One Piece 1. Chapter One: Escape

**I wasn't quite sure what to name this Fanfiction, so this is what I got. It was a story I've wanted to write for a long time but never got around to. I was always wondering what happened in Sanji's life from when he and Chef Zeff escaped that rock up until he left with Luffy. I found it fascinating, so I decided to write this Fanfiction about it. This is my first One Piece Fanfiction. I'd like reviews, please. **

**And attempt to enjoy. The entire thing is in Sanji's point of view.**

**Disclaimer: I only own the manga up to volume 21. Yup.**

**Chapter One: Escape**

The sun came beating on my face as I lay on that cursed rock. The old geezer lay motionless next to me. I couldn't even tell if he was alive anymore. I hoped he was. Not after what he had done. I tried not to look at him, or what was left of his leg. I shuddered just thinking about it.

Sighing, I closed my eyes and recalled everything that had happened. Those pirates attacked us; a storm came along and washed that geezer and me on this barren rock. We argued and he went to the other side of the island. I ran out of food in about twenty days, despite my stretching it. Then I went to find the old geezer to kill him, only to find out he had eaten his own foot to save me. Why?

_Because you shared the same dream as me. _ His words still rang in my ears. The All Blue. The ocean that supposedly had every fish in the entire world.

And then that old geezer had talked about making a restaurant in the middle of the ocean if he were ever to get off this rock alive. I had promised to help him. If we got off alive. But I don't thing we will. We're stranded on a barren rock in the middle of the ocean with no food. Now we're lying here, waiting to die. What a load of crap.

_The All Blue. _My eyes snapped open. I couldn't die now! I had to find that ocean, no matter what the costs. I was only ten years old. I couldn't die now.

I glanced at the old geezer lying next to me. He had his arms spread out and his eyes were closed, probably asleep. He looked so peaceful; you wouldn't think that he was a pirate. Zeff, a world famous pirate who survived the Grande Line. Reduced to this. Oh the irony.

How many days had we been stuck on this rock? I had lost count after fifty days. Were we ever to be rescued, or were we fated to die here, unknown to the world about our fates? We had enough water, sure. But I no longer had the strength to move to get it. All I could do was move my head, and even that took effort.

We had been there eighty days when finally, at long last, hope arrived. We could barely lift our heads to watch as a ship slowly moved towards us. It looked like the same one I saw that one stormy night. I couldn't believe they came back. What the heck took them so long?

"Hey look!" Someone on the ship called. "There are people on that rock!" A bunch of sailors crowded onto the deck to get a good look at us.

"Two of them! Just lying there!" Someone else said. The sailors hopped off and slowly approached us.

"They're still breathing!" one of them gasped with relief.

"About three months ago I heard someone shouting around here one stormy day," another sailor pointed out.

"What?" the first one asked, shocked. "Is that true?"

I didn't hear anymore of what was said because I fainted with relief. Or hunger. I couldn't tell which.

When I woke, I could feel the sway of a ship and a first I thought my entire hardship had been a dream and I was back on the _Orbit. _But then I realized how weak I was with hunger. It had not been a dream.

I slowly looked around and saw that I was in some sort of infirmary and the crap-geezer was nowhere in sight. Sitting next to my bed was a rather old looking gentleman (not as old as the geezer, mind you). I could tell that he was the captain of the ship.

I tried to sit up, but couldn't. "Where am I?" I asked in a weak, unused voice. He smiled warmly at me.

"You're on board the _Indigo,"_ he explained. "We found you on the brink of death on a barren rock."

Well I _knew _that. I bit back the words. "Where's the old geezer who was with me?" I asked instead.

"He's in the other room, sleeping soundly," the captain assured. "He looked like the living dead when we found you two. He's all right now that he's been fed. He's been asking for you since he woke, but we didn't want to wake you yet. You probably needed the sleep."

Needed the sleep? I was lying on a rock for three months with nothing to do but stare at the ocean! I didn't need sleep! I needed food.

The captain smiled at me again. "I'll have someone bring you some food," he told me. "You must be starving."

Starving. The biggest understatement I had ever heard in my entire young life. I would die soon if I didn't eat! It was a wonder I wasn't dead now! Something told me that I wasn't talking to the brightest man in the sea.

I tried not to glare as he left the room. He was, at least, a good man, trying to do the right thing. I should be grateful for that.

As soon as he left, I slowly pushed myself into a sitting position and carefully lifted my shirt. I wished I didn't. I was barely skin and bones now. I was wasting away. And I thought the old geezer was bad.

Crap. I wished they would hurry up. They didn't have to sugar coat it or anything. I was so desperate that I would eat anything at this point. Even mold.

As I thought, a few minutes later a large tray filled with grand, fancy food was brought in. Much to my annoyance, they had took much time attending to details and making it look presentable.

I ate it slowly and could feel my strength start to return. It was the most delicious food I had ever tasted. It was almost too much to bare. But I wasn't complaining.

It was gone too quickly in my opinion. I got out of bed as soon as I was finished. I was still wobbly on my feet, and the floor was cold, but other than that, I felt better. I knew it would take a while to fully recover, but that didn't matter right now.

I made my way across the room and slowly opened the door to peek outside. Nobody was around as I slipped into the room next door.

Sure enough, there was the crap-geezer laying in the bed. But he wasn't asleep. He was sitting up, staring at me as if he had been waiting for me.

"So you're awake, eh crap-kid?" He asked as I came over and sat down in the chair next to the bed. "It's about time."

"They wanted to make sure I got my sleep," I explained, rolling my eyes.

"You should be grateful, you eggplant," he growled at me. "We were going to die on that rock."

"Eggplant," I smirked, glaring slightly. "That's a new one. What happened to crap-kid?"

"You're still that too."

I growled and looked away. Then I turned back to him, curiosity, growing inside me. "What did you want me for anyways?" I asked him. He glanced at me, giving me one of those you're-not-much-but-you'll-have-to-do looks.

"I just wanted to make sure you were serious in your offer," he explained.

"Of course I'm serious," I replied. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"We were half dead," he pointed out, staring at the ceiling. When I didn't respond, he continued. "All the treasure I had on that rock is here, over in that corner." He pointed to the direction. "That's what I'll use if I'm to start that ocean-going restaurant. You can do whatever you want. But I won't be responsible for you."

I thought for a moment. I wanted to pay the old man back for saving my life. And the only way to do that was if I stuck with him. I didn't relish the idea, but I knew I had no other choice.

"I'll come with you," I promised. He shrugged.

"Suite yourself," he replied in a tone that sounded as if he really couldn't care less. I glanced at the door.

"Did they come to do anything about your foot yet?" I asked him.

"I've had more important things to attend to," the former pirate snapped. "Like trying to stay alive long enough to eat something."

I glared at him. "Well excuse me for being concerned," I growled at him.

"Humph. I don't need you to worry about me," he flared. "I'm a grown man and I can take care of myself."

It suddenly occurred to me that I was agreeing to put up with this. I wanted to tell him that it might get infected if left untreated, but I knew he would yell at me again. So I didn't bother.

"How are we going to get off this ship?" I asked bitterly, glaring at the wall. He snickered at me.

"I figure we can get off at the next island we dock at," he told me. "Until then, we can just relax." He looked seriously at me for a moment. "Don't overexert yourself, kid. You haven't fully recovered."

"My name is Sanji," I told him, biting back an angry reply. He shrugged and didn't reply. I figured that meant he was done talking, so I got up and left the room, a little annoyed.

The next day I felt even better, now that I had eaten and slept in an actual bed. Nobody had come to see me since yesterday, with the exception of someone bringing me breakfast.

I didn't envy the idea of talking to the Crap-Geezer again, so instead I decided to explore the ship. It was rather easy to figure out the layout though. It was smaller than the _Orbit._

Everyone on the ship seemed friendly enough. They mostly ignored me though. As long as I didn't get in anyone's way, I was fine. I seemed to be the only kid on board too. Not that I cared or anything.

I thought about what I had been through the past several months. I thought about the Crap-Geezer and the promise I made. Then I remembered the verbal abuse that I had to take just on that rock alone. Then there was the conversation from yesterday. I thought about what lay ahead with this man; the abuse I was going to take being with him.

I stopped walking and started wondering. _Is this what I'm going to put up with for the rest of my life?_

**So there you go. I'm sorry if I bored you, but it's the first chapter and they **_**are **_**stuck on a boat. I don't know how they normally treat starvation so don't bug me about that. Don't worry, it will get more interesting once they get off the ship and out on their own.**

**Please Read and Review, or my shadow will find you. And believe me, you don't want my shadow to find you. He's **_**really **_**annoying. I mean really annoying.**


	2. Chapter Two: The Plan

**Hey gang! I just want you to know that this chapter takes place over the course of several days. It just seems like two days because I want them out of the ship and on their own so I won't bore myself, or you. I'm happy for the four reviews I received, please, keep them coming. So now come the escape and some other random tidbits of conversation here and there.**

**Disclaimer: I have the manga, but that's it.**

**Chapter 2: The Plan**

A strange aroma brought me to the ship's galley. There were at least ten other cooks there, and one of them looked like an apprentice, like me. Only he was older, and more disciplined. He looked like he did things by the book. How boring.

They took no notice of me as I entered the room. In one glance I could spot about seven different things these "chefs" were doing wrong. Sighing, I slowly shuffled over and watched one of them work. He was making a soup, as far as I could tell. But it was no soup I had ever seen.

"What are you making?" I asked him calmly.

"Soup," he answered gruffly. "What does it look like?"

"Well, it _looks _like you're throwing random objects into a pot of boiling water," I answered, cocking an eyebrow.

"Oh? Have you ever made soup before?" he growled at me.

"Yes, actually. Except I actually used ingredients, instead of throwing in whatever happens to be in the garbage," I replied, taking a step back.

"What do you know about cooking, kid?" he snapped, growing annoyed.

"I know you don't throw everything you can find in the kitchen into a pot and call it soup," I muttered under my breath.

"Don't you have something better to do than question a professional?" he snapped, glaring at me.

"No."

He suddenly grabbed me by the shirt collar and started dragging me to the door. Another one of the cooks stopped him.

"Come on, Bill," he said. "You don't have to kick him out. He ain't bothering anybody."

I snickered as he let go of me. "Just keep him out of my way," he growled before lumbering back to his pot of crap.

I glanced around the kitchen. Everybody had been staring at me during the conversation, but now they had turned back to whatever they were doing.

"So, how long have you been learning to cook?" asked one of them, pulling me over.

"Long enough," I replied. "It's the only thing I really wanted to do." That, and finding the All Blue. But I didn't tell him that.

"Is the old man with you you're grandfather, or something?" the cook asked me.

"No," I replied, frowning. "He's just an old man who saved my life." Well, actually, he was a famous pirate who had sailed the Grand Line, but I didn't tell want to tell him that either.

Suddenly I felt uncomfortable speaking to these people. "Maybe I better go," I murmured, shuffling towards the door.

"Come on, we insist that you should stay."

"No. I should really check on the old-geezer." And with that I quickly left the room.

The crap-geezer was not in his bed when I entered the room. But I was barely in the room for fifteen seconds when I heard the door close behind me. I turned around to see him standing there, leaning against the wall for support.

"What are you doing in here, Baby Eggplant?" He asked in a soft voice. He didn't seem too happy at my intrusion.

"I just wanted to check on you," I told him. I tried not to look at the ground. "What are you doing out of bed? You only have one leg, remember?"

"I had some business to attend to and it couldn't wait," he replied. "As for my leg, don't worry about that for now."

"And what was this business that you had to attend to?" I asked him, cocking an eyebrow.

"Arranging our escape," he said simply. "And putting my plan into motion. Now why don't you worry about yourself for a change?"

I was still curious, but I didn't ask any more questions about it. Let the old man be secretive if he wanted to be.

"When do you think we'll reach an island?" I asked him suddenly.

"What do I look like?" he growled at me. "A psychic? You're going to have to ask the captain that." He slowly hobbled back over to his bed. "Now listen boy, when we reach the next island, we might need to make a very hasty retreat, so I want you to be on your guard at all times."

I nodded, but I wasn't quite sure what he meant. Nor was I in a hurry to find out. But I didn't like the sound of it.

"And your leg?" I asked him.

"You just leave that to me, boy," he replied, smiling somewhat evilly. I left the room a little disturbed by the conversation and a lot still on my mind.

_Clunk. Clunk. Clunk._

That's what woke me that night. It was a strange sound, like wood on wood. I took no notice of it at first. Until I realized it was getting louder.

_Clunk. Clunk. Clunk._

I sat up in my bed, eyes wide. That sound was coming towards my room. In the darkness I could barely make out the outline of my door.

_Clunk. Clunk._

The sound had stopped. Whatever it was, it was right outside my room. I could see the door open slowly.

"You awake, Kid?" It was the crap-geezer.

"Yes," I replied softly. "What was that clunking noise I heard?"

"We don't have time for that right now," he growled. "We're getting out of here."

"Now?" I gasped, jumping out of bed (well, ok, I didn't jump, I crawled).

"Yes, now," he replied. I noticed at his side was a large sack. I figured that it must be the treasure he had on the rock, but it was a lot larger than I remembered.

"The ship has stopped at an island early in the night," Zeff explained. "I know what island it is. We need to leave now or we might miss our chance."

I nodded and moved to help with the large sack. That's when I suddenly noticed the peg leg. I took a step back in surprise. I was going to say something about it, but I decided that now was not the time.

The sack was heavier than I imagined, and it was all I could do to keep up with the old man (he made me carry it for him). I tried not to move too much because it clanked around, whatever was inside.

"You could help me with this, you know," I growled at him angrily. He didn't respond but continued walking ahead of me.

"Make sure you don't drop any of the ship's or my treasure," he warned. "Or I'll slit your throat open."

"You _stole _the ship's treasure?" I hissed in surprise. He grinned at me.

"I'm a pirate," he replied. "Remember? Besides, we need all the money we can get and they're not going to use it."

I didn't like the idea but he had a point. As soon as we were on the upper deck, he seized the sack from me and jumped onto the shore. I quickly followed him.

"Where did you get the peg leg?" I asked him, curiosity finally coming over me. He didn't turn to look at me.

"That captain of theirs finally decided to do something about it," he replied. "They used the end of a broom handle. It's not much, but it will do for now, I guess."

I flinched at the thought, but remained silent. I wondered where we were going but decided not to ask. He probably (hopefully) knew what he was doing, as he did say that he knew the island we were docked at.

He led me through the dark streets, keeping a rather slow pace. The only sound was our footsteps echoing off the stone pavements. There was no movement anywhere, except for us.

Finally, we reached an old looking building with boarded up windows. As we approached it, the old geezer suddenly turned to me.

"Stay out here," he ordered. "Keep watch."

Then he left into the building before I could ask any questions. Grumbling to myself, I leaned against a wall and slid to the ground. I tried to stay awake, but it was too much for me and I soon fell asleep.

It was morning when I woke. The crap-geezer still hadn't come out yet. I wondered what was taking him so long. For a moment I wondered if he had left me here so he wouldn't have to deal with me. I shook these thoughts out of my head. He wouldn't abandon me, would he?

My questions were answered when the sun was high and the old geezer came limping out. I jumped to my feet in surprise.

"What took you so long?" I asked him. "I've been laying her all night waiting!"

"I had important business to attend to," he replied. I noticed that his sack of treasure was no longer with him. I was also annoyed that he would not explain what business he had. "Follow me and shut up," he ordered, limping away. Annoyed, I followed him.

He led me around the building to the back alleys of town, making sure I was following. He didn't speak a word as we walked and I didn't try to ask any questions. The town was now fully awake and you could hear voices everywhere, as the streets crowded with people. But we ignored them as we wove through crowd after crowd.

Eventually he led me to the docks, where I was slightly confused. What could we possibly be doing here?

Even as that thought ran through my head I was answered. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped in surprise. The old man smiled at my shock and he held his hands out.

"Welcome," he said dramatically, "To Baratie, the Ocean-Going Restaurant!"

**So there we have it. In the next chapter, I'll be explaining more about the restaurant and how Zeff got it so quickly. I hope you like it so far and don't think it's too fast or slow paced. I promise it will get more exciting, especially when Patti and Carne show up (not in the next chapter, but soon). And don't worry; I'm working on the third chapter even as you read this.**

**So what do you think? Like it? Love it? Can't stand it and wonder why I even bother and why you're reading it? Please read and review. Otherwise, I will be very sad and stuff. And so will my shadow. And then we'll have to do something about it. Yup.**


	3. Chapter Three: Baratie

**Oh my god! I just looked at the calendar and realized how long it's been since I've updated! I'm so sorry for those of you who have been eagerly waiting. I've been stuck writing chapter four, since I don't have to pull anything from the manga. But enough about my rambling. Once again, I'm sorry for taking so long to update!**

**Disclaimer: I still own up to 21, because every time I go to the bookstore, they never have the next volume, even though it was supposed to be out a long time ago! Grr!**

**Chapter 3: Baratie**

The old man gave me one of those rare smiles of his as I gaped up at the marvelous vessel. It was unlike any ship I had ever laid eyes on. It was a large ship (hardly a ship at all) with grand sails and flags decorating its beautiful hulls. At the bow of the ship was a humongous fish head, staring out at sea, looking for new costumers.

I ran forward, my arms spread out wide in wonder. "Amazing, Crap-Geezer!" I cried. "So this is Baratie, the ocean going restaurant?!?"

"That's right," he replied, nodding. "I sank my entire fortune into it, and I still owe a heap." He let out a long sigh. "It's gonna be a bustling place," he warned. I turned and grinned wildly at him.

"Never fear, Sanji's here!" I declared triumphantly. He shook his head good-naturedly.

"Boy, when you're involved I always fear," he muttered under his breath. Ignoring him, I turned back to the ship in wonder.

"How did you get all this?" I asked. "Where did this ship come from?"

"I met with an old friend of mine," he replied. "He told me that he had a ship that he wasn't using and was actually thinking of selling." He sighed. "It was supposed to be a travelling theatre on water. But he didn't need it, so he sold it to me."

I was only half listening as I was still in awe with the magnificent ship. Sighing, I turned back to the old geezer.

"Wanna take a look inside, kid?" he asked me with a smirk. I nodded. He clumped over and slowly led the way onto the deck. The flags were strung along the ship, giving it a festive look to it. But it was completely abandoned, giving an eerie feel to it. Everything was covered in a fine layer of dust. But other than that, the ship seemed perfectly intact.

The inside of the ship was nearly empty. I could spot a few spider webs in the corners. In the middle of the room, there was a stone column holding up the room with a spiral staircase wrapping around it to reach the upper levels. There were a few tables here and there, but was otherwise completely empty.

"The ship's going to be stalked with everything we need," Zeff explained as he led me towards one of the doors on the other side of the room. "That friend of mine may be a rip-off artist, but he's reliable."

We entered the next room to find a large kitchen. It was large enough to fit many cooks without any trouble. I glanced around the room before turning towards Zeff.

"How are we going to run all of this by ourselves?" I asked him.

"We won't be," he growled. "I'll be hiring cooks to help. A restaurant can't run on just two people. It needs workers."

"Okay, I get it," I muttered under my breath. "So how do we get started?"

"First we need to stock and clean the ship," the old man replied. "Then I need to get an ad in the paper." He looked at me as if sizing me up. "And I'm going to have to train you in everything I know about cooking if you're going to be of any use to me."

I glared at him. I did not enjoy the thought of the old geezer bossing me around all day, telling me that everything I did was wrong. But I knew that I really had no choice. I gave an annoyed sigh.

"Where do I start?" I growled.

"We're going to need supplies," Zeff explained, ignoring the bitter note in my voice. "You're probably too small to carry anything heavy, but I guess you'll have to help."

I glared at him, annoyed. I was not so small that I couldn't lift anything! I decided it wasn't worth the argument and instead followed him outside where a bunch of men were already moving things onto the ship. I felt the old man nudge me.

"What are you waiting for, eggplant?" he asked. "Go help move stuff."

I glared up at him but said nothing as I stepped down to the dock. It took a little over three hours to haul everything inside. I was exhausted by the time we were all finished. Tired, I slowly made my way over to the geezer, who was standing on the deck, looking out to sea.

"Why aren't you helping with any of this stuff?" I asked him.

"Are you crazy, crap-kid?" he snapped. "I'm too old to be doing any of this. Besides, with my leg I shouldn't be doing any heavy lifting for a few weeks."

"Of course you can't," I growled under my breath.

"All right, listen brat," he said, ignoring my comment. "I need to do a few things before we shove off. I want you to clean up the ship while I'm gone. You got that?"

I glanced back at the ship before turning to the old man. "Why can't I come with you?" I asked.

"You need to look after the ship," he told me. "It's not much, but it's my treasure. Protect it with your life."

"Whatever," I muttered; leaning against the railing as he slowly limped away. I didn't know what he meant at the time, since I was so young. But I didn't really care, even though his words rang in my head.

So I was left to guard and clean the ship… all by myself.

Sighing, I leaned over the railing, staring at the harbor. I saw a couple men standing on the docks, smoking, drinking, and laughing. They looked like they were having a much better time than I was. Shaking my head, I turned away from them to go find a broom.

As I was sweeping the floors, a lone man strode into the room. He was rather tall and mean looking, like he was looking for a fight. A scowl was plastered to his face. I stood watching him calmly.

"Can I help you, sir?" I asked him, leaning on the broom I was using. He glared at me.

"I'm here for all of the food and money you've got," he growled. "I just survived a terrible storm, so be a good boy and hand it all over."

"I'm sorry, but we're not open yet," I told him. "If you need food, I can whip you up something. But we're not a bank." He stared at me as I went back to sweeping.

"I don't think you know who you're dealing with," he growled in a low voice. "Now just shut up and do what I say. Or else!"

I sighed and turned back to him, now a little annoyed.

"I'm sorry, but I have to get back to work," I told him. "So if you will please leave the way you came, I'd like to get back to it."

I was cut off when he suddenly pulled a long knife from his belt, growling at me. I took a cautious step back. Looking him up and down, I wondered what my chances would be against this guy. Too bad the old geezer wasn't here… with both legs. I looked around and decided to use the one weapon I had. The broom in my hands.

As he ran at me, I tightened my grip on the handle and swung the broom as hard as I could. The only thing that accomplished was to stun him for a moment, and breaking the end of my broom. His head must have had a metal plate or something.

"Is that all you've got, kid?" the man growled. "I've been killing people for years as a living. You don't stand a chance."

"Oh yeah?" I snapped, dropping the broom. "Well I've looked death in the face! Twice! I'm not about to be killed by the likes of you!"

I didn't say anymore as he lunged at me. Thinking quickly, I ducked and rolled. The thief loomed angrily over me. Not knowing what else to do (I was on the ground and I knew I would not be able to get up in time), I closed my eyes and kicked him hard in the groin. He dropped his knife, doubling over and swearing. Acting swiftly, I sprinted over and swept up the fallen knife.

I kept a tight grip on it and pointed it at him threateningly. He glared at me.

"Wait here," I ordered. Then I quickly rushed to the kitchen. I didn't know if he'd actually listen to me or not, but at the moment, I didn't care. I ran around the galley, looking for any food that might already be in the kitchen. With any luck, Zeff would have had the ship stocked with food first.

I could only mostly find vegetables, so I decided to whip up a quick bowl of soup. On my way out, balancing the soup with one hand, I also grabbed a bottle of wine.

My "guest" was surprisingly still there. He had made his way over to one of the tables and sat there pointedly. I slowly walked over to him.

"I thought you were calling the Navy," he growled when he spotted me. I ignored him and set the food down in front of him. He stared at it, then at me.

"Eat quickly and get out," I told him, moving to pick up the shattered broom. "I have to get back to work."

"Why are you doing this?" He asked. "I just tried to kill you!"

"If someone's hungry, I feed them," I explained simply with a shrug. "That's a cook's job."

"You're a strange kid," he said with a sigh. But he didn't say anymore as he dug into his meal.

I turned to continue cleaning up when my heart nearly stopped. Chef Zeff was standing there, scowling at me, waiting for me to give an explanation.

**Thank goodness! I'm finally done with this chapter! I'm sorry for how long it took to update. I've been having writer's block. Curse that writer's block. I hope you found this chapter satisfactory. Please review and tell me what you think!**

**I'll try to update the next chapter ASAP! Especially with this cliff hanger…**


	4. Chapter Four: Apprentice

**Holy smokes! I haven't updated in way too long! I have a perfectly good explanation, though. It's called writer's block. I have that from time to time. This chapter is also longer than the other chapters so far, so hopefully that will make up for it. I'm also on summer vacation and will be having much more time for myself.**

**Despite the fact that it's taken me FOREVER to update, I still get email telling me that people are favoriting this story! That makes me so happy! I love you all! But not literally.**

**Chapter 4 – Apprentice**

I didn't rush to defend myself. Why should I? There was no way I was going to let someone starve. And it wasn't my fault the broom broke. I met Zeff's gaze steadily as he limped into the room. He glanced sweepingly around the room, passing over the easting man and finally resting his cold gaze on me.

"Well kid," he growled. "Explain yourself."

"I have a name, you know," I told him, a little annoyed. "And I have nothing to explain myself for."

My reply was met with a sharp pain to my head as he kicked me clear across the room. I landed with a crash into one of the tables. Groaning, I slowly sat up to see both adults staring at me.

"I think you have plenty of explaining to do, kid," the old geezer snapped at me. "Like why is that man here, why is my broom in shards, and why is this place not clean yet?"

I glared at him, not speaking just yet. The place where his peg leg had connected still stung. I could feel blood trickle down my forehead.

"That man is here because he was starving and was trying to rob the place," I started with a sigh. "I used the broom to defend myself and I was just about to go back to cleaning when you interrupted." I tried not to flinch as he took a threatening step towards me.

"Well then, get back to work," he growled. "You can give me the details later." I glowered at him but said nothing as I left to find a mop. I found one inside the kitchen and when I came back to the main area, I found the two adults (well, adult and old crone) talking quietly. I tried to ignore them as I went back to cleaning the ship.

Eventually, the old geezer came limping over to me, grumbling under his breath. It was hard to tell what he was thinking, but I was soon to learn that this would become a normal thing. He looked around at my progress.

"Well kid, I guess you can take a break now," he told me. I dropped the map from where it was and walked over to the table. "Fifteen minutes," he warned.

Ignoring him, I looked around, trying to imagine the place filled with people. Then I noticed that our "guest" was still there. I turned to Zeff.

"What is he still doing here?" I asked him in a quiet voice, nodding at the man. The old geezer turned to glance at him, and then turned back to me.

"While you were working, we worked out a deal," the old man explained. "He agrees to help us start out and not make any more trouble, and I forget this whole thing ever happened."

I opened my mouth to point out that at his age, it wouldn't be too hard for him to forget anyways, but my head was still sore from where he had kicked m and I did not want to go through that again. Instead, I walked over to our new friend.

"So I hear you'll be staying with us," I told him with a grin. I held out my hand to him. "It's great to know I'll be getting some help around here. My name's Sanji, by the way."

He stared at me for a moment before grasping my hand with a small grin. "Torte," he replied. "Thanks for your previous kindness by the way. I don't think I deserved it."

"No problem," I replied. "It's my job as a cook. Which I should really get back to before the old man can find another reason to kick my skull in."

I didn't say another word as I got back to work while the old geezer did who cares. Finally, I had some time to let everything that's happened to me sink in. It seemed such a long time ago since I was merely an apprentice on the _Orbit_, dreaming of the All Blue. I sighed in despair, wondering what had happened to everybody. I hoped at least a few of them survived.

Laying down the mop I had been using, I strode over to the old man, who was quickly scribbling something down. Curious, I glanced over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" I asked him. He didn't put down his quill or look at me.

"I'm making wanted posters so we can start hiring some help," Zeff told me. "The sooner we get this place running the better." It was true. I didn't know how much more sitting around I could do. The old geezer turned to look at me. "Relax all you can, kid," he warned. "Tomorrow you start training."

I blinked at him. "Training?" I wondered. "For what?" He sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Cooking and fighting, of course," he replied. "If you're going to stay, kid, then you have to learn how to take care of yourself. After all, I'm certainly not going to do it."

It took most of my energy to bite back the angry retort that was at the tip of my tongue. "I told you, I have a name, Crap-Geezer," I muttered instead. He ignored my comment and went back to the poster he was making.

I sat quietly next to him, having absolutely nothing better to do. The only sound was the ticking of the clock and the scratching of the geezer's pen. Eventually, he sighed and put his pen down.

"It's not much," he said. "But at least it will get people's attention." He held it up for me to read. It said:

**HELP WANTED!**

_Crap cooks welcome. Experience required. Please inquire within._

"At least it says please," I commented after looking it over.

"Just start copying this onto these other pieces of paper," the old man ordered. Muttering under my breath, I snatched up the pen and stack of papers and did what I was told.

It was almost sun-down by the time the Old Geezer told us that we could stop for the night. We had a lot of work to do in the morning and even the geezer knew the value of sleep. He told me that I could have any room I wanted.

"Except the one at the end of the hall," he said. "That one's mine and it's strictly off limits."

"Whatever," I muttered, choosing a room at random and walking in. Except for a few bunk beds, a night stand and a window, it was completely empty. It was strange though. I couldn't remember the last time I had a room all to myself. This night I would not be surrounded by the loud, obnoxious snoring of my shipmates. It wasn't until right then when I suddenly felt truly alone.

Sighing, I climbed into one of the bunks and lied there, staring up at the ceiling and listening to the waves outside. I couldn't sleep. I knew I had to, but I couldn't. I tried to rewind time in my head, trying to figure out how I could have possibly prevented any of this from happening. Could I have done something? Or was there some higher being that had chosen my path for me? It wasn't for a long time before I finally fell into a troubling sleep.

I was awakened the next morning by the pounding on the door. That and the yelling that was coming from the other side.

"Hey kid!" Torte was screaming. "Zeff says if you're not up in five minutes, he'll have your hide for breakfast!"

A long, muffled groan into my pillow was my only answer. I wasn't yet ready to wake up back to reality. But I had started to get the feeling that I lost all say in what happened in my life since we first escaped that rock. I slowly rose from bed and got dressed. I wasn't about to let the old man intimidate me into doing what he wanted.

When I arrived in the main room, Torte and the geezer had already finished their breakfast and were waiting impatiently for me. I didn't look the old man in the eye as I sat down with them.

"It took you long enough to get down here, Baby Eggplant," the geezer growled. "This better not become a habit."

"Or you'll what?" I couldn't help but mutter under my breath. He glared down at me.

"Don't test me, Eggplant," he hissed at me. "Your training starts now. How much fighting skills do you have?"

"Barely any," I confessed. He gave me a look as if he was disappointed in me. "I'm only ten," I added. "They don't teach you that where I used to live."

"Well, there's only one art of fighting that I shall be teaching you," he replied. "And I'm sure you already know what that is."

I did. The deadly kick that made "Red Shoes" Zeff famous. I couldn't believe that I was the one who brought the downfall of Red Shoes. I didn't look him in the eye.

"Can you still fight old man?" I asked him, looking down at the ground.

"Reckon not," he replied. "But that doesn't mean you can't. I can teach you how to defend yourself and take the offensive, but that's about it. You're going to have to learn how to use that knowledge."

"Oh this is going to be a blast," I muttered sarcastically under my breath.

"Remember kid," he continued, ignoring my interruption. "Your eyes should never leave the opponent. If you look away for even a second, you can easily be killed."

"For a second?" I asked in disbelief.

"Exactly," the old geezer replied, nodding seriously. "Things happen quickly in a fight. You never want to leave yourself with too many openings. Your opponent could easily take advantage of that. And you should never underestimate your opponent."

I nodded. Now he was just starting to lecture me with common sense stuff. Feh, old fart.

For the next half-hour the old geezer lectured me about the basic rules of fighting. I mostly just did a lot of nodding to show that I understood. I knew the old man did not like being interrupted.

"Now then," the geezer growled eventually. "You think you're fit enough to face me, Runt?" I looked up at him.

"I'm always ready, Crap-Geezer," I replied with a smirk. His lips twitched.

"Good," was all he said. I stood to face him and was almost immediately kicked across the room. "I thought you said you were ready," I heard him growl to me. Instead of replying, I slowly rose to my feet. "You're learning defense today, Eggplant," he told me. "So defend!"

"Got it," I replied, turning to face him. I turned just in time to see him fly at me again. I barely managed to duck in time.

"Humph. It looks like you are capable of following directions after all," he said gruffly. I didn't answer as I landed awkwardly and stumbled against the wall. "But you've still got a long way to go, Baby Eggplant."

I didn't even have time to turn around before I was thrown against the opposite wall. Struggling to my feet, I turned to see Torte snickering at me.

"I told you not to take you eyes off your opponent, Baby Eggplant," the Crap-Geezer growled at me. "Don't forget you have two opponents."

"Come on," I snapped, "How is that fair?"

"Life isn't fair, kiddo," Torte replied.

"We can stop if you want," the geezer offered mockingly. He was baiting me. There was no way I was going to let him show me up.

"Bring it on, Old man," I taunted. He grinned a little evilly.

"Very well, " he replied. "Let the torture continue then."

This went on for about two or three more hours. I like to feel that I was a very quick learner, for he soon turned to a different aspect of fighting. Never the less, I was very glad when he told us we could stop. As soon as he did, I collapsed to the ground with a sigh.

"Don't get too comfortable," the old crone warned me. "Thirty minutes and then we're moving on to cooking."

A long, loud groan was my only answer. Of course, I expected no less from the old geezer. He was the kind of guy who would throw me from one extreme torture to the next.

The old geezer's methods of teaching me how to cook were no easier than how he taught me how to fight. Whenever I did the tiniest thing that he didn't approve of, he'd kick me across the room and the throw the dish out, forcing me to start again from scratch. He did this again and again until the sun (finally) started to set.

"All right, that's enough for today," he said eventually. "I think you might have shown a little bit of improvement."

"Wow," I replied with mock surprise. "Was that a compliment?"

"You'll need to do better if you want to prove to me that I'm not wasting my time, Baby Eggplant," he continued. "Now go get some sleep. Tomorrow we finally shove off from this island. And maybe we can start looking for some help."

"Yeah, maybe," I muttered as I left the kitchen. "And hopefully some of them will still be sane after working here."

**Hooray! Chapter Four is finally done! It took a lot longer to think up and write it than it did to type. Hopefully chapter five won't be nearly as long and it will be up soon. Seriously, I hope you all know that a lot of this is improv…**

**My dream is to become a famous novelist one day. So please help me by leaving comments. Also, if you have anything that you'd like to see happen in this story, please leave that too. I can't guarantee I'll use it, but if I do, I will be sure to credit you.**

**Sorry for a lot of this not being very detailed. But it was starting to take up too much room in my notebook and I was getting sick of this chapter. By the way, guess who's almost finally going to enter this story? They'll probably be in chapter six. Or something. I can't wait.**


	5. Chapter Five: Hired Help

**I think it's finally time to update again, don't you? The thing is, I just finished writing this chapter a few days ago. I hope you like it because I worked (semi) hard on it.**

**The last time I updated, I only had volumes 1 through 21. Suddenly, I have up to 55! I wish I had known sooner that Sanji came from the North Blue; otherwise I could have started my story there. You know, with his adventures in the North Blue? I personally want to know how people cross to the different oceans if they don't want to go to the Grand Line. Any ways, enough of my rambling, let's start this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Though I don't own One Piece, my sister and I **_**are**_** writing our own novel about pirates. And we did borrow some names. And such.**

**Chapter 5 – Hired help**

The thing about managing a restaurant at sea is finding good help. You see, you can't just hire anyone, unless you want your business to sink. In a world flooded by pirates, you have to be as tough as they are.

Of course, you have to be even tougher than a pirate if you're going to work for Zeff. He told me that the cooks in our restaurant had to meet certain requirements if we were going to hire them.

"There's a difference between regular cooks and sea cooks," he told me.

"And what's that?" I asked curiously.

"Anybody can be a regular cook," he replied simply. And that's all he really needed to say. "You're going to help me with this, Eggplant."

"Why?"

"Because I sure as heck ain't gonna do it myself," he replied. "Just do as I say and this will go a lot more smoothly."

"Okay, whatever," I replied, shrugging.

The "interviewing" process wasn't exactly graceful. But there was some sort of system to Zeff's madness. For a lot of hopefuls, the geezer barely even saw them walk through the front door before he knew they weren't right for the job.

My job was to wait near the entrance and look everyone over. Apparently (and this is what the geezer told me years later) if someone could "get past and stand against my sarcastic wit" then they were already were on their way to becoming hired. I was insulted to learn that he felt if a person could stand me, then they were more than capable of working on the Baratie.

Of course, getting past me wasn't the only requirement to getting hired. Since I had "no apparent sense of taste," Zeff tested all potential employees himself. Naturally, with Zeff's unrealistically high expectations, we only started out with a few employees.

People came quickly when we first opened up. As Zeff predicted, it quickly turned into a bustling place. Pretty soon we had to hire less "experienced" people as waiters just to keep up with the rush.

My schedule however, barely changed. We couldn't use the main area anymore, due to the customers, but it was still the same. In the morning the geezer taught me how to fight. In the evening, he taught me how to cook. All day he told me that just about everything I did was wrong.

Most of the time the others stayed out of the way. Not surprisingly, we had to keep replacing waiters almost every three weeks. The cooks on the ship were not the ones who were with us when Don Krieg attacked. I think it's the geezer's fault that we were constantly forced to hire new help, and he blames me.

"It's not my fault these whimps can't handle of the open seas," I muttered after the third group of waiters had quit.

"You just can't find good help these days," Zeff replied with a long sigh.

I was about to respond when the doors to the restaurant were kicked open. A group of mean looking pirates came strutting in and a lot of customers screamed. I rolled my eyes at the sight of them. I could immediately tell they would be a nuisance, but nothing more.

The captain (who was unusually fat) looked around with a snicker on his face. A lot of people crowded from him and towards the walls.

"I was told this was a grub shop," the big man growled. "So where's my food already? I'm hungry."

Sighing, Zeff made his way to the front of the restaurant as I followed close behind him. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked the enemy pirate. "Yer gonna scare away all of my customers."

"And who do you think you are?" the captain growled at Zeff.

"I'm the owner of this establishment," Zeff replied simply. "Now get out."

"You're the owner?" the pirate asked, slightly surprised. "I heard the owner of this place was a failed pirate, but you're nothing but an old man!" He and the other pirates started laughing. I had heard enough.

"Take that back," I growled, stepping forward. "Or you're going to regret it."

"Stay out of this, Baby Eggplant," the geezer told me. The pirates stared down wide-eyed at me for a moment before they burst out laughing once again.

"So Old Man," the captain laughed. "Not only was pirating too much for you, but now you're doing baby sitting too? Talk about low!"

That tore it. As they continued to laugh at us, I all but completely lost it. Taking a step forward, I kicked the pirate hard in the jaw. The ceiling was just barely high enough to avoid the big man's head from crashing into it. The rest of them stared as their captain came crashing down with a thud. Blood trickled down his face as he stood and glared at me. I cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Snot-nosed brat," he spat at me.

"I warned you," I replied simply, shrugging.

Growling angrily, he rushed at me, but I was already ready for him. Slipping to the side, I brought my leg down on his head. I finished him off in about thirty seconds. He was a total wimp.

"If you are just going to be a bunch of trouble makers," Zeff warned threateningly, "Then I recommend you leave now. You do not want to make me or my apprentice angry."

I snickered at their terrified faces. Picking up their unconscious captain, they all ran screaming from the restaurant. The crowd of customers cheered in relief. Some of them gaped in surprise at us.

"Good job kid," the old man murmured. "Maybe you're not a total waste after all." I opened my mouth to reply, but he interrupted me. "Get back to work, Baby Eggplant. We're wasting time."

Then he limped away as I stared after him. I couldn't help but smile a little to myself. Maybe the Crap Geezer was capable of acknowledging my skills after all. But I knew he wasn't going to completely acknowledge me anytime soon.

I think it was a few days after that incident that I started smoking. Zeff told me smoking would destroy my sense of taste. Not that I listened. That's one of those things I've been regretting on and off. But I wasn't prepared to stop anytime soon.

It was about a month or two after that day when I turned eleven. I didn't tell the old geezer or any of the other cooks. I didn't think they would care. It wasn't until I was older when I told the old man when my birthday was.

It was two or three weeks after I had turned eleven when some of the newer cooks started coming. You know, the ones who constantly get kicked out for fighting. These were the cooks who became permanent members of the dysfunctional family called Baratie. I can still remember all their names too (well, most of them).

But it was on one particular day when my life changed. Two factors in my life that without them I might not be where I am now. And their names were Patty and Carne.

**All right! Finally! Patty and Carne are finally appearing in the next chapter! Unfortunately, I haven't finished the chapter yet, so it may take some time. But it will be worth it, I guarantee. I already have most of the next chapter planned out. But for the time being, try reading some of my other fan fictions. Hopefully they're as good as this one.**

**Remember, read and review, or I can't write! And we're finally getting to the good part!**


	6. Chapter Six: Patti and Carne

**Chances are I didn't type this chapter in one sitting. My ideas are scattered. But guess who finally appears today! That's right! The giant monster that eats everything! I mean Patti and Carne! Eh, same thing.**

**I am so, so sorry that this was not up sooner! You guys are the greatest! You deserve a faster update.**

**Chapter Six – Patti and Carne**

I can't remember which day it was exactly. All I know was that we still had the Help Wanted poster up. We had actually gained quite the publicity despite our small size. We had not quite opened up for the day. By that time it was mostly just me, the old man, and a few others.

I was out in the main room, finishing with the tables and starting to sweep up. For some reason Zeff always wanted me to do these sorts of jobs instead of our hired help. I suspect it was to keep me out of his hair or something.

The sound of the doors banging open wasn't what caught my attention. People had a habit of banging open the doors all the time. It was the obnoxiously loud voices that followed that made me look up.

"Hey!" The bigger man said to absolutely no one in particular. "Is this 'Red Shoes' Zeff's Grub shop?"

"Is this 'Help Wanted: Crap-Cooks Welcome' for real?" the smaller, chubbier man added. Putting on a straight face, I turned and looked them right in the eyes.

"No," I replied calmly. "We just put that sign up to see how many suckers we can fool into coming in here and asking that. Congratulations, you're numbers twenty-eight and twenty-nine."

The two of them stared at me with blank, wide-eyed confusion, as if they had no idea if I was being serious or not. After all, here was an eleven year old, working here and already making cracks at them. I imagine they would have stood there stupidly for quite some time if they weren't saved by Chef Zeff entering the room and clomping over to us.

"Don't mind him," Zeff told them, nudging me aside. "He always acts like that around strangers. I've been trying to teach him some manners, but it's not going along quite well."

I glared at him, wanting to point out that I knew how to behave just fine and that I was better with strangers than he was. The two newcomers glanced at each other and then back at Zeff.

"So, you're the famous Red Shoes Zeff, huh?" the bigger one asked. "When we heard about it back at the main land, we could barely believe it."

"We're always getting kicked out of other restaurants for fighting, but we're really good cooks anyways," the smaller man told us. His companion hit him over the back of his head.

"Idiot!" he growled. "Don't tell 'em that! He'll never hire us at this rate!" Zeff smirked.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," he replied. "You need to be tough if you're going to work in my restaurant. The rest means nothing if you can't keep up."

"Zeff is tougher than any pirate around," I added helpfully. "Fighting pirates and others is nothing compared to working with him." Zeff glared down at me, but didn't say anything as he turned back to the two hopefuls.

"So, what are your names, anyways?" he asked them.

"Patti and Carne, Chef Zeff," they answered. He looked them up and down, doing some sort of assessment in his head. I stood by his side, arms folded, watching them under Zeff's cold scrutiny. Finally, he spoke again.

"Are you willing to serve all kinds, no matter what they look like or how rowdy and rough they might be?" he asked them seriously, looking them straight in the eye.

"Absolutely," Carne and Patti replied at the same time, with no hesitation what-so-ever. Zeff nodded, satisfied.

"Then if you're as good as you say you are, you're hired. Eggplant, show them around," he ordered before turning and clomping away towards the bedrooms. Scowling after him, I turned to the new guys.

"Okay, so there are a few simple rules here," I told them quickly. "Rule one is whatever Chef Zeff says goes. Number two is the customer is always right and blah, blah, blah…" I really couldn't care less about Chef Zeff's silly rules.

I led them around the ship, telling them all of their duties and where they would be sleeping and such. Both of them, Patti especially, looked terribly annoyed at having to be bossed around by a little kid. I didn't care much, I would earn their respect soon enough.

Chef Zeff had a bedroom all to himself, and you were only allowed to go in if he called you. Otherwise, you were to keep out. I had a room of my own, but it was smaller and less cluttered than his. The rest of the cooks had to share rooms. When I explained this to Patti and Carne, the exchanged scowls and groaned at the thought. I told them to get over it.

"And this is the kitchen," I finished, opening the door and showing them.

"Think it's big enough?" Patti asked, slightly sarcastic and looking around the large kitchen. I ignored his comment. "And what are you supposed to be doing, little boy?"

"First off, my name is Sanji," I told them with a slight growl. "Second, I am a cook as well, working here just as long as the old man, so you should really show me some respect. And I also do everything the old man is too lazy to do."

"You shouldn't talk bad about the Chef like that," Carne warned. "Who knows what he would do to you if you talked like that about him. Especially to his face. He seems dangerous."

I scoffed. "I talk like that to him all the time," I replied. "He already knows exactly how I feel about him." I turned and stalked off, leaving them to stare after me in slight confusion. Yeah, they were going to need some getting used to. It was hard to believe that either of them were actual cooks, but looks could be deceiving. Most of the time…

Patti and Carne were extremely competitive. As soon as they started working with us they started trying to outdo each other, especially when Chef Zeff was around. They argued constantly, and whenever I told them to put a sock in it, they would argue even more. Patti especially constantly tried to show me up as the better cook. But I was sure that I could always outdo him. It was hard earning respect when you were only eleven, but these two were especially difficult.

Eventually, Patti took "The customer is always right" to the next level.

"The customer is KING!" he exclaimed one morning, bursting into the kitchen. "They are the blood and life of the restaurant, so what they say goes."

"Who's the idiot who told you that?" I asked, not looking up from my station. "They're not welcome here if they're willing to waste food willy nilly."

Patti blinked at me. "That's a lot of talk coming from such a little shrimp," he growled. "What do I care about what they eat and what they don't eat? It's none of our business as long as the customer is happy."

"Nobody will be happy if they eat the kind of slop you're cooking," I retorted. He glared at me.

"You lookin' for a fight?" He snarled.

"Break it up, you two," Zeff growled, clomping over to us. "And get back to work. Lunch rush is coming and we need everyone focused."

"Then can you please tell the shrimp he doesn't know what he's talking about?" Patti begged.

"The Eggplant is right," Zeff replied calmly. "Never waste food." And then he stalked off. I snickered at Patti before turning back to work. The old man and I didn't like each other, but at least I knew we could agree on one thing. Never waste food. I would never let myself forget it. Somewhere out there, there was a greedy man who thought food was nothing and threw out precious food. And somewhere, there was a starving loner. I knew what it was like, and I would not let it happen again.

Starving. The All Blue. The Baratie. And now Patti and Carne. There was no way I was going any time soon. Who cares if I couldn't stand any of them? There was no way I was going to be thrown out. I was there to stay.

**The Baratie ark was and always will be my favorite ark in the One Piece series. There's just something about it. Sanji has always been my favorite character too and I'm always happy when the author reveals even a little bit more about him. I've still got a long way to go before Luffy first flies into their lives, but I hope you'll be entertained the entire way through. It's surprising how much depth so many of the characters have, even the ones who aren't major.**

**Once again, I am so sorry for how long it took to update this. I've been in a creative slump and my life has been super busy and junk. Please read and review and I'll see that the next chapter comes up much faster.**


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One Piece, Family, Humor