Enjoy your reading.

Chapter 32

Unmatched flavors

When Löurnig Island appeared in sight the next day shortly after breakfast, the crew didn't hide his joy. The infernal pace imposed by the navigator had paid off and excitement was at its peak at the idea of being able to enjoy the festival.

A few minutes from landing, Sanji carefully arranged his dish. He was ready. He had spent a good part of the night refining his recipe to find the right amount of spices and he was now sufficiently satisfied with his work. Only the jury verdict remained.

His treasure thoroughly wrapped in a large plate, he went out on deck while his friends were already getting ashore in the small port largely filled. The festival was likely drawing a lot of people and they were joyfully calling out to one another from their ships, remembering anecdotes of the previous year and bragging about their spicy specialties.

As soon as the cook met his crewmates, Luffy clung on to him.

"What did you cooked, Sanji? What dish did you make? The one with meat?! Can I taste it?!"

The blond calmly got free and pulled on his cigarette.

"It's a unique recipe."

"Did you invent a new dish during the night?" Ussop wondered.

As Sanji was nodding, Franky sent him a huge push in the back that almost made him let go of his plate.

"That is devotion for your art! I'm sure it'll be super!" he exclaimed with enthusiasm.

"Your dishes are always the best, Sanji!" the little reindeer approved.

"You'll congratulate him when he wins", the navigator intervened. "For now, we need to quickly register him."

At these words, she firmly grabbed the cook's arm to pull him toward the entrance of the festival a few hundred meters away. This one liquefied at her touch and his dish nearly escaped him again.

"I'll follow you to the end of the world, Nami-san!" he got enthused while their crewmates were following them, cheerfully commenting on their surroundings.

"Competition is tough", Nami said, looking over the brochure with concern. "There are more than thirty dishes registered and some cooks are coming from very far away to take part in it."

The festival was stretching out on a hectare in a large field not far from the main city of the island. The sunny weather had attracted tourists but also local population of all the surrounding archipelagos and the atmosphere was friendly.

Sanji had found a place among the other participants of the contest on a long table. This one was taking place in two phases. First, a jury made up with three professional cooks was coming to taste the dishes and select five recipes then it was the turn of three amateur jurors randomly chosen among the population to designate the winner.

Sanji unpacked his dish and took out a small stove to keep it at the right temperature. Immediately, his crew gathered around him with excitement.

"Awesome, ham!" Luffy shouted in front of the assorted meal.

"Roasted potatoes, what a great idea!" Brook exclaimed.

"Spices smell all the way here", Robin noticed. "It looks delicious."

"Oh, thank you, Robin-chan!" the blond waddled.

"It's doesn't look original but the dish seems tasty", Nami approved. "Let's hope that's enough."

The tasting was supposed to last a good part of the day to allow the jury to walk around the participants and the crew agreed to meet for the final result in the late afternoon.

Nami and Robin decided to head to the historic path where each spice was showed according to its origin and its possible uses. The navigator was curious to see at what price rare spices were being traded and Robin wanted to learn more about their distribution among all the Grand Line islands.

For their part, the boys were instantly attracted to the food and drink stalls. While Brook and Chopper were interested in spices dedicated in desserts, Luffy didn't know which way to turn in front of all the flavors available and the amount of drool dripping from his mouth eventually dehydrated him. Ussop then took him to a stand and ordered him an assortment of spicy meat. Not far from them, Zoro discovered in astonishment an impressive amount of spice drinks and ordered a dozen beers.

Then they spot a picnic table a little away from the crowd and when the fencer put his many glasses down, Franky took off his sunglasses to better examine them.

"What is this?" he asked.

"Spice beers", the swordsman replied, knocking back a first mug.

He pulled a surprised face then shrugged.

"That one must have been the bitter orange peel. Weird"

He drank another and finally all the large cups on the table.

"You had time to enjoy it?" Ussop asked, jaded.

"It ain't worth a good old sake but it's not too bad", the swordsman replied before getting up.

"Where are you going?" the gunner wondered.

"Getting some more. I'm thirsty."

Ussop shook his head and finished his curry kebab while Luffy was asking him for a second round of spicy meat. For his part, Franky generously poured chili on his noodle dish.

When the fencer came back with a dozen new drinks, Brook and Chopper met them. The little reindeer was holding a huge bowl of spicy hot chocolate sprinkled with roasted marshmallows and Brook a huge glass of cinnamon milk. Everyone then enjoyed their purchase with appetite while looking forward to the upcoming contest.

Shortly before the hour of the results, the straw hat crew met as planned in the center of the festival where a podium had been put up in height. They pushed their way through the crowd to be as close as possible. Candidates were gathered behind the stage and Luffy widely waved at his cook busy raving about the dish of one of his competitors.

"He better win", Nami grumbled, munching in a ginger biscuit.

Soon, a man came forward and made a short introductory speech, praising the growing number of entrants each year and the exceptionally high level of this edition. He then made room for the jury which had the difficult task of choosing the five finalists of the day.

Nami tensed up as she heard the names of the first three candidates. At the fourth, she downright strained but fortunately, the fifth name was the one of their cook and at her side, the crew exclaimed loudly to congratulate him. Each finalist then set his dish down on the podium and the final jury stepped forward.

"Miss Lola presents cockerel stuffed with chili and lemongrass!" the host got enthused.

The audience clapped and the jury tasted her dish, nodding with satisfaction.

"Tony Des Plansha serves fettuccine with garlic and fresh chili!"

The crowd got on fire at the name of the competitor and Nami frowned when seeing the jury approve during their tasting. Obviously, this participant already had a good reputation and she immediately regarded him as a dangerous opponent.

"Mrs Kirtovsky brought a panna cotta with saffron and nutmeg!"

Again, the jury approached and tasted the dessert before noting down its appreciations.

"Sir Lortimer prepared a marinated salmon with juniper!"

Sir Lortimer's supporters screamed with joy and Nami gritted her teeth. She was hoping the jurors wouldn't be affected by the popularity of the candidates because some had many fans.

"And finally, Mister Prince concocted a country ham accompanied by his roasted potatoes with fenugreek and saffron!"

"Mister Prince?" Zoro grinded.

The navigator shrugged.

"We needed an alias so that we wouldn't be recognized."

The rest of the straw hat crew cheered loudly at their cook, and then silence came when the jury tasted the dish. Nami held her breath, seeing them exchange looks and then nodding before writing on their sheet of paper.

Then they went to a corner of the stage to discuss their impressions while the host was taking the opportunity to walk around some of the participant on the stands so that they could show their specialties.

Nami bit one of her nail, definitely nervous. Fortunately, after only a few minutes of deliberation, the jurors came back toward the host.

"It looks like we already have a winner", this one exclaimed. "I can see it was fast this year!"

"Choice seemed obvious to us", their spokesperson replied.

They handed their sheet of paper to the host who brought his mike closer.

"And the winner of the annual spices festival is... Mister Prince!"

The cook's crewmates jumped as one man, thrilled. The navigator's scream even covered the cheers of the crowd and Sanji charmingly waved back at her.

"We chose this recipe for its authenticity and simplicity", one of the jurors explained. "This dish is built in such a way that the flavor of the spices is enhanced among other ingredients. This main ingredient highlighting is simply amazing!"

The host nodded and presented the winner with the prize.

"This is one of the rarest spices in the world, sarma", he got enthused. "This secret mix of spices is our pride and I'm sure you'll make good use of it! A word about your recipe, Mister Prince?"

Sanji grabbed the mike with ease, looking radiant.

"I dedicate this victory to my two goddesses, who delight each one of my day!" he declaimed with passion. "This is for you, Nami-san and Robin-chan!"

The crowd got on fire at his declaration and seductive whistles were heard. Sanji then took the opportunity to describe his cooking that he viewed as a woman who had to be worshiped and cheers intensified as well as applause.

Among the crowd, Zoro rolled his eyes.

"What a spiel", he mumbled.

At his side, Nami and Ussop approved. As for Robin, she started laughing.

"Either way, our chef is in his element under spotlight!"

When the crew found Sanji about ten minutes later, he was busy answering questions from the many curious people who were crowding around him. Nevertheless, he immediately came and met his friends when he saw Nami and Robin among them.

"Congrats, buddy!" Franky immediately exclaimed.

"You were great!" Chopper said.

"And your speech was quite simply grandiose! I have never heard anything so true!" Brook added with emotion.

The blond was going to thank them when his captain intervened with a scowl.

"That's very nice to win prizes with your dish but we didn't even taste it!" he reproached him.

The cook's eyes sparkled and he picked up a plate filled with the winning recipe from his table. He served one share for each of his crewmates and waited impatiently for their verdict. He was always happy when his cooking was delighting the palace of strangers but the opinion of his friends remained the most important to him.

At first bite, Nami stared wide-eyed and put a hand to her mouth.

"My God, Sanji-kun! It's delicious!"

"It's divine!" Ussop agreed, totally captivated.

"Absolutely exquisite", Robin added.

"That's incredible!" Franky gushed. "How did you do?!"

"I seem to feel each spice in its entire splendor even though I have no taste buds or tongue!" the musician marveled.

"The dishes you made yesterday were already excellent, but now you've outdone yourself!" Chopper admired.

"You're awesome, Sanji!" his captain concluded, putting half the ham in his mouth.

The cook had a wide smile before glancing at the only crewmember who had remained silent. He then met Zoro's incredulous gaze on him and his victory was complete.

"I used the salt from the Aqua Laguna to bring out the spices taste", he explained, quietly lighting a cigarette.

"The Aqua Laguna salt?" Chopper wondered. "You mean the one you got when we left Water 7?"

"The same one", the blond replied, blowing his smoke. "I had already noticed the unique taste of this salt after the ground swell had passed and I picked up whole bags. This sea mixes the salt of all the seas, it's the same as the one on All Blue. It has incomparable nutritional and gustatory virtues."

"So salt is giving that taste to spices?"Franky asked.

"It's more of his mix with the other ingredients", the cook clarified. "At right dose, it reveals meat and potatoes aromas which in turn reinforce the one of the spices."

"That's brilliant!" Ussop exclaimed, shoving a new mouthful.

"It's salt then?" the swordsman repeated, visibly surprised.

Sanji turned his gaze on him, amused.

"Correct, marimo. Even though I can't put it everywhere, it's an often-needed ingredient."

Zoro then realized their last conversation was behind the cook's idea and he smirked at him, satisfied. Sanji took a drag of his cigarette again, his gaze still fixed on his, and his own smile widened as the fencer held his gaze in his turn.

Yet he was dragged out of their mute exchange by Luffy who was pulling on his sleeve to receive a new share of his dish. With a good mood, the blond agreed to serve him again and he laughed heartily with his friends at seeing his captain swallow his plate with relish.

After having enjoyed a few more stands, the crew had happily sat down in a restaurant in the city to celebrate the cook's victory at nightfall. By popular request, Nami had booked rooms in an inn and everyone was enjoying the evening to the full. Dishes were disappearing at breakneck speed and waiters were running to fill the plates quickly enough. This was a time of real celebration and drinks had been particularly generous. In addition, many inhabitants were coming to congratulate the cook who was offered endless rounds of cocktails and his vision was beginning to seriously blur.

Nevertheless, between Luffy's laughter and Brook's jokes, a sharp argument had begun between the navigator and the swordsman facing each other.

"How are we all in the same room?" Zoro grumbled who had emptied an umpteenth bottle.

"Two rooms for boys and one for me and Robin. We don't have enough money to afford the luxury of having our own rooms", Nami decreed. "Especially you."

"We just won this festival and Iris gave us money, that's not enough for you?!" the fencer rebelled.

The navigator firmly shook her head.

"We've barely made a few reserves, we're not gonna spend everything stupidly. Anyway, there's no way for you to be with Sanji-kun, you'll prevent the whole hotel from sleeping."

The cook who was absentmindedly listening to the conversation - as he was busy flirting with the waitresses - turned beet red while Ussop was gravely nodding next to him. For her part, Robin only smiled knowingly but fortunately Luffy, Chopper, Franky and Brook were too busy putting chopsticks in their noses and bawling for hearing.

"So what, you're frustrated?" Zoro retorted, undeterred. "Captain isn't doing his job?"

Sanji felt his cheeks flush even more if it was possible. Why did the marimo take so much pleasure in making innuendo about this subject and especially with Nami-san? He was going to put him in his place on this point when the navigator beat him.

"You wish. You have no idea what you can do with an elastic man."

On this one, Sanji turned at the same time as Zoro and Ussop toward the red-haired girl who was staring at the swordsman with confidence. The latter, obviously not expecting such a repartee, decided to risk everything.

"You're bluffing. Luffy's light years away from that."

"Wanna bet?"

Nami quietly gazed at her opponent, a hand casually playing with her cocktail glass. Zoro knew how much she could be devious and he hesitated.

"Okay. If I win, you pay us a room."

"And if you lose, it's you who pays the inn and the restaurant for everyone", the pretty redhead completed with a determined smile.

"Hey, you're not gonna display your sex life for a bet?" Ussop pointed out, appalled.

"For once, I agree with Ussop", the cook approved, uncomfortable.

"Mind your own business, you two!" the navigator cut them short. "It's between Zoro and me."

"And how are you going to settle this thorny question?" Robin cleverly asked them as Sanji was giving her a distress look.

He couldn't believe the beautiful archaeologist was adding to these topics!

"It's simple, we all know Luffy doesn't know how to lie so we'll ask him the question directly", Nami answered, not leaving the fencer's eyes.

"Sounds good", this one approved.

"No, you're serious?!" the gunner got alarmed. "There's Chopper here!"

"He won't hear anything cos there's nothing to hear", Zoro pointed out, sure of himself.

The navigator then turned to the captain and put her hand on his, which had the effect of making him swallow his last bite whole.

"Luffy, can you explain to Zoro what we did last night, please?"

"Well, yeah!"

Three faces more curious than the others aimed immediately towards him, hanging on his every word. The swordsman was confident, their captain was far too naive to have done anything. However, Nami's satisfied smile was disturbing him. Who knows what that witch had taught him, even in such a short time...

"We went to the crow's nest while Ussop was taking care of keeping watch over direction! Nami had something to show me!"

"What kind of something?" Zoro asked him.

Luffy shook his head.

"It's a private thing, I can't go into detail, I promised!"

The swordsman was going to protest when the red-haired woman intervened.

"You can tell, Luffy."

At these words, the straw hat boy had a huge smile.

"She showed me a lot of stuff I'd never seen before! It was weird at first, but after it was great and it lasted all night! At one point, we had to move because it was getting uncomfortable and it was hot! And then I had the idea to take us to the roof! It was even better and we were less hot!"

"Th-The roof?" Zoro stammered.

"Yeah, it was pretty cool! You should go with Sanji too!"

"Thank you, Luffy", the navigator concluded with a smile.

The fencer heavily plopped himself down on the bottom of his chair, defeated, and Nami gave him a sparkling smile before grabbing her cocktail. Ussop and Sanji were gaping and staring at their captain in a new light. As for Robin, she stifled a laugh as she was grabbing her glass of wine.

"I'll add the bills to your debt", the young woman summed up, winking at the man in front of her. "I hope you have a pleasant night."

"You're a fucking devil", the swordsman grumbled between his teeth.

"I can't believe you pinched my idea about salt", the swordsman suddenly pointed out to the cook.

The crew was heading toward the inn where Nami had reserved the rooms. It was far into the night and Sanji was feeling the effects of alcohol investing his body. His walk was slow but the fresh air did him some good. In fact, he and Zoro had ending up at the back of the group.

"You made a vague suggestion and I sublimated it", he corrected, lighting a cigarette. "Don't take credit for my victory, marimo."

The blond then blew his smoke toward the sky and suddenly froze. Zoro stopped in his turn and gave him a questioning look.

"What's up, darts?"

"Your hair. They're green again", the cook noted with a perfectly serious look.

The fencer rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, the dye has come off."

"That's good."

The blond resumed his walk as if nothing had happened but as soon as he arrived at the height of the swordsman, this one brutally pulled him in the adjacent alley before pressing him against the wall. Surprised and reflexes really reduced by alcohol, Sanji dropped his cigarette and took a second to realize what was happening when the hot lips of the fencer jumped on his. Nevertheless, he didn't lose much more time to answer him, their last days of forced abstinence feeling truly terrible.

After a few moments of burning kisses, the blond yet reluctantly pulled away from him.

"We've got to move, marimo", he whispered. "I don't know where this inn is..."

"I don't give a fuck about the inn", the man grunted in his neck, sending him delicious shivers.

"But... they'll wonder where we went", he tried again weakly.

"They'll understand by themselves. Besides, you have a promise to keep."

The swordsman pressed his body even more against the one of the cook, while nibbling the delicate skin of his shoulder he had begun to free from his clothes. He couldn't take it anymore. These last few days had been a nightmare, believing each time to be able to catch the blond, without success. He had put everything on this evening and he didn't want to wait another minute. So he began tearing the belt of his pants with one hand while the other was going up under the shirt's cook whose breathing sped up.

The wall of the alley was rough and wet in the back of Sanji and the fact that they were dimly lit soon urged him to open his eyes again.

"W-Wait... We can't do it here", he stopped him, gasping for air.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't have any exhibitionist tendency yet."

Zoro sighed and looked straight in his eyes.

"You got cash?" he asked him.

"Not enough for what you suggest."

"No way we postpone it again! I've waited too long and I've lost that stupid bet, that's enough!" the fencer got impatient, trying again to press his lips on his.

Sanji put his hands on his chest to stop him.

"I agree. Let's go back to the Sunny."

The swordsman nodded and grabbed the blond's arm to drag him behind him. Slightly haggard, Sanji fortunately realized quite quickly they were walking away more than they were getting closer to the port so it was he who guided his lover toward the ship.

Barely arrived on deck, Zoro pressed him again against the first wall he found and eagerly kissed him. Sanji was struggling to keep up with his pace, both drunk with desire and intoxicated with alcohol. The swordsman didn't seem to joke when he said he couldn't wait and the cook grabbed his shoulders as he felt his body squeeze more against his, pulling out a moan from him. Galvanized by this sound, the fencer redoubled his efforts going down to his neck and the blond suddenly tied his legs around his waist, strengthening the contact between their two crotches.

Zoro stifled a groan under the feeling intensity and groped for the nearest door handle. When he found it, he instinctively opened it and stumbled into the room, the cook still clinging to his hips and his arms tightly tied around his neck. He slammed the door behind them and found it was the aquarium. Without thinking, he leaned down until the blond's back was touching the softness of the red couch and then pressed his body to the maximum against the one of his crewmate.

Eyes clouded, Sanji answered with a barely concealed moan that electrified the swordsman. He didn't really understand the urgency his body was screaming at him but he didn't want to escape from it either so he got rid of his tee-shirt in a hurry and literally tore off the blond's shirt who was still panting in his ears. He felt him protest weakly at the treatment of his garment but stifled his complaint in a fiery kiss.

Maybe frustration was at its peak since he had seen the cook's sparkling smile after his victory. Perhaps it was the crowd who cheered him and among whom he has strutted like a star. Perhaps it was the prospect of knowing this body actually belonged only to him.

In any case, he wasn't going to let him catch his breath tonight. They had too much to make up.

"It seems our chief and our swordsman will not meet us after all", Robin noted.

The rest of the crew had reached the inn and Nami had given out the room keys. As the boys went to their beds upstairs, the girls had suddenly noticed the absence of Sanji and Zoro.

"They're probably busy finding a place to make up for their defeat", Nami snickered.

"I confess that I am curious about your story", her friend admitted. "I thought our captain would be a lot more innocent about it..."

The navigator shrugged. She knew she could trust the discretion of the archaeologist.

"He is. I showed him a shower of shooting stars last night, that's all. I thought it'd be an opportunity to create a romantic atmosphere but it didn't really work. He didn't stop hopping in all directions to show me each new star... The only compensation is that he's really too naive to understand the double meaning of what I asked him earlier."

Robin stifled a small laugh.

"Indeed, it seems like it worked somehow."

Nami nodded, smiling, as they walked up the steps.

"I'm telling you, Robin, there's nothing like the taste of victory."

A little time with Nami and Luffy is nice, isn't it?

I hope you still like this story!