Disclaimer: One Piece is not mine.
Okay, so it's been a while since I've posted. I have quite a few One Piece fics to post here, and I will post them eventually. If any of my Beyblade readers are reading this, I haven't forgotten about those fics. I lost a lot of in-progress chapters a few months ago, and it's been difficult to reconstruct them. I'll get them eventually.
Anyways, this was my Christmas fic for 2007, I know its late but I kept digging myself into a hole with it
Hope you enjoy this.
Despite the darkness that the night brought, the streets tended to be alive the most at night during these festive times. Every street was lit and people flooded them, rushing here and there.
The influences of some of the advancements of North Blue were heavy on this island. It was close to a winter island, taking on cold and snowy seasons periodically. At this time it was at its coldest, but the people of the island didn't seem to care much. Snow had covered much of the land's plains as well as the city. The streets, thankfully, were cleared of the snow, so that business could continue without hassle. That was the main focus of function of this island. It was one big city that was divided according to production.
The Sunny happened to make port at one of the consumer/merchant ports which had made the crew happy. Luffy, Ussop, and Chopper were dazzled by the lights and decorations that littered the streets. They were quick to disembark (with a reminder to dress warm) and ran off to explore. Nami and Robin were a little slower to take off; Nami making plans to shop. Robin would tag alone figuring it would be easier to understand this festival with interaction. Sanji had been quickly taken by the women at this port and made his way off. Zoro scoffed as he watched the cook prance around like an idiot, and turned to asked Franky if he was going to leave as well. The cyborg answered with a gruff no, replying that he was going to fix the kitchen table again, that had been damaged by the swordsman and cook. Zoro heard this and blamed Sanji for that problem, and followed off ship like the others.
The atmosphere of the city was one that quickly uplifted spirits. The chatter, laughter, and music made the night seem like any other day. Sanji, who had lost sight of the pair of women from the dock made use of his departure to look around the city. The North Blue influences were definitely not what he remembered, from what little he recalled. This cheer wasn't what he remembered. He remembered cold and darkened homes which were falling apart. He guessed that there were probably homes like that on this island hidden behind the stores and streets.
Shaking away the thought he continued on his way, smells from the bakeries and restaurants pouring into his senses. He smiled as he picked out the smells on instinct enjoying the warmth that settled in.
Turning the corner Sanji took a step back with the impact of something crashing into his legs. Readjusting himself Sanji looked down to see a young, scrawny boy propped up on his arms as he tried to sit up after taking the fall. Eyes moving over the boy Sanji took in the malnourished form and the grayish blue fingers of the boy. No doubt that was caused by the cold.
Looking down towards his own feet, between his feet was a pair of knitted mittens that were slowly collecting snow. Bending down he let one of his own gloved hands pick up the pair. He could feel the weight of them and they looked like they were warm. Giving them a brief shake he let his eyes settle on the figure of the boy who was standing up, almost defensively. Wide green eyes stared up at the cook. Sanji took a drag of his cigarette before extending his hand.
"Here, these are yours. I'd be wearing them if I were you. Your fingers are going to freeze and fall off if you keep them like that." Sanji said sounding as if he didn't want to be giving this talk to a little kid. The boy stared at Sanji for a few seconds as if trying to find a way to answer. Finally deciding, the boy reached forward taking the mittens quickly from Sanji's hand and walked quickly past the blond. Sanji turned a bit to watch the boy.
"Oi, they'll do you no good if you don't put them on." Sanji called out. The boy stopped and stared back at Sanji. He thought this over before slipping them over his hands. The boy gave a quick bow.
"Thank you." He said before walking away quickly. Sanji scoffed and shook his head.
"Weird kid." Sanji said turning back to continue on his way only to have something hard connect with the side of his head. Stepping back in order to regain his balance he looked up with a look of pain and irritation. A tall, thin, elderly man, who was dressed fairly well was in the process of lowering his cane.
"What the fuck old man!?" Sanji furiously called out bringing a hand up to cover the sore area. The old man scoffed and pointed his cane in the direction of the boy. The cane showed its worth in the rich wood it was made from and the gold that decorated it.
"You just let a thief walk away with my merchandise. One small let-by no matter the cost affects my sales. And you let that one walk away." He said rather stiffly not taking his eyes off the cook.
"What?! You fucking hit me and chased him for that?" People quickly darted around the pair, most not taking notice of the problem, far too busy with their own errands.
"Yes, there are no excuses; you let that little street mongrel run away with my profit." He said glaring at Sanji
"I--"
"Is there a problem?" A deep voice came from behind the elderly man. Sanji glared at figure while the older man turned around with a small smile.
"Just a little one Mr. Roronoa. This man let a thief get away with one of my items." The shop owner said pointing his cane to Sanji. Zoro looked at the blond cook showing no signs of recognition. Hands resting on his katanas, he raised an eyebrow at the cook.
"I can deal with this if you like." Zoro said walking over to the cook who was restraining himself from sending Zoro through the wall of the building. The old man seemed to brighten up a bit at this.
"That would be grateful. Can't let these freeloaders continue to ruin business. Your services are once again helpful. If you happen to see that little boy who ran out of the store I would appreciate if you brought him back. Good night." The man said before turning and walking back. Zoro grabbed Sanji's shoulder pulling the struggling cook with him and started to walk off –in the direction that the man was walking—before Sanji pushed back turning them in the right direction.
"Oi, take your shitty hand off me." Sanji said moving his shoulder out of Zoro's grasp. He looked back to see if that old man was following before taking a half a step away from Zoro and putting his hands in his pockets.
"What were you doing to make an old ass beat you?"
"What did I do? What did you do to make it seem like you're a good guy. And I did not get beat up." Sanji snapped back. Zoro just scoffed at the cook.
"Some guy ran off with one of his customer's purses. I just knocked him down and that old guy was entirely grateful that the lady could pay for her items then. I saw the kid he was talking about. The kid's scrawnier than you."
"Shut up." Sanji said rubbing at the bruise that was starting to form along his cheekbone. Luckily his hair would hide the majority of it. "You're not going to get the kid are you?" Sanji said a little quieter.
"Che' like I'm going to waste my time trying to find a kid." Zoro replied turning his head towards Sanji's direction a bit, avoiding eye contact with the small boy who was huddled against the wall. The boy smiled and looked down rubbing his hands together as they were finally starting to warm up. He watched the two men walk down the street before he pushed himself away from the wall and down another street disappearing into busy streets.
Zoro and Sanji continued to wander around, both not saying much, rather just taking in the area. Up ahead a familiar voice called out to them.
"Sanji!!" Luffy called out running towards the pair, followed by Usopp and Chopper who both had smiles on their faces.
"What's up Luffy?" Sanji asked as he planted a foot on Luffy's head stopping the excited captain.
"You have to come with us to this store! They said we weren't allowed in there without adult supervision." Luffy explained moving around Sanji. The cook rolled his eyes.
"What kind of store is this?" He asked with a trace of suspicion.
"It's not just a store Sanji!. It's possibly the greatest….no the godliest, Captain Usopp worthy store ever!"
"They had chocolate coated meat." Luffy said drooling and in his own world of glee.
"Not only that, but they had this chocolate merry-go-round in the window, and it was…." Ussop added trailing off overtaken by the memory. Chopper giggled at Ussop before adding his own two cents.
"And they have all these desserts and they're all winter-festive-themed. Hehe."
"Like you three need more sugar. Where is this store?" Sanji asked not fully likely the idea of literally being in a dessert store with little kids. The trio didn't give Sanji a chance for a response before they had his arms and were dragging him down the street to the store yelling and cheering. Zoro rolled his eyes at the others and went to follow them only to end up going down another street.
Back at the store Luffy barged into the store yelling at the man behind the counter that he had brought back adult supervision. The man behind the counter just shook his head and let them look around the store. High-fiving each other, they immediately started to run around the store looking at all the treats.
"Oh! Sanji! I want this!"
"Look at this one!"
"Guys check this out!" Luffy and Ussop ran over to where Chopper was and they watched a chocolate ship floating in a small liquid chocolate pool.
"Oooooooooo." They said in unison. Sanji humoured them and walked around the store.
"Did you make all of these?" Sanji asked looking at all the hand carved chocolate figurines and setups. The man chuckled and nodded.
"Yes, my wife and I. We always enjoy watching people be fascinated with such things. It's nice to see people so happy."
"Oh Sanji look! It spins!" Usopp called out to him. Turning around Sanji saw Usopp standing by the front window watching the merry-go-round. Coming around the counter the owner walked over to Usopp.
"Here if you tilt it slightly like this the horses will move up and down." Sure enough a small touch and the horses were moving up and down.
"Awesome!" Cried Luffy before he and Chopper ran over to join, captivated by the motion. The man walked back over to Sanji.
"My wife thought of that. She's very good when it comes to the mechanisms of how these things work." He said smiling slightly. Sanji glanced over.
"Your wife isn't here?" He asked hesitantly.
"No, unfortunately. She loves this season so much, and works really hard to make it enjoyable for all the customers. She's managed to run herself down a bit at the moment and hasn't been feeling well for the past couple of days, but I'm sure when I tell her how thrilled these boys were to even step into the store, it will brighten her spirits tremendously. My wife will be back in here in no time." The owner said chuckling to himself. Clapping his hands together he smiled and asked, "So what can I get for you fellows?"
Like a magic word Luffy, Ussop, and Chopper darted towards them and started pointing to all the things they wanted. Ten minutes later, they had their treats in boxes and were bouncing around in happiness.
"Anything I can get you young man?" The owner asked Sanji.
"I think you've given most to those three." He replied. The older man laughed. It surprised Sanji in the difference one could find in personalities in cities. There were curmudgeons like earlier and then joyous people like this man who was happy to make people happy.
"From what they were saying earlier I'm guessing you're their cook, so I think I might have something here you'd like." He said disappearing into the back room for a moment. Reemerging he had a large brown sack in his arms.
"Finest cocoa beans in the area, island actually. I'm sure your friends will enjoy whatever you come up with for the season." Sanji stepped forward and examined the sack, smelling the ingredients.
"Not bad. I actually have a few ideas already."
"Yay! Sanji's going to make chocolate!" Chopper yelled up, the fur around his mouth already covered with chocolate.
"Who said it's for you guys?" Sanji asked, all the wonderful treats he could make for Nami and Robin now filled him with joy. He welcomed the offer and traded up with Luffy's desserts as the young captain carried the sack of 'precious cargo that if was dropped would result in no desserts for a month'.
Sanji thanked the store owner who said he was grateful for the story to tell his wife. Luffy yelled out a hearty goodbye as the four left the shop and were directed back to the ship by Sanji who had confiscated all their treats until they got back.
Running up the plank and jumping victorious as he dumped the cocoa bean sack on the ground Luffy, let out a cheer with both arms in the air.
"Yaaa! This island is great! Did you see all the stores?" Luffy called out to Nami who was shuffling bags into her room from the deck. She turned around and huffed.
"No. I barely got 10 streets done. I'm so disappointed. I'm sure they had some nice clothing stores further done." Nami said with a sigh. Robin smiled.
"Navigator-san was quite excited. There were some really nice stores. These people certainly import a lot of their products, and from what I understood was that this rush is part of the holiday." Robin explained.
"They sure are selling their top quality products though. It was hard to get a bargain at most of these stores. Greedy merchants." Nami muttered.
"Nami-san is so wonderful when she's mad!" Sanji proclaimed as he pranced around her the dessert boxes still hands. Curiosity perked up Nami's spirits.
"What's in the boxes?" She asked. Sanji's heart fluttered.
"Oh for my lovely Nami!" Sanji said.
"Those are ours!" Called out Luffy, Ussop and, Chopper all three of them rushing forward to grab their boxes and then scurry away to finish them. Franky could be heard somewhere on the ship working on another piece of work.
"No matter Nami-san! I will make both you and Robin-chan my own special chocolate treats!" He proclaimed taking the cocoa sack to the kitchen and setting it upon the newly repaired table. Taking off his jacket and gloves he placed them on the table as well. A lock clicked behind him and he didn't bother to turn around.
"You're not smuggling any more alcohol out of here. I haven't had a chance to restock yet, which is your fault." He said pulling out a new cigarette from his pocket having discarded the old one before they reached the pier.
"Don't need any booze. I found a bar back in the city before I came back." Zoro said taking a few steps closer. Sanji rolled his eyes at the swordsman.
"Well whatever it is you fancy right now, you're not going to get it. I'm busy. I need to start making some desserts for Nami and Robin like I promised them." The cook responded pulling the sack off the table and walking over to the counter and throwing the sack on top of it. He had moved just as Zoro had taken another step closer. He smirked around his cigarette, sensing the irritation flowing through the other man. This irritation only caused Zoro to follow the cook.
"Oi, stop it asshole." Zoro growled moving his hands to Sanji's waist, letting them press against his back through the fabric of his shirt. He leaned forward pressing his nose into the side of Sanji's cold neck inhaling the crisp smell of winter that clung to the blond's body still. He nuzzled the pale skin letting his teeth graze over the surface. A jerk and his head was forced back.
"I said not now. Fucking listen marimo." Sanji told him, the words coming out not as harsh as they usually were.
"I helped you earlier." Zoro voiced. Sanji scoffed at him, releasing smoke from between his lips.
"More like you were just showing off. I didn't need any help and you knew it. Just like your neanderthal self to go and be all primal." Sanji said only to be pushed into the counter, Zoro's weight leaning against him, his face coming to rest once again next to the blond's.
"You said 'later' earlier. It's later." Zoro said fingers moving inches into Sanji's pants to pull at the blue shirt that was neatly tucked. His calloused hands were quick to attach themselves to the warm skin that was hidden under the material.
"Hmph. I meant later as in my watch later. Now like I said I have something to do." Sanji said pushing back against Zoro to move away from the counter. The swordsman let his hands trail away from that irresistibly warm, smooth skin. Sanji not bothering to tuck his shirt back in walked around the counter starting to grab bowls and other objects to help him. Zoro glared at the blond and grumbled a few words about 'teasing cooks' and 'presents' before rubbing a hand in his hair in frustration as he walked out of the kitchen realizing the cook wasn't going to give in right now.
Sanji smirked as he watched the swordsman walk out of the kitchen. Sometimes the marimo was just the amusement he needed. He sighed as he gathered a few more bowls. He guessed that he could give Zoro a little gift and humour him with a little bit of thanks. Not too much for that would seem like he appreciated the marimo's help, which he didn't off course, but it wouldn't hurt too much.