It's after Thriller Bark that they first do it, hesitant and one by one. It begins with Luffy sitting by Zoro's bedside and Sanji keeping watch, a mug of hot chocolate in hand in case Luffy decides that staring at Zoro with that lost puppy look isn't enough.

Chopper, of course, ever the faithful doctor, stays by their side, occasionally telling Luffy things then asked. It seems to go over Luffy's head, but Luffy seems determined to understand anyway.

Sanji can hear the hesitancy in Chopper's voice, as though he wants to say more, but doesn't know if he should. If he could.

Luffy notices, of course, laughing, "Why is your voice so funny?"

"My voice isn't funny!" Chopper squawks in a poor attempt to cover it up.

He only succeeds in making himself sound even more suspicious, but Luffy takes his word, laughing, "Okay."

Sanji doesn't know if Luffy buys it or not. It's hard to get a read on his captain, usually straightforward, but Sanji can't quite tell how much of that is him knowing when not to push. Their captain, after all, puts his crew first, and the crew does the same in kind.

Quite unfortunately, Sanji muses as he lights his cigarette. The butt of it lights up in a pale flicker and he barely has time to cup a hand around it before Chopper pinches it between two hooves.

"No smoking in the infirmary, Sanji," Chopper says crossly, "Go outside to do it, we'll be here when you're back."

Sanji sighs and hesitates for a moment, cigarette hanging from his lips as he considers whether it would be better to just snuff it out.

Luffy takes that moment to stand, though, eyes boring into Chopper, "You'll look after him."

It's not an order. Not a question, either. Just a statement, simple and so utterly Luffy that Sanji can't help but drop his cigarette, grinds it under his foot and throws it into the trash, taking care to sweep up the ashes when Chopper glares at him. He knows it's not directed at him, but Sanji's compelled to listen to Luffy all the same.

"We will," Sanji says.

"Okay," Luffy tips his hat back, ever so slightly, and grins at Sanji, mouth wide and eyes bright. "I'm going to go check on Brook, okay?"

"Yeah," Sanji leans back. Stacks his legs onto Luffy's chair. "The shitty marimo isn't waking up anytime soon."

Luffy smiles at him, and Sanji feels something in his chest think, I would die for him.

Brook and Robin come back with Luffy, a book in Robin's hand and Luffy's hand in Brook's.

"We're sleeping here," Luffy says, dumping the pile of pillows and blankets that he had been holding underneath his arms.

Sanji's eyes flicker to Chopper, who's changing the IVs, and nods, "I guess that we'll need more hot chocolate."

Brook shifts, clearly uncomfortable, so Sanji asks, "Want to come?" and Brook nods, clearly relieved.

"The captain is pretty perceptive, isn't he?" Brook chuckles, playing with his suit, nimble (thin, white, nothing but bones) fingers tracing the edge of his suit as though he were playing through a song that he had long since memorized. He says it simply, as though it weren't a thing that nobody had really realized. As though it were something that everyone, not simply Luffy's crew and closest allies, has known.

Sanji lights his cigarette. Draws in the smoke. Exhales, slow and steady, smoke curling over his lips like water on the edge of the boat.

"Yeah," he agrees.

Blunt. Simple.

Brook hums, "Is that why you follow him?"

"I follow him because he's going to be the King of the Pirates," Sanji shrugs, "And I'm going to be there when he becomes it."

"I see," Brook's cane thuds against the floor with each step. Tap. Tap. Tap. Light, but the sound rings through the halls, all the same. "This entire crew, everyone knows that Luffy will be the King of Pirates."

"Damn right," Sanji steps into the kitchen and snubs out his cigarette on the counter, taking only a few seconds to sweep the ash into the garbage before double checking that the cigarette's completely cold.

"He's young," Brook's voice brooks no argument. No sign of any attempt at agonizing Sanji. It's just the facts, plain and simple, and Sanji knows that it's true. Luffy's seventeen, young but strong, way stronger than Sanji thinks he has any right to be.

"We all are," Sanji shrugs, shoulders carefully kept loose as he opens up the fridge and pulls out some of their almond milk. "Before you, Franky was the oldest. Thirty-four."

Brook watches him, or at least Sanji thinks that he does. It's disconcerting, to stare at what are supposed to be eyes, and finding dark holes, carved out from a white skull.

"You'd never regret this," Brook doesn't ask. He's certain, sure of himself. Sanji wonders if this was something that came with age, or if Brook was always like this. Sharp. Knowing.

"Mind getting the cocoa powder?" Sanji nods at the cabinets instead of answering. It's far easier to deflect than to think about how to put into words how this will always be his life, how he knows that someday he'll die for Luffy and how he'll never regret it, not after eternity has passed and the world has forgotten its history. "3rd cabinet, second shelf."

Brook is silent as he hands it to Sanji, watching as Sanji pulls out a saucepan and fills it with the almond milk. "I've been told that you're a good chef. I can't wait to taste more of your food," he pauses, and laughs, "But I have no taste buds! Yohohoho! Skull joke!"

Sanji tilts his head ever so slightly as he heats up the milk and begins pulling out their mugs, "Can you taste food?" He asks hesitantly.

"No fear, I can," Brook smiles, "But I don't need food. Not anymore."

Sanji's stomach churns at the thought, "Do you get hungry?"

Brook shrugs, "Being hungry is unnecessary when you don't need food."

"But do you feel hungry?" Sanji presses.

The silence is enough.

Sanji swears, "Do you feel hungry right now?"

The room is silent as snowfall, as Sanji sticks another cigarette between his teeth, his third one after the fight.

"What's your favourite dish?" Sanji asks.

Brook shakes his head.

Sanji swears again, rough and harsh, "This is a matter of pride, dammit. I'm a cook, so let me do this for my crew. Nobody goes hungry when I'm around, you got it?"

There is a long, roundabout silence that Sanji prepares to fill before Brook says quietly, "There was this simple little recipe. Just eggs, tomato, and rice all cooked together in a pan. It was easy to make, but we didn't get fresh tomatoes that often on the sea, so it was always pretty special. You don't need to do it, Sanji-san, but if this is a matter of pride, then..." The ghost of a smile, "Who am I to stand in your way?"

When they come back, trays of hot chocolate and cookies for a midnight snack in hand, the rest of the crew has already gathered in the infirmary, squished. The crew, small though it is, seems almost large in the infirmary, filling up space quite comfortably.

More than comfortably, Nami reflects as she takes a sip of her hot chocolate. Sanji's really brought out all the works, whipped cream and a little straw with candy cane stripes, white chocolate shavings on the whipped cream and a thick black mug to hold it all in.

"The captain is quite rambunctious, isn't he?" Robin muses, watching Luffy dance around with the boys.

"Isn't he always?" Nami pulls out the straw that Sanji's stuck into her hot chocolate and licks the whipped cream off of it. Just the way she likes it. As strange as he may act, Sanji takes care of them. "No more so than usual, I think."

Robin hums and shifts, back straightening as she agrees lightly, "I suppose so. It's nice to see everyone so lively."

Nami stares at Zoro on the bed, waiting for him to pop up and make the boys scream, and laughs a bit, "Well, they better not be so lively when I'm trying to sleep is all that I'm going to say."

Robin echoes Nami's laugh, "I thought that you'd have been used to their noise by now."

"Oh, I'm used to it," Nami admits begrudgingly, "But doesn't mean that a girl doesn't like some peace and quiet now and then."

"I suppose so," Robin tosses Nami a small smile, "But you prefer the noise, don't you."

It isn't a question.

Nami heaves a great, dramatic sigh. "I'm still on this crazy crew, aren't I?" she laughs.

Robin stirs her hot chocolate and takes a sip. "I've never had a sleepover," there's a touch of nostalgia in her voice, "I suppose it's better to have it later than never."

"It won't be the most conventional sleepover," Nami closes her eyes and leans back.

Robin smiles.

But you wouldn't trade it for the world.

Usopp tells them tall tales as they fall asleep.

Nami's taken the second (and only other) infirmary bed, offering it to Robin but ultimately deciding not to look a gift horse in the face. Luffy sits on the floor in front of Usopp in rapt attention, Chopper laying on his lap with eyes closed.

Sanji washes their cups in the infirmary sink, which he isn't supposed to do, but Chopper decided that it was alright as an exception.

("Just for tonight," Chopper folded his arms over his chest.

"Of course," Sanji's eyes flickered around the infirmary, "Wouldn't want to get food all over your medical instruments."

Chopper grinned and nodded, "Then I guess it's okay," He glanced at Luffy, who smiled at the both of them, "We want you to stay, after all.")

Franky's helping Sanji to wash the dishes with some strange contraption, made of... well, something. It's painted bright blue and has The Super Franky Washo-Matic scribbled on it with a lime yellow.

("If nothing else, at least the name is accurate," Robin laughed.

"It'll be very helpful," Sanji smiled, "If it washes dishes, then I just need to do the cutlery, bowls and pots."

"Yeah," Franky grinned, "It's pretty super! I just need to deal with a few kinks, but it should be fine.")

Robin sits primly on the chair by Zoro's bedside, scrawling down the story's main points in a little leather journal that she bought a few islands ago. Later, she and Usopp will convert it to a storybook format for them to read when he's not available. Brook leans over her shoulder, and occasionally he taps her shoulder twice. She leaves a little space between her sentences, just enough room for a small drawing. Sometimes she leaves an entire page blank, trusting that Brook will take care of it all in swirls of ink and watercolour.

They drift off, one by one until Brook is the only one awake. He turns off the dim lightbulb hanging over their heads and stretches.

"Well," he murmurs to himself, "I suppose that I'll take the first watch."

A rubbery hand wraps around his arm, and Luffy mumbles something incoherent in his sleep, before he says firmly, "Everyone stays."

Brook laughs, soft and strangely loud in the still silence, "That's not the safest option, captain." Despite his words, Brook's already begun walking back to the rest of the crew.

"Don't care," Luffy mumbles and pulls Brook closer, "Stay."

"Alright, alright," Brook takes a spot right next to Luffy and lies down, "Good night, captain."

Luffy is silent, and Brook waits in still anticipation until loud snoring reaches his ears.

A small laugh bubbles from his mouth.

What an interesting captain this is.