The Pirate King Is Dead - Long Live The Pirate King

Part 3 of a Four Part Saga

By Aoikami Sarah

Chapter Eleven - Harmony Finds 'The Chef'

Hours later, Harmony had changed out of her dress and into a more comfortable short-sleeved shirt and long black skirt. Her hair was down and nearly reached her knees. She emerged from a private door and approached the smallest bar in the Sea Note, well hidden inside and mostly populated by employees after their shifts were over. She gravitated to the bar and sat on the leftmost of the stools.

"Island Hopping Gargle Blaster," she said to the bartender, a tall, thin man with a comical handlebar mustache. "Make it a double."

He leaned over the bar and looked at her funny. "That's not 'the usual'," he said quietly. "You sure?"

She nodded. "I need it. Humor me, Opus."

Opus shrugged. "Yes Ma'am. Not like you gotta drive home, right?" He dug around for a good lemon and started the elaborate and intense shot. Harmony sighed and played with a cocktail napkin, oblivious to the sidelong stare of the blond man at the other end of the bar. "Ha-chan, did you really know him?" Opus asked quietly. "The Pirate King?"

"I only knew him for two weeks."

"He must have been a hell of a fella for you to fall in love with him."

"He saved my life, but it wasn't him I was in love with," she said quietly. Opus handed her the Gargle Blaster. The man at the other end straightened up and put his drink down.

"Holy crap!" a loud, brash voice said in greeting. "Harmony, what the hell're you drinkin'!"

She looked up to her left at the impressive looking merman with the blue and yellow striped skin. "Hello, Bravo."

"You lookin' to have some fun tonight?" he asked, adjusting his bow tie. "I can make you forget that guy."

"I will never forget that guy," she said. Harmony stopped playing with the napkin and started playing with the drink she only half-intended to consume. "Nor do I care to."

"Aw, come on, Harmony!" he whined. "You ain't usually so down! I just wanna show you a good time!"

She twisted a plain, metal ring around her right middle finger. "I appreciate that, Bravo. You're a good man, but, I'm sorry."

"Come on," he insisted and grasped her arm. "Let me help you."

Harmony took a deep breath and slid the ring off of her finger. She placed it on the bar and slid it as far away from herself as she could without standing up. The bartender took a step back. "I'm sorry, Bravo," Harmony said and looked up at him. Her voice seemed to resonate from the glasses in their racks hanging over the bar. "Please go out and have a good time without me."

Bravo let her go. His body twisted about face and his feet marched him out of the bar. "Then I guess I'll see you later!" he called, his voice trailing off around the corner.

"Been a while since I seen you use the voice on a guy," Opus commented, relaxing as she put her kairouseki ring back on. "Too bad Bravo's dumber than a box a rocks. He's not a bad guy." Harmony smiled at him. "There, that's better. I know it hurts now, but you gotta keep smiling, Ha-chan."

"I'm trying, Opus." Harmony looked to her drink. She made a face and handed it back to him. He breathed a sigh of relief and dumped it out for her. "I'll try harder." The man at the end of the bar lit a cigarette. Harmony caught a whiff of the sulfur and tobacco and sighed.

"I think I can help," the cigarette smoker said. Opus rolled his eyes, ready to watch another hapless suitor get a 'talking to' from the Akuma no Mi user. Harmony turned her head and looked to her right. His black suit and shock of blond hair covering the left side of his face was unmistakable. "I have some good news that will make you very happy," he said, rested his cigarette in an ashtray and stood.

Harmony blinked at him as if she didn't believe her eyes.

"You know this guy, Ha-chan?" Opus asked, wary of crazy fans.

"Sa… Sanji-san!" she cried.

"What! You mean, this is the chef!" Opus nearly dropped the drink he was fixing.

Sanji smiled. "That's me. I'm sorry I didn't call you. If I had known how much you would suffer…"

"You mean…?"

"He's safe as houses," he said quietly. Before he could speak again she lunged at him.

"Thank God!" she cheered and hugged him tightly.

"Looks like that did the trick," Opus commented and turned his attention to other customers.

It was a few moments before Harmony realized her hug wasn't being returned. She took her arms from around his shoulders and stepped back. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." She blushed.

"I think I do. It's happening to me, too," he said and swallowed. "All the way here I was dreading seeing you. I didn't know how I'd react to seeing you again now that you've grown. Usually, I'm a little… overzealous when it comes to the weaker sex. But around you, I've always felt nervous."

Harmony pouted. "You mean… you don't like me?"

Sanji laughed. "I might as well get it over with, else I feel I might pass out any minute," he said and looked into her large, green eyes. "When we met, you were just a child, but you've become a beautiful young woman. I…" Sanji swallowed again. "Usually when I see a girl I like, I go crazy. It comes naturally. I can't help it. But with you, even now, I'm shaking. My blood is running hot and cold. My hair is standing on end. What I had thought was a negative reaction, I understand now." He took her hands in his. "Ojou-sama… Harmony. Am I to assume that I am 'the chef' the bartender recognized? Have you really not forgotten about me?"

Harmony's eyes widened but she didn't answer. She nodded rapidly, her tanned face turning an interesting shade of fuchsia. She squeezed his hands and tried to think of what to say. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. She laughed and shook her head, standing up on her toes to kiss him. Sanji held his breath and kissed her back, but before he could wrap her up into an embrace, she stepped back, grinning from ear to ear. Harmony Sairen, unable to form her feelings into words, began to sing.

To be continued…