Chapter 36

The art of the table

Sanji slowly opened his eyes and noticed that the darkness of his room was gradually tinged with brightness. He looked out the window and saw the sun was rising. He then stretched before refreshing his memory with his day's program.

Today was his first day off. Well, day off was a rather excessive term since he and Zeff had actually decided to close the restaurant for the sole purpose of preparing for the new season that was coming. Spring. The days had passed without interruption until little by little, the cook had noticed the first signs of awakening of nature: the birds came out of their nests, the flowers began to bloom and the sun gradually chased away the winter cold. It was time to develop a new menu. Indeed, even if the main attraction of the All Blue lay in the fact that its menu was different every day, its two cooks wanted to follow the four seasons of the ocean to accompany the seafood and fish they served.

Sunny days were the perfect time to create new recipes and Sanji had planned to go to Vorgo to consult their fruit and vegetable supplier while Zeff would take care of inspecting the orchards of the island. It was indeed crucial that as many foodstuffs as possible come from All Blue and Sanji had already given a share of the restaurant's revenue to Tori so that he could develop the largest vegetable garden possible.

The blond smiled. Amy was finally going to enjoy a lie-in and even if he had to admit that the young girl showed a real enthusiasm since she had joined their team a few weeks earlier, he knew that a day of rest would do her good. He also imagined that Lily would appreciate this break in her hectic schedule and he promised himself to ask her again about the other fishermen she intended to train. He knew that the young woman managed most of the time alone because the inhabitants who remained on All Blue mostly worked with Tori or Liam at the doors. However, as the days went by, supplying the restaurant's increasingly massive demand was becoming a perilous exercise. Fortunately, Amy now fulfilled all the additional tasks to relieve the fisherwoman and Lily didn't need to serve or clean anymore.

Sanji glanced at the clock and saw that he had plenty of time to prepare before meeting Liam because the scientist was going to accompany him on Vorgo. Indeed, he wanted to buy several electronic components to reinforce the stability of the doors and he had also offered the blond to take care of renewing their order at the wine merchant, which the cook had gladly accepted. This way, he would have more time to go around the stalls in search of new ingredients.

Finally deciding to get up, Sanji sat up from his bed and his gaze immediately sought the side of his desk in the opposite corner of the still slightly darkened room. He then let his eyes wander long enough to make out what he was looking for, a nostalgic smile on his lips.

His contemplation had become a habit and even a kind of ritual that he wouldn't forget for all the world despite all these past months. That way, even if he got up in a hurry, he always took the time to give them a moment. He then discerned outlines then the forms and colors appeared more clearly with the growing light.

Above recipe books, notes and papers related to the restaurant's suppliers, Sanji had displayed the eight wanted posters for the Straw Hat crew.

Of course, his gaze was instantly drawn to the two posters he had positioned exactly in the center, those of the two women in his life. Nami-san and Robin-chan. Seeing them, he immediately imagined the gorgeous redhead observing the sky to predict the day's weather and the fascinating archaeologist enjoying her tea peacefully at the first light of day. Then his gaze slid to the posters of Chopper and Brook and he imagined their sparkling eyes as they bit into their waffles before feasting on hot chocolate at the breakfast table. Franky's poster reminded the blond that the cyborg liked to tinker at dawn about his new ideas and Usopp's always made him smile when he remembered that the sniper loved to tell his friends about the inventions he had had the revelation overnight. Afterwards, his gaze looked for the wanted poster of Luffy, he who was so quick to marvel at the sniper's tales. Three hundred million berries for an elastic boy with an oversized smile who became as elated for the passions of his friends as for the food he wanted to devour at any cost as soon as he opened his eyes.

And finally, he stared at the wanted poster of the crew's swordsman. Sanji let his gaze wander there a little longer than the others. A little longer than he would have liked. The fencer often stayed up at night, enjoying the watch, and when he needed to wake up, it was all the more painful. Yet Zoro almost always made the effort to get up at the same time as the others to have the chance to enjoy his meal as much as to share the life of the crew. His rhythm of life was then punctuated by naps throughout the day and Sanji had had the opportunity to see him wake up countless times, whether because of his kicks or the cries of alarm of their friends. Sunrise was an abstract notion for the swordsman and the blond couldn't help thinking that Zoro was still asleep when he opened his eyes. This inevitably reminded Sanji of their time spent together between the four walls of their bedroom. A few minutes out of time during which the cook had been able to observe his companion at his leisure without fear of being surprised.

Now that time was over but Sanji still treasured those moments. Even if he could no longer enjoy it, his memory reminded him that he had had the chance to live an incredibly passionate relationship while some people spent their entire life looking for the person who would share it with them, in vain.

It was at this moment that the cook got up and left the crew to their business as he was about to begin his own. Each on a side of the ocean, they all had a mission to accomplish.


"I heard about your restaurant. Seems like it works not so bad."

"So it would seem."

"Going through doors that lead to another ocean attracts people, that's for sure. It's all anyone ever talks about around here these days!"

"I'd rather they talk about our food."

"Oh, they talk about it! Seems like you change your menu every day!"

"We adapt."

"A deputy mayor came by last time. He said he wants to offer All Blue the status of an annex island to Vorgo."

Busy scanning the stalls, Sanji looked up at the wholesaler who usually supplied him, frowning. "All Blue, an annex island?"

"Yeah, the door is next to Vorgo so it makes sense," The man in front of him approved, "He said there was no infrastructure and no state buildings. It's an open door to anarchy and looting," He pointed out to the cook, showing him his new delivery of snap peas. "If you ain't careful, pirates will come and destroy your restaurant until there's nothing but ash," He added, shaking his head.

"Of course. I'm sure the city hall of Vorgo is interested in monopolizing the prestige of this ocean," The blond got annoyed.

"Nobody's perfect," The merchant admitted as his customer approved the freshness of the vegetables. "Maybe it'd be better to seek the support of the World Government in your case. The Marines could protect you."

"I'm not sure. They're very often the biggest looters," The cook grumbled, approaching a crate of eggplants a few steps away.

"I'm just saying that for your benefit," The supplier said while raising his hands in sign of surrender.

"We've been doing all right so far."

The man nodded and Sanji leaned over the crate before wrinkling his nose. The eggplant he had just grabbed was slightly too firm under the pads of his fingers and he put it down. "It's a bit early for the season," He said.

"They come from an island that has a permanent summer climate," The merchant explained.

"Well, they weren't picked at the right time," The cook insisted, moving on to the next stall.

"It's because the island is several days away by boat and we need to take into account the ripening during the trip."

"It's even worse," The blond groaned, "I look for local fruits and vegetables, they're much better because they haven't suffered from transport."

At these words, the man frowned. "You'll only have those in season for our island then and with the vagaries of the climate here…"

"I don't mind. The important thing is to have the best possible products. Adaptation is the hallmark of All Blue anyway."

The merchant nodded understandingly and then pointed to a stall on his left. "All these come from Vorgo. Small or large producers on the island, most are obviously autumn fruits and vegetables." He then showed him a little corner further to the right. "These come from the surrounding islands, two days of cargo at most. There's an island with a summer climate and one with a spring climate less than forty-eight hours from here."

"Perfect." Sanji headed there briskly and selected asparagus, artichokes, cucumbers and watercress. He finished with the fruit stall and decided to choose lemons, grapefruits and lychees. He then spent the next thirty minutes discussing delivery details and quantities for the next few weeks and when he finally left the store, it was already noon.

Sanji then decided to head for the meeting point he had agreed with Liam earlier, a small brewery in the heart of downtown.


"Would you want to taste our oysters, sir? They're exceptionally fresh today."

"No thanks. I'll take the shrimp in coconut milk."

"May I suggest you add our starter of scrambled sea urchins in the shell? It's a unique recipe from our chef and it's of incomparable quality."

Sanji glanced questioningly at Liam in front of him and noticed that the man was biting his lip, clearly lost in his attempt to decipher the menu. Feeling the waiter's and the blond's attention on him tough, he looked up before stuttering.

"Um… Well, I-I'm not sure I like it so…"

"Give us some white rice," The cook approved in front of the embarrassed look of his friend, "And if you have any fresh herbs, I'd like cilantro."

"Of course, sir."

The waiter then turned to the dark-haired man to inquire about his decision, looking bored, and the scientist cleared his throat. "I'll take the spiced sea bream with… the salad of bell pepper?"

The waiter wrote down his choice without a word and Liam bit his lip when he turned back to the blond. "To accompany your dish, I suggest a bottle of White Condrieu of Protected Designation of Origin. It's a strong temperament of aromas and subtle flavors."

"I'd prefer a Chardonnay, if possible a Petit-Chablis," His guest declined. "It'll adapt better to the sea bream."

"As you wish, sir."

The man quickly retrieved the menus then turned on his heels, lips pursed, and Liam sighed deeply. "What possessed me to accept this invitation," He lamented, "We should have gone to the brewery as planned…"

'"Don't mind him. He tries to impress us and imagines that we'll be afraid of the competition. All the locals talk about is the All Blue right now and despite our precautions, people are starting to know us."

"I thought they distributed these invitations to everyone!" Liam assured him, "The man who gave it to me really seemed to have done it randomly!"

Sanji smiled and took a drag on his cigarette before blowing the smoke above his head. The establishment went all out to achieve its ends because the table which had been reserved for them outside enjoyed a breathtaking view of the port and the ocean.

"A gourmet restaurant like that has reservations for several months and believe me, they never offer an invitation," He explained to his friend. "When we disembarked, I went to all the restaurants on the port and none let us in."

"I'm too naive…"

The blond tapped his cigarette butt against the ashtray, amused. "Welcome to the merciless world of cooking."

"I don't like this cooking," The dark-haired man mumbled, "Yours is much simpler and it feels much more comfortable… Not to mention the prices!"

Sanji nodded at this remark. "They have some rare and exotic ingredients and their wine list is quite extensive, but I've never understood the principle of charging a fortune for the preparations. A real chef should be keen to serve everyone because they should know the value and importance of food." The blond then paused to puff on his cigarette again, perfectly determined. "Anyway, they're dreaming if they think they can intimidate us in this way. Our goal isn't to dazzle people with the crockery and the sophisticated manners of our waiters but with what we serve."

"Their dishes may be very good but I don't understand half the names on the menu," Liam sighed again.

"You chose well, a simple recipe with no frills," Sanji reassured him, "The chef won't be able to cheat and his technique will be immediately noticeable; it's a good idea."

"If you say so…" The scientist then cast a glance at the multitude of crockery placed in front of him and he blushed again. "I feel utterly stupid here," He muttered after glancing at the guests who were eating most naturally at the nearby tables. "How am I supposed to know what all this is for?"

Sanji shrugged before pointing out his plates. "It's not that complicated. There are three types of plates that will change for each course: for the soup, for the starter and for the main course. The dessert's plate will come after."

"But… I didn't order all that," Liam reminded him.

"Doesn't matter, the waiter will remove them if necessary. The key is to take the right cutlery," The blond added, pointing to the forks and knives on each side of his plates, "They're placed in the order of use, from the outside to the plate." He stuck his cigarette-butt between his teeth and showed him a round-handled fork. "It's the fish fork, you'll spot the knife which is on the same model. And they'll probably offer us appetizers based on seafood since it's their specialty. Use the shellfish fork and the oyster one then," He pointed out again.

Liam looked up to stare at him and Sanji couldn't help but laugh. "It'll be fine, don't worry. For the glasses, it's pretty simple." He made a discreet gesture towards the waiter standing a few steps behind them before meeting the gaze of his friend who was looking at him intently. "He'll serve you as soon as your glass is empty, you'll just need to take the full one. Ditto for the bread," He assured him, pointing to the small plate not far from him.

The scientist nodded slowly and finally unfolded his napkin to place it on his lap resignedly. "The art of the table totally escapes me," He admitted.

"Obviously. Why would a scientist need to know the difference between a bread knife and a sponge cake knife?"

Liam nodded once more before suddenly fixing his eyes on the cook, smiling again. "I've seen the dessert menu though and I know what I'm gonna choose: the lemon meringue pie!"

Sanji smiled before stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray, noticing the figure of the waiter returning with their plate of appetizers. "You prefer creme brulee," He pointed out.

"I do, but there was none and at least, I'm sure I know what it is!"

Liam carefully tasted his dessert, trying to capture all the flavors. Across the table, Sanji watched him with amusement. No matter how seriously the scientist took the exercise, the blond was already sure of what he was going to tell him.

Indeed, Sanji had spoken to his friend of his desire to start looking for cooks earlier and the dark-haired man was determined to make a contribution, even modest. They had assessed the previous dishes with attention and although the result was rather positive, they agreed that the dishes were a little too worked. Sanji particularly regretted the lack of simplicity that usually brought out the flavor of food. The chef then declined the suggested dessert while the scientist ordered the lemon pie he had spotted previously.

"I like the smoothness of the cream and the dough is very crunchy," The dark-haired man said.

"But?" Liam gave him a curious look and Sanji blew his smoke, a smile on the corner of his lips. "But the lemon taste isn't very strong… Maybe they didn't put enough?" His friend tried, frowning.

The blond shook his head before tapping his cigarette butt to drop the ash. "No, it's the dosage of sugar that you don't like."

"The sugar?" Liam wondered, "I usually like sweets though…"

"You like pastries made with cream, not sugar. Mousses, creams, entremets. Things like this."

"Oh." Liam put down his fork to think and Sanji took a puff on his cigarette. "But the lemon pie is made from cream," The scientist suddenly pointed out to him.

"Typically. Only for this one, they used pure sugar and butter. Not to mention that there's also sugar in the meringue."

The dark-haired man eyed him then, suspicious. "How do you know?"

"The smell," The blond replied, shrugging his shoulders, "The sugar crystallizes and the cream melts."

As these words, the scientist sighed. "It's quite frustrating. It looks like you know my tastes better than me!"

"I'm a chef, thank God I spot the taste of those I serve."

"Yeah, well, I'd have liked to surprise you, I think."

Sanji shook his head. "I can't guess the more personal tastes related to emotions or memories. Until I've observed them, I can't do anything about them."

"Those are the tastes you're trying to recreate, aren't they?"

The cook stared at him for a moment before nodding his head. "That's right. Reviving unique feelings through food is the greatest reward and hardest creation there is."

"I remember when you told me about it. I thought that was weird." Liam then swallowed another bite of pie thoughtfully. "I hate carnival food," He confessed after a few moments of silence.

Surprised, Sanji looked at him questioningly, puffing again on his almost burnt cigarette before stubbing it out in the ashtray at his side. "Why?"

"My family. They had a merry-go-round and they wanted me to become a fairground artist, like them. They really were disappointed when they understood I'd be an acoustician. No one spoke to me in my own house."

"I didn't know. It must have been hard."

Liam shrugged weakly. "I don't know. I never felt like part of this family so… We're probably too different, that's all."

Sanji didn't add anything. He knew all too well how it felt to be around people with whom you share nothing but the blood that runs through your veins.

"As soon as I could, I left," Liam resumed, "But since that time, I can't stand the smell of frying donuts or roasting sugar. It's as if my stomach contracts at the mere mention."

"It's the memories," The blond explained softly," Smells have an extremely strong memory trace."

"I think I'd like to create other memories then…"

Liam finished eating his pie in silence but Sanji continued to stare at him and the scientist ended up looking up in confusion. "What's the matter?"

"I'm gonna do it, Liam."

"What?"

"I'm gonna create other memories for you. Pancakes, waffles, candy apples. They'll never recall your family's rejection to you again, I promise."

The dark-haired man stared back. "You can do that?"

Sanji took out a new cigarette from his packet and lit it with a precise gesture, leaning back comfortably in his chair. "I guarantee it. Don't forget that I'm a chef and the art of the table is my area."


In the crossfire is also the title I could have chosen for this chapter.

I like the idea of being torn between the desire to move forward and nostalgic memories. Ambivalence is always a source of opportunities!