Sanji didn't have to worry.
When Hanna came back she had an entourage accompanying her back instead of Nami.
"Where's Nami?" Luffy asked as islanders began boarding the ship, and looking curiously at the baskets the men were carrying. "Is that food?"
Hanna smiled at her captain.
"Somewhere there is. The mayor wanted us to be at our best tonight so he has given us these clothes to choose from." the crew gathered around her. Presents was always welcomed at Sunny.
"Where is the food?" Luffy asked diving into the third basket. Zoro sighed, Robin smiled, and the rest just shook their shoulders. They all knew that their captain had a short attention span when food was nearby.
"WOW! Luffy! Look behind you." as Luffy's back was turned away from the harbour he first didn't see the big trays being carried onto the ship. "So much foooood!" Chopper slurped as his eyes widened. Usopp was just staring along with Franky who had just arrived from the mechanical room. Robin walked close to Hanna.
"I'm guessing you had something to do with this?" Hanna shrugged her shoulders and had a little apologetic smile on her lips.
"Well I thought that if they were well-fed before the ball, perhaps they would behave better tonight." no need to explain who 'they' were. As all the men, minus the cook, had now gathered around the food. The town had followed Hanna's suggestions very well and had brought roasted boars, sausages, several kinds of grilled fish and another of vegetables as well.
"Oh sake." Zoro finally smiled and now seemed pleased and the other men hardly noticed the islanders leaving the ship again.
"I believe that was a good idea." Robin said and the women smiled to each other.
"But hey!" Franky suddenly said looking up from his portion. "What was it about the clothes? Shouldn't we pick that out first?" Usopp looked up from the fish he was devouring.
"Oh right, good idea." But then Zoro chomped in after a small burp.
"Baka!" he said. "You can't put these fools into fine clothes just before they are about to eat. The clothes would be ruined within seconds."
"Like your shirt? Yohohohooo!" Brook commented nodding against the swordfighter's newly sake stained shirt.
"Urusee!" was the answer.
"Are you hungry?" Hanna giggled to Robin, while she instinctively threw the men a few napkins each. Robin didn't even bother to look or think about her answer. "No, I think will wait until tonight's buffet." Both smiling they instead started looking at the baskets. Some had dresses in them and the others had suits for the men.
"Oi! Chopper!" Hanna called. "Look, they brought a suit for you as well." she held up a child size black suit complete with a white shirt and black bow tie. Cooper looked up, chins round and full of fruit. 'They always eat like they haven't seen food in days'. Robin thought to herself.
Chopper gulped the last bite down and asked, "What's that around the neck." Hanna looked.
"What, the bow tie? Oh, you mean the mask?" she pulled it off to showed it to him. "We are all going to wear one like this, and at midnight after the fireworks we take them off and see if we recognized each other."
Luffy's mouth was still full, but he had a serious expression on his face, and then he finally said.
"It's a good mask." he nodded to himself. "It leaves the mouth free so we can still eat." He made it sound so profound.
Chopper and Usopp looked at Luffy in awe. Zoro sighed inwardly. Those fools would be amazed by anything, though he did agree that it was nice not having to wear anything annoying.
Suddenly, and completely forgotten by the rest, Sanji was outside again, though this time he was at least wearing pants.
"What is this?" his high pitch voiced was unusual and made everyone stare at him, though it didn't stop anyone from continuing to eat. Flustered Hanna answered while with her eyes trying to get Robin to explain the situation.
"Uh, well, we received this from the islanders as a thank you and..." Sanji hardly paid attention. "This is for us?!" he almost yelled. "I can wear this?" his voice reached a high pitch, which didn't suit him.
He dived into one of the baskets containing suits and pulled two up, one traditional in black and one white. He sent both women a desperate look, shoving the suits in front of their eyes. "Which one should I pick?"
"Uh, black?" Hanna suggested
"Yes, black will suit you fine Sanji-San." Robin said more calmly than Hanna had.
Sanji stormed back inside.
Hanna turned towards the men, pointing a finger back the door, which Sanji had just disappeared behind.
"What did you guys do to him?" but they all looked just as confused as she felt. Finally she sat down on one of the bigger baskets looking at Robin.
"I think that is the first time he didn't call any of us -chan..." Robin nodded, but then said.
"Sanji-san seems to believe for some reason that tonight is very important. He has been acting this way the past couple of hours." Robin's devil fruit ability was helping her sort through the baskets in search of an evening gown. There were plenty to choose from.
.
.
Dressed to kill. That's what Hanna called them as the men gathered on deck for a final inspection. Robin was still getting ready and the men scoffed in their tight clothes. But they looked handsome. Chopper had been sobbing about his little size until Robin pulled out a suit big enough for his human form. Usopp had insisted on wearing his own Sogeking mask to some objection. Zoro had made everyone quiet that it was a man's own decision and thus the rest of them shouldn't interfere. Hanna herself was still in her trousers and t-shirt, but her hair, which was normally free, was now tied up, with small curls falling down near her ears. Sanji had finally calmed down again. It was surprisingly a comment from the innocent Chopper which had cooled the cook down. As the blond guy had been anxious the whole day, Chopper had asked him if that was something he should try to. "Acting all weird to attract the things you wanted." It might have discouraged Sanji for a while, but now all dressed up he started to feel excited again, though more controllably this time. After Hanna had tucked and helped putting on bow ties; "Franky, your shirt should be down your pants", "Zoro, please stop pulling your collar" and "You don't have to wear the mask until we reach the place, Usopp." the men seemed ready.
"Oh, one last thing, Brook." the skeleton turned towards the little woman, though it was him who was tall, and awaited her comment. He knew what she was going to say. "Please don't ask to see anyone's panties. We have to stay here for a whole week until the log is set. It would be best not to anger any of the locals."
He grinned. "Yohoo. Well that's the good thing about wearing a mask, my dear." he ignored her complaints about being called 'his dear'. "No one will recognize me as I'm wearing the mask. Yohohohoo!" the men behind him along with Hanna waved this idea away. "No. No, they will definitely still recognize you."
Saddened but not discouraged he left the ship as the first. The rest of the men followed. Zoro turned as he noticed Hanna wasn't moving.
"Shouldn't you be in a hurry? We're leaving now."
She just sent him a dealing smile, which could have sent someone like Sanji flying.
"Of course not. We, ladies, have to arrive fashionably late." She waved him off. "So you just go ahead." Zoro smirked back.
"Eh?" he said in his deep voice, almost exiting the ship, "Which ladies?" Behind him Sanji, having overheard Zoro, yelled back.
"Oi! Marimo. I'll kick your ass if you don't speak properly to a lady." A big sigh followed from the swordsman, and he then left the women on the ship and joined the other men, who were still struggling a bit with the tight outfits.
Down on the ground Chopper asked Sanji about twelve times if his collar was still looking good and Franky had already pulled his shirt up his pants again.
.
.
Nami had having a different kind of day. Unlike the Strawhat men, with Sanji and Brook as the exception, she was very content with wearing fancy clothes. What she was looking for was the perfect dress. Well, actually she was looking for two dresses, but one didn't have to be as breath taking as the other. She wondered how many beri she had to spend and made her spine shiver. She wasn't good with separating with her money.
The plan was simple enough; it was the carrying out part that would be difficult. She didn't want to admit that this wasn't the first time she thought of doing it this way, but she always managed to push it away again. But this time the situation was perfect. She would hide behind a mask, and she would have repaid the debt she had. Of course there wasn't any debt, she knew that, but it still felt like she owed. A feeling she detested.
Nami had entered the mayor's mansion after having shaken Hanna off. That was easy enough as the brown haired woman was distracted by the mayor himself with his presents. Nami had regretted bringing the other woman along almost immediately. No one could know of this plan. She had told Hanna that she would walk around for a bit, and if she didn't return to the ship they would just meet up at the ball.
The whole place was full of people pacing around some with trays with food others still decorating the place. Nami was met with smiles and cheering as she, though she hadn't done anything herself, belonged to the Strawhats - the islanders' rescuers. After a few handshakes the decorators and waiters were ordered back to work, and she took the time to sneak around the big house. For a short while she considered looking for valuables, but especially she knew how long it would take for this log pose to set, and disguise or not, the islanders would surely blame stolen goods on the pirates.
She walked up the stairs looking down at the hall were the staff was still arranging everything. She imagined how beautiful it would look later. There were several good spots, but she ended up choosing a room in the farthest part of a long corridor, as far away as possible from the hall, and with a bathroom next door, which was great for a quick escape. She looked at the old sturdy lock and argued whether or not to jam it, to avoid other people from using the room. She ended up not doing it, as it might give her away later. How many women knew how to lock pick anyway?
She walked quickly down the corridor back to the noise from people talking and furniture being moved. The clacking of her heels disappeared as she abruptly stopped. Heels. And her hair... She would be recognized if she didn't do something. Hastily she left the house, half running back to town, hoping the stores hadn't closed yet. It had to be possible to find a wig somewhere, she was sure there was a place... Somewhere around the shop where she had been looking at dresses... Two stores down or... She hadn't paid enough attention. Mentally scolding herself she walked into the shop with the dresses. The old man, who owned the shop, had been sewing it to fit her slim figure perfectly, and he had asked why she was buying two. She had answered it was because they were so pretty and she didn't know when she'd ever be back on the island again. This made the owner so happy that he gave her the blue dress for free, since she also had been helping them against the Sorove, and he only charged her for the materials on the other dress. Normally this would have made Nami overjoyed, but right now many other things were on her mind. As she received the two bags each containing a dress and matching shoes, she asked for a place to buy a wig. The old man clapped his hands happy to help and happy that the young people nowadays still enjoyed dressing up for this event. She managed, narrowly, to avoid old tales of the owner's youth, and thanked him again for the help and the dresses and moved towards the next shop.
As she browsed through all the accessories in the shop pointed out by the old man, she wondered how she should pull of her change of disguise. She couldn't go back to the ship, as the others would then see her, which then would ruin everything.
She knew that she had to do it tonight. It was the best opportunity she had, and probably would ever be. A sudden tickle in her stomach made her snap for breath.
Nami let her fingers glide through all the many wigs in every color of the rainbow. She was used to her own brightly hair color and wanted something that wasn't typical Nami
But then she looked up and saw it. Golden with the hair down almost reaching her shoulder as she tried it on. She looked in the mirror. This would make the dress stand out even more. She couldn't help but smirk as she paid for the accessories. Tonight was going to be special.
.
..
...
...
Please review and let me know if this is silly, fun, boring or whatever. Actually just review! I love reviews! (^^)