The Straw Hat Pirates waved goodbye to the residents of the town as they set sail once again.
Chopper had replenished his medicine stock after taking care of Luffy. Upon their arrival, he had taken the Yofun Bush extract with him and thrown it away the first chance he got. Since he was back with his friends and could make Rumble Balls again, and especially since the fateful incident with Sanji, he had no use for it.
Sanji bought ten pounds of Sea King meat, five ducks, a crate full of ground beef, five kegs of ale, and a whole array of fruits, vegetables, and spices. And before he forgot, he bought a new food cart, one with brakes on all four wheels. The last thing he wanted was for that whole mess to happen again.
Later that night, as the Straw Hats took their seats at Franky and Usopp's makeshift table, they were abuzz with anticipation of the meal. The kitchen door opened, and they turned to see Sanji proudly wheeling out their second anniversary (plus one) dinner. The menu was the same as before: Sea King au Poivre, roast duck, beef lasagna, vegetable stir fry, strawberry cheesecake, chocolate torte, and mikan meringue. The only major change was the replacement of the Alabasta gumbo with Cocoyashi stew. After what had happened, Sanji resolved never to make the gumbo again.
When he reached the table, he locked all four wheels in place and, with Luffy's help, placed the food on the table for all to see. It was just as incredible as they thought it would be. Once everything was in place, Sanji filled everyone's glasses with ale and cleared his throat.
"Before we begin, I'd like to propose a toast." He turned to his crewmates, raised his glass, and saluted them individually.
"To Robin, for her striking beauty and intelligence. To Brook, for his musicianship and his class. To Usopp, for his creativity and good humor. To Franky, for his...his Frankyness."
Everyone had a good-natured laugh at Sanji's description. "Yeah, that about sums it up," Franky acknowledged.
"Okay, okay," Sanji said with a smile. He continued: "To Nami, for her expert navigational skills and her striking beauty. To Zoro, for his willingness to fight me at any given time."
Zoro grinned and said, "How about now?" He faked getting up from his seat as Sanji pretended to go into a fighting stance to the sound of everyone's cheers. Zoro and Sanji shook hands, and the swordsman sat down.
Sanji continued: "And last, but definitely not least...to Chopper, for healing our wounds and being a good listener. And..." He hoisted his glass high in the air as he faced his captain. "To Luffy, for being the glue that holds us all together. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for letting us be a part of your dream." Luffy smiled as everyone saluted him and gave him cheers.
But Sanji wasn't finished. "And thank you. All of you. Throughout these two years--and a day--we've grown and matured in ways we could never have imagined. I've never been prouder or happier than I am right now..." Tears began to well in Sanji's eyes, and he paused for a moment to collect himself. "But I've never been prouder or happier than I am right now to call myself your friend. Your chef. Your nakama."
With tears running down his face, he raised his glass in the air and finished. "I love you all. From the bottom of my heart...thank you so much." His crewmates applauded his speech as he began to sit down, but before he could, Chopper stood on the table, glass of ale in hand, and yelled, "THREE CHEERS FOR SANJI!"
All nine Straw Hats toasted together three times with a hearty shout of "KANPAI!" each time. After the third toast, everyone sat down as Sanji began to serve the food. As he stared at his friends while they ate, laughed and carried on, he said a silent thank you to each of them for letting him stay. Truly, he was among friends. He lifted his glass and gave one final, triumphant toast:
"AND HERE'S TO TEN YEARS MORE!"
Oh, when everything is wrong
Oh, when hopelessness surrounds you
Oh, the sun will rise again
The tide you swim against will carry you back home
So don't give up
Don't give in.
--"I Walk Beside You," Dream Theater
Dream Theater quote copyright 2005 by John Petrucci.