Little Fish

Part 5

"Papa? I want to go down" Emi said in a quiet and sleepy voice.

Sanji glanced down at the three year situated on his lap. Everything must have been terrifying to Emi, and he was worried for her. This was no place for a toddler to be wandering around, especially with the threat of pirates on their front door. She yawned again and rubbed her eye with one small fist. He placed the small child on the ground, but held her hand in his.

"Emi, get your behind to bed. You're no good to us if you're asleep on your feet" Zeff rumbled, and Emi let out another yawn.

"'kay jii-chan" she said, her eyes already closing.

Her papa led her up the stairs as everyone in the restaurant began talking again, and to her small bedroom. Emi burrowed her way into her blankets, and immediately fell asleep. Her tired mind didn't even register the fact that she didn't have her stuffed snail with her. Sanji glanced briefly at the sleeping toddler before walking out, cigarette smoke drifting above his head.

He wouldn't admit it to anyone but he would kick a persons head in if they touched one hair on the toddler's head. As he walked down the circular stairs, something caught his eye. Her transponder snail companion had bounced into a corner of the restaurant, and he walked over to pick it up. Sanji shared a brief glance with the other chefs as he headed back up the stairs.

He easily remembered when he first gave Emi the snail.

She had been even smaller, and just begun to talk. Her little eyes had grew so big when she saw the stuffed snail in her papas hands. Her chubby hands had reached up to grasp it, and a large smile almost split her face in half.

"Ta!" she had said, reaching for it.

Sanji gave it to her with a wide smile, cigarette smoke drifting up to the ceiling. The one year old had then hugged it to herself with all her might, burring her face into the plush. It was so soft and plush and amazing that the one year old couldn't believe it. She then looked up to Sanji, using her small finger to point at him. Sanji felt his lips twitch in a smile as he compiled, lifting Emi and her new snail companion. She had babbled to her new friend in her own way as Sanji carried the one year old. It had been time for her to go to bed, and Emi only allowed her papa or jii-chan to put her down.

"Pa" she had said with a sleepy voice, already getting tired and snuggling into her snail companion.

It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship between Emi and her snail. From then on, she never went anywhere without her snail.

Sanji smiled and placed the snail by the toddler, who continued to sleep soundly. Her silver hair was tousled out of the ribbons that Patty had put them in, and Emi had tucked one hand against her tummy. Sanji blinked in surprise; apparently she was even too tired to need his comfort. He left her small bedroom and went down the circular stairs to continue talking with everyone. They would protect the Baratie with their life.

The floor began to shake violently, waking the three year old immediately. She heard screams of men, and Emi cowered into her blankets. One giant blast rocked the ship, and Emi went flying out of her blankets and landed on the ground. She whimpered and gazed around, purple eyes wide.

Where was everyone? Why was the ship rocking back and forth?

The Baratie lurched to the side again, and Emi fell onto her side. Her eyes filled with tears as she heard cannon blasts from right outside, and she scrambled to grab her snail companion. She pressed her face into the plush, trying to find comfort in her companion. She shakily got to her feet, still holding her snail to her face. She glanced over the railing to the restaurant at the bottom. Still no one.

"Papa? Where are you" she whimpered, tears trickling down her cheeks.

More cannon blasts sounded, and Emi cried out as a wave knocked into the side of the Baratie. She lost her balance and fell against the railing, her snail getting knocked out of her hands. Emi began to cry harder as her knee began to throb. She wanted her papa or jii-chan to make it better, but they were nowhere to be found. Rubbing one teary eye, Emi picked herself up and carefully walked down the stairs, sobs shaking her small body. Her knee really hurt, and now she had lost her beloved snail.

"Papa...papa...papa" she whimpered as more shouts sounded.

She hesitantly walked through the empty restaurant, tears tracking down her cheeks. A shadow fell over the toddler, and she looked up. The skeleton man-Luffy said his name was Gin-stood in front of her. She sniffled and rubbed away her tears.

"Gin? Where's papa?" she asked him, purple eyes wide and afraid.

Gin said nothing, standing in front of the three year old. Emi let out a terrified cry when he grabbed the child around her middle, holding her to his hip. In his other hand he held her transponder snail plush, and she struggled to get out of his grip.

"Gin! Lemme go! Lemme go! I want papa!" she cried, kicking her legs as Gin started walking out of the restaurant and went outside.

Emi watched with wide eyes as Gin effortlessly threw her beloved snail companion into the sea, and she cried out when it sank. Her purple eyes filled with tears as she gazed at the spot where her snail companion sank, presumably never to be seen again. She let out a choked out scream when he hit her jii-chan with a large gun, holding it to his head and stepping on his back.

"Jii-chan!" Emi cried out, trying desperately to get out of Gins grip.

She heard her name being called, and looked to see her papa and Luffy standing on the deck. Her eyes widened when she saw flames, and struggled even more.

"Papa!" she cried out when she saw Sanji getting beaten by a man with large circles.

Tears streamed down her cheeks in rivers as she watched her papa being smashed in the face. Blood flew everywhere, and she let out a terrified scream as her papa fell forward. It felt like her heart was being crushed into little pieces as her body shuddered from the force of her cries. She tried to get out of Gins grasp again, but to no avail.

"Why did you stand?!" she dimly heard Gin say, but couldn't hear anything else through her sobbing.

Her cries immediately stopped when she heard her name.

"Emi, don't cry. I'm alright" her papa said, and Emi looked up to see her papa standing.

"P...papa" she whispered, teary eyes wide.