Chapter Text
"Nami, are we ready?" Luffy asks, Sanji tries not to look at Miss Nami too much, wary of another nose bleed, though keeping his eyes off the beauty is almost blasphemy.
"Just waiting on your order, captain." The navigator assures, standing on Luffy's left.
"There's a lot I want to tell you, but for now…" The voice carries easily, enveloping the air all across the Sunny Go. "Thank you for going along with my selfish decision two years ago." Sanji scoffs, but a smile pulls at his lips as he smokes away. The day is just perfect to set out, so different to the last time Sanji left Sabaondy.
"It's not like it was the first time." And if Sanji has anything to say about it, it certainly won't be the last.
"Yeah, you've always been selfish!" Usopp agrees along, but all around them there are smiling faces and Sanji thinks they're all thinking the same. That it's been so long, it's surreal that they're finally here. Luffy's smile is blinding and Sanji is just waiting for the order to set sail when…
"But we can't leave yet!" The entire crew balks.
"What?" Usopp says baffled.
"Why, Luffy?" Chopper worries, eyeing the marine battle ship heading for them, they appear entertain for the moment but surely their priority is to engage the Straw Hats before they can leave.
"Luffy, no time for your games!" Miss Nami prompts, clearly concerned and one step above slapping him upside the head. "The marines are right there! We need to go."
"We're just missing… aha!" The captain lights up, eyes somewhere far off and suddenly, in a blur of blue movement a bird (?) glides onto the deck, landing in the middle of the grassy field. It's huge, the size of a person, and it quickly retracts its massive wingspan. It's certainly a beautiful creature, but perhaps a little underwhelming after riding the huge bird that had brought them aboard. Sanji's sure everybody wants to ask, but Luffy's already giving the order to depart and the marines aren't going to wait forever.
"Spread the sails!" He commands, and Brook and Zoro easily jump off the mast. The jolly roger is a welcomed sight to Sanji's soul. It feels like coming home. "Set sail!"
It's later on, as they're riding the current down to Fishman that the crew can finally relax enough to ask about their mysterious arrival, who's now sitting – perching? – next to Luffy.
"Oi, Luffy." It's Zoro who starts, eyeing the bird warily. Sanji notes that his hand never strays from his swords. Not necessarily an odd move for an ever vigilant Zoro, but still… it's just a bird. "What's with the bird?"
"He's a mystery bird." Luffy answers, turning from where he's running his hand down the bird's feathered chest, expertly removing the falling feathers. Clearly, Luffy and the bird have been together awhile.
"Of course." Nami facepalms.
Luffy is definitely the only person in history who adopts a giant blue bird and gives only a five-word explanation on why. Sanji's so relieved to see him though, happy and smiling after everything -after Ace, that it almost doesn't bother him. Except it's a giant blue bird and it seems to have a mark on it (For ownership maybe? Did he steal it from somebody?). It's a beautiful animal for sure, with long azure deep blue feathers, and with comically discolored fluff around its eyes, giving the appearance that he's wearing glasses. The mark on his chest is familiar, but the animal doesn't let anybody get close enough to take a good look. (Not that Sanji really cares that much.)
"We have a pet now?" Ussop interjects, as if tasting the idea. The bird puffs out his chest and cocks his head. Sanji gets the impression that it doesn't think of itself as a pet at all.
"Yohohoho! Should we name it?" Brook says, leaning down to eye the bird where it stands regally upon the bench around the main mast, it scuttles backwards a little warily –spooked by the skeleton perhaps? Luffy sits next to it and leans comfortably on the animal, one knee bent and the other sandaled feet hanging. The bird towers over him as Luffy shakes his head.
"Mystery Bird already has a name." He announces.
"…Luffy-bro, you can't name it Mystery Bird." Franky voices the concern. Luffy stops and eyes them questionably. It always makes Sanji feel stupid, when Luffy of all people looks at him like he's dense.
"Of course not, that's not his name!" He laughs.
"Don't act as if you wouldn't name it that!" Sanji scoffs.
"Well?" Luffy looks at Ussop, confused. "What is it? The name?"
"I promised not to tell!" Luffy says and everyone around him explodes.
"Luffy... Who's bird is it?" Zoro says cautiously, still keeping an eye on the animal.
"Mine." Luffy's eyes are blazing when he says it, as if he thinks any of them will deny it.
"Then who did you promise not to tell his name to?" Sanji asks confused.
"Ma–" The bird pecks him hard in the head, and Luffy immediately jumps to his feet in indignation. The bird's sitting down, Luffy standing on the platform, but the animal still needs to lower his head, long neck arching elegantly, to meet Luffy's eyes.
"That hurt, Ma–" The bird shows lightning quick reflexes as it interrupts Luffy again with another peck to the head, who's now rubbing his head and glaring at it. Fearlessly, he presses his face against the razor sharp beak, pushing back and glaring. The bird leans back, eyeing Luffy, as if trying to figure out if the rubberman is actually hurt and then just... stares. Sanji has never seen a bird with so many expressions, but it almost look righteous in its displeasure.
"He'll tell you his name later." Luffy finally states, breaking eye contact with the bird and looking oddly as if he's been scolded.
"Luffy, birds don't speak." Ussop says slowly, as if this is new information for their captain. "Do you want Chopper to translate?" The reindeer comes closer to the bird, and makes a sound. The bird ignores him, preening his feathers and very pointedly not looking at the reindeer. Chopper shrugs.
"He doesn't seem to want to talk to me." He says dejectedly, Luffy's hand shoots out to pat him on the head, his eyes impossibly soft.
"Don't worry. Mystery Bird is just sad sometimes." Sanji looks at the bird, still adamantly not looking at any of them and thinks that it doesn't really look sad. It also doesn't react to Luffy's comment in any way, which considering how much complaining he's done since now can be call agreement? Maybe.
"Mystery Bird will tell you his name eventually because he's a little silly like that. He's Mystery Bird until then." He nods along to his own logic.
"Mah, I'm surprised you want to keep it instead of eat it." He'd already been thinking of all the dishes you can make; he wonders if the meet is tender like chicken or more dry like duck or maybe something different. The animal squawks indignantly.
"Sanji," Nami whispers and now he's heart is ready to beat itself out of his chest, "that bird is following the conversation, isn't it?" Sanji needs to draw his eyes away from the goddess to look at the bird again, he thinks about him clearly interrupting Luffy and his complaint when Sanji talked about eating him and nods.
"Definitely."
"And that symbol, I'm sure we've seen it before."
"It does seem familiar." He agrees, and not only because it's the beautiful Nami who says it.
"I'm sure Mystery Bird is just shy." Robin cuts in, but Sanji can tell from her gorgeous eyes that their resident historian is very much into whatever strange shenanigan is happening. Sanji shrugs. Honestly, if Luffy wants to keep a bird, it's not really Sanji's problem. Soon enough, they have plenty of other things to worry about.
When Luffy's going to exit the bubble the bird is not happy about it, it bats its wings as it perches on the railing that the three pirates are supposed to leave through. The sudden agitation of the bird can certainly be dismissed, but Sanji notices something much more bizarre when Luffy stops and actually thinks about going to fight the Kraken. Sanji has never seen that happen without violence or yelling or a combination of both. Luffy places one hand on top of the bird's head, stretching his arm to reach and smiles at it.
"It'll be okay. I'm strong remember?" He assures. "Take care of Sunny for me." The bird shuffles on it's feet, and seems to let out one melodious, melancholic note before staying still. Luffy grins at it before shooting out of the bubble to confront a kraken. As Sanji glances behind them for a moment, the bird does not leave its post.