It was a beautiful, sunny, merry day at the Baratie. The last traces of winter had only just melted away, allowing springtime breeze and weather to blissfully settle in. Townsfolk and citizens eagerly set sails for the pristine and placid waters of the East Blue. Friends traveled to see each other in person, lovers united on lush islands, and even pirates refrained from immediate plundering to enjoy the new climate.
For a cook, especially one who worked at the conspicuous, renowned, sea-faring diner that was the Baratie, the new rays of sunshine and great daytime weather could only be marveled at in the sparse moments of break. For the new spring season quite naturally happened to be the busiest season: tourists flocked from all corners of the world to enjoy delectable entrees while they engaged in pleasant conversation or became spectator to the up close dazzling view of the East Blue.
Sanji knew it was going to be a long day. The crowd of customers had perhaps come a little later than usual, but no sooner had he finished his morning routine of showering, shaving, and performing some leg-strengthening exercises, had he been beheld to a plethora of customers already seated in the dining hall, as they awaited their platters of food. Sanji surveyed the dining hall: he saw the usual entourage of important-looking officials, common tourists, regular customers, and groups of families and friends.
It wasn't just the outside weather that was lovely: Sanji spotted many young, attractive girls enjoying themselves, immersed in talking or enjoying some refreshments. Unfortunately, many of the lovely ladies appeared to be with men already, or surrounded by too many friends and family members to be successfully approached. In his many years working at Baratie as a young adult, Sanji had developed a sort of sixth sense in knowing which lovely lady he should try to make acquaintance with. Intuitively, his eyes were drawn towards a lass seated at a table not too far from one of the windows—the woman sat at a table with what appeared to be her father and another slightly older-looking woman who Sanji guessed to be he older sister. Focusing, he suddenly got a better look of the girl through the many bodies, both employees and customers, walking hurriedly between them. And as Sanji got a better look at the girl, he felt his heart, as it often did, melt.
The girl was remarkably breathtaking; Sanji guessed her to be somewhere between 19 and 22. She wore a fairly long, frilled, colorful dress of black, red, and orange and had on black high heels and silver earrings. Her smile was absolutely mesmerizing, her eyelashes long and seductive, her eyes wide and innocent. She had long blonde hair, and small bangs that dangled over her forehead. Her figure was slender, but also quite womanly and curvaceous, and she spoke with such a sweet voice that Sanji's heart melted even further. For a second, Sanji felt as if she was the only customer in the crowded hall, and that nature's own beauty outside had perfectly illuminated her with the sunbeams which through the windows into the dining hall.
Currently, the beautiful girl was engaged in some light conversation with the other woman seated at their table, who was also quite pretty but yet a little more solemnly. Sanji inferred from their lavish clothing, and the extravagant suit which the father wore, that they were quite rich; indeed, the father seemed quite comfortable in making conversation with another very distinguished-looking man, who was seated at the table next to theirs, and who also wore a very expensive, custom-made suit that was outfitted with various insignias and honors. The two became quickly involved in deep conversation, and it seemed that Lady Fortune was smiling upon Sanji today, for he caught sight of the other lady excusing herself from the table. The beautiful girl was now seated alone—her father had his back now turned, earnestly chattering with the other man—as his very pretty daughter sipped the last drops of her drink.
Sanji stuck one arm out and halted a waiter rushing to deliver a very fine and expensive bottle of wine to some wealthy customer; he took the bottle from the waiter, and proceeded to the beautiful girl's table, leaving a very miffed waiter behind running back to the kitchen to fetch another bottle.
"Good morning, mademoiselle! Would you care to indulge in one of our finest wines?" Sanji said.
The girl turned around to meet him, slightly astonished, as her innocent, azure eyes met his, making Sanji feel the sting of Cupid's arrow even more strongly. Flattered, and her face slightly blushing as she saw the very expensive drink Sanji presented to her, she replied sweetly, "Oh, I couldn't! Father would be so mad at me; he hates it when I spend too much!"
Sanji reassured "No worries, sweetheart! It's on me.
"But won't the other cooks be mad?" the girl replied. Bless her, Sanji thought. Along with such beauty, she had such a gracious and kind soul.
"Not at all, love! I'm Sanji, the sous chef of Baratie!" he said with a grin. "And you are?"
She had now fully turned around to face him, the upper portion of her dress now perhaps showing a little more cleavage.
"I'm—"
"Sanji! What do you think you're doing!" a voice roared. Sanji turned around quickly to see Patty and Carne looking quite angry and overworked. "We're flooded with customers, and you're off fooling around! We need your help back in the kitchen, or there's gonna be a series of complaints filed!"
It tore his heart to be pried from her, but the establishment of Baratie couldn't be compromised. The diner was famous, but it needed to maintain its good standing by word of mouth; though the average beat-up of an unruly customer or a bumbling pirate could be excused, a litany of complaints from influential people with valid gripes wouldn't bode well for the place.
He didn't have the time to excuse himself personally as Patty and Carne each gripped him by the arm and walked him out back inside the kitchen. He turned around for a moment, before entering the kitchen, to notice her waving goodbye to him, her sweet smile and eyes almost inducing him to forgo his commitment to Baratie. But then he saw the kitchen. Patty and Carne were not exaggerating when they informed him of how busy they were. Sanji found all the cooks working hard, despite a growing number of orders remaining uncompleted. They needed him. And he had a job to do.
With a heavy heart, Sanji grabbed a cutting knife and began work.
Sanji stood alone in an open hallway, taking out his lighter, as he finally let himself relax. With his help, everything was now back on schedule. But it had taken a while; an hour or so had passed by before the influx of customers had trickled down to being manageable. By now, the girl would have likely left. Sanji contemplated going back, just to check if she was still there, but he figured that now she would be conversing with others and the opportunity would simply no longer be there. He sighed. He wasn't sure if he could stomach the idea of seeing her beauty once more and be unable to talk to her anyways. At least now he could picture her as a wonderful dream that had little possibility of being realized. He lit his cigarette and walked despondently around the corner, to the next hall.
But love will always find a way, fate reminded him. Sanji stood stunned as he saw the same beautiful girl exit the restroom only a few steps ahead of him. She caught sight of him and her eyes grew wide as a loving smile spread across her face as she instantly remembered him.
"Sanji! I'm so happy to see you again!" she chimed. "I never got to thank you for the wine. It was terrific!"
Sanji was in bliss. "It was nothing, sweetheart. Glad you liked it!" Now only two feet of distance between them, her beauty was even more captivating. She was medium-tall, about 5'6'' or so, and Sanji found himself once again mesmerized by her crystal-blue eyes. "I'm sorry I had to leave so suddenly. This place can get quite busy this time of the year."
"Oh! Well I'm sure with you at the helm…" she said, her hand gently resting on his chest pocket, "…everyone is quite pleased at the end."
Sanji squashed his cigarette, as he let out a small puff of clear smoke to his side. This seemed to impress her, as her eyes fluttered to the swirl of air and then back to Sanji, her face tilted up to meet his. Sanji gently took her hand in his, slightly caressing it, as he said, "I wanted to see you again too. You're so beautiful."
Her cheeks turned scarlet upon her hearing this, as she briefly looked down before looking back up to him, her hand still in his. "Oh, but you must be saying that to all the girls here?" she teased.
"They cannot compare to you, love" Sanji pressed. "Your eyes, your smile, your voice—when I walked into the dining room, my eyes and ears were only for you."
She looked at him, her eyes sparkling at his open words. Her blue eyes locked with Sanji's eyes, and the two stood close. Sanji leaned in, as she remained fixed, and gave her a deep long kiss, his lips brushing against her, expressing his passion in ways words could not, and he felt her return his kiss, her lips pressing back against his, the two of them standing together in the empty hallway, oblivious to the crowd and noise aboard on the rest of the ship. The two broke their sensual moment for a second, looking at each other, understanding and embracing each other's desire and acceptance…
The girl ran back to the dining room, and to her table, slightly holding up her long dress so that it didn't touch anything on the floor. A bit short of breath, she had just made it to her table where she heard her father's shouts.
"Emily! Where have you been? We've been waiting for you for about half an hour now!" he chided.
"Sorry, father" she said, flustered. "Long line."
Her sister arched her eyebrow dubiously. She narrowed her eyes at her sister, whose dress was a bit ruffled and whose skin color seemed to be a bit red in the upper chest area. "Oh really?" she voiced skeptically.
Emily turned red a bit at her sister's skeptic, knowing tone but before she could answer, her father spoke.
"Anyway, now we can go" he said. He then beamed. "I've just negotiated a new land settlement with that gentleman who was sitting over there. It's been a very good visit here" he said, as he got up and pushed his chair in, gesturing his daughters to exit after him.
The older sister, still wearing a look of mixed disapproval and suspicion, followed her father out. Then, Emily, with one fleeting look back at the cooks' kitchen doors, proceeded to exit as well.
Sanji had only just exited the unused storage room and turned the corner, still tightening his tie and putting on his coat, when he found himself confronted with a very sour-looking Cheff Zeff.
"Eggplant-head!" Zeff barked. "What have you been up to?" he demanded.
"None of your business, you old geezer" Sanji groaned, tucking his shirt in.
Zeff gave a long, disapproving look at Sanji's disheveled clothing. "You're not done yet, boy. We got a second wave of customers. Get back to work!" he thundered.
"Crap" Sanji said, as he walked past Zeff back towards the kitchen. Zeff gave one last, unfathomable glance towards the other end of the hall, before also turning back to walk to the kitchen, his wooden leg making a distinctive clanking noise as he went back.