Beast of Shadows

》Three《

"You're hired! Nami! Give him thirty dollars-an-hour!" Sanji blinked as Nami immediately began to screech into the boy's ear. He was too busy stuffing his face with Sanji's food to listen to her complaining, Usopp joining in to make even more noise when Luffy stole his sandwich to stuff down his throat.

"Stop whining, there's plenty more." Sanji growled, brandishing the spatula he held at the two boys in a threatening manner. Luffy laughed it off as Usopp ducked down to hide behind the bar like the coward he was. Not that the blond wasn't intimidating in the first place, there was definitely something about him that screamed 'dangerous.' Nami just did know what, there was this...aura around him. It felt familiar and just added to her curiosity about the chef.

"You do understand why the spell didn't work, right?" Nami turned to Robin, who was smiling at her in that usual unnerving way. She couldn't understand how Franky could stand it, she was so sinister.

"Care to explain then?" Nami placed her elbow on the table, chin resting on her palm. She hadn't been home in so long that the memories of the rules had grown fuzzy.

"He already has a contract." Nami's jaw would have dropped open if not for her hand keeping it shut.

"H-huh!?" She spluttered, eyes flickering from Robin to Sanji as he scurried around to continue feeding Luffy.

"But where's his-ya know?" Nami gestured a hand at the blond for emphasis. Robin shrugged, a calm and knowing grin on her lips.

"Who knows..." Robin trailed off as Sanji twirled over to them, placing to very fruity drink down before the girls.

"For my two lovely flowers!" He swooned before basically skipping back to the kitchen with hearts trailing behind him, Nami found it pretty comical.

"Do you know who he initiated the contract with?" Nami frowned, a tad jealous that she didn't get to the blond first. Robin shrugged in a way that told Nami the woman was just unwilling to give up the information. Robin seemed to have a knack for thinking of things as some sort of game, usually to entertain herself.

"Fine, don't tell me. They'll have to show up sooner or later." Nami glanced down at her unused fork with calculating eyes. With a quick movement, she had plucked up the utensil and hurled it at the chef's back.

Sanji unexpectedly tensed up, the unnatural aura around him flaring up. The fury that exploded from the powerful presence sent ice down Nami's back. It was a clear warning of 'don't do that again' without even using words. Thankfully, blond abruptly stumbled out of the way, almost as if he was shoved by someone they couldn't see.

The fork flew right past him and clattered onto the floor, the aura dying down as fast as it had burst. Sanji stepped over to the fallen tool, bending down to pick it up. Turning to look over his shoulder, his blue eyes narrowing. His gaze sending an icy glare Luffy and Usopp's way. Nami bristled from the dark look, uneasy even though it wasn't directed at her.

"Whatever that blond has wrapped around his finger...I never want to meet it." Nami swallowed thickly as Sanji stomped up to Luffy, stabbing the teen's forehead with a nimble finger that he obviously wished was the fork clenched in his grip; hissing about how he was going to let Luffy and Usopp starve for trying to murder him, Luffy argued back of course. Nami knew that there was little that Luffy loved more than food.

"I regret to inform you that we will be crossing paths with Cook-san's contract-bound sooner or later." Robin stated ominously, finishing the rest of her drink before standing to take the empty glass to the sink. Nami pressed her lips together, eyeing Sanji with wariness. The chef was much more dangerous than she had first anticipated, she figured it was wise if she stayed on Sanji's good side.