June 1528: Thousand Sunny
Sanji wasn't asking for much when it came to him and Nami's anniversary. Of course he would have loved something extravagant—a romantic night under the stars, dancing under the twinkling lights, a dinner made up of all of Nami's favorite foods, and finally ending the night by treating her like a queen and showing her just how much he loved her with his body. This plan, however, didn't have much of a chance of working out.
He couldn't imagine he and Nami being left alone for five minutes, let alone the entire night. Having to tend to Benji was expected; he was a month old, he still needed all their attention, and Nami and Sanji had no trouble paying him any. It was the other crew members that would stop them from being alone. Unless they locked themselves in their room for the night, they weren't likely to get much time away from the others.
Sanji was carefully working out the details as he stood at the stove smoking a cigarette and began preparing Nami's favorite food—roasted duck. The duck had already been defrosting in the fridge for several days and would need to cook for three hours after Sanji had prepped it; he had to admit, Nami had exquisite taste when it came to her favorite foods.
"Tangerine sauce," Sanji muttered to himself, taking a drag from his cigarette and turning to walk out of the kitchen and onto the deck. He'd need a few tangerines from the trees to make the sauce accompanying the duck.
He hadn't even left the kitchen for five minutes. It hadn't taken long to pick five tangerines and gather them in his arms, but when he returned, he found the counter bare and Luffy sitting at the table, sucking the end of each finger and patting his stomach.
"Oi, Sanji!" he said when Sanji re-entered the kitchen. "What was that on the counter? It tasted good!"
Sanji pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand. He exhaled a deep breath, cigarette smoke trailing from his mouth. "Luffy," he said. "You ate… an entire raw duck? There were still bones in there!" Suddenly angry, the bottom of Sanji's foot met the top of Luffy's head, knocking him from his chair. "Baka! That duck was for Nami-san!"
"I-I'm sorry…" Luffy said, holding the top of his head where a bump was no doubt sprouting.
That had been the only duck aboard the Thousand Sunny. Sanji could feel a vein popping out of his forehead at the thought of three days of defrosting and preparation immediately being devoured by Luffy. He had half a mind to give Luffy another kick to the head, but instead took a deep breath and let it out. He walked back behind the counter as Luffy sulked out of the kitchen.
He started boiling water in a kettle. The ship ought to be passing a small island soon enough; he could see if he could buy a duck there. It would take a little more time, which would be frustrating, but as long as there would be roasted duck for dinner, it would be worth it in the end.
Once Sanji had finished brewing a pot of tea, he poured a cup for Nami and carried it to the library. He lightly tapped his knuckles on the door before pushing it open a crack.
"Nami-san?" he asked.
Nami sat in front of the desk, working on a sketch of the latest island the crew had stopped by. She turned over her shoulder to look at Sanji; she had a pair of glasses perched atop her nose and the baby resting in a sling across her chest. Nami preferred to be left alone while she was working and feeding the baby, but for Sanji she made an exception.
"I brought you some tea," Sanji said as he stepped into the room, closing the door behind him.
"Oh, thank you, Sanji-kun," Nami said as Sanji set the teacup beside her.
Sanji reached down and petted the top of his son's head; Benji was feeding quietly for the most part, only giving off an occasional whine or grunt.
"I'm going to disembark for a bit," Sanji said, and planted a kiss on Nami's cheek. "I'll be back soon."
"Alright," Nami turned her head to face him and gently placed a hand to his cheek, giving him a short peck on the lips. "Be safe."
"For you, Nami-swan, I'll avoid trouble at any cost!"
Nami chuckled before turning back to her map, and the baby gave a small whine as Sanji left the room.
Sanji didn't know the name of the island the Sunny docked at. It wasn't a remarkable island; there were typical merchant stands and docks and probably a few rookie pirate crews hoping to make names for themselves. Sanji was sure no one was expecting to see the cook of a high profile pirate crew looking to buy a duck from a merchant. He wandered through the stalls for a little while, no one paying him much mind, until he saw a few fowl wandering around in a pen beside a stall.
"Excuse me," he greeted. "How many Berries for a duck?"
The man manning the stall scratched his chin. "One full grown duck is 2,500 Berries," he replied. He narrowed his eyes. "Do I know you from somewhere?"
"I'm a cook," Sanji answered. "Maybe you ate at my restaurant."
"Oh, are you cooking duck, then?" the man asked as Sanji placed Berry bills on the stall's counter.
"Yes. It's an anniversary dinner. A couple celebrating being married for a year."
"Ah, when the love was new," the man nodded, sage. "I remember the days. So you're not exactly looking for a live duck, per se."
Sanji paused. "Technically not, since I'm planning on cooking it."
"Ah. I see. I'll need a moment, then."
The man departed from the stall, leaving Sanji waiting, and returned several minutes later with a defeathered duck missing its head. He bagged the duck and handed it over to Sanji.
"Thanks for your business!"
Sanji returned to the Sunny closely guarding the duck from anyone (Luffy) who might like to eat it. It was relatively easy for Sanji to prepare; when he was cooking he entered a sort of trance where he wasn't aware of much else going on around him. He scored the skin of the duck in a diamond pattern on its breast side before poking along the fatty parts with the tip of the knife. He sampled from his stock of Aqua Lagoona salt for seasoning, and stuffed the cavity with garlic cloves and lemon slices. He folded in the loose skin on both sides to hold the stuffing in place before twining the legs and placing it in the oven to roast.
Sanji lit a cigarette and took a long drag; he'd been trying to cut down on his smoking habit since Nami had given birth, as he never wanted to smoke around the baby, but he had to admit after a while his fingers started itching for a cigarette.
Cooking the duck was a rather therapeutic experience when Sanji wasn't looking over his shoulder whenever Luffy entered the kitchen, sneaking around and trying to get a taste of the anniversary dinner. Sanji was in the middle of cooking the duck when Nami entered the kitchen, cradling a wailing Benji against her chest.
"Nami-san," Sanji said and stubbed out his cigarette. "Is everything alright?"
"He threw up down my back," Nami said as she bounced the baby in her arms. "I can't get him to calm down, but I need to go change. Can you watch him, please?"
"Of course, Nami-san!"
"Thank you." Nami approached the kitchen counter and passed Benji over to Sanji before leaving the kitchen and going to her and Sanji's room to change.
"What's the matter, little one?" Sanji asked as he held the baby to his chest, lightly patting his back. "Papa's here, Benji-chan… everything's alright…"
"Benji-chan!" Luffy cheered, holding out his hands. "Give him here, Sanji! I wanna play with him!"
"He's a little upset right now, Luffy, I don't think he's in the mood for playing…"
"I'll cheer him up! Come on, Sanji, I'll watch him while you cook the duck!"
Sanji's eyes traveled from his crying son to Luffy's pleading gaze, his hands still held out and ready to take Benji. Reluctantly, he handed Benji over to Luffy.
"Yahoo!" Luffy said as he took Benji in his arms.
"Be careful with him, Luffy," Sanji warned. "Nami-san will kill us both if you upset him even more."
Sanji continued working on cooking the duck while listening to Luffy coo at Benji from the floor. He removed it from the oven, brushed it with a mix of balsamic vinegar and lemon juice, and returned it to the oven for intervals of ten minutes before removing it and brushing it again.
"Benji-chan! Look here, Benji-chan! Look at Luffy-ojisan!" Luffy pulled at his cheeks with hooked index fingers and stuck out his tongue. "Blehh! I can do lots of funny faces, Benji-chan! My cheeks are stretchy, see?" Luffy crossed his eyes and wagged his tongue, making a series of noises to entertain the baby. Surprisingly enough, Benji's crying had ceased, and the baby was watching Luffy with curiosity.
The duck cooked for three hours. It didn't take Nami that long to change clothes and come back to collect Benji, and Benji appeared happy to be back in the arms of his mother. Luffy sulked when Benji was taken away, but quickly went back to trying to get some of the duck before it could finish cooking. This earned him a few more lumps on the head before he exited the kitchen muttering about Sanji 'being mean'.
The tangerine sauce was much easier to make, and once the meal was complete Sanji looked around the kitchen warily. He and Nami were supposed to have a nice dinner together, but if Sanji left the kitchen to get changed into a nicer suit that meant the duck would be unguarded—and Sanji didn't have the time to go and find another, let alone cook one.
Sanji shifted his focus to setting up the atmosphere. He placed several candles on the table and lit them before lowering the lighting in the room and setting the duck on the center of the table. From the storage room he brought in a bottle of champagne and two glasses, setting the bottle adjacent to the duck and placing a glass next to both plates. He took a step back, examining his handiwork, and nodded in satisfaction before taking a step away from the table. He'd leave to get changed when Nami arrived.
Nami eventually entered the kitchen clad in a deep red dress that barely reached the tops of her thighs with her hair tied up behind her head. She smiled at the sight of Sanji and walked toward him; he returned her smile, and when she was close to him, he reached up to stroke her face and plant a kiss on her cheek.
"Nami-san," he said. "You look wonderful."
"Thank you, Sanji-kun." Nami placed a hand on top of his, holding it to her cheek.
"I'm going to get changed," Sanji said, and dropped his hand from Nami's cheek. "I'll be back soon. Make yourself comfortable."
Sanji left the kitchen and traveled to he and Nami's room, lighting a cigarette on the way there. Once he was out on the deck, he spotted Robin watching over Benji, who was lying atop a blanket on the lawn. Sanji set the cigarette aside, making a detour to see his son on the way to the room.
"Benji-chan!" he said as he approached the baby. "What are you doing, my sweet boy? Is Robin-obasan keeping you company while Mama and I have dinner? Huh?" Sanji rubbed his son's stomach as the baby stared up at him.
Robin laughed. "We're enjoying the fresh air," she said. She held an open book in her hands.
"Can you hang out with Robin-obasan for a little while?" Sanji asked the baby, not expecting a response. "Mama and Papa will be back after we have dinner."
Sanji left Robin and Benji on the deck and finally made it to he and Nami's room, where he changed into a nicer suit and took a few more drags from his cigarette before stubbing it out. He returned to the kitchen, where Nami had sat at the table and had begun to fix herself a plate of the duck Sanji had cooked.
Sanji approached the table, and Nami looked up at him once she realized he'd returned. Sanji grabbed hold of the champagne bottle, popped the cork, and poured each of them a glass. Once the glasses were filled, he set the bottle aside, took a seat, and raised his glass.
"Nami-san," he said, "this past year with you has been nothing short of wonderful. I can't wait to see what the next one holds, and all the ones that I'll be spending at your side. Happy anniversary, Nami-san, darling."
He clinked his glass to Nami's before taking a sip of the champagne. Nami smiled at him. "Happy anniversary, Sanji-kun. You're the best husband I could've asked for."
It took everything in Sanji's being to restrain the heart-eyes and outburst of 'You really think so, Nami-swan?'. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't stop the blush from rising to his cheeks and his very grateful smile.
Unfortunately, the two had all of five minutes alone together before four figures burst into the kitchen and flicked on the lights.
"Why is it so dark in here?" Luffy asked as he strutted into the kitchen, followed shortly by Franky, Usopp, and Chopper.
"Oh, Sanji, is that dinner?" Usopp questioned in reference to the duck. Before Sanji could even answer, all four men had sat themselves at the table and had cut themselves servings of the duck.
"Wait, that's—" Sanji was cut off before he could even finish speaking when Brook entered the kitchen as well.
"Luffy-san, I have a question about—oh!" Brook exclaimed at the sight of the dinner. "Is this Nami-san and Sanji-san's anniversary dinner? Yo ho ho ho! I'll provide some music right away!" Seemingly from nowhere, Brook whipped out his violin and began to play 'Bink's Booze' as well as sing along.
To add to the chaos, Robin entered the kitchen carrying a crying Benji. "Nami, I'm sorry, I can't get him to calm down. I've tried everything the books suggested—I think he just misses you and Sanji."
At the sight of the wailing baby, Nami went immediately to take him from Robin's arms and start to soothe him. Sanji placed his head in his hands, overwhelmed by the surroundings and by how quickly his plans for the night had dissolved into madness; hell, the only one who hadn't interrupted them was that stupid Marimo, wherever he was.
Robin, once she had surrendered Benji over to Nami, noticed everyone else at the table eating the dinner that Sanji had prepared. "Everyone," she said to get their attention. "I think Sanji and Nami would prefer to be alone during their anniversary dinner. We should exit the kitchen and have our meals elsewhere."
At this, Brook stopped playing his music, and there was some confused muttering from Usopp and Franky (who hadn't known about the anniversary), but one by one, each of the Straw Hats minus Sanji and Nami had vacated the kitchen, leaving behind scraps of the duck that Sanji had prepared.
Once everyone else had left the kitchen, Sanji leaned against the table and sighed. "Nami-san, I'm sorry, this was supposed to be a romantic dinner…"
Nami only smiled. "It's alright, Sanji-kun. I really enjoyed it. You made my favorite and everything." Nami cradled the baby in her arms, who had started to calm down, his crying reduced to whimpers.
"I know, it's just…" Sanji sighed again. "I was hoping it would be just the two of us."
Nami nodded. "That would have been nice," she agreed. "But I enjoyed it anyway. It was very sweet of you to plan all this." She leaned in and kissed Sanji on the cheek. "Why don't we get ready for bed? It's getting late now."
Once the rest of the crew had already turned in for the night, Sanji and Nami migrated to the bathhouse, Nami carrying Benji in a sling across her chest as she climbed up the ladder. Once they were in the bathhouse, both of them stripped their clothes and settled into the tub. Nami undid the buttons of Benji's onesie, pulled the garment off the boy, and held the baby in front of her as she rested in the bath.
"You like bath time now, huh, Benji-chan?" Nami cooed as she scooped handfuls of water over the top of the baby's head. "You do? Yes? You're so handsome, my little one, yes, you are."
Benji wiggled his arms and kicked his legs, splashing in the water. This was accompanied by small whimpers and grunts as he stared up at Nami with wide eyes.
"He's gotten a lot better," Sanji commented.
The first time Sanji and Nami had tried giving him a bath he'd wailed the whole time and it had taken a long time to console him. A month down the line and he'd grown used to them, though for the first few weeks it had been quite the struggle for his parents.
"Look at those big brown eyes," Sanji said. "Who has big brown eyes just like his mama? Benji-chan!" Sanji reached forward and tickled the baby's chest, which didn't garner much of a reaction from Benji other than kicking his legs and splashing Nami again.
"He's so handsome, yes, he is," Nami said, smiling down at her son. "So handsome just like his papa."
Sanji's eyes almost immediately turned to hearts. "You really think I'm handsome, Nami-swan?"
Nami gave a light hit to the top of his head. "Baka! Of course I do! I married you, didn't I?" Nami's gaze fell to their baby boy. "I don't know why you're so surprised to hear it. We've been married a year… we made a beautiful baby boy… I think you're very handsome, Sanji-kun. I'd be happy if Benji-chan grows up to look like you."
"Oh, Nami-swan! That makes me so happy!" Sanji gave exaggerated hand motions before holding his closed fists up to the side of his head.
"Could you get my back, please?" Nami asked, and rotated a bit so she had her back turned to Sanji.
"Of course, Nami-san!"
Sanji rubbed his sudsy hands across Nami's back and listened as she murmured sweet nothings to their baby boy, who whimpered and grunted in response to her.
"I love you, my little boy," she said, and held up Benji to kiss his cheeks. "Little baby boy. I give you kisses!" Nami kissed the baby with loud, exaggerated 'muah muah muah' noises. "I kiss you because I love you. My little cutie pie. Here, let Papa hold you while I wash his back."
Nami turned in the bath and handed Benji to Sanji. Benji whined at being passed off to his father; he much preferred to be in the arms of his mother.
"Benji-chan," Sanji said as he stroked his son's cheek with his thumb. "It's okay. Mama's right there." As Nami washed his back, Sanji focused on washing the rest of the baby's body as he wiggled in Sanji's arms. Once Nami had washed the suds from Sanji's back, she, Sanji, and Benji exited the bath and began to towel off.
While Sanji dried off the baby, Nami ran a towel over her stomach, giving it a dissatisfied look. Nami's stomach had shrank since giving birth to Benji, but those who didn't know she'd had the baby would likely think she was still in her second trimester. She wrapped the towel around her body and tied a knot near her breasts to keep it up before looking to Sanji and Benji.
"Come here, baby boy," Nami said, holding out her arms. Sanji handed Benji over to her, whom he'd wrapped loosely in a towel.
The three traveled from the bathhouse to their room, dressed in their pajamas, and laid down in the bed, Benji in-between Sanji and Nami. Benji was quick to fall asleep, but Sanji and Nami stayed awake for a little while longer. Sanji held out his finger to the sleeping boy, who grabbed onto it reflexively.
"I can't believe we made him," Sanji said in a small voice.
"Hm," Nami agreed, her eyes half open as she skirted along the edges of sleep. "He's so beautiful."
"He's perfect." Sanji was silent for a moment before speaking again. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more for our anniversary," he said.
"Sanji-kun," Nami said, "it's alright. Spending time with you and Benji-chan is all I really wanted for our anniversary."
With the hand that Benji wasn't holding, Sanji reached over and brushed the hair away from Nami's face. "I wanted to make love to you tonight," he said. "I'll have to make that up to you in a couple of weeks, when you're ready."
Nami gave a faint smile. "That'll be nice," she said. "I've missed that."
Again, Sanji paused, watching his son as he slept. "I hope he sleeps for more than three hours tonight."
"Oh, me too," Nami sighed. "If he cries you're up first to check on him."
"Alright, Nami-san."
As the family lay snuggled together in the queen-sized bed, the clock ticked past midnight. Just like that, Sanji and Nami's anniversary was over.