One Piece: Sea Devil Sanji

It has been six nights since the night the crew left Drum Island and it has been a peaceful journey so far with the most excitement they had was the occasional fish they managed to catch, steering the Going Merry through a hot spot(an undersea volcano making the sea above steaming hot) and like Sanji predicted, Usopp and Zoro gaining Life Return four days after Nami.

Another quiet morning afloat. Nami sat in the galley with her map spread accross the dining table, along her compass and pens. She was planning their route with utmost care to ensure that they reach Alabasta safely.

Accross from her sat Chopper, reading a medical book.

Next to him, Robin was reading a book that she borrowed from the navigator.

All the while, Sanji was standing at the kitchen counter, doing the washing up after breakfast.

"We're still on course, so..." said Nami, mostly to herself, while checking between her Log Pose and the Eternal Pose "We should be almost there by now... Even the wind and climate seems to have stabilized outside"

"Yes" confirmed Vivi as she entered the kitchen "I saw a Sea Cat just now. So that's proof that we must have entered Alabasta's climate"

Luffy came in after her with a disappointed face "That Cat looked so delicious... I wanted to catch it, so Sanji can cook it for me..."

"I told you Sea Cats are the sacred creatures of Alabasta, Luffy!" Vivi admonished him as she sat next to Nami "You're not allowed to eat them!"

Luffy sulked as he plopped on the bench next to Chopper.

"There sure are a lot of strange creatures in the sea" commented Chopper in wonder.

"I told you so, didn't I?" said Sanji, smiling at him.

"Yeah" nodded the little reindeer enthusiastically.

'We didn't come accross Mr. 2. It appears Crocodile didn't send him after Mr. 3 this time' thought Sanji as he finished cleaning the last plate. He dryed his hands with a towel then leaned on the counter facing the others "So Robin-chan, where are we with the plan?"

"Everything is in order" she answered with a smile after setting her book down "I already contacted the Officer Agents with Mr. 3's Den Den Mushi. They should be meeting tonight at 8:00 pm at Spider's Cafe. Crocodile on his end should be expecting them by tomorrow morning at his casino, Rain Dinners in Rainbase"

"They didn't suspect it's an ambush, right?" asked Vivi.

"They shouldn't have any reason to. Afterall I'm just following Mr. 0's orders"

"Good. You're so reliable, Robin-chan!" Sanji praised her in adulation, making her smile widen a bit then continued "And what about the Billions(henchmen working directly under the Officer Agents)?"

"I already called 150 Billions agents to Nanohana as Crocodile ordered" she tapped her fingers on the table as she spoke "He wants 50 to stay in Nanohana for further orders while the other 100 to travel north-east to the Rebels' base in Katorea and act as undercover agents within them"

"And the last 50 of the total 200 of them have already infiltrated the Royal Guards in Alubarna, right?" added Sanji.

"Correct" she nodded at him.

"So these agents are the ones responsible for spurring the battle between the two armies..." said Vivi in concern.

"Don't worry, Vivi-chan" Sanji smiled ressuringly at her "We already know their every move. We'll prevent it from ever happening"

"That's right!" concurred Luffy as he regained his spirit, punching in the air "I'm going to kick Crocodile's ass!"

"You didn't listen to a thing they said, did you?" Nami looked at Luffy with an exasperated expression then turned to Vivi and patted her shoulder "Just like Sanji-kun said. We'll stop them, Vivi. So Trust in us, ok"

"Thanks" she smiled back at them.

"Sh.i.p.s!!" Usopp came running in the kitchen, panic written on his face "There are so many sh.i.p.s with Baroque Works' marks on their sails! What're we going to do!?"

"Oh, they must be the 150 Billions starting to gather here before docking at Nanohana" said Robin as she stood up and walked outside as the others followed suit.

"There're 15 sh.i.p.s total..." remarked Nami "There must be ten agents per ship"

"W-what should we do?" asked Chopper nervously "We'll be surrounded by them if we keep heading straight ahead"

"S-s-should we... pre-emtively attack them with the cannon while we have the chance?" stuttered Usopp while pointing at the sh.i.p.s in the distance.

"Nah, it'll be faster if I just go over there and personally kick their asses!" Luffy grinned and was planning to catapult himself towards them.

"I don't think that's a good idea" Vivi prevented him "These agents are no joke. They are completely on another level from the regular bounty hunters you came accross in Whiskey Peak. They're men due to be promoted in the Baroque Works ranking system into number agents, and are nearly as powerful as Baroque Works' number agents that have numbers higher than five"

"I don't think there's something to be worrying about" said Zoro casually as he came up the stairs from the middle deck "They're nothing but small fry"

"True" added Sanji as he calmly lit a cigarette "Besides, we should consider ourselves lucky for finding them gathered in one place like this before they dispersed in Nanohana. Now we can get rid of them in one go"

"Still, they're not our true objective..." reasoned Nami "Shouldn't we just sneak past them and avoid any unnecessary conflict that may cost us time?"

"Come on, Nami-san" said Sanji as he playfully rubbed her head "Have a little faith in your future husband. I wouldn't even take a minute to get rid of them"

"I-I know you can, stupid!" her cheeks burned red as she elbowed his side "I-... You know-... I just-..." he kept interrupting her by ruffling her hair despite her multiple attempts at stopping him until she finally conceded with a pout "Just make it quick, will you?"

"Your wish is my command, Nami-san!" she rewarded him with a whack on the head for the cheeky grin he was giving her.

"Alright, let's go!" cheered Luffy suddenly as he grabbed Zoro by the scruff of his shirt and rocketed himself towards one of the sh.i.p.s. He also tried to grab Sanji but the latter was swift enough to dodge him.

"Luuufffyyy!!!" was Zoro's cry as he went flying along his captain "I swear I'll kill you one of these days!!!"

"..." the rest of the crew sweatdropped at them.

Sanji cleared his throat to break the awkward moment and said "Well, I better take off as well" he disappeared right after.

The fight didn't take long as Luffy did a good job at smashing the ship he landed on, making its crew deperately try to pull their mates out of water. While Zoro cut another into enough small pieces that it would never sail again.

They landed back on the deck of the Merry as it neared them, looking at their next targets, only to realize...

There were none left.

"W-wow..." Usopp, Chopper and Carue goggled.

"Fufufu, well that was quick" chuckled Robin "Nice job, Cook-san"

"Y-yeah..." stammered Nami and Vivi.

"I'm glad the ladies approve" he grinned as he gave them a gentlemanly bow. He had already destroyed the other 13 sh.i.p.s in less time than it took Luffy and Zoro to destroy the other two. Each one looked like a bomb had exploded on their decks, leaving only pieces of burnt wood on the water surface.

"Tsk, show off" Zoro growled.

"Ah! No fair, Sanji!" Luffy complained.

"It's not my fault that you two are so slow" shrugged Sanji as he took a puf of his cigarette "In any case..." he pointed to his right "We're close to Nanohana's port"

They looked where his finger pointed, spotting a port city in the distance.

"O-okay, then. Full speed ahead" Nami recovered from surprise then ordered the crew around "We'll dock the ship at the western side since we have to hide our ship"

***

Once they docked, Luffy stormed off into town without waiting for his crew, wanting to try the local food as he heard from Vivi how delicious it is.

Vivi on her end didn't have a way to contact her father the king and she wasn't sure if Igaram made it safely to Alabasta or not, so she sent Carue up north with a letter to the capital of the kingdom, Alubarna, to warn her father of Crocodile and Baroque Works.

After some deliberations, Sanji and Nami were assigned to go into town to buy their provisions while the rest especially those with known faces, namely Robin and Vivi, would stay behind on the ship to watch over Mr. 3 and any unexpected attack.

Nanohana is a port city and the principal entrance of Alabasta. It's known for its great shops and its irresistible perfume.

Nami walked out from a clothing store, swinging her bag happily. She whistled a tuned as she walked to where Sanji was seated on a bench, waiting. Thrusting out her bag at Sanji, he caught it easily and smiled "A good purchase, then?"

"It was on sale, can you believe that?" Nami was beaming as she rested her hands on her h.i.p.s then continued triumphantly "They basically gave it away. But I guess they really stood no chance, haggling with me"

"Of course, that's my Nami-san!" Sanji all but gushed as he grinned back at her.

"So, are you ready to head back?" Nami inquired as she eyed the cart to the side. It was filled with water barrels and sacs filled with all kinds of food for their incoming trek through the desert.

"Yes, I just have one more thing to pick up. We'll get it on our way back" he held her bag in one hand as he heeved to his feet "But first, I got you a little something"

"You did?" she raised an eyebrow at him.

He smiled as he rummaged in his pocket for a bit then pulled an orange pinwheel from his jacket and presented it to her "I found it in a nearby store and it reminded me of you. I just had to buy it for you"

Nami stood still as she gingerly held the orange painted toy and stared at it in her hand. The corners of her mouth tugged upwards as some fond memories of her home came to her mind when a small gust of a breeze blew past, sending the flower-like plaything spinning "Thank you, Sanji-kun..." she gave him one of her warm smiles "I like it"

"I'm glad you do" he matched her smile "So shall we continue shopping, Nami-san?"

"There's no need" she shook her head "I already bought enough clothes for all of us"

"Yeah, but those are just for protection so we don't get sunburnt in our journey. They're nothing fancy" he tossed the bag in the cart and continued "We still have some time, if there's something that caught your eye we can go buy it"

She stared at him briefly with narrowed eyes and said "You just want to see me try on s.e.xy outfits, don't you?"

"Oh Nami-san, you know me so well!" Sanji held his hand to his heart "We must be soulmates!"

"No, you're just a pervert!" she tossed his words aside easily. She then quirked an eyebrow at him and grinned slyly, leaning closer at him "Though I woundn't mind if you're paying"

He returned her smirk with one of his own and pulled out his wallet "Of course! Anything for you"

She found herself smiling as she slipped her arm through his and nodded in satisfaction "Right then, you've got yourself a deal"

Sanji's eye turned into a heart as he began to lead her through the shops.

Though by the time they were browsing through the third shop, finally came the moment Sanji knew was meant to happen when he sensed Luffy running away from the marines.

Nami just came out from a fitting room to the side. She was wearing a dancer like outfit, a blue and purple halter top with a pink shroud complemented by a golden necklace. She checked herself in the mirror and smiled "Lovely. This is just the kind of thing I like!"

"You look absolutely electrifying as always, Nami-san" Sanji swooned over her "Unfortunately though, it's time we ended this shopping trip. Luffy is up to mischief as usual"

"What did he do this time?" she asked with a frown.

"Marines..." his answer made her groan in exasperation.

"That idiot! Did he forget he has a bounty on his head?"Nami sighed as she followed Sanji to the cashier "I told him to pay extra attention, especially in a country as large as Alabasta. I'm sure it's brimming with marines and bounty hunters"

Sanji quickly payed the person behind the counter and led her outside to where he left the cart "There is no need to worry. He managed to lose them" he smiled as he sensed a powerful presence interfere withe the marines.

He started dragging the cart behind him and looked at Nami "Let's get back to the ship"

***

Ace. Luffy's foster brother. A tall muscular young man with curly black hair who sported rather childish freckles. He had a tattoo on his back of purple bones formed in a cross behind a purple skull with a white mustache and another tattoo on his upper left bicep that spells "ASCE" vertically with the "S" crossed out.

He wore black boots, black knee-length shorts with an eyelet-studded orange belt, red beaded necklace and an orange hat with two blue smileys, one frowning and one smiling. Finally, a dagger in a green sheath hung at his left hip.

He was the one that saved Luffy from getting caught by Smoker, who managed to follow Luffy all the way to Alabasta to try and catch him. After facing the marines so Luffy could run away, he blocked their advance with a wall of fire then followed after his brother towards the Going Merry.

Ace met the crew and merrily greeted Luffy but didn't stay long despite the latter's insistance. He payed his goodbyes and left his Vivre Card with Luffy before he sailed away in his small boat powered by his Flame Flame Devil Fruit(Mera Mera no Mi).

Some time later...

Ace was humming to himself, riding his boat that looked like a surfing board with a sail, until out of nowhere he was kicked in his midsection, manking him groan as he was sent flying towards the nearby coast.

He crashed down with force on the sandy beach then rolled several times before jumping to his feet cluching the side of his abdomen. He looked accross from him as he heard the squeaking sound of sand under feet when someone landed on it.

"You...!?" Ace raised his eyebrow at him.

"Hello again, Ace" Sanji smiled at him as he perched a cigarette between his lips.

"What're you doing here?" Ace slowly straightened himself up as he patted the sand off of him "Weren't you with Luffy earlier?"

"I forgot my wallet in Nanohana, so I was going to get it back" 'At least that's the excuse I gave them before I left' Sanji pulled his lighter and lit the cigarette "But I spotted you on the way, so I had to say hello"

"Oh... And does 'Hello' mean to sneak attack someone where you come from. Because that's called bad manners in my home town"

"Oh, come on! It was just a small tap" Sanji smirked at him "And here I thought the Whitebeard Pirates' second division commander could take a hit"

"A joker, are you?" Ace chuckled "I didn't take you for someone who tells jokes" Sanji shrugged at him.

"Your name is Sanji, right?" Ace picked his fallen hat and wore it again "Let's stop beating around the bush, shall we...? What do you want?"

"... Alright" Sanji put his hands in his pockets "I want you to stop chasing after Blackbeard"

"Oh... and why's that? Are you his protector or something?"

"No..." Sanji took a thoughtful puff of smoke then continued "I don't know how to tell you this without hurting your pride but... Blackbeard is more dangerous than you think. You're simply not his match at the moment"

Ace laughed then said "So you're looking out for me then?"

"In a way... Mostly though, I'm more looking out for Luffy. I don't want to see him lose a brother" 'And I want to prevent the War Of The Best(Battle of Marineford) from happening. It'll bring more trouble than worth it'

"Well thanks, but no thanks. Blackbeard committed the worst crime you can commit on a ship... murdering a fellow crew member then running away. As his former commander, I have a responsibility to see that he meets his end"

"Hmm..." Sanji rubbed his chin then said "Tell you what. How about I give you a piece of information I'm sure you'd want, for you to leave Blackbeard alone"

"Trying to bribe me now" Ace looked at him with derision "Sorry but-" "Sabo" "I..." Ace's expresion slowly did a 180 and regarded Sanji with a hard glare "What did you just say!?"

"I said, Sabo" Sanji answered calmly.

"How do you know about him!?" Ace angrily pointed two flaming finger at him.

"That's not important. What matters is that Sabo is alive. And I know where he is. If you agree to my condition, I'll tell you everything I know about him"

"Lies!" he shot a flaming bullet at Sanji's feet "I watched him die with my own two eyes. There's no way he's alive!"

"Now listen here, dumbass!" Sanji was fed up by his stubborness at this point "If you weren't Luffy's brother I'd have kicked your a.s.s and left you to dry in the desert, so don't accuse me of lying ever gain. Now, do you accept the deal or not? I have a crew to get back to"

Ace eyed him like a hawk, trying to discern his true intentions then said "No deal. Blackbeard is mine to take care of. As for whether what you said about Sabo is true or not, I'll just have to beat the information out of you" he cracked his fingers.

Sanji sighed "Well, I can't say I didn't expect that. I guess, I'll have to resort to force to convince you then"

Sanji loosened his tie as the two of them maintained eye contact without making any move. A gust of wind passed between them bringing the sand into a cloud that obscured thier vision for a second.

Suddenly, mutiple flaming bullets cut through the cloud heading straight for Sanji. The latter easily dodged them then swiftly bend his back backwards as Ace's flaming foot passed right above him. He countered by using both hands on the ground to spring upwards and deliver a Haki infused blow to Ace's chin with both his feet.

Ace grunted in pain as he flew upwards but he wasn't affected much as he looked at Sanji and amassed a large amount of fire around his body by swinging his outstretched flaming hands around him.

*Enkai: Hibashira (Flame Commandment: Fire Pillar)*

Still in mid-air, he followed by shooting the collected flames straight dowwards, aiming to barbecue Sanji below him.

Ace watched as the attack completely engulfed Sanji and thought that was the end of him. However, Sanji emerge from withing the burning pillar right in front of him completely unscathed. The blond smirked at his astonished face "Sorry, but fire is completely useless against me"

*Santen Découpage (Three Point Cut)*

Sanji didn't let him get his bearings back as he threw three powerful near-simultaneous roundhouse kicks with one leg to his throat, c.h.e.s.t and stomach, striking him with the entire length of said leg.

Ace's eyes almost popped out from their sockets from the impact as he threw up blood. He was sent spinning towards a nearby sand dune where he fell, exploding it into a shower of flames.

Sanji landed back down not far from where Ace groggily stood up, spitting out some blood. He wiped the corners his bloody mouth and looked at Sanji "... Fire doesn't work, you say?"

"Well, what kind of a cook would I be if I didn't know how to handle fire" Sanji nonchalantly patted down the fire that caught the edge of his jacket's sleeve.

Ace chuckled in ill humour then spoke "We'll see about that" he pointed the palms of his hands towards Sanji, creating many small, glowing greenish-yellow fireballs. They floated like fireflies around Sanji, surrounding him from every direction.

*Hotarubi: Hidaruma (Firefly Light: On Fire)*

Ace closed his hands into fists, sending the fiery orbs flying into Sanji all at once.

Sanji exhaled smoke and lifted his foot, encasing it in Armament Haki. Then in a rapid fashion, he started to rotate and his foot started to blurr into a storm of kicks that targeted every one of those obrs, exploding them on contact.

Smoke proliferated the vicinity from the torrent of explosions.

Ace didn't stand idle as he turned his fist into flames then launched it as a column of fire at Sanji.

*Hiken (Fire Fist)*

This attack is so incredibly powerful that it cut through the smoke then continued to plow through several sand dunes piling up to 300 meters in one shot. It left a long trench on the sand for hundreds of meters, leaving the ground singed black with some places turned to glass from the heat.

"Phew, that was close..." commented Sanji as he appeared to the side of the trench "No wonder your nickname is 'Fire Fist Ace'. Your signature attack is very impressive"

"So you dodged that..." Ace smirked "It appears, you're not as immune to fire as you said earlier"

"No, fire is still useless against me" Sanji dismissed what he said with his hand "But that last attack packed quite the punch. I'd be an idiot If I took it head on"

"Oh, how about this then" Ace spread his hands to his sides, creating two long lances made out of fire.

*Shinka: Shiranui (God Flames: Sea Fire)*

He clutched them in his hands and bolted towards Sanji. Once he neared him he started to attack repeatedly, creating multiple afterimages, all attempting to poke holes through the blond. Sanji concentrated on his Observation Haki and danced around the attacks, avoiding them by a hair's breadth.

Sanji then managed to jump in the air and knocked one of Ace's flaming lances from his hand with a kick. However, Ace still held the other, and then using his two hands he thrust the lance towards Sanji's abdomen. The lance pierced right through like a hot knife through butter, though Ace took notice that it was far easier that it should have been. He looked ahead and found the cook had disappeared, leaving only his ruined jacket behind.

Ace lifted his head and spotted Sanji Sky Walking upwards "Flying, huh? Nothing impressive, I can fly too" he started to glide as he turned his body into flames then propelled himself upwards at a surprising high speed. He quickly caught up to Sanji and started an airial clash with him.

Back at the Going Merry, the crew was sailing towards Erumalu in the west side of the Sandora River delta.

"What's happening up there?" asked Chopper as he pointed to the eastern coast of the river in the distance, where bright explosions like fireworks were happening in the sky.

"I don't know..." said Usopp as he looked through his goggles "Though it appears to me as if two stars are fighting each other"

"Really!?" Chopper looked at him with starry eyes.

"Is this something normal in your country, Vivi?" asked Zoro, turning towards said girl.

"No... Not that I'm aware of at least" answered Vivi "It's my first time witnessing such a phenomenon myself"

"It's a first for me too... and I have lived in Alabasta for a while" added Robin as she looked in interest at the spectacle.

"Didn't Sanji leave that way earlier...?" asked Luffy.

"Yeah" Usopp removed the goggles from his eyes and looked at his captain "Let's ask him about it later when he returns. He should be on his way back by now"

"Let's focus on docking the ship, guys" Nami walked up to them "I can see land up ahead"

"Land, woohoo!" exclaimed Luffy excitedly as he run to the bow of the ship.

As the rest dispersed to their duties, Nami looked at Robin and asked "So, how do we go once we land, Robin-neesan?"

"Our destination, Spider's Cafe is about half a day walk in the desert southwest of Erumalu. If nothing comes in our way, we should arrive by 5:00 pm. A whole three hours before the appointed time"

"Good..." said Nami then looked eastwards where the light show seemed to be getting brighter by the minute "I hope Sanji-kun makes it in time..." she whispered as she held the stem of the pinwheel that he gifted her, close to her heart.

Back to our two combatants hours later...

Sanji unleashed an air blade from his foot cutting a flaming lance in Ace's hand in two. Then using the momentum of the attack, he spun around dropping a kick at Ace's shoulder sending him to the ground.

While rocketing down Ace flipped in the air multiple times and landed on his feet then without wasting time he raised his hands, placing his index fingers together in a cross shape.

*Jujika (Cross Fire)*

A ray of light could be seen emanating from his fingers as Ace followed by launching a cross-shaped column of fire directly at Sanji, who came chasing right after him.

Sanji grunted as he blocked it with his foot but the attack was strong enough to push him back and sent him flying in the air. Though eventually he managed to deflect it pass him and looked down at Ace.

"*Haa*... *Haa*... You're not bad" commented Ace "I didn't think Luffy would have someone like you in his crew"

"You're not bad yourself..." said Sanji as he kept himself afloat by kicking the air downwards "Though I must say, you rely too much on the power of your Devil Fruit. You have Haki but it's not developed enough and your body lacks the stamina to continuously draw out your flames. It must have been quite a long time since you faced someone who could hurt you back"

"*Haa*... *Haa*... Yeah, I think I might have been a bit complacent this past year" Ace took a deep breath then stood in a horse stance. He looked at Sanji with a smirk "Still, I won't go down easy"

*Dai Enkai (Great Flame Commandment)*

Ace created great spiraling flames centered on his location.

"Awakening! You awakened your fruit!" Sanji was surprised as he watched the ground transforming into a sea of fire for hundreds of meters radius around Ace.

"I did..." answered Ace as he lifted his right hand in front of him "I awakened not Iong ago. *Haa*... I'm still not proficient enough with it, but I think this will be enough to take care of you *Haa*"

*Entei (Flame Emperor)*

The sea of fire started to coalesce above the palm of his hand, turning into a city destoying gigantic fireball resembling the sun "This is my strongest attack" he looked at Sanji right into his visible blue eye "I don't have much control over its power so this might kill you... Why don't you tell me about Sabo before I end up obliterating you? I don't want to be the cause for Luffy to lose one of his crewmates"

Sanji looked at him for a moment as he exhaled smoke then said "I told you fire doesn't work on me, didn't I?" he threw the b.u.t.t of his cigarette down and put a fresh one in his mouth. Ace lift an eyebrow as he saw it lit on its own right before his eyes widened in shock as Sanji's whole body burst into yellow flames right after "I wasn't kidding when I said that" continued Sanji.

"I-impossibel!!" stammered Ace "How can you use fire as well!? I'm supposed to be the only one in the world with the power of the Flame-Flame Devil Fruit. There can't be another one!"

"Not a Devil Fruit... The world is more mysterious than you think. It's filled with different kinds of powers. Devil Fruits aren't the end be all" answered Sanji as his Diable Flames started to rage upwards from his body "Now let's see whose flaming light is stronger"

*Hell Memories: Meteor Strike*

While blazing up, Sanji accelerated down with Sky Walk like a meteor, breaking the sound barrier multiple times.

Ace regained his composure as he saw Sanji coming for him. He clenched his teeth as veins started to pop out in his right arm right before hurling the giant orb of concentrated fire towards Sanji who met it with a back kick.

The clash was enormous and loud, shaking the eastern half of Alabasta. Fire exploded forth in high temperatures and a rapid increase in volume blowing away the clouds in the sky for miles on end. People all the way to Alubarna and Nanohana could see it lighting up the dusk sky as if it were noon.

The wind started to hum and whoosh, and sand tornadoes sprouted around the epicenter of the explosion as the fire started to die down.

A two miles crater made out of glass was left in the Sandora Desert in the aftermath. At its edge, Ace crawled out of the sand throwing up blood. His eyes were blurry about to faint but he willed himself to stay awake. He wheezed as he slowly stood up and looked down at his c.h.e.s.t with a grimace. There was a burn in the shape of a footprint imprinted in the center of his c.h.e.s.t.

"Haki infused fire... *Haa* *Haa*" he clicked his tongue then pulled out the dagger strapped on his hip "Troublesome... *Haa* *Haa*" he walked forward with difficulty as he saw the silhouette of Sanji standing not far away from him.

"So Ace... Have you changed your mind? *Haa*" asked Sanji. His body was smoking all-over though he was unscathed overall, bar some scuffs on his legs "This eight hours duel is already over. There's no need to continue fighting anymore... You're completely spent. I don't even think you can turn to fire anymore *Haa*"

"As if I'll ever give in to force... *Haa* *Haa*" he sneered as he stopped ten meters away from Sanji clutching his dagger "I'll die before I ever admit defeat... *Haa* *Haa*"

"... Is chasing after Blackbeard that much important to you? *Haa*" asked Sanji as he easily side stepped a clumsy slash from Ace.

Ace didn't answer as he kept attacking.

After a while, Sanji got annoyed with him pigheadedness, dodged one more time before he kicked the dagger from his hand and swept his feet from under him, making him fall prone to the ground.

"Don't move" Sanji stepped on his c.h.e.s.t, preventing him from getting up.

"B-bastard..." Ace grunted as he clutched weakly at Sanji's ankle.

"Shitty Ds and their obstinate nature..." muttered Sanji as he rustled a hand through his hair with frustration. He wanted to take a calming lungful of smoke from his cigarette but he noticed it was gone from between his lips as it has turned to ash. He patted his trousers for his packet of cigarettes but he realized as he g.r.o.a.n.e.d in irritation that he was buck n.a.k.e.d.

Sanji clenched the bridge of his nose with his fingers as he sighed tiredly then looked down at Ace "I give up... You win..." he released him from under his foot and started to walk away 'I'll just have to kill him myself before he finds him'

"W-wait! *Haa*" Ace flipped on his belly and crawled towards Sanji "W-where do you think you're going? *Haa* I-I'm not done with you *Haa*"

"Well, sucks for you because I am" Sanji said flatly as he walked in a certain direction where he found his favorite golden lighter on the ground. He picked it up and lit it "Good. It's still working"

"Tell me about Sabo... *Haa*" demanded Ace as he forced himself to sit up.

Sanji ignored him and was about to Sky Walk out of there just to spite him for the headache he caused him but he halted once he heard Ace say "Please..."

"..." Sanji stood still for a moment as he contemplated whether to tell him or not... then sighed and turned his head towards Ace who was staring at him deeply, and said "Revolutionary"

"...Thanks *Haa*" said Ace as he nodded at him then added just as Sanji jumped in the air "And please continue looking after my little brother... *Haa*"

"I am trying... But, I feel like I failed him today" was Sanji's reply before he disappeared in the sky.

***

Sanji kept flying westwards until he spotted the Going Merry anchored near the coast of the ruined city of Erumelu

'It's 6:00 pm...' estimated Sanji as he looked at the sky 'There's enough time to catch up with the rest'

He landed on deck then inspected himself 'Ugh, I'm completely covered in soot. I think I should take a quick shower before leaving' he descended towards the boys room where he rummaged for his towels and clean clothes then made for the bathroom.

He opened the the door of the storage room that leads towards the bathrrom only to be shocked to come face to face with Nami who gasped at his n.a.k.e.d form.

"..."

An eternity seemed to pass between the two as Nami froze and forgot how to speak. Her eyes widened by the moment as they trailed down his body until settling on his crotch. Sanji rubbed the back of his head awkwardly and asked her in confusion "N-nami-san? What're you doing here?"

Realizing that she was gawking at him, Nami cheeks flushed bright red "Kyaa!!!" she screamed as she practically bolted for the hatch in the corner and run down to the girls room.

'Maybe I should have checked if there was someone else on the ship with my Haki...' Sanji thought as he watched her disappear down the hatch. He then looked down at himself and smiled wrily "Well, at the very least she didn't laugh at it"

He chuckled to himslef and shook his head before continuing to the bathroom.

Half an hour later...

Sanji came out of the bath and wore his trademark black, double-b.r.e.a.s.ted suit with golden buttons and a tie together with a long-sleeved buttoned blue pinstripe shirt. He finished by adding a blue overcoat suited for the desert in addition to orange sunglasses that he hung on his collar.

He walked out to the deck and looked up as he heard light footsteps coming from the staircase "Nami-san" he smiled at her.

She was wearing a white overall over her dancer outfit to protect her skin while in the desert. Her cheeks still looked a little flushed, though not as the bright red from when she saw him n.a.k.e.d earlier.

Sanji noted nervousness on her face as she walked down the steps towards him and folded her arms. She refused to look him in the eye as she asked "I...I waited more than eight hours for you... What took you so long?"

"I met up with Ace on my way to Nanohana. I ended up helping him with something... which delayed me until now" explained Sanji.

"Is that why you looked like you passed through a chimney earlier" she blushed at the memory.

"Yeah" Sanji chuckled then asked "What about you Nami-san? Shouldn't you be with the rest?"

"Someone had to stay behind and make sure everything is alright on your end... I volunteered"

"Thanks..." Sanji smiled fondly at her. He gently pulled her and hugged her close to him "You have no idea how happy I'm to see you... I was feeling a bit down, but seeing your beautiful face brightened my day once again"

Nami yelped in surprise at his sudden action and was about to smack him on the head, but stopped once she heard him. She felt him tighten his hold around her as he kissed her head. She didn't say anything as she relaxed against him, breathing in his freshly out of bath scent, and hugged him back.

They stayed like that for a while before Sanji eased the hug a little and looked at her "I'm sorry for scaring you earlier. I should have been more careful. I thought I was alone on the ship"

"Me too" her cheeks tuned a nice shade of pink then continued shyly "I'm sorry I screamed at you... It wasn't like your body was weird or anything. I was just surprised..." she flushed a bit more and mumbled "I think you have a nice body, actually"

Sanji couldn't help a wide smile as he found Nami to be too adorable when she's trying to apologize. He brushed her hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead before he asked "So, are you ready to leave?"

"Yes... But can you get us there in time?"

"Don't worry..." he picked her up princess style and smirked at her "I'm quite fast"

"Show off" she scrunched up her nose at him.

"I love it when you do that!" he gushed with heart eyes "It's so cute!"