As if on cue, the banana-headed crocs sensed the new presence.
They turned slowly, yellow fruit crowns bobbing awkwardly as they growled.
Sanji flicked his cigarette to the ground.
"Sorry fellas… but I have a date with a key."
The first croc lunged. Sanji stepped forward—
CRACK!!
A spinning side-kick landed flush on its lower jaw, sending it reeling into the wall.
The cage shuddered.
The Straw Hats cheered.
"THAT'S OUR COOK!" Luffy shouted.
The second croc tried to flank Sanji from behind. Without looking, Sanji twisted mid-air and slammed a double-heeled dropkick onto its spine, pinning it to the marble floor.
More crocs surrounded him now. Massive jaws. Yellow bananas.
Sanji stood his ground, coat rustling in the air.
"I didn't sign up to be your chew toy."
Inside the seastone cell, Vihaan stood and pressed his hand to the bars. No use. The seastone nullified even his Mirror Creation Fruit.
"This is the most useless I've felt in days," he muttered.
Nami leaned into him. "We have Sanji now."
Vihaan gave a cheeky grin. "And yet you're still in my arms."
That earned him a jab in the ribs, but she didn't move away.
Sanji glanced back just in time to see Vihaan whisper something that made both Vivi and Nami giggle.
His cigarette nearly fell out of his mouth. "I hate that guy…"
"Focus, curly-brow!" Zoro barked. "Crocs first. Romance later."
Three crocs were down. Sanji was panting but still poised.
He backflipped over the fourth croc, landing on its banana and using it like a handle to steer it into the wall, knocking the beast unconscious.
One final croc remained, more cautious than the rest.
Sanji dropped into a lower stance.
"Come on then… let's dance."
The croc lunged—and Sanji twisted mid-air and landed a brutal roundhouse straight to the beast's jaw. Its head slammed into the floor with a dull thud.
Silence.
Five seconds passed.
All crocs were out cold.
The crew erupted in cheers from within the cage.
Sanji wiped sweat from his brow and walked toward a steel control panel by the wall.
Dozens of levers. A blinking red light. A drawer labeled "Feeding Control."
He rummaged through it.
"There has to be a key here… c'mon…"
Nothing.
Behind him, the monitor flickered back on. Crocodile smirked.
"Impressive. But the key? Let's just say... one of those crocs had it for lunch."
Sanji froze. His expression darkened.
"...You're kidding me."
Crocodile just laughed. "Have fun digging it out."
The cook stood before the six massive crocodiles. Each one of them easily twice the size of a man, bellies round and gurgling from their earlier snack. Sanji squinted at them with the deepest regret in his heart.
"I've fought fishmen, chefs, and even a freak with spinning weapons," he muttered, loosening his tie. "But this... is a different kind of horror."
He tossed his coat aside, cracked his knuckles, and stepped toward the first croc.
"HERE GOES NOTHING!"
He leapt into the crocodile's mouth head-first, legs kicking wildly as he disappeared inside the beast completely.
Inside the cage, the crew screamed.
"HE'S GONE!" Usopp wailed.
"He's inside the monster! WE LOST SANJI!!" Chopper sobbed.
Zoro rolled his eyes. "Moron probably deserves it."
Vihaan smirked. "This is the most intense version of 'Operation' I've ever seen."
Seconds passed. Muffled gagging and squelching noises echoed from inside the croc. Then—POP!—Sanji burst out from the other end, covered in slime, bile, and something no one wanted to name.
He hit the floor with a loud SPLAT.
"Ugh… wrong crocodile," he choked.
The second croc? Same result.
The third? …He got stuck for a moment.
"Someone get me a plunger!!" Sanji screamed from inside as his foot dangled out of the croc's mouth.
By the fifth, he looked like a walking puddle of misery. The slicked-back hair now drooped. His shirt clung to him like wet paper. The stench was indescribable.
"This better be the right one, or I swear I'm feeding Vihaan raw seaweed for a week."
Finally, he entered the sixth crocodile.Seconds passed. Then:
"EUREKA!!"
He tumbled out dramatically, key clenched between his teeth, dripping wet but triumphant. He struck a pose.
"Your heroic savior has arrived—just slightly digested."
The crew stared in a stunned, disgusted silence.
Sanji's smile twitched. "…No applause?"
"Get a bath," Nami deadpanned.
"Get a firehose," Zoro added.
Chopper fainted.
Vivi held her nose. "I've seen war. But not like this."
Vihaan cracked up. "For the first time, I salute your suffering, perv chef."
Sanji tossed the key at the cage lock and said, "Let's get out of here. And someone… burn my clothes."
After the mess of wrangling crocodiles, kicking his way through slimy stomachs, and emerging like a soaked rag of defeat, Sanji was determined to cleanse both body and soul.
He stood beneath a rusty shower pipe, scrubbing his hair furiously with a bar of suspicious casino soap. Steam billowed, mixing with lingering traces of crocodile spit.
"Once I'm clean, I'll make a feast fit for queens," he murmured to himself with dreamy eyes. "For Nami-swan… and Vivi-chan. They deserve the world."
Freshly dressed in a pressed shirt, tie, and apron, Sanji waltzed into the Rain Dinners' abandoned kitchen like a five-star chef reclaiming his throne.
What followed was culinary war: soufflés, grilled sea steak, spicy rice balls, honey-glazed duck, and a fresh strawberry shortcake. The table was a masterpiece, each dish positioned like he was proposing marriage with every plate.
He set two seats at the head of the long table, lit candles, folded napkins into roses, and then—
"NAMI-SWAAAN!! VIVI-CHAAAN!!" he called out melodically.No answer.He searched the hallway. Empty.He checked the terrace. No flutter of skirts.Confused, he turned around—
Luffy sat at the end of the table with food stuffed in both cheeks, his legs up, chomping down on the grilled duck like a wild beast.
"LUFFY?!"
Luffy looked up. "Mmfh?"Then he swallowed and grinned."Dude, you really outdid yourself! This is sooooo good!"
Sanji's cigarette snapped in half.
He ran to the head of the table. "Where are Nami and Vivi?!"
Luffy scratched his head, gulping down more food. "Oh, Vihaan took them. Said something about 'getting a head start to Alubarna'."
"HE WHAT?!"
Sanji dropped to his knees, clutching the tablecloth. "My… my banquet of love… my romantic dinner!!"
Zoro passed by the kitchen, looked once, then said with a smirk, "At least it didn't go to waste. Luffy's stomach is practically a black hole."
Luffy raised his hand in thanks. "Compliments to the chef!"
Sanji turned purple with rage, lifting a ladle like it was a battle axe."VIHAANNNN!!!"
HEY GUYS AUTHOR HERE . YOU GUYS MIGHT HAVE TO ENDURE IT BUT I LOVE TEASING SANJI AND I WILL BE ADDING IT A LOT IN THE STORY , ALSO GOOD NEWS IS I HAVE HEALED FROM MY FEVER SO I WILL BE POSTING A BIT MORE