"You're lying," Luffy blurted out, his tone shifting to one of impatient, absolute certainty. The chains rattled as he leaned forward as far as they would allow. "He's not dead. I know him."
Reiju's frown deepened, the cold mask cracking for a microsecond to reveal sheer, unadulterated shock beneath. The boy's immediate, adamant denial wasn't the reaction of a spy following a script or a desperate slave grasping at straws. He stated it as undeniable, simple fact.
"Oh, is that so? But Sanji is dead," Reiju countered, her voice carefully neutral, resuming her facade.
After hearing that, Luffy fell silent for a moment, then gave a small smile. "Okay, fine. Sanji is dead, which means I must have seen his ghost."
Reiju felt a flicker of irritation. He was making light of the situation. She moved swiftly, her hand shooting out to grip his neck, lifting him off the table until he dangled in the air. "Do you think this is funny? Do you have any idea who you're speaking to? I am a Princess of the Germa Kingdom!"
Luffy responded with a nonchalant, "Uh-huh."
Annoyed by his indifference, she tightened her grip, watching for any sign of fear, any reaction to being brought close to death once more. She found none. Frustrated, she dropped him back onto the table and released his neck. "Speak. I'll hear whatever story you've concocted before I kill you."
"I'm trying to," Luffy said, scrunching his brow in frustration, "but if you keep insisting Sanji is dead, anything I say will just sound like a lie to you. Can you understand how I feel right now?"
"What do you mean, I'm insisting he's alive? Sanji is dead. That is the reality," Reiju stated firmly, her face serious. Internally, her mind raced through scenarios—who was this boy? A spy sent by Germa's enemies? But to what end? Judge would consider information about Sanji utterly worthless, a failed product.
"Alright, maybe I just saw someone who looked like him," Luffy began after a long pause.
"Impossible," Reiju interrupted, her hand darting back to his throat. "Who sent you? Who do you work for?"
Drawing on the memories and experiences of Arden, the leader who had navigated countless political intrigues, Luffy understood the game of distrust being played. He needed to sound credible. "Listen, Reiju," he said, his voice calm despite the pressure on his windpipe. "Can you just hear me out? You can do anything to me. Check me for listening devices, burn me, beat me, poison me—whatever you want. But I'll say this: I don't work for anyone. All I was trying to do was get help to escape that pit. You saved me from the poison that was killing me. I'm thankful for that. If you could just drop me off at the next island you stop at, I'd be in your debt."
Reiju fell silent, studying his body language, searching for any telltale signs of deception. After a meticulous assessment, she finally spoke. "Fine. And in return, you want to give me information about my dead little brother?" As she said this, she released her grip on his neck.
"Yeah," Luffy answered, wondering why she had let go. He watched as she walked over to a cabinet, retrieved a black, rod-like device, and returned to him. Before he could react, she pressed the device against his side and hit a button. A jolt of excruciatingly high-voltage electricity coursed through his entire body without warning. He screamed in agony as his muscles seized. After about thirty seconds, she released the button, and the current stopped. His body smoked slightly, feeling as if it had been roasted from the inside out.
Reiju put the taser away and returned with a chair, sitting down and crossing her legs. "Now we can talk. This room is secure, and I've just destroyed any potential listening devices on your person with that high-powered surge."
"I-I s-see..." Luffy stammered, his tongue still numb, trying to push himself up with trembling arms. His whole body felt alien, his thoughts scrambled. It took him several minutes to regain full control of his limbs and think clearly.
Once he had, he looked at Reiju, who was simply watching him. "Wasn't that a bit much? Even if you think I'm a spy, I was already half-dead..."
"You're right, I didn't think it through thoroughly," Reiju admitted indifferently. "I know you've been brutally tortured for months. It's just... a habit I realized I have when dealing with people like you."
"What made you change your mind, then?" Luffy asked, genuinely curious.
"The way you talk... as if you're not afraid of anything. I was expecting at least a little fear."
"Not afraid of anything? You're giving me too much credit," Luffy smiled sheepishly, scratching his head and laughing.
"I'm not praising you, you idiot," Reiju said, annoyed.
Luffy ignored her retort and kept laughing. After a moment, he grew serious again. "But isn't that dangerous? Judging someone by how they talk? A spy could easily act like that to make you lower your guard, you know..."
"So, are you acting?" Reiju asked pointedly.
"No, I'm not acting. Though it's an exaggeration to say I'm not afraid of anything... I'm still scared of some things. But right now, we're talking about spies."
"Heh... You seem to know a lot about spies for someone your age. Where did you learn that?"
"From Arden."
"Who?"
"Arden is my friend," Luffy explained with a smile, seeing her blank expression. "He was a leader... you could say a king of a country."
"So, you work for Arden?"
"Shishishi, no way! I don't work for anyone. And I already told you, Arden is my friend," Luffy clarified.
"If you don't work for him, then where is this country of Arden located?"
"Arden's country is in a faraway place, not in this world," Luffy explained, noticing her confused look.
"Heh... So his country isn't in this world, huh...?" Reiju said, a vein visibly pulsing on her forehead.
"That's right. It's not in this world," Luffy answered seriously, completely missing her rising anger.
Reiju's anger exploded. She grabbed the taser again and subjected him to a full minute of electrocution, leaving Luffy drooling and mumbling incoherently on the floor. "I suggest you stop playing games and take this seriously," she growled once he had somewhat recovered.
"But I'm telling the truth..." Luffy started, but fell silent as Reiju glared at him, taser poised to strike again.
"Alright, alright!" Luffy tried to calm her down. "Look, about Sanji, let me tell you about the Sanji I know... You can decide for yourself if he's your brother or not. Okay?"
Reiju sat back down in her chair, glowering. "Start talking."
"Okay. First, I noticed your third brother is missing. There's Reiju, Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji. So, Sanji must be the name of your third brother."
Reiju nodded. A reasonable deduction. She didn't ask how he knew the names; the Vinsmokes were famous enough.
"And I've seen a man named Sanji before."
Reiju's brow furrowed. "If you say you saw a man named Sanji, talked to him, and then decided he was my brother, I will kill you right now."
"No, I didn't talk to him," Luffy corrected, unafraid of her threat. "The man had curly eyebrows, and his eyes would turn into hearts whenever he saw any woman, and he'd try to flirt with them. Sounds just like your other brothers. Tell me, doesn't that make my assumption that he's related to you seem less crazy?"
Reiju remained unconvinced. "Not enough. You could have used my other brothers as a reference to describe Sanji. Their obsessive tendency towards women is public knowledge."
Luffy frowned and nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense. Then let me give you the details. He works as a cook now, a really skilled one in a restaurant. He's kind, pays attention to everyone, feeds anyone—even those who come to the restaurant with no money—and he'll beat up anyone who wastes food... Also, he's blond and covers one of his eyes with his hair, just like you do."
'Okay, that definitely sounds like Sanji!' Reiju thought, now somewhat convinced it was her brother. His dream of becoming a cook was something only she knew about. She felt a surge of hope and quiet joy knowing he was living his dream. But she couldn't fully trust the boy's words just yet.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"So, you met a man named Sanji who loves to flirt with women, and you immediately concluded he was a dead prince?"
"...Well, when you put it like that..." Luffy trailed off, thinking. After a moment, he said with a serious face, "Even if it sounds strange, that's the truth."
Reiju was taken aback by his statement and felt the person he described was indeed Sanji. After a moment of silence, she finally said, "Is that all?"
"Well, that's it. I was in the pit, feeling like I was going to die, and I saw you guys looked like Sanji, especially the eyebrows. I hoped that if I told you about Sanji, maybe you'd save me. That's all."
"But why me? There were others there who might have saved you." Even if he seemed truthful, his choice of her still puzzled her.
"Actually, there was another girl who checked on me on the first day I was thrown in, but I didn't see her after that... And I wasn't sure she could cure the poison in my body. You are the Poison Pink. You were the only one who could help me."
"I see." It made sense to seek her out specifically for her poison abilities. "Is that all?"
"Yep."
"Unfortunately for you, my little brother is dead. You probably just saw someone who resembles him."
"...Alright," Luffy agreed, not wanting to argue further. "Okay, if Sanji is dead... there's nothing I can do... So, that's all I have. What happens now?"
Reiju thought for a moment. "Since you have no other value to offer, I might just take you back to that hell pit."
"...Alright."
Reiju frowned at his response. "Why aren't you protesting?"
"I would, but I know you have no intention of throwing me back into that hell pit."
"...Huh?!" Reiju was stunned by his answer.
"Are you insane? Why wouldn't I take you back there?"
"Because you're a good person," Luffy answered with his signature smile. "Your other brothers might be monsters, but you're not a monster like them."
Reiju was shocked into silence. He thought she was good? This boy had seen her laughing while her brothers tortured souls in the pit, she had just tased him with high voltage, and he was calling her good?
"Have you lost your mind?!" Reiju said angrily. "I laughed while my brothers tortured those poor souls, and you just called me good. Did you forget I electrocuted you just minutes ago?!"
Luffy grinned. "See?! That proves my point!"
"What?"
"Just now, you called them 'poor souls'. Other scumbags here would call them slaves, toys, playthings... but you, on the other hand, didn't demean them."
Reiju sat in stunned silence, cursing her own slip of the tongue.
"I was watching you and the others in the pit," Luffy continued, not giving her a chance to speak. "I saw you didn't torture or play with them. You just laughed or watched your brothers torture them, and you never touched those people. At first, I thought you were just disgusted by touching a slave... but that wasn't true." He pointed to the bandages covering his body. "After seeing my condition when I woke up... it seems that's not the case. And you didn't say 'slaves' or 'toys,' you said 'poor souls,' which means you're a good person."
Reiju was utterly speechless. She was used to being called a monster, heartless, inhuman... but never good. She believed herself to be an unfeeling monster, having done many things she wasn't proud of. She never considered herself good.
Seeing Reiju silent, Luffy looked around, his stomach growling. He hadn't eaten anything in weeks. He spotted a chocolate bar on a nearby table and tried to reach for it.
Sensing movement, Reiju snapped out of her thoughts and instinctively raised her guard, shouting, "What are you trying to do?!"
Luffy's hand stopped mid-reach. "I was just trying to get that chocolate bar... I'm really hungry. And even if I tried something, you could easily beat me even if I were in perfect condition... so you don't need to guard against me so tightly. I'm weaker than you right now..."
Reiju felt a little embarrassed by her overreaction, caused by Luffy's words that had distracted her. As she stood frozen, Luffy quickly grabbed the chocolate bar and devoured it.
Once Reiju collected her thoughts, she saw that Luffy had already finished the chocolate. He was still clearly hungry. "Can you give me some food? Meat would be best. I haven't eaten in weeks. After that, we can continue this conversation."
Reiju looked at his emaciated body. He did look like he was starving. "I can't do that. You might try something while I'm gone."
"Stingy..." Luffy whined, slumping sideways and pouting. "Come on, you already rejected that the Sanji I know is your Sanji. So what could I possibly do?... I have nothing left. You can do anything to me... but at least let me eat. I'm so hungry..."
Reiju sighed. He seemed to have no leverage left, and his starvation was evident. She went to a cabinet and pulled out a syringe filled with a pink liquid.
"What's that thing you're holding?" Luffy asked.
"It's an anesthetic that will knock you out," Reiju said, injecting the fluid into Luffy's arm.
"What are you tryi—" Luffy collapsed, unconscious before he could finish.
Scene Break
Luffy's eyelids fluttered open. As he regained consciousness, he saw Reiju holding a plate of food. Fortunately, it contained meat.
"Meat!" Luffy exclaimed happily and proceeded to devour the plate's contents in seconds.
Reiju was astonished by the speed. Hearing Luffy say sadly, "Is that all?", she injected him with the anesthetic again. She went back to the kitchen, gathered as much food as she could carry, returned to the lab, administered the antidote to wake him, and watched in amazement as he ate everything with ravenous speed, like a starving ghost.
"Thank you for the food!" Luffy said cheerfully after finishing the last bite.
"You really were hungry, weren't you?" Reiju commented.
"Yeah, I was really, really hungry... But this is weird. Usually, this much food isn't enough to fill me up... Ahhh, it must be the Seastone," Luffy deduced wisely. "It's stopping me from using my Devil Fruit powers. Usually, my stomach would 'stretch' the more I eat, but now it can't. So I feel full."
"...Did you say your stomach usually stretches?"
"Yep! I ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi. I'm a rubber man," he said, trying to stretch his cheek with his finger but failing due to the Seastone cuffs.
Shaking off her surprise, Reiju decided to return to the interrogation. "So, where were we?"
"I called you good, and you panicked," Luffy summarized.
Reiju coughed, a faint blush of embarrassment on her cheeks. "Forget you ever said that. I am not good. I've killed and tortured hundreds of people throughout my life without a shred of remorse."
"Okay," Luffy said, utterly indifferent, which annoyed her further. She wanted to argue, but decided to return to Sanji.
"Okay, about this Sanji, you know... what have you done to him?"
Luffy tilted his head, confused. "What have I done?"
"You seem to think I care about Sanji, so you claim he's alive. Ignoring whether he's my brother or just some random man, you clearly want to use that fact to blackmail me."
"..." Luffy just sighed. "Reiju, I'm not a spy like you think... What do I have to do to make you believe me? As I said before, I just wanted to get out of that hell pit, and you were one of the people who could save me. That's all."
Reiju fell silent, feeling he was telling the truth, but she couldn't lower her guard. "You could be a World Government spy sent to confirm Sanji's existence and blackmail the Germa Kingdom—' obey our orders or Sanji dies.'"
Luffy stared flatly. "Really? Who else would care about him?"
"So, it's just me?" Reiju snapped. "You think I'm so kind-hearted that you can blackmail me into doing something for you?"
Surprisingly, Luffy grinned. "Well, for that, you'd first have to admit to your kindness... which you vehemently deny. So, even if I were a World Government spy like you say, and the Sanji I know really is your brother, you don't care, right? So, I have nothing to blackmail you with. Shishishishi."
Reiju sat back, stunned by his logic. He had somehow turned her own words against her. She looked at Luffy, still laughing, which irritated her, so she hit him on the head to make him stop.
"Hey! Why did you hit me? If you lose an argument, do you resort to violence...?" Luffy complained, rubbing his head, but he fell silent under Reiju's intense glare.
Seeing him quiet, she gathered her thoughts. "Let's assume the person you know is Sanji... How can you remember a stranger so well?"
"He's not a stranger. He's going to be a member of my crew. He's the cook."
"...Huh? Wait, didn't you say you haven't started your journey yet? How can he be a crew member?"
"Oh, I haven't invited him to join yet," Luffy answered calmly. "I won't ask anyone to join my crew before I'm 17 and start my journey... I saw him once, beating up a customer for disrespecting food. I'll ask him when I start my journey. Even though he doesn't know it yet, I've already decided he'll be my cook." Luffy finished with a wide smile.
"..."
"..."
"WHAT KIND OF NONSENSE ARE YOU SPOUTING?! YOU CAN'T JUST DECIDE SOMEONE WILL BE YOUR CREWMEMBER BECAUSE YOU WANT THEM TO! WHAT IF HE REFUSES TO JOIN?!" Reiju yelled, angry at his sheer selfishness.
"That... if he refuses, then I'll just refuse his refusal," Luffy said with his typical smile.
"IT DOESN'T WORK LIKE THAT, YOU IDIOT!" Reiju shouted, hitting Luffy on the head again.
"Ouch! That hurts... what was that for?" Luffy said angrily, holding his head.
"Alright. For now, I know you're not a spy. There's no way a spy could be as stupid as you," Reiju said in a demeaning tone.
"Rude! Who are you calling stupid?... Even like this, I'm smart at playing the piano and guitar," Luffy said proudly, puffing out his chest.
"That's not what I meant, stupid... Hah... I give up," Reiju said, holding her head, exhausted from talking to Luffy. "So, what will you do now?"
"Go back to my hometown, of course."
"Where is your hometown? And how will you get there?"
"East Blue." Luffy then looked at Reiju and said, "I'm hoping you'll take me to the nearest island. I'll manage the rest myself."
Reiju frowned. "Why are you so sure I'll help you?"
Luffy looked at Reiju's face for a moment and said, "Because you're a good person."
Reiju snorted. "You're just appealing to my non-existent humanity."
"Maybe. Doesn't mean I'm wrong... And I really can't die here."
The two stared at each other for a moment before Luffy smiled and repeated, "I believe in you," and then promptly passed out, falling forward.
Reiju sighed at the optimistic idiot and caught him. She opened a cabinet usually used for storing highly volatile chemicals, placed him inside, and locked it. After dosing him with more anesthetic to keep him asleep, she had secured him in a place where he couldn't possibly communicate with anyone outside.