*3rd P.O.V.*
(Y/n) was hard at work making breakfast for herself and Noire the next morning. She hummed happily as she plated their food and sat it at the table; French toast, a scrambled egg, and some bacon.
She placed a mug of piping hot coffee on the table for Noire and a glass of orange juice for herself.
(Y/n) observed her work proudly as she placed a glass bottle of maple syrup on the table and sighed.
"Looks good~. Now, then..." She trailed off and walked straight towards the stairs, "Time for me to play the role of Mom!"
She took a deep breath and shouted up the stairs to the bedroom, "Noire~! Wake up, sweetheart! Breakfast is ready~!"
Noire, just starting to wake up, went to wrinkle her face in grumpiness.
"Five more minutes..." She yawned, turning on her side.
"It's your first day, Noire! Do you want to be late~?!" (Y/n) shouted, trying to be louder this time.
"Don't make me come up there, young lady!"
Noire, now being more awake, paled at hearing the words "first day", and "late" in a sentence.
"O-oh, no!" She yelled back, before jumping out of bed, her eyes still a bit sluggish, as she messily rushed to get her proper clothes.
"I-I'll be there in a second!" She yelled back before falling back to sleep while standing up.
"I'm a pretty little donut... zzz..."
(Y/n), upon not hearing any sounds of movement from Noire anymore, ascended the stairs and entered the bedroom. Upon seeing Noire fast asleep on her feet, half-dressed no less, she sighed and went to rummage around her closet.
She found the item that she was looking for and marched back across the room to Noire. In one of (Y/n)'s hands was an airhorn and she wasted no time in putting it right in front of Noire's face and pushed the nozzle down, causing an ear-splitting honk that echoed throughout the entire room.
Noire quickly woke up with a start before going to rush to the bathroom to brush her teeth and brush back her hair.
"Im up, im up!" She told (Y/n) before jogging downstairs.
"Sure, that's why you were still fast asleep on your feet." (Y/n) giggled as she walked downstairs, "Your breakfast and coffee are on the table for you!"
"Thank you very much, (Y/n)!" She smiled at her, before she quickly ate her breakfast, and drank her coffee, it fully energizing her. She had a lot that she had to do today...
(Y/n) added syrup to her french toast and ate a lot slower than Noire, trying to savor the taste of her food.
"I'm going to the clinic today to get some cold medicine, just in case you get sick again or if I get sick. You never know, after all." She informed, "By the way, what time do you get off of work today?"
"I should be back in the late afternoon. Since it's my first day, not everything is set in stone yet." She told her, "As soon as I'm done though, I'd head straight here and get the chicken roast started."
"Are you sure? You'll probably be really tired after you get back so I can make dinner instead. I have nothing to do anyway."
"Alright, if you really want to." She shrugged, not minding the kind offer as she finished up her breakfast.
"I'll see you later, (Y/n)! Thanks for everything!" She grinned, running out the door in a rush.
She really didn't want to be late on her first day; it wouldn't be a good look.
'I have to pass by Kata's store to the route towards Baratie... maybe I can stop by for a bit...?' She thought before shaking her head. Knowing her, she'd lose track of the time, and then be late. If she really wanted to and wasn't tired, she could stop by after work.
Noire was focused on one thing, and that was clocking in on time. She wasn't really paying much attention to her surroundings at all, as she ran with all her might.
The raven-haired woman ended up bumping into a tall and muscular man with short blond hair and sunglasses, several scars visible behind them and had maroon-colored tattoos around each bicep.
"Hey, watch where you're going!" The man snapped at the woman, though he didn't even flinch at the impact.
"No, you watch where you're going!" Noire barked back, simply continuing on her way.
She didn't have the time nor patience to be dealing with any muscleheads.
The man was shocked for a moment before sneering in her direction, lowering his glasses to stare after her.
"... When we get our hands on you, human... I'll make sure that I'll be the one to break you." He grinned, turning on his heels as he continued to walk down the road.
Noire ran until she reached the restaurant, going to clock in with a sigh.
'Yes, I made it...! But for some strange reason, I now smell like cheap, funky cologne...' She thought, trying to wave the scent off of her.
She probably obtained it when she bumped into that guy from earlier.
But, that was of no matter... she had to have a very serious talk with a certain blond...
A certain blond named Sanji.
Speaking of Sanji, as soon as Noire entered the kitchen the blond was kneeling in front of her with hearts in his eyes.
"Noire-swan~!" He shouted as he gently took her hand into his own, "You look absolutely beautiful today~!"
Noire smiled a tinge at the compliment.
"Thanks." She grinned before growing stern again, "Actually, Sanji, you and I need to talk. I-it's about the souffle-"
"Ah, yes, the wonderful souffle made just for me with a kiss~! It still makes me so happy just by thinking of it~!" He cheered, starting to wiggle happily while twirling around.
"Y-yeah, um, actually, there has been a mix-up." She twiddled her thumbs awkwardly, trying to deliver the news as nicely as possible.
"Y-you see..."
Noire was suddenly bonked on the head with an abnormally tall chef's hat, "You brats! I don't pay you to waste your shifts by moving your jaws! You're here to cook, so start cooking!"
"Lay off, old man!" Sanji suddenly snapped at head chef Zeff as the older blond man scowled.
"Don't talk back to me, Sanji! I'm the head chef, not you! So remember your place and help the new brat with her station!" Zeff barked before addressing Noire again, "And you--get to work! Those mouths out there won't feed themselves!"
Noire at first was looking at Sanji in horror for talking back to the head chef before she turned to him with a nod.
"Yes, chef!" She agreed, scrambling to the station she was assigned to.
"Sanji, why on Earth did you do that?" She whispered to the blond, still not believing he actually sassed the man back.
Sanji's station was right next to hers for the time being and he began to calmly start descaling a salmon, "Don't pay attention to that geezer. The old man's just gotten stubborn and cranky in his old age."
"B-but he's the head chef! You might as well just set your leg on fire for playing such a risky game!" She whispered back as she was in charge of handling garnishes.
"It's fine. I'm the only one who can talk back to him like that." Sanji shrugged as he flipped the salmon over to descale the other side.
Noire looked at him in awe, shaking her head.
"Th-that's insane... " She mumbled, starting to prep the sauces.
"Not really. The old man practically raised me and this restaurant is as much mine as it is his."
"Is that so...? So you must have started your cooking career quite young then." She guessed.
"Yeah. I've wanted to be a chef for most of my life." Sanji smiled before it dropped into a slight grimace, "But... Let's just say that I hated the family I was born into and they didn't really support my dream. So, I ran away."
Noire's body froze completely at the mention of family, before she shakily resumed what she was doing.
"Well... I never met my parents..." She admitted, her movements now a bit jagged.
Sanji glanced at her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder to calm her, "You don't have to talk about it if it's hard for you. I understand how hard it can be to talk about the past."
Noire nodded slowly.
"Yeah... let's just say I feel you on the lack of support... in fact, it was my aunt who raised me and (Y/n) for the most part. She loved to cook as a hobby, so I started being interested in the field." She smiled softly, her face looking fond at the mention of her aunt.
Sanji smiled at her cheerier mood and nodded, "So, you and (Y/n)-chwan really are sisters. Not by blood, but by guardian. I always loved sharing food with others as a kid. I started trying to learn how to cook for myself, but of course, I sucked at first since I was teaching myself. I used to cook for my mom and, even though the food was awful, she still ate every last bite with a smile and told me it was delicious."
"Your mother sounds a lot like my aunt. She was the sweetest woman you'd ever meet, always looking out for me and (Y/n) no matter what." She grinned, chuckling at a memory.
"One time on my aunt's birthday, me and (Y/n) tried to secretly prep her a homemade birthday dinner, with me cooking dinner and (Y/n) making the birthday cake. It wasn't until after we pulled out all the ingredients that we realized we were too short to use the oven, since the oven was one of those old wood-burning ones. So, me and (Y/n) spent hours standing on a chair on our tippy toes trying our best to make that disaster into a miracle. Though we burnt the food, she still had a smile that could brighten the night sky." She smiled.
"That's the magic of food, isn't it; When food is made by someone who cares about you, it somehow can't taste bad." Sanji hummed, "You know, I was here when the old man opened this place. In fact, when we first opened the old man and I were the only employees for a long time."
"Is that right? Clearly the hard work paid off, since this place is always bustling." She smiled sweetly to him before going to chop an onion, "And you're right, food does have a bit of magic to it... "
Sanji nodded before he seemed to remember something and looked to Noire, "Noire-swan, I almost forgot to tell you; Try not to waste any parts of the ingredients. If you have leftovers like bones or stems, just put them in the bin at the back of the kitchen when you're done instead of the trash. We try not to waste anything if we can help it."
"Alright." Noire nodded as she then started to slice some bell peppers.
"What do you guys do with the left-overs?" She questioned curiously.
"We gather up all the leftovers and donate them to the farms nearby where they get used for fertilizer or they get fed to the animals." Sanji informed.
Noire's smile widened at hearing that.
"Aw, that's really nice." She gushed, failing to stay serious, though it was starting to prove difficult to.
Sanji... is a really nice person. She could confidently admit that.
"Now that we have that point out of the way, there's plenty more that I have to teach you about this kitchen, Noire-swan, so please be patient with me," Sanji added.
"Alright." She nodded.
Sanji took his time teaching Noire the in's and out's of the ways of the Baratie's kitchen, all the while he complimented the raven-haired woman.
*Meanwhile*
*With Ace, Sabo, & Luffy*
After the fiery fiasco at the tavern, Sabo was nowhere to be found. However, Luffy and Ace were able to track down the general direction he stormed off to due to the random boot prints of soot they found or by the occasional broken tree covered in scorch marks.
"He changed in there..." Ace pointed out to Luffy, already over his anger at those goons.
He was now more concerned about Sabo.
Luffy nodded, frowning as he vaulted himself over a burned fallen tree.
"He had the same look in his eyes as he had when he first met (Y/n) and that same look that Marco had the other day..." Luffy added.
"Yeah... there's something about (Y/n) that just brings out something strange in us..." He pointed out with a frown.
"I mean, I know Marco can be annoying and all, but Sabo really was pissed at him. He was even about to fight him!" He shook his head.
"And speaking of Marco... I haven't seen him all day..."
"Is he working today?" Luffy asked as he spotted another singed tree in the distance.
"Yeah, but I usually see him in the morning before he works... I bet this change in behavior has to do with (Y/n) as well..." He sighed.
"It's gotta have something to do with her soul... Maybe it does more to some people and less to others." Luffy said as he examined the direction the scorch marks on the ground pointed to.
"...And we are seeing it in full affect... we need to find Sabo, and fast."
Several more trees and ashen footprints later, the two brothers spotted a smoking blond figure sitting in the high branches of a tall tree with his back against the thick trunk.
"Oi! Sabo!" Luffy called up to his brother, only to get no response as the blond glared at nothing in particular in the distance.
"Look, we already handled our business back there. How about we try and relax now, hm? There's no need to stay pissed off." Ace told the blond, scratching his ear.
"How about we go get some good food for a change? It's on me." He suggested.
Sabo's inhuman features had disappeared by now, but trails of smoke continued to rise from his body. The blond took a deep breath before shakily releasing it.
"I'm sorry... I understand that it's all over now, but I can't... I don't know why, but right now I just can't calm myself down."
"Maybe some food can help with that! That's why I am going to use the little money I got to treat us nicely for today." He smiled softly at the blond.
"Thank you, Ace. But I don't think I can stop myself from exploding again. It's already hard enough to hold myself back now as it is." Sabo said as he turned and dropped from the tree, landing gracefully onto the forest floor.
"Why are you still so mad? We kicked their asses and if they come near (Y/n) and her friend again we'll just kick their asses again." Luffy questioned as he crossed his arms.
Sabo thought of this for a few moments with a scowl before his clenched fists burst into flame for a moment.
"I just... can't stop thinking about what that bastard said..."
Ace rose a brow at him, "What do you mean?"
"The things he wanted to do to (Y/n) were the same things that Doflamingo and the rest of the Don Quixote Family have done to some of the past humans. Have you heard about some of the things they've done to humans...?" He responded as he tried his best to hold back another burst of rage.
Ace pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Yes, we're all well aware, but what matters is that he wasn't able to do that stupid shit; I was there to stop him." He informed Sabo, before folding his arms.
"Matter of fact, that should be more the reason one of us should watch over the girls. The family themselves could be trying to target them as we speak..." He said, before shuddering in disgust at the thought.
"Don't...! Don't even suggest that right now, please. It's hard enough for me to keep my temper in check as it is right now." Sabo took a deep breath before continuing, "I understand that nothing happened, but when he said that he wanted to do those awful things to her... I couldn't help but imagine her going through that and it pissed me off. And those thoughts keep popping up in my mind and it just makes me angry all over again."
"Hey, what he did pissed me off too, but instead of just moping around here, we should be doing our due diligence in watching out for them, don't you agree?"
Sabo nodded, "Yes, I agree. I just needed to take a breath and let out as much of my anger as I could. We can go an--"
Sabo abruptly paused and looked around with a furrowed brow before he looked back up at Ace.
"Ace... Where's Luffy...?"
Ace blinked, going to look around before he sighed to himself.
"I am guessing he has volunteered to go on guard duty..."
"... Honestly, what are we going to do with him...?" Sabo sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"No idea..." He frowned.
*Meanwhile*
*With (Y/n)*
(Y/n) walked through the New District, trying to locate the clinic that was mentioned to be nearby. She didn't bother asking anyone for directions as she highly doubted that anyone would bother telling her, the correct direction at least. She also made sure to avoid any alleys or side-streets, choosing to keep to main roads with plenty of other people around. The very last thing she wanted was a repeat of what happened a few days ago with those thugs.
It took quite a while, but she finally found the clinic, a black building located right next to a black iron gate that led to... a cemetery...
A cemetery right next to a healthcare facility...
"... Well, that's not worrying or morbid at all..." (Y/n) said to herself.
'... This might be really dark for me to say, but... Maybe it's more convenient...?'
She shook the thought from her mind and walked to the glass doors, pushing them open and strolled into the empty lobby.
'I wonder if I'll see Marco... Sabo did say that he worked here.' She thought as she observed her surroundings.
Unlike the outside of the building, the interior of the clinic was stark white with light blue accents here and there which was a bit jarring to look at after being so used to dark designs at this point.
It almost looked like a normal everyday clinic. Well, it would have if there was actually anyone around. The place looked completely deserted, which she thought was very strange for the early afternoon--even for a small clinic like this one.
"Hm... Is it closed...?" She wondered out loud as she peeked over the front desk and looked around.
"No." A deep voice replied before a figure then appeared from the hallway in an ominous fashion.
It didn't help that the lightbulb temporarily went off when he made himself known.
"... Oh. Well, I'm glad it's open. I almost thought I missed a closed sign or something since it was so empty and quiet in here." (Y/n) said as she sheepishly scratched her cheek, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet.
"What is the purpose of your visit?" The mysterious man questioned, a clipboard on his tattooed hands as he adjusted his glasses promptly.
...Even stranger enough, his knuckles read... DEATH...
(Y/n) tilted her head and squinted her eyes to see the tattoos better.
"Death..." She read aloud, "Huh... It's cool, but... kind of a strange tattoo choice for someone who's supposed to prevent death..."
The man chuckled at her with a smirk, tapping his pen against his chin.
"They call me the Surgeon of Death, so I thought: 'why not'?" He joked before turning serious again.
"My question still remains, miss; what is the purpose of your visit?"
The (h/c)-haired woman seemed to ignore the second half of what he said and focused on his title, "The "Surgeon of Death"? That sounds so cool~! But... Kind of a bad title for a doctor... Is it because you're really bad at performing surgeries? Is that why the cemetery is right outside the front doors? Because it's more convenient that way?"
The man's brow twitched at her insinuation, glaring at her.
"If you wish to keep insulting me, miss, then I have no further business with you." He scowled.
"Insulting...?" (Y/n) then gasped and panicked, "N-no, no, no! I-I didn't mean to be rude! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me, I can be a little too curious sometimes and ask stupid questions and say stupid things and--Oh, goodness, I'm rambling now!"
The man quirked a brow curiously at the young woman, before sighing.
"...I won't repeat myself again; what is the purpose of your visit?" He simply replied.
"O-oh, right. I'm sorry." She apologized with flushed cheeks, "I-I'm actually just here for some cold medicine... My friend was starting to get sick the other day and we didn't have anything for it."
"And you are certain that your friend was experiencing a cold?" He questioned.
"Hm... I don't know for sure. She was a bit flushed, had a temperature, and had a slight cough, but other than that I didn't notice anything and she didn't say anything else about it. She seems to be better now, though." (Y/n) explained, trying to be as helpful to the doctor as she could.
"Hmm... she could have been experiencing a great many things. I would like to examine her personally, if possible." He hummed.
"Oh, uh, s-sure. I could make an appointment for her. I don't think she would mind..." (Y/n) hummed.
"There is no need. She can just walk in, and I will see to her personally." He informed her with a nod.
"And in regards to your request for cold medicine... is there a certain brand that you're looking for?" He asked before going to write something, "And I do apologize for the peculiar arrangement of medicines being sold on this island. It's a common complaint I hear from newcomers."
"Oh, no, don't worry about it. It's completely fine; any brand would be okay. As far as I know, my friend and I don't have any allergies to certain medicines so we should be fine." (Y/n) waved it off with a smile.
"While you are here, you might as well get everything else you need. Perhaps something for indigestion, or some painkillers for headaches." He suggested.
"Sure, that didn't even cross my mind. Thank you." She nodded, "I don't know if there's anything else we would need... I'll have to double-check what we have and if there's anything we need I'll just come back."
"Alright. Let me just go ahead and get that for you. You may sit in the waiting room while I go get the medicine." He offered, disappearing into a backroom behind the counter.
"Okay. Thank you very much~." She called after the doctor before she turned and stepped into the small room next to the lobby, taking a seat in one of the leather chairs.
As soon as the tattooed doctor left, another doctor appeared to take his place. This doctor had a patch of golden hair on top of his head and he was also sporting some glasses. It seemed to be customary here.
"Has Law taken care of you, miss-yoi?" The man questioned.
She looked up at the doctor, a little shocked that there was more than one doctor here.
"O-oh, yes, he has. Thank you for checking." (Y/n) smiled at the blond man and then noticed the purple tattoo on his tanned chest.
Something about it was very familiar, which caused her to look at it with a very focused stare as she tried to place where she had seen the cross-esque symbol before.
"Is something the matter-yoi?" He asked her, almost with a hint of a purr.
Her gaze snapped up from his toned chest to his eyes and her cheeks flushed red.
"I-I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to stare. It's just... I could swear that I've seen that symbol before." She stuttered, pointing to his tattoo.
He quirked a brow, before smiling.
"Say, you wouldn't have happened to have seen a brightly colored bird around, have you...?" He questioned with a grin.
A look of realization crosses her face as her eyes started to sparkle and, in an instant, she was at the counter. She practically dove forward as she leaned over the counter close to the man with a bright smile on her face.
"Are you Marco?! Doc's owner?!" (Y/n) asked with excitement.
He nodded to her with a bright smile.
"I am indeed Marco; pleased to meet you-yoi." He grinned to her gently taking her hand and kissing her knuckles, "And what might your name be?"
(Y/n)'s cheeks turned bright red as she had sudden flashbacks to when she first met Sabo. This handsome man was already turning out to be just as suave of a gentleman.
"I-I'm (Y/n). (L/n) (Y/n). It's a pleasure to meet you, Marco. Sabo, Ace, and Luffy told me and my friend a lot about you." She introduced herself in return.
"Is that right? Well, I would have appreciated it if they properly introduced us instead-yoi." He huffed, before going to look into her (e/c) eyes.
"After all, you are gorgeous, (Y/n), if you don't mind me saying." He grinned.
(Y/n)'s face was now turning an even brighter shade of red which she didn't even know was possible until that moment and averted her gaze.
"R-really? Th-thank you. You're pretty handsome yourself." She couldn't exactly lie to him about the fact she found him attractive.
Mama didn't raise no liars!
"Why thank you, (Y/n)-yoi! Say, when are you free? I'd love to treat you to a date." He chuckled softly.
(Y/n)'s eyes nearly popped out of her skull and a small squeak escaped her mouth, "I-I'm sorry? I-I don't think I heard you correctly."
"No, you did hear me correctly! I wish to take you out on a date, (Y/n)-yoi!" He repeated with a happy grin.
'Alright, who's punking me?' She couldn't help but be skeptical as she glanced around in search for any cameras or people hiding while holding in laughter.
She had never been asked out on a date by a guy before. Ever. Not even for a birthday party or a "just friends" get together. So, in her panic, she said the first thing she could think of.
"O-Okay." (Y/n) stammered, still in a daze.
"Excellent! My schedule is flexible, so any time you have free is when we can have the date-yoi." He told her.
"I-I mean... I'm not doing anything tomorrow..." (Y/n) said as her mind was spinning from what was happening right now.
"Fantastic! What do you say to... 6 O'clock at the Baratie? Don't worry about bringing any cash, the dinner will be on me-yoi."
"O-okay, gr-great. Uh, is it formal, casual, or semi-casual?" She asked, not really remembering what kind of restaurant Baratie was.
It would be really bad if she showed up in something casual and everyone else was wearing suits and fancy dresses.
"It's formal, so any simple dress and heels should do-yoi." He nodded.
"You're already stunning enough as it is... I wonder if it's even possible for you to be more beautiful-yoi..."
She felt like her whole body was burning now. She knew this man was suave as heckie when he kissed her knuckles. But now? This man managed to catch her off-guard and get her to accept going on a date with him without even trying.
"Th-thank you. I'll try to find something in my closet--I know I have a formal dress or two in there somewhere. I haven't had any opportunities to wear them, so this will be a first for me. Hehehe~." She giggled a little nervously as she tried to hide her apple-red cheeks.
"Well, I can't wait to see what you wear." He grinned as the tattooed doctor from before returned, glaring at the blond.
"Flirting again, Marco-ya?" He questioned as Marco glared back at him.
"What do you mean "again"-yoi?" He retorted back as Law went to simply ignore him, handing a bag of medicine bottles to (Y/n).
"Since this is your first time, the medicine is on us." He told her, going to glare again at the blond.
"What?! N-no, I couldn't let you do that. Please, let me pay for them. I'd like to help the business. Helping the economy and all that." (Y/n) insisted.
"If you insist... it's 60 dollars." He informed her.
She fished out three twenty-dollar bills and handed them to Law, "Here ya go, Dr. Death~!"
Marco held back a snicker as Law blushed in embarrassment. He quickly took the money, before turning around.
"Thank you. Have a nice day." He said, promptly leaving.
"H-hey! W-wait a minute! Come back! I'm sorry if I was rude again! I don't know your name so that's all I could think of to call you!" She called after him, panicking slightly at the thought of unknowingly insulting him again.
"Don't worry about Law, (Y/n)-yoi. He's distant to everyone, so it's not personal." Marco explained.
(Y/n) pouted, "Still, I can't help but feel bad. Hmm..."
An idea suddenly came to mind, "I know! When I come back with Noire for her checkup I can bring a pineapple pie or something as an apology gift!"
Marco couldn't help but awe at the young woman.
"Bless your heart, (Y/n)-yoi. That would be so sweet of you!" He grinned before going to stuff his hands into his pockets.
"But, if you are going to gift Law anything, just make sure it isn't bread-yoi. He hates bread." He warned her.
"He hates bread?!" She gasped, now looking quite offended.
"How could anyone hate bread?! In the household I grew up in where there were food and baked goods being made 24/7, a statement like that is the biggest blasphemy you could commit!"
"Hey, don't hold it against him! He developed a phobia of bread because when he was little, he accidentally ate a moldy piece of bread-yoi. Ever since then, he has avoided it like the plague. I'd tell you more, but it's better if you knew Law beforehand..." He elaborated.
"Oh, I see. Poor guy." She muttered, "My grandpa ate a piece of moldy bread once. But he just said he was getting his dose of raw penicillin..."
Marco sweatdropped at that information, before chuckling awkwardly. "Uh-huh... Well, yeah, just make not to give the poor guy bread-yoi."
"Hey, penicillin is made from penicillin mold. It's a medicine joke, you should appreciate it, Dr. Phoenix-Owner." (Y/n) pouted, "And no worries, I won't even mention bread to him."
"That reminds me... you named the bird Doc, all without knowing me beforehand? I find that quite amusing-yoi." He chuckled. "But, where did you get the idea that he was a phoenix from?" He questioned.
"Hm? Well, he looks like his feathers are made of fire and he actually burst into flames that weren't actually hot at all while he was on my friend's shoulder. After Doc went back to normal, my friend's cough and fever were both gone. I just kinda connected the dots." She said with a thoughtful hum, "And we called him Doc because it seemed like he healed her and he has those marks around his eyes that look like glasses."
"Hmm.. an interesting theory..." He hummed, going to stroke his chin thoughtfully before smiling at her.
"You know, Doc as you call him, is the only one of his kind on the island-yoi." He informed her.
Her innocent (e/c) eyes widened, "Really...? He's the last of his kind...? That's so sad... I wonder if he feels lonely, the poor little bean..."
Marco blushed slightly at the cute nickname as he looked deep into her eyes.
"He does feel lonely-yoi..." He told her softly, gently rubbing a thumb over her hand.
"Well, in that case, the next time he comes over to my house I'll make sure to smother him with attention!" She declared before giving a soft smile, "But, who knows...? Maybe one day he'll find a lovely lady bird to be his girlfriend and he'll have his own cute bird family along with his people family."
Marco smiled more at her cute words. "Perhaps..."
"I'll see you tomorrow, Marco! Have a good day! And tell Law I said goodbye too." She said as she slowly pulled away, taking her bag of medicine with her.
"Alright, see you tomorrow, (Y/n), and have a good day-yoi!" He grinned with a friendly wave, "And I'll make sure to let him know!"
"Bye~!" She waved cheerfully as she pushed her way through the clinic doors and began to walk back home, a slight spring in her step as she almost started to skip.
"So cute..." The blond mumbled to himself before going to find a certain grumpy doctor.
"Hey, the cutie says goodbye to you, too-yoi." He informed him, as the Surgeon of Death went to simply grumble in response.
It didn't go unnoticed that his cheeks turned pink at the mention of her...
*Meanwhile*
*With Noire & Sanji*
Noire's shift was almost over as everyone was starting to prepare for dinner service. During the day, Noire actually had a non-stressful and fun first day cooking delicious food and being taught the way of Baratie by Sanji.
"Thanks for versing me in the ways of this wonderful kitchen, Sanji." Noire grinned, clearly enjoying her first day by the glow that her body was exuding.
"It was a pleasure, Noire-swan~! I only wish that you and I could cook together longer, but the cruel hand that fate has dealt us demands that we must part ways for now!" Sanji sobbed as he kneeled in front of Noire before presenting her with a fully bloomed red rose, "For you~! A parting gift from me to you! It's nowhere near as beautiful and elegant as you are, but it's all that I have at the moment~!"
Noire blushed at the compliment with a cute giggle, happily accepting the rose.
"First off, where did you even get this from?" She chuckled as she inspected the flower with a soft smile, "And second, thank you."
"You're very welcome, my dear~!" Sanji gushed as he stood and took her hand in his, giving her knuckles a soft kiss.
"But I'm afraid I can't tell you where I got it. I must keep some of my secrets to remain a man of mystery to keep you curious."
Noire couldn't help but giggle more, her giddy aura just growing.
"Alright, phantom, I get it." She nodded, "But, I don't think you'll ever stop surprising me, Sanji."
"And also, don't worry, I work here now, so it's not like we won't see each other again. Matter of fact... maybe you can come over for dinner some time!" She offered with a grin.
To say Sanji was happy was a massive understatement. He began dancing around with his arms in the air, huge hearts in his eyes.
"Dinner with Noire-swan~! I must be dreaming~!"
"But, only on the condition you won't nosebleed in my house, or turn to stone. I will kick you out if you do that." She told him, semi-joking and semi-serious.
"I cannot make promises, but I will do everything in my power to follow your rules, Noire-swan." Sanji said, suddenly serious as he agreed to her terms.
"Sanji!" Zeff shouted from across the kitchen, making the blond groan in exasperation.
"Damn old geezer..." Sanji growled before turning to shout back at him, "What the hell do you want now, old man?!"
"Go take the leftovers to the farm, you brat!" Zeff shouted before gesturing to Noire, "And take her with you! She needs to be more familiar with the area anyway!"
Noire, still not used to how Sanji talks back to him, simply agreed to this task. He did have a point... it'd be good to know a bit about the area.
"That's an order I can get behind~!" Sanji suddenly cheered as hearts filled his eyes.
He quickly retrieved the bag of leftovers and practically skipped back to Noire as he sang a little tune," Going with Noire-swan~. Going with Noire-swan~."
"You're such a dork, Sanji." Noire chuckled as the two then left the restaurant.
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Sanji spent a lot of time showing Noire the best routes to get to the nearby farmlands from the Baratie and even gave her some pointers on how to get to Baratie faster from New District.
It didn't take much time at all for Sanji to deliver the leftovers and they were now on their way back to the restaurant.
On their way back, however, a flock of a dozen or more fluffy yellow ducklings led by a mother duck crossed the road in front of them.
Noire at seeing them suddenly started to quietly squeal, looking like a little child as she hopped around excitedly.
There, right in front of her... cute little ducks! Her favorite animal~!
"S-Sanji, look!" She pointed at them, going to tug on his sleeve excitedly.
"I see them." Sanji nodded and looked over to Noire with a smile, "Do you like ducks, Noire-swan?"
She nodded giddily.
"Yes! Ducks are my favorite animal!" She giggled before slowly approaching them, fishing out from her pocket a little bag of feed.
"Here, you little cuties!" She chirped.
If she wasn't happy before, she was certainly happy now.
Seeing Noire happy made Sanji happy as well. He was always happy when a beautiful woman was. But, somehow this felt different...
He approached slowly and crouched next to Noire as the fluffy ducklings and mama duck all began to eat up the feed, quacking happily as they did so.
"Is there any particular reason why you love ducks?" Sanji asked curiously.
She nodded, as she looked in awe at the adorable ducks enjoying her feed.
"Yes. You see, when I was little, I loved to take baths instead of showers so I could pretend that I was a duck floating on top of the water. My aunt noticed my little quirk, and got me a load of customized rubber duckies, one even going to look like me!" She giggled, "Ducks are just so cute, and the babies are just so fuzzy looking... I love their little dorky quacks... they may not be as elegant as swans, but I still think they're even more precious."
Sanji couldn't help but smile at her story. He didn't question her about it, he didn't need to. He heard everything he needed to. Perhaps he should get her a rubber duck as a present...
Sanji nodded and watched as Noire happily continued feeding the ducks.
"You know... I like all fish. Fish is my favorite and it's all because of the story of the All Blue." Sanji mused as he gazed at the ducks.
Noire started to stroke one of the ducks, grinning at how cute they all looked before she looked at Sanji.
"The All Blue...? What's that story about...?" She questioned curiously.
Sanji looked at Noire with bright eyes and an excited grin.
"The All Blue; a part of the ocean that thrives with every kind of fish in the world. Legends on the island say that somewhere in the waters around here, there is a beautiful and pure patch of the ocean that is home to every species of fish in the world. The ingredients that can be gathered from the All Blue are said to create the most delicious dishes in the world." Sanji explained, "That was what inspired me to become interested in cooking. Ever since I was a kid, I've dreamed of finding the All Blue one day."
"Is that right...? Well, I am not big on science much, but if it's apparently near here, then your best bet is to find a place where the currents will meet. I heard fish loved being in currents because it helps them move from place to place faster." She grinned.
"I would love nothing more than to go and find it, but... It's not that simple. There's only so far we're allowed to go from the shores of the island--because of our traditions. And most of the people here can't swim either."
Noire blinked curiously at him.
"Oh, really...?" She frowned before an idea came to mind.
"Hey, if you can't leave the island... then I'll go to try and find it for you. I'll record it on my phone and everything." She suggested with a grin, "After all, I am not a native here!"
He looked at her in shock before he smiled at her and gave her a hug, "Thank you, Noire-swan. But, I can't ask you to fulfill my dream for me. I want to find it myself, but hearing your offer means the world to me."
Noire blushed deeply at him hugging her, going completely still for a second, before snapping out of it.
"N-no problem, y-you big dork!" You smiled widely, returning the hug.
Sanji sighed as he released Noire and began to happily sway back and forth, "Compliments from Noire-swan~! Learning more about you is so much fun~!"
"Likewise!" She grinned, pulling out the rose he gifted her.
"You know, I usually had pretty bad experiences with fellow chefs, but you guys... you guys are alright." She nodded, gently going to hold his hand.
"It sounds to me that you just haven't met the right chefs until now," Sanji said as he stood, offering Noire his hand.
"You're right; I haven't until now." She agreed, going to lean on him a bit in a playful manner.
"Shall we head back?" She swayed a bit.
"We shall~!" Sanji chirped happily as the ducks jumped to the other side of the road and disappeared into the underbrush.
Sanji was more than happy to escort Noire back to the restaurant where they would part ways, but he was looking forward to seeing her again.
Little did he know that the feeling was mutual.
*Meanwhile*
*With (Y/n)*
After she got home and put away the bottles of medicine she bought, (Y/n) decided to kill some time before she started dinner by baking a rhubarb pie.
It took some time, but the sweet and sour dessert was finally done baking and she placed it on the windowsill in the kitchen. She opened the window wide and peeked outside to the side alley before she pushed the pie closer to the opening, wanting the pie to cool as fast as possible.
"Well, that's done... Hm, I should probably clean up a little before Noire gets home..." She hummed as she glanced at the clock on the wall, "Speaking of which, she should be home soon."
(Y/n) smiled as she left the kitchen to get a dustpan and a broom so she could clean up the leftover bits of rhubarb and baking ingredients that she messily dropped onto the floor.
It didn't take her very long at all to get the broom from the laundry room, but when she returned to the kitchen, she was shocked to find that there was someone leaning halfway through the window into the kitchen and was now eating the hot pie she just baked with his bare hands.
It only took a second to recognize the person as Luffy, if the straw hat was anything to go by...
"L-Luffy?!" (Y/n) called out to him with wide eyes as she slowly approached the straw hat wearing young man.
"Luffy, what are you doing here? Halfway through the kitchen window, no less...?" She asked, trying to ignore the fact that he was now eating the dessert she just worked very hard to make.
Despite her addressing him directly, he continued to eat the pie without care even when he looked directly at her while he ate it.
"Oh, hi (Y/n)!" He grinned with chipmunk cheeks as he continued to eat the pie with a big smile on his face, "This pie is really good..."
"Th-thank you." She replied with a soft smile before she sweatdropped at the boy, "Um... Not that I don't enjoy your company, but... What are you doing here? Are Ace and Sabo with you too?"
"I am here to protect you from any bad guys!" He stated with a grin.
"And no, Ace and Sabo aren't with me... I'm on my own." He told her with his mouthful.
"Oh, I see." She was very flattered that Luffy wanted to protect her.
'So sweet~!' She thought before offering him a smile.
"Would you like to come inside? I doubt that's very comfortable for you." She said as she noted how Luffy was hanging through the window.
"Sure!" He chuckled, before going to jump in the house.
He didn't take into account how high of a jump he had to make, which resulted in him tripping himself midway through his jump, causing his body to fall.
"W-wait, Luffy! I can open the front door for you! Ah!" (Y/n) cried out, opening her arms and lunging closer to the boy to catch him.
His body slammed into hers in the sudden collision, as his eyes went a bit unfocused for a second.
"That was some delicious pie!~ I love you, (Y/n)!~" He said in a daze, suddenly kissing the young woman's cheek while chuckling like a drunkard.
"Wh-wh-what?!" (Y/n) stuttered, her whole face turning bright red as she tried to comprehend what just happened--what was still happening!
'L-Luffy just fell on top of me, said he loves me, kissed my cheek, and now he's still on top of me! What is going on?!' She internally screamed.
"L-L-Luffy, what do you mean you love me?! It-it's not possible to fall in love that f-fast!" She protested, not even sure if she was currently functioning properly at the moment.
T-this whole day so far was just... so bizarre!
Luffy quickly snapped out of his daze, and went to blankly stare at (Y/n), before grinning at her.
"Oh, hi, (Y/n)! You're much closer now!" He chortled.
"Th-that's because you're on top of me, Luffy!" She squeaked.
"Oh, I am?..." He questioned as he looked at their position, just now noticing it.
"Oh, I am!" He chuckled before an idea came to his mind.
"Let's wrestle, (Y/n)! Like how Ace was wrestling you in his dream!" He chuckled innocently, suddenly pinning her arms down and easily restraining her with his body.
"E-eh?!"
'Well... this came out of nowhere...'
"Wrestle...? B-but, I'm super weak. I'd lose instantly--I'm already losing." She pointed out.
"So, that means I win!" He grinned with a victorious cheer before looking back down at her.
"Also, Ace was kissing the couch for some weird reason... eh, maybe he was hungry!" He shrugged, "Don't worry, (Y/n), I promise not to kiss your couch!"
"K-kissing the couch...?! In a dream about me?!" (Y/n) felt like she was about to combust from the embarrassment.
There's no way that Ace would have that kind of dream about her... right?
"Yeah! He was also moaning your name over and over in his sleep... it was kind of annoying, actually. Sabo even kicked him off the couch." He told her, oblivious to how this all sounded.
She felt like she was going to pass out.
Ace was actually having an inappropriate dream about her!
"Oh... Okay..." She said, now in a daze.
"Um... Luffy, could you get off of me now...? I'd like to cool my head for a minute. Make yourself at home in the meantime." She said shakily as her mind was filled with fog.
"Okay!" He chirped, hopping off of her.
"Say, where's your friend?" He questioned her, looking around as he noticed he hasn't been scolded yet.
"Noire's not here right now. She works with Sanji at Baratie." She explained as she slowly stood and stumbled over to the sink so she could splash cold water on her face to ease her blush.
"Ooo, really?! That means two people that can cook me delicious food!" He chirped with stars in his eyes.
"Yeah, but I don't think she'd be too willing to cook for you... Noire is trying to be nice, but I wouldn't push my luck if I were you." She advised as she splashed water onto her face and rubbed it onto her cheeks.
"Aw, okay..." He whined, shuffling over to the living room and plopping down on the couch.
"You alright there, (Y/n)?" He questioned.
"I will be. J-just give me a second." (Y/n) said as she dried her face with a sigh.
"If you're bored, I can get a deck of cards and we can play something." She suggested as she patted her cheeks, testing them to be sure that her blush was fading.
"Oh, okay!" He grinned brightly, stoked at the thought of playing a game with (Y/n).
"You know, Ace stinks at card games." He snickered.
"Really? His name is Ace and he stinks at card games... That's ironic." (Y/n) smiled before thinking aloud, "Where did I put the cards...? In the bedroom, maybe...?"
"I can help you look for them!" Luffy volunteered, before getting up on his feet.
"Sure. Just don't snoop around Noire's side of the room, okay? She doesn't like people messing with her stuff." She said as she walked over to the stairs and led Luffy to her shared room.
"Alright!" He chirped as he followed her into the room.
(Y/n) walked straight to her closet, opening the door so she could start shuffling through her belongings.
"Oh... I should see if I can find a nice dress and some heels or wedges too while I'm here..." She hummed.
Luffy didn't bother to question what she just said, instead of going to direct his attention on something interesting that was laying atop her bed.
"Hm...?"
On top of the dark covers, resting against the pillow, was a stuffed toy shaped like a cat. It's arms dangled at its sides as it was proportioned in a way that made it look like it was supposed to stand on its hind legs. It was white and had a black patch over half of its face and one of its ears. One of its arms, one of its legs, and its tail were also black. The strange thing about the cat doll, though, was the lack of a muzzle. Instead, the cat had a simple wide smile made of black yarn and had x-shaped stitches over a few parts of it. It had gold star-shaped buttons for eyes and a red ribbon tied around its neck with a gold sleigh bell hanging from it.
Luffy went to approach the bed and picked up the stuffed animal, looking it over with a big grin.
"Hello, I am Mr.Whiskers!" He said in a squeaky voice before chuckling.
"Hello, Mr.Whiskers! I'm Luffy!"
"Hm? What are you talking about, Luffy?" (Y/n) asked as she stopped digging through her closet and leaned back to take a peek at the straw hat boy.
Upon seeing the cat doll in Luffy's hands, she dropped what she was holding as a legitimate look of anger started to form on her face.
"Luffy... Put her down. Now." She said, her voice becoming quieter as her gaze was fixated on the cat.
At her request, he quickly put the cat down, wondering what she looked so angry. In fact, he doesn't recall a time where he ever saw (Y/n) mad.
She quickly walked over, brushing past Luffy, and gently picking up the cat before carefully repositioning it to sit propped up against her pillow.
"I'm sorry, Luffy. I don't like getting angry at people, but... M&M is very special to me, so please don't touch her like that without my permission." She apologized as she sat on the edge of her bed and gently stroked the top of the plushie's head.
"O-oh... I'm sorry..." He apologized, feeling terrible for his actions now.
"It's okay. You didn't know." She smiled softly at Luffy before she looked back at the toy with a hint of sadness in her eyes, "I know it might seem stupid to care so much about a stuffed toy, but... It means a lot to me, y'know? It's the only thing I have left of my mom."
Luffy quickly shook his head. "No, it's not stupid. That is your special treasure." He nodded, before putting a hand up to his straw hat. "I understand."
(Y/n) noticed this action and knew the meaning behind it.
'No wonder he always wears it...' She thought before she picked up her cat doll and hugged it close to herself.
"Thank you, Luffy... Usually when people find out about M&M, they make fun of me or try to take her from me."
"Well, I won't make fun of it, and if anybody does, I'll kick their ass." He told her firmly with a nod.
"Thank you. I appreciate that. If someone tries to mess up your straw hat, I'll do the same." She nodded, lowering her gaze back to the toy in her arms.
"... Having M&M with me... It makes me think of my parents and my second mom... It makes me feel like a part of them is with me." She said as she pets the toy, "My mom made it just for me before I was born and my dad gave it to me when I was a baby. She used to have a muzzle and different eyes--she didn't have a bell or ribbon either."
"What happened to her?" He questioned, looking over the doll.
"I used to take her with me everywhere I went when I was a kid. A lot of the other kids at school made fun of me for it, but I didn't really care. But, after school one day, they decided to take her from me. A few of the kids held me back and made me watch as they messed her up." She explained as she gently traced M&M's button eyes, "They stained her with mud, pulled out her stuffing, and tore her to pieces. They even ripped off her eyes and mouth and threw them away into the creek behind the school."
Luffy's face instantly scrunched up into a scowl at this horrible information. If he could, he'd kick every single one of their asses for doing that to (Y/n)'s treasure...
"I see..." He growled.
"That's why I was angry when you were holding her. I... get upset when people touch her because I'm afraid they might damage her. Seeing her be ruined right in front of me... It was like watching my memories of my parents be ripped apart." She gave a sad smile as she continued, "I gathered as much of her as I could and ran away as they all laughed at me. My mom found me and... She was really mad at those kids. She really laid into them when she found out who they were. That night I cried myself to sleep. I didn't think I would see M&M again, but my mom worked through the whole night trying to fix her."
She traces the sloppy yarn smile on M&M's face, "She wasn't the best at sewing, so she just stitched on a smile, gave her some star-shaped button eyes, and even put a ribbon and bell on her neck. I was so happy when I saw her all clean and fixed, for the most part. Now, I think of my second mom when I have M&M too. Just another memory of someone I love added to this doll, so I don't mind her new look at all."
"I see... she is a really cute doll." He complimented with a gentle smile.
"Thank you." She smiled back at Luffy before she seemed to hesitate for a moment.
"If you want... You can hold her... As long as you're careful." (Y/n) offered with a smile, holding the cat doll out for Luffy to take.
Luffy grinned at the offer and took the toy cat, holding it gently as if he was holding a porcelain doll.
"You know... You can hold my treasure too, if you're careful." He told her, holding out his straw hat to her.
She was surprised at his offer, but gently took the hat into her hands anyway.
"Of course I'll be careful. This hat means so much to you, after all." She said as she sat the hat on her lap and gently felt the pattern of the woven straw.
She spotted a stitched-up cut on the brim of the hat and three large stitched up cuts on the top.
"Someone treated your treasure horribly too, huh..." She guessed as she gently traced the patched-up holes with her fingertips.
"Yeah, but it still looks good, right?" He grinned, carefully turning M&M this way and that to get a better look.
"Just like M&M!"
"Mmhm! You're right, it does still look good." She agreed with a nod, returning his grin.
Suddenly, (Y/n) heard the front door open as the sound of footsteps echoed from downstairs.
"Hey (Y/n), I'm back from the job!" Noire called out, though her voice didn't sound like it usually did...
Instead, she sounded quite... happy?
At hearing her voice, Luffy perked up.
"Hey, Bor-la! Make me some delicious food!" He chirped in enthusiasm as the movement from downstairs stopped for a second.
Then, there were some quick patters up the stairs as Noire slammed open the door to the bedroom, glaring at Luffy.
"I am not your personal chef!" She hissed as Luffy held his hands up.
"Aw, but c'mon! We're friends, aren't we?" He pouted as she folded her arms.
"The only ones I consider friends on this island so far is Katakuri and Sanji--and Doc, if you want to add animal friends." She huffed, turning her head away.
"Aw, c'mon, Noire. There's no need to be so grumpy. You were in such a good mood a few seconds ago~." (Y/n) said as she offered Luffy his straw hat.
He took it back, before giving M&M back to her in response. He looked at Noire in shock.
"You're friends with Sanji?! How is that possible?!" He gawked before frowning grumpily at her.
"How come you don't like me, Ace, and Sabo, but you like Sanji, when all the girls don't like him?! You're just unfair and mean, No-no!"
"That's partially because she's still afraid that you'll hurt me somehow. And she knows better than to treat coworkers horribly." (Y/n) answered as she sat the cat plush on her lap.
"He could unintentionally, like jumping through our window instead of entering by the door, and slamming into you!" Noire suggested ironically, making (Y/n) wince and glance to the side.
Luffy didn't even bother refuting this, still stuck on what she first said.
"You're... friends... with... Sanji..." He kept repeating as he scratched his chin.
He really just didn't understand her!
"And Sanji is not just a coworker to me, (Y/n). He's actually a sweetheart; he even gave me this pretty rose out of nowhere!" She chuckled, instantly becoming more at ease at the mention of the curly-browed chef as she showed her the rose.
Luffy pouted, folding his arms.
"Hmph, what's the big deal about some stupid flower?... I'd make a way cooler friend..." He frowned.
"Don't pull a Noire and be mean too, Luffy. It's good to make lots of friends, Isn't it?" (Y/n) said with a smile, "Besides, even though she won't admit it, she actually is starting to really like you and your brothers."
"B-but I just don't get it, (Y/n)! Not even Nami and Robin think of Sanji as a friend! No-ha is just being an unfair meanie!" He protested as Noire chuckled.
She couldn't lie; his grumpiness was adorable.
"Well, me and him actually have a lot in common. He may be a dork at the best of times, but I like him." She nodded with a happy smile as Luffy continued to gawk at her.
(Y/n) quirked an eyebrow and leaned forward with a teasing smile, "You like him, do you~?"
Noire blushed at the insinuation before giving her a light glare, "Not like that, (Y/n), come on."
"Noire and Sanji, sittin' in a tree; K. I. S. S. I. N. G.~" (Y/n) sang softly, "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriage~."
Luffy gasped at (Y/n)'s words and looked back at Noire, "NOW YOU'RE HAVING A BABY WITH SANJI?!"
"N-no, I'm not! I think I made it quite clear that I like Katakuri!" She frowned, not liking this teasing targeted at her at all.
"B-but you can't do that! You're having Sanji's baby!" Luffy growled at her, as she glared back at him.
"Bonehead, didn't you listen?! I am NOT having Sanji's baby! J-just no!" She argued back.
Meanwhile, (Y/n) was laughing hysterically at this petty argument--just having the time of her life.
"H-hey, you started this mess! Tell this moron that I am NOT having Sanji's baby!" Noire barked at her as Luffy still seemed unconvinced.
"Fine. Fine. Luffy," She addressed him, "It was just a figure of speech to tease her about liking Sanji. It wasn't meant to be taken literally. She's not having a baby."
"Aw, really? But I wanted to see what kind of curly brows the baby would have!" He whined, now bummed out as Noire blushed at the thought, beyond embarrassed.
Sanji was just her friend!
(Y/n) giggled, "Never say never, Luffy. It might happen someday, but not anytime soon. Having a baby is a big decision, after all."
"N-not to mention time consuming, difficult, and painful. B-besides, it's just all s-so weird to me!" She waved her hand off, not even wanting to dream about such a thing.
"What is weird?" Luffy blinked.
"You're an innocent bonehead, I don't expect you to know what I'm referring to..."
(Y/n) slowly raised her hand, "But... I don't get it, either..."
"You're just innocent as innocent, (Y/n)." Noire rolled her eyes.
"But let's say the birds and the bees kind of talk... that dirty... it's weird..." She blushed as Luffy looked at her with confusion, even going to tilt his head.
"Huh? What are you talking about, Nora?" He questioned, as she shook her head. "J-just forget it..."
"She's talking about the actual process of making a baby, Luffy." (Y/n) whispered to him, a slight blush on her cheeks.
"Oh, really? Well, why is it weird to you?" Luffy questioned her, as she glared at him. "I-I said nevermind! J-just drop it!"
"Should we really? Are you starting to have those thoughts about Sanji now too, Noire~? First Ace and now Sanji~? Who's next?" (Y/n) smiled, wiggling her eyebrows.
Luffy gasped at Noire in shock as Noire was beet-red.
"Now you want to have a baby with ACE?!"
"NO!"
(Y/n) couldn't help but start laughing again as she fell onto her back, rolling around on the bed while hugging M&M close.
"Now, Nora, I know both Ace and Sanji personally, and I will not allow you to have BOTH their babies! You're going to have to pick one: freckled or curly browed baby?" He questioned her seriously as she continued to glare harshly at him.
"I-I am not going to have EITHER of their babies, idiot, so just drop it already! If I have a baby, I want it to have magenta hair and eyes, with the longest eyelashes ever!" She stated matter-of-factly before glaring at (Y/n), "And you, stop laughing at my expense!"
"I'm sorry, I can't help it! That dream you had of you kissing and doing naughty things with Ace--I couldn't not bring it up!" She giggled as she tried to stop her laughter.
"Hey, that's the same thing Ace was doing in his dream about (Y/n)!" Luffy pointed out, Noire's eyes widening in shock before she quirked a brow in amusement.
"Lucky (Y/n)... a guy actually dreaming that way about you? Ah, I see how it is now." Noire nodded, turning herself around.
"You and your brothers are a bunch of interesting weirdos..." She stated to Luffy, as he grinned brightly.
"Thanks!"
(Y/n) immediately stopped laughing and sat straight up with a bright blush on her cheeks as she tried in vain to deny the information, "W-w-wait! Don't turn this on me all of a sudden! Just because Ace was dreaming, moaning in his sleep, saying my name, and kissing the couch, that doesn't mean that he was thinking bad things!"
"Oh, I will! Have a taste of your own medicine, (Y/n)!" Noire smirked before cackling.
"If anybody is going to be more likely to have a baby up in here, it seems to me like it's going to be you and freckled pretty boy!" She pointed out, causing Luffy to gasp and look at (Y/n).
"Is that true, (Y/n)?!"
"N-NO! OF COURSE NOT! It-it's way too soon for me to be even thinking of that! I'm still too innocent for that!" She protested, her whole face red.
"T-then what makes you think I'm old enough to handle such a thing, too?!" Noire protested as Luffy watched this all go down in confusion.
"Ugh, my head hurts... I'm just going to find Sanji, and ask him myself about this weird thing." He groaned as he rubbed his head.
"Good, be on your way, dunderhead!" Noire huffed.
"W-wait, Luffy! Whatever you do--don't mention the baby thing to Ace!" (Y/n) protested.
Luffy nodded, "Okay!"
He waved goodbye and ran off to find a certain blond chef. He had so many questions to ask him.
First, how did he become friends with Noire first before him?!
And second, was he really going to have a baby with Noire?!
After hearing the front door close, signaling Luffy's departure, (Y/n) flopped back onto the bed and covered her face with M&M.
"... That was so embarrassing..." She moaned.
"I agree... I really hope he doesn't tell Sanji about all this nonsense..." Noire sighed.
"So, how was your first day?!" (Y/n) asked, sitting up as she tried desperately to change the subject.
"Oh, it was amazing!" Noire grinned, instantly perking up at the mention of her first day.
She then went into detail about her new boss, and how strangely enough Sanji was allowed to backtalk him without any repercussions. She then went to tell her about her trip to the farm, as well as seeing the ducks on her way back, all while holding onto the rose that Sanji gifted her tenderly.
"It seems like Sanji and head chef Zeff have a pretty strong bond if Sanji's allowed to talk to him like that. And it sounds like you had a really fun time at work with Sanji." The (h/c)-haired woman said with a smile, feeling happy that her friend enjoyed her first day.
"Yeah, they do. They were the first workers of the Baratie," She pointed out while going to stroke a petal of the rose gingerly.
Baratie... The date...
(Y/n) started to blush a little and averted her gaze, "Um... Are you working at Baratie tomorrow... Specifically tomorrow night at around 6 o'clock...?"
Noire shook her head.
"No, I don't work the dinner service; why?" She questioned.
'... Probably for the best... She'd probably try to poison Marco or spit in his food...' (Y/n) thought to herself.
"Oh... No reason..." She trailed off before suddenly fake-coughing and quickly sputtering out,"Ihaveadatetomorrownight..."
"You what?" Noire blinked, not catching a word she just said as a chirping sound came from outside their window.
"I have a date tomorrow night at Baratie--Hey, I think Doc's here!" She said quickly and cut herself off, hoping Noire still didn't quite catch what she said as she stood up and rushed for the balcony doors.
True to what she said, Doc was indeed present, and with a few gifts, too. In his beak were two tulips and tied around his neck were two heart-shaped chocolates.
"Aw, look!" Noire squealed, awing at the sight as Doc greeted them with a chirp.
"Hey, Doc~! I missed you, my cute little bean~!" (Y/n) kept her promise and scooped the tiny bird up into her hands and showered his soft and warm feathery face with kisses.
The bird quickly blushed at the contact before chirping happily in response, going to kiss her face gently with his beak.
"Hey, don't hog the cutie to yourself! Let me have a turn!" Noire complained, as Doc, or rather Marco, was in pure bliss.
'And they made fun of my powers... who is laughing now-yoi?' He chuckled internally.
(Y/n) saw the chocolates tied around his neck and blushed a little, "A-are those from Marco...?"
(Y/n) couldn't explain how the bird could have tied the sweets to his neck otherwise.
The bird nodded, before going to tilt its beak at (Y/n) and Noire, as if trying to say that the chocolates were for both of them.
On further inspection, there was also a letter tied with the chocolates.
"Oh, for us?" (Y/n) asked as she carefully untied the letter and chocolates from Doc's neck and opened the note, wondering what Marco could have written them.
'Can't wait for tomorrow night, (Y/n)! I know you are going to look absolutely beautiful!
I've sent with Doc some chocolates for you and your friend; hoping Doc's magic really did do the trick!
~Marco'
(Y/n) froze as her face turned beet red, only feeling more awkward as she knew Noire was reading the note from over her shoulder.
"... What is the meaning of this...?" Noire questioned, completely surprised as Doc went to snuggle up on her, which calmed her down a bit.
"Uh... I meant to tell you when you got back but I was honestly scared you would go on a man-hunt... When I went to the clinic to pick up medicine, I may or may not have been asked out by Marco and I may or may not have said yes..." She explained nervously, fearing what her reaction would be.
"Marco likes (Y/n)!" Doc suddenly spoke, as Noire directed her gaze to the brightly colored bird.
"And Marco likes you!~" Doc cooed as Noire smiled a bit before sighing, stroking the fluffy head of the bird.
"So you said no?" Noire questioned, still in shock as Doc went to then play with a strand of her hair, which distracted her a bit.
"Not nooww, little cutie..." She whined as the bird continued to display affection.
"Um... Is there a way I could tell you that I said yes without you trying to murder Marco...?"
"No." Noire quickly replied as Doc then went to give Noire a look rivaling the puppy eyes.
"H-hey, don't look at me like that, cutie! Of course, I wouldn't kill the one responsible for rescuing you~! But if he hurts my friend, then I will beat him ruthlessly with a rusty nail covered bat!" She smiled as the bird started to sweat a bit.
'Uh-oh... T-this is not how I planned it-yoi...!' Marco thought with a sweatdrop.
"I'm sorry, Noire! H-he was handsome, nice, and suave and I was super flattered because I've never been asked out before so I panicked and said yes! Besides, Luffy, Sabo, and Ace said he's a good guy, so what's the problem?" (Y/n) tried to defend herself as she slowly backed away from Noire.
"'Handsome and suave' is what's the problem! Who the heck just randomly asks someone upon meeting them out on a date, unless it's for a hook-up?" Noire questioned skeptically as the bird tilted its head.
'Hook-up...? As in putting bait on a hook-yoi...?' Marco questioned.
"Y-you don't know that. Neither do I, to be honest... But he seems super nice, so I have no reason not to give him a chance."
"I don't know, this just smells a bit too good to be true... if he requests to take you back home, or to some private place, use my pepper spray on him. This has 'hook-up' all over it!" Noire suggested, handing (Y/n) her prized mace.
"I am not pepper spraying him!" She said, pushing the can away.
"Besides, I'd hate to be rude but if anything happens that I'm not comfortable with, I'll leave. That's how it goes, right? I have to give the benefit of the doubt."
"(Y/n), I don't even know what this Marco character looks like! For all I know, he can be built like Katakuri, which will be a major problem for you! Have my pepper spray and, better yet, have a couple of charms!" Noire suggested, going to go fish for them.
(Y/n) tilted her head, "I have no idea what you're trying to say to me..."
"(Y/n), some guys don't take rejection lightly. If you deny them what they want, they'd have no problem hurting you to get you right where they want you, which is why I'm giving you my prized possession; it's my favorite can of pepper spray!" She informed her.
"B-but... I didn't get a bad feeling about him... I've gotten bad feelings from all of your exes and they wound up hurting you, but I didn't feel anything bad from Marco."
Noire visibly winced at her bringing up that information, before glaring at her.
"W-we d-don't talk about that, o-okay?!" She suddenly sputtered out as she turned as white as a sheet, which worried "Doc" for a second.
"R-right. Sorry..." (Y/n) muttered before saying, "But, Mama Cerise always told me to trust my feelings because I have really good intuition. My intuition tells me that Marco is really nice, so I'll trust it."
Noire was still quite pale as she went to sit herself down on her bed with Doc seeming to try and cheer her up.
"This discussion is over, (Y/n)..." Noire stated.
(Y/n) felt nothing but guilt as she slowly walked over to Noire's bed and sat next to her before pulling her into a tight hug.
"I'm sorry, Noire... I've always been bad about filtering my words, haven't I...?"
"Y-yes, but don't mention them and hurting in the same sentence..." She whispered lowly, still looking quite pale as Doc continued to play with her hair and nuzzled her cheek in an attempt to make her feel better.
"I won't." She replied and nuzzled her other cheek, gently rubbing circles on her back.
"We'll always have each other no matter what, remember? Now and always. If anyone hurts you again, I'll beat 'em up just like Mama always did for you."
Noire simply nodded in response, hugging her friend tightly.
(Y/n) pet Noire's head and started humming a nostalgic lullaby to help soothe her, smiling over to Doc as she appreciated his help.
Noire's body instantly relaxed at the tune. Doc even tried his best to mimic the sound, as Noire went to smile at the sweet bird fondly, before scratching his fluffy neck, which earned a pleased coo.
"Why don't you go take a nice hot bath and relax while I get dinner ready. Does that sound good?" (Y/n) asked.
"It does." Noire nodded with a smile as Doc gently pecked her cheek, going to perch on her shoulder.
"You're not going with her, Doc. You're made of fire--what happens if you get hurt or worse because of the water?" (Y/n) said with a frown.
"He's not actually made of fire, (Y/n), but the water can damage his feathers and hinder his ability to fly properly. How about you go with (Y/n)?" She suggested with a smile as Doc agreed, though he was secretly disappointed.
'Damn it... Why couldn't I have been born a duck instead-yoi...?'
"Yeah, you can stick with me!" The (h/c)-haired girl chirped, "Maybe I'll let you take a bath with me someday--but only if Marco says it's okay. I don't want you getting hurt or anything, after all."
Marco- Er, Doc, was excited to hear that, going to fly around her with joy, before perching on (Y/n)'s shoulder.
"Alright, I'd see you downstairs in thirty minutes," Noire informed her, going to get some pajamas out.
"Alright. See you when you get out." (Y/n) chirped as she nuzzled the bird on her shoulder, "Let's go and get dinner ready, Doc~!"
She proceeded to leave the room and went down the stairs.
If only the two girls were aware of what Marco really was...