Chapter Text
The sky was painted with a dark blue, the moon reflecting the sun’s light and shining through the night sky. A bright colored ship, owned by an infamous crew was docked by the shore of the newly discovered legendary sea. The pirates were all asleep on their sturdy and beautifully made vessel, yet there were two people missing from their beds. Choosing to walk across the sand, a night walk, if you will.
“You did it Luffy.” Sanji chuckled at the man that was kicking away at the gentle waves hugging the shore. His blond hair blowing with the gentle night breeze, he had long discarded his used cigarette as they walked through the beach at midnight. He had initially complained about how he had been woken in the middle of the night, but he couldn’t really bring himself to deny his captain of his needs.
“Shishishi! I know, you all kept saying it, and we found All Blue too!” That laugh was now part of the things that Sanji appreciated about his captain. Monkey D. Luffy, his astounding captain, had done the impossible. As he always had through his journey, the boy that grew into a man; he followed ever since they left East Blue. Continuously smiling and paving a path for their ambitious goals and dreams, not once ever mocking at them.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Sanji tried to be discreet, but the words kept dying on his tongue. This was the moment of truth, the last day they would be staying at All Blue (that was placed right where Mariejois formally was, but the red land was no longer there. As if it was wiped from existence. Of course, there was still the redline that divided the seas, but there was no more Mariejois.) and Sanji can’t afford to lose this chance anymore.
“Uh huh! You were right, every kind of fish is here! We gotta thank Weepy-hoshi again for gathering them here. They’re all so peaceful!” Luffy, being his oblivious self, completely misunderstands and thought of it as Sanji being nostalgic of how they reached their dreams one by one. The black-haired man turned his back from his cook, stopping the childish splashes against the water and grinned widely, his eyes turning to crescents.
“Are we going to have to-” ‘disband...?’ that part was left unsaid. That sudden fear was understandable, the crew being plagued by it after Luffy had become Pirate King. They were joyous for their captain, that’s a given, but that fear of disbandment was creeping up at them from the deepest parts of their souls. When Roger was crowned King, he disbanded his crew.
(They don’t want the Straw Hat Pirates to meet the same fate as the Roger Pirates had.)
“No, we aren’t. Why would we, silly?” The captain puffed his cheeks at that question, stomping toward the blond man and holding his face still as he leaned closer. Going on his tip toes as he did, because although he was now the strongest. It wasn’t undeniable that his height was....
“Yeah, that was a stupid question.” The cook only nodded, hoping to every god besides Nika out there, that Luffy does not take any notice of how warm and red his face was suddenly. However; that makes the captain raise his eyebrow slightly, as if amused, and Sanji curses inwardly.
There was no way a lie would ever go past Luffy, not if its serious and was detrimental to his beloved crew.
“Something’s bothering Sanji~” He mentioned it lightheartedly, wanting Sanji to tell him willingly. Not force him, he lets go of his face. His hands lowering back to his sides as he continued to walk childishly across the shore. His sandals wet from sea water, but he wasn’t affected a bit, his body was handling it properly now. Or maybe it's because this was a different sea. All Blue is vastly different from the others.
“Ye-yeah, I mean no. Nothing. Nothing’s bothering me.” The blond man was quick to deny it all, not nearly as prepared as he first thought he was. His confidence was slowly turning to mush and being thrown at the ocean, the waves taking it to the depths of the sea. Luffy shook his head and turned once again.
“Really? Doesn’t seem like it, shishi.” The captain teased a bit, his smile never wavering; letting Sanji know that it was just a hearty interaction. Luffy waited for his cook to be by his side and began walking again, this time; side by side. The shorter man kept skipping through the shore with his crew member by his side. Not noticing the man’s dilemma growing.
“How come you can tell when I’m lying, but with Usopp you can’t.” His heart was pounding against his chest, his intentions still weren’t noticed by the captain. The blond man hadn’t meant to blurt that out, yet he still had and he heard that angelic laughter again. The Straw hats were always comforted by the booming cackling, but this was softer, yet still had the loudness.
“Shishishi!” The captain was felt so at ease whenever he was with Sanji, one of the people who made him feel so relaxed. Which was not a lot, his brothers were definitely in that small circle, his father and grandfather too. Not to mention his crew, which can arguably be a lot of people but it still lacked in Luffy’s point of view.
They don’t know when they’d stop, but they did. Standing in the comfort of the ocean water going above their feet, the usually energetic man was just so serene. It might be because of how the moonlight was the only source of light he had right now, or maybe it was because he felt so safe with Sanji that he can pass out whenever he wanted.
The blond man had gone quiet himself. Both of them opting to admire the stars that twinkled through the night, just like they had been doing after the war. Sanji and Luffy had spent their time together watching the stars and creating their own constellations than cooking and being fed.
The war was an intense one, marines against pirates and revolutionaries alike. Countries defecting from the protection and severing their ties to the World Government, joining the side of the newly crowned King of the Pirates. (Alabasta, Dressrosa, Goa, and many more countries that were unfamiliar to Luffy) The reveal of Imu to the world, the way the marines had been forced to fight for such a corrupt figure. The way they had finally been cured of their blindness and saw the chains that held them down, they were not fighting for justice after all.
He can still see the scars and trauma of battle on his crew, especially the three cowards they had. Although, they weren’t really scaredy cats. Luffy had to give them that, being brave and pushing through. Remembering how Usopp had rallied a thousand men under his command had made him smile, the way Chopper took charge of treating the wounded and made sure it was as efficient as possible; giving them all a chance to battle for their freedom again. Nami had her own spotlight too, being the one to lead a squad of Revolutionaries to free the slaves in Mariejois. He’s heard of a ginger-haired witch rampaging against the marines the moment her eyes laid upon child slaves.
Luffy can understand their fear of disbandment. He can understand why they don’t want to be separated; it wasn’t like Luffy planned on it though. Yet, seeing those he cared about hurt after a battle he ordered them to partake in hurt him in return. He isn’t responsible for the wounds on their heart, but he just thinks that they don’t deserve to go through any sort of trauma again.
He knew his dropping mood was detected by his cook, feeling him step away to give him some space. Despite Luffy wanting his company for a bit more, maybe he didn’t want to interrupt his captain while he was thinking of ways to cheer his crew members up after all. It was his job to make them feel safe and have the luxury to smile every day. “You know...” The ravenette opens his eyes, not realizing he had closed them midway as he thought of his crew.
“You don’t have to worry about us too much, right?” Sanji spoke up, not moving an inch from the spot he made himself comfortable on. The sand sticking to his feet after stepping away from the salt water, now behind the captain who continued feeling the water on his feet.
“I know, you’re all strong! Just like you always have.” Luffy grumbled, a hand massaging his forehead. He was thinking way too hard about this, usually it only takes him seconds to form ideas, wacky ones, to make his friends laugh. Yet, now? He was struggling.
“So, don’t think too much with that rubber brain of yours.” Sanji knew what was happening to his poor brain, being racked of countless schemes, however; only coming out dry. His captain’s shoulders slack as he sighed, he felt bad for taking away the wholesome atmosphere they had so quickly. It didn’t sit right with him at all.
“Not too much, just wanna know how to make things better.” The rubberman denied such thing, he would be caught in the lie; yes, but that wasn’t his point right now. Being captain is a serious job, a job he had prepared himself for ever since he thought of becoming the captain. The black-haired king looked up to the stars again, as if he could find an answer in them.
“It’s already better whenever you’re around, captain.” Sanji assured him, his hands never leaving his pockets. His own smile never left as he looked on, admiring his captain from behind and his heart clenches a bit. Since he knows he can’t keep silently loving the sun that brought light to his life anymore.
“Sanji’s just saying that to make me feel better. You should know that I don’t like it when my crew’s all mopey!” Luffy crossed his arms, pouting. There was no lie in his words, per usual; the genuine of his actions always makes him so weak. The sheer amount of love in his chest was piling up, boiling to the surface and ready to bloom sooner rather than later.
“I’m speaking for everyone here when you said you would never disband us. That’s already a relief from most of our worries.” The blond man shakes his head as he walks ahead, the water starting to reach his knees; it was right below him. Luffy made sounds of surprise and struggle, he can’t go that far! He doesn’t want Sanji to leave him either...!
“Not from mine....” He only muttered under his breath, thinking his cook wouldn’t be able to hear. Which was the complete opposite since he had a great handle with his observation haki, Sanji smiled wistfully. He just wanted to pull his captain into his arms, pepper his face with kisses, cradle him as his own warmth chases away those worries for him.
To hold him, to love him, to wake up and see his face every morning. To have him in his arms.
To make the freest man in the world his.
“Hey, captain...” Luffy stops trotting to his cook midway as he was addressed, he gives him his attention and soft gaze. The blond man breathed in the scent of the sea and exhaled.
“The Moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” And dark chocolate eyes lit up as it went wide. Specks of gold glistening as his face heated up, did his ears take in those words properly? Did his ears stop working for a split second and his mind had to make up the other words? What was happening?
“S-Sanji-..?” He barely let a word out, his face blushing. A scarlett color across his cheeks.
“I’ve seen you do a lot of things, stupid, unpredictable, impossible, wonderful things. Sometimes, the outcome is good. Sometimes it's bad, either way, you always see it through.” He runs his hand through his hair, pushing his bangs back slightly. He was going way off the script he had actually written for himself.
“Even though you stress us the hell out. Even though you keep us on our toes. You make sure we’re safe, that we’re all happy, and that we have everything we need to achieve our dreams.” Luffy listened, now realizing what he heard was correct and he was steaming from his ears now. He felt like it, not that it truly showed, right? The young man’s gaze on the back of the cook’s head never wavered, despite this weird feeling in his heart taking up everything in his chest as if...
“And guess what? It happened. Under your protection and affection. We’re breathing proof of it, captain.” As if it was trying to make him suffocate, not letting him breathe. Sanji spares the other man a glance, seeing how red he became. How his eyes were wide and his irises shook a bit.
“Y-you could’ve just said ‘thank you’...” Luffy couldn’t find any more strength to continue looking Sanji in the eyes, the funny but warm feeling on his chest was affecting him so much! Was he sick? Was it because of one of his gears? It’s his heart that was pounding so much, so it must be Gear second, but Chopper was resting and he can’t just wake him up in the middle of the night.
“It’s more than saying thank you to you, Pirate King. You deserve more than that, and... I want to offer more than my gratitude.” Sanji didn’t know what he was afraid of, what he was nervously caressing at the small black box for. He was thankful Luffy didn’t question why he was so adamant of keeping his hands in his pockets, he liked holding hands with the crew as they took walks. No matter who it was. His right hand slides out of the pocket, a small box that fits perfectly in his palm was what Luffy sees.
“I want to spend the rest of my life by your side, if you’ll have me, Monkey D. Luffy.” The captain’s breath hitched as the box was opened, the blond man had his arm out to him. The beautiful gold and silver ring being granted that beautiful lighting that it had, the wind breezed through them quickly. As if they didn’t want to interfere with a grand moment.
No words left Luffy’s mouth, he tried to say something, anything to his cook. He touched his face after feeling something warm and watery trail down his cheek. “You were the All Blue...” Sanji muttered, but Luffy heard him loud and clear. The pirate king finally decided to meet his cook’s eyes again, and he saw the pure, raw emotion in those blue eyes. He gulped down a lump on his throat, knowing Sanji was memorizing every detail of his (very red) face.
Sanji was, and always will. In awe of the youthful face, the scarlet blush across it, the small freckles that were now standing out, his warm brown eyes. Half lidded blue eyes stared back at the dark watery ones, knowing he was crying from anything but sadness right now.
“I was just slow to realize it-” His captain takes him off-guard, and he stumbles backwards when Luffy had thrown his arms around his torso. The blond man manages to secure his footing again, he felt the tears stain his shirt, he sighed in relief as the ring was still in the box. The captain was shaking, clutching to him like a lifeline and Luffy knows that his heart wouldn’t be able to take it if he doesn’t do something to let Sanji know what his answer was.
Yes.
He wants to say.
Yes, I want to stay with you forever.
His mouth wasn’t working properly.
I want you to have me, too.
Luffy shakes his head aggressively and pulls away from the hug, staring back at the cook and his soon-to-be fiancé. Sanji, with a trembling hand, gently holds his chin. “Luffy, are you okay? Did I-” Concern washes over him as his confidence wavers, the sight of his tears was never a good thing for the Straw hats and Sanji never liked how people make Luffy upset.
He shakes away from his hold and grabs the older man’s face, pulling him down and shutting his eyes.
Their lips crashing together into a rough kiss. Sanji’s eyes are blown wide at the sudden action, quickly melting into it, softening their touching lips as he pulled his captain closer to him. Securing his arm around his waist, knowing that at this level of sea water would be enough to weaken his captain. Hesitantly, the dark-haired man opened his mouth, inviting Sanji to deepen their kiss. “M-mh...~” He hummed as his grip tightened on the blond man’s arms, fervently sliding his hot tongue against his.
Their emotions were being poured into this single affectionate action. The love that they had, the emotion that was piling up in their chest; feeling as if it would explode them open if they didn’t do anything to express it at all. They both had to pull away, oxygen was still a need for their body besides the urge to kiss the other relentlessly now.
They panted, the blond man taking hold of his captain’s chin again while Luffy revealed his dark eyes to his fiancé again, their foreheads touching. “Captain?” Sanji asked, breathless from their make out. A smile made its way to the rubberman’s lips, finally, his stupid mouth is listening to him again.
“Shishi, don’t worry. It’s the truth, isn’t it?” Sanji never thought that Luffy knew of poetry, and what that phrase even meant . Yet, he did. He did and that was his answer, his honest and still very Luffy-way of saying it. The cook could hardly believe it, he grinned widely along with his lover.
“I accept what you have to offer, and it’s better late than never.” With that, their lips naturally slot together again. In each other’s warm embrace, their kiss softer, filled with content as their hearts calmed down in unison. The blooming love they had for each other sated.
And the sea danced with the moon that night.