New Life

Title: New Life: Chapter 14
Author: Genuinelie(s)
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine.

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Chapter Fourteen
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"When I touched it, however, the book turned to dust."

A collective sigh was heard around the room, from diners and waiters alike, as Robin finished her tale. Whispers and loud clapping broke out, punctuated by excited murmurs as the guests asked one another whether the archaeologist's fantastic tale could be true.

Sanji grinned widely around his cigarette. He was leaning against the back wall of the restaurant, observing the diners and making sure his waiters kept out of trouble as he listened to Robin's performance. The raven-haired woman looked up and caught his eye, winking. An unseen hand behind his head managed to ruffle Sanji's hair affectionately, a gesture that could have been from an older sibling to a younger brother.

He still couldn't believe the older woman was there. It had been two months since she had appeared unexpectedly in his room.

She hadn't changed. At least, not aside from the slight glow of happiness Sanji could sometimes pick from her eyes, buried within the other, more familiar emotions like a jewel within sand.

Of all the nakama, Nico Robin was the only one Sanji had truly never thought he'd see again. She had simply disappeared one day, a note on her bed saying she had unfinished business to attend to. Luffy had refused to look for her, and that fact alone had led the rest of the crew to believe that Robin had discussed it with their captain before deserting them. Luffy refused to say anything about the matter, even after weeks of pressuring.

Robin was just as closed-mouthed about it now. When it came down to it, Sanji supposed he really didn't need to know. With Robin, he was most likely better off not knowing.

He was just happy to have her back.

She reminded him that his memories were real. Were more than just dreams.

Because she shared them.

*****

"Sanji," Robin asked him that night, stroking his hair absentmindedly as they lounged on the deck, "Do you ever think of the Going Merry? Or are you happy here, with your dream?"

She had put down her book. When Sanji looked up she had her sight trained on the horizon. Lightning from the constant storm and the magenta glow of sunset reflected in her eyes.

Sanji's breath caught in his throat. He took his cigarette and snuffed it out on the deck. He usually tried his hardest never to think on that, but the rare question from the woman demanded an answer as it hung expectantly in the air.

"This is why I joined Luffy," Sanji replied vaguely. He didn't want to doubt the choices he made.

The choices others had given their lives for.

"I sometimes think," Robin said softly, "that if given the chance, I could quite happily live my life out with Luffy. Sailing to new places, always an adventure." She didn't look down, but a smile touched her lips, "With you. With the others."

It was the most Sanji had heard Robin speak about herself, her desires, since finding him. It forced the same honesty from his throat.

"This is my dream," Sanji replied softly, staring out past the water at the storm, "I should be content here. I am, in a way - All Blue is everything I imagined it would be. It's paradise. Not just only for a chef.

"But...I can't help but think it feels empty sometimes, like I forgot to bring something with me here. Like I've misplaced a prized knife and can't remember where to look for it."

Sanji paused, and when Robin didn't say anything, he continued, "I'm living out my dream here. But I think I've already dreamt it." He gestured back towards the restaurant. "How much higher praise can I get here? I've already received a pardon from the World Government.

"But it's not about the fame. It's about my art. And there's more than enough variety here to keep me busy for the rest of my life so maybe," he took a deep breath, "I'd like to dream it again. Someday. Right now," he refused to acknowledge the watery prick in his eyes, "if given the chance -"

Sanji couldn't go on from there. His voice would crack.

There was silence, comfortable and poignant, before Robin spoke again. "We found our dreams too young, Sanji. All of us." She sighed. "I understand what you mean. I too would like to give them up, for a while, if only so that we can find them again when we're ready."

A cool gust of wind blew over them, stinging their eyes and giving Sanji an excuse for the dampness on his cheeks. It played with his hair before dancing away, making soft ripples through the water.

Robin picked her book back up. Her mellow voice started where it had left off, rolling soothingly over the gentle breeze. But all Sanji could hear was the crashing of distant waves.

Sanji lit another cigarette and stared blankly out at the storm.

*****

It was dinnertime of the next day and Sanji was in his usual place against the back wall, watching contentedly as Robin entertained a group of children with her devil's fruit powers.

He was trying to listen to the conversation at a nearby table. He had been waiting on a particularly well-esteemed patron when a snippet of the idle chatter suddenly caught Sanji's ear.

"...swordsman?" A deep man's voice rumbled.

"Yeah, heard 'e was caught. They sure kept quiet about it, eh? Had 'em there and no one heard nuthin' about it."

Sanji's head whipped around. Two men, large and burly outsiders, were dining with their dirty, booted feet on the table. A fact that would get them severly mangled and banned from the restaurant under normal circumstances. In this instance, however, Sanji wanted information. It wasn't often they got news from beyond the storm.

The hairier of the two answered, "Yeah. Surprised no one said nothin'. Must keep those marine boys under a stiff thumb, eh?"

"They keep 'em under something stiff, but I don't think it's 'er thumbs." His companion chortled. They both broke into guffaws.

Something in Sanji's chest had clenched at the word 'swordsman', a reflex left over from the past. It amazed him that he was still able to hope.

It made him snort with self-derision as he snuffed it out.

Always a dreamer. As Zeff had said.

Nevertheless, the marines capturing a swordsman was interesting news. He hadn't known there were any swordsmen left worth their while.

Sanji pushed off from the wall, hands in his pockets. He strolled over to the table. "Excuse me," he said, "I overheard part of your conversation. Don't get much news from the outside here."

The laughter broke off as both men turned to him. They sized him up for a moment, then the first man grinned widely, showing off a gold tooth. "You own this joint, right?"

Sanji winced. His restaurant was not a joint. It was the highest-class establishment in all the Grand Line. The best restaurant in the world. The pride of All Blue.

However, he reminded himself firmly, suppressing an eye-twitch, he wanted information from the ill-dressed, badly-groomed oaf and his companion. Chanting this over inside his head, he somehow managed to refrain from kicking out the bastard's tooth.

He nodded towards the man. "You say some swordsman was caught by the marines?"

"Not some swordsman!" The other man said, face appalled and almost comically wide-eyed. "The best in the world!"

Sanji frowned. Best in the -

Ah.

Mihawk.

How in the depths of All Blue did Mihawk get himself caught by the marines? "Executed?"

The first man shook his head. "Not yet." His grin widened, obviously excited by the prospect. "But soon. Me and Davy are gonna try and make it to Herald's Port for the hangin'."

Sanji scowled. "When?"

"A week from now. I 'eard they have 'im tied up in the square on display. Not everyday they get a catch like that, I'd imagine."

Sanji chewed this over. Knowing what little he did of Mihawk, the man wasn't soon going to be rescued by anybody.

"How did they catch him? The terror of the Grand Line? He took down ships you know. Whole ships with one slice of his sword."

The men looked confused for a moment, but then shrugged to each other. "Hadn't heard that about 'im." The second man said.

"Rescued him from certain death, I heard." The first answered Sanji.

"Guess there was no point to it, since they're just gonna kill 'im off anyway. But you know marines, they have to 'ave their fun. They're like kitties playin' with their meals, you know." The two friends broke into laughter.

Sanji chewed on his cigarette. This line of questioning, he recognized, was shaping up to be a Very Bad Idea. "How soon would you be leaving?"

The men looked at each other, then shrugged. "Sunrise tomorrow, guessing. The place is only about six days from here, but we don't wanna miss the show."

Sanji mulled this over. A day early. That might not be enough time, if Mihawk was well-guarded. He honestly didn't know what he was thinking, even considering abandoning his restaurant to save Zoro's only rival. However, he knew that no one else would save Mihawk, and somehow he felt like it was what the swordsman would do, if he were alive.

Somehow, whether he liked it or not, Hawkeyes was connected to his lost nakama, and he owed it to Zoro to do what he could not.

And though he would never admit it, it would be nice to get away. Even if for a little while. To travel again through seaspray and wind.

Free.

Sanji immediately smothered the thought. This was what he wanted, and he could never forget that.

Nevertheless, it would only be for long enough to rescue the swordsman. Then he'd return.

"How big is your ship? Do you have room for a couple passengers?"

The two men sized him up. "You lookin' for a ride, chef?"

Sanji had to literally grind his heels into the floor to keep himself from knocking them out. "Maybe."

The men exchanged looks, then shrugged easily. "Who's the other?"

Sanji inclined his head towards Robin. The woman was surrounded by customers, and her happy laughter could be heard above their questions. "Maybe."

The two men put their heads together, then came up to look at him with a shrewder gleam in their eyes. "Can you pay?"

Sanji nodded.

"We'll be at the dock an hour before sunrise." The gold-toothed man said. "If you want to come. But we can't give you a return trip. I don't wanna brave that storm after it starts up again."

"Fair enough," Sanji said. "Meal's on the house." He snapped at a waitor to bring the men more wine. Wine, Sanji thought with a grimace, whose finely chosen flavor and body were completely lost on the two sailors.

If he went, this would be the first Sanji had left All Blue since finding it. It would mean leaving the restaurant Zoro had given his life to build, with no assurance he'd return. It would mean taking on an entire barrack of well-trained marines by himself,unless Robin felt inclined to help, after having been out of practice for more than one and a half years.

It was definitely a bad idea.

But really, that had never stopped him before.

*****

Robin, a mysterious light sparkling in her eyes, agreed that it was what they should do.

Sanji warned his staff of his departure, leaving a teary-eyed Yusef in charge. The boy reminded him of a more sentimental version of himself, and so he had no qualms about it. He was already almost as good a chef as Sanji. He would run the restaurant, and well, and Sanji knew the boy would willingly give it back to him when he returned.

Sanji tried to pack lightly, but he felt the strong urge to take all of his original pots and pans and cookware with him. It wasn't much to pack, and over the years Sanji had learned to trust his instincts, so they went in among enough clothes for the journey and a few weeks more.

It never hurt to be prepared.

Zoro's sword Wadou went in his satchel as well. He just didn't feel right leaving it alone. He left Zoro's wanted poster hanging on the wall, and the five others stashed in his drawers. He did, however, pack all the money he had saved in with his clothes. That was just common sense when you lived with pirates, no matter how retired they were.

After stuffing Zeff's will in on top, Sanji sat with a thump on his bed, his decision finally catching up to him. He stared at the hundreds of plaques and awards covering his bedroom walls, fitting like puzzle pieces so that the only place they didn't cover was where Zoro's wanted poster still hung and the sword-sized space in the middle.

This had been his home for one year and seven months, plus a little more.

That short amount of time had been enough for Sanji to find his dream, live it, build it -

and pass it on.

Sanji shook the thought off and lay down to get some rest. It was ridiculous to get sentimental, because he'd be back within two weeks. Back to keeping his staff in line and cooking for the royalty of the world.

Sanji dozed off to a sleep filled with bright sun and the tang of seasalt.

*****

The men, Davy and Don, were at the docks just before sunrise just as they said, along with a crew of about ten equally large and unkempt men. The price was hefty, about three times as many berries as the six-day trip was worth, but Sanji managed to wheedle them down with the promise of home-cooked meals.

Robin stood by him silently, a small smile on her face, as the wind picked up and they pushed away from the dock.

Sanji couldn't suppress the flash of excitement he felt. To be on the water again, an adventure -

He grinned widely, unable to hide it. It hurt the corners of his mouth, and with a small shock he realized he hadn't smiled that way in a long while.

Robin chuckled lightly beside him, and raised her arms into the wind the fast little ship created as it cut through the water.

He guessed she felt the same way.

Nevertheless, he couldn't ignore the feeling he had as he watched the Restaurant of Three Swords, his restaurant, fade from sight.

He felt just like he had the day he left the Baratie.

Like he wouldn't be seeing it again.

Not for a long while.

*****