothing. Zeff just rolled his eyes and went over to another side of the kitchen. I leaned over to the young cook, “Is this that standards thing you were telling me about?”

He grabbed a spatula next to his station and started mixing, “Let’s just say we have very different opinions about how things should be made.”

“Ah,” I nodded and went back to slicing up the last of the apples. Sanji looked over at my work and nodded, “Now, peel them.”

“You know, you could have told me that before I sliced them up. A lot easier to peel them when they're whole, right?”

“True, but everyone needs to be hazed at a new job,” he replied with a smirk. I laughed a little, “Is this your idea of hazing, peeling and slicing apples?”

“No one else wants to do it, and you’re not needed for a few hours,” he replied as I laughed while picking up the bowl of slices. Slowly, I began slicing the skin off, watching my fingers. Zeff walked over to us looking down at me, “You said earlier that you can put on firework shows. Care to explain?”

“I was wondering about that too, actually,” the chef boy replied. I looked at both of them for a second before getting back to skinning, “I like fireworks, other people like fireworks, and I know how to set them off making them look good. What else is there to explain?”

Zeff merely raised an eyebrow, “You know your way around a lighter?”

I reached into my pocket and held up the silver zippo I always kept on my person. Stole it from an unsuspecting merchant shortly after I discovered how to use fireworks as a distraction, “Yep.”

He nodded, pausing and just watching me for a moment. I tried not to let his stare get to me as I slipped the zippo back in my pocket. Did he know? Had he heard of me? Had he heard of the Firecracker? I shook my head, there was no way. Only the people on my island had heard of me. I’m sure of it. Only reason Luffy knew me was because he was from the same island. I cleared my throat looking at the intimidating older man, “So, you want me to put on a light show or what?”

“As much as you may want to, we’re only able to do those on World Government sanctioned holidays. So it’ll just be singing for you, girl,” he replied. My face dropped. I was looking forward to showing off my skills, and the next holiday wasn’t for months. But I understood, and the last thing I want is Marines poking around here and possibly finding me. I silently nodded and finished skinning the last of the apple slices, handing them to Sanji, “Here you go.”

“Thank you, m’lady,” he said with a smirk and I rolled my eyes. Sanji and I were definitely getting along. My thoughts were cut off as another chef, one with blue hair wrapped in a hairnet, whistled, “Lunch service starting in ten minutes.”

I backed away from the table, “Better get back to my room. Not allowed in the kitchen during lunch and dinner services. Isn’t that right, boss?”

I raised an eyebrow at Zeff who merely nodded and pointed towards the doors. I walked around the station and went next to Sanji. He glanced down at me for just a second. That was, until I wrapped my arms around his arm, “Thanks for lunch…means a lot.”

“Of course, jewel. Anytime you like,” he replied with a smile. I let go of him and headed towards the door to the main dining room. I could hear Zeff saying a few tense words about Sanji making something rather than having me make it myself. I just rolled my eyes and headed out towards the staff hallway.

I walked into my room and just laid out on my bed. This was it. I was here. I was away from Dawn Island. No more stealing. No more nights alone in my birdcage. The Clipper was a good ship and a group of good people, but this? This was what I had been hoping for when I left. Singing as a job was certainly a surprise though. Never thought that’s what I would use to get a job. But in this world of pirates, Devil Fruit, and Marines…well anything was possible.

I laid there just thinking about everything that got me here. From stealing on the streets to the Clipper to Baratie. My mind also couldn’t help but drift back to Luffy. With his love of food, it wouldn't shock me if he found his way here. Even now, weeks after meeting him, I could still see him and his goofy smile clear as day. Maybe here is where I would see him again, maybe with a crew, maybe with an actual ship. It could be years before I would see him again, for all I knew. But maybe it wouldn’t be either.
I laid there for who knows how long and honestly didn’t realize I had fallen asleep until there was knocking at my door, followed by a little shout. It was Sanji, “Ruby, dinner service is about to start. You’re on in five!”

“Coming,” I replied as I quickly got up and fixed my hair in the mirror. I opened the door and quickly ran down the stairs to the dining room. It was packed! Almost every table was filled with people. I swallowed nervously. I had never sang in front of so many people. This would be different from singing for the Clipper’s crew. My thoughts were cut off as I heard the half step of Zeff walking up next to me, “Packed house, little gem.”

“Uh-huh,” my eyes were wide seeing all of the people. Sailors, tourists, maybe even a few pirates themselves. Zeff glanced over at me seeing my nervousness, “You better get used to this. This is typically how it is for every dinner service.”

I nodded, swallowing once more. I looked over at Zeff, “Got any requests?”

He paused for a moment, “Sincro told me about your first time singing with his crew. How you just let the words come to you. Use that. These people could use something new.”

“Maybe something also like Sanji’s recipes,” I glanced up carefully with a hopeful smile. Zeff tensed up a little and his head snapped over making eye contact with me, “You let me worry about little eggplant and his cooking, understand?”

I nodded with a half smile before looking back out at everyone, “Okay, I’m ready now.”

Zeff nodded and turned around, poking his head into the kitchen, “Sanji!”

Sanji stepped out and it looked like he already knew what to do, “Alright.”

He passed by me as he walked further into the dining room, winking at me with that smirk of his. He called out to the dining room, grabbing everyone’s attention, “Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention?”

People looked at him with raised eyebrows and questioning expressions. He kept up that charm that he always seemed to exude, “Thank you. Now I would like to present the newest member of Baratie’s staff and your entertainment for tonight and every night from now on…Ruby!”

He backed up and headed back into the kitchen, along with Zeff, leaving the eyes of the customers all staring at me. Some with questioning looks, others looking unimpressed. Honestly, I couldn’t blame them given how I looked. A skinny, little girl dressed in black and red with faded black and red boots probably wasn’t the best first impression. I took a deep breath and put on the smile I had when I sang for Sanji and Zeff, “Good evening, everyone! Hope you all enjoy the show!”

I walked towards the front of the dining room as some people went back to their plates and drinks. Leaning against the railing by the stairs, I closed my eyes for a moment and did exactly as my boss told me. I let the words come to me.

“I’ve got a feeling inside of me
Running all through my veins…"

I looked out into the audience and saw some were looking at me with some interest. I smirked with determination to win them over.

“It’s like electrical energy
My world’s about to change…”

I glanced over at the kitchen and saw the door inside was propped open and a certain young blond chef was standing at the center station glancing back and forth between what he was cooking and me.

“It’s an open road
So here I go…”

I skipped down down the aisles separating the tables, gaining the attention of more customers. Heads turned and followed me as I strutted through the dining room, much like how I did before.

“The rest of my life
Is starting tonight
Feels like I’m finally on my way
I’m looking ahead
Can’t tell where it ends
But I’m gonna take a leap of faith…”

I spun around using the columns, projecting out into the dining room, watching as people started to smile and a few started tapping their feet to the tune. It was working! People seemed to like it! Seeing this, I knew I made the right choice in coming here. Maybe this was the first step in traveling the world. Starting here until I felt the call to go somewhere else.

“And I’m gonna hold on tight
And ride this ride
The rest of my life…”

This could be the rest of my life. And honestly, it was a good start to the rest of my life. But fate has a funny way of showing things to people. Cause what I didn’t know that a certain boy in a straw hat had been looking for me, just as he’d promised me he would.

~Elsewhere~

“You really think this girl you won’t shut up about will still be here,” the navigator asked.

“I made a promise, Nami. I promised her I’d look for her once I had a crew,” the captain in the straw hat replied with a smile.

“I still don’t believe she’s real,” the swordsman said.

“She is real, Zoro! And she’s the perfect person to be on our crew!”

“Well, we’re here now, Luffy-”, the navigator said as she brought their small boat up to a dock that was only familiar to one of them. The captain eagerly didn’t even wait for a proper docking before jumping down to the stone and running off.

“LUFFY! And there he goes,” the navigator groaned in frustration.

“Great...Well, Zoro, you want to go after him or should I?”

“He’ll be back,” the swordsman deadpanned.

“What makes you so sure?”

“Cause he’s already coming back,” he pointed out as the captain ran back to their boat almost out of breath.

“Well, did you find her?”

“No…she’s gone. Her shelter is empty and her fireworks stash is gone too. All I found was this,” the captain only sounded slightly sad as he held a small box out.

“A box of matches?”

“Wait, you said fireworks,” the swordsman asked.

“Yeah, Zoro, why?”

“....oh my gods she’s the Firecracker,” the swordsman realized.

“YOUR GIRLFRIEND IS THE FIRECRACKER,” the navigator shouted in shock.

“She’s not my girlfriend, and yes she is the Firecracker. Did I forget to mention that,” the captain had a sheepish smile on his scarred face.

“Yeah, you did, idiot!”

“Nami, what’s wrong with her being the Firecracker,” the captain asked.

“Well between the Marines being after us and people gunning for the map, adding yet another somewhat known criminal to our little group might have been something worth mentioning,” the navigator explained with a huff.

“She’s not a criminal.”

“Then what, Luffy, is she?”

“She’s a disruptor,” the captain said with a grin.

“...and on that note, time for a nap,” the swordsman began to turn away from his crewmates.

“Zoro! I can’t be the only one who’s freaking out here! Talk some sense into him, please,” the navigator implored.

“Zoro,” the captain asked curiously.

“Do you trust Ruby,” the swordsman looked down at the captain with complete seriousness.

“Of course!”

“Then I trust you,” the swordsman affirmed.

“I guess I’m always going to be outvoted then, right,” the navigator said in aggravation.

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“Unbelievable…Luffy, what makes you so sure you’ll find her,” she addressed the captain.

“I just know. She’s living her dream right now and that’s all she ever wanted,” the captain said with a nod.

“What was her dream, then,” the navigator asked.

“To travel the world,” he answered easily.

“Well, getting away from her village is a good start.”

“Exactly, Nami! Maybe someday I will see her again. But if not, at least I know she’s out there living her dream,” the captain said as he looked out to the horizon, hoping someday that he would find her and he could help her achieve that dream.

Chapter Text

It’s been almost a week since I came here and life at Baratie has been good. I sing during dinner service. Five songs each night and prepping dinner service standing next to Sanji while they work on lunch service was good and helped to pass the time. The chef boy and I had also gotten pretty close, he was like the big brother I never had.

His favorite thing was cooking for me after hours when Zeff wasn’t around. It seemed like he was determined to figure out what I liked since I never had a home cooked meal before coming here. We’ve figured out a few things about what I actually liked in regards to food. I liked fruit, mainly apples and peaches; I was not a fan of most fish unless it was shellfish; and that steak was something I just didn’t understand the appeal of. Though that last part seemed to make Sanji laugh as he was very sick of cooking the same type of steak for everyone.

Something I discovered quite quickly was how different Sanji and Zeff were as cooks…as well as their arguments. They seemed to only hold back on my first day as, well, cause it was my first day. Something about good first impressions, I guess. They argued about a lot of things, mainly food, and how Sanji seemed to get kicked out of the kitchen and put on the waitstaff at least three times a week. Patty, one of the other cooks, said this had been a thing for as long as he’s known them, so I’d better get used to it. And boy, did I get used to it. Sanji seemed to not get as snippy when I was in the room, but the moment I left, I would be hearing the same crap about how “Oregano is for savages!” through the closed doors to the kitchen. Frankly, I didn’t understand it, but I also wasn’t a chef so it’s not like I had any room to comment. At some point, I just decided to roll my eyes and tune it out.

After a couple of days of working, I decided to explore instead of just sitting in my room. The restaurant was mostly just various dining rooms, but I did discover a hatch to the roof in the back of a storage closet. Opening it upwards, it led to the platform where the little lighthouse structure on the top of the floating restaurant stood. You could see every boat that came and went from up here. Reminded me of the rooftops I would jump across in my old village. It was also the perfect place to watch the run rise, if I was awake enough.

Today was my day off, which honestly suited me as I definitely need a day or so break from singing. And what better way to spend the day off than relaxing on my little rooftop lighthouse hideaway? It was almost mid-day and I had gotten up early to watch the sunrise before I laid down on the wooden floor to hopefully catch some sleep. That had been going quite well….that was until the little trap door opened up and I lifted my arm from its place over my eyes and spotted my blonde friend angrily climbing onto the rooftop. I rolled my eyes, “Make yourself right at home, why don’t you?”

I moved my arm back over my eyes, hearing him stop, “I didn’t know you were up here.”

“Where the hell do you think I go when I’m not in my room?”

“....good point,” he replied and I heard him take a few steps before the tell-tale sound of him taking out his own lighter. I took my arm off my face and looked over at him, seeing him about to light one of his many cigarettes, “You know I don’t like those.”

“And you know you’re too short to get them out of my hand, jewel,” he took a drag from the little stick and I slowly sat up, propping myself on my elbows, “Sanji got into another fight with Zeff, what a fucking surprise.”

He looked down at me with a very unamused expression on his face, “A lady shouldn't use such vulgarities.”

“We both know I’m no lady, chef boy,” I laughed as I stood up joining him as he leaned over the railing looking out over the ocean. He glanced at me before turning his face back to the ocean, “That skirt would say otherwise.”

“Alright, you win. So, what was it about this time,” I looked over at him, cocking my head to the side curiously. He took another drag from his cigarette and looked at me, “He gave me the day off.”

“And that’s a bad thing, why exactly,” I asked. I would think with as hard as he worked, he would want a day to just relax. He just kept a somewhat cranky expression, “I like being busy.”

“You like being in the kitchen,” I pointed out. Everyone knew how much he despised being a waiter when Zeff kicked him out of the kitchen. He didn’t say anything for a moment, just watched the ocean drift by. I looked out too, wondering if any interesting boats would come by beyond the horizon. Being in a place like this, it makes the East Blue look endless. This was the furthest I’ve gone ever. My thoughts were cut off as Sanji spoke again in that low accent of his, “You ever think about leaving this place?”

“Seems kind of silly asking me that considering I’ve only been here for a week,” I laughed. He also chuckled while looking down, “Yeah, but if you could, would you?”

I thought about that for a moment. I really liked it here, even if it was a little small. But it certainly wasn’t lonely. I had Sanji, I had the other staff, and I certainly never needed to worry about starving again. But leaving? Well, I guess I would only leave if I had to. If the Marines came by and found me, figuring out who I was, if something ever happened to this place where it wasn’t safe for me anymore...or if a boy I had been secretly hoping would show up came. I kept my eyes out towards the open sea, “I think I would only leave if I had to. If the right opportunity came along, or if it wasn’t safe for me to be here anymore. I want to travel the world, but I think I need to be here to wait for the right moment.”

He didn’t say anything for a minute. Just kept his eyes out towards the sea. He’d finished his cigarette by this point, flicking the butt down to the other balcony below us, “You ever heard of the All Blue?”

I shook my head, “No, what is it?”

“It’s a place where you can find ingredients from all four seas. East, West, North, and South. There’s fish there that have never been seen, spices that have never been cooked up, everything a chef could want,” he explained. I nodded along, listening. The All Blue sounds like the kind of place he would want to be in all the time. I looked at him, “So, why don’t you go?”

“That’s the problem, jewel. No one knows where it is. But I’m going to find it someday. That much I can promise you. I’ll find it and I’ll create the best recipes,” he replied, turning around and leaning against the railing. I looked up at him, “Well, you certainly aren’t going to find it here. Why don’t you leave?”

He looked at me like I had lost my marbles, “I can’t leave. Whether he likes it or not, Zeff needs me! This is just…a stepping stone, on the journey, that’s all.”

“You sound like you’re saying that more to yourself than anyone else,” I gave him a pointed look. I shook my head holding my hands up, “Look, I get it. This is your home and it’s mine now too. It’s not easy to give something like that up.”

“Ruby, I can’t just leave and go off to find the All Blue. This place needs me!”

“Sanji, I’m not saying you need to go right now. I’m just saying maybe you need to think about it,” I approached him gently and put a hand on his arm. His eyes connected with mine, “I’m your friend and I just want you to be happy. If finding the All Blue makes you happy, then I say go for it. Hell, I’ll come with you! I wanna see the world, after all. But if you want to stay here or you’re not ready yet, then that’s fine too.”

He just stared at me for a moment. It was almost like the way he stared at me when he first saw how thin I was, like he was seeing something I couldn’t. I raised an eyebrow, “What?”

“You’d really want me to go and you’d go with me if it makes me happy?”

“Of course. You’re my friend and someone’s gotta keep the chaos up between the two of us,” I laughed. He smiled down at me too, “What is it with you and chaos? You’ve talked about it a few times.”

I thought about it for a moment before moving over to a bench that was leaning against the lighthouse structure. I gestured to the spot next to me and Sanji sat down looking at me curiously, “Well…back home, I called myself a disruptor. Didn’t have a lot of friends or any family to speak of. Just me and my own thoughts.”

“That’s never a good sign,” he remarked and I smirked, lightly shoving his shoulder before continuing, “And well, things get boring when you see the same thing over and over and over again. In my little village, unless you were a tourist boat, you probably weren’t that interesting. So, I did what any kid would do and decided to make my own fun. Running around, stealing stuff, pulling tricks on sailors or Marines…blowing up things into the sky on unsanctioned holidays.”

I let that statement hang in the air for a moment, letting him put the pieces together. His eyes widened in realization, “Is that why you asked to put on a fireworks show when you got here?”

“Yep,” I replied and pulled out my little zippo lighter, flicking it on. The little flame sat there for a moment. I hadn’t used it since I left Dawn Island. I flicked it closed, letting the flame die out putting it back in my pocket, “I like chaos cause it makes things way more interesting. And fireworks are fun.”

“And you’ve made this place more interesting, I’ll say that much,” he remarked before looking out towards the sea. “How did you learn your songs anyway?”

“Remembering what the sailors in my village sang when they were working mostly. That and just letting stuff come to me, I guess.”

“It’s a remarkable talent, you know. Songs just coming to you, holding a room. You may not see me cause I’m in the kitchen or paying attention to tables, but I see it. Your voice, your words, people pay attention.”

That made me pause. I hadn’t really thought about it before. Maybe it was all the time I spent alone when I was a kid, maybe I just got lucky. But words…they’ve always just happened. I could never explain it. I looked at Sanji, who had a thoughtful expression on his face, “Thanks. I just hope it continues to help me out. Got me here, maybe it’ll get me to other places too.”

We were silent for a while after that. Just watching the ocean and the clouds roll by. His mood seemed to improve the longer we stood there. Talking about the All Blue with him seemed to help a lot. His eyes lit up when he mentioned it. It was nice to know he had his own dreams too. Though I wondered about how he wanted to go find the All Blue, but wasn’t willing to leave here to do it. Baratie, well, Zeff seemed to mean a lot to him. Though they had their fights, they did care about each other. You don’t let someone call you a little eggplant for years without some kind of history. Part of me wanted to ask, but the other part of me didn’t want to pry if he didn’t offer it first. I was like that too. I may answer questions about my past, but it’s not like I openly advertised the fact that I was a street kid from Dawn Island. Luffy was the only one outside of the village who knew.

Both of our thoughts were cut off as we heard the all too familiar half-steps of our boss walking out onto the front part of the restaurant below. I walked over to the edge of the level and spotted Zeff. I saw him pull out his own cigarette and start to light it. I called down to him, “Don’t tell me he gets his habit from you!”

Zeff turned around and looked up, spotting us. I waved with a smirk on my face, while Sanji seemed indifferent. Zeff just gave a sound of acknowledgement before turning his gaze towards me, “So that’s where you go off to when you’re not needed, little gem.”

“Found the hatch a few days ago.”

“Well, when you fancy coming down from your ivory tower, got a delivery for you,” I widened my eyes at his statement. I haven’t asked for anything and I knew Captain JoJo wasn’t due for a few more days. I nodded, “I’ll be down in a minute!”

Zeff just walked back inside and I started to head towards the hatch door. I looked at my blonde friend, “You coming?”

“I’ll be down soon. You go look at your surprise,” his signature smirk was back on his face. I raised an eyebrow, “Oh, so you know what this delivery is, and I don’t?”

He just chuckles a little, “Go on, jewel.”

I just roll my eyes and open the hatch door, climbing down the ladder into the storage closet. I looked back up to the sky through the hole for a second before closing it, leaving Sanji alone. I made my way down the upper levels to the main level and walked into the kitchen. A few of the staff were preparing for lunch service, but Zeff stood with a large box on the table where staff could eat on breaks. I walked over to him with a raised eyebrow, “Okay, what’s going on?”

Zeff got out a knife and started cutting the ribbons that were holding the box together, “A little birdie told me you didn’t own anything that quite matched the decor. Figured you’d want to at least match the dining room. Can’t be having you singing to the customers in rags.”

The box came apart and I peered inside. My eyes widened, “Oh wow…”

I reached in and pulled out three dresses, all gorgeous and definitely the most formal things I’d ever seen, let alone would wear, in my life. I looked up at Zeff who kept his mouth turned in it’s usual downward manner, but his eyes held a little bit of pride in them, “I kept them in your usual color scheme, as you can see.”

I wordlessly nodded and looked at each of them. All were short, coming to about my knees, all red and black. One with a red base and a simple black ribbon around the middle, one with a black base and red fabric roses coming up the skirt, and the last one was equally red and black alternating sparkles in each color. I carefully placed each one in the box and just looked up at Zeff, “Thank you, Zeff. They’re beautiful.”

“You’re sure to light up the dining room in those, jewel,” we both looked over and saw Sanji leaning against one of the counters. He must have come in without me noticing. Zeff’s prideful gaze turned sour, “I told you to stay out of the kitchen today.”

“And I wanted to see how much of a disaster you ordering dresses for a teenage girl would be but I guess we both aren’t getting what we want,” the blonde boy narrowed his eyes at the older man. This was going to get really heated really quickly. I moved and stood between them, “Okay, I am stepping in here. Zeff, thank you very much for these. They’ll definitely come in handy when I’m working. And Sanji, take days off when you are offered them or I swear to the gods themselves, I will kick you the same way you kicked those drunkards out two days ago. Are we clear on that?”

They kept their eyes glaring at each other for a moment before slowly backing off. I nodded, “Good. Now, let’s let these guys get back to lunch service and enjoy the rest of our day off, hmm?”

I walked over and grabbed the box my dresses were in, taking it out of the kitchen and calling behind me, “Come on, chef boy! I’m not doing a fashion show by myself!”

I heard him sigh and follow me as I walked to the “Staff Only” door and up the stairs with the box, heading to my room. Sanji begrudgingly followed after me, closing the door behind him. I set the box down on my bed and took out the red dress with the black ribbon. I glanced up at Sanji and he was sitting on top of the chest. I still kept my clothes and collection of berry inside, “Oh don’t give me that face! He did good, admit it!”

The blonde boy just gave a solemn nod looking at the dress, “I’ll admit it, he kept your taste the way you like it. Though, I’m not sure what you’re going to do about shoes.”

“It would take one of the seven warlords to pry my boots from my feet,” I replied with a deadpan. These things may have faded from black to a charcoal gray, but I have had them since I was 14 and stopped growing. I opened up the wardrobe and dug through some of the drawers, “I know I saw something in here earlier...got it!”

I pulled out a couple of pairs of tights that had been left behind by a previous employee. Black and gray mesh that would go perfect with the dresses and allow me to keep the tough look that I normally kept up. I wasn’t a little flower that was delicate. I was the Firecracker…not that Sanji needed to know that. I laid the dress out on the bed and threw the gray mesh tights on top of it, “What do you think?”

“You’ll certainly stand out in the dining room,” he replied with only slight hesitance. I smirked looking at him, “That was the point!”

He laughs a little seeing my excitement, “You know, there are times where I can read you like a book, but it’s times like these where you still manage to surprise me.”

I grab the dress and put it back on the box, shoving it over so I can sit on the bed and look at him, “What do you mean?”

He looks at me seriously, “Jewel, it’s quite obvious what kind of life you had before Sincro picked you up. You may hide it, but any chef worth their salt can see how starving you were when you came here. I just happen to be the lucky one who is uncovering what it is you actually like.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. These weren’t judgement statements, there were mere observations. I did tend to eat fast, just out of habit mainly. Sanji and Zeff, for that matter, constantly had to remind me to slow down. It wasn’t going to be easy breaking that habit, even if there was no chance of me starving anymore. I looked at him just as seriously, “And?”

“You don’t seem the type to like dresses and that kind of thing. That’s all,” he threw his hands up trying to tell me not to shoot the messenger. A small laugh just bubbled out of me, “No, you’re right. I wear shredded up tops and an old worn down jacket with paint splatters on it. It’s just that…I haven’t ever had anything that’s been truly mine before. You, Zeff, and Captain JoJo have been so kind to me. I’ve only known one other person to show me that level of kindness and I don’t even know if I’ll ever see him again. It’s just nice knowing that all of you are there for me, even if you don’t know me that well.”

The chef boy smiled and pointed to me, “Knew it.”

I raised an eyebrow, “What?”

“You, my little jewel, are in love!”

My eyes widened and I almost choked, “What the heck are you talking about?!”

He had that signature smirk on his face, “That one other person who’s shown you kindness? I always suspected there was someone in your heart. Could see it in your eyes.”

I stuttered and could feel my face heating up, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, chef boy. And you’re one to talk about love when you can’t even get a girl to invite you back to her boat after serving her cocktails!”

“You’re not turning this around on me, jewel! You know exactly what I’m talking about,” he glanced up and down at me. I rolled my eyes and scoffed, “No, Sanji, I don’t. Love isn’t a thing for me, especially your kind of love. It just isn’t a thing.”

He completely ignored what I said, reminding me of the big brothers who picked on their siblings on the playground I saw when I was a kid, “He’s nice right? You said he was kind so he has to be nice. He better be cause if he isn’t and he shows up here, if you don’t get him, I will.-”

“Sanji-”

“You said you haven’t seen him in a long time so you probably met him in your home village. Which means you left him or he left you, but it wasn’t a bad parting since you speak of him so fondly-”

“SANJI,” I snapped, crossing my arms, making him look at me. He could definitely see the angry and sad expression on my face. Angry because he wasn’t listening to me, and sadness because he wasn’t that far off from how I had been feeling about Luffy. He hasn’t left my head at all since he sailed away, and I missed him. Is it possible to miss someone you only met for a day? Did he miss me? Did he think about me as much as I thought about him? I looked down, “Just…stop, okay?”

His eyes widened seeing my face. He just nodded, “Alright. Apologies, jewel. I thought you’d be happy to talk about him.”

I paused. I was happy whenever I spoke of Luffy, even thinking about him brought a smile to my face. But that wasn’t love. It couldn’t be. Love wasn’t a thing for street kids. And love certainly wasn’t a thing for pirates, even if Luffy wasn’t your typical pirate. Even though he was so sweet and kind….and sometimes I still felt the cold I felt when he let go of my hand. It couldn’t be a thing, no. Not for us. Not for him. Not for me. I brought my face back up to look at the chef boy, “Love isn’t in the cards for me. It just can’t be. And talking about him does make me happy, but I also don’t know where he is. If he even thinks about me the same way I do with him. I miss him, Sanji. A lot. Even if he did go back for me, he wouldn’t know where to find me now. Could be years before I see him again.”

Sanji was silent for a moment looking down, thinking about what I said. All he knew about Luffy was that I did care for him, that we had been apart for some stretch of time, and that I didn’t want to sit there longing, even if my mind wandered to him a lot. He looked up at me, “Sorry, Ruby. I didn’t know. You tend to wear your heart on your sleeve, and yet there’s still something guarding that heart of yours. Sometimes I forget that.”

“How poetic,” I let a small smile come back to my face. All was forgiven. He was only trying to help. Something told me he could sense my missing Luffy, even if I didn’t think he could see it. He laughed seeing me smile, “All is forgiven, jewel?”

“All is forgiven, chef boy,” I replied, walking to stand in front of him. With him sitting on the chest and me standing, I almost towered over him, unlike what normally happened. I leaned forward and hugged him close, his arms coming around me at the unexpected contact. I got a little bit of an idea, one that would improve my mood immensely. As I pulled away, I grabbed his little box of cigarettes right out of his pocket. I held them up with a grin and his eyes widened and he started to stand up, “Ruby, give them back.”

I kept up my smile while backing towards the door, “Nope, I think I’ll keep them and break you of your little habit.”

“Ruby…,” he gave me a warning tone and stood up to his full height now. He glared his eyes at me and that’s when I booked it, running out of the room and down the stairs, calling behind me, “Gotta catch me first, Sanji!”

I heard his footsteps behind me trying to keep up with me. He may have been taller than me, but I had speed from years of running from sailors and Marines. I pushed open the staff only door running through the dining room, not even giving a glance to the few customers we had inside for lunch.

“JEWEL!”

I laughed as I ran up the stairs towards the front entrance heading outside. I looked around and ran around the wood platform crouching down behind some barrels. I stayed silent as I heard the door opening along with the unmistakable footsteps of my blonde friend as he looked around, calling out, “Very mature of you, Ruby. Come on, give them back.”

I smirked and yelled out back to him, running to a few crates as I did, “Why should I? I proved you wrong, I’m not too short to grab them from you.”

“I’ll make you the best dessert in my repertoire! Anything you want!”

I laughed and stood up, standing on top of the crates. He turned around and crossed his arms, looking up at me, “I promise I’ll make you whatever you want for dessert tonight, just give them back.”

I held up the box of smoke sticks and waved them tauntingly, grinning down at him, “Apple and peach tarts with ice cream?”

He held out his hand to me, glancing around like he couldn’t predict what I was going to do next. He now knew I liked to cause chaos cause it made things more interesting, and this was definitely in my brand of fun, “With chocolate melted on top. Please?”

I stood back thinking for a moment, making him sigh in frustration. I had a look of pure mischief in my eyes, I knew that much and I could tell he didn’t like it. Frankly, that just made it more fun for me. With that, I simply just dropped the box with an “oops!”, and jumped for the first time since I’ve left my village.

“Ruby-”, I heard him call out as I jumped higher than he had probably ever seen. I was very careful in aiming where I landed, landing with one knee bent crouching only a few feet away from him. I turned around and his eyes were wide and his jaw was positively dropped. I laughed seeing his expression, “Hey, I gave them back, didn’t I?”

“How did you do that,” He almost stuttered while he struggled to slip the little box back into his pocket, far away from my greedy hands. I laughed, sauntering over to him, “Years of practice. How do you think I managed to get away with my disruption?”

He blinked a few times, still not fully comprehending what he had seen. Not sure how many Devil Fruit eaters he had met in his life, but given his reaction, it probably wasn’t many. Not that I was going to tell him unless I had to. I just smirked up at him, “Some of us still have our secrets, chef boy.”

“Apparently.”

I gently patted him on the shoulder, a grin across my face, “What was that about making whatever I want for dessert tonight?”

He just looked down at me and nodded with a chuckle under his breath, “A promise is a promise, jewel.”

He threw his arm around me pulling me next to him, “But you are at least going to help me with the tarts.”

“Fair enough,” I laughed until something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. The sky had started to turn into the usual colors of pink and orange signalling the sun would be setting soon. I broke away from Sanji and looked west of us, “Wow.”

I’d never get over seeing a clear sunset over the water. The colors of yellow, orange, pink, and purple were always gorgeous to me, even if I didn’t wear them. We lived in a strange world filled with pirates and people with crazy powers, but some things remained constant. Sunsets were something I always enjoyed looking at even in my old village, but seeing it here at Baratie was something else. It was like things were clearer somehow. The colors were more vibrant, the clouds more full, the water clearer than ever, even if I couldn’t swim in it. I heard Sanji step over next to me looking out too, “It is pretty, jewel.”

“I’ll never stop loving this. I didn’t get to do this that much when I was a kid. Always so focused on surviving…I’m glad I get to do this now.”

“And you have just helped me come up with the name of your dessert for tonight,” he replied. I looked over at him questioningly, “Oh?”

“Sunset Tarts,” he smirked looking down at me. I smiled and wrapped an arm around his waist as we continued to watch the sun go down. Sanji was a good friend, probably the best friend I’ve ever had. Maybe he would find the All Blue someday, and maybe I’d go with him. After all, I want to travel the world. What would be a better way to see it than through that journey?

~Elsewhere~

The liar spoke, “She’s gorgeous, and she’s super smart. And she has the best laugh. But, I mean, you don’t think she, like, like likes me, do you?”

“You’re asking the wrong guy,” the swordsman replied.

“Okay, but if you were Kaya would you like me?”

“I already like you,” the captain in the straw hat chimed in.

“That’s not what I…nevermind,” the liar shrugged.

The swordsman spoke, “Usopp, you’d be better off asking Luffy.”

“Me? Why would Usopp want to ask me,” the captain wondered.

“You’re the one who has a girlfriend.”

“Zoro, Ruby isn’t my girlfriend,” the captain gave the swordsman a look as if to say they had been over this already.

“Who’s Ruby,” the liar asked.

“A friend I met before Zoro and Nami. She’s fast, loves fireworks, and I want to find her again,” the captain replied.

“What does she look like?”

“Red and black hair…big blue eyes…and a smile that makes you unable to figure out what her next move is,” the captain looked off into the distance, almost speaking dreamily by the end.

“Luffy, you’ve got that look again,” the swordsman smirked.

“What-no! I do not, Zoro!”

“She sounds really cool, Luffy. Hope you find her,” the liar said.

“Hopefully, I will.”

Another ping was heard as the liar launched a bean into a hanging pan.

Chapter Text

Two days have gone by since Sanji’s and my day off. It’s another typical day at the restaurant. Lunch service was starting and Zeff was letting me perform during the day shift for the second day in a row. Normally, I’d only be doing dinner service, but some customers who stay the whole day requested to hear me earlier. Apparently, lunch service was too quiet. I was going to start soon but Sanji had been experimenting as always and I was curious about what he’d be making. As I had been doing for the past few days, I snuck into the kitchen watching my friend and the others cook. Though this time, I was wearing one of the new dresses Zeff ordered for me. Today, I had on the black and red sparkly dress with some black tights and my boots. I leaned over looking at Sanji as he was slicing up what looked to be fish into triangle size cuts, “I’m guessing that’s not for me to try today.”

“Not today, jewel,” he said as he continued to cut the fish up. He looked up at me and smiled seeing which dress I chose for today, “Someone’s looking quite fetching today.”

“Only today? Sanji, I’ll have you know that I am a woman of taste,” I put my hand on my chest in mock offense. He smiled at my response and looked over at the seating area for employees, “Your lunch is right over there.”

I followed his eyeline and smiled seeing the plate with a few small sandwiches on there, “You’re the best!”

I walked over and sat down hearing him reply, “I try.”

“And you succeed,” I exclaimed as I slid the plate closer to me. He never made anything too intense for me when he knew I wore any of the nicer outfits for performing. Looked like ham and cheese with poppy seeds scattered throughout. I started eating and thinking about what I was going to sing this afternoon. I had a couple in mind, some that were songs I remember hearing some of the sailors do back on Dawn Island. I heard Sanji call over to me as he started mixing spices in a bowl, “And what melodies will our resident gem be gracing us with today?”

“Starting with something gentle and slow for those upstairs, then I’ve got something fun for the main dining room,” I smiled as the two songs popped into my head. Not any crafted from my own thoughts this time, but still good ones, I thought. I glanced at the clock, seeing it was close to 2pm, when I needed to be upstairs, “Shit!”

“Better finish up, jewel. Don’t want to be late,” I heard my blonde friend drawl as he started cooking the bowl of sauce he had been preparing. I rolled my eyes and quickly finished up my last sandwich and swallowed the glass of water next to the plate. I got up and dusted off my dress making sure there was nothing on it, glancing into the reflection of a pot on the wall that there were no poppyseeds in my teeth, “Okay, I’m good! See you guys in a bit!”

I quickly made my way out of the kitchen and headed towards the stairs of the dining room, thanking every god above and below the sea that Zeff wasn’t seeing me. I passed by our host, a nice fishman named Roi, who quickly followed me to the main upper dining room to introduce me. I nodded to him as he led me over to an open area in the center of the smaller part of the restaurant, “And now, ladies and gentlemen, I present your entertainment for the afternoon, our very own, Miss Ruby.”

A few customers clapped seeing me in my sparkly dress to which I smiled in response, “Thank you! Enjoy your meals!”

I took a deep breath and remembered a song I heard a few of the sailors sing while on the dock, hitting cups to keep the beat. While I didn’t have a cup, I did have the tempo in my head, though I slowed it down for the sake of the atmosphere of Baratie.

“I’ve got my ticket for the long way ‘round
Two bottle of whiskey for the way
And I sure would like some sweet company
And I’m leavin’ tomorrow
What do you say…”

I heard a few guests clap a little, recognizing the song. Some of them must have been on the seas for awhile. I kept up my smile and continued, turning a little to see more of the customers.

“When I’m gone
When I’m go–one
You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone
You’re gonna miss me by my hair
You’re gonna miss me everywhere
Oh
You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone…”

As time went on, I kept up the song, letting the guests enjoy their meals. Before I knew it, I was on the second song I had saved for the upper dining room customers. A few had listened, pausing in their meal to bring tips to the bowl Roi had set out for tips for me, which earned them a wink and a smile from me. Extra berry was always nice, even if I didn’t need to spend it right away. I was wrapping up the last song for the upper diners just as Roi came back from downstairs to signal me it was time to move.

“-I could do about anything
I could even learn how to love like you
Love like you
Love me like you…”

I took a bow with a smile and grabbed my bowl, taking Roi’s extended hand. He remarked with a smile, “Thank you, Miss Ruby. Unfortunately, it’s time for her to grace the rest of Baratie with her presence.”

I waved to the diners and grabbed my bowl just as a few put some last tips in, “Thank you!”

I looked over at Roi who appeared to have a bit of a grimace while sipping from a glass of water that one of the waiters left for him, “You okay?”

“Oh, yes. I’m fine, Miss Ruby. Just hope that Zeff doesn’t have my behind for seating a few people not on the docket for today,” he replied as I raised an eyebrow in question. I crossed my arms, “You’re worried about a few walk-ins? Roi, I’m sure they aren’t that bad.”

He gave me a look that said he hoped I was right, but he still seemed to grimace at the thought of Zeff yelling at him. I gently patted his shoulder about to say something when my attention was taken hearing two of the customers arguing about seating. Roi and I looked over the balcony railing and saw two men, one with pink hair and a blue shirt and the other in a long coat, pirate hat and an orange beard. My eyes got wide until relief washed over me seeing Sanji trying to soothe the situation over, “Now, now, gentlemen. You know the rules here. We don’t waste food, and there is no fighting at Baratie.”

“No. This ain’t gonna be a fight. I’m just going to kill him,” the orange bearded man growled at my friend. The pink haired man immediately shot back, “I’d like to see you try.”

I immediately wanted to jump down and blow up one of my little cracklers in their faces for speaking that way to my friend. He already wouldn’t be in a good mood since I could tell he had been kicked out of the kitchen again and was relegated to waiting tables. My eyes narrowed and Roi stood next to me grimacing, “Oh dear.”

Sanji, however, kept up his normal cool headed attitude, “I’d like to pour you each a glass of Ithurzburger Stein. On the house.”

The orange bearded man seemed to concede, “Okay, I’ll have that drink…after he apologizes for his bad manners!”

“Over my dead body,” the pink haired man replied with a glare, quickly reaching for something on his waist. I was about to run down the stairs but Sanji immediately went into defense mode. He kicked down the gun, nailed the bearded man in the gut then face, then made sure the pink haired man stayed down by kicking his head down. He then turned to the blonde woman who had been sitting at the table in question. Honestly, I hadn’t noticed her until now and hoped she wasn’t too frightened by the encounter. Sanji took a breath and cooled off instantly, which I really did admire about him. I had a bit too much of a temper compared to him. By now, he had grabbed a plate of rolls and was reassuring the customers that there wasn’t any cause for alarm. I saw him walk over to a table that was out of my view and breathed a sigh of relief. I turned back to Roi, trying to keep him calm, “It’ll be fine. See? That’s probably the most exciting thing that’s going to happen today.”

“You’re probably right, Miss Ruby. Are you ready to be introduced?”

I nodded with a smile and moved towards the stairs standing at the top of it. I saw Roi turn towards the lower dining room looking down for a moment, before he whistled in a low tone. After he wrapped up grabbing the orders from his table, Sanji looked up and saw me. His fake smile seemed to turn at least a little cheerful before he stepped out to the center of the dining room, “Now, everyone, please allow me to welcome our own little jewel of Baratie to be your entertainment for the afternoon and evening!”

I took that as my cue and started stepping down towards the lower dining room. I opened my mouth and was ready for the fun this song would hopefully bring to the dining room. I kept a playful smile as I started slow, remembering the words to this song I heard a band on Dawn Island play in one of the taverns.

“You can’t take my past
You can’t take my history
You can take my Pa
But his name’s a myst’ry…”

I heard some of the diners stop eating to see just what entertainment they were in for. I had a mischievous smile on my face as I turned around looking at an area I hadn’t been seeing before.

“Nothin’ you can take from me
Was ever worth keeping
No nothing’ you can take
Was ever worth
Keepin’...”

I started to strut around the dining room, making some people laugh as I made my own music by stomping my feet with my boots. They were heavy enough that they made an audible sound. I saw Sanji laugh from his spot pouring a few glasses of water from a pitcher to a table.

“Can’t take my charm
Can’t take my humor
Can’t take my wealth
Cause it’s just a rumor…”

I heard a few customers keeping up the beat with their own stomping and a few clapping as I raised my hands above my head to clap along. I stopped in front of the back wall facing everyone except those in seats not facing me. I looked up and there was a guy with green hair and three swords on his waist stone cold staring at me with a raised eyebrow. I tried not to let his gaze deter me from having my fun.

“Nothin’ you can take was ever worth keepin’
No, nothin’ you can take was ever worth keepin’...”

I saw Sanji saunter over to me and had his signature smirk on his face. He’d heard me practicing this song one night in my room, I’m sure. The customers kept up the beat with their own stomping as I pointed at Sanji, making him laugh as he saw me make the choice to turn him into a prop in my number.

“Thinkin’ your so fine
Thinkin’ you can have mine
Thinkin’ you’re in control…”

I laughed as he held out a hand and I took it, smiling as he twirled me under his arm. I smiled as I left his grip but pointed my stomping feet immediately towards him, like I was going to step on his feet on purpose.

“Thinkin’ you’ll change me
Maybe rearrange me
Think again if that’s your goal…”

He laughed and stepped away back over towards the kitchen as I continued making my way around the dining room smiling at the customers. I made my way over towards the table where the green haired man was sitting as I vocalized sounds to the beat of the song.

“Ooh
Ee…”

I turned to face the table where the green haired man sat and immediately froze. My heart stopped as I saw the familiar scarred face. My hands immediately flew to my mouth even as I continued to make sounds. Oh my gods…it was Luffy! Sitting there with his own slack jawed expression as his chocolate brown eyes connected with my baby blue. I couldn’t believe it! He was here! He was right in front of me! Straw hat and all! My body may have stopped moving but my voice hadn’t stopped vocalizing. His right hand moved to the boy sitting next to him’s shoulder, gripping it tightly. That boy had darker skin, a three pointed maroon hat on and a long coat matching it. He looked at Luffy for a second, then back at me and did a double take before his jaw dropped. A girl with orange hair and a pink shirt was sitting next to him and her eyes were very wide seeing me. The green haired man with the swords kept his monotone expression but his eyes held a recognition to them. I came to my own realization at that moment. Luffy did it. He had a crew! His own crew! My heart skipped a beat in joy! My hands dropped and the biggest grin on my face broke out as I continued to sing.

“Can’t take my sass
Can’t take my talkin’
You can kiss my ass
And keep on walkin’...”

A big smile broke out on Luffy’s face too as he heard me sing. He hadn’t ever heard me and he seemed to enjoy it given the look in his eyes. It seemed like we were the only two people in the room. I wanted to hug him right now, but I couldn’t. He looked like he wanted to do the same, but the boy in the three pointed hat was visibly holding Luffy’s shoulder to keep him sitting in their booth. I kept my playful demeanor as hesitantly turned so I wasn’t facing just his table and facing out towards the others, but I could still feel his eyes on me.

“Nothin’ you can take from me is worth dirt
Take it, cause I’d give it free, it won’t hurt
Nothin’ you can take was ever worth keepin’
No, nothin’ you can take was ever worth
Keepin’...”

I started vocalizing as I made one last once around the dining room doing the last fun bits of stomping to the beat with the customers. After one last large stomp, I took a bow signalling the customers to applaud. I quickly walked around to the tables thanking them and taking a few tips and tossing them in my little tip bowl Roi had brought down sometime during the number. I did one last smile at a table before I ran across the dining room back to Luffy’s table. He saw me coming and already stood, getting out from the booth as I almost threw him to the ground with how hard I hugged him. He hugged me back just as tightly, “Ruby!”

“Hi, Luffy,” I excitedly and softly spoke into his shoulder. I pulled away and looked at him. He was wearing a pair of blue overalls and a red shirt with those old brown shoes I remembered from last time. I couldn’t keep the smile off my face as the boy who never left my head stood in front of me for the first time since he sailed away, “I can’t believe it!”

He kept his hands on my elbows, holding me close as he looked at me too, “You’re actually here!”

“I know!”

“You’re standing in front of me!”

“I know!”

“You’re in a dress!”

I laughed and moved my arms so he could hold my hands, “Yeah, I’m in a dress.”

I heard the snapping of fingers and we both looked over and saw the other members of his crew looking at us expectantly. We turned and he dropped my right hand but still felt him holding my left. Luffy shook his head and looked at his friends, “Oh right! Crew, this is Ruby.”

I smiled and waved at everyone. I saw the orange haired girl look down and see Luffy hadn’t let go of my hand and smirked. The dark haired boy that was sitting next to Luffy stuck out his hand and spoke confidently, “They call me Captain Usopp.”

I firmly shook his hand and glanced at Luffy who just took in a breath with slight frustration, “Hi. I thought Luffy would be the captain.”

“We’re co-captains,” Usopp replied with a nervous laugh. I see, someone was a bit of a liar. Well, when you’re in the pirate business, you do have to lie sometimes. That I did know. The orange haired girl cut off my thoughts, “I’m Nami.”

“She’s our navigator,” Luffy said excitedly. I smiled at him then looked over at the guy with three swords, “And you are?”

“Roronoa Zoro,” he replied in a monotone voice, looking me up and down. I smiled looking at them, “Well, I am very happy to see that Luffy got a crew!”

“We have a ship too! Do you want to see it,” Luffy squeezed my hand excitedly. I was about to answer when Nami cut me off, “Maybe after we eat considering you ordered one of everything?”

My eyes widened and looked over at the boy in the straw hat in shock, “One of everything? Seriously?”

He just shrugged with that slightly naive look in his eyes that always seemed a bit present, “I’m hungry.”

I just chuckled a little and nodded. I only hoped they were able to pay for all of that. They seemed like a good bunch of friends for him. I just hoped that my first impression of them was as true as I hoped. My thoughts were cut off as Nami spoke, “Luffy hasn’t stopped talking about you, you know.”

I could feel my face heating up, “O-Oh?”

I glanced over at Luffy and his face seemed just as red as mine, but he still hadn’t let go of my hand. It was like he didn’t want to let go. Nami got a smirk on her face, “Yep, we even went back to your village looking for you.”

My heart almost stopped as my mouth opened in shock. He had them go back to look for me? He actually kept his promise? I turned to face him, “You kept your promise.”

He looked down for a second and I could see his reddened cheeks, “I told you I would look for you.”

I squeezed his hand looking at him, “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” he remarked and squeezed it back. I would have said more if a certain blonde chef/waiter didn't interrupt the moment by bringing over their drink orders, “Alright, I’ve got three beers, water and a glass of milk.”

I stepped out of his way and tugged Luffy with me as Sanji passed out the drinks to everyone. He looked over at us and did a double take seeing Luffy and I holding hands. I cleared my throat and he looked at me with a spark of recognition in his eyes. He knew exactly who I was talking to, “Now, jewel, as much as I love it when you interact with your audience, it might be time to give your friend here time for the first course? It is time for you to take your performance to the outside patrons.”

My face dropped as I remembered the routine Zeff and I had planned out for today. Two numbers upstairs, one on the main floor, two outside, then one on the main floor again. Then a break for a few hours before doing just a few songs for dinner service. I looked at Luffy who almost looked just as deflated as me. I squeezed his hand in reassurance, “I’m not leaving again. And from the looks of it, you’re going to be here awhile. I’ll be around.”

He reluctantly nodded and let go of my hand to go back to his seat on the edge of the booth. He looked like all he wanted was for me to sit and eat with him and his friends. And while I wish I could, I had a job here first. I leaned over and squeezed his shoulder, “I’ll see you after my last number, okay?”

He looked up at me, smiling that goofy smile he always had, “Okay! Then I’ll tell you how we defeated this clown pirate!”

I laughed and pulled away from the table, waving to the others, “I’ll see you guys later!”

I grabbed my tip bowl as I walked over to the waiters’ station where Sanji held out a glass of water for me. I narrowed my eyes at him as I grabbed it and took a sip, “Don’t even start.”

“That’s him isn’t it. The boy in the straw hat. That’s the boy you told me about,” He asked as I drank the last of it, “I told you don’t you start!”

“Jewel, come on,” he implored looking at me. I sighed, throwing my head back, “Yes. That’s him. So be nice!”

“I’m always nice,” he huffed as he heard the first orders for Luffy’s table get called out, “Duty calls.”

I rolled my eyes and left to head out towards the bar and do the only number on the docket for them. This time of day, not a lot of people were out there due to the heat and the glare of the sun. Made my job easy as this was the only area where they allowed me to sit where the sun wouldn’t bother me. I nodded to the bartender as I placed my tip bowl on the counter next to my seat. I slid the stool to face out towards the open mouth of the fish head bar. There were not that many people outside, as I thought. I smirked as an idea came to me about the first song I should sing. Given how happy I was about my friend coming here with his crew, I kept a playful tone as I started my set.

“What do we do with a drunken sailor
What do we do with a drunken sailor
What do we do with a drunken sailor
Early in the mornin’...”

Time went on as I sang both songs set for the outdoor part of the restaurant. The patrons outside were more interested in watching the boats than really paying attention to me, so tips weren’t the best but that honestly didn’t dampen my mood at all. Luffy was here! Really here and not just in my memories! I nodded to the bartender, grabbing my bowl and heading back inside. I spotted the group’s table and saw that Luffy was still happily chowing down on his plate of what looked to be some kind of chicken dish. The others, on the other hand, definitely seemed to be nearing a food coma. I laughed a bit, seeing that Zoro looked like he was almost falling asleep. I walked over to the table, “Anyone want seconds?”

Nami raised her head from its spot leaning back against the top of the booth, “Please no. I can hardly think right now.”

I laughed and looked over at Luffy who somehow seemed even brighter now that I was standing closer to him, “These guys learned your appetite real quick didn’t they, Stretch?”

“You get to eat this stuff every day?! You’re so lucky!”

“Well, not every day and certainly not the entire menu,” I laughed a bit, only imagining the amount of dishes that were being added to a pile in the kitchen. My thoughts were cut off as I felt a tap on my shoulder, “Your glass of water, as requested.”

I turned and it was Sanji with my usual water. I happily took the glass and sipped it, seeing him smirk, “What?”

“Oh, nothing. Just noticed you’re smiling quite a bit today. I wonder why that is,” he teased with the usual look in his eyes. He glanced from me to Luffy and I glared at him, “Don’t you have other tables you need to bug?”

“Don’t you have one last song for the day,” he shot back at me. I could feel my face heating up again as I continued to narrow my eyes at him. I felt something on my arm and I looked over. Luffy was looking at me with those big brown eyes full of wonder, “You’re going to sing again?”

“Just one more in here then I’m off for the night,” I replied, handing my bowl and glass to Sanji as he left to put them in a spot I could easily reach. He immediately smiled hearing that, “Then after, can I show you our ship?”

“Wouldn’t miss it! Now if you’ll excuse me, Captain,” I nodded my head and headed over to the center of the dining. I brought my hands together in a loud clap, gaining the attention of the other patrons, “Alright, I’ve got one more left in me for tonight. Make sure to tip your waitstaff and of course a tip for me wouldn’t hurt either!”

A few customers laughed for a moment before a sound started me. Loud cheering coming from a certain straw hat wearing boy. I laughed and sent a smile over to his table as he held up a piece of meat on the bone, waving it excitedly. I shook my head in amusement and turned back to the rest of the dining room, “If you’ve been sailing across the four seas, you probably know this one.”

I took a deep breath and began, remembering one of the many sea shanties Captain JoJo and his crew taught me.

“There once was a ship that was put to sea
And the name of the ship was the Billy O’ Tea
The winds blew hard
Her bow dipped down
Oh, blow my bully boys blow…”

I heard a few people making sounds of recognition and some even clapped along with the unheard beat I was keeping. I started walking around the main floor clapping along with everyone else, keeping the lead.

“Soon may the wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguin’ is done
We’ll take our leave and go…”

I went through all the verses people seemed to know and even saw Nami cracking a smile at that. Zoro just kept his eyes on me, as if he were assessing me, while Ussop kept eating and occasionally clapping along. Luffy, by far, seemed to be paying the most attention, even as he continued to munch on whatever number steak he was on. As the song came to its end, I took a bow and walked around with my tip bowl, taking what berry I could and thanking everyone for listening. I walked back over to Sanji who was printing out a bill for a table using one of the snail printers, a rather long bill at that. I raised an eyebrow at him and he just looked down, “You better hope your boyfriend can pay for all of this, jewel.”

“He’s not my boyfriend, chef boy,” I rolled my eyes at him. He just shrugged and continued working, like he didn’t hear what I said. I just continued sipping my water from before, “When are you off?”
“Once my last table leaves, as always,” he grumbled. I knew exactly why he was still upset. He still wasn’t happy being kicked out of the kitchen for the day…again. I gently touched my hand to his arm, “You still got prep tonight, right? You guys need as many hands as you can get and there’s no way the boss man will want you out then.”

He sighs and looks down as the last of the bill prints, “I hope you’re right, Ruby.”

“I normally am. Now, I am off and have a ship to tour once you finish up with their table, so if you’ll excuse me,” I headed around the back part of the dining room going to the door to the staff quarters, overhearing Luffy loudly proclaiming to his crew, “To the best crew sailing on the sea and to our victory! Yeah!”

I laughed hearing that and closed the door, heading up the stairs to my room. I stuffed the berry I collected from the day into one of the drawers in the wardrobe. Thankfully, my dress didn’t have a high zipper so I easily was able to slip out of it before throwing my red tank on along with my jacket and some old black pants that were only slightly ripped. I quickly fluffed up my hair getting a few knots out with my fingers before my attention was taken by what sounded to be Zeff yelling in the dining room. He never did that unless someone royally pissed him off. I finished up with my hair headed out and to the main dining room, feeling much more comfortable in my normal clothes. I walked over to Luffy’s table and saw everyone but the boy himself, “Uh, where’s Luffy?”

“Your boyfriend doesn’t exactly have the funds to pay off the bill,” Nami explained, annoyed at the situation. My eyes widened at that, and not just at Luffy’s lack of berry. I gulped, narrowing my eyes at her, “Have you been talking to Sanji?”

“Why would I talk with the waiter?”

I shook my head, “Nevermind, where did he go?”

Zoro nodded his head towards the kitchen doors, “Your boss grabbed him and took him in there. If I were to guess, he’s working to pay off his debt.”

I sighed and brought a hand to pinch the bridge of my nose, “He better not piss Zeff off more than he already has. Man’s got a temper the size of Shells Town when the mood suits him.”

“No kidding, he seemed really pissed,” I heard Usopp remark. I looked back up at the group, “Look, I know you guys don’t know me, but I can tell you he’s at least safe here. I’ll make sure he comes back to your ship whole, okay?”

Zoro nods at that, “Good. We’ll be at the bar.”

I nodded to the group and headed over to the kitchen, pushing open the doors…walking right into an argument between Zeff and Sanji. I almost groaned not wanting to hear what is definitely a rehashing of old wounds, “Let me back on the line or I’ll walk.”

“You can walk right back into the ocean for all I care. You cook another meal like that in my kitchen and it’s going right where the last one did,” Zeff angrily stated. I looked around spotting Luffy standing by an enormous pile of dishes next to a sink staring down at a plate that still had food on it. It actually looked like the triangle cut meat that Sanji was making earlier. Zeff definitely held up his promises, throwing it away. Luffy then stuck his finger onto the plate and brought it up to his mouth, tasting the sauce as Sanji spoke, “You can keep me out of the kitchen all you like. I’ll never be a waiter!”

“Well, it’s fine by me cause you sure as hell will never be a cook in my restaurant! Now have you got it,” Zeff stared down Sanji until my friend just clenched his jaw and walked away. I looked at Zeff and opened my mouth to say something but he just gave me a look that said if I said even one word, he was going to yell at me too. I backed down and just walked over to Luffy, seeing an apron had been put on him, “So much for that tour, right?”

He smiled over at me before sticking his hands in and starting to work through the pile of dishes, “At least we can talk now.”

“Yeah, we can,” I replied, lifting myself to sit on the counter by the sink. He glanced over at me for a moment before scrubbing one plate after another. I looked at him curiously, “Why did you try to go back for me?”

“I told you, I keep my promises. I know you want to travel the world. Now that we have a ship that’s really ours, we can,” he replied, setting down the plates in a pile to dry. I smiled, thinking about the image of him running towards my bird cage, looking for me, “But I wasn’t there, was I.”

“No, all I found was a box of matches,” he explained with a sad tone in his voice. He really wanted to find me, didn't he? And right when he was ready to find me, I wasn’t there. I looked down, “I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”

There was silence for a moment until I felt a wet hand on mine. I looked down and he was holding it again. And, again, I felt my face heating up like before. I looked up and his brown eyes connected with my blue, “Never apologize for following your dream.”

“Okay,” I quietly stated in surprise before he smiled and went back to his dish pile. There was a comfortable silence between us for a while. That was until he spoke again, “I didn’t know you could sing.”

“How could you have? We only spent one day together,” I laughed a bit and so did he. He continued scrubbing the dishes slowly working his way through the giant pile. I raised an eyebrow, “Did you like it? My singing?”

“...you could be our musician, if you wanted, you know,” he said softly. I felt my face get hot again hearing his words. How was it possible that he could get any sweeter than he was already? Then his actual words hit me, “Wait, you still want me to join your crew?”

“Of course I do! You’d be a great addition to the ship. Between your fireworks and now your singing, we’d be unstoppable,” he remarked with his signature smile. I swallowed and looked around seeing Zeff had slowed down in his work. He most likely was listening. Sanji wasn’t anywhere to be found right now. I smiled a bit thinking of what adventures we would go on looking for the One Piece…living on the high seas, sleeping under the stars, laughing together. But, could I even go now? I started having a life here. I was the only person close to Sanji's age and now we were closer than ever. He was like an older brother to me, protecting me and caring about me. Could I leave him like this? Luffy looked over at me, seeing my silence and just cheerfully spoke, “Just think about it. Things are different now, I know. But maybe think about it?”

“...okay,” I replied, tabling that for now. Maybe we’d have to talk about it some more. He kept going through the dish pile and occasionally someone would come and collect the clean ones next to me. As he placed one more to the side and started on a pile of silverware, I asked him, “So you’ve got a crew now. Must have been some stories.”

He kept that cheerful smile on his face that he always seemed to have, even as he scrubbed the forks and knives, “I would tell you those stories but…Nami may not like it. Too many ears here, she said.”

I nodded. They must have met doing something that probably wasn’t the most legal. They were a group of pirates after all. Still, it must have been quite the story so far. A ragtag group of people going on an adventure in the East Blue, “So, no Grand Line yet?”

“We’ll get there! We have a way, it just may take a bit. Nami says it's got bigger islands, bigger pirates, and bigger treasure! Isn’t that exciting,” he sent a grin towards me. I could see in his eyes that he seemed more determined than ever to go and the image of him running around battling pirates and monsters seemed to be all he ever wanted. I was about to reply when I heard Zeff call out in this direction, “Oi! Little gem, let the chore boy work, alright? Go and find little eggplant and make sure he isn’t causing trouble, you hear me?”

I got off my spot on the counter, holding up my hands in a surrender motion, calling over to Luffy, “Hey the faster you get done with those dishes, the faster you can show me your ship!”

He held up a thumbs up with a smile and I sent a look to Zeff as I walked out. I was trying to think of where Sanji could have gone for a moment. I headed up to the closet with the hatch that went up to the roof. I went up to the ladder and climbed up, opening the door. There he was, sulking as he leaned over the edge, looking out into the harbor, “Thought I’d find you here.”

“You got tired of talking to your friend,” he asked with a slightly annoyed tone. I shook my head walking over to stand next to him, “Apparently, I’m a distraction.”

He laughed a little under his breath, “Considering how excited you were when you saw him, it’s not shocking.”

I lightly shoved him on the shoulder, happy to see his annoyed face was gone for a moment. I looked out to the dock, trying to figure out which ship belonged to Luffy’s crew, “So, you still pouting from being kicked out?”

Sanji just looked out towards the ocean keeping his stance neutral, “I should be running that kitchen! Not him! He knows I’m good but still remains stubborn as ever!”

“Gee, sounds like someone else I know,” I replied sarcastically. Sanji just looked down at me with a frown, “Not funny.”

“You fight like cats and dogs and you expect me not to notice? Sanji, come on. I’m not stupid and you know it,” I gave him a pointed look. I may have only been here for a little over two weeks, but anyone with eyes could sense the tension in the kitchen every day. He sighs and looks down slightly, “You’re right, jewel. You’re not stupid. I’ve been trying to hold it back for your sake, but…”

“Tonight was hard, wasn’t it,” I looked up at him curiously. He just silently nodded. He has been working for hours on that dish. I could tell from just the cut of the meat. I reached over and put my hand on top of his, which he had been slowly tightening on the wood we were leaning against, “If it helps, I like your food.”

“Considering I am single handedly creating your palette, you better,” he said with a smirk. I smiled up at him, pulling my hand away, “There’s my chef boy.”

Our thoughts were interrupted as we heard music start up from down at the bar. I looked over at him, “You better get down there. Boss will need you for prepping and wrapping up service tonight.”

“And just what will you be doing,” he asked as he walked towards the trap door. I turned around and leaned against the bannister, “Waiting for my friend to be done with his mountain of dishes. And trying to guess which ship is his.”

“Good luck with that. Don’t forget you’re up for meat and cheese slicing for wine boards tonight,” he remarked as he opened the trap door and headed down. He closed it and I turned back towards the docks. There were a lot of ships here, some were fancier than others and some were just plain. I couldn’t tell which one could possibly belong to Luffy and his crew. Though there was one ship that seemed to stick out to me. A larger one with what looked to be a sheep’s head at the bow side. It was beautiful. Not fancy by any means, but looked comfortable. I smiled imagining life on a ship like that. Being under the stars every night, attempting to fish off the back, seeing new places. That was definitely something I hoped I could do someday.

My thoughts drifted back to Luffy’s offer. He still wanted me on his crew. Could I go? Could I just leave here and go? Could I leave Sanji and Zeff, after everything they’ve done for me? Would I ever see them again if I did go? I felt completely split on that choice. On the one hand, I wanted to see the world and being on Luffy’s crew would let me fulfill that dream. On the other hand, leaving the chef boy that had become my best friend in such a short amount of time would hurt.

…Did I need him or did he need me? And how would he feel if I left? Would he be angry, overjoyed for me, sad I’d be leaving him, maybe all of the above? Luffy said I could think about it. Maybe I needed more time. Either way, we weren’t leaving until the straw hat pirate paid off his debt to Baratie. Who knew how long that would take?