"I'll release your crew if you do a simple favor for me…" the Baron had said. A simple favor?
Yeah right.
Devil Fruits taste like shit. Everyone knows that.
Even a chef like himself wouldn't….but then again Sanji hadn't ever heard of another chef trying to do something with devils fruit before.
How could they when they wouldn't be able to taste the fruit?
But that was a challenge he had actually done before. Zeff had handed him a fruit he had never seen years ago and told him to make it into a dessert…without tasting it.
You can tell what an orange tastes like just by smelling it. A large portion of taste is actually smell…and texture…things you can determine without putting a bite ever in your mouth.
It was a challenge that suddenly appealed to him. He had learned so much since that simple fruit had inspired an "unique and brilliant tasting sorbet" that he had a customer sample for him.
To be known as the only chef to make a Devils Fruit taste good…had a nice prestige to it too.
"Sure thing, shitty Baron. Release the crew and I'll make it delicious."
He had been tossed the tan oblong pineapple shaped fruit covered in swirls by the barons sexy sexy mellorine assistant (that Sanji had already adequately praised upon the groups first arrival) and was ushered quickly to the large opulent kitchen.
Sanji stared at the fruit a moment before lifting it to his nose and inhaling. A normal person would have smelled nothing. A fine cooks nose detected a light muskiness hidden beneath a light waxy film. He took out a zester and ran it across the surface in a long firm stroke, inhaling the scent deeply…a peppery bitterness. A slim slice to the interior revealed a firm, mealy apple or potato texture and an acidic smelling juice.
Then there was a pit…a firm cluster of gritty hard seeds that looked like honest to goodness sand from the beach and even smelled of ocean.
Sanji stubbed out the cigarette, rolled up his sleeves, and grinned. He was going to make this piece of shit fruit bend to his will and give the Baron something worthy of drooling.
About two hours later Sanji presented four dishes to the Baron and surprisingly to his family as well. Some careful re-plating and the group sat at a long dining table as the chef stood ready to answer any questions.
"My wife," he presented to the Chef, "And you already met my daughter April." He said addressing the cutie-chan assistant. "And this is my other daughter June." The Baron finished as a cute girl who looked no older than eight years old excitedly sat on a large cushion propped the chair.
Sanji explained each dish…the careful preparation…the brining and marinating of this piece, the infusion and baking of that one, the dredged and deep fried delight that is that one, and so on.
June lifted her fork eagerly to try the first bite.
"WAIT!" All heads turned to the cook who was openly gaping at June. "The person who eats the first bite is the one that gets the powers and the curse. It is a hard life a for a young cutie-chan like yourself…we should let your dad eat first."
The Baron began to chuckle and then bubble with laughter which quickly spread to his wife and two daughters.
"You don't understand, Mr. Chef. This fruit I procured specifically for June. She is quite aware what she is giving up…and what she is gaining. We have been waiting for a chef to prepare it for her due to her condition."
"Her condition?"
June took the first virgin bite of the fried devils fruit, licked her lips, and sighed in contentment.
"It is delicious."
April smiled at her sister and addressed the cook happily.
"June is my OLDER sister…she has a condition where she can't age past ten and has a very sensitive system. Her pallet wouldn't even let her lick the devil fruit before you can along."
Sanji looked back to June skeptically, could such a thing really exist. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen…would ever see sat in her seat instead. His jaw dropped to the floor and he felt his pulse was beginning to race already.
June laughed beautifully at Sanjis expression and to him it was an echo of chimes on the ocean.
"Looks like it worked, the ideal-ideal fruit." She smiled at the blond cook, sending shivers down his spine. She looked down at herself and her vision of a smile extended wider. "Very nice. I might just make your ideal version of me my default. Father, you have to try this…it is fantastic and you don't want it to get cold. Devils fruit is incredibly rare after all." She smirked.
Sanji just couldn't pull his eyes away from this vision…so perfect. It took the newly freed crew coming to collect him and reminding him they needed to leave before he realized any time had passed at all.
He briefly considered staying with June-swan forever…until she morphed into Robin-chans ideal man to experiment a bit and he realized he was being swayed by a shitty fruit when he already lived with two honest to goodness beauties.
Plus he had a crew that needed him, who knows when another devils fruit will be needed to be made edible for their freedom again. After all to his knowledge, he was the only one in the world qualified to take up the challenge.
If he could get more thankful goodbye kisses from other girls like June and April too then that was a part of his gentlemanly duty he was all too glad to fill.