Chapter Text
You've Become a Fire for Me
Chapter 1:
I Think I'll Go Down in Flames
Judge Vinsmoke, the king of Germa was a man of science and magic, he was not a family man. He had a family, but they were merely pieces on the chess board to maintain and grow his power. After the death of his wife, there was no one to keep his hunger for power in check. She left behind five children: four boys aged eight and a girl aged nine. The dirt on her grave had not yet settled before he turned his experimentations to his children.
Bastardizing both science and dark magic, he had created his perfect children, no, his perfect soldiers. Using his young children he altered their bodies. Through surgeries, their bodies were altered to be stronger, faster, and smarter. They were strapped down, sedated, cut open, parts were replaced, and they were injected with various fluids of origins known only to Judge.
A glowing blue magical mixture was produced and blended with mortar and pestle by the palace wizards. The substance was used as paint to create the final touches. The glowing magic was used to draw on and imbue two dark glyphs in the shape of spirals, applied to the corner of each eyebrow to contain the magic inside.
The first glyph contained a healing magic, to keep his perfect soldiers from falling easily in battle and help replenish their stamina to keep fighting. The second would be a unique attack skill for each child, diversifying their destructive capabilities. Each one glowed and then dulled to black as the magic settled and was accepted upon each child’s brows.
Unfortunately, for the King’s ambitions, a mistake was made on his third son, Sanji. The wizard applying the glyphs put them in the wrong direction, she was immediately executed for her mishap.
The boy's magic was still there but they did not know how to reach it. This type of magic requires a bargain. The trade was made: emotions in exchange for power. Four of the children had unleashed their full potential. The third son, was still emotional, magicless and useless.
~~~~~~~~☆★☆~~~~~~~~
Years passed and Judge sought to fix the problem and release the magic though impossible training and harsh punishments to the third son for his inferiority. The beatings from his siblings, being locked in the dungeons, starving, and other creative punishments bore no fruit. Nor did the harsh trainings.
As he ignored the child’s audacity to cry in front of him, Judge had to admit defeat, that the boy would always be useless.
A 14-year-old Sanji was training with his brothers and sister out in the courtyard. A normal part of their training regimen. The training grounds were surrounded by a large track where Sanji and his siblings were currently running. The sun beat down and the air was dry. He wanted to quit and tell them he was done. This was not a possibility, he had tried in the past, he would instead have to train until he was given leave. Which was only granted after he failed to keep up with his siblings.
Sanji was struggling to breathe and unable to keep up, as always. He still had his scientifically created enhancements but not the magic healing his stamina to keep going. He hated training, he would rather be sneaking around in the kitchens with the servants. Which angered his father to no end.
Attempting to run 20 miles, while keeping up with his siblings was not happening. Sweating and panting, his legs gave way and he fell down. Their trainer came over and gave the same speech about how weak he was. He was embarrassed and sidelined, meaning he could finally rest. He sat on the hard hot stone bench when a young servant girl brought him a glass of water, he guzzled it down. The girl's name was Cossette, she was one of his friends from the kitchen that kept his love of cooking secret.
He politely asked for another when a wave of blue electricity came flying in his direction. No, their direction. Cossette was next to him. He didn’t know if she could survive such an attack. He moved to block the attack with his leg, the head palace chef Zeff taught him long ago that his hands were only for cooking. The fear for Cossette’s life welled up inside of him and from his leg burst flames that kicked and deflected the attack.
The fire inside warmed his heart for a moment before vanishing. “What was that?!” The trainer yelled out. Sanji looked up to see everyone staring at him. For being on fire, his clothes and skin were unharmed. Meaning it was a magical fire, one he controlled.
“Thank you for saving me!” Cossette cried out, bowing to him. If they were in the kitchen, she would hug him, but she remembered she could not do so in public.
“Oh? You’re welcome.” Sanji replied still in disbelief of the fire that had surrounded his leg a moment ago. He almost told her that he was glad she was safe, but he found he didn’t care if she was safe. The idea confused him. If he didn’t care, then why did he save her?
The incident was immediately reported to his father. Sanji was brought to the lab once again. They took fluids, hooked him up to machines, and ran test. They could find nothing different. Sanji himself knew better than to share anything with those that held none of his trust. He remained silent about the mystery.
In the training yard his siblings ganged up on him while the adults watched. He took every hit both magical and physical until he lost consciousness. He awoke in the infirmary to his father yelling at the others to fix him and put him back in training, so as not to lose any progress.
Still bandaged and injured, but able to stand, he was back on the hot dusty training field. The difference today was that Cosette was tied up to a pole, surrounded by his cruel siblings. Sanji balked. “She has nothing to do with this! Let her go!” Sanji ran to her and tried to undo the ropes that bound her.
“Nonsense, she must have done something to trigger your powers, and she will do it again or die trying!” Judge called from his soft and silk laden seat on the sidelines watching his children about to torture a girl who worked for them.
“Please, father. You can’t-”
“I AM KING! YOU DO NOT TELL ME WHAT I CAN AND CANNOT DO!” Judge screamed so all could hear him. He refused to be talked back to by his own failure of a son in front of their servants. “BEGIN!”
All at once, his siblings shot their own unique magic towards Cosette and Sanji in a deceptively beautiful prismatic attack. Sanji couldn’t let them hurt her. She was his friend. The burning in his heart returned and an eruption of fire surrounded them and blocked the attacks.The heat from his flames was not like the heat of the sun, instead it was comforting like an embrace from Cosette.
Yonji threw a punch and Sanji blocked it with a flaming leg as he recalled the way Cosette smiled at him every morning when they made breakfast together, her joy spread to him easily. Ichiji shot a beam of light towards them. A wave of fire deflected it and Sanji remembered how warm Cosette’s hug felt, safe and comfortable. Reiju stepped in and swept a leg to trip him. He hopped over and sent a wave of heat to push her back. Another memory of Cosette complimenting his food played in his mind, he was so proud of his hard work paying off. Niji covered himself in blue electricity and dove at them, with little plan or coordination. A fiery round house kick sent him flying. Cosette, he recalled, always comforted him when she found him crying, she helped him feel calm.
The fight went on for a few hours before he had taken out all of his siblings and Judge proudly declared him the winner. Had he done more than defense the fight may have ended sooner. Cosette was crying and thanking him.
Sanji looked at her and tried to remember why he fought so hard to help her. She was his friend he told himself. But why? He felt nothing for her. She was just some girl he knew.
Turning his back to her, he left her there, tied to the pole and asked his trainer if they were done for the day. They agreed to end the day’s session since his siblings needed to visit the medical wing. Walking away he could hear Cosette calling out to him. The noise wasn’t important, not to him. He continued to walk away.
Early the next morning he snuck into the kitchen, like always. He didn’t see Cosette. He wondered briefly if she was still tied up outside. He shrugged off the thought and started helping with meal prep.
The head chef, Zeff, stomped over to him. “Hey, Eggplant! Yesterday you did good protecting Cossette. She’s taking the day off. The whole thing really shook her up. We made her favorite tarts. Why don’t you go and deliver them to her?”
Sanji cocked his head to the side in curiosity. “Why?” There was no reason he had to deliver the food, anyone could. He wanted to cook. “Make someone else do it.”
A foot came down in his head, leaving a lump. “Because she’s your friend, Eggplant! You should always take care of your friends and ladies, which she is both. It’s like you haven't been paying attention to me over the years. Give her the food and ask how she’s doing. Then you can come back and cook.”
Sanji sighed and took the tray of tarts. He was doing this for Zeff, whom he loved and respected. Not for Cosette, who was his ...friend? He guessed. He remembered all the times they spent together, the memories just held no meaning, no feeling to them. The only thing that remained was disinterest, at best.
The thoughts stopped him in his tracks. He could clearly remember everything they had done together.
How did he feel about her?
How should he feel about her?
There was an emptiness that surrounded those memories. There was once something there, a picture he created that encompassed everything that Cosette was to him. When that fire spread though him it licked and bit away at that image over and over, leaving nothing but ash. Leaving her as nothing more than an acquaintance in his mind.
But if he knew that, then he could overcome it. He hoped. Feet moving on their own, he found himself at the servant's quarters and let himself in to Cosette's room. She was still sleeping. That wouldn’t work. Zeff said he had to talk to her. He kicked the bed and she awoke startled. “Oh! Sanji, it’s just you.”
With a smile that did not reach his eyes, he handed her the tray. “How are you doing?” He asked, fulfilling Zeff’s request.
She started talking about how she was still upset and the rope burns hurt and blah blah blah.
He shook his head and forced the smile to stay and pay attention to whatever boring thing she was talking about. When she was done complaining, he nodded, and left without another word. That wasn’t so bad.
Back in the kitchen was very routine. It calmed him and gave him time to think. He could use his powers now, and all he had to give up was however he felt about Cosette. Surly, she would understand since he had done it for her sake. Maybe they could build their friendship back? Making new memories. Things like that just happen naturally, over time. Didn’t they? Nothing to worry about.
There was actually much to worry about. Judge, the wizards, and scientist came to the same conclusion that he had. Trading emotions for power, it was the original trade after all. This time a new servant was tied to the pole; it was one that Sanji was less familiar with. It was the man who drove their carriage. Having gone out so rarely he didn’t know him well.
Using his powers was becoming easier, but with fewer emotions to draw from made him weaker. The man suffered a few minor injuries despite Sanji’s efforts. The session ended when Sanji could no longer muster up a single spark.
The session was enough for Judge to determine Sanji was ready to join his siblings on the battlefield, at age 14. He was given his own raid armor. Each time he entered a battle another servant was threatened, maimed, or killed to motivate him further.
~~~~~~~~☆★☆~~~~~~~~
Years passed. Battlefields changed. Sanji won battles at the cost of himself. Germa gained further renowned and captured more land from their neighbors. Other kingdoms came together and created an alliance to take down the cruel Germa kingdom.
They recently lost Reiju and Ichiji in different battles defending their stolen land. They had spread themselves too thin to protect all of their growing territory. They were losing all that they gained. Yet, Judge insisted they needed more. The entire world should be under Germa’s rule or perish.
Judge called a meeting with his remaining children to discuss battle plans to take out the other kingdoms forces, to regain the lands lost, and secure what they still have. The meeting room was decorated in Germa flags lain across stone walls. They sat around a long table with two empty seats.
During the meeting servants brought in lunch. In a single bite of pasta, Sanji knew something was off. It was overcooked and mushy with too much seasoning to make up for lack of skill. He hadn’t been home in over a year but he knew Zeff would never let his food quality drop to this substandard rate.
“What happened to Zeff?” Sanji asked. The old man had been used as a threat and had one of his legs chopped off, because one-time Sanji disobeyed. Since then, he kept his distance to protect him by pretending that all those feelings were gone.
Distancing himself had become his policy over the years, Judge can’t hurt those he cares for if he cares for no one. An easy feat when the ashes of those feelings had long since blown away in the winds of battle.
His world had become ashen grey and desolate, a place where nothing could grow. The hope of its revival was another emotion long lost. A dream vanquished by fighting Judge’s never-ending wars.
His emotions were mostly depleted but in return the magic he wielded was even more powerful than any of his siblings. Even so, he took some of those feelings and held them dearly and closely, locking them away in what was left of his heart.
The love he felt for his mother and Zeff was compacted from the remaining scraps of affection, sizzling at the ends. Small, fragile, flammable. The only piece of himself he cared to protect. He clung to it the way he did as a small child to his mother's lap or Zeff’s leg.
“He got uppity about you being on the battlefield for so long, so I had to kill him. It’s not as though you were getting anything from him anymore. You burned those feelings some time ago after all. What good was he to me? I agree this chef is worse. I’ll have to find another before I kill him. So, be patient. Now, back to our plans.” Judge said thinking the issue was simply about the food quality.
Judge’s voice became static in the background of his thoughts. Everyone that he used to care for was gone.
Zeff was dead.
His mother was dead.
Why was he still here?
The fear of his father was burned up the first day he joined Judge’s war against the world. So, it begs the question once again: why was he still here? There were no more threats Judge could use to shackle him here.
All at once it occurred to him: he had no reason to stay with no one left to protect. He could just leave. No, it wasn’t that simple. In lieu of emotions, he had become overly rational and calculating. Something that had served him well on the battlefield. He considered the options while half listening to the meeting.
He could kill his family and make himself ruler. Ruling a warmongering nation was not a task he wanted to pursue. If he did not rule then he could still kill them but it would leave a power gap and possibly make room for a worse ruler.
Being in the middle of a power struggle would not be beneficial. He could kingmaker someone of his choosing and ask for whatever he wants. That would take many years of planning and not something he wanted.
The better question is instead: What does he want?
Does he want to rule? No. Wage his own war? No. He wants...peace. At least, his own.
He wants to cook, to read, stay off the battlefield, to answer to no one and all while keeping at least a fraction of his current standard of living. He knew the importance of having money and power as he had seen many peasants without. He need not live like a king, but he would toil less as a noble with a title and lots of money.
Was there a place that would accommodate his needs to live peacefully? What he needed was a moderate to small town with access to goods that he would need for cooking and other hobbies. Somewhere with good imports but with enough space for his much-needed privacy. The place he chose would need to offer some protection and be far enough away from any ongoing land disputes between any of the concerning people in power.
He remembered that he once dreamed of opening his own restaurant with Zeff. Or maybe it was Zeff’s dream? Singlehandedly, he was able to siege a castle with the feeling of that dream. He often wondered what that emotion was like. Or who’s dream it was. Did he ever have dreams or aspirations? If he had, they were simply mere kindling devoured by his fire.
How did it feel to have a dream?
What other dreams did he have that were used to pay for Judge’s war? Would he ever know the total cost he had paid? What fees were still due?
Maybe, he could open a restaurant. Maybe the dream coming true would bring back that mysterious feeling he knows he once had. Long ago he had tried to reignite lost emotions, to no avail. Or maybe it had worked and they burned away before he could put a name to the feeling.
When out fighting for their kingdom they wore their Raid Armor, that had the added bonus of hiding their faces. They also only used code names. It was by design, for the times when they would need to spy on their enemies. No one knew what their family looked like outside of their armor. If he faked his death, only his remaining family would be able to recognize him. There were also the servants, but they only left the castle in body bags.
When the meeting was concluded, Sanji visited the library and gathered some materials to help him make a plan and a few others to conceal his intentions. Sanji visited the library frequently, so his visit was not unusual.
Sanji poured over the contents of noble families and their lineage. Creating a new identity was the easiest task. Finding what he was looking for, he gathered the necessary information. Count Blackleg. He was killed by Sanji’s own hand.
On a mission, Sanji had discovered the Count gave money to support a rebellion against Germa. Their house burned down with husband, wife, and all their servants inside, as Judge requested. It was many years ago. Judge would not care if he had missed a family member in the fire, he simply wanted to send a message to others. He doubted Judge even remembered the names of any death’s he ordered.
The man and his wife had been recluses and did not participate in high society, for reasons unknown. They were blonde, so he carried some resemblance to the family. They had no children, but given their hermit like lifestyle, they could have had children that no one know about.
With access to the proper materials, Sanji was able to forge documents for their child: Blackleg Sanji. A count title was in the middle of the hierarchy for nobles, enough power to be left alone, but not enough power to rouse interest. He even found a history book for the family. With some effort he matched the ink color and his quill carefully added bits of his new alias inside to help sell the lie.
Next, he checked the royal coffers and associated ledgers. There he discovered some discrepancies between what was listed in the notebook and the contents of the massive treasure in the palace safe. Curious, indeed. This could be an unseen opportunity, if he stole away his own chunk of the treasure, then the person responsible for stealing first could be blamed. He needed to be sure first to know how to proceed.
Sanji owned an amulet of invisibly, a gift from his father to assist in his spying. Gifted only to him and his sister. Their brothers did not care for such delicate matters and would rather destroy than learn. Strung around his neck he pulled the amulet out and looked at the intricate carving of a fox with its mouth open, chasing a hen. Twisting the back moved the hen into the fox’s mouth and he vanished.
Sneaking into the treasurer's office, he watched the man work for about an hour before he looked around the room suspiciously. Sanji remained seated on the floor in the corner, quiet and watchful. Satisfied no one was watching he took a key from his robes and moved a tapestry from the wall to reveal a hidden safe. The man added a notebook inside and closed it. He locked it up before leaving for the night.
Sanji waited twenty more minutes to be sure he was not returning for the night. He took his lock picking tool kit from his satchel. Though he was quite skilled with a lock pick, this one was a bit challenging. This was a well-made safe, but not uncrackable. Nearly an hour later Sanji opened the door of the safe and sorted through the notebooks inside, ignoring the money and dagger.
The theft looks to have been going on for the last five years. Starting small and then becoming far bolder as time went on. It was almost comical how easily this man had been robbing them. After all, the spoils of war had been monumental. Their family could live lavishly for a thousand years and their gold would never run dry. If it had, Judge would just attack someone richer and take what he needed. Five years and they never noticed because Judge simply assumed that no one would dare to rob him. Were Sanji still capable of such a feeling, he would have laughed.
Sanji could not see where the missing money went. This was an answer he needed to make certain it would not be an issue for him at a later date and to make it work to his advantage. Carefully putting everything back in its place he re-locked the safe and left. He would need to learn more.
Starting the next morning, he began following the treasurer. A boring task but one that was fruitful. A week later at midnight the treasurer dawned a dark green cloak and snuck though a secret passage with two large brown sacks he pulled out of a separate safe in his bedroom. The day before, he had seen the man bring these two sacks from Germa’s coffers and put them inside the safe.
Sanji was familiar with all the Germa castles secrets, and he waited at the passage’s exit to the outside. Other corridors intertwined with the passage, but he determined the gold was leaving the castle not simply moving it around, especially since he had not been able to find any sign of it. The night was quiet save for the sound of crickets chirping. A half moon was all the light that illuminated the night.
Two cloaked figures exited, each carrying a sack. The man had met with another accomplice inside of the palace. The second figure wore a dark blue cloak. A wagon pulled up half an hour after the treasurer left his room. A man wearing a light brown cloak jumped off the wagon and helped the other two load the sacks into the wagon under some loose hay and covered it back up.
The mysterious figure wearing a dark blue cloak spoke up, “Make sure one bag is used to purchase seeds and equipment for crops. In a few months it will be planting season, and I don’t want to miss it like last year when they focused too much on buying magical weapons and armor.” Sanji knew that voice, it was Cosette.
When his powers had awakened, he lost interest in her. Likely it was what saved her. His father stopped threatening her when he saw it did nothing to Sanji. In the past, Sanji had considered trying to rekindle their lost friendship, but seeing Judge ignore her reinforced that she was better off without him. So it begs the question: why was she out here putting herself in danger?
The man from the wagon replied. “Yeah. Yeah. We know it’s important but fighting Germa is more important. When we finally defeat them and take back our lands, then we can focus on rebuilding. Until then, we need all the weapons we can get to arm our soldiers.”
“Your soldiers won’t be any good to you if they are starving!” Cosette rebutted. Sanji was in agreement with the statement, he still remembered everything Zeff taught him. From first-hand experience, he knew that starving made one weak and frail.
There was a time that Judge thought if Sanji was in survival mode his magic would activate to save him. Sanji was locked in the dungeons with an iron mask covering his face to hide his identity. He starved for nearly a month before Judge decided it wasn’t working. It was not an experience he wanted to repeat.
The experience was one of the reasons he stayed and obeyed, fear. A fear he burned out years ago but the memory remained to remind him of what Judge was capable of, if he was not obedient. It was also why he knew he could not simply leave.
The conversation went back and forth until the man with the wagon agreed to talk to the leaders about her suggestion. Enough was said for Sanji to realize that this group was possibly the resistance group that was slowly becoming a thorn in Judge’s side. Now he knew who was funding them, Judge himself was the unwilling donor. The smallest smile of satisfaction twitched at the edge of his mouth.
Waiting until both parties left, Sanji returned to his room. He went to sleep that night with plans and ideas stirring in his head. With the plot of leaving, there was a spark of some emotion he had long lost the name for. He filed it away for possible later use, that is all emotions are good for after all, ammunition.
~~~~~~~~☆★☆~~~~~~~~
The next day he began putting his plan into action. Taking an information gathering mission from his father, it was approved for him to leave in a few days. He set up as though he was leaving normally. The wagon he would take was loaded and that night he added a few of his own boxes. Taking crates of beri, wines, books, and some of his favorite personal items that did not reveal his identity. Literature was far easier to whisk away, as he and Reiju had been the only ones to visit the library. Some books were too rare to leave behind. Others could be replaced.
Some books were filled with knowledge he wished to learn more about, such as history, economics, cooking, and farming. Others were for his continued magical research. Magic made life easier, and he had even created a few inventions and spells of his own. Lastly, were books of fiction, their titles and genres varied.
Sanji always took some novels with him on long missions. Long ago he discovered that he could immerse himself in stories and sometimes it would stir an emotional response from him. Small though it may be, it was better than the dull nothingness that consumed him. Which he would use to stroke the embers of the magic inside to keep the flame from devouring what little he had left. An offering to turn its hungry gaze from what remained of the fragile love he held for his mother and Zeff.
A magical stone was attached and hidden inside of the wagon. It contained a spell to lighten any load. The stone was created by using magic to add weight to another item to equal the amount to be subtracted from the container attached to the magical stone. Most people, like Sanji, used a plain rock to add weight. His brothers made theirs using the palace staff and slowly crushing them to death.
Soon after awakening his powers, Sanji learned the cost and shared his fears with Zeff. They knew that he would lose the feeling but not the memory. To help combat this, Zeff had helped make what they called his irrefutable rules. These rules were not to be questioned and held the beliefs he knew that Zeff and his mother would be proud of.
The number one rule was not to kill outside of battle unless it was unavoidable. A second was to always treat women and girls with the upmost respect. These were not the only rules, but they were the most important ones. They also had the added effect that the servants in the castle trusted him, or at least did not fear him as they did his siblings.
He never laid a hand on the servants or peasants and would often get between them and his brothers twisted games, like crushing people to death. Sanji would get their attention and fight them instead. Even when his powers were unlocked, his brothers never accepted him as one of them. Sanji only killed on the battlefield or when his father commanded it. Otherwise, he had no taste for senseless death. Even if it wasn’t the number one rule, he would still avoid it.
The cart was packed, and Sanji made the journey, making several detours before his destination. He visited the villages on his list of possible new homes. The first was nothing but burnt ruins, a dud. The second was looking promising. There was plenty of farmland outside of a nice sized town with plenty of imports due to crop failure.
The land was called Wano and it was tentatively under Germa control. There had been a Germa factory here that created what was called smile fruits. They were named such because it stole all emotions but joy and those were the duds. In some people it took all emotions but anger, igniting a berserker state where the person would fight until they died with a sickening smile plastered on their faces.
The factory poisoned the lands and nothing grew here, thus the vast imports. The great wizard Ceaser, who created the smile fruits, was killed by the rebels last year. Making the factory useless without his oversight. No one had been able to replicate his work exactly. The sovereign his father put in charge was a man named Orochi. He was a loyalist and an idiot. He was losing control of the land and had asked Judge for help maintaining the land over two months ago.
Sanji came up with a simple plan to help restore the land and help the people by including his own recipe for a magical fertilizer. It was easy to make and find the ingredients that even the lowest ranking magic user could create the mixture.
Once the land was healed, cleaning the water required very simple magic every magician worth a damn knew, but you can’t clean the water when it gets re-polluted by the land. The fertilizer would quickly replenish the lands and make them not just usable again, but they could thrive.
Presenting the plan to his father had only angered him. The idea was punished by Judge beheading Sanji’s personal servant. An older man whose only crime was showing Sanji kindness by caring for his needs and the occasional small smile. Judge explained the lands were Orochi’s responsibility. With the land being poisoned already, Judge deemed them unworthy of being worth his time.
Sanji asked what they would do if they lost those lands and Judge said that Wano could be retaken after they took every other piece of the world map. Making it a possible safe haven from the King, right under his nose. Sanji cared little for who owned the land he lived on, so long as they left him alone and Judge could not find him.
Seeing the land for himself, he could see that the people living here were still surviving despite the circumstances. Many of the citizen's smiled at him as he drove his cart into the town. The town its-self was a bit run down but otherwise in good shape. There were only a few buildings that looked condemned. He paid to have his carriage watched and horses cared for at a stable and made his way through the town. He got a hotel room and spent the next few days exploring the town and the land outside.
Wano was perfect match for his needs, and he was able to find the land he wanted for a restaurant and to make his home. The plot of land had space for growing crops and a small run-down shack with a collapsed roof, that looked as though no one had been there for years. The land was close enough to town to walk there and far enough away that no one would come this way unless they were specifically coming to visit him or enter the forest several hundred yards off.
Making the decision that this was an acceptable place to settle, he spoke with a clerk at the office of Lord Orochi’s to make an appointment to purchase the lands he desired.
The clerk was a red headed woman. “If you just want to purchase some lands you can do that with me. No need to meet with Lord Orochi. He actually prefers to not waste his time with such things. I can give you a tour of some of the lands that are for sale.” The woman smiled up at him from her desk. “My name is Nami and I run most things in town. Lord Orochi leads only in name.”
“A pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Nami.” Sanji said returning a practiced smile. He then pointed on the map of the town to what locations he would like to purchase. “I would like to build a restaurant here in town and I would like to build a home for myself here right outside of town.”
Nami looked at the map in consideration. “That is a perfect spot for a restaurant! A premium spot that is going to cost extra. But for the house.... There are other places I could show you.”
“What’s wrong with this land?” He asked not wanting to give up the spots he had chosen.
“Actually, a friend of mine lived there. He joined the war efforts and has not yet returned. He may come home one day, or he’s already passed. Maybe...If you really wanted the land, I would accept you paying double so that if he returns, he will be able to buy his own land and rebuild. I would of course hold onto the money, for my dear friend. That or we look at other land.” Nami said looking forlorn for her friend.
Sanji noticed she did not say what side of the war her friend joined. It was a safe strategy as she could not know what side Sanji supported. He wondered if she really had a friend who lived there or if she wanted more money. If it was true, her friend was likely dead by now. Judge’s war had claimed many lives. If it was a lie, he was paying extra for no reason. It was judge’s money, and he really wanted the land.
“I’ll agree to pay double for the land, if you can introduce me to a carpenter to help build my house and restaurant along with some magic users in your town. There are some magical luxuries I want for my home.” Sanji asked. One of the luxuries was having indoor plumbing and some magical appliances. He also had another reason for wanting to meet them.
“Yes sir! I know just the people you need to meet!” Nami held her hand out and Sanji shook, sealing the deal. Sanji paid for the land, the fee for the missing and presumed deceased friend, convenience fee, and commission fee. He was certain he was getting conned out of more money than necessary for the purchases.
Titles in hand and business concluded, Nami took him back into the town and stopped at a shop near the seaside called ‘Super Designs!’ The building stood out with it’s elaborate carvings of various ships sailing through crashing waves spiraling along the wooden pillars outside. There was also a large smiling lion’s head next to the sign, it’s mane was a bright orange halo bright as the sun. Instead of intimidating, the lion looked friendly and inviting. It was the nicest looking building on the street, a testament of craftsmanship. Nami had certainly brought him to the right place.
Inside the shop was a woman with long black hair sitting at a desk and reading. There were sounds of a hammer banging coming from behind the house. Nami called out when they arrived. “Hey Robin, is Franky here?”
The woman looked up from her book with sharp blue eyes and smiled at Nami. “Yes, he will be in shortly. He’s nearly finishing building a table for a client. How may I help you today?”
Nami put a hand on Sanji shoulder. “This gentleman is Count Blackleg Sanji and he just purchased lands. He wants to build a house and restaurant. He said he also wishes to add some magical conveniences in both.” She turned to Sanji. “This is Robin, she’s the best Witch in town. She can help with all of your magical needs. Her husband is Franky and he’s the best carpenter around. He can build anything. I’ll leave you to your business and come back to me with any of your needs sir! I know everyone in town and can help make introductions, for an appropriate fee.” Nami waves as she makes a quick exit.
The difference between a Witch and Wizard are that Wizards are formally trained and schooled, while Witches are self-taught. Judge called them ‘the poor man's Wizard’ and refused to hire any. A Witch’s level of skill varied from person to person. Sanji would have to see for himself if she was skilled enough to understand his work or if he needed to find and hire another person.
“A pleasure to meet you, Robin. Your husband is a lucky man to be married to woman of so many talents. What is your experience with farming magics?” Sanji gave his pleasantries with a smile and asked the question he needed to determine if Robin was the one he needed to meet with.
“Ah. I take it you already know of our land's plights.” Robin said eyeing him. “I had doubted that Nami told you about it before selling the lands.”
“I’m sure she was too excited with the sale to tell me. I had heard of your plight before arriving. I am a bit of a practicing Wizard myself. My main interest being food related, thus my interest in farming and your plight.” Sanji had already decided he would share this tidbit of information, otherwise they would not trust his research. From his notes, it would be hard to hide that he had formal magic training. Being a noble it would not be suspicious to have formal training.
“I see. I have also been researching a way to revive our lands. Some treatments have been applied but it will be a few years before we see any progress. Until then, we have many imports to our town that you can request from the dock master. Who Nami can introduce you to as well.” Robin said looking towards the back door as the noise had calmed a bit.
“It sounds like I have found the right person. If it’s alright, I would like to share my own notes with you about the possibilities of revitalizing the lands.” Reaching into his satchel he pulled out some papers and handed a few to Robin. She took them and her eyes immediately started to pour over the information with determined interest.
The back door opened and a very large, dusty, man with blue hair styled into a pompadour entered the room. The man had body modifications visible on his arms and legs, easy to notice in the speedo he wore. Metal infused his skin with magic runes used to increase strength and shield from harm.
Sanji recognized the modifications as the types used to help treat the injured who suffered severe injuries. In this case, the loss of limbs. If the man was as skilled at building and his wife as skilled at magic as Nami claimed, then likely they made these bodily enhancements themselves after a grievous injury. The man was unlikely to have access to healing potions and had to make do with his own ability. They looked very skillfully made. Making Sanji believe he had come to the right place.
Healing potions were far rarer and more expensive than magical body repairs. Creating healing potions came at a high cost. A person or animal’s health is drained and put into the potion to create the effect. Minor healing potions are the most common because when making them the person can recover usually in a few days with cold like symptoms. The minor healing potions can heal minor wounds with no scaring and minor illnesses. On larger wounds and illness they help somewhat but medical attention would still be needed.
For the production of major healing potions animals are not enough, or the lives of several large, strong animals would need to be used, or the life of one healthy human. These potions were powerful enough to close most wounds, fix broken bones and cure most illnesses. The ordeal not only took livers but the main ‘ingredient’ was put in extreme agony before their ultimate demise.
The cost of production was too high for decent people, meaning Judge was exempt by his lack of such morals. He used healthy prisoners of war to produce major healing potions, instead of executions. Judge saw this as a strategic use of resources. The rest of the world viewed it as war crimes for the suffering caused to create the potion.
There were other ingredients to create healing potions such as a cerulean grass that only grew by the seaside in the summer. Were it not for such rare ingredients, Judge would be pumping out major healing potions in bulk. Instead he could only create approximately 50 per year. His useless third son was reminded of this often, because he had to use them on himself quite a few times as he could never unlock his healing abilities. Judge hoarded some for himself and gave others to his most important generals.
“Oh, hey bro! I’m Franky. This is my Super shop!” On the word ‘super’ the man posed with both large mechanically laced arms in the air together matching two star tattoos, making a single star. “I haven’t seen you around before. How can I help you?”
Sanji looked to Robin for a moment to see if she would introduce them. “She’s busy bro. My wife always gets Super into whatever she’s reading.” Franky said standing between Sanji and his wife. Sanji wondered if the man thought Sanji was trying to make a move on his wife. The man certainly seemed the overly protective type.
“Nice to meet you. I am Count Blackleg Sanji. Today I purchased land in town with the intention of building a restaurant and just outside of town to build a home. I would also like in the future to build stables, a chicken coop, and barn. But those can come later. First, I would need the house built with the furniture specified and then restaurant. After those are complete the other structures will need to be built.” Sanji pulled out the blueprints he had worked on for all of the mentioned buildings along with more for the furniture and appliances.
Franky smiled and took the papers. “You came Super prepared, Bro!” With a similar level of concentration as his wife, Franky looked over all the paperwork he was handed. The only difference being that he grabbed a pencil and started making corrections. He explained how some of these ideas could be better. Sanji was not a professional carpenter, but he could get the sense he was talking to one.
Hours passed as they went over every detail. Once they were done, Robin invited him to stay for dinner. He graciously accepted and continued the conversation over a satisfying meal. Their home was above the shop. It was quite spacious and beautiful with intricate designs and patterns throughout, showcasing Franky’s work.
The food was perfectly fine but a bit lacking. He could cook something far better, but he knows better than to insult a woman’s cooking. Something he learned from Zeff.
When all of the work was finalized and fees paid and agreed upon, Robin spoke up. “This research of yours shows a deep understanding of our plight. I am happy to report that your magical fertilizer should do exactly what you say. I would like to make an offer to purchase this recipe from you so that it may be used throughout our town. I do not have much to offer and I would still need some left over to buy the ingredients.”
The deep understanding Sanji had was due some insider information about how the smile fruit was produced. He knew his proposal would work. What he needed was for someone else to do the work while he finished his own plans. Not just on his land, he needed his neighbors to grow crops and raise animals as well, so he could purchase what he himself did not produce. Fixing the farming crisis in his new hometown was a no brainer.
Sanji pretended to consider the offer. Normally, a wizard would sell the patent of a creation like this, but he would not need the money. He needed the work done, the sooner the better. “I have a counter proposal.” Sanji offered looking at a nervous Franky and Robin who held a poker face. “I will give you the recipe for free. It is specifically for this situation and would not be useful elsewhere for me to make any more money. I will also give you the funds needed. It should be more than enough to gather all of the ingredients and for the manpower you will need to produce and spread it en mass to all the lands affected. Is this acceptable?”
Franky looked about to jump out of his chair in excitement, his wife’s hand on his shoulder was all that kept him in his seat. Robin gave a small smile, revealing nothing. She replied, “And what are you getting out of this deal, Count?”
A good question and she said his title to emphasize his status. Those with status rarely did anything that did not satisfy their own greed, at least in Sanji’s experience.
“Please call me Sanji. We are about to be neighbors and possibly work together on more projects. I am getting to move into lands that will no longer be polluted, where everyone, including myself, will be able to grow food to cook. If you wish to repay me then please do your best in helping me build a future here.” Sanji hoped the last part sounded sentimental enough that they both could trust him and not ask any follow up questions about why his research was so detailed.
The couple looked at each other and their eyes met in secret conversation. Robin nodded releasing her hand on her husband. Franky shot up out of his chair, knocking it over. “Sanji-Bro! That’s Super nice of you!” Franky said tears pouring out of his eyes. He grabbed Sanji into a hug. Sanji tensed up ready for a fight, that didn’t come. How long had it been since someone hugged him? Just as he thought over how warm the hug felt, the man released him.
Several bags of beri were handed over to the couple as all plans were finalized. The work would take a few months but still far less time than Sanji had expected. In the meantime, he would continue his escape plan. If fortune favors him, the house will be done when he returned, and he would have somewhere to start his new life right away.
“Thank you for your business and I hope that this is the start of a strong friendship.” Robin said as she waved him off.
“Were already friends in my book, Bro!” Franky said through more tears.
“Thank you both. I do hope to earn your friendship and your business once I open my restaurant.” Sanji replied with a small wave goodbye.
Sanji stayed the night in a hotel. Late that night, he used his amulet of invisibly to sneak the crates onto his new land. He picked a spot out of the way of any construction, but still on his land. Using a shovel along with his advance strength he dug deep into the ground. He buried the crates to get later. He was planning to steal more but this would be enough if the next part of his plan failed.
In the early hours of the morning, he left the town and headed to the destination of his mission. It was not long before he discovered what Judge sought here. The location of the rebel's base. This was a problem. If the King of Germa knew this information he would attack them and eliminate what appears to be their main base of operations.
Sanji needed the rebels to keep Judge busy and not asking questions that are inconvenient, he falsified his report.