The Price of a Dream

[waters_of_lethe]

Title: The Price of a Dream
Pairing: implied Luffy x Sanji, implied Luffy x Nami
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Eiichiro Oda Sensei owns everything.



AN: I want to dedicate this fic to stark_black She wrote what I personally deem the best One Piece fic ever (Memories, go check it out damnit!) and made me overcome my hate for AUs.
She is in general an amazing writer and very pleasant person with her fans. Thanks for being you! =^.^=

~*~
He looks so much older now.

How old was Luffy when they first met? He couldn't have been more than a mere 17, and now at 26, he hasn't only aged physically, his features, most notably his eyes, carry a stern and grim hue after seeing all the absolute horrors of the new world.
His carefree and jolly nature hasn't manifested in a while, not since her death.
Sanji feels the lump in his throat grow as he thinks of Nami and how she fell to a blade meant for Luffy.
The remains of the crew had buried her beneath the earth of a tangerine grove, the notion nearly killing Sanji inside as he had been told of her sad past, but his pain seemed bleak in comparison as Luffy nestled his hat upon her gravestone, a gesture that said everything that needed to be said.
He did not retrieve it as they set sail two days after. He is positively sure that it destroyed the last shred of happiness in their captain.

"Sanji, I'm tired..." the voice of Luffy says, strained and hollow.

He is slumped up against Sanji with his arm propped over the cook's shoulder and with a limp present in his left leg.
Sanji tightens his grip around their captain, no, his captain now, as they make a slow trek further into the grotto located at the very north end on the island of Raftel.

"Keep it up Luffy, we're getting there."

He isn't really sure if they are getting anywhere, but he has to believe. Believe for his captain and for his fallen nakama.

"If Zoro were here..." he starts, but briefly looks downwards to the damp ground they're treading on, debating with himself for a second whether he should bring the swordsman up or not.

"...he would so get lost you know? I mean, it's a straight-forward cave, but he'd still get lost because... he had no sense... no sense at all..." he barely whispers the last part, tears stinging in his eyes.

He can feel Luffy's arm tighten around his shoulders as a response.
Zoro had died a true warrior's death. As Fleet Admiral Akainu had caught up with them, the swordsman had volunteered to take him straight on. Hadn't Zoro done that, it would have been the end for the Strawhat Pirates.
He won by a hair's breadth but even Chopper couldn't patch him up in the aftermath.
His last words had been: "In honour of my Pirate King, my blades, and my nakama." He died with a grin on his face.
A bat shrieks from somewhere within the cave and water drips from the cracks in the ceiling. Sanji presses on with Luffy hanging over his shoulder, seemingly lost deep in thought.
He briefly ponders the possibility of a strong enemy hiding somewhere deep in the cave, if the One Piece truly resides within, it'd just had to have some sort of guardian, some sort of last boss to defeat wouldn't it?
He swallows hard, best not to think about it. They'd be at a serious disadvantage if so, since they're both beaten severely after the last fight. Sanji is certain they'd lose and they just can't. Not when they're this close...
They continue in silence and Sanji yet again can't help that his thoughts wander to their lost nakama.
He thinks of Robin, lying at the bottom of the sea after sinking several battleships and three Shichibukai with them, one of them which was Dracule Mihawk whom moments prior had honoured the passed Zoro by pronouncing him the world's greatest swordsman. Zoro's pride turned out to be his bane in the end and it was the same with Mihawk, keeping his from defecting his post and him meeting his end by a Strawhat Pirate's powers.
Their fate so eerily alike.
He thinks of Usopp, his final lie put him in Luffy's place at their captain's supposed execution.
Franky technically isn't dead, he shut off his systems to keep his body in place underneath one of The Four World Pillars, the very foundation that keeps the world up.*
Brook was already dead, but now he was truly gone, set free by a Devil Fruit Eater with the ability to nullify other Devil Fruit powers. They had barely won that one, but thanks to Sanji and Zoro combining their strength they had prevailed.

"S-Sanji..." Luffy croaks and brings the blonde out of his train of thought. He raises his head and is met with a dull light shining not far away from them. Could it be?
He clumsily picks up the pace, feeling slightly invigorated by the sight.

"The moment of truth has come, Sanji..." Luffy sullenly remarks.

Sanji can feel the nervousness in his stomach. What if they find nothing? What if their whole journey has been for naught? What if they lost their friends for absolutely nothing?
Sanji takes a deep breath as he takes the final steps up to the crack where the light comes from. It's big enough for them both to squeeze through.
The room they enter is lit with a soft, unnatural light, Sanji cannot pinpoint from what or from where, but as soon as their eyes adjust to the light they can finally lay their eyes on Gol D. Roger's long lost treasure.
For a few moments, only their slightly ragged breaths can be heard as they stand there admiring the vast riches before their very eyes.
Gold coins in heaps on the floor, silver statuettes with jade eyes, curved swords with golden hilts decorated in rubies and amethysts, jewelry in all shapes and sizes laid out on the heavy oak dinner table set in the very middle of the room. A pirate's stereotypical treasure.
At the very end of the massive oaken table, a throne made out of an unknown mineral stands, a heavy golden crown lies upon it.
Sanji feels a strong urge to get on his knee and bow in respect to the Pirate King's throne. To imagine Gol D. Roger once sat upon it.
Luffy detaches himself from the blond and staggers towards the throne. Sanji follows a few steps behind him.
The cook picks up the golden crown from the seating and holds it in his trembling hands as Luffy hoists himself up with a shaky breath.
Sanji then places the crown upon the new Pirate King's head, feeling a sting in his heart as this particular gesture should have been carried out by the first mate of the crew.
The raven-haired king closes his eyes and leans back, his arms lying heavy on the armrests and his knuckles clenched tightly. For a moment there is only silence.

"I am so sorry...everyone..."

It's barely a whisper and Sanji's heart lurches anew as he witnesses a steady flow of tears pour from his captain's eyes.
His strong, unbreakable, captain. A man filled to the brim with compassion, love and fighting spirit. A man who earned friends and comrades all over the world due to his unshakeable belief in the good in people and justice.
A man, who had taken Sanji in as one of his nakama and given him undying devotion and protection.
Luffy is looking sadly around the room housing unfathomable amounts of riches, but not a hint of joy can be seen in the still slightly boyish features of his face.

"Can you ever forgive me...? Forgive me for chasing this stupid dream." Luffy's voice cracks and so does his posture as he leans forwards, his face buried in his hands as soft sniffles drift through the room.

Sanji is overwhelmed by a sudden urge to reach forward and hug him, chanting over and over that everything will be alright, even though he knows it won't. Sanji has only seen Luffy this broken one time before; when he lost his brother at Marineford.
He freezes for a moment at the fleeting thought of Portgas D. Ace, whose death had been one of the first and most heavy of blows to their crew and their captain. Back then he had honestly thought it would be their end.
A long silence follows where both men are seemingly lost in their own thoughts, when suddenly a soft glimmer and a low hum from the other side of the oak table catches their attention.
Luffy carelessly tosses the gold crown onto the floor before motioning wordlessly to Sanji for aid.
Sanji scurries to his side and places his arm over his shoulder, supporting him to his feet.
As they get closer they can make out the shape of a chalice resting atop a pedestal, glowing faintly in tact with a low, buzzing hum.
Luffy's eyes are transfixed on the strange object. When they get close enough the captain reaches out and lifts the chalice from its pedestal. Peering inside he can make out an orb floating in seemingly nothing, this being the source of the glowing light.
The orb suddenly flashes a brilliant blue and the humming stops, covering the grotto with a blanket of silence, no natural sounds getting through.
Luffy is staring wide-eyed at the orb inside the chalice, his body as rigid as a statue, only the slight heave of his chest indicates he's still alive.
Sanji grows worried and he tries to speak, but no sound comes out. He places his hand on Luffy's shoulder but gets no reaction. He glances at the orb, shining bright blue.
Suddenly the spell is broken and sound returns, Luffy's eyes focuses on Sanji and he takes a deep breath.

"Sanji. This is the One Piece."

The cook takes a few seconds to process what he'd just heard.

"What? That... thing?"

"Yes. The One Piece... is a wish granting object."

"Wish granting object?"

"Do you remember the legend from Alabasta, that Robin told us? The one about the genie in the oil lamp, granting whoever found it three wishes? It's a bit like that, only that I get one wish and one wish only." he says and pauses as he scrutinizes the chalice closer.

"Didn't you hear it? It spoke to me. It told me of Gol D. Roger and how his wish for the Great Pirate Era to start over again came to be. And it did start over again didn't it…"

Sanji swallows hard, not quite believing what he's hearing.

"Luffy do you know what this means? We can--"

"The wish however, comes at the expense of one's life."

Sanji visibly pales at the captain's words and his throat constricts hard.

"No... Why- what- what is the point of that!?" he shrieks, the last shreds of his sanity threatening to rip apart.
He falls down to his knees, hiding his face in his hands as he fights the urge to cry with abandon.

"We came so far.. so far... and for that..." he chokes.

Luffy is holding the chalice in his hand, staring at it in silent contemplation.

"It even lets you choose how to die. Seems Roger's execution wasn't so much the Marines outsmarting him as it was his own wish." he finishes in a whisper.

Sanji doesn't say anything. He stares down at his own hands spread out over the cold stone floor. How did things become so hopeless? They'd been in hundreds of seemingly impossible situations but always prevailed in the end. Well mostly, to prevail always meant Luffy survived. Were they really going to lose right here by the finish line?

"Sanji, I've made up my mind." Luffy says, his voice eerily calm.

"Could you perhaps give me some space for this? I want to get it just right."

The blond is silent for several long seconds before he slowly gets up on his feet and meets the gaze of his captain. Luffy's eyes are blue and they are hardened with cold determination. Sanji can count on one hand the times which Luffy has scared even him, this is one of those times and a cold shiver run down his spine. He speaks not a word, he only nods once and turns, walking back to the other end of the massive oak table.
Standing by the throne reserved for the Pirate King, he fishes his pack of cigarettes from his pocket and notices he's on his last one. He almost laughs at the cruelty of it.
He lights it with his zippo, gently, carefully and takes a slow drag, holds it in for a long time before letting the white wisps of smoke trail towards the grotto's ceiling.
He can hear Luffy from the middle of the room, whispering to the chalice. He can't clearly make out the words, only the raspy voice of his captain. In his brief moment of relief his thoughts wander.
What if Chopper had been alive? Could they have been saved then?
Could they have taken all the treasure and gotten out and away from the cave, lived life at large?
He feels a sharp wrench in his gut at the thought of Chopper. Poor little Chopper, always there to help, always tirelessly working on medicines and formulas to keep everyone healthy and alive.
Amidst everyone else's pain he forgot to take care of his own.
Perhaps Luffy wouldn't have wanted them to go on even if Chopper was there. The damage done to the crew would still be too great.
A sudden burning sensation on his fingers makes him yelp and he drops the butt of his cigarette to the ground. So much for a last moment of relief. He should have quit a long time ago anyways.
The whispering comes to a halt and Sanji looks over to Luffy again. The raven is cradling the chalice in his arms while lying down on the floor, his face showing emotions Sanji can't quite pinpoint.

"Sanji…" he says, his voice tired and strained.

Sanji is by his side immediately, feeling fatigue pull at him too so he lays down beside Luffy.

"You know," Luffy begins, "I never thought it'd end like this. I had grand visions, of happiness, joy, triumph. I expected us all to be here together. Celebrating. Eating. Drinking. Dancing."

"I would sit on that throne over there, eating everything I could get my hands on. Zoro would sit by my right side, drinking booze like there was no tomorrow. Franky would join him, only with cola. Brook would play us a glorious tune, Usopp and Chopper would dance wildly to it. Nami and Robin would sit over there at the table, laughing politely while sipping wine, poured by you, Sanji. We'd feast, drink and dance till dawn."

He pauses and takes a long breath.

"Strangely enough, I had no visions of life after we'd arrive home. I guess I didn't want to think about it. I didn't want our adventure together to end..." The last part is spoken with immense sadness. Sanji can hear the tears behind the words and his heart just breaks.
Sanji's hand finds Luffy's and he squeezes lightly, trying to comfort his captain as best as he can. They lay in silence for several long moments before a long forgotten tune finds its way to the blond.

"Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo, umikaze kimakaze namimakase..."

The tune is off and the words cracking, but Sanji feels it oddly fitting to sing the song their crew used as their own for all the years they traveled together at sea.

"Heh... who knew you could sing so well, Sanji..." Luffy is dazed now, rambling as the wounds take a further toll on the already broken beyond repair body.

"We all have secrets. Some easier to hide than others..." Sanji replies.

"Yes… We all do…" Luffy whispers, his hand tightens around Sanji's and the cook smiles sadly, a sudden realisation hitting him.
He doesn't quite know what compels him, but he pushes himself to his knees, looming over the bloody body of his captain, he puts his hands on either side of his head, bends down and lays a kiss to his lips, soft, slow, comforting. As he pulls away, he can for a moment see the old sparkle and childish joy in Luffy's eyes. Even though he aged and took on a grim expression in his later years, his eyes were still the brilliant blue of the sea.

"One of my greatest regrets is not telling you." the raven says simply, serving a crooked smile.

Sanji doesn't reply, he only nods and lays back beside the other.
He lies by his captain, humming the well-known tune of Brook's violin, a last lullaby for the weary souls and in honour of his passed nakama.

"Okubyoukaze ni fukarerya saigo, asu no asahi ga nai ja nashi...
DON to icchou utao, unaba no uta
Douse dare demo itsuka wa hone yo
Hatenashi, atenashi, waraibanashi…"

As the last tunes of Bink's Sake die in the damp air, Luffy cranes his head to the side, serving Sanji one of his old, brilliant smiles where his eyes crinkle and the corners of his mouth drags wider than humanly possible.

"Sanji, thank you. I am so happy we did this journey...together."

"Luffy… Please…"

"Don't worry, Sanji... I promise you... this is not the end..." he rasps as his eyes close and Sanji can hear him breathe shallowly once, twice, thrice; the fourth time does not come and he knows his captain has passed on.
The cook can feel hot tears stinging in his eyes and he quickly wipes them away with his dirty sleeve.

"Yeah... thank you Luffy... For taking me on this journey. I am happy too..."

For several minutes the world is completely silent. Sanji cannot hear the waves crashing ashore, the wind blowing from the cracks in the stone, the water dripping from the stalactites or the bats shrieking from the dark. Every sound has been muted and he finds himself gripping his captain's hand even tighter.
Suddenly he can hear a low rumble coming from somewhere in the cave and he swears he can feel the floor shift.
An unnatural breeze sweeps over them and Sanji closes his eyes as a sudden wave of tiredness washes over him.

'So this is it for me too. I was wondering how I would go. Seems the grotto is going to cave in on itself.'

He forces his heavy eyes open and gazes at Luffy one last time.

"I've made my peace anyways. See you on the other side, Luffy." he whispers as a deep slumber claims him.

...

With a sudden gasp for air he is awake. His head feels dizzy and his eyes fight against even the dim light in the room as they try to adjust properly.
His body is hurting all over, but the ache feels more akin to having been asleep for too long than it feels to being beaten from a battle.
As minutes pass by and his sight clears, he can make out a figure asleep in a chair beside the bed he is lying in.
The light present is not enough for him to see who it is so he squints and then nausea hits him like a brick and he hurls, except nothing comes out.
The figure beside him snaps awake and rushes to his aid, patting his back and whispering words of comfort to him.

"There, there Sanji. It's alright..."

A handkerchief wipes his mouth and he gets a glass of water put against his lips, only now realising how parched his throat feels.
As his head hits the pillow, he tries once again to focus on the figure by the bed and his heart almost stops as the face of Portgas D. Ace comes into view.

"Kami-sama, I can't believe you're awake!" the Fire-Fist says softly, placing a hand on Sanji's.

'Ace…? This must be a dream. But I died…?'

In his dizziness and confusion it doesn't take long for him to fall asleep again, his hand curled tightly around the hand of someone long presumed dead.

"It's good to have you back, Sanji..." Ace whispers to the sleeping form of the cook.

...

The second time Sanji wakes, the room is bathed in light and he instinctively closes his eyes, groaning.

'Where... where am I?'

Little by little he opens them and a white, clean room comes into view. The window is slightly ajar and a mild breeze wafts in.
He lifts his hand to his face and sees a needle with a tube sticking out of it.

'A hospital?'

He can hear voices approach, a female speaking in muffled tones, accompanied by a rougher sounding male.

"I cannot believe he woke up. It's a miracle."

"Yeah, I could hardly believe it myself there for a while. His prognosis weren't good at all according to the doctors. But suddenly as if as you said, a miracle happened and he is fine. He has no long lasting damage to his brain, and his body will heal up with time. It's amazing."

The owners of the voices steps through the door to his room and his eyes widens as time itself comes to a complete halt.

Ace. Ace and Nami.

"Sanji! Oh, Sanji!" Nami cries as she rushes to his side and takes him into a gentle embrace.

"How are you feeling?" she asks, tenderly brushing a lock of hair away from his eyes.

He gives her a long stare, to the point where one would feel very uncomfortable. Is it really Nami? And not some girl who vastly resembles her? No, the hair is the same colour and length, her eyes blue as the skies, the little dimple underneath her eye is there and her voice exactly as he remembers it.

"More confused than anything else." he finally says, not taking his eyes from her.

"What... happened to me?" the blond continues, feeling on the verge of going insane. They were not supposed to be alive, he saw them both die.
His gaze moves slowly from Nami to Ace and he can see Ace's eyebrows scrunch up.

"Don't you remember?" Nami asks quietly beside him.

"No." he lies. What else can he say?

"The boat-" Ace starts.

"Ace!" Nami shouts.

"The sooner he'll get to know the better." Ace replies, looking stern. Nami turns away, a pained look on her face.

"You went out on the fishing boat about a month ago. It was just like any ordinary, sunny day, except a few hours after your departure, an unnatural storm wrecked around the island. You didn't come back, that is until Usopp found you floating ashore clutching-a-plank-style a week later. You were unconscious and have been so up until last night..."

'Usopp?'

Sanji swallows hard. This was too surreal. Was it all maybe a dream?

"Where is.. Luffy?" he asks, already afraid of the answer. He saw Luffy die at Raftel and he was sure he died with him. He must have gone insane. The look of utter puzzlement on Ace's face makes a stone drop heavily in Sanji's stomach.

"Who's Luffy?"

Sanji's eyes goes impossibly wide and he chokes on his words several times.

"Your brother." he finally croaks.

"Sanji, my brother's name is Sabo." the other man says softly before sitting down in the vacant chair by his bed and taking Sanji's hands in his.

"Yes, I-I know, but your other brother. His name is Luffy. He's got dark hair like you and a scar underneath his eye and he…" the blonde's sentence dies off as he watches Ace's confused expression never changing.

"Please get some rest, you must have hit your head really hard back there." the ravenet pleads, ashen eyes meeting blue.

Sanji doesn't reply, the massive inner turmoil he feels at the moment is too overpowering. Ace, Nami, even Usopp is apparently alive. Does that mean the rest of the crew is alive as well?

"The doctors say you are surprisingly well despite the condition you were in when you were brought here. They want to run a few more tests but really you can be out tomorrow if you like." Ace suddenly says, steering the conversation elsewhere after noticing the cook being a bit uncomfortable.

"I'd like that… But Ace... my head is kinda fuzzy s-so..." he stutters, feeling embarrassed.

"So it'd be great if you could… gently remind me of the things I've forgotten." he says, whispering the last part.

"Of course I can!" Ace says, grinning in that wide and eye-crinkling way Luffy always would when he was truly and genuinely happy about something.

Could this truly be real? Was it all just a horrible nightmare? His hopeful thoughts vanish however, as he reminds himself of what they said about Luffy earlier. They didn't know who he was. He can feel a headache coming on so he pinches the bridge of his nose.

"I uh, think I should get some more rest now, Ace, Nami. I feel a little light-headed and all."

"Of course, Sanji!" Nami exclaims as she rises from her chair.

"Do you need anything before we go? Want us to bring you food or something?" Ace asks. Always concerned with his friends, just like Luffy...

"Thanks but no thanks, I just want to sleep." he hears himself say, voice almost but not quite cracking.

The redhead smiles warmly at him before firmly guiding a reluctant-to-leave Ace out of the room by his arm.
When they're both just waning voice down the hallway he collapses back onto his pillow, his arm slung over his eyes to block out the mild rays of the sunset coming through the curtains. A sob escapes his lips as all the confusion he's felt the past hour just takes over.

"Luffy…" he whispers out into the empty room.

A few moments later he's fallen exhausted into sleep.

...

The next day is just as beautiful as the last, with sunshine and a mild summer breeze sweeping over the town. A town Sanji cannot recall ever having visited.
Ace had come by the hospital with breakfast for him, packed his things and insisted they'd go on a stroll as soon as he was finished.
The raven-haired man is enthusiastically telling Sanji various things about town, but the more he hears, the heavier the stone in his stomach grows. He can't remember a single speck of anything.

"Oy! Ace! Sanji!" a masculine voice suddenly calls to them.

Sanji whips his head around too fast for his own good, because that voice-

"Zoro." he says, bottom lip quivering slightly. He is met with a worried look from Ace as the other man approaches them.

"Hey man, it's so good to see you. We really thought you were a goner there." the green-haired man says, looking serious, so un-Zoro like.

"Aah I..." Sanji doesn't get to finish the sentence before Ace steps in.

"Sorry Zoro-san, but Sanji has had a little lapse in his memory, things are a bit fuzzy."

"This here is Zoro, he runs the dojo on this island and he is a maniac for swords." he adds.

"Yeah, Zoro, I do remember." Sanji smiles awkwardly.

"It'll return to you soon enough." Zoro says.

"And when it does, please host another dinner party at your restaurant will you? I have been starving this past month." he laughs and Sanji can feel the intense familiarity run down his spine.

'Restaurant? My restaurant?'

"Yeah, I will." Sanji replies politely, trying not to shake too much.

"Good. See you two around." the swordsman says with a wave and leaves the two to their own.

"Sanji are you alright?" Ace asks, voice full of concern.

"I have a restaurant?"

"Uh yeah… I was going to tell you…" the ravenet says, rubbing the back of his head.

His time in bizzarro world seems to stretch on so Sanji decides to humour whatever gods decided to put him amidst all of this.

"Ace… Can you.. I have some names. Can you tell me who they are and what they do?"

"Uh, sure thing."

"Robin."

"Robin-san, lovely woman, runs the Strawhat Inn. Weird name for an Inn if you ask me!" he laughs and smiles. Sanji is silent.

"Franky."

"Franky is an engineer down at the Merry Go Boat Workshop. He runs it together with Usopp."

"Chopper."

"Ah little Chopper! He is the local doctor. Amazing little guy! Came here from some winter island a few years ago."

"Brook."

"Travelling musician who has settled down here for the time being. Entertains Robin's customers down at the Strawhat Inn."

Sanji is shaking like leaf now. If this is some kind of celestial punishment it is way too cruel. Ace is about to put a hand on his shoulder but is distracted as they pick up commotion down at the beach.
Sanji starts running by reflex, not caring that his joints ache slightly. His mind fleetingly register them running past a tangerine grove, a sign settled on top on the entrance reading ‘Nami's Thousand Sunny Tangerines'. His mind is already numb, not able to muster up a reaction at yet another jab at his memories.
Coming to a halt by the beach, Sanji can make out a tall figure with long red hair spilling forth from underneath an oddly familiar straw hat and does a double take.

'Shanks!'

Shanks is carrying a person on his shoulder up from the water but something isn't right. He's bleeding profusely from his right shoulder.
Zoro is quickly there, taking the wounded person from Shanks and allowing the man to lean on him for support the rest of the way. He falls to his knees when he reaches the shore and Chopper is immediately on him.

"Shanks you idiot! What in the world were you doing!? Your arm!" the little doctor flails in panic.

"Sorry Chopper-san." Shanks smiles.

"But he was just floating out there when I noticed the sharks. He was unconscious so I just did what any honorable man should do." he grins even wider.

"Is he alright? Is he alive?" the redhead questions.

"There is no time for that! I have to look at your arm!" Chopper squeaks, waving his own arms about.

Sanji stares wide-eyed at the spectacle. Hadn't Shanks already lost his arm all those years ago when he saved a young Luffy?
Zoro lays the body down on the sand, scrutinizing the man's looks before feeling around for a pulse and checking his breathing.

"He's alive." the green-haired swordsman states simply.

"Good... jeez what if I lost my arm for nothing..." Shanks laughs and Chopper starts flailing again, yelling that he shouldn't say such things.

Sanji has been so transfixed on Shanks' missing arm that he hadn't spared the nearly drowned man a glance, when he does so, his heart nearly stops.
Tattered blue shorts, a red shirt, short black hair, even a scar underneath his left eye.
Sanji can feel the world spin and his legs threaten to give in underneath him. Ace is there and catches him before he can hit the ground.

"Hey..." he whispers softly. "Are you alright?"

He doesn't answer. He can't think, he can't speak, even the sounds of those around him is becoming blurry and muddled. All he can focus on is Luffy lying there in the soft sand, his chest heaving slowly.

"Zoro, I need you to carry this man to the hospital for me. Ace, could I please have you assistance with baka-Shanks here?" Chopper more demands than asks.

"Yeah, coming coming." Ace yells in reply to the little doctor.

"Sanji, can you stand on your own or do I need to carry you to the hospital as well?"

Sanji takes a deep breath before he pulls himself up on his feet, wobbling slightly he gives Ace a small nod, fearing his voice won't work properly should he try to speak right now.
He watches on silently as Ace lets Shanks lean on him for support as they make the trek towards the hospital and Zoro carrying the limp body of his, their, captain.

"Zoro." he can hear himself say as the man passes by him.

"Mm?"

"Doesn't he… look familiar to you? In any way at all?"

The green-haired man only stares at him, looks down on the man in his arms and then back up at Sanji again.

"No, can't say he does. You know him?"

Sanji swallows hard around the lump in his throat. No one but him recognise Luffy at all…

"I… think I used to, once…" he answers, looking away.

"Nevermind, get him to the hospital."

Zoro looks utterly puzzled but doesn't say anything more as he hurries after Chopper and the rest, leaving Sanji by himself on the beach.
The sun will soon be settling into the ocean and Sanji cannot help but see all kinds of memories flash before his eyes. The crashing of the waves ashore, the salty sea wind and the various birds singing overhead. He reaches inside his coat pocket for his cigarettes, only to find nothing.
He sighs deeply, watching the various colours of sunset blurry together, a somber feeling deeply in his chest.
His eyes fall onto something that has been left on the shoreside, the waves almost getting to it and he scurries down to salvage it. Shanks' straw hat.

'The symbol of our friendship, the very thing that started it all. Luffy's soul and pride.'

He clutches the hat tightly to his chest and casts one last glance back at the ocean before he steers himself with a determined walk towards the hospital.
At the hospital he is told Shanks has gone into surgery and that the mystery man he saved has already woken up and is a lot healthier than one would expect from someone nearly drowning.

"...and the fish was THIS big I tell you!"

"No way!"

Peals of laughter float through the room as Sanji opens the door. Ace is engaged in cheery (and frankly ridiculous) conversation with Luffy, both of them wearing that wide grin, mirroring each other.

"Haha! I like this guy!" Ace guffaws heartily, shaking a thumb in Luffy's direction.

"Hello. I'm Luffy! Nice to meet you!" the black-haired man chirps cheerfully, meeting Sanji's eyes for the first time in what seems like ages.

"...Hi."

"So Luffy here was telling me how he used to be a pirate." Ace interrupts.

"Aaaand how a fish the size of a house attacked his ship and that's how he ended up here!"

Ace laughs again and Luffy laughs with him.

"Be my nakama?" Luffy ask suddenly, a grave and serious tone lacing his voice.

"All my nakamas are gone, I will need new ones now."

Sanji doesn't say anything, he only watches. Ace is seemingly taken aback by the brunt question but he recovers fast and smiles at the other.

"Of course." he replies and reaches forward to rub and tousle Luffy's hair, which pleases the ravenet greatly.

The door opens and Zoro peeks inside, nodding his head towards Ace.

"Chopper needs some help with lifting some supply crates, can you give me a hand?"

"Sure!" the Fire-Fist exclaims and rises from his chair.

"See ya later, Luffy!" he grins.

As Ace heads out to give Zoro a hand with Chopper's crates, Sanji rises and stands facing the doorway, his emotions in thorough conflict and turmoil. He has so many questions but he does not know if he dares speak. Luffy had presented himself to him, which means he doesn't remember him. No one here remembers Luffy, and Luffy does not remember him. He is ready to give it all up and go home (where does he live anyways?) to huddle up into a ball in his bed.

Then he hears it.

"Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo. Namikaze, kimakaze, namimakase."

He spins around and meets eyes as brilliantly blue as the sea, focused so intensely on him. For a fleeting moment everything is silent again, as if time has stopped. The breeze of the sea nips at their hair, even though the window is closed and he thinks he can hear soft and familiar laughter from somewhere, and Sanji suddenly feels calm and understanding wash over him. He gets it now, what Luffy's final wish truly was.

He can't hear the whisper on the other side of the door, spoken with a grin so wide it reaches the owner's eyes, as he walks calmly down the hallway, but he doesn't need to.

"Sanji, I told you it wasn't the end."

AN: The wish granting chalice was inspired by the manga & anime series Fate/Zero.
No one knows what the One Piece actually is, this was my take on it! I hope you liked it!
*Not canon, only a writer’s liberty that I took.