Sanji/Personality

Personality
One of Sanji's most easily noticeable characteristics is the kind, calm, cool, and collected manner in which he carries himself. He tends to speak in a very composed manner, even in dire situations, and rarely acts without thinking. His demeanor in a lot of ways can be compared to that of a secret agent. This is amplified by the fact that he tends to wear a suit, very often enjoys a smoke, and in the anime they tend to play smooth music with jazzy undertones when he speaks. He quite often makes comedic exceptions to this, such as when in the presence of beautiful women, or when angered by a crew member.

Like Zoro, he is more perceptive than he seems, and often tells people what they need to hear instead of what they want. Hence, he is seen as one of the more hardened members of the crew. For example, when the Straw Hats first meet Laboon and learn that the whale had been waiting for 50 years for a reunion with his crew, it is Sanji who immediately (and correctly) points out that Laboon's crew is most likely dead. Sanji does possess an optimistic and idealistic side. His dream is to find a sea which even other cooks consider mythical. Furthermore, even after the abuse he experienced from his family as a child, he held out hope that they may have changed for the better; however, this hope proves to be completely futile. However, he was more angry than surprised at the revelation, showing that he maintains a healthy sense of skepticism even at his most hopeful. Sanji also showed a high degree of faith in his fiancée, Charlotte Pudding, and was horrified and downcast when he discovered her true motive.

Like Franky (and unlike Zoro), Sanji is not afraid to show his emotions when the moment calls for it, and is entirely capable of crying or losing his temper, which results in Sanji's short fuse and subsequent beatings of most villains (and Luffy). In fact, a running gag has appeared since Sanji's fight with Jabra, during which he stated that when he gets angry, he "heats up". After this fight, when Sanji gets particularly angry at a villain, he appears to burst into flames. This occurs against both Absalom and Duval, though the latter example appears only in the anime. It is also seen when Luffy states he is friends with Boa Hancock, a beautiful woman, when she appears to prevent a Marine ship from sinking the Thousand Sunny.

Despite his hardened outlook on life, Sanji does not object to acting foolishly on certain occasions, like dancing with the more immature members of the crew (Luffy, Usopp, Chopper and Brook), or acting childishly excited in certain situations (like when they first visited Skypiea) and he was also the crewmember who enjoyed going to Fishman Island the most as he seen partying with mermaids. He is also one of those who believes that afros give power.

He has a habit of separating himself from everyone else and subsequently helping the crew survive, such as times like:


 * When Luffy, Usopp, and Carue were fighting Mr. 3, Miss Golden Week, Mr. 5, and Miss Valentine, Sanji got back to Going Merry and found Mr. 3's hide-out instead, fooling Crocodile to think he was Mr. 3.
 * When Mr. 2 Bon Kurei came on board the Going Merry, Sanji was not present, making him the only member left of the Straw Hat Pirates whose identity was not known to Crocodile.
 * When he and Usopp were going to save Nami from Enel, he took a detour first to destroy the inside of Enel's Ark.
 * In Water 7, he left the group after finding Nico Robin and was not seen until the Puffing Tom's departure.
 * When everyone else was fighting the two hundred captains at Enies Lobby, he went to close the Gates of Justice instead.
 * In Punk Hazard, he left the group of Straw Hat Pirates in order to save Tashigi from Vergo.
 * The most significant would be having to leave Zou to spare his crew from the Fire Tank Pirates while he has to confront his family.

He does admit that he is not perfect. He convinced Usopp to let him fight Jabra, because of their differences in abilities. He admitted that he was stronger than Usopp in terms of physical strength, that they both had things they could not do and things they could do and because of that, they can help each other. This inspired Usopp to realize he was the only one who could save Robin by use of marksmanship.

Sanji is also able to think one step ahead in most situations, making him extremely clever compared to his other crewmates. The first example is when dealing with Baroque Works he fooled Crocodile into thinking he was Mr. 3 and lying that he killed the Straw Hats which allowed the crew to be unhindered by the criminal organisation until they reached Alabasta. Later on when the rest of the crew was captured by the Shichibukai, Sanji (with the help of Chopper) outwitted him using a Den Den Mushi. This was very impressive as Crocodile was known for his scheming nature. Another example is when Nico Robin was captured by the CP9, he somehow knew (or was able to deduce) that the CP9 were going to take Robin to the station. He was seen at the station hiding before the CP9 even got there. When these events go as he planned, he has a habit of saying 'Bingo!'.

Sanji seems to enjoy relaxing with a cup of tea (his favorite drink) as seen when he entered Mr. 3's wax house and helped himself to Miss Golden Week's tea set. This habit came up again in Enies Lobby when Kalifa distracted Sanji by offering him tea; in another instance, Sanji angrily refused Bege when he was offered something to drink while trapped inside of Bege's body.



He is extremely amorous, constantly flirting with any attractive woman he sees, earning him the nickname "ero-cook". Even as a child, while working in Baratie, Sanji would become love struck with attractive female customers and end up making mistakes in the process much to Zeff's irritation. In fact, he claimed that Nami was 98.72% of the reason he joined Luffy's crew in the first place. Since, and a while after, this romantic nature is a hassle for the rest of the crew in times of crisis. Returning to Sabaody Archipelago after his two years on Momoiro Island, Sanji became even more perverted due to not having seen a woman in two years, making lewd faces when he so much as thought of beautiful women (primarily his crew mates, Nami and Robin) and acting strangely when he got close to 'real' women, causing others to question about his health. He's also known to show jealousy towards others when their luck with women appears better than his. An example of this being his reaction upon learning that Luffy spent his two years during the time skip on Amazon Lily and being very close to both Boa Hancock and the mermaid Shirahoshi, as well as his reaction to Momonosuke continuously being allowed to go places like the women's room that Sanji himself would be prohibited. He is also amorous toward females of different humanoid species such as mermaids and minks.

Despite his extremely perverted nature Sanji has some degree of self control, stemming from his loyalty to his crew, as shown despite being attracted to Pudding, he sternly refused to marry her, letting her down gently. Though he is capable of self control, Sanji can still allow his extreme lust to control him as despite knowing of Pudding's malicious nature and her intention to murder him, Sanji still finds himself deeply captivated by Pudding's beauty and seductive words and physically struggled with himself. However, when the moment called for it, he was stoic when Pudding tried several times to assassinate him, disregarding her feeble taunts and suggesting she was lying to herself.

Sanji is conscious of his romantic nature but feels no shame throwing himself at beautiful women. When forced to agree with the marriage with Pudding for the sake of his loved ones, he told himself to act like his old romantic-side "love cook" despite feeling the grief of being separated from his friends and the danger they were in.

Even if it kills me, I refuse to kick a woman!!!!



Because of the chivalrous lectures he received from Zeff, Sanji has sworn to never let women be insulted or injured while he can still stand, regardless of how attractive (or unattractive) they are, even in life-or-death situations. When he found Cosette brutally beaten to the point of unconsciousness, Sanji became absolutely furious and broke Niji's jaw when he saw him again despite the threats and warnings his family issued towards him; only when Ichiji reminded him did Sanji stop the assault. However, he is not quite above insulting some women himself if they prove to be evil or hurt his crew in anyway, like when he called Dr. Kureha "old hag" after she beat Luffy around and he called Kalifa "Witch" after being distracted by her and her tea when he needed to rescue Robin. He was also rude to his older sister Reiju but this was due to being forced back into the family and his arranged marriage as he actually bears no true hatred toward her specifically.

This is still often problematic in his fighting as he cannot attack female opponents as he would rather die than hurt them (though that does not mean he will not resort to blocking their attacks, and even pointed a gun at Nico Robin when her status as a Baroque Works Officer was revealed). He even went out of his way when he sensed Tashigi crying, simply to protect her from Vergo, despite her being a marine. He is shown to protective to women of all ages, whether they are old or young, such as when he protected Kureha from Kuromarimo's attack and stopped Usopp from harming Lil. All of this is due to Zeff teaching him the "ancient laws of the universe" that men should never hurt women. Because of his chivalry towards women, he refuses to carry a grudge against any of them no matter how they offended him, and even sees the deeper meanings of their actions, such as how Robin appears to betray the crew and how Viola deceived him and even violently beat him down. Even when he discovered Pudding's betrayal and how she cruelly mocked him behind his back, instead of feeling angry, Sanji only wept silently in the rain. Conversely, Sanji is very abrasive and insulting to many other males throughout the series.

Sanji considers himself handsome and charming, often comparing himself to a fairytale prince (fitting since he is actually a prince). This trait is rarely been noted by others, though there are times where ladies are interested in the cook, like after rescuing Cocoyasi Village from the Arlong Pirates a whole group of women gathered around him (anime) the female bounty hunters at Whiskey Peak and the female members of the Foxy Pirates also took an interest in him (but both of these times they merely fooling him, making him drop his guard) more recently the mermaids of Fishman Island were very captivated with the cook and played with him in the water causing Sanji to cry with happiness. At other times when Sanji is full of himself he tends to be brought sharply back to earth by the people around him (such as being called the "Prince of Dumb-ass Kingdom" by Zoro, prompting Sanji to attack him).

Sanji disliked fighting when he was a child, as shown when he attacked his older brother only because he took his cooking away from him. Though Sanji was trained in sword fighting, his father, Judge, had been furious over Sanji being normal and unable to defend himself stated he would be worthless in future battles. But after fleeing the Vinsmokes and swearing to become strong to a disbelieving Zeff, Sanji's attitude to combat changed drastically and now he loves to enter battles (especially if it's to protect his friends). When Luffy burst into Arlong Park, he chided Luffy, saying "save some for rest of us". Sanji often grins before his fights (seen with Pearl, Kuroobi and Mr 2). Sanji even mocked the powerful Enel after taking one of his lighting bolts point blank, thanking the god for "lighting" his cigarette before collapsing.

This cocky attitude to combat is shown further in Movie 10 when Sanji knocks out the giant tiger Toramata he says "nighty nighty kitty" these one liners and confident attitude towards fighting make him considered "cool" and "awesome" by the likes of Luffy, Usopp and Chopper. Sanji is sometimes too confident in his skills leading him to underestimate his opponents (as noted by Zoro in Jaya). This happened with Wanze with Sanji got his legs trapped in Wanze's Ramen Armour and later underestimated Vergo leading to the Vice Admiral breaking Sanji's shin bone, he also held back against his father and was shocked when Judge used a human shield to get an advantage.

As stated by Brook, Luffy, his mother and his sister, Sanji is extremely kind, having a strong sense of generosity and compassion ever since he was a child, feeding food to a rat and looking after a turtle though was brutally bullied by his brothers and punished by his father for doing so. Sanji's experiences with his family hardened him up greatly as shown when he pulled a knife out on his father and when he nearly killed Zeff for "food". It wasn't until Zeff sacrificed his leg to save him, that Sanji truly lightened up again and regain his merciful nature for the majority of the series. The greatest sign of Sanji's kindness was shown when he confessed to Luffy that despite the immense suffering the Vinsmoke Family has caused him, he refused to leave them behind to die and wanted to save them. During the chaos caused by his crew, Sanji did not hesitate to save Charlotte Pudding despite overhearing her intentions to kill him. This side of him is shown again as when his family were in danger, Sanji ran to their aid before he succeeded in saving them from being killed by the treacherous Big Mom Pirates, much to his family's mutual shock.

There are still times when Sanji is downright ruthless to his enemies. In his first appearance, he brutally beat Fullbody and dangled him from the neck with one hand for wasting food, this is similar to Zoro's intimidating introduction into the series and even threatened to kill Fullbody when he said he was going to report the restaurant to the marines. Sanji is especially brutal to the foes who attack or insult women, as he sent Kuroobi flying though Arlong Park when the latter insulted Nami, he reconstructed Wanze's face and kicked him through a door when the agent badmouthed Robin and viciously smashed Absalom into a solid stone wall due to his perverted actions towards Nami (and also for stealing his dream of invisibility). When his despicable older brother Niji threw a plate at Cosette's face, Sanji caught it inches from her face and was furious, and became outraged when Niji brutally beat up Cosette and upon seeing Niji again he kicked his brother's face in, forcing Niji to fix his jaw with his hands.

One of Sanji's most prominent characteristics is a strong respect toward food and the preparation of food in the kitchen. Since food and sustenance play a crucial role in maintaining life, he strongly believes that a chef's work must be treated as though it were sacred. This respect stems from Sanji taking after his mother and practice cooking (but for rats), causing outrage from Judge who would throw away the food Sanji made, causing Sanji to cry. Prior to being stranded on the rock with Zeff nine years before his introduction, Sanji thought food was dispensable, and would toss out any that had gone bad. In fact, he was disgusted by how his fellow chefs would eat leftovers from customers, disregarding their lecture on the importance of conserving food on sea-based voyages. However, after nearly starving to death on the rock, he came to regret his maltreatment to food, especially after finding out that Zeff has sacrificed his own leg as emergency rations to give Sanji all the remaining food. As a result, he has a strong tendency to become hostile towards those who waste food or regard it in any way that is less than his respect for it. Thus, he has a habit of beating up anyone who steals food from the fridge (mainly Luffy). When Niji wasted his food by trying to throw it at Cosette, Sanji unhesitatingly ate it off the floor claiming it was delicious, causing the female cook to cry in happiness and Niji to become disgusted.

It has been dictated on many occasions that Sanji puts the quality of food before everything that is not vital, even his instant infatuation with any woman he sees. A strong example of this was shown in the anime-only G8 Arc, where he snapped out of an infatuation with Jessica after she questioned his culinary skills, and demonstrated his superiority (but when she recognized his skills and told him he was welcome in the kitchen, his infatuation returned). This is precisely why Sanji, in his first appearance, proceeded to beat Fullbody. He also is shown to fully believe that anyone who wishes for food should be given food, be it a customer or a criminal, such as giving the starving Gin food despite the other chefs refusing to serve him.

During his time on Momoiro Island, Sanji showed his resentment to putting on a dress and losing his manhood. He bluntly declared to Ivankov that he is a man among men who was born to love the ladies and not to be friends with them. To this end, Sanji resisted becoming an okama for two long years.

Since at a young age, Sanji has a habit of saying "shit" or "shitty" when describing something. While the Japanese word for feces, "kuso", is not specifically an expletive, Sanji's manner of speech makes the term sound brash. For example, he might call a person he especially does not like a "shitty bastard" or something along those lines (such as his personal nickname for Zeff, "shitty geezer"), but he also described something pleasant to him, like being alone with Nami, as "shitty fantastic" and "the shitty best". In the FUNimation dub, this habit is downplayed to swearing that is less offensive.

Being one of the strongest members of the crew and being part of the "Monster Trio" Sanji is naturally fearless, fighting armies and god-like opponents with barely a concerned look. Sanji showed no fear to undead denizens of Thriller Bark and didn't hesitate to fight a Shichibukai in mid air when his crew was threatened and even fired at a Yonko's ship despite all the risks. Sanji, while very brave is not completely without fear, as he was terrified of the Okama that fought and chased him for two years. Sanji also becomes nervous whenever Nami is absent and fears for her safety (the same goes for Robin) and Sanji will be fearful when other crewmates are indirect danger of losing their lives as seen with Kuma. He also suffered post traumatic stress disorder from his childhood abuse at the hands of his brothers as shown despite having become immensely stronger physically and mentally he still trembled when Ichiji and Niji arrived in the Germa Kingdom. He also became terrified for Zeff's safety when Judge black mailed Sanji with threatening Zeff's life, and thus allowed Niji to strike him down when his older brother threatened the old cook.

Sanji (along with Nami) appears to have some fear or aversion to insects and he especially hates spiders, showing he may have arachnophobia. During the crew's search for the South Bird, he continually backed away from the various insects in the forest to the point he was afraid to touch them.

Sanji is shown to sometimes act like a jerk to anyone who is not a romantic interest. Unlike Nami and Robin and other attractive women, Sanji will not lend his chivalrous assistance to his fellow male crewmates when they ask for it on the ship and will even react rudely to their cries for help, but this is rarely the case. He was more willing to assist them as they were chased by a Pacifista, thinking they'll die if he did not aid them. Due to his kindness, Sanji will even save people that he has no obligation to help such as Gin, Kinemon, and the kids from Punk Hazard (though this more due to Nami wanting to save them). Sanji even saved his enemies e.g when he saved Tashigi and the G-8 Marines from Vergo and Caesar's gas and later, Sanji saved a entire race when the Mink Tribe was poisoned, ordering Caesar to neutralize his own gas weapon.

Sanji will often get so caught up in what he calls a "hurricane of love" that he becomes downright delusional, similar to Boa Hancock to Luffy he often imagines himself bursting in on horse to save Nami or Robin. This even extends to Zoro as he sees the swordsmen's head as a huge "marimo" (ball of moss). And in the Davy Back Fight filler when Foxy said if they lost, he'd own the crew's children and the generations that come after, Sanji imagined his "daughter" (who looked like Nami), making Sanji happy. It's possible some of Sanji's imagination helps ease the trauma of what he's facing (like Usopp) since when he first landed in the Kamabakka Kingdom, he imagined the hideous Tibany as a beautiful woman only for reality to catch up with him. Sanji's disillusions rarely happen in dangerous situations and Sanji will keep a serious attitude.

At Water 7, he went overboard by not only leaving Nami a confidential letter, but defeating its purpose by writing Nami a very obvious message for her and only her at the Blue Station when he went off to sneak onto the Puffing Tom, which said that whoever else read it were all idiots, managing to annoy Nami once she spotted it.

Sanji is usually modest about his culinary skills, though he strongly dislikes his meals being criticized (especially by Zeff) and he tends to refer himself as a first class chef. During the anime-only events in Logue Town, Sanji at first refused to go in the cooking competition saying he doesn't enjoy cooking competitions, but changed his mind when he found out about Elephant Tuna Fish. Sanji even claimed to Tamago that crew is likely suffering without his meals, causing Tamago to scoff at his arrogance (but Sanji was right about the crew). Sanji has a very different attitude towards fighting or hunting competitions, he loves to prove his strength as seen in the Davy Back Fight and especially loves matching up to Zoro (who likewise wants to beat Sanji).

Whenever he prepares a meal or a drink for his female crewmates, he dislikes it when his male crewmates start griping for not receiving any other food from him and then bickers at them to make their own food or tells them they were undeserving. If they try to sneak food, he is also quick to punish them, especially Luffy, with whom he has gone to great lengths to protect the fridge from being raided on the ship.

Because of his own brutal childhood, Sanji sympathizes with anyone who keeps their past hidden. This can be seen with Nami, Robin, Chopper, Viola, and even Kin'emon. When Sanji's own past is brought up by his friends, he has a tendency to try and shrug it off. However, when Bege finally revealed his infamous heritage, he said he never intended to keep his past hidden from his crew, and that he must deal with his problems alone.

Due to being locked up and punished by his own father, Sanji has a morbid attitude towards anyone whose been enslaved or locked up. When the crew witnessed a slave bite his own tongue off at the Human Auction House, Nami wondered what just happened and Sanji stated that compared to living life as wretched "property" of an another person, dying might have been the right choice. This belief also led Sanji to call in the Flying Fish Riders after Keimi was kidnapped, as he knew their previous experience with the Human Auctioning business was necessary to locate Keimi in time before she could become a slave herself.

Sanji's loyalty to those dear to him has their priorities, and he is willing to turn cold towards comrades for the sake of those who are in more danger. Such is when he knew that his father figure, Zeff, is being threatened with death if he is disobedient, Sanji would put up an act of bigoted cruelty towards the Straw Hat Pirates to sever ties with them, in order to protect Zeff, and hoping to chase away the crew from hopelessly chasing after him any further.

This ploy was tragically successful as Nami was heartbroken and angry at his supposed change and slapped him for his words. However, Luffy refused to believe Sanji of all people would abandon their crew after all their adventures and proclaimed he will not leave until Sanji returns, as Luffy could tell Sanji's words were forced and fake, and that he felt pain himself for kicking Luffy. In response, Sanji broke down in tears as he recalled his time with the crew. Later, he bargained with Big Mom to spare the Straw Hats' lives in exchange for his cooperation in the political wedding, showing he is fully willing to commit in giving up his freedom with his friends in exchange for their safety.

Like Zoro, Sanji strongly believes in loyalty, and after being forced to fight his captain, he claimed that he had lost the right to return to the crew, but Luffy convinced him to return by saying he would help Sanji save his family from Big Mom. Sanji still felt humbled and said he could not face the crew yet, especially Nami.

Crew
Sanji first met the crew after Luffy accidentally attacked the Baratie. His first impression was that they were a "noisy bunch", but catching a glimpse of Nami caused Sanji to swoop over. It took a while for Sanji to fully understand and like the crew, since he thought Luffy and Zoro were crazy for risking their lives for their dreams, when they respectively fought Krieg and Mihawk; however, seeing their determination and recalling his own dream of finding the fabled All Blue, Sanji is inspired to pursue his own dream. After joining the crew, Sanji would often butt heads with Zoro and argue with Usopp, as well as seeking out Nami's company, but after fighting together at Arlong Park, he warms up to the whole crew (including Zoro, to an extent), making huge feasts for them and taking pleasure at their happiness. Just before the entered the Grand Line, it was Sanji who proposed a launching party, during which all of the members who joined in East Blue declared their commitment to achieve their dreams.

Sanji often states that he only cares about the women of the crew, but this is far from true. Sanji cares for all his friends, and between his heroic rescue at Rain Dinners and by closing the Gates of Justice at Enies Lobby, it can be said Sanji has saved the entire crew on numerous occasions. When Sanji was unable to protect his crew from Kuma, Sanji became distraught and charged at the Shichibukai, despite Usopp trying to hold him back. When given a difficult challenge by Ivankov, Sanji said he'd go through (his idea of) "hell" for his crew, and accepted the challenge. He has also risked his life for the crew on multiple occasions, whether it be by taking lighting blasts from Enel, or stopping Doflamingo from reaching the crew. Even after meeting his beautiful arranged fiancee, Charlotte Pudding, he turns her down and chooses to return to his friends. After Pudding tells the crew that Sanji turned her down for them, they are shocked to the core that Sanji would turn down a woman, let alone such a beautiful and (seemingly) kindhearted one; Luffy is so moved by Sanji's loyalty that he even cries. While fighting his father, the latter questioned if Sanji would really sacrifice his own family to which Sanji stated he didn't care what harm came upon them as he only came to protect his crew. It can be said that Sanji sees his crew as the real family he never had growing up. Sanji's care for his crew  even enters his subconscious thought, as when he was preparing a bento box for Pudding, he realized he put all their favorite foods in the meal.

However, with explosive shackles placed on his hands, Zeff's life being held hostage by the Germa Kingdom and his crewmates threatened by Big Mom Pirates. Sanji reluctantly decided to sever his ties with the Straw Hat Pirates, speaking cruelly and insultingly to Luffy and Nami in the hopes to chase them away, to the point of pretending he arrogantly forgot Luffy's name. To further his goal of stopping the crew from pursuing him, Sanji continued on with his words and violently attacked Luffy, but was driven to tears afterwards. Sanji also made sure the crew would survive Whole Cake Island agreeing to Big Mom to marry Pudding so long as the crew were safe, until he realized the entire marriage is a sham to kill him and his family, and that Big Mom never intended to spare the Straw Hats.

After Sanji realized his misgivings, he rushed off with the bento box to find his captain. After arguing with Luffy, Sanji finally wept and admitted that he wanted to return to the Thousand Sunny. He also said to Luffy that he could not abandon his family, so Luffy told Sanji that they would destroy the wedding together. Sanji was very reluctant to face the crew again but were overjoyed to hear them though Brûlée's mirror shard.

Monkey D. Luffy
What have I done? I've entered the fray on behalf of that fool of a captain. But hey, compared to a bunch of woman-hating crap-pirates... ...he's not so bad!!

Sanji developed an initial bond with Luffy in that they both had dreams that were deemed foolish: Luffy was often not taken seriously for wanting to be the Pirate King, and Sanji was often told that All Blue didn't exist. However, they both had mentors who made great sacrifices for them (Shanks gave up his left arm to save Luffy, and Zeff gave up his right leg for Sanji), and ultimately gave them the motivation to believe that they could achieve their dream. Sanji respects Luffy as a captain, but often gets angry at him for eating too much, showing disrespect for the aesthetics of cooking, or stealing food rations in which he often put a giant mouse trap near the refrigerator or locks it. Along with Nami, Sanji is the crew member who beats up Luffy the most often. He also dislikes Luffy's imitations of him, although this may also be because of their inappropriate timing, rather than the imitations themselves. However, he does care for Luffy, and, as the best swimmer on the crew, he is shown dragging his captain out of the water more often than any of the other crew members. He understands Luffy's personality to the point that he rarely shows shock or surprise at Luffy's outrageous actions and decisions. In fact, he is often one of the people to assure the rest of the crew or other people that Luffy knows what he is doing. In Thriller Bark, Sanji volunteered to give his life in exchange for Luffy's, but was stopped by Zoro. When Bege stated the crew would fall under Big Mom's wing via Sanji marriage to Pudding, Sanji ferociously rejected the idea, saying that Luffy would never bow to anyone else and even boldly stating like Zoro before him that "Luffy will become the Pirate King", angering Bege.

Sanji often says he chose an "idiot" for a captain, but conversely states that Luffy is far better than most pirates. Luffy quite often asks him to cook an animal that he's defeated, and Sanji rarely objects. He recently gains envy of Luffy after finding out that Luffy landed on Amazon Lily while he was in 'hell'. Sanji and Luffy have a great trust in each other as seen most recently when Luffy trusted Sanji to fight off Big Mom and travel all the way to Zou while protecting Caesar, Momonosuke and the rest of the crew from all danger. Sanji succeeded and Luffy was confident Sanji could look after himself even when the cook was missing from Zou, but Luffy became concerned when he learnt that Sanji had gotten entangled in a Yonko's political plans, and decided to go retrieve him from his "wedding" to Pudding. When Luffy heard from Pudding, that Sanji had turned her down (despite her being kind, beautiful and a cook) so he could return to his crew, Luffy was so grateful he cried and became more determined to save him. When Charlotte Cracker told Luffy that Sanji would most likely be happy with the Charlotte Family and turn away from the Straw Hats, Luffy angrily attacked him telling him not to put words in Sanji's mouth.

When Sanji actually said what Cracker said to Luffy, directly, after violently kicking Luffy off the Cat Carriage, and then telling him to begone, Luffy immediately expressed his doubt over Sanji's words as being sincere. Luffy then opted to not defend himself or run away when Sanji proceeded to beat him without mercy, and after being defeated, Luffy brings Sanji to tears when he expresses that he will still not turn his back on him. Furthermore, Luffy feels strongly enough about Sanji's defection that he refuses to move or eat until Sanji returns and cooks for him, preferring to die rather than continue without him. Luffy refused to leave his waiting spot and true to his own words refused to eat or drink contrary to his extremely gluttonous nature and fought a majority of Big Mom's crew in a hungry and exhausted state as he waited for Sanji. Even while seriously wounded, Luffy stubbornly refused to move and had be knocked out by a Big Mom Pirate and taken captive. Sanji later requested that Big Mom spare Luffy's life by agreeing to marry Pudding something that Big Mom allowed much to Sanji's relief, until he learned of Pudding and Linlin's true intentions.

Sanji could not forgo his care for his captain, as when Bobbin tried to eat the Meat (meant for Luffy) from Sanji's Bento box, Sanji became enraged and kicked down the pirate, inadvertently risking Zeff's life in process. This worth noting as Sanji almost never denies anybody food, but cared more for his starving captain than keeping his deal with the Big Mom Pirates. Sanji traveled through Sweet City and soon found his captain at the spot that he promised to meet with him which brought a smile to his face. Sanji then gave Luffy the bento box he made (despite it being ruined in his journey), relieving Luffy of his hunger. Afterwards, Sanji gave his reasons as to why he could not return to the crew and was punched in the face by Luffy, who told him to admit the truth and Sanji told him that while he is conflicted over wanting to save his family despite their cruel treatment, he nonetheless wanted to return to the crew and Luffy complimented that Sanji is truly kindhearted and he will help him ruin the wedding ceremony.

Roronoa Zoro


Though they can behave casually and calmly towards each other, Sanji very frequently gets into physical and verbal fights with Zoro (who he refers to as "marimo" or "mosshead" because of his green hair); in turn, he is nicknamed "shitty cook", "ero-cook" and "Prince of Dumbass Kingdom" (among other things) by Zoro. During the Little Garden Arc, Sanji and Zoro unknowingly took on the same challenge of dinosaur meat hunting that the two legendary giants, Dorry and Brogy, started 100 years ago. Despite their rivalry, however, the two respect each other's abilities; after Wanda accidentally implied that the minks had killed the Curly Hat Pirates, it is Zoro who calms the others down by reminding them that Sanji was with them, and that he would not have let half of the crew get killed.

Although he spends a lot of time arguing or competing with Zoro, Sanji is not beneath siding with Zoro on those rare occasions where Zoro has seen the bigger picture more than everyone else (e.g. on their preference for death rather than dishonor during the Davy Back Fight, and on Usopp rejoining the crew). He also tried to stop Zoro from sacrificing himself to Kuma to save everyone else by offering his life instead, although the swordsman knocked him out first before he could do so. After waking up to find Zoro missing, he showed great concern at what may have happened to him, and was the first to find Zoro in the aftermath of Kuma's attack. Furthermore, although their rivalry sometimes impedes their effectiveness during battle, once the two agree to work together, they become a near-unstoppable force, as they instantly turned the tables on the Groggy Monsters and defeated a Pacifista with ease.

Sanji seems to understand Zoro on a personal level as well: when the Risky Brothers were going to tell the crew of Zoro's sacrifice, he told them not to do so on the basis that he knew Zoro would not sell his life for gratitude. This insight into Zoro's character was actually attained before he even joined the crew, as he witnessed Zoro's defeat against Dracule Mihawk. He recalled Zoro telling him earlier that day that his ambition to be the greatest swordsman meant that he threw away all attachment to his own life, as he was perplexed that Zoro didn't abandon his ambition in the face of almost certain death. He also demonstrates this during his adventures with the G-5 Marines on Punk Hazard, as they seem to be under the impression that Zoro is ruthless and would cut down anything. He assures them that Zoro does indeed have a soft side, and that Tashigi should be just fine with him there, stating that he is the kind of person who gets the job done.

Because of their mutual respect for, and dependence upon, each other's strength, Zoro initially refused to forgive Sanji for leaving the crew on Zou and allowing himself to get dragged into the affairs of one of the Yonko. He also acted like he didn't care what happened to Sanji, but Luffy caught him listening to Pekoms as the mink explained Sanji's predicament with Big Mom and his family; this caused Luffy to assume (correctly) that the swordsman was in fact worried about Sanji (although Zoro threatened to kick Luffy's ass for suggesting it). Zoro ultimately agrees to Luffy's Sanji retrieval mission, and to lead the other half of the Straw Hats to Wano in Luffy's absence. Zoro was also the first Straw Hat to state the possibility of Sanji becoming love-struck and go through with the marriage (he was partially correct on one fact) but was proven wrong.

Nami


Sanji was head over heels in love with Nami from the moment he saw her in the Baratie, and his infatuation for the navigator hasn't wavered once during his whole time spent travelling with her (despite meeting other beautiful women on their voyage). Nami, on her part, was pleased she was getting special attention, leading her to manipulate the cook numerous times. Sanji appears to be well aware of this manipulation, but is happy to continue being constantly manipulated; in fact, he claimed that Nami was 98.72% of the reason he joined Luffy's crew in the first place. Sanji does occasionally get on Nami's nerves, such as when he makes a declaration of love during serious moments. Sanji will sometimes anger Nami and she doesn't hesitate to beat him up (though he doesn't seem to mind). This most notably shown Trafalgar Law used his Devil Fruit powers to switch Sanji into Nami's body; Sanji's perverted delight at being in her body caused Nami to freak out and become furious with him. When they switched back, she punched Sanji for changing her coat (a misunderstanding caused by her assuming that he had stripped to see her body), despite him taking great care of her body while she let his get damaged. Sanji hates treating Nami roughly in any manner and is always gentle with her, this is another reason why Sanji fights with Zoro as the Swordsman is prone to shoving Nami roughly out of peril. However, if she is immediate danger, Sanji will throw Nami out harm's way as well, as seen when she and the others were trapped inside Capone Bege.

Sanji will not tolerate Nami being insulted or harmed in any way, like when Kuroobi bad mouthed her causing Sanji to send the fishman flying. Her safety is a frequent cause of his own injuries, such as on Drum Island when Nami was gravely ill, and Sanji joined Luffy in taking her to the doctor's and got his spine cracked as a result of the avalanche caused by the Lapahns. In Skypeia when Sanji went aboard the Ark Maxim with Usopp to save her from Enel only to be blasted by the God for his heroics, and on Thiller Bark when Nami was kidnapped by Absalom to become his bride, Sanji went alone to rescue her and got knifed in the shoulder while protecting her. Sanji was also angry at Jinbe when he admitted he was the one who let Arlong loose on East Blue, which resulted in Nami's experiences under Arlong's reign, and it was only due to Jinbe's friendship with Luffy that he gave Jinbe a chance to explain himself; however, even after listening to Jinbe's story, he still could not forgive him for what Nami went through suggested that if Jinbe wished to atone, he should cut open his own belly (he only relented after Nami defended Jinbe). Sanji trusts Nami very much and not just by her navigator skills, Nami was the one who Sanji entrusted the letter to Luffy to and directly apologized for keeping secrets from her and the crew.

Despite her occasional annoyance at his antics, Nami has a lot of affection for Sanji in return (although she does not always show it). She considers him very dependable, and will often hide behind him when there are enemies nearby. When she heard that he was going up against CP9 on the sea train, she expressed concern for his safety, and even fought Kalifa for him when he refused to fight the assassin. On Zou, Nami was distraught after Sanji taken by the Big Mom Pirates, and she accompanied Luffy to see Pekoms so she could learn as much as possible about Sanji's family (which led her to discover, much to her disbelief, that Sanji was closely connected with Germa 66). She also demanded that Luffy allow her to accompany him to retrieve Sanji, saying that she felt partially responsible for what had happened to him. While facing problems in the Seducing Woods, when it appeared they had found Sanji who was running away from them, Nami stated it couldn't be him as he would never put his friends be in danger.

Nami is one of the four Straw Hats (along with Luffy, Chopper and Brook) to have met members of Sanji's family. She was very surprised to learn that Sanji had a younger brother but stated that, save for his attraction to her, the latter had nothing in common with Sanji due to his selfish nature. Nami was even more surprised to meet Sanji's elder sister and learn the history of his family. When meeting Sanji's arranged fiancé, she was shocked that Sanji turned down the kind and attractive woman to return to the crew.

When Nami saw Sanji again, she was overjoyed confessing she had been worried she never see him again but her excitement was short-lived as Sanji (reluctantly) tried to get them to leave Whole Cake Island by kicking Luffy away and acted as if he embraced his royal heritage. Nami was speechless and heart broken at Sanji's supposed change in personality as he went on to insult them because of their peasant status.



Nami was shocked to see Sanji attack a non-retaliating Luffy while insulting the crew and their dreams, and was even scared when he gave her a vicious glare to silence her (something he never did before). After the confrontation, a tearful Nami approached Sanji and slapped him across the face while not using her usual "-kun" honorific for him, signifying a loss of respect. She angrily and sarcastically bid him farewell on his journey while Sanji is unable to look her in the eye, instead simply walking away after the strike to his cheek. As Sanji rode away in the carriage, Nami cried in earnest and even attempted to get Luffy to abandon trying to rescue Sanji. When Nami was captured by Big Mom's forces, Sanji believed he saved her life by agreeing to marry Pudding.

After coming to understand the situation, Nami was deeply saddened by Sanji's troubles and once again becomes determined to rescue him and bring him back to the crew at all costs. While she does tell him that she'll never forgive him for the despair he put her through, she's willing to put that aside for the sake of rescuing him. While taking the never forgiving part as a pierce to the heart, Sanji then mistook her claim of putting it aside as a marriage proposal, and returned to his love-struck personality with her.

Despite her promise of never forgiving him, she expressed a smile at him when he saved her from hitting the ground after his sister freed her from Smoothie's grasp.

Usopp
While he argued with Usopp on their first meeting Sanji soon became good friends with Usopp is often seen hanging out and/or partying with him. Despite this, he occasionally beats him and Luffy up when they do something immature, like eat too much food or goof off in serious situations. Usopp also declares that Sanji is his "bodyguard" and clings onto the cook in dangerous situations Sanji always shrugs him off, saying he is only Nami's bodyguard. Though acts like he doesn't care about Usopp, Sanji tried desperately to stop Usopp from leaving the crew, and didn't hesitate to attack Luffy to prevent him from telling Usopp to leave the crew, proving his commitment to his friends and the crew. Usopp finds Sanji's girl crazy attitude annoying at times especially when they are in direct danger, berating Sanji on his "one track mind". During the Skypeia Arc, he doesn't hesitate to tell Usopp that he's OK with him dying if it meant that they could save Nami; however, just as Usopp was about to take a potentially fatal attack from Enel, Sanji kicks him out the way so that he can escape with Nami, and takes the attack himself. Furthermore, during the Enies Lobby Arc, it is Sanji's advice that helps Usopp realize his value to the crew, after Usopp had left the crew under the false belief that he was weaker and more useless compared to everyone else on the crew. Sanji also understood Usopp's frustration wanting to help Robin but not able to face the crew and accepted the crazy "Sogeking" disguise despite Franky being confused. When Sanji cried in happiness at Mermaid Cove Usopp was shocked and asked Sanji what happened to him over the two years. In the Zou Arc, after hearing Zoro's comment, Usopp (knowing Sanji) was worried Sanji would go "lovey dovey" and okay the marriage with Pudding, but this fortunately turned out not to come true.

Tony Tony Chopper
Sanji originally wanted to cook Chopper, and continues to refer to him as their "emergency food supply" to tease him. However, he does consider Chopper a good friend, and will give him or Usopp advice when they need it. Sanji, along with Luffy and Nami, was the first in the crew to treat Chopper with any kindness, like when he heard about Chopper's past being rejected as monster. When the reindeer asked him what Luffy was, Sanji replied that he was a "Monster" smiling. An ongoing theme of Chopper's personality has been that his age and sometimes childish nature allow for him to be more susceptible to advice from the crew. A lot of this advice has come in the form of what it takes to be a real man, and to this end, Sanji has taught Chopper quite a few lessons. Before the real reason as to Robin's betrayal is revealed, he tells Chopper that when a woman lies, a real man forgives her. Upon Usopp's defeat in his fight with Luffy, he taught Chopper not to stomp on a man's pride and resolution by showing him pity in the face of defeat.

At the same time however, Sanji is very understanding of Chopper's childish nature and will appease it when he feels necessary. For example, he agreed to help him warn Usopp about Aqua Laguna despite Usopp leaving the crew, as he saw how much Chopper was worried about Usopp. Furthermore, he played along with Usopp's Sogeking persona, knowing that Chopper fully believed in Sogeking, whereas he'd worry greatly about Usopp.

Chopper also finds Sanji's strength and fighting power "awesome", especially Sanji's burning rage aura (which beheld Chopper in awe) and Chopper was even happy to be in Sanji's body in Punk Hazard. Sanji treats Chopper the best out of all the males of the crew, rarely hurting him in any way and even shows concern whenever Chopper hurts himself while being clumsy. Chopper is same towards the cook, hiding behind Sanji's leg when he is scared leading Sanji to pat his head affectionately.

During the Zou Arc, Chopper (along with Nami and Brook) was absolutely distraught over Sanji's departure with the Big Mom Pirates, and decided to accompany Luffy to retrieve Sanji from Whole Cake Island. Chopper was so hopeful about seeing Sanji again that he initially mistook Sanji's malicious younger brother for him. Chopper was also the Straw Hat most amazed at noticing that Sanji's curly eyebrows were common to all the Vinsmoke children. Along with the others, Chopper was very surprised that Sanji turned down Pudding to stay with the crew. During Big Mom's Tea Party, Chopper assisted Sanji in rescuing his family from Big Mom's clutches.

Nico Robin
Sanji's first meeting with Robin was surprisingly hostile, as he pointed a gun at her head (due to Robin being a threat to the crew at the time), but when he got a better look at her Sanji became love struck. Sanji along with Luffy, were the only ones that welcomed Robin into the crew. Sanji treats Robin in much the same way he treats Nami, though while Nami treats his advances with anger and manipulation, Robin is polite and calm towards the cook. Sanji knows that Robin can actually take care of herself and as such doesn't worry as much about her safety while fighting foes as he does with Nami. Sanji also will ask Robin for her advice and wisdom when dealing with a problem, Sanji even called Robin his "friend" to Wanze contrary to further claims that he was "born into this world to love women not be friends with them" to Ivankov. Sanji will also not stand Robin being insulted, brutally defeating Wanze and Jabra when they did so. During the battle against Oars in the anime, while the crew attempted the "docking" technique where they all combine, similar to a "Mecha Robot", Sanji realized if Robin performed the "docking", he could possibly see up her skirt. While thinking this, Robin shot him a sharp deadly look. Sanji (like he does with Nami) gets blinded by his affection for Robin as such forgets the dangers around him like when he spotted Robin on Fishman Island and jump towards her only to be accidentally punched by both Luffy and Jinbe. When Sanji heard about Robin's past and how CP9 "used" her, Sanji called them "sick" and Sanji's advice to Usopp motivated him to save her from entering the Gates of Justice by using his sniper skills, thus ultimately saving Robin. Robin has also heard of the Vinsmokes but never thought Sanji would be connected to them.

Franky
When they first met on the Sea Train bound for Enies Lobby, Sanji kicked Franky in the face for what he did to Usopp, before learning how much the situation had changed since then. After Franky joins the crew, Sanji shows respect to Franky for his shipwright and engineering skills as Franky made him a great kitchen and dining room, though he gets irritated by Franky's habit of crying excessively after hearing sad stories. Sanji (in the anime) is shown to be slightly jealous of how close Franky is to Robin. Sanji was actually quite hypocritical towards Franky calling him pervert for not wearing pants but Franky took it as a compliment. Franky, like Zoro will call Sanji "curly brow cook" but he's more saying it as a nickname rather than insulting Sanji. Franky was also disapproving of Sanji caring more for what happened to Nami than Usopp and Chopper's safety on Thriller Bark. Franky acknowledges that Sanji's strength is greater than his own, claiming that Sanji was one of "the strongest guys on the crew".

Brook
Sanji was one of the first members of the crew to meet Brook. He was shocked to see a walking and talking skeleton, and questioned Brook on how he came to be. Sanji couldn't understand why Brook seemed so constantly upbeat, telling the skeleton that his life was depressing, but the skeleton laughed him off. After Sanji learns about Brook's connection with Laboon, Sanji joined the rest of the crew in supporting Luffy's decision to recruit him into the crew. Sanji still gets irritated at Brook's immature character traits, including his burping and farting during dinner, and by his lame 'skull jokes'. He also once threatened to attack Brook when the latter laughed at the resemblance between Duval and Sanji's first, hand-drawn wanted poster.

However, Sanji has a lot of similarities to the un-dead musician. Both of them wear suits and act like gentleman and fawn over Nami and Robin, making them the "pervert duo" of the Straw Hats. While they do fight over Nami and Robin's affection, the cook and the skeleton are good friends and were both (along with Kin'emon) very jealous of Momonosuke's "special attention" from the ladies. Brook looks up to Sanji and was in awe when the cook battled Doflamingo and was even prepared to aid him when Sanji was in trouble, but Sanji instead trusted Brook to look after Momonosuke, Nami, and Chopper. Brook was very depressed over the outcome of events in Zou, and insisted on joining Luffy in the Sanji Retrieval Team as he felt responsible for Sanji's capture. Like Robin, Brook was aware of the Vinsmokes and never thought Sanji would be connected to such an infamous family. Along with the others, Brook showed great surprise that Sanji turned down Pudding.

Sanji appears to have a lot of trust on Brook's strength as he once entrusted Nami's safety to the skeleton while he went on to explore Claw City. Brook was also the only crewmate Sanji asked to accompany him when he had to deal with Pekoms and Capone Bege. Brook on his part has high respect and understanding of Sanji as person saying to Big Mom, that Sanji would give up his happiness, to make sure the crew would surive and he would respect Sanji's choice and make sure that he wouldn't feel guilty if Luffy failed to return the cook to the crew. Brook was incredibly happy to hear Sanji again though the mirror shard, but also yelling insults at him like Chopper and Carrot.

On a more humorous note, Brook was very jealous of Sanji after meeting Charlotte Pudding, Sanji's arranged bride and was smitten by Sanji's older sister.

Family
Spoiled brats who don't appreciate a warm meal... Men who dare raise their hands against a woman... Royals who treat the lives of their subordinates as nothing more than expendable pawns... Everything you do... Everything you stand for... Goes completely against every fiber in my body!!

Sanji has an immensely strained relationship with his family, the Vinsmoke Family, and has been estranged from them since he was 8. Their royal pride and singular focus on strength and warfare conflict with his own dream and his chosen profession as a chef. His brothers used to brutally bully him because of "weakness" and his childhood tendency to cook for others, and they followed their father's example in calling Sanji a disgrace to the family name. At the age of 8, after being imprisoned by his father for 6 months, he chose to flee the Germa Kingdom despite being told that he would never survive alone on the high seas, indicating that he preferred to risk death rather than remaining with his family. After learning of his arranged wedding, Sanji resolved to return to the Germa Kingdom, in part, because he held out hope that his family may have changed or improved since he last saw them; however, these hopes were in vain as Sanji remarked that they have only gotten worse over the years.

Despite his issues with his father and brothers, Sanji loved his deceased mother, so much so that he tried to carry on her legacy of caring for the weak. He also cares greatly for his elder sister Reiju, who was the only other person to show him kindness and the one who helped him to escape as a child. Even after a decade of estrangement, when Sanji returned with a vast improvement in physical strength, Reiju remains the only living member of their family to acknowledge him in a positive way.

Due to both conflicting ideals and being disinherited, Sanji shows complete disinterest in the Vinsmoke Family's political affairs. Even as a child, he chose exile on the high seas over remaining a prince in the kingdom. As an adult, he considers the family's actions (and their pride in those actions) to be "insane". Later, as the rest of the family conversed about their political and military standpoints, Sanji simply ate quietly. While he was deeply affected in his childhood by being considered the family failure, his time away from them has helped him to see them more objectively. During the same meal, when his brother Niji told him that he brought shame to their family name, Sanji declared that being affiliated with it brought shame to him. He also confided to Pudding that, despite it giving him royal status, he had never once felt any joy in being born a Vinsmoke.

Sanji has only once identified as a member of the family. However, it was merely an act put on in response to the pressures imposed on him by his family, including their holding his father figure hostage, and to prevent harm coming to Luffy and Nami. The whole incident caused Sanji great distress, and while it satisfied his father, his brothers resumed tormenting him immediately after seeing his anguish at speaking down to his crew.

After learning of Big Mom's assassination plot against his family, Sanji confided to his sister that, while he hates the rest of their family for all the pain and suffering they put him through, he does not want her to die, leaving her touched. In a later talk with Luffy, Sanji stated that, while he feels no obligation to save his family from their fate, he did not have it in him to leave them to die at Big Mom's hand and wanted to find a way to save them. During the Tea Party, the Big Mom Pirates showed their treachery and prepared to execute his family while Sanji went out of his way to rescue them which he was able to do. The family was very shocked by the lengths Sanji would go through to save them especially Reiju and Judge.

After learning of Sanji's reasons for saving them, which was to overcome his childhood grudge for Zeff's sake, the Vinsmoke Family decided to clear their debt to Sanji by fighting off the Big Mom Pirates to give his friends and allies an opening to escape.

Vinsmoke Judge
My father would have been saddened. He would be appalled at the kind of man that would hold on to a petty grudge and ridicule the death of their own blood relatives. I won't live a life where I am not able to face that person. 13 years ago, the Vinsmoke Sanji that ran away from Germa died on the seas. Therefore recognize this! You are not my father, Vinsmoke Judge!" Sanji has a strong hatred toward his biological father due to the abuse he suffered at Judge's hands. Since he did not possess the enhancements Judge tried to give him, he was treated with disdain due to his slower growth rate and Judge's disdain for weakness. Judge allowed Sanji's brothers to beat him up for his weakness, and eventually locked him in a cell. Judge did continue feeding Sanji, and even allowed him to escape when given the opportunity, on the condition that Sanji not identify himself as his son. Sanji was brought to tears by the disdain his father treated him with, and when he met Zeff, who treated him like a real father, he had no problem with disowning Judge and viewing Zeff as his real father.

However, Judge soon viewed Sanji to be of use as a sacrifice to marry off to the Big Mom Pirates in order to form an alliance with them, and when the two reunited 13 years later, Judge's expectations for Sanji to follow his orders were met with disdain. He hypocritically berated Sanji for not being obedient, despite still not considering Sanji as a son, and resorted to physical threats to get him to comply with the arranged marriage. The two battled with Judge being surprised by Sanji's new strength before using underhanded moves to defeat him. After this, Sanji remarked that he returned to see if Judge had changed but was dismayed to see that he has gotten worse since the last time the two met each other. In response, Judge retorted he never saw Sanji as his son and only sought him out to further his goal of retaking the North Blue. He even had Reiju handcuffed Sanji with what appeared to be exploding wristlets.

When Sanji showed no intention of ever caring for Judge's wishes and resisted heavily, he was forced into complying due to the threats.

However, when he discovered that Judge and the rest of his family were to be killed at the wedding ceremony, Sanji admitted that he did not have it in him to abandon them. At the wedding, when the Big Mom pirates prepared to execute his captive family, Sanji surprised his father by freeing him and his siblings from their clutches.

After he had rescued them, Judge questioned Sanji on why he would save them due to the pain they put him through, even voicing how easy it would be to allow them to die. In response, Sanji told him that it was to honor his "true father" before he verbally disowned Judge as his father again. Somewhat humbled from Big Mom's betrayal, a solemn Judge accepted this decision, and the Vinsmoke patriarch then swore to never interfere with Sanji's life ever again and promised not to go near the East Blue. Judge then offered to hold off the Big Mom Pirates due to not wanting to be indebted to a "failure", something Sanji understood and declared as his resolve.

Vinsmoke Sora
While she was pregnant with Sanji and his brothers, Sanji's mother took a drug to counteract the effects of the genetic modification surgery Judge eventually forced her to undergo. While the drug made her weaker, she had no regrets, as the drug ensured that Sanji, at least, grew to be a human with emotion. As a result, Sora was extremely overjoyed every time Sanji showed kindness, and she doted on him for his compassion. Unknown to Sanji, Sora often shared her happiness at Sanji's emotional growth with his elder sister, Reiju. After Sanji told her to get well soon, she burst into tears, stating that Sanji is the best kid in the world.

Sanji, in return, deeply cared for his mother. He once brought food for her and, even though it was ruined, she still ate it and declared it to be delicious. After her death, and against Judge's orders, Sanji carried out his late mother's will by becoming a chef to honor her memory. When he learns of the reason for her premature death, Sanji is initially horrified and begins to blame himself, but Reiju reassures him that their mother was happy from the bottom of her heart.

Vinsmoke Reiju
Out of all his siblings, Sanji has a better relationship with his elder sister, as while she did partake in laughing at him as a child, she only did so to avoid being bullied herself and tended to his wounds in secret. She felt enough empathy for him to free him from his imprisonment and even tearfully told him that he would meet people who would treat him better.

However, Sanji still showed disdain for Reiju when they reunited as adults due to her role in dragging him back to the family, and her attempts to show him the benefits of a royal life despite knowing what he went through as a child. While watching him duel their father, she would be amazed with the strength and durability Sanji has gained since their childhood. Following his defeat, she would tend to Sanji's wounds while voicing her surprise that he was the previous weak child that she once knew.

Though Sanji did not think much of her, Reiju treated his wounds after his brothers beat him once again and even questioned his choice to return. After Reiju was wounded by Charlotte Pudding, Sanji felt obliged to tell his sister the truth about the Big Mom's plan to assassinate the Vinsmokes. When Reiju told him to leave her and the family, Sanji was vocally against the idea as that meant she would die, showing that in spite of everything, he truly does care for his sister. In response, a touched Reiju expressed that she was proud of his empathy, telling him the truth of their mother's death and alleviating his thoughts of guilt for her passing.

Despite his sister's pleas, Sanji refused to leave her to die and worked with his crew to save her.

When it briefly seemed that Sanji would not succeed in rescuing his family at the tea party, he called out to his sister and Reiju again expressed her pride in him for his empathy. Due to Luffy's actions, Sanji was able to reach her and free her and the rest of his family. She later expressed a smile after Sanji verbally disowned Judge again after he questioned the latter's reason of liberating them from Big Mom's clutches. As the Vinsmokes fought off the Big Mom Pirates, Sanji and Luffy quickly came to Reiju's aid when Big Mom focused her attacks on her.

Brothers
Sanji holds a great hatred toward his fellow quadruplet brothers, Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji, who were born with genetic enhancements while he was not, thus taking away their empathy. Since he fell behind them, he was repeatedly picked on due to his weakness, with his brothers taking joy in exerting their strength on him. When Sanji was given a fake funeral, they were fine and even happy with his supposed death. After learning he was still alive, they routinely beat him up in the dungeon while calling him a failure, which was a factor in why he ran away from the family.

When they reunited as adults, Yonji had expected Sanji to be as weak as he used to be and tried bossing him around, only to be met with a rude awakening as Sanji showcased his improved strength by effortlessly breaking his face. Sanji treated all three of his brothers with bitterness, berating their poor manners and not being afraid to physically attack them. The brothers were more than willing to beat him up once again in response, as they happily held Zeff under threat in order to render Sanji weak. Ichiji berated his younger brother for not acting like a proper royal, and Niji got revenge on Sanji standing up to him by viciously beating a cook Sanji had defended, causing Sanji to become extremely enraged at Niji and attack him on first sight. When Sanji cried after being forced to distance himself from Luffy, his brothers all laughed at his pain.

Despite his utter disdain for them, Sanji decided to save his brothers along with his father and sister when he discovered they were under threat of assassination by the Big Mom Pirates in order to grow out of his childhood grudge. His brothers, lacking emotions, seemed to have no reaction to his actions and remained silent when Sanji officially disowned their father again. Even though they did not show any gratitude, they willingly assisted Sanji and his friends in escaping the wedding venue without any complaints.

Zeff
Owner Zeff!! Till my dying day, I shall never forget...everything you've done for this shitty lil'eggplant!!!

Sanji initially despised Zeff for attacking the cruise ship that Sanji was working on as a child. Sanji swore he wouldn't die because he had to find the All Blue; Zeff, overhearing this comment, was greatly impacted by it, and when Sanji was swept overboard, Zeff jumped in after him. Sanji and Zeff were subsequently marooned on a rock for over 80 days, during which time both of them nearly starved to death. After weeks of eating nothing, Sanji decided he would take Zeff's rations, even if that meant killing him; however, he ultimately discovered that Zeff's portion of rations was actually a bag of treasure, and that Zeff and had eaten his own leg in order for Sanji to have all of the food. Overwhelmed, Sanji demanded to know the reason for the pirate's kindness, and Zeff simply replied that it was because he and Sanji shared the same dream. Zeff then confided to Sanji his idea of building a sea-going restaurant, if he ever got rescued. Sanji promised he'd help Zeff run it, to which Zeff said he was too weak, but Sanji replied, "Then I'll become strong".

After their rescue, Zeff practically raised Sanji, teaching him about cooking as well as how to fight like a cook (meaning, without using his hands) and also the chivalry beliefs of never attacking a woman. Zeff admits to Sanji that he considers himself to be Sanji's parent and that it is his duty to make sure Sanji doesn't grow up to be a person he'll "come to despise", something that deeply moved Sanji. Sanji's sense of debt towards Zeff was Luffy's main obstacle in trying to recruit Sanji, and Zeff visibly had tears in his eyes when Sanji did finally leave the Baratie to join the Straw Hat Pirates. Despite their constant bickering and fighting and throwing insults while running the Baratie (with Sanji calling Zeff "shitty geezer" and Zeff calling Sanji "little eggplant"), Sanji has adopted a few of Zeff's personality traits notably the tendency to be hard on men that he knew and constantly insulting people. Sanji even considers Zeff as his true father, telling his biological father that "I have a father, but it isn't you!"

When Sanji remained defiant against his family, Judge decided to show Sanji a picture of Zeff, stating Germa 66 knows where he is and are prepared to have him killed should Sanji continue to go against their demands. The revelation of the man who raised him being in danger caused Sanji to react in great shock as he recalled his memories with Zeff. Sanji's undying loyalty to Zeff is such that he would even sever ties with the Straw Hat Pirates with cruel and insulting words and indirectly broke his chivalry code by emotionally hurting Nami in order to protect the head chef as well as brutalizing his captain and best friend, Luffy.

Sanji's respect for Zeff is so great that he refused to allow his biological family to die at Big Mom's hands as he did not was to disappoint his "father". Sanji stated to his biological father who questioned his reason for saving them that he will not live a life where he is unable to look his "father" in the eye if he would stoop low enough to hold onto a petty grudge. Sanji verbally disowned Judge as his father and told him never to come near him or his crew as Judge solemnly promised to never interfere with Sanji's life or threaten the East Blue.

Baratie
Sanji had a habit of getting on everyone's nerves while at the Baratie. In particular, they resented the fact that he was the sous chef (and therefore their superior), despite being the youngest chef in the restaurant. They also found his habit of flirting with female customers annoying, while Patty, in particular, was disturbed by Sanji's frequent attacks against ungrateful customers. Despite this, Sanji's cooking was revered by all of the Baratie's cooks, and the entire cooking staff was upset by his departure. They have kept an eye on his progress through the Grand Line ever since, and have used his former association with the Baratie to promote the restaurant every time his bounty is updated.

The Vinsmokes also threatened the inhabitants of Baratie, as when Sanji fought against his brothers, Niji sneered that their blood would be on his hands, causing Sanji to willingly allow Niji to strike him down.

Gin
Despite being enemies, Gin also considered Sanji as a friend because he showed him the only act of kindness he ever experienced. Gin was unable to bring himself to finish Sanji off and left on the vow that the pair would try and meet again on the Grand Line if it was ever possible. Sanji is the first person to ever show kindness to Gin, by giving him free food when the pirate was starved and penniless. As such, Gin ultimately cannot kill Sanji, despite his own reputation as a "Man-Demon", and Krieg's orders.

Nefeltari Vivi
Like the first six of the Straw Hats, Sanji became good friends with Vivi. As with Nami and Robin, Sanji liked to pander to Vivi's every whim, but while Nami reacts with a combination of manipulation and annoyance to his advances, and Robin reacts with politeness, Vivi usually responded with confusion as to what he was doing or simply mistakes his infatuation for kindness. Like the others, he was saddened when she decided to remain in Alabasta threatening to kill Zoro when he told the crew to get over her absence. Sanji and Vivi also have a connection due to fact they're both the only royalty to sail with the Strawhats as the Prince and Princess of their respective lands, though Vivi is completely unaware of of Sanji's linage despite attending Reverie when she was a child. Sanji possibly saw this royal connection as he first alluded himself as a prince in Alabasta.

Duval
Duval initially hated Sanji because he resembled Sanji's first, hand-drawn wanted poster, which resulted in his being incessantly hunted down by both bounty hunters and Marines. He was wounded in the back by someone who mistook him for Sanji. However, after a defeat during a fight with him, Duval became friends with Sanji because Sanji reshaped his face to make him look handsome. The downside is that Duval's love for his new handsome face, and his reference to Sanji as "young master", gets on Sanji's nerves. Despite preferring not to see him or his men again after their original parting, Sanji decided to call in the Flying Fish Riders when Keimi was kidnapped and sent to a Human Auction House, aware that their experience in the Human Auction Business was necessary to locate Keimi in time to save her.

Kamabakka Kingdom


Sanji also developed a friendly (of sorts) relationship with the entire populace of Kamabakka Kingdom, not unlike Luffy's own with the Kuja of Amazon Lily, after being sent there against his will by Bartholomew Kuma. Ironically, this bond initially started out as "hell" for Sanji, but later improved overtime as he assimilated (to his chagrin) with their lifestyle. This relationship further bettered upon meeting their then-newly freed leader, Emporio Ivankov, who aided Luffy during the Summit War two years ago. Upon receiving Luffy's disguised message for his crew to lay low and strengthen for the next two years, Sanji spent the period fighting the 99 Okama Kenpo masters to retrieve their recipes for Attack Cuisine. Having succeeded in his task, Sanji was granted a lift back to the Sabaody Archipelago. In response to their pleas for him to visit them again, he gave them the finger and proclaimed he would never return, though he also asked them to thank Ivankov on his behalf. Due to his time on the island, as well as the trauma he experienced from his encounter with Splash and Splatter, he has developed a huge aversion to Okama.

Shirahoshi


When exploring Fishman Island, Sanji eventually met Princess Shirahoshi. Despite Chopper's pleas against this due to him losing blood at the sight of other mermaids he was instantly turned to stone upon gazing at her. Afterwards Sanji showed to adjust well to her presence, reacting the same way to her as he usually does around Nami and Robin. Shirahoshi seemed unsure and afraid towards his affections, but, because she was good friends with Luffy, she trusted him well.

During the battle with the New Fishman Pirates, Sanji was quick to save her as she thanked him for his actions. As the Straw Hats were preparing to leave Fishman Island, he was one of the members who promised to take her to the surface when they see her again.

Jinbe
While traveling to Arlong Park with Luffy and Yosaku in pursuit of Nami, Sanji was informed about Jinbe and the supposed agreement he made to obtain his position as one of the Shichibukai. The agreement stated Jinbe had to let the Arlong Pirates rampage through the East Blue without opposing them. This apparently caused Sanji to develop a grudge against the fishman captain due to the suffering and misery Jinbe's former crewmate Arlong caused to Nami and Cocoyasi Village. Sanji apparently had no reaction to Luffy's statement that Jinbe protected him during the Battle of Marineford and its aftermath but later admitted that he believed Jinbe was no different from Arlong.

The information that Jinbe had protected and cooperated with Luffy surprised him, but he still insisted that Jinbe's explanation for allowing Arlong to go to the East Blue would determine if he should be forgiven or hated. Despite Jinbe's story, Sanji was still angry with him but relented when Nami stated she forgave Jinbe. When Jinbe informed the Straw Hat Pirates that they cannot battle against the New Fishman Pirates because it would worsen relations between the two races, Sanji refuted this by insisting they had to rescue their comrades and therefore it was a reason to fight. Jinbe and Sanji later cooperated to defeat Wadatsumi in Gyoncorde Plaza. Jinbe later betrayed Big Mom to aid the crew and helped Sanji rescue his family from their assassination plot.

Viola
When exploring the island of Dressrosa, upon in pursuit of a fairy who took Zoro's Shusui, Sanji met a flamenco dancer named Viola who had a grudge on a certain sniper. Naturally, Sanji offers his assistance without hesitation. Not long after that, it was revealed that Violet was one of Doflamingo's underlings, but in spite of being beaten up, Sanji believed that she was serving against her will, and still wanted to help her. She does not believe him at first, but realizes that he is being sincere after she uses her Devil Fruit abilities to look into his mind. Consequently, she betrays her underlings and urges Sanji to leave Dressrosa, using her powers to show him that he fell into a trap and giving him a Den Den Mushi to warn Law, and also gives him a map to get to the hidden SAD factory.

G-5 Marines
Sanji became acquainted with the G-5 marines. They seem to respect Sanji quite a lot, especially because he saved Tashigi from the "fake" Vergo. Also much to Zoro’s surprise, they obey his orders to the point that they let him be in command during the fight against Caesar Clown and his subordinates. They refer to him as bro.

Mink Tribe
Due to his group's efforts in saving the Mink Tribe after they were devastated by an attack from Jack, Sanji and his crew are considered as saviors to the minks. Therefore, they formed a harmonic relationship. Inuarashi, Nekomamushi, Pedro, and Pekoms feel strongly indebted to Sanji and Wanda even tried to chase after Capone Bege when the gangster took Sanji away from his crew. While staying with the Mink Tribe, Sanji was greatly taken with the female minks. Carrot also expressed her fondness for Sanji during a conversation with Charlotte Pudding after she admitted to being in love with the cook. Pedro and Carrot were delighted to hear Sanji again after he had come to terms with Luffy.

It was also thanks to the strong aura of the minks that Sanji was able to sense Nekomamushi from inside Bege and find the perfect moment to throw his crew to safety.

Marines
Like all the Straw Hats, he is wanted by the Marines. The Marines as they do with all pirates utterly hate Sanji, calling him by his moniker "Black Leg" though before his bounty, Zoro joked they see him as just "Pirate A". Sanji couldn't care less about the Marines, beating aside trained marines without hesitation.

Sanji earned a bounty as a result of his piracy. His first bounty poster featured a rather crude image of his face, due to the Marines being unable to get a proper snapshot, much to Sanji's chagrin. The second bounty poster was updated to reflect his true image, although it now features his unique bounty condition ("Only Alive"). After Sanji is revealed to be a member of the Vinsmoke Family, it was revealed that the bounty condition was set by the Marines at the instigation of his father.

Fullbody


Fullbody especially has a personal vendetta against him for what happened at the Baratie. However, this has never been taken seriously; Sanji ruins his date with a woman named Moodie when he corrects Fullbody on the type of wine he and his date were consuming. Fullbody decides to put a fly (Batchee) in his own soup to ruin the restaurant's reputation and to get back at Sanji. However Sanji's continuously smug attitude leads Fullbody to smash the table he is sitting at, prompting a fight with Sanji. He is later shown to have lost horribly, being held dangling from his neck and lectured about wasting food. Fullbody, with his ego in tatters, is later shown fleeing the Baratie. Fullbody swore revenge on that "crazy cook" but his later encounters with the cook have always ended with him fleeing in terror.

Smoker
Sanji dislikes Smoker, unflattering dubbing him the "Smoke freak" in Alabasta. After nearly getting capured in Louge Town, Sanji is not anxious to fight Smoker in combat and was glad when Luffy distracted him so he could beat Smoker's troops without trouble. When Smoker ungratefully yelled at the crew when they pulled him out of the water at Rain Dinners, Sanji stated "See this what you get for helping a Marine" but was legitimately surprised when Smoker let them go free.

Tashigi
The only exception to Sanji's Marine dislike is the beautiful Tashigi, who he saved from Vergo despite their warring factions and Sanji showed some comradely with the G-5 Marines, who felt indebted to him. Sanji even ordered them around. Sanji only showed jealously when he saw Zoro carrying Tashigi around after they fought Monet, but was willingly to let Zoro look after her and told the G-5 Marines that she was in good hands.

Enemies
Due to Sanji's principles, anyone who treats women and food in a disrespectful manner will earn Sanji's wrath. As revealed during his initial encounter with Duval, Sanji supposedly has many people who bear grudges against him from his time at the Baratie.

Absalom
Sanji considered Absalom his arch nemesis and is only villain to make Sanji more angry than he's ever been in the series (until he met his family again). First the Invisible man crept on board the Sunny and molested Robin and knocked Sanji about, then accosted Nami while she bathing and stalked her relentlessly though Thriller Bark only to blocked by Sanji's own shadow getting Absalom angry. And when Absalom finally stole Nami from Usopp and Chopper, Sanji heard the news and burst into flames of angry swearing he kill the invisible man and rushed off the save Nami. Interrupting the marriage and brutally beating Absalom into a pulp, Sanji also revealed he hated Absalom because he eaten Suke Suke no Mi since Sanji dreamed of using it to peep on girls too. Absalom also hates Sanji for keeping Nami from him and "touching his bride", after seeing the cheap tactics of the invisible man, Sanji stated he no longer desired the fruit (since he could just peep on his own). Sanji then imprinted Absalom on a stone wall weakening him so much, that Nami would later finish him off with one attack.

Bartholomew Kuma
However, his biggest enemy is Bartholomew Kuma who sent him to an Okama island for 2 years while sending Luffy to Amazon Lily. Out of the crew, he is the only one who is still bitter about the separation, in spite of learning the truth about Kuma, in spite of Kuma's reasons for it, and even in spite of the dramatic increase in ability it provided.

Big Mom Pirates
As a member of the Straw Hats, Sanji is an enemy of the Big Mom Pirates. At Dressrosa, Sanji personally asked for permission to return fire on their ship. After Sanji was taken from Zou, Tamago tried to convince Sanji to go through with the wedding and join the crew but Sanji refused. Tamago even provided explosive wrislets for Judge to use to keep Sanji in line. When Charlotte Pudding held his sister captive, she revealed her true nature as well as her family's plans to kill his own family. Sanji was dismayed at these revelations and nearly resigned himself to being killed. However, after Bobbin tried to steal food he made for his friends, Sanji attacked him and fled to regroup with his crew.

During the Tea Party, the Big Mom Pirates were prepared to slaughter Sanji and his family, but when Pudding faltered after Sanji complimented her, their plans went awry. Charlotte Katakuri tried to kill Sanji himself when he knew he would dodge a shot from the priest, but that attempt failed as Sanji survived his attempt as well. He later fought with Charlotte Daifuku, who decided to take it upon himself to kill Sanji after Pudding's failure. After the Big Mom Pirates held his family at gunpoint, Sanji tried to save them, but Daifuku held him at bay. However, after Luffy caused Big Mom to scream, Sanji managed to free his family from their clutches.

Charlotte Linlin
When first hearing about how Big Mom was prepared to destroy Fishman Island over lack of a candy tribute, Sanji was vocal about his disagreement about the Yonko's ruthlessness, alongside Luffy and Zoro. At first agreeing with Zoro that Big Mom is not being manly for being impatient, Sanji changed his opinion slightly when hearing that Big Mom is a woman, fantasizing her as an attractive redhead.

As a result of his central role in sealing the political alliance agreed between herself and Sanji's father, Big Mom treats Sanji as a figure of immense value. She is prone to thinking of Sanji with reference to his Vinsmoke heritage, referring to him primarily as "the Germa boy" and ordering her children and subordinates to ensure that no harm comes to him. She and her children also hold his royal heritage in great respect, especially because it is that of the powerful Germa Kingdom; indeed, Charlotte Cracker references this status to try to convince Luffy that Sanji would have no interest in returning to a "lowly pirate crew".

Beyond his political value, however, Big Mom respects Sanji's cooking skills and experience, and his pirating exploits with the Straw Hat crew. She had Baron Tamago extend Sanji a position in her crew if he cooperated with the wedding, but Sanji immediately refused the offer. Sanji later talked to Big Mom in person and was surprised and grateful to hear that Big Mom would allow his friends to be spared as long as he agreed to marry Pudding. However, he later heard about Big Mom's plan to kill him and his family, with Big Mom gleefully plotting for Pudding to shoot him between the eyes. Having learned this, Sanji nearly resigned himself to being killed, but immediately regained his senses and rushed to regroup with his captain to ruin the Tea Party and save his family from her.

While discussing with Bege about the assassination plot on Big Mom, Sanji recognized her as a powerful threat and even pointed out how slim the chance of taking her down.

At the wedding, Sanji foiled Big Mom's plans by surviving the assassination attempt on his life. With the help of his crew, he was able to save and free his family from her clutches. When Big Mom attempted to kill his sister Reiju, Sanji and Luffy intercepted her.

After Sanji and his allies were routed by the Big Mom Pirates, Linlin prepared to execute them before the Tamatebako dropped to the base of the Whole Cake Chateau and exploded, causing the castle to collapse.

Germa Kingdom
Like with the members of the Vinsmoke Family, the Germa soldiers cared for Sanji and supported him in training. They would go to help him when he nearly drowned and stopped Niji from beating him any further. One of the soldiers even tried to help him when he was going out in a storm to visit his mother.

However, they were obliged to do what Judge commands them to do, as some were ordered to place an iron mask on him without hesitation or any defiance. As Judge announced Sanji's "death", the onlookers were deeply sadden.

Upon Sanji returning, the soldiers were excited for his return. They cheered for him and Judge when they were about to battle. They even acknowledged Sanji's strength in spite of not wearing a Raid Suit. However, like before when he was child, they were once again obliged with Judge's orders to be used as human shields when Sanji was about to attack.

Sanji was deeply disgusted about Judge's philosophy about the soldiers of Germa 66 being as tools for war but upon hearing about the Vinsmoke's cloning technology and that the soldiers are nothing more than clones, Sanji was deeply mortified.

In spite of him not caring for the soldiers and humble about his royal status, he does not show any disdain towards the servants. Sanji saved Cosette from getting hit by a plate of food after he and Niji got into an argument about their different qualms about food. He even ate a piece of it after it had fallen to the floor in spite of Cosette insisting that she would clean it up and let him not eat it off the floor, but she blushed once Sanji commented on how tasty the food was. After Sanji found Cosette unconsciously beaten, he yelled for a doctor and went after Niji in anger.

Charlotte Pudding


Sanji was arranged to be married to Charlotte Pudding, Big Mom's 35th daughter. Already smitten after receiving her photograph, he became attracted to her during their first meeting because of her beauty and their mutual love of cooking. Despite expressing a desire to marry her, however, Sanji maintained his refusal and turned her down because he did not want to be forced to leave his crew. When Pudding first encountered the Sanji retrieval team on Cacao Island, she recounted her first meeting with Sanji to the team in a flustered and embarrassed way, leading Nami to ask whether Pudding had already fallen in love with him. After seeing the crew's resolve to get Sanji back, Pudding promised to help reunite the crew with Sanji, drawing them a map that would lead them to the treacherous Seducing Woods.

The two met again at Whole Cake Chateau, where they conversed in secret. Pudding informed Sanji that she had encountered Luffy and others, and offers to take the blame if Sanji wanted to run from the invitation. In response, Sanji revealed to her both the exploding wristlets and the injuries he sustained from his brothers, before explaining his tragic history with his family (which ended when he met his father figure and his crew). When Pudding broke down in tears, bemoaning that her own mother was responsible for his grief, he comforted her by stating she was the only hope he had in this dark time. He told Pudding if she accepted, they should go through with the marriage. Sanji followed this up by making an agreement with Big Mom, whereby he promised to marry Pudding in exchange for the release of his friends, before deciding to give in to his love crazy-nature and claim he was in love with his "fiancée".

The day before the wedding ceremony, Pudding went to speak to Luffy and Nami in the Prison Library. She informed them that Sanji had proposed to her, shocking both of them, before assuring them that she would not be marrying him. Instead, to their even greater horror, she revealed her plan to assassinate Sanji at the ceremony. Unbeknownst to Pudding, Sanji soon learned of Pudding's true (sadistic) nature while she was holding Reiju prisoner, including how she had tricked him into believing she was a kind woman who genuinely cared about him. The betrayal leaves Sanji silently heartbroken. Despite his strong willed nature, Sanji was soon brought to tears and was left silently crying in the rain. Pudding began to cruelly mock him for his belief in her as she explained her plans to kill him at their wedding. Pudding also called his swollen face "ugly" and cruelly referred to him as a "failure" like his brothers did as well as mocking his proposal and even considered him unworthy to be a proper prince.

While conversing with Reiju and explaining what really happened to her, Sanji expressed anger that he fell for Pudding's trickery, calling his attempts to save his crew a joke. On the day of the wedding, he was uncomfortable around her (given that he is now aware of her true nature) and had very conflicting thoughts as to her act being real as he struggled with trying to keep himself focused. However, despite knowing Pudding's murderous intentions and how she sadistically mocked him before, Sanji is still irresistibly infatuated by her charms and beauty to the point he had another extreme nosebleed that caused him to fly and crash into a wall much to Pudding's secret disgust. When he and Pudding approached the main venue, Sanji was shown with a face of joy.

During the exchange of vows at the wedding altar, Sanji internally continued to keep his wits to stay alive while Pudding was ready to go through with her mother's plan. However, after Sanji called her third eye beautiful as he noticed goodness when he first looked at it up close, she broke down in tears due to him being the first person to say anything nice about her third eye.

Despite previous ill-will from Pudding, Sanji nevertheless rescued her from the falling wedding cake.

Though he saved her, Pudding furiously attempted to shoot Sanji while admitting that she had deceived him like she did to countless other people. He then caused her to waver by asking if she lied to herself as well. Even after her attempt on his life, he saved her once more when her brother Charlotte Daifuku attacked and showed concern for her after he ruthlessly slapped her away.

Some time after the Straw Hats escaped from the Whole Cake Chateau, Pudding developed an intense, romantic fixation on Sanji after being touched by his kindness. In stark contrast to her behavior towards him previously, she can no longer interact with him without blushing wildly and panicking. Motivated by her newfound feelings, she even turned on her mother for his sake and began to actively assist the Sanji Retrieval Team in escaping Whole Cake Island. However, due to also suddenly developing an erratic personality disorder, her moods switched rapidly from outwardly expressing both love and disdain for Sanji, sometimes at the same time. Despite this, however, she continued to assist Sanji and the Straw Hats even as she lapsed into her "evil Pudding" persona. Sanji himself appeared curious about Pudding's erratic behavior, but otherwise remained friendly and loving towards her. As she continued to act belligerently towards him, he simply ignored her protests and thanked her while also complimenting her beauty yet again, causing her to become flustered.