This was the stupidest thing the old man ever had him do for the sake of training. Most gross and unpleasant too. The swamp reeked of sewage and as the small blond had his food unexpectedly sucked back into the muck causing him to smack face down in it, he knew just how close it felt and tasted like it too.

A quick inventory told him disaster had been avoided and all of his mason jars and their contents were intact and accounted for. He carefully put the items gently back in his sack. Swamp gas in yellow, green, and blue. A flightless swamp bat. Thick beetles the size of his fingers that had a name he couldn't pronounce. A thick Fiddlehead Cotton Caterpillar. A Gray Speckled Gecko. Ten honey pot ants. A vine rat. A water snake. And worst of all, two Creeping Moss Spiders.

Those two spiders he collected had been a NIGHTMARE. Jumping up to so agilely collect both in the jar in one motion, only to have the whole mossy nest fall on him and come face to face with the huge, ugly , spider king crawling across his face (It had to be a king, he refused to think of a queen being so hideously ugly, big, and hairy. Terrifying.) He wasn't sure he'd be able to face another creepy crawler (let alone, spider) after that incident without freaking out.

He trudged slowly to the edge of the muck cursing the old man out the entire way. Swamp training should be manning the shitty restaurant while it was busy as hell. Swamped. Not whatever the hell this was! An actual god damned swamp! His skin was going to look like he had some kind of diseases for days if the mosquito bites he felt beginning to itch across his skin where any indication.

Finally he could sweep a branch away and the muddy swam bleed into perfect blue sea and the muck beneath his feet was firm silt and dear god! He could see them again! He shielded his eyes against the glare of the suns reflection off the surface and frowned in annoyance as he spotted the old man in the row boat a small swim away.

The very sight was at once a relief and an annoyance. How relaxed the bastard looked, fishing hat hanging over his eyes, skin shinning with sun screen, his legs propped up on a cooler against his rod as his fishing line bobbed in the water.

"OI! I got everything except the purple swamp pervert! Can I come back now?"

Zeff pushed the tip of his hat up and his mustache twitched in hidden amusement as he regarded the boy.

"Purple Swamp Leech, not letch, pervert eggplant! And if that's all you're missing then you just have to jar the one hanging off your left ear!"

Sanji froze as his eyes widened and his right hand reached up and came in contact to the unnoticed purple vampiric slug. He let out a horrified squeak as he shakily pulled the disgusting creature from his flesh and put it into it's own empty jar.

He hated the swamp.

Sanji looked up when done checking for any other evil slugs on him, only to notice the boat was gone from it's previous spot, already being rowed away by the old bastard.

"HEY!"

"What's taking you so long brat! The longer you take bringing the provisions, the longer it'll take for me to show you how to use them to make us lunch!"

Sanji cursed as he started to swim with the ingredients over his back. He wanted to complain, he was hungry, tired, dirty, but at least this swim felt like training.

And he was sure despite the gross ingredients Zeff would turn them into something really, unforgettably delicious.

And he did.