10/18/22 EDIT: Thanks to KumaZura for proof reading this chapter.

Chapter 31

In the service of excellence

The straw hat crew had waved goodbye from the Sunny's deck to Iris and her parents who had come to wish them bon voyage. Now the sun was going down and as they began to speed on the sea, Nami watched the Eternal-Pose Iris' parents had provided for her. She fully intended to fly the ship to their next destination to arrive at the festival on time.

"Franky, we're gonna use all the power of the Sunny. It usually takes three days to reach Löurnig Island and we have a day and a half."

"There is enough cola stock for some Coups de Burst," The cyborg notified her.

"All the better, we'll need it to adjust according to the time we'll use." She looked at the sky to size up the weather. "Wind goes in our direction, we need to use it." She then turned to her other crewmates who were finally taking off their disguises. "Take out all the sails and tighten them out as much as possible. The one on duty tonight will be in charge of keeping pace."

"It's me!" Brook informed enthusiastically.

"I'll entrust you with the Eternal-Pose so that you'll be sure of the direction then," She concluded.

Everyone rushed to execute her orders, excited at the prospect of their next adventure and soon, the sails were swollen by the wind and made the Sunny glide at top speed. Shortly after, Luffy jumped on the figurehead and stretched out his arms, laughing, ready to fly away under the power of wind and sea forces combined. Usopp and Chopper joined him while Franky walked around the ship to make sure of its perfect integrity. He knew Nami would push the Sunny at full capacity and he wanted to be sure his ship wouldn't suffer. For their part, Robin and Brook shared a cup of tea and Zoro grabbed his dumbbells.

The navigator approached the cook who was staring at the sea, a cigarette in his hand. Sensing the presence of his princess, he turned to her with adoration before she even met him.

"Any ideas of what you're going to prepare?" She asked.

"I have lots of ideas, Nami-san!" The blond assured her, swirling around her. "I'm going to use my best spices just for you!"

"You'd better because I absolutely want to win," She replied in a detached tone. "Despite the money Iris gave us, I feel weak and dispossessed. I need to win something."

"You can count on me, navigator of my heart!"

The young woman nodded and walked away with a sigh. She was feeling a little depressed and she wanted to provide the cook with all the means to get ready at best so her morale wouldn't suffer anymore. She then promised herself to think about a plan so that he would be at peace the next day.

With the arrival of the night, activities calmed down. Luffy stayed on the figurehead with Chopper while Usopp and Brook sat in the grass around an invention of the sniper. The two girls had gone to bed and Franky was tinkering in his workshop while Sanji was nibbling his pen, forearms resting against the railing of the first floor, back to the door of his galley.

Zoro looked at him out of the corner of his eye from the deck as he put his dumbbells down, his forehead glistening with sweat. He was sure the cook had already written several recipes on his sheet of paper in anticipation of the festival. Sanji had claimed a little earlier he wanted to test recipes to make a choice and that the crew would be involved. Of course, Luffy had shouted with joy at the prospect of being used as a guinea pig for food.

The swordsman suddenly saw the blond get lost in the contemplation of the sea before going back to writing. Sanji's focused figure in the darkened atmosphere got a predatory smile out of Zoro who quickly wiped his face with a towel.

Leaving his merry mates, Zoro climbed the steps towards the cook. He didn't want to give him the opportunity to push him away so he leaned over his shoulder to see his sheet of paper as soon as he was next to him. "Steamed sea bream with fragrant oil," He read. "Is that what you're gonna do?"

"I don't know yet," The blond replied, writing diligently.

"Strawberry sorbet with star anise," The fencer continued. "This looks weird..."

Sanji moved his shoulder to shift the swordsman bent over his back and Zoro smirked. He was sure his hot breath was tickling the neck of the cook and was distracting him. He voluntarily held his breath before sighing against him for a long time. "All these recipes make me hungry..."

He felt the blond freeze and smiled a little wider. However, the man turned to him with annoyance. "I don't have time for fun tonight. Let me do my job." He turned away again but Zoro didn't admit defeat and he glanced at his crewmates downstairs, all thoroughly busy. He then ventured to put his lips against the neck of the cook and Sanji shivered but still stubbornly continued his work, unfazed. The fencer decided to go back to his left ear and bit it suggestively.

After a few moments, Sanji sighed and turned towards him. "Even if I had time, it wouldn't be happening, marimo."

"Why?" The swordsman wondered.

The cook quickly pointed out his hair with his chin while he resumed his writing. "I can't, this color is too weird. I'd feel like I'm cheating on you."

Zoro felt his jaw drop in bewilderment. He then saw a mocking smile on the face of the blond although he didn't stop writing.

"You're not even a real marimo anymore, you look like a more failed version of yourself," The cook added.

The fencer felt himself brutally seething. "You darts bastard, you really think you're luckier than me when talking about your face?!" He hissed.

"Then I am delighted to note you ain't here only for my good looks," The cook replied nonchalantly, continuing his task.

Zoro opened his mouth but no sound came out. Fortunately, Sanji's taste for fighting wasn't as sharp as usual and he didn't raise his head from his sheets of paper in the face of the lack of repartee from the swordsman. Trying to regain his composure, Zoro felt himself being slightly pushed away as the blond turned and stretched. "Don't wait for me, Greenie." Sanji kissed his cheek and headed for his galley before quietly closing the door behind him.

Flabbergasted, the swordsman wiped it away at full speed, flushing. He then made sure no one had caught the cook's gesture towards him and he was relieved to see that everyone was continuing to talk normally downstairs.

Once he had got over the initial shock, Zoro groaned and went down the stairs towards the crow's nest. He felt ridiculous. This idiot cook always found a way to turn the situation to his advantage and he was now using their new relationship to get the upper hand. He should have known better. Sanji didn't stop at anything.

The next day after breakfast, Nami decreed the galley restricted area for the day. In front of the distraught look of her friends and the panicked gaze of the captain, she assured she would personally take care of bringing lunch. She wanted the cook not to be disturbed under any circumstances. Delighted that the navigator would be the only one to get into his lair, Sanji immediately agreed with her while adding for the benefit of Robin that he would obviously make an exception for her too.

As expected, he had selected several recipes and the prospect of cooking without disturbance all day was particularly appealing. Nami then dragged her captain's dejected carcass to the deck and quickly, everyone followed suit. Soon, only the chopping on the cutting board and the crackling of cooking resounded in the room while the owner of the place was following preparations with concentration.

Outside, the navigator decided to keep her crewmates busy. "Brook has maintained the course during the night, but we still have a lot of ground to catch up to be on time. I want all the sails stretched as much as possible to speed up the Coup de Burst Franky is going to launch."

At his side, the cyborg cheerfully approved. "Reserves are pumped, we're going for a ride!"

Nami then glanced at her watch. "Okay, in fifteen minutes you better catch hold of something. We won't stop for anyone if you fall into the water, we don't have time."

With these words, she went to the engine room with the engineer, and her friends sighed at her usual coldness towards them. Zoro and Luffy then climbed the masts to re-set the sails as Chopper, Brook and Usopp were running over the deck to secure the flying objects. For her part, Robin just watched them, smiling, before heading for the library.

Nami and the many hands of the archaeologist set the dishes down on the Sunny grass at lunchtime. Immediately, their crewmates rushed at the food and without the intervention of the cook, the meal turned into fistfight. Luffy had of course grabbed most of the dishes and was showing his teeth at Zoro who was trying to get one away from him. Franky and Brook decided to catch all that was left and Chopper and Usopp tried to creep in to get a share as the captain was busy watching the swordsman.

A little further, the girls enjoyed their plates in the shade of a parasol. Sanji had been nice enough to prepare a dish aside and they let the boys kill each other as they were chatting quietly. Thanks to the wind that was still in their favor and to the Coup de Burst, they had made good progress and Nami had shortened the sails during the meal.

As they were finishing desserts, Nami spotted a News Coo and she waved him over to get the newspaper. After she picked it up, she turned the pages feverishly and eagerly read the article that interested her. "They didn't make the connection to us, we're safe!" She summarized to Robin a few minutes later with satisfaction.

"I-Is that true? The-The Marines aren't looking for us?"

The navigator jumped, discovering the many hematomas adorning the face of the sniper who had asked this question. At his side, Chopper was also massaging his cheek and Luffy and Zoro were still punching each other for a last piece of rice. As for Franky and Brook, they were relaxing on the sound of the musician's violin.

"What a bunch of savages," The young woman grunted before turning her attention back to Usopp. "No, it looks like our disguises have had the desired effect," She went on. "The theft of a part of the bid was released to the press but it's said research is directed towards six suspicious individuals with a mismatched look. They are thinking of artists from the circus world."

"Is there any mention of Iris?" Robin asked her.

"None. She was probably right when thinking the Celestial Dragon who kidnapped her wouldn't say anything for fear of losing his prestige with others."

"Good for her," The little reindeer approved. "I must say I was a little worried..."

Nami immediately got up from her chair and watched the sky again. She then headed for Luffy who was licking the last crumbs off his plate and for Zoro who was already falling asleep. She firmly slammed her fists on their heads and both smashed on the ground. "Stop resting and get moving," She said. "Löurnig Island is still a long way off, so readjust the sails; we'll use a Coup de Burst again."

While the boys were hurrying up again, she helped Robin get the plates and cutlery back to the galley. She wanted to develop an evaluation grid to study as objectively as possible each of Sanji's dishes and she confided her idea to her friend who approved. Delighted, she decided to look very seriously at it as soon as the Coup de Burst was done.

The crew had spent the rest of the day keeping an eye on the course and maintaining the speed under the navigator's uncompromising gaze. That's why, in the evening, everyone was eager to take comfort around the wonders their cook had simmered so lovingly. So nobody was missing when Sanji solemnly reopened the doors of his galley at dinner time.

Yet before everybody rushed inside, Nami positioned herself at the entrance and handed everyone a sheet of paper and a pen. "Tonight you don't eat, you taste," She said. "Each dish will be evaluated for its flavor, originality, and texture. Then you'll put an overall mark and Sanji will be able to determine the best dish to produce tomorrow at the festival."

"You take it very seriously," Franky pointed out as he entered the room.

"When you want something, you find the means to do so," The young woman replied. "Now sit in silence."

Everyone sat around the table, running their eyes over their sheet of paper. "Four categories," Usopp read. "To flavor. To awaken. To set fire. Sugars and spices."

"I made three dishes for each category," Sanji informed them while bringing large plates. "We'll start with the first category, 'to flavor'."

"What's this?!" Luffy exclaimed. "Looks so good!"

"Sautéed jumbo prawns with coriander and ginger, rolls of beef with garlic and cumin, and scallops with saffron butter."

"Wow!" Brook, Chopper and Luffy marveled.

They were about to devour the dishes without further delay when Nami forcefully slammed a wooden spatula on their fingers. "Don't forget you have to evaluate the performance, you're not here to stuff yourselves without thinking!"

In front of their winces of pain, she served each one a portion of the three dishes and then allowed them to eat. Luffy swallowed all his shares in one bite then faced his sheet of paper with a puzzled look. Nevertheless, he lent himself to the play and filled the boxes provided for this purpose with enthusiasm.

Sanji then brought the following three dishes. "Category 'to awaken'," He said as he set them down."Chicken noodle salad with Jamaica pepper and green chili, sea curry with fenugreek, caraway and turmeric, and finally chickpeas with lamb, red chili and paprika."

Usopp licked his lips in anticipation and the cook gave out the portions while Nami was making sure everybody had finished to fill the first part.

Everyone then ate his share and seemed to feast. Sanji wanted to ask them their impressions, but Brook beat him. "I love sea curry!" He exclaimed.

"No comment to not influence others," Nami intervened. The cook accepted the rule even though he was getting nervous. He was seeing on the faces of his crewmates that they seemed to enjoy his dishes but seeing them give a grade to his food was unusual and slightly stressful.

After a few minutes, Nami asked him to bring the following dishes and he complied eagerly. "Category 'to set fire'. Chicken fritters with Cayenne chili, Singapore crab with white and black peppers and vegetables tempura with wasabi."

"Great, I feel like I'm gonna love this category," Franky rejoiced.

Once the portions had been given out, everyone swallowed his plate and then conscientiously wrote down their impressions. The studious atmosphere made the cook smile and nod with satisfaction on the part of the navigator. Finally, Sanji brought the last dishes. "Spices desserts: raspberries and cardamom fondants, white chocolate and cinnamon mousse, and pistachio and ginger biscuits."

Chopper's eyes lit up and Sanji put the first plate down in front of him with a smile. He finished with the swordsman who cautiously looked over his desserts. "I won't be soft with you, cook," He warned him.

"As if there was ever any doubt," The blond grumbled, sitting down a little further.

When everybody had finished tasting and writing, Nami continued the evaluation. "Well, now everyone is going to choose the dish he prefers and describe why. Maybe a dish will stand out from the marks already. Any questions?"

The captain raised his hand. "Luffy?"

"I'm still hungry!" He got enthused.

"Irrelevant!" The navigator barked. "Brook, you go first."

The skeleton rose, cleared his throat and grabbed his notes while Sanji was bringing a large sandwich to his captain whose eyes sparkled with joy. The wise cook had guessed that his rapacious appetite wouldn't be satisfied by his tasting.

"My favorite dish was sea curry," The musician declaimed. "The mixing of fishes and spices was perfectly divine and the creaminess of the coconut milk was moderating the firmness of seafood!"

Nami carefully wrote down his remarks and Sanji thanked the skeleton who sat down politely. "Franky," The navigator said.

"I really loved the two-pepper crab," He explained. "It was highly-seasoned nicely and the crab was core-cooked just as I love it!"

"Okay," Nami wrote. "Usopp?"

The sniper bit his lip. "I can't decide between the lamb chickpeas and the raspberries fondant," He began.

"I said only one dish so choose!" The redhead got annoyed.

The young man frowned, clearly undecided, before sighing. "Well... I think the raspberries fondant was my favorite because I have a thing for raspberries and they were perfectly ripe. I was afraid I wouldn't like cardamom, but in fact it completes the taste pleasantly."

"Duly noted. Chopper."

The little reindeer raised panic-stricken eyes towards Sanji and the navigator. "I-I can't choose!" He stammered.

"Why?" The cook wondered. "You didn't like anything?"

"Of course I did!" The doctor exclaimed. "I liked everything, that's the problem! I can't choose, it's too hard!"

Nami rolled her eyes, exasperated. "You have five minutes to make a choice," She decided. "Zoro, your turn."

"Chili chicken fritters," The swordsman said.

"Okay. Why?"

The fencer shrugged. "Just sayin'."

Nami glared at him. "There must be a reason so spit it out," She growled.

"It was the least worst of all."

The navigator stared at him before rolling her eyes and writing down. For his part, Sanji began to seethe. "You don't expect me to believe it's a default choice, marimo man?! There were 12 dishes on this fucking table, there must have been one you liked!"

"Calm down, cook," The fencer replied with a detached look. "I was asked to rate you and that's what I do. Fritters were passable 'cause at least, chili was hiding a bit of the chicken taste and it saved the dish."

Punctuating his reply with a broad smile, Zoro watched the blond's face gradually go red. He was willing to bet Sanji was expecting this kind of response but the effect was still there. As if he was thinking he would get a compliment from him about his food one day.

Conscious of this fact or not, the cook was about to jump on him when Nami distracted his attention by leaning towards the archaeologist at her side. "What about you, Robin? What did you prefer?"

"The vegetables tempura with wasabi," The young woman quietly answered. "The wasabi bite was contrasting with the vegetables' sweetness. This sharp dissonance was striking and it was welcome to bring out the true aroma the vegetables were containing."

"Thank you, Robin-chan! I'll do it again just for you!" The blond gushed.

"Was she talking about the dish or a murder desire?" Franky asked Usopp who shook his head, defeated.

Nami wrote her friend's impressions and then turned to the captain. "Luffy, your dish. And don't tell me all of them," She warned him with a threatening look.

"I loved the beef rolls!" He exclaimed with exaltation. "It was meat, it was so good!"

"Anything else that made you like this dish?" The young woman insisted.

The captain scratched his head for a few seconds before shrugging. "The sandwich's meat was good too!"

"Okay, it's fine," The navigator muttered. "So, Chopper, did you find one?"

"I think so," The little reindeer acquiesced, who had filed all his notes with application. "My favorite dish was the white chocolate mousse! Even though I really liked the pistachio biscuits, the raspberries fondant and-"

"One dish," Nami told him off. "Why the mousse?"

"Because the texture was melting and aerial!" The doctor marveled. "Cinnamon added a spicy touch but the sweetness of the white chocolate was unique!"

"Perfect, Chopper. Thank you." She finished writing before playing with her pen. "For my part, I preferred the scallops with saffron butter. I found that the delicacy of the scallops was perfectly combined with the smoothness of the butter sauce and the saffron brought a touch of freshness."

"We'll choose this dish, Nami-san!" The blond decided immediately.

She sighed and ignored his intervention. "Nobody liked the same thing but it was to be expected. Depending on everyone's tastes, we all have different preferences. We'll need to study marks and remarks to average them by tomorrow. Can I count on you, Sanji-kun?"

"Of course, Nami-san! Let me do it!"

When the cook pushed the door of his room a few hours later, he had lost his enthusiasm and he sighed heavily. He couldn't determine the ideal recipe. The calculation of the average of his friends' marks hadn't helped him. If everyone was agreeing on the maximum mark about taste - apart from the shitty swordsman - texture and originality were connected to their personal preferences. No dish stood out from the others.

Sanji glanced at the fencer sprawled out on the bed and snoring like a truck. That idiot. The blond then kicked him off the bed for the simple pleasure of blowing off steam in front of his too quiet look. "You took up all the space," He placidly explained, setting his sheets of paper down when Zoro straightened up from the floor.

"You bastard!" The fencer roared. "You'll pay for this!" Zoro grabbed his blades that were resting against the wall and got ready to pounce but the concerned look of the cook stopped him. "What?" He growled.

"I don't know what to do for tomorrow," The blond confessed while sitting on the bed. "I can't find the best recipe. All the evaluations are positive but it's because flavor prevails..." He then fell backwards and stared at the swordsman who was now appearing upside down from the other side of the bed.

Zoro sighed and put his swords down again before moving forward on the bed until he saw him face to face, resting on his forearms above his head. "Why don't you choose Nami's or Robin's dish, isn't it a safe bet for you?" He asked.

"I know their choice is the best but that's not the point," The blond got annoyed. "I am a chef, I must be able to go beyond personal tastes to gather them together on a dish. I must be able to create a unique and must-have flavor!"

Zoro watched him for a moment from his atypical position. He was feeling the torment fidget in the only visible eye of his companion and he bent down without thinking to put his lips on his. Surprised, Sanji nevertheless agreed and he ran a hand through the blue hair above him.

After a few moments, the swordsman moved away and the blond opened his eyes again, his breathing slightly irregular. Zoro then moved forward until he could put his tongue on his skin in the hollow of his shirt and he sprinkled small kisses on the top of his chest. "For me, every one of your dishes is unique," He mumbled. "You never do the same twice. I just prefer when you do something salty..."

Sanji felt the swordsman's kisses resume on his skin with delight and he ran his own hands over his partner's chest a few inches from him, feeling his muscles deliciously contracted under his tee-shirt. "Salt isn't even a spice, marimo," He grunted. "It's a condiment, what do you want me to do with-"

The cook suddenly froze and the fencer stopped his kisses before shifting to the side to cast him a questioning glance. He was then violently pushed away when Sanji was jumping out of bed.

"What the hell is going on?" Zoro grumbled as he watched him gather his sheets of paper quickly.

"An idea! A fucking idea!" He exclaimed excitedly as he checked his notes.

"Can't it wait, your idea?" The swordsman muttered. "We were busy..."

"I owe you one, marimo, I swear."

Zoro just watched him in silence as the cook fixed his clothes in a hurry. He didn't like this new initiative but he accepted it. Cooking was Sanji's reason for living and he respected his passion just as much as the blond respected his dedication to his swords.

The door slammed shut, and the fencer lied down again with a sullen look, his groin painful. The cook better not forget his promise.

I really had fun writing this chapter! Those are real recipes from a book called Little spicy dishes.

On the love side, I tried to go slowly with Sanji and Zoro, and give them time to discover each other from a different point of view.

See you next chapter for our dear cook's special dish!