A Father's Betrayal

Chapter 18

"Wait a minute!" Sanji exclaimed as the purple-blue flames burst from the floor.. "That fire's twice as hot as last night!"

"Your point?" Judge said as he unlocked Sanji's wristlets. "I told you earlier to expect them to be hotter than yesterday."

"Yeah, but I only just used white flames for the first time! I'm not used to that yet! So I'm definitely not used to this temperature!"

"Do you think I care? The faster you get used to higher temperatures the faster we can proceed in my plan of conquering the North Blue."

"I didn't come here to help you! I came here to talk!"

"Men talk with their fists, Sanji. Did I not teach you that?"

"I won't deny it, however... my definition and your definition of being a man are two completely different things and I very much prefer mine over yours. Mine follows rules that came about during the age of the dinosaurs. Your's follows your own ways of thinking. You've already noticed that I do not think like you, therefore I refuse to follow any of your rules on how a man should act, as well as royals."

Judge glared at him before turning to his other sons, "You three are to do as we discussed in the dining hall."

"Yes, Father," they replied as they walked to the door.

"Reiju, you might as well go with them."

Reiju looked at Sanji. She wanted to stay there until his training was finished so she could take him safely to his room. After last night she knew he wasn't going to be able to stand on his own again, especially with the flames this hot. She thought about it for a moment and decided maybe she could be back before then with some water, so he could rehydrate some, and an ice pack to cool him off a bit, as well as help with some if the burns.

"Reiju," Judge repeated, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Yes, Father. Sorry," she then turned and followed her brothers.

"Where are they going?" Sanii asked sceptically.

"Same place as you, somewhere to train. In or I'm making it four hours tonight instead of three. Also, in an hour and a half... I'm raising the heat."

"What?! Are you trying to kill me?!" Sanii replied without thinking. "Wait... don't answer that... Of course you are!"

"Move!" Judge said, pushing Sanji into the flaming room while he was still talking.

"That's the one thing you've always want! ...Okay one of two things but whatever~" Sanji cut off at the sound of the door closing shut. "Bastard," he muttered with a sigh.

Sanji jumped when something hot licked at his hand. "Son of a!" He cut himself off as he rubbed his burnt hand. He hadn't realized he was that close to the flames. He looked around and realized that it was going to be much harder, than the previous day, for him to avoid burns.

He clenched the hand that wasn't burnt into a tight fist. Closing his eyes he yelled, "DAMN, BASTARD."

He jumped back into the door. He hadn't expected the flames to drastically increase in size before shrinking again, as if reacting to his anger.

It was at that moment that he flashed back to the previous night.

******

Sanji paced up and down the narrow paths. "DAMN IT!" he hollered kicking the door as hard as he could, leaving a dint in the iron.

He turned around quickly. He thought the flames had just touched his back but when turned to look he was far enough away that it couldn't have, despite the narrow paths. Had he imagined that spontaneous burst of flame energy?

******

Did I cause that both times? Sanji thought. Naaa, I couldn't have. Our enhancements aren't designed to control our element, just produce it.... Isn't it?

Sanji decided to drop the matter and began pacing out of boredom... this was going to be the longest three hours of his life....

******

Nami stood on the balcony of Sanji's room. She stared out to the ocean, her chin resting in her palm with her arm on the railing.

Luffy stretched his arms out the door and rocketed himself out so he was sitting cross legged on the rail next to the redhead.

"What's the matter?" He asked.

"Hmm?" Nami replied snapping back to reality. "Oh, nothing. I'm just thinking."

"About what?"

"Sanji-kun," she sighed.

Robin, who had been sitting in a chair reading, sat her book down and followed Luffy.

"Nami, you're starting to develop feelings for him, aren't you?"

"Yo-ho-ho. Are my ears deceiving me? Though I don't have ears," Brook said as he and Usopp poked their heads out the door.

"Nami likes Sanji?! What?!"

"This is quite the surprise, yo-ho-ho"

"Come on, Nami! You can do better than that perverted, useless cook," Zoro said from the room.

"No! Of course I don't! Not like that anyways!" Nami hollered as she turned around. Her gaze turned to the floor, "... I'm just worried, is all. I know he's only been training with them twice... but each time he's come back with some type of injuries.... It makes me wonder just what kind of training their making him do.... I know the earlier was a fight with his brothers but last night he was covered in burns and smoke. Why? He's hiding something from us, I'm sure of it."

Luffy nodded, "I think you're right. We need to find out what it is, but we can't force him to tell us either...."

"So what do we do about it?" Zoro ask, who was now standing in the doorway with his arm resting on his swords.

"Same thing we always do. Same thing we've been doing. Wait for him to tell us he wants our help. Knowing him, that's when he'll tell us what he's hiding."

"What if it's too late to by then?" Nami asked.

"Nami, I've been too late only once. I'm never letting what happened with Ace ever happen again. We're helping Sanji, but only when he actually asks us to."

******

Sorry this chapter took awhile, I've had a really bad case of writer's block for the past few days.

Is Nami telling the truth? Or is she really falling for the Straw Hats' infamous Love Cook? Keep reading to find out!