Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Germa, lived a boy named Prince Vinsmoke Sanji. Prince Sanji was one of four brothers, quadruplets, born to King Vinsmoke Judge. The King had genetically bred his sons to be warriors, with enhanced strength, fortitude, constitution, and sans emotion. The perfect soldiers to lead Germa to victory in any campaign. But Queen Sora had secretly poisoned herself to protect her unborn children, to not make them into monsters. Her actions made her sick and she died six years later, but with the knowledge that she had succeeded.
Prince Sanji was not like the other boys, for he was sweet, gentle, and infinitely kind. He was not strong, not without fear, not resilient like his brothers. Though his constitution was on par with theirs, the rest of him was weak. Normal. Human. King Vinsmoke Judge had wanted superiority and with Prince Sanji he only found failure. He had no use for such a child and so he imprisoned Prince Sanji in the dungeon with an iron mask on his head to prevent anyone from having to look at him.
Prince Sanji spent his life in the dungeon, from the age seven on. It was only known by two guards, two doctors, and his blood family that he was there. To the rest of Germa Kingdom, Prince Sanji was dead.
To Prince Sanji, the years went by with relative sameness. He was trapped in an eight-by-ten cell in a damp, cold dungeon, barefooted, with only a thin layer of clothing. The iron mask on his head was a constant, exchanged for a bigger one, like his clothing, as he grew. He had no bed, no bath, only a toilet and sink in the corner. He was permitted books, a toothbrush, and a washrag. He was fed thrice daily at the same time by one of the two guards who knew he was a Prince. He exercised every day, using the stone wall to kick and punch. His only friendly company were the mice and rats that would visit him in his cell, whom he would feed and talk to about what he read. His favorite tales were Fairy Tales about heroes and true love and happily ever afters, and the ones about All Blue.
Prince Sanji was not left completely alone, however, as his brothers, his sister, and the doctors knew he was there. His brothers came weekly, sometimes more often, to beat Prince Sanji for fun. His sister would tend to him, after he was abused, her emotions not completely wiped away by her own modifications. The doctors would give him a checkup once a month, resetting any broken bones and testing him to determine if his genetic modifications had finally kicked in. They never did. Because Prince Sanji had an accelerated constitution, he was never in danger of death from what his brothers did. And so he learned to live with it, as he learned to live within the bars of the dungeon, dreaming about the day he might be able to leave and find his Fairy Tale love and the All Blue.
He did not see daylight until he was twenty-one and King Vinsmoke Judge finally found a use for him. The King had arranged a political marriage between Prince Sanji and Emperor Charlotte ‘Big Mom’ Linlin’s daughter, Charlotte Pudding. This would enable Germa to gain more power to reconquer the North Blue. Prince Sanji knew nothing about Germa’s ambitions or warmongering, or what had happened with the kingdom over the years. All he knew was that he was taken from the dungeon for the first time in fourteen years and the iron mask finally removed from his head.
Prince Sanji’s return from the dead was ignored by the proclamation of the King. Servants bathed and groomed him, cutting his hair to chin length, shaving his face except for a trimmed goatee and thin mustache, dressing him in royal finery. He smiled and thanked the servants for their assistance, which earned him confused responses. His sister paid one more visit to him, putting a canister in his pocket, telling him she hoped that he would be happy and safe in his new life.
He was taken to meet Charlotte Pudding, who seemed nice. Prince Sanji knew about love and marriage from the books he’d read. He didn’t feel the flutter or the inescapable desire that signaled love with Charlotte Pudding. Perhaps those Fairy Tales were only fiction.
The marriage ceremony took place while standing on a giant cake. Prince Sanji recited the vows he’d been told to memorize. And when it came time to seal the marriage with a kiss, Charlotte Pudding opened a third eye. Prince Sanji got excited. He’d read all about the Three-Eyed Tribe and gushed over how beautiful it was to see in person. His reaction saved his life. Unbeknownst to him and his family, Big Mom had planned to assassinate the Vinsmoke clan and take the Germa Kingdom technology for herself.
Charlotte Pudding prevented Prince Sanji from receiving a bullet to his brain, while the rest of the Vinsmokes were cut down. She helped him to escape during the chaos that followed, as Capone Bege staged a coup against Big Mom at the same time. They flew on a magic carpet to the coast, where they encountered The Sun Pirates, who were breaking ties with Big Mom. Their captain, Jinbe, agreed to take Prince Sanji with them.
Charlotte Pudding kissed Prince Sanji on the cheek, thanked him for his sweetness, and sent him off to his new life with happiness in her heart.
Prince Sanji – who was now King Vinsmoke Sanji, as the sole living heir to the Germa Kingdom – sailed away from Totto Land with The Sun Pirates. King Sanji insisted everyone only call him Sanji and he was excited to be in the presence of Fish-Men. He peppered everyone with questions, comparing the answers to what he had read, being genuine in his enthusiasm and interest. His life spent in a dungeon had not erased his sweetness, gentleness, or kindness. His brothers’ abuse had not made him grow hardhearted. Queen Sora had won, in the long run, as it was her human, emotion-filled son who reigned supreme.
The Sun Pirates sailed to Wano Country on the Grand Line, to join the Straw Hat Grand Fleet. Jinbe had explained that they were there to help take down Emperor Kaidou, a man who experimented on and tortured people in the region. Sanji, who had explicit experience as being that type of victim, immediately wanted to help. He could kick and punch holes in solid rock from fourteen years of self-imposed training. The canister his sister had given him gave him a suit that made him physically more resilient and able to turn invisible. He could also fly. One of the alliance members, Trafalgar D. Water Law of the Heart Pirates, said that Sanji looked like Stealth Black from a North Blue comic called Sora, Warrior of the Sea. He loaned Sanji his collection, as they waited for the day of the Raid on Onigashima to commence. Sanji read the comic and was amazed to find that his entire family was a part of it. Germa 66 were the antagonists in the story and his mother, Sora, was the hero of the marines.
Sanji did not want to be a villain. He was nothing like his brothers or father. He decided to use the suit only to help in the raid before disposing of it. He ended up fighting a talking dinosaur named Queen, who was ecstatic to see Germa technology in action. It served to enforce Sanji’s resolve to be rid of the suit after he’d won.
But winning came at a cost, and the suit caused Sanji’s genetic modifications to finally activate. He now had the strength and fortitude that his brothers had, immune to most injuries and speed that allowed him to vanish from sight. He did not turn into a monster, though. His emotions remained intact.
The Fire Festival and celebration of victory that followed the defeat of Kaidou and his Beast Pirates rang long throughout Wano Country. During this time, Sanji received a messenger bird from Charlotte Pudding that Germa was still intact and inquired as to what to do with the Kingdom, as he was the King. He named Charlotte Pudding Viceroy and told her she could rule the kingdom in his stead, so long as it was in the name of help and kindness. Germa and the Vinsmoke name would be tied to evil no more.
As to what became of Sanji, he was introduced to the Straw Hat Pirates and their affectionate and infectious captain, Monkey D. Luffy by Jinbe. Luffy immediately recruited Sanji to the Straw Hat crew as their diplomat. Sanji protested, having little knowledge about courtly affairs as he was in a dungeon nearly his entire life, but Luffy insisted. Sanji was strong and kind of heart and that was the type of person Luffy wanted on his crew. And so Sanji accepted, along with Jinbe as the helmsman, and they officially became members of the Straw Hat Pirates. With his newfound friends and freedom, Sanji believed that one day he would achieve his dream and find the All Blue.
Sanji learned, with time, that the flutter or the inescapable desire that signaled love was not fiction. The little boy who grew up in an iron mask found that Fairy Tales did come true, with a gruff swordsman who had a protective heart and a caring hand. They married in a quiet ceremony beneath a sakura tree and vowed to be at each other’s side through all trials and tribulations, come what may.
They lived happily ever after.
The End