Three months had passed since Sanji started helping in the kitchens and answering to his new name given to him by Zeff. Honestly, it was a much longer time than he had expected. At first, Sanji thought that perhaps after immersing himself in the fast-paced environment that was the kitchen for a few weeks, the foreign interest and curiosity would fade back to wherever it came from. On the contrary though, every time Sanji attempted something new or when Zeff demonstrated a skill with practiced ease, the new feelings inside him grew.
It didn't stop just there though. A month into his involvement with the other cooks Zeff has pulled the robot aside and offered a different kind of lesson. A lesson in capoeira.
A quick search had filled Sanji's head with various pictures, videos, and descriptions of the sport. It had left the robot staring blankly at the older man.
"You are aware that as a model specifically designed for security, I am programed to be efficient in over fifty different types of martial arts?" he informed Zeff.
The older chef had simply scowled and charged forward.
From then on, Sanji found that he actually preferred the new sport. The rush and rhythmic movement that it required left Sanji's body feeling so much more light and agile than it actually was. It was also nice to find that he actually fought better with his legs anyway.
If there was any bad side to his new hobbies, it was that Zeff often forced him to act as his errand boy. A couple times a week the old man would shout at Sanji to go out into town to pick up extra ingredients or supplies that the kitchen needed at the time. The amount of times Sanji had to do so only increased when Madame Vivi-the sweet angel-allowed for Sanji to spilt his duties between security of the estate and cooking in the kitchens.
Today's errand required Sanji to search for a hole in the wall bookstore that Zeff apparently often visited. The old chef informed the robot that he had specially ordered a recipe book from the place and they had called the day before to tell him it had come in.
The bookstore wasn't too hard to find—especially with the GPS system already built within his frame- but it did give off the feeling of being run down and old, enough to drive away the more modern generation. It was a small store at the bottom of an apartment building where the owners lived no doubt. A family business probably, Sanji deducted as he made his way through the door of the shop. A bell hanging above the door frame rang when hit, announcing his entrance.
The teenager behind the counter smiled slightly at Sanji as he approached.
"How may I help you?" The worker—Usopp, his nametag read—asked.
"I am here to pick up a book for Zeff Redleg." Sanji answered, placing his hands gently atop the counter.
"Oh! The cook book, right?" Usopp jerked his head back toward a door farther in the store with an 'Employees Only' sign hanging from it. "It's in the back. I'll go grab it for you."
Sanji watched as Usopp disappeared into the other room before turning back to the counter. It wasn't very big, barely containing everything on its surface. The cash register took up most of the space, a bulking machine that looked positively ancient when compared to Sanji. Next to the large machine was a stack of books, their covers all an identical bright green. Below the stack was a colorfully drawn sign that read 'Please Support Our New Authors!'
Intrigued, Sanji reached up to grab the book atop the stack when Usopp walked out of the back room, recipe book held out in front of him.
"Sorry it's a little dusty," Usopp said, placing the book on the counter to scan to the register. "The back room is such a mess."
"It is fine," Sanji assured. He glanced back at the stack of books beside him and motioned to it. "What is this for?"
Usopp looked away from the register to see what Sanji was pointing to and brightened up considerably when he did. A smile stretched across the worker's face as he enthusiastically grabbed the top book and flipped it open in front of the blond.
"Every couple of months the shop helps advertise new authors who want to sell their works," Usopp explained. "I was finally able to get my book published last month and the owners were kind enough to let me showcase it here."
"You made this?" Sanji asked in surprise. He looked down at the book that was being flipped through in front of him.
It was obviously suppose to be a children's book with its large font and its bright colors but the art in no way was amateurish. Each page seemed to have a drawing of some sort, some took up small spaces, while others took up a whole page. Every picture that was flipped through left Sanji even more impressed.
"Yeah, every picture and word," A slight blush rose to Usopp's cheeks and the worker smiled bashfully. "It's called, 'Captain Usopp's Greatest Adventures', all about a brave warrior of the sea who, with his loyal 8,000 followers, sailed all across the world."
Sanji smiled as he watched the worker practically glow with glee while explaining the story behind each picture. The blond figured it wasn't very often that someone took an interest in the teenager's work so it was understandable that the worker would be so eager to talk about it to a potential customer. It wasn't a problem though, Sanji was more than willing to let Usopp ramble on.
"And this," Usopp began as he turned to the next page. "Is the All Blue."
Something in Sanji's system stalled as he took in the new picture, his eyes widened and his mouth parted in what he could only categorize as awe. He was sure that if he were human the more appropriate phrase would be 'breathtaking'.
The page was a palette of blues and greens, brushed and mixed together to imitate the ocean. The waves seemed to roar; it churned, pushed and pulled, currents dancing ferociously across the large print words. The sun in the painted sky reflected in the water, making the white sea form sparkle and shine. It was beautiful.
"I actually didn't make this one," Usopp's sudden voice pulled Sanji out of his daze, tearing his eyes away from the book to glance at the teenager. "I mean, I did the painting but the All Blue is an old sailor's tale. No one really owns it."
It was almost automatic the way Sanji's head searched the phrase 'All Blue', pulling up the first source that had come up. It really was an old tale, one from the prime age of piracy, that had as much proof of being real as Atlantis. An ocean that carried every sea creature in the world, how fascinating.
Sanji didn't realize he had been staring into empty space until Usopp cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Anyway," Usopp said, picking up the cook book that had been dropped on the counter in his enthusiasm. "Sorry for taking up your time. I'll just ring this up for you."
"Actually," Sanji picked up the worker's children book. "I would like to purchase this as well."
The glow in Usopp's eyes returned.
"Really? You're the first person to actually want to buy it," the teenager admitted. "You know what? I'll give it to you for free."
Sanji raised a brow. "I thought you were trying to make money?"
Usopp shook his head as he put both books into a plastic bag for Sanji to carry.
"Money's nice and all but I'm just glad that I'm getting my work out there," Usopp handed the bag to Sanji with a smile. "As long as I know someone in this world is enjoying my work then I'm happy."
/
That night as Sanji patrolled the East Wing right on schedule, Usopp's book was open in his hands, the many hues of the All Blue staring back at him. Briefly, Sanji wondered if Zeff had ever heard of the mystical ocean. He recalled one of the chef's commenting on Zeff's old job as a sailor but was the tale still as famous now as it was back when pirates sailed the seas?
Sanji paused in his steps as his eyes followed the dancing waves. What would it be like to live on the ocean, Sanji wondered. How would it feel to wake up at the smell of sea salt, to battle the ever changing currents and weather, to be rocked asleep at night? Suddenly the ground Sanji stood on seemed so inferior to the sea he imagined. The white walls of the palace became more constricting as the robot imagined looking over a boat's railing to the ocean's endless horizon.
Something inside Sanji's head whispered, "I want to be there,"
That's idiotic, the robot's logic berated. Get anywhere near the water and he would eventually rust and malfunction. The sea was not place for a machine to live.
"It'll work," Sanji found himself thinking. "One day, I'll make it work."
The next part is when the Sanji we all know and love will come in. These first two parts are still him learning to have emotions and thoughts and a personality so that's why he's not exactly in character. Next chapter though, I promise, he will do a lot more yelling.
Geez, I didn't realize writing an almost emotionless character was so hard.