Chapter 1

"Sanji ~ MEAT!" It was the usual wake-up call for the cook of the Straw Hat Pirates. Stifling a yawn, he got up to his feet, fishing for a cigarette in his pocket. The moment he found his cigarette, a door slammed open, and from there emerged a hyper-active, rubber man who jumped onto the cook enthusiastically. "When is breakfast going to be ready?" He asked excitedly. Sanji delivered a swift kick to the rubber man's stomach, pushing him away harshly.

"I just woke. Breakfast will be ready soon," He answered, lighting up his cigarette and inhaling deeply.

"I'll tell the rest!" Luffy got up to his feet and hastily ran off to disturb the other crewmates. Sanji sighed.

"That shit-head, waking me up so early when I had to watch over the ship last night," He grumbled under his breath, but still changed into his usual suit anyway. He left for the kitchen, being careful to be quiet when walking past the female bunk room – he would never do anything to disturb the beauty sleep that the two females in the crew deserved.

When he entered his sanctuary – the kitchen – he found a green-haired swordsman slumped in the corner of the room, a few empty bottles of sake strewn precariously around him. The blonde clenched his fist tightly, anger already boiling within him – only that stupid marimo could get him so worked up early in the morning…

"Wake up and get out of my kitchen, you marimo shit-head!" He yelled, kicking the guy hard in the chest. The swordsman jolted awake, his bleary eye scanning the area until it met the cook's. Immediately, the swordsman narrowed his one good eye.

"What, love-cook?" He demanded.

"That's what I should be asking you," The cook took a deep puff on his cigarette, "Get out of my kitchen, you shitty marimo-head." His hands were stuffed casually into his pocket, his posture slightly slouched, making him look laidback and relaxed, but the swordsman knew that deep in Sanji's pockets, his fists were clenched tightly, bracing for a fight.

"You woke me up just for that? There's something wrong with you, you dart-brow," The marimo retorted.

"This is my kitchen, my personal space. You get out of it, and bring your shitty bottles along with you." Zoro enjoyed getting a rise out of Sanji, and despite clearly knowing that, Sanji couldn't help but get pissed off. The shitty swordsman was dirtying the sacred ground where he did his cooking.

Zoro remained expressionless. After Fishman Island, there was nothing to do on the ship, so all he could do was to annoy Sanji to no end. "Make me," Zoro taunted, an evil smirk creeping up his lips. His hand held the hilt of his sword, challenging the cook. Sanji inhaled his cigarette deeply.

"Anytime," Sanji answered after a silence. His temper was rising, and he had to fight to control it. He took a deep breath, "But not in my kitchen. Get out!" He hissed, kicking Zoro out of his slouched position. "Now," He warned.

"Huh, never knew you were such a coward," Zoro sighed, loosening his grip on his katana, "Guess you only dare to face me in an open area where you have the advantage to jump and do all that fancy stunts of yours, huh? You don't have enough guts to fight me in an enclosed area." Zoro turned to leave the kitchen.

"The kitchen's my sanctuary. I'm not letting anything come close to it, even if it means having to tolerate you and your stupid taunts." Sanji replied, shockingly managing to contain his anger. Zoro smirked again.

"See ya, coward-cook." He slammed the kitchen door shut behind him. Sanji sighed deeply, sinking into a seat and taking another puff of his cigarette. That damn marimo was so close to making Sanji lose himself completely – if Sanji ever allowed a fight to break out in the kitchen…

He shook his head. No, that wouldn't happen. He may let himself get fired up because of the shitty swordsman, but he wouldn't let a single thing happen to his kitchen. That was his pride.

...

"Let's go on an adventure! Nami, have you seen any islands yet?" Luffy complained, half his body hanging over the side of the ship. Nami sighed.

"Luffy, I already told you, we aren't even in the climate of any island, so we aren't close to an island yet. Now shut up and let me chart my maps in peace." Nami answered, exasperated with her captain. Robin laughed softly.

"Mr. Captain's rather impatient, isn't he?" Robin commented, flipping a page of her book. Nami nodded her head.

"Well, I guess that's how we've always got dragged into crazy situations…" Nami acknowledged. Somewhere near her, Usopp was busy detailing tales of his adventures during the two-year absence.

"You won't believe it! A tree, over five times my height, threatened to gobble me up! But of course, I, Captain Usopp, won't be eaten so easily by a carnivorous tree!"

"Really?" Chopper's eyes sparkled in excitement, "How did you defeat it? How did you defeat a monster tree?"

"Ah, this story… is not for the faint-hearted," Usopp nodded his head gravely, "Only the strong-willed will be able to withstand the truth."

"Tell me, Usopp! I'm strong-willed! I'm brave!" Chopper begged, the longing in his eyes so clear and so strong that Usopp gave in easily.

"I guess you are strong-willed – I mean, if you're one of Captain Usopp's nakama, you have to be strong-willed!" Usopp acknowledged. Chopper blushed.

"I don't like it if you praise me, you asshole!" He proclaimed, his cheeks still bright red and his eyes twinkling with happiness. Usopp laughed. Chopper just couldn't get any cuter.

The door to the kitchen opened. Immediately, almost as though he had predicted it, Luffy stretched his arms to the door, and then propelled himself forward. "Sanji, is lunch ready? Is there meat? Is there lots of – what, it's only Zoro," Luffy pouted, walking away from the kitchen door.

Zoro gave a grunt, and walked to his usual spot at the end of Thousand Sunny. He placed his katanas on the ground beside him, and rested his arms behind his head. Now Luffy even preferred the stupid nosebleed-cook to him, he thought to himself. Well, of course, the only use the cook had on the ship was to… well, to cook, of course. Otherwise, there was nothing about him worth keeping.

"Food's ready!" Sanji announced, "Luffy, don't go gobbling everything –" Zoro heard a loud 'thud', and then the sound of his captain whining. Obviously the love-cook had kicked the impatient and overzealous Luffy… not for the first time.

"Nami-swan! Robin-chwan! I've placed your plates in this special corner, where our shitty captain's rubbery fingers will not be able to get it! Please, enjoy your meal," He heard the cook say in that disgustingly sweet voice of his. "Oi, shitty marimo, come down to have lunch." He saw the blonde's head poking out of the kitchen, addressing him.

"What, I thought you said I wasn't allowed inside." Zoro retorted.

"You are not allowed inside when I'm cooking. If you want to eat, come in." Sanji returned back to the kitchen, not bothering to check if Zoro was coming. Zoro sighed, picking up his katanas and returning to the kitchen.

How annoying, he thought, to have to return to the kitchen five minutes after being kicked out of it…

Suddenly, a thought hit him. It was so sudden that he didn't know what to make of it at first. The stupid love-cook made breakfast in a mere span of five minutes? What was he, crazy? Upon entering the kitchen, Zoro's eyes narrowed. The beer bottles he had left scattered around haphazardly was gone, and on the table was the usual lavish spread they usually had for their breakfast.

Zoro hated to admit it, but it was impressive – he never thought such a good meal could be prepared in just five minutes.

"Super ~ Good morning to y'all," Franky strode into the kitchen, his hair now the usual spiked up one he had two years ago. "Wow, how I've missed your cooking, Sanji! I'll be enjoying myself!" Franky took his seat. Behind him, Brook came in.

"Yohohoho, what a pleasant surprise! I can finally treat my stomach to Sanji's amazing cooking again!" Then Brook paused, "But of course, I have no stomach! Skull joke!" He began laughing. Luffy joined in, not even sure what he was laughing for.

"Yes, yes, now sit down and eat before Luffy takes everything away." Sanji said, pushing Brook onto a seat.

"Of course, Sanji, even without a stomach, I would still very much like to eat your food!" Brook answered. Sanji sighed, moving to his usual corner and watching his nakama eat. Now and then he'd kick a stray hand venturing too far towards someone else's food, or he'd simply top up the food in order to fill his captain's endless appetite. Zoro frowned at Sanji.

"What, marimo? Food too good for you to appreciate..?" Sanji glared back at Zoro. Zoro shrugged, and resumed eating his food. Sanji looked curious, but he decided to ignore the swordsman.

"Sanji! I'm not full! Give me more meat!" Luffy pleaded. The blonde gave his captain a sharp kick.

"No, if you eat until you're full we'd be out of food supplies. Now get out of my kitchen so I can wash up." Before finishing the sentence, Sanji had already kicked his captain out of the kitchen. Luffy, recognizing defeat when he saw it, stopped trying to pester Sanji, and left dejectedly.

"Thanks, Sanji, the food was super delicious!" Franky said, and Sanji merely gave a nod, gesturing for him to quickly leave the kitchen. All that was left now was Zoro, and the cook glowered at the swordsman.

"How many times do you want to be chased out? Do you like being chased out?" The blonde demanded. Zoro shrugged.

"You're not cooking now, so isn't it okay for me to stay here?" Zoro answered monotonously. Sanji shot the swordsman a dirty look – technically, what he said wasn't wrong… but the fact that the shitty swordsman had used his own words against him pissed him off… a lot. He took a couple of deep breaths.

"Fine, stay here all you like, but stay clear of the beer." Sanji obliged unwillingly. Zoro took his seat at the corner of the table, while Sanji went about cleaning the dishes.

This went on for about ten minutes when Zoro finally broke the silence. "You cook breakfast in five minutes?" He asked. He didn't know why, but that question had been ebbing away at his thoughts – it was all he could think of.

"Well, yeah, if not our stupid captain would keep trying to steal food and all…" The cook replied, now sorting out the ingredients he had in the refrigerator.

"You really took only five minutes?" The swordsman confirmed.

"Yes, how many times must I repeat, you shitty swordsman." The blonde slammed the refrigerator door shut. "What, was the food not to your liking? Or did you expect me to only finish cooking in an hour?"

Zoro didn't reply; he merely looked contemplative. It was impressive that the stupid love-cook had actually managed to finish making such a delicious breakfast in merely five minutes – but of course he'd never admit that.

"Oi, are you deaf or what, marimo?" Sanji snapped, "Oh, then again, I guess you only have the brain capacity of a peanut, so you probably don't understand anything I just said." He shrugged, fishing his pocket for a cigarette when…

Immediately, Sanji's leg shot up, countering the attack Zoro had made. Sanji finally found his cigarette, and placed it casually in his mouth when another blade swiped at him. Hastily, he ducked down, the tips of his hair barely grazing the edge of the sharp blade.

"Not in the kitchen, dammit," Sanji yelled, opening the kitchen door and running out of the kitchen. Zoro followed suit. Outside, on the deck of the Thousand Sunny, a full fight between Zoro and Sanji had broken out.

Nami sighed. "We've got to do something about the two of… wait a second." Her eyes twinkled mischievously, a small smirk forming on her lips.

"I see that you have got another trick up your sleeve, Nami-san." Robin said. Nami stuck her tongue out at her.

"Help me call the rest of the guys here, alright? Make sure that Sanji-kun and Zoro don't notice anything."

Robin nodded her head, her eyes closed, her arms already forming the usual gesture she did when using her Devil Fruit ability.

After a while, the rest of the crewmembers, namely Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, Franky and Brook, arrived, surrounding the tangerine trees that Nami had brought with her from homeland.

"Ah, Sanji and Zoro are fighting again! I thought we were tired enough from all the havoc we had in Fishman Island," Usopp stated, watching the two men fight tirelessly on the deck.

"If any of their wounds open up…" Chopper shook his head sadly. Brook laughed his usual 'yohohoho' laugh, while Franky patted Chopper and Usopp on the shoulders.

"Robin! Why'd you call us for? Shall I call Zoro and Sanji too? Z –" Just as Luffy was about to shout, a hand clasped over his mouth tightly. Luffy struggled against Robin's firm grip, and Nami hit Luffy hard on the head.

"Don't call them!" Nami hissed at him, and Robin removed her clasp she had against his mouth.

"Why not..?" Luffy asked dejectedly.

"Shut up, I'm going to start explaining now," Nami snapped at Luffy, and this effectively gained the attention of all the other crewmates. "Alright, you know, it's already been two years…" She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, "Aren't you guys tired of watching the two of them fight?" She indicated Sanji and Zoro, who were so engrossed in their fight that they didn't realize that something was amiss.

"Well, now that you say that… yeah, I thought the tension between them would've… gone off by now." Usopp answered, with Chopper nodding in agreement beside him.

"Ah, Nami-sis, it'd feel super weird without them fighting all the time. It's one of the things that made me get used to this pirate crew." Franky commented. Brook nodded his head in approval.

"Urgh, but don't you just wish for some peace and quiet sometimes? Usopp, Franky, Chopper, you know how distracting it gets when you're trying to focus on your job at hand and just some idiot people start fighting on the deck of the ship!" Nami said, exasperated. "It wouldn't do any harm for them to just get along a little better, would it?"

"I suppose you're right," Usopp mumbled under his breath.

"Of course I am!" Nami answered. "So let me propose a suggestion…" She grinned, "Let's have a competition!"

"Competition..? That's like having an adventure, right? Okay, we're playing!" Luffy decided suddenly.

"No, Luffy, look at Nami's expression – she's definitely up to no good!" Usopp hissed at Luffy, and Luffy merely looked baffled.

"If it's an adventure we'll take it! We're pirates, aren't we?" Luffy tilted his head at Usopp.

"Basically, we'll compete to see who will be the successful in getting the two of them to get along." Upon saying this sentence, the crewmates all gasped in shock.

"It's impossible!" Usopp said, followed by "Yes, yes, yes!" from Chopper. "Yohohoho, I daresay that'll be a miracle indeed, one that'll beat my record of being a living skeleton!" Brook proclaimed, with Franky and Luffy laughing at his statement. Beside Nami, Robin was chuckling to herself at the violent responses the crew had.

"Precisely; and… this goes without saying, a competition needs to have a winner and a reward, isn't it?" Nami's mischievous grin came back. "The winner… gets to ask any of the crewmembers to do something for him or her, and that crewmember cannot reject!"

"I guess… I really want to see Franky at work but he never lets me…" Usopp said to himself thoughtfully.

"It'll be interesting, I guess…" Chopper said hesitantly. He was still reluctant to try to get the two people to try to become friends – no matter what, he found it close to impossible.

"I'm in," Robin suddenly stated. When the rest of the nakama stared at her in shock, she merely shrugged. "It seems fun."

"Yosh!" Luffy shouted, his eyes determined. "I'll get Sanji to make for me the biggest meat buffet the world has ever seen! Nami, we're in!"

"W-Wait, Luffy, you really playing along..?" Usopp stuttered. "I mean, with Nami… you never know what to trust…"

"Usopp, it's an adventure! We can't miss an adventure! Besides, I'll win, and I'll definitely get Sanji to make the biggest buffet for me!" Luffy's eyes were bright with anticipation. Usopp shook his head.

"It's no use; I can't get through to him. Franky, Brook…" When he turned around, he saw Franky and Brook already discussing what antics to use to force the two enemies to become friends. "You! You're in?"

"What, it seems fun!" Franky said, at the same time that Brook answered, "I wonder if Nami and Robin will let me see their panties…"

"Alright, it's settled then!" Nami punched her fist onto the table, "Two tries per person, no cheating because Robin will be watching over the competition – and most importantly… we're here to win! Got it! Competition starts now!"

"Aye!"

A/N: This is my first story, so I will appreciate any sort of reviews or comments to improve on it! ((: I shall try my best to finish this story, since I've got it pretty much planned out.. and I hope y'all will support me in my endeavor! ^^