The Debt (Sanji Fan fiction)

Terrified

As I walked towards my cabin, I noticed Law waving his hand. I smiled and walked over to him, and we started chit-chatting. The conversation flowed easily, but I didn't realize that as soon as Sanji entered the area, everyone else suddenly shifted back to work, their eyes avoiding his gaze.

Law's face changed first. His expression went from casual to tense, his eyes darting behind me. Confused, I turned slightly to see what was going on, and my heart dropped when I saw Sanji standing right behind me, his tall figure looming over us. His blue-grey eyes were darkened, his brows furrowed in a way that sent a chill down my spine.

I gulped as he leaned closer to me, raising one eyebrow, his voice dropping to that familiar, cold tone. “Did you finish all your work?”

I stammered, “I-I guess...”

It had been a long time since I saw him like this, the last time being that night when he came to my apartment about the debt. This same coldness, the same menacing aura. Sanji leaned in even closer, his expression intense, as if he hadn’t quite heard me. “Huh?” His voice was low, almost a growl.

I instinctively stumbled back a little, but before I could move further, his hand shot out and gripped my arm tightly. The strength of his grasp sent a jolt through me, and I felt frozen under the weight of his icy stare. His cold eyes glanced toward my cabin, and then he uttered one word, in a voice that chilled me to my core: “Go.”

I didn’t need to be told twice. I bolted toward my cabin, practically running all the way. Once inside, I slammed the door behind me, leaning back against it as I gasped for air. My heart was pounding wildly in my chest, and I tried to steady my breathing.

“What... the hell... was that?” I muttered to myself, still trying to shake off the fear. It felt like I had just stared into the eyes of a demon. That wasn’t just Sanji—he was terrifying. My whole body felt frozen in place under his glare.

Meanwhile, back outside, Sanji’s lips curled into a smirk as he watched me sprint to my cabin. He knew exactly what effect he had on me.

As lunchtime approached, my mind was still racing, haunted by the image of Sanji’s intense gaze from earlier. It was such a strange contrast—how could someone be so sweet at times, yet utterly terrifying in moments like that? I paced back and forth in my cabin, thinking about how I’d have to face him again in the private lunch room. Everyone would be there, including him, and my nerves were getting the better of me.

Just then, my PA knocked on the door. “Come in,” I called out, trying to sound as normal as possible.

“Miss Eva, everyone is waiting for you in the lunch room. Aren’t you coming to join them?” she asked politely.

I forced a smile, “Yeah-yeah, I was just about to head over. Just finishing up with some documents. You go ahead, I’ll be there in a minute.”

Once she left, I took a deep breath, grabbed my lunch, and made my way toward the lunch room. My hands hesitated on the door handle. I didn’t know why I was so worked up, but my mind kept replaying Sanji’s icy expression. Finally, I gathered the courage to push the door open.

Inside, I saw them all seated—Sanji, Luffy, Zoro, Franky... and two empty seats, one next to Zoro and one next to Sanji. I didn’t even think twice. I rushed toward the seat beside Zoro, just as Nami entered the room, and I could hear Sanji chuckle softly from the other side of the table. He had clearly noticed my hasty decision.

Zoro raised an eyebrow as I sat down. “What’s going on?” he whispered quietly, his voice barely reaching my ears.

“I’ll tell you later,” I whispered back quickly, trying to avoid drawing attention. But Sanji, sharp as ever, had already caught wind of our quiet conversation.

“What’s that little whispering over there, Zoro?” Sanji asked, his voice teasing but with a curious edge.

Zoro started to mumble, “Uh, she said she’ll—” but before he could finish, I quickly clamped my hand over his mouth. Under the table, I pinched him hard on the arm, hoping to shut him up. I gave a wide, overly innocent smile to the others, trying to play it off.

“It’s about the documents, right Zoro?” I said, sending him a pleading look, hoping he’d go along with it.

He gave a resigned nod, his eyes half-rolling as if to say, Really? He was squirming a little from the pinch, but kept quiet.

Sanji raised an eyebrow, his tone amused. “You good over there, Zoro?”

I quickly removed my hand, sending Zoro another warning look. He shot me a glare and muttered under his breath, “You’ll pay for that, you worm.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle, feeling a little victorious. Nami walked in at that moment, and I noticed her glance at me, sitting beside Zoro. She usually sat there, next to Sanji, so I saw a flicker of confusion cross her face. She looked between me and Sanji, clearly wondering why the seating arrangement had changed.

The table began to buzz as everyone pulled out their lunches. I tried to shake off the tension from earlier, focusing on the food, but I could still feel Sanji’s gaze flicker over every now and then, amused by the silent chaos I’d created just by sitting beside Zoro. As lunch progressed, we all ate, though I couldn’t shake the feeling that Sanji was still silently enjoying the little scene I’d caused.

As we started eating, Zoro leaned in a bit closer to me, still nursing the pinch I'd given him earlier. "You’re lucky, you know," he muttered under his breath, his tone low but clearly playful. "If it weren’t for all these people, you’d be paying for that pinch right now."

I smirked, taking a casual bite of my food. "Oh really? You seemed pretty helpless back there," I teased, keeping my voice just as low. "I didn’t realize the great Zoro could be so easily defeated by a simple pinch."

Zoro shot me a sideways glance, narrowing his eyes. "You must have a death wish, huh? First, stealing my food and now this?"

I chuckled softly, enjoying the banter. "I didn’t steal your food. I’m helping you cut calories, you should be thanking me."

He scoffed, shaking his head. "Cutting my calories? Sure, let's call it that. But don't think you’re getting away with it next time." His lips curved into a mischievous grin. "You’ll regret sitting next to me when I get my revenge."

I leaned back in my chair, feigning nonchalance. "Oh, I’m shaking in my boots, Zoro. Truly."

Just as I finished speaking, I caught him sneaking another glance in Sanji’s direction, probably noticing the way Sanji’s eyes had flickered over at us a few times during lunch. Zoro smirked and leaned closer again. "You notice our friendly chef watching us?"

I rolled my eyes, trying to keep cool. "I’m sure he's just jealous you have the best company at the table."

Zoro chuckled under his breath, clearly enjoying this more than he should. "Keep telling yourself that, Eva. Just wait until he’s had enough of your little games."

I gave him a playful nudge with my elbow. "Until then, I'll enjoy watching you squirm."