"We have to make a detour."

It was inevitable, Sanji supposed, that they would make a pit-stop on their way to Dressrosa. Their stores were low, the ship needed repairs, and everyone needed rest before going against a warlord. That much was obvious to everyone, except maybe a certain guest who was entirely too eager to reach Doflamingo.

"We haven't gotten close to Dressrosa yet, it's too early to stop."

Nami gave Law a rather unimpressed scowl, clearly not in the mood to argue over something that had already been decided. "We're almost out of food and there's only one island close to us. If we don't stop now we'll starve, and I don't think you want that." Law, to his credit, looked completely unfazed. Sanji had a feeling he wasn't as unaffected as he pretended to be. After all, Law had asked for their help, and had been urging them to hurry to Dressrosa since leaving Punk Hazard.

For whatever reason, Law needed to take down Doflamingo, and fast. Sanji still hadn't figured out why. But he was working on it.

"We can't stop for very long, not with a hostage. If Doflamingo get's the upper-hand..."

"Do you think he will?" Nami interrupted, raising an eyebrow at Law. "Because I think he's expecting us to hurry. Right now, he has no idea where we are, and if we take our time it might throw him off-guard. We won't take any longer than we need to on this island anyways, but it might be just enough time to make him sweat."

There was a beat of silence, the rest of the crew too engrossed in the argument to make a sound, until finally Law relented.

"...Very well, as long as we don't delay for too long."

Nami grinned in satisfaction, rolling up her map and leaving the galley. Now that the tension had dissipated, the others resumed making as much noise as possible, Law quietly making his exit. Sanji watched him go, thinking that their guest was extraordinarily different from past allies. Law was a mystery.

And Sanji had a thing for solving mysteries.

They docked at the island later that day, finding an inn and negotiating a deal. It took some work, but that was one of Nami's specialties. Nobody seemed to recognize them, not yet anyways. Sanji knew somebody would eventually, even if they did manage to lay low. Then again, it was a rather small island, so there was a chance nobody here had ever heard of them.

"It's getting late, what do you guys wanna do?" Luffy asked, staring hungrily at the restaurant across the street. Sanji zoned out for a bit, looking around the inn's lobby until he noticed Nami slowly creeping towards two seedy looking old men who were muttering to each other, wondering what the hell they could be talking about that would catch Nami's attention.

Nami tip-toed closer, knowing she had heard a piece of valuable information, but the men were speaking so low she couldn't quite make it out.

"...Haven't heard from 'em lately. They're still holdin onto it, waitin for someone new to try takin it. Ol' shitheads ain't never gonna leave. Sick bastards."

"We got visitors now, didn't ya here? Bet they'd try takin it. They wouldn't make it back neither, just like the rest of 'em."

"A damn shame too, I wouldn't mind getting a piece of that treasure. Ain't worth dyin for though."

Nami chose that moment to make her presence known, poking her head between the two and grinning. "Did you say...treasure?"

The two jumped, heads snapping to look at Nami in shock. "Cripes, ya damn near gave me a heart attack, missy!"

"And ya were spying on us! Mind yer own business, would ya? That treasure ain't worth what it cost!"

Sanji figured he might as well back Nami up, since the odds of her leaving them alone were slim to none. Not when treasure was involved. The racket from the old men gained the others attention as well, all of them joining Nami and making both men look even more hesitant.

"You might as well tell her where it is. She won't leave until you do." Sanji said, crossing his arms and letting out a stream of smoke from his mouth.

"Look, that treasure has gotten plenty of kids like y'all killed. Trust us, ya don't wanna get involved."

Nami frowned, annoyed at being called a kid. "Either you tell us where it is or we force it out of you. Your choice."

The two shrunk back, looking between each other before sighing in resignation. "Aw jeez, fine, but we warned ya! If ya really want the treasure, just go south. There's a house deep in the forest there, and that's where yer treasure is. Good luck gettin to it though."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sanji asked, glaring at the two when they hesitated. "You told us this much, so you might as well tell us the rest. Why is this treasure so dangerous?"

"The people who live there are sick in the head. We've seen all kinds of people come lookin for it, and they never came back outta that forest. We townsfolk decided to leave 'em be, we sure as hell don't wanna die, but it would be nice if they left. Ain't no reason for 'em to stay here hordin treasure."

"So they kill people?" Luffy asked. The old men nodded.

"Don't know where the bodies go. We lost a few of our own, way back when they first showed up. Tried callin the Navy for help, but nobody came. Them assholes don't give a damn about a little place like this."

"I see..." Nami said, saddened by the story but not deterred in the slightest. "Well, don't worry, we'll take care of it for you! That treasure is as good as mine!"

"Yeah, and we'll fight all of them, they can't kill us!" Luffy added, Zoro and Franky nodding in agreement.

Usopp and Chopper looked ready to run back to the ship. "You can't be serious! We'll die!"

"This isn't why we came here." Law muttered, the two men looking at him as if they'd just realized he was there.

"Wait a minute...ain't you that Trafalgar fella? Shit, y'all are pirates!" One of the men yelled, gaining the attention of the inn's staff. Sanji looked around, spotting the nearest exit in case they needed to run.

"Well I'll be damned, we got Trafalgar Law and a whole group of pirates willing to get rid of them assholes down south!"

That had the staff grinning and looking relieved, and that was unexpected.

"Wait, you guys don't care that we're pirates?" Luffy asked, grinning when the men nodded.

"As long as you send them bastards runnin, we don't give a shit! Hell, I bet that Trafalgar fella could do it by himself!"

Law, unsurprisingly, looked slightly uncomfortable if not completely unfazed by the sudden attention.

"Eh?! No way, Tra-guy can't have all the fun! I'll beat them first!" Luffy yelled, causing both men to cackle and slap their knees.

"I like yer spirit, kid! Go on then, go get 'em!"

That was evidently all Luffy needed to hear, since he sprinted out of the hotel with an excited shout. Sanji sighed, wondering where the hell Luffy got all that energy from. They followed him nonetheless, Law looking incredibly grumpy since they had gotten sidetracked already.

"Hey, you wanted an alliance." Sanji remarked, smirking at the look he got in return.

"This isn't necessarily what I had in mind." Law replied, shifting his sword to his other shoulder. Sanji wondered how he could just walk around with it like that when the damn thing was almost the same height as him.

"I warned you it wouldn't be." Sanji lit up another cigarette, noting the fact that it was nearly dark out and they were heading towards a thick forest where a bunch of loons lived. He supposed they had been in worse situations, but something about this one felt different.

"Mm, I should have listened." Law had a barely noticeable smirk on his face, one that vanished almost as soon as it appeared. Sanji blinked, so used to the man scowling that he almost didn't believe Law had smirked at all.

"Yeah well, you're stuck with us now, so get used to it."

"I suppose I don't have a choice."

They traipsed through the forest for quite sometime, following the dirt path that was just barely visible. The longer they walked, the more Sanji felt that something was off. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, and yet for some reason he couldn't help but feel that they were walking into trouble. He wanted to blame it on the old men and their story. For all they knew, those men could have been full of shit.

And yet, the ominous feeling wouldn't go away.

"Ugh, how much longer do we have to walk? This forest is creepy!" Usopp sniveled, eyes rapidly darting back and forth.

"It has to be close, the island isn't that big. Besides, we're doing this for treasure! It's totally worth it!" Nami exclaimed, eyes sparkling at the prospect of money.

"But Nami, those old guys said people have died trying to find it! Doesn't that scare you?!" Chopper asked, practically glued to Zoro's leg for protection.

"Of course not! I'll do anything for gold, and besides, it sounds like these people need our help. That is, assuming those old geezers weren't lying to us." Sanji was glad he wasn't the only one doubting them, at least, but he knew Nami would get her treasure one way or another. If the men had lied to them, she would more than likely hunt them down and electrocute them.

"Either way, it's an island adventure! Maybe there's food at this house!" Luffy grinned, licking his lips at the mere idea of food.

The path took an abrupt turn, and suddenly they were faced with a large iron gate, brick wall surrounding the area.

"Well, I'm guessing this is the place. Should we just break the gate down?" Franky asked, Robin quickly stepping in front of him before he could blow something up.

"We don't want them knowing we're here. Not yet, anyways. They might kill us before we even get inside."

"Morbid, Robin!" Usopp cried. Sanji frowned, his skin prickling as he looked through the gates. He could at least see the house, but it was strangely dark, almost as if nobody was home.

"I bet I can pick this lock." Nami muttered, already in the process while the others looked around. Sanji noticed the dirt path they had been following continued going past the house, towards the other side of the island. He bent down to see better, noting the barely visible footprints going in that direction.

"They're not here." He said, causing everyone to pause what they were doing. "There's tracks in the dirt heading that way, see? Plus the lights aren't on."

"So we got lucky!" Nami beamed, twisting her wrist and unlocking the gate. "But we need to make this quick. They could be back soon."

"But I wanted to fight them!" Luffy whined, stepping through the gates first. "We'll have to come back when they're home."

"Are you insane?!" Usopp whispered harshly, biting his nails as they neared the house. It was actually a lot larger than they had been expecting, and now that they were up close and personal with it, Sanji's nerves were on high alert. Something felt horridly wrong. It was driving him crazy.

"Usopp's right. We're lucky enough that they aren't home, but coming back would be stupid. These aren't the people we want to mess with." Sanji said, looking around as frantically as Usopp had been.

"Why do you say that, Sanji bro? Do you really believe what those guys said?" Franky asked, Sanji nodding in agreement.

"I didn't at first. But now that we're here...I feel it, you know? It's hard to explain, but this place is just full of bad vibes. We need to make this quick."

"Well, we need to get inside first. I'd like to use the front door, but these people are guarding treasure, and there's no way they would all leave the house. Someone has to be in there. So, I'm open to suggestions." Nami said, immediately shushing Luffy. "And no, we're not just going to run in and fight whoever's there."

"Might I suggest using the back door?" Robin asked, Nami smiling in agreement.

"Okay, but everyone be quiet. This requires stealth!"

They carefully made their way towards the back of the house, although the 'quiet' part would obviously be a challenge since Usopp's teeth kept chattering together and Chopper kept whimpering every two seconds. Sanji stayed towards the back, keeping his eyes open for anything strange (although really everything about the place was fucking off-putting.)

Eventually though they came across the back door, and a light shining through a window upstairs to boot.

"Well, Nami was right. Guess we should go now." Usopp whispered, attempting to flee and getting caught by Zoro before he could get anywhere.

"No way, we've made it this far already. But should we really all be going in there? Seems like a good way to get caught." Zoro brought up a good point, one they should have thought of in the first place.

"I'm surprised you managed to think of that, Marimo. Guess you're capable of intelligence after all." Sanji jabbed, getting the finger in return.

"He's right though. Only a few of us should go in, and the rest of us can watch the perimeter. If they come home before we get a chance to leave, we'll have to let whoever's inside know." Nami said, frowning in thought. "The question is, how are we going to do that?"

"I'm sure I can handle that." Robin smiled, a hand popping up on Nami's shoulder.

"Robin, you're a genius! Now, who wants to go in there? Someone sneaky!" Nami shot a glare at Luffy, knowing that would end in disaster. "Hmm, how about you, Sanji?"

"Anything for you, my dear." Sanji immediately agreed despite his brain screaming at him to stay away, not wanting to disappoint his flower.

"Great! I'll go too. The rest of you spread out and keep watch. Make sure you don't get caught though. If this all goes right, I should have my treasure soon!" Nami grinned, testing the door to see if it was locked. Unsurprisingly, it was, and so she began working on picking that lock as well. While she did that, the others dispersed. One of Robin's hands popped up on Sanji's shoulder, the other one still on Nami's as well. If they needed to get out of there, Robin would let them know.

"I trust you more than any of them to stay quiet, except maybe Robin, but I still have to warn you to be careful. The story those old guys told us is pretty questionable, but I do agree with you about this place seeming off." Nami whispered, picking the lock so quietly Sanji had to wonder how she did it.

"Don't worry about me, Nami-swan, but please be careful as well. I'll protect you at all costs!" He really would, too, because if something happened to Nami he would never forgive himself. He was confident in all of their abilities, and yet that wasn't enough to reassure him that everything would be alright. This place was bad news, he just knew it.

"Thank you, Sanji." Nami smiled at him just as the lock clicked. She slowly opened the door, wincing as it creaked slightly, but other than that they got inside without any problems. The house was dark and eerily quiet, and there was a certain smell to it that had Sanji cringing. Like a library full of old, moldy books, and a hint of something metallic, almost like…

No, he wasn't going to think of that right now, because the house most certainly did not smell like blood. The last thing he needed was that morbid thought on his mind.

They crept through the house, looking for anything that might lead to treasure and coming up empty. Until they reached a dark hallway with stairs at the end of it that lead to the basement.

Nami moved forward, but Sanji felt frozen in place, because fuck if that didn't have his heart beating out of his chest. It felt as if the source of his ominous feeling was coming from that basement, the stairway so pitch black it practically screamed death. Every fiber in his being was begging him to get the fuck out of there. The closer Nami got, the more he felt like something was going to reach out and pull her down into the darkness and he would never see her again.

"Nami!" He whispered as quietly as possible, Nami spinning around with a start. She cocked her head to the side, furrowing her eyebrows when Sanji gestured that she come closer.

'What?' She mouthed, irritated by the interruption. Sanji suddenly felt too on edge, because Nami was still too close to the stairs and the feeling in his gut was getting stronger. He jerked his neck to the side, silently telling her that they needed to go back, but she wasn't having it.

She shook her head and moved to get closer, Sanji nearly reaching out to yank her back. But luckily (or maybe not so luckily) Robin's hands began tapping on their shoulders, alerting them that they needed to leave. He could see the way Nami wanted to curse at that moment, but instead they quickly ran back the way they came, closing the back door with a barely audible click and running towards the forest behind the house.

Luffy was waiting there for them, pouting at the fact that he didn't get to do anything fun. "Why do we have to leave now that they're here? I can totally fight all of them!"

"Not gonna happen, now let's get out of here and find the others." Sanji said, heart still hammering in his chest. The image of the darkened stairway was still fresh in his mind and wouldn't leave him alone. They needed to leave, get as far away from that house as possible. Thankfully, the others were waiting for them by the gate, keeping hidden in case someone decided to come back outside.

"So, did you find anything helpful in there?" Zoro asked as they ran back down the dirt path, hastily trying to get away and avoid being caught.

"We almost did, except Sanji wanted to stop for some reason. Care to explain?" Nami asked, giving Sanji a rather displeased look.

"Forgive me my dear, but I did say I would protect you, and going down those stairs would prevent me from doing that. Whatever is down there..." Sanji trailed off, skin prickling from the memory. "It's not safe. We'll have to try again, but with a better plan."

In all actuality, Sanji didn't want to go near that house ever again, because never had he gotten a feeling of fear quite like that. But Nami wanted her treasure, and Sanji would be damned if she didn't get it. Besides, Strawhat pirates were strong. He was strong. Whatever was down there, whatever those people might be capable of, was nothing they couldn't handle.

They would just have to try again.

Not sure how I feel about this, but it's a good start I guess. I've never really written something like this so it's a little...new to me. Hopefully it turns out well!