Little Fish

Epilogue

I don't know if Sanji comes back to the Baratie, but I think it'd be sweet if he did :)

Purple eyes gazed over the sea as the waves rocked gently against the Baratie. Emi sighed as she placed her chin in her arms as birds flew overhead. It had been two years since she had seen her beloved papa, and she missed him terribly.

She knew he had to go on this quest with Luffy and his friends, but why did it have to take this long?

The five year old sighed again as she glanced up, watching the gulls glide to and fro in the sky. It was a beautiful red colour that was streaked with purples that came with the setting sun. Emi's silver hair had reached past her back and the strands swirled around as she turned around swiftly, going back to the kitchen.

It had been a couple months since they received her papas wanted poster, and it gave the child pride knowing that her papa was tough enough to have a wanted poster.

She clasped her hands behind her purple shirt as she walked in, the smell of food hitting her nose. She sniffed appreciably, and her stomach let out a grumble. She grabbed some rice balls that were sitting on the counter and happily munched on them, her legs swinging back and forth. The five year old could barely contain her excitement; tomorrow was her birthday. Emi was hoping she would get some new dresses. She only had one blue dress, and she loved it but wanted more. She hopped up onto the counter, swinging her legs back and forth. Blinking, Emi picked out a piece of crumb that had attached itself to her black shorts.

"Emi! Get your bum off the counter!" she heard Patty shout, and she glanced up.

"But there's no one cooking here" she said, grinning at the chef.

The large chef grunted in annoyance at Emi's answer.

"Emi! Get off of there" she heard Zeff say from the doors, and she hopped off the counter.

"Okay, jii-jii" she said with a smile, skipping past a spluttering Patty.

Emi and Zeff walked out of the kitchen, and the owner sighed. He was getting too old for this youngsters attitude. She had grown taller and was now the top of her head reached his elbow. Zeff walked into his bedroom and laid back on his bed, Emi following. She hopped onto the bed beside her jii and crossed her legs, purple eyes gazing at the relaxing older man.

"Jii-jii?"

"What"

"When will papa come home?" she murmured, resting her chin on her hand.

Zeff sighed. He knew this question was coming.

"He'll come home when he decides to" he groused, causing Emi to frown.

"I guess..." she said, eyes downcast.

A moment of silence passed between them before Emi spoke again.

"But...this is important to papa right? So he should do this! And we'll be here waiting for him!" she declared, clenching a fist.

Chef Zeff gazed at the child sitting on his bed. Since when had Emi grown so much? She had lost her baby fat and no longer clutched at his chef jacket on little legs. He smiled gravelly. She was growing in front of his eyes.

"It's time for bed. Get out of my room" her jii grumbled, and Emi let out a grin.

"Okay jii-jii" she giggled and hopped off, skipping out of Zeffs bedroom.

The elderly man finally let out a brief chuckle at the five year old. Tomorrow was her birthday, and the chefs had quite the surprise for her.

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Emi hopped out of bed, excitement zipping through her body. She was now six years old! She lovingly placed her stuffed transponder snail onto her small bedside table, patting away some dust that had collected on its plush. She put on her favourite green tank top and blue shorts, and placed her hair in a high ponytail. She ran out of her room, happiness causing a wide smile to spread across her face. She ran over to the edge of the railing and leaned over, eyes widening at the mass array of balloons, streamers and chefs. They all looked up and waved to the birthday girl with smiles.

"Happy birthday Emi!" they all screamed, and Emi's smile widened.

She ran down the circular stairs and stopped short. There was presents on a table, and cake to the ceiling. The chefs came around her, giving pats and hugs. They dug in to the cake, some arguing over who was better at making cake. Emi dug into her presents, squealing in delight when she received more dresses.

As the day went on, her smile grew less and less. There were lots of amazing gifts and food, but there was one thing she missed. Emi managed to sneak away from the party and exited the Baratie. It was late in the afternoon, and her heart was once again sad.

Another birthday without her papa.

She came to one of the railings and rested her arms on top. She rested her chin on top of her arms and sighed, eyes staring out at the sea. She felt her eyes burn from unshed tears, and hid her face in her arms. She didn't want to cry on her birthday.

"Emi" a deep voice said behind her.

She stiffened, and slowly lifted her head. That voice was really familiar; one that she hadn't heard in years. She turned around, and her eyes widened. The tears were finally let free and cascaded down her cheeks as the person took a step towards the six year old.

"Papa..." she whispered, eyes wide.

She took one step, and then another and another before running into her papa's arms. Her body shook with her sobs as the smell of cigarette and food reached her nose. He was here! Her papa was here!

"You're here! When did you get here?" she cried into his suit.

"The eggplant came late last night" Zeff said coming out to the deck.

"Happy birthday Emi" Sanji said with a smile, and Emi returned the smile.

This was the best birthday ever.