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There was a sea monster lurking off the Baratie shore.
Baratie was a small seaside kingdom, mostly known for its excellent seafood cuisine and its fearless fishermen. It wasn’t the most exciting kingdom, but it was peaceful, and no one ever went hungry. The royal family made sure of that.
So when they first heard rumors from returning fishermen about the huge monster near the coast, King Zeff had dismissed them as fanciful delusions from sailors away at sea and missing home for too long.
Things like that don’t happen in Baratie.
But the rumors persisted, with seemingly every returning ship catching sight of the creature, and with every new report Prince Sanji’s curiosity grew and grew.
Then the offerings started.
At least, Sanji thought they were offerings. How else would you explain the scores of fish washed up on the beach, or the giant squid that had somehow landed in the middle of the capital?
Harmless gifts from the sea, Sanji assumed. And their people ate well.
Zeff, as usual, had a different take. These fish being here meant there was a problem with the ocean. Someone somewhere had pissed off a sea god, and now Baratie was paying the price.
“Perhaps the terrifying sea monster is bringing us these tokens as a tribute,” Sanji had jested with his father.
Zeff was not amused.
But still, the complaints about the sea monster grew to the point where even the king had to admit something was amiss.
So Sanji took it upon himself to look into the matter, spending his days down by the ocean, talking to the people about the monster sightings and checking the ocean for any explanation for these phenomena.
It was going about as well as expected.
All of the stories seemed as fantastical as they did terrifying.
They said the monster was huge, as big as the cliffs that surrounded the coastal town, if not bigger.
They said it was green, dripping with seaweed and algae, and smelled of dead fish and low tide.
They said it had sharp claws and teeth, deadly enough to sink ships with one blow and tear the remains into pieces too tiny to salvage.
They said it only had one eye, a bulging yellow thing that glowed in the water, the only light in the ocean during a storm to lure its prey in.
They said it was a vicious, bloody thirsty monster hellbent on wiping Baratie off the map.
Sanji would like to see it try.
Still, these stories piqued his interest, and he desperately wanted to find out more.
The monster allegedly appeared at night, so one night Sanji got a boat and set sail towards the open water.
He was quite an adept sailor, if he did say so himself. He’d been born at sea, and came to Baratie from the sea, so at the very least he wasn’t an amateur.
But the clear night quickly turned stormy. It wasn’t long before the waves grew to unmanageable levels, and tossed him about.
Still, he held on, doing his best to keep his boat afloat, clinging to the helm for dear life.
But all it took was one wave, one giant wave to swallow the boat and drag him into the deep unforgiving depths of the merciless ocean.
Sanji tried his best to fight it, did what he could to kick and push his way back to the surface, but it was no use. The waves were thrashing about, tossing him this way and that to the point he wasn’t sure which way was up, dragging him further and further down.
He held his breath for as long as he could, but he could feel the burning need for air throbbing in his chest, could see the darkness creep across his vision.
Shit. He was going to die here.
Then, like a miracle, there was a strong grip on his waist, and he was pulled steadily towards the surface.
He gasped as he broke through the water mouth first, inhaling more water than air initially, making him hack and cough until his airways cleared. He took gulping breaths of air, getting lungful after lungful just in time for another wave to come crashing into him.
He closed his eyes and waited for the wave to drag him under again, but it never did.
Stunned, he opened his eyes cautiously and saw that a large green arm was wrapped tight around his waist, holding him against a huge hard torso. He ran a hand across the arm, finding it covered in bright scales.
Before he could comprehend what was going on, a rough voice murmured in his ear, “Hold your breath.”
Sanji did as instructed, and the next thing he knew he was zooming through the water at a breakneck speed. He closed his eyes tight as the pressure squeezed him, unable to do anything but pray they were heading to shore.
Soon enough, Sanji found his knees hitting sand. He collapsed forward, hacking up bile and seawater as he clenched his fists tight in the soft bits of land. The storm hadn’t quite reached land yet, with only a few drops of rain and a slight pull from the breaking waves as precursors to the storm out at sea.
Then there was a hand on his back, large enough to cover it completely from waist to shoulder, and that same rough voice from before, “How many times do I have to save you like this, little chef?”
Sanji gasped, his eyes growing wide as that comment unlocked a memory that had long been buried, that for years he thought had been nothing but a dream.
He turned quickly, but was met with nothing but the dark empty sea and the waves brushing up against his feet.
He half wondered if that had been a dream too, a figment of his imagination brought on by almost drowning, but then he looked down in the sand and saw a large handprint next to him, the tips of the fingers pointed and deep.
He laid his own hand inside it and found that his barely fit into the palm, his fingertips just brushing against where the handprint’s fingers began.
He stared in wonder, at both the proof that he hadn’t imagined his rescuer and that there was a sea monster lurking on their shores.
And perhaps it was one he was already familiar with.
But the tide was coming in, and another wave crashed over him. As it retreated, it took the handprint with it, leaving his fist clenched around so much wet sand.
Still, he had his proof.
The stories were true.
Now all he had to do was meet his sea monster again.
“You are not going back out there again,” Zeff seethed.
“What?” Sanji snarled back, “Why the hell not?”
“Aside from the fact that you almost died,” Zeff’s brow twitched as he stared him down, “Since this monster is apparently real, it’s dangerous. You shouldn’t be anywhere near it.”
“But he saved me,” Sanji insisted, “He could have left me to drown, but instead he brought me to shore. He’s not bad or terrifying or anything they say. He’s good and kind and caring and-”
Zeff raised his hand to cut him off, “I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want you — or anyone else — anywhere near the coast after dark until this thing is slain.”
Sanji snarled as he clenched his teeth, his hands balled up into fists as he raged at the unfairness of it all, “You can’t kill him!”
“I’ll do whatever I need to to protect you and this kingdom, you know that,” Zeff sighed and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, “You’ve always had a kind heart, Eggplant, and an active imagination. These are good traits that make you a good prince. But if this thing is real, we don’t know what it wants, and we can’t wait around for it to attack us.”
“He is good,” Sanji pleaded with him, “He won’t hurt us, I know it.”
“I hope you’re right,” he squeezed his shoulder and stepped away, his peg leg clanking on the floor with finality, “But I can’t risk our people’s lives on such an uncertainty.”
Sanji growled as he stormed after him, “Then I’ll prove it to you. I’ll show you he means us no harm.”
“You are free to do as you see fit,” Zeff conceded with a nod, “as long as you’re not near the shore after dark.”
And that was how Sanji found himself scouring the shorelines in the afternoon.
“Yeah, the monster,” one of the local fishermen was telling him, “I saw it last night.”
“You did?” Sanji said, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet in his excitement, “What was he like?”
“Big,” was all he said.
When Sanji pressed for more details, he admitted, “Didn’t get a good look at him myself. But my first mate did.”
“Yeah,” a younger woman said from the boat, “I saw it.”
“Please,” Sanji turned towards her imploringly, “What was he like? Did he help you did he-?”
“Damn near sank the fucking boat,” she snarled, “Smacked the water and nearly capsized us. Barely got out of range of those damn claws before they did us in, and the less said about those teeth the better.” She shuddered, “The King’s right, I'm not going back out there after dark. Glad he’s finally doing something about that thing. Can barely fish with it out there.”
Sanji sighed morosely as he wandered towards the beach. Most of the tales from the locals went along those lines. Terrifying stories about the ghastly monster, who only ever seemed to want to cause mayhem and stop them from fishing.
Couldn’t any of them see what Sanji did? That this sea monster was here to help them, protect them even?
He was rummaging through some flotsam from a shipwreck, kicking the debris aside as he frantically looked for some proof that this monster was gentler than he appeared, when he came across an unconscious sailor, naked save for the shell necklace he wore around his neck.
“Hey,” Sanji rushed to his side, shaking his shoulder in an attempt to rouse him, “Hey, wake up!”
The man groaned, his eye blinking slowly open as it adjusted to the sunlight.
“Are you alright?” Sanji asked as he attempted to help him sit up, “I mean, obviously not, but are you hurt?”
When the man caught sight of him, his eye grew wide, and he scrambled up to his knees, his arms flailing about as he settled.
“Easy there,” Sanji said gently as he grabbed his shoulder to help him balance. He blushed a little as he felt the corded muscles, but dutifully stayed on task, “Do you need help?”
He let out a low groan, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. The sound continued as he scrunched his face, his hand rubbing at his throat.
“Are you alright?” Sanji asked again, his worry growing when he didn’t say anything, “Can you speak?”
He groaned again, his eye wide and pleading as he looked at Sanji, but slowly shook his head.
“Oh…” Sanji bit his lip as he slowly shook his head, “Well, can you stand?”
He nodded, so Sanji gripped his arms tight and dragged him to his feet.
He collapsed almost immediately, but Sanji was quick to grab his waist and pull him close to support him, “It’s alright, you’re fine, I’ve got you.”
His head lolled onto Sanji’s shoulder as he gazed up at him with a look that could only be called adoring.
“Yes, well,” Sanji cleared his throat, “Let’s get you settled.”
He helped the man find his balance, and held his hand tight as they gave walking a try. He was just as shaky with that as he was with standing, but after some coaxing and support he was able to take a few trembling steps along the sand.
“Good, great,” Sanji beamed at him, and the man’s face melted into something far too soft and fond for someone who’d just survived a shipwreck.
Sanji took a step back to get a good look at him.
He didn’t seem very injured, all things considered. He was covered in scars, a large one across his chest and the one sealing his eye shut being the most prominent, but these were clearly old wounds. The worst he had recently seemed to be a few scrapes that could have easily come from falling in the sand just now.
The lack of clothes and the hair covered in algae were problems, but ones that could easily be solved.
Sanji shucked off his coat and offered it to him, “Here.”
The man stared at it for a bit before taking it carefully, as if he’d been presented with a rare treasure instead of a simple covering, and held it against his chest.
“It’s for you to put on, not to hoard,” Sanji rolled his eyes as he took it from him. He shook it and held it out for him, “Spread your arms.”
The man stared at him for a long moment, and Sanji wondered if he was going to have to do this the hard way, but then he did as Sanji had asked, holding his long, muscled arms out to his side.
Sanji quickly slipped on the coat, letting it fall across his shoulders as he moved to button it up. It was a little small on him, the sleeves just a bit too tight to be truly comfortable and stopping just a little above his wrists, but all of his important bits were covered, so it would do for now.
Then the man’s stomach growled loudly. He clenched a hand over it as he gazed up at Sanji, a small whine escaping him.
Sanji smiled at him. This was a problem he could certainly deal with.
“Come on,” he held out his hand, and the man grabbed it, threading their fingers together in a tight grip, “You washed up in the right kingdom. No one goes hungry here.”
The man smiled that sweet smile at him as he led him back to the castle.
The first thing Sanji did was make sure the man got a bath.
He left him in the bathroom and the specifics to the staff while he made his way to the kitchen to prepare some food.
Soon after, he heard the soft clunking of Zeff’s peg leg coming into the kitchen, and braced himself for the inevitable shouting match.
Instead, Zeff leaned against the counter and gave him a look that was somehow worse than the shouting would have been, “I hear we have a new guest.”
Sanji kept his face carefully blank, “I suppose we do.”
“One that growls instead of speaks,” he raised a brow and leaned forward, “And keeps trying to bite the staff.”
“The first one is true enough, can’t comment on the second.” Sanji cleared his throat, “But he’s hungry, and he has nowhere else to go. You can't blame me for bringing him here.”
“Okay, I’ll just come out and ask,” he sighed, “Did you tell the staff to take a stray dog to the royal baths? Again?”
“No!” Sanji’s face burned a bright red as he growled at his father, “I did that once when I was like ten, can you let it go already?”
“Fine,” Zeff huffed, “Just as soon as you guarantee your guest is actually human.”
“Yes,” he said through gritted teeth, “He's completely human.”
Zeff still didn’t look like he believed him, but luckily that was the moment that said guest chose to burst into the kitchen.
He had a frantic, almost angry look on his face, but it instantly melted into something softer and more relaxed the moment he caught sight of Sanji. He cleaned up nice, Sanji was pleased to find, the spare black slacks and clean linen shirt doing wonders for him, leaving the top few buttons undone to display the seashell necklace against his impressive chest even more so.
As he walked towards him, however, Sanji was disappointed to note his hair was still green.
“Did they forget to use shampoo?” Sanji frowned as he turned off the stove and spooned out a bowl of stew.
A harried maid appeared in the doorway just then, her teeth clenched in a grimace as she growled at the man, “We did use shampoo, your highness, as much as he protested — soap too, even when he point blank refused to remove his necklace — however it seems his hair is naturally that color.”
“I see,” Sanji’s face flushed with embarrassment as he set the stew down on the table, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to doubt you.”
“It’s fine,” she huffed, accepting her own bowl of stew with a grateful nod, “But if he needs another bath during his stay here, ask someone else.” She shuddered, “I’m not going through that again.”
With that, she thanked Sanji for the stew and left.
Sanji sighed as he gestured at the stew on the table, “Go ahead, eat. You’re probably starving.”
He looked at the stew, then back at Sanji, and pointed a finger at himself.
“Yes, that’s yours,” Sanji nodded.
He frowned, pointing at the pot, then back to Sanji, and raised a questioning brow.
“Are you…asking if I made it?” Sanji guessed.
The man nodded, so Sanji confirmed, “Yes, I made it.”
He smiled wide like he’d just won something, but finally sat down at the table.
“You better be grateful,” Sanji huffed, but he couldn’t stop the pleased smile on his face, “Not everyday a prince will make you a meal.”
He just stared at him, his eye wide before turning back to his stew.
“Well, anyway,” Sanji sighed as he rummaged through a nearby drawer for a spoon, “I suppose you-“
When he turned back around, he was horrified to find that he’d already shoved his face into the bowl and started lapping at the stew.
“What are you doing?” Sanji shrieked, startling the man enough to at least lift his head out of the bowl, the broth and a few stray carrots running down his face.
“You sure he’s human?” Zeff scoffed from behind him.
“He’s just survived a shipwreck,” Sanji scowled as he grabbed a napkin and offered it to the man, “He’s probably traumatized by the experience. And who knows how long he was at sea before then!” Sanji shot Zeff a look, “You shouldn’t judge him before-”
While Sanji was in the middle of defending the bastard, the man took the offered napkin and began dipping it into the stew, then bringing it to his mouth to suck out the broth.
Sanji snarled, his heel coming down hard against his skull, forcing him to drop the dirty napkin.
“Goes without saying, but he’s not allowed anywhere near the dining room until he at least learns how to use utensils,” Zeff said with a smirk.
Sanji scowled as he rubbed a fresh napkin across his face, perhaps a bit too harshly, but he felt it was justified.
When he pulled away, the man was glaring at him.
“Don’t give me that look,” Sanji snapped as he shoved a spoon into his hand, “Eat it normally.”
The man stared at the spoon for a moment, then used it to scratch behind his ears.
Sanji groaned as he rubbed his eyes, feeling the incoming headache.
“You should be gentle with him, Eggplant,” Zeff snickered, clearly enjoying the hell out of this as he made no move to help, “Who knows what trauma he’s experienced.”
Sanji growled as he poured himself a bowl of stew and grabbed his own spoon, marching over to the table and slamming it down across from the man.
He blinked up at him, clearly startled by the display. Sanji made sure his attention was on him as he carefully picked up his spoon and dipped it into the stew, making sure he got a good sized spoonful before slowly bringing it to his mouth and swallowing.
After a few more demonstrative bites, he seemed to get the idea, picking up his own spoon and carefully copying Sanji’s motions.
“It’s a miracle,” Zeff snarked, and Sanji shot him a glare, “He can be taught.”
Sanji ignored him as he turned back to his stew.
“You can be as pissy as you want,” Zeff sighed as he approached the table, “But you know it was probably your precious sea monster that sunk his ship.”
Sanji froze for a moment as his words sank in. The man looked at him curiously as he said softly, “You don’t know that for sure.”
“Well we could ask him,” Zeff huffed as he crossed his arms, “But conveniently he can’t tell us shit.”
“He can’t talk, he can understand just fine,” Sanji insisted as he turned back to him, “Right?”
That got him an enthusiastic nod.
“So?” Zeff asked as he clunked his way towards him, “Was it that big green sea monster lurking on our shores that sank your ship?”
His brow furrowed, as if he had to think it over, or he didn’t understand completely. Once it clicked, his eye went wide, and he shook his head vigorously.
“See?” Sanji grinned in triumph, relaxing a little now that his fears were allayed, “He must have helped you, right?”
Zeff grumbled behind him, but Sanji only had eyes for his guest. His gaze shifted while his face pinched, as if he was trying to figure out just what Sanji was asking. But soon enough he nodded slowly.
“I knew it!” Sanji cheered as he pointed accusingly at Zeff, “I told you! He’s helping us!”
“According to you and the algae head,” Zeff rolled his eyes, “According to everyone else, it’s a menace.”
“Well, then me and…” he trailed off, realizing suddenly that he didn’t know the man’s name, “Sorry, what is your name?”
The man swallowed his mouthful of stew and groaned, a low sound that in no way resembled words.
“Can’t talk, remember?” Zeff grumbled as he found a pencil and paper for him, placing them down next to his soup bowl, “Write it out, and the name of your ship while you’re at it. Least we can do is find out if there were other survivors.”
The man stared at the pencil like it was completely new to him, then glanced back at Sanji, a sort of helpless look on his face.
And Sanji understood, “You can’t read or write, can you?”
He scowled as he shook his head, looking away with an embarrassed flush on his face.
“It’s alright,” Sanji was quick to assure him, “Lots of people can’t.”
“But it makes communicating with him all the harder,” Zeff sighed.
“We’ll figure something out.”
Sanji leaned across the table and ran a hand through his green hair. The man looked up at him, his eye wide and face flushed, but there was that bright, adoring smile on his face again that made Sanji weak in the knees to see.
“Until then,” Sanji pulled away as he sat back down and took the stranger in completely. His hair was still a little puffy from his bath, resembling the moss balls he found sometimes in lakes further inland, “How about I call you Marimo?”
He scrunched up his face, clearly displeased by the nickname, which made Sanji want to use it even more.
“Well, he’s your responsibility for as long as he’s here,” Zeff sighed as he clunked his way back out of the kitchen, muttering a baffling, “At least this one is human,” as he left.
Sanji ignored him as he turned back to the Marimo.
“So, Marimo,” despite his apparent dislike for the nickname, he responded to it easily, making Sanji grin, “You saw the sea monster, right?”
He frowned a little at that, eye darting away quickly before he finally nodded slowly.
“Really?” Sanji grinned wide as he leaned in, “He’s saved me a couple times now, but I’ve never gotten a good look at him.”
He sighed wistfully as he stirred his stew, “Everyone in the kingdom thinks he’s attacking us, that he’s something to be hunted and feared.” He shook his head, “But I just know he’s kind, that he’s helping us in his own way.”
Marimo was staring at him again, his face impossibly soft and fond.
Sanji blushed at the attention, but pressed on, “So I’ve been going down to the beach everyday, listening to the stories of the people who’ve encountered him, looking for something to prove to my father that we shouldn’t fear him.”
Marimo finished his stew as he spoke, and offered the empty bowl to Sanji. He swapped it with his half eaten stew, and Marimo dug into that one too with just as much gusto as the first.
“You think he’s helping too, don’t you?”
Marimo nodded, and Sanji smiled wide, “Good. Would you like to help me, then? I’m sure between the two of us we can find something that will convince my father.”
He nodded again, enthusiastically so, and Sanji let out a delighted little laugh, “Once you’ve rested up, we can get started.”
Another nod, and Sanji’s grin grew.
It was nice having someone on his side for this. He and his father butted heads in the past over just about everything, but the fact that the whole kingdom agreed with him this time frustrated him to no end.
But now he had an ally. He had a friend who believed him, and together they were going to show everyone.
Sanji hummed to himself as he poured Marimo another bowl of stew, already excited about their next outing.
Once he deemed Marimo recovered enough, Sanji wasted no time dragging him back down to the shore to continue investigating the sea monster.
But, there was an apparent twist that Sanji hadn’t expected.
“Monster’s gone,” the boat captain said with a grunt, “Haven’t seen hide nor hair of the smarmy bastard in a couple of weeks.”
“What?” Sanji gasped, “He can’t be gone!”
“Sea’s have been a bit rougher lately,” the first mate shrugged as she leaned against a barrel, “Maybe he’s taking shelter further out?”
“Doesn’t matter,” the captain waved her off as he turned back to the ship, “As long as we can get back to fishing in peace. He can stay gone as far as I care.”
“He can’t just be gone,” Sanji insisted, but they ignored him and went back to their boat.
Sanji sat down at the edge of the dock with a sigh, letting his feet dangle just over the water.
He hated the thought of the monster simply vanishing without a trace, but the offerings of fish had stopped as well. It seemed that their sea monster had up and left for other waters.
Sanji just hoped he was okay.
Marimo sat down next to him, kicking his feet across the water’s surface, the toe of his boot occasionally brushing Sanji’s ankle, but Sanji didn’t mind the brief contact.
They sat in silence for a few moments, before Sanji said, “I can’t believe he’d just leave.”
Unsurprisingly, Marimo didn’t say anything, but the look on his face was soft and encouraging, clearly waiting for Sanji to say his piece.
“It’s just…” Sanji sighed again as he ran a hand through his hair, “I really thought he was protecting us, or at least helping us. If he was, he wouldn’t just up and leave for no reason, right?”
He turned, tugging at the ends of his hair, and looked at Marimo, “You don’t think he’s hurt do you?”
A frown pulled at Marimo’s lips, and he tentatively rested his hand on Sanji’s.
Sanji had noticed over the past few weeks of their acquaintanceship that Marimo was very touchy. He was always touching him, whether it was his hand on his shoulder or arm, their thighs pressed together when they sat next to each other, the full bodied hugs he gave him whenever had the chance, or resting his head on his shoulder or in his lap while he napped.
Sanji didn’t hate it, if anything he welcomed it. His title of prince kept most people at arm's length, and as much as he tried to even the ground between himself and his people, he knew that most of them were still hesitant to approach him in such a familiar way.
Not Marimo though. Personal space didn’t seem to exist for him, as he took every opportunity they were together to be in his.
And that was refreshing for Sanji. He loved the people of Baratie, he loved being their prince, but there were times when he hated the distance his title put between him and everyone else. Having someone who disregarded it so completely and treated him like a person instead of just a royal was wonderful. He hadn’t realized how much he’d been wanting that until now.
He shifted his hand so Marimo could hold it properly, and got a pleasant thrill from the grin that spread on his face as a result.
Sanji glanced out at the calm ocean, “I hope he’s okay, wherever he is.”
Marimo squeezed his hand, so Sanji looked back at him, “Sorry, I must look ridiculous, worrying about a sea monster.”
He shook his head, which made Sanji smile wider as he glanced back out at the sea.
“It’s a little silly, I suppose, spending all my free time trying to defend a creature that everyone else is determined to hate.” He looked back at Marimo, “Can you keep a secret?”
Marimo gave him an unimpressed look that spoke volumes, and Sanji laughed.
“There’s plenty of people you can tell. You communicate just fine, you know. Or at least, you make yourself abundantly clear to me.” He held out his free hand with his pinky extended, “So make it a promise, okay?”
Marimo stared at his hand for a long moment, then grabbed his wrist and brought the pinky to his lips, placing a soft gentle kiss on the tip.
“No, not like that,” Sanji growled, his ears burning from the soft gesture as he grabbed Marimo’s free hand, maneuvering it until his pinky was extended, “Like this.”
He wrapped his pinky tight around Marimo’s, waited a moment for Marimo to copy the move, then lifted their pinkies together in a shake.
“There, it’s a promise,” Sanji said as they pulled their hands apart, “A sacred promise that you can’t ever break.”
Marimo stared at his pinky as if it contained all the answers in the world. Slowly, almost reverently, he curled it once more, bringing the closed fist to his chest as he gave Sanji a solemn nod.
“Right,” Sanji cleared his throat, flushing from the seriousness he gave a simple pinky promise, “Yes. So.”
He glanced back out at the ocean, “I wasn’t born in Baratie. I was born in the distant kingdom of Germa far in the north, a prince still, but not a very good one. It was a cruel and cold place run by a cold and cruel man, and I…” He shivered a little, remembering cold gazes and crueler words, “I never fit in.”
Marimo rested his hand on Sanji’s, caressing his knuckles with his thumb to comfort him.
Sanji relaxed, letting the soothing touch draw him away from his dark thoughts and continue his story, “So when the opportunity arose, I boarded a passing ship as a kitchen boy and left. I didn't care where it took me, as long as it took me far, far away.”
He glanced back at Marimo, who was giving him a soft, encouraging look, and Sanji felt himself smiling back.
“There was a shape in the water, some big green thing that followed the ship. I saw it whenever I had to go out on deck. When I asked the chefs about it, they said it was a sea monster.”
Sanji laughed, “I took that as truth. I never saw the monster eat, so whenever there were table scraps left over, I tossed them into the ocean for him.” He shook his head, “Head chef got pissed at me when he found out. Said I was attracting all kinds of shit and wasting food, but I still wanted to make sure he was fed.”
Marimo’s gaze softened even more, and Sanji felt himself blush at the attention.
“We eventually picked up the delegation from Baratie as passengers,” he continued, turning his hand so he could hold Marimo’s properly, “The king and a bunch of his officials. Zeff kept coming down to the kitchen to yell at us about this or that,” Sanji laughed as he tucked a stray hair behind his ear, “Thought he was such a bastard.”
Marimos brushed his thumb along the side of his hand, and Sanji gave it a squeeze before he continued with the next part.
“There was…a storm,” he said slowly, the images from that terrible night dancing through his mind, “I got tossed overboard. I should've died that night, but…”
He gripped Marimo’s hand tight, his smile wide, “I was saved by a giant green sea monster.”
He looked nervously back at Marimo, expecting him to laugh or snicker or do something to tell Sanji he was crazy, like everyone else who had heard this story, but he didn't.
Marimo just gave him that wide eyed look and that soft smile, encouraging him to continue.
It was nice to be believed.
Blushing slightly at the thrill of it, he took a deep breath and continued, “I was half delirious at the time — I thought I must have been dreaming — but a giant green shape swam around me in the water.”
He kicked his feet across the surface of the water, gesturing around him with his free hand at the movements he remembered his sea monster making, “He was curious at first, I don't know if he'd ever seen a human before, but he was just watching me flail around in the water. Once I ran out of air and started choking, he seemed to panic. Grabbed me around the waist and brought me back to the surface. And in doing so he saved my life.”
Marimo grinned at that, a smug look on his face for literally no reason.
“I don't…remember much after that,” Sanji admitted with a downcast look, “Zeff managed to make it off the ship before it sunk. He found me floating in some debris in the water the next morning. We drifted for weeks, no food, precious little water.”
He bit his lip and squeezed Marimo’s hand, “Zeff gave me what little we had. He was a king and I was just a kitchen boy to him, but still he…” Sanji sniffled and wiped away the tears forming in his eyes, “He saved me too. Made sure I was alright. Hid a leg injury even when it got too infected to save just to make sure I made it through.”
There was a light touch on his cheek, and he turned to find Marimo brushing a stray tear away.
He shifted his hand to cradle his cheek more firmly, and Sanji leaned into the touch, grateful for it.
“We eventually made it to Baratie,” Sanji said, the words dancing across Marimo’s palm, “Zeff didn't have any heirs and had just lost all of his advisors, so he adopted me and made me the crown prince.”
“And it's been good,” Sanji continued, pulling reluctantly away from Marimo as he dipped the toe of his boot into the water, “But…I never got to thank the sea monster who saved my life.”
Sanji swallowed and glanced back at Marimo, “I do think he’s good, he wouldn’t have saved me if he wasn't. I want to prove that to the kingdom. But…”
He looked back out over the water, “Maybe a part of me just wants to find him and thank him for saving some nothing kid in the middle of the ocean.”
Sanji sighed as he glanced back, “I must seem so stupid to you, pining after a sea monster like this.”
Marimo vigorously shook his head as he reached out and grabbed Sanji’s hand.
He opened his mouth, but all that came out was a long groan. Instead he gave Sanji’s hand a squeeze and stared insistently into his eyes.
Sanji understood what he was trying to say and smiled, “Thanks, Marimo. It's nice to have you here, to have someone who believes me and doesn't think I'm completely insane.”
Marimo shrugged and waved his hand, giving Sanji a pointed, teasing look.
“Oh, shut up you,” Sanji scowled as he playfully shoved him away, “Maybe I am insane, but you support me, so who's more insane?”
Marimo laughed and shook his head, but when he looked back at Sanji, his gaze could only be described as fond.
He leaned in closer, and Sanji was struck by the sudden urge to press their lips together.
Sanji blushed and turned away, embarrassed by his own thoughts.
How silly he was being. Marimo was a guest. Sanji was supposed to be taking care of him, was the only person here he could really talk to, and it would be beyond rude and far too forward and be taking too much advantage of the situation for Sanji to start kissing him so suddenly.
Sanji sighed as he stood up, offering Marimo his hand again, “Let's head back.”
Marimo nodded as he took it, his hand warm in Sanji’s, and if they held hands all the way back, it was just so Marimo didn't wander off.
Sanji woke in the middle of the night to the sound of waves crashing against the ocean, and a low hum from somewhere out at sea.
Sanji knew Zeff had forbidden anyone from going out on the ocean at night, had banned him specifically from being anywhere near the shoreline after sunset, but he felt a magnetic pull towards it that he couldn't have ignored even if he'd wanted to.
He snuck through one of the servants’ passages and made his way to the beach, his bare feet treading lightly across the sand.
He stared out over the dark ocean, the waves caressing his ankles as he waited, for what, he couldn't say, but something had called him out here tonight, he was sure of it.
But the ocean remained as quiet as it ever was, despite the buzzing just under his skin, the moonlight shining on the calm waters.
With a heavy sigh, Sanji turned around to head back, only to be stopped by a splash from behind and a large hand on his back.
“Don't turn around, Prince,” the voice that had been haunting Sanji’s dreams for months said.
Sanji froze, a delighted smile crossing his face as he remained perfectly still as his sea monster had requested, but still asked, “Why?”
The hand pressed a bit more insistently into his back, “I am not what most humans would consider appealing. I know most of your kind fears me. I can't…” there was a soft growl, “I don't want to scare you.”
Sanji didn't think he could be scared of his sea monster — no matter his appearance — but he respected his wishes and kept his head facing forward, his gaze fixed on the twinkling lights of the castle in the distance.
When he was sure Sanji wouldn’t turn around, the large hand pulled away, “I hear you’ve been looking for me.”
“Yes,” Sanji said breathlessly, “Yes, I know you don't want me to see you,” he brought his hand to his chest and held it tight, “But I'm just happy to speak to you like this.”
The sea monster made a soft noise as he shifted, and Sanji held his breath in anticipation for a moment.
“And,” he continued when it seemed the sea monster had nothing more to say, “I wanted…to say thank you. For saving me. Both the other night and years ago. I don’t know if you remember me, but-”
“I remember you,” the voice dropped low, almost like a purr, “You’re a hard one to forget, little chef. Or I suppose it's Prince now.”
“It’s Sanji,” he replied, his hand clenching, “You can call me Sanji.”
“...Sanji.” The name rolled off his tongue like it belonged there.
“Do you have a name?” Sanji ventured to ask, “Or should I keep calling you giant green algae?”
“It’s Zoro,” the sea monster – Zoro – growled.
“Zoro…” Sanji tried out, liking the sound of it more and more.
“So,” Zoro continued, his hand pressing lightly against Sanji’s back, his large fingers playing with his hair, “Is there a reason you sought me out, Sanji?”
“Well, to thank you for saving my life, first of all,” he said, fidgeting a little, “And also…” he took a deep breath, “Everyone says you're here to terrorize us, that you're hurting us.”
He squeezed his hands at his side and continued, “But I don't think so. I think you're helping us. You must be.”
Something shifted behind Sanji, the water splashing around, and Zoro’s voice sounded closer, “I save you a few times and you assume all my intentions are pure?”
Sanji swallowed thickly, but stood his ground, “Not all of them, but I do believe you don't mean us any harm. Why else would you save me? Why else would you give us fish?”
There was a moment of silence, then, “You truly believe I'm helping you?”
“Yes,” Sanji answered instantly.
A large, green hand reached around to his chest, the claws turned to point at the soft spots of his neck.
“You trust too easily, Prince,” Zoro growled behind him.
Sanji remained still for a moment, his heart beating in his throat, then leaned into the claws, letting them caress the skin of his neck.
Zoro pulled away as if burned, “What are you doing?”
“If you wanted to harm me, you’ve had plenty of opportunity during our previous encounters,” he explained, “Instead you saved me. You can put on all the posturing in a futile attempt to convince me otherwise you want, I still trust you.”
Zoro let out a half strangled choking sound, then pulled his hand away completely, “You’re going to be the death of me, Prince.”
Sanji chuckled, “Like I haven't heard that one before.”
There was a pause, then a shaking hand landed on his shoulder, as if Zoro was hesitant to touch him, worried his giant hand would break him, or that his monstrous touch would sully him. Before he could pull away, Sanji wrapped his hand around one of the large fingers and turned his head to place a soft kiss on the back of his hand, his lips brushing the scales there.
The hand twitched, and Zoro growled, “You will be the death of me at this rate.”
Sanji laughed, but stroked the bit of his fingers in his grasp, “But you are helping my people, aren't you? You're not trying to hurt them or sink their ships.”
There was a long pause, then, “Yes and no. The situation is complicated.”
Sanji paused in his ministrations, and was tempted to look back and see the look on Zoro’s face, but was worried about scaring him off. Instead he faced resolutely forward as he waited for him to explain, “I'm listening.”
“I protect these waters,” Zoro said, his hand curving ever so slightly, ever so gently around Sanji, “Whether that's by pulling little humans that shouldn’t be there out of the water or keeping human boats out of places they shouldn't be. I know you don't want your people to go hungry — I respect that — but lately your boats have been pulling more and more fish from the deeper waters.”
Sanji frowned at that, his brow furrowing, but remained silent.
“There's far worse than me out in the deep waters, and pulling too many fish from there upsets the balance of the ocean,” he continued, “I've been doing my best to scare your people back into the shallows. I'm sorry if I hurt any of your people, but the safety of these waters is my priority.”
“I understand,” Sanji said, and surprisingly enough, he did. He knew what it was like to have a domain to protect and people who relied on you. The Kingdom of Baratie and its people will always be his priority, but Zoro had a much bigger domain to protect.
Perhaps, despite the differences in biology, Zoro wasn't so different from him after all.
“The seas have been rougher lately,” Sanji said, recalling his talks with the fishermen, “Surely that and the king’s ban on fishing after dark should help restore balance?”
“It has helped,” Zoro admitted, his touch on Sanji’s shoulder light, “But the seas have only been rougher because I haven't been around to calm them.”
Sanji’s heart froze in his chest, a sudden fear shaking him to his core, “You have been gone?”
“Oh?” He could hear the smirk on his face, and it made Sanji want to kick him, “Did you miss me, Prince?”
“No,” Sanji scowled, but his tightened grip on his hand spoke volumes.
Zoro chuckled, then leaned in closer to say, “I've been away from the ocean, but I haven't been far. I'm quite fond of Baratie.” He stroked his back, “it has a beautiful prince with a big heart and a mean temper, after all, and I’m quite fond of him.”
Sanji felt his face blush all the way to the roots of his hair. He was more tempted than ever to turn around and see the look that accompanied those words but the thought of upsetting or disappointing Zoro, of ending this encounter far too soon, kept him rooted to the spot.
“Can I ask,” Sanji said, keeping his gaze firmly forward, “Why did you save me? The first time, when I was a kid?”
“You fed me,” Zoro answered almost immediately, “I’d been hurt pretty badly a few days before I found your ship. I was too weak to get my own food, and was hoping something would drop from the human ship. Some food did, you dropped it for me.” A clawed finger gently stroked Sanji’s cheek, “You saved my life first. I was just returning the favor.”
Sanji shivered as he leaned into the touch, a yearning opening up inside of him, but for what he couldn’t say.
“And, the fish?” He ventured to ask, a hopeful note in his voice, “And the giant squid that appeared by the castle? That must have been you, if you're protecting the oceans. What was that for?”
“Yes…” Zoro sounded almost hesitant, “That was me. The reason is, well…it’s a bit embarrassing.”
Sanji grinned at the bashful tone he picked up, “I'd love to hear.”
Zoro groaned, but heaved a heavy sigh and said, “A friend of mine told me that humans normally…give gifts for this kind of thing.”
“What kind of thing?” Sanji insisted, wanting to know the answer more than he’d wanted anything in his life.
Zoro clicked his tongue, but finally admitted, “A…show of affections, kind of thing.”
Sanji blushed so fiercely he thought for sure he'd catch fire.
His sea monster had affections for him. His sea monster was courting him.
Perhaps he should have been repulsed by the idea, but all he could feel was giddy delight.
The sun started peeking out over the horizon, and Sanji knew the rest of the kingdom would be awake soon. It wouldn’t be safe for Zoro to stay out here for much longer.
But still, he hesitated to say goodbye.
“I should go,” Zoro eventually said, no doubt noticing the same thing as Sanji, but his lingering touch showed the same hesitations as well.
Still, Sanji clung tight to his hand, “Will I be able to see you again? Or,” he quickly clarified, “Talk to you again? Like this?”
“Yes,” Zoro exhaled softly, his breath tickling Sanji’s ear, “Yes, I would like that.”
Sanji gave his hand one last squeeze, and then slowly let go, allowing Zoro to pull away.
“Until next time, little chef,” Zoro whispered in his ear.
There was a splash and Sanji quickly turned around, but only caught the end of a large green tail disappearing between the waves.
Sanji took a deep breath, his hand lightly touching the wet spot Zoro had left behind on his shirt.
He pressed it into his shoulder, imagining it was still Zoro’s touch on him, that Zoro was still here and holding him tight.
With a heavy sigh, he turned away from the ocean and back to the castle, wondering how long it would be until he saw his sea monster again.
“I thought I told you specifically not to go anywhere near the water after dark.”
Sanji groaned and rubbed his temples, “Did you not hear a shitty word I just said?”
“I heard you,” Zeff grunted, still looking unimpressed as ever, “You spoke with the damn monster and he told you that — despite him confirming that he has been trying to sink our ships and been putting our people in danger — he was good and helping us somehow.”
“Exactly,” Sanij crossed his arms, “So there’s no need for me to-”
“Eggplant.” Zeff stated, a firm edge to his tone that Sanji didn’t dare cross, “You’re asking me to take his word, the word of an actual sea monster, against the word of our people.”
“I…no…” Sanji flushed in embarrassment, “I'm not saying our people are lying, I'm saying they don't know the whole story. Zoro is scaring them away from the dangerous waters and keeping them from overfishing. He's helping us and protecting the ocean.”
“The sea monster,” Zeff continued, his voice level and calm, which set the hairs on the back of Sanji’s neck on end more than any shouting, “has admitted to you he's attacking our ships. And yet you still choose to believe he's helping. Why is that?”
Sanji flushed deeper, remembering the almost embarrassed voice Zoro had when he admitted to sending Sanji gifts, how soft he sounded when he talked about Baratie’s prince.
“I-I just…” he bit his lip and turned away, “He saved my life twice now. I know he's more than the monster you wish to paint him as. I trust him.”
Zeff stared at him long and hard, then let out a heavy, bone-deep sigh.
“You have a good heart, Eggplant,” he said, “it's what makes you a good prince. But in this case, I think you're letting your heart cloud your judgment.”
Sanji scowled, “My heart?”
“To put it frankly,” Zeff huffed as he stood up from the throne, “Your goddamn crush on this shitty sea monster is blinding you to its true nature.”
Sanji had never been more embarrassed in his life, his face turning red so quickly he was sure steam was coming out of his ears, “I’m not a child! I don’t have a shitty crush!”
“Infatuation then,” Zeff shook his head as he stepped closer, his peg leg making echoing thunks with each step, “Whatever you want to call it, you’re not being clear headed about this.”
Sanji clenched his teeth tight, “My head is perfectly clear in this and all matters.”
Zeff thrust a hard finger into Sanji’s chest, “You are pining after a terror of the sea, convinced that just because it may have saved you as a kid that means its always going around saving people.”
“That’s not what’s happening here at all!” Sanji snarled, barely holding himself back from stomping his foot like a petulant child, “You’re just refusing to believe him because you see him as nothing more than a monster!”
Zeff sighed again, and Sanji was sorely tempted to kick his teeth in, “What I’m saying is, maybe it's time to stop chasing unrealistic fantasies and focus on something that's real and in front of you.”
“And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Just then, Marimo burst into the throne room, his hair more of a mess than usual, his shirt only half buttoned, showing off his frankly stunning chest and the seashell necklace he always wore.
“Maybe instead consider someone a little closer to home,” Zeff whispered in his ear as Marimo glanced frantically around, relaxing almost immediately when his eyes found Sanji’s, “He cleans up well, he's human, and have you seen the way he looks at you?”
Sanji blinked, genuinely surprised by what he seemed to be implying, “What are you saying?”
“I'm saying,” Zeff huffed as Marimo made his way over, “Maybe you should be more focused on what's right in front of you.”
Sanji frowned, as he glanced over at Marimo.
He was beaming at him as he approached, his face softening by increments the closer he got.
Marimo always looked like that. Sanji saved him after all, and he was always happy to see him.
But that didn't mean what Zeff was implying. It didn't mean he loved Sanji or anything like that.
Did it?
“Well,” Zeff clapped him on the shoulder, “I’ll leave you to your lessons.”
With a nod towards Marimo, that was dutifully returned, he took his leave.
“Crazy old man,” Sanji huffed after him, then turned his attention back to Marimo.
Sanji’s eyes lingered perhaps a bit too long on his exposed chest, but they eventually drifted up to his face. This close, Sanji could see bags under his eyes that weren’t quite hidden by his beaming smile, “Did you have trouble sleeping last night?”
His response was a stiff shake of his head, and Sanji relaxed a little. It wouldn’t do for their guests to not get enough sleep, and he asked instead, “Did you eat?”
A nod, and Marimo brought his hand to his chin and lowered it towards Sanji to say thanks, an acknowledgment that he was well aware that Sanji made breakfast this morning, and Sanji beamed at him.
One of their maids was deaf, and had offered to teach Marimo sign language so he could communicate better with people that weren’t Sanji. Marimo had been hesitant at first, but he was picking it up easily, as he did all the lessons Sanji was giving him.
Speaking of Marimo’s lessons, “Are you ready to try reading again? Or would you like to do something else?”
Marimo thought about it for a moment, then brought his hands flat together, and opened them like he was opening a book.
“Reading it is,” Sanji said as he took Marimo’s hand and led him to the library.
As they walked, Sanji updated Marimo on his meeting with Zoro the night before, going over everything the sea monster had told him about the ocean and what he was doing — although he was too embarrassed to confess his theory about the courting to his friend. Marimo took it all in easily, not showing a smidge of surprise at the news of the encounter.
Sanji blushed when he realized that he’d essentially waxed poetics about Zoro their entire trip to the library, but Marimo didn’t seem bothered by it, instead sporting a confident smirk for whatever reason.
“So, anyway,” Sanji concluded his rambling as they approached the library, twirling a lock of his hair around his finger, “Now I know we’re correct about the sea monster — Zoro. He is helping us, we just have to convince everyone that’s the case.” His smile fell, recalling how well that went over with Zeff, “Although it might still take some doing. My shitty old man still thinks he’s a threat.”
The pleasant smile on Marimo’s face turned to a scowl upon hearing that, his eyes darting away as if he could somehow convince the king.
“I know,” Sanji sighed, his thumb idly brushing the side of Marimo’s hand, “He’s a stubborn bastard. Refuses to trust Zoro or my judgment, instead getting fanciful ideas about…well…”
Sanji blushed, remembering Zeff’s implications that he should pursue Marimo as a romantic interest. As if that wasn’t the most absurd and asinine suggestion he’d ever made.
Marimo and him…ridiculous.
Marimo turned to look at him, his head tilting quizzically as he waited for the end of the sentence.
“Nevermind,” Sanji scowled as he turned away, instead tugging him into the library, “Let’s teach you to speak and read.”
They set up on the couch side by side, with Sanji holding the book open in his lap, far enough away so Marimo could read it where he was squeezed right next to him.
“See?” Sanji pointed at the capital A at the beginning of the page, “This one makes an ‘ah’ sound. Aaah. Can you try?”
His eyes slid over to Marimo, who was gazing at him with that soft look on his face again, his eyes focused on his lips and the sounds Sanji was making. He opened his mouth, leaning in close as he let out a soft, deep, “Ah.”
“Good,” Sanji cleared his throat and turned his attention back to the book “This one,” he tapped a capital O this time, “This one is a little harder, it’s more like ‘oh.’ Oooh.” He glanced around the page until he spotted a U, “And this one-”
There was a gentle touch on his face, turning his head towards Marimo, who was much closer than he thought he was, his eyes lidded, lips hovering tantalizingly over Sanji’s.
The book slipped from his fingers, clattering on the ground as Sanji moved to press his hands against Marimo’s mouth in shock, a soft, “Don't,” escaping him.
Marimo blinked at him in surprise, and Sanji bit his lip as the flush spread across his face.
“Sorry,” he said as he pulled his hands away, his heart sinking at the look of devastation his rejection put on Marimo’s face, “I'm sorry…”
He was shocked that Zeff turned out to be correct about Marimo’s feelings for him, but Marimo was his best friend. He'd saved him, brought him into the castle, took care of him. Yes, he cared about Marimo immensely — maybe even as more than a friend sometimes — but he refused to take advantage of him like this.
And — if he was being honest with himself for once — there was another, much more important reason he couldn't accept his affections.
His heart already belonged to another.
Over the past few months, his appreciation and desire to find out more about their local sea monster and prove his innocence had grown into affection, and meeting him once more had — as Zeff so astutely pointed out — turned that into a full fledged crush.
He couldn't help it, he'd always been in love with the ocean, and Zoro represented everything Sanji had always loved about it. Add in Zoro constantly stepping in to save Sanji from the worst of the ocean’s moods, and Sanji didn't stand a chance.
Developing a crush on a sea monster was bizarre enough, indulging in this growing attraction to Marimo as well was going way too far.
“You're very sweet,” Sanji attempted to explain as he anxiously played with his hair, “and I like you a lot, I just…” He sighed, twirling a lock of his hair around his finger as he glanced away, “I'm sorry, but I'm already in love with someone else.”
He chanced a glance at Marimo, who looked absolutely crushed. His teeth were clenched, his lip curled in frustration, his eyes wide and downcast. When he noticed Sanji looking at him, he placed his thumb against his chin and curled his pointer finger twice to ask who.
Sanji blushed all the way to the tips of his ears, and glanced away once more, “This is going to sound absolutely ridiculous, but…” He glanced back at him, hoping he wouldn't laugh or get angry at his answer, “I'm in love with Zoro.”
Marimo stared at him, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open.
“I know,” he groaned, throwing his head back dramatically against the cushion “He's a giant sea monster and I'm just some human, but I can't help it!”
He buried his face in his hands, “I know it's probably a stupid, pointless love, but I can't help myself. I'm in love with him. So even though I do want to return your affections, I just can't bring myself to betray my heart. I-”
He was cut off by Marimo’s fingers gently circling his wrists and lowering his hands from his face. Sanji looked away, not wanting to see his handsome face twisted in heartbreak and anger, but Marimo’s soft touch guided him back anyway.
Far from being angry, Marimo looked delighted, his smile wide enough to show off his teeth. He released Sanji’s hands, his touch lingering as he pulled away.
“You're not mad?” Sanji asked softly, “You don't think it's strange that I'm in love with a sea monster?”
Marimo shook his head, his smile never faltering.
He placed a hand on his chest, his arms shifting to cross over it, then pointed at Sanji.
Sanji blushed, his meaning clear, as it was one of the first signs the maid taught them. I love you.
He pointed at Sanji again, then brushed his hands against his chest, the sign for happy. He then pointed at himself, and made the happy sign again.
If Sanji was happy, Marimo was happy.
Sanji flushed even harder, the warmth spreading from his chest throughout the rest of his body.
How did Sanji get so lucky to be loved so completely by such a wonderful man?
“Thank you,” Sanji said, softly but genuinely, hoping his friend could have the same happiness and love that he'd just given him in his life.
Marimo’s smile fell, crossing his pointer fingers a few times in front of him. But…
His brow furrowed, clearly frustrated that he didn't know the signs he needed to convey his thoughts.
Marimo glanced back at Sanji, and settled for placing his hand over Sanji’s eyes, covering them completely.
Sanji frowned as he tried to figure out what he was saying. Blocking out his eyes, making him unable to see…
Was he worried that Sanji had never actually seen Zoro?
Sanji grabbed Marimo’s wrist and gently pulled it away from his eyes, “Well, no, I haven't seen what Zoro looks like yet. Is that what you're worried about?”
Zoro bit his lip, but nodded.
“Are you worried that I won't like him anymore once I see him?” Sanji frowned, hating the thought of his friend thinking him so shallow, “That I would fear him like the others if I see what he looks like?”
Zoro glanced away, a slight blush touching his cheeks, and nodded.
Sanji flicked his ear, making him flinch and scowl as he turned to stare at him.
“I'm not so shallow to fall out of love because of something as trifle as appearances,” Sanji scowled right back, “I fell in love with his good, kind heart, and as long as he still has that, I will never fear him and always accept him, regardless of how he looks.”
Marimo’s eyes grew wide and wet at his statement. The reaction surprised Sanji, but before he could ask about it, Marimo gave him a sure nod and a smile so bright that all Sanji could do was smile back.
Marimo scooped up the book from the ground and placed it in Sanji’s hands, an expectant look on his face.
“Yes,” Sanji cleared his throat, as he opened it to the page they'd left off on, “Yes, let's continue. Where were we?”
Marimo pointed at a spot halfway down the page, and Sanji continued his reading from there.
He'd deal with his crush on the sea monster later. Right now he wanted to spend time helping his friend.
By the next morning, Marimo had vanished, leaving behind no trace save his seashell necklace.
Sanji’s guilt overwhelmed him, horrified that his rejection had made Marimo so uncomfortable that he had no choice but to flee from his side.
Zeff cursed up a storm when he found out, muttering about useless cabbages sticking him sea monster in-laws as he paced around the palace.
Sanji just missed his friend.
He kept the seashell necklace as a memento, wearing it close to his heart always as a reminder of what he had lost, hoping beyond hope that someday he'd run into Marimo again and be able to return it.
He continued his monster hunt, doing his best to keep his people from fishing in the more dangerous waters now that the ocean had calmed down and convince them that Zoro was here to help. Zoro had apparently stopped attacking the boats outright, instead nudging and guiding them back to safer waters when they strayed too far from home, which at least had the fishermen more open to accepting what Sanji was saying.
He'd kept his eyes out for Zoro, for the chance to meet him again, but so far nothing.
Which is what brought him to the docks again at night, casting hopeful glances out over the ocean.
It was just as calm and as empty as ever. Based on what Zoro had previously told him, he supposed that the calmer waters were a good indication of his more permanent return, which could only be a good sign.
Even so, why was he avoiding Sanji?
Could it be he had caught on to Sanji’s feelings for him from their brief interaction, and was disgusted by him? He was duty bound to continue protecting the waters near Baratie, but was too repulsed by him to show his face again?
Sanji’s heart sank at the thought. He had lost his best friend and his love in the span of a few days, and he didn't even know why.
“Prince Sanji of Baratie, we presume?”
Sanji turned to find a group of ten men standing there. He'd never seen them before, so they weren't Baratie residents, and they looked much larger and tougher than your average traveler, sporting scars on their faces and arms that didn't come from anything decent.
Still, Sanji wasn't one to judge people based on appearances, so he turned and tucked his hands into his pockets as he politely smiled, “Can I help you gentlemen?”
“Yeah,” one of them stepped forward, his peg leg thunking solid against the wood, “Is it true no one goes hungry here?”
“Yes,” Sanji kept his smile neutral and his body language unassuming as he quickly sized him up in case this escalated to a fight. He was sure a few quick jabs to the leader’s chest could take him out, and if he was quick enough he should be able to finish off the others before they had the chance to use their numbers against him, “Feeding people is our priority here. Whether they're saints or crooks, we'll feed them all.”
“Excellent,” his smile turned sinister as the others stepped threateningly forward too, and Sanji prepared himself for a fight.
“We’ve been traveling for days without food, and we’re starving,” the man explained, the collective growling stomachs proving his statement, “None of the other places we’ve been to would serve us ‘cause we don’t have money. Can you point us to the nearest restaurant?”
Sanji laughed, fully relaxing almost immediately, “Of course, tell them I sent you and you won't have to pay a cent.”
He gave them directions to the closest tavern, and waved them off as they offered him their thanks.
He sighed as he turned back to the dark waters. Whatever his own personal problems, he was glad he could still help people and maintain Baratie’s core beliefs.
As he turned to head back to the palace, someone grabbed his arm hard, wrenching it behind his back as the tip of a knife rested against his neck.
“Don't move,” a woman’s voice hissed in his ear, “And maybe you'll live.”
The fight left Sanji as quickly as it had appeared. Zeff had always pressed in him the importance of being a gentleman that came with his title of Prince of Baratie, and that included never hurting a woman. Sanji owed everything to him, and had done his best to follow his lessons to the letter.
Even if a woman had him at knifepoint like this.
But he didn't despair. She hadn't killed him yet, so maybe there was a way to talk himself out of this, “What do you want?”
“I want your head,” she hissed, “Do you know how much the Germa king will pay for it? It doesn't even have to be attached,” the knife dug a little harder into his neck, “And I'm not picky.”
Sanji's blood turned to ice with the mention of Germa. If she was sent by Germa, his odds of escaping dropped exponentially.
“Come,” she kneed him hard in the back to get him moving, “Let’s-”
There was a huge splash from the water, soaking the two of them, but she only held him tighter. A low snarl echoed over the area, startling both of them.
She turned sharply, dragging Sanji with her, the knife leaving his neck to point at the new threat.
There in the water was a large, green sea creature, at least three stories tall. His green hair was plastered to his head like seaweed, his teeth large and pointed as he snarled, the jagged scar sealing his one eye shut and the one bisecting his chest almost clean in half prominent against his wet scales. The gills on his neck flared with the lack of water to breath, but his chest heaved with breaths as his remaining yellow eye glared down at them.
“Let him go,” he growled, low and dripping with venom, a huge scaled hand with sharp claws rising out of the water to hover right over her.
Instead of obeying, she gripped him even tighter, as if Sanji could somehow stop the monster's wrath, her shaking hand pointing the knife insistently at him.
The monster didn't warn her again. With a deep roar, he reached down and snatched her up, his claws digging into the skin of her arms and legs, blood dripping out of the wound, wrenching her away from Sanji with a forceful tug that sent him careening to the hard wood of the docks.
Her loud scream was cut off abruptly by the monster returning to the water, his prey in tow.
Sanji scrambled to the edge of the dock and peered into the water, waiting with bated breath for whatever happened next.
Eventually the sea monster burst out of the ocean once more, his hands empty, spraying water all over Sanji once more.
Sanji spluttered, pushing his wet hair out of his face as he crawled backwards on the dock to get some space in between them.
But the monster just scooped him up in his hands. Sanji tried to scramble away, his fingers desperately clawing at the scaled fingers wrapped around him, but the hold was relentless.
Actually, the hold was gentle, the claws being kept carefully away from his soft skin lest they cut him, the fingers cradling him softly as if they were afraid to hurt him.
With this new realization, Sanji gripped one of the fingers and sat up properly, gazing up at the sea monster that had saved his life once again.
He took a good, hard look at his face. The golden eye gazed at him so softly, in a way that was almost familiar. In fact, with the scarred eye it almost looked like…
“It can't be!” Sanji gasped, clutching the seashell necklace around his neck, “Marimo? Is that you?”
His Marimo — who was apparently also his sea monster — lifted him higher so he could look him properly in the eye.
“You said you would not fear me,” Zoro said, his deep voice sending thrills through Sanji, “That you could accept me. But is that true?”
He brought him closer, so all Sanji could do was look into his eye.
“Can you look into the abyss I possess and claim love?”
Sanji gaped at him, his mouth falling open slightly as he took him in.
He could see the monster everyone always said he was, his aquatic features and sharp teeth prominent. He saw what he'd done to that assassin, dragged her into the ocean with no hesitation.
But, Sanji could also feel how gently he held him in his hand, could see the soft look in his eye as he gazed back, knew how that same look always graced Marimo’s face whenever he caught sight of him.
And Sanji knew his answer.
He leaned against the thumb that was lingering near his neck, pressing his cheek against his before turning his head to place a soft kiss against the pad.
“Of course I can,” Sanji answered, the words dancing across Zoro’s scales as he gently stroked them, “I told you before my sweet, stupid Marimo. I will always love you, I will always accept you. I fell in love with the sea monster who saved my life,” he glanced back up at Zoro’s face, a blush lighting up his face, “He saved my life again tonight. And I am still very very much in love with him.”
He reached out, close enough now to place his hand against the scales on his cheek, and brushed his thumb gently across them, “Your appearance is not so unpleasant that I am not completely in love with every last bit of you.”
Zoro let out a soft whine as he leaned into his soft touch. He leaned his head forward, pressing their foreheads together with a light touch.
“I love you, Sanji,” he whispered softly, as if speaking the words aloud would break him, “I've loved you since I first pulled you out of the water.”
Sanji laughed, his light breaths dancing across the scales on the bridge of his nose. He leaned in and placed a soft kiss on the tip of his nose.
“I love you too, my dear, sweet Marimo.”
The seashell necklace was apparently a spell from a sea witch Zoro knew to turn him human. After he'd saved Sanji the first time, he spent years trying to find where he'd ended up to find out what had happened to him, and only stumbled across Baratie — and Sanji’s ship sinking in a storm — recently.
After saving him again, he'd wanted to meet Sanji in person, to talk with him as an equal, and thus sought out the witch and the spell.
The talking part was a bit more difficult than Zoro anticipated with human vocal cords, but luckily he'd found ways to converse with Sanji regardless.
Sanji thought that he was just a damn lucky piece of seaweed, all things considered.
Still, it was worth it, especially when he brought Zeff out to meet the feared sea monster that lurked in his depths and got to see the dumbstruck look on his face as he watched him transform back into his Marimo guest.
Zeff spluttered in disbelief, glancing between the now human Zoro and his son’s shit eating grin.
“Well fuck me,” the king sighed, waving off Sanji’s very well deserved told-you-sos, “Guess I’m stuck with him now.”
Instead, he turned to Zoro, giving him his sternest, most threatening look as he gestured back to Sanji, “You take care of my Eggplant here, alright? If you do anything — and I mean anything — to hurt him, there's no corner of the ocean you can hide in to escape my wrath.”
Zoro’s eye widened, but he gave Zeff a quick and sure nod, then held out his hand with the pinky extended.
Zeff let out a surprised laugh, but wrapped his pinky around Zoro’s to complete the pinky promise.
And with that, the Baratie gained another protector, one that watched out over the boats that went out on the ocean, made sure they didn't stray into dangerous waters, and brought them safely back home. One that took care of any threat that came from the sea before they even arrived at Baratie’s shores.
The Kingdom prospered. Their sea monster made sure they always had enough to feed everyone, that no one ever had to go hungry.
Their prince loved the sea monster, and so the people loved the sea monster, accepted him with open arms, thanked him whenever they caught sight of him out on the ocean.
Every night, the sea monster stepped out of the ocean and onto land, kissed his prince so gently and so sweetly, and slept peacefully in his arms.
Sanji had never been happier, never felt more loved and accepted.
He had Zoro by his side, after all. He had everything he needed.