Category: Mild Romantic Fluff, Friendship Fluff

Fandom: One Piece

Characters: Sanji, Charlotte Chiffon, Charlotte Pudding

Requested By: farrah87 (Ao3)

Sanji exhaled deeply as he paused to glance up at the blazing blue sky above his head and run the back of his hand across his forehead to wipe away the thin sheen of sweat that had accumulated there. I hope everyone is hanging in there. We're almost done! He hoped as he glanced back down at the deck of the ship, which was bustling with activity as the cooks under Chiffon's command frantically ran hither and thither. In order to appease Big Mom's murderous rage, he had been assisting the twenty-second daughter of the Emperor in baking an exact replica of the wedding cake for the last several hours. They were so close to finishing, but with no news of how the rest of the crew was doing, he was admittedly anxious. I just have to have faith.

"Sanji!" The Straw Hat pirate turned as his name was abruptly caused, just in time to see the pink-haired, brawny pirate wife tottering toward him. "It's nearly ready! Here! Taste it!" she insisted as she held out a fork with a bit of the sponge iced cake on the end. Sanji did as bid, and as the sweet taste spread over his tongue, he could not help but grin devilishly.

"It's absolutely divine, Chiffon! This cake will stop Big Mom right in her tracks! I guarantee it!" As he smirked triumphantly, the cooks cheered happily, and the crew began scrambling around once more to set course for the island they were meeting the rest of Sanji's crewmates. Sanji approached the towering wedding cake, occasionally barking orders at the cooks who were providing finishing touches to the icing. He could see Pudding hovering off to the side out of the corners of his eyes, staring hard at him. Cute. Too bad my heart belongs to another woman, he thought wryly. The image of the beautiful, tangerine-haired navigator flashed into his mind for a brief moment. He wondered if she was all right. Before his mind could descend into frightening scenarios, he hastily bent his thoughts on the cake. I can't worry about her… I have to believe that Luffy will protect her- all of them, but especially her.

"Sanji, I have a question for you!" Chiffon chirped at him suddenly, and he turned once more to face the large woman. "What is Nami's favorite kind of cake?" Sanji had to admit that he was surprised that she would ask so suddenly about the woman, especially when he had just been thinking about her.

"Why would you ask about her?" Pudding snapped grumpily. At the mention of the other woman, the caramel-haired baking expert had rushed to Sanji's side, glaring daggers at the clueless Chiffon. She still kept her distance from him, though, her fingers twitching anxiously as she watched to see how he would react. Sanji smirked lightly and looked back at Bege's wife, sliding his hands into his pockets.

"Yeah, Chiffon, what's up with this all of a sudden?" he agreed.

"Nami is Lola's friend, yes? I've heard a lot about the good things she did for her," she explained with a big smile. "So, Nami is my friend too. I just want to bake a small cake for her, to thank her for helping Lola so much." It sounded like a good enough reason to Sanji, so he pulled out one hand to rub his chin thoughtfully.

"Hmm, I see. Well, Nami loves tangerines, for sure, but she also likes fruits in general. She partial to berries, though- especially strawberries. Those are her favorite. As for cakes, angel food cake is definitely her top choice, but strawberry cake and vanilla cake are close seconds. She prefers whipped frosting over creamy frosting," he babbled, and as he continued to talk about her, a smile naturally formed onto his face. It had taken a lot of trial and error, and careful observation, to discern what her food preferences were, and he could just see that little smile on her face as she sat bent over her work desk nibbling at some confection or another he had prepared for her. She always hid in her office when he made something just for her, but she left the door cracked to let the sea breeze in, and he would always peer into her room to see her reaction for just a brief moment. She would always bring him the plate when she was done with a simple "thank you," but when she turned around there would be a flash of happiness on her face that Sanji always managed to catch.

"You like Nami, don't you?" Sanji was snapped out of his fantasizing by Chiffon's amused question, and he looked back to her to see her smiling knowingly. He could feel Pudding bristling next to him, quaking with rage, but he wasn't going to lie for her sake.

"I don't just like her. I love her!" he confirmed with a big, happy grin. Sanji really did, though he had played it off all this time- mostly because he knew that his past would eventually catch up to him one day. Now that everything was out in the open, though, why did he have to hide it?

"Sanji, what about me?" Pudding pouted beside him, her face taking on that dark, murderous shadow he had seen many times over the strange roller-coaster ride that was his captivity in Big Mom's empire. He looked down at her, and, not missing a beat, flashed her an alluring smile.

"Oh, but you're beautiful, Pudding," he told her smoothly, and she squealed and clapped her hands to her cheeks, gushing over the compliment. That ought to appease her for the moment, he thought with a slight chuckle. Pudding had turned out to be not that bad after all- more than anything, he just felt bad for her. All her life, she had been told she was a three-eyed monster, and a tool. Though Sanji admittedly felt nothing romantic for the girl, he always wanted to make women feel beautiful and worth something, and Pudding was no exception- despite her murderous alter ego. As the girl scampered away to swoon, Sanji looked back at Chiffon. "I love Nami," he repeated, "but I don't know how she feels about me." Pudding ceased her loud squealing, perking up at the admission. Obviously she was thinking she had some kind of chance with him, or something.

"You haven't told her yet?" Chiffon asked him with a deep frown, and he shook his head with a small sigh. He glanced over the side of the boat out at the sea, where the waves were writhing, as if mirroring the maelstrom that was their situation, rapidly spiraling out of control. The sea always reminded him of her. In the two years he had been training, in the brief moments of respite he would stand on the shore with his boots off and his pants legs rolled up, ankle-deep in the surf and watching the waves roll in and out; he would wonder where she was, what she was doing, if she was safe. He had thought of her even more while he was prisoner in the vast castle complex of Big Mom. He could tell himself that he felt something for Pudding and would be able to live with marrying her all day, but when night fell and he would lay in his bed, alone with his thoughts, his mind was bent on her. Her smile, her beautiful tangerine hair, her robust confidence and brazen personality- everything he loved about her, and he would regret never telling her, for being such a coward. I should have said something, he would think. Now it's too late.

Things were different now, though. There was a pretty good chance that he could escape Big Mom's clutches. What would he do now? All his life, he had lived expecting this to be the end, and now his future was uncertain. Chiffon patiently watched him think, then chortled loudly, bringing him back to the present. "Would you like to help me bake the cake for Nami?"

"Of course." Sanji never missed an excuse to cook something. He glanced over at Pudding, who was mumbling under her breath about winning Sanji or something along those lines. "Pudding? Would you like to join us?"

"Absolutely not! I won't make anything for that woman!" she snapped hotly, her caramel pigtails whipping about as she shook her head wildly. He chuckled at her blatant refusal and shrugged, accompanying Chiffon across the deck. Naturally, Pudding stood there for a few minutes, fuming, before stomping after him. She hovered over his shoulder as he assisted Chiffon, alternating between gushing over his cooking prowess and hissing about the fact that he was making something for another woman. Within half an hour, they had a little two-tier cake, angel food cake with tangerine whipped frosting garnished with a couple of tangerine slices.

"Oh! It's perfect!" Chiffon cried in elation.

"It isn't anything special," Pudding retorted with her cheeks puffed out defiantly, her slim arms crossed with displeasure. One of the cooks brought them a box, and they carefully put the cake inside and tied it shut with string.

"Make sure you get this to Nami, Sanji, safe and sound!" Chiffon told him as he took the box and carefully slipped it into one of the pockets on the inside of his coat. It made an obvious bulge, but it was the safest place he could think to keep it in the coming chaos.

"I will, Chiffon," he assured her. One of the cooks started yelling that the island was in sight, and he walked over to the side of the boat, placing his hands on the wooden railing as he watched it slowly approach. His friends were out there. Nami was out there.

I have to deliver this present safely to Nami for Chiffon… He glanced over his shoulder at the large woman, who was grinning mischievously at him while Pudding sulked beside her. Use this present to tell her how you feel, she was telling him. Sanji looked back at the swirling ocean, at the island rapidly growing larger on the horizon, at the battle he had yet to fight, at his uncertain future…

I'm coming, Nami.