[Discontinued] Two Birds, a Crocodile, and a Little Bit of Everyone

Chapter Twenty Five

Chapter Twenty Five: A Heart Warming Conversation

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You purse your lips in dismay as Sanji sets a plate of dessert in front of you. It was beautifully crafted, with smooth white cream decorated in small fresh fruits and sprinkles. The dessert was just utterly breathtaking, and would have been utterly delicious. Would have considered the fact that you weren't feeling very peckish at the moment.

"Here you are Y/n-chan. I hope you enjoy~"

The corners of your mouth twitched down a little as you deflated in your seat. He didn't call you by his usual nickname. Sure, you had asked him to treat you more so as an equal, but it was clear that Sanji wasn't his usual self. What in the world did you do to make him act this way? How can you fix the situation when you didn't know what it was?

You would ask Sanji personally, but you were scared. And there was the fact that he always tended to avoid areas where you were, or averted the conversation away from him whenever you tried to talk to him.

You knew you could always use your Haki and see what was wrong, but you felt that it was kind of an invasion of privacy. Like your Master said, it was best to solve problems with simple solutions, unless the problem required a complicated one. Haki wasn't a tool for you to use on just anyone.

There were boundaries that shouldn't be crossed, and you knew that if Sanji wanted you to know what was wrong, he would tell you. But he clearly wasn't.

So what could you do? How could you solve this situation without using Haki?

You poked your dessert absentmindedly with your fork.

Think Y/n, think! What has all those friendship animes, manga, and video games taught you? What has all your friendships taught you to deal with situations like this?

Thinking back on your friendships, you blanched. Those relationships were relationships with practically no bumps in the road. Katakuri and Mihawk practically let you do whatever you wanted, and Crocodile was always that tsundere who would also relent whenever it came to what you wanted.

Doflamingo liked to spoil you rotten, Smoker, well, you both had rekindled your friendship and- OH.

Your eyes widened. Smoker! You could use your rekindling as reference to now! Huh, but how exactly did you and Smoker make up...?

Sighing in defeat, you slumped over the table, causing all attention to be averted to you.

"Is everything okay, Y/n-chan?" Nami asked. Her chair screeched as she pushed it back, standing up as she made her way over to you. "You look like you've been in deep thought."

The sound of rustling paper caught your attention, and you saw that she had set down the newspaper she was reading so that she could place a hand on your back, rubbing it soothingly. You gave her a sheepish smile.

"Don't worry about it! I was just thinking about some people I know." Technically not a lie. Your gaze drifted to the circular window. "Besides, you guys should be preparing for Little Garden."

Nami nodded her head, widening her eyes slightly. "That's right. Have you been to Little Garden before? What's the topography like? Are there things we should watch out for?"

Sitting up slightly, you leaned your head on your non-dominant hand, your other using your fork to prod at your dessert. It was silent with only the small chink of the metal on the plate. Your eyes flickered to a soft gold color for a moment, causing her to hold her breath. One word left your lips.