Mistake

A Crown of Care

Sanji sat alone in the quiet room, his eyes wandering to the clock on the wall. It read 11:50.

The silence felt heavy, too still, and he realized that no one else was there.

His heart raced as a sudden sense of isolation crept in—where was everyone? He quickly stood up and walked toward the door, opening it cautiously.

Peeking outside, he saw that the deck was empty.

The moonlight illuminated the ship, but there was no sign of movement.

He noticed the lights in the kitchen were still on, and for a moment, he thought maybe he had left them on himself.

Quietly, he made his way toward the kitchen, each step slower than the last.

But when he reached the window and looked inside, what he saw caught him completely off guard.

The crew was there, all of them.

Zoro and Jimbei were washing dishes, working together as if they had been doing it for hours. 

Usopp stood beside them, carefully drying each plate. Across the room, Robin, with Chopper's help, was preparing something at the counter, both of them focused but smiling.

On the floor, Nami was kneeling, and Luffy was playfully swatting her with a rolled-up piece of paper, his voice carrying through the window.

"How dare you do that to him!" Luffy's mock outrage was met with Nami's sheepish grin, her usual fierce attitude nowhere to be seen in that moment of lightheartedness.

Meanwhile, Franky and Brook were busy assembling something in the corner, their hands moving with quick precision.

Sanji stood there, frozen.

His hand instinctively went to his cheek, and to his surprise, it was wet.

He had started crying without even realizing it, the sight of his crew, his family, filling his heart with an overwhelming mixture of love and disbelief.

Without making a sound, he turned and moved away, heading to the grassy part of the deck where he could be alone with his thoughts, trying to process what he had just seen.

The cool night air brushed against his skin, but he barely felt it.

He stood there, staring at the stars above, his emotions swirling inside him.

Then, suddenly, he heard Luffy's voice echo from the kitchen.

"Let's go!"

The door swung open with a creak, and Sanji turned, his heart skipping a beat as the crew stepped outside.

Each one of them froze, their eyes widening in surprise when they saw him standing there in the middle of the deck.

A brief, stunned silence followed, as if none of them had expected him to be there so soon.

Sanji's gaze swept over them, taking in the sight.

They were all wearing colorful birthday hats, tilted slightly in their usual carefree way.

Zoro, in the middle, held a large birthday cake, its candles glowing brightly in the night.

The cake was shaped like Sanji's face, complete with his distinctive eyebrow curl.

Chopper and Jimbei were carefully balancing several wrapped presents in their hands, while Brook and Franky having party poppers ready to fire.

Usopp, Robin, and Nami were holding trays filled with freshly baked cookies and juice.