Chapter Two

As he stepped from the blue cloud, the visitor looked around in confusion.

How'd I get here? he thought.

His eyes, beneath slightly weird eyebrows, registered finally the two girls standing before him, staring at him as avidly as if he were some new kind of chocolate that wouldn't run out.

Both were in the same school uniform, though the shorter had loosened her tie so it hung lose around her neck. Both also held something in their right hands but that was where the similarities ended.

The shorter had red-brown hair that waved as it descended down her back and her eyes were and intense blue.

The taller had a sheet of dark chestnut tresses that was pulled back in a plait with green ribbon tied at the top and end. Her eyes were hazel with flecks of green.

Least they haven't tried to cut my head off yet, thought the stranger. Then again, it doesn't look as though they could.

'Sanji,' said the blue eyes girl quietly.

'That's me,' said the visitor.

'It worked!' giggled the girl with the plait. 'Hey Sanji, I'm Em.'

'I'm Sara', said the other.

'It's indeed a pleasure to make the acquaintances of two ladies as lovely as yourselves,' said Sanji in his customary drawl, fishing a lollipop from his suit's inner pocket, flicking off the wrapper, inserting the sweet into his mouth and returning the wrapper to his pocket.

The girls blushed.

'It's nice to meet you, Sanji,' said Em sweetly. 'Your cooking skills are famous and we just wanted to tell you that.'

Sanji smoothed back a stray blonde hair and grinned. 'I am a pretty good chef.'

Sara jumped on Em's wavelength immediately. 'Yeah. Tales of your deserts have travelled far and wide.'

Sanji tried to appear nonchalant. 'I'm famous?'

'Yup,' said Em.

'But you know,' said Sara slyly, 'fame often exaggerates.'

'Oh, yes,' said Em.

'You mightn't be such a good cook,' continued Sara, her eyes downcast in mock disappointment.

Sanji's face fell. 'But I am!'

'You say that,' mumbled Em, driving the stake home. 'Maybe we should summon another cook…'

'No, I am a good cook!' cried Sanji. 'I'll prove it!'

'Great!' said Em cheerily. 'The kitchen's this way.' She pushed Sanji out of the living room. Sara followed, stifling a laugh.

'What delicious plate shall I make for you beautiful ladies?' asked Sanji as he shed his jacket and draped it over a chair.

'Something sweet,' supplied Sara.

Sanji nodded and in a flash he was whipping up a few eggs and whatever else he could locate in Em's cupboards.

Sara and Em were swept up in the glamour of Sanji's cooking. He made it a performance, almost a dance. The girls were quite sorry when he dished up two bowls full of the most scrumptious looking food they had ever seen.

Sanji, proving that he was the perfect specimen of the male species, went and did the dishes.

Sara and Em giggled girlishly and gently took a spoonful of their feather light deserts.

Their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, so surprised they were that such a heavenly taste could exist.

'Mmm!' they chorused.

Sanji leaned his head around the doorway from the kitchen and smiled knowingly at their reactions.

Too soon, the desert was gone and Sara and Em were left trying in vain to pick up the residue with their spoons.

Sanji walked out in front of them, his hands behind his back.

'I think that that has proved to us that you are a fantastic chef,' said Sara.

'What a fantastic celebration feast,' sighed Em.

'Just glad to be of service,' said Sanji, bowing.

'You should cook for every girl,' said Em. 'They'd all fall in love with you.'

Sanji's eyes shone. 'Really?'

'Sure. The way to a girl's heart is through her stomach!'

Sara laughed.

'But I have lots of girlfriends already,' lied Sanji.

Em's brow furrowed. 'Truly?'

'Yup,' said Sanji. 'I'm the captain of a huge pirate ship the size of a cruise liner.'

Sara and Em glanced at each other.

Sanji put his hands round his head. 'A loyal crew of a thousand sailors work my ship. And when I'm not busy sailing the open sea, I like to go relax on my private island.'

'Oooh,' said Em kittenishly.

'It's a pity you have so many girlfriends,' said Sara.

'Why's that?' asked Sanji.

'Coz since you have so many, you must not have the time for the two of us…'

Sanji turned red. 'Of course I have time for you!'

'Does that mean that if we were in your world we could go to your private island?' asked Em innocently.

'Hey, sure, ladies,' said Sanji. 'But since we're not in my world, we can't visit.'

'Ah,' said Sara while Em giggled evilly, 'but we can.'

Sanji went chalk white. 'Y-you can?'

'Uh, huh,' said Em. 'We're powerful sorceresses- how did you think we brought you here?'

'Uh…' stuttered Sanji.

'C'mon then,' said Sara, 'let's go!'

Sanji collapsed into a seat and watched as Em read Sara the instructions of the spell to travel to a different plane from The Tome of Unreachability:

'Place the candles in a pentacle. Stand inside the pentacle. Hold the bowl in both hands. Place the object of value in the bowl as well as the written name of your destination. Heap the feathers by the northern candle of the pentacle. Light the candles.'

Sara did as Em instructed.

'C'mon, Sanji,' said Sara when she had finished. 'Stand inside the candles with us.'

Sanji reluctantly stood inside the pentacle with the girls. Em held the bowl out to him.

'Just stick your lollipop in here for a minute.'

Sanji put his sweet in the bowl with Sara's ring and Em's locket.

'Can we do this together?' hissed Em to Sara.

'I think so...' said Sara hesitantly. To Sanji, she said, 'Just say the spell with us.' She held out The Tome.

'Travel, travel, find a place

To rest my legs and warm my face

A land to which I can belong

A peaceful land, a heart's simple song'

The customary moment of nothingness before the reaction and...

POOF! Green vapour exploded from the bowl, blowing out the candles and enveloping Sara, Sanji and Em.

They each felt the sickening sensation of riding The Lethal Weapon vertically while it snowed and then they felt firm land beneath their feet.

'That... was so cool,' said Em.

They had all arrived in a citrus orchard with the lolly bowl and The Tome of Unreachability.

Sanji stuck his lollipop back in his mouth. 'This is just where I was when I left.'

'This is Belle Mere's orchard!' said Em excitedly.

'So her house must be near,' said Sara.

'We should go meet up with the crew,' said Sanji.

'Yes, we should go meet your loyal crew of one thousand sailors,' scoffed Sara and Em laughed.

Sanji blushed but he lead the girls through the orchard of orange fruit to the roadside where Luffy, Zolo, Usopp and a few other people were sitting and waiting.

Zolo stood up as they arrived and glowered at Sanji. 'Where have you been?'

'I was... uh...' Sanji began to explain his whereabouts but was distracted when Sara and Em simultaneously sighed and leant against each other in identical swoons, staring at Zolo with stars in their eyes.

Zolo gave them a cursory glance, nothing more. 'And who are these two?' asked Zolo gruffly. 'We don't need any more hangers-on.'

'Never mind about them,' said Usopp, thoroughly offeding both Sara and Em. 'Tell Sanji what's happened.'

'Or, rather, what hasn't happened,' said Luffy.

'Nami hasn't returned from Arlong's base,' said Zolo grimly. 'And a Navy ship has been spotted off the island.'

'But wouldn't Arlong have sunk that one like he did the first?' asked Sanji.

'No,' said Usopp. 'They went right around the whirlpool the first ship went into, just like they'd been warned about it!'

'Oh! Oh! That's the ship with the rat-guy in!' said Em to Sara. 'He wants to find the berries that Nami's been saving to...' she slowed and stopped her explanation when she noticed that everyone was staring at her. 'Uh, hi, I'm Em.'

'How do you know who's on that ship?' asked Luffy.

Zolo's hand went to the sword he wore at his hip. 'You wouldn't, unless you were sent by them!'

'No!' cried Sara. 'I'm Sara, that's Em and Sanji can vouch for us!'

Sanji shrugged. 'They're not from the Navy.

'It wouldn't be the first time you've fallen for a quick line from a pretty face,' snarled Zolo.

Sara and Em sighed again and giggled.

'He said we're pretty,' said Em wistfully.

'So,' Luffy said, 'What do you know about the Navy ship?'

'Well, there's the captain rat-guy and he's got a deal with...' began Sara.

'Arlong,' supplied Em. 'If he finds the hundred million berries that Nami's been saving to ransom this island, he'll give it to Arlong and get thirty per cent of it to keep.'

'Arlong found a way to break his word to Nami,' said Sara sadly.

'When they find the money in the fruit orchard near Belle Mere's, Nami will have to start again,' finished Em.

'He'll never let her go,' said Sara.

'Do you ever get tired of finishing each other's sentences?' asked Luffy.

Sara and Em exchanged glances.

'It doesn't happen too often,' said Sara.

'How do you know all this?' asked Sanji.

'Uh...' said Sara.

'Gum Gum Fruit!' said Em. 'We ate some that gives us the power to see the future.'

'Really?' asked Ussop.

'Yup,' said Em. 'But we saw this future a while ago so where a little fuzzy on the details.'

'Good save,' whispered Sara.

'Thanks.'

'So what do we do?' asked Sanji.

'We go into Arlong's base and bring Nami out,' suggested Zolo.

'Will you take the townspeople?' asked Em absently.

'Why would we?' asked Usopp.

'Coz they're gonna go anyway,' said Em.

'We should go see if she's right,' said Sanji.

Everyone agreed with this plan and the little band walked down the road in the direction of the town. They stopped and watched from the bushes lining the road when they saw the townspeople surging down the road in a huge cluster.

'The Navy's here,' said Sara.

'They'll go straight to the orchard,' said Em. 'Nami's inside the house!'

'We have to help her!' cried Luffy.

'No!' cried Sara.

'It would change everything!' exclaimed Em.

'We can't do nothing!' said Zolo.

'Yes, you can!' said Sara heatedly. 'You must not fight the Navy in taht orchard! They'll kill you!'

'Not me,' said Luffy.

'Maybe not,' said Em quietly. 'But you would be the only one. And when they overrun you, chain you up and drown you, you'll know that you're the last of your crew, Monkey D Luffy.'

Everyone was silent, letting the words sink in.

'Nami will come here,' said Em.

'When?' asked Usopp.

'When the townspeople decide to fight,' said Sara. 'She'll need you the most then.'

By now, the townsfolk had long passed the bushes behind which the pirates and Sara and Em had concealed themselves. But it wasn't long before they returned. They were shouting about taking Arlong down, once and for all and fighting for themselves.

Then Nami appeared. 'You guys don't have to fight,' she said. 'I'll just get another twenty million berries. It'll be easier this time.'

But the townspeople had had enough of timidity. They paid no heed whatsoever to Nami's threats and pleadings and simply ran past her when she pulled out her knife.

When the townsfolk had reduced to a cloud of dust down the road and Nami had collapsed in the dirt, Luffy went out to help her.

'Let's leave then to it,' said Sara and the group receded into the forest.

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