Every moment I spent with you(NamixSanji)

Chapter 1 : Do not fail

Sanji was sitting on his mother's knees, holding up his favorite picture book. It was late in the evening and Sanji had secretly joined his mother in the infirmary with the mission to make her read his favorite book for the one hundredth time. And his mother had accepted for the one hundredth time with a warm smile on her lips and a small amused chuckle. Sanji's full attention was on his mother's words and the colorful drawings of fish on the blue shiny pages. He could never get tired of listening to his mother describe the legendary sea. She had introduced him to the myth of the All Blue when he was a very small child, and since it had become a secret interest they both shared.

He felt his mother's fingers affectionately pass-through his blond strands, while she described fantastically the rumored beauties of this secret ocean. He loved to picture in his mind the ocean and all the incredible fish that probably lived in it. He looked up at his mother and patiently waited for her to finish reading the last sentence of the book before asking the question that had popped up in his mind a few minutes ago.

"Have you ever seen All Blue, Mom?" She chuckled.

"No never, but seeing it would be a dream come true." She told him sincerely.

Sanji jumped off her knees to stand in front of her; he was grinning and his blue eyes were sparkling with excitement.

"I want to see All Blue, mom! I want to see it with you. Let's go to see All Blue together one day, Mom!"

Sanji was too young at the time to recognize that the next smile she made was a sad one.

"Your old mom would only slow you down on your adventure. How about you go find All Blue for both of us?"

"But Mom how will you know I found All Blue if you're not there with me?" Her little boy answered, confused at her words.

"I'll know."

Sanji woke up suddenly, the image of one of his mother's last smiles slowly disappearing from his sleepy mind. He rolled over looking out of the window facing his bed. The moon was slowly approaching the horizon line. He estimated it was between 2 am and 4 am. He assumed that everyone in the building was sleeping in their own bedrooms. This was the perfect time to make his weekly report. Hopefully his father's harsh words and disappointed tone would take his mind off the painful childhood memories of his dead mother.

He sat up and pulled the covers of his legs and his bare feet touched the freezing floor. He bent down to pull a small wooden box from under his bed. Placing the box next to him on the bed, he opened it and took out a small but improved Germa Den Den Mushi. His fingers automatically typed the number he had been calling once every week for the past year.

A familiar gruff voice answered his call. The snail had taken on the infamous frown and snarl of the Germa King.

"Report." Sanji was not surprised by the man's lack of small talk or polite greeting. The man hated wasting time on unnecessary things. So Sanji made sure not to waste time by instantly following the order.

"Nothing has changed. The princess and I are still agents in the criminal organization Baroque Works. She still has no idea on who I am, my mission of keeping an eye on her nor the fact that I know who she really is. However, I believe that she has discovered recently the real identity of Mr. 0. Yesterday after hearing her discuss with her chief of guard, Mr. 8, I discovered that she suspects that Baroque Works is related to the civil war happening in Alabasta."

"I see." The man also did not waste his breath on praises or compliments on his spy work. But Sanji was used to it. He knew the man reserved those for his three other better sons. "For now the orders remain the same, keep the Alabasta princess alive. If we want the royal council and the marine on our side we need to keep the brat safe like they want us to. This might be our chance to finally get my hands on Alabasta's oil spills."

Sanji frowned at his father's words. He asked the question that had been bugging him since the start of his mission.

"Sir." Sanji knew Judge hated when Sanji called him father. "You want me to keep the princess safe, but Alabasta's ruling family might be captured in the near future because of the rebel army. Then the government might change. The safety of this princess won't matter anymore. Why do you believe this move will give us access to the oil spills if the current government ends?"

"You're a fool if you think the celestial dragons and marine will allow a bunch of smelly peasants to replace one of the oldest royal families!" The man harshly berated the younger one. "If the rebel army wins, then one or two admirals will be sent to put things back in order, and at that time we'll be the only ones that can guarantee the safe return of the only Royal heir of the kingdom. Of course, they will give us access to the oil spills as a reward."

"And if the ruler remains the same..." Sanji asked but was instantly interrupted.

"Then he will reward the party that returns his little daughter back safely. He will be indebted to us. We are the winners in both situations." The old man laughed, the snail imitating his evil expression perfectly.

Sanji noticed a few holes in his father's plan but he did not dare point them out. He was here to follow orders and that's what he would do. Get the job done and then move on to the next mission. That was the only way he could think of to prove himself. By succeeding all the missions his father gave no matter how difficult or impossible they seemed, he will one day make him acknowledge him as one of his real sons. If annihilating a country or keeping a little princess as a hostage meant his father would finally give him the status of royalty he deserved as much as his siblings then he will finish the job. He had promised in front of his mother's grave he would never be the weak little boy that let his emotions dictate him. He promised himself he would get stronger and this was the only way he knew how to.

The laughing finally ended; the snail was back to wearing his father's usual intense glare. The next words made Sanji clench his fist around corners of his bed sheets.

"Sanji. Do not fail." These last words were followed by the sound of the other person hanging up. Sanji placed the device in its hiding spot. Slowly, he pulled a cigarette from one of the inside pockets of his jacket hanging on his desk chair. It was a bad habit he had picked up as a teenager from spending so much time with the royal cooks alongside other activities. He had discovered very young that the cooks working in the royal kitchen had been captured and enslaved from a small country that had recently come under the rule of the Germa kingdom. The country was famous for its excellent cuisine, smoking and traditional fighting style called Savate. Sanji had gotten along immensely with the men, they had taken on the responsibility of teaching him everything about their country. Sanji cherished these memories and skills he had obtained through the years. These men were some of the only people that had treated him with respect.

He smoked through half of his pack while watching the moon slowly set and the sun rising from behind the sea line. When the first rays shone over the sea he knew it was time for him to start on breakfast.