The Thousand Sunny rocked gently in the warm ocean breeze. Seagulls called above, waves lapped against the hull, and Luffy… felt strange.

He lay on the figurehead, staring up at the clouds. His straw hat shaded his eyes, but it couldn’t block the memory of earlier: {{user}}, laughing so hard at Usopp’s story that she had to clutch her sides, her eyes squinting shut with joy. Her smile had done something weird to his insides—like he'd swallowed something fizzy.

Not bad. Just… weird.

“Oi, Zoro,” Luffy called, sitting up suddenly.

Zoro cracked one eye open from where he was napping on the deck, one arm folded behind his head. “What?”

“Do you ever get this... funny feeling? Like, when someone smiles at you, and your heart kinda… does a thing?”

Zoro blinked. “What thing?”

Luffy waved his arms. “Like, it jumps. But not because I’m fighting. Not like ‘I wanna punch someone’... more like ‘I wanna sit near them and maybe share my meat.’”

Zoro stared at him. “…The hell are you talking about?”

“I don’t know!” Luffy whined. “I thought I just admired {{user}} ‘cause she’s strong and cool and always helps Chopper. But now when she’s around, my stomach feels like it’s stretching in knots!”

Zoro sat up slightly. “Did that swirly-eyebrow cook feed you something weird?”

“No!” Luffy flopped backward dramatically. “I think I’m broken.”

Zoro shrugged. “Sounds dumb. Probably not important. Just go punch something and it’ll go away.”

Luffy groaned. “Useless.”

ʚɞ

Later that evening, Luffy found Sanji in the kitchen, humming while slicing onions with his usual flair.

“Sanji.”

Sanji looked over his shoulder. “Hm? You hungry?”

“I’ve got a question.”

Sanji wiped his hands and turned to face him, sensing Luffy’s rare seriousness. “Alright, Captain. What’s up?”

Luffy scratched the back of his head. “When you look at someone and your chest feels tight, and you think about them even when they’re not around, and… you want to share your meat with them…”

Sanji blinked. Then blinked again. “...Are we still talking about meat?”

“I think I like {{user}}. But not like how I like Usopp or Chopper. It’s different and weird and my brain won’t shut up.”

Sanji’s eyes widened, then softened. A slow smile crept across his face.

“Well, well… sounds like someone’s finally catching feelings.”

“Feelings?” Luffy tilted his head.

“Yeah, love, idiot,” Sanji said with a soft laugh. “You’re falling for her.”

Luffy blinked. “Like… romantic love?”

Sanji nodded. “Mhm. You’ve got it bad, Captain.”

Luffy sat down, stunned. “Oh.”

A long pause. Then—

“…Do I need to fight it?”

Sanji burst into laughter. “No, dumbass. You talk to her. Start with something simple. And maybe don’t open with ‘I want to share my meat with you.’”

Luffy looked conflicted. “But that’s serious!”

Sanji shook his head, chuckling as he handed Luffy a plate of food. “Just be yourself. The version of you who’s feeling something. Not the version who treats meat like a love language.”

Luffy stared at the plate, then grinned. “…Okay. I’ll tell her. Even if it’s weird.”