Part 11 - Sanji 17/21

"Isn't it obvious? I can do whatever I want as long as my actions don't lead to your deaths. If I were completely alone, I would have long since been having a blast in the New World, but I have you, and that imposes certain restrictions on my actions. Not that these restrictions are particularly strong, but for example, it doesn't make sense to head to the New World until each of you masters two types of Haki… Well, nothing's stopping us from going to the New World right now, but then I'd have to restrain myself almost entirely… or you'd all die… Your abilities are still insufficient for me to disregard the consequences of my actions in the New World… Frankly, I'm not even sure if my strength is enough for such behavior. I have some idea of the strength of our future opponents, and some of them could disintegrate Zoro into bloody dust with just a sneeze… And I wouldn't say I'm exaggerating much — his Haki is still not strong enough. As you understand, under such conditions, I can't calmly kick every annoying jerk in the rear end, and that certainly can't be called freedom… So, now that we're on the Grand Line, we'll be sticking around the first half for a while, so why not spend some time destroying… mmm… an organization that's caught my attention? We'll need to find some entertainment, ways to remind the world of ourselves, and test our own strength, so why not start with the 'Broke Shwarks' ?

Luffy's crew was completely surprised to hear the boy give such a serious speech in response to a seemingly trivial question. It was a serious speech, touching on genuinely important matters. However, the atmosphere around the table didn't become heavy or uncomfortable. Certainly, Luffy's speech addressed some serious questions, but it also demonstrated how much he cared for his family. Such moments were extremely rare. Luffy loved to act foolishly, and it was uncommon for him to show his true feelings. However, when he did, none of his crew could remain indifferent.

It was the same with the 'Ace Family' when Luffy immediately took action to protect Johnny and Yosaku from mortal danger. It was the same with Krieg when Luffy wouldn't let Nami participate in the bloody battle. It was the same with Nami's home island, where the fate of all the fishmen was sealed by the mere fact that they dared to raise their webbed hands against the girl. They would have met death even if Nami had forgiven them — Luffy believed in forgiveness only after death; in any other case, he needed a truly compelling reason to leave his enemies alive. For instance, if their deaths would guarantee the death of his crew, it might be different. But even then, the enemies would just get a temporary reprieve. As soon as the situation changed, Luffy would immediately return to his 'unfinished business.'

Among Nami, Johnny, Yosaku, and Zoro, who were somewhat more affected by Luffy's rare display of concern, Usopp and Sanji remained a bit apart. Usopp, having only recently joined the crew, was still unaware of how rare this event was, while Sanji, despite the two years spent with the crew, still maintained a clear perspective on Luffy. Or rather, if we're being honest, Sanji wasn't as fervently devoted to his captain as Nami, Zoro, Johnny, and Yosaku. For Sanji, this open display of care meant considerably less.

This had a straightforward explanation. Despite all the time Sanji had spent with his new crew, he was still in the presence of his original family — Old Man Zeff and the other chefs. Unlike Zoro, Johnny, and Yosaku, who had no family other than their current crew, and Nami, for whom her new family was a true salvation from utter darkness, Sanji's feelings towards his old family were probably even stronger than those towards his new one. Old Man Zeff was for Sanji what Luffy was for Nami, Johnny, Yosaku, and Zoro. Just as their bond with their new crew was not blood-related, but was nevertheless of great importance, the same was true for Sanji's relationship with his old family. 

Sanji believed that his life belonged to Zeff. After all, Zeff had lost his leg, his ship, his people, his fame, and his strength because of Sanji. Not that it was really so, but that was how Sanji saw it. One of the main reasons Sanji hadn't fully moved to the 'Going Merry' for two years was because he felt he owed Zeff, which made it impossible for him to leave Baratie permanently. Sanji believed that he must protect the restaurant because it was the most important thing to Zeff. Again, this was not really the case, but it was for Sanji. 

Faith is a powerful thing, much like Hope and Love. However, Sanji's life had long been guided by Faith — his belief that his life belonged to Zeff. His faith in the idea that the most important thing to Zeff was his restaurant. His belief that if necessary, he must give his life for Baratie because his life belonged to Zeff, and for Zeff, the restaurant was the most important thing. A vicious cycle of guilt. And it was this sense of guilt that prevented Sanji from seeing what was obvious to almost everyone who knew Old Man Zeff and Sanji well. The most valuable thing to Zeff was his restaurant? Not really!

"And how are we going to find this 'Baroque Works'? " Nami broke the silence that had lasted for quite some time, as she settled next to Luffy again. "As far as I know, you've never been interested in the Grand Line... I mean, you won't be able to get any information there."

"Of course I won't!" Luffy snorted indignantly. "What's the fun in knowing everything in advance? After everything I've heard about the Grand Line, I'm expecting surprise after surprise; otherwise, the world can blame itself!"

"Given that you managed to, albeit a little, impact the world from the weakest sea of all, even without surprises, the world won't be lucky," Now Luffy himself received a snort, only not indignantly, but sarcastically.

"...At least if there are surprises, I'll be more lenient with the world," Luffy attempted to justify himself after a short pause.

The conversation about what they would do upon arriving at the Grand Line lasted another hour. During that time, Sanji, with Nami's help, cleaned up the table and then filled it with various sweets of his own making. Despite already being quite full, the crew found room for the sweets, so they didn't last long. Zoro, caught between his wine and tea, looked quite amusing... though eventually, he just mixed the tea with sake, which nearly gave Sanji a heart attack. Closer to three in the morning, something inevitable happened:

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/ Just a reminder. A lot of power stones = a lot of new chapters /