Image Source (Original): https://www.zerochan.net/1178410

.....

Everything was at peace for [Male Name].

His fruit stall is still sought-after, his earnings for the day already half-filled the jar beside him, even thought it's still 11 in the morning, and the weather was what he preferred the most - cloudy.

But, the silence was shattered the moment sounds of footsteps dashing towards the market caught the attention of every seller and buyer.

"I told you we should have left that place early!"

"But, Zoro! Their food was great!"

"Look what you got ourselves into!"

As the two pirates with a group of Marines on their tails passed by [Male Name], a ghost of a smile found itself beside the male's mole.

So, Sanji's here. Better say hi.

.....

Later, the captain and his right-hand man met up with the grocery-shopping cook. Needless to say, he, too had no choice but to run. Luckily, he hasn't bought too much yet.

The idea of knocking the Marines unconscious swam in their heads, so, they did. However, within a span of minutes, reinforcements arrived. As Luffy tried to punch his opponents to the ground while the other two had their hands full as well, a net reinforced with Seastone came his way, instantly binding him and completely nullifying his powers.

Zoro quickly came to the rescue, grabbing their tied-up captain and placed him on his shoulder as they opted for plan B. Sanji followed suit.

Minutes of running later, they got away from the Marines, catching their breaths in a dark alleyway while Luffy was still bound.

"We have to return to Sunny and sail," Sanji suggested while untangling the captain. "It will only be minutes before they get caught up with the situation."

Zoro grunted in approval. "But, it's on the other side of the island. How can we even go back there? Luffy's useless with those nets. Besides, we're not even sure if it's only soldiers or if there are Vice Admirals nearby."

With Luffy now free, they tried to think of a plan. Luffy opted to use force, charging right through the town and reach their ship, hopefully in one piece. Zoro insisted on doing something else, stretching the captain's rubbery cheek as protest. Sanji, on the other hand, was in deep thought.

They were in a bind.

"Well, well, well," said a dismembered voice. "Aren't you guys in a pickle?"

The voice was taunting, at least for Zoro and Sanji. Expecting to see an opponent, the swordsman quickly raced to his swords while Sanji dropped his burning cigarette onto the ground, grinding it with his foot until the light burned out.

For Luffy, it didn't seem to be someone against them.

"If it isn't Straw Hat and his crew. The last time we saw each other, you were trapped inside a maze of a cave. Now, you lots are like rats to a cage. Where's the improvement?"

It took a while for Luffy to process the thought, but for Sanji, it clicked immediately. The scenario was fairly familiar, as he was also trapped in the maze-like cave mentioned. The previous appearance of the male was covered with filth and grime, unlike the relatively hygienic one in front of him. And with no dirt nor dust, he found something he was looking for.

A birth mark right beside the lip of the male.

The emotions that threatened to burst weeks prior welled up once more. And as the inner dam in him began to crack, the feeling of happiness rushed out of the void.

"[M-Male Name]..."

The two males locked eyes with each other. While Sanji's face showed a face of longing, [Male Name] fared better.

"It's been a long time, Curly-chan." He closed the gap between them, his own [Eye Colour] orbs never straying from the blonde's dark-hued ones. "It seems we have a lot of things to talk about with each other. It's written all over your face. But-"

"You had no idea how long I wanted to see you." Sanji cut [Male Name] off, immediately caging the other in a warm hug. With his eyes tearing in the crook of his friend's neck, Sanji intensified the embrace. "When you saved us back then in that labyrinth. Why didn't you tell me beforehand that it was you?"

"It's because I wanted to see for myself the people you're now with," the other male calmly replied while running his hands slowly on Sanji's back. "Anyway, we can perhaps talk more later."

"W-What do you mean?" Sanji distanced himself slightly, his hands on the other's shoulders.

"We need to get you guys out of here first," announced the male. "I was just from the docks. I saw lots of warships heading this way. I may even have heard that there are Vice Admirals on board. If we need to get out of this place in one piece, we have to do it now."

Zoro raised a brow. "And what is with this 'we' thing?"

"Why not?"

.....

With the help of [Male Name], the monstrous men safely zigzagged their way from one dark alleyway to another. Now, they were almost at the docks.

Zoro peeked from behind a wall and witnessed many soldiers preparing themselves for a war. While Luffy stood behind the swordsman, annoyed and pouting since he couldn't punch one soldier, Sanji never left his friend's side, his own eyes darted at him.

"You really have grown, eh."

"Same to you. You're not a crybaby, anymore, it seems," slightly calloused hands slowly ran across the cook's cheeks and down to his chin. "Good. Your handsome face and tears don't really mix."

The fruit vendor then turned around to take a look at the streets. Before walking out in the open, he fished in his pocket two bandannas, one he tied around his hair and the other around his face, to conceal himself.

As he stopped in the middle of the busy road, calm and collected, Marine soldiers marched in front of him, completely unaware of his connection with their targets. Eyes scanned the surrounding, calculating what could be done in a matter of seconds without much damage nor attention.

Almost satisfied with what he has thought of, he sighed with content. But shot up, completely put into high alert, once a highly familiar voice boomed from the alleyway.

"I can't stand here and wait any longer! I'm going to rush towards Sunny!"

"Luffy, no!"

Oy vey. I heard Luffy can be stubborn, but, come on...

Most men in arms instantly shot up while others immediately met the ground after a 19-year old man with a straw hat rushed to their direction. One swing of a stretched limb knocked dozens in every direction. Not far behind Luffy, [Male Name] just stood slightly aback.

Before he moved a muscle, two distinguishable men passed by him, the other stopped in front of the unidentifiable vendor.

"Come on, while the Marines are in a daze."

Four men then pierced through the white wall beyond them, all eager to reach the docks in record time. Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro wasted no time, all three instantly rocketed to their destination, never turning their heads to those they knocked over. Their companion, on the other hand, barely lifted his arms as he held them behind his back, apparently calm despite the chaos.

A lot of soldiers have faced defeat behind the running males, but when a line of bazooka-holding men faced against Luffy and the others, Sanji and Zoro rushed ahead, quickly pummeling the reinforcements before they were able to fire what the pirates expected as Seastone-infused nets.

They were almost there, until a thundering voice from several metres back caused the pirates and [Male Name] to halt. The four turned around, and three faces instantly carved horror. It was a voice of a Vice Admiral, in front of several others.

Momonga. Bastille. Onigumo. And more.

They stood strong in front of their subordinates, radiating power and authority and completely alerting Luffy and the others. They demanded the Straw Hats to surrender, [Male Name] included.

For the vendor, it was a good thing he wrapped his hair and face with something, but the same thing wasn't possible with his acquaintances. They were gearing for a brawl.

As Zoro took out his green cloth, Luffy began to pump his muscles. Sanji, on the other hand, rushed to his friend and wrapped his hands around the other's.

"[Male Name]. Don't get separated. This might look bad, but, trust me. We can get out of here and we can continue what we lost years ago."

"Oh, great. I'm very ecstatic. How would you guys beat these blockheads? By letting them look at your brow and wait for them to be dizzy?"

The chef simply snorted at the sarcasm, a merry grin over his face. Meanwhile, an order was already given. Soldiers ran to their target, eager to put their names into history as the person who placed the Straw Hat captain behind bars.

Within seconds, violence erupted. Swords swung. Bullets rushed. Blows exchanged.

While both Zoro and Luffy turned around and charged against the bulk of soldiers, Sanji escorted [Male Name] towards the nearby Sunny. From the docks, Brook and Chopper were seen fending off opponents trying to reach the ship. As the chef blasted most of the soldiers away with kicks one after the other, the two reached the skeleton and the reindeer.

"[Male Name]. Stay with them for a while, I'll go back to help Luffy."

"Shouldn't Straw Hat and Roronoa just rush here so your ship can sail?"

From the deck, the navigator parroted the question, earning a swooned response from Sanji and an unamused sigh from the vendor. After hearing Nami, the blonde rushed back to the chaos, hoping to convince his captain and the moss-haired to retreat. Meanwhile, [Male Name] found himself standing on the deck of Sunny, overlooking the scene with no shred of interest on his face.

To think there were this many Vice Admirals in this island. What on Earth are they here for? It can't be possibly because of Straw Hat.

"Oh, we have a guest," Robin excused herself, earning a kind nod from the male. "But, you feel a bit familiar. Have we seen each other before?"

[Male Name] shrugged. "Perhaps. I've been selling fruits on the island before I got tangled up in this mess."

Then again, I volunteered to help Sanji.

And since I already did, I might as well do something about those block-headed officers.

Beside him, Robin became quite startled after [Male Name] moved forward and jumped back down to the docks. Nami, Brook, and Chopper were just as surprised, shouting to the other to stop and go back to the ship. Sadly for them, their words fell into deaf ears while [Eye Colour] orbs stared into the distance.

I have a feeling I might regret this, but, perhaps, this is why I offered my assistance.

[Male Name] took a deep breath. He closed his eyes, cleared his thoughts, and when he released the air inside him, his eyes opened. A foot then stomped itself onto the concrete dock. From the sole of [Male Name]'s right shoe, ripples of vivid, white light began to flow, immediately throwing the nearby musician and doctor into bewilderment.

Before the Marines ahead can catch up on the happening, [Male Name] raised his right hand and flung it from in front of him to his right side. In an instant, the ripples began to illuminate, emitting a blinding glow as it expanded throughout the area.

Within a snap, the entirety of the island was swept into the phenomenon. Eyes, both hostile and confused, wandered to the man who stood beside Sunny while wearing bandannas around his identity.

Several soldiers aimed to attack the caster, but found their feet dragged down to the earth instead of raised by their will. A lot followed, but, they, too, found themselves struggling, incapable of moving as their bodies slowly sank into a void.

One Vice Admiral eyed the apparent Devil Fruit user from his restrained position, cursing at the events before declaring things that cleared the fruit vendor's previous confusion.

"So, the rumours of people sinking into the ground in this island does have some basis. There is a Devil Fruit user who's behind all this."

Well, everything makes sense now. "Yes, I have been eliminating people here, but they were all ruffians breaking the peace of Amagane. And if you Marines are trying to arrest someone I care for, well, I just can't stand doing nothing, now can I?"

"Don't you worry. All those who sank into the void found themselves elsewhere. Same with all of you. I just hope none of you are Devil Fruit users or you'll found yourselves sleeping with the fishes."

Slowly, the empty space ate the men and women in white from the feet up. Some tried to fire shots at the unknown person, but found their bullets swallowed by more rifts. After a while, the ripples of nothingness began to fade. No soldiers remained on the island, but all Straw Hats members were tossed into a daze.

"I guess I would be expecting a bounty of mine someday next week. Good thing I had my bandannas on."

He was spot-on. The Marines whom he sent falling from high in the sky down to the cold waters near Mariejois quickly issued a bounty on [Male Name]'s head. The amount was staggering, but, because he had covers around his face, the vendor paid it no heed. What was concerning was that the Marines dubbed him as a member of Luffy's crew, which he clearly wasn't.

"[Male Name]!" Sanji rested his arms on both shoulders of his friend, shaking him constantly. "Just join us, already. It would be fun and safer being together again."

"A-As much as I find the idea highly appealing, I'll pass. I appreciate it that Luffy offered an invitation. It's great enough that I can be with you again after all that has happened, but a pirate's life is not for me. I'm willing to offer my assistance whenever you guys need me. However, perhaps, it'll be best for both us if we go separately with this."

[Male Name] put a big thought in the offer and in rejecting it, but Sanji didn't want to have anything with it. It has been years since he saw his friend and, for now, he wouldn't let him go for any reason. In his mind, [Male Name] was simply playing hard to get.

Perhaps, [Male Name] really was. The chef need not know.

"How about you stay with us for a few weeks and then you decide after that. You haven't even enjoyed all of my specialties yet. What do you say?"

"If there's food involved, perhaps, I can reconsider. If it's okay with Luffy, I'll stay here for four more weeks. Let's see by then."

And Sanji took the friend into his arms, happy of the male's decision.

How about staying here four-ever, [Male Name]. I'll make sure you won't want to leave after tonight.

.....

2,519 words
Happy Birth Anniversary to my favourite blonde cook.